《Sword of Coming》


 Chapter 1: Spring Bloom

    Chapter 1: Spring Bloom


    [1]


    The second day of the second month on the lunar calendar was said to be the day that the dragon raised its head, also known as the Longtaitou Festival. [2]


    In the darkness of the night, there was a thin and lonesome young boy in a secluded ce by the name of y Vase Alley. At this moment, he was following the traditions of the area, holding a candle in one hand and a peach branch in the other. The young boy was using the candle to illuminate the ceiling, the walls, and the wooden bed in the room, and simultaneously, he was tapping the peach branch around to try and drive away creatures like snakes, scorpions, and centipedes.


    At the same time, he was chanting an old mantra that had been passed down in the small town for generation upon generation: "On the second day of the second month, the candle illuminates the ceiling, while the peach branch taps the walls, leaving no ce for snakes and insects to hide."


    The young boy''s name was Chen Ping''an, and both his parents had passed away at a very early stage in his life. The town that he lived in was extremely renowned for producing chinaware. Ever since the founding of the nation, the town had taken on the important task of producing chinaware to be offered to the imperial court, and there were imperial officials constantly stationed in the town, overseeing the operation of the official kilns.


    Without anyone to rely on, Chen Ping''an became a potter at a very young age. In the beginning, he was only able to perform some menial tasks and manualbor, toiling away arduously for several years under a reluctant master with a terrible temper. In a cruel twist of fate, just when he had begun to grasp some of the basics of pottery firing, the town suddenly lost the right to host official kilns. Over the course of just a single night, all of the dozens of coiling-dragon-like kilns throughout the town were ordered to be shut down by the authorities.


    Chen Ping''an set down the newly snapped peach branch before blowing out the candle. He then made his way out of the room and sat down on the steps before looking up at the starry night sky.


    He could still clearly recall that his old master was a man with the surname of Yao, and he had only been willing to ept him as half a disciple. e autumn morning the previous year, he was discovered to have passed away peacefully while seated on a small bamboo chair, facing the kiln with his eyes closed.


    However, ultimately, people who were as devoted and unyielding as Old Man Yao were part of the minority.


    For generations, the potters in the small town had only engaged in this one line of work, and they didn''t dare to overstep their boundaries and continue to produce imperial ware, nor did they dare to sell their stocks of imperial ware to themon folk. Thus, they could only turn to other avenues to make ends meet. At just 14 years of age, Chen Ping''an was also kicked out, and after returning to y Vase Alley, he continued to reside in this old and dpidated house under bleak and impoverished conditions. Even if he wanted to be a spendthrift rich kid, there was simply no wealth for him to squander.


    After drifting around aimlessly for a while, he was unable to find any sources of ie. He was only just barely able to feed himself with his meager savings, and a few days ago, he heard that a foreign cksmith with the surname of Ruan had arrived in Dragon Riding Alley, an alley that was a few streets away. The old cksmith had dered that he was nning to take seven or eight disciples, and no wages would be provided, but meals were ensured.


    Chen Ping''an had immediately gone to try his luck, but to his dismay, the old cksmith only took a side nce at him before turning him away. At the time, Chen Ping''an had felt quite perplexed. Could it be that cksmithing didn''t rely on the strength of one''s arm, but the charm of one''s looks instead?


    Chen Ping''an had a rather frail appearance, but his strength was not to be underestimated. He had developed great physical conditioning from many years of pottery molding and firing, and in addition to that, he had traveled extensively with Old Man Yao, exploring all types of ces while carrying out the most tiresome and degrading tasks without anyints. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, Old Man Yao never took a liking to him.


    He was always disdainful toward Chen Ping''an for hisck of talent, an area in which he was severely outmatched by Old Man Yao''s most prized disciple, Liu Xianyang. One couldn''t me the old man for ying favorites. Ultimately, the master was only responsible for teaching the basics, while the disciple''s talent and hard work decided how far they would go. As an example of their disparity in talent, Liu Xianyang was able to achieve the same level of mastery in the monotonous task of pottery molding in half a year that Chen Ping''an reached after toiling away for three years.


    Even though there was a chance that Chen Ping''an would never use this skill again, he still performed his usual routine, closing his eyes and envisioning a bluestone b and a pottery wheel in front of himself. He then began to simte pottery molding practice, continuing to hone his skills.


    Once every 15 minutes, he would take a short break to shake out his wrists. Only after repeating this process until he waspletely exhausted did he rise to his feet, strolling through the yard while performing some stretches. No one had taught him to do any of this, it was just a routine that he had made up himself.


    All of a sudden, the peace and quiet was punctuated by the harsh sound of a mocking jeer. Chen Ping''an stopped in his tracks, and just as he expected, there was a boy roughly the same age as him squatting on the top of the wall, looking down at him with a derisive sneer and making no effort to hide his disdain.


    The boy was an old neighbor of Chen Ping''an''s, and it was said that he was an illegitimate son of the former kiln supervision official. That official had returned to the capital for a debriefing for fear of being impeached by imperial censors, and he had left his illegitimate son to be looked after by his sessor, who was a rather close friend of his.


    Now that the town had inexplicably lost the right to produce imperial ware, the kiln supervision official responsible for overseeing the operation of the official kilns was left without a job, and he had no interest in continuing to look after the illegitimate son of an imperial court colleague. After leaving some money behind, he hurriedly traveled to the capital to salvage his rtions with powerful figures there.


    Unbeknownst to the young boy, he had beenpletely abandoned, and he continued to live a carefree and leisurely life, constantly wandering the town with his personal maidservant, never having to worry about money, even though he didn''t do a day of work throughout the year.


    The earthen walls separating the homes in y Vase Alley were all very short, so the young boy could''ve easily looked over the wall to the other side, but he always liked to squat on top of the wall whenever he spoke to Chen Ping''an.


    The neighboring boy''s name was Song Jixin, a name that was far more sophisticatedpared with Chen Ping''an''s shallow and tacky name. Even his personal maidservant, Zhi Gui, had a very elegant name. [3]


    At this moment, Zhi Gui was standing on the other side of the wall with a timid look in herrge, round eyes.


    All of a sudden, a voice rang out from the entrance of the courtyard. "Are you willing to sell that maidservant?"


    Song Jixin was rather startled by the question, and he turned to discover apletely unfamiliar brocade-robed young boy standing outside the courtyard with a faint smile on his face.


    Beside the brocade-robed young boy stood a tall and broad elderly man with a fairplexion and a benevolent look on his face. The old man''s eyes were slightly narrowed as his gaze roamed over the young trio in the two neighboring courtyards.


    His gaze swept over Chen Ping''an without any pause, but his attention lingered on Song Jixin and his maidservant, and the smile on his face gradually grew more pronounced.


    Song Jixin took a nce at the brocade-robed young boy out of the corner of his eye as he replied, "Sure, why not?"


    "How much do you want for her?" the brocade-robed young boy asked with a faint smile.


    Zhi Gui''s eyes widened with incredulity upon hearing this exchange, making her resemble a panicked deerling.


    Song Jixin rolled his eyes as he raised a finger and wagged it from side to side. "I want 10,000 taels of silver!"


    The brocade-robed young boy''s expression remained unchanged as he nodded in response. "Alright, I''ll take her."


    The boy didn''t appear to be joking, and Song Jixin hurriedly amended, "Actually, I want 20,000 taels of gold!"


    An amused smile appeared on the boy''s face as he said, "I was just fooling around."


    Song Jixin was far from amused.


    The young boy paid no further heed to Song Jixin as he turned his gaze to Chen Ping''an. "It''s all thanks to you that I was able to buy that carp today. After taking it back home, the more I looked at it, the more I fell in love with it, so I decided that I had toe and thank you in person. That''s why I asked Grandpa Wu to bring me here to see you right away."


    He tossed a heavy embroidered pouch to Chen Ping''an, then said with a vibrant smile, "This is my thanks to you. We''re all clear now."


    Chen Ping''an was just about to say something, but the brocade-robed young boy had already departed, leaving Chen Ping''an to look on with furrowed brows.


    Earlier in the day, he just so happened to spot a middle-aged man walking down the street while carrying a fish basket. The man had caught a golden carp that was around the same length as a human hand, and it was iling around vigorously in the bamboo basket. Chen Ping''an felt like the golden carp had a very festive and jubnt appearance, and he asked the man if he was willing to sell the fish for 10 copper coins.


    The man had originally only intended to eat the fish, but he immediately jumped on the opportunity to make a profit from his catch, asking for an exorbitant price of 30 copper coins. The impoverished Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t have that much spare money on his hands, but at the same time, he couldn''t bear to leave the golden carp behind.


    Hence, he began to barter with the man, and he was willing to take the fish for 15 copper coins, even 20. Right as the man was beginning to show signs of relenting, the brocade-robed young boy and the old man just so happened to pass by, and they bought the carp and the fish basket for 50 copper coins without any hesitation, leaving Chen Ping''an to look on with a wistful expression.


    After ring at the departing figures of the young boy and the old man for a while, Song Jixin withdrew his gaze with a resentful expression before jumping down from the wall. A thought then suddenly seemed to have urred to him, and he turned to Chen Ping''an as he asked, "Do you still remember that four-leg fromst month?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Not only did he remember it, it was a very clear memory in his mind.


    ording to the customs and traditions that had been passed down for several centuries in the small town, it was a good omen for ophidian creatures to make their way into one''s home, and it was considered to be extremely taboo for the owners of such fortunate homes to chase out or kill said creatures. On the first day of the first month on the lunar calendar, Song Jixin had been sunbathing while sitting on his doorstep when a creature colloquially known as a four-legged snake began to scurry into the house right under his nose.


    Song Jixin grabbed the creature before throwing it out of the yard, but to his surprise, even though the creature was battered and disoriented from the fall, it seemed to only grow more and more emboldened and determined with each failure, attempting to crawl into the house over and over again.


    Song Jixin had never been one to believe in superstitions, and he was so infuriated by the persistent creature that he threw it into Chen Ping''an''s yard in a fit of rage. Much to his bewilderment, he discovered that very same four-legged snake lying curled up under his bed the very next day.


    Song Jixin felt Zhi Gui tug on his sleeve, and there seemed to be a tacit understanding between them as he immediately knew what she wanted and refrained from articting what he was about to say next.


    What he wanted to say was that the hideous four-legged snake had recently developed a bulge on its forehead, as if a horn were growing there.


    Instead, he said something else. "Zhi Gui and I are probably going to be leaving this ce next month."


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh in response. "Look after yourselves."


    "There are some things that I definitely won''t be able to take with me; you''d better not steal anything while I''m gone!" Song Jixin said, half in jest.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head.


    Song Jixin burst intoughter as he poked Chen Ping''an with his finger with a mischievous grin on his face. "You''re such a coward! No wonder impoverished ns never produce noble sons. Not only are you destined to be bullied and derided by others in this lifetime, you''ll probably suffer the same fate in your next life as well!"


    Chen Ping''an offered no response to this.


    The two young boys returned to their respective homes, and Chen Ping''an closed the door as heid down on his nk bed, then closed his eyes as he quietly murmured to himself, "May there be peace all year round, may there be safety all year round, may I be safe and peaceful all year round."


    1. Jingzhe refers to the 3rd of the 24 sr terms in the traditional Chinese calendars, and the term literally trantes to ��Awakening of Insects��. ?


    2. The Chinese characters for Longtaitou (��̧ͷ) literally trante to Dragon Raising Head. ?


    3. The Ping''an (ƽ��) in Chen Ping''an''s name literally trantes to safety, so it''s a pretty shallow and on-the-nose name, whereas Song Jixin and Zhi Gui''s names don''t have any particrly clear meanings, but thebination of characters used is a lot more elegant and sophisticated. ?

 Chapter 2: Opening

    Chapter 2: Opening


    Dawn was only just breaking, and Chen Ping''an had already gotten up even before the roosters began to crow. His thin nket didn''t do a very good job of keeping him warm, and he had developed the habit of waking up early and going to bedte back when he was learning to be a potter. He opened the door before stepping out onto the soft and loamy soil in the courtyard outside, then took a deep breath.


    After stretching out his body, he made his way out of the courtyard and turned to discover a thin and frail figure. It was none other than Song Jixin''s maidservant, and she was huddled over, trying to open the gate of the neighboring courtyard with her shoulder while carrying a bucket of water with both hands. It seemed that she had just drawn some water from the Iron Lock Well on Apricot Blossom Alley.


    Chen Ping''an withdrew his gaze as he jogged through a series of streets and alleys toward the eastern side of the small town. y Vase Alley was situated in the westernmost part of the town, and at the town gate in the easternmost part of the town was a man who was responsible for conducting nightly patrols and overseeing the merchants and visitors entering and exiting the town.


    On the side, he would also receive and deliver some letters sent to the town, and Chen Ping''an''s job was to take those letters and deliver them to the town''s residents for one copper coin per letter. This was an avenue of ie that he had gone to great lengths to obtain, and it had already been arranged that he was going to be taking over this job after the day of the Longtaitou Festival.


    In Song Jixin''s words, Chen Ping''an was destined to lead an impoverished life, and even if the winds of fortune were to blow into his home, he wouldn''t be able to keep them anyway.


    Song Jixin often said some things that were very difficult to understand. He most likely took those esoteric sayings from the books that he read, and Chen Ping''an was frequently left scratching his head in befuddlement. For example, a few days ago, Song Jixin had been saying something along the lines of "Beware of the spring chill, for it has been the death of many a young man," and Chen Ping''an had no idea what that meant.


    However, he had first-hand experience with the strange phenomenon where the initial period of spring felt colder than the winter each year. Song Jixin referred to this phenomenon as the unexpected spring chill, which caught many people off guard before iming their lives, much like a sudden and unforeseen retaliation from an opponent on the battlefield.


    The town wasn''t surrounded by any walls, so even bandits and gangs were a problem, let alone petty thieves. The so-called town gate was actually nothing more than a row of old and uneven fencing materials, acting as a makeshift checkpoint for people and carriages to pass through in order to keep up appearances for the town.


    While jogging past Apricot Blossom Alley, Chen Ping''an spotted many women and children huddled around the Iron Lock Well, and the well winch was creaking incessantly.


    After passing through another street, Chen Ping''an heard the familiar sound of reading ringing out nearby. There was a private school there, and it was jointly funded by several of the most affluent ns in the town.


    The teacher was from out of town, and back in Chen Ping''an��s younger days, he would often squat down outside the window and listen to the lesson being taught in secret. The teacher was very strict during sses, but he never called out or got in the way of freeloaders like Chen Ping''an. After that, Chen Ping''an traveled out of the town to be a disciple at a dragon kiln, and he hadn''t visited the school since then.


    Jogging ahead a bit further, Chen Ping''an passed by a stone archway. Due to the fact that the archway was supported by 12 stone pirs, the local residents liked to refer to it as the crab archway. As for what the archway''s actual name was, Song Jixin and Liu Xianyang had very different ounts.


    Song Jixin swore that he had read in an old book by the name of "Local County Chronicles" that the archway was called the Grand Secretary Archway, and that it had been bestowed upon the town by the emperor at the time tomemorate an official in history who had made significant contributions in overseeing military forces.


    In contrast, Liu Xianyang was just as much of a hillbilly as Chen Ping''an, and he insisted that this ce was known as the Crab Archway. It had been referred to as such for several centuries, and in his eyes, there was no reason to give it a nonsensical name like the Grand Secretary Archway. In addition to that, Liu Xianyang had also posed a question to Song Jixin: "How big is the official hat of a grand secretary? Is it bigger than the opening of the Iron Lock Well?"


    Song Jixin had no answer to this, and he was left flushing furiously with embarrassment.


    Chen Ping''an ran ap around the 12-pir archway, and each side bore fourrge characters inscribed in strange fonts, all of which appeared to be different from one another.


    The inscriptions read "doing my part", ply with the natural order", "refrain from looking outward", and "unmatched aura".


    ording to Song Jixin, aside from one of those inscriptions, all three of the other inscriptions had been smeared or altered at some point. Chen Ping''an was quite clueless about these matters, and he had never given this notion much deep thought. Of course, even if he had wanted to unearth some answers, he wouldn''t have been able to. Even now, he still didn''t know what kind of book the Local County Chronicles that Song Jixin frequently mentioned was supposed to be.


    Shortly after passing the archway, he saw an old yet lush locust tree, at the foot of which was a tree trunk that had been moved there by someone. Slight modifications had been made to the tree trunk, and there were two bluestone bs tucked under either end of it, transforming it into a crude bench.


    Every summer, all of the town''s residents liked to gather under the tree to stay cool. Some of the adults from the wealthier ns would pull baskets of chilled fruits and melons out of the well for the children to eat, and once they''d had their fill of fruits, the children would band together and y under the shade of the tree.


    Chen Ping''an was already ustomed to rigorous travel, so he wasn''t even out of breath as he jogged over to the makeshift town gate before stopping at the entrance of the lone earthen cabin.


    Not many outsiders visited the town. Now that the town had been deprived of a major source of ie in the form of the official kilns, it stood to reason that there would be even fewer visitors from outside.


    Back when Old Man Yao was around, there was one time when he had a little too much to drink, and he told his disciples, including Chen Ping''an and Liu Xianyang, that they were the only ones under the heavens manning official kilns, that the chinaware that they produced was imperial ware used by the emperor and the empress, that no matter how rich or lofty in official status someone was, they would be beheaded if they dared to use imperial ware themselves. On that day, Old Man Yao had seemed like apletely different person.


    As Chen Ping''an cast his gaze out of the town gate, he was surprised to discover that there were seven or eight people waiting outside, and there were people of both genders and all ages among them.


    Furthermore, they were all unfamiliar to him. The local residents very rarely went through the eastern gate, regardless of whether they were tending to their fields or going to their kilns. The reason for this was very simple: the path leading out of the town''s eastern gate didn''t lead to any kilns or plots of farnd.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an and these outsiders were looking across at each other, separated by the makeshift gate.


    Chen Ping''an was wearing a pair of straw sandals woven by himself, and he was very envious of the thick clothing worn by the people outside. In his eyes, the clothes looked very warm and were sure to be great for keeping out the cold.


    The people outside the town gate were clearly split up into several groups, rather than belonging to onerge group, but all of them wore aloof and indifferent expressions as they looked at Chen Ping''an. A couple of them had already looked past him and were peering further into the town.


    Chen Ping''an was rather perplexed to see this. Could it be that these people weren''t aware that the imperial court had already shut down all of the dragon kilns in the vige? Alternatively, could it be that they felt like there was an opportunity to be exploited here because they knew the true reason for the closure of the kilns?


    There was a young man wearing a strange tall hat in the group. He was tall and slim with a green jade pendant hanging from his waist, and he seemed to have grown tired of waiting. The gate had no lock, and he emerged from the crowd on his own as if he were going to push it open, but right as his finger was about toe into contact with the gate, he suddenly stopped before slowly withdrawing his hand, then sped his hands behind his back as he cast his gaze toward Chen Ping''an with a smile on his face. He didn''t say anything; all he did was smile.


    Out of his peripheral vision, Chen Ping''an inadvertently noticed that the people behind the young man seemed to all be disying different emotions. Some were disappointed, some were amused, some had their brows furrowed, and some were looking on with derision in their eyes.


    Right at this moment, a middle-aged man with a head of disheveled hair abruptly opened the gate, then erupted into a loud tirade directed at Chen Ping''an. "How desperate for money are you, you little bastard? Who in their right mind woulde here at such an ungodly hour? Are you rushing off to reunite with your dead parents?!"


    Chen Ping''an rolled his eyes in response,pletely unfazed by the man''s scathing words. He was living in a rural area filled with uneducated people; if he allowed himself to get mad every time someone directed some insults at him, then he might as well jump into a well and put himself out of his misery.


    In addition, this middle-aged gatekeeper was often the butt of jokes for the residents of the town himself. In particr, the bold and feisty women would not just verbally abuse him, but often hit him as well. The man was also always going around boasting to little kids who were still in their open-crotch pants, telling them about how back in his heyday, he had once beaten up five or six burly men at once in front of the town gate, dishing out such a severe beating that his assants were left to pick up their teeth from the ground, and that there was so much blood everywhere that the entire 20-foot wide path in front of the town gate had be as muddy as if it had just rained!


    "We''ll discuss your shitty jobter," the man said to Chen Ping''an in a disgruntled voice.


    No one in the town held any respect for him, but he was the one who decided whether outsiders could enter the town or not.


    He made his way toward the makeshift gate while reaching a hand down into his own pants.


    His back was facing Chen Ping''an, and after opening the door, he would take a small embroidered pouch from each of the people outside, then stow the pouches up his sleeve before granting them passage into the town.


    Chen Ping''an had already stepped aside to let the people through, and the eight outsiders made their way into the town, roughly split up into five groups. Two children who were around seven or eight years of age strode into the town on either side of the young man with the green jade pendant strapped to his waist. The pair of children consisted of a boy and a girl, and the former was wearing a festive red robe, while the little girl was as fair and delicate as a piece of premium porcin.


    The boy was almost a full head shorter than Chen Ping''an, and as he passed by Chen Ping''an, he opened his mouth, but didn''t say anything. However, it was quite apparent that he had mouthed something very rude and provocative.


    The middle-aged woman holding onto the boy''s hand cleared her throat quietly, and only then did the boy disy some restraint.


    As for the little girl behind the boy and the woman, she was being led by a physically imposing elderly man with a head of white hair. She turned to Chen Ping''an and immediately began chatting away while pointing at the boy up ahead.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t understand anything that she was saying, but he could tell that she wasining about the boy.


    The burly old man took a nce at Chen Ping''an out of the corner of his eye, and it was only a fleeting nce without any intention or malice, but Chen Ping''an reflexively took a step backward, as if he were a mouse that had run into a cat.


    The chatty little girl''s enthusiasm was instantly snuffed out upon seeing this, and she turned away from Chen Ping''an without affording him so much as a second nce, as if looking at him would be an insult to her eyes.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t have much life experience, but he wasn''t so clueless that he couldn''t read faces.


    After those people had faded into the distance, the gatekeeper turned to Chen Ping''an before asking, "Do you want to know what they said?"


    "I do," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    The middle-aged gatekeeper chuckled, "They were praising you for your good looks. They were all saying good things about you!"


    Chen Ping''an gave a wry smile in response.


    Do I look stupid to you?


    The gatekeeper could tell what Chen Ping''an was thinking, and he began tough even more boisterously. "If you weren��t stupid, I wouldn''t have asked you toe and deliver letters!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to rebuke the gatekeeper for fear of irking him and losing this job.


    The gatekeeper turned and cast his gaze toward the outsiders, stroking his stubbly chin as he mused to himself, "That woman just now had a pair of killer legs!"


    Chen Ping''an hesitated momentarily before asking with an intrigued expression, "Is she a martial arts practitioner?"


    The gatekeeper was rather taken aback by this innocent response, and he turned to Chen Ping''an with a serious expression as he said, "You really are a stupid kid."


    Chen Ping''an was still none the wiser.


    The gatekeeper asked Chen Ping''an to wait outside as he made his way into the cabin, then re-emerged with a stack of letters in his hand. It wasn''t a particrly thick stack, consisting of only around 10 letters, and the man handed the letters over to Chen Ping''an before asking, "It''s said that fortune favors the foolish, and karma favors the righteous. Do you believe in that?"


    Chen Ping''an grabbed the letters with one hand while spreading open his other hand, blinking innocently as he said, "You promised me one copper coin per letter."


    The gatekeeper pulled out the five copper coins that he had prepared earlier in a disgruntled fashion before mming them down heavily onto Chen Ping''an''s palm, then gave him a dismissive wave as he said, "I''ll give you the remaining five copper coins some other time!"

 Chapter 3: Sunrise

    Chapter 3: Sunrise


    The town wasn''t veryrge, home to fewer than 700 ns, and Chen Ping''an knew the majority of the impoverished ns in the town. As for the wealthy ns, they were too far above a poor hillbilly like him. In fact, Chen Ping''an hadn''t even set foot in any of the wide and spacious alleys where some of the wealthy ns resided in clusters.


    Those streets were mostly paved withrge bluestone bs, so there was no risk of having to slosh through mud even on rainy days. After centuries of being trodden on by people, horses, and carriages, the high-quality bluestone bs had already been polished to the point that they were as smooth as mirrors.


    Lu, Li, Zhao, and Song were the most prominent surnames in the town, and it was those ns who had pooled together the funds to open the private school. Each of those ns owned two or threerge dragon kilns outside the town, and all of the past kiln supervision officials had lived on the same street as them.


    Coincidentally, almost all ten letters that Chen Ping''an had been tasked with delivering were addressed to the renowned affluent ns in the town. However, this was quite a reasonable urrence.


    As the saying went, the offspring of dragons and phoenixes were destined to soar in the heavens, while the offspring of mice could only burrow in the dirt. Those who were traveling far away and were able to send letters back to their families had to havee from privileged backgrounds.


    Otherwise, they wouldn''t have had the courage and financial backing to go to such faraway ces. For nine of the ten letters, Chen Ping''an only had to go to two ces, namely Fortune Deer Street and Peach Leaf Alley. The bluestone bs that paved these streets were asrge as bedsteads, and he felt rather uneasy as he stepped onto them for the first time. He unconsciously slowed down, and was struck by a sense of inferiority, feeling as if he were soiling the ground with his straw sandals.


    The first letter that he delivered was to the Lu n, which had an ancestor who had received a jade scepter bestowed upon them by the emperor. As he stood outside the doors of the Lu Manor, he was bing more and more agitated and uneasy.


    Wealthy ns were very particr about many things. Not only was the Lu Manor massive, there were two stone lions ced on either side of the entrance, both of which were as tall as a grown man, presenting a rather intimidating sight to behold. ording to Song Jixin, these things were capable of warding off malicious and evil entities. Chen Ping''an had no idea what these malicious and evil entities were supposed to be.


    He was only very intrigued by the round stone ball that each of the stone lions held in their mouths, wondering how those balls had been sculpted. He forcibly suppressed the urge to touch those stone balls, then made his way up the steps before using the bronze lion head knockers on the doors.


    A young man quickly made his way out of the manor, and upon hearing that Chen Ping''an was here to deliver a letter, the man pinched a corner of the letter between two of his fingers and took it from Chen Ping''an in an expressionless manner. He then quickly strode back into the manor before closing the doors, which bore a colorful visage of the god of wealth.


    The letter delivery process after this proved to be just as mundane and uneventful. On the corner of Peach Leaf Alley was a lesser-known n, and Chen Ping''an was greeted by a benevolent-looking old man of a rather short and small stature. The man epted the letter with a smile, then said, "You''re working hard, youngd. Would you like toe in for some rest and a sip of warm water?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head with a bashful smile in response before jogging away.


    The old man gently tucked the letter into his sleeve, but instead of returning to his courtyard right away, he raised his head and cast a pair of slightly murky eyes into the distance.


    He looked up, then down, then peered into the distance before withdrawing his gaze, staring at the peach trees that lined the street, following which a faint smile appeared on his face.


    The old man turned to depart, and shortly thereafter, a small oriole with adorable colorsnded on the tip of one of the peach trees'' branches, chirping gently as it did so.


    The final letter that Chen Ping''an had to deliver was addressed to the teacher at the private school. Along the way, he passed by a fortune teller''s stall, where a young daoist priest in an old daoist robe was seated behind a table with his back ramrod straight. He was wearing a tall hat that resembled a blooming lotus flower.


    Right as Chen Ping''an was jogging past, the young daoist priest hurriedly called out to him. "Don''t miss out on a reading, young man. Pick out a stick and I''ll tell your fortune. I can help you predict whether fortune or peril awaits you."


    Chen Ping''an continued to jog past without pause, but he turned to the daoist priest and waved a hand in refusal.


    The daoist priest was unwilling to give up, and he leaned forward slightly as he raised his voice and continued, "How about this, young man? I normally charge 10 copper coins for a reading, but today, I''ll make an exception and only charge you three copper coins! Of course, if you pick out a good stick, you''re free to pay a little extra for good fortune. Even if you''re fortunate enough to pick out the best stick possible, I''ll only charge you five copper coins. What do you say?"


    Chen Ping''an had already jogged into the distance at this point, but he clearly faltered slightly in his footsteps. The young daoist priest instantly jumped on the opportunity, quickly rising to his feet as he dered, "It''s still very early in the morning, so you''ll be my first customer, young man. In light of that, I''ll do you an additional favor. If you sit down for a reading, I''ll write up some yellow paper talismans for you and help you pray to your ancestors so you can umte some good karma. With my skills, I wouldn''t dare to guarantee that you''ll be reincarnated into a wealthy n in your next life, but I can certainly try and bless you with a bit of good fortune."


    Chen Ping''an faltered slightly upon hearing this, then turned back around with a skeptical expression before taking a seat on the bench in front of the stall.


    Thus, a modest daoist priest and an impoverished young man found themselves seated across from one another, each of them just as poor as the other.


    The daoist priest smiled as he extended a hand, inviting Chen Ping''an to pick up the tube of bamboo sticks.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t hesitate even for a moment as he dered, "I don''t want to draw a stick. All I want is for you to write up a yellow paper talisman for me. Can you do that?"


    Chen Ping''an recalled that this young traveling daoist priest had already been staying in this town for at least the past five or six years. His appearance hadn''t changed much during that time, and he was always quite friendly to everyone. On a normal day, all he did was tell people''s fortunes through scapulimancy, face reading, and stick drawing, and he also asionally acted as a letter ghostwriter for others.


    What was rather interesting was that there were 108 bamboo sticks in the tube on the table, but during all his time here, not a single person had managed to draw the best possible stick, nor had anyone ever drawn a stick of misfortune. It was as if there were only good or neutral sticks in the tube, with no other options avable.


    Hence, whenever there was a festival, the residents of the town were willing to fork out 10 copper coins for a fortune reading purely for the sake of good fortune. However, no one experiencing any actual troubles would be willing toe here just to be scalped. It would be unfair to say that the daoist priest was aplete and utter fraud.


    The town was not a veryrge ce, and if all he did was intentionally confuse and defraud people, then he would''ve been kicked out long ago. Hence, it was clear that the young daoist priest''s forte wasn''t his fortune-telling. Instead, he had made a name for himself through his amulet water, which had consistently cured many of the town''s residents of various minor ailments over the years.


    The young daoist priest shook his head in response. "I never go back on my word. I promised that I was going to give you a fortune reading and a yellow paper talisman for five copper coins."


    "It''s three copper coins," Chen Ping''an argued in a low voice.


    "But it''ll be five copper coins if you manage to pull the best stick," the daoist priest chuckled.


    After making up his mind, Chen Ping''an reached out for the stick tube, only to suddenly raise his head as he asked, "How did you know that I just so happen to have exactly five copper coins on me?"


    The daoist priest replied with a serious expression, "I can see if someone is blessed by fortune or not, and in particr, I''ve always been very urate when ites to my readings of one''s fortune in wealth."


    After a brief moment of contemtion, Chen Ping''an picked up the stick tube.


    The daoist priest smiled as he said, "Don''t be nervous, young man. If it''s meant to be, then it''ll be. If it''s not meant to be, then it can''t be forced. Regarding impermanence with a peaceful heart is the solution to everything."


    Chen Ping''an set the stick tube back down onto the table, then asked with a serious expression, "How about this? I''ll give you the five copper coins, and I won''t draw a stick. All that I ask is that you write up the yellow paper talisman a bit better than you normally do. Is that possible?"


    The daoist priest''s smile remained unchanged, and after some thought, he nodded in response. "Sure."


    A set of writing tools and paper had already been prepared on the table, and the daoist priest carefully enquired to Chen Ping''an about the names, birthces, and birth dates and times of his parents, then pulled out a yellow paper talisman before quickly inscribing something onto it.


    As for what had been written, Chen Ping''an had no clue.


    The young daoist priest set down his brush before picking up the talisman, then blew on it to dry the ink. "Take this home, and all you have to do is burn this outside your doorway while standing inside your doorway."


    Chen Ping''an epted the talisman with a solemn expression, then carefully stowed it away as if it were a priceless treasure. He then ced five copper coins down onto the table before bowing in gratitude.


    The daoist priest waved a dismissive hand, indicating that Chen Ping''an was free to go, and he immediately rushed away to deliver the final letter.


    The daoist priest sat backzily in his chair, then took a nce at the copper coins before bending over and scooping them close to him.


    Right at this moment, a small oriole flew down from the sky onto the table, gently pecking one of the copper coins before quickly losing interest and flying away again.


    "The oriole wishes to pluck a flower, but the peach blossoms are still yet to bloom."


    After casually reciting that poem phrase to himself, he rustled his sleeve in a carefree manner as he sighed, "If it''s not meant to be, then there''s no point in forcing things."


    As he rustled his sleeve, two bamboo sticks fell out from within before ttering onto the ground. The daoist priest yelped in rm as he hurriedly picked up the bamboo sticks, then looked around in a sheepish manner and was very relieved to see that no one had caught sight of what had just happened. After that, he tucked the pair of bamboo sticks back into his loose and baggy sleeve.


    He then cleared his throat and put on a serious expression, waiting for his next customer.


    At the same time, he couldn''t help but muse to himself that it was easier to get women to spend money on things like this.


    As it turned out, there were two bamboo sticks concealed up the daoist priest''s sleeve, one of which was the best possible stick, while the other was the worst possible stick, and both of them were reserved for earning big money.


    However, he never revealed this to anyone, and Chen Ping''an was naturally oblivious to these hidden machinations as well.


    He jogged lightly to the private school, and there was a lush and vibrant bamboo forest nearby.


    He slowed down outside the school, and the mellow voice of a middle-aged man rang out from inside. "The radiant sun shines down upon the pristine woolen coat."


    The phrase was immediately repeated in unison by a collection of tender voices. "The radiant sun shines down upon the pristine woolen coat."


    Chen Ping''an raised his head to find that the sun was only just beginning to rise in the east, and he was momentarily dazed.


    By the time he returned to his senses, he discovered that the children in the school were reciting a passage in a well-rehearsed manner as instructed by the teacher. "At the time of Jingzhe, heaven and earth stirs, and all living things begin to flourish. Sleepte and wake early, take regr strolls, do so slowly, for good health and vitality."


    Chen Ping''an was standing at the entrance of the school, and he wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so.


    The teacher was a middle-aged schr with gray sideburns, and he gently made his way out of the room.


    Chen Ping''an offered the letter to him with both hands as he said in a respectful voice, "I have a letter for you, Sir."


    The man epted the letter, then encouraged in a warm voice, "If you have some free time, you cane here and listen to my lessons."


    Chen Ping''an was reluctant to make any promises. He couldn''t guarantee that he would have the time toe and listen to these lessons, and he didn''t want to lie to the teacher.


    The man gave a considerate smile as he said, "It''s alright. The knowledge is all in the books, but the way to be a good person is something that needs to be learned outside of books. You can go now."


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh of relief before taking his leave.


    After a while, he was struck by the urge to turn back for some reason, even though he was already very far away from the school.


    The teacher was still standing at the entrance, basking under the sunlight, resembling a deity from afar.

 Chapter 4: Oriole

    Chapter 4: Oriole


    If he hadn''t gone to Fortune Deer Street and Peach Leaf Alley, perhaps Chen Ping''an would''ve never realized just how dark and confined y Vase Alley was. However, not only was he not disheartened by his own living condition, he felt a sense of reassurance. He smiled as he extended both hands outward, and his wingspan was just enough so that he was able to touch the earthen walls on either side of him. He recalled that around three to four years ago, he was only able to touch those walls with the tips of his fingers.


    After returning to his home, he discovered that the gate of the courtyard was wide open. Thinking that he had just been robbed by a thief, Chen Ping''an hurriedly rushed inside, only to find a tall and broad young man sitting on the doorstep. He was leaning back against the locked door, yawning with a bored expression, and he immediately jumped to his feet at the sight of Chen Ping''an as if his bottom had just been scorched. He then rushed over to Chen Ping''an and grabbed tightly onto his arm before dragging him forcefully toward the room as he hissed in a low voice, "Open the door! I have something important to tell you!"


    Chen Ping''an was unable to struggle free and could only allow himself to be dragged to the door. The young man was two years older than Chen Ping''an and more physically developed, and after the door was opened, he quickly threw Chen Ping''an aside before sneaking his way onto Chen Ping''an''s nk bed, then pressed his ear tightly against the wall to eavesdrop on the neighbors.


    "What are you doing, Liu Xianyang?" Chen Ping''an asked with a curious expression.


    Liu Xianyang paid no heed to him, and after about seven or eight minutes, Liu Xianyang returned to normal before sitting down on the edge of the nk bed with a peculiar mixture of relief and disappointment on his face.


    Only now did he notice that Chen Ping''an was doing something rather strange. He was squatted down inside the doorway with his body leaning forward, using a candle to burn a piece of yellow paper. Only around a thumb''s length of the candle remained, and all of the ashes of the burned piece of paper fell outside of the doorway. It seemed that Chen Ping''an was also chanting something, but Liu Xianyang was too far away to hear what he was saying.


    Liu Xianyang was Old Man Yao''s best disciple. As for Chen Ping''an, Old Man Yao had never truly epted him as a disciple due to his mediocre aptitude for the craft. ording to local traditions, no master and disciple rtionship could be established unless the disciple offered a cup of tea to the master in a formal ceremony, and the master epted and drank the cup of tea.


    Chen Ping''an and Liu Xianyang weren''t neighbors. In fact, their ancestral homes were quite far away from one another''s. The reason why Liu Xianyang had rmended Chen Ping''an to Old Man Yao stemmed from their past history. Liu Xianyang was once a renowned delinquent in the town. Prior to the passing of his grandfather, there was at least an adult in the household to keep him in check, but after his grandfather passed away due to illness, Liu Xianyang quickly became an absolute nightmare for his neighbors.


    At the time, he was only 12 or 13 years old, but he was already no less physically developed than a young man, and one time, he somehow made enemies out of a group of boys from the Lu Family.


    As a result, he was ganged up on in y Vase Alley and was handed a vicious beating. His assants were all young boys who didn''t think about the consequences of their actions, and Liu Xianyang was quickly beaten to the point where he was throwing up blood. All of the dozen or so ns that resided in y Vase Alley were bottom-ss potters who made a living by working at small dragon kilns, and they didn''t dare to intervene.


    At the time, not only was Song Jixin not frightened by this horrific scene, he was watching with glee as he squatted on top of the wall, reveling in the chaos of the situation.


    In the end, the only one who did anything was an emaciated child, who snuck out of his yard and rushed to the entrance of the alley, where he screamed with all his might, "Help! Someone''s about to die here!"


    Only after hearing the word "die" did the boys from the Lu Family receive a rude awakening. At that point, Liu Xianyang''s entire body was covered in blood, and he was on the brink of death. The boys from the Lu Family finally felt a sense of fear at what they had done upon seeing this, and after exchanging a few nces with one another, they quickly fled down the other end of y Vase Alley.


    However, after that incident, not only was Liu Xianyang not grateful to the child that saved his life, he regrly came over to bully the child instead. The child was an orphan, and he was very stubborn, refusing to cry no matter how much he was bullied, something that only served to further infuriate Liu Xianyang.


    One year, Liu Xianyang could tell that the little orphan most likely wasn''t going to be able to make it through the winter, and he was finally stung by his conscience. Having already be a disciple of Old Man Yao''s at the time, he took the young boy to the dragon kiln that was situated beside Treasure Creek.


    They headed west out of the town, traveling over dozens of kilometers of rugged mountain terrain under heavy snowfall. To this day, Liu Xianyang still couldn''t understand how the emaciated young boy with a pair of legs as thin as baby bamboo shoots had managed to walk all the way to the dragon kiln.


    Even though Old Man Yao ultimately took Chen Ping''an in, the disparity in his treatment of the two boys was night and day. As his best disciple, Liu Xianyang wasn''t spared from his beatings and insults, but even a blind man could sense the good intentions behind Old Man Yao''s words and actions.


    For example, there was one time when he went a little too far, inflicting a bleeding gash onto Liu Xianyang''s forehead. As a tough young boy, Liu Xianyang didn''t think much of this, but Old Man Yao was feeling very remorseful over his actions. However, he had always kept up a stern and authoritative facade in front of his disciples, so he couldn''t bring himself to apologize or enquire about his condition.


    In the end, he paced back and forth in his own room for almost an entire night, and he was still concerned about Liu Xianyang. Finally, he had no choice but to call over Chen Ping''an to deliver a bottle of ointment to Liu Xianyang.


    Over the years, Chen Ping''an had always been very envious of Liu Xianyang.


    He didn''t envy Liu Xianyang for his remarkable aptitude, strength, and charisma. Instead, he envied Liu Xianyang''s fearlessness. No matter where he went, Liu Xianyang was never fazed by anything, nor did he ever feel like living alone was a bad thing.


    Wherever he went, he was always able to quickly make friends with whoever he met, getting on such friendly terms with them that they referred to one another as brothers and would drink and y drinking games together. Due to his grandfather''s ill health, Liu Xianyang was forced to be self-dependent from a very young age, making him a leader of sorts among the children in the area.


    He was skilled at everything, whether it be catching snakes, fishing, procuring eggs from bird''s nests, making bows, fishing rods, slingshots, bird cages... It seemed like there was nothing that he couldn''t do. In particr, he was the undisputed king of the town when it came to catching catfish and fishing for eels in the channels of water running through plots of farnd.


    Back when Liu Xianyang dropped out of the private school, the teacher there, Mr. Xu, had paid a visit to Liu Xianyang''s grandfather on his sickbed, offering to provide Liu Xianyang an education free of charge.


    However, Liu Xianyang refused to go back no matter what, telling the teacher that all he wanted to do was earn money, and that he had no interest in an education. Mr. Xu then offered Liu Xianyang a paid job as a schrly attendant, but Liu Xianyang turned down that offer as well.


    As it turned out, Liu Xianyang was doing quite well for himself. Even though Old Man Yao had passed away and the dragon kilns had been shut down, it didn''t take long before he caught the eye of the cksmith from Dragon Rider Alley, and he was currently busy building his own forge in the southern part of the town.


    Liu Xianyang watched as Chen Ping''an blew out the candle before setting it down on the table, then asked, "Have you heard any strange sounds in the morning? Like..."


    Chen Ping''an sat down on the bench, waiting for Liu Xianyang to finish.


    Liu Xianyang hesitated momentarily, and in an extremely rare and uncharacteristic disy of embarrassment, he blushed slightly as he continued, "Like how cats sound during spring?"


    "Are you saying Song Jixin is imitating a cat? Or are you talking about Zhi Gui?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes and didn''t waste any more time discussing the subject with someone who was clearlypletely oblivious to what he was talking about. He ced his palms down onto the bed nk, then bent his elbows slightly before straightening his arms, supporting his own weight with his hands so that his bottom lifted up from the nk and his feet were lifted up from the ground.


    He then pursed his lips as he sneered, "What kind of name is Zhi Gui supposed to be? Her name is clearly Wang Zhu. That little Song brat always liked to show off ever since he was a wee little pipsqueak. He probably just saw the character Zhi Gui from somewhere and decided to use it on a whim without even considering whether that name has good implications or not. Wang Zhu had to have umted a ton of bad karma in her past life. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have been reincarnated as Song Jixin''s servant and been forced to lead such a miserable life."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t echo Liu Xianyang''s sentiment.


    Liu Xianyang was still supporting the entirety of his own weight with his hands, and he harrumphed coldly as he continued, "Do you really not understand? Why is it that Wang Zhu never spoke to you again after you helped her carry her water bucket that one time? It''s definitely because that petty little Song brat became jealous and threatened Wang Zhu with violence if she ever spoke to you again. I bet he told her that not only was he going to break her legs, he was also going to throw her into y Vase Alley."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t bear to listen in silence any longer, and he interjected, "Song Jixin doesn''t treat her badly."


    Liu Xianyang was furious to hear this. "How would you know? You don''t even know the difference between good and bad!"


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes were bright and clear as he said, "Sometimes, when she''s doing things in the yard, Song Jixin would asionally read that Local County Chronicles book while sitting on a stool, and she would often look at him and smile."


    Liu Xianyang was quite taken aback to hear this.


    All of a sudden, the thin nk bed snapped in half down the middle, unable to support Liu Xianyang''s weight any longer, and he sat heavily down onto the ground.


    Chen Ping''an ced his hands onto his own head, squatting down as he heaved an exasperated sigh.


    Liu Xianyang scratched his head as he stood up, and he didn''t apologize or express any guilt. Instead, he gave Chen Ping''an a yful kick as he grinned and said, "Get over it, it''s just a crappy little bed. I''m here today to deliver a massive piece of good news to you, one that''s way more valuable than this crappy bed!"


    Chen Ping''an raised his head upon hearing this.


    A smug look appeared on Liu Xianyang''s face as he continued, "While Master Ruan was out of town and passing by the creek to the south, he suddenly told me that he wanted to dig a few wells. He doesn''t have enough people for the job and wants some more help, so I mentioned you to him on a whim. I told him that I know a short kid who has some decent strength, and Master Ruan agreed. He wants you to go and see him in the next couple of days.


    Chen Ping''an immediately stood up, and he was just about to express his gratitude when Liu Xianyang raised a hand to cut him off. "Stop! No need to thank me, just remember what I''ve done for you."


    Chen Ping''an could only grimace in response.


    Liu Xianyang looked around and noticed a fishing rod ced on a nt in the corner, a slingshot on the windowsill, and a wooden bow hanging on the wall. He was about to say something, but refrained from doing so in the end.


    He took a big stride through the doorway, clearly intentionally avoiding stepping on the ashes of the burned talisman.


    Chen Ping''an looked on at his departing figure, and all of a sudden, Liu Xianyang turned around to face Chen Ping��an again.


    He then crouched down into a low stance before shuffling a few steps toward Chen Ping''an, then threw a heavy punch in his direction. After that, he stood up straight again as he withdrew his fist and chortled, "Master Ruan told me in private that I''ll only need to practice this fist technique for a year, and I''ll be able to kill someone with a single punch!"


    He didn''t seem to be satisfied with his performance, and he subsequently made a strange kicking motion as he continued, "As the saying goes, a good kick to the crotch can kill a drunk donkey!"


    Finally, Liu Xianyang pointed at his own chest with his thumb as he dered in a high and mighty manner, "While Master Ruan was teaching me fist techniques, I developed some theories and insights, so I spoke to him about some things, such as my understanding of the jumping burin, which was Old Man Yao''s trump card technique in porcin making. Master Ruan praised me, saying that I''m a generational martial arts talent. As long as you stick with me, you''ll be living the good life for sure!"


    Out of the corner of his eye, Liu Xianyang could see that Zhi Gui had already entered the neighboring house, and he immediately lost all interest in keeping up his heroic act.


    After dropping the facade, he casually said to Chen Ping''an, "By the way, as I was passing by the old locust tree earlier, I met an old man who set up a new stall over there. He told me that he''s a storyteller, and that he has a bunch of interesting stories that he wants to tell us. You can go and take a look there in your free time."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, and Liu Xianyang departed from y Vase Alley.


    There were many stories about the unruly young man going around in the town. However, the story that he personally liked to perpetuate was that his ancestor was a general who led armies in battle, which was why there was a prized suit of armor that had been passed down for generations in his n.


    Chen Ping''an had seen this supposed prized suit of armor once, and it was extremely hideous, like a suit of warts, or like the scarred and mottled surface of an old tree.


    However, Liu Xianyang''s contemporaries told apletely different story. They proimed that Liu Xianyang''s ancestor was a deserter who had fled to the town and became a live-in son-inw to a family here, and that he only managed to avoid being captured by authorities thanks to a huge stroke of fortune. They were extremely convinced of the authenticity of this story, as if they had personally witnessed how Liu Xianyang''s ancestor had fled the battlefield before traveling to the small town.


    After some contemtion, Chen Ping''an crouched down beside his doorstep and lowered his head to blow away the ashes.


    Before he knew it, Song Jixin had appeared on the other side of the wall with Zhi Gui in apaniment, and he yelled, "Wannae y with us at the locust tree?"


    "I''ll pass," Chen Ping''an replied as he raised his head.


    "What a spoilsport," Song Jixin grumbled with a displeased expression.


    He then put on a smile as he turned to Zhi Gui and said, "Let''s go, Zhi Gui. I''ll buy you a whole temple jar of peach blossom powder."


    "Just a small cricket jar''s worth is enough," Zhi Gui responded with a shy expression.


    Song Jixin sped his hands behind his back, takingrge strides forward with his head raised and his chest puffed out as he dered, "Our Song Family has been living in luxury and affluence for generations! I would be bringing shame to my n if I were to be so stingy!"


    Chen Ping''an sat down on his doorstep as he rubbed his own forehead in exasperation. When he wasn''t talking nonsense, Song Jixin actually wasn''t a bad person to be around. However, at times like this, if Liu Xianyang were here, he would''ve definitely expressed to Chen Ping''an an urge to smash a brick into the back of Song Jixin''s head.


    Chen Ping''an leaned against his doorframe as he thought about what the next day was going to be like. It was most likely going to be just like this day, and the day after the next day was going to be just like the next day. In his mind, he was going to live out his life in this repetitive cycle until he passed away just like Old Man Yao.


    Everyone relied on the earth for sustenance for their entire life, but upon their death, they would be devoured by the earth in return.


    After closing one''s eyes for the final time, the next time one reopened their eyes, they could be in the next life already.


    Chen Ping''an looked down at the straw sandals on his feet, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.


    It was definitely a different feeling to step on bluestone bs rather than soppy mud.


    After leaving the alley, Liu Xianyang was just passing by the fortune teller''s stall when the young daoist priest called out to him. "Come, young man! I can see that you have theplexion of a fire fueled by oil. That''s definitely not a good omen! But do not fear, I have a way to help you avert disaster!"


    Liu Xianyang was rather surprised to hear this. He knew that this daoist priest had always been telling people''s fortunes based on the sticks that they drew, and setting aside whether his fortune-telling was urate or not, Liu Xianyang couldn''t ever recall an instance where the daoist priest had actively tried to rope in customers. Almost all of his customers had voluntarily gone to him. Could it be that with the closing of the dragon kilns, the daoist priest''s business was also impacted, and he was struggling to get by, thereby leading him to go after all potential customers with discretion?


    Liu Xianyang chuckled in disdain, "The way you''re going to help me avert disaster is by having me give you money, right? Piss off! You''re never getting a single copper coin out of my pocket!"


    The young daoist priest remained calm and collected as he yelled out, "Everyone hopes for fortune and prosperity, but who knows what troubles life has in store? People only turn to the gods when things go wrong, but to have a safe and stable life, one should regrly offer burning incense to the gods."


    Liu Xianyang suddenly turned around before rushing toward the fortune-telling stall like the wind, putting on a menacing disy as he scoffed, "You want me to burn incense? How about I burn down your stall first!"


    The daoist priest was clearly very much intimidated by this threat, and he immediately turned and fled, leaving his stall behind.


    Liu Xianyang stood beside the stall, chortling with mirth at the sight of the daoist priest''s cowardly disy. He then spotted the bamboo tube on the table and casually pushed it over. All of the bamboo sticks inside were instantly tipped out, fanning themselves out across the table.


    Liu Xianyang pointed at the daoist priest, who had stopped in the distance, and threatened, "From now on, I''m gonna beat you up every time I see you!"


    The young daoist priest could cup his fist and bow as he begged for mercy.


    Liu Xianyang was finally willing to let him off the hook.


    Only after Liu Xianyang had gone far away did the daoist priest dare to return to his seat, and he sighed, "These are difficult times. People are no longer as kind and epting as they used to be, and it''s getting harder and harder to make a living."


    Right at this moment, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly closed his eyes as he recited, "One often mes external distractions for spoiling their peace, but the true distractiones from within. Achievements are nothing more than lilypads on water, going whichever way the wind blows."


    The pair of youths passing by clearly heard him, but unfortunately, they disyed no intention of stopping.


    The daoist priest opened his eyes ever so slightly, and seeing that more potential customers were about to pass him by, he hurriedly mmed a palm down onto his table as he raised his voice and continued, "Champion schrs and prime ministers were nothing more than normal people before their rise to glory. With great knowledgees great renown and confidence."


    Song Jixin and Zhi Gui continued onward without pause.


    The daoist priest was greatly disheartened by this, and he murmured to himself, "It''s over."


    All of a sudden, Song Jixin turned around without any warning before tossing the daoist priest a copper coin from afar with a bright smile. "Thanks for your blessings!"


    The daoist priest hurriedly caught the coin before spreading his hand open and taking a look, only to discover that it was the smallest money-value copper coin possible, and his mood wasn''t lifted at all.


    The daoist priest gently ced the copper coin down onto the table, and all of a sudden, an oriole quickly flew down onto the table, gently pecking at the copper coin before picking it up with its beak. It then looked up at the daoist priest with a pair of bright and intelligent eyes that were no different from a human''s.


    The daoist priest sighed, "Go. This is not the ce for you."


    The oriole departed in a sh.


    The daoist priest swept his gaze over his surroundings, and in the end, his eyes settled on the tall archway in the distance. He just so happened to be facing the que that read "unmatched aura", and he mused, "What a pity."


    He then added, "If I could take this outside to sell it, surely it would fetch at least 800 to 1,000 taels of silver."

 Chapter 5: Harsh Truth

    Chapter 5: Harsh Truth


    After arriving at the locust tree with Zhi Gui, Song Jixin discovered that it was extremely packed, with close to 100 people gathered under the tree''s shade. He sat down onto the stool that he had brought over from home, and there were still more children dragging their adult family members to get in on the fun.


    Song Jixin and Zhi Gui stood side by side at the edge of the tree''s shadow, and he spotted an old man standing at the foot of the tree. The man was holding arge white bowl in one hand with his other hand sped behind his back, and he wore a vehement expression as he loudly dered, "Just now, I spoke about the general direction of the dragon vein. Now, let me tell you about the true dragon. This is a truly amazing story.


    ��Around 3,000 years ago, an almighty deity appeared under the heavens. First, he cultivated patiently in a certain blessed paradise, and after attaining the great dao, he explored the world on his own with his sword by his side. With his three-foot mettle in his hand, his prowess was unmatched. For some reason, he had a vendetta against dragons, and he spent three entire centuries hunting for dragons, only stopping after there was no longer a single true dragon in the world. In the end, he disappeared without a trace.


    ��Some spected that he had gone to an extremely high ne where the Great Dao originated to discuss daoism with the patriarch of daoism himself. Some said that he had gone to the extremely distant western purend of Sukhavati to discuss scriptures and Buddhism with the Buddha. There are even some who say that he''s personally stationed at the gates of the underworld to prevent malicious wraiths and spirits from wreaking havoc upon the human ne..."


    The old man was speaking with such vigor and enthusiasm that spittle was flying everywhere out of his mouth, but all of the town residents around him were looking on with lost and befuddled expressions.


    "What''s a three-foot mettle?" Zhi Gui asked with a curious expression.


    "It''s a sword," Song Jixin replied with a smile.


    "This old man is way too pretentious and full of himself! He can''t even speak properly!" Zhi Gui grumbled.


    Song Jixin was looking at the old man with schadenfreude in his eyes as he said, "Barely anyone in our town even knows how to read. This storyteller''s efforts arepletely wasted here."


    Zhi Gui then asked, "What is a blessed paradise? Does there really exist someone in this world that can live for 300 years? Also, isn''t the underworld a ce that only dead people go to?"


    Song Jixin was stumped by these questions, but he didn''t want to look stupid, so he said in a dismissive voice, "It''s all nonsense. He probably read a few obscure unofficial historical texts and is regurgitating what he read to swindle uneducated hillbillies."


    Right at this moment, Song Jixin noticed that the old man took a nce at him. It was unclear whether the nce was intentional or not, and it was only a very fleeting nce before his gaze was directed elsewhere, but Song Jixin was still sufficiently perceptive to have sensed it. However, he didn''t think anything of it, merely chalking it up to a coincidence.


    Zhi Gui raised her head to look up at the old locust tree, and she reflexively narrowed her eyes against the fragmented rays of light filtering through the gaps in the tree''s canopy.


    Song Jixin turned to look at her, and he was abruptly transfixed.


    Zhi Gui had a side facial profile that was only just beginning to graduate from its baby fat stage. She was far different from the thin and emaciated little maidservant in Song Jixin''s memories.


    ording to the traditions of the town, whenever a woman was married, an individual with a full set of blessings would be invited. The definition of such an individual was one whose parents and children were all still alive, and that person would be invited to shave off the fine hairs on the bride''s face, as well as to trim her bangs and temples. The procedure was known as face opening, or brow elevating.


    Song Jixin had also read about a tradition that didn''t exist in the town from a book. Hence, when Zhi Gui was 12 years old, he bought the best newly brewed wine in the town, then brought out the porcin vase that he had hidden away. The coloration of the vase was extremely beautiful, resembling a greengage, and he poured the wine into the vase before carefully sealing it in y and burying it underground.


    Song Jixin suddenly said, "When ites to Chen Ping''an, my schr ancestors would say that he''s a piece of rotten wood that can''t be carved, or a pile of manure that can''t be built up into a wall, but at the very least, he''s done one meaningful thing in his life."


    Zhi Gui offered no response as she lowered her head, and it could be seen that her eyshes were trembling slightly.


    Song Jixin continued speaking, almost as if he were talking to himself. "Chen Ping''an is not a bad person, he''s just way too dogmatic in his personality. There''s no flexibility in the way he does things. That''s why after bing a potter, no matter how hard he worked, it was predestined that he would never be able to create a good product with any ir or spark. That''s also why Old Man Yao never took a liking to him.


    ��He was a man with a keen eye, and he knew that Chen Ping''an simply wasn''t cut out for this. That''s what it means for him to be a piece of rotten wood that can''t be carved. As for a pile of manure that can''t be molded into a wall, what that basically means is that for someone meant to be impoverished like Chen Ping''an, even if you dress him up in the emperor''s dragon robes, he''ll still just be a good-for-nothing hillbilly."


    A self-deprecating look appeared on Song Jixin''s face here, and he sighed, "I''m actually even more pitiful than him."


    Zhi Gui didn''t know how to console him.


    Song Jixin and Zhi Gui had always been a popr subject for gossip for the affluent ns on Fortune Deer Street and Peach Leaf Alley, and that was primarily thanks to Master Song, Song Jixin''s illegitimate father.


    There weren''t any important figures in the town, nor were there any exciting events. Hence, the kiln supervision official sent by the imperial court naturally became the most prominent figure in the town, much like the all-powerful judges seen in stageys. Out of the dozens of kiln supervision officials that had been assigned to the town throughout history, Master Song was the most popr with the people.


    He wasn''t like the high and mighty officials that came before him. He didn''t hide away in his official manor to work on personal cultivation, nor did he turn away all visitors and focus solely on reading and self-education. Instead, he always attended to matters rted to the creation of imperial ware in person, and he was even more like amoner than the potters working at the kilns.


    During the dozen or so years in which he was at the town, his original schrly appearance had been reced by a dark tan, and his regr attire was no different from what was worn by the men working in the fields.


    He never put on a high and mighty front when dealing with others, but unfortunately, the imperial ware fired using the dragon kilns in the town were never quite up to standard, regardless of whether it was in terms of shape and form, or their coloration and ze. In fact, the imperial ware that was produced had regressedpared with before, much to the puzzlement of the old kiln masters.


    In the end, the imperial court most likely felt like Master Song''s efforts were verymendable, even though the oue wasn''t ideal, and he was given a decent evaluation on the documentation from the Ministry of Personnel summoning him back to the capital.


    Prior to returning to the capital, Master Song spent all of his money to fund the construction of a covered bridge. After that, it was discovered that a certain child wasn''t brought along on the convoy that Master Song had departed in, and the most affluent ns in the town immediately realized what this entailed.


    It could be said that Master Song had umted a great deal of good karma in the town, and in addition to that, Song Jixin was being looked after by Master Song''s kiln supervision official sessor, so he didn''t have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter, and led a carefree life.


    As for his maidservant, whose name had been changed to Zhi Gui, there were many different theories and stories about her origins. The local residents of y Vase Alley imed that she was a little beggar from out of town that hade to this ce on a snowy winter''s day.


    She had fallen unconscious in front of the entrance of Song Jixin''s courtyard, and if she hadn''t been discovered in time, she would''ve already passed on to the afterlife. The old man taking care of menial chores at the official manor had a different story. He proimed with great confidence that she was an orphan that Master Song had purchased quite some time ago so that his illegitimate son, Song Jixin, would have an intimatepanion, and that he had done this topensate for leaving his son behind.


    In any case, after the maidservant was named Zhi Gui by Song Jixin, the father and son rtionship between Song Jixin and Master Song was confirmed beyond a doubt. This was because all of the most affluent individuals in the town knew that the characters "Zhi Gui" were engraved onto Master Song''s favorite inkstone.


    After returning to his senses, a bright smile appeared on Song Jixin''s face. "For some reason, the thought of that tenacious four-legged snake just crossed my mind. Think about it, Zhi Gui. I already threw that thing into Chen Ping''an''s yard, yet it still crawled into our home. How terrible of a ce must Chen Ping''an''s den be if even a little snake didn''t want to stay there?"


    Zhi Gui considered the question carefully before replying, "Perhaps some things are simply down to fate."


    Song Jixin gave her a thumbs-up as he happily agreed, "That''s exactly right! Chen Ping''an is just someone who isn''t blessed with any fortune. He should be satisfied with just being alive."


    Zhi Gui didn''t say anything.


    Song Jixin mused to himself, "After we leave the town, Chen Ping''an will look after everything in our house. Do you think he''d steal what was entrusted to him?"


    "Surely not, Young Master," Zhi Gui replied.


    "Oh? You know what it means to steal what''s entrusted to someone?" Song Jixin asked with a smile.


    Zhi Gui blinked innocently as she replied, "Doesn''t it just mean what it says?"


    Song Jixin smiled as he cast his gaze toward the south, and a hint of longing appeared on his face. "I heard that there are more books in the capital than there are nts in our town!"


    Right at this moment, the storyteller dered, "There are no longer any true dragons left in the world, but dragonkin such as flood dragons, drakes, and hornless dragons still truly exist among us in this world, and perhaps..."


    The old man intentionally paused here to try and build some suspense, but the audience remained unmoved,pletely oblivious to what he was doing, so he could only continue, "Perhaps they''re hidden right among us! The deities of Daoism refer to them as dragons lurking in in sight!"


    Song Jixin gave a bored yawn.


    All of a sudden, a vibrant, green locust leaf came fluttering down from above, and it just so happened tond on his forehead.


    Song Jixin grabbed the leaf and twirled its stem in between two of his fingers.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an was considering whether he should go to the eastern town gate to ask for the five copper coins that he was owed, and he also saw a locust leaf fluttering down as he approached the old locust tree. He immediately sped up and reached out to try and catch the leaf, but the leaf nced past his hand, carried away by a gentle breeze.


    Chen Ping''an was quite agile, and he quickly took a step to the side to try and intercept the leaf, but it continued to evade him as it twirled around in the air.


    Chen Ping''an refused to give up, making a few more attempts, but was ultimately unable to catch the leaf, much to his dismay.


    An azure-robed young boy that was flunking his lessons at the private school passed by Chen Ping''an, and unbeknownst to him, a locust leaf hadnded on his shoulder.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an continued on toward the eastern town gate. Even if he couldn''t get the money, it was always definitely a good idea to exert some pressure on the gatekeeper.


    ��������


    Over at the fortune-telling stall in the distance, the young Daoist priest murmured to himself, "Who says there''s a disparity in the cycle of fortune?"

 Chapter 6: Bad Fortune

    Chapter 6: Bad Fortune


    Upon arriving at the eastern gate, Chen Ping''an spotted the gatekeeper sitting on the tree stump at the gate with his legs crossed,zily basking under the early spring sun. His eyes were closed, and he was humming a tune while patting his knees with his hands.


    Chen Ping''an squatted down next to him. For him, it was very difficult to ask for the money that he was owed.


    Hence, he could only cast his gaze toward the wide path in the east in silence. It was a long and winding road that resembled a thick yellow snake.


    He habitually grabbed a handful of dirt and held it in his hand, massaging it slowly.


    In the past, he had traveled extensively around the town with Old Man Yao, carrying heavy bags that were filled to the brim with all types of things, such as machetes and hoes. Old Man Yao had taken him to many different ces, and during their travels, Chen Ping''an was often made to "eat dirt", which involved picking up a handful of dirt and cing it directly into his mouth before chewing it to carefully savor its vor.


    Over time, Chen Ping''an became more proficient at the skill, and he was able to glean the properties of any soil that he came into contact with just by massaging it between his fingers. In fact, he became so skilled at this that all he had to do was weigh up some broken porcin fragments on the market with his hand, and he would be able to tell which kiln the porcin hade from, and even which master it had been fired by.


    Old Man Yao was a loner who could be quite inhumane at times, often beating and insulting Chen Ping''an. There was one time when Old Man Yao became so disgusted by how little talent and aptitude Chen Ping''an had that he abandoned him in the wilderness in a fit of rage before returning to the kiln alone. By the time Chen Ping''an navigated the 60 kilometers of mountain terrain back to the dragon kiln, it was already veryte at night. It had been raining heavily that day, and after finally spotting a hint of light in the distance after trudging through the mud for hours, the stubborn and resilient Chen Ping''an was struck by the urge to cry for the first time.


    However, Chen Ping''an had never resented or hated Old Man Yao.


    He came from a very impoverished background and had never received an education, but he understood a principle that wasn''t taught in books, which was that aside from your parents, no one in the world had a duty to be good to you, and his parents had passed away very early in his life.


    Chen Ping''an had the patience to stick around in silence, and it seemed that the gatekeeper could sense that he wouldn''t be able to get out of this just by ignoring him. Hence, he opened his eyes and smiled as he said, "Get over it, it''s just five copper coins! A young man shouldn''t be so petty. Otherwise, you''ll never make anything out of yourself."


    "Aren''t you being petty here?" Chen Ping''an countered with an exasperated expression.


    "That''s exactly right! If you don''t want to end up like me, then forget about those five copper coins," the gatekeeper chuckled, grinning to reveal a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth.


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh as he raised his head and said in a serious manner, "If you''re a little tight on money right now, then I can do without the five copper coins, but we agreed upon one copper coin per letter, so you can''t keep refusing to pay me like this."


    The gatekeeper''s entire body was giving off a sour and rotten odor, and he grinned as he said, "If you keep up that stinky attitude of yours, there''s a very good chance that you''re going to get in big trouble in the future. Have you not heard the saying that suffering a loss is a blessing? If you''re not willing to suffer even minor losses..."


    He paused momentarily as he spotted the dirt in Chen Ping''an''s hand, then continued in a menacing fashion, "Then you''re going to be buried in the dirt before long."


    "Didn''t I just say I could do without the five copper coins? Is that not epting a minor loss?" Chen Ping''an retorted.


    The gatekeeper was rather disgruntled by that irrefutable argument, and he waved a dismissive hand to chase Chen Ping''an away. "Piss off! Talking to you is like talking to a damn wall!"


    Chen Ping''an released the handful of dirt, then stood up as he said, "Tree stumps are really damp, you''re going to get rheumatism from sitting on that thing."


    The gatekeeper raised his head as he scoffed, "I don''t need you to teach me where to sit! I''m a healthy and hot-blooded young man! You could even cook a pancake on my ass!"


    The gatekeeper took a nce at the departing Chen Ping''an out of the corner of his eye, then pursed his lips as he mumbled something, seemingly cursing the heavens.


    ��������


    For some reason, Mr. Qi from the private school concluded the lessons early on this day, something that he almost never did.


    Behind the private school was a yard, to the north of which was a small door constructed from firewood, and it opened up to the bamboo forest outside.


    While Song Jixin was listening to stories under the old locust tree with Zhi Gui, he was called by someone to go and y go with them. Song Jixin was rather reluctant, but the person who extended the invitation told him that he was there on Mr. Qi''s behalf, and that Mr. Qi wanted to see if he had made any improvement in his y. Song Jixin harbored a mixture of indescribable emotions toward the serious and authoritative Mr. Qi. It was abination of respect and fear.


    Hence, he had no choice but to ept the invitation, given that it was from Mr. Qi. However, he insisted on staying to hear the end of the story before going to the private school. Thus, the azure-robed young boy who had acted as Mr. Qi''s messenger could only return first. Prior to his departure, he urged Song Jixin not to be toote, nagging him with the same old spiel about how Mr. Qi was a man of rules and principles, and that he didn''t like it when people were tardy andcking in punctuality.


    Song Jixin merely picked at his own ear in an agitated manner, saying something to cate the young boy so that he would go away.


    As Song Jixin arrived in the yard behind the private school, there was a cool breeze, and as usual, the schrly azure-robed young boy was already seated on the stool to the south with a serious expression and his back ramrod straight.


    Song Jixin sat down across from the azure-robed young boy, facing the south, while Mr. Qi was seated over in the west, watching the go board in silence.


    Whenever her young master yed go with the azure-robed young boy, Zhi Gui would always go to take a stroll in the bamboo forest so that she didn''t disturb them, and this day was no exception.


    There were no highly educated ns in this secluded little town, so schrs were exceedingly rare here.


    ording to the rules set by Mr. Qi, Song Jixin and the azure-robed young boy had to y a minigame of guessing the stones, and the one who received the ck stones would get to go first.


    Song Jixin and the young boy across from him had begun learning go almost at the same time, but Song Jixin possessed remarkable aptitude and intelligence that allowed him to make rapid progress. Hence, Mr. Qi, who had taught go to both of them, regarded him as a go yer with extremely high potential. To start off the stone guessing minigame, Song Jixin would pull out a handful of white stones of indeterminate number from the box.


    The azure-robed young boy would then pull out either one or two ck stones, and if he could guess whether the number of white stones in Song Jixin''s hand was odd or even, then he would receive the ck stones and go first, thereby giving him an advantage. In all of the games that they had yed against each other in the first two years, Song Jixin had maintained a spotless win record regardless of whether he received the ck or white stones.


    However, Song Jixin didn''t have much interest in go, and he was always cking off in his learning of the game. In contrast, the azure-robed young boy''s aptitude was inferior to his, but not only was he a student at the private school, he also served as Mr. Qi''s schrly attendant, so he was always with the teacher. Thus, he was able to learn extensively just from watching Mr. Qi y out games recorded in go manuals on his own.


    Hence, with the ck stones, the young boy was now able to asionally win some games. At the moment, with the ck stones, he had a roughly 50:50 chance of beating Song Jixin, and his improvement over the years was very apparent. However, Mr. Qi had nevermented on the dwindling skill gap between them, and he was always watching their games in silence.


    Song Jixin was just about to grab some stones when Mr. Qi suddenly said, "y an even game today. White goes first."


    The two boys were both quite befuddled, with neither of them having any idea what an even game was supposed to be.


    Mr. Qi carefully exined the rules in an unhurried manner, and it wasn''t veryplicated. All that an even game entailed was cing down two ck and white stones each on the four star points of the board.


    His motions in picking up and cing the stones were extremely fluid and well-rehearsed, presenting an elegant sight to behold.


    The azure-robed young boy always liked to abide by the rules, so this sudden change was nothing short of a nightmare for him. He stared at the board with a dazed expression, then said in a careful voice, "Mr. Qi, if we y like this, then there are many sets of j��seki that we won''t be able to use." [1]


    Song Jixin considered the new rules with slightly furrowed brows for a moment, following which his eyes quickly lit up as he said, "This is essentially shrinking the board!"


    He then looked up with a smile as if he were searching for praise and asked, "Isn''t that right, Mr. Qi."


    "That is indeed the case," Mr. Qi replied with a nod.


    Song Jixin raised an eyebrow as he nced at the boy seated across from him, then chuckled, "Should I give him a handicap of a few stones? Otherwise, he''s losing this game for sure."


    The young boy immediately became flushed with embarrassment upon hearing this. He knew in his heart that the reason he was able to improve his winning record against Song Jixin was not just attributable to his own improvement. Instead, the main reason was because Song Jixin had be less and less interested in the game over the past couple of years, to the point that he was beginning to hate the game. There were many instances in which he had intentionally thrown games, or taken major risks in the middlegame after he had already secured a clear advantage in the early game, trying to secure shy wins, only to lose the games in the process.


    Despite his superb aptitude, Song Jixin''s top priority in ying go had always been to have fun.


    In contrast, from the moment the azure-robed young boy first picked up a go stone, he had always been fixated on the concepts of winning and losing.


    Mr. Qi turned to his schrly assistant and said, "You can go first with white."


    During the game, the azure-robed young boy yed each turn slowly and carefully, steadily building a foundation, while Song Jixin was ying just as rapidly as usual, going forrge and expansive positions.


    The difference in their personalities was night and day.


    After only fewer than 90 turns, the azure-robed young boy suffered a catastrophic loss, and he lowered his head in silence with his lips tightly pursed.


    Song Jixin''s elbow was resting on the table, while his cheek was resting on his hand. At the same time, he held a stone between two of his fingers on his other hand, gently tapping the stone table as he stared at the position.


    ording to the rules set by Mr. Qi, it was strictly prohibited to verbally dere one''s loss, and resignation took ce in the form of the silent gesture of tossing one''s stones onto the table.


    The azure-robed young boy was extremely reluctant to admit defeat, but he still resigned.


    "Go and practice your calligraphy. There''s no need to clean up the board. Write out the ''��'' character 300 times." [2]


    The young boy hurriedly rose to his feet and extended a respectful bow before taking his leave.


    Only after the young boy was out of sight did Song Jixin ask in a quiet voice, "Are you about to leave this ce as well, Sir?"


    The schr nodded in response. "I will be leaving within 10 days."


    Song Jixin smiled as he said, "That''s good. I''ll be able to see you off."


    The schr hesitated momentarily, then said, "There''s no need to do that. After you leave the town, make sure to keep a low profile and not draw attention to yourself. I don''t have anything other than three elementary books, namely ''Principles of Life for Children'', ''Rites and Music'', and ''An Anthology of Literary Essays''. You can take them all. Make sure to revise them regrly.


    ��Only by repeatedly reading a book over and over again will you be able to glean its true meaning. If you can read over 10,000 books, you''ll be able to write as if you were assisted by the gods. You''ll understand what that means when you get to that point. As for those three light readings, ''Profound and Subtle'', ''Tao Li Anthology'', and ''Tales of Mountains and Seas'', I encourage you to read them in your free time as well for self-cultivation."


    A surprised and slightly awkward look appeared on Song Jixin''s face, and he mustered up some courage as he said, "It almost sounds like this is going to be the final time we see each other, and it feels very strange."


    A smile appeared on Mr. Qi''s face as he said in a gentle voice, "It''s not as serious as you make it out to be. Who knows where we''ll meet again someday? I''m sure we''ll be reunited eventually."


    The smile on his face made the beholder feel as if they were basking in a warm spring breeze, and he suddenly said, "Go and pay Zhao Yao a visit. It''ll be an early farewell."


    Song Jixin rose to his feet as he chuckled, "Alright, then I''ll have to trouble you to clean up the board, Sir."


    He then rushed away gleefully while Mr. Qi bent over to pick up the stones, seemingly in apletely haphazard fashion, but in reality, he was picking the stone up in an alternating sequence of ck and white. The first stone that he picked up was thest ck stone that Song Jixin had ced, and he cleared the board in the reverse order of the sequence of moves that were yed, doing so with unerring uracy.


    At some point, Zhi Gui had already returned from the bamboo forest, but she was standing outside the wooden door, refraining from stepping into the yard.


    Without turning around, Mr. Qi said in a solemn voice, "You''re on your own now."


    At this moment, Zhi Gui wore a dazed and timid look on her face, striking the beholder with a sense of sympathy.


    A hint of anger appeared on Mr. Qi''s face, and he slowly turned away with a cold look in his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Zhi Gui was still seemingly dazed and confused, as innocent and naive as ever.


    Mr. Qi stood up straight like a sturdy tree in the wind, turning to the young girl with a cold sneer. "What a disgusting creature you are!"


    The innocent look on the young girl''s face slowly faded, and a cold look appeared in her eyes while a mocking sneer surfaced on her face, as if she were asking "what''re you gonna do about it?"


    The two of them stared directly at one another, and it was as if a confrontation between a dragon and a serpent were taking ce.


    Each of them was looking at the other as if they were sworn enemies.


    In the distance, Song Jixin called out, "Time to go home, Zhi Gui."


    "Yes, Young Master," Zhi Gui immediately replied obediently as she got up on the tips of her toes.


    She pushed the wooden door open, then jogged past Mr. Qi. After running a few steps, she turned around and extended a curtsy toward him as she said in a gentle and adorable voice, "I''ll be leaving now, Sir."


    Sometimeter, the schr heaved a faint sigh.


    The spring breeze was as gentle as ever, and the rustling of the bamboo leaves resembled the sound of a book''s turning pages.


    ��������


    The young Daoist priest in the lotus hat was packing up his stall while sighing in dismay. The town residents who were familiar with him asked him why he was so glum, but he merely shook his head and refused to answer.


    A newlywed woman who hadst had her fortune told there was passing by, and she could see that the young Daoist priest wasn''t his normal self. She stopped in her tracks in a shy manner and began asking questions in a tender voice, but herrge, watery eyes were saying something else entirely as they roamed insistently over the young man''s handsome face.


    The Daoist priest took a subtle nce at the woman, but as he shifted his gaze slightly downward, he was greeted by the sight of a voluptuous bulge. He gulped slightly, then said in a mysterious voice, "I picked out a stick for myself earlier today, and it was a bad stick that entails great peril."


    1. In go and sh��gi, a j��seki or joseki is the studied sequences of moves for which the result is considered bnced for both ck and white sides. ?


    2. The �� is good for practicing the basics in calligraphy as it contains a series of fundamental strokes, as shown in this image: /search?q=heng+shu+pie+na&rlz=1C1JZAP_enAU984AU984&sxsrf=AJOqlzVwrugXQMszg7aBgoqlQBnrZFGVCQ:1679299429224&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib8szvher9AhWMFLcAHRiKB9sQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=657&dpr=1#imgrc=f3lVaHi4COdbTM ?

 Chapter 7: Bowel of Water

    Chapter 7: Bowel of Water


    There was a well in Apricot Blossom Alley by the name of Iron Lock Well. A metal chain that was as thick as a young man''s arm was dangling down inside the well, and no one knew why the chain was there, nor who had done something as strange and pointless as hanging a chain in the well. Even the oldest individuals in the town were unable to provide any ounts.


    It was said that there was once a curious individual in the town who wanted to examine just how long the chain was. The old people in the town warned them that those who tried to pull the chain out of the well would have one year shaved off their lifespan with each foot of the chain that was pulled, but the man paid no heed to the ominous warning. After tugging vigorously on the chain for 15 minutes, a huge pile of it had been pulled out, but there was still no end in sight.


    At that point, the man was alreadypletely exhausted, and he left the pile of chain next to the well winch, proiming that he was going to be back the next day, and that he was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. However, on the very same day after he returned home, he died on his bed, bleeding out of all of his orifices, and he refused to close his eyes in death.


    No matter what his family members tried, they were unable to get his corpse to close its eyes. In the end, an old man whose family had lived near the well for generations instructed that family to carry the corpse over to the well so that it could "watch" the old man return the chain back into the well. Finally, after the entire chain had sunk down into the depths, the body finally closed its eyes.


    An old man and a small child were slowly making their way toward the Iron Lock Well. The child was still very young, with two lines of snot trailing out of his nostrils, but he could tell a very coherent and organized story,pletely unlike the average rural child who had only been attending school for half a year.


    At this moment, the child was looking up with a pair ofrge eyes that resembled ck grapes, and with a gentle sniffle, the two lines of snot retreated back into his nostrils. The child was looking at the storyteller who was carrying therge white bowl, and he said, "That''s the end of my story. You''re going to show me what''s in your bowl now, right?"


    "Don''t be in such a hurry. Let me take a seat on the edge of the well, and I''ll let you look as much as you want," the old man chuckled.


    The child quickly issued a threat that was disguised as a "friendly" warning. "You can''t break your promise. Otherwise, you''ll die a terrible death! As soon as you reach the Iron Lock Well, you''ll immediately fall in headfirst, and I''m not fishing up your dead body. If that doesn''t happen, then a bolt of lightning will suddenly fall from the sky and zap you into a piece of charcoal. After that, I''ll pick up a rock and smash your charred remains to pieces..."


    The old man was beginning to develop a headache as he listened to all of the vicious curses being directed at him by the child, and he hurriedly reassured, "I''ll definitely let you look! Who did you learn to speak like that from?"


    "My mother!" the child replied in a categorical manner.


    "Your mother must truly be an extremely fine andpassionate woman," the old man "praised".


    The child suddenly stopped in his tracks, and his brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "You''re insulting her, aren''t you? I know some people like to say good things about others when they mean the exact opposite, like Song Jixin!"


    The old man hurriedly denied the usation, then changed the subject as he asked, "Are there often some strange things happening in this town?"


    The child nodded in response.


    "Tell me about it," the old man prompted.


    The child pointed at the old man with a serious expression as he said, "There''s a strange old man who goes around carrying arge white bowl, but doesn''t let anyone put money into it. Even before you finished your story, my mother said that you were spinning a very confusing tale, and that you''re clearly a serial fraud who makes a living off deceiving others, and that''s why you were so insistent on refusing the copper coins that I tried to give you. Now show me what''s in that bowl!"


    The old man waspletely dumbfounded.


    As it turned out, the storyteller under the old locust tree from before had asked this child to take him to Apricot Blossom Alley to see the well there. Initially, the child was unwilling to oblige, so the old man told him that his big white bowl was very special, and it was holding something extremely rare and extraordinary. The child had always been very energetic and adventurous from birth.


    The analogy made by his parents was that it was as if he were missing a bottom, so he didn''t know how to sit down. From a very young age, he was always wandering around aimlessly with the delinquents led by Liu Xianyang, but what was quite remarkable about him was that he also had the patience to sitpletely motionlessly under the scorching sun for an hour just to fish up an eel or a catfish, disying incredible patience for someone his age.


    Hence, when the old man proimed that there was something extraordinary in his bowl, the child immediately took the bait.


    The old man had started off by stating that he wanted to try and lift the child to see how heavy he was, and gauge whether he weighed over 20 kilograms. Despite the strange nature of the request, the child agreed without any hesitation. In his mind, it wasn''t like he was going to lose anything just from being lifted.


    However, much to the child''s dismay and exasperation, the old man held his bowl over his left palm and tried to lift the child with all his might using his right arm five or six times in a row, only to fail every single time. The child nced disdainfully at the old man''s thin arms and legs, and he shook his head as he thought about how Chen Ping''an was far stronger than the old man, even though they had roughly the same build.


    However, the child was very smart, and he knew that if he wanted to see what was in the bowl, then he would have to remain in the old man''s good graces, so he held back the urge to insult him. In the y Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley area, the child could arguably rank third when it came to winning verbal altercations on the street and delivering potent insults, while Song Jixin ranked second, and the child''s mother reigned supreme at the top.


    The old man made his way over to the well, but he didn''t sit down on its edge.


    The well was constructed from y bricks, and for some reason, the old man''s breathing was beginning to grow heavier.


    The child also approached the well before jumping backward with his back facing it, and his bottomnded perfectly on the well''s edge as he took a seat.


    The old man was terrified to see this. If the child had made even a slight misjudgment, he would''ve fallen into the well, and given the stories and stigma that surrounded the well, it would most likely be very difficult to even find anyone willing to fish his body up from the bottom.


    The old man slowly took a few steps forward, leaning down to inspect the metal chain, one end of which was bound tightly to the underside of the well winch.


    I wonder whose possession this prized artifact will ultimately end up in, the old man thought to himself with a myriad of emotions in his heart.


    He reached out his spare left hand and stared at the palm.


    There was aplex system of lines on his palm, but there was a brand new line that was slowly elongating, much like a lengthening crack on a piece of porcin.


    For deities, observing their own palm was like observing an entire world, but for the old man, he was only looking at himself.


    His brows furrowed tightly as he eximed, "If things are already this terrible after just half a day, then what''s be of them?"


    The child had already stood up on the edge of the well, and he had one hand on his hip while pointing at the old man with his other hand as he urged loudly, "Are you going to show me your white bowl or not?!"


    "Hurry up and get down from there! I''ll show you my bowl now," the old man said in an exasperated manner.


    The child was feeling rather skeptical, but he still jumped down from the edge of the well.


    The old man hesitated momentarily, following which a solemn look appeared on his face. "It seems we were fated to meet, so it''s not out of the question for me to show you what this bowl can do. However, after you see it, you can''t tell anyone else about it, not even your mother. If you can do that, then I''ll show you. If you can''t, then no matter how much you prod or insult me, I won''t let you take even a single peek."


    The child nodded in response. "I can do that. Show me."


    The old man made his way over to the well with a serious expression, and he looked down to find that the child was squatting on the edge of the well this time, and he was beginning to regret picking out this unruly child as his guide.


    The old man banished those trivial thoughts from his mind, then grabbed onto the underside of his bowl with all five fingers of his right hand as he faced the well. His palm then began to tilt ever so slightly to a degree that was barely detectable.


    The child felt as if he had already been waiting for a very long time, but no change took ce in the bowl above his head, and the old man''s posture also remained unchanged.


    Right as the lines of snot flowing out of the child''s nostrils were about to reach his lips, and he was about to run out of patience, a stream of water that was as thick as a finger poured out of the bowl before silently flowing into the well.


    The child was furious, and he was just about to erupt into an angry tirade when he abruptly shut his mouth in surprise at what he was seeing.


    A short whileter, the expression on his face had already turned from astonishment to confusion, and after that, a fearful look began to appear in his eyes. All of a sudden, he snapped back to his senses and jumped down from the edge of the well before fleeing toward his home.


    As it turned out, the amount of water that the old man had poured into the well out of his white bowl had already far exceeded the capacity of arge water vat, but there was still more water constantly pouring out of the bowl, and the child was convinced that he had seen a ghost.


    ��������


    Liu Xianyang casually snapped a branch that had only just sprouted out of a tree that he was passing by, and he began to use it for sword practice. He was spinning around in circles like a wheel gone mad, raising up a massive dust cloud and making no effort to look after the pair of new boots that he was wearing.


    After emerging from the town, he made his way southward. After crossing the covered bridge funded by Master Song and walking about one to two more kilometers, he would arrive at the cksmith forge run by Master Ruan and his daughter. Liu Xianyang had always been extremely arrogant and unruly, but it had only taken a single sentence for Master Ruan to earn hisplete and utter admiration: "We came here solely to forge swords."


    Liu Xianyang couldn''t help but get excited at just the mere thought of being able to own a real sword in the future, and he tossed the branch aside before breaking into a sprint while yelling in excitement.


    Liu Xianyang thought back to the handful of fist techniques that Master Ruan had taught him in private, and he started to practice them, looking very much like he was cut out for the part.


    He was getting closer and closer to the covered bridge, and there were four people seated on the steps on the northern end of the bridge.


    One of those was a beautiful and voluptuous woman who was holding a boy in a big red robe in her arms. His chin was raised up high as if he were a general that had just returned from aprehensive victory in battle, while on the other side of the steps was an imposing old man with a head of white hair.


    The old man was in the process of consoling an angry little girl, whose skin was so fair and delicate that it was as if she were the most intricately crafted porcin doll in this world. Her delicate skin was glittering and translucent under the sun, to the point that one could even clearly see a series of fine veins under her skin.


    The two children had just had a verbal altercation, and the little girl was on the verge of tears, while the little boy was only looking more and more triumphant.


    The old man was built like a small mountain, and the woman beside him gave him an apologetic look, only to bepletely ignored.


    There was also a young man with the Lu surname standing at the foot of the steps. He was the eldest grandson of the Lu n''s leader, and his name was Lu Zhengchun. Perhaps the earth and water in certain ces really did nurture the people there better than in other ces; the local residents of the town were generally better-looking than the people outside of the town.


    However, Lu Zhengchun had alreadypletely ruined his own body through alcohol abuse and excessive sexual activity, presenting him as a very unsightly young man to the four people sitting on the steps. The Lu n owned the most dragon kilns out of any n in the town, and their dragon kilns were also of the best quality. It was also the n that produced the most descendants that left the town to settle elsewhere.


    Lu Zhengchun was normally always strutting around the town as if he owned the ce, but at this moment, hisplexion was very pale, and he was wearing a reserved and humble expression. His entire body was also extremely tensed up, as if the slightest misstep here would lead to the execution of his entire n.


    The boy was speaking in anguage that was foreign to the town''s residents as he said, "Mother, is the ancestor of that little worm with the Liu surname really..."


    He was just about to state a name when the woman hurriedly sped a hand over his mouth. "Don''t refer to people directly by their names unless it''s necessary! Your father told you that many times before we came here."


    The boy pried the woman''s hand aside with an excited look in his eyes as he lowered his voice and asked, "Has his n really been passing down the prized armor and sword scripture for generations?"


    The woman stroked his head with a doting expression as she said in a gentle voice, "The Lu n swore on half of their genealogy tree that those two things are still hidden in his home."


    The boy suddenly began to behave like a spoiled child as he urged, "Mother, Mother, can we trade treasures with them? The suit of prized armor that we''re trying to obtain is hideous! Think about it, Mother, if we can get our hands on that sword scripture instead, we''ll be able to decapitate people with flying swords! That''s way more badass than an ugly turtle shell!"


    Before the woman had a chance to offer an exnation to the boy, the little girl next to them had already erupted into a fit of fury. "How dare you even think about trying to take the most prized treasure of our mountain! We came here to take back something that rightfully belongs to us. We''re notpletely shameless like you! You''re a bandit, a thief, a beggar, even!"


    The boy turned to her and made a mocking face, then sneered, "You said it yourself just now, you dumbss. It''s the most prized treasure of your ''mountain'', which doesn''t mean anything in my eyes!"


    The boy suddenly stood up from the woman''sp, then looked down at the little girl with a sympathetic expression as he preached to her like a schoolteacher scolding a student. "The pursuit of the Great Dao is an endeavor that pits one against the natural order, so we must strive to secure every possible resource to help us on this journey.


    ��If you don''t even understand such a simple concept, then how are you going to inherit your n and uphold the teachings of your ancestors? Once every 30 years, the descendants of your Sun Scorch Mountain must elevate the mountain by at least 1,000 feet. Do you think that was an easy task for your father and your grandfather?"


    The little girl was stumped by the boy''s words, and she lowered her head with a defeated expression, not daring to look at him.


    The white-haired old man said in a serious voice, "I understand that we shouldn''t take offense to the words of children, but if our young mistress'' Dao heart is tarnished by that boy''s words, then you''ll have to bear the consequences."


    The woman gave an apologetic smile, then put on a stern expression as she tugged the boy back into her arms before giving a barbed response. "This is just an argument between children. There''s no need to take it so seriously, Senior Yuan. Our two ns have been on friendly terms for over 1,000 years, it would be aplete travesty if that rtionship were to be spoiled by such a trivial matter."


    However, the old man had an extremely unyielding personality, and he retorted, "Our Sun Scorch Mountain has been around for 2,600 years, and we''ve always repaid those who have treated us with kindness, but simrly, we''ve never spared anyone who''s dared to wrong us!"


    The woman merely smiled in response and didn''t argue any further.


    Both of them had important tasks toplete on this trip to the small town. In particr, she was taking an extremely extravagant gamble, putting her own life, the future of her son, and everything in her parental family''s possession on the line.


    Even though the woman was dressed in very simple and unadorned attire, she was very graceful and elegant, but the uneducated residents of the town were oblivious to her refined disposition.


    This entire time, Lu Zhengchun stood with his back facing the steps of the covered bridge.


    He could still recall the first time that he had seen these esteemed guests in the Lu Manor. His younger brother wascking in discipline and was unable to suppress his primal urges, leading him to forget their grandfather''s warnings. He couldn''t help but sneak a nce at the woman''s chest, and their grandfather had instantly flown into such a violent rage that his entire body was trembling with fury. He immediately ordered for the young man to be dragged out into the yard and flogged to death.


    It seemed that while the flogging was taking ce, his mouth had been stuffed full of cotton so Lu Zhengchun didn''t hear the agonized howls of his brother, nor did he witness the gruesome scene of his execution. Following the conclusion of their meeting with those esteemed guests, Lu Zhengchun stepped out of the room to find that all of the blood in the courtyard had already been cleaned up, and the four guests, even the pair of children, disyed no reaction to this, as if this were somethingpletely ordinary and to be expected.


    In that instant, Lu Zhengchun felt as if he were in a dream.


    A living person from their family had just been killed, yet it was being yed off as if nothing more than a stray dog had just been executed.


    Just the night before, the two brothers had been drinking together, and Lu Zhengchun''s younger brother had been extremely motivated and brimming with excitement, dering that he was definitely going to be sessful and bring honor to the n, that the two of them were going to work together and make something out of themselves rather than spending their entire lives in the confines of the Lu Manor.


    Even after making his way out of the Lu Manor, Lu Zhengchun''s mind was stillpletely nk.


    From that incident, the seed of fear was nted into his heart. Whenever any of those esteemed guests asked him anything, his voice would tremble when he answered, and whenever he took them anywhere, his legs would quiver. He knew that he was putting on an extremely embarrassing disy and bringing shame upon his grandfather and his entire n, but he was simply unable to control his own fear. In their presence, he felt as if his entire body were constantly submerged in a cial pit.


    At the end of the previous year, his grandfather had taken him and his brother into a secret chamber and informed them that the Lu n was about to be tasked with doing something for a certain group of extremely important people. He told them that this was an enormous blessing, and that they had to exercise the utmost caution when serving these people. If they couldplete the assigned tasks sessfully, then the Lu n would dedicate the entirety of thepensation that they received from those people to nurturing and developing the two brothers.


    All it would take would be a nod from those eminent figures, and a path leading straight to unimaginable heights would be paved beneath their feet, and they would be blessed with unfathomable wealth and glory. It was only then that he finally understood why he and his brother had been forced to learn so many types of strange dialects from a young age.


    Lu Zhengchun watched as Liu Xianyang drew closer and closer to the covered bridge, and a sense of fierce resentment suddenly welled up in his heart. Liu Xianyang was nothing more than a piece of low-ss scum that had once almost been beaten to death like a stray dog by him and hisckeys. If it weren''t for that meddling little bastard who had run out onto the street and called for help, he and hisckeys were already preparing to enact the punishment that they had agreed upon in advance, taking off their pants to give the arrogant young man a warm shower.


    Even now, Lu Zhengchun still couldn''t understand why these high and mighty individuals had taken such a liking to Liu Xianyang. As for certain things that they mentioned like prized armor, sword scripture, Sun Scorch Mountain, the Great Dao to immortality, and fighting over resources and opportunities, Lu Zhengchun could understand everything, but at the same time, he had no idea what they were talking about.


    However, there was one thing that Lu Zhengchun knew for certain, which was that he wanted nothing more than to see Liu Xianyang die here.


    As for the true reason for his scorching resentment toward Liu Xianyang, he didn''t dare to admit it to himself, nor did he dare to ponder the subject.


    Deep down in his heart, Lu Zhengchun would almost rather die than allow a piece of lowly scum like Liu Xianyang to see him, an esteemed young master of the Lu n, acting like an obedient dog in front of others.


    This was just about the most humiliating thing that he could think of.


    Upon spotting Liu Xianyang, the woman murmured, "He''s here."


    Liu Xianyang was still practicing his fist techniques on the way to the bridge, and with each punch that he threw, he was doing so with increasing speed and power, to the point that he was stumbling around a little from the force that he was exerting.


    Even though his techniques were still very rudimentary and unpolished, in the eyes of an expert, he was already disying a knack forbining strength with subtlety, a trait that was only seen in masters.


    In the art of the fist, there was a fundamental mantra, which stated that those who didn''t know the true meaning of the fist could train for a century and still be a novice, while those who grasped the true meaning of the fist could strike down even demons and gods.


    The woman was very relieved. As expected, Liu Xianyang was the person that they were looking for, and he did indeed possess remarkable aptitude. Even in immortal ns like theirs, his aptitude for cultivation was nothing to be scoffed at.


    Of course, in the vast world that the woman and the old man were part of, there was also nock of prodigal cultivation talents of Liu Xianyang''s caliber.


    The woman rose to her feet, then turned to Lu Zhengchun as she instructed, "Go and ask that young man what we would need to give him in exchange for the suit of armor and the scripture that have been passed down in his n for generations."


    Lu Zhengchun turned around and extended a respectful bow, replying in that dialect that waspletely unintelligible to the town''s residents, "Yes, Mistress."


    "Make sure to speak to that young man with respect, and take care not to offend him," the woman added.


    The boy also pointed a finger at Lu Zhengchun, regarding him like a servant as he warned, "If you screw this up, I''ll skin you and pull out all of your tendons, then turn your soul into a me to light a torch. Until that torch goes out, you''ll constantly be in so much agony that you''ll wish you were dead!"


    Lu Zhengchun shuddered in horror upon hearing this, and he bowed even deeper as he hurriedly replied in a fearful voice, "I''ll be sure to convince him!"


    The little girl finally saw an opportunity to strike back at her tormentor, and she sneered, "You sure like to act tough in front of mere mortals! On the way here, you were called a vandal and a bastard by other cultivators, and you didn''t even dare to strike back!"


    The old man already had an extremely low opinion of the mother and son pair, and he added, "I''m afraid you''re mistaken, Young Mistress. He wasn''t too afraid to strike back, he was too afraid to talk back to them!"


    The boy gritted his teeth tightly as he glowered at the girl with a sinister expression, but he didn''t issue a retort. Instead, he suddenly put on a vibrant smile, as if he werepletely unfazed by her mockery.


    Meanwhile, the woman''s gaze remained fixed on the path up ahead, and there was a tranquil and cid look on her face. As for whether she had taken what was said to heart, that was something that only she knew.


    The little girl gave a cold harrumph, then ran down the steps and squatted down beside the creek to watch the fish swimming in the water.


    asionally, there were schools of different numbers of red and green carp swimming past under her watchful gaze.


    While chatting under the old locust tree, some of the older individuals in the town often mentioned that when passing over the covered bridge during lightning storms, they had all previously seen a golden carp swimming past.


    However, some of them imed that the golden carp was only around the same length as a human hand, while others proimed that the carp was enormous, half the length of a grown man at the very least, as if it were evolving into a higher life form.


    The old people in the town were constantly arguing over who had the correct details in their story, and due to the conflicting ounts, none of the children were willing to believe that such a creature truly existed.


    The water in the creek was so clear that one could see all the way to the bottom, and at this moment, the little girl was staring intently into the water with her cheeks resting on her hands.


    The old man crouched down beside her as he chuckled, "Young Mistress, if the leader of the Lu n wasn''t lying to us, then that creature has already fallen into someone else''s hands."


    The little girl turned to the old man with a grin as she countered, "Perhaps there''s more than one of them, Grandpa Yuan!"


    In doing so, she revealed theical gap where one of her front teeth was missing, and she immediately realized this as she hurriedly pped a hand over her own mouth.


    The old man resisted the urge tough as he exined, "Before flood dragons make their way into rivers, they are extremely territorial and strictly prohibit their own kind from getting near them. Hence..."


    The little girl gave a half-hearted response, then turned back around to continue staring into the water with her cheeks resting in her hands, and she murmured to herself, "But what if there''s a chance..."


    For the first time, a stern and authoritative look appeared on the benevolent old man''s face, and he gentlyid a hand onto the little girl''s head as he said in a solemn voice, "Young Mistress, you must remember at all times that relying on luck and chance is a sure path to an early demise, and such a way of thinking cannot be allowed to take root in your mind! You are far too precious..."


    The little girl pulled out a hand from under her cheek and waved it around vigorously as she grumbled in a disgruntled voice, "I know, I know! I''ve heard this so many times that my ears are about to grow calluses!"


    "I''m going back to keep an eye on the proceedings, Young Mistress. On the surface, they''re supposed to be allies of our Sun Scorch Mountain, but when ites to their integrity and the way they conduct themselves... I won''t mention it. It''s not worth soiling your precious ears hearing about them."


    The little girl waved a hand to dismiss the old man, and he could only depart with a resigned expression.


    The old man appeared to be a servant of hers, and his back was slightly hunched over as he walked, while his hands trailed all the way down to his knees, as if he were carrying a heavy burden on his back.


    All of a sudden, the little girl rubbed her own eyes in surprise.


    The reason for her surprise was that the water level in the creek was slowly rising at a rate that was discernible to the naked eye!


    If they weren''t in this small town, then she wouldn''t have been surprised at all by this. For example, if they were on Sun Scorch Mountain or anywhere in their home region, then she wouldn''t have batted an eyelid even if an entire creek had dried up in the blink of an eye.


    The little girl was rather perplexed as she murmured to herself, "Aren''t all profound arts, mystical abilities, and powers naturally restricted here? And isn''t it the case that the more advanced one''s cultivation base is, the more bacsh they suffer here? Grandpa Yuan told me that even that legendary figure has found himself in a severely weakened state after staying here for so long, so he won''t be able to stop us from fighting over the prized artifacts..."


    In the end, she shook her head to rid herself of that train of thought, no longer interested in pondering the matter.


    She turned to look at the old man''s imposing figure, and she gleefully thought to himself that once the restrictions here werepletely lifted, she would ask him to carry that mountain by the name of Cloud Drape Mountain back home with them so that she could make it her own flower garden.

 Chapter 8: Grass

    Chapter 8: Grass


    Ever since he returned home, Chen Ping''an''s eyelid had been constantly twitching. It was said that the twitching of the left eyelid signified wealth, while the twitching of the right eyelid entailed disaster.


    He sat down onto the doorstep and began to visualize pottery molding with his hands suspended in mid-air, quickly entering apletely immersive state. Hismendable work ethic was one reason why he always kept up with this type of visualization practice, while another very important factor was that the activity helped him stave off hunger. Hence, he had developed the habit of performing this type of practice whenever there was something on his mind.


    The craft of pottery firing was one that depended greatly on the will of the heavens. Prior to uncovering a piece of chinaware, no one knew whether its form, coloration, and ze would be up to standard, and one could only take what they were given by the gods. However, prior to firing a piece of pottery, the molding process was undoubtedly extremely important.


    Unfortunately, Chen Ping''an had always been deemed by Old Man Yao to becking in aptitude and was mostly assigned manualbor tasks like pugging. Thus, he could only watch from the side and practice molding on his own to try and develop a feel for the process.


    The sound of the neighboring yard''s wooden gate being opened rang out, signaling the return of Song Jixin and Zhi Gui from the school. Song Jixin lunged forward and jumped onto the wall with ease, then squatted down before spreading his hands open, releasing a bunch of fingernail-sized rocks of different colors, including white, green, and red.


    Thesepletely valueless rocks of different sizes were extremelymonce all throughout the bank of the creek in the town, and among them, the most sought-after one was a type of bright red rock that looked as if it had been soaked in chicken blood. Mr. Qi had carved a seal out of one such rock for his disciple, Zhao Yao, and Song Jixin had taken a liking to it, offering to exchange it for something on several asions, but he was resolutely turned down every time.


    Song Jixin tossed a rock lightly through the air, and it struck Chen Ping''an on the chest, but he remainedpletely unmoved.


    The next rock struck him on the forehead, but he still disyed no reaction.


    Song Jixin was already ustomed to this, and he threw a collection of seven or eight rocks one after another. Even though Song Jixin was trying to distract Chen Ping''an from his visualization training with these rocks, he refrained from directly hitting Chen Ping''an''s arms and fingers as he felt like that would be going too far.


    After tossing all of his rocks, Song Jixin pped his hands together, while Chen Ping''an exhaled and shook out his wrists,pletely ignoring Song Jixin. Following a brief pause, he lowered his head and curled the fingers on his left hand as if he were gripping onto an invisible burin.


    The skill of the jumping burin wasn''t a skill that was unique to any of the old potters in the town, but anyone who saw Old Man Yao''s jumping burin technique would always be full of praise and admiration.


    Old Man Yao had taken several disciples, but none of them truly lived up to his standards. Only after finding Liu Xianyang did he finally feel like he had found someone worthy of inheriting his skills. In the past, whenever Liu Xianyang practiced the jumping burin technique, Chen Ping''an would always watch intently from the side as long as he wasn''t preupied with some other task.


    Liu Xianyang really liked to show off, and he knew that Chen Ping''an was very good at keeping secrets, so he often revealed pieces of Old Man Yao''s secret mantras to Chen Ping''an to unt his knowledge. For example, in order to ensure the burin followed a stable path, one couldn''t focus dogmatically on keeping one''s hand steady. Ultimately, the key was to keep one''s heart steady.


    However, when Chen Ping''an asked him what keeping one''s heart steady meant, Liu Xianyang had no answer.


    After watching for a while longer, Song Jixin grew bored and jumped down from the wall before entering the room.


    Zhi Gui was standing beside the wall, and without getting up on the tips of her toes, only half of her face was peeking out over the top of the wall. Even so, it was still possible to tell that she was going to grow up into a splendid beauty.


    After a moment of hesitation, she gently got up on the tips of her toes and swept her gaze over the area around Chen Ping''an before catching sight of a pair of rocks that caught her fancy. One of them was translucent and bright red, while the other one was as white as snow, and both of them had just been tossed away by Song Jixin just now.


    After another brief hesitation, she called out in a timid voice, "Chen Ping''an, can you pick up those two rocks for me? I really like them."


    Chen Ping''an raised his head to look at her, indicating with his eyes for her to wait for a moment, but he didn''t stop what he was doing, and his hands remained as stable as ever.


    Zhi Gui gave a warm smile in response, presenting a stunning sight to behold, like the first green buds sprouting out of a tree branch in early spring.


    However, Chen Ping''an had already lowered his head, so he missed out on the beautiful scenery.


    The corners of her lips perked up slightly, and a hint of light surged through her eyes as if there were some type of tiny living creature swimming within them.


    By the time Chen Ping''an finished his visualization practice and asked her which two stones she wanted, the look in her eyes had already returned to normal, and she was back to looking as gentle and timid as ever.


    Chen Ping''an picked up the two rocks that she was pointing at, then made his way over to the wall. She had only just raised a hand when Chen Ping''an set the rocks down on top of the wall.


    She picked up the rocks and held them tightly in her hand.


    If fate weren''t on one''s side, then they could search for something for years on end without ever finding it, but if it were meant to be, then some things were as easily obtainable as shoddy wares being sold on the side of the street, and it would depend entirely on one''s mood whether they wanted to take it or not.


    "Are you not worried about that snotty little kiding over to give you a piece of his mind?" Chen Ping''an chuckled.


    She didn''t admit that her young master had stolen from someone else, but she wasn''t shameless enough to deny the truth, either, so she merely smiled and remained silent.


    There was a mother and son pair living on y Vase Alley, and they werepletely unmatched in the town when it came to their ability to win arguments and deliver vicious insults. Only Song Jixin couldpete with them in this regard. Among the pair, the child was particrly egregious. He constantly had two lines of snot trailing out of his nostrils, and he liked to catch fish and pick up rocks from the creek.


    All of the fish that he caught were kept in arge water vat, while the rocks that he collected were piled up next to the vat. For some reason, Song Jixin really liked to pick on the kid. Every once in a while, he would take a few rocks from the boy''s collection, and this wasn''t so apparent at first, but what was happening quickly became clear over time as Song Jixin was regrly taking rocks from the pile. Whenever the boy noticed that some of the prized rocks were missing, he would fly into a rage like a wild kitten that had just had its tail trodden on, and he could stand outside Song Jixin''s yard and yell profanities for two hours at a time.


    His mother never tried to dissuade him from this behavior. Instead, she was always eagerly fanning the mes, specifically bringing up the fact that Song Jixin was an illegitimate son of the previous kiln supervision official. On quite a few asions, Song Jixin was so enraged by this pair that he had almost carried a bench outside to fight them, and Zhi Gui had to hold him back each time.


    All of a sudden, a high-pitched voice rang out. "Hurry up ande out, Song Jixin! Your maidservant is flirting with Chen Ping''an right as I speak! It''s clear that they''re hooking up! If you don''te out to discipline your maidservant, there''s a good chance she''ll jump over the wall tonight and go knocking on Chen Ping��an''s door! Come out,e out! Look, Chen Ping''an''s stroking her cheek! Oh my goodness, if only you could see the disgusting grin on Chen Ping''an''s face!"


    Song Jixin didn''t bother toe out, and he yelled in response from inside his house, "What''s the big deal? I saw Chen Ping''an groping your motherst night. Only after I ran into them did Chen Ping''an hurriedly pull his hand out of your mother''s cor. To be fair, your mother is the one to me. She''s way too full and voluptuous there, poor Chen Ping''an was sweating buckets because of how heavy those damn things were!"


    Someone on the alley outside began to kick viciously at Song Jixin''s gate as they yelled in a furious voice, "Come out and fight me one-on-one, Song Jixin! If you lose, then you have to hand over Zhi Gui to be my maidservant! I''ll have her feed me, make my bed, and wash my feet every day! If I lose, Chen Ping''an will be your servant. What do you say? Do you dare to ept my challenge? Whoever backs down is a cowardly turtle!"


    Inside the room, Song Jixin retorted in azy voice, "Get out of here, Gu Can! I was flipping the lunar almanac, and it tells me that this is not a good day for a father to beat up his son, so I''ll let you off the hook for now, you lucky little bastard!"


    The child continued to pound the gate with all his might. "Zhi Gui, aren''t you ashamed to be following such a cowardly master? I say you should go and elope with Liu Xianyang! That idiot''s always looking at you like he wants to eat you up!"


    Zhi Gui turned and returned to the house.


    Inside, Song Jixin was carefully polishing a bright green gourd. It was an antique from an indeterminate era, and it was one of the things left behind by Master Song. In the beginning, Song Jixin didn''t pay much attention to it, but heter discovered that whenever there was a lightning storm, a buzzing sound would ring out from within the gourd. However, after removing the cork, no matter how much he shook or swung the gourd around, nothing woulde out.


    He also tried filling it with water and sand before pouring it out, and the exact same amount of water and sand woulde out. Thus, he could only set it aside again. One time, Gu Can''s abhorrent mother was outside his gate, taunting him over and over again about being an illegitimate son who had been abandoned by his father.


    The insults were really getting to him, and in a fit of rage, he picked up a de before hacking viciously at the gourd to vent his fury. However, to his astonishment, the edge of the de had already fully curled back, yet the gourd was stillpletely unscathed, with not even the slightest mark left on its surface.


    In a letter that had been burned by Song Jixin some years ago, it was written: "The gold, silver, and copper coins brought to you will ensure that all expenses will be covered for you and Zhi Gui. In your spare time, you can search for some antiques that take your fancy for the purpose of developing a tasteful hobby.


    ��The town isn''t a very big ce, but the coarse grains here are enough to nurture the belly, the books can nurture the mind, the scenery can nurture the eyes, and the peace and quiet can nurture the heart. From this day forth, you can only do your best and let fate decide the rest. The dragon lurking in in sight will be sure to rise to the heavens someday."


    Even though Song Jixin resented his father, there was no reason for him not to spend the money left to him. In the simple and unsophisticated small town, it was difficult to spend a lot of money even if one wanted to. Over the years, Song Jixin really developed a hobby of collecting all types of trinkets.


    He had arge red chest that was filled with all types of interesting obscure items like the green gourd, but Song Jixin had a profound and inexplicable feeling that out of all of the items in the chest, of which there were around three dozens, the gourd was the most important one, followed by a rusty violet gold bell. When shaken, it could be clearly seen that the pper of the bell was ttering against its inner wall, so it should''ve produced a chime, but it waspletely silent.


    This phenomenon both terrified and fascinated Song Jixin. The only other artifact worthy of note was an old teapot with the word "mandrill" inscribed upon it. As for all of the other items, Song Jixin didn''t really care much for them.


    Outside his yard, Gu Can was still yelling profanities and insults with indefatigable vigor.


    However, shortly thereafter, his voice abruptly cut off.


    The boy then suddenly pushed open the gate of Chen Ping''an''s yard before rushing inside with a panicked expression. After sliding the deadbolt across, he squatted down beside the gate before silently indicating for Chen Ping''an to also squat down beside him.


    Chen Ping''an had no idea what was happening, but he ducked down and rushed over to the boy''s side, then squatted down beside him as he asked in a low voice, "What happened, Gu Can? Did you get your mother angry again?"


    Gu Can sniffled vigorously as he replied in a quiet voice, "I met a really strange person just now. He could use the white bowl in his hand to keep on pouring out water without stopping! The bowl was only this big, yet I just saw him pouring water out of it non-stop for two hours! As he was passing by the entrance of our y Vase Alley, he seemed to have stopped. Could it be that he spotted me? I''m in so much trouble!"


    Gu Can used his hands to describe to Chen Ping''an the size of the bowl, then patted his own chest as he panted, "He almost frightened Song Jixin''s father here to death!"


    "Are you talking about the storyteller under the locust tree?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Gu Can nodded eagerly in response. "That''s him! The old man doesn''t have much strength in his arms, and he can''t even lift me up, but that bowl of his is terrifying! Terrifying, I tell you!"


    Gu Can suddenly grabbed onto Chen Ping''an''s arm as he vowed, "I''m not lying to you this time, Chen Ping''an! I swear! If I''m lying to you, then let Song Jixin suffer a terrible death!"


    Chen Ping''an raised a finger to his lips to make a silencing gesture, and the child immediately fell silent.


    The sound of footsteps gradually drew closer outside, then faded into the distance.


    Everyone was scared of something. Prior to this, Gu Can seemed to bepletely fearless, but at this moment, his face was deathly pale, and he sat down onto the ground as he rubbed his hand haphazardly over his own face. It was clear that he really was terrified of the old man.


    "You don''t think that old bastard went to my house, do you? What should I do?" Gu Can suddenly asked.


    "How about I apany you back home to take a look?" Chen Ping''an asked with a resigned expression.


    This was most likely exactly what Gu Can was waiting to hear, and he immediately rose to his feet, only to sit back down again in a deted manner before turning to Chen Ping''an with a pitiful expression. "My knees are weak, I can''t walk!"


    Chen Ping''an stood up, then bent over and grabbed onto the back of Gu Can''s cor, lifting up with one hand as he slid back the deadbolt and made his way out of the courtyard.


    The child''s house was only around 100 meters away from Chen Ping''an''s, and sure enough, upon arriving there, Gu Can spotted the old man in their courtyard, and his mother had even pulled out a stool for him to sit on.


    In that instant, Gu Can felt as if the entire sky had fallen onto him, and he cowered behind Chen Ping''an, hoping that Chen Ping''an would protect him.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an rose to the asion, leading the way while Gu Can trailed along behind him.


    Gu Can clutched onto Chen Ping''an''s sleeve, and he was instilled with a surge of courage, seemingly having been emboldened by Chen Ping''an''s presence.


    The old man paid no heed to the two young boys as he sat on the stool, seemingly thinking about something, and the white bowl he was holding earlier was nowhere to be seen.


    All of the courage instantly left Gu Can''s body, and he ducked behind Chen Ping''an once again in a fearful manner.


    The old man took a nce at the remarkably calm woman, then turned his attention toward the wary Chen Ping''an before finally settling his gaze on Gu Can as he asked, "What are you keeping in that water vat over there?"


    Gu Can yelled out in response from behind Chen Ping''an, "What else could it be? Just some fish, prawns, and crabs that I caught from the creek and some eels and catfish that I fished out of the farm channels. If you like them, you''re wee to take them..."


    His voice was growing quieter and quieter as he spoke, clearly indicating ack of conviction and courage.


    The woman smoothed down her own hair momentarily before turning to Chen Ping''an as she called out in a gentle voice, "Ping''an."


    Chen Ping''an could see what she wanted, and he patted Gu Can on the head before turning to depart.


    A hint of guilt surfaced in the woman''s eyes as she nced at Chen Ping''an''s departing figure, but she quickly banished those thoughts and feelings as she turned to the old man and asked, "You''vee a long way to get here, esteemed immortal master. Are you nning to buy this opportunity or take it by force?"


    The old man smiled as he shook his head in response. "I can''t afford the price required to buy this opportunity, nor am I able to take it by force."


    "Perhaps that was true in the past, but it may not continue to hold true in the future," the woman countered with a shake of her head.


    The casual and rxed demeanor of the old man instantly faded upon hearing this, and it was as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He abruptly swept a sleeve through the air, rapidly moving his fingers as if he were calcting something.


    He then heaved a long sigh. "Was it really necessary to go so far?"


    A cold look appeared on the woman''s face as she sneered, "Did you think that this town was full of good people?"


    The old man rose to his feet and cast a meaningful nce toward the befuddled child, and he seemed to have made an extremely important decision as he produced the white bowl with a flick of his wrist.


    He then made his way over to therge water vat, which was around half the height of a grown man, and quickly scooped out a bowl of water from within.


    The woman was putting on a calm and collected facade, but in reality, her palms were sweating profusely.


    The old man sat back down onto the stool, then beckoned to Gu Can. "Come here and take a look, child."


    Gu Can turned to his mother with an inquisitive expression, and she nodded at him with encouragement in her eyes.


    Once the boy had reached him, the old man gently blew onto the surface of the water in the bowl, causing it to ripple incessantly.


    "Open your mouth," the old man instructed with a smile.


    At the same time, the old man pulled out a locust leaf from somewhere on Gu Can''s body with a casual swipe of his hand.


    He held the leaf in between two of his fingers in a very light grip.


    Gu Can reflexively opened his mouth in surprise upon seeing this, and with a flick of his finger, the bright green locust leaf vanished into Gu Can''s mouth.


    The boy was instantly rooted to the spot, but he then discovered that nothing seemed to feel different in his mouth.


    Before he had a chance to say anything, the old man pointed at the bowl sitting on the palm of his hand as he asked, "Take a good look and tell me if you see anything."


    Gu Can stared into the bowl with wide eyes, and first, he saw an extremely tiny ck spot. The ck spot then gradually transformed into a slightlyrger ck line, and it continued to slowly expand, turning into an earthy yellow catfish that was swimming happily in the rippling water inside the bowl.


    A spark of recognition abruptly appeared in Gu Can''s muddled mind, and he eximed, "I remember that thing! It was Chen Ping''an''s, and I..."


    The woman immediately pped him across the face with a furious expression. "Shush!"


    The old man wasn''t surprised by this at all, and he said in an indifferent voice, "We cultivate for the sake of immortality, which is already an endeavor that goes against the natural order, so fighting over resources and opportunities to aid us on that path is nothing to be frowned upon. There''s no need to be so nervous. What rightfully belongs to your son wille to him no matter what, and what doesn''t belong to that young boy will ultimately not fall in his possession."


    Gu Can weighed less than 40 kilograms, but his aptitude was incredibly heavy.


    The old man had gone out of his way earlier to perform a secret technique that had been passed down for generations, one that allowed him to gauge the weight of the cultivation aptitude in others. The fact that he was unable to lift up Gu Can while using this secret technique was a testament to the boy''s exceptional aptitude, and that was why he was going to ept the boy as his disciple.


    Otherwise, a child of his age with such a prized entity in his possession would be bringing nothing but disaster upon himself.


    A carefree smile appeared on the old man''s face, but his eyes were as cold as ice as he said, "Of course, even if it did originally belong to that boy, what does it matter? Now that I''m here, it no longer belongs to him."


    Gu Can''s teeth began to chatter, and he was suddenly feeling very cold.


    In contrast, the woman was looking very relieved.


    The old man put on a kind and benevolent expression once again as he said, "My child, this bowl contains the water of an entire river, and now, there''s a little flood dragon inside it. From this point onward, you will be a direct disciple to me. I am a true lord, and I''m only half a step away from bing a sect-founding patriarch, albeit only for a lower sect. In the future, you''lle to understand the significance of concepts like true lords and sect founding. I assure you that those concepts hold more weight than the water of the entire river in this bowl."


    All of a sudden, Gu Can burst into tears. "This isn''t right! That thing belongs to Chen Ping''an!"


    The woman became even more furious, and she raised her hand to discipline her foolish child again, but the old man waved a hand to stop her.


    He smiled as he said in a nonchnt manner, "It''s not necessarily a bad thing that he has such a kind heart."


    Gu Can lowered his head and used the back of his hand to wipe at his tears and snot, while the woman turned to the old man in silence.


    The old man nodded as he gave her a meaningful smile, and both of them understood one another, so there was no need for further words.


    Upon raising his head, Gu Can discovered that his mother and this master of his that had suddenly popped up out of nowhere both had faint smiles on their faces.


    Gu Can turned around to find that Chen Ping''an had closed the gate of the yard upon his departure.


    The town was like a plot of farnd during the harvest season, but some people were like weeds that were interspersed throughout the crops, with no one paying them any attention. The lonesome straw-sandalled young boy making his way through y Vase Alley was precisely one of those people.

 Chapter 9: Even Rain Cannot Help

    Chapter 9: Even Rain Cannot Help


    A man and a woman made their way into y Vase Alley. The man was quite young with a tall hat on his head and a green jade pendant hanging from his waist, looking even more like a wealthy young master than the young men from the affluent Lu n. As for the woman, it was difficult to discern her age. At first nce, she had delicate skin and a tapered chin that resembled stctites hanging down from the edges of rooves during winter, but upon closer inspection, she had the mature charm of a middle-aged woman.


    Her phoenix eyes, her seductive figure, everything about her from head to toe gave off a sense of unadulterated promiscuity, and her hips twisted from side to side as she walked, giving off a sense of allure that waspletely absent in the other women of the town.


    The woman was looking left and right with curiosity brimming in her eyes, and she even reached out to touch the earthen walls, but was unable to find anything special about them. A curious look appeared on her face as she asked, "Fu Nanhua, is this ce really one of the hidden blessed paradises that you were talking about? Why is it that this alley was never specially annotated on the map given to me by our patriarch before I set off on this journey?"


    The young man gave a response, but not to the questions that he was asked. "How are you going to repay me if youe across an unexpected prize here?"


    The woman turned to the side, intecing her fingers as she sped her hands behind her back, pushing forward and further entuating her already voluptuous chest as she put on a gentle smile and replied, half in jest, "I''ll let you do whatever you want to me. How about that?"


    The young man didn''t think that she would be so bold and tant in her reply, and he was left at a loss for how to respond. Furthermore, they hade here under the guise of visiting family and friends, but in reality, the fate and fortune of his entire n for the next few centuries, perhaps even the next millennium, hinged upon this trip. With that in mind, he definitely didn''t dare to engage in a frivolous rtionship with this woman while under the scrutiny of the entire town.


    Hence, he quickly changed the subject, pointing deeper into the alley as he smiled and said, "While it''s true that we''re friends, friendship and business don''t mix, so I must reiterate something. ording to our pre-established agreement, there are two households of interest on this y Vase Alley, one of which is a master and his maidservant, while the other one is a mother and her son.


    ��I can let you choose one of the two, and in exchange, each year, you''ll be giving our Old Dragon City 10 pieces of Cloud Root Stones, the specialty product of your Dawn Cloud Mountain. Do you agree to those terms, Celestial Maiden Cai?"


    "Of course," the woman replied with a nod and a seductive smile.


    The young man slowly strode forward as he continued, "From now on, if you obtain any items of interest in this ce outside of our n''s projections, those items must be presented to our patriarchs on both sides for appraisal to determine a fair price. After that, your Dawn Cloud Mountain will offer up Cloud Root Stones equivalent to half the value of those items. Do you have any objections to this, Cai Jinjian?


    ��In other words, what I''m saying is that after you agree to this proposal and obtain what you came here to acquire, are you certain that you''ll be able to convince the patriarchs of Dawn Cloud Mountain to agree to the terms of this bet?"


    All of a sudden, a solemn and serious look appeared on the woman''s face, and it was as if she had turned into apletely different person. The change in demeanor was extremely abrupt, and she resembled a regal empress as she said in an imcable manner, "I''m certain I can!"


    The young man''s eyes narrowed slightly as a serious look also appeared on his face, and he stopped in his tracks to look directly at Cai Jinjian. "Let me make this clear: you and I are forming a coborative rtionship here for mutual benefit, not because of anything like love at first sight or any personal reasons.


    ��Instead, it''s on the basis of the mutual favor that our seniors and ancestors of Old Dragon City and Dawn Cloud Mountain have worked hard to umte and maintain over the course of several centuries. If we screw this up and draw the ire of those old geezers, not only will we be unable to handle the consequences, the same will apply even to our parents and our masters!"


    Cai Jinjian smiled as she replied, "That''s why during our time in this town, we have to work together with solidarity and bepletely open and candid with one another, right?"


    Despite the dark and dingy setting of the alley that they were in, Fu Nanhua''s handsome looks weren''t diminished in the slightest, and he also smiled as he said, "In addition to that..."


    He turned around to take a look behind him, then withdrew his gaze and lowered his voice as he continued, "We also have to be wary of those two. They''re not from any well-established and reputable sects like Sun Scorch Mountain, and I''ve heard that they''re extremely erratic and don''t like to y by the rules."


    Cai Jinjian narrowed her eyes, and even though she wasn''t speaking, her expressive eyes were doing the talking for her, as if they were saying "that''s why I chose you!"


    Fu Nanhua continued in a low voice, "Let''s go. There may be a Sage controlling this ce to bnce out all forces, but it''s still best to be careful so that we don''t end up meeting an unexpected demise in a ce like this. In any case, whether we''ll be able to soar to greater heights will hinge on the sess of this trip."


    Elsewhere, Fu Nanhua was an extremely renowned prodigy, and his heart was bing more and more resolute as he spoke.


    The Great Dao is there for my taking, and I''ll eliminate anyone who dares to get in my way, even if they are immortals or gods!


    He cast his gaze deeper into the alley, and he spotted a thin young boy approaching them from afar.


    This was their second encounter.


    Fu Nanhua and Can Jinjian continued onward at a leisurely pace, resembling a godly couple who were taking a vacation in the mortal realm.


    Cai Jinjian also spotted the young boy, and she remarked with an intrigued expression, "This is already the second time we''ve run into him. Could it be that he''s also..."


    Even though her voice trailed off before she finished her sentence, Fu Nanhua knew what she wanted to say, and an amused look appeared on his face as he scoffed, "Let''s be realistic here, Celestial Maiden Cai. There are over 600 households here, and if we count the servants of the 10 affluent ns as well, that amounts to a poption of close to 5,000 people.


    ��No matter how remarkable this town is for producing prodigies, all of the top prodigies with exceptional aptitude have already been split up and taken by the almighty figures above us. We''re only able to pick up some scraps because, for some reason or another, those almighty figures have intentionally left some for us."


    A self-deprecating smile also appeared on Cai Jinjian''s face, and she felt rather embarrassed for her own naive optimism.


    After a brief hesitation, she said, "I don''t know what your seniors told you, but my father told me that after entering this ce, if I encounter anyone that strikes me with a sense of foreboding, I must actively avoid them, and avoid provoking them at all costs. This may only be a small town, but it''s like a small puddle that appears to be innocuous from the outside, but actually holds unfathomably deep water.


    ��Those who strike us with a sense of foreboding are most likely going to be our opponents that we''ll bepeting with in our search for treasures in this town. As for those who evoke a sense of affinity within us, those are people who are most likely blessed with fortune and can potentially present opportunities for us to further ourselves.


    ��All we have to do is refrain from killing people as much as possible and avoid breaking those old rules that are set in stone. Aside from that, we can do whatever we please, whether that be swindling others out of their treasures, or simply taking them by force."


    All of a sudden, her brows furrowed slightly as she continued, "By the way, why didn''t you let me bring along someone from the local Zhao n? I did study the dialect spoken in this area prior toing here, but..."


    Fu Nanhua shook his head as he interjected, "All of the prominent ns here have always had some type of secret avenues through which they''re connected to the outside. They''re able to transmit some trivial information to the outside world right under the noses of the Sages without being regarded as having broken any rules, and they''ve built up quite a strong foundation here over the generations.


    ��Compared with the true backers of those ns, our Old Dragon City and Dawn Cloud Mountain are slightly inferior. On top of that, it''s best to avoid recruiting the assistance of others as much as possible. The more people get involved in this, the more likely it is that something unexpected will happen, and that could foil our ns. If you don''t want to speak, then I''ll do so in your stead."


    Cai Jinjian smiled as she replied, "It''s fine, the dialect is just a little unfamiliar to me. I''m not so pampered that I need someone else to speak for me."


    Fu Nanhua gave a faint smile in response, and Cai Jinjian didn''t say anything further.


    Ultimately, they were just temporary allies, so they weren''t all that close with one another.


    Besides, in the eyes of ambitious individuals pursuing the Great Dao, even close familial bonds were nothing more than trivial rtionships.


    Fu Nanhua was speaking in a refined and regal manner, as if he were the young master of an extremely well-off n.


    There was actually a very simple reason behind why he was willing to disclose a closely guarded secret and reveal the cultivation method taught to him in private by his father to Cai Jinjian.


    In contrast with the other two people that they had previously been traveling with, namely a slow and prudent middle-aged man, and the cold and forbidding young woman in ck, Fu Nanhua had decided that he was going to kill Cai Jinjian from the moment he set foot into the town.


    Fu Nanhua unconsciously gripped onto the green jade pendant hanging from his waist, something that he always kept by his side.


    Cai Jinjian closed her eyes in contemtion, then reopened them a momentter as she decided, "I''ll choose Gu Can."


    "Alright, then it''s settled," Fu Nanhua replied as he raised an eyebrow.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had made his way to the entrance of his courtyard, and he was just about to step inside when Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian hurriedly approached him.


    The former smiled as he said, "We meet again! What a coincidence."


    Chen Ping''an turned around upon hearing the voice behind him, and he nodded in response as he asked, "Can I help you with something?"


    Fu Nanhua was very fluent in the dialect used in the small town, and he said, "This ce is called y Vase Alley, right? I wanted to ask you if there''s someone by the name of Song Jixin living here, and also a child by the name of Gu Can. I''m from the capital, and my parents are family friends of Song Jixin''s father.


    ��This here is Cai Jinjian, and she''s a rtive of Gu Can''s mother, which is why we were traveling together. What a coincidence it is that both of the people that we''re looking for are living in the same alley! Everything''s so conveniently put together that it almost feels like the storyline of a novel!"


    Fu Nanhua wore a calm and friendly smile on his face as he spoke, and even though he was speaking to a lowly young boy like Chen Ping''an, he still went out of his way to bend over slightly so that his face was level with Chen Ping''an''s, rather than towering over and looking down on him. It was a very natural and thoughtful gesture that didn''t arouse any suspicions that he could be up to no good, and it presented him as a kind and modest gentleman.


    A bashful smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "It really is quite the coincidence."


    Fu Nanhua''s smile widened even further as he asked in a gentle voice, "May I ask where those two are living on this alley?"


    To his surprise, Chen Ping''an shook his head as he replied, "I was an apprentice at a dragon kiln until just recently, so I was living outside the town for many years and only just moved back. Hence, I''m not very familiar with my neighbors on this alley. Perhaps you should ask someone else."


    Fu Nanhua''s smile remained unchanged, and he didn''t immediately offer a response, seemingly pausing to consider how best to proceed.


    Cai Jinjian smiled as she interjected, "Lying is not a good habit, little boy. Do you think we look like bad people? Setting that aside, what mischief could we possibly be up to under broad daylight?"


    Chen Ping''an blinked innocently as he replied, "But I really don''t know."


    Cai Jinjian reverted back to her normal dialect as she turned to Fu Nanhua and asked, "Could it be that this boy wants to bepensated?"


    "It doesn''t look like it," Fu Nanhua replied.


    A hint of extremely well-concealed agitation shed through Cai Jinjian''s eyes as she said, "If worsees to worst, we''ll just have to knock on the door of every household here. We''ll be able to find the people we''re looking for eventually."


    Fu Nanhua waved a hand at her to dismiss this idea, then patiently turned back to Chen Ping''an as he offered, "How about this? If you help us out, I''ll give you something."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head as he looked back at Fu Nanhua with a pair of clear and innocent eyes.


    All of a sudden, Fu Nanhua abruptly stood up straight again.


    He had spotted a schrly young boy squatting on top of a wall not far away from them, and the boy was observing them while perched on his vantage point.


    Beside the young boy stood a girl of around the same age. Only the top half of her face was visible, but it could be seen that she had a very clean and elegant appearance, with a pair of delicate eyebrows.


    In that instant, Fu Nanhua was convinced that this young boy was the person that he was looking for.


    The boy stood up as he asked in a loud voice, "Are you looking for someone?"


    Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian were forced to raise their heads to look up at him, and the former replied, "That''s right, I''m looking for you, and mypanion here is looking for Gu Can. Can you help us?"


    "Do you know me?" the boy asked with furrowed brows.


    Fu Nanhua smiled as he replied, "Of course not, but I''m familiar with Master Song, who''s currently working in the Ministry of Rites."


    Song Jixin didn''t waste any more time with small talk as he asked, "I can help you find that snotty brat, Gu Can, but what''s in it for me?"


    Fu Nanhua immediately removed the green jade pendant hanging from his waist, then tossed it at Song Jixin. "You can have this."


    Song Jixin was rather taken aback as he caught the jade pendant, but his expression remained unchanged as he turned to Zhi Gui and instructed, "Go take them to Gu Can."


    Zhi Gui nodded in response and emerged from the courtyard. Standing on the narrow street outside, it was as if her very presence alone was enough to illuminate the entirety of y Vase Alley.


    Fu Nanhua turned to Chen Ping''an as he smiled and said, "I''ll leave you with a parting message, little boy: even the rain that falls from the heavens can''t nurture a nt without a root."


    He then made his way over to Zhi Gui, but Cai Jinjian remained standing in front of Chen Ping''an, looking down at him with an amused expression as she asked, "Do you know what that means?"


    For some reason, she was suddenly struck by the urge to tease the young boy, and before Chen Ping''an had a chance to reply, she chuckled, "He was telling you that you just missed out on a huge opportunity. If he were willing to spare even a bit of the dirt scraped out from under his fingernails and give it to you, you would be able to live infort and excess for the rest of your life here.


    ��Fortunately for you, you''re probably never going to find out exactly what it is that you missed out on today. I suppose that''s the only silver lining on the cloud. Otherwise, you''d be kicking yourself with remorse!"


    Fu Nanhua could hear what she was saying, and he felt like her words werepletely wasted on the young boy who clearly had no idea what she was talking about.


    Compared with the people in the town, those on the outside resided in apletely different world, and the gulf between them was wider than the distance between heaven and earth.


    Cai Jinjian continued to look at Chen Ping''an as she strode backward, re-emphasizing as she approached Zhi Gui, "Even the rain that falls from the heavens can''t nurture a nt without a root. Make sure you don''t forget that saying."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression remained unchanged this entire time, but he suddenly eximed, "Look out behind you..."


    Cai Jinjian''s entire body abruptly stiffened.


    "There''s dog shit," Chen Ping''an finished.

 Chapter 10: Wolf Eats Sheep

    Chapter 10: Wolf Eats Sheep


    As aforementioned, Cai Jinjian was walking backward, and in the instant that she stepped on the pile of dog shit, she could already feel that there was something strange underfoot.


    What was more embarrassing than stepping in dog shit was to be seen by others while doing so, and what was even more humiliating than that was being told by an observer that you really had trodden on dog shit.


    Cai Jinjian wasn''t someone who was easily riled up, and she certainly wasn''t a pampered little girl who couldn''t withstand any adversity. The fact that she was able to stand out and be selected out of all of the many descendants of the master of Dawn Cloud Mountain was a clear testament to her character. Dawn Cloud Mountain epassed a total of 18 peaks of different sizes, all of which were enveloped in clouds and mist all year round.


    The Cloud Root Stone produced on the mountain was an important material in alchemy for those following the alchemy branch of Daoism. It was renowned for its pristine purity, and it was unrivaled in that regard. Hence, ensuring cleanliness was an important priority for the people on Dawn Cloud Mountain, and most of them had misophobia, including Cai Jinjian. If it weren''t for how important this town was, she would''ve never set foot in this ce, let alone stepped onto y Vase Alley, which wasden with mud and fecal matter from all types of different animals.


    What was most frustrating to her was that they were supposed to be high and mighty immortals, yet upon arriving in this town, they were like helpless fish that had been tossed onto the shore, losing everything that they had previously taken for granted in the blink of an eye. Their almighty ns that resided in blessed paradise, their mystical powers that allowed them to move mountains and rivers, their powerful treasures that were capable of taming demons and ying gods, all of that had been instantly taken away from them.


    And now, she had trodden on dog shit.


    Fu Nanhua was rather amused by this turn of events. Who could''ve ever imagined that the pristine and pure Celestial Maiden Cai of Dawn Cloud Mountain would ever have a pile of sticky and stinky dog shit clinging to her boot?


    However, in the next instant, the amusement on his face immediately faded, and he yelled, "Stop!"


    Standing on the earthen wall, Song Jixin''s pupils abruptly contracted, and he reflexively tightened his grip around the jade pendant in his hand.


    As it turned out, Cai Jinjian had lunged over to Chen Ping''an in what seemed like just a single stride, and her fair and slender hand was hurtling rapidly toward the top of Chen Ping''an''s head. In the instant that Fu Nanhua yelled out to stop her, her hand drew to an abrupt halt, and after a brief pause, she gently raised it before patting Chen Ping''an''s head in what appeared to be an affectionate, doting gesture.


    She bent over slightly to look straight into Chen Ping''an''s eyes, which resembled puddles of water so clear that one could see straight to the bottom. Cai Jinjian could almost see her own reflection in those eyes, but she was in no mood to be appreciating such trivial things. A fake smile appeared on her face as she said, "I know what you did there. You intentionally dyed your warning, didn''t you?"


    Fu Nanhua heaved a faint sigh of relief upon seeing this. If Cai Jinjian had killed someone in broad daylight here, there was a very good chance that they would''ve been evicted from the town, and the entire Dawn Cloud Mountain would''ve been made into a massiveughingstock over her actions.


    A stern look appeared on his face as he said in an authentic official dialect, "Please think before you act, Cai Jinjian. If you continue to be so reckless, I will be inclined to terminate our coboration. I don''t want to have my ns foiled by your reckless actions."


    Cai Jinjian had her back facing Fu Nanhua, and she rapidly chanted a calming mantra to distract herself from her anger.


    She then quickly turned around and shed Fu Nanhua an apologetic smile as she said, "My apologies for losing my cool. I promise you that nothing like this will happen again during our time here."


    "Are you sure?" Fu Nanhua asked with a cold smile.


    Cai Jinjian merely smiled and offered no response to Fu Nanhua. Instead, she turned to face Chen Ping''an again, then murmured to herself in her official dialect, "Our Dawn Cloud Mountain derives its roots from one of the five branches of Buddhism, and one of the most important things that we''re taught is to rein in worldly desires and avoid worldly distractions.


    ��Prior toing here, I had no idea what such things even were, and my seniors didn''t want to offer the answer up to me on a silver tter, so they told me to figure it out for myself. Never would I have imagined that I would develop an idea of what those concepts are after stepping on a pile of dog excrement on your y Vase Alley..."


    "It''s already been quite some time since you stepped on the dog shit, why have you still not scraped it off yet?" Chen Ping''an asked with a perplexed expression.


    Cai Jinjian had just found some semnce of inner peace through the chanting of her mantra, but after hearing what Chen Ping''an had to say, she instantly found herself once again unable to suppress her worldly emotions. A furious look appeared on her face, but Fu Nanhua''s warning was still fresh in her mind, so she could only prod Chen Ping''an''s forehead firmly with her finger to vent her fury, glowering angrily at him as she said, "Have you not been taught those who are insolent will meet an early demise, and those who are vitriolic will lose all their good fortune?"


    Chen Ping''an was unfazed by Cai Jinjian''s firm prod to the forehead, and he turned to look at Song Jixin in silence.


    Song Jixin immediately red with rage upon seeing this. "Why are you looking at me, Chen Ping''an? Are you trying to imply something?"


    Only now did Fu Nanhua discover that he still hadn''t set foot in Song Jixin''s yard yet, and a displeased look appeared on his face as he turned to Cai Jinjian with undisguised vexation in his eyes. "To think that there would be someone in this world who would be dyed in their pursuit of the Great Dao all because they had trodden on some dog shit! Never have I seen anyone so foolish!"


    In a remarkable disy of restraint, Cai Jinjian remained calm and collected despite Fu Nanhua''s insult, and she took one final nce at Chen Ping''an before turning to depart.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an remarked, "You have very long eyshes, Big Sister."


    How dare a lowly ant like him take liberties with me?


    Cai Jinjian was furious, and she immediately turned around, deciding there and then that she was going to teach this filthy mutt a lesson. In her eyes, Chen Ping''an appeared to be honest and innocent on the outside, but in reality, he was as sly and cunning as a fox!


    Even though she was extremely restricted upon entering this ce, temporarily unable to use any of her treasures and abilities, she had reaped the benefits of cultivating from a young age. Her physical constitution was constantly being enhanced through her cultivation, and the effects weren''t very pronounced, far less so than the fruits one could expect to reap from specializing in martial arts training, but she was still more than sufficiently equipped to deal with a young boy who had grown up his entire life in this rural town.


    All she had to do was target some of the important acupoints on his body to strike him down with a series of ailments that would lead to an early demise, and it would''ve been an incredibly simple task, but as she peered into the dim alley, all she saw was a tanned face and a pair of bright eyes looking back at her.


    Cai Jinjian''s eyes immediately lit up upon seeing this, following which the sympathy innately present in women welled up in her heart. The sympathy in her eyes then gradually faded as a bright smile appeared on her face, and she was struck by a sense of enlightenment.


    This was a perfect opportunity for her to ovee an internal demon.


    Ever since Dawn Cloud Mountain was founded by Patriarch Dawn Cloud, an idea had always been championed, which was that the beginning and end of every fated meeting was a tribtion-transcending experience.


    Of course, there was no set method for transcending these tribtions, and it was required for the transcender to work out solutions on their own.


    Cai Jinjian was currently in one of these exact situations.


    She felt like she had identified the worldly distraction that she had to suppress, and it was none other than the young boy before her.


    Thus, she raised her palm once again before cing it over Chen Ping''an''s chest, then gently pressed down on it. That sequence of movements was performed extremely quickly and smoothly, and even though Chen Ping''an had reacted by taking a half-step backward, he was still unable to avoid Cai Jinjian''s palm.


    Fu Nanhua was staring intently at Cai Jinjian''s seductive figure, but not only did he not feel even the slightest hint of attraction or entrancement, his heart was filled with murderous rage. He forcibly suppressed his killing intent as he yelled in a furious voice, "That tap on the forehead alone was enough to constantly rack him with ailments for the rest of his life! Surely such a punishment was already sufficient! Why did you go even further? Have you lost your mind, Cai Jinjian? Are you really going to abandon your pursuit of the Great Dao just to exact vengeance on a filthy stray mutt?"


    Cai Jinjian paid no heed to his usations, and Fu Nanhua lowered his voice as he recovered hisposure and sneered, "To think that the vastly renowned Cai Jinjian of Dawn Cloud Mountain would be so petty that she would willingly stoop to the same level as an uneducated youth. Are you not embarrassed by your actions?"


    Cai Jinjian turned to him with a smile as she replied, "This alley is truly a blessed ce for me, I didn''t think that I would stumble upon a fated opportunity even during such a chance encounter. It''s nowhere near enough to make a significant difference, but it''s certainly a great omen. I have even more confidence in that boy by the name of Gu Can now."


    Fu Nanhua was rather taken aback to hear this.


    Did she really just attain some type of enlightenment just now?


    Cai Jinjian raised her foot to inspect the disgusting fecal matter clinging to her boot, and she chuckled, "Come to think of it, this was the thing that bestowed this fated opportunity upon me."


    Song Jixin wore an uncertain expression, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.


    Meanwhile, Zhi Gui remained standing on the spot in silence, but all of a sudden, a pair of golden pupils appeared in each of her eyes, only to vanish just as abruptly as they had appeared.


    Fu Nanhua seemed to have vaguely detected this, and he immediately turned around to inspect his surroundings, but was unable to find anything worthy of note. In the end, he briefly scrutinized Zhi Gui, but didn''t discover anything amiss, either. Thus, he could only chalk that inexplicable sense of difort that he had just felt down to Cai Jinjian''s reckless actions, which had to have drawn the scrutiny of the Sage in the town.


    Cai Jinjian was in a much better mood than before, and as a result, she was able tob through many of the trains of thought that had previously stagnated in her mind.


    This was not just some insignificant opportunity.


    There were a couple of reasons for her trip to this small town, the first of which was that Dawn Cloud Mountain required a sufficiently powerful immortal treasure to hold in the fortune of the sect, which had been constantly seeping out ofte. Furthermore, she also needed to seed on this trip in order to solidify her status as the heir to the position of mountain master. Otherwise, she would''ve immediately left this godforsaken ce and returned to Dawn Cloud Mountain to go into seclusion for a decade or two.


    Cai Jinjian began to make her way toward Zhi Gui, but right at this moment, Chen Ping''an suddenly asked, "Did you do something to me just now?"


    "You''re being too paranoid, kid," Cai Jinjian replied without even turning her head.


    Chen Ping''an fell silent upon hearing this, but Cai Jinjian suddenly turned to him with a smile as she dered, "You only have half a year left to live at most."


    Chen Ping''an was dumbfounded by this sudden revtion, and Cai Jinjian was very amused to see this. "I was just kidding! I didn''t think you would actually believe me."


    Chen Ping''an smiled in response.


    In that instant, a hint of disdain welled up in the hearts of both Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian. In their eyes, Chen Ping''an was nothing more than an ignorant and powerless ant.


    Song Jixin was watching the unfolding scene while squatting on top of the wall, and he was massaging his own temples with a serious look on his face, an expression that was quite rare for him.


    Even though Cai Jinjian had already gone to find Gu Can with Zhi Gui, and Chen Ping''an had also returned to his own courtyard, the observant Song Jixin remained squatting on the wall in a daze.


    He could see that there was a thin young boy standing on y Vase Alley, and he looked on at Cai Jinjian''s parting figure for a while before quickly withdrawing his gaze. He then made his way to the gate of his own courtyard, but the gate refused to open even as he pushed on it insistently.


    Song Jixin really detested this feeling. In his eyes, Chen Ping''an waspletely unremarkable in every way, but sometimes, he was like a rock in atrine. If it weren''t moved, then it would get in the way, but moving it required one to get their hands dirty.


    Song Jixin was so caught up in his own thoughts that he failed to hear what Fu Nanhua was saying behind him, and thus, Fu Nanhua was forced to repeat himself. "Song Jixin, did you know that there''s a type of people in this world that arepletely different from the likes of you and that boy?"


    Song Jixin finally returned to his senses, and he remained squatting on top of the wall as he turned around to look down at Fu Nanhua, replying in an indifferent voice, "I do."


    Fu Nanhua was expecting a negative response from Song Jixin, upon which he would offer an exnation, so this was quite an unexpected reply. However, he wasn''t convinced that Song Jixin was telling the truth, and he smiled as he asked, "Do you really?"


    A cold look appeared in Song Jixin''s eyes as he sneered, "You want to tell me that there are people who can bring the dead back to life, who can live for all of eternity, and possess limitless power, right?"


    Fu Nanhua nodded in response with a pleased expression. "It looks like, in some sense, you and I can be considered to be fellow Daoists."


    Song Jixin took a nce at the gate of the neighboring courtyard out of the corner of his eyes, seemingly rather distracted.


    Fu Nanhua dered in a candid manner, "Seeing as you''re already knowledgeable about such matters, I won''t waste any more of our time. Regardless of what you have, as long as you''re willing to sell it, just state a price, and I''ll buy it even if I have to sell everything that I own!"


    Song Jixin was rather perplexed. "I can tell that you possess a loftier status in your n than that woman does in hers, so why is it that she was treating that boy with such disdain just now, yet you''re willing to..."


    "Treat you as an equal?" Fu Nanhua asked, concluding Song Jixin''s sentence for him.


    Song Jixin nodded in response as he praised, "You''re a pretty smart guy. It''s always easier talking with smart people."


    Even though Song Jixin was physically looking down at him and speaking to him in a rather condescending fashion, Fu Nanhua remainedpletely unbothered.


    In stark contrast with Cai Jinjian, who had regarded Chen Ping''an as nothing more than a mere ant, not only did Fu Nanhua feel a sense of intimacy toward Song Jixin, he also felt an inexplicable sense of awe and veneration toward y Vase Alley as a whole.


    Hence, Fu Nanhua was truly regarding Song Jixin as his equal.


    On the path to pursuing the Great Dao, the further one advanced, the less significance there was in things like status, gender, age, and other factors.


    Song Jixin jumped down from the wall, then said in a low voice, "Let''s talk inside."


    Fu Nanhua nodded in response. "After you."


    While stepping over the doorstep, Song Jixin asked in a casual manner, "By the way, what''s your rtionship with that woman from earlier?"


    "We''re temporarily working together, but we''re not walking the same path," Fu Nanhua immediately replied without any hesitation.


    Song Jixin nodded in response, then said some rather inexplicable things. "In that case, aren''t you beating around the bush too much? I heard that the outside world is filled with demons, gods, immortals, and all manners of bizarre and spectacr things, but all those who pursue the path of cultivation are supposed to settle all differences right away in order to avoid trouble that could arise further down the line. Is that not the case?"


    As the eldest young master of an immortal n from Old Dragon City, Fu Nanhua was shrewd beyond his years, and he immediately understood what Song Jixin wanted, despite the cryptic content of his words.


    Hence, he smiled as he asked, "Is there some bad blood between you two?"


    Song Jixin''s eyes widened as he put on a surprised facade. "What are you talking about?"


    He then seemed to have realized that his act wasn''t fooling Fu Nanhua at all, so he abandoned his exaggerated disy of feigned surprise, and he sat down onto a chair in the room before extending a hand, inviting Fu Nanhua to also take a seat. After that, a serious look appeared on his face as he said, "The name of the boy from the neighboring house is Chen Ping''an, and he lost his parents at a very young age. Even though we''ve been neighbors for many years, we haven''t had even a single argument. You may not believe me, but that''s up to you."


    Fu Nanhua was instantly able to read between the lines and understand what Song Jixin was insinuating.


    He was informing Fu Nanhua that Chen Ping''an was just an orphan with no one to rely on and no ties to this world, so even if he were to die, no one would look into his death.


    After arriving at that realization, Fu Nanhua was left feeling a little bemused. It had suddenly urred to him that fate really did work in some rather absurd ways at times.


    It could be said that by intentionally withholding the address of Song Jixin and Zhi Gui from Fu Nanhua, Chen Ping''an had inadvertently brought disaster upon himself, and this was ultimately going to lead to his demise.


    Given Song Jixin''s privileged background, someone like Chen Ping''an should''ve been far beneath him, yet here, he was essentially asking Fu Nanhua to have Chen Ping''an killed.


    With that in mind, Fu Nanhua couldn''t help but be reminded of a saying: "Even as infants, the offspring of tigers and leopards already possess the will to hunt cows."


    ��������


    Meanwhile, Gu Can had already been locked in his house, while his mother and the self-proimed "true lord" were sitting across from one another.


    The old man was scrutinizing his own palm, which was riddled with lines, and shortly thereafter, he folded his palm away with a faint smile as he dered, "It is done."


    A puzzled look appeared on the woman''s face as she asked, "May I ask what you did to make Chen Ping''an..."


    All of a sudden, a cold gleam shed through the old man''s eyes, and the woman was so frightened to see this that she immediately stopped talking.


    The old man cast his gaze toward the gate of the courtyard, then gently swept a sleeve through the air, conjuring up a light breeze that swirled around the courtyard incessantly. He then exined, "I have onlye here as I''m in a very troublesome predicament and had no choice but to journey to this ce. I''m not in any direct danger for now, but the longer I stay here, the more... Just as that boy, Song Jixin, said, too much beating around the bush will only lead to a cmitous oue. The good thing is that that man has invoked both the resentment of the heavens and the rage of the people.


    ��Even though he has already made a huge concession, his ultimate demise will still be inevitable. What a pity! He could''ve ascended to extremely lofty heights, but instead, everything took a drastic turn for the worse for him, and his current situation is one that is truly tragic to behold. Only by taking advantage of this opportunity was I able to make some ns for your son.


    ��Now, I must see if I can put an end to that boy''s life while also avoiding future repercussions by ensuring that no sages or immortals will figure out what''s been done here. Only then can I ensure that this new disciple of mine will be able to ascend like the wind on his cultivation journey and ultimately rise to be a dragon."


    The woman was sweating profusely as she listened in silence.


    The old man smiled as he mused, "You must think it strange that someone like me, who has dedicated himself to cultivation and the pursuit of the Great Dao, would end up being so petty and hostile. In fact, I daresay you''re thinking that I''m no better than an uneducated vige woman like yourself, isn''t that right?"


    The woman hurriedly lowered her head as she replied in a trembling voice, "I wouldn''t dare to think such insolent things!"


    The old man merely smiled and didn''t say anything further, waiting in silence for Cai Jinjian''s arrival.


    On the path of cultivation, there was no limit to the power that one could obtain.


    Cai Jinjian regarded the residents of the town as ants, but in the eyes of a true lord, she and Fu Nanhua were nothing more than mere ants themselves, and there was no need for him to reason with an ant that he could easily stomp into the dirt.

 Chapter 11: A Girl And Her Sword

    Chapter 11: A Girl And Her Sword


    A schr with greying sideburns and an azure-robed young boy left the private school before arriving at the foot of the archway. Mr. Qi was looking a little weary as he pointed up at a que above his head. "Doing my part. What does that mean?"


    Zhao Yao was both a student of his at the private school, as well as his schrly attendant, and the boy also raised his head to look at the que as he replied without any hesitation, "ording to the teachings of Confucius, schrs like ourselves should respect our teachers and uphold a ster code of morals and ethics, but when ites to our pursuit of the truth and what is right, we should be firm and resolute in our beliefs, even if means going against our teachers. This is what is expected of all of us, and in living by these doctrines, we are considered to be doing our part."


    "What impact will it have if we say that ''we must'' be firm and resolute in our beliefs, rather than ''we should''?" Mr. Qi asked.


    In contrast with Song Jixin''s sharp and unyielding demeanor, Zhao Yao''s disposition was more gentle and restrained. He was like a hibiscus flower that was only just beginning to bloom, giving him a very refreshing and elegant appearance. It seemed that there was a hidden meaning to the question that was being raised by Mr. Qi, and Zhao Yao didn''t dare to answer it carelessly. In his eyes, his teacher was testing his knowledge, and he had to exercise the utmost caution and prudence in the consideration of his response.


    An amused smile appeared on Mr. Qi''s face at the sight of Zhao Yao''s solemn and serious expression. He patted the young boy on the shoulder as he said, "Don''t be so nervous, that was just a question that I decided to ask you on a whim. It seems that I''ve been excessively suppressing your imagination and natural personality, to the extent that you''re resembling the rigid statues in those wenchang pavilions, constantly obsessing over rules and taking everything more seriously than you need to. That''s a very tiring way to live... but at the moment, that appears to be a good thing."


    Zhao Yao was a little perplexed, but before he had a chance to ask any questions, Mr. Qi had already led him to another side of the archway, where he raised his head to look up at the que once again. Mr. Qi was normally quite stern and strict in his demeanor, but for some reason, he was looking a lot more rxed on this day, and began to tell many interesting stories to his student.


    "At the time, the one who inscribed the idiom of ''doing my part'' on this que was considered to be the number one calligrapher under the heavens, and he stirred up many debates, such as the fundamental conflict between structure and freedom of expression, as well as the merits of calligraphy from past and present eras. To this day, those debates still haven''t been settled. Spirit, method, meaning, form; those are the four fundamental elements of calligraphy.


    ��For many years, this man reigned supreme in all aspects of calligraphy,pletely dominating all of the other calligraphy masters of his time. As for the idiom ply with the natural order'', there''s an interesting story behind that as well. If you look closely, you''ll find that even though the technique, structure, and expression of the four characters are all very simr, in reality, each character was inscribed by a different Daoist master.


    ��At the time, there were two of them who were exchanging letters back and forth, arguing about which character would be assigned to them. Both of them wanted to inscribe the more profound of the two characters, while neither of them was willing to settle for the more mundane of the two."


    After that, Mr. Qi led Zhao Yao over to the que that bore the idiom of "refrain from looking outward". Mr. Qi looked around with a solemn expression, then said, "The private school that you were studying at will soon be without a teacher, and it''ll either be closed down by the affluent families who funded it, or it''ll be demolished and have its ce taken by a small daoist temple or a Buddha statue. Perhaps the ce will be overseen by a Daoist priest or a monk for year after year until the cycle of 60 yearses to an end.


    ��During that time, perhaps the overseer will be reced two or three times to avoid arousing suspicions from the town''s residents, but that''ll be nothing more than a crude cover-up to deceive everyone. Having said that, if anyone could unleash even the tiniest of mystical abilities here, in the outside world, that would be equivalent to an almighty feat capable of shaking the very heavens..."


    At the end, Mr. Qi''s voice had be so quiet that Zhao Yao was unable to hear him clearly, even though they were standing right next to one another.


    Mr. Qi sighed as he said in a slightly resigned and weary voice, "There were many secrets that couldn''t be revealed previously, but now, they''re bing more and more insignificant. However, as schrs, we can''t just go back on our word so easily. Besides, if I, Qi Jingchun, were to be the first one to break the pre-established rules, then that would be no different from tarnishing something that I''m meant to be preserving, and that would be far too abhorrent a deed."


    Zhao Yao suddenly mustered up some courage as he said, "Sir, I know that you''re not an ordinary person, and this town isn''t an ordinary ce, either."


    "Oh? Tell me why you think that," Mr. Qi prompted with an intrigued smile.


    Zhao Yao pointed at the imposing stone archway as he said, "There are a lot of really strange things here, like this ce, the Iron Lock Well on Apricot Blossom Alley, the covered bridge, the old locust tree, the leaves of the peach trees on Peach Leaf Alley, and Guyu tags and Chongyang tags that are put up on Fortune Street every year." [1]


    "How are those things strange? You''ve grown up here your entire life and never left the town, could it be that you''ve seen what the world outside the town is like? Without any point ofparison, how do you know whether something is strange or not?" Mr. Qi asked.


    Zhao Yao replied in a solemn voice, "I''ve already memorized the contents of all of the books you''ve given me. For a start, the peach blossoms on Peach Leaf Alley arepletely different from the peach blossoms described by the poems in the books. Also, why is it that you''ve only taught us the three foundational books, ''Principles of Life for Children'', ''Rites and Music'', and ''An Anthology of Literary Essays''?


    ��The main purpose of those books is to teach one to be literate, but what books should we read after those three? What is the purpose of reading books? What is the ''imperial examination'' mentioned in those books? Why is it that doing well in this imperial examination can take one from an ordinary farmer straight to the emperor''s pce?


    ��Why is it that the emperor cherishes heroic generals, but only by reading books can we learn how to appease the emperor? The two kiln supervision officials that I''ve seen have never spoken to anyone about the imperial court, the capital, or the affairs of the world, but..."


    "That''s enough, there''s no need to raise any more examples," Qi Jingchun said with a pleased smile.


    Zhao Yao immediately fell silent.


    Qi Jingchun continued in a low voice, "Zhao Yao, from now on, you must be careful with what you say and do, and always remember that a loose tongue will spell no end to your troubles. This is why most virtuous figures who follow the teachings of Confucianism are extremely tight-lipped. The gentlemen above those virtuous figures exercise a policy of extreme prudence in everything that they say and do for fear of even the slightest imperfection.


    ��As for the sages above them, such as the mountain masters of the 72 academies, those figures areparable to the enlightened saints of Daoism or the Arhats of Buddhism, and the words spoken by them are taken asw and doctrine. Those people, along with the leading figures of the Hundred Schools of Thought are colloquially known as terrestrial gods, and they''re considered to have one foot in the door to godhood.


    ��However, all of these figures are akin to dragons soaring in the heavens. Some of them are like deity statues that can only be worshipped in temples and monasteries, while others are extremely mysterious and enigmatic,pletely out of reach to the likes of you and me."


    Zhao Yao waspletely befuddled by what he was hearing, and he couldn''t help but ask, "Sir, why are you telling me all of this today?"


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he replied, "You have me as a teacher, and I naturally have a teacher of my own. My teacher... Let''s not mention him for now. In any case, I had thought that I would have a few more decades in which I can cling to this existence, but I''ve suddenly discovered that some people behind the scenes aren''t even willing to wait that amount of time. Hence, I can''t leave the town with you.


    ��You''ll have to go out into the world on your own. There are some trivial truths that I must disclose to you, and you can treat them like fantastical myths and stories. However, there''s one thing that I want you to keep in mind at all times, and that''s the notion that no matter what heights you ascend to, there will always be someone above you. No matter how far you go, you must never becent andzy."


    While Qi Jingchun was speaking, the water level in the well was falling, and locust leaves were falling off the branches, all of which were omens of what was about toe.


    Qi Jingchun continued, "Do you still remember that locust leaf that I told you to keep?"


    Zhao Yao nodded firmly in response. "I''ve put it in a safe ce along with the seal that you gifted me."


    "How could there possibly be any leaves that could still remain so green and vibrant even after falling from the branches to which they were attached? There are thousands of people in this town, but very few of them have received such a blessing. I suggest you take out that locust leaf and inspect it often. Perhaps it''ll present you with a fated opportunity in the future.


    ��Aside from that, during these past years, I''ve always instructed you to do good deeds and umte good karma in the town, to treat everyone you meet with respect and courtesy. You''ll understand the reason for all of this someday. All of these seemingly trivial things will stack up over time, and ultimately, the reward that you reap may surprise you in its magnitude."


    Right at this moment, Zhao Yao noticed an oriole perched atop the stone archway, skipping around as it chirped incessantly.


    Qi Jingchun sped his hands behind his back as he looked up at the oriole with a grim expression, but Zhao Yao wasn''t able to spot anything amiss about it.


    All of a sudden, Qi Jingchun cast his gaze toward y Vase Alley with tightly furrowed brows, and he sighed, "To think that a guest would be so insolent as to sneak around and engage in shady business right under the eyes of the host. Does he feel like he can get away with this? Does he really think that small bowl of water will allow him to do whatever he pleases here?"


    "Sir?" Zhao Yao called out in a concerned manner.


    Qi Jingchun made a reassuring gesture, indicating that what he spoke of had nothing to do with Zhao Yao, and he led the boy to the final que.


    All of a sudden, Zhao Yao abruptly stopped cold in his tracks as if he had been struck by lightning, and a dazed look appeared in his eyes as he gawked directly forward.


    Not far up ahead was a young woman dressed in ck. She wore a veiled hat that concealed her facial features, and she had a moderate figure that wasn''t overly thin or excessively voluptuous. There was a longsword with a white scabbard and a saber in a green scabbard strapped to her waist. She was standing beneath the que that bore the idiom "unmatched aura", looking up at it with her arms crossed over her chest.


    Qi Jingchun was rather amused to see this, and he gently cleared his throat, but Zhao Yao continued to stare at the young woman in a dazed manner,pletely oblivious to the fact that Qi Jingchun was issuing him a reminder that it was rude to stare.


    An amused smile appeared on Qi Jingchun''s face, and he didn''t scold Zhao Yao, nor did he clear his throat again to try and draw the boy''s attention. Instead, he merely allowed him to continue staring at the young woman, and the woman didn''t appear to have sensed his gaze.


    She seemed to be particrly appreciative of the idiom that was inscribed on this que. In contrast with the formal and rigid regr script of the idioms inscribed on the other ques, this was the only idiom that had been written in an informal script, giving it a much more free-flowing and unbridled appearancepared to the other three, which was why she had taken a particr liking to it.


    All of a sudden, Zhao Yao snapped back to his senses. As it turned out, Qi Jingchun had patted him on the shoulder, and he smiled as he said, "Zhao Yao, it''s time for us to take our things from the school and return home."


    Zhao Yao blushed slightly with embarrassment as he hung his head and returned to the school with his teacher, and only then did the young woman slowly release the hilt of her saber.


    In the distance, Qi Jingchun teased, "I just saved your life back there."


    "What do you mean, Sir?" Zhao Yao asked with a stunned expression.


    Qi Jingchun hesitated momentarily, then replied with a serious expression, "From now on, make sure to keep your distance if you see her."


    Zhao Yao was rather taken aback to hear this, and he was also feeling a little dejected, "Why, Sir?"


    Qi Jingchun took a moment to ponder his response, then replied, "She is incredibly sharp, making her destined to be a sheathless sword."


    Zhao Yao wanted to say something, but decided against it.


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he continued, "Of course, no one can stop you from having a crush on someone in secret, not even the Buddha himself. Even for followers of Confucianism like ourselves, who abide by a strict collection of rules that govern our actions, our great sage and teacher, Confucius, only mandated that it was rude to stare at, speak of, eavesdrop on, and touch someone; never did he say that it was rude to think of someone."


    In that instant, something inexplicable seemed to havee over Zhao Yao, and he loudly eximed, "She smells really good!"


    In the instant that the words left his mouth, he was instantly rooted to the spot.


    Qi Jingchun was slightly annoyed. He wasn''t angry, it was just that there was going to be some trouble afoot, and he instructed in a stern voice, "Turn around, Zhao Yao!"


    Zhao Yao reflexively did as he was told, turning around so that his back was facing his teacher.


    Meanwhile, the young woman under the archway turned around with unbridled killing intent rising up from her body.


    She lowered her hands so that her thumbs came into contact with the hilts of her two des, following which she began to take a series of small yet fast steps to build up some momentum.


    After about four or five steps, she abruptly exerted force through both her hands and feet at once, drawing both her longsword and her sleek saber simultaneously. At the same time, she sprang up from the ground, quickly gripping onto her des before shing them down without any hesitation!


    Her arms weren''t particrly bulky or strong, but as she swung her des through the air, two dazzling crescent-shaped streaks of light illuminated the space between her and the teacher and student duo.


    She wasn''t using any mystical abilities or magical techniques, her attack was simply incredibly fast!


    Qi Jingchun wore a carefree expression, and he made no effort to take evasive measures. Instead, all he did was gently stomp a foot down onto the ground, sending a burst of ripples surging through the air.


    In the next instant, the young woman''s body stiffened, and her killing intent became even more ferocious.


    Not only had her all-out attackpletely failed to strike its target, she had appeared back at the same spot where she had first drawn her des.


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he replied, "It''smendable that you aren''t holding back at all. As the saying goes, even a lion hunting a rabbit must do so with all its might. Having said that, while it''s true that my disciple has caused some offense to you, surely his transgressions aren''t punishable by death!"


    The young woman feigned a deep and mature voice as she slowly sheathed her sword, holding her saber in one hand with the tip pointed directly at Qi Jingchun as she said, "What you think doesn''t matter to me. What matters to me is what I think! I''ll do whatever I want, and if you want to stop me, you''re free to try!"


    As soon as her voice trailed off, she rushed forward rapidly once again,unching herself forward with such tremendous force that a pair of small potholes had instantly been stomped into the ground beneath her feet.


    Qi Jingchun sped one hand behind his back while holding his other hand in front of his own belly in the form of a loose fist, and he smiled as he said, "All martial arts techniques have their weaknesses, but speed alone is the be-all and end-all. Unfortunately for you, even though this world is on the verge of copse, as long as it still hasn''t copsed yet, even thebined power of the 10 terrestrial gods has no better chance of defying my will than an ant does at moving a tree."


    In the next instant, the young woman once again inexplicably appeared around a dozen meters to the left of her target.


    After a brief moment of contemtion, she closed her eyes with a look of concentration on her face.


    Qi Jingchun shook his head with a smile as he said, "Are you thinking to yourself that you''ve fallen under some type of illusion? This world is akin to the small thousandfold worlds of Buddhism. Here, I am... Oh?"


    All of a sudden, a hint of surprise appeared on Qi Jingchun''s face, and his voice abruptly cut off as he instantly arrived by the young woman''s side before gently gripping the tip of her saber between two of his fingers.


    He then asked, "Who taught you your sword and saber techniques?"


    The young woman didn''t even flinch as she grabbed onto the hilt of her sword with her left hand, then drew it from its scabbard once again before shing it at Qi Jingchun''s waist, all in one smooth motion.


    Qi Jingchun maintained his grip on the tip of the saber as he yelled, "Get back!"


    A burst of ttering rang out from the ground below, and dust and debris were sent flying in all directions. Momentster, the dust settled to reveal the young woman. Her feet were positioned one in front of the other, and a rift had appeared on the ground, starting from directly in front of Qi Jingchun and concluding directly beneath the young woman''s feet, as if a plow had just dug through the earth.


    The young woman''s hands were injured and bleeding profusely.


    Both her des had been drawn, yet she had been disarmed in an instant.


    Furthermore, she knew that even though her opponent was capable of controlling the world around them, he had suppressed his cultivation base this entire time to be on an identical level to hers.


    As such, she hadn''t been defeated due to a disparity in their cultivation base. Instead, her opponent had simply disyed far superior technique to hers.


    She was absolutely furious, and in her enraged state, she failed to notice that all of the rays of light around her were warping.


    Thankfully for her, Qi Jingchun was a very reasonable and tolerant person, and not only did he not retaliate against the young woman, he offered her some advice instead. "I suggest you avoidparing yourself to me for now as that could adversely impact your state of mind as a martial artist. In the pursuit of martial arts, patience and tenacity are of the utmost importance."


    At this moment, he was looking rather strange, pinching the tip of the saber between two of the fingers on one hand, while holding the de of the sword in the palm of his other hand.


    A smile suddenly appeared on his face as he imitated the young woman''s feigned demeanor of maturity and said, "Whether you listen to me or not is up to you, but what I say is up to me."


    The woman was silent for a moment before replying in a deep voice, "I humbly ept your teachings!"


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he nodded in approval. Even though the young woman was a little impulsive and quick to anger, it was a very encouraging sign to see that she was willing toy down her pride and take advice from others. He gently tossed the saber back to the young woman as he said, "Here''s your saber; I''ll be holding onto your sword for a little longer."


    He then lowered his gaze to look down at the longsword in his hand, which was trembling and ringing incessantly.


    A wistful look appeared on Qi Jingchun''s face as he said, "This sword is forged from very fine materials, but it''s still quite some way away from being a top-tier sword, so at the very most, it''ll only be able to bear the weight of two characters, and even that is a bit of a stretch. Otherwise, with your aptitude, I can''t say for sure that you''ll be able to take all four characters, but you can definitely take three with ease."


    While he wasmenting the young woman''s misfortune, he casually raised a hand and ordered, "Come!"


    Two balls of dazzling light instantly flew out of the "unmatched aura" que, and with two swipes of his sleeve in quick session, the two balls of light were thrust into the sword.


    On the que, two of the four characters that formed the idiom still remained, but the other two resembled a pair of old men on their deathbeds, finallypletely losing their vitality after expending all of their life force.


    With a casual flick of Qi Jingchun''s wrist, the longsword returned to its owner''s scabbard in the blink of an eye. Due to the fact that it had been sheathed, no one was able to see the two auras surging over the de of the sword like a pair of flood dragons.


    However, what happened next came as quite a shock, even to Qi Jingchun.


    The young woman slowly removed her sword along with its scabbard, then casually tossed them away so that the scabbard plunged into the earth, standing upright on its own on a slight nt. There was a resolute look in her eyes as she dered, "This is not the path of the sword that I''m pursuing!"


    Qi Jingchun took a nce at the sword that had been discarded by the young woman, and a heavy sensation that he hadn''t felt for a very long time welled up in his heart. He couldn''t help but ask a question that was rather unbefitting of someone of his status: "Do you know who I am?"


    The young woman nodded, then shook her head. "I heard that once every 60 years, a different sage of the three teachings would be sent here to oversee the operation of the formation, and that this has been going on for thousands of years.


    ��I''ve also heard that the people who''ve asionally emerged from this ce have all either been in possession of powerful treasures or have made rapid progress in their cultivation base. Hence, I wanted toe here and take a look. As soon as I saw you, I immediately realized who you were. Otherwise, I wouldn''t haveshed out so decisively."


    "In that case, do you know what you''ve passed up on just now?" Qi Jingchun asked.


    The young woman offered no response.


    Inside the scabbard on the ground, the longsword was trembling uncontrobly, like an abandoned lover who was desperately pleading with their better half to take them back.


    At this point, Zhao Yao had already turned around and was carefully observing the young woman from afar.


    Qi Jingchun certainly couldn''t be said to becking in knowledge or intelligence, but he was stillpletely perplexed by the young woman''s decision. He couldn''t just force the longsword onto the young woman, so in the end, he could offer her some words of caution. "I suggest you take that sword with you, youngdy. This town is going to... undergo some turmoil soon, and it''s always a good thing to have something extra to defend yourself with."


    The young woman turned and departed without saying anything, refusing to take the sword with her.


    Qi Jingchun could only heave a resigned sigh, then swept a sleeve through the air to send the sword plunging high up into one of the stone pirs of the archway. If anyone were to try and forcibly take the sword, he would be inevitably alerted, just as he had been aware of the sinister machinations that the old storyteller had been carrying out in secret.


    After apanying Zhao Yao all the way from the private school to the Zhao Manor on Fortune Street, Qi Jingchun slowly made his way forward, and with each step that he took, barely detectable streaks of light would sh through the air in some obscure spots on either side of him.


    Qi Jingchun murmured to himself, "How strange. Where did that girle from? Could it be that she''s from an immortal family outside of this continent?"


    After returning to the school, he sat in front of his desk, upon which was ced a jade tablet. The tablet was around 1.2 feet in length, and there was a mountain engraved onto each of its four corners, alluding to safety on all fronts. Inscribed on the surface of the tablet was a tightly packed passage of tiny text, epassing over 100 characters.


    ording to the teachings of Confucianism, only the ruler of a nation could be in possession of a regal tablet, so its existence was a testament to just how significant a ce the town was.


    On the backside of the jade tablet, there were only two characters, and they were inscribed in a script that was quite formal and rigid, yet also full of ir and elegance.


    There was also a secret letter that had only recently arrived sitting on the desk.


    Tears welled up in Qi Jingchun''s eyes as he murmured to himself, "My esteemed teacher, please forgive your useless student. You''ve been subjected to humiliation for so long, yet I''ve been powerless to do anything..."


    Qi Jingchun cast his gaze out the window, and he didn''t look particrly sorrowful or pleased, only a little lonely and dejected. "I have failed you, my teacher. I have been clinging onto life here for over a century, and now, it''s time for me to give up the life that I owe to you."


    ��������


    Song Jixin pulled out an item from hisrge red chest before cing it onto the table, and no matter how much Fu Nanhua tried to disguise it, he was unable to hide the tion on his face.


    The object was a small and mundane-looking teapot with the word "mandrill" inscribed onto its underside.


    Song Jixin ced his hands onto the table, then leaned forward slightly with an expectant smile as he asked, "How much is this teapot worth?"


    Fu Nanhua reluctantly shifted his gaze away from the teapot as he raised his head and replied in a truthful manner, "If this was sold at a normal market, then it wouldn''t even be worth a single tael of silver, but if you entrust it to me, I can sell it for an entire city!"


    "How many tens of thousands of people will that city be able to hold?" Song Jixin asked.


    Fu Nanhua put up three fingers in response.


    Song Jixin nodded as he mused, "300,000, eh? I see."


    Fu Nanhua faltered slightly upon hearing this before bursting intoughter. He had thought that Song Jixin would say 30,000.


    ��������


    Over on Apricot Blossom Alley, there was a prudent middle-aged man who was crouched down beside the Iron Lock Well, staring intently at the metal chain tied to the underside of the well winch, as if he were considering how to carry the chain away with him.


    ��������


    The young woman wearing the ck veiled hat was wandering aimlessly around the town. At this moment, only the saber in the green scabbard was strapped to her waist, and her hands had only been very roughly bandaged.


    She had only just made her way into a nameless alley when a certain object suddenly flew through the air, then stopped obediently behind her before ringing incessantly.


    The young woman''s brows furrowed slightly, and she didn''t even turn her head as she spat through gritted teeth, "Piss off!"


    The longsword had flown all the way here after emerging from its scabbard, and it was so frightened that it really did fly back into the scabbard again.


    The prideful young woman and the obedient flying sword presented a rather odd pair.


    1. Guyu is the 6th of 24 sr terms on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, while Chongyang is the name of a festival taking ce on the ninth day of the ninth month on the lunar calendar, also known as the Double Ninth Festival. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Guys, this novel is really good. You have to be patient. It''ll get much more exciting before chapter 50. Don''t judge by the first few chapters! However, please keep in mind that the chapters are VERY LONG, so the novel will only be released once per day when it goes live this month.</blockquote>

 Chapter 12: Alley

    Chapter 12: Alley


    The young woman in ck made her way deeper into the alley, asionallying across houses withrge festive rednterns hanging outside. In contrast with the other outsiders who had arrived in this town, the young woman didn''t have the backing of any powerful n or sect, nor was she apanied by any ster allies. She had made her way into the town all on her own.


    Not far away in the alley stood a brocade-robed young man with a green jade seal held aloft in both hands. The seal was around the size of a child''s palm, and there were coiling dragons and crouching tigers engraved onto its surface. It was glowing radiantly under the light of the sun, and faint traces of light were visible within the seal. The brocade-robed young man was inspecting the prized treasure in his hands with his head raised and his eyes narrowed slightly in a look of entrancement.


    Beside him, a tall and broad old man was kneeling down on one knee, using his sleeve to carefully wipe at the dirt on his boots.


    The brocade-robed boy had already spotted the strange young woman out of the corner of his eye. Judging from her peculiar veiled hat, the saber strapped to her waist, and her firm and stable footsteps, it was clear that she definitely wasn''t a local resident of the town.


    However, the brocade-robed young boy paid no heed to her and continued to carefully observe the antiquated jade seal. In fact, deep down in his heart, he was even hoping that the young woman would be struck by the urge to try and take the treasure from him. Otherwise, he would be practically dying of boredom.


    Having obtained a pair of prized treasures, this trip was already far more fruitful than he anticipated. If he couldn''t find something to do, then he would have to leave with his old servant, and he felt like it would be quite a pity to end the trip on such an uneventful note.


    For those who had been selected toe to the town, each of them carried three tokens that were ced in embroidered pouches. One of those pouches contained the toll that had to be given to the gatekeeper in order to be granted entry into the town. Regardless of the status of the gatekeeper, regardless of the condition of the town gate, even the ruler of a nation or the founder of a sect had to follow this rule uponing here. The other two embroidered pouches signified that each of them was only permitted to take a maximum of two treasures to be taken out of the town.


    Outside of the maximum allotted quota of two treasures, regardless of whether one managed to collect 10 treasures, or even 100, every single one of them had to be returned. The tokens in the pouches consisted of three special types of copper coins, one of which was used by themon folk to celebrate beam-raising ceremonies, another was hung up with the peach wood charms in the imperial pce each year to wee the arrival of spring, and the final type of coin was offered up to be ced on the palms of city god statues.


    These three types of coins were all referred to as copper coins, but in reality, they had been minted using gold essence, which was an extremely precious material. For the majority of the town''s residents, even official silver was a very rare sight, let alone hefty bags of gold, so it was no wonder that these people were willing to sell their ns'' prized treasures, some of which had already been passed down for generations.


    There were no official historical records of any of those three types of copper coins, and on the way here, the brocade-robed young boy had studied them intently, but was unable to find anything special about them.


    Up ahead, the young woman wearing the veiled hat continued directly onward, not even sparing a single nce at the brocade-robed boy and his elderly servant.


    All of a sudden, the brocade-robed boy changed his mind, stowing the jade seal into a cloth pouch that he had prepared earlier. He tied the pouch to his own waist, then remained standing directly in the middle of the alley, disying no intention of moving out of the way.


    The tall and broad old man also rose to his feet as he said in a high-pitched voice, "Your Highness, I can sense that she''s quite a skilled martial artist, so we can''t let our guard down. If we were outside this town, there would naturally be nothing to fear, but even as a pure martial arts practitioner like myself, my body is constantly being severely restricted and suppressed by this world.


    ��If I were to circte my aura with all my might and open up my acupoints to their fullest extent, all of my meridians and acupoints would instantly be flooded, resulting in catastrophic consequences. Of course, my own demise is nothing worthy of concern, but if I were to fail in my duty to look after you, resulting in even the slightest hup on your path to pursuing the Great Dao, then I wouldn''t know how to face His Majesty and Her Majesty."


    A displeased look appeared on the brocade-robed boy''s face as he said, "You''ve be rather chatty and meddlesome ever since we left the pce, Grandpa Wu. Back in the pce, you only said the same few things over and over again. Even that dumb parrot kept by my sister had a bigger vocabry than you!"


    The old man was constantly groveling at the young boy''s feet, yet he seemed to take pride in debasing himself in servitude, and that indicated that he had to have been a eunuch from an imperial pce, a castrated servant who served his imperial masters with the utmost loyalty.


    It seemed that the young boy hadn''tprehended what he was implying, so he could only offer a more direct and straightforward exnation to borate. "Your Highness, what I''m trying to say is that in this setting, that woman can pose a threat to you."


    A dismissive smile appeared on the brocade-robed boy''s face as she said, "I''ve heard that there are countless different factions on the path of cultivation, and that there''s nock of strange and sinister forces among them, but this is only a chance encounter between her and me, surely she wouldn''t try to kill me just because she''s taken a liking to my treasure! If everyone on the mountain were like this, then wouldn''t the entire world have already been plunged intoplete turmoil?"


    The old man heaved a faint sigh. The empire at the foot of the mountain and the immortal families on the mountain appeared to have close and amicable ties with one another, but in reality, both parties absolutely detested one another.


    The brocade-robed boy was a little disillusioned, and he sighed, "Fine, fine, I''ll let her pass. It''s unbefitting of a man like myself to pick on a little girl anyway."


    By the time the young woman had arrived in front of him, her left hand was already resting on the hilt of her saber.


    The brocade-robed boy smiled as he turned to the side, granting the young woman free passage.


    The young woman slowed down slightly as she also turned, and beneath the veil of her hat, her eyes were filled with alertness and caution.


    The elderly eunuch''s brows furrowed slightly as he noticed the young woman''s hands, which had been bandaged with strips of cotton cloth.


    "Insolence!" the old man abruptly roared, and his furious voice rang out like an explosive thunderp as his feet seemingly slid along the ground, instantly bringing him directly in front of the brocade-robed boy. He then leaned back gently to press the boy delicately against the wall of the alley while simultaneously spreading open the fingers of his left hand.


    A dull thump instantly rang out from the palm of his hand, and as it turned out, someone had hurled a rock at the side of the boy''s head as a hidden weapon.


    The rock had been thrown with astonishing power, possessing sufficient force to punch through a wall, had it not been caught by the old man.


    The old man crushed the fist-sized rock in the palm of his hand, but instead of going after the assassin, he threw a punch at the young woman with his right fist.


    The young woman''s hand was still resting on the hilt of her saber, but she forcibly suppressed the instinctive urge to draw her weapon as she cocked her head to the side, perfectly evading the powerful punch that had been thrown her way.


    Such was the power of the old man''s punch that his fist swept up a ferocious gust of wind, instantly casting the veil trailing down from the brim of the young woman''s hat into disarray.


    The old man immediately switched his straight punch into a horizontal sweep, aiming his fist directly at the young woman''s head.


    The transition from straight punch to horizontal sweep waspletely smooth and seamless, as if it had been choreographed in advance.


    The young woman was forced to hurriedly raise her arms, crossing them over one another beside her ear, forming a protective barricade in the path of the oing fist.


    In the next instant, her entire body was sent sliding over 10 meters to the side.


    She gently exhaled as she reached out a hand to adjust her slightly crooked veiled hat, revealing in the process that even more blood had soaked into the makeshift bandages around that hand.


    She was rather angry, and she turned to face the old man, who was looking around with a wary expression, then said, "If it weren''t for me, he would already be dead."


    The old man paid no heed to her, and as a seasoned eunuch who had a wealth of experience when it came to dealing with assassination attempts, he was already regarding the young woman as only the secondary threat present. As for the primary threat, that position belonged to the man on the other side of the alley who had hurled the rock at the boy''s head.


    Aside from the boy, the old man, and the young woman, there was only one more person in the small alley, and it was a masked man with a tall and thin figure, but his arms were extremely well-built, with bulging muscles that resembled steel balls.


    There was a pair of pouches hanging from the man''s waist, and those pouches were filled with a collection of round objects.


    He was standing still on the spot, as if to say that the attack he had unleashed just now had only been a warning.


    As his cold gaze passed over the young woman''s body, a smirk appeared on his face, and he stuck out his tongue with a lecherous look in his eyes.


    A cold smile appeared on the young woman''s face as she suddenly yelled, "Return!"


    As soon as her voice trailed off, a sword flew over to her, decapitating the masked assassin along the way, then began to rapidly revolve around her like a small child seeking the attention and approval of his mother.


    "Piss off!" the young woman snapped, and the flying sword instantly vanished into the distance, leaving the boy and the old man to look on with dumbstruck expressions.


    The old man wasn��t stunned by the flying sword technique itself. Instead, he was genuinely horrified at the ease with which the young woman was able to control the flying sword.


    This feeling made the old man feel as if he had returned to the days of his youth, when he had only just entered the pce. One day, he had been petrified by the sight of a man in a red python robe making his way along the foot of the pce wall in the distance.


    Of course, his awe and veneration weren��t directed toward that eunuch, who he didn��t even know the name of. Instead, he was fearful of that red python robe.


    After returning to his senses, a self-deprecating smile appeared on the boy��s face, and he approached the old man with a concerned expression as he asked, ��Are you alright, Grandpa Wu?��


    The old man wore an extremely grim expression as he replied, ��There��s no need to worry about me, Your Highness. We have to be on our guard here. If worsees to worst, I��ll hold her off while you����


    The boy hurriedly waved a hand to cut off the old man, then suggested, ��How about we give her an apology?��


    The old man was very much taken aback by this proposal, immediately following which he was ovee by a wave of intense remorse and sorrow.


    As the saying went, the servant should die before allowing shame to befall their master, and that was particrly true in the imperial pce.


    However, the brocade-robed boy waspletely unbothered, and he smiled as he said, ��It��s fine, Grandpa Wu. We made a mistake, so we should apologize. There��s nothing hard about that.��


    The old man was still very much against the idea, but the brocade-robed boy was already approaching the young woman.


    In that instant, a myriad of emotions surged through the old man��s heart.

 Chapter 13: Meeting

    Chapter 13: Meeting


    The young woman paid no heed to the brocade-robed boy that was approaching her. Instead, she looked over his shoulder and cast her gaze toward the old man as she said with a displeased expression, "Just now, you tried to kill me out of the blue. You had your reasons, but I still think what you did was wrong."


    The brocade-robed boy stopped a few meters away from the young woman, looking at her with an earnest expression as he said, "My name is Gao Zhen, and I am from Yiyang County of the Great Sui Nation. If Grandpa Wu has caused you offense in any way, then I am willing to apologize on his behalf and offer youpensation."


    The old man''s heart was filled with mixed emotions as he stood behind the brocade-robed boy. While the boy hadn''t told any lies in his self-introduction, he hadn''t told the full story, either. During the entire 1,200 years in which the Great Sui Nation had been in existence, the Gao n had always ruled over the empire as its imperial family, and Yiyang County was the home of the emperor of the Great Sui Nation.


    The young woman remained unmoved by the boy''s offer, and she tightened the bandages around her hands as she said to the old man, "In the face of a master martial artist who��s most likely already at the Windsoar Tier like yourself, I definitely wouldn''t stand a chance in the outside world, but here in this world, all I have to do is call upon my flying sword, and your demise will be sealed."


    A cold sneer appeared on the old man''s face. "That assassin just now was only a peak Lesser Grandmaster, yet even for him, if he had been aware of that flying sword of yours in advance, all he would''ve had to do is protect his vital regions, and you would''ve been powerless to do anything. Even if you ran your sword through his body dozens of times, you still wouldn''t have been able to kill him. As for myself, I am two entire stages above him, and the Windsoar Tier between us is seen as a virtually insurmountable hurdle for martial artists. I don''t know what gives you the confidence to proim that you can seal my demise."


    The young woman''s brows furrowed slightly, and she rested her hand on the hilt of her saber once again as she said, "There are few things I detest more than having to bicker aimlessly with others. If you''re not convinced that I can back up my ims, then how about we settle this argument with a fight?"


    It had been a very long time since the old man hadst been threatened like this, and he was seething with fury. If it weren''t for the fact that they were stuck in this godforsaken ce, regardless of how exceptional the young woman''s aptitude was, there was simply far too massive a cultivation base disparity between them, and the old man would''ve been able to crush ten of her at once with ease.


    Furthermore, he was bound by his duty to protect the young prince, who was the pride and hope of the entire Great Sui Nation. Otherwise, even if he had to risk being suppressed and severely wounded by the self-sustaining Great Dao in this ce, he would''ve been determined to teach this little brat a lesson. She was like a little calf who was provoking a tiger, and her courage wasmendable, but that certainly didn''t mean that the tiger would spare the calf.


    "If you insist on pursuing this matter, I am willing to offer you this item aspensation," the boy by the name of Gao Zhen hurriedly interjected, trying to defuse the situation.


    He opened the cloth pouch hanging from his waist as he spoke, then pulled out the jade seal inside, cing it on the palm of his hand before offering it to the young woman. "I hope this will suffice as a gesture of apology. In exchange for this seal, all I ask is that you do not pursue this matter any further. I understand that Grandpa Wu is in the wrong, but it''s his loyalty to me that led him to do what he did, and he bears no personal grudge against you."


    The old man was horrified to see this, and he hurriedly knelt down on one knee as he eximed, "Please reconsider, Your Highness! I am nothing but a useless old servant, yet that seal is a treasure of immeasurable value! Such a treasure could alter the fate of our entire empire! If you insist on handing over the seal just so I can be spared, then you''re forcing me to take my own life, Your Highness!"


    Gao Zhen''s expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this.


    The young woman seemed to have lost her patience, and she sneered, "What a pair of pitiful fools you are. Just because you see this seal as a priceless treasure doesn''t mean it''s worth anything in my eyes. You can keep that thing for all I care. A righteous individual does not steal from others."


    After that, she turned and departed without any hesitation.


    Gao Zhen was very relieved to see this, and he turned to the old man as he said, "Get up, Grandpa Wu, you''re making a fool out of yourself. The twelve chief eunuchs of our Great Sui Empire have only ever knelt down to the past emperors. If the imperial censors of the six supervisory divisions or anyone from the Ministry of Rites were to see this and decide to kick up a big fuss, you and I will both be in deep trouble. Thanks to the blessings of my ancestors, I was able to obtain what I came to this town to acquire, so let''s not stay here any longer and risk running into further unforeseen trouble.


    ��Furthermore, even after we meet back up with our people on the outside, we can''t afford to getcent. Among the six pir nations of the Great Li Empire, the Yuan n and the Cao n may be in opposition with one another, but unfortunately for us, both of these pir nations are sworn enemies of our Great Sui Nation. If anything were to happen here that negatively impacts your ability to perform in battle, then it''ll be very difficult for me to return safely to our Great Sui Nation."


    The old man nodded in response as he slowly rose to his feet. "I am well aware of this, Your Highness."


    At this point, the young woman in the veiled hat was already over 20 meters away from them.


    All of a sudden, a gentle breeze blew past Gao Zhen, rustling through his hair and causing his robes to p incessantly.


    As it turned out, the old man had never intended to let the young woman off the hook, and he rushed toward her from behind, stomping heavily down on the ground with his first three steps, causing the earth to rumble violently, prating all the way down to over 10 feet beneath the ground. With his fourth step, he sprang high up into the air before throwing a punch at the back of the young woman''s chest.


    The young woman immediately twisted around with the tip of her left foot as a pivot point, and at the same time, she drew her saber with her right hand, sending a streak of white light that was even more dazzling than the radiance of the sun sweeping through the alley.


    The old man swooped down from above, using gravity to his advantage, and his fist mmed straight down onto the sharp edge of the saber, but only a light gash was sliced into the back of his hand. Uponnding on the ground, the old man continued to charge forward, forcing the saber-wielding young woman back in retreat. The old man then casually extended his palm in what appeared to be a very calm and slow gesture, but in reality, his palm reached the young woman''s forehead like lightning.


    He was just about to exert more force through his hand topletely crush the young woman''s head when he suddenly stepped to the side, just in the nick of time to avoid an attacking from behind. The sound of de plunging into flesh rang out, and he looked down to find the tip of a sword protruding out of the right side of his chest. As it turned out, the young woman''s flying sword had swooped in to save its owner.


    Despite this, his expression remainedpletely unchanged as he gripped the tip of the sword between two of his fingers before pushing it backward, forcing the flying sword out of his chest.


    Due to the fact that he was hindered by the flying sword, not only did the old man fail to crush the young woman''s head, she was able to spring back in retreat, and taking advantage of this brief window of respite, she sprang away like an agile panther, quickly disappearing out of sight.


    Gao Zhen was absolutely livid, and his fists were tightly clenched as he yelled with a furious expression, "Seal Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Imperial Horses, Wu Yue, why are you going against my wishes and doing as you please? Do you really think you''re invincible in this town? We are the ones in the wrong, yet not only did she not try to extort us, she was willing to let bygones be bygones, so why would you do something so ungrateful and underhanded? This is an outrage!"


    The old eunuch, Wu Yue, withdrew his gaze from the direction that the young woman had just fled toward, and he stood up straight as he turned around before making his way back to Gao Zhen. With each step that he took, his aura became more and more imposing, and it was as if he were treading directly upon Gao Zhen''s heart.


    In the face of Wu Yue''s suffocating aura, Gao Zhen became even more indignant and incensed, feeling as if he were being oppressed by his own servant, and his eyes were wide fury as he yelled, "Wu Yue, you havemitted a crime punishable by death!"


    Wu Yue remainedpletely unfazed as he replied in an indifferent voice, "Your Highness, whether my transgressions are punishable by death will be up to His Majesty to decide. In my eyes, your safety is of paramount importance, and protecting you is my sole objective. I have deemed that woman to be a potent threat to your safety, so in order to ensure that no harm befalls you, I had no choice but to go after her. Only with her dead can I rest easy, knowing that I have fulfilled my duty."


    Looking at the barely repressed rage in Gao Zhen''s eyes, Wu Yue sighed, "I have worked in the imperial city for over 60 years, and during my time there, I''ve seen far too many sinister schemes and machinations. For the pursuit of power and prized resources, there are no lows that people aren''t willing to stoop to, and I simply have no faith left in humanity. While protecting members of the imperial family, I''ve dealt with no fewer than 30 assassination attempts over the years.


    ��Your Highness, you must understand that these assassins are far more cunning and sinister than you can imagine. There are some who are so demented that they are willing to give up even their own lives for their cause, and it''s impossible to imagine the lengths that they''re willing to go to in order to achieve their objectives. Take that masked assassin and that woman just now as examples..."


    Gao Zhen stabbed a finger in Wu Yue''s direction with a cold look on his face as he furiously interjected, "Shut your mouth, you old, castrated donkey! I don''t want to hear any more of your senseless ramblings! All I know is that you''vepletely gone against my wishes and foiled my ns to recruit that woman as an ally! Even an idiot would be able to tell that she possesses exceptional aptitude.


    ��Even if wepare her to the most talented prodigies out of the cultivators on the mountain, she would still be among the cream of the crop! A prodigy of her caliber is exceedingly rare even across the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, let alone our Great Sui Nation or the Great Li Empire! All I would have to do is nurture her for 10 years, 20 years at most, and she would be the most lethal assassin at my disposal!


    ��With her at my side, no one would dare to stand against me, regardless of whether it be terrestrial gods or Superior Grandmasters in the martial arts! Don''t ever forget that I, Gao Zhen, will be the future heir to the Great Sui Nation''s throne, and you''re nothing but a castrated old geezer who will serve me until you die!"


    Strangely enough, not only was Wu Yue not incensed by the scathing tirade directed at him, his eyes gradually lit up with a sense of gratification. After Gao Zhen had finally gotten everything off his chest and was panting from exertion, Wu Yue smiled as he said, "Your Highness, there are some things that you''ve never experienced, so you''re unaware of just how perilous and sinister human nature can be. However, you are the spitting image of His Majesty''s younger self, and I couldn''t be more proud to see how you''ve developed over the years."


    An awkward atmosphere descended upon the alley.


    After taking a moment to calm down, Gao Zhen realized that he had severely overstepped his boundaries. He still hadn''t been officially chosen to be the heir to the throne, yet he had just disyed the utmost disrespect to the Seal Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Imperial Horses and one of the three gatekeepers of the Great Sui Imperial Pce. In addition to that, Wu Yue was an extremely trusted subordinate to Gao Zhen''s parents, the emperor and empress of the Great Sui Nation.


    With that in mind, Gao Zhen was struck by a sense of remorse, but right as he was about to say something, Wu Yue smiled and said, "Your Highness, I know what you want to say, and I have this to tell you: do not apologize to your servants. There''s simply no need to do so, and not only is it unbefitting of your status, the servant may not ept your apology anyway. Even if you feel guilty, you must bury that guilt deep in your heart. The rulers of nations are revered as dragons among men, and everything they say is to be taken asw, so they cannot afford to waste their precious words apologizing to servants."


    "Given my current status, it''s still too early for you to be saying this to me, Grandpa Wu," Gao Zhen said.


    All of a sudden, Wu Yue''s entire body abruptly tensed up as if he could sense the presence of a formidable foe nearby, and he dragged Gao Zhen behind him before casting his gaze toward the lifeless body of the masked assassin.


    A tall and graceful middle-aged schr had appeared at the end of the alley without any warning, and he slowly made his way into the alley, arriving near the assassin''s body before crouching down to remove his mask, revealing a strange face with its nose and eyebrows removed, and some characters tattooed onto its cheeks.


    It was clear that this man had once been a prisoner.


    The schr looked on in silence, having already anticipated this. The root of this plot most likely stemmed all the way back from that Confucian temple.


    A fervent look appeared in Gao Zhen''s eyes as he made his way out into the open from behind Wu Yue, then extended a salute as he asked in a respectful voice, "May I ask if you are Mr. Qi from Mountain Cliff Academy?"


    The schr stood up straight again as he turned to Gao Zhen and said, "If it wasn��t for the fact that you''ve already imed that fated opportunity, the two of you wouldn��t be able to leave this ce so easily."


    ording to the earliest rules set by the four sages, outsiders who engaged in battle in the town were to be punished. The punishment wasn''t very severe, but it wasn''t just going to be a light punishment, either. If an outsider were to kill any of the mortal residents of the town, they would be evicted without exception, but there were loopholes to be exploited when it came to battles between outsiders, and for three of the groups of outsiders who had entered the town, including Gao Zhen''s, they had all brought "servants" with them precisely because they knew that there was a chance that this rule could be broken.


    In the case that the rule was broken, they would be able to use their servants as scapegoats and ce the me squarely on them. It had cost half of the wealth saved up in the imperial vault of the Great Sui Nation''s emperor just to earn entry for a single person into the town. The imperial vault contained what was essentially the emperor''s private stash, so half of the wealth in the entire vault was naturally an exorbitant amount. If it weren''t for the possibility that battles could break out between the factions of outsiders entering the town, there was no way that Wu Yue would''ve been sent in alongside Gao Zhen.


    Essentially, they were paying for insurance.


    However, it was no exaggeration to say that mountains of gold and silver were being moved to purchase thisyer of insurance, and the residents of the town couldn''t even begin to imagine what it had cost for these outsiders to set foot in this ce.


    Despite the hostility disyed toward him by the schr, Gao Zhen remained calm and respectful as he said, "Mr. Qi, if you ever get the chance to do so, would you be willing toe and teach at our Great Sui Academy? I am willing to keep the position of imperial preceptor open for you, and it would be a great honor for our entire Great Sui Nation if you could ept the position."


    After a brief hesitation, Wu Yue decided not to interject.


    If Gao Zhen really could convince the schr to ept the position of imperial preceptor at the Great Sui Nation, the emperor would undoubtedly be ecstatic.


    The schr merely smiled and offered no response.


    Against the young woman from earlier, Wu Yue had been as merciless and ferocious as a hunting lion, but in the face of this middle-aged schr, his attitude waspletely different, and he cupped his fist in a respectful salute as he said, "Please forgive us for causing a disturbance in your territory, Mr. Qi. I onlyshed out at that woman from earlier out of necessity and loyalty to my master, and I had no intention to cause offense to you."


    "Begone," Qi Jingchun said with a dismissive wave of his sleeve.


    Gao Zhen and Wu Yue could only take their leave before departing, and they just so happened to take the same route as the one that the young woman had fled in.


    "Is she dead?" Gao Zhen asked in a low voice.


    Wu Yue shook his head as he replied, "She definitely won''t be alive for much longer. That flying sword of hers will only be dying the inevitable."


    Gao Zhen hesitated momentarily before asking in a curious manner, "Grandpa Wu, when did you notice that it wasn''t actually as easy and effortless for her to control her flying sword as she made it appear?"


    "I could tell from very early on that she was putting on an act to try and intimidate me," Wu Yue replied.


    Gao Zhen was very surprised to hear this.


    Wu Yue led Gao Zhen out of the alley, then said, "Let me ask you this, Your Highness: having seen all types of exotic and luxurious things in this world, are you still interested in the mundane chinaware produced in this town?"


    Gao Zhen patted the pouch strapped to his waist with a smile as he replied, "Of course not. Only this jade seal or objects of a simr caliber to it would be enough to catch my interest."


    Wu Yue nodded in response. "That''s the correct response. While using her flying sword, the young woman had appeared to be extremely calm and collected, looking as if she had done somethingpletely pedestrian and mundane. However, after detecting my cultivation base, she immediately decided against engaging me in battle, and she was particrly afraid that I would see through her act, so she intentionally provoked us as a form of intimidation.


    ��In reality, she was trying to defuse the situation in a roundabout way. She was afraid that I would be intent on killing her in order to eliminate her as a potential threat, which was why she felt like she had to act the way that she did. Of course, I was able to see through her guise in the end, so she didn''t do as good a job as she thought she did, but it''s already quite remarkable that someone her age is so bold and cunning.


    ��However, it''s exactly because of this that if she were to be left to develop unchecked, she could eventually be an extremely potent threat to you, which was why I was determined to kill her. For a girl her age, it would''ve been no surprise for me at all to see her rush recklessly into battle without considering the consequences, but it''s extremely abnormal that even in the face of the threat posed by me, she was able to remain so calm and calcting, killing that assassin in such aposed fashion before putting on quite a convincing act to try and fool me.


    ��This is something that can onlye from extensive experience, and it has nothing to do with her aptitude. Regardless of whether it be among cultivators or martial artists, countless prodigies have suffered premature demise due to various personality ws, and certain things simply can''t be taught."


    "In any case, it''s quite a pity that things had to end that way," Gao Zhen sighed.


    "Your Highness, if you''re going toment and grieve over everyone you encounter that perishes while you''re on your way to the top, then you''re going to be a very busy man by the time you reach the peak of the mountain," Wu Yue jibed.


    "I''m not convinced of that," Gao Zhen replied with a smile.


    All of a sudden, a serious look appeared on Wu Yue''s face as he said, "I''m not sure if it was just a false perception, but I sensed that even though that Mr. Qi possesses unfathomable power, there seems to be something very wrong with him."


    Gao Zhen shrugged in an uncaring manner as he replied, "In any case, this trip would''ve been a resounding sess had we just obtained this seal. Who could''ve anticipated that this seal would bepletely insignificantpared with the other treasure that we obtained? We''ve already gotten far more than we came here for, so we should be more than satisfied. Now that I mention that golden carp, I can''t help but think of that boy."


    "Are you thinking about giving him a further reward as a gesture of gratitude if the opportunity arises in the future?" Wu Yue asked with a smile.


    Gao Zhen shook his head in response. "Not at all, I''m justmenting over that pouch of copper coins that I gave him."


    Wu Yue couldn''t help but burst intoughter upon hearing this.


    It seemed that the Great Sui Nation was going to have a very miserly and conservative emperor in the future.


    There was a peaceful alley in the town that led from the north to the south, and only the sound of rolling cart wheels could be heard.


    The cart was being pushed by a young Daoist priest with a lotus flower hat on his head, and he had packed up his stall very early on this day. All he wanted was to return home as quickly as possible without any mishaps arising along the way.


    All of a sudden, a slender figure in ck suddenly stumbled out from another alley intersecting with this one. She then leaned her back against the wall and slowly moved along it, reaching a hand under the light veil hanging from her hat to sp a hand over her own mouth, while raising her other hand to point at the young Daoist priest.


    The Daoist hurriedly lowered his head as he quietly chanted to himself, "You can''t see me, you can''t see me, may the Buddha and the Bodhisattva shower me with their blessings..."


    He was a Daoist priest, yet in an atrocious act of sphemy, he was praying to the Buddha and the Bodhisattva as opposed to the Three Pure Ones of Daoism.


    Sure enough, the Buddha and the Bodhisattva seemed to have no interest in blessing a Daoist who didn''t even follow in their teachings. The young woman in the veiled hat mustered up thest of her strength as she stumbled toward the Daoist priest, then fell heavily onto the ground, but in the end, she was able to lock her hand tightly around the Daoist priest''s ankle.


    The young Daoist priest threw his hands onto his own head with an aghast expression, as if he were asking the heavens: "Why have you dumped such a massive bundle of mishap upon myp? What have I done to deserve this? For all these years, I''ve been traveling to all parts, embarking on arduous journeys, often being bitten by dogs even as I''m just walking along the street, minding my own business! My life is already difficult enough without this! Curse you, Gao n of the Great Sui Nation and that old dog of a eunuch! I''m nowhere near strong enough to be able to handle such a burden!"


    The young Daoist priest waspletely panicked and distraught, and he was on the verge of tears as he said in a trembling voice, "Please spare me out of the kindness of your heart, fair maiden. I promise you that I''ll find a scenic location for you with exceptional fengshui that''ll be sure to bless your descendants... Oh wait, you''re still a virgin... In that case..."


    Unfortunately for him, the young woman was alreadypletely unconscious, so his panicked ramblings fell upon deaf ears.


    The young Daoist priest looked around to ensure that there was no one nearby, then crouched down to pry the young woman''s fingers loose from his ankles.


    All of a sudden, the flying sword hurtled directly toward him, stopping no more than three inches away from his be.


    The young Daoist subtly released the young woman''s hand, then put on a sympathetic expression as he dered in a righteous manner, "A man as upstanding and kindhearted as myself naturally can''t just turn away a fair maiden in her hour of need!"


    The Daoist priest then sat down with his legs crossed, and a troubled look appeared on his handsome face. "But the problem is, where am I going to take her?"


    The flying sword immediately advanced an inch further, bringing it to no more than two inches away from the Daoist priest''s be.


    The Daoist priest patiently exined, "In order to save your owner, I require a helper. Go to the old locust tree and fetch one of its leaves for me so that I can ensure that she survives until I can get her the help that she needs. Your owner is a special case, so I have to take extra care in saving her so I don''t identally hinder her future in cultivation. What have I done to deserve being thrown into this mess?"


    The tip of the flying sword was trembling slightly, as if it were hesitating about how to proceed.


    "Hurry up! The sooner youe back, the sooner we can treat your owner! If you dy for too long, we''ll all be screwed," the Daoist priest snapped.


    The flying sword vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the Daoist priest to murmur to himself alone in a furious voice, "There have to be mutual feelings for a rtionship to blossom, yet that bastard, Qi Jingchun, is going around assigning couples as he pleases without any regard for the consequences!"


    The Daoist priest rested his cheek on his palm while counting on the fingers of his other hand to read the fortune of the young woman on the ground before him. "Let me see who I can send you that''ll both ensure your survival, while also sparing that person from a premature demise. The Lu n won''t do... The Zhao n isn''t suitable, either... The Song n..."


    Right as the Daoist priest was speaking to himself, the door god visages stered on all of the doors in the Song Manor on Fortune Street suddenly becamepletely devoid of luster in unison, and plumes of smoke that were invisible to the naked eye were rising up into the air.


    Deep inside the manor, a bare-foot old man pushed open the door of his room, then stormed out into the courtyard as he yelled, "Which bastard is plotting the downfall of our Song n? Come out and fight me right now!"


    The Daoist priest cleared his throat as he continued musing to himself, "The Liu n on Fortune Street seems to be capable of weathering this storm. Perhaps I should go to them..."


    Right at this moment, a series of cracks abruptly appeared without any warning on the family que that had been passed down for over 1,000 years in the Liu n.


    An old woman thumped her dragon cane heavily down onto the ground as she challenged in a deep and resonant voice, "Who goes there? Come out and face me!"


    The young Daoist priest pretended as if nothing had happened as he continued, "Let''s go to the Wei n on Peach Leaf Alley instead. The Wei n has clearly done many good deeds and umted a great deal of good karma, so they''ll definitely be the right people to turn to."


    Shortly thereafter, the furious voice of an elderly man was transmitted to the private school through a secret technique. "Qi Jingchun! Are you just not going to do anything about this? If you can''t do anything about him or are too afraid to intervene, then hurry up and piss off so Ruan Qiong can take your ce and give that sneaky bastard what he deserves! Hold on, I see what this is. You''re trying to get back at me through that bastard, aren''t you?"


    There was a man on the bank of the creek to the south of the covered bridge, and he was in the process of digging wells with some other people when he suddenly rose to his feet and turned to the south with his lips moving ever so slightly.


    A voice that resembled rumbling thunder instantly rang out above Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley. "That''s enough! You are not to disrespect Mr. Qi, and I will not interfere in the matters of the town before Chunfen arrives." [1]


    Following the intervention of this authoritative voice, everyone immediately fell silent.


    Meanwhile, the culprit behind all of this, the young Daoist priest, was in the process of picking up the hand of the unconscious young woman on the ground before him. With his other hand, he took the locust leaf that had been brought to him by the flying sword, then ced the leaf onto the palm of her bloody and mangled hand.


    As soon as the locust leaf came into contact with the injuries on the palm of her hand, those injuries instantly melted away like snow and ice under the scorching sun.


    The Daoist priest mused to himself in amazement, "Whenever I see the power of this world in action, I can''t help but be..."


    He scrambled to find a suitable adjective for what he was feeling for a while, but was unable toe up with anything that could fully encapste what he felt.


    In the end, he looked down at the young woman, who was looking very much worse for wear, and he still had no idea what to do with her. "Seeing as there''s more that rests on your fate than I first imagined, I have no choice but to take the exact opposite course of action to what I''ve been attempting to do up to this point.


    ��Out of the roughly 600 households in this town, all of them have had the aura of this secret realm rub off on them for generations, so it''s a simple task for me to find someone blessed by fate and good fortune, but finding a penniless pauper here is even more difficult than trying to ascend to the heavens! It''s the equivalent of sending me to the imperial court, but instead of asking me to find an official, you ask me to find a beggar! This simply seems to be a hopeless task!"


    All of a sudden, a potentially suitable candidate sprang into the Daoist priest''s mind, but instead of being ted by this find, he became even more aghast, and he closed his eyes as he thought about whether it was right to potentially bring more misfortune upon someone who already had nothing.


    After a while, he reopened his eyes as he sighed, "In any case, the choice is up to you, and I definitely won''t force you to take on this bundle of mishap against your will. If you''re unwilling to ept such a burden, then I''ll just have to bear it on my own."


    He then brought his palms together, much like a monk would, then prayed, "May the almighty Buddha and the merciful Bodhisattva assist me in transcending this tribtion."


    Soon, the young Daoist priest wheeled his cart onto y Vase Alley, then stopped in front of a certain courtyard before knocking on its gate. "Is Chen Ping''an there?"


    ced in a corner of the cart was a longsword in a pristine white scabbard. The flying sword was lying within the scabbard in a sullen manner, as if it were silently expressing its displeasure toward the Daoist priest for bringing its owner to such a run-down ce.


    1. Chunfen is another one of the 24 sr terms on the traditional Chinese calendar. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    There will be a lot of MC progression in the 40s... we are still very early in the book. Right now there are a lot of random characters and it may seem very confusing, but you gotta have faith. Once I got to 43, my heart was beating so fast because it was like, "OH SHIT." moment. The fight scenes are sooo good. Anyway, just don''t give up on the novel until you''ve reached at least chapter 50.


    Unsheathed will beunched next week! Stay tuned. </blockquote>

 Chapter 14: Inauspicious Birth

    Chapter 14: Inauspicious Birth


    The young Daoist priest had already made up a long-winded spiel in response to the inevitable question of "who''s there?" from Chen Ping''an, but to his surprise, the gate was quickly opened, and he didn''t even have to announce his identity to the young boy inside.


    As one of the narrowest alleys in the entire town, the Daoist priest''s cart couldn''t just be left outside Chen Ping''an''s yard as it would present a major hindrance to everyone trying to walk through the alley. Thankfully, even though Chen Ping''an appeared to be quite thin andcking in physical strength, he was much stronger than he looked, and it didn''t take him much effort at all to help the Daoist priest move the rather heavy cart into his yard.


    Throughout this entire process, Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything, and that left the young Daoist priest feeling rather awkward after he closed the gate of the yard behind him. It was like he had visited someone with the intention of borrowing money from them, only for the host to wee him with open arms and exceptional hospitality, leaving him too ashamed to ask for money.


    It was always going to be an awkward situation regardless of what he said or did, so the young Daoist priest decided to simplye clean right away. Thus, he removed the cotton nket draped over his cart, revealing a young woman in ckying on her side in a fetal position. Her veiled hat was sitting on her head at a very crooked angle, but it was still stubbornly concealing her face.


    As soon as the thin nket was lifted, the smell of blood instantly began to waft through the air, and only then did Chen Ping''an notice that there was blood seeping through her ck attire. Instead of pausing to consider how such a small and thin nket had managed to mask such a strong scent of blood, Chen Ping''an hurriedly took a few steps backward as he asked, "What is the meaning of this?"


    The Daoist priest replied, "We have to save her! She sustained some very severe injuries, but no one in the town is willing to help her. After weighing up my options, I decided that you were the only one who would perhaps be willing to take her in."


    "How did she sustain these injuries?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The Daoist priest had already prepared a story, and he immediately replied, "While I was pushing my cart past the archway earlier, I spotted this young woman from out of town, and she told me that she was going to make a rubbing of the inscription on the que that bore the idiom of ''unmatched aura''. She had things like a rubbing pouch and a brush on her, and she quickly scaled up the archway.


    ��The act of rubbing an inscription is... How do I put this? It''s basically a method of replicating a piece of calligraphy or artwork. It''s something that schrs are into, and it''ll take too long for me to exin to you what the process entails. In any case, after she climbed up onto the archway, she sat down onto the horizontal beam, and I was horrified for her safety, so I stopped and warned her to be careful. Much to my chagrin, she became too absorbed in her work and failed to heed my warning, ultimately falling off the archway onto the ground.


    ��As I''m sure you''re aware, unlike the ground in y Vase Alley, the ground beneath the archway is much harder, simr to the bluestone bs that Fortune Street is paved with, so the fall has most likely harmed even her internal organs. As a man of benevolence and upstanding character, I couldn''t just leave her there, wouldn''t you agree? On the way here, I asked many people to take her in, but they all turned away at the sight of her bloodstained clothes, saying that bringing someone like her into their homes so soon after the turn of the new year would bring bad luck to their families.


    ��While this is an understandable reaction, her condition is extremely urgent and must be treated without dy. If I had any other choice, I wouldn��t havee to you. If you��re not willing to take her in either, then I��m powerless to save her. I am but a mere mortal, not a deity with the ability to raise one from the dead. All I can do would be to apany her in her final moments, and then find a ce to bury her and erect a tombstone."


    The Daoist priest was intentionally speaking very quickly while telling his story and also slurring his words slightly, clearly trying to confound the young boy so that he would be swept along and agree to help before he had a chance to carefully consider the situation. In everything, the beginning was always the most difficult phase. Once the initial storm was weathered, things would generally take a turn for the better.


    Chen Ping''an wore a conflicted expression as he nced at the hopeful Daoist priest, then turned his gaze back to the frail young woman before finally arriving at a decision, nodding as he asked, "How do we save her?"


    The young Daoist priest was ecstatic to hear this, and he immediately said, "The fact that you''re willing to help is already half the job done! Her injuries appear to be extremely severe, and if you just look at her, it seems like she''s already close to six feet under, but in reality, her condition isn''t as dire as you think.


    ��Of course, I have to be honest and say that there are some intangible factors that have allowed her to survive to this point, such as her incredibly strong will to survive, and in addition to that, she seems to have undergone some type of training that allows her to protect her vital organs. Another factor is that our town is a very remarkable ce with many strange and interesting things that can be consumed or held for healing purposes to great effect."


    All of a sudden, the young Daoist priest realized that in his excitement, he had revealed too many secrets, and an awkward smile appeared on his face as he said, "Please forgive my ramblings. I''m sure you didn''t understand anything you just heard, right?"


    "I didn''t, but I still remember most of what you said," Chen Ping''an replied with an earnest expression.


    "By the way, how did you know that it was me earlier? Could you tell who I was just from hearing my voice?" the Daoist priest asked.


    "That''s right," Chen Ping''an replied.


    An intrigued look appeared on the Daoist priest''s face as he remarked, "You seem to have a very good memory. How well can you remember things?"


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at the frail young woman, and the Daoist priest smiled as he exined, "At the moment, she''s in an extremely profound state, and in this condition, we can''t just carelessly move her body, so it''s best to wait for a moment."


    Chen Ping''an was rather skeptical of this exnation, but he still replied, "My memory is better when ites to the things I see over the things I hear."


    "Can you give an example?" the Daoist priest asked.


    Chen Ping''an considered the question for a moment, then replied, "An example would be Master Yao''s jumping burin technique. Master Yao was the best potter in all of our town''s dragon kilns, and I was able to memorize all of the movements in his jumping burin technique after seeing it just once, but..."


    "But you were unable to physically replicate the technique, is that right?" the Daoist priest interjected with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes immediately lit up as he nodded eagerly in response.


    A meaningful smile appeared on the Daoist priest''s face as he asked, "Have you considered what it was that made his jumping burin technique so remarkable?"


    A slightly dejected look surfaced in Chen Ping''an''s eyes as he replied, "In the past, I was unable to figure it out no matter how much I thought about it, butter, Liu Xianyang told me something that Old Man Yao told him, which was that in order to execute the jumping burin technique well, one has to have a steady heart, not just a steady hand. After that, I began to understand what I was doing wrong.


    ��In the past, I was too hasty, and the hastier I was, the less steady my hands were, and the more mistakes I made. After making mistakes, I would be even more dismayed because I knew what I was doing wasn''t like Old Man Yao at all, and it was a negative cycle thatpounded on itself. That''s why I was always the worst at pottery molding at the dragon kiln."


    "There''s an old saying that the master is only responsible for teaching the basics, while the disciple''s talent and hard work decide how far they''ll go. However, Old Man Yao never even tried to teach you the basics, so how were you supposed to make anything out of yourself?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "I had too little talent in the craft. I couldn''t evenpare with the average apprentice, let alone Liu Xianyang, so it''s no wonder that Old Man Yao wasn''t willing to teach me."


    The Daoist priest suddenly smiled as he asked, "Chen Ping''an, do you know how difficult it is to reach a state where you can attain and consistently keep a steady heart? Do not be so harsh on yourself."


    However, Chen Ping''an still wasn''t convinced, and he shook his head as he said, "Think about it this way then: I can say that I''m catching fish while standing in water that''s less than knee deep, while someone with exceptional swimming skills that dives deep into the water and holds their breath for a long time is also said to be catching fish, but these are two entirely different concepts, wouldn''t you agree?"


    The young Daoist priest burst intoughter and offered no response to this. Instead, he suddenly said, "We can begin saving her now."


    Chen Ping''an was rather dumbfounded by this sudden deration, and the Daoist priest also faltered momentarily upon seeing this. "What are you just standing there for? Carry her onto the bed in your room!"


    "What do I do after that?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Well, of course, you start by changing her into a set of clean clothes, then go to the medicine shop to grab a few medicinal ingredients that''ll aid in her recovery. After that, you can leave everything to me," the Daoist priest replied.


    "Are you sure she won''t beat me to death after she wakes up?" Chen Ping''an asked with a dark expression.


    "There''s no way that would happen! You are her savior; how could there possibly be someone in this world capable of turning on the one who saved their life?" the Daoist priest replied in a categorical tone.


    Chen Ping''an offered no response to this.


    The Daoist priest cleared his throat, and he suddenly seemed to be a lot less sure of himself as he muttered, "She probably wouldn''t do that."


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh, then proposed, "There''s a girl by the name of Zhi Gui living in the neighboring house. Can I ask her toe and help out instead?"


    "I''m afraid that won''t do, and that''s where the problem lies," the Daoist priest replied in a resigned manner.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t persist with the idea, and he squatted down as he scratched his own head with tightly furrowed brows.


    The Daoist priest suddenly asked, "Isn''t there anything you want to ask me? I may not be able to answer all of your questions, but I''ll be sure to answer all of the questions that I can."


    "Let''s save her first," Chen Ping''an sighed as he rose to his feet.


    "I couldn''t have said it better myself!" the Daoist priest said with a bright smile.


    At the same time, he surreptitiously swept a sleeve through the air, forcibly confining the young woman''s flying sword to its scabbard.


    Chen Ping''an hoisted the young woman onto his back, then made his way into his house before gently cing her down onto his nk bed, which was covered by a thin nket. The bed had only just been repaired after it had been snapped by Liu Xianyang, and there was a bench tucked under the bed for support.


    The young Daoist priest made his way into the room behind Chen Ping''an, and he looked around to find that the walls were virtuallypletely bare.


    All of a sudden, he realized that he was forgetting something, and he gave himself a light p on the forehead before making his way back outside to fetch some paper and a brush so he could write down the list of medicinal ingredients that he wanted Chen Ping''an to fetch.


    After returning to the room, the Daoist priest shook his head and intentionally refrained from looking in the direction of the nk bed, thinking to himself that Chen Ping''an was most definitely not going to have a good time after the young woman woke up.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an had already sat down on the edge of the bed and removed the young woman''s veiled hat, revealing a pale face that was covered in blood.


    She was bleeding out of all of her facial orifices, and Chen Ping''an hurriedly rose to his feet upon seeing this before dragging a stool over to the bed.


    He then rushed to a corner of the room, where there was a small wooden shelf that held all of his pots and pans. Beside the wooden shelf was a small water vat, which was covered by a wooden board to keep out the flies and mosquitoes.


    The vat was filled with water that had just been drawn from the Iron Lock Well, and Chen Ping''an picked up a wooden tub and a gourd spoon before squatting down beside the water vat, quickly scooping water into the tub using the gourd spoon. After that, he draped a clean cotton cloth onto the edge of the tub, then carried it over to the stool by the side of the bed before wiping away the blood on the young woman''s face.


    The Daoist priest turned to Chen Ping''an, then handed him a piece of paper. "There''s a small medicine shop on Fortune Street. Go and fetch me the medicinal ingredients on this list."


    "Didn''t you say I could leave the rest to you?" Chen Ping''an asked with a perplexed expression.


    The Daoist priest replied, "I did tell you to leave the rest to me, but only after you''ve fetched the medicinal ingredients I asked for. Make sure to be careful on your way to the medicine shop, and don''t tell anyone what you''re doing. Otherwise, if people hear that you have a woman from out of town in your room, it could ruin both her reputation and yours."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, and he asked while washing the cotton cloth, "Do you have money for the medicinal ingredients?"


    "You don''t have any money?" the Daoist priest asked, suddenly appearing rather anxious.


    Chen Ping''an set the wooden tub down onto the table, then pulled out a golden copper coin from somewhere before also cing it on the table. "I''ll exchange this with you for normal copper coins. As for how many copper coins it''s worth, I''ll leave it to you to decide that."


    After a brief moment of contemtion, the Daoist priest said, "This coin alone is enough to buy all of the ingredients on the list. I''ll get you the money now."


    Soon, the Daoist priest returned with a pouch of normal copper coins, along with several pieces of loose silver, all of which he gave to Chen Ping''an.


    Prior to his departure, Chen Ping''an said, "Don''t tip out that tub of water, I''ll do it after I get back. My neighbor, Song Jixin, is always intrigued by new things, and if he sees youing out of my house, he''ll start to wonder about what��s happening here."


    "Chen Ping''an, do you not have any questions that you want to ask me?" the Daoist priest asked with a serious expression.


    Chen Ping''an stood on the spot as he briefly counted the copper coins and the pieces of loose silver before carefully putting them away. He then gestured for the Daoist priest toe outside with him, and after stepping out of the room, Chen Ping''an turned to the Daoist priest as he said, "I know that all of you aren''t normal people. Quite a few years ago, Old Man Yao once got drunk and told me that our town is no ordinary town, that it''s full of strange things and strange people, but he couldn''t put his finger on exactly what''s strange about this ce, so I naturally had no idea, either.


    ��Earlier today, I heard from Gu Can that he saw a storyteller with a normal-looking white bowl that could pour out more water than what could fit in arge water vat. Gu Can is pretty annoying at times, but I know that he didn''t lie about this. There was also a very tall woman who came to our alley earlier today, and she flicked my forehead once, thenid her palm against my chest before telling me that I was going to die very soon. She then told me that it was a joke, but I know that she was telling the truth."


    A grim look appeared on the young Daoist priest''s face upon hearing this.


    Chen Ping''an continued, "You told me that by burning the paper talisman that you gave me, I could bring good fortune to my parents in the afterlife, and to be honest, I believe you. That''s why I didn''t ask any questions when you came to me and asked me to save that woman. However, I want you to promise me one thing.


    ��If you agree to make that promise, I''m willing to do whatever you want me to do. However, if you refuse, then after fetching you these ingredients and helping you make the medicine required to cure that woman, I''ll have to ask both of you to leave."


    "What promise do you want me to make?" the Daoist priest asked.


    Chen Ping''an had always seemed mature and steadfast beyond his years, yet at this moment, he was looking rather uneasy as he replied, "My parents passed away when I was very young, and for some reason, I can still remember many things from my childhood, but I can never clearly recall what my parents looked like.


    ��After my parents passed away, my neighbors kept me alive, and I was constantly going from home to home, eating whatever my neighbors were willing to spare me. One time, I inadvertently heard someone say that I was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, and judging from the tone of their voice, I figured that that wasn''t a very lucky day. There was another neighbor who was even more blunt and direct when talking about this..."


    Chen Ping''an was rambling to put off what he actually wanted to say, but after a brief pause, he finally cut to the chase, lowering his head as he continued in a dejected voice, "After I help you save that woman, if, and I''m saying if, I were to suddenly die someday, can you help me reincarnate in my next life to be born to my parents again?"


    The young Daoist priest offered no response.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head with a bashful smile as he said, "If it''s not possible, then just forget it. It''s ridiculous to think that anyone can manipte what happens in the afterlife, so I''m clearly asking too much of you."


    "What are we going to do about her?" the Daoist priest asked with a wry smile.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly turned around so that his back was facing the Daoist priest, and he waved his fist as he jibed, "I would be a fool not to save someone as pretty as her!"


    The Daoist priest looked on as Chen Ping''an made his way out of the room.


    As soon as he emerged onto y Vase Alley, the thought of someone seemed to have entered Chen Ping''an''s mind, and his cheerful facade instantly crumbled as tears began to flow down his face.

 Chapter 15: Suppress

    Chapter 15: Suppress


    As Chen Ping''an was making his way down y Vase Alley, he just so happened to run into Song Jixin''s maidservant, Zhi Gui. After taking Cai Jinjinan to Gu Can''s home, she didn''t immediately return to Song Jixin''s residence. Instead, she paid a visit to the shops on Apricot Blossom Alley, and even though she didn''t buy anything, she was still in a very good mood, skipping joyfully down the alley.


    Having been born and bred in this rural town, Zhi Gui had a very simple and down-to-earth disposition that set her apart from the young women born to wealthy and powerful families.


    Upon spotting Chen Ping''an, she didn''t lower her gaze and elerate past him as she normally did. Instead, she stopped in her tracks and stared at him, seemingly wanting to say something, but also feeling a bit conflicted about whether to speak to him or not.


    Chen Ping''an shed her a smile before jogging past her, then sped up after passing her by.


    Zhi Gui stood at the entrance to y Vase Alley, turning around as she watched Chen Ping''an rushing away under the radiance of the sun. He was like a hardy and resilient stray cat that was roaming all over the ce, never running into much luck, but also able to just barely get by.


    Zhi Gui wasn''t a very well-liked figure in the town, and that was partially due to the fact that she was the maidservant to Song Jixin, who was considered to be a little strange and enigmatic by the residents of the town. Regardless of whether she was drawing water from the Iron Lock Well, buying things from the market, or shopping for things on her master''s behalf, she never seemed to fit in with those around her, nor did she have any friends of her age.


    She didn''t like to speak much even when running into acquaintances, and for the town''s residents, who always enjoyed festivities and social interaction, it was very difficult for them to warm to her when she had such an unapproachable personality.


    Chen Ping''an was actually quite simr to Zhi Gui in this regard. What was different in his case was that even though he also didn''t like to speak much, his personality definitely didn''t turn people away from him. In fact, he was naturally very friendly and approachable, and he was like a smooth stone that didn''t possess any sharp edges. It was only due to the unfortunate circumstances of his upbringing and the fact that he had gone to work at the dragon kiln from a young age that he wasn''t all that close and familiar with his neighbors.


    Of course, in addition to that, all of his neighbors on y Vase Alley were also a little wary of his birth date, regardless of whether they were willing to admit it or not. ording to the superstitions in the town, the fifth day of the fifth month was considered to be an ominous day during which the five poisons, namely centipedes, snakes, scorpions, geckos, and toads, all came out to spread disease and misfortune.


    That, in addition to the fact that his parents had passed away while he was still at a very young age, inevitably made it so that there was a negative stigma surrounding him. In particr, the old people who liked to gather under the old locust tree would always intentionally distance themselves from Chen Ping''an and encourage their grandchildren and great-grandchildren to do the same. However, whenever those children asked why they should stay away from Chen Ping''an, those old people would be unable to give an exnation.


    Right at this moment, a tall figure emerged from the alley, stopping beside Zhi Gui. Zhi Gui remained silent as she continued onward, studiously ignoring the tall figure. The man was none other than the schoolteacher, Qi Jingchun, and he turned to walk alongside Zhi Gui down y Vase Alley.


    A cold look appeared on Zhi Gui''s face, and she continued walking as normal as she said, "Is it not best for both of us to mind our own business and refrain from interacting with each other? Don''t forget that you''ve held the upper hand prior to this, controlling this entire realm while I''m just a lowly servant residing here, so I''ve been forced to suffer in silence, but recently, something seems to have gone wrong at your seat of enlightenment, isn''t that right? So right now, I am the one who''s on the ascendancy, while you''re falling from grace!"


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he said, "Wang Zhu... Forget it, I''ll do as the townsfolk do and call you Zhi Gui for now. Zhi Gui, while you''re blessed by heaven and earth and were born from the will of the world, do you really think that I have no way to subjugate you? Thousands of years ago, the four sages descended upon this ce together to establish a set of rules that still stand to this very day.


    ��Did you think that they established those rules without leaving behind any ways to enforce them, and that they simply hoped that people would follow those rules of their own ord? You''re nothing but a frog trapped at the bottom of a well, oblivious to the fact that the world is far more vast than what you can see out of the opening of the well."


    Zhi Gui''s brows furrowed slightly as she scoffed, "Don''t try to intimidate me with your words, Mr. Qi. I am not my young master, Song Jixin, and I have no interest in hearing you spout your pretentious nonsense, nor have I ever believed what you''ve had to say. Why don''t you stop talking in circles and tell me exactly what it is that you want? Whether it be a fight to the death or a peaceful resolution, I can ept anything."


    "I advise you to rein in your greed and desires after you leave this ce. If you focus only on short-term gains without any regard for long-term implications, the consequences of your actions will be detrimental to everyone. In particr, once you embark with him on the journey of cultivation, regardless of whether you be Dao partners or not, you should restrain yourself and refrain from being excessively overbearing. This is not a threat, it is simply a piece of friendly advice thates straight from the heart on the cusp of my departure."


    As aforementioned by Zhi Gui, Qi Jingchun was the master of this realm, while she was only a maidservant that resided in it, but not only was she not disying any sign of inferiority in Qi Jingchun''s presence, it almost seemed as if she were the pre-eminent figure of the two. A mocking sneer appeared on her face as he scoffed, "A piece of ''friendly'' advice? For thousands of years, high and mighty cultivators like yourself have treated this ce like a plot of farnd, harvesting it for all its worth year after year without remorse or apology.


    ��Why is it that all of a sudden, you''re trying to extend an olive branch to a disgusting creature like myself? I''ve heard a saying from my young master that many of you like to preach, stating that those of a different race or ethnicity cannot be trusted, isn''t that right? If I look at it that way, I suppose I can''t me you. After all... "


    Qi Jingchun continued onward, taking a step forward as a hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Oh?"


    After taking another step, Zhi Gui''s expression changed ever so slightly.


    All of a sudden, both of them had stepped into a ce that waspletely enshrouded in darkness that was so suffocating and absolute that one couldn''t even see their own fingers held aloft before them. However, there were countless rays of light imbued with a mystical aura shining down from far above.


    It was as if they were situated at the bottom of a dark well, with golden sunlight spilling down through the opening of the well.


    Qi Jingchun wore an azure robe, and there were streaks of light revolving incessantly around him.


    A fierce look initially appeared on Zhi Gui''s face, but she quickly reverted back to a cold and wooden expression as she murmured, "60 years of Buddhist chants ringing out like thunder directly within my ears. 60 years of Dao talismans clinging to me tenaciously, tearing at my body with all their might. 60 years of righteous radiance epassing the entire heavens, leaving me with no ce to hide. 60 years of boundless sword qi churning incessantly, piercing through me at every turn.


    ��Every 60 years is one cycle, and I haven''t had a single day of peace or respite for the past 3,000 years. All I want to know is where the so-called foundation of your Great Dao lies. I can see everything you''ve written, and I can hear everything you say as you preach and educate others, but I''m still unable to find the answer that I''m looking for..."


    She stared at Qi Jingchun in a transfixed manner, and in her eyes, he was simultaneously the unremarkable teacher in the impoverished small town, but also the vastly renowned Qi Jingchun of the Mountain Cliff Academy of Confucianism, a revered schr that even the heir-to-be of the Great Sui Nation had to treat with the utmost respect.


    A smile suddenly appeared on Zhi Gui''s face as she asked, "How are you going to teach me and guide me on the right path? If I recall correctly, even the great Confucius himself stated that everyone is to be regarded as equal when ites to education."


    Qi Jingchun shook his head in response. "Even if I preach to you all of the sagely teachings under the heavens, my efforts will still prove to be futile."


    Zhi Gui appeared to be chatting with Qi Jingchun in a nonchnt and rxed manner, but in reality, her entire body was tensed up like a bow at full draw, and she was constantly inspecting her surroundings with her peripheral vision, trying to find a way out of this predicament.


    Qi Jingchun could see what she was doing, but he paid no heed to this as he sneered, "I know that your heart is filled with boundless rage, resentment, and killing intent. I''ve never been one to bepletely intolerant to those of different races and ethnicities, but what you have to understand is that excessive and indiscriminate kindness and benevolence has never been the true doctrine of the three teachings."


    A derisive look appeared on Zhi Gui''s face as she narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "My young master often says that bickering with schrs about sense and reason is the most tiresome thing that one could do. It seems that you weren''t bluffing and you really are experiencing a brief resurgence before your demise. I presume you''re even more fearsome in this state than before..."


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he said, "It doesn''t matter if I can''t get through to you with my words. So long as I still remain in this world and retain the right to rule over this ce, an ungrateful, treacherous creature like yourself will never be permitted to see the light of day!"


    "You''re calling me ungrateful and treacherous?" Zhi Gui asked as she pointed at herself with a derisive sneer on her face.


    An enraged look appeared in Qi Jingchun''s eyes as he condemned, "Back when you were in your most vulnerable state, you had no choice but to bow your head and establish a contract with a human. Who was it that saved you on that snowy day on y Vase Alley? And what have you done for him in return other than devour what little remained of his good fortune over the years?"


    Zhi Gui smiled as she replied in a nonchnt manner, "I was hungry, so I had to find something to eat and stave off my hunger. Isn''t that simply part of the natural order? Besides, he wasn''t going to amount to anything to begin with, and the sooner he dies, the sooner he''ll be reincarnated. Perhaps there''ll be some slim hope for him to make something of himself in his next life. Is it not an act of cruelty to prolong his suffering and allow a rootless weed like himself to drift around in the world without any hope or future prospects?"


    Qi Jingchun swept a sleeve through the air as he roared in a furious voice, "Silence! The Great Dao is as unpredictable as it is profound; what gives you the right to speak on behalf of the heavens? Everyone has their own fate and destiny; what gives you the right to choose how one should live their life?"


    An enormous, dazzling golden hand abruptly appeared above Zhi Gui, and it came crashing down with tremendous force like the palm of the Buddha, or the collective hand of the Three Pure Ones, instantly forcing Zhi Gui to her knees upon making contact with her head, then mming her forehead heavily down onto the ground.


    Such was the force with which she had been forced to kowtow to the ground that a resounding thump echoed rang out across the entire area.


    Zhi Gui pressed her palms against the ground, trying to struggle against the palm that had forced her head to the ground as she cackled, "You can force me to lower my head, but I''ll never admit to any wrongdoing!"


    The massive golden hand plucked her head up from the ground, then mmed it down once again, forcing her to kowtow a second time amid a resounding boom akin to a rumbling thunderp.


    "Don''t forget that you are only alive now because the sages granted you a chance at life! It is a privilege, not a right! Otherwise, I could easily suppress you here for 30,000 years, let alone 3,000!"


    Zhi Gui''s head was still pressed firmly against the ground as she retorted in a hoarse voice, "I''ll never follow the path you''ve tried to set out for me!"


    "Insolence must be punished!"


    Qi Jingchun raised his arm up high, then brought his palm down violently.


    A white jade seal that was over 10 feet wide suddenly appeared at the center of the golden light that was shining down from the opening of the well. It was a square seal with eight ancient characters engraved upon it, and there were extremely striking patches of red coloration on its surface. At the same time, countless arcs of purple lightning were surging around the seal, crackling incessantly.


    With a verbalmand from Qi Jingchun, the giant seal came crashing down from the heavens. Zhi Gui was already kneeling on the ground, and the seal descended directly upon her back.


    The giant seal was imbued with the power of heavenly might, but it didn''t seem to have any substance. Instead of crushing Zhi Gui to the ground, it passed through her body like lightning, then vanished into the ground without a trace, seemingly having had no impact on Zhi Gui at all.


    However, in the next instant, Zhi Gui copsed to the ground like a pile of mud, looking as if every single bone in her body had just been shattered by a heavy object, presenting an extremely sorry sight to behold.


    Even so, she was still wing at the ground with all her might, as if she were trying to gouge her fingers into the earth.


    Qi Jingchun looked down on her in an expressionless manner as he dered, "I made you kowtow thrice to honor the world, all living beings, and the Great Dao, respectively!"


    There was a dazed look in Zhi Gui''s eyes, and she offered no response.


    The suffocating aura weighing down upon Zhi Gui faded with a gentle sweep of Qi Jingchun''s sleeve, and he continued, "I am nothing but a mediocre schr under a great sage, yet even I am able to force you to kowtow thrice. If you leave this town and do whatever you please, are you not afraid that you''ll encounter an even more unreasonable being than yourself, and that they''ll crush you with nothing more than a single finger?


    ��You are indeed deprived of your freedom in this ce, but consider this for a moment: where in this world can you truly find absolute freedom? All of the rites and etiquette established by the great Confucius exist to grant all living beings an alternative form of freedom. As long as you do not go against these established rules and abide by this code of etiquette, you''ll be able to go anywhere you please in this world!"


    Zhi Gui raised her head to glower intently at Qi Jingchun, who took a step toward her.


    The world instantly returned to normal, and both of them were back in y Vase Alley, basking in the warmth of the sunlight and the spring breeze.


    Zhi Gui rose unsteadily to her feet as a wry smile appeared on her face. "I will be sure to remember your teachings, Sir."


    Qi Jingchun didn''t say anything further, and he turned to depart.


    All of a sudden, Zhi Gui asked, "Even If I have indeed repaid Chen Ping''an''s kindness with ingratitude, why is it that as the student of a saint, you merely stood by and watched without doing anything? Why is it that you only focus your attention on nurturing Zhao Yao and my young master without paying any heed to Chen Ping''an?


    ��How do your actions make you any different from a merchant who treats his wares with discretion depending on the value that they can fetch him? A merchant will treat precious and exotic wares with care and adoration, while mediocre wares would be treated with indifference and disdain. Isn''t that exactly the same as what you''re doing?"


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he replied, "One who is destined for great things must learn to fend for oneself."


    Zhi Gui was rather perplexed by this answer.


    As Qi Jingchun left the alley and vanished out of sight, a derisive sneer immediately appeared on Zhi Gui''s face and she spat disdainfully onto the ground.


    As she was hobbling past Chen Ping''an''s house on the way back to Song Jixin''s residence, her brows furrowed slightly, and she pondered momentarily about how to proceed. However, due to the copse of Qi Jingchun''s Dao foundation, the town was on the verge of destruction, and it was like a leaky boat that was struggling to stay afloat. Thus, she had to think for herself and carefully n out what she was going to do next, so she had no time to deal with Chen Ping''an.


    As soon as she opened the gate of Song Jixin''s courtyard, an unremarkable-looking four-legged snake rushed out of a corner before quickly scurrying over to her feet, only to be kicked aside by her in a fit of anger.


    ��������


    Inside Chen Ping''an''s house, the young Daoist priest was seated beside the table, meditating in silence.


    The young woman on the bed had been on the brink of death not long ago, yet she was already able to sit up on her own with her legs crossed. Without her veiled hat concealing her face, a set of very memorable features was revealed.


    She wasn''t particrly stunning or gorgeous, but there was a gant and resilient appearance about her that made her stand out despite her rtiveck of traditional beauty.


    Her eyebrows resembled a pair of slender des, and as she cast a probing gaze toward the young Daoist priest, thetter was struck with a sense of unease. He hadn''t done anything wrong, but for some reason, he felt rather guilty under her scrutiny.


    The Daoist priest cleared his throat before hurriedly exining, "Let me make this clear: I was the one who saved you, but a boy by the name of Chen Ping''an did everything else, including carrying you into this room, removing your veiled hat, and washing your face. He''s the owner of this house, and he''s a poor youngd whose parents passed away at a young age.


    ��He used to be an apprentice at a dragon kiln, and he once bought a paper talisman from me, but that''s the extent of my interaction with him. If you have any other questions you want to ask, I''ll be sure to answer them to the best of my abilities."


    The Daoist priest had immediately sold Chen Ping''an down the river in order to clear himself of all wrongdoing.


    The young woman nodded in response, and instead of disying any anger or indignation, she said in a genuine voice, "Thank you for saving me."


    The Daoist priest''s guilt waspounded even further upon hearing the young woman''s words of gratitude, and he hurriedly said, "There''s no need to thank me, I only did what was to be expected of me. I''m d you''re safe and well now."


    The young woman asked, "You''re not from the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, right?"


    Instead of answering the question, the Daoist priest turned the same question on her. "You''re not, either, isn''t that right?"


    The young woman nodded in response, and the Daoist priest also made the same admission.


    A smile appeared on the young Daoist priest''s face, and he said, "My name is Lu Chen, and I have no Dao title. You can just call me Daoist Lu."


    The young woman nodded in response before ncing at the lotus flower hat on the Daoist priest''s head.


    After a brief hesitation, the Daoist priest mustered up some courage and said, "Some of Chen Ping''an''s actions could perhaps have been considered to be inappropriate, but the situation was very urgent at the time, and I didn''t think that you would be able to recover so quickly from your injuries. If we have offended you in any way, I hope that you may forgive us."


    "Rest assured, Daoist Lu, I''m not an unreasonable person," the young woman replied with a smile.


    "That''s good to hear," the Daoist priest said with a relieved expression.


    All of a sudden, the young woman raised an eyebrow, and the Daoist priest''s smile instantly stiffened.


    She looked around with a calm expression, then said, "I heard that the number one swordsmith on this continent, Master Ruan, nned to open a sword forge here. I came all the way to this ce with the hope that he''d be willing to forge a sword for me."


    "If it really is him, then it won''t be an easy task to get him to forge a sword for you in person," the Daoist priest sighed.


    "Indeed."


    The young woman was looking a little troubled, and she was clearly also aware that this was going to be a tall order.


    Right at this moment, Chen Ping''an returned to his home, carrying a few bags of medicinal herbs in his left hand and a small pouch in his right. He knocked on the door as a cursory gesture, then quickly strode over to the doorstep before cing the medicinal ingredients onto the table as he said, "Take a look and see if I''ve got all the right ingredients. If I picked up any wrong ingredients, I''ll go back and exchange them right away."


    He then turned to inspect the young woman''s condition, only to find that she had already sat up on her own on his nk bed, and she was looking right back at him.


    "Hello, my name is Ning Yao. My namees from my father''s and mother''s surnames, which are Ning and Yao, respectively," the young woman said in a calm manner.


    Chen Ping''an reflexively replied, "Hi, my father''s surname is Chen, and my mother''s surname is also Chen, so..."


    A slightly awkward look appeared on his face as he spoke, but that was quickly reced by a friendly smile as he concluded, "My name is Chen Ping''an."

 Chapter 16: Lay Your Thoughts To Rest

    Chapter 16: Lay Your Thoughts To Rest


    Ning Yao disyed no reaction to this, but Lu Chen couldn''t help but burst intoughter.


    He then immediately realized that the atmosphere in the room was a little off, and he hurriedly changed the subject. "The leaves of the tamarisk tree were picked at the wrong time, missing the ideal window of harvest by seven days.


    ��Also, this bag of dragonsoar weed here, they did way too sloppy a job in the grinding process. Look at how coarse this is! It''s supposed to be fine powder! And don''t even get me started on these papercrease flowers. How could the Yang Family''s medicine shop do this to its customers? I asked for 150 grams of this, but there''s clearly not enough here!"


    The young Daoist priest picked out a bunch of problems with the ingredients that Chen Ping''an had brought back for him, and he was dissatisfied with almost every single ingredient. It felt as if he had some type of personal vendetta against the Yang Family''s medicine shop.


    However, in the end, he took a 180-degree turn as he concluded, "I can only imagine that the shopkeeper''s conscience has been eaten by dogs, but having said that, these ingredients will suffice. Of course, Ning Yao''s recovery is primarily attributable to her own remarkable physical constitution. Even if we''re being extremely lenient here, it has to be said that the Yang Family''s medicine shop yed next to no part in her recovery."


    The Daoist priestid out a sheet of paper, then picked up his brush and began writing on it as he continued, "I''ll write out the method for you to brew the medicine. This is a very important task, and great care must be taken, so make sure to proceed with caution. This medicine is designed for both recovery and for bolstering one''s physical constitution. It ensures that Ning Yao will not only make a full recovery, she''ll emerge on the other side in even better physical condition than before.


    ��On top of that, this medicine is very gentle and nurturing, and it won''t leave any undesirable side effects. Given the slower-acting nature of the medicine, it''ll take a little longer for Ning Yao to make a full recovery, so more medicinal ingredients will have to be purchased than otherwise, but that''s just a matter of money. I''ve written down when the medicine needs to be brought up to a boil over a high me, and when it needs to be brought down to a simmer over a low me, as well as when the medicine needs to be brewed and consumed.


    ��For the next 10 days or so, you''ll have your work cut out for you, but a young man like yourself should rise to the asion and thrive under the extra responsibility. Otherwise, you''ll be looked down on by our fair maiden here."


    The list of ingredients had only taken up half a sheet of paper, but two whole sheets of paper had been required to record the brewing method. The script used was a verymoncepact script, and the Daoist priest''s handwriting was very neat and orderly.


    Chen Ping''an was caughtpletely off guard by this, and he hurriedly asked, "Are you not going to oversee her recovery? This is a matter of life and death, so wouldn''t it be a much better idea for you to look after her in person?"


    "I''m about to leave this town soon. There''s a sect that follows the teachings of my branch of Daoism in the Southern Stream Nation, and they''re holding a ceremony that I want to see in person," the Daoist priest said with a resigned expression.


    "How am I supposed to follow the medicine brewing method you gave me? I''m illiterate!" Chen Ping''an eximed.


    The Daoist priest was momentarily stumped upon hearing this, but a smile then appeared on his face as he said, "It''s alright, Ning Yao knows how to read. If you have any questions, you can just ask her."


    Ning Yao nodded in agreement, indicating that she was up to the task.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to say something else when a thought suddenly urred to the young Daoist priest, and he pulled a small azure jade seal out of his sleeve. He blew gently onto the face of the seal for a moment, then pressed it firmly down onto the sheet of paper that contained the list of medicinal ingredients he had requested.


    After that, he lifted the seal, and he seemed to be quite pleased with his handiwork, stowing the seal back up his sleeve before handing that sheet of paper to Chen Ping''an along with the other two. "Make sure you keep these safe and don''t lose them. Most of the books in the town are part of private collections, so it won''t be easy for you to purchase any. If you really want to learn to read, then you can start by using everything I''ve written down for you as learning material."


    The Daoist priest then turned to Ning Yao with a smile as he said, "The world is vast, but it can also be incredibly small at times, so I''m sure we''ll meet again someday, but for now, this is farewell."


    Ning Yao replied with a serious expression, "Words cannot express my gratitude for what you''ve done for me, Daoist Lu. If you require my help in the future, just send a message attached to a flying sword to Stctite Mountain, but make sure you don''t forget to sign off as Lu Chen. Otherwise, the flying sword may not be permitted to enter the mountain."


    The Daoist priest was clearly rather taken aback to hear that Ning Yao was from Stctite Mountain, and he instinctively wanted to ask her about it, but Ning Yao shook her head ever so slightly, and he immediately understood her intentions, ultimately deciding against raising any questions. When it came to Chen Ping''an, some things were simply better left unknown to him.


    After that, the Daoist priest left the room while gesturing for Chen Ping''an to apany him. "Come with me, Chen Ping''an. I have some parting words for you."


    Chen Ping''an set the pouch down on the bed first, telling Ning Yao that it contained the new clothes that he had bought.


    After the two of them had emerged into the courtyard, the Daoist priest said in a low voice, "Given your exceptional memory, I''m sure you can already recognize all of the characters on the list of medicinal ingredients that I gave you. On top of that, you have a renowned bookworm living in the house right next to yours, so it''s clear that yourck of literacy is not the true reason why you''re asking me to stay."


    "With your abilities, I''m sure you already know the true reason," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "You''re thinking that your death is sealed, and you''re worried that after you die, there will be no one left to look after Ning Yao, right?" the Daoist priest asked.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. "I took her in, so I have to take responsibility for her to the very end."


    The Daoist priest stood beside his cart, joining his index and middle fingers before extending them together and gently stroking the white scabbard of Ning Yao''s flying sword, and the sword flew stealthily into the room. It appeared that Ning Yao didn''t want to startle Chen Ping''an, so she didn''t kick up a fuss and silently epted the presence of the flying sword. The Daoist priest fell into deep thought for a moment, habitually tapping the lotus flower hat on his head as he did so.


    After taking some time to arrange his words, he said, "Prior toing here, I heard from my senior disciple brother that we have to be reasonable in the way that we do things, and that it''s important to cater to the feelings of others. Hence, I can''t be too harsh and dogmatic with my words here. While it''s true that everyone has their own fate, the fundamental doctrine of the sect that I belong to is different from the doctrines of more orthodox sects.


    ��Every meeting has some element of karma attached to it, and I would say that there has been some good karma established between the two of us. Hence, I''m inclined to bestow a gift upon you before I leave. I can''t give you that bamboo tube and the 108 sticks as the causality would be too chaotic, and they would be more trouble than they''re worth in your hands. As for my private seal, that''s a bit too hefty a gift to give.


    ��If the formation is removed, the entire town would bepletely exposed, and I would be doing you a massive disservice rather than helping you. Will I have to resort to giving you money as a parting gift? That would be way too vulgar and tacky; I simply wouldn''t be able to live with myself..."


    Chen Ping''an immediately interjected, "It''s not vulgar or tacky at all if you give me money, Daoist Lu. I''d be more than happy with that!"


    An amused smile appeared on the Daoist priest''s face as he said, "I know you didn''t understand what I was saying about the other two items, but I''m sure you could tell that they were extremely important. Why aren''t you asking for those things?"


    Chen Ping''an replied, "I''ve seen and heard about a lot of strange things today. A bowl that seems to be able to hold infinite water, a Daoist priest that can write up paper talismans to be burned to bless those in the afterlife, the strange injuries sustained by Ning Yao, and that pouch filled with 20 copper coins that are actually made from gold.


    ��In the past, Old Man Yao was always talking about how this is a very strange ce, but now, I''ve seen it for myself. If I hadn''t met that man and woman from out of town, I would''ve definitely avoided all of you, and I wouldn''t have opened the gate to let you in."


    The Daoist leaned against his cart as he said in a grim voice, "By tapping your be with her finger, that woman was forcibly opening your acupoint. In martial arts jargon, that''s an act known as pointing the way. There are different levels of technical proficiency with which one can perform this procedure, and it can be done with both positive and negative intentions. As an analogy, we can look at the gate of your yard, which is not very sturdy.


    ��If she takes a hammer to the gate, she''ll be able to force her way into your yard, but the gate will be permanently broken. Without the gate in ce, you''ll be vulnerable to all of the elements all year round, including rain, hail, sleet, and snow, while she can simply leave after condemning you to that miserable fate."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated momentarily, then said, "It''s fine, I''m used to enduring hardships."


    The Daoist priest could tell that Chen Ping''an wasn''t joking, and he couldn''t help but feel frustrated by how willing Chen Ping''an was to ept his fate. "That''s only the first thing that she did to you. For someone with a strong physical constitution like yourself, it won''t be a stretch for you to live until 30 to 40 years of age. However, the palm strike that she dealt to your chest was the true finishing blow.


    ��Not only did it destroy the vitality of your body, it also robbed you of any slim chance you had of stepping onto the path to attaining immortality. Given the enormous fortune in this ce, there was a chance that you would''ve been able to embark on the path of cultivation. Think about it this way: this ce is like a river that''s filled with countless flood dragons, fish, and prawns.


    ��Those who are fortunate will naturally be able to reap greater rewards from the river, yet even those who aren''t as fortunate to capture the flood dragons present in the river would''ve at least been able to catch some fish and prawns."


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t stunned or horrified by this revtion at all. Instead, he merely stood on the spot with a tranquil expression, and it didn''t seem like he was putting on a facade of calmness.


    The young Daoist priest heaved a faint sigh upon seeing this. "Chen Ping''an, it''s not necessarily a good thing to think of yourself as someone with nothing to lose at such a young age. You must be thinking that it would be best if you could survive, but if the will of the heavens left no alternative for you but to meet a premature demise, then that''s not anything worthy of fear, right? In your mind, death is just a way for you to reunite with your parents, is that correct?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t deny this.


    The Daoist priest suddenly became a little worked up as he continued, "In that case, have you considered how your parents would feel seeing you like this if you''re fortunate enough to meet them in the afterlife?"


    The Daoist priest became more and more incensed as he spoke, and he stuck out a finger before giving Chen Ping''an''s head a firm poke, as if he were trying to poke some sense and reason into the boy. "The stories of the afterlife tell of the White Reaper of Impermanence, a deity who wears a tall white hat, and whenever hees to this world to detain the souls of the dead, the deceased will clearly be able to see the words ''your time hase'' inscribed upon his hat.


    ��Let me ask you this, Chen Ping''an: do you think your parents would be d to see you in the afterlife and be content to pass on to their next life? How many people do you think exist in this world who are actually fortunate enough to be parent and child or husband and wife for lifetime after lifetime? I can''t tell you right now that you should banish such a preposterous idea from your mind!


    ��Even the most powerful beings in this world don''t have any way to manipte the designation for their next life, let alone someone like you, a pathetic little beggar who can''t even afford to have three meals a day!"


    In the end, the tone of the Daoist priest''s voice had be extremely serious and scathing, and Chen Ping''an was left at aplete loss for what to do.


    He was so frightened by what he had heard that his hands and feet had turned as cold as ice, and it was the first time in his life that he had ever felt such an overwhelming degree of fear.


    He sank down to his haunches with his hands sped over his own head.


    The Daoist priest looked down at him for a moment, then said, "I owe you a favor for saving Ning Yao, and I was hoping that I would be able to avoid repaying you, or at least dy part of the repayment until your next life, but now, I''ve decided to repay you in full at once so neither of us will owe the other anything. I''m going to tell you three things that you must make sure to remember. The first thing is that once Ning Yao is in better condition, take her to the creek south of the town and look for a father and daughter with the Ruan surname.


    ��Make sure to take Ning Yao with you. Otherwise, if you go on your own, you can visit them 100 times, and they still won''t agree to meet you. After you get there, no matter what you have to do, whether that be beg and grovel, or just be shameless and refuse to leave, you have to convince them to ept you as an apprentice or a manualborer. Regardless of whether you''ll be assigned to digging wells or forging swords, it doesn''t matter. All that matters is that you get them to take you under their wing.


    ��After that, Ning Yao will have repaid her debt to you as well, so don''t feel like you''re taking advantage of her. The second thing is that after the fifth day of the fifth month, you must make frequent visits to the creek under the covered bridge. It doesn''t matter what you do there, whether it be collecting rocks or catching fish, the key is to visit the creek often. It''s even more important that you visit the creek when you''re in a bad mood or you sense something a little different from usual.


    ��As for what rewards you''ll reap from those visits, given your terrible luck, I wouldn''t be too optimistic, but you can only hope that your diligence can make up for your other shorings. If you still don''t reap any rewards even after visiting the creek as much as possible, then you''ll just have to ept your fate."


    After that, the Daoist began to wheel his cart away, but Chen Ping''an was still rooted to the spot, seemingly waiting for something.


    "Come and help me."


    Chen Ping''an rose up from his haunches to help the Daoist priest push the cart, and at the same time, he asked with a curious expression, "Didn''t you say there were three things that you were going to tell me?"


    "I already told you what the third thing is, think about it yourself," the Daoist priest replied with a cold harrumph.


    Chen Ping''an waspletely stumped.


    The Daoist priest continued, "Those copper coins are quite precious, so make sure to keep them safe. Avoid going out as much as possible in the near future. Also, smile more. You''re already not that handsome to begin with, how are you going to attract any good fortune if you always look so glum?"


    The Daoist priest was rambling as if he were an older family member of Chen Ping''an''s.


    After the cart was moved out of the yard, Chen Ping''an offered to help the Daoist priest push it out of y Vase Alley, and the Daoist priest didn''t refuse.


    The two of them made their way down the alley, one in front of the other, and the Daoist priest said, "There''s something that I was a little hesitant to tell you, but I''ve decided to tell you now. ording to my reading of your fortune, the early passing of your parents was due to no fault of yours."


    The Daoist priest fell silent after that, but right as the cart was about to be pushed out of y Vase Alley, he concluded, "Not only that, but your parents are partially to me for how difficult your life has been."


    Chen Ping''an offered no response to this.


    The Daoist priest insisted that Chen Ping''an didn''t apany him any further, and he pushed the cart away toward the eastern town gate on his own.


    Along the way, he turned back to find that Chen Ping''an was still standing at the entrance to the alley, waving vigorously at him with a bright smile, lookingpletely unlike someone with not long left to live.

 Chapter 17: Cry of Indignation

    Chapter 17: Cry of Indignation


    Meanwhile, Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City was still seated across from Song Jixin, carefully holding the small teapot with the mandrill inscription on the bottom in both hands. At the moment, he was inspecting the inscription on the bottom of the teapot with great care and attention, as if he were appreciating the gorgeous body of a stunning beauty.


    He had already been inspecting every single inch of the teapot for close to an hour, asionally blowing on it and massaging it with his sleeve as he did so, and it seemed that he couldn''t even bear the mere thought of putting it down. There were always some people or things that made one fall in love at first sight, and this teapot was exactly one such item in Fu Nanhua''s eyes.


    Even though this was only something that had slipped through the cracks, Fu Nanhua was convinced that he had stumbled upon a brilliant treasure. Out of the many sects in the southern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Old Dragon City was one that ranked near the top. Hence, Fu Nanhua was someone who had truly seen the very best of what the continent had to offer, and that was why Cai Jinjian had been willing to concede her inferiority to him at every turn earlier.


    Song Jixin yawnedzily as he shifted to a morefortable posture in his chair, then said, "Brother Fu, now that you''ve already confirmed the authenticity of the item, isn''t it time that we discussed the price?"


    Very rarely did anyone refer to Fu Nanhua as "brother" under such an informal setting, so he was struck by a hint of vexation, but he patiently suppressed those feelings as he reluctantly set down the teapot, then smiled as he said, "I''m sure you can see my sincerity, Brother Song. I have been fully transparent from the very beginning, revealing to you the true value of this teapot, and I''ve also made no effort to disguise how fond of this teapot I am.


    ��I''ve done all of this to avoid a heated bartering process that would not only be a waste of time, but also harm the brotherly bond that we share. Brother Song, I already see you as a close confidant on my future cultivation journey. Right now, I''m content to do business with you, and if we take a solid first step together and further deepen our bond, I can see myself entrusting even my own life to you at some point in the future."


    In the face of Fu Nanhua''s sincerity, Song Jixin leaned back and shrugged with a smile as he said, "I''m a very vulgar and materialistic man, Brother Fu. Of course, I do cherish friendships, but if someone is talking to me about brotherly bonds while discussing business, I simply can''t help but doubt the sincerity of their words. Whenever they bring up our brotherly bond in the future, how do I know that they''re not thinking about swindling me out of my money?"


    A cold look appeared on Fu Nanhua''s face upon hearing this, and he leaned against the back of his chair while gently tapping the table with a finger in silence.


    Song Jixin seemed to have beenpletely oblivious to the change in Fu Nanhua''s attitude, and he continued, "The fact that I''m calling you Brother Fu and willing to bring out this teapot to show you should already be a sufficient disy of my sincerity. Both of us want this deal to work out, so let''s not waste any more time going around in circles.


    ��Here''s what''ll happen: you give me a price, and I''ll nod or shake my head. I''ll give you two chances to state prices, and if I refuse both times, then I''m afraid that''ll be the end of the story. After that, no matter what you try to offer me, even mountains of silver or seas of gold, I won''t be selling."


    A sincere smile reappeared on Fu Nanhua''s face as he said, "The jade pendant that I gave you earlier is a first-time meeting gift from me to you. It''s called an Old Dragon Rainbringer, and it''s not a particrly powerful immortal treasure, only able to clear the mind, cleanse the organs, and cool down the wearer during hot weather. It''s particrly useful during meditation, and its effects will be greatly enhanced if used alongside a mantra of Daoist origins."


    Fu Nanhua then ced an embroidered pouch onto the table before pushing it toward Song Jixin as he continued with a serious expression, "This bag of copper coins is known as Offering Coins, one of the many types of items offered to deities and other objects of worship. They''re generally offered to City God Temples or statues of different deities to be held in the mouth, in the belly, or atop the palm, all for different purposes and effects.


    ��Most importantly, these coins may appear to have been minted using gold, but in reality, the material used is gold essence, which is far more precious than gold and is a material that''s considered to be exceedingly rare even by immortals. I can''t say that this bag of gold essence Offering Coins is more than enough value in exchange for this teapot, but at the very least, it''s definitely a fair price. This, in addition to that jade pendant, would undoubtedly make you the winner of this transaction, Brother Song."


    After introducing what he had to offer, Fu Nanhua fell silent, awaiting Song Jixin''s response.


    Song Jixin was also silent for a moment, then blinked in an incredulous manner before asking, "That''s it?"


    "That''s it," Fu Nanhua confirmed with a wry smile.


    Song Jixin instantly red up with rage upon hearing this, mming a palm down onto the table as heunched into a furious tirade. "Do you take me for an idiot? Do I look like a stupid child that you can just swindle as you please? Beforeing into the town, each of you had three pouches of copper coins, one of which is given to the gatekeeper, so it stands to reason that the other two pouches are to be exchanged for the two treasures that each of you is permitted to take from this ce.


    ��Each pouch is supposed to contain no fewer than 20 copper coins, yet look at this t pouch of yours! Are there even 12 copper coins in there? How dare you speak of sincerity when you''re clearly trying tomit daylight robbery!"


    Fu Nanhua began to tap his finger more heavily against the table, and he was also doing so at a faster rhythm.


    Song Jixin��s heart abruptly shuddered, and he was inexplicably struck by a sense of shortness of breath. His face quickly became flushed, and his eyes were bing bloodshot. He hurriedly pressed a hand over his own heart to find that it was beating violently like a drum, almost as if it were threatening to punch its way out of his chest.


    Fu Nanhua gradually slowed down the tapping of his finger, and only then did Song Jixin''splexion begin to improve.


    A faint smile appeared on Fu Nanhua''s face as he said, "Seeing as the first price has been rejected, I''ll just have to offer a second price. I''ll give you 24 gold essence Offering Coins for this mandrill teapot. What do you say?"


    Song Jixin was sweating profusely as he pondered the offer. He could see that Fu Nanhua was growing impatient, and he was just about to say something to defuse the situation when Fu Nanhua began to increase the speed of his tapping once again, seemingly as a form of vengeance for Song Jixin''s earlier tirade.


    Song Jixin sped both hands over his chest, and his face was twisted in agony, but he was still glowering at Fu Nanhua with a defiant look in his eyes.


    Fu Nanhua was almost unable to suppress the urge to put an end to Song Jixin''s life right there and then, but for the sake of the greater good and his own future in cultivation, he reined in his temper, stopping the tapping of his finger and sparing Song Jixin from a painful demise.


    Song Jixin was panting heavily with a fervent look in his eyes, and he suddenly began tough in a hoarse voice.


    Fu Nanhua was extremely perplexed by this, and he could see that there seemed to be no resentment in Song Jixin''s eyes. However, he didn''t find this to be particrly rming. After all, the path of cultivation wasden with all types of strange and inexplicable things, and he had encountered more than his fair share of baffling individuals. Hence, he merely asked, "What are youughing about?"


    Song Jixin''s breathing gradually began to even out, and he sagged back in his chair as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, but his eyes were still as bright and piercing as ever as he replied, "I can''t help but be ecstatic whenever I think of the fact that I''m also going to develop the same powers as you and possess the ability to kill with the tap of a finger."


    Fu Nanhua smiled and offered no response, seemingly not all that surprised that Song Jixin would think this way.


    In Fu Nanhua''s, eyes, people like Song Jixin were the easiest to deal with, so long as he stayed above them, but they could also be the most difficult type of people to deal with if they were to overtake him.


    However, as the young master of Old Dragon City, Fu Nanhua was convinced that after sessfully attaining his fated opportunity here, there was no way that he would ever be overtaken by a child who hadn''t been taken from the town by anyone up to this point.


    Song Jixin took a nce at the teapot and half-full pouch of copper coins on the table, then raised his head as he said, "I have two conditions. If you agree to those conditions, not only will I sell you this mandrill teapot, I''ll also show you something else that''s at least of the same caliber."


    Fu Nanhua fought down the tion that was rising up in his heart as he maintained as calm a facade as he could muster up and asked, "What are your conditions?"


    Song Jixin didn''t waste any time and immediately told Fu Nanhua what he wanted. "Firstly, I want you to give me three pouches of gold essence coins, not two."


    "I can do that," Fu Nanhua replied without any hesitation.


    Song Jixin stared intently into his eyes, radiating silent skepticism.


    Fu Nanhua smiled as he said, "You can choose whether to believe me or not. Now that I''ve epted this condition, you must bring out the item that''s worth two pouches of gold essence for me to see in person."


    "Of course," Song Jixin replied with a nod.


    "What''s your second condition?" Fu Nanhua asked.


    "I want you to kill someone for me," Song Jixin replied.


    Fu Nanhua shook his head in response. "Seeing as you''re aware of how many copper coins are in each pouch, I''m sure you''re also aware that outsiders like myself cannot just kill the townsfolk in here as we please. Otherwise, we''ll be immediately evicted from the town, and there''s even a chance that we could be stripped of a portion of our aptitude.


    ��The sages are even capable of depriving us of future fated opportunities through unfathomable means, so not only will we be forced to suffer the consequences of our actions, even our ns could be negatively impacted as well."


    "Don''t be so quick to refuse. Perhaps the circumstances will change over time, and you might want to reconsider then," Song Jixin said with a faint smile.


    "I''m curious, who do you want to kill?" Fu Nanhua asked with a smile.


    "I''m still considering that question myself," Song Jixin replied, telling only a half-truth.


    Fu Nanhua picked up the teapot again, stroking its smooth surface as he said in a nonchnt manner, "In that case, I''ll just have to wait and see."


    Across from him, Song Jixin unconsciously massaged his own neck as a sinister look appeared on his face.


    After Cai Jinjian had been taken to Gu Can''s residence by Zhi Gui, the maidservant had departed on her own to go and visit the shops on Apricot Blossom Alley. Cai Jinjian pushed the gate open before entering the courtyard, upon which she was instantly rooted to the spot, not daring to move even a single inch. She stared at the old man sitting on the bench as she asked in a trembling voice, "May I ask if you are the River Severing True Lord of Lake Shujian?"


    "Oh? How do you know of me?" the old man asked.


    Cai Jinjian replied in a respectful voice, "I am Cai Jinjian of Dawn Cloud Mountain. 10 years ago, I apanied my father on a trip to Lake Shujian, and I had the honor of seeing you from afar. Even to this day, that memory still remains clear in my mind as if it had happened only yesterday."


    The storyteller who was being referred to as the River Severing True Lord took a nce at Cai Jinjian, then said in an indifferent voice, "I see. Seeing as you''re from Dawn Cloud Mountain, I''ll forgive you for your unannounced intrusion, but don''t let this happen again. Make sure to close the gate behind you when you leave."


    Cai Jinjian was silent for a moment before nodding in response. "I''ll be taking my leave now, Senior."


    After that, she really did leave as she was instructed, and she obediently closed the gate behind her, doing so with great care so that she didn''t make any more noise than necessary.


    Inside the courtyard, Gu Can''s mother cast a concerned gaze toward the gate as she asked, "Immortal Elder, I don''t think she''s the type that would give up so easily. Are you sure she won''t cause trouble for us?"


    The River Severing True Lord scoffed, "In this ce, even drawing a breath or releasing a fart could bring trouble. If we''re constantly cowering and backing down at the first inkling of trouble, then we won''t be able to get anything done."


    The woman had no response to this.


    The River Severing True Lord smiled as he asked, "Let me ask you this: if you had a choice, would you rather send Gu Can to cultivate on Dawn Cloud Mountain or apany me to Lake Shujian?"


    The River Severing True Lord could see that the woman was eager to pledge her loyalty, so he raised a hand, gesturing for her to wait as he continued, "Don''t be in a hurry to answer. Dawn Cloud Mountain ranks near the bottom among the second-rate sects of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but if you think that it''s not worthy of your consideration just because of that, then you couldn''t be more incorrect.


    ��The Cloud Root Stones produced by Dawn Cloud Mountain are a truly prized treasure, and they are the only sect under the entire heavens to produce the material, not just on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. As a result, Dawn Cloud Mountain holds a transcendent status and is respected by one and all.


    ��In particr, all of the sects and Daoist temples that follow the alchemy branch of Daoism have had very close and deep-rooted ties with Dawn Cloud Mountain for thousands of years. In contrast, I''m nothing more than one of the cultivators of Lake Shujian. All I have is an ind on theke, a few disciples, and no more than 100 servants."


    Despite her age, Gu Can''s mother still retained much of her beauty from her younger days, and she smiled as she said, "The disparity between myself and that woman from Dawn Cloud Mountain is no different from the gap between her and yourself. How could I possibly send Gu Can off to scrounge for scraps with that woman rather than be the disciple of someone as mighty and revered as yourself?"


    The River Severing True Lord burst intoughter upon hearing this, following which a thought suddenly urred to him, and he instructed in a serious voice, "Tell me about that boy''s history, and give me as detailed an ount as possible."


    The woman faltered slightly upon hearing this, then smoothed down her hair with her hands momentarily before beginning her story. ��The name of that poor boy is Chen Ping��an. Both his parents grew up in the town, and I was very close with his mother. She wasn��t particrly beautiful, but she had a fantastic personality. I don��t think I can recall an instance where she ever became angry at anyone.


    ��Her husband was far from a handsome man, and to be honest, I don��t think he was good enough for her, but he was a decent potter. If he hadn��t died so young, perhaps he would��ve been able to be the head potter at arge dragon kiln in 20 years. As for how he died, some say that on a certain rainy day, he was worried that the me in the kilns would be snuffed out, and in his haste to get to the kilns, he slipped and fell into the creek.


    ��Others say that while out in the forest securing firewood one day, his greed got the better of him, and he trespassed onto a mountain that was sealed off by the imperial court and fell prey to some wild beasts. In any case, his body was never found. That man had a really quiet and withdrawn personality, but he was very good to his son. Whenever he returned to the town, he would always bring some small gifts like little pellet drums, candy Bodhisattva figures, or old porcin fragments.


    ��Before he passed away, the family of three had a pretty stable life. After Chen Ping��an��s father passed away, the grief was too much for his mother to bear, and she fell ill almost overnight. Over the course of less than a year, she was so tormented by her illness that she was reduced to nothing more than a sack of skin and bones. At the time, her neighbors and I were terrified to see her, and she was just a shell of the bubbly and outgoing woman that everyone knew and loved.


    ��During that time, Chen Ping��an looked after her. He was just a wee little child back then, but he did everything, including buying and brewing medicine, and cooking for his mother and himself. He was so short back then that he had to stand on a stool while cooking just to reach the countertop, and in order to save money on medicinal ingredients, he would go all over the mountain searching for the moremon medicinal ingredients.


    ��If he had any left over, he would sell it all to the medicine shop. One time, he presumably ate the wrong medicinal herb by ident while exploring the mountains, and upon returning to the town, he suddenly copsed to the ground and began frothing at the mouth while rolling around as if he had been possessed. We were terrified at the time, thinking that this would be the end of their family.


    ��At the time, my mother-inw was still alive, and she said that it would be a blessing for all three of them to pass on like this so that none of them would have to remain in this world and suffer alone. At the very least, they would be able to reunite in the afterlife. However, Chen Ping��an was somehow able to survive that ordeal on his own, but his mother was unable to live through the winter.


    ��Oh, that reminds me, Chen Ping��an was born on the fifth day of the fifth month. All of the older people in our alley say that this is the most unlucky day of the year, and those who are born on that day will not only lead miserable lives, they��ll bring misfortune upon their families as well. After his parents passed away, there was not a single copper coin left in their house. Even the small gifts that his father had brought back for him had all been exchanged for food with the other children in the town.��


    At this point in the woman''s story, the River Severing True Lord finally interjected, "The fifth day of the fifth month, eh? That''s interesting. Let me see..."


    He then began to count on his fingers, seemingly calcting something.


    The woman didn''t know whether she should continue, but the River Severing True Lord smiled and said, "You can keep going."


    The woman did as she was told, continuing her story. "None of the people living on our y Vase Alley dared to bring Chen Ping''an into our homes, but we couldn''t bear to just see him die, so we would asionally help him out, bringing him some food to ensure that he wouldn''t die from starvation. Everyone knew that Chen Ping''an was a good and hard-working child, and we all want to help him, but his birthdate has such negative connotations that no one dares to associate with him.


    ��Of course, not everyone''s sympathetic to his cause. There are also some scummy individuals in our neighborhood who always liked to pick on him just because he has no parents, and in the end, he was forced to go and be an apprentice at the kilns. Before his mother passed away, he had promised her that he would sooner be a beggar than go work at the dragon kilns. Something absolutely terrible had to have happened to him for a child so devoted to his mother to go back on his promise to her."


    "Do you know the names, birthdates, and eight characters of the boy''s parents?" the River Severing True Lord asked. [1]


    The woman only knew their names, but not their birthdates and eight characters. However, the River Severing True Lord assured her that this information would suffice, and a few momentster, he suddenly sneered, "Did they think their pathetic little tricks would be able to fool anyone? What a joke!"


    The woman looked on with a befuddled expression.


    The River Severing True Lord exined, "That boy''s father didn''t die from an ident. What most likely happened is that he inadvertently discovered the secret of this town, but he was far less fortunate than you, and his ancestral blessings were also sorelyckingpared with those of your n. In the end, he shattered his own son''s bonded porcin vase for the sake of his safety.


    ��As a result, a certain sect outside the town lost everything that they had been painstakingly orchestrating. That''s a massive investment gone to waste, and there''s no way that a lowly potter like him would''ve been able topensate the sect for their losses, so he had to pay with his life. His life alone wasn''t enough, and they imed his wife as well.


    ��The sect behind all of this most likely thought that the death of a potter wouldn''t be worthy of note in anyone''s eyes, so they couldn''t even be bothered to do a good job of covering it up, using an extremely crude concealment technique that I was able to see through in mere moments. The degree of negligence is asughable as it is astounding."


    A dejected look appeared on the woman''s face upon hearing this.


    The River Severing True Lord could tell what she was thinking, and he smiled as he asked, "Do you feel ashamed? Are you regretting what you did?"


    A wry smile appeared on the woman''s face as she replied, "I definitely do feel ashamed. After all, I watched that child grow up right in front of me. However, I haven''t regretted what I''ve done even for a single instant!"


    "I can tell," the River Severing True Lord said with a nod.


    The woman murmured to herself in self-constion, "If Chen Ping''an''s mother were in my position, I''m sure she would''ve done the same thing."


    "I''m not so sure of that," the River Severing True Lord mused with a shake of his head.


    "She definitely would''ve done the same!" the woman yelled, as if to drown out all dissenting voices.


    The River Severing True Lord wasn''t bothered by her rude outburst, and he merely sighed, "I suppose. Every parent simply wants what''s best for their child."


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an was sitting on his doorstep, and he suddenly asked, "Can I ask you something, Ning Yao?"


    Ning Yao was sitting with her legs crossed, her back against the wall, and her saber in her green scabbard resting in front of her. "Of course, but I won''t answer any questions that concern confidential secrets or my privacy."


    "Generally speaking, how long do people like you stay here before they leave?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Ning Yao''s brows furrowed slightly as she replied, "That''s hard to say. Some people are extremely fortunate and can leave the very same day they came. Others are not so fortunate, and this could be their final resting ce. If you insist on getting my opinion on the matter, then I can tell you, but my estimates may not be urate, so make of that what you will. If we take a look at the eight people that I came into the town with as an example, there are two groups of people from powerful families.


    ��They''re not going to be very smart, but they''ll have a lot of money on their hands, and I''m sure they won''t be leaving the town anytime soon. At the very least, they''ll be staying in the town for a few days. The guy with the tall hat and the jade pendant will probably have a rtively easier time getting what he wants. In contrast, there''s an idiot who''s focused all of his efforts on that well. As for whether he''ll seed or not, that''ll depend on his luck."


    "Can I ask you about someone else?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Who?"


    "The young woman who''s really tall."


    "Do you like her?"


    Chen Ping''an merely brushed off the question with a smile, treating it as nothing more than a jibe.


    Ning Yao seemed to have also realized that her joke was in bad taste, and a grim look appeared on her face as she said, "Truth be told, I overheard your conversation with Daoist Lu from earlier, so I know what she did to you. Are you thinking about seeking vengeance against her?"


    She heaved a faint sigh, then continued, "Let me give you a piece of advice. For those people who are at the top of the mountain, people like you who are halfway up the mountain are actually no different from those at the foot of the mountain. That''s not because they''re arrogant, it''s just that they really are far above you.


    ��Setting that woman from Dawn Cloud Mountain aside, even that little boy in therge red robe can make you throw up a ton of blood with a punch to the chest, whereas if the roles were flipped and you punched him instead, it would barely even tickle him. At the very most, it''ll hurt him a little, but it definitely won''t do any substantial damage. As for the reasons for this, that''s very hard to borate on, and I''m not very good at talking about this stuff."


    Chen Ping''an turned to cast his gaze out the door as he said, "I just want to know why she did that to me. That was the first time that we met, so what reason did she have to kill me?"


    Ning Yao pondered the question for a long while before finally replying, "She may not be the type of person who kills innocent people on a whim. How do I exin this? Picture it this way: on the path of cultivation, there are all types of different terrains and situations that one has to negotiate.


    ��Sometimes, they may be a little hasty in their footsteps and inadvertently crush an ant underfoot, or they could get hungry and catch a few fish out of a river to eat, or they could identally kill a bird or a snake while practicing the use of their powers. Those are all possibilities, and none of those scenarios are necessarily intentional. That''s not a very good analogy, but you understand what I''m saying, right?"


    "Kind of," Chen Ping''an replied, then cast his gaze out the door again in a rather gloomy manner.


    In reality, he didn''t understand at all. He couldn''t wrap his head around why those people could just take the lives of others for no reason.


    A long whileter, Chen Ping''an turned to Ning Yao with a smile as he said, "If you don''t mind, you can live here. Just tell me if you need anything."


    "Where are you going to live?"


    "I know someone, and I''ll go and live at his ce, so don''t worry about me. His name is Liu Xianyang, and he''s a very good friend of mine."


    "Thank you," Ning Yao said with a smile on her face.


    Chen Ping''an smiled back at her while scratching his own head in a rather bashful manner. After a brief moment of hesitation, he finally mustered up his courage, then turned to face Ning Yao once again as he said, "Ning Yao, if I don''te back someday, give that pouch of golden copper coins to Liu Xianyang and tell him to look after this house for me from now on.


    ��He doesn''t need to clean it, just do the asional repair and add some new roof tiles from time to time so that it doesn''t leak rain. Also, don''t let the wall copse, and make sure that the yard gate isn''t looking too shabby. If he could ster some door gods and couplets up on the door and walls on New Year''s Eve, then that would be fantastic, but if it''s too much trouble, then don''t bother with it."


    Ning Yao could see a sparkle in Chen Ping''an''s eyes as he spoke of door gods and couplets, and it was clear that he had yearned for those things for many years.


    As for exactly how many years, it was the same as the number of years that had passed since his parents had left this world.


    After getting everything off his chest, Chen Ping''an felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he gently exhaled before dusting off his knees and slowly rising to his feet.


    Right at this moment, the flying sword within the scabbard on the table suddenly began to emit a sharp screeching sound.


    1. ording to ancient Chinese superstitions, the "eight characters" is a Chinese astrological concept that a person''s destiny or fate can be divined by the two sexagenary cycle characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour. ?

 Chapter 18: Three Out of Five

    Chapter 18: Three Out of Five


    As Fu Nanhua emerged from Song Jixin''s residence, he discovered Song Jixin''s maidservant sitting on a small bench in the yard, holding a handful of corn that she was feeding to some chickens. An old hen and a brood of yellow-furred chicks were slowly roaming around her, plucking up the corn kernels on the ground with their beaks.


    Fu Nanhua gave her a faint smile, and the maidservant''s lips perked up every so slightly, but that was the extent of her response. It seemed that she was not very personable, and perhaps that was because she was quite shy and reserved, or perhaps she simply had a rather cold and aloof personality.


    After opening the yard gate, Fu Nanhua discovered Cai Jinjian waiting in the alley outside, looking a little dispirited. He turned and closed the gate, and through the gradually closing gap, he saw Zhi Gu turn to look at him. Only then did he suddenly notice that despite her status as a lowly servant in this small town, she had a pair of very remarkable eyes that made her resemble a delicate green bud emerging on a branch in early spring.


    However, Fu Nanhua didn''t think much of this. As the young master of Old Dragon City, he had seen more than enough beautiful women of all descriptions for a lifetime.


    While walking alongside Cai Jinjian, Fu Nanhua asked, "What''s wrong? Did things not go smoothly for you? Good things take time. Fated opportunities like these may notnd on ourps on the first try, so there''s no need to be disheartened."


    Cai Jinjian was naturally quite beautiful in appearance, and her body had been cleansed and purified through her cultivation. In the eyes of a mortal woman at the foot of the mountain, she would resemble a goddess of stunning purity, but ultimately, no matter how breathtaking she appeared on the outside, she was still nothing more than a sack of skin and flesh.


    At this moment, there was a very displeased look on Cai Jinjian''s face, and that was a clear indication of just how foul a mood she was in. Otherwise, her emotions wouldn''t have been so tantly disyed on her face. It was most likely the case that she had a belly full of pent-up rage and was itching to confide in someone.


    "Someone got there before me. It''s one of the leading figures of Lake Shujian, River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao. There was no room for negotiation at all. He mentioned the master of our Dawn Cloud Mountain right away to establish his seniority over me, and I barely got to say anything before he kicked me out of Gu Can''s yard."


    "Let''s talk about this after we leave y Vase Alley," Fu Nanhua said with a cautious expression.


    "Aren''t all mystical abilities prohibited here?" Cai Jinjian asked.


    Fu Nanhua smiled as he replied, "All of the people who''vee here in search of fated opportunities have some trump cards up their sleeves. Younger people like ourselves may not be so severely restricted, but ording to the rules of the town, the more advanced one''s cultivation base is, the more heavily their powers are suppressed.


    ��Theoretically speaking, for those below Sages, the closer they are to a Sage, the weaker they''ll be in this ce. However, have you considered what would happen if a powerful cultivator were to forcibly unleash their mystical abilities even at the expense of sustaining damage to their Dao foundation? Surely you didn''t think that they would simply be powerless against the likes of you and me."


    "But with a Sage overseeing this ce, there''s no way that the River Severing True Lord would dare to just tantlye after us!" Cai Jinjian countered.


    "We''re here to make allies, not enemies. As long as our lives are under threat, we should avoid turning those seniors against us at all costs," Fu Nanhua said.


    Cai Jinjian wasn''t the type to split hairs, and she nodded in agreement. "You''re right, Brother Fu. It''s definitely better to be safe than sorry."


    However, a dejected look then appeared on her face as she sighed, "But I really don''t want to just give up so easily. I''ve already promised you 10 Cloud Root Stones, how am I going to exin this to my seniors if I go back empty-handed?"


    After emerging from y Vase Alley, both Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian were struck by a sense of pressure at almost the exact same moment. This definitely wasn''t just a figment of their imagination, and the two of them exchanged a nce before quickly looking away from one another.


    Fu Nanhua was extremely ted and excited, but he immediately calmed down in the face of this inexplicable sensation. He carefully thought back to everything he had done after arriving in the town, and he concluded that there shouldn''t have been anything amiss about his alliance with Cai Jinjian or his transaction with Song Jixin. Everything that he had done up to this point had been within the rules, so it didn''t make sense for the enigmatic Sage in this town to interfere. In that case, where was this pressureing from?


    Could it have beening from the River Severing True Lord, someone that he hadn''t even heard of before this point? In contrast with Fu Nanhua, who was considering multiple possibilities, Cai Jinjian''s thought process was far more straightforward. She simply thought that Fu Nanhua had been correct in his assessment of his situation, and that the River Severing True Lord really had used some type of mystical ability to keep her under surveince.


    As soon as this thought urred to her, a hint of lingering fear welled up in her heart, and she was feeling very thankful that she had onlyined about the situation, but hadn''t said anything disrespectful about the River Severing True Lord.


    Both of them continued to make their way down the street, absorbed in their own thoughts. The further away they walked from y Vase Alley, the more they felt as if a burden were being lifted from their shoulders. Fu Nanhua was feeling the weight of the fated opportunity that he had secured, while Cai Jinjian was having to deal with the burden of the hopes of her n.


    Fu Nanhua cast his gaze toward the archway in the distance, and a curious look appeared on his face as he asked, "Why do I have no recollection of a River Severing True Lord from Lake Shujian? Granted, our Old Dragon City is situated in the southernmost region of the continent, but all True Lords are vastly renowned figures, so there should be no way that I haven''t heard of him."


    Cai Jinjian lowered her voice as she sneered, "He''s not actually a True Lord, he''s just a sanctimonious Spiritual Master among disreputable sects. He has no right to refer to himself as True Lord, it��s just a self-given title to make him seem more important and loftier of status than he actually is. Given how shrewd and wiser a ruler Emperor Yuanwu is, there''s no way that he would''ve bestowed the title of True Lord upon someone like him.


    ��Each True Lord title can only be upied by one person at a time, which means that after one is given out, several centuries could easily go by before it can be recovered. In addition to that, Emperor Yuanwu''s ancestors exercised very little discretion when giving out those titles. As a result, only two of them remain at this point, so there''s no way one could just be carelessly given out to a disreputable cultivator like Liu Zhimao."


    "I see," Fu Nanhua mused as an enlightened look appeared on his face.


    Each True Lord was an integral figure in the empire, serving to gather, suppress, and enhance the fortune of the empire for its ruler.


    The True Lords of Daoism were all prominent figures in various different fields, such as pir generals in the military forces and grand secretaries of the school of Confucianism.


    "How was Song Jixin?" Cai Jinjian asked, seemingly in a nonchnt manner.


    Fu Nanhua also replied in a casual manner, "That young boy possesses lofty ambitions, exceptional intellect, and powerful backers. The only thing is that his horizons..."


    "They''re not very broad?" Cai Jinjian asked with a smile.


    "I can''t say that they''re not broad, they''re just not broad enough," Fu Nanhua chuckled.


    The two of them made their way to the foot of the archway, and Fu Nanhua was feeling very pleased with himself as he murmured, "In times of great fortune, even heaven and earth willbine their powers to assist me."


    Meanwhile, Cai Jinjian looked up at the que depicting the idiom "refrain from looking outward", and there was an empty and dejected feeling in her heart, as if the enlightenment that she had attained on y Vase Alley earlier had been stripped away, leaving her feeling very frustrated.


    ��������


    Song Jixin''s residence was considered to be a prominent household on y Vase Alley,plete with a hall that had a que hanging above its entrance and two side rooms, one on the left and one on the right.


    The que bore the name "Farkeep Hall", and there was no signature. Judging from the handwriting alone, Song Jixin had always felt like this couldn''t havee from a renowned calligrapher.


    At this moment, Song Jixin and Zhi Gui were situated in the main room, with Song Jixin searching for something while Zhi Gui was standing by the entrance, and she asked in a gentle voice, "Did the meeting not go well, Young Master?"


    Song Jixin set down a string of bells, then sat down onto the chair in the room, folding his hands behind the back of his head as he casually crossed his legs and replied, "That Fu Nanhua wasn''t aplete idiot. From the very beginning, he knew not to treat me like some foolish boy who didn''t know anything.


    ��Having said that, he''s not all that smart, either. He was trying to get all friendly with me in the hope that he could take advantage of me. What a joke! All it took was a slight bluff from me, and he immediately showed his true colors. He thought that he could just y some mind games and use some intimidation tactics, and I would immediately fold to his every demand. Compared with how mysterious and enigmatic Mr. Qi is, he''sgging 10,000 miles behind!"


    "10,000 miles is way too much of an exaggeration, Young Master," Zhi Gui objected.


    Song Jixin made a face at her, then amended, "Fine, then we''ll say that he''s 10 y Vase Alleys behind!"


    Song Jixin tossed a pouch at Zhi Gui, then continued, "Take a look, these are the copper coins mentioned in that secret letter. Chen Ping''an also got a pouch of these earlier, and at the time, I immediately thought to myself that it''s not necessarily a good thing that such a massive piece of wealth fell onto hisp. Sure enough, he''s already being targeted by this pair of outsiders. If you ask me, the worst is still yet toe for him. That reminds me, let me tell you about the guy who came to our house.


    ��He says that he''s the young master of Old Dragon City, and judging from the way that he spoke and acted, it seems like at the very least, he''s not aplete pushover. Also, he told me that this jade pendant was called an Old Dragon Rainbringer or something, and I''m sure it''s worth a lot of money!"


    Song Jixin patted the beautiful green jade pendant, which he was already wearing on his waist, and he felt as if he had taken a massive stride closer to a schr like Mr. Qi.


    Zhi Gui opened the intricately embroidered pouch, then asked in a quiet voice, "Is it possible for you to get more of these copper coins, Young Master?"


    "Do you like them?" Song Jixin asked with a smile.


    Zhi Gui plucked a golden copper coin out of the pouch, then held it up under the sunlight as she said with a bright smile, "It''s so golden and shiny! Look at how festive it looks!"


    Song Jixin couldn''t help but burst intoughter upon hearing this. "You like these things because they look festive? Fine, seeing as you like the look of these coins, I''ll try to get a few more pouches of them. Outside of the two, these coins are either Good Fortune Coins used for beam-raising ceremonies, Greeting Spring Coins on peach charms, or Offering Coins to be ced on the belly or the palm of a Buddha statue''s hand. However, themon folk and cultivators each have their different uses for their coins."


    "What about Chen Ping''an''s pouch of coins?" Zhi Gui asked with a bright smile.


    Song Jixin''s brows furrowed slightly at the mention of Chen Ping''an.


    Zhi Gui could tell that she seemed to have inadvertently mentioned a sensitive subject, and she carefully ced the copper coin back into the pouch, then tightened the drawstring as she asked in a quiet voice, "What is it, Young Master?"


    Song Jixin pursed his lips as he rubbed his neck with his own hands, then replied in a nonchnt voice, "It''s nothing, I just thought of some rather annoying matters. There''s no hurry. If we''re too hasty in trying to take Chen Ping''an''s pouch of copper coins, we could end up attracting trouble to ourselves. The person we should be targeting is Zhao Yun. He most likely got a pouch of copper coins as well, and he''s really easy to swindle. I promise you I''ll be able to get another pouch of these coins for you."


    It was clear that Zhi Gui was still rather perplexed by Song Jixin''s sudden change in attitude, but Song Jixin didn''t offer any exnation. Zhi Gui could tell that Song Jixin wasn''t in the mood to exin, so she didn''t pry any further.


    After making her way out of the room and into the courtyard, she caught sight of the eyesore that was the four-legged snake, basking in the light of the sun whileying on the ground, rolling around from side to side as if it were thoroughly enjoying itself.


    In a fit of fury, Zhi Gui quickly rushed over to the four-legged snake before stomping a foot down onto its head and grinding her foot viciously against the ground, causing the poor creature to screech in agony.


    As soon as she lifted her foot, the four-legged snake immediately sprang away, darting around the courtyard in a blind panic, bumping into several walls in the process.


    Out of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, three had already emerged, namely this earthy yellow four-legged snake, the golden carp that had been caught by the fisherman, and the ck catfish that was being kept in Gu Can''s water vat.


    Looking at the poor creature that was still darting around in horror, a derisive sneer appeared on Zhi Gui''s face. "What a foolish piece of trash!"


    ��������


    Over at Gu Can''s house, his mother and the River Severing True Lord were still seated across from one another. Thetter was inspecting the lines on the palm of his own hand with a slightly grim expression.


    After folding his hand away, the River Severing True Lord turned to Gu Can''s mother as he asked, "Are there many women in the town like yourself who''ve married men from out of town?"


    The woman shook her head in response. "I don''t think there are that many. ording to my knowledge, I''m the only one on y Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley."


    The River Severing True Lord hesitated momentarily, then decided to reveal a secret to her. "The ages 6 and 16 for girls, and the ages 9 and 18 for boys are two major hurdles. The first of those hurdles must be ovee on their own, but for the second hurdle, some external assistance can be given to help them, and there''s one more thing thates after that which can potentially sweeten the deal.


    ��The wealthier the family the childes from, the bigger an advantage they''ll have. There''s the precursor, the beginning, and the journey. Whether the first two of those three steps can be sessfully taken depend solely on one''s fate, particrly the first step, which is entirely dictated by the will of the heavens."


    A pleased smile appeared on the woman''s face as she said, "The fact that you took a liking to Gu Can right away means that he must be able to take the first step by himself, right?"


    The River Severing True Lord replied with a faint smile, "All the children who''ve been left to grow up in the town are ones that were deemed to not be in possession of outstanding aptitude. Gu Can may not be nine years of age yet, but he''s no exception to that."


    The woman''s expression instantly fell upon hearing this.


    The River Severing True Lord smiled as he continued, "Rest assured, one''s aptitude for cultivation is naturally very important, but it''s not the primary factor that decides how far they''ll go. If the gods take a liking to someone, even a stray dog on the side of the road or a weed can eventually embark on the path of cultivation and ultimately ascend to the heavens. On this asion, the town had no choice but to break past conventions and allow so many outsiders in at once.


    ��No matter how good a plot of farnd is, after being plowed and harvested without pause for thousands of years and going through multiple ordeals where excessive harvests were made without consideration for the consequences, thend will inevitably degrade and be infertile. This ce has finally reached its final harvest. Whenever someone is about to die and experiences a brief revival right before the end, their energy, essence, and spirit will all be elevated to an unprecedented peak.


    ��Gu Can is benefitting from this phenomenon right as we speak, and this is far more massive an opportunity than you can imagine. With this blessing bestowed upon him, he''ll be able to far exceed all of the town''s children who had previously been deemed to possess superior aptitude to his."


    The woman''s lips were quivering as she fought with all her might to suppress her tion, and a film of tears welled up in her eyes, giving her a hint of seductive allure.


    The River Severing True Lord took a nce at her, then continued, "Of course, you shouldn''t be too greedy, either. Your son isn''t the only one to be blessed by this phenomenon. To be frank, even if we set our sights across the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there''s not a single person who''s had the privilege of iming such an unfathomable blessing all for themself, and if such a person is to exist someday, then they definitely haven''t been born yet."


    "That''s already enough, I''m happy with what I have," Gu Can''s mother murmured to herself as she clutched her hands to her chest.


    The thought of Cai Jinjian suddenly sprang into the River Severing True Lord''s mind, and he sneered, "She was so busy hatching plots only to obtain some materialistic things that shepletely failed to realize what was truly valuable. What aplete and utter fool she was!"


    A smile then appeared on his face as he continued, "Then again, this is no surprise. Those old farts on Dawn Cloud Mountain have always been narrow of mind and short of sight. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have been able to im this fated opportunity before them. With such a precious and virtually inexhaustible resource at their disposal, they should''ve been basking in wealth and prosperity, yet they''ve fallen to a point where they''re relying heavily on a junior to keep up appearances. What a truly pathetic state of affairs."


    Inside the house, Gu Can had been punching and kicking the door for quite some time, and he got up onto a stool so that he could look out the window, putting on a pitiable expression as he implored, "Mother, please let mee out. I promise I''ll be obedient."


    The woman turned to the River Severing True Lord, and thetter gave her a slight nod.


    Only then did she open the door for her son, and she led him by the hand into the yard as she warned with a stern expression, "You are not to cause any more trouble, do you hear me? I''ve never beaten you before today, but if you dare to continue to be disobedient, I''ll have to beat you again!"


    Gu Can nodded in response as he hung his head in a dejected manner.


    He carried over a little stool for himself before taking a seat on it, forming a triangle with his mother and the River Severing True Lord. He then rested his chin on his hands as he asked, "What did you and the storyteller speak about just now? I couldn''t hear you clearly from inside the room; can you repeat what you said earlier?"


    All of a sudden, the River Severing True Lord''s expression changed ever so slightly, and after a brief moment of contemtion, he brought out therge, white bowl again with a flick of his wrist. He then looked down into the bowl with an uncertain look in his eyes, and it could be seen that the surface of the water in the bowl was rippling and sshing incessantly. At the same time, what appeared to be a ck line was rapidly swimming through the bowl, asionally crashing into the wall of the bowl as it did so.


    The old man murmured to himself upon seeing this, "So be it, I''ll let you do whatever you please."


    In order to im this disciple, the River Severing True Lord had interfered with what had happened on y Vase Alley earlier on three asions, expending several decades worth of cultivation base in the process.


    The first time was when Cai Jinjian had trodden on the pile of dog shit, and the final time was when he used a secret technique to instill in her the false belief that she had attained enlightenment.


    Outside of the town, this would''ve been impossible. Even a bona fide True Lord of Daoism wouldn''t have dared to do something like this. However, here in this town, Cai Jinjian was no different from a mere mortal, and that was why the River Severing True Lord had been able to manipte her to this extent, albeit at a massive cost to himself.


    The second instance was the most subtle of the three, yet also the most exquisite, and even the River Severing True Lord himself couldn''t help but feel as if it hade from a spark of divine inspiration. That instance was when he had led Cai Jinjian to the false conclusion that Chen Ping''an''s well-intended words of caution had actually been an act of revenge. At the time, he had manipted Chen Ping''an so he had been a split second toote in delivering his warning, and he also made it so that Cai Jinjian noticed this fine detail.


    It had truly been a sinister and calcting scheme.


    On the path of cultivation, even the slightest interference couldpletely change the trajectory of one''s fate.


    Meanwhile, Gu Can''s mother was looking on with a tense expression, for fear that the River Severing True Lord would deliver a piece of bad news.


    Right at this moment, a slight sneer appeared on the River Severing True Lord''s face, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gu Can sneakily rising to his feet before rushing toward the gate as quickly as he could, much to the shock and horror of his mother.


    The River Severing True Lord rose to his feet in an unhurried manner while carrying his bowl on the palm of his hand. "My disciple, let me show you just how vast this world is so you know your ce in it. Otherwise, your ignorance and disobedience could lead to the downfall of both of us someday!"


    Gu Can''s mother suddenly fell unconscious and copsed to the ground, while the River Severing True Lord abruptly swept a sleeve through the air.


    In the next instant, Gu Can was just about to reach the gate when he suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground. He immediately realized that something wasn''t right, and he looked around with a dazed expression, then turned to the old storyteller as he asked, "What is this ce?"


    "We are inside the bowl," the River Severing True Lord replied in a calm manner with his hands sped behind his back.


    Gu Can became even more confused upon hearing this, but the River Severing True Lord suddenly yelled, "Get up!"


    Gu Can reflexively mbered to his feet, standing still on the spot.


    He discovered that he seemed to be standing on the edge of a cliff with a vast sea of clouds in the distance directly up ahead.


    His eyes then widened with shock as he could see an enormous torso slowly moving through the cloud and mist.


    However, the creature was so enormous that he was unable to see the entirety of its body.


    He was extremely frightened by this, and he immediately tried to take a step back, only for the River Severing True Lord to press a palm into the back of his head as hemanded in a stern voice, "Stand still! If you back away now, you''ll struggle to ever make any progress in your future cultivation!"


    Tears immediately began to flow down Gu Can''s face, and despite how unruly he had always been, he was so terrified that he didn''t even dare to cry out loud.


    At the same time, his legs and his lips were trembling uncontrobly.


    The sea of clouds in the distance began to churn incessantly, and it seemed that the veil of white clouds was gradually thinning out.


    More of the enormous creature in the sky was revealed, and it resembled... an infinitely erged version of the small catfish that Gu Can had been keeping in his water vat!


    This thought had sprung into Gu Can''s mind out of nowhere, and all of a sudden, he reflexively took a step forward as if he had been possessed, then extended his slender arms toward the sky.


    A head that was as massive as a mountain slowly emerged from the clouds.


    Gu Can''s eyes immediately lit up upon seeing this, and not only was he not fearful in the slightest, he beckoned to the enormous creature as he yelled, "Come! Over here! I didn''t know you already grew this big! No wonder I felt like the number of fish, prawns, and crabs in my water vat went down by so much the day after I put you in there."


    Standing behind Gu Can, the River Severing True Lord''s heart was filled with a series ofplex emotions, including an overwhelming sense of envy, but also a sense of tion and gratification.


    He was never going to be blessed with a fated opportunity of such a stunning magnitude, but it was definitely worth this trip to be able to take in such a blessed disciple.


    The River Severing True Lord looked on as the head approached them, and he murmured to himself, "What a truly stunning sight."


    ��������


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an told Ning Yao that he was going out. As he did so, he was huddled down in a corner with his back facing her, and he had concealed something in his hand.


    He told Ning Yao that he had to buy a y pot to brew her medicine in, but right after he left, Ning Yao spotted an old y pot ced in a corner of the house.


    Furthermore, she possessed exceptional hearing, and she knew that what Chen Ping''an was hiding in his grasp was a shard of porcin, one that was extremely sharp.

 Chapter 19: Great Dao

    Chapter 19: Great Dao


    Right as Chen Ping''an was about to rush out of the courtyard, Ning Yao suddenly yelled, "Hold on, I have something to say to you."


    Chen Ping''an pretended not to have heard her, but right as he was about to open the gate, Ning Yao raised her voice as she yelled again, "Chen Ping''an!"


    Chen Ping''an could only turn around and jog back to the doorstep. At this point, Ning Yao''splexion had already improved somewhat, but her voice was still rather hoarse as she said, "What I want to tell you is that firstly, for outsiders like ourselves in this town, our physical constitutions will be superior to the average person��s, but aside from that, we''re no different from the town''s residents.


    ��Secondly, outsiders are not allowed to kill people here, and if we break that rule, no matter what reason we may have, we will be evicted and forced to leave empty-handed. That is an extremely severe consequence, far more dire than you can imagine. Thirdly, you have to think things through properly before you act. For outsiders like me, if our lives are ced under threat, we''ll definitely retaliate, even if it means having to leave this ce empty-handed. After all, nothing is more important than survival."


    Chen Ping''an briefly considered what he had been told, then asked, "So you''re telling me that if I want to go through with this, I have to strike fast, right?"


    A smile immediately appeared on Ning Yao''s face, and it was as if the entire room had been lit up by the exuberant glow that had emerged in her eyes. She patted the green scabbard of the saberid across her knees, then nodded as she replied, "Indeed, you must strike with the utmost speed. That is the ultimate goal that I''m pursuing with both this saber and this sword of mine. I want to be the fastest under the heavens regardless of whether it be drawing my saber or attacking with my sword!"


    She paused here momentarily, suddenly turning from a gant swordswoman into a young woman who was just trying to show off as she smiled and asked, "Do you know how to improve the speed of your attacks?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head with a nk expression.


    Ning Yao could tell that he wasn''t very interested in this topic, and she immediately lost all interest in showing off as well, waving a dismissive hand as she said, "Hurry up and go buy the y pot. I''m still waiting on my medicine."


    This time, Chen Ping''an left the courtyard in a far slower and steadier manner.


    Not long after he left y Vase Alley, the unlocked door of his yard was gently pushed open. Ning Yao had been meditating while using a strange breathing technique, but her eyes sprang open as she cast a wary gaze out the door, as if she were expecting a confrontation.


    All of a sudden, the flying sword on the table fellpletely silent, and it began to give off a sense of cold killing intent that only contributed further to the early spring chill.


    Zhi Gui casually made her way over to the entrance of the house, as if she were doing nothing more than paying a neighbor a friendly visit. She refrained from crossing over the doorstep as she poked her head into the room and began to look around, but she paid no heed to Ning Yao, who was sitting on the nk bed with her saber across her knees.


    Only after a long while did Zhi Gui seem to have finally noticed the person in the room, and she put on an innocent expression as she asked, "Who are you, Big Sister, and why are you sitting on Chen Ping''an''s bed? I don''t recall him mentioning any rtivesing to stay with him."


    Ning Yao took a nce at the unwee guest, then closed her eyes again and studiously ignored her.


    Zhi Gui wasn''t incensed by the fact that she was being tantly ignored. All she did was purse her lips as a disdainful look appeared on her face.


    She took a nce at the longsword in the white scabbard resting on the table, and a hint of deep-rooted resentment and fear appeared in her eyes, as well as a golden thread that was moving erratically within her pupils.


    After a brief hesitation, she ultimately decided to raise a foot and step into the room, only to suddenly withdraw her foot as she cleared her throat, pretending to ask for permission as she dered, "I''ming in. If you''re not saying anything, then that means you''re not against meing in, right? Then again, this is Chen Ping''an''s house, and I''ve known him for many years. Could it be that you don''t understand what I''m saying?


    ��That''s fine, it''s not like we have anything to chat about anyway. I just came over here to see if you guys need anything. We''re about to move away soon, and we can leave a lot of stuff behind for Chen Ping''an. You might not be aware of this, but he''s had a very difficult life up to this point."


    Zhi Gui was rambling aimlessly as if she were taking pity on Chen Ping''an, making it sound as if they were far closer to one another than they actually were.


    After making her way into the room, Zhi Gui calmly strode over to the table, then took a seat on the bench beside the table, keeping her peripheral vision on the longsword the entire time.


    At the same time, Ning Yao pulled out the three pages that the young Daoist priest had left behind for Chen Ping''an, and she scrutinized them in great detail, trying to see if there were anything special about them. However, after flipping them over back and forth several times, she was still unable to see anything remarkable about them, and she sighed in a disappointed manner, "His writing is so nd and boring."


    She clearly recalled that there were 10 characters inscribed onto the long wall in her hometown, all of which had been engraved using a sword and were imbued with a vast aura capable of crushing all evil and sinister entities.


    Even as a small child, her favorite hobby was to stand in front of the wall and look up at the mighty characters engraved upon it.


    Hence, the que in the town that contained the idiom "unmatched aura" hadn''t been able to captivate much of her interest.


    Zhi Gui turned to Ning Yao, surreptitiously sitting up straighter while resting her hands on top of one another on her knees, most likely in an attempt to make herself appear more elegant and refined, and she smiled as she mused in a gentle voice, "A young girl like you should be more careful."


    "Who are you?" Ning Yao couldn''t help but ask.


    Zhi Gui''s hand flew to her chest as she feigned a surprised expression and eximed, "So you could understand me all this time!"


    "Do you need something?" Ning Yao asked.


    "Is this yours?" Zhi Gui asked as she pointed at the longsword on the table.


    Ning Yao''s brows furrowed slightly, and she offered no response.


    Zhi Gui waspletely unbothered by Ning Yao''s refusal to answer her question, and she stood up before making her way over to a corner of the room, where she began inspecting the pots and pans on the wooden shelf. None of those things had any significant value, but she was scrutinizing them very carefully.


    Back when he was an apprentice at the kilns, Chen Ping''an had explored all of the areas around the small town. He would scale the mountains on his own to dig for y and collect firewood, and over time, he became very fast at scaling and descending from the mountains. As long as someone was willing to teach him something, he would always practice that thing to the very best of his ability, regardless of whether it was something rudimentary and basic orplex and difficult to grasp.


    As for how well he would be able to do that thing, Chen Ping''an didn''t care, nor did he really have a say in the matter. When it came to Old Man Yao, he had always been very stingy, never willing to teach any of his best skills to Chen Ping''an. However, Chen Ping''an always practiced whatever Old Man Yao was willing to teach him with the utmost concentration and diligence. After that, Liu Xianyang taught him to make things like wooden bows and fishing rods, and he was just as diligent in learning those things.


    Song Jixin had never been shy to deliver scathing remarks about Chen Ping''an, and in his words, Chen Ping''an was someone who made the best of what he had, but unfortunately, he simply had too little to work with. Hence, he was better off not trying so hard and simply resigning himself to his fate.


    Zhi Gui waved at Ning Yao with a bright smile as she said, "I''m leaving now. I wish you a speedy recovery. If you need anything, feel free to tell me. My name is Zhi Gui, and I live right next door."


    Ning Yao offered no response.


    After leaving the room and stepping into the courtyard, Zhi Gui murmured to herself in a voice that was just barely audible to Ning Yao, "She''s not that good-looking at all."


    "What a tacky name Zhi Gui is," Ning Yao retorted, also pretending as if she were only speaking to herself.


    As Zhi Gui closed the gate behind her, she did so with more force than necessary, resulting in a loud thump.


    Ning Yao closed her eyes again and continued to meditate, seeminglypletely unmoved by Zhi Gui''s visit.


    She really detested this small town, particrly the cultivators who hade to seek out fated opportunities in this town. They were constantly hatching underhanded plots and schemes against one another, and it was particrly ironic, considering they regarded themselves as immortals who stood above those at the foot of the mountain.


    In Ning Yao''s heart, this wasn''t what the pursuit of the Great Dao should''ve been like.


    Upon emerging from y Vase Alley, Chen Ping''an gently exhaled as he raised his right hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight.


    He then began to jog, taking quick and nimble steps, and even though he had already jogged through these same streets and alleys countless times, he still hadn''t grown weary of them at all. He was ustomed to regrly scaling the mountains, so this was nothing more than some light exercise for him. What was truly arduous was the process of scaling the mountain to make charcoal.


    Each year, a dragon kiln would go through around 10,000 to 15,000 kilograms of charcoal, and it was an especiallyborious task to be living on the mountain, chopping firewood to be burned into charcoal during periods of heavy rain. Chen Ping''an had once had a very close brush with death when a charcoal kiln that he was constructing had copsed on him.


    Over the years, almost all of the jobs that Chen Ping''an had undertaken had fallen under the category of manualbor. There was some technique involved, but ultimately, virtually all of the tasks assigned to him had been very physically grueling toplete. Hence, his thin and frail appearance was only a facade, and he possessed far more strength and stamina than what appeared to be the case on the surface.


    Chen Ping''an stopped at a crossroads, then leaned his back against the wall as he crouched down to tighten his straw sandals, continuing to keep one hand clenched in a tight fist this entire time.


    At this moment, his heart was as still as a tranquil pond.


    However, he did miss his only friend in the town.


    Liu Xianyang had once boasted to Chen Ping''an in secret that his grandfather had once told him a story. ording to the story, back when Liu Xianyang''s grandfather was still a child, he had witnessed someone running only a few steps to build up momentum before leaping over the entire creek.


    After that, Liu Xianyang and Chen Ping''an decided to try that themselves, picking out the narrowest part of the creek before getting a running start and leaping into the air at the same time. Even though Liu Xianyang was a few years older than Chen Ping''an, he didn''t travel very far before falling into the water, only to then notice a shadow vaulting over his head, continuing onward before falling into the water far ahead of him.


    After that, Liu Xianyang didn''t make any further mention of immortals leaping over the creek.


    However, he knew that following that event, Chen Ping''an would often go to the creek on his own before attempting the same feat over and over again.


    Each time he did so, he would get closer to the other side, and it seemed that this was something that he would never grow tired of.


    One time, Liu Xianyang couldn''t help but watch in secret from afar, and upon witnessing the progress that Chen Ping''an was making, he felt like this was a different Chen Ping''an from the stubborn little idiot that he knew.


    While leaping over the creek, he resembled the eagles that often circled around in the sky above the town.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    We''ll beunching in less than 24 hours, and you guys will be able to read up to chapter 25! :) </blockquote>

 Chapter 20: Incident

    Chapter 20: Incident


    Fu Nanhua could tell that Cai Jinjian was in rather low spirits, so he took her on a stroll, and the two of them were walking side by side in a rare moment of rxation after arriving in this town. At the same time, they were discussing some interesting stories that they had heard about the southern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Cai Jinjian was still somewhat forcing herself to put on a cheerful facade, but she was definitely in a much better mood than when she first left y Vase Alley.


    At the same time, her impression of Fu Nanhua was gradually improving. Old Dragon City had a long and illustrious history of producing prodigious and powerful cultivators, and even though it was still slightly behind the top-tier sects on the continent, it was still far above Dawn Cloud Mountain, which ranked near the bottom among second-rate sects.


    However, Dawn Cloud Mountain was an orthodox sect with a noble background, so those from Dawn Cloud Mountain harbored an innate sense of superiority over those from Old Dragon City, which was situated in the southern wilderness. Thus, those from Dawn Cloud Mountain often referred to those from Old Dragon City as southern barbarians behind their backs.


    Cai Jinjian sighed in a reluctant voice, "Brother Fu, Cloud Root Stones are the lifeblood of our Dawn Cloud Mountain, but seeing as we already had an agreement, I won''t definitely go back on my word. Even if I have to sell everything that I own, I''ll be sure to follow through on my promise to you."


    "At the moment, we still can''t say for sure whether Gu Can''s fate is set in stone," Fu Nanhua consoled.


    Cai Jinjian shook her head with a dejected expression as she replied, "The River Severing True Lord may not have the best reputation, but he''s certainly not someone to be messed with. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been able to im a spot for himself at Lake Shujian. It would be extremely unwise for me to try andpete against him. If I were to make an enemy out of him, there''s no way I would be able toe out the other side unscathed. My concern right now is that he may have already developed a grudge against me.


    ��Once we leave the town and are no longer restricted by the rules and presence of the Sages, who knows how far he would be willing to go to get back at me? I''m sure you must''ve also noticed some signs while we were on the border, Brother Fu. Unfortunately, the servants sent to apany me on this trip do not possess anywhere near enough power to be able to stand against him."


    Fu Nanhua smiled as he said, "Don''t worry so much. Even if it''s just for the sake of those 10 Cloud Root Stones, our Old Dragon City will be sure to ensure your safe return to Dawn Cloud Mountain."


    Cai Jinjian turned to him with a warm smile, and her eyes were full of gratitude and tender affection.


    Fu Nanhua was quite pleased with himself, and he habitually reached down to stroke his jade pendant, only to recall that his Old Dragon Rainbringer had already been given to Song Jixin.


    Cai Jinjian was quite relieved that Fu Nanhua had promised her his assistance, and she tilted slightly to the left while walking so that her shoulder gently brushed Fu Nanhua''s.


    This trip to y Vase Alley was something that was outside of her original n, as was the bet that she had made with Fu Nanhua. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and even though she had proceeded with a great deal of caution, she had ultimately lost the bet, and the price she had to pay was 10 extremely precious Cloud Root Stones.


    This added a huge element of stress to her trip to the town, and she had unconsciously developed a sense of reliance on Fu Nanhua. Another way to put it was that she was leaning into the mindset of a gambler. She was willing to gamble 10 Cloud Root Stones, so why couldn''t she gamble 50? If she won, she would recoup all her losses and make a massive profit, and if she lost... Cai Jinjian didn''t think that she was going to lose.


    In fact, she was convinced that she wouldn''t lose. She possessed the best cultivation aptitude out of anyone on Dawn Cloud Mountain! Everything had gone smoothly for her on her cultivation journey, and her cultivation base had progressed rapidly. She was absolutely confident that there was no way that someone like her could fail in such an insignificant ce.


    While Cai Jinjian''s mood was taking a turn for the better, Fu Nanhua was also quite confident that he had all but obtained what he hade here to acquire, and he was finally in the mood to be appreciating Cai Jinjian''s beauty. It had to be said that she was a woman who possessed a natural sense of allure. If he could take her as his Dao partner, both his cultivation and his sex life would undoubtedly see an improvement.


    An influential and reputable senior had once dered that Cai Jinjian "possessed aptitude and beauty in equal measure", and the implication there was that she would make for an exemry Dao partner. The higher-ups of Dawn Cloud Mountain had always relied on the mountain for their livelihood, and they were ustomed to doing business.


    Over the years, they spared no expense in nurturing and developing Cai Jinjian, and an important reason for this was that they wanted to use her to improve the sect''s standing on the continent. Theing together of two immortal ns had extremely significant and far-reaching implications, so it was something that was taken even more seriously than a marriage alliance between royal ns.


    However, Fu Nanhua simply didn''t have any fondness for Dawn Cloud Mountain. In his eyes, it was preposterous that the sect was cing its fate entirely on the shoulders of a woman like Cai Jinjian, and that was why he had a very low opinion of the sect.


    "If the boy living next door to Song Jixin had also been selected by a certain power outside the town, and he still has his bonded porcin, then what you did to him couldnd you in a great deal of trouble. It''ll be an easy task for those outside forces to trace everything back to you, and in extension, Dawn Cloud Mountain. On top of that, there''s a chance that both Song Jixin and the River Severing True Lord detected what you did as well," Fu Nanhua said.


    Cai Jinjian smiled as she replied, "Perhaps you were too fixated on securing a fated opportunity in this town, and as a result, you failed to notice some of the unspoken rules of this ce. For boys who are born in this town, if they haven''t been taken away by any ''porcin buyers'' after reaching nine years of age, then that indicates that they possessckluster aptitude for cultivation and are considered to becking in value.


    ��After that, the older they be, the further their value drops. From the perspective of those sects and factions, it would be much wiser to invest in the development of their existing disciples, rather than spend an astronomical sum in ''adoption money'', only to secure a child with mediocre aptitude."


    Just the mere mention of Chen Ping''an was enough to fill Cai Jinjian with disgust. "A filthymoner like him should learn to know his ce!"


    Fu Nanhua took a moment to arrange his words, then said, "While I agree with you, we have to keep in mind that the boy has grown up his entire life in this town, and he has no idea how noble and distinguished you are. Even if he did cause some offense to you, teaching him a lesson once would be enough, why did you have to strike him again?"


    Indeed, Cai Jinjian''s actions against Chen Ping''an had been very abnormal, and Fu Nanhua had a feeling that there were some suspicious circumstances involved. Hence, he was trying to get Cai Jinjian to speak more about the situation to see if he could identify any leads or details of interest. As the saying went, the praying mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole lurking behind.


    He had always regarded her as the cicada in that analogy, but he was concerned that she knew something important that he didn''t, and that perhaps she had actually been the oriole this entire time. Old Dragon City had gone to great lengths and spent far more than Sun Scorch Mountain and Dawn Cloud Mountain, only to secure some tidbits of secret rumors.


    Only through those investments did Fu Nanhua learn that in the past 3,000 years since that epic battle that had shaken heaven and earth, the so-called fated opportunities in the small town were referring only to the children who possessed exceptional cultivation aptitude and the treasures left behind by their ancestors of the cultivation world. However, now that this blessed ce was on the verge of copse, things weren''t so simple.


    Throughout history, the fall of each empire had always entailed the emergence of extremely powerful treasures to wee the rise of a new empire.


    Cai Jinjian''s mood was quickly souring at the mention of Chen Ping''an. "Let''s not talk about him anymore, just thinking about him puts me in a bad mood."


    A rare hint of malice shed through Cai Jinjian''s eyes as she spoke, but she didn''t want to ruin her image as a kind and gentle woman in Fu Nanhua''s eyes, so she refrained from expressing what she actually thought of Chen Ping''an.


    If she were to ever encounter Chen Ping''an outside of the town, she was going to make sure to grant him a fast yet painful death, rather than allow him to live out the rest of his shortened life in constant illness.


    Cai Jinjian particrly detested Chen Ping''an''s eyes. Deep in her heart, there was a subconscious thought that she was trying to ignore.


    Even though she had been cultivating for many years on Dawn Cloud Mountain, which was renowned for its pristine purity, she had never seen a pair of eyes as clean and pure as Chen Ping''an''s. Why was it that an impoverished boy who had grown up in such a filthy ce was entitled to something so beautiful?


    Cai Jinjian cocked her head to the side as she massaged her own eyes, and in doing so, her delicate eyebrows were made to look even longer and more slender than usual.


    Fu Nanhua had been surveying the surrounding area this entire time, and he casually jibed, "There''s a popr superstition on the streets of our Old Dragon City, which states that the twitching of the left eyelid signifies wealth, while the twitching of the right eyelid entails disaster. Which eyelid is twitching for you?"


    Cai Jinjian hurriedly retracted her finger as if she had been burned, then red at Fu Nanhua with a displeased expression. It was clear that her right eyelid had been twitching.


    Having dug himself into this hole, Fu Nanhua hurriedly tried to make amends. "That''s just a superstition among themoners, don''t take it seriously."


    The corners of Cai Jinjian''s lips perked up as she turned to look up at Fu Nanhua with a smug expression. "I tricked you, didn''t I?"


    Fu Nanhua faltered slightly at the sight of her flirtatious demeanor, and his heart suddenly began to waver.


    He suddenly found himself feeling a little hesitant, and his conviction to kill her began to falter. If he could take her as his Dao partner, wouldn''t that help Old Dragon City extend its influence toward the north? If Cai Jinjian could sessfully obtain her fated opportunity here, her status would undoubtedly be severely elevated once she returned to Dawn Cloud Mountain, and it certainly wasn''t a stretch to think that she could be the mistress of Dawn Cloud Mountain.


    Throughout the extensive history of Dawn Cloud Mountain, there had been precedents of women bing the master of the mountain. If everything went ording to n, Old Dragon City would have a legitimate reason to infiltrate the central area of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, forming an alliance with Dawn Cloud Mountain in the north.


    For the past several centuries, Old Dragon City had always been an extremely powerful sect, but it was constantly being ostracized and shunned by other powers due to its terrible geographic location. If this pitfall could be addressed, then Old Dragon City''s potential for future growth would be truly limitless.


    Not far up ahead was a crossroads where a pair of alleys intersected.


    Upon seeing this crossroads, Fu Nanhua abruptly snapped back to his senses, and a determined look reappeared in his eyes.


    At the same time, fine drops of sweat began to bead up on his forehead under his tall hat.


    In order to strengthen his Dao Heart, he had to kill those who scrambled his mind and ced doubt in his heart.


    In that instant, as Fu Nanhua turned to look at Cai Jinjian again, his expression, demeanor, and mindset had all returned to their former carefree state. It was as if he were purely appreciating a beautiful painting. Beautiful women were always very pleasing to the eyes, and he was going to enjoy this visual feast as much as possible. After all, after they left this town, she was destined to meet her demise at his hands.


    Ultimately, nothing mattered aside from his pursuit of the Great Dao, and all obstacles on that path had to be cleared away. With that in mind, a sense of rity welled up in Fu Nanhua''s heart.


    Cai Jinjian turned to him with a smile as she asked in a seductive voice, "What are you thinking about that''s made you so happy, Nanhua?"


    She had surreptitiously switched to referring to Fu Nanhua by a more intimate name.


    Fu Nanhua shook his head with a smile, and he was just about to say something when he spotted a shadow out of the corner of his eye.


    A thin young boy charged out of the alley that intersected the one that they were on, and it seemed that it had only taken him a single step to reach Cai Jinjian. Immediately thereafter, he raised his left hand in a sharp and forceful motion, and at the same time, his right fist had already mmed into Cai Jinjian''s abdomen. The punch was packed with so much power that the faint sound of wind could be heard as his fist sped through the air, and Cai Jinjian involuntarily doubled over from the force of the impact.


    The strength in the boy''s right hand already far exceeded that of his peers, but his left hand was actually his dominant hand. Hence, he was holding his weapon in his left hand, and at this moment, the weapon had been plunged in its entirety into Cai Jinjian''s throat, piercing straight into the underside of her oral cavity.


    The boy didn''t stop there, throwing another punch with his right fist into Cai Jinjian''s chest while continuing to raise his left hand, ensuring that there was no way his target would survive this sneak attack.


    In the next instant, blood began to gush out of Cai Jinjian''s fair and delicate neck.


    After that, the boy exerted force through his core and his feet, driving his shoulder into Cai Jinjian''s chest and violently mming her into the intersecting alley.


    Fu Nanhua waspletely rooted to the spot, and in this instant, his mind was entirely nk.

 Chapter 21: The Eagle Hunting the Snake

    Chapter 21: The Eagle Hunting the Snake


    Upon returning to his senses, Fu Nanhua immediately inspected his surroundings in a meticulous fashion, even going as far as to inspect the rooftops of the surrounding houses. After ensuring that there were no further threats in the immediate vicinity, he quickly took a deep breath, and he didn''t stride forward, nor did he retreat.


    He reflexively made a grab for his jade pendant once again, only to grasp onto thin air, and he hurriedly recited an ipletely Daoist mantra. This wasn''t a mystical ability, it was simply something that he was doing to help himself calm down. If his heart were analogous to a small boat floating on ake, then this mantra served as an anchor for the boat.


    He began to turn to the side so that his back was facing a wall, then strodeterally to the crossroads between the two alleys. Every muscle in his entire body was tensed up, and he was in a defensive posture, not daring to let down his guard even for a split second. He was staring intently into the alley, where Chen Ping''an was standing next to Cai Jinjian, who wasying in a puddle of her own blood. His body was arched forward slightly in an aggressive posture, and he was also staring intently back at Fu Nanhua.


    It was a tense confrontation between the two men, and Fu Nanhua wanted to know why Chen Ping''an had done what he did, while Chen Ping''an was simply trying to survive. Cai Jinjian had been Chen Ping''an''s only target, but with Fu Nanhua also on the scene, Chen Ping''an reflexively adopted an aggressive posture, more so out of self-preservation than anything else.


    "You killed her?" Fu Nanhua asked, even though the answer was obvious.


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as he continued to hold onto the murder weapon, which was a porcin shard that was slightly smaller than the palm of his hand. The exposed tip of the porcin shard was extremely sharp, and his hand was covered in blood. It was unclear whether the blood belonged to Cai Jinjian, or was the result of the porcin shard piercing into the palm of his hand.


    After looking around to ensure that there was no one else nearby, Fu Nanhua was struck by a sense of absurdity, but at the same time, he also felt as if a heavy load had been lifted off his shoulders. In the end, his gaze fell upon Cai Jinjian. Even in her terrible condition, her natural beauty was still very apparent. Her voluptuous chest was rising and falling ever so slightly, while blood was gushing incessantly out of her neck and mouth.


    Her life was about toe to an end, but due to how resilient her body was from her years of cultivation, she was going to suffer a more painful and prolonged death than the average person would in her condition.


    A faint smile appeared on Fu Nanhua''s face, but there was a bone-chilling gleam in his eyes as he asked, "Why did you kill her? There was no bad blood between you and her. Did you kill her just because she yed a prank on you in y Vase Alley? Since when did this town be such awless ce? Have you not heard of the concept of an eye for an eye? If you kill someone, then you have to pay with your life. This is a rule that''s set in stone and rings true no matter where you go."


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as if he were mute, and Fu Nanhua began to slowly advance toward him in a resolute and steady manner, paying no heed to what Chen Ping''an was thinking.


    He knew that there was no saving Cai Jinjian. This wasn''t Dawn Cloud Mountain, where immortal energy was avable in great abundance. This was an immortal prison where all mystical abilities were restricted, and the only way that she could be saved would be if an almighty terrestrial god or a golden arhat were willing to sacrifice a majority of their cultivation base to capture her soul and revive her from the dead.


    Unfortunately for Cai Jinjian, such a massive blessing was not going to fall upon her. The Sage in the town had a very important duty, resembling a deity that ruled over the town, and there was no way that he would interfere with the natural order just to save someone''s life.


    On the path of cultivation, there were always cases where exceptional prodigies perished under unexpected circumstances. It wasn''t exactly amonce urrence, but it definitely wasn''t all that rare, either.


    If one could attain immortality by simply progressing at a slow and steady rate, avoiding all risks while enjoying all of the benefits of cultivation, then the ultimate goal of immortality would be far too easy toe by for it to have any substantial meaning.


    Hence, prior to entering the town, Fu Nanhua was already prepared for the worst, steeling himself to fight for his life if it became necessary to do so, However, he certainly hadn''t anticipated that his temporary ally would be killed in such an abrupt and brutal fashion right under the nose of a Sage. In fact, this was the first time that he had ever experienced something like this. There were no powerful immortal treasures used, nor any earth-shattering mystical abilities deployed.


    In what seemed like no more than the blink of an eye, Cai Jinjian had been in by the lowliest of peasants. Fu Nanhua was astonished by what he had just witnessed, and he was struggling toe to terms with this absurd reality. If they had been anywhere outside of this town, it would''ve been the greatest of honors for an ant like Chen Ping''an to even catch a glimpse of Cai Jinjian from afar.


    Fu Nanhua wore a solemn expression as he dered, "I am unable to save Celestial Maiden Cai, nor am I able to kill you in order to avenge her, but if word were to spread that I simply stood by and did nothing after witnessing you murdering my ally in cold blood right in front of my very eyes, then the reputation of our Old Dragon City would be swept to the ground! Hence, I must teach you a lesson no matter what. As for what Dawn Cloud Mountain is going to do in response to the tragic passing of Celestial Maiden Cai, that''s something for you to worry about."


    This grandiose speech from Fu Nanhua was intended to be heard by the Sages overseeing this ce. He wasying out his reasons to the Sages in advance in order to im the moral high ground so that he would be justified in punishing Chen Ping''an. There was also a chance that at some point in the future, the esteemed elders of Dawn Cloud Mountain were also going to be made aware of what he had said here, and he wanted to make it seem as if he had done everything he could for Cai Jinjian.


    Otherwise, given how he had already made up his mind to kill Cai Jinjian, he really should''ve been thanking Chen Ping''an for doing the job in his stead. Thanks to Chen Ping''an''s bold and reckless actions, Fu Nanhua had been saved a great deal of hassle, and despite his solemn expression, he was internally ecstatic.


    Fu Nanhua continued to approach Chen Ping''an as he said, "Judging from your movements just now, it seems like you possess explosiveness that''s superior even to the average grown man. That is quite a rare trait in someone as young as yourself. If you hadn''t done what you just did, perhaps you could''ve joined an army.


    ��Given your courage and resolve, with some luck, perhaps you could''ve caught the fancy of a powerful martial artist or a high-ranking general and been rewarded with a body refinement cultivation method. If such an opportunity hade your way, you could''ve undergone aplete transformation after two or three decades."


    While Fu Nanhua was advancing toward Chen Ping''an, thetter began to slowly retreat while still facing the former.


    The tall and handsome Fu Nanhua was giving off a natural regal aura as he made his way down the alley.


    Fu Nanhua extended a hand forward with the palm facing down, and it was hovering around waist height as he smiled and mused, "It''s a pity that you simply aren''t blessed by good fortune. Otherwise, if you had been able to follow the path that I just envisioned for you, the height of your achievements could''ve reached about here... Well, no, even then, that would''ve been impossible for you."


    Fu Nanhua was very much amused by his own joke, and his smile grew even wider. Right as he took another step forward, he suddenly stopped so that his foot was suspended around half a foot above the ground, and he concluded, "My apologies, I meant that this could''ve been the height of your ceiling."


    It was difficult for Fu Nanhua not to be ecstatic. After entering the town, he had made a deal with Song Jixin that had reaped him far greater rewards than he had originally anticipated.


    After that, Cai Jinjian, who could''ve very likely be a hindrance on his path to pursuing the Great Dao, had been killed right before his very eyes. Not only were his hands clean of her blood, he could take the two pouches of gold essence copper coins in her possession free of charge, and perhaps he would even be able to find a couple of secret treasures from Dawn Cloud Mountain on her body.


    Even if those treasures weren''t the best that Dawn Cloud Mountain had to offer, they definitely wouldn''t have been far from that caliber. He was confident that Cai Jinjian wouldn''t have entered the town without any treasures to protect her. As an example, he was carrying a pair of extremely powerful treasures himself. Aside from that Old Dragon Rainbringer, which was nothing more than a red herring, the other treasures in his possession were just about the best that Old Dragon City had to offer.


    Hence, there was a popr saying among shady and disreputable cultivators, which was that there were sure to be rewards to be reaped from burying the dead.


    While passing by Cai Jinjian''s body, Fu Nanhua didn''t even take a single nce at her.


    Instead of feeling fearful from the scent of blood in the air, it only served to evoke a sense of excitement within him.


    With Fu Nanhua making his way toward Chen Ping''an, while thetter continued to back away, a gap of around a dozen meters was maintained between them.


    All Fu Nanhua had to do was ensure that Chen Ping''an couldn''t escape from the alley. Otherwise, it would be next to impossible for him to catch Chen Ping''an, given that he had grown up his entire life here and knew theyout of the town like the back of his hand.


    Furthermore, the lifeless body of Cai Jinjian was a prime example of what the unassuming Chen Ping''an was capable of. If he allowed Chen Ping''an to get away and catch his breath, there was a chance that he could end up following in Cai Jinjian''s footsteps.


    It seemed like Fu Nanhua was a hunter that was casually stalking his prey, but in reality, he was adjusting the rhythm of his own body. After all, ever since he had officially embarked on the path of cultivation at nine years of age, he had never had to win a battle that was purely a physical brawl.


    Of course, he wasn''t going to fight Chen Ping''an to the death as that would be extremely foolish. Having already secured a fated opportunity from Song Jixin, there was another one waiting for him in the form of Cai Jinjian. However, Chen Ping''an was very vtile and unpredictable, and he had to ensure that the boy would be bedridden for the near future so that he wouldn''t be able to meddle any further in his ns.


    With that in mind, Fu Nanhua suddenly smiled and asked, "What was your name again?"


    Even though Chen Ping''an''s hand was still bleeding profusely, the look on his face was as resilient as the weeds in the wilderness, and he offered a responsepletely unrted to Fu Nanhua��s questions. "Don''t try to trick me. I have really good eyesight, so I can tell that the way you''re looking at me now is the exact same way that she was looking at me while she was talking to me in y Vase Alley."


    Fu Nanhua faltered slightly upon hearing this, and he was feeling very impressed by Chen Ping''an as he chuckled, "How interesting."


    Fu Nanhua appeared to be quite casual and rxed in his speech and demeanor, but in reality, he had been keeping tabs on Chen Ping''an''s profusely bleeding left hand this entire time.


    The fact that it was still bleeding indicated that he hadn''t rxed his grip on the porcin shard even for a second, and the average person would''ve most likely already dropped the shard, unable to bear the agony.


    Earlier, Fu Nanhua had only beenmenting Chen Ping''an''s ill fortune in jest, but now, he was beginning to realize that Chen Ping''an really could''ve had a bright future ahead had his circumstances been more fortunate.


    In Fu Nanhua''s eyes, it was about time that he made a move, so he asked one final question that he was interested in. "The fact that you killed her so decisively must''ve meant that someone told you what she did to you earlier. I''m not curious about who that person is. Instead, what I want to know is how a child like you, who grew up your entire life in this town, was able to get over the mental hurdle so quickly and kill someone with... such a clear conscience.


    ��Do you understand what I''m asking? Even back when I imed my first kill, I began trembling after the adrenaline and excitement faded, and I had to recite calming mantras for a very long time before I felt slightly better, yet you did it as if you were simply taking a stroll or having a meal. It just doesn''t make sense..."


    Chen Ping''an''s face had beenpletely devoid of expression this entire time, but all of a sudden, a look of shock and horror appeared on his face as he stared past Fu Nanhua, as if Cai Jinjian had suddenly returned from the dead.


    The cautious and careful Fu Nanhua reflexively turned around, but after turning halfway around, it dawned on him that he had been tricked.


    By the time he turned back around, Chen Ping''an was already nowhere to be seen!


    As it turned out, in the same instant that Chen Ping''an had put on that shocked and horrified expression, he had immediately begun charging at Fu Nanhua. After taking three steps, he took off forcefully using his left foot,unching himself high up into the air, then pushed off from one of the walls that lined the alley using his right foot. As a result, he was able to rapidly change direction, pouncing at Fu Nanhua with his left hand raised up high.


    In that instant, he truly resembled an eagle that was hunting a snake.

 Chapter 22: Halted Realm

    Chapter 22: Halted Realm


    In the private school was a small cottage that had no que hanging above the entrance, and inside the cottage, Qi Jingchun was in the process of ying out a game of go ording to a manual. It wasn''t a historically renowned game, nor was it even a game yed between masters.


    Right as he was about to ce a white stone onto the go board, he suddenly heaved a faint sigh. Even though he was following a manual of set moves, he suddenly seemed to have grown rather hesitant about where to ce the stone down, and in the end, he withdrew his hand, but the stone was still hovering in mid-air over an inch above the go board.


    Qi Jingchun remained seated in an upright manner. As the current Sage responsible for overseeing this ce, and the former master of Mountain Cliff Academy, one of the 72 academies of Confucianism, he was still indisputably one of the purest and most knowledgeable schrs under the heavens even though he had been condemned to this town in order to atone for his past crimes.


    In the eyes of the normal townsfolk, the years passed by one after another, and during this past cycle of 60 years, the schoolteacher had been reced quite a few times. Each sessive teacher had a different age and appearancepared to their predecessor, but that indescribable schrly aura was something that had beenmon to all of them. They were stern, dogmatic, quiet... Essentially, all of them had been quite nd and boring.


    No one would''ve imagined that all of the schoolteachers who hade and gone from the town had actually been the same person. Not only that, but in the vast world outside of the town, the quiet and unassuming Mr. Qi had once been a figure of unfathomably lofty status, possessing peerless mystical powers of righteousness.


    In the next instant, Qi Jingchun''s soul left his body in the form of an immortal in flowing white robes, instantly freeing itself from the confines of his body as it drifted toward a certain alley in the town.


    In the blink of an eye, Qi Jingchun arrived at his destination, and he first took a nce at Cai Jinjian, who wasying in a puddle of her own blood, while her soul was wavering and flickering like a dying me in the wind.


    After pausing there momentarily, he arrived beside Chen Ping''an and Fu Nanhua.


    Fu Nanhua was leaning back slightly with his mouth and eyes gaped wide open, and aplexbination of shock, confusion, and despair etched on his handsome face.


    As for Chen Ping''an, he was suspended in mid-air, maintaining a forward-pouncing posture. There was a porcin shard that was as sharp as a de in his left hand, and even in this life-and-death situation, his eyes were still as calm and resolute as ever,pletely unlike the expression one would expect to see in a situation like this on the face of an ignorant young boy who had grown up in a secluded little town his entire life. The only thing that seemed to fit with his character was the resignation that was hidden deep within his eyes.


    This type of resignation wasn''t unfamiliar to Qi Jingchun. It was the exact same emotion disyed by a farmer who relied on the will of the heavens for his livelihood. In seasons of drought, the farmer would squat down on the dry, cracked, and barren earth of his farnd, looking up at the scorching sun. In situations like those, there would be no heart-wrenching emotions of despair, fury, or indignation in the farmer''s eyes, only a deep sense of resignation and helplessness.


    As the temporary master of this ce, Qi Jingchun was naturally aware of the history of Chen Ping''an''s family. Even though he hadn''t personally seen Chen Ping''an''s ancestors, he was able to roughly deduce the family''s history going back centuries, even over 1,000 years in the past. The reason for this was very simple.


    It was just like if the magistrate of a county administration wanted to see the family history of one of the residents of the county, all he would have to do would be to pull up that person''s file from the ministry of revenue, which held all of the county''s family registries, and everything would beid out before him.


    Throughout the past 3,000 years of the town''s development, it had extended its branches far out of the town''s boundaries. Every single generation would always produce several prodigious talents, and even though they couldn''t return to their homes, they could reciprocate their ns through secret avenues, and that was what had given rise to the current set of most affluent ns in the town.


    Chen Ping''an''s n had a long history, and his ancestors had always once lived in luxury and prosperity. However, following two periods of tumultuous and unforeseen change, the Chen n gradually fell into decline on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, which was home to countless empires and vassal states.


    As a result, it had been taken over by other ns, and by the time Chen Ping''an''s father had been born, the Chen n had already been in decline for over 1,000 years. It had well and truly fallen into decay on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, let alone the Great Li Empire, in which the small town was situated. It was as if the n had somehow been cursed and condemned to never be able to make a resurgence.


    During the 60 or so years after Qi Jingchun had arrived in the town to oversee the operation of the formation, he had strictly upheld the doctrines of fairness and objectivity, never altering the trajectories of the town residents'' fate based on his own personal preferences. Otherwise, as a schr who had once detested evil and upheld justice with all his heart, he would''ve been far too inclined to condemn the abundance of shady dealings taking ce in the town''s affluent ns, or to help the town''s impoverished and suffering ns.


    However, through a lens of objectivity, Qi Jingchun was able to see that the affluent ns had their own hardships, while the impoverished ns were just as capable of evil. As time passed, Qi Jingchun had be a deity-like existence in the town, refusing to meddle in the affairs of the townsfolk. Instead, all he did was stand by and watch, with observation serving as his sole purpose.


    There was a hint of surprise on Qi Jingchun''s face as he stepped forward to take a closer look, then gave a gentle nod of approval. As it turned out, even though it appeared that Chen Ping''an had pounced with the intention to kill, in the end, he had only mmed his wrist into Fu Nanhua''s neck, which was a far more lenient fate than the one that Cai Jinjian had suffered.


    After receiving this heavy blow, Fu Nanhua''s entire body was sent flying horizontally toward the wall, following which Chen Ping''an locked his hand around Fu Nanhua''s neck while pressing the porcin shard against his abdomen with his other hand.


    Qi Jingchun was rather curious about why Chen Ping''an had refrained from going for the kill here. This was a perfect opportunity, and if he were to let it slip by, the consequences could''ve been catastrophic. Qi Jingchun was a devout follower of the teachings of Confucianism, strictly abiding by the code of conduct and etiquette set out by Confucius himself, but he wasn''t one to dogmatically follow rules.


    He wasn''t one of those narrow-minded schrs who only knew how to preach directly from books. When it came to people of Fu Nanhua''s personality and level of aptitude for cultivation, he couldn''t be more familiar with their patterns of behavior. Even if he were to be intimidated by Chen Ping''an into temporarily giving up on seeking revenge, he was definitely going to see this as the most humiliating disgrace in his life.


    In fact, Qi Jingchun wouldn''t have been surprised if this were to be an internal demon in his Dao Heart. If that were to happen, then it wouldn''t just be Fu Nanhua hunting down Chen Ping''an. Instead, he would have to face the wrath of the ruler of the South Sea, the entire Old Dragon City itself.


    There were some selfish elements involved in why Qi Jingchun hade to stop Chen Ping''an from killing Fu Nanhua, but mostly, it was for upholding fairness. At the moment, the town was like a cracked piece of chinaware, and it was only a matter of time before itpletely shattered. What Qi Jingchun had to do was dy this inevitable oue as much as possible, doing everything in his power to arrange a way out for as many people as possible.


    The best oue would be to hand Chen Ping''an over to the cksmith, Master Ruan, then hold the town together for one more cycle of 60 years, and all sides would be rtively happy. Those on the mountain peak would obtain the fated opportunities they hade here for, while those at the foot of the mountain would be able to live in safety and stability.


    One had to realize that in the eyes of those on the mountaintop, the lives of countless ants at the foot of the mountain were entirely expendable as long as they could further their own journey on the path to attaining the Great Dao.


    The heartlessness of the royal empires was nothingpared with the lengths that countless cultivators were willing to go to for the sake of their pursuit of the Great Dao.


    After a moment of contemtion, Qi Jingchun faded out of sight.


    Heaven and earth returned to normal, and the Halted Realm from before silently fell away.


    Chen Ping''an''s wrist finally mmed against Fu Nanhua''s neck, and thetter''s head was thrown back as he was sent crashing horizontally into the wall of the alley. The tremendous impact had him reeling from dizziness, and afternding on the ground, Chen Ping''an quickly closed down the distance between them before throwing a vicious elbow into Fu Nanhua''s abdomen.


    Fu Nanhua still hadn''t regained his footing yet, and he reflexively doubled over in the wake of the elbow strike, almost throwing up the contents of his stomach in the process.


    Chen Ping''an had one hand around Fu Nanhua''s throat, while his other hand kept his porcin shard digging firmly into Fu Nanhua''s abdomen.


    It was incredible to Fu Nanhua that this thin and frail-looking young boy who was significantly shorter than himself could have so much strength in his fingers. In particr, the sharp and ice-cold sensation of the porcin shard digging into his abdomen was like a harbinger of death, and he knew that he was currently skirting the fine line between this realm and the afterlife.


    Fu Nanhua was naturally unaware of the fact that Chen Ping''an had been forced to perform all manners of grueling manualbor tasks for survival from a young age, nor did he know that Chen Ping''an had only mustered up such astonishing strength from tapping into his limitless potential, which was fueled by an urge even stronger than that for survival.


    Back when Chen Ping''an had been rolling around in agony after eating the wrong the medicinal herb, he had only been at the age where he should''ve been attending school with all the other children, but even back then, it was this very same urge that had driven him to crawl back home in order to deliver that bamboo basket full of life-saving medicinal herbs.


    After that, everything that he did, including chopping firewood, burning charcoal, pottery molding and firing, digging and tasting dirt... there wasn''t a single thing that hadn''t been a test of his stamina and endurance.


    Outside the town, Fu Nanhua could easily crush 100, even 1,000 Chen Ping''ans with just the simplest of mystical abilities, but he had made a grave error in trying to corner Chen Ping''an in this town, one that had ced him in a dire situation.


    Suffering from intense humiliation and pain, he hadpletely lost the ability to think rationally, and a ferocious look appeared on his face as he growled, "If you kill me, you''ll be sure to fall to an early grave! Even if you don''t kill me, you''re still going to die! Your fate is sealed, you piece of scum!"


    Chen Ping''an had to raise his head slightly to look up at Fu Nanhua''s deranged face, and he said, "You know that I don''t want to kill you. There''s no bad blood between us, I only retaliated because you wanted to hurt me."


    A sinister grin appeared on Fu Nanhua''s face as he retorted, "What right does a piece of scum like you have to reason with me?! What gives you the courage to be so insolent?!"


    Chen Ping''an was silent for a moment before asking, "You''re not going to let me live no matter what, right?"


    As Fu Nanhua looked into Chen Ping''an''s eyes, he quickly calmed down.


    His face was quickly turning red from strangtion, then rapidly transitioned to blue, then purple. Chen Ping''an hadn''t actually tightened his grip any further, but this was already enough to strangle a grown man like Fu Nanhua to death.


    "Would you believe me if I told you that I won''t kill you?" Fu Nanhua asked, speaking with great difficulty.


    At the time, he tried to struggle free from Chen Ping''an''s vice-like grip, but almost at the exact same moment, Chen Ping''an tightened his grip, and Fu Nanhua immediately gave up on his futile efforts.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head.


    Fu Nanhua could feel his own consciousness slipping away, and he wanted nothing more than to smash Chen Ping''an''s head open like a watermelon, but he still did his best to remain as amicable as possible as he proposed, "What if I swear a vow to the heavens? For people like me, such vows cannot be broken without dire consequences."


    Here, Fu Nanhua was attempting to y a trick on Chen Ping''an. While it was true that vows sworn by cultivators were extremely binding, Fu Nanhua had only told Chen Ping''an a half-truth here. Even if he were to swear a vow, he would only do so as a surface-level deration without actually taking it to heart.


    Hence, such a vow waspletely non-binding, and he could easily break it without any consequences. Furthermore, even a cardinal vow sworn by a cultivator wasn''tpletely unbreakable, it was just a matter of whether one would be willing to pay the price for breaking the vow. In general, the price for breaking a cardinal vow had a direct corrtion with the magnitude of a cultivator''s cultivation base and the contents of their vow.


    To his surprise, Chen Ping''an shook his head once again.


    Breathing was bing more and more difficult for Fu Nanhua, and he was bing so dizzy that he had lost the ability to speak and negotiate further.


    Am I about to die? Am I going to be killed by this piece of scum, just like that idiot, Cai Jinjian? Once word of this gets back to Old Dragon City, will I be theughingstock of the entire city? Will that be my legacy?


    He didn''t even have the chance to activate the hidden mechanism on his jade belt. As it turned out, the white jade belt around his waist was actually formed by the remnants of an earth dragon''s soul.


    "That''s enough."


    All of a sudden, a voice rang out nearby, and this was undoubtedly music to Fu Nanhua''s ears, but he just so happened to fall unconscious at this exact moment, so he couldn''t be sure whether that had just been a figment of his imagination.


    Chen Ping''an turned around with a surprised expression to find an ethereal Mr. Qi, whose entire body was giving off a white glow.


    Qi Jingchun was watching Chen Ping''an in silence with a faint smile on his face, but Chen Ping''an''s expression remained determined and resolute, and he didn''t loosen his grip in the slightest.


    Qi Jingchun wasn''t furious at the fact that his well-intended intervention was being ignored, nor was he pleased by Chen Ping''an''s determination and mental fortitude. Instead, he merely waved a sleeve at Chen Ping''an, as if he were scooping something from the boy''s body into his hand.


    He then spread open his hand to see what he had taken, upon which an amused look appeared on his face.


    It was a ball of filth that was as ck as ink.


    As it turned out, someone had nted an inclination on his body, but it was alreadypletely devoid of luster, indicating that it had perished long ago.


    He then turned to Chen Ping''an with a rather forlorn expression as he sighed, "No wonder my teacher told me that for those who go on to do great things, an unshakeable will is far more important than exceptional aptitude. You''ve taught me another valuable lesson in my teacher''s stead, Chen Ping''an. Unfortunately, I am no longer in a position to be taking any more disciples."

 Chapter 23: Shade of the Locust Tree

    Chapter 23: Shade of the Locust Tree


    After saying this, the schr chuckled at himself in a mocking manner. Right now, were Qi Jingchun''s disciples worth anything? This was a room full of elementary children. Each student only needed to pay a measly 300 coins, and those who came from poorer families only needed to pay three strings of cured meat.


    Qi Jingchun looked at the young boy who was unwavering in his views and unwilling to loosen his grip. "Deep down, you don''t actually want to kill him. The issue, however, is that it looks like this person is determined to kill you no matter what. Thus, killing him will be the easiest solution, and you''ll also be able to ensure your safety, at least temporarily. You want to deal with future problems as theye up? Or are you hoping to make concessions to avoid trouble, reducing a major problem to a minor one and a minor one to nothing at all? Am I correct?"


    The young boy who often listened to his neighbor reciting books and poems immediately replied, "Mr. Qi, can you please enlighten me?"


    Qi Jingchun smiled and said, "Chen Ping''an, why don''t you try loosening your right hand first? Then you can decide whether you want to take a stroll around with me. Some things I can''t escape me from, so I must give you an exnation."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a brief moment before releasing his grip. He suddenly realized that Fu Nanhua had be motionless, with his eyes, hair, and even breathing all frozen.


    After Qi Jingchun activated the formation, the small town returned to a frozen state.


    Qi Jingchun said in a soft voice, "Follow me closely, and try to stay within 10 steps of me."


    The middle-aged schr''s robes fluttered as he gracefully walked toward the end of the alley. Chen Ping''an followed closely behind him, ncing down at the palm of his left hand as he did so. His flesh was mangled and bloody, and even his bones could be seen. However, the clearly visible blood somehow refused to keep flowing.


    Walking in front of the young boy, Qi Jingchun smiled faintly and asked, "Chen Ping''an, do you believe in the existence of immortals, spirits, demons, and ghosts?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "I do. When I was little, my mother would often tell me some old stories. She wanted me to believe that good deeds would be rewarded, while bad deeds would be punished. My mother repeated this phrase the most, so I remember it extremely clearly.


    ��There were also stories about a water ghost in the creek that would drag away children, and stories about the underworld king who would try cases at night near the rundown ancestral hall in the town''s north. Mother also said that the door gods stered on the doors would actuallye to life at night, helping us to protect the house. In the past, I didn''t really believe these things. Now, however, I feel like most of it is true."


    Qi Jingchun softly said, "Some of the things she told you are true, and some of them false. As for good deeds being rewarded and bad deeds being punished, this is truly difficult to say. After all, everyone has a different definition of what''s good and what''s bad. Themon people, kings and officials, and immortals, all have different views on this. Thus, the conclusions that they reach will naturally be very different as well."


    Chen Ping''an hid away the shard of porcin as he quickened his pace, walking side-by-side with the schr. He raised his head and asked, "Mr. Qi, can I ask you a question?"


    As if reading the young boy''s thoughts, Qi Jingchun calmly exined, "This small town is the burial ce of thest true dragon in the world. Countless flood dragons and their kin all believe that this ce has the most prosperous opportunities and is destined to birth a dragon someday. In reality, no such thing has happened in the past 3000 years.


    ��Instead, the children who are born in this small town all possess aptitudes, dispositions, and opportunities that are indeed far greater than those in the outside world. Even the children of the most renowned cultivators in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent aren''t any superior. Of course, not every child in this small town possessed such astonishing aptitude."


    Qi Jingchun smiled and didn''t delve into this topic anymore. He was most likely afraid of hurting the young boy''s feelings. He changed the topic, saying, "Almost all of the cultivators who participated in that dragon-ying cmity were severely wounded. Many of them thus decided to settle here, building houses and cultivating. There were those who unflinchingly battled to theirst breath, while there were also dao partners who survived in strokes of great fortune. There were also those whose fates intertwined after battling against that dragon side-by-side.


    ��After 3000 years ofbor and inhabitance, we have the small town that exists now. On the map of the Great Li Empire, thisnd was initially referred to as Great Marsh Vige. Afterward, a sage personally picked up a brush and renamed this ce Dragon Den. Later again, in order to avoid the taboo of having the same character as in the name of the Great Li Empire''s emperor, this ce was renamed��"


    The young boy finally couldn''t hold in his words anymore, softly interrupting Qi Jingchun''s exnation. He sped his hands in respect and asked with an eager and yearning expression, "Mr. Qi, I actually wanted to ask you about my parents. What kind of people were they?"


    Qi Jingchun fell deep into thought. "Since that traveling Daoist has already revealed some secrets to you, I can also take advantage of the opening that he''s made and tell you some things. From what I remember, your father was an honest and gentle person. His talent was mediocre, so he wasn''t chosen to be brought out of this small town. As a result, he naturally became worthless in the eyes of those who had invested in him and was viewed as a financial loss. Perhaps they were angered, or perhaps they were faced with some predicament... In any case, the porcin buyers tampered with your father''s bonded porcin. After that, not only did he face many setbacks in life, but he even caused your mother and you to live in misery as well.


    ��Due to some unknown reason, your fatherter inadvertently discovered the secrets of the bonded porcin. He discovered that once someone was led outside the small town, they would be a puppet on a string forever. Thus, he secretly smashed the bonded porcin that belonged to you. If I remember correctly, it was a porcin paperweight."


    Qi Jingchun continued in a solemn voice, "You have to realize that all of the children born in this small town have a code name that''s recorded in a secret document. There are also specific people in this small town who will extract a drop of their heart''s blood through a special secret technique, and ce this drop of blood in the bonded porcin that they produce at ater date. The bonded porcins of females need to be fired for six years, while the bonded porcins of males need to be fired for even longer. The kiln fire has to burn for nine years, and it can''t be stopped for a single day.


    ��The talent and aptitude of these children is also just like the quality of the porcin pieces �� everything is decided by fate and fortune. However, those who bet on porcin have to pay a huge sum. Even though your talent is only mediocre, your father''s resolute decision to smash that porcin paperweight enraged the porcin buyers outside the small town.


    "As for your mother, she was a refined and gentle woman."


    Qi Jingchun suddenly smiled as he continued, "When your mother got married to your father, a lot of people around their age were extremely gloomy. Although to be honest with you, you''re truly putting me in a tough spot if you want me to tell you the details of your parents'' lives. After arriving here, I''ve had many other things to do apart from teaching."


    Chen Ping��an replied with a soft "m-hm". He then silently turned around and used his hands to wipe his cheeks. However, he had most likely forgotten about the miserable state of his left hand, so his face was left with streaks of blood. Even so, he was genuinely reluctant to clean his face with his sleeves.


    The two of them passed the archway with 12 stone pirs.


    Qi Jingchun didn''t look at the young boy as he truthfully recounted the events of the past. "When the true dragon was in here, the four sages personally showed up to form a contract �� they would guard this ce in rotations of 60 years each, and they would observe the remnant aura of that true dragon. In fact, people dispute whether the dragon was truly killed or not. However, revealing too many of these secrets to you will only bring you cmity.


    ��Roughly speaking, thisnd is ruled by four main forces �� Confucianists, Buddhists, Daoists, and martial artists. The other forces of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the various schools of thought, the myriad blessednds, the numerous immortal sects, and the countless great ns, all have a certain amount of power and opportunity to obtain some benefits from this small town. It may sound funny, but whether or not one has purchased a bonded porcin within the past 100 years has almost be synonymous with whether a sect or a n is a first-rate power."


    "I don''t really understand Mr. Qi''s exnations, but I''vemitted all of it to memory," Chen Ping''an said. "However, I''m already content with learning that my parents were good people."


    Qi Jingchun smiled and said, "Nor do I expect you to understand any of this at this moment. However, this is just some background information. Otherwise, you definitely won''t listen to me if I simply persuade you not to kill Fu Nanhua. I''m not doing this because I want to protect a fellow cultivator, nor is it because I''d be saddened by his death. It more so isn''t because I want Fu Nanhua or Old Dragon City to feel grateful toward me and grant me favors in the future. That is not the case. In fact, it''s theplete opposite.


    ��Disciples of Confucianism advocate cultivation by engagement with society. Thus, we''re most opposed to those cultivators who act with wanton disregard. The two sides have shed openly and in secret for countless years, and if it were me from the past who had just gone to study in the Mountain Cliff Academy, how could any of them still be alive, be it the River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao or Old Dragon City''s Young City Lord Fu Nanhua? I would have smashed them into oblivion long ago."


    Mr. Qi was still speaking in a gentle tone, and he was still walking in a graceful manner, but the young boy felt like he was apletely different person at this moment.


    This was simr to when Old Man Yao would get drunk and boast about how their chinaware was made for the emperor, so who couldpare to them?


    Even though Mr. Qi''s tone was different when he said he would have smashed them into oblivion long ago, his expression was exactly the same as the drunk Old Man Yao.


    Qi Jingchun furrowed his brows as he looked up at the opposite end of the y Vase Alley. It was as if he were listening to someone else''s conversation. There was no hint of disgust on his face, but the displeasure in his eyes wasn''t hidden at all.


    In the end, he said in a cold voice, "Make haste and leave!"


    Chen Ping''an wore a puzzled expression.


    Qi Jingchun exined, "It''s the storyteller. His true name is Liu Zhimao, and his title is the River Severing True Lord. In fact, he''s an unorthodox cultivator, and even though his cultivation is decent, his character is lowly. The conflict between you and Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua was mostly caused by his meddling as well. In the end, he even nted a sinister talisman in your mind �� that was a script with four words, ��seek death with resolve��. He secretly carved this in your mind, a truly sinister and vicious act."


    Chen Ping''an silentlymitted Liu Zhimao''s name to memory.


    Qi Jingchun sighed before asking, "Aren''t you curious about why I didn''t interfere?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in reply.


    Qi Jingchun answered his own question anyway, saying, "Thisnd is like an old piece of chinaware that has been subject to the harsh elements for 3000 years, bringing it close to shattering. You people are ultimately outsiders, and you''re also protected by thatrge formation. Thus, as long as your actions aren''t too excessive, there''s almost no way you people can cause the chinaware to shatter. However, I''m the person holding the chinaware. Everything I do will influence the cracks on this chinaware. In reality, these cracks and fractures will continue to grow and emanate no matter what I do. If the chinaware shatters, then so be it. However, what of the 5000 or 6000 lives in this small town? Their fate is in my hands, so how can I be so careless?"


    However, Mr. Qi''s voice was extremely soft as he spoke these words that had weighed on his mind for many years. Chen Ping''an pricked his ears up, yet he was still unable to hear it clearly.


    Qi Jingchun looked at the young boy who would wipe his face with his right hand from time to time. The two of them had already walked near the Apricot Blossom Alley''s Iron Lock Well where there were women bending down and fetching water. Qi Jingchun asked, "Suppose a stranger falls in the well, and suppose you''ll die if you try to save them. Knowing this, will you still try to save them?"


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before asking, "I want to know, is it truly possible to save that person?"


    Qi Jingchun didn''t answer the young boy''s question. Instead, he smiled and said, "Remember this �� a noble person won''t save them."


    The young boy faltered upon hearing this. "Noble person?" he asked in confusion.


    Qi Jingchun hesitated for a moment before squatting down and helping the young boy fix his cor. He then used his hand to help the young boy clean away the blood on his face, saying in a gentle voice, "When encountering misfortune, one must first have a heart ofpassion. However, a noble person isn''t equivalent to a stubborn and pedantic person. A noble person will attempt to save the unfortunate person who has fallen into the well, yet they definitely won''t allow themself to face the risk of death."


    It was as if this question stirred up something in the young boy''s mind.


    He asked with a serious expression, "Mr. Qi, am I still able to live? If I can, how much longer can I live for?"


    Qi Jingchun carefully considered this question. He then slowly stood up and replied with resoluteness, "If you aren''t afraid of the rough and bumpy road ahead of you, and if you aren''t afraid of facing great hardships, you can definitely live on."


    A beaming smile spread across the young boy''s face, and he said as a matter-of-fact, "I''m not afraid of hardship!"


    Thinking of the young boy''s calm andposure all this time, Qi Jingchun felt a sense of relief. "Let''s go, I''ll bring you to a ce. Even though I can''t help you with much, helping you ovee this cmity definitely won''t count as breaking the rules since things havee to this. In fact, it''s only right that you''repensated with a fated opportunity."


    The young boy seemed slightly befuddled.


    The two of them arrived before the old locust tree. Even though the small town was deathly silent and still, this old locust tree seemed to be an exception for some unknown reason. Its branches swayed, and its leaves flittered.


    After standing still, Qi Jingchun wore a solemn expression, cupping his hands and bowing at the tree. He then raised his head and asked, "Can Qi Jingchun ask you for a locust leaf? One to allow this young boy to leave the small town peacefully and remain safe from cmity for three years?"


    The old locust tree of several thousand years didn''t respond.


    Qi Jingchun tried again, saying, "I''ve guarded this ce for 59 years, so I should at least be given some credit for hard work if not for merit. Can I not even ask for a single locust leaf with ancestral blessing? Not to mention, this young boy is a member of your small town. Esteemed predecessors, is there any need to be so miserly?"


    The old locust tree still remained silent.


    It was as if it were replying with a silent taunt.


    Qi Jingchun may have been powerful, but he was still nothing more than just another person in thisnd. In fact, he was more so the pitiful person who had to control therge formation of this ce. Thus, even if the locust tree was unwilling to show charity and give him a locust leaf with ancestral blessings, what could he do?


    Qi Jingchun''s expression became dark and gloomy. In the end, he could only sigh and look down, his face filled with remorse and guilt.


    However, the young boy cracked a grin, and it was instead he who started to console Qi Jingchun. "Daoist Lu said that I''ll have a chance to live as long as I go to the small town''s south and be the disciple of a cksmith by the surname of Ruan. Mr. Qi, I''m sure I''ll be fine even without a locust leaf!"


    Qi Jingchun smiled and asked, "From the bottom of your heart?"


    The young boy scratched his head and replied bashfully, "No..."


    Qi Jingchun smiled in understanding.


    Suddenly...


    A tender and verdant green locust leaf floated down from high up in the crown of the tree.


    The young boy simply reached out, and the leaf automatically fell in his hand.


    There was a golden word on the leaf, though this disappeared in a sh.


    Qi Jingchun was slightly astonished. After a brief moment, he said solemnly, "The word was Yao. Chen Ping''an, are you willing to repay the Yao n''s kindness, regardless of life or death?! Truth be told, you might have had a sliver of a chance to live even without this leaf. I can tell you this definitively. So, you definitely have to think this through!"


    "Is this the same Yao as Master Yao?" the young boy asked.


    Qi Jingchun nodded in confirmation, saying, "Indeed."


    The young boy put his palms together, lightly holding the locust leaf between them. He then looked up and said loudly, "As long as I''m alive, and as long as it''s a member of the Yao n rted to you, I''ll do just like Mr. Qi said just then! Even if they fall into a well, and even if I''ll die trying to save them, I, Chen Ping''an, will still definitely save them!"


    The surroundings remained silent.


    Qi Jingchun smiled and said, "Let''s go."


    As he walked away with the young boy, Qi Jingchun silently looked back at the crown of the locust tree, an expression of ridicule on his face.


    Locust leaves with the surname "Chen" did indeed exist. In fact, there were more than just a few. In the end, however, they still insisted on looking for different owners even though they knew that thisnd was facing imminent destruction. They didn''t care even if their chosen owner didn''t share the surname "Chen". Even at this moment, not a single locust leaf with ancestral blessings of the Chen n was willing to give the young boy in straw sandals a chance.


    Qi Jingchun turned back around and stroked the young boy''s head, teasing him by saying, "If that vow had been spoken by Song Jixin, Zhao Yao, or Gu Can, perhaps they would have triggered the resonance of heaven and earth."


    The young boy wore a radiant smile. "That''s not something I can control. I can only try my best."


    Qi Jingchun asked again, "From the bottom of your heart?"


    The young boy smiled and replied, "Yes!"

 Chapter 24: Present

    Chapter 24: Present


    Somewhere along Peach Leaf Alley, there was a kindly and amiable old man sitting in a cane chair under the corridor of his residence. Beside him was a clever-looking and adorable maidservant in a jade-colored dress and long yellow-patterned pants. She slowly waved a fan as she listened to the old man telling his stories.


    The old man suddenly asked, "Tao Ya, where''s the wind? Are you nodding off again? I''m not trying to frighten you, but if you ck off like this in therge ns outside this small town, you''ll definitely receive punishment."


    There was no response. The old man who was always lenient and kind toward his servants was just about to tease her again when his expression suddenly changed. He looked up toward the distance, with his expression bing solemn. As it turned out, it wasn''t only the maidservant in the courtyard and her fan which had be still. Instead, even the formless wind had be still.


    The old man hurriedly held his breath and concentrated his attention, silently reciting a mantra and entering a state of meditation. This was to prevent his cultivation from flowing away in this temporary countercurrent in the long river of time. The old man heaved a soft sigh. Even Qi Jingchun, the person who most respected the rules and etiquette, had finally broken the rules and be involved. It was clear that a storm was brewing.


    Near the Iron Lock Well, a sturdily-built young man from outside of town was squatting down and staring intently at the spinning spindle of the well. However, out of the corner of his eyes, he was secretly stealing nces at the side figure of a shapely vige woman. She was currently bent over and hoisting a bucket of water from the well, perfectly showing off her voluptuous behind and her weighty breasts.


    Her curves seemed slightly exaggerated, and her shapely figure was exposed for all to see. Her movements more so highlighted her slightly unruly nature that was just like the swaying plump ear of wheat. This caused the woman who only had a middling appearance to radiate with a different kind of charm.


    When the young man finally noticed the eerie silence and stillness in the surroundings, he didn''t choose to move either. Instead, he summoned his courage and stared straight at the wonderful figure of the woman at the well. The young man silently gulped. He then hurriedly shifted his body to squat in a different stance.


    No wonder his master had told him that women in the outside world were all tigers out of the jungle, with their power greatly reduced. However, once they were brought into the mountains and into the jungles, they would once again be powerful and domineering tigers �� they would even eat people alive. When his master became drunk, he would always say that all of the heroes and talented people in the world would eventually sumb to the tiger in their own backyard. There wouldn''t be a single exception. However, the young man felt like tigers out of the jungle were already extremely powerful. Take, for example, the woman before him. Her looks were clearly ordinary, yet her shapely and seductive figure caused his heart to itch. If she suddenly pped him without a word and without reason, the young man felt like he wouldn''t dare to strike back at all. In fact, if the woman then smiled at him, he might even smile back.


    The young man couldn''t help but feel slightly disheartened and discouraged. He nced down at his crotch and scolded, "How pathetic! As expected of something without a spine!"


    ��������


    In y Vase Alley, Song Jixin was currently flipping through a thick and ancient Local County Chronicle. He was able to discover many patterns, such as how this book was approximately appended to and edited once every 60 years. Thus, Song Jixin privately referred to this book as the "Sixty-Year Chronicle".


    Something else he noticed was that those who were brought out of the small town by distant rtives at a young age would almost never return. It was as if they didn''t like returning to their hometown �� they were like flowers that bloomed inside the town, yet whose fragrance could only be enjoyed outside. Indeed, it was in this manner that many ns and families took root and grew in the outside world. In fact, some of them even grew into towering trees with deep and sturdy roots. Thus, Song Jixin also nicknamed this book "Beyond the Wall".


    Right now, the young boy was on a page with someone''s biography. This was a description of someone called Cao Xi''s life. Few words were used to describe him �� this was another distinguishing feature of the Local County Chronicle. Song Jixin had read this book at least seven or eight times, so he was naturally extremely familiar with its contents already. Thus, when he flipped through it again, like he was now, he would only choose the most bizarre and interesting stories to read. He would treat these stories as legends shared by storytellers, with their authenticity unable to be verified.


    Of course, Song Jixin didn''t care much for this either. He only remembered the events that had urredte that one night. When that man in his official garb was about to return to the capital to report on his work, he hade to speak with Song Jixin in an extremely solemn manner. He had told the young boy to keep one thing firmly in mind. That was, he needed to memorize every single person who had appeared in the Local County Chronicle. In addition to this, he needed to remember the roots of these hundreds of thousands of people and their ancestors, especially those who were rted to the Four Surnames and Ten ns.


    Song Jixin was unmoving at this moment, much like those broken y statues of gods in the southeast of the small town. These were statues carelessly left lying on their sides in the grass and in the dirt. No matter if they were subject to the wind or the rain, they would remain still and unmoving. At this moment, even the rays of light that were shining in from the window and sprawled across the study table were locked in an abnormal state of stillness.


    In this residence, there was only one person and one matter that could still move: Zhi Gui and the inconspicuous four-legged snake. She had noticed the abnormal situation very early on, and the first thought that had urred to her was to go next door to look for that expressionless young girl and give her a hearty scolding. However, after noticing the existence of that sword, the maidservant gave up on this enticing thought.


    She first walked into her young master''s room and shot a sideways nce at the contents of the book that he was reading. She was immediately annoyed upon seeing the words "Cao Xi", so she helped her young master flip a few pages forward. Only after seeing a paragraph about "Xie Shi" did she smile in happiness. However, she quickly flipped the book back to its initial page in a begrudging and resentful manner.


    This was to prevent any heavenly secrets from being revealed and also to prevent her own secrets from being exposed. During these past years, the intelligent young master had only been suspicious of her background out of curiosity. However, he had never found any solid proof or evidence. With her grand scheme almost about to seed, she certainly didn''t want to lose everything at the final step.


    She often followed the young master to his private school, and there were some sayings of the schrs that she felt were extremely pretentious and disgraceful. For example, "one should sacrifice their life in pursuit of righteousness". However, there were also some sayings that she found quite eptable. For example, "in a journey of 100 steps, 90 steps is only the halfway mark". This was truly aprehensive and easily understandable principle.


    Meanwhile, the earthen-yellow four-legged snake was lying on the doorstep and sun-basking. With the surroundings silent and still, the four-legged snake also recovered its "true body". Under the radiant illumination of the sun, it appeared dazzling and colorful, and it appeared smooth and crystal-like. Its body was like a piece of colored ze.


    In the neighboring house, Ning Yao had also entered an extremely mysterious state of fetal breathing. She didn''t breathe using her mouth or nose, but was instead breathing like an infant still in their mother''s womb. Her divine breath returned to its roots, while her thoughts were also paused.


    Inside the snow-white scabbard, the flying sword felt as if it had been granted freedom. After slowly leaving its scabbard, it gracefully flew around its owner in a light and loving manner, appearing as gentle and caring as could be. At the same time, its movements were also as beautiful as the soft fluttering of a young girl''s dress. The sword wasn''t flying around in a random manner, and it was instead flying around as if it were a magical horn painting a powerful symbol. It was creating the most optimal atmosphere and Feng Shui for its owner to recuperate in. Sure enough, the surrounding essence suddenly rushed into the young girl who wasn''t breathing at this moment. Like a whale swallowing water, she voraciously feasted on the origin spiritual energy of this heaven and earth. It was also at this moment that the small town''s deathly silence and stillness became a stark juxtaposition to the lively nature of this residence.


    On some creekside to the south of the small town, there stood a short man with thick brows andrge eyes.


    His intense aura was imposing, and his upper body was exposed as he swung the cksmith hammer in his hand. As the hammernded, sparks flew into the surroundings, illuminating the entire room.


    Countless bright and shing sparks chaotically shot around the spacious room, appearing dazzling and spectacr.


    Each blow from his hammer would unleash a different spectacle.


    Opposite the man was a young girl who had a clean and tidy ponytail. She was small and petite, and she was currently wearing an apron made from cowhide to prevent the sparks from striking her body. Under that, she was wearing ordinary cotton clothes. These were clothes that would be easily burned by the sparks.


    When the hammer fell again, tens of millions of sparks abruptly froze in midair, lingering all over the room.


    The young girl with a ponytail frowned and asked, "Dad?"


    The man replied in a serious tone, "Let''s swap and have you forge the sword instead. We can take advantage of this opportunity to temper your mind and heart."


    The young girl ced down the old sword billet before sweeping away the sparks before her. The sparks were easily swept aside, and the movement of a few instantly triggered the movement of them all. The sparks that should have been frozen in time started to chaotically sh and glow, with their innumerable collisions causing the brightness in the room to fluctuate without any pattern.


    Compared to the elderly seniors in the small town that were like dragons hiding in a deep pool, with their breathing paused and their attention focused, the young girl''s movements truly appeared overly wild and domineering.


    This was especially the case after she started to swing the hammer. Her movements wererge and powerful, and her strikes were more so quick and ferocious. In fact, she appeared even wilder and more unrestrained than the experienced man.


    Sparks would spray into the surroundings with each hammer strike, yet none of them would vanish thanks to the still and unmoving time. Strike after strike, the room was eventually filled with denseyers of sparks that were as glistening as the myriad stars in the night sky.


    The swordsmithing room was filled with countless radiant sparks.


    The man stared intently at the glowing red sword billet as he instructed in a deep voice, "Silently recite the Dragon Shaking Chapter of the Swordsmithing Scripture in your mind!"


    The young girl''s intensity suddenly dropped by a drastic amount, and she silently called, "Dad?"


    "What?" the man asked in annoyance.


    The young girl''s intensity fell even further as she said timidly, "I ate too little for lunch... I''m a bit hungry now, so I don''t have the energy to swing the hammer anymore."


    The man became even angrier. If they weren''t forging a sword, he would have almost started to scold her. "I''m only telling you to recite a scripture, yet you''re acting as if I''m asking for your life! What kind of excuse is this? Bloody hell... My darling daughter, with your appetite... being hungry is indeed very normal... This really wasn''t an excuse..."


    The young girl secretlyughed. Even though she said she was hungry, her swinging never in fact weakened. At this moment, the girl suddenly roared, mming the hammer down with her full strength. At the same time, she shouted, "Come out!"


    An especiallyrge number of sparks shot into the air this time, with their radiance also being especially blinding.


    The man maintained hisposed expression, but he said in his mind, "Sess."


    ��������


    In the courtyard of Gu Can''s house, the woman slowly regained consciousness, though her head still hurt like it was about to split apart. She sat back on the bench with the help of her child. The River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao was still resting with his eyes closed, but his thumb and index finger were slowly moving under his sleeves as if he were calcting something.


    The woman grabbed her son to sit down next to her before asking quietly, "Immortal Elder, what''s going on?"


    The old man didn''t open his eyes as he replied, "You have a good son, and I found myself a good disciple. Mrs. Gu, you can patiently wait to gain honor and renown thanks to your son."


    The woman was delighted, so much so that tears of joy brimmed in her eyes as she embraced her child, murmuring, "My child''s dad, did you hear that? Our Gu Can will definitely achieve great things..."


    "Hmm?" A surprised expression suddenly appeared on Liu Zhimao''s face, and he opened his eyes to look down at the patterns on his palm. It was as if a new "road" had appeared, and he said to himself, "Why is this? It shouldn''t be! The young boy didn''t die, and it was instead that immortal disciple who mysteriously died?"


    The old man couldn''t help but stand up and slowly pace around the courtyard. His fingers moved extremely quickly as he calcted something, and he eventually eximed, "Trash! You actually died at the hands of a poor young boy? The reputation that Dawn Cloud Mountain has worked so hard to build for the past 1000 years has been destroyed just like that."


    Gu Can''s mother was extremely uneasy and nervous as she asked, "Immortal Elder, since Can''er has already be your disciple, why don''t we let Chen Ping''an off the hook?"


    "Such foolish benevolence! If you were truly kind-hearted, you wouldn''t have developed that killing intent when we first met. Yet, you''re pretending to be a benevolent saint now? How shameless!"


    Upon hearing the old man''s scolding, the woman became as pale as a sheet, not daring to utter a single word.


    However, the old man still felt angry, so he pointed at the woman and scolded, "Short-sighted vige woman! When Gu Can returns to Lake Shujian[1] with me, the two of you definitely can''t see each other too often, lest his cultivation be affected by you. Do you have anyints?"


    The woman hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "I wouldn''t dare."


    There was a cold and menacing glint in the old man''s eyes.


    The woman faltered for a brief moment before quicklying to her senses. She wore a dejected expression as she pitifully added, "I don''t have anyints! I definitely don''t have anyints!"


    The old man forcefully flicked his sleeve, saying with a humph, "How infuriating!"


    Seeing that the woman was still rtively charming, he had initially wanted to take her in as a personal maidservant. However, just as he had developed this thought, she had immediately acted in such a vulgar and intolerable manner. She truly deserved to lose the opportunity to set foot on the path of cultivation.


    At this moment, the old man suddenly tensed as if he were facing a powerful enemy. He looked around, and sure enough, thisnd had been drawn into a "Halted Realm" by someone. Halted Realms were one of the many mystical realms in this world, and this was a realm that even terrestrial gods and golden arhats couldn''t dream of creating.


    This was a grand mystical power of the loftiest heights. Even though this wasrgely thanks to thatrge formation, it was still something that elicited a deep sense of respect and fear.


    Just think about it. Regardless of whether one was an immortal, buddha, deity, demon, or ghost, they would be forced to kowtow toward that person as long as they were trapped in this realm. Just what kind of experience was this?


    The River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao dreamed of reaching such paramount heights. Not using one''s most powerful trump card? Get absolutely fucked! If Liu Zhimao possessed such a mystical realm, he would immediately drag the third-generation disciples of Buddha, the Dao Patriarch, and the Confucian Hierarch inside. He didn''t dare to say that he could force them to bow their heads, but they could all at the very least be on an equal standing.


    Without any warning at all, Liu Zhimao suddenly spat a mouthful of blood. At the same time, blood also shot from his hand. It was as if someone had shed his hand with a sharp de.


    His white bowl also involuntarily appeared in his other hand, with disorderly ripples bouncing across the surface of the water and ck lines chaotically colliding against the sides of the bowl.


    The old man didn''t hesitate for a second as he sped the palm of one hand against the back of the other. Even though he was a Daoist of an unorthodox sect, he bowed in the manner of a Confucian disciple at this moment. He bowed as deeply as he could, with his voice quivering as he said in the most sincere manner, "Liu Zhimao, the ind master of Lake Shujian''s Cyan Gorge Ind, earnestly asks Mr. Qi to have mercy on this junior''s pursuit of Dao. If I''ve offended Mr. Qi... Sage Qi, please don''t hold a grudge against this lowly person!"


    After a long while, he finally received a reply.


    "Make haste and leave!"


    These four words were like thunder as they exploded in the True Lord''s ears.


    Liu Zhimao was overjoyed as he said, "Rest assured, Mr. Qi, I''ll immediately leave this town with Gu Can and his mother."


    The old man who was referring to himself as a junior suddenly remembered something, and he carefully asked, "Dare I ask, Mr. Qi, how should this junior deal with the two bags of gold essence copper coins?"


    The mighty voice sounded once again, saying, "One person and one item makes exactly two fated opportunities. Just leave them in the courtyard. For the next 30 years, you''re also prohibited from taking a single step outside Lake Shujian."


    Liu Zhimao felt as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulder. Thus, he didn''t try to act obsequiously and perform a Confucian bow this time, instead performing a dignified Daoist bow. "I wouldn''t dare to refuse senior''s bestowal. This junior will definitely remember Mr. Qi''s benevolence for as long as I live!"


    Qi Jingchun''s voice didn''t sound again. The Halted Realm also vanished soon after. Liu Zhimao didn''t speak another word of nonsense, immediately ordering the woman and Gu Can to leave the small town with him. The woman was just about to speak, yet she immediately swallowed her words in fear upon seeing Liu Zhimao''s viciously ferocious re. Liu Zhimao retrieved two bags of coins. Even though this person who was intent on bing a genuine True Lord was extremely reluctant, he still ced the two bags of coins on the long bench without any hesitation at all. However, just as they were about to leave, Liu Zhimao suddenly asked, "Do you still have any other antiques in your house?"


    The woman wore a nk expression, yet the mischievous Gu Can immediately reminded her, "Didn''t dad leave a Myriad Treasure Pagoda? The one collecting dust under the bed?"


    Liu Zhimao''s eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered the woman to lead him over to investigate.


    Since the Sage approved of the fact that Gu Can himself was a fated opportunity, this also implied that the child could bring away the fated opportunities that belonged to him.


    As for the eventual owner of these fated opportunities... If one were in the small town, one would most likely have to listen to Qi Jingchun, even if the heavens came over. Once he returned to Lake Shujian, however, it would be apletely different story.


    With the two people entering the house, there was finally no one to look after Gu Can. Grabbing a bag of coins in each hand, he quietly opened the door before sprinting down to the other end of the y Vase Alley.


    Inside the house, the woman was kneeling on the floor and dragging the box out from under the bed. The box wasn''trge, yet it was extremely heavy. Thus, it was hard work to pull out, and the woman couldn''t help but pant in exertion.


    Yet, it was also at this moment that her shapely behind was kicked by the River Severing True Lord. The old man jeered, "Mrs. Gu, what you''recking is some nurturing and care. However, with just this alone, it might be a bit difficult for you to be a second-tier maidservant on the Cyan Gorge Ind. However, it''s more than enough for you to be a third-tier maidservant. You''re a bit beneath me, but there are indeed a few guests and cultivators on the ind, and you might just suit their tastes. At that time, you can put in some effort and fight for some opportunities. Don''t be shy and let your good fortunes slip away."


    The woman''s body involuntarily became a bit stiff. However, more than half of her body was still under the bed, hiding her expression.


    ��������


    After arriving at some alley, Qi Jingchun said to Chen Ping''an, "Leave Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua to me to deal with. Now that you have this locust leaf with ancestral blessings, you more so can''t show disregard for your own safety and life. This is the best way to repay your parents�� love. As for Dawn Cloud Mountain, Old Dragon City, and the River Severing True Lord, I don''t dare to guarantee that they''ll never seek you out to cause trouble. However, they definitely won''t cause you any trouble in the next 10 years. If you''re lucky, you might remain amoner forever, and you might be able to enjoy 30 years of peace."


    Qi Jingchun smiled and continued, "There''s no need to fear this small town either. In the future... After a while, there most likely won''t be so much scheming and plotting anymore. If you want to live in peace for 20 or 30 years, why not consider getting married with a youngdy here and starting a family? If you want to travel beyond this small town to witness the true scenery of the outside world, that would also be a very good choice. Reading 10,000 scrolls and walking 10,000 li[2] is something that we schrs must do. In the future, you''ll discover that in this small town, walking and traveling around is easy to do, while trying to read and study is difficult. In the outside world, however, many people find buying books, reading books, and collecting books is extremely easy. Yet, they truly detest traveling walking distances �� they find it too tiring and difficult. Their so-called ''journeys with books on their back'' are nothing more than excursions in afortable carriage."


    The young boy was astonished. "Mr. Qi, walking can be considered tiring and difficult?"


    Qi Jingchunughed heartily upon hearing this. "To say nothing of the outside world, let''s just have a look at your surroundings first. Have you seen children of your age from Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley running around the mountains?"


    The young boy nodded in understanding. "That''s indeed the case."


    Qi Jingchun pondered for a moment before pulling out a green jade hairpin from his bun. He bent down and handed it to the poor young boy, saying, "Just treat this as a farewell gift. It isn''t anything valuable, and it more so isn''t an immortal treasure. So don''t worry and ept it. In fact, I''m, just like you. I used to be a poor vige youth, yet I made a determined effort to study. After experiencing many hardships and challenges, and of course many kinds of opportunities as well, I was finally able to enter the Mountain Cliff Academy. Those days of bing my teacher''s disciple and studying were the happiest days of my life. After my teacher left the mountain, he handed this hairpin to me. This was something of an expectation and entrustment toward me. However, looking back after all these years, it''s a pity that I''ve been unable to perform well this entire time. If my teacher were still alive, I''m sure that he would definitely be disappointed."


    Chen Ping��an didn''t dare to ept this present.


    This jade hairpin seemingly represented the amiable master-and-disciple rtionship between Mr. Qi and his teacher. Not only was this jade hairpin a representation of their deep rtionship, it more so wasn''t a small present either.


    Regardless of how unknowledgeable the young boy was, he was still at the very least someone who had fired imperial chinaware. Thus, he was still able to appraise whether an item was valuable or not.


    Qi Jingchun said in a gentle voice, "If it''s left with me, the final relic of my respected master will also be neglected and stifled. Thus, I''m better off giving it to you. Moreover, it''s not as if you haven''t earned this. I''ve stayed in this small town for almost 60 years, and there had always been a knot in my heart that I couldn''t resolve. However, it''s a shame that my respected master has already passed away, so I initially thought that I would never receive an answer to this question. In the end, it was you who unknowingly cleared up my confusion. Thus, it''s only right that I give this jade hairpin to you. Chen Ping''an, I was only able to help you obtain a single locust leaf. There''s nothing more I can do for you."


    Chen Ping��an epted the jade hairpin with both hands. This was a jade hairpin made out of rtively ordinary material. He then looked up and said with sincerity, "Mr. Qi has already done a lot for me."


    Qi Jingchun simply replied with a smile. Seeing Chen Ping��an ept his jade hairpin, he also managed to do away with one more worry. This jade hairpin was indeed very ordinary. In the end, however, it was still something that had been left by his respected teacher. Thus, it was truly a wonderful thing that he was able to gift it to this young boy who definitely wouldn''t bring shame to the words inscribed upon it.


    Qi Jingchun gave the young boy one final piece of advice, saying, "Chen Ping''an, remember this. Regardless of what you encounter in the future, you definitely can''t lose hope in this world."


    1. Shujian literally means a letter. ?


    2. Li is a Chinese unit of measurement equivalent to about 0.5km. ?

 Chapter 25: Parting

    Chapter 25: Parting


    Outside a house in y Vase Alley, there was an unruly child with two lines of snot trailing from his nose. He was viciously kicking the door at this moment, cursing as he did so. Saliva flew everywhere as he shouted, "Chen Ping''an, if you don''t get the hell over here, I''m going to get someone to hack you to death and smash all of that worthless crap lying around in your house! What are you so busy with? Perhaps you''re with Song Jixin''s wife? You''re doing the deed with her in broad daylight? Don''t you know to look after Song Jixin''s feelings?


    ��Very well, you''re not going toe out, huh? Is that how it''s going to be? Then I''m going to leave! I''m genuinely going to leave! Don''t even think about seeing me ever again! I initially wanted to leave my treasures to you, but... Chen Ping''an, hurry up and answer the door!"


    For some reason, the little boy''s voice eventually started to carry a hint of a sob. He sniffed loudly, causing the two lines of snot to shoot back into his nose.


    Gu Can suddenly felt a dull pain on the back of his head. He hurriedly turned around, and after seeing that familiar face, he let loose again, shouting, "Chen Ping''an, you bloody little thing!"


    Judging from Chen Ping''an''s expression, it was clear that he wasn''t feeling too well. Gu Can hurriedly changed his tune upon seeing this, asking, "Are you feeling alright?"


    His sudden change in tone was as smooth as hovering clouds and flowing water �� it didn''t appear jarring at all.


    Chen Ping''an was already used to this snotty little child''s rude and mischievous behavior. Standing there with a new y pot in his hands, Chen Ping''an huffed, "Can you not tell whether I''m feeling alright or not?"


    Realizing that he still had important matters to deal with, Gu Can hurriedly dragged Chen Ping''an to the entrance of his courtyard. He then stuffed two exquisitely decorated pouches into Chen Ping''an''s hands, lowering his voice and saying, "Remember the small loach you gave mest year?"


    Chen Ping''an was slightly baffled as he held the two weighty pouches. He was quite familiar with these pouches, as the brocade-robed boy had especially given a pouch of copper coins to him after forcefully buying that golden carp. Chen Ping''an looked around, and he saw that there was no one else on y Vase Alley. However, he still opened his door in a hurry, bringing Gu Can into the courtyard.


    After putting the y pot down, he directly asked, "An outsider wants to buy that catfish from you, is that correct, Gu Can? I strongly suggest you not to sell it. Don''t sell it even if they try to force you. Didn''t you want to give your mother a good life in the future? If so, then you definitely have to keep that loach, understand?"


    Gu Can suddenly burst into tears. He grabbed onto Chen Ping''an''s sleeves and said through sobs, "I wanted to return the loach to you, but Mother didn''t let me. She even smacked my face! Ever since I was young, my mother has never hit me before. And that storyteller, I don''t know if he''s a god or a ghost, but he''s extremely terrifying. He brought me into his white bowl, and after that, the loach suddenly became extremely big. In fact, it became even bigger than the water vat in my house!"


    Chen Ping''an held his hand over the little boy''s mouth, his expression extremely serious as he shot a re and said, "Since I gave the loach to you, the loach is now yours. Do you still want to give your mother a good life in the future? Do you want her to be able to eat meat every day? And use makeup and be able to buy those smooth and silky clothes?"


    Gu Can sniffed before earnestly nodding in response.


    Chen Ping''an removed his hand, squatting down and asking, "What''s with these two pouches of coins? Did you secretly bring them over?"


    Gu Can''s eyes darted around, and he was just about to make up a story. However, Chen Ping''an was far too familiar with him, so much so that he could immediately see through his thoughts. He directly rewarded Gu Can with a rap on the head before saying sternly, "Take them back."


    Gu Can''s stubbornness also showed itself at this moment, and he retorted, "No!"


    An angry expression spread across Chen Ping''an''s face. He raised his hand and was just about to give Gu Can a true smack on the head. However, seeing his extremely stubborn expression, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel soft-hearted. He pondered for a moment before softening his voice and asking, "What''s going on? Tell me what''s happening."


    Gu Can recounted the events to him, from beginning to end. While this little child was truly infuriating most of the time, one had to admit that he was indeed very smart and intelligent for his young age. From the old locust tree to the Iron Lock Well, and from the Iron Lock Well to y Vase Alley, the little boy clearly described his encounter with the storyteller and how the storyteller had wanted to take him as a disciple.


    After hearing this, Chen Ping''an felt like hergely understood the situation. Gu Can was most likely someone who had obtained locust leaves with ancestral blessings. Regardless of whether this was because of fortune rising from the graves of his ancestors or because of the fated opportunities and fortunes that Mr. Qi and Daoist Lu spoke of, it was very likely the case that Gu Can would be brought out of the small town by that storyteller. However, Chen Ping''an immediately felt anxious and uneasy upon thinking of the River Severing True Lord.


    ording to Mr. Qi, this person was extremely immoral, and he had more so tried to lead him to his death. He hadn''t hesitated to use immortal techniques to create conflict between him and Cai Jinjian. Was it truly a good thing for Gu Can to be his disciple? On the other hand, however, since this person was willing to take Gu Can as a disciple, and since he didn''t try to kidnap or trick him, nor forcefully buy him, could it be presumed that Gu Can wouldn''t face any life-threatening dangers?


    The eyes of the mischievous little boy darted around. Seizing the opportunity while Chen Ping''an was still thinking, he suddenly grabbed the two pouches of coins from his hands without warning. He then tossed them toward the house before turning around to run away.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s hand shot out and grabbed onto his cor, immediately bringing him to a halt and dragging him back.


    Gu Can wrapped his arms around his head, appearing as pitiful as could be.


    Even though Chen Ping''an had dragged the little boy back, he was still hesitant about how to deal with the situation. This was a matter with great consequence, so Chen Ping''an was extremely afraid of making an incorrect decision and ultimately bringing harm to Gu Can and his mother.


    If this matter had only involved himself, the young boy with no one to depend on would have most likely been much more decisive and resolute.


    The young woman in ck had already gotten off the bed at some time, and after arriving at the doorstep, she said, "My mother once said that each person has their own fate. Just looking at him, it''s clear that this child is a scourge who''s destined to wreak havoc for 1000 years. He''s the type of person who''ll be struck with dumb luck after dumb luck."


    Gu Can''s eyes lit up at this moment, and he hurriedly wiped the two lines of snot from his face. He cracked an obsequious smile, revealing his missing baby teeth as he said, "Sister, you''re so pretty! You look just like my second sister! This ce is too cramped, so why don''t youe to my house to chat?"


    Chen Ping''an said in exasperation, "When did your mother get remarried to your father?"


    The little boy immediately rolled his eyes after being exposed. He quickly changed his expression and tone, clicking his tongue in wonder and saying, "Chen Ping''an, how impressive! You''re finally starting to show some promise! When did you trick ady back home? Are you going to get married and have guests y pranks on you[1]? However, it''s a shame that I won''t be able to attend. Otherwise, I would definitely squat in the corner and listen to you two wrestling in bed."


    Chen Ping''an pressed his hand down on Gu Can''s head. He then turned to the woman in ck and said apologetically, "This is just what he''s like; don''t be angry."


    The young woman nced at the little boy and said, "Little brat."


    Gu Can was just about to unleash his immense talent, yet he suddenly felt the hand on his head pressing down even harder. He immediately wilted under the pressure, saying in a listless manner, "Sister, you''re so beautiful. Of course everything you say is correct."


    The young woman in ck didn''t pay any heed to the little boy. Instead, she turned around to face Chen Ping''an, saying in a meaningful voice, "It''s best that you ept those two pouches of copper coins, lest they be the reason for a falling out in the future. Moreover, once this little boy achieves some sess in cultivation in the future, it''s extremely likely that his Dao Heart will be unstable if you cause him to feel lingering regret and guilt today. That will expose his heart to the ws of demons."


    These were the words that Gu Can wanted to hear. He raised a thumb at the young woman and said, "Your hair is long, and you''re also long of wit and knowledge[ref]A y on the derogatory saying that women have long hair, but are short of wit and knowledge.[ref]. Sure enough, you''re more reasonable than that youngdy from next door."


    The young woman in ck raised an eyebrow, yet she surprisingly epted thispliment with pleasure.


    At this moment, an extremely worried yet furious voice roared, "Gu Can!"


    The little boy became slightly pale, and he said, "Alright, alright, I''m going to leave now, Chen Ping''an. I''m going to leave, okay?"


    Even though the little boy said this, he didn''t realize that he was gripping Chen Ping''an''s sleeve even tighter.


    Perhaps in Gu Can''s subconsciousness, he had already epted Chen Ping''an as his only closepanion apart from his mother since long ago.


    Chen Ping''an led the little boy out of his courtyard. He squatted down and said in a quiet voice, "Gu Can, remember to be careful of your master. Also, make sure to look after your mother. You''re a responsible man, and your mother can only rely on you in the future. Don''t make her worry all the time."


    "M-hm," Gu Can responded with a nod.


    Chen Ping''an continued, "Once you arrive outside, remember to do more and speak less. Control your tongue, and so be it if you have to suffer a little because of it. Don''t try to always seek an advantage with your tongue. Unlike us, the people outside are far more likely to bear grudges."


    The little boy''s eyes were slightly red as he retorted, "The people here are also very good at bearing grudges! Only you''re an exception."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether tough or to cry. However, he was indeed rendered speechless.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly recalled something at this moment, and he asked in a serious voice, "Gu Can, did you receive a locust leaf?"


    If he hadn''t received one, then Chen Ping''an would be more inclined to believe that Gu Can hadn''t obtained some fated immortal opportunity. Instead, the arrival of that storyteller was perhaps akin to the arrival of the grim reaper.


    The little boy immediately started to feel angry upon hearing this. With a whoosh, he grabbed arge handful of locust leaves from his pocket and cursed out of habit, "I don''t know which cursed bastard did this! They secretly stuffed all of these crappy leaves in my pockets, and I only just discovered this when I tried to put the two pouches in my pockets after sneaking away from home. If it wasn''t Fatty Zhao, then it must have been that little girl Liu Mei. If my mother finds all these leaves when washing my clothes, won''t I be scolded and called a headache again? Those two are lucky that I''m about to leave soon. Otherwise, I''ll certainly toss stones into theirtrine in secret!"


    The little boy was on a roll as he continued to curse in anger. Chen Ping''an was absolutely stunned. Aftering to his senses, however, he immediately felt a great sense of relief. Upon seeing the little boy preparing to roughly throw the handful of leaves onto the ground, he hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. His expression was extremely serious as he said, "Gu Can, take them back and take good care of them. You definitely have to take good care of them. If it''s possible, it''s best that you keep these locust leaves a secret from even your mother. This is very possibly for her own good."


    The little boy was baffled, but he still nodded and said, "Okay."


    Chen Ping''an exhaled a long breath, saying to himself, "I genuinely feel relieved now."


    Gu Can suddenly fell forward, and his head heavily shed together with Chen Ping''an''s. He whimpered and said, "Sorry."


    Chen Ping''an tousled his hair and scolded with a smile, "Silly boy."


    Gu Can suddenly whispered something next to his ears.


    Chen Ping''an immediately faltered.


    The little boy turned around and ran away, not forgetting to wave his hand and say, "I heard the old man say that he''s going to bring Mother and me to a ce called Cyan Gorge Ind in Lake Shujian. If you wind up in such a sorry state that you don''t even have a wife, you can go there to look for me. I''m not boasting, but if it''s some average woman like the neighboring Zhi Gui, I''ll be able to gift you a dozen of them no problem!"


    Chen Ping''an stood still and nodded in reply.


    He was feeling a little sad.


    After all, Gu Can was much like a younger brother to him. Thus, Chen Ping''an was always willing to cater to Gu Can''s whims.


    The young boy in straw sandals appeared slightly dazed as he looked at the slowly disappearing figure of the little boy.


    Life had always treated him like this. It was as if the people who he cared about would always leave his side no matter what he did.


    Standing on y Vase Alley, Chen Ping��an cracked a grin.


    The heavens were fairly stingy.


    The neighboring door was quietly opened, from which emerged the maidservant Zhi Gui. She was slender and graceful, much like a lotus in ake.


    "You heard all of Gu Can''s mean words?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    She blinked her beautiful eyes and replied, "I''ll pretend that I didn''t hear anything. In any case, there''s no way I can win an argument against that mother and son."


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly awkward. In the end, he could only put in some good words for that little brat Gu Can, saying, "In reality, he doesn''t have any bad intentions. It''s just that his words are a little crude and jarring."


    Zhi Gui wore an emotionless smile, saying, "I have no clue whether Gu Can''s intentions are good or bad. However, his widowed mother is definitely no easy person to deal with. I''m very certain of this."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond. Thus, he could only employ the same tactic that he had only just learned from her �� pretend that he hadn''t heard anything.


    Zhi Gui suddenly asked a mystifying question. "Chen Ping''an, you truly don''t feel any regret?"


    Chen Ping''an was stumped. "What?"


    It didn''t look like he was ying dumb and acting. Zhi Gui sighed before going back inside and shutting the wooden door.


    Chen Ping''an had remained standing on y Vase Alley this entire time, and with his extremely good eyesight, he was finally able to see the door of Gu Can''s house opening. Three people walked out, with the mother wearing arge backpack and her son a small one. They slowly walked toward the other end of y Vase Alley.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an clearly saw the storyteller turning around to nce at him, a yful smile on his face.


    Only when the three figures vanished into the distance did Chen Ping''an return inside. It was also at this moment that he found that Ning Yao was already able to sit on the doorstep by herself.


    Was her body forged from steel?


    Chen Ping''an ced the jade hairpin that Mr. Qi had given him and the two pouches of copper coins on the table. He then started to boil water and brew medicine, his actions showing off his wealth of experience. He appeared nothing like a potter at this moment, and he instead appeared like someone who had worked in a pharmacy for many years.


    Ning Yao felt slightly puzzled, but she didn''t open her mouth to ask. She was extremely bored right now, so she walked over to the table. After pondering for a moment, she retrieved the pouch of coins that Chen Ping''an had hidden in the vase.


    She sat down, and there were now three pouches of coins and a jade hairpin on the table before her. Of course, there was also the sword that was obediently "cowering" in the corner.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t stop her from retrieving the pouch of coins. He simply warned her, "Mr. Qi gave that jade hairpin to me, so be careful with it."


    Perhaps afraid that the young woman wouldn''t take his warning seriously, Chen Ping''an timidly warned again, "You really do have to be careful."


    The young woman rolled her eyes.


    Three pouches of gold essence copper coins �� coincidentally, there was one pouch of Greeting Spring Coins, one pouch of Offering Coins, and one pouch of Good Fortune Coins. All three types of coins were present.


    The young woman rested her chin in one hand as she reached over to y around with three coins with her other. "How did everything go? Are you able to tell me?" she casually asked.


    Chen Ping''an kept a careful eye on the mes as he squatted next to the wall near the window. asionally, he would also flip through the three sheets of prescription. Upon hearing Ning Yao''s question, he replied, "Is it appropriate to tell?"


    The young woman furrowed her brows. "You''re already stuck in such a miserable state, yet you''re still afraid that I might be silenced and killed after hearing your secrets? Chen Ping''an, I''m not trying to belittle or discourage you, but I truly encourage a foolishly kind person like you to never leave this small town. Otherwise, you won''t even know how you got killed."


    The young woman was expressing great pity for his misfortune, yet she was also expressing deep annoyance at hisck of fight.


    Even if this stubborn and inflexible youth were an Arhat, Heavenly Lord, and sword immortal all at once, he would still face certain death within a year once he left this small town and was tossed into her hometown. Not even his corpse would remain.


    The young boy in straw sandals chuckled and said, "Then I''ll tell you."


    Ning Yao ced three slender fingers on three separate copper coins, dragging them around the table. "Do whatever you want."


    Chen Ping''an recounted the events before Mr. Qi''s arrival. As for the events after Mr. Qi''s arrival, he picked and chose what he told her.


    After listening to his recollection, the young woman calmly said, "That River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao was clearly the culprit behind everything. However, it''s not like Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua were good people either. If it weren''t for Mr. Qi''s help, you would''ve had no hope of escaping from the clutches of the three forces in the future, regardless of how far you fled. To put it bluntly, killing you is truly an easy task. If we weren''t in this small town, to say nothing of Liu Zhimao, even that woman from Dawn Cloud Mountain would be able to crush your body and soul with a single finger."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and murmured, "I know."


    "You don''t know squat!" Ning Yao huffed angrily.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t deny this, and he continued to brew the medicine.


    "It''s all because of that loach that you''re facing this cmity. Why didn''t you tell that little boy the truth?" she asked.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t remain silent this time. Nor did he turn around to look at her. He sat down on a small stool and looked at the jumping red mes as he quietly replied, "Doing that wouldn''t be right."


    Ning Yao wanted to say something, but she hesitated for a moment before eventually looking at the back of the skinny young boy. She sighed with emotion and said, "Then do you know? If your fists aren''t strong enough, no one will care whether you''re right or wrong."


    The young boy shook his head. "Regardless of whether they want to listen to it or not, the truth of the matter won''t change."


    As if unsure of himself, he turned around and asked with a smile, "Right?"


    Ning Yao red back at him. "Right in your dreams!"


    Chen Ping''an huffed and turned back around, continuing to brew the medicine.


    The young woman in ck, the outsider called Ning Yao, picked up the jade hairpin and carefully observed it. She quickly discovered a small line of characters inscribed upon it.


    She nced at Chen Ping''an.


    Even though she only had a rough understanding of calligraphy, she still felt that the characters inscribed on the jade hairpin were extremely beautiful and moving.


    As gentle and amiable as jade should a virtuous person be.


    1. There is a Chinese custom where guests banter with and y pranks on the newlyweds. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    My advice is don''t quit before you get to 43. The novel is slow, but it''s worth it. & it''ll be less confusing soon</blockquote>

 Chapter 26: Easy-going

    Chapter 26: Easy-going


    Like threading a needle, brewing medicine was also a delicate task. Chen Ping''an was very calm and methodical as he focused on the pot of medicine before him. A mysterious sense of happiness radiated from his body.


    However, Ning Yao wasn''t a patient person. Apart from practicing sword techniques and saber techniques, there weren''t many other things that interested her. She had left home at a young age, traveling all over thends by herself. As a result, she often had to live in very rough environments.


    However, it was also because of this that she wasn''t feeling any sense of difort in the bare and destitute house of the young boy. After all, she was already ustomed to camping out in the open and trekking through the wind and rain. Regardless of how particr a person once was, such experiences would eventually cause them to be much less so.


    "Is your left hand okay now?" Ning Yao asked.


    Chen Ping''an''s left hand was wrapped in strips of cotton cloth as he carried a bowl of medicine over. After Ning Yao epted it, he smiled and replied, "It''s fine. I ground up some herbal medicines before I came back, and I''ve already applied the paste to my wound. When I suffered cuts and bruises while working as a potter, I also used this paste to treat my wounds. It worked 100% of the time. In fact, an old man from the Yang Family''s medicine shop told me this secret recipe a long time ago.


    ��However, I promised him that I wouldn''t share this secret recipe with others. Otherwise, seeing that you always travel around, it''s quite likely that you might find it useful. If you want a copy, I can look for that old man and ask him for permission. However, I was in quite a hurry when I went to the medicine shop today, so I wasn''t able to see the old man. Hopefully, he was only gone for a short while."


    As the young woman drank her medicine, her eyebrows that were as slender as des knitted into a slight frown. However, she still finished drinking the medicine without anyints. After returning the bowl to the waiting young boy, she mumbled, "Kind-hearted fool. No wonder you''re so absurdly poor. It''s almost as if you deserve to be bullied."


    Before Chen Ping''an could respond, Ning Yao added, "Don''t mind me; I''m quite frank when I speak."


    However, Ning Yao didn''t know that this exnation was even more hurtful than her initial words.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    Ning Yao wiped away the medicine stains from the corners of her mouth before sitting up straight and saying in a serious voice, "Even though the Sage who''s looking over this ce �� the person whom you refer to as Mr. Qi from the private school �� wants to help you resolve this matter and allow you to live in peace, you have to realize that everyone has a limit to their abilities. This is true even for Sages.


    ��This is not to mention that Mr. Qi''s situation is also quite dire at this moment, and he''s showing signs of being like a y Buddha who can barely cross a river[1]. I''m afraid that he might not be able to ensure your safety in the future. Meanwhile, I, Ning Yao, am an outsider, and I''m someone who reciprocates a drop of kindness with a spring of goodwill. If someone res at me, however, I''ll also reciprocate their hostility with ferocity and vengeance!"


    Reciprocating a drop of kindness with a spring of goodwill, reciprocating hostility with ferocity and vengeance, a y Buddha who can barely cross a river...


    Right now, Ning Yao was secretly filled with a sense of pride. Just listen to her words! Weren''t they filled with knowledge and culture?


    However, it was a pity that Chen Ping''an''s neighbor was quite a well-read student. Song Jixin would recite the teachings of the Sages almost every morning and every night, and ording to him, this was a process of nourishing his noble spirit. Thus, even though Chen Ping''an had never read these books before, he had at the very least heard them being recited. As such, he wasn''t unfamiliar with the philosophy of these students and schrs. Even when it came to deep and profound phrases, he could still roughly guess their meaning based on the context of the words that came before and after.


    Ning Yao stared intently at Chen Ping''an, hoping to find a hint of astonishment, admiration, or confusion on his face. To her dismay, however, Chen Ping''an''s expression was a punchable one that seemingly said, "I understand, please continue."


    The young woman was extremely disheartened. Her high spirits and vigor receded like a tide, and she huffed, "What I''m trying to say is, since you saved my life, I''ll naturally help you kill Old Dragon City''s Fu Nanhua in the future. Or Lake Shujian''s Liu Zhimao. If you want to kill both of them topletely eliminate all future threats, however, you''ll have to offer some money to do away with the misfortune. After all, the two of us are nothing more than strangers who came together by chance. In other words, you need to pay me with a pouch of copper coins."


    The young woman quickly pointed at the bag of Greeting Spring Coins and said, "For example, this pouch is quite to my liking. The patterns of the Offering Coins and Good Fortune Coins don''t look very good, and their makes don''t suit my taste either."


    Ning Yao slightly tilted her chin and continued, "If you''re willing to throw in the two other pouches of copper coins in addition to this, I can help you deal with Old Dragon City and Dawn Cloud Mountain as well. Of course, you can forget about all of this if I die at the hands of Liu Zhimao. After all, my cultivation base is low, and I''ve only just reached the sixth tier of the nine tiers of martial arts. As a martial artist, my physique is still yet to reach an aplished state. As for the 15 tiers of cultivation, I''ve more so only reached the Dragon Gate Tier of the Middle Five Tiers. I have six patterns in my vital organs, but I''ve still yet to add the final touch to bring them to life."


    Chen Ping''an was truly dumbfounded this time. He had no idea what she was talking about.


    The young woman felt slightly ashamed and angry. She had always felt a sense of embarrassment and humiliation at her lowly cultivation base, yet Chen Ping''an''s dazed expression was as if he were saying, "Miss, please exin this to me." This undoubtedly jabbed her where it hurt.


    Upon seeing her dark expression, Chen Ping''an immediately realized the gravity of the situation. He hurriedly said, "Ning Yao, your wounds were so severe just a moment ago, so why does it look like you''re mostly healed already?"


    The young woman lowered her gaze a little as she wrapped her arms around her chest and said in a hoarse voice, "I was genuinely almost about to die at that time. If Daoist Lu hadn''t saved me, I would have... Anyhow, I owe you a huge favor, so I more so shouldn''t try to take advantage of you while you''re in such a difficult situation. I shouldn''t have asked for those three pouches of copper coins. How can my life bepared to the likes of Liu Zhimao and the others? So, I was the one who was wrong. Pretend that I didn''t say anything just then. After I leave this small town, I''ll try my best to deal with those threats for you. However, let me say this first �� I only do what''s within my abilities, and I won''t sacrifice myself if I know I definitely can''t seed."


    The young woman was feeling extremely downcast at this moment. Perhaps this was because she rarely ever lowered her head and apologized to others.


    "Which pouch of coins is the Offering Coins?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Ning Yao pointed at the pouch that was decorated with gold patterns.


    Chen Ping''an took out three copper coins and held them in his hand. He then used his arm to push the three pouches of copper coins toward the young woman, saying with a smile, "Here, take these."


    Ning Yao was astounded. After a long while, she finally came to her senses and asked, "Chen Ping''an, were you dropped on your head as a child?"


    "No," Chen Ping''an replied in exasperation. "However, I was often whipped in the head by cow tails when I helped others herd cattle."


    Ning Yao suddenly red up in rage, mming the table and interrogating, "Perhaps you have feelings for me?!"


    Chen Ping''an waspletely stupefied.


    The young woman cracked a grin, raising her thumbs at Chen Ping''an and saying, "You have very good taste!"


    She then twisted her thumb and pointed at herself, saying with a buoyant expression, "However, I obviously won''t agree. The man who I like will definitely be the most powerful sword immortal in the world. The most powerful! In the entire world! A great sword immortal! The Dao Ancestor and Buddha? The paramount Confucius? Standing before his sword, they''ll have no option but to lower their heads and stand aside!"


    Chen Ping''an was beet red at this moment. He scratched his head and said, "Ning Yao, I think you misunderstood. I never said I liked you..."


    Ning Yao raised an eyebrow. She pondered for a moment before leaning forward and squinting an eye, raising her hand and bringing her index finger and thumb an inch apart. "Not even this much?" she asked in a diffident voice.


    Chen Ping''an was firm and resolute as he replied, "No! Please be at ease!"


    Ning Yao heaved a heavy sigh as she retracted her hand, saying in a sympathetic voice, "Chen Ping''an, even if you''re fortunate enough to find yourself a wife in the future, she''ll most likely be a scatter-brained person."


    Chen Ping''an sat down opposite to her, smiling happily as he said, "I''ll be happy as long as she''s a good person."


    Ning Yao didn''t offer ament on this.


    Some people meandered about and waited for death, while others would be satisfied as long as they were slightly well off. Meanwhile, there were also those who were extremely driven and would soar to unfathomable heights. Just like her mother had said, different people would have different destinies and fates. There was not necessarily a superior or inferior fate.


    However, her father had different views on this matter. While one should not try to forcefully obtain that which was not fated, this did not then imply that they shouldn''t strive to obtain it at all. A person still needed to maintain their ambition. If they still failed to obtain that which they desired, then that would be a different conversation altogether.


    Of course, her father didn''t dare to utter these words before her mother.


    "Ning Yao, have you alsoe to our small town to seek a fated opportunity?" Chen Ping''an casually asked.


    The young woman didn''t try to conceal anything, replying, "I was only able to obtain a position to enter this small town after exhausting all of my savings and using up a favor. However, I''m not like the others. I''m not looking for a fated opportunity or whatever, and I simply want to ask someone to forge a sword for me. It''ll be best if it''s a sword that resonates with my ideals. As for whether it''s sharp or not, and as for whether it can carry a boundless sword qi or not, all of these are secondary."


    "Forge a sword?" Chen Ping''an asked in puzzlement.


    "Yes, I want to ask the cksmith Master Ruan to forge a sword for me. He''s got quite a reputation in this small town, and he''s also got an irond rule that he never breaks. That is, he''ll only forge one sword every 30 years. In fact, he was only willing toe here to rece Qi Jingchun because he felt like the environment here was extremely suitable for forging a sword. I want to try my luck and see whether he''s willing to forge a sword for me. If it truly doesn''t work out, it''s not like there''s anything I can do about it either. I can only treat it as bad luck."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "Good people will always be blessed with good karma."


    "I genuinely don''t know how to respond," Ning Yao said without strength.


    She then nced at the young boy and asked, "Your left hand doesn''t hurt anymore?"


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this. "It does hurt!"


    "Then why don''t you look like you''re in pain?" she asked in a skeptical voice.


    "Even if I roll around and scream, my pain won''t go away, will it?" Chen Ping''an responded as a matter of fact.


    Ning Yao pped her forehead. "I truly don''t know how to deal with you. You''re just like my dad. However, you''re far, far weaker than him."


    Chen Ping''an replied with a smile, staying silent as he gazed at the courtyard in front of his house.


    Ning Yao pushed the three bags of copper coins back toward him, saying, "I don''t want them."


    Chen Ping''an dragged his gaze back over, saying softly, "Ning Yao, have you considered that it might be a bad thing for me to keep them? After seeing Mr. Qi, I''m even more certain of this."


    Ning Yao wasn''t the type of person who would easily change her decision. She shook her head and said, "That''s something for you to worry about. It''s got nothing to do with me. I''ve already made up my mind; I''ll definitely repay you for saving my life in the future. I definitely won''t repay you in a half-hearted way either. I have to live up to my name and reputation! However, you have to look after yourself in the meantime as well. Don''t go dying by yourself by ident. As long as you can make it through this period..."


    The agreeable young boy interrupted her for the first time, saying, "Ning Yao, it was Daoist Lu who saved you, so you don''t need to feel like you owe me anything. If I hadn''t thought that I was going to die at the time, and if I hadn''t wanted to ask Daoist Lu to do a little something for my parents, I definitely wouldn''t have opened the door."


    The young woman humphed and said, "That''s your own problem!"


    The young boy smiled and repeated her retort. "Well, that''s your own problem then."


    They both red at each other.


    It was surprisingly Ning Yao who backed down first, and she said with a headache, "Suppose you really do like me... But I genuinely can''t ept your feelings!"


    Chen Ping''an put his head in his hands.


    Against such a stubborn and strange girl, he truly didn''t know what to do.


    At this moment, someone climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard. There was no need to guess who this was �� only Liu Xianyang would do such a thing. He ran over to the door and was just about to call out, yet he suddenly swallowed his words as if he were being choked.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly stood up and walked next to Liu Xianyang, whispering, "Can I stay over at your ce for the next two days? This young woman is going to be staying at my house."


    Liu Xianyang pushed Chen Ping''an''s head aside. He then rubbed his hands like a fly rubbing its legs, saying in a considerate voice, "Youngdy, my house is bigger, and it''s also got more necessities. If you don''t mind, why don''t you stay over at my ce?"


    "I do mind," the young woman said, her back facing them.


    Liu Xianyang grimaced upon hearing this. Looking at the slender figure and her saber, he continued to persist, saying, "Youngdy, you might not know, but I was just being blocked by two people over at the covered bridge just then. They were sobbing and begging me to sell my ancestral treasures to them. Even so, I still refused. However, I was still screwed over by them, and I was almost scolded to death by Master Ruan. By the looks of it, you''re also an outsider who''se here to try your luck. Even though I might not necessarily sell those treasures to you, it''s certainly no problem for me to show them to you and allow you to broaden your horizons."


    "No need," Ning Yao replied, her voice still cold.


    Liu Xianyang sat down in Chen Ping''an''s original spot. His eyes lit up when he saw the young woman''s appearance, and he said, "Youngdy, why so cold? Chen Ping''an and I can squeeze ourselves into this shabby house. You can go over to myrger house, and you certainly won''t feel limited in there. You won''t feel like there''s not even space to ce your hands and feet."


    Ning Yao''s expression became stern as she replied, "Thanks for the goodwill. You can go away and y by yourself now!"


    Liu Xianyang didn''t feel awkward at all. Instead, he stood up and said, "I understand! Be it a golden hut or a silver hut, none of them canpare to one''s own grass hut. Understood, understood."


    Liu Xianyang dragged Chen Ping''an to the door, elbowing him and asking, "What''s going on?"


    "It''s hard to exin in just a few words. Just tell me, can I stay over at your ce or not?" Chen Ping''an replied.


    Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes. "Of course you can! However, you have to promise me that you''ll keep an eye on Zhi Gui for me. You definitely can''t let that brat Song Jixin forcefully defile her. You have to protect the chastity of my future wife!"


    "In your dreams!" Chen Ping''an replied without hesitation.


    Liu Xianyang patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and said in a meaningful voice, "I''ll take that as a yes."


    The young woman in ck suddenly turned around, saying, "Do you know that you have a natural aptitude for swordsmanship? The porcin buyers most likely didn''t take you out of the small town when you were nine because they wanted you to absorb more of the spiritual energy of this ce. They made the correct decision. So, when you''re working with Master Ruan, you definitely have to seize the opportunity to be his disciple. Remember, you have to at least be an in-house disciple, and it''s best if you can be a direct disciple. As for anything greater than that, there''s no need for you to dream so far. Your physique and aptitude still haven''t reached such a phenomenal level yet."


    Liu Xianyang smiled and nodded earnestly, agreeing with what the young woman said. He then turned around to face Chen Ping''an, pointing at Ning Yao before pointing at his own head.


    "She''s telling the truth. Don''t disregard it," Chen Ping''an said.


    Liu Xianyang became solemn, and he said in a quiet voice, "I feel like something''s not quite right. Guess who was leading the two groups of people at the covered bridge just then? It was Lu Zhengchun, that little bastard from Fortune Street! What ill intentions is he harboring? It''s not like I''m money-hungry or anything, so why should I do business with them? Moreover, that suit of armor is an ancient treasure passed down by my ancestors. If I sell it, won''t I be scolded to death by my grandfather when I see him in my dreams?!"


    Chen Ping''an''s expression was as if he were facing a great enemy. "You have to be careful. Lu Zhengchun and those outsiders aren''t to be trifled with!"


    He then turned around and asked, "Ning Yao, do you know about their backgrounds?"


    The young woman in ck nodded, replying, "The old man and the little girl are from Sun Scorch Mountain, which can be regarded as a well-established and reputable sect in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The old man isn''t human, and to put it simply, he''s 100 times more powerful than either Fu Nanhua or Cai Jinjian. The woman and her son aren''t pushovers either. In fact, those who can enter the small town in groups of two are naturally more than just a little bit wealthy. The woman is extremely shrewd and calcting, and the little boy doesn''t seem like a good-hearted person either.


    ��So, I encourage your friend to be Master Ruan''s disciple as soon as possible. That will essentially be the same as obtaining a life-saving talisman. In this small town, regardless of how powerful one''s background or supporter, they wouldn''t dare to provoke or challenge a Sage."


    "Are you confident that you can be Master Ruan''s disciple?" Chen Ping''an turned to Liu Xianyang and asked.


    Liu Xianyang was slightly unsure, and he slowly muttered, "On the first day I went to work as an apprentice, Master Ruan was looking at me with the same expression that Old Man Yao always used to wear. He probably wanted to observe me for some time before making a decision on whether he wanted to take me as a disciple or not. It''s just that..."


    Chen Ping''an gave him a ferocious re.


    Liu Xianyang wore a self-ridiculing smile as he continued, "It''s just that Master Ruan''s darling daughter has far too great of an appetite. I was absolutely astounded by her, so I made a few small jokes. Who knew that she would be so powerful and domineering when wielding a cksmith hammer in the forge, yet so timid and shy during other times? How was I meant to know that she couldn''t take a joke? I made her cry at that time, and unfortunately for me, this was all caught by her father. The way that he looked at me instantly became strange. There''s no way I can be his disciple now. In any case, I never nned to be anyone''s ve or disciple. Dealing with Old Man Yao''s strange temper was already more than enough for me. Was I not just working at the cksmith to put food on the table?"


    Chen Ping''an looked up with a dark expression.


    Liu Xianyang �� who was half a head taller than Chen Ping''an �� lowered his head, not daring to look at the young boy in straw sandals.


    Ning Yao was slightly confused by this sight.


    This was also the first time that she had seen him be genuinely angry.


    "Did any locust leaves mysteriously appear on you when you passed by the old locust tree?" Chen Ping''an asked in a low voice.


    Liu Xianyang shook his head replying, "Nope! However, the Daoist fortune teller who likes to perve on women said some ill-omened things to me. I almost smashed his stall when I heard it."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression changed slightly. He frowned before turning around and asking, "Ning Yao, will three pouches of gold essence copper coins suffice as payment? Also, will this be too troublesome for you? Please tell me the truth."


    Ning Yao pondered this carefully before replying, "It is quite a hassle, but it won''t be too much trouble. However, you guys still have to be especially careful in these next two days. Tell your friend not to run around everywhere. After all, my situation isn''t too good right now."


    She paused for a brief moment before adding, "Two bags of coins for two groups of people, and another bag of coins for Master Ruan to take your friend as a disciple. To put it simply, I''ll take a bag of coins for each task that I aplish. Rest assured, since I''ve agreed to this, it means that I''m confident that I can earn at least two bags of coins."


    Chen Ping''an ran inside the house, hurriedly pushing the three bags of coins toward the young woman. "Take them."


    Ning Yao wasn''t a hesitant person, so she didn''t refuse Chen Ping''an''s offer this time, epting two bags of copper coins. She wore a fake smile as she said, "Many people in the world try to stuff as much money as they can into their pockets. Yet, there are also people like you who enjoy tossing money at others?"


    The young boy didn''t rebut her. Instead, he nodded and said with a smile, "Money is indeed very important. Very, very important."


    Liu Xianyang, who had been kept in the dark this entire time, frantically eximed, "Chen Ping''an, have you gone mad? Why are you giving the coins to her? That''s two entire bags of copper coins! Just how long would theyst you?"


    "It''s my money, so what are you going to do about it?" Chen Ping''an huffed.


    "Isn''t your money also my money?" Liu Xianyang said with righteousness. "Just think about it. If I borrowed money from you, would you have the heart to demand me to pay it back?"


    Chen Ping''an was rendered speechless. He fell deep into thought.


    At this moment, Liu Xianyang also realized that he had interrupted at an untimely moment. He immediately shut up.


    The atmosphere in the house became a little heavy.


    Chen Ping''an opened his mouth, saying, "Ning Yao, this genuinely won''t cause you to..."


    The young woman nced at the sword in the white scabbard before nodding and replying, "There''s no problem!"


    Afterward, she couldn''t help but add, "Worrying about this and worrying about that, don''t you find yourself annoying? And you still say that you''re not a foolishly kind person?"


    Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Liu Xianyang pondered for a moment before choosing to remain silent.


    In the end, the tall and broad young man chose to keep his words to himself, thinking to himself that Ning Yao had never seen the other side of Chen Ping''an before.


    It was very rare that Chen Ping''an wouldn''t be agreeable and kind. However, when that happened, Chen Ping''an would truly be very difficult to speak to.


    Liu Xianyang had witnessed it before.


    Chen Ping''an''s neighbor Song Jixin had most likely witnessed it before as well.


    1. A y Buddha who can''t cross a river means someone who can barely save themself. ?

 Chapter 27: Finishing Touches

    Chapter 27: Finishing Touches


    Not long after Liu Xianyang arrived, another rare guest arrived in the alley. This was Zhao Yao, an elegant student in azure. Some aspects of his demeanor were quite simr to Qi Jingchun.


    Zhao Yao was the eldest grandson of one of the four major ns, andpared to the profligate youths of simr backgrounds such as Lu Zhengchun and the others, his reputation was by far better. Many old and lonely people had received his help before. If one were to use him of "purposefully cultivating his reputation for ulterior motives", this would seemingly be an overestimation of Zhao Yao''s ambitions. It would also be an act of degrading his character.


    After all, he had already been a kind-hearted and amiable person since he was 10 years old. He had maintained this kindness year after year, not changing in the least. Even the elderly citizens of Fortune Street who had watched him grow up would stick their thumbs up in praise. Every time they scolded their children and the younger generation, they would use Zhao Yao as an example of what they should be like. This caused Zhao Yao to have few close friends the same age as him.


    Lu Zhengchun and the others were much more unrestrained, so they naturally didn''t like to hang out with a righteous bookworm like Zhao Yao either. After all, one could just imagine a scenario where they were all excitedly climbing on a wall to perve on beautiful women. Yet, someone would suddenly walk up beside them and say that one should not look at that which is improper. Just how much of a turn-off would that be?


    In any case, Zhao Yao also liked to interact with people outside Fortune Street. During the past few years, he had visited almost all of the alleys, big or small. The only exception was y Vase Alley. This was because Song Jixin lived in this valley �� this was someone at the same age as him who caused him to feel a sense of shame and inferiority.


    However, in terms of genuine friends, Zhao Yao was most likely only familiar with Song Jixin, someone whom he yed Go with. Even though he had always lost to Song Jixin for all these years, wanting to win was nothing more than just that. In reality, he deeply admired the supremely talented Song Jixin from the bottom of his heart. However, Zhao Yao also felt slightly dejected. Even though Song Jixin was always carefree andughing merrily with him, with their rtionship seemingly as tight-knit as could be, his intuition told him that Song Jixin had never treated him as a genuine and intimate friend.


    Zhao Yao had never visited Song Jixin''s house before, but once he saw that residence, he immediately knew that it was definitely Song Jixin''s house. This was because the couplets on the front door were filled with Chinese characters. It was also clear that this was Song Jixin''s writing. Zhao Yao could recognize this easily because Song Jixin''s writing style changed far too much, with almost every single character looking different. For example, the characters "wind soar" were written in a single stroke, appearing carefree and elegant. Meanwhile, the water radical of the character "pool" was especially long and winding. The character "remarkable" appeared uplifting and mighty, and as powerful as a thunderbolt. As for the character "nation", it appeared proper and gentle, much like a gracefully seated Sage �� there was not a single w to be found.


    Standing before the door, Zhao Yao almost forgot that he needed to knock. His body was slightly leaned forward as he stared at the characters in a daze, and he felt like he was almost about to lose the courage to even knock. It was exactly because he was earnestly practicing calligraphy by copying the characters of others that he knew just how extraordinarily powerful and lively these characters were.


    Zhao Yao was silent and dejected as he retrieved a pouch of money and bent down to put it next to the door. He was about to leave without even knocking.


    The door suddenly swung open at this moment. Zhao Yao looked up, only to see Song Jixin and Zhi Gui about to head out. The two of them were chattering andughing.


    Song Jixin purposefully put on an astonished expression, teasing, "Zhao Yao, why the need for such a grand greeting? What might you want from me?"


    Zhao Yao awkwardly picked the pouch of money back up. He was just about to exin himself, yet Song Jixin had already snatched the embroidered pouch away, saying with a chuckle, "Haha, Zhao Yao hase over to bring me a gift! Thank you, thank you. However, let me say this first. Ie from a poor family, so I naturally don''t have anything that Brother Zhao will be satisfied with. That being the case, I''ll be impolite and not reciprocate your kindness this time."


    Zhao Yao smiled bitterly and replied, "Just treat this bag of Good Fortune Coins as a farewell gift. There''s no need to reciprocate."


    Song Jixin turned around and smiled at his maidservant as he handed the bag of coins to her. "See, I told you that Zhao Yao was the most courteous student in this small town. What do you say?"


    Zhi Gui epted the bag of coins and held it before her chest, with her eyes twinkling in happiness. She curtseyed and said, "Thank you, Young Master Zhao Yao. Young Master has said before that those who do good will be rewarded with fortune. Let this servant offer her best wishes to Young Master Zhao who will surely ascend to the skies and soar boundless distances in the future."


    Zhao Yao hurriedly sped his hands and bowed in return, saying, "Thank you for your blessings, Zhi Gui."


    Song Jixin stroked the back of his head and yawned, saying, "Are you two not tired of this?"


    Zhi Gui smiled and said, "If we can get a bag of coins each time, I won''t be tired even if I have to curtsy 10,000 times."


    Zhao Yao blushed with shame. "I''m sorry that I''ll have to disappoint you, Zhi Gui."


    Song Jixin waved his hand and said, "Let''s go, let''s have a drink!"


    Zhao Yao wore a difficult expression. However, Song Jixin kept goading him, saying, "What a blockhead! All you''ve learned are some stubborn and inflexible rules. How can I not help you learn some spirit and taste?"


    "A few sips to lighten the mood?" Zhao Yao asked tentatively.


    Song Jixin rolled his eyes. "Until we''re dead drunk!"


    Zhao Yao was just about to speak, yet Song Jixin had already wrapped his arm around his shoulders and started dragging him along.


    As Zhi Gui was locking the door, the four-legged snake tried to sneak out. However, it was immediately kicked back into the courtyard by her.


    When she walked past the neighboring house, she also secretly got up on tippy-toes and shot a few nces over. She saw Liu Xianyang''s tall and broad figure, and Liu Xianyang also noticed her looking over. A bright smile immediately spread across his face. Just as he was about to greet her, however, she had already retracted her gaze and started to quickly walk away.


    There was a restaurant in the small town, and it truly wasn''t very big. Even so, it was no cheap ce to go. However, Zhao Yao was a member of the Zhao n, after all, and he also had a very good reputation. Thus, for some unknown reason, the restaurant manager renowned for his stinginess patted his chest and dered that he wouldn''t take a single copper coin from them. Moreover, he said that it was the restaurant''s honor for these two students to visit and have a drink. Instead of him epting payment, it was him who should have been paying them.


    Song Jixin immediately chuckled and held out his hand, asking for a few silver coins. The manager had no option but to huff and back down, saying that he would give it to them some other time. He would send someone over to give Song Jixin a few jars of good wine tomorrow. Throughout this exchange, Zhao Yao wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. However, the restaurant manager knew about Song Jixin''s strange temperament, so he didn''t get angry about it either. Instead, he personally led the three of them upstairs to a quiet and elegant table near the window.


    Song Jixin and Zhao Yao didn''t talk much, nor did Song Jixin try to persuade Zhao Yao to drink too much. This caused Zhao Yao, who was already resigned to a miserable fate, to find this extremely strange.


    Looking out from the window on the second floor, they could see one of the ques, "doing my part".


    "Mr. Qi really isn''t going to leave with you?" Song Jixin asked.


    Zhao Yao nodded and replied, "Mr. Qi changed his ns at thest moment, and he said that he''s going to stay at school to finish teaching the secondst chapter, "Understanding Etiquette".


    Song Jixin sighed with emotion, saying, "Then Mr. Qi is going to teach us about a grand principle. He''s going to expound on the virtues of the Confucian Sages and tell us about how now or rules existed during the fetal stages of the world. The Sages then appeared and taught the masses about morals and etiquette. Even the rulers during that time held such morals and etiquette in the highest regard, believing that those who went against them needed to be punished. It was because of this that rules of etiquette were created. The etiquette came first, and thews cameter..."


    Zhao Yao was already slightly drunk, and he said in a slurring voice, "Do you agree with Mr. Qi''s decision? Why didn''t he choose to teach thest chapter as well, "Obeying Etiquette"?"


    Song Jixin gave an irrelevant answer, saying, "If we stay in this small town, mountain spirits, river ghosts, immortals, and monsters will only exist if we believe them, and they''ll cease to exist if we don''t believe them. As for how Mr. Qi teaches, and as for how his students learn, that''s up to each person''s individual fate."


    Zhi Gui had also had a cup to drink, making her appear drowsy and cute. From the beginning to the end, however, she had never taken a single nce at the majestic archway in the distance.


    Each of the 12 stone pirs of the archway was decorated with a different type of rare beast. Nine of them were the descendants of the dragon, while the remaining three were the White Tiger, the ck Tortoise, and the Vermillion Bird.


    However, the residents of this small town had resided here for generations, so they were already fully ustomed to these decorations.


    Zhao Yao couldn''t help but burp, standing up shakily and saying, "After we part ways, I hope we can reunite again someday."


    Song Jixin pondered for a moment before also standing up and saying with a smile, "We''ll definitely see each other again. Zhao Yao, don''t fret that you won''t have an intimate friend."


    Zhao Yao''s vision was already blurry as he bit his tongue and said in sincerity, "Song Jixin, you should also leave as soon as possible. Who in the world won''t understand your talent? You can definitely do it!"


    Song Jixin clearly didn''t take his words seriously. He waved his hand and said, "Let''s go, let''s go. You''re already slurring and not making sense, and this will only bring disgrace to our refined nature."


    Zhao Yao and Song Jixin parted ways after leaving the restaurant. Before leaving, and perhaps gaining some courage from all the drinks, Zhao Yao asked, "Song Jixin, should we visit the official residence of the kiln supervision official? I can convince the doorkeeper to..."


    Song Jixin wore a cold expression as he spat, "Piss off!"


    Zhao Yao left in silence.


    Looking at the disappearing figure, Zhi Gui said in a low voice, "Young Master, he was only suggesting it out of good intentions."


    Song Jixin chuckled coldly, saying, "Is it rare for someone''s good intentions to lead to an evil deed and a disastrous fate?"


    Zhi Gui mulled over this, and it appeared that this was genuinely the case. Thus, she didn''t try to persuade Song Jixin anymore.


    Zhao Yao lived on Fortune Street, which was in the north of the small town. Meanwhile, y Vase Alley was located in the west, along with the rest of the poorer streets. When Song Jixin and Zhi Gui walked past the ques together, Zhi Gui nced up at the que that read "unmatched aura". This que was already like an old person in their twilight years.


    The young girl, whose original name was Wang Zhu, wore a discreet smile.


    After returning to his home on Fortune Street, Zhao Yao was told by a servant that his ancestor was waiting for him in the study and that he needed to head over immediately. The student in azure who still reeked of alcohol immediately felt a headache forming. However, he could only muster up the courage to hurry to the study.


    The Zhao n wasn''t an especially eye-catching n in the small town, and they always made sure to keep quiet about their wealth. This was unlike the Lu n, who liked to disy their power and liked to brand themself as a schrly n. Even their buildings were designed to look ancient and refined.


    The old woman had a cane in her hand as she stood beside the study desk and stroked its surface. Her face was filled with vicissitudes, and it was more so filled with a sense of sadness and reminiscence.


    She didn''t be angry after smelling the alcohol on her eldest grandson, and she instead smiled and waved at him, saying, "Yao''er,e on in. Why are you just dawdling by the door? What''s wrong with a man having a few drinks? It''s not like you''re drinking horse piss or anything. It''s nothing to be ashamed of!"


    Zhao Yao smiled bitterly as he entered the room and respectfully bowed in greeting. However, the old woman became impatient as she said, "This is the bad thing about reading too many books. There are so many rules and etiquettes to follow, and it causes all you schrs to be so difficult and annoying. Take your grandfather, for example. He excelled in everything, yet he couldn''t help but waffle on when he talked to me about the grand principles and etiquette. It was truly annoying! Especially his demeanor and tone. Tsk, tsk, that was an expression that was asking for a beating. Yet, I couldn''t win any argument with him no matter what. I truly wanted to smack him with my cane..."


    The old woman was suddenly amused by her own words,ughing heartily and saying, "I almost forgot. I didn''t need a cane during that time!"


    She smiled and asked, "What, did you have a drink with that ungrateful Song Jixin?"


    Zhao Yao was slightly exasperated as he replied, "Grandma, how many times do I have to tell you? Song Jixin is extremely talented, and he''s always faster than others when learning new principles."


    The old woman sneered and said, "He is indeed very smart. However, when your grandpa was still alive, he had already seen through this person when he was only three years old. Do you want to know what your grandpa said?"


    Zhao Yao immediately replied, "No!"


    The old woman ignored her darling grandson''s reply and continued, "Your grandpa said that he was especially shrewd and calcting for his age, but it was a shame that the person who eventually disgraced his n would also be him."


    She then pointed at Zhao Yao and said, "Your grandpa also said that being gentle, modest, and courteous, and being unextraordinary during one''s early years, would be a sign of someone who was raised properly. And such a person would be no one else but his grandson!"


    The old woman smiled after saying this. "That old geezer was so pedantic his entire life, yet he finally said something that''s pleasing to the ear."


    Zhao Yao was slightly puzzled, and he was just about to speak. However, he heard his grandma sighing with emotion and saying, "I''m getting old now!"


    The young boy had no option but to swallow his words. He smiled as he walked over to support his grandma, saying, "Grandma will live for as long as the southern mountains, so you''re still extremely young."


    The old woman reached over with her wrinkly hand and patted the back of her grandson''s hand, saying, "You''re much better than your grandpa who could only talk about manners and etiquette. You also understand how to say things that are pleasing to the ear."


    The young boy smiled and said, "Grandpa was a truly knowledgeable person. Even Mr. Qi said that Grandpa was a meticulous schr, with his understanding of ''justice'' being especially profound."


    The old woman immediately revealed her true feelings, unable to conceal her pride anymore. However, she purposefully humphed in a cold manner and said, "Why, of course! After all, who was that man chosen by?"


    Zhao Yao pursed his lips and suppressed his smile.


    The old woman led Zhao Yao to the chair behind the desk, and the young boy immediately discovered a wooden carving of a resting dragon on the desk. This was an especially lively carving, yet upon closer inspection, he realized that the azure dragon had eyes but no pupils for some reason.


    The old woman picked up a calligraphy brush that was already soaked with ink. This was a new brush that was carved from a branch of the old locust tree. She held it with her two trembling hands as she passed it to her eldest grandson.


    When Zhao Yao epted the brush, he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his shoulder. As it turned out, it was his grandma pushing down on his shoulder, signaling for him to take a seat. He obeyed and sat down in the chair that was only meant for the n leader of the Zhao n.


    The old woman took a step back and said in an extremely solemn and dignified voice, "Zhao Yao, take your seat! Today, you''ll be responsible for adding the finishing touches for the ancestors of the Zhao n."


    ��������


    An utterly broken y statue of a gody sideways on the ground that was filled with weeds, not attended to by anyone.


    This had been the case for hundreds upon thousands of years. In fact, more and more y statues would be resigned to this ce. Not only did the residents of this small town treat many other matters with disregard, but they had in fact lost most of their respect and reverence toward these statues since long ago.


    The elderly residents would asionally say a word or two, telling their young ones not to muck around and y here. However, the young children still liked to y hide-and-seek and catch crickets here. When these children grew old and had grandchildren of their own, perhaps they would also repeat the same words and tell their young ones not to hang out and y here. Generation after generation, this was exactly what had happened. However, nothing untoward had ever happened.


    Casting one''s gaze across, one could see lonely heads, fractured bodies, and severed arms. It was as if someone had forcefully pieced them together to just barely maintain their original appearance. This was perhaps their final shred of dignity.


    A young boy in straw sandals hurriedly ran over from y Vase Alley, with three Offering Coins held tightly in his hand. When he arrived, he twisted and turned as he navigated his way around, and he was even reciting something under his breath. He showed much experience as he easily found the statue he was looking for, squatting down and looking around to see that there was no one in the surroundings. Only then did he secretly ce the copper coins in a crack on the statue.


    After standing back up, he went to look for the second statue and the third statue, repeating the same actions at each.


    Before he left, he stood alone in the lush green grass, sping his hands in prayer and lowering his head as he quietly recited, "May you have peace year after year, and may you protect my parents and bless them so they won''t have to suffer again in their next life. If it''s possible, please tell my parents that I''m enjoying a very good life right now and that they don''t need to worry about me..."

 Chapter 28: Avaricious

    Chapter 28: Avaricious


    When dusk arrived, Chen Ping''an passed by the western gates of the small town as he returned home. He saw the disheveled gatekeeper, who was currently humming a tune and singing, "Not a single second of time should be wasted, but glory and fortune can all be abandoned." Perhaps alerted by the hurried footsteps of Chen Ping''an, he opened his eyes and coincidentally locked gazes with the young boy in sandals who was just entering the gates.


    The gatekeeper''s spirits were greatly dampened upon seeing this boy who always pressed him for payment, and he waved his hands in annoyance and said, "Go away, go away, what pathetic value is your time worth? If you can somehow experience a modicum of glory and fortune, it''ll probably be time for you to offer incense to the gods and your ancestors!"


    As Chen Ping''an ran by, he didn''t forget to raise his hand up high, putting up all five fingers and waving them with vigor.


    He was clearly reminding the gatekeeper that he still owed him five coins for his work.


    The gatekeeper angrily spat at the floor and cursed, "This kid''s not a good person either!"


    The young boy''s figure quickly disappeared into the distance. The gatekeeper nced up at the clear sky, and it was as if it were covered by a beautiful ze.


    He stroked his beard stubble and clicked his tongue in wonder, saying, "What was that phrase that Mr. Qi said before? Fine matters something and zed colors something?"


    A cow-drawn cart slowly left the small town at this moment, carrying on it a reputable young student in azure. The cart driver was a middle-aged man with a prudent expression.


    The gatekeeper immediately waved at them,ughing loudly and saying, "Brother Yao, don''t leave yet. There''s a phrase on the tip of my tongue, but I can only remember the words fine matters and zed colors or something. I can''t remember the other words at all! However, you''re extremely knowledgeable, so tell me what I''m missing!"


    Zhao Yao was in high spirits at this moment, and holding his luggage in hisp, he recited in a loud and clear voice, "Fine matters in the world are fleeting, just like the iridescent clouds in the sky and zed colors of ssware!"


    The gatekeeper raised his thumb, saying, "As expected of Brother Yao; your knowledge is top-notch. When you make a name for yourself in the future, don''t forget toe back to visit me. Perhaps you might even be able to seed your teacher and be the new teacher for the children in our small town. That will also be quite nice."


    Zhao Yao faltered upon hearing this. He then sped his hands and said with a smile, "Thank you for your blessings!"


    In his happiness, the gatekeeper retrieved an embroidered pouch from his sleeves and tossed it at the young student in azure, cracking a smile and saying, "I''ve asked you for so many couplets these years, and most importantly, you''ve never felt it to be a hassle. I''ve always been a good judge of someone''s character. Here, a little present for you. Safe travels!"


    Zhao Yao hurriedly caught the pouch of money, saying, "Till we meet again in the future!"


    The gatekeeper waved at the young boy as he smiled and replied with a nod. However, he also murmured, "That''ll be difficult!"


    The young boy in sandals was heading into the small town, while the cart that Zhao Yao was on was racing toward the world beyond the small town. The two of them brushed past each other.


    Sitting on a tree stump, the gatekeeper counted on his fingers, saying, "The young boy from Great Sui Nation with his golden carp, the child of Widow Gu in y Vase Alley, and Brother Yao from Fortune Street... There are already three people. However, so many outsiders are still rushing in. At that time, won''t they only have scraps to pick at? Perhaps I should also seize this opportunity to find a good disciple for myself? One who can massage my shoulders and back?"


    The gatekeeper raised his hand and stroked his wrinkled and tanned face. He then chuckled and said, "If it''s a beautiful and shapely female disciple, that will be even better. Mhm, I can endure it even if her looks are a little worse. However, her legs definitely have to be long!"


    The gatekeeper renowned for being single ced his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky, cheerily amusing himself. With these happy thoughts in mind, his feelings of anxiety were brushed away as well. He felt like there was majestic beauty in the world.


    Before leaving y Vase Alley, Chen Ping''an had already promised Liu Xianyang and Ning Yao to directly meet them at Liu Xianyang''s house when he returned. When Chen Ping''an arrived, he found that the door was unlocked, so he directly pushed it open and entered. What greeted him was the sight of Liu Xianyang using a fresh cloth to scrub and clean his treasured suit of armor.


    Meanwhile, Ning Yao had started wearing her veiled hat again. There was a saber resting by her waist, while the sword in the white scabbard was being casually held in her hands. For some reason, Chen Ping''an had a nagging feeling that Ning Yao had a feeling of disdain toward this sword.


    The ancient treasure that had been passed down for generations in the Liu Family was referred to as a suit of armor, yet in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, it was so ugly that it was truly frightening. Therge suit of armor was filled with metal lumps that looked like dry tree burls, and there were more so five deep w marks that ran all the way from the left shoulder down to the right waist.


    Regarding this, both of the young boys were at a total loss. They couldn''t imagine what kind of gigantic mountain beast could wield such devastating power to leave such terrifying marks. Later, when the imperial court restricted entry into many mountains and stopped the residents of the small town from entering to collect firewood, Chen Ping''an and Liu Xianyang abided by this rule without question, never once viting it. The w marks on the suit of armor were a big reason for this.


    Chen Ping''an found Liu Xianyang''s attitude toward the suit of armor quite strange. The charcoal-like suit of armor was indeed very ugly, but Liu Xianyang genuinely treated it like it was a treasure that had been passed down through the generations. Even as close as he was to Chen Ping''an, he had only shown this suit of armor to him once. Moreover, he had carefully ced it back inside the vermillion case after just a few minutes.


    However, Chen Ping''an immediately felt a sense of understanding when he saw Liu Xianyang stealing asional nces at the young woman in ck. Liu Xianyang had always been like this. Whenever he saw a girl, he could never control his own gaze. However, this didn''t mean that he actually liked them. Instead, he simply liked to show off before them.


    For example, while bathing in the creek near the covered bridge during summer, Liu Xianyang would immediately try to show off his skills when a girl of the same age passed by. He would hurriedly climb onto therge green stone on the bank first, then he would cough loudly in what Chen Ping''an referred to as an act of "making an announcement to the world". Finally, he would dive headfirst into the water.


    With Chen Ping''an''s sharp eyesight, he could clearly see the expressions of the girls in the distance. Thus, he had always wanted to tell Liu Xianyang the truth. When they saw his actions, the good-looking girls would either roll their eyes or curse under their breaths. Meanwhile, even more of them wouldpletely ignore him, not even giving him a single nce. The only expression that they never showed was one of admiration and one where they viewed him as an impressive man.


    Of course, Liu Xianyang fell for Zhi Gui afterward, and he mysteriously became enchanted by her. From that moment onward, it was as if there were no other woman who could attract his attention. Even though he was acting all generous and extravagant before Ning Yao, this was more so in the hopes that the aloof young woman wouldn''t underestimate him. He wanted to show her that she wasn''t the boss just because she wielded a saber and a sword. He, Liu Xianyang, also had a suit of armor that couldn''t be found anywhere else in the small town.


    Ning Yao looked around after Chen Ping''an arrived, and in the end, she ced her sword on an ancient and ornate cab that was decorated with golden flowers. However, the paint on this cab was already cracking and peeling, and she also had to push aside many jars and other misceneous items to make some space for her sword. While doing this, she discovered that there was a mosaic of a golden cassia embedded behind the cab, with a full moon filling a corner.


    She turned around and said, "I''m leaving my sword here. Don''t touch it, or you''ll have to face the consequences yourself. I''m not joking."


    Liu Xianyang was busy scrubbing the suit of armor, and from time to time, he would lean down and breathe onto it before directly using his forearm to wipe it clean. He was already engrossed in this task.


    "Definitely," Chen Ping''an promised.


    The young woman turned to Liu Xianyang and said, "This cab isn''t worth anything, but the mosaic of the golden cassia embedded into it is a different story altogether. Don''t sell it for a cheap price."


    "I''ve never liked that painting ever since I was a young child. If you like it, you can scrape it off and keep it yourself," Liu Xianyang replied without even raising his head.


    Nin Yao naturally wouldn''t spoil such a valuable item. She simply asked in curiosity, "What''s this mosaic made from?"


    Liu Xianyang turned around and shot a nce at it before replying, "How would I know? It''s several hundred years old, and even my grandpa wasn''t able to exin its origin."


    "It''s most likely made from pebbles found in the creek," Chen Ping''an said softly. "These pebblese in many different colors, but Liu Xianyang''s ancestors only chose the golden ones at that time. They then crushed them before gluing them together. We call these pebbles snake gall pebbles."


    "Pebbles? Are there many of them in the creek?" Ning Yao asked.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "If you want, I can collect arge basketful of them for you every day. Apart from Gu Can, no one here likes these pebbles. Only he frequents the creek to collect these pebbles."


    The young woman in ck sighed. She looked deeply at the poor young boy from y Vase Alley and said, "You''re a poor sod living on a mountain of gold..."


    Chen Ping''an was astonished. "These pebbles are valuable in the outside world?"


    Ning Yao fixed her veiled hat and replied, "This depends on who obtains them. In addition, even if they end up in the hands of someone who knows how to use them, whether or not the person seeds is still up to luck. If they''re lucky, one pebble will be enough. If they''re unlucky, however, even a mountain of pebbles won''t be enough. Regardless, these pebbles are indeed valuable in the outside world. Very, very valuable. However, I don''t know whether we can take these pebbles out of the small town. This is the most important thing."


    Liu Xianyang interrupted her at this moment, saying, "There''s something strange about these pebbles. After removing them from the creek, they''ll immediately lose their luster if they''re subject to wind or sunshine. This is especially the case after bouts of rain or snow. They''ll lose their luster at an incredible speed. Apart from this, there''s nothing special about them."


    "As expected," Ning Yao said in pity.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a brief moment before saying, "How about I collect a basket of them tomorrow? What if there are exceptions?"


    The young woman shook her head. "It won''t make much difference for me."


    Liu Xianyang had already finished cleaning the suit of armor and put it away at this moment. Leaning on the door, he smiled and said, "Chen Ping''an is extremely avaricious, so perhaps he''ll already be heading over to the creek to collect pebbles tonight."


    "I''m leaving now," Ning Yao said.


    When she arrived at the door, she turned around and said, "I''ll take care of the hairpin and prescription papers for you. However, I still need you toe over and help brew medicine for me tomorrow."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "No problem."


    Ning Yao pondered for a moment before warning them with a solemn expression, "Among the outsiders who entered the small town at around the same time as me, the most powerful person is most likely the old man from Sun Scorch Mountain. He''s especiallye here to protect the little girl. After him is the eunuch from Great Sui Nation who injured me. Then after him is Liu Zhimao, the person who took Gu Can away. You can''t underestimate the woman who hides daggers under her smiles either.


    ��So, try your best not to get into a conflict with the old man from Sun Scorch Mountain. However, if you do get into a conflict with him, do everything you can to buy some time. Don''t try to fight him, and don''t have any thoughts of getting lucky. You have to buy enough time for me to arrive."


    "These outsiders who are unfamiliar with our small town truly dare to kill us on our own turf?" Liu Xianyang asked in a low voice.


    Chen Ping''an nced at him before nodding and saying, "They do."


    Liu Xianyang gulped upon hearing this.


    "Do you still remember Daoist Lu? The fortune teller with the stall?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked. "What did he say to you?"


    Liu Xianyang was stumped upon hearing this. He tried his best to remember, scratching his chin and saying, "How am I supposed to remember? I only know that they were some ill-omened words. In any case, it was something about arge cmity and having to offer incense or some random crap like that. I merely treated him as a scammer and his words as nonsense during that time."


    Chen Ping''an turned around to look at the young woman in ck.


    "If he doesn''t remember properly, how in the world can I exin it for him? Am I a god or something?!" Ning Yao said ferociously.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly puzzled, unsure of why Ning Yao had suddenly be so angry.


    Ning Yao strode away from Liu Xianyang''s house.


    Compared to her calm and rxed manner when arriving, she appeared much more vigorous and speedy.


    Walking through a wide alley, the young woman with a saber hanging by her waist pondered whether she needed to read a few more books in her spare time.


    Thinking about how she would travel the world in the future, and how she would utter a few majestic and inspiring phrases after resolutely beheading her enemies with her flying sword, she couldn''t help but feel that she would appear extremely dashing and impressive. This would be the case even if there were no one to witness her glorious achievements.


    Just as she was daydreaming about this, a familiar figure shot past her like a rushing gust of wind.


    "See you tomorrow, Ning Yao."


    When his words reached her ears, he had already disappeared down the other side of the alley.


    The young boy in sandals was carrying a basket on his back as he sped down the alley.


    Ning Yao was transfixed with astonishment. "There''s genuinely such an avaricious person in the world?" she murmured to herself.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Practice the Dao of Patience, guys. Ping''an is gonna get triggered. Something will happen that will make a nobody like him to wanna fight despite how weak he is. What do you think is going to happen? Why don''t you guys take a guess?


    It doesn''t happen until 43 though. This is the build up. </blockquote>

 Chapter 29: Fox Spirit

    Chapter 29: Fox Spirit


    The young boy ran under the night sky that was filled with twinkling stars, continuing all the way to the creek after exiting the small town. Even though it was night, Chen Ping''an didn''t run any slower than if it were day. When he arrived, he purposefully avoided the covered bridge where the water would be the deepest. That section of the creek was far deeper than the other sections.


    Instead, he chose a section of the creek that was only knee-deep before shrugging off the basket and bending down to retrieve a small bamboo basket that was hidden inside it. He tied this to his waist before taking off his shoes and rolling up his pants. Only after doing all this did he enter the creek to search for pebbles.


    The wound on his left hand still caused him stabbing pain, so it naturally couldn''t be drenched in water. As a result, he could only use his right hand to sift through the rocks at the bottom of the creek. In reality, it would be easiest to collect pebbles from the dried banks of the creek.


    However, just like Liu Xianyang had said, the luster of these pebbles would be greatly reduced due to their exposure to wind and sunlight. Now that Chen Ping''an roughly understood their secret thanks to Ning Yao, this wasn''t hard to understand. He felt like these pebbles were just like the soil that he had tasted while traversing the mountains with Old Man Yao. Even though the soil looked ordinary, the distance of just one mountain could cause them to tastepletely different when put in the mouth.


    Old Man Yao referred to this as "trees move when dead, and humans move when alive, while soil moved from their homes transform into statues ced high". Once soil was removed from its original habitat, it would very quickly change in taste.


    The creek didn''t have a name. There were all kinds of different pebbles resting in this creek, some as big as a fist and others as small as a thumb. However, the generations of residents in this small town had already grown ustomed to seeing these colorful pebbles, so it was only natural that they didn''t treat them as anything rare or valuable. If someone collected these pebbles and brought them home, they would definitely beughed at and mocked as someone with nothing better to do. If they had so much spare time and energy, wouldn''t they be better off doing some work on the farms? Would they not be utter fools?


    Bending down in the creek, Chen Ping''an continued to flip around and move aside therger rocks on the bottom. He had already collected seven or eight pebbles and ced them in his bamboo basket. They varied in size and color, with some pebbles appearing as golden-orange as the tangerines in autumn, while others appeared as white and smooth as the skin of an infant. There was also a pebble so pitch-ck that it almost glowed, and a pebble that appeared as bright as arge red peach blossom. No two pebbles looked the same.


    Most of these pebbles that were referred to as snake gall pebbles by the residents of the small town weren''trge. However, they were all quite smooth and weighty when held in the hand. If one held them up to the sunlight during the day, or before the candlelight during the night, the silk-like veins inside the pebbles would be especially clear, appearing like snaking fish. Holding the pebbles further away, their exterior would then glimmer like the scales of fish and snakes.


    After around two hours, Chen Ping''an had already mostly filled up the bamboo basket that was tied to his waist. He returned to where he had left hisrge basket and straw sandals. He then walked to the banks to grab a few handfuls of reeds,ying them on the bottom of the basket before transferring the pebbles over one by one. With his straw sandals in one hand, his bamboo basket by his waist, and hisrge basket on his back, he walked to another section of the creek before once again cing down his straw sandals andrge basket. He then entered the creek and continued to sift through pebbles and rocks.


    After filling half of the bamboo basket, Chen Ping''an straightened his back and looked up at the starry sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of a shooting star lighting up the night sky. However, it was clear that he wouldn''t be so lucky tonight. Aftering back to his senses, Chen Ping''an continued to rely on the faint glow of the stars and his extremely good vision to do what an avaricious person should do.


    Each time he found a satisfactory pebble, he would feel a sincere sense of joy from the bottom of his heart. To the young boy, each pebble was like a pebble of hope.


    Before he knew it, Chen Ping''an had already filled most of the bamboo basket. There were 80 odd pebbles, with thergest of them being even bigger than his fist. Its color was especially eye-catching as well, appearing like a bright red orb of blood that didn''t make one feel any sense of difort. There were almost no ws or cracks on therge pebble either.


    Chen Ping''an climbed up the bank and headed toward the next section of the creek. At the same time, he fiddled with a medium-sized snake gall pebble. It was a light green color, even lighter than the plum-green pottery in the small town. It was also smooth and round, making it appear especially adorable. Chen Ping''an immediately took a liking to this pebble.


    He walked toward therge green stone cliff on the banks. During the hot summer days, the children of the small town would oftene here to bathe. The water under the cliff was especially deep, with the deepest part of it measuring two Chen Ping''an''s deep. This depth was only second to the deepest part of the creek, the area under the covered bridge. Those who were skilled in the water loveding here to see who could stay underwater for the longest.


    Chen Ping''an had chosen this area because he had discovered a great number of snake gall pebbles in the pits underwater while bathing here with Liu Xianyang before. In order to show off his skills one time, Liu Xianyang had purposefully dived down and returned with arge snake gall pebble under his armpit. Chen Ping''an remembered that the snake gall pebble was at least asrge as Gu Can''s head. It was white and translucent, and one could even see faint red lines and dots inside the pebble. It was as if they were blossom leaves that had been frozen inside.


    At the time, Liu Xianyang had felt like he had aplished something great, so he had asked Chen Ping''an to help him carry therge pebble back home. After arriving back in town, however, the tall and broad boy who always changed his mind had felt like this was boring, so he had told Chen Ping''an to deal with therge pebble himself.


    Immediately after arriving on y Vase Alley, Chen Ping��an had discovered his neighbor Zhi Gui following behind him. She had remained silent, yet her eyes had been intently fixed on therge snake gall pebble in his hands. In fact, her expression had been like Chen Ping''an''s expression when he looked at the meat buns being sold in Apricot Blossom Alley.


    Unable to withstand her intense gaze, Chen Ping''an had ultimately chosen to give the pebble to her. However, she had been unable to carry it, and she had almost dropped it on her feet. Thus, Chen Ping''an had decided to carry it to Song Jixin''s courtyard for her. As for where this pebble was now, Chen Ping''an had no idea at all.


    The pebble had been clear and translucent like water; amid it had been fluttering red decorations like floating blossom leaves.


    This was just like the lush and verdant peach blossoms after a period of rain in Peach Leaf Alley.


    Even though Chen Ping''an had never understood the value and mysterious nature of these pebbles before today, he had still felt like that pebble was extremely beautiful from the bottom of his heart.


    Chen Ping''an sighed and suddenly stopped in his tracks.


    Approximately 30 meters away, atop the green stone cliff, there sat a young girl in green whose cheeks were bulging with food. However, she still continued to stuff food into her mouth.


    Chen Ping''an''s first thought was that this young girl had most likely been starved to death in her previous life. It was because of this that she was still so pitifully hungry in the middle of the night.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before deciding not to go any further. He was afraid of ruining her mood as she ate. However, he didn''t turn around to leave either. After all, he had already decided to dive into that pit to try his luck tonight. He would bring one or two pebbles up each time, and as long as he persisted, he would eventually have sess. In any case, the snake gall pebbles in this pit wererger and more dazzling than those in other areas of the creek.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t as good a diver as Liu Xianyang, but he certainly wasn''t a bad diver either.


    However, to his surprise, the young girl retrieved another item of food from beside her after finishing what was in her hand, not pausing for even a second. Her cheeks were perpetually filled and bulging. Thinking that he would need to spend more energy on diving in a while, Chen Ping''an turned around and put the heavy basket of pebbles down.


    However, he had underestimated the hearing ability of the young girl. Even though his actions had been careful, the young girl''s ears immediately perked up, and her gaze immediately swept over.


    It wasn''t like Chen Ping''an could tell her to eat slowly either, so he could only look over with an awkward smile on his face.


    The young girl appeared slightly dazed, and after burping twice, it was as if she had identally choked on some food. She hurriedly straightened her back and used her hand to forcefully pat her chest.


    It was also at this moment that Chen Ping''an realized that she was quite young. Even so, the scenes beneath her neck were truly majestic and grand. It was no inferior to the women who had raised many children.


    Her clothes were extremely stretched around her chest.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly retracted his gaze, not a single impure thought in his mind.


    Only at this moment did the young girl suddenly remember that she had a bottle of water. She didn''t forget to turn her back to Chen Ping''an as she took arge swig of water. Her breathing immediately became much smoother.


    At this moment, there was only a single thought in the young boy''s mind. That was, the material of this young girl''s clothes was definitely very expensive. Otherwise, there was simply no way they could withstand such immense pressure.


    The young girl in green continued to enjoy her feast. However, she was far more restrained now, and her cheeks weren''t bulging in such an impressive manner either. Instead, her head was lowered as she took small bites from her snacks. From time to time, she would shoot a sideways nce at the strange boy from the small town. Her eyes were like peach blossoms, and her eyebrows were also slightly curled upward, making her appear much like a young fox spirit.


    It was as if she were asking the young boy a question with her eyes, "What''s wrong? Keep going!"


    Chen Ping''an wore a helpless expression as he pointed at the water beneath the green stone cliff and shouted, "I''m not passing by! I want to enter the creek from there!"


    The young girl remained silent as she looked at the skinny young boy.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly retrieved a pebble from his basket and exined, "I''m going to collect some pebbles from over there."


    As if suddenly remembering something important, the young girl suddenly raised a finger to her mouth, signaling for Chen Ping''an to be quiet. She then shuffled over, clearly making space for Chen Ping''an to pass her. She wouldn''t be in Chen Ping''an''s way now.


    Chen Ping''an had no option but to pick up his basket and muster some courage to walk over. Fortunately, the green stone cliff was quite spacious, beingrge enough to fit a dozen or so people. Moreover, the young girl had already shuffled to the side, and her legs were no longer stretched across the middle like before. Rather, she was sitting with her legs crossed, with a bag that was filled with all kinds of desserts and snacks on herp. This was a small mountain of food. Right now, she had only finished a small corner of this mountain.


    Chen Ping''an ced his straw sandals,rge basket, and bamboo basket on the ground. He had initially wanted to dive shirtless, especially since it was night. However, this was not an option now. After all, there was an unfamiliar young girl sitting next to him. Even if she didn''t scream, Chen Ping''an would still have his legs broken if her parents and elders were to see or hear about this. That would truly be a miserable and undeserved fate.


    After making his way to the edge of the stone cliff, Chen Ping''an suddenly leaped forward and dived into the depths of the pit.


    It wasn''t long before he resurfaced with a palm-sized pebble. However, it was a shame that this wasn''t a snake gall pebble. Chen Ping''an could only wipe his face and dive down again. After three attempts, he finally managed to obtain a dark green snake gall pebble. Chen Ping''an was dripping wet as he climbed back onto the stone cliff and ced the snake gall pebble into his basket. He then dived into the water again.


    From the beginning to the end, the young girl had kept her back facing him, busily feasting on her snacks.


    In less than an hour, Chen Ping''an had already collected seven or eight snake gall pebbles. Apart from the first one appearing slightly duller, the rest of the pebbles were allrge and brilliant.


    The previous time he returned, however, there was no snake gall pebble in his hands. Instead, there was a fish that measured as long as his palm. The people in the small town referred to this type of fish as rock te fish, and this was because these fish liked to hide under tes of rock when they encountered people. These fish were extremely sulent, and generally speaking, they would only be as long as a person''s finger. It was extremely rare to see a rock te fish asrge as the one in Chen Ping''an''s hands.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an had already caught a few of these fish while searching through the stones and pebbles before, but he had chosen to release them to collect some snake gall pebbles instead. This time, however, a brilliant thought had suddenly urred to him. Why didn''t he catch a dozen or so fish and brew some fish soup for Ning Yao tomorrow? That would be fairly nice too, wouldn''t it?


    After returning to shore, Chen Ping''an casually tossed the fish into the bamboo basket.


    The second time he resurfaced with a fish, he suddenly discovered the young girl squatting next to the bamboo basket and looking at the lonely fish inside. He could see the radiance and energy on her face, and her expression was identical to the one that Zhi Gui had worn while she had been staring at therge pebble in his arms at that time.


    Chen Ping''an tossed the second rock te fish into the bamboo basket.


    The young girl slowly looked up.


    Meanwhile, the barefooted young boy had already turned around and entered the creek again.


    After hearing the young boy plop into the water, the young girl speedily grabbed a fish in each hand, looking down at their flopping bodies and saying with a serious nod, "How impressive!"


    The young girl in green knew that there were many strange things in the small town. For example, the iron chain hanging on the well in Apricot Blossom Alley was heaven knows how long. Nearby, the covered bridge had actually been a 3000-year-old stone arch bridge before. Beneath it was an iron sword that was covered in rust. Where the tip of the de pointed was a dark green pool that seemingly had no bottom. There was also the crab archway with 12 legs, the fallen and broken y statues near the ancestral hall, the mountain of porcin in the north that was filled with smashed pottery that had failed to pass the inspections of the kiln supervision officials, and so on...


    In fact, she knew the reason and secrets behind most of these things.


    She had traveled to many ces with her father since a very young age, so she could genuinely be regarded as someone who had seen and experienced many wonders of the world.


    However, when Chen Ping''an returned with the third fish, the already empty-handed young girl was still squatting next to the bamboo basket. It was just that she was still secretly wiping her hands on her clothes. She looked up at the barefooted young boy, and it was as if she were amoner looking up at a god.


    Chen Ping''an felt extremely ufortable under her strange gaze, so he asked in an uncertain voice, "You want these fish?"


    The young girl subconsciously nodded in earnest.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "Then I''ll give these three fish to you. I''ll catch some moreter."


    The young girl blinked before smiling in delight. Her joyful expression was bewitching and much like a fox spirit.

 Chapter 30: Dark Room

    Chapter 30: Dark Room


    Chen Ping''an was especially familiar with this kind of expression. Indeed, this was exactly how he had looked at Liu Xianyang when he was young. At that time, Liu Xianyang had been the leader of the young children in Apricot Blossom Alley. He was always catching snakes, hunting birds, and reeling in fish, and it was as if there were nothing in the world that he couldn''t do.


    Afterward, some of the children who used to follow Liu Xianyang around went to be disciples at the dragon kiln, while more of them went on to be attendants in the small stores around the town or became ountants for their rtives. There were also those who were "good-for-nothing" in the words of Song Jixin, and these people would go to the farms to do hardbor. In the end, only Chen Ping''an still hung out with Liu Xianyang.


    Chen Ping''an used a few dog tail reeds to string the rock te fish together before handing them to the young girl. The young girl weighed them in her hands after epting them, and she realized that they were quite light. She felt like this wasn''t enough to cook a dish of fried fish with green peppers. Thus, she cocked her head and nced at the pit in the creek, her eyes filled with eager anticipation. Chen Ping''an understood her expression, and he said in an apologetic voice, "I have to brew some soup with the fish that I catch from now on, so I can''t give you any more."


    The young girl pointed at the bag of food nearby, signifying that she could use some of her snacks as payment. However, Chen Ping''an shook his head with a smile, saying, "Sorry, even though the snacks are tasty, and even though they''re filling, they''re still not as nutritious and nourishing as fish soup."


    The young girl nodded in understanding, not forcing Chen Ping''an to cater to her whims. She quietly returned to her spot before carefully putting down the fish. She then continued to tackle her small mountain of food.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was curious about her identity, he didn''t ask her who she was. Judging by her outfit, she didn''t look like the darling daughter of some rich family in Peach Leaf Alley. Instead, she appeared more simr to the neighboring Zhi Gui. She was pretty, but she didn''t like to speak.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly felt a little worried. She wasn''t a maidservant who had stolen some food and sneaked out to enjoy it, right? He had heard that thoserge families were extremely strict. Liu Xianyang and Song Jixin always liked to disagree with each other, but when it came to this matter, they were surprisingly united in agreement. However, Liu Xianyang''s exnation had been especially frightening. He said that inside the tall walls of those homes, the maidservants would be watched like prey by the hawk-eyed housekeepers. If their manner of walking was off by just a little, the housekeepers would immediatelymand someone to break their legs and toss them outside, where they would wait for death to arrive.


    However, Song Jixin had used Liu Xianyang of false information, saying that it wasn''t so extreme. Even so, he agreed that the maidservants in theserge families did indeed have to tip-toe around like cats. They weren''t allowed to make any sound when they walked. Upon seeing Zhi Gui secretly chuckling in delight, Liu Xianyang''s embarrassment had immediately turned into anger, causing him to curse at Song Jixin.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an caught another seven or eight rock te fish, with their jumping and flopping causing the bamboo basket to rock back and forth. The pale-faced young boy knew that he was almost at his limit. The water was especially cold during spring, and this was a chilling cold that directly pierced into the bones. Most importantly, the wound on his left hand couldn''t take so much stress. After returning onshore for thest time, Chen Ping''an jumped off the green stone cliff in haste and hurriedly scurried into the tall grass next to the creek.


    There was a lot of rustling, and after a short while, he pulled up three or four different kinds of grass, many of which still had soil hanging on their roots. Holding a bunch of grass in one hand, he then picked up an ordinary piece of rock. After returning to the stone cliff, he found a naturally formed pothole that was the size of his palm. After wiping it clean, he started to lightly crush the grass, which quickly became a blob of green paste. The unique and fresh fragrance of spring grass wafted through the air.


    With his back to the young girl, Chen Ping''an took a deep breath as he gritted his teeth and started to remove the cloth wrapped around his left hand. Sweat dripped down his forehead, quickly recing the ice-cold creek water that had been dripping down from his hair. Even though his wound had healed a littlepared to before, when his bones had been visible, it was still a ghastly and bloody sight.


    Beforeing here, Chen Ping''an hadn''t imagined that he would be getting his left hand wet. Thus, he hadn''t prepared any strips of cotton cloth. Just then, he had beenpletely focused on collecting snake gall pebbles to earn money, and on catching some fish to brew some soup. Only now did he realize that he had made a huge mistake. He was slightly at a loss.


    However, a hand suddenly appeared before him, holding several strips of dry and clean cloth. As it turned out, the young girl had ripped a few strips of cloth from her sleeve at some time. Chen Ping''an smiled in grief, and he had no time to express gratitude to the young girl as he rubbed the grass paste onto his wound. He then used his teeth and right hand to tightly wrap the strips of cloth around his left hand before tying a knot. His movements were extremely practiced and smooth, yet they also appeared quick and dizzying like a butterfly fluttering around a flower.


    After wrapping his wound, Chen Ping''an used his right arm to wipe the sweat from his face. His arms were trembling uncontrobly.


    Squatting not far away from him, the young girl raised a thumb at Chen Ping''an, her expression telling him that he was very impressive.


    Chen Ping''an pointed at his eyes with his right hand and said with a bitter smile, "Actually, it hurt so much that I''m shedding tears."


    The young girl was slightly puzzled as she nced at therge basket and bamboo basket that the young boy had weaved by himself.


    Chen Ping''an wore an awkward expression as he said, "Those pebbles can make me money, and those fish are also very important."


    The young girl was still a bit befuddled, but she still refused to open her mouth to speak. Her eyes appeared slightly vacant as she turned around to stare at the glistening creek in a daze.


    The bubbling water made a rushing sound as it crashed against the exposed stones and pebbles.


    At that moment, the stars were dazzling and the world was tranquil, and it was as if only this young boy and young girl pair existed in the world.


    Chen Ping''an gradually calmed down, with his hurried breathing subconsciously starting to return to normal.


    This was much like a thunderous waterfall transforming into a small and peaceful creek.


    This was a gradual and subtle change that even the young boy wasn''t aware of. It urredpletely naturally.


    With his body still wet, Chen Ping''an knew that he couldn''t stand in the early spring breeze for too long. He needed to hurry back home to change. The young boy naturally didn''t understand medicine, nor did he understand the methods to maintain good health.


    However, being extremely afraid of falling sick, the young boy had already developed a keen sense of the changing seasons and the reactions of his body since a very young age. Thus, he quickly put on his straw sandals and tied the basket of fish to his waist. He then slung therge basket on his back and waved at the young girl in green, saying with a smile, "I''m leaving now. You should also go home soon."


    As he walked down the stone cliff, he couldn''t help but turn around and say in warning, "The water is extremely deep around the covered bridge, so you have to be especially careful not to slip. When you return home, it''s best that you walk along the paddy field side. Even if you fall, getting yourself muddy is still better than falling into the creek."


    As he said this, Chen Ping''an suddenly felt like his words were slightly ominous and ill-omened. It didn''t sound like a reminder, and it instead sounded more like the curses spoken by Gu Can''s mother. Chen Ping''an quickly shut his mouth, not waffling on anymore. He quickened his pace and ran north toward the small town.


    The basket on his back was very heavy.


    However, the young boy in straw sandals was also very happy.


    After untying the knot in his heart, Chen Ping''an, for the first time, felt like he had to fight on and live a good life.


    For example, he had to earn money!


    He wanted to be able to afford the couplets that smelled like ink, and he also wanted to be able to afford the colorful door gods. At the same time, he also wanted enough money to enjoy the meat buns sold by Aunt Mao, and it would also be best if he could have some money to buy a cow. Raising some chickens like Song Jixin would also be nice.


    Meanwhile, the young girl continued to tirelessly tackle the mountain of food before her. Her expression was especially solemn and serious, and each time she picked up a piece of food, it was as if she were facing a mortal enemy.


    Just as she was tackling a peach cake, her body suddenly froze. When she realized she was in trouble, her first reaction wasn''t to turn around and flee. Instead, it was to open her mouth and gobble down the piece of cake. She then wiped her hands clean and quietly waited for cmity to befall her.


    At some unknown time, a man had already appeared beside her. He wasn''t especially tall, yet he gave others a feeling that he was extremely solidly built. However, others definitely wouldn''t mistake him for being a viger or farmer. This was because his gaze was far too intense, so much so that others wouldn''t dare to look him in the eyes.


    Looking at the remaining corner of the "mountain" in the bag that was decorated with patterns of flowers, an expression of utter helplessness spread across his face. He wanted to open his mouth to scold her, yet he couldn''t bring himself to do this either. Silently looking at the stubborn expression of his daughter who was resigned to a scolding, he more so felt a sense of doting that made him feel like it was actually him who was in the wrong.


    The man really wanted to say some gentle words to lighten the atmosphere. For example, telling his daughter that she could eat near the forge if she became hungry, and that he would head to town to buy more snacks for her if she finished them all.


    However, when these words reached the tip of his tongue, the introverted man couldn''t spit them out no matter what. It was as if his tongue would freeze at this critical moment, rendering him unable tofort his daughter.


    At this moment, the man felt like he was even less capable than the young boy in straw sandals. At the very least, his daughter wouldn''t need to be so tense around him.


    The young girl in green suddenly looked up and asked, "Father, why didn''t you ept him as a disciple?"


    With his daughter breaking the ice, the man suddenly felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulder.


    Even though he wore a stern expression, the man had already taken a seat next to his daughter, exining, "That child has a fairly good personality. However, his aptitude is far too poor, so even if your father takes him as a disciple, he''ll still be quickly left in the dust by his other senior brothers. Regardless of how hard he works, he can only watch on helplessly as the gulf between them growsrger andrger. What should we do if another Senior Brother Liu appears at that time? What''s the need?"


    A dejected expression washed across the face of the young girl in green. It was hard to say whether this was because of "Senior Brother Liu", or whether this was because the young boy in straw sandals had brushed shoulders with this opportunity.


    The man hesitated for a moment before deciding not to hide any information, lest his daughter did something wrong or ruined the Sage''s ns. "Moreover, that young child is far too ordinary. In some sense, this makes him appear even more extraordinary in the small town. Xiu''er, perhaps you aren''t aware, but this child''s bonded porcin was smashed by someone when he was only very young. Thus, he''s something like a wandering ghost with no links and nothing to rely on. He''s not protected by the blessings of his ancestors. At the same time, all kinds of subtle but strange things ur around him. This is also the reason why Song Jixin and that female chose to be his neighbors. Otherwise, with Song Jixin''s status, could he not live on Fortune Street? This naturally isn''t the case."


    The young girl carefully pondered for a moment before replying, "Father, are you saying that he''s something like bait?"


    The man stroked her head and said, "Something like that."


    He then smiled and continued, "If the two of us weren''t swordsmen who are the least particr about external matters, fated opportunities, and so on, perhaps I might have kept him by my side. Maybe I would have been able to help him a little."


    The young girl in green was in low spirits at this moment.


    The man sighed with emotion and said, "Xiu''er, my words might be crude, but my reasoning certainly isn''t. Don''t be annoyed that my words don''t sound nice."


    However, the young girl in green still appeared dejected, unable to lift her spirits no matter what.


    The man pondered for a moment before pointing at the covered bridge that looked like a ck dragon lying across a river. "The Great Li Empire exhausted a huge amount of money and effort to construct that covered bridge. The only reason was to suppress that seemingly inconspicuous iron sword. Just think about it. This is a 3000-year-old sword with a damaged soul and no owner. However, in order to suppress its remnant might, an entire empire still needed to pay such a huge price, their goal nothing more than to suppress it for a brief moment."


    The young girl nodded in response. However, her head was still hanging, and as she nced at the remaining corner of food, she absent-mindedly replied, "Oh, how impressive."


    The man didn''t know whether tough or to cry as he pinched his forehead.


    The heaven was important and the earth was important, but above them both, eating was the most important.


    However, his daughter''s mother wasn''t such a glutton either! So, just who in the world was she taking after?


    The man patted his daughter''s shoulder and said in a gentle voice, "Your father''s going to visit someone. You can stay here, but make sure to eat slowly. No one''s going to steal your food."


    The young girl suddenly looked up and grabbed onto the man''s arm, with the crimson bracelet on her hand shining brightly and appearing much like a curled-up flood dragon.


    It was like a lively flood dragon that wasposed of mes.


    "So you do still have some heart. Alright, don''t worry now, your father''s going to visit Mr. Qi," the man said with a gratified smile.


    The young girl let go and immediately turned her attention back to the snacks, starting to scoff them down again.


    The man was immediately filled with frustration, and he was unable to suppress the words in his stomach any longer, mumbling, "Eat, eat, eat! That brat Liu Xianyang indeed deserves a beating. However, his words genuinely weren''t wrong. There''ll eventuallye a day when you eat so much that you be a fat and chubby girl! At that time, who will dare to marry you?! Or did you want me to kidnap a husband for you?"


    The young girl stopped eating, with a dessert resting in her hands as tears brimmed in her eyes.


    The man hurriedly fled, not forgetting to p himself when his back was to his daughter.


    It was like this every single time. He would always screw up at the final moment.


    It was past midnight, and when Chen Ping''an arrived back at Liu Xianyang''s house and opened the door, all he could hear was his friend''s thunderous snores.


    How rxed.


    If it were Chen Ping''an, he definitely wouldn''t be able to sleep so peacefully tonight.


    He ced therge basket and the bamboo basket in the kitchen in the courtyard first. He then went to the right-side wing room that Liu Xianyang had cleared out for him and hurriedly changed into some fresh clothes. Only then did he return to the kitchen in the courtyard to clean and prepare the rock te fish. After doing this, he ced them in a clean porcin dish. He then used another dish to cover them up. This was to keep out any insects and vermin.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an retrieved his favorite five or six snake gall pebbles from therge basket and took them to the wing room where he was staying.


    Just then, he had also taken a nce at the sword that Ning Yao had ced on the cab. It was still quietly resting there.


    After doing all this, Chen Ping''an finally crawled into bed, with his body slowly warming up. However, his eyes were still wide open.


    Part of this was because of the stabbing pain in his left hand, and part of this was because he didn''t feel tired at all.


    However, the true reason was because Chen Ping''an knew better than Liu Xianyang just how "unreasonable" those outsiders were.


    The young boy didn''t dare to sleep too soundly.


    And thus, Chen Ping''an remained awake for the entire night, keeping his ears pricked for any sound in the courtyard or near the doors.


    When dawn arrived, Chen Ping''an got up and went to the kitchen, picking up a pole with buckets and preparing to go to the Iron Lock Well in Apricot Blossom Alley to draw two buckets of water.


    The sleepy-eyed Liu Xianyang was still hiding inside his nkets, with only his head visible. When he heard the soft footsteps, he mumbled, "Chen Ping''an, you''re up so early? Where are you heading to?"


    "I''m going to draw water!" Chen Ping''an huffed.


    "If you see Zhi Gui, don''t forget to greet her for me!" Liu Xianyang shouted.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t be bothered replying.


    Just as he was about to leave the courtyard, Chen Ping''an suddenly heard Liu Xianyang say, "Chen Ping''an, as long as you help me, I''ll also help you dive for pebbles in the pit!"


    A radiant smile spread across Chen Ping''an''s face. "Sure thing!"


    Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes as he pulled his nket over his head. "Disloyal brat. I knew this would work."


    On the covered bridge, a middle-aged schr was sitting alone. He would remain here until first light.


    When the first ray of light peeked over the horizon, he looked up and said with a faint smile, "A dark room for a thousand years, a room illuminated with a single light[1]."


    1. This is an allusion to the Buddhist concept of avidya and vidya. ?

 Chapter 31: Beating Around the Mountain

    Chapter 31: Beating Around the Mountain


    Before Chen Ping''an arrived at the Iron Lock Well with his two buckets, he passed a few stalls on Apricot Blossom Alley that were selling breakfast, causing his stomach to rumble without warning. However, he was truly short of money, so he could only force himself to keep going and line up before the well to draw water. There were three families before him, and when it was his turn, Zhi Gui suddenly cut in front with a small bucket. This instantly caused the others behind him to grumble in anger.


    Even though they didn''t curse or swear, the words that they uttered weren''t pleasant to the ear either. This was especially the case with the hunched old woman. People referred to her as Granny Ma, and both of her sons were quite sessful people, with each owning their own dragon kiln. Even though their dragon kilns were extremely small, ranking in the bottom few out of the 30 or so dragon kilns, they could still be regarded as some of the wealthiest people on Apricot Blossom Alley.


    For some reason, however, Granny Ma''s rtionship with her two daughters-inw was extremely poor. Her sons and their wives had already moved to Peach Leaf Alley quite a while ago, so only the old woman still lived by herself in their ancestral home on Apricot Blossom Alley.


    In the eyes of Chen Ping''an, Liu Xianyang, and others of the same age, Granny Ma had always been a very frightening elder. She was extremely vicious when she scolded others, and she was also an especially stingy and petty person. She would always try to take everything for herself. In fact, if the children dared to use the snow in front of her house for a snowball fight, or if they dared to take the icicles hanging from her roof, she would pick up a broom and chase them through several alleys, cursing and swinging and not bing tired in the least.


    In the past, there was most likely only a single person in this alley to the west of the small town who could suppress Granny Ma''s ferocity �� Gu Can''s mother. Now, however, it was rumored that the widow had left with a distant rtive of her dead husband and would settle in her husband''s hometown. Granny Ma had already be slightly kinder in recent years, yet following the departure of Gu Can''s mother, she immediately became lively and ferocious again, returning to her old self. It was as if everyone was an eyesore to her.


    Indeed, upon seeing Zhi Gui cutting the line, Granny Ma immediately started to speak strangely. Her voice wasn''t loud, and a fake smile was stretched across her face. She purposefully chit-chatted with the woman next to her, saying that there were some girls who could finally lift their veil and make their rtionship public. In any case, she had never been able to keep her legs together when walking anyway. This was a cause for celebration, as this girl finally didn''t need to suffer the fate of a lowly maidservant. She could now be referred to as a missus.


    Chen Ping''an''s head became slightly numb as he heard this. However, he couldn''t bring himself to shoo Zhi Gui away either. Even though she was in the wrong, they had already been neighbors for so many years, after all. After drawing two buckets of water for Liu Xianyang, he hurriedly drew another bucket of water for Zhi Gui. He wanted to leave this gossiping group of women as soon as possible. However, Granny Ma became even more infuriated upon seeing the despicable maidservant ignoring her.


    This was the case when elites exchanged blows with each other. The most frightening thing was if one''s opponent didn''t acknowledge their strike at all. If that were the case, what use would their powerful skills be?


    When the old woman argued with the seductive widow in the past, she would indeed lose every single time. However, the old woman would also feel like her skills would improve a little every single time. Thus, she was confident that she would definitely win their next argument.


    Right now, however, things werepletely different. The lowly maidservant from y Vase Alley was keeping her mouth shut and pretending not to hear her. Yet, the expression in her eyes carried a hint of something that made the old woman feel extremely ufortable. This caused the old woman to be even angrier. She truly wanted to rush over to scratch and ruin that lowly maidservant''s face. That way, the youths and men in the nearby alleys wouldn''t have their souls sucked away by that shameless maidservant''s looks and figure.


    This was especially the case with her grandson. Even though others viewed him as a retard, even his grandmother had recently felt like he had truly lost his mind. He was always speaking gibberish, and for the past while, he was always saying that he would take this maidservant from y Vase Alley back home and have her be his wife. He would then smash a hole in the heavens.


    Unable to elicit any reaction from the utterly detestable maidservant, Granny Ma could only turn her attention to the poor young boy beside her. She clicked her tongue in wonder and said, "Despicable good-for-nothing piece of mud. You caused your parents to die, yet you still have the face to keep living? With your lowly abilities, you know that you''ll never be able to get a wife, so you''re shamelessly trying to get together with someone else''s maidservant? What a perfect match! A despicable boy and a detestable girl! Indeed, the two of you might as well get together. In any case, y Vase Alley is a ce for trash like you two. When you have children in the future, perhaps they might even be the rulers of y Vase Alley!"


    Chen Ping''an contemted for a moment before bending over and preparing to put down the two buckets of water.


    However, Zhi Gui had already put down her bucket of water a while ago and started to stride toward the unrestrained old woman. Without saying a single word, she raised her hand and pped the old woman, causing her to pirouette on the spot. The old woman was dazed and dizzy, and she only remained upright thanks to the support of the women beside her. Without waiting for the old woman to recover, Zhi Gui immediately stepped forward and pped her again, cursing, "Undying old hag, I''ve already put up with your crap for far too long!"


    The old woman shook her head, with smoke billowing out of her nose in rage. She was just about to strike back, yet whether it was a misperception or not, it was as if the women beside her were holding her up far too well, so much so that she couldn''t break free from their grasp. As a result, she was humiliated for the third time. This time, the maidservant used her knuckles to forcefully rap the old woman on the forehead, saying, "If you dare to cuss others in the future, I''ll make sure to drag your tongue out. Every time you curse, I''ll use a needle to stab your tongue!"


    The old woman was quite shaken by this, and she even forgot to curse back as a result, let alone attempt to strike back.


    The young girl turned around and left in haste. Upon seeing that her neighbor had already picked up the bucket of water for her, she smiled in acknowledgment and returned to y Vase Alley with him.


    Before Chen Ping''an could even speak, the young girl had already opened her mouth and said, "No need to thank me. I wasn''t standing up for you or anything."


    Chen Ping''an was rendered speechless.


    The empty-handed young girl continued to mumble to herself. From the beginning to the end, however, she never showed any intention of wanting to carry her own bucket of water.


    Meanwhile, the old woman was howling beside the Iron Lock Well. "Cursed little wretch! You deserve the wrath of the heavens! Why is my life so hard and miserable... Oh, the heavens don''t have eyes... Why don''t you unleash a thunderbolt to smash that detestable and seductive little maidservant?!"


    The young girl was walking briskly, yet she suddenly performed a strange movement at this moment, using her palms to push up at the sky.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an had been neighbors with her for many years, so he didn''t find this to be strange.


    When they passed by the breakfast stalls, Chen Ping''an caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. She wasn''t tall, and dressed in her green garment, she was currently buying a freshly steamed meat bun. It was still piping hot, and its fragrance was wafting through the entire street.


    Chen Ping''an looked up.


    It was still morning, yet the sky had already be extremely overcast at some unknown time. Like therge nket of a wealthy person, there was a thickyer of dark cloudsying there and basking in the sun.


    Boom...


    Thunder rumbled above the small town.


    Near the Iron Lock Well, Granny Ma quickly stood up before hurriedly running home. Her small bucket swayed back and forth, spilling water everywhere. When she arrived home, perhaps there wouldn''t even be half a bucket of water left.


    This was probably because the old woman still had some self-awareness. If the heavens truly had eyes, the first thunderbolt that crashed down would most likelynd on her head.


    Chen Ping''an also looked up upon hearing the rumbling thunder. He was slightly confused. It didn''t look like it was going to rain.


    Zhi Gui smiled with squinted eyes and said, "Young Master told me that he''s read about this before. It''s said that early in spring, a god in the Heavenly Court will put on golden armor and beat a drum in the clouds, farewelling the old and weing the new. At the same time, the beating drums will also scare off all evil to make way for the arriving spring."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "Your young master is indeed very well-read."


    The young girl sighed and said, "Young Master is good in many aspects, but he''s just a little toozy. He also likes to curse the heavens all the time, and I don''t think this is good."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t have a habit of talking about others behind their backs, so he didn''t reply to Zhi Gui''sments. However, Song Jixin had indeed maintained a strange habit for many years. That was, he always liked to curse the heavens, just like Granny Ma did. He would use the heavens of being blind and so on and so forth. Even so, intellectuals had their own rules, so Song Jixin wouldn''t curse the heavens if it were snowing, thundering, or if there were iridescent clouds in the sky. ording to him, he would only curse the heavens when it was dozing. That way, the heavens couldn''t hear him, so it naturally wouldn''t be angry. Meanwhile, he would also be able to blow off some steam. This was a win-win situation.


    Seeing no response from Chen Ping''an, Zhi Gui asked in a seemingly casual manner, "You didn''t return homest night? Did you stay over at Liu Xianyang''s?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "I have a guest at home, so it''s not suitable for me to stay overnight."


    "Oh, that''s right. Did Mr. Qi visit you a while ago? What did he say to you?" she suddenly asked.


    "Why do you ask?" Chen Ping''an retorted.


    Zhi Gui wore an innocent smile as she replied, "No reason, I''m just asking because I coincidentally saw Mr. Qi when I was going over to draw water this morning. He said that he was going for a morning stroll, and he even asked me if you were home. I naturally gave him an honest answer."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I also came across Mr. Qi by coincidence that time, and he merely made some small talk with me. He said that I should have gone to school with Liu Xianyang when I was younger. I could only tell him that my family was too poor, so that would have been impossible. Otherwise, I would have also liked to go to school."


    "Is that all?" Zhi Gui asked in puzzlement.


    Chen Ping''an looked her in the eyes and said with a smile, "What else would it be?"


    She dismissed it with a smile.


    The two of them parted ways at a crossroad. Zhi Gui epted her bucket of water and continued to y Vase Alley, while Chen Ping''an went the other way and returned to Liu Xianyang''s house. Afterward, he would still need to head to the eastern gate of the small town to collect the letters to deliver. He would earn one coin for each letter delivered. Had Chen Ping''an started this job earlier, with his ability to traverse through the mountains on just his two legs, he would have most likely already made enough money to get himself a wife.


    Upon arriving at the entrance of y Vase Alley, Zhi Gui saw her young master standing there and yawning.


    She quickly walked over and asked in curiosity, "Young Master, why have youe out?"


    Song Jixin stretched his body and said in azy voice, "I was feeling bored."


    "Young Master, when is the new kiln supervision official going to return to town? Will we be able to leave for the capital then?" Zhi Gui asked quietly.


    Song Jixin pondered for a moment before replying, "He''ll be back within 10 days."


    Zhi Gui appeared hesitant, with the small bucket in her hand swaying back and forth.


    Song Jixin smiled and asked, "What''s wrong? There''s something on your mind?"


    "Young Master, can I borrow that Local County Chronicle to have a peek?" she asked timidly. "Just for one or two days so I can learn some words. Otherwise, others might belittle me when I arrive at the capital. At that time, even Young Master will beughed at because of me."


    Song Jixin couldn''t help but chuckle. After contemting for a brief moment, he said, "What''s so embarrassing about this request? However, remember to wash your hands before reading the book, and make sure not to get the pages dirty. Also, be careful that wax doesn''t drip onto it. Apart from these, there''s nothing else to worry about. After all, this is merely a crappy book that chronicles events up until now."


    A bright smile spread across Zhi Gui''s face. "Thank you, Young Master!"


    Song Jixin alsoughed heartily, saying, "Come over here, let me carry the bucket of water for you."


    However, Zhi Gui stepped aside and said seriously, "Young Master! Isn''t it said that a noble gentleman should distance himself from kitchen work? How can Young Master concern himself with such chores? If others hear of this, I''ll definitely be punished by them!"


    Song Jixin chuckled in anger, saying, "Rules, principles, and etiquette... These things can frighten and trick others, but I''m..."


    However, the young intellectual suddenly stopped speaking.


    Zhi Gui was extremely curious, and she asked, "Young Master is what?"


    A frivolous smile returned to Song Jixin''s face, and he pointed at himself before saying, "I''m actually nothing but a farmer! I tend to the farm and draw out plots, then I have people sow the seeds and water thend. Meanwhile, I''ll wait for the crops to grow and give me a bountiful harvest. Year after year, this is exactly how I live!"


    Zhi Gui was mystified.


    Song Jixin roared withughter.


    However, he suddenly became serious and asked, "Zhi Gui, did Chen Ping''an carry the bucket of water for you the entire time?"


    The maidservant nodded with an innocent expression.


    Song Jixin''s voice was meaningful as he said, "A Sage once said that some people treat a stranger''s small act of kindness as something to be treasured, yet they treat their friends and family''s sacrifices as something that can be taken for granted, not showing them any gratitude at all. This kind of attitude isn''t right."


    The maidservant became even more mystified. "Huh?"


    The young boy stroked his chin and mused to himself, "You actually didn''t understand my insinuation? How should I respond? Perhaps I should swap you for a smarter and more understanding beautiful young maidservant?"


    The maidservant couldn''t hide her smile anymore. Shepletely ignored his threat, and she exposed him by saying, "Young Master is actually trying to ask me who this knowledgeable Sage is, right? Young Master, I know! Of course it''s you!"


    Song Jixinughed heartily. "Zhi Gui indeed knows me well!"


    A middle-aged schr was sitting upright in the library of the private school. As the spring thunder rumbled, the ck and white Go pieces before him all disintegrated into dust.


    There was amon method that the youths and children in the small town used to catch rock te fish. They would use hammers to forcefully strike the rocks in the creek, causing the hiding rock te fish to fall unconscious and float to the surface.


    This practice was identical to a saying found in books �� beating around the mountain to scare the tiger.


    However, if one wanted to warn a Sage not to defy the heavens and go against the Great Dao...


    The corresponding weapon one needed to wield would most likely have to be the vast and mighty thunder in the sky.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Hey guys. I know the chapters are really slow :( Sorry we can''t do a mass release because these chapters are too long, and it is difficult to trante. We don''t use machine trantion, and some chapters are over 5000 English words. It is impossible for us to keep up if we release more than one chapter a day. Even the "short" ones are still far longer than the typical chapter you''d read on this site.


    Perhaps just wait and stockpile ande back in another week or two if the slow pace is driving you nuts. But we promise the wait is worth it, and by the time you get to 43, you''ll be d you had stuck around.


    These random names/characters may seem useless right now, but they will be mentioned often and y a bigger roleter.


    P.S. Ping''an isn''t weak, butpared to all these outsiders, he''s actually a small potato (at least, for now). They view them (people in the town) like ants. The reason why he actually managed to sessfully attack a few chapters ago is because their powers are suppressed in this town. We don''t want to reveal too much or tell you what happens, so just find out as you go. Dao of Patience! </blockquote>

 Chapter 32: Peach Leaf

    Chapter 32: Peach Leaf


    Chen Ping''an returned to Liu Xianyang''s house and poured the two buckets of water into the vat in the courtyard kitchen. He then ran to the door and shouted, "Liu Xianyang, I''m going to use your firewood and seasoning to make some fish soup for Ning Yao. Is that okay?"


    Liu Xianyang, who had gone back to sleep, was suddenly jolted awake by Chen Ping''an''s question. "Just how bloody annoying are you? I was just dreaming of Zhi Gui smiling at me! Hurry up andpensate me with Zhi Gui!" he roared in anger.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in reply. However, he also remembered Liu Xianyang''s request at this moment, and he said apologetically, "I really dide across Zhi Gui at the Iron Lock Well earlier. However, we were disturbed by Granny Ma, so I forgot to greet her for you. When I deliver the fish soup to Ning Yao in a moment, I promise that I''ll head over to pass on your greeting."


    Liu Xianyang hurriedly jumped up and got changed. He then ran to the doorstep and looked at the skinny figure who was busily at work, chuckling and saying, "I''ll go and deliver the fish soup with you in a moment. Oh, that''s right, is Zhi Gui wearing that red dress today? Or is she wearing the green one? When I earn 200 copper coins, I''ll be able to afford that exquisite makeup powder. I know that she''s had her eyes on it for a very long time, but she''s always been reluctant to buy it. It''s all Song Jixin''s fault, that poor little bastard. He''s way too stingy. He''s dressed like a fancy bastard from Fortune Street, yet he can''t even spare a few coins to buy some more dresses for poor Zhi Gui. If I were her young master, I''d definitely buy her whatever she wanted. She''d live in even morefort and extravagance than the youngdies from Fortune Street!"


    Chen Ping''an ignored Liu Xianyang''s foolish daydreaming. He genuinely couldn''t understand why Liu Xianyang had fallen head over heels for Zhi Gui and not someone else. Of course, this wasn''t because he looked down on her standing as Song Jixin''s maidservant. Nor was it because he thought she was ugly. Rather, it was because he couldn''t see any predestined fate between Liu Xianyang and Zhi Gui.


    "Why do you also call her Zhi Gui now? Why don''t you call her Wang Zhu anymore?" Chen Ping''an asked in curiosity.


    Liu Xianyang grinned and said, "After realizing that you also couldn''t write the words Zhi Gui, I decided that I couldn''t care less anymore."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly exasperated as he replied, "Why are youparing yourself to me? Why aren''t youparing yourself to Song Jixin? After all, Zhi Gui is his maidservant, not mine."


    Liu Xianyang sneered and said, "It''s not like he''s better than you at everything. For example, has he ever been able to call someone mother or father? Isn''t he inferior to you in this sense? It''s no wonder that Gu Can''s mother, Granny Ma, and the other women are so toxic when speaking about him. Song Jixin can''t be regarded as a pure and innocent person anyway, or else why doesn''t he confidently sit in the office of the kiln supervision official? Why does he have to suffer in y Vase Alley instead? Yet, he still dares to look down on others. So, he deserves to be ndered and called a bastard."


    Chen Ping''an stood up and walked to the door of the kitchen, saying, "Liu Xianyang, even though Song Jixin and I can''t be regarded as friends, the way you speak about him..."


    Liu Xianyang hurriedly raised his hands, refusing to listen to Chen Ping''an''s lecture. He wore a sly smile as he said, "I''ll stop ndering him, okay? Chen Ping''an, who did you learn this stubbornness and inflexibility from? After all, my grandpa said that your father and mother were both very amiable people, especially your mother. Her voice was always soft and gentle, and she also liked to smile all the time. Her temper was truly as good as could be. My grandpa also said that Granny Ma would curse almost everyone when she was young, yet she would always make an exception when it came to your mother. Not only did Granny Ma not curse her, but she would even smile at her."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t wipe the smile from his face.


    Liu Xianyang waved his hand to shoo him away. "Hurry up and bring the soup to your wife."


    Chen Ping''an rolled his eyes, saying, "If you''re so capable, why don''t you say that to her face?"


    Liu Xianyang chuckled and replied, "You might be stupid, but I''m certainly not."


    A short momentter, Chen Ping''an walked out with a small pot of soup. After locking the door, the two of them headed over to y Vase Alley. After arriving at Chen Ping''an''s house, Liu Xianyang saw him stupidly standing there and knocking on the gate. Only at this moment did he realize that Chen Ping''an had actually left his keys with Ning Yao. Liu Xianyang felt like this person couldn''t be saved.


    The young woman in ck didn''t wear her veiled hat while at home, so her pretty face was uncovered for them to see when she opened the gates. For some unknown reason, Liu Xianyang was slightly scared of this serious young woman. It wasn''t because of her aloofness, since Zhi Gui was as aloof if not more so than her. Yet, Liu Xianyang still had the courage to pester her all the time. It wasn''t because of her weapons or strength either, because Liu Xianyang had never been afraid of the rich descendants from Fortune Street who had surrounded and beaten him up many times. Even though he had fled in shambles, he had never felt a sense of fear toward them.


    Yet, for some reason, he was slightly scared of Ning Yao, this girl from outside.


    Ning Yao sat down and removed the lid of the y pot. Her slender eyes squinted when she smelled the fragrance of the fish soup, and she nodded and said in a gentle voice, "Thanks."


    Chen Ping''an was an extremely observant person, and he knew that this was most likely a sign that the aloof young woman was happy.


    He cooked a pot of porridge for her, telling her to keep an eye on the mes herself. He then turned to Liu Xianyang and said, "You can wait for Zhi Gui yourself. I need to deliver some letters first."


    Liu Xianyang was sitting on the doorstep, with his ears pricked for any movement next door. He would immediately act if he heard any squeaking or rustling. He was in a terrible mood, and he snapped in impatience, "Yeah, go do what you need to."


    Chen Ping''an left his house. Just as he was about to exit y Vase Alley, he suddenly noticed the path before him bing a little darker. Looking up, he realized that this was because there was a tall and broad man in white robes standing there, with one hand behind his back and one hand resting on the white jade belt around his waist. His eyes were gazing into the distance.


    Likely realizing that he was blocking the narrow alleyway, the man smiled faintly and turned to his side to let Chen Ping''an through.


    Chen Ping''an was extremely puzzled as he quickened his pace and left y Vase Alley. ncing back, he saw that the man had already slowly entered y Vase Alley.


    Even though he had only taken a fleeting nce at the man just then, Chen Ping''an had still seen the faint golden embroidery on the front and back of the man''s spotless white robe. These golden threads vaguely formed two pictures, wherein there was seemingly a creature soaring through the mountains and clouds. It was especially mysterious.


    Chen Ping''an pushed these thoughts out of his mind, and he merely treated the man as another outsider like Fu Nanhua and the others �� he was going to y Vase Alley to look for a fated opportunity. After visiting the old locust tree with Mr. Qi the other day, he was already feeling much more rxed than before. He felt like as long as Mr. Qi stayed in this small town, he could still at least ask for justice if something untoward were to happen.


    When he jogged past Apricot Blossom Alley, Chen Ping''an saw that the young girl in green who he had encounteredst night was still sitting at the stall that was selling wontons. There were chopsticks in her hand, and she was lightly drumming them against the table. There was a spirited expression on her slightly chubby and innocent face, and her eyes were intently fixed on the smoking pot where the wontons were cooking. Even though Chen Ping''an was only five or six steps away from her, she didn''t notice him at all.


    To this young girl in green, food was of paramount importance. Even if the sky copsed, she would still need to finish her meal before fleeing.


    Chen Ping''an admired this unfamiliar young girl from the bottom of his heart. He didn''t disturb her, and he smiled as he continued to run to the east of the small town.


    There were some people and some things �� even if they were only scenery on the roadside �� that would fill one with a sense of joy with only a single nce.


    When Chen Ping''an arrived at the wooden gates in the east of the small town, he found that the disheveled gatekeeper was standing on his tippy-toes on a tree stump and gazing toward the east. It was as if he were waiting for some important person to arrive.


    While hanging out around the old locust tree, Chen Ping''an had heard the elderly residents chat about the arrival of the new kiln supervision official. When he had first arrived in the small town, he was offered a grand wee, with almost all of the elders from the Four Surnames and Ten nsing to the eastern gate to greet him.


    However, after waiting under the scorching sun for several hours, the only person who had arrived was a subordinate from the kiln supervision office who told them that the kiln supervision official was already in his office, and that he had only just woken up from his afternoon nap. He then told them to directly go to the office of the kiln supervision official. The group of wealthy people was infuriated, but ording to rumors, none of them had dared toin a peep when they eventually entered the kiln supervision office. In fact, they had all smiled as obsequiously as they could.


    Chen Ping''an had found their recounts extremely strange. Why were the elderly residents speaking as if they were personally there to witness it? Each time they discussed rumors from Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, they also spoke as if they were personally present to witness the events. For example, how the aunty from the Lu n was in an illicit rtionship with that instructor, and how she had frantically straightened her clothes and covered herrge breasts when they had been caught by someone else. They revealed a whole heap of details, not missing anything at all. It was as if they were the instructor himself.


    Liu Xianyang would always gulp when he heard gossip like this. Song Jixin would also asionally hang out near the old locust tree, although he would never bring Zhi Gui along with him. His smile would also be more reserved than Liu Xianyang''s. However, when he secretly hooted and heckled with the others, his voice would be even louder than when he recited the teachings of the Sages during morning and night.


    Chen Ping''an squatted next to the tree stump and patiently waited for the gatekeeper to acknowledge him.


    The disheveled man cursed before hopping off the tree stump and shooting a nce at the young boy. He didn''t say anything, and he went to the mud hut to retrieve a bundle of letters. There were six letters in total, yet he only handed Chen Ping''an five copper coins.


    Chen Ping''an roughly flicked through the letters, and he didn''t make anyints. This was because two of the letters were addressed to neighbors on Fortune Street. Thus, Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to take such a petty advantage. Of course, if the gatekeeper suddenly became extremely benevolent and chose to give him six copper coins instead, he wouldn''t refuse this either.


    Chen Ping''an nned out a route before casually asking, "Waiting for someone?"


    The gatekeeper nced at the wide road in the east and huffed, "Waiting for your grandpa!"


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly scooted away, not wanting to be an outlet for his frustration.


    The gatekeeper chuckled and mused, "Oh? He''s quite an observant one."


    He looked up at the sky. The rumbling thunder had already subsided, and the nket of dark clouds that had seemingly wanted to bear down on the houses had also slowly dissipated.


    He sat down on the tree stump and heaved a sigh, saying, "When immortals fight, it''s themoners and mortals who suffer the most..."


    Of the six letters, four of them were addressed to the Lu n, Li n, Zhao n, and Song n of Fortune Street. These were the four major ns of the small town. The remaining two letters were addressed to people in Peach Leaf Alley. Coincidentally, one of them was addressed to the benevolent old man from before. Even more coincidentally, it was again this old man who opened the door to collect the letter. He recognized the young boy in straw sandals, and he said jokingly, "Young child, you''re really not going toe in for a drink?"


    Chen Ping''an wore a bashful smile as he shook his head.


    The old man wasn''t surprised by this, and he simply retrieved some copper coins from his sleeve and handed them to Chen Ping''an, saying, "There''s a happy asion in our family today, so this is just a little something that all visitors can receive. It''s just a token of good fortune. It''s nothing much, only 10 copper coins, so be at ease and ept it."


    Only after hearing this did Chen Ping''an ept the copper coins. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Wei."


    The old man nodded in acknowledgment, and he suddenly said, "Young child, whenever you''ve got nothing to do in the next while, you can head over to the old locust tree and sit in its shade. If you see any branches or leaves on the floor, you can take them home and ce them somewhere. They can keep away insects and vermin. Isn''t that nice? And they''re free as well."


    Chen Ping''an bowed to the old man in gratitude.


    The old man wore a pleased smile, and he said, "Off you go. Spring is the most important time of the year, so it''ll definitely be good for you to exercise more during this time."


    The young boy left the bluestone bs of Peach Leaf Alley behind him.


    The old man stood at his door for a long time, gazing at the two rows of peach trees lining the alley. A shapely young maidservant walked up to the old man, saying in a soft voice, "Grandpa, what are you looking at? The weather''s cold outside, so be careful not to catch the chills."


    The maidservant had already served this old man for quite some years, so she knew that he was a kind and benevolent person. The young girl respected but didn''t need to fear the old man, so she asked with a cheeky smile, "Grandpa, you''re not reminiscing about how you met a girl in your youth, are you? Was the girl also standing under the peach trees at that time?"


    The old man smiled and replied, "Tao Ya, both you and that young boy are kind-hearted and determined people."


    The maidservant wore a lovely and innocent smile upon hearing this praise.


    The old man suddenly smiled and said, "A distant rtive is going to visit in the next few days. When they leave, you can also leave with the other children in the family."


    The maidservant faltered upon hearing this. Her eyes became teary, and she sniffed, "Grandpa, I don''t want to leave here."


    The benevolent old man waved his hand and said, "I''m going to look at the scenery in the alley for a while longer. You can go back in first. Tao Ya, listen to me. Otherwise, I''m going to get angry."


    The maidservant had no option but to head back in. However, she couldn''t help but nce back several times.


    The peach leaves in the alley were lush and verdant. However, peach blossoms were still yet to form.


    The old man gently exhaled. He then walked out the door and down the steps, walking to a nearby peach tree and standing under it. There was sadness in his voice as he said, "A beautiful girl like the blooming peach blossoms... There''s truly no opportunity for me to witness it again."


    He nced back at his house and murmured, "The uniqueness of this small town is innately discordant with the Great Dao. The Sages forcefully transformed this area at that time, allowing this small town to enjoy great fortune for 3000 years. Many people have walked out of here and left their descendants all throughout the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. However, just how astute are the heavens? Thus, it''s now time for the scores to be settled and for us to pay what we owe. If you children don''t leave as soon as possible, are you going to stay and await death alongside us? Us who are old and broken like shattered porcin? You have to realize that death cane great or minor. For the thousands of people in this small town, what we''re going to face is a great death, a death where there is no next life.


    "So, while the heavens are still turning a blind eye, it''s best that as many of you leave as possible."


    The old man extended a shriveled hand and ced it on a branch, saying, "Kind and determined children, here''s wishing that the heavens don''t target and suppress you."


    At some unknown time, Zhao Yao''s grandma, the old woman with a cane, had already walked over, saying, "You''re already about to be six feet under, yet you''re still being so hopeful and naive? Just like old women caking their faces in makeup, your actions are truly vile and repulsive. Is this cmity something that your kindness and benevolence can stop?"


    The old man was slightly entranced as he looked at the equally old woman, and he mysteriously said, "You''vee."


    The old woman faltered upon hearing this. However, she immediately became enraged, swinging her cane at him and saying, "Shameless old geezer! How old are you? Yet, you still dare to make such remarks."


    Like raindrops, the cane swung down at the old man again and again. He could only flee in a hurry. However, he couldn''t help butugh heartily as he did so.


    Standing under the peach tree, the old woman was still as angry as could be. She regretted bing soft-hearted and coincidentally walking to Peach Leaf Alley.


    In the end, she looked up at the budding leaves of the peach tree.


    She then walked back to Fortune Street, with her cane clicking against the bluestone bs.


    This was a peaceful town that had prospered for thousands of years. In the end, however, it would unexpectedly be a town whose pitiful residents would enjoy no reincarnation.


    Was there truly not even a sliver of hope?


    The creek gradually became shallower, and the well gradually became colder. The old locust tree grew even older, and the iron lock grew even rustier. Therge clouds bore down on the small town.


    This year, the peach tree produced leaves, but it produced no blossoms.

 Chapter 33: White Dragon Disguising as a Fish

    Chapter 33: White Dragon Disguising as a Fish


    Chen Ping''an saw the young girl in green again. This time, she was quietly walking behind a middle-aged man. As she walked, she didn''t forget to lower her head to nibble on a scallion pancake.


    The man wore an exasperated expression.


    He stopped upon seeing Chen Ping''an, and asked, "Were you the person who I shooed away that time?"


    Something mmed into the man''s back. The young girl in green looked up in a daze after running into the "wall", and upon suddenly seeing Chen Ping''an, she was just about to greet him with a smile. However, she immediately turned her back to him instead, hurriedly using her hands to wipe her mouth.


    Chen Ping''an suppressed his smile as he nodded at the man and said, "Hi, Master Ruan."


    By the looks of it, this young girl was most likely Master Ruan''s daughter.


    However, the father and daughter lookedpletely different. In fact, it was fortunate that this was the case.


    The man whom Chen Ping''an had referred to as Master Ruan was none other than the cksmith who had moved to the south near the creek soon after arriving in the small town. The middle-aged man asked, "Why hasn''t Liu Xianyange to forge iron for the past two days?"


    Chen Ping''an was just about to help Liu Xianyang exin the situation, but the man had already started to say coldly, "Go and tell that brat. If I don''t see him today, then he won''t need toe to my forge again."


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly said, "Master Ruan, something urgent came up for him..."


    The man cut the young boy off, saying bluntly, "That''s his problem. What''s it got to do with me?!"


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t someone who was good with words, so he was immediately stumped, with his face flushing red with worry. However, he didn''t know what to say, and he was afraid that he would make the situation even worse. After all, he had personally experienced Master Ruan''s blunt nature before.


    The young girl in green wanted to say something to help Chen Ping''an, yet she was pre-emptively scolded by her father, who said, "You eat your pancake!"


    The upset young girl suddenly quickened her pace and forcefully stepped on her father''s heel. As if a gust of wind had appeared underfoot, she then quickly fled into the distance, instantly vanishing without a trace.


    The man sighed in sorrow. He ignored Chen Ping''an and continued to walk forward.


    Chen Ping''an also heaved a sigh. He then ran to a breakfast stall and purchased six buns before hurrying back to y Vase Alley.


    When he arrived home, what he saw was Liu Xianyang squatting on top of the wall, with the top half of his body leaning into Song Jixin''s courtyard. He was eavesdropping with full concentration.


    There were asionally times when Chen Ping''an felt like Liu Xianyang truly deserved a beating. For example, now.


    He had no option but to say, "I came across Master Ruan just now, and he told you to head over to the cksmith forge today. He also said that if you don''t go today, he''ll dismiss you from your position."


    Liu Xianyang was absent-minded as he replied, "What''s the hurry? Where else is he going to find a disciple as skilled and hard-working as me? Master Ruan is merely making some empty threats. It''ll be fine even if I go tomorrow."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and responded, "I''m absolutely certain that Master Ruan wasn''t joking."


    Liu Xianyang was extremely annoyed, and he muttered, "Alright, I''ll head over in a little while. I''m doing something important now, so don''t disturb me."


    Chen Ping''an handed two of the buns to Ning Yao for breakfast. Liu Xianyang directly took three of them, leaving only one for Chen Ping''an to eat.


    Liu Xianyang scoffed down the buns in no time at all. As he wiped his mouth, he quietly said, "Song Jixin had a visitor, and it was clear that he was an extraordinarily important person. If I''m not wrong, he''s most likely the newly appointed kiln supervision official. That time he visited our dragon kiln in his official garb, Old Man Yao didn''t allow you good-for-nothing trainees toe out and pollute his eyes. He didn''t give you guys the chance to broaden your horizons. However, I was an exception, and Old Man Yao even told me to demonstrate the jumping burin technique to him."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and murmured, "Everyone knows that the new kiln supervision official is quite caring for Song Jixin. What are you acting all suspicious for?"


    Liu Xianyang was riddled with anxiety as he eximed, "There''s no way that a pretty boy like him can defeat me. However, what if Zhi Gui falls for this impressive official? I won''t stand much of a chance against him! At that time, your future sister-inw will run away with someone else! What will I do? And what will you do?"


    Chen Ping''an directly left the room.


    He left Liu Xianyang to squat there and mope by himself.


    Meanwhile, Ning Yao was sitting upright, with one hand gripping the hilt of her saber. It was as if she were facing a powerful enemy.


    There were beads of sweat on her forehead.


    This was the first time that Chen Ping''an had seen her wear such an expression. However, even though her body was tense and alert, her eyes were gleaming with excitement and anticipation.


    When Chen Ping''an returned to the doorway, she asked, "Do you know who that guest was?"


    "I heard Liu Xianyang say that he''s our new kiln supervision official. He seems like a fairly polite person, and he even shuffled over for me to pass in the alley just then," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Ning Yao smiled coldly andmented, "This type of person is the most terrifying."


    Chen Ping''an was puzzled by this remark.


    "If someone sees an ant on the side of the street, will they trample on it for no reason?" she asked.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before replying, "Gu Can definitely will. He often pours water down ant nests, and he sometimes uses rocks to block the entrances to their nests as well. When Liu Xianyang is in a bad mood, he probably would as well."


    The young woman in ck was rendered speechless.


    Chen Ping''an cracked a grin and said, "However, I know what you''re trying to say."


    Ning Yao wore an astonished expression. "Really?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in confirmation. "I feel like there are twoyers of meanings to your words. The firstyer is describing how the residents of this small town are like nothing more than ants in the eyes of outsiders like you. The secondyer is describing how there is also a gulf in level among the outsiders. Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian can be regarded as children like Gu Can, and it''s because of this that they feel like they can control the lives of mere ants and more so take an interest in doing so. Or perhaps they find these ants an eyesore. However, the new kiln supervision official is different. Everything he says and does conform to his status. Thus, he appears extremely polite. Ning Yao, is that right?"


    "How did you reach this conclusion?" the young woman asked.


    "After taking a trip to death''s door and back, it seems like my brain is also slightly more clever than before," the young boy joked.


    "What did you see when you were about to die?" Ning Yao asked in a solemn voice.


    "I didn''t see anything," Chen Ping''an replied. He was slightly puzzled, but he still answered truthfully, continuing, "In fact, I didn''t think of anything else when I was in that alley. Perhaps it''ll be better for you to ask Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian this question. Maybe they were able to see something."


    Ning Yao humphed coldly. "Oh, what a brilliant idea!"


    Then, she stared intently at the young boy in straw sandals for some reason.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly flustered, and he asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Ning Yao frowned in slight annoyance and muttered to herself in her local tongue, saying, "Regardless of whether it''s the sword techniques, mind cultivation, or physique and soul tempering of the sword arts of my family, these are all secrets that can''t be revealed to outsiders. Moreover, I haven''t mastered them either, so how could I dare to teach others? I haven''t learned the cultivation or martial techniques of other ces either, or else I could at least point him in the right direction. It''ll be fine even if it''s something that can improve his physique or increase his lifespan. However, where in the world can I find such an elementary secret technique right now?"


    Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she said, "Steal one? No, no, no, not steal. It''s just borrowing. I''m going to borrow it and return it, after all."


    However, it was a shame that her expression quickly became one of dejection. She gritted her teeth and spat, "That despicable old eunuch! Just you wait! See how I smash up your imperial pce in the future!"


    Her face was sullen as she continued, "Perhaps my only option is to ask the cksmith Master Ruan? I''m fairly good at hacking at others, and I''ve already mastered around half of my mother''s skills. If I have to ask someone for a favor, however... I''m truly not good at this."


    Chen Ping''an sat on the doorstep and watched Ning Yao mumbling to herself, her expression changing as frequently as the iridescent colors of the clouds.


    ��������


    The handsome man in the white robe and jade belt was standing inside Song Jixin''s room. As he looked around, he furrowed his brows slightly. "That person only organized such a shabby ce for you?"


    Song Jixin pursed his lips and didn''t reply.


    His maidservant Zhi Gui had already perceptively returned to her own room.


    ording to the most popr exnation in the small town, the previous kiln supervision official Master Song hadn''t been good at running the dragon kilns. Thus, he hadn''t been able to produce any imperial wares that the imperial court was satisfied with. After putting in some hard work and constructing that covered bridge, he had returned to the capital to report for duty. Of course, he had also left Song Jixin, his illegitimate son. However, he had only bought him a single maidservant to take care of the chores. Apart from that, he had also "entrusted" this son to a friend, the person who was going to rece him as the new kiln supervision official. It was rumored that his surname was also Song.


    However, regarding the truth of the matter, those who were close to the situation might be mystified, but those who were observing from a distance wouldn''t necessarily be able to see things clearly either.


    Even Song Jixin was unsure of this person''s rtionship with the previous official. Were they close associates in the officialdom? Were they intimate friends who had met during their studies? Or were they adversaries from different factions in the capital? When that man had left, he had briefly mentioned that a new kiln supervision official would soon arrive in the small town. Not long after his arrival, he would then bring him and his maidservant out of the small town and to the capital. The previous official had also told Song Jixin that he needed to be extremely respectful toward the new kiln supervision official. He couldn''t be impolite in the slightest.


    However, Song Jixin didn''t have a good impression of this arrogant and overbearing man. This was most likely because he detested those with the position of kiln supervision official.


    It was merely in order to maintain his dignity that he had appeared so confident before Zhi Gui, and appeared so calm and unhurried when facing their imminent departure from their hometown.


    The man smiled and said, "So be it. That pedantic old schr before me has always been such a careful and cautious person. He doesn''t seem like a man at all, and he instead seems like a woman. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been sent here to look after you."


    Song Jixin appeared far from amused.


    The man curled his lips in contempt as he nced at therge chest where the young boy kept his trinkets. "Beforeing here, I had already visited Old Dragon City''s Fu Nanhua. What a poor sod. Even in such a ce, his Dao Heart was still almost shattered. Anyhow, you can continue your business with him. As for whether you make a loss or make a gain, that''s your own responsibility. I won''t involve myself in such trifling and worthless matters. However, before we leave, you have toe with me to the covered bridge and kowtow a few times. After that, there''s nothing else for you to do. Come home with me and do what you have to do, sit where you have to sit, and perform what your duty requires you to perform. It''s that simple. Do you understand?"


    "Of course I understand. Your words aren''t obscure at all, Master Song."


    However, he sneered and continued, "But why should I listen to you?"


    The man chuckled, turning to face the young boy squarely for the first time. "That woman-like person said that you''re extremely talented, and he truly wasn''t afraid of being too hyperbolic. Anyway, why don''t you guess? Guess why you should listen to me?"


    If one looked carefully, one would surprisingly discover a hint of simrity between the two people.


    Song Jixin became even angrier. However, he restrained himself fromshing out.


    The man didn''t keep Song Jixin guessing anymore, saying in an amused voice, "Why? It''s naturally because I''m an extremely unfortunate person. I''m actually your uncle!"


    Song Jixin was deeply stunned, with his face bing slightly pale.


    The man in white ignored Song Jixin��s changing expression. He ced both his hands on his jade belt and looked out the window, saying with a faint smile, "It''s also because I''m the number one martial artist in the Great Li Empire."


    If he had revealed this fact in another manner, it would have been even more impressive and stunning. However, the man would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix �� he felt like it wouldn''t be worth bragging about if there were someone ced above him, even if it were only one or two people.


    An expression of disdain spread across his face as he thought about the Confucian Sage who was presiding over this ce. He humphed coldly.


    If they weren''t in the ce, he could easily kill someone like Qi Jingchun �� an immortal from the three religions �� with a single hand.


    ��������


    Inside a thatched cottage of the school, Mr. Qi was currently listening to the young children loudly reciting a passage.


    He was sitting in an upright manner.


    This was a genuinely upright manner. Even his students like Song Jixin and Zhao Yao would find it difficult to understand the true essence of this position.


    There was a fundamental Confucian ssic named Grand Etiquette that was the basis of "establishing the religion and founding the sect". In this ssic, there was a chapter called the Self-Cultivation Chapter that specifically talked about how a noble and virtuous person should sit like a corpse, because it was such corpses that would be represented by dignified statues which epted the offerings of others[1]. As such, sitting like a corpse implied sitting in an upright and dignified manner.


    At this moment, it was as if Qi Jingchun had vaguely heard the silent thoughts of the man in white. He appeared nonchnt as he smiled faintly and said, "A martial artist ruling over a nation... Impressive, how very impressive. However, a white dragon disguising itself as a fish isn''t a good omen[2]."


    1. This is referring to people making offerings to their ancestors. ?


    2. A person of a high status disguising themself as a person of a lower status. In the original story, a dragon disguising itself as a fish was stabbed in the eye by a fisherman. ?

 Chapter 34: Gathered Together

    Chapter 34: Gathered Together


    The sound of footsteps traveled over from Song Jixin''s house. Liu Xianyang was just about to jump down from the wall, yet he heard a voice travel over before he could even see the owner of this voice. "Are you the disciple of the Treasure Creek dragon kiln''s Old Man Yao? Is your surname Liu?" the person asked in a gentle voice.


    This person was none other than the kiln supervision official who was dressed in white. He looked over with a smile as he strode out of Song Jixin''s house.


    Liu Xianyang froze upon hearing this, and he discovered that he surprisingly didn''t have the strength to hop down from the wall anymore. He chuckled guiltily and replied, "Yes, that''s me. When you went to the dragon kiln back then, Master told me to demonstrate a few things to you."


    The man nodded in reply. He looked the broad young boy up and down and asked frankly, "Young boy, do you want to leave this ce and see the outside world? For example, joining the army? If you can endure this for 10 years, I guarantee that you''ll be a powerful official. At that time, I''ll personally organize a banquet in the capital for you to celebrate your achievements. How does that sound?"


    Song Jixin wore an extremely dark expression as he stood behind the man in white, and he tightened his grip on the Old Dragon Rainbringer jade pendant that Fu Nanhua had given him.


    Right now, this young boy who had been ndered as an "illegitimate child" and "bastard" for many years was already aware of this man''s true identity. Thus, he very clearly understood the weight behind this man''s words. The promise to "personally organize a banquet" would be one of the most powerful life-saving talismans in the Great Li Empire. It would more so be a granddder that allowed Liu Xianyang to climb to great heights.


    Liu Xianyang wracked his brain in an attempt toe up with an intelligent-sounding response. In the end, however, he stammered, "T-thank you for your kindness. But I''m a-afraid that... I can''t ept b-because I''ve already agreed to be Master Ruan''s d-disciple. I can''t go back on my words. P-please don''t... take note of this... of this..."


    It was as if Liu Xiangyang''s words were stuck in his throat. He couldn''t remember the phrase no matter what, and he was so worried that his face became bright red.


    "It''s a greater man who does not take note of a lesser man''s fault," Song Jixin reminded him in a seemingly understanding manner.


    The man in white simply smiled in response, not seeming to mind. "No matter. When you have the opportunity to leave this small town one day, you can go to the nearby Danyang Mountain Pass and look for a martial artist called Liu Linxi. Just tell him that it was the capital''s Song Changjing who rmended you to join the army. If he doesn''t believe you, tell him that Song Changjing said that he still owes him 3000 enemy heads from the Great Sui Nation."


    Liu Xianyang was in a daze as he nodded and replied, "Okay."


    The man smiled before turning around to leave. Song Jixin wanted to bid him farewell at the door, yet as if reading his thoughts, the man said without turning around, "Follow me to the kiln supervision office. I''m going to introduce you to someone."


    Song Jixin nted his feet and refuted with a dark expression, "I''m not going!"


    To the ordinary residents of the small town, the office of the kiln supervision official was naturally a mighty ce that was extremely difficult to visit. To this young boy who had grown up listening to others'' nder, however, it was nothing less than a dragon''sir or a tiger''s den. This was a mental trauma that he couldn''t ovee.


    The man, who was always swift and resolute when dealing with outside matters, wasn''t angered by the youth''s stubbornness. He didn''t stop, but he slowed down and said, "ording to the intel provided by the spies, you''ve already met Prince Gao from the Great Sui Empire, correct? Are you aware that the Great Sui Empire''s Gao n are the mortal enemies of our Great Li Empire''s Song n? As a prince, he dared toe to this small town which is situated in the heart of an enemy empire. Meanwhile, as a fellow prince, you don''t even dare to visit a small official residence in your own nation?"


    Song Jixin''s first reaction wasn''t to ponder over the deeper meaning behind the man''s words. Instead, he instantly turned around to look at Liu Xianyang. However, it was as if Liu Xianyang hadn''t heard the man''s words at all as he sat on the wall and massaged his limbs.


    The corners of the monarch''s lips curled up into a smile as he walked through y Vase Alley. He had been given an unexpected surprise.


    As expected of someone from the Song n.


    However, upon recalling that Song Jixin was that woman''s son, the number one martial artist and powerful monarch of the Great Li Empire couldn''t help but feel slightly agitated and troubled.


    Song Jixin gritted his teeth before turning around and saying to the maidservant who was standing by the door, "I''ll be gone for a little while. No need to leave lunch for me."


    Just as Song Jixin was about to leave the courtyard, he turned around and said with a smile, "Grab the pieces of loose silver from my bed and buy yourself the pair of dragon and phoenix ornaments from the Du Family''s store. After all, there''s no need for us to save money in the future."


    Zhi Gui nodded before gesturing for him to be careful.


    Song Jixin smiled happily as he left in a carefree manner.


    After Song Jixin left, Liu Xianyang, who was sitting on the wall, asked carefully, "Zhi Gui, what''s Song Jixin''s rtionship with the kiln supervision official?"


    Zhi Gui looked at the tall youth with pity in her eyes.


    Liu Xianyang couldn''t stand it when she wore such an expression, and he said, "What? He''s merely acquainted with the official responsible for overlooking the kilns. Is that so impressive?"


    Zhi Gui wore an emotionless smile as she went back inside to retrieve some animal feed. She then started to feed the chicken and her bunch of fluffy little chicks.


    Liu Xianyang couldn''t help but feel dejected. He jumped down from the wall and shouted, "Chen Ping''an, let''s go to the cksmith! I''m not going to sit here and suffer in frustration!"


    With her back to the wall, the young girl giggled and said, "Deities fight for incense, while humans fight for dignity. However, it''s a shame that good-for-nothings can only have a stomach full of pent-up frustrations."


    Liu Xianyang boiled with anger, with even his ears bing bright red. He walked up to the wall and punched it with ferocity, shouting, "Wang Zhu, I dare you to say that again!"


    The maidservant scattered the remaining corn and vegetable leaves before pping her hands clean and saying with a smile, "Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you?"


    Liu Xianyang was rendered speechless as he looked at the young girl who was bing more slender and beautiful by the day. He feltpletely empty inside, and it was as if something inside him had been shattered.


    Chen Ping''an had already been standing at the door for a while, and upon seeing this, he hurriedly walked over and said in a soft voice, "Let''s go."


    The two youths walked side-by-side in the small alley. "Chen Ping''an, am I really pathetic?" the tall young boy suddenly asked.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before replying in a serious voice, "The neighbors and residents in the alley all say that my mother was extremely kind and amiable, and they all say that my father was renowned for being a quiet and taciturn person. So, in my opinion, whether one is pathetic or not has nothing to do with whether others like them or not."


    Liu Xianyang wore a sullen expression, saying, "Then I''m even more pitiful! Even if I manage to own a dragon kiln in the future, or even if I manage to learn all of Master Ruan''s skills, won''t she still dislike me as always?!"


    Chen Ping''an smartly kept his mouth shut, lest he add fuel to the fire.


    Walking along the familiar alley, Chen Ping''an suddenly recalled a memory. Back then, he and Old Man Yao had followed a stream into the depths of a mountain. There, they had seen a milu[1]peacefully drinking water. It wasn''t afraid of their presence, and after having its fill to drink, it continued to gaze at the stream with its head lowered, not leaving for a long time. Apart from its own reflection, there had also been a circling fish that didn''t leave the entire time.


    Before leaving, Ning Yao had suggested to Chen Ping''an that he should leave the small town as soon as possible since he had already obtained a locust leaf. With the formless protection of the locust leaf, it was unlikely that he would face any grave dangers. However, she was unsure about Liu Xianyang''s situation and whether he would drag Chen Ping''an into any trouble. Thus, it was best that he didn''t stick around for too long.


    However, Chen Ping''an insisted on staying until he personally witnessed Liu Xianyang bing Master Ruan''s disciple. Only then would he be able to leave with an easy mind.


    Because if it weren''t for Liu Xianyang at that time, he would have already starved to death.


    Of course, Chen Ping''an also wished that Ning Yao could stay at his home until she fully recovered from her wounds. However, he hadn''t dared to say this out aloud, afraid that she would take it the wrong way.


    "Will you refuse to sell that treasured armor your grandpa left you no matter what?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    "Nonsense! Of course I won''t sell it, even if I die!" Liu Xianyang said with a righteous expression.


    He punched Chen Ping''an in the shoulder and said jokingly, "After all, I''m not a little miser like you."


    The tall young boy ced his hands behind his head and said, "Some things might be lost temporarily, yet they can be obtained again as long as one has enough money. However, there are other things that once lost, will genuinely be lost forever."


    "I understand," Chen Ping''an said.


    When they were about to reach the end of y Vase Alley, Chen Ping''an suddenly heard Liu Xianyang swear in anger. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and looked up. His expression instantly became solemn.


    The person standing before them was Lu Zhengchun, the young master of Fortune Street''s Lu n. Many years ago, it was none other than this person and his friends who had trapped Liu Xianyang in this alley and almost beaten him to death. If it weren''t for Chen Ping''an''s cries for help, Liu Xianyang, who had no rtives, might have truly been killed and tossed into an unmarked grave.


    At that time, Song Jixin had also been squatting on a wall and enjoying the spectacle. In fact, he had even added fuel to the fire. Afterward, however, he had told Chen Ping''an with an apprehensive expression that Lu Zhengchun and the others�� actions would be referred to as "acting gantly with personal feelings" by people outside their small town.


    Lu Zhengchun blocked Liu Xianyang''s path and said with a forced smile, "Don''t worry, I''m not here to settle old animosities. Rather..."


    Liu Xianyang cut him off saying, "Again? Obedient dogs don''t block their owner''s path. Now, piss off!"


    Lu Zhengchun wore an awkward expression, yet he still forced himself to appear amiable as he said, "Liu Xianyang, I genuinely have something I need to discuss with you. You ran away without even giving me an opportunity to exinst time. Could you at least listen to my proposal first? Truth be told, it was through blows that we became acquainted with each other, and there''s no need for there to be such hostility between us. Those customers and I are extremely sincere!"


    Liu Xianyang cocked his head and said with a sneer, "What, you''ve be addicted to the feeling of being someone else''s puppet? Say, I find this quite strange. You, Lu Zhengchun,e from the wealthiest n in town, yet you''ve taken a liking to running around as those outsider''sckey?"


    Anger shed across Lu Zhengchun''s face, yet he still forced himself to maintain a smile, causing his expression to appear extremely strange andical. There was a hint of pleading in his voice as he said, "Liu Xianyang, as long as you agree, they''ll try to satisfy your request no matter what it is. For example, copper coins? Why don''t you name a price? Say... 150,000? Or... 200,000? Even if it''s that much, I can still try my best to obtain it for you. 200,000! That''s enough for you to buy half a residence on Fortune Street!"


    Liu Xianyang looked at him with disdain and said, "200,000? Are you trying to shoo a beggar away? And you call this sincerity? I suggest that you stop trying to deceive and swindle me. I still have important matters to attend to, so why don''t you piss off to the side?!"


    Around the corner of the alley, an adorable little girl was sitting on the shoulders of a tall and solidly-built old man. Next to them, a boy in a big red robe was holding onto the hand of his mother. He was at an age of innocence and naivety, yet the sinister and ruthless expression on his face was one that was in deep discordance with his age. Using thenguage of his hometown, he said, "Is this person from the Lu n stupid or what? What''s the point in keeping him...?"


    His mother shook her head and said with a gentle smile, "When bestowing favors upon others, one has to remember that asional favors bring gratitude, while constant help breeds grudge. When doing business, the best way to maximize profits is to act like Lu Zhengchun is acting now. It''s important to get a feel for the other person''s bottom line."


    "We need to go through so much trouble even with these lowly peasants?" the little boy asked in puzzlement.


    The woman smiled and replied, "The human mind isplicated and dark. This is the case regardless of one''s cultivation. Even if the people in smaller areas are unknowledgeable, this doesn''t mean that they''repletely stupid too. If you think like this, you''ll eventually suffer the consequences one day."


    "Oh," the little boy replied. "Since mother is so familiar with the human mind, why don''t you directly deal with him yourself?"


    "Take a look at our clothes," the woman exined patiently. "Regardless of which store we enter, as long as the store owner is slightly shrewd, they''ll be unable to help themselves but try to rip us off."


    The little boy sighed and mumbled, "It just feels stifling to hide like this."


    The woman squatted down and ced her hands on the little boy''s cheek. Looking at his face which was extremely simr to his father''s, she said with a stern expression, "Remember this. Cultivating one''s mind is also one aspect of cultivation. One should cultivate their strength in favorable circumstances, and one should cultivate their mind in challenging circumstances. Both are equally as important."


    The little boy pulled his head from his mother''s grasp and huffed, "Not these meaningless principles again! How annoying!"


    The woman was slightly exasperated, yet she didn''t continue to educate her son. Her son was extremely talented, after all, and his physique was also outstanding. There were more so two ns supporting him, so the path ahead of him was still an extremely long one. As such, even though he was slightly cold-hearted at the moment, this was something that could be slowly tempered and fixed with time. Trying to hasten this process would be the worst choice possible.


    The little girl felt slightly anxious as she listened to the boring conversation in the alley, and she said, "Grandpa Yuan, what will we do if that person refuses to sell it no matter what?"


    The old man, whose arms reached his knees like an ape, chuckled and said, "Then we''ll have him die. I came here to deal with this exact situation. Otherwise, we would have wasted all that money to enter here. However, your safety will be an issue at that time, and I''ll most likely have to leave you with the Song n or the Li n."


    Disregarding everything else, the old man would definitely be tossed out of the small town if he dared to kill a native resident. However,pared to their money silently disappearing down a drain, this would at least make a plop like a small stone being tossed into a pond. They would at least have something to show for it.


    Of course, this was thest resort, and the old man definitely wouldn''t use it unless he was forced to. After all, regardless of how important that sword scripture was, and regardless of how highly the sword scripture was regarded by Sun Scorch Mountain, it was still nothingpared to the cultivation path of the little girl sitting on his shoulders. At the very least, this was the case for the old man.


    Of the Four Surnames and Ten ns in the small town, the Lu n was the head.


    If one were to take into ount the outside world, however, things would be theplete opposite. In reality, the Lu n was the weakest of all the ns. This was because the empire supported by the Lu n had been annihted by two armies from the Great Li Empire. As a result, their standing in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was now extremely precarious.


    Meanwhile, inside the alley, Liu Xianyang was listening to Lu Zhengchun babble on about bing a wealthy official and having dozens of beauties around him and whatnot, and it was as if he were listening to Song Jixin expounding on all those profound principles and teachings. He was extremely ticked off. He took a step forward and pointed at Lu Zhengchun, saying in a resolute voice, "That suit of armor is a relic passed down by my ancestors, so its value isn''t something that can be measured with money! Even if you allow me to move to your house today, and even if you call me master from now on, I still won''t consider selling it! Lu Zhengchun, have I made myself clear?!"


    Standing alone at the entrance of y Vase Alley, Lu Zhengchun stared intently at the young boy who wasn''t showing a single ounce of fear toward him, even though his standing was far inferior. At this moment, Lu Zhengchun felt like banging his head against a wall and killing himself.


    Not long ago, he had tried the same thing on the covered bridge, blocking Liu Xianyang''s path as he headed to the cksmith. However, he had failed to convince Liu Xianyang to sell the suit of armor. When he returned home, his grandpa had called him into a secret room after finishing his meeting with those esteemed guests. He hadn''t threatened Lu Zhengchun, nor had he spoken about any profound principles. Instead, he had simply pointed at the corpse under the white sheet and said, "Zhengchun, Grandpa doesn''t have any other wish. I simply wish that your brother''s death wasn''t in vain. After seven days, I hope that you will have already left the small town. You can look at the outside world for your brother."


    Tears suddenly welled up in Lu Zhengchun''s eyes, and he sobbed, "Liu Xianyang, I''m begging you, okay?"


    Liu Xianyang was stunned.


    The wealthy young boy appeared increasingly fragile and helpless, with his lips quivering as he sobbed and said, "Please? I''ll kneel and apologize, okay?"


    There was a thud as Lu Zhengchun fell to his knees.


    He then started to kowtow to Liu Xianyang.


    A man''s knees were ted in gold, so how could they kneel to others?


    Yet, Lu Zhengchun was extremely earnest as he kowtowed, with his head banging against the ground.


    Around the corner of y Vase Alley, the little girl''s feet were lightly drumming against the chest of the old man as she pondered about all the mountains they had passed on their way here. She contemted which one she should take home.


    Meanwhile, the little boy was taking great pleasure in Lu Zhengchun''s misfortune, casually asking, "Mother, has he gone mad? Are we really going to take such a madman with us when we leave? Just how embarrassing will that be?"


    The woman wore aplicated expression. She recalled the many mysterious people and strange events that she had seen with her own eyes, but she eventually swallowed her words and said with a shake of her head, "We won''t."


    Liu Xianyang was at aplete loss.


    Not even in his dreams would he have imagined Lu Zhengchun dropping to his knees and kowtowing to him. This was the eldest grandson of the wealthiest n, yet he was actually kowtowing to him just like that?


    Liu Xianyang was in two minds at this moment. However, the young boy in sandals who had been observing their conversation the entire time suddenly tugged at his sleeves and lightly shook his head.


    However, Liu Xianyang couldn''t bring himself to be so heartless, and he muttered, "That''s far too unsympathetic..."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression remained resolute.


    Meanwhile, the tall and burly youth was already showing signs of relenting.


    At this moment, it was surprisingly the young boy in straw sandals, whom Ning Yao viewed as a foolishly kind person, who was appearing extremely cold-hearted and unsympathetic.


    Chen Ping''an''s instinct told him that if Liu Xianyang had agreed to sell the suit of armor before Lu Zhengchun fell to his knees, he might have suffered some hardships anyway, but he definitely wouldn''t have faced any life-threatening danger. Now, however, he had already be trapped in the same situation that Chen Ping''an had faced before. If it weren''t for Mr. Qi''s interference at that time, he would have killed Fu Nanhua and then been killed himself, either by Dawn Cloud Mountain or Old Dragon City.


    Making the situation even worse was the "rule" that Ning Yao had told him about. Since Lu Zhengchun was native to this small town, Mr. Qi most likely wouldn''t be able to stop him if he or his n wanted to kill Liu Xianyang.


    A thought urred to Chen Ping''an, and seizing the opportunity while Lu Zhengchun was still kowtowing with all his might, he lowered his voice and said to Liu Xianyang, "If nothing else works, you can just pretend to ept his proposal first. We can then deal with it after you visit Master Ruan and be his disciple."


    Liu Xianyang nodded in understanding. He turned around and said to Lu Zhengchun, "Brother, why don''t you get up first? Stand up and talk! Fucking kowtowing like this... Just what the hell is this?!"


    Lu Zhengchun didn''t stand up. However, he raised his head, revealing his swollen forehead that was covered in dirt.


    Liu Xianyang''s voice was filled with exasperation as he said, "However, you need to go home and have a serious meeting with those people first. You need toe up with a satisfactory offer and stop trying to fool me. After all, I''m not a fool. An offer of 200,000 copper coins? To say nothing of whether I''m being screwed over or not, don''t those people feel like they''re degrading themselves?"


    Lu Zhengchun slowly stood up, smiling and saying, "Yes, yes, that''s indeed the case! Liu Xianyang, as long as you''re willing to sell it, I''ll be your brother in the future! I don''t mind whether you ept me as a brother or not, but I, Lu Zhengchun, will definitely consider you as a brother!"


    Liu Xianyang walked over and wrapped an arm around Lu Zhengchun''s shoulders. As they walked toward the end of the alley, he said infort, "Brother Lu, you need to share your fortunes and fun with me in the future. When weplete this deal, I''ll have to invite you over for a drink no matter what."


    Lu Zhengchun rubbed his forehead with his hand as heughed heartily and said, "Easy! There''s nothing difficult about having a drink. And that''ll have to be on me! How can I allow you to pay? Then it''s settled! Don''t try to argue otherwise, or else I''ll get angry!"


    Liu Xianyangughed and responded, "I always knew Brother Lu was a kind-hearted person. I''ll definitely be hanging out with you in the future!"


    Chen Ping''an walked behind the two of them, leaning slightly closer to the wall of the alley. He stared intently at the entrance of the alley.


    ��������


    With an old subordinate leading the way, the man in white led Song Jixin to the guest hall of the kiln supervision office.


    The subordinate said that Mr. Li, who had traveled over from an academy far away, had already been waiting here for around an hour, and that he was about to head over to the private school to visit a senior.


    Song Changjing didn''tment on this, and he simply asked, "The assassin who died in the alley... Have you found out whose underling he was yet?"


    The subordinate hesitated upon hearing this.


    Song Changjing furrowed his brows. "Hmm?"


    The old man hurriedly bowed and said in fear, "The Fortune Street''s Song n."


    Song Changjing chuckled coldly and said, "They don''t know to give me a little surprise?"


    Sweat poured down the old man''s back.


    Song Jixin remained silent, yet there was a fervent look in his eyes.


    Inside the school, Qi Jingchun lightly put down the book that he was reading. Turning around, he saw that there was a handsome young man standing there, a hat on his head and a Confucian robe on his body. He smiled but didn''t speak.


    Qi Jingchun wore a tranquil expression, appearing solemn and dignified.


    In the small town, a bald man in strange clothes walked along the street barefoot. He looked haggard, and when he arrived beside the Iron Lock Well, he looked down and ced his hands together in prayer, closing his eyes and saying softly, "When Buddha looks at a bowl of water, what he sees is an innumerable amount of organisms."


    Atop a mountain outside the small town, there stood a person on the thick and sturdy branch of a towering ancient tree. There was a tiger talisman hanging on his waist and a sword strapped to his back, and he was currently gazing at the outline of the small town in the distance.


    Outside the small world that the small town belonged to...


    There was a profoundly long path that seemingly led up to the heavens. It was surrounded by clouds and mists, making it impossible to see anything in the surroundings.


    A Daoist nun wearing a yellow crown slowly rode up the path on the back of a white deer.


    There was another handsome Daoist beside her, with his footsteps as light and carefree as floating clouds and flowing water. Tworge fish with long barbels swam around him, one red and one green.


    Confucians, Buddhists, Daoists, and martial artists �� the three teachings and one art form were about to gather together in the small town.


    In the cksmith forge next to the creek in the south of the small town, the father and daughter continued to swing their hammers and forge iron, sending sparks flying into the surroundings in a dazzling disy.


    Holding a sword billet in his hand, the man said to the young girl with the ponytail, "Don''t go to town for the next few days."


    The young girl''s movements instantly became much weaker, and it was as if all of her strength was flowing away with the snacks from the small town.


    The manughed in anger, saying, "How impressive!"


    The young girl transformed her grief and frustration into power, furiously swinging her hammer and smashing it into the searing red sword billet.


    Brilliant sparks flew into the air, illuminating the young girl''s face and making her appear like a goddess of mes.


    1. Milu is a type of deer native to China. ?

 Chapter 35: Licorice Root

    Chapter 35: Licorice Root


    After walking out of y Vase Alley, Liu Xianyang and Chen Ping''an saw two groups of people standing to their left and right. There was a little girl riding on the shoulders of a tall and burly old man, and there was also a haughty little boy in a big red robe standing beside a calm and dignified-looking woman. However, Liu Xianyang was extremelyposed as he walked between them.


    The old man noticed this, and he felt like the young boy''s disposition was somewhat simr to that of a great general. Meanwhile, the young boy in straw sandals tried his best to hide his guarded and overcautious expression, and this made him appear far inferior inparison.


    After bidding farewell to the two of them, Lu Zhengchun obediently stood there with fear and trepidation, reporting in a careful manner, "Liu Xianyang said that if the esteemed immortals offer a fair price, he''ll be sure to part reluctantly with his family treasure and sell it to you."


    The woman nced at the old man from Sun Scorch Mountain and asked with a smile, "Senior Yuan, what do you say?"


    The old man pondered for a brief moment before replying in a solemn voice, "We can''t make the same mistake three times, so we''ll do as Liu Xianyang suggested and give him a profound amount of wealth. Sun Scorch Mountain can offer him the position of true disciple. Apart from this, I can also privately loan him an immortal treasure for 100 years. As for you, the Light Breeze City''s Xu n, you can give him whatever you want."


    The woman was astounded. "True disciples of Sun Scorch Mountain already enjoy an extremely noble standing. Yet, Senior Yuan is still going to loan him an immortal treasure? Perhaps this young boy is a cultivation prodigy who was identally missed by the porcin buyers when he was nine years old?"


    The old man ignored her questions, and he simply smiled at the little girl and said, "The stalls in this small town have all kinds of histories and origins. Young Mistress, you can take a look around, and you might even be able to obtain some hidden treasures."


    Being the young child that she was, the little girl excitedlymanded her steed to run. The old man, who was the chief honored member of Sun Scorch Mountain,ughed heartily as he started to run forward slowly. He looked much like a moving mountain.


    The little boy chuckled and said, "How mighty of Sun Scorch Mountain!"


    The woman gestured for Lu Zhengchun to return first. Meanwhile, she strolled down the street with her son, exining, "Apart from that ordinary and main path of ascent, Sun Scorch Mountain also has a special ''sword path''. Passed down until today, they''ve already opened six paths to ascend to the peak. In other words, Sun Scorch Mountain has produced six genuine Sword Immortals who have attained Dao."


    The little boy sneered and said, "What does it matter how many Sword Immortals they''ve produced? That''s nothing but history! How much can it help them? Looking at the Qi refiners who have the right to enter this small town, even those who came after us, which of their ns and sects hasn''t been powerful before?"


    Holding the little boy''s hand, the woman smiled and said, "Then do you know? In the next 100 years, two new sword paths will reach the peak of Sun Scorch Mountain. Moreover, the special thing about the girl who''s the same age as you is that she can freely walk around the ''sword peak'' that''s brimming with sword Qi. In fact, the length of time that she can stay there for rivals that of the grand elders of Sun Scorch Mountain."


    The little boy faltered upon hearing this. He immediately stopped in his tracks and said in anger, "If that stupid girl''s so capable, why didn''t you tell me earlier, Mother? I wouldn''t have targeted her all this time and caused her to always retort at me for no reason. If she became my wife in a few years, and if we became Dao partners further down the track, wouldn''t that have greatly benefited our Light Breeze City?!"


    Looking at the fury on the little boy''s pretty and still childish face, the woman didn''t get angry. Instead, she smiled and borated, "Both you and that little girl are supreme cultivation prodigies who have a chance to ascend to the ''Upper Five Tiers''. Thus, the threads of fate between you two are far moreplicated than normal. Purposefully trying to seek a predetermined result will only make things more unsatisfactory. In any case, do you really think that she hates you with all her heart?"


    The little boy frowned and said, "Otherwise?"


    "We''ll let nature take its course," the woman murmured in a gentle voice.


    The little boy suddenly became serious, and he muttered, "Mother, I don''t like the person behind Liu Xianyang. In fact, I hated him at first sight!"


    "Howe?" the woman asked in curiosity.


    The little boy carefully mulled over this for a moment before replying, "That person''s a little strange, and he''s different from Lu Zhengchun who understands everything, and also different from Liu Xianyang who understands nothing. Also, I especially hate his eyes!"


    The woman merely treated this as her son being childish, so she said, "We can''t do as we please in this small town. However, you just have to think about this �� when this realm copses, what fate will the people who live here face? Thinking about this will make you feel much better."


    The little boy nodded in understanding. At the same time, he repeated the two words that he had uttered when he had first seen the young boy in straw sandals, "Measly ant!"


    ��������


    After leaving the small town, Chen Ping''an and Liu Xianyang quickly saw the covered bridge. Liu Xianyang casually asked, "Why did Song Jixin''s family build this covered bridge? So be it if they wanted to build a bridge. But why did they have to build it over the old stone arch bridge? I heard that the stone arch bridge wasn''t demolished either, so it''s as if a new robe has been pulled over it. Say, will it feel hot in summer? Hahaha..."


    In the end, the tall and broad young boy started tough at his own joke.


    A que with four golden characters was hanging on this side of the bridge, and it was unknown who had written them. The characters were extremelyrge, and they read, "Rising Winds Crashing Water".


    As the two youths walked up the stairs, Liu Xianyang heavily stomped his foot a few times and said in a mysterious manner, "Old Man Yao once told me that there''s something strange under these stairs. He said that when they were building this covered bridge, Song Jixin''s father ordered the workers to dig a massive holete one night. They then buried arge porcin jar that was as tall as a person. Do you not find this frightening?"


    Chen Ping''an huffed and said, "What''s so scary about that?"


    The two of them walked onto the covered bridge that offered some shade. Liu Xianyang lowered his voice and whispered, "Do you think it''s because several people have drowned in that deep pool under the covered bridge? So they needed to invite monks and Daoists over to suppress the sinister aura?"


    Chen Ping''an never spoke carelessly about matters regarding gods and spirits.


    Liu Xianyang received no response, and this quickly dampened his interest in the topic.


    This wooden covered bridge had only been built a few years ago, so one could still smell the coat of paint and the faint fragrance of wood. The main pirs and beams were all constructed from wood that had been felled from the mountains and forests that had been sealed for countless years.


    Transporting the felled trees had been extremely difficult, especially since the small creek that ran around the mountains wasn''t deep enough for them to float on. Thus, the workers could only transport them during heavy downpours when the mountain became muddy and slippery. If they weren''t careful, they would fall into the raging waters and face perilous danger. Fortunately, no one had slipped into the creek and drowned at that time.


    Some also said that Mr. Qi from the private school had personally gone over to help, teaching the workers how to properly transport the felled trees. Thus, it was thanks to Mr. Qi that everything had gone smoothly.


    When they arrived at the stairs on the northern side of the covered bridge, Liu Xianyang suddenly sat down on a long bluestone b. Chen Ping''an had no option but to squat down beside him.


    Liu Xianyang smiled and asked, "If it weren''t for me, would you and Song Jixin have be very good friends?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "Perhaps our rtionship would be better. However, it wouldn''t be by much."


    Liu Xianyang was extremely curious, and asked, "Why? You two are neighbors, and you''re also around the same age. Truth be told, Song Jixin does like to talk about profound principles all the time, and the way that he speaks is indeed quite unpleasant to the ear. However, I don''t remember him ever doing anything too offensive. Moreover, you''re also an extremely amiable person, so why don''t you two get along?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "Let''s talk about something else. When we get to the cksmith forge, you definitely can''t goof around like you always do. Whether or not you can keep that suit of armor passed down by your ancestors depends on whether you can be Master Ruan''s disciple."


    "I know, I know. Chen Ping''an, to be honest with you, you really have to change your habit of nagging others in the future. Otherwise, I''ll be annoyed to death by you."


    Liu Xianyang leaned back, resting his head on the topmost step of the covered bridge. He gazed at the blue sky and said, "You covered great distances with Old Man Yao, and you also ascended many tall mountains with him. When you''re standing at the top of those mountains, just how far can you see?"


    Chen Ping''an casually plucked a licorice root from the ground and flicked the dirt from it before cing it in his mouth and chewing. His words were slightly unclear as he replied, "It was probably the year beforest when we ventured the furthest. It took Old Man Yao and me around 10 days to get there and back. We needed to take a detour around a dozen or so restricted areas, and in the end, we arrived before a strange mountain that was terrifyingly tall. You might not believe it, but when we looked down from the waist of the mountain, what we saw was already ayer of clouds and mists. In the end, Old Man Yao and I finally managed to climb to the top of the mountain. However..."


    Liu Xianyang waited for him to continue. Yet, after waiting for half a day, he still didn''t hear another peep from Chen Ping''an. He turned around and said with a smile, "Just like taking a shit, who the hell pulls their pants up halfway? Are you going to continue or not?!"


    Chen Ping''an was feeling slightly sentimental, and he said softly, "You also know that Old Man Yao had a very poor impression of me. He almost never discussed any important principles with me, and he also wasn''t willing to teach me the true skills of pottery firing. Old Man Yao didn''t like speaking to me, so every time we entered the mountains, he would only say very few words to me for the entire journey. When we reached the mountain peak that time, however, Old Man Yao was probably feeling good, so he spoke a few more words to me. He told me to simply look at the scenery over there, and not to speak about it after we left the mountain. He said that a person should put their head down and work with their full effort. If one only knew how to talk, they would bring themselves nothing but shame even if they managed to leave our small town."


    Liu Xianyang tried tofort him, saying, "I''m not trying to make excuses for Old Man Yao, but he didn''t detest you even if he did dislike you. In fact, he was like that to everyone else, and it was only me that he treated a little bit differently."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and agreed, "That''s why I''ve always been extremely thankful toward Old Man Yao."


    "You''ve babbled on about so much, yet you still haven''t told me what you saw!" Liu Xianyang suddenly sted in anger.


    Chen Ping''an pointed to the east. "The mountain that we climbed was already extremely tall. However, when we arrived at the peak and looked into the distance, what we saw was an even taller mountain in the east. I can''t even describe how tall it was."


    Liu Xianyang cursed, "So what you saw was nothing but a mountain? And here I was thinking that you saw a fucking flying immortal or something!"


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before saying with a longing expression, "What if there really is an immortal on that mountain?"


    Liu Xianyang chuckled and asked, "Chen Ping''an, do you think that immortals also need to eat and shit?"


    Chen Ping''an stroked his chin and replied, "If immortals also need to eat and shit... That seems a little unreasonable!"


    Liu Xianyang ruthlessly smacked Chen Ping''an��s head before leaping up and running away. As he ran, he didn''t forget to shout, "Did an immortal just shit on your head?!"


    Liu Xianyang hadn''t controlled his power at all, causing Chen Ping''an to feel a little dazed at this moment. However, he didn''t think about pursuing the tall and broad young boy. Instead, Chen Ping��an stood up and muttered to himself, "Is thunder the snoring of immortals? When it rains, that can''t be the piss of immortals, right? Otherwise, we''re far too pitiful..."


    Chen Ping''an quickened his pace and caught up to Liu Xianyang in no time.


    They continued to chatter and jest, and before long, they finally arrived at the cksmith forge next to the creek. Including the mud huts and thatched cottages, there were around seven to eight buildings in the surroundings. In Chen Ping''an''s eyes, these were all bags and bags of copper coins.


    There was also arge number of youths from the town currently digging wells, with many of them being disciples from the dragon kiln just like Liu Xianyang. Without work at the dragon kilns, there was naturally no more food in porcin bowls bestowed by their emperor. Thus, those who were able to find work at the cksmith and earn themselves some food in an iron bowl were already extremely fortunate.


    However, ording to Liu Xianyang, most of these people were only temporary workers helping with odd jobs here and there. He said that Master Ruan would only take a few in-house disciples at most. As for the others, they would at best only be long-term workers.


    Liu Xianyang waved his hand and dered, "You can wait for me here. I''m going over to greet Master Ruan, and I''ll see if I can bring you around to witness the sight of iron being forged. Tsk, tsk, I guarantee that you''ll be frightened to death if you see his daughter swinging her hammer and forging iron!"


    Chen Ping''an stood there and waited for him, not wandering around on his own.


    Looking around, he could see that there were already seven wells taking shape, with frames and walls sitting around the wellheads. In some wellheads, people continued to climb out with baskets on their heads.


    Chen Ping''an squatted down by habit as he looked at the busy workers, and he took a pinch of soil and slowly rubbed it between his fingers.


    The soil felt slightly moist, yet it wasn''t actually water-characteristic soil. Instead, it was theplete opposite, and it was fire-characteristic soil. However, it was the bottom type of fire-characteristic soil. ording to Old Man Yao, this type of soil was called the "Seventh Month Fiery Star Soil". This type of soil would naturally be cool, and it wasn''t too dry either. It was also extremely workable, and this ensured that the walls of the well wouldn''t copse too easily. This was a good thing.


    Even though Master Ruan wasn''t an expert when it came to digging wells, it was very clear that he wasn''t an amateur either.


    It was just that Chen Ping''an was slightly confused about why he needed so many wells in this small area.


    Chen Ping''an grinned as he turned around to look at the creek.


    Right now, in the eyes of this young boy in straw sandals, this nameless creek was like a treasure trove full of gold, silver, and copper coins.


    However, when he finished collecting snake gall pebbles tonight, Chen Ping''an would secretly go to y Vase Alley and visit Gu Can''s home. He would then follow Gu Can''s instructions and dig up the treasure that he had hidden at the bottom of therge water vat. Gu Can had left in a hurry at that time, so he hadn''t been able to tell Chen Ping''an very much. He had simply said that even his mother didn''t know where this treasure was hidden.


    As he thought about that snotty little kid, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but want tough.


    In the past, Chen Ping''an had been a little kid who would follow Liu Xianyang around everywhere. He would follow him to fish, catch snakes, and steal eggs from bird nests. After he became a young boy, he had also ended up with a little kid who would follow him everywhere.


    To the young boy with no rtives, one was like his older brother, and one was like his younger brother.


    He needed to repay one, and he needed to look after the other.


    Thus, even though Chen Ping''an''s life had been full of hardships all these years, he didn''t find it painful or miserable at all.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Do you think immortals also need to eat and shit? XD</blockquote>

 Chapter 36: Ancient Book

    Chapter 36: Ancient Book


    After a short while, Liu Xianyang ran back over with a bamboo basket on his back. Chen Ping''an was watching the workers digging the wells, yet he almost facented into the ground when Liu Xianyang came over and kicked him in the rear. ncing back and realizing that it was Liu Xianyang, Chen Ping''an decided not to make a fuss about this.


    Liu Xianyang casually said, "It''s all done now. Master Ruan told me to stay put and not run around for the next few days. I''ll be digging wells in the morning and forging iron at night. After two weeks or so, I''ll be his first disciple in this small town. What was it called again? The opening disciple or something. I also found a bamboo basket for you, and I can use it to help you collect those pebbles. We can start from the cksmith forge and work our way up to the covered bridge. Let me say this first though. I can''t help you when we get to the pit at the Azure Cow Ridge. Master Ruan said that he''ll break my legs if I dare to venture north or west of the covered bridge during these few days."


    Liu Xianyang dragged Chen Ping''an across and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, saying, "Master Ruan said that our belongings in the small town won''t go missing. He also said that those outsiders have to abide by an extremely strange rule. They''re allowed to make fair trades, and they''re also allowed to trick and cheat others. In fact, they''re even allowed to act like beggars who pick at scraps. However, they''re definitely not allowed to be thieves. He said that the heavens here won''t doze off or shut its eyes. Instead, it''s staring at us the entire time. Doesn''t that sound creepy to you? At least I find it extremely creepy."


    Liu Xianyang suddenly warned, "Chen Ping''an! You can continue to stay at my ce, but don''t let me find out that you''ve already sold my suit of armor when I return!"


    Chen Ping''an hammered Liu Xianyang''s chest, causing the tall young boy to hurriedly let go of him. Liu Xianyang rubbed his chest a few times before finally managing to catch his breath, scolding, "You''re like a skinny little monkey, so where in the world is your strengthing from? Perhaps your strength rose exponentially because you traversed long mountain paths with Old Man Yao? Or because you went deep into the mountains to chop firewood for several months?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "No matter what, I can run back to town faster than you even with a basket full of rocks on my back."


    Liu Xianyang shot him a sideways nce and suggested, "Then let''s see which of us can hold our breath for longer underwater?"


    When they neared the creek, Chen Ping''an bent down and rolled up his pant legs, saying, "I won''tpete with you if it''s only about a single breath."


    Before entering the water, Chen Ping''an plucked some spring grass from the creekside andid it on the bottom of his bamboo basket. He also said that he would need to put in a newyer for every 20 pebbles that they collected. Liu Xianyang was so annoyed that he was just about to toss the bamboo basket to Chen Ping''an. However, Chen Ping''an stopped him, saying that if he were to carry the basket instead, Liu Xianyang would definitely toss the pebbles into it in a careless manner, being such an impatient person and all. That would cause his heart to ache.


    Liu Xianyang was almost about to drop the basket and leave. These colorful pebbles had been worthless for hundreds upon thousands of years, yet when it came to Chen Ping''an, they were suddenly fragile and precious now? And Chen Ping''an even dared toin about him not being gentle enough?


    In the end, however, the tall and broad youth still waded into the creek in a begrudging manner. Walking next to Chen Ping''an, they would thoroughly sift through the bottom of the creek to look for those colorful pebbles. This section of the creek was knee-deep, and there were also some slightly deeper areas that would reach up to their waist. On asion, they would alsoe across some small pits that were as deep as a person.


    Generally speaking, it was in these areas that therger pebbles were gathered. These were also the areas where Liu Xianyang could show off his skills. He would first hand the bamboo basket to Chen Ping''an, who would often be squatting on arge rock. Afterward, Liu Xianyang would hold his breath and dive to the bottom of the creek, picking out the snake gall pebbles from the cracks in therge boulders or from among theyers of rock and sediment.


    Of course, Chen Ping''an was also capable of doing this as well. However, it was far more difficult for him, and it would take him much more time and effort than Liu Xianyang.


    They were yet to arrive at the covered bridge, yet the bamboo basket was already 70 to 80% full. Among the snake gall pebbles, there was one that was dark green in color, and it had taken Liu Xianyang three dives and much difficulty to retrieve. It was asrge as a hand, and there were also golden specks scattered throughout the pebble, along with wave-like patterns. This pebble was solid and heavy, and when Chen Ping''an rubbed it with his hands, it felt as if it were flickering with a vigorous aura.


    As long as one wasn''t blind, they would understand that this was no ordinary pebble.


    In the end, the two youths sat side-by-side on arge rock in the creek. Liu Xianyang leaned back and used his arms to prop himself up as he gazed at the flowing creek, asking, "Chen Ping''an, have you thought about leaving the small town in the future?"


    "Not at the moment," Chen Ping''an replied. "If I want to leave, I''ll need to have enough money first, after all. Moreover, what will happen to my house after I leave? There''ll be no one to look after it for me, so what will I do if it suddenly copses one day? In any case, my parents'' graves are also here, and I need to remove the weeds around them from time to time."


    Liu Xianyang was slightly exasperated as he eximed, "Why do you always think about all these useless things? How uninteresting! No wonder Song Jixin said that you''re destined to be stuck here forever!"


    Chen Ping''an turned around, smiling and asking, "Do you still remember what I told youst time? About that tree?"


    Liu Xianyang huffed and replied, "What''s so incredible about a tree sprouting from a grave? In any case, that''s the grave of another branch of the Chen n; it''s got nothing to do with you, Chen Ping''an!"


    Chen Ping''an crossed his legs and said softly with emotion, "I wonder if there are many people with the surname Chen outside our small town."


    "I don''t know about the outside, but I know that there are only a few cats and dogs with the surname Chen in our small town," Liu Xianyang replied. "Apart from you, the other members of the Chen n are all servants for the Four Surnames and Ten ns. This has been the case for generation after generation. What''s funny, however, is that these people are always bowing and humbling themselves before their masters, yet when they head out and see other people, they immediately put on a different expression and act as if they''re superior. So, Old Man Yao was correct. If you also went and became their servant, then this branch of the Chen n that stayed in the small town could be consideredpletely finished."


    ording to Old Man Yao, there had originally been two different branches of the Chen n in the small town. However, one of the branches had moved out a very long time ago. Meanwhile, the branch that Chen Ping''an belonged to had also flourished at some point in time. However, this was far too long ago.


    In fact, even Old Man Yao couldn''t say how long ago it was. Was it 500 years? Or 800 years? Or was it 1000 years? Afterward, this branch split into several sub-branches, and the overall poption also started to decline gradually. Their fortune was perhaps all taken away by the other branch of the Chen n. Thus, the bloodlines started to disappear one by one, resulting in many graves being forgotten and abandoned. Not only that, but many of the mountains where the graves were located were sealed off and turned into restricted areas by the kiln supervision officials sent over by the imperial court.


    The final time Old Man Yao brought Chen Ping''an into the mountains, he pointed to an area when they passed by a certain mountain, telling him that this was the burial ce of the ancestors of the other branch of the Chen n. The feng shui there was especially good. As for the branch that Chen Ping''an belonged to, Old Man Yao said that even the immortals wouldn''t be able to find their ancestral burial grounds.


    For the past few centuries, this branch of the Chen n hadn''t produced a singlepetent person. They were all impoverished families, and their only achievement was that they hadn''t bowed down and be servants of the Four Surnames and Ten ns.


    Chen Ping''an had secretly visited that ancestral burial ce once, and apart from weeds, he had also seen many foxes and rabbits. However, he hadn''t been able to find a grave. There was a tree that he didn''t recognize though, and this was a short tree that was nowhere near as tall as the old locust tree.


    Weeds growing everywhere, foxes and rabbits hopping around, lonely and helpless, and single tree sprouting...


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and said, "Before my mother passed away, she made me swear that I would never be a servant for thoserge ns and families. I could be a beggar, but even if I starved to death, I should never be their servant."


    "Before your mother passed away, didn''t you also swear that you would never be a disciple at the dragon kilns?" Liu Xianyang instinctively said.


    The young boy in straw sandals wore a dejected expression. He didn''t throw a retort, nor did he be enraged that his broken promise had been exposed.


    Liu Xianyang felt a little guilty. However, he wasn''t the type of person to apologize, so he could only pretend that nothing had happened. He stood up and said, "Alright, I''m leaving now, I need to go back to dig some wells. Oh, that''s right, I''ll annoy Master Ruan a bit more and try to have him hire you as a temporary apprentice. At that time, it''ll also be much easier for you to collect these pebbles."


    "There''s no hurry," Chen Ping''an replied. "We''ll talk about it after those two groups of people give up and leave the small town. In the meantime, I''ll help you look after your house."


    "Say, why can I escape danger if I be Master Ruan''s disciple?" Liu Xianyang asked in curiosity.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before replying in an uncertain voice, "Perhaps it''s like the arrival of a sudden downpour. You have to find some cover no matter what, right?"


    Liu Xianyang turned around to nce at the cksmith forge, saying, "Who do you think Master Ruan is? He doesn''t look like a very powerful person... Can he really suppress those two groups of people?"


    "You can''t judge a person by their appearance," Chen Ping''an said infort.


    Liu Xianyang nced at him. "Chen Ping''an, you look like a poor person, so are you really a poor person?"


    Chen Ping''an grimaced, rendered speechless by these words.


    Liu Xianyang stood up and asked, "Do you want me to carry it to the covered bridge for you?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No, I''m fine. It''s not too heavy anyway."


    "Remember to return the bamboo basket to me next time."


    After saying this, Liu Xianyang directly jumped down from therge rock. He advanced briskly in the creek, sending sshes of water everywhere.


    Chen Ping''an slung the bamboo basket over his shoulders and carefully climbed down from therge rock. After returning onshore, he slowly made his way toward the covered bridge.


    After walking for a while, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was Liu Xianyang.


    Under the warm sunshine of early spring, the tall and broad young boy snatched the bamboo basket from the young boy in straw sandals. He slung it over his own shoulders and said in a teasing voice, "Looking at you from the distance, it was as if you were a pitiful ant carrying arge boulder. I decided to show some mercy and kindness, so I returned to help you carry the basket to the covered bridge."


    The two youths walked amid the spring breeze.


    "Chen Ping''an, if I be sessful in the future, I''m definitely going to head out to take a look. I''ll also find myself a wife who''s even more beautiful than Zhi Gui, and I''ll also drink the best wine and live in thergest house. I''ll also ride the quickest horse!


    "I''ll visit a mountain that''s as tall as the heavens, and I''ll journey to a river that''s countless times bigger than this creek.


    "In conclusion, I definitely won''t stay in this small ce my entire life and wait for death."


    Walking through the gentle spring breeze, the tall young boy dreamed about a bright and exciting future. Meanwhile, the young boy in straw sandals chewed the straw in his mouth. One person spoke, and one person listened.


    ��������


    When Chen Ping''an returned to Liu Xianyang''s house with the basket of pebbles, he picked out his favorite few pebbles and took them to the wing room like always. As for the other pebbles, he left them in the kitchen. After locking the house door and courtyard door, he ran back to y Vase Alley. When he arrived home, he saw the young woman in ck sitting in the courtyard and enjoying the sun. After greeting her, Chen Ping''an started to brew a pot of medicine.


    There was a hacking sounding from next door, and Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but find this strange. Even though Song Jixin had no parents to look after him, he had never been short on food or clothes. In fact, he had always had a lot of spare money. Perhaps he wasn''t as well off as the young masters from the Four Surnames, but his wealth and lifestyle could definitely rival those from the Ten ns. Books and brushes, small and exquisite trinkets, beautiful and elegant ornaments... These were extravagant things that Chen Ping''an had never heard of before, much less seen. From time to time, a new addition would adorn Song Jixin''s study.


    In fact, Song Jixin and his maidservant never had to perform any dirty or tiring tasks. Pickling vegetables was too pungent, so Song Jixin didn''t allow his maidservant Zhi Gui to pickle any vegetables. Chopping firewood was also too tiring, so Song Jixin would directly buy bundles upon bundles of firewood to use. He would also buy bags and bags of the best charcoal.


    When Chen Ping''an brought the bowl of medicine to Ning Yao, he could surprisingly still hear the intermittent sound of hackinging from next door. While Ning Yao drank her medicine, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but walk to the courtyard wall and get on his tippy-toes. He discovered that Zhi Gui was hacking at a "person" with a kitchen knife. This was a small wooden person.


    Chen Ping''an had worked in the kilns for many years, so he had seen many high-quality products and also chopped countless amounts of wood. Thus, he was able to determine the quality of the wood with a single nce. The wood was as smooth and glossy as jade, and this signified that the wooden person was definitely an ancient item. Moreover, the wooden person was covered in red and ck dots. However, it had already been hacked into several pieces by Zhi Gui.


    The young girl suddenly turned around. Upon seeing Chen Ping''an, she raised her sweaty and dirty arm to wipe her face before forcing a smile and saying, "Oh, you''re back. I wanted to borrow a hatchet from you before, but your guest wasn''t willing to open the door for me."


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this, and he said, "I''ll get it for you right away. Hatchets are different from kitchen knives, so don''t swing it too forcefully at the start. Otherwise, it''s very easy to slip and hurt yourself."


    Sitting on a small stool, the exhausted young girl waved her hand. "Alright, alright. Now hurry up and get the hatchet for me."


    When Chen Ping''an returned with the hatchet, Zhi Gui was already standing at the courtyard wall. She smiled and asked, "Do you know what that is?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No."


    Zhi Gui didn''t tell him the answer. Instead, she sat back down on her small stool and continued to hack at the wooden person.


    Chen Ping''an was extremely worried as he looked at her awkward movements and incorrect postures. However, since she didn''t ask for help, Chen Ping''an didn''t try to offer any uninvited advice either. Turning around, he found that Ning Yao had already left the courtyard. Chen Ping''an recalled something, and quickly entered his house. He then ced something on the table before the young woman in ck.


    This was a snake gall pebble that was justrge enough to wrap one''s hand around. It looked like a frozen piece of honey, with its color brilliant and its patterns delicate.


    Ning Yao was slightly baffled.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "It''s a present for you, Ning Yao."


    The young woman in ck who always carried her saber suddenly asked, "You like this one the most?"


    Chen Ping''an was put in a tough spot, and he could only say, "This one... is probably my fourth favorite. I''ve already put the other three away."


    Only after hearing this did Ning Yao ept the pebble. She picked it up with two fingers and held it above her head, causing the rays of sunshine filtering through the window to shine on the pebble.


    She raised her head and squinted her eyes, carefully examining the delicate patterns inside the pebble.


    She continued to look at the pebble.


    Chen Ping��an continued to look at her.


    ��������


    Deep in the night, a young boy stealthily crept through y Vase Alley like a silent and nimble cat. He went into Gu Can''s home, and he found therge water vat that was ced in the corner of the courtyard. After squatting down, he found that many of the originally neat and tidily ced snake gall pebbles had already been taken away by someone. It was as if someone had discovered their value before him.


    Gu Can was the only weirdo in the small town who liked to collect snake gall pebbles, and no matter how many pebbles he found at a time, he would only take a single one home. He would only keep his favorite one. Thus, after collecting them for a long time, he was only able to gather 50 to 60 snake gall pebbles. He used these pebbles to cover the gaps in the bottom of the water vat.


    Chen Ping''an pushed aside the snake gall pebbles that had already lost their luster. When he saw no dig marks on the bottom of the water vat, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    He started to dig with his hands. When he eventually felt parchment paper, his heart jolted, and his movements became slower and more careful.


    In the end, he retrieved the item that was wrapped in the parchment paper. By the looks of it, this was a book.


    After hiding it under his clothes, Chen Ping''an scooped the soil back into the water vat. Looking carefully at the remaining snake gall pebbles, he confirmed that they were all "dead". Compared to the pebbles that Chen Ping''an had collected from the creek, they werepletely different in terms of both color and pattern. The pebbles that Chen Ping''an had collected were like lively infants full of vitality, while the pebbles sitting around the water vat were like elderly people fast approaching death.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before deciding to leave y Vase Alley from the direction of his home.


    When he arrived outside Song Jixin''s courtyard door, he heard the creak of a door being opened. Chen Ping''an had no option but to knock on his own door and shout, "Ning Yao, have you gone to sleep yet? I came back to get something."


    A light quickly lit up in the house, and the young woman in ck walked over to open the door for Chen Ping''an.


    Next door, Zhi Gui slowly walked out with a thick and yellowing book in her arms. When she arrived in the courtyard, she saw flickering lights and shadows in Chen Ping''an''s house, and she couldn''t help but shake her head and click her tongue in wonder. It was as if she had caught a couple engaged in an illicit affair.


    She skipped and hopped as she walked down y Vase Alley by herself.


    Her golden eyes with twin pupils appeared especially ice-cold and holy in the dark of the night.


    This made the slender and shapely young girl seem like a flood dragon that was swimming through thin cracks in the rock. If she managed to leave the small alley, it was as if she would enter the rivers and transform into a dragon.


    ��������


    Even though Ning Yao allowed Chen Ping''an to enter the courtyard and even the house, her expression was slightly dark as she sat beside the table and leaned against the scabbard of her saber, which she lightly drummed her fingers along.


    After confirming that Zhi Gui had entered the alley, Chen Ping''an finally exined with an awkward expression, "I went to Gu Can''s house to get something, yet Zhi Gui coincidentally decided to go out just as I was passing by. I was left with no option but to hide here for a while. Ning Yao, please don''t misunderstand."


    "What thing?" Ning Yao asked.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before retrieving the book wrapped in parchment paper. "I''m not sure either."


    Ning Yao turned around and instructed, "Open it and have a look first. Then you can decide whether you want to tell me or not."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and sat down opposite her. He then unwrapped theyers of parchment paper, causing dirt to continuously fall onto the table. In the end, an ancient book appeared before him.


    There were only two characters on the cover of the ancient book, and Chen Ping''an only recognized one of them �� mountain.


    He ced the ancient book on the table before rotating it around and pushing it toward Ning Yao. He then asked in curiosity, "Ning Yao, what''s this character?"


    The young woman turned around and nced down.


    "Shaking," she replied.


    Mountain Shaking �� this was the title of the ancient book.

 Chapter 37: Fist Technique

    Chapter 37: Fist Technique


    Mountain Shaking?


    Ning Yao furrowed her brows, and she reached over to grab the ancient book.


    Surprisingly, however, it was pulled back by Chen Ping''an.


    The young woman froze, and a sense of fury started to well up inside her. It was as if she had never been humiliated like this before.


    She was the mighty Ning Yao, and to say nothing of the fact that her father and mother were both 12th Tier Sword Immortals, she had also been regarded as a top-notch sword prodigy ever since birth. After leaving home and traveling around for so many years, she had only ever lost during sword battles or spell technique battles. However, no one had ever insulted her character like this before. This was nothing but a crappy book, so did she, Ning Yao, need to flip through it or obtain it through underhanded methods?


    Ning Yao grabbed the hilt of her saber and narrowed her slender eyes.


    Slender eyes and red lips...


    This was an apt description for the young woman sitting before Chen Ping''an.


    If one looked closely, one would realize that Ning Yao was, in fact, an extremely beautiful young woman. However, she was radiating with a gant and resilient aura thatpletely suppressed her womanly beauty.


    Chen Ping''an''s next words had the magical effect of turning a terrible situation into a good one. However, the young woman was so stifled that she almost suffered an internal injury.


    "Ning Yao, I obtained this book from Gu Can''s house. Even though I don''t consider this as stealing, I definitely have to return the book to Gu Can in the future. Since we''re friends, I can allow you to read through it. However, I hope that you can keep its contents to yourself."


    The young woman took a deep breath. She then mmed the table before ring at Chen Ping''an and saying, "Read through what? You can read it yourself! I''m not interested!"


    When she heard Chen Ping''an''s next reply, she truly didn''t know whether tough or to cry.


    "But Ning Yao, I can''t read! Can you teach me?"


    The young woman suddenly changed her mind, and she said with a chuckle, "You''re not afraid that I''ll take advantage of you? Just think about it. Gu Can is clearly someone who''s received a profound amount of ancestral blessing, so much so that even the natural sword talent Liu Xianyang can''tpare to him. In the thousands of years of history of the small town, few people canpare to Gu Can. Thus, just how incredible will this book be? This is a treasure that he carefully hid away. Aren''t you afraid that I''ll develop sinister thoughts after seeing it? Aren''t you afraid that I''ll snatch this extremely valuable book for myself?"


    The warm yellow light from the flickering candle illuminated the young boy''s faint smile. He didn''t try to exin anything.


    Ning Yao humphed before shuffling over and gesturing for Chen Ping''an to sit next to her. After waiting for a long while, however, Chen Ping''an still didn''t show any signs of moving. Ning Yao chuckled in anger and growled, "I can defeat 100 of you with a single hand."


    After saying this, she chuckled to herself, "Perhaps you''re afraid that I''ll take advantage of you?"


    Chen Ping''an was slightly tense and uneasy as he walked over to sit next to her.


    However, Ning Yao was still immersed in thement that she had made just then. She murmured to herself, "Defeating 100 Chen Ping''ans with a single hand... Mhm, this saying has a wide range of applications. When I see someone and spar with them, if I manage to defeat them, I can say, ''You only have the strength of 3000 Chen Ping''an''s, yet you still dared to battle with me''. Yeah, that seems fairly impressive. When Ie across a ferocious beast or sinister wyrm, I can also tell myself that these evil beasts are equivalent to 30,000 Chen Ping''ans, so I have to flee as quickly as possible. Haha, very nice, very nice..."


    Chen Ping''an waspletely baffled. The young woman sitting next to him had suddenly started to chuckle stupidly to herself.


    The chuckling young woman made the impoverished young boy suddenly feel like he was an extremely wealthy person.


    At this moment, the young boy and young girl didn''t realize that the joking phrase "defeating 100 Chen Ping''ans with a single hand" would eventually be a weighty and powerful phrase in the future.


    This would be especially true when the young boy in straw sandals was no longer a young boy.


    The more time that passed, the more this would be so.


    Ning Yao finally came to her senses. She coughed before sitting up straight and picking up the book. After quickly flipping through a few pages, she closed the book and used a finger to tap the cover twice. She then turned to Chen Ping''an and said, "This is a fist technique called Mountain Shaking. ording to the rules of the cultivation world, you can refer to this book as the Mountain Shaking Guide."


    "And then?" Chen Ping''an asked with an eager expression.


    Ning Yao fought back the urge to roll her eyes, and she forced herself to appear more serious as she flipped open the book again. Her slender finger slid along the page, and she read, "There exists an insect in my hometown called the pi fu[ref]Pi fu is a type ofrge ant.[/ref]. Unlike others of its ilk, it does nothing but transport mountain rocks into the water for its entire life.


    "My fist technique decides not victory and loss, but life and death. It ces emphasis not on movements, but on intent. Upon mastery of all six stances, one shall obtain profound power. A single move, and deep wounds to the heart and soul shall your opponent suffer.


    "Though never honored in parallel with the most paramount fist techniques of this age, it remains my firm belief that the Mountain Shaking Guide shall have its ce among the martial arts techniques of the world. Fated person, I hope you can promote and bring glory to this fist technique."


    Ning Yao forced herself to remain patient as she read the introduction to Chen Ping''an.


    This was a thin book, with the entire guide only containing a mere six fist technique stances. However, the introduction wasn''t short at all.


    After reading the introduction, Ning Yao pushed the book back to Chen Ping''an. She patted his shoulder and said in a perfunctory manner, "Make sure to look after it."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and carefully ced his hands on the two sides of the book.


    Ning Yao wanted to burst intoughter when she saw this. Was the book going to grow legs and run away? Or was Chen Ping''an afraid that it would trip and fall off the table?


    Chen Ping''an vigorously rubbed his right hand on his sleeve. Only then did he open the book and read through the introduction. He then flipped through the remaining pages that were decorated with text and diagrams. In any case, he couldn''t understand anything that he was reading.


    Ning Yao sat sideways, with one arm resting on the table. She looked at the young boy and said in a teasing manner, "Do you feel like you''ve struck gold? Are you going to use a gold hatchet to chop wood and a gold bowl to eat your meals in the future?"


    Chen Ping��an didn''t look up. Instead, he continued to carefully analyze the diagrams and iprehensible characters as he replied in a frank manner, "When I saw the expression in your eyes, I already knew that this wouldn''t be an especially powerful fist technique. However, that doesn''t matter. This is already good enough for me."


    Ning Yao frowned and replied in an equally frank manner, "I have indeed seen and heard of many impressive things before. Apart from these, however, I can only determine whether something is good or bad. As for how good or how bad, that''s quite hard to say..."


    Chen Ping''an looked up and asked, "Then is this Mountain Shaking Guide considered good, but not too good?"


    Ning Yao huffed and blurted, "I don''t know how to describe just how terrible this crappy fist technique is!"


    The young boy in straw sandals blinked in reply, with a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.


    It was clear that he already knew the answer. He was merely joking around with the young girl.


    Ning Yao reached down and unsheathed an inch of her saber, and spoke in a threatening voice, "You want to be hacked at, do you?"


    Chen Ping''an looked down at the saber and green scabbard hanging on her waist, and heplimented sincerely, "It''s beautiful."


    Ning Yao calmly epted this praise. "The swords and sabers that I choose are naturally not bad!"


    Chen Ping''an gazed at her, and he slightly envied and admired her confidence and demeanor. Even though she was the same age as him, and was in an unfamiliar ce, she still managed to rise like a bright and unstoppable sun no matter what situation she faced. Using his keen sense, Chen Ping''an had already discovered this when he had witnessed Daoist Lu''s extremely cautious manner when dealing with her.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but exim, "How nice would it be if the sunshine could be swapped for copper coins!"


    Ning Yao didn''t know where he wasing from, and she said in astonishment, "Chen Ping''an, have you gone mad thinking about money?"


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly changed the topic, flipping to the first diagram in the book and asking, "Ning Yao, can you help me read the words on this diagram?"


    Ning Yao mulled over this for a moment. She didn''t refuse, and simply asked, "Do you know why I was able to determine that this fist technique was only so-so with a single nce?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head. "I am indeed curious."


    Ning Yao smiled in response, and decided to turn around to face the young boy. She crossed her legs before pointing to the book and exining in a patient manner, "The secret techniques of martial artists and cultivation techniques of cultivators are usually recorded in three different ways. The first type is like this Mountain Shaking Guide, where they''re written on ordinary paper. Regarding how long they canst, that depends on one''s luck. To say nothing of war or cmities, just the weather and insects alone will cause the book to slowly decay and rot, right?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in realization.


    Ning Yao continued, "Thus, an unwritten rule appeared when it came to recording techniques through this kind of written method. The more valuable the contents, the more valuable the material it would be recorded on. This is simr to how you wouldn''t ce an imperial jade seal in a box made out of cheap wood."


    Chen Ping''an mulled over these words.


    Ning Yao hesitated for a brief moment before deciding to be honest with Chen Ping''an. "The next type of recording is an unwritten one which focuses on teaching through instruction and example. Such a method is usually used when ites to the important skills and techniques of sects and ns. These are usually secrets that can''t be revealed to others. Or perhaps they''re techniques that can only be taught to males and not females and so on. In fact, even direct disciples and in-house disciples won''t necessarily be able to obtain theplete true inheritance. This is the importance of true inheritances."


    Ning Yao sighed before continuing, "As for thest type, the focus is on teaching in a manner that can only be felt and understood in one''s mind, but cannot be exined in words. For example, let''s look at the two forces that entered the small town this time. There was Cai Jinjian, and Dawn Cloud Mountain where shees from practices something called Observing the Sea of Clouds. The sea of clouds is vast, and the iridescent light that they radiate is especially unique, and they more so contain an abundant amount of spiritual energy. The Qi refiners in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent refer to these clouds as beauties in the sky. Some of these clouds and iridescent lights can transform into the shape of previous masters and ancestors, and those who are fated can evenmunicate and interact with them.


    "Meanwhile, when it is so fated, it''s said that the sword spirits of ancient ancestors from different peaks will also appear at the peak of Sun Scorch Mountain. This is a mountain peak that''s brimming with sword intent. These sword spirits will disy the Sword Dao, and as for who can witness this, this isn''t determined by one''s age, status, or cultivation.


    Ning Yao finally said, "Of course, there''s also no notion of definite rank between the three methods of recording. For example, if one uses the first method to carve characters on a jade te or on bamboo tes harvested from the bamboo sea in the 72 blessednds, it''s naturally a different matter altogether. Apart from this, there''s also a myriad of other mysterious items. If you advance far enough, you''ll eventually encounter a pleasant surprise. In this vast world, all kinds of strange and peculiar things exist. In the future, it''s best that you leave this small town and take a look around in the outside world. There''s no need to dream about venturing beyond Eastern Treasured Vial Continent or venturing beyond this world, but you need to at least try to venture to the borders of the Great Li Empire."


    Chen Ping''an nodded again and again in understanding, but it was clear that his mind was still on the fist technique before him. He pointed to a character and asked, "Ning Yao, how do I read this?"


    The young girl was extremely ticked off, and replied, "Run along!"

 Chapter 38: Ninth Tier

    Chapter 38: Ninth Tier


    Chen Ping''an wore a skeptical expression.


    Ning Yao red at him as she pointed at a character, and she said, "It genuinely means ''run along''! This fist technique was created while observing the rain in the Great Li Empire. The fist stance appears as if it''s running along, and the fist aura appears as if it''s an unstoppable downpour. After falling into the mortal world, the fist aura runs along the imperial walls of the Great Li Pce, crashing down with vigor!"


    Chen Ping''an focused on the fist stance diagrams that had been seemingly drawn in a single stroke. It looked like they were standing in formation on the page, and because they were all squished together, each diagram wasn''t very big.


    In fact, the drawings weren''t very meticulous to begin with. It was thanks to Chen Ping''an''s good eyesight that he could still see them clearly under the dim yellow light of the candles. Listening to Ning Yao''s words which he couldn''t fullyprehend, he murmured, "This fist technique sounds quite impressive and mighty."


    Ning Yao stuck her head over and looked at the diagrams, nodding and saying, "There''s a fist technique that''s been passed down in the cultivation world for thousands of years without getting lost, and it does seem quite simr to this Mountain Shaking Fist Technique."


    Chen Ping''an turned around and asked in curiosity, "How so?"


    The dim yellow light illuminated the slight twitching of the young girl''s long and slender eyebrows. It was like the branch of a peach tree slightly bending under the gentle spring breeze.


    She held in herughter and replied, "There''s a fist technique suitable for both old and young in the cultivation world, and this fist technique is called the Bastard Fist Technique. You simply throw a few wild and uncontrolled punches, and it''s guaranteed that your unpredictable attacks can defeat even the most experienced master."


    The young boy was slightly exasperated as he said, "Who jokes around like this."


    Chen Ping''an mulled over this. In fact, wasn''t Gu Can extremely skilled at this type of fist technique? He recalled that Gu Can''s mother had also seemingly been involved in an unsavory skirmish before. This was in front of a cosmetic shop on Apricot Blossom Alley. At that time, Gu Can had only just learned how to walk. Meanwhile, because his father was from out of town, and because he was always not at home, he had already beenrgely forgotten about by the neighbors on y Vase Alley.


    The other women living in the alley had started to feel worried, worried that their husbands would involuntarily pause whenever they walked by the house of that widow. Indeed, just the female clothing drying on the bamboo poles would be enough to easily fish the soul of the men away.


    Some time afterward, Granny Ma had gathered five or six women together to visit Gu Can''s house. Gu Can''s mother had suffered quite a bit in that battle, but Granny Ma and the others hadn''t managed to gain an advantage themselves either. Both sides had suffered heavy losses. However, the longer that went on, the less that Gu Can''s mother was able to maintain this bnce. This was because she was a lone soldier, after all, so it was extremely difficult for her to defend against attacks from all directions.


    In the end, even her clothes had been torn to shreds. They were already thin to begin with, so it was inevitable that swathes of her skin had ended up exposed. This caused the jealous women to be even wilder with rage, wing and biting and doing everything they could to attack Gu Can''s mother. The men in the alley could only gulp with their eyes wide open when they saw this.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an had been returning home from the dragon kiln at that time. Moreover, Gu Can''s family had also been helping him for all these years. Thus, he had immediately run over to help Gu Can''s mother, blocking the vicious and underhanded attacks from the other women. From the beginning to the end, however, Chen Ping''an had never dared to retaliate and attack the other women. This wasn''t because he was afraid of causing trouble. Instead, it was because he was afraid that he might kill them with a single punch.


    At that time, the young boy had already traversed countless mountains and rivers under the shouts and scoldings of Old Man Yao. He had only been 12 or 13, yet he had already walked a longer distance than most elderly residents of the small town.


    After that fight, Chen Ping��an and Gu Can''s mother had sat on the doorstep of the courtyard. Meanwhile, Gu Can had been locked inside the house the entire time. This was most likely because his mother hadn''t wanted him to see her in such a disheveled and sorry state.


    When he turned around, Chen Ping''an had pointed to the corner of the woman''s mouth.


    Pursing her lips, the woman had casually used a thumb to wipe the blood away.


    Meanwhile, Gu Can had been crying hysterically in the house, shouting for his mother.


    The woman had smiled at the young boy, but in the next instant, tears had started to stream down her cheeks.


    The next day, an unwilling little boy had started to follow him around.


    "What are you thinking about?"


    Ning Yao''s question interrupted Chen Ping''an''s reminiscing.


    "After going to Lake Shujian with the River Severing True Lord, will Gu Can and his mother truly be able to enjoy a better life?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "You feel like their life in y Vase Alley wasn''t good?" Ning Yao replied.


    Chen Ping''an thought about this for a moment before replying, "Gu Can wasn''t the most well-behaved child, and he was also extremely young to begin with, so he definitely wouldn''t have felt like life was too hard. His mother, however... She most likely didn''t view the small town as a good ce to live. This is especially the case since she didn''t like a single woman from y Vase Alley or Apricot Blossom Alley. Moreover, I feel like she was never meant for a ce like this to begin with. She also felt extremely vexed that she was stuck here. In Old Man Yao''s words, this would be called a restless mind. When a man has a restless mind, that''s a sign that his aspirations lie in and far away. When a woman has a restless mind, that''s a sign that she might be considering an affair. However, I feel like this saying isn''t correct..."


    Ning Yao suddenly sat up straight, mming the table and saying, "What nonsense are you still uttering? Do you want to learn this fist technique or not?"


    Chen Ping''an was given a fright, and he said, "Ning Yao, please continue."


    Ning Yao huffed and said, "There''s no point in telling you about cultivation, since doing so would be pointless. After all, it''s impossible for you to be a cultivator. So, I can only teach you about martial arts."


    Chen Ping''an was just about to say something, yet the young girl had already continued, "All martial arts in the world are divided into nine tiers. Of course, there are also people who say that there''s a 10th Tier above the nine tiers. This is just like the Go officials raised by therge empires..."


    Ning Yao was in a much better mood at this moment, and she asked with a smile, "Chen Ping''an, do you know what Go officials are?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in honesty.


    Ning Yao wore a radiant expression as she said, "The ninth dan is the highest ranking for a Go expert, and this is equivalent to the first rank being the highest ranking for an imperial official. However, some one in 100-year prodigies will be granted the title of ''10th dan Go expert''. These people will then enjoy all kinds of peculiar and unique titles. However, the Go official in your Great Li Empire is extremely embarrassing. From what I''ve heard, the ninth dan Go official in the Great Li Empire is only equivalent to a seventh dan Go expert in the Great Sui Empire. In the entire Great Li Empire, only a single person with the nickname of ''Embroidered Tiger'' is viewed as a proper opponent by the Great Sui Empire. Oh, that''s right, do you know what Go is?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Yes, I do. I even know some of the rules. However, I don''t know how to y it myself. Although, Song Jixin and Zhi Gui do have a Go set at home."


    "Oh, is that right," the young girl replied in disappointment.


    After the young girl exined everything in such a roundabout manner, the young boy was still unable to grasp what the "nine tiers" meant.


    As if also realizing that her exnation was a bit iffy, the young girl cleared her throat and said in a solemn manner, "My mother told me that each of the nine tiers is like ascending to a new height. However, even if you reach the peak of the Ninth Tier, the scene that you see is as if you''re standing atop a mountain, but when you look up, what enters your gaze is the mountainside of another mountain."


    Chen Ping''an mulled over this for a moment before saying, "I understand."


    This was because the young boy had personally experienced this before.


    The young girl paid no attention to whether he truly understood it or not, and she continued, "The nine tiers of martial arts are divided into three major tiers �� Physique Refining Tier, Qi Refining Tier, and Spirit Refining Tier. Each of these three major tiers contains three separate tiers, and not a single one of these tiers can be skipped if you want to ascend to the peak. You more so can''t make any mistakes during this process of ascension. The firmer your footsteps the better. In terms of speed, this actually isn''t very important. This is in contrast to cultivation.


    "Of the three tiers of the Physique Refining Tier, the first tier is the Mud Molding Tier. The meaning of this tier is already quite clear from its name. Just like y Vase Alley, this is a tier where one is still rough and unrefined. However, upon reaching the peak stage or consummate stage, one will be like the mud statue of a deity. Even though they''re created from mud, they''ll still have a hint of an extraordinary aura. Their Qi will descend to their Dantian, and they''ll be as immovable as a mountain. This can be regarded as a tier that truly brings one into the world of martial arts. In conclusion, the essence of this tier is ''dispersing'' and ''setting''. From one''s performance in this tier, others will be able to easily determine their martial arts talent, theirprehension ability, and the skills of their master.


    "The second tier is the Wooden Fetus Tier. This signifies that your physique is transforming from a rough state into a more refined state. When you reach the consummate level, the lines on your skin will be precise and orderly, just like the words carved on a talisman, and just like... Yes, just like this snake gall pebble that you''ve collected from the creek. The patterns inside it are alreadypletely different from ordinary pebbles. The purpose of this tier is to ''open the mountains'', whereby one has to expand their meridians and transform a narrow path that can only fit a single sheep into a wide arterial road that can fit numerous horses and carts. The quality of a martial artist''s aptitude will be determined in this tier."


    As she said this, the young girl raised the snake gall pebble that the young boy had given her above her head.


    She gazed at the beautiful pebble that was being illuminated by the dim yellow light, and she said in a soft voice, "The final tier of the three tiers of the Physique Refining Tier is the Mercury Tier. One''s blood will be as viscous as mercury, thick but light at the same time. One''s Qi and blood will then condense into one. If one wants to ascend beyond this tier, they''ll need to face a tribtion called ''Mud Deity Crossing the River''. Whether or not one can pass this tribtion and ascend to a new height depends on their skill and fortune."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly befuddled as he listened to this. He stared at the candle in a daze, with his heart and mind wavering and flickering along with the me.


    Ning Yao yawned before resting her arms and head on the table and saying in azy voice, "And that''s about all. The three tiers of the Physique Refining Tier are already able to stop the footsteps of 80% of martial artists, preventing them from advancing any further. You have to understand that those who are poor study books, while those who are rich study martial arts. Apart from my hometown, this principle holds true everywhere else. Judging by your wealth and yourprehension ability, I''d say that you can burn incense and thank the heavens if you ever manage to reach the second tier."


    "So how should I practice this fist technique?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Ning Yao raised an eyebrow and replied, "We''ll talk about it tomorrow. I''m getting a bit tired now."


    "Mhm, then I''ll grab the basket and go collect pebbles. See you tomorrow, Ning Yao," Chen Ping''an said.


    "If you trust me, then you can leave the fist technique here first. I''ll have another look at it and see if there''s anything missing or if there are any traps.��


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "Sure thing. However, remember to be careful with the book. After all, I still have to return it to Gu Can in the future."


    Ning Yao frowned and muttered, "How many times do you have to repeat this?!"


    Chen Ping��an smiled as he went to the corner to pick up his bamboo basket. When he left, he didn''t forget to say, "Ning Yao, don''t forget to lock the door."


    The young girl was resting on the table, so she didn''t turn around and instead simply waved her hand, saying in a listless manner, "I know, I know... How are you even more talkative than my father..."


    The young boy was as quick and nimble as a swallow as he disappeared down the alley.


    When Ning Yao estimated that Chen Ping''an had probably left the alley, she immediately stood up and angrily red at the Mountain Shaking Guide as if she were ring at a mortal enemy. However, her intense aura quickly deted, and she sat down and sprawled herself across the table again, a troubled expression on her face. "How in the world am I going to teach this?" she murmured to herself. "I was born with a first-rate sword physique, so I naturally didn''t need to traverse such a path myself. In fact, I can''t even remember the names of the 365 acupoints. In terms of how to circte one''s breath and aura, I already knew how to do this in my mother''s womb..."


    Ning Yao scratched her head in grief.


    A timid voice suddenly sounded at the door at this moment, saying, "Ning Yao?"


    Ning Yao''s body was stiff as she slowly turned around to face that familiar figure that was asking for a beating.


    She remained silent, and her expression was stern.


    Chen Ping��an gulped and said apologetically, "I was afraid that you would forget to lock the door, so I came back to remind you again. Also, if you get hungry at night, I can go to Liu Xianyang''s ce and make some snacks for you first. I can bring them to you and then go to the creek."


    Ning Yao waved her hand in a sweeping motion.


    Chen Ping��an immediately ran away.


    As Chen Ping''an ran to the creek, the only thing on his mind was the first stance of the fist technique.


    The moving fist would lead one''s movements, their feet never leaving the ground. As if wading through mud, and as if advancing through snow knee-deep, one would move forward in a slow and steady manner.


    The young boy didn''t realize it, but when he attempted to practice the first stance of the fist technique, even the pattern of his breathing was involuntarily changed.


    The young boy had a wild thought at this moment �� if he practiced these stances in the creek, wouldn''t the effect be even better?


    ��������


    There were two seals sitting before Qi Jingchun, both of which had been carved from the finest snake gall pebbles. They weren''trge, nor had characters been engraved onto them yet.


    During the day, a young schr with a gentle temperament had visited the school and had a private conversation with him. The Confucian schr from far away had asked him, "Mr. Qi, do you want to inherit that person''s dying wish? Do you want to bring peace and fortune to the world?"


    At the time, Qi Jingchun had answered, "Allow me to think over this."


    This clearly wasn''t a very satisfactory answer. However, the renowned young Confucian schr hadn''t tried to pressure Qi Jingchun into giving him an answer. Instead, he had chatted about the small town''s customs and the events outside the small town with Mr. Qi, someone whom he had admired for a long time. He had then bade farewell.


    From the beginning to the end, the young Confucian schr had never once asked about how to deal with the jade tablet.


    However, Qi Jingchun knew that it was only this Confucian schr from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s academy who would be able to tolerate such an answer. Meanwhile, the Golden Boy and Jade Girl from the Daoist Sect, the Dharmap from the Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhist Sects, and the representative from the martial arts world all wouldn''t give Mountain Cliff Academy any face. They more so wouldn''t listen to Qi Jingchun''s desire. Thus, they would definitely retrieve their treasures without a shred of hesitation.


    However, he had already anticipated all of this.


    Qi Jingchun sat upright, with a carving knife in his hand. He was surprisingly conflicted at this moment, and he wasn''t sure what characters to engrave on the seals. "Die for a noble cause; choose righteousness over life" seemed like too grand a principle for the young boy. It wasn''t suitable, nor was it a good omen. However, the phrase "Be peaceful of the mind; be upright of conscience" also seemed... to be a little too elusive? However, if he carved other random phrases, would that appear too insincere?


    Qi Jingchun turned around to nce at the night sky. Like bright pearls adorning a dark curtain, stars dotted the dark sky.


    Qi Jingchun became lost in thought. He finally came to his senses after a long time, and he grabbed a seal and started to engrave it.


    In the end, he carved the characters "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment". The word "tranquil" was especially powerful and lively, and it was as if it were all-epassing.


    Qi Jingchun lightly ced the seal down, with the engraved side facing up.


    Qi Jingchun felt extremely relieved.


    Something tugged at his mind, and he casually flicked his sleeve, causing his desk to quickly transform into mountains and waters.


    Qi Jingchun focused his gaze, and what he saw was a young boy and a young girl sitting side-by-side in a rundown house as they discussed the nine tiers of martial arts.


    Above the nine tiers of martial arts, there existed a 10th Tier.


    Qi Jingchun had already finished reading 10,000 books long ago, so he was naturally very familiar with the cultivation world and the martial arts world.


    Qi Jingchun always wore a stern expression, yet at this moment, the hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.


    The Confucian Sage who was overlooking this world decided to y a small and harmless joke.


    He carved three characters on the second seal.


    Chen Shiyi[1].


    1. "Shiyi" literally means eleven and is written using two characters. ?

 Chapter 39: Cursing the Locust Tree

    Chapter 39: Cursing the Locust Tree


    Chen Ping''an felt that if he collected pebbles in the morning in the future, he could start from the cksmith forge where Liu Xianyang was. He could then continue upstream all the way until he reached the covered bridge. Thus, for tonight, he decided to start from further upstreampared tost time. This way, he would be further from the covered bridge and the green stone cliff that people often referred to as the Azure Cow Ridge.


    Indeed, thetter ce was where he had encountered the young girl in greenst time. Moreover, because of this decision, Chen Ping''an would avoid an encounter with Song Jixin and the kiln supervision official.


    On the covered bridge, the que reading "Rising Winds Crashing Water" hung high.


    On the surface, the man in white and wearing a jade belt was nothing more than the new kiln supervision official. In reality, however, he was actually the most powerful prince of the Great Li Empire. Following his lead, Song Jixin also arrived before the steps leading up to the covered bridge.


    Beforeing here, not only had he bathed and changed in the kiln supervision office, but he had even attached a scented satchel and a dragon-shaped jade pendant to his waist. Thetter was made from ordinary material, and its color was already faded and unexceptional. Surprisingly, it was the Old Dragon Rainbringer jade pendant that was superior in terms of both omen and quality that Song Changjing had ordered him to remove. He wasn''t allowed to wear it no matter what.


    There were three incense sticks in Song Jixin''s hand. Standing before the steps, the young boy was at a loss for what to do.


    Song Changjing turned around and reached over, lightly rubbing his fingers over the three incense sticks. The incense sticks immediately started to smoke.


    "Kneel down and face the que. Then kowtow three times and ce the incense sticks in the ground. After that, you''re all done," the man casually said.


    Even though Song Jixin was puzzled, he still did as his "uncle" from out of nowheremanded. He held the incense sticks as he kneeled down and kowtowed.


    Even though the man had spoken in a casual manner, his expression immediately became solemn andplicated when the young boy kneeled down before the covered bridge. As he looked at the young boy kowtowing, a deeply concealed hint of loathing more so shed across his face.


    After cing the three sticks of incense in the ground and standing up, Song Jixin asked, "Is it really okay to offer incense here?"


    The man smiled and replied, "It''s merely a ritual, so there''s no need to overthink it. From now on, you need to learn how to deal with all kinds of different situations. Otherwise, you''ll be so busy that your head will want to explode in the future."


    His expression became serious as he continued, "But don''t forget this either. This covered bridge is... the origin of your dynasty."


    Song Jixin''s lips were blue, and it was hard to say whether this had been caused by the chilly spring wind. The young boy purposely tried to act rxed as he said, "It''s not good to throw these words around so casually, right?"


    The man rested one hand on his stomach and one hand on his belt as heughed heartily and said, "That''s naturally the case when we return to the capital. Here, however, it doesn''t matter too much. There''s no guard dog outside the temples, nor are there the wild dogs of the cultivation world. No one willtch onto me and try to bite me all over."


    "You''re also afraid of being criticized by others?" Song Jixin asked in curiosity.


    The man retorted, "I''ve already defeated all opponents and be peerless in the Great Li Empire. If there''s nothing that I''m afraid of, won''t I be in an even morefortable position than the person on the throne? Do you think that makes sense?"


    Song Jixin mulled over this, and after hesitating for a brief moment, he still decided to ask, "Then are you hiding your abilities and biding your time? Or are you purposefully ignoring an opponent to appear more important?"


    Song Changjing couldn''t help but chuckle upon hearing this. He pointed at the young boy who was full of vigor, shaking his head and saying, "You truly dared to utter such treasonous words. You''re still far too naive when ites to what can be said in what situation. Whether you go to the capital in the future, or whether you go to some immortal sect to temporarily keep a low profile, I still suggest that you don''t speak in such a wilful and wanton manner. Otherwise, you''ll definitely bring disaster upon yourself."


    "I''ll keep that in mind," Song Jixin replied with a nod.


    The man pointed at the que with golden characters and said, "Rising Winds Crashing Water, Rising Winds Crashing Water... Let me ask you, how does the water crash and rise?"


    "I don''t know," Song Jixin immediately replied.


    "Knowing is knowing, and not knowing is not knowing. Such a mindset is one of wisdom indeed," Song Changjing muttered. "What a crock of shit. Intellectuals love this kind of wishy-washy nonsense. Even when they fart, they have toe up with a poem with nine verses and 18 twists."


    The man became slightly less crude when he faced the young boy, and he said, "If I remember correctly, throughout the 3000-year history of this small town, the water level in this creek has never risen higher than the tip of that rusty sword, regardless of how powerful a flood urs."


    "An old man who lives near the Iron Lock Well on Apricot Blossom Alley does indeed stand under the locust tree and tell us about this all the time. Is there a deeper meaning behind this?" Song Jixin asked in puzzlement.


    The man pointed far into the distance, toward the area where the creek flowed down from the mountains. He smiled and said, "Inside the mountains, the snakes have their own Dao. Inside buildings and houses, the rats have their own path. As for the rivers and creeks, the flood dragons residing within naturally have their own Dao as well."


    The man put down his finger and exined in patience, "In fact, there are many areas in the Great Li Empire where it is a custom to hang a sword under a bridge. However, those copper coin swords, peach wood swords, or talisman swords are only able to block the mountain flood dragons and forest pythons from entering the river a single time. They''re unable to block them twice. Sometimes, due to the lowly cultivation of those who ce the swords, they''re unable to block the flood dragons and pythons even once. They instead enrage the flood dragons, causing the bridges to copse after the floods even though they could have initially continued to stand. The sword will also vanish without a trace. Only the sword here..."


    The man fell silent as he said this.


    Song Jixin forcefully stopped himself from asking.


    The man sighed and continued, "Only the sword here wasn''t ced to target flood dragons or whatnot. Ever since the first day, it was ced here to suppress the exit of the Dragon Locking Well. The so-called exit is that deep pool under the covered bridge. The sword hangs above it to prevent the Dragon Qi from dissipating too quickly and forcefully causing this small world to explode."


    Song Jixin directly went to the root of the problem, asking, "Did thatst True Dragon in the world genuinely die?"


    Song Changjing chuckled and said, "During that dragon ying battle 3000 years ago, countless cultivators were wounded and killed. In fact, there were even casualties among the Sages of the three teachings and the sect masters of the hundred schools of thought. Do you think they were all braindead, or do you think the Sages were all as dumb as dogs even after living for all those years? Did you really think they would purposefully spare that True Dragon and raise it like a harmless pet?"


    "Perhaps they were unable toprehensively kill that True Dragon?" Song Jixin retorted. "So they could only use a stalling tactic and try to kill it slowly? Even though I don''t know about the ns and ambitions of those Sages from several thousand years ago, I can easily guess that the True Dragon was no easy foe to deal with at all!"


    The man shook his head, but also nodded afterward, saying, "You''re half correct. The True Dragon is indeed dead. However, when ites to its true identity and significance, the description ''not easy'' can''t even begin to describe it."


    Song Jixin wanted to say something, but he refrained from doing so.


    "To sum things up, the Great Li Empire went through all that nning and sacrifice for nothing more than the characters on this que �� Rising Winds Crashing Water. It was all for our future adventure into the south."


    The man walked up the steps and said slowly, "If you ask me why the Sages decided to y the True Dragon 3000 years ago, it will truly be quite difficult for me to answer this question. If you ask me why you were tossed into this ce, and why you''re a noble prince of the Great Li Empire, however, I can indeed answer some of your questions."


    Song Jixin''s head was lowered, and it was hard to see his expression.


    Since the young boy didn''t ask, the man naturally wouldn''t offer any uninvited exnations either. When he arrived at the final step, he turned around to face the small town, saying, "You need to be more tolerant in the future. Don''t always be swayed by your personal feelings, so much so that you get into conflicts with people like Liu Xianyang. In fact, you''ve even developed a killing intent toward him. Don''t you find this beneath yourself?"


    Song Jixin sat down on the top step and looked toward the north with the man. He then asked apletely unrted question, saying, "Is our Great Li Empire in the northernmost region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?"


    The man nodded and replied, "Mhm, we''ve been regarded as northern barbarians for almost a thousand years now. It''s merely because we''re powerful enough now that we''ve won a bit of respect."


    Song Jixin''s head remained lowered. However, there was a fervent expression flickering in his eyes.


    Song Changjing continued in a calm voice, "When you return to the capital, you have to be wary of a person with the nickname ''Embroidered Tiger''."


    Song Jixin was puzzled by this sudden warning.


    Song Changjing smiled and exined, "He''s the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, and he''s more so the esteemed mentor of your brother. In the past 50 years, the Great Li Empire was able to expand from 70 counties and 800 cities to the current 140 counties and 1500 cities. Our territory expanded immensely, and this person can take half the credit for that."


    Song Jixin vigorously looked up.


    The man smiled and asked, "Yes, you''ve guessed correctly."


    Sitting next to the young boy, the man ced his hands on his knees and gazed into the distance.


    The other person who had made a great contribution to the Great Li Empire and could take the remaining half of the credit was seemingly distant and profound, but he was, in fact, right beside him.


    Song Jixin''s entire body was shaking at this moment, and even his mind feltpletely numb.


    The two of them fell silent for a long time. At some point in time, Song Jixin suddenly said, "Uncle, even though I have killing intent toward Liu Xianyang, and even though I considered making a deal with Old Dragon City''s Fu Nanhua to have him kill Liu Xianyang, I''ve never once viewed him as an equal to myself. This is the case even though hees from a n with an ancient and proud history. I only thought about killing him because doing so wouldn''t cost me too much. That''s all there is to it."


    Song Changjing became slightly interested. "In that case, the knot in your heart is because of something else?"


    The young boy remained silent as he rubbed his neck.


    ��������


    In the silent depths of the night...


    There was surprisingly still someone walking along the alleys of the small town. Her figure was slender, and her clothes were thin. When she passed the Iron Lock Well in Apricot Blossom Alley, her jaws were clenched and her teeth were gritting. In fact, while passing the archway, she had viciously kicked one of the stone pirs. In the end, she arrived beneath the leafy old locust tree. ording to the elderly residents, this tree had already lived for heaven knows how many years. Moreover, the old branches that fell down would never hit the people walking or standing beneath the tree. It was quite peculiar and incredible.


    The young girl strode up to the locust tree. She naturally didn''t pay any heed to these nonsensical sayings.


    She then opened the ancient book that she had borrowed from her young master and started to reel off a series of names.


    She read the names one by one, and it was as if she were a general calling the names of her soldiers.


    When she became slightly parched, she finally stopped reading the names. She held the book that Song Jixin referred to as "Beyond the Wall" in one hand and pointed at the locust tree with the other, looking up and scolding, "I''m giving you face, but you''re not going to ept my kind offer? Is that how it is?!"


    The tree remained silent, not offering a response.


    The young girl immediately stomped her feet and cursed, "The Four Surnames and Ten ns! I''ll start with the Four Surnames first. Lu, Li, Zhao, and Song, I encourage your ns to understand the situation. Hurry up, I''ll need at least three locust leaves from each n. If you give me even one less, I, Wang Zhu, will never forgive you! When I leave this ce, I''ll deal with your ns one by one, and I won''t show any mercy regardless of whether Ie across young men, young women, the elderly, or children. You''re all a bunch of ungrateful animals, after all. You''re not paying your debts of gratitude, yet you still think that you''re in the right?!"


    The young girl huffed in anger. She ced a hand on her hip and continued to scold them, shouting, "Song n! Who was it thanks to that the Great Li Empire followed your surname? Are you people not aware? Are you pretending to be stupid? Do you believe me if I say that I''ll change the surname of the imperial family to Lu or Zhao when I get out? Anything apart from Song?!


    "The Ten ns! I''ll need at least two locust leaves from each n. As for the remaining ns, I need at least one locust leaf each. Of course, if anyone has the courage to up their bet, I''m also happy to take extras. In the future, I''ll make sure that they end up with a fortune!


    "Cao n from the Ten ns! Yes, the Cao n where that bastard Cao Xi came from! What disgusting thing didn''t that brat do in the past? He was already filled with evil schemes when he was still a kid with open crotch pants! In addition to the two locust leaves, you need to give me one more locust leaf aspensation. Otherwise, I, Wang Zhu, swear that I''ll make it so that Cao Xi ends up with no descendants! He actually dared to piss into the well?! How in the world did such an immoral bastard be a True Lord?


    "And the Xie n! There''s someone called Xie Shi from your n, correct? Mhm, we''ve had some interactions before, and it was thanks to me that he wasn''t washed away by the floods at that time. So, will it sit right with you if you don''t give me one extra locust leaf?"


    Qi Jingchun silently observed this sight from the distance, not speaking nor interfering.


    Like a strict father watching his daughter bing more and more arrogant with age, he could only wear a slightly helpless and exasperated expression.


    However, Qi Jingchun also felt a sense of gratification as he watched the locust leaves flitter down andnd between the pages of the book as the young girl continued to flip through it.


    There was a lot that he wanted to say, but in the end, Qi Jingchun simply murmured, "Make sure to take care of yourself after you leave home..."


    As if sensing something, the young girl suddenly turned around.


    However, there was no one to be seen.


    The young girl felt a sense of despondence. However, she quickly shook her head and pushed these thoughts out of her mind. She then turned back around and continued to viciously scold the old locust tree.

 Chapter 40: Returning the Gift

    Chapter 40: Returning the Gift


    After returning onshore with the bamboo basket on his back, Chen Ping''an started to walk toward the Azure Cow Ridge. Perhaps it was a false impression, but the young boy felt like the water in the creek had lowered a little.


    When he arrived near the green stone cliff, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. This was because he could clearly see several people standing there, each of their appearances as clear as could be. This wasn''t because they were being illuminated by the stars in the night sky. Instead, it was because a crystal-like white deer that was radiating with rays of white light was standing on the Azure Cow Ridge beside them. The rays of light wavered like the waterweeds in the creek.


    The white deer lowered its head, and a little girl wearing a bright red jacket did her best to get on her tippy-toes and stroke its antler.


    Apart from her, there was also a young man and a young woman in Daoist robes. Perhaps it was because of the rays of white lighting from the white deer, but the skin of these two people appeared even whiter and more translucent than snow. If the residents of the small town werepared to y figures made from mud, then these two Daoists from the outside world could bepared to the most exquisite pieces of art made from porcin. The gulf between them was like the gulf between heaven and earth.


    The Daoist robes that the man and woman were wearing were slightly simr to the Daoist robes that Daoist Lu had worn. However, many of the details were different, and the Daoist hats that they wore were also extremely different. Daoist Lu had worn a lotus flower hat, while these two people were wearing a fish-tail-shaped hat.


    The young boy in straw sandals looked at them in a daze. He felt like the man and woman standing beside the white deer were like immortals and deities that had walked out from a painting. It was as if they might fly away and ascend to the heavens at any moment, soaring so high that they could pluck the moon and stars.


    The other two people were standing slightly further away. Chen Ping''an recognized one of them, and she was none other than Master Ruan''s daughter. The young girl in green didn''t have a bag full of snacks this time, and she was instead only holding a small embroidered handkerchief with a few pieces of small and exquisite desserts. The young girl wore an extremely hesitant expression as she looked down, unsure of which dessert to eat first. The person standing beside her was around 30 years old, with a sword strapped to his back and a strange pendant hanging on his waist.


    When Chen Ping''an saw them, the group of people also noticed his sudden appearance. The young Daoist nun was slightly astonished, and she bent down to rub the head of the little girl in the bright red jacket. At the same time, she pointed at Chen Ping''an and said something to the little girl. The ears of the little girl immediately pricked up to listen to what this older sister was saying. She then opened her eyes as big as she could as she looked over, and it seemed like she was able to recognize Chen Ping''an''s figure. She turned around and started to exin his background to the Daoist nun, who was most likely the owner of the white deer.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an also recognized the little girl who was only eight or nine years old. The first time he had seen her was before he had gone to the dragon kilns to work. While walking down y Vase Alley, he had seen a little girl with twin pigtails running along at an incredible speed. She had been holding a paper bird kite, and her thin legs had been pumping as she shot down the alley like a gust of wind. This scene had stuck in Chen Ping''an''s mind.


    Afterward, he had encountered her a few more times. One of these times, the little girl had been leaning over the edge of the Iron Lock Well and secretly tossing stones inside. When Chen Ping''an had coincidentallye across her naughty behavior, she had been so frightened that she immediately turned around to run away. After running a dozen or so steps, however, she remembered that she had left her candied hawthorn stick on the well. She couldn''t resist the temptation, so she had run back to the well to collect it.


    However, she had been too hurried, so with a smack, she had fallen to the ground. When she got up, she immediately grabbed the candied hawthorn stick and ran. After a few steps, she had suddenly stopped again, opening her mouth and using two fingers to pull out that wobbly tooth. She hadn''t cried or shouted, and after putting the tooth in her pocket, she had turned around and started to run away again.


    That scene had caused cold sweat to form on Chen Ping''an''s forehead. Thest time he had seen her was in that area full of weeds and broken statues of gods. That was at dusk one dayst autumn, and Chen Ping''an had been wandering around after returning to the small town from the dragon kiln. As he strolled through the streets, he had seen the little girl rolling, jumping, and leaping around in the grass,pletely focused on catching crickets. After seeing Chen Ping''an, it was clear that she recognized him, and she had immediately disappeared like a gust of wind again.


    Afterward, he had heard from Gu Can that even though this little girl was always covered in dirt and looked like a wild child who wasn''t restrained by her guardians, she was, in fact, from Fortune Street''s Li n. Moreover, she wasn''t a servant or a maid. For some reason, however, she always liked to run around and y by herself, and her family didn''t stop her either.


    In the end, Gu Can had been filled with pride and contempt as he talked about her. Even though she was quick, he said that she was actually very stupid. The two of them had coincidentally gone fishing at the creek at the same time once, and that stupid little girl had failed to catch a single rock te fish after struggling for the entire afternoon. She had only managed to catch a single crab. Moreover, the only reason that she had been able to catch that crab was because that crab had viciously pinched her finger with its w.


    When Gu Can had told Chen Ping''an about this, he had beenughing so hard that he couldn''t help but clutch his stomach and kick his legs. He had said that she was truly stupid, and that she had even raised her hand and purposefully waved it around to show off to him. It was as if catching the crab had been a supremely impressive feat. Most importantly, it had been clear that she was already on the verge of tears due to the pain of being pinched by the crab.


    The handsome young man in Daoist robes nced at the white deer and said to the young Daoist nun, "Senior Sister He, I told you to be careful and not pamper it too much. We''re only here for fewer than 10 days, and you only needed to use a simple camouge technique. It wouldn''t have inhibited its freedom at all. Yet, you refused to listen to me, and now we''ve been caught by a mere mortal. What are we going to do now?"


    The stunningly beautiful Daoist nun finished listening to the little girl''s introduction of Chen Ping''an, and said with a faint smile, "We''ll let nature take its course."


    The young man frowned. He looked up and gazed over at the young boy again, and after observing him carefully for a short moment, he decided that he couldn''t see anything special about this young boy in straw sandals and with a bamboo basket on his back. Even though their sect wasn''t the best in the continent when it came to observing one''s aura and determining one''s aptitude, they were still indeed very skilled in these areas.


    Since this Daoist priest was capable enough to represent his sect to retrieve their treasure, and since he was responsible for guarding that treasure and bringing it back to the sect, it was abundantly clear that he was no ordinary person. Thus, since he saw nothing special about the young boy, he decided that there was no need to invite him to the sect. The young Daoist priest was extremely skilled in determining one''s aptitude, so he didn''t believe that he would make a mistake.


    The sect that he and the young Daoist nun belonged to was one of the three Daoist sects in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Moreover, their sect was the leader among the three Daoist sects, allowing them to enjoy an extremely revered status. As payment forpleting this task for the sect, both he and his senior sister would obtain a valuable opportunity to recruit a true disciple to the sect. At the same time, they would be able to take this person as their own disciple as well. The young Daoist priest didn''t want to waste this valuable opportunity. Thus, he needed to be extremely careful.


    Everyone in the sect knew that Senior Sister He viewed the cultivation of the mind with great importance. Thus, the simple remark of "let nature take its course" was a strong indication that she was having thoughts of taking someone as her disciple.


    He and He Xiaoliang were referred to as the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. They were the paramount talents of the Daoist teaching in this continent. In fact, even the mortal rulers had to treat them with respect and reverence. Indeed, these rulers would have to treat them as if they were the True Lords of arge empire.


    This was because they were cultivation prodigies who had the greatest chance of reaching the Upper Five Tiers in this continent.


    When the young Daoist nun led the little girl down the Azure Cow Ridge, with the white deer following behind them, not only was her junior brother stunned, but even the man with a sword strapped to his back and a tiger talisman hanging by his waist was astonished.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly at a loss as he saw the Daoist nun slowly walking toward him. He truly didn''t want to interact with these immortals from the outside world at this moment.


    This was because he knew that their entric emotions could easily decide his life or death.


    Moreover, Chen Ping''an knew that his luck had always been bad, so he was even more afraid of provoking them by ident.


    However, this didn''t mean that Chen Ping''an would turn around and flee. Instead, he even took a few steps forward in a symbolic manner. That way, he would appear slightly more decent in the eyes of those on the Azure Cow Ridge.


    The white deer slightly quickened its pace, jogging over and circling around the young boy once. It then lowered its head and nudged the impoverished young boy.


    The white deer returned to its owner''s side, and the young Daoist nun gently stroked its back. In the next instant, the white deer transformed into a horse.


    Pointing to a deer and calling it a horse[1].


    The young Daoist nun sighed softly as she looked at Chen Ping''an. She said something with a smile, and she then looked down at the little girl in red beside her.


    The little girl tranted the Daoist nun''s words into the dialect of the small town, saying in a timid voice, "Sister He said that you''re a person who cherishes their fortunes. However, the fate between you is shallow, so the two of you can''t be fellow Daoists."


    Chen Ping��an was rendered speechless. This was because he didn''t know what to say to not appear disrespectful.


    A bamboo basket on his back, straw sandals on his feet, his pant legs rolled up... The young boy''s appearance was extremely peculiar andical.


    The Daoist nun smiled and asked, "Do you also know about the secret uses of these pebbles? Don''t worry, Chen Ping''an, this is only a casual question."


    The little girl tranted this for Chen Ping''an, her words quick and her voice crisp.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before nodding and replying, "A Daoist priest gave me a clue before. He said that I could frequentlye here to collect pebbles and fish."


    Even though Chen Ping''an had a good impression of this young Daoist nun, he still spoke extremely carefully and didn''t reveal Daoist Lu''s surname. Moreover, the person who had actually told him about the value of the snake gall pebbles was Ning Yao and not Daoist Lu.


    The Daoist nun smiled and asked, "You''re also familiar with our Junior Uncle Lu?"


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this.


    The Daoist nun smiled and exined briefly, "Strictly speaking, Junior Uncle Lu isn''t from the same sect as us. However, when he visited our sect a long time ago, he conversed with one of our senior uncles as an equal. He stayed at our sect for many years, so we juniors also became familiar with him. As time went on, we naturally became used to referring to him as ''Junior Uncle''."


    Chen Ping''an cracked a grin. He finally felt at ease at this moment.


    He was extremely grateful to Daoist Lu, and this was a sense of gratitude that he wouldn''t forget for his entire life.


    Chen Ping''an remembered something at this moment, and he squatted down to ce the bamboo basket on the ground. He then retrieved a pebble that he had taken a liking to at first sight. It was asrge as an egg and a glossy green, making the pebble appear as clear and glistening as water. This was unlike the other snake gall pebbles. He offered it to the young Daoist nun and said, "If you see Daoist Lu in the future, could you please give this pebble to him for me?"


    After hearing the little girl''s trantion, the young Daoist nun thought about it for a brief moment before epting the pebble and saying, "Before arriving here, I coincidentally came across Junior Uncle Lu just as he was leaving. He was heading to the Southern Stream Nation to attend an important ceremony of a Daoist sect. In terms of when we''ll meet again... That''s truly hard to say. However, I''ll definitely give this to Junior Uncle Lu for you when I see him again."


    A beaming smile spread across Chen Ping''an''s face as he heard the little girl''s trantion. He bowed in gratitude to the young Daoist nun who he had an extremely good impression of.


    When it came to the goodness or wickedness of a stranger, Chen Ping''an always believed in his instincts.


    This was just like how he had quickly judged the characters of Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian, and just like how he had quickly judged the characters of Daoist Lu and Ning Yao.


    Chen Ping''an retrieved another snake gall pebble and offered it to her.


    The Daoist nun, who enjoyed the title of "Number One for Fated Opportunities" among the younger generation in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, didn''t refuse Chen Ping''an''s offer. She epted it with a smile, not forgetting to thank him in the process.


    The little girl in the bright red jacket tugged at the corners of her clothes and mumbled in a quiet voice, "I also want one."


    Chen Ping''an smiled before turning around to pick a pebble for the little girl.


    The little girl ran to his side and said in a careful voice, "I want a bigger one. Is that okay?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "As long as you''re able to carry it, I can even give you the biggest one. However, this ce is quite far away from the small town and your home. Moreover, I feel like the bigger pebbles in the basket aren''t actually as good as the smaller ones."


    The little girl thought about this for a moment before leaning over the side of the basket and saying, "Alright, then I''ll pick a smaller one. However, it needs to look good."


    After hearing this, Chen Ping''an picked a small pebble that was lotus pink in color. It was smooth and adorable, and the little girl was extremely satisfied as she held it in her hands.


    She suddenly cocked her head and opened her mouth, pointing to her small teeth. She then giggled at Chen Ping''an, an expression of pride on her face.


    She was most likely showing off the fact that her tooth had regrown again.


    "We''ll go and catch crickets together next time," Chen Ping''an said with a happy smile.


    The little girl''s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. However, they quickly dimmed again, and she forced herself to smile and nod.


    Chen Ping''an slung the bamboo basket over his shoulders and bade farewell to the young Daoist nun. He didn''t forget to also wave goodbye to the little girl as he ran back to the small town by himself.


    They were both celestial maidens, yet the might and influence of this young Daoist nun was something that Cai Jinjian from Dawn Cloud Mountain could never have hoped to achieve. The gulf between them was like the gulf between immortal gold essence and ordinary mortal gold.


    The young Daoist nun led the little girl and the white deer back to Azure Cow Ridge. The young Daoist priest retracted his gaze from the young boy in straw sandals, and he concluded, "A fate shallow leading to a fortune thin; it''s only natural that he won''t reach great heights."


    There were countless Daoist sects in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and every 30 years, a new pair of "Golden Boy and Jade Girl" would be chosen. This time, he and Senior Sister He Xiaoliang had been chosen, and they were more so a match made in heaven. However, something had astonished everyone. While the Golden Boy was no less talented than the previous Golden Boys, the fortune and luck of the Jade Girl was so incredible that everyone was rendered absolutely speechless with shock.


    When she was born, a white deer that symbolized auspiciousness had walked out from the mountains and taken her as its master. Afterward, it was as if she faced no challenge or obstruction in cultivation as she smoothly ascended again and again. In fact, some people even said that she would only face her first obstacle when she ascended to the Upper Five Tiers,


    She didn''tment on her junior brother''s dismissive and belittling attitude toward the young boy in straw sandals. She simply brushed over it with a smile.


    At this moment, a short young boy walked from somewhere near the deep pool under the covered bridge to the water pit under the Azure Cow Ridge. There was a single snake gall pebble in his hands, and like the white deer from before, it was surprisingly glowing with a brilliant radiance.


    Holding the pebble in his hand, the expressionless young boy stood on a rock that was exposed above the water''s surface. At this moment, he looked like a mighty immortal who was holding a full moon in his hand.


    Therge green fish and therge red fish raised by the young Daoist priest didn''t enter the water. Instead, they slowly swam above the gently flowing creek.


    If Chen Ping''an saw this young boy, he would immediately recognize him as Granny Ma''s grandson.


    The young boy had been retarded ever since a young age, and because of this, he had also been disliked and abandoned by his parents from very early on. Thus, it was left to Granny Ma to raise this grandson by herself. The young boy was a big misfit, and he would often climb to the rooftops to gaze at the clouds by himself.


    This young boy who had taken the same surname as Granny Ma had also been bullied so much that the other children eventually felt like it would soil their shoes to even step on him. In fact, this pitiful young boy had seemingly only ever smiled at the maidservant Zhi Gui before.


    It was also because of this that Granny Ma detested that maidservant so much. She felt like that young girl was a shameless seductress, and she was certain that this lowly maidservant had purposefully tried to seduce her treasured grandson.


    The young Daoist nun walked up to the man with the sword strapped to his back and asked, "Regarding Ma Kuxuan, is there really no wiggle room at all?"


    "If your junior uncle really wanted to take this child as his opening disciple, why didn''t hee here himself? So what if he''s famous? We''ve never fought before, so why do I have to take a step back? If he can''t ept this, then tell him to go to True Martial Mountain to look for me. If he wins, then I''ll allow him to take this child away."


    The young Daoist priest smiled and said, "That''s merely dying the inevitable. Why bother?"


    There were needles hidden in his words.


    "Oh?" The man with the sword strapped to his back squinted.


    Meanwhile, the young Daoist nun was slightly annoyed as she listened to their conversation. She shot a nce at her junior brother, whoughed and stopped targeting the man with the sword. He looked up and remarked to himself, "The moon is so beautiful tonight."


    The young Daoist nun felt slightly exasperated.


    When it came to that junior uncle, to say nothing of her and her junior brother, perhaps all of the young Daoist priests in the continent would feel a sense of shared pride.


    Before the steps leading onto the covered bridge, there stood a barefoot monk with a square face and an iron-willed expression.


    This ascetic monk didn''t look up at the que with golden words, and he instead looked at the ground where Song Jixin had ced the incense sticks before. He lowered his head and recited in apassionate voice, "Amitabha."


    The short young boy climbed onshore and walked up the Azure Cow Ridge. He nced at the two ethereal Daoists, and he nced at the dignified man with the sword strapped to his back. In the end, he stared intently at thetter and said through gritted teeth, "I don''t want to learn how to cultivate and be immortal or whatnot. Can you just teach me how to kill someone?!"


    The man smiled proudly and replied, "Ever since ancient times, we swordsmen have always possessed the most ferocious ability to kill."


    The young Daoist priest smiled and mused, "Oh?"


    However, the young Daoist nun shook her head, knowing that everything had already been settled. She had failed to honor her junior uncle''s request, so she couldn''t help but feel a sense of guilt.


    The atmosphere on the Azure Cow Ridge suddenly became tense. It was as if a fight might break out at any moment.


    The little girl from the Li n hurriedly hid behind her Daoist sister.


    The young girl in green finished herst piece of dessert at this moment, leaving her in an extremely terrible mood. "If you two are so capable, why don''t you go and challenge my father?" she snapped.


    The man who was well acquainted with the young girl and her father finally rxed his stern expression, smiling and saying, "How should we carry out the fight?"


    The young Daoist priest added, "Ruan Xiu, that''s picking on us. Your father is going to rece Mr. Qi and be the next Sage, so he''ll essentially be the owner of this small world."


    The young girl in green pursed her lips and remained silent.


    The monk slowly walked over and climbed up the Azure Cow Ridge.


    "The Thundering Pagoda of the Buddhist Sect, the Heavenly Master Seal of the Daoist Sect, and the Small Sword Resting Ground of the Martial Sect... Of course, there''s also the Mountain Range Jade te of the Confucian Sect. These are the four subjugation treasures left by the four earliest Sages. Let''s not talk about the internal conflict of the Confucian Sect, and let''s just focus on the three forces that we represent. Even though it''s perfectly reasonable for us to retrieve our subjugation treasures, might it be inappropriate for us to do so without informing Mr. Qi first?" the young Daoist nun said.


    The monk remained silent.


    Meanwhile, the young Daoist priest wore a concerned expression as he said, "It will indeed be a little rude. However, it''s difficult for us to go against the orders from above, so I''m of the opinion that you shouldn''t make things even moreplicated, Senior Sister."


    The man with the sword strapped to his back sneered and said, "I''m not here to cotton up with anyone."


    ��������


    When Chen Ping''an arrived at the alley where Liu Xianyang''s house was located, what he saw was Mr. Qi standing in front of the door.


    The young boy quickly walked over, and before he could even say anything, Qi Jingchun had already handed two seals to him, saying with a smile, "Chen Ping''an, I''m not giving these to you for nothing; I have something to ask of you. If Mountain Cliff Academy faces any danger in the future, I hope that you can help them to the best of your ability. Of course, there''s no need for you to deliberately keep an eye on Mountain Cliff Academy all the time."


    The young boy replied with a single word. "Sure!"


    Qi Jingchun nodded and said in a meaningful manner, "You must always remember what I said to you before �� a noble person won''t pointlessly risk their life to save someone. This statementes from my heart, and it''s not merely an attempt to test you."


    The young boy cracked a grin and said, "Mr. Qi, I can''t make any promises."


    Qi Jingchun wanted to say something, yet he ultimately decided against it. He was just about to leave.


    He had initially wanted to say, "Even if Mountain Cliff Academy faces a great danger in the future, and you feel a sense of regret, there''s still no need for you to feel any guilt or remorse. Just pretend that you didn''t see or hear anything. You don''t need to force yourself to do anything."


    For some reason, however, Qi Jingchun felt a lingering sense of hope deep down. Even he was perplexed by why this was.


    Mulling over this, the master of Mountain Cliff Academy could only reach a single answer �� everything was because of the young boy before him. It was because this young boy was called Chen Ping''an. It was as if he were different from everyone else.


    If you gave this young boy a task, no matter how difficult it was, there was still one thing that you could guarantee with absolute confidence even if you knew that he would ultimately fail regardless of how hard he tried. That was, if he agreed to do something, he would definitely go and do it. If he couldn''t seed with 100% effort, then he would be willing to grit his teeth and put in 120% effort.


    This was a thought that would put one''s mind at ease.


    This was something that Qi Jingchun had searched for but failed to find for countless years. This schr, who had actively asked to be banished to this ce, had initially thought that everywhere in the world was a foreignnd.


    When Qi Jingchun was about to turn around and leave, the young boy who was still carrying the bamboo basket hurriedly bowed and paid his respects in a strenuous manner.


    In the alley, the Confucian Sage''s movements were extremely proper as he returned the respects.


    1. A Chinese idiom referring to someone deliberately misrepresenting something. However, it''s used in the literal sense here. ?

 Chapter 41: Practicing the Mountain Shaking Fist Technique

    Chapter 41: Practicing the Mountain Shaking Fist Technique


    Deep into the night, Song Changjing returned alone to the office of the kiln supervision official. Song Jixin had already left and returned to y Vase Alley, a ce that was like a dog''s kennel. The man in white didn''t have any issues with this. As a front-line general who had led armies to wars for numerous years, and as someone who could still sleep soundly amid a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses, he naturally didn''t feel like his nephew had been treated badly these past few years. Even though he had been tossed into this small town, he could at least return to the capital of the Great Li Empire alive. This was already quite good.


    The old steward of the kiln supervision office had been waiting outside the gates the entire time, antern in his hand.


    Song Changjing walked through the side entrance which only had a single door open. He then continued to stride forward, saying, "No need to lead the way."


    The old steward nodded in acknowledgment. He slowed down his pace before silently taking his leave.


    The office of the kiln supervision official was located on Fortune Street, and this wasn''t an extravagant building. In fact, it was much smaller than the residences of the Lu n and the Li n. The previous kiln supervision official �� the legitimate one �� had lived an honest and frugal life. The residents of the small town hadn''t found this out of the ordinary.


    However, Song Changjing was different. He was the younger brother of the Great Li Empire''s ruler, and he had also made a profound contribution to help expand the territory of the empire. At the same time, he was more so one of the top-notch martial arts grandmasters of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    His arrival was akin to a flood dragon crashing into a smallke. Even though the powerful ns in the small town weren''t especially afraid of him, they still had to at least treat him with a sense of respect.


    When Song Changjing walked past a courtyard, he noticed that there was still someone reading under the dim candlelight in a nearby building. They were sitting upright, and even though they were alone in the building, they still maintained a meticulous posture and attitude.


    As expected of a noble and virtuous person.


    Song Changjing''s sleeves billowed in the air as he briskly walked past, and a smile of ridicule tugged at the corners of his lips.


    In the past, there had once been a youth who had sought knowledge at Lake View Academy. His calligraphy skills had been divine, and his renown had echoed throughout the imperial pce. The ruler of Southern Wei Nation had invited him into the pce topose imperial decrees in a side pce. During winter, the heavy snow and biting cold had been such that his calligraphy brush had be frozen and unable to produce any characters. Learning this, the emperor had ordered a dozen or so of his retainers to assist the young schr and use their breaths to warm his brush.


    News of this had spread through Eastern Treasured Vial Continent like wildfire, and it had immediately be a story praised and talked about by everyone.


    However, no one had thought to ponder deeply about this �� with how strict the imperial pce was with information, to say nothing about the emperor, eunuchs, and concubines, just how in the world had ordinary peasants learned about all of this?


    Walking along a secluded and narrow path, Song Changjing suddenly broke into heartyughter.


    Song Jixin, who was dressed cleanly, arrived back in y Vase Alley. He pushed open the unlocked courtyard door and proceeded back to his house. What greeted him was the sight of Zhi Gui sitting on a chair in the main hall, with her eyes half-closed as she dozed off. When her head drooped to a certain angle, she would immediately jerk upright before slowly leaning forward again.


    By the looks of it, the young girl was truly tired. Song Jixin bent down and lightly shook her shoulders, saying in a soft voice, "Zhi Gui, Zhi Gui, wake up. Hurry up and return to your own room. Be careful of catching a cold."


    Zhi Gui rubbed her sleepy eyes and murmured, "Young Master, why are you back sote?"


    Song Jixin smiled and replied, "I took a trip down to the covered bridge. It''s quite far away, so I was only able to get back thiste."


    "Huh? Young Master, when did you change into this?" Zhi Gui said in astonishment upon seeing the unfamiliar clothing that Song Jixin was wearing.


    Song Jixin was unwilling to talk about this, so he said, "Let''s not talk about this. I lent you the Local County Chronicle, so how are you going with reading it and learning new characters? Do you need me to teach you anything?"


    The young girl shook her head and replied, "No."


    Song Jixin returned to his room. It was pitch-ck, and he removed his outer robe before kicking off his shoes and feeling his way to the bed. Lying down, the young boy murmured, "Wang Zhu, Wang Zhu... So that''s how it is..."


    Zhi Gui also returned to her room, blowing out the candles and getting into bed. As she snuggled under the nkets, there was a soft and persistent rustling sound as if someone were hiding under the nkets and chewing on something.


    In the end, she even burped in satisfaction.


    Meanwhile, even though Liu Xianyang was still yet to be an official disciple of Master Ruan, it was already abundantly clear to the others that Master Ruan held this tall and broad young boy in extremely high regard. Otherwise, there was no way he would have personally taught him how to forge sword billets. Not everyone was allowed to enter that row of swordsmithing buildings.


    During lunch break, a young man who had worked in the dragon kilns before jogged over to Liu Xianyang and told him that someone was looking for him. He wriggled his eyebrows and winked, and his expression appeared especially yful and teasing. He said that a woman who was even more beautiful than those on Fortune Street was looking for Liu Xianyang.


    Liu Xianyang followed him with a yful grin. However, he was actually feeling extremely solemn.


    Sure enough, he saw that slender woman standing by a well. Nearby, the young men were working extremely hard as they dug the wells.


    Just like the young schr Song Jixin had said, Liu Xianyang was indeed a country bumpkin who didn''t know much. However, determining whether a woman was beautiful or not had nothing to do with how many books one had read. Nor did it have to do with whether one was literate or not. Perhaps the young boy didn''t know, but calling someone beautiful was only a very general remark. Under this umbre of beauty, there existed a type that was charming, where the woman would appear both dignified and naturally alluring. This type of beauty was particrly soul-stirring.


    If one insisted on defining a charming beauty, perhaps this would be a woman who had slender and intoxicating eyebrows.


    The unfamiliar woman standing before him had eyebrows that were as slender as a willow branch and a forehead as smooth and bright as jade.


    She hade alone today, and she didn''t look like she was here to use Liu Xianyang of any wrongdoing. It didn''t look like she was here to pressure and bully him either. Liu Xianyang breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.


    He conceded that this woman was very beautiful, and he conceded that she indeed possessed a graceful and noble demeanor. If he hade across such a woman on the streets in the past, perhaps he would have looked over and whistled at her. However, this wouldn''t mean that he had fallen for her. Liu Xianyang had only ever liked a single girl �� the maidservant from y Vase Alley. This was the case now, and it would be the case in the future.


    Liu Xianyang walked toward the creek with the beautiful woman, and he said in a firm voice, "Ma''am, if you''re trying to convince me to sell my family heirloom to you, I suggest that you give up."


    The woman smiled beautifully and replied, "Don''t be so quick to reject my offer. Allow me to exin the benefits and intricacies first, and then you can decide again after you finish listening."


    The young boy''s expression remained unchanging, and he purposefully continued to act in a carefree and rxed manner. However, his heart had already sunk.


    In the distance, a young girl in green was squatting by a cksmith forge with a bowl of rice in her hands. The rice was heaped so high that it formed a pyramid shape that protruded far above the side of the bowl. She lifted the bowl of rice and started to wolf it down. After destroying the "pyramid", she caught a glimpse of the braised pork belly that she had hidden inside the bowl of rice. She glowed with happiness, and she secretly turned around to have her back face the man who was slowly eating his own bowl of rice.


    "Father, aren''t you going to stop that outsiderdy?" she asked.


    "No," the man replied in a low and muffled voice.


    The young girl in green felt slightly anxious, and she said, "But he''s going to be your opening disciple in the future. Aren''t you afraid that he''ll be led astray?"


    "That will simply mean that he doesn''t have enough fortune," the man replied calmly.


    "Father, won''t you feel like that''s a great pity?" the girl asked with a puzzled expression.


    For example, when she saw those delicious and exquisite desserts in the shops... So be it if she didn''t have any money. However, if she had money and decided to purchase some, wouldn''t it be a great shame if she identally dropped them on the floor? She would deserve to be punished by the heavens!


    The man answered with apletely unrted question of his own, asking, "How''s the braised pork belly?"


    The young girl subconsciously nodded and said in happiness, "It''s delicious!"


    However, she immediately froze in the next moment. Her father had issued a "decree" before, saying that she could only eat one meat dish a day. Thus, she had pretended to get a full bowl of rice, but she had actually hidden a piece of braised pork belly inside. This was so that she could rightfully eat another meat dish at night.


    The young girl wore an awkward expression as she lifted her bowl of rice up high and said in a righteous manner, "There''s only one piece! I didn''t break the rules!"


    The man chuckled and asked, "Then will it be a pity if you can''t eat that other piece of braised pork belly hidden at the bottom?"


    The young girl opened her mouth, yet she didn''t know what to say. Her expression was ashen, and it was as if she had been struck by lightning.


    The man continued to pour salt on his daughter''s wounds, saying, "If you hadn''t been so nosy andmented on Liu Xianyang''s situation, I would have simply turned a blind eye to your behavior."


    The young girl didn''t utter a word as she slowly nibbled on the piece of braised pork belly. It was clear that she would be a thrifty person in the future.


    After finishing his lunch, the man looked at the young boy and woman by the creek and said, "Your father won''t care about that young boy''s life or death for as long as he doesn''t reach the Middle Five Tiers. After he reaches the Middle Five Tiers, I''ll step in to save him if it''s necessary. However, I''ll only do so once or twice, and definitely not more than three times. Each person needs to deal with their own fate."


    "Why won''t you help him now?!" the young girl asked with a sulky expression.


    The man huffed and replied, "When cultivators and martial artists take disciples, it''s not the same as when ordinary sects and factions recruit subordinates. The aim of taking disciples isn''t to gain an advantage in numbers when arguing or fighting with someone in the future. At the end of the day, both master and disciple should be like-minded people who pursue the same Dao. At the very least, that''s how I see things. In any case, Liu Xianyang isn''t even my disciple yet."


    The young girl didn''t reply.


    The man sighed and continued, "My silly girl, do you know how many people live in this small corner of the world that''s the Great Li Empire? Over 20 million families! With so many people in the world and so many troubling matters to deal with, can you truly keep an eye out for everyone? After I take over from Qi Jingchun, I''ll be watching over this small town for the next 60 years. At that time, you should also stop running around everywhere. You need to diligently forge and practice your swordsmanship near this cksmith forge. Otherwise, if you go out and cause trouble, should your father help you or not?"


    Before the man could say anything else, the young girl immediately quipped, "I don''t need your help!"


    The man almost choked and suffered internal injuries. The might of this attack was no weaker than the trump card of some powerful sword immortal.


    Ruan Qiong truly wanted to knock his foolish daughter on the head. How could he not help his own daughter?


    He felt a bit mncholic at this moment.


    The young girl wore an "astonished" expression as she suddenly eximed, "Huh? How did a piece of braised pork belly suddenly appear at the bottom of my bowl? Oh no, there goes my meat dish for the day. Or maybe you want to eat it, father?"


    Without even turning around, the man could still sense the abhorrent acting skills of his daughter. He could only sigh and say in exasperation, "Don''t worry about it; you can have it yourself. I''ll pretend that you only ate a single piece of braised pork belly today. However, remember not to ck off when you forge iron in the afternoon."


    The young girl was filled with gratitude, and she said sincerely, "Father, you''re so nice!"


    The manughed in irritation, and he corrected, "You mean the braised pork belly is nice, right?"


    The young girl lifted her bowl and ate a mouthful of rice, saying in a soft voice, "Father is also nice."


    It took the man great willpower not tough out loud. Thinking about it, perhaps it was better to have a daughter, after all.


    A voice suddenly sounded next to his ear, saying, "Father, can I have another piece of braised pork belly for dinner? Two pieces or three pieces... The difference isn''t that great, right? If you don''t say anything, I''ll take that as a yes, okay?"


    The young girl shot into the distance like a bolt of lightning.


    In fact, she had already run extremely far away when she said that final sentence.


    The man rubbed his face and murmured, "Food is truly the most important thing for my Xiuxiu."


    After visiting a number of streets and valleys and delivering all of the letters, Chen Ping''an bought some breakfast and took it back to Ning Yao, who was still staying at his home in y Vase Alley. While she ate, he started to adeptly brew medicine.


    Ning Yao was wearing a brand new robe today, and it was dark green in color and especially smart in appearance. She already radiated with a gant and resilient aura to begin with, and coupled with the saber by her waist, this outfit made her appear even nobler than those from the wealthy families in Fortune Street.


    She hesitated for a moment before saying, "If you genuinely want to start studying the Mountain Shaking Guide now, there are three things you need to do before you can start practicing the fist technique �� standing meditation, walking meditation, and sleeping meditation. Sleeping meditation is more focused on the umtion within one''s acupoints and the cirction of one''s breath. It''s quite difficult to describe using words, so let''s leave this forter. As for standing meditation and walking meditation, these don''t have stringent requirements in terms of one''s talent and aptitude. Thus, you can diligently practice these following the stances illustrated in the Mountain Shaking Guide. If you stick to it, it will eventually bring you some benefits. Even if you''re unable to be a true martial artist, there''s still a chance that it can strengthen your physique and extend your lifespan."


    "Is it possible to practice walking meditation in the creek?" Chen Ping''an asked. This was something that he had thought of before.


    Ning Yao nodded and replied, "Of course. Start with knee-deep water, and then move onto waist-deep water. After that, you can move onto neck-deep water."


    Following her logic, Chen Ping''an asked, "In the end, will I have to fully submerge myself in the water?"


    Ning Yao chuckled coldly and said, "Oh? You want to practice holding your breath underwater? Are you going to master that and then be a bastard turtle[1]?"


    Chen Ping''an huffed and fell silent.


    Ning Yao pondered for a moment before saying, "Here, I''ll demonstrate walking meditation to you first. Watch carefully!"


    Ning Yao got Chen Ping''an to move the table aside. She then took six steps forward, with three steps being small and three steps being big. When she put her foot down after the final step, it was as if a muffled rumble was traveling through the entire ground of the house.


    The young girlpleted this in a single breath.


    Her movements had appeared rxed and smooth like flowing water, and this made the young boy in straw sandals feel an indescribable emotion.


    It was as if he had been looking at a crashing waterfall, with its descent proper and mighty. At the same time, it was also as if he had been looking at a leaf twirling around in the stream, with its movements free and gentle.


    These were indeed the fundamental aspects of walking meditation. However, Chen Ping''an only knew this so, but he didn''t know why this was so.


    Seeing the confusion on his face, Ning Yao returned to her starting position and demonstrated it again.


    After finishing her demonstration, Ning Yao turned around and asked, "Do you understand now? Do you want to give it a go?"


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath before making an attempt.


    He swayed and wobbled, and it was as if he were a hopeless drunk.


    Chen Ping''an stood there and scratched his head. Even he was acutely aware that his attempt had been terrible.


    Ning Yao wore a dark expression, and she said in a solemn voice, "Try again!"


    After three attempts, Chen Ping''an did indeed start to show some slight improvements. However, Ning Yao''s expression was already as dark as thunderclouds that were about to unleash a wild storm.


    She was unable to fathom how there could be someone as stupid and slow as Chen Ping''an in the world. How was it possible that hisprehension ability was so poor? How was it possible that his talent was socking?!


    This was simply hopeless.


    Ning Yao had already reached an exceptional height in swordsmanship since a very young age. Her background, aptitude, talent, and vision were also equally as outstanding.


    Because of this, the young girl was unable toprehend how those people at the foot of the mountain tens of thousands of miles beneath her would make their way up step by step. She more so couldn''tprehend why their steps were so shaky.


    In the end, the young girl ran out of ideas to help Chen Ping''an. She was afraid that she would eventually feel the urge to draw her sword and hack at him.


    A thought suddenly urred to her at this moment, and she patted the young boy''s shoulder and attempted to say infort, "Chen Ping''an, the meaning of a book will be clear if you read it many times. Practicing martial arts is the same. If you can''t get the feel for something after practicing it 10,000 times, then practice it hundreds of thousands of times. If that''s not enough, then practice it millions of times! Go and collect your pebbles now. Remember, those who are less talented simply need to make an earlier start. Don''t lose hope, and remember to take things slowly. When you collect pebbles in the creek, you can practice walking meditation again and again."


    Chen Ping''an thought about this, and he felt like it did indeed make sense.


    Song Jixin had said something simr to "the meaning of a book will be clear if you read it many times" before, and the saying had gone, "The more one reads, the better one writes".


    However, Chen Ping''an felt like Ning Yao''s other remark made more sense than these two sayings. That was, if he couldn''t get the hang of something after practicing it 10,000 times, then he should practice it hundreds of thousands of times or even millions of times.


    There was a smile on his face as he ran out of y Vase Alley. As he made his way to the creek, he silently recited the method of walking meditation to himself �� three small steps and three big steps. He tried to emte Ning Yao''s movements.


    Chen Ping''an told himself a "truth" in his mind. That was, perhaps he would reach a level of small aplishment if he practiced this walking meditation a million times.


    In this sense, the introduction to the Mountain Shaking Guide would be toplete walking meditation a million times. Only afterpleting this would he have the right to move forward.


    Sitting alone on the doorstep, Ning Yao muttered to herself, "Why do I feel like I''ve dug a huge hole for him? He won''t copse and be unable to climb out, right?"


    1. Bastard and soft-shelled turtle are homonyms in Chinese. ?

 Chapter 42: Prodigy

    Chapter 42: Prodigy


    More and more outsiders arrived in the small town, allowing business at the hotels and restaurants to flourish.


    At the same time, many young children from therge ns and families on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley started to quietly depart the small town. Many of them were clever and good-looking children, but there were also those who were rtively unknown illegitimate children and those who were the children of extremely loyal servants. Zhao Yao, the son of a noble family, was among these children.


    As for Gu Can, the little boy from y Vase Alley, the River Severing True Lord had taken a liking to him with a single nce, so he could be regarded as an exception.


    Chen Ping''an went to Liu Xianyang''s house to collect a bamboo basket and fish basket before leaving the small town and heading to the creek. When there were many other people around, Chen Ping''an naturally wouldn''t practice the Mountain Shaking Guide''s walking meditation.


    However, after leaving the small town, he would be all alone, and it was during these times that he would start to quietly recite the mantra and recall Ning Yao''s movements and aura as she had demonstrated walking meditation. He wasn''t willing to miss any detail, and he continued to repeat the six steps over and over again.


    When Chen Ping''an had attempted walking meditation for the first time in his home, his movements had been extremely awkward and disjointed, so much so that he appeared even more inferior than normal people. In fact, this had resulted in some slight misunderstanding between him and Ning Yao. Chen Ping''an had a quirky habit that he had always been aware of. Ever since his time working in the dragon kilns, he had discovered that his eyes were quick but his movements were slow. More precisely, the young boy''s eyesight and judgment were extraordinary. However, this resulted in his hands and other movements being unable to match his judgment and understanding.


    If others attempted to imitate Ning Yao''s walking meditation, even though their movements would appear rough and shoddy, they would perhaps be able to imitate 30 to 40% of it decently well. At the very least, they would do much better than Chen Ping''an''s 10 to 20% uracy. However, this was precisely because Chen Ping''an was able to observe and remember Ning Yao''s movements far too well.


    As a result, he had tried too hard to match each movement, and this had been to a detrimental effect. With his arms and legs being unable to keep up with his mind and intention, his movements had appeared extremely awkward andical. However, while 90% of his movements had beenpletely off, there had been a subtle and valuable 10% of Ning Yao''s aura that he had been able to emte.


    In any case, Ning Yao waspletely unaware of these matters. While attempting to imitate her walking meditation, the walking meditation of a sword prodigy, being able to emte 10% of her aura was, in fact, far more valuable than being able to emte 90% of her movements.


    Of course, to say nothing of emting 10% of her aura, Ning Yao wouldn''t be astonished even if someone managed to emte 80% of her aura.


    This was because her ambitionsy far above in the lofty heights of martial arts, where few people stood. Her goal was to reach those who stood at the pinnacle of the Sword Dao.


    Chen Ping''an sat down to rest, and he performed some rough calctions in his mind as he sat on the steps beneath the que on the covered bridge. He realized that even if he performed walking meditation for upward of 12 hours a day, he would still only be able to repeat it 300 times at most. In a year, this would trante to roughly 100,000 repetitions. Thus, it would take him 10 years toplete the required one million repetitions.


    The young boy in straw sandals turned around to gaze at the clear creek water, and he murmured to himself, "I have to persevere for 10 years... I should be able to do this, right?"


    Even though Chen Ping''an hadn''t shown any abnormal emotions these past few days, he had indeed been feeling quite heavy-hearted and solemn after hearing Daoist Lu reveal those secrets to him. Daoist Lu had revealed all of the sinister actions of Cai Jinjian to him. However, there was one thing that Chen Ping''an had never mentioned to Daoist Lu or Ning Yao. That was, he had already developed a subtle feeling that something had gone wrong in his body when Cai Jinjian had tapped his be and struck his chest. It was also because of this feeling that he had stood outside his house for so long at that time. He had been summoning the courage and resolve to seek Cai Jinjian for revenge, no matter the cost.


    After all, ording to Daoist Lu, Chen Ping''an had already been brimming with an aura of death at that time. He had lost the vitality and energy that a young person should have possessed. Thus, Chen Ping''an had been far less apprehensive of death than most people.


    By forcefully opening his acupoints and "pointing the way", Cai Jinjian had effectively caused his body to be like a house that had no door. One could indeed carry many things inside, but whenever there was rain or snow, the house would copse far quicker and far more easily than normal. It was because of this that Daoist Lu hade to the conclusion that he would only be able to live to 30 or 40, provided that he didn''t suffer from any serious ailments or face any cmity.


    Afterward, by striking Chen Ping''an''s chest, Cai Jinjian had further destroyed the foundations that would allow him to cultivate. Like destroying the gates of a city, she had effectively sealed off all methods for him to properly circte his aura through these foundations. Not only had this severed Chen Ping''an''s opportunity to cultivate, but it had also elerated the decay of his body.


    Cai Jinjian''s two actions were truly terrifying. After exposing Chen Ping''an''s body to the elements, this meant that he would no longer be able to cultivate and achieve longevity. At the same time, he would also be unable to rely on spell techniques and mystical abilities to repair his body and reconstruct his foundations.


    Meanwhile, even if was fortunate enough to be a proper martial artist, and he could indeed temper his physique to improve his health, any opportunity that he came across in the future would always be apanied by a severe and lurking danger. If he identally slipped up, he would fall into a dire situation where he further opened himself up to misfortunes. At that time, not only would he have failed to extend his lifespan, but he would have instead pushed himself to an even earlier death.


    The most important thing right now was for him to learn a martial art that could provide him with small benefits over a long period of time, allowing him to nurture his vital energy. In terms of whether this martial art was powerful, domineering, or could allow one to progress in leaps and bounds, this was all of much less importance.


    Chen Ping''an had ced all of his hopes in the Mountain Shaking Guide, the guide that Ning Yao didn''t fancy at all.


    Beyond walking meditation, Ning Yao had also told him about the "Sword Furnace" standing meditation and the "Eternity" sleeping meditation.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to recklessly practice these. At the time, he had only taken a few nces at those diagrams before stopping himself from reading any further. He felt like he should leave it to Ning Yao to appraise and verify the effects of those techniques first before starting to practice them.


    If one took the correct path, one would ultimately be able to make progress every day, regardless of how poor theirprehension ability was. They simply needed to persevere. If one veered off onto an incorrect path, however, their smarts and effort would only lead them further and farther astray.


    It was Liu Xianyang who had spoken these words to him. Of course, he hadn''t forgotten to add, "You, Chen Ping''an, are the first type of person. Your clever neighbor, Young Schr Song, is the second type of person. As for me, I''m the type of prodigy who''s both smart and walking on the correct path."


    While bragging and blowing his own trumpet, Liu Xianyang had identally been overheard by the passing Old Man Yao. Old Man Yao had always given him special treatment and viewed him as a favorite disciple, yet Liu Xianyang''s words had seemingly caused him to recall some unpleasant memories. In a rare disy, Old Man Yao had red up in rage and given Liu Xianyang a solid beating. After that time, Liu Xianyang never mentioned the word "prodigy" again.


    Chen Ping''an exhaled heavily before standing up and walking up the steps. After arriving on the covered bridge, he discovered that there was a group of four or five people standing and sitting in the distance. It looked like they were guarding one of the young girls. Chen Ping''an could only see her side, and her feet were casually hanging above the creek water as she sat on the railings of the covered bridge. Her eyes were closed, and her fingers were locked in strange positions as she made a weird hand symbol.


    Even though her eyes were closed, her movements were such that Chen Ping''an felt like she was using her mind to "look" at something.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before deciding not to go any further. He turned around and walked down the steps, deciding to wade through the water to cross the creek. He had brought two bamboo baskets with him today, onerge and one small. Thus, he was going to visit Liu Xianyang to return the slightly smaller basket to Master Ruan''s cksmith shop first. After all, Liu Xianyang had borrowed it from someone else.


    The group of people on the covered bridge exchanged a smile upon seeing the impoverished young boy tactfully turn around to leave. However, they didn''t speak, afraid that they would disturb the young girl who was in a mystical mental state of "observing water".


    This technique had originated from Buddhism, and there was absolutely no doubt about this. Afterward, however, many other cultivation sects had adopted it and changed it for their own purposes, furtherbining and refining it with other techniques. In the end, this one technique had branched off into many different techniques.


    However, Buddhism was facing the degenerate age of Dharma in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. After several great cmities aimed at destroying Buddhism swept throughrge swathes of the continent, Buddhism had slowly entered a state of decline for the past 1000 years. Their power and influence was far inferior to Daoism and Confucianism.


    "Hear only about the True Lords and Heavenly Masters; know not about the Dharmap and Bhadanta." This was the current situation in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    However, the sects who had benefited from Buddhism were countless in number.


    Chen Ping''an rolled up his pants and sleeves and waded across the creek. When he arrived onshore, he suddenly heard screams of astonishment and howls of anger traveling over from the covered bridge. He paused for a moment before deciding against getting involved.


    When he arrived at Master Ruan''s cksmith shop, he saw that it was still as lively and busy as always. Chen Ping''an didn''t wander around by himself, and he instead stood next to a well and asked someone to notify Liu Xianyang of his arrival.


    He had initially thought that he would need to wait for a long time, but to his surprise, Liu Xianyang ran over after only a short while. Liu Xianyang dragged him toward the creek and muttered in a low voice, "I''ve been waiting for you for so long! Why did you only just arrive?!"


    Chen Ping''an was slightly puzzled, and asked, "Master Ruan has been nagging you to return the bamboo basket?"


    The tall young boy rolled his eyes and said, "What''s a crappy basket worth? No, I''ve got something important to discuss with you. When you go back to my home after collecting those pebbles, wait for that woman to arrive and look for you. I''m talking about the woman whose son is wearing red. We saw them at the entrance of y Vase Alleyst time. When she arrives, you don''t need to say anything else, and you simply need to give thatrge case to her. She''ll give you a pouch of coins. Make sure to check the pouch in front of her; there should be 25 copper coins. Make sure there''s none missing!"


    Chen Ping''an was shocked, and he eximed, "Liu Xianyang, have you gone mad?! Why are you selling your family heirloom to that outsider?!"


    Liu Xianyang roughly wrapped his arm around Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and said, "You don''t know crap. A bright future is waiting for me, so why should I abandon it for no reason?"


    Chen Ping''an wore a skeptical expression. He refused to believe that this was Liu Xianyang''s true feeling.


    Liu Xianyang sighed and whispered in a soft voice, "That woman wants to buy my treasured armor, while the other master and servant want to obtain my sword scripture. Before passing away, my grandpa told me that I could sell the treasured armor if I was truly forced into such a situation. Of course, this is naturally only if the price is right. However, when ites to the sword scripture, I can''t admit that the Liu n possesses it even if that means death."


    "Thus, I decided to sell the treasured armor to that woman. Apart from the pouch of coins, she also agreed that she would talk to that imposing old man and convince him not to target me in the short term. In essence, I''m just buying some time. After I be Master Ruan''s disciple, all of these problems won''t be problems anymore."


    "Then why didn''t you try to buy time with that woman?" Chen Ping''an asked directly. "It''s not like she cane to the cksmith shop to target you and cause trouble, right? In any case, she can''t break into your house to steal that suit of treasured armor."


    Liu Xianyang let go of him and squatted down by the creek. As he casually picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water, he pursed his lips and said, "It''s not like I definitely can''t sell that suit of treasured armor. Since she''s offering a fair price for it, isn''t the oue pretty good anyway? It can also make our situation safer, and perhaps Ning Yao won''t need to interfere and put herself in danger either. So, I feel like this isn''t a bad oue."


    Chen Ping''an squatted down next to him and said in an anxious voice, "How do you know she''s offering a fair price? What are you going to do if you regret it in the future?"


    The tall boy grinned and said, "Regret it? Just have a think, since when have I ever regretted doing something?"


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head. He had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, but he was a clumsy speaker and didn''t know how he could persuade Liu Xianyang.


    Liu Xianyang had always lived a carefree life, and it was as if there was nothing that could ever obstruct him or challenge him.


    The tall boy stood up before kicking Chen Ping''an''s bamboo basket and saying, "Hurry up, I need to return this to Master Ruan. When I officially be his disciple, I''ll invite you over to broaden your horizons."


    Chen Ping''an slowly stood up. He wanted to say something, yet he eventually swallowed his words. Liu Xianyang smiled and scolded, "Bloody hell, Chen Ping''an, am I selling your family heirloom or my family heirloom? Or perhaps I''m selling your wife?"


    As Chen Ping''an handed the bamboo basket over, he asked in an uncertain voice, "You''re not going to reconsider it?"


    After epting the basket, Liu Xianyang took several steps back before suddenlyunching into the air and performing a shy roundhouse kick.


    When hended, he smiled smugly and asked, "Impressive, huh? Are you afraid?"


    "Get stuffed," Chen Ping''an replied with a huff.


    After leaving Master Ruan''s cksmith shop, Chen Ping''an was weighed down with thoughts in his mind as he entered the creek to collect pebbles. Perhaps it was due to his restless mind, or perhaps it was due to the shallower creek, his results today were rtively poor, with only 20 or so snake gall pebbles in his basket when he arrived near the covered bridge. Moreover, none of them were dazzling, and none of them had caught his attention at first nce.


    Chen Ping''an ced the bamboo basket and fish basket in the tall grass beside the creek before taking a deep breath and walking back into the creek. He started to practice walking meditation.


    When Chen Ping''an returned, his heart jolted as he saw a short young boy squatting next to the baskets that he had hidden in the tall grass. There was a lush green grass stalk hanging from his mouth.


    This young boy was Granny Ma''s grandson, and he had been treated as a retard by the others ever since he was very little. Moreover, Granny Ma''s reputation was extremely poor among the children who were around Chen Ping''an''s age, and she was seen as someone who was both stingy and unkind. As a result, many of them treated her darling grandson as an outlet to vent their anger.


    The young boy was chased and bullied every time he left home. Whenever he wore new clothes or shoes, it was guaranteed that they would be dirty within an hour thanks to the mean actions of the other children. For example, when Granny Ma bought a new pair of shoes for him, a dozen or so children would immediately step on his feet and trample all over his shoes. When he returned home, would the shoes still appear new?


    This young boy was called Ma Kuxuan, and he was a mentally impaired child who had already beenrgely forgotten about by the others. He had always appeared strange, and he had always been picked on by others. However, he neverined to Granny Ma, and he never burst into tears or begged the other to stop.


    From the beginning to the end, he had always worn a calm expression, with a hint of coldness in his eyes. Thus, the children in Apricot Blossom Alley had never liked to y with him. As a result, Ma Kuxuan had learned how to y by himself from a very early age. His favorite pastime was to sit on a hill or roof and watch the clouds in the sky.


    Chen Ping''an had never bullied Ma Kuxuan before, nor had he ever felt sympathy for him. Even though they were both pitiful children, he had more so never thought about bing friends with him to find a sense of warmth and belonging.


    This was because Chen Ping''an didn''t think that Ma Kuxuan was a mentally impaired retard. Instead, he felt like Ma Kuxuan was extremely simr to Song Jixin, and perhaps even more capable than him.


    He never spoke, but it was as if he were biding his time and waiting for an opportunity. It was as if he were silently saying to the others, "The heavens owe me many things, and there will eventuallye a day when I reim all that is rightfully mine!"


    If someone owed Song Jixin one copper coin, perhaps he would demand them to obediently return two. If it were Ma Kuxuan, however, perhaps he would demand them to return a tael of gold!


    Chen Ping''an didn''t think that they were wrong. Instead, he simply disliked this type of personality.


    The young boy no longer appeared like a mentally impaired retard, and he smiled and said in a clear voice, "You''re Chen Ping''an from y Vase Alley, right? Zhi Gui''s neighbor?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in confirmation and asked, "Is something the matter?"


    The young boy smiled before pointing at Chen Ping''an''s basket and telling him, "Perhaps you haven''t realized it yet, but the creek has be much shallower than before. The only good pebbles left are those in the deep pool under the covered bridge and those in the pit under the Azure Cow Ridge. The pebbles in the other ces aren''t that great anymore, just like the ones that you''ve collected. They can''t hold their aura anymore, and they''ll quickly plummet in quality. If you''re lucky, perhaps you''ll be able to make an extremely good quality whetstone out of them, or perhaps you''ll be able to make inkstones for schrs. At the end of the day, they''re still valuable items that will fetch a good price with ease. However... Forget about it. You might not understand even if I exin it to you."


    Chen Ping''an replied with a smile. However, he didn''t say anything.


    The short young boy suddenly asked, "You were practicing a fist technique in the creek just now?"


    Chen Ping''an still remained silent.


    There was a glimmer in his eyes, and Ma Kuxuan roared withughter as he said, "As it turns out, you''re not stupid either, huh? That makes sense. You''re quite simr to me, and we''re actually the same type of person."


    Chen Ping''an walked around the young boy and told him that he was going to leave first. He then picked up his baskets and turned around to leave.


    Squatting down as he watched Chen Ping''an disappear into the distance, Ma Kuxuan spat out the grass stalk in his mouth before shaking his head and saying in a soft voice, "Your stance is poor, and your number of mistakes is also great. No matter how much you practice, you''re still not going to reach any great height."


    Without turning around, Ma Kuxuan said, "You''ve retrieved our Martial Sect''s subjugation treasure?"


    The man behind him smiled and said, "Remember to call me Master in the future."


    The young boy ignored him. He stood up and turned around, asking, "Can you show me that Small Sword Resting Ground?"


    The man in front of him was none other than the Martial Sect grandmaster who had a sword strapped to his back and a tiger talisman hanging by his waist. He imed that he hade from True Martial Mountain, and he had even announced that he would challenge the so-called junior uncle from the sect of the Golden Boy and Jade Girl.


    The man shook his head and said, "Now''s not the right time."


    A hint of frustration and anger appeared on his face, and he continued, "Why did you purposely ruin that girl''s Observing Water Mental State? Do you know that such actions will make you two arch-enemies for life?"


    The young boy wore an indifferent expression as he replied, "To pursue the Great Dao is to embark on a difficult journey. If I''m unable to ovee such a minor challenge, how will I dare to dream about achieving immortality?"


    The manughed in anger and sneered, "You''ve yet to even embark on your journey, yet you''re already daring to talk so big? You''re not afraid of being too hyperbolic?!"


    Ma Kuxuan grinned, revealing his sparkling white teeth. "If I encounter this kind of ascension opportunity in the future, I''ll make sure to notify that girl. Master, you don''t need to interfere at that time, and I''ll allow her to try and ruin my opportunity."


    The man sighed with emotion and said, "Do you know? The fated opportunities in this worlde big and small, while blessings and fortunes alsoe major and minor. One''s aptitude and talent alsoes higher or lower. If you always judge others using your own set of principles, there will eventuallye a day when youe across someone who''s more powerful and high-level than you, and at that time, they might destroy your path to longevity simply because they aren''t in a good mood. What will you do then?"


    The young boy smiled and replied, "I''ll ept my fate!"


    The man chuckled at himself in a mocking manner and said, "I won''t try to reason with you again in the future. My words will just fall on deaf ears."


    "How did that boy from y Vase Alley find out about the value of the pebbles in the creek? And he''s even practicing a fist technique?" Ma Kuxuan suddenly asked.


    The man''s expression instantly became serious, and he said, "Ma Kuxuan! I don''t care if you''re an unruly person or whatnot. However, there''s one thing that you have to remember. We''re swordsmen from the Martial Sect! We wield the sword to shatter all techniques, we wield the sword to follow our mind, and we wield the sword to pursue invincibility. However, we definitely don''t wield the sword to pick on mortals or to kill those who are innocent. More importantly, we can''t purposely target others simply because we''re jealous of their talent!"


    The young boy stretchedzily and said, "Master, you''re overthinking things. Regardless of how powerful that boy from y Vase Alley is, I won''t bother him as long as he doesn''t bother me. At the end of the day, the people in this small town are nothing more than stepping stones for me, regardless of how great their achievements are. Being jealous of them? I can''t even thank them fast enough!"


    The man was exasperated. "There''s truly no way to reason with you. I feel like True Martial Mountain will have its hands full in the future."


    "What are you ranked in True Martial Mountain?" Ma Kuxuan asked in curiosity.


    The man chuckled and replied, "Let''s not talk about this. I don''t want to lose face."


    The young boy rolled his eyes and said, "If I had known this earlier, I would have waited for a little longer before choosing a master."


    The man replied with a smile.


    There was something that he hadn''t told his disciple. There were indeed many types of prodigies in the world, and there were indeed many different levels of talent and aptitude.


    Just then, the six-step walking meditation of the young boy in straw sandals had appeared ordinary and unremarkable. In reality, however, his movements had been filled with a rolling fist intent.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Hey guys, if you haven''t already seen the site announcement, WW has just created an Instagram ount. Check out the post here and find out how you can get some good karma + get a bonus chapter of Unsheathed!


    Note: We have already hit the milestone (in less than a day). The bonus chapter will be released on the 9th. But you can still participate to get some karma! </blockquote>

 Chapter 43: The Young Boy and the Old Dog

    Chapter 43: The Young Boy and the Old Dog


    Chen Ping''an didn''t directly return to Liu Xianyang''s house. Instead, he went to y Vase Alley first and told Ning Yao about Liu Xianyang''s decision.


    Ning Yao didn''tment on this, and she simply said that this was something between him and Liu Xianyang. She also said that she was only responsible for epting money to deal with any potential problems for them. If Liu Xianyang could ovee this challenge without needing her help, she would naturally return the three pouches of gold essence copper coins to them.


    However, Chen Ping''an said that this had nothing to do with money. Upon hearing this, Ning Yao coldly asked him what their rtionship was to talk in such a manner. Chen Ping''an was rendered speechless by her, and he could only squat by the door and scratch his head.


    Ning Yao nced at the desserts on the table that Chen Ping''an had brought over. There were cheap but delicious jujube glutinous rice cakes, and there were also rtively expensive rain dew balls. It was clear that the young boy was doing his best to show hospitality to his guest. The young girl suddenly felt a rare sense of guilt, and she felt like she was treating the young boy quite unkindly. She was living in his house and eating his food, so even if she was unable to help when he encountered troubles, the least she could do was to not add fuel to the fire.


    "Perhaps Liu Xianyang felt like his life was being threatened even while he was still at the cksmith shop? So he had no option but to sell that green and ck wart-like armor? For example, there might be hidden members of the Four Surnames and Ten ns in the cksmith shop, and perhaps they gave Liu Xianyang a beating?"


    Chen Ping''an thought about this for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "No, that can''t be. Liu Xianyang definitely isn''t the type of person to lower his head and admit defeat simply because someone threatened him. When I first met him, even though he had been beaten to the point of vomiting blood by that group of people from Fortune Street, he still didn''t utter a single word of surrender. He continued to endure it, and he was almost beaten to death by them. After all these years, this part about him still hasn''t changed."


    "There''s never a shortage of people who are hot-blooded, courageous, and prefer death over dishonor. I''ve seen many such people on my journey. However, when they''re offered a huge fortune, can they still maintain theirposure and moralpass?" Ning Yao asked.


    Chen Ping''an fell deep into thought. However, his expression eventually became firm, and he said, "Liu Xianyang won''t abandon his principles simply because someone offered him a huge fortune. He had an extremely good rtionship with his grandfather, and unless he was telling the truth about his grandfather saying that he could sell the suit of armor for the right price, he definitely wouldn''t sell it otherwise. As for that sword scripture, it definitely has to be kept in the Liu n and passed down to the future generations."


    "From what I know, that wart-like armor is indeed quite outstanding. However, it''s nothing too precious. Meanwhile, that sword scripture is definitely an extremely valuable treasure. After all, Sun Scorch Mountain has been coveting it for so long, and they even decided to send two people to this small town to look for it. It''s clear that they view this treasure as their own. Thus, it makes sense for Liu Xianyang to sell the suit of armor and keep the sword scripture."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Ning Yao stroked the green scabbard of her saber and suggested with a cold expression, "As a precaution, I''ll go with you to Liu Xianyang''s house to deal with that woman first. Since Liu Xianyang personally agreed to sell that suit of armor, we''ll do as he says and bring the box out for that woman. When that''s done, I''ll go with you to Master Ruan''s cksmith shop and ask Liu Xianyang what in the world he was thinking. If he was truly honoring the will of his grandfather, then there''s no need for me to interfere and do anything else. After all, everyone has their own way of doing things, so we shouldn''t stick our noses into their business. If this wasn''t the case, however, we''ll ask him to tell us what''s troubling him and what his considerations were. If it reallyes to it, we can just snatch that box back!"


    "Ning Yao, you''ve fully recovered?" Chen Ping''an asked with a worried expression.


    Ning Yao smiled coldly and said, "If our opponent is that Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain, then I''ll definitely be left in a sorry state. If it''s that woman, however, I can deal with her with a single hand, especially since we''re in this small town."


    "Mountain-moving Ape?" Chen Ping''an asked in curiosity.


    "That''s a type of despicable ancient beast that''s managed to exist until now," Ning Yao replied in a perfunctory manner. "Their true form is that of a gigantic ape that''s asrge as a mountain. It''s said that once they reveal their true form, they can even dig up a mountain and carry it on their back. However, these are nothing but rumors. After all, no one has ever witnessed that before.


    "Sun Scorch Mountain has been holding back for several hundred years, and in reality, their foundations are actually incredibly strong. Even though their sect isn''t ranked highly in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, they''re certainly not a force that can be trifled with either. With this in mind, it''s best that we try to avoid conflict with them. If we can''t, however..."


    "If we can''t, then what?" Chen Ping''an asked carefully.


    Ning Yao stood up and unsheathed an inch of her saber. She then looked at the young boy as if she were looking at a retard, and she said, "What else? We''ll hack them to death!"


    Chen Ping''an gulped.


    With his basket still on his back, the young boy slowly walked to Liu Xianyang''s house with the young girl who was wearing her veiled hat and saber.


    Ning Yao turned around to nce at Chen Ping''an''s basket, and she asked, "Why is there so little today?"


    Chen Ping''an sighed and replied, "Ma Kuxuan... Oh, he''s Granny Ma from Apricot Blossom Alley''s grandson, and he''s around the same age as me. Anyway, it''s as if he''s be apletely different person. ording to him, the feng shui of our small town has changed, so the pebbles in the creek can''t hold their ''aura'' anymore."


    Ning Yao wore a solemn expression, and she said in a low voice, "He''s right, things are about to change in this small town. It''s best that you deal with this issue quickly and leave the small town as soon as possible. Even if you leave and return again at ater date, it''s still better than staying here the entire time."


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t a foolishly stubborn person. He had lived by himself from a young age, yet this had made him even more adept when it came to reading the intentions and attitudes of others. He nodded and said with a smile, "I will. I''ll immediately leave after Liu Xianyang officially bes Master Ruan''s disciple. It''ll be best if Master Ruan also agrees to forge a sword for you at that time."


    Looking at the beaming smile on his face, Ning Yao couldn''t help but feel a little puzzled. "These things have got nothing to do with you, so why do you look so happy? Am I wrong to call you a foolishly kind person?"


    Perhaps because they were slightly more familiar with each other now, Chen Ping''an was no longer as reserved as before when he spoke. He was filled with a righteous manner as he said, "Liu Xianyang, Gu Can, and you... Just think about it, how many people are in this world? Yet, I only care about the safety and happiness of you three. How am I a foolishly kind person?"


    Ning Yao smiled and asked, "Then where do I rank among the three people?"


    Chen Ping''an flushed red and replied honestly, "Temporarily third."


    Ning Yao untied her saber and casually held it in her hand. She then used the scabbard to lightly tap the young boy''s shoulder, saying with a fake smile, "Chen Ping''an, you''ve got to thank me for sparing your life."


    Chen Ping''an replied with an inexplicable question, saying, "You don''t find brewing medicine annoying?"


    Ning Yao faltered upon hearing this. However, she quickly understood his meaning, and she said, "Chen Ping''an, I suddenly feel like you''ll do quite well even when you leave this small town and go to the outside world."


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t greedy in the least, and he said sincerely, "I''ll be happy as long as my situation can stay the same."


    Ning Yao didn''tment on this. Like a young girl waving a flower branch in the countryside, she lightly waved the green scabbard in her hand.


    When they arrived at the corner of the alley where Liu Xianyang''s house was located, a ck shadow suddenly shot out from nowhere, almost causing Ning Yao to draw her de. Fortunately, she managed to stop herself in time. As it turned out, this was a dog, and it affectionately ran circles around Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an bent down to pat the dog on the head. He then stood up and said with a smile, "He''s called Fortune, and he''s Liu Xianyang''s neighbor''s dog. It''s been many years already, but this dog is still as cowardly as always. Liu Xianyang and I used to always bring him with us when we climbed the mountains, but Liu Xianyang would alwaysin that he couldn''t catch any wild rabbits or chickens. In other words, Fortune is even less capable than a cat. For example, people often see Ma Kuxuan''s cat carrying wild chickens and snakes into his house. However, Fortune is quite old, after all. He''s already 10, and this is old for a dog."


    As he said this, Chen Ping��an couldn''t help but bend down to pat Fortune on the head again. His voice was gentle as he continued, "At this age, you have to ept that you''re getting old, right? But don''t worry, I definitely won''t leave you starving when I be rich in the future."


    Ning Yao shook her head, unable to empathize with his feelings.


    This was the case even though she had witnessed all kinds of people and events on her journey to this small town. She had seen lofty and powerful immortals, she had seen ordinary and unremarkable mortals, she had seen the extravagant and furious horses of powerful young masters, she had seen the ethereal and carefree figures who soared through the sky, and she had also seen the many kinds of joyful reunions and heartbreaking separations.


    There was that Buddhist monk who walked barefoot during windy and rainy nights to ask for food, with his steps firm and resolute as he continued to chant the Buddha''s name.


    There was that impoverished schr who was rushing to the capital to take the imperial exam, not remorseful or resentful that the hair by his temples had grayed after staying in that rundown temple and gently helping that fox spirit in human form draw her eyebrows...


    There was that young Daoist who held the esteemed title of Heavenly Master, walking through the unmarked graves of that ancient battlefield alone as he silently recited the mantra "Protection of the Myriad Heavenly Venerates", not hesitating to sacrifice his cultivation to point out a path for those lost and lonesome ghosts.


    There was that middle-aged official who had personally sealed off an illegal Dragon King Temple early in his career, yet his lips were cracked and bloody as he ced an incense table by the dry riverbed and recited the Dragon King Rain Seeking Script with a hoarse voice, even going as far as to face the direction of the Dragon King Temple and drop to his knees to kowtow for forgiveness, all for the sake of themoners in his jurisdiction.


    There was that old man who refused to abandon a past dynasty, refusing to take his son who had be an official in the new dynasty with him, and instead only taking a few elementary-aged grandchildren with him as he climbed up a mountain and created a poem, tears in his eyes as he faced the destroyednds of his nation and told his grandchildren of the past names of the states and counties.


    There was that boat that streamed down the long gorge like a floating leaf; there was that schr who was filled with vigor as he listened to the sounds of nature on the two banks, raising his head to howl whenever he read a script that touched his heart; there was that breathtakingly beautiful woman suited in armor who rode her galloping horse and skulled wine after the mes of battle settled...


    She walked vast stretches of road, witnessing all kinds of different people and matters, and experienced a wide range of differentprehensions and enlightenment... However, Ning Yao''s Dao Heart remained strong and unmoving. It wasn''t soiled in the least.


    Today, Ning Yao witnessed something new.


    There was an impoverished young boy from a run-down alley, a bamboo basket on his back and a fish basket by his waist as he bent down to pat the head of that old dog, his expression one that was filled with hope for the future.


    Not long after arriving at Liu Xianyang''s house, the two of them heard someone knocking on the door. Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao exchanged a nce.


    Chen Ping''an walked over to open the door, while Ning Yao remained standing in the house. However, she turned around to nce at the sword that was silently resting on the cab.


    The person at the door was none other than Lu Zhengchun. However, he was naturally serving the woman standing next to him. In addition to them, there were also two loyal servants from the Lu n.


    Lu Zhengchun wore a friendly expression as he asked in a soft voice, "You''re Chen Ping''an, Liu Xianyang''s friend, correct? We''re here to collect that box, and Liu Xianyang should have told you about this already. So, rest assured and take this pouch of coins. Apart from this, thedy will also give Liu Xianyang the other things that she promised him."


    Chen Ping''an epted the pouch of coins and moved aside to let them through. The graceful and bold woman was the first to enter the courtyard, with Lu Zhengchun and the two servants following after her. The woman personally opened the red wooden box that had already been carried to the main hall, and she bent down and reached over to stroke the ugly suit of armor. A hint of intoxication shed through her eyes, followed by an expression of unconceble fervor and desire. However, she quickly put her emotions in check.


    She stood up and gestured for Lu Zhengchun and the two servants to collect the box. It wasn''t heavy, and this was because it only contained a single suit of armor.


    The woman was thest to leave the house, and when she arrived at the door, she turned back to face the young boy in straw sandals, saying with a faint smile, "Liu Xianyang genuinely treats you as a close friend."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t understand what she was trying to say, so he could only keep his mouth shut and remain silent as he watched them exit the courtyard.


    He remained standing there for a long time, unwilling to move. In the end, Ning Yao walked up beside him.


    The woman was walking behind Lu Zhengchun and the two servants. When they arrived at the end of the alley, she turned around, only to see the young boy and young girl standing side-by-side. She wore an amused smile as she said, "Ah, being young is so nice. However, you''ll need to stay alive if you want to enjoy it."


    ��������


    On the covered bridge that spanned across the creek, therey a tall and broad young boy in a pool of blood, his body convulsing as blood poured from his mouth.


    This time, however, he didn''t hear the skinny and dark young boy screaming for help at the top of his lungs.


    On the northern end of the covered bridge, there stood arge group of people pointing and having spirited discussions. However, they didn''t dare to approach the young boy, lest they bring cmity upon themselves.


    Two people quickly walked onto the covered bridge, with the man squatting down beside the young boy and cing his fingers on his radial pulse. His expression became increasingly solemn.


    The young girl in green was infuriated, and she said through gritted teeth, "They destroyed his chest with a single punch! How cruel and merciless!"


    The man remained silent.


    Ruan Xiu was wearing a ponytail today, and she said in anger, "Father! Are you going to watch Liu Xianyang die just like this? He can already be regarded as half your disciple!"


    The man didn''t let go of the young boy''s wrist, and his face was expressionless as he said in a calm voice, "I didn''t expect Sun Scorch Mountain to be so unreasonable this time."


    The young girl suddenly stood up, and she shouted, "If you''re not going to deal with them, then I''ll go and deal with them myself!"


    The man slowly looked up and said, "Ruan Xiu, do you want me to collect your corpse for you?"


    The young girl strode forward with an indomitable will, saying in a solemn voice, "Eating isn''t the only thing I know how to do! I also know how to kill people!"


    There was a hint of thunderous fury on Ruan Qiong''s face.


    Part of the reason was because his daughter was too rash, but more of the reason was because that old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain was far too cruel.


    The man pondered over this for a moment. Since he was still yet to officially take over from Qi Jingchun, did this mean that he could also act in an unreasonable manner?


    The young girl in green suddenly stopped in her tracks.


    This was because she suddenly saw a skinny young boy frenziedly running over from the other side of the covered bridge.


    This familiar figure was wearing a pair of straw sandals. He waspletely expressionless at this moment.


    She wanted to say something as the boy dashed past her, yet she couldn''t open her mouth to speak no matter what. She felt extremely aggrieved for some reason, and tears immediately started to flow down her cheeks.


    When Chen Ping''an sat down beside Liu Xianyang and grabbed one of his hands, it was as if the tall young boy whose vision was already blurry regained a little bit of energy. He tried to squeeze out a smile, and he said in abored voice, "That woman said that she would kill you if I didn''t give her the suit of treasured armor... She also said that both she and her son hade to our small town, so she could ept the price of one of them being kicked out. I was afraid... I was genuinely afraid that she would kill you... However, I didn''t lie to you before, and my grandpa truly did say those words. So, I decided to sell the suit of armor. What does it matter anyway...?


    "However, she sent someone to look for me just then, and they told me that the old man had gone crazy. After hearing that I didn''t have the sword scripture, he became intent on killing you and then killing me. I was extremely worried about you, so I wanted to run over to give you a warning... That''s how I arrived here... However, I was punched by that old bastard... It does hurt a little."


    Chen Ping''an''s head was lowered as he gently wiped the blood from the corners of Liu Xianyang''s mouth. There was a deep frown on his face, and he said in a soft voice, "Don''t be afraid; everything will be okay. You have to believe me. Don''t talk anymore, okay? I''ll take you home..."


    The tall young boy''s energy gradually waned again, with his eyes losing focus as he murmured, "I don''t regret anything, and you don''t need to me yourself either. Really... It''s just that... I''m a little afraid... As it turns out, I''m also afraid of death..."


    In the end, the tall young boy sobbed as he tightly held onto his only friend''s hand, saying, "Chen Ping''an, I''m truly afraid of death..."


    As Chen Ping''an sat there, he tightly held Liu Xianyang''s hand with one hand, while his other hand was tightly clenched into a fist on his knee.


    Liu Xianyang''s breathing was erratic andbored.


    He was still young, yet he appeared much like an old dog at this moment.


    The rims of Chen Ping''an''s eyes were extremely red.


    When he wanted to demand justice from the heavens, he would appear even more like an old dog.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t want to be like this. He didn''t want to be like this ever again!<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    d you made it to 43! If you made it here, then it only gets better from here. This is the turning point of the story.


    But the pace is still going to be slow, so stockpile if it drives you nuts (or subscribe to read ahead). Hope you guys aren''t disappointed. </blockquote>

 Chapter 44: Coming to Light

    Chapter 44: Coming to Light


    The Lu Manor on Fortune Street was quite small andpact, but there was far more to it than met the eye. Even the woman from the Xu n of the Light Breeze City felt like every possible effort had already been made, and there were no further ways to improve this ce.


    Inside akeside pavilion, the woman was leaningzily against the railing of the pavilion with a content expression, having just sessfully secured the suit of scaly armor from the Liu n. She was in such a good mood that even though Lu Zhengchun was standing on the steps of thekeside pavilion, she didn''t find him to be as much of an eyesore as usual.


    Her son was dressed in hisrge red robe, standing on the long bench while tossing fish food into the smallke. Close to 100 red-backed koi fish were squashed together, fighting for the food, presenting a stunning sight to behold.


    The woman turned to Lu Zhengchun as she instructed, "There''s no need for you to remain here any longer. Once everything is done here, you''ll return with us to Light Breeze City. Not only will my husband ept you as an in-house disciple, we''ll also fulfill your grandfather''s rather unreasonable request and ensure that you reach the Middle Five Tiers someday. This is the most valuable type of promise, and it has to be said that your grandfather is quite a wily old fox for making such a request."


    A faint smile appeared on the woman''s face as she continued, "If you ask me, if your grandfather had been the leader of the Lu n, then the Lu Empire wouldn''t have copsed so quickly. Even the extremely arrogant Monarch Song Changjing of the Great Li Empire once stated that he was only able to conquer the Lu Empire in a single year due inrge part to the ipetence of the Lu Empire itself.


    ��Unfortunately for this branch of your Lu n in this town, you weren''t able to rise to greater heights as the main branch rose to power, but now that the Lu Empire has fallen, the negative consequences have adversely affected this side branch as well. Hence, this opportunity toe to our Light Breeze City is truly a vast honor and privilege for you, so make sure you don''t let it slip through your fingers."


    Lu Zhengchun extended an extremely deep bow as he cupped his fist in a salute above his head, and he was so grateful that he was on the verge of tears as he dered, "I''ll never forget this opportunity that you have bestowed upon me, Mistress Xu! Even after I go to Light Breeze City, I will serve you as your most loyal subordinate for the rest of my life! I swear that you will be the only one that I pledge my loyalty to for as long as I live!"


    The woman narrowed her eyes in a seductive manner as she smiled and said in a gentle voice, "Make sure you don''t let my husband, your future master, hear what you said just now. Alternatively, perhaps you could repeat what you said here to him when you meet him."


    Perhaps Lu Zhengchun no longer felt any shame in kneeling to others after kneeling down to Liu Xianyang in y Vase Alley, but after hearing this thinly veiled threat from the woman, he immediately fell to his knees, then kowtowed onto the top step outside thekeside pavilion as he said in a trembling voice, "I wouldn''t dare to forget the one who bestowed this opportunity upon me."


    The woman smiled and waved him away in a dismissive manner. "You can get up now. Speak with your actions, not your words. The path of cultivation is a long and arduous one, and eventually, your true colors wille to light."


    Lu Zhengchun backed away from thekeside pavilion, only turning around after he had made his way down the steps. The high and mighty young master who had once been one of the most prominent figures in the town seemed to have never had his back straight when in the presence of this woman.


    Outside of the town, the Lu n was an imperial n that ruled over a massive empire. However, the empire had been dealt an extremely severe blow by the army of the Great Li Empire, and it was going to be very difficult for them to make any type of resurgence in a short time. As a result, all of the direct lineal branches and side branches of the Lu n had to keep a low profile for the time being.


    Otherwise, given the power and reputation of Light Breeze City, there was no way that the woman would''ve dared to take over the branch of the Lu n in this town and order its young master around as if he were her servant. In fact, if the Lu Empire had been at the height of its powers, even the little girl and her elderly servant from Sun Scorch Mountain wouldn''t have dared to treat the Lu n with such disdain.


    At the moment, the Lu n was like a dragon that was stranded on shore, and it was forced to lower its head during these difficult times.


    The boy in the red robe chuckled, "That man was truly born to be a ve. Why did you agree to take such a pathetic piece of trash along with us, Mother? You''re not actually going to make Father take him as his disciple, are you? And you promised to get him to the Middle Five Tiers? Since when was it that easy to get to that level?"


    The woman smiled as she replied, "Lu Zhengchun may be a pathetic little man, but he''s notpletely without merit. His aptitude is quite mediocre, so it would''ve been extremely fortunate even to have be an external disciple to your father, but ultimately, he''s only an afterthought in the far bigger deal that''s taking ce.


    ��On the surface, it appears that I''ve promised the Lu n in this town a lot, but in reality, we''ve granted the imperial branch of the Lu n even more. We took in all of the members of the imperial n who were seeking refuge and allowed them to settle in our Light Breeze City. On top of that, we''ve been treating them as the most esteemed of guests, and we''ve even marked out arge area in the city that we''ve granted to them as their private territory for the next 10,000 years."


    After tossing out all the fish food in his hands, the boy suddenly ran out of thekeside pavilion, then scooped up arge handful of rocks before rushing back into the pavilion. After that, he leaned against the railing and began to hurl the rocks forcefully at the koi fish, taking great pleasure in their suffering. As he did this, he turned to his mother and said, "I''m guessing that we only came to this town in search of that suit of armor as nothing more than a ruse, right?


    ��In reality, our goal was to use this opportunity to seize control of the Lu n. The Lu Empire may have fallen, but its residual forces are not to be estimated. I''ve heard that just the imperial family of the Lu Empire alone numbers in excess of 3,000 members, and if we count in all the servants, officials, and generals who weren''t willing to surrender to the Great Li Empire, all of them provide a massive boost to our Light Breeze City."


    A gratified smile appeared on the woman''s face as she said, "I''m d that you''re intelligent enough to think of this, but I have to tell you that you''re wrong."


    The boy''s brows furrowed slightly as he awaited further boration.


    "There''s more to that suit of armor than meets the eye. To put it simply, it''s not inferior to that sword scripture," the woman exined.


    The boy hurled a rock viciously into theke, and it struck one of the koi fish on the back. Blood was immediately sent sshing in all directions, while the poor koi fish iled violently in pain.


    A fervent look appeared in the boy''s eyes as he said, "My father''s forte is his offensive power. In that regard, he''s not far behind Song Changjing of the Great Li Empire. Unfortunately, he''s always been held back by his naturally weak physical constitution, so he''s always been weak to opponents who fight fire with fire and do everything in their power to wound him, even if it means being wounded themselves in the process.


    ��This is why he hasn''t been able to make a name for himself and why he''s being treated as aughingstock. Even our own n members in Light Breeze City dare to make fun of us behind our backs. Could it be that after my father obtains this suit of armor, his defensive shorings will be ounted for, and he''ll be able to stand toe to toe against Song Changjing?"


    The woman shook her head once again.


    The boy mmed a palm down onto the railing as he yelled with an enraged expression, "Stop ying games with me!"


    Even though he was facing his own mother, he was baring his fangs at her like a tiger cub.


    The woman had never felt it inappropriate for her son to yell at her. This was due to the fact that a mighty figure had appraised her son at birth and dered him to possess the ferocity of tigers and wolves, coupled with supreme aptitude that ced him above all others.


    The woman patiently exined, "If your father can sessfully master the suit of armor, he''ll be able to take another massive stride in his offensive prowess. When that timees, his defensive shorings will be of no concern. He''ll be able to crush all of his enemies with overwhelming power, and offense will be the best defense for him!"


    The boy immediately began to chortle with glee. "That''s what I like to hear! When that timees, I''ll get my father to start off by killing all of our n members who spoke ill of us behind our backs! Those people are the most deplorable of all!"


    The boy then quickly calmed down, and a thought suddenly urred to him as he said, "By doing this, we''ve really yed Sun Scorch Mountain for a fool. What if that stupid ape realizes what we''ve done and decides to attack us after we leave the town? Also, there''s one other thing that I haven''t been able to make sense of all this time.


    ��Liu Xianyang already has a porcin buyer, and he possesses exceptional aptitude for cultivation. On top of that, he had both the suit of armor and the sword scripture in his possession. Someone as blessed as him is extremely rare, and even I have to admit that I was quite impressed by him. So why is it that his porcin buyer has refrained from showing up all this time?


    ��Not only have they allowed us to secure this suit of armor, we were also able to get that old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain to take the fall for us. Now that he''s killed Liu Xianyang, we''repletely in the clear. No matter what repercussions arise out of this, Sun Scorch Mountain will be forced to bear them, while our Light Breeze City won''t have to take any ountability."


    The woman replied in a confident manner, "That Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain certainly isn''t the brightest, but he''s not so stupid that he would be fooled around by me like this and still remainpletely oblivious.


    ��He''s already figured out that I''m using him to kill Liu Xianyang, and as for why he was willing to jump into that trap anyway, the reasons involved are ratherplex, and there are some rather obscure historical factors behind this. Seeing as Sun Scorch Mountain thinks that it''ll be able to handle the consequences, we certainly have no qualms in allowing them to take the fall for us."


    The woman fell into deep thought as she spoke, re-evaluating everything that she had done up to this point to ensure that she hadn''t made any mistakes or oversights.


    Liu Xianyang''s porcin buyer was a power that had once thrown their full support behind the Lu Empire, and they had suffered extremely severe losses in the wake of the empire''s copse. Prior to that, they were a first-rate sect that ranked only below the empires on the continent.


    Otherwise, they wouldn''t have been able to afford the massive expenditure required to keep Liu Xianyang in the town for the next nine years of his life even after they had ascertained his aptitude for swordsmanship.


    After somehow learning about this, Sun Scorch Mountain had approached Liu Xianyang''s porcin buyer and attempted to purchase Liu Xianyang''s bonded porcin from them. One of the leading figures of Sun Scorch Mountain had offered an astronomical price for the bonded porcin, but in a rather inexplicable turn of events, the porcin buyer refused to sell.


    All they told Sun Scorch Mountain was that they had already sold the bonded porcin to someone else, but they refused to reveal any further information about the new porcin buyer''s identity.


    Sun Scorch Mountain had been rather perplexed about this, but they subsequently caught wind of a rumor that their sworn enemy, the Wind Lightning Field, had pounced on the opportunity before them and extorted the previous porcin buyer out of the bonded porcin.


    The previous porcin buyer naturally didn''t dare to tell Sun Scorch Mountain that the bonded porcin had been sold to their sworn enemy, so it made sense why they were so tight-lipped about the identity of the new buyer.


    As for who it was that had leaked to Sun Scorch Mountain the information regarding the suit of scaly armor and the sword scripture passed down for generations in the Liu n, and the fact that Liu Xianyang''s bonded porcin had been purchased by the Wind Lightning Field, one need not look any further than Light Breeze City.


    Of course, they had only done so in secret from behind the scenes.


    The boy''s mother was the primary mastermind behind this, and she had paid an enormous price to be able to enter the town with her son, so she naturally had to ensure that they would at least break even on this trip. Otherwise, her status in Light Breeze City would suffer a massive fall, cing her in an extremely perilous position, and she certainly wouldn''t have any chance of taking over Light Breeze City in the future.


    The town seemed to be an unremarkable ce, but in reality, it was not to be looked down on. Setting aside the Lu n, which had fallen into decline, the other three major ns were all extremely powerful entities on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    The true power of the four major ns didn''t actually stem from how many powerful cultivators were residing among them. In reality, those n leaders and patriarchs were already condemned to be unable to leave this town.


    Unfortunately for them, they were rooted to the town just like the peach trees on Peach Leaf Alley or the old locust tree at the center of the town. Furthermore, there was no possibility of reincarnation for them, so they were essentially stuck with a whole host of powerful abilities that they were unable to make use of.


    Instead, the power of these ns stemmed from how many dragon kilns were under their control as this had a direct corrtion to how many pieces of bonded porcin they could provide to the outside world each year.


    Once a child with good cultivation aptitude emerged, as long as the porcin buyer wasn''t too stingy, they would generally pay the n that had sold the bonded porcin to them arge additional tip. Aside from that, a rtionship of mutual favor would be formed between the two parties, and that was an invaluable resource as well.


    All of a sudden, the woman mused to her son, "Don''t ever look down on anybody, not even someone like Lu Zhengchun, who''s content with serving as apdog to others. Did you think that once we arrived in this town, it would be easy for us to obtain those treasures and fated opportunities?


    ��That''s not the case. Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City almost suffered aplete copse of his Dao Heart, while Cai Jinjian from Dawn Cloud Mountain has disappeared off the face of this town. There was also another junior who possessed remarkable aptitude, but has also had his Dao Heartpromised during the course of his pursuit of the fated opportunities here. Simr things will only continue to happen in this town, and that''s why we say that there isn''t a single person who has an easy time on the path of cultivation."


    The boy considered what he had been told momentarily, then replied, "Caution is the key to longevity. I''ll be sure to keep this in mind, Mother."


    "That would be best," the woman replied with a nod.


    The boy tossed out the final stone in his hand, then asked, "What''s the deal with that Qi Jingchun?"


    In a rare disy of anger, the woman put on a stern expression as she scolded, "How dare you be so insolent? You must refer to him respectfully as Mr. Qi!"


    The boy faltered slightly upon hearing this, then obediently did as he was told, rephrasing his question. "Is Mr. Qi encountering some kind of trouble?"


    The woman hesitated momentarily, then replied, "Mr. Qi''s teacher was once not only an apanying officiant at that Confucian temple, he was also positioned second to the left of Confucius himself."


    The boy was astonished to hear this.


    This meant that Qi Jingchun''s teacher was the fourth-most important figure in the school of Confucianism, which had existed for thousands of years.


    This was an unfathomable figure, and if anyone were to im that such an almighty figure would be able topletely crush thergest mountain on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent with a single stomp of their foot, the boy wouldn''t be fully convinced, but he definitely wouldn''t be overly doubtful about such a im, either.


    A forlorn look appeared on the woman''s face as she mused, "That man was once a Sage among Sages, but unfortunately, as we speak, his status has plummeted to below even the dpidated deity statues in this town."


    The boy gulped nervously, then asked, "What are we going to do with that friend of Liu Xianyang''s?"


    The woman took a moment to think about who it was that was being referred to, then asked, "You''re talking about that orphan with the Chen surname living on y Vase Alley?"


    The child nodded in response.


    The woman smiled as she replied, "You called him an ant yourself when you first met him, didn''t you? In that case, just leave them to their own devices."

 Chapter 45: Sunlight

    Chapter 45: Sunlight


    Two slightly disheveled guests had arrived at the office of the kiln supervision official. Both of them had only just reached adulthood and were very handsome in appearance. Upon learning that the two were here to visit Mr. Cui, the porter didn''t even ask them who they were before hurriedly leading them to the living quarters of the official residence where Mr. Cui was staying. After knocking on the door in the two young men''s stead, the porter respectfully took his leave.


    The one who opened the door was none other than the man who hade here to take back the talisman on behalf of the school of Confucianism. Even from a young age, he had been the recipient of much praise, and he had always been seen as the undisputed heir to the position of master of the Lake View Academy.


    He was both surprised and ted to see the two young men, and he turned to one of them, who was leaning against the doorframe, then asked with a smile, "May I ask who your friend is, Baqiao?"


    The young man who was being referred to as Baqiao replied with a wide grin, "This guy is from the Chen n of the Great Yong Empire''s Dragon Tail County, you can just call him Songfeng. He isn''t into beautiful women or delectable wine, but he does have a keen interest in inkstones.


    ��He heard that there are several pits near the creek here, and he came to try his luck.


    He also has a distant rtive who apanied us on this trip. If it wasn''t for her, Songfeng and I wouldn''t have taken so long to enter the town. We should''ve already been here two days ago. She doesn''t like to interact with people, so she''s gone off to explore the town on her own.


    ��On the way here, I heard that a prince from the Great Sui Empire had obtained an enormous fated opportunity, earning himself a golden dragon carp, and there''s a very good chance that thing will grow into a dragon in the future. I was so envious upon hearing this that my eyes turned red! Take a look at how bloodshot my eyes are, Brother Cui."


    The young man leaned in toward the schrly man as he spoke, only for thetter to push his head away with an amused smile as he said, "Seeing as you''ve already been dyed, you should be making better use of your time. Why have youe here to visit me instead? Since when did the disciples of Wind Lightning Field be sockadaisical?"


    An apologetic smile appeared on Chen Songfeng''s face as he exined, "We ran into an unforeseen altercation on the way here, and the acupoint that Brother Baqiao was using as his sword nurturing chamber was injured in the process. As a result, he was forced to take a risk and move his bonded sword to his Bright Hall Acupoint. If I weren''t so weak and hadn''t acted as so much of a hindrance, there was no way that Brother Baqiao would''ve been injured."


    Liu Baqiao burst intoughter. "They were just a few sneaky vagrant cultivators who were extremely fortunate to have been able to hurt me. In any case, they''ve already perished by my sword, and they''re really not worth mentioning at all.


    ��If it weren''t for the fact that we were in a hurry, I would''ve buried them and erected a few tombstones, on which I would''ve inscribed the year, month, and day on which they had perished by my sword. When I be the number one swordsman in the future, those tombs will be a tourist attraction!"


    The schrly man had already known Liu Baqiao for a very long time, so he was naturally already aware of Liu Baqiao''s propensity for making jokes.


    He led the two young men into the room, and right as he did so, Liu Baqiao suddenly lowered his voice as he said, "Come clean with me, Brother Cui. This ce is about to copse soon, isn''t it? Is that Mr. Qi from the Mountain Cliff Academy really nning on going against the will of the heavens?"


    The schrly man pretended not to have heard him.


    Liu Baqiao grinned as he wagged a finger at the schrly man. "Even if you don''t say anything, I already know the answer."


    The schrly man said in a seemingly nonchnt manner, "Songfeng, I paid a visit to Mr. Qi at the school earlier, and he told me that when ites to self-cultivation, time is of the essence."


    In the words of Confucius, one who excelled in self-cultivation and familial management would be well equipped to manage a nation and uphold peace. However, the schrly man had only mentioned self-cultivation here.


    Chen Songfeng initially thought that the schrly man was just trying to make some small talk, but upon seeing the look in the man''s eyes, Chen Songfeng immediately understood the importance of those words, and he cupped his fist in a salute as he said, "Mr. Cui, I''m going to pay a visit to a cousin of mine, and once I return, I''ll have you enlighten me on the way to manage a nation."


    Chen Songfeng had intentionally skipped over the "familial management" part, jumping straight to managing a nation.


    After that, he hurriedly departed.


    The schrly man heaved a faint sigh, then sat down at a stone table in the courtyard with Liu Baqiao.


    Liu Baqiao crossed his legs as he said in a direct and straightforward manner, "Chen Songfeng is a smart guy, and it doesn''t take much to get through to him, but he''s a little too impatient, isn''t he? He should''ve at least sat down and chatted with you for a bit. There''s no need to be in such a hurry to go and im an ancestral blessing locust leaf.


    ��Nowadays on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there are barely any prominent ns aside from the Chen n of Dragon Tail County County, so who else can those locust leaves possibly fall to aside from him?"


    Out of all of the branches of the Chen n on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the one in Dragon Tail County was regarded as the most revered. The n had once produced a long string of heroic and prominent figures 1,000 years ago, and even though it hadn''t been doing so well ofte, it was still not to be underestimated, even for someone like Liu Baqiao, who came from Wind Lightning Field, a sect that was still in its heyday. This was also why Liu Baqiao had been willing to travel with Chen Songfeng and establish a friendship between them.


    The schrly man asked in a curious voice, "Did youe here to ask Master Ruan to forge a sword for you?"


    Liu Baqiao gave a rather ambiguous reply, the rough gist of which was that he was here to run an errand for the sect, and if he were sessful, then Wind Lightning Field would make a request for Master Ruan to forge a sword for him. As for exactly what task had been assigned to him, he seemed to be rather hesitant to borate.


    The schrly man then said, "Did you know that Sun Scorch Mountain sent someone as well? And it''s a master and servant duo."


    Liu Baqiao was stunned. "No, I didn''t hear about that at all! Who did Sun Scorch Mountain send?"


    He then closed his eyes and brought his palms together as he prayed, "Please don''t let it be Celestial Maiden Su. She''s too beautiful! I''m praying to any god out there that''s willing to listen to me, please don''t let it be Celestial Maiden Su! Otherwise, how can I bring myself to attack her? Just a single nce from her is enough to make me melt into a puddle, I wouldn''t be able to bear the thought of attacking her!"


    A slightly exasperated look appeared on the schrly man''s face as he replied, "Rest assured, it''s not Celestial Maiden Su who you''re so into. Instead, it''s the guardian of the mountain, Bai Yuan. He''s currently apanying the granddaughter of Sun Scorch Mountain''s Pure Yang Sword Patriarch, Tao Kui."


    Liu Baqiao immediately began to chortle with glee. "You really are my lucky star, Old Man Cui! I''m over the moon as long it''s not Celestial Maiden Su! I''m not scared of an old monkey! Our Wind Lightning Field can bow down to anyone, but Sun Scorch Mountain is the one sect we definitely can''t back down against!"


    The schrly man hesitated momentarily, then asked, "Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain were once both orthodox sword sects of the same origin; why can''t the two resolve their differences?"


    Liu Baqiao''s joking demeanor faded as he said in a serious voice, "Cui Minghuang, make sure you never say that to anyone after you get to Wind Lightning Field."


    Cui Minghuang heaved a long sigh.


    When it came to Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain, there was often no catalyst required at all for a battle to break out between members of the two opposing sects, whether that be between the most revered sword immortals of the two sects, or new disciples that had only just joined the sects.


    All of a sudden, the porter and the elderly steward of the estate rushed into the courtyard, and Cui Minghuang and Liu Baqiao stood up in unison.


    After making his way into the courtyard, the steward extended a respectful salute, then said, "Mr. Cui, we''ve just received news that the people from Sun Scorch Mountain have just attacked a boy by the name of Liu Xianyang."


    "Which Liu Xianyang is this?!" Liu Baqiao immediately asked in a furious voice.


    The steward held a great deal of respect for Cui Minghuang, but he didn''t fear thispletely unfamiliar young man at all, and he replied in an indifferent manner, "There is only a single person by the name of Liu Xianyang in our town."


    "How dare they! Sun Scorch Mountain has gone too far!" Liu Baqiao eximed with a furious expression.


    Cui Minghuang remained calm and collected as he asked, "Has Mr. Qi intervened?"


    The steward shook his head in response. "Not yet. Apparently, the boy was taken to Master Ruan''s forge. Even if he''s not dead, he''s definitely only hanging on by a thread. Some people have witnessed his chest beingpletely pulverized by a punch, and it''s very unlikely that he''ll survive."


    Cui Minghuang smiled as he said, "Thank you for informing me of this."


    The elderly steward hurriedly waved his hands as he said, "I wouldn''t dare to ept your gratitude, Mr. Cui. I am just performing my duty. Please pardon my intrusion."


    Following the departure of the porter and the steward, Liu Baqiao sat back down on his chair, and Cui Minghuang turned to him with a puzzled expression as he asked, "Could it be that you came here for that boy?"


    A grim look appeared on Liu Baqiao''s face as he replied, "That''s half the reason. There''s going to be some major troubleing up."


    "Does it go beyond the differences between Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain?" Cui Minghuang asked.


    "Indeed, it goes far beyond that," Liu Baqiao replied with a nod.


    Cui Minghuang sat with his hands concealed within his sleeves as he said, "All I want is peace and quiet, but it appears there''s unrest brewing on the horizon. Looks like it''s about time I went to recover that seal. Even if my actions lead Mr. Qi to believe that our Lake View Academy is trying to beat him while he''s down, it simply can''t be helped."


    Cui Minghuang rose to his feet, then continued, "I''m going to the school, I''ll be back soon."


    After leaving his residence on Fortune Street, he stopped while passing by the stone archway, then looked up at the que that bore the idiom "doing my part".


    Under the sunlight, Cui Minghuang raised a hand to his forehead to shield his own eyes.


    After a moment of hesitation, he turned back and returned the same way that he hade.


    Meanwhile, Bai Yuan and the porcin-doll-like little girl were making their way down Fortune Street. Instead of entering the Lu Manor, they paid a visit to the Li n instead. There was already someone waiting for them at the gate, weing them into the manor.


    Inside the main hall, under a que that read "Nectar Hall", an authoritative elderly man rose to his feet, then strode over to the entrance to greet them with his fist cupped in a salute. "Li Hong pays his respects to Senior Yuan."


    Bai Yuan gave the leader of the Li n a casual nod, then released the little girl''s hand as he leaned down and said in a gentle voice, "Your faithful servant will await you on the mountain peak, Young Mistress."


    The little girl sat down on the doorstep of the main hall in a grumpy silence.


    The leader of the Li n said in a low voice, "Rest Assured, Senior Yuan, our Li n will be sure to deliver Young Mistress Tao out of the town safe and sound."


    Bai Yuan nodded in response. "Our Sun Scorch Mountain owes you a favor for your troubles. Let me speak with the young mistress in private."


    Li Hong immediately departed from the hall, then issued an order prohibiting all of the other members of his n from getting within 100 meters of Nectar Hall.


    Bai Yuan also sat down onto the doorstep, and after taking a moment to arrange his words, he said, "Young Mistress, there are some things that I shouldn''t be telling you, but at this point, there''s really no reason not to tell you these things, so here I go. During our trip to this town, we''ve most likely fallen into a carefully orchestrated trap. That woman from Light Breeze City is definitely involved, but she may not be the primary mastermind.


    ��What''s most damning about this trap is that even though I''m aware of its existence, I had no choice but to jump into it. I can reveal to you now that the sword scripture was created by a treacherous piece of scum who betrayed our Sun Scorch Mountain.


    ��ording to your grandfather, what makes this sword scripture so precious is that even though the one who wrote it didn''t manage to go very far on the path of the sword, only just barely setting a foot onto the doorstep of bing a sword immortal, the contents of the sword scripture point straight at the Great Dao.


    ��Even the patriarch of the Xie n, who shares a close bond with our Sun Scorch Mountain and has extremely lofty standards when ites to anything rted to the sword, gave the sword scripture extremely high praise."


    Bai Yuan''s voice then took a cold turn as he continued, "No one was willing to take in this traitorous prodigy of the sword, and in the end, he turned to the sworn enemy of our Sun Scorch Mountain, Wind Lightning Field, and Wind Lightning Field really did protect him for most of his life. For all that time, he remained a cowardly turtle hiding in his shell, but at some point, he left Wind Lightning Field in secret in order to have his sword scripture appraised.


    He went to several powerful sword immortals who had attained the Great Dao, such as the patriarch of the Xie n, and even though those sword immortals looked down on him for his treacherous character, all of them were full of praise for the sword scripture that he had written.


    Patriarch Xie had once said in private that the sword scripture fused the spirit of the Sword Dao of both Sun Scorch Mountain and Wind Lightning Field, and if anyone from either sect were to master it, then an oue to the conflict between the two sects wouldn''t be too far away.


    ��Hence, the best oue would be for me to obtain this sword scripture so that you can cultivate it. Even if we fail to obtain the sword scripture, and it falls into the hands of the likes of Old Dragon City or Dawn Cloud Mountain, that is still eptable to our Sun Scorch Mountain. The only absolutely uneptable oue would be if those bastards from Wind Lightning Field got their paws on the sword scripture!"


    A furious look appeared on Bai Yuan''s face as he continued, "Young Mistress, don''t forget that on the sword sparring arena in the deepest part of Wind Lightning Field rests that matriarch of our Sun Scorch Mountain, the ancestor of your family line. Back when our Sun Scorch Mountain was at its weakest and most vulnerable point, she courageously challenged the master of Wind Lightning Field at the time, and she perished in a fair and square battle.


    ��However, not only was her body not sent back by Wind Lightning Field to be buried on our Sun Scorch Mountain, it was simply left exposed to the elements, and there''s even a longsword from a Wind Lightning Field swordsman plunged into her head, making her a spectacle to beughed at by the entirety of Wind Lightning Field!


    ��It''s been 300 years, and even though our Sun Scorch Mountain has been publicly acknowledged as a sect that produces an abundance of prodigious talent, we still haven''t been able to pull out that single sword! Generation after generation, all of the sword cultivators of our Sun Scorch Mountain are forced to bear this humiliation.


    ��As long as Wind Lightning Field still stands, our Sun Scorch Mountain will remain theughingstock of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent! Why is it that not a single one of our Sun Scorch Mountain''s sword immortals ever held celebratory ceremonies after reaching the lofty heights of bing a sword immortal?"


    The little girl had heard this story so many times that she was developing callouses in her ears.


    However, whenever her rtives and seniors told her this story, they always tried to do so in as neutral a tone as possible, and none of them were ever as expressive and fervent as Bai Yuan.


    The little girl asked in a tender voice, "Grandpa Yuan, why didn''t you just kill that stubborn boy? After that punch, his meridians are destroyed, his aura is in shambles, and the sword scripture has naturally also been destroyed as a result. Even a god shouldn''t be able to restore it, but there''s always a chance that a miracle could happen. What if someone saves him and obtains the sword scripture? What would be of our Sun Scorch Mountain then?"


    The way in which the sword scripture was passed down was extremely special. It couldn''t be passed down verbally. Instead, it was passed down in the form of a burst of sword intent, which the traitor from Sun Scorch Mountain had left in the body of his descendants, and that burst of sword intent had been passed down for generation after generation, waiting for the emergence of a descendant that possessed sufficient aptitude to be able to harness the contents of the sword scripture.


    Hence, if Liu Xianyang were to die, then the sword scripture would perish with him, and his porcin buyers and Wind Lightning Field would have no hope of ever securing it.


    Bai Yuan chuckled, "If I had killed him on the spot, then I would''ve instantly been evicted from this ce. What would happen to you then? I couldn''t just leave you on your own to face Wind Lightning Field. On top of that, all mystical abilities are strictly prohibited in this ce. Master Ruan is an expert in forging swords, but that''s not going to help him save the boy.


    ��Aside from him, who else could intervene? Qi Jingchun? He''s definitely not going to do anything, he can barely ensure self-preservation at this point. If worsees to worst, I''ll just have to reveal my true form. I''m interested to see whether this ce can hold my true form!"


    Bai Yuan stood up as he spoke, and a vast aura began to seep out of his body as he continued, "There''s no need to think about that boy any longer, Young Mistress. After I''ve killed everyone from Wind Lightning Field, I''ll wait for you on top of that mountain outside. If Qi Jingchun knows what''s good for him, then he''ll do nothing aside from observing. If he dares to intervene, then I''ll smash him to bits! Even if Master Ruan steps in, I''m definitely not going to back down!"


    The little girl was silent for a moment, then said with a bright smile, "Go, Grandpa Yuan. There''s no need to worry about me."


    "And there''s even less need for you to worry about me, Young Mistress," Bai Yuan replied with a rxed smile.


    Meanwhile, the strong odor of blood was permeating throughout a room in the sword forge beside the creek. One basin of bloody water was carried out after another before being reced by clean water.


    The shopkeeper of the Yang n''s medicine shop had been plucked over here by Ruan Xiu by the back of his cor, almost like a hatchling being carried by the scruff of its neck. At the moment, the shopkeeper was seated on a small stool in front of the window, and he raised a hand to wipe the blood and sweat from his face, then shook his head with a resigned expression as he said, "His injuries are too severe, Master Ruan. If we were outside of the town..."


    "We don''t have time to waste talking about useless hypothetical scenarios," Master Ruan interjected with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face.


    The old man could only give a wry smile.


    This was indeed a useless hypothetical scenario. If they had been outside of the town, his services wouldn''t even have been required.


    Ruan Xiu was staring intently at the locust leaf ced on the forehead of the young man on the sickbed, and it was alreadypletely dull and devoid of luster. It was still green, but there was no vitality left in it. All of a sudden, she turned around with a furious expression and asked, "Didn''t you say that he would be able to survive this ordeal as long as Chen Ping''an brought his locust leaf to him?"


    The old shopkeeper sighed, "If the owner of the locust leaf was the one to have suffered these injuries, there would be a roughly 50% chance that they would be able to survive thanks to their ancestral blessings. However, when this blessing is being offered to someone else, then it''s an entirely different story."


    "Why didn''t you say that earlier? All you said was that there was a 50% chance that he could be saved!" Ruan Xiu yelled in a furious voice.


    The old shopkeeper wore an aggrieved expression as he replied, "If I didn''t say that, you would''ve beaten me to death before this young man dies!"


    Ruan Xiu was so furious that herplexion had paled significantly, and she was just about tounch into a tirade when Master Ruan said, "Xiuxiu, don''t be rude to Shopkeeper Yang."


    Ruan Xiu could only grit her teeth in silence.


    After a brief moment of silence, Master Ruan took a nce at the old shopkeeper, who was rooted to the spot, and despite what he had just said to his daughter, he suddenly erupted into a furious tirade himself without any warning. "Why the fuck are you just standing there like a block of wood, Shopkeeper Yang?! Do something!"


    The shopkeeper was on the verge of tears, having to deal with this unreasonable father-and-daughter duo. What was even more damning for him was that he didn''t dare to disy any displeasure and could only continue working in futility.


    Throughout this entire process, Chen Ping''an didn''t shed a single tear, nor did he raise his voice even once. All he did was carry basins of water in and out of the room, leaving with basins of bloody water before returning with clean water.


    After another 15 minutes, the shopkeeper had also be extremely agitated. He looked down at the basin of clean water, then suddenly mmed a palm down onto its surface, sending water sshing in all directions as he turned to Master Ruan with a furious and indignant expression. "You know what? Why don''t you just kill me? Go ahead, Master Ruan! All I do is sell medicine, I can''t work miracles!"


    Master Ruan''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and the old shopkeeper immediately shrank back slightly in fear and apprehension.


    Finally, Chen Ping''an said something. "Let''s keep going, Shopkeeper Yang."


    The old shopkeeper turned to look into Chen Ping''an''s clean and pure eyes, and thetter repeated in a more assertive voice, "Let''s keep going!"


    The old man exhaled as he said in a sympathetic manner, "I''m sorry, child, there''s simply nothing more that I can do."


    "Please, Shopkeeper Yang, I''m begging you," Chen Ping''an implored as he forced a smile onto his own face.


    The old man shook his head with a weary expression, and the final glimmer of hope in Chen Ping''an''s eyes was snuffed out.


    He squatted down to ce the basin onto the ground, then sat down on the side of the bed, gripping onto Liu Xianyang''s hand, which had already turned slightly cold, and he put on a smile that was even more hideous than a grimace as he said in a quiet voice, "I''ll be back."


    After that, he stood up to leave the room, but upon arriving at the doorstep, he suddenly turned and extended a grateful bow toward Master Ruan, Ruan Xiu, and Shopkeeper Yang, all of whom had been busy trying to save Liu Xianyang up to this point.


    After stepping out of the room, Chen Ping''an paused momentarily under the bright sunlight, then strode directly forward.


    If the heavens won''t uphold justice, then I''ll just have to take matters into my own hands. No matter what happens, I''ll know that I''ve tried.

 Chapter 46: Skirt Dagger

    Chapter 46: Skirt Dagger


    Not long after Chen Ping''an left the room, Ruan Xiu stomped a foot in frustration and prepared to set off in pursuit, only to be stopped by Master Ruan, who yelled with a stern expression, "Xiuxiu, you''re only going to hurt him if you get involved now! He''ll be beyond saving if you rush in recklessly!"


    Ruan Xiu didn''t turn around. Instead, she only turned her head, and her ponytail whipped around in the air in a beautiful arc. There was a sharp and piercing look in her eyes that was matched by the tone of her voice as she said, "You refused to get involved with what happened to Liu Xianyang, how did that work out?"


    Master Ruan opened his mouth to say something, but resisted the urge to reveal certain secrets to his daughter as he replied in a solemn voice, "Trust me. The most you can do to help that boy now is to tell him about as many of the secrets and rules of this small domain as possible. You have to strive to convince him to act within the constraints of those rules. Only byplying with the rules of this ce will he be able to achieve the best possible oue."


    Ruan Xiu seemed to understand what she was being told, but she was also still rather confused and hesitant about how to proceed. Master Ruan waved a dismissive hand as he said, "Don''t forget that you are the daughter of Ruan Qiong. That boy from y Vase Alley is but a small pebble.


    ��No matter how many ripples he stirs up on the surface of the pond, he won''t be able to alert the old turtles at the bottom of the pond, which means that there will still be room to make amends, but the same doesn''t apply to you, Ruan Xiu.


    ��You must remember that the more urgent a situation is, the calmer you must be. I''m always telling you to read more books, but you never listen! You''re a cultivator, yet you don''t even have the mental fortitude of an uneducated boy!"


    As that final sentence left his mouth, Master Ruan was already regretting his harsh words. However, when it came to his daughter, he simply couldn''t help but want to see her improve, and that often led to his scathing criticism of her. Thankfully, this time, Ruan Xiu didn''t take his harsh words to heart, and she quickly rushed out of the room, leaving Master Ruan to look on with mixed emotions.


    Master Ruan took a seat on a chair, thenid his fingertips onto Liu Xianyang''s wrist to check his pulse, only to find that it was in a state ofplete chaos and disarray. He was already in a bad mood, and this only served to worsen his mood even further.


    He couldn''t help but grumble to himself, "Qi Jingchun really needs to pull his weight! Given how close Sun Scorch Mountain hase to breaking the rules, even if he can''t evict them from the town, he should at least teach them a lesson and make an example out of them.


    ��He can''t kill them, but it certainly wouldn''t hurt to give them a beating! From here onward, more and more outsiders will continue to flock to the town, and if no example is set, things are only going to get even more chaotic. Is he thinking that he''s going to be off duty soon, so he''s just going to leave this mess for me to clean up? Aren''t schrs supposed to be more considerate and responsible than that?"


    Meanwhile, Shopkeeper Yang was seated off to the side, making sure to remain silent so that he didn''t draw any attention to himself. However, internally, he was scoffing at Master Ruan''sck ofposure, particrly right after he had just scolded his own daughter for the same thing.


    After grumbling to himself for a while, Ruan Qiong sighed, "Qi Jingchun, I suppose it can''t be helped that you''re being so timid and hesitant. You can disregard everything I said earlier, but don''t ignore what I''m saying now."


    Shopkeeper Yang had been eavesdropping on Ruan Qiong this entire time, and he was instantly stunned by how shameless Master Ruan was, thinking to himself, As expected of the next Sage to take over this ce, his skin must be thick enough to keep out flying swords!


    All of a sudden, Ruan Qiong turned to Shopkeeper Yang, then mused, "It''s always been said that a married daughter is like spilled water that can''t be recovered, so why is it that she still hasn''t married yet, but she''s already going against me?"


    There had been something that Shopkeeper Yang had been meaning to say for quite a while now, and he felt like if he didn''t say it, he wouldn''t be able to live with himself. Hence, he mustered up his courage and said, "Master Ruan, perhaps it''s just because I''ve gone old and senile, but it just feels to me like that boy isn''t really into Xiuxiu."


    Ruan Qiong turned to Shopkeeper Yang with a sympathetic expression, then dered in an imcable voice, "I can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that you really have gone old and senile."


    Shopkeeper Yang was also looking back at Ruan Qiong with a hint of sympathy in his eyes, and neither of them said anything further.


    Meanwhile, Ruan Xiu had caught up to Chen Ping''an at the well, and she was alsopletely silent, unsure of what to say.


    Chen Ping''an shed her a smile. He still recalled that the first time he had met her over at the Azure Cow Ridge, he had thought that she was mute, either that, or she didn''t know how to speak the town''s dialect. Only now did he realize that she simply didn''t like to talk.


    Ruan Xiu followed Chen Ping''an as he made his way toward the covered bridge, and after mustering up some courage, she finally said, "Chen Ping''an, my name is Ruan Xiu, and my father''s name is Ruan Qiong. Ever since I was a small child, I''ve been forging swords with my father, and he came to this town on this asion to carry out a request from his sect.


    ��Additionally, the natural environment here is ideal for forging swords, and he tells me that''s why we came here, but I know that Father took me here because he wanted to seek out a fated opportunity for me. My father is an extremely stubborn man who''s never willing to admit that he''s wrong. Truth be told, he actually really wants to take Liu Xianyang as his disciple.


    ��You may not be aware of this, but if my father chooses to establish his sect here in the future, then it''s very important that he chooses the right first disciple for the sect. Hence, he didn''t just intentionally throw Liu Xianyang to the wolves, so please don''t me him."


    "I''m not ming your father," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    He then paused here momentarily, and a bitter look appeared on his face as he continued, "I know that I shouldn''t be ming others, but I can''t help but feel angry. I''m angry at your father for not epting Liu Xianyang as a disciple earlier, and I''m angry at the fact that no one intervened when Liu Xianyang was attacked. I know I shouldn''t be feeling this way, but I still just feel so angry."


    "That''s an understandable reaction," Ruan Xiu replied with a nod.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t want to waste any more time here, and he asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"


    "You''re not going to seek vengeance against the people from Sun Scorch Mountain right now, are you?" Ruan Xiu asked in a careful manner.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything, neither confirming nor denying this notion.


    Ruan Xiu wasn''t that good with words in the first ce, and she took the simple route this time, simply speaking her mind as she urged, "Don''t be so reckless! Sun Scorch Mountain is an extremely renowned sect of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and that old ape is no different in status from the patriarchs of Sun Scorch Mountain!


    ��Even if he can''t use any of his mystical abilities in this ce, he''ll still be able to snap you like a twig! On top of that, Mr. Qi will definitely punish him for what he did to Liu Xianyang, so there''s no need for you to get involved. Rest assured, something will definitely be done about this..."


    "By punishment, are you saying that the culprit will be evicted from the town?" Chen Ping''an interjected.


    Ruan Xiu had no response to this.


    Chen Ping''an smiled, and his eyes were as clear and earnest as the flowing water of a creek as he said, "I know you''re looking out for me, and for that, I thank you. Of course, I''m not just going to rush in recklessly to fight someone so much more powerful than myself."


    Ruan Xiu was very relieved to hear this, and she habitually patted her own chest, following which a slightly awkward smile appeared on her face, seemingly at the realization that her actions were rather immature and unbefitting of someone of her status.


    Chen Ping''an also smiled as he said, "I was too stingy for only giving you three fishst time."


    Ruan Xiu was rather embarrassed to hear this, and she quickly changed the subject, asking, "How''s your left hand?"


    Chen Ping''an raised his bandaged left hand as he replied, "It''s fine, I don''t even feel the wound anymore."


    Ruan Xiu took a moment to arrange her thoughts, then said, "Whatever you do, don''t do anything reckless. At the moment, Mr. Qi is in a rather difficult predicament, and once my father takes over from him, there''s a very good chance that the town will undergo a massive transformation.


    ��As for whether those changes will be for the better or for the worse, that''s impossible to predict right now, so it''s very important that you don''t do anything you''lle to regret now of all times."


    "Alright," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    For some reason, Ruan Xiu was feeling rather agitated.


    This agitation came solely from herself. Given her personality, she would''ve normally already been going after Bai Yuan of Sun Scorch Mountain herself, yet now, she had to try and convince Chen Ping''an not to take undue risks, and thatpletely went against her character.


    However, the problem was that just as she had said, this was not the time to be doing something reckless, and her intuition told her that the consequences of any reckless actions were going to be particrly severe at this sensitive time.


    Even if she were to do something reckless and cause a massive amount of trouble, her father would step in to clean up her mess, and that would be the end of the matter, but Chen Ping''an had no one else to rely on to bail him out.


    After parting ways with Ruan Xiu, Chen Ping''an jogged toward the covered bridge on his own, where he encountered another young woman.


    On the stone steps on the southern end of the covered bridge sat a young woman with a solemn look on her face and a pair of desid across herp.


    She was wearing a dark green robe, and her lips were tightly pursed. There was a pair of intricately embroidered pouches next to her, and as soon as Chen Ping''an reached the foot of the stone steps, she immediately tossed the two pouches of copper coins at him as she dered in an indifferent voice, "You can have this back."


    Chen Ping''an stood at the foot of the steps, catching the two pouches with his hands, and he didn''t know what to say.


    Ning Yao wore a serious expression as she said, "I promised you that I would keep Liu Xianyang safe, but I didn''t do that. I''ve failed you and Liu Xianyang!"


    Ning Yao knew that in this town, where all mystical abilities were strictly prohibited, there was no way that anyone would be able to save him from the grievous injuries that he had sustained. Additionally, given Chen Ping''an''s personality, even if there were still the slightest of chances that Liu Xianyang could be saved, he would''ve never left Liu Xianyang''s side.


    Chen Ping''an made his way up the steps, then crouched down next to her and offered the two pouches of copper coins back to her as he said in a quiet voice, "Keep these coins, and you can also have the pouch that I''ve hidden in my house on y Vase Alley, I don''t need them anymore. If it''s not too much trouble, please hire some people to look after Liu Xianyang''s house and mine."


    Ning Yao didn''t ept the pouches from him, and she scoffed, "Do you want me to put up couplets and door gods on your door every Spring Festival as well?"


    Despite the clear mockery in Ning Yao''s voice, Chen Ping''an replied with an earnest expression, "It would be great if you could do that."


    Ning Yao was so furious that steam was almost billowing out of her ears, and she erupted into an incensed tirade. "What the hell''s wrong with you? Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Does that give you the justification to constantly do stupid things? I''m about to blow a damn blood vessel! I forbid you from involving yourself in this any further!


    ��Do you think a scrawny little kid like you can oppose a Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain? Look after Liu Xianyang''s shitty house yourself, and if you want door gods and couplets, piss off and buy them yourself! I can''t help you!"


    Chen Ping''an looked straight at Ning Yao as he said, "We haven''t known each other for very long, but I know one thing for certain: you definitely wouldn''t have returned these two pouches of coins to me if you were confident in your ability to avenge Liu Xianyang. At the very least, you wouldn''t have returned them to me now."


    Chen Ping''an set the two pouches down onto the step between them, then continued, "Ning Yao, at this point, I''m in no mood to be trying to console you. You made a fair deal with me and Liu Xianyang, and it''s not like you set out to screw us over from the very beginning.


    ��No one could''ve anticipated something like this happening, and we certainly can''t expect you to lose your life over something like this. Trust me, not only do I not want to see that, Liu Xianyang wouldn''t want to see that happen either. If he could talk to you right now, he would say something like: ''this is something for men to take care of, so women should just butt out!''"


    Chen Ping''an grinned as he concluded, "Of course, I wouldn''t dare to say something like that to you."


    Ning Yao set her hands down on the scabbard of her longsword, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she said, "I didn''t tell you the full story just now. Guilt is only half the reason I''m doing this. The other half is that ever since I ran away from home to explore the world, there''s never been a hurdle that I''ve run into that I''ve gone around rather than tackled head-on! That applies to both physical hurdles and hurdles in here!"


    Ning Yao extended a thumb and pointed it at her own heart as she spoke.


    After a brief moment of contemtion, Chen Ping''an said, "Before you do what you''re about to do, can you wait for me to visit three people first? After that, we can each do whatever we want."


    "How long is that going to take?" Ning Yao asked.


    "Half a day at most!" Chen Ping''an replied without any hesitation.


    "Who''re the other two aside from Qi Jingchun?" Ning Yao asked.


    "I''m not going to answer that question," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    Ning Yao''s brows furrowed slightly as she said, "Let me just warn you that this is beyond the realm of jurisdiction of the kiln supervision official''s office. This is not just some minor incident like petty theft or a street brawl."


    Chen Ping''an was just about to rise to his feet when Ning Yao said in a displeased voice, "Take your money with you!"


    Chen Ping''an had no choice but to do as he was told.


    "Hold on a second, Chen Ping''an. Turn around!"


    After getting Chen Ping''an to turn around, Ning Yao suddenly bent down and lifted up the hem of her robe, then pulled out an antiquated dagger that was strapped to her calf.


    She then stood up straight again as she offered the dagger to Chen Ping''an and said in a solemn manner, "This is a skirt dagger that every woman in my hometown carries around. It goes against the traditions of my hometown to give the dagger to someone else, but given the urgency of the situation, I''ll make an exception. However, don''t forget that I''m only lending this to you, so you have to return it!"


    Chen Ping''an was rather perplexed, but he still reached out a hand to ept the dagger.


    "Use both hands! Have some manners, will you?!" Ning Yao snapped.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly lifted his other hand as well, but he was still quite confused.


    "Do you really think a few porcin shards can kill that Mountain-moving Ape?" Ning Yao grumbled. "You were just lucky that Cai Jinjian hadn''t progressed very far on the path of cultivation.


    ��Not only is that old bastard from Sun Scorch Mountain a far more advanced cultivator, his true form possesses such incredible physical resistance that even the average immortal weapon wouldn''t be able toy a scratch on him, let alone a few porcin shards. At the very most, you would''ve been able to inflict a gash or two onto his body, but that''s not going to do shit!"


    Chen Ping''an had epted the dagger, but didn''t know where to put it, and there was a rather peculiar look on his face.


    Ning Yao red at him as she snapped, "We''re about to go kill someone, and you''re concerned about some swearing?!"


    Chen Ping''an had no answer to this. For some reason, he sat back down on the stone steps, then raised his head to cast his gaze toward the sky in the south.


    Ning Yao remained standing beside him, and Chen Ping''an tried to talk her out of this for the final time. "If you get involved in this, you really are going to die."


    Ning Yao crossed her arms, holding her two des by the scabbard, one in each hand, as she said with an indifferent expression, "I''ve seen more dead people than you''ve seen living people."


    She then continued in an intentionally nonchnt voice, "You can tie that skirt dagger to your arm and hide it within your sleeve."


    "Alright," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Chen Ping''an pped his own knee vigorously as he rose to his feet, and he suddenly said, "I''m very happy to have met you."


    Ning Yao turned around and departed first, making her way down the covered bridge.


    The image of the gant young woman holding her twin des was the most beautiful thing that Chen Ping''an had ever seen.


    In this instant, Chen Ping''an was convinced that even if he could ever leave this town someday, he would never see anything that would move him as much as this.


    After seeing something so beautiful, he felt like he could die without any regrets.


    He had be a little fearful of death after hearing what Daoist Lu had to say, but now, he had returned to his former mindset, and once again, death didn''t seem so terrifying anymore.

 Chapter 47: Going Alone

    Chapter 47: Going Alone


    After parting ways with Ning Yao at the archway, Chen Ping''an returned to y Vase Alley, knocking on the gate as he yelled "Song Jixin, are you home?"


    Zhi Gui was in the kitchen, suffering from hups, and she scooped up some water using a gourd spoon. After drinking the water, she was instantly feeling a lot more refreshed, and she set down the gourd spoon before rushing out of the kitchen to open the gate.


    There was a slightly suspicious look on her face as she said, "My young master isn''t home at the moment. Why are you knocking on our gate, Chen Ping''an? Haven''t you always spoken to us over the wall from your yard?"


    "I have something to speak to Song Jixin about," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Zhi Gui opened the gate as she jibed, "What a rare honor this is."


    She took a nce at Chen Ping''an''s expression, then asked, "What do you need to speak to my young master about? If it''s nothing urgent, I can pass on a message for you. If it''s urgent, then you''ll probably have to go look for him at the kiln supervision official''s office. As you''re aware, my young master is on very good terms with the new kiln supervision official, Master Song."


    She noticed that Chen Ping''an was standingpletely still on the spot, as if his feet were rooted to the ground, and she rolled her eyes as she said, "What are you standing there for? Come in! Are you afraid that we''re keeping tigers in here, or are you worried that we''ll charge an entry fee?"


    An amused look appeared on her face as she chuckled, "I''m sure thetter must be the more terrifying possibility for you."


    Chen Ping''an forced a smile onto his face as he said in a quiet voice, "I actually came here to see you. I only yelled for Song Jixin just now because I was worried he would misunderstand my intentions."


    A meaningful smile appeared on Zhi Gui''s face as she said, "Alright, what do you need? But before you tell me, let me make this clear in advance: while we''re indeed neighbors, at the end of the day, I''m just a powerless little servant who isn''t really good for anything.


    ��However, if the problem you''ve run into is something that can be resolved with money, and you''re here to borrow some from me, then you''re in luck! I do have some ways to get you the money that you need."


    A wry smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "Unfortunately, it''s not a matter of money. What happened is that Liu Xianyang was severely injured by someone over at the covered bridge, and even Shopkeeper Yang from the medicine shop has no way to save him."


    "Why haven''t I heard about this? Who did Liu Xianyang have a run-in with this time?" Zhi Gui asked with a puzzled expression.


    "It was an outsider from a ce called Sun Scorch Mountain," Chen Ping''an replied in a resigned manner.


    A curious look appeared on Zhi Gui''s face as she asked, "In that case, are you trying to find a good plot ofnd to act as Liu Xianyang''s burial site? That''s not difficult. I can get my young master to put a word in for you with the kiln supervision official, and he should be able to send his steward or porter to visit Old Man Wei on Peach Leaf Alley to arrange a plot ofnd.


    ��As long as it''s not a plot ofnd in the areas sealed off by the imperial court, it shouldn''t be difficult to arrange."


    Chen Ping''an''splexion was already quite dark, and his face darkened even further upon hearing this.


    Zhi Gui seemed to have also realized that she was mistaken, and she habitually grimaced, revealing two rows of bright and even teeth as she leaned back against the couplets on the wall. She then cocked her head to the side with an amused smile as she asked, "Chen Ping''an, do you want me to repay you for saving my life? I''m happy to do so, but I''m just a servant. Even Shopkeeper Yang wasn''t able to do anything, what could I possibly do?"


    After a brief hesitation, Chen Ping''an said, "Wang Zhu, I know that you''re not an ordinary person. That day during the snowstorm, I knew you were different as soon as I saw you from the front door of my house. After that, you were also the first one to identify that the snake gall pebbles were no ordinary stones. Thinking back now, the look in your eyes when you look at us is no different from the expressions worn by the outsiders when they look at us."


    "I won''t deny that," Zhi Gui replied with an amused smile.


    Not only do I look down on mere mortals like yourself, I''m just as disdainful of those so-called immortal cultivators.


    Zhi Gui was thinking that to herself, but she refrained from articting it.


    Some things that werepletely justified in her eyes were regarded as extreme arrogance from the perspectives of others.


    "I came here to ask you if there''s a way to save Liu Xianyang. I used my locust leaf, but that was only able to prevent Liu Xianyang from dying on the spot. It didn''t do much, but at the very least, it did serve some purpose. I came here to ask if you have any locust leaves, particrly spare locust leaves that you can give me," Chen Ping''an said.


    Zhi Gui pointed at herself as she asked, "Are you asking if my young master has any locust leaves, or me, a little maidservant with no parents?"


    Chen Ping''an was looking directly at Zhi Gui as he said, "Even if Song Jixin had any locust leaves to spare, he wouldn''t give them to me. What I''m asking is if you have any locust leaves, would you be willing to give them to me, and if not, do you know of any other ways to save Liu Xianyang?"


    Zhi Gui stroked her own chin with one hand while gently patting her own belly with the other, shaking her head as she replied, "I''m afraid I don''t have any locust leaves. Seriously, I''m not lying to you. If you hade to me earlier, perhaps I would''ve still had a few left. As for other methods to save Liu Xianyang, I can''t help you there, either.


    ��I''m not a god, so how could I possibly know any way to revive someone from the brink of death? You''re asking too much of me, Chen Ping''an. It looks like I was wrong about you, I thought you wouldn''t be one of those people who would extort me just because you saved me once."


    Chen Ping''an still wasn''t willing to give up. "Do you really not know any ways to save Liu Xianyang? Even if it''s something beyond my reach, tell me so that I at least know what to aim for."


    "I don''t have anything," Zhi Gui replied with a firm shake of her head.


    "I see," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile, then turned and departed, quickly fading out of view.


    Zhi Gui stood on y Vase Alley in front of the entrance of Song Jixin''s courtyard, watching Chen Ping''an''s departing figure with aplex look on her face. She seemed to both bementing his ill fortune, while also frustrated by his selflessness.


    In the end, she grumbled to herself, "How could you just waste your locust leaf like that? You know what? You can go and die with Liu Xianyang! The sooner you die, the sooner you get reincarnated, and if you''re lucky, maybe you''ll continue to be good friends in the next life. At the very least, you''ll be more fortunate than those poor suckers who don''t even get a next life."


    As Zhi Gui strode over the doorstep to re-enter the yard, she inadvertently burped, and a mocking sneer appeared on her face as she mused to herself, "I had a little bit too much to eat."


    All of a sudden, she sped up and rushed forward, then stomped down heavily with one foot. After that, she slowly crouched down to re at the four-legged snake beneath her foot as she scolded, "If you return your debt on time, I''d be happy to lend to you again, but if you five little bastards dare to renege on your debts at any point, I''ll skin you all and cook you up in a single pot!"


    The four-legged snake beneath her foot was struggling with all its might while screeching in a pitiable manner, as if it were begging for mercy.


    After leaving y Vase Alley, Chen Ping''an ran all the way to the school, only to be informed by an elderly janitor that just the day before, Qi Jingchun had traveled deep into the mountains outside of the town with three guests from out of town. He said that he was going on an adventure, and that he wouldn''t be back for at least three days.


    Chen Ping''an was very disappointed to hear this, and right as he turned to leave, the janitor suddenly recalled something. He called out to Chen Ping''an, then said, "I forgot to mention that before Mr. Qi left, he told me that if a boy from y Vase Alley came to find him, then I should tell that boy that he''s already told you everything that you need to hear, and that the oue wouldn''t have been different regardless of whether he was at the school or not today."


    Chen Ping''an seemed to have anticipated this oue, and the final ray of hope in his eyes hadpletely faded.


    However, he still extended a grateful bow toward the janitor as he said, "Thank you, Sir."


    The old man hurriedly stepped aside as he waved his hands with a humble smile. "Don''t call me sir, that''s too lofty a title for me to bear."


    The old man watched as Chen Ping''an slowly departed, and along the way, he seemed to have raised an arm to wipe at his own eyes.


    The old man shook his head as he heaved a faint sigh. He couldn''t help but think of Song Jixin and Zhao Yao, who were both of a simr age to Chen Ping''an, but their lives had takenpletely different trajectoriespared with Chen Ping''an''s.


    Fate could bless one with wealth and fortune, but it could also just as easily do the opposite.


    Chen Ping''an returned to y Vase Alley, picking up the final pouch of copper coins that he had hidden in a y pot, and with the three pouches of coins, he stepped onto Fortune Street in search of the kiln supervision official''s office.


    After hearing Chen Ping''an''s self-introduction, the porter was rather befuddled. Chen Ping''an had told him that he was Song Jixin''s neighbor on y Vase Alley, and that he was here to see Song Jixin and Master Song, the kiln supervision official.


    Chen Ping''an sneakily handed the porter a gold essence copper coin that he had prepared in advance, and the porter took a nce at the coin in silence, massaging it between two of his fingers, but seemed to be in no hurry to say anything. Chen Ping''an quickly handed another coin to him, but the porter didn''t take the coin.


    Instead, he merely smiled and said, "I can see that you''re a smartd, so I have no qualms referring you to Master Song. Otherwise, it would be nothing short of a tragedy if I were to lose this job because of you. Hold onto that copper coin for now. You can give it to me if the steward of the manor allows you to enter the office. If not, then I won''t be able to help you, and I wouldn''t deserve the additional copper coin. What do you say?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded vigorously in response.


    Shortly thereafter, the elderly steward arrived with the porter, and thetter gave Chen Ping''an a subtle look, indicating for him to refrain from offering any further copper coins as offering and epting bribes were major crimes. Thankfully, Chen Ping''an seemed to have received the hint, and he followed the steward to the rear hall of the office.


    The porter heaved a faint sigh as he looked on at the two departing figures. He was rather perplexed about why the steward had agreed to let the boy enter the office as soon as he heard that it was a boy with the Chen surname from y Vase Alley. Since when had the requirements for entering the office be so low?


    At the same time, the porter was feeling a little guilty. Just now, he had been implicitly attempting to convince the steward to avoid any potential trouble and turn Chen Ping''an away. However, he hadn''t made this explicitly clear. He was confident that given how experienced and wily the steward was, he would''ve been able to read between the lines.


    If the steward were to refuse to grant Chen Ping''an entry, then the porter would be able to keep that one copper coin without epting any risk, and he could also say that he had done everything he could, so he would have a clear conscience as well.


    Now, he could only hope that Chen Ping''an wasn''t a troublemaker.


    In the main room of the office''s rear hall, a tall man in a white robe was drinking tea while sitting on the main seat.


    Song Jixin was seated in a guest chair on the left, ying with a bamboo folding fan, opening and closing it over and over again. There was a smile on his face as he watched Chen Ping''an being led into the room.


    The pristine white robe worn by the tall man created a stark contrast with the ck chair he was seated on.


    The steward departed, and the man on the main seat set down his teacup as he smiled and said, "Take a seat anywhere you like, Chen Ping''an. We''ve actually already met on y Vase Alley, but I didn''t recognize you at the time. Otherwise, I would''ve already greeted you."


    Song Jixin was feeling rather amused. Only he could tell that the man was clearly not very ustomed to referring to himself as "I".


    Chen Ping''an sat down on a chair across from Song Jixin.


    The man didn''t waste any time as he asked, "Chen Ping''an, did youe to see me because of what happened to Liu Xianyang?"


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet as he said, "Master Song, I hope you can hand down the culprit from Sun Scorch Mountain a severe punishment, rather than just evicting him from the town."


    The man smiled as he replied, "The town is actually awless ce, which means that it doesn''t follow thews of any empire, so as a kiln supervision official, I''m in a rather awkward position. I have no right to oversee the matters of this ce, and additionally, there''s always been a tradition in the town where the residents very rarely turn to officials for criminal matters.


    ��Regardless of whether it''s someone from an affluent family beating a servant to death, or someone from a less privileged family injuring someone else during a brawl, no one has the habit of turning to authorities for justice. Hence, I''m afraid you''vee to the wrong person, Chen Ping''an."


    The man was very polite and pleasant in his words and demeanor, and there was no sense of arrogance to him at all.


    Chen Ping''an pulled out the three pouches of copper coins, then set them down onto the tall stool next to his chair before turning back to the white-robed man as he said, "Master Song, I know that you''re a very powerful man, and I want to know if you can save Liu Xianyang. Even if you can''t, would you be able to uphold justice for him? We can''t just let the culprits get evicted from the town for killing him and have that be the end of the matter!"


    The man burst intoughter. "I''m a very powerful man? That young woman fromst time must''ve told you that, right? Judging from that, she must possess exceptional aptitude for martial arts, even more so than your friend, Liu Xianyang.


    ��Let me tell you the truth: I only know how to kill people, and I''m really not very good at saving people. Besides, why would I break an irond rule that''s been honored for thousands of years here just for a young man that I''ve only met once?"


    The man pointed at the three pouches of copper coins, then continued, "Without that suit of armor and the sword scripture, his life isn''t worth that much money, and if you want me to do you a favor, then that amount of money is nowhere near enough. There''s no way that our Great Li Empire would turn on Sun Scorch Mountain just for three pouches of coins.


    ��If word were to spread of this, it would be a massive joke across the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent! Chen Ping''an, you may not understand what I''m saying right now, but if you have the opportunity to do so in the future, go out and take a look at the world. You''ll understand that what I''m telling you now is the truth."


    Chen Ping''an gritted his teeth, then asked, "Master Song, can you tell me what I would have to do for you to step in? Even if you think it''s something that''s far beyond my capabilities, at least tell me so I have something to aim for."


    A hint of surprise appeared in the man''s eyes, and he smiled as he said, "Chen Ping''an, I''m not looking down on you or intentionally making things difficult for you. On the contrary, I think you''re a very interesting person, and that''s why I''m willing to spend the time to exin these things to you, do you understand?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Meanwhile, Song Jixin was seated with his legs crossed on his chair in a rather casual and uncouth manner, and he was gently tapping his own knee with his closed folding fan.


    The oue of this conversation didn''t matter to him, so he was happy just to sit back and observe.


    Song Changjing paid no heed to Song Jixin''s uncouth demeanor. In this town, the amount of information that he was privy to was second only to that of Qi Jingchun, and given everything that he knew, he dered, "Chen Ping''an, there''s no need for you to feel guilty and think that your friend died because of you. In reality, Liu Xianyang was already beyond saving from the moment he refused to hand over the sword scripture.


    ��There was no way that Sun Scorch Mountain would''ve allowed him to live if he didn''t relinquish the sword scripture to them, and no one would''ve been able to stop them, even Qi Jingchun or Master Ruan. That''s not to say that no one can beat that old ape in a battle, it''s just that the cost incurred would be far too steep, and it simply wouldn''t be worth it for them."


    Song Changjing took a sip of tea, then continued in a casual voice, "Chen Ping''an, have you considered why it is that someone like you, who is most undeserving of ancestral blessings, received a locust leaf, yet Liu Xianyang didn''t receive even a single locust leaf despite his brilliant aptitude for cultivation?"


    "Pardon my intrusion, Master Song," Chen Ping''an said as he stowed away his three pouches of copper coins, then stood up to take his leave.


    Song Changjing didn''t try to keep him, and he even stood up to see Chen Ping''an off. Song Jixin was just about to stand up as well in a reluctant manner, only to spot his uncle shaking his head ever so slightly, and he needed no further discouragement, immediately sitting back down before leaningzily against the back of his chair.


    Right as they arrived at the doorstep, Song Changjing suddenly said, "There are two things within my capabilities that I''m unable to do. If you can do just one of those two things, I can consider teaching that old ape a lesson for you."


    Chen Ping''an immediately stopped and turned to Song Changjing with a serious expression.


    Song Changjing continued, "The first thing I want you to do is to find an opportunity to kidnap the little girl apanying that old ape. In doing so, you''ll send him into a panic and force him to stay in the town. The other thing I want you to do is cut down that old locust tree in secret at night, then pull out the metal chain in the Iron Lock Well.


    ��You can do both of those things, or just one of the two. If you can do one of those things, I''ll severely wound the old ape for you, and if you do both of those things, I''ll kill him for you. This is a promise, and I will not go back on it."


    Song Changjing paused here momentarily, then said something that was a little puzzling, "Chen Ping''an, I trust that you can sense whether you''re being lied to or not."


    Chen Ping''an departed in silence.


    He didn''t immediately jump on the opportunity and promised to carry out the two tasks assigned to him, but Song Changjing wasn''t surprised to see this at all. Standing at the entrance of the room, his back was facing Song Jixin as he asked, "You know him far better than I do, do you think he''ll do what I ask of him?"


    Song Jixin shook his head as he replied, "It''s hard to say. Under normal circumstances, it''s extremely difficult to get him to do anything against his will, but if it''s for Liu Xianyang''s sake, then perhaps there''s a chance."


    Song Changjing stood with his hands sped behind his back, looking up at the sky as he said, "If that boy really can give me a pleasant surprise, then I''ll take that opportunity to get involved in this matter. Regardless of whether it''s allying myself with Sun Scorch Mountain or the Wind Lightning Field, there can only be one option and no way to befriend both powers.


    ��Alternatively, I could simply observe as a neutral bystander and allow the two powers to continue their cold war in our Great Li Empire. Which of those do you think is the best option for our Great Li Empire?"


    Song Jixin rose to his feet, gently tapping his closed folding fan on the palm of his other hand while slowly pacing back and forth. After considering the question for a moment, he replied, "In times of peace, thetter option would be best, while the former option would be more suited to times of chaos and unrest."


    An amused smile then appeared on his face as he continued, "Having said that, regardless of whether the world outside the town is going through times of peace or unrest, at the very least, it seems like you''ve already made your choice."


    Song Changjing burst intoughter. "What is a warrior like me supposed to do during times of peace? Act as apdog for the schrs?"


    Song Changjing turned to Song Jixin, then said, "I can already tell that Chen Ping''an is the true root of your internal demon, and it''ll be very difficult for you to ovee this internal demon in a short time. If you leave the town without first resolving this matter, then that would be very detrimental to your future cultivation.


    ��Hence, you can see for yourself how a once pure and earnest young boy bes the exact opposite of everything that he once was. At that point, you''ll feel like there''s simply no point in holding a grudge against someone like that."


    Song Jixin opened his mouth to say something, but refrained from doing so in the end, and fell into deep thought.


    Song Changjing made his way back into the room, then sat down on the main seat before tipping his head back and downing all of the tea in his cup in one go. "I yed this petty little trick on that boy not just so I can find a contrived reason to get involved in the conflict between Sun Scorch Mountain and the Wind Lightning Field.


    ��In addition to that, I also wanted to teach you a lesson, which is that on your future path of cultivation, anyone could be your enemy, even me, your uncle."


    Song Jixin was dumbfounded to hear this.


    Song Changjing continued with a mocking sneer, "If an internal demon is not plucked out by oneself, then it''ll continue to linger and could easily return in full force at the slightest catalyst. You are about to be the heir to the Great Li Empire, and you must be filled with anger and indignation, right? But what can you do? You feel like you''re nothing more than Chen Ping''an''s ything, and there''s nothing that you can do about it."


    Song Jixin glowered intently at Song Changjing while holding his folding fan with a white-knuckle grip.


    Song Changjing sat down on his chair, casting his gaze out of the room, as he continued, seemingly talking to himself, "The more people you see in the future, the more you''lle to realize something interesting, which is that things like karma, justice, and happily ever afters are nothing more than romanticized stories made up by trash to console themselves.


    ��They''re unable to do anything about the injustice in their lives, so they turn to these fairytales for some form of constion. Hence, you must be strong at all costs. If you''re thinking about relying on me or your parents, then I suggest you do away with those thoughts right now. Otherwise, taking you out of this town will be no different to killing you. Even members of imperial families must be responsible for their own lives."


    Song Jixin was sweating profusely as he sat down onto his chair in a defeated manner.


    Even though Song Jixin had hidden hiscency and contentment very well after learning his true identity, Song Changjing was able to see right through him, right down to his innermost feelings and insecurities.


    Song Changjing cast his gaze toward the distance, and it was as if his gaze could reach all the way to Old Dragon City at the southernmost point of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    For some reason, a quote sprang into his mind: "The human heart is like a mirror. The cleaner and more pristine it once was, the less capable it is of withstanding trials and tribtions."


    Even though Song Changjing looked down on schrs for being all talk and no action, he had to admit that some of the things that came out of the mouths of those very same schrs were concepts that a warrior like him wouldn''t be able to think of even after living for 1,000 years.


    Song Changjing did away with that train of thought as he pointed a finger toward the south as if it were a halberd, and he dered, "If you think what I''m saying to you today is incorrect, then you''re entitled to your opinion, but you have to keep it to yourself. Only once we reach Old Dragon City and we swap positions in the future will I consider listening to what you have to say."


    At this point, Song Jixin had already regained hisposure, and he smiled as he said, "I look forward to that day."


    At the entrance to the kiln supervision official''s office, Chen Ping''an gave the porter a second copper coin as per their agreement.


    At the archway, Chen Ping''an spotted Ning Yao, and he quickly rushed over to her.


    She was standing right under the que that read "unmatched aura", and she asked, "How did it go?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "I was only able to meet three of the people I was looking for. I didn''t get to meet Mr. Qi, but I already knew his answer from the very beginning."


    Indeed, Mr. Qi had already told him that he wouldn''t be getting involved in this matter.


    Ning Yao''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.


    Chen Ping''an told Ning Yao to be careful, then rushed away like the wind.


    First, he went to the Yang Family''s medicine shop, using a gold essence copper coin to purchase a bunch of medicines, medicinal ingredients, and ointments for treating external and internal injuries from an old man that he was familiar with. He knew exactly how to use everything that he had bought. Pottery firing at the kilns was abor-intensive job, and idents often happened.


    Old Man Yao never took a liking to Chen Ping''an, but even he had to admit that Chen Ping''an was very good at performing simple manualbor tasks. In addition to that, he had a good and pure heart, so Old Man Yao often entrusted him with money to purchase things for the kiln, such as medicines and medicinal ingredients for the kiln''s injured potters.


    After returning to his house on y Vase Alley, Chen Ping''an closed the door before beginning to brew medicine following a recipe for a medicine to treat internal injuries. While waiting for the fire to get up to the desired heat, he ced a garment that had faded from repeated washing onto the table, spreading it out before tearing it into a series of cloth strips.


    He was renowned for being miserly and stingy, but he didn''t hesitate at all to tear this perfectly good garment to shreds. After that, he used the cloth strips to tie the skirt dagger that Ning Yao had lent to him to his arm. In addition to that, he also tied a series of cloth strips around his calves and his wrists.


    He then pulled down a wooden bow from the wall that he had made himself, and after a brief moment of hesitation, he decided against bringing it. Instead, he picked up a slingshot and a bag of rocks that were sitting on his windowsill.


    Even though Chen Ping''an knew that he was fighting a losing battle, he was like a stubborn mule who refused to give up.


    He simply couldn''t allow himself to give up as long as there was even a single stone that was left unturned. This was why he had repeatedly begged Shopkeeper Yang to save Liu Xianyang, even though the old shopkeeper had already given up.


    He had gone to Zhi Gui, who he knew was no ordinary person, in the hope that she would have a way to save Liu Xianyang. He had then gone to Mr. Qi with the slim hope that he would uphold justice for Liu Xianyang. Finally, he had gone to the kiln supervision official, Master Song, who Ning Yao had deemed to be a master martial artist,ying out everything that he had to try and employ Master Song''s service.


    From the very beginning, he knew that his chances were extremely slim, so the disappointment that he felt right now wasn''t all that severe.


    In reality, Song Changjing didn''t know Chen Ping''an at all, and neither did Song Jixin, even though he had been Chen Ping''an''s neighbor for so long.


    There were some things that he had to do, even if it cost him his life, but there were also some things that he absolutely couldn''t do, even if the only other alternative was to die.


    Chen Ping''an squatted down in a corner of the room, patiently waiting for the medicine to finish brewing. He was brewing a very strange medicine that had no purpose other than to numb pain. There was once a man at the kiln who had fallen ill with a rather peculiar condition, and not only was he in excruciating pain for almost an entire day, the pain was so severe that his entire face and all of his limbs had be twisted.


    After that, the Yang Family''s medicine shop provided this recipe, and after drinking the medicine, the man passed away very soon thereafter, but he did so in apletely painless manner. In fact, he even had the energy to sit up and deliver some final words, then took one final look at the kiln with Old Man Yao physically supporting him.


    Chen Ping''an had a feeling that this medicine woulde in useful.


    While waiting for the medicine, Chen Ping''an took off his old and ragged straw sandals, then pulled out a pair of brand new shoes that he had never been able to bring himself to wear. After that, he pulled out a y pot and took out the porcin shard inside.


    Around an hourter, Chen Ping''an had finished all of his preparations, and he opened the gate of his yard before silently making his way out onto y Vase Alley.


    It was close to dusk, and the light of the sun was no longer so bright and piercing. The clouds in the sky were glowing red from the dying radiance of the setting sun, presenting a beautiful sight to behold.


    Chen Ping''an made his way toward Fortune Street, and by the time he got there, there was no one else on the bluestone street.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Do you think Song Changjing is lying?</blockquote>

 Chapter 48: The Hunter and the Hunted

    Chapter 48: The Hunter and the Hunted


    Recently, Chen Ping''an had been frequently visiting Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley to deliver letters, so virtually all of the ns living on these streets were familiar with him. Hence, he didn''t appear to be out of ce. On top of that, he appeared to be quite calm and rxed as he jogged along the bluestone street as usual, so even if someone did spot him, they wouldn''t have thought anything of it.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an was approaching the gate of a manor, in front of which was ced a shi gandang. [1] The shi gandang was around half as tall as a grown man, and presented in the form of a general.


    Chen Ping''an knew that this was the Li n''s manor. All of the households on Fortune Street were quite wealthy, and they each had their own ways of warding off evil spirits. Even the door gods stered on their gates were quite different and easily distinguishable.


    He quickly inspected his surroundings. Going beyond this point would take him to the Song n''s manor, beyond which was the office of the kiln supervision official. There was a locust tree growing outside the wall at the point where the Li and Song manors met. The tree was quiterge and lush, and even though it wasn''t as impressive a sight as the renowned old locust tree of the town, it was still quite spectacr in its own right.


    ording to the older individuals in the town, this locust tree and the old locust tree at the center of the town stemmed from the same origins. The old locust tree was called the ancestral locust tree, while this one was referred to as the descendant locust tree.


    Chen Ping''an hade to the Li n''s manor instead of the Lu n''s manor, where Lu Zhengchun was staying, because as he was departing from the office of the kiln supervision official, the elderly steward had inadvertently revealed some tidbits of information to him through small talk.


    He had told Chen Ping''an about how the young bookworm from the Zhao n, Zhao Yao, had already left the town, and that he was destined to be a champion schr and a powerful official. He had told him about a young mistress from the neighboring Song n who was at the age to marry, but still couldn''t even do proper needlework, and that she preferred to y with weapons instead, which waspletely unbefitting a young woman of her status, often making her the butt of jokes for those in the town who were into gossiping about the affluent ns.


    Tucked among all of these interesting stories was a piece of seemingly trivial information, which was that the Li n''s manor had recently weed the arrival of an esteemed guest, namely a little girl who resembled an intricate porcin doll. The old steward had spected to Chen Ping''an that she was going to be a stunning beauty once she grew up, and that her future husband had to be an extremely lucky man.


    While departing from the office, Chen Ping''an had initially only listened in silence, and he intentionally walked very slowly while carefully inspecting theyout of the office. After that, he began to ask some questions, pretending to be a poor boy who was simply interested in hearing about the lives of the wealthy and affluent ns.


    The elderly steward was happy to share everything that he knew, telling Chen Ping''an about theyouts of the courtyards of these affluent n manors, as well as the various rules that those ns abided by, using the Li n and the Song n as examples to illustrate his points.


    Chen Ping''an was well aware of the steward''s intentions, but from the very beginning, Chen Ping''an had never intended to follow their wishes.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an was slowly jogging along the side of the street, and after ensuring that there was no one else around, he abruptly sped up, running straight at the locust tree up ahead. He sprang forward, and only after taking four steps up the trunk of the locust leaf did he begin to disy signs of slowing.


    However, at that point, he had already reached a sufficiently high point on the tree trunk that he was able to reach out and grab onto a branch of the tree. In the blink of an eye, he was seated on the branch like an agile monkey, then stood up in a steady manner before continuing to climb upward.


    Within the span of just a few seconds, he had reached a branch that allowed him to peek over the yard wall, which was just over 20 feet tall. He was concealed within the tree''s lush canopy in a stealthy fashion, peering into the courtyard through narrowed eyes and disying no intention of going in.


    On the way back to the town from the covered bridge, Chen Ping''an had asked Ning Yao many questions.


    For example, he had asked her about how fast the old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain could run and how high he could jump while in the town. He also asked her about just how physically resilient the old ape was.


    He had been told that a punch from him wouldn''t have been able to inflict any damage onto the old ape, so he was curious about whether it would be a different story if he were to use a slingshot or a wooden bow, and what amount of damage those weapons could inflict from 20 steps away and 40 steps away, respectively.


    He wanted to know if a so-called godlike being like the old ape had any weak points on his body, such as his eyes, his crotch, or his throat. He also wanted to know if there was any chance that he would be able to survive if the old ape were determined to hunt him down.


    He had pestered her with so many questions that Ning Yao was wishing that she was deaf or mute.


    ording to Ning Yao, for all cultivators, regardless of whether they were Qi refiners or pure martial artists, the more advanced their cultivation base was, the more pressure they would be under while in this ce. Essentially, all cultivators here were like dams, and the more powerful a cultivator was, the more ferocious the current that they had to keep out.


    If they wanted to unleash any of their power, then they would have to open up the dam to release their power, and in the process, the fierce current outside would be let in, thereby wreaking havoc in their body.


    However, Ning Yao''s final conclusion still remained the same, which was that Chen Ping''an had absolutely no chance of victory if he were to face the old ape in a direct battle.


    Within the canopy of the locust tree, Chen Ping''an wore a determined expression, and there was a cold look in his eyes as he murmured to himself, "Don''t let the old ape get within 10 steps of me. At the very least, I have to maintain that distance between us."


    Ning Yao had said that as long as the old ape wasn''t pushed to the point where he would go all-out, then Chen Ping''an would have a chance at survival.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s response was that he had to push the old ape to that point. Otherwise, there would be no point to this endeavor.


    He had to force the old ape into a blind fury and goad him into using his true power. Only then would the restrictions in this town take effect to strip away the cultivation base that the old ape had built up arduously over the course of centuries.


    Perhaps in the eyes of the old ape, the lives of the town''s residents, like Liu Xianyang, werepletely worthless, but Chen Ping''an really wanted to know if the old ape would still think the same thing while watching his hard-earned cultivation base being stripped away before his very eyes.


    Of course, in order to aplish this, the first thing that he had to do was ensure that he wasn''t killed by a single punch.


    Chen Ping''an was peering down at the people traversing through the manor, and he murmured to himself, "Even if I can''t get away, I have to make sure that I at least cop as many punches as I can before I go down."


    Chen Ping''an had never envisioned being able to kill the old ape, and he certainly wasn''t expecting to survive this self-inflicted ordeal.


    The little girl from Sun Scorch Mountain was a direct lineal granddaughter to the Tao n''s patriarch, and she was revered like the Bodhisattva by everyone in the entire Li n''s manor. Not only were the maidservants that had been sent to serve the little girl the best that the Li n had to offer, all of them had been born in the manor and trained to be maidservants from birth.


    Hence, they were all very good at their job, and most importantly, they were absolutely trustworthy, with most of them hailing from a line of servants that had already served the Li n for generations.


    The courtyard that the little girl was staying in was situated at the center of the manor, so it wasn''t in close proximity to Fortune Street.


    The little girl''s name was Tao Zi, and she was affectionately nicknamed "Peach". [2] She was the pride and joy of all of the Sword Immortals of Sun Scorch Mountain, but of course, that wasn''t because of her adorable appearance. Instead, it was thanks to her exceptional aptitude. She possessed such immense potential that Sun Scorch Mountain was willing to invest an astronomical amount of resources for the sake of her development.


    Tao Zi''s physical constitution, cultivation aptitude, personality, and natural endowments all ranked near the top among all of Sun Scorch Mountain''s Sword Immortals for the past 500 years. To put it in simple terms, she was an extraordinary talent who possessed a massive upside, but no downside whatsoever.


    In the cultivation world, the term "prodigy" was often overused, but she was a true prodigy in every sense of the word.


    At the moment, Tao Zi was alone in apletely unfamiliar ce without Bai Yuan by her side, but she wasn''t fearful or concerned about her situation, merely a little bored. At the same time, she was also feeling rather disappointed as it seemed that Bai Yuan wouldn''t be able to carry a mountain out of this ce. This made Tao Zi feel very dejected.


    There was an older girl on Sun Scorch Mountain that she referred to as Big Sister Su, and back when she first progressed to the Middle Five Tiers, she had been given a mountain as a reward to serve as her private estate.


    That mountain had been carried on Bai Yuan''s back all the way to Sun Scorch Mountain from a very faraway ce, and it was currently situated in the northeastern part of Sun Scorch Mountain. It wasn''t a veryrge mountain, but Tao Zi had always been very envious of that older girl.


    There was nothing to do in the study, so she made her way out into the main hall with her hands sped behind her back like an old man, staring absentmindedly up at the que hanging above the entrance of the hall.


    She was constantly apanied by a pair of beautiful maidservants, one of whom had been discovered by the Li n to possess remarkable aptitude at a young age. From that point onward, she received martial arts training and had made some good progress on this path.


    For the Li n, this was no different from training a pet, and they weren''t necessarily doing this in the hope that she would be a master martial artist in the future. There was nock of stories about servants abusing their own masters behind closed doors in affluent ns like theirs, and it wasn''t necessarily a good thing for a n if one of their servants were to be too powerful.


    Tao Zi made her way out into the yard, where she began to skip around to entertain herself. However, she didn''t ce the servants in a difficult situation by trying to leave the yard. Bai Yuan had told her that the people from Wind Lightning Field had also arrived in the town, and he had prohibited her from leaving this yard before he took care of them.


    Even though Tao Zi was still at a very tender age, she had heard many stories about how fraught with peril the path of cultivation was. On top of that, she had been raised by very strict parents, so she wasn''t a rowdy troublemaker who was constantly making her seniors worried.


    In the end, Tao Zi sat down and rested her chin on a stone table with a bored expression. There was a birdcage on the table, inside of which was a bird called a snake-hunting hawk. It was hanging its head in a sickly fashion, and its feathers werepletely dull and devoid of luster, giving it a rather shabby and unsightly appearance.


    No matter what Tao Zi did to try and get a reaction out of the bird, it refused to do anything, so she had grown quite bored of it. She had only returned to this fruitless endeavor of trying to y with the bird as there was simply nothing else for her to do.


    Inside the cage was a pair of small and intricate porcin containers fired by the Li n''s dragon kiln, one of which was simple and elegant and contained water, while the other was vibrant and colorful and contained food.


    However, after the snake-hunting hawk was captured, it had refused to eat or drink, and it had already been fasting for close to two days at this point.


    In the town, it was extremely rare for any snake-hunting hawks to be captured, and on the rare asions that it did happen, all of them starved to death due to self-imposed fasting, regardless of whether they were mature hawks or young hatchlings.


    It seemed that there was no way to keep them alive in captivity, and there was certainly no way to tame these birds.


    After whistling at the snake-hunting hawk for a while without drawing any reaction from the bird, Tao Zi finally ran out of patience and stood up to leave.


    All of a sudden, a loud bang rang out, and one of the containers in the birdcage was violently pulverized.


    Tao Zi was rooted to the spot for a moment, then instinctively dragged over a tall and slender maidservant, positioning the maidservant in front of herself as a meat shield.


    The maidservant felt as if an iron shackle had been wound tightly around her wrist, and it caused her so much pain that she almost screamed out loud.


    In contrast, the shorter of the two maidservants was far more alert, and she immediately positioned herself in front of Tao Zi before quickly inspecting the surrounding area.


    All of a sudden, the second food container in the birdcage also exploded violently.


    "There''s an assassin! I can see him on the rooftop over in Sweet Scent Yard!"


    The shorter of the two maidservants was the one who was adept in martial arts, and she finally spotted a crouching figure on a rooftop in the neighboring courtyard.


    She began to rush forward to build up momentum, and the wall of the courtyard wasn''t very tall, so she was able to run up the vertical surface, then grab onto the edge of the wall with both hands before hauling herself on top of it.


    After positioning herself on top of the wall, she was a little hesitant about how to proceed. This courtyard wasn''t very far away from Sweet Scent Yard, but the assassin was perched on the rooftop of Sweet Scent Yard''s main room, which was very close to Fortune Street, so the assassin could easily flee by jumping over the wall.


    With that in mind, she immediately made a decision, choosing to rush along the wall that she was situated on rather than jumping down from the wall before rushing toward the Sweet Scent Yard. She then leaped onto the rooftop of one of the rooms in the courtyard that she was situated in, making sure to be wary of sneak attacks from the assassin this entire time.


    Strangely enough, the assassin didn''t try to stop her, nor did he disy any intention of retreating.


    The rooftops of the two rooms were separated by a distance of roughly 20 to 30 feet.


    While carefully observing the assassin, the maidservant slowly retreated on the rooftop, then quickly took a deep breath in preparation to rush along the rooftop andunch herself forward.


    She was stunned to find that the assassin that was facing her from afar was a thin young boy dressed in shabby clothing.


    There were two small bags strapped to the boy''s waist, and he wasn''t holding any weapons. It seemed that he had already concealed his weapon, and the maidservant felt it most likely that he had used a slingshot just now.


    At the same time, she was very perplexed. If the assassin had aimed his shots at her head, perhaps she wouldn''t have been killed on the spot, but she would''ve definitely been severely wounded.


    Given how the boy was able to smash the food containers in the birdcage on consecutive shots, it was clear that he was extremely urate with whatever weapon that he was using, so there should''ve been no way that he wouldn''t have been able to strike Tao Zi had that been his intention.


    Inside the courtyard, Tao Zi yelled in a furious voice, "Get back here, you idiot! He''s clearly trying to lure you away!"


    While it was very important to capture the assassin for interrogation, it was far more important to keep Tao Zi safe.


    After releasing the wrist of the taller maidservant, Tao Zi raised a hand and gave the maidservant a vicious p. The maidservant was petrified from fear, but she immediately snapped back to her senses from the stinging pain on her cheek. "What are you just standing here for? Hurry up and raise the rm! If I die here, everyone in this entire manor will go down with me!"


    Meanwhile, the maidservant on the rooftop didn''t immediately jump back down into the courtyard. Instead, she yelled, "There''s an assassin here!"


    After that, she charged along the rooftop at full speed, and upon reaching the edge, sheunched herself toward the opposing rooftop in Sweet Scent Yard.


    Through observing the movements of the maidservant, Chen Ping''an was able to develop a rough idea of her strength and speed. He crouched down to pick up a pair of roof tiles, then hurled them through the air with his right hand, sending them flying directly toward the maidservant''s forehead. The maidservant was still flying through the air, so she was unable to change directions and dodge the attack.


    Hence, she was forced to defend herself by crossing her arms to form a barrier. The pair of roof tiles crashed into her forearms one after another, and not only did they send sharp bursts of pain spearing through her arms, they had been hurled with far more force than she anticipated. As a result, her forward momentum was significantly diminished, and she was only just barely able tond on the opposing rooftop.


    Right as she was regretting her decision to take on the assassin on her own, she was struck by a punch to the abdomen and sent flying back through the air.


    However, for some reason, the assassin grabbed onto one of her ankles, and only after a brief pause did he let her go.


    Despite this, she still wasn''t able to make a safending, but at the very least, she sustained no severe injuries.


    However, she had almost been knocked unconscious by the fall, and she wasn''t going to be able to do anything for a while.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had been keeping an eye on his surroundings using his peripheral vision this entire time, and upon spotting a series of figures converging toward the scene, he quickly turned around and fled.


    His speed, stride length, and rhythm were all exceptional. In particr, he was able to time every single step so that it was perfectly in sync with his breathing. If the maidservant could see this, she would''ve definitely been led to believe that Chen Ping''an was someone who had also practiced martial arts for many years, just like her.


    Soon, Chen Ping''an hadpletely vanished into the night like a snake-hunting hawk that had been released from its cage.


    Around 15 minutester, Bai Yuan hurriedly stormed back into the Li n''s manor with palpable killing intent radiating from his body.


    Everyone in the Li n''s manor, from the n leader, Li Hong, down to the lowliest of servants, were all waiting in an apprehensive and fearful silence. The maidservant who was adept in martial arts was kneeling on the ground, and both of her cheeks were severely red and swollen, but she didn''t say anything, nor did she dare to express any displeasure.


    At this point, Tao Zi had already calmed down, and upon spotting Bai Yuan, she shook her head as she sighed, "I''ve never seen a more ipetent group of people than these people from the Li n. How could you have entrusted me to them, Grandpa Yuan?"


    Bai Yuan immediately fell to one knee, but even so, he was still taller than Tao Zi. A guilt-ridden look appeared on his face as he said, "Please forgive me, Young Mistress."


    He then turned around with a furious expression and called out, "Li Hong!"


    The leader of the Li n was familiar with the official dialect of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and that just so happened to be the dialect spoken by Bai Yuan.


    As the n leader, he had no choice but to take responsibility for this incident, and he said with a wry smile, "This was indeed an oversight by our Li n. ording to the information that we''ve been able to gather up to this point, the culprit is a young boy who most likely isn''t a cultivator.


    ��The office of the kiln supervision official hasn''t provided us with any useful information thus far. All they said is that they''ll be sending out capable guards to patrol our manor day and night."


    After a brief moment of contemtion, Tao Zi said, "I don''t think that assassin came here to kill me."


    She then added, "At the very least, that wasn''t his intention today."


    Li Hong was initially quite relieved to hear what Tao Zi had to say, only for his heart to leap back into his throat again.


    Bai Yuan''s brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "Was the culprit a thin boy with dark skin around this tall? Was he also wearing a pair of straw sandals?"


    The maidservant who was kneeling on the ground hurriedly nodded in confirmation.


    A sinister grin appeared on Bai Yuan''s face. "I see, so he did this as an act of intimidation and provocation! There''s no need for any of you to investigate this matter any further. I know exactly who the assassin is, he''s a boy from y Vase Alley."


    "Don''t let your guard down, Grandpa Yuan," Tao Zi cautioned in a quiet voice.


    Bai Yuan hesitated momentarily, then rose to his feet as he turned to Li Hong and instructed, "Get the kiln supervision official''s office to give us a copy of that boy''s file so we can see his family history going back as far as possible. Also, when selecting guards to protect the manor, make sure to exercise a policy of quality over quantity.


    ��I''d also advise you to inform the one above you of what''s happened here. Don''t try to brush this off as a trivial matter. If something happens to the young mistress, not only will I be unable to bear the consequences, the same would apply to your entire n as well!"


    Li Hong hurriedly extended an apologetic bow as he said in a fearful manner, "I''ll be sure to carry out your instructions, Patriarch Yuan!"


    After issuing those instructions to Li Hong, Bai Yuan fell into deep thought as he murmured to himself, "Is this an act of provocation from those bastards from Wind Lightning Field, or is Song Changjing the one pulling the strings behind the scenes?"


    In the end, Bai Yuan shook his head as a cold sneer appeared on his face. "Regardless of who it was that convinced that boy to throw his life away, couldn''t they have found a better pawn to throw at me? How is a pathetic little boy like him supposed to make any substantial difference in the grand scheme of things?


    ��Come to think of it, this isn''t even a bad thing. I was struggling to find a reason to kill people, so this ys right into my hands. I''ll kill that foolish boy from y Vase Alley, then get rid of all of those little bastards from Wind Lightning Field as well."


    Bai Yuan turned to Tao Zi with a smile as he promised, "Young Mistress, I''ll be sure to take care of this mess for you this time. I assure you that there won''t be any further unforeseen incidents."


    Tao Zi raised her fist with a bright smile as a gesture of encouragement to cheer him on.


    Prior to his departure, Bai Yuan turned to look at Li Hong, and a wry smile appeared on thetter''s face as he said, "I''ll get our patriarch toe out of seclusion right away to serve as Young Mistress Tao''s personal servant."


    Bai Yuan was finally satisfied upon hearing this, and he departed from the manor.


    Instead of taking any cautious measures, he readily took the bait, heading straight to y Vase Alley.


    He was making it clear that he was knowingly walking into the trap, provoking Chen Ping''an to attack him if he dared.


    If they were outside of the town, he wouldn''t have dared to be so arrogant. However, in this ce, where the use of all mystical abilities and treasures was strictly prohibited, he possessed a massive advantage over the average cultivator. This was why he had been sent to apany Tao Zi over any of Sun Scorch Mountain''s Sword Immortals.


    Only at the point where Bai Yuan had already almost reached y Vase Alley did a thought suddenly ur to him: Could it be that he did this solely to avenge his friend?


    Prior to this, he had always been trying to think on a deeper level, attributing Chen Ping''an''s actions to some type of meticulously crafted conspiracy. Hence, the sudden realization that this was also a possibility was an extremely absurd thought for him.


    However, he quickly came to realize that perhaps this theory wasn''t as ridiculous as it had first appeared to him.


    It actually does make sense. He''s not a cultivator, so he''s not that afraid of death. His life is worthless anyway, so he has nothing to fear.


    However, as a safety precaution, Bai Yuan still refrained from making his way directly into y Vase Alley.


    In any case, he had already achieved an important objective during this trip to the town, which was to put an end to the life of that boy that Wind Lightning Field had held in such high regard. In his eyes, Liu Xianyang would only live a little longer than Chen Ping''an.


    After circling around and making arge detour, Bai Yuan entered y Vase Alley from the side that was closest to Gu Can''s home.


    Even now, he was actually still quite skeptical about whether Chen Ping''an had the courage to stay in his house and await his own death.


    If he were a little smarter or a little more cowardly, he would be able to die after the cultivators from Wind Lightning Field.


    With that in mind, a grin appeared on Bai Yuan''s face, but in the next instant, his expression abruptly stiffened.


    In the darkness of the night, y Vase Alley appeared very dim and forbidding.


    Bai Yuan suddenly raised his head to look up at Chen Ping''an, who had appeared from a vantage point up ahead.


    His feet were situated within a pair of holes that he had dug into the walls on either side of him not long ago, and those holes provided footholds that allowed him to maintain an elevated position above the ground.


    He had a quiver on his back, and he was drawing a wooden bow with both hands, with the tip of the arrow aimed directly at one of Bai Yuan''s eyes.


    In this moment, not only was hepletely silent, it was as if even his aura and his breathing had disappeared, to the extent that Bai Yuan was only able to detect Chen Ping''an''s presence overhead thanks to his sharp intuition when it came to danger.


    Before Bai Yuan had a chance to react, Chen Ping''an fired the arrow, and it came hurtling down with incredible force, whistling loudly as it pierced through the air.


    After firing the arrow, Chen Ping''an didn''t even stay behind to see the oue of his attack. Instead, he immediately slung the wooden bow diagonally across his shoulder, then exerted force through both of his feet to spring onto a nearby rooftop, vanishing out of sight in the blink of an eye.


    Bai Yuan withdrew the hand that he had used to shield himself from the arrow to find that the tip of the arrow had pierced into his palm. It wasn''t stuck very deep, but there was definitely a wound there.


    Despite the fact that the injury was so minor that it was virtually negligible, ayer of cold sweat had beaded up on Bai Yuan''s forehead.


    Even with his physical constitution, if he had taken an arrow to the eye at point-nk range while in this town, the consequences would''ve been catastrophic.


    He pulled the arrow out of his palm, then snapped it before casually tossing it onto the ground.


    His hands then clenched up into tight fists as he looked up at the sky with a furious expression. His throat began to rumble as a beasty, inhuman snarl escaped his lips.


    Using both his hands and his feet in unison, he climbed onto the rooftop in the blink of an eye, and as soon as his head emerged, a second arrow had already arrived.


    Bai Yuan was prepared for this, and he casually raised an arm, allowing the arrow to pierce a shallow wound onto his arm before striding forward with a sinister grin.


    Once again, Chen Ping''an stowed away his wooden bow before turning to flee.


    All of a sudden, the sound of roof tiles being shattered underfoot rang out incessantly.


    Bai Yuan''s stride length far exceeded Chen Ping''an''s, and the distance between them was gradually being whittled down. Barring any mishaps, he was going to catch up to Chen Ping''an at any moment.


    In one powerful motion, Bai Yuanunched himself forward, and his entire body waspletely airborne as he swatted a giant hand at Chen Ping''an''s head.


    However, Chen Ping''an was able to react to the attack as if he had eyes on the back of his head, twisting around before ducking down right in the nick of time to avoid the powerful swat, then sprang toward the rooftop across the alley.


    Afternding on that rooftop, he continued to run for his life.


    Despite his enormous stature, Bai Yuan was extremely fast and agile, and he was able to change directions with remarkable speed to continue his pursuit of Chen Ping''an.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an stopped cold in his tracks.


    By the time Bai Yuan realized that something was wrong, it was already toote.


    As it turned out, they had rushed onto the rooftop of a house that hadn''t been inhabited for many years. Due to all of the years of neglect and disrepair, the house was in an extremely dpidated state, and the rooftop was far too fragile to support Bai Yuan''s enormous weight.


    As a result, he fell into the house with a flurry of roof tiles falling down around him.


    As soon as hended, he immediately pressed a palm down onto the ground, twisting his head to the side to avoid yet another arrow that was aimed at his eye, leaving the arrow to plunge straight into the ground.


    Chen Ping''an stood at the edge of the huge hole on the roof, then stowed away the wooden bow in a well-rehearsed fashion before raising his middle finger at Bai Yuan as he yelled, "Get fucked, you old monkey!"


    A peculiar look then appeared on his face as he suddenly reprimanded himself, "Why did I do that? I''m just digging myself into an even deeper hole now!"


    Bai Yuan quickly rose to his feet, but by then, Chen Ping''an had already fled once again.


    1. A shi gandang is an ornamental stone tablet with writing, which is used to exorcise evil spirits in east Asia. ?


    2. The little girl''s name, Tao Zi (����), is a homonym to ����, which trantes to peach, hence the nickname. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Get fucked, you old monkey! XD</blockquote>

 Chapter 49: Porcelain Shard

    Chapter 49: Porcin Shard


    Amid the pile of rubble, Bai Yuan''s ears were moving slightly as he listened for even the faintest of sounds around him. He slowly crouched down with a sinister grin, picking up a broken roof tile, and after weighing it in his hand for a moment, he abruptly stood up before hurling it through the air. The roof tile sliced through the wall and the roof with ease like a knife cutting through tofu, hurtling directly toward the point where Bai Yuan had just heard some sound ring out.


    Unfortunately, he wasn''t able to spot Chen Ping''an. With a tap of his foot, his enormous body rose up from the ground, and he stepped onto an old wooden beam, using it as aunching pad to propel himself out of the hole in the ceiling beforending on the roof.


    Far away in the distance, Chen Ping''an was standing on another rooftop with his wooden bow slung across his shoulders, watching Bai Yuan with a wary expression.


    Bai Yuan knew that he had made a slight mistake. He had caused too much of amotion with the roof tile that he had just used as a projectile. As a result, Chen Ping''an had been alerted to just how formidable Bai Yuan''s throwing power was, and he hadpletely given up on the idea that he had an advantage when it came to attacking range just because he had a bow and arrow.


    Bai Yuan smiled as he spread his hands open to show Chen Ping''an that he wasn''t holding anything, then beckoned to the young boy, provoking Chen Ping''an to show him what other tricks he had up his sleeve and indicating to him that he was ready to continue this game of cat and mouse.


    To say that Bai Yuan was trying to y a trick on Chen Ping''an would''ve been a false usation. With his enormous cultivation base and true form, Bai Yuan was essentially the flesh and blood embodiment of a devastating force of nature.


    He had endured countless battles and hardships on his long and arduous cultivation journey, particrly in the early stages of Sun Scorch Mountain''s existence, where it had been nothing but a small and weak sect, but had made more than its fair share of enemies.


    After the founder of Sun Scorch Mountain perished in battle, he had be the sect''s most powerful warrior, fighting countless battles against all manners of formidable cultivators. In a sense, this rooftop battle was rather simr to the battles that Bai Yuan had fought in the past.


    Back then, all of the cultivators and Qi refiners that he had gone up against had also adopted a strategy of attacking him with their treasures from afar, with none of them daring to face him in direct battle. It was just like how a light cavalry soldier would never directly engage a heavy infantry soldier in battle. Instead, the former would adopt gueri warfare tactics, making use of their advantage in speed and maneuverability to chip away at thetter steadily over time.


    At the moment, Bai Yuan was arguably second only to Song Changjing when it came to the degree to which he was being suppressed by the Heavenly Dao of this ce. Due to his special identity, the warrior carrying the tiger talisman was "blessed" by this ce, so even though he was also extremely formidable, the restrictions imposed on him weren''t very severe at all.


    Even though he was only facing an ordinary young boy who didn''t even have a foot in the door when it came to cultivation, Bai Yuan was feeling the same thrill of battle that he had felt all those years ago.


    Bai Yuan was willing to admit that Chen Ping''an had given him many surprises up to this point. He had shown himself to be extremely cunning and resourceful, setting traps, taking advantage of the terrain, and using Bai Yuan''s psychology against him. Of course, the biggest surprise to Bai Yuan was the courage that Chen Ping''an was disying.


    He raised his head to look up at the sky, upon which he discovered that it was already dusk. From this point onward, visibility was only going to be worse and worse, and he waspletely unfamiliar with the geography of the town. This was most likely one of the advantages that Chen Ping''an was relying on, but it was only going to get him so far.


    With that in mind, Bai Yuan began to rush forward like a galloping horse, covering an astounding amount of distance with each stride that he took.


    In the instant that Bai Yuan sprang into action, Chen Ping''an turned around to flee. He didn''t rush toward the north along the string of countless rooftops in that direction. After all, Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley were in that direction, and that was where all of the town''s affluent ns were situated. If they were to step in and assist Bai Yuan, Chen Ping''an knew that he would have no chance of escape.


    The south was also not an option because that was where the covered bridge was. The terrain there was extremely open, and there would be nowhere for him to hide. Given the disparity in their speed, Chen Ping''an knew that he had to rely on a ce where there were many obstacles and hiding spots if he wanted to keep himself safe. Hence, he quickly decided to flee toward the west.


    To the west of the town was a dense mountain forest with many obscure paths and hiding spots, as well as arge number of traps set by hunters.


    The mountain was very difficult to scale unless one followed a beaten path, and Chen Ping''an knew this better than anyone, having already scaled these mountains countless times in his life.


    While his thought process was correct, he had misjudged Bai Yuan''s abilities. As the Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain, Bai Yuan had a far deeper understanding of mountains than Chen Ping''an did.


    As Chen Ping''an jumped off the final rooftop tond on the ground, he bent his knees slightly to buffer the force of the impact, then quickly took a nce behind him before continuing to charge ahead at full speed.


    At this point, his bow and quiver of arrows were already nowhere to be seen.


    Once he entered the forest, if he were to abandon the beaten paths and stray into the undergrowth, then those things were definitely going to be a hindrance to him.


    Bai Yuan could see that Chen Ping''an was about to slip into the forest, and he was feeling a little agitated. He turned to take a nce back in the direction of the Li n''s manor on Fortune Street. If he were to venture into the mountain, he couldn''t proim with confidence that the geographic advantage would entirely fall to him, but it would''ve definitely been easier than chasing Chen Ping''an through the town.


    After weighing up his options, Bai Yuan quickly arrived at a decision. He took a deep "breath", just enough for him to put an end to Chen Ping''an''s life, and his face began to turn alternating shades of green and purple. All of a sudden, his enormous figure sprang up without any warning, causing most of the house beneath his feet to copse in an instant.


    The western area of the town was popted entirely by the town''s more impoverished residents, so the houses here were far less sturdy than the ones on Fortune Street, and there was no way that the house would''ve survived after acting as Bai Yuan''sunching pad. The only silver lining on this dark cloud was that the family of four living in the house wasn''t in the house at the moment of its copse.


    Bai Yuan leaped high up into the air, propelling himself up in a parabolic trajectory, and hended right beside Chen Ping''an. Two massive craters were blown into the ground beneath his feet, sending soft and loamy soil flying in all directions.


    Immediately thereafter, Bai Yuan threw a punch at the back of Chen Ping''an''s chest.


    There were many acupoints on one''s back, so one''s meridians and internal organs were all connected to their back. In particr, the back of one''s chest was only mere inches away from one''s heart, making it an extremely vulnerable ce.


    As soon as he heard themotion caused by Bai Yuan''snding, Chen Ping''an immediately sprang forward, doing so even faster than when he had lured Bai Yuan onto that dpidated rooftop from earlier.


    At the very least, this indicated that he had been hiding part of his strength this entire time.


    As a result, Bai Yuan''s fist wasn''t able to punch through Chen Ping''an''s back to pulverize his heart as he had envisioned. Instead, it merely grazed Chen Ping''an''s back in a ncing blow.


    Despite this, Chen Ping''an was still sent flying forward through the air, as if he had been struck in the back by a battering ram.


    What came next was an incredible disy of Chen Ping''an''s agility and hand-eye coordination.


    Blood was seeping down from the corners of his lips from that ncing blow, and right as it appeared that he was about to facent into the soil, he reached out with both hands before pressing his palms against the ground.


    He then bent his elbows before extending them forcefully, performing a somersault in the air, and afternding on the ground with his feet, he used his forward momentum to continue fleeing for his life, not slowing down in the slightest.


    Even though Bai Yuan had fought countless battles and faced all types of opponents, he couldn''t help but be vexed by Chen Ping''an''s tenacity and resilience.


    He raised his hand to find that the back of his hand was bleeding.


    This injury was far from severe, and he didn''t pay much heed to it, but he became even more determined to kill Chen Ping''an.


    As for why he had been injured, the reason was quite simple.


    Normally, Chen Ping''an was dressed very lightly, but on this day, as he appeared before Bai Yuan, he was clearly wearing far thicker clothes than before. Aside from his own clothes, he had also dressed himself in one of Liu Xianyang''s old robes, which fit him very loosely. He had donned this extra piece of clothing in order to conceal something.


    As it turned out, he had forged a suit of wood porcin armor for himself. The suit of armor consisted of six long wooden nks that had holes drilled into them before being tied securely together with rope through those holes. There were three nks in front of his chest, and three more nks on his back. Most importantly, the extremely crude suit of wooden armor was embedded with countless tiny porcin shards.


    At this moment, Bai Yuan was in a terrible mood. He felt like a high-ranking official who had inadvertently trodden onto a pile of stinky dog shit, and there was no way for him to remove the disgusting fecal matter from the bottom of his boot.


    His fists were tightly clenched as he stood on the spot, forcibly suppressing his own churning aura, and the purple and green coloration of his face suddenly turned to purple and gold before vanishing in a sh.


    All of a sudden, he raised a hand to snatch something out of mid-air. As it turned out, a small stone had been fired at him from somewhere within the undergrowth.


    Bai Yuan held onto the stone, which was roughly the size of a fingernail, and he could hear a burst or rustling, indicating that Chen Ping''an was fleeing deeper into the forest.


    A dark look appeared on his face as he turned to nce back at the town, worried that this was a plot that Chen Ping''an had hatched to lure him away from Tao Zi.


    However, his instincts told him that he had to kill Chen Ping''an as soon as possible.


    ��������


    At this moment, another unwee guest had appeared on a branch of the descendant locust tree on Fortune Street, which Chen Ping''an had climbed up earlier. The figure was seated on the highest branch that was still able to support his weight, and he was elevated far above the rooftops of the Li n''s manor. On another branch slightly below him stood another figure.


    Everyone in the Li n''s manor was on high alert, but they had no choice but to pretend not to be able to see the two figures that had suddenly appeared on the locust tree. That was because they were none other than the kiln supervision official, Song Changjing, and his nephew, Song Jixin. Song Changjing had brought Song Jixin onto the descendant locust tree, telling him that they would be treated to a good show.


    However, Song Jixin didn''t possess the eyesight required to see in the night, so he could only listen to Song Changjing describe the chase that had taken ce, starting from the rooftops of y Vase Alley.


    Song Changjing had his elbow resting on his knee, and his chin resting on his hand as he peered into the distance. While describing the chase to Song Jixin, he would also asionally throw in a few obscure secrets of the town or some casual cultivation insights that he had developed.


    "If we set aside everything else and just talk about artifacts and treasures, that renowned sword scripture can rank among the top three in the town. If we extend the timeline and look back across the 3,000-year history of the town, I would say it''s probably a bit of a stretch to ce it in the top 10, but it can definitely im a spot in the top 20.


    ��This may sound quite low, but it''s actually already very high, and that''s not even mentioning that suit of scaly armor. If Liu Xianyang could''ve made full use of those two things, in my eyes, he wouldn''t have panned out any worse than the five of you in the future."


    Song Jixin didn''t raise his head because Song Changjing''s foot was dangling right above him, but he still asked in a curious voice, "Then why is it that he was still killed by that old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain?"


    A faint smile appeared on Song Changjing''s face as he replied, "He attracted envy with his great fortune, and he had no backers to protect him. Is that so difficult to understand?"


    A perplexed look appeared on Song Jixin''s face as he asked, "In that case, why didn''t you do more to try and win him over back in y Vase Alley?"


    Song Changjing burst intoughter, and only after chortling with mirth for a long while did he reply, "When ites to these cultivation prodigies... Forget it, I won''t exin it for now. Once you leave this town and hear one of my nicknames, you''ll understand everything."


    All of a sudden, Song Changjing rose to his feet as he cast his gaze toward the distance, and an intense look appeared in his eyes as he gently stroked the jade belt he wore around his waist.


    He could see that at the westernmost point of the town, Bai Yuan had broken the rules, and his aura had instantly begun to churn violently as a result, to the extent that everything in that area was thrown intoplete disarray, like a piece of chinaware that had exploded into pieces.


    Song Changjing continued, "Perhaps you might be wondering why all of those outsiders regard the people in the town as if they''re looking down on ants. Do you really think that''s just because all of them are conceited and arrogant? That they think that they''re better than everyone? Their personality is only a minor factor, the far more significant factor is their upbringing. You''ve never left the town before, so you don''t know just how revered those cultivators are in the outside world."


    "I wasn''t wondering about that at all," Song Jixin replied.


    Song Changjing wasn''t surprised to hear this, and he sighed, "This is why I don''t like speaking to schrs. The thing is, there''s a line between you and them. To some people, this is a tiny line that''s smaller than a ditch and can be stepped over with ease. You''re an example of one of those people, and other examples are Liu Xianyang, and Zhao Yao, the boy who was picked out by a major Daoist sect outside of the town.


    ��However, for others, this line is like an impossibly wide chasm. For the majority of the people in this town, the line is something that they''ll never be able to step over no matter how hard they try. The gap between the people separated by the line is massive, almost like... living beings and inanimate objects, or the divide between life and the afterlife, perhaps even more significant than that."


    All of a sudden, Song Changjing paused here momentarily, and a look of surprise appeared on his face, followed by a hint of schadenfreude as he chuckled, "Looks like that old monkey is a bit unlucky this time. He thought this would be an easy hunt, but as it turns out, he''se up against a cunning little hedgehog.


    ��I''m beginning to understand you now, Song Jixin. Anyone would be extremely frustrated by an opponent like this. Unless you can kill him with a single blow, he''ll continue to stick around and pose a nuisance with the tenacity of a glob of glue!"


    A displeased look appeared on Song Jixin''s face.


    Not far away, a loudmotion suddenly rang out in the Li n''s manor, and even the n patriarch had sprung into action.


    As expected, Chen Ping''an had an aplice, and that aplice was no ordinary person.


    A faint smile appeared on Song Changjing''s face, and even as the assassin rushed past him on the descendant locust tree, he didn''t try to stop them at all.


    Meanwhile, Bai Yuan was quickly returning from the west, leaping into the air with each bounding stride that he took. As for the destruction that he was causing to the houses and buildings in the town with eachnding, that was something that he paid no heed to.


    Having spotted Song Changjing from afar, it seemed that Bai Yuan had identified him as a target for him to vent his frustrations.


    Song Changjing''s brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, immediately following which a burst of unyielding battle intent erupted out of his body.


    It was widely renowned that Song Changjing had three hobbies in life, namely securing des on the battlefield, ying prodigies, and battling gods.


    In the next instant, Song Jixin''s eyes widened with surprise. Before he knew it, Song Changjing had already descended onto Fortune Street, and he was charging directly at the oing Bai Yuan in a barbaric fashion.


    The two of them each exchanged a punch, striking one another in the chest.


    Instead of retreating, Song Changjing took a step forward, while Bai Yuan took a step back.


    Another punch was exchanged by the twobatants, this one striking one another on the be.


    Song Changjing took another stride forward, and this time, he was the only one to throw a punch.


    He stomped heavily down onto the ground, and he bent his knees slightly, extending his left hand forward while drawing back his right fist.


    His pristine white robes were pping all around him, while the bluestone bs beneath his feet had beenpletely shattered.


    As the punch was thrown, Bai Yuan had no choice but to extend a palm to shield himself from Song Changjing''s fist.


    Two resounding booms rang out in session, and Bai Yuan was sent sliding back by over 100 feet, plowing a gaping trench into the bluestone street.


    Song Changjing gently swept a sleeve through the air, then sped a hand behind his back whileying his other hand onto his jade belt as he mused with a faint smile, "Are you still not going to step in, Qi Jingchun? Are you just going to leave this town to its own devices? Don''t give up yet, at least persevere for a little longer!"


    Bai Yuan slowly exhaled, while Song Changjing raised a hand as he smiled and said, "We can continue this battle after we leave this ce. For now, both of us have matters that we must attend to."


    Bai Yuan grinned as he replied, "You better defeat me after we get out of here. Otherwise, the Great Li Empire''s forces on the southern border won''t be having a good time."


    "As you wish," Song Changjing said with a smile.


    Bai Yuan gave a cold harrumph, then entered the Li n''s manor on his own. As it turned out, Tao Zi waspletely unscathed, and no one had evene after her. After learning the specific details of what had happened, Bai Yuan realized that this had been nothing more than a trick to distract him. After a brief moment of contemtion, he traveled toward the west again, preparing to re-enter the mountain and continue the hunt.

 Chapter 50: (1): One Who is Destined for Great Things

    Chapter 50: (1): One Who is Destined for Great Things


    In the darkness of the night, Chen Ping''an continued to flee deeper into the mountain at a breakneck pace. A short whileter, he rushed into a bamboo forest where the soil was particrly soft and loamy, and from there, he began to intentionally make his footsteps heavier.


    A few minutester, right as he was about to leave the bamboo forest, he suddenlytched onto a bamboo tree on his left, then swung himself toward another bamboo tree nearby. As he swung from tree to tree, he appeared even more monkey-like than the old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain, and after repeating this process a few times, he finally drifted gently down onto the ground, then crouched down to wipe away the footprints on the ground.


    He turned back to find that he was around 50 to 60 feet away from the first bamboo tree that he had swung from, and only after that did he continue running.


    A few more minutes passed, and at this point, he could already hear the faint sound of flowing water in the creek up ahead. Not only did he not stop or slow down here, he leaped high up into the air instead, plunging into the creek before quickly rising to his feet. As it turned out, he hadnded on a huge rock.


    He was extremely familiar with this area, and he opened his eyes up as wide as they would go, using his exceptional eyesight and memory to skip from rock to rock in the creek, fleeing toward the downstream direction. If he could continue down this path, then he would eventually reach the Azure Cow Ridge, which was situated to the south of the town. After that was the covered bridge, and after going beyond that, he would reach Master Ruan''s forge.


    However, he didn''t rush all the way to Azure Cow Ridge. Instead, he jumped out onto the shore to his right at a point where the creek had flowed out of the mountain and was sharply tapered to a narrow stream.


    It didn''t take long before he heard a female voice call out to him. "Over here, Chen Ping''an!"


    Chen Ping''an immediately crouched down, panting heavily as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.


    "Can we really trick that old ape onto the mountain like this?" Ning Yao asked in a low voice.


    "We''ll see. I''ve done everything I can," Chen Ping''an replied with a wry smile.


    Ning Yao hade all the way from Fortune Street to meet him here, and she asked, "Did you get injured?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "It was just a minor injury."


    A series of mixed emotions welled up in Ning Yao''s heart, and she grumbled, "Do you have a death wish? You''re extremely lucky that old ape didn''t kill you!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he replied, "That old bastard already broke the rules once. If you had acted anyter than you did, I would''ve been screwed."


    Ning Yao faltered slightly upon hearing this, then suddenly burst intoughter. "You actually managed to do it? That''s incredible!"


    Chen Ping''an chuckled in response.


    Ning Yao rolled her eyes, then asked, "What do we do next?"


    Chen Ping''an considered the question for a moment, then replied, "We''ll stick to the general n that we came up with before, but there are some details that need to be tweaked. That old ape is really strong!"


    Ning Yao pped Chen Ping''an on the back of his head as she chuckled, "Took you long enough to figure that one out!"


    Chen Ping''an suddenly said, "Turn around, Ning Yao. Keep an eye on the creek while I apply some medicine to my back."


    Ning Yao did as she was told, turning to face the upstream direction of the creek.


    Chen Ping''an took off the robe that belonged to Liu Xianyang, then removed that suit of wood porcin armor as well. After that, he pulled a porcin vial from the Yang Family''s medicine shop out of a cloth pouch tied to his waist, then poured out a viscous ointment onto the palm of his right hand. With his left hand lifting up the hem of his shirt, he used his right hand to apply the ointment to his own back.


    Despite his high pain threshold, he was sweating profusely as he applied the ointment.


    Ning Yao had her back facing him this entire time, but she still asked, "Does it hurt?"


    "This is nothing," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Ning Yao rolled her eyes in response, seemingly dismayed by Chen Ping''an''s effort to put on a strong front.


    Next to a house on the westernmost side of the town, a woman was sitting on the ground, bawling at the top of her lungs while vigorously smacking her own chest. Her thin and threadbare clothes looked as if they could burst open at any moment. Beside her stood a pair of dirty young children, looking at their mother with dazed expressions, at aplete loss for what to do.


    A man was also squatting outside the house, sighing to himself with a resigned expression. For some reason, a hole had been blown into the roof of their house. The spring chill still hadn''t receded yet, and even though he was confident that he would be able to endure the cold, what was going to be of his wife and his children?


    Not far away, some neighbors of theirs were gathering together, discussing spiritedly among themselves. Some of them were saying that they heard amotion on their rooftop, but they merely thought that this was the doing of stray cats and didn''t pay much heed to it. There were also some who proimed that the western side of the town had been quite chaotic the entire day, with some children spotting an old white-robed deity drifting back and forth.


    Apparently, each stride of his was equivalent in length to around a dozen strides from the average person, and despite his enormous stature, he was able to run along the rooftops with ease. It was unclear whether he was a deity statue who hade to life and escaped his temple, or if he was a mountain god that had left the mountain for some reason.


    Elsewhere, a young sword cultivator from Wind Lightning Field was squatting by himself with a grim look on his face.


    Earlier, Liu Baqiao had been chatting with Cui Minghuang at the office of the kiln supervision official, and after hearing about themotion at the Li n''s manor, it didn''t take long before he smelled the scent of blood in the air. However, despite his bold and brash personality, even he knew better than to directly challenge a Mountain-moving Ape on his own.


    However, he was keenly observing from the sidelines, trying to see if an opportunity would arise that would allow him to strike the old ape with a sneak attack. With that in mind, Liu Baqiao had gotten onto the rooftop of a tall building, and from that vantage point, he scoured the town with his gaze, searching for the old ape. It didn''t take long for him to discover themotion ringing out in y Vase Alley, and thus, he directed his attention to the unfolding chaos.


    Liu Baqiao''s bonded flying sword was being nurtured in his Bright Hall Acupoint due to the injury that he had sustained, and in the instant that Bai Yuan had unleashed his aura to go after Chen Ping''an, the flying sword had been raring to go, almost flying out on its own. In this strange ce, the degree to which one was restricted by the Heavenly Dao was directly corrted to how advanced one''s cultivation base was.


    Hence, Liu Baqiao knew that this disy of power from Bai Yuan had to havee at a cost. Even if he could forcibly activate his aura, then use his incredibly powerful physical constitution to suppress the Qi turbulence triggered by the bacsh from the Heavenly Dao of this ce, he definitely wouldn''t have been able to do this on many asions.


    Otherwise, he would have to bear the massive risk of the dam beingpletely overwhelmed, and if that were to happen, it was definitely a possibility that his entire cultivation base could be destroyed. Even if he didn''t go that far, he was already taking a risk anyway by breaking the rules of the town right under the nose of a Sage.


    However, after seeing the two massive craters that had been smashed into the ground by Bai Yuan''s feet after he hadunched himself from that rooftop, Liu Baqiao was feeling very grateful for the fact that he hadn''t rushed in recklessly. Otherwise, there was a very good chance that he would''ve diverted Bai Yuan''s attention to himself.


    Only after sensing just how much power Bai Yuan had drawn upon did Liu Baqiao realize just how serious Bai Yuan was about hunting down Chen Ping''an. If it weren''t for the fact that he had to go back to the Li n''s manor to ensure that Tao Zi was safe, perhaps it wasn''t a sure thing that he would''ve been able to capture the cunning and slippery Chen Ping''an, but he would''ve definitely been able to hunt down Liu Baqiao had Liu Baqiao decided to step in.


    Of course, Bai Yuan wasn''t an idiot. In the instant that Liu Baqiao''s bonded flying sword had almost flown out of its scabbard, Bai Yuan had to have definitely already detected his presence.


    However, even though there was a hint of lingering fear in Liu Baqiao''s heart, having just survived a close brush with death, he felt no fear toward Bai Yuan himself. If a pair of cultivators from Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain decided to engage in battle, then that battle wouldn''t end unless one or both of them were dead.


    Furthermore, even if there were one party with a clear cultivation base disadvantage, there was no chance that they would beg for mercy from their more formidable opponent. This was a fact that was supported by the loss of countless lives from the two revered sword sects over the past 500 years.


    In addition, Liu Baqiao had his own trump card in the town.


    Liu Baqiao slowly stood up, but instead of returning directly to the office of the kiln supervision official, he made his way over to the broken house on the westernmost side of the town.


    Standing outside the short earthen wall, he yelled out to grab everyone''s attention, and after the bawling woman and his husband turned to look at him, he tossed a gold essence copper coin at the tearful woman as he smiled and said, "Please stop crying, woman! I''m getting goosebumps even from all the way over there!"


    The woman caught the golden copper coin, upon which she discovered that it was very simr in appearance to a normal copper coin, except the color was different. She was a little dazed as she asked in a quiet voice, "Is this gold?"


    "No, but it''s way more valuable than gold," Liu Baqiao chuckled.


    The woman faltered slightly upon hearing this, then flew into a rage as she hurled the golden copper coin viciously back at Liu Baqiao. She then rose to her feet, cing her hands on her hips as she yelled, "Piss off! I would''ve perhaps believed you if you told me that this is gold, but you''re telling me it''s even more valuable than gold?


    ��Who''re you trying to fool?! I''ll have you know that I''ve touched silver with my own two hands in the past! You''re just a scrawny little brat who probably hasn''t even grown hair down there yet! How dare you try and trick me? My husband''s still alive!"


    The woman became even more enraged as she spoke, and she quickly strutted over to her husband, who was squatting on the ground in silence, before giving him a vicious kick. Her waist wasn''t much thinner than a water tank, but she somehow still managed to make it look seductive as she twisted her hips from side to side while walking.


    Her husband was immediately kicked to the ground, and not only did he not retaliate, he didn''t even dare to say anything as he scurried away like a scorned cat, then continued to squat on the spot with a sulky expression.


    The woman pointed straight at her husband as sheunched into a ferocious tirade. "You useless piece of trash! How are you any different from a dead man? Whenever anything happens, all you do is stand around and pretend that you''re dead! You do nothing all day aside from wandering around the town, catching fish and snakes like those kids who are still wearing open crotch pants!


    ��You''re not even as useful as our son! At least he knows to pick up some useful things for the house! Why is it that you''re unwilling to work at the Yang Family''s medicine shop? Are you filthy rich? Why would you refuse a paying job? How about you do something that contributes to this family for once?"


    The voluptuous woman paused here momentarily, then suddenly smiled as she continued, "If you''re not decent in bed, I would''ve dumped you long ago!"


    All of the neighbors who were watching the show immediately burst into raucousughter upon hearing this, and some of the young men also began to whistle and direct dirty remarks at the woman.


    Finally, the woman turned her attention back to Liu Baqiao, then roared, "Why are you still here? Isn''t it time you ran back to your mother to be breastfed?"


    Liu Baqiao had never seen an unrefined viger like this before, but not only was he not filled with disgust and disdain, he was very much amused. He had been treated to a good show, and instead of being enraged by the woman''s scathing insults, he only became more amused.


    Whenever he had a war of words with anyone back at Wind Lightning Field, he would always be struck by a sense of loneliness as he could never find a fitting opponent. Never did he think that he would encounter a worthy opponent in this ce!


    With that in mind, he rose to the challenge, putting on a cheeky grin as he asked, "Can you help me with being breastfed?"


    The woman raised an eyebrow, then sneered, "I''m worried I might identally suffocate you to death! I suggest you go find Granny Ma on Apricot Blossom Alley, I guarantee you she''ll have more than enough for you to drink!"


    A chorus of raucousughter instantly rang out.


    Liu Baqiao had no idea who this Granny Ma was, but judging from the reaction of all of the bystanders, he knew that he had just been handed a crushing defeat.


    Liu Baqiao gave the woman a thumbs up, graciously epting his defeat. "You win this time!"


    He then held up the gold essence copper coin between two of his fingers and asked, "You sure you don''t want this?"


    The woman was clearly rather hesitant.


    Right at this moment, someone called out to Liu Baqiao in the distance. "Baqiao, Mr. Cui is asking you to go back right away."


    Liu Baqiao turned to discover that it was Chen Songfeng who was calling out to him, and beside him stood a tall and slender woman with a rather cold and forbidding appearance. She wasn''t carrying any weapons, nor was she particrly beautiful, but her figure was exceptional, and in particr, Liu Baqiao was very much appreciative of her long legs.


    She was none other than Chen Songfeng''s distant rtive. As for exactly how they were rted, Chen Songfeng had never offered an exnation, and the woman had also always referred to Chen Songfeng directly by name. On the way here, Liu Baqiao never found the woman to be particrly arrogant, simply a little cold and unapproachable.


    Liu Baqiao didn''t dare to keep Cui Minghuang waiting, so he followed the two of them to Fortune Street, but right as he left, he reflexively took a nce at the sulky middle-aged man who was still squatting on the ground.


    There was a disheveled and unkempt man in the crowd, and after a brief moment of hesitation, he made his way toward the house alone after all of the neighbors had departed.


    The woman had no choice but to take her children to go back and live at her parental home. Everyone from her parental family was extremely snobbish, and they were always looking down on her for the man that she had chosen, so she really didn''t want to go back. In fact, she rarely ever went back aside during festivals, but in the face of this unforeseen disaster, she simply had no choice.


    She wanted to take her children to live in a tavern for a few days, living the life of a rich wife for once, but she simply couldn''t afford that lifestyle. She was so poor that she could barely make ends meet, so she had no alternative but to go back to her parental home even though she knew that she was going to be insulted.


    The more she thought about this, the angrier she became, and prior to her departure, she pinched onto a piece of flesh on her husband''s waist before twisting it viciously, only letting go after his entire face was twisted in agony. The two children were already ustomed to seeing this, and not only were they not concerned by the fact that their parents were fighting, they were giggling to themselves as if they were watching a good show.


    Immediately thereafter, the woman spotted the disheveled man sneaking around the entrance of their home, and she yelled, "Are you here to steal more of my clothes? What the hell is wrong with you? What terrible deeds did I do in my previous life to have ended up bing your sister-inw? How could you do this to your family?"


    The disheveled man was so dismayed to hear this that he wanted to die, and he objected, "I swear to the heavens I didn''t do that! Your son only made up that story because I forgot to buy him lollies, how could you believe him?"


    The boy merely looked on with an innocent expression, and the woman naturally believed her son more, so she immediately raised a hand to p the disheveled man.


    The disheveled man hurriedly recoiled before scurrying away, yelling to the man who was squatting on the ground, "Saying something to her, Senior Brother!"


    "That never works," the man replied in a surly tone.


    The disheveled man could only heave a forlorn sigh. "Good, honest men like us are constantly getting screwed over!"


    The woman made her way toward the yard gate, holding the hand of one of her children in each hand, and all of a sudden, she turned to the disheveled man with a seductive smile as she said, "Bring some more money next time, and I''ll sell my clothes to you. I''ll only charge you 50 copper coins per item, what do you say?"


    The disheveled man''s eyes immediately lit up, but a timid look then appeared on his face as he negotiated, "Isn''t that a little steep? That''s about as much as the shop on Apricot Blossom Alley charges for their clothes in brand new condition."


    The woman''s expression instantly changed, and sheunched into another scathing tirade. "So you actually do want to buy my clothes? You deserve to be a single dog for life! Even if you die at the eastern gate someday, everyone''s just going to leave you to rot!"


    Following the departure of the woman and her children, the disheveled man hopped back to take a seat on the yard wall, then turned to the man squatting on the ground with a furious expression. "I don''t want to say this every time I see you, but I really can''t understand for the life of me why you chose to marry such a feisty woman!"


    As it turned out, the disheveled man was none other than the gatekeeper at the town''s eastern gate.


    The woman''s husband was still squatting on the ground, and he replied, "I do what I want!"


    After a brief moment of silence, the gatekeeper said, "Our master asked me to pass on a message to you. He said that you need to rein in your temper in the near future and refrain from fighting anyone."


    He then took a nce at the hole in the roof, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face as he continued, "Master also said that if you really can''t rein in your temper, then you can vent your frustrations on your wife. She''s into that rough stuff anyway."


    The woman''s husband raised his head to look at the gatekeeper, and thetter hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, I''ll admit that our master didn''t say that. I just made that up!"


    The man rose to his feet, and he was quite short in stature. He had a tannedplexion, and the bulging muscles of his arms were stretching the fabric of his sleeves.


    He was also a little hunch-backed, and he turned to the gatekeeper as he grumbled, "Zheng Dafeng, I''ll take on your surname if our master is ever willing to say more than 20 words to you at a time!"


    The gatekeeper counted the words of the message that their master had asked him to pass on, and sure enough, it was fewer than 20 words! He cursed the heavens upon making this discovery, following which a dejected look appeared on his face. It seemed that what the man had said to him was particrly hurtful because it was the undeniable truth.


    "Did Master say anything else?" the hunch-backed man asked.


    Zheng Dafeng replied, "Master also said that you need to deal with that man."


    The hunch-backed man''s brows furrowed slightly, and he habitually squatted down again, facing his broken house as he grumbled, "Why should I?"


    Zheng Dafeng rolled his eyes in response. "In any case, that''s an order from our master. You can choose to follow it or not, it doesn''t matter to me."


    The hunch-backed man was silent for a moment, then said, "Get out of here. If you try to steal my wife''s clothes again, I''ll snap all three of your legs!"


    Zheng Dafeng immediately red up with rage. "Li Er! You can''t just go around ndering me like this! Who''s been stealing your wife''s clothes? How could you believe something like that? What the hell''s wrong with you?"


    The hunch-backed man turned to the furious gatekeeper, looking at him in silence with a dark expression.


    Zheng Dafeng was like an indignant little girl as he yelled in a furious and grief-stricken voice, "Fine, I won''t do it again, alright?"


    He then rose to his feet and sprang up into the air, drifting onto the street like a locust leaf. Only after he had gotten far away did he dare to show his true colors. "Li Er, I''m going to your wife right now to buy her undergarments from her!"


    As he was saying this, he was running away faster than the wind.


    However, the hunch-backed man disyed no intention of chasing him, and he merely scoffed, "Idiot."


    The trio returned to the kiln supervision official''s office, and Cui Minghuang was seated in the main hall, having already been waiting for them for some time. Upon meeting the unfamiliar woman, Cui Minghuang rose to his feet and nodded to acknowledge, to which the woman also responded with a nod, but her expression remained as cold as ever.


    In the words of Liu Baqiao when talking about her behind her back, she looked as if everyone under the heavens owed her arge sum of silver.


    After the three of them had taken a seat, Cui Minghuang turned to Liu Baqiao with a smile as he said, "It''s a good thing you resisted the urge to strike. Otherwise, you would''ve been in massive trouble. You didn''t see what happened just now, but our kiln supervision official, Master Song, just exchanged three punches with that Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain on Fortune Street.


    ��From here onward, regardless of how exceptional an opportunity youe across, I suggest you don''t give in to temptation and refrain from doing anything."


    A curious look appeared on Liu Baqiao''s face as he asked, "Could it be that the old monkey took out Song Changjing with just three punches? Is Song Changjing that useless? Isn''t everyone saying that he''s already on the cusp of reaching the 10th tier?"


    Cui Minghuang heaved a resigned sigh as he replied, "We''re currently living under Master Song''s roof, would it kill you to speak more politely about him?"


    "It was Master Song who was able to gain the slight upper hand," Chen Songfeng said.


    Even though he waspletely unrted to Song Changjing, as a cultivator, Chen Songfeng still couldn''t help but be struck by a sense of longing after hearing about such an incredible feat.


    It was astonishing to think that a pure martial artist could oppose a Mountain-moving Ape with nothing more than his physical body ande out on top from the sh!


    The woman was seated off to the side, resting with her eyes closed while her hands were ced on herp, and her fingers twitched ever so slightly upon hearing this.


    She had originally nned to continue exploring the town, but Chen Songfeng had tracked her down and taken her to find Liu Baqiao before the three of them returned to the kiln supervision official''s office together.


    Even though she also had the Chen surname, she didn''t care whether Chen Songfeng would be able to get anything from that old locust tree, or how many ancestral blessing locust leaves he would be able to obtain.


    However, when Chen Songfeng tracked her down, she was able to clearly sense that he was forcibly suppressing his excitement, so it was most likely the case that he had managed to obtain more locust leaves than the number that had been projected by the patriarch of the Chen n in Dragon Tail County.


    Liu Baqiao suddenly burst into raucousughter as he said, "I''m d that old bastard was knocked down a peg! I can''t believe he was taken on a wild goose chase around half the town by an ordinary young boy! I can tell that joke in Wind Lightning Field for the next 10 years!


    ��Given how sensitive and uptight those Sun Scorch Mountain bastards are, they''ll definitely jump out and proim that our Wind Lightning Field is spinning a tall tale. If it isn''t for the fact that breaking the rules of this town incurs far too heavy a cost, I would''ve definitely recorded everything in a recording treasure so I have proof supporting the story!"


    Cui Minghuang''s expression suddenly changed slightly as he called out in a stern voice, "Baqiao!"


    The woman''s eyes also sprang open almost at the exact same moment.


    Liu Baqiao was just about to ask a question, but he immediately shut his mouth.


    It didn''t take long before Song Changjing arrived, and after making his way into the room, he turned to Liu Baqiao with a smile as he asked, "What''s so funny? Why don''t you share it with me so I can have a goodugh as well?"


    Cui Minghuang had already risen to his feet, vacating his chair to Song Changjing.


    However, Song Changjing merely shook his head with a smile, indicating to Cui Minghuang that there was no need for such formalities. He then casually dragged over a chair and sat down right next to Liu Baqiao, across from Chen Songfeng and the woman.


    Even though Liu Baqiao had always given off a casual andckadaisical demeanor, even he couldn''t help but stiffen up in such close proximity to a martial artist who was very likely to reach the legendary 10th tier someday.


    In particr, this was a martial artist who was notorious for his hobby of ying prodigies, and that only made Liu Baqiao feel even more fearful and intimidated. Behind Song Changjing''s back, Liu Baqiao was always referring to him directly by name, but now that Song Changjing was actually here, Liu Baqiao was feeling very uneasy.


    Thankfully, shamelessness had alwayse to Liu Baqiao like second nature, and he put on a fawning smile as he said, "We were just talking about your epic battle against that old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain, Master Song.


    ��That was truly a battle for the ages, one that would''ve shocked even the gods! The only thing that can match the incredible power of your fists is the kindness of your heart. If you hadn''t held back, that old ape would already be lying dead on Fortune Street! Someone like me cannot even begin topare with an unrivaled master of the martial arts like yourself!"<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    This is the bonus chapter!! We hit the milestone on our IG, so enjoy! Thank you for all your support!


    By the way, we split the chapters if it''s over 6000 Chinese characters. This one chapter was over 9600 English words. There will be a bunch of chapters that we will split in the future because the chapter itself is way too long. It''s impossible for us to maintain one chapter per day if the chapters are like 5700-8000+ English words (and some even more) each.


    If there''s a shorter chapter, it''s because of the author. We don''t intentionally release less content. Happy reading!</blockquote>

 Chapter 51: Confrontation

    Chapter 51: Confrontation


    After returning to Fortune Street and engaging in a brief fight with Song Changjing, Bai Yuan didn''t stay in the Li n''s residence for too long. He sprinted out of the small town and came to a momentary stop at where Chen Ping''an had entered the mountain. Bai Yuan then chose to retreat to where he had thrown the punch before, and he carefully examined the footprints that Chen Ping''an had left in the mud.


    Apart from Chen Ping''an''s footprints, Bai Yuan also noticed the shallower footprints of an adult. He spected that these footprints were most likely left by the young swordsman from Wind Lightning Field. When he had thrown a punch at Chen Ping''an, that young man had clearly wanted to seize the opportunity to attack him, with his sword intent leaking for a split-second. However, he had immediately suppressed it, and most people wouldn''t have noticed anything untoward.


    However, Bai Yuan had experienced countless battles, and he had also cultivated for a thousand years in Sun Scorch Mountain which possessed a "sweeping sword qi that can cut through the Treasured Vial". Thus, he was far too familiar with sword intent and sword qi.


    Bai Yuan had lived for a long time, so he had naturally seen and experienced many things as well. He had seen sword immortals who were skilled in nurturing top-notch flying swords, and there were those who possessed dozens of mini flying swords that could fit in their sleeves. These were flying swords that were as small and fine as hair. He had also seen a bonded flying sword that was asrge as a mountain, with its power so immense that it could sever a river with a single sh.


    Bai Yuan stopped and contemted for a while before deciding to continue forward. The foot of the mountain was filled with overgrown grass, and after a while, he was greeted by the sight of a bamboo forest. The ground was filled with withered leaves fromst autumn and winter. However, because this closest bamboo forest was the closest to the small town, it didn''t appear too deste or disorderly. Following the vaguely perceptible footprints, the old ape discovered that he was soon going to exit the bamboo forest.


    However, Bai Yuan chose not to directly exit the bamboo forest, and he instead observed his surroundings. He found that there were no more footsteps from the young boy. He looked up at the stalks of green bamboo, and he found that there were no marks on these either. Even so, Bai Yuan still refused to directly climb the mountain to give chase.


    Instead, he leaped up andnded on the tip of a thick bamboo stalk with a single foot, slightly exerting some force and causing his body to lean forward. The bamboo bowed, and just as it was about to snap, Bai Yuan suddenly retracted his aura and caused his body to be as light as a feather. With no more weight on it, the bamboo instantly shot back upright. Like an immortal soaring through the wind, Bai Yuan stood on the tip of the bamboo stalk and gently swayed with it, observing the surroundings as he did so. He looked down, and he finally discovered a small clue.


    The corners of his mouth curled up, and he turned to his left and peered into the distance. Pricking up his ears, he could hear the faint sound of flowing water in the distance.


    Bai Yuan smiled coldly and said, "As cunning as always."


    Using the stalks of green bamboo as footholds, Bai Yuan sprinted toward the small creek to his left, leaving a trail of snapped bamboo stalks in his wake. He stopped again after arriving at the creek, unsure of whether Chen Ping''an had traversed deeper into the mountain forests or whether he had fled downstream.


    His brows were knitted in a deep frown, and there was a slight hint of anger on his face. If this were a mountain with some spiritual energy in the outside world, Bai Yuan could have made a grabbing motion with his hand and easily forced the God of the Land to show himself and ept his orders. A simple question, and he would have been able to learn Chen Ping''an''s whereabouts.


    This was also one of Bai Yuan''s innate mystical abilities. Otherwise, regardless of how powerful or mighty a cultivator was, they definitely wouldn''t have the ability to order the local God of the Land or God of Water around. This was quite simr to the empires and imperial courts of the mortal world, where it was extremely difficult for the minister of war tomand a measly external official from the ministry of revenue. Most importantly, the minister of war and the external official from the ministry of revenue weren''t even from the same imperial court.


    Bai Yuan fell deep into thought as he listened to the sound of the flowing water.


    Thinking from a logical perspective, Chen Ping''an had most likely developed his skills and stamina by climbing the mountains and swimming through the creeks from a young age. Perhaps he had even experimented with elementary breathing techniques before, and maybe it was because of this that he possessed such an exceptional physique, with his body light and his bones sturdy. This then allowed him to y the cat and mouse game with Bai Yuan on the rooftops. If this were the case, it made sense for Chen Ping''an to venture deeper into the dense forests to find a hiding spot.


    If he were nothing more than an ordinary young boy, however, then he had most likely been acting on an impulse to seek revenge before. After witnessing Bai Yuan''s strength and calming down a little, it would only be natural for him to feel a sense of lingering fear. As such, it would be no surprise if he ran to the cksmith shop in the south to seek protection from Master Ruan.


    If Chen Ping''an had chosen the former option, this would only waste some of his time. If Chen Ping''an had chosen thetter option, however, this would waste not only his strength and energy, but it might even use up some of Sun Scorch Mountain''s goodwill.


    Bai Yuan uttered his sincere thoughts at this moment, saying, "Chen Ping''an must die."


    He didn''t hesitate any longer, and chose to venture downstream to look for Chen Ping''an.


    The was a winding mud road to the south of the small town, and both sides of it were decorated with the rice paddies and cropnds of the town residents. Halfway up the winding road, there was a rundown temple with white walls and ck roof tiles. It was called a temple, but in reality, it was nothing more than a resting spot for the residents. This was especially the case when the weather became scorching hot or when the heavens unleashed torrential rain upon them. During these times, it would make a huge difference whether there was a resting spot or not.


    Right now, Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao were resting and discussing their ns here.


    Ning Yao was born a sword prodigy, and she could easily see things even in the dark. This allowed her to quickly discover the childish graffiti on the broken walls of the temple. Written using charcoal crayons, most of the graffiti was the names of people.


    The characters near the bottom of the wall had already be smudged and unclear, and perhaps they had been rubbed off or written over by others. Only the characters higher up were still clear and intact, and she could easily make out the names of several people �� Song Jixin, Zhi Gui, Zhao Yao, Xie Shi, Cao Xi, and so on.


    Perhaps they had sat or even stood on the shoulders of their friends to write their names up so high. In fact, Ning Yao even saw Liu Xianyang, Chen Ping''an, and Gu Can''s names written on the uppermost left corner of the wall. Their names appeared slightly distant and disjointed from the rest of the names.


    Ning Yao retracted her gaze and said, "No matter what, we''ve sessfullypleted the first stage of our n. We forced that old ape to replenish his qi once. Anyway, are you really nning to return to the small town to retrieve your wooden bow? Won''t that be too risky? What if the old ape is extremely cautious and didn''t go up the mountain to look for you? Won''t you be running straight into his maw?"


    Chen Ping''an was quietly practicing his breathing technique, with the length of each inhtion and exhtion varying depending on his feeling. What he sought was the "mostfortable" state. Hearing Ning Yao''s question, he replied with a resolute expression, "I have no choice; I have to retrieve my wooden bow. Otherwise, we would have wasted all our previous effort! Moreover, just like you said, shooting him is useless unless I can hit him in the eye. I shot him from close range in y Vase Alley, but the damage it caused was negligible."


    Ning Yao was slightly irritated, and she said, "I already told you! Your trifling skills are useless against him! You didn''t believe me before, and you stubbornly insisted on doing things your way. So I said fine, and I let you do things your way. Since you believe me now, it''s time to follow my ns, right?"


    Regarding how to deal with Bai Yuan, Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao had initially decided to each do their own thing during their discussion on the covered bridge. Chen Ping''an had simply told Ning Yao to wait for him to talk to three people first. However, he had suddenly changed his mind, and he had caught up to Ning Yao just as she reached the steps on the northern end of the covered bridge.


    Afterward, the two of them had a huge disagreement. Since Chen Ping''an wasn''t a cultivator and couldn''t even practice a simple fist technique, Ning Yao insisted that he stay out of it and simply observe things from the sidelines. If he wanted to, he could p and cheer her on as she killed the old ape and exacted revenge for Liu Xianyang. However, when Chen Ping''an had asked her about the details, Ning Yao had refused to borate on how she would kill Bai Yuan. She simply said that she had a powerful trump card. Otherwise, without some trump cards, how could she go on an adventure through the world?


    Hearing this, Chen Ping''an had rejected her proposal.


    Afterward, he had gone to look for the three people.


    Chen Ping''an stood up and stretched his back, with his movements barely inhibited anymore. "Alright, that should be enough rest."


    Ning Yao was astonished, and she said, "The medicine from the Yang Family''s medicine shop is that effective?"


    A hint of despondence shed through Chen Ping''an''s eyes. However, he quickly nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, it''s very effective."


    "Will the old ape see through your escape n?" Ning Yao asked.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before cautiously replying, "Possibly."


    Ning Yao used the scabbard of her saber to draw two circles and a line in the dirt before asking, "This is the path between this temple and the Li n''s residence on Fortune Street. Where is your wooden bow hidden?"


    Chen Ping''an squatted down and drew a circle, saying, "It''s near the east, around here. It''s not too far from y Vase Alley."


    Ning Yao nodded and said, "Alright then. Even if that old ape directlyes here, I''ll engage with him and try to buy enough time for you."


    Chen Ping''an drew another small circle in the middle of the line, and he said, "Ning Yao, if the worst-case scenario really does y out, can you lead him to this ce? This is where I entered the mountain before. If you guys are there, then it won''t take me too long to head over after I retrieve my wooden bow."


    The young girl in green leaned on her saber and said in a proud voice, "Perhaps I''ll be waiting for you with the old ape''s head in my hand at that time."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and said, "Don''t try to show off. You need to be careful!"


    Ning Yao genuinely wanted to rap his head with the scabbard of her saber. Just who was trying to show off?


    She red at him and eximed, "Oi! The person standing in front of you is Ning Yao, someone who''s going to be the number one sword immortal in the world in the future! Understood?!"


    Chen Ping''an stood up before ncing down to check the two pouches of coins on his waist. As a precaution, he tightened them again. He then looked up and said, "Yes, yes, I understand. So you definitely can''t die in a small ce like this, right? Otherwise, just how unfortunate would that be? As your friend, when you be a powerful and mighty sword immortal in the future, I''ll also be able to bask in your glory."


    Ning Yao sighed with emotion and said, "Chen Ping''an, you''re as fussy as an old woman and you''re also so hesitant and indecisive. I suggest that you don''t look for a wife in the future. Just marry some random girl and call it a day."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t retort her, and he simply replied with a chuckle. Just as he was about to leave the temple, Ning Yao said, "I''ll go with you to the creek first. After that, I''ll head northwest to avoid having that old ape be worried about the little girl. Otherwise, what will we do if he doesn''t find you after leaving the bamboo forest and therefore decides to give up and return to the small town?"


    Chen Ping''an thought about this for a moment, and he didn''t reject Ning Yao''s proposal.


    They ran toward the creek. Ning Yao''s breathing was like the flowing water of a magnificent river with incredible depth and surging undercurrents, while Chen Ping''an''s breathing was like the flowing water of a creek that was long and steady.


    Their auras were vastly different.


    Ning Yao suddenly couldn''t contain her urge, and she asked, "Will the herbal medicine you want to apply to the arrowhead really be effective?"


    "Well, it''s effective against wild boars that weigh over 100 kilograms, so I assume that it should be effective against that old ape as well," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Ning Yao didn''t say anything else.


    When they arrived in front of the creek �� this was the location where Chen Ping''an hade onshore before �� they both bent their knees and leaped up at almost the exact same instant, flying through the air andnding on the opposite side.


    Ning Yao slowed down and grabbed her scabbard afternding. Meanwhile, after sprinting and leaping over the creek, Chen Ping''an continued to dash forward in a continuous motion, instantly overtaking the young girl. Just as he was about to turn around, Ning Yao said, "Don''t worry about me. You return to the small town first."


    As Chen Ping''an continued to forge ahead, he nced back and said, "I''m going to take a detour and find a quieter alley to enter the small town, so I might return a bitter."


    Ning Yao nodded in understanding. When Chen Ping''an disappeared into the distance, she let go of her sword hilt and started to walk slowly toward the west.


    After a short while, she came to a stop and peered into the distance at the upper reaches of the creek.


    A tall and burly figure suddenly leaped off arge rock in the creek and shot toward its northern banks,nding 20 or so steps away from the young girl. His aura was intense and domineering.


    However, Bai Yuan was slightly puzzled, as he couldn''t sense Chen Ping''an''s aura in the surroundings. He unconsciously nced at the sword by Ning Yao''s waist, and he said with a smile, "Young girl, you were the person who caused a ruckus in Fortune Street a short while ago, correct?"


    Ning Yao remained silent as she rested her hands on her sword hilt and saber hilt.


    Bai Yuan wore a curious expression as he said, "Young girl, even though you hid your identity the entire time while we wereing to the small town, I can tell that your background isn''t simple. You''re definitely not like the trash from Light Breeze City and Old Dragon City. However, what puzzles me is why you''re targeting me like this even though there''s no grievance or grudge between us. Or perhaps someone from your n or sect has grudges against Sun Scorch Mountain?"


    Ning Yao didn''t say a word as she unsheathed her sword and saber in unison, leaping forward in a sh.


    The slender saber arrived first, shing down at Bai Yuan''s head.


    Bai Yuan casually raised an arm to forcefully deflect the blow.


    Ning Yao used this momentum to spin around, shing her sword at the old ape''s neck as she did so.


    Bai Yuan once again used his arm to forcefully block this strike.


    After failing to take Bai Yuan down with her two strikes, Ning Yao didn''t choose to further engage in close-quarterbat. Instead, she created some distance between them before slowly pacing around.


    After using his incredibly powerful physique to gauge the sharpness of Ning Yao''s weapons, Bai Yuan ignored the bloody gashes on his forearm and said with a smile, "Your weapons are fairly impressive. Moreover, you dare to carry two of them around with you, so it''s quite clear that you''re the disciple of an impressive sect from the mountains. Otherwise, you''re the direct disciple of a first-rate power outside the mountains. In fact, I almost thought you were another swordsman from Wind Lightning Field, one who was lying low."


    Tracking the pacing young girl with his gaze, Bai Yuan said in a solemn voice, "Young girl, I know that you won''t give up even if you fail in a moment. So I''ll give you onest chance to reveal your identity and background before I kill you. However, Sun Scorch Mountain won''t apologize because of this matter, nor will it care where you''re from and what your identity is."


    Ning Yaopletely ignored his remarks. From the beginning to the end, she was observing him and looking for his weak points.


    After all, she wasn''t Song Changjing, someone who had already discovered the path to the 10th Tier. She couldn''t face this Mountain-moving Ape head-on.


    Feeling like he had already conceded too much ground, Bai Yuan chuckled coldly and said, "Since you''re unwilling to ept my kindness, then so be it."

 Chapter 52: Shudder

    Chapter 52: Shudder


    Bai Yuan arrived before Ning Yao in a single stride, raising his arm and forming a fist before hammering down at her head.


    Ning Yao raised her saber to block this attack, with the de of her saber facing Bai Yuan''s wrist. At the same time, she viciously thrust her sword at his chest, with the tip of the sword pointing at his heart.


    Surprisingly, however, Bai Yuan''s fist opened up into a palm, and he nimbly grabbed the de of her saber. Meanwhile, his other hand instinctively shot over to grab the tip of her sword.


    It was clear that his attack had only been a facade, with his true intention being to invite a careless attack from Ning Yao.


    As someone from Sun Scorch Mountain, a holynd for swordsmen in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Bai Yuan was naturally able to tell that this sword was extraordinary with a single nce.


    In order to grab it, he had even been willing to replenish his Qi for a second time.


    In fact, the tip of the sword had already pierced through his chest, and it was only an inch or so away from prating his heart.


    Seeing that she was in a precarious situation, Ning Yao resolutely let go of her sword. At the same time, she forcefully tugged at her saber, causing it to slide through Bai Yuan''s grip and emit a piercing scraping sound, like that of metal against rock.


    After freeing her saber, Ning Yao quickly leaped back and retreated.


    Sure enough, the old ape turned around and flicked his wrist, causing the sword to fly dozens of meters away.


    He thenunched a kick at the young girl.


    Ning Yao raised her right hand which was now empty, and with a thump, she was struck by Bai Yuan''s kick and sent flying 20 meters into the distance. Shended heavily on her back, and only after taking a few tumbles did she finally manage to dig her saber into the ground and halt her momentum. Thankfully, the earth near the banks of the creek was rtively soft and loose, and the rocks on the ground were also round and smooth instead of jagged and sharp. It was because of this that her back didn''t be a bloody and mangled mess.


    Bai Yuan didn''t give her any time to rest, with hisrge body soaring forward and mming down from the sky.


    Ning Yao didn''t even have time to retrieve her saber from the ground as she retreated again and again.


    Bai Yuan didn''t continue to pursue her, and afternding, he raised a foot and stomped on the hilt of her saber. When the young girl who was down on one knee looked up, Bai Yuan increased the force underfoot and sent the saber deep into the earth, with its hilt drawing level with the ground.


    A golden-purple aura fluctuated near the old ape''s face, and it appeared especially dazzling when juxtaposed against the darkness of the night sky. He sneered and said, "You practice the sword, yet you also practice the saber, causing your techniques to be disorderly and unrefined. It''s inevitable that you''re in such a miserable situation!"


    Ning Yao stood up and forcefully stopped herself from vomiting a mouthful of blood before saying, "Is that all you''ve got?"


    Bai Yuan shook his head and said with a smile, "I was only giving you onest chance."


    Ning Yao took a deep breath before saying in a solemn voice, "In my hometown, we don''t care about who someone''s parents are when we fight against them. If someone has the ability to kill you fair and square, then you can only me yourself for being too weak and inferior. If my parents learn of this in the future, they''ll at most onlye to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to target you. They definitely won''t target Sun Scorch Mountain. So, you can be at ease and fight me with your full strength."


    This was the first time Bai Yuan had seen her being so talkative, and she appearedpletely different from the young girl with a veiled hat who was reserved and didn''t show many emotions.


    Bai Yuan suddenly felt a cold chill at the back of his neck at this instant, and this caused him to immediately turn his head to the side.


    A de scraped past his neck, leaving a shallow wound.


    If he hadn''t turned his head, the sword would have severely wounded him even if it couldn''t directly run through his neck. At that time, the tables would turn on him, and he would eventually fall to a bigger and bigger disadvantage. Moreover, if he revealed his true form too early, he would lose his moral high ground and thus lose his bargaining chip against Qi Jingchun and Master Ruan. Perhaps this would even affect his young mistress and lead her to face all kinds of danger by herself. With this in mind, Bai Yuan finally became enraged for a third time.


    The flying sword didn''t return to its sheath, and it instead flew around Ning Yao as if it were trying to ask for praise and also please her.


    Bai Yuanughed in anger upon seeing this, and he said, "Very well, I wasn''t able to fight to my heart''s content with Song Changjing just then, so I guess I''ll y around with you for a little while! However, just how many heavy strikes can your fragile body withstand?"


    Ning Yao frowned slightly as she observed the golden-purple aura around Bai Yuan''s face. Even though he had already used his mystical abilities three times, it was clear that he still had some remaining strength. At the very least, his acupoints hadn''t copsed and forced him to reveal his true form. Moreover, having one''s lifespan shortened would be a huge blow to those below the Upper Five Tiers, but it would be much less of a blow to this Mountain-moving Ape, even though it would still be painful.


    Ning Yao moved her fingers slightly, causing her sword to spin in an agile manner. She smiled and said, "No wonder my father said that Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Sun Scorch Mountain isn''t worth a mention. The cultivators there talk big but have little skills to back up their boasts. You people have blind courage, but you''re unfortunately stupid and have extremely shallow sword qi."


    Bai Yuan red up in rage, and he bellowed, "You''re seeking death!"


    He charged at the impudent young girl.


    Ning Yao didn''t zealously continue to fight, and she instead retreated toward the north.


    Her situation remained precarious, and if it wasn''t for her flying sword receiving two characters from the que "unmatched aura", allowing it to grow explosively in sword qi and spirit, she would have faced many more life-threatening situations. Now, however, the flying sword was linked to Ning Yao''s mind, and this allowed her to control it with her thoughts. It was because of this that she was able to block many of the old ape''s vicious attacks.


    If this were a bonded weapon that she had spent a huge amount of effort to nurture, Bai Yuan wouldn''t have been astonished at all. However, he knew very clearly that this definitely wasn''t the strange young girl''s bonded sword.


    She seemed more like an ordinary martial artist who was traveling through the world with a convenient weapon in her hand. All that she cared about was the sharpness of her de. She didn''t care about nurturing her sword heart, nor did she care about nurturing a sword spirit. However, what was strange about her was that she wasn''t fully walking the path of a martial artist either. This was because martial artists who focused on tempering their physiques yearned to reach a state of "remaining indestructible even as heaven and earth shattered". If their weapons took over and gained the ability to act on their own, they would be regarded as disreputable martial artists from heretical sects.


    After chasing Ning Yao for so long, Bai Yuan was unable to capture her partly because of the flying sword, and partly because she had practiced so many different arts. She practiced sword arts, martial arts, and also cultivation. Bai Yuan wracked his brains, but he truly couldn''t think of a sect in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent that could raise such a strange disciple. Thus, he became increasingly careful with his attacks as he attempted to ascertain her identity and background.


    In any case, everything would be fine as long as they didn''t get too close to the small town. Regardless of how messy things were there, Bai Yuan wouldn''t face any dangers in this ce.


    Ning Yao became increasingly pale as she continued to flee.


    "You''re a spent force!" Bai Yuan said with a wicked smile.


    "To say nothing of whether you can flee back to the small town, even if you can, and there''s someone there to help you, do you really think that I can''t kill you?"


    Bai Yuan stamped his feet and leaped up, ignoring the flying sword and directly jumping over Ning Yao''s head,nding in front of her and blocking her path. He then swung his fist and sent the flying sword spinning hundreds of meters into the distance. However, the irritating flying sword instantly soared back again and stabbed at his head.


    When Bai Yuan tried to grab the flying sword and hold it still, it slyly retreated from his reach as if it could read his mind. Coming and going like the wind, the flying sword was extremely unpredictable and hard to defend against. Even though Bai Yuan wasn''t afraid of being wounded thanks to his strong physique, he was still left in a slightly disheveled state thanks to the flying sword.


    Ning Yao wasn''t willing to face Bai Yuan head-on, so she changed her direction and started to run toward the northeast.


    Bai Yuan changed directions along with her, threatening her no matter where she went.


    He swatted aside the flying sword that was speeding toward him as if he were swatting a fly, causing it to pierce almost a meter into the ground. Like a young girl swaying her hips, the flying sword swayed back and forth as it pulled itself from the ground with much difficulty. Hovering in the air, its tip shuddered violently as if it were a furious little kitten. After pausing for a brief moment, it viciously stabbed at the old ape again.


    Bai Yuan was incredibly annoyed, and he couldn''t help but say, "Why is this flying sword allowed to ignore the rules of this ce? Tell me, what''s your rtionship with Qi Jingchun or Ruan Qiong?!"


    Ning Yao was almost struck in the forehead by the old ape. As she leaned back, she reached out to grab the hilt of her flying sword, which forcefully dragged her back and out of the range of Bai Yuan''s attacks.


    After retreating some distance, Ning Yao decided against retreating all the way to the small town for some reason. Instead, she stopped and stood still, cocking her head and spitting out a mouthful of blood. The flying sword rang continuously as it hovered beside the young girl, and it was as if it were a young and puzzled student who was rattling away to his elders and asking a million questions.


    Ning Yao ced her right hand on her left shoulder.


    Bai Yuan suddenly slowed down,ughing heartily and saying, "Just as I expected. This flying sword recognizes you as its owner, and it can indeed act against the rules of this ce. However, it''s only a flying sword after all, and even if it has its own spirit, it can only do so much without yourmands.


    "However, it''s a shame that both your body and your soul were severely wounded in the small town, and you''re still yet to recover from these injuries. As such, you''repletely unable tomand your flying sword. It''s because of this that your attacks have been random and disjointed. It''s also why you''re allowing your flying sword to attack by itself. In any case, you were never genuinely trying to wound me in the first ce. However, when ites to life-saving defensive techniques, you have no option but to control the flying sword with your mind."


    Ning Yao finally spoke again, saying, "You speak so much."


    Her lips were sanguine red, and her face was as pale as a sheet.


    Standing before the backdrop of the night sky, the young girl in green looked much like a female ghost who was wandering around the wilderness of the small town.


    Bai Yuan strode forward, clicking his tongue in wonder as he said, "You have a powerful flying sword, but it''s a shame that your body is too weak to fully control it. You''re just like a tree with powerful branches but a weak trunk. How pitiful!


    "You and that young boy from the alley wracked your brains toe up with ways to force me to replenish my qi, such that I''ll invite retribution from this heaven and earth. Young girl, why don''t you take a guess? After I exhaust this third breath of Qi and replenish my Qi for a fourth time, will I invite the wrath of heaven and earth? And will I be able to endure that wrath?"


    An amused smile suddenly spread across Ning Yao''s face as she lightly tapped her feet and jumped back. She only jumped up less than three meters, and she only jumped back less than two meters.


    Bai Yuan, who was just about to attack her, couldn''t help but find this odd. Afraid that there was a trap, he continued to advance in a slow and cautious manner, keeping his eyes peeled for any sudden changes.


    While she was in midair, Ning Yao lightly tapped her feet again, this time exerting a little more power and also twisting her toes, causing her to jump to the side instead of straight back.


    As it turned out, the flying sword had already flown beneath her feet while she was still in midair, allowing her to use it as a tform and continue to jump higher and also further back.


    Even Bai Yuan, who had seen many things and experienced many battles, faltered upon seeing this. This was a strange and slightly farcical sight.


    Like a small milu ying hopscotch, Ning Yao continued to hop around in a graceful and lively manner. It wasn''t long before she vanished in the night sky.


    Moreover, perhaps afraid that the old ape would suddenly attack her, Ning Yao''s movements appeared extremely random and unpredictable, sometimes jumping to the left, and sometimes jumping to the right, sometimes jumping higher, and sometimes jumping lower, sometimes jumping forward, and sometimes jumping back.


    Bai Yuan pursed his lips, his expression extremelyplicated as he said, "Just like a bounding antelope."


    However, he didn''t stand still as he watched her flee. With a flick of his foot, he casually kicked up a stone and caught it in his palm. With a swing, he then ferociouslyunched the stone into the air.


    One after another, Bai Yuan continued to flick stones into his hands before viciously throwing them at Ning Yao.


    Even though most of the stones missed, there were still seven or eight that greatly threatened Ning Yao, forcing her to control her sword to shatter them.


    Like the rumbling thunder of spring, explosions intermittently reverberated through the air.


    Bai Yuan''s expression became dark.


    This young girl had either gone crazy, or she was absolutely stupid.


    She was clearly able to fly beyond the range of his stones, yet she insisted on maintaining the same height. She was like a lightly armored cavalry pacing back and forth along the edges of the battlefield, tempting the enemy archers to continuously waste their arrows and strength on her.


    Before he knew it, they had already arrived near the west side of the small town.


    Bai Yuan roughly estimated how much Qi he had remaining �� it wasn''t much. He then picked out two egg-sized stones, one in each hand, before striding forward and swinging an arm, his muscles bulging as he did so. This was an astonishing sight, and the stone surprisingly crackled as it soared through the air, leaving a trail of sparks behind it. This was extremely peculiar, and it was as if it were a slender fire dragon that was soaring into the sky.


    "Get down here!" Bai Yuan roared.


    A brilliant spark exploded in the air before a low rumble traveled over.


    Ning Yao groaned as she plummeted toward the ground.


    Flying erratically like a drunkard, the flying sword whimpered in grief as it tried its best to help its owner.


    Bai Yuan didn''t spare the young girl and flying sword so much as a nce, and he instead squinted his eyes as he peered at the rooftops to the west of the small town. When a streak of ck shed past, he forcefully stomped his feet and released the remaining stone, chortling withughter and saying, "Trying to save her? You die first!"


    Ning Yao vomited blood and screamed, "Don''te over!"


    The heavily wounded young girl couldn''t bring herself to look over. At this moment, she felt a slight sense of despair.


    She held onto her sword with much difficulty, and when one arm became too tired, she would hurriedly switch to the other arm. She did this again and again, slowing herself down as she fell to the ground.


    Ning Yao never imagined that it would be her "clever act" that would kill Chen Ping''an.


    The young boy in straw sandals who had a bamboo basket on his back and a fish basket by his waist. The young boy who walked as briskly as the wind as he hurried about every day, busily earning money and busily brewing medicine.


    To die just like this... Ning Yao felt like this wasn''t right!


    After shakilynding on the ground, she put her index finger and middle finger together to form a sword. She then ced her fingers on her be and said through gritted teeth, "Come out! Shatter this heaven and earth!"


    A thin golden line materialized on her be, slowly growing and expanding downward.


    This was just like an immortal opening their Heavenly Eye!


    Under the ancient stone arch bridge, the covered bridge of today...


    A rusty de whose tip had been pointing toward the deep pool for thousands of years suddenly yawned like someone who had just woken up from a deep slumber.


    The rusty de shuddered slightly.


    The covered bridge shuddered along with it.


    The entire creek also shuddered.


    The entire small world also shuddered.


    Deep in a mountain, a travel-worn Qi Jingchun was walking with several other people. As he peacefully walked through the mountain, he suddenly raised a foot and was just about to forcefully stomp down. However, he suddenly smiled and gently lowered his foot.


    Sitting next to an oilmp in the Yang Family''s medicine shop, Old Man Yang was suddenly roused from his nap. He tapped the table with his tobo pipe.


    Standing in his official residence, Song Changjing suddenly started to stamp his feet and curse.


    In a cksmith shop by the creek, Ruan Qiong surprisingly missed the sword billet as swung down with his hammer, causing an expression of shock to spread across the face of the young girl who was holding the sword billet for him.


    Lying on a rooftop and gazing at the night sky, Ma Kuxuan, who was treated as a retard by everyone, suddenly sat up straight, with killing intent bursting from his body.


    Right at this moment, a familiar and extremely worried voice suddenly rang out, drawing closer and closer to Ning Yao. "Ning Yao, why are you stupidly standing there?! Run! I''m not dead! That was just a shirt that I took off! That old beast is stupid, but why have you gone stupid as well?"


    Ning Yao''s mind was already fuzzy at this moment, with the Edict Ceremony almost reachingpletion. However, she suddenly felt like she was taken on a ride through the clouds and mists as someone tossed her onto their shoulder and ran toward the alleyway.


    Ning Yao suddenly came to her senses, with her body bouncing up and down with the movement of Chen Ping''an''s shoulder. She felt slightly ufortable, and she felt even more embarrassed. She waspletely stupefied as she murmured, "Huh?"

 Chapter 53: Gift

    Chapter 53: Gift


    Chen Ping''an sprinted away with Ning Yao on his shoulder, his speed even quicker than when he had climbed the mountain just then. It was as if he were kidnapping someone''s pure and chaste daughter.


    Ning Yao''s wounds were quite severe, and she felt even worse as she bounced up and down on Chen Ping''an''s shoulder. However, this was no time to worry about her feelings or face. Otherwise, if the old ape struck them again, it was extremely likely that she and Chen Ping''an would die together "for the sake of love".


    Ning Yao''s forehead was dripping with sweat as she asked, "How did you survive? You weren''t hit by the stone? How did you know that the old ape would target you and not me?"


    After asking all these questions, Ning Yao suddenly came to her senses and said, "Forget about this first. While the old ape is replenishing his qi, we need to run as far away as we can! I''ve alreadymanded my flying sword to obstruct him, but I predict that it can''t dy him for too long."


    Chen Ping''an nodded gently, and he was as quick as the wind as he adeptly navigated the alleys. He was like a fish speeding through the water.


    After running far away from the west side of the small town, Chen Ping''an found the opportunity to quietly exin, "While we were fighting in y Vase Alley, I tricked to old ape to jump on top of an old and rundown roof, causing him to fall into the house. While he was down there, I secretly tossed a small piece of broken tile onto the nearby roof. Sure enough, he thought that it was me being careless and revealing my position, so he suddenly tossed a tile over, breaking both the wall and the roof. That was truly terrifying.


    "Just then, I was actually lying on a nearby rooftop for quite a while, but I didn''t dare toe out because I was afraid that I would distract you. I was also thinking about whether I could shoot the old ape with an arrow. However, when I saw him throw that stone into the air, how could I still dare to be careless? It was like a fire dragon soaring to the sky, and I''m pretty sure that everyone in the small town could have seen it if they looked up.


    "I thought a step further at that moment, and I considered what I would do if I were him. I would definitely use you as bait to lure out the person who was hiding nearby. After dealing with them, I would turn my attention back to you. To catch two fish with one bait, just how good would that be, right? So I decided to take off Liu Xianyang''s shirt and throw it out first. Only after that did I dare to dash out to rescue you."


    Ning Yao''s eyes lit up, and she clicked her tongue in wonder. However, she mysteriously started to interrogate him, asking, "Chen Ping''an, who did you learn all these slimy schemes from?! You look honest and sanctimonious, but you''re definitely not as honest as you appear! Speak! After Daoist Lu saved me and brought me to your house, did you take that opportunity to do anything else to me after removing my veiled hat?"


    Chen Ping''an was dazed, and his expression was just like when he had been whipped in the head by cow tails when he was young. "What?"


    Ning Yao didn''t continue her interrogation, and she instead started to chuckle to herself.


    Chen Ping''an was an avaricious person, but he was definitely not a pervert.


    Ning Yao firmly believed this, just like how she firmly believed that she would definitely be a mighty sword immortal in the future. Not one of the most powerful, but the most powerful.


    "Put me down," she said in a low voice.


    "You can walk by yourself now?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Not yet," Ning Yao replied begrudgingly. "But if you continue to run like this, even my heart and intestines are going to be shaken out by you. At that time, I might not be killed by the old ape''s fist, but I''ll instead be killed on your shoulder. The old ape will trulyugh himself to death if he hears about that."


    Chen Ping''an slowed down and said with a headache, "Then what should we do? Find somewhere nearby to hide? I actually wanted to leave the small town. There''s a ce that''s not easy to find."


    Ning Yao suddenly recalled something, and she asked in curiosity, "Where''s that wood and porcin armor that you made by yourself? Why aren''t you wearing it?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled bitterly and said, "It''s not very useful against that old ape, and instead of helping, it will even slow me down. So I decided to take it off. Thankfully I did, or else I don''t know how I would have carried you away. I wouldn''t have been able to carry you on my shoulder or back, nor would I have been able to carry you in my arms. Just thinking about it is giving me a headache."


    Ning Yao sighed before making up her mind and saying, "Chen Ping''an, put me down first. Then carry me on your back to that ce you mentioned."


    Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t have any objections. He put Ning Yao down and shifted her onto his back without any hesitation before running off again.


    "Ning Yao, where''s your saber? Why do you only have your saber scabbard?" he asked.


    With her arms wrapped around Chen Ping''an''s neck, she huffed, "It''s buried in the ground."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t ask any more questions as he ran to an unfrequented ce outside the small town.


    This was a deste area that was scattered with tombs that no one visited anymore. Weeds covered the tombs, and they grew so thick that this ce looked more like a vegetable garden than a burial site. They could hear the hoots of owls from time to time, and this made the surroundings appear even creepier.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an wasn''t like the other children at his age, and he harbored a unique feeling toward this ce. Thus, he didn''t feel ufortable at all. After around 15 minutes, Chen Ping''an navigated through countless broken and copsed statues with Ning Yao on his back, and he arrived behind the gigantic statue of a god that was copsed and missing its head for some reason. Its body was six meters long, and one could imagine just how mighty and dignified it would have once appeared when it was unbroken and quietly sitting in a temple.


    Chen Ping''an squatted down and attempted to let Ning Yao climb off his back. However, there was surprisingly no response after waiting for a while, and Chen Ping''an was almost scared to death, thinking that Ning Yao had already died on the way here. As he stood there with a stupefied expression on his face,pletely speechless with shock, the young girl who had enjoyed a nice andfortable nap this entire time finally woke up, instinctively wiping the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand. She then asked in a sleepy voice, "Are we there?"


    For some reason, Chen Ping''an almost burst into tears upon hearing her voice.


    He hurriedly took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He then gently released his grip on Ning Yao''s legs to let her down before turning around and saying with a smile, "This is a temporary hut that I builtst autumn. I used to always bring Gu Can here to y, and he would always nag me to build something fun for him. So I collected some branches and built a frame, then I grabbed some leaves and grass to ce on top of it. It''s fairly sturdy, and it didn''t copse even after two bouts of heavy snowst winter."


    Ning Yao stood up and looked back, and she didn''t see the flying sword returning in a disheveled manner. This was a good sign, as it signified that the old ape hadn''t found their hiding spot yet.


    Chen Ping''an told Ning Yao to wait for a moment as he bent down and entered the small hut. After tidying it up a little, he opened the door and invited her in.


    Ning Yao felt a sense of relief as she sat in the hut that didn''t feel too cramped.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t shut the crude wooden door, and he instead sat in the doorway with his back to Ning Yao.


    "Why aren''t you shutting the door?" Ning Yao asked.


    "It won''t make a difference if that old ape finds us," Chen Ping''an shook his head and said.


    Sitting cross-legged, Ning Yao nodded and said, "That''s true."


    After falling silent for a moment, Ning Yao continued, "You don''t have any questions that you want to ask?"


    Sure enough, Chen Ping''an asked, "Did the old ape use all three breaths of qi?"


    "Mhm. However, I''ve got some bad news for you," Ning Yao replied. "He can break the rules at least one more time, and that''s more than enough to deal with us two injured people."


    "Ning Yao, what price will he have to pay?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The fragrance of the nearby grass seeped into the small hut, causing the air to feel cool and refreshing. Even though it was slightly humid, Ning Yao felt like this was already very good. She couldn''t ask for too much.


    Shen thought carefully for a moment before replying, "The old ape has fought three times. The first time was when he chased you from y Vase Alley to the west side of the small town. He was more cautious at that time, and it was mainly because he was trying to gauge whether you had external support or not. After all, he was afraid that someone was trying to lure him into a trap and target his young mistress from Sun Scorch Mountain. Thus, he probably only had three to five years shaved off his lifespan.


    "The second time was when he fought against me by the creek. That probably shaved 20 or so years off his lifespan. The third time he fought us, he probably lost at least 50 years of his lifespan. The next time he fights us, he''ll probably lose at least 100 years of his lifespan."


    There was a bright glimmer in Chen Ping''an''s eyes as he pulled a stalk of grass from the ground and flicked the dirt from its roots before cing it in his mouth. "Then we''ll call it 180 years. That''s already a huge win!" he said with a beaming smile. "If I ignore what Cai Jinjian did to me and assume that I can live to 60 years old like most ordinary people, that''s already a gain of two extra lives! Anyway, I feel like that old ape will be furious when he thinks about the fact that he sacrificed almost 200 years of his lifespan to deal with me."


    Ning Yao frowned and said, "Chen Ping''an, you really feel like your life is that worthless?"


    "Compared to an immortal beast like that old ape who''s lived for thousands of years, a peasant potter from a small town like me is naturally not worth anything," Chen Ping''an replied without hesitation. "Admitting this isn''t shameful."


    Ning Yao felt extremely stifled after hearing Chen Ping''an''s foolish reasoning.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and said with a smile, "Of course, conceding this is one matter, but that doesn''t mean that I don''t feel wronged at all. Just think about it. We were all equally born into this world, so why should my life be worth nothing?"


    Ning Yao was just about to answer his question and recite a few motivating sayings by the Sages to show off her knowledge. Unexpectedly, however, Chen Ping''an quickly answered his own question.


    He sincerely said to himself, "Perhaps I didn''t do enough good deeds in my previous life? But I haven''t had enough time to do good deeds in this life either! Then aren''t I screwed for my next life again? What should I do?"


    Ning Yao picked up the empty green saber scabbard that was resting on her legs and used its tip to lightly prod Chen Ping''an on the back.


    Chen Ping''an grimaced, and he immediately turned around to look at her with an indignant expression.


    Ning Yao red at him and said, "You''re nowhere near dying yet, so why are you already thinking about your next life?!"


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly raised a finger and gestured for her to be quiet.


    Ning Yao immediately shut up.


    Chen Ping''an shuffled forward a little, attempting to create some distance between himself and Ning Yao''s saber scabbard.


    Ning Yao wanted to say something, but she didn''t know whether she should. In the end, she decided to tell Chen Ping''an the truth, saying in a hoarse voice, "Chen Ping''an, have you ever considered this? Even though he''s lost 180 years from his lifespan, what was the initial lifespan of this Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain?"


    Gazing at the sky with his back to the young girl, Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    How could he know about such a mysterious thing? He probably couldn''t guess correctly even if he wracked his brains as hard as he could.


    Some things were just like the bluestone bs in Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley �� if Chen Ping''an hadn''t run over there to deliver letters, he would have never known that there existed roads other than mud roads in the world.


    Ning Yao sighed and said, "As descendants of ancient beasts born from the peculiar phenomenon of heaven and earth, the acupoints of these beasts are far inferior to those of us humans. As such, it''s extremely difficult for them to cultivate. However, the good thing about this is that their vitality is eroded far slower than ours, and this allows them to enjoy extremely long lifespans. On the lower end, they can enjoy a life span of 500 years, while on the higher end, they can enjoy a life span of 5000 years.


    "Mountain-moving Apes like to move around a lot, so if they don''t cultivate, they naturally won''t enjoy an excessively long lifespan. They naturally won''t live for as long as tortoises and flood dragons. However, the Mountain-moving Apes used to be the dominant force in some region in the past, after all, so their lifespans can still reach up to 2000 years. Moreover, this old ape has clearly mastered some mystical abilities already, so once he advances to the Upper Five Tiers,bined with his Ninth Tier physique, it''s possible that he can enjoy a lifespan of 3000 years or even 4000 years, to say nothing of just 2000 years."


    Ning Yao looked at the slightly skinny boy in front of her and said, "So don''t feel like you''ve lived enough already."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything.


    Meanwhile, Ning Yao felt a little sad for him.


    The two of them fell silent. Ning Yao started to feel a little guilty for revealing this secret, and she tried to wrack her brain for some words tofort Chen Ping''an.


    However, when she started to develop a headache after thinking too hard, she suddenly heard the soft sound of snoring traveling over from in front of her.


    Ning Yao was stupefied.


    This was arge residence deep in Apricot Blossom Alley. It was clean and tidy from the outside to the inside, and even the path in front of the courtyard gate was cleaner than those of its neighbors.


    An olddy whose face could never be described as kindly and benevolent lifted the candle in her hands to make the room a little brighter. She then looked at her grandson with a doting expression, saying for the millionth time, "Why did you run off to the rooftop sote at night again? As the saying goes, the chill of winter carries into spring. However, you never listen to me. You''re still growing now, so what will you do if the chilly weather leaves you with an incurable illness? How will your grandma live then?"


    The stupid young boy replied with a grin.


    The old woman sighed as she sat down, saying, "Oh, my darling grandson, do you know? In the morning, that ungrateful brat suddenly came knocking for heaven knows what reason, with bags of big and small gifts in his hands. You weren''t home at the time, so you weren''t able to see his expression. Oh, he appeared like a dutiful son and caring father. Your grandma was almost moved to tears!"


    The old woman wore an expression of ridicule as she said this, and she suddenly turned around to spit a ball of thick phlegm on the ground. However, she immediately regretted this, and she hurriedly used the tip of her foot to smoosh it away. Looking up and seeing her grandson''s indifferent expression, she was suddenly filled with a sense of anger and irritation.


    Nheless, she couldn''t bring herself to hit him, so she could only huff, "Oh, you heartless brat, you don''t even know to care for your grandma. Your original name was Ma Xuan, but since you were abandoned by your parents, is your life not a bitter and hard one? So Grandma added the character Ku[1] to your name. If you feel like it''s too unlucky, you can change it back in the future if you want. It''s nothing major, so you don''t need to care about what your grandma thinks. Grandma is nothing but an olddy from a small town, and I''m just like a naive toad in the fields. With such ack of knowledge, it almost serves me right to have such a difficult life."


    The old woman started to wipe away her tears.


    Ma Kuxuan reached over and ced a hand on his grandma''s dry and bony hand.


    A hint of emotion finally appeared in the old woman''s eyes as she looked at her grandson, and a smile appeared on her face as she lifted her hand to pat the back of Ma Kuxuan''s hand. "Your grandma is quite an unfortunate person. Your grandpa was someone with a conscience, but he wasn''t someone with skill. So, he wasn''t someone who could be relied on. Meanwhile, my son was someone with skill, but not someone with a conscience. So, he also wasn''t someone who could be relied on. In the end, you''re the only person who I still care about.


    "If you don''t make some progress soon, your grandma would have truly endured all these hardships for nothing. However, what are a few hardships? Just don''t be like your grandma in the future. You definitely have to grow up and make a name for yourself in the future. If someone bullies you, then bully them back a thousand times harder! You definitely shouldn''t be a good person. In terms of being a bad person, it''s okay if it''s just for a few times. Just don''t think about harming others all the time. One needs to be careful of facing punishment and retribution after all, right? The heavens might like to nod off for years on end, but there are ultimately the asional moments when the heavens open its eyes. If you''re unlucky enough to get caught... then ouch!"


    Ma Kuxuan had been forced to listen to these ramblings from a very young age, and it was very likely that he had already grown calluses in his ears from listening to all this. In fact, he had probably already gone through several cycles of calluses. However, Ma Kuxuan ultimately didn''t pull his hand away, and he allowed his grandma to lightly hold his hand.


    The old woman suddenly asked, "Why do you like that despicable Zhi Gui?"


    "Because she looks good," Ma Kuxuan replied with a faint smile.


    The old woman lightly pped the back of Ma Kuxuan''s hand and scolded, "You heartless little maggot! You won''t even tell your grandma the truth?"


    Ma Kuxuan smiled and said, "Don''t worry, Grandma, it''s a good thing."


    The old woman was skeptical, but she decided to drop this topic for the moment, saying, "Do you know why your parents abandoned you?"


    Ma Kuxuan smiled and replied, "Because we were poor back then? So they couldn''t afford to raise me?"


    The old woman suddenly raised her voice, screeching, "Poor? For the past seven or eight generations, the Ma n genuinely hasn''t been poor. However, we''ve be ustomed to bowing down to others, so much so that we don''t even know how to act as masters anymore. In fact, our ancestors left an instruction for us. Regardless of how wealthy we be, we can never move our residence to Fortune Street or Peach Leaf Alley.


    "If your wretched parents were poor, would they be able to wear gold and silver every day? Would they be able to enjoy delicacies every meal? Apart from not daring to move to Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley where the Four Surnames and Ten ns are gathered, whatfort haven''t they enjoyed?"


    The old woman became angry every time she talked about her son and her daughter-inw. She chuckled coldly and said, "Those ancestral teachings and instructions are merely things that have decayed in the mud with time. After all these years, what are they still worth? My dear grandson, just ignore them when you make a name for yourself in the future. Grandma has lived for all these years, and I''ve seen all kinds of wealthy people and poor people. At the end of the day, however, only talentless fools choose to be honest people!"


    Ma Kuxuan wore a dazzling smile, and it was hard to say whether this was because he agreed with his grandma or because he thought her words were farcical.


    He had always been like this, and he had always been able to endure hardships and harassment from others. However, when he put his mind to something, he would be so stubborn that even his grandma couldn''t persuade him otherwise.


    The old woman pondered for a moment before running over to see if the courtyard door was locked. She then returned inside and sat back down, saying in a quiet voice, "Ma Kuxuan, don''t think that your grandma has been acting strange all these years. Apart from being a midwife and offering charmed water to others, I''ve also shamelessly collected trash from others. However, everything that your grandma collected was an extremely valuable treasure."


    Ma Kuxuan wore an exhausted expression at this moment, and it was clear that he waspletely uninterested in his grandma''srge box of trinkets.


    However, the old woman continued to exin how she had tricked and swindled others in the past, her expression bright and filled with smugness.


    Ma Kuxuan suddenly asked, "Grandma, did Chen Ping''an''s father die in..."


    The old woman''s expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly reached over to cover her grandson''s mouth, saying with a stern expression, "Some things can be done, but they can''t be talked about!"


    The young boy nodded with a smile, not asking any more questions on this topic.


    The old woman also lost interest in boasting about her past exploits, and she suddenly looked a little sick and listless at this moment. It was as if something were weighing on her mind, and she would nce out the window at the night sky from time to time.


    Ma Kuxuan smiled and said, "Grandma, you''ve been the sorceress of our small town for so many years, and our neighbors in Apricot Blossom Alley all praise you and say that you can ovee the gap between yin and yang and bring ghosts back to the living world."


    The old woman rolled her eyes and said, "You actually believe their nonsense? Your grandma is someone who''s even afraid of thunder, so will I not be scared to death if I truly see a ghost?"


    "Don''t be afraid, Grandma," Ma Kuxuan said with a smile.


    "Humans and ghosts walk two different worlds, just as gods and immortals walk two different realms. On one side is the Great Dao, and on the other side is heaven and earth."


    A new dawn arrived.


    Sitting inside the small hut, Ning Yao slowly opened her eyes.


    Chen Ping''an was nowhere to be seen.


    Ning Yao hurriedly stood up and bent down to exit the small hut. With a tap of her foot, she then sprang up onto therge shoulder of the copsed and broken statue.


    Chen Ping''an was running over from the distance, with his footsteps neither hurried nor slow. It didn''t look like he was fleeing from someone. When he saw the young girl in green, he hurriedly waved his hand and gestured for her toe down.


    Ning Yao jumped down from the statue andnded in front of Chen Ping''an.


    "The old ape hasn''t found our hiding ce yet," Chen Ping''an said.


    After saying this, Chen Ping''an sped his hands together and bowed at the headless statue of the god, murmuring something quietly. Ning Yao could vaguely make out what he was saying, and it was things like begging the god to not me her for being disrespectful and so on. She rolled her eyes, but she didn''t say anything.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an lowered his voice and said with a mysterious expression, "Let me show you two statues; they''re extremely interesting!"


    "Is it some god or immortal who''s willing to show themselves to you? Are you trying to tell me that your sincerity is going to reap instant results?"


    Chen Ping''an huffed and said, "Ning Yao, your words are seriously..."


    Ning Yao raised an eyebrow.


    Chen Ping''an immediately changed tact, continuing in a smooth manner, "Like that of a well-read person!"


    It was as if Ning Yao had suddenly be a different person at this moment. She coughed a few times and reminded herself to remain modest.


    Chen Ping''an led the way, and Ning Yao quietly followed after him.


    She unconsciously raised a finger and massaged her be.


    She had truly walked a tightrope between life and death.


    After a long mental battle with herself, she took a deep breath and weakly uttered two words �� thank you.


    Chen Ping''an had been keeping his eyes peeled and his ears open the entire time, so he naturally heard Ning Yao''s sudden words of gratitude. Even though in his mind, he didn''t feel like she needed to thank him. Instead, he was the one who should have thanked her.


    However, Chen Ping''an truly didn''t know where to start, so he decided to ignore this matter altogether.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly stopped in his tracks. He looked toward the south in a daze and muttered, "What if the old ape has already been kicked out of this small world by Mr. Qi? And that''s the reason why he hasn''t found us yet? What should we do then?"


    Ning Yao didn''t know what to say to this.


    Chen Ping''an continued to walk forward, not showing any signs of feeling unwell.


    Ning Yao quickened her pace and walked up beside him, asking, "Chen Ping''an, are you okay?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "I''m fine. I know that some things are just like this, and there''s nothing we can do to change it."


    He hadn''t gone to school before, so he naturally didn''t know that phrase thatpletely captured his emotion at this moment �� a limit there exists to everyone''s ability.


    Ning Yao suddenly came to a stop. When Chen Ping''an turned around in puzzlement, she pointed at the red mark on her be and said, "I know that you''re curious but don''t have the courage to ask. So let me tell you the truth. This is my trump card. Is the old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain powerful? He''s bullied us to a very miserable state, right? However, inside the acupoint on my be is the birthday present that my mother gave me for my 11th birthday. It''s my bonded treasure, and once I unleash it, not only will the old ape die, but.."


    She suddenly paused at this moment, and she eventually decided to directly skip over it, continuing, "I''m saying all this because I want to tell you something �� the world is very big, so don''t underestimate yourself, and don''t be discouraged. Aren''t you already practicing martial arts now? Why don''t you practice swordsmanship as well?"


    "You know how to teach sword techniques?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Ning Yao replied with perfect assurance, "My talent is far too great, and I also started to practice sword techniques from a very young age. So, my skill level is also rising extremely quickly. In terms of teaching others sword techniques, however, I don''t even know where to start!"


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head.


    Ning Yao pondered for a moment before saying with a serious expression, "Even if I want to give my flying sword to you, the flying sword definitely won''t agree. Moreover, I don''t want to humiliate it like that either. In my hometown, we view swords with spirits as equals and like-minded beings."


    In the end, Ning Yao removed the snow-white sword scabbard from her waist and said, "But I can give this sword scabbard to you!"


    Chen Ping''an was baffled, and he asked, "Why?"


    Ning Yao firmly patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and said in a meaningful manner, "Since you already have a sword scabbard, will you be far away from bing a sword immortal?"


    Chen Ping''an dazedly epted the empty sword scabbard, his expression dumbfounded as he uttered, "Say what?"


    Ning Yao strode forward.


    She felt like she had just done something extremely natural and dashing. This was all there was to it.


    Chen Ping''an carefully held the sword scabbard, thinking to himself, ''Where in the world am I going to find a sword from?''


    1. The Chinese character Ku referred to here literally means bitter or hardship. ?

 Chapter 54: Facing the Enemy

    Chapter 54: Facing the Enemy


    Chen Ping''an led Ning Yao to a five-colored statue. This statue was around a head taller than a young man, and it had initially had three pairs of arms. Now, however, only the arm with its hand clenched into a fist and held high above its head remained, as well as the arm that was lowest and making a "handshake" gesture. The reason it could make this "handshake" gesture was because two hands of this statue had been interlocked before, so even though the other arm had already broken off, its hand was still able to remain.


    This five-colored statue was that of an armored god with arge beard. His armor was impressive, with numerous scales interlocked in a flowing pattern. The perimeters of these scales were also decorated with two red threads as well as plump red beads. In terms of looks alone, the gulf between this suit of armor and Liu Xianyang''s ugly suit of wart armor was like the gulf between Zhi Gui and Granny Ma.


    The statue stood on top of a pitch-ck stone tform, andpared to the headless statue that they had stayed underst night, this colorful statue appeared much more lively and spirited, even though it was missing several arms and had already be mottled in color. Most importantly, two of the statue''s hands were interlocked in an extremely strange position near its waist.


    Ning Yao immediately noticed something, and she understood why Chen Ping''an had hurriedly brought her over here. She nodded and said, "It does indeed look a bit like the standing meditation stance from the Mountain Shaking Guide. However, it''s a little bit different from the Sword Furnace stance from the guide."


    She pondered for a moment before asking, "Can we find its other arms nearby?"


    Chen Ping''an squatted down and shook his head in pity. "I''ve tried to look for them before. However, I wasn''t able to find anything. They''re most likely been broken by the children trodding all over them when ying hide-and-seek here. After so many years, I feel like these statues of gods have already experienced all kinds of hardships and beatings.


    "Just look at this one. There''s arge chunk missing from his fist up there, and there are also many cracks on the side. It''s clear that his fist has taken a beating from slingshots or stones thrown at him. The children in the small town are all like this. The more that their guardians prohibit them froming here to y, the more that they enjoy sneaking here to catch crickets and dig up wild vegetables.


    "This is especially the case when winter arrives and snow falls. Dozens of them wille here to have snow fights, and that''s truly a scene that''s as lively as can be. After ying to their heart''s content, will they still have the effort to worry about anything else? The children also like topete with each other, and they try to see who can climb to the top of these statues. There are even some children who like to take a leak after climbing on top of these statues'' heads, and they''llpete to see who can pee the furthest.


    "So, just think about it. After so many years, how can there still be aplete and undamaged statue? In fact, there used to be a few wooden statues here when I was still little. However, I heard that there was someone who was toozy to enter the mountains to collect firewood, so they eventually turned their attention to these statues. When winter arrived, he secretly snuck over and dragged the statues back to his house. He then chopped them up and used them as firewood."


    Chen Ping''an continued to rattle on, and there was a sense of dejection and sadness in his voice as he said, "Old Man Yao gave me the cold shoulder and said that I didn''t have the aptitude for firing pottery at the time, so he shooed me off to the mountains to collect firewood. If I had known that there was someone like that in the small town, I would have definitely gone over to persuade him against his ns. If that didn''t work, I could have even offered to collect firewood for him. Even though those statues of gods never give their blessings, they are still statues of gods and Bodhisattvas after all! Yet, he chopped them up to use as firewood? How could someone do something so immoral...?"


    Ning Yao and Chen Ping''an were focused on two starkly different matters at this moment.


    With one hand pinching her chin and one hand resting under her elbow, there was a glimmer in Ning Yao''s eyes as she said, "If my guess isn''t wrong, the Sword Furnace from your Mountain Shaking Guide is derived from this statue''s stance. However, it''s not derived from the pair of hands that you can see right now. Instead, it was derived from the middle two arms of this statue of a Daoist Enforcer. It was those two arms that formed the stance of the Sword Furnace. However, I''m not sure why the author of the fist guide only chose one pair of arms to use as inspiration, ignoring the two hands that we can still see now. In any case, I can say with certainty that the Sword Furnace, or the Enforcer Sword Finger Hand Seal, is divided into two levels �� big and small."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t understand a single word that she was saying. However, he didn''t forget to retort her and say, "This fist guide is Gu Can''s. I''m only looking after it for him right now."


    Ning Yao didn''t argue with Chen Ping''an. Instead, she pointed at the Daoist Enforcer statue and said, "Do you see? In the fist guide, it''s the pinky on the right hand that''s sticking out. Here, however, nine of his fingers are intertwined and locked together, with only the index finger of the left hand sticking out by itself. This is in order to form and nurture a sword finger."


    Ning Yao continued to speak by herself, saying, "I''ve traveled your world for many years, and I''ve been able to see the Four Heavenly Kings[1] of many different temples and abbeys. This statue..."


    Chen Ping''an waited for her to continue, yet he still didn''t hear anything after waiting for a long time. In the end, he could only open his mouth and say, "Is there something strange about it?"


    Ning Yao nodded and said with a serious expression, "Mhm, it''s the shortest."


    Chen Ping''an, who was squatting on the ground, didn''t say anything. He simply raised a thumb at her.


    Ning Yao turned around and asked, "Have you seen any statues of Dao Enforcers that are even taller than Cloud Drape Mountain over here?"


    "Of course not," Chen Ping''an replied. However, he faltered for a moment before asking in puzzlement, "Cloud Drape Mountain over here?"


    Ning Yao came to a sudden realization, and she exined, "It''s the tallest mountain in this ce. It''s said that a very long time ago, an enlightened person buried a Heavenly Master Seal under Cloud Drape Mountain, using it to suppress the dragon qi in this small world."


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes lit up, and he said, " Do you know its approximate location? Can we dig it up?"


    Ning Yao smiled with squinted eyes and said, "What, you want to dig it up and sell it?"


    Chen Ping''an blushed slightly after being exposed, and he replied honestly, "Not necessarily sell it. When ites to valuable items, even keeping them and passing them down as family heirlooms will be fairly nice."


    Ning Yao made a tapping motion at the young boy who had be engrossed in material wealth, and she scoffed, "If you found a sect in the future, your avaricious and miserly nature will definitely ensure that everyone in your sect has enough to eat and drink and wear for the rest of their lives. They can just lie down and enjoy life."


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t thinking that far ahead. As for founding a sect or whatnot, he more so didn''t understand what Ning Yao was saying.


    He stood up and asked, "Regardless of whether it''s big or small, is the remaining stance of this statue also a type of Sword Furnace?"


    Ning Yao nodded and replied, "The Big Sword Furnace and the Small Sword Furnace are categorized by the left or right hand. However, what''s being nurtured most certainly isn''t the index finger of the left hand or the pinky finger of the right hand. Instead, we need to draw a trace up, all the way until..."


    Ning Yao closed her eyes and focused her attention at this moment. In fact, she could sense these locations even if she didn''t form a hand seal and enter the standing meditation stance. She opened her eyes and curled her fingers, pointing to two locations on the back of her head, the Jade Pillow acupoint and the Celestial Pir acupoint. These acupoints were indeed suitable locations for nurturing one''s bonded flying sword. Ning Yao smiled and said, "The Sword Furnace of the left hand corresponds to here, and the Sword Furnace of the right hand points to here."


    Chen Ping''an was baffled, and he said, "Ning Yao, I''ve always wanted to ask you something. You say that the Sword Furnace rtes to the standing meditation of the fist technique, but how does twisting my fingers around rte to practicing a fist technique? Can it increase my strength?"


    Ning Yao was stupefied.


    It was truly far too difficult for her to exin martial arts in fine detail. After all, she had easily ovee all of the obstacles that she had faced. Did these boring principles really need to be exined? Were they not naturally learned and easily understandable?


    Thus, Ning Yao wore a stern expression and said, "If you haven''t reached a suitable tier yet, telling you about this will be a waste of my breath! Just put your head down and work harder! What, it''s too tiring and challenging for you?"


    Chen Ping''an was slightly skeptical, and he carefully asked, "Ning Yao, is it truly like this?"


    Ning Yao crossed her arms before her chest, her expression proper and righteous as she said, "What else could it be like?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t continue to pester her about this topic. He looked up at the colorful statue that Ning Yao referred to as the Daoist Enforcer, and he said, "So, this is an immortal from the same teaching as Daoist Lu..."


    Ning Yao was slightly exasperated, and she said, "What do you mean from the same teaching as Daoist Lu? First of all, even though it''s called the Daoist teaching, this ''teaching'' definitely doesn''t mean the same thing as ''family''[2]. The breadth of the Daoist teaching far exceeds your imagination. In fact, even I''m not sure about how many different branches and schools the Daoist teaching has. I''ve only heard my father mention that there are four different Ancestral Temples, with one above, one below, one in the south, and one in the north... Forget about it. Telling you about this is like trying to y the lute to a cow.


    "Second of all, gods and immortals are not the same thing. Even though everyone likes to mention them together �� in fact, all the mortals like to do this as well �� they are ultimately not the same thing. Gods and immortals walkpletely different paths. Let me give you an example. Have you heard of the saying ''humans fight for qi, while gods fight for incense'' before?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "Apricot Blossom Alley''s Granny Ma and Gu Can''s mother always threw this phrase around when they argued with each other."


    Feeling like she was amander teaching her subordinate, Ning Yao borated, "Why do gods fight for incense? This is because they do indeed need incense to survive. Without incense, gods will gradually decline in power and ultimately lose their profound abilities. This is analogous to how people need to eat. If someone doesn''t eat for several days, will they still have any energy left? Why do mortal empires order local officials to prohibit and shut down illegal temples? It''s because they''re afraid of people offering incense to the wrong deities, allowing those who don''t deserve godhood to reach godhood.


    "Taking a step back, even if these illegitimate gods are good-natured ones who are willing to protect local residents and never break any rules, mortal emperors don''t see things the same way as us. They view themselves as "True Dragons", and they view these illegitimate temples and gods as forces that are bringing chaos to a corner of their territory. In other words, these are forces that are invading their territory and reducing their power and fortune. As a result, an emperor''s time on the throne will also be reduced. With this in mind, how can mortal emperors allow them to exist?


    "As for immortals, this is very simple. Therge majority of outsiders that you see are immortals. In fact, even the old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain can be regarded as half an immortal. They''ve all arrived on this path of Great Dao using their own abilities, and they''re all trying to climb this mountain to reach a state of immortality that rests at the summit. Cultivators are also referred to as qi refiners, and cultivation is also referred to as a process of cultivating immortality or cultivating truth."


    "Then is this Daoist Enforcer a god or an immortal? ording to your exnation, he should be regarded as an immortal from the Daoist teaching, right?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Ning Yao wore a solemn expression as she lightly shook her head. She didn''t delve any deeper into these secrets.


    She suddenly furrowed her brows.


    A small stone mysteriously shot over, forcefully smashing into the raised fist of the Daoist Enforcer and causing several y shards to rain down.


    Ning Yao waved her hands and pushed the y pieces away.


    Chen Ping''an stood up and followed Ning Yao''s gaze. Turning around, he saw an unexpected figure.


    This was a short and tanned young boy. He was squatting on a distant statue, and he was tossing a stone in one of his hands.


    Chen Ping''an stood up beside Ning Yao, and he said in a soft voice, "He''s called Ma Kuxuan, and he''s Granny Ma''s grandson. He''s a very strange person, and he''s never liked to talk from a very young age. Thest time I saw him by the creek, he even came up to me and actively spoke to me. It was clear that he already knew the value of the snake gall pebbles."


    Ma Kuxuan stood up and continued to toss the stone in his hand. He shed a brilliant smile at Ning Yao and Chen Ping''an, and he said, "If I go to the Li n''s residence in Fortune Street and tell that old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain that I''ve found you two, I reckon that I''ll be able to earn a pouch of copper coins no matter what. However, I can pretend that I didn''t see anything if you two are willing to offer me two bags of copper coins. Let me say this first, though. This is merely a transaction, so don''t have any thoughts about trying to kill me. There are so many gods and bodhisattvas observing us, so be careful of getting bad karma."


    Ning Yao was quite angry, and she was just about to speak. However, Chen Ping''an pulled her back and stepped forward, saying to Ma Kuxuan in a solemn voice, "Will you really uphold your end of the deal if I give you two pouches of copper coins?"


    Ma Kuxuan faltered slightly, and it was as if he hadn''t imagined that Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao would be so open to negotiation. To his surprise, they were genuinely trying to make a deal with him.


    However, he couldn''t be bothered acting anymore, and he retrieved an exquisite money pouch from his pocket before casually tossing it to the ground. He smiled and said, "I''ve already received payment from the Li n. However, I didn''t do this for the sake of money. Chen Ping''an from y Vase Alley, Song Jixin''s neighbor, correct? If you want to me someone, then me the girl next to you for being too detestable. She ruined a lot of people''s ns and grand schemes yesterday."


    Ma Kuxuan pursed his lips and pointed at himself, saying, "For example, mine."


    Chen Ping''an scanned the surroundings.


    Ma Kuxuan looked at Ning Yao and said with a smile, "Don''t worry, that old ape has something to deal with right now. Taking this opportunity, I wanted to ask you for something. You already know what it is, am I right?"


    Ning Yao chuckled coldly and said, "Be careful that you won''t live long enough to use it."


    Ma Kuxuan smiled and said, "You''re not my wife or anything, so there''s no need for you to worry about this."


    Chen Ping''an truly couldn''t imagine why other people viewed this eerie and sinister person as a mentally challenged retard.


    Ning Yao wore a dark expression, and she bumped Chen Ping''an''s shoulder before saying in a soft voice, "After arriving near here, my flying sword isn''t able to enter for some reason."


    Ma Kuxuan shifted his gaze slightly, cracking a grin at Chen Ping''an and saying, "Your battle on the rooftops yesterday was enthralling. I managed to witness it by coincidence. Oh, that''s right, you can remove the pouches of sand on your legs now. Otherwise, you won''t be able to catch up to me."


    Sure enough, Chen Ping''an squatted down and slowly rolled up his pants legs. However, his eyes remained locked on Ma Kuxuan the entire time.


    Only at this moment did Ning Yao surprisingly discover a pouch of sand wrapped around each of Chen Ping''an''s calves.


    Chen Ping''an exined to her, "When I was little, Grandpa Yang from the Yang Family''s medicine shop told me to never remove these pouches of sand. I initially nned to remove them to deal with the old ape''s fourth breath of qi. However, I feel like now is a fairly suitable time to remove them as well. It''s also because I have a nagging feeling that Ma Kuxuan is just as dangerous as that old ape."


    Ma Kuxuan deftly jumped down from the statue, and he took a nce at the young girl in green before muttering to himself, "I thought I would onlye across my first Dao enemy after leaving the small town. Who knew I would meet one so quickly? Haha, I truly can''t stop my good fortune!"


    Ning Yao suddenly asked, "Chen Ping''an, was he also whipped in the face by cow tails when he was little?"


    Chen Ping''an stood up and lightly stomped his feet several times. After carefully thinking over Ning Yao''s question, he replied, "Granny Ma''s very rich, so in my memory, the cows that they owned were all especiallyrge. It was truly terrifying when they started to swing their tails around."


    When Chen Ping''an stood up, Ma Kuxuan squatted down again, scooping up a handful of stones in his left hand.


    In the end, the young boy from y Vase Alley and the young boy from Apricot Blossom Alley faced each other from afar.


    1. This refers to the four guardian statues seen in many Buddhist temples. ?


    2. In this context, "teaching" and "family" share the same Chinese character. ?

 Chapter 55: Feeling Proud in the Spring Breeze

    Chapter 55: Feeling Proud in the Spring Breeze


    Chen Ping''an imperceptibly dug the tips of his feet into the ground, and it was as if he were familiarizing himself with his legs that had be lighter.


    He was observing Ma Kuxuan the entire time, and he noticed that Ma Kuxuan had picked up five stones, with four in his left hand and one in his right.


    Ma Kuxuan appeared calm andposed as he looked at the young girl from the outside world whose sword and saber scabbards were both empty at this moment. He smiled and said, "Let me get this straight first. This is a battle between me and Chen Ping''an, and based on the stories that my grandma used to tell me when I was little, generals shouldn''t call their underlings for help when they''re dueling one-on-one. Whoever calls for reinforcements is a coward. If a general can y their foe, then they''ll greatly increase the morale of their side and they would have essentially won the battle..."


    Ning Yao couldn''t help but feel annoyed as she looked at Ma Kuxuan. She had never seen such a punchable person before. Even though y Vase Alley''s Song Jixin was also scheming and liked to show off his knowledge, he at least looked like a young schr. Meanwhile, the young boy in front of them was skinny and short, and his skin was also tanned and no lighter than Chen Ping''an''s. His eyes were also especiallyrge, and this made him look extremely strange and uncanny. Add to that his strange logic and reasoning, and he seemed much like an old woman who had poured half a pound of makeup onto their face and was purposely trying to act bashful and seductive. This was truly a terrifying sight.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t utter any threats to Ma Kuxuan, and he simply bent down slightly before suddenly exploding forward, with his speed as quick as a galloping horse as he charged at the young boy from Apricot Blossom Alley.


    So fast!


    Ning Yao gazed at Chen Ping''an''s sprinting figure. In just the blink of an eye, he had already shot out more than six meters. She had seen and experienced many things before, but Ning Yao still couldn''t help but exim in emotion. This naturally wasn''t to say that Chen Ping''an was peerless among those at his age simply because he could sprint faster than foxes and rabbits. Instead, she admired him because he was able to work hard for a dozen or so years to temper his physique to such a level in this small world that was akin to a prison.


    Ning Yao pondered over this. Was being able to endure hardships also a talent?


    The distance between Chen Ping''an and Ma Kuxuan was quickly halved.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an could already see the slight changes in Ma Kuxuan''s expression. There was a brief moment of astonishment, followed by a brief moment of fear, which rapidly disappeared and was reced by an expression of calm andposure. Ma Kuxuan then quickly raised an arm without any hesitation, with his thin limb unleashing an astonishing burst of explosive power.


    Chen Ping''an had been staring at Ma Kuxuan''s right hand the entire time, and he decided not to continue in a straight line anymore, instead leaning toward the right.


    Ma Kuxuan''s elbow surprisingly paused for a moment, and with a flick of his wrist, a stone shot toward the turning Chen Ping''an.


    The stone possessed a ferocious might, and even though it wasn''t as terrifying as the old ape''s attacks, it was still something that Chen Ping''an needed to treat with caution. He should have been affected by the attack, but Chen Ping''an didn''t grind to a halt. With a twist of his hips, his upper body leaned to the side, causing the stone to sh past his eyes. The strands of hair on his forehead were blown up by the gust of wind created by the stone.


    Ma Kuxuan flicked his left hand where he held the remaining stones, tossing one of them into his right hand.


    It seemed like he also knew that he couldn''t dispose of Chen Ping''an with this second attack, so he decided not to remain in the same spot. He stood up and ran to his right, throwing the stone at Chen Ping''an at the same time.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly leaned down, with his hands almost able to touch the ground. The stone shot over his back, ripping his thin shirt. Fortunately, this was only a graze. Even though the wound looked bloody and frightening, it actually wasn''t very deep.


    The distance between them halved again.


    At this moment, Ma Kuxuan also realized that he should retreat and increase the distance between them. However, Chen Ping''an was far too quick, so much so that Ma Kuxuan''s hurried retreat appeared slow and clumsy inparison. As Chen Ping''an drew closer, his resolute and clear gaze also became increasingly piercing. In contrast, a hint of hesitation shed across Ma Kuxuan''s eyes. Should he abandon this opportunity to attack and retreat instead? Or should he gamble everything on this third attack and have it determine the oue of the fight?


    There was a clear juxtaposition between Ma Kuxuan''s hesitation and Chen Ping''an''s resoluteness.


    At this moment, did Chen Ping''an still look like a foolishly kind young boy from y Vase Alley?


    In this moment of life and death, Ma Kuxuan took a step back and swung his arm.


    It was clear that he believed in his own abilities.


    To say nothing of fighting with others, this reclusive young boy had never even argued with others before. Ever since he was little, he had never liked to hang out with others at his age, for example, Chen Ping''an and Gu Can. He appeared more like a wild cat who liked to run around by himself.


    When he became bored, he liked to grab a handful of stones and throw them as he walked. Of course, he would throw them very lightly, and it would look like he was simply ying. Thus, no one took this seriously. However, when Ma Kuxuan was alone on the banks under the covered bridge, he would skip stones across the surface of the water using slightly tter stones. He could often have them skip more than a dozen times and strike the bottom surface of the stone arch bridge on the opposite bank, causing them to shatter. This was a clear indication of the dexterity of his hands and the power of his arms.


    Ma Kuxuan would often squat on top of the Azure Cow Ridge as well, using stones to strike the fish in the water. Regardless of whether these stones hit their target or not, they would almost never cause a ssh.


    As a result, there would often be the mangled corpses of several birds lying on the roof or in the courtyard of that residence in Apricot Blossom Alley.


    There were only a dozen or so meters left between Chen Ping''an and Ma Kuxuan.


    When dodging Ma Kuxuan''s two attacks just then, Chen Ping''an''s movements could be described as more on the side of agile and light. He hadn''t revealed any powerful muscles or limbs, and he was instead like a flittering leaf.


    However, when Chen Ping''an and Ma Kuxuan were about to collide, Chen Ping''an finally revealed his "powerful" side. He took threerge strides that were both aggressive and powerful, with his feet appearing like hammers striking iron billets when theynded, and appearing like ws that could lift mountains when they rose.


    After these threerge strides, the two young boys were almost face to face.


    Ma Kuxuan didn''t have enough time to throw another stone. Logically speaking, he had already lost his best opportunity.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s heart suddenly jolted at this moment, though he still didn''t choose to retreat. This was because his momentum was far too great, making it impossible for him toe to a sudden stop. Since this was the case, he was better off leaping forward and taking a gamble.


    The corners of Ma Kuxuan''s mouth curled up into a smile as he unclenched his left hand and discarded the remaining stones. His right hand was already clenched into a fist, so he immediately stepped forward and threw a punch.


    He had beenying a trap for Chen Ping''an since the very beginning! His hesitation, his allowing Chen Ping''an to draw closer, and even his choice to attack Chen Ping''an with stones �� all of these were part of Ma Kuxuan''s meticulous n. He was purposely appearing weak to his enemy, and his aim was to draw the slimy boy who could escape from the old ape to his side. He was luring Chen Ping''an over on purpose!


    A distance of one arm was a distance of one punch.


    Chen Ping''an was left-handed, though this wasn''t especially evident. Thus, his left fist forcefully collided together with Ma Kuxuan''s right fist.


    As their fists collided, both of them raised their legs and kicked each other at almost the exact same moment.


    Chen Ping''an and Ma Kuxuan both flew back before heavily thumping to the ground.


    The distance between them grew to 20 or so meters again. Ma Kuxuan picked himself up, kneeling on one knee as he sucked in deep breaths. He raised his arm and unclenched his right fist. This was because he hadn''t thrown that final stone. Thus, even though his palm couldn''t be described as bloody and mangled, the wound on it was still sanguine red and frightening.


    Ma Kuxuan grimaced as he rubbed his stomach. There was fervor in his eyes, and he roared withughter as he said, "Chen Ping''an! Dare to exchange another blow?!"


    Chen Ping''an''s left hand was in an even more miserable state. This was because a deep gash had been left on his palm by that shard of porcin when he had killed Cai Jinjian in the small alley. Even though he applied the secret herbal ointment from the Yang Family''s medicine shop every day, such severe wounds usually needed around 100 days to fully heal. Regardless of how tough Chen Ping''an''s physique was, he wasn''t a powerful god or immortal, after all. Thus, he had definitely suffered more during the exchange with Ma Kuxuan.


    Wrapped in cotton strips, Chen Ping''an''s left hand was already involuntarily shaking. Blood seeped through the cotton strips and dripped onto the wild grass beside his feet.


    Chen Ping''an forced himself to take a deep breath, and this made him clearly feel the piercing pain traveling over from his abdomen. He needed to determine how much this pain would affect him in theing exchanges.


    He was doing this out of habit.


    Chen Ping''an was born into an impoverished family, and it was exactly because he had far too few possessions that he was always so stingy about everything. In contrast, those born into rich families like Song Jixin and Lu Zhengchun would never care about how many copper coins they had in their pockets. They cared about the bigger picture, so they cared less about these trivial matters. However, Chen Ping''an naturally couldn''t do this. Thus, the impression that Chen Ping''an gave others was that he was an extremely cautious person who was slightly indecisive but also very good at enduring things. Meanwhile, he didn''t appear very lively and ambitious like the other youths.


    As for Ma Kuxuan, who had mysteriously run over to fight with him, he could most likely be regarded as a strange and entric person who was also very unreasonable. Ning Yao could still be described as sharp and unyielding, at least, but Ma Kuxuan was someone who would leave others scratching their heads.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t turn around, and he waved a hand at Ning Yao with his back facing her, signifying that he was okay.


    Ma Kuxuan slowly stood up, grabbing a handful of weeds as he did so. He then casually wiped away the blood on his palm.


    Chen Ping''an also stood up.


    Ma Kuxuan dashed forward first, with his explosive power so great that he left two pits where he had stood just then.


    Ma Kuxuan, who looked like a skinny monkey, was unfathomably quick as he dashed forward and leaped into the air, with his knee mming down at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an mmed his fist into Ma Kuxuan''s flying knee. However, the lunging Ma Kuxuan also leaned forward and threw a lightning-quick jab, striking Chen Ping''an on the forehead. At the same time, his bent knees instantly straightened and smashed into Chen Ping''an''s chest.


    It was as if Chen Ping''an had suffered a hammer strike to his head and a sledgehammer to his chest, causing him to involuntarily fall backward.


    Ma Kuxuan tumbled in the air beforending on his feet and continuing to dash forward with a wicked smile. He arrived before the half-squatting Chen Ping''an in no time, and he immediatelyunched another kick.


    Chen Ping''an raised his arms to block, with his left arm on the outside and his right arm on the inside. He stubbornly protected his face and chest.


    Chen Ping''an was sent flying by Ma Kuxuan''s kick. However, his center of gravity had been extremely low, and he had also protected his weak points, so the oue wasn''t a bloody and miserable one.


    He continued to tumble along the ground.


    Ma Kuxuan didn''t relent, and he continued to charge forward.


    When Chen Ping''an finally stopped rolling, hended in a half-kneeling position with his knees bent and his body leaning forward, preparing him for a forward thrust. It was hard to say whether this was on purpose.


    Ma Kuxuan''s expression faltered.


    In the next moment, Chen Ping''an shot forward like an arrow released at full draw, instantly arriving before Ma Kuxuan. His speed was so quick that he seemed like apletely different personpared to just then.


    Appearing weak to the enemy...


    Chen Ping''an also knew how to do this.


    Ma Kuxuan didn''t even have the time to throw a punch as Chen Ping''an thrust his shoulder into his chest. Ma Kuxuan stumbled back, with another bout of agonizing pain traveling over from his stomach. He instinctively bent over, yet his left temple was immediately struck by Chen Ping''an''s swinging forearm, the force of the strike so great that he was sent flying in a peculiar manner, with his feet trailing behind his body as he flew sideways.


    However, Chen Ping''an suddenly grabbed Ma Kuxuan''s feet before swinging him around in a full circle. With a furious roar, he then viciously threw the 90-pound young boy into the distance!


    Ma Kuxuan flew toward the statue of a sitting god that was copsed on one side. This statue was around five meters tall, and if things continued on the same trajectory, then Ma Kuxuan would definitely suffer a very gruesome fate.


    However, Ma Kuxuan didn''t rely on any external help as he created a "surprise" for himself.


    His feetnded on the head on the statue one before another, and he instantly bent his knees to absorb the impact before immediately straightening them again, causing him to shoot forward thanks to the huge rebounding momentum. He dashed toward his opponent in the distance. This was extremely simr to what Chen Ping''an had done just then.


    However, Ma Kuxuan''s eyes suddenly widened in shock and terror.


    What greeted him was the sight of Chen Ping''an standing there, with one arm raised and holding a short dagger that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The tip of the de was directly pointing at the fast-arriving Ma Kuxuan.


    When people uttered the words "seeking death", this was probably the kind of situation they were talking about, no?


    Even though Chen Ping''an''s arm was shaking violently, the way he held his dagger would still ensure that Ma Kuxuan''s body was cleanly run through. The only difference would be whether the de entered through his arm, head, or chest.


    Ma Kuxuan was facing a perilous situation, and he was gripped with a sense of extreme shock and fear. However, he didn''t have any intention of giving up. He twisted his body with great difficulty, determined to protect his vitals from the fast-approaching de.


    Right at this moment, a tall figure appeared between Chen Ping''an and Ma Kuxuan.


    This was a middle-aged man with a sword strapped to his back and a tiger talisman tied to his waist.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t able to see what he did, but in a sh, Ma Kuxuan rotated in the air andnded on his feet, with his body fully upright as he stood beside the man.


    The man turned around to look at Chen Ping''an who had taken a step back with the dagger still in his hand. There was unconcealed approval and appreciation in his eyes as he chuckled softly and said, "You both did quite well."


    Blood seeped from the corners of Chen Ping''an''s mouth, and he took another step back.


    The man smiled when he saw this, and he said in suggestion, "Since I stepped in to save Ma Kuxuan, I''ll repay you by doing you a favor. After I leave, I''ll convince the Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain to abandon his pursuit of you two. How does that sound?"


    Ning Yao walked up beside Chen Ping''an.


    The martial artist from True Martial Mountain took a deep look at Ning Yao. He then turned to Chen Ping''an and said, "You don''t have the right to bargain with me. Nod if you agree, and continue to remain silent if you disagree. If you feel like this is unfair, or if you feel wronged, or if you feel like you can get lucky and escape from the old ape, then you cane and look for me at True Martial Mountain in the future. You can ask for what you think is fair."


    Chen Ping''an put away the skirt dagger that Ning Yao had lent him, hiding it in his right sleeve. He then nodded at the man and said, "If I have the opportunity, I''ll definitely go and look for you."


    Ma Kuxuan was just about to speak, yet the man immediately cut him off with a cold expression, saying, "Dead people don''t have the right to threaten living people."


    Ma Kuxuan tightly pursed his lips. However, he really did lower his head and remain silent.


    The master and disciple from True Martial Mountain slowly disappeared into the distance.


    Chen Ping''an plonked down on the ground.


    Ning Yao hurriedly bent down and asked in concern, "How are you feeling? Where are you hurt the most? Will the prescription from Daoist Lu still be useful?"


    With his face battered and bruised and his body filled with internal injuries, Chen Ping''an wore a bitter expression as he replied, "It should be fine. At the very least, I can still tell what area hurts, which means that my wounds aren''t too severe. Oh, that''s right, if the old apees over at this moment..."


    "Then we''ll let hime over!"


    Ning Yao also decided to sit down, a smile on her face as she said, "You were here to fight for us just then, so I''ll also be here to fight for us at that time. What''s there to be afraid of?"


    Chen Ping''an silently swallowed the second half of the sentence that he hadn''t spoken yet.


    Ning Yao''s smile suddenly became dazzling, and she raised two thumbs at Chen Ping''an and said, "That was very impressive!"


    At this moment, the impoverished young boy who had never viewed himself as impressive before forcefully tried to contain his smile. He purposely tried to make himself appear more nonchnt and carefree.


    In reality, however, nothing could wipe the happiness from his face.


    The young boy felt extremely proud as he sat in the spring breeze.

 Chapter 56: Nodding Bodhisattva

    Chapter 56: Nodding Bodhisattva


    Walking through the deste mountains where foxes and rabbits thrived, the man with the sword strapped to his back suddenly stopped in front of a tombstone. He walked up beside the tombstone which stood in front of a small dirt mound and squatted down next to it, removing the weeds that were growing around it and revealing its true appearance.


    The characters on it had already be fuzzy, and only less than half of it could still be deciphered. The man sighed and said, "The Divine Dao is copsing, and the Ritual and Music System is flourishing. The battle between the hundred schools of thought is about to begin."


    When the man stood up, he saw that his disciple who was still yet to be a formal disciple of True Martial Mountain facing the direction that they hade from. Blood was seeping from Ma Kuxuan''s mouth, ears, and nose, causing his tanned face to appear especially wicked and terrifying. He used his forearm to roughly wipe his blood away before continuing to stare in that direction.


    "Ma Kuxuan, ording to the excuse you gave me before, you wanted to head over there because of that young girl from the outside world. You told me that she teamed up with the prince and eunuch from Great Sui Nation and used her flying sword to kill your first master. You told me that this left a knot in your heart, so you needed to find her to exact revenge. I felt like your request was reasonable, so I didn''t stop you from going. I allowed you to take control of your own life and death. After all, being able to encounter such Dao enemies is both a danger and an opportunity for us cultivators and martial artists."


    The man''s voice became solemn, and he showed no signs of being lenient on his disciple just because he was talented. "However, you targeted the young boy from y Vase Alley instead. Why? I already told you before that martial artists from True Martial Mountain, especially swordsmen, definitely shouldn''t attack and kill innocent people for no reason!"


    Ma Kuxuan sidestepped the question, and he instead replied with a question of his own, asking, "Are martial artists most able to ignore karma and preordained fate?"


    The man nodded and replied, "Casting one''s gaze through several thousand years of history, those who are able to use their own strength to turn the tides of a time are indeed mostly Sages from the Martial Sect. I''m not saying this on purpose simply because I''m a martial artist as well."


    The man kept his gaze on Ma Kuxuan, not nning to let him shrug off his question.


    If Ma Kuxuan were a bloodthirsty person who enjoyed preying on the weak, why would he ept such a disciple for True Martial Mountain?


    In mortal empires, martial artists relied on fighting on the battlefields to raise their cultivation base. This was a dangerous method that kept them on a tightrope between life and death. Once they lost control of their true selves, it would be extremely easy for them to fall into demonic ways. At that time, just how easy would it be for these martial artists who held profound military power to massacre cities and destroy nations?


    The Martial Sect and the Confucian Sect were the two towering pirs that held up the mortal empires and ensured peace. If a revered and powerful martial artist went down the wrong path, then the higher their cultivation base and the higher their position, the more damage they would be able to inflict on a mortal empire. There were many bloody lessons recorded in the history books.


    Just how difficult was it to win over public opinion? And just how easy was it to lose public opinion? Even though this was a remark made by a Confucian Sage, there was no shortage of martial artists who had earnestly studied Confucian teachings. They all deeply agreed with this remark.


    Perhaps Ma Kuxuan noticed the increasingly heavy atmosphere. However, he wasn''t in a hurry to exin himself, and he lightly cupped an ear with his hand. This strained his wound, and it instantly caused him to suck in a deep breath and grimace in pain. He rxed for a moment before putting his hand down and looking at the puddle of blood on his palm.


    Only at this moment did he say, "He''s called Chen Ping''an, and his father died when he was still very young. Before he passed away, that man was a famous potter in the small town. He was extremely good at his craft, and he was also a very honest person. However, he suddenly died one day, and his corpse was never found either.


    "Even though my grandma never admitted to it, I can still clearly remember the booming thunder and pouring rain from that night. I was woken up by the thunder, and I discovered that my grandma wasn''t by my side. When I opened the door a little, I saw my father stealthily running over with delight and fear on his face. That was a very strange expression. My mother kept patting him on the back, and she couldn''t wipe the smile from her face. She was truly beside herself with delight."


    Ma Kuxuan unconsciously frowned as he tried to recall that bleak memory, and he continued, "Only my grandma remained silent, and she didn''t look too happy either. Not only that, but she even scolded my father angrily, saying, ''Do you think she''ll marry you just because her husband died? Why don''t you take a piss and use it as a mirror to look at yourself?! The Chen n from y Vase Alley has only had a single child for many generations, so aren''t you afraid of pushing all three of them to death? When this branch of the Chen n vanishes because of you, aren''t you afraid that their Ancestral Yin God will look for you to seek revenge? Taking 10,000 steps back, are you truly not aware of that woman''s personality? Are you not aware that she''ll never remarry?''


    "My father wore a sheepish grin at that time, and he probably thought that he hadmitted to it already and was soon about to obtain his reward. So, he didn''t pretend to be remorseful or sorry. In the end, my grandma pointed at my mother and viciously scolded her. However, my mother doesn''t have a good temper either, so the two of them almost got into a fight in the main hall.


    "My father is the type of person who''s fond of the new and tired of the old, so everyone in the neighborhood disliked him at the time. He naturally helped my mother instead of my grandma, and in the end, my grandma sat down on the floor and beat her chest in grief. Shemented to that que as she cried, and she said that the Ma n had epted a huge troublemaker in my mother into the n. She cursed them and said that they would die in discontent and regret."


    After listening to Ma Kuxuan''s exnation, the man asked, "You want to collect the intangible karma from their evil deeds for yourself? You wish for your father and grandma to eventually die in peace?"


    Ma Kuxuan grinned and said, "I truly don''t have any feelings toward my father and mother. However, I can''t help but worry about my grandma. She''s not willing toe to True Martial Mountain with me, and she said that she definitely has to be buried next to Grandpa when she passes away. So, if she goes to the distant True Martial Mountain, she''ll definitely have to burden me with a trip back to the small town in the future. Moreover, she heard others say that one would have to traverse a difficult Yang Path after they died, and she certainly didn''t want to experience this after experiencing so many hardships while still alive."


    "That''s understandable," the man said. "However, you''re still in the wrong. Only this once and never again, understood?"


    Ma Kuxuan pursed his lips, a cold expression on his face. He didn''t shake his head and talk back, but he didn''t nod and agree either.


    The man smiled and poured more salt on Ma Kuxuan''s wounds, saying, "How did it feel to be held down and beaten by someone the same age as you?"


    "If Chen Ping''an hadn''t pulled out a fucking dagger, how could I have lost to him?!" Ma Kuxuan replied indignantly. "From the beginning to the end, I only used 70% of my strength! If I wasn''t trying to toy with him..."


    The man chuckled in ridicule and said, "Toy with him? Spare me! Was your n not to kill him with 70% of your strength so that the young girl would underestimate you? And then you could kill her as well afterward, hitting two birds with one stone? Quite ambitious of you!"


    Ma Kuxuan''s face flushed slightly red. However, he remained stubborn, and he said in anger, "Just whose master are you?!"


    The man roared withughter.


    The two of them set off again, heading toward the small town.


    "Compared to Sun Scorch Mountain, is True Martial Mountain taller or shorter?" Ma Kuxuan asked.


    The man smiled and replied, "Do you want to hear the truth or the lie?"


    Ma Kuxuan raised a brow and said, "What''s the lie?"


    "They''re around the same," the man replied.


    Ma Kuxuan sighed in grief, and he felt like he was truly unfortunate when it came to meeting new people. His first master had mysteriously died in Dragon Riding Alley, while his second master wasn''t very powerful, yet had a whole heap of rules.


    The man smiled and continued, "On the surface, Sun Scorch Mountain is one of the fundamental sects of Sword Dao. However, in the minds of cultivators from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, its status is far inferior to that of its nemesis, Wind Lightning Field. As a result, Sun Scorch Mountain isn''t regarded as a first-rate sect. Of course, this is only a false appearance, and in reality, Sun Scorch Mountain has an incredibly strong foundation. It was only because of that conflict that they seem weaker than they are.


    "At that time, there was a swordsman from Wind Lightning Field whose skill with the sword far exceeded the others in his generation. He was far too dazzling, and his brilliance forced Sun Scorch Mountain to endure hundreds of years of humiliation..."


    "No matter how much you talk up Sun Scorch Mountain, that still won''t change the fact that True Martial Mountain is inferior to them!" Ma Kuxuan snapped.


    The man chuckled and said, "Ma Kuxuan, you''re mistaken. The gulf between Sun Scorch Mountain and True Martial Mountain is approximately the size of another Sun Scorch Mountain."


    Ma Kuxuan faltered upon hearing this, but he quickly understood the meaning behind these words. He immediately smiled and said, "That''s more like it!"


    "The sect is the sect, and you are you," the man reminded the young boy.


    Ma Kuxuan chuckled and said, "You''re also mistaken! What I mean is, since True Martial Mountain is so tall, it will be much easier for me to find people to spar with when I be more powerful in the future! At the very least, I won''t be surrounded by a bunch of weaklings and fools!"


    The man smiled in reply, saying, "Will these words be more persuasive if they''re spoken by that young boy from y Vase Alley?"


    "Just what kind of master are you?" Ma Kuxuan said in anger. "Be careful that I won''t exact revenge for you if you''re killed in the future!"


    The man reached behind himself and patted the scabbard of his sword, saying with a faint smile, "Apart from this sword, I have no other rtives. If I''m killed, what''s the point of seeking revenge for me?"


    "Isn''t there still True Martial Mountain?" Ma Kuxuan asked with a puzzled expression.


    "True Martial Mountain is different from the other sects in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. You''ll understand when you get there," the man said.


    The tiger talisman hanging by his waist shuddered softly. The man held his hand over it for a brief moment before saying in a solemn voice, "Hurry, we need to return to the small town! We martial artists are able to seek fortune and avoid cmity, and we''re also able to predict the near future. This is almost instinct for us."


    Ma Kuxuan rolled his eyes and said, "Even if the small town has descended into absolute chaos, with the outsiders and the residents fighting until a sea of blood forms, what has that got to do with me? Let me get this straight. I can agree to not kill innocent people, but I definitely won''t go out of my way to help others either."


    The man wore a solemn expression as he grabbed Ma Kuxuan''s shoulder andmanded, "Don''t speak! Hold your breath!"


    The two of them disappeared with a sh before immediately reappearing almost 50 meters away. This process repeated again and again, and their disappearing and reappearing motion appeared much like the stones that Ma Kuxuan skipped across the creek.


    ��������


    Apart from being grazed on the back by the stone thrown by Ma Kuxuan, Chen Ping''an hadn''t actually suffered too many injuries. However, this definitely didn''t mean that he felt fine and dandy at this moment. The most troublesome wound was still the one on his left palm, especially since he had slowed down its healing by submerging it in water while wading through the creek to collect snake gall pebbles and catch fish. Exchanging that punch with Ma Kuxuan just then had further exacerbated the problem.


    When Chen Ping''an removed the cotton strips, the only thing he could do was retrieve a porcin bottle from the pouch on his waist and ingest its contents. This was naturally herbal medicine he had brewed ording to the prescription that he had obtained from the Yang Family''s medicine shop all those years ago. Its only effect was to suppress pain.


    After taking back her ancient-looking skirt dagger, Ning Yao sliced arge strip of cloth from her sleeve and cut it into strips. After wrapping them around Chen Ping''an''s wound, she asked the young boy who was drenched in a cold sweat, "Is the folk medicine from the Yang Family''s medicine shop really effective?"


    Chen Ping''an lightly waved his left hand and squeezed out a smile, saying, "It''s very useful. I was genuinely in pain just then, and I''ve only experienced such agonizing pain two times before."


    "Even the bones in your hand were visible! How could you not be in pain?!" Ning Yao scolded. "Do you think you''ve attained the Vajra Body of Buddhist Arhats? Or perhaps the Untainted Physiques of Daoist True Lords? Who forced you to act brave? Who forced you to fight Ma Kuxuan one-on-one? Didn''t he want a duel? Sure thing! He can fight the two of us by himself! What''s wrong with that? Even I don''t find that embarrassing, yet you''ve be addicted to ying the hero, haven''t you? I know, why don''t you challenge the old ape from Sun Scorch Mountain to a one-on-one battle as well? And I''ll even continue to p and cheer for you!"


    Chen Ping''an was just about to interject and exin his reasoning to her.


    However, Ning Yao immediately red at him, so he could only nod and say, "Yes, you''re right, Ning Yao."


    Ning Yao shot a sideways nce at him, saying, "Your mind doesn''t agree with your mouth. You think I don''t know?"


    Chen Ping''an chuckled upon hearing this. Meanwhile, his gaze remained fixed on the skirt dagger in her hands. At first nce, this skirt dagger appeared small and adorable. Upon closer inspection, however, one would realize that it was razor-sharp and cold.


    Chen Ping''an felt like this skirt dagger was theplete opposite of its owner.


    Ning Yao told Chen Ping''an to raise his right arm, and she gently ced the skirt dagger back into the saber scabbard that was tied to his arm. "Don''t push your luck! And don''t have any ulterior thoughts about this dagger!" she said in warning.


    "Ning Yao, you''re overthinking things," Chen Ping''an replied in exasperation.


    Ning Yao suddenly pointed at the statue of the Daoist Enforcer with broken arms and said, "Do you know what stone that ink-ck statue base is cut and made from?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Of course I know! Ning Yao, you''ve asked the right person! If we follow the creek and venture deeper into the mountains �� I estimate that we''ll need to walk for at least half a day �� we''ll arrive in front of a ck stone cliff that''s entirely made from this kind of stone. It''s extremely solid, and even striking it with a hammer won''t cause any damage to it. That''s to say nothing of striking it with a hatchet or something.


    "There are also several grooves in the cliff face, and the stone is at a fairlyrge angle inside these grooves. They''re not smooth or even either. Every time Old Man Yao and I walked past this ce, he would get me to sharpen the hatchets on the cliff face. And let me tell you, the hatchets would truly be glistening after a good sharpening! They would appearpletely different from before."


    Ning Yao pinched her brows, not knowing whether tough or to cry. "Using it to sharpen hatchets for hacking trees and chopping firewood..."


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes lit up, and he eximed, "It''s valuable?!"


    "No matter how valuable it is, are you able to obtain even a small piece of stone from thatrge cliff face?" Ning Yao said with a huff. "I''m telling you, even ordinary immortals can''t do that! Of course, that''s unless they''re a powerful sword immortal who''s also willing to sacrifice a Divine Weapon. If that''s the case, they might be able to hack off two bs of stone that each measure approximately nine meters in length. Sword immortals also have a special name for these bs of stone �� Dragon ying tform. Each b will be worth as much as an entire city."


    Chen Ping''an fell into deep thought.


    Ning Yao''s eyes suddenly lit up, and she said, "Isn''t there a ready-made sword whetstone under the feet of that Daoist Enforcer statue? It''s fairly big, and it looks like we can cleave it into two bs of Dragon ying tform."


    It was as if someone had lit a me under Chen Ping''an''s bottom, and he hurriedly said, "Ning Yao, we definitely can''t break it off and take it home! That Daoist Enforcer has already suffered enough, so if we steal its base as well..."


    Ning Yao suddenly stood up, humphing coldly and saying, "Steal?! Am I that kind of person?"


    Chen Ping''an followed Ning Yao as she walked up to the statue of the Daoist Enforcer. Standing before the colorful statue, Ning Yao took a step forward before cing her hands on her scabbards in a gant manner. She then looked up and shouted, "I''m Ning Yao! If you''re willing to give me your one-meter-wide base today, I''ll repay you 100-fold or even 1000-fold when I be a sword immortal in the future!"


    Chen Ping''an''s jaws dropped. Would this really work?


    Sure enough, the statue remained silent and unmoving.


    However, Ning Yao didn''t give up, and she continued, "So you''re not willing to give it to me? Then what about lending it to me? That should be fine, right? I''ll make sure to return it to you."


    Ning Yao didn''t forget to turn to Chen Ping''an, blinking and saying, "I''m borrowing it, not stealing it, understand?"


    Chen Ping''an furiously shook his head, replying with a sincere expression, "I don''t understand!"


    Just as Ning Yao was about to exin the huge difference between the concepts of "stealing" and "borrowing" to the stubborn Chen Ping''an, she suddenly heard him shout, "Be careful!"


    As he shouted this, he had already dashed forward to drag Ning Yao behind him.


    As it turned out, the statue which had beenshed by the elements for hundreds upon thousands of years had finally reached the end of its life at this moment. It fell forward and crashed to the ground, disintegrating into pieces. It shattered veryprehensively, and there was not a single piece of it that was still identifiable. In fact, even its head andrge beard disintegrated into dust.


    From the earth it had been sculpted, and to the earth it now returned.


    Its journey in this world hade to an end.


    Even more mysterious than this was the fact that the height of the statue was far greater than the distance between the two youths and the statue. Logically speaking, this should have resulted in Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao being ttened by the copsing statue. At the very least, they should have been brutally struck. Interestingly, however, the remains of the copsed statue only reached as far as the two youths'' feet.


    The well-traveled Ning Yao gulped when she saw this, feeling a little guilty. Looking down at the remains by her feet, she mumbled, "How stingy of you. Just say no if you don''t want to lend it to me. Is there really a need to sacrifice yourself to attempt to kill me?"


    Chen Ping''an suddenly shook his head, saying, "This is called a Nodding Bodhisattva. It agreed to your request."


    Standing shoulder to shoulder with Chen Ping''an, Ning Yao looked at the remains of the statue in front of them before looking further away at the lonely b of ck Dragon ying tform. In the end, she turned to Chen Ping''an and asked in an uncertain voice, "Are you sure?"


    "I''m certain!" Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Ning Yao believed him, with not even a shred of doubt remaining in her mind.


    Even she didn''t know why this was.


    Afterward, Ning Yao followed Chen Ping''an''s guidance and swept the scattered remains of the statue into a pit that they had dug. They then covered it with ayer of dirt.


    Chen Ping''an lowered his head and quietly chanted, "May you rest in peace, no matter whether you''re a human or a god."


    Ning Yao also lowered her head and quietly said, "Rest in peace."


    After doing all this, Ning Yao asked in curiosity, "Chen Ping''an, is this a custom of the small town? Is this something passed down by your ancestors?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No, it''s not. It''s just something that I came up with."


    Ning Yao raised an eyebrow.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and asked, "Ning Yao, don''t you feel very at ease after doing this?"


    Ning Yao shook her head and replied, "No."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head. He looked at the ck statue base and asked, "That''s called a Dragon ying tform?"


    "Mhm. Martial artists might refer to them as saber whetstones or sword whetstones, and only swordsmen will refer to them as Dragon ying tforms," Ning Yao replied.


    She turned around to gaze toward the southwest, and she appeared to be in a trance as she said softly, "The people in my hometown also referred to them as sword whetstones. Everyone owned a piece, be it big or small. Usually, it would only be the size of a fist. However, there are some swordsmen whose ns have declined and whose cultivation bases are low, so their sword whetstones are only the size of a thumb. Even so, they still value it more than their own lives. My family also has a sword whetstone, a very big piece..."


    "How big?" Chen Ping''an asked softly.


    "Even bigger than your house in y Vase Alley," Ning Yao murmured in reply.


    Chen Ping''an was astounded. An expression of envy then spread across his face, and he said, "Ning Yao, your family is so rich! Moreover, since the sword whetstone is sorge, you don''t need to worry about others stealing it either. How nice is that? Unlike me. After working hard to earn some money, I feel worried no matter where I hide it."


    Ning Yao had been feeling slightly sad thinking about her hometown just then, but her sadness instantly vanished at this moment, and she said with a smile, "Let''s split this sword whetstone into two and take half each!"


    Chen Ping''an waved his hands and said, "What would I need it for? I do have a machete at home, but that won''t require such a valuable piece of saber whetstone. My heart will ache each time I use it, so what''s the point? Ning Yao, I reckon you should just take the entire thing. Oh, that''s right, didn''t you want to ask Master Ruan to forge a sword for you? You can use the other half of the saber whetstone to pay for that..."


    "Chen Ping''an, are you genuinely stupid, or are you scatterbrained?" Ning Yao said in exasperation.


    Chen Ping''an pondered this for a moment before smiling and saying, "Ning Yao, just pretend that I''m a foolishly kind person."


    Ning Yao suddenly pointed at Chen Ping''an, a look of realization on her face. She smiled with squinted eyes and said, "Chen Ping''an, be honest with me. Do you have ulterior motives? Are you thinking that everything will still be yours after you make me your wife? How very calcting of you! Very impressive!"


    Chen Ping''an grimaced, and he was truly on the verge of tears at this moment.


    What was the phrase that Song Jixin said before? He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick?


    Ning Yao roared withughter and eximed, "I''m just joking! Look at how terrified you became!"


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but sigh. His mind was truly feeling a little tired at this moment...


    Ning Yao''s expression suddenly became serious, and she said, "Be careful! My flying sword is already returning!"


    Chen Ping''an suddenly became tense, and it was as if he were facing a great enemy.

 Chapter 57: Sword Nurturing Gourd

    Chapter 57: Sword Nurturing Gourd


    After nearing the small town, the martial artist from True Martial Mountain let go of Ma Kuxuan''s shoulders. Ma Kuxuan was slightly dizzy, and after giving his head a shake, he asked, "What''s going on? Did someone from my family get targeted? Perhaps an outsider took a fancy to one of our family treasures but my father or uncle was unwilling to sell it? Yet, the outsider insisted on obtaining it, so my family suffered just like Liu Xianyang?"


    Walking briskly with Ma Kuxuan behind him, the man shook his head and replied, "That precious sword scripture was part of the reason why the Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain was willing to break the rules and act so resolutely. However, the most important reason is the animosity between Sun Scorch Mountain and Wind Lightning Field. If Chen Songfeng from Wind Lightning Field hadn''te to the small town, Bai Yuan definitely wouldn''t have chosen to act in such a way. Even if the cultivators from the outside world want to target someone in the small town, they won''t dare to act too brazenly. At the end of the day, the Sage overlooking this ce..."


    The man suddenly stopped speaking, and he looked at a rooftop in the distance. There was an ink-ck cat squatting there, and upon seeing Ma Kuxuan, it immediately started to meow in a high-pitched voice. When Ma Kuxuan saw it, the wild cat turned around and started to sprint away, heading toward Apricot Blossom Alley.


    Ma Kuxuan''s face instantly became as pale as a sheet, and he furiously sprinted after the wild cat on the rooftops as if he had gone mad.


    Having figured out the situation, the man breathed a sigh. He was unhurried as he followed Ma Kuxuan, and the distance between them remained constant the entire time.


    Ma Kuxuan ran back to that extremely familiar alley. When he saw that the courtyard door was wide open, the courageous young boy surprisingly came to a stop. He didn''t dare to walk inside.


    He knew that their courtyard door would almost never be open for long periods of time. This was because his grandma held a certain belief �� Apricot Blossom Alley was filled with poor and unmotivated people, yet their family was especially rich, so it would be very easy for others to covet their wealth. Because of this, they needed to keep their doors firmly shut. Otherwise, they would definitely be targeted by thieves.


    The rims of Ma Kuxuan''s eyes were red as he walked into the courtyard. The door to the house was also open.


    Ma Kuxuan saw a familiar figure, that skinny and feeble figure, lying on the ground.


    The ck cat meowed in a shrill and eerie voice as it sat on the doorstep.


    "Don''t go over!"


    The man reached over and ced a hand on Ma Kuxuan''s shoulder, saying, "What''s done is done. You need to maintain yourposure!"


    Ma Kuxuan forcefully held back tears, and he took deep breaths as he slowed down his footsteps. "Grandma?" he called softly.


    The man walked over and squatted down beside the olddy, cing two fingers under her nose. There was no sign of breathing.


    The ck cat hurriedly ran into the house in fright, disappearing in a sh.


    The man pondered for a moment before looking up at Ma Kuxuan who was still standing outside the door. "Don''te over! Your yang energy is innately concentrated, so if youe any closer, any remnant wisp of your grandma''s soul will be destroyed by you!" he warned in a grave voice.


    There was a deep frown on Ma Kuxuan''s tanned face. However, he forcefully stopped himself from crying.


    The man reached a decision, and he grabbed the tiger talisman hanging by his waist and said in a solemn voice, "Mr. Qi, this matter can''t be swept under the carpet. You have your rules, but I also have my considerations. I hope that you won''t interfere in a while."


    After saying this, the man''s aura suddenly underwent a drastic change. His clothes fluttered and his hair billowed as he quietly recited an obscure and arcane mantra. In the end, he finished by eximing, "At the request of True Martial Mountain!"


    Ma Kuxuan looked over in a trance.


    What he saw was a three-meter-tall deity in golden armor descending from the heavens. The deity beat its fists against its chest before asking in a thunderous voice, "Disciple of True Martial, what is yourmand?"


    "Mystical abilities are prohibited in this ce, and I''m not well-versed when ites to capturing souls either. Thus, I''ve summoned you here to ask for your help in searching around this house. If you find the wandering soul of this olddy, please collect it for me. And remember not to damage her essence."


    The deity in golden armor paused for a brief moment before nodding its head and replying, "As youmand!"


    The golden light vanished, and so too did the deity.


    In the office of the kiln supervision official, Chen Songfeng from the Dragon Tail County''s Chen n was currently sitting in a spacious room and busily flicking through records. There was arge crimson-colored wooden box beside his feet, and over half the wooden box was filled with yellowing books and records. Chen Dui casually grabbed a book from the box before walking over to the window and slowly going through it page by page.


    The elderly steward of the official residence was also present, and he was enjoying some tea as he sat on a chair somewhere in the room. Liu Baqiao, a swordsman from Wind Lightning Field, sat opposite the old man and politely chatted with him. The spirited and energetic old steward smiled and remarked, "What a fortunate coincidence. The Li n''s Li Hong personally visited the official residence a while ago to ask for the records of the different branches of the Chen n in the small town. However, he only wanted the records up to three or four hundred years ago. Master Song agreed, so I let Li Hong take 70 or 80 books that were sitting on top of the box.


    "The box underneath is even older, but the ancient records inside it are coincidentally what you''re after. In fact, if there wasn''t an official requirement to bask these books under the sun every summer, they would have already been chewed into bits by the insects."


    Standing beside the window, Chen Dui didn''t look up as she said in an indifferent voice, "I''ve heard that the descendants of the Chen n in this small town have all be servants and maids for the Four Surnames and Ten ns in Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley. Some of these people have even be generational servants who forever kneel and kowtow to their masters. However, they still act in a haughty and proud manner when theye across ordinary residents of the small town?"


    The old steward wore an awkward expression. Chen Dui spoke of the "Four Surnames and Ten ns", yet the eldest grandson from the Dragon Tail County''s Chen n, a powerful and wealthy n that had existed for over a thousand years, was obediently sitting there and going through the records like a servant. Meanwhile, she was surprisingly rxed and acting as if this were only natural. Even using his kneecaps, the smart old steward could work out just how noble and high-ranking she truly was.


    Even though none of the old steward''s servants or workers came from the Chen n, he did indeed have decent rtionships with the powerful ns in the small town. Thus, he didn''t want to make a mistake regarding this matter and identally provoke this powerful and domineering outsider.


    With this in mind, he carefully contemted his words as he put down his teacup with cracked ice patterns. "Miss Chen, there''s nothing much I can do about this," he began. "ording to an elder in the office, there were originally two branches of the Chen n in this small town, with the two of them having different ancestors. One branch moved out of the small town a long time ago, and they didn''t leave any descendants behind. However, I vaguely remember others mentioning that they especially assigned some graveyard attendants when they left. However, that was far too long ago, so it''s already impossible to verify which n was responsible for taking care of the Chen n''s graveyard.


    "As for the other branch, they also used to be one of the most powerful ns in the small town. In fact, they were among the top few ns. However, the world is impermanent, and after a few internal and external struggles, they gradually started to decline. This has especially been the case for the past few hundred years. Just like you remarked, Miss Chen, they''re indeed bing increasingly incapable by the generation. And today, there are already no more independent families from this branch.


    "Oh, hang on... I just recalled that there is genuinely one lone person who''s still independent. He''s very likely the only member of this branch who hasn''t be a servant of the Four Surnames and Ten ns. That child''s father was an extremely skilled potter, and he was evenmended by two previous kiln supervision officials. This is why I still remember him. However, he died very early, and I have no idea how his child is doing now.


    "In any case, based on what I''ve seen and heard, the people in this small town treat the descendants of the Chen n fairly well overall. This is especially true when ites to the Song n and the Zhao n, and even the head stewards in their residences are from the Chen n. They''re masters and servants in name, but they''re almost like family in reality."


    After revealing all this ancient history about the Chen n, the old steward picked up his cup to take a sip of tea.


    Chen Dui smiled and said with a nod, "Steward Xue, you''re a very smart person. No wonder the kiln supervision office is able to run so smoothly."


    The old steward smiled and replied, "You tter me, Miss Chen. I''m simply aware of the limits of my capabilities, so my only aim is to perform to the best of my ability. It''s nothing more than hard work."


    Chen Dui replied with a smile. She then turned around to face Chen Songfeng who was sitting in an upright manner, and she chided in a cold voice, "If you really can''t find anything, then why don''t you flip the box on its head and start from the records on the bottom? Didn''t you hear Steward Xue''s words just then? For the past thousand years, the records in this small town have only recorded information about the other branch of the Chen n. If I remember correctly, this branch shares the same ancestor with your Dragon Tail County''s Chen n. What, is it fun to flip through these genealogy records where everyone is either a servant or a maid?"


    Beads of sweat formed on Chen Songfeng''s forehead. His lips were slightly pale, and he surprisingly didn''t dare to talk back to Chen Dui. He hurriedly stood up and bent down to flip the wooden box over.


    The old steward immediately sat up straight, no longer appearing rxed and carefree like before.


    Liu Baqiao truly couldn''t watch on anymore. Chen Songfeng was indeed a meek person, but he was still the future n leader of Dragon Tail County''s Chen n. Regardless of Chen Dui''s background, and regardless of whether they were from the same n or same sect, she still at least needed to show him some basic respect. Thus, Liu Baqiao''s voice was solemn as he said, "Chen Dui, if I''m not blind, Chen Songfeng is helping you right now. So even if you''re not grateful, you shouldn''t speak to him in such a demeaning manner!"


    Chen Songfeng hurriedly looked up and gestured to Liu Baqiao with his eyes. However, Liu Baqiao shot a re right back at him and eximed, "Even emperors will have a few poor rtives! What, there might be some exceptions?! Fine! But do these exceptions give them the right to act contemptuously toward others?"


    He was frank and forthright.


    This was the inherent nature of Wind Lightning Field''s Liu Baqiao.


    Chen Songfeng wore a bitter expression.


    The old steward lowered his head to drink tea, pretending that he could neither see nor hear this exchange.


    Chen Dui faltered for a moment before smiling faintly and saying, "That''s true."


    This time, it was Liu Baqiao who felt a little stumped.


    Chen Dui ced the record she was reading on the table, and she nned to go out for some fresh air. As the host, Steward Xue naturally invited her to stay. However, Chen Dui politely turned down his invitation.


    After leaving the side office, Chen Dui stood in the corridor and looked into the distance.


    There was a fairlyrge space in front of the office lobby, and in this space there stood an archway facing the lobby door. There was arge character inscribed in an ancient script, and this was the character "Yue", as in mountain range. This wasn''t a rare sight. Each mortal empire and nation would designate five mountains as The Five Mountains, with one mountain in each of the north, south, east, west, and center. The gateways standing before these mountains would all be inscribed with two characters personally written by the emperor, with the character "Yue" always written in a traditional script.


    Schrs, cultivators, and immortals of the future generations had hundreds upon thousands of different exnations for why this was. As for the true reason, however, it had most likely already been lost in the annals of history.


    Chen Dui saw arge figure and a small figure sitting on the white stone steps under the archway, quietly chit-chatting about something.


    She hesitated for a moment before slowly walking over. In order to remove any suspicion of her eavesdropping, she purposely coughed when she approached the two people sitting on the steps. Unexpectedly, however, one person was enthusiastic as they spoke, and one person was engrossed as they listened, resulting in both of them treating Chen Dui as if she didn''t exist. Chen Dui didn''t take this to heart, and she casually sat down on the other end of the step. Even though she appeared rxed and casual, the manner in which she sat still exuded a sense of decorum and uprightness.


    The two people were conversing using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and this was something that Chen Dui could understand. Otherwise, she wouldn''t havee to this small town in the first ce. However, she was still unable to speak this dialect smoothly, so she had remainedrgely silent when traveling here with Chen Songfeng. Of course, the main reason she didn''t speak much was because she didn''t have much to talk about with Chen Songfeng and Liu Baqiao.


    Liu Baqiao appeared frivolous on the surface, but he was in reality someone who waspletely focused on the Sword Dao. Although he seemed quite interesting, he was actually quite dull. Meanwhile, Chen Songfeng wanted to revive his declining n. He appeared modest on the surface, but he was in reality someone who considered many things in his mind. These two top-notch young men from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent didn''t mesh well with her. Their beliefs and aspirations were different, so they naturally wouldn''t get along together.


    The young boy nced at the woman who was approximately 10 years older than him, and his first impression of her was only so-so.


    Chen Dui quietly sat on the step, and she didn''t show any signs of wanting to speak or interrupt them.


    However, when ncing at them just then, Chen Dui had noticed that the little girl was holding a crystalline and emerald-green gourd. Being as experienced as she was, she immediately knew that this was an extraordinary item.


    The young boy in noble clothing was none other than y Vase Alley''s Song Jixin, while the little girl who looked like a porcin doll was none other than Sun Scorch Mountain''s Tao Zi.


    Song Jixin had visited the Li n''s residence with Song Changjing before, and he had immediately taken a liking to this little girl. This was because he had always liked exquisite and beautiful things ever since a young age. Meanwhile, he had a dislike for crude and ordinary things.


    Tao Zi also had a very good impression of Song Jixin, so the two of them mysteriously became good friends. Most importantly, the age gap between them allowed them to freely and happily converse with each other. In fact, Song Jixin didn''t feel like he was acting in a perfunctory manner at all, so much so that he asked his uncle Song Changjing to force the Li n to let Tao Zi out, such that he could bring her over to the kiln supervision office to y. He hadpletely ignored those pitiful and aggrieved expressions as he had held Tao Zi''s hand and led her out of the Li n''s residence.


    At the same time, he had also sent someone to deliver a message to Zhi Gui, asking her to find the emerald-green gourd in his box of treasures. This was his present to Tao Zi.


    The little girl was extremely friendly with Song Jixin, and she asked, "Firewood collecting brother, you mentioned the academy archways just then, one of the 12 types of archways. Beforeing here, I heard grandpa say that the Great Li Empire''s Mountain Cliff Academy is doing quite poorly right now when he was talking to someone. Do you know what''s written on the Mountain Cliff Academy''s archway?"


    Because of the characters "Jixin" in Song Jixin''s name, Tao Zi had given him the nickname "firewood collecting brother"[1]. Song Jixin didn''t mind this, and hepletely ignored the outsider woman at this moment as he turned to Tao Zi and replied with a smile, "I have no idea! I''ve never left the small town in my life, and I haven''t read too many books either. After talking with you for so long, I feel like I''ve almost exhausted all of my knowledge!"


    Tao Zi sighed and said, "I wonder if Grandpa Yuan is having any luck with his search."


    Song Jixin smiled, and he looked down as he patted the bottom hem of his brocade robe. There was aplicated look in his eyes.


    Sitting a fair distance away from them, Chen Dui suddenly asked, "Little girl, does your gourd asionally emit a sound by itself?"


    Tao Zi turned around and raised the gourd up high with two hands, bragging with a wide smile, "Firewood collecting brother gave this to me!"


    Shepletely ignored Chen Dui''s question.


    However, Chen Dui simply dismissed this with a smile.


    "It makes a buzzing sound every time there''s a lightning storm," Song Jixin casually replied.


    Chen Dui nodded and said, "As expected, it''s a Sword Nurturing Gourd."


    Song Jixin was slightly puzzled.


    Tao Zi hurriedly chimed in, saying, "I know! I know! My family has three Sword Nurturing Gourds. My grandpa has a gray one, and it''s super ugly. The one that Grandpa Liu owns is the cutest. It''s small and palm-sized, and with a whoosh, it will release dozens of mini flying swords. Big Sister Su''s one isn''t big or small, and it''s golden-purple in color. However, it''s a shame that Big Sister Su doesn''t like to take it out too much. I had to beg her a lot of times before I was finally able to touch it. However, Big Sister Su quickly put it away again."


    "Little girl, you shouldn''t me your Big Sister Su," Chen Dui exined. "Golden-purple Sword Nurturing Gourds are extremely rare, and they can rank as one of the top three types of Sword Nurturing Gourds. I estimate that the one she owns is the only one in the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Moreover, even though golden-purple Sword Nurturing Gourds are extremely brilliant when ites to nurturing swords, they do have a drawback in that they''re very fragile. It''s very easy to damage them with sharp objects."


    Tao Zi hugged her emerald-green gourd and asked, "Then what about my one?


    "It''s also very valuable," Chen Dui replied with a smile.


    The little girl tugged Song Jixin''s sleeve and asked in a timid voice, "Firewood collecting brother, do you want to take it back?"


    Song Jixin patted her head, a doting expression on his face as he chuckled and said, "To say nothing of this one gourd, I''d be willing to give you another one as well if I had it."


    Chen Dui suddenly recalled something interesting, and she said, "The Treasure Pagoda held an auction in the past, and the most valuable item being auctioned was none other than a gourd vine that had never been seen before. There were six small gourds growing on the vine, and it was said that this vine was personally nted in our world by the Dao Ancestor before he became an immortal. It took several thousand years for the vine to produce this string of six gourds, and each gourd was a different size and color. It was extremely mysterious."


    "There is nock of extraordinary things in the myriad worlds," Song Jixin remarked sincerely.


    1. The name Jixin can literally be interpreted as collecting firewood. ?

 Chapter 58: Teacher

    Chapter 58: Teacher


    In a deste area outside the small town, a flying sword was hovering in midair like an obedient child standing before their elder. It was as if it were standing there with its head lowered and its hands sped behind its back.


    There was a slightly disheveled middle-aged schr standing in front of the sword, and both of his sideburns had already be as white as frost. If Zhao Yao or Song Jixin were present, they would discover that their master''s hair had grayed significantly in just a mere 10 days.


    The flying sword was pointing at the silent Bai Yuan, the Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain. He was radiating with an irascible aura at this moment, and it was as if he were about to leap into a life-and-death battle at any moment.


    He couldn''t suppress his displeasure anymore, and he asked in a solemn voice, "Why did you allow the deity from True Martial Mountain to go just then? Yet, you stopped me from going? Mr. Qi, are you being too biased?"


    Asking such a question to Qi Jingchun''s face was naturally very disrespectful. However, Bai Yuan didn''t feel like he was doing anything wrong at all. Even though True Martial Mountain was a sacrednd for martial artists in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the disciples there all acted independently, so their sense ofpanionship wasn''t especially strong. When it came to the powerful cultivators and martial artists, it more so seemed like they were disciples in name only. The rules of True Martial Mountain were also renowned for being broad but hollow, so there wasn''t any real sense of constraint either. That being the case, what kind of cohesive power would True Martial Mountain have?


    Qi Jingchun''s face was filled with exhaustion, and he turned to the flying sword and said, "You can return now; your master is safe."


    The flying sword happily bounced in the air, feeling as if it had been granted freedom. It then turned around and soared into the distance.


    Bai Yuan felt like he understood the situation, and this caused him to be even more enraged. "Sure enough, that young girl is your disciple, Qi Jingchun! If you''re coveting the Liu n''s sword scripture, you can be frank and admit it to me! As long as it doesn''t end up in Wind Lightning Field''s hands, I don''t care if your secret disciple takes it or not. However, you insist on being so secretive. What, you want to reap all the benefits for yourself, yet you want to maintain your reputation as a noble schr at the same time? You reap the benefits, yet I have to sacrifice my reputation?!"


    If Bai Yuan''s disrespectful question had been as a result of his anger just then, his words of humiliation right now were undoubtedly a sign that he was no longer going to y nice with Qi Jingchun.


    Qi Jingchun''s expression remained unchanging, and he said slowly, "As the Sage who''s responsible for overlooking this realm for 60 years, there are some things that I do need to exin to you. Firstly, I have no rtionship with that young girl, and I simply appreciate her talent. The que that reads ''unmatched aura'' contains a portion of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Sword Dao Aura, and when Ning Yao stood under the que, the characters inscribed on it automatically resonated with her.


    "However, it was a shame that her sword wasn''t of sufficient quality to house the aura possessed by those characters. Thus, I gave her a helping hand and ced two of the characters in her sword. That''s my only rtionship with her. Your assumption that she''s a secret disciple of mine isn''t correct."


    Qi Jingchun smiled in a self-deprecating manner and continued, "As the Sage overlooking this ce, if I were truly shameless enough to steal from what''s been entrusted to me, do you really think anyone would be able to find out? What you''re worried about is nothing more than a mere sword scripture that can kill someone in their dreams. Do I, Qi Jingchun, need to scheme for 60 years to obtain it?"


    Bai Yuan was a high-ranking member of Sun Scorch Mountain, and he had seen far too many long-term conspiracies and plots. He had more so experienced the power and might of many sanctimonious immortals. As such, how could he be willing to easily believe Qi Jingchun''s words? However, his tone became far calmer than before, and he sneered, "Oh? So you''re saying that I''m projecting?"


    Qi Jingchun nced at Bai Yuan and said, "My reason for allowing the person from True Martial Mountain to pass while obstructing you a little was actually very simple. Many people joke that there are two types of ''true'' people in True Martial Mountain �� true noble people and true despicable people. Regarding the swordsman from True Martial Mountain, I can trust every single word that he says.


    "However, you''re different. You severely wounded Liu Xianyang, destroying his path to attain the Great Dao. Yet, at the same time, you purposely left him alive to avoid being kicked out of this realm by me. A person like you..."


    Qi Jingchun chuckled when he said this, and he corrected himself by remarking, "Oh, I almost forgot! You''re not a person."


    Bai Yuan squinted his eyes, and he clenched his fists so tight that the cracking of his joints could be heard.


    If it were a mortal enemy from Wind Lightning Field or some other enemy of Sun Scorch Mountain taunting him and saying that he wasn''t a person, Bai Yuan wouldn''t take this to heart at all. However, Qi Jingchun had uttered these words in a calm and gentle manner, and this caused Bai Yuan to mysteriously feel a great sense of humiliation.


    Qi Jingchun paid no attention to Bai Yuan''s unbridled fury, and he continued, "Obstructing you was for the good of Sun Scorch Mountain. Ning Yao was about to summon her bonded weapon. As someone from Sun Scorch Mountain who''s interacted with sword qi and sword intent for 1000 years, are you telling me that you were unable to sense that pressure?"


    "That little girl was merely putting in ast-ditch struggle. Mr. Qi, are you really trying to frighten me using that measly mystical ability?"


    Bai Yuan roared withughter, and he feigned sudden realization as he said, "I''ve heard others say that your master lost his integrity in his final years, and this resulted in him dropping in status time and time again. In the end, not only was his statue removed from the temple, but it was even smashed into pieces by the others. I didn''t believe this at the time, thinking that the mighty Fourth Sage of Confucianism was someone who could say a few words even if he came across the legendary Dao Ancestor or Buddha.


    "As things stand right now, it seems like the Confucian branch of your master to you is going to die out in just two generations! The teachings of virtuous men willst but five generations �� who said this? Yet, why is your branch so exceptionally pathetic? Perhaps the rumors about your master in some of the academies were true? Perhaps he wasn''t a mighty Sage of Confucianism, but instead a one-in-1000-year fraud?"


    Qi Jingchun frowned slightly, but he didn''t interrupt Bai Yuan''s rambling. He quietly listened to everything the Mountain-moving Ape had to say.


    Bai Yuan roared with wantonughter, and he took a step forward before pointing at the schr who was receiving a brutal scolding. With a wicked smile on his face, he sneered, "Qi Jingchun, isn''t the Confucian Sect most loyal to abiding by the rules and etiquette? I''m acting within the rules right now, so what can you do about me?!"


    Qi Jingchun sighed softly as he turned around to look at the small town. He then turned back to Bai Yuan and asked, "Have you finished speaking?"


    Bai Yuan faltered upon hearing this. He looked Qi Jingchun up and down before putting down his finger and huffing, "How boring. Even y statues of Bodhisattvas have a temper, yet who knew that schrs are even more calm andposed? You schrs don''t talk back when you''re cursed, so I wonder if you also won''t strike back when you''re attacked?"


    Qi Jingchun smiled and said, "You can give it a try."


    Bai Yuan was seemingly tempted to take up this offer, but in the end, he ultimately didn''tsh out.


    "Qi Jingchun, do you insist on blocking me?" Bai Yuan asked.


    "If I don''t, the consequences will be so great that even Sun Scorch Mountain can''t shoulder it," Qi Jingchun replied.


    "Truly?" Bai Yuan asked in a solemn voice.


    Qi Jingchun didn''t y any mind games, nor did he step aside to allow Bai Yuan to pass. Instead, he patiently nodded and replied, "Truly."


    Bai Yuan stroked his chin in thought. In the end, he nced at somece far behind Qi Jingchun and humphed, "Those two kids can count themselves lucky. Pass them this message: Don''t let me see you in the future! Or else..."


    Bai Yuan turned around and strode away. With his back to Qi Jingchun, the old ape suddenly lifted a hand and stuck up his thumb.


    However, he slowly rotated his hand until his thumb faced downward.


    Qi Jingchun looked up at the hazy and overcast sky. Rain was about to fall.


    A voice suddenly traveled over from the small town and sounded in his ears, and this was a request from the martial artist from True Martial Mountain. He wished for Qi Jingchun to give him some leniency and allow him to summon an honored deity from True Martial Mountain. Qi Jingchun nodded and said, "Permission granted."


    Right after Qi Jingchun said this...


    If someone coincidentally looked up at this moment, they would see a speck of light suddenly appear in the sky before instantly shooting down into the small town and leaving a thin trail of golden light behind it.


    "Mr. Qi?"


    A young boy called out behind Qi Jingchun.


    Qi Jingchun turned around, and he saw a young boy and a young girl running toward him.


    He couldn''t help but sigh with emotion upon seeing Ning Yao, the girl in green from the outside world. Zhao Yao had fallen in love with her at first sight, and Mr. Qi had given him a warning at that time, saying that Ning Yao was like a scabbardless sword that could easily hurt others. However, Zhao Yao didn''t have any understanding of emotions, so he was unable to understand the deeper meaning behind these words. As a result, he was unable to rid himself of his feelings toward Ning Yao. Even so, Qi Jingchun still felt like it would be unsuitable for him to speak too frankly and say that the young girl had a mind that aspired to Dao. This was a most unemotional mind.


    Calling her unemotional was definitely not derogatory in any way, and instead, this was aplimentary remark of high praise.


    Of the many types of love expressed in the world, the love between a man and a woman was only one of them.


    In the mortal world, the love between a man and a woman could perhaps move one to tears. Perhaps such a feeling of love could also spur a man or woman to sacrifice themself for their lover. For cultivators, however, things would be far moreplicated.


    Qi Jingchun''s smile became a lot more natural when he saw the young boy in straw sandals. His voice was gentle as he teased, "You fought several battles, and each one was more earth-shattering than thest."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly embarrassed.


    "There are two things that I need to tell you," Qi Jingchun said frankly. "The first thing is that the Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain has retreated. He''s going to leave the small town very soon."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t hesitate at all, and he directly asked, "The old ape''s going to leave from the east gate?"


    Qi Jingchun raised a hand and gestured for Chen Ping''an to calm down, saying with a smile, "Let me finish first. Liu Xianyang managed to pull through."


    Chen Ping''an immediately became tense, and he carefully asked, "Mr. Qi, are you saying that Liu Xianyang won''t die?"


    Qi Jingchun nodded and replied, "Someone offered their help, so Liu Xianyang isn''t in danger of dying anymore. This is certain. However, the bad news is that he''s severely wounded, so he might not be able to move freely in the future."


    A grin spread across Chen Ping''an''s face.


    Like a bow left at full draw, Chen Ping''an had been feeling extremely tense these past few days. He hadn''t been able to rx for even a second. After hearing that Liu Xianyang would live, however, he immediately rxed and fell backward, falling unconscious.


    Ning Yao hurriedly caught his falling body.


    "Cai Jinjian forcefully opened Chen Ping''an''s acupoints and also smashed the doorway to his mind. As a result, his energy and vitality have been leaking this entire time. Yet, Liu Xianyang was coincidentally hurt at this time as well, and this pushed him to draw on his potential with no regard for anything else. Since Chen Ping''an was already in a dire state, he decided that it wouldn''t make much difference if his situation worsened even more. Initially, he could have lived for half a year more. Now, however, he can most likely only live for 10 days at most," Qi Jingchun exined.


    This implied that Chen Ping''an had been sacrificing his lifespan when he had run across the rooftops, waded through the creek, and escaped through the mountains. Not only that, but Chen Ping''an had beenpletely aware of this as well.


    "Mr. Qi, just tell me how to save Chen Ping''an!" Ning Yao said.


    Qi Jingchun sighed in his mind.


    This was the mysterious nature of one''s Dao Heart.


    Ning Yao didn''t feel no emotion toward Chen Ping''an, or else she wouldn''t have apanied him all this time.


    When ordinary people heard this terrifying news, they would definitely feel a sense of panic, grief, and sympathy. The only difference would be the severity of these feelings and the length of time that they experienced them.


    However, Ning Yao was different. She didn''t experience any of these feelings.


    Instead, she jumped directly to the "oue" that she desired the most �� how could she save Chen Ping''an?


    In the world of cultivation, cultivating one''s strength was something tangible and easily seen. As long as one cultivated in earnest and continued to advance, the only difference between them and others would be the size of their footsteps. However, cultivating the mind was far more mystical and intangible. Paths and opportunities existed around every corner, and it was as if each of these different methods could allow one to achieve ultimate sess. At the same time, however, it seemed like each and every one of these different methods was a heretical method that no one could offer guidance on.


    When it came to cultivating the mind, those with a Dao Heart �� a mind that aspired to Dao �� would be able to progress in leaps and bounds. They would be able to reach the heavens in a single step.


    This was also why Ning Yao was able to confidently look at Chen Ping''an with pure eyes and boldly ask him whether he liked her or not.


    Qi Jingchun''s expression became increasingly solemn as he recalled the young Daoist priest with the lotus hat.


    Ning Yao squatted down and gently ced Chen Ping''an on her back. At the same time, she asked, "Mr. Qi, are you going to answer my question? However, let me say this first. I feel like the old shopkeeper in the Yang Family''s medicine shop is quite mediocre when ites to treating others. However, Chen Ping''an knows an elder from the shop who''s quite capable and impressive."


    Looking at Ning Yao''s serious expression, Qi Jingchun asked a strange question, "What matter in the world is the most challenging and heaven-defying?"


    "A single person with a single sword killing all demons!" Ning Yao loudly proimed without any hesitation.


    Qi Jingchun didn''t know whether tough or cry. "It''s cultivation," he corrected with slight exasperation.


    Ning Yao carefully mulled over this for a moment before saying, "It''s actually the same."


    Qi Jingchun pointed at where she and Chen Ping''an had been standing just then before pointing at another location. "The Sword Furnace can nurture one''s body, while Eternity can strengthen one''s spirit. To Chen Ping''an, however, these things can at most only maintain an equilibrium. If he''s lucky, there might be some slight surplus. When he wakes up, help me pass on this message: When you practice the fist technique in the future, you definitely have to give your full effort, if for nothing else but to stay alive."


    Ning Yao breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, she wasn''t feeling much better than Chen Ping''an at this moment, and it was only because her physique and cultivation base were far superior that she was able to maintain her consciousness. "Mr. Qi, so should I bring Chen Ping''an to y Vase Alley to recuperate now? Or should I bring him to visit Liu Xianyang first?"


    "Either option is fine," Qi Jingchun replied with a smile.


    Ning Yao thought about this for a moment before saying, "Chen Ping''an will definitely want to see Liu Xianyang when he opens his eyes, so I''ll go to Master Ruan''s ce first."


    Qi Jingchun nodded and said, "I''ll apany you two for a little while."


    He and Ning Yao walked side-by-side.


    A gentle spring breeze brushed over them, with the schr walking with his hands sped behind his back and the young girl walking with a young boy resting on her back.


    After walking for a while, Ning Yao suddenly asked, "Mr. Qi, as the current owner of this realm, have you seized the opportunity to take a few talented disciples?"


    Qi Jingchun smiled and shook his head, replying, "No, I only took a schrly attendant who can''t really be regarded as a disciple. I decided against taking disciples in order to avoid suspicion before, but looking back at it now, I did indeed let many good talents slip out of my hands."


    "Mr. Qi, are you all-knowing in this ce?" Ning Yao asked.


    "If I want to know something, then I''ll be able to know it," Qi Jingchun replied with a smile. "However, what I know won''t necessarily be the truth. After all, an iota of difference for some things can lead to a misunderstanding of severe proportions."


    There was something else that Qi Jingchun didn''t say. That was, after leaving the small town, he had already lost his mystical ability to "reflect all matter of heaven and earth in his heart".


    This was because someone had taken away that regal tablet, something that one of the Second Sages of Confucianism had left in the small town. The regal tablet had also been one of the mainponents of the spell formation in the small town.


    Ning Yao hesitated for a moment, but she ultimately couldn''t suppress her curiosity, and she asked, "Mr. Qi, what''s your current cultivation base? Have you reached the Upper Five Tiers yet? Also, are you genuinely in this realm? Of course, you don''t have to answer my questions if you don''t want to. I''m just asking out of curiosity."


    Sure enough, Qi Jingchun didn''t answer her questions.


    Ning Yao rolled her eyes and didn''t ask anything else.


    Qi Jingchun slowed down, whether unconsciously or not, and he turned around to look beside him.


    The young boy blinked his eyes.


    The middle-aged man also blinked his eyes.


    Qi Jingchun gave a knowing smile, and he imperceptibly picked up his pace again.


    A noble man would always seek to help others.


    After apanying them for a long time, Qi Jingchun stopped and said with a smile, "I''ll see you off here."


    The middle-aged schr stood there, silent as he watched the gradually disappearing Ning Yao and Chen Ping''an.


    He took a step forward, and he instantly arrived next to the Dragon ying tform.


    Confucian Sages all had a kindred character that was extremely powerful.


    No matter who it was, as long as they wrote, used, or spoke this character, they would increase the cultivation of the relevant Sage by a small sliver. However, just like how dripping water could prate stone, this would all add up.


    Qi Jingchun was an exception.


    He had not one kindred character, but two.


    Moreover, the significance of these characters was extremely great, and the level of them was also extremely profound.


    Tranquil �� Tranquil mind begets enlightenment.


    Spring �� The world wees spring.


    It was exactly because of this that he had been banished to this small world that waspletely detached from the outside world.


    Even though Qi Jingchun was only one of the mountain masters of the three schools and 72 academies, he was indeed someone who couldn''t be viewed through normal lenses.


    The seemingly useless schr who had refused to offer any reaction in the face of Bai Yuan''s continual provocation and humiliation shut his eyes and quietly contemted the third stroke of the character "Tranquil" in his mind. He then extended two fingers and made a gentle downward slicing motion in the air.


    The near-indestructible Dragon ying tform was instantly cut into two.


    With a flick of his sleeve, one half of the neatly cut Dragon ying tformnded in Ruan Qiong''s cksmith shop, while the other half appeared in a small residence in y Vase Alley.


    After doing this, Qi Jingchun fell into deep thought, just like a go yer would when contemting their next move. It started to rain, and the light drizzle eventually transformed into a huge downpour that was apanied by shing lightning and booming thunder. However, Qi Jingchun remained standing there, lost in thought.


    As someone who was viewed as a teacher by the residents of the small town, Qi Jingchun was thinking about his own teacher at this moment.

 Chapter 59: Sleep

    Chapter 59: Sleep


    In the Ma Family''s residence in Apricot Blossom Alley...


    The deity in golden armor returned to the courtyard after searching through the entire town. Strangely, however, no one had noticed it as it had walked through the streets and alleys.


    Ma Kuxuan was squatting outside the door, and after seeing the deity return, a hopeful expression spread across his face. "How is it?" the Militarian cultivator from True Martial Mountain asked.


    The deity looked extremely dignified and mighty in its suit of armor, and Ma Kuxuan was unable to hear what it was saying even though he could only see it move its mouth. He frantically looked at the swordsman, who sighed and informed him, "He said that your grandmamitted too many sins when she was alive, and this resulted in her soul and spirit bing as fragile as her body. Thus, your grandma''s soul decayed when she died. This small town is also different from the outside world, and it possesses an innate resistance against ghosts and other beings of the yin element. Because of all these reasons, he was unable to find your grandma''s remnant soul."


    Ma Kuxuan''s face contorted in fury, and he looked up at the deity and roared, "I don''t give a crap what method you use! Hurry up and find my grandma''s soul for me!"


    The martial artist''s expression changed drastically.


    He was afraid that Ma Kuxuan would offend the True God who had the surname Yin, and he was just about to speak out to stop the young boy. For some unknown reason, however, the deity in golden armor surprisingly opened its mouth and spoke using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, saying, "It''s not that I don''t want to; it''s simply that I��m unable to."


    After saying this, the magnificent deity who was shrouded in a golden glow turned to look at the swordsman from True Martial Mountain. The swordsman took a deep breath before feigning an act of offering incense and bowing three times to the deity. Each time he bowed, a wisp of faint golden aura that was as thick as a thread would hover out from his Mud Pellet acupoint and be breathed in by the deity in golden armor.


    Afterpleting this ritual, the deity leaped up and transformed into a dazzling column of light that shot into the distance.


    The swordsman''s face was deathly pale, and he immediately pulled over a chair and sat down, slowly exhaling a breath.


    This was the real reason behind themon saying, "Inviting a god is easy, but farewelling a god is hard".


    Ma Kuxuan wore a cold expression as he retracted his gaze. He turned around and walked inside the house, sitting down next to the ice-cold corpse of his grandma. He reached over and grabbed her dry and shriveled hand, and he stared intently at her face, remaining silent for a long time.


    The swordsman removed the tiger talisman from his waist, and it was clear that its luster had be slightly dimmerpared to before. He slowly ced the talisman in his sleeve.


    After resting for a brief moment, the man stood back up. However, he didn''t walk to Ma Kuxuan, and he instead walked over to sit on the doorstep. With his back facing the young boy, he slowly exined, "Your grandma was most likely standing at the door when she was pped by someone. The force of the p was immense, and this caused her to fly into the house and crash to the ground, resulting in her death.


    "You might not want to hear what I''m about to say, but you at least deserve to know the truth. The assant was most likely a cultivator, and they definitely didn''t control their power properly. Moreover, your grandma was already feeble to begin with, so thebination of these factors caused her to pass away.


    "Since the assant was a cultivator, the prime suspect is Chen Ping''an and that young girl from outside, or the young girl whose cultivation you disturbed on the covered bridge. Perhaps she attacked your grandma as an act of revenge. The probability of the assant being Chen Ping''an and that young girl from outside is extremely small, while the probability of it being the young girl from the covered bridge is extremely big.


    "You decided to go to the unmarked burial ground to kill Chen Ping''an, and you did this with the intention of being dutiful toward your grandma. You wanted to sever her negative karma with Chen Ping''an. However, you definitely couldn''t have imagined that your trip to the burial ground would coincide with someone charging to your house to seek revenge."


    Ma Kuxuan shakily reached over, and he gently stroked his grandma''s cheek with the back of his hand. Her cheek was severely swollen, and it had already be ck and blue in color.


    "So I was the one who caused my grandma to die... Is that what you''re saying?" Ma Kuxuan asked softly.


    The swordsman replied, "ording to the views of society, yes and no. ording to the views of..."


    Ma Kuxuan immediately cut him off, unwilling to listen to his reasonings any longer. He stood up with a baleful expression, and he spat, "I''m not allowed to destroy nations and massacre cities, and I''m not allowed to wantonly kill innocent people either. I''m not allowed to do this, and I''m not allowed to do that... So tell me, am I allowed to seek revenge and kill my enemy?!"


    Before the man could even reply, Ma Kuxuan continued, "If I''m not allowed to do even this, then what''s the fucking point of bing a Militarian cultivator? Why don''t I act as I please and be a wanton demon instead? Why didn''t I ept that Daoist nun''s offer at that time and join her whatever sect?!"


    The man hesitated for a moment before replying, "You can go as long as you''re able to endure the consequences.


    "Just like today...


    "Also, there are some things that I perhaps didn''t exin clearly before. For example, killing people. In fact, there''s a different limit for different people, with the number of people you''re able to kill definitely different from the number of people I''m able to kill. This is not only because I''m stronger than you and possess a higher cultivation base. One''s temperament and mindset are also extremely important. Perhaps I''ll kill 100 people, and all of them will be detestable people who deserve death. Meanwhile, you might only kill two or three people, but there''s already someone among them who''s innocent and doesn''t deserve death."


    Ma Kuxuan suddenly chuckled and sneered, "Why would I ever ask you about whether I can kill someone or how I should kill someone? Do you think I''ll ever need your help?! I almost forgot... I''m still not an official disciple of True Martial Mountain yet!"


    He nced down at his grandma before turning around to face the square table in the main hall. "Hurry up and lead the way!" he bellowed in fury.


    A ck cat immediately shot out from under the table, and Ma Kuxuan sprinted after it and left the house.


    The man didn''t pay any heed to this.


    One had to realize that the nation he originally came from had descended into chaos 150 years ago. Mountains had crumbled and rivers had been severed, and the 100 years of chaotic battle had resulted in tragedies and miseries that were unsurpassed in the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. When a new dynasty finally brought an end to the chaos, only fewer than 800,000 of the initial 10 million households remained. This caused many young children to develop the misconception that the corpses of dead people didn''t need to be collected and buried.


    The swordsman was one of these children.


    He slowly stood up. Compared to telling Ma Kuxuan that the assant had already been kicked out of the small town, he was more interested in visiting Master Ruan and asking him a question.


    He wanted to ask why the cirction of karmic fate was so obvious in this ce, even though Buddhism had already been in a rtively weak state in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent for a thousand years. Not only that, but the Buddhists were also the weakest force in this small town.


    The Militarian swordsman followed Ma Kuxuan from a great distance.


    Even if Ma Kuxuan were an official disciple of True Martial Mountain at this moment, the swordsman still wouldn''t interfere too much with his personal affairs and grudges.


    On the battlefield, people could stick by each other through thick and thin. When it came to cultivation, however, each person would have to take responsibility for their own life and death.


    Of course, nothing was absolute. For example, the swordsman had stepped forward to save Ma Kuxuan when he had almost been killed by Chen Ping''an. There had been two reasons for this. Firstly, the swordsman hoped that a prodigy like Ma Kuxuan wouldn''t die too early. He wanted Ma Kuxuan to temper both his talent and temperament in True Martial Mountain, such that he could reach a greater height. At the same time, he also wanted Ma Kuxuan to be one of the representatives of Militarianism, such that he could disy his power and brilliance in theing age of turbulence.


    Secondly, Mr. Qi had personally said that Ma Kuxuan and Chen Ping''an should only go as far as to determine a victor between them. They shouldn''t go as far as to kill each other.


    At that time, the swordsman had thought that Mr. Qi was worried about Chen Ping''an being killed. Only afterward did he realize that this wasn''t the case at all.


    Keeping arge distance between himself and Ma Kuxuan, the swordsman noticed that the young boy''s pace was gradually slowing down and bing more rxed after his initial burst of hot-headedness. In the end, he looked like an ordinary young boy strolling through the streets. However, this changed when the ck cat jumped down from some rooftop and onto his shoulder, before turning around and sprinting away. It was as if the ck cat were telling Ma Kuxuan that he had already found the target. Ma Kuxuan started to jog slowly, and his aura changed once again.


    The spring rain was light, and it simply hastened the footsteps of those on the streets. However, it was still far frompelling them to hide under the eaves.


    A young man and a young woman in extravagant clothes were currently walking toward the main street from Dragon Riding Alley. Their faces were filled with joy, and it was as if they had both obtained some fated opportunity. However, a youth was soon about to teach them the meaning of disaster and fortune alwaysing hand in hand.


    Ma Kuxuan broke into a sprint 50 paces away from the two people, and when he was 20 paces away, he suddenly called out to catch their attention. When the man turned around, Ma Kuxuan ruthlessly threw a punch, not holding back in the least.


    This was a punch aimed at his head.


    The young man was sent flying backward onto the street, and he mmed into the ground with a heavy thud. His body convulsed slightly, and he showed no signs of getting back up.


    Ma Kuxuannded on both feet after throwing this punch, and he was coincidentally standing right next to the young woman.


    With a twist of his body, he immediately threw a swinging arm at the woman''s neck with his left arm. With a bam, the young cultivator who was half a head taller than him was sent crashing into the ground.


    The woman''s head smashed into the muddy ground.


    Ma Kuxuan raised a foot and stomped on the woman''s forehead. He bent over and looked down, gazing at her dazed face as he said using the official dialect, "I know the assant isn''t the small town anymore. However, this doesn''t matter. I can investigate things myself."


    The beautiful young woman''s eyes were bloodshot, and trails of blood were also seeping out from her nose and ears. There was shock and terror on her face as she looked up at the severely tanned young boy.


    Ma Kuxuan''s face was filled with wickedness as he continued, "I, Ma Kuxuan, ruined your mental state during your cultivation, so you naturally have the right to seek revenge in the future. Even if you hack me to death, I''ll ept my fate and I won''t me you at all. In fact, even if you fail to kill me, I might still forgive you if I''m in a good mood, and I''ll be willing to y around with you a few more times. In my eyes, this is how carefree the world should be."


    The young woman was presumably a prodigy in her sect, so when had she ever encountered a situation like this before? She sobbed in fright, and it was very likely that she wouldn''t even be able to remember Ma Kuxuan''s words. She simply begged, "Let me go... Please, I beg you, let me go... Your grandma wasn''t killed by me, and I wasn''t aware of this matter at all..."


    Ma Kuxuan put more weight on his foot, causing the young woman''s head to slowly sink into the muddy ground. "Do you know what I detest most about you people? It''s that you people can still remain so dismissive aftermitting a sin! You people don''t feel a shred of guilt or remorse at all, not a single shred..."


    There was a sobbing tone in his voice, and there was more so an intense look of hatred in his eyes.


    The young woman reached over with great difficulty, grabbing Ma Kuxuan''s ankle as she begged, "Please let me go... My grandpa is themander of Sea Tide Cavalry, and I''m his most adored granddaughter. I canpensate you... I can give you whatever you want..."


    There was a look of pity and imploration in her eyes.


    Ma Kuxuan wore a fake smile as he mused, "Oh? What a coincidence! I''m the grandson of Ma Lanhua, my grandma!"


    He suddenly raised his foot a little before cing it back down and rubbing it on the young woman''s delicate and beautiful face. "Sea Tide Cavalry, was it? Just you wait, I''ll definitely y around with you in the future."


    Ma Kuxuan removed his foot and looked to his left and right. On the left was the swordsman from True Martial Mountain, and he was standing there with his sword strapped to his back. On his right was an elegant young man, and he held an oil-paper umbre in his hand as he stood beside the copsed and pitiful man and looked at Ma Kuxuan.


    Ma Kuxuan''s instinct told him that the young man with the umbre was actually waiting for him to kill the young woman.


    Ma Kuxuan suddenly squatted down. The young woman attempted to escape, yet her neck was instantly held down by the soaked young boy. Only after she stopped moving did he let go of her. He lightly pped her face again and again as he smiled and said, "Remember this okay? My name is Ma Kuxuan, and I''ll definitely look for you again in the future. And also that person who isn''t in the small town anymore. You definitely have to thank him well. Otherwise, the rtionship between us wouldn''t have been so great."


    In the end, Ma Kuxuan spat on the young woman''s face.


    He stood up and walked to the swordsman from True Martial Mountain, asking in a low voice, "Who''s that person?"


    "The future mountain master of Lake View Academy, one of the 72 academies of Confucianism," the swordsman replied calmly. "He''s called Cui Minghuang, and his ancestry is especially prominent. He''s alsoe here to retrieve a subjugation treasure, and he''s an extremely shrewd and calcting person. You need to be wary of him in the future. If I''m not wrong, he''s already got an eye on you."


    Ma Kuxuan frowned and observed, "The feeling that he gives off is very different from the feeling that Mr. Qi gives off."


    The swordsman couldn''t help but chuckle. "How many schrs do you think can be like Mr. Qi and adhere to their true selves??"


    He hesitated for a moment before exining, "Everyone in the outside world is spreading the rumor that Mr. Qi''s cultivation base has declined and that his mental state has copsed after his master''s reputation was damaged. Thus, he agreed to be banished to this small world. Even though he had to endure the constant erosion from the might of heaven and earth, he can still act wantonly and as he pleases. In my view, however, this isn''t necessarily the case."


    Ma Kuxuan wasn''t interested in these matters, and he turned around to look at the elegant young man. Still holding the oil-paper umbre, he was squatting down next to the young girl, and he was most likely speaking gentle words tofort her.


    Ma Kuxuan retracted his gaze and walked side-by-side with the swordsman. His footsteps were heavy as he returned to Apricot Blossom Alley.


    "Your wounds are fairly significant, so be careful not to leave any hidden problems. Otherwise, your future cultivation will also be affected," the swordsman warned.


    As Ma Kuxuan wiped the rainwater from his face, he suddenly asked, "What''s our small town like in the eyes of those outsiders?"


    "It''s like the creek outside the small town that''s filled with all kinds of small fish andrge fish," the swordsman replied. "There''s knee-deep water, yet there are also deep and bottomless pools."


    "Whening here to train and search for treasures, have any of the outsiders drowned before?" Ma Kuxuan asked.


    The swordsman smiled and shook his head, replying, "In the past, almost never. Most of them would peacefully obtain treasures, leaving everyone satisfied and happy. However, this time is an exception."


    ��������


    In the Yang Family''s medicine shop, a young girl with a gant disposition walked briskly inside as she carried a young boy on her back. She looked at a middle-aged shop assistant and asked, "Is Mr. Yang here?"


    Sensing the young girl''s extraordinary aura, the shop assistant didn''t dare to offend her, and he said with a nod, "Yes, he just finished sorting some medicine in the backyard. You two are looking for him?"


    "We''re acquainted with Old Man Yang, and we want to obtain some medicine from him," Ning Yao replied solemnly.


    The shop assistant hesitated for a moment before deciding to lead them to the building in the backyard. An old man was lightly tapping the table with his smoking pipe, and there also stood a disheveled man in a distant corner of the room. This disheveled man was none other than Zheng Dafeng, the gatekeeper for the eastern gate of the small town. Perhaps this was a case of everyone having their vanquisher, with Zheng Dafeng not even daring to breathe too heavily in the presence of Old Man Yang. He no longer appeared like a punchable scoundrel.


    Old Man Yang waved his smoking pipe, and Zheng Dafeng hurriedly walked out of the building, bringing the other shop assistants with him.


    Old Man Yang looked at the familiar figure on Ning Yao''s back.


    Chen Ping''an''s lips were white, and his entire body was trembling. His arms were tightly wrapped around Ning Yao''s neck as if his life depended on it.


    Old Man Yao calmly stood up, with one hand behind his back and one hand holding his smoking pipe as he walked up to Ning Yao. He looked Chen Ping''an in the eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "How many times have I told you? The cheaper your life and the lesser your fortune, the more you have to cherish your life and cherish your fortune. So what do you do? Every time you encounter a minor setback, you push yourself until you''re on the brink of death. Since you like doing this so much, why didn''t you follow after your mother at that time? Wouldn''t that save you the trouble?


    "Old Man Yao was correct. When he was alive, he always liked to say that a person''s fate could be seen when they were only three years old. And you were one who wouldn''t live for long. That being the case, teaching you the best skills and most profound arts would naturally be a waste. You''ll still be six feet under very soon, after all."


    Ning Yao was wide-eyed with shock. In her imagination, Old Man Yang should have been a kindly and benevolent old man who always wore an amiable smile.


    Who knew that he would be such a bitter and vitriolic old man?


    "It hurts a lot?" the old man sneered.


    Chen Ping''an nodded softly. He was already unable to speak.


    When he had woken up on Ning Yao''s back, he had already started to feel some pain most likely because the effects of the medicine had already worn off. However, Chen Ping''an had felt like he could still endure it for a little while. When they reached the covered bridge, though, he knew that he wouldn''t be able to endure his wounds for much longer. Thus, Ning Yao hadn''t even had the time to retrieve her saber by the creek, and she had immediately carried him and rushed over to the Yang Family''s medicine shop.


    The old man chuckled and said, "It hurts, huh? Then obediently endure it."


    He then nced at Ning Yao and snapped, "Let him sit on the bench by himself!"


    "Being carried by a young girl... Don''t you find this embarrassing?" the old man mumbled.


    Ning Yao forcefully suppressed her anger as she carefully ced Chen Ping''an down on the long bench. However, Chen Ping''an immediately swayed and looked like copsing when she let go of him.


    Ning Yao was just about to reach over and help him. However, even though Chen Ping''an couldn''t speak, he still gestured with his eyes that he didn''t need her help;


    The old man took a puff from his smoking pipe before observing Chen Ping''an''s body and aura. He clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "You genuinely live up to your name as an impoverished young boy. But yes, you did indeed manage to keep your conscience clear, huh?"


    The old man waspletely indifferent to Chen Ping''an''s bone-piercing pain, and he scolded, "What kind of fortunate fate does Liu Xianyang have? And what kind of destitute fate do you have? After so many years, are you still not aware of this? Him dying once is almost enough misfortune for you to die 10 times over! Do you understand?"


    Ning Yao was truly unable to endure the old man''s cruel words, and she asked solemnly, "Mr. Yang, can you please give Chen Ping''an some painkillers first?"


    The hunched old man shot a sideways nce at Ning Yao. "He''s your man?" he asked calmly.


    Ning Yao replied with an angry re.


    The old man ignored her, and he turned around to look at Chen Ping''an.


    As if in his own world, he fell into deep thought.


    In the end, he pursed his lips and sighed. He used his old smoking pipe to tap Chen Ping''an once on the shoulders, and twice each on his arms and legs.


    Suddenly...


    Chen Ping''an shifted to a position where hey on his side, with his elbow under his head as he rested on the bench.


    "Sleep!" the old manmanded.


    Chen Ping''an instantly shut his eyes and fell asleep, with his snores as loud as rumbling thunder.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Please note that some changes have been made to previously tranted terms, specifically ����, which was erroneously tranted as Martial Sect/martial artist. This has been corrected to School of Military Thought, and its disciples are now Militarians.


    Note also that Militarians can be cultivators, Qi refiners, martial artists, and swordsmen as well (e.g. Militarian cultivator), with ''''cultivator'''' being an overarching term that epasses thetter three paths.


    In fact, ''''cultivator'''' generally seems to be an overarching term no matter where it''s used.


    Sorry for any confusion and happy reading!</blockquote>

 Chapter 60: Theres a Ghost

    Chapter 60: There''s a Ghost


    Under the archway in front of the kiln supervision office...


    Chen Dui talked about all kinds of strange and interesting things, and the little girl from Sun Scorch Mountain listened to her stories with relish. Tao Zi clicked her tongue in wonder and praised, "Big sister, you know so much!"


    Chen Dui smiled faintly and replied, "You''ll also know a lot when you grow up."


    Song Jixin was half serious as he mused, "Chen Dui, you also seem like a fairly normal person when we interact normally like this."


    Chen Dui raised a brow and asked, "So you''re saying that I should act submissively and grovel before the Great Li Empire''s monarch, Song Changjing?"


    Song Jixin roared withughter. He pointed at Chen Dui and said, "If Mr. Qi, the teacher in our small town''s private school, heard this, he would definitely furrow his brows. Do you know, you''re treating things as if they''re either ck or white. This is very unreasonable. It might sound reasonable at the start, but it''s actually extremely fragile against scrutiny.


    "What I''m trying to say is, you naturally don''t need to act obsequiously before Song Changjing, nor should you do so. However, Song Changjing is still the most powerful person in the Great Li Empire. Not only that, but he''s even a paramount martial arts grandmaster.


    "As an outsider, you should conform to our local customs and also show a little more respect to your hosts. Is this not right? Why do you insist on wearing a cold expression and acting like the owner of the ce? So be it if you want to act like that. However, you still dared to talk back to Song Changjing after being beaten half-dead by him! I truly don''t know what to say to you anymore."


    In the end, Song Jixin pointed at himself and said with a self-deprecating chuckle, "Even someone who''s as foul-mouthed and mean-hearted as me understands the need to take stock of the situation and act appropriately."


    Chen Dui hesitated for a moment before replying, "It was a case of like charges repelling each other. I''m also a martial artist, and to bepletely honest with you, I''ve always looked down on fellow martial artists from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Of course, I was eventually proven incorrect. Very incorrect."


    Song Jixin was slightly astonished, and he said, "You''re a fairly realistic person."


    "If a martial artist doesn''t acknowledge someone''s strength, then what else can they acknowledge?" Chen Dui replied indifferently.


    Song Jixin suddenly posed an incisive question, asking, "It feels like you outsiders who havee to our small town to search for treasures and fated opportunities have a fairly different view than us regarding principles and reasoning. Is it because you''re more powerful than us?"


    Chen Dui shook her head and replied with a smile, "There''s no need for me to exin anything. Once you leave the small town in the future, you''ll also be just like us very quickly. When you enter the path of cultivation someday, you''ll naturally understand what I mean. Otherwise, you won''t understand even if I talk until my mouth is parched."


    Song Jixin sighed with emotion. "Bing just like you people? How uninteresting..."


    Tao Zi suddenly interjected at this moment, suggesting, "Thene to Sun Scorch Mountain to y! It''s super interesting!"


    Song Jixin patted her small head and casually replied, "Sure thing!"


    Chen Dui turned around, instinctively feeling a little tense and anxious.


    Dressed in a white robe and wearing a jade belt, Song Changjing was standing near the archway. He turned to Song Jixin and said, "Go back to y Vase Alley and pack your things. We''re going to leave soon."


    Song Jixin smiled and replied, "Got it. It''s almost time to uproot and leave home."


    Tao Zi was reluctant to say goodbye, and she asked, "Uproot and leave home? Does that mean bringing a tree with you and leaving home?"


    Song Jixin roared withughter, and he stood up and said, "Let''s go, I''ll bring you home first. This is called being responsible from beginning to end."


    Song Jixin held the little girl''s hand and walked with her toward the gate of the office. He turned around and asked, "There won''t be assassins outside the gate on Fortune Street, right?"


    Song Changjing chuckled and replied, "You''ll need to ask your neighbor and friend."


    Song Jixin pursed his lips. He nced up at the sky, and what entered his gaze was ayer of thick and dark clouds. It looked like it was about to rain.


    His mood immediately took a nosedive.


    After taking Tao Zi home, Song Jixin was surprised to discover Song Changjing standing under the old locust tree. He briskly walked over and asked in curiosity, "You''re in such a hurry to leave?"


    Song Changjing nodded and replied, "I received some news just now. There''s a matter that I need to personally attend to, so we''re going to directly take a horse-drawn carriage to y Vase Alley. We''ll leave after you finish packing your things."


    Song Jixin looked over, and sure enough, there were three horse-drawn carriages outside the gate of the kiln supervision office. This was very likely the first time that he would take a horse-drawn carriage.


    Song Jixin bent down and entered the carriage in the front. Song Changjing followed after him, and he sat down cross-legged.


    Song Jixin looked around, only to find that the carriage waspletely empty. There was only a straw futon for him to sit on. This waspletely different from the extravagance that he had imagined, and it more so wasn''t something that would make one exim in delight and astonishment. Song Jixin was slightly disappointed. Initially, he had been extremely eager to see Zhi Gui''s expression of astonishment when she entered the carriage.


    There was a crisp sound of clopping hooves as the horses trotted over the bluestone bs on the street. The three carriages left Fortune Street one after another.


    Song Changjing raised the curtain to look out at the small town. From today onward, the Great Li Empire was going toprehensively lose its nominal control over this small world.


    Thinking back, however, it was thanks to the huge benefits provided by this small world that the Great Li Empire had been able to grow from a small empire in some corner of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent into thergest mortal empire in the continent. Not one of thergest, but thergest.


    This was a small world with a thousand kilometers of mountains and rivers.


    In the future, information about this small world could perhaps only be found in the secret imperial history books of the Great Li Empire.


    Song Changjing pushed these thoughts out of his mind and casually asked, "You''re not going to say goodbye to Chen Ping''an?"


    The roads became uneven after leaving Fortune Street, and Song Jixin''s body started to lightly bounce up and down along with the movements of the carriage. He shook his head and replied, "It''s hard to say if he can even live. If I''m greeted by a corpse after waiting for a long time, just how revolting will that be? Even his good friend has died, so at that time, won''t it be left to me, his neighbor, to help him arrange a funeral?"


    Song Changjing replied with a nod.


    "The little girl from Sun Scorch Mountain mentioned a person called Ma Kuxuan," Song Jixin continued. "He''s from Apricot Blossom Alley, and he''s around the same age as me. I heard that he sold Chen Ping''an and that young girl''s hiding location to Sun Scorch Mountain for the price of one pouch of Offering Coins. Do you know his background? I heard that he was a mentally challenged retard, and I never thought that he had concealed himself so well."


    Song Changjing thought about this for a moment before exining, "Some clues have already been discovered regarding the assassin who was hiding in the Song n before, the one who attempted to assassinate the prince from Great Sui Nation in Dragon Riding Alley. Among these clues, there was something about the young boy Ma Kuxuan. In the past few years, the assassin who used to be a prisoner interacted with Ma Kuxuan in secret many times. It''s possible that they were master and disciple.


    "However, True Martial Mountain has suddenly stuck its nose into this matter, so we have no option but to put it aside for the moment. After all, there are many disciples of True Martial Mountain in the Great Li Empire''s army. Moreover, some of them are fairly high-ranking officials as well."


    Song Jixin smiled and mused, "Uncle, there are also times when you have to say ''have no option''?"


    Song Changjing didn''t pay any heed to this, and he said, "Who told me to be in such an important and inflexible position? This dogshit Great Li Monarch."


    When the carriages approached y Vase Alley, Song Jixin asked, "Is Chen Ping''an really just Chen Ping''an?"


    Song Changjing couldn''t help butugh. "Before having you move to y Vase Alley, the kiln supervision office already conducted a thorough check of his background ��numerous generations of his ancestors, to be precise. His lineage is clear, and there''s nothing remarkable or problematic about it at all. His lineage also has no rtionship with the notions of wealth, nobility, power, and influence.


    "What, did that Chen Dui frighten you just then? Rest assured, I''ve already got a fairly solid guess regarding her background. The Chen n branch that shees from has no rtionship with the Chen n branch that Chen Ping''anes from. So, you don''t need to worry at all. Chen Ping''an is simply just Chen Ping''an.


    "The only person who can somewhat be regarded as his distant rtive is Chen Songfeng, as well as Dragon Tail County''s Chen n. However, just think about it. They haven''t had any contact for several hundred years, so can they still be regarded as rtives? Not only that, but the Chen n in the small town has already fallen to such a miserable state that only a single member isn''t a servant or a maid.


    "In times of prosperity, friends will be plenty, while in times of adversity, not one amongst 20. You''ve read a few books, after all, so how can you not understand this concept?"


    Song Jixin was unwilling to relent, and he asked, "Then what about the ancestors of his ancestors? Was there not a single powerful and influential person? Not even a single one?"


    Song Changjing chuckled and said, "Oh, so you hope that Chen Ping''an''s ancestry is more unique and remarkable?"


    Song Jixin didn''t hide his thoughts, and he nodded and replied, "Mhm, I''ll feel a little better if he''s different from ordinary people."


    Song Changjing became increasingly curious, and he teased, "How did he bully you? How did he cause you to have such an obsession with him? But ording to my understanding of that young boy, he doesn''t seem like a..."


    Song Jixin chuckled coldly and cut him off, interjecting, "Perhaps people in small areas don''t have the broadest of minds or farthest of sight. However, we definitely can''t dismiss them as fools. Those who are kind will be sincere and generous, while those who are sinister will be scheming and deplorable. There are also those who will be unfathomably stupid, and perhaps even sinister at the same time that they''re stupid."


    Song Changjing was even more puzzled, and he asked, "Then which type of person is Chen Ping''an?"


    Song Jixin sighed, with vexation in his voice as hemented, "He can''t be regarded as any type �� he''s a genuine idiot. That''s why I feel so distressed!"


    ��������


    Ning Yao squatted in front of the bench and carefully observed Chen Ping''an''s sleeping face. Her mind was filled with astonishment.


    This mystical ability was truly mysterious and unfathomable.


    Chen Ping''an was sleeping in a strange position, and this caused his entire body to radiate with a sense of natural simplicity.


    Even though Ning Yao was unable to describe this mystical ability, she had an innate intuition that allowed her to determine whether a mystical ability was constructive or destructive.


    Ning Yao turned around and asked in curiosity, "You''re the person guiding Chen Ping''an''s cultivation?"


    The old man took several puffs from his smoking pipe before crossing his legs and gazing up at the dark sky and curtain of rain. He chuckled, "Cultivation? This can be regarded as cultivation? What, had another person with the right to found their own teaching and be an ancestor appeared in the outside world? And because of this, they''ve caused the cultivation world to decline year after year? It can''t be, right? Those few mighty beings aren''t running a charity. Since they''ve already decided to be Taotie[1] themselves, they have no choice but to continue down this path. They definitely won''t allow others to take a slice of their cake."


    Ning Yao was baffled, and she asked, "Mr. Yang, what are you talking about?"


    The old man faltered upon hearing this. "Your elders didn''t tell you about the history of these old relics?"


    Ning Yao shook her head, answering, "My grandparents passed away early, and my parents don''t like to talk about matters pertaining to the other worlds. They''re afraid that I''ll run away from home."


    Old Man Yang turned around and carefully examined the young girl. In the end, he asked, "How many characters are inscribed on that wall now?"


    "Many heroic and powerful people appeared during my grandpa''s generation, so two extra characters were inscribed on the wall in just a mere 100 years. There are a total of 18 characters now," Ning Yao replied honestly.


    "There are 18 characters already..." the old man said with emotion. "Dao Power, Grand Majestic, and Western Land. Apart from these six characters, what are the others?"


    "Thunder Pool Restricted Land, Eternal Lasting Sword Qi, Qi, Chen, and Dong," Ning Yao replied solemnly.


    Old Man Yang frowned and questioned, "Little girl, what about the final character? Did you eat it?"


    "I forgot it!" Ning Yao huffed.


    The old man didn''t persist, and he asked another question, saying, "Are the rules still the same? One will have the right to inscribe one character on the wall for every Ascension Tier demon that they y?"


    "Why do you know so much about my hometown?" Ning Yao asked with a frown.


    Old Man Yang smiled and replied, "A swordsman came to our small town a long time ago, and he had a habit of recording his travel experiences. In the end, he died nearby, so I retrieved his thick travel diary and flipped through it whenever I was bored."


    Ning Yao was skeptical of this exnation.


    As if he had eyes on the back of his head, the old man added, "It''s up to you whether you believe this or not."


    Ning Yao observed Chen Ping''an''s condition, and she felt like he was in a state of deep meditation. "What''s going on with him?" she asked.


    "Small death," Old Man Yang replied slowly.


    Daoists referred to sleep as a "small death".


    Ning Yao felt slightly exasperated. Old Man Yao''s words were either vitriolic and grating on the ear or strange and hard to understand.


    The old man mused to himself, saying, "Little girl, let me ask you something. When a person says something in their mind, this is referred to as a voice in the mind. So, who does this voice belong to?"


    Ning Yao faltered upon hearing this, and she fell into deep thought.


    After a short while, she naturally shut her eyes and gathered her concentration. Afterward, she became extremely sleepy. In the end, her head surprisingly drooped down as she fell asleep.


    Old Man Yang stood up, walking around Ning Yao and stopping in front of Chen Ping''an. He pointed at Ning Yao with his smoking pipe and said, "Look at her. With just a little guidance and a few words, she was able to immediately advance to the next tier. Now, look at yourself. You have shit all abilities, yet you still like to act so stubbornly. What''s the point of being so stubborn? Do you think the heavens will fall asleep and identally give you some fated opportunity?"


    Old Man Yang returned to his seat and looked out at the increasingly heavy rain. The frantic raindrops pitter-pattered against the courtyard floor. His expression became slightly sad, and he murmured, "After so many years of picking and choosing between so many people, who would''ve thought that the least hopeful candidate would have the most resilient life?"


    ��������


    An extremely skinny young boy carried arge basket of wild vegetables and held a string of seven or eight small fish in his hands as he walked through the alleys. After entering his courtyard, a rich young boy in silk clothes stepped on a stool and climbed onto the low courtyard wall.


    He squatted there with no care about dirtying his expensive clothes, and he chuckled, "Oi, Chen Ping''an, you climbed the mountains and waded through the creek to find food again? Your ability to live off the mountains and waters is truly impressive. Can you take me with you in the future? I''ll reward you with some copper coins?"


    The skinny boy smiled and replied, "You don''t need to give me money."


    The rich boy scowled and said, "You can scram if you don''t want it. Hmph, I don''t even want to go anymore."


    The young Chen Ping''an pulled the small fish off the reed string. The biggest fish was the size of his palm, while the smallest fish was only the size of his thumb. The young boy got up on his tippy-toes and ced the fish on the windowsill to dry. They would be edible after drying, and there would be no need to add salt either. Not only that, but there was also no need to slice open their bellies and remove their intestines. This wasn''t because he was afraid of the hassle. Instead, it was because not much meat would be left if he did this. In any case, he found the fish to be crunchy and tasty.


    The rich boy Song Jixin felt a little regretful after saying those words. In reality, he had always envied his neighbor who was the same age as him. He would always return home with something in his hands, whether that be wild rabbits, catfish, wild berries, or what have you. He was tempted whenever he saw this, and this was an absolute feast for his eyes.


    However, the stubborn young boy wasn''t willing to apologize. After seeing Chen Ping''an''s adept and carefree movements, he more so felt a slight sense of stifling unhappiness.


    This Chen Ping''an was so poor that he could barely afford to cook, and he was also sleeping in a rundown room that leaked wind from all the different directions. In fact, he couldn''t even afford a single stick of candied hawthorn. That being the case, what in the world was he so happy about?


    Squatting on the wall, the rich young boy was very baffled.


    ��������


    One day, the rich young boy who could only live in y Vase Alley but didn''t need to worry about food and clothes came back home with his face ck and blue. His clothes were also covered in mud.


    Zhi Gui had just be his maidservant, and she asked him what had happened. However, Song Jixin refused to tell her no matter what. After going back to his room, he shut the door andy down in bed.


    He had argued with someone today, and he had even fought with them. Even now, some of their venomous words were still ringing in his ears, causing the proud young boy to feel a piercing pain in his heart. His expression shifted between grief and anger.


    "You just have some shitty money is all... What are you so smug about? You can''t evenpare to Chen Ping''an! Even though his parents are dead, at least he knows who his parents are! Do you know who your parents are?"


    He couldn''t get these words out of his mind.


    Song Jixin tossed and turned in his bed, yet he couldn''t fall asleep no matter what.


    The next day, the rich young boy didn''t squat on the courtyard wall and chat with his neighbor like normal. Instead, he surprisingly paid a visit to Chen Ping''an''s house.


    He said something to Chen Ping''an, and after a few days, Chen Ping''an left the small town and broke his promise to his deceased mother. He was still very young, but he had already gone to the dragon kiln to be an apprentice.


    ��������


    There was a figure sneaking around the back door of the pharmacy, and after catching a glimpse of them, Old Man Yang didn''t say anything. He simply turned around, not wanting to dirty his eyes.


    The sneaking figure felt especially hurt after seeing the old man''s response.


    What hurt him even more was the fact that the woman who he should have referred to as sister-inw furiously pushed his head aside with one hand. Holding an umbre with her other hand, she strode toward the building in the backyard. After seeing the old man, she immediately prepared to shout at him.


    Old Man Yang sighed, and he hurriedly walked out of the building and shut the door behind him. He stood on the steps and looked at the woman who was about to raise hell. At this moment, he even lost interest in his smoking pipe.


    The woman stopped and ced her hands on her hips, scolding, "What''re you doing, huh? Trying to stop a thief?! At the end of the day, you''re still my man''s master, so why are you always doing such wicked things? Li Er was doing just fine as a shop assistant, so what right do you have to fire him and tell him to piss off? Is the Yang Family''s medicine shop yours? Hah? Did Li Er sleep with his master''s wife, or did he sleep with his master''s darling daughter?!"


    The man who was pushed back over by the crowd shrunk down and hid behind the door. He truly wanted to dig a hole and bury himself at this moment.


    Just what kind of temper did his master have? Just what kind of temper did Li Er''s wife have? How could he not know this? Thus, he felt like he would lose ayer of skin even if he wasn''t killed.


    Old Man Yang was emotionless as he said, "Are you done? If you''re done, then you can go home and moan in bed. I''ve heard that the meowing in the westernmost area of the small town doesn''t stop all year round. There''s meowing in the morning, and there''s meowing at night. In fact, there''s so much meowing that many people were forced to move..."


    His words seemingly struck a pain point, and the woman''s voice rose several decibels as she shouted, "Old geezer, you still have the face to tell me to go home?! After losing his job and ie, your disciple only knows how to wander around the streets all day long! The roof on our home copsed two days ago, and he can''t even scrape together enough money to patch it back up! I was forced to return to my n''s residence with my children, and I suffered all kinds of harassment and abuse!


    "If Li Er weren''t kicked out of the pharmacy by you, would our family of four have suffered so much grief? Old Man Yang, hurry up and hand over your savings for your coffin and help us fix our home! Otherwise, there''s going to be no end to this!"


    The old man wore a cold expression as he looked at the hiding man, Zheng Dafeng.


    There was grief on Zheng Dafeng''s face as he said, "Master, Li Er has gone to deal with that matter ording to your instructions. He definitely won''t being back anytime soon."


    Old Man Yang''s expression became dark.


    At this moment, Zheng Dafeng felt the urge to fall to his knees and kowtow.


    The woman threw her umbre to the ground and sat down on the rain-soaked floor, bursting into tears and crying, "Undying old geezer, have you taken a liking to cheating with your disciple''s wives? Are you even going to target me?!"


    Old Man Yang carried a stool over from under the eaves, and he slowly sat down before retrieving some loose tobo from his pocket and squishing it into a ball. He then ced it into his smoking pipe and started to puff away. He gazed up at the sky andpletely ignored the shouting woman.


    Zheng Dafeng looked at the woman who was crying and shouting in the backyard. The rain was quite heavy, and the woman was also fairly voluptuous, with her clothing also being rtively thin at this moment. As a result, many shop assistants from the Yang Family''s medicine shop walked over to join the fun. They were all secretly delighted as they enjoyed this feast for the eyes.


    The woman was crying hysterically, yet she suddenly fell silent at some moment as if someone had grabbed her neck. She rubbed her eyes and hurriedly stood up, not forgetting to pick up her oil-paper umbre as she frantically ran away.


    As she ran, she screamed, "There''s a ghost!"


    Old Man Yang grimaced, saying, "Like rat droppings on an incense table, this is someone detested by both gods and ghosts alike."


    1. The Taotie is an ancient Chinese mythological creature that symbolizes gluttony. ?

 Chapter 61: Helpless Pawn

    Chapter 61: Helpless Pawn


    After the troublemaking woman left, there was no more beautiful sight for the onlookers to behold. Thus, the shop assistants from the Yang Family''s medicine shop quickly scattered and returned to work.


    Zheng Dafeng timidly ran over and squatted under the eaves, staying far away from Old Man Yang. He didn''t dare to get too close to him.


    Both he and Li Er were disciples of Old Man Yang, yet the treatment they received from him couldn''t be more stark in contrast.


    Zheng Dafeng was also frustrated that his master was biased, but there were some things that he had no option but to ept.


    "Master, it looks like Qi Jingchun is hellbent on breaking the rules. What should we do then?" he asked nervously.


    Old Man Yang remained silent as he continued to puff away at his smoking pipe. At some unknown time, a ck cat suddenly ran over from some unknown ce, and it shook its body dry as it sat near the old man''s feet, sending water flying everywhere.


    Zheng Dafeng was filled with worry as he said, "That bastard from True Martial Mountain actually summoned a deity from his sect... Will that cause any trouble? After all, countless people have their eyes on this small world."


    Old Man Yang continued to remain silent.


    Zheng Dafeng was ustomed to his master''s silence, so he didn''t find the atmosphere awkward at all. His thoughts ran wild, and his mind wandered to Qi Jingchun again. "Fucking hell! Qi Jingchun, you''ve cowardly abided by the rules for 59 years, yet you can''t persist for just a few more days? Sure enough, schrs are brain-dead fools! They''re simply impervious to reason!" he cursed.


    "You might not be a schr, but you''re also brain-dead," Old Man Yang finally said.


    Zheng Dafeng wasn''t embarrassed, and instead turned around with an obsequious smile, asking, "Master, do you want me to massage your shoulders and legs for you?"


    "I don''t have any wealth for you to inherit, so it''s best that you give up now," the old man replied indifferently.


    Zheng Dafeng was slightly red with embarrassment as he corrected his master, saying, "Master, your words are so hurtful! Your disciple might not be the most capable person ever, but I''m definitely a dutiful and respectful person! How could I be coveting your wealth? It''s not like I''m Li Er''s wife or anything."


    "Mhm, you''re even inferior to her," the old man remarked.


    Zheng Dafeng''s expression became dark, and he hung his head inplete dejection. It was as if he had lost all his energy and spirit.


    However, his face suddenly lit up with joy and delight. Even though his master''s words were grating on the ear, he realized that his master had at least said so many words to him. This was a rare urrence that called for a celebration! He decided to treat himself to some wine when he returned home.


    With his spirits improved, Zheng Dafeng casually asked, "Can Senior Brother Li stop that person?"


    Before Old Man Yang could even reply and berate him, Zheng Dafeng had already pped himself and answered, "Things will only be interesting if he loses. Otherwise, if Senior Brother Li truly stops him, I''ll definitely be even more screwed in the future."


    "Zheng Dafeng, do you know why you''re not sessful?" Old Man Yang mysteriously asked.


    Zheng Dafeng faltered upon hearing this.


    He felt like there was a deeper meaning behind this question, so it was necessary for him to mull over it carefully.


    Unexpectedly, however, Old Man Yang answered for him, saying, "It''s because you''re ugly."


    Zheng Dafeng sped his head in grief. As he stared at the sshing rain in the backyard, the middle-aged man felt like he was on the verge of tears.


    ��������


    There was no need for the steward of the kiln supervision office to analyze the atmosphere to know that it wasn''t suitable for him to stay any longer. He found a random excuse to take his leave.


    Chen Songfeng continued to search through the records. However,pared to his fear and diligence when Chen Dui had been present, he finally recovered some of his elegant and rxed disposition as the descendant of a noble n. The more this was the case, though, the more Liu Baqiao felt frustrated and stifled. His mind was full of grumblings that he wanted to spit out. However, being frank was one matter, while having a loose tongue was another matter. That being the case, Liu Baqiao felt like it was time to take a walk. Out of sight, out of mind.


    Chen Songfeng looked up and asked with a smile, "Baqiao, finally not able to sit here anymore?"


    Liu Baqiao had just started to stand up, yet he immediately sat back down after hearing this. "Hah, you''re still in the mood to tease me? Seems like you''re quite a tolerant person!" he chuckled in frustration.


    Chen Songfeng put down the old record in his hands and said with a bitter expression, "I''m sorry you had to see me in such an embarrassing position. I wasn''t ungrateful when you stood up for me just then, it''s just that..."


    Liu Baqiao wasn''t someone who could tolerate listening to theints and plights of others, so he hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Please spare me. I was simply unable to stand your distant rtive''s bullying of the weak and cowering to the strong. Also, I only criticized her because I was unable to control my tongue, so there''s no need for you to thank me."


    Chen Songfeng leaned back and slowly rested on the back of the chair, exhaling softly as he did so.


    If they were in the Chen n''s residence in Dragon Tail County, this kind ofzy and uncouth sitting position would immediately draw punishment from the elders. Regardless of whether one was a legitimate or illegitimate child, all children would be subject to physical punishment if they dared to sit like this. Meanwhile, adults would receive a scolding.


    Schrs from powerful ns were often ridiculed by martial artists and referred to as sanctimonious and pretentious people.


    However, rules were rules, and descendants of these ns would be forced to walk this rigid path from birth. There was no exception, and this was the environment they would be raised in.


    Of course, there was also Southern Stream Nation which was renowned for producing impractical and absurd schrs. These were schrs who were well-known for their unrestrained speech and strict adherence to rules.


    "So, what''s your actual rtionship with Chen Dui?" Liu Baqiao asked. "Why are you so afraid of her? If this rtes to a n secret, then pretend that I didn''t ask."


    Chen Songfeng stood up and walked over to shut the door. He returned and took a seat where the steward had been sitting just then, and he softly retorted, "After several twists and turns, the porcin buying right for Liu Xianyang''s bonded porcin has fallen into the hands of my n. Are you not curious about why this is?"


    Liu Baqiao nodded in reply.


    Perhaps the Mountain-moving Ape wouldn''t be able to think of this possibility even if he wracked his brains as hard as he could. The force that was vying for the sword scripture wasn''t Sun Scorch Mountain''s mortal enemy Wind Lightning Field, but it was actually Dragon Tail County''s Chen n, a force that had seemingly arrived in this small town from nowhere.


    Chen Songfeng looked exhausted as he spoke, and this was most likely because he had been pent-up this entire time. After all, those who thought about too much would naturally wind up with a tired mind.


    Now, he was finally unable to endure anymore, so he was going to speak his mind to someone. Moreover, Liu Baqiao was someone whom he deeply trusted. Thus, he slowly said, "Even though my n does indeed have a better rtionship with Wind Lightning Field, our n strictly abides by our ancestral rules which state that we shouldn''t be involved in the conflicts of other sects and ns. We''ve adhered to this rule for so many years already, so why would we suddenly break it for a sword scripture that''s almost useless to our n? Our Chen n is a n of schrs, not a n of cultivators. So, what''s the point of bing involved in this?"


    Liu Baqiao mulled over this, and he spected, "It''s Chen Dui''s n that wants to obtain the sword scripture? Perhaps her n is full of powerful but hidden swordsmen?"


    Chen Songfeng shook his head and replied, "No, that''s not the case. Steward Xue mentioned just then that there are two different Chen ns in this small town. Chen Dui belongs to the Chen n that left long ago, and they left veryprehensively, not even staying in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. They moved directly to another continent. After many generations of growth and expansion, this Chen n is now regarded as an ''archway that assembles the characteristics of all teachings''. Of course, news of this hasn''t spread around Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and my n in Dragon Tail County only knows about this because of our distant rtionship with them."


    "I reckon it''s that woman blowing her own trumpet," Liu Baqiao sneered. "Is she trying to pick on me because she thinks I''m uneducated? Her n is able to have a merit archway?"


    Chen Songfeng put up two fingers.


    Liu Baqiao rolled his eyes and said, "Listen carefully �� I''m talking about merit archways, not schrly honor archways!"


    Chen Songfeng didn''t put down his fingers.


    Liu Baqiao was slightly disgruntled, and he was unwilling to yield as he continued to insist, "Then does her n have an academy archway?!"


    The so-called academy archways that Liu Baqiao spoke of were naturally the achways rted to the three schools and 72 academies of Confucianism. He most definitely wasn''t talking about the ordinary academies in mortal empires.


    In the vast Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there were but two Confucian academies �� Mountain Cliff Academy and Lake View Academy.


    Chen Songfeng slowly put down one finger, leaving one raised.


    Liu Baqiao pretended that he was about to stand up, with his hands pushing down on the arms of his chair. There was mock fear on his face, and he eximed, "Oh, then I should hurry up and apologize to that esteemeddy! My heavens! With such a profound and powerful background, she even has the right to treat you as a ve, to say nothing of asking you to flip through a few records."


    Chen Songfeng replied with a smile.


    This was probably the reason for Liu Baqiao''s charisma. This was something that should have been vexing and irritating, yet Liu Baqiao was able to say it in such a manner that wasn''t infuriating at all.


    Liu Baqiao sat back down and wrapped his arms around his chest, appearing calm andposed as he said, "Alright, I know that her background is terrifying now. You can continue."


    Chen Songfeng smiled and said, "In fact, Steward Xue already told us the answer."


    Liu Baqiao came to a sudden realization, and he guessed, "Liu Xianyang''s ancestors were the graveyard attendants for Chen Dui''s n?"


    "Very perceptive of you," Chen Songfeng praised with a nod.


    Liu Baqiao frowned slightly and muttered, "Hmm? But how can this be? Didn''t the traitor from Sun Scorch Mountain create that sword scripture? Of course, he can also be regarded as one of the ancestors of Wind Lightning Field. Regardless, these timelines don''t match, so how can the Liu n have be the Chen n''s graveyard attendant?"


    "I can confirm that the Liu n was indeed the graveyard attendant for the Chen n in the very beginning," Chen Songfeng exined. "As for the swordsman who took refuge in your Wind Lightning Field afterward... There are probably some secrets regarding why he eventually came to this small town and became a member of the Liu n, even passing down the sword scripture. In any case, the Liu n now has two family heirlooms �� the sword scripture and the suit of armor.


    "In terms of Chen Dui, she''s actually not here to obtain treasures or anything. Instead, she''s simply here to pay respect to her ancestors. Other than that, if the Liu n still has any descendants, she''ll also bring them back with her. The Chen n will do everything they can to raise them, regardless of their talent. In some sense, this is their repayment to the Liu n for attending to their ancestor''s graveyard for so many years."


    Liu Baqiao was utterly perplexed. "They''re such arge and powerful n, yet they only sent a single young girl over to pay respects to their ancestors? And she was almost punched to death by Song Changjing as well! Chen Songfeng, I''ve read quite a few books �� even though some of them are about things that happen under nkets �� so I do indeed have some understanding of people and events. With what I know, I feel like she''s definitely an imposter!"


    Chen Songfeng shook his head, saying with a bitterugh, "You weren''t able to see just how... respectful my grandfather was when he saw her."


    One shouldn''t dwell on the shorings of their elders, so Chen Songfeng was truly unable to spit out the truth. He could only use the euphemistic description "respectful" to exin things.


    His n had opened the middle gate for her, and the n leader had more so bowed as deeply as he could to show his respect. The entire n had treated her as a most esteemed guest, and during the wee banquet, she had even enjoyed the honor of sitting in the host seat.


    One could imagine just how much of a shock this was for Chen Songfeng.


    "Wasn''t Liu Xianyang almost smashed to death by the old ape?" Liu Baqiao asked in puzzlement.


    Chen Songfeng sighed and answered, "You said it yourself �� almost."


    Chen Songfeng stood up and walked to the window. The rain had eased up for the moment, yet looking up at the sky, it appeared like a downpour was imminently about to arrive.


    "It seems like Master Ruan is an old acquaintance with one of Chen Dui''s elders. They traveled around the world together in the past, and they can be regarded as good friends," Chen Songfeng said softly.


    "So you''re saying that Ruan Qiong is able to seed Qi Jingchun and overlook this small world because he received some help from Chen Dui''s n?" Liu Baqiao asked carefully.


    "I didn''t say anything," Chen Songfeng replied calmly.


    Liu Baqiao clicked his tongue in wonder.


    No wonder Chen Dui had been so tough and unyielding even when she had faced Song Changjing.


    A powerful n in the distance, and the protection of a Sage nearby... How could she not be arrogant?


    "Why don''t you tell me about bonded porcins and porcin buyers?" Liu Baqiao suddenly said. "I''ve always been fairly interested in this, and it''s a shame that Wind Lightning Field has never taken a fancy to such things. It was only when I was forcefully dragged here by my master that I was able to learn a few things. Apparently, quite a few famous and powerful cultivators in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent havee from this small town?"


    Chen Songfeng hesitated for a moment before deciding to answer honestly. "It''s quite simr to the mortal activity of stone gambling. Around 30 babies are born in the small town each year, and depending on their position, each of the 30 dragon kilns will be assigned to a child as their ''porcin''. For example, if 32 children are born one year, then the two dragon kilns upying the top two positions will each be assigned two pieces of porcin. If only 29 children are born the next year, then the dragon kiln in the bottom position won''t receive anything for the year.


    "Thus, people born in this small town will all have their own bonded porcin. Right now, the fame of Cao Xi and Xie Shi is unparalleled in the continent. One is a Daoist True Lord who has the potential to be a Heavenly Lord, while one is a lone sword immortal who possesses remarkable power and might. Even though this small town is indeed capable of producing many powerful beings, the price of soaring to such a height is immense.


    "Once these people �� ''porcin'' �� advance to the Middle Five Tiers, they''ll lose the right to afterlife or reincarnation unless they manage to advance to the Upper Five Tiers. If they fail, their soul and spirit will shatter and vanish. Even the Dao Ancestor and Buddha will be unable to save them. Meanwhile, the porcin buyers will also obtain the bonded porcin that allows them to control the lives of these people. So what if they be as powerful as Cao Xi or Xie Shi? This is a fate that they can''t escape.


    "Of course, if one manages to be as profoundly powerful as Cao Xi and Xie Shi, the porcin buyers will naturally feel the urge to treat them as esteemed guests. They wouldn''t dare to act as haughty owners of the bonded porcin anymore. After all, this is a mutually beneficial transaction, and any n that has the support of Cao Xi and Xie Shi will feel much safer.


    "The reason for this is simple. When ites to trivial matters, there naturally won''t be a need to employ their help. When ites to matters regarding the survival of their n or sect, however, they''ll definitely receive help from these powerful beings. Granted, these powerful beings can indeed refuse to help. However, their bonded porcin will be smashed, and everyone will end up dying together."


    Liu Baqiao was astonished and amazed as he listened to this. It was no wonder the Great Li Empire had ferociously soared to such lofty heights in just a mere 200 to 300 years, bing a powerful empire that controlled the entire northern stretches of the continent.


    Liu Baqiao was enthralled, and he sat down cross-legged and stroked his chin, asking, "I know that reaching six years of age for girls and nine years of age for boys is a great hurdle for the people of this small town. This is simr to cultivation, where we''re able to determine our future potential at that age. At that time, the porcin buyers cane to the small town to bring with them those who have the potential to reach great heights. However, what about those who don''t have potential? How do the dragon kilns deal with the worthless bonded porcin of those children?"


    "They''ll be taken out of the dragon kilns before being shattered and thrown away," Chen Songfeng replied softly. "There''s a mountain of porcin outside the small town, and this is the reason behind its existence."


    Liu Baqiao felt a slight hint of displeasure, and he asked, "Then what happens to those children?"


    Chen Songfeng shook his head and replied, "I don''t know. However, nothing good I assume."


    Liu Baqiao sighed upon hearing this. He raised his hands and roughly massaged his cheeks.


    This was a secret transaction that the Sages from the different forces had personally written the rules for, so it definitely wasn''t something that a measly cultivator like him could challenge or interfere with.


    However, he still couldn''t help but feel displeased.


    After a long period of silence, Liu Baqiao quietly remarked, "That being the case, everyone hailing from this small town is nothing but a helpless pawn."


    "Who on the path of cultivation isn''t?" Chen Songfeng asked.


    With sadness in his heart, Liu Baqiao nodded and concurred, "Indeed."


    ��������


    The door creaked as it was carefully opened, and a young boy in straw sandals carried a pale expression as he quietly tiptoed inside. He then turned around and lightly shut the door.


    Copying Old Man Yang, he also grabbed a small stool for himself and sat on the stairs. The raindrops were asrge as peas, and the sky was as dark as midnight. For some reason, however, few drops of rain made it under the eaves even though it was absolutely pouring. The old man had been sitting here for a long time, yet there was only very little moisture on his sleeves. Chen Ping''an sat with his fingers intertwined as he quietly gazed at the small puddles in the backyard.


    Old Man Yang continued to smoke, withrge puffs of smoke wafting into the surroundings. However, the clouds of smoke and the curtains of rain didn''t try to invade each other''s territory.


    It was as if an invisible barrier existed between them.


    One of the main reasons that Old Man Yang didn''t dislike this child was because he would never scream or shout no matter the situation. This child would never disturb him, nor would he ever try to.


    In this sense, Chen Ping''an was quite simr to Li Er.


    Meanwhile, Zheng Dafeng was far inferior to them


    "Grandpa Yang, thank you for your help all these years," Chen Ping''an said softly.


    Old Man Yang frowned and asked, "You''re thanking me? If I remember correctly, I''ve never helped you for free before... Did you forget to pay one time?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled in reply.


    This was just like how Old Man Yang had agreed to let him enter the mountains and pick medicinal herbs for the Yang Family''s medicine shop in the past. They would buy the medicinal herbs at a low price, yet they would also sell many of the pharmacy''s medicinal herbs to him at a low price as well. This looked like a fair transaction, but Chen Ping''an was very aware that he was the one being helped.


    Moreover, just how much was a handmade smoking pipe worth?


    Meanwhile, the reason that Chen Ping''an was able to persevere for so many years and remain in good health was inrge part thanks to the breathing technique that Old Man Yang had taught him.


    The old man looked up at the sky and sneered, "When others offer the tiniest bit of help, some people feel an irresistible urge to treat them like a Bodhisattva who has rescued them from the grips of cmity and death. This is especially the case when the helpes from a powerful person. These people will be especially grateful, so much so that they''ll even be moved by their own acts of gratitude. They''ll feel like they''re people who understand the concept of repaying kindness, making them some kind of noble schr, loyal official, or some brilliant disciple or what have you. They praise themselves as people who will be willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their benefactors... Bunch of ungrateful bastards. They should never have crawled out of their mothers'' wombs..."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head, an uneasy expression on his face. He didn''t know if Old Man Yang was talking about him.


    The old man retracted his gaze and added coldly, "I''m not talking about you."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly saw a familiar figure at this moment, causing him to falter.


    There was a roof corridor behind the main hall, and a middle-aged schr with graying sideburns held an umbre in one hand and a stool in another hand as he walked out from the side door and made his way over. He ced the stool under the roof corridor and sat down, before leaning the oil-paper umbre against the stool and patting his knees with his hands. He sat upright as he smiled at the old man and young boy, and he said in a gentle voice, "Mountain Cliff Academy''s Qi Jingchun pays his respects to Mr. Yang."


    His shoes were soaking wet and covered in mud thanks to the pouring rain, and the bottom of his robes wasn''t able to escape this fate either.


    Old Man Yang was rxed and carefree as he pointed at the Sage with his smoking pipe and said, "I already knew that you would be unsessful on the first day that you arrived here. However, I haven''t heard a single word ofint from you after all these years. How very strange. In any case, you don''t seem like a meek or submissive person, so even though the outside forces are slightly baffled by your wild actions, I''m not surprised by them at all."


    Qi Jingchun patted his belly and said with a faint smile, "Of course I haveints. In fact, my entire belly is filled withints. It''s just that I haven''t voiced them."


    Old Man Yang thought for a moment before remarking, "I''m not sure about your abilities, but the fact that your master dared to say those four words... In my eyes, he can be regarded as this."


    The old man raised a thumb.


    Qi Jingchun smiled bitterly and stated, "Master''s knowledge is actually even greater than that."


    Old Man Yang sneered and said, "Well, it''s not like I''m a schr, so I won''t praise your master even if his knowledge has already surpassed Confucius."


    "Mr. Yang, you feel like Master''s four words were correct?" Qi Jingchun asked with a serious expression.


    Old Man Yangughed and replied, "I didn''t feel like it was correct. It was just that all Confucian students used to believe in the previous four words, and that annoyed me quite a bit. The fact that someone stepped forward to oppose them made me feel quite good. That''s all there is to it. You schrs setting up an arena and fighting until your decorum is no more brings me great joy!"


    Qi Jingchun couldn''t help but chuckle.


    He was just about to speak, yet Old Man Yang had already waved his hands, understanding what he was about to say. "There''s no need for polite words. I don''t like listening to them, and we''re not people with the same aspirations either. This has been the case for generations, so there''s no need for you to break the tradition. Moreover, you''re already akin to a rat who everyone''s trying to beat, so I naturally wouldn''t dare to get too close to you anyway."


    Qi Jingchun nodded in reply. He stood up and gestured for Chen Ping''an toe over, saying, "I used the snake gall pebbles that you gave me to carve two seals. One''s engraved using the official script, and one''s engraved using oracle bone script. Here, take them."


    Chen Ping''an ran through the rain and the pond-like backyard. Standing before Qi Jingchun, he epted the white cloth pouch.


    Qi Jingchun smiled faintly and said, "Remember to keep them safe. If you see paintings or calligraphy scrolls that you like in the future �� for example, a spirited painting of mountains and rivers �� you can stamp them using these seals."


    "Okay," Chen Ping''an nodded and replied in a daze.


    Old Man Yang nced at the pouch in Chen Ping''an''s hands and asked, "Where''s the character ''Spring''?"


    "I engraved another seal a while ago, and I gave it to a child from the Zhao n," Qi Jingchun replied with a smile.


    "Qi Jingchun, are you a charity?" the old man chuckled.


    Qi Jingchun didn''t take the old man''s teasing words to heart. He bade them farewell and took his leave.


    Seeing Chen Ping''an still standing there like a wooden column, Old Man Yang chuckled in frustration, scolding, "After receiving a gift from someone, you''re just going to skip home and indulge in happiness by yourself? You''re not going to apany Mr. Qi for a bit and see him off?"


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly ran to the back door of the main hall.


    "Bring the umbre with you!" the old man scolded with a smile. "With the condition you''re in right now, can you still endure suchshing rain and wind?"


    Chen Ping''an borrowed an umbre from a shop assistant before hurrying over to apany Mr. Qi. They walked side-by-side on the main street.


    Old Man Yang remained sitting under the eave the entire time, taking the asional puff from his smoking pipe. Smoke billowed around him.


    Even though the two seals had still been in the pouch, Old Man Yang had noticed something special about them. It was because of this that he had asked about the character "Spring".


    The human heart was filled with grandeur.


    After a short while, Chen Ping''an returned to the backyard. "What did he say in the end?" Old Man Yang asked.


    Chen Ping''an sighed as he sat back down on the small stool, replying, "Mr. Qi said that virtuous people can be deceived through means within reason."


    Old Man Yang was slightly annoyed as he grumbled, "Those old geezers who are honored in the temples... Have their brains short-circuited or something? Someone is clearly targeting Mountain Cliff Academy and Qi Jingchun, yet they''re still standing on the sidelines with their hands sped behind their backs? Do they genuinely believe that they''re inanimate objects carved from wood and shaped from y[1]?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t hear him clearly, so he asked, "Grandpa Yang, did you say something?"


    The old man remained silent.


    Heh, so this is a man who��s willing to be a virtuous person but not a Sage.


    1. This is referring to the fact that the Confucian Sages have statues in the temples. ?

 Chapter 62: Falling Tree

    Chapter 62: Falling Tree


    Ning Yao slowly woke up from her sweet andfortable nap. After opening her eyes, she was slightly baffled to find that she was sitting on a chair. After faltering for a brief moment, she stood up and walked over to open the door, only to find an old man and a young boy sitting outside. The two of them were both silent, being the untalkative people that they were.


    After hearing Ning Yao''s footsteps, Chen Ping''an turned around and said with a smile, "Oh, you''re awake. You were sleeping quite soundly before, so I decided not to wake you up."


    Ning Yao nodded in reply, not paying too much attention to this. She turned to the old man and said, "Senior Yang?"


    "What, you''re afraid that Chen Ping''an took advantage of you while you were sleeping?" the old man huffed. "Don''t worry, I helped you keep an eye on him the entire time. He dared to dream, but he didn''t dare to act."


    "Ning Yao, don''t listen to Grandpa Yang''s nonsense! I guarantee that I didn''t dream about it either!" Chen Ping''an hurriedly exined.


    Ning Yao took a deep breath and told herself that mighty people should be tolerant and magnanimous.


    Old Man Yang shot a sideways nce at the young boy and chuckled at his misfortune, saying, "How naive and clueless..."


    The rain had already subsided, and Old Man Yang said frankly, "When you go home, remember to bring the pouch of Offering Coins over. That will be the payment for you and the young girl''s medicine."


    Ning Yao frowned and said, "What kind of medicine does the Yang Family''s medicine shop sell? How is it so expensive?!"


    "When someone is about to die from hunger, how much is the steamed bun in my hand worth?" Old Man Yang asked calmly.


    "This is profiting off other people''s misfortune!" Ning Yao replied solemnly.


    The old man was a heavy smoker, and the entire top half of his body was enveloped in a thin cloud of smoke. From within this "sea of clouds", his cold and hoarse voice traveled over, stating, "Unreasonably raising prices is something that only lowly merchants do. It''s not something that I would do. My rule is to stand by my words. I only offer a single price, and it''s up to you whether you want to buy it or not."


    Ning Yao still wanted to speak, but she discovered that Chen Ping''an was tugging her sleeves and secretly blinking at her. In the end, she could only swallow her words and frustration.


    The medicinal herbs produced in this small world were indeed of top quality. However, referred to as the Jewel Small World of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, this small world had never been renowned for its medicinal herbs or ingredients. Instead, it was widely known for its "porcin", treasures, and fated opportunities. Thus, even a mountain of medicinal ingredients wouldn''t be worth a few gold essence copper coins.


    Old Man Yang gestured with his smoking pipe and said, "The rain has stopped, so you two can stop making eyes at each other in front of me as well. Have you two no shame?"


    Chen Ping''an grabbed Ning Yao''s arm and dragged her down the stairs. After leaving the pharmacy and arriving on the main street, Chen Ping''an smiled and asked, "Are you feeling puzzled? Don''t worry, this is just how Grandpa Yang is. He doesn''t like to give or ept favors, and everything that he does is very... fair. Yes, that''s right, fair."


    Ning Yao chuckled coldly and said, "Fair? Everyone has a scale in their heart. What right does he have to think that he''s the judge of fairness? Because of his age?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head, saying, "I don''t feel like I''m being tricked if I pay him a pouch of copper coins."


    Ning Yao nced at him and stated, "If you can still put your hand on your heart and say this after living in the outside world for 10 years, then you win!"


    "Then we''ll talk about it then," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Ning Yao sighed in exasperation. She was truly unable to speak any reason into him. "Where are we headed now?"


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment before replying, "Let''s go to the cksmith shop to see how Liu Xianyang''s doing. While we''re heading over, we can also retrieve your saber from the ground."


    "Then lead the way," Ning Yao resolutely said.


    "Is your body holding up alright?" she suddenly asked.


    Chen Ping''an cracked a grin and replied, "There''s no major issue. However, in addition to practicing the fist technique, I''ll also have to drink medicine like you do every day. Grandpa Yang also said that if the medicine isn''t effective, I might need to spend even more money."


    "You genuinely believe him?" Ning Yao asked with a puzzled expression.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and shook his head. It was as if he couldn''t be bothered arguing with her about this.


    After leaving the small town, he rolled up his sleeves and unstrapped the skirt dagger, returning it to Ning Yao.


    After concealing her skirt dagger, Ning Yao went over to retrieve her saber which had been trodden into the ground by the Mountain-moving Ape. As for the sword scabbard that she had given Chen Ping''an, he had decided to temporarily leave it with her. It was hanging by her waist right now, and this gave the flying sword a ce to stay.


    When Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao arrived on the southern end of the covered bridge, they saw a girl with a ponytail and dressed in green sitting on top of the stairs, with her hands on her cheeks as she gazed into the distance. She was sitting with her back facing them.


    ��������


    Alone in the backyard of the Yang Family''s medicine shop, Old Man Yang put away his smoking pipe and waved his hand, dispelling the cloud of smoke around him. "Rest assured, I''ll grant you the indestructible body of a river guardian when you seed. As for whether you can be a genuine river god or not, that will be up to your own abilities and fortune."


    In the end, he lightly tapped the ground using his smoking pipe, and he looked up in the direction of the old locust tree. He clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "A tree falls, and the monkeys scatter."


    ��������


    Three horse-drawn carriages trundled toward y Vase Alley.


    Song Changjing was truly unable to fathom why his nephew insisted on keeping up a rivalry with an impoverished young boy from this impoverished little alley.


    In fact, he had even developed a knot in his heart because of this.


    Song Changjing smiled and said, "Since I''ve already interfered with your muddle-headed rivalry with Chen Ping''an once, I''m not going to interfere with it a second time. You need to resolve the situation yourself."


    In the end, he warned, "You''re allowed to have a private rtionship with Sun Scorch Mountain, but remember not to be overly involved with them."


    Song Jixin was amused, and he asked, "Private rtionship? Are you referring to that little girl? Haha, I merely found it a little fun. There''s no rtionship to speak of."


    "It was merely fun, so you decided to casually give her a Sword Nurturing Gourd?" Song Changjing chuckled.


    Song Jixin huffed and remained silent.


    The carriages couldn''t enter the small alley, nor did Song Changjing want to disembark to enter. Thus, Song Jixin jumped off the carriage alone. He discovered that it was raining, though this was only a light spring drizzle. However, it was showing an inclination of bing a downpour.


    He hurriedly ran into y Vase Alley and entered his courtyard. What greeted him was the sight of Zhi Gui sitting under the eaves of the house and daydreaming.


    Song Jixin smiled and shouted, "Let''s go! Your young master is going to take you to the Great Li Empire''s capital to broaden your horizons!"


    Zhi Gui came to her senses, and she asked, "Huh? We''re going to leave so soon?"


    Song Jixin nodded and said, "Everything has been packed already, so I don''t see why not. There are tworge suitcases in my room, and there''s also your small suitcase. We''ve already packed everything that we can pack and want to pack. There''s nothing left over in the house, so what difference does it make if we leave earlier orter?"


    Zhi Gui rested her chin on her knees and said sadly, "Yeh, this ce is our house..."


    Song Jixin sighed and walked over to sit down on the doorstep next to her. He wiped away the rainwater on his forehead and asked in a gentle voice, "What''s wrong? Reluctant to leave? If you truly miss this ce, then we can leave a littleter. That''s no issue. I can notify the others."


    Zhi Gui suddenly smiled, vigorously waving her dainty fist and saying, "No need! Let''s leave straight away! Who''s afraid of who?"


    "Don''t forget that four-legged snake," Song Jixin reminded her.


    Zhi Gui was instantly enraged, and she huffed, "That stupid little fool. It secretly snuck into the bottom of my suitcase yesterday, and it made me spend half the day looking for it. When I finally found it after a long struggle, I discovered that some of my makeup boxes had be absolutely filthy! Truly unforgivable! It deserves a death sentence!"


    Song Jixin started to be a little worried for the four-legged snake, and he asked tentatively, "That stupid little thing... wasn''t killed by you, right?"


    Zhi Gui shook her head and replied, "No, I decided to spare it for the moment. I''ll deal with it when we reach the capital. Oh, that''s right. Let''s raise a few more chickens when we reach the capital, Young Master. Is that okay? We need to raise at least five!"


    Song Jixin was baffled, and he asked, "There''ll be enough eggs to eat, so why do we still need to buy and raise chickens? Aren''t you alwaysining about them being too noisy?"


    "When the timees, I''m going to tie a string to a foot of each chicken. I''ll then tie the other ends to that stupid little thing''s four legs and head. When I''m unhappy, I can go and shoo the chickens. Otherwise, that stupid little thing is quite quick and evasive. I get exhausted chasing it all the time, and that only makes me angrier..."


    Listening to his maidservant''s grumbling, Song Jixin''s mind was filled with the image of that four-legged snake being punished. "Isn''t that punishment by being dismembered by five horses? Oh, that''s not right... It''s dismemberment by five chickens..."


    Song Jixin held his belly and roared withughter.


    Zhi Gui was ustomed to her young master''s wild imagination, so she didn''t find this strange in the least. She simply asked, "Young Master, the suitcases are so heavy, so how are we going to carry them? Also, there are quite some things that we should have thrown out but haven''t thrown out yet."


    Song Jixin stood up, snapping his fingers and ordering, "Come out! I know you guys are hiding nearby. Please carry these suitcases to the carriages for us."


    There was no reply.


    Song Jixin fell silent for a long while. His expression became increasingly dark, and hemanded, "Show yourselves! Do you believe me when I say that I''ll get my uncle to personally carry them instead?!"


    A short momentter, several hidden figures either jumped down from the roof on the opposite side of y Vase Alley or appeared from elsewhere in the alley.


    There were five ck-d guards in total, and after the leader opened the door, all of them funneled into the courtyard.


    The leader hesitated for a moment before cupping his fists in respect and saying in a gloomy voice, "We were carrying out a mission before, so we didn''t dare to show ourselves without permission. Please forgive us, Your Highness."


    "Go do your job," Song Jixin said expressionlessly.


    The person''s head remained lowered, and he said, "This underling beseeches Your Highness to please help exin this situation to the monarch."


    Song Jixin was annoyed by his nagging, and he scolded, "Will my uncle fuss over such trivial matters with you people?!"


    The five people remainedpletely still, standing in the rain and refusing to budge a single step.


    Song Jixin had no option but to yield, conceding, "Alright, I''ll help you guys exin."


    Only after hearing this did the five people enter the house. Three of them easily carried a suitcase each, while two of them were empty-handed as they guarded the front and the rear. After slowly walking into y Vase Alley, they immediately broke into a sprint.


    Song Jixin watched on in thought.


    Zhi Gui opened up an oil-paper umbre and handed Song Jixin a slightlyrger one. After locking the house door, the outside kitchen door, and the courtyard door, the two of them stood outside the gate with an umbre each in their hands. Song Jixin looked at the couplets and the door gods and softly murmured, "I wonder if we''ll be able to see these couplets the next time we return."


    "Since we''re leaving, we''re leaving for good, no? Why would we return again?" Zhi Gui asked.


    "I guess you''re right. If we be sessful, there''ll be no one we can show off to, but if we end up unsessful, there''ll be heaps of people waiting tough at us," Song Jixin said with a self-deprecating smile.


    The rain was incessant, and the small alley gradually became wet and muddy. Zhi Gui was unwilling to stay any longer, and she urged, "Let''s go, let''s go."


    Song Jixin nodded, and the two of them made their way out of y Vase Alley.


    Zhi Gui walked in front, with her footsteps rtively hurried.


    Meanwhile, Song Jixin walked behind her, with his footstepsparatively slow. When he walked past a certain gate, Song Jixin stopped in his tracks and turned around to look back.


    He was seemingly in a daze as he stared at the ordinary mud wall.


    Zhi Gui turned around and couldn''t help but grumble, "Young Master, the rain is going to be heavier if we don''t hurry."


    Song Jixin''s expression was hidden under his umbre. After raising an arm andpleting some action, he answered Zhi Gui''s call and finally started to walk quicker.


    ��������


    In a carriage outside y Vase Alley, Song Changjing was sitting with his eyes closed and resting his mind.


    The kiln supervision office would write up a secret document each day, and this was the responsibility of nine top-notch guards and spies from the Great Li Empire. They were responsible for making the observations, and what they recorded was the daily activities of the "illegitimate son of the previous kiln supervision official". For example, what streets he shopped in with his maidservant Zhi Gui, how much money he spent on what food, what passages he recited in the morning and which Sages'' works these came from, when he secretly drank for the first time, who he flew kites and catch crickets with outside the small town, who he argued with and why, and so on and so forth.


    Regardless of how big or small the events were, everything was observed and recorded. These records would then be delivered to the capital, where they would be taken into the pce and ced on the desk in the royal study. In the end, these records would be gathered together and bound into a book. His older brother �� someone who loved to toy around with words and essays �� personally named these books the "Small Records of Daily Life". From "Small Records of Daily Life 1" to "Small Records of Daily Life 15", everything that the 15-year-old boy living in the impoverished alley had done in his life had been recorded into 15 books.


    Beforeing to the small town, Song Changjing had flicked through these boring records of his nephew''s life. However, he had astutely noticed that a page was missing from the twelfth record, and it was more so clear that it had been purposely torn out by someone. This most likely signified that a huge event had taken ce when Song Jixin was 12 years old.


    Song Changjing had initially thought that this was a bloody assassination attempt that had been ordered by someone in the capital. Moreover, the culprit had been so powerful that even Song Jixin''s brother could only remain silent. Onlyter did Song Changjing realize that this wasn''t the case. Instead, that page most likely recorded something that was a bad memory for Song Jixin. Moreover, it was definitely rted to y Vase Alley''s Chen Ping''an.


    Song Changjing started to organize his thoughts. He rarely had time to rest, and he seized this opportunity to carefully mull over the recorded conversations between the two youths, as well as what the situation would have looked like during these conversations.


    Song Changjing opened his eyes and pulled back the curtain in the carriage. He saw the slender figure of the maidservant holding an umbre first, and then he saw the figure of his nephew behind her. The two of them walked toward the second carriage. Meanwhile, their suitcases had already been ced in thest carriage.


    "It''s time to leave," Song Changjing said softly.


    His carriage slowly trundled forward.


    However, it suddenly ground to a halt, and after a short while, a flustered and angry Song Jixin charged into the carriage, shouting, "What''s the meaning of this?!"


    "Are you referring to the two corpses in your carriage?" Song Changjing asked.


    Song Jixin was livid as he angrily stared at Song Changjing.


    Song Changjing''s expression was calm, and he exined, "Do you know their identity? There are seven intelligence agencies in the Great Li Empire, and three of them are under my control. Their main tasks are to infiltrate the official courts of other nations and empires, gather information about their military, and bribe their officials and generals.


    "The imperial preceptor Embroidered Tiger controls another three intelligence agencies, and their main task is to keep an eye on the discourse happening within the empire, most notably in the official court and in the mortal world. They especially have to keep a keen eye on the capital.


    "The final intelligence agency targets cultivators, and they listen to themands of... someone. There are a total of nine spies in this small town, and theye from each of these seven different intelligence agencies. Their task is to guarantee your safety and ensure that nothing untoward happens to you."


    "What are you trying to say?" Song Jixin asked in a solemn voice.


    Song Changjing smiled and replied, "There are many twists and turns, and in terms of who that person is actually loyal to, there are a bunch of messy exnations and half-truths. If you want me to exin this to you... I''d say that it''s quite difficult. In any case, that person deserved to die. However, you need to remember this. The others all view you as a prince of the Great Li Empire now, and they all regard you as a lofty royal descendent. On the surface, they might respect you, revere you, or act obsequiously in front of you. You can naturally ept all of this. However, never forget why these people are acting in such a manner."


    "Oh? Why is that?" Song Jixin asked with a cold chuckle.


    Song Changjing smiled faintly and replied, "Do you think that you''re genuinely important or something? This is all because I''m apanying you right now. I''m scared that you''ll forget this, so I seized this opportunity to teach you a small lesson. Staying in the same carriage as a dead person is very ufortable. However, this is still better than me having to sit next to your corpse the next time we meet."


    Song Jixin''s face flushed beet-red.


    Song Changjing nced at him and said coldly, "You can leave now."


    Song Jixin instantly swallowed the words that had already been on the tip of his tongue. He quietly turned around, gritting his teeth as he left in anger.


    After Song Jixin left, Song Changjing smiled and mused, "With such meager abilities, will those toothless tigers and foxes not immediately set their eyes on you when you arrive in the capital? Will they not want to tear a few chunks of flesh from your body?"


    In fact, Song Changjing also felt a slight headache when he thought about returning to the capital.


    ��������


    Inside the carriage, it was surprisingly the corpse that took up the most space.


    Song Jixin was extremely ufortable, and it was instead Zhi Gui who wore a calm andposed expression. "Oh, that''s right. Zhi Gui, did you bring our old house keys with you?" Song Jixin asked in a casual manner.


    Zhi Gui wore a puzzled expression as she replied, "No, I just left them somewhere in the house. It''s not like I want to return anyway. What''s wrong? Why are you asking about this, Young Master? In any case, don''t you have a set of keys as well?"


    "Oh, I also left them in the house," Song Jixin replied with a smile.


    ��������


    The three carriages passed the old locust tree, exited the small town, and eventually made their way onto a muddy and uneven road. They continued to trundle toward the east.


    When the three carriages had exited the eastern gate of the small town, the gatekeeper Zheng Dafeng had been observing them from the shelter of his mud hut. Squatting by the door and with his hands in the opposite sleeves, the unmarried man had yawned as he watched them leave the town.


    After traveling for around an hour, Song Changjing suddenly ordered in a grave voice, "Stop!"


    Song Changjing disembarked his carriage, while Song Jixin and Zhi Gui pulled back the curtain in their carriage and stuck their heads out together. They looked toward Song Changjing in curiosity.


    Song Changjing waved his hand, and Song Jixin immediately shrunk back into his carriage, dragging Zhi Gui along with him.


    Song Changjing walked forward, and not far in front of him, there stood an unremarkable middle-aged man blocking the path. He looked like an honest person, and his straw sandals and pant legs were all covered in mud.


    As he walked over, Song Changjing smiled and remarked, "Who would''ve thought? There''s actually someone like you hidden in the small town. By the looks of it, the intelligence officers of the Great Li Empire truly live off shit instead of rice."


    Song Changjing''s snow-white robe had initially been spotless, yet at this moment, they also became covered in water and mud. His shoes naturally weren''t spared either.


    In the end, Song Changjing stopped 10 paces away from the middle-aged man. "Since you didn''t attack me right away, why don''t you tell me what your end goal is?"


    The roof of the middle-aged man''s house had been damaged by the Mountain-moving Ape, yet facing the monarch of the Great Li Empire, what part of him still looked like the pathetic and useless man who had been squatting on the ground and fuming in silence?


    "Song Changjing, you''ll naturally know the answer if you can survive this battle!" Li Er said in a solemn voice.


    Song Changjing frowned in reply. Li Er understood his worry, and he said, "I''ll let the carriages pass first."


    Song Changjing nodded with a smile. He didn''t turn around, and he kept his eyes fixed on Li Er as he shouted, "You guys leave first. Keep going forward."


    Li Er stepped aside and allowed the three carriages to pass without any obstructions.


    Only after the carriagespletely disappeared from sight did Song Changjing turn his attention to the patiently waiting Li Er.


    This person''s cultivation base could only be higher than his own.


    However, the gap between them was limited.


    Song Changjing was unafraid, and was instead filled with a fighting spirit. Ardor and zeal coursed through his blood as he tugged at his cor.


    Even though the person standing in front of him wasn''t renowned, he was definitely a top-notch whetstone to refine his practice of the martial arts.


    Song Changjing''s instinct told him that everything depended on this one moment �� whether he lived or died, and whether he was at the 9th Tier or 10th Tier tomorrow.

 Chapter 63: (1): So Thats How It Is

    Chapter 63: (1): So That''s How It Is


    The rain gradually subsided as Ning Yao and Chen Ping''an walked along the street. Ning Yao turned around to look at Chen Ping''an, whose breathing was now calm and expression was now rxed. Even though she disliked Old Man Yang, she had to admit that he was indeed a skillful person who was living in recluse.


    "Old Man Yang isn''t an ordinary person."


    Ning Yao paused for a brief moment, looking back at the unremarkable Yang Family''s medicine shop. The light drizzle was fine and glistening, and it caused the outline of the medicine shop to be fuzzy and misty. Ning Yao corrected herself, murmuring, "Old Man Yang is an extraordinary person."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t tell the difference between the two remarks. He simply replied with a nod before smiling and asking, "In the past, I only thought that Grandpa Yang was a very good person. He was always very fair. Only now do I realize that Grandpa Yang is actually much more skillful and knowledgeable than he lets on. Ning Yao, you can also be regarded as a cultivator, right?"


    Ning Yao replied with a remark that Chen Ping''an couldn''t really understand. "Something simr, but not exactly the same. However, it makes no difference to you."


    After surviving a great cmity, Chen Ping''an''s state of mind waspletely different as he arrived on the southern end of the covered bridge and visited the young girl in green again.


    When Ruan Xiu heard the footsteps behind her, she stood up with a bashful smile and turned around to look at Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao, who were standing side-by-side. Ruan Xiu felt a little self-conscious and uneasy at the moment.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to treat Ruan Xiu as an ordinary girl anymore. Of course, his strongest impression of her was still the fact that she could defeat an entire mountain of food.


    Ruan Xiu nced at the cold and gant-appearing Ning Yao, and didn''t dare to say hello.


    Ning Yao also shot a nce at the slender and pretty Ruan Xiu, and she didn''t really want to greet her either.


    The three of them walked down the stairs of the covered bridge, and Chen Ping''an said in a soft voice, "I heard Mr. Qi say that Liu Xianyang is doing okay now."


    Ruan Xiu nodded earnestly, exining, "Mhm, yes, he''s woken up now. When the shopkeeper of the Yang Family''s medicine shop saw him, he remarked that this was the god of the underworld showing mercy and allowing Liu Xianyang to go free. It was only because of this that he was able to survive. The shopkeeper also said that since he''s awake, there won''t be any major issues after this. I was afraid that you''d be anxious, so I wanted to visit you and tell you this news straight away. However, Father won''t allow me to cross the covered bridge..."


    Ruan Xiu continued to recount the events, and she was as talkative as a chirping siskin resting on the branches. When she finished speaking, there was a slightly apologetic expression on her face.


    In fact, there were some things that Ruan Xiu didn''t tell them. For example, when Liu Xianyang had woken up, she had immediately dashed out of the door and ran to the covered bridge. All she could think of was telling Chen Ping''an this good news, and she even forgot about her father''s warning that she wasn''t allowed to enter the small town. Just as she had been about to run down the covered bridge from the stairs on the northern end, however, her elusive father who came and went without warning had suddenly appeared and dragged her back by the ear. Only after a lot of convincing did her father allow her to wait for Chen Ping''an on the northern steps of the covered bridge.


    This wasn''t a case of awakening adolescent love, nor was it a case of deep affection toward someone. Instead, this was simply a case of kindness from the bottom of her heart.


    Of course, the prerequisite to receiving this kindness was the fact that Ruan Xiu didn''t dislike Chen Ping''an. Not only that, but she even had a fairly good impression of him. In other words, she approved of Chen Ping''an.


    The reason for this was simple. When the two of them had first met on the Azure Cow Ridge, Chen Ping''an had been willing to dive into the pool to catch fish for her. Afterward, he hadn''t felt any regret even though the wound on his left hand had caused him to gasp in extreme pain. When Liu Xianyang had almost died at the hands of Bai Yuan, Chen Ping''an had also been willing to step forward and charge into battle. All these little things umted together to bring fortune to Chen Ping''an.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an had always been this kind of person. This was his belief. It was just that Ruan Xiu had coincidentally seen him in action.


    However, Chen Ping''an had actually let slip even more opportunities. For example, the golden carp in the fish basket, the catfish that he had given Gu Can, the four-legged snake, the locust leaves that had fluttered in front of him, and so on... All of these fated opportunities had shed before his eyes, yet they wouldn''t voluntarilynd in his hands simply because he was a person who cherished everything that he had.


    Chen Ping''an, Ruan Xiu, and Ning Yao walked down the covered bridge. However, none of them noticed the beads of water silently falling into the creek from varying heights.


    Some of these beads had been hanging on the eaves of the bridge roof, while others had been resting on the railings that ran across the bridge. There were also those which had been residing in the potholes along the edges of the covered bridge. These beads of water hade from various different locations.


    In the end, however, they had all fallen into the creek and be one with the creek.


    At the same time, the Yang Family''s medicine shop was riddled with puddles. The backyard had almost be a pond, with rippling water covering arge swathe of thend. Under this water was a muddy mess, just like the other backyards in the world.


    Above this rippling pond, there stood a blurry figure that was shrouded in mist and vapor. One could vaguely discern that this was a hunch-backed olddy.


    Old Man Yang wasn''t surprised, and he took a puff from his smoking pipe as he asked, "Did you observe anything interesting?"


    The blurry figure involuntarily swayed with the water like a water weed, and she replied in a hoarse voice, "That little girl is the daughter of the next Sage, after all, so just how lofty and noble is her status? Why does she insist on bing friends with that impoverished boy?"


    "That''s all?" Old Man Yang sneered.


    The old woman trembled, and she didn''t dare to reply.


    "Since you''ve already reached this stage, there are some rules that I should make clear to you, lest you die in the future and not know the cause, perhaps even feeling like you''ve been wronged," Old Man Yang slowly said.


    As if organizing his thoughts, Old Man Yang didn''t immediately continue.


    When the rain stopped, the puddles in the yard started to slowly recede, causing the old woman''s body to be increasingly blurry. "Great immortal, I just want to see my grandson more," she said in a pitiful voice.


    Her words interrupted Old Man Yang''s train of thought, and he snapped in slight irritation, "What you want is your own matter to deal with. I don''t have time to deal with your wishes."


    His gaze became distant when he said this, and he murmured to himself, "You can count yourself lucky. If you had fallen into the hands of the three teachings, it''s hard to say whether you would even have an afterlife or next life. How could you enjoy your current privilege?


    "Buddhism has the concept of vanquishing a distracted and restless mind, with the concepts of desires and vows being critically important. Confucianism is slightly more rxed, and it isn''t as broadly controlling as Buddhism. They simply pass on their teachings in an earnest manner, warning their disciples to remain morally vignt even when alone. In other words, there is a focus on being true to one''s words.


    "As for Daoism, they elevate the concept of ''how to think'' even further, going as far as to view internal demons as the nemesis to cultivation. They''re even stricter than Buddhism, leading many people to wander onto stray paths. As a result, there are many so-called heretical sects. Because Daoists pursue tranquility and focus on examining one''s own conscience, it''s extremely easy for one''s mind to be a tangled mess if one bes stuck when trying to understand the Confucian Sages'' questions..."


    With smoke billowing around him, Old Man Yao appeared much like a dragon hidden in a sea of clouds. The old woman was more so perplexed after hearing his exnation, especially since she had grown up in the small town and had never gone to school before. As such, she naturally couldn''t understand these profound and mysterious concepts. The only thing she could do was try her best to memorize Old Man Yao''s words.


    Old Man Yang suddenly smiled and said, "Oh, you don''t need to remember all this. After all, this isn''t what we''re going to focus on."


    The old woman was dumbfounded.


    "We don''t care about what you think; we only care about how you perform," Old Man Yang repeated.


    "Great immortal, I understand," the old woman said with an uneasy expression.


    Old Man Yang pursed his lips and continued, "Since you''re a river guardian now, you naturally need to be responsible for all the things that happen in your river. This is not only to umte hidden virtue[1], but also to obtain prayers and incense from themon people in the surroundingnd.


    "If you''re able to perform well and have someone build a temple and cast a golden statue for you, you''ll be able to house a wisp of your spirit there to enjoy the people''s worship. That will be up to your own ability. Afterward, you''ll need to strive to have the imperial court acknowledge and ept you, and that will allow you to enter the official genealogical records of the empire. You''ll be recognized as an official guardian of the mountains or waters. Failing this, however, you need to strive to at least enter the local county chronicles.


    "Otherwise, if your temple is categorized as an illegal one and demolished along with your golden statue, your days will be much tougher than they are now. You''ll suffer even more than lonely spirits and wandering ghosts."


    The old woman mustered her courage and asked, "Great immortal, you said just then that our small town is a fully restricted area. If that''s the case, then apart from extending my lifespan, what else can a measly river guardian like me do? Also, in terms of building a temple and obtaining incense, genealogical records, and local county chronicles or whatnot..."


    "That was the situation in the past. However, it''s hard to say what it will be like in the future. Not far into the future, this ce will be relegated from a small world into a blessednd with no restrictions to enter. Anyone will be able to enter, and they won''t need to offer three pouches of copper coins anymore. This is also why the emperor of the Great Li Empire is acting in such an unscrupulous manner. There are some things that will lead to vastly different oues depending on whether they''re acted on 60 years earlier or 60 yearster," Old Man Yang exined.


    The old woman gritted her teeth and asked, "Great immortal, are you only willing to protect me because of my grandson?"


    Old Man Yang nodded in reply. He didn''t try to hide his intentions.


    "If that''s the case, then why did you allow the swordsman from True Martial Mountain to take Ma Kuxuan with him? Why didn''t you teach my grandson yourself?" she asked.


    As it turned out, this old woman who had transformed into a river guardian was none other than Granny Ma, the old woman from Apricot Blossom Alley who had been pped to death.


    Old Man Yang lightly tapped his smoking pipe, causing the projection above the water to instantly contort and shudder. This projection was created by Granny Ma''s soul, so Old Man Yang''s action immediately caused her to wail in anguish.


    This pain had arrived suddenly with no warning, and it was akin to a mortal suddenly experiencing a bone-piercing pain that was seemingly going to tear their heart and chest apart. How could Granny Ma endure this?


    "Even though I don''t differentiate between good and bad or just and evil, nor do I use these to measure one''s hidden virtues, this doesn''t mean that I approve of your actions," Old Man Yang told her in an indifferent voice. "In the past, the time wasn''t right for me to fuss over these things. In the future, however, I can wipe out your existence with just a single thought. So don''t try to push your luck."


    Granny Ma fell to her knees and begged for forgiveness, eximing, "Great immortal, I wouldn''t dare! I wouldn''t dare!"


    At that time, the swordsman from True Martial Mountain had paid a huge price to summon the True God to help them. When Ma Kuxuan had disrespectfully questioned the True God, even the Militarian swordsman had felt a deep sense of apprehension, afraid that the True God would unleash divine punishment. In the end, however, why had the True God patiently answered Ma Kuxuan''s question? In fact, why had he replied in human tongue, saying, "It''s not that I don''t want to; it''s simply that I��m unable to"?


    This was clearly an exchange that should have never urred between a human and a god.


    However, perhaps even the transcendent swordsman hadn''t been aware of the true reason behind this. He had most likely dismissed this as the True God having considerations and rules of his own. However, Old Man Yang was well aware of why this was.


    Ma Kuxuan, that young boy, had the Mandate of Heaven.


    He was no inferior to the maidservant Zhi Gui.


    Wang Zhu, Wang Zhu...


    Combining the two characters together, the character "Pearl" was formed[1].


    When it came to True Dragons, which part of them was the most precious?


    Their pearl!


    Why had Zhi Gui chosen to attach herself to Song Jixin, the prince of the Great Li Empire?


    Emperors always liked to refer to themselves as True Dragons, and their fortune was directly linked to the fortune of their empire and throne. Thus, it was abundantly clear that the partnership between Song Jixin and Zhi Gui would be aplementary rtionship between two powerful individuals.


    Taking a step back, however, one had to realize that the path of cultivation was a long one. Fortune, talent, aptitude, fated opportunities, and a mature temperament were all critical aspects that couldn''t be missing.


    Even so, there were those who would lead from the beginning and end up leading throughout, while there were also those who would umte for a long time before suddenly soaring to great heights. When it came to cultivation, nothing was set in stone.


    Looking at the current generation of children in the small town, apart from Ma Kuxuan and Zhi Gui, Song Jixin, Zhao Yao, Gu Can, Ruan Xiu, Liu Xianyang, and a few other children who had good fated opportunities and destinies were all supreme prodigies.


    Even with his profound and hidden knowledge, Old Man Yang didn''t dare to say whose sess would be greater than whom in the future.


    He shot a nce at the puddle in the yard and said, "You can leave now. For the moment, you only need to keep an eye on the area around the covered bridge."


    Granny Ma was terrified, and she stammered, "Great immortal, even I don''t dare to get too close to the covered bridge, especially the deep pool under it. Each time I approach that area, it''s as if I''m being cooked in boiling oil..."


    Old Man Yang smiled and replied, "You don''t need to enter that area. You simply need to keep your eyes open and observe the covered bridge. For example, if something flies out from underneath the covered bridge one day, just take note of what direction it leaves in."


    Granny Ma hurriedly epted thismand and took her leave.


    Her flickering and vapor-like figure instantly vanished from above the puddle in the backyard.


    1. This is referring to building good karma or fortune by performing good deeds without attracting attention ?


    1. Wang Zhu is written as ���� in Chinese. Combining the two characters together yields ��, which means "pearl". ?

 Chapter 64: The Three Chens

    Chapter 64: The Three Chens


    With a shake, Chen Ping''an suddenly became a temporary apprentice in Master Ruan''s cksmith shop. ording to Master Ruan, someone needed to fill the void that Liu Xianyang had left. He needed someone to dig wells, build houses, create canals, and so on. There was no reason for him to look after Liu Xianyang for free.


    And thus, Chen Ping''an became the busiest person in the cksmith shop. When it came to physical tasks, he was more so no inferior to any of the solidly-built men. When he had some free time, Chen Ping''an would head over to that building to visit Liu Xianyang. After taking a trip to the doors of death, Liu Xianyang had be much less energetic and talkative than before. He also looked especially sickly and fragile. Perhaps this was because he still felt a lingering sense of apprehension in his heart after barely escaping death, or perhaps his vitality and spirit had been damaged by the Mountain-moving Ape''s vicious punch.


    He always stared at the roof in a daze as hey in bed, and apart from saying a few words to Chen Ping''an from time to time, he would almost never talk to anyone else. Chen Ping''an was also helpless against this situation. Fortunately, the wound on Liu Xianyang''s chest was healing quite quickly even though it was extremely severe. In fact, it was surprisingly healing much quicker than the wound on Chen Ping''an''s left hand.


    Meanwhile, Ning Yao was still staying at Chen Ping''an''s ce in y Vase Alley. The man whom she referred to as Master Ruan had also surprisingly agreed to forge a sword for her, and even more surprisingly, he had said that the sword might be forged in just half a year if they were fortunate. If they were unfortunate, however, this might blow out to more than 10 years. Ning Yao had been quite broad-minded about this, and she had chuckled and said that she had always been a fairly lucky person. Thus, she wouldn''t mind waiting for half a year.


    Even though Ning Yao still lived in Chen Ping''an''s house, all of the medicinal ingredients and pots had been moved to the cksmith workshop. This was so that Chen Ping''an didn''t need to make so many back-and-forth trips. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was staying at Liu Xianyang''s ce, and this was mainly to prevent thieves from taking advantage of his empty house.


    Chen Ping''an had gone to collect snake gall pebbles at night again, yet he hade uppletely empty-handed, not even finding anything in the deep pit under the Azure Cow Ridge. In the words of Ning Yao, this was because snake gall pebbles were quite simr to people. They also needed to have vitality and spirit. Once they lost these things, they would be nothing more than elegant ornaments for the nobility �� perhaps they could be carved into inkstones. If they possessed vitality and spirit, however, it would be akin to a person draping on an imperial cape. The gulf between the two was like the gulf between heaven and earth.


    This caused Chen Ping''an to sigh and shake his head every time he walked past the creek.


    Ning Yao brought a set of keys over and gave them to Chen Ping''an, telling him that someone had tossed them into his courtyard. After a few tries, she had discovered that the set of keys belonged to his neighbor, Song Jixin. From the courtyard gate to the house door, everything could be opened.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t understand Song Jixin''s intention. Logically speaking, Song Jixin''s personality was such that he wouldn''t have asked Chen Ping''an to clean his house for him. After all, with Song Jixin''s temper, he most likely wouldn''t allow others into his house even if it copsed.


    Chen Ping''an understood Song Jixin better than anyone else.


    Song Jixin was an extremely generous person. Regardless of whether it was for himself or for Zhi Gui, he would be willing to spend all the money in his pockets even if it were 10 copper coins. At the same time, however, Song Jixin was also an extremely stingy person. If he wanted to have something to himself, then he wouldn''t be willing to share it with others no matter what.


    To put it simply, if Song Jixin wanted to give someone something, then even giving them 1000 gold coins wouldn''t be an issue. If others wanted to obtain something from him, however, he would most definitely disagree. If Song Jixin were in a good mood, he would be willing to add icing to the cake for others. Regardless of what mood he was in, however, he definitely wouldn''t help those in dire straits.


    Or perhaps it was Zhi Gui who had purposely tossed the keys into his courtyard?


    Chen Ping''an felt like the probability of this was small.


    When Chen Ping''an had heard Ning Yao talk about how she had opened the doors with the keys, his eyes had widened and his jaw had dropped. He had wanted to say something, but he ultimately refrained from doing so.


    Ning Yao had squinted her eyes and looked at him, with her slender brows causing her to appear especially domineering. She had stared at Chen Ping''an just like that.


    At the time, Ruan Xiu had been dazedly observing them from nearby, secretly enjoying the snacks that Chen Ping''an had helped her buy from the small town as she did so.


    In the end, Ning Yao had turned around to leave first. That day, she hadn''t let Chen Ping''an brew medicine for her, and she had instead carried the pots and ingredients to an empty area behind the cksmith shop. After struggling for half a day, the young girl had ended up with a charcoal-colored face thanks to all the billowing smoke that she had created. At the same time, she had also ended up with an entire pot of charcoal. When Ruan Xiu had walked past from a distance, she had enjoyed her sunflower seeds with relish.


    Ning Yao squatted on the floor and angrily stared at the pot of medicinal ingredients. She felt like brewing medicine was far more difficult than practicing sword techniques or saber techniques. Her face was filled with anger and indignance. There was something in the world that she, Ning Yao, couldn''t do? By the looks of it, the concept of brewing medicine shouldn''t exist in the world anymore!


    Chen Ping''an silently walked over and brewed a new pot of medicine for her, with his movements being smooth and deft.


    Ning Yao''s lips moved slightly, yet she eventually didn''t say anything to stop him. She simply seized an opportunity when he wasn''t looking to wipe her face clean.


    Chen Ping''an squatted in front of the pot and carefully observed the mes. His arms were crossed on top of his knees, and his chin was resting on his forearm.


    "Laugh if you want to!" Ning Yao humphed coldly.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''tugh at her misfortune. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the flickering blue mes and said quietly, "I don''t think you did anything bad, Ning Yao. However, those keys belong to someone else, after all. Regardless of how they ended up in our courtyard, it''s still not good to use them to open other peoples'' doors. Even if Song Jixin and Zhi Gui never return to the small town again, the house next door is still their house. We''re still outsiders."


    Ning Yao pursed her lips and grumbled, "Foolishly kind person! Stubborn fool! Stupidly fastidious reasoning!"


    Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao turned around at almost the exact same time. There was a young man standing behind them, and this was a tall and slender person with an elegant and refined disposition. It was clear that he was not only an outsider, but also a schr.


    Chen Ping''an noticed that this person was looking at him with an extremely strange expression. However, this wasn''t the same expression as the Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain or Fu Nanhua from Old Dragon City, an expression of arrogance and haughtiness. Nor was it the same expression as Daoist Lu or Ning Yao. Instead, his expression was extremelyplicated, and there was seemingly pity, appreciation, but also a hint of loathing.


    In the end, the young man chose to quietly leave.


    Ning Yao frowned and said, "It''s clear that his target is you. What''s going on?"


    Chen Ping''an was also bewildered. He shook his head and replied, "I have no idea."


    After being interrupted by the mysterious outsider, the extremely minor grievances between Ning Yao and Chen Ping''an quickly vanished in a puff of smoke.


    However, the young man quickly returned again, and this time, there was a young woman with extremely long legs standing next to him. For some reason, Ruan Xiu was also with them.


    "They can''t speak the dialect of this small town, so they asked me toe over to help," Ruan Xiu exined. "Chen Ping''an, this big sister is the person who saved Liu Xianyang. She has the same surname as you, but she isn''t from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The person standing next to Big Sister Chen is Chen Songfeng, the eldest grandson of Dragon Tail County''s Chen n. ording to Big Sister Chen, it seems like you two share the same ancestor, so you can be regarded as distant rtives from several hundred years ago.


    "As for Big Sister Chen, her Chen n is unrted to your Chen ns even if we go 1000 years or 2000 years back. She''se here to worship her ancestors this time, but no one in the small town knows where her ancestors'' graves are. From the kiln supervision office to the big ns in Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, none of them have got a clue. However, Liu Xianyang mentioned you, and he said that you''re the most knowledgeable person in the small town when ites to the surrounding mountains and rivers. He said that they couldn''t go wrong if they asked you.


    "Big Sister Chen said that she couldpensate you if you helped, and she offered a pouch of gold essence copper coins. I feel like you can ept this offer..."


    When she said this, Ruan Xiu secretly extended two fingers and waved them next to her waist. In addition to this, she also mouthed "two pouches".


    She was clearly telling Chen Ping''an that he could ask for more payment. Otherwise, such a good opportunity wouldn''t present itself again.


    After careful consideration, Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I''ve thought of a ce that might be the location that she''s looking for. As forpensation... there''s no need for any. After all, this is only a matter of walking a few steps."


    Ruan Xiu was slightly frantic with worry.


    However, Ning Yao had already stepped forward and replied using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, "It''s not an issue for Chen Ping''an to bring you to your ancestral grave to worship them. However, you need to pay him two pouches of gold essence copper coins. There''s no room for discussion! He''s severely wounded right now, so it''s not easy for him to trek such long distances. Moreover, you''re also aware that Mr. Qi has told us outsiders to leave the small town as soon as possible. Chen Ping''an is only a mortal, yet you need him to increase his pace to bring you there. So, one pouch of gold essence copper coins... isn''t enough!"


    In fact, both Chen Dui and Chen Songfeng''s eyes had lit up when they had first seen Ning Yao.


    Seeing her made them forget the vulgarity of the mortal world.


    This was akin to seeing an upright orchid in a deste paddy field.


    Chen Dui openly looked her up and down. Ning Yao was dressed in a green robe, and she had both a sword and a saber hanging by her waists. She appeared especially pleasing to the eye. Chen Dui''s solemn mood also improved slightly, and she replied with a smile, "As long as we can find my ancestors'' graves, I''ll be happy to pay two pouches. If we can''t find it, however, I won''t pay a single pouch. What do you say?"


    "Deal!" Ning Yao said in a solemn voice.


    From the beginning to the end, it was as if this had nothing to do with Chen Ping''an.


    Ning Yao red at Chen Ping''an, and it was as if her eyes were saying, "Don''t try to give me any of your nonsense reasoning again. Otherwise, I''m truly going to hack you into pieces!"


    Chen Ping''an forcefully suppressed his smile. He thought for a moment before saying to Ruan Xiu, "Please tell them that I have to brew some medicine for Ning Yao first. I''ll need around 30 minutes. After that, I also want to have a chat with Liu Xianyang. Finally, I also need you to help me pass on a message to Master Ruan �� whatever work I haven''t done today, I''ll definitely make up for it tomorrow."


    A hint of displeasure spread across Chen Dui''s face when she heard that they couldn''t set off immediately. Her expression was dark as she looked at the young boy in straw sandals.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t shirk or relent.


    Ning Yao more so crossed her arms and wore a cold smile.


    Chen Dui suppressed her displeasure and quietly told herself that she needed to look at the bigger picture. She smiled at Ruan Xiu and said, "Xiuxiu, tell him that we''ll wait for him at the covered bridge. We''ll wait for one hour at most, and if he still doesn''t arrive by then, he''ll have to face the consequences himself."


    Ruan Xiu replied with an aloof nod.


    Chen Dui and Chen Songfeng left together.


    Ruan Xiu smiled and said, "I''ll go and tell my father."


    After brewing a pot of medicine for Ning Yao, Chen Ping''an went to chat with Liu Xianyang.


    This was a room that was filled with the smell of medicine. Liu Xianyang was resting in bed, and when he heard the sound of footsteps, he turned around to look over. His face wasn''t exactly a healthy shade of pink, but it was already much better than the deathly white that it had been before.


    He squeezed out a smile and asked in a hoarse voice, "That Chen Dui woman spoke to you already?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Mhm, I''m going to bring them into the mountains in a bit."


    Liu Xianyang thought for a moment before telling Chen Ping''an, "I''m going to leave with her. I''m going to go to a ce that''s apparently evenrger than Eastern Treasured Vial Continent."


    In fact, Chen Dui had already visited Liu Xianyang once before. However, Liu Xianyang''s mood had been quite downcast afterward, and he hadn''t wanted to discuss his conversation with her with Chen Ping''an.


    He pursed his lips and said, "To tell you the truth, I don''t even know what Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is."


    Chen Ping''an bent down and helped him fix his nkets, saying with a smile, "And I would know?"


    Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes and asked, "Do you know what I''m most worried about?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head.


    Liu Xianyang turned his head and gazed at the roof again, saying, "In this ce, I at least have you to help me off the bed. After that, I can grit my teeth and deal with the rest myself. But after I leave the small town, how am I going to shit and piss? Am I going to call them over and go, ''Oi, you,e here and support me!''"


    Chen Ping''an could only scratch his head helplessly as he sat next to Liu Xianyang''s bed.


    Liu Xianyang suddenlyughed and mused, "However, when I think about it, I''ve already died once, so do I still need to be afraid of this?"


    "Things will only improve. Don''t worry. Didn''t Old Man Yao say before? Those who survive a catastrophe are bound to have good forter on," Chen Ping''an consoled.


    Liu Xianyang felt slightly sad at the mention of Old Man Yao, and he said, "Old Man Yao barely ever said anything nice. However, he spoke basketfuls of demoralizing words, unlucky words, and curse words..."


    Ning Yao stood in the doorway, but she didn''t interrupt their conversation.


    Chen Ping''an helped Liu Xianyang fix his nkets again, and he stood up and said, "I need to bring them into the mountains now. Remember to rest well."


    Liu Xianyang nodded and said, "You remember to be careful as well."


    Chen Ping''an quietly walked out of the room, and Ning Yao followed by his side. "You''re also going to enter the mountains?" Chen Ping''an asked in curiosity.


    Ning Yao furrowed her brows and replied, "I don''t trust them."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "That makes sense. It doesn''t hurt to be careful."


    The two of them briskly walked next to the creek, and Ning Yao told him, "Almost all of the outsiders have left already."


    The spring thunder rumbled, and the startled insect scattered.


    The two groups of people met at the southern end of the covered bridge.


    Apart from Ning Yao and Liu Baqiao, the swordsman from Wind Lightning Field who hade to join the fun, the remaining three people were Chen Dui from another continent, Chen Songfeng from Dragon Tail County, and Chen Ping''an from y Vase Alley.

 Chapter 65: Jewel

    Chapter 65: Jewel


    Liu Baqiao glowed with exuberance when he saw Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao, and his firstment to thetter was, "Youngdy, when you grow older, you definitely won''t be any less beautiful than Celestial Maiden Su."


    This was perhaps the ultimate praise that a woman could receive from Liu Baqiao.


    Ning Yao''s expression naturally grew dark. However, before she could even say anything, Liu Baqiao �� who could speak the dialect of the small town �� had already turned around and raised a thumb at Chen Ping''an. The eyes of this prodigious swordsman were clear as he praised, "Your physique is merely that of a mortal, yet you actually dared to challenge that ape from Sun Scorch Mountain! More importantly, you actually managed to survive! This is an absolute miracle!"


    Liu Baqiao was truly curious. Just how did this skinny young boy possess such astonishing and explosive power?


    Liu Baqiao retracted his thumb and slowed down a little, not walking side-by-side with Chen Dui and Chen Songfeng anymore. Instead, he chose to walk next to Chen Ping''an. He turned around and said with a smile, "Even though Sun Scorch Mountain is only a measly hill that houses some cowards who don''t live up to their reputation, that old ape has indeed built up his reputation using his fists and strength. This was especially the case after the founding sect leader of Sun Scorch Mountain passed away. In the 200 years prior to when Sun Scorch Mountain opened its third mountain, it was essentially that old ape alone who guarded the entire Sun Scorch Mountain. It was because of him that Sun Scorch Mountain wasn''t gobbled up by the nearby forces.


    "Of course, Sun Scorch Mountain had only been a small and mediocre sect at that time. Because of this, their enemies weren''t too powerful either. If they had offended our Wind Lightning Field at that time... Heh, their fate would have been sealed. With a singlemand from the elder, I would be granted a sword tablet. I would then fly above Sun Scorch Mountain myself and lightly drop our Lightning Field Sword Formation. After facing this downpour of swords, Sun Scorch Mountain would be done for."


    Liu Baqiao casually made a throwing gesture.


    Ning Yao ruthlessly exposed him, retorting, "Sun Scorch Mountain isn''t as pathetic as you make them out to be. Wind Lightning Field isn''t as powerful as you say either."


    Liu Baqiao didn''t feel embarrassed or ashamed at all. Instead, he quickly and smoothly changed topics, and he said to Chen Ping''an in a mysterious voice, "I heard that this covered bridge used to be a stone arch bridge, and there''s a rusty old sword hanging under it. I think that it''s used to keep out dragons and floods? Generally speaking, these old and seemingly unremarkable objects are almost definitely extraordinary treasures. Perhaps this is even a divine treasure that can astonish heaven and earth."


    Liu Baqiao forcefully stomped his feet on the wooden walkway of the covered bridge, continuing, "However, Iy on the ground and knocked on the bridge for half a day, but I still didn''t make any discoveries. Perhaps this treasure isn''t fated to be mine? But how can that be? I''m a hidden sword prodigy! If that old sword really is a divine weapon, it should at least resonate with me even if it doesn''t fly over to ept me as its master, right? Maybe this old sword is only so-so, and really isn''t anything more than a slightly older object? Sigh... What a shame..."


    Walking next to him, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel slightly stupefied. Liu Baqiao didn''t look like he was joking at all. In fact, his expression waspletely serious. Even though his words couldn''t be regarded as reasonable, they couldn''t be simply dismissed as unreasonable either.


    Not caring about whether Chen Ping''an found him annoying or not, Liu Baqiao continued to rattle on about all the interesting things that he had seen and heard in the small town. For example, he mentioned a person who had obtained an enviable fated opportunity, and they had actually been able to drag the entire iron chain out of the Dragon Locking Well. However, there was also some person who had failed to obtain any fated opportunity even after walking around for several days.


    While they were walking through a rundown alley, however, they had casually looked up and surprisingly found a copper mirror embedded in the wall above someone''s gate. Making ast-ditch effort, this person had grabbed adder and climbed up to take a look. And guess what? The bronze mirror was an ancestor among the demon-exposing mirrors! The bronze mirror was decorated with ancient patterns of clouds and thunder, and there were also eight characters carved around it �� Sun and Moon''s Radiance, Illuminating Heaven and Earth. The person had been so overjoyed that they had started bawling on thedder.


    Elsewhere, there had also been a rich youngdy from Sea Tide Cavalry who had obtained fortune from misfortune, bing acquainted with Mr. Cui from Lake View Academy. The two of them had immediately be like old friends.


    After crossing the covered bridge, Chen Dui and Chen Songfeng naturally slowed down to let Chen Ping''an walk ahead and lead the way.


    The five people followed the nameless small creek upstream. Chen Ping''an was carrying arge and yellowed bamboo basket, while Chen Songfeng was carrying an adorable green bamboo bookcase. Liu Baqiao was extremely curious about what Chen Ping''an was carrying in his bamboo basket, and he insisted on investigating it no matter what. Thus, he told Chen Ping''an to stop, and he started rifling through the basket.


    However, he discovered that it was filled with random items. There were three bamboo hats stacked together, two sks �� one with water and one with oil �� arge machete and a small machete, two flintstones, and a bundle of firewood. At the bottom of the basket, there was also a row of around seven or eight bamboo tubes that had been split in half and put back together again. Apart from this, there was also a small cloth pouch with a fishing line and hooks.


    "Chen Ping''an, what are those tubes of bamboo for?" Liu Baqiao asked.


    "There are eight tubes of bamboo in total, and six of them are filled with four rice balls each. The other two are filled with difficult-to-perish pickled vegetables," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Liu Baqiao wore a smug expression as he announced loudly, "Pickled vegetables? I''ve eaten them before!" Even his footsteps became lighter and livelier.


    Chen Ping''an shot a strange nce at him. Was eating pickled vegetables something to be proud of? Of course, this was unless he could finish an entire tube of pickled vegetables in one sitting without eating any rice or drinking any water. That would definitely be quite a feat.


    Liu Baqiao suddenly asked in curiosity, "We''re not venturing that far away, so we''ll probably only need to have three meals at most. Is there really a need for two entire tubes of pickled vegetables? These pickled vegetables... Just one small chopstick of them is enough for me to finish half a bowl of rice!"


    Chen Ping''an was contemting which mountain path to take to reach their destination quicker, and he casually replied, "Ning Yao and I are going to share one tube of pickled vegetables, and you and your two friends are going to share the other tube of pickled vegetables."


    Liu Baqiao faltered for a moment before chuckling softly and saying, "Haha, there''s no need to treat me as an outsider. I can eat from the same bamboo tube as you two."


    "No way! You can go eat with your friends!" Ning Yao said firmly.


    "Why?!" Liu Baqiao fumed.


    Ning Yao gestured with her chin, signifying that the answer was with Chen Ping''an. At the same time, it also signaled that it was beneath her to talk with Liu Baqiao so much.


    Liu Baqiao looked over with sulkiness in his eyes. However, there was also a hint of eager anticipation behind this sulkiness.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and shook his head.


    Liu Baqiao sighed in exasperation, remarking, "Valuing your lover over your friend... I can understand this."


    "You two are friends already? Then you surely have thousands of friends, if not tens of thousands, right?" Ning Yao sneered in ridicule.


    "How is that possible?!" Liu Baqiao red at her and retorted.


    Ning Yao raised a brow and helped him correct his words, saying, "How is it possibly so few?"


    Liu Baqiao clicked his tongue in wonder andmented, "Ning Yao, your personality can''tpare to Celestial Maiden Su''s."


    Ning Yao frowned and asked, "Are you referring to Sun Scorch Mountain''s Su Jia?"


    "That''s right!" Liu Baqiao replied with increasing smugness. "Jia as in the Jia from the Sage''s words, ''crops are liked by all people''[1]! How is it? Isn''t my missus'' name beautiful and soul-stirring?"


    Ning Yao asked him a question that Chen Ping''an definitely wouldn''t understand. "If you genuinely like Su Jia, then have you ever thought about this before? What will you do if she also likes you?"


    Liu Baqiao was instantly rendered speechless. He opened and closed his mouth many times, and in the end, he could only murmur in a timid voice, "How can she possibly like me?"


    Chen Ping''an felt like Liu Baqiao wasn''t a bad person.


    Chen Dui and Chen Songfeng walked a dozen or so paces behind Chen Ping''an and the others.


    Chen Songfeng was slightly envious of Liu Baqiao''s good rtionship with Chen Ping''an. Liu Baqiao seemed like someone who was born with the ability to talk to anyone, regardless of what teaching or sect they came from and regardless of whether they were emperors or peasants. There wasn''t anyone in the world who he couldn''t talk to.


    "When that woman caught wind of the situation, she immediately visited the kiln supervision office and offered to return the suit of armor as an apology on behalf of Light Breeze City''s Xu n. Why didn''t you ept it?" Chen Songfeng asked quietly.


    Compared to when she had first entered the small town, Chen Dui was evidently much more amiable. If this were in the past, she would have simply ignored Chen Songfeng''s question. Now, however, she patiently exined, "If Light Breeze City''s Xu n had known the truth �� that Liu Xianyang was a descendant of the Yingyin Chen n''s graveyard attendants �� then they naturally would have had to pay a hefty price if they still dared to target him. Simply returning the suit of armor wouldn''t have been anywhere near enough. However, since they weren''t aware of these secrets, it''s only natural and right that they fought for this precious fated opportunity. The Yingyin Chen n isn''t so arrogant and domineering."


    Chen Songfeng smiled and said, "Perhaps Light Breeze City''s Xu n was also intending to scheme against Sun Scorch Mountain. Otherwise, if it wasn''t for that old ape leading the charge and being used as a decoy by the woman, it''s very likely that she wouldn''t have been able to obtain the suit of armor."


    Chen Dui reverted to her original self, smiling coldly and sneering, "Swarming like flies, and being herded like sheep... Some people only know how to flow with the crowd, yet they never stop to consider where the tide is truly heading."


    Chen Songfeng lowered his voice and said in a seemingly casual manner, "Perhaps they know, but they''re simply powerless. Rather than struggling in vain to chase after something significant, they''ve decided that it''s better to fish for some lower-hanging fruit."


    Chen Dui turned around and shot a nce at the young man from Dragon Tail County''s Chen n. She didn''t offer anyment on his "casual remark".


    They were about to enter the mountains soon, and Chen Ping''an stopped and was just about to turn around. However, Chen Dui said at almost the exact same moment, "Liu Baqiao, tell him that he only needs to worry about leading the way. The quicker the better."


    Liu Baqiao had witnessed more than half of Chen Ping''an''s rooftop battle with Bai Yuan from far away, and after going back, he had spiritedly recounted the events to Chen Songfeng. Chen Dui had also been present at the time, so she knew that she couldn''t treat Chen Ping''an as if he were an ordinary young boy.


    In the end, it was surprisingly Chen Songfeng who became theggard. Even though this rich and handsome young man also liked to climb mountains and go on adventures, he was trulycking in ability whenpared to the four other people. Chen Dui was an elite martial artist, and Liu Baqiao was a swordsman, swordsmen being cultivators who ced heavy emphasis on tempering one''s physique. Meanwhile, Ning Yao and Chen Ping''an had more so been able to battle with a supremely powerful Mountain-moving Ape.


    Mountain paths were difficult to traverse.


    This was especially the case after a spring drizzle, when the earth would be soft and muddy. Add to the fact that they needed to cross the asional stream and cliff, and this made Chen Songfeng pour with sweat and feel extremely parched.


    Afterward, even with Liu Baqiao helping Chen Songfeng carry his bookcase, Chen Songfeng still panted like an old cow, with his face as white as a sheet.


    Chen Ping''an asked Chen Dui if they needed to slow down, to which Chen Dui replied with a shake of her head.


    While they were crossing a stream, Chen Songfeng identally slipped after stepping on a rock that was covered in algae. He crashed into the water and appeared as disheveled as could be.


    Chen Dui stopped in her tracks and looked back. Even though she didn''t speak, her dark expression was more than enough to convey her thoughts.


    Liu Baqiao hurriedly turned around and helped Chen Songfeng up.


    "I''m okay, don''t worry about me. I can definitely keep up," Chen Songfeng said apologetically.


    Chen Ping''an took this opportunity to shrug off his bamboo basket and lean it against a depressed area in the mountain face. He looked at them and said, "Let''s rest for 15 minutes."


    Ning Yao naturally didn''t mind this. She squatted near Chen Ping''an, and she held the hilts of her sword and saber in boredom, lightly pressing down on them and causing the tip of the scabbards to lightly tap against the green cliff face. The crisp cking sound was seemingly singing in harmony with the whoosh of the stream water.


    "Keep going!" Chen Dui ordered in a solemn voice.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and said, "When traversing through mountains, one shouldn''t use all of their strength in a single breath. When he gradually grows ustomed to this, he will be able to keep up with us. It isn''t his stamina that''scking, and he''s simply just a little short of breath."


    Chen Ping''an was indeed an expert when it came to traversing mountains and crossing rivers.


    Unexpectedly, however, Chen Duipletely ignored Chen Ping''an''s advice. She looked at Chen Songfeng and directly said, "You can return to the small town."


    Chen Songfeng wore a bitter expression as he looked at themanding and indubitable gaze of Chen Dui. He turned to Liu Baqiao and said, "Then I''ll have to trouble you with carrying the bookcase from hereon."


    Liu Baqiao was furious, and he immediately threw the bookcase at Chen Dui, shouting, "Bullshit! I''m not going to take your crap anymore!"


    Chen Dui''s expression was calm as she picked up the bookcase and slung it over her back. She looked at Chen Ping''an and said, "Let''s go."


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment before retrieving two bamboo tubes from his basket and gently tossing them toward Liu Baqiao. "Here, you can eat these if you get hungry on the way back."


    Chen Songfeng spoke quietly as he tried to dissuade Liu Baqiao from apanying him back. However, Liu Baqiao caught the bamboo tubes and spat with a cold chuckle, "I''m not going to deal with this nonsense anymore. After returning to the kiln supervision office with you, I''m going to order a table full of good wine and good food! I''m going to haverge tes of meat and delicacies! Will that not be better than this?"


    Chen Dui turned around and continued forward.


    Chen Ping''an picked up his bamboo basket, but he still felt a little worried. He looked at Liu Baqiao and asked, "Do you remember the way back?"


    "I do," Liu Baqiao replied with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an nodded before leaving with Ning Yao.


    The three of them gradually disappeared into the distance. Chen Songfeng sat down on a rock andmented in a bitter voice, "Why cause trouble for yourself? Forging a good rtionship with the Yingyin Chen n is good for both you and Wind Lightning Field. Why do you insist on acting so rashly?"


    Liu Baqiao cracked open a bamboo tube, revealing the snow-white balls of rice inside. His spirits were high as he praised, "Sure enough, Chen Ping''an is still as kind as always. As expected of my good brother."


    Chen Songfeng understood Liu Baqiao''s temper, so he didn''t try to persuade him anymore.


    He smiled in a self-deprecating manner and sighed, "I''m just a useless schr..."


    "If I had known this, I should have asked Chen Ping''an to leave us a tube of pickled vegetables as well," Liu Baqiao muttered.


    He grabbed a rice ball and started munching down on it, saying in a muffled voice, "Yourment isn''t correct either. Mr. Qi from the small town, and naturally Mr. Qi''s master as well, are both very impressive people."


    Chen Songfeng appeared to be in a trance as he asked, "What do you think Mr. Qi is trying to do?"


    "Heaven knows," Liu Baqiao casually replied.


    Chen Songfeng extended his arms and shook his soaked outer garment, sighing, "Heh, indeed, heaven knows."


    In the cksmith shop next to the creek, Liu Xianyangy down and fell asleep again.


    Ruan Qiong sat next to the bed, a grave look in his eyes.


    Liu Xianyang''s breathing was slow and drawn out. So be it if this was all. Most importantly, the breaths that he exhaled were like the clouds in the mountains and the mists above thekes. They were foggy white and didn''t dissipate in the air. Instead, they slowly gathered in front of his nose and mouth.


    In the end, it was as if there were a three-inch-long white flood dragonying coiled above his face.


    Using his sleep and dreams as a Sword Furnace.


    Forging a divine sword with his breath.


    Ruan Qiong rubbed his chin and praised, "So you''re taking the extreme path of breaking the old to establish the new. All your acupoints have been destroyed, and all the passageways are now defenseless. Even though your body has beenprehensively ruined, this sword... It''s ultimately been forged sessfully.


    "Not only can one forge a sword, but one can also practice the way of the sword. No wonder this sword scripture is so coveted and sought after. Sleeping is cultivation, and dreaming is also cultivation. The Great Dao is within reach."


    Ruan Qiong stood up and said in a self-deprecating voice, "If I had known this earlier, I wouldn''t have let the Yingyin Chen n borrow you for 20 years."


    Three horse-drawn carriages continued to trundle forward, advancing up the mountain road that seemingly had no end.


    They finally reached the mountain peak.


    Song Jixin and Zhi Gui walked down from the carriage and exchanged a nce. The mountain peak was a t and even tform, and in the middle, there stood two stone pirs. However, between the two stone pirs was a curtain of light that looked like flowing water. It was impossible to see whaty behind this "water". It was as if a heavenly gate stood before them.


    Zhi Gui stared intently at the gate.


    Meanwhile, Song Jixin turned around and walked to the perimeter of the mountain peak, gazing into the distance. Vast stretches of mountains and rivers appeared before him, causing him to feel rxed and at ease.


    Song Changjing was wearing a fox fur coat at this moment, with his face also appearing extremely pale. However, he was in a very good mood, and he stood next to Song Jixin and said with a smile, "This Jewel Small World is located in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and it''s one of the 36 mystical realms. It''s not renowned for its size, and it only measures 500 kilometers in radius."


    Song Changjing didn''t turn around, and he simply pointed back at the gate behind them as he continued, "After passing through that gate, there''s a set of cloud steps that leads all the way down. After walking around 15 kilometers, you''ll have finally set foot on thend of the Great Li Empire. If you turn around and look back at that time, perhaps you won''t be able to see it clearly anymore. However, you can know this. That is indeed the Jewel Small World. In fact, the Jewel Small World that hovers high in the sky is indeed..."


    Song Changjing paused for a brief moment before continuing, "Just a small jewel."


    1. The Chinese character for Jia literally means crops. ?

 Chapter 66: Looking Up

    Chapter 66: Looking Up


    Song Jixin could see far and wide as he stood atop the mountain peak. After living in y Vase Alley for so many years, seeing nothing but mud walls, Song Jixin naturally liked this kind of feeling �� standing on top of a mountain and gazing into the distance at the undting mountains and rivers. Everything was beneath his feet.


    Song Changjing wrapped the expensive but old fox fur coat a little tighter around himself. He was in a surprisingly talkative mood today, and he pointed at a tall mountain in the west and exined, "That mountain is called Cloud Drape Mountain. In the future, disregarding the Five Mountains, it''s going to be one of the 10 main mountains of the Great Li Empire. ording to the rules passed down by our ancestors, a mountain god who will rank highly in the official genealogical records will look over this mountain. They''ll be able to obtain a golden statue and enjoy worship from the people, and at the same time, they''ll also hold down the Great Li Empire''s fortune in that region and prevent it from dissipating to other areas and neighboring nations.


    "We''re standing on Dragon Head Mountain right now, and the residents in the small town will only be able to see this mountain if they stand on the summit of Cloud Drape Mountain. This is because Dragon Head Mountain is protected by a formation that prevents mortal eyes from being able to see it. This can also be regarded as a fated opportunity. ording to the records in the office, several people sessfully left this small world after summiting Dragon Head Mountain."


    "Did they all achieve great sess then? Did they be mighty figures in the Great Li Empire or Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?" Song Jixin asked.


    "Two of them did fairly well in the Great Li Empire," Song Changjing smiled and replied. "There was a gap of 30 years between them, and one of them was a civil official while the other was a military officer. The future generations all refer to them as the ''two jade pendants of the Great Li Empire''. After his passing, the civil official was bestowed the posthumous title of Civil Justice. As for the military officer, he won the hereditary title of ''pir general'' for his descendants, leaving them with his ancestral blessing.


    "Even though I have terrible impressions of their descendants, I still have to reluctantly concede that they did indeed make great contributions to the Great Li Empire. After all, if it hadn''t been for their cooperation and their vigorous efforts to turn the tides, the Great Li Empire wouldn''t have been able to ovee that difficult period of time."


    Feeling the crisp and refreshing mountain breeze brush against his skin, Song Jixin felt as if he were about to grow feathers and soar into the sky. "Then what about the others?" he asked.


    Song Changjing exhaled softly, and he appeared increasingly energetic and refreshed. He suppressed the lively Qi in his body, and it was as if he were using a single hand to hold down the rising sun. Song Changjing was extremely certain at this moment. Once he passed through this gate, he would immediately ascend to the 10th Tier, the legendary End Tier of martial arts!


    Qi refiners under the Upper Five Tiers would have almost no chance of victory against a supreme martial artist at the End Tier. Being crushed to death would be their only fate.


    Song Changjing calmed himself down and revealed a cruel truth to Song Jixin. "They''re all dead. In fact, I personally killed one of them. I was a Seventh Tier martial artist at the time, and that person was a rtively powerful swordsman. Moreover, he was enjoying the most sessful period of his life. We were both hunting each other at that time, and we covered almost 300 or 400 kilometers before arriving at a small ce called White Fox Frontier in the southern reaches of the Great Li Empire. I finally caught him there, and I destroyed all of his artifacts as well as his bonded flying sword. After that, I snapped his neck. I was left with no choice. Since he refused to serve the Great Li Empire, it was inevitable that he would face the wrath of the Great Li Empire.


    "The Song n is always lenient and generous toward Qi refiners. However, the prerequisite is that these Qi refiners must serve and remain loyal to the Song n, even if only in a perfunctory manner."


    During the second half of the hunt, Song Changjing had advanced to the Eighth Tier.


    Song Jixin wasn''t interested in his uncle''s fabulous deeds. Instead, he asked in curiosity, "Did the other empires promise him more wealth? Was that why he decided to defect from the Great Li Empire?"


    Song Changjing chuckled and replied, "For most of the other people before that swordsman, yes. The Great Li Empire is rtively remote, leading to our people being more on the tough and physical side. Our nation also promotes martial arts, so it''s only natural that there''s no shortage of martial arts prodigies. As such, talented martial artists aren''t worth a dime.


    "However, those fragile Qi refiners who speak in utmost sophistication are as rare as phoenixes and dragons. Because of this, the past emperors of the Great Li Empire have always treated them as if they were deities. The current emperor �� mhm, that would be my imperial brother �� is naturally no exception.


    "One time, that swordsman entered the imperial pce to meet my brother. He didn''t leave his sword behind, and he walked in with his nose in the air. He looked as punchable as could be. However, he was extremely lucky at the time, and he had just obtained a defensive treasure. This made his status soar even higher, so much so that he even decided to ignore me when he walked past."


    "And then?" Song Jixin asked.


    Song Changjing looked at his nephew as if he were looking at a retard. He shot a sideways nce at him and replied, "And then he died, no?"


    Song Jixin found this utterly bizarre. "Uncle, you killed him just because he didn''t greet you? You killed a powerful cultivator who could be regarded as a pir of the empire just like that?"


    "There are some people who you shouldn''t amodate," Song Changjing said calmly.


    There was suspicion in Song Jixin''s eyes, and it was as if he couldn''t fathom how an imperial member as unruly and reckless as his uncle had lived till today.


    "Perhaps you don''t know this yet, but there''s only a single empire in the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent where Qi refiners are forced to serve in the army and fight on the borders regardless of their status and background. They have to fight for three entire years. If their contributions aren''t sufficient, then they can continue to serve in the army and enjoy the harsh environment at the borders. Only when they contribute enough can they go home to enjoy themselves," Song Changjing chuckled.


    Song Jixin was even more puzzled. "Uncle, didn''t you just say that the Great Li Empire treats Qi refiners as if they''re deities? If that''s the case, then why is there such a rule? Taking a step back, isn''t the Great Li Empire afraid of sacrificing these people on the battlefield?"


    Song Changjing roared withughter, replying, "This unwritten rule was enforced by me after I obtained military leadership."


    Song Jixin came to a sudden realization, remarking, "Oh, so that swordsman refused to go to the battlefield and caused you to lose face? And his actions inspired others to follow suit and therefore brought down the morale of the army and themon people? So that''s why you decided to choose the lesser of two evils and kill him?"


    Song Changjing shook his head and replied, "That swordsman joined the army and fought on the borders when he was young, and he fulfilled the required contribution quota in just a single year. He had quite a good reputation in the Great Li Empire."


    "Then why on earth did you kill him?!" Song Jixin roared in rage. "Perhaps you two were fighting over a lover? Or perhaps he did something that was taboo for the Song n? Or maybe he secretly betrayed the Great Li Empire?"


    Song Changjing''s answer was extremely simple. "Qi refiners and martial artists are walking on two separate paths, with the former being more... mhm, in Embroidered Tiger''s words, they''re more refined and rare. Meanwhile, thetter reaches an end tier when they advance to the 10th Tier. However, Qi refiners still have the Upper Five Tiers to cultivate toward, so this leads to a fairly noticeable gap between the two. If we take a small sample of the most powerful individuals from Qi refiners and martial artists, those at the Upper Five Tiers can be represented as someone standing on this mountain peak. Meanwhile, the most powerful martial artists like me can only be represented as someone standing on the peak of Cloud Drape Mountain.


    "Of course, it''s not impossible for martial arts grandmasters at the End Tier to battle against cultivators at the 11th Tier or the 12th Tier. At the end of the day, however, martial artists are nothing more than crude people who only know how to fight and kill in the eyes of mortal people. Our status is an entire level lower than the status of Qi refiners.


    "So, that time we walked past each other in the imperial pce, even though he didn''t greet me, he still purposely shot a provocative sideways nce at me and curled up the corners of his lips. When I saw that, I simply wanted to teach him a life lesson."


    Song Jixin was stupefied.


    If you want to teach him a life lesson, then you at least have to let him live, right? Was there really a need to snap his neck?


    However, Song Changjing didn''t want to talk about that dead swordsman anymore. He changed the topic and asked, "Are you very interested to learn about that middle-aged man whom I fought a life-and-death battle with just then?"


    Song Jixin involuntarily gulped upon hearing this. However, he didn''t say anything in response.


    Even though the three carriages had left first, the battle between Song Changjing and Li Er had been absolutely earth-shattering. One time, Song Changjing had plummeted from the sky and smashed a huge crater into the ground just a few dozen meters away from the carriages. Another time, Song Changjing had returned the favor and smashed that solidly-built man into a small mountain with a single punch, causing rock and dirt to fly everywhere. Song Jixin had already climbed onto the roof of the carriage at that time, so he had been able to witness this incredible scene with his own eyes.


    The two men were simply superhuman.


    This was Song Jixin''s only thought at that time.


    In fact, the fight between Song Changjing and Li Er, who had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, hadn''t been graceful or ethereal at all. Instead, their attacks had all been brutal and on target, and it was as if they were exchanging wounds for wounds the entire time. It was as if they were trying to see who was more ruthless and overbearing.


    Song Changjing suddenly patted Song Jixin''s head and said in a surprisingly gentle tone, "My imperial brother has extremely wild ambitions. While the emperor of Great Sui Nation was still only focusing on the Great Li Empire, he had already cast his gaze onto Old Dragon City, the southernmost city in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Are you curious about why I''m still able to get along so well with your father even though I''m also a prince? Not only that, but I alsomand the empire''s army and have a peerless reputation among them and themon people."


    Song Jixin smiled and replied slyly, "Uncle, it''s up to you whether you want to tell me or not."


    Song Changjing retracted his hand and said in a solemn voice, "It''s because my only ambition is to see the martial arts scenery that lies above the End Tier. My life will only be fulfilled after I achieve this ambition."


    It was as if there were waves raging in Song Jixin''s mind as he asked in a trembling voice, "Will I also be able to reach the same height as you if I give it my all?"


    Song Changjing shook his head and chuckled, "You? If you practice martial arts, you''ll probably only be able to make it to the Eighth Tier at most. There''s no future for you here, so it''s better for you to obediently continue as a Qi refiner. Your achievements will definitely be greater this way."


    Song Jixin was unwilling to yield, and he asked, "Why would I only be able to reach the Eighth Tier?"


    "Only?" Song Changjing retorted with a yful smile.


    Song Jixin flushed slightly red with embarrassment.


    Song Changjing ignored his ignorance, peering into the distance as he exined slowly, "Qi refiners... These are people who rely on the bestowal of the heavens. Thus, one''s fortune and fate are incredibly important �� toe across a fated opportunity today, to run into an immortal treasure tomorrow, to encounter a hidden god the day after, and to attain sudden enlightenment while gazing at the scenery the following day. To these people, it''s as if everything they do is an act of cultivation. However, we martial artists arepletely different. There''s no shortcut for us, and we can only take things step by step. It''s extremely dull."


    Song Jixin was filled with mixed emotions. He was slightly disappointed.


    Song Changjing didn''t pay any more heed to his nephew. He turned around and walked toward the carriage, and he caught a glimpse of Zhi Gui''s back out of the corner of his eye. He hesitated for a brief moment before deciding to walk up to her. He stood next to her and also gazed up at therge gate.


    "The Qi of a True Dragon can condense into a pearl. Meanwhile, the flood dragons in the world all value such pearls the most, just as cultivators value their souls," Song Changjing said to himself.


    Zhi Gui didn''t turn around to look at him. However, a hint of tension appeared on her face.


    Song Changjing smiled and continued, "In order to obtain the four characters ''Rising Winds Crashing Water'' on that que on the covered bridge, the Great Li Empire paid a huge price that outsiders can barely begin to fathom. Rising winds and crashing water �� why is this the case? This is naturally to create a smooth path for the passing flood dragons. I don''t care too much about these things, and everything is thanks to the decisions of your Young Master''s father. Once you leave this small world, no one will be able to boss you around anymore, perhaps apart from the capital''s Embroidered Tiger."


    Song Changjing turned around to face Zhi Gui, warning, "Even though your fate is intertwined with the fate of my nephew, with the two of you sharing in wealth and woe, I suggest that you don''t try to push your luck. Don''t give me any reason to punish you. Mhm, for the sake of the Great Li Empire and my nephew Song Jixin, I can make an exception and allow you to seek death[1] twice. However, you won''t be allowed to overstep the boundaries for a third time."


    Zhi Gui was infuriated, and she turned around before taking two steps back. She glowered at Song Changjing, someone who made her feel fear from the bottom of her heart, and she questioned, "I''m not human to begin with, so why are you trying to use the rules of humans to constrain me? Which one of us is being unreasonable? What have thews and regtions of humans got to do with me?!"


    Song Changjing wore a carefree smile as he replied, "Don''t misunderstand. I definitely won''t be pedantic when ites to trifling matters. Quite the contrary, in fact. I''ll actually be your most powerful shield."


    Song Changjing fixed his gaze on the young girl who had a pair of strange golden eyes. In the end, he said, "After that fight, I can actually be considered as your ally. Remember these words. Especially in the future when you have the right to make a huge decision, do your best to recall these words."


    After saying this, Song Changjing turned around and left.


    Next to the carriages, a coach driver who was filled with the intense and rough aura of someone who had been on the battlefields for many years stared at Song Changjing''s eye-catching fox fur coat. In the end, he couldn''t help but chuckle andment, "Your Highness, when are you going to buy a new fox fur coat? Just how many years have you been wearing this one already? Even if you''re not tired of it, the others have certainly grown tired of looking at it all the time."


    Song Changjing stepped onto the carriage before bending down and pulling back the curtains, snapping, "We''ll discuss that after we conquer Great Sui Nation."


    The coach driverughed heartily. He was surprisingly rxed in the presence of this powerful man who was second only to the emperor.


    Song Changjing had served in the army for 20 years. Even though he was a general and couldn''t lead the charge every time, with most of his time spent in the tents strategizing and nning, he would definitely charge onto the battlefield every time a challenging situation arose on the borders of the empire. As a powerful prince, he never indulged himself in alcohol and women either. It could almost be said that he wasn''t interested in any material matter.


    Song Changjing crossed his legs and frowned deeply, murmuring, "That person told me not to immediately hurry to the capital after leaving Jewel Small World. He suggested that I wait for a while and look up a little. What am I waiting for? What am I looking for?"


    Song Jixin and Zhi Gui also entered the carriage, and the three carriages were about to pass through that peculiar gate.


    Song Jixin noticed Zhi Gui curling up in the corner and trembling, and he asked anxiously, "What''s wrong?"


    "I can sense countless terrifying things on the other side of the gate," Zhi Gui replied in a quivering voice.


    Song Jixin smiled andforted, "My uncle is here, so what is there to be afraid of? Don''t worry, he can keep us safe even if the sky copses."


    Unexpectedly, Zhi Gui became even more terrified and panicked. She pushed herself into the corner and sobbed, "Even he can''t deal with them!"


    A rare guest arrived at thergest restaurant in the small town.


    This was a schr with graying sideburns, and he ordered a sk of wine and a few small side dishes before enjoying the food and alcohol by himself. He appeared as carefree and content as could be.


    As it turned out, Qi Jingchun wasn''t teaching in the private school today.


    The young students were filled with utmost delight as they ran home.


    When he finished thest cup of wine and thest mouthful of food, he lightly set down his chopsticks.


    There was a soft ck.


    The small world fell silent, and everything became still.


    The small world instantly shattered.


    At this moment, everyone in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent �� regardless of whether they were cultivators or mortals �� involuntarily looked up.


    In the next moment, however, it was as if someone transcendent above immortals unleashed a powerful mystical ability to obscure the phenomenon gripping Jewel Small World.


    High above the northern regions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, a sea of rolling clouds that measured thousands of kilometers in length slowly bore down.


    A person with a snow-white body and billowing sleeves sat upright, his body seemingly measuring tens of thousands of meters in height. Before him, there hovered a shattered jewel the size of his palm.


    The Dao Manifestation of this person was so colossal that it appeared as if he were treating Eastern Treasured Vial Continent as a ssroom in his private school.


    Above the boundless sea of clouds, numerous dignified and majestic voices boomed like heavenly thunder.


    "How dare you act with such impudence, Qi Jingchun!"


    "Utterly heinous!"


    "It''s not toote to repent!"


    The schr gazed down at the jewel. He then slowly retracted his gaze, looking up and announcing, "The bacsh of the Heavenly Dao that the small town has umted for 3000 years... I, Qi Jingchun, will shoulder it all!"


    1. To seek death means to do something extremely provocative or against the rules. ?

 Chapter 67: (1): Long Journey

    Chapter 67: (1): Long Journey


    During the few days prior to the moment Qi Jingchun set down that pair of chopsticks, some ominous signs had begun appearing in the town. The water level in the Iron Lock Well had been falling rapidly, while the leaves and branches of the old locust tree had all be yellow and withered, something that clearly shouldn''t have been happening at this time of year.


    Furthermore, there were also frequent flurries of cracks and pops that resembled the sound of firecrackers ringing out in the middle of the night outside the town, where many y and wooden deity statues were situated.


    Some curious individuals had gone out to investigate the source of the sounds, only to discover that most of the y Bodhisattva and wooden deity statues near the town, artifacts that had definitely still been there the previous winter, had gone missing.


    There had also been a constant procession of ox-drawn carriages and horse-drawn carriages traveling along Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, and even in the dead of night, one would still be able to hear the sound of clopping hooves ringing out on the bluestone street outside.


    The regal and well-dressed outsiders were also beginning to leave the town in a hurry, with most of them wearing displeased expressions, and they were often sighted pointing in the direction of the school in the town with disgruntled looks on their faces.


    The gatekeeper of the eastern town gate, Zheng Dafeng, had seemingly vanished into thin air, yet no attempts were made to find a recement for him. Hence, the town had be akin to a person missing their front teeth, with peopleing and going as they pleased.


    Liu Baqiao and Chen Songfeng were returning the same way they hade, and by the time they spotted the outlines of the covered bridge in the distance, it was already dusk. Liu Baqiao followed a small path to the bank of the creek, where he crouched down and scooped up some water with his hands before sshing it onto his own face.


    That didn''t seem to have been sufficiently reinvigorating for him, so he knelt down onto the ground with his rear end pointed up at the heavens and plunged his entire head into the creek, then abruptly threw his head back in exhration.


    He turned to Chen Songfeng, who was sweating profusely, and jibed, "Are all schrs as weak and frail as you?"


    Chen Songfeng was far more restrained, only cupping some water from the creek with his hands to drink, then replied in a slightly raspy voice, "I only became a Qi refiner in the first ce in order to improve my physical constitution so I can live a few more years and read a few more books, I certainly can''tpare with a swordsman like yourself.


    ��Besides, here in this small world, Qi refiners are handicapped more than anyone else aside from swordsmen. If I have even a slightpse in concentration and identally activate my aura, then my cultivation base will be damaged, and the more advanced the Qi refiner, the more damage they would sustain to their cultivation base. Who would''ve thought that my lowly cultivation base would turn out to be a blessing rather than a curse?"


    Liu Baqiao patted Chen Songfeng on the shoulder and suggested, "How about you join our Wind Lightning Field and be a swordsman? I''ll make sure to look out for you. Think about it, if you be a swordsman, you''ll be able to soar through the heavens atop a flying sword. Especially during lightning storms..."


    Chen Songfeng suddenly smiled as he interjected, "I heard that the name of the Wind Lightning Field swordsman who''s been struck by lightning the most number of times is Liu..."


    "I''m gonna get you to stop right there!" Liu Baqiao hurriedly interrupted as he raised a hand.


    Cultivating in the way of the sword was a branch of Qi refinement, exceptpared with normal Qi refiners, the physical constitution of swordsmen was closer to that of pure martial artists. To put it in simpler terms, swordsmen pursued cultivation of both the body and the spirit, while other Qi refiners ced no special emphasis on physical cultivation, as long as their physical constitution wasn''t hindering their cultivation.


    Of course, Qi refiners also refined their bodies through their cultivation, but it was a much more subtle and constant process, much like dripping water hollowing out a stone. However,pared with swordsmen, the physical cultivation of Qi refiners was far less intense and frequent, and they certainly weren''t entirely fixated on physical cultivation like martial artists were.


    For all of the Qi refiners in the world, there was amon consensus, which was that the body was only a vessel, and it only had to be serviceable. If one were lucky enough to attain an indestructible vajra body or a spotless zed body, then that would naturally be ideal, but it certainly wasn''t worthpromising one''s fundamental pursuit of the Great Dao just to advance one''s physical constitution.


    "By the way, what Tier martial artist is that distant rtive of yours?" Liu Baqiao casually asked.


    "How am I supposed to know a secret like that?" Chen Songfeng countered with an exasperated expression.


    Thinking back to the conflict that had taken ce in the kiln supervision office, Liu Baqiao sighed, "Song Changjing really is incredibly powerful. What makes him even more terrifying is just how young he is! Generally speaking, all martial artists at the Eighth or Ninth Tiers have to be upward of 50 to 60 years of age. In fact, even those who only reach that level at 100 years of age aren''t considered to be slow, but if I recall correctly, Song Changjing isn''t even 40 yet. No wonder that man once remarked that Song Changjing needs to ''be put in his ce''."


    "Those who are born from the will of the world are blessed by the heavens," Chen Songfeng remarked.


    Cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers were exceedingly rare, but martial artists of the Eighth or Ninth Tiers were often extremely well-known and closely rted to the various mortal empires. On the path of martial arts cultivation, one could only progress through a series of battle of life and death.


    Only those who had witnessed life and death were able to transcend those concepts, attaining a transcendent state of mind, much like the state of nirvana in Buddhism or the state of tranquility in Daoism.


    Aside from sparring matches between master martial artists, the favorite pastime of martial artists of the Eighth and Ninth Tiers was to pick on the top Qi refiners in the Middle Five Tiers. In particr, for someone like Song Changjing, who reigned supreme in the Ninth Tier, he was virtually invincible beneath the Upper Five Tiers.


    Among Qi refiners, only swordsmen would be able to put up a fight against him, but even they could only strive to not suffer too crushing a defeat. Essentially, their defeat was sealed, and all they could do was to try and avoid embarrassment as much as possible.


    There was an underlying reason why martial artists of the Ninth Tier could be so brazen and unscrupulous, which was that the 10th Tier cultivators at the very pinnacle of the Middle Five Tiers no longer involved themselves in any worldly conflicts. In fact, they were so devoted and single-minded in their pursuit of the Great Dao that they didn''t even care whether their ns or empires fell into ruin.


    Liu Baqiao was still lost in his own thoughts as he murmured in an absentminded manner, "Song Changjing wants me to go to the Great Li Empire after I leave this town to take the talismanic sword. Should I inform everyone at Wind Lightning Field in advance so they can prepare a celebratory banquet for me?"


    Chen Songfeng couldn''t help but be both amused and exasperated as he listened to Liu Baqiao''s errant ramblings. He looked down at the flowing water of the creek, which didn''t even reach his knees, and he thought of Song Changjing and the handsome young boy apanying him.


    He could sense an unstoppable tide taking shape, and he decided there and then that upon returning to Dragon Tail County, he had to convince his n to throw its support behind the Great Li Empire. Even if he couldn''t convince the n to ce all of its eggs in one basket, he had to encourage the n''s members to integrate themselves into the Great Li Empire as early as possible.


    "Heaven and earth are working in unison to support the ascension of the Great Li Empire. Our Chen n must get in early and ride atop the head of the dragon, lest we be left behind and forced topete with others just for a chance to cling onto the dragon''s tail," Chen Songfeng murmured to himself.


    "What are you mumbling about over there?" Liu Baqiao asked.


    Chen Songfeng rose to his feet as he waved a dismissive hand, then smiled as he said, "You seem to have gotten along very well with that boy from y Vase Alley."


    Liu Baqiao also stood up as he casually replied, "That was nothing more than a fleeting chance encounter. Who knows if I''ll ever even see him again?"


    The two of them made their way onto the bank of the creek, and Chen Songfeng said, "I heard that the blessednd in Southern Stream Nation is about to be opened to the outside this winter, and several dozen people are permitted to enter. Aren''t you still struggling to ovee your current cultivation bottleneck? Are you nning to go and try your luck there?"


    A cold sneer appeared on Liu Baqiao''s face as he replied, "Absolutely not! It would be far too shameful for me to stoop down to such a lowly ce."


    Chen Songfeng shook his head as he said, "Back in Dragon Tail County, Master Liu once said to me that that one''s state of mind is like a mirror, and the more it''s polished, the brighter it''ll gleam. Hence, in the cultivation of one''s mind, it would naturally be immensely beneficial to sit upon the lotus seat of the Dao Ancestor, but asionally visiting what is perceived to be a lowly ce could have its benefits as well.


    ��Go to the blessednd and abandon your past self. Forget your past existence as an immortal cultivator and embrace life as it is, whether you''re blessed by fortune or blighted by hardships..."


    Before Chen Songfeng had a chance to finish, Liu Baqiao grumbled, "I''m toopetitive. If I go to a blessednd where spiritual energy is too sparse, and I''m unable to break through the restrictions there to return home through my own power, then that''ll definitely leave me with a knot in my heart, and the trip would prove to be far more detrimental than beneficial.


    ��If I end up being picked on by the locals during my time in the blessednd, then that''ll be one more thing that weighs on my heart. Once my soul is restored, I''ll be sure to descend upon the blessednd in my true form in order to exact revenge, even if I have to pay a massive price to do so, but if I do that, it''ll go against what I initially set out to do."


    Liu Baqiao sped his hands together behind the back of his head, and a disdainful look appeared on his face as he continued, "Let''s not mince our words here. Everyone knows that the three blessednds of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent are no longer what they once were. They''ve already be ces where the nobility of the empires go to spend money for entertainment. No wonder they''re referred to as brothels under the rule of the immortal ns."


    Chen Songfeng smiled as he said, "It wouldn''t be right to make such sweeping statements. Setting outsiders like us aside, there''s nock of outstanding talents among the locals in those blessednds."


    Liu Baqiao rolled his eyes in response. "How many people cane out of each blessednd a year on average? Probably not even one. Among the ones who have sessfully made it out, how many of them are still remembered 100 yearster? I can probably count all of them on one hand.


    ��That''s why I don''t understand why everyoneuds these blessednds as such great ces. There are even some who proim that having part rulership rights over a blessednd is no less of an asset than having a cultivator of the Upper Five Tiers. That''s downright insane!"


    Chen Songfeng smiled as he said, "Blessednds can yield benefits over long periods of time, as well as the asional surprise. Most importantly, these are passive benefits thate without any work, who wouldn''t want to get in on something like that?"


    Those who came from immortal ns generally already had a path to sess paved for them, while those who ascended from blessednds were often forced to endure much hardship and adversity.


    "You don''t seem to like that boy from y Vase Alley very much," Liu Baqiao remarked.


    Chen Songfeng took a moment to consider his response, then revealed in a candid manner, "Personally, I have nothing against him, but objectively speaking, his very existence ces our entire n in a very awkward situation. The branch of the Chen n in Jewel Small World has always been aughingstock for the entire continent.


    ��In this town, it''s considered quite normal for a n to only have one member left, while the rest of the people of the same surname have all be servants for other ns. While it''s true that our branch of the Chen n in Dragon Tail County shares amon ancestor with the branch of the Chen n in this town, that''s already an extremely distant piece of history, and practically speaking, the two branches may as well be different ns altogether.


    ��However, the enemies of our Chen n don''t see it that way. If that boy from y Vase Alley had managed to establish an affluent n of his own, then there wouldn''t be any problems. Perhaps those on the outside will ridicule our Chen n for a while, but they''ll eventually forget all about it.


    ��However, that boy continues to cling to life, despite the fact that he''s all on his own, and in doing so, he''s drawing a great deal of interest from others. There are even people on the outside making bets on when he''ll no longer be the only member of the Chen n branch in this town."


    Liu Baqiao''s brows furrowed slightly as he countered, "But that''s not his fault."


    Chen Songfeng smiled in response. "Of course, he''s not at fault in the slightest, but it''s very difficult to make some people see reason."


    Liu Baqiao shook his head as he said, "It''s not difficult to make people see reason, the problem is that you''re beingpletely unreasonable to begin with. It''s only because that boy is weak and vulnerable that you feel justified in condemning him. On top of that, the branch of your Chen n in Dragon Tail County is certainly far more powerful than a lonesome boy, but at the same time, you''re very mediocrepared with those having augh at your expense.


    ��You''re being made into aughingstock, but you don''t have the power to retaliate, and instead of admitting your own shorings, you choose to pin the me entirely on that boy, insisting that he should be made into the scapegoat.


    ��I''ll bet that if it wasn''t for the rules prohibiting the killing of local residents of Jewel Small World, someone from your branch of the Chen n would''ve already killed off that young boy in secret, for no reason other than to save face."


    Chen Songfeng''s face quickly became flushed with embarrassment, but he had no sound counterargument to raise.


    Liu Baqiao''s hands were still sped behind his head as he looked up at the sky in ackadaisical manner and said, "I know that you''re not that type of person, but unfortunately, people like you are part of the minority. Let me give an example here rted to myself.


    ��That Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain wasn''t able to secure the sword scripture, and he was afraid that our Wind Lightning Field would obtain it, so he killed that boy with the Liu surname. Do you think what he did was reasonable? I think it''s extremely unreasonable, but so what? What I think doesn''t matter because I don''t even have the courage to provoke the old ape to his face."


    Liu Baqiao sighed as he removed a hand from the back of his head, then patted his own belly as he mused in a self-deprecating voice, "I''m not good with words, my fists aren''t hard enough, and my swords aren''t sharp enough. Otherwise, there are many people in this world that I''d like to talk some sense into."


    Chen Songfeng exhaled, then asked, "So I take it you have quite a high opinion of that boy?"


    Liu Baqiao turned to look at the sun setting over the mountain in the west, then replied, "I''d go even further than that."


    Chen Songfeng was rather perplexed to hear this.


    Liu Baqiao smiled as he borated, "I get a sense of inferiority whenever I see him."


    Chen Songfeng was quite bewildered by this response, and he shook his head as he chuckled, "Why do you feel so strongly about him?"

 Chapter 68: Spring Under the Heavens

    Chapter 68: Spring Under the Heavens


    Qi Jingchun''s enormous Dao Manifestation stood like a pristine and ethereal monolith in the northernmost region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    The clouds up above were surging incessantly while slowly descending toward his head.


    Qi Jingchun looked up with a cid smile.


    Right at this moment, an authoritative voice rang out from above the clouds. "Qi Jingchun, you must understand that the Heavenly Dao extends no sympathy to anyone. As someone who follows in the teachings of Daoism, it''s understandable that you would be sympathetic toward the Jewel Small World. If you change your mind now, you can still be forgiven."


    Apanying this celestial immortal''s voice were bursts of rumbling thunderps ringing out within the clouds, as well as brief shes of lightning.


    "Why are you wasting your time trying to reason with this fool? If he wants to oppose the will of the heavens, then he''ll have to ask my fists for permission first!"


    At the same time, an enormous golden hand reached down from the heavens, piercing a hole through the clouds, and a pir of light descended right in front of Qi Jingchun''s Dao Manifestation.


    A sympathetic voice that resembled a Buddhist prayer rang out in the west. "Benefactor Qi, you must see the light of reason."


    Qi Jingchun dered in a solemn voice, "Following the dragon-ying battle, the town was blessed with immense fortune for 3,000 years, producing countless exceptional talents, but it''s been severely overexploited. However, the rules were established by the four Sages, and the earliest group of cultivators who chose to settle in Jewel Small World raised no objections, so I naturally don''t have any right to impose my will on this matter. Now that the Heavenly Dao is about to subjugate this ce, then let ite. I will be the one to endure this tribtion in the ce of the town''s residents, so the rules will still be followed, and the Heavenly Dao will not be opposed. Why do you insist on trying to stop me?"


    The immortal who had just punched a hole through the clouds immediately burst intoughter. "Do you really not know the reasons behind this, or are you just ying dumb?"


    Qi Jingchun extended a hand of his own, holding the bead that contained Jewel Small World within a closed fist.


    Inside the small world sitting on his palm, day abruptly transitioned into night, presenting a wondrous spectacle to behold.


    At this moment, the pristine white hand that was protecting Jewel Small World seemed to be under attack from invisible forces from all directions. Arcs of white lightning were constantly erupted from the hand amid strings of incessant crackling, and "snowkes" that appeared to be as tiny as feathers, but were actually as massive as mountains, were constantly falling from the back of Qi Jingchun''s hand, only to dissipate into nothingness before they had a chance to fall onto the ground.


    The immortal situated near the hole in the clouds up above sneered, "To think that a mere schr like yourself would dare to oppose the Great Dao. What insolence! Let me see what''s given you the audacity to act like this!"


    If one could stand from afar and see through the concealment formation collectively created by the immortals, then they would be treated to an incredibly breathtaking spectacle. First, a ck dot emerged from the enormous hole in the sea of clouds. The ck dot descended directly downward, quickly revealing itself to be the tip of a sword. Finally, the entire sword was revealed, and it was a "miniature" flying sword that wasparable in length to one of the fingers of Qi Jingchun''s Dao Manifestation.


    As soon as the first sword emerged, a second one immediately followed, and this was followed by several more swords that descended from the sea of clouds elsewhere one after another, amounting to a total of 12 flying swords.


    All of the swords were arranged in a line, hovering high up in the sky, resembling a formidable army of cavaliers that could be let loose at any instant with a singlemand.


    A giant golden figure was seated casually with his legs crossed atop the sea of clouds. His massive golden eyes were open, and his fists were resting on his knees. The golden figure slowly extended the index finger on his right hand, then flicked it through the air.


    A flying sword instantly shot down from the heavens, hurtling toward the Qi Jingchun''s arm, the one that was connected to the palm holding Jewel Small World.


    The flying sword descended as fast as lightning, leaving a continuous cloud trail in its wake.


    The sword instantly pierced through the arm of Qi Jingchun''s Dao Manifestation, then drew to an abrupt halt mere inches away from the ground.


    Above the sea of clouds, the golden giant gently twirled his right index finger, and the flying sword circled around before returning to the sky. At the same time, the golden figure flicked his left index finger, and another one of the suspended flying swords came crashing down to pierce through Qi Jingchun''s arm once again.


    Using his two index fingers, the golden figure was able to control the 12 flying swords, sending them hurtling down before rising up over and over again.


    Before long, Qi Jingchun''s arm had already be riddled with countless ck holes from the relentless assault, presenting a harrowing sight to behold, particrlypared with the rest of his pristine white Dao Manifestation.


    Qi Jingchun remained calm and collected, watching as the flying swords began a new round of assault, not allowing him any respite.


    "Gleeful spring breeze," Qi Jingchun said in a cid voice.


    Right as one of the flying swords was about to pierce through his arm again, it was blown off course like a pine needle being swept away by a gentle breeze, thereby failing to strike its target. The rest of the 12 flying swords fell one after another, but they also failed to strike their target, and they began revolving slowly around Qi Jingchun in a set trajectory, vibrating and ringing incessantly as they waited for an opportunity to strike.


    At the same time, gusts of spring breeze were sweeping through heaven and earth, arresting the downward momentum of the sea of clouds in a subtle manner.


    The golden giant''s bare chest was exposed, and he were looking down at Qi Jingchun with a scornful expression, but a hint of surprise quickly appeared in his eyes as he discovered that there were no holes in Qi Jingchun''s defenses for the 12 flying swords to exploit.


    These flying swords would''ve been unfathomably powerful to mortal cultivators, but Qi Jingchun didn''t pay much heed to them, continuing to focus his attention on his clenched fist instead.


    The bead that Jewel Small World was epassed in had already been hovering above Eastern Treasured Vial Continent for 3,000 years, and the outer wall protecting the bead was supposed topletely break in 60 years, when it was due to fall into the hands of the next Sage, Ruan Qiong.


    It was going to be like a piece of porcin, with the outermostyer of zepletely peeling away. Once that happened, the small world would be left to face the wrath of the Heavenly Dao, and its inhabitants weren''t going to perish right away, but all of the town''s residents would lose their chance at being reincarnated. Qi Jingchun had consulted Buddhist scriptures specifically for this matter, and he had arrived at a terrifying conclusion.


    All of the residents of the town, of which there were over 6,000, were going to be made into scapegoats to bear the wrath of the heavens. There was a chance that they would be eternally relegated to the Path of the Hungry Ghost in the six paths of reincarnation, where they would be tormented for all of eternity without respite.


    As the final Sage responsible for overseeing Jewel Small World, Ruan Qiong''s duty at that time wouldn''t have been to protect the town''s residents. Instead, his job would''ve been to ensure that not a single one of the town''s residents managed to avoid this retribution from the Heavenly Dao.


    The voice of the golden giant was rumbling like thunder as he chortled, "People have always proimed that you''re a remarkable man, possessing a pair of kindred characters. Aside from the ''Chun'' character, you also possess a kindred ''Jing'' character, which goes against the rules. Come and show me just how remarkable you are!"


    The golden giant mmed his fist into his own knee as he spoke, and after three strikes, the sea of clouds began to churn violently like a cauldron of boiling water.


    The invisible gusts of spring breeze beneath the sea of clouds also began to waver and fluctuate in brightness.


    The giant continued, "You have your spring breeze, while I have a storm of flying swords to rain on your parade!"


    As soon as his voice trailed off, countless golden threads passed through the sea of clouds before piercing through the spring breeze.


    Compared with the stature of the golden giant, those golden threads were like tiny needles the length of fingernails, but there were too many of them to count, and they converged to present an extremely intimidating sight.


    Qi Jingchun''s expression remained unchanged as he continued to stare at his own fist, and he said in a quiet voice, "The finest rain falls right when the nts are beginning to sprout in spring."


    Droplets of rain began to emerge from the ground surrounding Qi Jingchun''s Dao Manifestation as he spoke, and each raindrop appeared to be tiny and insignificant, but in reality, they were all massive pools of water.


    Following their emergence, these droplets of rain cascaded up toward the heavens,pletely going against the natural order.


    Just a single phrase of poetry recited by Qi Jingchun had been enough to give rise to this unfathomable phenomenon.


    The resplendent storm of golden flying swords was raining down from above, while the droplets of rain on the ground were rising up from below.


    The two forces shed violently, creating a marvelous spectacle to behold, but Qi Jingchun paid no heed to the scene that was unfolding above him.


    A series of lightning flood dragons emerged out of thin air around his closed fist, then crashed into the back of his hand.


    The lightning was of three different colors, namely red, cyan, and white, and they appeared to bepletely random and haphazard in their distribution, but the divide between the three types of lightning was extremely clear, and they didn''t intertwine in the slightest as they formed three huges.


    Debris continued to fly in all directions from the fist of the Dao Manifestation, and it was constantly being whittled down further and further.


    "Calmness and tranquility," Qi Jingchun said in a quiet voice.


    All of a sudden, the of white lightning abruptly fellpletely still without any warning, while the other two types of lightning were still moving as normal. As a result, the bnce between the three types of lightning was disrupted, and a bolt of red lightning smashed through a bolt of white lightning, while a bolt of cyan lightning wound itself around a bolt of red lightning, plunging the entire system intoplete chaos.


    All of a sudden, an elderly voice rang out from above the sea of clouds. "There is order in both motion and rest!"


    In the blink of an eye, order was restored in the three lightnings that had been thrown intoplete disarray, and they continued to strike at the first of Qi Jingchun''s Dao Manifestation over and over again.


    Qi Jingchun heaved a faint sigh.


    "We''ve been ying around for long enough, Qi Jingchun. How about you take a punch from me?"


    A golden fist came crashing down toward Qi Jingchun''s head through the hole in the clouds.


    Qi Jingchun raised his spare right hand high above his head with the palm facing upward to oppose the descending fist.


    All of a sudden, Qi Jingchun''s Dao Manifestation abruptly sank down by 1,000 feet, but the sea of clouds was also lifted by 1,000 feet by a stiff breeze.


    It was as if 2,000 feet had opened up between heaven and earth.


    "Again!"


    One punch after another came raining down from the golden immortal, and each punch was imbued with tremendous power. Even the tallest and most majestic of mountains on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent wouldn''t have been able to withstand a single one of his punches.


    Qi Jingchun''s Dao Manifestation merely kept his palm raised to ward off the attacks.


    First, a huge hole was blown into the palm of the Dao Manifestation, and it didn''t take long before the entire hand was destroyed, immediately following which the arm that the hand was connected to was smashed to bits by the golden fist.


    Despite the severe damage Qi Jingchun had sustained to his Dao Manifestation, he still remainedpletely unfazed, continuing to focus his attention on his clenched left fist.


    Daoist runes that were crackling with lightning extended along his entire arm up to his shoulder, and every single rune was the size of a house.


    The elderly voice continued, "Don''t be so stubborn, Qi Jingchun. I can allow you to cultivate under me if you so wish."


    Qi Jingchun turned slightly to look down at his own arm, which was riddled with countless holes and the peerless runes inscribed by the Master Sage of Daoism, and he gently exhaled as he said in a defiant voice, "Be quiet..."


    The owner of the elderly voice instantly flew into a thunderous rage. "Qi Jingchun! How dare you!"


    His enraged voice drowned out what Qi Jingchun was about to say next.


    A pair of fingers were brought together up above before shing down like a sword, easily breaking through the sea of clouds and severing Qi Jingchun''s remaining arm at the shoulder.


    Far away in the distance, a barely audible wistful sigh rang out.


    The Sages of Confucianism had to follow the established rules, and Qi Jingchun had made a grave mistake by overstepping those boundaries.


    Even after severing Qi Jingchun''s arm, the owner of the elderly voice still seemed to be in a fit of rage, and the pair of fingers were quickly pulled back, but that wasn''t the end. Instead, they were immediately plunged down once again at an even faster speed, aimed at Qi Jingchun''s already detached left fist.


    Qi Jingchun withdrew what remained of his right arm from above his head and quickly positioned it above the bead as a shield, then quickly pulled the bead to himself and tucked it to his chest.


    The fingers of the immortal continued onward with unstoppable force, piercing through the arm of Qi Jingchun''s Dao Manifestation with ease, while the fist of the golden giant crashed heavily down upon Qi Jingchun''s head, leaving his Dao Manifestation swaying unsteadily, looking as if it could fall at any moment.


    Even though he was missing both of his arms, his sleeves were still pping in the wind, and he remained standing as resolutely as ever, but that only served to present an even more tragic sight.


    Another punch came crashing down onto Qi Jingchun''s head, causing his Dao Manifestation to sink down even further.


    One punch came raining down after another, and it seemed that the golden giant was determined to not stop until Qi Jingchun had beenpletely smashed deep into the ground.


    Despite the horrific condition the Dao Manifestation was in, Qi Jingchun was still stubbornly protecting the bead enclosed within the fist, guarding Jewel Small World and the residents inside with his life.


    The lips of the Dao Manifestation were moving slightly as it recited in silence, "The stars follow and revolve alongside one another, while the sun and the moon rece one another in a perpetual cycle. The seasons take turns controlling the weather, while Yin and Yang give rise to the world. The wind and the rain nurture all things, providing them with the vitality required to grow..."


    Inside the small world, there wasn''t a single child left in the school.


    The only one left there was Qi Jingchun, seated on his own, and not only had his hair turnedpletely white, he was bleeding out of all of his orifices, and his body had been reduced to a gruesome mess.


    His soul had been shattered even morepletely than a piece of porcin that had been dashed to the ground, but despite the terrible condition he was in, there was a satisfied smile on his face, and his eyes were closed in contentment.


    I, Qi Jingchun, exist in this world. So long as this world prospers, so do I.


    On this year, spring lingered until veryte in this world, and the arrival of summer was significantly dyed.

 Chapter 69: Night

    Chapter 69: Night


    The town had suddenly turnedpletely dark, so dark that one was unable to see their own handid out in front of them, and it was as if an extremely rare sr eclipse were taking ce.


    In addition to that, the cracks and pops ringing out from the deity statues outside of the town were bing more and more frequent. Those sounds were particrly jarring in the silence of the night, and they only served to further fuel the spection in the hearts of the town''s residents. Thinking back to all of the ox-drawn carriages and horse-drawn carriages that had recently left the town, all of the residents were growing more and more uneasy by the day.


    Within the manors of all of the affluent ns, whenever a servant tried to put up somenterns in order to illuminate the darkness, they would immediately be loudly scolded, and some of the particrly short-tempered members of those ns would even rush out to pull thenterns down before stamping them out with their feet. As they did so, they would glower furiously at the servants as if they were sworn enemies, even though those servants only had good intentions.


    Over at the cksmith''s forge, Chen Ping''an was having lunch with Ning Yao while seated on the edge of a well, and he was rather perplexed by the sudden transition from day to night, but he continued eating without dy. All of theborers at the cksmith''s forge were fed very well, and each of them would receive a piece of fatty braised meat the size of an index finger with each meal.


    Additionally, they would receive a spoonful of oil and all the rice that they could eat, but only that single piece of meat. Chen Ping''an would always have roughly tworge bowls of rice with each meal, so after receiving the piece of braised meat from the chef, he would always eat the first bowl of rice with nothing but the juices from the piece of meat, leaving the meatpletely untouched.


    Thus, the piece of meat would gradually make its way from the top of the bowl all the way to the bottom, and only after receiving his second bowl of rice would he finally make short work of the piece of meat.


    Whenever Ning Yao saw this, she would be struck by a sense of amusement.


    However, the same didn''t apply to Ruan Xiu. Instead, she ate her meals the exact same way that Chen Ping''an did.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an was holding an empty bowl in one hand and his chopsticks in the other, and even as he peered at his surroundings with all his might, visibility was still limited to only roughly 20 to 30 feet.


    During these past two days, aside from toiling away at Master Ruan''s forge, Chen Ping''an would always set aside three hours to practice standing meditation, two hours during the day, from 11 AM to 1 PM, and four at night, from 9 PM to 1 AM. After following this routine for a while, Chen Ping''an began experimenting with incorporating his walking meditation into his daily duties, but he discovered that doing so resulted in ack of consistency in his breathing and footsteps, so he immediately gave up on that experiment.


    Only during the breaks in his work, when no one was paying any attention to him, did he exercise his Sword Furnace to nurture his own body. For him, it was only a matter of recing his previous pottery molding visualization practice with the standing meditation practice as stipted in the Mountain Shaking Guide.


    Initially, Ning Yao would asionally follow him during the two hours of walking meditation in the day, pretending to offer some helpful guidance, but it didn''t take long before she gave up on that endeavor.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t want to draw any attention to himself, so he would always run around half a kilometer away from the forge in the downstream direction of the creek, and only then would he begin practicing his two hours of walking meditation during the day. Overall, that session generally resulted in around five kilometers of walking.


    For Chen Ping''an, this was something that he did every single day with no exceptions.


    At this moment, Ning Yao was also seated on the edge of the well, and her brows furrowed slightly as she looked up at the dark sky, which appeared as if it had just been covered by a dark cloth.


    "Does this have something to do with Mr. Qi?" Chen Ping''an asked in a quiet voice.


    Instead of telling him the truth, Ning Yao gave a rather ambiguous response. "Mr. Qi is the master of this small world, so it probably has something to do with him."


    "ording to Song Jixin and Zhi Gui, Mr. Qi was originally nning to leave the town together with Zhao Yao. Why did he decide against that in the end?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Ning Yao shook her head with a smile as she replied, "The thoughts of a Sage are like a winding mountain range that could extend over vast distances in any direction. I am unable to fathom his thoughts, nor can I be bothered to try."


    After that, she thrust her bowl and chopsticks into Chen Ping''an''s hands, then stood up and made her way toward the yellow earthen hut that had been assigned solely to her. Ning Yao was rather befuddled about why Master Ruan was treating her so well, and she couldn''t help but wonder if he was aware of her identity.


    The chances of that were extremely slim. After all, Stctite Mountain wasn''t situated on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and it had virtually no connection to the outside world. It was an extremely renowned ce, but received very few visitors. Furthermore, even those on Stctite Mountain were unaware of her identity.


    However, given Ning Yao''s straightforward personality, she wasn''t particrly bothered by this. For whatever reason, Master Ruan was being quite good to her, and she was happy to ept his goodwill.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to make his way to the kitchen with the used bowls and chopsticks when he noticed someone approaching from not far away. It was a young man wearing a robe with wide, pping sleeves, and he had even more of a schrly air about him than Chen Songfeng. There was an indescribable quality about him that made him resemble Mr. Qi and the kiln supervision official, Master Song, in some ways.


    The man had also spotted Chen Ping''an, and he was rather surprised to see the young boy looking back at him. He made his way over to Chen Ping''an, then asked with a warm smile, "I have some business with Master Ruan. Do you know where he is?"


    This time, Chen Ping''an didn''t try to tell a lie like he did to Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua back on y Vase Alley. Instead, he gave the man clear directions on where to go.


    This was because Ning Yao had told him that Master Ruan was more than capable of fending for himself, and on top of that, Chen Ping''an couldn''t sense any sinister intentions from this man.


    "Do you need me to take you there?" Chen Ping''an asked in a polite manner.


    The young man seemed to be in no hurry to leave, and he replied with a smile, "It''s not far away, so I should be fine on my own, but thank you for offering."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and nodded in response, then made his way to the kitchen, while the man departed toward a swordsmithing room in the distance.


    After returning the bowls and chopsticks, Chen Ping''an noticed that all of the apprentices were gathered in several rooms. Oilmps had been lit, and the apprentices were all discussing why day had suddenly transitioned into night. Some confidently proimed that it was because a mountain god of a certain mountain was passing through the area, causing the water levels in the wells and the creek to fall, drawing the ire of the river god governing the bodies of water.


    Thus, a battle between deities was taking ce,pletely turning the natural order on its head and flipping day and night. However, some were objecting to this story, stating that no mountain god could possibly exist, given that the mountains had all been sealed off by the imperial court. Furthermore, there was no way that such a small creek could be home to a river god.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t get involved in the discussion. He didn''t have anything to do anyway, so he used his outstanding eyesight to make his way to the bottom of the final well on his own before carrying one basket of soil after another out of the well.


    One time, as he was climbing up the woodendder out of the well, Chen Ping''an just so happened to spot the man returning from the swordsmithing room. The man noticed him as well, but he didn''t approach Chen Ping''an, nor did he stop in his tracks. Instead, he merely waved farewell to him from afar.


    Chen Ping''an felt a little emotional upon seeing this. Regardless of whether that man was a good person or a bad person, at the very least, he was different from the outsiders from Sun Scorch Mountain, Dawn Cloud Mountain, Light Breeze City, and Old Dragon City.


    Chen Ping''an brought out one basket of soil from the well after another, and as he did so, Ruan Xiu arrived near the well winch, holding a handkerchief with a series of delicate pastries ced on top. As Chen Ping''an emerged from the well, Ruan Xiu gestured to the pastries, in response to which Chen Ping''an smiled and shook his head.


    After that, Ruan Xiu sat down onto the edge of the well to enjoy the intricate pastries sold in the shop on Dragon Riding Alley. She quickly became immersed in her meal, giving off an aura of bliss and tion.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an continued to transport soil out of the well, and after around a dozen trips, Ruan Xiu was already nowhere to be seen, but she had left a piece of pastry for him sitting atop her handkerchief on the edge of the well. It was the most renowned pastry sold in the shop on Dragon Riding Alley, the peach blossom wine cake.


    Chen Ping''an faltered slightly upon seeing this, then removed the basket from his back and set it down by his feet. He sat down on the edge of the well near the handkerchief, then rubbed his hands on his clothes before plucking the cake between two of his fingers and cing it into his mouth.


    Sure enough, it was delicious, and Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but nod in approval as he ate.


    This small cake alone was worth 10 copper coins, and that thought immediately made the cake taste even better to Chen Ping''an.


    During the following few hours, the sky remained dark, and bursts of dull rumbling would asionally ring out up above. Aside from that, there was nothing else abnormal happening in the town, and in an unprecedented gesture, Master Ruan dismissed all of the workers at the forge to go home and rest for two days, rather than having them wait until night transitioned back into day to continue working.


    Chen Ping''an was dismissed as well, and he returned to the town. He paid a visit to Liu Xianyang''s home, and after verifying that nothing was missing, he quickly snuffed out the lights, then locked the door and rushed back to his own house.


    For some reason, Chen Ping''an felt like the town had suddenly lost all of its vitality and was apletely dead ce.


    Unbeknownst to him, as he was rushing over the covered bridge, there was a tall woman in a flowing white robe hovering above the water under the bridge.


    Her hair was as white as snow, while her exposed hands and feet looked as if they had been carved out of mutton fat jade.


    Her head was cocked to the side, and she was using the water in the creek as a mirror whilebing her hands through her hair, but for some reason, it was impossible to make out her facial features.

 Chapter 70: Daylight

    Chapter 70: Daylight


    At the moment, the town was like a sandbox constructed ording to the orders of a general from the Great Li Empire, but with the battle concluded, it had been cast aside with a dark cloth thrown over it to keep it out of sight.


    Chen Ping''an lit an oilmp in his own house, then began to tally his assets. He had three pouches of gold essence copper coins, one of each of the three types, namely Offering Coins, Good Fortune Coins, and Greeting Spring Coins.


    One of the pouches of coins had been given to him by the prince of Great Sui Nation as thanks for providing him with the opportunity to purchase that golden carp, while the other two pouches of coins had been left behind by Gu Can as payment for the catfish.


    As for the two pouches of coins that Chen Dui had offered to him, Chen Ping''an had implored her to give the coins to Liu Xianyang while they were on their way out of the mountains. Chen Dui had been rather perplexed by this request, but she didn''t refuse. Perhaps she was taken aback by Chen Ping''an''s choice, or perhaps she was in a good mood after sessfully visiting her ancestral grave.


    In any case, a rare smile had appeared on her face, and she had told Chen Ping''an in a gentle and earnest voice not to worry, and that a promise from her, a direct lineal descendant of the Yingyin Chen n, was definitely worth more than two pouches of gold essence copper coins. Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to fully believe this im, but after Ning Yao heard from him that Chen Dui was a direct lineal descendant of the Yingyin Chen n, she told Chen Ping''an not to worry.


    In addition to the coins, there were also the four seals that Mr. Qi had bestowed upon him on two separate asions. The earliest set of two seals that carried the phrases "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment" and "Chen Shiyi" had been crafted from snake gall pebbles from Mr. Qi''s private collection, while the other two seals had been crafted from snake gall pebbles that Chen Ping''an had given to him.


    One was engraved using official script, while the other was engraved using oracle bone script, and the two seals could be ced together to form an image depicting a piece of scenery. One seal was dense and sturdy, while the other was lighter and more delicate, and the characters for "Mountain" and "Water" had been engraved upon them. ording to Ning Yao, they could be referred to as a pair of Mountain and Water Seals.


    Chen Ping''an ced the three sheets of paper containing the medicinal recipe from Daoist Lu onto the table.


    Ning Yao had once denounced Daoist Lu''s handwriting as nd and tasteless,pletelycking in any ir or soul. It was like the handwriting of schrs conforming to the regtions of the imperial examination, a type of handwriting that waspletely dead and soulless.


    Chen Ping''an was naturally unable to gauge the quality and expertise of Daoist Lu''s handwriting, nor was he going to take these three sheets of paper lightly just because of Ning Yao''sments. Prior to his departure, Daoist Lu had told him that it was not going to be easy to purchase books in the town, so this medicinal recipe was a good tool for Chen Ping''an to learn how to read and write.


    Chen Ping''an carefully picked up the final sheet of paper, and there was a bright red seal at the bottom of the page, containing the text "Signed, Lu Chen". In the past, he hadn''t thought much of it, but now that he also had as many as four seals in his possession, he felt a sense of connection to the seal on the page.


    He thought about how someday, when he had some money to spare, he was going to buy some books for his private collection and stamp his "Chen Shiyi" seal onto the final page or the back cover of the books, and he couldn''t help but grin at the thought.


    However, he then quickly realized a problem. In order to use his seals, he required ink paste. Next to the pastry shop on Dragon Riding Alley was a general shop that sold a wide variety of things. The name of the shop was "Burclover", and Song Jixin and Zhi Gui were regr patrons there. All of his writing materials and ornaments had been purchased from the shop.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated momentarily, then decided that once he became literate, he would go to the shop and buy a container of ink paste if he spotted a book that caught his fancy someday.


    Aside from that, there was also the sack of carefully selected snake gall pebbles, of which there were around seven or eight, and they were all of different colors. Even though they had been out of water for a very long time, their color still hadn''t faded in the slightest. The sack was open and sitting on the table, with stones of all types of different colors and sizes nestled together, presenting a pleasing sight to behold.


    Chen Ping''an had originally hoped to give these snake gall pebbles to Liu Xianyang. Song Jixin could be very abrasive and insensitive at times, but there was one thing that he had said that was very correct. Essentially, the same thing that could only be sold for several copper coins on the stalls outside y Vase Alley would cost a minimum of three or four taels of silver in Burclover.


    Song Jixin had only mentioned this in an offhand manner, but Chen Ping''an had taken hisments to heart. If he were to try and sell the snake gall pebbles in the town, the chances of receiving a high price for them were slim to none, but if Liu Xianyang were to take them out of the town to wherever the Yingyin Chen n was situated, even if someone were to lowball him, he would definitely be able to sell the snake gall pebbles for far more than Chen Ping''an would be able to in the town.


    Essentially, the choice was between keeping a bunch of near-worthless pebbles for himself, or allowing his friend to make a fortune outside of the town, and it was clear to Chen Ping''an which one was the preferable option.


    Otherwise, why would he have be friends with Liu Xianyang in the first ce?


    Hence, even though Chen Ping''an didn''t think Liu Baqiao from Wind Lightning Field was a bad person, he didn''t take Liu Baqiao seriously no matter how much thetter tried to proim that they were brothers, nor did he ever reciprocate the goodwill that Liu Baqiao had disyed toward him.


    Finally, Chen Ping''an picked up that jade hairpin. Mr. Qi had told him that the hairpin had been bestowed upon him by his teacher, and that it was just an ordinary object as opposed to any exotic treasure.


    The phrase "as gentle and amiable as jade should a virtuous person be" was engraved upon the hairpin, and Ning Yao had once exined the meaning of this saying to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an had never read any books, but he could still feel the weight behind the saying.


    Ning Yao''s voice suddenly rang out from the doorway. "Why don''t you put on the hairpin? Mr. Qi gave it to you, so he naturally would''ve wanted it to be used for its purpose."


    Chen Ping''an turned to her with a slightly dazed expression, then smiled as he asked, "What''re you doing here?"


    Ning Yao sat down across the table from Chen Ping''an, then took a nce at the hairpin that he was holding as she said, "I''ve examined that thing carefully, and it really is just an ordinary hairpin that''s not special in any way. In the beginning, I thought it was a small world."


    "A what?" Chen Ping''an had no idea what she was saying.


    Ning Yao looked at all of Chen Ping''an''s most valuable assetsid out on the table and exined, "You''ve heard of the concept of alternate worlds, right? Themon folk never take this concept seriously, thinking that it''s only a term of embellishment used by schrs. However, in reality, the concept is very much real.


    ��There are two types of worlds under the heavens, one of which is this Jewel Small World that we''re in right now, which is one of the 10rge worlds and 36 small worlds. Some of these worlds are extremely vast, and legend has it that the Dao Ancestor has a Lotus Flower World, and even though it''s one of the 36 small worlds, just a single one of the lotus leaves in that small world spans arger area than the entire capital city of the Great Li Empire."


    Chen Ping''an was quite bewildered to hear this. "Surely that''s not possible!"


    Ning Yao pointed at herself as she smiled and said, "I don''t believe it, either. I''ll tell you whether the stories are true or not after I go and see it for myself someday."


    "Surely not just anyone can go to those ces," Chen Ping''an said in a quiet voice.


    "Do you think I''m just anyone?" Ning Yao chuckled.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly changed the subject. "Can you tell me more about the alternate worlds?"


    Ning Yao casually picked up one of the smaller snake gall pebbles. It was a pink pebble, and she massaged it in the palm of her hand as she said, "All of therge worlds run through heaven and earth and possess an abundance of spiritual energy. They are bona fide immortal abodes, and Qi refiners can significantly speed up their progress by cultivating in those ces.


    ��The rulers of all of those worlds are people blessed with immense fortune, and all of therge worlds have already been split among the most powerful figures in the three teachings, with no one else able toy so much as a finger on them. As for the 36 small worlds, they''re like concealed secret realms, like a shy woman hiding behind a fan.


    ��Among them, Paradise Small World is the most beautiful and scenic, Astral Winds Small World is the most strange and perilous, and Jewel Small World..."


    "What about Jewel Small World?" Chen Ping''an asked with a curious expression.


    The corners of Ning Yao''s lips curved up slightly as she held up two of her fingers in pinching motion and replied, "It''s the tiniest and most insignificant of the small worlds."


    Chen Ping''an sat downzily with his legs crossed,ying down onto the table before raising a fist and counting on one finger after another as he countered with a smile, "But in this small world, I met Mr. Qi, Old Man Yang, Liu Xianyang, Gu Can, and you."


    Ning Yao also smiled as she said, "There is also a type of small world known as domains, and they''re used for storage purposes. In Buddhism, such ces are known as all-epassing seeds, which corresponds with the concept of the world up the sleeve in Daoism, and all of the other teachings have simr concepts of their own as well.


    ��All of those concepts essentially describe a tiny ce that can epass heaven and earth. To put it in simpler terms, it''s a tiny object that can store many things. However, in contrast with true blessednds and small worlds, no living beings can be put into those domains. The most valuable item among my mother''s dowry is a jade bracelet, and the domain inside is roughly the same size as this house."


    Chen Ping''an was quite ignorant to such matters, and he was rather disappointed as he said, "That''s tiny! Didn''t you just say that just one of the Dao Ancestor''s lotus leaves is the size of a city?"


    Ning Yao was furious to hear this, and she leaned forward to p Chen Ping''an on the head. Chen Ping''an hurriedly leaned back while dodging from side to side, and Ning Yao swatted her hand through the air several times without striking her target.


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to her, and she raised the hand that was holding the pink snake gall pebble, motioning as if she were going to throw it.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly raised his hands in a panic as he urged, "Don''t throw it! If you damage it, it''ll sell for far less than it otherwise would!"


    Ning Yao pursed her lips and set down the snake gall pebble, only to suddenly raise her hand once again.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly closed his eyes, not daring to look any longer.


    Ning Yao mmed the rock heavily down onto the table before bursting intoughter.


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes, and an exasperated look appeared on his face as he sighed, "Can you not be so immature?"


    Ning Yao raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and she knocked the pebble off the table with a sweep of her arm.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head with his hands as he looked on with a sour expression.


    It was impossible to reason with Ning Yao.


    Ning Yao grinned as she extended her other hand out from under the table, and as it turned out, she had caught the pebble before it fell onto the ground.


    Chen Ping''an remained seated with his hands over his head and a pitiful look on his face.


    Ning Yao didn''t tease Chen Ping''an any longer, and a serious look appeared on her face as she asked, "What are you going to do from here?"


    Chen Ping''an considered the question for a moment, then replied in a candid manner, "Afterpleting the manualbor tasks assigned to me by Master Ruan, I want to go into the mountains to burn some charcoal. Along the way, I can also pick some medicinal ingredients to be sold to the Yang Family''s medicine shop."


    Ning Yao hesitated momentarily, then asked, "Aside from that Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain, there''s also that woman from Liu Zhimao, River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao, and Dawn Cloud Mountain and Old Dragon City that you have to deal with. What are you going to do if theye after you?"


    Before Chen Ping''an had a chance to reply, Ning Yao continued in a solemn voice, "This is why Daoist Lu told you to remain at Master Ruan''s forge no matter what. That''s the only way to keep yourself safe."


    A concerned look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he asked, "Then what if I attract a ton of trouble for Master Ruan?"


    "You don''t have to worry about a Sage capable of overseeing a small world," Ning Yao scoffed.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. "In that case, I''ll pay a visit to Master Ruan and tell him the truth about my situation to see if he''s still willing to ept me as a long-term apprentice."


    Ning Yao rested her cheek on one hand while sorting through the snake gall pebbles with her other hand, and she said, "There''s no problem in this town that can''t be resolved with a pouch of gold essence copper coins. If there is, then two pouches will be sure to suffice."


    "I want to keep these coins," Chen Ping''an whined with a sour expression.


    Ning Yao gave him a cold re as she countered, "Then why were you so willing to give all of it to Liu Xianyang?"


    "You can''tpare those two things," Chen Ping''an said with a shake of his head.


    Ning Yao rolled her eyes as she scoffed, "If any woman is unfortunate enough to be your wife in the future, then I bet she''ll constantly want to p you to death!"


    A serious look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he countered, "If I had a wife, then I would act differently. I can''t make my wife suffer for my decisions."


    Ning Yao merely sneered in response,pletely unconvinced by Chen Ping''an''s words.


    Chen Ping''an crossed his arms as he sat with his legs crossed, and a rare look of arrogance appeared on his face as he dered, "If someone dares to mess with my wife, I''ll hack them to death no matter who they are, even if they''re a god or a Dao Ancestor or whatever! I don''t care if those people can be killed or not, I sure as hell am going to try!"


    Ning Yao was astonished to hear this.


    She had always felt like Chen Ping''an had a very mild and mellow personality. With the exceptions of Cai Jinjian and Bai Yuan, he never seemed to hold any grudges, and he never seemed to get angry at anyone.


    If someone as prideful as Fu Nanhua or Song Jixin had made that deration just now, then Ning Yao wouldn''t have been surprised in the slightest, but she was quite taken aback to hear ite from Chen Ping''an, and she couldn''t help but ask, "Why?"


    Chen Ping''an grinned as he replied, "My father only had one fight in his life, and that was over my mother. Someone on Dragon Riding Alley insulted my mother, and my father wasn''t willing to let things slide, so he went to Dragon Riding Alley to pick a fight.


    ��After he came back, my motherined about this for a very long time, but my father told me in private that it didn''t matter whether that was a fight that he could win. What mattered was that a man had to protect his wife. Otherwise, he may as well never get married!"


    "If he''s saying that, then it sounds like the fight didn''t go very well for him," Ning Yao remarked.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head with an embarrassed expression as he exined, "My father was a great potter, but he was not good at all in fights. He was thoroughly beaten that day and came home all bruised and battered."


    Ning Yao smacked her forehead in a speechless manner.


    After a brief moment of silence, she stood up and dered, "I''m going back to the forge."


    "Should I apany you out of y Vase Alley?" Chen Ping��an asked.


    "Don''t bother!" Ning Yao snapped.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t force the issue, only apanying Ning Yao to the entrance of his yard before parting ways with her.


    Even though Ning Yao didn''t turn around, she knew that he was standing at the entrance the entire time.


    Someone with a kind and pure heart would always instill a sense of warmth into those around them, and their very existence was a beautiful thing.


    Chen Ping''an had no one to rely on, and he was seen as a pitiful and insignificant ant by all of the outsiders visiting the town, but he still had his own life to live.


    He also wanted to live a good life, but he wasn''t greedy. From a very young age, he had never shied away from adversity and hardship. All he wanted was for his parents to be able to see him from the afterlife and not be concerned for him. If he could live a good life, his parents would be proud and content even though he was the only one left in the family.


    He was taking full responsibility for his own life, and he didn''t want to ask for anything from the heavens.


    People like him appeared to have a very mild personality, but deep down, they were extremely hardy and resilient.


    As Ning Yao made her way out of y Vase Alley, she felt a little dejected and also slightly guilty for leaving without bidding farewell.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an returned to the house, staring nkly at the oilmp in a half-asleep, half-dreaming state.


    He felt as if he had somehow arrived at the southern end of the covered bridge. On the way there, it was still pitch ck, with visibility limited to only a few feet.


    However, as soon as he set foot onto the steps, heaven and earth suddenly lit up.


    Chen Ping''an was passing through the covered bridge in a dazed manner when a burst of incredibly dazzling white light appeared at the center of the bridge. It was even more bright and piercing than the radiance that had erupted throughout heaven and earth, and even though the light was so bright that Chen Ping''an''s eyes were tearing up, for some reason, he was able to see the peculiar scenery up ahead even more clearly.


    There was a tall figure with a set of blurry facial features standing on the bridge.


    The figure wore a pristine white robe with billowing sleeves, resembling an immortal deity, reminding Chen Ping''an of his first meeting with Mr. Qi.


    However, even though Chen Ping''an''s consciousness was quite fuzzy and muddled, he was certain that this person was even more ethereal than Mr. Qi. In other words, they were even further detached from the realm of mortals.


    Chen Ping''an slowly made his way onward, and a seductive female voice rang out beside his ears. "Kneel and you shall be blessed with fortune beyond your wildest dreams."


    This was followed by an authoritative voice that resonated deep in Chen Ping''an''s heart. "How dare a mere mortal like you disy such insolence? Kneel!"


    Another voice that was more neutral and cid rang out immediately thereafter. "Mortals must kneel to heaven and earth, as well as one''s parents and teachers, so what''s the harm in kneeling here? In exchange, you will be propelled to the pinnacle of the Great Dao."


    Finally, a raspy, elderly rang out. "Kneel, and you will be granted free passage across the bridge of immortality. Do not hesitate. If you refuse to receive the blessings of the heavens, then you will be punished instead!"


    All of a sudden, a familiar voice sounded in objection to all of the other voices. "Stop, Chen Ping''an! Do not go any further, and do not kneel, no matter what you do! Just remain on the spot and do not do anything. You are but a mere mortal, your body cannot bear the will of the gods! You mustn''t go against the natural order..."


    The voice of warning seemed to belong to Old Man Yang, but it was constantly trailing off, bing quieter and quieter as he spoke.


    At the same time, a warm and gentle voice encouraged, "Chen Ping''an, why don''t you take a few steps forward and see what''ll happen?"


    The voice seemed to belong to Mr. Qi, and Chen Ping''an instinctively stood up straight and stopped in his tracks before looking around with a dazed expression.


    He had many questions that he wanted to ask Mr. Qi, but many more voices were ringing out incessantly around him.


    "This is a fated opportunity that should fall to Ma Kuxuan! Leave this ce right now, you insolent brat!"


    "Even if Ma Kuxuan is unable to im this fated opportunity, it should fall into the hands of Ning Yao! Who the hell do you think you are?"


    "Your branch of the Chen n is aplete lost cause that should''ve died out long ago! How dare you try to im the blessings of the gods, you insolent rat!"


    "Chen Ping''an, you care greatly for Ning Yao and Liu Xianyang, do you not? In that case, return to the town and leave this fated opportunity to your friends. Qi Jingchun has already sacrificed his own life to save the town''s mortal residents like yourself. Just be content with your current life, marry a woman, have children, and pass on to your next life. Isn''t that everything you ever wanted?"


    "If you dare to take even a single step further, you shall meet a terrible demise!"


    Chen Ping''an took a decisive step forward, and the covered bridge trembled violently, while all of the voices instantly fell silent.


    After taking that initial step, Chen Ping''an naturally took a second step, and only then did he notice that Mr. Qi was walking along right beside him.


    The entire covered bridge and the area outside of it abruptly became pitch ck once again.


    Back when he first stopped on the bridge, his eyes had already adjusted to the light, so he was no longer tearing up, but all of a sudden, tears began to well up in his eyes again, and he could sense an impending separation. "Are you about to leave, Mr. Qi?"


    "Indeed, I am. There are too many people outside who want me dead, so I have no choice in the matter."


    "Who are we going to see, Mr. Qi?"


    "''We'' are not going to see anyone. You must go alone to meet an old man."


    All of a sudden, a resounding boom rang out, and Mr. Qi seemed to have been sent flying by a heavy blow, but he remained unfazed and burst intoughter as he urged, "Chen Ping''an, the Great Dao is right beneath your feet! Go!"


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath, then raised his foot as he prepared to take a third step.


    Right at this moment, a voice rang out from extremely far away and high up in the sky, instantly piercing through heaven and earth as it dered, "You shall not go any further."


    This was followed by a cold harrumph from someone in the covered bridge, and Chen Ping''an abruptly awakened to find that he was stillying on the table in his house.


    The oilmp was still burning, and he reflexively turned to look out the window to find that daylight had returned.

 Chapter 71: (1): I’ll Like You for a While Longer

    Chapter 71: (1): I��ll Like You for a While Longer


    Chen Ping''an stumbled out of the room with a dazed expression and made his way out into the yard. He looked up at the scorching sun, and it was a bright and clear day with not a single cloud in the sky.


    Chen Ping''an could feel that his own breathing was a littlebored, so he sat down onto the doorstep and joined his palms together as he focused on meditation.


    Only after around 15 minutes had passed did the obstruction in his breathing fade away, but right as he was about to stand up, he caught a glimpse of something out of his peripheral vision, causing him to immediately sit back down onto the doorstep. His eyes widened with disbelief as he turned toward a corner of his yard, where a b of Dragon ying tform was resting peacefully.


    He hurriedly rose to his feet and rushed over to the b of Dragon ying tform, then crouched down to examine it carefully. As he examined the b of Dragon ying tform, he was struck by a sense of familiarity. He stroked his own chin as he slowly made his way around the piece of Dragon ying tform, and after making a fullp around the stone, he was convinced that this was a piece of the pedestal beneath the Nodding Bodhisattva statue.


    However, it looked as if this chunk of the pedestal had been sliced off extremely cleanly, much like a piece of tofu, and a shiver immediately ran down his spine as he made this observation.


    Ning Yao was always making bold ims to Chen Ping''an, but she had never once lied to him. She had told him that Dragon ying tform was an extremely hard material that could only be sliced through by a powerful sword immortal at a heavy cost. Chen Ping''an firmly believed what she had told him, and thus, he was absolutely bewildered by the fact that a piece of a pedestal had somehow ended up in his yard.


    Could it be that the b of Dragon ying tform hade to life and rolled into his yard on its own? At this point, Chen Ping''an was already aware that there were mystical forces in this world, but surely there were no living stones! Besides, it could''ve gone to any house it wanted, why would it havee to him? To suffer? If so, then this thing really had to be as dumb as a rock!


    "Hey, can you speak? Can you understand what I''m saying?" Chen Ping''an asked in a tentative voice.


    To no one''s surprise, he was met with no response.


    Chen Ping''an continued to stare at the piece of Dragon ying tform with a bewildered expression.


    The dream from earlier was so realistic that Chen Ping''an was still yet to fully return to the real world, which was why he was still quite jumpy and jittery.


    Many trivial things that he had never put much thought into were suddenly flooding back into his mind, and he was able to see them through different eyes.


    Both Mr. Qi and Ning Yao had told him many things about the strange world outside of the town, and even Old Man Yao had told him many stories.


    There were many things that had to be taken into ount, even when it came to something as simple as entering the mountains. For example, those unremarkable old tree stumps could be seats that belonged to mountain gods, so it was taboo to sit on them.


    Old Man Yao had proimed that all of the mountains in the world, regardless of how short or tall they were, came from the same roots, and that they were all rted to one another, much like members of a human n.


    In this instant, a hint of curiosity suddenly welled up in Chen Ping''an''s heart. He really wanted to know what he had to do if he wanted to see the entirety of Jewel Small World. Would he have to climb to the peak of that mountain that was even taller than Cloud Drape Mountain to be able to see everything?


    Chen Ping''an set that train of thought aside as he continued to stare at the ck stone, and he was considering moving it to the cksmith shop as it would definitelye in useful for Ning Yao. As for what Ning Yao was going to do with the stone, whether that be using it to sharpen her own sword, or pass it onto Master Ruan as thanks for forging a sword for her, that didn''t matter to Chen Ping''an. He was only curious about how one could go about sharpening their sword on this stone, and he wondered if it was the same process that he used to sharpen his bushcraft des.


    Chen Ping''an was never one to procrastinate, so after making his decision, he immediately sprang into action. He gripped onto the underside of the stone with his hands and hoisted it upward, but was only able to lift it around an inch up from the ground. It was rather heavy, but not so heavy that it was immovable.


    Chen Ping''an returned to the house to find a basket, and soon, he was making his way down y Vase Alley with the basket on his back, and a garment draped over the Dragon ying tform sitting in the basket.


    After leaving y Vase Alley, Chen Ping''an noticed that there were many people on the streets. It was most likely because everyone had been thoroughly spooked by the sudden transition from day to night, and now that the sun had reappeared, they were alling out to bask in its radiance. The vast majority of the town''s residents had emerged from their homes and made their way out onto the streets to discuss the recent "eclipse".


    asionally, there would be someone rushing past, proiming that the Iron Lock Well hadpletely run dry, and that even the metal chain that had been hanging in the well for as long as anyone could remember had been taken by someone. There were also some rabble-rousing children who were jumping around with excited expressions, telling stories about what had happened to the old locust tree.


    As it turned out, the old locust tree had been uprooted and wasying on the street with snapped branches and yellow leaves all around it. Many of the town''s nearby residents felt this to be quite a waste, and they picked up some branches and leaves to use as kindling and firewood. Some reluctant young men had also been urged by their wives to go out with their hatchets to cut off some of the thicker branches of the tree.


    This was not met with no opposition. Many of the elderly people who had lived their entire lives around the old locust tree were absolutely distraught, hurling torrents of abuse at the people who were benefiting from the tree''s demise, while others were lecturing people on the history of the old locust tree, proiming that it was a sentient entity.


    Throughout all these years, it had only shed brancheste at night to avoid having those branches fall onto people''s heads, and during years of lean harvests, the old locust tree always stepped up, producing countless locust flowers to fill the bellies of many.


    However, their efforts were all to no avail.


    The young men ignored what they were being told, continuing to cut branches off the tree, and some of the more short-tempered ones among them had even gotten into shoving matches with their elderly detractors, creating a rather chaotic scene.


    After hearing about what had happened to the old locust tree, Chen Ping''an became rather hesitant about how to proceed, stopping in his tracks once every few steps to look in the old locust tree''s direction. His instincts told him that he should go and take a look, but there was a voice in his heart urging him to go to the cksmith shop as quickly as possible.


    All of a sudden, a short and spritely figure blew past him like the wind. It was a little girl wearing arge padded jacket, and what was quite amusing was that she was carrying a branch as thick as a young man''s arm on her shoulder. The branch was as long as she was tall, and she was rushing along so quickly that it was as if there were wheels attached to her feet.


    Chen Ping''an immediately identified her as the little girl who liked to keep to herself and wander around the town as fast as the wind. She and Gu Can had gotten to know each other through an altercation, and Chen Ping''an had met her not long ago at the Azure Cow Ridge.


    She was also around those mystical figures, and she seemed to be particrly close with that young Daoist nun. Chen Ping''an recalled that he had given her a small snake gall pebble in the past.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly called out to her, and she turned around to face him. Upon catching sight of him, a sh of recognition appeared on her face along with a bright smile. Her eyes seemed to be capable of speaking, and at this moment, they looked as if they were saying: "What do you want? I''m listening! I''m in a hurry, so make it quick!"


    Chen Ping''an held back the urge tough as he beckoned to her and said, "I have something to discuss with you. It won''t take long."


    The little girl immediately rushed over to him with the branch still hoisted on her shoulder, then turned slightly to the side and raised her head with an inquisitive expression.


    "You got this branch from the old locust tree, right?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The little girl nodded vigorously in response, and a slightly forlorn look appeared on her face as she said, "I have to be fast. Otherwise, all of the branches will be gone. I''m only strong enough to carry a branch this size, so I want to make as many trips as possible."


    Chen Ping''an''s mind was racing as he said, "Your house is on Fortune Street, right? That''s really far away. If you trust me, you can put the locust branch in my yard. That way, you''ll be able to make a few more trips than if you were to go home every time."


    The little girl weighed up her options in silence, and while considering the proposal, she was also observing Chen Ping''an''s expression.


    After a while, she seemed to have decided that Chen Ping''an didn''t have any sinister intentions, so she nodded in response. "What do you want me to do for you in exchange? Let me make this clear: I won''t be able to carry any branchesrger than this. These things are very heavy, and I already feel like my shoulder''s on fire."


    Chen Ping''an pulled out a string of keys, then plucked off one of them before handing it to the little girl. "This is the key to my yard gate. I don''t need you to do much for me, just keep a lookout for any green leaves that haven''t turned yellow yet while you''re fetching branches. If you spot any, make sure to keep them for me."


    "That''s it?" the little girl asked as her eyes widened in surprise.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "That''s it. You know where my house is, right?"


    The little girl nodded in response. "It''s the 12th house on the left hand side of y Vase Alley."


    However, she didn''t take the key that was being offered to her. "The wall of your yard isn''t very tall, so I can just drop the branches over the wall without opening the yard gate."


    Chen Ping''an put the key away upon hearing this, and at that point, the little girl was already far away.


    After parting ways with the little girl, Chen Ping''an made his way out of the town and traveled southward. As he approached the covered bridge, he was shocked to discover that it was gone, having reverted back to the old stone bridge in his memories.


    Even though the covered bridge was much more spectacr and had a shimmering golden que hanging above it, for some reason, Chen Ping''an still preferred the old stone bridge.


    Standing on one end of the bridge, Chen Ping''an suddenly thought of that inexplicable dream he had, and he took a deep breath as he slowly made his way up the nt.


    The closer he drew to the center of the bridge, the more nervous he became. He was already sweating profusely, and his anxiety certainly wasn''t helping in that regard. However, he was able to make it all the way to the end of the bridge without anything happening, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face as he sped up on his way to the cksmith shop.


    Over at the Azure Cow Ridge, Old Man Yang was seated on the edge of the bluestone cliff, puffing on his old pipe.


    The pool of water beneath his feet was shimmering and rippling incessantly, and there seemed to berge clumps of aquatic nts swaying beneath the surface. Even under the light of the sun, the aquatic nts still gave off an inexplicable sense of unsettling eeriness.


    The blurry face of an old woman gradually appeared on the surface of the water. The woman had a head of dark green hair, presenting a harrowing sight to behold, and she said in a trembling voice, "Esteemed immortal, I tried to approach that sidest night, but I simply couldn''t.


    ��I made many attempts, but each time, I felt as if I had been plunged into a cauldron of hot oil, and the pain was too severe for me to continue. Please spare me, esteemed immortal, this is an impossible task for me!"


    A cold look appeared on Old Man Yang''s face as he said, "I''m not here to punish you. From now on, just make sure to do everything within the realm of your capabilities, that''ll suffice. I came here because I have an extremely rare opportunity for you, and it''s up to you whether you dare to fight for it or not."


    The old woman''s green face was rippling eerily with the water around her, and she immediately put on an earnest and focused expression to hear what Old Man Yang was about to say next.


    Old Man Yang continued, "At this point, this small world is already slowly falling back to the mortal realm to be reintegrated with the earth. At the moment, it''s at a very important stage in this process, and it won''t be long before the small world bes connected to the Great Li Empire.


    ��Here, you are only known as a river guardian as opposed to a river god, just like the informal officials of the mortal empires. It seems to be only a slight difference, but the difference is night and day."


    He pointed his pipe in the direction of the stone bridge as he continued, "The reason for this isn''t because the territory under your jurisdiction is too small. Instead, it''s because your territory has been severed. You see that bridge over there? That thing is what''s cing this limit on you. All you have to do is swim under the bridge, and you''ll have a bright future ahead.


    ��This small creek that you''re in right now will be the origin of many important rivers in the future, and once that happens, not only will you be sure to attain the river god status and have your hair extend to hundreds of kilometers in length, it''ll be entirely possible for you to be a great river god with your hair extending to thousands of kilometers in length."


    The old woman was clearly very tempted by this prospect.


    Old Man Yang didn''t try to rush her, smiling as he continued, "Then again, it''s quitefortable to justy in the mud and do nothing, isn''t it? Why strive for higher aspirations?"


    The old woman''s heart immediately sank slightly as she listened to Old Man Yang''s thinly veiled insult, and she hurriedly begged for mercy, causing the water in the creek to tumble and churn incessantly.


    Old Man Yang remained unmoved as he said in an indifferent voice, "It''s up to you whether you want to continue to be a pitiful catfish or transform into a flood dragon that controls the fate of the water. Also, don''t forget what I told you before.


    ��If you choose to go down this path, then there''s no turning back, you have to follow it to the end. There''s nothing in this world that can grant you eternal blessings. You might not like to hear this, but to be frank, you are thest one in this town that deserves good karma."


    The more aloof and indifferent Old Man Yang appeared, the more uneasy the old woman became, and in the end, she gritted her teeth with a determined expression before quickly plunging into the water.


    Momentster, shepletely vanished into the water, but a green shadow could be seen swimming downward in a zigzag fashion in the water between the Azure Cow Ridge and the stone bridge.


    As the shadow approached the stone bridge, it slowed down further and further, and by the end, it had slowed to a crawl.


    Less than 100 feet away from the bridge, the green shadow abruptly began to elerate, clearly making ast-ditch effort to get to the other side.


    The old woman passed through without any obstruction, and after rushing several hundred feet past the stone bridge, she couldn''t help but twirl around in the water in excitement, causing her hair to wind around her wizened and fleshless body.


    She floated in the water of the creek, raising her head to look up at the stone bridge, and she was finally able to see the old sword billet.


    It was still as rusty as ever and looked no different from back when she was a child.


    However, in the next instant, her eyeballs suddenly exploded, all because her gaze had lingered on the old sword billet for a moment too long.


    An agonized howl rang out as water sshed and churned.


    After a long while, the water in the creek finally settled down, and at this point, the old woman had already regrown a pair of eyes, but her aura had be very feeble, and Old Man Yang''s voice rang out beside her ears once again. "You''re already extremely fortunate to have been granted free passage, so don''t push your luck. Remember not to raise your head when you pass by the stone bridge in the future."


    "I''ll make sure to remember," the old woman hurriedly said in an obedient voice.

 Chapter 72: Black Cloud

    Chapter 72: ck Cloud


    Even though Chen Ping''an had a thin and frail-looking body, he wasn''t struggling at all as he carried the locust branches on his shoulder, making his way down y Vase Alley as if there were nothing more than a feather sitting on his shoulder. Li Baoping was trailing along behind him, and she was astonished to see this. If it weren''t for her insistence, Chen Ping''an would''ve taken the locust branch on her delicate shoulder as well.


    At the entrance to y Vase Alley stood a little girl with her hair arranged into a pair of braids. Her cheeks were bright red from the cold winter air, and upon spotting Li Baoping swaggering her way down the alley, a displeased look appeared on her face as sheined, "Li Baoping, didn''t you say you were going toe to school with me after dropping off the locust branch?


    ��Grandpa Ma is acting really strange today. He''s dressed up like Mr. Qi, and he says that he''ll be taking us on our excursion to Mountain Cliff Academy. If Grandpa Ma gets mad at us, then we''ll all pin the me on you."


    Li Baoping didn''t take her words to heart at all, and she pulled one of the green locust leaves that Chen Ping''an had given her out of her embroidered pouch, twirling it gleefully in front of the other girl with an expression that said, "You don''t have any of these, do you? I have a load of them!"


    The little girl with the twin braids was very bemused, perplexed about why Li Baoping was showing off a leaf to her. However, she was very disgruntled by Li Baoping''s gloating expression, and she really wanted to p that smug look off her face. The problem was that none of the children in the school, even a troublemaker like Li Huai, was a match for Li Baoping in a fight.


    Li Huai had once been beaten by Li Baoping to the point that heid on the ground and pretended to be dead. However, Li Baoping was still unwilling to let him off the hook, and she stripped off Li Huai''s pants, then tossed them high up onto a tree branch. Li Huai was bawling his eyes out as he rushed back home with no pants, and his mother was not one to let bygones be bygones.


    Thus, she dragged Li Huai along behind her as she stormed onto Fortune Street. However, as soon as she spotted the fearsome stone lions and tall walls of the Li n''s manor on Fortune Street, she immediately directed her rage at Li Huai instead, giving him a vicious beating. In the end, she didn''t even dare to knock on the gate of the Li n''s manor, and she scurried back to their dpidated house on the westernmost side of the town while dragging Li Huai along by the ear.


    However, in order to console her son, Li Huai''s mother killed a chicken and braised it for him to eat that night. Li Huai stood on his stool with his backside still bare, swaying from side to side as he munched happily on the chicken, and the embarrassment that he had suffered at the hands of Li Baoping had be nothing more than a constant memory.


    A disdainful look appeared on the face of the little girl with the twin braids, and she scoffed, "Why are you showing off a dumb leaf? My father gave me a golden abacusst night. It''s made of gold, and it''s this big!"


    Unfortunately for her, Li Baoping was stillpletely immersed in her own little world, and she didn''t care about any golden abacus in the slightest. She continued to twirl the locust leaf in front of the little girl with her pointy little chin raised in provocation, and she pointed at Chen Ping''an as she said, "He gave this to me. I still have more in this pouch."


    The little girl with the twin braids heaved an exasperated sigh. Li Baoping had always been this annoying since the very first day they had met. She always said and did what she wanted without any regard for anyone else.


    If it weren''t for the fact that there weren''t many children of her age on Dragon Riding Alley, she would''ve never sought out Li Baoping as a ymate. It was often the case that even Mr. Qi was leftpletely stumped and exasperated by Li Baoping.


    She would always ask some strange questions in ss, and Mr. Qi would always try to answer those questions seriously. The only problem was that the answers that he provided were often not satisfactory to Li Baoping. Sometimes, Mr. Qi would spend a long time mulling over a question that she had raised, and he would excitedly provide an answer to her the next day, only to find that she had already forgotten all about what she had asked the previous day.


    Whenever she thought about activities like fishing for catfish, fighting crickets, or flying kites, she would immediately rush away in excitement, leaving Mr. Qi hanging high and dry.


    Chen Ping''an was carrying a bunch of locust branches on his shoulder, so it was difficult for him to turn his head. Thus, he could only raise his voice slightly as he asked, "How many people are in the school right now?"


    Meanwhile, Li Baoping was arduously moving her locust branch to her other shoulder. She had already transferred the branch back and forth from shoulder to shoulder many times, and both of her shoulders were feeling very sore.


    The little girl with the twin braids extended a hand forward as she replied, "There are only five people left. Me, Li Baoping, Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, and Dong Shuijing."


    She had nothing better to do anyway, so she eagerly told Chen Ping''an about the current situation in the school. "Mr. Qi promised to take us on an excursion to Mountain Cliff Academy before. At the time, there were still around 15 kids at the school, and their parents and guardians all agreed for them to go on the excursion, but after that, most of the rich kids living on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley stoppeding to school because they were sick, and I heard from Li Baoping that theyter left the town altogether to go live with distant rtives.


    ��They were the happiest out of everyone when they first heard about the excursion to Mountain Cliff Academy, and I had no idea what they were so happy about. I get tired just thinking about having to go somewhere so far away with Mr. Qi."


    The little girl''s voice was quite tender, but her logic was very clear, and she spoke with an adult-like sense of maturity and calmness. For some reason, Chen Ping''an was reminded of Gu Can, but she was quite different from that abrasive troublemaker.


    "What''s your name?" Chen Ping''an asked with a smile.


    The little girl with the twin braids replied, "My name is Shi Chunjia. You can call me Madam Shi."


    Chen Ping''an was rendered speechless upon hearing this.


    "You can just call her Little Rock," Li Baoping scoffed. [1]


    Shi Chunjia immediately turned to Li Baoping like an enraged kitten as she protested, "You can''t call me Little Rock! You''re not allowed to, either, Li Baoping!"


    However, at this point, Li Baoping had already wandered away from the subject of Shi Chunjia''s nickname, so shepletely ignored her protests.


    However, Shi Chunjia had a very persistent personality, and she seemed to have endless patience as she babbled incessantly at Li Baoping, trying to convince her to discard that nickname. She knew that once they arrived at Mountain Cliff Academy, if Li Baoping were to call her "Little Rock" even once, then that nickname would permanently stick and be unshakeable.


    The two little girls trailed along behind Chen Ping''an while continuing to bicker with each other, and as they drew close to Fortune Street, he asked, "There are many residences with the Li surname on Fortune Street, which one is yours?"


    Chen Ping''an was thinking to himself that everything would be fine as long as it wasn''t the Li manor of the four major ns.


    At the time, in order to lure Bai Yuan onto the mountain, he had climbed up the descendant locust tree onto the wall of the Li manor and used his slingshot to smash the two food containers in that birdcage.


    Shi Chunjia wore a disgruntled expression as she grumbled, "Her residence is the one with the locust tree outside. Whenever her parents refused to let her go out for fear that she would cause trouble, she would sneak her way up the wall on adder, then climb down the locust tree onto Fortune Street.


    Last time, her parents were truly furious, and they carried thedder away, insisting that she enter through the main gate. However, she refused to do what they wanted and jumped directly off the wall. She didn''te to school for an entire month after that, and the two months after, she was constantly walking around on crutches."


    Li Baoping didn''t think this was an embarrassing story at all, and she said in a serious manner, "I thought long and hard about what happened, and I realized that mynding position was incorrect. I shouldn''t have just jumped straight down and had my legs bear the full impact. I went to try again after my legs were all healed up and..."


    "And you ended up having to skip school for another half a month!" Shi Chunjia eximed in exasperation.


    "I was fine the third time, wasn''t I?" Li Baoping countered in a justified manner.


    "That''s only because a yearter, your body grew, and that''s why you were able to handle more punishment! It has nothing to do with yournding position!" Shi Chunjia snapped.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t get involved in the quarrel between the two little girls. He was hoping that the people from the Li n wouldn''t recognize him. Otherwise, he would''ve been in some severe trouble. On top of that, deep down, he was very envious of the two little girls, envious of their happy and stable lives, that they had parents to keep them in check, and a school where they could go to receive an education.


    Despite his reservations, Chen Ping''an still decided to help Li Baoping carry the locust branches to her residence.


    He had just told Li Baoping that one had to follow through on their promises, so he had no choice but to muster up his courage and go to the Li manor with her.


    Perhaps the gods had finally woken up from their nap, or perhaps they felt like Chen Ping''an had suffered enough ofte. In any case, the porter of the Li manor didn''t recognize him, and Li Baoping didn''t ask him to carry the locust branches into the residence, either.


    Chen Ping''an was very relieved by this turn of events, and he was just about to turn and leave when Li Baoping offered him the branch that she had been carrying on her shoulder, telling him that it was her repayment for his help.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t refuse the branch, casually setting it on his shoulder as he waved her goodbye.


    The porter was already ustomed to Li Baoping''s strange personality, so he wasn''t surprised to see her bring back a bunch of locust branches that weren''t really good for anything, not even to be used as firewood. Instead, he was feeling a little saddened by the sight of the scratches on herrge red jacket from the branches.


    That jacket was far more valuable than those useless branches. Even before she had turned five years of age, Li Baoping had managed to catch arge crab from the creek all by herself. Upon returning home, tears were streaming out of her eyes as she raised her hand up high, and there was a crab clinging onto her little hand with its pincer with all its might, causing much distress for her parents and grandparents.


    The crab had a dark green shell, but its pincers were bright red, and even to this day, it was still being kept by her in arge vat. She hated reading books, so whenever she had some free time, she would go and chat with the crab.


    Shi Chunjia was watching as Chen Ping''an departed when she suddenly turned to Li Baoping as she jibed, "He was the one that made you fall and lose a front tooth, wasn''t he?"


    All of a sudden, Li Baoping made her way behind Shi Chunjia, then grabbed onto her braids before preparing to lift her upward. "Trust me, it''ll definitely work this time."


    Shi Chunjia was horrified, and she hurriedly squatted down and closed her eyes as she frantically iled her arms above her head, trying to sway Li Baoping''s hands away.


    Li Baoping was quite a bit taller than Shi Chunjia, and she squatted down beside her as she dered in a confident voice, "It won''t hurt at all, Little Rock. How will you know if you don''t try it a second time?"


    Shi Chunjia immediately burst into tears.


    The porter couldn''t stand to watch any longer, and he stepped in to save Shi Chunjia. "Mr. Ma from the school asked Li Huai to pass a message to us earlier, instructing us to prepare a horse-drawn carriage.


    ��Young Mistress, you should pack up your things and go to the school so you can go on the excursion to Mountain Cliff Academy with the other kids. Of course, on the way to the school, you can make a trip to Dragon Riding Alley and have Young Mistress Shi''s belongings loaded onto the horse-drawn carriage as well."


    Thus, Li Baoping had no choice but to let Shi Chunjia off the hook for now. She was very disappointed, and even as she made her way into the manor, she was still feeling quite forlorn on Shi Chunjia''s behalf.


    After surviving that close call, Shi Chunjia decided there and then that she was going to remove her braids.


    All of a sudden, a surprised look appeared on Li Baoping''s face as she looked up at the sky.


    Shi Chunjia looked up in the same direction and mused, "It''s not going to rain, is it?"


    Arge ck cloud was drifting over the sky above the town from north to south.


    Chen Ping''an had just emerged from Fortune Street, and he was also looking up at the cloud with an utterly astonished expression.


    That was no cloud, it was an arsenal of flying swords, riding atop which were countless immortals!


    Chen Ping''an swept his gaze along the direction that the cloud of flying swords was traveling in, and he spotted a ck dot traveling from south to north, going in the opposite direction to these immortals.


    The ck dot was growingrger andrger, and all of a sudden, Chen Ping''an''s eyes widened in shock as if he had just seen a ghost in broad daylight.


    There was a figure descending from the sky in the south atop a flying sword, pausing momentarily when they were still over 1,000 feet away from the ground in the town. The sword-riding figure looked down at the town, sweeping their gaze in all directions before swooping down toward Fortune Street.


    The flying sword hurtled through the air, sweeping up a gust of howling wind before arriving in front of Chen Ping''an in the blink of an eye.


    The sword was hovering around five feet above the ground, and atop the sword stood a gant young woman in a dark green robe.


    The slightly disheveled young woman had her arms crossed, and she grinned at Chen Ping''an as she dered, "I felt like it was only right for me to bid you farewell, so I came."


    Before Chen Ping''an had a chance to say anything, the flying sword swiveled around at the young woman''s behest, carrying her away into the distant sky.


    Chen Ping''an reflexively reached out a hand, but at this point, the flying sword and the young woman were already nowhere to be seen.


    Chen Ping''an sheepishly withdrew his hand, then scratched his head in an awkward manner before continuing on his way back to y Vase Alley, asionally looking up at the sky along the way.


    Initially, he was feeling a little dejected, but he was quickly buoyed by the realization that Ning Yao was an immortal cultivator as well.


    He was so ted by this realization that for the first time ever, he bought a tanghulu from a shop on Dragon Riding Alley to eat on the way home.


    For some reason, an empty feeling welled up in his heart as he ate the tanghulu, and he didn''t know what the source of this feeling was. Perhaps he was feeling bad over the copper coins that he had spent on the tanghulu?


    1. Shi Chunjia''s surname (ʯ) trantes to rock/stone. ?

 Chapter 73: Wooden Figure

    Chapter 73: Wooden Figure


    Chen Ping''an was eating a tanghulu for the first time in close to 10 years as he made his way back to y Vase Alley with the locust branch on his shoulder, and a sense of guilt welled up in his heart as he passed by a house that was even dpidated than his own. He was considering borrowing some silver from Master Ruan to have the house repaired.


    Even though he had been living on y Vase Alley his entire life, he had never seen anyone live in this house. During his plot to lure Bai Yuan into the mountains, he had intentionally led the Mountain-moving Ape to this house, causing him to smash a massive hole into the roof of the house. Chen Ping''an felt a sense of responsibility to have the hole repaired.


    In its original state, the house would''ve perhaps been able tost two or three more decades, but now that it was more exposed to the elements due to the gaping hole on its roof, it most likely wasn''t even going to be able tost five years.


    Essentially, it was the same concept as Cai Jinjian forcibly "pointing the way" for Chen Ping''an, leaving his body open and exposed, much like this house was. Hence, Chen Ping''an was determined to have the house repaired no matter what. It didn''t have to be a very grand or spectacr repair job, but it had to be sturdy and serviceable.


    He had considered swapping a gold essence copper coin for silver or actual copper coins. Perhaps he could go to Old Man Yang or Master Ruan to have one of his gold essence copper coins exchanged, but he had a feeling that these things were exceedingly rare, and with each one that was used up, it would be permanently gone.


    In contrast, silver and copper coins could be earned anywhere, and it was just a matter of how hard he was willing to work. Hence, Chen Ping''an decided that he was going to see if he could borrow from Master Ruan first, and he would only resort to spending gold essence copper coins if that didn''t work.


    He was extremely reluctant to part with any of his gold essence copper coins, but the problem was constantly staring him right in the eye, and he couldn''t just pretend not to see it. He was very averse to owing anyone anything.


    After returning to his courtyard, Chen Ping''an rested the locust branch that Li Baoping had given to him against the wall. The priceless chunk of Dragon ying tform was still sitting in the basket. but of course, he wasn''t just going to leave it in the yard out in the open. Instead, he had already carried the basket into the house.


    If it weren''t for the fact that he was pressed for time, he would''ve dug a 10-feet-tall hole in his yard and buried the chunk of Dragon ying tform in it. Just the name of the material alone had Chen Ping''an convinced that it had to be even more precious than those three pouches of gold essence copper coins.


    Chen Ping''an could hear the sound of chickens clucking in the neighboring yard. Back when Song Jixin and Zhi Gui left the town, they had left their hen and its chicks behind. At this point, they had to be starving. With that in mind, Chen Ping''an made his way into his house to grab that string of keys, then picked up a handful of rice before making his way into the neighboring yard and opening the chicken cage.


    He allowed the rice to fall through his fingers for the chickens to feed on, and after that, he opened the door of the kitchen to see if any food had been left behind in case they became rotten or moldy from neglect. As soon as he made his way into the kitchen, he was greeted by an astonishing sight.


    There was a huge vat full of rice inside, and just the mere sight of it was enough to fill his stomach. The pantry was filled with pots, pans, and all types of cooking utensils, and there was a row of ham and dried fish hanging on the wall. Everything was clean and orderly, and it seemed that Chen Ping''an''s concerns had been entirely unwarranted.


    All of a sudden, his attention was drawn to a pile of firewood near the kitchen counter. He made his way over to the pile of firewood to take a closer look, and sure enough, it was the wooden figure that Zhi Gui had been hacking at with a meat cleaverst time. She didn''t know how to chop firewood, so even though she hadbored away extensively at the wooden figure, she had made next to no progress.


    In contrast, Chen Ping''an was able to make short work of the wooden figure, quickly chopping it up into pieces. At this moment, he was squatting down as he examined the pieces of the wooden figure, and he noticed something quite strange. There were red spots engraved onto the wooden figure''s entire body, seemingly in apletely random and haphazard fashion.


    In some ces, the red spots were bunched together in dense clumps, while in other ces, they were far more spaced apart. Chen Ping''an picked up a section of the wooden figure''s arm to take a closer look, and he discovered that extremely tiny ck characters were engraved beside each red spot.


    The red spots were each only around the size of a grain of rice to begin with, and the characters were even smaller, to the point that they were barely visible. Thankfully, Chen Ping''an''s exceptional eyesight allowed him to discern the ck characters. If a normal person had been in his ce, they would''ve been able to see a bunch of red spots and even tinier ck dots.


    Chen Ping''an attempted to reassemble the pieces of the wooden figure, and it didn''t take long before it was restored. Thankfully, it wasn''t missing anyrge sections of its body, but what was rather unfortunate was that many of the red spots and ck characters on the connective parts of its body had been hacked away or ground down by Zhi Gui''s cleaver.


    At a rough visual estimate, Chen Ping''an spected that only around 70% to 80% of the red spots and ck characters were left.


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet to open the window to allow more light into the kitchen, then squatted down again to continue examining the pieces of the wooden figure, not daring to miss even the most trivial of details. He did this for around two hours, and even though he didn''t recognize the majority of the ck characters, he still did his best to memorize their structure and strokes.


    Deep down, he had always wanted to learn to read and write.


    Back when he was a worker at the kiln, he had looked back at the town on many asions after scaling to the top of a mountain. The first ce that he would search for from his vantage point was y Vase Alley, and the second ce was often the school. Back in his younger days, he would often go to the school and squat down at the foot of the wall to hear the lessons being taught inside.


    He didn''t understand what was being taught, but just listening to the lessons alone instilled him with a sense of peace and tranquility, and all of the negative emotions that had umted during the day would fade away.


    However, for an orphan who had grown up on y Vase Alley like him, receiving an education was an even more distant dream than a tanghulu, so the only thing that he could do was watch from afar.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an closed his eyes and reconstructed theplete wooden figure in his mind using his memory alone.


    Whenever he reached an indistinct part in his memory, he didn''t rush to open his eyes and examine that part of the wooden figure. Instead, he simply skipped over those parts, and in the end, there were around 40 to 50 parts where his memory was rather fuzzy.


    After examining all of those parts on the wooden figure''s body, Chen Ping''an took his deep breath and prepared to repeat the process, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he was struck by a rush of dizziness, and he knew that it wouldn''t be wise to force himself any further. There were some things that couldn''t be achieved just by pushing oneself harder.


    In fact, beyond a certain point, it was often the case that the more effort that was given, the less desirable the oue. This was a valuable lesson that Chen Ping''an had learned during his pottery firing days, not because he possessed exceptional talent, but solely from being constantly insulted and abused by Old Man Yao instead.


    Chen Ping''an scattered the wooden figure again and piled all of the parts in a corner of the kitchen before departing from Song Jixin''s courtyard. After closing the yard gate, Chen Ping''an paused for a moment to consider what he was going to do next, then decided to pay a visit to Zheng Dafeng again.


    Once he officially became an apprentice at the cksmith shop, he was most likely going to live there, so it wasn''t going to be possible for him toe back and deliver letters. Hence, Chen Ping''an wanted to give Zheng Dafeng some advance notice, but he had already gone to search for him on a previous asion and failed to find him.


    Upon arriving at the eastern town gate on the jog, Chen Ping''an discovered that the door of the earthen hut was still locked, and he heaved a faint sigh upon seeing this. He sat down onto the tree stump that Zheng Dafeng often sat on.


    Unlike the tree stumps in the mountains, this tree stump wasn''t the seat of a mountain god or anything like that. In a rare moment of peace and rxation for Chen Ping''an, he sat on the tree stump, staring nkly into the distance.


    After an indeterminate period of time, the sound of rolling carriage wheels rang out from the road inside the town. Chen Ping''an turned to discover an ox-drawn carriage followed by a pair of horse-drawn carriages. A bunch of kids were seated on the ox-drawn carriage, among which were a pair of familiar faces, namely Li Baoping in herrge red jacket, and Shi Chunjia with her delicate, red cheeks.


    The other three children on the carriage were presumably Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, and Dong Shuijing, the other schoolchildren that Shi Chunjia had mentioned earlier.


    The five children on the ox-drawn carriage were all chatting spiritedly among themselves, and the coach driver was an unfamiliar middle-aged man, seated behind whom was the school''s former janitor.


    The differences in the quality of attire worn by the five children were night and day. Shi Chunjia''s family had lived on Dragon Riding Alley for generations, running the old pastry shop, so she certainly hadn''t grown up poor. However, at the same time, her family couldn''t have been said to be particrly wealthy, so her clothes werefortable and warm, but not excessively extravagant.


    However, the child next to her wore a brand new ck fur coat made from fox fur, and there was a cold and apathetic look on his face. Li Huai''s father, Li Er, was renowned in the town for being a pushover, and Li Huai had an elder sister by the name of Li Liu. However, his parents and his elder sister had all left the town for better prospects, leaving only Li Huai behind to live with his uncle.


    Now, he was also going to be leaving the town, following Old Man Ma to Mountain Cliff Academy. The final boy to round out the five was wearing a thin spring garment and a pair of patchy outer garments, clearly indicating that he came from an impoverished background.


    The five children were sitting on the uncovered ox-drawn carriage, traveling to Mountain Cliff Academy, one of the 72 academies of Confucianism and a ce that was worshipped by countless schrs on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had countless empires and powerful ns and sects, many of which were willing to go to extreme lengths to try and send some of their most promising young prospects to Mountain Cliff Academy, just so they could study the way of managing a nation under the academy''s wise teachers.


    The five children on the carriage were naturallypletely oblivious to this, just as they were oblivious to how much of an honor it had been for them to have been able to study under Mr. Qi.


    On the contrary, these children disliked Mr. Qi for all of the rules that he had set for them and the fact that he was always so serious and unapproachable. Only very rarely would Mr. Qi smile upon them, and on the asions when he did, the children had no idea what they had done to make him so pleased.


    Li Baoping had a pair of sharp eyes, and she quickly spotted Chen Ping''an sitting on the tree stump. She immediately jumped down from the ox-drawn carriage like lightning, stumbling slightly before rushing over to Chen Ping''an like the wind, only to abruptly stop in front of him, seemingly unsure of what to say. In the end, she puffed out her chest with a proud expression and dered, "I''m going somewhere really, really far away."


    "Li Baoping!" Old Man Ma called out in a stern voice from the carriage.


    Even though he was clearly rather displeased, Old Man Ma still instructed the coach driver to stop the carriage. Li Baoping pursed her lips with displeasure, but still turned around and ran back to the carriage. As she did so, she suddenly heard Chen Ping''an call out to her, and she turned to find him raising his fist and pumping it up and down, gesturing for her to do her best.


    Li Baoping waved her little fist at him in response as a silent promise that she would indeed do her best.


    An amused smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face. He had no doubt that Li Baoping was going to do her best, but only when it came to ying. It most likely wasn''t going to be long before she left her footsteps all over the entire Mountain Cliff Academy.


    Chen Ping''an then noticed Old Man Ma looking at him, and as soon as their eyes met, the old man gave him a nod, in response to which Chen Ping''an reflexively returned the nod with a smile.


    At the same time, someone sitting in one of the horse-drawn carriages behind the ox-drawn carriage gently lowered the curtain.


    Chen Ping''an was only able to catch a fleeting glimpse of him, but that was enough for him to identify the man as the schr who had gone to find Master Ruan at his cksmith shop.


    Chen Ping''an watched as the three carriages slowly made their way out of the town.


    If Chen Ping''an could take to the heavens atop a flying sword like Ning Yao to see this small world, which had justnded and taken root in the earth, he would''ve definitely been astonished by the sight that would greet him.


    There were countless animals of all types of different species roaming thend and flying through the sky, lingering on the border between Jewel Small World and the Great Li Empire. Further away, there were even more animals rushing toward the border as quickly as they could, and they seemed to be absorbing something from this ce.


    They didn''t dare to take so much as a single step beyond the invisible border, but they were also extremely reluctant to leave.


    There was also an old woman standing at the end of the creek within the border. Her upper body was exposed above the surface of the water, and her dark green hair was trailing down all around her like a ck lotus flower.


    The old woman''s face had previously resembled the bark of a mottled old tree, but at this moment, she appeared to be a woman no more than 40 years of age.


    There was also Cloud Drape Mountain, which was slowly rising up at a rate that was discernible even to the naked eye, as if something were propping it up from below.


    The small world had been broken and had descended upon the earth as a blessednd.


    For all of the native residents of Jewel Small World, all of them would have a chance at reincarnation, regardless of their background and what they had done in this life.

 Chapter 74: The Fire Dragon Roams the Water

    Chapter 74: The Fire Dragon Roams the Water


    After returning to the cksmith shop andpleting his manualbor duties, Chen Ping''an carried his bowl and approached Ruan Xiu and Master Ruan during mealtime. He told Master Ruan that he wanted to borrow some money, 15 or 16 taels of silver, to be precise. Ruan Qiong didn''t even bother to ask Chen Ping''an the reason why he wanted to borrow money. Instead, he merely took a nce at Chen Ping''an out of the corner of his eyes, then said, "Piss off!"


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly rushed away in a sheepish manner.


    "Father, can''t you be nicer to him?" Ruan Xiu protested with furrowed brows.


    "I''m already being very nice to him by not beating his ass to a pulp!" Ruan Qiong harrumphed coldly.


    Ruan Xiu couldn''t help but want to stand up for Chen Ping''an. "He''s working so diligently as your apprentice for not a single copper coin of pay! At night, when everyone else is either sleeping or chatting in their rooms, he''s the only one who''s still carrying soil out of the well one trip after another.


    ��He works harder than anyone else here! Can you not see what he''s been doing? Have you no conscience? Is it really too much for him to ask to borrow a few taels of silver from you for all the hard work he''s done?"


    Ruan Qiong remained silent with a dark expression, thinking to himself, It''s exactly because I know what he''s been doing that I want to chop that little bastard up into 1,000 pieces! If he had the cultivation base of that Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain, I would''ve done the same thing as Qi Jingchun and given him a vicious beating!


    The thought of what Qi Jingchun had done to Bai Yuan immediately left him feeling a little dejected. Even if he weren''t the Sage overseeing this small world, he would''ve still definitely been able to defeat Bai Yuan, but it would''ve been impossible for him to defeat such a formidable foe with just a single stomp, as Qi Jingchun had done.


    Ruan Qiong could only engage in self-constion by telling himself that even though he was supposed to be a Militarian swordsman, his true pursuit wasn''t to be as formidable in battle as possible.


    Instead, it was to be the best swordsmith in the world and forge a living sword that possessed sentience and intelligence. Essentially, his ultimate goal was to create a true living being that could cultivate, die, enter the cycle of reincarnation, and even pursue the Great Dao.


    Ruan Qiong set down his bowl and chopsticks as he raised his head to look up at the sky, then suddenly erupted into a furious tirade out of nowhere. "Do you bastards think you can do whatever you want now that Qi Jingchun''s dead? I''ve already told you the rules. If you''re going to tantly break those rules, then I presume that you''re prepared to bear the consequences!"


    There was no one around him, but all of a sudden, he erupted into the sky as a streak of white light, hurtling toward the clouds up above.


    Above the clouds was a group of well-dressed men and women soaring through the sky while chatting amicably with one another. They were like true deities taking a stroll above the clouds, asionally looking down at Jewel Small World as if they were on a sightseeing tour.


    All of a sudden, a resounding boom rang out, and the head of a regal woman wearing a golden hairpin abruptly exploded. Immediately thereafter, the head of the beautiful young woman beside her also exploded, as did the heads of everyone else in the group, one after another.


    Ruan Qiong was hovering in the air above the resplendent sea of clouds, looking around with a cold gleam in his eyes as he chuckled, "Are you really just going to send out small fry like this to test my patience? How little do you think of me? While it''s true that I''m just a cksmith, and I can''t even begin topare with Qi Jingchun, ying a few insolent 10th tier cultivators here is nothing for me!


    ��From now on, there''s a new rule for all of you to follow, so you better listen up. Even if you hide outside the border and try to look into Jewel Blessed Land, I''ll drag you into the blessednd just the same and smash your heads open if you catch me in a bad mood! If you don''t believe me, you''re free to try your luck!"


    After making this deration, Ruan Qiong flew through the air in a sh, and in the next instant, his hand closed around the head of an old man, whom he dragged into the border. The old man hurriedly began pleading for his life. "Master Ruan! Master Ruan! Please, let''s be civilized about this! I''m from the nearby Purple Smoke River..."


    Before the old man had a chance to finish what he was saying, Ruan Qiong crushed his head before casually tossing his headless body out of the border. A streak of green light immediately sprang out of the headless body before fleeing into the distance, and Ruan Qiong merely took a cold nce at it, but refrained from going any further.


    The streak of green light was over three feet in length, and it sped through the air as quickly as it could, flying close to 1,000 kilometers before plunging into arge river with faint purple smoke swirling in the air above it. The river was extremely massive and spectacr to behold, much more so than any of the bodies of water in the Great Li Empire.


    Ruan Qiong''s fingers were still tinged with the blood of the old man as he loudly dered, "This is how things will be for the next 60 years!"


    Far away in the distance, a female cultivator concealed herself in the sea of clouds as she grumbled in a furious voice, "How could you be so barbaric? This is not how a Sage overseeing a blessednd should be conducting himself!"


    Ruan Qiong couldn''t help but burst intoughter. "Aren''t you quite the smart girl, only badmouthing me after you''ve gotten far away? You think I can''t do anything to you over there, right? You little bitch, I''m not an idiot schr like Qi Jingchun! You want to talk to a Militarian swordsman like me about proper conduct? Were you dropped on your head as a baby?"


    Ruan Qiong pointed an arm diagonally downward, joining his index and middle fingers together as he silently called, "Astral winds and infernal lightning, heed my call!"


    All of a sudden, two auras began to churn rapidly between heaven and earth, like a pair of springs that had just emerged out of nowhere.


    On the other side, a panicked voice hurriedly rang out. "These are Ruan Qiong''s bonded wind and lightning swords! Run, Leiting! Ruan Qiong''s bonded artifacts are different from those of the average person in that they''re not nurtured in his acupoint. Instead, they exist around him, following his pair of Militarian yin deities."


    Above the sea of clouds, a speck of green mes desperately fled into the distance. Outside of the speck of green fire were a series of glittering and translucent peach blossoms, revolving around the me to protect it from the outside.


    The speck of green fire flew close to 400 kilometers before being struck down by an azure thread through the head.


    As for the man who had spoken up earlier to warn her about Ruan Qiong''s powers, he had already fled at the first sign of danger, and no one dared to say anything else after what had just happened.


    Ruan Qiong gave a cold harrumph, then descended onto the bank of creek near the cksmith shop before washing the blood from his hands using the water in the creek.


    He heaved a faint sigh as he murmured to himself, "Qi Jingchun, if you had been even half as unreasonable as I am, there''s no way you would''ve suffered such a sad demise."


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was on the way back from his two-hour long session of walking meditation. He had justpleted the session and was in the process of performing some stretches when he suddenly spotted Master Ruan making his way up to the bank from the creek.


    After a brief hesitation, he slowed down slightly, keeping his distance from Master Ruan. He didn''t know why, but he could sense that Master Ruan wasn''t very fond of him, and the way that Master Ruan looked at him reminded him of the way that Old Man Yao used to look at him.


    Ruan Qiong paid no heed to Chen Ping''an as he made his way back to the cksmith shop.


    Chen Ping''an turned to look at the creek, and nothing appeared to be amiss.


    However, for some reason, a chill had run down his spine just now, as if there were water-dwelling ghosts looking out at him from the creek. It was a very strange and unsettling feeling, but all he could see was the water in the creek flowing long gently as normal.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t convinced, and he picked up several rocks of just the right weight, then turned and waded into the creek in the downstream direction before carefully examining the flowing water, trying to find the source of the unsettling feeling he had just been struck by.


    The more he looked at the water, the more he felt like something was wrong. Under the broad daylight, the water of the creek was somehow giving off a sense of sinister eeriness. Chen Ping''an had ventured into the deep pit at the foot of the Azure Cow Ridge on many past asions, but even in there, he had never felt so unsettled and disturbed.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an was already certain that there were unfathomable things, such as monsters, spirits, and ghosts that existed in this world. In the past, with Mr. Qi at the town, no evil entities had dared to rear their ugly heads here, but now that Mr. Qi wasn''t here anymore, there was no guarantee that this ce would still remain safe and untouched, so he had to be very careful.


    Even when it came to Master Ruan, the so-called next "Sage" taking over from Mr. Qi, Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to lower his guard. Ultimately, he only trusted Mr. Qi. He felt a sense of fear and respect toward the stern Master Ruan, but nothing beyond that.


    Chen Ping''an only dared to trust in his instincts and venture into the creek to investigate as Master Ruan had only just left the creek. He was fairly confident that even if there were some sinister entities in the water, there was no way that they would dare to kill him right under the nose of a Sage.


    Furthermore, he was carrying the pair of Mountain and Water Seals that Mr. Qi had given him up his sleeve, and one of them was a "water" seal, so that only served to instill him with more courage.


    After tossing two handfuls of rocks into the water, Chen Ping''an was just about to pick up some more when someone from nearby asked, "What''re you doing?"


    It was Ruan Xiu.


    Chen Ping''an''s attention had been focused entirely on the water this entire time, so he didn''t sense her presence. He made no effort to hide what he was doing as he pointed at the surface of the water and answered truthfully, "I feel like there''s something dirty in the water, and I''m trying to see if I can force it toe out by pelting it with rocks."


    Ruan cast her gaze toward the water in the creek, and a grim look instantly appeared on her face.


    "Is there really something dirty in here?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "I can''t see anything," Ruan Xiu replied with a shake of her head.


    "I''m probably just being too paranoid then," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    Ruan Xiu lowered her voice as she said, "Go back to the cksmith shop, I''m going to eat something here before I go back. If my father asks about it, just say you didn''t see anything."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. "No problem."


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to him, and he picked up a sharp rock from the ground, then asked, "Ruan Xiu, can I ask you about the meanings and pronunciations of some characters?"


    Ruan Xiu immediately tensed up at the prospect of having to read.


    In her mind, books were the most terrifying enemies under the heavens. Whenever she flipped open a book to any page, she would always feel like the characters on the page were a formidable army that was challenging her to a battle, making her head spin and throb. She was actually supposed to go and study in the school after arriving in the town with her father, and there was no need for her to help him in his forge.


    However, she refused to go no matter what. One day, she would im that she had a stomach ache. The next day, she would say that she had a fever, and she would "roll her ankle" the day after that. The only reason why Ruan Qiong was choosing to let her off the hook now was because he had grown tired of her clearly fabricated excuses.


    However, Ruan Xiu didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of Chen Ping''an, so she forced herself to remain calm and put on a confident smile as she said, "Go ahead."


    Chen Ping''an carved out a couple of characters onto the ground with the sharp rock, and as soon as Ruan Xiu saw the two characters, her feigned confidence immediately turned to genuine confidence as she said in an ted manner, "These two characters are way too simple! I already knew them from a very young age. One of them is ''divine'', while the other is ''court'', and when put together, they spell out the name of an acupoint on the human body. The reason why us humans are known as the rulers of all sentient beings is because our bodies are most suitable for cultivation.


    ��It''s also because of this that many monsters and demons that attain the Great Dao have no choice but to manifest human forms at some point in their cultivation journey. The 365 acupoints in the human body are all like mountains of treasures.


    ��There''s an ancient saying that acupoints are the avenues through which divine energy enter and exit the body, and our soul is like a child who was able to grow up thanks to the kindness and charity of others, being spared a bowl of rice by one family, then a bowl of water by another, slowly developing and bing stronger."


    Ruan Xiu extended a finger and pointed it at her own head as she continued with a smile, "This is where the Divine Court acupoint is located, five centimeters up from your hairline. This acupoint isn''t all that important for Militarian swordsmen like me and my father. Essentially, it''s an expendable acupoint for us, but for those beings on the other side, this acupoint is of the utmost importance.


    "However, my father tells me that those ghostly beings are severely limited in their potential. No matter how powerful they be, they''re nothing more than pitiful beings that are solely reliant on others."


    Chen Ping''an had no idea what he had just been told, so he could only memorize what Ruan Xiu had just said in the hope that he would be able to understand the meaning of these words in the future. After that, he asked about the "Giant Tower" and the "Great Void" acupoints, and Ruan Xiu was able to provide an exnation in both cases.


    She was very averse to reading, but that was only limited to the ssicsuded by schrs. In contrast, she was extremely eager to read materials rted to Militarian cultivation and swordsmanship, so from a young age, she had memorized all of the acupoints and their locations on the body.


    Before Chen Ping''an had a chance to ask, Ruan Xiu smiled as she dered, "When I get the time to do so in the future, I''ll tell you the names, locations, and purposes of all of the 365 acupoints on the human body."


    "I''ll have to trouble you then, Ruan Xiu," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    "Do you feel like I''m troubling you by asking you to buy pastries for me?" Ruan Xiu asked.


    "Not at all," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    "There you go! This is no trouble for me, either," Ruan Xiu said with a happy smile.


    However, a slightly forlorn look then appeared on her face as she continued, "Even if you learn about all of the acupoints, that knowledge isn''t going to do you much good. There are so many paths that one can take in cultivation, and the reason for this is that there are countless different ways of Qi refinement.


    ��Even the slightest difference in one''s cultivation method could result in massive disparities. Our family has a pair of cultivation methods, one for Qi dispersion and one for Qi development, both of which have been passed down for generations, but they''re family secrets that can''t be passed onto outsiders. This is not a matter of whether my father approves or not. I''m sorry, Chen Ping''an."


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t the type of person to ask for more than he was given, and he hurriedly smiled as he exined, "It''s fine, I just wanted to learn more characters, I haven''t even thought about cultivation. Besides, I already have a fist technique that I can practice. Just that alone is already too much for me to handle, I can''t afford to divert my attention elsewhere."


    Ruan Xiu was quite relieved to hear this, and she patted her own chest as she said, "That''s good to hear."


    As she did so, a certain pair of monuments quivered under her clothes, presenting an alluring sight to behold.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly raised his gaze, putting on a serious expression as she said, "I''ll wait until you have some spare time. I can go back to y Vase Alley a bitter anyway."


    "Sure," Ruan Xiu replied with a smile and a nod.


    With that, Chen Ping''an jogged over to the cksmith shop.


    Ruan Xiu made her way down the slope to the bank of the creek, then pulled out a handkerchief, out of which she produced a piece of pastry that she ced into her own mouth.


    Only after Chen Ping''an had arrived at the cksmith shop did she roll up a section of her sleeve to reveal that bright red bracelet. She cast her gaze toward the clear creek water, then said, "The fire dragon roams the water."


    The bracelet instantly melted, and a living being emerged, struggling and writhing incessantly before finally transforming into a miniature flood dragon that was entirely formed by mes. Its head and tail were connected, and its body was just the right length to encircle her wrist.


    Following an order from her, the crimson flood dragon, which was no more than a foot in length, sprang toward the creek.


    As it did so, it rapidly extended to 100 feet in length, upon which Ruan Xiu ordered, "That''s enough!"


    The fiery dragon''s body didn''t elongate any further, but all of the nearby water in the creek hadpletely evaporated. Not only that, but the water upstream was like an army that had suffered a crushing defeat, not daring to advance any further. More and more water flowed to one ce, and the water level was constantly rising, while the water downstream continued onward, creating a rift in the creek.


    Ruan Xiu''s eyes narrowed slightly as she peered out at the creek, waiting for something to emerge.


    She strode along the bed of the dry creek, trailing along behind the fiery dragon.


    Now that the small world had fallen, the restrictions that the four Sages had meticulously set up had also vanished, so mystical abilities were no longer prohibited.


    This was also why Ruan Qiong had established a new set of rules, and why he had enforced those rules in such a violent and assertive manner to set an example. This was the smallest of the 36 small worlds, and it was also the one that was mostcking in natural treasures, but ultimately, it was still a blessednd that was once a small world, so it was still able to provide many benefits that could significantly enhance one''s cultivation.


    Now that the formation was no longer active, cultivators from the outside would flood into the town if no new rules were established. Those cultivators had no regard for the town''s residents, so if Ruan Qiong were to allow them to do as they pleased, then all of the town''s residents would most likely be killed off in a single day, with the exception of powerful old hermits residing in the town.


    Even among Militarians, it was very important to set rules, but they were far more flexible than Confucianists, able and willing to adapt ording to the situation.


    Around 15 minutester, the fiery dragon that had been constantly prowling the creek bed seemed to have finally caught its elusive target, and it swooped down ferociously before slowly lowering its head.


    Ruan Xiu made her way over to the head of the fiery dragon, then looked down to find a woman curled up into a ball on the creek bed. She had been caught under the ws of the fiery dragon, and she had a head of waist-length hair that she was using to desperately protect her entire body.


    An intrigued look appeared in Ruan Xiu''s eyes as she mused, "To think that even a mere river guardian like yourself would dare to show up right on our doorstep. Have you not heard about how my father once slew six great river gods in a row?"


    Caught within the clutches of the fiery dragon, the river guardian desperately implored, "Please spare me, esteemed immortal! I''m just passing through this ce, I have no intentions of offending anyone!


    ��I only dared to release my Yin godly aura in the hope of helping Sage Ruan where I can by increasing the density of the water in the creek. Please don''t be offended, esteemed immortal. If you find my form too unsightly to behold, then I''ll make sure to onlye out at night from now on."


    "You know Chen Ping''an?" Ruan Xiu asked.


    The river guardian was rapidly aging under the ws of the fiery dragon, but she only dared to whimper in a pitiful voice as she quickly nodded in response. "I do. I used to live on Apricot Blossom Alley, while Chen Ping''an is an orphan from y Vase Alley, so we met asionally in the past, but there''s no bad blood at all between us!


    ��It''s just that I very rarely see any of the townsfolk near the creek, so I was rather curious when I spotted him practicing his fist technique today, and I decided to take a closer look. Never did I think that I would offend you through my actions, esteemed immortal! Please excuse my ignorance and spare me!"


    With a casual wave of her hand, the fiery dragon reverted back into a red bracelet that fitted itself around her wrist.


    As a result, the water upstream began to flow once again, while Ruan Xiu continued to remain on the creek bed.


    However, in the next instant, the river guardian was horrified to see that the water was avoiding Ruan Xiu at all costs as if she were the bane of its existence, skirting around her in a wide berth before flowing downstream.


    What was even more terrifying was that the river guardian could sense that Ruan Xiu wasn''t using any mystical abilities.


    Ruan Xiu smiled as she said, "Don''t just stand there with your mouth hanging open. Tell me everything you know about Apricot Blossom Alley and y Vase Alley."


    Having been freed from the fiery dragon''s clutches, the river guardian was beginning to slowly rejuvenate into a more youthful form once again, but in the next instant, she suddenly let loose a shriek of rm and horror. As it turned out, her head of dark green hair was shortening in length, and she screeched in a frantic voice, "Why is my Dao foundation seeping away?"


    Ruan Xiu was chewing on a piece of pastry as she said in a muffled voice, "Oh, sorry about that. I forgot to tell you that I possess an innate fire god constitution, so water is my natural enemy."


    The river guardian forced herself to calm down, then began silently weeping as she implored, "Please spare me out of the infinite kindness of your heart, esteemed immortal. I mean you no offense."


    After a moment of consideration, Ruan Xiu decided, "I''m going to call you to tell me stories from now on. Don''t worry, I''ll be sure to conceal my aura while you''re in my presence."


    The river guardian didn''t dare to refuse, so she could only ept this arrangement with a sullen expression.


    Ruan Xiu made her up the bank of the creek, then turned around as she said, "Don''t let this happen again."


    The river guardian hurriedly nodded in response.


    Ruan Xiu strode toward the cksmith shop with her ponytail swaying from side to side, while the river guardian dove back into the water with her face twisted in resentment and fury.


    However, having already been taught several painful lessons, she had begun to learn to suppress her resentment at all costs.


    Right at this moment, a voice rang out directly within her heart.


    "Suspend your ignorance, you fool! Do you know what a woman''s Dao attainment catalyst is? It''s to kill all of the river gods on an entire continent! How dare a mere river guardian like you harbor resentment toward someone like her? Know your ce! Even if she does nothing but stand there and allow you to attack her, you''ll be the only one that ends up dead!


    ��Do you know how sensitive she is to all Yin entities residing in water? I know what you''re thinking right now, and you''re correct. The first river god that she''s going to kill in the future will be none other than you, so you''d better think of a way to salvage this situation! If you can do that, this could turn from an unmitigated disaster into an unparalleled opportunity for you.


    ��This is my final warning to you. If you dare to take any further steps out of line, then you won''t have to wait for retribution from others, I''ll be the first one to make sure that you''ll wish you were dead!"


    Even after the voice faded, the river guardian continued to float in the water in a dazed manner, and all of the life seemed to have been sucked out of her body.


    The Great Dao seemed so ethereal and out of reach, and she couldn''t help but feel a sense of despair.


    Ruan Qiong watched with a displeased expression as his daughter skipped into the swordsmithing room, and he grumbled, "Are you pleased with yourself for picking on a mere river guardian?"


    Ruan Xiu wore a dazzling smile as she replied, "Alright, then I''ll wait until she bes a river god before I pick on her again."


    Ruan Xiu''s brows furrowed slightly as he cautioned, "Xiuxiu, don''t underestimate river gods. They are true water gods that preside over entire bodies of water, and they may not be able topare with the Five Mountains of each empire, but it''s certainly not an easy task to kill them while they''re in the water."


    "In that case, I''ll just make sure that there''s no water for them to reside in," Ruan Xiu replied in a casual manner.


    Ruan Qiong''s heart jolted slightly, and he hurriedly suppressed the smile that was ying on his lips.

 Chapter 75: Mountain Selection

    Chapter 75: Mountain Selection


    That night, an unfamiliar visitor arrived at the cksmith shop. The man appeared to be roughly 30 years of age, and he was quite tall and broad, with fair skin and a pair of sleek, long brows. His elegant and delicate appearance coupled with his imposing stature presented a rather peculiar contrast to behold.


    After being informed of the man''s arrival, Ruan Qiong arranged a wee that was far more formal than the one he had prepared for Cui Minghuang, where the two had only had a brief chat at the entrance to the swordsmithing room. On this asion, he instructed Ruan Xiu to carry out a pair of bamboo chairs, and he even brought out two gons of fine wine, one for each person.


    The visitor dly epted the gon of wine, removing the y seal before taking a swig, then smiled as he said, "You''ve really made a bold statement with what you did earlier, Master Ruan. I don''t know how the imperial court is going to react for now, but as the newly assigned kiln supervision official and head official of Dragon Spring County, you''ve saved me a lot of trouble.


    ��I should''ve been the one to bring some good wine to visit you, but I heard about what happened on the way here, so I was in a hurry to get here, and in my haste, I passed by the shop on Dragon Riding Alley. I owe you tworge urns of apricot blossom wine."


    Master Ruan waved a dismissive hand as he said, "There''s no need for these pleasantries. If our negotiation goes well here, we''ll have plenty more opportunities to chat over wine in the future, and if the negotiation goes awry, then you won''t have to bother trying to get on my good side."


    The man burst intoughter, and he appeared much more like a traveling hero than an official of the Great Li Empire''s imperial court. He dabbed at his own lips with his sleeve, then set his gon of wine down onto his knee, and it seemed that he was about to discuss something serious with Ruan Qiong. "As I''m sure you''re already aware, the mountains here were sealed off by the imperial court during the Spring Crest Year.


    ��Of course, that''s only the official exnation given by the ministry of revenue. ording to the local chronicles, the actual reason for the mountains being sealed off is because halfway up the mountain known as Dragonspine Mountain, arge piece of naturally formed Dragon ying tform appeared. Prior toing here, I had a meeting with His Majesty, and I was explicitly told that the Dragon ying tform is to be shared between the Wind Snow Temple that you belong to, and True Martial Mountain.


    ��As for exactly what you do with the Dragon ying tform, whether you choose to excavate it, split it up, keep it in its original ce, or take it back to your respective sects, that is entirely up to your two sects, and our Great Li Empire will not interfere under any circumstance.


    ��In fact, if you require assistance from our Great Li Empire, for example, you need the two young Mountain-moving Apes under the Great Li Empire''s control to smash open the mountain and reveal the Dragon ying tform, then just state your request, and we would be more than happy to oblige."


    "That''s a lot of sincerity being disyed by your Great Li Empire," Master Ruan remarked with a smile.


    The new kiln supervision official also smiled, and he was just about to say something, when Master Ruan continued, "Prior toing here, our Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain had already arrived at an agreement on the Dragon ying tform, with the Wind Snow Temple, True Martial Mountain, and myself each taking a third.


    ��I''m sure you''ve already heard from your emperor that I''m nning to establish a sect here, and that''s why both my daughter and I have already detached ourselves from the Wind Snow Temple. It won''t be very appropriate for me to establish my sect anytime in the next 60 years, but as long as your Great Li Empire doesn''t do anything to get on my bad side, I''ll select a mountain here at the conclusion of the 60-year period as the site for my future sect."


    The new kiln supervision official made no attempt to hide his tion upon hearing this. In fact, this seemed to have been what he was waiting to hear all along, and he immediately replied, "Rest assured, Master Ruan.


    ��Aside from Cloud Drape Mountain, there are 61 mountains in our Great Li Empire, and you can choose any three of them to serve as the site for your future sect. If you don''t want to make a decision right now, I can show you the new and old mountain topography charts for Jewel Small World, then take you to see the mountains before you make a decision. What do you think?"


    It would be immensely beneficial for any empire to have a mighty cultivator of Ruan Qiong''s caliber settling within its boundaries. In particr, Ruan Qiong clearly had intentions of settling permanently here, rather than just staying in the Great Li Empire on a temporary basis as a guest elder, advisor, or imperial preceptor.


    Hence, he was going to be an integral part of the empire, rather than just an essory piece, and even if the emperor of the Great Li Empire were in the kiln supervision official''s ce, he would''ve undoubtedly been ecstatic to hear this.


    The Great Li Empire was filled with powerful martial artists, with Song Changjing leading the way, and it had by far the most martial artists in the Middle Five Tiers out of any empire on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. However, it had a pitiful number of immortal cultivators, far fewer than what a powerful empire like the Great Li Empire should''ve had, and that had always been an area of concern for the emperor.


    Ruan Qiong smiled as he said, "I''m in no hurry to select any mountains. To be frank, aside from Cloud Drape Mountain, which you''re not willing to offer to me, none of the other mountains appeal to me at all."


    A slightly awkward look appeared on the young kiln supervision official''s face. Prior toing here, both his master and the emperor of the Great Li Empire had spected that there was a chance that Ruan Qiong would establish his sect in the Great Li Empire, but the chances were definitely rather slim.


    The reason for this was because the Great Li Empire really didn''t have enough to offer to Ruan Qiong. When it came to the Dragon ying tform, if it weren''t for the fact that Ruan Qiong was powerful enough on his own to negotiate with the Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain, there was no way that the Great Li Empire would''ve dared to cross those two sects just to appease Ruan Qiong. The consequences of doing something like that would''ve been far too severe for the empire to bear.


    Ruan Qiong suddenly said, "Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain have never made this proposal, but I personally hope that your Great Li Empire can provide two sufficiently sharp weapons, whether that be swords or sabers.


    ��The type of weapon doesn''t matter, as long as they can be used to split the Dragon ying tform. Bring them to me, and I''ll help you pass them on to the two Militarian cultivators who have been sent here. There''s no hurry in this matter, either, so you can ry my request to the imperial court and await a response from the emperor."


    The kiln supervision official considered the request for a moment, then dered, "I can make that decision, Master Ruan. Consider it done!"


    Ruan Qiong nodded in response, then took a sip of wine, seemingly quite pleased with the kiln supervision official''s attitude and decisiveness. He was going to have to deal with this new kiln supervision official by the name of Wu Yuan for a long time toe, so he was very relieved to see that he wasn''t dealing with someone foolish or cowardly.


    After a brief hesitation, Wu Yuan took a sip of wine, seemingly to bolster his own resolve, then said, "Master Ruan, firstly, all of the 30 or so dragon kilns outside the town will begin operation again, but from now on, they''ll only be producing ordinary chinaware to be used in the imperial court.


    ��Secondly, once the new county office is constructed on the eastern side of the town, thews of the Great Li Empire will be released on a que for all to see, and we''ll also be sending out people to announce and exin these newws. This is so that we can make the town''s residents aware that they''re now citizens of the Great Li Empire."


    A cold look appeared on Ruan Qiong''s face as he took a nce at Wu Yuan, and the other smiled and exined, "Of course, thesews only apply to the ordinary residents of the town. Within the next 60 years, your rules will still remain paramount in this town, followed by the rules of the four surnames and ten ns, and only after thates thews of the Great Li Empire.


    ��If there''s any conflict in those rules, the hierarchy that I just mentioned will decide which one takes precedence. Within a radius of 500 kilometers of the town, our Great Li Empire won''t interfere with anything that you do, and we''ll be giving you our unreserved support. I''m not sure if you recall that cultivator from Purple Smoke River.


    ��After you destroyed his physical body, he still didn''t learn his lesson and attempted to use his connections in the capital city toin to the emperor. As soon as my master heard about this, he immediately sent someone to eradicate his soul."


    Ruan Qiong''s brows furrowed slightly with vexation. "Tell your master not to go around doing such unnecessary things. There''s no need to do things like this behind my back. I''m just a cksmith, I don''t like all this funny business. If your Great Li Empire really wants to show me its sincerity, then give me actual, tangible benefits, and that''s enough. As for whether I ept those benefits, that''s up to me.


    ��Besides, if I really wanted to kill that piece of trash from Purple Smoke River, do you think he would''ve been able to get away? If I really want to kill someone, who in your Great Li Empire can stop me? Even if you can find someone capable of stopping me, would they be willing to oppose me?"


    Wu Yuan''s face paled slightly as he said in a slightly strained voice, "I''ll be sure to keep that in mind, Master Ruan."


    Ruan Qiong didn''t want to make the conversation too hostile. After all, this was only their first meeting, and it would''ve been asking far too much to expect Wu Yuan to know exactly what he wanted and act ordingly.


    Hence, he changed the subject to ease the tension in the air. "It should be an imperial court''s responsibility to construct wenchang pavilions and martial sage temples, assign official mountain and water gods, and ban all unofficial temples within their territory. How do you n to carry out these tasks in the town?"


    Having just been scolded by Ruan Qiong, Wu Yuan carefully considered his response this time before giving an answer. "With regard to the construction of the wenchang pavilions and martial sage temples, our Great Li Empire''s officials of astronomy and fengshui masters have two sites in mind, one of which is the mountain of porcin situated to the north of the town, while the other is the immortal tomb in the southeast.


    ��The two people overseeing the ritual will be the pair of individuals who emerged from the town, and it just so happens that one of them is an aplished schr, while the other is a decorated martial artist, both of whom have also made significant contributions to our Great Li Empire. What do you think, Master Ruan?"


    Ruan Qiong replied in a serious voice, "I have no objection to the two people you''ve chosen, but have you already decided on the locations? Have you consulted Old Man Yang for his opinion first?"


    Wu Yuan was instantly stumped by this question, and he asked in a careful voice, "Master Ruan, may I ask who Old Man Yang is?"


    Ruan Qiong was also quite taken aback to hear this, and he jibed, "Embroidered Tiger didn''t even tell you about Old Man Yang before sending you here to be the town''s kiln supervision official?


    ��Be honest with me, are you in a simr position to the one Qi Jingchun was in? Did you mess up in the imperial court and end up being banished here as a punishment? If that''s the case, then I''m going to have to revoke everything we agreed on earlier."


    Not only was Wu Yuanpletely stumped by this situation, he had no idea how to exin himself.


    Meanwhile, three people of around the same age were seated on the ground next to the well. Ruan Xiu was teaching Chen Ping''an the names of the acupoints in the human body and their purposes when it came to cultivation, while the other boy had approached them out of the blue. Initially, Ruan Xiu and Chen Ping''an had remained silent as they stared at the boy, who had a set of rather delicate facial features.


    There was a small red birthmark on his be, and he had a very friendly and amicable appearance. However, both Chen Ping''an and Ruan Xiu had underestimated his tenacity and shamelessness.


    His smile didn''t waver in the slightest as he looked back at Chen Ping''an and Ruan Xiu in silence, and after a stalemate thatsted several minutes, the boy seemed to havee to the realization that he had also underestimated the willpower of the two people beside him, and he finally broke the silence, speaking fluently in the town''s dialect, informing the two of them that he was from the capital city, and that he hade here with the kiln supervision official to see the scenery. In particr, he really wanted to see the mountain of porcin.


    "Why don''t you continue in your discussion of acupoints? Don''t be so stingy, I just want to hear what you were talking about. It''s not like I''ll suddenly be a terrestrial god from overhearing your conversation."


    After that, Chen Ping''an and Ruan Xiu continued their discussion, paying no further heed to this unwee guest.


    "I must say, your handwriting is not great. It''s clear that you haven''t spent much time and effort practicing your handwriting. It''s very wishy-washy, like oil floating on the surface of water. Also, the exnation you offered here isn''t veryplete. You only stated the ''what'', but now the ''how'' or the ''why'', which are just as integral, if not more important.


    ��You''re just going to skip over this acupoint? Why didn''t you point out the Danzhong acupoint to him? Is it because it''s a little awkward? If you''re too embarrassed to demonstrate, I can point it out to him for you. Why are you looking at me like that? Ah, you must be misunderstanding my intentions. What I''m saying is that I''ll point it out on my own body, not on yours.


    ��Even an omnipotent being would struggle to find the Danzhong acupoint on your body, so there''s no point for me to try. Hey! Why did you hit me? Ow! Again? I''m sorry! Stop! Why did you skip the three integral acupoints on the back as well? As the saying goes, opening up the three integral back acupoints is half the work done, so they''re clearly very important." [1]


    In the end, it was Wu Yuan who stepped in to save Chen Ping''an and Ruan Xiu from the intrusive young boy, and the two of them departed from the cksmith shop together.


    Chen Ping''an and Ruan Xiu were seated on the edge of the well, and thetter took a nce at the pair of departing figures as she said, "The older of the two is an official, but I''m not sure about that boy. I didn''t sense anything special about him. Perhaps he''s that man''s schrly attendant. There are many affluent schrs in the outside world who go around with schrly attendants by their side."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Shortly thereafter, Ruan Qiong made his way over to the well with a stern expression, then ordered, "Chen Ping''an,e with me."


    Chen Ping''an stood up with a puzzled expression. Ruan Xiu had told him that her father was willing to lend him money, but he was going to have to wait around 10 days. Could it be that Ruan Qiong had gone back on his promise?


    Ruan Xiu was also a little concerned, so she trailed along behind Chen Ping''an.


    Ruan Qiong sat down onto a bamboo chair, then gestured for Chen Ping''an to take a seat on the chair that had just been upied by Wu Yuan.


    Ruan Xiu cleared her throat, then smiled as she said, "Father, these two chairs were made by Chen Ping''an. They''re prettyfortable, right?"


    "I have something serious to discuss with Chen Ping''an, so don''t interrupt us, Xiuxiu," Ruan Qiong said with a dark expression.


    "Please go ahead, Master Ruan," Chen Ping''an prompted as he hurriedly sat up straighter.


    Ruan Qiong pulled what appeared to be roughly three or four taels out of his sleeve, then instructed, "Go to Dragon Riding Alley and buy me a gon of premium spring peach blossom wine. You can buy some pastries with the leftover silver."


    Ruan Xiu was rather reluctant to do as she was told, so Ruan Qiong threatened to stow the silver away again as he said, "In that case, you can go to keep an eye on the fire in the furnace of the swordsmithing room."


    Ruan Xiu immediately grabbed the silver and rushed away.


    After Ruan Xiu had disappeared into the distance, Ruan Qiong turned back to Chen Ping''an and asked, "Chen Ping''an, you have three pouches of gold essence copper coins, is that right?"


    "I do," Chen Ping''an immediately replied with a nod.


    Ruan Qiong seemed to be rather pleased with Chen Ping''an''s honesty, and his expression eased slightly as he said, "No other resident of this town would have three pouches of gold essence copper coins in their possession. Even the Song n, which has the most pouches of gold essence copper coins among the four surnames and ten ns on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, only has two pouches.


    ��As for the rest, they only have one pouch at most. Aside from them, there are eight smaller households in the town that were able to secure a pouch of gold essence copper coins each in exchange for the treasures in their possession. At this point, most of the valuable old artifacts in the town have been taken, and there are only around seven or eight decent ones left. From now on, there are going to be more and more outsidersing into the town.


    ��Of course, you don''t have to worry about your own safety, so I''m going to be open and candid with you. I hope that you can use your three pouches of gold essence copper coins wisely and effectively. Don''t squander them carelessly, but don''t just stubbornly hold onto them, either.


    ��Before I took over, the town would open its doors to the outside world once every 60 years, and around 20 to 30 outsiders would be allowed into the town to search for fated opportunities each time. From now on, that practice no longer exists, and this ce will be just like any ordinary town in the Great Li Empire.


    ��Hence, your three pouches of gold essence copper coins will be particrly attention-grabbing, and ultimately, they''ll only attract trouble for you. I''m a man who tries to avoid trouble wherever possible, but if you get into trouble, I''ll have no choice but to stand up for you. I don''t want to have to act as a bodyguard for a brat like you all the time, so I have a piece of advice for you, but it''s up to you whether you follow my advice or not.


    ��Before I tell you my suggestion, let me make one thing clear to you: this is the time when gold essence copper coins are at their most valuable, but not just anyone will be able to spend them. The emperor of the Great Li Empire is nning to lift the restrictions on all of the 61 mountains aside from Cloud Drape Mountain to be sold to the powers and sects allied with the Great Li Empire.


    ��The prices of the mountains will vary depending on their sizes, and many people on the outside are salivating at this prospect. Even though Jewel Small World''s formation has been broken, and it''s been reduced to a blessednd, thereby resulting in a sharp decrease in the spiritual energy here, the mountains in this ce are still far superior to those on the outside.


    ��In fact, they''re not inferior in the slightest evenpared with mountain ranges that are overseen by official mountain gods. On top of that, the emperor of the Great Li Empire has dered that he will be assigning a great mountain god, three mountain gods, and a river god in this ce.


    ��With so many mountain and river gods in such a small ce, this blessednd will be sure to continue to thrive even 60 years from now. The spiritual energy here will remain abundant, so this is the best time to be buying some mountains, and it''ll definitely prove to be a profitable investment."


    "What if I buy a mountain today, but end up dead tomorrow?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    This was a very realistic concern, and a rare smile appeared on Ruan Qiong''s face as he replied, "Firstly, as long as you continue to do the right things and don''t step out of line in this town, I guarantee you that you won''t just inexplicably end up dead someday. Qi Jingchun had to be careful with everything that he did because he was afraid that Jewel Small World would be shattered if he went too far, but such qualms are no longer necessary.


    ��If some trash like that Mountain-moving Ape dares toe after you now, I''ll make sure he doesn''t leave this ce alive. Going back to the sale of the mountains, the Great Li Empire''s imperial court is selling these mountains for cheap in order to establish good karma with certain powers outside of the empire. Essentially, it''s like a merchant selling their wares at below cost price.


    On top of that, they''ve made a promise that even if a buyer of a mountain dies and has no descendants to inherit the mountain, the Great Li Empire will still leave the mountain untouched for a period of 300 years from the date of purchase. Thest thing I have to tell you is that I will be iming three mountains with the best fengshui, and I advise you to purchase mountains neighboring mine.


    ��You may not have the ability to tap into the mountains for profit, but at the very least, you can rent your mountains for 500 years, and you''ll receive dividends every year. It''ll be passive ie that you can enjoy while you''re here, and even after you''re gone, your descendants will still reap the rewards."


    This type of passive ie was something that countless powerful ns and sects dreamed of, but Ruan Qiong refrained from telling Chen Ping''an this as it was unbefitting of a Sage like him to boast to a child.


    "Can you tell me about the prices of the mountains, Master Ruan?" Chen Ping''an asked in a curious manner.


    "The smallest mountain has been named True Jewel Mountain by the Great Li Empire, and the asking price is one gold essence copper coin, but it has to be a Greeting Spring Coin," Ruan Qiong replied.


    Chen Ping''an was stunned. "Just one gold essence copper coin?"


    Ruan Qiong chuckled in response. "Don''t be fooled. They call it a mountain, but it''s actually just a little hill, and one Greeting Spring Coin is a very steep price. The only reason why it costs so much is because the Great Li Empire is unable to ask for half a gold essence copper coin."


    "Even if it''s only a hill, it''ll still belong to me for the next 500 years for just a single copper coin. No matter how I think about it, it seems like a fantastic deal," Chen Ping''an murmured to himself.


    Ruan Qiong continued, "The asking price for the medium-sized mountains, such as Wild Goose Mountain and Lotus Lantern Mountain, will be around 10 to 15 gold essence copper coins, while the most expensive mountains will be the Dry Spring Mountain Range, Incense Mountain, and Divine Elegance Mountain, will each cost 25 to 30 gold essence copper coins.


    ��Ultimately, what the Great Li Empire wants is not the gold essence copper coins. Instead, it wants to keep the four surnames and ten ns, as well as all of their connections on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. What they''re hoping to see is for the backers behind the four surnames and ten ns to emerge and initiate contact with the Great Li Empire."


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly as he said, "But Master Ruan, won''t I be drawing a lot of attention to myself by capitalizing on this opportunity? Won''t I make a lot of enemies?"


    Ruan Qiong burst intoughter upon hearing this. "Don''t forget that you have a backer as well, and he''s sitting right in front of you."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and didn''t immediately offer a response.


    Instead of being irked by Chen Ping''an''s hesitance, Ruan Qiong was quite pleased, and he remarked, "It''s good to see that you haven''t allowed things to go to your head, just because you have my backing. Go back to y Vase Alley and have a good think about what I just told you. Try to give me an answer by tomorrow because the longer you dy, the greater the chance that an unexpected turn of events could arise. I''m not bluffing you here, I''m telling you the truth."


    After departing from the cksmith shop, Chen Ping''an was still in a state of shock even as he arrived at the stone bridge.


    In the past, he had envisioned what it would be like for him to live a life of affluence, but his imagination had only been limited to things like being able to have meat-filled steamed buns and tanghulus every once in a while, repairing the ancestral house so that it actually looked like a house, putting up couplets and door gods during the Spring Festival, and offering some good wine and pastries to his parents'' graves.


    Never would he have ever imagined in his wildest dreams that he would be able to own several mountains for centuries.


    1. The Danzhong acupoint is located at the center of the chest, which is why it''s a little awkward to point out on a female body. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Damn, passive ie</blockquote>

 Chapter 76: Back to Back

    Chapter 76: Back to Back


    As Chen Ping''an approached the stone bridge, he gulped nervously and was rather hesitant about continuing onward. After some internal conflict, he decided to follow the creek, and upon reaching the narrowest part of the creek, he performed a run-up, then vaulted himself over the creek before making his way toward the Azure Cow Ridge.


    Unbeknownst to him, his decision to take the long route had resulted in him missing Ruan Xiu, who was on her way to the cksmith shop, rushing over the stone bridge while holding a gon of spring peach blossom wine.


    This time, as she was walking past the pastry shop on Dragon Riding Alley, she had lowered her head and hurried past for fear of being tempted by the array of delectable pastries. She was going to begin saving up a private stash of money, and she couldn''t afford to splurge on those pastries.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an paid a visit to Liu Xianyang''s house. He carried an oilmp as he made his way throughout all of the rooms in the house, and only after confirming that nothing was missing did he snuff out the oilmp before departing and returning to y Vase Alley.


    While passing by the old house with the hole in the roof, Chen Ping''an heaved an internal sigh of relief. There was still a burden on his shoulders, but it was already far lighter than when he left y Vase Alley on the way to the cksmith shop. A smile involuntarily crept onto his face as he thought about how good it felt to finally have some money in his pocket.


    Throughout his entire life thus far, Chen Ping''an had only ever seen pieces of scrap silver. He had never seen an ingot of silver before, and he had certainly never seen any gold.


    Upon returning to his house, he opened the door, then rushed back out into the yard to ensure that the yard gate had been bolted shut properly. After returning to the house, he carefully lit the oilmp, and it cast a dim yellow glow onto the surrounding earthen walls.


    He then pulled out the three pouches of Good Fortune Coins, Offering Coins, and Good Fortune Coins from the y pot in the corner, and the pouches contained 25, 26, and 28 gold essence copper coins, respectively, amounting to a total of 79 copper coins.


    Ning Yao had briefly exined to Chen Ping''an that these copper coins were extensions of the money used in the mortal empires, and they were extremely rare, thereby contributing to their high value.


    Of course, the main reason why they were so valuable was because outsiders had to spend these copper coins in order to be granted entry into the town. This was an unspoken rule that dated far back in history, and Ning Yao wasn''t from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, so she couldn''t tell Chen Ping''an when this practice first originated.


    Chen Ping''an pulled out one of each type of copper coin before cing them onto the table. The Greeting Spring Coins had a "Happy New Year" message inscribed onto its surface, surrounded by intricately engraved divine clouds, and there was also an armored deity beating on a drum.


    The five pests, namely the snake, the scorpion, the centipede, the gecko, and the toad were engraved onto the front of the front of the Good Fortune Coins, while a message of "Ward Off Evil Spirits" was engraved onto its back, alongside the image of a turtle and a snake wrapped around a sword.


    On the front of the Offering Coins was engraved the message "Sincerity is the Key", while the message "Gods Above" was inscribed onto the back. Aside from that, there were no intricate apanying illustrations, and it was the most in and simple in design of the three types of coins.


    Chen Ping''an picked up a Greeting Spring Coin and carefully inspected it over and over again, struggling to wrap his head around the concept that such a tiny little coin could purchase the entire True Jewel Mountain. Chen Ping''an knew of this mountain that Master Ruan had referred to as nothing more than a small hill. The first time Old Man Yao had taken him into the mountains to search for soil, they had gone to the summit of True Jewel Mountain.


    There were many types of soil, and the mostplex part about assessing a type of soil was determining which of the four elements, water, fire, metal, and wood, it had a natural affinity with. This was a veryplex and involved process, and Chen Ping''an wasn''t able to learn everything there was to learn about tasting soil from Old Man Yao before he passed away.


    At the time, Chen Ping''an had been squatting down on the ground, scooping up soil from True Jewel Mountain, while Old Man Yao had stomped a foot down and dered that the soil on the mountain was the most vorful, but it was a pity that the mountain itself was too small, much like a man trapped in a tiny cage, unable to raise their head or extend any of their limbs, and that was why this type of ce was colloquially referred to as a snail shell.


    Chen Ping''an gently set down the Greeting Spring Coin, then picked up the Good Fortune Coin, only to quickly set it back down again with a slightly dejected expression.


    The fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar was the day that all five pests came out to roam, and it just so happened to also be the same day that he had been born on. Song Jixin had told him that in many ces, children born on that day were seen as bad omens, and some ces even had a tradition of drowning those children in rivers.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought, then picked up the Offering Coin.


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to him. The first time he met Ning Yao, Fu Nanhua, and Cai Jinjian, he recalled that each of the outsiders had to give Zheng Dafeng a pouch of copper coins at the eastern town gate in order to be granted entry to the town, so where did all of those copper coins ultimately end up? Did it all go to the emperor of the Great Li Empire?


    Chen Ping''an knew that this was a question that was impossible for him to answer, so he heaved a faint sigh and gave up on that futile pursuit. Instead, he began to make some mental calctions.


    Master Ruan had told him that True Jewel Mountain was only going to cost a single Greeting Spring Coin, while medium-sized mountains like Lotus Lantern Mountain were going to cost somewhere between 10 to 15 copper coins, andrge mountains like Incense Mountain were going to cost 25 to 30 copper coins.


    Given this information, it didn''t take him long to figure out what he should do.


    The Great Li Empire clearly held Master Ruan in very high regard, as evidenced by the fact that it was willing to give him three mountains free of charge. Seeing as Master Ruan intended to establish his own sect, it would naturally be ideal for his three mountains to neighbor one another. Otherwise, the sect would be geographically scattered, and that clearly wasn''t very feasible. This was quite a smart ploy from the imperial court.


    They knew that there was no way that Master Ruan would be able to pick out the three most valuable mountains, so they were willing to make him this offer that seemed extremely generous on the surface. Chen Ping''an intended to pick out his mountains with Master Ruan, but he also intended to pick out a small mountain or two elsewhere, and mountains like True Jewel Mountain were exactly what he was looking for.


    Perhaps no one else would care about those tiny mountains, but they were very important in Chen Ping''an''s eyes. After all, no matter how small a mountain was, it was still a mountain, and it was only going to cost him a single copper coin. With that in mind, Chen Ping''an decided that he definitely had to im that mountain for himself.


    As for the most expensive mountains that Master Ruan had mentioned, such as the Dry Spring Mountain Range, Divine Elegance Mountain, and Incense Mountain, Chen Ping''an was most definitely also interested.


    His n was to spend a single pouch of gold essence copper coins at the very most to purchase arge mountain that was inferior to the aforementioned mountains, but not by much. In addition to that, he would buy some small mountains like True Jewel Mountain, Ideally for around 10 copper coins, and he would spend the rest of his copper coins on mountains near the three selected by Master Ruan.


    As for that nameless mountain that wasden with Dragon ying tform, Chen Ping''an had already made up his mind that he wasn��t going to touch it no matter what. Even though no one else knew about the Dragon ying tform on the mountain at the moment, he was going to stay away from that poisoned treasure.


    The town was no longer the Jewel Small World that was sealed off to the outside world, and with outsiders flooding into the town, someone was sure to discover the Dragon ying tform on that mountain, so owning that mountain could only spell trouble for him.


    However, prior to making the purchases, Chen Ping''an nned to make another trip up to the mountains in person.


    He couldn''t ept the notion of spending so much money without knowing what he was paying for. Even though he knew this was most definitely a profitable endeavor, it still simply didn''t sit right with him.


    He had spent his entire life in poverty, so he felt like he had to be extra responsible with all of his spending.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an still had eight snake gall pebbles that hadn''t undergone any discoloration, and there were many more snake gall pebbles hidden in his house and Liu Xianyang''s but for some reason, all of them had undergone different degrees of discoloration and no longer looked as vibrant and pretty as they did when they were first fished out of the water.


    However, all of them were still carrying tinges of an indescribable aura. It was a feeling that was impossible to exin, much like how Chen Ping''an knew that Gu Can and Li Baoping were definitely extremely intelligent children as soon as he firstid eyes on them.


    Chen Ping''an put the three pouches of gold essence copper coins back into the y pot, and he was beginning to sweat in the palms at the mere thought of having to apply for leave with Master Ruan so he could make a trip into the mountains.


    Neither Old Man Yao nor Master Ruan had been particrly fond of him, and Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but wonder if this was simply because he was fated to have terrible affinity with his masters.


    He made his way over to the basket sitting in the corner of the room, and he stared at the chunk of Dragon ying tform inside. He reached out to stroke the ck stone, and it was very smooth and slightly cool to the touch.


    He couldn''t help but wonder how an unremarkable-looking chunk of stone like this had anything to do with sword-riding immortals like Ning Yao, and he was also curious about just how sharp a sword could be from being sharpened on Dragon ying tform.


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to him, and he pulled out the five locust leaves that Li Baoping had given to him. At the time, she had picked up eight for him from the old locust tree, but he had given her three of the leaves aspensation for her efforts.


    Chen Ping''an carefully examined the locust leaves, and despite their thin and frail appearance, they were remarkably sturdy. Unfortunately, the green light traveling along the veins of the leaves had disappeared, with only some tiny specks of green radiance remaining at some of the major points where the leaf veins intersected, and Chen Ping''an guessed that this was most likely the so-called ancestral blessings.


    Chen Ping''an carefully tucked the five locust leaves between the pages of the Mountain Shaking Guide.


    After that, Chen Ping''an emerged into his yard tomence his walking meditation.


    At this point, the neighboring households on either side of his residence had already moved away.


    Chen Ping''an quickly becamepletely absorbed in his meditation, losing his sense of self, with fist intent flowing over his body like water.


    Ning Yao had once told him that practicing a fist technique 1,000,000 times was only the starting point in the pursuit of martial arts mastery, so Chen Ping''an couldn''t afford to ck off.


    As he continued in his practice, he suddenly thought of the red spots and ck characters on that wooden figure, the ones that denoted the acupoints that were said to facilitate the flow of energy in and out of one''s body.


    His entire body felt loose and hot, and it was as if there were a fiery dragon roaming within him. It was descending from his head in a rather bumpy journey that was far from smooth, and his acupoints were like dpidated checkpoints.


    The paths between these "checkpoints" were also far from smooth and consistent, with some of them being wide yet rugged, while others were narrow and steep. Thus, the fiery dragon was quite shaky as it passed over these paths and checkpoints, much like a person making their way over a rickety bridge.


    In the end, the fiery dragon settled near his Dantian, surging back and forth between the few nearby acupoints, as if it were trying to find a suitable location to serve as its pce.


    Ning Yao had once told him that of the three tiers of the Physique Refining Tier, the first tier was the Mud Molding Tier, and that upon reaching the peak stage or consummate stage, one would be like the mud statue of a deity.


    Their Qi would descend to their Dantian, and they would be as immovable as a mountain. At the same time, their body would be rejuvenated, and their blood, flesh, tendons, and bones would be reciprocated. It would be like a dead tree being revitalized in early spring, and many impurities would be slowly forced out of the body.


    Chen Ping''an was currently on this path, and even though he had no master to guide him, he wasn''t exactly walking this pathpletely blind, either.


    What hecked in talent, he had made up for in hard work. He had spent eight years regrly traversing through the mountains, as well as practicing some crude, yet somewhat effective, breathing techniques.


    Even so, he was still yet to surpass the first tier in these eight years.


    Aside from in Ning Yao''s hometown, there was a prevailing notion in the mortal empires that one had to be a schr if they came from an impoverished background, while those who were more privileged could practice martial arts.


    In the pursuit of martial arts, it was frowned upon topare the speed of one''s progression to others. The more advanced and established the martial artist, the more value they ced in building up as solid a foundation as possible with every single step that was taken.


    Even so, Chen Ping''an''s progress was still extremely slow. It wasn''t particrly embarrassing or anything like that, considering there were countless young individuals from wealthy and powerful ns who were never able to exceed the first tier in their entire lives, but judging from his current rate of progression, it was clear that he was certainly no martial arts prodigy.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an snapped back to his senses and gently exhaled, then slowly strolled through the yard while gradually loosening up his own body.


    As he did so, he spotted the locust branch nted against the wall of his yard, and he was suddenly struck by the idea to craft a wooden sword for himself.


    After his parents passed away, Chen Ping''an would often see other children around his age ying without a care in the world. The girls mostly flew kites, while the boys were often seen sparring with one another using the wooden swords that they had asked their fathers to craft for them.


    At the time, Chen Ping''an had always wanted a wooden sword of his own, but he quickly became consumed with his duties as an apprentice at the kiln, so the thought eventually slipped his mind.


    Chen Ping''an crouched down in front of the locust branch, and he felt like it was definitelyrge enough to craft a wooden sword, but two would be a stretch.


    He started by carrying the locust branch to the entrance of the house, then made his way inside to bring out a bushcraft de in preparation to craft himself a wooden sword.


    He sat on his doorstep with the bushcrafting de in his hand, feeling a little hesitant. After a moment of consideration, he decided to put the de back in the house. He felt like the old locust tree couldn''t just be treated as any old tree. After all, Mr. Qi had had a conversation with the tree in the past, so it didn''t feel right for him to carve a wooden sword out of the locust branch.


    Chen Ping''an ced the locust branch back against the wall, and he wasn''t feeling sleepy at all, so he left the yard, locked the gate behind him, then made his way out of y Vase Alley.


    For some reason, he found himself wandering over to the stone bridge, and he couldn''t just jump over the creek every time he wanted to get across, so he gritted his teeth and mustered up some courage before stepping onto the bridge, taking a seat down at its center.


    His feet were hanging over the creek, and he was feeling a little nervous as he looked down at the surface of the water and murmured, "I don''t care if you''re a god or a monster, I don''t think there''s any bad blood between us. If you have something to say to me, don''te to me in my dreams anymore. I''m here right now, so you can just speak to me directly."


    15 minutes passed by, then an hour, then two hours.


    Aside from feeling a little cold, there wasn''t anything else for Chen Ping''an to report.


    His hands were ced palms down on the bridge, and he was swinging his feet absentmindedly as he cast his gaze into the distance. Many years ago, as a very young boy, he had been quite curious about where the end of the creek was.


    Liu Xianyang, Gu Can, Ning Yao, Mr. Qi, and Old Man Yao were all gone, and Chen Ping''an was feeling a little dazed at this realization.


    Never had he been so wealthy before, but this was also the loneliest he had ever been.


    His back was facing the stone bridge, and a tall figure in a dazzling white robe that resembled something between an immortal and a ghost was also seated on the bridge with their back facing Chen Ping��an��s and their palms set downward, swinging their feet as they looked up at the sky.


    Not only was Chen Ping''an oblivious to this, even Old Man Yang and Ruan Qiong wouldn''t have been able to detect this figure''s presence.

 Chapter 77: Entering the Mountains

    Chapter 77: Entering the Mountains


    Upon returning to the cksmith shop, Ruan Xiu discovered her father seated alone on one of the bamboo chairs, and she handed him the gon of wine, then sat down onto the other chair as she asked, "How did the talk go?"


    Ruan Qiong opened the sk, and he didn''t even need to drink the wine, all it took was a quick whiff for him to know that this wasn''t the wine that he had asked for. A gon of premium spring peach blossom wine cost two taels of silver, yet this was clearly the cheapest spring peach blossom wine that was sold for eight qian per gon.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ruan Xiu tugging nervously on the hem of her shirt while looking around with a sheepish expression, clearly afraid of being exposed by her father.


    Ruan Qiong could only heave an internal sigh, pretending as if he hadn''t noticed the difference at all as he took a swig of wine out of the gon. "Everything went fine. I''m going to send someone to the kiln supervision officeter to ask for a new and old mountain topography chart from Wu Yuan. Once Chen Ping''an''s had a chance to think things through, he''s most likely going to ask for those charts from me."


    Ruan Xiu was very relieved that her ploy hadn''t been uncovered, and she smiled as she straightened out her legs and stretchedzily, then leaned against the smooth and cool back of the bamboo chair.


    The first step was always the most difficult one to take in any endeavor, and the fact that everything was off to a good start here put Ruan Qiong in quite a good mood. Thus, in a rare disy of goodwill, he afforded Chen Ping''an apliment. "That boy from y Vase Alley is quite simple-minded, but he''s definitely not stupid."


    "Haven''t you heard the expression that all wise men appear simple-minded on the surface?" Ruan Xiu asked with a joyful smile.


    Ruan Qiong merely smiled in response and offered no reply.


    He cast his gaze toward the creek in the distance, then held the neck of the wine gon between his index finger and his thumb, gently swirling it around as he said, "There are some things that I can''t say directly to him because it might lead him to think too much and ruin what would''ve otherwise been a good thing, so I want you to tell him those things in my stead when you see him tomorrow."


    "What would you like me to tell him?" Ruan Xiu asked with a curious expression.


    Ruan Qiong was silent for a moment, then took a small swig of wine from the gon before continuing, "Tell him not to consider purchasing Dragonspine Mountain. Even someone of the Upper Five Tiers wouldn''t dare to im such a mountain if they didn''t have any powerful backers.


    ��With such arge b of Dragon ying tform on the mountain, the Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain were only able to im the mountain in coboration with me, and even then, there are still many people that are hiding in the shadows who''re green with envy. Of course, you don''t have to exin all of that to Chen Ping''an, just tell him directly not to even think of touching Dragon ying tform.


    ��Secondly, the Great Li Empire is only selling a total of 61 mountains this time, and he''ll only be able to purchase five at the very most. If he buys any more than that, it''ll be very difficult even for me to keep him and his mountains safe.


    ��Thirdly, and this is a decision I''ve only just made: I''m going to ask for Divine Elegance Mountain, Lamp Bearer Mountain, and Gant Spear Mountain from the Great Li Empire, so tell him to pay extra attention to the mountains around those three when he''s looking at the topography charts.


    ��I''m not an unreasonable person, I won''t force him to spend all of his money on mountains near the three that I''m going to im, all I''m asking is that he spends half of his gold essence copper coins there. However, if he knows what''s best for him, then he would prioritize buying more mountains near mine.


    ��Finally, you can tell him that if he ends up with a few copper coins left over after purchasing his mountains, then he should buy a few shops in the town. There are most likely going to be some good shops being sold in the near future because many of the households that have connections to the outside world are most likely going to be moving away.


    ��Hence, the shops won''t be very expensive, either, perhaps costing a single copper coin per shop at the very most."


    Ruan Xiu''s eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this, and she suggested, "How about you buy the pastry shop, Father? I gave you my two pouches of copper coins, right? Can you give me one of those coins? Just a single one will do!"


    A stern look appeared on Ruan Qiong''s face as he said, "Don''t even think about trying to get any of those copper coins out of me. Why don''t you ask Chen Ping''an to buy the shop for you? Right now, he''s the wealthiest man in the entire town."


    "I can''t do that! He''s so poor that he has to go around borrowing money, even when it''s a sum that''s fewer than 20 taels of silver," Ruan Xiu immediately objected without any hesitation.


    Ruan Qiong''s lips twitched slightly, and he eximed in an exasperated voice, "Right, so you''re willing to spend my money, but not Chen Ping''an''s!"


    "I don''t know him that well," Ruan Xiu chuckled in response.


    Ruan Qiong almost threw up a mouthful of blood.


    You don''t know him that well? In that case, why are you buying this trash wine for your own father just so you can save up money to lend to that bastard? How well do you have to know him before you can borrow money from him?


    Ruan Qiong took a big swig of wine to drown out his indignation, then rose to his feet as he said, "In any case, I''ve said everything that I want to say, it''s up to you to ry this message to Chen Ping''an tomorrow."


    After that, he turned and departed, knowing full well that his daughter was going to tell Chen Ping''an everything the next day, regardless of whether it was something that she should be telling him or not.


    The more Ruan Qiong thought about his situation, the more indignant he felt. He couldn''t scold his own daughter, nor could he beat that little bastard. In the end, he could only curse to himself as he made his way to a spot where there was no one else around. Despite how terrible the inferior-quality wine tasted, he still finished the entire thing before throwing the empty gon away.


    After that, he sprang up into the sky,nding in front of the shop where the spring peach blossom wine was sold in the blink of an eye. At this point, the shop was already closed for the day, but he didn''t care, and he began pounding forcefully on the door.


    It didn''t take long before a bleary-eyed woman got out of bed from the backyard, and she immediately erupted into a torrent of abuse, spitting out scathing phrases like "what''s the hurry? Are you in a rush to die?", "who woulde knocking at this ungodly hour? Why don''t you drink some piss instead of wine?", and "keep pounding on my door and I''ll break all three of your legs!"


    All the while, Ruan Qiong stood in front of the shop''s entrance in silence with a dark expression.


    Thanks to the light provided by the moon, the woman was able to identify thete-night visitor as Master Ruan, and her entire demeanor instantly took a drastic turn. A seductive look appeared on her face as shetched onto Master Ruan''s muscr arm in an extremely warm and hospitable manner.


    Having already been a widow for many years, she was like a parched desert thirsty for a rejuvenating storm, and she certainly wasn''t going to pass up this opportunity. As she led Master Ruan into her shop, she pretended to stumble so that she could fall into his arms, but unfortunately for her, Master Ruan wasn''t having any of her nonsense, gently pushing her away before tossing down some silver, then promptly departed with two gons of wine.


    The woman stood at the entrance of her shop with a mocking expression as she jeered, "To think that such a strong and sturdy man like yourself would be just as soft as your surname! I''m going to charge you two times the price when youe to buy wine from my shop from now on! If you ever harden up someday, maybe I''ll let you drink for free and even throw myself in as a bonus!" [1]


    Ruan Qiong paid no heed to her insults as he made his way to the end of the street, but instead of returning to his shop in the south, he sprang up into the air before arriving in front of a small mountain in the north.


    It was a mountain of smashed porcin, and Ruan Qiong took a seat on the ground with his legs crossed around 30 meters away from the mountain.


    All of a sudden, a voice rang out from nearby "Fancy meeting you here.''


    Ruan Qiong nodded in response and tossed a gon of wine to the owner of the voice.


    The old man caught the gon, then mused, "You visited Widow Liu''s shop at this hour? I''m sure she must''ve had some choice words for you!"


    Ruan Qiong naturally didn''t want to discuss this subject. Instead, he asked, "Mr. Yang, who was the young boy apanying the new kiln supervision official, Wu Yuan? I can''t get a good read on him, and he looks no different from an ordinary person on the surface."


    The old man was none other than Old Man Yang, and he took a swig of wine, then replied, "I don''t know who he is, but I''m assuming he''s not just here for a holiday, wouldn''t you agree?"


    After giving that ambiguous reply, Old Man Yang looked up with a smile, and at the summit of the mountain of porcin was an azure-robed young boy.


    The boy''s hands were tucked together in his sleeves, and there was a warm smile on his face. It was none other than the boy who had apanied Wu Yuan to Ruan Qiong''s cksmith shop earlier in the day.


    The boy pulled one of his hands out of his sleeve and said, "As the saying goes, one must first knock before entering, and one must first pay respect to the gods before visiting a temple. I visited Master Ruan earlier today, and I''m here to visit Elder Yang now, so I''m following all the rules."


    Instead of continuing to drink from his gon of wine, Old Man Yang pulled out a string and tied the gon to his waist then took a puff out of his pipe before smiling as he said, "While it''s true that you''re following the rules, you''ve still yet to make your intentions clear."


    The boy tucked his hand back into his sleeve, then leaned forward slightly as he said with a smile, "Regardless of what the two of you think of me, I assure you that after this meeting, we won''t need to meet again.


    ��Perhaps that''s not entirely urate. I''m overseeing the construction of the city god pavilion for now, so perhaps we''ll cross paths while I''m performing my duties, but even then, our interactions will be minimal. As for the wenchang pavilions and the martial sage temples, those are outside of my realm of jurisdiction. I''m only responsible for the insignificant city god pavilion."


    Just as the governor of a county was responsible for overseeing all matters taking ce in the county in the world of the living, the city god ruled over all of the beings and entities in the realm of the night.


    Master Ruan''s brows were tightly furrowed as he tried to figure out exactly who this young boy was. Was he a priest from the ministry of rites or was he a Qi refiner from the ministry of astronomy?


    Regardless of whether he came from the ministry of rites, the ministry of astronomy, or elsewhere in the Great Li Empire, the fact that he dared to stand at the summit of the mountain of porcin in such a bold and brazen manner indicated that he had to be a 10th Tier cultivator at the very minimum.


    Hence, he was most definitely older than he appeared.


    The youthful-looking cultivator turned to Old Man Yang as he said, "Allow me to offer you a piece of advice, Mr. Yang: caution is the key to longevity."


    Old Man Yang took a vigorous puff of his pipe, but only expelled an extremely thin wisp of smoke that quickly vanished into nothingness.


    The boyish cultivator''s hands were still tucked within his sleeves, but the fabric of the sleeves was moving slightly, as if he were making hand seals.


    Ruan Qiong heaved a long sigh. "Please do me a favor and set aside your differences for now. Otherwise, if the three of us get into a fight, this entire area in a radius of hundreds of kilometers will be smashed to bits."


    The boyish cultivator immediately pulled his hands out of his sleeves and raised them up high with a casual grin as he said, "I have no objections to that."


    Meanwhile, Old Man Yang drew in a breath through his nose, and two barely visible wisps of purple smoke instantly retreated back up his nostrils.


    "You seem to know a lot," Old Man Yang mused with a cold smile.


    The boyish cultivator smiled as he replied, "I know just enough. For example, I know that you''re not some so-called Mr. Yang. Instead, you should be referred to as Mr. Qing..."


    The boyish cultivator intentionally omitted something here, not because he was trying to make a joke, but because right as those words were about to slip out of his mouth, he felt a sh of killing intent rise up from the old man''s body.


    Thus, he immediately made a decision there and then to hold his tongue and back down for now.


    The boyish cultivator leaned back, falling backward as he said, "Farewell. I hope we never see one another again. From this point onward, let''s stay out of each other''s way and stick to our own paths."


    As soon as his voice trailed off, he vanished without a trace.


    "He may be a cultivator of the Upper Five Tiers," Ruan Qiong remarked in a grim voice.


    An amused look appeared on Old Man Yang''s face as he scoffed, "What''re you getting so worked up for? Aren''t you a cultivator of the Upper Five Tiers as well? No matter how small Eastern Treasured Vial Continent may be, it''s still one of the nine continents. It''s possible for even 13th Tier Qi refiners to arise, let alone an 11th or 12th Tier Qi refiner."


    Ruan Qiong took no reassurance from Old Man Yang''s words as he shook his head and said, "I''ve only just reached the 11th Tier and still haven''t had a chance to stabilize my cultivation base yet. I may be a Militarian cultivator who''s decently adept in battle, but..."


    Before Ruan Qiong had a chance to finish, Old Man Yang turned to depart, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he said, "Just be content with what you have. There are countless people pursuing the path of cultivation in this world, yet 10th Tier cultivators are already exceedingly rare, let alone cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers. You''re wary of that man, just as he''s wary of you. Neither of you wishes to instigate a conflict with the other."


    Ruan Qiong thought about this and decided that Old Man Yang was right. He wasn''t the type of person to obsess over questions that couldn''t be answered, so he decided to simply not think about that strange cultivator''s identity and origins. Ideally, they would keep out of each other''s way and focus on their own business.


    With that in mind, Ruan Qiong rose up into the air with a resounding boom, rising all the way up into the clouds before rapidly plummeting toward the bank of the creek.


    Meanwhile, Old Man Yang was strolling back to the town, and he chuckled, "It''s good to be young!"


    Meanwhile, the boyish cultivator was making his way down an alley in the town as he murmured to himself, "We need a curfew, a night watchman, and a market. There are a lot of changes that need to be made. Looks like our governor is going to be very busy."


    The boyish cultivator was spinning a string of old keys around his finger as he spoke, and he strode into an alley by the name of Eng Alley, which directly neighbored Apricot Blossom Alley.


    It was said that two remarkable figures had emerged from this alley a long time ago, but no one knew who they were or what feats they had achieved. Over time, it became a story that was only discussed by the elderly people gathered under the old locust tree back when it was still standing.


    Now that the old locust tree had fallen, it seemed that the poption of the town had undergone a sharp decline. The children in the town didn''t notice much of a difference, but the young people in the town were generally quite pleased now that the old locust tree was gone, leaving arge patch of emptynd and allowing for broader horizons.


    In contrast, the old people in the town would asionally gather where the old locust tree once was toment its absence. There were no affluent households on Eng Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley, only households that weren''t all that wealthy, nor particrly impoverished.


    The people living on the nearby y Vase Alley were often struck by a sense of inferiority in the presence of the residents of those two alleys, and Apricot Blossom Alley was where Granny Ma and her grandson, Ma Kuxuan, lived. Their household was considered to be quite an affluent one in the town.


    The boyish cultivator stopped in front of a manor, where there were two brand new door gods stered onto the gate. He raised his head to look up at one of the door gods, and it was a silver-armored door god with one foot raised, and a stern and authoritative look on its face. The boyish cultivator smiled as he mused to himself, "So this is what it feels like to return home in triumph."


    He opened the gate and stepped inside, revealing a residence that wasn''t veryrge, but was very intricately constructed. There was an open-air area in the front courtyard, and a pond on the ground. The venttion in the residence was exceptional, and there was a reclining chair on the second floor that was perfect for stargazing at night or watching the snow during winter. The boyish cultivator was very pleased with this residence, remarking to himself that this was a very good ce for cultivation and rxation.


    He carried an intricately carved wooden chair over to the pond before taking a seat, then rustled his sleeves to send arge pile of broken chinaware ttering onto the ground, thergest of which were around the size of human fists, while the smallest resembled grains of rice. There were too many of them to count, and after they had all been emptied out of the boyish cultivator''s sleeves, they were hovering in the air above the pond in the open-air area.


    It was as if there were truly a small world up his sleeve.


    The boyish cultivator looked around as he massaged his own be and murmured to himself, "Where should I start?"


    In the end, his gaze settled on a piece of red chinaware that caught his eye. "I''ll start with you."


    The piece of selected chinaware flew out of the pile at his behest, then stopped in mid-air around a foot in front of him.


    After that, more and more pieces of broken chinaware flew out of the suspended pile before arriving in front of the boyish cultivator to be arranged as he saw fit.


    It was as if he were assembling a piece of chinaware.


    The next day, at the cksmith shop, Ruan Xiu gave Chen Ping''an a pair of maps, one of which was old and yellow, bearing illustrations of a series of undting mountains. However, all of them were named things like A1, C3, etc.


    As for the new map, not only was it still giving off a fresh inky fragrance, the mountains had been annotated with their actual names, such as Divine Elegance Mountain, Dragonspine Mountain, and True Jewel Mountain. Additionally, there was also a Great Li Dragon Spring County annotated on the map.


    Ruan Xiu pointed at these names and introduced them to Chen Ping''an one by one, then cautioned, "The two maps make it appear as if the distance between the mountains is tiny, but once you get up there, you''ll discover that a tiny distance on the map could equate to several kilometers of rugged mountain path.


    ��This is because after Jewel Small World descended onto the Great Li Empire, violent tremors ran through the earth, and some of the less structurally sound mountains have even copsed altogether. As a result, you''ll most likely also encounter many unexpected surprises on your trip, so make sure to be careful."


    Chen Ping''an carefully stowed the two maps away, then hoisted a basket onto his back, just like when he had ventured into the mountains with Chen Dui and Ning Yaost time.


    After that, he turned to Ruan Xiu with an apologetic expression as he said, "I''ll do my best to make it to the region near Lamp Bearer Mountain and Gant Spear Mountain. It''s going to take at least half a month before I get back, but it shouldn''t take more than a month at the very most."


    "You''re going in for that long? You haven''t packed anywhere near enough food to eat!" Ruan Xiu said in a concerned voice.


    Chen Ping''an replied with a reassuring smile, "I spend a lot of time in the mountains, so I know how to forage and hunt. I definitely won''t run out of food up there."


    Ruan Xiu smiled and nodded in response. "Once you return from the mountains, I''ll definitely be able to give you the silver that my father promised to lend you."


    Chen Ping''an was silent for a moment, then said in a candid manner, "Don''t put so much pressure on yourself, Ruan Xiu. I''ll think of a way to get the money myself, I can''t ask you to give up your favorite pastries just so you can save up money to lend to me."


    Ruan Xiu immediately became flushed with embarrassment, and she couldn''t figure out how he had found out about this.


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as a wry smile appeared on his face. Given Master Ruan''s terrible personality, he knew that there was no way that he would''ve agreed to lend him the silver. Hence, it wasn''t that he was particrly observant or intelligent, Ruan Xiu had simply done a terrible job covering her tracks.


    Chen Ping''an could see that she was feeling a little dejected, and he hurriedly consoled, "In any case, I still want to thank you. It''s the thought that counts."


    A faint smile appeared on Ruan Xiu''s face, and she suddenly said, "Let me apany you for a bit."


    However, Chen Ping''an had already departed, and he waved a hand as he replied, "There''s no need for that. I''m so familiar with the path leading to the mountains that I can traverse it with my eyes closed."


    Thus, Ruan Xiu could only remain on the spot as she waved him farewell.


    After leaving the cksmith shop, Chen Ping''an rushed along the creek in the upstream direction.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t interested in the mountains near the town. They weren''t veryrge, and they weren''t particrly expensive, but the location wasn''t very desirable in his eyes.


    Their close proximity to the town would draw too much attention to him, and Master Ruan had told him that the mountains in this area, including the likes of True Earth Mountain and Distant Scene Mountain, were originallyden with resources, but those resources had been severely depleted by those in the town due to these mountains'' ease of ess.


    Hence, they were not worth investing in, and only upon reaching True Jewel Mountain in the west did this situation begin to improve.


    Chen Ping''an walked for a full day and a full night, resting only less than four hours during this period of time. Finally, he made his way onto the summit of a small hill, where he took a deep breath to inhale the natural fragrance of the mountain wilderness.


    He puffed out his chest and stomped a foot heavily down onto the ground as he dered in a proud voice, "This is mine!"


    1. Master Ruan''s surname (��) is a homonym of ��, which trantes to soft. ?

 Chapter 78: Another Dream

    Chapter 78: Another Dream


    Five days had already passed by, and as the sun was beginning to set on this day, Chen Ping''an finally scaled to the summit of Turtle Head Mountain on the new map provided by the kiln supervision office.


    This mountain was the tallest one by far among all of the mountains in a radius of dozens of kilometers, and Chen Ping''an was chewing on a hard and stale biscuit as he sat on a branch of an old pine tree on the mountain summit, which was extending out over the cliff, allowing the light breeze to tussle his hair and blow it in all directions.


    The basket he was carrying had already been set down at the foot of the tree. He wasn''t so bold that he dared to climb trees with the basket on his back. In the past, climbing mountains had been a part of his job, and he was always having to hurry to keep up with Old Man Yao, but for this trip, he was able to rest whenever he was tired and appreciate the beautiful scenery in the distance.


    Furthermore, many scenic locations were situated on mountains that were once sealed off by the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, so Chen Ping''an and Old Man Yao were forced to avoid them, and Turtle Head Mountain was one such location.


    On the way here, Chen Ping''an had witnessed many pieces of stunning scenery that werepletely unfamiliar to him. There were breathtaking waterfalls that created tiny rainbows, which Chen Ping''an felt as if he could grab with his hands to be taken home. There were steep cliffs where countless birds were gathered, and they were dotted together next to one another like a pristine white curtain draped over a wall.


    There was a precarious mountain peak that could only be essed using a single perilous path, which ultimately led to arge stone teau with a spectacr view that made the beholder involuntarily hold their breath. At night, Chen Ping''an would drape a garment over his own body as a nket and fall asleep while resting against his basket. In his slumber, he felt as if he could hear the whispering voices of the immortals in the heavens.


    After traveling for another three days, Chen Ping''an finally arrived at the Divine Elegance Mountain that Master Ruan had mentioned. Situated close to 10 kilometers away to the west and to the north were Lamp Bearer Mountain and Gant Spear Mountain, respectively, forming a triangle with Divine Elegance Mountain, much like a congregation of three giants.


    ording to the map, there were five mountains situated within a radius of 50 kilometers of those three mountains. The smallest ones among those five mountains were Rainbow Cloud Mountain and Immortal Herb Mountain, while the other three mountains wererger, namely Lamp me Mountain, Yellow Lake Mountain, and Treasured Scripture Mountain.


    Prior to arriving at Divine Elegance Mountain, Chen Ping''an had visited Immortal Herb Mountain and Lamp me Mountain. Immortal Herb Mountain was only slightlyrger than True Jewel Mountain, and even though it was quite short, it was extremely lush, bearing arge number of tall trees.


    As for Yellow Lake Mountain, as its name suggested, there was a smallke halfway up the mountain, and from afar, the water in theke appeared to be rather yellow, but up close, the water was extremely clear. However, aside from the fact that it had thiske, Chen Ping''an felt like Yellow Lake Mountain was far inferior to Divine Elegance Mountain.


    After that, Chen Ping''an spent four whole days wandering around Divine Elegance Mountain and Gant Spear Mountain before finally selecting three mountains.


    The mountains that he had chosen were Immortal Herb Mountain, Treasured Scripture Mountain, and Rainbow Cloud Mountain, out of which Immortal Herb Mountain was the smallest, Treasured Scripture Mountain was thergest, and Rainbow Cloud Mountain was the tallest.


    Among the three, Chen Ping''an had spent the most time exploring Treasured Scripture Mountain, which made sense, considering it was thergest mountain of the three. Out of all of the mountains that Chen Ping''an had visited on the way here, only Cloud Drape Mountain and Divine Elegance Mountain exceeded Treasured Scripture Mountain in size. However, following his inspection, Chen Ping''an was left feeling rather perplexed.


    Treasured Scripture Mountain was a huge mountain, and it was very close to Gant Spear Mountain. Furthermore, even as a cultivation novice, Chen Ping''an could sense that this mountain was a great location for cultivation, so why had Master Ruan chosen Lamp Bearer Mountain over Treasured Scripture Mountain?


    Following his assessment, Chen Ping''an estimated that the three mountains that he had selected were going to set him back around 45 gold essence copper coins, which left him with 35 copper coins remaining. True Jewel Mountain was going to cost a Greeting Spring Coin, so that still left 34 copper coins, enough for Chen Ping''an to purchase a massive mountain.


    Master Ruan had told him that even thergest of the 61 mountains being offered, such as the Dry Spring Mountain Range, Incense Mountain, and Divine Elegance Mountain, only cost around 25 to 30 gold essence copper coins each.


    Master Ruan had also revealed to him that the imperial court of the Great Li Empire was going to be assigning a great mountain god, three mountain gods, and a river god in this area. The next day, Ruan Xiu had offered further boration, exining to Chen Ping''an that a so-called mountain god was someone chosen by the imperial court''s ministry of rites.


    It could be a historically renowned figure of the area, or a decorated general that had died in battle for the empire. The candidates would be presented to the emperor of the Great Li Empire, who would select which one of them was to be appointed as the mountain god.


    The appointment would be written into the genealogical records in red ink, following which an incense-burning ritual would be conducted. This was done so that the gods above would be informed of the appointment, and generally speaking, that would be the end of the matter.


    After that, a message of appointment would be inscribed by the imperial preceptor on a jade token crafted by the ministry of astronomy, and that token would be buried at the foot of the mountain.


    Finally, the construction of a golden statue would bemissioned, and that statue would be worshipped in a mountain god temple, thereby officially granting the mountain god the right to be worshipped by the people. The duty of a mountain god included protecting all of the living beings on their mountain, as well as destroying, subjugating, or banishing all evil entities that passed through the mountain.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t have high hopes that a mountain god would be assigned to one of the three mountains that he had selected near Divine Elegance Mountain. Instead, he was cing his hopes on the mountain that he was going to be spending the most money on.


    That mountain would be under the protection of Master Ruan for the next 300 years, and if a mountain god were to be assigned to that mountain as well, then that would undoubtedly spare him a great deal of trouble.


    As for True Jewel Mountain, Chen Ping''an presumed that no one was interested in it aside from himself.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an was seated on the stone cliff at the pinnacle of Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and the new map of the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring County wasid out in front of him. He already knew the names and locations of the mountains like the back of his hand, but he was still unable to decide which one was the final mountain that he was going to purchase.


    He rested his cheeks on his hands with tightly furrowed brows as he swayed back and forth in an absentminded manner.


    Truth be told, he had no idea what he could do with the mountains that he purchased, but just the mere thought of being able to own five mountains for the next 300 years was already something that instilled him with a great sense of joy.


    He could marry a wife, have a family, then pass on the mountains to his children, who, in turn, would be able to pass on this asset to their children.


    In the past, finding a wife wasn''t on his agenda, but it was something that he had to consider now.


    With that in mind, a bashful grin appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he was feeling a little embarrassed.


    Heid down on his back, and he was feeling a little sleepy, so he decided to take a nap. An indeterminate period of time passed before he opened his eyes, and he was immediately stumped by the sight that he was greeted by.


    As it turned out, this was the third time that he had encountered the mysterious figure in white.


    The first time was on the covered bridge, the second time was under the stone bridge, and this was the third time.


    The tall and imposing figure was basked in pristine white radiance, and this time, they were seated with their legs crossed no more than 20 feet away from Chen Ping''an, but as usual, he was unable to make out their appearance.


    Chen Ping''an decided that he couldn''t just run away from this problem forever, so he mustered up some courage, then began in a careful voice, "Esteemed senior..."


    p!


    In the next instant, Chen Ping''an was struck by a burst of sharp pain to the face, as if a cow had just whipped its tail across his cheek.


    As a result, he was instantly snapped awake, and he abruptly sat up to find that he was still seated in the exact same spot as before. He looked around, and sure enough, he was stillpletely alone, but there really was a stinging sensation on his cheek.


    He thought long and hard about what had just happened, but he was still leftpletely stumped and could only scratch his own head with a dazed expression.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    This chapter is shorter than usual. The length of each chapter is inconsistent, but 95% of the time, they''re in the 3000-5000 range. Chapters over 6000 words are split. Hope you guys are enjoying the novel.</blockquote>

 Chapter 79: Spring Welcome Seal

    Chapter 79: Spring Wee Seal


    Even before leaving the mountains, Chen Ping''an could already sense that the town was undergoing drastic changes. At the peak of True Earth Mountain, he could see dust and soil flying in all directions, and on the pinnacle of Distant Scene Mountain, he spotted close to 100 fit and strong young men, most of whom were manualborers working at the kilns, and they were in the process of cutting down giant trees.


    Chen Ping''an approached one of the men, whom he had worked with in the kilns, and he learned from that man that the town was nning to construct a county office, a wenchang pavilion, a martial sage temple, and a city god temple, all at once. The construction jobs had been ordered by the new kiln supervision official, Wu Yuan.


    As for his other title of county governor, the town''s residents had no idea what that entailed, nor what his exact duties were. However, they didn''t care about all of that anyway. All they knew was that these construction jobs were a stable source of employment, and the wages being offered were far more alluring than what had been offered in the dragon kilns in the past.


    With the town stripped of its right to produce imperial ware, all of the kilns had been forced to cease operations, leaving the kiln''s workers in a very difficult situation. They could only offer their manualbor services to farnd owners for meager wages that were barely enough to feed their families. Hence, they were all extremely grateful for this opportunity, and they viewed Wu Yuan as a generous messiah.


    Furthermore, even the wealthy old men of the four surnames and ten ns treated Wu Yuan with the utmost respect, despite the fact that they were far older than him. The way that they spoke to and interacted with him all indicated that they were trying to get on his good side, and that certainly hadn''t escaped the notice of the town''s residents. Most of the people living in the town werecking in education, but that didn''t mean that they weren''t observant.


    Wu Yuan had asked the heads of the four surnames and ten ns to hire around 500 to 600 of the town''s fit young men to go into the mountains and fell trees to be transported back to the town.


    Aside from being sent into the mountains to fell trees, there were also many men from the town tasked with transporting from the creek. The county office was going to be constructed at the town''s eastern gate, and Zheng Dafeng''s earthen hut had been knocked down, following which a new foundation had beenid. Even the dpidated wooden gate that had been there for as long as anyone could remember had been taken down.


    While leaving the mountains, Chen Ping''an didn''t choose to take any of the winding mountain paths. Instead, he waded straight into the creek before skipping downstream from rock to rock. In doing so, he would be able to save a lot of time.


    Along the way, he was spotted by some of the town''s residents, but none of them were rmed by what they saw. Most of them knew that there was an orphan from y Vase Alley who had always excelled at picking medicinal herbs and burning charcoal, and that his speed was unmatched in the mountains.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an stopped at the point where two creeks intersected. Around 20 feet up ahead was a bumpy cliff that was riddled with potholes, and a group of people were gathered in front of the cliff.


    Furthermore, there was a pair of physically imposing young men among them, and one was standing atop a b of bluestone jutting out of the water, while the other was standing on the shore near the cliff. Each of them had a de strapped to their waist, sheathed in an ornate golden scabbard. Both of them were dressed in tight-fitting ck robes with hairpins in their hair, and they were giving off menacing auras.


    In the instant that Chen Ping''an appeared, both of them immediately turned their attention to him, staring intently at him, while their hands had already crept onto the hilts of their des.


    Chen Ping''an was standing on the spot with his basket full of medicinal herbs, and his expression remainedpletely unchanged.


    Recently, Chen Ping''an had endured many battles of life and death. First, it was Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua. After that, he had to flee for his life from the Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain, and most recently, he had faced Ma Kuxuan in battle at the immortal tomb. During those battles, he had faced immortals, a monstrous beast, and a child who was blessed by the will of the heavens, yet he had managed to survive all of those ordeals.


    Hence, even though the average resident of the town would''ve felt extremely fearful under the menacing gaze of the two men, Chen Ping''an barely even batted an eyelid at the sight of them.


    However, he didn''t want to attract any unnecessary trouble, so he decided to make his way onto shore before taking the creekside mountain path back to the town. Right as he did so, he noticed a young man turn with a smile to his de-wielding subordinate, and following an instruction from the young man, his subordinate immediately released the hilt of his de.


    The young man was seated on the ground with his legs crossed, and as he rose to his feet, Chen Ping''an discovered that he was even taller than his two de-wielding subordinates, and his skin was as fair and delicate as a woman''s, while his facial features were also slightly feminine. He waved at Chen Ping''an with a warm smile, then adopted the town''s dialect as he called out, "Don''t be afraid, we''re not bad people. Just continue on your original path."


    He was clearly not very fluent in the town''s dialect, but Chen Ping''an was still able to understand what he had just said. After a brief hesitation, Chen Ping''an returned the man''s smile, then pointed at the shore, indicating that he was going to step onto shore and stay out of their way.


    Before the man had a chance to say anything further, Chen Ping''an quickly skipped onto the shore like a lithe and graceful panther, and before long, he had already vanished into the lush forest.


    The young man lowered his hand with a slightly embarrassed expression, while his subordinates were fighting back the urge tough.


    A rather awkward smile appeared on the young man''s face as he said, "That boy sure is fast. See what I was saying about this ce? It may not be asvish and opulent as the capital city here, but small ces like this have their own unique charm."


    Everything would''ve been fine had the young man not said anything, but everyone around him immediately burst into raucousughter upon hearing his awkward musings.


    The young man was none other than Wu Yuan, the town''s new kiln supervision official and the first governor of Dragon Spring County. Even though his subordinates were having augh at his expense, he remainedpletely unbothered, and he sat back down before continuing the discussion from before. "Just the ques for the Dragon Spring County office, the wenchang pavilion, the martial sage temple, and the city god temple will require 56 pieces at the very least.


    ��Jewel Small World has integrated very well with the Great Li Empire, and not only have the small world''s geographic traits been mostly preserved, there hasn''t even been a single major disturbance, and His Majesty is very pleased, which is why he has specially bestowed a que upon the wenchang pavilion."


    "Master Wu, did you not request a piece of calligraphy for our county office from His Majesty?" a young man interjected with a smile.


    Wu Yuan heaved a faint sigh in response. "Of course I did, but His Majesty refused, so there''s nothing I can do. Having said that, His Majesty is not to be med. After all, this is just a small county office, and it simply can''t be justified for His Majesty to bestow a piece of calligraphy upon this ce. If he sets such a precedent, then everyone else will ask for the same thing, and that simply won''t do."


    Everyone nodded in response upon hearing this.


    Wu Yuan continued, "Thankfully, Mr. Liu and the imperial academy have each promised to send a pair of ques to be hung up on the county office and the martial sage temple. The problem now is that we''re still missing three for the wenchang pavilion and two for the city god temple. Do any of you have any ideas on how we can make up those numbers?


    ��Will we have to resort to my personal calligraphy? My handwriting is so terrible that even my master has given up on me. Of course, I don''t mind as long as none of you think it would be too embarrassing to have my calligraphy hung up on such important buildings. I''ve always wanted to be able to put my calligraphy onto ques, and this may be the only opportunity I''ll ever get!"


    The young man who had spoken earlier contemted the problem momentarily, then said, "I''ll write a letter to my grandfather. He''s on good terms with Master Bai Qiu, and I''ll see if he can convince Master Bai Qiu to temporarilye out of retirement and bless us with his penmanship."


    Wu Yuan patted the young man on the shoulder, then said, "In that case, I''m leaving my honor in your hands. If we don''t have enough ques, then my reputation will be swept to the ground, and you''ll be solely responsible."


    The young man''s expression immediately stiffened, and he felt as if he had dug a hole for himself.


    His colleagues all turned to with sympathetic expressions. Wu Yuan was renowned for his shamelessness, so everyone was very reluctant to make promises to him, and sure enough, he had just imed histest unwitting victim.


    The young man was serving as Wu Yuan''s secretary. In the northern empires of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there were two types of secretaries, schrly secretaries, and martial secretaries. The former was like an advisor, providing counsel and solutions to problems, while thetter were the pair of de-wielding young men, acting as Wu Yuan''s personal bodyguards.


    However, secretaries were considered to be informal officials who weren''t formally recognized by the imperial court. It was often the case that the officials themselves were tasked with selecting their own secretaries, whether that be from their own ns or from elsewhere. Of course, there were also secretaries assigned by the imperial court as well, and all of those secretaries received a sry from the Great Li Empire.


    Wu Yuan came from quite a humble background, so he was unable to afford to hire his own secretaries, and his secretaries had been assigned to him by the imperial court.


    However, Dragon Spring County was only a tiny territory on the map of the Great Li Empire, so he should''ve only been entitled to one schrly secretary and one martial secretary from the imperial court, but both of the de-wielding martial secretaries assigned to him were clearly generals who had secured significant des in the Great Li Empire''s army. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have had the right to carry those ornate des.


    In reality, the fact that Wu Yuan had been assigned as the first head official of Dragon Spring County was already very telling.


    His teacher was the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, the man with the nickname of Embroidered Tiger. while his future father-inw was a pir general that had defended the borders of the Great Li Empire for half his life.


    After some fooling around, a serious look appeared on Wu Yuan''s face as he said, "The construction of these four buildings already entails a huge workload, and that''s not even to mention the task of site selection for the immortal tomb and the mountain of porcin.


    ��Master Ruan and the four surnames and ten ns have all given ambiguous responses on this subject, so this is clearly not going to be an easy task toplete. However, the main thing that we have to worry about right now is when the ministry of rites, the ministry of astronomy, and the imperial academye together to assign mountain gods and river gods to this ce.


    ��At the moment, there''s a great deal of resistance when ites to the proposed candidate for the role of great mountain god, and even His Majesty is rather hesitant about how to proceed. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be visiting our Dragon Spring County in person."


    Wu Yuan looked around, and the expressions on the faces of his subordinates were all quite grim. He pulled out a dry biscuit band took a bite, then attempted to lighten the mood as he mused, "It''s not up to us to decide whether the temple of the great mountain god will be constructed on Cloud Drape Mountain, or whether Cloud Drape Mountain will be the new northern peak of our Great Li Empire.


    ��We''re just small fry serving in the county office, so there''s no need for us to worry about such matters. Just let those above us do whatever they want, and we''ll only be responsible for carrying out their verdicts."


    Sure enough, everyone''s mood was lightened slightly upon hearing this.


    Wu Yuan continued to chew on his mouthful of dry biscuit, and after a brief hesitation, he continued, "I have a piece of news that''s both good news, and also bad news. Following the fall of the Lu Empire, the problem of what we should do with the former citizens of the fallen empire has always been a huge predicament. Our Dragon Spring County will be receiving somewhere between 5,000 to 10,000 prisoners.


    ��All of theme from different backgrounds, and on the way here, they''ll be strictly overseen by soldiers of our Great Li Empire. This is both beneficial and detrimental to our Dragon Spring County. The good thing is that our poption will be bolstered, while the downside is that this influx of outsiders could potentially make everything quite chaotic and unpredictable.


    ��We''re not very familiar with the town''s existing residents to begin with, and this is only going topound our woes. Hence, we''ll have no choice but to do everything in our power to win over the affluent and powerful ns in the town to assist us."


    "Can we divide these powerful ns so they''ll be easier to manage?" the young schrly secretary suggested.


    Wu Yuan immediately shook his head without any hesitation. "That''ll be very difficult. We''ve only just arrived here, and we still haven''t established a stable foundation yet. As opposed to doing something radical that could backfire on us, it''s much better to take things slowly.


    ��We''vee to a ce with a veryplex history, and of course, our goal is to pave a path to a bright future ahead for all of us, but in order to aplish this, we must be willing to endure the inevitable hardships thate before we can reap the rewards. If any of you want to get rich or earn promotions in just a year or two, then I''d advise you to leave right now. I can pay for your trip back to the capital city."


    The six schrly and martial secretaries all wore determined expressions, and none of them disyed any intention of backing down.


    "We must remember at all times to proceed with caution and take things slowly," Wu Yuan concluded.


    This was a lesson that he had learned firsthand, not long after he had arrived at the town. At the time, he had made the executive decision to draw upon the Great Li Empire''s forces to strike down that cultivator from Purple Smoke River.


    He hadn''t requested permission from the emperor and he had carried out this operation at the risk of being impeached by the imperial court. His intention was to win over Master Ruan through this gesture so that he could use the esteemed Sage''s authority to keep the four surnames and ten ns in check for him.


    As it turned out, no impeachment order hade from the imperial court, but Master Ruan''s reaction had been far from positive. Even now, as Wu Yuan thought back to that decision, he was struck by the urge to give himself a hard p.


    "Are those prisoners going to be put to work to develop these barren mountains?" someone asked.


    Wu Yuan nodded in response. "Aside from that, the imperial court will also be sending those two juvenile Mountain-moving Apes here, as well as the Peak-shifting Armored Warriors and Mountain-opening Puppets of the Daoist sects that specialize in talisman creation. The goal is to develop all of the 60 odd mountains within the span of a decade so that they areplete with temples, pavilions, and everything else required to make them habitable."


    Expressions of longing appeared on the faces of all the people gathered around Wu Yuan.


    Over at the town, tall buildings were being constructed everywhere, while a series of immortal abodes were being erected in the mountains.


    Everyone exchanged a smile with one another, and there wasn''t any need for further words to be exchanged. As the first-ever batch of officials assigned to the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring County, their feats were bound to be recorded in the history books, so they were determined to unite their efforts and do everything in their power to excel in their roles.


    At the summit of Cloud Drape Mountain, the boyish cultivator with the red birthmark on his be casually swept a sleeve through the air, and the clouds halfway up the mountain were swept aside. He then peered into the distance, spotting an ox-drawn carriage and a horse-drawn carriage from afar.


    A pleased smile appeared on his face upon seeing this, and he dered, "So it begins! Qi Jingchun, if I win this bet, then the two things that you worked so hard to preserve are going to bepletely destroyed. How pitiful."


    The boyish cultivator was holding a seal between two of his fingers, and the phrase "the world wees spring" was inscribed onto the seal''s surface.


    All of a sudden, the boyish cultivator squeezed his fingers together, and the seal was crushed into dust that was quickly carried away by the wind.


    The reason why he was able to crush the seal so easily was because the phrase inscribed upon it had already lost all meaning, much like a person who had lost all hope.


    The boyish cultivator quickly withdrew his gaze, then turned his attention to Chen Ping''an, who was on his way back to the town.

 Chapter 80: Leaving the Mountains

    Chapter 80: Leaving the Mountains


    After emerging from the mountains, Chen Ping''an made a trip to the cksmith shop. As he passed over the stone bridge, he brought his palms together and crossed the bridge as quickly as he could with an extremely solemn and earnest expression as he murmured, "Esteemed immortals or whatever you may be, if you have something to say, then please be civilized and don''t resort to violence.


    ��If you want me to do something for you, please tell me through a dream at night instead ofing to me in a dream during the day. I don''t think my heart can handle much more!"


    Thankfully, Chen Ping''an was able to make it to the other side of the bridge without any incident, and he was ecstatic as he skipped away to find Master Ruan and Ruan Xiu.


    Just likest time, Ruan Qiong was waiting for Chen Ping''an while seated on one of the bamboo chairs, while Chen Ping''an was seated on the other chair, and Ruan Xiu was standing behind her father with an undisguised look of tion on her face.


    After taking a seat, the dirty and disheveled Chen Ping''an carefully set his basket down in front of him, then carefully rummaged through the basketful of medicinal herbs before pulling out a cloth pouch containing the pair of maps that had been given to him.


    As he handed the maps back to Ruan Qiong, a guilty look appeared on his face, and he said, "While climbing up Lamp Bearer Mountain, I was stopped in my tracks by a waterfall. I hid the basket in a pit near the waterfall, and I even constructed a frame out of branches to protect the basket from the rain, but not long after I climbed to the top of the waterfall, heavy rain began to fall.


    ��By the time I rushed back down to the pit, the frame I constructed had already been crushed by the rain and the wind, and the basket and the cloth pouch were soaked. Thankfully, I wrapped the maps quite tightly in parchment paper beforehand. After the sun came out, I pulled them out to take a look, and only the corners were wet, but even after they were dried, it''s still quite clearly noticeable."


    Ruan Qiong opened the cloth pouch and removed the parchment paper to find that the pair of maps were still virtually in the same condition as before. Besides, these were just two copies that he didn''t have to return to the kiln supervision office or the Dragon Spring County office.


    However, Ruan Qiong wasn''t about to console Chen Ping''an by revealing this to him. Instead, he took a nce at the uneasy Chen Ping''an, then grumbled, "You''re telling me you were climbing up and down Lamp Bearer Mountain while there was a heavy storm? Do you have a death wish?"


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as a bashful smile appeared on his face.


    Ruan Qiong waved a dismissive hand, indicating for Chen Ping''an to sit back down and stop blocking his view.


    Chen Ping''an did as he was told, sitting back down onto the bamboo chair. As he returned the pair of maps to Master Ruan, he felt as if a heavy load had been removed from his shoulders. If he hadn''t taken such exceptional care of the maps during this trip, he could''ve conserved three or four days at the very least.


    Furthermore, he had always been a sentimental child, and having relied on the pair of maps for navigation for so long, he had grown quite attached to them and was rather reluctant to part with them. Whenever he climbed to the peak of a mountain during good weather, he would always pick out a ce with the best view, theny out the two maps in front of him, alternating between inspecting the maps and looking out at the scenery up ahead.


    This past month or so had been the most enriched and substantial days that Chen Ping''an had ever spent.


    All of a sudden, Ruan Qiong tossed the pair of maps back to Chen Ping''an as he said, "These chairs are quitefortable. Make a couple more for meter, I''ll give you these two maps aspensation."


    Ruan Qiong was still not very fond of Chen Ping''an, but that was no reason for him topletely condemn the boy.


    Ruan Qiong could imagine the scene of the anxious young boy climbing down the waterfall during the heavy storm to ensure that the maps were safe and unspoiled.


    Of course, in Ruan Qiong''s eyes, such actions weren''t heroic in the slightest. On the contrary, he felt them to be quite foolish and unnecessary.


    Compared with the rigid and impoverished Chen Ping''an, Ruan Qiong had a much greater appreciation for Song Jixin, who had his sights set on lofty aspirations despite his young age, or Liu Xianyang, who was always cheerful and never bothered by anything, or even Ma Kuxuan, who possessed arrogance and prodigious talent in equal measure.


    In fact, even Zhao Yao, who had apanied Qi Jingchun as his schrly servant from a young age, wasn''t as rigid and inflexible as Chen Ping''an.


    The reason why he had made up a reason to give these maps to Chen Ping''an was actually a gesture designed to establish a clear boundary. He was willing to ept Chen Ping''an as an apprentice at his cksmith shop, but there was no way he was going to make Chen Ping''an the first disciple of his new sect.


    He was going to follow through on his promise and protect the mountains purchased by Chen Ping''an, but he wasn''t going to allow Chen Ping''an to have any rtions with his daughter.


    This wasn''t because Ruan Qiong was looking down on Chen Ping''an. Instead, it was simply because they weren''t destined to walk the same path.


    Ruan Qiong had decided that his disciples had to be people that he could get along with. They had to simultaneously be his disciples and also his friends, people that he could work together with to ensure the prosperity of his sect for centuries and millennia toe, and Chen Ping''an clearly didn''t fit the bill.


    Chen Ping''an was naturally unaware of theplex thought process that Master Ruan had gone through to get to this point. He merely caught the maps and clutched them to his own chest as he asked, "Is the kiln supervision official not going to ask for these maps?"


    A cold sneer appeared on Ruan Qiong''s face as he replied, "Don''t worry about him. At the very least, for the next 60 years, I''m going to be the ruler of this Dragon Spring County, so my word stands above all else."


    "Can you be any more boastful?" Ruan Xiu murmured in a displeased voice.


    Ruan Qiong paid no heed to herints as he put on a serious expression and continued, "Let''s get back on track. Which five mountains have you decided on?"


    Chen Ping''an unconsciously sat up straighter upon hearing this, and he replied, "I chose three mountains near Divine Elegance Mountain, namely Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and Immortal Herb Mountain."


    Ruan Qiong nodded in approval. "Those are decent choices. Treasured Scripture Mountain is one of the biggest of the 61 mountains, and its size isn''t just for show, either. If I didn''t have to consider mountain protection formation for my future sect, I would''ve chosen Treasured Scripture Mountain over Gant Spear Mountain.


    ��Out of all of the mountains, aside from ones that are home to mountain gods or secret treasures, the mountains that take up thergest area and possess the greatest abundance of spiritual energy will undoubtedly be the best ones. Immortal Herb Mountain is the only mountain that has any hope of giving rise to natural spirits.


    ��The only unfortunate thing about it is that''s too small, so even if a natural spirit does appear there, its roots and condition most likely won''t be ideal, and the reason for that is very simple. As an analogy, how is a small pond supposed to give rise to a powerful flood dragon? As for Rainbow Cloud Mountain, it''s a rather ordinary mountain.


    ��It''s quite tall and scenic, but it doesn''t really provide much benefit when ites to cultivation. The only way you can make it a good mountain that''s worth the price would be if you could get some Cloud Root Stones from Dawn Cloud Mountain and ce them on the key points of the mountain. By the way, did you go to see theke on Yellow Lake Mountain?"


    Chen Ping''an faltered slightly upon hearing Ruan Qiong''s question, and he replied, "I did."


    "Alright, continue. What are the other two mountains that you chose?"


    Ruan Qiong didn''t borate any further on the previous topic. He had already done Chen Ping''an a favor by mentioning Yellow Lake Mountain, and he wasn''t going to reveal any further secrets.


    The reason he had mentioned Yellow Lake Mountain was because theke on that mountain was simr in nature to Immortal Herb Mountain. The difference was that while there was potential for natural spirits to arise on Immortal Herb Mountain, there was a huge python residing on Yellow Lake Mountain that would''ve been destined for great things had it not been defeated in battle by a certain small catfish, thereby losing its chance to pursue the Great Dao.


    However, the beauty of the Great Dao was that it always left a glimmer of hope for everyone. The golden carp that had been taken to Great Sui Nation, the fire dragon that had transformed into Ruan Xiu''s bracelet, the catfish in the possession of River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao''s disciple, Gu Can, the wood dragon that had been given life by Zhao Yao, and the four-legged snake that remained stubbornly by Wang Zhu''s side, despite the regr abuse that it suffered at her hands, these five creatures were the most prized fated opportunities that had arisen in Jewel Small World during the 3,000 years of its existence.


    As for the artifacts like the sword nurturing gourd and the demon exposing mirror, they were certainly still prized treasures, but they were far inferior to the five living fated opportunities that could''ve been imed from the small world.


    As for that python on Yellow Lake Mountain, it had ended up in quite a fortunate situation in that there was no longer anything capable of contending with in the entire area, thereby allowing it to reign supreme,pletely uncontested.


    As long as the python knew what was best for itself and pledged its subordination to one of the mountain gods or the river god assigned to Dragon Spring County, then it would be granted protection from the Great Li Empire, and perhaps it would have another chance at stepping onto the path of cultivation.


    "I''m nning to buy True Jewel Mountain and Downtrodden Mountain," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Ruan Qiong was rather taken aback to hear this, and he was quite curious about Chen Ping''an''s decision. "I suppose I can understand True Jewel Mountain, given that it only costs a single Greeting Spring Coin, which is pretty much nothing more than spare change for you at this point, but what''s drawn you to Downtrodden Mountain?


    ��That mountain is situated near the southwestern border of Dragon Spring County, so there''s no way you would''ve had enough time to visit it on your trip. Furthermore, it was also one of the mountains that had been previously sealed off by the Great Li Empire. Did you pick it based on its name alone?"


    Chen Ping''an was rather embarrassed by this question, and he was reluctant to reveal his reasons.


    As it turned out, at the time, Chen Ping''an had been inspecting the map, unable to decide which mountain to choose as his final one. Right at that moment, a bird had flown past overhead, dropping a turd onto the map as it did so.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly wiped the fecal matter away, only to find that it hadnded right on the annotation of "Downtrodden Mountain" on the map. Hence, Chen Ping''an immediately chose the mountain as the final one that he was going to purchase, despite the negative connotations behind its name.


    Old Man Yao had once told him that gods resided in all mountains and bodies of water.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an had taken that as a sign from the heavens.


    After a moment of consideration, Ruan Qiong said, "I suppose there''s no harm in choosing Downtrodden Mountain. In that case, it''s decided. Downtrodden Mountain, Treasured Scripture Mountain, Immortal Herb Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and True Jewel Mountain. During the next 300 years, you''re free to do whatever you want with those five mountains.


    ��You can even dig them up and take them away, and no one will stop you. Furthermore, everything that arises from those mountains, regardless of whether it be spirit herbs, exotic creatures, or even the asional secret treasure, will all belong to the one who signs their name on the Great Li Empire''s genealogical records to im ownership over the mountains."


    "I understand," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Ruan Qiong continued, "There are a couple more things that you need to keep in mind, which is that before you die, you have to notify the Great Li Empire through the Dragon Spring County office that you wish to pass your mountains onto someone else, and also state the name of the person inheriting the mountains from you.


    ��Of course, the ministry of revenue will keep a secret file, and you can assign an heir to each of the five mountains. That file is kept in case you suddenly die someday and don''t get a chance to erect a will. Secondly, if you wish to sell one or more of your mountains during the next 300 years, you can''t just do so at any time that you please.


    ��Instead, you must receive approval from at least three powers among the Great Li Empire''s authorities for the transaction to go through. However, I advise you not to sell those mountains at any point. No matter how much you sell them for, in the end, you''lle to realize that you made a loss."


    Ruan Qiong was a Militarian Sage that reigned supreme over what was once a small world, yet he was discussing business matters with an impoverished young boy who had suddenly stumbled upon wealth as if they were equals.


    This appeared to be quite a bizarre situation, but in reality, it made perfect sense. This was a matter that concerned the founding of his new sect and his daughter''s Dao attainment catalyst, so he had no choice but to be careful and patient. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to exin everything as thoroughly as possible to Chen Ping''an.


    "Do you have any questions, Chen Ping''an?" Ruan Qiong asked.


    "No," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile and a shake of his head.


    Ruan Qiong nodded in response. "In that case, we''ll leave it at that for now. I presume you still have some copper coins left, I''ll make sure to keep an eye out for shops going on sale in the town, and you can make some purchases there as well. However, make sure you don''t bite off more than you can chew. From this point onward, the state of the town is only going to be moreplex, so just buy one or two reliable and well-established shops."


    Chen Ping''an''s face became slightly flushed as he said, "Thank you, Master Ruan."


    "A wise man thinks of the world around him, while a fool only thinks for himself," Ruan Qiong mused with a self-deprecating smile.


    Chen Ping''an was rather perplexed to hear this, unsure of the meaning behind Ruan Qiong''s words.


    Ruan Qiong waved a dismissive hand as he said, "Don''t mind me, just focus on what you''re doing. You''re nowhere near at the age where you should be thinking about things like this anyway."


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet before hoisting his basket onto his back, and all of a sudden, Ruan Qiong said something seeminglypletely unrted to what they had just been discussing. "Now that Mr. Qi is gone, it''s only understandable that you would reminisce about him from time to time, but don''t allow yourself to spend too much time dwelling on your sentimental feelings, and definitely don''t try to uncover the reasons behind his departure.


    ��Once you''ve purchased the five mountains and one or two shops, enjoy your passive ie, start a family, and don''t worry about anything else. The Great Li Empire and I will both look after you and your estate. Just like your name, nothing is more important than your safety. Perhaps someday, your luck could take a turn, and there may even be hope for you to step onto the path of cultivation."


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as he departed.


    Following his departure, Ruan Xiu sat down onto the vacated bamboo chair, then asked, "Why did you tell him all that at the end, Father?"


    Ruan Qiong wore an indifferent expression as he replied, "I was trying to tell him that those who do not seek to broaden their horizons will be fools who constantly dwell on the past and be willing to settle for a safe andcent life."


    Ruan Xiu''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. "What''s wrong with that? How is it wrong to wish for a safe and stable life? How does that make one a fool? I don''t think this is a very reasonable sentiment."


    "That''s why the Sages of Confucianism also say that home is where the heart is," Ruan Qiong replied.


    Ruan Xiu puffed out her cheeks in vexation as she grumbled, "These schrs are so infuriating! They preach everything that there is to be preached under the heavens, so you can never win an argument against them!"


    "That''s not a reason for you to avoid your studies, Xiuxiu," Ruan Qiong said in a heartfelt manner.


    Ruan Xiu immediately sprang up from her chair upon hearing this, then eximed, "Oh my goodness, Father, I suddenly feel a burst of strength surging through my entire body! I''m going to go do some work in the forge now!"


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an traveled to the Yang Family''s medicine shop and delivered his basket full of all types of medicinal herbs to one of the employees there. After the medicinal herbs were weighed, Chen Ping''an received two taels of silver for his troubles.


    There were many rare medicinal herbs that some of the younger employees in the shop didn''t recognize at all, but they were prized ingredients in the eyes of Old Man Yang, and those were the true diamonds in the rough.


    However, on this asion, picking medicinal herbs had been nothing more than something that Chen Ping''an did along the way during his trip to the mountains, so his objective wasn''t to earn money. Ever since Chen Ping''an learned how to burn wood into charcoal in the mountains, he made sure to pick medicinal herbs to be sold to the employees of the medicine shop every time he made a trip up to the mountains.


    Aside from the few instances where the medicinal ingredients had been sold to Li Er, he had received less than what the medicinal ingredients were worth on all of the other dozens of asions.


    Old Man Yang never epted any medicinal ingredients from Chen Ping''an. If Chen Ping''an dared to give any medicinal ingredients to the shop free of charge, then Old Man Yang would toss all of it onto the street, but strangely enough, if he were to sell it to a shop employee or one of the in-shop doctors, then Old Man Yang wouldpletely ignore the matter, regardless of what price the medicinal ingredients were sold for.


    On this asion, Chen Ping''an didn''t run into Old Man Yang.


    After leaving the shop, Chen Ping''an discovered that there were many people discussing spiritedly among themselves on the streets outside about something that was happening over at the archway. Apparently, the former kiln supervision official, Master Song, had made a triumphant return to the town, having been promoted to a lofty position in the ministry of rites.


    He had brought with him a group of imposing officials, and they had all gathered together to see the phrases inscribed upon the four ques hanging on the crab archway, which was understandable, given that they were all well-read individuals. However, for some reason, as soon as news of this was delivered to the kiln supervision office, someone had immediately been sent into the mountains in a hurry to inform Wu Yuan of what was happening.


    Wu Yuan was on the way to Distant Scene Mountain to oversee the felling of trees, and as soon as he learned about Master Song''s arrival, he immediately left the mountains in an urgent manner with his entourage to stop Master Song and his group.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had no part in any of this, and he merely followed the crowd to the archway before standing at the edge of the crowd to watch the proceedings from afar.


    He could see that eightdders had been propped up under the four ques, with a pair ofdders situated on either side of each que. However, what was particrly worthy of note was that there was a pair of schrs standing on either side of the que that read "doing my part", and that was the only one of the four ques to receive such treatment.


    There was a significant age gap between the pair of schrs, and the elder one of the two was in the process of glowering sternly at someone down below while scolding them in the official dialect of the Great Li Empire.


    All of a sudden, someone patted Chen Ping''an on the shoulder. "What a coincidence, Chen Ping''an. Did youe here because you also heard about what''s happening?"


    Chen Ping''an turned to discover that he had been approached by the boy with the red birthmark on his be, and he knew that the boy was a chronic chatterbox, so he wanted to avoid a conversation. Hence, he replied, "I just so happen to pass by. I don''t really understand what they''re saying, so I''m just gonna go home."


    The boy smiled as he said, "Don''t go. If you don''t understand what''s happening, then I can exin it to you. There''s something very interesting going on here, and you''re definitely going to regret itter if you go home now! Our kiln supervision official, Master Wu Yuan, is currently in a conflict with a group of superior officials from the ministry of rites. The one standing on thedder over there is the right-hand minister of the ministry of rites, so he''s a very important official in the Great Li Empire.


    ��I''m assuming what''s happening here is that the former kiln supervision official, Master Song, is using these ques to appease the right-hand minister. He most likely promised to keep these ques for the minister, and he''s now following through on his promise to hand over the ques to him, and that''s how he secured his role in the ministry of rites.


    ��These officials from the ministry of rites havee here to assign mountain and river gods, and they''re taking advantage of this opportunity to take the ques as well. However, they''re being met with opposition from Master Wu, who regards all of the town''s treasures as strictly off-limits, so he''s certainly not just going to allow someone to strut in and take these treasures, particrly when there aren''t many treasures left in this town.


    ��Even if he''s willing to swallow this bitter pill and allow these officials to take the ques, you have to understand that all of the sly old foxes of the four surnames and ten ns are watching his every move. If he concedes now, his reputation will take a heavy hit, and it''ll be very difficult for him to subjugate the four surnames and ten ns in the future.


    ��At the moment, the site selection for the immortal tomb and the mountain of porcin is already not going very smoothly. If he can''t establish authority over the four surnames and ten ns and earn their respect, then it''s going to be very difficult for him to carry out his work in the future."


    Chen Ping''an listened carefully to the boy''s spirited exnation, then asked, "Who are you? How do you know all of this?"


    The boy pointed at himself, then chuckled in response, "Don''t worry about me, I''m not an official of the Great Li Empire or anything like that. My name is Cui Chan. The Chan character in my name is a real pain to write, so I won''t show it to you."


    Chen Ping''an looked into the boy''s eyes in silence, yet the boy remainedpletely unfazed, and he dered, "I''m older than you, so you can call me Uncle Cui."


    Chen Ping''an merely smiled in response.


    The boy also smiled as he gently rubbed his own cheeks, then continued, "It''s alright, I also have a nickname that you can refer to me by. It''s ''Embroidered Tiger''."

 Chapter 81: Imperial Preceptor

    Chapter 81: Imperial Preceptor


    Despite the boy''s smiley and friendly disposition, Chen Ping''an''s entire body was tensing up in apletely involuntary manner.


    Back when he had faced off against Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua in that battle of life and death, he had grown calmer and moreposed the closer he had gotten to them. Even during his battle against Bai Yuan and the subsequent chase, he hadn''t been anxious at all, perhaps because he was prepared to die from the very beginning.


    Of course, it could''ve also just been due to the fact that he was too busy trying to keep himself alive, thereby allowing him to ignore his emotions. In any case, whenever he thought back on that incident now, a sense of lingering fear would well up in his heart.


    The only time that he could recall feeling this tense and anxious was during his battle against Ma Kuxuan at the immortal tomb. At the time, Chen Ping''an''s palms had been mmy with sweat.


    Cui Chan didn''t seem surprised in the slightest by Chen Ping''an''s sharp intuition.


    He had the courage to provoke the unfathomable Old Man Yang back at the mountain of porcin, and it was clear that he wasn''t just putting up a bluff. Otherwise, Ruan Qiong wouldn''t have been so wary of him.


    He deliberately ignored the tension and anxiety radiating from Chen Ping''an''s body, turning his gaze instead toward the Grand Secretary Archway, which had a strong connection to the Great Li Empire''s capital city.


    He pointed at the archway from afar, and his expression remained quite friendly and approachable as he exined, "''Doing my part'' is a concept championed in the school Confucianism, ply with the natural order'' is a mantra followed by those in the school of Daoism, ''refrain from looking outward'' is a motto that proponents of Buddhism stand by, and ''unmatched aura'' is something that all Militarians strive for.


    ��The phrases on these four ques reflect the intentions of the calligraphers that inscribed them, and the ques are also imbued with traces of the auras of the four sages that established the rules here. You see that thing that the minister''s holding? That thing is designed for the sole purpose of making rubbings of inscriptions. He brought that thing here in order to strip down the energy, essence, and spirit of the four quesyer byyer.


    ��The first rubbing will definitely be closest in appearance to the original, but each subsequent rubbing will stray further and further away from the original, thereby also making them worth less and less. If you ask me, the ''refrain from looking outward que'' may be able tost six rubbings at a stretch, but the other three ques most likely won''t even be able to endure four rubbings.


    ��In particr, two of the four characters on the "unmatched aura" que seem to have recently died, so it shouldn''t be able tost more than two rubbings."


    Chen Ping''an was astonished to hear this. He had originally thought that text was only inscribed on books, or on couplets to be stered onto walls, or on tombstones tomemorate the names of the deceased, never had he thought that they could hold something more significant than their meanings.


    With that in mind, he couldn''t help but think of the text inscribed on the seals gifted to him by Mr. Qi and the prescription papers left behind by Daoist Lu.


    Cui Chan continued, "Those sheets of paper used for the rubbings are extremely precious. Each sheet is as thick as a wood chip, and they''re a unique treasure created by a Daoist sect from another continent by the name of the True Mandate Sect. This type of paper is known as a Wind Lightning Sheet, and when writing on a Wind Lightning Sheet, the sound of wind and thunder would ring out as the tip of the brush runs over the surface of the paper.


    ��Even His Majesty doesn''t have much of this precious material in his collection, and he would only very rarely use it to reward officials for major contributions. The fact that the ministry of rites has brought so many Wind Lightning Sheets for these rubbings is a clear sign of their determination. Unfortunately for Wu Yuan, he''s most likely fighting a losing battle here.


    ��He thinks too much and tries to maintain control over everything, but that''s simply not feasible. My guess is that he''s going to encounter many obstacles when trying to carry out his work in this town. There are going to be some difficult times ahead for him."


    Chen Ping''an had no idea what he had just heard.


    It sounded as if Cui Chan were spinning a tall tale, but Chen Ping''an had a feeling that the boy was speaking the truth.


    Cui Chan had dered earlier that he wasn''t an official of the Great Li Empire, and he didn''t seem to be lying. However, he had appeared alongside Wu Yuan during thetter''s visit to the cksmith shop. Ruan Xiu had spected that he was most likely Wu Yuan''s schrly attendant.


    Essentially, a schrly attendant was a servant responsible for carrying their master''s bookcase around. However, at this point, Chen Ping''an was certain that Cui Chan definitely wasn''t just some lowly schrly attendant. His eloquence, disposition, and poise were only superior to those of the likes of Chen Songfeng and Fu Nanhua.


    Out of all of the people that Chen Ping''an knew, there was a small group of them that he recalled to be very special. For example, Old Man Yao was a member of this exclusive group.


    He barely ever spoke, and whenever he did, it was mostly to hurl abuse at someone, but whenever he entered the mountains, he would always disy an exceptional level of energy and vigor, striking one with the illusion that he was even fitter and stronger than a healthy young man. Another example was Old Man Yang from the Yang Family''s medicine shop. He was a very fair and just man.


    Regardless of how terrible his rtionship with someone was, he would never do anything to get back at that person. Simrly, no matter how close with someone he was, he would never go out of their way to give that person more than they deserved. There was also Ning Yao, whom he had only known for a short time.


    There was a heroic spirit about her that he had felt in any other person of the opposite sex, much like the unique aura of sharpness and hostility that Chen Ping''an had felt from Ma Kuxuan when thetter showed his true colors.


    Despite the fact that they had only met twice thus far, Cui Chan had imed a spot on this list as well.


    It was like he was someone that transcended beyond even the likes of immortal cultivators like Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian. In fact, Chen Ping''an had a feeling that even if the River Severing True Lord were to appear before them at this very moment, Cui Chan would still remain just as casual and disinterested.


    Furthermore, when it came to being a chatterbox, only Liu Baqiao of Wind Lightning Field couldpare with Cui Chan.


    All of a sudden, Cui Chan smiled and asked, "Chen Ping''an, can you take me to Song Jixin''s residence?"


    Chen Ping''an was rather apprehensive upon hearing this request, but he feigned a nonchnt expression as he said, "Shouldn''t we stay to see what happens to the ques first?"


    Cui Chan''s smile widened even further, giving him the appearance of a handsome and harmless fox immortal as he said, "I know that you''re worried that I have bad intentions. Let me tell you the truth: I know Song Jixin''s younger brother very well, and he''s very curious about how his older brother has been living in this town for the past dozen or so years.


    ��He strongly requested me to take a look at Song Jixin''s residence so I can tell him about it after I get back to the capital city."


    "If he''s brothers with Song Jixin, then can''t he ask Song Jixin himself?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Cui Chan pped his hands together in approval as he eximed, "You''re a smartd, Chen Ping''an! You instantly saw a hole in my story!"


    Chen Ping''an was struggling to keep up with this enigmatic young boy.


    Cui Chan massaged his own be momentarily, then sighed, "While it''s true that they''re brothers, they''ve never met even once, but despite this, they''re already on very bad terms due to a certain situation concerning their parents. While they may appear righteous and morous on the surface, I can tell you that there''s nock of putrid things taking ce in the shadows of these powerful and affluent ns."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he asked, "Are you going toe after me if I refuse?"


    A perplexed look appeared on Cui Chan''s face, following which he protested in an indignant manner, "Do I look like that type of person to you? Open your eyes up wide and take a good look at me! Do I look like the type of person who would seek retribution over minor disagreements?"


    "It''s true, you don''t look like that type of person," Chen Ping''an conceded in a truthful manner.


    Cui Chan''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he crossed his arms as he harrumphed coldly, "Why does that sound like an insult? If you''re not willing to take me, then I''ll ask for directions from someone else."


    "You don''t have a key, so you won''t even be able to enter the yard. What are you going to be able to see?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    An extremely punchable smirk appeared on Cui Chan''s face, one that said, "You''re still too young, Chen Ping''an."


    It was an expression that Chen Ping''an was extremely familiar with as he had seen it on many past asions on the faces of Liu Xianyang and Gu Can.


    "Fine, I''ll take you to y Vase Alley, but I''ll only lead you to the entrance of Song Jixin''s residence," Chen Ping''an sighed.


    Cui Chan mmed a palm heavily down onto Chen Ping''an''s shoulder, then asked, "See? That wasn''t so hard, was it?"


    After that, he turned to depart, making his way away from the crowded archway.


    All of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks, then turned to discover Chen Ping''an walking away in the opposite direction.


    A slightly embarrassed look appeared on his face, and he hurriedly ran after Chen Ping''an.


    Upon entering y Vase Alley, Cui Chan began to inspect his surroundings as he mused, "So this is the legendary y Vase Alley. Over the next century, even Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alleybined most likely won''t be able to produce as many prodigies as y Vase Alley."


    Once again, Chen Ping''an had no idea what the basis of Cui Chan''s statement was, but at this point, he was already ustomed to being unable to understand the mysterious young boy.


    As they made their way along y Vase Alley, Cui Chan would asionally jump up so that he could see in the courtyards beyond the short walls.


    "This is it," Chen Ping''an dered as they arrived at the entrance of Song Jixin''s residence.


    Standing in the alley, Cui Chan quickly caught sight of the couplets that Song Jixin had written himself, and his eyes immediately lit up as he praised, "This is some exceptional calligraphy! Is this the residence where Song Jixin and his maidservant were staying? I have to say, judging from his handwriting, he definitely has more potential than his brother. The more I look at it, the more impressed I am."


    He strode forward as he spoke, then got up onto the tips of his toes to tear down the couplets.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly stepped in as he eximed, "What are you doing?"


    An innocent look appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he replied, "Song Jixin isn''t ever going toe back here. If I leave these couplets here to be exposed to the elements, the writing on them will gradually fade away, so it''s better for me to take them back to the capital with me."


    However, Chen Ping''an refused to concede on this matter, shaking his head as he protested, "You can''t do that. You can''t tear down a set of couplets unless you''re going to rece them at the turn of the year. Otherwise, the entire residence will have bad luck for the rest of the year!"


    "I see," Cui Chan murmured in a disappointed voice.


    "Would you like toe in and take a seat in my yard?" Chen Ping''an offered.


    Cui Chan shook his head in response. "I''ll pass. Given how tiny your yard is, I don''t think there''s even enough space to have a cup of tea in there. I''m leaving. By the way, this alley isn''t a dead-end, is it? Will I be able to emerge on the other side if I keep walking ahead?"


    "You will," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    With that, Cui Chan promptly departed, waving farewell at Chen Ping''an as he did so.


    Chen Ping''an watched as the strange young boy departed, then returned to his own yard. The locust branch was still there, propped up against the wall, and he set down the basket on his back before pulling out a stool from the house to sit on.


    All of a sudden, he abruptly rose to his feet before charging out onto y Vase Alley again, just in time to see a sneaky figure running past like the wind.


    He quickly rushed over to the entrance of Song Jixin''s residence to find that the couplets had been stolen.


    He was rooted to the spot as he stared at the bare walls on either side of the yard gate, and he was momentarily rendered speechless.


    Shortly thereafter, a wry smile appeared on his face as he sighed, "What a weird guy!"


    Chen Ping''an heaved another faint sigh as he returned to his yard, only to find that Old Man Yang had suddenly showed up, and he was sitting on Chen Ping''an''s stool while puffing out arge cloud of smoke.


    "What is a young man like you doing sighing like this? You need to keep your vital energy within yourself, especially if you''re going to practice fist techniques," Old Man Yang mused.


    Chen Ping''an''s heart jolted slightly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly replied, "I''ll be sure to keep that in mind."


    "Why did that girl with the Ning surname suddenly leave?" Old Man Yang asked. "I missed out on a pouch of Greeting Spring Coins because of her."


    Chen Ping''an squatted down beside Old Man Yang, then shook his head as he replied, "I''m not sure. All I know is that she has some ties with a ce known as Stctite Mountain."


    Old Man Yang nodded in response as he chuckled, "That godforsaken ce, eh? That ce sits on the border between two regions, and in order to prevent people from the two regions from sneaking back and forth, one of the three disciples of the Dao Ancestor unleashed an almighty mystical ability to turn heaven and earth on their heads for the purpose of intimidation.


    ��Essentially, it''s a normal mountain that was manipted to reside in the heavens. It sounds simple, but it would''ve required an unfathomable amount of power to aplish such a feat."


    Old Man Yang''s voice was tinged with hints of both mockery and mncholy as he spoke on this subject, and Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t know what was bringing on these emotions in the old man.


    "I hear you''re nning to buy some mountains?" Old Man Yang asked.


    Chen Ping''an knew better than to lie to the unfathomable old man, and he replied in a truthful manner, "I''m nning to buy five mountains, three of which are close to Master Ruan''s three mountains, namely Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and Immortal Herb Mountain. On top of that, I''m also nning to buy Downtrodden Mountain and True Jewel Mountain."


    Old Man Yang''s brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "Why would you decide to purchase Downtrodden Mountain? Did someone tell you to do that? Was it Ruan Qiong? Surely not, it''s clear he doesn''t want to get involved with you."


    "Is Downtrodden Mountain a strange choice?" Chen Ping''an asked with a puzzled expression.


    Old Man Yang hesitated momentarily, then blew out a smoke ring before nodding in response. "Aside from Cloud Drape Mountain and Incense Mountain, Downtrodden Mountain is the most interesting of the bunch.


    ��However, at this point, even the Great Li Empire''s officials of astronomy and fengshui masters most likely haven''t identified what''s special about it, so the price won''t be very high. You''re going to be getting an enormous steal! Tell me what made you decide to buy this mountain."


    A rather awkward look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he exined, "While I was looking at the map, a bird dropped a turd onto it, and the bird poop just so happened tond on the annotation of Downtrodden Mountain. In the past, Old Man Yao always told me that there were invisible deities in the mountains and rivers. I didn''t know what mountain I should buy anyway, so I took that as a sign from the gods."


    Aplex look appeared in Old Man Yang''s eyes upon hearing mention of Old Man Yao, and he nodded as he mused, "I suppose that isn''t too far-fetched."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he said, "Master Ruan has already agreed to help me purchase those five mountains. Have I made good choices?"


    "You have, indeed," Old Man Yang replied in an absentminded manner.


    At the same time, he was feeling rather perplexed. Could it be that due to the fact that Jewel Small World was no longer restricted by the original set of rules, Chen Ping''an''s luck was beginning to turn?


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an recalled something, and he said, "By the way, the boy with the red birthmark on his be told me that his name is Cui Chan, and that his nickname is Embroidered Tiger. He also told me that I can refer to him as uncle."


    Old Man Yang offered no response to this, and it was something that he had already anticipated.


    Cui Chan was the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, and even though he had no official status in the imperial court, he was the leader of all of the Great Li Empire''s cultivators. It was also said that he was one of the best go yers on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    However, he couldn''t understand why Cui Chan had asked Chen Ping''an to refer to him as uncle.


    Old Man Yang rose to his feet as he cautioned, "Make sure to keep the four seals given to you by Mr. Qi safe. In particr, you have to make sure to hide the seal that carries the phrase ''tranquil mind begets enlightenment''.


    ��You don''t have to be afraid of anyone, regardless of whether it be Cui Chan or someone else, but of course, don''t go around provoking anyone unnecessarily, either. After you purchase those five mountains, make sure to keep a low profile and don''t make any big moves. It''s far better to be safe than sorry."


    "I understand," Chen Ping''an replied with a firm nod.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Please note that some changes have been made to previously tranted terms, specifically ����, which was erroneously tranted as Martial Sect/martial artist. This has been corrected to School of Military Thought, and its disciples are now Militarians.


    Note also that Militarians can be cultivators, Qi refiners, martial artists, and swordsmen as well (e.g. Militarian cultivator), with ''''cultivator'''' being an overarching term that epasses thetter three paths.


    In fact, ''''cultivator'''' generally seems to be an overarching term no matter where it''s used.


    Sorry for any confusion and happy reading!</blockquote>

 Chapter 82: (1): Master and Student, Senior Brother and Junior Brother

    Chapter 82: (1): Master and Student, Senior Brother and Junior Brother


    After leaving the narrow and confined y Vase Alley, Cui Chan made his way down the wide and bright Eng Alley. His footsteps were light and spritely, his sleeves were swaying from side to side, and he was holding the pair of couplets that he had stolen from y Vase Alley in his hands.


    Wu Yuan had been waiting for him here for quite some time with his eyes closed, and he opened his eyes as soon as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Upon catching sight of Cui Chan, Wu Yuan hurriedly extended a slight bow as he greeted in a respectful voice, "Teacher."


    Cui Chan nodded in response, then casually handed the couplets to Wu Yuan before pulling out a key to open the gate. However, right as he was about to make his way over the doorstep, he suddenly took a step backward before closing the yard gate again.


    As a result, Wu Yuan almost crashed into him from behind, and he hurriedly took a few steps backward while looking at his teacher with a befuddled expression.


    Cui Chan tucked his hands into his sleeves, then pointed his chin at the pair of door gods on the gates as he said, "The ancestors of your father-inw are hanging there. Don''t they look great?"


    Wu Yuan didn''t know how to respond to such a strange question.


    He wasn''t on good terms with his soon-to-be father-inw, but he had an exceptional rtionship with his fiancee. In the capital city of the Great Li Empire, they were renowned as an affectionate and loving couple, and their story was one that tugged on the heartstrings of many. Wu Yuan was a handsome schr who came from a humble background.


    He had traveled to the capital city to undertake the imperial examination, and his performance had been ratherckluster, but he was able to win the heart of the pir general''s daughter. Despite their requited love for one another, the vast disparity in their backgrounds made their rtionship one that seemed extremely unfeasible.


    However, in a stunning turn of events, Wu Yuan became a direct disciple to the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor, and his story quickly became so renowned that he was even granted an audience with the emperor himself.


    From that point onward, Wu Yuan''s soon-to-be father-inw had turned a blind eye to him, no longer proiming to his daughter that he was going to break all three of Wu Yuan''s legs.


    Cui Chan strode over the doorstep as he mused, "I''ve been thinking about a problem for quite some time now. Us followers of the school of Confucianism have always idealized the concept of a ruler who''s able to ensure peace and garner the support of the people not through their actions, but through the quality of their character and their charisma alone. I wonder if that''s actually possible."


    "Have you thought of an answer to this question?" Wu Yuan asked.


    "It''s a very difficult thing to aplish," Cui Chan concluded as he pursed his lips.


    Wu Yuan was left speechless upon hearing this.


    "Do you feel like I just stated the obvious?" Cui Chan asked with a faint smile.


    "I do," Wu Yuan replied in a truthful manner.


    It seemed that the two of them had always been very open and candid with one another, and Cui Chan wasn''t incensed by Wu Yuan''s blunt answer. He took a nce at Wu Yuan out of the corner of his eye, then sighed in a forlorn manner, "There are many things in life where the process is more precious than the oue."


    Wu Yuan took a moment to muster up some courage, then asked, "Can you give an example, Teacher?"


    Cui Chan led Wu Yuan to arge square table beneath the que of the main hall as he said, "An example would be your rtionship with the daughter of Pir General Yuan. Right now, you''re in the honeymoon phase of the rtionship, and even just holding her hand is enough to make you giddy with joy. However, after you marry her and do the deed with her in bed, you''ll quickly be disappointed and realize that it''s not as good as you envisioned it to be."


    Wu Yuan couldn''t help but grimace upon hearing this example, and he didn''t know how to respond.


    Cui Chan indicated for Wu Yuan to take a seat, while he remained standing and raised his head to look up at the que hanging above the entrance of the main hall as he continued, "However, are you going to pass up the opportunity to sleep with the daughter of Pir General Yuan just because you''re aware of this? Clearly not."


    After a moment of consideration, Cui Chan seemed to have also realized that the example he had raised wasn''t a very good one, and he amended, "Let me make another example. When ites to the average cultivator, their goal is usually to reach the Middle Five Tiers, while certain prodigies would set their sights higher and aim for the Upper Five Tiers.


    ��The same applies to officials serving in the imperial court. Their aspirations will vary depending on how ambitious they are. During the long and arduous journey to the top, many people would constantly keep their gaze focused on the summit of the mountain, ignoring all of the beautiful scenery along the way. Even if they do notice the scenery, they won''t stop to appreciate it. It truly is a sad state of affairs."


    Wu Yuan fell into deep thought upon hearing this.


    All of a sudden, Cui Chan erupted into raucousughter. "You''re actually taking me seriously? I just spouted some of the most cliched nonsense you''ll ever hear!"


    An exasperated look appeared on Wu Yuan''s face as he said, "In the past, I definitely wouldn''t have put much thought into something like this. However, since you came out of seclusion, you adopted this disguise, then suddenly dered that you wereing to this town to meet an acquaintance, and I simply don''t know what to make of all of this."


    Cui Chan''sughter subsided as he leanedzily back against his chair, then said, "What I said just now may have been very cliched, but it still rings true. I value practical ability over theoretical knowledge, but that doesn''t mean that I take the rual of knowledge lightly. Let me be frank with you here, for the average person, if they haven''t dedicated an immense amount of time and effort into doing something, then they have no right to talk about talent or aptitude."


    Cui Chan was gently tapping the armrest of his chair with his finger as he continued, "Only those who have truly put in the time and fully tapped into their potential in something can fullyprehend the despair of facing someone who''s simply more talented than them. After doing everything in their power, yet still falling short, they''lle to realize that sometimes, a disparity in talent simply produces an insurmountable gap."


    Wu Yuan smiled as he said, "I''m sure this is what all the top go yers on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent feel when they face you in a game."


    "That may be true, but even with all my talents, I sometimes also experience this type of despair in the face of certain people," Cui Chan sighed.


    "You can''t expect me to believe that!" Wu Yuan eximed.


    An amused grin appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he pointed at Wu Yuan and used, "That was a terrible attempt at ttery!"


    Wu Yuan immediately burst intoughter, and he cupped his fist in a salute as he chuckled, "Your wisdom is truly unmatched, Teacher."


    At the same time, Wu Yuan spotted a young boy out of the corner of his eye. The boy had glittering and translucent skin, and he was seated on a small stool not far away from the residence''s open-air area. There was a dazed and vacant look in his eyes, and his hands were resting on his knees as he looked up at the sky.


    Wu Yuan had spotted the boy as soon as he entered the courtyard, and he was immediately struck by a sense of difort at the sight of him. However, seeing as Cui Chan was disying no intention of introducing the boy to him, he felt it inappropriate to ask questions.


    Wu Yuan turned his attention to the set of couplets on the table, and after some careful inspection, he asked, "Who wrote these couplets? I can tell it''s a very interesting character."


    Cui Chan yawned and snuggled up into a morefortable position on his chair as he replied, "I think he''s still called Song Jixin for now, but in a few years, he''s most likely going to revert back to his old name, Song Mu."


    Wu Yuan was stunned upon learning the identity of the person who had written the couplets, and he couldn''t help but ask, "Teacher, why did you take these couplets?"


    Cui Chan smiled as he replied, "I wanted to show them to your senior brother. He''s always going on about how I''m only a better calligrapher than him because I''m older than him. These couplets were written by his twin brother, I''d like to see what excuse he cane up with now!"


    Wu Yuan was rather amused to hear this, and he said, "He could say that Song Jixin was living out in the wilderness with nothing to do but hone his calligraphy all day, so he''s had more time to practice, and that''s why he''s a better calligrapher."


    "Is he really that shameless?" Cui Chan asked with a shocked expression.


    "I can definitely see him using that excuse," Wu Yuan replied with an amused nod.


    Cui Chan shook his head as he sighed, "I really should''ve beaten him more. Sticks and stones are the basis for establishing rules."


    Wu Yuan ced the couplets back onto the table, then remarked, "I''m guessing your teacher must''ve been very strict with you."


    Up to this point, Wu Yuan still didn''t know who his teacher had been taught by. In fact, he didn''t even know his teacher''s rough lineage, and there was most likely only a small handful of people in the entire Great Li Empire who were privy to this information.


    Cui Chan suddenly sat up a little straighter as he replied, "Nope, my teacher taught me in much the same way as I''m teaching you. That''s why I turned out to be so ungrateful, treacherous, and sphemous."


    Wu Yuan was dumbfounded, and he couldn''t help but wonder if he had misheard what Cui Chan had just said.


    However, Cui Chan confirmed in an indifferent voice, "You heard me right. Back when I was studying under my teacher, I wasn''t as extreme in my methods and beliefs as I am now, so I only dared to propose pursuing knowledge and practical ability in tandem. In response, my teacher immediatelymbasted me,beling me as ungrateful, treacherous, and sphemous."


    Cui Chan sat up even straighter as he spoke, and he looked straight into Wu Yuan''s eyes as he continued, "You know what the most infuriating thing is? I didn''t even get a chance to fully articte my proposal before my teacher threw all those derogatorybels at me. He wasn''t even willing to consider my proposal for a day, an hour, or even a minute!


    ��I had a junior brother at the time, and whenever he raised any questions about our reading materials, our teacher would be sure to meticulously consider his answer for fear of passing on information that''s even slightly inurate. Do you know what was the longest time he took to consider one of my junior brother''s questions before giving an answer?"


    Cui Chan raised a finger as a hint.


    Given the nature of the question, Wu Yuan knew that it had to have been a very long time, so he guessed, "A month?"


    A peculiar look appeared on Cui Chan''s face, and he shook his head as he revealed the answer. "A decade!"


    Wu Yuan was renderedpletely speechless upon hearing this.


    Cui Chan heaved a long sigh as he mused in a self-deprecating voice, "It''s all in the past anyway, and I''m no longer hung up on any of this. Besides, even if I can''t get over it, what else can I do?"


    Cui Chan rose to his feet as he spoke, then turned to Wu Yuan as he continued, "I brought you here today because there''s someone I want you to meet. I have to do something in the meantime, so go and wait for our guest outside."


    Wu Yuan did as he was instructed, standing up before making his way out of the courtyard.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan strode over to the dazed young boy''s side, then crouched down as he carefully inspected the boy while stroking his own chin, as if he were examining the boy for imperfections.


    As dusk arrived, Wu Yuan led a man wearing a veiled bamboo hat into the main hall. Only then did Cui Chan rise to his feet as he made an inviting gesture to Wu Yuan and the guest. "Take a seat."


    After sitting down onto a chair, the man removed his veiled bamboo hat to reveal a handsome, yet sickly pale face. His energy, essence, and spirit were all inplete disarray, as if he were carrying severe injuries, and not only was he coughing incessantly, there was a faint bloody odor emanating from his body.


    "Cui Minghuang?!" Wu Yuan eximed with a stunned expression before quickly turning to Cui Chan.


    Only then did it ur to him that Cui Chan and Cui Minghuang shared the same surname.


    Could it be?


    Wu Yuan''s skin was crawling, and he was beginning to grow concerned about whether he was going to be able to leave this residence alive.


    Cui Chan had always abided by the mantra that he only killed when the rules mandated for him to do so, but the problem was that no one knew what set of rules he was using to dictate his conduct.


    Even a close disciple like Wu Yuan would never dare to proim that he knew exactly what his teacher was thinking at any given moment.


    Cui Chan dragged a chair over to the dazed young boy, and his back was facing Wu Yuan and Cui Minghuang as he smiled and said, "There''s no need to be concerned. One of you is a fellow nsman of mine who has managed to catch my eye, while the other is my prized disciple whom I have very high hopes for, so rest assured that I have no intention of harming either of you."


    Wu Yuan mustered up some courage before asking, "Teacher, you''re from the Cui n?"


    Cui Chan ignored the question.


    A wry smile appeared on Cui Minghuang''s face as he exined, "Granduncle was evicted from the Cui n long ago, and he''s forbidden from being buried at our ancestral grave."


    Wu Yuan''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.


    Cui Chan remained standing with his back facing Cui Minghuang and Wu Yuan as reassured, "Don''t worry, His Majesty has known about my unsightly past from the very beginning. I''m sure you have many questions for me, Wu Yuan. I''ll get Cui Minghuang to answer them in my stead."


    Wu Yuan was silent for a moment, then asked the question that he was most curious about: "Teacher, did you orchestrate Qi Jingchun''s death?"


    Cui Chan offered no response.


    Cui Minghuang''s expression remained unchanged as he replied, "A while ago, Qi Jingchun received a secret letter from Mountain Cliff Academy, informing him that his teacher has passed away."


    Wu Yuan''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. This was an astonishing secret that he hadn''t heard about at all, and it was a piece of information that was most likely only known to the leading figures of the three schools and 72 academies of Confucianism. However, just like many other schrs, Wu Yuan had caught wind of some rumors rted to this subject.


    In the short span of no more than a century, the fourth deity statue that had been worshipped in Confucianist temples had first been removed from its position of Sage and ced among the 72 Saints, then continued to be moved down the ranks of the 72 Saints all the way until it was at the very bottom.


    This spring, all statues of the former Sage had been removed from the Confucianist temples altogether. Not only that, but someone had attempted to sneak one of the statues into a Daoist temple, only to discover not long thereafter that the statue had been knocked down and smashed to bits by a bunch of so-called ignorant rabble-rousers.


    Furthermore, everything that this former Sage had written in his entire life had been banned by the imperial courts, and all copies of his works were destroyed. Additionally, all of thews and policies that he had introduced were abolished by all of the empires, and his name was removed from all historical records.


    It had been a gradual yet steady fall from grace, which had concluded in theplete erasure of a once-revered figure from the face of this world, and at this moment, Cui Minghuang was revealing to Wu Yuan the shocking conspiracy that had led to this point. "Right now, Mountain Cliff Academy has already been stripped of its status as one of the 72 academies, and I understand that your Great Li Empire is quite opposed to this development.


    ��After all, Qi Jingchun and Mountain Cliff Academy have yed an integral role in educating the general public and elevating the Great Li Empire from its former status as a settlement of northern savages. Now that the academy is no longer attracting the top schrs in the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the official hierarchy of the Great Li Empire is undoubtedly going to be dealt a severe blow.


    ��However, this was all inevitable, and the Great Li Empire was powerless to change anything. The emperor of the Great Li Empire certainly wouldn''t be so foolish as to make enemies out of so many powerful forces just for the sake of Qi Jingchun. After learning about his teacher''s demise from the secret letter, Qi Jingchun knew that he wouldn''t be able to count on any external assistance.


    ��Hence, he had to face the massive predicament of preserving the status of Mountain Cliff Academy on his own. He knew that if he were to emerge from Jewel Small World at the conclusion of his 60-year tenure, then it would inevitablye to light that not only had his cultivation base not been negatively affected during his time in the small world, but it had improved instead, and that revtion would''ve led to him being hunted down by certain powerful figures in the school of Confucianism.


    ��Not only that, but some prominent figures in all of the other teachings would''ve also been itching to make a move. They had finally managed to bring down his teacher, and they certainly wouldn''t have allowed Qi Jingchun to take his teacher''s ce."


    A faint smile appeared on Cui Minghuang''s face as he spoke, and he turned his gaze toward Cui Chan, who was still staring at the dazed young boy.


    Cui Minghuang''s eyes were filled with admiration as he continued, "Ultimately, it was Ruan Qiong''s early arrival in the small world that proved to be the final nail in the coffin,pletely cutting off the path of retreat that Qi Jingchun was most likely to have taken."


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan rose up from his haunches and began to gently pry back the young boy''s eyelids with his fingers. After hearing what Cui Minghuang had just said, he murmured, "Where''s the wine? You should''ve bought a few gons when you were passing the wine shop on the way here."


    Cui Minghuang could see the befuddlement in Wu Yuan''s eyes, so he exined, "Even though Ruan Qiong adopted a stance of absolute neutrality and didn''t interfere with the town''s affairs following his early arrival, his presence in the town is quite a significant factor in itself.


    ��Essentially, his arrival forced Qi Jingchun''s hand, making it impossible for him to negotiate with the four Sages and suggest that he remain in the town for another 60 years, thereby allowing Mountain Cliff Academy to cling onto its status as one of the 72 academies for 60 more years."


    Cui Minghuang smiled as he continued, "His teacher is dead, and the books written by his teacher have been banned, while the policies he proposed are no longer being adopted by anyone. The Mountain Cliff Academy that Qi Jingchun had painstakingly established in the northern wilderness of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is also gone, leaving him with no ce to return to.


    ��The small world that he had called home for thest 60 years had also met its demise, so what choice did he have but to die? Only by surrendering his own life could he ensure that the fragmented Mountain Cliff Academy is no longer seen as a threat by anyone. If it wasn''t for Qi Jingchun, Mountain Cliff Academy wouldn''t even have been regarded as anywhere near our Lake View Academy''s equal, let alone instated as one of the 72 academies."


    "Lake View Academy is certainly a well-established academy, but it''scking in innovation. If it wasn''t for the existence of Mountain Cliff Academy forcing Lake View Academy to make a whole host of changes, it would''ve only been left further and further behind by the changing times, eventually falling to a slow and inevitable demise," Cui Chan remarked.

 Chapter 83: Dreams

    Chapter 83: Dreams


    As Chen Ping''an emerged from the well with a basket full of soil on his back, he was dumbstruck to find a bunch of well-dressed schrs standing outside the well.


    The group of schrs was led by none other than the elderly minister from the ministry of rites, who had earlier been denouncing Wu Yuan while standing on adder propped up against the archway. Standing beside him was the former kiln supervision official, the man rumored to be Song Jixin''s father.


    Hisplexion was a little fairer than during his days spent in the town, and the rest of the group wasposed of around five to six men who appeared to be in their thirties or forties, all of whom appeared to be even more noble and authoritative than Master Song.


    Not only was Chen Ping''an dumbfounded by the sight of the group of officials, these officials were just as astonished to see Chen Ping''an. With three pouches of gold essence copper coins under his belt, he was the wealthiest individual in the entire town, and all of the officials were stunned to see that he was nothing more than an impoverished young boy performing manualbor at Ruan Qiong''s cksmith shop.


    How was it possible that this boy possessed wealth equivalent to half of the Great Li Empire''s imperial vault? Was he really the same person as the one who had purchased five of the mountains being sold by the Great Li Empire?


    Ruan Qiong didn''t appear on the scene. Instead, it was Ruan Xiu who was apanying Wu Yuan, and thetter wore an indifferent expression with his gaze directed slightly downward, making it appear as if he were very displeased with the group of officials from the ministry of rites. This wasn''t exactly a far-fetched notion, considering these officials had just barged onto his territory and taken such a precious set of treasures.


    To the surprise of everyone, it was Wu Yuan who ultimately backed down during the incident that had taken ce at the archway earlier.


    He had allowed the right-hand minister of the ministry of rites, Dong Hu, to take all 16 characters on the ques in the form of rubbings, and even though an apanying seventh tier cultivator had confirmed that the characters on the que had beenpletely stripped of their essence, so there was no need to waste any further precious Wind Lightning Sheet, Dong Hu still looked as if he wanted to take all of the ques by force.


    In the end, he refused to budge, only leaving the archway after using up all of the Wind Lightning Sheets that he had brought with him. Following their departure, the group of officials from the ministry of rites settled in a courtyard prepared by an affluent n on Peach Leaf Alley.


    Wu Yuan had only just established a positive reputation in the town for creating a whole host of employment opportunities in the form of the four major construction projects, but he had instantly been knocked back down to square one in the wake of this incident. The incident had already be a popr subject for gossip among those on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, with most of the people discussing the matter scoffing at Wu Yuan for being a cowardly pushover.


    Some said that if Wu Yuan had resisted against the officials from the ministry of rites to the very end, then they would''ve been inclined to admire and respect him for his courage, but given his cowardly actions, it was going to be quite difficult for him to establish any sense of authority over the town''s residents.


    Chen Ping''an gently jumped down from the edge of the well with the basket full of soil on his back, standing before the group of officials. Dong Hu wore a benevolent smile as he stroked his beard and said, "You must be Chen Ping''an, right?


    ��My surname is Dong, and I work in the Great Li Empire''s ministry of rites. I''vee to you not for any official business, I simply wanted to see what the owner of those five mountains looks like. Now that my objective has been fulfilled, I can say that it was well worth the trip."


    The elderly minister burst intoughter as his voice trailed off, and with the exception of Master Song, all of the other officials from the ministry of rites also began to chortle with mirth, as if the minister had just told a hrious joke.


    Chen Ping''an was left feeling rather awkward as he couldn''t understand the official dialect being spoken by the elderly minister at all.


    The corners of Wu Yuan''s lips turned up ever so slightly upon seeing this, and despite his fluency in the town''s dialect, Master Song disyed no intention of interpreting for the group of officials.


    His allegiance didn''t align with these officials, and they had done away with all pretenses of geniality in the wake of a recent altercation. If it weren''t for the fact that the emperor had personally selected him to go on this trip, there was no way that he would''ve been brought along. The ministry of rites was filled with schrs, all of whom had to stave off an immense amount ofpetition to reach their current posts.


    Hence, verbal altercations that took ce in the ministry of rites were truly spectacr. Thankfully, Song Yuzhang was an extremely adaptable person, as evidenced by the fact that he was able to stay in the town for so long, so after returning to the capital city, he merely kept a low profile and rarely ever said anything, and he didn''t feel particrly frustrated or indignant about his situation.


    Minster Dong was someone who had spent the majority of his life climbing up the ranks in the ministry of rites. The ministry of rites was the only ministry in the Great Li Empire''s imperial court capable of contending with the ministry of war, and the fact that Dong Hu had managed to climb all the way to the position of third inmand in such an important ministry was clear testament to his wiles and cunning.


    He immediately realized that there was anguage barrier between himself and Chen Ping''an, and in order to save himself from this awkward situation, he turned to Ruan Xiu with a smile, hoping that she could interpret for him.


    However, he quickly came to the realization that this was a terrible idea. Ruan Qiong was a Militarian Sage that even the emperor had to treat with the utmost respect. In contrast, he was only a mere minister in the ministry of rites, and it would''ve been extremely insolent of him to order Ruan Xiu around.


    If she were to feel slighted by him andin to her father, then all it would take would be for Ruan Qiong to pass on theseints to the capital, and he would find himself in a great deal of trouble. Perhaps he would still be able to keep his position, but his future prospects would''ve definitely been quite bleak, to say the least.


    All of these thoughts ran through his mind in an instant, and he immediately decided against his original n. Instead, he decided that he was going to ask if Ruan Xiu werefortable living here, and whether she wanted the ministry of rites to arrange a clean and more refined courtyard for her to stay in on Fortune Street or Peach Leaf Alley.


    However, before he had a chance to raise those questions, he was met by an astonishing sight. In the eyes of all of the officials from the ministry of rites, Ruan Xiu was a lofty figure who stood far above them, but she disyed no qualms at all in approaching the dirty and disheveled Chen Ping''an.


    She then seemed to have informed him of what Dong Hu had just said, and all the while, Chen Ping''an listened with a calm andposed expression, while all of the officials from the ministry of rites looked on in astonishment.


    Chen Ping''an was naturally unaware that such a mundane interaction in his eyes would have such an impact on these officials, and after listening to Ruan Xiu had to say, he smiled as he said, "Xiuxiu, please tell this old gentleman that I used to be an apprentice at a dragon kiln, and right now, I''m nothing more than a manualborer at the cksmith shop. It''s all thanks to Master Ruan that I was able to purchase those five mountains."


    A wide smile immediately appeared on Ruan Xiu''s face upon hearing Chen Ping''an refer to her as "Xiuxiu", and she dly passed on Chen Ping''an''s message to Dong Hu in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. All of the officials of the ministry of rites were naturally well-versed in the official dialect.


    Otherwise, it would''ve been confirmed without a doubt to all outsiders that the Great Li Empire was nothing more than an empire of northern savages. In fact, in the capital city, one''s fluency in the official dialect was an important standard for differentiating between whether they came from a privileged or not-so-privileged background.


    Dong Hu''s smile widened even further as he gave a gentle nod, and after hearing Ruan Xiu''s exnation, he dered that he wasn''t going to interrupt Chen Ping''an any further so he could continue with his work. He also asked Ruan Xiu to pass on his regards to Ruan Qiong, stating that even the emperor held Ruan Qiong in very high regard, so he certainly didn''t dare to disturb Ruan Qiong if he was busy.


    Ruan Xiu didn''t have much interest in exchanging pleasantries with Dong Hu, and she merely gave him a halfhearted response. However, Dong Hu didn''t dare to disy any displeasure to the daughter of the esteemed Sage, and after introducing to Ruan Xiu a few scenic locations in the capital city for her to visit, he promptly departed with the rest of his group.


    Master Song, whose full name was Song Yuzhang, was situated at the very rear of the group, while Wu Yuan was trailing along behind him.


    Ruan Xiu apanied Chen Ping''an on his way to tip out the soil in his basket, and as they walked along beside each other, she said, "Father told me that the purchase of the mountains is going to be confirmed soon. In addition to these officials from the ministry of rites, you and a fengshui master from the ministry of astronomy will also need to be present.


    ��Only after all three parties have stamped and signed the agreement will the transaction officially bepleted. However, at the moment, the fengshui masters are still in the process of assessing the fengshui on all of the mountains, and it''ll most likely be a few more days before they emerge from the mountains."


    After a moment of contemtion, Chen Ping''an set down his basket, then took a nce at the figures busily working around him before suggesting, "Let''s go to the creek and continue our chat there."


    "Sure," Ruan Xiu agreed with a smile.


    She then lowered her voice as she continued, "Aside from the fengshui masters, the ministry of astronomy also sent many unorthodox cultivators on this asion, and they''ve brought a pair of juvenile Mountain-moving Apes with them, one of which is a silverback ape, while the other is a long-arm ape. Normally, both of them are free to roam in the forests, and only when their services are required to destroy or move mountains are they called upon.


    ��On top of that, they''re also going to use Peak-shifting Armored Warriors crafted by Daoist sects that specialize in talisman creation. Those things are absolutely ingenious. Prior to activation, each armored warrior is nothing more than a thin sheet of talisman paper, but upon being injected with energy by a cultivator, the talismans would transform into armored warriors that possess incredible strength and stand at around 70 to 80 feet in height.


    ��They''re not as strong as Mountain-moving Apes, but the good thing about them is that they''re absolutely obedient, so no mishaps will ur when using them. In contrast, Mountain-moving Apes are extremely violent, and juvenile Mountain-moving Apes in particr are exceedingly difficult to tame. If they go out of control, severe casualties are sure to follow, and killing them would be a massive waste.


    ��I heard that there will also be bringing Mountain-opening Puppets personally created by the leading figures of Mohism. Even I''ve never seen those puppets before, so I''m definitely going to take a look if I get the chance to do so. Also, my father picked out two shops for you: the pastry shop and the Burclover shop.


    ��They just so happen to be right next to one another, and I''m sure you''re very familiar with them as well. If you''re fine with those two shops, then my father can help you finalize the deal right away. These are just minor deals that don''t concern the property of the empire, so it''s nowhere near asplicated a process as it is to buy mountains."


    Chen Ping''an considered this for a moment, then replied with a smile, "I have no problem with that."


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to Ruan Xiu, and a mysterious look appeared on her face as she continued, "My father told me in private that the emperor of the Great Li Empire recently made a deration. Seeing as the town is now a part of the Great Li Empire''s territory, all of the prized treasures and artifacts in the town will be purchased at high prices by the imperial treasury.


    ��In the end, around 20 decent artifacts were sold to the empire, and around half of them came from the affluent ns on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, while the other half came from the middle and lower-ss residents of the town. However, the prices that the artifacts were sold for weren''t very high at all.


    ��Ultimately, the emperor of the Great Li Empire donated seven or eight items out of his personal collection to make a total of 30 artifacts, which are essentially going to be bonus items given to the buyers of the mountains free of charge.


    ��The average person naturally doesn''t know which mountains have bonus items attached to them and which don''t, but my father has been informed that bonus items will definitely be attached to Divine Elegance Mountain and Downtrodden Mountain, and those bonus artifacts will be among the cream of the crop. Aside from that, there''s a good chance that the imperial court will assign a mountain god each to Lamp Bearer Mountain and Downtrodden Mountain."


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath, and his brows furrowed tightly as he crouched down beside the creek.


    There was a sense of surrealism to all of this. Never had he imagined that a day like this woulde for him.


    His dreams and aspirations had only been limited to being able to put up couplets and door gods during the Spring Festival, and having enough money to eat meat-filled steamed buns on a regr basis.


    Ruan Xiu crouched down beside him with a curious expression and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Chen Ping''an opened his mouth to reply, but didn''t know what to say, so he could only shake his head in the end. He then plucked a de of grass up from the ground before absentmindedly cing it in his own mouth.


    After a brief moment of silence, Chen Ping''an turned to Ruan Xiu with a smile as he said, "Ruan Xiu, I''m sorry for calling you Xiuxiu in front of those people, please don''t be mad at me. I was really nervous when I saw those officials, so I wanted to pretend to be on really good terms with you."


    Ruan Xiu offered no response to this, then suddenly asked apletely unrted question. "Have you received any news about your friend recently? The one that''s always carrying around a saber and a sword?"


    It took Chen Ping''an a moment to realize who Ruan Xiu was referring to, and he replied, "You mean Ning Yao? I haven''t heard anything from her ever since she left."


    A pleased smile appeared on Ruan Xiu''s face upon hearing this.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an cast his gaze toward the stone bridge, where a familiar red blur was approaching him at a rapid speed from afar.


    For some reason, a sense of foreboding welled up in Chen Ping''an''s heart, and he hurriedly rose to his feet. Before long, Li Baoping had arrived by his side, wearing her usual red padded jacket, except it was extremely dirty and wrinkled.


    She raised her head to look up at him, and there were tears swimming in her eyes. Her face had be significantly more tanned, and she sobbed in a heartbroken voice, "Mr. Ma from the school is dead. Before he died, he told me toe and find you."

 Chapter 84: (1): I Have a Sword

    Chapter 84: (1): I Have a Sword


    Chen Ping''an quickly inspected his surroundings to ensure that there was no one else around aside from Ruan Xiu, and only then did hetch onto Li Baoping''s hand as he said in a gentle voice, "Let''s go somewhere else."


    The bank of the creek was normally quite a peaceful ce, but ever since that time when Chen Ping''an sensed that there was something dirty in the creek, he had be very reluctant to venture into the water.


    In her despair, Li Baoping had informed Chen Ping''an of Ma Zhan''s death without thinking, but as soon as she blurted out the reason for her visit, she immediately regretted her decision because Chen Ping''an wasn''t alone. Li Baoping had already met Ruan Xiu once before on the Azure Cow Ridge.


    At the time, the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of the Daoist Sects had also been present. One of them kept a pair ofrge fish, one red and one green, while the other had a pristine white deer, and both of them had ties with the Li n. Of course, visually speaking, Ruan Xiu didn''t appear to be a bad person, but she was precisely the type of person that Li Baoping was terrified of in her current state.


    Despite their previous encounter, she didn''t know Ruan Xiu very well at all, and Ruan Xiu appeared to be quite kind-hearted, but Li Baoping could never be sure if Ruan Xiu would suddenly stab her in the back someday. After all, she had just suffered a simr betrayal, and before she even knew what had happened, Ma Zhan was already dead.


    Initially, Ma Zhan and Cui Minghuang had traveled together like a pair of long-lost friends, discussing the ssics and quoting poetic phrases to one another while drinking to their hearts'' content. In the words of Li Huai, Cui Minghuang had to have been either Ma Zhan''s illegitimate son or his grandson. Otherwise, there was no way that they could''ve shared such a close bond.


    No one could''ve anticipated that Cui Minghuang would suddenly turn on Ma Zhan, resulting in thetter''s death. ording to Ma Zhan, there were two particrly outstanding figures among all of the schrs following the teachings of Confucianism on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and they were nicknamed the old gentleman and the young gentleman.


    Cui Minghuang was the vastly renowned young gentleman of Lake View Academy, and prior to his cold-blooded murder of Ma Zhan, everyone had been extremely fond of him. He was polite, sophisticated, and extremely well-read, seemingly having an answer for any question that was thrown at him.


    The only one who didn''t like Cui Minghuang was Lin Shouyi, buting from an affluent n on Peach Leaf Alley, Lin Shouyi always seemed to be quite cold and hostile to everyone. He wasn''t on very good terms with the other children, so even though he had directed barbed insults at Cui Minghuang on many asions, no one had paid him any heed. They merely thought that he was envious of Cui Minghuang for being such an intelligent and refined gentleman.


    Ruan Xiu didn''t know why Li Baoping seemed to be a little wary of her, but she still suggested, "How about we go to the newly constructed swordsmithing room?"


    However, Li Baoping was absolutely petrified, and she grabbed tightly onto Chen Ping''an''s hand while shaking her head vigorously with a pleading look in her eyes. "Chen Ping''an, please take me somewhere where it''s just going to be the two of us.


    Chen Ping''an gave Li Baoping''s hands a gentle pat as he said in a soothing voice, "Trust me, the swordsmithing rooms here are the safest ce we can be."


    Li Baoping looked intently into Chen Ping''an''s eyes, and they were just as clear and pure as the water in the creek. She was suddenly reminded of the first time that she had walked along the creek as a child. Looking at the slow-moving water, she had felt as if she were never going to grow up.


    Having just endured such a traumatic event, a sense of overwhelming grief and indignation suddenly welled up in her heart, and she burst into tears as she sobbed, "You better not be lying to me, Chen Ping''an!"


    "Trust me," Chen Ping''an reassured with a firm yet gentle look in his eyes.


    With that, Ruan Xiu led the two of them to the new swordsmithing room, and after pulling out the key to open the door, she turned to Chen Ping''an with a smile as she said, "I''ll stay out here and keep a lookout for you two. I won''t let anyone in, not even my father."


    A slightly awkward look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he quietly asked, "Can you bring her something to eat and drink? I''m assuming once the adrenaline wears off and she''s had a chance to calm down, she''s going to bepletely worn out, and she''ll need to have something to eat to recover her energy. This happened to me a lot when I was a kid."


    Ruan Xiu nodded in response, then turned away slightly before pulling a small embroidered pouch out of somewhere before handing it to Chen Ping''an. "There are five peach cakes from the pastry shop in there. I''ll bring her some water as well, tell her not to eat the cakes too fast or she''s going to choke on them."


    Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping sat down across from one another on a pair of small stools, and she epted the peach cakes from him, but disyed no intention of eating them.


    "Tell me what happened," Chen Ping''an encouraged in a gentle voice.


    Li Baopingmenced her story, but in a very uncharacteristic disy, she was speaking very slowly and meticulously. However, this was a good thing for Chen Ping''an as it allowed him to process her story and think about what he was hearing, as well as to consider the situation from the positions of those involved. Prior to Ma Zhan''s death, his journey with the five children had been going very smoothly.


    The ox-drawn carriage and the pair of horse-drawn carriages had traveled several hundred kilometers, and during that time, Ma Zhan and Cui Minghuang had gotten along exceptionally well with each other, quickly bing a pair of close friends, or so it appeared on the surface.


    However, one day, while Ma Zhan was examining the children''s homework, he suddenly dered that he was going to discuss the route that they were going to take for the rest of the trip, and that there was a chance that the two of them would part ways.


    However, the children waited for a very long time, but neither Ma Zhan nor Cui Minghuang returned. Hence, Li Baoping and Li Huai had gone out to find them, and it was Li Huai who stumbled upon Ma Zhan,ying in a pool of his own blood.


    His injuries were so severe that he was bleeding out of seemingly every single part of his body, resembling a bamboo basket that had just been lifted out of a creek, leaking water out of all of its countless gaps. On the brink of death, Ma Zhan asked Li Huai to bring only Li Baoping to him.


    Following Li Baoping''s arrival, he grabbed onto her hand, and he had already lost the ability to speak prior to this, but somehow, perhaps out of sheer force of will, he was able to pass on his final words to Li Baoping before passing away.


    At this point in her story, Li Baoping had already broken down into sobs, making it impossible to form any further coherent sentences.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t really know how to console people, so all he could do was move his stool a little closer to Li Baoping and help her wipe away her tears as he repeated the words "it''s alright" over and over again in a soothing voice.


    After taking some time topose herself, Li Baoping continued, "Mr. Ma grabbed onto my hand and told me that I had to find you and tell you in private to be wary of people of Lake View Academy and the capital city of the Great Li Empire. He told me that none of those people are to be trusted!"


    "What happened to Shi Chunjia and the others?" Chen Ping''an asked with a grim expression.


    A grin broke through Li Baoping''s sobs as she replied, "They''re currently leading the coach driver around and around in circles near y Vase Alley. Lin Shouyi feels like the coach driver isn''t a good person, and he says that maybe he colluded with Cui Minghuang to kill Mr. Ma.


    ��After we buried Mr. Ma, the coach driver told us that we wouldn''t be able to go to Mountain Cliff Academy as Mr. Ma and Cui Minghuang had just been informed that Mountain Cliff Academy had defected to Great Sui Nation, which is an enemy nation. Without Mr. Ma or Cui Minghuang apanying us, we won''t even be able to make it to Great Sui Nation as we''ll be executed as traitors of the Great Li Empire as soon as we get to the border.


    ��We didn''t know what to do at the time, and Mr. Ma didn''t tell us what to do before he passed away. Should we return to the school in the town to wait for the next teacher, or should we go to Great Sui Nation to continue our journey to Mountain Cliff Academy?


    ��In the end, we had no choice but to return here with the coach driver, but upon our return, he told us that all of our ns had already moved to the capital city of the Great Li Empire. He told us that the imperial court of the Great Li Empire had instructed all of our ns to leave some people behind in the town, so if we didn''t believe him, we could go home and ask the people there for confirmation."


    Right at this moment, Ruan Xiu knocked on the door of the swordsmithing room before entering with a kettle of water, and Li Baoping immediately fell silent.


    Ruan Xiu then promptly departed, closing the door behind her as she did so.


    Only after the door had been closed did Li Baoping continue, "That coach driver is very suspicious. He intentionally asked us which one of us knows a boy by the name of Chen Ping''an living on y Vase Alley, and he imed that he had a message to pass on to you from Mr. Ma. I felt like something wasn''t quite right, so I didn''t say anything at the time."


    "You did the right thing. Here, have some food first," Chen Ping''an urged.


    Li Baoping did as she was told, scarfing down three peach cakes in a row before gulping down some water, then quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand as she hurriedly continued, "After that, the five of us found a chance to talk in private, and we decided that we couldn''t just let him do whatever he pleased.


    ��Hence, we came up with a n. On the day before we were about to return to the town, Shi Chunjia began to fake an illness, and I volunteered to look after her. After that, I told Li Huai theyout of the area around y Vase Alley, and he lied to the coach driver, telling him that he knows you.


    ��His excuse was that his father, Li Er, used to work at the Yang Family''s medicine shop, and you often went there to sell medicinal ingredients, but he failed to recall this when the coach driver first asked about you."


    Chen Ping''an was rather perplexed to hear this, and Li Baoping exined, "I often saw you going into the mountains to pick medicinal herbs on your own, and whenever youe out from the mountains, your basket is always full of medicinal ingredients."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to react to this, but he nodded to indicate that she had exined herself sufficiently.


    At the same time, there was a hint of lingering fear in his heart, and he said, "What you guys did was actually very dangerous."


    Li Baoping nodded in response. "I know, that''s why all of us made a pact together before we decided to execute this n. Lin Shouyi said that he''s nothing more than an illegitimate child who''s detested by everyone, so he doesn''t care if he dies. Shi Chunjia isn''t very bright, and she just follows my lead on everything.


    ��Li Huai said that he had nothing to be afraid of, and that if he dies, he''d just enter the cycle of reincarnation. His father is a coward, but he''s certain that if something happens to him, his mother would definitely avenge him. Dong Shuijing was the most selfless one out of all of us. He said that he''s the strongest one, so if our n gets exposed, then he wants us to run away while he stays behind to fight the coach driver to the death.


    ��However, I didn''t think it was going to be that dangerous. If that coach driver really wanted to kill us, then he wouldn''t have waited until we returned to the town. He definitely wanted us to do something for him, and we think that the true objective of the mastermind behind all of this definitely has something to do with you."


    After eating thest two peach cakes, Li Baoping took a deep breath, then continued, "After that, we finally made it to Apricot Blossom Alley, and I told Dong Shuijing and Li Huai to take the coach driver on a shortcut to y Vase Alley, but the path is very narrow, so they had to leave the carriages behind. In reality, Li Huai is leading him around in a big circle.


    ��After they left, I immediately ran away to find you in y Vase Alley, but you weren''t home. Thankfully, one of your neighbors just so happened to be passing by, and they told me that you were working at the cksmith shop. I was about to panic at the time!"


    Chen Ping''an was astonished to hear this, and he asked, "Did you think of this entire n?"


    Li Baoping shook her head in response. "Lin Shouyi contributed some ideas as well. For example, he said that we can''t just take the coach driver somewhere far away from y Vase Alley and tell him that that was y Vase Alley. If we do that, there''s a very good chance that we''ll be exposed, and we won''t be able to get far away at all.


    ��Instead, the best course of action was to get the coach driver to stop at Dong Shuijing''s house on Apricot Blossom Alley, which isn''t too far away from y Vase Alley, but still far enough away that we can take a long route without arousing any suspicions.


    ��We figured that once the coach driver arrived on Apricot Blossom Alley, he was definitely going to ask passersby to confirm our location, and once he confirms that we''re not far away from y Vase Alley, it''ll be far easier to deceive him. As it turned out, we were right."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but pat her on the head as he praised, "That was a brilliant n!"


    Li Baoping smiled as she said, "If you''re not home, then there''s no chance of the truth being exposed, so we won''t have to worry about Li Huai and Dong Shuijing at all."


    A curious look then appeared on Li Baoping''s face as she asked, "By the way, why is it that both Mr. Ma and the coach driver wanted to find you?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "I''mpletely in the dark about that myself. For now, all I know is that it may have something to do with the things left behind for me by Mr. Qi."


    Mr. Qi had once taken him to secure leaves from the old locust tree, but he had already used the leaf with the "Yao" character on it.


    As for that jade hairpin, both Qi Jingchun and Ning Yao had told him that it was just an ordinary hairpin, and that it wasn''t made from any special material.


    Through the process of elimination, Chen Ping''an deduced that the seals were most likely to me.


    Qi Jingchun had gifted him with a total of four seals, and Old Man Yang had previously told him to keep the seal with the "Jing" character on it safe in particr.


    Theplete phrase on the seal was "tranquil mind begets enlightenment", and aside from that, Mr. Qi had told him that he could use his mountain and water seals on any paintings of mountains and rivers that caught his fancy.


    All of a sudden, Li Baoping pulled out three yellow locust leaves, then offered them to Chen Ping''an as she said with a sad expression, "The leaves turned yellow."


    Chen Ping''an was immediately enlightened upon seeing this. It had to have been these three ancestral blessing locust leaves that had kept Ma Zhan alive just long enough to deliver his final words.


    As it turned out, he was correct. If it weren''t for the fact that Li Baoping had been carrying these three ancestral blessing locust leaves with her this entire time, Ma Zhan most likely wouldn''t have been able to utter even a single word before he met his demise.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an had already moved all of his most valuable belongings to the cksmith shop. Master Ruan was allowing him to live in the earthen hut that Ning Yao had previously stayed in, and in addition to the eight snake gall pebbles that had retained their color, all of the other normal snake gall pebbles, of which there were around 100, had also been moved out of his ancestral residence on y Vase Alley and Liu Xianyang''s residence, and they were currently piled up in a corner of the room.


    However, the "Jing" character seal and the Mountain Shaking Guide were two things that he still kept on him at all times.


    After pondering the situation, he said, "Right now, that coach driver should be on his way to the cksmith shop. How about you hide here for now while I bring Shi Chunjia and Lin Shouyi here from the carriages?


    ��If the coach driver asks where I am, I can get the people here to tell him that I have a habit of going out for strolls. Also, once the coach driver arrives at my house on y Vase Alley, he''ll most likely have already figured out that he was led on a long route. Of course, he may not say anything about it, but from now on, all of you are truly going to be in danger."


    Chen Ping''an could see that Li Baoping was still rather hesitant, and he reassured in a firm voice, "Trust me. Now that your n has moved away to the capital city, this is the only safe ce left for you in this town."


    "You seem to really trust the cksmith here," Li Baoping remarked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "I have much more trust in the rules that Mr. Qi told us about."


    A bright smile immediately appeared on Li Baoping''s face upon hearing this. "I see."


    Upon making her decision, Li Baoping immediately sprang into action, disying an astonishing degree of decisiveness. "I can tell you really trust Big Sister Ruan, so I''ll get her to take me to Shi Chunjia and Lin Shouyi and bring them here. After that, we''ll find a ce to hide, so you don''t have to worry about us. Just focus on speaking with that crook coach driver and finding out exactly what he''s plotting."


    "Sounds like a n," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping emerged from the swordsmithing room, and Ruan Xiu was sitting some distance away from the door, presumably to reassure the two of them that she wasn''t eavesdropping on their conversation. She was perched on a green bamboo chair, swaying side to side with a bored expression.


    After hearing Chen Ping''an''s request, Ruan Xiu agreed without any hesitation. "You can count on me!"


    She then crouched down and turned to Li Baoping, indicating for the little girl to climb onto her back.


    Li Baoping was very reluctant to do as she was told, and she protested, "I can run really fast!"


    "I''m definitely faster," Ruan Xiu countered with a smile.


    Li Baoping turned to Chen Ping''an with a displeased expression, clearly hoping that he would vouch for her speed.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to say something when Ruan Xiu put on a serious expression and continued, "I can make several trips back and forth before you and Chen Ping''an even make it to the town once!"


    Li Baoping pursed her lips in a skeptical expression as she scoffed, "I know that there are immortals and mystical beings in this world, but you can''t just be an immortal just because you want to be one!"


    "Do as she says, Li Baoping. There''s no time to waste!" Chen Ping''an urged.


    Li Baoping heaved a faint sigh before obediently climbing onto Ruan Xiu''s back, and it was so soft andfortable that she immediately began to nod off.


    Prior to her departure, Ruan Xiu said to Chen Ping''an, "If you need anything, you can go to my father."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    With that, Ruan Xiu set off with a loud whoosh. Li Baoping was clinging onto her back, and she suddenly heard the wind howling past her ears, causing all of the fine hairs on her entire body to stand up on end in rm.


    She looked down to find that all of the buildings below had be as tiny as the bluestone bs on Fortune Street, and that the stream had be as thin as a rope.


    On the ground below, Chen Ping''an looked on with a dumbstruck expression as Ruan Xiu sprang up into the sky with Li Baoping on her back, then vanished in a sh.


    Only then did it dawn on him that just like Ning Yao, Ruan Xiu was also an immortal.


    In the peaceful residence on Eng Alley, Cui Chan was standing beside the pond, while the dazed young boy was seated peacefully on a small stool.


    "Bring me a cup of water," Cui Chan instructed.


    The boy immediately rose to his feet before bringing back a cup of cold water with both hands.


    Cui Chan epted the cup, and with a flick of his wrist, the water cascaded toward the pond, transforming into a thin azure film of water.


    The scene of the ox-drawn carriage and the horse-drawn carriage entering the town then appeared on the film of water at his behest, and everything in the image was presented in exceptional detail.


    Cui Chan tucked his hands up his sleeves, and he appeared very casual and rxed as he swayed back and forth from the balls of his feet to his heels like a roly-poly toy.


    The anxiety and agitation normally seen in a cultivator about to wee their Dao attainment catalyst werepletely absent in him.


    Cui Chan watched as Li Baoping bade farewell to two of the children traveling with her, then jumped down from the horse-drawn carriage before charging down the street. Meanwhile, the coach driver had been swindled away by the two young boys.


    "I always mock Song Changjing''s spies for having shit for brains, but it seems like my spies aren''t much better. At the very most, he only has piss for brains," Cui Chan scoffed with a disappointed expression.


    However, he didn''t dwell on his disappointment, and the scene disyed on the film of water quickly transitioned so that it was following Li Baoping.


    As he watched her rush along the street, he murmured to himself, "The children here are quite intelligent to begin with, particrly those around the same age as Song Jixin and Zhao Yao, and the slightly younger kids around this little girl''s age are no slouches, either. Given the blessed nature of this ce, the children here be very intelligent even at a young age, and they''re certainly not to be underestimated."


    Right as Li Baoping was approaching the stone bridge, the light glowing in Cui Chan''s eyes began to ripple and churn, like a wave crashing into a rock.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Hey guys. We know that there are a lot of characters. Hopefully, this glossary helps. Glossary</blockquote>

 Chapter 84: (2): I Have a Sword

    Chapter 84: (2): I Have a Sword


    Cui Chan averted his gaze slightly so that he was no longer looking at the film of water. He then closed his eyes to rest for a moment, and upon reopening his eyes, he discovered that Li Baoping had already crossed the bridge.


    Cui Chan''s brows furrowed slightly as he mused, "Could it be that the old cksmith is naturally resentful of our Great Li Empire because of the imperial family''s excessive cruelty and brutality? Could that be why he also feels a sense of resentment toward me by extension?


    ��But that doesn''t make sense! His true history is impossible to trace with the exception of some unsubstantiated rumors, but as an ancient swordsman, surely he''s seen all types of brutality and savagery, so this really shouldn''t be bothering him."


    The scene being depicted on the film of water was drawing closer and closer to the cksmith shop, but all of a sudden, the film of water abruptly exploded without any warning, sending countless water droplets flying in all directions with such incredible force that they were able to punch holes through the surrounding walls, windows, and pirs.


    However, all of the water droplets hurtling toward Cui Chan and the young boy were instantly stopped in their tracks before exploding into even tinier water droplets, as if they had just crashed into some type of imprable, invisible wall.


    At the same time, Ruan Qiong''s voice rang out from up above. "You better not push your luck any further than this!"


    Cui Chan raised his head with a grin as he said, "What a stingy old Sage you are! Fine, if you don''t want me to look, then I won''t look, let''s be civilized. I''m staying in the ancestral residence of the Yuan n right now, what if they hold me ountable for all this damage after I return to the capital city?"


    He then lowered his gaze as he murmured to himself, "The former citizens of the Lu Empire should''ve arrived by now."


    After that, he took a nce at the young boy, then withdrew his gaze as he gently tapped his left and right index fingers together within his sleeves while continuing to murmur to himself, "It''s better to be safe than sorry."


    By the time Li Huai, Dong Shuijing, and the coach driver found Chen Ping''an, he was in the process of helping someone construct a house.


    Li Huai''s eyes were constantly darting around, giving him a sneaky and scheming appearance, while Dong Shuijing wore a natural expression, disying remarkableposure.


    Chen Ping''an''s entire body was covered in dust as he made his way over to the trio, then asked, "I heard you were looking for me?"


    The coach driver had a very unremarkable appearance, looking no different from the average farmer, and he rubbed his hands together while approaching Chen Ping''an, then asked in a quiet voice, "Can we go somewhere else?"


    "No," Chen Ping''an refused with a firm shake of his head. "If you have something to say, then say it here."


    A hint of displeasure appeared on the coach driver''s face, but internally, he was slightly relieved. This was the type of response that he expected from a boy of Chen Ping''an''s status.


    After a moment of hesitation, the coach driver asked, "You know Mr. Qi from the school, right?"


    "Who in this town doesn''t know Mr. Qi?" Chen Ping''an snapped in an impatient manner. "But as for whether Mr. Qi knows us, that''s hard to say."


    Li Huai was standing off to the side, doing his best to suppress his sly grin, while Dong Shuijing took a meaningful nce at Chen Ping''an.


    All of a sudden, someone yelled from the house under construction, "Don''t ck off, Chen Ping''an! If you''re done talking, then get back here and continue working!"


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh as he urged, "If you have something to say, then make it as quick and straightforward as possible."


    The coach driver rubbed a hand over his own face, then exhaled as he said in a low voice, "I was entrusted by the Great Li Empire with the task of protecting these children with my life on their journey to Mountain Cliff Academy. Of course, I won''t deny that I''m also responsible for making sure that they aren''t taken away by other people, such as people from Great Sui Nation or Lake View Academy.


    ��It doesn''t matter if you don''t know what I''m talking about, nor does it matter whether you believe me or not. I don''t care what your rtionship with Mr. Qi was like, and I don''t care if you knew Ma Zhan or not, but I''m here to tell you that you should be on your guard for at least the near future because Mr. Ma was killed during our journey to Mountain Cliff Academy.


    ��Prior to his death, Mr. Ma mentioned you to me on a couple of asions during the chats that we had, and one time, he told me that while he was sweeping the schoolyard quite some time ago, he recalled frequently seeing a child who came to squat under the window of the school to eavesdrop on the lessons being taught.


    ��The second time he mentioned you was when he spoke about how before Mr. Qi resigned from his positions as schoolteacher and mountain master of Mountain Cliff Academy, he once mentioned that you had the potential to be a good schr, and that it was a pity that he couldn''t take you to Mountain Cliff Academy as well."


    A wry smile appeared on the coach driver''s face as he continued, "Right now, I''m most worried about these children. Their ns have all moved to the capital city of the Great Li Empire, so they have no homes to return to, and going to the academy is also no longer an option for them.


    ��Not just anyone can go and receive an education at Mountain Cliff Academy. The capital city of our Great Li Empire is home to over 1,000,000 residents, yet throughout all these years, only around a dozen students of Mountain Cliff Academy havee out of the capital, and all of them went on to be high-ranking officials"


    Li Huai''s head was lowered, making it impossible to glean his expression, while Dong Shuijing remainedpletely expressionless.


    All of a sudden, Ruan Xiu gently cleared her throat from afar, and as Chen Ping''an turned to look at her, she gave him a smile and a nod.


    Upon receiving this subtle signal from Ruan Xiu, Chen Ping''an turned to the two boys and said, "You two,e with me, I have something to ask you."


    Li Huai immediately gave an affirmative response, then strode toward Chen Ping''an while dragging Dong Shuijing along behind him.


    By the time the coach driver realized that something wasn''t quite right, Chen Ping''an had already dragged Li Huai and Dong Shuijing behind him, following which he took a step forward as he said, "Thanks foring to tell me all of this.


    ��From now on, I''ll take care of these children in Mr. Ma''s stead. Whether we go to the capital city to reunite with their parents or do something else, I''ll have to ask them what they want to do first."


    An awkward smile appeared on the coach driver''s face, and he said, "I don''t think that''s a good idea, Chen Ping''an. I''m more capable of keeping them safe than you are."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "It''s alright. I''m rich now, and I know Governor Wu Yuan and Right-hand Minister Dong Hu of the ministry of rites. If something happens, I''ll go to them for help. Of course, I''ll get Master Ruan to pass on the message to them rather than going to them directly."


    The coach driver''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and all of a sudden, he noticed a male figure out of the corner of his eye, standing beneath the eave of a nearby house.


    The coach driver was considering taking matters into his own hands and having Chen Ping''an killed, but the sight of Ruan Qiong instantly had him sweating profusely, and he turned to Chen Ping''an with a smile as he said, "Alright, seeing as Mr. Ma was willing to ce his trust in you, I am certainly willing to do the same.


    ��If you need anything from me from now on, you can find me on Three Mound Alley in the northern part of the town. I live in the northernmost house on the alley."


    "I''ll be sure to do so," Chen Ping''an replied with a friendly smile, and the coach driver turned to depart.


    Sweat began to bead up on Chen Ping''an''s forehead, and only after the coach driver hadpletely disappeared out of sight did he turn to the two boys as he said, "Come with me, I''ll take you to see Li Baoping."


    "Has Li Baoping already told you everything?" Li Huai asked.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    "What are we going to do about Shi Chunjia and Lin Shouyi?" Dong Shuijing asked.


    "They''ve already been brought here," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Dong Shuijing took a nce at him and remained silent.


    In the same swordsmithing room from before, Chen Ping''an was standing across from the five children, who were seated next to one another on a pair of long benches. In descending order of age, the sequence was Shi Chunjia, Lin Shouyi, Dong Shuijing, Li Baoping, and Li Huai.


    Aside from Li Huai, who was the youngest one among them by a rtively significant margin, the other four children were all only a few months apart in age.


    "Li Huai and Dong Shuijing already told me about the situation. What exactly do you think that coach driver wants to do?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Lin Shouyi''s fox fur coat was missing, but he still wore his usual cold expression as he scoffed, "We don''t even know why Cui Minghuang killed Mr. Ma, how are we supposed to know anything else?"


    Shi Chunjia was sidled up tightly against Li Baoping''s shoulder, and herplexion was still slightly pale with unease. However, after returning to the town, and particrly after seeing Chen Ping''an, who she was rtively familiar with, she was feeling a lot more safe and secure. At the very least, she didn''t have to worry about suddenly suffering the same horrific fate as Mr. Ma.


    While they were digging a grave for Ma Zhan, she had been hiding far away, bawling her eyes out in horror and distress, not contributing any effort at all. Li Huai hadn''t fared much better, either, hiding even further away than she had while his teeth chattered uncontrobly in fear.


    At this moment, Li Huai had his arms wound around his own stomach as he murmured with a dejected expression, "I''m so hungry and thirsty. This must be what starvation feels like. Mother, Father, if only you could see how much your son is suffering right now."


    Li Baoping turned to re at him as she snapped, "Shut up!"


    Li Huai''s head drooped even lower, and he tugged furtively on Dong Shuijing''s sleeve as he asked, "Shuijing, you hungry?"


    "I can pretend not to be hungry," Dong Shuijing replied in a calm manner, to which Li Huai rolled his eyes in exasperation.


    Li Baoping was also looking quite deted as she absentmindedly grabbed onto one of Shi Chunjia''s braids before swinging it vigorously. "Right now, everything is a mystery to us. Lin Shouyi is right, we''re dealing with opponents far more cunning and resourceful than ourselves, and we''repletely outmatched.


    ��Our top priority right now should be to ensure our own survival. Only after ensuring our own safety can we think about other things, such as informing our families in the Great Li Empire''s capital city that we''re safe."


    As soon as Li Baoping mentioned informing their families of their current status, all of the children immediately turned reflexively to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an was silent for a long while, then dered, "If we can''t figure out what our opponents are thinking, then let''s at least make sure we''re all on the same page ourselves."


    None of the children raised any objections to this, and Chen Ping''an asked, "Do you want to go to the capital city to find your families, or do you want to do something else?"


    An indignant look immediately appeared on Li Huai''s face as he howled, "I''d rather die than go to the capital! My parents and my sister are having the time of their lives somewhere out there, and given the personalities of everyone in my uncle''s family, if they''re rich now, then they''ll only pick on me even more than before!


    ��They were regarding me as a thief before, they''ll probably see me as a sworn enemy now! The world is so vast, yet there''s nowhere for me to go!"


    Li Baoping reached around Shi Chunjia before giving Li Huai a firm p on the back of the head, and he immediately fell into a dejected silence again.


    After a moment of contemtion, Dong Shuijing dered, "I want to continue my studies. If my parents were still in the town, I could help them work in the fields instead of going to school, but what could I possibly do if I go to the capital? I don''t even know the official dialect that they speak there, and I''m not a fast learner like Li Baoping.


    ��Besides, back when my grandfather died, he insisted that I had to receive an education. He said that if I don''t be a schr in the future, then he won''t ept me as his grandson, and he doesn''t want me to visit his grave. If the school in the town is going to keep running, then I''ll stay in the town."


    Tears welled up in Shi Chunjia''s eyes as she said in a timid voice, "I want to go to the capital to find my parents."


    As for Lin Shouyi, his brows were tightly furrowed as he said, "I''ll go anywhere that''s safe."


    Li Baoping crossed her arms, and her eyes were glowing with the radiance of her aspirations as she loudly dered, "I want to go to Mountain Cliff Academy, the ce where Mr. Qi studied!"


    She then rose to her feet, standing between Chen Ping''an and the other four children, and she pointed at Dong Shuijing as she continued, "Mr. Qi''s Mountain Cliff Academy is the most renowned academy on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, let alone the Great Li Empire.


    ��If your grandfather knew that you were passing up the opportunity to go to Mountain Cliff Academy to stay and study in the town, he would climb out of his grave to beat you! Of course, if you''re scared of dying, then you can just stay and study here. In about 10 years or so, you can proim yourself as half a schr. I suppose that''s always better than dying on the way to seeking an education at Mountain Cliff Academy."


    Dong Shuijing immediately became flushed with embarrassment.


    Li Baoping then pointed at Lin Shouyi as she continued, "Aren''t you always talking about how everyone looks down on you for being an illegitimate child? And aren''t you always looking down on rich kids who grew up on Fortune Street like myself?


    ��Who''s going to dare to look down on you after you go to Mountain Cliff Academy? Then again, Mr. Qi is right in saying that a wise man doesn''t take undue risks, so if you want to stay here, then you can do as you please, it''s not like I care."


    As soon as Li Baoping pointed her finger at Shi Chunjia, thetter immediately burst into tears.


    A frustrated and exasperated look appeared on Li Baoping''s face, and she didn''t even bother to say anything to Shi Chunjia before returning to her seat.


    Li Huai turned to Li Baoping with a perplexed expression and asked, "Why didn''t you say anything to me?"


    "I don''t want to talk to you," Li Baoping replied.


    Li Huai was momentarily dumbstruck by this response, then raised his head to look up at the heavens with a look of mncholy and indignation in his eyes.


    Chen Ping''an focused his gaze solely on Li Baoping, ignoring the other four children as he asked, "Are you sure you want to go to Mountain Cliff Academy?"


    Li Baoping nodded in response. "Mr. Qi once told us that Mountain Cliff Academy has the best book collection on the entire continent! He also said that even if there are some questions I have that even he can''t answer, I''ll be able to find all the answers in those books!"


    It was clear that Li Baoping was convinced that she was already a student of the prestigious academy.


    "It could be a very arduous journey. Are you not afraid?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Li Baoping''s spirit was slightly dampened upon hearing this, and she conceded, "I''d be a little afraid if I had to go on my own."


    "That settles it then," Chen Ping''an dered with a bright smile.


    "What do you mean?" Li Baoping asked with a perplexed expression.


    "I''ll go to Mountain Cliff Academy with you," Chen Ping''an exined with a serious expression.


    Li Baoping was about to say something in reply, but the words got stuck in her throat, and tears began to well up in her eyes. If it weren''t for the fact that the other four children were sitting next to her, she would''ve already erupted into sobs.


    Just like the first time she caught that crab from the creek long ago, she had actually already cried in secret outside, and that was why she was able to keep up such a proud and triumphant facade after returning home.


    Chen Ping''an beckoned to Li Baoping, and as she arrived by his side, he turned to the other four children sitting on the benches as he said, "Wait here for a little bit. Li Baoping and I are going to go speak to someone, and the matters we''ll be discussing will concern the four of you as well, so don''t go anywhere."


    He thentched onto Li Baoping''s hand and led her out of the swordsmithing room.


    As he did so, he began to talk to himself, but it also seemed as if he were speaking to someone else as he murmured, "I told you that if you make a promise, then you have to keep that promise."


    Li Baoping was wiping tears from her eyes as she said, "But at the time, you also said that if you can''t keep a promise, then you can just tell the person you made the promise to."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head as he replied in a gentle voice, "Mr. Qi is no longer with us, so he won''t be able to hear anything that I tell him."


    ��������


    Around 15 minutester, Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping had already disappeared into the distance, but Ruan Qiong was still seated on the small bamboo chair, seemingly yet to return to his senses.


    Ruan Xiu was also seated on a chair, looking at the empty bamboo chair with a myriad ofplex emotions surging through her heart.


    Chen Ping''an had only just asked Ruan Qiong to help him purchase those five mountains, yet he was going to leave the town soon. If he couldn''te back, then he was going to leave four of the five mountains, namely Downtrodden Mountain, Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and Immortal Herb Mountain to Liu Xianyang, Gu Can, Ning Yao, and Ruan Xiu, respectively, leaving only True Jewel Mountain to himself for the next 300 years.


    As for the pastry shop and the Burclover shop, he had asked Master Ruan to hire people to look after the shop in his stead, and it didn''t matter to him if the shops were forced to close down due to mismanagement.


    However, he was going to leave behind the 100 or so normal snake gall pebbles for Master Ruan to sell, and all proceeds would go to keeping the two shops afloat. Even though he wasn''t concerned about whether the two shops made profits or not, he wanted every single employee in both shops to be told that the two shops were owned by a household with the Chen surname on y Vase Alley.


    Furthermore, he had entrusted Master Ruan with the duty of taking the four children safely to the capital city of the Great Li Empire.


    Aspensation, Chen Ping''an had given Ruan Qiong half of that b of Dragon ying tform, as well as all of the remaining gold essence copper coins leftover following his purchases of the mountains and the shops.


    Ruan Qiong didn''t refuse. However, he only promised to take Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping to the southern border of the Great Li Empire. As for what would be of them after they crossed the border, that would be entirely down to fate, and Chen Ping''an had agreed to this arrangement.


    At dusk, Chen Ping''an ensured that the five children had a ce to stay, then made his way toward the town on his own.


    He crossed the stone bridge and entered the town, then returned to his house on y Vase Alley. At this point, night had already fallen, and he lit amp with a calm expression.


    Facing the me in themp, Chen Ping''an stayed up the entire night, just as he would during the Spring Festival of each year to observe the passing of one year to the next.


    The calm yet resolute look on his face was illuminated by the glow of the flickering me.


    ��������


    On the stone bridge, someone smiled as they asked, "A dark room for a thousand years, a room illuminated with a single light. What do you think, Senior?"


    "I ept," someone else replied.


    ��������


    By the time Chen Ping''an "woke up", he found himself face-to-face with that enigmatic figure for the fourth time.


    The figure was hovering in mid-air, and their pristine white sleeves were swaying gently despite theck of wind.


    The figurended gently on the ground before making their way toward Chen Ping''an, and with each step that they took, their facial features would be slightly clearer.


    The figure was still tall and imposing, but not bloated or clumsy in the slightest, and as it turned out, it was a woman.


    In Chen Ping''an''s eyes, she was extremely beautiful, so much so that she was absolutely perfect, with no room to be any more beautiful.


    Finally, she drew to a halt as she stood in front of Chen Ping''an, and she bent over slightly, lowering her head to look into Chen Ping''an''s clean and pure eyes. She then said in a gentle voice, "I''ve already been waiting for 8,000 years. Chen Ping''an, your aptitude for cultivation is far inferior to that of my former master, but no matter."


    She leaned in even closer, to the point that her forehead almost came into contact with Chen Ping''an''s, and she requested, "Chen Ping''an, I want you to ry a message for me to the four worlds outside. Can you do that?"


    Chen Ping''an reflexively nodded in response, and the woman smiled as she suddenly sank to one knee.


    Even so, she was still able to look straight into Chen Ping''an''s eyes just by raising her head ever so slightly.


    "From this day forth, you, Chen Ping''an, will be my second and final master."


    Chen Ping''an looked on with a dazed expression.


    The woman''s entire body was glowing with pristine white radiance, and her eyes narrowed slightly with her smile as she knelt down on one knee toward the dumbstruck Chen Ping''an. Her features were glowing, and her eyes seemed to be filled with a world of radiance as she asked in a solemn voice, "Chen Ping''an, can you recite a vow with me?"


    She extended a hand toward Chen Ping''an as she spoke, raising it vertically, and Chen Ping''an also extended a hand to gently press his palm against hers.


    She closed her eyes as she recited, "Even if the Heavenly Dao were to copse, I, Chen Ping''an, possess a single sword capable of moving mountains, splitting rivers, churning seas, taming demons, subjugating devils, ying gods, impaling stars, destroying cities, and opening the heavens!"


    Chen Ping''an recited along with her in his heart, "Even if the Heavenly Dao were to copse, I, Chen Ping''an, possess a single sword capable of moving mountains, splitting rivers, churning seas, taming demons, subjugating devils, ying gods, impaling stars, destroying cities, and opening the heavens!"

 Chapter 85: (1): Conclusion of the Examination

    Chapter 85: (1): Conclusion of the Examination


    By the time Chen Ping''an woke up, he discovered that the me in themp had already fizzled out, and the sky was already beginning to brighten outside.


    All he recalled were five things that the tall woman had said to him.


    "You''ll forget all of the secrets that I told you about up to this point when you wake up, and there''s no need for you to try and recall them. I simply revealed them to you as I wanted to talk."


    "If I were to appear in this world now, your current body and soul won''t be able to bear my presence even if the Sages don''te to subjugate you and me, so it''ll only harm you while providing no benefit. Hence, let''s establish an agreement of 100 years. All you have to do is be a 10th tier cultivator within the next 100 years, and you''ll be able to return to the stone bridge in the town to take the iron sword."


    "Even though I chose you as my master, that''s absolutely no reason for you to be arrogant orcent, but at the same time, you must not look down on yourself. Over the past 8,000 years, I''ve seen far too many stunning prodigies, the most recent of which include the likes of Cao Xi, Xie Shi, and Ma Kuxuan, but none of them have managed to catch my eye, so you can rest assured that I chose you not because my life is about toe to an end, and I have no other choice."


    "I won''t be able to battle alongside you for now, but I do have a gift for you. During the dragon ying battle 3,000 years ago, I had nothing else to do, so I decided to watch those kids fight, and it was quite the spectacle. They were dropping things everywhere, and I managed to pick up an exquisite white jade badge. It''s quite petite and has no engravings, and I simply liked the look of it.


    ��It can be used to store items, and it can be considered to be quite an old storage treasure. Compared with the popr pocket arsenals and pocket sword vaults nowadays, it''s a treasure of an even higher caliber, with a storage capacity simr to that of your ancestral residence on y Vase Alley. On top of that, you don''t have to carry it around. Instead, you can nurture it in your acupoint.


    ��I''ve already linked the item with your will, so all you have to do ise into contact with an object, and it''ll be stored into the acupoint that the jade badge is situated in at your behest. Unless the jade badge is forcibly broken by a cultivator at or above the Ascension Tier, nothing will be able to harm it in the slightest. The only downside about the storage treasure is that you''ll only be able to use it after you reach the Middle Five Tiers.


    "The final thing that I have to tell you is that I ced three additional tiny wisps of sword qi into your body."


    Chen Ping''an remained rooted to the spot in a dazed manner, feeling as if he were in an entirely different lifetime.


    His intention was to stay up the entire night in front of the litmp prior to leaving the town to make up for the fact that he wouldn''t be able to observe the passing of the year at the end of this year, never had he anticipated that something like this would happen.


    At the same time, he was feeling utterly bewildered. At the moment, his body already resembled a dpidated house that was entirely unable to keep out the elements, so it was extremely difficult for him to gather energy.


    In light of that, how was he supposed to cultivate at all, let alone reach the Middle Five Tiers or even the 10th tier? Not only was Chen Ping''an destined to be unable to cultivate, if he wanted to live, then he had to nurture his own body by practicing fist techniques.


    Ning Yao had once mentioned to him in an offhand fashion that it was very easy to damage one''s aptitude and acupoints, just like how Cai Jinjian was able to point the way for him and forcibly open his acupoints with nothing more than a tap to the forehead.


    However, restoring a body so that it wasplete and fit for cultivation was even more difficult than trying to ascend to the heavens. A good analogy here was that a small child could easily hack up a door with a meat cleaver, but it was far more difficult to restore the door to its former state.


    Chen Ping''an had promised to apany Li Baoping to Mountain Cliff Academy, and that was undoubtedly going to be a very long journey. It was difficult to say whether he was even going to be able to return to the town alive, and he had no idea how he was going to fulfill this agreement of 100 years.


    Chen Ping''an had been very open and honest at the time, revealing his concerns to the woman, but she had brushed those concerns aside and told him that it was toote for her to go back on her decision. In her words, Chen Ping''an was her master, and if he died, then she would just have to die as well.


    Even if that old sword billet were to fall into the creek someday, and her soul was topletely dissipate, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t owe her anything. She would only be able to me herself for choosing the wrong master, and the consequences of that decision were hers to bear alone.


    At the time, Chen Ping''an still wanted to protest. Despite what she had said, how was he supposed to live with this on his conscience? They were the only two people involved in this agreement, so he couldn''t help but feel a sense of responsibility and culpability.


    Chen Ping''an had no idea how to be a 10th tier cultivator, nor did he have any concept of what storage treasures and pocket treasures were.


    However, in spite of the fact that this agreement had ced a massive burden on his shoulders, deep down, he was feeling a little ted about it as well.


    From this day forth, there would be one more person in this world that had to rely on him.


    Following the conversation in that dream, Chen Ping''an recalled sitting side by side with the woman on a golden stone bridge that stretched on far into the distance with no end in sight, like a golden flood dragon traversing through the clouds.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath, thenid down onto the table. Ultimately, he felt like the easiest way to assess this situation was by adopting a mindset that Old Man Yao had imparted upon him: "If something is meant to be yours, then hold onto it and don''t let it go, but if something''s not meant to be yours, then don''t even think about it."


    Chen Ping''an packed all of the belongings that he needed for the trip into a small basket, including things like his slingshot, his fishing rod and line, and his flint for lighting fires, which proved to be quite a tedious process. In the end, he carefully pulled a small cloth pouch out from the bottom of his y pot, and the pouch was full of porcin shards.


    There were quite a few things that he had to pack, but none of them were very heavy. Having made many long journeys into the mountains, Chen Ping''an knew from experience that packing too much on long trips was only going to hurt him over the long run. Hence, one had to learn how to feed oneself using the natural environment around them.


    After hoisting the basket onto his back and locking the door of the house, Chen Ping''an stood in the yard, and he spotted the locust branch resting against the wall. After a moment of contemtion, he opened the door again and ced the branch in the house so that it wasn''t exposed to the elements, thereby leading to elerated dposition.


    Chen Ping''an brought the two taels of silver that he had made from selling the medicinal ingredients he had gathered during hisst trip into the mountains, and he paid a visit to Apricot Blossom Alley, followed by Dragon Riding Alley. It was still very early, and the shops were closed, so he squatted outside and waited patiently.


    Soon, the shopkeeper opened the doors of the shop while yawning in a bleary-eyed fashion, and Chen Ping''an purchased some incense sticks, paper money, and a gon spring peach blossom wine. Finally, he bought a bag of tartary buckwheat cakes. He recalled that his mother had eaten this cake once when he was a small boy, and she had told him that it was delicious.


    She also said that she was going to buy the cake for him on his fifth birthday, which was why Chen Ping''an had such a clear recollection of this memory. However, upon arriving at the pastry shop, Chen Ping''an was informed by the employee that they no longer made this type of pastry.


    Only the old pastry chefs knew how to make tartary buckwheat cakes, but seeing as the shop was about to close down, those old pastry chefs had already gone to the capital city with the shopkeeper and the others to enjoy their retirement lives. Thus, Chen Ping''an had no choice but to settle for a bag of peach cakes, the same ones that Ruan Xiu had given to Li Baoping the day before.


    After emerging from the town, Chen Ping''an passed by the small temple where he and Ning Yao had hidden from Bai Yuan, and he continued southward until he arrived in front of a small hill. He began to climb up the hill, and halfway up the hill was a barren plot ofnd that hadn''t been farmed for many years, as well as a pair of small soil mounds.


    The plot ofnd and the pair of mounds werepletely devoid of weeds, and Chen Ping''an stood in front of the mounds as he slowly crouched down, removing the basket from his back before setting down his offerings to his ancestors one by one onto the ground.


    The town had been around for thousands of years, and it was unclear whether it had always been like this, or if the town''s traditions had changed at some point, but none of the town''s residents, regardless of their status, ever knelt down or kowtowed when visiting the graves of their ancestors. Instead, all one had to do was light three sticks of incense and bow thrice.


    Chen Ping''an naturally also followed this tradition as well, but before lighting the incense sticks, he habitually picked up a handful of soil from beside his feet as he always did, then ced it onto the mound before gently packing it down, making a symbolic gesture of adding soil to the graves.


    Due to the fact that he had to leave soon, he could only use the soil from nearby. Otherwise, whenever he entered the mountains, he would always collect some soil from each mountain that he visited, then bring the collection of soil here to add to the graves. Of course, there was no special meaning to any of this, it was just to make himself feel better.


    He always felt like he hadn''t done anything for his parents back when they were still alive, so he wanted to make a bit more effort to do things for them now as a form ofpensation. Additionally, Old Man Yao had once told him that this was a tradition that had been passed down from generation to generation among old-school potters, so Chen Ping''an had maintained this tradition this entire time.


    The two graves were nestled tightly against one another, and neither of them had a tombstone.


    After lighting three sticks of incense and bowing thrice to the graves, he stuck the incense sticks down into the soil in front of the graves, then opened the gon of wine before gently pouring it onto the ground. [1]


    Finally, Chen Ping''an rose to his feet, and he closed his eyes as he joined his palms together while speaking to his parents in his heart.


    He was telling them about how he was going on a long journey with a little girl by the name of Li Baoping, and that it was a journey that was going to take him an immeasurable distance away from home.


    ��������


    Cui Chan was standing in a small temple by the side of the road, and he raised his head as he looked up at all of the names inscribed on the wall. The names had all been written using charcoal sticks, and the entire wall was densely packed with these names, all of which differed from one another in size and handwriting.


    Perhaps in the eyes of the town''s residents, this was just an insignificant mural left behind by naughty children, but in the eyes of Cui Chan, it was like a river of time that was flowing through history.


    Situated in the sky above Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Great Li Empire, Jewel Small World was the smallest of the 36 small worlds. It was only around 500 kilometers wide, and if it weren''t for restrictions ced on mystical abilities, any cultivator capable of flight could easily explore the entire small world in a very short time.


    However, the allure of Jewel Small Worldid not only in the treasures and artifacts left behind by the powerful cultivators who had died in battle, but also in the people who had been born in and nurtured by this blessed ce, all of whom were far more intelligent and good-looking than people from other ces.


    If a pair of powerful cultivators were toe together and produce offspring, their children would be all but sure to reach the Middle Five Tiers, but what was quite astonishing was that their chances of reaching the Upper Five Tiers weren''t actually much higher than those of the children who were taken from Jewel Small World.


    Given the meager poption of the townpared with the outside world, this was the equivalent of flood dragons emerging from a pond, and there would always be at least one or two such prodigies that arose each generation.


    Hence, the fall of Jewel Small World would''ve been a huge relief to all of the imperial rulers on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, as long as they had any sense of urgency. Finally, the Song n of the Great Li Empire had been deprived of this incredible gold mine, and that was sure to have a negative impact on the Great Li Empire''s southern expansion.


    Cui Chan''s gaze lingered on the names on the wall for a long time, and a myriad ofplex emotions was running through his heart. Ever since the inception of the imperial examination during ancient times, there had been friendships between examination-takers who had studied together, who were of the same age, or who came from the same hometown, and the same was true on the path of cultivation.


    Jewel Small World had fallen and settled, and it had been granted a good ending at the cost of a certain person''s demise.


    All of the cultivators who emerged from Jewel Small World would be grateful to that person, but to different extents, and this was especially true for the four surnames and ten ns, as well as their backers.


    Unfortunately, even though the Song n of the Great Li Empire hadn''t been set back by this tumultuous event, it hadn''t benefitted from the turmoil, either. The Great Li Empire could''ve been a bit more humane and considerate. For example, when Ruan Qiong requested to enter Jewel Small World early, they could''ve waited a bit longer before agreeing.


    Furthermore, if they had known that Qi Jingchun was going to refrain from using his powers to the bitter end, choosing instead to contend with those unfathomably powerful beings with his two kindred characters alone, then back when the four powers demanded the return of the Sages'' subjugation treasures, the Great Li Empire''s ministry of rites should''ve disyed more reluctance to return the treasures.


    Granted, they wouldn''t have dared to refuse outright, but they certainly could''ve stalled for some time by iming that this was against the rules. There was also the mistake that the Great Li Empire''s imperial court had made in sending out those letters, essentially tantly informing the four surnames and ten ns that a major tribtion was about to befall them, and that they should leave the town, lest they be implicated by Qi Jingchun''s sphemous actions. These were only a few examples of the many mistakes they had made in handling this situation.


    Once the emperor of the Great Li Empire realized his mistakes, or became ovee by his greed, then the imperial preceptor, who controlled half the imperial court and was pulling the strings from afar, would most likely be met with severe retribution.


    However, at this moment, Cui Chan was standing in the small temple with a rxed and carefree expression, seeminglypletely unfazed by the prospect of having to face the emperor''s wrath.


    "Hold on a second," Cui Chan murmured to himself.


    Having already memorized all of the names on the walls, Cui Chan was just about to wipe them all away with his sleeve so no one else would be able to do anything with these names, but right as he was about to do so, Ruan Qiong appeared at the entrance of the temple with a cold smile on his face. "You''re a brave little rascal, I''ll give you that! How many times have I caught you now?"


    "I haven''t done anything yet, have I?" Cui Chan asked with a faint smile.


    All of a sudden, a casual voice rang out near the temple. "Don''t worry, fight to your heart''s content, and I''ll clean up the resulting mess. I assure you that there won''t be any earthquakes or mountains being toppled. At the very most, I''ll ensure that only 10% to 20% of this ce gets destroyed in your battle.


    ��Ruan Qiong, aren''t you sick of constantly having to keep an eye on this bastard? I think you should just take the easy route and end things right here and now. He may not have done anything yet, but he''s constantly prowling, like a thief plotting to steal something from you."


    Cui Chan''s expression remained unchanged as he chuckled, "How cunning of you, Old Man Yang! If you instigate a battle between me and Ruan Qiong, you''ll be able to im the spoils without having to lift even a single finger yourself."


    "I think that''s a good idea," Ruan Qiong mused with a nod.


    Cui Chan hurriedly extended an apologetic salute as he implored with a fawning smile, "Alright, alright! From now on, I''ll only wander around the town. Is that alright with you two, Sage Ruan and Senior Yang?"


    It was clear that Ruan Qiong was still weighing up his options, but Cui Chan suddenly said in a casual manner, "Even if Senior Yang has the ability to ensure that most of this ce remains intact, what if I focus all my efforts on destroying Divine Elegance Mountain and Gant Spear Mountain?"


    Before Ruan Qiong had a chance to reply, Old Man Yang''s voice rang out once again. "You''re just going to allow him to threaten you like that? I wouldn''t be able to take that sitting down if I were you."


    "Piss off back to Eng Alley!" Ruan Qiong snapped.


    Cui Chan''s head wobbled from side to side as he casually made his way out of the temple, and he even made a funny face at Ruan Qiong while passing him by, as if he really were a cheeky young boy.


    After Cui Chan crossed the creek to the other side, Ruan Qiong turned to find Old Man Yang seated on a withered bench in the temple, puffing on his pipe.


    In a rare disy ofpassion, Old Man Yang didn''t mock Ruan Qiong. Instead, he smiled as he remarked, "You really do care a great deal about your daughter."


    Ruan Qiong heaved a faint sigh, and it was clear that he was feeling very indignant about having to hold back in spite of such tant provocation from Cui Chan.


    He sat down across from Old Man Yang, then leaned against the wall as he mused, "I don''t owe anything to this world, and I''ve even repaid my debt to my masters, yet that girl''s mother is the only one I remain indebted to. Now that she''s dead, how am I supposed to repay her? All I can do is give everything I owe her to her daughter."


    Old Man Yang smiled as he said, "Given your status, abilities, and your rtionship with the Yingyin Chen n, surely it''s not impossible for you to find the current incarnation of your wife."


    Ruan Qiong shook his head in response. "Her aptitude for cultivation was quite mediocre in her previous life, and she wasn''t even able to reach the Middle Five Tiers before she passed away, so even if she''s been reincarnated as a human in this lifetime, there''s no chance she''ll be able to recall what happened in her previous life.


    ��In my eyes, an empty husk with none of the memories that we shared is no longer my wife, so what''s the point in finding her? I''ll just let her live on in my heart."


    Old Man Yang nodded as he remarked, "That''s a good mindset to have. It''s exceedingly difficult for Militarians to progress beyond the 10th tier, yet you were able toe from behind and outstrip your contemporaries, and it seems that this isn''t without reason."


    Ruan Qiong didn''t want to discuss this matter any further, so he changed the subject and asked, "Do you think he was bluffing?"


    Old Man Yang smiled as he shook his head in response. "If you think he''s bluffing, then you''re underestimating him. There have been heroesuded throughout history for having the courage to bring down despotic emperors at the cost of their own lives, yet if you ask me, he''s the type of person that would dare to bring down even the Buddha himself at the cost of his own life.


    ��Of course, I''m only talking about his ambition and resolve. As for whether he actually possesses the ability required to aplish such a feat, that''s yet to be seen."


    Ruan Qiong was still rather skeptical.


    Old Man Yang pointed at the ground at the entrance of the temple with his pipe, where there was a particrly solid andpact path from being repeatedly trodden on, and he mused, "He''s different from us. He feels like he''s gone down a path of no return, so if he encounters an enemy, then he feels like he has no choice but to confront them and strike them down.


    ��Alternatively, if anyone tries to surpass him from behind, they must be killed as well. When ites to someone like him, it''s impossible to simply categorize him as a good person or a bad person."


    All of a sudden, Ruan Qiong moved on to another subject. "Chen Ping''an''s parents and ancestors were just ordinary residents who grew up their entire lives in the town, so how did his father know the secrets behind kindred porcin?


    ��And why did he insist on smashing Chen Ping''an''s kindred porcin even at the expense of his own life? It''s clear that someone had to have intentionally revealed these secrets to him and encouraged him to do something like this."


    Old Man Yang was silent for a long while, then blew out a cloud of smoke before replying, "In the beginning, I thought this was just an ordinary conflict between ns, and by the time I realized that things weren''t as simple as they appeared on the surface, it was already toote.


    ��Having said that, I can''t be bothered to get involved in these convoluted mind games anyway, I only think about things like this when I''m bored so I can work my brain a little and don''t go senile. I thought that this was nothing more than a minor part of the massive plot that had been woven to target Qi Jingchun, but only at thest moment did I realize that this is the true kill shot. In the words of top-tier go yers, this would be considered to be a brilliancy.


    ��To put it more urately, this wasn''t done just to target Qi Jingchun. Instead, it was aimed at targeting the fortune of the Schrly Sage''s lineage as a whole. The final battle of Qi Jingchun''s life was so spectacr that everyone habitually equated his demise with the demise of the Schrly Sage''s lineage, and the truth isn''t far away from that."


    Old Man Yang took a nce at the grim look on Ruan Qiong''s face, then continued, "Back when you requested to enter Jewel Small World early, I suspected that perhaps you were also one of the people pulling the strings behind the scenes.


    ��Either you had no choice but to get involved because Wind Snow Temple made an agreement with the Yingyin Chen n, or you received some immense benefits from the Yingyin Chen n in secret, thereby prompting you to make the decision to establish a sect here."


    "You were overthinking things, Senior Yang," Ruan Qiong chuckled.


    Old Man Yang also chuckled in response. "Just because I was overthinking things doesn''t mean my thought process is wrong. You''re only able to maintain a clear conscience right now as Militarians like yourself are very good at keeping things simple and not pondering any matter too deeply. Perhaps only after the truth is revealed to the entire world will youe to realize that you were used as a pawn."


    1. This is a practice known as libation, which is a ritual where wine is poured as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. ?

 Chapter 85: (2): Conclusion of the Examination

    Chapter 85: (2): Conclusion of the Examination


    Ruan Qiong''s resolve remainedpletely unshaken by this sentiment, and he chortled, "No matter. If the Yingyin Chen n or some other power really did dare to use me as a pawn, then once I ensure the safety of my daughter, I''ll be sure to exact my revenge on them!"


    At the same time, he thought to himself, If that really is the case, then that would be perfect for me. At the very most, it''ll only take me a century to forge that sword, and once it''splete, I''ll be able to go anywhere and kill anyone I please!


    After a brief moment of silence, a curious look appeared on Ruan Qiong''s face as he asked, "Could it be that Chen Ping''an really is the heir to Qi Jingchun''s lineage?"


    Old Man Yang raised his pipe, then gently tapped it against the wooden bench before pulling out some new tobo leaves from a cloth pouch attached to his waist as he scoffed, "How am I supposed to know?"


    Ruan Qiong knew that Old Man Yang had umted far too many secrets throughout his life, and he smiled as he said, "In order to enter the town, each person needs to give the town''s gatekeeper a pouch of gold essence copper coins.


    ��This generation''s gatekeeper was a man by the name of Zheng Dafeng. There''s no way that those priceless copper coins would''ve fallen into the hands of the emperor of the Great Li Empire, so I can only assume that you''vee into possession of them. What exactly do you intend to do with those copper coins?"


    "Would you tell me if I asked you how you n to forge that sword in your heart?" Old Man Yang countered, and Ruan Qiong immediately burst intoughter.


    "I''m taking this temple away with me," Old Man Yang suddenly said in an indifferent manner.


    Ruan Qiong was rather taken aback to hear this, but he quickly replied, "As long as you don''t take it out of the town, I have no objections."


    Old Man Yang smiled as he nodded in response. "Seeing as you agreed so easily, I can tell you a little secret."


    Ruan Qiong gestured for Old Man Yang to go ahead.


    Old Man Yang blew out a dense cloud of smoke, and smoke scattered into thin wisps before surrounding the entire temple. As it turned out, the temple had already been enveloped within a thinyer of white mist prior to this, and it was clear that this was a concealment measure that Old Man Yang had taken as an additional safety precaution.


    Old Man Yang heaved a faint sight, then continued, "Do you know what was most remarkable about Qi Jingchun?"


    Ruan Qiong smiled as he replied, "He possesses exceptional aptitude andprehension ability, and his powers are extremely fearsome as well. Otherwise, there''s no way those lofty figures in the sky would''ve been willing to cast aside their pride and work together to strike him down."


    Old Man Yang shook his head in response. "Let''s say that Chen Ping''an really is the one that Qi Jingchun chose. In that case, someone on the outside had to have nted Chen Ping''an as an exceptional pawn. On the surface, it appears that he was left idle for an entire decade, but in reality, a meticulous plot has been unfolding this entire time, and even I''ve been used during this time.


    ��What''s most brilliant about all of this is that the one behind this is ying the game while detached from the game. Ultimately, a person is not an inanimate pawn, so once the pawn is nted, it''ll gradually begin to develop a mind of its own. Hence, it''ll be less and less like a pawn, thereby making it more and more subtle and discrete.


    ��This pawn is also apanied by another extremely important pawn in the form of Song Jixin, who carries the hopes of the entire Song n on his shoulders. With Song Jixin acting as a further distraction and attracting all of the attention, no one would pay any heed to Chen Ping''an, and that allows him to remain hidden in in sight."


    A solemn look appeared on Ruan Qiong''s face as he mused, "Qi Jingchun was supposed to be someone with the potential to establish a teaching of his own. Granted, this notion was intentionally promoted by those harboring sinister intentions to ce Qi Jingchun on an even higher pedestal, but it''s definitely not entirely nonsensical. How is it possible that he didn''t spot any signs?"


    "Even I only managed to figure out this convoluted plot just now, and I must say that it''s absolutely riveting! I''m nothing more than a passive bystander, and I already find this fascinating. How do you think someone directly involved in the plot would feel?" Old Man Yang suddenly burst intoughter, leading to a coughing fit as he pped his own leg and mused, "In reality, Qi Jingchun had already seen through the plot long ago.


    ��He may have been a schr, but he didn''t y by the rules at all. Do you know what he did before he died? He intentionally paid a visit to where I was staying, and aside from giving Chen Ping''an that pair of Mountain and Water Seals, he took a short trip with Chen Ping''an and said something to him at the end. Care to guess what he said?"


    Ruan Qiong was extremely intrigued, but he replied, "I''ve never had any idea what Qi Jingchun was thinking."


    Old Man Yang sighed, "Qi Jingchun told him that a wise man can allow himself to be oppressed to a certain degree, but not to an unreasonable extent."


    Ruan Qiong pondered this for a moment, and initially, he didn''t think much of it. However, momentster, his expression began to change slightly, and before long, his entire face had be flushed with realization, and his hands had balled up into tight fists. He shook his head as he heaved a resigned sigh, "I must concede my inferiority to Qi Jingchun."


    Old Man Yang nodded in response as he mused with an absentminded look in his eyes, "There are two sets of intentions to his words, the first of which is to get Chen Ping''an to tell me and everyone else that as long as we y by the rules, it doesn''t matter what we do to Qi Jingchun. He had already epted his fate, and he didn''t care whether he won or lost, or if he lived or died."


    Old Man Yang then rose to his feet as he continued, "His second intention is for Chen Ping''an to think back on this a decadeter, or even a centuryter. He was telling Chen Ping''an that even if he were to find out the truth, which was that he was the true pawn that had led to Qi Jingchun''s demise, he shouldn''t feel guilty, because Qi Jingchun had already figured everything out long ago."


    All of a sudden, Ruan Qiong sprang to his feet before storming away. "What a load of bullshit! I can''t believe someone as powerful and talented as Qi Jingchun would ept such a cowardly demise! If I had his powers, I would''ve stomped a hole straight through Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and punched a rift into the heavens! I need to go have a drink!"


    Old Man Yang smiled as he left the temple with one hand sped behind his back, and with a gentle flick of his other hand, the temple vanished into thin air, only to reappear in his grasp.


    "I heard that Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan of the Great Li Empire was once the Schrly Sage''s first disciple, so surely he''s capable of more than he''s disyed thus far. I''m looking forward to seeing what he can do."


    ��������


    Old Man Yang very rarely left the town, but on this asion, he was crossing the stone bridge, and as he did so, his body became more and more hunched over, and he was walking along in solemn silence.


    He crossed the stone bridge twice in session, but nothing happened. After stepping down from the bridge the second time, Old Man Yang made his way back to the town with a dejected expression as he thought to himself, Could that really have been a one-time opportunity that won''t present itself again if it''s missed the first time? Ma Kuxuan was born from the will of the world, yet even he isn''t worthy of an audience with you?


    Why won''t you meet him just once, even if it''s just to make his acquaintance and not to ept him as your master? What kind of person would it have to take for you to give the nod? Setting aside the 5,000 years before that, even Jewel Small World has existed for a whole 3,000 years!


    During all that time, how many heroic figures who have gone on to carve out scintiting legacies for themselves on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent have emerged from this town? With your help, any of them could''ve easily progressed a few tiers further! Beyond the 11th and 12 tiers, even further advancement of just two tiers is the difference between night and day!


    All was silent on the stone bridge, and the metal sword hanging beneath the bridge remainedpletely still.


    Old Man Yang heaved a faint sigh, then murmured to himself in a self-deprecating voice, "It seems you''ve already resigned yourself to your fate. So be it. In that case, I''ll leave you to your own devices. That way, I won''t have to worry that what little remains of our lineage will be ruined because of you. If I think about it like that, this is a good thing. I''ve only made a minor gamble, so I don''t have to worry about losing everything."


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an was carrying his basket on his back as he returned from the small hill. On the way back, he discovered that the temple was nowhere to be found, and he looked around with a befuddled expression to check that he hadn''t misremembered the temple''s location.


    In the end, he was able to confirm that the temple really had carried away like a rock. However, at this point, Chen Ping''an had already grown ustomed to these strange urrences, so he didn''t think much of it.


    Upon arriving at the cksmith shop, he paid a visit to the earthen hut where all of his belongings were stored, and after packing what he was going to bring and leaving behind the rest, he emerged from the hut to find Li Baoping.


    Li Baoping stood before him, raising her little head to look up at him, and her face was glowing with tion and excitement.


    She had all types of embroidered pouches dangling haphazardly all over her body, and there were no fewer than seven or eight such pouches in total. In addition to that, there was also a small basket on her back, the top of which was covered by a conical bamboo hat to keep the contents of the basket safe from the elements. Everything had most likely been packed for her by Ruan Xiu at her behest.


    Ruan Xiu was dressed in green as she stood beside Li Baoping, who was wearing her usual red jacket, and the two of them were looking very festive.


    Chen Ping''an looked down at Li Baoping with a smile as he asked, "Did you pack food?"


    Li Baoping nodded in response as she eagerly replied, "The basket is mostly filled with food that Big Sister Ruan gave me, and the rest are all books. It''s not heavy... Well, it''s not that heavy..."


    "Just tell me if you get tired of carrying the basket," Chen Ping''an said.


    Li Baoping puffed out her chest as she scoffed, "There''s no way I would get tired!"


    Ruan Xiu said in a gentle voice, "I''ve packed a map of the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, maps of all of the Great Li Empire and Great Sui Nation''s counties, and several other even smaller maps in Li Baoping''s basket. However, after you leave the Great Li Empire, you have to make sure to regrly ask for directions.


    ��Thankfully, Li Baoping knows how to speak the official dialect that''s used across the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, so you shouldn''t have any problems there. I also put some silver and copper coins in the basket. They''re nothingpared with the gold essence copper coins that you gave to my father, so you''d better not refuse!"


    An amused smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he said, "I''m not an idiot, why would I refuse free money?"


    "You still say you''re not an idiot?!" Ruan Xiu eximed in an angry voice. "If you''re not an idiot, why would you do this when they have nothing to do with you..."


    As soon as these hurtful words slipped out of her mouth, she was immediately ovee with regret, and she hurriedly stopped before she could say anything else because the four other schoolchildren were standing not far away.


    Chen Ping''an had been making faces at her this entire time, trying to get her to stop, and he heaved an internal sigh of relief as he said, "I''ll be counting on you to do what we discussed yesterday."


    Ruan Xiu nodded in response. "Don''t worry about it. I''ll make sure to keep the keys safe and go to clean up the houses every once in a while."


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath, then turned to Li Baoping as he dered, "It''s time to set off."


    "Yay!"


    Li Baoping was jumping for joy.


    Thus, with matching baskets of different sizes on their backs, the two of them departed into the distance,mencing their journey to Great Sui Nation in the south while everyone else looked on.


    Along the way, Li Baoping was chattering non-stop, telling Chen Ping''an about many interesting stories from the town. Finally, they reached the subject of the trip that they had embarked on, and she adopted a mature demeanor as she said, "All schrs above a certain age need to carry swords with them during their travels, not just for protection, but also to show that they''re adept both in their studies and martial arts."


    Chen Ping''an was quite amused to hear this. "That may be correct, but I''m not a schr like you."


    Li Baoping was momentarily stumped by this reply, and she quickly fell silent, as if this revtion had significantly dampened her mood.


    ��������


    Cui Chan bought a gon of premium wine from the wine shop in the town, then slowly strolled his way back to Eng Alley.


    Upon returning to the Yuan n''s ancestral residence, Cui Chan faltered momentarily after unlocking the gate, but still pushed the gates open with a smile in the end.


    He quickly entered the courtyard, then closed the gates and made his way to the pond, where he saw a shimmering and ethereal male figure standing beneath the que of the main hall. He sat down onto a chair beside the pond, then opened the gon of wine before taking a whiff.


    Only then did he turn to the ethereal figure with a smile as he said, "There may only be a wisp of your soul left, but it''s still quite unbing of a gentleman like yourself to trespass on private property like this, wouldn''t you agree, Junior Brother Qi?"


    The ethereal figure turned around, and his features were a little unclear, but it was still possible to see that he was none other than Qi Jingchun.


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he said, "On that day, you made it appear as if you and Cui Minghuang were putting on an act for Wu Yuan, but in reality, it was an act for me, wasn''t it? Aren''t you tired of all of these deceptions?"


    Cui Chan smiled as he asked, "Oh? Have you managed to figure something out?"


    Qi Jingchun was standing at the northern end of the pond, directly facing Cui Chan, who was seated at the southern end of the pond, and he asked, "Why is it that you dropped down from the 12th tier to the 10th tier?"


    Cui Chan leaned back against his chair, holding his wine gon between two of his fingers as he swirled its contents around. "It''s all thanks to that teacher of ours. Who could''ve anticipated that you had already detached yourself from him? That''s why your cultivation base wasn''t negatively affected at all, even as the position of our teacher''s deity statue was constantly slipping.


    ��On the contrary, you''ve only been progressing upward. Ironically, I turned my back on our teacher long ago, yet I''m still unable to escape the influence of his lineage. What''s most crushing to me is the realization that I''ll never be able to surpass our teacher with my knowledge, so what else could I do?


    ��I couldn''t just do nothing and watch while I was dragged down by our teacher''s demise. The problem is the magnitude of the impact from the copse of our teacher''s deity statue. It''s not like a small rock falling into ake. Instead, it''s like an entire mountain plunging into ake, creating such an enormous ssh that no one can avoid being sttered unless they''ve already made it to shore like you.


    ��Hence, I came up with a little n. What do you think that n is, Junior Brother Qi?"


    "You want to use the merit of others to benefit yourself in order to transcend your ego," Qi Jingchun replied.


    Cui Chan''s expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this, and the swirling of the wine gon also ceased.


    Qi Jingchun heaved a faint sigh, then continued, "The best oue would be for you to surpass me and our teacher based on the merit of your knowledge so you can receive the recognition of the world and all beings, but unfortunately, that''s beyond your reach. The second-best oue would be for our teacher''s lineage to end with me, following which you seize this lineage for yourself.


    ��Even if you can''t reach the same heights as our teacher did in the Confucian temple, at the very least, you''ll still be in an infinitely better position than serving as the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor. The final oue that''s still desirable for you would be to assign someone as your shadow, then entering a state of Buddhist meditation with your true body.


    ��If that person can remain true to themselves, then that''ll equate to you maintaining your resolve when faced with a certain hurdle, ultimately presenting the catalyst required for you to return to the 11th tier. Cui Chan, you must''ve thought that regardless of what happens, you''ll be the one toe out on top no matter what, right?


    ��I know that you''ve already prepared backup ns so that even if Chen Ping''an is able to maintain his purity and his resolve, you''ll still be able to chip away at him. For example, you could maximize the ws of those children to constantly whittle away at Chen Ping''an''s mental state, like grinding a mirror against a rock, causing its surface to be coarse and unsightly and ultimately shatter.


    ��In that case, if Chen Ping''an is the one I chose to carry on my lineage, then your n will have achieved a resounding sess, allowing you to im the fortune of my lineage and that of our teacher, which would be a far superior an oue to the third method of Buddhist meditation."


    Cui Chan''splexion was beginning to turn deathly pale.


    Qi Jingchun smiled as he said, "If you''re willing to give up on your n now, I can allow you to achieve the third oue. Rtively speaking, it''s the least desirable of the three oues, but it''ll still be immensely beneficial for you, and all of these years you''ve spent scheming and plotting will finally yield the rewards that you desire."


    Cui Chan rose to his feet with a cold sneer as he scoffed, "Qi Jingchun, nothing more of you remains than a pathetic wisp of your soul! What makes you think you''re in a position to be discussing terms with me?"


    "I''m giving you one final chance," Qi Jingchun repeated with a calm expression.


    Cui Chan''s face was twisted with fury as he roared, "How dare you attempt to shake my mental state!"


    A hint of mncholy appeared on Qi Jingchun''s face as he called out in a gentle voice, "Senior Brother Cui..."


    Cui Chan dashed the wine gon in his hand violently onto the ground, then took a step forward as he stabbed a finger at Qi Jingchun from across the pond and roared, "You''re not going to beat me, Qi Jingchun!"


    Qi Jingchun sped one hand behind his back while sweeping his other sleeve through the air, and the spilled wine that was flowing over the ground beside Cui Chan''s feet poured into the pond before forming a rippling film of water, much like the one that Cui Chan had conjured up not long ago.


    Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping were depicted on the screen of water.


    Li Baoping was walking along sideways, raising her head to look up at Chen Ping''an as she threw one question at him after another.


    There was a smile on Chen Ping''an''s face as he patiently answered the barrage of strange questions thrown at him by Li Baoping, and if she raised a question that he didn''t know the answer to, then he would simply admit that he didn''t know.


    He didn''t feel embarrassed at his inability to answer some questions, and Li Baoping never seemed to grow bored of asking questions.


    "Cui Chan, do you still not understand?" Qi Jingchun asked.


    Cui Chan was staring intently at the scene being depicted on the film of water, and his face was deathly pale. His lips were quivering uncontrobly as he murmured to himself, "That''s impossible!"


    He raised his head, and his expression was twisted to a terrifying degree as he spat through gritted teeth, "Qi Jingchun, you chose a woman to be your only direct disciple?!"


    "What''s wrong with that?" Qi Jingchun challenged with a calm smile.


    Cui Chan took a deep breath, and the corners of his lips perked up a little as he said, "Even if Chen Ping''an remains true to himself, I''ll just have to do away with all of my backup ns! In fact, I''ll even go out of my way to help him, and I''ll still be able to win, just not as much as I could''ve otherwise! What are you going to do, Qi Jingchun? Are you going to screw over Chen Ping''an just to obstruct my pursuit of the Great Dao?"


    A deranged look appeared on Cui Chan''s face, and he chortled with glee, "Chen Ping''an''s fate is interconnected with mine! If I fall, so does he! What are you going to do now, Qi Jingchun?!"


    Qi Jingchun remainedpletely unfazed as he said, "I suggest you cut your losses and proceed no further with your n. Even in the worst-case scenario, you''ll only fall to the sixth tier, so you''ll at least still be in the Middle Five Tiers."


    "Have you gone insane, Qi Jingchun?" Cui Chan snarled with a dark expression.


    Qi Jingchun took a nce at Cui Chan, then heaved a faint sigh as he reached out a pair of fingers before gesturing as if he was cing an object onto something.


    In the image depicted in the film of water, Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping remainedpletely oblivious, but Cui Chan could see that a jade hairpin had suddenly appeared, nestled peacefully in Chen Ping''an''s hair.


    A dazed look of shock and horror appeared on his face as he stabbed a trembling finger at Qi Jingchun. "Qi Jing..."


    In the end, he was unable to even utter the final syble of Qi Jingchun''s name before his Dao Heart almost fully copsed, resulting in him bleeding out of all seven of his orifices.


    He copsed back onto his chair, then quickly arranged his hands into the Treasure Bottle Seal as he panted in a raspy voice, "I have to stabilize my soul!"


    Instead of looking at the terrible state that Cui Chan was in, Qi Jingchun raised his head and cast his gaze up toward the sky as he said, "You must learn from your mistakes. If you dare to sneak around and hatch any further sinister plots in the next 60 years, I have ways to make you lose the entirety of your cultivation base and fall to be mortal.


    ��Of course, given how stubborn and fixated you are, I''m sure you won''t believe me, but that doesn''t matter to me, it''s up to you whether you choose to believe me or not. The first time, I told you not to lose faith in our teacher. You didn''t believe me, and as a result, your cultivation base suffered.


    ��Prior toing to Jewel Small World, I told you not to plot against Mountain Cliff Academy, yet once again, you didn''t listen to me. This time, it''s still up to you whether you heed my advice or not."


    After departing from the Yuan n''s ancestral residence on Eng Alley, Qi Jingchun embarked on hisst trip in this world. First, he paid a visit to the school, then the stone bridge, followed by the grave of his junior brother, Ma Zhan, and in the end, he paid a visit to the heavens.


    Finally, after returning to the ground, he appeared silently beside Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping to walk alongside them, but the two children werepletely oblivious to this.


    With each step that the three of them took, Qi Jingchun''s body would fade further and further.


    Finally, he drew to a halt, watching as the two children continued onward into the distance, and there was a mixture of concern, regret, sorrow, joy, and pride in his eyes.


    He gave them a gentle wave as a silent farewell.


    Looks like this is it. This is not a bad ending for me.


    ��������


    "Hold on, since when did you have a jade hairpin in your hair?!"


    "Huh? I don''t know!"


    "When did this happen? Chen Ping''an, you''re actually a rich kid posing as a poor kid, am I right?"


    "I''m not, I swear! At the very least, that''s no longer the case. I''ve only been rich for a few days."


    "Fine, I''ll believe you, but what''s the deal with that wooden sword protruding out of your basket?"


    "I don''t know anything about that, either."


    "Chen Ping''an! If you keep this up, then I won''t like you anymore!"


    "But I really have no clue..."


    "Fine, fine! I''ll wait until tomorrow before I stop liking you then."

 Chapter 86: (1): Walking the Same Path

    Chapter 86: (1): Walking the Same Path


    In the Yuan n''s ancestral residence on Eng Alley, Cui Chan was seated on his chair with his entire body drenched in blood, while his hands were locked in the Treasure Bottle Seal as he fought arduously to prevent his body from disintegrating.


    He was doing this not just because this body had been extremely difficult toe by, but even more so because this body was like a prison in which his soul was confined. In the near future, he would be unable to release his soul to go on long journeys as he had been able to back in the capital city of the Great Li Empire.


    Furthermore, if this body were to be destroyed, then he would be reduced to an iplete entity with his souls and senses split apart, and that would permanently relegate him to the bottom of the Middle Five Tiers. If that were to happen, then all of the people who previously groveled in fear at his feet would''ve been able to kill him with ease.


    Even though his body and mental state had both been dealt heavy blows, Cui Chan still forced himself to his feet after throwing up a mouthful of blood. He was grabbing onto the armrest of his chair and leaning heavily onto it for support, while his entire body trembled uncontrobly.


    He knew that the worse the state that he was in, the harder he had to cling onto what little he had left. He raised his head to look up at the sky, where Ruan Qiong''s voice had rung out earlier, but at this point, he didn''t even have the power to use the mystical ability through which he couldmunicate with Ruan Qiong in secret.


    "Come here," Cui Chanmanded in a raspy voice.


    A young boy with a set of intricate and wless features emerged from a side room with a horrified expression, and he made his way over to Cui Chan, where he was rooted to the spot, at aplete loss for what to do.


    Cui Chan had faith in the spies under hismand, but he only had faith in their loyalty to him, and he had no faith at all in their abilities. Hence, he didn''t dare to ce his hopes on them and expect them to keep him safe on a journey back to the capital city.


    There was a very good chance that he would be targeted by a certain pawn nted among the four surnames and ten ns by Song Changjing or that woman even before he had a chance to make it out of the town.


    With that in mind, Cui Chan instructed, "Go to the cksmith shop and ask Master Ruan to pay me a visit. Tell him that I have something to ask of him, and that I''m willing to make a huge deal with him on a matter rted to the assignment of a mountain god to Divine Elegance Mountain.


    ��If you can''t convince him toe and see me, then there''s no need for you toe back. Without my intervention, the soul that I''ve temporarily gathered and ced in your body will only be able tost a few days before it dissipates."


    The boy''s face was deathly pale as he hurriedly nodded in response.


    Cui Chan sat back down onto his chair in a defeated manner, then continued, "Make sure to act more natural when you go out, don''t go walking around looking like your parents just died. Otherwise, even an idiot will figure out that something''s happened to me."


    The boy nodded fearfully in response, then quickly departed.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan closed his eyes, and the irony of his situation wasn''t lost on him. In his current state, not only was he forced to imprison his soul in this body, he had to make running repairs on this self-imposed prison to restrict himself even further.


    Right at this moment, the sound of familiar footsteps rang out, and Cui Chan immediately opened his eyes.


    Right as he was about to scold his puppet for its ipetence, he caught sight of the uninvited guest beside the porcin boy, and he immediately put on a weing smile as he instructed, "Go and bring Senior Yang a chair and some tea."


    Old Man Yang was smoking his pipe with one hand sped behind his back, and he averted his gaze from the miserable and disheveled Cui Chan as he inspected his surroundings, then said with a smile, "You personally set up the restrictions here, yet you were somehow oblivious to the fact that I''ve essentially broken into your house through your front door. Have you encountered some trouble? Do you need me to lend you a hand?"


    "There''s no need for that," Cui Chan replied as he shook his head with a calm expression.


    Old Man Yang sat down onto the chair brought to him by the young boy, and he was seated in the eastern direction, while Cui Chan was seated in the north, directly facing the que of the main hall in the south. Old Man Yang took a nce at the timid yet curious young boy, and he mused, "You really are quite talented when ites to soul maniption."


    "Is Ruan Qiong able to hear our conversation right now?" Cui Chan asked.


    "Are you not aware of Ruan Qiong''s personality? Why would he go out of his way to eavesdrop on you? If you hadn''t repeatedly provoked him, he wouldn''t have even taken a second nce at you!" Old Man Yang chuckled.


    "Caution is the key to longevity," Cui Chan mused in a solemn voice.


    This was the second time that Cui Chan had said this to Old Man Yang, and the first time was back at the old mountain of porcin.


    "That''s true," Old Man Yang acknowledged before taking a puff of his pipe.


    Cui Chan waited momentarily in silence, then asked, "Are we alright to continue now?"


    Old Man Yang nodded in response. "Go ahead and say whatever you please."


    Cui Chan wiped away the blood seeping down from the corners of his lips with the back of his hand, then asked, "Should I refer to you as the Azure Child Heavenly Lord, or should I use your even more renowned title..."


    "That''s enough!" Old Man Yang cut him off in an expressionless manner.


    Cui Chan knew that it was unwise to push his luck any further, and he was silent for a moment before remarking, "Truth be told, that battle still remains the stuff of legends in my heart."


    He then suddenly burst intoughter for some reason as he continued, "I don''t regret not meeting the gods, my only regret is that the gods don''t know of me. This was my genuine reaction when I first became aware of the secrets lurking behind the scenes while I was studying under my teacher. At the time, my teacher scolded me for my arrogance. Thinking back now, he was right, and I was wrong."


    Old Man Yang waved a dismissive hand as he said, "I have no interest in hearing about how you turned on your teacher or your fellow brother."


    "In that case, did youe here just to ridicule me?" Cui Chan asked with a mocking sneer.


    "No, I''m merely curious about something. Song Changjing of the Great Li Empire is a martial artist who possesses both the aspirations and the potential to be an 11th tier martial artist, so why are you such sworn enemies with him?" Old Man Yang asked.


    Cui Chan shook his head in response. "I don''t have any personal vendetta against Song Changjing. Instead, it''s because there''s a powerful woman in the Great Li Empire who resents him. She was the one who had orchestrated the shattering of Chen Ping''an''s bonded porcin, and she did this so that it would be easier for her son to grasp onto his fated opportunity.


    ��Of course, I won''t deny that I took advantage of the situation so that I could use Chen Ping''an to target Qi Jingchun, and this was one of the few strokes of genius that I''ve made in my entire life. Qi Jingchun yed a superior game to mine, and I concede my defeat to him, but I still don''t think this was a bad move."


    Old Man Yang puffed out a cloud of smoke, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he mused, "After his bonded porcin was shattered, Chen Ping''an became like a me that attracted attention from all sides, so there were inevitably going to be some moths that tried to rush at the me. The woman that you were referring to was correct in her predictions.


    ��Initially, that girl who was manifested by the residual will and essence of that true dragon instinctively made Chen Ping''an her target. However, only after escaping from that dragon locking well and stumbling to Chen Ping''an''s residence on y Vase Alley did she detect the rich dragon qi present in Song Jixin''s house.


    ��For her, that was the most alluring delicacy under the heavens, so she desperately wanted to knock on the gate of Song Jixin''s courtyard, but in the end, she ran out of energy and copsed in the snow in front of Chen Ping''an''s house. After that, she was saved by Chen Ping''an, but she was unwilling to establish a contract with a mere mortal like him as doing so was no different frommitting suicide.


    ��Hence, she proimed that she was Song Jixin''s new maidservant, and thus, Chen Ping''an foolishly handed over the greatest fated opportunity in this entire Jewel Small World. Come to think of it, at the time, Chen Ping''an really was like the very embodiment of misfortune. He was obstructed by the Heavenly Dao at every turn, and it seemed that no fortune would ever befall him."


    Cui Chan listened to Old Man Yang''s musings in silence, then returned to the subject at hand as he said, "Even His Majesty is convinced that his brother, Song Changjing, has never had any interest in the throne. One time, His Majesty asked me to y a teaching game of go with him, and that woman was also present to provide His Majesty with good moves so that the game didn''t end too quickly.


    ��All of a sudden, His Majesty asked me if there could evere a day when Song Changjing would suddenly storm back to the capital city with his army and demand that he concede the throne. Of course, I gave an honest reply, reassuring him that Song Changjing would never do something like this, but what if there really doese a day when Song Changjing''s subordinates decide that they want to help Song Changjing seize the throne?


    ��At some point, he''ll reach the 10th tier, or even the legendary 11th tier, and life will be very boring for him. With all of his subordinates urging him to seize the throne, who''s to say that he won''t give in to the temptation someday and decide to rebel?


    ��After hearing my reply, His Majesty began tough, and he then turned to the woman beside him to ask her opinion on the matter, to which she replied that His Majesty didn''t possess sufficient ambition, and that just half of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent would be enough to satisfy him. However, Song Changjing is different.


    ��The further he advances down the path of cultivation, the loftier his aspirations will be. After hearing what she had to say, His Majesty jokingly said that we should''ve been executed on the charges of treason for what we just said, but it was an auspicious day that was unfit for executions, so he would spare us for the moment."


    "Song Changjing must''ve done some terrible deeds in his past lives to have been struck by the misfortune of having to deal with such a devious pair of opponents. One of them is constantly badmouthing him by His Majesty''s bedside, while the other is a trusted subordinate of His Majesty''s," Old Man Yang chuckled.


    "Why exactly have youe here today?" Cui Chan asked in a direct and straightforward manner.


    In response, Old Man Yang said somethingpletely inexplicable and unrted. "We believe that fate dictates the trajectory of one''s life, yet you don''t share the same belief."


    Cui Chan waspletely unyielding on this subject, and despite how vulnerable he was in his current situation, he didn''t disy any fear or timidity at all as he sneered, "I don''t have a very high opinion of the current batch, but I have an even lower opinion of you and the others."


    Old Man Yang set his gaze on Cui Chan, then prompted, "Tell me what Qi Jingchun has selected Chen Ping''an to do for him."


    "Why don''t you take a guess?" Cui Chan asked with a faint smile.


    It was clear that he wasn''t going to reveal the answer to this question no matter what as it concerned the integrity of his Dao Heart.


    "Do you really think I won''t kill you?" Old Man Yang asked.


    Cui Chan nodded in response. "You wouldn''t dare. Even a dog that I raised from birth would perhaps be willing to kill me for its own benefit, but you are the only one who wouldn''t dare to kill me."


    A faint smile appeared on Old Man Yang''s face as he chuckled, "If you''re this smart, how did you lose to Qi Jingchun?"


    Cui Chan slumped back against his chair as he replied in a self-deprecating voice, "To answer that question, I can use a quote from Qi Jingchun himself: ''those who are pure of heart are the most unpredictable people in this world''."


    Old Man Yang shook his head as he sighed, "You see? This is what you get for not believing in fate. It''s inexplicable, intangible, and impossible to grasp."


    Cui Chan burst intoughter. "Are you trying to persuade me to walk your path?"


    "Don''t you want to return to the peak of your powers?" Old Man Yang countered. "Besides, the path that you currently follow is not one that doesn''t share simrities with ours."


    Cui Chan was so amused by this that wasughing to the point of tears, and he pointed a trembling finger at Old Man Yang as he openly jeered, "I may not be able topare with my teacher or Qi Jingchun, but you want me to be apdog for those bastards that I look down on, allowing them to order me around as they please just so I can attain a so-called Indestructible Vajra Body? Am I insane or are you the insane one?


    ��I don''t mean to be rude, but just how desperate are you? Could it be that you''re also in the same situation as I am in that a certain n that you''ve been working on for a very long time has been ruined by some unforeseen development?"


    "Who do you think can order me around as they please?" Old Man Yang asked in a nonchnt voice.


    Cui Chan suddenly narrowed his eyes with a solemn expression and fellpletely silent.


    Meanwhile, Old Man Yang sat with his legs crossed, looking up at the sky with a calm expression.


    It was often said that there were gods in the heavens above, but in reality, that was no longer the case.


    Cui Chan took a deep breath, then said, "Let me give you a piece of advice: if you''ve done something to Chen Ping''an, then I suggest you abandon your ns right away."


    Old Man Yang shook his head in response. "I haven''t done anything to him."


    Cui Chan smiled as he continued, "I presume Qi Jingchun cleaned up everything before he died, and given that neither you nor I are nning anything, it seems like Chen Ping''an no longer has anyone to worry about in high-up ces aside from that woman in the capital."


    "I can see that there''s no way for us to walk the same path, but that''s fine. We can still make a fair trade," Old Man Yang suddenly said.


    Cui Chan didn''t even bother to ask what Old Man Yang had in mind before replying without any hesitation, "I ept."


    ��������


    After walking for about 2.5 kilometers, Chen Ping''an encouraged Li Baoping to take a break. The second break came after two more kilometers, and the third break was taken after another further 1.5 kilometers, where the two of them sat down onto the smooth rocks on the bank of the creek. In order to travel southward, they had to temporarily take a long route and follow the creek.


    Otherwise, given how difficult the mountains were to traverse, there was no way that Li Baoping would be able to keep up. She possessed far superior stamina to other children of her age, but ultimately, she was still only a little girl who was about eight or nine years old, so there was no way she couldpare with an adult, and Chen Ping''an knew that he couldn''t go as fast as he would if he were traveling alone.

 Chapter 86: (2): Walking the Same Path

    Chapter 86: (2): Walking the Same Path


    Li Baoping was sitting by the creek, sweating profusely, and she noticed Chen Ping''an suddenly taking off his straw sandals before rolling up the legs of his pants before wading into the water. Due to the fact that the stream was quite wide here, the water had be a lot more shallow, only reaching up to his knees, and there were many little green fish around the same length as a human hand swimming through the water in a nimble fashion.


    Ever since the first time Li Baoping waded into the creek, she had dreamed of being able to catch fish someday, but these fish were far more cunning than crabs and prawns, and they were far too difficult for her to catch.


    In the past, she had learned from others, cutting down a bamboo tree in secret to make a fishing rod, but for some reason, even though she was using the exact same rig consisting of a rod, line, and worms for bait, she was never able to fish up anything from the creek. She would often hide under the shade of the trees on the bank of the creek and fish for entire afternoons, but for no return at all.


    During the same periods of time, other people would''ve already had many foxtail weedsden with strung-up fish, or had fish overflowing from their baskets, upon which they would joyfully return to show their parents their spoils, yet Li Baoping would remainpletely without luck.


    In contrast, Chen Ping''an seemed to be able to do everything, from traversing the mountains and creeks, to burning charcoal, picking medicinal herbs, and catching fish and snakes, there was hardly anything that he couldn''t do. Hence, she held a great deal of admiration for him, but she had only ever revealed this secret to Shi Chunjia before.


    This time, Li Baoping saw Chen Ping''an select a spot near the shore, where there was arge rock that many of the fish liked to hide under. After that, he began to construct a dam of sorts slightly upstream, and the dam was roughly as long as Li Baoping��s height.


    The dam was entirely constructed from rocks of different sizes that Chen Ping''an had sourced from near the creek, and there was still water flowing downstream through the gaps in the dam, but Chen Ping''an was in no hurry to block those gaps with smaller rocks or sand. Instead, he constructed two more dams, one horizontal and one vertical, and the final product resembled a miniature moat.


    Li Baoping made her way over to the bank of the creek near Chen Ping''an, then squatted down, watching intently as Chen Ping''an began to fill the gaps. His movements were lightning-fast and teeming with a sense of artistry. At the same time, she noticed that while working on the dams, Chen Ping''an''s expression was extremely calm and focused, and he was fully immersed in the task, allowing no distractions to divert his attention.


    This was the same type of single-minded focus that Li Baoping had seen in Mr. Qi the first time that she saw him write, and for some reason, it was a very cathartic sight to behold.


    After the dam up above was filled to the point that it was virtually watertight, Chen Ping''an did the same to the dam off to the side. The dam that was downstream was only there to prevent fish from getting away, so it wasn''t filled to be as watertight as the other two dams. Hence, the water level in the makeshift pond was gradually falling.


    Li Baoping''s delicate features were glowing with tion as she clenched her fists tightly while praying in her heart, and even though she was resting on the shore, she was even more tense and anxious than Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an made his way into the pond, then began to scoop water out of it with his hands.


    "Chen Ping''an, what you''re doing right now is exactly what''s described by the idiom ''draining a pond to catch fish''," Li Baoping remarked. "Wait, that''s an idiom with negative connotations. I should be describing this as ''pulling the rug out'' instead!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he casually asked, "I often see you fishing by the creek. What''s the biggest fish you''ve caught?"


    Li Baoping heaved a forlorn sigh. "The fish are too smart. All I can do is use a foxtail weed to goad crabs out of their holes. Fishing is too hard."


    Chen Ping''an was quite amused to hear this, and he asked, "Did you make your fishing rod yourself?"


    Li Baoping nodded vigorously in response. "I did. There''s a bamboo forest in a corner of your backyard, and apparently, it was nted by my great-great-grandfather, so my father was very protective of it. When I told him that I was going to make a fishing rod, he refused. In the end, I had to go to great lengths just to cut one down in secret before grinding it down bit by bit with a pair of scissors. I was exhausted by the end!"


    The water in the pond was bing murkier and murkier, and there were already fish beginning to escape, sshing water everywhere. Chen Ping''an was already ustomed to this, and he smiled as he asked, "Bamboo isn''t that thin to begin with, did you remove the tip as well?"


    Li Baoping was rather befuddled to hear this, and she replied, "I did. I was afraid that if the fishing rod was too thin, it would snap if I hooked onto a big fish. If I have to cut down another bamboo tree to make a second fishing rod, even if I don''t get beaten by my father, just the thought of having to grind it down with those scissors again is enough to give me a headache."


    An amused look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he said, "Who uses a bamboo stick for fishing? None of the fish in our creek are all thatrge, so if you have too thick a fishing rod, you won''t be able to detect whether a fish has been hooked, or if it''s just nibbling at the bait.


    ��The first few times they strike, they''ll never chomp fully down onto the bait. They''re not stupid, if you swing your rod up too early, then there''s no way you''ll be able to hook them. A fishing rod has to be of moderate thickness, and there are all types of factors that you have to consider, including the season, the weather, the location, the hook, and the bait."


    Li Baoping waspletely bewildered by what she was hearing, and her mouth was gaped wide open. At the same time, she was feeling a little embarrassed as there was something else that she had refrained from telling Chen Ping''an, which was that the hook she had attached to the end of her line was one that she had made by bending a sewing needle. Thinking back now, it was probably sorge that the fish couldn''t even swallow it if they tried.


    She could only console herself internally, telling herself that her ignorance was justifiable given her tender age.


    Chen Ping''an could see that she was feeling a little dejected, so he could only offer her some words of constion. "I feel like it''s even more impressive that you weren''t able to catch a single fish even after all these years."


    Li Baoping''s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this, and it was as if a knot in her heart had suddenly been untied, leaving her feeling ted and reinvigorated.


    "Why are we catching fish?" she asked with a curious expression. "We still have so much to eat."


    Chen Ping''an exined, "There''s an expression that states that even a mountain of food can eventually be exhausted if it''s never replenished. If that applies even to a mountain of food, then how can we possibly expect our two little baskets of food tost if we''re not careful and conservative? We still have a very long way to go, so we need to conserve food as much as possible."


    Li Baoping nodded in agreement to this sentiment, following which an eager look appeared on her face as she said, "As the saying goes: give someone a fish, and you''ll feed them for a day, but teach them to fish, and you''ll feed them for a lifetime, so you can teach me how to making fishing rods and catch fish in the future."


    "Catch!"


    Chen Ping''an casually caught a red and green fish, then tossed it at Li Baoping, watching with amusement as she juggled it in a panic. He then said, "You''re still too young, so just do what you can. There''s no need to try andpete with me in everything, my job is to ensure that you arrive safely at Mountain Cliff Academy so you can receive an education."


    After a mighty struggle, Li Baoping finally caught the fish securely in her hands, and she said in a justified manner, "That''s incorrect! Mr. Qi told us that an aplished schr needs to not only read countless books, but also travel extensively. There are only five books in my basket, so I need to go to the academy to read the rest, but traveling is something that I also need to do as a schr.


    ��There''s an idiom that states that one needs to learn while traveling, which means that I need to carry my bookcase while traveling this vast world, and learning from books and learning from practical experience are both indispensable parts of aplete education. If I''m missing either of those two elements, then my education would be iplete."


    "There are a lot of foxtail weeds around you, you can pass them through the fish''s gills if you want to string them together. If you''re afraid of the weed snapping, then you can use two or three at once."


    While teaching Li Baoping how to string together the fish, he asked, "Does learning while traveling refer to carrying a bookcase around? The type that Chen Songfeng from Dragon Tail County was carrying? That one was woven from bamboo, and it looked really nice. If we pass by a bamboo forest during our trip, I can make one for you.


    ��I''ll be needing a fishing rod anyway. If we''re going to be traveling along the creek, then we''ll have to derive our sustenance from the water, and if we go further from here, the water will be deeper, so we won''t be able to catch fish using this method anymore."


    Li Baoping was squatting on the shore, stringing together the fish tossed at her one by one, and as soon as she heard this, she was so ted that she immediately jumped up as she eximed, "Really?!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he confirmed, "Why would I lie to you? Hey, be careful! Quit jumping around or you''re going to fall into the creek with the fish! The fish aren''t going to be able to get away, but what if you catch a cold?"


    Li Baoping did as she was told, squatting back down as she said with a radiant smile, "I''m so happy! I''m finally going to have my very own bookcase!"


    Chen Ping''an was crouched down in the makeshift pond, where the water level was so low that the creekbed was almost visible, and his head was pressed tightly against the rock as he reached under it to grab fish.


    "This kind of fish can be eaten raw after it''s dried under the sun. If you feel like it''s dirty, I can remove the internal organs for you. Personally, I used to just eat this type of fish whole."


    After some internal conflict, Li Baoping said in a timid voice, "Can you remove the internal organs for me?"


    Chen Ping''an pulled out another fish from under the rock, then tossed it onto the grassy bank as he replied, "It''s up to you. I''ll take care of it."


    "No, I can do it," Li Baoping hurriedly said.


    At this point, she was already holding three strings of fish.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, then continued to grab more fish from under the rock.


    Momentster, a loud ssh suddenly rang out, and Li Baoping was bawling her eyes out as she stood in the water.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly stood up and rushed over to her, then asked with an anxious expression, "What''s wrong?"


    Li Baoping was absolutely distraught as she bawled, "There was a fish that looked like it was about to die, so I pulled it off from the foxtail weed, but as soon as I ced it in the water, it swam away! I couldn''t catch it..."


    Chen Ping''an was very amused to hear this, and he bent down to roll up the soaked legs of her pants, then gently cradled her onto the bank before telling her to take off her shoes and leave the fish to him.


    Li Baoping did as she was told, obediently taking off her shoes, but she still felt like she had done something terrible, and it was as if the sky were about to copse on her.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an began to process the fish in a well-rehearsed manner, slicing open their bellies before removing their innards. At the same time, he was trying his best not tough as he didn''t want to throw salt onto Li Baoping''s wounds.


    Finally, he turned to Li Baoping, then gently raised the three strings of fish with their innards removed.


    It was a huge haul, and a smile broke through Li Baoping''s sobs. Despite the tear streaks all over her face, she was ted as she eximed, "We still have so many left, even though one of them got away!"


    Chen Ping''an made his way over to her side before taking a seat, then handed her the three strings of fish as he patted her on the head. "That''s right, so you don''t have to be so sad if something like this happens again."


    Li Baoping raised the three strings of fish so that they were level with her eyes, and she replied in a joyful voice, "Alright!"


    "I can weave a few pairs of straw sandals for you at some point. I guarantee you they won''t give you blisters," Chen Ping''an offered.


    Li Baoping''s eyes were glowing as she asked, "Really?"


    Chen Ping''an leaned down to wring out the water that had soaked into the legs of her pants as he replied, "It''s really simple."


    "You know how to do everything, while I don''t know how to do anything," Li Baoping sighed.


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he said, "You can teach me to read and write. I don''t know that many characters right now, only around 500."


    Li Baoping immediately nodded in response. "You can count on me!"


    The two of them sat side by side, watching the slow-moving water in the creek, and Li Baoping suddenly asked, "Do you know what this creek is called?"


    "Dragon Whisker Creek."


    "How do you know that?"


    "Last time I entered the mountains, I had a pair of maps. Master Ruan told me that they were maps of Dragon Spring County, and the creek was annotated as Dragon Whisker Creek on the map. However, once the direction of its flow changes from southeast to south, the red line on the map gradually thickened, and its name changed into the Iron Talisman River."


    "I see. Let me tell you how all of this works. Our Great Li Empire''s imperial court has six ministries, and the ministry of rites has three types of officials, namely the heaven official, the earth official, and the humanitarian official. Among them, the earth official is responsible for making these maps.


    ��However, they receive assistance from the fengshui masters of the ministry of astronomy, who lead the way for the earth officials during their exploration of the world. Essentially, they measure out every single inch of an empire''s territory with their own two feet before transferring what they see onto maps. Aren''t those earth officials and fengshui masters really amazing?"


    "Do you want to be an earth official or a fengshui master once you grow up?"


    "Chen Ping''an, don''t you know that women can''t be officials? And that''s not just the case in our Great Li Empire, it seems to be that way everywhere else as well. Girls like Shi Chunjia and I can receive education, but I''ve never heard of any woman bing a teacher or being referred to as a schr."


    "I see."


    "By the way, you said that the jade hairpin you''re wearing right now was given to Mr. Qi by his teacher, then given to you by Mr. Qi, right?"


    "That''s right."


    "In that case, from now on, I''m going to call you junior uncle!"


    "Why?"


    "Once you be my junior uncle, even if I do something to make you mad at me, your conscience won''t allow you to abandon me! You''ll think to yourself: ''Li Baoping looks up to me and admires me as her junior uncle, I can''t just leave her behind!''"


    "Can I not be your junior uncle? Even if I''m not your junior uncle, I still won''t leave you behind."


    "No!"


    "In that case, I won''t make a bookcase or any straw sandals for you."


    "I don''t care! I''m calling you junior uncle no matter what! As my junior uncle, you''ll have an obligation to make a bookcase and straw sandals for me!"


    ��������

 Chapter 87: (1): Little Teacher

    Chapter 87: (1): Little Teacher


    If Chen Ping''an were on his own, he would''ve been able to traverse around 50 kilometers of mountain path in a day without much difficulty, even if he were carrying a load. On their journey, they had to negotiate a variety of terrains, such as bodies of water and rugged cliffs. Hence, due to the fact that he had to cater to Li Baoping, this was turning out to be a very leisurely trip for Chen Ping''an, so he decided to make use of his time to practice walking meditation.


    With Li Baoping by his side, he refrained from practicing the fist technique that required full focus and exertion. Instead, his movements were morenguid and natural, and he even had to intentionally slow down in his walking meditation and shorten his strides so that Li Baoping could keep up. He had only just begun to find his way in his practice, but due to these self-imposed restrictions, all of his movements were feeling quite strange and awkward again.


    At this point, the two of them had already traveled around 10 kilometers, but Li Baoping was still raring to go, not disying any signs of strain or exhaustion. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand as she asked, "Are you practicing fist techniques, Junior Uncle?"


    "That''s right," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod as he paused in his walking meditation.


    Li Baoping then asked, "Do you know what the key acupoint of this set of fist techniques is?"


    Chen Ping''an was very perplexed by this question, and he asked, "What does that mean? All I know is that there are many acupoints in the human body. The majority of the characters I''ve learnede from memorizing the names of these acupoints, but what do they have to do with fist techniques?


    ��I haven''t had a chance to ask anyone about this. There was a girl by the name of Ning Yao who once looked at my fist techniques guide, but she didn''t tell me anything about this. All she said was that there were no shortcuts to practicing fist techniques, and that consistent hard work was the only way to make solid progress.


    ��Ruan Xiu told me that as a swordswoman, the qi cirction route passed down in Ning Yao''s n must be kept secret from outsiders, and that''s why she didn''t delve too deep into this subject with me at the time."


    Chen Ping''an had thought that he was destined to spend his entire life in the town, so there would''ve been plenty of time to ask Ruan Xiu these questions, and that was why he hadn''t been in a hurry to find out these things.


    Li Baoping''s eyes widened with incredulity as she eximed, "Junior Uncle! Do you know how dangerous it is to be practicing fist techniques without this knowledge? Practicing fist techniques willy-nilly could easily result in severe repercussions!


    ��Practicing martial arts is just like a fengshui master searching for desirable locations, except as opposed to searching for the acupoints of mountains and rivers, martial artists search for the prized points in their own bodies.


    ��Even after finding those points, you still have to adopt a correct method, and only then can you be considered to have truly embarked on the path of martial arts cultivation. You can''t keep going like this, Junior Uncle. I have to teach you about all of this before you can continue practicing your fist techniques!"


    Chen Ping''an could see that Li Baoping was quite serious about this, and after some consideration, he decided that this wasn''t a bad thing. There just so happened to be an old willow tree with a crooked trunk up ahead, and most of the trunk was leaning over the surface of the creek, making it resemble an iplete bridge.


    Hence, he led Li Baoping over to lean against the trunk of the tree for some rest, but she insisted on sitting on the tree. Hence, Chen Ping''an could only lift her up onto the tree trunk, while he stood off to the side to catch her if she fell.


    Li Baoping sat casually on the tree with an animated expression, looking much like a little schoolteacher teaching her first lesson. She cleared her throat as she prepared to give Chen Ping''an a good lesson, lest he strayed down the wrong path and ruined his own body through the use of incorrect cultivation methods. If that were to happen, then she would be kicking herself with remorse.


    With that in mind, she put on a serious expression as she said, "I have a rough understanding of some concepts rted to martial arts because there''s a servant in our n by the name of Zhu Lu. Our patriarch could tell that she possessed an aptitude for studying martial arts from a young age, and I''m very close with her. She really likes to keep to herself and doesn''t speak to anyone much aside from me, and she''s the one who told me everything I know about martial arts.


    ��One time, I was following along behind Big Sister Zhu Lu in secret while she was training by walking over a bunch of wooden poles. The tallest poles are almost as high as the rooves, and it was super fun! However, one time, I identally slipped and fell. I was fine, but our patriarch still handed down a severe punishment to Big Sister Zhu Lu because of this.


    ��After that, Big Sister Zhu Lu never brought me along when she practiced martial arts in the morning and at night, or when she hid in her room to bathe in medicinal concoctions."


    Chen Ping''an was feeling a little guilty upon hearing this. There was a good chance that the Big Sister Zhu Lu that Li Baoping was referring to was the very same female servant he had struck with a pair of roof tiles on that day, one in the chest and one to the head. At the time, he had snuck into the Li n''s manor and used his slingshot to smash the two food containers in the birdcage.


    The servant protecting that little girl from Sun Scorch Mountain had discovered him first, and she quickly sprang onto the roof before leaping toward the rooftop that he had been standing on. Even now, as he recollected this sequence of events, he still couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration for her.


    Even though Chen Ping''an remained reluctant to acknowledge himself as Li Baoping''s junior uncle, she was still keen to tell him everything that she knew, nheless, and she continued, "Let me give you an example: Shi Chunjia''s family owns a shop, and business has always been booming for the shop, making it a very lucrative source of ie.


    ��This is why their shop is one of the oldest and most well-established shops in our town. However, if all they do is spend money on making products without bothering to attract customers, then they''ll quickly run out of money and be forced to close down the shop, isn''t that right?"


    For a money-obsessed little miser like Chen Ping''an, this analogy was perfect, and an enlightened look instantly appeared on his face as he said, "So what you''re saying is that each person has some savings, and if they can practice fist techniques well, then they''ll be able to grow their wealth, and vice versa. What if someone doesn''t practice martial arts at all? Are they essentially just preserving their savings?"


    Li Baoping thought about this for a moment, then nodded in response. "That sounds about right. Junior Uncle, have you heard of the saying that practicing fist techniques is a surefire way to ruin your life? This is particrly true for the fist techniques that im to be able to grant the practitioner exceptional power in a short time. Those fist techniques appear to be extremely powerful and badass, but in reality, they''re extremely damaging to the users.


    ��That''s because the practitioners of those fist techniques haven''t found the key to cultivation at all, so they''re trainingpletely incorrectly. Many of them will end up with a multitude of injuries and illnesses at a young age, and it''s hard to say whether they''ll even be able to live until their old age. Even if they do, they''re always in terrible condition.


    ��That''s because from the very first day they began practicing fist techniques, they''ve been wasting money without making any earnings, so they''re constantly whittling down their savings."


    In the words of the Li n''s patriarch, Li Baoping was born without a butt, so she was unable to sit and was always darting around.


    Sure enough, she became more and more excited as she spoke, and she was just about to stand up on the trunk of the old willow tree, but sheepishly refrained from doing so after receiving a stern look from Chen Ping''an, then continued, "Hence, you have to be careful, Junior Uncle. You have to make sure to find the true key to practicing fist techniques.


    ��There are countless types of fist techniques in this world, and one of the most important factors that will decide how far one can go is whether they can find the bonded acupoints of their fist techniques, of which there are at least two per fist technique. After you find those acupoints, the next thing to do would be to find the best qi cirction route to nourish as many acupoints along the way as possible, like nourishing the earth with spring rain.


    ��Even if the fist technique you''re practicing isn''t of a very high caliber, as long as you take the right path, it''ll still strengthen your body and extend your lifespan. On the contrary, if you go down the wrong path, the more advanced the fist techniques you practice, the more detrimental they''ll be to your health."


    A contemtive look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face. He could feel the existence of the qi within his body. It was like a lost little fire dragon, wandering around aimlessly in a massive furnace. In the past, this fire dragon was like a headless chicken, stumbling around without direction and turning around whenever it hit a wall.


    At this point, the area in which it was active was bingrger andrger, but ultimately, it would always return to somewhere near the acupoints in the abdomen, where it would roam around in an indecisive fashion. It was like a child that had gone out to y, and the child wanted to return home after growing tired, but they couldn''t find the true entrance back to their home.


    This extremely profound burst of qi had never caused Chen Ping''an any pain or difort. Instead, it gave him a very warm andfortable sensation, like basking in the warmth of the sun during winter. From a very young age, Chen Ping''an had always been very sensitive to the sensation in his own internal organs, so if something went wrong in his body, he would be able to quickly detect it.


    Back when Cai Jinjian of Dawn Cloud Mountain told him that he didn''t have much longer left to live, perhaps she had thought at the time that Chen Ping''an would''ve merely taken that as a joke, but in reality, Chen Ping''an immediately knew that she was telling the truth.


    Seeing as he couldn''t sense the burst of qi negatively affecting his body in any way, he allowed it to do as it pleased, and deep down, he was quite curious to see which acupoint it was going to ultimately choose as its home.


    Li Baoping was swinging her little legs back and forth as she crossed her arms and said, "I heard that the key to training martial arts is a concept known as qi dispersion, which ispletely different from the qi development and qi refinement pursued by cultivators.


    ��In contrast with qi development and qi refinement, which provide you with more benefits the more you practice them, training in martial arts involves finding that initial burst of qi, then breaking through one obstacle after another, eradicating all of the auras originally residing in your acupoints to convert them into that initial burst of qi.


    ��At the end of this process, you''ll be able to control your qi as an extension of your will, circting it over hundreds of kilometers in an instant, or even in excess of 1,000 kilometers once you reach the ninth tier. In doing so, you''ll be able to instantly tap into all the potential in your body, like a generalmanding a vast army at will.


    ��The resulting power that you''ll be granted will naturally be immense, and it''ll be no less impressive than cultivators using their qi to soar through the heavens. Big Sister Zhu Lu told me that for master martial artists, they can run over walls and rooftops with ease, and they can even take flight like cultivators.


    ��If you can go even further than that and reach an even higher level of mastery of the martial arts, then you''ll be able to kill those arrogant cultivators as easily as if you were snapping the necks of helpless chickens."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he asked, "It would naturally be a good thing if practicing martial arts can make me that powerful, but why is it that the standard for measuring one''s power is based on how easily they can kill others?"


    Li Baoping faltered slightly upon hearing this, then shook her head as she replied in a truthful manner, "I''ve never thought about that. This is just what Big Sister Zhu Lu told me, and when she was telling me about all of this, I could tell that she really aspired to reach that level, just like how I dreamed of catching a fish every single day."


    After a moment of contemtion, Li Baoping continued, "But now that I think about it, ording to what Big Sister Zhu Lu told me, it seems like martial artists and cultivators are natural enemies. Cultivators like to look down on martial artists, regarding martial arts training as a lowly pursuit that only those who werecking in cultivation aptitude would resort to.


    ��Hence, they regard martial artists to be inferior to them, denouncing them asp dogs of the mortal empires. Simrly, martial artists feel like all cultivators are extremely arrogant and conceited. They think it''s extremely unfair that martial artists are regarded as heathens and criminals, while cultivators get toy im over countless desirable ces and blessednds, even though they only make up a tiny percentage of the overall poption.


    ��On top of that, they conceitedly refer to themselves as immortals, attaining immortality through the cultivation of mystical abilities, and they think that they deserve to be revered and worshipped by mortals and martial artists."


    An amused smile appeared on Li Baoping''s face as she remarked, "But there''s no need for you to pay any heed to these conflicts, Junior Uncle. They''re extremely boring and pointless."


    A hesitant look then appeared on Li Baoping''s face, and it seemed that a thought had urred to her, but she was reluctant to articte it, as if she were feeling guilty about something.


    In the end, she really didn''t want to deceive Chen Ping''an, so she decided toe clean, and a distraught look appeared on her face as she said, "Big Sister Zhu Lu and her father, Uncle Zhu He, were supposed toe with us to the southern border, but I was worried that you wouldn''t like them, so I lied to them and told them to go and wait for us at the town''s eastern gate. If Uncle Zhu He were with us, he would be able to instruct you in your fist technique practice.


    ��Big Sister Zhu Lu has been practicing martial arts under her father''s tutge from a young age, and our patriarch once told me in private that even though Uncle Zhu He''s aptitude for practicing martial arts is rather limited, he''s very good at instructing others in martial arts training, so he''s definitely worthy of being referred to as a brilliant teacher.


    ��Even in the affluent ns in the Great Li Empire''s capital city, he would be treated as an esteemed guest, but because of me, we don''t have neither Uncle Zhu He nor Big Sister Zhu Lu with us..."


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly consoled, "It''s alright. I may not have a master to instruct me in my fist technique practice, but I have a training guide. At this point, I don''t even know all of the characters in the training guide yet, so I definitely can''t just keep training blindly. From now on, all I''ll do is practice walking meditation and standing meditation. I''ve already confirmed that those practices are safe and will only nurture my body.


    ��If I want to truly make some progress in my fist technique, I''ll probably have to learn to be able to read the entire guide by myself first, but I''m not in any hurry. My goal for practicing fist techniques wasn''t to be a powerful martial artist to begin with. All I want is to be able to live longer, and I don''t have any aspirations beyond that."

 Chapter 87: (2): Little Teacher

    Chapter 87: (2): Little Teacher


    However, Li Baoping was clearly already fixated on the idea that she had done something wrong, and she was feeling guiltier and guiltier by the second. The corners of her lips began to droop down, and tears were beginning to well up in her eyes again. "In martial arts, the master is only responsible for teaching the basics, while the disciple''s talent and hard work decide how far they''ll go, but even so, the master still ys a very important role.


    ��Thepetence of the master will determine how high the disciple''s starting point is. On top of that, some masters are limited in their abilities, so they have no choice but to let a disciple go off on their own at a certain point, but morepetent masters are able to guide their disciples further before letting go. Hence, to find a good master, you have to make sure that they''re apetent master, not just someone with a big reputation."


    Li Baoping was sniffling pitifully, and the tears were about to overflow from her eyes as she continued, "Junior Uncle, you''re a generational martial arts prodigy. What am I going to do if the lie I told hinders you from bing a master martial artist?"


    Chen Ping''an had no idea how she had arrived at the absurd conclusion that he was a martial arts prodigy, but he didn''t have any time to dwell on that thought. His top priority right now was to stop her from crying. Whenever Li Baoping fell into a rut, she gave one the feeling that she was truly heartbroken, and it was nothing like the superficial distress that the average child disyed in order to attract attention.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an was struck by a burst of inspiration, and he raised his hand, cing his palm in front of Li Baoping''s face before gently closing it into a fist as he loudly dered, "That''s enough!"


    Li Baoping was immediately rooted to the spot by this sudden gesture, and as a result, the flow of her tears was also abruptly arrested. "What are you doing, Junior Uncle?"


    Chen Ping''an waved his fist as he erupted into triumphantughter. "What do you think of your junior uncle now? That was really impressive, right? I got you to stop crying right away!"


    Chen Ping''an was pulling out all the stops in order to console Li Baoping, and this was the first time that he had officially acknowledged himself to be her junior uncle.


    A smile immediately broke through Li Baoping''s tears, not because she wasn''t distraught anymore, but instead because her tion outweighed her distress in this moment.


    Chen Ping''an was very relieved to see this, and he set his palms down onto the trunk of the old willow tree, then raised himself up to sit down beside Li Baoping, while the pair of baskets, onerge and one small, were ced beneath their feet.


    Li Baoping said in a quiet voice, "Uncle Zhu He often told Big Sister Zhu Lu that training fist techniques the incorrect way is a sure-fire way to ruin one''s body, but someone who finds the true essence of their fist techniques will be able to y gods with a single punch. If a martial artist falls ill, it''s far more difficult to treat them than it is for a normal person. There were two times that Big Sister Zhu Lu was almost unable to pull through.


    ��After the first time, she was unable to recover for close to half a year. During that time, she was constantly sick and frail, and she was so weak that she couldn''t even lift up a water bucket. The second time was even worse. After I heard themotion, I got onto a stool, then poked through the window paper, and I saw Big Sister Zhu Lu in so much pain that she was rolling around on her bed.


    ��The other people with her weren''t even able to hold her down, and in the end, even her fingernails had all peeled away. There was blood everywhere, and I felt really bad for her. After that, we asked the shopkeeper of the Yang Family''s medicine shop to bring us some medicine, and only after taking the medicine did her pain seem to go away.


    ��At the time, our patriarch was standing at the entrance of the courtyard, but he didn''t go in. Instead, he shook his head and left, and it seemed like he was quite disappointed about something. I asked him why he looked so disappointed at the time, and he told me that the medicine had saved her life, but it had rid her of any hope of progressing to the eighth tier.


    ��Hence, there was no longer any need to invest too much in her development as doing so would only be of detriment to her. If she''s immensely blessed by the heavens, then she''ll be able to reach the seventh tier, but if she''s unlucky, then she may not even reach the sixth tier."


    Li Baoping turned to Chen Ping''an with a concerned expression as she continued, "Please don''t get sick, Junior Uncle. I don''t know anything, so if you get sick, I won''t be able to help you at all!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he reassured, "Don''t worry, I won''t, and even if I do, there''s no need for you to worry. I don''t mean to boast, but I have a very high pain tolerance."


    Li Baoping was rather skeptical about this im, and she reached out to pinch his arm before giving it a gentle twist. "Does that hurt?"


    Chen Ping''an patted her on the head, then turned to the path that they had taken to get here as he asked, "Have I told you about the most painful experience of my life so far?"


    Li Baoping shook her head in response.


    Chen Ping''an pressed his palms down onto the tree trunk, then crossed his ankles as he swayed back and forth in a carefree fashion, just as Li Baoping was doing. A faint smile then appeared on his face as he said, "It was the second time I went into the mountains to gather medicinal ingredients on my own.


    ��At the time, I was only four years old, and as I was leaving the house, I thought to myself that I was going to gather a ton of medicinal ingredients, so I picked thergest basket to take with me. Before I even made it out of the town, I was already exhausted. It was a really bright and sunny day, and my shoulders felt as if they were on fire from being chafed by the rope attached to the basket, and the pain was even worse in my back.


    ��At that time, the pain was actually still bearable, and I wasn''t particrly afraid. However, I was feeling really disheartened because the mountain looked so far away, as if I would never be able to reach it, even if I walked my entire life. On top of that, this wasn''t very long after the first time I entered the mountains, so the blisters on the underside of my feet quickly began to act up.


    ��I was gritting my teeth and crying as I walked along. With each step that I took, I was telling myself that I still hadn''t reached the foot of the mountain yet, so I could still just turn back and go home. I''m too young, my basket''s too big, and the mountain''s too far away, so it wouldn''t have been embarrassing for me to turn back, and my mother definitely wouldn''t have med me for it."


    Li Baoping quickly became immersed in his story, and she quietly asked, "Did you give up in the end?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "I didn''t. At the time, I suddenly decided that no matter what, I was going to make it to the foot of the mountain, and after that, I would turn back. In the end, I really did make it to the foot of the mountain, and while I was sitting on the ground and crying, I thought to myself that I had already made it to the mountain, so I may as well pick a medicinal herb before I go home.


    ��After that, I began to climb the mountain, and when I spotted the medicinal herbs, I was suddenly instilled with a burst of energy. It was a very strange thing."


    An admiring look appeared on Li Baoping''s face upon hearing this, and she praised, "You must''ve filled your entire basket with medicinal herbs before you went home, right?"


    There was a hint of pride in Li Baoping''s eyes as she spoke, as if she were feeling proud on Chen Ping''an''s behalf.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "No. I was up there until the sun was about to go down, but by the time I left the mountain, the medicinal herbs I''d collected still hadn''t even covered the entire bottom of the basket. Medicinal herbs aren''t that easy to find, and given how small I was at the time, it was actually more of a chore for me to carry around that big basket while traversing the mountain paths than it was to pick medicine.


    ��On top of that, I really was exhausted. I thought to myself that if I didn''t leave at that time, then I would be stuck on the mountain at night on my own, so I was really scared. However, what I was most scared of was..."


    Chen Ping''an''s voice trailed off here, and Li Baoping waited for a long time for him to continue, but he remained silent. A curious look appeared on her face as she asked, "What were you most afraid of, Junior Uncle?"


    "Nothing," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head. "At the very least, I was no longer scared of it by the end."


    Li Baoping was very considerate of Chen Ping''an''s feelings and didn''t insist that he tell her what he was so afraid of.


    After returning to his senses, Chen Ping''an turned to Li Baoping and smiled as he said, "I''m not telling you all of this to boast about how tough and resilient I am. All of the impoverished children in the town have had simr experiences, so I''m not special in any way. I''m only telling you this because I think you did a very good job exining the intricacies of martial arts practice to me.


    ��It reminds me a lot of back when I would sneak to the school to watch Mr. Qi''s lessons in secret. Didn''t you say that there are no female teachers and schrs? I feel like after you get to Mountain Cliff Academy and read enough books, there''s a chance that you could be the first female teacher."


    After hearing what Chen Ping''an had to say, Li Baoping was immediately instilled with a sense of vigor and ambition, and she raised her fists as she encouraged, "You can do it, Li Baoping! I believe in you!"


    Chen Ping''an watched her self-encouragement in silence, and he knew that if Mr. Qi were still around to see this, he would also be very happy.


    However, what she said next immediately left him feeling both amused and exasperated.


    "I''ll definitely be able to do this because I have the best junior uncle in the world!"


    Chen Ping''an could only pretend to have not heard anything.


    In this picturesque season when flora and fauna were flourishing and thriving, the two of them sat next to one another, and both of them had beautiful aspirations for the future.


    ��������


    In a secretive location on the other side of the creek, a man and a young girl were seated with their legs crossed while eating some dry rations.


    There was a sharp gleam in the girl''s eyes as she grumbled, "Father, will the young mistress really be able to make it safely to the border of our Great Li Empire with that idiot apanying her? I heard that battles regrly break out on the border, and there are lots of former soldiers turned bandits causing unrest in the area as well."


    "Have you forgotten the lesson that he taught you?" the man jibed. "That was your first-ever battle as a martial artist, and not only did you lose, you lost in such embarrassing fashion as well."


    The girl was furious to hear this, and she objected, "That''s because you forbade me from activating my aura for fear that I wouldn''t be able to bear the repercussions! Right now, I can beat him to a pulp even with one hand tied behind my back!"


    "Are you sure?" the man asked with a smile.


    "Of course I am! Don''t forget that I''m at the pinnacle of the second tier right now!" the girl reminded in an indignant voice.


    The man took a sip of water from a canteen, then shook his head in response. "You won''t be able to beat him. Only in a sparring match where things aren''t taken too far will you have any chance of winning."


    The girl was clearly unconvinced. In her eyes, Chen Ping''an had only just embarked on the path of martial arts training, and he had only gotten the better of her during their rooftop battle back in the Li n''s manor because he had taken advantage of the terrain.


    An amused look appeared on the man''s face as he jibed, "What an ungrateful little rascal you are! Back when he sent you falling down from the roof during your battle, he made sure to grab onto you to soften your fall. If I had been in his ce, I would''ve thrown an extra tile onto your head to make sure you wouldn''t be getting in my way anytime soon!"


    "That''s why I called him an idiot!" the girl sneered. "He''s training to be a martial artist, yet his heart is as soft as a woman''s. There''s no way he''ll live very long like this!"


    The man was quite taken aback to hear this, and scoffed, "You''re not a very capable martial artist, but you sure seem to know a lot for a little girl your age! Who taught you all of this? I never said anything like this to you."


    The girl raised her chin in a proud manner as she replied, "The second young master taught me all of this! He''s read a ton of books, but he never goes around preaching about morals and ethics. All he says is that someone soft of heart can''t lead an army effectively, and that one must be decisive and heartless in battle."


    The man''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he was just about to set his foolish daughter straight when he abruptly rose to his feet and instructed in an urgent voice, "We have to cross the creek!"


    The girl rose to her feet with a puzzled expression. "Why? Didn''t you say we should follow the young mistress in secret?"


    Instead of answering her question, the man urged, "Someone''sing! Make sure to be on your guard!"


    With that, the two of them quickly rushed over the creek.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping had only just left the old willow tree and were about to continue in their journey when they spotted a figure in the distance.


    Chen Ping''an set down the basket on his back, then instructed Li Baoping to stand behind him.


    If they were situated east of the town, then Chen Ping''an wouldn''t have been surprised to encounter anyone there, even if they were an immortal or a demon.


    However, this path that was leading to the south was about to end soon, so it was very peculiar to run into someone here.


    In the distance, a man who wasn''t particrly tall or well-built was making his way directly toward Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping. He was dragging along a white donkey behind him, and there was a conical bamboo hat on his head. A cloth pouch was slung diagonally across his shoulder, while strips of cloth were tied around his legs. He was holding a bamboo staff in one hand, and strapped to his waist was a saber in a green bamboo scabbard.


    The man stopped around five or six steps away from Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping, and he refrained from advancing any further beyond that point. He removed the conical bamboo hat to reveal a rather unremarkable face, and he smiled as he asked, "You must be Chen Ping''an, right? My name is A��Liang, Liang as in kindness." [1]


    He then added, "I am a swordsman."

 Chapter 88: Grand Entrance

    Chapter 88: Grand Entrance


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at the green bamboo scabbard strapped to the waist of the self-proimed swordsman, and he feigned a puzzled expression as he asked, "Are you really a swordsman?"


    The man was holding his conical bamboo hat in one hand, and he patted the hilt of his saber with his other hand as he exined with a smile, "At the moment, I can''t find anyone worthy of facing my sword, so I''m using this as a substitute to mock all those who use sabers."


    Chen Ping''an was quite relieved to hear this familiar boastful tone, and he felt like this man would really get along well with Liu Baqiao.


    Behind Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping, Zhu Lu and her father were slowly walking forward side by side. Zhu Lu was unconvinced by the man''s boastful ims, and she jeered, "I''ve never seen anyone this arrogant before! Do you think he has a screw loose up there, Father?"


    Zhu He could see that there was a silver wine gourd strapped to the other side of the man''s waist. The gourd was roughly the same size as a human hand, and it was clearly a very old gourd, as evidenced by the fact that it had been polished to a mirror-like gleam.


    He lowered his voice as he cautioned, "I can''t sense anything remarkable about him aside from the fact that his aura is slightly more pronounced than that of the average person, but we still have to be careful.


    ��I''ve never gone anywhere far in my life, but I''ve heard many stories about the outside world from our patriarch. He says that when out traveling, it''s important to look out for Daoist nuns, old monks, children, and drunkards. Aside from that, the more harmless and innocuous someone appears, the more we have to be wary of them."


    Zhu Lu nodded in response, and she was feeling both anxious and excited. Deep down, she was hoping that this man was an assassin so she would be able to have her first true battle after stepping out into the world.


    "Are you looking for me?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The man smiled as he replied, "I''ll take you to the border of Great Sui Nation. We''ll travel together on the way there so we can look out for each other."


    "Do you know the cksmith, Master Ruan?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Of course," the man replied with a nod, and Chen Ping''an heaved another internal sigh of relief.


    Prior to leaving the town, one of the terms of the agreement that he had made with Master Ruan was that prior to reaching the border of the Great Li Empire, Ruan Qiong was going to ensure Chen Ping''an''s safety.


    Chen Ping''an was confident that Ruan Qiong would keep his promise, and the fact that this man had appeared so early on their journey, essentially while they were still right under Ruan Qiong''s nose, indicated that he most likely wasn''t from any one of Sun Scorch Mountain, Dawn Cloud Mountain, or Old Dragon City. Furthermore, the emergence of Zhu Lu and Zhu He at this moment also instilled Chen Ping''an with a great deal of confidence.


    However, he was still worried about the slight chance that this man could be someone harboring sinister intentions.


    Hence, he asked, "In that case, can you apany me to the town to meet Master Ruan before we set off for the south? I just so happen to know of a path that leads out of the town''s eastern gate, and it''s longer than the route we''re taking now, but all types of carriages can travel on it, so it''ll actually be faster than having to traverse over mountains and rivers."


    An amused smile appeared on the man''s face upon hearing this. "Do you have to be so cautious? Why don''t you rx and take some chances?"


    Chen Ping''an''s gaze remained fixed intently on the man, and without turning his head, he said, "Zhu He, can you get Zhu Lu to take Baoping back to the town? We''re in no hurry to go anywhere."


    Zhu He considered this request momentarily, then nodded in response. "That''s a good idea."


    He then turned to his daughter and instructed, "Lu''er, take the young mistress back to the town. I''ll stay here with Chen Ping''an to keep Brother A''Liang herepany. We could share a drink or have a spar. In any case, fate has brought us together, so let''s not squander this encounter." [1]


    Zhu Lutched onto Li Baoping''s hand, and thetter didn''t hesitate in the slightest, nor did she throw a tantrum and insist on staying with Chen Ping''an. Instead, she merely tugged gently on his sleeve and told him to be careful, then decisively departed with Zhu Lu without any dy. In contrast, Zhu Lu was itching for a fight, so she was feeling quite disappointed, wishing that she could swap ces with her father.


    The man rolled his eyes in response to what he perceived to be aplete waste of time, and he removed the wine gourd from his waist, then leaned against the side of his white donkey. After taking a sip of wine, an amused smile appeared on his face as he said, "Those two can go on ahead. The three of us can wait here for 15 minutes or so before we head to the town after them."


    He then patted his donkey on the back as he raised the silver wine gourd in his hand, turning to Zhu He with a smile as he asked, "You''re a reallypetent martial artist yourself, aren''t you? Do you not recognize this thing?"


    A thought then immediately urred to him, and he gave himself a reprimanding tap on the head as he mused, "I forgot that your Jewel Small World only recently opened up, so it''s no wonder that you don''t know about this thing. That''s fine, we have plenty of time for a chat anyway."


    The man pointed at the old willow tree growing horizontally over the creek as he suggested, "How about we sit down over there and have a chat?"


    Chen Ping''an and Zhu He exchanged a nce, and they felt like this was the best course of action, one that would allow them to observe the man and determine his intentions.


    The man led the white donkey as he trailed along behind Chen Ping''an and Zhu He, following them to the old willow tree. The reins were then released, allowing the donkey to graze freely on the grass nearby, while the man scaled the willow tree and walked along the trunk all the way to the bank of the creek before taking a seat.


    After that, he put on his conical bamboo hat again, and he was just about to take another swig of wine out of his silver gourd when he suddenly turned and offered his gourd to Chen Ping''an and Zhu He with a smile as he asked, "Do either of you want some wine? Drinking alone is never as good as drinking together.


    ��This is astral immortal wine that sells for two taels of silver per 50 milliliters, and it''s a favorite among wealthy individuals in Great Sui Nation. On this journey to the north, I''ve tasted no fewer than 100 types of wine, and this one is the best."


    "I don''t drink," Chen Ping''an refused with a shake of his head.


    Zhu He also shook his head in refusal. "I can''t drink any wine before I''ve reached full mastery of the martial arts."


    The man shook his head with a disappointed expression as he sighed, "Neither of you are very fun to be around, are you? I recently met a young man, and he was a true character..."


    All of a sudden, the man noticed that Chen Ping''an and Zhu He were looking at him with rather peculiar expressions. He was quite puzzled by this, but he didn''t want topromise his image as a master martial artist, so he could only take another sip of wine to hide his befuddlement.


    Chen Ping''an gently cleared his throat, and the man asked, "What is it?"


    In response, Chen Ping''an pointed up at the outermost part of the old willow tree.


    The man''s brows furrowed slightly as he turned to that direction, only to find his vision obstructed by a pair of legs. His expression instantly stiffened, and he immediately raised his head to discover an expressionless middle-aged man looking down at him.


    The man had to have weighed at least 75 to 80 kilograms, yet he was somehow able to stand on the delicate tip of a willow branch as if he weighed no more than a feather. The man in the conical bamboo hat was so startled by this unexpected sight that he slipped off the trunk of the willow tree and fell into the water in an extremely embarrassing fashion.


    The man who had arrived was none other than Ruan Qiong. Just as Old Man Yang had said, he had no interest in what was going on within the boundaries of the former Jewel Small World. He was focused solely on forging swords, and he would only divert his attention elsewhere in cases where people like Cui Chan provoked him by breaking the rules.


    Ruan Qiong was confident that under his watchful eye, no one would dare to do anything to Chen Ping''an anywhere near the town. The wrath of an 11th tier swordsman was no less fearsome than the wrath of an entire mortal empire, so Ruan Qiong didn''t even bother to keep an eye on Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping. After all, it was just a pair of children, and there was no way that he would go out of his way to keep an eye on them.


    However, there was something that had attracted his attention.


    Ruan Qiong could sense that one of the items in A''Liang''s possession was imbued with vast and pure sword qi, and what drew his attention, in particr, was a sense of familiarity, intermingled with a hint of affection and mncholy. Throughout his many years cultivating in the sect, Ruan Qiong had never seen something like this before, but he had heard about it, and that was what had prompted him to rush here from the cksmith shop.


    Despite A''Liang''s sorry disy, Ruan Qiong didn''t look down on him in the slightest. Instead, there was a serious look in his eyes as he asked, "Are you Wei Jin of the Divine tform?"


    A''Liang sshed around in the creek for a while before finally righting himself, and after picking up his wine gourd from the surface of the water, he removed his conical bamboo hat and swung it vigorously from side to side as he turned to Ruan Qiong with a disgruntled expression. "My name is A''Liang!"


    Ruan Qiong looked down at him with a contemtive look in his eyes as he asked, "Would you be willing to spare me a few sips of your wine?"


    The man tossed his wine gourd at Ruan Qiong in a high arc as he replied, "Sure, but remember to return it to me."


    Ruan Qiong caught the gourd before taking a sip of its contents, then smiled as he remarked, "This isn''t Five Yellow Wine."


    This was clearly a touchy subject for the man, and he rolled his eyes in a disgruntled manner as he exined, "They raised the prices!"


    Ruan Qiong burst intoughter upon hearing this, and he tossed the gourd back to the man as he asked, "Why are you here so early? I thought you were going to take at least 10 days to get here."


    "What''s it matter to you? You can''t just poke your nose in other people''s business just because you''re a Sage!" A''Liang grumbled as he climbed onto the bank with his clothespletely soaked.


    "Would you like to go to my shop for a chat? My daughter really admires you," Ruan Qiong offered.


    A''Liang pointed at himself as he chuckled, "She admires me? She certainly has good taste."


    Ruan Qiong seemed to have already been aware that A''Liang had a rather absurd personality, and he asked, "Could it be that you''re the one tasked with overseeing the matters rted to Dragonspine Mountain?"


    A''Liang shook his head in response. "It''s not me, it''s someone else."


    Ruan Qiong could tell that A''Liang was a little disgruntled, and he suddenly smiled as he asked, "Could it be that you ran into that Daoist nun on the way here?"


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," A''Liang replied with a neutral expression.


    Ruan Qiong heaved an internal sigh, and he didn''t probe any further.


    There was an extremely renowned swordsman in Wind Snow Temple that Ruan Qiong hade from. He was a young prodigy, and he very rarely stayed in the sect, so even in Wind Snow Temple, not everyone knew of him. At a young age, he had caught one of the patriarchs of the Wind Snow Temple during his travels, who took him as his disciple.


    Hence, despite his young age, he was very high up in seniority. As a result, even though he had only been around 20 years of age when he first arrived at Wind Snow Temple, many of the sect''s cultivators who were over 100 years of age had to refer to him as grandmaster.


    After that, the patriarch who had brought him into the sect perished during a failed breakthrough attempt, and there weren''t many bright talents among his branch of disciples, so the young swordsman became more and more detached from Wind Snow Temple.


    He had been traveling the world for seven or eight years, only returning to the sect on his master''s death anniversaries. Even when he returned to Wind Snow Temple, he still remained on his own and didn''t speak to anyone. It was said that he had obtained a priceless sword nurturing gourd very early on, but instead of using it to nurture flying swords, he squandered it by using it as a container to carry his wine around.


    It seemed that he would spend at least half his timepletely drunk, and that was why he was referred to as the drunken sword immortal. Whenever he became drunk, he wouldy on his donkey''s back and allow it to carry him wherever it pleased.


    Prior to leaving Wind Snow Temple, Ruan Qiong heard that for some reason, he fell in love at first sight with a young Daoist nun who wasuded as one of the brightest talents on the entire continent, and he waspletely head over heels for her.


    Unfortunately, his feelings werepletely unrequited, and the beautiful Daoist nun had no intention of finding a Dao partner. This story quickly went on to be an amusing tale that spread like wildfire among the cultivation circles on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    After a moment of contemtion, Ruan Qiong said, "In that case, I''ll be counting on you to take them to the border of the Great Li Empire."


    The man nodded in response, and Ruan Qiong cupped his fist in a parting salute before vanishing on the spot in a sh, leaving only the quivering branch as an indication that he had ever been here at all.


    A careful look appeared on Zhu He''s face as he asked, "A''Liang... Senior A''Liang, are you from Wind Snow Temple?"


    "I don''t have any ties with Wind Snow Temple," A''Liang replied in ackadaisical voice.


    Zhu He smiled in response, not feeling awkward in the slightest despite the clipped response from A''Liang.


    Martial artists all had a negative perception of cultivators, but they had to admire the cultivators of Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain.


    Prior to this, Zhu He had felt like A''Liang was extremely arrogant and conceited, but following that visit from Ruan Qiong, Zhu He hade to realize that A''Liang had to have been an extremely formidable figure hidden in in sight, despite his unremarkable appearance. Inside the green bamboo scabbard strapped to his waist had to be a godly weapon capable of splitting mountains and parting seas.


    A''Liang took arge swig of wine to warm up his body, then turned to Chen Ping''an as he said, "That little girl is back."


    Chen Ping''an turned to find that sure enough, not only had Li Baoping and Zhu Lu returned the same way that they had departed, they were also apanied by a mule with heavy luggage hanging down either side of its body, as well as two more familiar faces, namely Li Huai and Lin Shouyi.


    Chen Ping''an jogged over to them, and there was a displeased look on Li Baoping''s face, while Zhu Lu exined, "We ran into these boys on the way back to the town, and they said that they wanted to go to Mountain Cliff Academy with our young mistress. Our patriarch appeared just now, and he told us to turn back to find you."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t ask Zhu Lu who this so-called patriarch that she was referring to was. Instead, he turned his attention to the duo of Li Huai and Lin Shouyi.


    Li Huai raised his chin in a defiant manner as he dered, "What else am I going to do aside from following you guys? Stay in the town and be a beggar?"


    As usual, Lin Shouyi wore a cold expression as he said, "Risk and rewarde hand in hand."


    Li Baoping was clearly very unhappy as she harrumphed coldly, "You two could''ve set off from the eastern gate and gone to the academy on your own! Why should Junior Uncle and I have to bring you along?"


    Li Huai immediately red up with rage. "Li Baoping! We''ve been through life and death together! How could you say that?"


    Lin Shouyi wasn''t as shameless as Li Huai, and he said in a candid manner, "If Li Huai and I were to try and get to Mountain Cliff Academy on our own, we wouldn''t even be able to reach the border of the Great Li Empire."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, then gently rested a palm down onto Li Baoping''s head to discourage her from saying anything further. "Have Shi Chunjia and Dong Shuijing already confirmed that they''re noting?"


    "Someone from the pastry shop will take Shi Chunjia to the capital, while Dong Shuijing heard that the school in the town is going to be up and running again in the near future, so he''s taken your ce as a manualborer at the cksmith shop," Lin Shouyi exined.


    Chen Ping''an looked at the three children in front of him, and he smiled as he said, "In that case, let''s set off together."


    A''Liang dragged his white donkey over from the bank of the creek, and a displeased look appeared on his face at the sight of Li Huai and Lin Shouyi. "I don''t mind bringing an adorable little girl with us, but what''s the deal with these two rascals?"


    "Who the hell are you?" Li Huai asked in an aggressive manner.


    "I am your long-lost father," A''Liang replied with a serious expression.


    A stunned look instantly appeared on Li Huai''s face, as if he had been struck by lightning, and he waspletely rooted to the spot as he stared at A''Liang.


    A''Liang was feeling very uneasy in the face of Li Huai''s stunned gaze, and he couldn''t help but wonder if there really were a mystery pertaining to the identity of Li Huai''s father.


    However, Li Huai then quickly put away his dazed expression, recing it with a disdainful sneer as he scoffed, "That''s what you get for trying to take advantage of me!"


    Despite the loss that he had just taken, A''Liang couldn''t help but feel a little impressed, and he mused, "Damn, these small-town kids are something else, huh?"


    "I''m not listening! I''m not listening!" Li Huai said in a singsong voice as he mped his hands over his ears.


    "A''Liang, why do you know how to speak our town''s dialect?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    "You can go ask Ruan Qiong about that," A''Liang replied with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an also smiled as he replied, "It''s alright, I was just curious."


    A disapproving look appeared on A''Liang''s face as he criticized, "It''s not good for someone as young as yourself to be overthinking things so much."


    With that, the unlikely band of seven set off on their journey, with A''Liang and his donkey leading the way, Chen Ping''an and the children trailing along behind him, and Zhu He and Zhu Lu bringing up the rear.


    A''Liang had told them that the path that he had taken to get here wasn''t all that arduous. All they had to do was follow the Iron Talisman River all the way down south, and they would quickly reach the main road that the Great Li Empire had been constructing day and night.


    However, during the breaks that they took, A''Liang was still willing to listen to suggestions from Chen Ping''an.


    During one of the breaks, Li Huai rushed over to A''Liang, and he wasn''t afraid of the unfamiliar swordsman at all as he ced his hands on his hips and asked, "Oi, is that donkey of yours male or female?"


    A''Liang didn''t detest Li Huai, he merely found the boy a little annoying. "What''s it matter to you?"


    "Can you let me ride it?"


    "It''s too precious even for me to ride myself, why should I let you ride it? Do you really think you''re my son?"


    "If you give me that donkey, I''ll ask my mother to divorce my father and marry you instead, what do you think? Of course, you can''t me me if my mother doesn''t agree, and I get to keep the donkey."


    "Fuck you and your mother!"


    "Tsk, tsk. A''Liang, as a father figure to you, I feel obligated to tell you that you should really rein in that temper of yours."


    After that, Li Huai sped his hands behind his back and departed with a disappointed sigh while shaking his head, leaving A''Liang to look on with a dumbstruck expression.


    ��������


    Meanwhile, two people were walking alongside the creek as they made their way toward the cksmith shop. The duo consisted of Ruan Qiong and an elderly man with a head of white hair, but an extremely healthy and vibrantplexion. This man was none other than the patriarch that Zhu Lu had been referring to, and he was the true backbone of the Li n.


    The Li n had high hopes ced in Li Baoping, so they naturally weren''t just going to entrust her safety to Zhu Lu and Zhu He. If Ruan Qiong hadn''t gotten involved in this matter, Patriarch Li would''ve apanied her all the way to the border to ensure her protection.


    A wry smile appeared on Patriarch Li''s face as he asked, "Master Ruan, this is the helper that you requested from Wind Snow Temple? How do I put this? He..."


    "You want to say that he looks more like a random guy I grabbed off the streets than a master martial artist, right?" Ruan Qiong asked in a direct and straightforward manner. "While I was sipping from his wine gourd, I made sure to examine it carefully, and the bonded sword qi contained within the sword nurturing gourd is still alive and well, so it definitely came from Wind Snow Temple.


    ��The Divine tform branch of Wind Snow Temple doesn''t have many people to begin with, and Wei Jin has a rather cold personality and likes to keep to himself as he travels from ce to ce, so it''s understandable that he may have some peculiar idiosyncrasies.


    ��There are ways in which one can kill someone and obtain their bonded treasure, but Wei Jin is no slouch, so if there''s anyone powerful enough to take his sword nurturing gourd and the sword qi inside, then even I wouldn''t be able to stop them."


    Patriarch Li heaved a faint sigh in response. "You''re being too humble, Master Ruan. If the formation were still intact and the four subjugation treasures hadn''t been taken, you would have far more freedom to do many things."


    After a moment of contemtion, Ruan Qiong said, "I''m going to be meeting with the people from the Great Smander Gully branch of Wind Snow Templeter to hear about the situation from them, and they''re not far away from here now.


    ��I can''t be so straightforward when talking about splitting the Dragon ying tform on Dragonspine Mountain in the presence of people from True Martial Mountain, so this is perfect. If any mishaps ur in the town during this time, I''ll have to trouble you to find Xiuxiu and get her to send a message to me via flying sword."


    Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain were the two major Militarian sects on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and one was situated in the south, while the other was located in the north.


    The rtionship between the two sects had never been particrly good or bad, and generally speaking, they kept to themselves and avoided getting involved with one another. Of course, in the face of major crises, they would be sure to set aside their differences and join forces tobat themon enemy.


    Among the two sects, True Martial Mountain was more focused on the development of the mortal empires. The Great Li Empire had many cultivators from True Martial Mountain, as was the case for Great Sui Nation and the fallen Lu Empire. Most of them were generals on the battlefield, personal bodyguards, or military officers who held power and sway in the army.


    In contrast, Wind Snow Temple was more focused on its own development, exploring all of the sites where major ancient battles had taken ce. They were more like a sect of traveling heroes who excelled in martial arts and did whatever they pleased. If they were in a good mood, perhaps they would strike at evil and do good deeds, but if they were in a bad mood, then they would often seek out people to spar against, and most of the time, they simply barged in by force,pletely uninvited.


    Regardless of whether their opponent had agreed to the sparring match or not, they would be forced into a fight, nheless. However, these peculiar cultivators of Wind Snow Temple didn''t fight to enhance their reputations, nor did they ever kill any of their sparring partners. Hence, even if someone were thoroughly beaten and embarrassed by a cultivator of Wind Snow Temple, they would never have to worry about stories of their defeat being spread around.


    On the subject of flying swords, a perplexed look appeared on Patriarch Li''s face, and he said, "Master Ruan, we also have several good quality messenger flying swords over in the manor..."


    "It''s not the same," Master Ruan interjected with a smile. "In fact, the difference is quite significant."


    Patriarch Li immediately understood what Master Ruan was alluding to, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face as he chuckled, "How impudent of me to be boasting about my flying swords to you!"


    All of a sudden, Ruan Qiong heaved a faint sigh. "All I want is peace and quiet, but it appears that''s too ambitious a desire."


    ��������


    A petite yet voluptuous woman in pce attire was making her way down y Vase Alley.


    She was followed by three people from afar, namely a burly and imposing middle-aged man with a steely expression, an elderly man with no facial hair who constantly had his eyes narrowed, hinting atckluster eyesight, and a young woman holding a longsword in her arms, with the golden tassels hanging from the hilt of the sword resting on her voluptuous chest.


    The woman drew to a halt in front of the gates of Song Jixin''s yard, and she chuckled, "Only Cui Chan would be capable of something like stealing couplets."


    1. In Chinese, it''smon practice to take the final character of someone''s name before adding an "��" (er) at the end to make it an affectionate pet name. In this case, Zhu He is taking the Lu character of his daughter''s name and calling her Lu''er as a pet name. ?

 Chapter 89: Two Heads

    Chapter 89: Two Heads


    The short yet voluptuous woman pulled out a string of brand new, intricately crafted keys, using one of which she opened the yard gate, and as she made her way inside, she smiled as she mused, "Finally, there''s an opportunity for me to put my skills to good use."


    The woman took a nce at the birdcage sitting at the foot of the wall, and much to her surprise, the sound of pping wings rang out from within. "They still haven''t starved to death?"


    However, she then quickly realized what had to have happened for the chicken to survive to this point, and she mused, "You have to thank me for finding such a good neighbor for you. Harmonious neighbors ensure joy for everyone."


    After that, she turned her gaze to the neighboring yard, but due to her short stature, she was unable to see to the other side. Hence, she had no choice but to make her way over to the earthen wall, where she got up on the tips of her toes to see what was on the other side.


    However, she was only greeted by the sight of an empty yard, which was a rather boring sight, so she quickly withdrew her gaze. She made her way toward the door of the main room, then pulled out another key to open the door before making her way inside. She reached out a finger before stroking it over the table, only to find that it waspletely devoid of dust.


    A hint of displeasure appeared on her face upon seeing this. It was like someone applying makeup to her daughter''s face without her permission. Sure, the daughter could look better for it, but as a parent, she was naturally not going to be happy.


    Out of the three servants who had apanied the woman to y Vase Alley, the imposing man stayed on y Vase Alley outside the yard and closed his eyes to rest.


    Meanwhile, the old man strode into the yard, while the woman carrying the sword made her way into the main room as well.


    The woman made her way into Song Jixin''s bedroom alone before inspecting her surroundings. The room was furnished with a bed and a desk, and there were some valuable antiques and trinkets sitting on the desk. Song Jixin had most likely left these things behind as he didn''t want to bring them with him.


    The woman strode over to the desk to find that there was a stack of three books sitting in the middle of the desk, and she gave them a brief inspection to find that there was nothing remarkable about them, and they were merely the three elementary books normally assigned to schoolchildren, namely Principles of Life for Children, Rites and Music, and An Anthology of Literary Essays.


    These books were used by children of privileged and underprivileged upbringings alike in the Great Li Empire. The woman discovered that the books were quite old, but they werepletely clean and spotless, and the image of a certain figure sprang into mind upon making this observation.


    She shook her head, then casually asked, "Yang Hua, how much does this Principles of Life for Children cost in the capital city?"


    The woman holding the sword had her back facing the bedroom, and she replied in a respectful voice, "Somewhere between 40 to 60 copper coins, Your Majesty."


    The woman nodded in response as she mused, "It looks like the loftier the principles preached by these wise men of Confucianism, the less valuable they are."


    The woman stacked the three books back down on their original spot on the desk, then gently rested her hand on "An Anthology of Literary Essays", which was sitting on the top of the pile.


    A hint of mockery appeared on her face as she sneered, "If it wasn''t for those Fictionists[1] doing everything in their power to promote these books wherever they could over the past centuries and millennia, even stooping as low as to be petty officials tasked with creating unofficial historic chronicles, there''s no way that Confucianism would''ve been able to reach its current heights."


    The old man in the yard gently cleared his throat, then cautioned, "Your Majesty, this is not a ce where you can speak your mind as you please, so do be careful."


    The woman smiled as she replied, "Don''t worry so much. Following his death, Qi Jingchun made an agreement with those people up above, so this ce will no longer be under any scrutiny. Do you really think an insignificant ce like Jewel Small World would be worthy of any attention from those mighty figures now that Qi Jingchun is no longer here?"


    "Even so, it would still be in our best interests to exercise caution, Your Majesty," the old man insisted.


    A faint smile appeared on the woman''s face as she said in a gentle voice, "Fine, fine, I''ll hold my tongue for now then. Xu Hunran, when ites to observing others, you really need to learn from Liang Song. Even though he''s your disciple in the imperial court, he truly has emerged to excel above you, and that''s a fact.


    ��I know my uncle was intentionally taking jabs at you by proiming that your disciple has surpassed you, but don''t pay him any heed, that''s just how he is. He thinks he''s well-educated after reading a few books, and he goes around dropping quotes without considering if they''re appropriate or not."


    The old man by the name of Xu Hunran was rather exasperated to hear this, and he didn''t know if the woman was actually trying to console him.


    All of a sudden, the thought of their brief encounter with Song Changjing during their journey to the south sprang into Xu Hunran''s mind, and a grim look immediately appeared on his face. At the time, Song Changjing had appeared quite exhausted, looking as if he were still yet to recover from major injuries that he had sustained during a grueling battle, but the fact that he had dared to voluntarily show himself to Xu Hunran by lifting the curtain of his carriage indicated that there was a very good chance that he had progressed further on the path of martial arts.


    It was extremely unlikely that he had already reached the 10th tier, but after reaching the pinnacle of the ninth tier, each tiny step that he advanced from there could be equivalent to a disparity of an entire tier for martial artists at the seventh and eighth tiers.


    Xu Hunran was vastly renowned across the Great Li Empire''s imperial court as the empire''s number one swordmaster. The fact that he was referred to as a swordmaster rather than a swordsman didn''t seem to hold very significant meaning, but in reality, there was a massive disparity between the two titles.


    The prodigious swordsman who had perished at Song Changjing''s hands, Liang Song, was Xu Hunran''s most prized disciple. Xu Hunran saw Liang Song as a son, so there was naturally a major vendetta between the two.


    Xu Hunran liked to nurture his sword within his sleeve, and the sword''s name was White Bird. It was only just over an inch in length, but it possessed immense destructive capabilities, and it was said that the sword could fly over a distance close to 100 kilometers in the blink of an eye. Even after the sword had already flown back up Xu Hunran''s sleeve, the target still wouldn''t be dead yet, and that was quite a harrowing concept to consider.


    The woman sat down onto the bed, then rested a palm down on it as she remarked, "It''s not exactly the most privileged lifestyle, but it does grant a great deal of freedom."


    Yang Hua said in a gentle voice, "Your efforts in ensuring a good upbringing for His Highness have not gone to waste, Your Majesty. Through these hardships, he''s sure to have developed a strong character."


    The woman smiled as she rose to his feet and replied, "That''s a rather pretentious way of putting things. If we want to talk about hardships, then that orphan from next door has experienced far more than Mu''er." [2]


    She strode over to a wall, and after a moment of contemtion, she murmured to herself, "The mystical abilities recorded on those pages of that ancient book given to us by the Lu n on Fortune Street are too old, so it''s impossible to verify their authenticity, and they''re very different from what''s being advocated by the top Daoist sects that specialize in talisman creation.


    ��I recall that an interesting little mystical ability was recorded on one of the pages. What was the incantation for that again? Ah, I remember it now, let me see."


    The woman had her back to Yang Hua outside the room as she instructed, "Go and wait for me to open the gate of the neighboring yard."


    She then began to chant an incantation. "Heaven and earth are connected, and the faces of mountains are conjoined. Soft as an apricot blossom, thin as a sheet of paper, this finger of mine is a sword that opens all doors. In the name of the Master of Three Mountains and Nine Lords!"


    The woman was chanting the incantation, despite the fact that she wasn''t holding the all-important talisman, and she extended a finger forward before casually strolling right through the wall, leaving a series of slight ripples behind her.


    The woman made her way into Chen Ping''an''s bare and dpidated house, and she mused, "Some people are blessed with good fortune and remain in the good graces of the gods no matter how much they squander those blessings, while others were born to lead lives of hardship. It''s not your fault for choosing the wrong parents, but who can youin to?


    ��Even if they find those responsible for your ill fortune, would you dare to say anything? Before you find out the truth ande after me for vengeance, I suggest you stay far away from Dawn Cloud Mountain, Sun Scorch Mountain, and Lake Shujian. Who knows how long it''ll be before you find me, and you''ll only have a chance if you manage to leave the Great Li Empire alive."


    She then turned to the wall as she murmured to herself, "Who is this Master of Three Mountains and Nine Lords? No such person exists on our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Could it be an ancient immortal who lost their lineage and invulnerable body? If that''s the case, then why is it that this little spell technique still works?"


    She was unable to think of an answer, so she decided that she was going to conduct further research after returning to the capital, or she could also seek out Cui Chan and ask him. In any case, he was nearby, so she may as well ask him. She made her way to the yard gate, but even after pulling the deadbolt across, the gate still refused to budge.


    Only then did she realize that the gate had to have been locked from the outside, so she exerted a bit more power and tugged on the gate to break the copper lock by force. After opening the gate, she discovered Xu Hunran and Yang Hua standing outside.


    "How could you just break in by force like this? This ispletely uneptable! Make sure to find someer to repair the gate, and make sure to rece the lock with an identical one as well!" she scolded.


    Xu Hunran and Yang Hua were clearly already ustomed to this, but the burly man standing on y Vase Alley couldn''t help but furrow his brows slightly.


    Upon emerging from the yard, the woman suddenly stopped in her tracks, then instructed, "Yang Hua, take 63 steps to your right, and make sure that your stride length matches that of Mu''er''s back when he was seven years old."


    Yang Hua did as she was instructed, taking 63 steps to the right before stopping.


    The woman behind her turned to face the wall, and she concluded, "This must be the spot."


    This particr patch of the wall didn''t appear to be remarkable in any way, but the woman was glowering at it with a resentful expression as she spat through gritted teeth, "Song Yuzhang deserves to die 1,000 deaths!"


    She then quickly reverted back to her usual regal and elegant expression as she said, "I''ve told you about what happened back then. Where do you think the crux of the problem lies, and what do you think I can do for Mu''er?"


    Yang Hua shook her head in response. "I don''t know, and I wouldn''t dare toment carelessly on something so important."


    The woman heaved a slightly dejected sigh. "There are two events that are constantly weighing on Mu''er''s heart, the first of which was naturally that time when that piece of lowly scum chased him all the way here from outside the alley during that heavy storm, then grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the wall.


    ��Given his personality, he definitely wouldn''t have been able to stomach something like this. At the time, Mu''er was still just a small boy, so aside from being humiliated, I''m sure he would''ve been terrified of the killing intent being disyed by that boy as well."


    A cold gleam suddenly appeared in the woman''s eyes as she extended a hand forward, then gently pressed it against the rough and uneven earthen wall. "The second thing that''s weighing on his heart is quite interesting. In fact, it was most likely that event that introduced to Mu''er what guilt felt like for the first time in his life.


    ��That''s why during that meeting between him and Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City, he couldn''t decide on who he wanted Fu Nanhua to kill for him, ultimately switching his target from Liu Xianyang to that boy."


    Yang Hua was rather curious about the backstory behind all of this, but she knew that serving a powerful mistress was no different from serving a tigress, so she had to be careful and know when it wasn''t right to ask questions.


    The woman withdrew her palm, then wiped it on Yang Hua''s sleeve before turning to make her way toward the entrance of the alley.


    All of a sudden, a displeased look appeared on her face, and even though she was well past the age when little girls were considered to be adorable while throwing tantrums, there was still a unique sense of allure about her as she grumbled, "All Mu''er said was that Chen Ping''an cursed his parents to die because he was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, and that because he was living in the ancestral residence, his parents couldn''t enter the cycle of reincarnation, so he should move out for their sake!"


    The more she talked about it, the more infuriated she became. "All he did was make a joke, what''s the big deal? It''s not Mu''er''s fault that Chen Ping''an was stupid enough to believe the joke and broke some stupid vow about not going to the dragon kilns to be a potter! Besides, a vow from a worthless piece of scum is just as worthless! In contrast, Mu''er is more precious than anything in this world.


    ��He was like a pristine and spotless piece of jade, yet he''s been tarnished because of this nonsense! Even if he can go on to be a cultivator of the Upper Five Tiers, just the slightest w in his mental state would prevent him from attaining a true Untainted Physique. How could a worthless brat possiblypensate for that? What a worthless piece of filth!"


    Yang Hua''s expression remainedpletely unchanged upon hearing this, as was the case for Xu Hunran, and it seemed that neither of them were paying any heed to what was being said.


    However, the brows of the burly man trailing along behind them furrowed once again.


    Right as the woman was about to emerge from y Vase Alley, she abruptly turned around, and almost at the exact same moment, Yang Hua and Xu Hunran parted down the middle, one to the left and one to the right, so that they wouldn''t obstruct the woman''s view.


    There was a smile on the woman''s face that was both pure and seductive, presenting a sense of conflicted allure, and she asked in a gentle voice, "Do you think there''s something wrong with what I said, Wang Yifu?"


    "I don''t know much about this situation, but from what I''ve heard, I do indeed think you''re wrong," Wang Yifu replied in a solemn voice.


    The woman wasn''t surprised at all to hear this. Instead, she burst intoughter as she praised, "As expected of the Lu Empire''s fiercest general!"


    Xu Hunran had a habit of looking at things through narrowed eyes, and at this point, his eyes had narrowed into slits, while his sword qi was ravaging the narrow alley, causing kes of y to tter down incessantly from the nearby earthen walls.


    Meanwhile, Yang Hua took a step back, as if to give Xu Hunran more space to do battle in, and a mocking sneer appeared on her face as she cast her gaze toward Wang Yifu.


    A homeless dog like you should learn that you can''t just bark as you please!


    Wang Yifu was once one of the Lu Empire''s most powerful generals. His ancestors had all been generals as well, and prior to his surrender, he was equivalent in status to the pir general of the Great Li Empire. Song Changjing was known as a god-like figure in the Great Li Empire''s military, and a very long time ago, he had picked out Wang Yifu in particr and challenged him to a battle.


    Wang Yifu wasn''t a particrly outstanding leader on the battlefield, but he possessed exceptionalbat prowess. Even though he was a cultivator, his physique was as powerful as that of an eighth tier martial artist, and he was also extremely skilled with the saber. Furthermore, he was able to summon a powerful Yin god to assist him in battle, and he was one of a handful of the most formidable figures in the Lu Empire.


    The woman extended a petite hand that was as fair and delicate as mutton fat jade, then waved it as she said, "There''s no need to get so worked up, Xu Hunran. General Wang is a reasonable person, he just has too strong a sense of justice. We''re all in the same camp at the moment, so don''t just turn to violence at the first sign of a disagreement. I really don''t like that."


    Xu Hunran silently withdrew the vast sword qi emanating from one of his sleeves.


    Meanwhile, the woman continued, "Wang Yifu, I hear that there''s someone that you''ve sworn to protect, even at the cost of your own life and honor. How about instead of sending that person to the ce we agreed upon, I send them to the imperial pce or the brothel division instead?"


    Wang Yifu''s hands immediately balled up into tight fists upon hearing this, and veins began to bulge on his forehead, while his eyes turnedpletely bloodshot.


    The woman continued in a casual voice, "All I promised was that I would keep them alive. Don''t take my kindness for granted, Wang Yifu."


    All of a sudden, Wang Yifu smiled and said, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I am the one at fault here."


    The woman smiled as she said, "I''m d you''ve realized your mistakes. There''s no need for you to follow us any further after we leave y Vase Alley. Go and collect the former kiln supervision official''s head, then put it in a wooden box and bring it to me. I may have a use for it in the future."


    Wang Yifu was very much taken aback to hear this. "Song Yuzhang was designated by His Majesty toe here, and he has backers in both the ministry of rites and the ministry of astronomy, that''s something that you said yourself. Why do you want to have him killed?"


    The woman smiled as she countered, "Do I need a reason to have someone killed? Don''t forget who I am!"


    Wang Yifu heaved a faint sigh, then cupped his fist in a salute as he lowered his head. "I''ll be sure to carry out your orders, Your Majesty."


    With that, the four of them emerged from y Vase Alley, following which Wang Yifu parted ways with the others.


    After Wang Yifu hadpletely disappeared from view, Xu Hunran jeered, "The fierce and righteous Wang Yifu doesn''t even have a spine anymore!"


    Instead of making her way toward the busy streets, the woman went down a more quiet alley as she said in a self-deprecating voice, "Does he really think I don''t know the difference between right and wrong?"


    Xu Hunran didn''t know how to respond to this, so he ultimately decided to remain silent and not say anything.


    The woman raised her head to look up at the sky as she mused, "Only now, when I''m in the same position that he''s in, do Ie to realize that Qi Jingchun was truly an extremely impressive man. Our Great Li Empire owes him a great debt.


    ��It''s very regrettable that our Great Li Empire couldn''t make use of such an extraordinary man. No wonder His Majesty has been in such a dejected moodtely, and it''s an even greater pity that Qi Jingchun ultimately still died, despite his incredible powers."


    All of these sentiments wereing straight from the woman''s heart.


    After she finally fell silent, a thought suddenly urred to Xu Hunran, and he swept a sleeve through the air to fill the surrounding area with his sword qi, then asked, "Your Majesty, that boy may have recently stumbled upon extravagant wealth, but even so, he''s still just an ordinary young boy. Isn''t it overkill to be sending such powerful assassins after him?"


    It seemed that the woman couldn''t even be bothered to answer this type of question, and she casually instructed, "Yang Hua, you tell him."


    Yang Hua replied in a cold voice, "Even a lion must go all out when hunting a rabbit."


    Xu Hunran had no response to this.


    A faint smile appeared on the woman''s face as she said, "My uncle may be a martial artist, but there''s one thing that he said that''s extremely wise: in the face of any enemy, the first thing that you have to ensure is that you don''t gift them your head."


    ��������


    In contrast with his colleagues from the ministry of rites, who were staying on Peach Leaf Alley, Song Yuzhang was living alone on Dragon Riding Alley in a residence that had recently been vacated by its previous owner.


    The door of the room was open, and he was seated beside the table with only a wine gon, a te of salt-brined peanuts, and arge bowl of baijiu in front of him. Having served as the former kiln supervision official in the town for 15 years, everything that he consumed here struck him with a sense of immense nostalgia.


    He had only just raised his bowl when he noticed the burly man that had appeared in his yard without any warning, and he smiled as he remarked, "You''re finally here."


    He then raised his bowl up high as he asked, "Can you wait for me to finish my drink first?"


    Wang Yifu hesitated momentarily, then nodded in response.


    It seemed that Song Yuzhang didn''t want to keep Wang Yifu waiting, and he downed close to half of the bowl''s contents in one go. His cheeks became flushed from the alcohol, and he said, "Can you pass on a message to Song Jixin for me? Actually, from now on, he''s most likely going to be referred to as Song Mu."


    A pleading look appeared in Song Yuzhang''s eyes as he asked, "Can you tell him that in all these years, I''ve always really wanted a pair of couplets from him?"


    Wang Yifu shook his head resolutely in response. "I''m afraid I can''t do that."


    Song Yuzhang took a deep breath, then closed his eyes as a look of relief appeared on his face, and he mused in a quiet voice, "In my youth, I liked to read chronicles detailing other people''s travels. I read that Old Dragon City at the southernmost part of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent often hadrge waves crashing onto its shores, presenting a spectacr sight to behold. Let this bowl of wine be the crashing waves of the South Sea!"


    Wang Yifu lunged forward, then promptly snapped Song Yuzhang''s neck.


    Wang Yifu didn''t feel any joy from killing Song Yuzhang, and he gently lowered the former kiln supervision official onto the table, making it appear as if he had passed out drunk.


    Wang Yifu poured a bowl of wine for himself and drank it in silence as he thought about his own situation. In the end, he remarked to the already deceased Song Yuzhang, "It seems that not all schrs are so insufferable."


    1. This is one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and disciples from this school of thought record the conversations and folklore from themon world. ?


    2. Mu''er is a pet name for Song Jixin''s original name, Song Mu. ?

 Chapter 90: Heavy Rain

    Chapter 90: Heavy Rain


    Chen Ping''an was still rather suspicious of A''Liang, but he had to admit that A''Liang was a very interesting person.


    He had a donkey that he never rode, he was constantly bickering with Li Huai, and he was determined to swindle Lin Shouyi into drinking alcohol, telling him that fine wine and beautiful women were the best things that this world had to offer.


    He would also always walk circles around Chen Ping''an during thetter''s walking meditation sessions, telling him that if he could reach full mastery of this fist technique, then he was going to be an extremely formidable martial artist, able to pummel anyone that he pleased.


    However, he then told Chen Ping''an that violence was never the answer, and that if Chen Ping''an wanted to make it far in life, then he would have to replicate A''Liang by using his looks and his charisma to make others bend to his will.


    In addition to that, he would also boast to Zhu He about how his swordsmanship was unmatched, and that whenever he drew his sword, even he was terrified of himself, let alone his opponents. Zhu He merely smiled and nodded in response, but Zhu Lu refused to believe him, insisting that he showed them his abilities with that bamboo saber of his.


    She didn''t ask him to demonstrate any devastating sword techniques, all she asked was that he cut down a tree with around the same diameter as the average bowl, and she would concede that she had been wrong about him.


    In response, A''Liang told her that this was not a good day for him to show off his sword techniques, and that even though he was already such a master swordsman that he could use anything as a sword, he had to be in the right mood to disy his sword techniques. After all, was a powerful swordsman really a powerful swordsman if they didn''t have some strange idiosyncrasies?


    Apparently, he was only interested in showing off his sword techniques on days with strong wind, heavy snowfall, or pelting rain. For example, during heavy rain, he would be able to demonstrate how his sword was so fast that it could slice through the air without catching a single drop of rain.


    Zhu Lu spat on the ground in disgust, then turned to run away, and A''Liang wasn''t bothered by this in the slightest. Instead, he merely turned to Zhu He and remarked that his daughter had a rather foul personality. He also promised Zhu He that if no one wanted to marry Zhu Lu because of her terrible temper, then he would be willing to grant Zhu He the enormous honor of bing his father-inw.


    From that time onward, Zhu He no longer tried to engage in conversation with A''Liang, leaving him to drink alone in a slightly dejected fashion.


    It just so happened that a few dayster, as they were approaching the Iron Talisman River, light rain began to fall from the sky. It wasn''t a heavy storm, by any stretch of the imagination, but there was definitely rain, nheless.


    A''Liang was focused on walking along while dragging his donkey behind him when all of a sudden, Zhu Lu stopped him in his tracks. A perplexed look appeared on his face, following which he quickly realized what she wanted, and he said, "Oh, you want me to show you my sword techniques now that it''s raining, right? Don''t worry, I haven''t forgotten. Can you not look at me like you''re looking at a fraud?


    ��You''re still too young, you don''t understand how many rules almighty swordsmen like myself are bound by. The rain isn''t heavy enough, so even if I were to use a de of grass as a sword, I would feel like I''m not doing the de of grass justice. Wait, what I meant to say is that I wouldn''t be doing my exceptional sword techniques justice.


    ��Hence, we have to wait for a day with heavy rainfall before I show you what I''m capable of. When the timees, I guarantee you that I''ll be able to sever the Iron Talisman River, and I may not ept you as my disciple even if you cry and beg me!"


    Zhu He quickly stepped in and dragged his daughter away in silence.


    The rain was far from heavy, so they were able to travel as normal without dy. A''Liang adjusted his conical bamboo hat as he shook his head and heaved a faint sigh. Walking at the forefront of the group with his white donkey behind him, he cast a rather lonesome and forlorn figure.


    To his dismay, two dayster, a heavy storm arrived, as if the heavens were answering Zhu Lu''s prayers.


    A disgruntled look appeared on A''Liang''s face as he yelled, "What the hell are you all looking at? Are there flowers growing on my face? Hurry up and take shelter from the rain! What if our precious little Baoping gets sick from the cold? Can''t you have some sympathy? You can watch my sword techniques at any time, can''t you see Baoping is about to freeze to death?"


    In the end, everyone gathered under arge tree to take shelter from the rain, and they were all staring expectantly at A''Liang.


    Li Huai wore a fake smile as he imitated his mother''s tone and said, "It''s a good thing for you that this isn''t a thunderstorm. Otherwise, you''ll be the first one to be struck down by lightning."


    Zhu Lu merely looked on with a cold sneer, and even the normally aloof and disinterested Lin Shouyi couldn''t help but roll his eyes in disdain.


    At this point, Zhu He was alreadypletely unwilling to engage in conversation with A''Liang, and he was sitting under the tree while chewing on some dry rations. He had subtly probed A''Liang on many asions during their journey up to this point, and he hade to the conclusion that even if A''Liang really were a powerful Militarian cultivator, there was definitely no way that he was the master swordsman that he imed to be.


    If he were telling the truth, then Zhu He would be more than happy to ept him as his son-inw. In fact, he would even be willing to refer to A''Liang as his father-inw!


    Compared with when they had first left the cksmith shop, Li Baoping had be a lot quieter, choosing to remain by Chen Ping''an''s side in silence most of the time, and she refused to even let Zhu He or Zhu Lu carry her basket for her.


    As for Chen Ping''an, he was practicing his meditation as usual, and this had be a sight that everyone was already ustomed to.


    A''Liang was beginning to feel rather ufortable under the scrutiny of Li Huai and the others, and he turned so that his back was facing them, then began taking swigs of wine from his silver gourd.


    As the rain began to subside, A''Liang suddenly rose to his feet and dered that he was going out to find a suitable branch, and that he was finally going to show everyone his exceptional swordsmanship. However, right as everyone was looking at one another in shock, A''Liang added that if he couldn''t find a suitable branch, then there would be nothing he could do.


    Apparently, for a sword immortal, finding a suitable weapon was just as difficult as it was for the average man to find a wife.


    Everyone merely looked at him, and no one was even willing to say anything.


    A''Liang made his way up the mountain shop alone, and the ground was slippery from the rain, causing him to almost slip over. He hurriedly pretended to throw out a few fist techniques to conceal the fact that he had slipped, as if he were warming up for the disy of master swordsmanship he had promised everyone.


    Right after A''Liang disappeared from view, the rain abruptly became heavier without any warning, catching everyonepletely off guard.


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes and spotted the nearby donkey under the tree. After a moment of contemtion, he stood up and said, "I''ll go look for A''Liang."


    Zhu He also rose to his feet and offered, "I''ll go with you. This type of weather is quite dangerous to travel alone in."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "There''s no need for that. I''ve encountered this type of weather on many asions back when I entered the mountains to burn charcoal or collect medicinal ingredients, so there''s no need to worry about me. Besides, you need to stay behind and look after everyone else."


    Zhu He considered the situation for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Alright, then be careful on your own."


    Chen Ping''an patted Li Baoping on the head, then promised in a gentle voice, "I''ll be back before you know it."


    ��������


    Wu Yuan was so busy that he barely had a moment to rest throughout the day. Not only did he have to personally oversee the construction of the county office on the eastern side of the town, there was also the matter of choosing sites for the wenchang pavilion and martial sage temple. Out of the four surnames and ten ns, aside from the six that had already collectively moved out of the town, there were eight left.


    During the archway que rubbing incident, Right-hand Minister Dong Hu of the ministry of rites hadpletely superseded Wu Yuan''s authority, and as a result, none of the remaining affluent ns in the town on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley were taking him seriously. Even so, he still had to visit those households one by one, and by the end, his lips were dry and cracked, and he felt as if his throat were on fire.


    As soon as he returned to the kiln supervision office, he immediately copsed onto his chair, then loosened his cor as he stared nkly at the decorative engravings on the ceiling with a contemtive expression.


    His schrly secretary was standing beside him, and he had apanied Wu Yuan during his visits to all of the n leaders. They were never denied an audience, but the n leaders were far from cooperative, constantly kicking the ball back and forth between one another.


    One of them would say that the leader of the Liu n would have to be consulted on the matter of whether the wenchang pavilion could be constructed on the mountain of porcin, while another would proim that the Wei n owned the majority of the immortal tomb, so the matter could only be discussed if the leader of the Wei n agreed to proceed.


    However, the leaders of the Liu n and the Wei n then dered that this was an extremely important matter that concerned the very foundations of their ns, so everyone had to be gathered for a thorough discussion. Otherwise, they were going to be criticized by the other residents of the town.


    The schrly secretary was also infuriated by this type of treatment, but he had plenty of experience with things like this from a young age, so he was more than familiar with the rules of the game. He knew that serving as an official was very difficult, and it was even more difficult to serve as the leading official of an area.


    Hence, he didn''t allow his temper to get the better of him. Right at this moment, several of his colleagues approached to enquire about the situation, and he gave them a gentle shake of his head, indicating for them to stay away for now and give Wu Yuan some peace and quiet.


    All of a sudden, Wu Yuan smiled as he said, "Don''t worry about me, I''m fine. It''s just that I''m suddenly craving the wine from the capital."


    Only then did the schrly official take a seat, and he said in a forlorn voice, "It''s a pity that the Li n has already moved to the capital. Otherwise, we could ask n Leader Li Hong for assistance.


    ��If he can pull some strings for us behind the scenes, then it''ll be a lot easier for us to carry out our work. Our n is on good terms with the branch of the Li n in the capital, so if they can put in a word for us, then the branch of Li n in this town would definitely have to lend us a hand."


    Wu Yuan turned to him with a stern expression as he scolded, "Are you an idiot? The connections harnessed by your n don''t equate to your connections. Each time you use your n''s connections, your status in your n will take a huge hit. This is not something as simple as requesting a piece of calligraphy from someone, so you better not do anything stupid."


    "I was just worried that you wouldn''t be able to get over this, so I was trying to cheer you up," the schrly secretary said with a smile.


    An amused smile appeared on Wu Yuan''s face. "If I''m the type of person to get hung up on things like this, then I would''ve already broken that pir general''s legs and eloped with his daughter."


    The entire room fell silent in the wake of this deration.


    The schrly secretary was having to suppress hisughter as he said, "I suggest you only make boastful statements like these in private, Master Wu."


    Wu Yuan leaned against the back of his chair, and not only was he not annoyed in the slightest at being exposed, he smiled as he replied, "Of course! If my father-inw were to actually visit me now, I would''ve already sprung out of my chair to fetch him some tea. Upon my return, I would ask him if he''s tired and if he requires a shoulder massage."


    Everyone in the entire room instantly burst intoughter, and even the pair of martial secretaries standing on either side of the entrance outside exchanged an amused nce.


    In the instant that Wu Yuan sat up straight, everyone in the room unconsciously tensed up a little, waiting with bated breath for what he was about to say next. Wu Yuan said in an unhurried voice, "The Li n has already moved away, and the Lu n is determined to sit on the fence and not get involved. The Zhao n ims that their patriarch is ill, and that they''ll only be able to arrive at a decision once their patriarch has recovered.


    ��As for the Song n, that one''s the most difficult to deal with. The four major surnames on Fortune Street collectively own 10rge dragon kilns, and the two previously owned by the Li n have already been passed onto the Wei and Liu ns on Peach Leaf Alley. I want all of you to cote all of the scattered files in the office and construct a chart denoting the connections and rtionships between the ns.


    ��Let me see just how convoluted this town can be! Even if we can''t get the top ns in the town to do our bidding, we can always settle for the ns below them. Aside from the bottom few ns of the 10 ns, there''s also the Ma n, which is quite affluent and has remained unwilling to move to Fortune Street or Peach Leaf Alley as their ancestors stipted against doing so.


    ��They own two dragon kilns, and seeing as I''m currently serving as the kiln supervision official, I get to decide on the scale of all of the dragon kilns. I''ll provide assistance to all of the ns willing to assist us, and at the same time, I''ll invest as much as what''s needed toplete our objectives, even if that means exhausting all of the kiln supervision office''s savings.


    ��They may be able to keep the mountain of porcin, but given howrge the immortal tomb is, there''s inevitably going to be a disagreement on how the ce is split up among the ns, and when that happens, we''ll be able to swoop in. They can kick me around as they please now, but once everythinges falling down around them, those sly old foxes will have to scramble to apologize to me."


    This should''ve been a rousing deration from Wu Yuan, but instead of being reinvigorated, he heaved a forlorn sigh before slumping back against his chair again. "I can''t keep living like this! When is this torture going toe to an end?! Teacher, where are the beautiful women willing to offer me theirps to rest on?


    ��All of the women in the entire office are either old hags or children! There''s not a single woman of the right age in sight! Aren''t the women here supposed to be more beautiful than anywhere else?"


    Right at this moment, Cui Chan arrived, only to be stopped outside the entrance of the room by the pair of martial secretaries. A smile appeared on his face as he jibed, "Master Wu, how about I write a letter to Pir General Yuan and ask him if he can send those two adorable little maidservants of yours here from the capital?"


    Wu Yuan immediately rose to his feet, and he couldn''t expose the fact that his teacher was the imperial preceptor, nor did he have the guts to put on an act and loudly denounce his teacher.


    At the same time, he was feeling quite perplexed, wondering why his teacher hade to pay him a visit, and why it appeared that he didn''t mind having his identity exposed.


    Cui Chan couldn''t be bothered to speak to Wu Yuan''s secretaries, and he merely turned as he instructed, "Come with me."


    Wu Yuan gestured for everyone in the room to remain quiet, then quickly made his way out of the room. The two martial secretaries wanted to apany him, but he waved them off and continued on his own.


    Making his way down a quiet stone path, Cui Chan asked, "Have those prisoners from the Lu n already entered the mountains?"


    Wu Yuan shook his head in response. "There are 600 prisoners who are still yet to reach the entrance of the northernmost Divine Lord Mountain. These people are the most noble of the prisoners, and most of them are descendants of powerful and wealthy figures in the Lu Empire. They''re also quite young, ranging somewhere between 14 to 20 years of age."


    A perplexed look then appeared on Wu Yuan''s face as he asked, "Didn''t you organize all of this in advance, Teacher?"


    "ns can change, alright?" Cui Chan snapped. "Right now, I''m like a flood dragon stranded on the shore, so I have to confirm these details with you. Drop everything you''re doing now and make a trip to the entrance of Divine Lord Mountain as quickly as possible. Find a prisoner by the name of Xia Yulu and organize for him to be sent to the capital."


    "The ones escorting the prisoners to Dragon Spring County are all Song Changjing''s most trusted subordinates. Those unruly soldiers owe no allegiance to me, would they be willing to let Xia Yulu go on my request?" Wu Yuan asked in a cautious manner.


    Cui Chan waved a hand in an impatient manner as he replied, "I''ve already paved the way for you, all you need to do is show up there."


    "Will you be alright, Teacher?" Wu Yuan asked in a concerned voice.


    "I''ll live!" Cui Chan snapped.


    With that, Wu Yuan didn''t hesitate any longer, immediately calling upon his two martial secretaries to depart with him on horseback.


    Following Wu Yuan''s departure, Cui Chan made his way down the path alone with a grim look on his face as he murmured to himself, "Just a single misstep has sent the entire situation spiraling out of control. I haven''t lost yet, but my n haspletely copsed. No matter. As long as there''s still a slim chance at victory, that''ll suffice.


    ��I''ll just treat this as an experience to polish and refine my mental state. If worsees to worst, I''ll just have to switch to apletely new n. I''ve already managed to oust both Teacher and Qi Jingchun, haven''t I? Hold on, now that I think about it, that makes me sound like a cowardly turtle!" [1]


    In the end, Cui Chan heaved a forlorn sigh. "Her luck is as exceptional as ever. Why did she have toe here at this particr time? Now that she''s entered the frame, the only thing I can do is try to salvage as many pawns from this endgame as possible. Otherwise, she''ll take everything! I can''t believe this!"


    If someone were to pass by the entrance of the kiln supervision office at this moment, they would be able to hear Cui Chan loudly speaking to himself from afar. "I''m not mad, there''s no point for me to get mad over something like this... That''s right, there''s no point... Fuck that! How can I not be mad? I''m furious!"


    ��������


    At the cksmith shop, three brand-new bamboo chairs of a vibrant green color were ced under the eaves.


    Ruan Xiu had already stormed away in a fit of rage, leaving behind Master Ruan and the woman who had visited y Vase Alley earlier, and neither of them disyed any reaction to Ruan Xiu''s departure.


    On the bank of the creek in the distance stood Yang Hua, Xu Hunran, and Wang Yifu.


    Seated on the bamboo chair, the woman withdrew her gaze from Ruan Xiu''s departing figure. She had intentionally yed a little trick to infuriate Ruan Xiu and drive her away. Now that she was alone with Ruan Qiong, she finally revealed the reason for her visit. "Was there an agreement between you and Mr. Qi, Master Ruan? Is that why Chen Ping''an is being apanied by those martial artists from the Li n?"


    "No," Ruan Qiong replied in a direct and straightforward manner.


    "In that case, have you agreed to protect Chen Ping''an because of those three mountains that he purchased next to yours?" the woman asked.


    Ruan Qiong nodded in response. "That''s right. I promised him that no harm would befall him before he left the Great Li Empire."


    The woman raised her head to look up at the sky, and the dark clouds up above indicated that a storm wasing. "How about this, Master Ruan? I''ll get someone to purchase the four mountains around Divine Elegance Mountain, then present them to you as a gift from our Great Li Empire."


    A cold sneer appeared on Ruan Qiong''s face as he scoffed, "You''re telling me you need to spend money to buy those mountains? Those pouches of gold essence copper coins go out one hand and go in the other for the emperor of the Great Li Empire anyway, so why take the extra step?"


    The woman shook her head with a smile as she replied, "Rules are rules. I''m not exactly someone who likes to abide by rules, but your rules and His Majesty''s rules are ones that I must abide by. I certainly wouldn''t dare to proim that I''m a good person, but I''ve always acted within my capabilities."


    Ruan Qiong offered noment on this. Instead, he asked, "Why do you insist on killing that boy? Why are you in such a hurry to kill him that you''re willing to incur such a massive cost to yourself? Why can''t you wait until after he''s left the Great Li Empire?"


    The woman''s voice remained calm and mellow, but there was a firm look in her eyes as she dered, "He has to die. Once he''s dead, even if that baldie is right and karma really does exist, that won''t matter. The death of his father and the fact that we used him to help Mu''er secure more fated opportunities, all of that will end with me."


    "It''s because you have some type of mystical ability that can''t see the light of day capable of severing karma, right?" Ruan Qiong asked in an indifferent voice.


    The woman merely smiled in response, neither confirming nor denying this.


    Ruan Qiong shook his head as he continued, "Even so, that still doesn''t exin why you''re in such a hurry to kill him."


    "Mu''er is about to reach the capital soon. Once he arrives, a massive fated opportunity will befall him, so in order to avoid unforeseen mishaps, I must eliminate everything that could pose a hindrance to him."


    The woman could see that Ruan Qiong waspletely unmoved by this exnation, so she had no choice but to be candid with him and reveal the secret circumstances involved. "If the knot in Mu''er''s heart were present in the average cultivator, it would be of very little consequence.


    ��The pursuit of the Great Dao is a lengthy endeavor, so even if he can''t untie that knot before he reaches the Middle Five Tiers, there will be ways through which the Great Li Empire can forcibly eradicate the knot through external forces. Even in the worst-case scenario, that would only leave behind an inner demon of indeterminate power, which would make his breakthrough to the Upper Five Tiers extremely perilous.


    ��However, the fated opportunity in the capital won''t wait for anyone, so it must be capitalized on now. On top of that, that idiot, Cui Chan, lost, despite all his ims that he had already foreseen everything! It''s clear that he wasn''t able to tarnish that boy''s purity, so I have no choice but to resort to the second-best option, which would be to present Chen Ping''an''s head to Mu''er in order to salvage his mental state."


    A resigned look appeared on the woman''s face as she continued, "I''ve considered deceiving Mu''er by telling him that Chen Ping''an failed to pass Cui Chan''s examination and was ultimately reduced to a petty vulgarian. I had even stitched together a perfect story down to the finest of details to support this lie, but I can''t afford to take such a risk.


    ��If Mu''er really does possess sufficiently exceptional aptitude to obtain that fated opportunity, then the truth will be like a de constantly hanging over his head. If he ever finds out what really happened, then there''s a very good chance that his Dao Heart could copse in an instant."


    All of a sudden, the heavy storm that had been threatening to arrive finally fell.


    Ruan Qiong paid no heed to the heavy rain falling outside as he asked, "What kind of knot in his heart could be this troublesome to address?"


    "That bastard, Old Man Yao, screwed me over and told that boy the truth. Of course, anyone with half a brain would be able to figure out that there''s no way his parents would be unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation just because he was born on the fifth day of the fifth month. At this point, the boy had already broken his vow to his mother, and after learning the truth, he rushed back to the town from the dragon kiln like a madman.


    ��Do you know what he did after that? He didn''t go and seek out Mu''er, nor did he return home. Instead, he waited outside y Vase Alley until Mu''er was out alone, and only then did he pounce. He cornered Mu''er and forced him against a wall, almost strangling him to death! Of course, he wasn''t able to kill Mu''er in the end, and even if that had been his intention, he would''ve been the only one that died.


    ��Those ursed spies were watching from the shadows this entire time as all of this happened, but they insisted on abiding by the rules set by His Majesty, which stated that they couldn''t intervene unless Mu''er died. Those idiots deserve to be executed 10,000 times over for their ipetence!"


    The woman did her best to remain as calm as possible as she revealed this secret to Ruan Qiong, following which a rare hint of exhaustion and resignation appeared on her face. "How could such an insidious, filthy mutt possibly exist in this world? His actions became the biggest knot in Mu''er''s heart, one that''s virtually impossible to resolve.


    ��Throughout all these years since then, Mu''er would often wake up in the middle of the night from dreams of that incident. He was never able to understand why Chen Ping''an didn''t kill him on that day, and why he had only chosen to strike when Zhi Gui wasn''t with him.


    ��Mu''er told me that if he had been in Chen Ping''an''s ce, he would''ve torn Chen Ping''an to shreds, and ideally, he would''ve done so in front of all of Chen Ping''an''s loved ones. Ultimately, I suppose I''m partially to me for all of this."


    Rain was pelting down onto the ground, much like the tears of the two children in the aftermath of that incident.


    Song Jixin had been slumped on the ground, grabbing at his own throat with his hands as he bawled his eyes out in fear.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had made his way into y Vase Alley while weeping into his forearm.


    After a long silence, the woman set that train of thought aside, and after a brief hesitation, she asked, "I''m sure you have your guesses about what happened at the covered bridge, right?"


    Ruan Qiong''s face was etched with resentment as he spat through gritted teeth, "If I had known all of this, I wouldn''t havee here."


    The woman raised an eyebrow as she dered, "That''s why before Mu''er left the town, he had to go and offer incense there. He''s only in the position that he''s in today because one member of the Great Li Empire''s imperial family has dropped dead after another!


    ��Every single stroke of each character on the que above the covered bridge that reads ''rising winds crashing water'' equates to the loss of one life, and it''s the sacrifices of those lives that granted him everything he has right now!"


    There was a dark look on Ruan Qiong''s face, and he seemed to have no intention of saying anything further.


    The woman slowly rose to her feet with an intense look in her eyes, and she looked down at Ruan Qiong as she said in a low and alluring voice, "Master Ruan, if you feel like four mountains isn''t worth breaking your promise to that boy, then that''s fine. State your price, and we can negotiate. For example, after I return to the capital, I can convince His Majesty to do everything in his power to help your daughter attain her Dao attainment catalyst.


    ��I don''t know what her Dao attainment catalyst is, but I can promise you on His Majesty''s behalf that the Great Li Empire will help her in every way possible! Aside from myself, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan and even Song Changjing can all lend Ruan Xiu their assistance in the attainment of her Dao attainment catalyst!"


    "From now on, do not set foot within a 500-kilometer radius of Dragon Spring County," Ruan Qiong said in an indifferent voice. "If I ever see you encroaching upon this area, then don''t me me for casting aside my chivalry and beating a woman."


    The woman heaved a faint sigh. "Fine. I''ll just have to wait until he gets to the border of the Great Li Empire then."


    While she was making her way down the steps, Ruan Qiong suddenly said, "The chair you just sat on was made by Chen Ping''an."


    The woman faltered slightly upon hearing this, and she intentionally misconstrued what Ruan Qiong was trying to convey as she asked with a seductive smile, "Are you trying to say that he''s indirectly touched my bottom?"


    The woman burst intoughter as she strode straight into the storm, allowing herself to be soaked by the rain.


    Through her drenched clothes, her seductive curves wereid bare for all to see, but Ruan Qiong was looking away from her in an expressionless manner.


    ��������


    Yet another heavy storm arrived. By the time Chen Ping''an made his way onto the summit of the mountain, he discovered A''Liang standing with his back facing him, and he was in the process of slowly returning his bamboo saber to its scabbard.


    After the de was sheathed, A''Liang turned around with a bright smile as he said, "Prior toing here, I met a young martial artist who was far more interesting than you are. I often heard him reciting a poetic phrase, and it really resonated with me, so why don''t you have a listen as well? It goes ''whenever I see injustice in this world, the sword in my heart begins to quiver''."


    A''Liang slowly made his way toward Chen Ping''an as he continued, "Having said that, I''m not some hero who feels inclined to stand up against injustice, I simply feel like this poetic phrase is very fitting to be recited after killing people in this type of weather. There are two reasons why I came to find you, the first of which is to collect the sword nurturing gourd along the way, while the second is for that hairpin you''re wearing. I''d say thetter is about 100 times more important than the former."


    On the hill behind A''Liangid a pair of bodies that were resting peacefully, and both of them were among the most powerful martial artists and cultivators of the Great Li Empire.


    "Who are you?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The man continued to make his way slowly toward Chen Ping''an with his palm resting on the hilt of his saber, and he stopped after arriving in front of Chen Ping''an, then lifted his conical bamboo hat as he smiled and replied, "My name is A''Liang, Liang as in kindness."


    1. In Chinese culture, being referred to as a turtle has various negative connotations. A turtle can have a very long lifespan, but is always hiding in its shell, so if someone is called a turtle, they''re being referred to as a coward that chooses to oust their opponents rather than confront them directly. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Ohhh snap</blockquote>

 Chapter 91: Jade Hairpin

    Chapter 91: Jade Hairpin


    The rain was falling audibly onto the conical bamboo hats worn by A''Liang and Chen Ping''an, and thetter said, "This is just an ordinary jade hairpin, there''s nothing remarkable about it."


    Despite Chen Ping''an''s serious and earnest expression, it was as if A''Liang had just heard the most hrious joke imaginable, and it took him a great deal of self-restraint to suppress hisughter as he said, "It doesn''t matter what you say about it."


    Sweat was beginning to bead up on Chen Ping''an''s forehead, only to be quickly washed away by the rain, and he looked back at A''Liang as he asked, "What do you want?"


    "You must be thinking that you''re about to die, right?" A''Liang asked with a smile.


    In that instant, Chen Ping''an was suddenly struck by a sense of despair.


    Master Ruan hade and left, yet A''Liang was still standing right in front of him.


    There was a faint smile on A''Liang''s face, and his green bamboo saber was slung horizontally over his shoulder as he took in Chen Ping''an''s threadbare clothes, sturdy straw sandals, and that jade hairpin in his hair.


    If he recalled correctly, there were eight pretty little characters engraved onto the hairpin.


    Chen Ping''an''s lips had turnedpletely pale as he asked in a trembling voice, "Can you let them go?"


    A''Liang offered no response.


    While staying up in front of themp that night prior to setting off on this journey, Chen Ping''an had visualized as many difficult situations as he could think of. He was fully anticipating encountering all types of hardships and obstacles on this journey to Mountain Cliff Academy as he already had many enemies, including Dawn Cloud Mountain, Old Dragon City, and Sun Scorch Mountain, all of which were immortal sects that had sworn vendettas against him.


    Hence, he was very concerned that these enemies that he had made would pose a hindrance to Li Baoping''s journey to Mountain Cliff Academy.


    That day, when he had told Li Baoping about the hardships that he had endured during the trip that he had made into the mountains as a small boy, his objective wasn''t to boast about how much adversity he was able to ovee. Instead, he wanted to tell Li Baoping that this journey to Mountain Cliff Academy was going to be even lengthier than that trip he had made into the mountains, particrly now that the academy had moved to Great Sui Nation.


    If, for some reason, he were to disappear someday and could no longer apany Li Baoping on her journey, then he wanted her to have confidence in herself. Back then, the mountain had appeared impossibly far away, but he focused only on taking a few steps at a time, and before he knew it, he was there. He hoped that Li Baoping would be able to do the same thing.


    However, right as he was about to say all of this to her, he suddenly realized that it would''ve been a very disheartening thing for Li Baoping to hear, almost as if he were condemning them to a fate of misfortune before they had even truly set off.


    Hence, he refrained from articting what he was about to say, instead expressing the wish that Li Baoping could be the first-ever female teacher. That was a far more encouraging sentiment, and it truly was something that he hoped Li Baoping would be able to achieve.


    A''Liang smiled as he said, "Even if that hairpin really is just an ordinary hairpin, it still doesn''t belong to you. You can''t expect me to believe that a hairpin that Qi Jingchun kept in his possession for so many years wouldn''t be harboring any secrets. For example, it could contain a small world that no one else knows about, or a ce with the potential to be a blessednd.


    "There''s also the possibility that this is a token through which his lineage is passed down, just like the representative talismans of the three main branches of Daoism, the peach talisman, the feather cloak, and the Daoist hat. If that truly is the case and this hairpin really is the token of Qi Jingchun''s lineage, then do you think it''s fitting for it to be worn by you?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t answer the question. Instead, he asked once again, "A''Liang, can you let Li Baoping and the others go?"


    "Even if I do agree to let them go, how can you be sure that I won''t go back on my promise?" A''Liang asked with a smile.


    The tip of Chen Ping''an''s foot began to move ever so slightly.


    A''Liang crossed his arms as he chuckled, "Don''t be rash, boy. We''re still in the negotiation phase, aren''t we? Let''s not resort to violence unless the negotiations fall through."


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as he looked on with an ashenplexion.


    A''Liang''s gaze roamed over Chen Ping''an from head to toe, and he remarked, "There''s definitely a resemnce there."


    His smile then faded as he extended a hand forward and said, "Hand over the hairpin and I''ll spare their lives."


    Chen Ping''an''s fingers began to tremble.


    A''Liang continued, "That hairpin was left behind by Qi Jingchun''s teacher, so it''s a token representing both of their lineages."


    Chen Ping''an raised his hand up toward the top of his head.


    A''Liang smiled as he said, "Snap the hairpin yourself, and I''ll spare your life, you have my word."


    Chen Ping''an''s hand drew to an abrupt halt, and he took a deep breath, then pulled back a foot as if he were preparing to charge forward in an all-out lunge.


    "You''re thinking to yourself that once you die, I won''t have any incentive to kill Li Baoping and the others, so you''re going to try and protect the hairpin from me, even if it''ll cost you your life, right?" A''Liang asked.


    Chen Ping''an offered no response. Instead, he took two powerful steps forward and reached A''Liang in the blink of an eye before swinging a fist through the air.


    However, in the next instant, A''Liang suddenly vanished out of sight.


    Chen Ping''an''s entire body instantly stiffened as he swung around, and sure enough, A''Liang was standing behind him, holding the hairpin that he had plucked out of his hair.


    A''Liang heaved a faint sigh, and it seemed that he wasn''t actually interested in the hairpin at all. He extended a hand forward to offer the hairpin back to Chen Ping''an as he said, "Here, take it."


    Chen Ping''an carefully strode over to A''Liang, then took the jade hairpin back from him. All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an felt a weight on the top of his head. As it turned out, A''Liang had gently rested his palm onto Chen Ping''an''s head.


    The two of them were standing next to one another, but they were facing in opposite directions, and A''Liang heaved a faint sigh as he said, "Don''t be so foolish from now on, Chen Ping''an. There''s no object in this world that could possibly be more important than a human life. You have to live on, even if there''s no way for you to live a good life. Nothing in this world is more important than that."


    A''Liang gave Chen Ping''an a gentle pat on the head, then looked up at the dark and gloomy sky as he smiled and said, "You have to realize that no matter how precious or meaningful this hairpin is, the fact that Qi Jingchun was willing to give it to you is a sign that he has faith in you.


    ��Hence, when faced with a decision between life or death, you have to always choose to live, even if it means living in disgrace. Sure, it makes a good story to die a heroic and meaningful death, but no matter how valiant your death is, it still doesn''t change the fact that you died."


    A''Liang removed his hand from Chen Ping''an''s head as he continued, "Qi Jingchun was very disappointed in this world, but that was his perspective. You are your own person, so don''t try to follow in his footsteps. You still haven''t truly had a chance to form your judgment on whether this world is good or not.


    ��It''smon to see a schr as weary and jaded as if they''ve lived 10 lifetimes, even though they''ve still yet to live out a single lifetime. Leave that type of stuff to the schrs. I''m not a schr, and at the moment, you''re not one, either, so..."


    A''Liang''s voice trailed off there, and he didn''t finish his sentence. Instead, he concluded in a gentle voice, "Trust me, Chen Ping''an. I can tell that you''re going to be able to go very far in the future, perhaps even further than Qi Jingchun."


    "Why?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Because I''m A''Liang," A''Liang replied with a smile as he gently stroked the hilt of his bamboo saber.


    In the end, the two of them made their way down from the mountain summit in silence.


    "What are we going to do with those two on the hill?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "They''re dead, are they not? So just leave them be," A''Liang replied.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something further, but ultimately decided not to dwell on this topic. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "Why didn''t you take the hairpin?"


    A forlorn look appeared on A''Liang''s face as he sighed, "Only after grabbing the hairpin from you did I realize that it really is just an ordinary hairpin, so what point is there for me to keep it?"


    Chen Ping''an was speechless upon hearing this.


    A''Liang shook his head as he mused, "All true schrs live in poverty, that''s something that you''lle to understand in the future. To be honest, I should''ve already anticipated this. Given the personalities of Qi Jingchun and his teacher, it''s only to be expected that they would pass down an ordinary hairpin."


    A''Liang suddenly smiled as he turned to Chen Ping''an and said, "You know, you''ve taken something that I thought was as good as mine, so I came all this way for nothing!"


    Chen Ping''an had no idea what A''Liang was referring to.


    "I should''ve already carved out a character at that ce, but aftering all this way, I''ve ended up with nothing, so you really have to thank me for sparing you," A''Liang grumbled. "If you don''t be powerful enough to carve out at least two or three characters at that ce someday, I''m going to beat the crap out of you!"


    "A''Liang, can you say something that I can actually understand?" Chen Ping''an groaned in an exasperated manner.


    "Sure," A''Liang chuckled. "My name A''Liang, Liang as in kindness."


    "And I''m a swordsman," Chen Ping''an concluded for him.


    All of a sudden, a faint smile appeared on A''Liang''s face, and he pped a palm down onto Chen Ping''an''s shoulder as he dered, "In that case, it''s decided!"


    Chen Ping''an was even more perplexed to hear this. "What are you talking about?"


    A''Liang continued, "All journeys muste to an end someday. I''ll escort you and the others to the border of the Great Li Empire, but that''s as far as I''ll go. From that point onward, I''m sure you won''t encounter any further obstacles on your way to Mountain Cliff Academy. After getting to the border, you''ll be on your own. It''ll be up to you to take them the rest of the way to Mountain Cliff Academy and return safely to Dragon Spring County."


    "Thank you," Chen Ping''an suddenly said.


    Only from this moment did Chen Ping''an begin topletely trust A''Liang.


    A''Liang shook his head in response. "There''s no need to thank me. I''m just repaying a debt that I owe, so it has nothing to do with you."


    Many years ago, there was a young schr with the Qi surname. One day, the schr grew bored of reading books, and he dered that he wanted to explore the world with A''Liang, but A''Liang turned him down.


    He felt like if he had exercised just a bit more patience at the time, then Qi Jingchun wouldn''t have met such an unfortunate fate.


    "There''s something you need to know, Chen Ping''an," A''Liang suddenly said.


    "What is it?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "When faced with godly beings like myself, you need to respect them from the bottom of your heart," A''Liang said in a meaningful voice.


    "Can you beat Zhu He in a fight?" Chen Ping''an asked with a curious expression.


    A''Liang was beginning to develop a headache, and he felt like Chen Ping''an was even more annoying than Qi Jingchun from back then.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    What do you think of A''Liang?</blockquote>

 Chapter 92: (1): Bamboo Bookcase

    Chapter 92: (1): Bamboo Bookcase


    A heavy storm was one that was bound to notst very long, and not long after Chen Ping''an and A''Liang made it back to the tree, the storm had already been reduced to nothing more than light rain. Droplets of rain were constantly dripping down from the leaves of the tree, and Li Baoping''s little face was etched with concern as Chen Ping''an made his return.


    He gave a bright smile, then patted her on the head and told her that he was fine, upon which her features instantly lit up, like an unexpected rainbow after a storm, presenting a breathtaking sight of purity and exuberance.


    In that instant, a hint of guilt suddenly welled up in Chen Ping''an''s heart, but he didn''t know how to express it. He felt like there were many things that he wanted to say, but they were all getting stuck in his throat, so he could only turn to practicing his standing meditation in silence.


    A meaningful smile appeared on A''Liang''s face upon seeing this, but his good mood was quickly ruined by Li Huai, who dered, "A''Liang, I heard from Chen Ping''an that you went up to the mountains to take a shit so that you don''t have to wipe your arse."


    A''Liang turned to him with a fake smile and asked, "Did Chen Ping''an really say that?"


    Li Huai took a nce at Chen Ping''an, who was standing nearby, and he was most likely afraid that Chen Ping''an would expose him, so he came clean himself, replying, "Chen Ping''an didn''t say that, but that was definitely what he was thinking. I obviously didn''t think that you were that type of person, and I was even vowing to Big Sister Zhu Lu that you definitely wouldn''t do something like that."


    "Is that right?" A''Liang chuckled as he grabbed onto Li Huai''s ear.


    Li Huai winced in pain as he protested, "It''s all Chen Ping''an''s fault! How could he say such vile things about you? How about I teach him a lesson for you?"


    A''Liang twisted Li Huai''s ear vigorously as he asked, "Do I look like an idiot to you?"


    Li Huai began to howl in pain, but no one paid any heed to him, so he was forced to fend for himself, and he hurriedly yelled, "A''Liang, I have a big sister! Her name is Li Liu. I''ll admit it''s a pretty bad name, but don''t let that fool you, she''s really pretty! You have my word on that. The two perverts, Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing, both have a crush on my sister.


    ��Dong Shuijing would alwayse to our house for free meals, and whenever he sees my sister, he would blush like an idiot. It''s disgusting! A''Liang, I think you''re much better than Dong Shuijing. You''re handsome, you have a good temperament, and you can afford to raise a donkey and buy wine. How about I introduce you to my sister?"


    A''Liang hurriedly let go of Li Huai''s ear, then gently ced his hands on Li Huai''s shoulders and smiled as he said, "Let''s take a seat. Tell me more about this sister of yours."


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an made his way over to Zhu He and Zhu Lu, then asked, "Uncle Zhu He, can I speak to you?"


    Zhu He smiled and replied, "I''ve been waiting for quite some time for you to approach me. The rain''s already very light at this point, so let''s take a stroll together."


    The two of them emerged side by side from under the canopy of the massive tree, and before Chen Ping''an even had a chance to ask anything, Zhu He initiated the conversation. "Chen Ping''an, many strange things have happened in the town recently, and given that you were able to escape from that Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain alive and recruit that girl from the outside as an ally, I''m sure there are many things that you already know, so I won''t hide anything from you.


    ��After all, the safety of the young mistress is paramount. Zhu Lu and I were both born in the Li n, and we''ve served the Li n for generations in exchange for food and shelter. It sounds like a very miserable existence, but we''re not as pitiful as you think.


    ��None of the members of the Li n, including the patriarch, the n leader, and the Young Mistress Baoping, regard us as servants. In particr, Young Mistress Baoping is so close with my daughter that they may as well be sisters rted by blood."


    As he was speaking, Zhu He turned to look at his daughter, who was still standing under the canopy of the huge tree. At this point, her body was still developing, and she was going to reach full developmental maturity in about another year or so.


    He was convinced that his daughter wasn''t going to be inferior to any of the young mistresses in the capital city of the Great Li Empire, and he had always been very proud of her. He firmly believed that she was going to be able to shine and flourish in the Great Li Empire.


    The Grand Li Empire had always respected women, cing no restrictions on women entering the military. In fact, the former emperor of the Great Li Empire had even ordered the ministry of rites to develop an entire system of military des designated solely for female martial artists and cultivators, bing the first empire to ever adopt such a system.


    This decision had been met with stern resistance and criticism from countless schrs, led by Lake View Academy, and as a result, a chaotic battle had ensued, with all of the animosity directed at the Great Li Empire.


    If it weren''t for the fact that Qi Jingchun had stepped forward to support the decision and oppose all of the dissenters, the young emperor at the time would''ve most likely been forced to withdraw his imperial edict under the enormous pressure being exerted upon him from all sides.


    Zhu He smiled as he continued, "When it was first discovered that I had an aptitude for martial arts, the Li n immediately invested heavily into my martial arts development without any hesitation, and that''s how I was able to get to where I am today. The same applied to my daughter as well.


    ��If she had lived up to everyone''s expectations and hadn''t stumbled at the second tier, she would''ve been sure to reach greater heights than me. After the patriarch discovered that Zhu Lu had a talent for martial arts, he personally told me that there was hope for Zhu Lu to be able to reach the legendary seventh tier. In contrast, I was only just barely able to scrape my way to the fifth tier."


    A hint of dejection welled up in Zhu He''s heart as he spoke. For martial artists, battles of life and death against evenly matched opposition were a key element of their development. If a martial artist were to rely on their aptitude alone, then they weren''t going to get very far.


    Furthermore, if one were to miss the prime opportunity for a breakthrough and fail to climb up the ranks in one go, then their courage and vigor would be whittled down further and further, ultimately making it impossible for them to advance beyond a certain point.


    Zhu He suppressed the dejection in his heart as he continued, "We were assigned to apany the young mistress on this journey out of the Great Li Empire as we were situated closest to her. On top of that, we''re both decent martial artists, and I wouldn''t dare to proim that we possess any exceptional powers, but at the very least, we are absolutely loyal to the young mistress.


    ��This is also the first time that the young mistress has made such a long journey, so she needs someone to take care of her in her daily life, and Zhu Lu is a suitable candidate for the role. Young Mistress Baoping is the child that our patriarch cherishes the most in the entire n, and it was actually supposed to be none other than our patriarch himself apanying her on this journey. However, after that A''Liang appeared, our patriarch returned to the town.


    ��Now that there are no longer any restrictions in the town, he''ll be able to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth without any limitations. Essentially, this is the equivalent of cultivating in a blessednd, and the patriarch''s breakthrough is imminent. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed, and he feels content to leave the young mistress in A''Liang''s hands.��


    After taking a moment to consider his words, Zhu He continued, "Our patriarch is quite broad-minded and has a unique outlook on life. He loves our young mistress with all his heart, but when ites to this journey that she''s undertaking, not only is he not insisting on keeping her by his side so that he could constantly protect her, he dered instead that this was a journey that she had to undertake.


    ��On top of that, she has toplete thest part of the journey on her own. This was the type of courage and resilience befitting of a member of the Li n."


    Zhu He paused here momentarily, then chuckled, "What I haven''t mentioned is that after he said this, our patriarch immediately began to moan and groan,menting that Young Mistress Baoping wasn''t even 10 years of age yet, so surely she could leave the development of traits like courage and resilience forter in her life.


    ��In the end, when our patriarch made the decision not to follow the young mistress in secret any longer, he was turning back with a reluctant expression every few steps like an indecisive child. It was the first time I had ever seen our patriarch like that, and even Zhu Lu was struck by how much our patriarch cared for Young Mistress Baoping. Young Mistress is very good to Zhu Lu as well.


    ��Ever since she was a wee little child, she always liked to chat with Zhu Lu and watch her practice martial arts. It''s not an exaggeration to say that Young Mistress Baoping yed a major role in how Zhu Lu turned out."


    Chen Ping''an heaved a sigh of relief as he replied, "I feel much better with you and Zhu Lu apanying Baoping on this trip, Uncle Zhu He."


    Over in the town, Chen Ping''an trusted no one aside from Mr. Qi.


    Just as Chen Ping''an had said to Li Baoping, even when it came to Master Ruan, he only believed in the promises that Master Ruan had made and the rules that Mr. Qi had once followed, but he didn''t trust Master Ruan himself.


    This was a type of intuition that couldn''t be put into words. Perhaps it was something that he had been born with, but it was more so something that he had developed throughout his life, and the same intuitive feeling applied to A''Liang and Zhu He in the past.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t someone who never had a care in the world and hadn''t endured any adversity, so he wasn''t so foolish as to trust everyone that he met. The hardships of life, the dark side of human nature, and the suffering from poverty had all left their mark on him, a vulnerable young boy with no one to rely on.


    Zhu He patted Chen Ping''an on the shoulder, and he couldn''t help but be surprised by how sturdy Chen Ping''an''s bones were, despite his thin and wiry frame. However, he then quickly realized that this was only to be expected. Otherwise, how else would he have been able to directly face that Mountain-moving Ape in battle?


    Zhu He saw no shame in admitting that he didn''t possess the courage nor the ability to replicate such an astonishing feat, but as soon as this thought urred to him, he was left feeling rather disappointed in himself. He hadn''t even turned 40 yet, and he had already lost his courage and aspirations, to the point that he was conceding his inferiority to a young boy who had only just stumbled onto the path of martial arts.


    At the same time, Zhu He was feeling a little curious, and he smiled as he said, "I''ve never left the town, so I don''t know any of the rules of the outside world. However, during my casual conversations with our patriarch, he told me that when encountering certain people in the outside world, there are many things that have to be kept in mind.


    ��For example, it''s considered to be taboo to ask a monk for their name and a Daoist for their age. Furthermore, you can ask a martial artist who their master is, but you can''t ask them what types of martial arts they specialize in. What I''m really curious about is how you managed to escape from that Mountain-moving Ape. I only heard about the battle from our patriarch after the event."


    Chen Ping''an was a little embarrassed to hear this, and he exined, "It was hardly a battle, I was just running for my life the entire time, from y Vase Alley all the way into the mountains. If it wasn''t for Ning Yao, I would already be dead."


    After a brief hesitation, Zhu He said, "Make sure to cherish these bonds with Ning Yao and Master Ruan. In particr, make sure to maintain your connection with Master Ruan and don''t allow it to be severed."


    Chen Ping''an was rather perplexed to hear this.


    Zhu He continued, "We''ve been confined to Jewel Small World our entire lives, and we haven''t seen any of the outside world, so there''s a limit to howrge the disparity between person and person could be. For example, you and I are both practicing martial arts, and at the very most, our potential will cap out at the fifth tier.


    ��As for status, I''m but a servant of the Li n, so I certainly have no right to look down on a free man like yourself. However, things are different in the outside world. The further you go and the longer you stay in the outside world, the more you''lle to understand this."


    "I haven''t thought that far ahead," Chen Ping''an admitted in a truthful manner.


    "Well, it''s time to start thinking about things like this," Zhu He chuckled.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    He had always been very appreciative of any kindness disyed toward him. As for those who had wronged him, he would remember what they had done if he couldn''t retaliate right away.


    There was still a long way for him to go, so there was plenty of time for retribution.


    ��������


    Under the canopy of the tree, Li Huai had just sold out his sister, and at this moment, he was standing before A''Liang in a confident manner as he dered, "A''Liang, I''ll get Chen Ping''an to make you a wine gourd at some point, and you can give that little gourd of yours to me. If we''re going to be a family, then I''m definitely going to treat you well. That gourd is clearly really old, and it''s not fitting for my brother-inw to own something so old and shoddy!"


    "You don''t know shit!" A''Liang scoffed with a mysterious expression. "This gourd is called a sword nurturing gourd, and it''s a rare treasure. It may not look like much, but it''s extremely precious! How many sisters do you have? There''s no way I''d be willing to hand over this gourd for just a single sister of yours!"


    It was very rare for A''Liang to stand up to him like this, so Li Huai was feeling a little uncertain about how to proceed. He took a longing nce at the little gourd, then reluctantly shifted his gaze away from it, looking up at A''Liang as he offered, "How about I get my parents to give birth to a few more daughters? We can discuss this further then, right?"


    A''Liang pped a hand to his forehead in exasperation.


    At the same time, he suddenly recalled his conversation with Chen Ping''an as they were making their way down the hill together. Chen Ping''an was severely underestimating himself byparing himself to Zhu He, and A''Liang heaved a forlorn sigh at this depressing thought, then picked up a branch before scribbling something down onto the ground.


    Li Huai took a closer look to find that A''Liang was inscribing a wobbly character on the ground, and his handwriting couldn''t evenpare with a child like him, let alone someone like Lin Shouyi, whose handwriting had received much praise from Mr. Qi.


    The longer Li Huai looked at A''Liang''s handwriting, the more embarrassed he felt on A''Liang''s behalf. He took one final nce at the silver gourd strapped to A''Liang''s waist with a conflicted look in his eyes, then dered, "A''Liang, in light of your hideous handwriting, I''ve decided that I no longer want you to be my brother-inw. My parents are both hoping that my sister will be able to marry a schr someday."


    A''Liang raised his head with a bewildered expression as he asked, "Is it really that bad?"


    Li Huai nodded firmly with a glum expression.


    If his sister dared to fight over food with him in the future, then he felt like he had a right to denounce her for being ungrateful. After all, he had just given up on a sword nurturing gourd for her sake!

 Chapter 93: (1): Theres a Character on the Wall

    Chapter 93: (1): There''s a Character on the Wall


    On a small hill that was less than 200 feet tall stood around two dozen people in a loose gathering. They were all in different attire, but the looks on their faces and in their eyes werepletely identical.


    A burly man was knelt down on one knee, carefully examining a pair of stiff corpses. He used his fingers to pry back the eyelid of one of the bodies, revealing an eyeball that resembled a piece of cracked porcin.


    The short woman, who had changed into cotton clothes worn by themon woman, slowly made her way up the hill, followed by Yang Hua and Xu Hunran.


    She refrained from approaching the two bodies, pinching her nose shut as she asked in a heavy nasal voice, "What happened here, Wang Yifu?"


    Wang Yifu heaved a faint sigh in response. "Both of them were killed by a single strike from a master de user. Their bodies arepletely unharmed, but their meridians have all been shattered, and their internal organs havepletely rotted away."


    A grim look appeared on the woman''s face as she mused, "How is it possible that two master martial artists of such a high caliber have appeared in our Great Li Empire without being detected? Song Changjing has always been responsible for supervising the border, and he''s always proimed that nothing gets by him. Why is it that he was unable to detect anything this time? Could it be that he intentionally let the perpetrators go?"


    Wang Yifu hesitated momentarily, then said, "Your Majesty, if I''m not mistaken, there is only a single perpetrator."


    The woman''s eyes immediately narrowed upon hearing this, giving her a rather menacing appearance. "What did you say?!"


    Wang Yifu pointed at the necks of the two bodies, and there was a thin red line visible on each of them. "This line runs continuously across the necks of the two deceased individuals, so it''s clear that both wounds were dealt by a single sh."


    The woman took a deep breath, trying to repress her fury and killing intent as much as possible as she sneered, "Since when did Wind Snow Temple be such an unrivaled sect? You''re telling me that a random martial artist from Wind Snow Temple was able to kill those two as easily as if he were killing a pair of chickens? Do you know who those two were, Wang Yifu? Xu Hunran, educate General Wang and teach him a good lesson!"


    An awkward look appeared on Xu Hunran''s face, but he had no choice but to do as he was told, and he exined, "One of those was a martial artist who recently reached the seventh tier and was adept in fist techniques and close-quartersbat, while the other was an eighth tier cultivator specializing in both flying swords and Daoist talismans.


    ��Over the past two decades, the two of them had undertaken six assassinations together, and they had never failed even once. In addition to that, both of them were A-list masters under Her Majesty''s Bamboo Leaf Pavilion."


    The woman was fuming, but she had been suppressing her rage this entire time, and she decided to vent her fury on Xu Hunran as she screeched, "Xu Hunran! Tell him their names! Even dead people still have names!"


    Xu Hunran hurriedly lowered his head in a submissive manner as she dered, "The name of the martial artist was Li Hou, while the name of the cultivator was Hu Yinglin. Both of them had served Her Majesty with their lives and made significant contributions to our Great Li Empire."


    The woman''s expression finally eased slightly, but a defeated look then quickly appeared on her face as she sighed, "That''s right, their names were Li Hou and Hu Yinglin. They were the ones who killed Ye Qing, the general defending the border of your Lu Empire. To think that they would perish on the soil of our Great Li Empire, as opposed to dying on the battlefield or in the territory of an enemy nation."


    Perhaps the woman realized that she had made a fool out of herself in front of Wang Yifu with herck ofposure, so she decided to get back at him as she scoffed, "Come to think of it, Ye Qing''s assassination was quite an amusing affair. In the beginning, we had thought that someone as important as Ye Qing would definitely have several powerful cultivators protecting him from the shadows.


    ��Hence, in order to get rid of him, I had no choice but to join forces with my uncle. To my surprise, the entire process was ridiculously simple. They infiltrated the border, snuck into Ye Qing''s camp, then killed him before making their escape, and the Lu Empire disyed no reaction at all!


    ��I had heard that Ye Qing had made enemies out of several immortal sects on the border, but surely that didn''t warrant him being ostracized in the imperial court to such an extreme extent! Didn''t the emperor of your Lu Empire always hold immortals in the highest regard? Why was it that in the end, only one immortal sect was willing to go down with your Lu Empire?"


    The woman was feeling much better after getting all of that off her chest. She didn''t mind suffering, as long as there was someone else with her suffering more than her, and simrly, in her eyes, a blessing may as well have been a curse if someone else with her received a greater blessing than her.


    This was the reason why she had been willing to entrust one of her children to Cui Chan rather than Qi Jingchun.


    At the very least, under Cui Chan, she was certain that her child wouldn''t grow up into a timid little coward who would constantly run crying to his parents.


    A hint of dejection shed through Wang Yifu''s eyes upon hearing this.


    General Ye Qing had been a pir of the nation and was loyal to a fault. He had defended the border of the Lu Empire for 30 years, withstanding three major assaults from the army of the Great Li Empire. There was one time many years ago when Song Changjing had almost perished in battle, and he had cursed Ye Qing countless times for being a stubborn old fart.


    However, following his death, just the subject of conferring a posthumous title to his name was one that was heatedly debated in the imperial court for 10 days, and ultimately, the posthumous title conferred to him was one that far understated his contributions to the empire. As a result, the 60,000-strong border armypletely lost faith in the empire and gradually fell apart.


    In the end, Song Changjing was able to crush the Lu Empire''s border army with ease, and the first thing that he did after storming into the territory of the Lu Empire was to go to Ye Qing''s grave to offer up some wine and incense.


    Following that event, the Great Li Empire''s ministry of rites attempted to impeach him for this gesture, but they were rebuked by a memorial submitted by Song Changjing to the emperor, one that contained only a single statement: "There are heroes outside of our Great Li Empire as well."


    Upon receiving this memorial, the emperor of the Great Li Empire had erupted intoughter and expressed his unreserved approval of this statement. He then remarked to the eunuch beside him that these were clearly words that came straight from Song Changjing''s heart, but he had definitely gotten someone else to write the memorial for him.


    The woman had been closely observing the changes in Wang Yifu''s expression this entire time, and even though she still couldn''t bepletely sure that he wouldn''t turn on her, this was still an encouraging sign in her eyes.


    If he wasn''t even disying normal emotions anymore, then that would be an indication that he was burying his emotions under an unshakeable resolve, and the only possible objective for him to direct this resolve toward would be to resurrect the Lu Empire.


    If that were the case, then he really did have a death wish.


    Wang Yifu was a martial artist who had only known battle his entire life, so it would be quite remarkable if he had the mental and tactical wherewithal to put on such a convincing act.


    However, even if he really were putting on an act, she had nothing to fear.


    A perplexed look appeared on Xu Hunran''s face, and he mused, "Her Majesty has already promised Master Ruan that she wouldn''t strike within the boundaries of Dragon Spring County, and we''ve also sent messages to Li Hou and Hu Yinglin, instructing them to proceed with caution and to hold off until they reach the border of the Great Li Empire.


    ��Surely there''s no way that Master Ruan would directly rebuke Her Majesty like this, and it seems even more unlikely that the martial artist from Wind Snow Temple would disregard both Master Ruan and Her Majesty''s wishes."


    "Have we still not uncovered the identity of the perpetrator?" Wang Yifu asked.


    Yang Hua shook her head in response. "Not yet. We can''t just go and ask Master Ruan, and we certainly can''t go to Wind Snow Temple to demand an answer, so all we can do is rely on our Great Li Empire''s intelligence organization to gather leads. Unfortunately, Her Majesty isn''t in a good position to be interfering with intelligence-rted affairs on the border..."


    Yang Hua''s voice trailed off here, and she didn''t speak any further on this matter as it concerned the hidden power struggles between those at the very top of the hierarchy in the Great Li Empire''s imperial court.


    "Is it possible that the servant of the Li n by the name of Zhu He has been hiding his true power this entire time?" Wang Yifu spected.


    "There''s no need to even consider him, he''s nothing more than a fifth tier martial artist," the woman scoffed. "Besides, there''s no way the Li n would dare to meddle in my affairs."


    "In that case, we''re in a rather difficult situation," Xu Hunran sighed.


    "Difficult? Not at all!" the woman dered with a bright smile. "I''ll return to the capital right away andin to His Majesty."


    In this case, the perpetrator had broken the rules of the Great Li Empire first, so the emperor would definitely be willing to stand up for her.


    ��������


    Now that Li Baoping had a brand new bookcase, she had to transfer everything in her basket into their new home. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping snuck away to a secluded spot far away from Li Huai and the others to go through their belongings, just to make sure that nothing was missing or damaged.


    Chen Ping''an also removed the basket from his back, and inside it was an old sword crafted from locust wood, which he spected was something that Mr. Qi had bestowed upon him.


    Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping were both of the opinion that Mr. Qi was responsible for the jade hairpin that had inexplicably appeared in Chen Ping''an''s hair, so by extension, the wooden sword had to have been from him as well.


    During the day, Chen Ping''an would keep the wooden sword in his basket, and onlyte at night, when there was no one else around, would he pull it out and ce it across his knees. Whenever he did this, his heart would always be filled with a sense of peace and serenity.


    Among Chen Ping''an''s collection of snake gall pebbles was a yellow pebble, within which were a series of veins that would glow a beautiful golden color under the light of the sun.


    The other 12 small snake gall pebbles had already lost their former bright and vibrant coloration, but all of them had a very fine and smooth texture, indicating that they were no ordinary pebbles.


    Li Baoping loved these little pebbles with all her heart, and she was holding the yellow one on the center of her palm as she said, "Make sure you never sell this pebble, Junior Uncle. As for the other 12 pebbles, if you''re going to sell them, be sure to find a buyer who appreciates their true value. Otherwise, we won''t be able to sell them for anywhere near what they''re worth."


    "Of course," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    There was also a rectangr chunk of ck stone that was around a foot in length in the basket, and it looked a lot like Dragon ying tform, but Chen Ping''an couldn''t be sure whether it was actually Dragon ying tform or not.


    He recalled that Ning Yao had once told him that in order to split a piece of Dragon ying tform to craft the best whetstone under the heavens, not only were the services of a sword immortal required, a very valuable weapon also had to be sacrificed.


    Of course, in the eyes of the current Chen Ping''an, any powerful or precious weapon or item could be considered valuable, just like how in Ning Yao''s eyes, thebat prowess of all of her opponents could be measured by how many Chen Ping''ans they equated to.


    Chen Ping''an knew that this definitely wasn''t something that Master Ruan had given him, so was it Mr. Qi who had bestowed both the wooden sword and the whetstone upon him, or was this attributable to some mystical ability unleashed by that ethereal woman in white? Alternatively, could it have been something left to him by Ruan Xiu?


    Chen Ping''an was beginning to develop a headache as he mulled over this matter.


    Ruan Xiu had left one gold ingot, two silver ingots, and a pouch of normal copper coins in Li Baoping''s basket. One time, Li Baoping unintentionally opened her money pouch, and only then did Chen Ping''an discover, much to his surprise, that there was a gold essence copper coin mixed in with the normal copper coins inside.


    This Good Fortune Coin had definitely been slipped into the pouch by Ruan Xiu in secret.


    At the time, Chen Ping''an had been so startled that he had immediately begun sweating profusely. If he had failed to notice the gold essence copper coin, only to spend it as an ordinary copper coin... Just the mere thought of such an egregious waste of a gold essence copper coin struck him with the urge to p himself.


    Chen Ping''an organized every single one of their belongings in a neat and appropriate fashion, much like a woman who was ustomed to nning and saving meticulously organizing a small home.


    Whenever Li Baoping saw this, she would be struck by the urge to smile, and she couldn''t help but be impressed by how well-organized Chen Ping''an was.


    At the same time, she would wonder to herself just how exceptional a woman would have to be in order to be worthy of bing Chen Ping''an''s future spouse.


    She felt like it was a near-impossible task to find such a woman, and that left her feeling a little dejected.


    Right at this moment, Li Huai snuck over to the two of them. Upon being spotted by Li Baoping, he took a nce at the little bookcase beside her, then said to Chen Ping''an, "Chen Ping''an, I''ll call you junior uncle as well if you make me a bookcase even bigger and better looking than Li Baoping''s. What do you say?"


    Chen Ping''an merely took a nce at him and didn''t say anything.


    Li Huai was rather unsettled by thisck of response, and he decided to make apromise. "Alright, then make me a bookcase the same size as Li Baoping''s. Surely that''s not too much to ask."


    As Chen Ping''an was looking at Li Huai, he noticed that Li Huai''s boots were so old and tattered that his toes were poking through, so he offered, "I''ll make you a couple of pairs of straw sandals."


    Li Huai was furious to hear this, and he yelled, "I don''t want your crappy straw sandals, I want a bookcase! A bookcase for holding books written by wise sages! I am also a disciple of Mr. Qi''s!"


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. "Go away!"


    Li Huai was stunned into silence, and he began to carefully examine Chen Ping''an''s expression. The two of them looked back at one another for a while, and Li Huai suddenly became a little afraid. In a rare disy of restraint, Li Huai raised no verbal retaliation.


    Instead, he sheepishly departed, but after taking only a few steps, he turned around again, having regained his conviction, and he dered, "Don''t forget to make those straw sandals for me! I want two pairs so I can alternate between them."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Following Li Huai''s departure, Li Baoping turned to Chen Ping''an with admiration in her eyes as she said, "That was awesome, Junior Uncle! Li Huai doesn''t listen to anyone, even I can only beat him into submission. No one can beat him in an argument, and even when Mr. Qi used to preach to him, he never really listened."


    Chen Ping''an patted Li Baoping on the head, then hoisted his basket onto his back as he said, "It''s time to set off. In a couple more days, we should reach the official road of the Great Li Empire."


    Li Baoping did as she was told, putting her little bookcase on her back.


    As they resumed their journey, A''Liang was constantly having to suppress the urge to criticize Li Baoping''s fashion choices. He really wanted to tell Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping that if it weren''t for the fact that Li Baoping was so adorable that she could wear anything and still look good, the colorbination of her red jacket and her green bookcase would be enough to have bystanders rolling withughter.


    All of a sudden, Li Baoping remarked, "Now that I think about it, Li Huai kind of resembles that snotty brat that used to live on y Vase Alley with you."


    Chen Ping''an faltered slightly upon hearing this, and it seemed that he had neverpared the two children. After carefully considering this notion for a moment, he shook his head as he replied, "They''re not that simr. You''ll understand what I mean if you ever get a chance to meet Gu Can at some point."


    Li Baoping merely nodded in response and quickly forgot about the subject altogether. This was just a passing thought for her anyway, and her mind quickly wandered to envisioning what the official road of the Great Li Empire was like.


    Initially, Chen Ping''an had actually shared Li Baoping''s opinion in thinking that Li Huai and Gu Can were quite simr. However, the more he interacted with the two children, the more he came to realize that they weren''t very much alike at all.


    Li Huai and Gu Can appeared to have simr personalities, with both of them having extremely sharp tongues that could leave one fuming with anger. However, in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, they were quite different. On the surface, both of them came from impoverished upbringings, and it seemed that nothing ever got to either of them.


    Gu Can always appeared to be quite sneaky with his eyes constantly darting around, but he had developed intelligence and wisdom beyond his years more so as a self-protective mechanism. In contrast, Li Huai was purely a nasty little hedgehog that reveled in poking everyone he could with his sharp spikes.


    This was because both of his parents were still alive, and he also had an older sister, so his personality wasn''t all thatplex. In addition to that, he had gone to school, and his ssmates were all children slightly older than him, so overall, he hadn''t had to endure much hardship.


    The same didn''t apply to Gu Can. He had been raised by his mother from birth, but it had to be said that his mother hadn''t done the best of jobs at times, resulting in Gu Can enduring much more hardships than the average child. Chen Ping''an once saw a drunkard stumbling out of y Vase Alley while mumbling profanities, and he just so happened to run into Gu Can, who was on his way home after ying outside.


    The drunkard made his way over to Gu Can, then gave him a vicious kick to the stomach for no reason. After Gu Can fell to the ground, he stomped on the boy''s head for good measure. All Gu Can could do was clutch at his own stomach as he curled up into a ball against the foot of the wall, unable to even cry out.


    Thankfully, Chen Ping''an just so happened to see what was happening, and he immediately rushed over before sending the drunkard stumbling back with a punch, then hurriedly hoisted Gu Can onto his back and rushed him to the Yang Family''s medicine shop. Otherwise, who knew what would''ve happened to the poor child?


    As a result of his difficult upbringing, Gu Can was particrly spiteful and prone to holding grudges. He always kept a mental record of everyone who had wronged him, such as which bitter shrew had once verbally abused his mother, or which shameless man had run their mouths to hit on his mother.

 Chapter 94: A Feast for the Eyes

    Chapter 94: A Feast for the Eyes


    A total of seven wells had been dug at the cksmith shop, providing sweet and refreshing water.


    It was said that Master Ruan, who had lived on Dragon Riding Alley for a while, was an immortal swordsmith, and even the imperial court held him in very high regard. The officials from the ministry of rites and Governor Wu had gone to visit him in person, so it was all but confirmed that Master Ruan was indeed an extremely important figure.


    Many people wanted to send their children to the cksmith shop to work, but unfortunately, the cksmith shop was no longer hiring. However, there was one time when Master Ruan had gone into the town to buy wine, and he had chosen two children to be apprentices of his. The next day, the wine shop was absolutely packed to the rafters, with parents and guardians dragging their children along.


    The problem was that no one was there to buy wine, and everyone was waiting for Master Ruan to show up in the hope that their children would catch his eye. However, the children didn''t care about all of that. They were merely excited to be out of the house, and all of them were ying to their hearts'' content, causing a massivemotion.


    Prior to the arrival of Governor Wu Yuan, the residents of the town had been aware that they were citizens of the Great Li Empire, and that the dragon kilns were being used to produce imperial ware for the Great Li Empire''s imperial family, but that was the extent of their knowledge.


    There were very few peopleing in and out of the town, and there were virtually no cases of the town''s residents leaving the town to visit extended family, seek out education, or marry to other ces. Thus, there was no exchange of information with the outside world, and the only people in the four surnames and ten ns aware of what the outside world was like didn''t dare to reveal these secrets to anyone else.


    Only the fortunate children who had their bonded porcin chosen were granted the opportunity to go and see the outside world, and prior to the copse of Jewel Small World, it was impossible for anyone who left the town to return home as that was the rule stipted by the four Sages many years ago.


    ording to the announcement posters put up by the county office and the exnations provided by those who knew how to read, the mountains of Dragon Spring County had previously been too precarious to traverse safely.


    The imperial court had gone to great lengths to establish roads through those mountains, and in order to aplish this objective, it had to gift those mountains to certain important figures who were drawn to the county for its natural resources. At the same time, a group of people led by the officials of the county office began to inform the county''s residents of various rules, as well as how they should coexist with outsiders.


    For example, it was prohibited to point at outsiders for no good reason, children were not allowed to run into pedestrians on the streets, and it was strictly prohibited to touch the steeds of outsiders without permission.


    If any altercation were to arise, then those involved had to report the matter to the county office. They were not to not make decisions on such matters on their own, and instead, it had to be left to the officials of the county office to pass judgment in these cases.


    The four surnames and ten ns weren''t overly enthusiastic about these changes, nor did they do what they could to help the county office carry out its work. Instead, they merely passively observed, and as for whether they were waiting to see those at the county office make a fool out of themselves, the answer to that question was quite apparent to Wu Yuan and those sly old foxes.


    Ruan Xiu had grown up her entire life in Wind Snow Temple, so the massive changes sweeping through the town didn''t have much of an impact on her, nor did she really care.


    She had been in a foul mood ever since she had encountered that short woman.


    Not only had that woman barged into Chen Ping''an''s residence without permission, she had broken the copper locks on the yard gate and the front door as well. While Ruan Xiu was visiting the residence to do some cleaning, she just so happened to run into the people who were changing the locks, and she had stormed over to them in a fit of fury and demanded that they tell her what had happened.


    Those people seemed to have been aware of her identity, and they immediately apologized, treating her with the utmost respect, but whenever she asked them who the main culprit behind all of this was, they would y dumb and insist that they also had no idea who was behind this.


    In the end, Ruan Xiu could only demand that they hand over the old locks, as well as keys to the new locks, before returning to the cksmith shop, only to run into that shameless woman, who had tantly lied to her face, telling her that she had broken the locks by ident.


    Ruan Xiu had also followed through on her agreement with Chen Ping''an and hired some people to repair that uninhabited and dpidated house on y Vase Alley. There was a huge hole in the roof, and the wooden beams were severely rotten and decayed, while the red paint was beginning to peel away.


    Ruan Xiu had instructed the tilers she had hired to do a meticulous job and to be thorough while carrying out the repairs. However, even after that, she still didn''t trust them to do a good job, so she stayed behind for a long time to supervise their work.


    There was also the matter of the pastry shop and the Burclover shop, both of which now belonged to Chen Ping''an. Most of the old employees of the two shops had already left, so she was forced to hire more. She didn''t dare to choose any of the sly and cunning candidates, so she asked people from the cksmith shop to rmend some honest and hard-working women to help her look after the shops.


    The pastry shop continued to sell various types of cakes and snacks, while the Burclover shop continued to sell misceneous items, including things like antiques, ornaments, artworks, old artifacts, and just about everything else.


    Whenever Ruan Xiu wasn''t busy at the cksmith shop, she would be resting on the counter of one of the shops with an absentminded expression, and it was often the case that entire days would go by for her like this.


    She wasn''t required to bring in customers, and she wasn''t good at bartering, either. Both of these shops belonged to Chen Ping''an, so if she could have her way, then she would sell every single piece of pastry for the astronomical price of several taels of silver each. However, deep down, she was still a pure and kind-hearted girl, so her conscience didn''t allow her to do something like that.


    At the moment, she was wondering if she should hire a few employees who were more observant and cunning and could help generate more revenue for the shops. However, at the same time, she was worried that upon his return, Chen Ping''an would dislike employees with such personalities as he wasn''t that type of person.


    There were so many things for her to think about that she had even stopped snacking on the pastries that she so loved, and as a result, her slightly round chin was beginning to be rather pointed, much like the tip of a lotus bud, presenting a captivating sight to behold.


    Ruan Qiong had proposed on several asions that if she were bored in the town, then she could go and pay a visit to Divine Elegance Mountain and Gant Spear Mountain to appreciate the natural scenery there. However, she was never too keen on the idea and was always making up one excuse or another, so after a while, Ruan Qiong no longer made this suggestion to her.


    Funnily enough, the more she whiled away her days in a daze like this, the more energetic and focused she would feel while forging swords. As a result, her cultivation base was advancing rapidly, and that quelled all of Ruan Qiong''s concerns. Seeing as this was beneficial to her cultivation, he naturally wasn''t going to intervene.


    For the average person, they could already be long dead, and even their children and grandchildren would''ve already been old men and women, yet someone of the same age who had progressed far down the path of cultivation would still appear as youthful as ever.


    During these past couple of days, she had been feeling particrly frustrated because someone had beening to bother her whenever she went to the shops for some alone time.


    It was a young man with a long red flute strapped to his waist. He was always well dressed, wearing a golden crown on his head, and there was an air of haughtiness about everything that he did. However, she didn''t remember what he looked like. Alternatively, it could be said that she had never bothered to take a proper look at him.


    Ever since Ruan Xiu could remember, she had encountered far too many people like this. Not only was her father a powerful cultivator of Wind Snow Temple, he was also the best swordsmith on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, so there was never a shortage of people trying to suck up to her.


    However, after arriving in the town, Ruan Qiong had informed her that he had made an agreement with the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, prohibiting them from dering to the outside world that he was living in the town and using his reputation for their own benefit.


    If Ruan Qiong were to catch them breaking this agreement, then he would be willing to negotiate with the imperial court, but he couldn''t guarantee what the oue of the negotiation was going to be. That disy of intimidation that Ruan Qiong had put on by killing those cultivators following the fall of Jewel Small World had truly terrified all of the other nearby cultivators, and through that incident, the Great Li Empire''s imperial court and immortal sects even further away had developed an understanding of Ruan Qiong''s personality.


    No one wanted to risk their life just to try and reason with Ruan Qiong, and anyone who dared to do that would either be justifiably killed in Ruan Qiong''s territory, or dragged into Ruan Qiong''s territory so that he could justifiably kill them.


    It was obvious to the small handful of the most powerful figures in the Great Li Empire that Ruan Qiong''s true reverse scale was none other than his prodigiously talented daughter, Ruan Xiu. [1] If it weren''t for Ruan Xiu, Ruan Qiong definitely wouldn''t have left Wind Snow Temple and taken over Jewel Small World from Qi Jingchun.


    At the time, no one regarded overseeing this small world as a desirable post. Inside the small world, one''s cultivation base would be constantly suppressed by the Heavenly Dao, and the best oue one could hope for was to maintain their cultivation and prevent their body from decaying.


    Of course, Qi Jingchun was an exception to this rule, much to the astonishment of everyone.


    Given how important Ruan Xiu was to Ruan Qiong, the Great Li Empire had agreed to help him keep Ruan Xiu''s identity a secret in order to keep her out of harm''s way.


    During a casual visit to the Burclover shop on Dragon Riding Alley, the aforementioned young man had spotted Ruan Xiu, and he had instantly beenpletely enraptured by her beauty. In his mind, she was but a young woman working in this shop, so there was no way that she was someone of a lofty status.


    Thus, given his good looks, refined mannerisms, and privileged background, it would surely be love at first sight for her. He could already envision her begging him to be his personal maidservant, just so she could remain by his side.


    However, he had been assigned the task of purchasing mountains here by his n, and this town was filled with important and powerful figures that he couldn''t afford to mess with. Setting aside the short-tempered Ruan Qiong, there were also officials from the Great Li Empire''s ministry of rites and ministry of astronomy, and apparently, even the governor was a prized disciple of the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor.


    Hence, his father had told him that he had to keep a low profile after arriving in the town, and that if he were to get himself into trouble, then his n wouldn''t step in even if he were to end up dead. Hence, he certainly didn''t dare to do whatever he pleased as he could back in the territory under his n''s jurisdiction. Besides, even though he was well-versed in abducting women that caught his fancy, he much preferred having a woman be with him of her own volition.


    Never would he have guessed in 1,000 years that thiszy young woman who was constantly resting on the counter in a daze would be Ruan Qiong''s daughter.


    On this day, he visited the Burclover shop once again, picking out something that caught his eye among the shelves full of misceneous items, then pretended to barter with one of the female employees working in the shop. He then called out to Ruan Xiu, as if he were just extending a casual greeting.


    As he did so, he gently raised the ornamental rock in his hand, which he had taken a liking to, and the asking price was 30 taels of silver. He asked Ruan Xiu if she could sell the ornamental rock to him at a discount as the price of 30 taels of silver was too expensive for him.


    In reality, even 30 taels of gold weren''t worth much in his eyes.


    Ruan Xiu didn''t even bother to raise her head as she gave a negative response.


    The young man shrugged as he put on a casual and carefree facade, then dered that he was going to purchase the ornamental rock anyway. He then picked out two more items before asking Ruan Xiu if she could give him a discount, seeing as he was purchasing multiple items.


    Furthermore, he added that he was going to be living in the town for quite some time, so he was definitely going to be a frequent customer of the shop. The more he spoke, the more annoyed Ruan Xiu became, and she continued to rest her head on the counter as she replied in an indifferent voice, "If you want something, then shut up and buy it. You can buy whatever you want as long as you pay the marked price."


    Instead of being infuriated by her rude response, the young man was quite intrigued. In his eyes, Ruan Xiu was like a hot-tempered stallion waiting to be tamed.


    Not only was he not angry, Ruan Xiu''s indifference had ignited a desire for conquest in his heart. The purchase of the mountains was already a done deal, and he had onlye to the town as a formality to seal the deal for his wealthy n, so why not seek out some fun while he was here? Thus, he instructed the female employee to wrap up the three items that he had purchased, and prior to his departure, he smiled as he said, "I''ll be back tomorrow, fair maiden."


    Ruan Xiu finally raised his head to look at him for the first time as she dered, "Don''te back again."


    The young man turned to look at Ruan Xiu with an intrigued expression, and the more he looked at her, the more he developed a liking for her. The women who were always wearing heavy make-up back home couldn''t even begin topare with her beauty.


    A faint smile appeared on his face as he asked, "Why?"


    Ruan Xiu replied with a calm expression, "This shop is being run by my... my friend, so I get to decide which customers are allowed toe in and which customers are too much of an eyesore to be granted entry."


    The young man''s smile widened even further as he pointed at himself and asked, "I''m an eyesore? How so?"


    Ruan Xiu rested her head down onto the counter again as she waved a dismissive hand. "Go away, I don''t want to talk to someone like you."


    Outside the shop stood a tall and muscr man who was ring coldly at Ruan Xiu with displeasure and disdain etched all over his face.


    The young man smiled as he made a calming hand gesture toward the servant, indicating for him to exercise some restraint so that he didn''t intimidate Ruan Xiu. After paying for the three items, he strode over the entrance of the shop, then turned around again as he said, "See you tomorrow."


    Ruan Xiu heaved a faint sigh, then rose to her feet and emerged from behind the counter, facing the young man as she said, "Here''s a piece of advice: listen to what people say in the future."


    The young man''s gaze roamed over Ruan Xiu''s stunning figure, and he felt truly blessed to havee across such a delectable target.


    As for what Ruan Xiu had just said, he had naturally heard her, but he wasn''t taking her seriously.


    All of a sudden, the burly servant''s entire body tensed up, and his skin began to crawl as every single fiber of his being screamed to him that there was danger afoot. However, before he had a chance to do anything, he saw Ruan Xiu and his young master hurtling together toward the wall on the other side of Dragon Riding Alley.


    He watched as Ruan Xiu held onto his young master by the forehead, then mmed him into the wall with such tremendous force that his head and his back werepletely embedded into the wall.


    The young man instantly lost consciousness as blood began to flow out of all of his orifices, and countless cracks had been smashed into the wall behind him.


    Ruan Xiu rolled her eyes at the unconscious young man, then re-emphasized, "This is why you have to listen to people, understood? It seems like you''re still not listening."


    Ruan Xiu raised a foot before delivering a vicious kick, and the young man''s entire body caved in along with the wall behind him, presenting a horrific sight to behold.


    Ruan Xiu withdrew her leg, then turned and made her way back to the shop.


    The burly servant didn''t even dare to move a single inch, and she said to him, "Get him out of here, and make sure to repair that wall."


    The servant was a fifth tier martial artist, yet he didn''t even dare to talk back to Ruan Xiu.


    On the surface, he was the young master''s personal bodyguard, but the true pir of the n was a guest elder from outside the n. However, just like the representatives of all of the other powers, the guest elder in question had gone into the mountains to suck up to right-hand minister of the ministry of rites and the chief fengshui master of the ministry of astronomy, both to get closer to the Great Li Empire''s imperial court, as well as to examine the pair of mountains purchased by the n as a formality.


    It wasn''t the case that fifth tier martial artists were small fry that could be picked on by anyone. Instead, Ruan Xiu was simply far too fearsome.


    His young master was already a fourth tier cultivator, and he couldn''tpare with the truly prodigious prodigies of those immortal ns, but as long as he could reach the fifth tier, he would''ve earned himself the right to rule over his own territory.


    After all, in the Great Li Empire, where martial artists were extremelymonce, cultivators were far more revered, and those two mountains had been purchased to serve as the starting point of the young man''s future empire.


    The fifth tier martial artist was about to dere what n he came from to intimidate Ruan Xiu, but the situation was too urgent for him to waste time doing so, and he hurriedly rushed over to the wall across the alley. Momentster, he swung around with a furious expression and roared, "You little bitch! You''ve destroyed our young master''s cultivation foundation!"


    At this point, Ruan Xiu had already made her way into the shop, and she didn''t even bother to turn around as she replied, "I know. I intentionally kept him alive so he could suffer."


    The martial artist felt as if he were about to go insane, and he couldn''t help but wonder if he were dealing with a deranged woman.


    Ruan Xiu smiled as she continued, "You insulted me just now, but I''m not going to retaliate against you because I''m going to target your n instead. Given how ns like yours like to do things, I presume you''ll be sending people to avenge him. You can go and tell his seniors or friends about what happened and get them toe to me.


    ��Rest assured, I''m not going anywhere, I''ll be waiting for you right here. However, let me make this clear: if you don''t send anyone toe after me, nor is there anyone from your n thates to issue an apology, then I''ll be taking matters into my own hands. Don''t expect this to just blow over like nothing happened."


    After a moment of contemtion, Ruan Xiu continued, "If your patriarch or whoever else you call upon can defeat me, then I''ll have to turn to my father. He''s the only family that I have left, so I have no other choice."


    All of a sudden, an inexplicable sense of joy welled up in her heart, and she pursed her lips to suppress her smile.


    It had just urred to her that in addition to her father, she now also had a close friend, and he was none other than the owner of this shop.


    The martial artist stared with a stunned expression at the peculiar smile on Ruan Xiu''s face, and at this point, he was convinced that she waspletely deranged.


    His top priority right now was to preserve his young master''s cultivation base as much as possible, so he didn''t dare to dy. He hurriedly ced his young master onto his back, then rushed out of Dragon Riding Alley as quickly as he could.


    The fact that he was serving as the personal bodyguard of such an important figure in the n indicated that he had to possess some measure of intelligence, and after opening up some distance between himself and Dragon Riding Alley, he immediately roared, "My young masteres from the Chu n of Prosperous City! Our n is an esteemed guest of your Great Li Empire, and our patriarch is the deputy sect leader of Rattle Mountain!"


    However, his deration was met with no response whatsoever, and his heart immediately sank.


    The spies of the Great Li Empire lurking in the shadows had chosen not to do anything!


    This didn''t make any sense!


    The martial artist was fleeing like a wounded dog, and he couldn''t help but wonder if his young master had inadvertently picked on someone that he couldn''t afford to mess with. However, their patriarch had informed them that aside from Ruan Qiong and the officials of the Great Li Empire stationed in the county, there was no one else that they had to worry about, so why was it that a random young woman working in an ordinary shop had turned out to be such an astonishingly formidable martial artist?


    In the distance, a young man was seated atop a concealed wall with his chin resting on his hand, and he yawned before sneering to himself, "Do you really think our Great Li Empire is afraid of your Chu n?"


    He then withdrew his gaze before turning to the Burclover shop, where Ruan Xiu was no longer behind the counter, and he chuckled, "As expected of the most ''easygoing'' woman in all of Wind Snow Temple."


    His smile then quickly faded as he continued to survey his surroundings. At the first sign of any unrest, he had the jurisdictive power to summon all of the nearby spies of the Great Li Empire to hunt down any target that he stipted, regardless of the identity of the target and the consequences that would be incurred.


    At the same time, he knew that this wasn''t going to be the end of this matter. At the very least, Ruan Qiong was definitely going to hear about this, and perhaps even the emperor would be forced to intervene as the Chu n of Prosperous City could make a big fuss over this incident, thereby pressuring the Great Li Empire to stand up for them.


    At the moment, the Great Li Empire was at the height of its powers, so it didn''t fear anything, but it regarded criticisms raised by schrs very seriously. Both the former emperor and the incumbent emperor were very tolerant of schrs and treated them with great generosity.


    The female employees in the shop were all so terrified that they barely even dared to breathe. Normally, Ruan Xiu was a very amicable and pleasant young woman, and they had never imagined that she would be capable of something like this.


    Meanwhile, Ruan Xiu continued to rest on the counter in a daze.


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to her, and she pulled a little pebble out of a drawer, then ced it onto the counter. She then rested her cheek on the counter before ying with the pebble with her finger, watching it roll back and forth.


    The sight of the gorgeous young woman was truly a feast for the eyes.


    1. A reverse scale is said to be a certain scale on a dragon that cannot be touched. Otherwise, the dragon will fly into a murderous rage, and the term is used as an analogy to describe something extremely important and untouchable to someone. ?

 Chapter 95: Too Small a Place

    Chapter 95: Too Small a ce


    In the southwestern region of Dragon Spring County, the terrain of Downtrodden Mountain was uniquepared to all other mountains in the area, making it particrly eye-catching.


    A group of people arrived on the border of Dragon Spring County, then descended onto the ground in ordance with the rulesid out by Ruan Qiong, continuing their journey on foot rather than remaining in flight.


    They were going to enter the mountains to inspect Dragonspine Mountain, the mountain that wasden with Dragon ying tform. That was going to be thergest whetstone on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, even if it were split up into three parts.


    For this group of cultivators, traversing the mountain terrain on foot was not an arduous task. After all, the Militarian cultivators of Wind Snow Temple had always ced heavy emphasis on physical refinement, and this was a form of cultivation in itself as it trained both the body and the mind.


    Upon spotting Ruan Qiong in the distance, the four of them immediately sped up, then cupped their fists in a collective salute toward him. Ruan Qiong wasn''t very high up in Wind Snow Temple hierarchy when it came to seniority, but he had a fantastic reputation. After establishing his sword forge, which was renowned across the entire continent, he had forged around a dozen swords for his fellow sect members, making many friends in the process.


    However, there was one particr incident that had earned Ruan Qiong the approval of all six branches of Wind Snow Temple. In the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was a powerful empire known as the Water Talisman Empire, and Great Mo Vi was one of the top immortal sects in that empire.


    There was a prodigiously talented young patriarch of the vi who had just made a breakthrough to be a terrestrial sword immortal at the time, and he was in need of a good sword. He had heard about Ruan Qiong''s exceptional sword-forging expertise, and he had paid a visit to Wind Snow Temple''s Green Water Pond in person to request a sword.


    However, at the time, Ruan Qiong had already agreed to forge a sword for a junior sect member, and that was going to take him several years. No matter what the arrogant sword immortal said, Ruan Qiong refused to budge, insisting that he had to get in line for a sword like everyone else.


    He dered that he was willing to forge a sword for Great Mo Vi free of charge, but only after he was done with the sword that he was working on. The young sword immortal felt very insulted by this refusal, and heshed out in a fit of rage. At the time, Ruan Qiong had only been a ninth tier cultivator, but even after sustaining severe injuries, he refused to fold, forging a resounding reputation for himself through that battle.


    Ultimately, Great Mo Vi had to pay an immeasurably heavy price for this incident. Not only was that terrestrial sword immortal detained in Wind Snow Temple to be punished for 50 years, in the short span of just six years, each of Wind Snow Temple''s six branches had sent a representative to challenge Great Mo Vi.


    Great Mo Vi was once the undisputed number one sect of the Water Talisman Empire, but following the brutal beatdowns delivered by Wind Snow Temple, it had dropped all the way to a bottom-dwelling second-rate sect, and it was still yet to recover to this day.


    Ruan Qiong smiled as he cupped his fist and returned the salute. There were noplex formalities that had to be abided by in Wind Snow Temple, and a simple salute was all that was required in the form of a greeting, even when a low-ranking sect member was meeting the unfathomably powerful patriarchs of the sect.


    Ruan Qiong informed them of some matters rted to Dragonspine Mountain, as well as a brief rundown of the official assignments made by the Great Li Empire to Dragon Spring County. He then casually asked, "Did Wei Jin of the Divine tform make this trip up north with you?"


    An old man in a white robe with a sword on his back smiled and replied, "On the way here, we received a message via flying sword from the sect, informing us that Uncle Wei had indeed set off up north, but he didn''t travel with us.


    ��Uncle Wei was only willing to make the trip as he had heard that Celestial Maiden He was going to visit Jewel Small World as the representative of the Daoist sects. Barring any mishaps, he''s most likely already met up with Celestial Maiden He on her way back down south."


    "Have any of you met Wei Jin before?" Ruan Qiong asked.


    The four of them all shook their heads in response. "None of us have ever seen him before."


    "Why do you ask, Master Ruan? Has something happened?" the old man in white asked.


    Ruan Qiong smiled as he waved a dismissive hand in response. "I''m just curious. If I recall correctly, Wei Jin is barely 40 years old, yet he''s already stabilized his cultivation base at the 10th tier. The Divine tform needs someone like him to stand up and carry the lineage of Patriarch Liu."


    The group of five made their way along the quiet mountain path together. Among the four visitors from Wind Snow Temple, the old man in white was ranked highest in seniority, and the other three had to refer to Wei Jin as granduncle. As the leader of the group, the old man was walking along beside Ruan Qiong.


    Out of Wind Snow Temple''s six branches, the Divine tform branch had the fewest members, and the situation was so dire that there was almost only a single heir for each generation. However, at the same time, it was also the branch that had made the biggest contributions to Wind Snow Temple over the past 300 years.


    The Green Water Pond that Ruan Qiong had once been a member of and the Great Smander Gully that the old man in white owed his allegiance to both harbored genuine goodwill toward the Divine tform branch.


    The six branches of Wind Snow Temple all had some degree of conflict with one another, but the Divine tform branch was renowned for upholding traditions, and if it weren''t topletely disappear, then that was bound to have a detrimental effect on all of the other branches.


    The old man stroked his beard and smiled in response. "Uncle Wei is an exceptional talent, and even though he always likes to keep to himself, he''s forged a resounding reputation for himself across the continent. Perhaps the next time we see him, he''ll have already be the youngest cultivator on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to reach the Upper Five Tiers."


    "The brighter the star, the more attention it''ll attract," Ruan Qiong cautioned. "An exceptional talent like him needs to be particrly careful."


    The old man turned to look at Ruan Qiong, and upon seeing the solemn look on Ruan Qiong''s face, he immediately understood his concerns. "Upon my return to Wind Snow Temple, I''ll raise a proposal to the sect leader to summon Uncle Wei back to the sect. Regardless of what his ns are, it would be best for Uncle Wei to wait until he reaches the Upper Five Tiers before going out into the world on his own."


    Ruan Qiong nodded in response. "That is the right approach to take. Having wandered the continent for so many years, Wei Jin will have definitely seen just how sinister people can be, so I''m sure he''ll appreciate the sect''s good intentions."


    The old man opened his mouth to say something, but remained silent in the end.


    Ruan Qiong shook his head as he said, "If Wei Jin is ultimately unwilling to return to Wind Snow Temple to cultivate, then that will be up to him."


    All of a sudden, Ruan Qiong turned his gaze toward the town, and he cupped his fist in a parting salute as he dered, "Looks like Xiuxiu has run into some trouble. I have to go take a look, so this is where we''ll part ways for now."


    The old man raised an eyebrow, and killing intent began to emanate from his body as he said, "Master Ruan, if you don''t want to get your hands dirty, then just leave it to me. Who would dare to pick on Xiuxiu? Do they have a death wish?!"


    "Don''t worry, it''s not a big deal," Ruan Qiong replied with a reassuring smile, then sprang up into the air and vanished in an instant.


    Meanwhile, the other three cultivators from Wind Snow Temple were rather taken aback by how fond of Ruan Xiu the old man seemed to be. During the past dozen or so years, the old man had been traveling the world, so he was absent from the sect and wasn''t all that familiar with Ruan Xiu.


    In fact, he was far more familiar with the other three cultivators than he was with Ruan Xiu. In contrast, Patriarch Qin of the Great Smander Gully had taken a liking to her very early on.


    The old swordsman wore a tranquil expression as he slowly continued onward, and something that Patriarch Qin had said to him in private sprang into his mind: "Wind Snow Temple is too small a ce for Ruan Xiu to realize her full potential."


    Meanwhile, Ruan Qiong made his way into the Burclover shop, and after a brief hesitation, he decided to refrain from speaking to his daughter in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The female employees in the shop had only learned some simple phrases in the official dialect so that they couldmunicate with customers, but there was still a chance that one of them could overhear and understand what he said to his daughter.


    With that in mind, Ruan Qiong gently tapped the counter with his finger, and Ruan Xiu raised her head with a puzzled expression as she asked, "What are you doing here, Father? Weren''t you working in the forge today?"


    "Come out for a bit, I need to speak to you," Ruan Qiong said in a gentle voice.


    The two of them left the shop, then made their way down the sparsely frequented Dragon Riding Alley. Following Ruan Qiong''s arrival, all of the nearby spies of the Great Li Empire had retreated as a silent gesture of respect toward the esteemed Sage.


    Ruan Qiong was quite pleased to see this. As the saying went, the devil was always in the details, and this meticulous attention to detail was one of the reasons why the Great Li Empire had been able toe so far.


    Ruan Xiu was a little annoyed as she asked, "Did the Chu n from Prosperous City go toin to you? Let me make this clear: I gave him multiple warnings before I attacked him."


    Ruan Qiong smiled as he replied, "The Chu n wouldn''t dare to bother me with such a stupidint. In fact, I''m guessing that they''ll be sending someone bearing presents to issue an apology to me soon."


    Ruan Xiu murmured in a disdainful voice, "Just the sight of that bastard was making my stomach turn! He''s just like that filthy woman! Both of them areden with bad karma. If someone like him were to reach the Middle Five Tiers, he would ruin countless people''s lives! If I wasn''t worried about causing trouble for you, I would''ve killed him right there and then so that he wouldn''t be able to spread any more filth to the world!"


    Ruan Qiong took a deep breath, and sweat began to bead up on his forehead. Thankfully, he had released his aura just now to epass the entirety of Dragon Riding Alley so that no one would be able to eavesdrop on their conversation. Otherwise, if what Ruan Xiu had just said were to reach the ears of the wrong people, then the consequences would''ve been catastrophic.


    There were countless cultivating ns and sects in the world, and among the Hundred Schools of Thought, those from the School of Naturalists were the ones most proficient at gleaning the fortune and karma of others. However, those abilities were virtually all developed through cultivation, and their so-called mystical abilities had to be honed slowly and meticulously over long periods of time.


    In Buddhism, this was considered to be an extremely taboo practice, while only Militarians werepletely uncaring and without qualms, daring to kill anyone that they pleased. However, these were all just surface-level facades, but that wasn''t the case for Ruan Xiu.


    Ever since she was a small child, she had always been able to see through the hearts of others, able to glean their emotions, desires, and karma. With the advancement of her cultivation base, she had even developed the ability to directly sever karma, and if she were to kill someone, an unthinkable oue always arose.


    This definitely wasn''t something that could be exined by her innate fire god constitution.


    All Ruan Qiong knew was that his daughter had a different perspective on the world than everyone else.


    In order to get to the bottom of this, Ruan Qiong had read through all of the prized scriptures of Wind Snow Temple, and there was only an ancient, long-lost idea that was able to provide a semnce of an exnation, suggesting that only those who were born from the will of heaven and earth possessed such an innate ability.


    This was why Ruan Qiong had requested to be banished to Jewel Small World, hoping to hide Ruan Xiu from the world for 60 years to allow her to fully develop in rtive safety.

 Chapter 96: Demons in the Mountains and Rivers

    Chapter 96: Demons in the Mountains and Rivers


    For whatever reason, the group of demons that had already attained stable souls and were able to manifest human forms had fled in a blind panic, and as a result, the string of Demon Chiming Bells in Zhu He''s hand had naturally fallen silent.


    However, Zhu He was rather spooked by the fact that these demons dared to show themselves in broad daylight, and he was concerned that they had conjured up some type of confounding illusion, so he convinced A''Liang not to continue in their journey for now.


    Instead, he ventured along the river in the downstream direction by himself, raising the string of bells up high as he crossed the river back and forth, wandering around to detect if the demons were lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to pounce on them.


    Hence, after Chen Ping''an and the others had packed up their belongings, all of them remained on the spot, watching Zhu He dart back and forth across the river like a headless chicken. Li Huai found this to be absolutely hrious, while Lin Shouyi was simply curious about what Zhu He was doing, and Zhu Lu was feeling thoroughly embarrassed.


    She was a very prideful young woman, and she wanted nothing more than to drag her father back and stop him from making a further fool of himself.


    Chen Ping''an noticed that A''Liang''s expression remained unchanged, and he didn''t make fun of Zhu He like he normally did. Upon noticing Chen Ping''an''s gaze, he removed the gourd from his waist, then smiled as he asked, "Are you sure you don''t want a drink?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response, and A''Liang turned to Lin Shouyi as he said, "You just saw some demons, and it wasn''t just one or two of them, either. That''s a very rare experience. How about a drink to soothe your nerves?"


    Perhaps it was because of the excitement from seeing some demons for the first time, but for whatever reason, Lin Shouyi was rather tempted by the offer, and for the first time, he nodded as he replied, "I''ll have a sip."


    A''Liang took a nce at Chen Ping''an out of the corner of his eye, and he reverted back to his joking demeanor as he remarked, "See what a smart boy he is? You''re making a big mistake!"


    Lin Shouyi epted the silver gourd from A''Liang, then took a small sip of wine, and his face instantly became bright red. Having had a privileged upbringing, his skin was quite fair, so the red flush on his cheeks was particrly apparent, and he hurriedly sped a hand over his own mouth so that he didn''t reflexively spit out the wine. The wine left a burning trail down his throat, and after it entered his belly, he felt as if all of his organs had been set alight.


    His entire body was trembling, and it was clear that his very first drinking experience was proving to be quite a rough one. Li Huai was chortling with mirth at the sight of his sorry disy, and the prideful Lin Shouyi didn''t want to look bad in front of him, so he gritted his teeth and steeled himself to take another sip, only for A''Liang to grab the gourd out of his hand before pressing his other hand down onto his shoulder as he smiled and said, "Wine is best enjoyed in moderation. I''ll give you a sip every day from now on, and I guarantee you all of your woes will melt away."


    Li Huai immediately saw through A''Liang''s excuse as he scoffed, "If you''re too stingy to let Lin Shouyi drink more, then you should just say so."


    A''Liang removed his hand from Lin Shouyi''s shoulder as he sighed, "How could I not be stingy? This wine is extremely illustrious and expensive, and most importantly, it can''t be purchased on the market. Lin Shouyi is extremely blessed to have gotten a taste of this wine."


    "Can I have a sip as well?" Li Huai asked.


    A''Liang hurriedly strapped the gourd to his waist again, then replied, "You''re too young, and your acupoints aren''t fully formed yet. If you drink strong wine now, you''ll ruin your cultivation aptitude."


    Li Huai faltered slightly upon hearing this, then immediately erupted into a fit of rage. "That''s bullshit! During the Spring Festival Eve mealst year, I was able to sip wine by dipping my chopsticks into the cup! That was the strongest wine in our town, even my father said that I take after him in my alcohol tolerance, and everyone in the town knows that my father can drink more than anyone!


    ��On top of that, starting fromst spring, my father made me bathe in a vat full of medicinal wine each month, and I could drink the wine just by lowering my head! You can''t fool me with your lies!"


    A''Liang took a nce at the furious Li Huai, and it finally became clear to him how the boy was able to keep up with the rest of the group without even developing so much as a single blister on the soles of his feet. His physical constitution was clearly superior even to Lin Shouyi''s, and that was most likely attributable to the medicinal wine baths that he had been taking.


    An intrigued look appeared in A''Liang''s eyes as he began to carefully size up Li Huai. He had never taken a close look at Li Huai before, and now that he did, he was stunned by what he saw. As it turned out, his internal condition had been concealed through the use of an extremely advanced mystical ability.


    ��Of course, now that A''Liang was taking a close look, he was naturally able to see through the concealment, and a profound map of sorts was revealed before his eyes. He could see beyond Li Huai''s skin and flesh to his acupoints and the flow of qi and blood throughout his entire body. There was faint purple qi rising up within his body, which resembled a strong and majestic mountain range.


    ��The qi surging through his meridians resembled a turbulent yet stable river that ultimately converged in one of his acupoints, presenting a remarkable sight to behold.


    "It seems that this father-inw that I''ve randomly picked up is no ordinary person," A''Liang mused with an amazed expression. "Li Huai, what''s your father''s name? I may have some friends over here who''re familiar with him."


    Li Huai suddenly fell silent at the mention of his father, then strode away in a glum manner, not wishing to speak to A''Liang any longer.


    Lin Shouyi exined in a quiet voice, "Li Huai''s father is called Li Er, and he''s notorious in the town for being azy drunkard who never does anything productive. Back at school, Lin Shouyi was often teased because of his father, and in the beginning, he would argue with those people, and he even got into a few fights.


    ��However, after that, he probably felt like his father really was as useless as everyone else proimed, so he stopped caring what other people said about him."


    A''Liang was rather amused to hear this. "The little rascal doesn''t know how lucky he is."


    This was nothing more than an errant remark from A''Liang, but Lin Shouyi was rather intrigued, and he stored this snippet of information away in his memory.


    Around an hourter, Zhu He finally returned, and he smiled as he said, "The bells didn''t detect anything within a radius of five kilometers, so we should be fine to continue."


    "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Zhu," Li Baoping said with a smile as she handed him a water bottle.


    Zhu He epted the bottle as he casually replied, "I''m just doing my job, Young Mistress."


    A dark look appeared in Zhu Lu''s eyes upon seeing this, and she turned to look at the turbulent water in the Iron Talisman River as she bit down on her lower lip in silence.


    Her thoughts were as fickle and elusive as the wind and the mist.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was inspecting the Demon Chiming Bells in Zhu He''s hand with keen interest.


    Aside from Ning Yao''s flying sword, this was only the second treasure that he had seen up close, so he was particrly intrigued.


    Zhu He was quite a generous and easygoing man, and he handed the string of bells to Chen Ping''an as he exined, "This is a treasure that was bestowed upon me by our patriarch before I set off. Our patriarch told me that this treasure isn''t of a particrly high caliber, and all it does is chime whenever there are demons in human form nearby.


    ��Its chime can both alert the holder to the presence of such demons, as well as clear the holder''s mind so that they aren''t fooled by demonic illusions. Our patriarch also imed that given its ability to improve focus and clear the mind, a courageous cultivator could take advantage of the bell by residing near a demon, thereby allowing them to constantly use its chime to aid them in their cultivation.


    ��Of course, that would only work if they could find a demon with no intention of harming them, and one that can tolerate the constant chiming of the bells. Such formidable yet amicable demons are definitely very hard to find, so this was nothing more than a joke from our patriarch."


    Chen Ping''an was carefully holding onto the string of bells, while Zhu He walked along beside him with his horse in tow. "In arger form, this would be referred to as a gong, while in a smaller form, it''s called a bell. Most immortal artifacts of this nature are able to ward off evil spirits, so mortal households like to hang windchimes under the eaves of their houses, more so as decorative pieces, of course.


    ��If one could acquire a set of windchimes from a monastery or a Daoist temple and have the windchimes be blessed by someone of lofty merits and virtues, then those windchimes really will be able to ward off evil and protect the household from sinister forces."


    Chen Ping''an gently shook the string of bells, and Zhu He burst intoughter. "The bells won''t ring unless there are demons nearby. Otherwise, if it randomly chimes during the day, the holder will constantly have to look over their shoulder in suspicion, and the bells would be more trouble than they''re worth."


    This made sense to Chen Ping''an, and he was just about to return the precious Demon Chiming Bells to Zhu He when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to find Li Baoping looking up at him with an expectant expression, and after he was given the nod by Zhu He, he gave the bells to Li Baoping, who epted them with both hands, then began to turn them back and forth to study them carefully.


    She then reached into the bell to tug forcefully on the pper inside, much to Chen Ping''an''s horror, and he hurriedly cautioned her to be careful, lest she pull out the pper with her insistent tugging.


    While keeping an eye on Li Baoping, Chen Ping''an asked in a curious voice, "Uncle Zhu, were those demons that we saw earlier harmless to humans? Are there a lot of them in our Great Li Empire?"


    Zhu He wasn''t the type of person to make up stories, so he only told Chen Ping''an what he had personally heard from the patriarch of the Li n. "Our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is a vast continent, and there are around a dozen enormous empires on the continent with poptions exceeding 10 million.


    ��The continent is alsoden with countless tall mountains andrge rivers, so it''s not that rare for certain demons and spirits to attain human forms through certain fated opportunities, thereby allowing them to embark on the path of cultivation. Having said that, it''s definitely not amon sight, either.


    ��Our patriarch told us that the people in the outside world are different from the people in our town. As long as they''re not living in extremely secluded parts of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, they''ll have heard stories about such beings. Perhaps not everyone has seen such beings, but there are many stories about them cataloged in unofficial historic chronicles and immortal journals.


    ��As a result, many people firmly believe that in rarely frequented ancient monasteries deep in the mountains, there are alluring fox demonesses waiting to prey on impoverished schrs traveling to the capital to take the imperial examination, or that wherever there are demons wreaking havoc and harming people, all one had to do was send a letter to Mount Longhu, and an enlightened being would arrive atop an auspicious cloud to y the demons in the area.


    ��In fact, this is such a popr story that children across the entire continent are aware of the phrase: ''where there are demons causing trouble, there must also be enlightened individuals nearby''. Hence, there''s no need to be rmed if we run into more of these beings on our journey, but of course, it''s important to be careful as well.


    ��Our patriarch told me that if a demon has truly adopted a human form and isn''t just posing as a human through an illusion, then they''ll essentially be half a cultivator. The imperial court of the Great Li Empire is quite happy to see this, and not only will they not oppress such beings, they''ll even make special exceptions for them and allow them to establish their own sects in the Great Li Empire. All they have to do is submit a registration to the ministry of rites.


    ��However, due to certain rules and traditions, there are no demons serving in the Great Li Empire''s imperial court, but I''ve heard that there are many demonic cultivators who have made significant contributions in battle on the border. Apparently, they live just like we do, and they''repletely indistinguishable from humans."


    Zhu He''s story was very interesting and easy to understand, and Chen Ping''an was listening with keen interest, as were Li Huai and Lin Shouyi.


    In contrast, A''Liang was walking along at the forefront of the group, paying no heed to what Zhu He was saying as he gently tapped the hilt of his bamboo saber with his hand while humming a song that waspletely out of tune.


    Meanwhile, Zhu Lu was trailing along at the very rear of the group, and she was even more disinterested. It seemed that the further from home she was, the more homesick she became.


    After the group had traveled for another two hours, a middle-aged woman appeared on the rock cliff atop the waterfall situated on the border of Dragon Whisker Creek and the Iron Talisman River. She sat on the edge of the cliff, and she had a head of dark green hair that was an astonishing 50 to 60 feet in length, spilling all the way down to her feet before extending down into the water below.


    Her head was lowered as she stared intently at the turbulent water of the Iron Talisman River, and her eyes were filled with longing and desire. At the same time, her facial features were constantly shifting and changing, as if she still had to wait for some type of catalyst before she could truly stabilize her form.


    River god and river guardian. The difference was only a single word, but the disparity in status and power between the two was night and day.


    This was the furthest point that she could reach. Any further than this, and she would be stepping out of line. Just like how a human official couldn''t leave their post as they pleased, the mountain and water gods that protected thend were also unable to leave their territories at will.


    Otherwise, all types of natural disasters would be rampant across thend. Her ascension to godhood was imminent, and she naturally wasn''t going to cause trouble for herself at such an important juncture. She had once swam in secret upstream along the creek into the mountains, where she had spotted the chief fengshui master of the Great Li Empire, who was there watching the waterfall.


    All it had taken was a casual nce from him, and she felt as if she had almost been destroyed on the spot. From that point onward, she developed a deep sense of respect and fear toward the unfathomable individuals outside of the town.


    She had followed Chen Ping''an''s group all the way to this point, not because she harbored any sinister intentions, but instead because she had been assigned the task of keeping an eye on A''Liang by Ruan Qiong as a safety precaution. During these past few days, she had watched them day and night, performing her duty to the best of her abilities, not daring to ck off for even a single moment.


    She was terrified of that girl with the bracelet that could transform into a fiery dragon, and her fear was only exacerbated by Old Man Yang, who had told her that she could one day be destroyed by the girl to fulfill her Dao attainment catalyst.


    After bing a river guardian, she had developed a series of mystical abilities. For example, she was bing more youthful in appearance with each passing day, and swimming through the water granted her an immense sense offort.


    Furthermore, on days with heavy rainfall, she would be able to see the town through the rain or through pockets of groundwater. Throughout all these past days of tireless searching, she had found several prized artifacts on thekebed, all of which had be a part of her collection.


    One of those artifacts was a green jade ring that she was wearing on her finger, and she would admire it whenever she had some spare time, much like a mortal woman inspecting their gold essories with glee and wonder.


    The more she ascended above the average mortal, the more fearful she became of Old Man Yang and Ruan Xiu because those two seemed to be capable of destroying everything that she had right now with ease.


    She reined in her wandering thoughts as she inspected her surroundings. At this point, having be a part of the Great Li Empire, the spiritual energy in Jewel Small World had be extremely abundant, making it a prime location for cultivation, just like the 72 blessednds. As a result, many flying andnd-dwelling animals were beginning to be drawn to Jewel Small World.


    In particr, the mountain spirits that had developed higher intelligence were instinctively converging toward this ce, hoping to arrive before everyone else and im prized areas for themselves. It was the duty of mountain and river gods to protect thend, and at this point, she had already recruited several carp that had grown dragon whiskers to do her bidding.


    Whenever she went out, she was always apanied by an entourage of many water-dwelling creatures acting as her servants and her guards, and that gave her a lot of satisfaction.


    Even though she was unable to swim into the Iron Talisman River for now, she had to station herself at this waterfall to try and earn a toll from those looking to secure passage from the river to the creek. Old Man Yang had already granted her permission to do this, so she was feeling very confident, able to unt her power here as she pleased.


    However, she was quite wary and careful by nature, and deep down, she was still feeling a little uneasy, terrified of the possibility that an unfathomably powerful figure could pass by someday and inadvertently kill her with a sneeze.


    Finally!


    The river guardian''s eyes narrowed slightly as she cast her gaze toward the group of five sneaking their way along the Iron Talisman River.


    Prior to this, she had been hiding in the water at the top of the waterfall, and she had seen the five of them put on an extremely haughty disy, as if they were a group of traveling immortals. As a result, she had almost been intimidated into hiding and cowering away. However, for some reason, the five of them suddenly turned to flee for their lives in a blind panic. Regardless of why they had suddenly begun fleeing for their lives, she no longer feared them.


    Instead, she harbored nothing but derision and superiority toward them. Not only was she officially serving Sage Ruan, increasing the yin energy in the water to aid him in the forging of his swords, she had managed to survive an encounter with Ruan Xiu and that fiery dragon of hers! Were those not reasons for her to be proud?


    With that in mind, she was feeling far more reassured, and she did her best to appear as calm and indifferent as possible, putting on a tranquil facade as she sat on the edge of the cliff and looked coldly at the five demons across the river. Among them was an old man wearing a coir rain cape, looking much like an elderly schr who was fond of hiking and traveling.


    There was also a voluptuous woman dressed in vibrant clothing with a pair of alluring eyes, a small child with a pair of deep-set eyes holding a purple bamboo cane, and a duo consisting of a young boy and a young girl, giving off the most pronounced demonic auras out of everyone in the group, and they were hiding behind the old man in a timid manner, not daring to look directly at anyone.


    Demons were supposed to avoid humans and revere gods; this was an unspoken rule that had been passed down since ancient times.


    However, in this day and age, it was very difficult to see a deity in the flesh, and they could only be seen in the form of inanimate statues worshipped in temples. Having said that, even young children were aware that there were many immortals residing high up in the mountains.


    As for the mountain and river gods officially assigned by the imperial court, even if they weren''t the gods of the Five Mountains, they were still unfathomable beings in the eyes of mountain demons and spirits, unless those demons and spirits were far superior in cultivation base to the aforementioned gods. In fact, to them, even a mere river guardian was considered to be a lofty figure that was not to be messed with.


    "We are vagrant cultivators previously dwelling on the border of the Great Li Empire, and we''vee here to pay our respects to the esteemed river god."


    The old man extended a respectful bow toward the river guardian, then continued with a solemn expression, "From times immemorial, famed mountains have always enjoyed the residence of sages. Of course, we wouldn''t dare to proim ourselves as sages, and we harbor nothing but genuine reverence and admiration toward such sages.


    ��Now that the small world has opened up, all we want is to be able to cultivate in peace under the watchful eye of the Sage here. If we manage to go far on the path of cultivation, we''ll be sure to reciprocate this ce, so I would like to implore you to grant us passage here."


    These demons often referred to themselves as mountain-dwelling cultivators, and it was an expression of modesty that they used in the presence of those superior to them.


    The river guardian demanded in a blunt fashion, "Each of you must give me one gift. If your gift is to my liking, then I''ll personally take you to the mountain in the western part of the town."


    The old man faltered slightly upon hearing this, seemingly taken aback by how direct and forthright the river guardian was.


    The child holding the bamboo cane was furious to hear this. "She''s nothing more than a lowly river guardian, and we''re already affording her the utmost respect by referring to her as a river god! How dare she tantly extort us for bribes like this? Is she not afraid that the Great Li Empire''s imperial court will strip her of her position and reduce her to a wandering spirit?!"


    In her previous life, the woman had been a notoriously skilled trash talker on Apricot Blossom Alley. In addition to that, Old Man Yang had informed her of the position that she was in, so she certainly wasn''t going to be intimidated by these threats.


    Instead, she could tell how desperate these people were, and she became even more confident as she waved a dismissive hand and sneered, "If that''s how you''re going to speak, then get out of my sight right this instant! If you dare toe within 1,000 feet of Dragon Whisker Creek, then you''ll be going against the official jurisdiction of the Great Li Empire! Let''s see if you''ll be able to bear the repercussions!"


    The child became even more furious, and he was just about to rebuke the river guardian when the old man abruptly turned to re at him. The benevolent look on the old man''s face had instantly been reced with one of murderous ferocity, and the child immediately shuddered in fear as he fellpletely silent.


    Around 15 minutester, the five "mountain-dwelling vagrant cultivators" made their way toward Dragon Spring County along the creek.


    As for the river guardian, she had added five more items to her collection, one of which was the purple bamboo cane that previously belonged to the small child. The cane was glittering and translucent, and it was filled with abundant spiritual energy.


    While the river guardian was gleefully inspecting these items, a sense of sorrow suddenly welled up in her heart.


    If only my grandson were still living on Apricot Blossom Alley. I would be able to give all of these things to him.


    She didn''t know when she was going to be able to see her grandson again, and she had heard that on the path of cultivation, even the slightest misstep could spell one''s demise, and prodigies who were able to grow to their full potential were exceedingly rare.


    With that in mind, her mood was immediately soured, and she swam down onto the riverbed, where she began to weep in silence.

 Chapter 97: Bowing to the Mountain

    Chapter 97: Bowing to the Mountain


    Chen Ping''an''s group slowly made their way southward along Dragon Whisker Creek and the Iron Talisman River, able to cover over 30 kilometers per day. Li Baoping and Li Huai both had far more stamina than the average child, and even though Lin Shouyi came from a wealthy n and had already gone through two pairs of straw sandals, he didn''t want to lose to the other two children, so he was persevering through the pain.


    In addition to that, Chen Ping''an had taught him a way to apply medicinal herbs to his feet to ease his pain, and that allowed him to keep up to this point. There were also horses and A''Liang''s white donkey carrying everyone''s belongings, so the going wasn''t too arduous.


    Chen Ping''an genuinely had a great deal of admiration for the three children, particrly because they were embarking on this journey to seek out an education as schrs.


    Dragon Spring County belonged to the Great Li Empire''s Eternal Splendor Prefecture. A very long time ago, all of the empires on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had established a joint rule, stating that no territories were to have the word "dragon" in their name, and that such territories had to have the "dragon" character reced with something else.


    Dragon Spring County had most likely only been granted an exception to this rule thanks to its former status as Jewel Small World. [1]


    Compared with the location where Jewel Small World had originally been suspended in the sky above the Great Li Empire, the spot where it hadnded was much further south. Hence, if one were to travel along the official roads, it would only take less than two months to get from Dragon Spring County to the Great Li Empire''s southern border.


    Back in the Li n, Zhu He had read through many of the books in the manor''s collection, so he knew a lot about the outside world. Whenever Chen Ping''an had some spare time, he would ask Zhu He questions about the world outside the town, and simrly, Zhu He was also quite keen to ask Chen Ping''an questions about traversing through mountains and rivers.


    For some reason, A''Liang was beginning to drink more and speak less. Ever since he had taken that sip of wine out of A''Liang''s gourd, Lin Shouyi had grown a lot closer to A''Liang, and he would often ask A''Liang questions about various different topics. At the same time, he was disying signs of bing an alcoholic himself.


    Inside Li Baoping''s little bookcase was a colored album released by the Great Li Empire''s imperial court, depicting the variousndmarks across the empire. Theoretically speaking, this was a resource that should''ve only been made avable to official territorial inspectors. ording to the album, they were going to reach a mountain by the name of Go Table Mountain very soon. That stretch of mountain path was over 150 kilometers in length, and it passed through four prefectures, including the Eternal Splendor and White Cloud Prefectures.


    While the group was resting at the foot of the mountain, Li Huai was staring at the mountain path with a stunned expression. The path was no wider than Dragon Riding Alley, and after a moment of stunned silence, he swung around with a furious expression as he yelled, "A''Liang, you''re telling me this is the official road constructed by the Great Li Empire''s imperial court?! This road is barely wider than a chicken''s intestines! How is this an official road?"


    The official roads connected all of the prefectures and counties of an empire together, and they were much like the system of meridians in the human body. If any blockage were to arise in one''s meridians, then their flow of qi and blood would be obstructed. Simrly, any blockage on the official roads would disconnect one part of an empire from the other.


    A''Liang was seated on a decaying wooden stump by the side of the road, and he took a sip of wine before chuckling in response. "Even official roads are split up into different grades. From the southern border of the Great Li Empire, there are three official roads leading to the north, and this one running through Go Table Mountain is the smallest one. It''s most likely used for transporting porcin, tea leaves, and salt.


    ��In the past, this used to be a very well-traveled road, but now that Jewel Small World has fallen and blocked the path between the south and the north, this official road has temporarily been abandoned, and many businesses are suffering for it. There are many merchant ships stuck at a port to the south of Go Table Mountain in a ce called Red Candle Town.


    ��The escort boats there are mostly small boats that can only fit two or three people, and even at night, the entire ce is brightly lit. The girls on the boats are gorgeous, and they sit at either the front or the back of the boat, intentionally revealing their long and fair legs for you to see.


    ��You can order a gon of wine and a te of peanuts from one of the wine shops on either bank, and you can watch the girls there for an entire night without having to pay even a single copper coin."


    Zhu Lu hurriedly bent down and covered Li Baoping''s ears with her hands so that she couldn''t listen to the scandalous activities that A''Liang was describing. At the same time, a furious look appeared on her face as she dered, "We''re not spending the night at Red Candle Town!"


    A''Liang pointed at Chen Ping''an with the tip of his gourd as he said with a sly grin, "It''s up to him whether we spend the night there or not. He''s the one overseeing our finances."


    Zhu Lu''s eyes instantly became filled with killing intent, as if she were going to kill Chen Ping''an if he dared to agree to spend the night there.


    After a moment of contemtion, Chen Ping''an said with a serious expression, "We''ll definitely have to stop at the town to stock up on some supplies. As for whether we''re going to spend the night there, that depends on the prices that they charge at the inns there. There are quite a few people in our group, so if their prices are too steep, then we''ll have to pass."


    Zhu Lu wore a dark expression as she protested, "So you''re saying if it''s cheap to stay there, then we''re going to spend the night at that filthy den filled with prostitutes? Chen Ping''an, Lin Shouyi and our young mistress are both schrs, and they''re going to be students at Mountain Cliff Academy! How could they live so close to those filthy women? Even if they don''t see disgusting activities taking ce, they''ll inevitably hear what''s going on!"


    "We''ll make a decision after we arrive at the town," Chen Ping''an decided despite Zhu Lu''s objections.


    Zhu Lu was absolutely fuming, and Zhu He hurriedly interjected, "Let''s do as Ping''an says. We shouldn''t just reach any premature conclusions, let''s go there to take a look first. It''s not like we have to spend the night at Red Candle Town."


    Zhu Lu''s fury hadn''t receded in the slightest as she stabbed a finger in Chen Ping''an''s direction and scoffed, "Thank heavens you''re not a schr. Otherwise, you''ll be the disgrace of all schrs!"


    Along this journey, Chen Ping''an had been learning to read and write from Li Baoping and Zhu He, and Zhu Lu''s righteous deration left him feeling rather deted and embarrassed.


    Meanwhile, as the instigator, A''Liang was thoroughly enjoying watching Chen Ping''an being grilled.


    Zhu Lu took a nce at the jade hairpin on Chen Ping''an''s head, and she sneered, "A monkey like yourself doesn''t deserve to wear such a prized hairpin!"


    "Zhu Lu, that''s enough!" Zhu He interjected in a stern voice, while both Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi''s brows furrowed slightly in unison.


    Meanwhile, A''Liang took azy sip of wine. No matter how exceptional a certain wine was, one would eventually grow tired of it if that was all they had to drink. The thought of Red Candle Town''s spring apricot blossom wine was getting him a little excited, and he was thinking about how he could swindle some silver out of Chen Ping''an so that he could have something new to drink.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but didn''t say anything in the end and began to scale the mountain in silence.


    Prior to entering the mountain, Chen Ping''an extended three bows, just like he always did.


    This was an old tradition passed down to him by Old Man Yao, and even though Old Man Yao had never exined to him the reason for this gesture, he still made sure to uphold this tradition every time without fail.


    This gesture was treated with contempt by A''Liang, who also ignored Chen Ping''an''s pleas for him to not sit on tree stumps as he pleased. Whenever he was tired, he would sit down on the nearest tree stump, just as he was doing at this very moment.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t the type of person who liked to force his habits onto others, so after his advice was ignored by A''Liang on two separate asions, he didn''t try to dissuade A''Liang from sitting on tree stumps any further. In any case, nothing had gone amiss yet, so there was no reason for him to say anything.


    The long mountain path mostly consisted of a main road paved with bluestone bs, but it was quite difficult to traverse.


    Even though it was alreadyte spring, the nts in the mountains showed no signs of wilting. Instead, every single flower and de of grass was still teeming with vitality, and it was as if this year''s spring were particrly long.


    The winding mountain path spiraled upward, and everyone in Chen Ping''an''s group had strapped strips of cotton fabric around their ankles to improve their footing. Furthermore, each of them was holding a wooden cane, and of course, everyone was wearing the straw sandals woven by Chen Ping''an, including Zhu He and Zhu Lu, despite the fact that they had packed many pairs of sturdy boots in their luggage.


    Initially, Zhu Lu refused to wear the shoes no matter what, looking down on them for being crude and hideous. However, on a rainy day, the mountain became extremely slick and muddy, and she found herself frequently slipping. As a second tier martial artist, she was never in much peril, but she was still constantly stumbling around, making it very difficult to continue in her journey.


    In the end, she had no choice but to ept the straw sandals from her father and put them on in silence, much to the schadenfreude of Li Huai. Zhu Lu was infuriated by Li Huai''s mockery, and she stomped a foot down into the mud with all her might. As a martial artist at the pinnacle of the second tier, a stomp from her naturally packed a great deal of force, and Li Huai''s entire body was sttered with mud.


    Having grown up in an impoverished household, Li Huai didn''t have many sets of spare clothes, so he was absolutely distraught and erupted into tears. Lin Shouyi was exhausted from scaling the mountain, and he wanted nothing to do with this, so he stopped to rest on the side of the path while rolling his eyes in exasperation.


    Zhu He was a kind and pure man, and even though he was a fifth tier martial artist, he still made the effort to apologize to Li Huai and promise him that he would buy him a new set of clothes once they reached the next town. However, what truly saddened Li Huai were the impoverished conditions that he had grown up in, and he felt it extremely unfair that Zhu Lu had such a terrible personality, but such a rich father.


    Hence, Zhu Lu''s kind offer only served to add insult to injury, and he became even more distraught, stomping into the mud over and over again, sttering it all over his own body. After a while, everyone was bing frustrated with his antics, and Chen Ping''an tried to console him, but he refused to listen.


    It didn''t take long before Chen Ping''an was also covered in mud, but he had endured all types of hardships before, so he didn''t get angry at Li Huai. Instead, he was simply at a loss for what to do.


    Zhu Lu immediately pounced on the opportunity to insult Li Huai even further, telling Chen Ping''an that his good intentions were wasted on Li Huai, and that he should just leave the ungrateful boy behind.


    Li Huai began to cry even louder, and even the threats from Li Baoping weren''t enough to intimidate him into suppressing his tears.


    After racking his brains for a while, Chen Ping''an asked, "How about this, Li Huai? I''ll make you a little bamboo bookcase."


    Li Huai''s sobs immediately ceased, and he wiped the tears and snot from his face as he asked with a serious expression. "How big will the bookcase be?"


    "It can''t be too big," Chen Ping''an replied. "You''re too small at the moment, so a bookcase that''s too big will weigh you down too much. If you don''t want one, then pretend as if I never said anything. You can keep crying, while we keep going, and it''s up to you whether you follow us."


    A smile broke through Li Huai''s tears as he said, "It can be small, but it has to look good! At the very least, it has to look just as good as Li Baoping''s bookcase!"


    "To think that a boy your age has already learned to put on a pitiful act to extort things out of others," Zhu Lu scoffed. "Like parent, like child, I suppose. I don''t even have to see your parents to be able to tell what type of people they are!"


    Buoyed by the promise of a bookcase, Li Huai was no longer bothered by Zhu Lu''s insults, and he made a provocative face at her, much to her fury and chagrin.


    "How about I make you a bookcase as well?" Chen Ping''an asked as he turned to Lin Shouyi.


    Lin Shouyi was just about to refuse, when Chen Ping''an continued, "It''s not difficult for me anyway."


    Lin Shouyi hesitated momentarily upon hearing this, then nodded in response.


    The scenery at the pinnacle of Go Table Mountain was extremely peculiar. It resembled a massive grain-sunning ground, the likes of which were amon sight in the town, and it was a very t and even teau, as if the mountain peak had been shaved off by a sword sh from an almighty immortal.


    All of the children were ecstatic, and even Zhu He was struck by the urge to yell out in exultation as he cast his gaze far into the north.


    Chen Ping''an was ustomed to seeing the scenery on mountain peaks. In particr, he had explored many mountains during hisst trip into the mountains, so he was the mostposed and indifferent of the group.


    That night, they were going to spend the night on the mountaintop, so Zhu He and Zhu Lu began to set up the tents, while Li Huai and Lin Shouyi rushed away to pick up some mmable firewood. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping were crafting a makeshift stove out of rocks for cooking purposes. At this point, everyone had mostly exhausted their supplies of dry rations, so they really did need to replenish their supplies.


    For this purpose, Chen Ping''an had picked all of the medicinal herbs that he had spotted along their journey before cing them into his basket. Due to how familiar and efficient he was with traversing mountainous terrains, even if he had to take a slightly longer path to pick the medicinal herb, he would still be able to quickly catch up to the group, so there was no dy.


    At this point, he had already umted close to half a basket full of precious dried medicinal herbs, which he was hoping to sell for money.


    After eating a meal of rice with pickled vegetables, A''Liang began to lead a protest, knocking on their bowls with their chopsticks as theyined about theck of meat in their meals.


    Chen Ping''an acknowledged theirints, telling them that he was going to make a few traps that night to see if he could catch a few wild chickens.


    All mountain-dwelling animals left unique tracks behind, and Chen Ping''an was very familiar with those tracks, so through some careful observation, he was able to easily spot a few routes taken by the wild animals to drinking spots. Furthermore, the small boobie traps that he constructed out of branches and rocks weren''t veryplex, and he had be very skilled at making them.


    At around dusk, Chen Ping''an left the teau at the top of the mountain on his own to try his luck. A short whileter, the clouds around the mountaintop began to converge and scatter in a fast and unpredictable manner, much like a naughty child switching between a series of funny faces. However, the wind wasn''t particrly strong.


    At the same time, the majestic and reinvigorating scenery suddenly began to strike the beholder with a sense of sinister foreboding.


    Zhu He was bing a little uneasy upon sensing these changes, but he didn''t want to disturb the three children, who were reciting some book passages together, nor did he want to bother his daughter, who was sitting on her own on the edge of a cliff with a dazed expression. After a moment of contemtion, he made his way to a secluded area, then pulled out a book that was yellow with age.


    He then flipped the book open to a certain page, then ced his finger near the term "Soil Molding Technique" and began to carefully read through the tiny red text. He then flipped over a page to reveal a pair of diagrams, one of which was a small mountain, but the foot of the mountain resembled an intertwining mass of bamboo shoots, and beside that was an image of a peculiar hand seal with the annotation "Great Mountain Talisman" inscribed next to it.


    There was a look of concentration on Zhu He''s face as he recited the passage to himself in silence over and over again in order to fullymit it to memory.


    "Take one handful of soil each from the east and the south of the mountain, and it would be best to mold the soil into the ''�['' character, but the ''ɽ'' character will also suffice. Burn a Mountain God Talisman as an offering, then exhale while keeping your feet firmly nted on the earth, and you''ll be able to draw upon the power of thend and the mountain god." [2]


    Zhu He closed the ancient book, then carefully stowed it away before pulling a sheet of yellow paper out of a stack of yellow talismans in his sleeve. He then followed the instructions that he had just read, grabbing a handful of soil from both the east and the south before molding it into the �[ character.


    Right as he was about to ignite the yellow talisman that Patriarch Li had bestowed upon him, he received a massive fright. As it turned out, A''Liang had arrived at some point without Zhu He''s detection, and he was squatting right beside him, holding his gourd as he said with a smile, "The talisman that you''re holding is quite well inscribed, but the material used is rather ordinary. When ites to talismans, nopromise can be made in any area, and the material of the paper used is as important to the talisman as cultivation aptitude is to a person.


    ��Hence, it won''t be able to bear the weight of the �[ character, so I suggest you mold the �� character. Otherwise, you run the risk of irking the mountain god, rather than drawing upon their power."


    This was the first time that Zhu He wasing into contact with these mystical entities that he had previously only heard of in legends, so he was feeling a little nervous, and he asked in an uneasy voice, "Senior A''Liang, is there really a mountain god residing on Go Table Mountain? If that''s the case, then why is there such a pronounced sinister aura in the air?"


    A''Liang took a casual sip of wine, then chuckled, "Who told you that mountain gods are guaranteed to be benevolent folks?"


    "Is that not the case?" Zhu He asked with a stunned expression.


    "I don''t know, I was just making an errant remark," A''Liang replied. "Who knows what the personality of the mountain god here is like?"


    All of a sudden, an rming thought urred to Zhu He, and he eximed, "Chen Ping''an has gone off on his own! He could be in danger!"


    A''Liang nodded in response.


    An urgent look appeared on Zhu He''s face as he implored, "Senior A''Liang, can you go find Chen Ping''an while Iplete this Soil Molding Technique? I''m only a fifth tier martial artist, and I''m confident in my ability to put up a fight against other martial artists or cultivators, but I have no idea how to deal with these strange entities."


    A''Liang smiled as he rose to his feet, then swaggered away as he said, "Alright, then be careful on your own."


    1. In ancient China, it was widely believed that an emperor was the son of a dragon, so the use of the word "dragon" was often considered to be taboo in pretty much any context outside of the imperial family. ?


    2. �[ is the traditional form of �� (both pronounced yue), and strictly speaking, both �[ and ɽ (shan) trante to mountain, but ording to certain ancient Chinese texts, a ɽ is just any natural mound of rocks and soil that''s taller than thend around it, while a �� is considered to be a ruler/leader among mountains, so it naturally holds more weight than the ɽ character. ?

 Chapter 98: The Meddlesome Mountain God

    Chapter 98: The Meddlesome Mountain God


    Zhu Hepleted the Soil Molding Technique ording to the instructions, molding a �� character before incinerating the yellow talisman. He then nted his feet on the earth as he exhaled before joining his index and middle fingers, pointing at the earthen talisman on the ground as he dered, "In the name of the Master of Three Mountains and Nine Lords!"


    Zhu He held the same pose with his fingers pointed at the ground, and the look on his face was bing more awkward by the second. The �� character on the ground wasn''t moving in the slightest, and sweat was beginning to bead up on Zhu He''s forehead. There were several important things that had to happen to ensure that the talisman was going to work.


    For example, the correct amount of spiritual energy had to be injected into the yellow talisman from the correct acupoints, and Zhu He was certain that he had done every step correctly, so this should''ve been a sess.


    ording to the exnation enclosed in the ancient book, the so-called process of molding soil into a mountain didn''t give rise to an actual mountain, and in that regard, it waspletely different from another talisman in the book, which allowed one to spit onto the ground to create a river. Instead, following the soil molding process, the �� character would be a bridge for the mountain god in the area to emerge from their abode.


    As long as the request made by the one who had summoned the mountain god wasn''t overly far-fetched, it would generally be epted as that yellow talisman itself was simr to a gift, and as long as the mountain god or river god in the area was willing to appear, that was an indication that they were willing to wee the visitor to their territory.


    However, given the current situation, Zhu He had a feeling that his impromptu mountain god invitation ritual had most likely failed.


    Right at this moment, a resoundingmotion rang out, and Zhu He turned to find a series of trees falling one after another along the ridge of the mountain. It was clear that an enormous creature was rapidly scaling the mountain, and it was traveling directly toward everyone on the stone teau with rming force.


    The thunderousmotion was audible across the entire mountain range, and Zhu Lu and the children hurriedly began to approach Zhu He, but he immediately turned to sternly drive them away. "Get back! Stand in the middle of the teau and don''t move. No matter what happens next, don''te near me."


    Li Huai was the youngest of the bunch, and his face was deathly pale as he tugged on Li Baoping''s sleeve and asked, "We''re not being attacked by a man-eating monster, are we? Or it could be the mountain god disying its wrath! Chen Ping''an kept telling A''Liang earlier not to sit on the tree stumps as they were the thrones of the mountain gods..."


    Li Baoping crossed her arms across her chest as she replied in a confident manner, "Let''s not panic and scare ourselves. Even if Uncle Zhu can''t stop that thing, Junior Uncle and A''Liang will get back to help out soon."


    However, at the same time, her hands were clenched into such tight fists that veins were bulging on the back of her hand, so it was clear that she wasn''t actually as calm andposed as she appeared on the surface.


    As it turned out, Lin Shouyi was the calmest of the group, and there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Zhu Lu was staring at her father, and she was even more concerned than Li Huai.


    All of a sudden, Zhu He lowered his head and spotted a short elderly man who didn''t even reach up to his waist. His white hair and beard were both quite disheveled, and he was holding a green bamboo cane, with which he was viciously thrashing at Zhu He''s calf, as if he were venting his fury.


    As Zhu He lowered his eyes, their eyes met, and after looking at each other for a moment, the old man sheepishly stayed his hand, then took several steps backward before asking in a raspy voice, "Do you know the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?"


    Zhu He nodded in response with a dazed expression.


    "What about the official dialect of the Great Li Empire?" the old man asked.


    Zhu He nodded in response once again, still yet to recover from his shock.


    All of a sudden, the old man jumped up beforending a blow on Zhu He''s shoulder with his cane. Zhu He didn''t feel anything from the strike, but as the old mannded back down on the ground, he almost stumbled and fell.


    He hurriedly pressed a hand to his own waist, then began speaking in the official dialect of the Great Li Empire as he loudly cursed, "Screw you and your entire family line! You can''t do shit aside from screwing over others! I''ve been hiding from these beasts like a scurrying little rat for several centuries, and I thought that I would be able to get by like this.


    ��Finally, an opportunity for me to turn the tables has arrived. I just have to survive until the Great Li Empire officially assigns a new batch of mountain and river gods, and I''ll finally be able to ascend from a mountain lord into a true mountain god. After that, I won''t have to hide from those ursed beasts anymore. Even if I still can''t beat them, I''ll at least be able to ensure self-preservation..."


    While cursing Zhu He, the old man was wiping away his tears with his arm in fury and indignation. He then whipped his cane forcefully against the ground as he continued, "If you''re so brave, then why don''t you fight those beasts yourself? Curse you and all of your sted ancestors! Why did you have to summon me with that shitty talisman?


    ��I can''t even hide if I want to now! I''m going to end up in those serpents'' bellies just like all of you pieces of scum! Why did you drag me into this? Are you worried you''ll be lonely on the way to the afterlife?! Why?! Tell me! Fuck you and your..."


    All of a sudden, the old man''s voice was abruptly cut off, as if someone had closed their hand around his throat.


    At the same time, Zhu He was greeted by a harrowing sight.


    A massive inky-ck head the size of a water vat was slowly rising up from the ridge of the mountain before emerging fully to everyone on the teau.


    It had a pair of silver eyes, and its bright red tongue was the size of a tree, rapidly whistling through the air as if it was flicking back and forth.


    The astonishingly massive ck snake slowly slithered the top half of its body onto the stone teau, and there were scales running all over its body, which was as ck and ink and glistening under the light of the dying sun.


    Even though it was an animal, the look in its eyes was very humanized, and it was looking at the old man with a hint of mockery in its eyes, as if it was gloating about finally catching the old man after so many years of this game of cat and mouse.


    The old man seemed to have epted his fate, and he sat down onto the ground as he tossed his cane aside, iling his legs and pounding his chest as he howled, "What did I do to deserve this? I am a mighty mountain lord, yet I''ve been cowering away for centuries from a pair of dumb beasts! How am I supposed to live like this?"


    The ck snake slowly straightened up its body as it raised its head, revealing a pair of small ws on the underside of its belly. As opposed to the five-tipped ws seen on the dragon robes worn by emperors, it had four-tipped ws as seen on the embroidered pythons on the robes worn by officials serving in the mortal empires, but this minor difference waspletely negligible to the mountain lord and everyone else on the mountaintop.


    All of a sudden, the old man seemed to have hatched a plot, and he abruptly rose to his feet as he looked up at the ck snake with an ecstatic expression and said, "This martial artist''s flesh has to be very tough to eat, so you must be targeting those tender little children behind him! I can see why you''re going after them, given that all of them are teeming with vitality!"


    The old man was bing more and more excited as he spoke, and spittle was flying out of his mouth as he cackled, "Eat, eat, eat! Eat to your heart''s content, and you''ll be able to be a flood dragon! Once that happens, you''ll no longer be tempted toe after me! I''ll continue to serve as the mountain god of Go Table Mountain, while you enter the river to be a dragon.


    ��Prior to that, you''ll still be the ruler of this mountain, and you''ll continue to be able to do whatever you please to me, so there''s no point for you to eat me now. Eating me will enhance your cultivation base a tiny little bit, but don''t forget that I am a mountain lord. If you eat me, you''ll be setting up a major obstacle for yourself when you enter the river to travel to the sea.


    ��All of the river gods will definitelye together to target you in retaliation, obstructing you at every turn..."


    All of a sudden, the ck snake bared its fangs slightly, as if it were sneering in mockery, and it indicated something behind the old man with its head.


    The old man was stunned into silence again, then sat back down onto the ground in a defeated manner. This time, there were no longer any tears as he howled in despair, "So both you and your partner are searching for Dao attainment catalysts.


    ��You''re going to eat those children to establish a foundation for your future evolution into a flood dragon, while your wife is going to kill me in order to be the next mountain god. Looks like you had it all nned out. I ept my fate..."


    A dazed look appeared in the old man''s eyes as he murmured to himself, "The Great Dao is truly fickle and unpredictable."


    A very long time ago, a pair of almighty immortals were passing through while soaring over the heavens, and they descended onto this mountain on a whim to y a game of go on the mountaintop. One of them swept a sleeve through the air, shaving off the mountain summit, then used his finger as a sword to mark out a 19 by 19 grid.


    Meanwhile, the other immortal took the spirit of the soil before making them into ck stones, and the roots of the clouds to make into white stones. The game of gosted over a month, and each stone that was set down took root before transforming into a living being. The ck stones turned into ck snakes, while the white stones turned into white snakes, and they remainedpletely motionless on the go board on the mountain summit.


    With each white stone that was captured, that white snake would be devoured by the nearby ck snakes, and vice versa.


    The two almighty immortals were evenly matched, and before the game had reached a conclusion, the two of them departed, content with the game that they had yed thus far. At the time of their departure, there had still been over 100 ck and white snakes left on the mountain summit, and those snakes went on to devour one another in a frenzy.


    In the end, all that remained was a ck snake that had the potential to evolve into a ck flood dragon, and a white snake that had grown a pair of wings. For some reason, those two snakes ceased to attack one another, bing a pair of mates instead.


    They were extremely sly and cunning, initially refraining from the cultivators that could pose a threat to them, choosing to solely go after straggling travelers and merchants instead. Furthermore, they hunted very infrequently, mostly choosing to strike on days with heavy rainfall or snowfall.


    Thanks to their naturally long lifespans, they were able to slowly umte power over the course of several centuries, patiently waiting for the arrival of a Dao attainment catalyst. They were very meticulous about the targets that they chose, and over time, they began to target martial artists and cultivators as devouring such humans allowed them to progress even faster, and it didn''t take long before even the mountain lord had be a target for them.


    However, the mountain lord was unable to oppose them, and they were unable to catch the slippery and elusive mountain lord, so the two sides had been caught in an impasse for all these years.


    Li Huai was unable to hold back any longer, and he yelled, "How did a piece of trash like you be a mountain lord?! The gods must be blind!"


    The old man had his back facing the group of children, and he whipped his bamboo cane forcefully against the ground once again as he grumbled to himself, "I guess they must be blind."


    Zhu Lu was the most furious one out of the entire group, but as soon as she caught sight of the ck snake, her entire body had begun trembling involuntarily. Despite the fact that she was at the pinnacle of the second tier, she couldn''t muster up any courage to face such a fearsome monster, and she was too afraid to take even a single step forward.


    As a fifth tier martial artist, Zhu He was disying far more courage than his daughter. Additionally, he couldn''t afford to cower as his young mistress and his daughter were both right behind him. He didn''t even dare to turn around as he yelled with all his might, "Keep an eye on the cliff behind you, Zhu Lu! There''s another one of these things lurking in the shadows!"


    Zhu Lu''s lips fluttered slightly, as if she were trying to tell her father not to worry, but her voice was no louder than the buzzing of a mosquito.


    Zhu He didn''t have the spare capacity to worry about his daughter''s mental state. At the moment, the ck snake in front of him was so intimidating that it was striking him with a sense of asphyxiation.


    All of a sudden, a burst of loud buzzing rang out in the air outside of the stone cliff.


    Zhu Lu and the others turned with stunned expressions to discover a slightly thinner white snake hovering in the air not far away from the cliff.


    Instead of ws, it possessed a pair of near-transparent wings that were pping rapidly. There was a dark look in its eyes as it scrutinized Zhu Lu intently, flicking its forked tongue out over and over again while viscous white saliva dripped down from its jaws, as if it were salivating over a delicious meal.


    Its gaze roamed over Zhu Lu''s body before finally settling on her face.


    Under the scrutiny of the white snake, Zhu Lu''s legs almost gave out from under her, and she felt as if all of her strength had been sapped from her body. She didn''t copse to the ground, but her breathing was bing morebored. She knew that in her current state, even lifting a finger was going to be a herculean task, let alone fighting the menacing serpent.


    In fact, she wasn''t even aware of the fact that her face that she took so much pride in was already covered in tears.


    From the very first day she began studying martial arts, she had longed for battles and adventure, but at this moment, her heart was filled with nothing but pain and remorse.


    How could she die in a ce like this?


    Her tearful eyes were expressing a silent plea for the white snake to spare her, but it wasn''t moved in the slightest by her pitiful expression.


    Instead, more and more drool began to spill out of its mouth as it stared intently at Zhu Lu''s face, as if it would be able to take on Zhu Lu''s appearance after it devoured her.


    Meanwhile, the old mountain lord appeared to bepletely defeated and dejected, but in reality, his eyes had been constantly darting around this entire time. He was looking at the �� character that had been molded from soil out of the corner of his eye, as well as the ashes of the incinerated yellow talisman.


    If that could prove to be effective, he would''ve dly knelt down onto the ground and blown the ashes away from the �� character, but he knew that such efforts would bepletely futile.


    At the same time, Lin Shouyi was beginning to look around with a panicked expression.


    Li Huai wanted to burst into tears, but he was unable to find his voice, and sat down onto the ground, pressing his back against Li Baoping''s bamboo bookcase as he encircled his arms around his own knees. As he felt the cool sensation of the bookcase on his back, he was beginning to miss the scoldings that he received from his mother and his father''s thunderous snoring every night.


    In contrast, Li Baoping''s expression was only bing more and more resolute, and even though she was sweating profusely, her chin was still raised up high, and there was no fear in her eyes whatsoever.


    All of a sudden, the ck snake pounced directly at Zhu He.


    Zhu He had been on his guard the entire time, and he immediately reacted, sliding one foot back while striding forward with the other foot before throwing a punch directly at the ck snake''s massive head.


    Zhu He''s fist was imbued with tremendous force, and it struck the snake''s head with a resounding boom.


    Following the violent impact, the ck snake''s head reared back, as did the top half of its enormous body.


    Meanwhile, Zhu He''s arm had gonepletely numb, while his feet had sunk half a foot into the ground. He gritted his teeth as he quickly pulled his feet out of the ground, and instead of retreating, he charged forward with all his might, leaving deep footmarks on the stone teau with every step.


    Following that initial sh, Zhu He had discovered that the snake was not necessarily an insurmountable opponent.


    The ck snake barreled straight at Zhu He once again, and the qi within Zhu He''s body was flowing rapidly like a turbulent river. The muscles on his arms bulged to such an extent that they almost tore through his sleeves, and he let loose a furious roar as he mmed a vicious punch right into the center of the snake''s head.


    This was an all-out attack from Zhu He, and the sound of the impact resembled that of a metal mallet striking a giant bell.


    The huge snake''s head was mmed onto the teau by the punch, sending dust rising up in all directions.


    Right as Zhu He was about to press his advantage, the old mountain lord behind him heaved a faint sigh.


    All of a sudden, something swept through the air far faster than the ck snake''s previous two headlong strikes, instantly mming into Zhu He''s side before sending him flying over 100 feet through the air. The strike wasn''t lethal, but it had left him with a gruesome wound and blood all over his face, clearly proving to be quite a heavy blow.


    He rolled over the ground a few times, then forcibly arrested his own backward momentum and swallowed the blood that had surged to the back of his throat. He had no time to assess his own injuries as he mbered to his feet, preparing to charge at the serpent once again.


    As it turned out, the ck snake had intentionally lured Zhu He into a false sense of security to set up for that lightning-fast tail sweep.


    All of a sudden, Zhu He''s eyes widened in rm and horror.


    He had spotted the white snake pouncing out of the corner of his eye, hurtling directly toward Zhu Lu as it opened its cavernous mouth to devour her whole.


    Right at this moment, a thin figure rushed along the spine of the ck snake, thenunched himself up into the air from the ck snake''s head, flying at the white snake with a bushcraft de in his hand.


    Chen Ping''an had swooped in right in the nick of time to sever the white snake''s left wing with his bushcraft de, but he was also sent flying back through the air by the white snake''s iling body.


    ��������


    Somewhere on the ridge of the mountain beneath the stone teau, A''Liang was sitting on a branch of an old pine tree growing horizontally out of the cliff, taking small sips of wine in an expressionless manner.


    He adjusted the conical bamboo hat on his head, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

 Chapter 99: The Mountain God and the Bamboo Saber

    Chapter 99: The Mountain God and the Bamboo Saber


    The white snake''s body was thinner than that of the ck snake, and its wings were even smaller rtive to its body. Furthermore, they were transparent, so one could easily fail to spot them unless they were looking carefully.


    It was remarkable to think that such a tiny pair of wings would be able to allow it to rise up into the sky from outside the teau, so one had to specte that perhaps it had attained some type of flight-rted mystical ability, much like the type used by cultivators.


    The white snake had reared up before pouncing at Zhu Lu, opening its cavernous mouth in an attempt to devour her whole, only for a de-wielding young boy to suddenly spring up out of nowhere. He used the back and the head of the ck snake as adder and a springboard, leaping up into the air before shing his bushcraft de right into the spot where the white snake''s wing was connected to its body.


    The white snake needed its wings to fly and control the direction of its movement while in mid-air, so after its wing was severed, even though its body continued to fly forward due to momentum, it immediately swerved over 10 feet away from its original target. As a result, its cavernous mouth just barely nced past Zhu Lu''s shoulder, and its entire body crashed heavily down onto the stone teau.


    Zhu Lu and the three children behind her had all survived a close brush with death, and while the white snake was still reeling fromnding headfirst on the ground, Li Baoping hurriedly hoisted her bookcase onto her back as she yelled for everyone to run. Lin Shouyi picked up his belongings before rushing along behind her, while Li Huai was so terrified that his teeth were chattering.


    After running away with the other two children for a while, Li Huai suddenly noticed that Zhu Lu wasn''t with him, and as he turned around to look for her, he was immediately stunned by what he saw. As it turned out, Zhu Lu was rooted to the spot in a daze, looking as if she were offering herself up as prey.


    "What are you doing, Zhu Lu?! Run!" Li Huai yelled.


    Zhu Lu shuddered slightly upon hearing this, and she finally returned to her senses a little, but she was still in a daze. She turned to look at Li Huai with a disoriented expression, while Li Huai continued to yell, "Run! Do you want to die?!"


    As soon as Zhu Lu returned to her senses, she immediately disyed the speed and agility of a martial artist at the pinnacle of the second tier, rushing over to Li Huai and the others in just four or five steps, fleeing away from the white snake with them.


    As soon as Zhu Lu fled the scene, the white snake immediately began to thrash violently from the agony of losing its wing, while blood flowed incessantly out of its wound. Its tail was whipping ferociously in an agonized frenzy, smashing into the teau with such force that rock shards were sent flying in all directions.


    If Zhu Lu had reacted anyter than she did, then she would''ve most likely been smashed into a puddle of mincemeat by the white snake''s thrashing tail.


    The loss of its wing seemed to have been a very severe injury for the white snake, and it continued to thrash around violently for a long time without settling down.


    However, Chen Ping''an wasn''t in great condition, either. The web between the thumb and index finger of his de-wielding left hand hadpletely split open, and his hand was covered in blood.


    He knelt down on one knee as he raised an arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead so that it didn''t get into his eyes and blur his vision.


    Half of the bushcraft de had already snapped off, and if Chen Ping''an hadn''t reacted in time, hurriedly dodging his head to the side as the de segment flew back through the air, he would''ve at least had arge chunk of flesh sliced off his face, if notpletely impaled by the de segment.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an was situated in a triangr formation with the ck snake and the white snake. The ck snake was behaving in a very cunning fashion. After witnessing the injury sustained by the white snake, it didn''t immediately abandon Zhu He to go after Chen Ping''an.


    Instead, it became even more calm and collected than before, slowly and methodically swaying its upper body from side to side, maintaining direct opposition to Zhu He the entire time. At the same time, its sinister silver eyes were asionally darting over to the white snake, and the look in those eyes was no different from the expression worn by the white snake as it gazed upon Zhu Lu.


    Meanwhile, the old mountain lord was standing at the center of the teau, quivering in fear. The snapped segment of the bushcraft de just so happened to have plunged into the ground near his feet, and he approached it in a timid fashion, then crouched down before carefully running his finger over the de. Despite his cautious approach, a bead of earthy yellow blood instantly flowed out of his finger, and he hurriedly pulled back his hand in fear.


    He then gently flicked the side of the de with his finger, and a perplexed look appeared on his face as he stroked his own beard while murmuring to himself, "What an incredibly sharp de! It''s just an ordinary bushcraft de, yet even the des of martial artists that have been refined hundreds of times can''tpare with its sharpness.


    ��The only w to this de is that it''s far too brittle. If its sturdiness could match its sharpness, then perhaps there really would be a chance for him to y that beast, but as things are now, all hope is lost."


    The old mountain lord continued to carefully inspect the sleek lines of the de as he mused, "The reason behind the sharpness of this de has to be the whetstone that he used, but that then begs the question: how exceptional would the whetstone have to be to give such a cheap and crude bushcraft de such a peerlessly sharp edge?"


    With that in mind, the old mountain lord snuck a nce at the group''s belongings with a hint of greed and longing in his eyes. Logically speaking, that was where the whetstone had to be.


    However, he then heaved a forlorn sigh. Even if he could get his hands on such an exceptional whetstone, it wouldn''t matter as he was going to be dead soon.


    He could only curse that fifth tier martial artist for using that Soil Molding Technique out of the blue. This was a technique that had already been lost for countless years, and while hiding underground, the old mountain lord had been watching Zhu He with amusement and derision. Never did he think that this Soil Molding Technique would spell his downfall.


    This Soil Molding Technique wasn''t actually a particrly advanced mystical technique, it was just that the old mountain lord had been caught off guard as the technique had only been used on one previous asion to invite him out of his abode, and on that asion, it had been used by none other than the pair of immortals who had used the mountain summit as a go board.


    Of course, those two were a pair of unfathomably powerful terrestrial immortals, and as a mere fifth tier martial artist, Zhu He wasn''t even worthy of bing their servant. At the time, the two immortals had only invited him to the mountain summit using the Soil Molding Technique as they didn''t want to break certain old traditions, not because they were worried about offending a lowly mountain lord like him.


    It wasn''t that Chen Ping''an didn''t want to take advantage of this opportunity to put an end to the white snake''s life, the problem was that his internal organs were all churning violently, and he was powerless to do anything. As soon as he wiped the sweat from his face, a newyer would quickly emerge to rece it, so in the end, Chen Ping''an didn''t even bother with it anymore.


    Instead, he began to focus on his breathing, doing his best to quell his chaotic and restless aura. This type of adjustment was like repairing a set of broken windows on a rainy day. It wasn''t particrly effective, but he could only do his best.


    The sound of a beating drum rang out once again from his chest, and it was gradually bing louder and louder. However, the sound wasn''t traveling into his ears. Instead, it was an indescribable sound that was resonating internally, clearly conveying to him the strain that his body was enduring.


    This type of instinctive sensation was something that Chen Ping''an had experienced on only two previous asions, the first of which was when he had experienced that gut-wrenching agony in y Vase Alley, while the second time was during another one of his trips into the mountains.


    However, he wasn''t rolling around in pain on this asion, and this was because of that fiery dragon-like aura within his body. It was rising upward from his abdomen, and as it rose up through his body, regardless of whether it was passing through the acupoints that he had seen on that wooden figure in Song Jixin''s house, or flowing through the meridians that connected all of the important points in his body, it was significantly reducing his pain, much like a general leading an army to quell a rebellion.


    The effect was very pronounced, and it didn''t heal his injuries on the spot, but at the very least, it ensured that he wasn''t debilitated by his pain.


    Even though Zhu He had sustained severe injuries, his aura was only further elevated, and his entire body was giving off unyielding battle intent. His sleeves were pping audibly in the wind, and he was certainly living up to the image of a martial artist.


    The ck snake''s eyes narrowed slightly as it slithered around the edge of the teau, and despite the formidablebat prowess disyed by Zhu He, it remained calm andposed. Its head was swaying dramatically from side to side, as if it were trying to search for a hole in Zhu He''s defence, but in doing so, it was giving Zhu He time to repress the effects of his injuries.


    The mountain lord was looking on from the side, and after a moment of hesitation, he sighed in a feeble voice, "I advise you to cease your futile struggles. The serpent is in no hurry to eat you because it''s waiting for you to fully activate your qi and energy.


    ��It''s simply waiting for the fruit to ripen, so don''t go thinking that it''s powerless to defeat you. Otherwise, even if it can devour your body, it still won''t be able to digest your energy, essence, and spirit, and those are the most prized things that it desires."


    The old mountain lord heaved a forlorn sigh, then began to arrange his disheveled hair and clothes as he mused in a self-deprecating voice, "Even if I am to die here, I am still a mountain lord, so I should die with dignity."


    The old mountain lord sat on the ground, and while cleaning himself up, a cold smile appeared on his face as he said, "By the way, I forgot to mention this but in addition to its speed and its powerful body, this serpent devoured a Daoist cultivator of the Middle Five Tiers over a century ago. At this point, I''m sure it''s managed to attain at least one or two mystical abilities.


    ��Its mastery of those abilities may be quite rudimentary, but if it decides to use them, I doubt you''ll be able to survive. Ultimately, the only thing that you can me is your own ill fortune. If you were a sixth tier martial artist, these two beasts would''ve been able to devour you nheless, but perhaps they wouldn''t have been willing to engage you in battle for fear of incurring severe injuries themselves.


    ��If you were a seventh tier martial artist, then these two would''ve stayed far out of your way, cowering in their caves as they prayed for you to leave Go Table Mountain as soon as possible."


    Zhu Lu was horrified to hear this, and she fell even deeper into the depths of despair.


    "Where is Senior A''Liang?" Lin Shouyi murmured to himself.


    All of a sudden, Li Huai noticed Li Baoping rummaging through her bookcase, and she pulled out a small porcin vial before holding it tightly in her hand.


    He followed the direction of her gaze to find Chen Ping''an nodding at them discreetly from afar, and he was suddenly feeling a little envious of the tactic understanding that Li Baoping had with her junior uncle.


    In the books that he had read, this was described as a connection between two hearts.


    Even after hearing this revtion from the old mountain lord, Zhu He wasn''t rmed or fearful in the slightest. Instead, he flexed his wrists as he said with a carefree smile, "I''ll die if I allow myself to be eaten, and I''ll most likely still die even if I fight to the bitter end. If I''m going to die anyway, then why should I care if I''m going to serve as a stepping stone for this beast to evolve into a dragon following my death?"


    As a fifth tier martial artist, Zhu He possessed an extremely resolute will. Even in the face of certain death, he disyed no fear or timidity, and his aura had already climbed to a peak. He had primed his body to its most optimal state, and all that was left was to make one final stand.


    All of a sudden, the ck snake did away with its casual andckadaisical demeanor, as if it had confirmed that Zhu He had already tapped into the entirety of histent potential. His souls and senses had all gathered in his acupoints, while his qi and blood were rapidly circting throughout his entire body, essentially making him a ripe fruit that was waiting to be picked.


    The ck snake raised its head up high, and at the same time, it opened its mouth, gradually revealing a pair of ivory-colored fangs that were as thick as the arms of a strong young man. In contrast with the white snake, which would drool whenever it opened its mouth, the ck snake was far cleaner and more refined.


    Its oral cavity was entirely of a snowy white color, and bursts of cial energy were spilling out from within. The stark contrast between ck and white gave the snake an unrivaled sense of majesty and authority, and it looked much more like a mountain lord than the disheveled old man.


    The ck snake abruptly pounced once again, and this time, it was no longer rushing headfirst at Zhu He. Instead, it instantly opened its mouth up as wide as it would go, looking as if it were going to bite off Zhu He''s head, but in reality, that was nothing more than a feint. As it swooped at Zhu He, it released a cloud of extremely nauseating mist out of its mouth, and the mist appeared as if it possessed substance, shooting directly at the ground like an arrow.


    Zhu He had grown up his entire life in the Li n, so he didn''t have much practical battle experience. Throughout his martial arts journey, he had mostly only ever sparred with the patriarch of the Li n, so this was his first-ever battle of life and death.


    However, having already fallen prey to a sneak attack from the ck snake, Zhu He was well aware of how snide and cunning it could be, so he immediately took evasive measures, refraining from taking its attack head-on.


    Sure enough, as soon as the gust of cial energynded on the ground, it immediately shattered against the ground. Zhu He had only just moved several steps away when a fierce gust of wind swept toward him from the side. Once again, the snake had unleashed a sneak attack following a direct attack. Zhu He had already anticipated this, and instead of retreating, he darted directly forward, pouncing straight at the ck snake''s abdomen.


    In response, the ck snake reared back and released one cloud of cial mist out of its mouth after another, not to strike Zhu He down, but to impede him from advancing instead. At the same time, it was extending its tail to form an encirclement around the mountain summit, creating a cage that trapped Zhu He within, forcing him to face the ck snake in direct battle.


    The ck snake''s body was so long that even after forming twoyers of encirclement around Zhu He, it was still able to raise its tail, using it like a patrolling soldier to prevent Zhu He from springing out of the encirclement. Zhu He had already reacted quite quickly, attempting to escape as soon as the secondyer of encirclement took shape, but he had only just sprung up into the air when the ck snake''s tail came crashing down with devastating force.


    Zhu He could only shield his head with his arms before he was mmed back down onto the teau, and even though his internal organs remained unharmed, his qi was churning like boiling water, causing his face to be bright red. In order to protect their host from further injury, his souls and senses were forced to leave his meridians to seep into his skin and flesh.


    A hint of triumph shed through the ck snake''s cold, silver eyes upon seeing this.


    If Zhu He had only been a 70% cooked meal prior to this, then in his current state, he was 90% ready to be devoured.


    Hence, the ck snake didn''t waste any more time and energy, opening its cavernous mouth as it pounced down upon Zhu He once again.


    In response, Zhu Heshed out with his fists while maneuvering in an agile manner within the makeshift arena formed by the ck snake''s body. Azure energy was erupting out of his arms, and each punch of his swept up a gust of fierce wind.


    Even though he was in a dire situation, Zhu He''s eyes remained as sharp and resolute as ever, and his energy, essence, and spirit were unprecedentedly abundant.


    The old mountain lord was quite intrigued to see this. Even though he couldn''t see the battle that was taking ce, he was able to roughly piece together what was happening, and he could tell that Zhu He had a great deal of potential for growth as a martial artist, it was just a pity that he was going to die here.


    All of a sudden, he sprang up from the ground as if something had burned his backside, and he picked up the green bamboo cane from the ground, then yelled out to Zhu Lu and the others, "One of you,e over here! Any one of you will do, as long as it''s a child. Use your foot to stamp the �� character on the ground t, and I''ll be freed from the restraints of the talisman. After that, I''ll be able to assist him in battle.


    ��We won''t be able to y that foul beast, but at the very least, I''ll definitely be able to help him escape! Hurry!"


    The old man''s urgent gaze was roaming over the faces of Zhu Lu and the others as he was speaking.


    After hearing what the old mountain lord had to say, a cold sneer appeared on Lin Shouyi''s face, while Li Huai was just about to muster up his courage to do as the mountain lord instructed, only to be tugged back by Li Baoping.


    The old mountain lord was astonished to see this, and he stomped his foot onto the ground in desperation as he howled, "You fools! Are you just going to watch him be killed by that serpent?! Have you all had your conscience eaten by dogs?!"


    Finally, Zhu Lu was unable to hold back any longer, and she heeded the mountain lord''s call, rushing toward the talisman on the ground as quickly as she could.


    In the distance, Chen Ping''an hurriedly yelled, "Don''t go, Zhu Lu! If you don''t help him, he''ll be stuck here with us, and perhaps he''ll be willing to fight alongside us. If you help him, he''ll be sure to run away, given how much of a coward he''s already shown himself to be! Besides, we still aren''t sure if he''s allied with those two snakes, so we can''t do as he says!


    ��From the very beginning, it seems like he''s been helping us this entire time, but if you actually think about it, he hasn''t done anything to help Uncle Zhu!"


    Zhu Lu was unwilling to listen to Chen Ping''an''s words of reason, continuing to rush ahead in blind determination.


    In the same instant that Chen Ping''an issued this warning to Zhu Lu, he had already begun rushing toward the mountain lord, and his speed wasn''t inferior to Zhu Lu''s in the slightest.


    Barring any unforeseen mishaps, there was a good chance that he would be able to stop her.


    The mountain lord''s brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this.


    After having one of its wings severed, the white snake had quickly settled down after thrashing around for a while, looking as if it were apletely spent force that was unable to take any further part in the battle.


    However, as Chen Ping''an was rushing at the old mountain lord, he passed by around a dozen meters away from the white snake''s head, and the white snake suddenly sprang forward without any warning to try and swallow Chen Ping''an whole, looking as vicious and energetic as ever, even though it had beenying feebly on the ground just a moment ago.


    Chen Ping''an abruptly stopped in his tracks, then sprang back to evade the white snake''s attack before yelling, "Do you see that, Zhu Lu? This snake also wants you to destroy the �� character molded by Uncle Zhu! If you ask me, there''s a good chance that man has been working with these two snakes all along!"


    Chen Ping''an''s vision was obstructed by the white snake''s body, so he couldn''t see what was happening up ahead.


    Meanwhile, the white snake turned to look at Zhu Lu with a hint of panic in its eyes, only to quickly turn back to Chen Ping''an with a derisive look on its face.


    In that instant, Chen Ping''an''s heart was immediately filled with frustration and despair.


    As a result of his raging emotions, the fiery dragon that was passing through his acupoints suddenly slowed down and became far more timid and submissive, but Chen Ping''an was too fixated on what was happening before him to notice that change.


    At this point, Zhu Lu''s mind waspletely muddled, and tears were streaming down her face as she rushed over to the �� character before stomping it into the ground as she sobbed, "I have to save my father! None of you care about him because he''s not your father, but I have to save him!"


    The ashes of the yellow talisman on the �� character were stomped into the dirt, and the �� character itself was also quickly ttened by Zhu Lu''s panicked stomping.


    The old mountain lord stared nkly at Zhu Lu''s feet, and all of a sudden, a sinister cackle began to escape his lips.


    He then raised his head, turning to the panicked Zhu Lu with a mocking sneer, and with a casual flick of his wrist, the green bamboo cane in his hand released a burst of green radiance. As the green light washed over his body, his wizened face began to rapidly rejuvenate, and he smiled as he nodded in approval. "What a good daughter you are!"


    The old man then began to quickly grow taller, while his appearance became more and more youthful, and his joints and tendons began to elongate amid a string of cracks and pops. Before long, he had already reverted back to the form of a middle-aged man, and he threw his head back as he chortled to the heavens in tion.


    In this new appearance, the mountain lord had be very handsome, and he turned to the white snake with a smile as he said, "ording to our agreement, I''ll deal with that cowardly swordsman. As for everyone else, you can do with them as you please. Of course, going forward, we won''t be able to coexist the same way we have for the past several centuries.


    ��Rest assured, once I''m assigned to be the mountain god, I''ll promote you to the mountain lord, and I''ll also provide your partner with some assistance in his journey through the river to the sea. As long as we work together, all of us will thrive and prosper."


    After making this deration to the white snake, the mountain lord turned to the dumbstruck Zhu Lu with a smile, then said, "Come to think of it, I really have to thank your father. At the very most, I would''ve only been able to recover my status as a mountain lord thanks to the assignment of mountain and river gods by the Great Li Empire, but your father was able to call out the name of the Master of Three Mountains and Nine Lords.


    ��That truly came as quite a shock to me, and essentially, he helped me recover the title of mountain lord that had previously been stripped away by those immortals. Truth be told, if he had molded the �[ character rather than the �� character, then perhaps I would already have be the mountain god of Go Table Mountain even without requiring an assignment from the Great Li Empire."


    The mountain lord was ecstatic as he slowly paced back and forth, waving a hand with a smile as he mused, "It''s alright, I''m already extremely pleased with what I''ve been given. Your father is a good person, and you are as well. Both of you are my benefactors, it''s just a pity that I''m unable to repay you for the massive kindness that you''ve bestowed upon me."


    Zhu Lu''s face had be deathly pale, and her lips were trembling as she murmured over and over again, "You lied to me... You lied to me..."


    The mountain lord took a nce at the white snake, then continued, "Neither of us could''ve anticipated that you would have a wing severed here, so don''t expect me topensate you. Right now, I have nothing to give you. The two of you have already exhausted all of the valuable resources within a radius of several hundred kilometers of Go Table Mountain, and I''ve been left with nothing. What a ridiculous state of affairs this is!"


    The white snake nodded in a docile manner, and a fawning look appeared on its face as it gently shook its head from side to side.


    The mountain lord waved his bamboo cane in a dismissive manner as he said, "I have no interest in all the trash that you''ve gathered over the years, and I''m willing to leave all our differences behind us and let bygones be bygones."


    He then inspected his surroundings before asking, "Where is that man that all of you refer to as A''Liang? Not only did he refuse to bow to the mountain, he dared to sit on my thrones, and he even convinced that man to downgrade the �[ character to the �� character..."


    All of a sudden, the tion on the mountain lord''s face turned to agony and bewilderment, and he looked down to find an ordinary bamboo saber protruding out of his chest.


    A man in a conical bamboo hat was standing beside him, but they were facing in opposite directions. The man released the hilt of the bamboo saber, then patted the mountain lord on the shoulder as he asked, "You called?"

 Chapter 100: (1): The World Beneath Ones Feet

    Chapter 100: (1): The World Beneath One''s Feet


    After releasing the hilt of the bamboo saber, A''Liang patted the mountain lord on the shoulder, and even though the mountain lord had been spared his life, he wasn''t relieved in the slightest. Instead, he only became even more fearful and uneasy, and the tion on his face had alreadypletely vanished at this point.


    He remainedpletely still, not daring to move even a single muscle as he said in a strained voice, "My sincerest apologies, Senior. This is all one big misunderstanding!"


    He didn''t know who this A''Liang was, but he was able to appear right beside him without his detection, then plunge a seemingly ordinary bamboo saber through his chest with ease, and that was enough to tell the mountain lord that he was definitely no match for this man.


    Perhaps only once he became the mountain god of Go Table Mountain would he have the courage to directly face this man. Hence, he was faced with a difficult predicament. Should he ept his fate and surrender to a clearly superior opponent, or should he muster up his courage and fight?


    In the instant that A''Liang released the hilt of his bamboo saber, the de was no longer a threat to the mountain lord. He was only a mountain lord, and he had no official rank even in a mortal empire, but ultimately, he was still a deity.


    Thanks to all the worship and reverence that he had received, his body rivaled that of a seventh tier martial artist, and he didn''t have any vital regions, so there were no vulnerable points on his body. Hence, even though a de had been plunged straight through where his heart was supposed to be, he was still essentially unharmed. However, the more casual andckadaisical A''Liang appeared, the more uneasy the mountain lord felt.


    This sense of fear and unease was only exacerbated by his recollection of the two terrestrial immortals who had visited this ce many years ago and destroyed his godly body with their unfathomable powers. They had done so with such casual ease that they had invested far more attention and focus into each move that they had made during their game of go.


    After stabbing the mountain lord through the chest, A''Liang reverted back to his usualckadaisical demeanor, removing the gourd from his waist before gently swirling it around to send the aroma of wine wafting through the air. After gulping down some wine, A''Liang casually strolled around the handsome mountain lord as he mused, "I must say, you''ve got some great acting skills, and that white snake was pretty good as well.


    ��You and those two snakes form a seamlessbination! However, I much preferred it when you showed your true colors and began gloating after thinking that you had won. That was a far more spectacr performance!"


    The pair of giant snakes had already attained intelligence and the capacity for human emotion, and as soon as A''Liang appeared, both of them immediately retreated as quickly as they could. The ck snake quickly spread open its body before retreating to one side of the teau, while the white snake also slithered back before stopping at the edge of the cliff in an obedient manner, then lowered its head as if it were nothing more than a tame pet.


    This time, they were definitely not putting on an act, and all of the scales on their bodies were trembling slightly in genuine fear.


    In fact, they didn''t even dare to look directly at A''Liang.


    With just a single strike from his bamboo de, A''Liang had put an end to this battle.


    In response to A''Liang''s teasing, an awkward look appeared on the young mountain lord''s face, and he said, "Surely you jest, Senior A''Liang."


    "You think I''m joking around?" A''Liang asked as his smile faded.


    A sense of foreboding instantly welled up in the mountain lord''s heart. In his mind, A''Liang was the type of person whose mood could turn at the drop of a hat, and he hurriedly fled for his life, fearing that A''Liang would suddenly decide to kill him.


    Using a mystical ability unique to a mountain lord, his body disintegrated into mud, while the ground beneath his feet also dissolved into sludge, and in what felt like no more than the blink of an eye, the mountain lord had already vanished out of sight, following which the swamp-like ground also instantly returned to normal.


    Without the mountain lord''s body holding it in ce, the bamboo saber fell out of the air.


    A''Liang caught the saber, and he turned to find the three children all staring at him with wide and astonished eyes.


    A''Liang hurriedly puffed out his chest, and instead of returning his saber to its scabbard, he pressed its tip against the ground as he rested on its hilt, looking up at the sky as he struck a cool pose and urged, "Praise me! Praise me with all your might! I have two exceptional personality traits, the first of which is my willingness to ept criticism.


    ��If you criticize me, I''ll beat you to death! The second one is my ability to ept praise. I don''t care how corny or ridiculous yourpliments are, I can handle it!"


    Li Huai was the first of the children to speak, making his way over to A''Liang''s side before looking him up and down as he asked, "Why did you get here sote? Were you taking a shit? Lazy people like you are always sitting on thetrine to avoid work! If you hade anyter than you did, there would be no one left to chat with you and pee with you! Would you miss me if that happened?"


    A''Liang was doing his best to maintain his cool pose, but his efforts to look good were instantly foiled by Li Huai, and a furious look appeared on his face as he snapped, "I would miss your mother and your sister, but I wouldn''t miss an ungrateful brat like you!"


    For the first time, Li Huai didn''t talk back to A''Liang. Instead, he lowered his head with a slight dejected expression.


    A''Liang heaved a faint sigh, then patted Li Huai on the head as he said, "You''re still alive, aren''t you? So why the long face? Cheer up!"


    Li Huai immediately raised his head with a wide grin as he asked, "A''Liang, can you teach me martial arts?"


    "Are you willing to endure hardship?" A''Liang asked with a smile.


    "Of course not," Li Huai replied with a serious shake of his head. "Don''t you have any martial arts that you can teach me that would be easy to learn, but can still allow me to be invincible?"


    "What do you think?" A''Liang asked in an exasperated voice.


    Li Huai pursed his lips as he regarded A''Liang with a disdainful expression. "You''re a real let-down, A''Liang. I expected more of you."


    Li Baoping gave A''Liang a bright smile, then rushed over to Chen Ping''an with her bookcase on her back.


    Meanwhile, Lin Shouyi strode over to A''Liang with a perplexed expression, but he didn''t ask any questions. A''Liang gave the boy a slight nod, indicating that he would speak to him in private.


    Zhu He was seated with his legs crossed, and his entire body was drenched in blood, presenting a horrifying sight to behold, but he hadn''t sustained any substantial internal injuries.


    He wiped the blood from his face, and despite the near-death ordeal he had just endured, he wore a wide smile, feeling more exhrated than he had ever felt. It was as if all of the negative emotions built up in his heart had been cleared away during that battle, leaving him in a state of exceptionalfort and mental rity.


    Zhu Lu rushed to Zhu He''s side as quickly as she could, and there were still tear streaks all over her face as she crouched down next to him.


    Zhu He made a reassuring gesture to her as he chuckled, "As the saying goes, if one can survive a catastrophe, then good fortune will be sure to follow. This has been a huge blessing for me! I feel like I''vetched onto a catalyst for a breakthrough.


    ��Those key acupoints in my body have been stagnant for many years, but they''re beginning to stir with renewed vitality. It may only be a slight change, but given that I had already reached the end of my martial arts progression, this is an enormous blessing!"


    Zhu Lu was rather skeptical about these ims, and there was a concerned look on her face as she urged, "Don''t be in such a hurry to speak, Father. You''re going to open up your wounds even further."


    Zhu He''s smile grew even wider as he rested his hands on his knees, and he was practically glowing and brimming with energy. "These minor injuries are nothing. If I had been able tost 15 more minutes against that snake, perhaps I would''ve progressed straight to the sixth tier! Of course, I would''ve had to survive until then first."


    Zhu He turned to A''Liang as he spoke, then gave him a thumbs-up as he dered, "Senior A''Liang, once we get to Red Candle Town, I''ll buy you some of that spring apricot blossom wine."


    A''Liang had his back facing Zhu He, and he waved a dismissive hand in response. "Haven''t you heard the saying that the utmost gratitude can''t be expressed through words? You should just remember what I did for you. When youe out and say it, your gratitude seems a lot less sincere."


    Chen Ping''an epted the small porcin vial that Li Baoping was handing over to him. This was a medicine sold in the Yang Family''s medicine shop made from a secret recipe that had been passed down for generations, and it had only a single effect, which was to numb pain.


    Chen Ping''an had used this medicine once during his fierce battle against Ma Kuxuan at the immortal tomb, and if A''Liang hadn''t arrived in time, then this medicine would''ve definitelye in useful. However, it wasn''t required now. Even though Chen Ping''an''s entire body was racked with pain, the pain was not so severe that he required this medicine.


    Old Man Yang had once told him that all medicines were poison to a certain extent, so it was best to avoid using them as much as possible. In particr, if a martial artist were to consume so-called elixirs and panaceas without any discretion, then they would only be destroying their own foundation over the long term.


    Li Baoping could see that Chen Ping''an''splexion was quite pale, and she was observant enough to notice that his left hand, which was holding his bushcraft de with, had been trembling uncontrobly this entire time.


    "Don''t worry about me, this is not a significant injury," Chen Ping''an consoled in a gentle voice. "In fact, as long as my intuition isn''t mistaken, this should only benefit me in the future."


    Li Baoping nodded vigorously in response. Chen Ping''an had told her that he would never lie to her, so she had full trust in his words.


    A''Liang''s gaze roamed over the pair of giant snakes, and after a moment of contemtion, he discretely exerted more force into the hilt of his bamboo saber, causing its tip to pierce about an inch deeper into the ground.


    Meanwhile, the mountain lord had only just fled in a panic back to his cave abode in the belly of the mountain, and he was suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning to the head, sending blood sttering in all directions.


    His panic and horror were only further exacerbated by this, and he quickly shuffled a few steps away before looking up, only to find that there was nothing aside from the tiny tip of a green de up above. After some hesitation, the mountain lord gritted his teeth, then stomped his foot onto the ground.


    In the next instant, he emerged onto the summit of Go Table Mountain like a bamboo shoot rising up through the soil. With one hand pressed over his wound, he cast his gaze toward A''Liang with a sullen expression, and at this point, he was willing to kneel down and beg for his life if that would convince A''Liang to spare him.


    "Please spare me from further punishment, almighty immortal," the mountain lord pleaded.


    Zhu Lu was given a massive fright by the sudden return of the mountain lord, and for some reason, she suddenly flew into a thunderous rage, rising to her feet as she yelled at A''Liang, "Kill them!"


    A''Liang turned around to face the incensed Zhu Lu with a smile, and he asked, "Why would I kill them? I have no bad blood with them."


    Zhu Lu''s face became even more twisted with rage and resentment as she stabbed a finger in A''Liang''s direction and eximed, "You have no bad blood with them?! Those two foul beasts just tried to eat us, and that mountain lord was the one who orchestrated everything!"


    A''Liang feigned a surprised expression as his gaze roamed over the mountain lord and the two snakes one after the other, and he asked, "You want to eat me? Or is it one of you two?"


    The mountain lord and the pair of giant snakes naturally shook their heads desperately in response.


    Zhu Lu was trembling with rage as she sobbed, "My father almost died! All of us almost died!"


    Tears were swimming in her eyes as she stared at A''Liang and yelled, "You clearly have the power to get rid of these menaces to the world, so why won''t you do it? These two foul beasts pose a threat to anyone that passes through this area, and this mountain lord should be protecting all those who set foot on his mountain, yet instead, he''s working with those foul beasts to bring more harm to everyone, so why won''t you kill them?"


    A''Liang was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into raucousughter. "The way you''re talking to me makes it sound like you''re my wife! I''m afraid I''m going to have to turn you down. I actually prefer slightly older girls who have reached full physical maturity."


    A''Liang pulled his bamboo saber out of the ground as he spoke, then slid it back into his scabbard before drawing an hourss shape in the air with his hands as he said in a perverted manner, "I like girls with that type of body shape."


    Zhu Lu was stunned into silence for a moment, then screeched, "You''repletely insufferable!"


    Zhu He struggled to his feet, then patted his daughter on the shoulder as he scolded in a firm voice, "Don''t be rude to Senior A''Liang, and don''t allow yourself to be ovee by your emotions. Just leave everything to Senior A''Liang."


    Zhu Lu spun around and cast her gaze into the distance with frustration and indignation etched on her face.


    A''Liang turned to Chen Ping''an, and thetter nodded in response. "You can make the decision, A''Liang."


    "Alright, in that case, I''ll call the shots here," A''Liang said in azy voice. "As the old saying goes, it''s never good topletely burn one''s bridges, so we should learn to be more tolerant of those around us and not take things too far."


    The mountain lord nodded vigorously in agreement with this sentiment, and the two giant snakes also lowered their heads slightly.


    However, A''Liang''s words then suddenly took a turn. "Having said that, you gave me quite a massive fright, so I can''t just let you off the hook without anypensation."


    The mountain lord was on the verge of tears upon hearing this.


    On the contrary to what A''Liang was saying, they were the ones who were scared to death of him!


    After a moment of contemtion, A''Liang slung his arm across the mountain lord''s shoulders. What was rather awkward was that the mountain lord was significantly taller than A''Liang, but the former hurriedly stooped down to lower himself to the same height as A''Liang so that he didn''t have to get up on the tips of his toes.


    A''Liang whispered something into the mountain lord''s ear, and thetter nodded in response to everything, not daring to raise any objections.


    In the end, a mixture of surprise, tion, and skepticism appeared on the mountain lord''s face, as if he had been pleasantly surprised by A''Liang''s demands and was wondering if he was being serious.


    With a disdainful wave of his hand, A''Liang said, "Get out of my sight before I change my mind."


    The mountain lord and the twin snakesmunicated something to one another through some type of secret technique, following which the mountain lord quickly departed. The white snake then carefully slithered over to its severed wing before picking it up with its mouth, making sure to give A''Liang and the others as wide a berth as possible.


    Prior to their departure, the two snakes slowly lowered their heads all the way to the ground, expressing their subordination to A''Liang, and only after that did they dare to leave.


    Thus, the ordeal was officially over, and under the dying light of dusk, Zhu He called upon Chen Ping''an to apany him to a stream on the stone teau to clean their wounds, and Zhu Lu followed along in silence.


    Zhu He and Chen Ping''an crouched down beside the water, washing away the blood on their faces and clothes. Zhu He seemed to want to say something, but couldn''t seem to find the right words. Chen Ping''an noticed Zhu Lu sitting far away on a rock beside the stream, and he told Zhu He that he would be going back ahead of him.


    Zhu He nodded in response, making no effort to keep Chen Ping''an. Following Chen Ping''an''s departure, Zhu He rose to his feet, then made his way over to his daughter''s side before sitting down as he asked in a gentle voice, "Why didn''t you apologize to him?"


    Zhu Lu had removed her boots and socks to reveal her delicate feet, and upon hearing her father''s question, her eyes immediately widened with indignation as she asked, "What do you mean by that, Father?"


    Zhu Lu''s beautiful eyes bore an extremely close resemnce to her mother''s, and looking into those eyes, Zhu He couldn''t bear to spit out the rather scathing words of criticism he had prepared. After a brief silence, he heaved a faint sigh, then said in a calm voice, "Given how things turned out, Chen Ping''an was clearly right to have told you not to destroy the �� character."


    Zhu Lu wound her arms around her knees as she looked into the stream and harrumphed coldly, "You''re not his father, so of course he doesn''t care about your safety. I didn''t have time to think about all of that! What if he was wrong? Was I supposed to just stand around and watch you die?"


    Zhu He offered no response to this.


    Tears began to well up in Zhu Lu''s eyes again as she asked, "Father, would I still be your daughter if I chose to do nothing at that time?"


    Once again, Zhu He was forced to swallow some of the scathing words of criticism that he was going to direct at Zhu Lu.


    He wanted to tell her that as a martial artist at the pinnacle of the second tier, she shouldn''t have lost her nerve so easily in the face of formidable opponents.


    If he were speaking to Zhu Lu purely as a martial artist, then this was something that he would''ve definitely said, but as her father, this was something that was too hurtful to say.


    At the very least, he couldn''t raise this piece of criticism now, so he would just have to wait for a suitable opportunity at someter point.


    However, deep down in his heart, he couldn''t shake the feeling that something was wrong, but at the same time, he couldn''t put his finger on exactly what was wrong.


    All of a sudden, he was struck by a sense of guilt and sorrow.


    If only her mother were still alive.


    _____


    Chen Ping''an was slowly making his way up the mountain path leading to the teau on his own, casting a particrly long shadow under the light of the dying sun.


    On the mountain summit, Li Baoping was organizing her belongings, and Li Huai was crouched down beside her for somepany. All of a sudden, he dered, "Li Baoping, I''m going to have a bookcase as well soon."


    Li Baoping red at him with a disdainful expression and said, "That''s fine, but you can''t call my junior uncle your junior uncle!"


    "Why not?" Li Huai asked.


    Li Baoping raised a fist in a menacing manner as she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Is that enough of a reason for you?"


    Li Huai gulped nervously, then murmured to himself, "So what if he''s not my junior uncle? I don''t want one anyway! Why should I have to stoop to calling a kid my uncle?"


    Li Huai rose to his feet and dusted off his bottom, and only after he was far away from Li Baoping did he turn around as he asked, "Li Baoping, what are you going to do if Chen Ping''an and I start referring to each other as brothers someday? What will you call me then?"


    Li Baoping smiled as she rose to her feet and began to flex her wrists.


    A panicked look appeared on Li Huai''s face as he said, "Li Baoping, you can''t just threaten me with physical violence every time you can''t win an argument! Can''t we be more civilized? We''re schrs, and schrs need to..."


    Before Li Huai had a chance to finish, Li Baoping was already rushing at him with the intention of delivering a beating.


    In this dire situation, Li Huai was struck by a spark of inspiration, and he stood his ground as he said in an earnest and heartfelt voice, "Li Baoping, are you not afraid that your junior uncle will think you''re a violent and unreasonable young mistress? If he forms that impression of you and ends up disliking you, who are you going to cry to? I''mying this on the table now, so don''t me me for not warning you! "


    Li Baoping immediately stopped in her tracks as her brows furrowed tightly.


    Li Huai then reassured, "Don''t worry, Chen Ping''an likes you the most out of the three of us. As long as you be like Zhu Lu, you''ll remain in his good graces."


    Li Baoping smiled as she returned to her little bookcase and continued to sort through her belongings.

 Chapter 101: Guard the Mountain

    Chapter 101: Guard the Mountain


    When everyone finished breakfast and were just about to set off, A''Liang suddenly walked over with his donkey and told everyone to wait for a short while. He then yelled, "Come out!"


    The young mountain lord of Go Table Mountain who was even more beautiful than a woman quickly rose up from the earth. He was wearing an ethereal white robe withrge flowing sleeves, and he held a long wooden box in his hands as he bent down and said to A''Liang with an obsequious smile, "Great immortal, this underling has already prepared some mounts for you and yourpanions. I guarantee that your journey will be smooth sailing for the next 100 kilometers. It''ll be like a stroll in the park."


    A''Liang was like apletely different person from yesterday, the one who had easily subdued his enemies with a bamboo saber. There was a warm smile on his face as he replied, "Thank you for your hard work. Could you please hold onto those things for a while as well? You can give it to me when we''re about to leave Go Table Mountain."


    The young mountain lord felt extremely ttered, and he said, "You''re far too kind, great immortal. You''re going to reduce my fortune[1]."


    A''Liang walked over and patted the young deity on the shoulder. He then handed the white donkey leash to him and said, "Then I won''t hold back. Bring this donkey and that horse to the border as well."


    "It''s my pleasure," the young mountain lord said in a righteous manner. "It''s my honor to be able to help you."


    A''Liang turned around to look at Li Huai. The two of them had fought over a piece of spiced beef during breakfast just then, and the young boy had cried, screamed, and threatened suicide, stooping as low as he could to achieve his aim. Not only did he offer his mom and his sister to A''Liang, but if A''Liang were willing to take him up on his offer, perhaps Li Huai would have even offered his dad to him.


    Of course, A''Liang didn''t show any mercy, and in the end, Li Huai could only bare his teeth and swing his arms as he tried to fight a decisive battle with A''Liang. Even now, the two of them were still locked in a tense and hostile situation that might break into a battle at any moment.


    A''Liang raised a thumb and pointed at the obsequious young mountain lord behind him as if to say, "Do you see, little brat? Lord A''Liang is someone who''s respected and revered in the cultivation world. Remember to show some respect in the future."


    Li Huai rolled his eyes before turning around to spit on the ground.


    A''Liang huffed and said, "Let''s go, let''s go."


    A brief momentter, three forest turtles whose shells were asrge as dining tables climbed up the mountain one after another. Their shells were as bright red as roaring mes. When the young mountain lord who was holding a bamboo cane in his hand peered at them, the three forest turtles immediately shrunk into their shells a little. This was a case of one thing subduing another. As the nominal ruler of Go Table Mountain, the young mountain lord was unable to dispose of the two pythons even after several hundred years. This was because of the restriction on his cultivation. However, the remaining beasts and birds were like nothing more than the sheep and chickens that themon people bred.


    Each turtle could hold three passengers, and the young mountain lord had thoughtfully nailed some low rails on the edges of the turtles'' shells. These could be used as handrails, and they were made from strong lengths of wood that he had harvested from the mountain. All this was in order to prevent his esteemed guests from falling off their mounts.


    Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi all climbed onto the turtle shells. Li Baoping called Chen Ping''an onto the forest turtle that she had chosen, while A''Liang sat on another with Li Huai and Lin Shouyi. Meanwhile, Zhu He and Zhu Lu were able to enjoy the remaining forest turtle to themselves.


    Li Huai was absolutely delighted. When the forest turtles started to move, he only swayed back and forth slightly, and there wasn''t any sign of turbulence. This was surprisingly far morefortable than horse-drawn carriages. Even though the forest turtles looked clumsy, they were actually fairly quick.


    Li Huai hammered A''Liang''s knee in excitement, and he eximed, "Holy mother! This is the first time I''ve ridden arge turtle like this! A''Liang, you''re a mean and wicked person, but you''ve finally done something good!"


    A''Liang looked at Li Huai with pity in his eyes, and he said, "How were you able to grow to this age? By the looks of it, the small town is truly a simple and modest ce."


    Li Huai turned around to Lin Shouyi and asked, "Is A''Liang saying bad things about me?"


    Lin Shouyi was resting with his eyes closed at this moment, and it was as if he were silentlyprehending the gentle spring breeze that was brushing past him. Hepletely ignored Li Huai''s questions.


    There was a devious expression on Li Huai''s face as he turned back to A''Liang and attempted to decipher some clues from his face.


    A''Liang''s expression was stern as he told the young boy, "I was saying something good about you."


    Li Huai nced at the green bamboo swords resting across A''Liang''s legs before ncing at the small silver gourd hanging by his waist. "A''Liang, won''t you let me y with the bamboo saber?" he asked.


    A''Liang shook his head and replied, "You''re not suited to using a bamboo saber."


    Li Huai frowned and asked, "Then what weapon is suitable for me?"


    There was a serious expression on A''Liang''s face as he replied, "You can speak reason with others. You can subdue others through reason and virtue."


    Li Huai sighed andmented in dejection, "But I can''t."


    "Why''s that?" A''Liang asked in curiosity. He had only been messing around with the young boy.


    Li Huai gazed up at the lush green scenery in the distance, where he would asionally see the blur of a spring flower in full bloom. "My voice is too soft, and Mother said that whoever''s louder in a fight is whoever has reason," he said quietly. "However, Father doesn''t like to speak, and even a whack to the head won''t draw a single peep from him. My sister is also a soft and mellow person who doesn''t speak very much. So if something happens when Mother isn''t around, my father and sister will only be able to look at each other helplessly. It''s a really worrying sight.


    "In fact, I don''t like to argue with others either. However, when I''m sitting on the fence and watching Mother ferociously argue with others, sometimes I get worried about the day when Mother grows too old to argue. What will we do then? My family is so poor that we can''t even afford to fix the hole in our roof. Father isn''t capable, and when my sister grows older, she''s sure to marry and go somewhere else. At that time, what will we do if there''s no one to argue and fight for us? Won''t we be bullied to death by other people?"


    Lin Shouyi''s mind wavered a little.


    A''Liang clicked his tongue in wonder andmented in an amused voice, "A little pipsqueak like you is thinking so far into the future?"


    "I don''t have a choice though," Li Huai said in exasperation. "Mother said that I''m the only person in the family who has balls. Mr. Qi also taught us that those who don''t n for the future will be certain to face immediate trouble. So I have to provide for a... whatever it was."


    "A rainy day[2]", A''Liang said with a smile, helping him finish the idiom.


    Li Huai shook his head and asked, "Lin Shouyi, what did Mr. Qi say about virtuous people?"


    Lin Shouyi opened his eyes and recited slowly, "Virtuous people conceal their talents and only disy them when the situation does call."


    Li Huai pointed at A''Liang and judged, "A''Liang, you''re trying to show off with only a half cup full of knowledge."


    Lin Shouyi felt the urge to move to the forest turtle that Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping were sitting on. At the very least, he wouldn''t have to listen to this nonsense anymore.


    A''Liang untied his gourd and took a swig of wine from it, chuckling, "I already came to an agreement with Go Table Mountain''s mountain lord yesterday. Aspensation, he and those two beasts will give us a farewell gift when we leave. Did you see the long wooden box just then? Those in the cultivation world refer to it as a horizontal treasure pagoda, and it works in the same mysterious ways as the upright hundred treasure shelves. It''s filled with valuable treasures, and I initially wanted to give you all a treasure each. You were naturally no exception. Now, however... you can say goodbye to your treasure."


    Li Huai was unfazed, and he simply said with a stern expression, "A''Liang, I know that your belly can fit 100rge boats!"


    A''Liang faltered and asked, "What nonsense are you spewing?"


    Lin Shouyi interjected in a seemingly casual manner, "The belly of a prime minister isrge enough to hold a boat.[3]"


    A''Liangughed heartily as he whacked Li Huai across the head.


    The forest turtles took tranquil mountain paths as they traversed mountains and crossed rivers. Their movements were gentle and rxed, and this allowed their passengers to also feel carefree and leisurely. When they passed scenic areas, A''Liang would tell them to rest for a while to enjoy the views.


    When they passed a small and lush green bamboo forest, Chen Ping''an picked up his broken machete and felled two stalks of bamboo. He then chopped them into varying lengths and ced them inside his bamboo basket. Li Huai knew the reason for this, and he couldn''t help but jump up and down in excitement. "I''m about to get a bookcase!" he hollered again and again.


    The three forest turtles were resting in the distance, and when they saw Chen Ping''an hack down the two stalks of bamboo, their beady yellow eyes that were asrge as fists were filled with admiration.


    A''Liang was drinking nearby, and as he looked at the adept motions of the busy young boy, he smiled and remarked, "Quite skillful judgment. However, it''s a shame that... you still can''t enjoy any good fortune."


    Before setting off, Li Baoping asked Zhu He if she and Zhu Lu could sit on a turtle by themselves. Zhu He naturally didn''t reject her request. However, he reminded his daughter to take good care of the young mistress, to which Zhu Lu replied with a nod. Zhu He walked over to sit on the same turtle as Chen Ping''an.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an split the emerald-green bamboo tubes into strips. However, he didn''t have any hemp rope on him, so the earliest that this bookcase could take shape would be when they arrived at Red Candle Town.


    Zhu He picked up a strip of bamboo, and he discovered that it was extremely light yet also incredibly tough at the same time. This reminded him of the green bamboo cane that Go Table Mountain''s mountain lord held. He instantly came to a realization. The one or two mu[4] of bamboo forest just then was definitely no ordinary bamboo forest. Perhaps it was even one of the areas where the spiritual energy of Go Table Mountain gathered.


    Zhu He genuinely adored the young mistress, and he couldn''t help but tell Chen Ping''an, "This bamboo is quite extraordinary, and if you used an ordinary machete on them, the de would have chipped or bent a long time ago. When you finish making these two bookcases, perhaps the young mistress will feel slightly gloomy. Because in the end, it''s actually her small bookcase that''s the most ordinary."


    Chen Ping''an was astounded. He turned to the forest turtle that A''Liang and the others were sitting on, and he asked uncertainly, "Is that bamboo forest rted to Go Table Mountain''s mountain lord?"


    A''Liang nodded and replied, "It''s an area that holds much of his wealth. The bamboo forest draws spiritual energy from the mountain, and it takes 100 years for the stalks of bamboo to be this emerald green. Only after another 500 years is it possible for the stalks of bamboo to potentially umte a sliver of green wood essence.


    "However, it shouldn''t really matter. The two stalks of bamboo that you chopped down were only around 200 years old, so that mountain lord won''t be overly aggrieved by it. At most, he''ll only feel pained for a little while. He won''t be affected at all."


    Chen Ping''an sighed and abandoned his thoughts of returning to harvest more bamboo.


    "What''s wrong? You feel like two stalks is too few? Do you want me to pick some higher quality ones for you?" A''Liang asked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No, it''s fine."


    "It should take less than an hour to go there ande back. It''s not a hassle at all," Zhu Hemented.


    Chen Ping''an looked at the bamboo basket beside his feet. It was filled with bamboo strips, yet there was still a lot of empty space that could fit more. However, he still shook his head and said, "It''s more important to keep moving forward."


    Zhu He didn''t think much about this, and he said with a smile, "When practicing martial arts, tempering oneself is of great importance. If one doesn''t spar with others, it will be impossible for them to reach great heights. So when we have spare time, why don''t we spar with each other? However, let me say this first. Even though I call it sparring, I can only guarantee that I won''t injure you. Apart from that, I definitely won''t go easy on you. So mentally prepare yourself to get beaten up."


    Chen Ping''an was delighted, and he said with a beaming smile, "Uncle Zhu, hit me as hard as you can."


    Noon was yet to arrive, but the forest turtles had already made it halfway out of the mountains. They stopped by a pool under a waterfall, and they all busied themselves with their assigned roles, creating a small firece and cooking lunch. During this time, Chen Ping''an walked over to secretly tell Li Baoping about the situation regarding the bookcases. After hearing his exnation, a wide smile appeared on the little girl''s face. In the end, she was filled with pride as she patted the small bookcase that never left her side and announced, "The best bookcase in the world is right here. In fact, I''ve even given it a name �� Green Robe."


    After lunch, A''Liang called Chen Ping''an over to the deep pool. The waterfall wasn''trge, so the chilly air that emanated from it wasn''t intense either. The two of them walked side-by-side. After hesitating for a moment, A''Liang asked, "ording to what you said before, you now own five mountains in Dragon Spring County? Downtrodden Mountain, Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, Immortal Herb Mountain, and True Jewel Mountain?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded with a puzzled expression. He didn''t hide anything from A''Liang, and he said slowly, "Downtrodden Mountain is the most valuable mountain, and Treasured Scripture Mountain is also fairly valuable. However, the three remaining mountains are fairly ordinary, especially True Jewel Mountain. It''s nothing more than an unremarkable hill."


    A''Liang lightly patted the hilt of his saber as he pondered for a brief moment. "The true value of these mountains lies in the fact that they hold far more spiritual energy than the outside world. Not only were the five monsters that we encountered trying to follow the Iron Talisman River and enter your hometown, but there are actually many spirits and beasts who have only just gained sentience rushing toward your hometown as well. However, it''s up to their fate and abilities to see who''s fortunate enough to ultimately obtain a plot ofnd there."


    A''Liang took a sip of wine before continuing, "Don''t feel like a thief has entered your house when these spirits and beasts enter your mountains. It''s just like the situation in Go Table Mountain. Why did the mountain lord allow those two pythons to slowly grow stronger under his watch? The reason for this is simple. After the mountain lord was stripped of his title as an official god, Go Table Mountain needed others to stand up for it if it wanted to retain any spiritual energy. It needs others to guard the mountain, suppress the yin energy, and also draw in good fortune."


    "A''Liang, are you saying that I should invite the mountain lord of Go Table Mountain or the two pythons to my mountains? So it''s sort of like... they''re guarding my property?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    A''Liang bent down and casually picked up a pebble. He tossed it into the pool and shook his head with a smile, saying, "You''re only half correct. Assigning new official gods of mountains and rivers is a critical task for the Great Li Empire in the near future. This pertains to the fortune of the empire, and they definitely won''t allow others to get involved. In terms of which mountains in your hometown will enjoy the presence of a mountain god recognized by the official court... The emperor will definitely assign some dead people to them �� more urately, heroic spirits. It doesn''t make sense for the mountain lord of Go Table Mountain to reside on your mountains.


    "In any case, even if your Downtrodden Mountain or Treasured Scripture Mountain is fortunate enough to host a mountain god decreed by the imperial court �� allowing temples to be built, statues to be erected, and incense to be offered �� the mountain lord in this area won''t be able to be the mountain god of your mountains unless he passes the strict examination of the ministry of astronomy. Otherwise, he''ll only be able to stay in Go Table Mountain.


    "But maybe he still has a small ray of hope. After all, he''s been here for hundreds of years, so he should be given some credit for hard work if not for merit. It''s not like he''s created any great trouble either. Perhaps the emperor of the Great Li Empire will show benevolence toward him and conveniently promote him to a mountain god while upgrading the status of Go Table Mountain.


    "So, he won''t agree to your request even if you go and ask him. To these deities, their status as gods who can enjoy offerings and incense is absolutely critical. After all, there''s no turning back once they make amitment."


    Chen Ping''an squatted down next to A''Liang and asked tentatively, "Then should I invite the two pythons?"


    A''Liang continued to toss pebbles into the pool as he smiled and replied, "It is hard to decide. Even though the two beasts are quite powerful, they''vemitted quite a number of sins these years. If word of this gets out, it''ll be a stain on your reputation..."


    "If I allow them to go to Downtrodden Mountain or Treasured Scripture Mountain, can I guarantee that they won''t eat anyone?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    A''Liang faltered when he heard this question. He rubbed his chin and replied, "Eat people? With such an abundance of spiritual energy, these beasts will usually bepletely focused on cultivation. However, these pythons are part of the flood dragon family, after all, so they''re innately cold-blooded creatures. It won''t be surprising if they taste-test a few humans out of boredom. For example, if a woodsman is unlucky enough to encounter these pythons while they''re out hunting for food, it''s genuinely hard to say what will be of him."


    Chen Ping''an followed up with yet another question, asking, "Then can I tell them beforehand that they''re not allowed to eat people if they cultivate on my mountains? Is this possible, A''Liang?"


    "Aren''t you afraid that they''ll agree now but go back on their words after entering your mountains?" the man wearing the bamboo hat retorted. "Aren''t you afraid that they''ll swallow a person with each gulp? After all, you won''t be returning to your mountains anytime soon."


    Chen Ping''an was in buoyant spirits as he exined slowly, "A''Liang, didn''t you say that there''s a postal station at Red Candle Town? Postal stations are able to deliver letters, so I can write a letter to Master Ruan and loan Treasured Scripture Mountain and the two other mountains to him for an additional 50 years. If Master Ruan feels like that''s not enough, I can add another 50 years to the offer. In return, I''ll ask him to keep an eye on the two beasts for me. If they dare to injure anyone, he can just kill them with a single punch. This is better than leaving them in Go Table Mountain where they can continue to harm others. Of course, I was only mentioning the worst-case scenario just then.


    "At that time, I''ll let the ck python that''s got the potential to be a flood dragon stay in Downtrodden Mountain. It can help me umte wealth there. A''Liang, you also said before that if a python sessfully evolves into a flood dragon, the ce where they evolve will imperceptibly be a ce of great fortune. Is that correct?


    "In fact, I can even be a bit more shameless and ask Master Ruan to allow it to stay in Treasured Scripture Mountain. Just think about it. If the white python is lucky enough to evolve into a flood dragon as well, then won''t I make an even bigger profit? I''ve been worried the entire time after buying these mountains, so I''ll at least feel like I''ve done something with them if I let the two pythons live in them. It''ll feel like I''m making bucketfuls of copper coins every day. I can almost hear the clinking of the coins..."


    A''Liang was slightly dazed as he looked at the passionately talking Chen Ping''an. He didn''t know whether tough or to cry. In the end, he asked withplicated emotions, "Chen Ping''an, do you really like making money this much?"


    Chen Ping''an was stunned, and he retorted, "Is there anyone in the world who doesn''t like making money?"


    A''Liang fixed his bamboo hat, not wanting to speak anymore. Otherwise, his words would simply fall on deaf ears.


    He sighed and said with a smile, "I initially thought that you would reject this offer."


    "Why''s that?" Chen Ping''an asked in confusion.


    A''Liang cupped some water in his hands to wash his face. He then turned around and chuckled, "For example, I thought you would say that you would rather kill the two beasts rather than take them in. Even though you''re poor, your Chen n is extremely righteous, so how could you possibly allow them to enter your mountains? And so on and so forth with a ton of reasoning. I was already prepared to listen to your lecture."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression calmed down, and he picked up a pebble and lightly tossed it into the pool. After falling silent for a moment, he suddenly turned around and patted A''Liang''s shoulder, saying, "A''Liang, you''re still too young and naive."


    A''Liang raised a brow and remarked in amusement, "Oh? It looks like you''re in quite a good mood. You''re even able to crack a joke!"


    Chen Ping''an copied his expression, also raising a brow. He surprisingly gave off a slightly mischievous feel as well.


    A''Liang roared withughter as he stood up.


    Chen Ping''an also stood up. However, he suddenly thought of something, and he asked anxiously, "A''Liang, the most important thing is, will those two pythons be willing to move their burrows?"


    A''Liang chuckled and didn''t reply.


    However, Chen Ping''an could see his hand resting on the hilt of his saber.


    A''Liang patted his saber and joked, "See, you also need to hurry up and practice martial arts and fist techniques. In the future, you can then start to practice swordsmanship. Otherwise, you might be willing to reason with others, but what will you do when others aren''t willing to reason with you? You''ll have to use this."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t offer ament on this.


    The two of them returned to where everyone else was, and A''Liang asked in curiosity, "Why didn''t you collect some more bamboo just then? There won''t be another opportunity after we leave this ce. In the future, you won''t be able to buy them even if you offer a high price."


    "Someone told me before that people need to be content with what they have. They also need to understand when to call it a day," Chen Ping''an replied casually.


    "You genuinely believed that nonsense?" A''Liang asked, not knowing whether tough or cry.


    Chen Ping''an ced his hands behind his head. This was a rare moment of rxation for him, and his head swayed like the stalks of slender bamboo in the gentle breeze. "It''s because I''ve never heard of any grand principles in my life. So after finally hearing a phrase or two, I won''t be able to forget them even if I want to," Chen Ping''an replied softly.


    Standing in the distance, Zhu He suddenly shouted, "Chen Ping''an, should we find some empty space to spar?"


    "Sure thing!" Chen Ping''an replied as he sprinted over.


    1. This is said when someone thinks they''re enjoying too much kindness/fortune from someone or something. ?


    2. Providing for a rainy day means taking precautions or preparing in advance. ?


    3. This saying is a reference to people who are broad-minded and magnanimous. ?


    4. Mu is a Chinese unit of area that is equivalent to approximately one-sixth of an acre. ?

 Chapter 102: Soaring White Ray

    Chapter 102: Soaring White Ray


    Once bamboo started growing together, they could easily grow into a sea-like forest as long as they didn''t encounter any natural disasters or man made cmities.


    However, the small and hidden bamboo forest in Go Table Mountain had grown extremely slowly for the past hundreds or thousands of years. Even after being cared for by generation after generation of mountain lords, it still showed no signs of expanding into arger bamboo forest.


    At this moment, the handsome young mountain lord of Go Table Mountain was squatting next to the two severed bamboo stumps. He stabbed his green bamboo cane into the earth next to him, and it was as if he wanted to cry as he sobbed in an aggrieved and quivering voice, "How can you bully me like this? No matter how esteemed a guest you are, you''re still just a guest! Since when could a guest bully their host like this? To shatter the protective formation with a single slice and expose this treasured bamboo forest... Is this any different from stripping the daughter of your host naked simply because they''re slender and beautiful? Is there any difference? Any at all?"


    The two pythons that were born from the soil essence and cloud roots collected by immortals were coiled up in the outer fringes of the bamboo forest. Their eyes were cold and menacing, and there was a hint of pleasure in them at this moment. They were taking pleasure in the mountain lord''s misfortune.


    A voice sounded nearby, teasing, "Then it seems like you have far too many daughters. You''ll definitely go broke trying to pay for their dowries in the future."


    The young mountain lord immediately stood up in fright, wiping the grief and anger from his face. He bowed at A''Liang and apologized, "I''m sorry for making a fool of myself in front of you, great immortal. This underling is ustomed to the impoverished life in this small ce, so please forgive me for having a narrow outlook on things. I can''tpare to you, someone who''s traveled all over the world and seen the myriad mountains and rivers with their own eyes.


    "With your skills and knowledge, I''m sure you can tell just how important this bamboo forest is to me. This miserably small plot ofnd is genuinely the majority of my wealth. Even though that young boy only took two stalks of bamboo, that''s still enough to make me feel uncontroble sadness and grief. These are natural emotions, are they not? Please forgive me, great immortal. Please forgive my unintentional provocation."


    After leaving and returning, A''Liang was now leaning sideways on an emerald-green stalk of bamboo. He looked at its lush leaves before retracting his gaze and asking, "Was the ancestor of this bamboo forest obtained from the Bamboo Sea Small World? And you carved it into this green cane? Because you offended a certain immortal, they removed your golden statue in anger?"


    The young mountain lord was genuinely stunned when he heard this. The obsequious expression on his face didn''t grow, and it instead showed signs of disappearing. He imperceptibly straightened his back before bowing properly and saying, "I''m Wei Bo, the mountain lord of Go Table Mountain. I was bestowed the title of mountain god by the final emperor of the Divine Water Nation, and I was responsible for the thousands of kilometers ofnd around Go Table Mountain.


    "The dynasties changed afterward, and the Great Li Empire rose and conquered the Divine Water Nation. I did something that angered the founding emperor of the empire, and I was thus demoted from a mountain god to a mountain lord. Thend under my control also decreased by 150 kilometers in radius, and to this day, I''m still regarded as a criminal."


    He raised the green bamboo cane that was brimming with spiritual energy and said with a bitter smile, "Fortune neveres in pairs, and cmity neveres alone. I was forced to chop bamboo in the Bamboo Sea Small World, and this is where I carved this trekking cane. However, this unexpectedly angered an immortal friend of the bamboo forest''s owner, and as he smiled, he pushed me back into the earth that I hade from."


    As he leaned on the bamboo, A''Liang adjusted his stance into one that he felt was more carefree and dashing. He clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "Sounds quite pitiful."


    The young mountain lord appeared slightly sheepish.


    Ignoring the pitiful mountain lord for the moment, A''Liang turned around to look at somece next to the bamboo forest. In his vision, he could see Chen Ping''an �� who had returned with him �� standing on a small hill. The pythons smartly kept their distance, and this was especially the case with the white python which still felt deep apprehension in its mind. Its eyes were extremely alert. A''Liang smiled and said, "My friend wants to do some business with you. You two can decide on a price, and if the deal seeds, then we''ll be friends in the future. If the deal doesn''t seed, however, there are still other moral and righteous ways to handle the situation..."


    As he said this, A''Liang smiled and ced his hand on the hilt of his saber.


    A''Liang retracted his gaze from the two pythons and asked in slight curiosity, "Those two beasts aren''t genuine descendants of flood dragons, so how was that ck python able to take the rudimentary form of a ck flood dragon? How was it able to grow dragon feet with four ws? Did these pythons encounter some rare opportunity?"


    The mountain lord who had introduced himself as Wei Bo carefully replied, "That''s right, they did indeede across a rare opportunity. However, this underling isn''t sure about the exact time that this urred, and I can only guess that it''s somehow rted to Jewel Small World. They definitely swallowed some strange thing by ident, and this strange thing was definitely something that''s extremely beneficial to snakes and fish.


    "Red Candle Town, which is located close to the border of Go Table Mountain, is a ce where three rivers converge. One of these rivers is called Rushing Tranquil River, and inside this river is a carp that''s grown two genuine dragon whiskers. This is something that others are extremely envious of. Around 100 years ago, this carp followed the flow of the river, stream, and mountain spring as it continued to swim upstream, eventually arriving at Go Table Mountain where I was able to personally catch a glimpse of it. Theoretically speaking, it shouldn''t have been able to grow such astonishing dragon whiskers even if it were given 500 more years."


    A''Liang nodded and said in realization, "After hearing this, I have a slight idea of the situation now."


    Wei Bo nced at the saber by A''Liang''s waist and asked in a tentative manner, "Great immortal, how did you learn about this bamboo cane''s history?"


    There was a strange expression on A''Liang''s face, and heughed as he avoided the question, saying instead, "I traveled around the Bamboo Sea Small World when I was young, and I''m slightly acquainted with Lady Zhu[1] in that small world. However, our rtionship isn''t that tight. It''s fairly ordinary. M-hm, very ordinary..."


    An expression of yearning spread across Wei Bo''s face when he heard the title Lady Zhuo. One had to realize that she was the sole deity in the Bamboo Sea Small World, and she was someone who rarely ever appeared before others. It was rumored that she was extremely slender and taller than most men.


    A founder of the School of Fiction, one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, once made the resolve to travel through the four worlds and record the local cultures and customs of each ce. In his travel log, he explicitly described Madam Zhu as "beautiful in appearance, joyful in bare feet, with hair jet ck".


    Even though Wei Bo was also a mountain lord in the same vein as Lady Zhu, he was far inferior to her in both status and cultivation base. In fact, the gulf between them was sorge that Wei Bo couldn''t even bring himself to feel shame. Instead, he could only feel a sense of respect and reverence toward her. Stories of Lady Zhu''s deeds were also widespread, and this resulted in her bing a familiar name even in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Beneath the 10rge worlds were the 36 small worlds �� Jewel Small World that had hovered above the Great Li Empire before was one of thetter. This small world had measured thousands of kilometers in range, yet it had only been the smallest of the 36 small worlds.


    Qi refiners often referred to small worlds as mystical realms, and this was in order to distinguish them fromrge worlds. Mystical realms were generally brimming with spiritual energy, yetpared to the 10rge worlds, thend inside them appearedparatively damaged and iplete. This was because these mystical realms were potentially born from ancient ruins or battlefields. Their history wasplicated, and there was even a mystical realm called the Ind Small World �� this was a mystical realm that housed numerous ancient inds that had mysteriously disappeared from the world. In fact, this was a mystical realm that was surprisingly located in the abdomen of a primordial beast, the ind-engulfing whale.


    Meanwhile, the Bamboo Sea Small World was one of the highest-ranked small worlds, and it specialized in growing all kinds of incredible bamboo that were viewed with great importance by generation after generation of immortals and cultivators. These stalks of bamboo could be refined into all kinds of artifacts that would quickly gain renown in the cultivation world.


    Only a single transcendent immortal n existed in the small world �� the long-established Azure Divine Mountain. ording to legends, the founder of the n had once sought knowledge from Confucius, and he had brought a young "merit bamboo nt" with him as a gift. Afterward, this bamboo nt had flourished in the "forest of morality" that was located in the sacrednds of the Confucian Sect.


    On the contrary, the "merit bamboo nts" in the Bamboo Sea Small World became increasingly dry and withered. It was said that this kind of bamboo could record the merits and faults of virtuous people. At the same time, this was also one of the origins of themonly mentioned "merit register".


    While A''Liang and Wei Bo chatted, Chen Ping''an sat on a boulder with his snapped machete in hand. Nearby, there were toorge and terrifying pythons. They exchanged nces with Chen Ping''an, and their bodies were like two long and winding mountain paths that snaked and vanished into the forest. The asional sound of trees being pulverized by their powerful tails could be heard.


    During their travels, Chen Ping''an was not only learning characters from Li Baoping, but he was even learning the official dialect of the Great Li Empire from her. He was progressing quite well, though his pronunciation naturally still carried a thick ent from the small town. Even so, he was able to convey his points more often than not during normal conversations.


    Using this newly-learned official dialect, Chen Ping''an told the two previously hostile pythons about the five mountains that he had purchased in Dragon Spring County. He hoped that they could move to Downtrodden Mountain, and he naturally didn''t forget to mention the fact that the sage, Master Ruan, had loaned three mountains from him.


    Compared to Chen Ping''an, it was clear that the pythons were far more aware of the might of the sages who were guarding Jewel Small World. Even the ck python who had indifference in its eyes the entire time developed a different expression. As for the white python, it had wavered slightly upon the mere mention of Dragon Spring County.


    After hearing that the Great Li Empire had already dispatched a geomantic official from the Ministry of Astronomy and officials from the Ministry of Rites to survey 60 or so mountains, and that the emperor was going to appoint more than one official mountain god, an unconcealed sense of excitement and anticipation appeared in the white python''s eyes. It couldn''t help but fervently hiss in emotion. However, the ck python ferociously bumped it with its head, causing it to fall silent again.


    Chen Ping''an breathed a sigh of relief when the pythons didn''t immediately reject his proposal. He continued, "Even though I have little understanding of cultivation, I can say with absolute certainty that the spiritual energy in Go Table Mountain is far inferior to the spiritual energy in my mountains. Perhaps cultivating for 100 years in my mountains will be equivalent to cultivating for several hundred years here.


    "Whileing here, A''Liang also told me more about the process of fish and snakes transforming into dragons. This is a treacherous path on which many mountain gods and river gods will purposely obstruct you and make things more difficult for you. If you can build good rtionships with Master Ruan and the officials from the Great Li Empire early on, perhaps this path will be much easier to walk in the future."


    Chen Ping''an had prepared the first half of this speech by himself. Meanwhile, the second half was some smart persuasion that A''Liang had taught him to say.


    Chen Ping''an''s voice became solemn as he said, "The old man who taught me how to fire pottery once said that mountain spirits and ghosts and river demons and monsters aren''t necessarily more evil than humans. When I saw you two, I felt like his words didn''t make any sense. However, you two were subdued by A''Liang and not me, so I can''t say much now that A''Liang has decided to spare you. If I were as powerful as A''Liang, and if you two still dared to provoke me or wantonly eat people in front of me..."


    Chen Ping''an gestured with the broken machete in his hand as he stared at the white python, continuing, "Then you won''t simply lose half of your wing. Instead,st night''s supper would have been arge pot of stewed snake meat."


    After losing its wing, the white python''s cultivation base had also been severely affected. This had distressed it greatly. After having more salt poured on its wound by the young boy, the cold-blooded beast felt as if its scar were being brutally torn open by someone. It flew into a rage, and it tensed its body as it reared its head, ready to lunge forward and kill the detestable young boy.


    Chen Ping''an was unfazed.


    The ck python also moved, but it wasn''t to help the white python target Chen Ping''an. Instead, it widened its jaws and viciously bit down on the white python''s neck before whipping around and tossing its "slender"panion aside, causing it to be dazed and confused.


    Wei Bo was given a start, and he was just about to step forward to tell the two pythons to calm down, lest they identally wound the young boy and drag him into their mess. However, A''Liang lightly shook his head and said, "Don''t interfere."


    The young mountain lord was slightly puzzled, and he couldn''t help but steal a nce at the man. A''Liang was still leaning there, with his arms crossed and with one foot on the bamboo and one foot on the ground. His posture waszy, and his expression was calm.


    Meanwhile, the two pythons ferociously glowered at each other.


    Chen Ping''an stood up, but he didn''t jump down from the boulder. Instead, he tightened his grip on the broken machete.


    He didn''t know what the two pythons hissed to each other, but he saw the white python finally start to calm down a little. However, its gaze was still filled with aggression and intensity as it red at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an stared right back at the white python, and he said, "Right now, there are tens of thousands of peopleying paths in the mountains. After entering the mountains to cultivate, you''re not allowed to kill people for the sake of filling your bellies. Of course, it''s apletely different matter if you kill them in self-defense �� for example, if you kill someone who''s especially entered the mountains to hunt you.


    "But remember, if you two break the rules after obtaining all the benefits, Master Ruan definitely won''t show any mercy. What you two did before this moment has got nothing to do with me. However, if you agree to my proposal and enter my mountains, then what you two do in the future has got everything to do with me.


    "And that''s why I''m giving these unpleasant warnings beforehand," Chen Ping''an finished with a serious expression.


    The ck python remained silent and unmoving.


    However, the white python was seething with irrepressible rage. Even though it had abandoned its urge tosh out at Chen Ping''an, and even with the enticement of the Great Dao before it, it still couldn''t help but lightly rub its belly against the ground, with an aura of impatience and violence oozing from its body.


    In the distant bamboo forest, A''Liang had already chosen to sit down on a stalk of bamboo at some unknown time. This was an extremely flexible and tough stalk of bamboo, and it had been forcefully bent into the shape of an arch as A''Liang casually sat on it.


    Wei Bo �� who was feeling an intense urge to straighten the stalk of bamboo with his hands �� stole a quick nce at the greatly disparate confrontation between Chen Ping''an and the two pythons and exined, "Even though the ck python is the more ruthless and cruel of the two, it''s also the more intelligent of the two. In fact, it''s already learned the ability to judge the situation and act ordingly, understanding when to advance and when to retreat.


    "The white python appears more harmless and less intent on hurting others, but it''s actuallyparatively more difficult tomunicate with it. This isrgely because it''s still acting on its primal instincts. Interestingly, this is also rted to the original locations of their burrows on Go Table Mountain. The white python was only an idle piece, while the ck python was a critical piece in ying the ferocious dragon[2].


    "As a result, these two rulers of Go Table Mountain arepletely different in temperament. The white python likes to slither around and cause all kinds ofmotion. As for the ck python, it prefers to focus on cultivation, and it earnestly absorbs the essence of the sun and moon every day. This is because it harbors lofty goals and ambitions."


    A''Liang nodded in response.


    Wei Bo hesitated a little before saying, "The young boy isn''t wrong, and everything he said is quite reasonable. However, he stillcks an understanding of the pythons'' temperament and habits. After entering the path of cultivation, staying true to their hearts and minds is the foundation of their Great Dao. In addition, pythons that have gained sentience more or less understand the concept of face.


    "Since they''ve be ustomed to ruling over Go Table Mountain, they''ll naturally feel like they''re being suppressed and controlled if they go to the young boy''s mountain. This is especially the case since he mentioned the sage and threatened them with death if they dared to eat people. This will further cause the pythons to feel like Chen Ping''an''s trying to suppress them, and it will inevitably cause them to feel more enraged. After all, agreeing to his proposal will potentially tie them to him for hundreds of years. As such, it''s only natural that they''re worried about his character and trustworthiness..."


    A''Liang interrupted the mountain lord''s rambling and said, "You don''t need to speak up for your neighbors in such a roundabout manner. I already said that I won''t interfere, so what are you afraid of? At the end of the day, the two pythons are unwilling to yield so easily because they feel like Chen Ping''an doesn''t have the right to negotiate with them, being only at the second martial arts tier. Even if his requests are reasonable, the pythons will still feel like they''re overbearing and intolerable. If it were me negotiating with them instead, how do you think the pythons would react?"


    Wei Bo smiled in a self-ridiculing manner and praised, "Great immortal, your understanding of the situation is as clear as a brilliant me."


    "Answer my question," A''Liang said calmly.


    Wei Bo immediately fell silent in fear and trepidation. After carefully organizing his words in his mind, he answered with a solemn expression, "They''ll instantly agree to move without a second thought! They won''t dare to feel even a shred of anger or discontent!"


    A''Liang nodded as he observed the situation with a rxed expression. "Very well. You''ve preserved half of your bamboo forest."


    A burst of crackling and rustling sounded in the surrounding bamboo forest.


    Surprisingly, it was as if half of the bamboo forest had been severed at the waist, with the felled bamboo stalks falling to the ground.


    Wei Bo fell to his knees and stammered in apprehension, "Please calm down, oh great immortal."


    A''Liang had no time for him, and he replied with a cold expression, "See? Even though I''ve already disyed my might and frightened everyone once, I''m still being taken for a fool by a measly mountain lord simply because I''m too friendly and soft-spoken. I must say, it''s quite difficult to be a good person."


    The young mountain lord didn''t dare to say anything.


    A''Liang suddenly chuckled and continued, "Stand up and speak. It won''t look good if you keep kneeling there like that. I''ll make a bet with you �� we''ll bet on whether that miserly young boy is willing to make a huge concession. You''ll wager that he is, and I''ll wager that he isn''t. If you win, you can keep the remaining half of your bamboo forest. If you lose, however, didn''t you just recover your physical form? I''ll pummel you back to your original form."


    Wei Bo had only just stood up, and he looked like he wanted to die at this moment. "Dare I ask, great immortal, what are my chances of winning the bet?" he murmured.


    A''Liang raised a single finger.


    The color drained from Wei Bo''s face. Only a measly 10%...


    The man with the bamboo hat grinned and said, "Just one percent."


    He then turned to Chen Ping''an and shouted, "Chen Ping''an, feel free to set as many conditions as you want. It doesn''t matter how unreasonable or preposterous they are. I''ll be watching over things, so don''t be afraid of angering the two beasts. If things really do get physical, then it''ll also be a good opportunity for me to practice my moves against the two pythons. Rest assured, I''ll definitely keep an eye on everything, and if the situation calls for it, I''ll definitely rush over to help.


    "In any case, didn''t you spar with Zhu He, the Fifth Tier elite, just then? It was clear that youprehended something after the sparring session, so why don''t you strike the iron while it''s still hot? Perhaps you''ll be able toprehend even more things."


    Wei Bo waspletely stupefied.


    A''Liang smiled and said, "Sorry, your chance of winning just dropped to zero percent."


    Wei Bo''s expression was ashen, and this perilous situation instead caused him to find an extra burst of courage. He smiled bitterly andined, "Senior A''Liang, you''re a very immoral gambler."


    A''Liang offered a strange response, saying, "Do you really think I went through all that trouble to set up a scenario where I''ll achieve certain victory? Do I, A''Liang, look like such a senseless person to you?"


    The young mountain lord carefully ruminated over these words. When he looked at Chen Ping''an again, there was both envy and pity in his eyes.


    A short momentter...


    A burst of white sword intent that was mighty enough to shake mountains soared into the sky.


    Wei Bo fell onto his rear in fright.


    A''Liang''s figure instantly vanished from the stalk of bent bamboo, and he arrived high above Go Table Mountain and ferociously drew the green bamboo saber from his side. The soaring white ray was ruthlessly severed and prevented from rising any further.


    Another momentter, A''Liang had already reappeared on the stalk of bamboo that hadn''t even had the time to straighten. He casually tossed aside the damaged saber that had been made from ordinary bamboo. Even though it hadn''t snapped, the de of the saber had already be splintered and disfigured.


    The ck python madly fled into the dense forest of Go Table Mountain.


    Before the young boy, the white python that had suddenly lunged at him without any warning was already lying there without its head. Its bloody and mangled neck waspletely exposed, and this was an extremely harrowing and ghastly sight.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s expression was calm as he cracked a grin.


    The look in his eyes was identical to when he had killed Cai Jinjian from Dawn Cloud Mountain in the small alley.


    A''Liang held back a smile as he untied the small gourd from his waist. He took arge swig of wine and chuckled softly, "Things are starting to get a little interesting now."


    1. Lady Zhu literally means Lady Bamboo. ?


    2. This is a reference to the game of Go, as is the name of the mountain. ?

 Chapter 103: Bamboo Building

    Chapter 103: Bamboo Building


    The stalk of green bamboo suddenly shot upright, and as it turned out, this was because A''Liang had jumped down to drag the mountain lord up. He clucked his tongue and chuckled, "I might be an immoral gambler, but you''re also a very fortunate gambler."


    Wei Bo''s face was as white as a sheet, and the deep frown on his face didn''t show any signs of rxing. Even though he had survived his brush with disaster and preserved the remaining half of the bamboo forest, he still couldn''t help but feel a mix ofplicated emotions as he gazed at the headless white python in the distance. They had been neighbors for hundreds of years, and even though they were hostile neighbors who always had small skirmishes with each other, things were ultimately quite calm and peaceful. At the very least, they had never engaged in a life-or-death battle.


    Today, the white python should have been slithering onto a dazzling cultivation path that was filled with opportunities. However, it was also at this moment that its head was unfortunately obliterated by someone''s intense sword intent. One could easily imagine Wei Bo''s deep sense of shock.


    He sighed and bowed in dejection, saying softly, "Senior, you''re absolutely right. I''m a sordid and detestable person who will try to take advantage of others if I''m not set straight once in a while. However, you''ve truly set me straight today. Senior A''Liang, please have pity on me. I''m genuinely terrified right now, and I won''t dare to have any untoward thoughts anymore. Pleasemand me as you please, Senior A''Liang. This underling will definitely obey your every word."


    A''Liang didn''t y any more mind games on him, and he nodded as he nced down at the empty bamboo scabbard by his waist. "Pick a stalk of good-quality mature bamboo for me. I need to make a new saber. Just treat it as a greeting gift to me from your friend. Also, what''s with all this bamboo that''s mysteriously fallen to the ground? There are so many of them, and it''ll be a shame if they go to waste."


    Wei Bo grimaced, but he only dared to grumble in his mind. Senior A''Liang, this is called losing your conscience! A''Liang? Liang my ass[1].


    A''Liang stroked his chin and continued, "My friend just agreed to a bad deal and indirectly helped you win the remaining half of the bamboo forest. It''s important for people to show gratitude and give back... What do you say?"


    Wei Bo smiled bitterly and replied, "Of course, it''s naturally the right thing to do."


    Chen Ping''an ran over to the corpse of the white python and hacked off its remaining wing with his machete. This wing was glistening and translucent, and it was as long as his arm. It was also cool to the touch, and under the warm sunshine, it continued to glisten with dazzling colors. While chatting with A''Liang before, A''Liang had told him that the most valuable parts of this white python were its galldder and wings. Just its wings alone were worth an absolute fortune. Moreover, this was something that was in high demand but extremely low supply. As for the bones and tendons of the white python, these were also very rare and valuable parts. Compared to its galldder and wings, however, these parts were barely worth a mention.


    Chen Ping''an tied his machete to his waist and jogged toward the bamboo forest. However, what he saw was the young mountain lord squatting down and uprooting a stalk of bamboo with both his hands. Intertwining bamboo roots that were jade-green in color peeked out from the ground, and with a tug, they were forcefully pulled out. The surrounding soil was sent flying through the air.


    Wei Bo was drenched in sweat, and he unconsciously gulped when he saw Chen Ping''an, the "thief with the gold belt"[2]


    He carefully ced the bamboo on the ground before lowering his head and looking around. In the end, he chose a stalk of dark green bamboo that was as thick as an infant''s arm. He sighed as he looked up at Chen Ping''an, and he said with a forced smile, "Can I borrow your machete for a moment?"


    Chen Ping''an walked over and handed the broken machete to the young mountain lord. Wei Bo grabbed the machete and took a deep breath before cutting the bamboo and handing it to A''Liang. A''Liang shook his head and chuckled, "Just make me a bamboo saber like the one I had before. You can give it to me along with the white donkey when we reach the border of Go Table Mountain."


    Wei Bo naturally didn''t dare to refuse this request. After returning the machete to Chen Ping''an, he sighed with emotion and said sincerely, "What a sharp de."


    Chen Ping''an epted the machete and thought for a moment before replying, "I can give it to you if you want it. In any case, this broken machete isn''t suitable for cutting trees and shrubs anymore, so it''s not all that useful to me."


    "A noble person seizes not the favored items of others," Wei Bo said with a wry smile.


    "You want it, but you''re too embarrassed to take it for free?" A''Liang asked with a chuckle. "Then you can buy it! You can make a fair deal with Chen Ping''an, right?"


    A look of "realization" spread across Wei Bo''s face. He stood up and pped the soil from his hands before smiling at Chen Ping''an and saying, "Vigers and woodsmen who frequently enter the mountains know that bamboo forests that are too dense are actually detrimental to the overall growth of the bamboo. Only with the correct spacing and density will the bamboo be able to grow taller and tougher. Because of this, it''s necessary for me to cut some of the bamboo.


    "Moreover, the most valuable part of this bamboo forest isn''t the stalks of bamboo, but instead the roots of the bamboo. I took the opportunity to borrow the bamboo saber from Senior A''Liang just then, and I cut down some of the excess bamboo. I initially wanted to build a small bamboo house where I could rx and enjoy the scenery."


    Wei Bo became increasingly fluent as he spoke, and he continued, "However, Senior A''Liang''s bamboo saber is broken now, and to be honest with you, I''m ashamed to say that I took a liking to your broken machete from the very first moment I saw it. Why don''t I make a bamboo saber and build a small bamboo house as well? When I finish making the bamboo saber, I''ll be able to give it to Senior A''Liang right away. However, I''m afraid that the bamboo house will take a while longer.


    "I''ll apany the ck python when it heads over to Downtrodden Mountain, and this will allow me to prevent it from causing any trouble. At the same time, I can also have it carry this bamboo for me. When I arrive at Downtrodden Mountain, I''ll find a scenic and serene location to build a bamboo house for you."


    Chen Ping''an turned to A''Liang, and the man with the bamboo hat exined, "The Bamboo Sea Small World has 10 important celestial bamboos. Bamboo have 10 virtuous qualities, and each of the celestial bamboo corresponds to one of these qualities. The ancestor of the bamboo forest around us was a descendent of the ''courage bamboo'', and its descendants have also been able to glean some of its fortunes. Martial artists and Militarian cultivators will obtain great benefits if they reside or cultivate in a bamboo house built from this bamboo."


    Wei Bo hurriedly concurred, chiming, "That''s right! The bamboo in this forest are all descendants of that ''courage bamboo''. ''The army morale is high, and our momentum is like a sharp sword slicing through bamboo; a few nodes cut, and the remainder will naturally split''[3] �� this phrase from the historical records is a perfect description of the aura exuded by the bamboo in this forest. Thus, cultivating in such a bamboo building will certainly nurture one''s soul."


    Chen Ping''an was just about to speak, but A''Liang quickly walked over and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, dragging him away from the bamboo forest. "How can I refuse such a warm-hearted offer? As a guest, I can only follow the arrangements of the host. Alright, I''m off now!"


    "I haven''t given him the machete yet," Chen Ping''an said softly.


    "Just give it to him with the other half of the deter!" A''Liang replied casually. The other half of the de was still sitting in Chen Ping''an''s bamboo basket.


    Afterward, A''Liang didn''t forget to say in reminder, "You don''t need to take the unformed galldder of the white python. It''s covered in blood and quite harrowing to look at. Just feed it to the ck python along with the other python meat. Even with its wings gone, this will still allow it to gain 200 to 300 years of cultivation. You can think of this as a gesture of goodwill. Also, remember to tell it to behave itself and cultivate earnestly when it arrives at Downtrodden Mountain."


    Finally, A''Liang pointed at the despondent mountain lord and said, "You better shape up!"


    Wei Bo stood on the fringes of the bamboo forest as he gazed at the backs of the man and young boy. The breeze in the mountain blew past the lush green trees and bright red flowers, bringing with it a refreshing fragrance. The handsome young man''s white robes fluttered in this breeze, and as he held the bamboo cane that signified his status as mountain lord, his expression of shock, fear, and hesitation was quickly whisked away by the wind. What reced it was an expression of solemn dignity befitting his status as the deity of the mountain.


    He looked around before sighing with emotion and saying softly, "Every cloud has a silver lining �� is this not the perfect example? Thank you for your unintentional guidance, Senior A''Liang. Thank you for untying the knot in my heart and vanquishing my internal demons."


    Wei Bo shut his eyes, and a warm smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he murmured, "From times immemorial, famed mountains have always enjoyed the residence of sages. Though, what does it matter if no sage visits? I can cultivate in earnest and be a sage."


    When he opened his eyes again, a pale gold earring had already appeared on his ear. The exquisite earring swayed lightly in the mountain breeze,plimenting his handsome appearance and making him appear like a formal mountain god.


    Chen Ping''an and A''Liang returned to the pool. They strolled slowly as if in tacit understanding, and this was in stark contrast to their brisk pace when they hade.


    "A''Liang, will the ck python really eat the corpse of the white python? Weren''t theypanions for hundreds of years?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "The ck python has ambitions of transforming into a flood dragon, so of course it will eat the corpse of the white python," A''Liang replied. In fact, all spirits, demons, and monsters can rely on eating others to improve their cultivation �� this isn''t unique to snakes and flood dragons. However, snakes that reside in mountains are especially vicious when ites to killing and eating their own kind. This is simr to how two tigers cannot share one mountain[4].


    "In fact, the ck python has already developed sentience and be intelligent, so it might have only left the white python alive to allow it to form its core. At that time, it would then enjoy a scrumptious meal. Oh, that''s right. If you want to see the ck python eating the white python, we can turn around and head back."


    "I''m good."


    "Anyhow, don''t me me for making the decision for you and letting the ck python eat the white python��s galldder. Since it agreed to go to Downtrodden Mountain to guard its fortune for you, giving it the snake galldder will reap you far richer rewards than simply selling it to someone else, regardless of how much you sell it for.


    "In fact, I''m more curious about why you decided to kill the white python. Why didn''t you wait for my help? If I subdued the white python, you could have ordered it to go to Treasured Scripture Mountain or Rainbow Cloud Mountain. No matter which mountain it went to, it would have been quite a good oue for you. Perhaps you were afraid that I wouldn''t help?"


    "How is that possible? I trust you A''Liang."


    "Then?" A''Liang probed.


    "Before answering your question, I also want to ask you a question. A''Liang, when I was sparring with Zhu He before, did you already... identify the locations of three acupoints that I found? And have you already found out the truth about these acupoints?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "To tell you the truth, I noticed something strange about those three acupoints the first time I saw you. There''s something profoundly mystical about them, and I''m a bit embarrassed to say that even I can''t decipher the truth behind them. The only thing I could determine was that these acupoints contain three wisps of sword qi, each with a different Dao intent. In terms of what Dao intents these are, I don''t dare to make any conclusions.


    "Of course, it would be extremely easy for me to forcefully observe the situation inside your acupoints if I were willing to damage your body and Qi. However, that would be an incredibly low act. As a supreme master, I naturally have to maintain my image and demeanor."


    "I understand. A''Liang, do you know about the archway in our small town? And the four ques on it?"


    "Yes, I''m aware," A''Liang replied. "Qi Jingchun mentioned it to me before, but I''ve already forgotten all the details."


    "One of the ques has the characters, ''refrain from looking outward''. My neighbor is a knowledgeable person the same age as me, and he told me that these words are a Buddhist allegory. It''s telling people to devote themselves to Buddhism and not to seek things from other teachings or sects. I found this quite reasonable in the beginning. However, I started to contemte these words more when I went into the mountains to collect firewood.


    "I pondered this when I was bored, and I felt like it would make more sense for me to give it my best shot before I went to offer incense to Buddha or pay my respects to the Bodhisattvas. Asking these deities for help should be thest resort after failing to achieve my goals through my own efforts, and only at that point will they agree to provide assistance. Otherwise, why should they help us? Right, A''Liang?"


    "Seek the answer from within before seeking the answer from Buddha," A''Liang remarked.


    "Yes, that''s it! That''s exactly what I''m trying to say!"


    "Mhm, this is a barely passable exnation. However, let me make this clear to you �� just a fraction of my spare change is more than your entire wealth. You felt like you were troubling me, so you were willing to sacrifice a wisp of sword qi instead? To tell you the truth, I could have disposed of the white python with a casual flick of my de. How are you going to justify this?"


    "It''s not the same thing!" Chen Ping''an retorted.


    "Hmm?" A''Liang waited for an exnation.


    "Old Man Yao, the person who taught me how to fire pottery, was rarely ever willing to speak to me. However, there were two asions when he spoke to me in a very serious manner. The first time was when I became an apprentice in the kilns. He said that it was fine for me to learn from him, but if I ever dared to ck off, I could piss off from the kilns. The second time was when I entered the mountains with him. He said that I could go with him to search for y, but if I dared to cry in front of him, he would never take me into the mountains again. He didn''t care about the reason, even if it was because I broke my leg or whatnot."


    "What''s this got to do with anything? What are you trying to say, Chen Ping''an?"


    "Then how about this. A''Liang, do you like to sleep in?"


    "Nonsense! Do you not?" A''Liang replied.


    "Of course I do. However, believe it or not, I''ve never slept in ever since the day I became an apprentice in the kilns. I always wake up on time."


    "What''s with all this roundabout exnation? What are you actually trying to say? Are you picking on me because I''m not well-read?" A''Liang questioned.


    "What I''m trying to say is that when ites to matters that we view as bad, we should never involve ourselves in them, not even once. We can''t allow ourselves to have a ''first time''. Otherwise, the only person who will suffer will be ourselves," Chen Ping''an exined.


    "Take me, for example. If I decided to ck off even once, I would have definitely failed to be an apprentice in the kilns. Not only that, but I wouldn''t have been able to enter the mountains with Old Man Yao either. If that''s the case, then how could I be where I am now? Perhaps I would be in a simr situation to those few thousand young men from the small town. I would go into the mountains toy paths and build bridges every day, only earning a single copper coin a day to show for it.


    "If things panned out like this, how could I possibly own five mountains? Five mountains! Just how much are they worth? Do you understand, A''Liang? If you have an opportunity in the future, you definitely have to visit and take a look at my mountains..."


    "Stop, stop, stop! Chen Ping''an, after beating around the bush for so long, you were just trying to unt your wealth to me?" A''Liang eximed.


    "A''Liang, it''s very clear that you''re not well-read," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "..."


    "A''Liang, if a bamboo building is genuinely constructed in Downtrodden Mountain in the future, why don''t you help mee up with a name for it?"


    "How about ''A''Liang Is Very Badass Building''?" A''Liang suggested. Does that sound impressive enough? What, you''re afraid that its aura will suppress yours, the ruler of the mountain''s? Alright then, I''ll change it to something more reserved �� we''ll just call it The Badass Building. I''m already sacrificing a lot, so are you happy with it now?"


    "A''Liang, I suddenly feel like it''s not a bad idea to leave the building nameless," Chen Ping''an said.


    A''Liang rolled his eyes.


    Chen Ping''an roared withughter and said, "I''m just kidding. The Badass Building it is."


    A''Liang suddenly turned around and asked, "Do you want to learn swordsmanship?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "Not at the moment."


    A''Liang smiled in understanding and guessed, "You''re afraid of getting distracted? You''re afraid that it will affect you practicing the fist technique?"


    Chen Ping''an sighed and nodded in affirmation.


    A''Liang was well aware of why Chen Ping''an was sighing. During their battle with the pythons in Go Table Mountain, the young boy had exhausted all of his umted progress in order to block the attack of the white python and save Zhu Lu. After working so hard on walking meditation, Chen Ping''an had finally made some minor progress with the Mountain Shaking Fist. However, his actions had immediately sent him back to square one. This was analogous to a poor person with little savings suddenly losing everything again, returning to a miserable life in a bare house that couldn''t block wind or rain.


    In any case, walking meditation was something that could strengthen his physique. At the same time, it was also something that Chen Ping''an had to practice out of necessity in order to prolong his life. Meanwhile, standing meditation was something that could nurture his soul. After making some advances during his battle with the pythons, Chen Ping''an was able to take advantage of his sparring match with Zhu He and urately locate the three acupoints that the sword qi were hidden in. This then prepared him for his actions just then.


    "Are you sad that you''ve lost such a powerful and potentially life-saving trump card?" A''Liang asked in a teasing voice.


    "Not at all," Chen Ping''an replied without hesitation. "I was finally able to let out everything that was pent up inside me. I feel much better now."


    "Tell me about it," A''Liang said with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an gazed ahead and said, "I''m willing to reason with other people, and I''m also able to convince others to listen to my reasoning. This kind of feeling... is amazing! In the past, I practiced martial arts for the sake of strengthening my physique. More urately, it was to prolong my life. Now, however, I feel like I can cast my gaze further and higher!"


    1. The Liang in A''Liang can literally mean good/kind conscience ?


    2. "Murderer and thief with a gold belt" refers to wealthy people who choose tomit crimes. ?


    3. This references a historical story from the Book of Jin. ?


    4. "Two tigers cannot share one mountain" is an idiom referring to the fierce rivalry between two people. However, it''s used in a more literal sense here. ?

 Chapter 104: Sharing the Spoils

    Chapter 104: Sharing the Spoils


    The turtles were native to Go Table Mountain, so they were naturally very familiar with the mountain paths. Moreover, their ability to traverse mountainous terrains was also far superior to donkeys and hinnies, so it wasn''t long before they arrived at the outskirts of Go Table Mountain. If they used the post road and headed south for another 10 kilometers, they would arrive in Red Candle Town.


    Even though this post road was obstructed and partially cut off due to the sudden fall of Jewel Small World, Chen Ping''an and the others still decided against using it out of an abundance of caution. They didn''t want the three giant turtles to startle the hunters, woodsmen, or merchants.


    Chen Ping''an and the others took a break on the top of a small mountain. Li Huai looked around in anticipation. Even though he detested the young mountain lord, A''Liang had said that the horizontal treasure pagoda was filled with treasures, one for each of them. Li Huai was extremely eager to get his hands on one, and he was thinking about how he would show off to his sister Li Liu when he saw her again in the future.


    Wei Bo quickly arrived as promised. He didn''t use his mystical power to travel through the earth this time, and he instead strode up the mountain with his white robes billowing in the air and hisrge sleeves fluttering like two wandering clouds. Even Li Baoping''s maidservant Zhu Lu had to concede that the young mountain lord was the living embodiment of the description "spirited and handsome".


    Behind the handsome mountain lord were A''Liang''s white donkey and the Li n''s horse. Not only had they kept up with everyone, but the donkey and horse didn''t appear tired at all �� Wei Bo had most likely used some kind of mystical ability.


    Carrying the long wooden box in his arms, Wei Bo �� who was heaven knows how many hundred years old �� first bowed and paid his respects to A''Liang. A''Liang nodded back in acknowledgment.


    At this moment, the shrewd mountain lord and the light-hearted swordsman surprisingly gave off the same feeling.


    It was as if they werepanions pursuing the same Great Dao.


    Wei Bo handed the bright red wooden box to A''Liang, and Li Huai hurriedly ran over to caress the box that was made from some unknown wood. The wooden box was warm to the touch, and it felt as if he were running his hands over the most valuable silk satin in one of Dragon Riding Alley''s fabric stores.


    He had gone to a fabric store with his mom and sister to get clothes made at the end ofst year, and he had been angrily kicked out by a fuming shop owner after secretly touching a beautiful brocade that was decorated with flowers and birds.


    Li Huai looked up and asked, "A''Liang, let''s discuss something. After dividing the treasures, can you give this wooden box to me?"


    "And just who do you think you are?" A''Liang answered in retort.


    "After you marry my sister, I''ll naturally be your brother-inw!" Li Huai replied with a serious expression.


    A''Liang smacked him on the head and said, "Then call me older brother!"


    "Actually, I don''t want to be a brother-inw anymore[1]," the little boy suddenly said. "They''re some of the worst people in the world."


    A''Liang turned to Wei Bo and asked, "Is the box valuable?"


    Wei Bo smiled in self-ridicule and replied, "It''s not too bad. It''s made from delicate yellow ebony, and it��s be more fragrant after being buried in the earth for some years. Its color has also turned from yellow to red. I wouldn''t call it valuable, but it is indeed quite rare."


    A''Liang looked down at the expectant little boy and said, "Since it''s not valuable, I might as well give it to you."


    Li Huai was just about to snatch the box from A''Liang''s hands in excitement. However, he was smacked on the head again, and A''Liang scolded, "Are you trying to take all the treasures for yourself?"


    A''Liang looked around before waving his hands and gesturing for everyone toe over. He then squatted down and opened the long wooden box, shouting, "Chen Ping''an, Little Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Zhu He, Zhu Lu,e over here! It''s time to share the spoils! Firste first serve! There''s only a single rule �� you''re only allowed to take a single treasure from the box, and you''re not allowed to exchange it after you make your choice."


    Chen Ping''an looked toward the young mountain lord. Wei Bo detected his gaze, and he asked in a gentle but puzzled voice, "You''re not going to fight for this fated opportunity?"


    "I''ll let them pick first," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Coincidentally, Chen Ping''an had something that he wanted to discuss with the young mountain lord. This pertained to how the ck python would settle down in Downtrodden Mountain as well as the situation surrounding Wei Bo after he left this area and set off for Dragon Spring County. When returning from the bamboo forest, A''Liang had roughly told him about formal mountain gods and river gods and how they couldn''t casually leave their officially designated territories as they pleased.


    This was simr to how many empires and nations imposed the rule of "feudal lords shall not meet". If this rule was broken, the offending gods would face punishment of varying severity. On the lower end of the scale, they would be admonished by the imperial court and have their incense offerings reduced. On the more severe end of the scale, their godly rank would be lowered, and they would receive no incense offerings for a set number of years.


    Throughout history, there were some mountain gods and river gods who suffered even more miserable fates. Their statues were removed from the shrines and dragged from their pedestals, after which thew enforcers would beat them with sticks to serve as a warning to others. Sometimes, the local official would personally whip the statues. In fact, some local officials would evenmand enlistedmoners to use hammers to smash the statues to pieces. Such kinds of punishment weremon throughout all the empires and nations.


    Thus, even though Chen Ping''an was willing to ept Wei Bo''s gesture of goodwill, where he would personally bring the ck python to Downtrodden Mountain and also construct a building out of courage bamboo for him, he certainly didn''t want Wei Bo to suffer severe punishment because of this.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an was still barely able to understand the situation surrounding gods and offerings, empires and feng shui. This was partly because A''Liang always liked to hop between topics, causing his exnations to be extremely convoluted and confusing. In order to unt his knowledge, A''Liang would sometimes use the mostplicated words and profound reasoning to exin the most simple things.


    In the end, it was thanks to Li Baoping''s example that Chen Ping''an was finally able to understand the situation. The little girl had said that incense offerings and fate were just like the situation surrounding Dragon Whisker Creek outside their small town. This was the only source of water in the area, so in order to raise their crops and improve their yields, the surroundingmoners would all fight tooth and nail for water. Large-scale brawls would break out almost every year.


    Little Baoping ran up to Chen Ping''an and asked anxiously, "Junior uncle, why aren''t you going over to pick a treasure? Look, even someone like Lin Shouyi is sprinting over to make a pick. And Li Huai is more so trying to stick his head into the treasure box!"


    "It''s fine, I''ll pickst," Chen Ping''an replied casually.


    "Don''t worry, junior uncle. I''ll pick a treasure for you!" Little Baoping said as she turned around and ran back.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to speak, but the little girl in the bright red jacket had already run back to A''Liang''s side. She shoved aside Li Huai''s head with one hand, and she pushed aside Lin Shouyi''s shoulder with her other.


    "Li Baoping, you''re bullying me!" Li Huai shouted in grief.


    Little Baoping looked at him and said in a righteous manner, "I''m picking a treasure for junior uncle!"


    Thinking about the bamboo bookcase that he was yet to receive, Li Huai could only sigh and say, "Alright, then you pick."


    Lin Shouyi wasn''t annoyed about being pushed aside, and he simply pointed at a wrinkled and yellowed ancient book inside the treasure box. This book was bound by a thin golden thread, and with the way that it was positioned in the box, they could just make out its title which was written using seal script[2]. "I''m going to pick this Daoist book, the ''Recite Atop Clouds Scripture''. This is all I want, and I won''t fight for the other treasures with you guys."


    Li Huai leaned forward and craned his neck, allowing him to look past Li Baoping. He nced at the treasures and asked, "Shouyi, why didn''t you pick that saber? Look at how beautiful it is. If it were me, I would have definitely chosen the saber."


    It took great willpower from Lin Shouyi for him to drag his eyes from the saber that upied the most space in the treasure box. "I''m not suited to practice martial arts, and I don''t like to wield swords and sabers either," he replied softly.


    Seeing Lin Shouyi refuse to budge from his choice, Li Huai turned to Li Baoping and encouraged, "This saber is clearly a peerless divine weapon with a de of unparalleled sharpness. I reckon it could even sever the chains hanging above the Iron Lock Well. Li Baoping, you really don''t want this supreme treasure? In any case, doesn''t your junior uncle need a new weapon? I think this saber will be a good match for him. Taking a step back, just how impressive will he appear if he uses this saber to chop trees and sh shrubs as he makes his way through the mountains? It''ll definitely be better than using a broken machete, no?"


    The slender saber was like a refineddy hiding in her room. The de quietly rested inside its white scabbard, and its curves were astonishing in their beauty.


    A''Liang smiled as he bent down and unsheathed the saber.


    The might of the saber was unrestrained, and it was as if the de of the saber were a ray of soaring white light left in the world.


    There weren''t any words carved on the saber, but there were naturally formed veined patterns that looked like the divine cloud patterns carefully engraved by Daoist immortals.


    A''Liang was slightly surprised, and he lightly flicked the saber with his finger. What he heard wasn''t a dull and muddied ring, but instead a crisp and melodious tone. A''Liang listened to this for a brief moment before nodding and saying, "Not bad. This is most likely the bottom-ranked ''Auspicious Talisman''."


    A''Liang ced the saber back in its scabbard before handing it to Li Baoping and saying with a smile, "Here, take it. This saber is very suitable for you. In the future, you can look for a Sword Nurturing Gourd and pair it with this saber. You can hang the saber by one side of your waist and the gourd by the other. You can also find yourself a mighty horse and a beautiful red robe. As you ride across thend and drink on a galloping horse, which passerby won''t take a liking to you?"


    A''Liangughed heartily and remarked, "Indeed, who won''t like such ady?"


    Li Baoping dazedly epted the hefty saber.


    Zhu He was squatting nearby, and his daughter Zhu Lu had initially not wanted toe over. She had even said in a sullen voice that she wasn''t interested in this "contemptuous handout"[3]. However, Zhu He had glowered at her before forcefully dragging her over. This was the first time Zhu Lu had seen her father bing angry. She was a little afraid, but she still refused to squat down next to her father. Instead, she stubbornly stood next to him with an aloof expression.


    While Li Baoping was still in a daze, Li Huai seized the opportunity to grab a painted puppet that was exquisitely made and lively in appearance.


    This was his true target.


    Lin Shouyi carefully picked up the wrinkled Daoist book. Holding it in his hands, a rare expression of delight spread across the introverted young boy''s face.


    Meanwhile, Zhu He picked a book and an alchemical pill that was encased in mud. He quickly looked up at A''Liang with a stunned expression, and thetter simply chuckled and said, "What''s wrong? It''s coincidentally something that your daughter needs? There''s no need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, then thank Wei Bo and that python for working so hard to umte these valuable treasures over hundreds of years, such that they were able to offer us a secret martial arts scripture from an immortal sect and an exclusive alchemical pill from True Martial Mountain."


    Zhu He held the alchemical pill and asked in a quivering voice, "Senior A''Liang, is this really the legendary ''Hero''s Gall Pill''?"


    A''Liang ignored the ecstatic middle-aged man. He cast his gaze further, and he saw Chen Ping''an walking over with Wei Bo. When Wei Bo saw the remaining faint golden seed in the treasure box and the slender saber in Li Baoping''s hands, his expression remained calm and unfazed. However, he couldn''t help but falter when he saw the books and alchemical pills in the others'' hands. He involuntarily looked toward A''Liang.


    A''Liang ignored his gaze, and he said to Chen Ping''an with a smile, "This is the only thing left. However, this is probably what you would have gotten regardless of how early orte you came."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he bent down and picked up the lonely faint golden lotus seed, cing it in his sleeve.


    "Junior uncle, I''ll swap with you," Li Baoping said softly. "A''Liang said that this saber is very impressive..."


    The little girl hurriedly shut her mouth, with an expression of regret spreading across her face. It was clear that she shouldn''t have uttered the second sentence. Sure enough, Chen Ping''an patted her head and said, "Then you should keep it if it''s impressive. Your junior uncle doesn''t practice saber techniques anyway, and a machete is more than enough for traversing through the mountains."


    "Exactly! Chen Ping''an is a swordsman, so using a saber won''t be very suitable," A''Liang teased.


    "So that''s why you''re still using a bamboo saber?" Chen Ping''an retorted.


    "And what are you going to do about that?" A''Liang replied.


    "A''Liang, this wooden box is mine now, right?" Li Huai asked quietly.


    A''Liang looked at him and asked, "Why do you want this box? Do you have that many treasures and belongings to put away?"


    "And what are you going to do about that?" Li Huai countered in the same way as A''Liang.


    Everyone received something, even the young mountain lord Wei Bo and the ck python. Apart from the white python that had been killed and eaten, it could be said everyone was left happy and satisfied.


    Chen Ping''an had received a slightly withered lotus seed that was asrge as a thumb. Li Baoping had received the slender saber called "Auspicious Talisman", yet she was wearing a gloomy expression for some reason. She sulkily ced it inside her small bookcase, though she had thoroughly wrapped it up using a piece of cotton fabric at her junior uncle''s suggestion. The saber waspletely covered up.


    Meanwhile, Li Huai had received a painted puppet and the wooden box. The former was temporarily "lodging" in Li Baoping''s bookcase, and before reluctantly putting it in, the little boy had patted his chest and promised the puppet that it would definitely move into a more spacious house after he got his own bookcase.


    As for Lin Shouyi, he kept the book ''Recite Atop Clouds Scriptures'' on him. The title of this book was strange, yet it was filled with an ancient vor.


    Even though Zhu Lu was unwilling, she still epted the secret immortal scripture ''Purple Qi Guide''.


    Zhu He was like a thirsty person who had finallye across water, with a wide and unconceble smile on his usually solemn face. He was feeling far too fortunate at this moment. Right now, this Hero''s Gall Pill from True Martial Mountain was worth more to him than a mountain of gold or silver. This was a pill that could gather one''s soul even if it had scattered to numerous different acupoints. In the end, it could help a person develop a hero''s gall where a Yin god could reside.


    Zhu He wasn''t a Qi refiner, nor was he a Militarian cultivator. However, the Hero''s Gall Pill was rare and valuable exactly because it was useful for pure martial artists like him as well. This was especially the case for those who were stagnant at the peak stage of the Fifth Tier like him. Obtaining a Hero''s Gall Pill was almost equivalent to doubling one''s lifespan.


    "How was your conversation with the mountain lord?" A''Liang asked softly.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "It went fairly well. I gave that pouch of things to him as well."


    A''Liang clucked his tongue in wonder and said, "Well, you''re certainly not someone to dilly-dally. You gave it to him without a shred of hesitation even though I only mentioned it in passing. Moreover, if we talk in a business sense, you should have used that as leverage to make a trade with them. With those two pythons'' wealth, I''m sure the ck python would have been willing to part with something genuinely valuable regardless of how stingy it is."


    "One shouldn''t allow benefits created by one''s own work to rue to others, and a seed nted in spring shall be reaped in autumn �� I understand these concepts," Chen Ping''an replied.


    A''Liang nodded, and he fixed his bamboo hat and said, "We''re almost at Red Candle Town."


    He then wiped his mouth and murmured, "Newly brewed apricot blossom wine and decorated boats with beautiful hosts... I, A''Liang, am back!"


    Chen Ping''an suddenly had a bad feeling about this Red Candle Town that A''Liang seemed to miss so dearly.


    Wei Bo sighed as he looked at the figures disappearing down the mountain. With a tap of his foot, he leaped onto one of the gigantic turtle''s back, where he sat cross-legged and traveled for dozens of kilometers. The ck python had a bulging belly as it followed him from afar. Even though its body appeared ufortably swollen, its aura had clearly risen by an explosive amount, with an extraordinarily fierce aura radiating into the surroundings.


    Wei Bo suddenly smiled and tossed a pouch into the ck python''s path. The ck python carefully lowered its head and observed the pouch. After determining that it was harmless, it turned around to look at the mountain lord who was sitting on the forest turtle.


    The ethereally handsome mountain lord smiled and said, "Just think of it as a housewarming gift from that young boy."


    The ck python with four legs and four ws on each foot hesitated briefly before eventually using its fangs to tear open the pouch. A dozen or so snake gall pebbles that Chen Ping''an had collected from Dragon Whisker Creek rolled out onto the ground. However, their luster had already faded, and at a nce, they were no different from the ordinary pebbles in the creek.


    However, after some careful inspection, a look of scorching fervor appeared in the ck python''s eyes. At the same time, it was filled with a sense of unease. It was afraid that it would be met with disappointment in the next moment. It slowly hissed and flicked its tongue, cautiously taking one of the pebbles into its mouth.


    Upon seeing this, Wei Bomanded the forest turtle to continue moving forward. "They''ve started to cultivate a good rtionship, though I wonder whether this rtionship will also conclude on good terms," he murmured to himself.


    A short momentter, the ck python behind him dug its ws into the earth and looked up at the sky as it unleashed a bellow that reverberated throughout the mountains. Countless birds frantically pped their wings as they fled.


    Even the young mountain lord was slightly envious, and he muttered to himself, "Apart from Jewel Small World, I''ve heard that such treasures are almost extinct from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Upon ingesting these pebbles, those of the snake and flood dragon families can grow genuine dragon bones and whiskers."


    When they neared Red Candle Town, the crisp clip-clops of the white donkey rang against the bluestone bs of the post road. A''Liang wasn''t holding the donkey leash, but the donkey would still obediently follow behind him. At this moment, A''Liang vaguely heard the loud bellow behind. He smiled and said, "By the looks of it, it was genuinely useful."


    "I kept the most valuable snake gall pebble. I was reluctant to part with it," Chen Ping''an confessed softly.


    A''Liang roared withughter and said, "How miserly of you."


    Trailing at the back of the group, Zhu He walked with the horse and created some distance between himself and Li Huai and Lin Shouyi before whispering to his daughter, "You definitely have to take care of that ''Purple Qi Guide''. If everything works out, it can help you cultivate up to the Fifth Tier! If you then use the Hero''s Gall Pill at that time, you can assuredly advance to the Sixth Tier!"


    The young girl was astounded, and she asked, "If I use the pill, then what about you, father?"


    "Your father is still young," Zhu He replied with a chuckle. "Now that I''ve rediscovered my spirits, perhaps I''ll be able to advance to the next tier by myself. If I take another step after that, I''ll be able to witness the scenery of the lofty Seventh Tier. Your father dares to dream about this now."


    A smile finally reced the young girl''s dispirited expression, and she teased, "Still young? Father, then why don''t you find yourself a young wife when we arrive at Red Candle Town? Don''t worry, I won''t stop you."


    An awkward expression appeared on Zhu He''s face, and he shot a re at his daughter and scolded, "What utter nonsense!"


    Zhu Lu pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Father, I think you should keep that pill for yourself. I''m only at the peak stage of the Second Tier right now, so I''m still ages away from reaching the Fifth Tier."


    Zhu Heughed heartily and replied, "Alright, then I''ll keep it for the moment. I''ll just treat it as your dowry for the future."


    As if thinking of someone, Zhu Lu''s face immediately flushed bright red. Zhu He was in a terrific mood, and he remarked with confidence and pride, "When we arrive at the Great Li Empire''s capital in the future, let''s see which noble gentleman has the fortune of marrying my daughter."


    Zhu Lu stomped her feet in embarrassment and eximed, "Father!"


    Zhu He hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Alright, alright, I won''t say anymore."


    Walking along the post road that was illuminated by the soft glow of dusk, A''Liang continued to stand on tippy toes and rub his hands together as he looked at the fuzzy outline of Red Candle Town in the distance. It was as if he were gazing at a beautiful woman who was lying down drunk in a tavern.


    "Chen Ping''an, let''s agree on something first. You need to lend me a gold ingot," he hurriedly said.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in agreement. However, he asked in slight confusion, "A''Liang, you also suffer from ack of money?"


    A''Liang grinned and replied, "You don''t understand this, huh? When traveling around the world, those who lend money are suckers, while those who borrow money are the bosses. During our journey, I''ve been belittled and frowned upon by the bratty children such as Li Huai and Zhu Lu. So, I definitely have to experience the thrilling sensation of being a boss topensate myself."


    "Then I''ll give you a gold ingot for free," Chen Ping''an said in exasperation. "Not lend to you, but give to you for free."


    A''Liang pped him on the shoulder andughed, "Deal! A gold ingot for free!"


    A''Liang gazed ahead and clenched his hand into a fist, saying, "To receive a gold ingot from someone as miserly as yourself for free... Sure enough, I''m a fierce and impressive person!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t regret his decision upon hearing this. Instead, he quietly gazed at the town that they were drawing closer and closer to. The familiar smell and sound of a bustling town swept over, recing the smell of lush mountains and the sound of flowing rivers.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and said to Li Baoping, "When we arrive in town, let''s see if we can find you some tanghulu after buying all the food and necessities we need for the trip."


    Li Baoping skipped forward in delight, and she lightly bounced her small green bookcase up and down as she eximed, "Junior uncle, let''s buy two small skewers of tanghulu! The smaller ones taste better!"


    1. The author has used two different terms for brother-inw, and the little boy is actually referring to one of the two. However, there''s no such distinction in English. ?


    2. An ancient style of writing Chinese characters. ?


    3. Contemptuous handout, or literally "food handed out in contempt" references an ancient Chinese story where someone suffering from famine refused to eat the food being handed out in contempt, resulting in their death. ?

 Chapter 105: Rootless Duckweed

    Chapter 105: Rootless Duckweed


    Red Candle Town was surrounded by a tall wall, and Chen Ping''an and the others needed to enter the town from the northern gate. However, they quickly came across trouble, with the armored soldiers at the gate telling them that they needed to produce identification and visiting documents if they wanted to enter. Chen Ping''an was stupefied upon hearing this �� he had absolutely no idea what identification and visiting documents were.


    A''Liang had already received a gold ingot from Chen Ping''an a while ago, and he was all smiles as he retrieved a crinkled document from his clothes. After passing inspection, A''Liang abandoned even the white donkey as he swaggered into town by himself. When he arrived at the town gate, he didn''t forget to wave goodbye to his bbergastedpanions. This caused Li Huai to let loose a torrent of abuse, saying that he would ughter the white donkey. A''Liangughed loudly as he walked into town.


    Zhu He was at aplete loss. Before leaving the small town, the n patriarch hadn''t discussed these matters with him. In fact, Zhu He knew absolutely nothing about the outside world. In this sense, he was no better than Chen Ping''an. As for hiking through the wilderness and setting up camps, he was even more inferior than the impoverished young boy. A thought suddenly urred to Zhu He, and he remembered that money was sometimes the best way to convince others. This was most likely the same in all ces.


    With this in mind, he secretly offered some loose silver to a soldier guarding the gate. To his surprise, however, the young and sturdy soldier immediately pointed his spear at his chest before scolding him in anger. Even the normally good-tempered Zhu He couldn''t help but feel slightly angry. He was a Fifth Tier martial artist, so if he joined the army, it was entirely possible for him to be a middle-ranking general.


    However, just as Zhu He was about to start arguing with the soldier, Zhu Lu lightly tugged his arm and quietly reminded him, "Father, the army of the Great Li Empire has extremely clear-cut militaryws. Moreover, these rules are peculiar in the sense that the punishments are either extremely light or extremely severe. So, it''s not a good idea to get into an argument with these soldiers. Otherwise,moners like us will definitelye out worse for wear."


    Zhu He frowned before humphing coldly and eventually deciding not to argue with the soldiers.


    Zhu Luforted him in a soft voice, saying, "Father, let''s ask the n patriarch to find you an official position in the future. With this status and your cultivation base, I''m sure that you''ll be able to make a name for yourself in no time. When that dayes, will you still have to swallow your anger like this?"


    Zhu He nodded in understanding as he strode away. He then nced back at the soldiers and sneered, "So the saying really is true. The lord of the underworld is easy to meet, but his subordinates and underlings are extremely difficult to deal with."


    Everyone instinctively turned to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before saying slowly, "If pushes to shove, we can only choose to detour around Red Candle Town and camp outside tonight. We can also hire some people to buy the necessary food and goods for us. However, the biggest problem is the fact that we can''t ess the dock inside the town. This will force us to change our original ns. Instead of traveling north down Embroidered Flower River for 100 kilometers, we''ll instead have to walk to our destination on foot. This will be far more tiring than taking a boat, and we''ll also have to cover more distance."


    Right at this moment, a middle-aged man in cyan official garb briskly walked out from the town gate and carefully looked Chen Ping''an and the others up and down. In the end, he looked at Zhu He and sped his hands in greeting before asking, "I''m Cheng Sheng, the current ry station deputy at Red Candle Town''s Pillow Ry Station. Dare I ask, are you Mr. Zhu He from Dragon Spring County?"


    Zhu He remained silent, and there was a cautious expression on his face.


    The self-proimed ry station deputy chuckled heartily and exined, "Your n leader wrote a letter and directly mailed it to our county magistrate. He roughly outlined your ns and itinerary, and he asked our county magistrate to be a good host and help you to the best of his abilities. Apart from that, other letters from your family and friends have also arrived at the Pillow Ry Station.


    "I especially organized a ce for your group to stay 10 days ago, and I can only guarantee that it''s rtively clean and tidy. However, I don''t dare to say that it''s a luxurious ce to live. Please forgive me for this, and please don''tin to the county magistrate about this. Otherwise, if the lord bes unhappy, I''m afraid I''ll be out of work tomorrow."


    The ry station deputy suddenly remembered something, and he added, "If Mr. Zhu doesn''t believe me, I can call someone over from the ry resting station right away. This person is from Dragon Spring County''s Fortune Street, and he even said that he''s worked for the kiln supervision official before. In fact, one of the letters from the capital was personally brought over by him, and he said that he needs to personally hand it over to a young master called Lin Shouyi."


    Lin Shouyi walked forward with the proud expression of a wealthy noble descendant, and he asked, "I''m Lin Shouyi from Dragon Spring County. Dare I ask, ry station deputy, what''s that person''s name?"


    The maidservant Zhu Lu was slightly dazed. At this moment, Lin Shouyi appearedpletely different from the quiet and aloof young boy in her impressions.


    Li Baoping and Li Huai exchanged a quick nce before softly nodding to themselves.


    There was no hesitation in the ry station deputy''s voice as he replied, "If I remember correctly, his name should be Tang Shutou. He''s around 40 years old, and he''s not very adept at the official dialect of the Great Li Empire. Mhm, he especially likes drinking, but his temper after drinking..."


    Lin Shouyi nodded before casually asking, "Have you been waiting for us at the southern gates for the past few days?"


    The man smiled and replied, "Even though I want to say yes, I''m truly not shameless enough to do so. Truth be told, Pillow Ry Station is located in the north of Red Candle Town, and not far from here, there''s a beacon tower on a mountain peak close to another small town. I have a good rtionship with the official there, so I asked him to keep an eye on the nearby ry road for me. Once he saw Young Master Lin and Mr. Zhu pass, he would dispatch one of his subordinates to enter the town and notify me."


    A look of realization spread across Lin Shouyi''s face. He didn''t say anything else, and he turned around to look at Chen Ping''an. Chen Ping''an nodded at him.


    Zhu He smiled and thanked the ry station deputy, saying, "Thank you for going to all this trouble for us, Lord Cheng."


    Cheng Sheng hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Please don''t refer to me as lord. I''m nothing but a subordinate who''s responsible for serving nobles and other esteemed guests. I''m truly not worthy of such a lofty title. Alright, enough chit chat for now. I''ll notify the garrison soldiers first, and I''m sure that they''ll let you into our small town in no time."


    The position of ry station deputy was subordinate to the Great Li Empire''s imperial court, but it couldn''t be regarded as an official position of the imperial court. These positions were lowly, and there was a huge gulf between them and the officials in the imperial court.


    It wasn''t long before Cheng Sheng led them to the town gate. Even though the soldiers let them pass, the expressions on their faces still remained solemn and unfriendly.


    Cheng Sheng walked out of the shady and cool gate in the town wall first, and he turned to Zhu He and exined in a low voice, "The garrison soldiers are all retired soldiers from the front lines. Their abilities are only so-so, but they''re truly stubborn and inflexible people. Sometimes, even the county magistrate is unable to deal with them. Mr. Zhu, please don''t take offense at their actions."


    Even though Zhu He wasn''t a well-traveled person, he at the very least understood the notion of not engaging in deep conversations with unfamiliar people. Thus, he didn''t offer a reply.


    They walked past a chilly shop where young and strong men continued to walk in and out. From time to time, a sh of white would also light up inside the shop.


    Li Huai''s eyes were drawn to this shop, so much so that he refused to budge another step. Zhu He couldn''t help but nce over as well. However, he quickly lost interest.


    "This is a weapon shop that specializes in swords and sabers," Cheng Sheng exined. "In terms of other weapons, they do asionally sell some as well."


    "Doesn''t the government care? Are they not afraid of themoners wielding weapons and brawling?" Lin Shouyi asked in curiosity.


    The ry station deputy smiled and replied, "The government doesn''t care too much about these things. However, if conflicts really do ur, the government will treat it with utmost seriousness. If there aren''t enough officials and soldiers, then the county magistrate will mobilize all the sects in his jurisdiction to help."


    Martial arts were extremely mainstream in the Great Li Empire, and there were numerous adventurers who traveled around with their swords or sabers. There were also overconfident city scoundrels, as there were noble descendants who fought for righteous causes. Even though the imperial court prohibited all sales of arms, they werergelyx in the application of thisw when it came to the sales of lower-quality des. At the end of the day, this was all dependent on the attitude of the local officials.


    If the officials were schrly people, they would most likely apply thisw in a strict and inflexible manner. If they were martial artists who had been on the front lines, however, they would often turn a blind eye to the sales of arms. Of course, the trade of powerful bows, high-quality armor, and so on was all strictly prohibited in all ces.


    Red Candle Town had everything that one could wish for �� beacon towers, ry stations, markets, taverns, brothels, theaters, and so on. This was a bustling town whose streets were filled with people. Compared to the small town that Chen Ping''an and the others were from, Red Candle Town was far more lively and boisterous. There were all kinds of stands and shops on the streets, and the sounds of hollering and haggling rose and fell.


    They chatted as they walked, and after around 15 minutes, they arrived at Pillow Ry Station. Workers from the ry station quickly came over to take the white donkey and horse away for them. Sure enough, Cheng Sheng had organized some rooms for them to stay in, with both good-quality rooms and medium-quality rooms. However, he hadn''t decided how to split the rooms for them, and he had instead given the five rooms to Zhu He to let them decide among themselves.


    Under Chen Ping''an''s arrangement, Li Baoping would share a good-quality room with Zhu Lu, while Zhu He would stay in a good-quality room by himself. As for himself, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi, they would each stay in a medium-quality room by themselves. If A''Liang decided to return, he could choose any one of their rooms to stay in. Of course, with his temperament, he would definitely ask if he could stay in the same room as Zhu Lu. At that time, Zhu Lu would most likely roll her eyes at him.


    Twilight fell, and everyone gathered in Zhu He''s spacious good-quality room after putting their luggage away. Cheng Sheng quickly delivered a stack of letters to them, and he smiled and took his leave after doing this. He said that they could call for him whenever they needed. He also told them that Red Candle Town''s night market was rtively renowned in the northern regions of the Great Li Empire. If they had the opportunity, it was definitely worth taking a look.


    There was one letter for Lin Shouyi, and there were three letters for Li Baoping, the most out of all of them. Surprisingly, even Chen Ping''an had a letter. However, Li Huai was left empty-handed. In the end, he walked up to Zhu Lu who was in a simr situation and chuckled, "Thankfully we''re not alone."


    Zhu Lu pretended not to hear him, and she walked to the window to gaze outside. Pillow Ry Station wasn''trge, but there were many winding roads that led deep inside, surprisingly making it feel like the garden of a wealthy n that was deep and refined. Looking out from the window, she could see a smallke that appeared as if it were only asrge as a palm. This was ake that housed numerous fat koi that were both red and yellow in color.


    Lin Shouyi''s letter was only a single sheet of paper with few words, and the young boy took a deep breath before cing the letter back inside its envelope. He wore a dark expression as he left the room, with his grip on the letter extremely tight. Apart from the 30-odd characters that were scribbled and perfunctory, there was also a bank note worth 300 taels of silver in the envelope �� this was thergest banknote one could obtain in the Great Li Empire.


    The young boy strode back to his room before lightly closing the door and cing the envelope on the table. He had an angry expression, and his chest rose and fell in an irregr manner.


    Chen Ping''an picked a quiet ce to sit down. Li Baoping ran over, and it looked like she wanted to say something to him but didn''t know where to start. Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "I''ll definitely ask you if there are any characters that I don''t recognize."


    Only after hearing this did Li Baoping return to the table. She started to open her letters, which had been sent by her father, her eldest brother, and her second brother.


    Li Baoping opened her letters one after another. Her father''s letter asked her how she was doing, and as usual, he didn''t appear strict in the least. Instead, he was telling her to take care among other trivial matters. For example, the weather was getting cold now, so she needed to remember to wear more clothes. While she was still traveling around, she also didn''t need to be afraid of spending too much money. Every time she arrived at a ry station, she definitely needed to write letters back to her parents as well.


    Her father had written endlessly about these matters, and the five or six sheets of paper were filled up just like that. Li Baoping sighed and looked up at Zhu He who was sitting opposite her and sipping tea. "When will father and mother stop treating me like a little child?" she asked gloomily.


    Zhu He could barely hide his amusement. Drink tea, drink tea.


    Li Baoping started to read the second letter. This was from her eldest brother. He wrote that he was studying scriptures and ssical works at home now, and he was preparing to attend the imperial examination next year. The contents of the letter were simple and concise, and his handwriting was also legible and neat. It was as if these characters were virtuous people sitting in an upright manner, with each stroke exuding a sense of care and caution.


    His letter was also filled with the profound teachings of sages, and he told her not to be impolite to Zhu He and Zhu Lu �� she shouldn''t view them as mere servants. He also said that she should listen to Chen Ping''an more often, and that she should learn how to be more resilient and hard-working. That way, she wouldn''t be a burden to others. Only at the end of the letter did this rule-abiding older brother tell her that he had already be skilled at raising the crab that she had caught from the creek and brought home. She could be at ease.


    Li Baoping waved the letter in the air andined to Zhu He, "Big brother cares about me the least!"


    Zhu He suppressed hisughter. Young Mistress, enough with the acting. Who in the Li n doesn''t know that your eldest brother cares about you the most?


    This was a bookworm that would give even the patriarch a headache when he started to talk about all the profound principles and reasoning. In fact, the first time he had drunk alcohol was when his little sister had secretly swapped his tea for spring peach blossom wine that their n had brewed. He was so furious that he almost had a mental breakdown, and even his parents were afraid and didn''t dare to calm him down. They only dared to follow after him as he stormed off to look for his little sister, afraid that their stubborn son would dish out physical punishment to Little Baoping.


    However, when he arrived at the courtyard, he had seen the little girl standing there with her hands on her hips and with an expression of resignation. He couldn''t bring himself to scold her, and this had left him feeling even more angry. In the end, he had turned around and left, and he had simmered with anger for several days. That year, he decided to bury a jar of spring peach blossom wine in his courtyard.


    When Li Baoping asked about it, he said that it was wine for when he married her out. The little girl had been terrified, so much so that she had snuck out from home and wandered around Dragon Whisker Creek for an entire day. In fact, she had almost run into the mountains to hide.


    The patriarch of the Li n was enraged when he learned about Li Baoping''s disappearance, and he ordered everyone to spread out to look for the foolish little girl. In the end, it was her eldest brother who had righted his wrong and found her in a small shrine on the opposite side of the creek. The poor little girl had been sleeping on a long wooden bench. After finding her, he had carried her home.


    Li Baoping suddenly smiled and said, "However, I still like big brother the most."


    The final letter was a thick stack of paper from her second brother. He described his experiences in the capital, and these were all stories about the peculiar things that he had personally witnessed or heard. His manner of writing was elegant, and it was clear that he had put a lot of work into this area. It was as if he were a skilled poet.


    In the Li n, this second young master was more popr than his older brother. He was handsome and graceful, and his manner of speech was also gentle and refined. He liked to read books on the art of war, and he had liked to simte "battle" with the servants from a very young age. Compared to his stubborn and inflexible older brother, people in the residence preferred to interact with this open and cheerful second young master. When festivals came along, he would also toss a hefty pouch of coins to everyone who he came across. If they offered auspicious words that he enjoyed, he would even reward them with an extra pouch of coins.


    Li Baoping read through the letter extremely quickly, and when she read up to the secondst sheet of paper, she looked up at Zhu Lu and said, "Second Brother mentioned you. Regarding the beacon towers that you two discussed before, he said that he personally witnessed the beacon towers lighting signals to notify the capital that everything was fine when camping on a mountain peak one night. Looking at it from afar, he said it was as if he were looking at a majestic dragon of mes."


    Zhu Lu hurriedly walked over to the table and asked, "Young Mistress, did he say anything else?"


    Li Baoping directly handed the stack of paper to Zhu Lu. Her second brother had only written about the peculiar things that he had witnessed, so there wasn''t any need for her to hide these from others.


    Zhu Lu epted the letter and asked, "Can I bring it back with me to read slowly?"


    As long as you don''t lose it," Li Baoping replied with a nod.


    Zhu Lu left with a delighted smile.


    The ry station deputy knocked on the door and entered, carrying a te of fresh fruit and seeds in his hands.


    A man wearing a bamboo hat walked in after him.


    Li Huai was infuriated, and he immediately ran over and tried to push this heartless bastard out of the room.


    A''Liang sat down on a chair next to the table as he pushed and shoved with Li Huai, and he said with a yful smile, "What''s going on, Zhu Lu? Why do you have such a cheerful and charming expression? You look even more beautiful than normal."


    Zhu He had a dark expression and didn''t say anything.


    Lin Shouyi returned and sat down close to Chen Ping''an. A''Liang tossed his small silver gourd to him, and the young boy caught it and took off the cap before taking a swig.


    A''Liang turned to Cheng Sheng and asked, "Does Red Candle Town have an inlet called the Fu Inlet? And it isn''t too far away from the dock?"


    "Indeed," Cheng Sheng nodded and said. However, there was a strange expression on his face.


    A''Liang clucked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "That''s a money sink, I tell you, a money sink."


    There was a crescent-shaped river bend in Red Candle Town, and this was where the exquisite decorated boats that were unique to the town could be found. These boats were only six to nine meters in length, and decorative purple bamboo strips or ordinary green bamboo strips would be hung around the outside of them. In terms of the internal decoration of these decorated boats, this would be decided by the wealth of their owner.


    Each boat would carry two to three women, with most of them being beautifuldies or those who were youthful and charming. These women would be skilled in at least one or two areas of musical instruments, Go, calligraphy, painting, tea art, or wine art. Apart from a refined seated area to enjoy the scenery, there was also a bedroom on these boats for obvious purposes.


    These "boat hostesses" were lowly citizens of the Great Li Empire, and they would remain so for generation after generation. ording to the legends, they were refugees from the overthrown Divine Water Nation. The emperor of the Great Li Empire had once issued an imperial decree forbidding them from ever going onshore �� they were destined to be like rootless duckweed for generation after generation.


    Meanwhile, the residents of Red Candle Town also passed down a story that sang the praises of Wei Bo''s actions. Theyuded this mountain lord of Go Table Mountain for being loyal and upright, and this was because he had secretly protected their ancestors as they had fled from their war-torn homnd. However, this had enraged the emperor of the Great Li Empire and caused Wei Bo to be demoted from a mountain god to a mountain lord. At the same time, the emperor had also ordered the descendants of several ns to personally smash the statues of this mountain lord and throw the scraps into the river.


    Cheng Sheng carefully chose his words and cautiously picked some harmless stories to tell his esteemed guests.


    Red Candle Town couldn''t be regarded as a main hub linking the north and south of the Great Li Empire, but it was indeed a busy dock where numerous ships came and went, bringing specialities from all corners of the empire. This was a town where three rivers converged together �� Rushing Tranquil River, Embroidered Flower River, and Fine Wine River. However, there were only two river gods, and each river god had a shrine built on the banks, inside which their golden statues rested. They were both navymanders of the Great Li Empire who had been killed in that battle on the water.


    Only Rushing Tranquil River didn''t have a river god or shrine. A popr goddess shrine had appeared on the riverbank before, and this was a shrine that had worshipped a heroic woman from the small town who hadmitted suicide in the river to prove her chastity. However, the Great Li Empire had quickly dered this to be an illegal shrine and had it demolished. Ity in ruins now, and only snakes and rats continued to scurry through it.


    When he heard the legend about the mountain lord of Go Table Mountain, Li Huai couldn''t help but sigh and say in soft voice, "Who knew that the big baddy had such a good reputation in Red Candle Town?"


    "We all have our burdens to bear, and every family has its hardships to face," Lin Shouyimented with a nonchnt expression.


    Chen Ping''an put away the letter delivered to him by Ruan Xiu.


    In the letter, Ruan Xiu told him that Downtrodden Mountain had sessfully gained a newly appointed mountain god who would help guard the mountain and gather spiritual energy. She also said that Downtrodden Mountain was only inferior to Cloud Drape Mountain and her father''s Lamp Bearer Mountain.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Note: Rootless duckweed is a metaphor for people with no ties or roots.</blockquote>

 Chapter 106: People from All Walks of Life

    Chapter 106: People from All Walks of Life


    Cheng Sheng told them that there was no curfew in Red Candle Town. There was also a street market on the west side of town, and even though it was small, it still contained everything that one would need. All kinds of goods and trinkets could be found there. After learning that Chen Ping''an and the others needed to buy necessities for their journey to the academy, Cheng Sheng volunteered to act as their guide and show them around. He said that this would save them a lot of trouble. At the very least, the merchants wouldn''t dare to raise their prices to extortionate levels.


    Chen Ping''an looked toward A''Liang who had been here once, and the man with the bamboo hat responded with a nod. He said that he was only familiar with the area around the two banks, and that he had never been to this street market before.


    Cheng Sheng looked at A''Liang, and the two experienced men shared a knowing smile.


    There were close to 100 decorated boats in Fu Inlet, and they were all of varying shapes and sizes. They would row out from the inlet each night, and they would follow the river and enter Red Candle Town. After making a trip around the town, the decorated boats would then return to Fu Inlet. During this time, men would continuously board these decorated boats to buy both wine and women.


    Even though the boat hostesses and prostitutes in Red Candle Town were all lowly citizens of the Great Li Empire, the former were directly managed by the capital''s Imperial Music Office[1]. In fact, even the local county magistrates didn''t have the right to raise the status of these boat hostesses and elevate them to ordinary citizens. Thus, there was a widespread rumor in Red Candle Town that the ancestors of these women were once imperial family members and meritorious officials of the Divine Water Nation.


    Following the guidance of the local official Cheng Sheng, Chen Ping''an and the others headed toward the market located on the west side of town. The further west they walked, the more lively and boisterous it became. After learning that there were towns and ry stations all along the 100-kilometer stretch of river passage toward the south, Chen Ping''an abandoned his thoughts of buying all their supplies here. He didn''t overstock on rice or cured meat or any other foods.


    However, he still purchased many medicinal ingredients and ointments from a pharmacy that they passed. This was to treat colds, heat strokes, scrapes, and other minor issues. Only when it came time to pay did Chen Ping''an finally notice the difference between his hometown and Red Candle Town. As it turned out, an entire tael of silver was an extremely rare item. Thus, Chen Ping''an decided to exchange the two snow-patterned silver taels for themonly-used copper coins in the Great Li Empire �� Heavenly Brilliance Ingots. Because his silver taels were of superior quality, just the premium he was paid alone reached a whopping 200 copper coins. This caused Chen Ping''an to feel extremely grateful to Ruan Xiu.


    Because the ry station deputy was with them, their trip to the market was especially smooth sailing. One truly couldn''t treat an informal official as if they weren''t an official. This was especially the case since Cheng Sheng was someone who frequently interacted with traveling officials and influential businessmen. In the eyes of themoners in the small town, such a person was naturally a mighty and omnipotent being. Thus, the shopkeepers that Chen Ping''an and the others came across all respectfully and politely referred to him as Lord Cheng. It was as if they wanted to treat him as a Bodhisattva.


    Li Huai was extremely reserved the entire time, and he only dared to hide behind A''Liang''s back and asionally poke his head out from time to time. A''Liang teased him and called him a chicken who only dared to act aggressively at home. Li Huai was just about to scream and argue with A''Liang for a good while, but when he saw the curious nces cast over by the passers-by, he immediately lowered his head and followed behind A''Liang in a listless manner. A''Liang was extremely humored by this, and he asionally smacked Li Huai on the head. The little boy was infuriated, but he didn''t dare to explode in anger. This was as suffocating as could be.


    Meanwhile, Lin Shouyi continued to act in an aloof manner. Since these things had nothing to do with him, he naturally wouldn''t poke his nose into it for no reason. He would presumably remain the same even when he went to the capital in the future.


    Only Li Baoping walked with her head held high and her chest puffed out as she carried her green bamboo bookcase. It was as if she wanted to drag the passers-by over and unt her bookcase to them, telling them that it had been personally made by her junior uncle.


    The street market consisted of two main streets running north to south, and after strolling down Mountain Viewing Street, Chen Ping''an and the others walked into an alley and headed toward the parallel River Viewing Street. However, when they passed a quiet bookstore in the alley, Chen Ping''an came to a stop even though Cheng Sheng continued to walk forward. He notified Cheng Sheng before turning to Li Baoping and the two other children and saying with a smile, "You three can buy a book each. It doesn''t matter how expensive it is, as long as I can afford it."


    The bookstore was very small, with the store face only measuring six meters in width. After entering, they saw that there were only two tall shelves on either side of the store. At the other end of the store, there sat a young man dressed in a ck changshan[2]. His legs were crossed, and he was resting with his eyes closed. There was also a folded fan in his hand, and he lightly tapped it against his palm as he hummed a tune.


    This young store owner had a handsome yet effeminate appearance. However, he didn''t smell like copper like the other merchants and store owners that they hade across before.


    Zhu Lu immediately faltered upon seeing him. She most likely hadn''t expected toe across such a refined and outstanding person in the street market of a small town.


    Even though the mountain lord of Go Table Mountain had recovered his appearance as a mountain god after breaking free from his shackles �� transforming from a short old man into a tall and handsome young man �� Zhu Lu''s impression of him was still dominated by his initially disheveled and deplorable appearance. Meanwhile, her first impression of this young store owner was theplete opposite.


    Even Zhu He was astonished and puzzled. Perhaps this person was from a declining n or sect? After all, he appeared no inferior to the two young masters of the Li n.


    The young man didn''t open his eyes, and he informed them in azy voice, "No haggling is allowed for the books in my store. Whether you benefit from the books or not is all up to your own observation abilities."


    "This bookstore is rtively famous in Red Candle Town," Cheng Sheng exined to Zhu He. "Schrs who pass our town often like to visit this store. However, the store owner is quite entric, and he sells his books for much higher than market value. He also dares to directly kick people out of his store. He''s an aloof person who doesn''t care about his customer''s status.


    "One time, an official of the Ministry of Revenue was traveling undercover, and he chose to stay at this underling''s Pillow Ry Station. He took a fancy to a book with only one existing copy or whatnot, and he simply tried to shave 50 taels of silver off the asking price of 300. However, he was immediately kicked out of the store without being shown any mercy. This caused him to lose face, and he was so angry that he still hadn''t calmed down when he arrived back at the ry station. In fact, he almost ordered the county office to shut down this small bookstore. However, he eventually let this matter go, and I presume it''s because he didn''t want to gain a bad reputation because of this."


    Zhu He nodded in understanding. This person was most likely a Confucian schr who stubbornly followed the rules and didn''t understand how to properly interact with people. Second Young Master always liked to ridicule these people and describe them as ''one who calmly discusses philosophy during times of peace, yet can only use death to prove loyalty during times of cmity''[3]. The second young master had also smiled and said that the Great Li Empire would be the same way within 200 years.


    As a result, Zhu He had an innate dislike for schrs.


    The post road that passed through Red Candle Town was one of the three main post roads that led from the southern regions of the Great Li Empire to the capital. Rtively wealthy merchants and officials who wanted to travel north and visit the capital as well as other major cities often liked to pick this post road.


    Even though the two other post roads were wider, the ry stations along the way were always stuffy and filled to the brim. If one wasn''t powerful or influential enough, they wouldn''t be able to enter these ry stations, much less find a room to stay in. Each year, many officials and wealthy merchants would lose face and suffer humiliation because they weren''t aware of this situation.


    Meanwhile, schrs who were traveling to the capital to take the imperial examination also liked to pick this post road, and this was because they were yet to be officials. They often traveled in groups of two or three, and this allowed them to both take care of each other as well as enjoy the scenery and adventures together.


    As for the frustrated officials who were banished to the south, they often liked toe up with poems and scribble them on the walls of the rooms that they were staying in. These officials also liked to take the post road that passed through Red Candle Town. In this way, the walls in the rooms of Pillow Ry Station were filled with the frustrated andmenting words of schrs and officials.


    Li Baoping craned her neck and started to look for a suitable book. She nced here and there, and there was no pattern to where she was looking. It was all done on a whim. She would asionally pull out a book and randomly flip through a few pages, putting it back if it didn''t catch her interest. In the end, the little girl picked a travel journal that cost 300 copper coins. She was a bit reluctant to spend so much, but she had truly taken a liking to this book. She turned around to look at her junior uncle, who smiled and nodded in encouragement.


    Lin Shouyi''s gaze slowly swept across the bookshelf in an orderly manner. He was scanning the bookshelf from left to right and from top to bottom. Each time he retrieved a book, he would definitely start reading it from the title page. After flipping through a few books, he eventually settled on a feng shui book that didn''t credit an author. This book cost 400 copper coins, and Chen Ping''an also agreed to Lin Shouyi''s request with a nod.


    After entering the bookstore and escaping the crowded and noisy streets, Li Huai immediately returned to his naughty mischievous old self �� he was like a wild horse who had broken free of its leash. Because he was the youngest and shortest, he stubbornly insisted on sitting on A''Liang''s shoulders to pick his book. A''Liang agreed to Li Huai''s request, but he threatened to abandon him on the streets afterward if he didn''t pick a book to buy.


    In the end, Li Huai mustered his courage and picked a brand-new book sitting at the highest location on the shelf. This book cost nine taels and two coins, and upon seeing this price, Li Huai tried to sneakily put the book away in fright. However, his clumsy and hurried movements resulted in him failing to stuff the book back. Instead, the book fell to the floor with a thud.


    The young store owner opened his eyes and nced at the book on the floor before snapping, "You damage it, you buy it. The newest edition of ''Severed Water Cliff'' �� nine taels and two coins."


    Li Huai didn''t dare to talk back to a stranger, so he could only put on a mopey face and carefully look at Chen Ping''an.


    "Will you read it if I buy it?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Li Huai nodded vigorously.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "Then I''ll buy it for you."


    "Chen Ping''an, aren''t you going to buy a book for yourself?" A''Liang asked.


    The paying Chen Ping''an hurriedly shook his head and replied, "I can barely recognize any characters still, so what''s the point of buying a book?"


    Zhu He turned to his daughter and asked, "Are there any books you want to buy?"


    Zhu Lu had been standing at the entrance of the bookstore the entire time. She took a sideways nce at the two bookshelves and shook her head.


    The young store owner who was about to ept Chen Ping''an''s payment stood up. His hair was held by an ebony hairpin, and the folded fan in his hand was bone-white in color. His gaze wandered past the little girl in red and the aloof young boy, eventually settling on the little boy who was timidly holding the book titled ''Severed Water Cliff''. There was an amused smile on his face.


    A''Liang cracked a grin.


    After leaving the bookstore, Chen Ping''an and the others walked toward River Viewing Street. Zhu He sensed something and looked back, only to see the remarkable-looking young man leaning against the doorway and farewelling them with his gaze. After catching Zhu He''s gaze, he even smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.


    Zhu He turned back and furrowed his brows. After leaving the small alley, he hurriedly walked up beside A''Liang and asked, "Senior A''Liang, is there something strange about that store owner?"


    A''Liang fixed his bamboo hat and offered a genuinely strange response, saying, "Compared to him, the true troubles still lie ahead of us. However, it doesn''t have anything to do with you guys."


    ��������


    The water in Rushing Tranquil River was the most turbulent, and this river was filled with hidden reefs and dangerous shoals as well as peculiar sights that were renowned in the official courts. In one section of the river, there were numerous stone columns of varying sizes poking out of the water, and this was referred to by the people as "bamboo shoots sprouting in spring". Only small and nimble boats could weave through this maze of stone columns, withrge ships finding it much more difficult to navigate.


    Even boatmen who had grown up by the rivers didn''t dare to recklessly paddle their boats across this river. In fact, they would only dare to do so if they were paid a huge sum by refined schrs and literati who hade here after hearing of its reputation. Thus, there was also the saying, "boat like thin paper, boatmen like iron". Each year, a number of boatmen and outsiders would lose their lives attempting to navigate through the stone forest in this section of Rushing Tranquil River.


    Tonight, many people were touring on Rushing Tranquil River.


    The violent river water smashed against the protruding stone columns, yet there was a man sitting atop one of these columns with his chest and belly exposed. He lightly tossed an empty wine jar into the river. Beside him, there were still three unopened wine jars.


    In the distance, a speck of red light drew closer and closer. As it turned out, this was a hunchbacked old man with arge redntern in his hand. Using the stone columns as footholds, he lightly and gracefully bounded over like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water.


    A powerful figure suddenly descended from the sky andnded on a stone column. The stone column instantly exploded into pieces, unable to withstand his forcefulnding. However, the person remained standing in the river just like that.


    Elsewhere, a middle-aged woman walked over against the flow of the river in a rxed manner. There was a snow-white and fist-sized pearl floating one meter above her head, and it was radiating with a brilliant glow that illuminated the entire bottom of the river, making it appear as if it were day.


    She said in azy and bored voice, "I walked an entire 50 kilometers through this river, yet I didn''t manage to find a single piece of treasure. Who told me there were valuable things to be found here?"


    The man who was drinking atop a stone column nced down into the bottom of the river and said indifferently, "Our lord has already arrived in Red Candle Town."


    The old man swayed his redntern and chuckled in a hoarse voice, "The lord has actuallye by himself? Then why did he need the four of us toe? To sit here and cheer for him?"


    The man drank a mouthful of wine and replied solemnly, "Hopefully that''s the case."


    1. During some Chinese dynasties, the Imperial Music Office also managed high-ss brothels for imperial officials. ?


    2. Changshan literally means long sleeves. It''s a long robe, and it''s a modification of the hanfu. ?


    3. This is a saying that berates Confucian schrs who only know how to discuss theory during times of peace, yet aren''t able to offer any tangible help during times of cmity. Thus, they can only use death to prove their loyalty to their emperor. ?

 Chapter 107: Fishing Net

    Chapter 107: Fishing Net


    After strolling down River Viewing Street, they managed to purchase all of the necessities that they needed. Chen Ping''an was just about to leave, but A''Liang unexpectedly suggested that they take a boat and enjoy the night scenery on the Rushing Tranquil River. Few people were interested, and only Lin Shouyi nodded in agreement.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t mind taking a look at this dangerous stretch of water after cing everything back in their rooms at the ry station. However, Li Baoping tugged his sleeve, and Chen Ping''an immediately understood her intention. He weighed the pouch of coins in his hand, and there were enough loose copper coins to buy some tanghulu.


    Zhu Lu dragged her father away to visit some weapon shops. Meanwhile, Li Huaiined that he was hungry, so A''Liang told Cheng Sheng to take him back to Pillow Ry Station for ate-night snack.


    Chen Ping''an and the others split up.


    Lin Shouyi walked beside A''Liang, and he asked in a soft voice, "Senior, you said that Li Huai was the most fortunate. Is that seemingly new Severed Water Cliff book the most valuable?"


    A''Liang nodded lightly and revealed, "It only looks new. In reality, however, it''s already been around for quite some years. The contents of the book aren''t worth anything though, and it''s just some random nonsense about water-element cultivation techniques. This is to purposely trick others. However, the material of the book is rtively valuable, and the book won''t be attacked by insects even after being ced somewhere for a few hundred years."


    A''Liang untied the small gourd from his waist and took a gulp of wine before continuing, "Also, if my eyes didn''t deceive me, a few silverfish have already taken residence in that book. Of course, you guys wouldn''t have been able to see them with your naked eyes. These silverfish are a type of mystical spirit, and they''re incredibly small insects that like to swim around words and characters like fish like to swim around corals.


    "Silverfish feed on the essence and spirit contained within words, and after maturing, they''ll grow no thicker than the width of a hair. Numerous types of silverfish exist in the world, and the silverfish in Li Huai''s book can only be considered ordinary. However, if the book is sold to an official or noble who takes great interest in peculiar matters, I presume it willmand at least 3000 taels of silver. In this sense, it was one of the most valuable books in that bookstore."


    Lin Shouyi was speechless with astonishment.


    These were silverfish that couldn''t be seen, yet they couldmand a price of at least 3000 taels of silver? Perhaps money was the most worthless thing in the world beyond their hometown?


    A''Liang saw through his thoughts, and he chuckled, "When you truly enter the path of cultivation in the future, you''ll understand that gold and silver are things that will flow like water. Even if you have mountains of them, you''ll find that you can spend it all with a single snap of your fingers. However, since it''s necessary to spend exorbitant amounts of gold and silver, this also reflects that such lowly matters are indeed quite valuable."


    Lin Shouyi nodded in understanding.


    A''Liang smiled and said, "If it were Chen Ping''an, he might not understand such a principle."


    Lin Shouyi shook his head and replied, "Since this rtes to money, I''m sure that he''ll definitely understand it."


    A''Liang roared withughter. He arrived at the bustling banks of the river with Lin Shouyi, and the young boy was slightly feeling slightly ufortable �� he had already grown ustomed to the peaceful and cool night of his hometown. This was especially the case each time he took a breath and inhaled the fragrance of perfumes and powders. These smells had seemed fragrant in the beginning, yet after smelling them for a while, he couldn''t help but find them a little nauseating.


    After exiting the alley and arriving at the banks, their field of view immediately opened up. Bluestone bs lined the two sides of the river, and the pleasant chatter and silveryughs of young women traveled through the air. Many beautiful women were leaning against the rails of the tall buildings, showing off their pale white and supple arms. Most of them were wearing bright red or bright green dresses, and under the illumination of the hangingnterns, these young women appeared even more charming and seductive.


    Decorated boats of all shapes and sizes gently flowed down the river. Bamboo curtains were lowered over the cabins, and most of the decorated boats had a young woman sitting on each end of the boat. In addition to them, there was also a young woman to row the boat.


    In contrast to the seductive women who were openly soliciting business from the balconies of the tall buildings, the young women on the decorated boats appeared more refined and gentle, even though they were also dressed in a revealing manner.


    Those who were younger appeared much like the friendly girl from next door, while those who were older appeared like the noble daughters of influential ns. From time to time, the women in the tall buildings would ridicule and taunt the boat hostesses who werepeting with them for business, even going as far as to throw fruit and vegetable scraps at them. However, the boat hostesses were already ustomed to this, and most of them didn''t pay any heed to these vulgar acts. Unless they were hit, they rarely ever glowered back and argued with these women.


    When conflict did inevitably ur between the women, however, they would definitely draw shouts of encouragement from the spectating men who reveled in the chaos.


    Lin Shouyi felt tense and uneasy, and he asked, "Senior A''Liang, didn''t you say we were going to boat down Rushing Tranquil River to enjoy the night scenery?"


    "Since this is the meeting point of three rivers, this section of the river can naturally be regarded as part of Rushing Tranquil River as well," A''Liang replied in a deliberately dishonest manner.


    Lin Shouyi was rendered speechless.


    A''Liang squatted down on the bank of the river and gazed at the decorated boats that slowly drifted past. Each time a boat hostess made eyes at him or greeted him in a mellow voice, he would lift his small gourd and silently gulp down a mouthful of wine, muttering to himself in a quiet voice.


    Lin Shouyi squatted beside him and pricked his ears to listen to what A''Liang was muttering. He could vaguely make out some mentions of "keep myself as pure as jade", "I''m a gentleman", "charming beauties make men fall", and so on. Lin Shouyi held in augh. As it turned out, Senior A''Liang was faring no better than him...?


    A''Liang turned his head a little to look at a decorated boat nearby. An ordinary-looking woman was sitting at the front of the boat, and she was boldly looking around. She didn''t look like she was selling her services, and she instead looked like a noblewoman who was sightseeing on the river. Meanwhile, the teenage girl who was standing behind her and rowing the boat appeared delicate and charming.


    A''Liang stood up and waited for the decorated boat to pass by. When it approached them, he suddenly took out a dazzling gold ingot and asked, "Is this enough?"


    The woman wore a gentle smile, but she neither nodded nor shook her head. The teenage girl was stunned, and she felt a strong urge to ept this offer for the woman.


    The woman''s gaze bypassed A''Liang andnded on the young boy behind him. She pointed at him and said, "This young master can board the boat alone."


    A''Liang hurriedly put the gold ingot away and eximed, "This brat is a piss poor! He''s got no money! He''s absolutely penniless!"


    "I can let him board for free," the woman said in a gentle voice.


    The teenage girl looked in the direction that the woman was pointing, and what she saw was a young boy whose face was bright red with embarrassment. His lips were full and his teeth were sparkling, and his demeanor was one of grace and sophistication. A shy smile spread across her face.


    The pitiful man in the bamboo hat was cast aside even though he was offering a huge sum of money. His face was filled with incredulity. Was this woman blind? Or were her standards that high? She was refusing a man in his prime as handsome and dashing as him? And she was instead interested in the stick-thin Lin Shouyi? If he followed this logic, then wouldn''t she be offering them taels of silver instead if he dragged Chen Ping''an over?


    "How upsetting..." A''Liang murmured.


    The woman smiled as she looked at Lin Shouyi. For some reason, there was an aura of charm and seductiveness exuding from this ordinary-looking woman. "You''re not going to board?" she asked.


    Lin Shouyi shook his head in reply.


    A''Liang sat on the stairs and downed a mouthful of wine in sorrow. "Brat, hurry up and board the boat. The worst thing that can happen is that you won''t be able to drink from my gourd anymore. What wine in the world can beat flower wine[1]? You mustn''t let this opportunity slip away."


    Lin Shouyi remained unmoving. However, he rolled his eyes at the back of the man.


    The decorated boat had no option but to keep moving forward �� they were being urged to move on by the boat hostesses behind them.


    The woman looked back and shed a smile at the young boy.


    Lin Shouyi was unfazed, and his expression remained cold as he locked eyes with her.


    Decorated boats continued to sail by, and voluptuous women, slender women, and boat hostesses of all body types drifted past them like a moving painting of beautiful women.


    "A''Liang, were you especially waiting for her?" Lin Shouyi asked softly.


    A''Liang fixed his bamboo hat before shaking his head and replying with a smile, "No, it was just on a whim. I simply wanted to see how far and wide this fishing has been cast."


    The young schr sat down beside him and boldly gazed at the beautiful women.


    A little child with a basket ran up and down the bluestone path next to the river, loudly peddling his plum blossoms as he ran from one ce to another.


    ��������


    Zhu Lu wanted to buy a dagger for herself. At the same time as being sharp, she also hoped that this dagger could be better looking. Unexpectedly, however, the weapon shop had already closed for the day. The young girl could only stand there in silence and frustration.


    "We''lle again tomorrow," Zhu He said, trying tofort her.


    Zhu Lu leaned against a hitching post and looked up at the night sky.


    "Something on your mind?" Zhu He asked softly.


    Zhu Lu shook her head.


    "During thest leg of our journey through Go Table Mountain, Young Mistress especially asked to take a forest turtle with you. Did she have something to say to you?" Zhu He asked carefully.


    "Mhm, she told me to be more respectful to the others," Zhu Lu replied in low spirits.


    Zhu He breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Young Mistress isn''t wrong. Harmony brings wealth, especially when traveling away from home."


    "So be it if I have to be respectful to A''Liang. After all, he''s a member of Wind Snow Temple," Zhu Lu grumbled in a low voice. "Even though he looks nothing like the immortals of my imagination, an immortal is an immortal, after all. I can tolerate him no matter how detestable he is. However, just who do Lin Shouyi and Li Huai think they are? Just because they''ve been ssmates with Young Mistress for a few years, they''re acting as if we''re all close friends? One is the son of a lowly maidservant, and one is the son of a good-for-nothing man. What right do they have to stand on equal footing with Young Mistress? Especially that..."


    Seeing that she was unwilling to continue, Zhu He offered, "Chen Ping''an?"


    Zhu Lu pursed her lips.


    Zhu He sighed and continued, "There are no outsiders here, so what I''m about to say might be a bit grating to the ear..."


    The young girl''s face suddenly lit up, and she cut her father off and said, "Father, Young Master especially jotted some notes down for me at the end of his letter to Young Mistress. Young Master''s semi-cursive script and regr script[2] are getting better and better by the day. In any case, he wrote about how he personally hunted down a group of horse thieves with others, and he described the ups and downs during this chase. He said he became acquainted with the eldest son of a meritorious general from the Chen n, and he also described the scene of beacon towers being lit to signify everything was fine.


    "He described how there are all kinds of peculiar and wonderful things in the capital, and there were actually people riding pythons and celestial cranes as they wandered through the streets! However, the people in the capital were already used to this. Young Master also said that there are two living door gods at the southern gate of the city, and it''s rumored that they were gifts from a Daoist Sect when the Great Li Empire was first founded. They''re a whopping 15 meters in height! Father, doesn''t this sound like fun?"


    "Refer to him as Second Young Master! You need to be more careful," Zhu He said in exasperation.


    Zhu Lu smiled brightly and retorted, "Young Master isn''t here, and he wouldn''t care with his simple and honest personality anyway. He wouldn''t get angry even if he heard it."


    "Don''t be so disrespectful!" Zhu He scolded.


    Zhu Lu looked down, with hershes trembling slightly.


    "Young Master... Ahem, Second Young Master once told us servants that those who are fated for a good life will enjoy good fortune even if they lie down and do nothing. However, those who are fated for a bad life have simplye to this world to endure hardship and suffering. Li Huai is fated for a good life, and so is Lin Shouyi. By bing disciples of Mountain Cliff Academy, it''s extremely likely that they''ll be renowned and influential people in the future. Even if things don''t turn out well, they''ll at least still be filthy rich nobles."


    The young girl looked up and continued, "As for Chen Ping''an... His life isn''t too bad either. At the very least, he doesn''t have to refer to others as young mistress or young master."


    Zhu He was slightly afraid to catch his daughter''s gaze.


    They were "generational servants", generational because they were servants from birth.


    Zhu He wanted to speak, but he didn''t know how to respond.


    There was a firm look in Zhu Lu''s eyes as she continued, "Father, it''s fine. Second Young Master said that once we arrive in the capital, there''ll be a million ways for us to break free from our lowly status. Moreover, the front-line army of the Great Li Empire is willing to recruit female martial artists. If I make outstanding contributions, perhaps I''ll even receive an honorary title conferred by imperial mandate!"


    Zhu He looked at his daughter who seemed a little unfamiliar at this moment. She was glowing with eagerness and positivity, and this made him feel relieved and satisfied. He nodded and concurred, "We''ll both join the army together then. That way, we can also look out for each other. Now that Second Young Master has settled nicely in the capital, we should ask him to find us a nicer army unit to join �� one that doesn''t face too many harsh challenges and is easy to make contributions in.


    "In any case, we can''t bring shame to Dragon Spring County''s Li n before we break free from our shackles as lowly servants. Even when we gain freedom in the future, we still have to remain grateful to the Li n..."


    The young girl smiled and quickly walked over to loop her arm around her father''s. She pulled him back to Pillow Ry Station and teased, "Alright, I got it. Father, since when did you be such a chatterbox?"


    Zhu He patted his daughter''s head. He hesitated for a brief moment before eventually deciding to say, "When you get the chance, you should go and apologize to Chen Ping''an. Regardless of your intention during the battle in Go Table Mountain, the truth of the matter is that you did something wrong. Since you did something wrong, then it''s only natural that you should apologize and make up for your mistake."


    Zhu Lu fell silent. However, perhaps it was because she was in a good mood tonight, she smiled brilliantly and replied, "Okay!"


    ��������


    There were two temples in Red Candle Town, and this was in line with the Great Li Empire''s etiquette. There was a Wenchang pavilion and a martial sage temple, and both were fairly grand in scale. The former honored an official holding a ritual baton, while thetter honored a general in armor with one foot stepping on a leopard cat.


    The two temples were located in the south of Red Candle Town, and they were only a short 500 meters away from each other.


    Deep into the night, the two statues shook at almost the exact same moment, shedding theyer of dust from their bodies. Rings of golden light started to radiate from them.


    At the same time, the golden y statues in the temples by the Embroidered Flower River and the Fine Wine River also experienced a simr situation.


    In the Go Table Mountain Ranges to the north of Red Candle Town, a bare-chested man held a gon of wine in his hands. Three more wine jars were hanging by his waist. Even though he reeked of alcohol and could barely walk in a straight line, each step he took would still cover a surprising 15 meters. It was as if he were walking on t ground as he traversed the mountain range. He quickly arrived at the peak of Go Table Mountain, and he burped loudly before forcefully stomping on the ground.


    The mountain lord Wei Bo appeared nearby.


    The man nced at the handsome young man who was holding a green bamboo cane, and he chuckled, "Congrattions! How delightful! You''ve finally managed to break free from the restriction and recover your true body. In fact, there''s even a chance for you to be a mountain god. By the looks of it, you''ve encountered a supreme fated opportunity."


    "Get to the point," Wei Bo said with a somber expression.


    The man wiped his mouth and asked directly, "That swordsman called A''Liang... How powerful is he?"


    Wei Bo fell silent.


    "This matter is of utmost importance and I''m not in the mood to dilly-dally with you. I more so don''t have the time," the man said calmly. "If you don''t want to speak, then I''ll shatter your body and not even give you the opportunity to recover."


    "Before answering your question, can you tell me why you''re asking this?" Wei Bo asked.


    The man nodded and replied, "He killed two top-notch warriors of the Great Li Empire �� Li Hou who was at the seventh tier of martial arts, and Hu Yinglin who was at the eighth tier of cultivation. They were both first-rate elites from Her Majesty''s Bamboo Leaf Pavilion. His Majesty was extremely displeased when he learned of this, and he felt like this person broke the rules first. Thus, the Great Li Empire wants to get an exnation from him."


    A glum expression fell across Wei Bo''s face.


    The man smiled coldly and continued in a baleful voice, "I encourage you to stay out of this. It''s best if you canpletely remove yourself from this matter. Otherwise, you might be tossed into the Rushing Tranquil River to take a bath again. However, I can guarantee you that no one will be willing to risk the disintegration of their body and soul to collect the shards of your body from the bottom of the river again. No one will put your statue back together piece by piece and bring you back to Go Table Mountain. What do you say, the northern mountain''s formal god of the Divine Water Nation?"


    Wei Bo gave a mournful smile.


    1. Drinking flower wine refers to drinking in thepany of a prostitute. ?


    2. These scripts refer to styles of writing Chinese characters. ?

 Chapter 108: Spring Hunting

    Chapter 108: Spring Hunting


    At the border of the Great Li Empire, the gates of Yefu Pass[1] were wide open. The small number of light cavalry stationed at the city decided to march in the dark of night, something they rarely ever did. Even though there were only a thousand of them, the orderly thud of the warhorses'' iron hooves onto the ground still caused the earth to quake. It was as if someone were beating a war drum with vigor and speed. This was a sound that could send ardor and zeal coursing through one''s blood.


    Beside the post road, a general tugged on his reins and brought his horse to a halt. There was a solemn expression on his face.


    A young lieutenant with a vicious scar on his face hurriedly came over on his horse. After slowing down and stopping next to the general, he asked in a soft voice, "General Han, what''s the reason behind this elerated march toward the north and surprise attack? The Great Li Empire has vast expanses of territory to the north of Yefu Pass, so how can there possibly berge groups of bandits or rogues? Even if there are, the responsibility of dealing with them shouldn''t fall on our cavalry unit anyway, right?"


    "There are some questions that you shouldn''t ask," the stocky general replied in a deep voice.


    The young lieutenant grimaced in reply. However, he did indeed stop his line of questioning.


    The general from Yefu Pass hesitated briefly, and this was most likely because he was feeling ufortably stifled as well. After organizing his words, he exined quietly, "Not only is our cavalry unit marching north, but almost half of the infantry and cavalry units from the northern border passes and military towns are marching north tonight as well."


    The young lieutenant faltered upon hearing this. "Seasonal hunting that urs on a four-year cycle? But this isn''t the right season! We only just attended a spring hunting sessionst year, so even if we''re to hold arge military exercise this year, it should be in the summer."


    The general unconsciously stroked the soft mane of his steed as he replied, "The Ministry of War will naturally give us an order when we arrive at the location. There''s no need for us to specte."


    ��������


    More than 100 kilometers to the west of Red Candle Town, there rested a small and lonely mountain in the middle of the wide Embroidered Flower River. The local residents had a crude name for this mountain that sat upstream �� Steamed Bun Mountain.


    There was a lone temple of the mountain lord on this mountain, and incense and offerings to this temple never ceased. It was said that this temple was extremely efficacious, with people receiving whatever they prayed for �� children, wealth, and so on. This brought wide renown to the temple, and it was andmark that schrs and officials had to take a boat and visit.


    The spring night was chilly, and the undting waves in the river sent sshes into the air. One could vaguely make out a green carp that measured a meter in length speedily swimming toward the lone mountain. What was surprising was the fact that there sat a young child in bright red clothes on the back of the fish. This child was only as tall as a palm, and like a horseman holding onto his reins, his hands were tightly gripping onto the two whiskers of the green carp. The child bounced up and down with the movements of the carp and river water, and his entire body was soaked. His face was pale, and a string of curses and expletives flowed from his mouth.


    The green carp suddenly stopped when it reached the shore, causing the child to be ruthlesslyunched onto thend. The child took a tumble, covering him in grime. He turned to the green carp that was swimming back to the river bank in a leisurely manner and roared, "A crooked stick will surely have a crooked shadow. Your owner is a bloody bitch..."


    The carp suddenly turned around to re at the child on the shore. Thetter almost wet his pants in fright, and he shouted "good men don''t argue with women" before turning around and sprinting to the temple of the mountain lord.


    The temple was still open, and it took the small child a great deal of effort to climb over the door threshold. Afternding inside, he looked up at the funny-looking y statue that was covered in peeling paint and ced his hands on his hip, shouting, "Your lord almost drowned in the river! Are you not going to hurry up and kneel down to ept mymand?! Do you think I won''t dare to punish you for profound disrespect and chop your head off?"


    There was a loud thump.


    The child in red was kicked out of the temple as if he were nothing more than a mere stone.


    A short man sat on the door threshold and cursed, "An incense boy born in the temple like you actually dares to pretend to be this lord''s lord?"


    The man and child were truly alike.


    The child was panting in exertion, and he bared his teeth and wore a look of grief as he climbed up to sit on the door threshold with much difficulty.


    The man frowned and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "I''m a bit hungry," the child mumbled.


    The man lifted his hand and pretended that he was going to hit the child, causing the young boy to wrap his arms around his head and exim, "I eavesdropped some information from the city god pavilion just then. I heard that the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Astronomy issued two secret orders,manding all of the mountain gods and river gods within a 500-kilometer radius of Red Candle Town to await further orders. They''re not allowed to leave, and they''re not allowed to cultivate in seclusion either. They have to stand by and immediately carry out any orders.


    "If they''re absent when called, they''ll be given the death penalty! Holy fuck! If it weren''t for me telling you this news, you would have been screwed over by someone ages ago with yourzy personality... Someone would have borrowed this ''knife'' to kill a person. Oh, I forgot that you''re not a person."


    This time, the small child was smacked and sent flying into the temple.


    The man stood up and gazed in the direction of Red Candle Town. His expression was solemn, and he told the child, "I left some food in the censer for you. Remember to eat it sparingly."


    "It''s good that you still have some conscience. Anyway, I truly don''t understand how you''ve gotten yourself into such a terrible situation. Your miserable self is the longest-serving mountain lord in the continent, but you''ve somehow got a crappy rtionship with all of your colleagues. Disregarding that, even your crustacean subordinates dare to ignore your orders. Tell me, how was I so unfortunate to be born in your censer? Sigh... I should find a better censer to reincarnate into in my next life..."


    The child in red continued to grumble andin. However, this didn''t stop him from deftly climbing onto the incense table and diving into the copper censer that still had seven sticks of incense inside.


    ��������


    As he returned to Pillow Ry Station, Cheng Sheng discovered that the little boy next to him was gritting his teeth at times, and heaving sighs at other times. It was as if he were contemting a choice that would decide his survival.


    Li Huai finally stopped in his tracks. He mustered his courage and asked, "Old Cheng, I have 30 copper coins on me, so can we return to that bookshop and buy a book? How much is the cheapest book there? Will I still have any change left?"


    The man who had been referred to as "Old Cheng" didn''t know whether tough or cry. After pondering this for a moment, he replied in earnest, "That''s difficult. That bookshop is widely regarded as the most unaffordable in Red Candle Town. Unless it''s a schr who has a hobby of collecting rare books, few people ever go there to purchase books. If you really want to buy a book, I know tworge bookstores on the east side of town. Confucian ssics, scripts from the myriad teachings, strange and miraculous tales... I can haggle good prices for you if this is what you''re after."


    The stubborn little boy shook his head and replied, "No, it has to be from the bookstore we just visited!"


    The 30 copper coins were Li Huai''s secret life savings. More than half of it had been stolen from his uncle''s family, while the remaining portion of it was from his sister, Li Liu.


    Earlier, Chen Ping��an hadn''t tried to act generously at his own cost, buying the expensive book without question. Nor had he rejected Li Huai and shown an unwillingness to spend so many silver taels. Instead, he had asked Li Huai if he was going to read this book.


    This caught Li Huai by surprise. Even though he answered in the affirmative �� he would naturally flip through this book in a casual manner when he was bored �� Li Huai actually had little interest in this book, Severed Water Cliff.


    However, Li Huai was very happy that someone was willing to spend 10 taels of silver for him.


    Li Huai wasn''t stupid. The little boy was well aware of whether someone was nice to him or bad to him.


    Pairs of straw sandals, the bookcase that he was about to receive, and this book Severed Water Cliff... He owed Chen Ping''an so much, so he naturally felt like he had to repay the favor somehow. Otherwise, he would feel guilty and uneasy.


    In reality, Li Huai didn''t like Zhu Lu, nor was he especially fond of Lin Shouyi, someone who he had gone through thick and thin with. Instead, he found Li Baoping to be quite decent. This was the little girl who had frequently bullied him while at school.


    The person who Li Huai liked the most was the carefree and goofy A''Liang.


    As for the poor boy from y Vase Alley... Li Huai was a little afraid of him.


    Cheng Sheng looked down and saw the serious expression on the little boy''s face. Sure enough, he possessed an immortal aptitude as that person had said. There were some fated opportunities that would indeed benefit one''s mentality. The ry station deputy suppressed a smile. Perhaps he could help this little boy by giving him a slight nudge in the right direction. In the future, this might even turn into a profound favor that he could benefit from. When showing kindness to others, showing kindness to 1000 mortals was oftentimes far inferior to showing kindness to a single immortal. This was something that he had personally heard about and personally witnessed. It was the absolute truth.


    Cheng Sheng brought the little boy back to the alley between the two streets. The young store owner was sitting on the doorstep and looking at them with a wide smile on his face. It was as if he had anticipated their return.


    At the same time, a hunchbacked old man with antern in his hand walked toward Li Huai and Cheng Sheng from the other side of the alley.


    The young store owner slowly stood up and waved his hand at Cheng Sheng, saying, "The bookstore is closing up for the day. You can bring the little boy over another time."


    Cheng Sheng immediately turned around to leave, not forgetting to take Li Huai with him.


    After confirming that the two of them had left, the graceful and refined young man immediately lost his demeanor of calm andposure. He appeared respectful and slightly uneasy as he cupped his fist in respect and said softly, "Rushing Tranquil River''s Li Jin pays his respects."


    The gray-haired old man stood in front of him with one hand behind his back and one hand holding hisntern. He nodded before stepping into the bookstore. The young man shuffled to the side to let him pass, after which he stood up and followed the old man inside. The old man casually slid the handle of hisntern under some books as he turned to face the handsome young man. He sighed with emotion and remarked, "You looked like this 40 years ago when I first met you, and you still look like this today. How enviable..."


    Li Jin tightened his grip on his folded fan and replied with a faint smile, "To species like us, being able to live as humans is the greatest fortune that we can enjoy."


    The old man nodded and didn''t offer a retort.


    "That group of people being able to stay at Pillow Ry Station... Was this organized by you?" the young man asked in curiosity.


    The old man remained silent.


    Li Jin smartly kept his mouth shut.


    He had opened this small bookstore 100 years ago, and it was here where he observed the world with a cold gaze. He had seen all kinds of things and witnessed all kinds of tumult in the official courts �� he was no stranger to the imperial court of the Great Li Empire. If one wanted to reserve so many good-quality and medium-quality rooms in Pillow Ry Station, one needed to at least be an assistant minister to one of the six ministries. Of course, this was ignoring the three pce ministers.


    Beneath the ministers and assistant ministers in the Six Ministries was the position of pce minister �� this was someone who was responsible for overlooking the departments subordinate to the ministries. The pce minister was a fifth-rank official[2] served by external officials. Generally speaking, pce ministers and external officials weren''t influential people. However, there were three pce ministers who were an exception to this rule, wielding unimaginable power.


    This was the merit inspection official in the Ministry of Personnel, the martial examination official in the Ministry of War, and the ritual official from the Ministry of Rites. These three officials didn''t enjoy a high status, but they enjoyed immense power that drew much attention in the official courts. Once they were dispatched outside the capital, they would definitely enjoy special treatment and be viewed as provincial governors.


    One was responsible for the inspection and promotion of all local officials under the fourth rank.


    One was responsible for the selection and examination of martial artists in the empire, and more so responsible for the recruitment of martial artists from the cultivation world.


    One was responsible for the grand rituals of the empire and was a frequent adviser to the emperor whenever he needed advice regarding the strategic direction of something. This seemingly low-ranked official was oftentimes a schr from the Confucian schools or academies.


    The unremarkable old man standing before Li Jin was one of these three officials.


    Forty years ago, Li Jin had once gifted two books to a poor schr heading to the capital to take the imperial exam. To his astonishment, this poor schr was promoted time and time again, eventually bing the pce minister of the Ministry of Rites'' Ritual Office. This was a lofty and influential position.


    To Li Jin who was in the mortal world far away from the imperial court, however, there was anotheryer of meaning to this position. It was rumored that this small office that most officials couldn''t even find the gates to was secretly in charge of choosing and appointing official gods of mountains and rivers. Even though this office didn''t have the power to make the final decision, they did indeed possess the critical ability to rmend candidates.


    Li Jin had eventually learned of the old man''s position through the officials and merchants passing through Red Candle Town. He had sent countless letters to him, yet it was as if these letters had all vanished into thin air, with none of them receiving a reply. Li Jin didn''t dare to protest, and he could only stop sending letters in disappointment.


    For the past 100 years, the "young man" who called himself Li Jin had painstakingly tried to be the official river god of the Rushing Tranquil River. He had sacrificed a lot and tried to go through many avenues, yet all had ended up in vain.


    "You should know the reason why the Rushing Tranquil River doesn''t have an official river god," the old man suddenly said. "That''s why I pretended not to see the letters you sent me. It''s not that I don''t want to help, it''s just that I''m truly unable to."


    Li Jin smiled bitterly before nodding and replying, "I understand. As long as the emperor doesn''t agree, I''m afraid that even the words of the minister from the Ministry of Rites won''t be of any use."


    The old man smiled and carefully observed the young man before him �� this person would change his appearance every two or three decades. He squinted his eyes and continued, "However, an opportunity sits before you now. It''spletely up to you whether you dare to fight for this opportunity or not."


    The young man''s face didn''t light up in excitement, and he instead asked, "I heard that several new gods were appointed in Dragon Spring County, what was previously Jewel Small World. The emperor appointed a river god in the Dragon Whisker River, a river god in the Iron Talisman River, and a mountain god each in Cloud Drape Mountain, Lamp Bearer Mountain, and Downtrodden Mountain. He appointed five gods at once, three in the mountains and two in the rivers. This has already exhausted a huge portion of the emperor''s umted wealth. If he''s so stretched, how can he possibly spare a valuable position for the Rushing Tranquil River?"


    "Rest assured, this isn''t some kind of conspiracy targeting you," the old man said with a smile. "To put it bluntly, you''re not powerful enough for me to personally target you."


    The young man felt slightly embarrassed and angry. However, realizing that he still had to depend on the old man for help, a look of helplessness quickly spread across his face. He didn''t say anything else.


    The old man''s expression became serious as he exined, "With Red Candle Town as the center, all of the officially appointed mountain gods and river gods, and all of the candidate mountain lords and river guardians within a radius of 500 kilometers need to stand by and await further orders. They need to be prepared to participate in a siege at a moment''s notice.


    "In addition, the northern border passes including Yefu Pass have all dispatchedrge numbers of elite cavalry and sent out innumerable scouts and reconnaissance teams. As for you, Li Jin, I definitely wouldn''t have revealed this information to you were it not for your gift of two books at that time. Your existence makes no difference at all."


    Li Jin was absolutely stunned. "Why are they mobilizing so many forces inside the border of the Great Li Empire? What are theyying siege to?"


    "A single person," the old man replied honestly.


    Li Jin looked the old man in the eyes, and it didn''t seem like he was lying. "Pce minister, is there anything you need me to do?" he asked slowly.


    The old man smiled and replied, "Just a minor matter that should be well within your abilities. I simply need you to keep an eye on a man who''s just arrived in Red Candle Town. Havinge onshore from Rushing Tranquil River for 200 years, I know that you''ve done quite nicely in Red Candle Town. You''re more familiar with the waterways than the city gods, and you''re more familiar with the customs and happenings in the small town than the two river gods. Moreover, if the records in the capital aren''t erroneous, then you''re even in possession of a few precious green darkness fish from the ancient books. These fish are especially suitable when ites to investigation and secretmunication in small areas."


    Li Jin''s expression grew dark.


    "Rx," the old man said in a taunting voice. "I know that green darkness fish are one-in-one-hundred-year treasures. However, I haven''t stooped as low as to covet them yet."


    "No, it''s just me projecting my shorings onto someone else," Li Jin said with a self-deprecating chuckle.


    He paused for a moment before asking, "And that person is?"


    "A man wearing a bamboo hat," the old man answered slowly. "There''s a small silver gourd tied to his waist, and he''s also traveling around with a bunch of children. Those children are from Jewel Small World, or what''s now known as Dragon Spring County. As for the man''s true identity... The spies from the empire haven''t determined this yet."


    Li Jin was dumbfounded. "That person came to my store just then."


    The old man''s gaze became intense.


    "It was just a coincidence," Li Jin said carefully.


    The old man waved his hand and warned, "It doesn''t matter. From now onward, remember not to give anything away. It''s better to do nothing than to make a mistake. If you rm him by ident, there''s probably no need for you to worry anyway �� because you''ll most certainly be dead at that time. Even if he doesn''t kill you, I''ll make sure to personally kill you.


    "If everything goes well, however, I don''t dare to promise you the position of official river god of the Rushing Tranquil River. What I can do though, is to get the emperor to remember your name first."


    "Can this be considered as ''being known and appreciated by the emperor''?" Li Jin asked in self-ridicule.


    The old man stopped his act of randomly grabbing books and flipping through them. He turned around and asked, "What, you''re unwilling to take this risk?"


    Li Jin roared withughter and replied, "Fortune favors the bold. In any case, there''s no need for me to personally join the fight, so this is a deal where I can only win and not lose. I ept your offer!"


    He snapped his fingers, and two especially slender and exquisite fish materialized near his shoulders. Their senses were linked with his, and anything that they saw, he saw too.


    The fish swished their long tails and instantly vanished from sight.


    Before leaving, the old man smiled and remarked with emotion, "The books in your store are still this expensive."


    Only at this moment did Li Jin see shadows of the impoverished young schr from the old man.


    The old man retrieved hisntern and left the store.


    After exiting the alley, he came across a burly man with his arms crossed before his chest. The two of them continued side-by-side, and the burly man asked, "You''re not afraid of overdoing things?"


    "Since the has already been tightened to this point, it won''t make a difference even if Li Jin suddenly goes mad and decides to spit the truth to that A''Liang," the old man replied casually.


    "At the end of the day, you''re still trying to return the favor of him giving you two books?" the man said with a huff.


    The old man smiled in conceit and said softly, "No matter what, favors owed by me are worth a little something, right?"


    ��������


    Zhu Lu said that she wanted to eat some tanghulu. Even though Zhu He was slightly puzzled �� when did his daughter suddenly develop a sweet tooth? �� this wasn''t an excessive request or anything. Thus, he walked around with his daughter to look for a stall.


    After wandering around for a while, they finally came across someone carrying arge number of tanghulu and loudly peddling his goods on the streets and alleys.


    Zhu He didn''t like tanghulu, but Zhu Lu decided to buy three skewers at once. This confused Zhu He again. However, the young girl smiled and said that one was for her, while the other two were for the young mistress and Chen Ping''an.


    She also said that she wanted to apologize to Chen Ping''an tonight. At the very least, she had to say sorry to him. Otherwise, she wouldn''t feel at ease.


    Zhu He felt as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders. He was extremely happy at this moment.


    The two of them returned to the ry station, and they learned that Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping had already arrived back a while ago.


    Zhu Lu was yet to finish her tanghulu as she walked to the courtyard of a good-quality room. She asked her father to deliver a message to Chen Ping''an, telling him that she would wait for him here.


    Zhu He strode away, and he couldn''t help but chuckle in his mind. His daughter was far too sensitive, no? What was so embarrassing about apologizing to someone?


    It wasn''t long before a young boy in straw sandals appeared on the other side of the painted corridor. He slightly quickened his pace when he saw Zhu Lu sitting on the bench.


    There were a dozen or so pieces of candied fruit scattered on the bench next to the young girl.


    Zhu Lu smiled as she stood up, and she ced her hands behind her back in a seemingly shy manner.


    She walked toward the young boy.


    1. Yefu literally means wild man. ?


    2. In the Chinese imperial court, the first-rank official is the highest-ranking official. ?

 Chapter 109: The Young Boy Has Some Words to Say

    Chapter 109: The Young Boy Has Some Words to Say


    Chen Ping''an looked at the approaching girl. Her steps were light, and under the illumination of thenterns hanging along the corridor, her fuzzy figure appeared much like a young milu trotting under the night sky.


    Zhu Lu no longer appeared like a silent person who only spoke with her expressions. Instead, she seemed like a friendly neighborhood girl who always had a dazzling smile on her face.


    Chen Ping''an could barely believe his eyes. He slowed down and stopped in his tracks, widening his eyes to gaze at the slightly unfamiliar face of the young girl.


    Zhu Lu tugged her left hand out from behind her back and waved at Chen Ping''an, saying as she walked, "Chen Ping''an, regarding the things that happened in Go Table Mountain, my father wanted me to tell you..."


    There were five paces between them, and the young girl who was at the peak stage of the Second Tier suddenly unleashed her strength and charged forward, arriving before Chen Ping''an in just two strides. They were almost face to face, and they could clearly see the expression on each other''s faces.


    There was aplicated mix of savageness, rage, delight, and relief on the young girl''s face, while there was only mncholy and intensity in the young boy''s eyes. His gaze was as sharp and intense as a machete that had been sharpened by a Dragon ying tform.


    Zhu Lu''s left hand was clenched into a fist as it viciously swung at Chen Ping''an''s forehead. However, this was only a feint, and she had even slowed down the speed of her strike on purpose.


    The true killing blow woulde from her right hand. When she unleashed this lightning-quick attack, three razor-sharp bamboo skewers directly stabbed at the young boy''s heart.


    Just as the bamboo skewers were about to prate Chen Ping''an''s chest, the young girl who had suddenly lunged forward to kill him finally finished her sentence in a timely manner, spitting, "Sorry!"


    Did Zhu Lu still appear shy and friendly at this moment? No, there was only ruthlessness on her face.


    However, shock quickly spread across Zhu Lu''s face in the next moment. Knowing that the situation was dire, she was just about to retreat.


    Chen Ping''an aggressively raised his right hand. However, this wasn''t to block the punch from Zhu Lu''s left hand. Instead, he took advantage of the opening that she dared to create by throwing a feint, and his hand ferociously shot forward and grabbed her neck.


    At the same time, his left hand firmlytched onto her right wrist which was filled with hidden killing intent. With a forceful tug, he prevented the three bamboo skewers from piercing his chest. He then unleashed a burst of power and dragged her to the side by the neck, throwing a vicious and heavy knee at her abdomen.


    The young girl almost vomited bile as her body involuntarily curled up. She instantly lost the ability to resist. However, Chen Ping''an didn''t let his guard down, and he continued tounch another attack, using his head as a hammer to forcefully headbutt her forehead.


    Zhu Lu stumbled back in retreat.


    Chen Ping''an threw another kick, adding further injuries to the young girl''s already severely wounded abdomen. She flew back like a ragdoll, heavily crashing to the bluestone floor of the corridor. She scrambled to stand up, yet she failed to do so after making two attempts. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and her face was as white as a sheet. She was in a dismal state.


    The young boy hadunched a string of ruthless attacks in a single breath.


    Zhu Lu pushed her elbows into the ground, enduring the heart-wrenching pain shooting through her body as she exerted all of her energy to retreat. She wanted to get as far away as possible from this young boy in straw sandals, even if it was only an extra inch.


    Chen Ping''an inspected the surroundings. Only after determining that there were no dangers did he finally walk up to the defeated and disheveled young girl. However, his body was still tense, and his movements were still cautious.


    Zhu Lu descended into unspeakable panic. She had no time to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, and she exined through sobs, "Don''t kill me, Chen Ping''an. I was only ying a prank on you. Really, I''m not lying to you. If I wanted to kill you, why would I have used the bamboo skewers from some tanghulu? Anyway, why would I even want to kill you...?"


    Chen Ping''an directly hit the nail on the head, saying, "When we parted ways on River Viewing Street, you pulled your father with you and said that you wanted to visit a weapon shop. Did you want to purchase a dagger or some other type of conceble weapon? I presume the weapon shop was already closed, so you had no option but to use some bamboo skewers instead."


    Zhu Lu suddenly started tough. Her chest rose and fell violently, and she broke into a fit of coughing. She covered her mouth, yet sanguine blood continued to seep through her fingers. She let go as if epting her fate, and she looked up at the young boy who was peering down at her. Her gaze continued downward, eventually reaching the rough and vulgar straw sandals on his feet.


    She looked up again, and as if she had gone mad, sheughed instead of cried. She red at the approaching Chen Ping''an and chuckled in a hoarse voice, "Unfortunately for me, you weren''t as stupid as I imagined. However, there''s something that I''m very curious about. How did you see through my killing intent?"


    She raised her voice, and her beautiful appearance became twisted with insanity. "Chen Ping''an! Before you kill me, can you at least let me know the reason?!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t stop, and he countered, "Why did you do this?"


    Zhu Lu was just about to sit up, yet Chen Ping''an immediately stepped on her forehead and sent the back of her skull heavily crashing into the bluestone floor. The young girl spat arge mouthful of blood and finally abandoned her futile struggle. Deep in her heart, however, she viewed this as her biggest humiliation �� an impoverished young boy in straw sandals was standing as he spoke to her, yet she could onlyy there in helplessness, with even sitting up being a wishful hope.


    She raised her hand to wipe the blood from her mouth, chuckling, "Remember the letter that Second Young Master sent to Young Mistress? Young Master is skilled in all of music, Go, calligraphy, and painting. He''s especially skilled in writing the semi-cursive script, and his characters are just as carefree and unbridled as his personality. However, before leaving home to head to the capital, Young Master suddenly said that he wanted to learn the regr script. He said that one needed to understand how to abide by the rules and regtions of the outside world. He wanted to start controlling his emotions and temperament."


    Chen Ping''an squatted down beside her and pried her fingers apart, removing the three bamboo skewers from her hand. He held them in his palm as he walked over to sit on the bench in the corridor. He was expressionless as he kept his eyes fixed on Zhu Lu, and he didn''t give her any opportunity to cause further trouble.


    It was clear that Zhu Lu''s killing intent toward him had been resolute and unwavering. There hadn''t been a shred of hesitation in her eyes. On the other hand, it would be extremely difficult for Chen Ping''an to kill her without feeling guilt in his mind. This wasrgely because of the little girl in red and the hearty middle-aged man, as well as this Second Young Master from the Li n or whatnot.


    Chen Ping''an had immediately noticed her ill intentions when he saw her walking toward him from the other side of the corridor. His eyesight was also terrific, and the young girl''s ability to conceal her weapons and intent was far from refined. Her eyshes had been flickering, and her cheeks had been slightly puffed from her grinding teeth. Her gaze had also been lowered in an attempt to hide the ferocity in her eyes. However, Chen Ping''an had easily detected all of this.


    Even so, Chen Ping''an hadn''t imagined that she would genuinely try to kill him.


    When Zhu Lu mentioned her "Young Master", it was as if her aura transformedpletely. As she turned around to look at the young boy in straw sandals, it was as if she were looking at nothing more than a mere dog.


    "When Young Mistress first mentioned the contents of the letter to me in Pillow Ry Station, she said that Young Master had told her about the beacon towers and how they were lit to signify that everything was okay. The beacons snaking from the border to the capital for tens of thousands of kilometers had all been lit. However, Young Mistress didn''t know, and none of you knew either �� before this letter, Young Master had never mentioned this so-called ''beacon fire to signify peace'' to me before. Ever since I could understand things, I clearly remember all the interesting stories and anecdotes that Young Master has ever told me!


    "So I immediately felt like something was off. I asked Young Mistress for the letter, and sure enough, I discovered a hidden secret. No one else in the world could have discovered this! Only I, Zhu Lu, was capable of discovering this!"


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as he looked at the fanatic young girl.


    Zhu Lu was lost in her own world, and at this moment, she transformed back into the proud and haughty maidservant of the Li n, a martial arts prodigy who was just starting to bud. She continued, "I carefully read the letter twice �� only twice �� before finding the correct answer. I solved the puzzle that Young Master purposely left for me!"


    She looked at the cold and tanned face of Chen Ping''an and sneered, "Young Mistress is a whimsical child, so she naturally won''t be able to understand Young Master''s good intentions. Because of this, Young Master never ced any hope in Young Mistress. Instead, he chose me. The 2000 odd characters in the letter were almost all written in flowing semi-cursive script. However, there were seven characters written in regr script!"


    Zhu Luughed so hard that tears almost came out of her eyes. Her speech was choppy as she said, "n of the pir general of the Great Li Empire, the Chen n''s eldest grandson. Horse thieves did he y, fires of peace did he light, an honorary title did he receive."


    The seven characters were, "y Chen Ping''an, receive an honorary title[1]"!


    Schrs didn''t need des to kill people �� they could kill with words.


    Chen Ping''an furrowed his brows.


    Zhu Lu held her abdomen which was aching with agonizing pain. It was as if there was a tumultuous storm in her belly, and this caused cold sweat to drench her face. However, nothing could wipe the sneer from her face as she taunted, "You''ve never even heard of the term ''honorary title'' before, have you?"


    She struggled to sit up and lean on the long bench that Chen Ping''an was sitting on. The young boy didn''t stop her this time.


    She looked at the young boy who her young mistress referred to as ''junior uncle'', and she spat, "Apart from killing you, do you know what else I wanted to do the most? Aren''t you able to recognize a lot of words now? I wanted to show you that letter, and perhaps you would have felt ashamed of your inferiority and worthlessness. Perhaps you would have wondered to yourself how such beautiful words and artistic prose could exist in the world.


    "Regardless, even if you read that letter 10 times or 100 times, you would have never realized that the true message and genius in that letter only rested in those seven words. Isn''t that funny? I find it absolutely hrious! So much so that I''m about to die fromughter!"


    Chen Ping''an quietly sat on the long bench. Next to him were the pieces of candied fruit that had been discarded and ignored. He looked at Zhu Lu and pursed his lips, saying, "If it weren''t for Zhu He, I would have genuinely let you ''die fromughter'' today."


    He stood up and continued slowly, "I know that you were saying all this to exin the situation to your father. Moreover, your attempt to stand up this time was actually bait to draw me to attack you. You wanted to give Zhu He no choice �� either he killed me, or he killed you. Am I correct?"


    Zhu Lu fell silent, and a shadow fell across her face.


    Zhu He had already arrived in the corridor at some time, and his hands were tightly clenched into fists. The veins on the back of his hands bulged, and his face was filled with indescribable pain. He looked at the young boy and young girl.


    One was his darling daughter, and one was a junior who he was fond of.


    Zhu Lu stuck out a thumb and roughly wiped the blood from the corners of her mouth. She lowered her head slightly, but her gaze remained fixed on Chen Ping''an.


    She slowly turned around, and there was a rare expression of calm on her face. "If Young Mistress learns about this, her temperament will mean that I''ll definitely lose ayer of skin even if I''m not killed," she said to the familiar figure of her father. "My future will be cut off right there and then. Father, I''m begging you, don''t show any mercy! Since A''Liang from the Wind Snow Temple hasn''t returned yet, you need to seize this opportunity to act! Young Master said before, hesitation will only lead to doom!"


    Chen Ping''an suddenly turned around and leaned over, casually grabbing a piece of candied fruit from the bench and popping it into his mouth.


    He then stood up and faced off against Zhu He.


    "You''ll die," he said to the young girl.


    Zhu Lu''s heart sank.


    There were approximately 15 paces between her father and Chen Ping''an.


    Even though Chen Ping''an''s cultivation base wasn''t high, Zhu Lu had witnessed his speed and agility before. She couldn''t help but feel a little frustrated and angry. Her father shouldn''t have revealed himself so far away from them!


    This was a battle of life and death, so was there any need to act with the demeanor of an elite?!


    Zhu Lu turned around and spat a mouthful of bloody saliva. "You can try if you''re oh-so-mighty!"


    She looked at her father and warned him, "Father, if you don''t kill him today, then I''ll die in front of you! Regardless, you need to capture Chen Ping''an first!"


    As for what they did after capturing Chen Ping''an... If her father didn''t want to kill him, then she would!


    Zhu Lu was tense and ready, prepared to defend herself if Chen Ping''an attempted to take her hostage and threaten her father.


    Her father had once inadvertently told her that she would have some chance at victory if she only sparred against this detestable and lowly filth. However, she would face certain death if they became engaged in a life-or-death battle. She hadn''t believed this in the beginning. Afterward, she had be frozen with shock when facing the white python in Go Table Mountain. She could only stand there and wait for death. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had disyed courage, determination, and judgment that was far superior to her.


    This had caused her to feel immense despair, and her determination to practice martial arts was almostpletely quashed. Once a person''s mental state copsed, their journey on the path of martial arts would reach an end.


    Beforeing to Red Candle Town, the mountain lord Wei Bo had given each of them a farewell gift at the border of Go Table Mountain. Under Zhu He''s encouragement, she had received a secret immortal scripture, the Purple Qi Guide. This was a treasured martial arts text that many people dreamed of obtaining. In reality, however, the young girl hadn''t been especially excited or motivated by this.


    Ambition was easy to lose but difficult to discover.


    How could Zhu He �� an unrefined martial artist who was drunk with dreams of reaching the peak of martial arts �� have known about this?


    However, the arrival of that letter had been like her Young Master personally giving her face-to-face instructions. It was like charcoal received during heavy snow[2], and it had rekindled a me of hope in the young girl''s mind. She told herself that she definitely had to practice martial arts. At the very least, she had to be a martial arts grandmaster like her father. She would make great contributions on the battlefield and rightfully win herself an honorary title!


    This was especially the case since they now possessed a Hero''s Gall Pill from True Martial Mountain and the immortal scripture, Purple Qi Guide. Just like Zhu He had said, he even dared to dream of witnessing the scenery at the lofty Seventh Tier now. That being the case, why didn''t she, Zhu Lu, dare to dream of things that she hadn''t dared to dream of before?


    However, her dreams of a bright future and a dazzling cultivation path were all built on a small prerequisite.


    Chen Ping''an needed to die.


    Thus, knowing that she couldn''t defeat him in a proper battle, the young girl decided that she needed to catch him by surprise. Just like Chen Ping''an had guessed, she had wanted to buy a dagger.


    Unfortunately, the weapon shop had already closed for the day, leaving her empty-handed.


    However, her father wanted her to apologize to Chen Ping''an, and she had further heard Chen Ping''an and her Young Mistress talking about buying tanghulu.


    Daggers could kill, and so could bamboo skewers from tanghulu if they were held in the hands of a martial artist at the peak stage of the Second Tier.


    Worried that a single bamboo skewer might snap from the impact, Zhu Lu had used the excuse of buying tanghulu for Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping to obtain three. With three bamboo skewers in her hand, she was confident that she could skewer the young boy''s heart.


    Her n had been immacte.


    Zhu Lu had disyed impressive resourcefulness and sharp wits.


    The Li n''s second young master who had never shown himself this entire time also disyed his immense ability to identify talent and utilize others.


    What was truly impressive about Zhu Lu''s n was her ability to leave a path of retreat for herself. At the same time, she left no path of retreat for her father, a martial artist at the Fifth Tier.


    Either she died or Chen Ping''an died.


    Looking at the impoverished young boy who had a jade hairpin in his hair, Zhu He uttered the word that his daughter should have said in earnest and sincerity, "Sorry..."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "It''s fine. Everyone has the freedom to pick their own path."


    His smile defied themon sense of the situation, and it instead caused one to feel a chill down their spine.


    The nearby Zhu Lu experienced this bizarre feeling firsthand.


    After sparring with Zhu He in Go Table Mountain, Chen Ping''an had noticed three acupoints in his body that were surprisingly able to instill apprehension in the fiery dragon that wantonly rampaged through him. It didn''t dare to enter these acupoints. Only at that time did Chen Ping''an finally discover the three small wisps of sword qi hiding in his body. They were linked to his mind, so using them didn''t pose any challenge at all.


    Chen Ping''an had expended a wisp of sword qi to obliterate the white python''s head.


    In order to save himself, he felt like it wouldn''t be a bad deal to use another wisp of sword qi here.


    However, he definitely had to obtain something in return when he used thest wisp of sword qi. He couldn''t make deals that only broke even every time!


    This was a sinister trap that had been set up for him.


    Zhu Lu had also exined many things.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had only spoken a few times and uttered a few words.


    Thus, the young boy felt like he had to say something at this moment. For himself, and also for Big Sister Immortal who relied on him to live on. Otherwise, he would feel slightly pissed off.


    The young boy shuffled one straw sandal forward and one straw sandal back.


    He bent his knees, and he lowered his stance. Putting his index finger and middle finger together, he pointed at the man who was standing in the distance at the other side of the corridor. His lips moved slightly.


    Perhaps it was her sixth sense, or perhaps it was a warning from the ancestral blessings �� Zhu Lu suddenly felt panic and terror at this moment, and she shrieked, "No!"


    Zhu He''s skin crawled, and the powerful grandmaster at the Fifth Tier felt as if his mind and body had sunk into mud. He was frozen to the spot.


    Chen Ping''an silently recited, "Sword, unsheathed!"


    1. As mentioned before, Ping''an means safe and sound, and can also mean peace in certain contexts. ?


    2. This means receiving help in an hour of need. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    I totally did not expect this. How about you?</blockquote>

 Chapter 110: All Good Things Must Come to an End

    Chapter 110: All Good Things Must Come to an End


    Something pressed down on Chen Ping''an''s shoulder, causing his aura to immediately freeze. The wisp of sword qi in his acupoint had already been like an arrow at full draw that had to be fired. However, the p on his shoulder had changed everything. This was like a ferocious python going out to hunt yeting across a flood dragon �� its initially indomitable aura would naturally freeze and subside, and it would naturally choose to temporarily stop.


    "Stop right there," a man with a bamboo hat said as he stood next to Chen Ping''an. He wrapped his arm around the young boy''s shoulder andughed, "We''re all one big loving family! Why fight and try to kill each other? How unseemly!"


    Chen Ping''an looked up, and the man who came and went like a shadow smiled at him and said, "Believe me, I''m A''Liang!"


    Chen Ping''an sighed and relented, "Alright, I''ll listen to you for the moment."


    A''Liang simply nced at Zhu He, and he didn''t even spare so much as a nce for Zhu Lu. His voice waszy as he exined, "Using such a precious wisp of sword qi to kill the measly Zhu He is an absolute waste of a divine treasure. Even if you don''t feel distressed, I''ll feel distressed for you. Moreover... Forget about it. Enough with this depressing talk. To sum it up, my conscience would ache if I didn''t step in. Here''s a Qi channeling technique for you, The Eighteen Stops. Just treat it aspensation."


    Chen Ping''an was just about to exit his stance. However, A''Liang let go of his shoulder and took a step back, shaking his head and remarking with a smile, "Your stance is far too crude and unrefined. I''ll teach you something far more impressive."


    A''Liang looked at him and ordered, "Stand firm!" He then bent a finger and tapped Chen Ping''an''s shoulder. Afterward, his hand was lightning quick as it tapped his chest seven or eight times. At the same time, he used an immortal technique that was even more impressive thanpressing one''s voice into a thread. His voice directly sounded in the young boy''s mind, saying, "Remember the starting point of this Qi, and remember its path as well as the names of the acupoints it passes through. Like a snaking dragon vein, this wisp of Qi rises from the ancestors of mountains, Linchong. This is the first stop, and it''s a paramount acupoint to nurture one''s sword. After surging through three mountains and six passes, the Qi arrives at the Fuji acupoint, the second stop. After dashing through six caves and nine abodes, it arrives at the Chunyang acupoint, the third stop...


    "... And this is thest stop, giving 18 stops in total. The names and descriptions of these acupoints are vastly different from what they are today, and this is the result of immense effort and sacrifice from countless swordsmen from ancient times. You need tomit these to memory!"


    In the end, A''Liang asked, "Have you remembered them?"


    Sweat formed on Chen Ping''an''s forehead, and he replied, "I''ve remembered most of them."


    A''Liang smiled and said, "Remembering most of them is good enough. There''s also no need to be afraid if you smash into brutal obstacles or challenges and bloody your face in the future. This is the path that every swordsman must take. Once you be familiar with the cirction path, you can attempt to slowly channel your Qi. This is the most interesting aspect of The Eighteen Stops. Mhm, this is something that I, A''Liang, figured out. Some people are super impressed by this, and they heap praise on me and say that just this suggestion alone was able to elevate their sword skills to a lofty new height. Haha, this is a bit embarrassing..."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly felt like this so-called Eighteen Stops was probably not much stronger than the Mountain Shaking Fist.


    A''Liang saw through the young boy''s thoughts, and he said seriously, "Do I look like a liar who makes empty promises? I, A''Liang, can never be used of boasting to others!"


    Zhu He had already recovered the ability to think at this moment. However, his limbs were feeling even stiffer than before. A single movement would mean death �� this was the only thought running through his mind. This was the formless aura of dominance radiating from A''Liang.


    When one was friends with this man who always wore a green bamboo saber and a small silver gourd by his waist, one would feel like he wasn''t a powerful person no matter how one looked at him.


    When one became enemies with him, however... Zhu He was drowning in fear and drenched in sweat. He felt as if his soul were about to explode.


    In the distance, Zhu He''s mental state had already copsed. Nearby, Zhu Lu could only hear Chen Ping''an mumbling to himself.


    A''Liang''s voice sounded in Chen Ping''an''s mind again, teaching him, "The light boat passes tens of thousands of mountains, and the channeled Qi flows through hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of miles in an instant �� this is indeed very good. However, if one can slow down �� like a mountain slowly building mass yet not umting height over 100 years, like a sea slowly gaining volume yet not rising in level �� that will be even better! When channeling Qi in the future, you can focus on familiarizing yourself with this path. You need to reach a state where your Qi will automatically flow through this path even when you''re sleeping."


    "How would I know if I''m channeling the Eighteen Stops when I''m sleeping?" Chen Ping''an asked with a puzzled expression.


    A''Liang wrapped his arms across his chest and chuckled, "Wander to where the water ends, and sit down to gaze upon the clouds[1]. Follow the flow of nature, and you''ll naturally find the answer you seek."


    A''Liang sat down on the bench. However, his expression immediately became strange.


    Chen Ping''an brought his hand to his forehead.


    A''Liang quietly stood up and used his hands to pat the sticky candied fruit from his rear. He then shuffled over and sat elsewhere, resting his hands on the railings as he exhaled a long breath. He finally looked at Zhu Lu for the first time,manding, "Apart from returning the Hero''s Gall Pill and the Purple Qi Guide to me, you and your father also need to hand over the stack of talismans you inherited from the Li n. However, these talismans can only save one of you. Zhu Lu, I''ll give you a choice now. Will you walk out of Pillow Ry Station alive, or will your father?"


    Before Zhu Lu could reply, Zhu He had already begged in a solemn voice, "Senior A''Liang, I earnestly beg you to let Zhu Lu leave. I''m willing tomit suicide to make up for our sins. In fact, there''s no need to even soil Senior A''Liang''s bamboo de."


    A''Liang simply smiled as he looked at Zhu Lu with squinted eyes,pletely ignoring Zhu He who had already retrieved the pill, immortal scripture, and talismans. "Zhu Lu, who do you want to live?"


    Her face was already filled with tears, yet she forcefully covered her mouth with a hand, not daring to make a sound.


    Meanwhile, her other hand was tightly clenched behind her back, so tight that her nails were drawing blood from her palm, leaving her entire hand crimson red.


    Zhu He fell to his knees with a heavy thud, kowtowing to the man as he called in a quivering voice, "Senior A''Liang!"


    A''Liang turned to Chen Ping''an and asked, "What do you say? Or perhaps we should release them both? I can cripple Zhu He''s cultivation base for you if you''re afraid of him seeking revenge. If you''re still afraid of unexpected idents, I can even sever his lifespan with ease. Mhm, I can do the same to Zhu Lu."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t look at Zhu He, and he only looked at Zhu Lu as he replied, "I said before, you have to die."


    Zhu He suddenly looked up and roared, "Chen Ping''an, Zhu Lu''s only a child!"


    Chen Ping''an had been rtively calm the entire time, yet his face instantly became white with fury when he heard this.


    The young boy dashed forward, and he was just about to shatter Zhu Lu''s chest with a single punch. Her aura was chaotic at this moment, and she was no better off than a mortal young girl. For some reason, however, his fist involuntarily opened up into a palm at some time, and its trajectory also took an upward turn. A vicious p rang against Zhu Lu''s cheek.


    A''Liang ced a hand on Chen Ping''an''s shoulder again, saying, "That''s enough."


    He chuckled softly and continued, "Some punishments are even crueler than a quick and simple death."


    Chen Ping''an returned to the long bench and spaced out. He had no clue how A''Liang had dealt with Zhu He and Zhu Lu, nor did he have any clue how they had left Pillow Ry Station and where they would go in the future.


    He suddenly looked up and asked, "A''Liang, do you have any wine?"


    A''Liang smiled and replied, "Of course I do. My small gourd can hold 500 liters of wine. However, I have to warn you about something first. It''s important that one doesn''t drink when they''re experiencing grief. Otherwise, it''s extremely easy to end up as a pathetic alcoholic. However, one can drink when they''re feeling happy and carefree. Perhaps drinking will even lead them to be a wine immortal."


    ��������


    Outside Pillow Ry Station...


    Lin Shouyi stood by himself on the street. He wasn''t sure why A''Liang had told him to stay outside, but A''Liang had said that he needed to wait for someone to arrive. At that time, he could then decide whether he wanted to enter the ry station or not.


    Even though he was bored out of his mind, the young boy still stood as tall and straight as a lone pine on the mountaintop.


    Borrowing the light from therge redntern hanging by the door of the ry station, Lin Shouyi retrieved the Confucian scripture, Recite Atop Clouds Scripture, and started to read the characters that were hard to pronounce and understand.


    Whenever he came across concepts that he understood or achieved new enlightenment, however, he would feel sheer delight as if basking in the sun reappearing from behind the clouds and mists. The aloof young boy who had been shaped into the person he was by his rough life didn''t want to share this sincere joy with anyone else.


    Lin Shouyi was never afraid to view the world and its people in the most negative light possible.


    An ordinary-looking woman walked over from the distance. There was amazement in her eyes when she saw the young boy, and she remarked with emotion, "Sure enough, this is someone with a brilliant aptitude for cultivation."


    The woman stopped half a dozen paces away from the young boy and said with a smile, "Hello, Lin Shouyi. We''ve already met once by the riverside, me on the decorated boat and you on the bank. My true identity is the grand elder of the Great Li Empire''s Pce of Eternal Spring[2]. I''m not trying to boast, but I''m indeed the type of immortal thatmoners and peasants look up to. I can summon wind and rain with a flick of my sleeves, and I can shakend and mountains with a stomp of my foot. I''m especially skilled at the Five Lightning Righteous Technique, and I can y demons and spirits with a turn of my palm..."


    After saying this, the woman chuckled to herself before waving a hand and saying, "No, this won''t do. This kind of introduction is far too overbearing."


    However, Lin Shouyi nodded and said, "I believe you."


    "I don''t know what your father told you in his letter, and I more so don''t know what A''Liang''s intentions are," the woman chuckled. "However, since he chose to leave you outside the ry station even though he''s aware that I''ve been following your group the entire time, I feel like I can give this a shot. I want to see if I can convince you to return to the capital with me. After farewelling your parents, you can thene with me to the Pce of Eternal Spring to cultivate."


    "My father told me to obediently stay in Red Candle Town," Lin Shouyi replied with a nonchnt expression. "Afterward, he said a powerful person would bring me to the capital with them. Otherwise, he wouldn''t collect my corpse for me even if I mysteriously died somewhere �� a dead person isn''t worth the transportation fee. Father also mentioned that things are extremely dear in the capital right now, so the expenditure of the n is quiterge."


    The woman sighed and said, "Your father''s words are indeed grating on the ear. However, is this not the truth?"


    A smile of ridicule tugged at the corners of the young boy''s lips.


    The woman hesitated for a brief moment before extending a hand to Lin Shouyi and offering with a dignified expression, "Even though you might find this childish and nowhere near mysterious enough,cking all kinds of ups and downs, sharp-witted exchanges, and grueling tests, I still want to tell you this. Lin Shouyi, take a step forward, and you can set foot on the bridge to longevity."


    Lin Shouyi put his book away before shaking his head and replying, "Thank you for your offer and good intentions, Immortal Elder. I can''t control what n I''m born into, nor can I control what surname I''m given. However, I can control what path I take, and I''m well aware of what direction I should head in."


    "What a shame..."


    The woman could do nothing but sigh. She didn''t try to force the young boy against his will, and she said, "Then till next time, Lin Shouyi. I hope you won''t be filled with regret when we meet again."


    Lin Shouyi sped his hands and bowed in respect, saying in a proper manner, "Lin Shouyi respectfully farewells Immortal Elder."


    The woman vanished in a sh.


    ��������


    Inside the ry station...


    Chen Ping''an and A''Liang sat on benches opposite each other in the corridor.


    "A''Liang, are you about to leave?" Chen Ping''an asked softly.


    A''Liang nodded in reply.


    He raised his small gourd and took a swig of wine.


    It was clear that he had recalled a sad memory. As it turned out, his warning to Chen Ping''an about not drinking when feeling down was nothing more than an empty message.


    As he dazedly looked at the young boy �� looked at his clean and pure eyes �� it was as if he were looking at that pair of eyes from many years ago.


    ''A''Liang, I''ve made up my mind. Studying is useless! It''s far too annoying! I, Qi Jingchun, am going to travel the world with you. I''m going to repay kindness with kindness and violence with violence. I''m going to drink the strongest liquor, wield the quickest sword, and ride the best horse. Mhm, I''ve already prepared enough money �� more than a dozen taels of silver! If this isn''t enough, I can go back to borrow some from my master. Master is extremely understanding, and he said that I can go out and travel around if I genuinely don''t want to study anymore. Knowledge lies everywhere in the vast stretches of mountains and rivers.''


    The young schr in green had been beaten ck and blue by others, yet the look in his eyes had been especially pure and determined.


    An old schr had snooped around the gates of the academy, not daring to show himself and only leaving his head visible. He had furiously gestured to A''Liang with his eyes, and when A''Liang ignored him, he had decided to step out and stand next to the gate. Rolling up his sleeves, he had gestured that he would fight to the death with A''Liang if he dared to trick his disciple.


    ''Off you go. You''ve barely hit puberty, yet you''re already talking so big. I''ll take you to see the colorful world when you grow older and more mature.''


    ''Then it''s a promise, A''Liang! I''ll wait for you.''


    In the end, A''Liang had faced the young boy with his back, holding a sword in his hand and tapping it against his shoulder in a carefree manner. Waving his other hand that was clenched into a fist, he had bade farewell.


    The traveling swordsman A''Liang had bade farewell to the young schr who dreamed of traveling the world.


    This farewell... was an eternal farewell.


    In the end, he had turned around to see the young boy walking away as he held the old schr''s hand. The two of them were returning to the academy.


    The old man and young boy had been chatting with each other.


    ''Jingchun, I forgot to ask before. Who beat you up?''


    ''That person with the surname Zuo.''


    ''Hah? Him? He was that careless when he beat you up? I''ll give him a good lecture when we get back. A virtuous person should settle disputes through reason and not violence. Was he unable to win through reason? Is that why he threw hands in a fit of shame and anger?''


    ''No.''


    ''Hmm?''


    ''He was willing to admit defeat after losing the debate. However, he purposely said that I would have no hope of ever surpassing you, Master, no matter how many books I read. How is this possible, I thought to myself. Even though Master is knowledgeable, you always be drowsy when you try to read now. I always see you nodding off while you''re reading.


    ''However, I''m still young, so there''ll eventuallye a day when I read more books than you, Master... Even so, he continued to mumble under his breath, and he said that I should be more knowledgeable than Master in a day if I were truly so capable. I got angry when I heard this, so I ran over to hit him first. I couldn''t beat him, and I''m willing to admit this fact.


    ''See, that''s why I didn''t dob on him when I saw you just then. Schrs should naturally be moral characters who have backbones, am I right? Master, I reckon you''re a bitcking in this area. When you win the debate but lose the fight, you always boast about how profound your knowledge is and how incredible and historical the debate was. When you lose the debate but win the fight, however, you instead boast about how earth-shattering and gripping the fight was...


    ''Master, master! Why are you twisting my ear? Ow, ow, ow! A virtuous person should settle disputes through reason and not violence!''


    ''What virtuous person? Your master is a sage!''


    Upon seeing this, the man had finally turned around to leave, with his movements carefree and dashing.


    During those long and tumultuous years, the man would sometimes sit atop that great wall and enjoy gulps of wine by himself. Small pieces of news and rumors would travel over from the distant Stctite Mountain, with none of them being good news. It would be nightmare after nightmare. Listening to this news, the man would regret not bringing that young schr with him. He would grumble about the old geezer and scold him for not even being able to look after his favorite disciple.


    And now, looking at the young boy before him, A''Liang suddenly smiled. "I once offered ament to a young boy who was around the same age as you. I told him, ''Believe me, you''ll enjoy more sess as a schr than a swordsman''. I feel like I should offer ament to you as well now. Believe me, you''ll enjoy more sess with the sword than with your fists."


    Under his bamboo hat, A''Liang wore a wide and brilliant smile, one that was like the warm sun on a cold winter day.


    However, Chen Ping''an had never seen such a sad A''Liang before.


    1. An excerpt from Wang Wei''s poem, Mount Zhongnan Lodge. ?


    2. The Pce of Eternal Spring borrows the name of a pce in the Forbidden City that housed imperial concubines. ?

 Chapter 111: Bamboo Hat

    Chapter 111: Bamboo Hat


    A''Liang stopped drinking, and he re-tied the small silver gourd to his waist. However, his legs remained crossed, and the bamboo saber that the mountain lord from Go Table Mountain had carved for him rested t across his knees. A''Liang lightly drummed the hilt and tip of the saber scabbard with his hands, causing it to see-saw up and down.


    "Truth be told, I''ve actually been testing you this entire time �� you''ve alreadypleted many tests. Your choices will determine how far I escort you, and to put it simply, I''ll apany you for a distance proportional to how many obstacles you can ovee."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "After pondering for a while, I also started to develop some suspicions. However, I feel like there are all kinds of thoughts and ideas swimming around in your mind, so I''ve been unable to make heads or tails of it this entire time."


    A''Liang wasn''t surprised by this, and he openly revealed, "The first test was by the Dragon Whisker Creek. If you proved yourself to be a naive child who was ignorant of worldly affairs, and a foolishly kind person who would act only on impulse, then perhaps I would have only left the donkey to you. Afterward, I would have patted my hands and left. As for whether you couldst until Wei Jin from Wind Snow Temple exited seclusion... Why would I have cared? After all, you would have died sooner orter. Caring about you would have been wasting my emotions."


    A''Liang continued to recall the details and recount the tests that he had given Chen Ping''an, leaving the young boypletely dumbstruck. He had never imagined that A''Liang was such a careful and scrupulous person. Even more than this, he had never imagined that he had encountered so many strange and mysterious tests in his life.


    "The thirdst test was during the battle on Go Table Mountain. If it weren''t for my purposeful provocation, the mountain lord Wei Bo and the two pythons wouldn''t have acted in such a reckless manner. My hope was...


    "The secondst test was when I tempted you to return to the bamboo forest to chop some more bamboo.


    "And if everything goes ording to n, the current test will also be the final test. I initially wanted to apany you and the others to Yefu Pass before leaving. However, some unexpected things havee up, so I have no option to leave beforehand."


    There was a carefree smile on A''Liang''s face as he continued, "Some tests were done on purpose, some were done tentatively, and some were done with the flow of the situation. I took exception to some of your choices, and I felt like they were as stubborn and pedantic to outworn rules as could be. However, some of your choices also left me feeling extremely delighted and content. This is the correct way to go about things.


    "This is unlike the imperial examination system for schrs such as Qi Jingchun and Cui Chan, where they focus on truth and ability first and foremost. My decision to test and observe you from the background is simr to how experienced immortals from some sects pick their disciples �� the focus is on your character rather than your talent."


    A smile of self-ridicule appeared on A''Liang''s face, and he asked, "Do you feel like I''m ying around out of boredom because I have too much time on my hands? Or perhaps I have a devilish mind filled with evil schemes?"


    Before Chen Ping''an could even reply, he had already offered an answer for himself, saying, "How could I have so much spare time? Someone as mighty as me is extremely busy, okay?"


    Chen Ping''an dragged his feet onto the bench andzily crossed his legs. He held his face in his hands and asked, "A''Liang, is it because I''m acquainted with Mr. Qi? Is this why you''re putting so much effort into me?"


    A''Liang''s expression became solemn, and he replied, "Far too many distractions and temptations lie on the path of cultivation. Li Huai''s Severed Water Cliff and Lin Shouyi''s cultivation talent can all be sold and transformed into stepping stones for you. However, Qi Jingchun''s disciples shouldn''t suffer such a tragic fate. This is especially the case for Li Baoping. She''s such a great child, so just thinking about her being deeply saddened and disappointed by her junior uncle causes my heart to shatter."


    A''Liang was barely able to remain serious for a minute, and he quickly reverted back to his old self again, saying with a smile, "Ah... Old men like us are able to endure our home nations falling and mountains and rivers sinking. However, we''re always unable to contain ourselves when ites to trivial things of happiness like these."


    Chen Ping''an grabbed a tanghulu that hadn''t been sat on by A''Liang and slowly chewed at it, asking in a muffled voice, "A''Liang, what do you think about me right now? If you feel like I''m not suitable, can you ask a friend to apany Baoping and the others to Great Sui Nation? I''m not afraid of facing hardship, truly. I''m only afraid of disappointing Mr. Qi and failing to protect Baoping and the others."


    "Don''t try to escape, brat. You''re genuinely the most suitable person for this task. Qi Jingchun might not be good at other things, but his ability to choose people is truly top-notch. Of course, this is unless that old man personally came to apany them... Anyway, let''s not mention that old geezer. Bloody coward who shrinks into his shell like a turtle. Stingy and miserly old schr. Just the mention of him makes me angry..."


    A''Liang fixed his bamboo hat and looked up into the distance. He clucked his tongue in wonder and mused, "Oh? The emperor of the Great Li Empire is quite an interesting person too. Impressive, quite impressive. Since I still have some time left, let me chat with you about some of the more useless things. I''ll also take this opportunity to exin why I''m willing to put so much time and effort into you."


    A''Liang also crossed his legs like Chen Ping''an. He ced his saber across his knees and exined slowly, "Regardless of whether one is a martial artist or Qi refiner, the biggest taboo in cultivation is to be sloppy and indecisive. Thus, following one''s heart when dealing with others is amon shortcut. However, difficulties still arise due to the convictions in their minds.


    "Militarian cultivators will never consider ''retreat''. Martial artists are most likely unable to escape this restriction as well. In their minds, advancing against the flow is a form of bravery and progress. This is a fight for ascension and a fight to reach the heavens.


    "Daoists like to examine their own conscience, Buddhists like to observe their past life and future life, and Confucians like to abide by rules and customs. Mohists are slightly stranger, in that they hold universal concern for the welfare of the world. They have a strong sense of chivalry, and they''re not especially fond of talking about longevity. They''re like Fictionists[1] who have great ambition but little talent �� they want to create an idyllic world like that on their pages.


    "The human mind is fragile and brittle like ss �� it can''t withstand much scrutiny. Qi Jingchun was a stubborn and conceited schr who wasn''t willing to probe. So, let me do the probing for him. How can one be careless when ites to matters regarding the inheritance of a lineage? If you''re nothing more than an embroidered pillow[2] or someone who can''t resist temptations, then what will happen in the future? Qi Jingchun might be dead, but I''m still alive. He''ll be unseeing and unfeeling at that time, but I''ll be disgusted to death! You have to understand that being able to endure hardships and being able to resist temptations are twopletely different matters."


    A''Liang sighed and remarked, "This is most likely a case of the eunuchs being more worried than their emperor[3], huh?"


    "A''Liang, you don''t need to worry," Chen Ping''an replied earnestly. "Even though I like money, I only like money that I''ve earned with my own hands. If it''s someone else''s money, I won''t take it even if it''s been dropped on the floor. Instead, I''ll try to look for its owner."


    A''Liang smiled andmented, "Your words aren''t wrong. However, you can use the money first if the situation truly calls for it. You can remember this debt and repay it in the future, adding some interest to it as well. This way, both parties will be happy. This is what a genuinely good person would do. Otherwise, will you truly guard that money and end up starving yourself to death?"


    "Then how will I know whether a situation truly calls for it?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    A''Liang pointed at his heart before shifting his finger and pointing at his head. "You can use the sum of money if you can pass these two tests."


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes lit up in understanding. He nodded earnestly and said, "A''Liang, even though you''re not well-read, you''re indeed someone who''s traveled around and experienced quite a bit. Your words have helped me understand a lot."


    A''Liang rubbed his nose and said, "Why do your words of praise seem inferior to even Li Huai''s?"


    He leaned against the railing and gazed at the bright moon hanging above the corridor, saying with emotion, "Do you know? In the eyes of Qi Jingchun and the other schrs, your stubbornness to abide by outworn rules is actually regarded as upstanding, genuinely upstanding, where your actions agree with your mind. This is the quality of being upright like a virtuous person and standing on the side of righteousness when dealing with matters."


    A''Liangughed heartily and pointed at the slightly baffled young boy, continuing, "Haha, you should already know about these things, hillbilly, money grubber, little miser. However, it''s exactly because of this that you''re very simr to when that old geezer was young. In reality, Qi Jingchun had a terrible temper when he was the same age as you. Instead, it''s the old geezer who everyone regards as an old bloomer who was the same as you. He was extremely contemtive from a young age, and his temper was also very good. He was just like a Bodhisattva that had been made from y �� he was destined to sit on the altar alongside the other deities..."


    A''Liang''s voice became softer and softer as he spoke, but he suddenly raised his voice and said, "Of course, I''ve be ustomed to acting as I please, so I''m not a very big fan of your way of going about things. It was because of this kind of feeling that I rejected a young boy''s request at that time. Mhm, he was around the same age as you. I often wonder to myself if things would have turned out better than now if I had taken him with me to explore the world.


    "In the end, I told him this �� Believe me, you''ll enjoy more sess as a schr than a swordsman. The world is so small, so just having me, A''Liang, is enough. However, knowledge is infinite like a boundless ocean, right? So, there''s no need for you to eat dust behind me."


    Qi Jingchun grinned and continued, "I''vee to the Great Li Empire because I want to chatter with some people. I want to tell them that someone cares about the matters that Qi Jingchun perhaps didn''t."


    A''Liang mysteriously extended his hand and casually flicked a finger.


    In the bookstore located in the small alley next to River Viewing Street, the handsome young man who referred to himself as Li Jin from the Rushing Tranquil River suffered a hammer blow to the forehead. He was sent flying back. Not only did he crash into the bookshelf, but he even crashed through the wall into the neighboring shop, terrifying the shop clerk who was nodding off behind the counter.


    "This is a fight between immortals, so just stand aside and watch," A''Liang murmured. "You''re nothing but a measly koi, so do you really think you''ve witnessed all of the grand rivers and crashing waves in the world? I, A''Liang, have seen morerge rivers than Li Huai has eaten grains of rice! Do you think I''m exaggerating? I''ve never exaggerated in my life!"


    A''Liang then made a grabbing motion at the void. Next to the courtyard wall in the distance, a small green darkness fish struggled in vain like a fish that had taken the bait. With a quick tug, the green darkness fishnded in his palm. More surprisingly, the fish that should have been on the verge of death after having its link with its owner severed was even more lively and energetic than before. It appeared leisurely as it swished its tail and swam around A''Liang''s palm.


    A''Liang turned to Chen Ping''an and exined, "I''ll let Li Huai raise it in his Severed Water Cliff when we return. Hmm...? Why does it seem like that little bastard always enjoys dumb luck from out of nowhere? Did Li Huai always step on dog shit in the small town and not clean his shoes[4]?"


    A childish voice rang out in the distance, shouting, "A''Liang, you''re the one who steps on dog shit every day!"


    Chen Ping''an turned to A''Liang, and the man chuckled softly and said, "There''s no need to worry. The three of them only returned a short while ago, so they''re not aware of what happened with Zhu He and Zhu Lu. Regarding their ''sudden departure'', you can just find some random excuse to exin it."


    After saying this, he waved his hand and hollered, "Stop eavesdropping by the wall! Come on over! It''s time to share some spoils!"


    Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi arrived in the corridor one after another. Li Baoping sat on Chen Ping''an''s right, while Li Huai sat on his left. However, Li Huai suffered the exact same fate as A''Liang. He cursed in anger as he stood up to pluck the tanghulu from his rear. However, his frown quickly turned into a delighted grin, and he threw the tanghulu into his mouth without a second word. Meanwhile, Lin Shouyi quietly sat down beside A''Liang.


    A''Liang handed a stack of yellow paper talismans to Lin Shouyi and said, "Make sure to carefully study them and don''t let them go to waste. Qi Jingchun once said that there''s a profound mystery in the small town''s Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley. Even today, there''s still a significant fated opportunity hiding in those streets."


    A''Liang patted the aloof young boy''s shoulder and continued, "No matter what, you''re the first genuine cultivator among the four of you. As such, you need to cherish your future even more."


    Lin Shouyi nodded and solemnly epted the stack of yellow paper talismans, cing it under his clothes next to the Recite Atop Clouds Scripture.


    A''Liang turned to the furtive Li Huai and snapped, "Where''s your crappy book? Take it out."


    "Why do you want it?" Li Huai retorted. "You need to give me 10 taels of silver first!"


    A''Liang snapped his fingers, causing the hidden green darkness fish to materialize before the four children. Apart from Chen Ping''an, the remaining three children all widened their eyes in surprise.


    "Now take your crappy book out and flip to a random page," A''Liang said with a disdainful expression. "I just need to ce this fish inside. In terms of how to raise it... You can figure that out yourself. I''m not going to serve you anymore."


    Li Huai jumped up and retrieved the Severed Water Cliff. After opening it, he dashed forward and forcefully closed the book over the green darkness fish. A soft whine vaguely traveled out from the pages.


    A''Liang rubbed his forehead and asked, "Who wants the remaining donkey?"


    Li Huai immediately put up his hand and eximed, "Me, me, me! Can I sell it? Or can I kill it and make donkey stew when I get hungry?"


    A''Liang didn''t want to speak.


    Li Huai''s voice suddenly became soft, and he asked timidly, "A''Liang, you''re not about to die, are you? You''re not speaking yourst words, right?"


    A''Liang rolled his eyes and spat, "Piss off; piss off with your family as far away as you can."


    Li Huai sighed and returned to his seat next to Chen Ping''an. "My parents and sister are already far away enough."


    In the end, there was a tinge of sadness in his voice as he begged, "So A''Liang, don''t leave us, okay? I won''t curse you in the future anymore."


    A''Liang wanted to say something, but he ultimately decided against it. He untied his small silver gourd and tossed it to Li Baoping, telling him, "Catch. This small gourd is one of the best Sword Nurturing Gourds in the world. Ordinary Sword Nurturing Gourds are nowhere near its level."


    He then stood up and stretchedzily. "I feel so much lighter now."


    He nced down at his green bamboo saber before looking up and asking with a smile, "Little Baoping, can I borrow your saber Auspicious Talisman for a bit?"


    Li Huai immediately shot up in excitement. "A''Liang, are you going to fight someone? I''ll help you..."


    A''Liang looked at him with suspicion and questioning in his eyes.


    The little boyughed dryly and added, "I''ll help wave gs and cheer for you!"


    Li Baoping''s little legs pumped like a flywheel as she quickly ran over and handed the saber to A''Liang with both hands.


    A''Liang wore the saber named Auspicious Talisman by his waist.


    At some unknown time, Chen Ping''an, Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi ended up standing in a straight line before the man wearing the bamboo hat.


    A''Liang twiddled the brim of his bamboo hat with two fingers andughed loudly, "You guys never believed me before when I told you how strong I am or how incredible my swordsmanship is. In fact, you even liked to scold me for bragging. You kids... You''re still too young and naive. I was afraid of frightening you guys, so I even went as far as to purposely pick some trivial matters to brag about. For example, drawing and resheathing my de so quickly that no sshing water can enter the scabbard."


    There was a wide smile on A''Liang''s face, and he asked, "You guys don''t believe me, right?"


    He looked toward some dark corner first, ordering, "Shield them."


    Some person nodded.


    The man who had worn a bamboo hat the entire time, ever since he had met them, finally took it off for the first time. He casually tossed it into the air. However, before the bamboo hat could even hit the floor, it had already transformed into a puff of fine powder that flew away with the wind.


    At the same time, with the saber-wielding man as the epicenter...


    The ground within a radius of 500 kilometers shook violently as if a colossal bull were stirring under the earth.


    A''Liang instinctively reached up to fix his bamboo hat. Upon realizing that it was already gone, he scratched his head and cleared his throat, chuckling, "My name is A''Liang, Liang as in kindness."


    1. This is one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and disciples from this school of thought record the conversations and folklore from themon world. ?


    2. An "embroidered pillow" refers to someone who''s attractive on the outside butcking substance on the inside. ?


    3. This refers to observers being more worried than the person involved. ?


    4. Dumb luck is literally written as "dog shit luck" in Chinese. ?

 Chapter 112: Powerful Individual

    Chapter 112: Powerful Individual


    The old man holding thentern �� the pce minister of the Ministry of Rites'' Ritual Office �� chose to walk down quiet and empty streets. After walking for a while, he eventually arrived at Red Candle Town''s city god pavilion. Before he stepped over the door threshold, thentern in his hand swung inside the temple first. It was as if thentern had crashed through a curtain of rippling water that was used to separate yin and yang �� a sheet of water that prevented yin and yang from mingling. However, this ripple disappeared in a sh. Even so, wisps of whizzing light appeared inside the old man''srge redntern, crashing into its walls and illuminating the surroundings.


    On the old man''sntern, someone had used bright red ink to write four small and ancient-looking characters �� souls, homeward ye go.


    Inside the city god pavilion that dealt with matters pertaining to yin and yang along with the county office, a red-cheeked old man in Confucian robes bowed and said loudly, "The city god of Red Candle Town pays his respects to Lord Pce Minister."


    To the left of the old man in Confucian robes was an official holding a jade ritual baton, while to the right of him was a military officer suited in armor and wearing a sword by his hip, with a leopard cat also sitting on his shoulder. Both of them were deities and heroic spirits who could be categorized as yin entities. The appearances of the three people were identical to the y statue of the city god in the city god pavilion and the statues of the official and general in the Wenchang pavilion.


    The old man holding thentern nodded in reply. His expression was solemn as he said, "I''m sure the three of you have already received the secret order from the imperial court. Everyone within a radius of 500 kilometers �� whether they be major or minor mountain gods and river gods, mountain lords, river guardians, or deities honored in the city god pavilions and Wenchang pavilions �� you all have to hunt a saber-wielding man called A''Liang. His path of retreat is unknown, and it''s possible that he might head toward either the north, south, east, or west.


    "If anyone dares to shirk or flee from conflict, or if anyone dares to conceal their true strength, the punishment will be the obliteration of their gold statue when everything is over. The shattered statues of river gods will be buried under mountains, and the shattered statues of mountain gods will be sunk into rivers. Those who are honored in the pavilions will also face a simr fate if they dare to disobey the imperial order. Your names will be erased from the Local County Chronicles."


    The pce minister smiled faintly and lightened the atmosphere a little, continuing, "We''re not asking you to charge toward death; we''re simply asking you to obstruct him to the best of your abilities. The emperor will personally strategize in the capital, so this is also a huge opportunity for you to make contributions and grow your status. The southbound cavalry of the Great Li Empire is unstoppable, so once we expand our territory, many new positions will open up in thends of the conquered nations. As for what this means, and regarding what you should do, I''m sure that deities as experienced as yourselves understand fully well."


    The three deities all answered with fervor.


    "This subordinate wouldn''t dare to act in a perfunctory manner!"


    "I''ll spare no effort!"


    "I''ve already battled to death for the Great Li Empire once. Now that I''ve enjoyed offerings for several hundred years, I naturally have to behead that impudent dog here even if it means sacrificing my gold statue!"


    The pce minister nodded in content, saying, "The Great Li Empire will definitely have to rely on deities such as yourselves to guard the fortunes of the great southernnds in the future. In any case, we need to work together to resolve this pressing issue."


    ��������


    Inside a shrine that was fairly close to Red Candle Town''s Fine Wine River, there stood a burly man who had once appeared on River Viewing Street with the pce minister of the Ritual Office. His true identity was the pce minister of the Ministry of War''s Martial Examination Office. It could be said that this burly man had the power of life and death over most people in the Great Li Empire.


    Compared to the old man who was the pce minister of the Ministry of Rites'' Ritual Office, however, he could be described as someone who interacted with small fries and bastards in a pond of mud. Meanwhile, the old man could be described as someone who heartily discussed longevity with gods and immortals.


    Two formal river gods radiated with powerful auras as they stood inside the river god shrine. One held a shiny ck iron spear that intermittently pulsated with golden inscriptions, while one had a lively green snake coiled around his arm that asionally opened its jaws to hiss, releasing puffs of snow-white breath.


    Foggy vapor permeated around the two river gods.


    The burly man''s voice was solemn as he said, "Once we start drawing the, that saber-wielding man will most likely flee toward the south. That''s why I asked you two to meet me here. When the timees, I''ll step out to block him first. I would naturally prefer to sacrifice someone else rather than sacrifice myself, but it''s entirely possible that His Majesty the Emperor is observing us right now. So, I wouldn''t dare to shirk responsibility even if I were given 10 times the courage. I hope that the two of you won''t disappoint His Majesty either."


    After saying this, the burly man strode out of the river god shrine and turned to face Red Candle Town in the north. He decided to remove his shirt, revealing his firm muscles and wicked tattoos �� a dragon over his shoulders that ordinary martial artists definitely wouldn''t dare to tattoo[1], and a hunting forest tiger crouched on his back.


    Standing under the soft glow of the moon, the burly man crossed his arms and stood as still as an immovable mountain, his aura surging to a great height.


    ��������


    The woman who had tried to persuade Lin Shouyi to follow her to the Pce of Eternal Spring stood on the street that led toward Pillow Ry Station. She didn''t walk far, and she instead chose to go into a tavern on the side of the street. There was a young and beautiful shop owner standing behind the counter and selling wine, and her expression didn''t sour even when she engaged in vulgar and uncouth conversations with her customers. Beside her, her jittery and uneasy husband could only bury his head and busy himself with work.


    The young girl who had paddled the decorated boat before sat next to the grand elder of the Pce of Eternal Spring. She was a lowly boat hostess who was born into a family of generational servants, and thanks to some divine fortune, she had been chosen by her master not long ago. She was soon going to head to the Pce of Eternal Spring to learn the immortal spells of the legends.


    ording to her master, she was a fairly talented person who had an innate affinity with water �� this was most likely because her ancestors had lived by the water for generations, developing an intertwining fate with the Rushing Tranquil River. As such, she possessed remarkable talent that would give her the chance to advance to the Middle Five Tiers.


    The young girl didn''t know what the Middle Five Tiers were. At this moment, she imitated her master and took small sips of the strong wine. She wasn''t taking small sips because she was afraid of getting drunk �� boat hostesses were all extremely capable drinkers �� but rather because she was being involuntarily influenced by her master''s innate aura of might. She instinctively wanted to imitate her master.


    "Master, why wasn''t he willing toe to the Pce of Eternal Spring with us?" she asked softly.


    The woman, whose true age was close to 120 years old, smiled faintly and replied, "It would be a bit excessive to say that he doesn''t know what''s good for him. It''s better to say that the destined moment hasn''t arrived yet. Cultivation naturally implies cultivating one''s strength. This is just like building a house, where one needs to strengthen the foundation. However, what determines one''s eventual potential is ultimately dependent on their cultivation of the mind.


    "Lin Shouyi has a resolute mind, and he''s someone who''s born with an innate aptitude for cultivation. As such, he can reach great heights even if he doesn''t enter the Pce of Eternal Spring. If you don''t want to feel ashamed and inferior the next time you encounter him, then you need to work hard too."


    The young girl nodded in reply before lowering her head to take a sip of wine.


    It had to be said that this woman, who seemingly enjoyed eternal youth, was quite magnanimous and tolerant.


    At this moment, Red Candle Town suddenly shook for the first time.


    Even though themotion was huge, there was fortunately little effect on the buildings in the small town. Only the tables and chairs on the banks and the decorated boats in the rivers shook a little.


    The woman''s expression changed slightly, and she said, "Sure enough, it''s a cultivator at the Upper Five Tiers."


    Her tone was solemn, and she continued softly, "Let''s hope they''re not at the legendary 12th Tier or an 11th Tier Militarian Qi refiner."


    She turned to the young girl and ordered, "When I leave in a moment, remember not to panic no matter what. Just stay here and don''t move."


    To say nothing of being wounded or killed, mortals might not be able to flee from the battlefield between cultivators and immortals at such lofty levels even if they understood the catastrophic nature of the situation.


    If there weren''t the 72 academies to watch over the regions, if the Militarian cultivators �� the most powerful force after the three teachings �� wasn''t obliged to serve the empires, and if there weren''t so many mountain and river deities to monitor thends for the empires and suppress the immortal sects... Just how chaotic would the world be?


    The woman didn''t dare to imagine this...


    ...Even though she was also an immortal.


    ��������


    A''Liang arrived in an empty area outside the corridor. His sleeves billowed in the wind, and his hands rested on the hilts of the lush green bamboo saber and the sleek saber, Auspicious Talisman. He took a deep breath, and without the bamboo hat on his head seemingly obscuring his aura and suppressing his power, he was finally able to rx himself and move without restriction.


    However, he still appeared a little anxious, and he looked at somece and suggested, "Even though you''re a Yin god who''s sessful in cultivation, the thriving nature of the Great Li Empire means that each major pass and city is often brimming with fierce yang energy. This is something that can innately subdue ghosts and yin entities like you. You can ask Lin Shouyi to refine the yang talismans in that stack of talismans I gave him. That will allow you to mitigate this issue."


    When A''Liang finished speaking, a dark shadow appeared not far away from the corridor. A person slowly materialized before Chen Ping''an and the others. He was shrouded in ck mist, and only his head and facial features were clearly visible. This allowed them to see his eerie white eyes that didn''t have pupils. His tall and burly body was fuzzy, and he was much like a flood dragon soaring through the clouds, with only his head visible and his body hidden.


    The so-called Yin god nodded in reply.


    A''Liang smiled and continued, "Then I''ll hand these children to you. Apany them to at least Yefu Pass, and after that, you can leave the rest up to their fortunes. After all, we can''t coddle them forever �� a thousand cowards are worth less than a single courageous person. I trust you."


    "Senior, why are you willing to trust a yin entity with unknown origins," the Yin god asked in a hoarse voice, speaking the dialect of the small town.


    A''Liang was amused, and he replied frankly, "Because of your appearance, of course! With such an unsympathetic appearance, it''s quite clear that you''re someone who''s cold on the outside, warm on the inside, and chivalric of the mind."


    The Yin god hesitated for a moment before guessing, "Is it because I''m simr to you, senior?"


    A''Liang almost choked upon hearing this, and he muttered, "You''re a bastard who''s neither human nor ghost, but your words are... quite amusing."


    The Yin god cracked a grin.


    Li Huai had already scuttled behind Li Baoping to hide, and he tugged at the sleeves of her bright red jacket and stammered in fright, "Baoping, Baoping, it''s a ghost! It''s really a ghost!"


    Meanwhile, Lin Shouyi had an expression of deep curiosity. However, he tried his best to suppress this curiosity, lest he offend the Yin god by looking him up and down too directly. There was a brief introduction to yin entities in Recite Atop Clouds Scripture, and it was detailed how such entities also had avenues to be gods. The first method was to rely on their believers'' incense offerings and willpower, the second method was to attach themselves to the "courage" of Militarian cultivators, and the third method was to cultivate like Qi refiners.


    Thest method was the most bumpy and challenging. However, a yin entity would also enjoy the most stable soul out of the three methods if they seeded through this manner. In fact, they could transform the punishment from the scorching sun, the hammering from the fierce winds, and the showering of chants into shortcuts to temper their cultivation.


    The Yin god nced at Chen Ping''an before turning his gaze to the scaredy-cat Li Huai who was hiding at the very back.


    There was grief on Li Huai''s face as he begged, "Don''t focus on me! Why don''t you stare at Lin Shouyi or Chen Ping''an? Or maybe even A''Liang!"


    The Yin god who had been following them from a safe distance the entire time slowly dissipated his body, causing the eerie atmosphere in the corridor to return to normal.


    A''Liang looked up and nced toward the north. He was in no hurry to leave, and he chuckled, "There''s been a small mishap, so we still have some time to chat. If you have anything to say, then now''s the time to spit it out. Come on, quickly. If you have any words of praise or ttery, then don''t hesitate to bombard me with them. Who knows when we''ll see each other again."


    Li Baoping was the first to speak, saying, "A''Liang, if the saber breaks, then you don''t need to return me. Because we''re friends!"


    A''Liangughed heartily as he raised a thumb at her and said, "Such heartwarming words! I like it!" However, I''ll definitely return Auspicious Talisman to you in pristine condition. There''s no need to worry."


    "A''Liang, do I need to temper my physique to a state tougher than pure martial artists or Militarian cultivators?" Lin Shouyi asked in earnest.


    A''Liang shook his head and replied in a solemn voice, "No, there''s no need. This is suitable for some people, such as me. However, it''s not suitable for other people, such as you. Your cultivation journey should be one that''s focused and profound. You shouldn''t waste your time on paths that are broad and shallow."


    The hatless man''s expression was extremely serious as he said this.


    The ambitious young boy nodded in understanding.


    Li Huai mumbled about A''Liang feeling thepulsive need to brag every day. He was just about to step forward and run to A''Liang''s side to speak to him, yet the heavy hand of the elusive Yin godnded on his shoulder and held him still. "Don''t run around. Senior A''Liang is... truly far too powerful. If he didn''t purposely leave a safe area for us, then just his near-tangible aura alone is enough to obliterate yin entities like me if I venture within a few meters of him. Moreover, a huge battle is imminent, so Senior A''Liang''s mind is already tens of thousands of kilometers away in the north. It''s not good for us to distract him."


    Li Huai faltered when he heard this. Perhaps he found this exnation to be overly shocking and absurd, and this caused him to forget his fear of the yin entity next to him. "Are you kidding me? He''s A''Liang! Someone who even I can chase around and beat up! Do you owe A''Liang a lot of silver or something?"


    There was a stiff smile on the face of the yin entity who was not far away from forming a godly body. He looked at the little bastard with a loose tongue and remarked, "It''s a miracle that you''ve lived until now."


    A''Liang unhurriedly drew some of his attention back to his body. He looked at Chen Ping''an, Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi, and he suddenly felt like this journey �� one which couldn''t even be regarded as a journey through thends, and could only be regarded as a temporary trip filled with trifling matters �� was actually a fairly enjoyable one. The man, who was already doing his best to suppress his suffusing aura, smiled and said, "Alright, it''s almost time."


    His aura was boundless like a crashing waterfall, one that couldn''t be fully contained or covered. Indeed, the bamboo hat that he had especially asked someone to custom make for him was for no other reason than to suppress this wild aura that was both turbulent and majestic.


    Ordinary cultivatorsmented the fact that immortal treasures and precious artifacts couldn''t increase their cultivation base enough.


    However, A''Liang was different.


    He could walk around that great wall without fear, and the sword qi and sword intent that had umted there over tens of thousands of years could even help him suppress his overwhelmingly ferocious energy and aura.


    A''Liang had in a powerful demon queen and inscribed a character on the wall before passing through Stctite Mountain and arriving in this world. Here, however, he had no option but to wear that bamboo hat and lower his head to act as an honest citizen. Otherwise, he would have been far too dazzling, and his movements would have been easily detected by the transcendent beings in the heavens beyond heavens as they peered down at this gxy. A''Liang wasn''t afraid of fighting; he was afraid of trouble.


    A''Liang had never been afraid of anyone in his life.


    In that profoundly barbaric and deste world where 18 primeval great demons ruled, A''Liang''s favorite pastime had been to enter the depths of their territory with just himself and his sword and engage in intense battles with 11 of the great demons. Their longest battle hadsted a whopping two months and spanned a stunning five million kilometers. In the end, that battle had taken them near the Sword Qi Great Wall, and the cultivators there had been left with no option but to dispatch four powerful sword immortals to cooperate with A''Liang and deal with the six great demons.


    A''Liangughed heartily and said, "Make sure to remember this, you four. The freedom of a powerful individual draws its boundary at the freedom of a weak individual! The true opponent of a powerful individual is the formless regtion of heaven and earth, the powerful inertia of the mortal world for people to experience the iron-d cycle of birth, sickness, and death �� this is our invisible enemy. There has never been a powerful individual who became powerful because they trod on the weak. Rather, they became powerful because they rose to challenges and courageously tackled setbacks."


    A''Liang raised a thumb and pointed at himself, continuing, "Take me, for example. After fighting these people in the Great Li Empire, I''m going to go somewhere else and fight with the most powerful people in that location."


    Li Baoping waved her fists and eximed in exuberance, "You show them, A''Liang!"


    Meanwhile, Li Huai was sobbing uncontrobly, with tears streaming down his face and snot running from his nose.


    Beside them, Lin Shouyi''s face was flush with excitement. The young boy finally had a role model to strive toward.


    Chen Ping''an looked at A''Liang. In this moment of parting, he was surprisingly at a loss for words.


    In the end, A''Liang turned to face the young boy who had a jade hairpin in his hair. He blinked at him and said, "It''s not good to have such an overthinking mind at your young age. Chen Ping''an, remember that you''re still a handsome young boy! Here, give Uncle A''Liang a smile."


    Chen Ping''an squeezed out a smile.


    "If a fight''s inevitable, then I''ll fight with the top dogs. Where''s the fun in fighting with these small fries? Tillter!"


    Amid his loudughter, A''Liang''s figure immediately shot up from the ground and soared through the air, leaving thunderous sonic booms in his wake.


    Arge and misty vapor cone would form in the air each time a thunderous boom erupted.


    The entire Red Candle Town shook violently, sending plumes of dust into the air and blotting out the sun and sky.


    The Yin god was in a trance as he stood above the corridor and gazed up at the peculiar scene in the sky. "He''s truly too powerful... Unreasonably powerful..." he murmured to himself.


    ��������


    In the capital of the Great Li Empire...


    Following the lead of two chief eunuchs who were suppressing their auras, a middle-aged man who was dressed in brilliant yellow ceremonial robes arrived at an elevated altar that was used to worship the gods of soil and grain. In the eyes of the other empires and nations in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the Great Li Empire was nothing more than a ce filled with uncivilized northern barbarians �� they were crude people who had little understanding of the Ritual and Music System. In truth, this assessment couldn''t be regarded as nder.


    Beneath the altar, there stood a tall and sturdy man in white robes. He was none other than Song Changjing, the god-like general of the Great Li Empire who had returned from Jewel Small World.


    Observing Song Changjing and the middle-aged man in brilliant yellow ceremonial robes, one could vaguely see a hint of resemnce between them.


    As unruly as Song Changjing was, he still lowered his head slightly and cupped his fists in respect, greeting, "Your Majesty."


    Upon seeing Song Changjing, the middle-aged man smiled and patted his shoulder twice, saying in a pleased voice, "So you''ve reached the 10th Tier. Very well, very well, as expected of my younger brother. When are you going to advance to the 11th Tier? When that dayes, I''ll personally set off some firecrackers to celebrate the asion. If you feel like that''s not enough, I can issue a decree for everyone in the imperial court to set off firecrackers together. Mhm, if that''s the case, then I can start to secretly hoard materials for making firecrackers..."


    Song Changjing felt slightly exasperated as he looked at the emperor whose mind had already wandered to some faraway ce. He referred to him using a different title and asked, "Imperial brother, can we get back to discussing proper business now? We can chat about these things afterward. How does that sound?"


    The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, replying, "Oh, right. Yes, proper business is more important. We can think about making moneyter."


    He moved away from Song Changjing and walked up the altar by himself. Halfway up the stairs, he suddenly turned around and asked with a smile, "Want toe together?"


    "I can''t stand the strange temperament of those two old geezers. I''m afraid I''ll throw hands at them at the first disagreement," Song Changjing said with a huff.


    The emperor roared withughter as he continued to ascend the altar. At the same time, he cocked his head and said in amusement, "Let me warn you first. I''ll definitely side with you if it''s only a minor conflict. However, I certainly won''t help you if you truly want to fight to the death with them."


    A serious expression reced Song Changjing''s smile, and he asked, "Imperial brother, is it really necessary to cause such a hugemotion this time? If I found out about this earlier �� that he''s not Wei Jin from Wind Snow Temple or whatnot, and he''s very possibly an extremely dangerous 11th Tier or even 12th Tier cultivator �� I would have definitely stopped you from taking things so far."


    The middle-man had already turned back around. With his back facing Song Changjing, he replied calmly, "My Great Li Empire needs to send a message to the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent �� those below the 13th Tier... can all be killed."


    1. In ancient China, symbols of dragons could only be used by the emperor. ?

 Chapter 113: Unparalleled Might

    Chapter 113: Unparalleled Might


    The emperor of the Great Li Empire ascended the final step before striding onto the altar, after which his body vanished from sight.


    This was a stone altar that was only asrge as a drying field used by farmers. Looking at it from afar from where Song Changjing and the two chief eunuchs were standing, it looked as if there were nothing on the stone altar. However, what the emperor saw waspletely different.


    There was a towering building that measured dozens of meters in height before him, and this wasn''t some ordinary wooden building that could be seen anywhere in the capital of the empire. Instead, this was a building that had been constructed from an unfathomable amount of carved white jade.


    Outside the ground level, there hung a que with threerge golden characters �� White Jade Capital[1].


    The door of the building slowly opened. The emperor walked inside, only to see a hovering greatsword that was shrouded in furiously circting arcs of snow-white lightning. In fact, the entire ground floor was permeated with thin arcs of crackling lightning. The emperor ignored these arcs of lighting that were imbued with fierce sword intent as he strode forward toward the stairs. Like the officials in the imperial court seeing their emperor, the arcs of lightning all shed aside to create a path for him.


    It was a simr sight on the second floor, with only a single flying sword hovering in the middle of the room. In contrast to the wide de of the greatsword on the ground floor, however, this flying sword was glittering and translucent green in color, with its de as slender as a willow leaf in early spring. It was as if the emerald green water of a stream were serenely rippling through the room.


    The emperor continued to ascend the building. Compared to the remarkable sights on the first two floors, it initially appeared as if there were nothing special about the third floor. There was no hovering greatsword exuding an astonishing aura, nor was there a peculiar atmosphere that could nurture a sword. However, the emperor who hadn''t slowed down on the first two floors paused for a slight moment when he entered the third floor. He squinted his eyes and carefully observed the surroundings. After a while, he chuckled softly and said, "Found you."


    He walked to a nearby wall and leaned slightly forward. What appeared in his sight was a mini flying sword that was as small as an embroidery needle. Surprisingly, this sword had a pale gray scabbard even though it was so minuscule. There were two characters engraved on the scabbard �� Pir Rock[2].


    This small mundane-looking sword had a grand and exaggerated name that seemingly defied its size.


    On the fourth floor, there hovered an ancient longsword whose de was covered in talismans and seals. On the fifth floor, there was a shockinglyrge greatsword that was as long as the emperor was tall. The characters "Mountain Suppressing" were engraved on its body.


    The emperor continued to ascend the building, eventuallying to a stop when he reached the 10th floor. There was an old man and two young children standing in the room. The old man''s face was yellowish ck, with his skin also filled with wrinkles. He was tall and burly, and he was dressed in white robes and wearing a tall crown. Inside his profound eyes, there rapidly circted a purple Qi that others could see with their naked eyes.


    There was a young boy and young girl standing beside the old man, and they were surprisingly the young master and maidservant from Jewel Small World, Song Jixin and Zhi Gui. The young boy was dressed in brocade robes and wearing a jade belt, and it was clear that he was already one of the most elegant and distinguished youths in the Great Li Empire. The only imperfection was the earthen-yellow four-legged snake thaty sprawled on his shoulder. This ruined his appearance a little. Upon closer inspection, however, one could fortunately see a bump on its forehead that signified impending brilliance.


    Zhi Gui had seemingly grown an inch or so tallerpared to before, with her appearance also bing more beautiful. She was glowing with radiance, and she gave one a mystical feeling as if they were after enjoying the cool rain after a long drought.


    The old man was standing in front of a window on the 10th floor, and he was pointing at somece in the capital as he taught the young boy and answered his questions. Upon noticing the arrival of the emperor, the old man merely nodded in greeting. However, the emperor didn''t appear offended at all.


    He walked up to Song Jixin and reached over to pat his head, yet the young boy subtly turned his body to avoid the man''s hand. The emperor''s expression remained calm as he retracted his hand and asked with a smile, "Song Mu, you''ve studied the Qi observing technique with Mr. Lu for a while already. Have you found the formation eye of the capital''s Mountain and River Formation yet?"


    The young boy''s expression was cold, and there was a hint of estrangement in his voice as he replied stiffly, "Not yet."


    The old man smiled and said, "How can one master the art of geomancy so easily? However, Song Mu can already be regarded as outstanding, and he''s no less skillful than the young prodigies in the other great continents. Most importantly, his momentum is extremely strong because he''s adept in both arithmetic and divination. This will allow him to achieve twice the results with half the effort. Just how lofty are Luan Juzi''s[3] expectations? Yet, even he uttered words of praise for Song Mu, praising him as alike Hulian[4]."


    The emperorughed heartily and remarked, "He''s my son, after all."


    The maidservant Zhi Gui subtly took a few steps back, wrinkling her nose and sniffing the air.


    The emperor turned to her and scolded with a chuckle, "Why you little thief, you''re truly not holding back."


    The young girl looked at him with a baffled and innocent expression. The emperor pointed at her and said in amusement, "Return what you borrowed on time, and you may borrow again next time. Don''t just take without giving. Otherwise, be careful that I send you back to the Dragon Locking Well. In fact, the immortal sect, the Pce of Eternal Spring, that''s located closest to the capital also has a well. If ites it, I can force you to relocate into that well."


    These were mere words of jest by the emperor, yet they caused the color to immediately drain from Zhi Gui''s face. She hurriedly opened her dainty mouth and exhaled wisps of golden-yellow breath. Like small golden snakes, these wisps of breath quickly attached themself to the dragon pattern on the emperor''s brilliant yellow robes. They joyfully swam through the threads of the exquisite dragon robe, and they were much like fish that had finally returned to water. The dragon robe fluttered slightly, releasing pulses of colorful light. In fact, sshes of water genuinely danced around the bottom hem of the dragon robe.


    The emperorughed heartily and remarked, "How did you dare to lose your temper at Mr. Qi time and time again with such a timid nature?"


    There was dejection on Zhi Gui''s face, and she shuffled over to gaze out another window. Her gaze continued southward, passing the tall buildings, exiting the pce, and leaving the capital. She tried to gaze at her hometown thaty in the distant south.


    She didn''t like this ce very much, the capital of the Great Li Empire that was called Dragon Rising City.


    The emperor''s expression became serious, and he asked the old man, "Is Luan Juzi truly confident that he can add a 13th floor to this White Jade Capital?"


    "If not, then why did Luan Changye evene to the Great Li Empire?" the white-robed old man who was brimming with immortal Qi replied in a solemn voice.


    The emperor nodded and rested his palms on the window sill. Gazing at the prosperous capital, he said in self-ridicule, "Very well then. Even though I''m regarded as a prudent emperor by the imperial officials, even being ridiculed as a frugal housewife by the other emperors and rulers in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, I''m still ultimately willing to spend money where it''s needed. In fact, I''d even be willing to smash my pots and pans to sell the scrapped iron for money."


    Mr. Lu smiled knowingly and remarked with emotion, "After working diligently and conscientiously for hundreds of years, all of the wealth that the Song n has obtained from managing Jewel Small World has now been dumped into developing this White Jade Capital. If this is still regarded as stingy and frugal... then it would be impossible to find a generous ruler in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent."


    "Even though this will make me seem theplete opposite of carefree, I still have to confirm something with Mr. Lu one final time," the emperor said. "As long as our opponent is located to the north of Lake View Academy in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, then this building will only need to unleash 10 swords to deal with a 10th Tier cultivator who dares to challenge the Great Li Empire. An 11th Tier cultivator will face 11 swords, and a 12th Tier cultivator will face all 12 swords from the building �� is this enough to instantly kill them from tens of thousands of kilometers away?!"


    The old man was filled with soaring pride as he replied, "In this measly Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? There''s no doubt about it!"


    However, he added, "Judging by his aura, andbining this with the information from the intelligence reports, that saber-wielding man with the bamboo hat is definitely a Qi refiner at the Upper Five Tiers. It''s most likely that he''s at the 11th Tier. However, it''s also possible that he''s at the 12th Tier. At the end of the day, he''s still too far away from here, and he''s also suppressed his aura on purpose. As such, my understanding of him is still a little fuzzy even though I''ve performed astrological divination and can observe him using the mystical distance observation power."


    The old man casually flicked his sleeves in a smooth motion and chuckled, "But let me say this first. The White Jade Capital currently has 12 floors in total, with each floor containing one flying sword. Even though they contain profound power and lethality, enough to deter all cultivators in the continent, each sword that''s unleashed will imply a colossal expenditure. I know that the Great Li Empire had just conquered the wealthy Lu Empire to the north. However, if we unleash all 12 swords at once, it will be nothing but a vain ambition if we want to unleash them again within 20 years. Of course, this is unless Your Majesty is willing to pay the price of the flying swords being obliterated."


    The emperor nodded in understanding.


    "Luan Juzi is still yet toplete the 13th floor of the White Jade Capital," Song Jixin suddenly interjected. "What will we do if that uninvited guest provoking the Great Li Empire is a 13th Tier cultivator?"


    The emperor remained silent with a smile on his face.


    Meanwhile, Mr. Lu roared withughter and exined in a gentle voice, "A 13th Tier cultivator? Such individuals are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns even in my hometown, thergest continent in the world. Moreover... No, these divine secrets can''t be revealed. You simply need to know that even Ruan Qiong, an 11th Tier cultivator from Wind Snow Temple, is powerful enough to found a sect on his own. Keep in mind that the title of ''sect'' is something that carries a lot of weight �� only forces with cultivators at the Upper Five Tiers can refer to themselves as sects. Otherwise, even if one transgresses etiquette, the stubborn old men from the Confucian Sect will still glower at them in anger."


    "Even though Ruan Qiong is resolute when ites to dealing with matters, and even though has a bit of a short temper, making him appear unreasonable and leading to numerous criticisms from immortals in the empire, his personality is indeed a great fit for my empire," the emperor added slowly. "As such, I''m naturally willing to treat him with respect and courtesy. Not only will the Great Li Empire wee such cultivators, but as the ruler of the empire, I''m even willing to deal with them on equal footing. In any case, those who sit on the throne all understand the simple concept of buying a horse carcass with a thousand taels of silver[5]."


    Song Jixin refused to relent, and he repeated, "What if it''s a 13th Tier cultivator?"


    The old man smiled and shook his head.


    The final two tiers of the Upper Five Tiers had already been lost to time. Thus, the legendary 13th Tier was regarded as the most lofty and powerful in the world.


    Such profound individuals weren''t recorded in any of the mortal empires'' ssics or secret documents. In fact, even the powerful immortal sects carefully avoided any mention of them.


    The old man was only able to piece together some scattered pieces of information from his elders and gain a crude understanding of the situation because he was born in one of the top-notch ns in the world and was once a brilliant prodigy in his continent. He was most likely not too far away from the truth.


    The Ascension Tier of the Upper Five Tiers was already the pinnacle tier in the "world", simr to how the 10th Tier was the genuine End Tier for pure martial artists �� no visible pathy beyond this tier. Moreover, one would draw the attention of the illusory and mystical Heavenly Dao once they advanced to this tier, and they would be ruled as a great criminal who had stolen from the foundation of heaven and earth. Heaven and earth wouldn''t tolerate the existence of such people, and they would insist on wiping them from the face of the world. Thus, Qi refiners at the Ascension Tier would be even more reclusive than gods and immortals and those at the 10th Tier. Otherwise, heaven and earth might genuinely force them to "ascend".


    As for where they ascended, and regarding what would happen to their physical body and soul at that time, Mr. Lu didn''t have a single clue. He surmised to himself that this was perhaps linked to the Divine Dao that had already copsed long ago.


    The emperor lowered his head slightly, looking at the face of the young boy which still appeared a little childish. "What if?" he retorted.


    "Yes, what if!" Song Jixin replied with a nod.


    The emperor retracted his gaze and chuckled, "If you''ve truly jinxed the situation... then so be it."


    The young boy didn''t hide his sneer. He didn''t take the emperor''s words seriously at all. Even though he was the revered emperor of the Great Li Empire, thergest empire in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and even though countless people viewed him as someone with wild ambitions to conquer the south, the young boy had already set foot on the path of cultivation now, and the two elders teaching him were already the most top-notch cultivators in the world. Moreover, he had also smoothly obtained the great fated opportunity that was the White Jade Capital. As such, he was increasingly aware of just how incredibly dangerous a 13th Tier cultivator was to a nation or a sect.


    The emperor''s gaze was gentle as he looked at the young boy, and he continued softly, "It was by relying on this ''what if'' that the forefathers of our empire were able to shake their identity as subordinates to the Lu Empire and rise to be what we are today. Not only have we conquered the Lu Empire now, but we''re even about to march toward Great Sui Nation with the entire force of our empire. Our chance of victory is extremely high. Once we seed, there''ll be no more threat to our rear. At that time, we can march south without worry, and it''s certain that the early stages of our expedition will be a resounding sess.


    "Because of this, I''ve never felt aversion toward the phrase ''what if''. In fact, I keep telling myself that those who have the right to enter the history books as talented and exceptional rulers are all people who were able to crush the advantageous ''what ifs'' of their enemies. At the very least, they were able to withstand these ''what ifs''."


    The emperor''s expression was leisurely, and he told the young boy, "Song Mu, this is the disposition and manner that the mighty ruler of a nation should possess."


    In the end, he smiled and said, "Song Yuzhang should have taught you these principles a long time ago. However, he simply didn''t dare to."


    Song Jixin''s expression was somber.


    The emperor didn''t pay any heed to the small knot in the young boy''s heart, and he gazed up at the sky and remarked, "Majestic White Jade Capital in the heavens, within it twelve towers and five cities lie[6]. I truly wonder just how majestic the genuine White Jade Capital in the heavens is..."


    He bent his index finger and lightly knocked the young boy''s head. Song Jixin wasn''t able to dodge in time, and this caused a slightly furious expression to re across his face. The manughed in amusement. Not worried that there were two outsiders present, he directly revealed, "Your mother has higher hopes for your younger brother. However, I have higher hopes for you. Even vicious tigers don''t cannibalize their own offspring, yet women... Truly, the most vicious thing in the world is a woman''s heart."


    There was sadness in his voice as he murmured to himself, "Sinister purple usurping bright red[7]."


    However, a smile quickly grew on his face, and he said, "I feel guilty for my treatment of Mr. Qi. It was the Great Li Empire that failed him. However, it''s very good that you''re his disciple."


    After trying to find the right words for half a day, Song Jixin finally changed the topic and asked, "Since you''re the emperor of the Great Li Empire, why don''t you refer to yourself as ''I whock virtue''[8]?"


    The emperor lightly ced his hand on the young boy''s shoulder and exined, "Others have viewed the Great Li Empire as and of barbarians for almost a thousand years. By not using this esteemed title, I''m hoping to remind myself to introspect and not forget this burning humiliation!"


    Song Jixin faltered upon hearing this.


    The emperor retracted his hand with an amused chuckle and said, "I''m kidding. I simply dislike the inauspicious connotation of that title."


    "He''s here!" the old man with the tall crown suddenly roared.


    "He didn''t flee in the face of encirclement, and he chose to charge toward the capital instead?" the emperor asked.


    The old man was deeply shaken as he widened his eyes and peered out the window toward the south. His voice quivered as he announced, "10th Tier, 11th Tier, 12th Tier! He''s already at the pinnacle of the 12th Tier!"


    However, the emperor''s expression was calm as he ordered, "Song Mu, it''s your turn to act."


    Song Jixin took a deep breath before turning around to face the south. He formed seals with his hands and dered through gritted teeth, "I, Song Mu! By royal decree of the emperor of the Great Li Empire, I herebymand the 12 formal gods guarding the fortunes of thends to ept these swords!"


    Winds howled and clouds swirled above the capital as a burst of sword qi instantly erupted from the lofty tower.


    The flying sword on the ground floor was the first to unleash arcs of lightning through the air, causing countless people in the capital to look up in fear and astonishment.


    A short momentter, the second flying sword flew out from the tower.


    Then the third sword...


    ...And eventually the 12th sword.


    However, half of the flying swords didn''t fly directly south to meet the enemy. Instead, they chose to fly in three other directions.


    Moreover, the flying swords all grew to a humongous size immediately after leaving the White Jade Capital. After soaring out of the capital, they further grew explosively to a colossal size. Even the mini flying sword that was as slender as a willow leaf transformed into a gigantic flying sword that measured almost 50 meters in length after flying 50 kilometers from the capital.


    With this tower that emted the towers in the heavenly White Jade Capital as the center, numerous gods heeded themand from all directions, revealing their majestic godly bodies as they did so. Atop the Southern Mountain in the southernmost region of the Great Li Empire, a formal god whose godly body measured 300 meters in length stood tall and raised his arms, roaring, "The Southern Mountain epts themand and sword!"


    The remaining 11 formal gods also revealed their titanic Dao Manifestations as they stood up in the various regions of the Great Li Empire and epted the flying swords from the White Jade Capital. They then strode through the air, with each stride carrying them dozens of kilometers.


    All of them were targeting the burst of light that was soaring through the sky from the south to the north.


    The formal god of the Southern Mountain was the first to step forward to meet the enemy.


    A deafening explosion suddenly rang out.


    The Dao Manifestation of the formal god shattered along with his flying sword.


    Inside the capital, an astonished sigh traveled out from the top level of the White Jade Capital. This was a sigh filled with puzzlement and helplessness.


    "Impossible... Impossible..." the old man with the tall hat murmured.


    On the 10th floor, blood seeped from the corners of Song Jixin''s mouth.


    The emperor furrowed his brows.


    Only Zhi Gui looked around everywhere as she heartlessly leaned against the windowsill.


    The second formal god suffered much the same fate, with their godly body copsing with a loud explosion.


    Every so often, a thunderous boom would reverberate throughout the entire Great Li Empire.


    Song Jixin was in a dire state, with blood streaming from all of his orifices. His expression was twisted, yet he still forcefully stopped his mind from wavering.


    When the sixth explosion ripped through the air in the distance...


    The old man on the top level smiled bitterly and murmured, "I''m truly frightened of you now. This old man will make way for you, okay?"


    The Dao Manifestations of the six formal gods that were initially standing in a line from north to south started to move to the left and right, opening up a path for the soaring burst of light.


    As if unsatisfied, the burst of light paused for a moment as it considered whether it should attack the remaining formal gods. However, it quickly abandoned this idea and continued to soar forward.


    In the end, the figure charged into the capital of the Great Li Empire andnded in front of the altar that carried the concealed White Jade Capital.


    Beads of sweat had already formed on Song Changjing''s forehead. However, he still stood before the man who hadnded from the sky and blocked his path.


    A smile quickly appeared on his face, and he felt like he would have no regrets even if he were to die after a hearty battle with this man. His life would have been worthwhile!


    An ordinary-looking man stood on the za where the altar was located. However, wraps that could assist one in traversing the mountain paths were stillically wrapped around his lower legs, and there was also a broken bamboo saber in his hand. He turned around to nce at the top of the city wall, and he couldn''t help but grunt in slight puzzlement. Only after this did he turn to nce at Song Changjing, the 10th Tier martial artist. He nodded lightly, and there was a look of approval on his face. In the end, he looked up at the peak of the tower that held hidden mystical abilities.


    He tossed his bamboo saber aside and lightly stomped his feet, instantly forcing the White Jade Capital to show its true appearance.


    He drew Auspicious Talisman from its scabbard and casually raised it into the air. With the tip of the de pointing at the tower, he announced loudly, "The five of you in the tower, which one of you is the emperor of the Great Li Empire? I''m in a rush, so hurry up and get yourself out here to kowtow and apologize! I''ll count from 10! 10!


    "One!"


    After directly jumping from 10 to one, the man ferociously shed down at the stone altar and lofty tower.


    1. White Jade Capital (����) can mean vague and mythical. It symbolizes the fact that cultivators can also be immortals, and it can also be used to refer to the residence of the Heavenly Emperor. The term appears in one of Li Bai''s (extremely famous Chinese poet) poems. ?


    2. Pir rock (���� Dizhu) refers to a rock that sits in the turbulent Yellow River. It can be used to symbolize someone who''s resilient and capable of bing an organization''s pir. ?


    3. Juzi (����) is not his actual name. It is a title that refers to the leader of the Mohist teaching. ?


    4. Hulian (����) is a sacrificial vessel used to hold Chinese sorghum in ancestral temples. It can be used to symbolize a talented person of a high caliber. ?


    5. This is a reference to a story that Guo Wei told King Zhao of the State of Yan. It symbolizes the fact that one will naturally be willing to go to great lengths for a person or thing if they''re willing to do so for a dead or inferior equivalent. ?


    6. An excerpt from Li Bai''s poem, ������������ҹ��������黳. ?


    7. In ancient times, Chinese people viewed purple as a color that represented disorder and bright red as a color that represented righteousness. Thus, purple usurping red represents evil oveing good. ?


    8. This is referring to the title ����, a humble pronoun used by emperors in ancient China. It literally means someone who iscking virtue (�ѵ�). ?

 Chapter 114: Seeing ALiang Again

    Chapter 114: Seeing A''Liang Again


    A''Liang shed down at the White Jade Capital.


    An extremely thin golden thread appeared between him and the White Jade Capital atop the stone altar, and this thread rapidly surged toward the tower like a booming wave.


    Song Changjing didn''t retreat, and he instead strode forward in advance, with his aura instantly soaring to the pinnacle level of martial arts. Unleashing a furious bellow, he crossed his arms before his chest.


    A giant web of cracks spread through the za as the second End Tier grandmaster in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent heavily stomped his feet.


    To temper one''s martial arts cultivation while teetering on the brink between life and death �� these weren''t empty words. As a prince of the Great Li Empire, Song Changjing had resolutely decided to join the army in his youth, galloping around on his warhorse for 20-odd years and experiencing innumerable battles and bitter fights to the death. In the end, he had risen above the other martial artists in the empire. Song Changjing''s decision to face this challenge head-on perhaps reflected one of the reasons why he had reached such a profound height.


    The thin golden thread made contact with Song Changjing''s elbow, instantly shing open the sleeve of his white robe like a hot knife through butter. One had to realize that Song Changjing''s robe was a top-notch immortal artifact in the Great Li Empire, the "Flowing Water Robe". It was a precious treasure left by a deceased Daoist terrestrial god at the Upper Five Tiers, and it was said that this robe could block all attacks and immortal spells from cultivators below the Upper Five Tiers. However, it was surprisingly fragile and useless against the seemingly tangible golden thread.


    Even without the protection of his white robe, Song Changjing still refused to take a backward step. He wanted to test something; he wanted to see whether his physique, which was rumored to be as powerful as the bodies of golden arhats, could block this godly saber attack.


    He quickly received an answer �� yes, but only for a split second.


    Even so, Song Changjing still refused to retreat. He unleashed a furious roar, and a peculiar golden glow immediately appeared on his face. The Qi inside him circted, yet it instantly transformed from a tumultuous stream into a seemingly frozenke.


    Song Changjing stumbled back several meters.


    A thin gash had already appeared on his arms, yet no blood flowed from these wounds. At the same time, the unstoppable golden thread was imminently about to cut into his bones.


    "Move aside!"


    A Daoist talisman warrior that was dressed in green armor and measuring over a dozen meters tall knocked Song Changjing several steps to the side and took his spot.


    Countless golden talismans and cloud patterns were engraved on the armored warrior, and it radiated with a brilliant glow as it tightly held onto the thin golden thread that waspletely disproportionate to its burly body.


    It stepped back in retreat, again and again.


    In the end, the talisman warrior that had been carefully crafted by a powerful Daoist sect was sliced into two. However, the thin golden thread was only slightly dimmer than before as it continued to surge toward the White Jade Capital.


    The puppet talisman warrior crashed to the ground with a boom. However, an old man in in and coarse clothes appeared behind it, and he raised a single hand to block the thin golden thread.


    There was an aura of age and decay emanating from the old man, yet his appearance was clearly one of youth and vigor. He gave off an extremely strange feeling. There was a bitter smile on his face, and he spoke the official dialect of another continent as he asked in a hoarse voice, "A''Liang, can you stop now?"


    A''Liang frowned and asked, "Luan Changye? Weren''t you exiled to the north after failing to win the position of candidate Juzi?"


    Blood was already seeping from the old man''s hand as he blocked the thin golden thread, and he replied in resignation, "It''s a long story."


    A look of realization spread across A''Liang''s face, and he remarked, "I was wondering who could construct such a clumsy small replica of the White Jade Capital in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. So it was you!"


    Luan Changye hesitated for a brief moment before admitting in a low voice, "I once consulted Mr. Qi about how to build this tower."


    A''Liang shot a sideways nce at Song Changjing who was seemingly itching to leap into battle again. After a lengthy battle in his mind, Song Changjing ultimately decided to abandon his urge to battle again.


    A''Liang looked at Luan Changye, the familiar old man from the Mohist Sect. He flicked his wrist slightly, causing Auspicious Talisman to lightly sway in his hands. His movements appeared especiallyzy and belittling. In reality, however, he hadn''t unleashed his full power just then. Otherwise, not only would Song Changjing have died, but even Luan Changye would have been unable to block his attack. At the same time, the White Jade Capital would have also been demolished.


    If that were to happen, the state of the Great Li Empire would have been reverted by 40 to 50 years. In other words, A''Liang would have taken back all of the benefits that Qi Jingchun had given the Great Li Empire by founding Mountain Cliff Academy. He could do all of this with a simple sh.


    Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, the Mohist Sect was quite a powerful school of thought. It had three branches, and one of these branches was almost entirely made up of gant individuals who traveled around the world. Most of these people were Qi refiners, or more specifically, swordsmen.


    Meanwhile, A''Liang was an adventurer who had traveled around the world and was widely renowned in severalrge continents. He had encountered Luan Changye once, and this person who had only been two steps away from bing a leading figure of Mohism at the time had felt genuine respect and reverence toward him. Thus, A''Liang knew who Luan Changye was, but he wasn''t especially familiar with this person.


    However, Luan Changye''s mention of Qi Jingchun immediately caused A''Liang to feel ticked off again. He raised Auspicious Talisman once again, pointing the tip of the de at the old man who had been exiled from the Mohist Sect. Heughed in anger and spat, "Qi Jingchun''s already dead, yet you still want to use him as a shield to protect your Great Li Empire''s White Jade Capital? Since when did you be even more shameless than me?"


    There was a mischievous smile on the old man''s aged face, and he shook his head in earnest and replied, "I can''tpare to you, Senior A''Liang. When Mr. Qi spoke of you, he also had the same expression as what you have right now."


    A''Liang was slightly skeptical of Luan Changye''s first remark. However, he fully believed the old man''stter remark.


    A''Liang nced at the sky before slowly returning Auspicious Talisman to its scabbard. He shot a re at the old man and said, "Don''t think I can''t see through your n to dy the situation."


    Only after A''Liang re-sheathed his saber did the emperor of the Great Li Empire appear beside Luan Changye under the protection of Mr. Lu.


    The emperor wanted to step forward, yet Mr. Lu immediately grabbed his sleeve and warned in a soft voice, "Don''t be brusque."


    The emperor smiled and shook his head, breaking free from the old man''s grip and continuing to walk forward. After taking a dozen or so steps, he cupped his fists and greeted, "The Great Li Empire''s Song Zhengchun pays his respects to Senior A''Liang."


    A''Liang squinted his eyes and suddenly ced his hand on the hilt of his saber.


    Despair instantly flooded everyone''s mind.


    The emperor smiled and shut his eyes, appearing calm andposed as he waited for death to arrive.


    Behind A''Liang, someone piteously begged, "A''Liang! You can''t kill him!"


    A''Liang didn''t turn around, and his voice became even more furious as he berated, "You meek little bastard! You liked topete with Qi Jingchun ever since you were young, and so be it if you weren''t able to beat him. What''s so shameful about that? Yet, you insist on indulging in these lowly schemes? Do you genuinely believe that I won''t dare to beat you to death simply because of our old friendship?"


    Standing behind A''Liang was a tall and haggard old man with sunken cheeks. He was dressed in green and wearing jade pendants, and his aura and disposition were as good as could be. He looked much like a Confucian Sage who traveled around to enlighten the masses.


    His expression wasplicated as he said in a soft voice, "A''Liang, Qi Jingchun sacrificed the entire second half of his life for the Great Li Empire!"


    A''Liang turned around with a dark expression and spat, "That''s utter bullshit, Cui Chan! Even Mountain Cliff Academy is gone, yet you still have the gall to say this?"


    There was a firm look in the old man''s eyes, and he insisted, "What I''m saying is the truth. Qi Jingchun genuinely wished that the Great Li Empire could forge a different path. Even though he was ultimately disappointed, A''Liang, you can''t deny that his chosen candidates are children from the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring County!"


    He lowered his head and continued, "A''Liang, you personally told me at that time; you said that I, Cui Chan, could walk my own path."


    "Rather than reasoning with smart people like you who like to split hairs, I''m better off arguing with a little bastard like Li Huai," A''Liang sneered.


    He loosened his grip on the saber hilt and continued, "The old geezer aplished countless earth-shaking feats during his time. In the end, however, he had no option but to imprison himself in the Forest of Virtue. This is truly a lonely and pitiful fate. His life was filled with ups and downs, and he even spent quite a long time rolling around in puddles of sloppy mud. However, the feeling that he gave off was still one of cleanliness and gentleness �� clean on the outside and gentle on the inside. Qi Jingchun was also the same. However, you, Cui Chan, can''tpare to them.


    "Qi Jingchun was extremely stubborn at that time, yet you were quick to absorb everything you were taught. Who would have that in the end, it was Qi Jingchun who became powerful enough to engage in an earth-shattering fight with those old bastards? Meanwhile, you''ve wound up in a state that''s neither human, nor ghost, nor god, nor immortal. You only have yourself to me."


    A''Liang smiled and reminisced, "Thest time I saw that old geezer, he said that your intentions are correct, but your way of about things is incorrect. In the end, he also said that your copybooks are truly well written, especially the ''Small Garden Chives Copybook'' and the ''Chrysanthemums of the World Copybook''. He said that he should have asked you for a few extra sheets of the copybook beforehand if he had known that you would eventually betray him."


    The rims of Cui Can''s eyes became bright red, and he said in a quivering voice, "Master also feels like he made some mistakes? He admits that he wasn''t always correct?"


    A''Liang rolled his eyes and replied, "Where did I learn my shamelessness from? The old geezer might not verbally admit to being wrong, but as his disciples who have lived off his food and drinks for so many years, could you people not try to y dumb even though you actually understood? In any case, others might not be aware of the old geezer''s supreme abilities and challenges, but are you not aware? Forget about it, I''m only wasting my breath talking with you. Now shut up and piss off. I don''t want to see your cowardly figure anymore."


    The old man swayed and staggered as he turned around to leave, with his strange sobs and bitter chuckles sounding especially forlorn in therge and spacious za.


    A''Liang looked up at the sky again, and he was like a shrew woman in the streets as he cursed, "I know, I know! Stop telling me to hurry up! Hurry up your mom! Why don''t you people take the same surname as that brat Cui Chan[1]? If you''re so capable, then why don''t youe down to beat me up? Come on!" This truly broadened the horizons of the others.


    However, cursing was one matter, andpleting his tasks was another matter.


    A''Liang untied Auspicious Talisman from his hip and thought for a moment before tossing it to Song Changjing. However, he turned to the emperor as he said, "I''m going to leave this saber with you. Help me return it to a little girl called Li Baoping. Remember to show her some respect; she''s my friend."


    The emperor nodded and said with a smile, "No problem."


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Drinking wine as she rides a galloping horse, with a saber and a gourd on her hips. What a beautiful and breathtaking sight. The world will be able to feast its eyes in the future!" A''Liang murmured to himself.


    Song Changjing caught the slender saber.


    Even though this was a saber, it was brimming with an astounding amount of surging sword qi that was as profound and vast as the ocean.


    A''Liang hesitated briefly before deciding against removing his green bamboo scabbard as well. He stretchedzily and even jumped a few times before looking up and asking with a chuckle, "I''ming, I''ming! Oi, person in the sky, answer me this. Is Buddhism more percipient, or is Daoism more profound?! Whose power is greater, and whose fist is stronger?!"


    There existed heavens beyond the heavens, and it was here that a person smiled faintly and a person recited a Buddhist chant.


    A''Liang roared withughter and announced, "Then allow me to decide after I''ve fought with you!"


    The aura of the man who proimed that he never bragged rose explosively, soaring from the pinnacle of the 12th Tier to the pinnacle of the 13th Tier in an instant. Like a column of dazzling light, he rapidly soared into the air and directly pierced through the roof of this majestic world''s sky, eventually vanishing without a trace.


    Song Jixin was unwilling to retract his gaze even after a long time. In the end, he discovered that the emperor''s back was drenched in sweat that had already soaked his brilliant yellow dragon robe.


    He couldn''t help but gaze up again. At this moment, Song Jixin finally realized that such fierce people truly existed in the world.


    1. The character for urge in Chinese (��) is the same character as Cui Chan''s surname. ?

 Chapter 115: Theres an Old Scholar In the World (1)

    Chapter 115: There''s an Old Schr In the World (1)


    Atop Go Table Mountain, the burly man who initially had several wine gons hanging by his waist was barely breathing as hey in a pool of blood.


    When that burst of brilliant light soared north over Red Candle Town, the closest cultivator who was part of the secret hunt was the woman who had wantonly enjoyed wine near Pillow Ry Station, the grand elder of the Pce of Eternal Spring. However, it was a shame that she didn''t have the time to react �� more precisely, her fighting spirit vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. She neither had the time to react nor the ability to stop that burst of brilliant light. In fact, she didn''t have the courage to charge forward anyway. It was as simple as this.


    Ayer of dust settled on the woman''s Dao Heart that had initially been as limpid as a colored ze. At this moment, she was genuinely drinking to drown her sorrows.


    The first person who stepped forward to block A''Liang was none other than the man who was currently threatening the mountain lord Wei Bo in Go Table Mountain. He resolutely charged at the burst of brilliant light, after which he was casually pped to the ground.


    Wei Bo sighed as he squatted down next to the man and ced his hand on his chest, guarding his heart for him. This prevented the courageous but pitiable man from convulsing to death due to his chaotic aura.


    An ordinary-looking young man quickly arrived beside Wei Bo, also squatting down as he fed a bright red pill to his subordinate who was drenched in blood. He grabbed the burly man''s scorching wrist and felt his radial pulse for a moment, only breathing a soft sigh of relief after the pulse gradually calmed down.


    He turned to the mountain lord and said, "Wei Bo, you saved Old Liu''s life, and I''ll be sure to remember this deed. However, I can''t change the mind of the Great Li Empire''s imperial court regarding how they want to deal with you. It''s even more unsuitable for me to speak for you regarding the choice of formal gods. If I speak, I might draw the ire of the emperor instead. Regardless, I owe you and Go Table Mountain a favor."


    Wei Bo was expressionless as he replied, "It''s nothing."


    He slowly stood up, and only at this moment did he realize that the young man who was restraining his aura didn''t have a sword by his hip, even though was regarded as a top-notch swordsman among the gatekeepers of the Great Li Empire''s capital. Instead, his sword was casually strapped to his back.


    Wei Bo hesitated for a moment before eventually sumbing to his curiosity and asking, "You''re already in Red Candle Town, so why didn''t you step forward to block that saber-wielding man, A''Liang?"


    The young swordsman carefully ced the wounded man on his back. After standing up, he smiled and said, "Saber-wielding man? No, he''s a swordsman. In my mind, he''s the most carefree swordsman in the world. In fact, it was because I revered this person that I chose to pursue swordsmanship in my youth."


    Wei Bo was rendered speechless.


    In fact, a rare smile of reminiscence suddenly appeared on the face of the young-looking sword grandmaster as he prepared to leave with his subordinate. He involuntarily felt the urge to chat with someone. Standing there and gazing at the brightly lit Red Candle Town, he said in a soft voice, "Mhm,pared to the other continents that I''ve lived in before, Eastern Treasured Vial Continent can indeed be regarded as a small ce that''s cut off from the rest of the world. Some interesting taboo topics can be discussed without any consequences.


    "Anyway, why don''t I tell you a story? You should know about the three schools of the Confucian Sect, right? Because this person was angry at their treatment of Qi Jingchun''s master, he once wielded his sword and forcefully charged into two of them, causing absolute chaos andmotion. We have to remember that A''Liang always lives by his famous words, ''none of you are capable, and I, A''Liang, only fight against leaders and elders, not weaklings and youths'', when he traveled through the continents.


    "However, A''Liang surprisingly didn''t hold back those two times, immediately shattering the bridge of immortality of anyone who dared to reason with him or block his path. Do you know? He didn''t show any mercy at all. How many lofty and arrogant individuals of virtue were reduced to nothing more than truly powerless mortals because of this? However, these two tragedies are viewed as reverse scales by the Confucians who most strictly abide by etiquette. Thus, no one dares to carelessly mention these matters."


    Wei Bo gulped nervously as he listened to this. "Senior A''Liang is this domineering? Is he a genuine sage?" he asked in a trembling voice.


    An expression of shared pride spread across the swordsman''s face, and he chuckled, "Because of his actions, he eventually drew the attention of one of the three sages who are honored in the middle three positions in the Confucian temple. The sage secretly descended from the sky and stood before A''Liang, and it was only after this battle that A''Liang decided to relent. No one knows who won, and we simply know that the mighty sage isted an area of thend.


    "It''s rumored that they fought on a Go board, and some people also im that they fought on a book. In any case, no one knows the details of their battle. It''s simply known that A''Liang left the Confucian school after that, crossing two continents and passing Stctite Mountain before arriving at the Sword Qi Great Wall of another world. Stctite Mountain is a hovering ind that the Daoist sages personally constructed in this world, and it can also be regarded as a forbiddennd for the disciples of Confucianism. Thus, many pieces of information that are destined to stun the world have also beenprehensively cut off."


    Wei Bo was in a trance, and it was as if he were listening to a heavenly book[1].


    There was a famous saying in the world of martial artists �� those who don''t cultivate don''t understand the world of cultivators and immortals.


    However, there was also a famous saying in the world of cultivators �� cultivators we may be, matters beyond the heavens we can''t see.


    Even though the swordsman wanted to continue chatting, with a tummy full of legends still to tell, he eventually decided to wrap things up, saying, "It''s not suitable for me to interfere in your matters. However, I''ll ask the Pce of Eternal Spring to spare no resources to train that young girl. Of course, that''s only if you''re not offended by this suggestion."


    Wei Bo smiled and replied, "I''m not a fool who doesn''t know what''s good for me. Thank you."


    The swordsman breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the deity who was described as extremely troublesome in the secret documents of the Ministry of Rites, and he said with a faint smile, "Then I''ll go to the small town and notify her. I''ll tell her to pass Go Table Mountain by foot when they return to the capital, and only travel through the air after that."


    There was aplicated expression on Wei Bo''s face, and he sighed before lowering his head and saying, "There''s nothing I can repay you with, so I can only say thank you again."


    The swordsman from another continent asked in a quiet voice, "I never believed the information recorded in the documents in the Ministry of Rites before, but after meeting you, I have no option but to believe them. Wei Bo, you''ve already dyed forming your godly body for so many years for her sake. Are you still unwilling to let this go?"


    Wei Bo shook his head and replied, "Since I chose this path, there''s no reason for me to abandon it now."


    The swordsman also shook his head, saying, "I can''t understand you."


    Wei Bo suddenly remembered something, and he asked with a difficult expression, "I made a... promise with Senior A''Liang, so I n to take a trip to Dragon Spring County''s Downtrodden Mountain in the near future. I''m going to take the ck python on this mountain with me as well. Even though I''ll abide by the regtions of the Ministry of Rites and inform the officials of my ns, I''ll still take a quick trip to Downtrodden Mountain even if they reject my request. I hope you can inform Dragon Spring County''s county magistrate for me. Is that possible?"


    "That''s not an issue; don''t mention it," the swordsman said with a rxed smile. "In any case, this is an act of you actively trying to repair your rtionship with the Great Li Empire. It''s a good thing, so you can be at ease. Even though the Song n emperors of the Great Li Empire have all been ambitious individuals who appear domineering and overbearing, they''re actually fairly easy to talk to if you truly build a rtionship with them. Otherwise, Uncle Luan and I wouldn''t have stayed in the Great Li Empire for so many years."


    "Senior A''Liang soared toward the north with such vigor and ferocity... Is he looking for trouble with the Great Li Empire?" Wei Bo suddenly asked.


    The swordsman nodded and replied with a bitter smile, "Huge trouble."


    Wei Bo was stunned. "ording to your descriptions, Senior A''Liang was already able to rival one of the top three Confucian sages before heading to Stctite Mountain. That being the case, will the Great Li Empire disappear from the face of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s map now that he''s going to look for trouble with them?"


    The swordsman pondered this for a moment before replying honestly, "If it were me, then perhaps the Great Li Empire would truly disappear from the face of the world before it could be the ruler of the continent."


    There was a strange expression on Wei Bo''s face, and it was as if he were saying, ''So, this is the true reason why you didn''t step forward to stop him? After this battle, the state of the Great Li Empire will revert back to what it was dozens or even 100 years ago. Thus, you''re going to pick a better ce to cultivate and demonstrate your talent?''


    The swordsman was a genuinely open-minded person, so he paid no heed to the mountain lord projecting his own shorings onto him. He shook his head and exined, "It''s not like what you think. You have to understand that I''m not A''Liang, and I''ll never be a swordsman like A''Liang in my life. A''Liang''s principles are always different from other people. It''s very strange. The immortal sects that appear powerful and lofty in the eyes of ordinary cultivators all be terrified after they collide with A''Liang and learn of his true identity. They think that they''ll face his cmitous wrath.


    "However, A''Liang almost never causes a bigmotion with them. Instead, he simply teaches a lesson before letting them go. Of course, it''s rumored that he likes to tease young and beautiful celestial maidens. However, I''ve never had the opportunity to ask Senior about this, and it''s a shame that I''ll most likely not have the chance to ask him about it in the future either."


    The swordsman strained his eyes to peer into the distance. Following a series of loud explosions and brilliant sparks, the part of him that aided the emperor of the Great Li Empire sighed, while the part of him that was a swordsman like A''Liang was filled with yearning.


    There was something that he had never told anyone.


    That was, A''Liang had sought him out in Red Candle Town and asked him some questions.


    What kind of empire was the Great Li Empire? What kind of emperor was the emperor of the Great Li Empire?


    And what had Qi Jingchun done in his many years at Mountain Cliff Academy and Jewel Small World?


    He wanted to know everything, regardless of how big or small the matter was.


    The two of them had sat in a most ordinary tavern in Red Candle Town, drinking wine as they chatted.


    In the end, the extremely excited swordsman had been so focused on answering A''Liang''s questions that it was only after A''Liang''s departure that he finally remembered that he hadn''t asked him anything. He hadn''t asked any of the questions that had been pent up in his mind for countless years. For example, just how mighty was A''Liang''s swordsmanship? Had he carved any words on the great wall that blocked the demon tribe from the other world from attacking them? And were there any beautiful demonesses on the other side who caused his heart to flutter?


    In the end, the swordsman could only console himself by thinking, just how many people in the world had enjoyed wine and chatted with A''Liang before?


    The renowned swordsman felt quite happy when he thought of this.


    He turned around and was just about to leave, but Wei Bo suddenly chortled heartily and said, "Then I, Wei Bo, managed to survive even after facing an attack from Senior A''Liang''s bamboo saber! Can this be regarded as an amazing feat? I don''t care whether Senior A''Liang was holding back or not. No, we definitely have to find some time to share a drink as soon as we get the chance. That way, I can tell you all the details of the situation. That was truly a soul-stirring battle, with more than several hundred attacks exchanged between us..."


    The swordsman humphed coldly and immediately soared into the sky with a loud rumble.


    Wei Bo raised a hand and swatted aside the billowing dust in the air. The smile disappeared from his face, and there was a gentle look in his eyes as gazed at Red Candle Town which appeared like a flickering candle in the night. He fell into a speechless trance.


    Once the formal god of the Northern Mountain of Divine Water Nation, he gazed at the small town in the distance just like that. Perhaps his gaze lingered there for a day, or perhaps it lingered there for a hundred years or a thousand years.


    He looked at her being born next to the inlet of Rushing Tranquil River again and again, maturing into a beautiful woman and eventually sumbing to old age time and time again.


    However, he was ultimately unwilling to admit that she... was already not the same person that she once was.


    ��������


    In the capital of the Great Li Empire, the White Jade Capital that had lost the concealment formation around it still remained upright and standing. It could be said that it had survived a close brush with death.


    However, the formation spell in the capital that had been temporarily opened up immediately returned to normal the instant that the burst of brilliant light pierced through the barrier of the world. Meanwhile, Luan Juzi and Mr. Lu concealed the White Jade Capital at almost the exact same instant. The enemy spies hiding in the capital were only given a fleeting glimpse of this shocking and astonishing sight.


    Luan Juzi plonked down on the stairs of the altar, with an expression of resignation on his face.


    As for Mr. Lu, he wanted to stomp his feet and scold someone, yet he didn''t dare to do so. In any case, his disposition andposure as a cultivator were nowhere to be seen as he walked around in circles and grumbled in anger. "Cmity descending from the skies... Perhaps this is the impermanent nature of the Great Dao? But this doesn''t make sense! The Great Li Empire enjoys unparalleled fortune in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent! My Lu n''s knowledge and philosophy makes up half of the teachings in the School of Naturalists, so even though I don''t dare to say that I''ve mastered everything, how could I have failed to divine such a critical event?!"


    Luan Juzi sighed and replied in an exhausted voice, "Because of that A''Liang... He''s from the Sword Qi Great Wall, a ce that''s least affected by the Heavenly Dao. He purposely used an external artifact to conceal his aura as well, so to say nothing of you, even the patriarch of your Lu n would have needed to use up all of his power if he wanted to have a chance to detect some clues. So, today''s defeat wasn''t because of our mistakes in battle. You and I don''t need to be too critical of ourselves."


    Song Changjing was kneeling on one knee as he looked down at the Daoist talisman warrior that had been cleaved into two. A rare expression of grief appeared on the face of the stone-hearted man. He stabbed the slender saber, Auspicious Talisman, into the ground next to him before carefully scooping up a handful of "sshing water" and cing it into therge sleeve of his Flowing Water Robe.


    The two talisman warriors outside the ptialplex had been gifted to the Song n by some powerful Daoist Sect when the Song n had first founded the Great Li Empire. After all this time, the minds of the talisman warriors were already no different from ordinary people.


    The two talisman warriors that people in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent often referred to as the biggest "door gods" had guarded the capital for generation after generation. If someone in a generation of the Song n could win the favor of these door gods, the door gods would be willing to guard them for their entire life.


    In Song Changjing''s generation, it was his older brother Song Zhengchun who had won this opportunity. Back then, this had been viewed as an auspicious omen symbolizing the imminent rise of the Great Li Empire. This was because the two armored talisman warriors had already gone 200 years without picking anyone.


    Song Jixin''s face was as white as a sheet as he howled in fury, "Where are my swords? Where the hell are my swords?! Shouldn''t there be six flying swords remaining?! Why can''t I detect them at all?"


    The emperor''s expression was calm, but the immense pain in his eyes was clear for all to see. His voice was low as hemented, "At least 20 years of the Great Li Empire''s fortune has been destroyed in an instant. In a journey of 100 li, 90 li is only the halfway mark[2]... Our ancestors weren''t wrong. All that''s left of the White Jade Capital is an empty shell. Without the 12 flying swords, what use will it be in the short term? And all that was left for me was..."


    The emperor who had ambitions to conquer the entire continent stopped himself from saying any more. He slowly looked up at the sky which had already returned to normal. "You may as well have beheaded me with a single sh."


    He took a deep breath before turning around and ordering, "Changjing, go to the top of the city wall and personally stand guard. See if there are any cowards trying to use this opportunity to stir trouble. If there are, then execute them without mercy. From this moment on, I give you the right to act on my behalf."


    "What if they''re from the imperial Song n?" Song Changjing asked.


    A pained smile appeared on the emperor''s face, and he replied, "In the past, we raised even trash and good-for-nothings. As the emperor of the Great Li Empire, I naturally had the wealth and magnanimity to do so. However, the situation is different now. If they want to seek death, then we''ll grant them death."


    "What about her?" Song Changjing asked.


    The emperor''s voice was calm as he replied, "I''ll deal with her personally."


    Song Changjing nodded before striding away, with killing intent permeating from his body.


    Cultivators were prohibited from flying in the capital of the Great Li Empire. Furthermore, they were only allowed to travel by foot inside the ptialplex.


    Even though Song Changjing had been granted the power to break this rule, just as the imperial preceptor Cui Chan had, he was someone who had grown up here, after all. Thus, he was unwilling to break this rule, one of the few remaining rules that were enforced in the Great Li Empire.


    The emperor walked over to the steps of the altar and sat down next to Luan Juzi, someone who didn''t live up to his name as the leading figure of Mohism. Mr. Lu, the old man with the tall crown, also sat down in despondence.


    Both the old men looked like they wanted to speak, but were conflicted about whether they should do so or not.


    The emperor smiled and said, "I already know. Extending my lifespan is nothing but a pipe dream now. After all, this was the doing of A''Liang. Trying to extend my lifespan will be impossible unless a 12th Tier Qi refiner from the School of Agrarianism is willing to treat me. At that time, I won''t need to count my fingers to see how many days I have left to live..."


    The two old men nodded as if in tacit understanding.


    "There are only 10 years left on my lifespan, 15 years at most," the emperor said in self-ridicule. "The fate and fortune of empires in this world have always ebbed and flowed. In this sense, perhaps I''ll onlyst until the day I defeat the rising Great Sui Nation with much difficulty. And after that? It seems like that will have nothing to do with me anymore.


    "The Great Li Empire marching south, the iron hooves of our warhorses thudding against thend to the south of Lake View Academy, and the dragon rising g of the Great Li Empire fluttering above the southern coastline of Dragon Rising City... I won''t be able to witness any of this..."


    The emperor shut his eyes and thumped his knees with his fists. He smiled with gritted teeth and continued, "The biggest problem is, the person who decided my fate might have ascended to some other ce, or he might still be observing our mortal world. Perhaps he might even return and appear before us one day. He''s not dead... He''s not dead!"


    Thus, the Great Li Empire didn''t even dare to dream of seeking revenge.


    This was what the emperor of the Great Li Empire found most suffocating.


    It was also because of this that he had said that A''Liang may as well have beheaded him with a single sh. At least that would have ended everything and saved him from this suffocating anger.


    ��������


    Atop the city wall of the capital, a skinny old man in green remained standing with his head raised and gazing at the sky where that man had disappeared.


    At some unknown time, a short but voluptuous woman wearing a pce dress had already appeared next to him, directly asking, "Imperial Preceptor Cui, what should I do in the face of this unexpected cmity?"


    The old man was unwilling to retract his gaze, and he casually replied, "Await death."


    The woman''s heart jolted in terror, and she eximed sternly, "Imperial Preceptor! What nonsense are you uttering?!"


    Cui Chan �� who was different from the young Cui Chan in the small town �� pursed his lips and replied, "If you''re lucky, then you can wait to be left half dead."


    The woman did away with her pretense of geniality, and she pointed at the imperial preceptor with meritorious service and shouted in anger, "And will you, Cui Chan, be any better off than me?!"


    The old man finally turned around to face the noble empress of the Great Li Empire, chuckling, "Sorry, I''m already more dead than alive."


    ��������


    Apart from very few people, no one knew that a man was sitting cross-legged above the sky and gazing down at the mortal world.


    To this man, there existed only a thread''s distance between the two worlds.


    Peering down, he could see countless specks of light concentrated together, and it was as if he were looking at a dazzling and slowly flowing gxy. Amid this gxy, there were stars that suddenly exploded before vanishing in a sh, there were stars that shone with increasing brilliance, there were stars that slowly dimmed to darkness, there were stars that were dreary with lifelessness, and there were also stars that were brimming with vitality. There were also somerge and eye-catching bodies that chose to remain still, unmoving like an old tortoise.


    The man stood up and genuinely prepared to leave. "Old geezer, sure enough, you were right," he chuckled. "This is the mortal world... It''s enthralling!"


    This finalment that he left for this world in his mind was extremely interesting.


    Young boy, you need to work hard to practice the sword. In the future, you need to be just as fierce as me. In terms of bing even more fierce than me...? Haha! Forget about it! That''s far too difficult!


    1. Listening to a heavenly book means listening to something iprehensible due to itsplexity or profound nature. ?


    2. This means the closer one is to sess, the more one has to be careful, lest all previous efforts are undone. Li is a Chinese unit of measurement equal to 500 meters ?

 Chapter 116: Theres an Old Scholar In the World (2)

    Chapter 116: There''s an Old Schr In the World (2)


    Luan Juzi nced at Mr. Lu who was sitting on the other side of the emperor. The old man immediately stood up and started to channel the mystical yin and yang power of the Lu n to conceal the area they were in. This made it even harder for others to use the power of their mind or distance observation mystical abilities to detect what was happening here.


    Only then did Luan Juzi specte, "It''s extremely likely that this cmity was caused by the schemes of the other schools of thought. At the very least, they yed a part in helping it along. Perhaps even A''Liang''s coincidental arrival was the result of someone secretly delivering a message to him.


    ��After all, to coincidentally charge into the Great Li Empire not long after Qi Jingchun passed away? There are definitely people in the Hundred Schools of Thought who don''t want to see my branch of Mohists and the School of Naturalists represented by the Lu n to help the Great Li Empire smoothly conquer the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent!"


    The emperor unclenched his fists and rubbed his cheeks. His expression was ice-cold as he chuckled coldly and said, "Heh, an atmosphere of war and a state of impending chaos that hasn''t been seen for a thousand years!"


    "Since things have alreadye to this, it''s even more important that we don''t lose heart," Luan Juzi warned quietly.


    The emperor smiled and shook his head, replying, "No, I definitely won''t! So be it if it''s 10 years, and so be it if it''s 15 years. This is enough time to do many things! Thinking back to the previous emperors of the Great Li Empire, just how much humiliation and disdain have we suffered? My internal wounds are nothingpared to this."


    His speech was calm and casual, yet the man forcefully swallowed a mouthful of blood that had rushed to his throat. He lowered his head and used his fingers to massage his neck. There was ferocity and remorse on his face, though the expression of remorse quickly vanished to leave only ferocity. In the end, all that remained was an expression of resignation.


    As it turned out, that man had unleashed a supreme secret technique to secretly sever the emperor''s heart meridian before ascending above the sky. This hadprehensively obliterated the emperor''s path to immortality. Once a hidden 10th Tier cultivator brimming with vitality, the emperor''s life force was now so fragile that it was shocking.


    Not only this, the six flying swords of the White Jade Capital that hadn''t been destroyed had all vanished into thin air as well.


    To put it simply, all that was left of the boundlessly powerful White Jade Capital was an empty shell. It was nothing more than an imposing tower used to frighten others. To kill a cultivator at the Upper Five Tiers? This was nothing but a foolish dream.


    In contrast to his panic and rage just then, Song Jixin had already regained hisposure as he walked up to the emperor and the two old men. However, he still insisted on getting to the bottom of things as he asked, "Luan Juzi, Mr. Lu, can you tell me what in the world is going on? Why can''t I sense any of the flying swords?"


    The White Jade Capital had 12 floors, and corresponding to this, 12 flying swords.


    Incense Offering, Pir Rock, Mountain Suppressing, Mountain and Sea, Peach Twig, Thundering Sky, Purple Lightning, Scripture, Sanskrit Chant, Majestic Aura, borate Makeup, Cloud Pattern.


    The Great Li Empire had expended half of the nation''s wealth to forge these 12 flying swords. Thus, they could all be regarded as genuine treasures of the empire.


    Including Incense Offering, six of the flying swords had already been shattered along with the godly bodies of the six formal gods.


    However, the remaining six formal gods had stepped aside and not challenged A''Liang at all. Thus, even if the flying swords didn''t return to the White Jade Capital, Song Jixin should have at least been able to sense their presence. Yet, like kites that had been cut free, the young prince hadpletely lost his connection to these flying swords.


    Luan Juzi nced back at the empty White Jade Capital. He then retracted his gaze and sighed heavily, revealing, "The six remaining flying swords have already been snatched away by that person. Even though he didn''t take them beyond the sky with him, he''s most likely tossed them in some ce that no one knows about. In any case, it will be impossible for us to find them any time soon. Even if we do manage to find them, it''s hard to say whether we''ll be able to get them back and use them."


    Song Jixin was only a young boy, after all. In just a night''s time, he had suddenly transformed from an illegitimate son in an impoverished alley into a prince in one of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s most powerful empires. After arriving in the capital with a muddled mind, he had then been mysteriously taken to this tower. After oveing numerous challenges and facing many struggles, he had finally managed to win the recognition of the 12 flying swords. At that moment, he had felt like he could finally stand up straight and hold his head up high when he talked to that bastard man. In the end, however, had all of his efforts been for nothing?


    After hearing Luan Juzi''s reply, tears immediately started to trickle down Song Jixin''s face. He bit his lips, and there were still streaks of blood on his face that he was yet to clean off.


    Luan Juzi didn''t know how to encourage or console the young boy.


    In fact, even this old man who had experienced a bumpy life full of challenges was feeling shock and disbelief.


    Along with wanderers, Mohists still abided by the ancestral teachings of their first sage. Among these teachings was the notion that one should support the weak and aid weak nations in resisting humiliation and bullying from more powerful nations.


    However, Luan Changye hade to his own conclusion after reading the history books of several empires over several generations and traversing thends of countless nations. What he saw and what he heard had led him to conclude this �� blindly supporting the weak and helping them patch things up here and there would only end in futility. Chaos would ensue for hundreds of years, and powerful generals would rise and fall one after another. Inparison to having a powerful empire uniting thend, attempting to fuel the resistance of weaker nations against a dominant empire would only lead to far more casualties.


    Thus, Luan Changye needed to choose a suitable empire and a suitable ruler to achieve his ambition.


    In the end, he had chosen Song Zhengchun, the emperor of the Great Li Empire. Moreover, he hadn''t been disappointed. Even after being attacked by A''Liang and suffering a severe setback to the monumental rise of the empire, Luan Changye still didn''t feel like his decision was incorrect. His only downfall was the fact that the ns of humans could never rival the ns of the heavens. Even Luan Changye had to admit inferiority when it came to shing with those mighty beings behind the scenes. However, he had still chosen to gamble. He had chosen to gamble everything for a chance to win unstoppable momentum to conquer thends!


    The emperor smiled and said, "Can you two check on the White Jade Capital to see if there''s any issue with it? If that person''s left any hidden traps, then I genuinely might as well smash my head against a wall and kill myself. While you two are busy with that, I''ll also have an opportunity to have a private chat with Song Mu. However, let me say this first. You two have to promise me that you won''t eavesdrop. The two of us are going to discuss some private family matters, so please excuse us."


    The two old men hurriedly stood up. One of them smiled and said he wouldn''t eavesdrop, and one of them said he wouldn''t dare to eavesdrop.


    The emperor looked up at the stubborn expression of the young boy. He patted the spot next to him on the step, and he imperceptibly crushed the jade pendant that was hanging by his waist. His voice was solemn as he said, "Here, sit down. From now on, I''m your father, Song Zhengchun, and you''re my son, Song Mu... It''s probably better to call you Song Jixin. The passing down of mes, and the gathering of these mes[1]. This is a very good omen. Song Yuzhang chooses tacky names for people, but it has to be said that he puts quite some thought into them."


    Song Jixin obediently sat next to the man.


    "I have to say, the fortune of Great Sui Nation''s Gao n is truly remarkable," the emperor said with emotion. "Also, your words truly did jinx the situation."


    Song Jixin felt slightly uneasy as he sat alone with his father.


    Even though he wasn''t afraid of this man on the surface, through the attitudes of his uncle Song Changjing, his maidservant Zhi Gui, and the two old men, he had indeed sensed the powerful control this man had over the Great Li Empire. The emperor appeared magnanimous and rxed, yet he was actually filled with a sense of near-arrogant confidence on the inside. This was simr to that saber-wielding man''s attitude toward Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and the world that this continent existed in.


    The emperor smiled and continued, "Since the six flying swords from the White Jade Capital have failed to return, it will suffice to say that they''ve been lost. Then so be it. The sky won''t copse because of this."


    Song Jixin erupted in fury, shouting, "Then so be it?! How can you dismiss it so casually? Luan Juzi and Mr. Lu told me before... The existence of these 12 flying swords signifies the direction that the Great Li Empire can take the entire continent in. The importance of them..."


    The young boy didn''t dare to continue.


    Moreover, he quickly came to his senses and recalled the fact that the creator of the White Jade Capital and the flying swords wasn''t him, but instead this "resigned" man beside him.


    The emperor gazed at the roof ridge of a distant imperial hall where a row of mythical beasts sat[2]. His voice was soft as he said, "To the emperor of a nation, immense difficulties aren''t something to be afraid of. As long as one can ovee these difficulties, this signifies the growth and strengthening of one''s empire. If one can''t ovee these challenges, however, this signifies one''sck of ability to rule over their nation.


    "This unexpected obstacle that suddenly crashed down before us... Neither I nor the Great Li Empire were able to ovee it with just a small scare. This is very unfortunate. However, I don''t feel any regret. Honestly, I''m not lying to you."


    Song Jixin couldn''t understand this no matter what, so he asked, "Why?"


    The emperor''s gaze became focused and intense, and there was no longer a shred of resignation or despondence to be found. He pointed at the roof ridge of the imperial hall and replied, "Because this increasingly proves the strategy that Iid out for the Great Li Empire to be correct!


    "Cultivators, regardless of whether they''re Qi refiners or Dao cultivators, and regardless of whether they''re good or bad, should all be locked up in a cage! The Great Li Empire won''t stop them from bing gods and immortals and seeking immortality. In fact, the empire is even willing to help them achieve their ambition and d to see them seed. However, an empire must have a bottom line. At the very least, it needs to have a set of rules and regtions which these transcendent individuals must obey.


    "They shouldn''t be allowed to act as they please, wantonly moving mountains and rivers or picking fights with others simply because they want to. And in the end, thergest number of casualties is often suffered by those defenselessmoners of the empires. No, I want the citizens of my empire to respect and honor these transcendent beings not simply out of fear and trepidation.


    "The future I desire is one where the Great Li Empire will have the confidence and power to seek justice for innocentmoners �� even those on the lowest rung of society and those viewed as ants by the transcendent beings �� if they''re wantonly killed due to a battle between the transcendent beings!"


    Song Jixin was absolutely stunned. His mouth hung open, yet he couldn''t utter a single word.


    The emperor raised two fingers, leaving only a tiny gap between them, and he chuckled, "The justice that the Great Li Empire is able to give its people now is extremely small, only this small. Compared to the other nations in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent that ve away for the cultivators and immortals, however, the gulf between us is truly like the gulf between heaven and earth."


    He casually swung his wrist before clenching his hand into a fist and holding it up to the roof ridge in the distance as if making a show of force against someone. "I sincerely hope that the Great Li Empire will be able to give its people this much justice in the future. Or perhaps even more!"


    Song Jixin had already be numb with astonishment. For the first time, he felt like the man beside him was truly someone with flesh and blood. The emperor was no longer as cold and rigid as the dragon throne that he sat on and the dragon robe that he wore.


    The emperor turned around and asked, "Do you know which words from A''Liang angered me the most?"


    Song Jixin mustered his courage and replied, "When he told you to kowtow and apologize?"


    The emperor roared withughter. He shook his head and exined, "As the ruler of this empire, I can die standing up, but I definitely can''t live kneeling down. If Ick such resolve, how can the Great Li Empire march south to conquer the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? If a person belittles themself, then the heavens will naturally belittle them as well. If a person strives for self-improvement, however, then even the heavens will bestow them with help. It''s best that you remember this.


    "And the disparagingments from the immortals that Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is the smallest continent in the world... However, do you genuinely know just howrge this continent is? You can pick any history book in the world to read. Who has ever be the ruler of an entire continent?"


    Song Jixin had a look of determination as he nodded and repeated, "If a person strives for self-improvement, then even the heavens will bestow them with help. I''ll remember this."


    There was an expression of mncholy on the emperor''s face as he continued, "What truly angered me was his im that there are no capable fighters in the Great Li Empire. Not a single one. Step by step, I secretly advanced to the 10th Tier of Qi refinement. This can already be regarded as amazing in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. As a 10th Tier martial artist, your uncle Song Changjing is even more powerful and impressive. Yet, what was the oue? In his eyes, both of us were still regarded as ''not strong enough to fight with''. However, fortune often apanies cmity. This is the true reason why I was able to survive... One of the reasons.


    "If I were at the 12th Tier, and if he had felt like I was a capable opponent, perhaps he would have ended my life with a single sh."


    The emperor suddenly started tough heartily for some unknown reason. However, it felt like he was an aging hero who had already passed his prime.


    "A single sh?" Song Jixin asked, giving the man a painful reminder again.


    The emperor nodded and replied, "I can guarantee that a single sh would have been enough. He was a swordsman at the pinnacle of the 13th Tier, a swordsman. That''s why he can act so unreasonably."


    There was indecision on Song Jixin''s face, and he opened his mouth to speak several times before eventually swallowing his words again. It was as if there were a nagging question on his mind that wasn''t exactly easy to ask.


    The man leaned back and ced his hands on the floor, with his posture appearing carefree as he gazed up at the sky. "Do you want to ask why he didn''t kill us all before ascending to that ce that no one knows about?"


    Song Jixin roughly wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand before nodding in reply.


    "Before telling you the answer, let me tell you this unfortunate news first. It''s said that powerful individuals who have advanced to the 13th Tier are capable of returning to the world. They can return to our mortal realm again. Even though this hasn''t happened many times, there have been precedents, after all. However, for one reason or another, the Hundred Schools of Thought and the powerful ns have all decided to keep this a secret."


    Song Jixin was quick-witted, and a look of shock immediately spread across his face.


    "The chosen path before the Great Li Empire is still very long," the man sighed. "This is a long road that we need to traverse with heavy responsibilities on our shoulders. But don''t lose heart."


    In the end, he pointed at some ce in the ptialplex and chuckled, "There''s a young boy almostpletely raised by his mother here, and when he was young, he refused to go to Mountain Cliff Academy no matter what. I couldn''t be bothered dealing with this and trying to change his mind. This child is very interesting, and if a dog on the streets shows any intention of wanting to bite him, he''ll definitely kill it to make dog stew regardless of whether the dog truly wounded him or not. Perhaps he''ll even find the family and rtives of the dog and kill them all as well. Only then will he feel satisfied. So, what about you, Song Jixin?"


    "I''ll do the same!" Song Jixin replied without hesitation.


    The man nodded and said, "I was also like this when I was young. However, my temperament changed slightly after I ascended the throne. This was because I suddenly felt a little bored one day."


    The man turned around and said with a smile, "However, it''s good for one to have such temperament when they''re young �� forging ahead with determination and disying their talent and vigor to the fullest extent. If others show respect, then tenfold the respect will be returned. If others offer humiliation, then humiliation they shall be given for life! This is what a man should be like!"


    "And I thought you would be very disappointed," Song Jixin said softly.


    The man patted his shoulder and replied, "No, I''m not disappointed. If you didn''t learn any true abilities at your young age, and instead learned how to read my expressions and use those techniques that the imperial officials use to specte my thoughts �� the so-called dragon-ying techniques[3] �� then I would have been truly disappointed."


    Song Jixin leaned forward and ced his hands on his knees. Resting his chin on the backs of his hand, he said, "But I know someone who might choose to act differently."


    The emperor sat up straight and ced his hand on the young boy''s head. "Believe my observations. That child holds grudges better than anyone else. It''s just that he''s endured far too much hardship ever since a young age, so he''s already learned how to endure these situations and restrain himself. Bing enemies with someone like this truly spells serious trouble. That''s why I turned a blind eye to Green Ripple Pavilion''s attempt at his life.


    "However, you can rx. He''s never treated you as an enemy, and this is especially the case after you performed those two menial actions on a whim."


    Song Jixin''s face flushed beet-red.


    "However, it''s hard to say what will happen when you one day be the emperor of the Great Li Empire," the man added.


    "Since that person''s ascended and won''t return to the mortal world anytime soon, let''s seize the opportunity to eliminate that ''what if'' in a single breath."


    However, Song Jixin felt a little annoyed with himself immediately after saying this. He rejected his own suggestion and muttered, "No, what if that person returns? Then the Great Li Empire will truly be destroyed."


    The man was amused, and he asked with a pleased smile, "Do you feel like this is an unsolvable problem? Don''t worry, that''s because your position isn''t high enough yet."


    Song Jixin felt a little deted, and he could only console himself by thinking, If a person strives for self-improvement, then even the heavens will bestow them with help.


    "Everyone needs one or two frenemies in their life. Only then will things be interesting. I had one when I was young, just like you do too," the man chuckled.


    There was a brief period of silence before Song Jixin reminded the man, "You still haven''t answered the question yet."


    "Take your time and think about it yourself. My temper isn''t good enough that I''ll rub salt into my own wounds after being beaten half dead. Oh, that''s right. There are only benefits and no drawbacks to bing the owner of the White Jade Capital. I lied to your mother regarding this matter. However, I''m sure you know that I''m not lying to you after you lost control of the flying swords. As for the significance behind this, you need to contemte it yourself. It''s always good to give things a bit more thought."


    After revealing this secret, the man stood up slightly and was just about to leave. However, he suddenly sat back down and grabbed the young boy''s palm, chuckling, "Let me read your palm for you. I have some elementary understanding of this art, but I''ve never had the opportunity to test it on anyone before. So, let me test it out on you today."


    Song Jixin was slightly befuddled as he offered his palm to the man.


    As he observed the ridges on the young boy''s palm, the man said casually, "You can continue to maintain a close rtionship with your uncle, Song Changjing, 10 or 15 years into the future. However, you definitely can''t grow reliant on him. As for canvassing him and getting this martial arts prodigy to be sincerely convinced by you, a junior... You can forget about this. My younger brother can''t be bothered to even conceal his wild ambitions. Even as his older brother who''s always been slightly more capable than him, I''ve still never dared to show any signs of wanting to tame this ferocious beast.


    "Before you truly mature and grow powerful, you can only think about seeking revenge against those you resent in your mind, regardless of who they are. However, you definitely shouldn''t act on these thoughts recklessly.


    "Of course, you shouldn''t harbor any ill will towards your uncle simply because of the few words I''ve said today. He''s a genuinely outstanding talent. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have uttered the sincere words, ''It can''t be the case that heroes only exist in my Great Li Empire''. So, perhaps he''ll acknowledge you in the future as long as you be more capable than him in some area."


    After a short moment, the emperor smiled and left.


    Song Jixin clenched his fists and continued to rest his head on his knees.


    The emperor had spoken some vaguely understandable words. During this time, however, he had also imperceptibly drawn four characters on the young boy''s palm.


    Lifespan. Three.


    Be careful.


    Song Jixin suddenly looked up at the figure who was striding away and shouted, "Father!"


    The man turned around, smiling as he looked at Song Jixin. His expression appeared nothing like that of an emperor as he gazed at the young boy, just like that.


    This was a man whose true ambition was to speak the rules of the mortal world to all the transcendent deities and immortals. At this moment, it seemed like all of his life''s efforts had been washed away by a rushing stream, silently, and without any trace left.


    Song Jixin stood up, with tears brimming in his eyes. He was biting his lips so hard that a wisp of blood was already flowing. He was just about to open his mouth to say something else.


    However, the man had already turned back around, his voice sincere as he said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Remember to eat your meals on time in the future."


    ��������


    An old and travel-worn schr exited Go Table Mountain and finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. After adjusting the luggage on his back, he ced his hands on his waist and moaned, "Oh, my old waist and old bones. Such torture, such painful torture."


    1. As mentioned before "Ji" (��) literally means collect, and "Xin" (н) literally means firewood, with "Xin Huo" (н��) meaning the torch/mes to be passed down. ?


    2. These are the small beasts on the roof ridges of ancient Chinese buildings, especially imperial ones. ?


    3. This means profound techniques that are actually useless in real life ?

 Chapter 117: (1): Theres an Old Scholar In the World (3)

    Chapter 117: (1): There''s an Old Schr In the World (3)


    Luan Juzi and Mr. Lu returned inside White Jade Capital together. They directly walked up to the 12th floor, where there were only two straw-woven cushions on the floor. These weren''t incredible artifacts that could aid Qi refiners in cultivation, and they were instead ordinary items that evenmoners could afford. After sitting down opposite each other, Mr. Lu smiled and asked, "When did you consult Qi Jingchun about building White Jade Capital?"


    Luan Juzi shook his head with a smile, replying, "Never. However, if I didn''t say this, heaven knows what the entric A''Liang would have done. Perhaps he would have hacked us to death at the first disagreement?"


    Mr. Lu faltered and asked in puzzlement, "Surely not, right?"


    Luan Juziughed heartily and said, "Of course I''m kidding. A''Liang most likely isn''t this kind of person. However, what I told him afterward was indeed the truth. Qi Jingchun did indeed sacrifice most of his time and effort for the Great Li Empire. Moreover, he had high hopes for the future of the Great Li Empire and Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. I''m sure that A''Liang understands this in his mind.


    "Otherwise, Qi Jingchun wouldn''t have founded Mountain Cliff Academy here, nor would he have offered lessons to everyone in the continent while residing in the Great Li Empire. Most of the people who graduated from Mountain Cliff Academy have already died of old age, though some of them are still alive. In any case, their acts of teaching and answering questions for the future generation of schrs can be viewed as an act of keeping Qi Jingchun''s hopes and dreams alive."


    Luan Changye paused for a brief moment before asking, "Do you really think that these schrs don''t feel any grievances regarding Qi Jingchun''s death?"


    Mr. Lu remained silent as he pondered this. In the end, he slowly replied, "Due to the situation at that time, the Great Li Empire had no option but to choose the lesser of the two evils."


    Luan Juzi chuckled in reply, only touching the surface of the matter before drawing back. He immediately changed topics, saying, "In my opinion, today''smotion that has left us deeply wounded isn''t as a result of the Great Li Empire attempting to flex its muscles and hunt that man. With A''Liang''s cultivation base and the temperament that he disyed while traveling the continents back then, he isn''t someone who would care about such ''trivial matters''."


    "I''m not entirely sure what''s going through A''Liang''s mind," Mr. Lu sighed.


    "However, let me voice the opinion that you kept buried in your mind just then. At the end of the day, the knot in that man''s heart is still rted to Qi Jingchun. When facing pressure from all sides back then, the Great Li Empire didn''t choose to step forward to support Qi Jingchun. Moreover, the Great Li Empire immediately shut down Mountain Cliff Academy once Qi Jingchun left. The empire abandoned him far too quickly. In fact, one can even suspect the empire of profiting from his misfortune.


    "However, both you and I understand that this was genuinely the wisest move that the emperor could have made. In any case, I''m sure that most ordinary emperors and rulers wouldn''t even feel an inkling of guilt when making such decisions. In their minds, wouldn''t such decisions be natural and perfectly justified?"


    "Anyway, if we look at things from A''Liang''s perspective, would our involvement and the Great Li Empire''s act of actively challenging him appear like a cultivator at the Lower Five Realms unting their strength before him?" Luan Juzi asked. "Not only that, but the cultivator was even puffing their chest in confidence, certain that they would win."


    Mr. Lu adjusted his sleeves and shifted his sitting position a little. There was a bitter smile on his face as he remarked, "Now that you say this, why do I feel like a bit of a clown?"


    Luan Juziughed and said, "If one day there were people like us �� mhm, people who can be considered rtively esteemed �� chatting about our deeds and marveling at our aplishments, just how great would that be?"


    "Perhaps we would have had a glimmer of hope if we managed to sessfully build the 13th floor of White Jade Capital," Mr. Lu sighed. "Now, however, it''s far more difficult..."


    Luan Juzi also sighed in emotion, saying, "I wonder which child from that group from the Great Li Empire will achieve the most surprising sess in the future."


    "I wager Song Mu," Mr. Lu replied with a smile. "How about you?"


    Luan Juzi smiled with squinted eyes and replied half-seriously, "I wager that young girl, Wang Zhu. What do you say?"


    The old man from the Lu n of the School of Naturalists shook his head and chuckled, "A lone branch can offer brilliant flowers and appear superior to others. However, for it to be a forest will be difficult."


    Luan Juzi also shook his head, not offering ament on this. He suddenly recalled something, and he asked, "Didn''t Qi Jingchun also ept some other disciples while he was still in Jewel Small World? For example, Zhao Yao? Apart from him, I seem to remember that the School of Military Thought and the Daoist Sect also fought over a child with the surname Ma."


    "Let''s wait and see," Mr. Lu replied. "And let''s hope that us two old geezers can live to see the conclusion of these tumultuous times."


    ��������


    The maidservant Zhi Gui had remained on the 10th floor of White Jade Capital the entire time. She hadn''t gone elsewhere.


    While the others were distracted, she had climbed onto the window sill and curled up her body, leaning sideways as she turned to look toward the south. She would nce at the sky, then nce at the south, and then repeat this again and again. She didn''t appear bored in the least.


    For some reason, you always like to expound your ideas and reasoning to ants. In fact, you like to promote your grand principles even when ites to me. Your life is more boring than anyone''s, and your death will also be more miserable than anyone''s.


    This is quite different from that person who you''re seemingly very well acquainted with. He pays little heed to any of us, and he lives his life as carefree as could be. However, why do I still feel like you''re a little better than him?


    Anyhow, regardless of who''s better, this is simply something that I need to keep in mind. When ites to interacting with people and dealing with matters though, I feel like one should be more like that strange person.


    In the end, the young girl squinted her golden eyes with twin pupils and chuckled, "Hmm? I just remembered that I''m not actually a person, am I?"


    She sat there in a daze. After a long while, she lifted a finger and ran it across her cheeks.


    ��������


    Atop the city wall of the capital, two former allies stood face to face surrounded by a tense atmosphere.


    The woman wearing a pce dress shrieked, "Cui Chan, you recognized that person from the beginning, didn''t you? So, in order to curry favor with him, you purposely opened the city gates and allowed him to charge to White Jade Capital?! Your actions are punishable by death! Even executing you one time isn''t enough! Do you think you''ll be any better off once I''m punished and demoted? Is your brain malfunctioning or something?"


    The old Cui Chan, who appeared before others as a schr dressed in green, remained calm as he replied, "If I didn''t deactivate the capital''s formation, would you believe me if I told you that my fate would be far more miserable? Not only that, but some of those standing in front of White Jade Capital would have inevitably been killed. The situation would have been far worse than the current one, where at least no one has died."


    Cui Chan chuckled coldly and continued, "I know that the value of Song Jixin''s existence has already been lost. He''s no longer useful like he was before. After all, there''s already no need for your other son �� mhm, and my good disciple �� to be the pagoda master of White Jade Capital, a perilous task where he might perish along with the swords. So, you''re probably wishing that thisd could die and reincarnate as soon as possible."


    There was a beautiful smile on the woman''s face, and she replied in aposed voice, "Imperial preceptor, why are you uttering such nonsense?"


    Cui Chan didn''t attempt to argue this point any further, and he said, "Following Mr. Lu''s suggestion, we were initially going to use the capital''s talismanic sword as the 13th flying sword of White Jade Capital. This is ''Talisman'', the sword that''s renowned throughout the continent and that no one can unsheathe. However, Luan Juzi felt that this was inappropriate, in the sense that this sword wouldn''t be powerful enough to be the representative of the 13th floor.


    ��Moreover, we needed to sacrifice two divine weapons to split the gigantic Dragon ying tform in Dragon Spring County, or as it was previously known, Jewel Small World. The imperial treasure chamber was genuinely at low levels, and coincidentally, ''Talisman'' was renowned as the toughest sword on the continent. So, if we were lucky, it would have been able to deliver three strikes when wielded by a sword immortal."


    The woman frowned and asked, "Cui Chan, what are you trying to say?"


    Cui Chan ignored her and continued, "However, the Dragon ying tform was unexpectedly toorge. After just two strikes, cracks resembling the cracked patterns on the pottery from the dragon kilns in the small town spread across the de of the sword. The internal sword essence was shattered. In other words, it was impossible to repair the sword.


    ��The emperor was pained by this, but he didn''t assign me to anyone. Instead, he decided to gift the sword to a woman named Yang Hua, who''s none other than Her Majesty''s maidservant. At the same time, however, he also issued a decree to assign her as the river god of the Iron Talisman River. As a result, Her Majesty has lost one of her most loyal and capable assistants. Am I correct?"


    The woman smiled and replied, "Are you trying to say that the emperor is giving me a warning?"


    "Sure enough, Her Majesty is as beautiful and intelligent as always," Cui Chan said sarcastically.


    The woman replied with a cold chuckle.


    Cui Chan clicked his tongue and said, "Why don''t you contemte the fate of the formal gods of the Five Mountains?"


    The color instantly drained from the woman''s pale and delicate face.


    She fell into deep thought, and it was as if she were a Go yer reviewing a finished game.


    Cui Chan didn''t interrupt her.


    Seizing the opportunity when Jewel Small World fell to the ground, the emperor had initially wanted to break the rules and elevate Cloud Drape Mountain, a mountain that was flowing with fortune, to the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain!


    The awkward and peculiar thing was, the current Five Mountains of the Great Li Empire were all located to the north of Cloud Drape Mountain.


    Even though none of the formal gods of the Five Mountains had objected to this at the time, the statuses of these mountain gods and river gods were like a halfway point between cultivators in immortal sects and those in the cultivation world. It was as if tumultuous undercurrents had surged into the strategic pass of the empire in a single night.


    Cultivators from many sects and abodes had disguised themselves as devotees, ordinary people, or schrs as they visited the Five Mountains. They hadn''t discussed matters pertaining to offerings and incense, and they had instead talked about the natural wonders and scenery. Meanwhile, the lower-ranked mountain gods and river gods in the surroundings had all fallen silent as if in tacit understanding.


    For some reason, however, the emperor who was extremely autocratic when it came to some important matters suddenly changed his mind. He abandoned his initial decision which would have had great implications for the lifespan and fortune of the empire.


    Coincidentally, an outsider who dared to kill two grandmasters of the Great Li Empire appeared at the same time.


    With the emperor''s resolute nature, what followed afterward was arge-scale hunt that was great in both strength and impetus. The reason for this was simple �� this was a battle that would influence the momentum of the Great Li Empire''s march down south. It was a battle that would decide how many casualties the Great Li Empire suffered in their expedition to conquer the south.


    Otherwise, with the Great Li Empire''s reputation as northern barbarians in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, it was inevitable that many powerful and conceited gods and immortals would attempt to obstruct the iron hooves that charged toward the south. These mighty beings would definitely stand in their way to test the speed and power of their des, as well as the power of their armored cavalry. They would probe whether the Great Li Empire genuinely had the right to stand on equal footing with them.


    The Great Li Empire naturally had its own immortal sects as well, with many of them being officially subordinate to the imperial Song n. This was further the case unofficially. However, this still wouldn''t dissuade those cultivators who were like moths to a me. The most terrifying people would be those tough and elusive Qi refiners who specifically targeted the normal soldiers of the Great Li Empire to massacre. They would hammer one to death here, and sh one to death there. Not only that, but they would also resolutely retreat immediately after killing their targets. That being the case, how could the Great Li Empire deal with them?


    And thus, White Jade Capital was born, slowly rising from the ground. The first people to learn about this huge secret were the 12 mountain and river gods, "members" of the Great Li Empire that resided outside the capital.


    The Golden Clouds Mountain had initially wanted to assign Cloud Drape Mountain as the Northern Mountain of the empire and rescind the titles of the previous Five Mountains. Even though the emperor had subtly notified the formal gods about this, even giving each of them a clear promise, there was indeed still room for suspicion that he would kick them to the curb once they outlived their usefulness. Thus, it was somewhat understandable that the five formal gods had remained silent. After all, this was a decision that would impact their godly body and Dao foundations. Who dared to naively ept spoken or written offers?


    However, stepping forward to block and kill an enemy waspletely different. This was something that aligned with the righteous direction of the empire, so there was no reason for the 12 gods who shared both honor and humiliation with the empire to prevaricate.


    Before exchanging blows with that saber-wielding outsider, these were indeed facts that couldn''t be wed.


    In fact, even the true bodies of the six gods who had suffered severe damage to their Dao Manifestations most likely hadn''t noticed any issues with this reasoning. This was especially the case since the emperor''s secret decree had clearly stated that they were only targeting a 10th Tier cultivator, or perhaps an 11th Tier cultivator.


    Even after the matter, they still felt the same way.


    This was the case even though they had suffered a resounding defeat. From the emperor himself to the creator of White Jade Capital, and then to the six formal gods of the mountains and rivers, it appeared as if all of them had ended up as losers. However, this was because not a single one of them had anticipated that their opponent would be so powerful. When they eventually revealed this truth to the world, the Great Li Empire might even unintentionally experience glory even though they had been defeated.


    Even so, Cui Chan still felt a sense of lingering apprehension as he stood atop the city wall.


    This was because the emperor managed to achieve some parts of his goal despite suffering defeat.


    Among the formal gods of the Five Mountains, only the god of the Central Mountain who was forever loyal to the Great Li Empire and the god of the Northern Mountain who had been in the worst situation before had managed to keep their Dao Manifestations unharmed.


    The Dao Manifestations of the three other formal gods had all been wiped out, causing their cultivation base to fall drastically. In fact, they had almost fallen to the level of ordinary mountain gods. Bing as feeble as they were now, they lost the power and confidence to challenge the emperor when it came to the matter of reassigning the Five Mountains.


    However, this wasn''t the most terrifying part. In the past, the emperor had asked Cui Chan a question while they were enjoying a hearty conversation. The imperial preceptor had thus mentioned some of his knowledge gained from experience, saying that rulers could sometimes consider those who had made mistakes or faced punishment in the past when deciding on which official to use. In fact, rulers could even consider putting these people into important positions. This was because they had been punished and taught a lesson before, so with this memory in mind, they would be especially obedient.


    If one day the formal gods of the Five Mountains, excluding the formal god of the Central Mountain, realized the hidden undercurrents of this miserable defeat, they would most likely develop a feeling of resentment toward the emperor of the Great Li Empire. However, the previous formal god of the Northern Mountain who had suffered punishment for supporting the wrong side before would only feel a sense of increasing terror.

 Chapter 118: (1): Theres Righteousness In The World

    Chapter 118: (1): There''s Righteousness In The World


    At the intersection of Dragon Whisker Creek and the Iron Talisman River was a magnificent waterfall.


    However, Dragon Whisker Creek had now been renamed the Dragon Whisker River.


    In the dark of night, a seductive beauty held a sword with a golden tassel in her arms as she stood at the intersection of the creek and the river. The young woman was extremely shapely, and the fabric surrounding her chest was pushed far and tight. It could be said that she couldn''t see her own toes if she looked down. Right now, many strands of the golden tassel were resting above her voluptuous chest.


    She was none other than the personal maidservant of Her Majesty. Even though she was extremely beautiful, she had a name that was both crude and basic �� Yang Hua.


    The young woman first tossed the incredibly valuable sword of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Talisman, into the river with a sudden thrust.


    She then took a deep breath before undressing herself,yer byyer. She casually tossed her clothes into the sshing Iron Talisman River.


    In the end, her smooth and curvaceous body waspletely exposed. Bathing in the soft glow of moonlight and the rising mist from the water, she appeared increasingly ethereal and elegant.


    She took a step forward, and her slender body plunged straight down into the river.


    She was going to enter the river to be a goddess.


    The young woman had already received an edict from the imperial court, and tonight, she was going to be the formal goddess of the Iron Talisman River.


    The Great Li Empire had three levels of counties ��rge, medium, and small. Rivers were the same. Beneath the level of rivers was creeks, where the lowest level of waterway deities would reside. Even if one was appointed as the deity of a waterway, one would only obtain the title of river guardian and not river god.


    Above the level of creeks was rivers, which were then separated into three levels again �� upper, medium, and lower. After rising two levels, the Dragon Whisker Creek had now risen from the level of creek to medium-level river. Above the level of river was great river, and there was no further distinction apart from this. Right now, the Iron Talisman River had risen from the level of river to great river[1].


    However, a decision had been made to not construct any river god shrines or erect any golden river god statues for the intersecting Dragon Whisker River and Iron Talisman River. At least not at the moment.


    They would keep things simple wherever they could.


    The two newly appointed river gods were both unfamiliar names to those in Dragon Spring County. Among them, the Iron Talisman River''s formal god was called Yang Hua.


    Compared to the "loud thunder and small raindrops"[2] of appointing the new river gods, the imperial court of the Great Li Empire also appointed three new formal mountain gods in a single breath. These formal gods would reside in Cloud Drape Mountain, Incense Mountain, and Downtrodden Mountain.


    The apotheosis ceremony was grand and majestic, and the emperor of the Great Li Empire personally penned the imperial edicts. The Sage, Ruan Qiong, helped announce the opening of the altar, and the assistant minister from the Ministry of Rites helped announce the contents of the imperial edict.


    Meanwhile, the geomantic official from the Ministry of Astronomy and Wu Yuan, the county magistrate and parent official of Dragon Spring County, unveiled the y golden statues of two of the formal gods. There was a whole sequence of borate formalities, and not a single formality was ignored or glossed over.


    The mountain gods in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent were divided into three levels �� the formal gods of the Five Mountains, ordinary mountain gods, and mountain lords. The mountain lords that themoners often referred to as "lords of thend" could be viewed as something simr to officials-in-waiting in the imperial courts.


    Generally speaking, mountains and mountain ranges would remain simr in size no matter how many hundreds or thousands of years passed. Thus, it was extremely difficult for mountain lords or mountain gods to gain promotion if they stayed in the same ce. However, this wasn''t definitive.


    If a powerful cultivator decided to reside in their mountains and cultivate, and if this cultivator eventually became someone highly regarded by an empire �� such as a mighty imperial preceptor or True Lord��then it would be possible for the mountain lords or mountain gods to ride their coattails and also gain promotion. After all, mountains were renowned not for their height, but for the presence of immortals living in them[3].


    Among the newly appointed mountain gods, the mountain god appointed to Downtrodden Mountain was especially strange. Only his surname, Song, was known. Moreover,pared to the y statues of the two other mountain gods that were simply gilded in gold, the entire head of his statue had been specially forged from gold. Apart from this, however, the rest of his statue wasn''t gilded in gold powder. Instead, his clothes and ornaments were simply painted using a variety of different colors. It was rumored that this was done due to a secret order from the imperial court.


    ��������


    The river was murky, and above it was a violent and thundering waterfall.


    The toes of the young woman lightly touched down on the precious talismanic sword from the Daoist Sect. Like vines in the water, the golden tassel of the sword had already lightly wrapped around her toes at some time.


    She was being punished because of her achievements.


    Her eyes were tightly shut, and hershes trembled slightly as tears slowly flowed from her eyes. However, these tears were quickly swept away by the currents of the river.


    Even though she had been born with a unique physique that allowed her to have a strong affinity with water and rivers ever since a young age, a traveling Daoist priest had once visited her home and divined her Eight Characters for her when she was young.[4] The Daoist priest had concluded that she was prone to attracting all kinds of dark and dirty matter in the water, so it was best that she didn''t approach any water sources alone, especially ces where sourceless water converged.


    As Yang Hua grew older, it wasn''t long before a geomantic official from the Great Li Empire noticed her and brought her before Her Majesty. From then onward, she started to cultivate a top-notch water-element technique. Her cultivation advanced in leaps and bounds, and her progress in three years was equivalent to the progress of others in 30 years or even longer. This was taking into ount the fact that she was only cultivating casually, while thetter people were cultivating in earnest.


    However, this wasn''t the main reason why she had been forced onto this "path with no return".


    One had to realize that bing river guardians or river deities was widely viewed as "taking a severed path" by orthodox Qi refiners. This wasn''t a means to achieving immortality.


    If a bridge to immortality were clearly copsed in the middle, preventing one from reaching the other end, could it still be considered a bridge to immortality?


    Yang Hua understood why she had suffered this fate �� she was being punished because of her achievements.


    This was because she had won the acknowledgment of that talismanic sword in the capital. She had sessfully gained control of the sword, Talisman, before the young swordsman from Wind Lightning Field, Liu Baqiao.


    After obtaining this supreme fated opportunity, her cultivation started to advance at an even more explosive speed. However, just as she thought that she was about to reach the Upper Five Tiers, a nightmare also crept up on her silently and without warning. Firstly, it was Her Majesty telling her to offer up the talismanic sword and hand it over to Ruan Qiong, the sage overlooking Jewel Small World. After being used to strike the Dragon ying tform twice, what was returned to her was a talismanic sword that was already teetering on the brink of shattering.


    However, what could she do? On one side was Her Majesty who had given her a new lease on life, and on the other side was a sage from the School of Military Thought who was an esteemed guest of the Great Li Empire. She had no option but to grit her teeth and ept this fate. However, she truly hadn''t imagined that the emperor would suddenly issue that decree and order her to be the river goddess of the Iron Talisman River.


    The young woman stood atop the sword and motionlessly hovered in the river. It was as if she were a deity standing in a shrine.


    She rid her mind of all distracting thoughts and started topose herself and focus her mind. She formed seals with her hands, and her body remained as immovable as a mountain.


    One strand after another, her hair started to slowly detach from her scalp and vanish with the current of the river.


    Immediately afterward, her flesh started to slowly melt and disintegrate.


    She was in severe pain, not only in a physical sense, but even more from the anguished wails that came from the depths of her soul. She had already channeled an untaught secret technique of the Great Li Empire to cut off her senses, yet her slender body that was bloodied and disintegrating still couldn''t help but shake.


    Little flesh remained on her body, and she was now almost as thin as a skeleton!


    In the end, the young woman was genuinely reduced to nothing more than a skeleton.


    The surface of the river boiled, and steam rose into the air.


    Resting on the bottom of the river, the talismanic sword that was almost shattered remained unmoving the entire time. However, the harrowing white skeleton that still barely resembled the shape of a young woman started to sway like flowing aquatic grass. It appeared weak and brittle, and it was as if it might be swept away by the currents of the river at any moment.


    It was at this critical moment that the threads on the golden tassel of the talismanic sword started to emit a golden glow. Not only did these threads tighten their grip around the young woman''s toes, but they even started to slowly rise and wrap around her lower legs, eventually stopping when they reached her bone-white kneecap.


    Only at this moment was the skeleton finally able to stabilize itself. With the help of the golden tassel, she would no longer be disdained and abandoned by the mystical divine sense hidden in the river, and she would no longer suffer the fate of being reduced to the lowliest water-dwelling ghost or yin entity.


    Gathering divine nature, remolding a godly body, and having one''s mortal body transcend to the level of pseudo sage...


    Observing the skeleton, one could see the first strand of hair starting to regrow on the skull.


    This wasn''t long crow-blue hair like that of the "old woman" river guardian in Dragon Whisker Creek. Instead, strands of pale golden hair started to appear on her white skull one after another, bing increasingly lush and eventually granting her a head of long and gorgeous hair that measured several meters in length.


    This was a rare, once-in-a-century, "rain goddess" form!


    Regardless of their rank, river guardians and river gods were ultimately bound to thend and the water. They could only go with the flow. Meanwhile, rain gods that were almostpletely extinct in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent could be regarded as heavenly deities that weren''t bound by the earth.


    Even though the rank of rain gods wouldn''t be much higher than the rank of great river gods, the gap between them would be like the disparity between the strength of ordinary Qi refiners and swordsmen at the same cultivation base �� it was actually quite significant. Another example would be the position of pce minister held by thentern-bearing old man. Compared to other official positions at the same level, the importance and influence of pce ministers were far greater in all aspects.


    The Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Dao Sect, the Golden Dharmap Arhats of the Buddhist Sect, the gold-gilded y statues of the deities, and the golden branches and jade leaves[5] of the mortal empires �� all of these titles included the description "golden".


    Of course, it was slightly misleading when people referred to the Dao Manifestations of deities as Golden Dao Manifestations. This didn''t mean that the bodies of these deities were genuinely covered in gold or made up of gold. For example, the river guardian of the Dragon Whisker River had only developed a speck of golden light in her eyes. There was a huge gulf between her and Yang Hua, whose flowing golden hair signified her aptitude as a rain goddess.


    The young woman started to recover her appearance.


    Flesh grew on her bones.


    When she finally opened her eyes again, she was already in a body more beautiful than before.


    A green dress formed from the water essence of the river wrapped around her slender and enchanting body.


    She slowly drifted forward, and it was as if she were traversing t ground. Her breathing was calm and rxed, andpared to cultivating in a cave abode that was brimming with spiritual energy, she felt even more fulfilled and content at this moment.


    Yang Hua raised her hand and made a grabbing motion, and the talismanic sword that had remained sheathed the entire time drifted up from the bottom of the river and into her hand. Holding the sword horizontally in front of her, Yang Hua lightly pulled it out of its scabbard. She gazed at the startling fractures on the de. They were like scars on the face of a beautiful woman, and this was something that would cause one to feel sorrow and pity.


    Now a great river goddess of the Great Li Empire, Yang Hua turned the edge of the talismanic sword upward and gazed down at the de that was still just as sharp as before. Her voice was gentle as she murmured, "In the end, only you haven''t left or abandoned me."


    The talismanic sword shuddered slightly. Its spiritual energy was exhausted, and it was much like a haggard old person lying on their deathbed. It waspletely devoid of spirit and energy.


    "I won''t ever view you with disdain. So be it if this is a severed path. We''ll walk to the end together."


    Yang Hua lowered her head and slightly tilted her face. Using the edge of the talismanic sword, she drew a deep gash into her cheek, so deep that even her cheekbone became visible.


    The surging water of the Iron Talisman River roared by, bing increasingly vigorous and gant. It was filled with killing intent, and there was not a hint of resentment or mncholy.


    Such was the case with worldly matters �� trouble would befall those who possessed cherished items, and punishment would befall those whose talent drew envy.


    Such was the case with worldly beings ��ing into possession of deadly des, killing intent would naturally possess their hearts!


    1. There are two words for river in Chinese (�� and ��), and they fundamentally have the same meaning. The best example is the Yangtze River (����) and Yellow River (�ƺ�). However, the author chooses to make a distinction here. ?


    2. This means a lot of talk but little action. ?


    3. An extract from one of Liu Yuxi''s works. Liu Yuxi was a Chinese essayist, philosopher, and poet from the Tang dynasty. ?


    4. The Eight Characters (����) is a Chinese astrological concept that a person''s destiny or fate can be divined by the two sexagenary cycle characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour. ?


    5. This is referring to descendants of the emperor or nobles. ?

 Chapter 119: (1): Thats Reasonable

    Chapter 119: (1): That''s Reasonable


    The Embroidered Flower River was extremely elegant and beautiful. Gentle waves rippled across the green surface of the water, and the river was wide yet gave off a warm feeling at the same time.


    The southbound ship that Chen Ping''an and the others were on consisted of two levels, with most of the passengers being schrs in azure or merchants and travelers. Li Baoping wasn''t afraid of unfamiliar people, and she enjoyed walking into crowded areas with her small bookcase on her back. She would prick up her ears and listen to their conversations.


    When the schrs saw that it was an energetic but well-behaved little girl standing at afortable distance and carrying a small green bookcase, which signified that she was on a journey for knowledge, they would often smile kindly and not pay too much heed to her. They would continue their conversations without a worry in their minds.


    Li Huai carefully manipted the donkey leash as he rode it in circles around a small area at the bow of the ship. He appeared much like a domineering general inspecting the borders of his nation. Strangely enough, the white donkey only allowed Li Huai to ride it. This caused Li Huai to feel immense happiness.


    As for returning this donkey to Wei Jin from the Divine tform branch of Wind Snow Temple, and regarding asking him for generouspensation, Li Huai had naturally forgotten about these important matters and treated them as nothing more than wind passing by his ears.


    Lin Shouyi walked up to Chen Ping''an and sat down with his back against the rail of the ship. He hesitated briefly before asking, "Aren''t you curious about why A''Liang called me a Qi refiner? And about how I became a Qi refiner?"


    Chen Ping''an paused his motions of slicing the green bamboo with his machete, and he replied with a smile, "Of course I''m curious. However, I felt like it wouldn''t be right to ask. I was afraid that you would overthink things."


    Lin Shouyi felt slightly dejected. Among the three disciples from the private school, even a blind person could tell that Chen Ping''an only truly cared for one of them �� Li Baoping. Between him and Li Huai, Chen Ping''an most likely had a better rtionship with thetter. Lin Shouyi wasn''t sure whether this was because both Chen Ping''an and Li Huai had grown up in impoverished alleys in the small town, or whether it was because he was too taciturn and reserved. In any case, the young boy didn''t care much about these trivial matters either.


    However, Lin Shouyi still couldn''t help but feel a little gloomy.


    "Do you know about the impressive power of the small gourd or not?" he asked.


    Chen Ping''an quietly observed the surroundings before nodding and replying in a low voice, "Even A''Liang said that it was a rare Sword Nurturing Gourd or whatnot, so of course it''s extremely precious and rare."


    "Then do you know how great an opportunity you lost when you turned down the offer to drink from it when you were practicing your fist technique?" Lin Shouyi asked. "It was because I continued to drink wine from the small gourd that I was able to officially set foot on the path of cultivation and be a Qi refiner. Or in the eyes of ordinary people, be an immortal who cultivates in the mountains.


    "When we first embarked on this journey, I was the person who struggled the most to keep up. After drinking that wine, however, I could sense that my body had transformedpletely, whether that be my bones or tendons, my vision or hearing, or my stamina or strength. After a while, I was even able to keep up with you. Did you not realize this?"


    Chen Ping''an subconsciously rubbed the cool green bamboo strips with his fingers and replied, "In fact, you were already traversing the mountain paths with ease when we left the banks of the Iron Talisman River and approached Go Table Mountain."


    Lin Shouyi''s expression didn''t change, and he calmly replied, "Oh, so you already knew."


    "A''Liang was a veryzy person. He''s extremely capable, but he''s not willing to take care of trivial matters," Chen Ping''an exined with a smile. "As the person leading the group, I naturally had to be mindful of each person''s stamina and limits. I needed to understand when to stop and take a rest. By doing this, you guys could improve your stamina without feeling too tired. The journey ahead of us is still long, so I hope you guys won''t need to face too many hardships and struggles in the future."


    Lin Shouyi suddenly crossed his arms and humphed coldly as he looked at Chen Ping''an''s expression. "I wouldn''t believe these words if they were spoken by anyone else."


    Chen Ping''an waved the bamboo strip in his hand and asked with a smile, "I''m bing more and more skilled at this. However, thest bookcase I make will definitely be the best-looking one. So, I''ll give this one to Li Huai first? If that''s the case, then I''ll make this one a little bit smaller."


    Lin Shouyi shot a nce at the little boy who was riding the old donkey before shaking his head and saying, "Forget about it. Make my bookcase first. At worst, I''ll just have to listen to some of his grumblings."


    "Then I''ll use some more rope and try to make it as sturdy as I can," Chen Ping''an chuckled. "You''re a powerful immortal after all, so if you end up flying around like A''Liang in the future, the bookcase will break in no time if I don''t make it sturdier."


    Lin Shouyi heaved a sigh. He didn''t feel like he was stupid, but it was truly difficult for him to keep up with Chen Ping''an''s thoughts. He suddenly recalled something that had bugged him for a long time, and he asked in curiosity, "Back when we were staying at Pillow Ry Station, why did you reveal the truth about Zhu He and Zhu Lu''s departure to Li Baoping not long after A''Liang left?"


    Chen Ping''an''s expression became serious, and he countered, "Do you think I have a better rtionship with Li Baoping, or with that father and daughter?"


    "Nonsense," Lin Shouyi snapped in reply.


    Chen Ping''an nodded and exined, "And that''s why I had to exin the situation to Li Baoping. She needed to understand what these people from her n had done. I have a fairly good understanding of what kind of person Zhu Lu is. When A''Liang purposelyid a trap for her at that time, she wasn''t simply wavering due to hesitation. Instead, she hoped that her father Zhu He... could step forward again.


    "Back in Go Table Mountain, it was because of her actions that we were dragged into a perilous situation. However, since we all pulled through unscathed, I could forgive her by thinking that she was simply flustered because she was anxious to save her father. If I were in her position, I wouldn''t have necessarily done any better. Thus, even though I was angry, I didn''t say anything to scold her or me her. However, her actions at Pillow Ry Station were simply unforgivable. To say nothing of her Young Mistress Li Baoping, I feel like Zhu Lu would be willing to betray anyone as long as the price is right."


    There was a tinge of sadness in Chen Ping''an''s voice as he continued, "If she doesn''t change, then there''ll eventuallye a day when her actions will cause her father to die. After leaving Red Candle Town alive, I don''t want to see a decent person like Zhu He die at the hands of his own daughter. She can still enjoy thepany of her father, so why doesn''t she understand to cherish this?"


    "Do you really think that all parents in the world are good parents?" Lin Shouyi asked with a cold expression.


    "I don''t care about the others; my parents were extremely good parents!" Chen Ping''an said firmly.


    Lin Shouyi''s expression was slightly dark. However, what Chen Ping''an said next caused his expression to lighten a little. "Zhu He is a good person, but it seems like he doesn''t really know how to discipline his daughter. Since some of her actions are clearly wrong, why doesn''t he say anything and try to educate her? I don''t understand this. Lin Shouyi, you''re a smart person, so do you know why this is?"


    Lin Shouyi appeared slightly worn out, and he replied, "Perhaps this is a blind spot for him. However, the simple concept of ''parental love'' isn''t something that can be applied to every parent in the world. Chen Ping''an, every family has its own hardships. Your parents passed away early, and it''s because of this that you don''t need to worry about some of these matters. Of course, I''m not trying to imply anything else. If this sounds grating on the ear, then just ignore what I said."


    Chen Ping''an waved a hand and said with a smile, "No, it''s all good."


    Lin Shouyi nced at Chen Ping''an''s hair and said, "Your hairpin vanished just like that, and you''re not going to look for it?"


    Chen Ping''an continued to busy himself with the strips of bamboo. He shook his head and replied, "It can''t be found. Being as miserly as I am, do you really think I''d be careless enough to lose such a precious belonging?"


    Lin Shouyi''s expression became strange, and he remarked, "No wonder A''Liang said that I should swap names with you."


    "There''s some deeper meaning behind this?" Chen Ping''an asked in curiosity.


    However, Lin Shouyi had already changed the topic. He leaned forward slightly and said to the expert craftsman Chen Ping''an, "Can you add a bit of a curve to this part of the bookcase? Otherwise, it will look too straight and boring. It''s better if the bookcase has a good bnce of straight edges and curves. That way, it will also look better from a distance."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "I''ll try my best. However, I won''t take any responsibility if ites out looking bad."


    Knowing that Chen Ping''an was someone who always stayed true to his word, Lin Shouyi, who had high expectations for his bookcase, couldn''t help but feel anxious. "No, that certainly won''t do," he hurriedly said. "These stalks of bamboo from Go Table Mountain are extremely precious and rare, and one stalk used is one stalk gone. My bookcase needs to be pleasing to the eye, and at the same time, it also needs to be functional and sturdy. Chen Ping''an, you can slow down a bit when you cut the bamboo with your machete. When you''re making the frame, you can also stop and give it some more thought. Yes, you definitely need to give it some more thought..."


    However, Chen Ping''an''s movements remained quick as he continued to cut the bamboo with his machete. Bamboo scraps and offcuts continued to fall to the floor. Chen Ping''an then picked these up and ced them into his basket. Lin Shouyi was horrified by what he saw. Seeing the aloof young boy''s worried expression from the corners of his eyes, Chen Ping''an suppressed hisughter and said, "How about I make your bookcasest."


    "My name is Lin Shouyi, so how can I go back on my words[1]?" the young boy replied with an angry expression.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly understood why A''Liang liked to tease others so much. This was a fairly good feeling.


    With the donkey following behind him, Li Huai swaggered over to them and asked openly, "Chen Ping''an, do you think A''Liang will return tomorrow?"


    "Have you forgotten?" Chen Ping''an looked up and asked.


    Li Huai hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands. After a while, he put his hands down and thievishly nced at the surroundings. Only then did he let go of the donkey leash and squat down opposite Chen Ping''an. He lowered his voice and said, "Then the day after tomorrow. That will also be fine. Anyway, I''ll only wait until the day we disembark from the ship. If A''Liang still hasn''t returned by that time, then I won''t view him as a friend anymore. Chen Ping''an, tell me, am I already being very generous? I am, right? When A''Liang falls to his knees and begs me for forgiveness at that time... Mhm, you can say a few words for him, and I''ll reluctantly agree to be friends with him again."


    Lin Shouyi decided to shut his eyes andpletely ignore his ssmate. This was one of the best ways to deal with Li Huai.


    Lin Shouyi had never seen such a punchable person before. In fact, he was genuinely curious about whether he would take pleasure in Li Huai''s misfortune if cmity did one day befall him.


    There was the bray of a donkey, followed by the sound of a small child falling to the deck and bawling.


    Li Huai looked over with a slightly baffled expression. The white donkey had gotten itself into some trouble. The small child had most likely run over to tease the donkey for fun, but the white donkey was extremely short-tempered and wasn''t having a bar of it. Even though it wouldn''t attack people, it could definitely frighten a small child who dared to mess around with it. In fact, it was doing so right now, raising its front hooves and forcefully stomping them into the deck again and again. The small child was so terrified that he didn''t even dare to cry anymore.


    Chen Ping''an immediately put his machete and the bamboo strips down before briskly walking over. He carefully helped the small child up before turning to the white donkey and gesturing for it to calm down. Even though the donkey was still a little restless, it did indeed cease its stomping after seeing Chen Ping''an''s gestures. It quietly stood where it was.


    The small child was dressed in satin, and he wildly swung his arms as he attempted to break free from Chen Ping''an''s helping hands. When he saw his elders rushing over from the second level of the ship, he instantly started to wail and scream again. A solidly-built man in ck quickly strode over, with one step enough to cover three ordinary steps. He arrived beside the small child in a sh, and he squatted down and asked quietly, "What''s wrong, Young Master Yu?"


    Chen Ping''an waved at Li Huai who was attempting to sneakily scurry away. Li Huai shrunk back in fear, but when he caught Chen Ping''an''s gaze, he finally didn''t dare to run away anymore. He walked next to Chen Ping''an and hung his head in anxiousness. "My little white donkey definitely wouldn''t bite people for no reason. I''m not lying to you, Chen Ping''an..." he said meekly.


    "Mhm. However, you still have to apologize to them," Chen Ping''an said softly.


    Li Huai looked up andined in an upset voice, "But why? It was that child who provoked my little white donkey first. My donkey didn''t hurt him either, so why do I have to apologize to him? It should be that immature child who apologizes to me!"


    Chen Ping''an was just about to exin this to Li Huai.


    However, Li Baoping had already run back from somewhere in the distance and stood next to Chen Ping''an. Meanwhile, Lin Shouyi had also stood up. However, he needed to stay put to keep an eye on their belongings.


    Someone standing behind the small child roared in an angry and dignified voice, "What an impudent beast! You actually dare to wound people?!"


    This was a middle-aged man who was radiating with the mighty aura of an official. His expression was grim, and he swept his gaze across Chen Ping''an and the others. "Where are your guardians? Tell them to get out here!"


    Chen Ping''an''s expression was calm, and he said quietly, "Li Huai."


    Already half-hidden behind Chen Ping''an, Li Huai timidly said, "It was my fault for not keeping an eye on my little white donkey. Sorry for scaring your child."


    After mustering his courage to apologize to these strangers, Li Huai immediately started to choke up.


    A''Liang had once teased him and called him a chicken who only dared to act aggressively at home, but could only act meekly once he went out. His observations were indeed keen and correct.


    Chen Ping''an patted Li Huai''s head before turning to the middle-aged man and asking, "Is there anything else we can do for you?"


    The middle-aged man sneered and said, "Such big words from a small child! Tell your parents or guardians toe over and speak!"


    A graceful-looking woman had a distressed expression as she picked up the small child. As she listened to the child in her arms exining the situation, the frown on her face grew deeper and deeper. This was especially the case when she heard her child recounting the violent behavior of the donkey crashing around and biting everyone it came across. If he hadn''t fled quickly enough, his arm would have definitely been bitten off by that fierce and unruly beast.


    The woman shook in fury, and she yelled, "Aren''t you going to do anything about this?! You were given the cold shoulder in the capital for so many years, yet you''re still going to allow a beast to harass your son after going to such great pains to move somewhere else? Even if you don''t feel ashamed, I, a woman, feel ashamed for you!"


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath before saying to the gloomy-faced middle-aged man, "Our guardians aren''t apanying us, so I''m the one in charge of everything."


    The woman''s gaze shifted sideways, and she coldly red at Chen Ping''an and the others as she taunted, "They can''t even manage a four-legged beast properly, so how can these two-legged things be any better? Bunch of motherless filth!"


    Li Baoping trembled in anger, and her face was bright red as she retorted, "Little white donkey is super obedient! We''ll apologize if we did anything wrong, but you can''t nder us for things that we didn''t do! If you''re so capable, then why don''t you question that child again? You can throw usations after you''ve made heads or tails of the situation!"


    Lin Shouyi''s expression was dark and sinister as he raised his arm toward his chest.


    The stack of yellow paper talismans was wide-ranging in level, and with Lin Shouyi''s novice cultivation base and physique, he could only manipte the three lowest-level talismans.


    Chen Ping''an shot a quick nce at Lin Shouyi, subtly questioning him about the situation. Lin Shouyi nodded in reply, signaling that the Yin god wasn''t far away from here. He had already initiated contact with him, and the Yin god could appear at any time.


    Chen Ping''an retracted his gaze and said to the middle-aged man with a solemn expression, "I hope thatdy can apologize to us."


    1. The Shouyi (��һ) in his name literally means remaining loyal to one thing. ?

 Chapter 120: (1): Long Journey

    Chapter 120: (1): Long Journey


    After the hugemotion, the owner of the ship who was snobbish to the poor and obsequious to the rich immediately ran over and offered these "esteemed guests" a top-quality private room on the second level. He told them it would be fine even if they wanted to bring the donkey inside. It was his humble ship that was honored by their presence.


    Many other passengers visited them after hearing of their exploits, and most of them were wearing a saber instead of a sword by their waist. It was clear that they wanted to cotton up to Chen Ping''an and the others. Chen Ping''an wasn''t familiar with this kind of thing, so it was Lin Shouyi who stepped forward to help them politely decline these requests to visit.


    Lin Shouyi had grown up in an official residence, after all, so his actions and manner of speech were naturally elegant and refined. Even though he was declining them, the visitors still left with happy smiles on their faces.


    The swordsman who the old man had referred to as "Baijing" was a rtively renowned lone cultivator in the southern regions of the Great Li Empire. His sword, Spirit Void, was a legitimate artifact, and it was an impressive weapon from the Talisman Branch of the Daoist Sect. ording to legends, a mighty figure had once left the mountains to cultivate his mind. After passing and being hacked apart by sabers in the wilderness, this sword was a relic that he had left. Afterward, the swordsman in white hade across it by chance.


    Relying on his already-impressive sword skills, the swordsman had eventuallyprehended the true meaning of the sword. It was from that moment that he started to gain renown. However, he didn''t like being restrained, and it was because of this that he hadn''t epted the invitations from the governments and armies of the Great Li Empire. Instead, he liked to travel around the world. To have his name remembered in a region where beastsy hidden and powerful cultivators were abundant, this white-robed swordsman was indeed a very impressive person.


    However, he had been toyed with and defeated before he could even draw his sword from its scabbard. He had suffered a humiliating defeat. Perhaps this was a defeat that would even cast shadows on his sword heart and leave contamination in his sword intent. After considering this, one could ponder just how much power Chen Ping''an and the others could wield.


    There were many knowledgable schrs, experienced merchants, and adventuring cultivators on the ship, and regardless of whether they were good-intentioned or ill-willed, few of them could be regarded as fools.


    When he saw that there were no more visitors, Lin Shouyi massaged his temples in slight irritation. If it wasn''t for the fact that he could personally see his emerald-green bookcase slowly taking form in Chen Ping''an''s hands during his brief periods of rest, perhaps the aloof and taciturn Lin Shouyi would have truly abandoned his politeness and vented his frustrations at the visitors.


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly sympathetic toward him, and he said, "Don''t worry, I''ll definitely make a bookcase that you''re satisfied with."


    There was exhaustion on Lin Shouyi''s face as he sat down and crossed his legs. He revealed his true thoughts in a rare turn of events, saying softly, "I truly want to find a tranquil ce with beautiful mountains and limpid waters to cultivate in seclusion. I''ll only need to worry about my years in the mountains, and I won''t need to care even if hundreds or thousands of years have already passed in the outside world. However, A''Liang told me that this method of cultivating the mind is called a ''deserted gravemound'' method.


    "This method is indeed feasible, but only for Qi refiners who have already reached a certain level in cultivation. I''ve only just set foot on the path of cultivation, so if I try to follow this method, I''ll definitely suffer Qi deviation and fall to a heretical path without knowing."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Then you do need to be careful."


    Squatting beside them with his face resting in his hands, Li Huai chuckled giddily, "Lin Shouyi, maybe A''Liang was just scaring you. If you ask me, I''d say that Go Table Mountain looks quite nice. It''s a suitable ce for you to be an immortal. When you get bored, you can even chat and muck around with that mountain lord Wei Bo. You can ride the big turtles, or you can ride that ck python. Just how impressive will that be?


    "However, if this is the case, it will mean that you''re noting to Great Sui Nation with us anymore. So, why don''t you give this bookcase to me? I might not be able to carry it now, but when I grow taller and stronger in a few years, this big bookcase will be a perfect recement for my small bookcase. I''ll remember your kindness, and I can even return the bookcase to you when we return from Great Sui Nation in the future."


    Lin Shouyi shot a sideways nce at the scheming Li Huai. He smiled coldly and said, "I won''t give my bookcase to you even if I leave and cultivate in Go Table Mountain."


    "Oh, then you might as well stay with us and go to Great Sui Nation together," Li Huai replied.


    Lin Shouyi rubbed his be. He felt like only A''Liang could keep Li Huai under control.


    No, Li Baoping could as well, and so could Chen Ping''an.


    Hang on... Was he the only one who couldn''t deal with Li Huai?


    Lin Shouyi was in a fairly bad mood, and he kept his gaze fixed on Li Huai. The little boy''s hairs stood on end, and he hurriedly pledged his loyalty by saying, "What''s wrong, Lin Shouyi? I actually do want you toe to Great Sui Nation with us. It''s just that I''m a bit envious of your bookcase. I won''t deny this. But what can I do about this? Your bookcase is bigger than mine, after all.


    "However, if you genuinely decide to disembark the ship and head back to Go Table Mountain, I definitely won''t be happy. Just think about it. Of the four of us, only you''re sanctimonious and filled with evil schemes. If wee across bad people who don''t have evil written all over their faces in the future, then only you''ll be able to see through them with a single nce. Isn''t that right, Chen Ping''an, Li Baoping?"


    Li Huai looked around for reinforcements.


    Chen Ping''an''s head was lowered as he continued to earnestly make the bookcase. It was as if he hadn''t heard Li Huai''s words at all. Meanwhile, Li Baoping''s mind had wandered to somece tens of thousands of kilometers away as she pondered some strange and peculiar questions. She waspletely absorbed in thought.


    Lin Shouyi''s mind was heavy, and he said, "Do you think our journey to Great Sui Nation will be easy? Apart from the dangers and obstructions posed by the mountains and rivers, we''ll definitely encounter many troubles that we can''t even imagine."


    Li Huai blinked as he listened to this.


    "The Great Li Empire is founded on martial arts, so the factions and forces in thesends can''t be underestimated. There are few renowned schrs, and before our teacher founded Mountain Cliff Academy, the Great Li Empire was derided by everyone else in the continent as and of barbarians," Lin Shouyi continued slowly.


    Li Huai nodded and said, "I already know this. Mr. Qi never shied away from talking about these things. It''s not like he never told us about the Great Li Empire''s situation before."


    Lin Shouyi sighed and continued, "I remember the kiln supervision official Master Song telling me some things when I was young. Many years ago, a schr from the Great Li Empire finally managed to pass the exam and enter Lake View Academy after much difficulty. However, what weed him was a barrage of humiliation from all sides. Not only was he verbally abused, but ording to Master Song, he was even subject to a scheme set up by two schrs from Great Sui Nation''s Gao n and Lu n.


    "The schr from the Great Li Empire suffered a mental copse because of this, and he became crazy for a great number of years. When he finally managed to recover, he was brutally stabbed in the heart again due to a matter pertaining to love. In the end, he jumped into a river andmitted suicide.


    "The imperial court of the Great Li Empire was enraged by this, and this was one of the sparks that ignited the full-scale war with the Lu Empire. This was a war where the Great Li Empire gambled the fortune of the entire nation. You have to realize that before this, the Great Li Empire had only been a subordinate empire to the Lu Empire. Thus, we could only suppress our anger and tolerate the harassment and obstacles thrown at us.


    "However, the situation has already changed a lot. There are more and more schrs in the Great Li Empire now, and the Qi refiners cultivating in the mountains have also started toe out and serve in the imperial court of the empire, or courageously y enemies on the borders."


    "This has led to apletely different scenario. The schrs in the Great Li Empire enjoy a lofty status, and once they be officials, they''ll naturally feel like they''re superior to everyone else. For example, the person who imed to be the county magistrate of Wanping County just then was most likely a schr from the capital, someone who passed the imperial examination and was deployed to a local area.


    "Right now, I''m worried that he''ll choose to target us when we disembark the ship in an area under his jurisdiction. Perhaps he''ll target us because of his temperament as a schr, or perhaps he''ll target us as a new official looking to make sweeping changes."


    Lin Shouyi smiled and continued, "Fortunately, he''s only a schrly official. However, there''s an ''immortal'' among us who has yet to show himself. Perhaps he''ll be able to deter this official. After all, schrs are still unable topete with Qi refiners regardless of how precious they are in the Great Li Empire. The only fear is if the county magistrate isn''t smart enough. Or more urately, if he doesn''t understand the true might of a Qi refiner. If that''s the case, then we''ll still be gued by a string of troubles."


    Li Huai was filled with anxiety, and he turned around to p the white donkey that was lying on its side. "Troublemaker donkey!" he scolded. "Do you think you''re a beautiful youngdy or something? Was there any need to lose your temper after being touched a little?"


    "That old man is definitely an esteemed guest of the county magistrate now," Li Baoping suddenly interjected. "They can both pour their grievances out to each other. However, I believe that the higher the old man''s status and the more skillful the swordsman''s swordsmanship, the less likely the county magistrate will dare to target us openly. My eldest brother told me that schrs often fail their rebellions even after many years[1].


    "As for secretly targeting us with small schemes, this isn''t something that we need to be afraid of. We''ll deal with whatever they throw at us, as long as they don''t utilize the power of the imperial court. What are you afraid of, Lin Shouyi? Don''t lose yourposure and fall into disarray!"


    Lin Shouyi pondered this carefully before nodding and saying, "This is most likely the case."


    After voicing her opinion, Li Baoping turned to Chen Ping''an and asked with an earnest expression, "Is that right, junior uncle?"


    "How would I know about the long-winded thought processes of these schrs and officials? In any case, you and Lin Shouyi can discuss the ns if wee across any trouble," Chen Ping''an replied.


    During the incident where Mr. Ma was killed, the group of children had not only managed to return to the small town safely, but they had even managed to trick the coach driver who had referred to himself as a spy from the Great Li Empire. In reality, it was Lin Shouyi who hade up with the idea and Li Baoping who had formted the n. Lin Shouyi had then double-checked the n to ensure that there were no issues. The minds of these two children were far more mature than others at the same age.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly stopped his movements. After thinking for a moment, he decided to put his machete down next to his feet.


    If his mind wasn''t calm, then Chen Ping''an wouldn''t do anything. He would rather do nothing than do something wrong. This had been the case when firing pottery in the dragon kilns, and this was still the case when practicing his fist technique now.


    Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi all noticed this at almost the exact same moment. Even Li Huai hurriedly fixed his sitting posture.


    Upon seeing the slightly paranoid response from the three children, Chen Ping''an smiled bitterly and said, "What are you guys doing? It''s just that there''s something on my mind. There''s no need for you three to be so anxious."


    "What''s wrong? Why don''t you tell us, junior uncle?" Li Baoping said.


    "I was just thinking, in addition to learning characters from you guys, should I also learn some of the knowledge written in the books?" Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Li Baoping faltered for a moment before saying, "But we''ve only learned some elementary principles from Mr. Qi. We haven''t learned anything grand or lofty. Moreover, we''re only children who have just started school, so how can we possibly teach junior uncle? Even Mr. Qi was unable to answer many of my questions pertaining to the phrases in the elementary texts, so how can we teach them? Answering questions randomly isn''t good!"


    "It wasn''t that Mr. Qi couldn''t answer them, it was just that you were unwilling to listen to him if he answered your questions a little toote," Li Huai mumbled.


    Li Baoping suddenly turned around and punched Li Huai on the head.


    This wasn''t a painful punch, but Li Huai still wrapped his arms around his head and wailed, "I can''t live like this anymore! I also want to practice a fist technique! Li Baoping''s bing stronger by the day, so if I don''t do something, she''ll definitely kill me by ident one day!"


    "Chen Ping''an, why do you want to learn the knowledge written in the books?" Lin Shouyi asked in curiosity.


    "I''m afraid that I''ll speak facts and reason to someone one day, but I''ll realize afterward that my facts and reasons were actually incorrect," Chen Ping''an replied slowly. "So, in addition to the things that Old Man Yao and A''Liang taught me, I also want to learn some of the principles written in these books for schrs."


    Li Huai was extremely baffled. He had a stunned expression, and he eximed, "Chen Ping''an, you''re already so good at fighting, and you also work so diligently to practice your fist technique every day. Is this not so that you can be unreasonable with others?"


    Lin Shouyi hesitated briefly before shaking his head and saying, "Chen Ping''an, I feel like there''s no need to speak reason for everything. After all, everyone in the world has their own unique path to walk. It''s fine as long as we can guard our own conscience. Otherwise, we''ll only be bogged down by endless matters. Sometimes, doing too much is just as bad as not doing enough."


    Li Baoping''s expression was serious as she said, "Don''t worry, junior uncle. Let me think about this for a while. I feel like this is a very important matter, so it''s crucial that I treat it with utmost seriousness."


    This was the response that Li Baoping would often receive from Mr. Qi back when she was studying in the private school in the small town. Whenever she asked some seemingly simple question, Mr. Qi would instead fall into deep thought. When this happened, it would take Mr. Qi several days to finally give her an answer.


    Chen Ping''an became increasingly exasperated, and he looked up at the clear blue sky. However, he retracted his gaze after a short while, and a smile suddenly appeared across his face for some unknown reason.


    "There''s actually a selfish reason for why I''m going to so much trouble. Maybe the three of you haven''t experienced this before because you''re not genuinely practicing the fist technique. But after obtaining that fist technique, I''ve always had a nagging feeling whenever I face an opponent. I''m not afraid of you guysughing at me, but as long as I feel like my actions are reasonable �� regardless of whether I can voice this reason or not �� it''s as if there''s someone in my mind telling me that my punch can be very fast!"


    When they heard this, it was as if the three children were all looking at an unfamiliar Chen Ping''an.


    The impoverished young boy from y Vase Alley was glowing with exuberance, and his fists were tightly clenched on his knee as he continued in confidence, "Moreover, the voice in my mind tells me that my next punch can even be faster! It can definitely be faster! I can throw this punch no matter who''s standing in front of me!"


    Lin Shouyi had a dazed expression as he murmured softly, "This can''t be regarded as falling into a heretical way, right? He seems fairly righteous and awe-inspiring. In fact, he genuinely seems a bit like... Mr. Qi when he described the most exquisite principles of the sages."


    Li Baoping was still mulling over the question from before.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had already grabbed his machete and started to work on the small bookcase for Lin Shouyi again.


    1. This is a saying that refers to schrs or intellectuals failing their rebellions due to their timid and indecisive nature. ?

 Chapter 121: Blissful Winds

    Chapter 121: Blissful Winds


    The remaining 100 or so kilometers of their journey on the Embroidered Flower River was peaceful and smooth sailing.


    When Chen Ping''an and the others disembarked, Li Huai and Lin Shouyi were already carrying brand-new bookcases. Along with Li Baoping, they were now increasingly living up to their so-called ''journeys with books on their back''. As a result, Chen Ping''an now looked like a young servant for children fromrge and powerful ns.


    If one didn''t see with their own eyes, one would find it hard to imagine that the young boy was actually a practicing martial artist. Moreover, he was a martial artist who had resoundingly defeated the martial arts subordinate of a county magistrate of the Great Li Empire. In fact, the martial arts subordinate hadn''t even been able to throw a single punch. When they disembarked the ship, this martial arts subordinate had been carried off on a stretcher.


    Before disembarking, Chen Ping''an had already studied a geomancy map of the area carefully. He didn''t n to travel through Wanping County Town. Instead, they would take a detour around the town and continue south through a magnificent mountain range. This section of the journey would take them approximately half a month on foot. Chen Ping''an had asked around on the ship, and he had learned that there was a mountain path that they could follow. However, it would be far more difficult to traverse than the bluestone path that snaked through Go Table Mountain. Horse carriages wouldn''t fit, and most people walked this path with donkeys or mules.


    If they didn''t choose this mountain path, then they would have to pass through a county town. However, Lin Shouyi said that he was yet toprehend the Yang talismans, so he would be unable to conceal the innate Yin energy of the Yin god. As such, the Yin god wouldn''t be able to enter the county town. ording to A''Liang, it was very likely that the city god pavilion, the Confucian temple, the martial sage temple, and the residence of the general would all naturally ostracize the Yin god. If a mighty figure was present in the county town, then it was also likely that they would face someplications.


    As they walked, they continued to ask the passers-by for directions. During these times, Chen Ping''an would also probe the vigers about whether there were any strange legends rting to these mountains. For example, whether there were mountain ghosts present. When the vigers saw that they were four young children, with all of them carrying bookcases, they treated them as young students from rich families who had run out to adventure. They smiled as they introduced the surrounding mountains and waters to Chen Ping''an and the others. They said that these ces didn''t even have names, so how could there possibly be ghosts or spirits? At the very least, they had never heard anything of the sort before.


    In the end, most of the vigers suggested that they visit the river god shrine by the Embroidered Flower River. They imed that drawing fortune sticks and praying to the god there was very effective, and perhaps there was genuinely a mighty river god watching over them. The county magistrate would also lead a delegation of people to worship the river god each year. On this day, the deafening bangs of firecrackers would resonate throughout the sky, and the atmosphere in the area would be as lively as could be.


    The four children arrived before the mountain range at noon. Standing in front of the mountains, Li Huai bowed with cupped hands before vigorously bowing another three times. Looking up and seeing no movement from Chen Ping''an, he asked in puzzlement, "Chen Ping''an, didn''t you bow before entering Go Table Mountainst time? You said you were paying respects to the mountain god. So why are you cking off this time?"


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before eventually replying, "I frequently entered the mountains with Old Man Yang in the past, so I managed to pick up some skills in terms of observing the mountains and tasting y. When he was in a good mood, he would talk to me about the forms and directions of the mountains. He said that there are many considerations when ites to the location where a mountain god ces their gold statue or whatnot.


    "If we want to know whether there''s a mountain god residing in a mountain, we can roughly determine this by carefully observing the mountain before we enter. Moreover, the locals all said that there''s nothing strange about these mountains, so I can more or less confirm that this isn''t the territory of a mountain god."


    Lin Shouyi suddenly recalled something, and he added, "The Yin god told me that each empire can only have a limited number of formal mountain gods and river gods. There can''t be gods and deities everywhere. Otherwise, they''ll run rampant and eventually cause catastrophe, bringing chaos andplexity to the fortune of a region. Moreover, the conflict between mountains and rivers is simr to how people fight overnd and water sources. If there are too many gods, then things actually be detrimental for the empires. Thus, mountain gods won''t appear in ces that aren''t explicitly recorded in the Local County Chronicles."


    Li Huai was slightly disappointed, and he sighed, "Ah... And I still wanted to collect a few more painted puppets."


    As it turned out, the disaster turned into a fortune in Go Table Mountain that had resulted in Li Huai receiving a lively painted puppet had caused him to feel eager with anticipation. He was eager to receive a painted puppet for each mountain that he visited. If that were the case, then wouldn''t his small bookcase be filled with puppets by the time he reached the academy in Great Sui Nation? Otherwise, if there were only a single puppet and a single book in his bamboo bookcase, things would seem a little too empty.


    "And you still had the gall to call Chen Ping''an miserly before?" Lin Shouyi chuckled in indignation.


    "I never said that! I simply said that Chen Ping''an is a virtuous person who makes his fortune in a proper way," Li Huai retorted with a guileless look.


    "How obsequious!" Lin Shouyi humphed coldly.


    Lin Hai was enraged, and he shouted, "If it wasn''t for me begging and pleading, would you have been able to get a small bamboo bookcase? Lin Shouyi, have some conscience, will you?"


    "Shut up," Li Baoping snapped.


    Chen Ping''an would practice walking meditation whenever there was no one around. However, he didn''t dare to make big movements because he was carrying arge basket on his back. As a result, he would slow down his pace whenever he could. Moreover, when teaching him the Eighteen Stops in Pillow Ry Station, A''Liang had also told him that being slow was the essence of this technique. Now that he was stuck between the sixth stop and the seventh stop, not able to ovee this barrier no matter what, Chen Ping''an decided to practice the walking meditation of the Mountain Shaking Fist Technique first.


    After entering the mountains and walking for approximately four hours, Li Huai was already panting heavily. Li Baoping was also huffing and puffing.


    Chen Ping''an understood that this was the limit of their "single breath"[1]. Since they were coincidentally passing by a creek, he decided to stop there for a rest. Lin Shouyi was calm and rxed, and there were only a few beads of sweat on his forehead. This was as expected of someone who had set foot on the path of cultivation. It was just that he still couldn''tpare to Chen Ping''an.


    After they all found a spot to sit down, Chen Ping''an retrieved Li Baoping''s saber from hisrge basket. This was the slender saber that A''Liang had referred to as Auspicious Talisman. Even though he had called this a bottom-ranked saber, Chen Ping''an was no blind fool, and he was instead someone who was extremely familiar with kitchen knives and machetes. In fact, he had even borrowed Ning Yao''s skirt dagger for a period of time. Thus, he knew that this saber was definitely very valuable. Whenever there was no one around, he would retrieve the small Dragon ying tform that had mysteriously appeared in his basket and use it to carefully sharpen the de of the saber.


    After unsheathing the saber, Chen Ping''an first lightly dipped the shiny ck Dragon ying tform in the creek. He then squatted down by the creek and started to slowly sharpen the saber. His actions were smooth and rxed, and it was as if he were handling the most delicate and fragile tribute porcin from his hometown.


    Chen Ping''an enjoyed focusing his mind on one thing. This was especially the case if he could perform the task to a high standard. This would cause the young boy to feel especially happy.


    This was just like how he would feel extremely tranquil every time he practiced standing meditation on the peak of a lofty mountain, where his field of view would suddenly open up. He would feel refreshed when he finished meditating, yet he would also feel a slight sense of disappointment. He would feel a strong urge to study the remaining stances of the fist technique in great depth. He wanted to learn and master everything in a single go.


    That way, his punches would be more refined, and they would also be faster and more ferocious. He wanted his punches to exude the mighty and magnificent aura that A''Liang had disyed when he had soared up and flown away from Pillow Ry Station.


    However, Chen Ping''an would quietly practice walking meditation whenever this feeling arose. He would slowly suppress his restless urge and tell himself not to be hasty. He needed to calm down and rx his mind. If his mind wasn''t rxed, and if he simply pursued speed, then it was much more likely that he would make a mistake and waste all of his previous efforts. This was just like the art of forming and firing pottery.


    Even so, there were still the asional moments when Chen Ping''an couldn''t calm himself down even when he practiced walking meditation. One of these times, Chen Ping''an had decided to study the maps of the states and prefectures. He had inadvertently discovered three carefully stowed-away prescriptions, and these were the ones that Daoist Lu had personally written for him. Ning Yao hadmented that the characters were written in a nd and vorless way, just like the boring "guangeti"[2] of the schrs.


    However, Chen Ping''an now had a habit of reading over these three prescriptions whether he was busy or not. Doing so would allow him to calm down a little.


    Li Baoping washed her face, leaving strands of hair sticking to her forehead. After journeying for so long, the little girl had already be a lot more tanned than before. Thus, the areas of her forehead that weren''t covered by her hair at this moment appeared especially pale and smooth inparison.


    The little girl liked to watch her junior uncle as he fully absorbed himself in sharpening the de. As the de of the narrow saber moved back and forth against the Dragon ying tform, it was as if her junior uncle were the only person remaining in the world. She would never get bored of watching him.


    Of course, she also liked it when Chen Ping''an practiced his fist technique as he walked, when he shielded her behind him and used his fists to reason with others, when he studiously learned characters from them, and so on and so forth...


    The only difference was whether she liked it, really liked it, super-duper liked it, or liked it the most.


    There were naturally things that she didn''t like as well. However, Li Baoping would often forget these things very quickly.


    The little girl suddenly became a little gloomy when she recalled the letter that she had sent home from Pillow Ry Station in Red Candle Town.


    Chen Ping''an noticed her sudden change in mood, and he asked with a smile, "What''s wrong? Something weighing on your mind?


    Li Baoping sighed and replied, "I''m worried about what''s going on at home. Second Brother is so bad, so will Big Brother be bullied by him in the future?"


    "In terms of this matter, you''ll definitelye face-to-face with your second brother and ask him about Zhu Lu''s assassination attempt on me in the future," Chen Ping''an replied with a serious expression. "However, your second brother most likely still cares about you."


    "How could Zhu Lu do that? How could she?!" Li Baoping eximed with a wry expression. "She''s already a martial artist, and her father Zhu He is also a capable person. If they joined the army, who wouldn''t be fighting over them? Would it be difficult for her to win an honorary title in the future? Why did she blindly follow my second brother''s instructions?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and said, "I have no answer to these questions either."


    Nearby, Lin Shouyi had a grim expression as he remarked, "For profit and self-interest do peoplee and go."


    Li Huai humphed and retorted, "Crock of shit! If you ask me, I''d say that the idiot Zhu Lu has fallen for Baoping''s second brother. With her heart fluttering and with love hearts in her eyes, receiving a promise from her crush might be even more alluring than receiving an honorary title."


    "If that''s the case, then she''s truly as stupid as she is evil," Lin Shouyi sneered. "She''s beyond saving."


    Chen Ping''an sighed and nced at the three children nearby. Thinking back to his days in y Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley, wheremotion, petty arguments, barbed arguments between women, badmouthing, and all sorts of things would happen, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but say, "You three are schrs who understand a lot, and on top of that, you''re also Mr. Qi''s personal disciples. You three are very different from people like me. Even though there were many elderly people where I lived, they were almost no different from the county magistrate and old man we encountered on the ship before. They''re unwilling to speak reason, or they''re only willing to speak their own reason."


    Chen Ping''an decided to stop sharpening the narrow saber, and he ced it back in its scabbard. His voice was filled with emotion as he continued, "However, even though these people are unreasonable, some of them are extremely strong and capable of earning enough money to raise their family simply by firing pottery or making charcoal. Some of them are exceptional at growing crops, so their lives are fairly satisfactory as well. Then there are also people who work as midwives but like to boil charmed water and do all kinds of strange things, like Granny Ma. She''s a very bad person, yet she''s extremely good to her grandson, Ma Kuxuan. She''d love to give everything good in the world to her grandson."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and concluded, "So I want to read some books to understand the reason behind these things."


    Li Baoping suddenly stood up and started to slowly pace beside the creek. There was a serious expression on her face.


    In the end, the little girl wearing the red jacket suddenly said, "Junior Uncle, I''ve been thinking about the question you asked on the ship this entire time, and I feel like I''ve made a little headway now. Do you want to hear about it?"


    Chen Ping''an suppressed a chuckle and replied, "I just learned the phrase ''wash my ears and listen respectfully[3]'' from you guys, and it seems like now is just the right time to use it."


    Li Baoping puffed her cheeks in anger, and in the end, she eximed in slight annoyance, "Junior Uncle!"


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly smiled and said, "Yes, please continue."


    Before exining anything, the little girl made sure to leave herself a path of retreat first, saying, "My exnations might be a little messy, so if Junior Uncle thinks I''ve said anything wrong, then just keep listening and don''t worry about it. You''re not allowed tough at me."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "I was able to reason with someone much older than me on the ship, so why can''t you? Don''t worry about it and just focus on exining. Junior Uncle is listening attentively."


    Li Huai pursed his lips and randomly swung his painted puppet through the air. It was as if he weremanding an army of thousands of soldiers and cavalry. "Yes, go on, exin. Speaking and arguing with others never hurts. Only fighting with others hurts."


    Much like a schr outlining the main topics of their lecture, Li Baoping introduced the three areas that she was going to focus on first. "I''m going to talk about virtue and morality, local customs and rules, and thews of empires."


    Li Huai immediately felt a headache forming. He turned his attention to the exquisite wooden puppet in his hands, and he dreamed about the day that it might suddenlye to life and alleviate his boredom.


    Lin Shouyi smiled and rested his cheek on one hand. He looked at Li Baoping, who was standing by the creek.


    Only Chen Ping''an pricked his ears up and listened attentively.


    When he was little, he would often squat by the wall of the private school to eavesdrop on Mr. Qi''s lessons. This was a memory that the young boy in straw sandals cherished.


    "These notions rte to virtuous people,moners, and evildoers who perform illegal acts.


    "After reading many books, virtuous people will understand more theories and principles. However, we need to keep one thing in mind. Just like Big Brother said, morality is a concept that''s far too lofty and intangible. At the end of the day, this concept isn''t something that can discipline others. Instead, this concept can only be used to discipline oneself!


    "A person needs to have a righteous mind if they want to establish themselves. With a righteous character, they can gain a righteous reputation. With a righteous reputation, their words can carry truthful reason. With truthful reason, they will aplish what they seek.


    "In addition, if one wants to bring virtue to the world and educate the masses after cultivating their own character to a state of high virtue, then one can choose to spread their knowledge and virtuous principle just like our teacher did when he taught us in the private school.


    "Ordinary people only need to abide by the rules of their local region.


    "Meanwhile, thews of empires are explicitly targeting those who flout rules and break regtions. Thesews are a string of criteria used to constrain evildoers. These are the lowest-level criteria, and they also correspond to the lowest-level ''rules'' in our Confucian etiquette."


    Even though Chen Ping''an was listening attentively, he was unable to understand and absorb the principles behind these words even though he understood every single word.


    No wonder A''Liang had told him to read more.


    Lin Shouyi had already shifted to sitting in an upright manner at some unknown time, and he interjected with a frown, "It''s the Legalist[4] etiquette."


    Facing the three others, Li Baoping firmly proimed, "Legalism is unquestionably derived from Confucianism."


    Lin Shouyi was stunned.


    Li Baoping was peeved upon seeing the distracted Li Huai, and she quietly shouted, "Li Huai!"


    It was as if Li Huai had returned to the days in the private school, where his name would often be gently called out by Mr. Qi. "Here!" he instinctively eximed.


    However, he quickly discovered that it was no longer Mr. Qi calling him, but instead Li Baoping, the little girl who always hit him. Li Huai huffed in anger, and he felt like his response had been quite embarrassing. He lowered his head and continued to y with his puppet.


    Li Baoping ignored him, and she continued, "Each entity has its own rules, and if they can coexist without friction, then society will be harmonious and the world will be peaceful! Emperors and rulers will be able to maintain order with minimal effort! And thus, sages will cease to exist, and great evildoers will be no more[5]!


    "The saying, ''as long as sages remain, so too will great evildoers'', is a concept raised by Daoists, isn''t it...?" Lin Shouyi interjected again.


    There was a brilliant glow in Li Baoping''s eyes, and she loudly countered, "If one principle can be grasped, then all principles can be grasped. The fundamental principles of the world are undoubtedly unanimous!"


    As if remembering something, she slowly paced in front of her threepanions and continued, "During my final lesson in the private school, Mr. Qi started exining the concept of ''right and proper'' to me when there were only the two of us. The foundation of Confucianism lies in the moral regtions expounded in the ssical texts..."


    Li Huai finally opened his mouth to speak, saying, "Mr. Qi never talked to me about this! What about you, Lin Shouyi?"


    Lin Shouyi shook his head.


    Li Baoping crossed her arms and fumed, "One of you didn''t like listening to Mr. Qi''s lessons, and one of you never asked questions after hearing Mr. Qi''s exnations. What, did you want Mr. Qi to stuff his knowledge into your brains?"


    "If it''s possible, then I wouldn''t be against it at all," Li Huai said with a cheeky grin. "Mr. Qi was so knowledgeable, so just a small bit of his knowledge would have been enough tost me an entire lifetime. Having it stuffed into my brain would have saved both time and effort. In fact, it would even prevent me from going down the wrong paths."


    "If one principle can be grasped, then all principles can be grasped... If this is true, then one indeed needs to seek the ''one principle'' that acts as the key to understanding all principles. This also aligns with A''Liang''s remark of choosing a path that is focused and profound, not paths that are broad and shallow," Lin Shouyi murmured to himself.


    After being interrupted by Li Huai, it was as if Li Baoping suddenly thought of something else. However, this caused her to hit another bottleneck. The little girl was slightly embarrassed, and she said to Chen Ping''an, "Junior Uncle, let me think for a while longer. Another question has jumped out to trouble me."


    Chen Ping''an smiled faintly and gave her a thumbs up.


    "My exnation wasn''t bad?" Li Baoping asked in delight.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t retract his thumb, and he loudly announced, "It was brilliant!"


    However, the four children werepletely unaware that the Yin god who was guarding them from a distance was violently convulsing like a pitiful person who had just crawled out from a pot of boiling oil.


    However, disaster and fortune often came hand in hand.


    The Yin god was only casually listening to the little girl''s childish "lecture" in the beginning. However, a string of inconceivable situations then arose. His mind shuddered, his soul left his body, and it was as if his dense Yin energy that was directly proportional to his cultivation base was being sliced apart by gusts of powerful and de-like wind.


    The Yin god refused to ept this situation at the start, and he wasn''t willing to take a single backward step. However, he was eventually unable to withstand it, and he was forced to retreat time and time again. In fact, he retreated an astonishing several dozen kilometers before he finally felt slightly better. Unwilling to yield, the Yin god braved the formless gusts of righteous wind and forged his way forward one step at a time. He was like a small boat fighting against the current of a tumultuous river.


    It was said that ninerge continents existed in this world. There were 72 Confucian academies, and a wisp of righteous aura in the minds of the virtuous Confucian disciples would give rise to blissful winds that swept hundreds of kilometers through heaven and earth[6].


    At the same time, in an extravagant residence that sat 50 kilometers away in the deste mountain range, a slender yet extremely pale woman in red attempted to light a white paperntern and hang it up. However, thentern would quickly extinguish each time she lit it up.


    This caused her face to contort slightly in anger.


    The residence that was as magnificent as the mansions of princes was brimming with ghosts and spirits. Winds of Yin energy rushed through the halls and corridors.


    The woman tossed the whitentern away and slowly rose into the air. In the end, she hovered to a stop at a point higher than the roof before sweeping her gaze over the surroundings.


    1. Doing something in a single breath means summoning the strength to do something in one go. ?


    2. Guangeti was the standard script style for official documents of the Qing Dynasty imperial court. ?


    3. An idiom that essentially means ''all ears''. ?


    4. Legalism is one of the six ssical schools of thought in China. ?


    5. A reference to a notion raised in Zhuangzi, an ancient Chinese text from thete Warring States period. ?


    6. This references a sentence from one of Su Shi''s lyrics. Su Shi is one of the most aplished figures in ssical Chinese literature. ?

 Chapter 122: Using Lightning Techniques to Vanquish Demons

    Chapter 122: Using Lightning Techniques to Vanquish Demons


    Chen Ping''an and the others had entered the mountain range from the north and were now heading toward the south. After traveling for a while, they coincidentally came across another group of people who were heading toward the north. Their leader was an old Daoist priest who had a peach wood sword on his back and a string of silver bells hanging from his waist. His Daoist robes were aged, and there was nothing but straw sandals on his feet. He had barely any immortal aura, but he was indeed brimming with an aura of poverty.


    There was ame and awkward-looking young boy behind the old Daoist priest, and apart from carrying arge bag on his back, there was also a banner that read "subduing demons and capturing ghosts, eliminating fiends and safeguarding Dao" resting diagonally across his shoulder. However, the fabric had already started to wear and lose its color, and this was perhaps because the banner had been washed too many times. The characters on it were also fading.


    Apart from him, there was also a little girl with a round face who looked to be around seven or eight years old. She was small and skinny, and she was using her arms to support the old Daoist priest whose eyes remained shut for some reason.


    The old Daoist priest suddenly looked up and "gazed" at the winding azure and ck mountain range in front of him. There was astonishment in his voice as he eximed, "Huh? These mountains aren''t very far away from the river god shrine of the Embroidered Flower River, yet there''s actually such obvious demonic energy soaring into the sky? There''s definitely some hidden secret behind all this. Even though boundaries exist between mountains and waters, with neither interfering with the other, this ce is indeed very strange. Extremely strange."


    When the little girl with rosy cheeks heard this, she asked anxiously, "Master, then what should we do? You failed to capture the demons in Three Twigs Mountainst time, and the people who hired us were so angry that they ultimately didn''t pay us anything. We''re genuinely running out of copper coins now, so why don''t we take a detour instead?"


    "Take a detour?" the old Daoist priest humphed coldly. "If I didn''t encounter these demons, then so be it. I can simply view that as the luck of these demons. However, since this Daoist priest hase across them, is there any reason for me to spare them?! Are the characters written on the banner, eliminating fiends and safeguarding Dao, merely a show to outsiders...?"


    "Master, there aren''t any outsiders here," the little girl reminded him with a sigh.


    The old Daoist priest produced a forced smile and said, "Oh, it was just an offhand remark. I still haven''t recovered from our experience in Three Twigs Mountain. That was truly far too infuriating. Even if the oue wasn''t ideal, we should have still received some credit for our hard work. Yet, they were unwilling to pay even half a copper coin! There are actually such shameless and uncharitable people in the world... It serves them right that their ancestral graves have been taken over by mountain ghosts, and that their children and descendants will face cmity after cmity..."


    "Master, don''t you often say that Daoists need to have a bnced mind?" the little girl reminded him again.


    The old Daoist priest had still been smiling and benevolent a moment ago, yet he suddenly red up in rage at this moment. He reached over to forcefully pinch the elbow of the little girl with two fingers, and he scolded with a stern expression, "Who''s given you the courage to educate your master? And you even dare to do so time and time again!"


    The little girl''s elbow hurt so much that she immediately burst into tears. She hurriedly begged for forgiveness, saying, "Ow, ow, ow, it hurts! Master, I won''t dare to do it again..."


    The old Daoist priest didn''t turn around, and he simply reached down to forcefully smack the string of bells hanging by his waist. As the bells chimed, he spat with a frightening smile, "Little bastard, you dare to develop killing intent toward your master?"


    Theme young boy remained silent. However, blood quickly started to trickle from his nose and ears. Even so, the young boy still remained silent and unmoving.


    The little girl sobbed even more sadly, and she begged, "Master, please spare Senior Brother. He definitely didn''t do it on purpose. I promise that I''ll try my best to give Master an extra 500 grams of spring water within the next three days."


    A smile spread across the old Daoist priest''s face, and he forcefully patted the little girl''s head. The skinny little girl swayed left and right, and she immediately added, "Not try my best, but guarantee!"


    The old Daoist priest finally retracted his hand which was as shriveled as an old branch. Heughed heartily and announced, "Let''s enter the mountains! Horses won''t grow fat without wild grass. Perhaps there''s a mountain of wealth waiting for us here. Indeed, even though you two bastards are sponging food and drinks off me, your master''s mind has truly be more at ease when he cultivates. Now that I think about it, I should probably treat the two of you a little bit better in the future. Haha."


    The little girl continued to support the blind Daoist priest with her arms as they started to climb the mountain.


    Theme young boy quietly wiped the blood from his face. He was already used to this.


    The little girl secretly turned around to smile at him, and theme young boy grinned in reply, signaling that he was okay.


    After entering the mountains, the master and two disciples were surprisingly unable to pinpoint the source of the demonic energy even after traveling around for more than five days. The old Daoist priest could still sense the wisps of demonic energy suffusing through the nearby trees and vegetation, yet he couldn''t locate the origin of this energy no matter what. Because of this, the old Daoist priest was aware that this demon was definitely very powerful. Otherwise, it wouldn''t have been able to deploy this concealment formation.


    However, the old Daoist priest was still unwilling to give up. He ordered theme boy carrying the banner to scout the surroundings every day, while he and the round-faced little girl would take a rest in somece near the mountain paths. From time to time, he would take out a wooden geomanticpass[1], which people often referred to as Inverting Compasses. This was a toolmonly used by Daoist priests and Naturalists[2]. Suchpasses weren''t rare, yet the sh of gold that would asionally flow through the red needle revealed that thispass held more secrets than met the eye.


    The sky was dark, and mist hung in the air. It could rain at any moment. The old Daoist priest was squatting by the path at this moment, and as he "gazed" down at the geomanticpass, he recited in a mystical voice, "Upside upside down, the 24 mountains contain mountains of gold and mountains of silver; upside down down, the 24 mountains contain their of dragons and the dens of tigers[3]."


    The old man put his geomanticpass away and turned around to face the mountains in the distance. He chuckled softly and said, "The path toward wealth has opened up. The heavens will always leave us a way out. By the looks of it, I''ll be able to enjoy a few cups of wine when we arrive at Wanping County."


    The round-faced little girl followed her master''s gaze, only to see a group of people slowly walking over. She opened her eyes as wide as she could. As the group of people drew closer, she discovered that the person walking in front was a young boy in straw sandals carrying arge basket on his back. There was a machete in his hand, and he would asionally use it to clear the branches and shrubs blocking the narrow path, lest they catch and tear their clothes.


    There were three people behind him, and they were all quite young. One was a little sister wearing a bright red jacket, one was a mischievous-looking little boy, and one was an aloof-looking older brother. The three of them were all carrying small and adorable green bookcases.


    Finally, there was a white donkey carrying luggage following behind them.


    The little girl lowered her voice and said, "Master, they don''t look like wealthy people... How about we give it a pass?"


    The blind Daoist priest raised an eyebrow and retorted, "As small as a mosquito''s leg may be, it''s still meat after all! You''re somewhat managing our resources as well, so are you not aware of how many copper coins remain in our pockets? With how voracious your senior brother is, just how many taels of silver has he already eaten away? If it weren''t for me taking pity on you two, just how many days would you havested in this cruel world...?"


    The intelligent little girl hurriedly started to massage the old Daoist priest''s shoulders. There was a sincere smile on her face as she said in gratitude, "That''s why Older Brother and I neverin even if we have to do hard work for Master. However, if Master bes angry in the future, can you punish me when Older Brother isn''t present instead? That way, Older Brother won''t get angry, and Master won''t need to punish him either."


    The old Daoist priest slowly stood up. The little girl immediately retracted her hands and stood to the side.


    The group of people approaching them was none other than Chen Ping''an and the others, who were heading toward Yefu Pass which was located on the border of the Great Li Empire.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an had already noticed the smiling old man and the demure little girl a long time ago.


    When Chen Ping''an and the others drew closer, the old Daoist priest stroked his beard and smiled before saying in a slightly awkward-sounding official dialect, "If my observations aren''t wrong, then the four of you have faced perilous dangers during your long journey. However, it''s imperative that you don''t blindly believe the notion that you''ll encounter fortune after surviving great cmity. From my observations, the true cmity still lies ahead. Only after oveing this obstacle will you be able to encounter fortune."


    Chen Ping''an''s mind immediately became alert. However, his expression remained unchanging.


    Meanwhile, Li Baoping observed the slightly pale little girl. The little girl smiled shyly, and Li Baoping also smiled in reply.


    The little girl wearing the red jacket and the even littler little girl immediately developed good impressions of each other.


    Li Huai almost uttered the words that were already on the tip of his tongue �� "Aren''t you blind, old Daoist priest? How can you be observing this and observing that?" However, the troubles that they had encountered while traveling down the Embroidered Flower River were still fresh in the little boy''s mind. He immediately held his mouth shut with his hands, determined to stop himself from causing any more trouble.


    As if sensing Li Huai''s thoughts, the blind Daoist priestughed loudly and exined, "You children don''t know, but the Daoist Sect has 10 great mystical abilities. Among them, there''s the ability ''opening the eye of the mind, bringing rity to heaven and earth, repelling ghosts and demons''. I''ve coincidentally learned this ability, and even though I don''t dare to im that I''m a master, I do indeed have a fairly good grasp of it already. I don''t observe others through their physical appearance, and I instead only need to observe them through their aura."


    "The Confucian sages teach us not to speak of peculiar powers, unfathomable strength, chaotic rebellions, and ghosts and gods when meeting others in chance encounters," Lin Shouyi said with a calm expression.


    The old Daoist priest was slightly astonished. However, he quickly sighed and said, "So be it, so be it. Buddhist monks don''t enlighten those who aren''t fated, and Daoist priests don''t save those who are misguided. You can go now. However, I hope that you''ll be careful for the rest of your journey. If you genuinelye across any troubles, then don''t be afraid to yell loudly. If I coincidentally hear your shouts for help, then I''ll definitely rush over to provide you with assistance. If I''m too far away, however, then I''ll be powerless even if I want to help."


    After saying this, the blind old Daoist priest stepped aside to give them the path.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "Thank you for the warning, we will be careful."


    The two groups walked past each other, and Li Baoping confidently waved at the skinny and round-faced little girl. The little girl timidly raised her hand to her chest and lightly waved back, silently bidding farewell.


    When Chen Ping''an and the others vanished into the distance, the old Daoist priest mumbled, "During our journey, we''ve eithere across unrefined martial artists from the Great Li Empire or unknowledgeable locals from the nearby towns. This technique worked every time, so why has it suddenly stopped working today? Such misfortune... Nothing''s working out. By the looks of it, it''s even more important that we don''t fail to conquer the demon this time. Great demons living in the mountains definitely possess grand wealth, so this time..."


    The blind Daoist priest''s eyelids shuddered a little, and he immediately stopped speaking. He patted the head of the little girl who was gazing at the distant mountain path with a reluctant expression, and he said in an amiable voice, "Jiu''er, your master''s lightning cultivation will receive assurance if we seed this time. When that happens, we won''t need to worry about money anymore. That being the case, I''ll definitely be nicer to you and your older brother in the future."


    The little girl looked up and said with a smile, "I''ll be very happy as long as Master stops hitting the bells all the time!"


    The blind Daoist priest didn''tment on this. He suddenly looked up, with his fingers also starting to form seals. He wasn''t astonished, and he was instead delighted as he eximed, "The atmosphere had changed. Such dense demonic energy! It''s actually able to bring change to the surrounding climate as well! Very good, very good! We''ve finally managed to lure the snake from itsir. Little Jiu''er, get ready to eliminate fiends and safeguard Dao with me!"


    The little girl nodded in earnest. She waspletely unafraid of the demons and ghosts that were able to terrify themon people with just their reputation alone.


    She retrieved a small silver de that was only an inch long before rolling up her sleeves. As she prepared to draw the de across her arm, she asked, "Master, do you need the talisman spring water now?"


    The old Daoist priest nodded and replied, "Even though I still have some, it''s safer if I collect a bit more to prepare for any unexpected situations. That way, I won''t be caught by surprise by the demons, and you two won''t end up suffering any misfortunes as a result either."


    The little girl took a deep breath before using the small de to cut a gash in her arm. Warm blood instantly spilled out, and she hurriedly raised her arm and said, "Master, it''s ready."


    The blind Daoist priest deftly used his finger to rapidly draw a seal on his left palm. He then swapped hands and drew another seal on his right palm.


    The little girl grew increasingly pale, yet she still asked in earnest, "Master, is that enough?"


    "It''s enough for the moment," the old Daoist priest chuckled in reply. "I''ll give the great demon in this mountain a taste of my lightning spell now! Let''s see how it likes lightning crashing down on its head!"


    Approximately 500 meters away from the master and disciple, Chen Ping''an suddenly stopped in his tracks and raised his machete, signaling for the others to be on guard.


    The others looked over, only to see a young boy leaping out from the dense forest like an agile monkey. There was a strange banner in his hands, and he vigorously waved it several times as he stood on the mountain path with his back facing them. After doing this, he was just about to run down the mountain path to return to where the old Daoist priest was.


    However, he saw Chen Ping''an and the others when he turned around, and a slightly worried expression spread across his face. After thinking for a brief moment, the young boy who was drenched in sweat gritted his teeth and changed his ns. He continued to retreat down the mountain, but he chose to take a detour instead of running down the mountain path.


    At the same time, he didn''t forget to gesture to Chen Ping''an and the others, warning them to leave quickly.


    Li Huai was astonished. "What''s going on?"


    Lin Shouyi frowned and replied, "That young boy is most likely being pursued by a sinister entity. I can sense some permeating Yin energy."


    Sure enough, a fuzzy figure that was enveloped in tumultuous ck smoke paused for a moment when it saw Chen Ping''an and the others. An eerie and terrifying aura emanated from it, yet it eventually decided to ignore them and pursue the young boy holding the banner instead. It rapidly dashed after him.


    Chen Ping''an turned to Lin Shouyi and said, "Ask Senior Yin god what he thinks about this."


    After a moment, Lin Shouyi replied, "Senior Yin god told us to keep walking forward and not to stop here. He said that he''ll observe the situation if he has the chance. However, he also said that his job is only to guard us and apany us to the border of the Great Li Empire. He wants to remind us that our goal is to journey to a distantnd to seek knowledge, not to act as benevolent people who subdue demons and y fiends. He hopes that we can refrain from seeking trouble for ourselves."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "Tell Senior Yin god to act ording to the situation. He can help if he''s able to, but there''s no need for him to force himself if the situation is too difficult. Also, you should prepare three talismans as well, Lin Shouyi. You walk in front from now on, and I''ll bring up the rear. Baoping and Li Huai, remember not to be afraid if we trulye across any ghosts or demons. Make sure not to act like... Forget about it, let''s continue forward!"


    Chen Ping''an had initially wanted to tell them not to act like Zhu Lu had in Go Table Mountain. She had clearly been at the peak stage of the second tier, yet she hadn''t dared to lift even a single finger against the ferocious white python.


    However, he quickly swallowed his words after recalling thement that A''Liang had casually made �� "Those who talk behind others'' backs are definitely troublemakers themselves."


    Lin Shouyi remained calm and unfazed.


    Right now, he could just manage to use the three lowest-quality yellow paper talismans from the stack of paper talismans that the Li n from the small town had treasured.


    One was "Pearl Within a te", and this was a water element talisman. One was "Fiery Rain", and this was a fire element talisman. Thest one was "Five Mountains Shatter the Barrier", and this was a mountain aura talisman.


    However, what Lin Shouyi truly depended on wasn''t these three paper talismans, which he still didn''t know the power of. Instead, it was himself.


    It was the secret lightning technique recorded in the Recite Atop Clouds Scripture.


    However, Lin Shouyi naturally wouldn''t seek trouble and put everyone in danger for the sake of testing the might of his lightning technique.


    The four of them walked quickly. Li Huai put his hand out as he walked, and he grumbled in bewilderment, "It''s starting to rain just like this? You''re not going to give us any warning beforehand?"


    The sky was overcast, and rain continued to fall. The rain wasn''t heavy, yet it caused the mountain to be far chillier than before.


    Chen Ping''an retrieved four bamboo hats from his basket. They had purchased these in Red Candle Town, and they were for the exact scenario of continuing to journey through the wind and rain.


    They each wore a bamboo hat, and they didn''t stop to wait for the rain to clear. Chen Ping''an asionally turned around to nce back.


    In the distance, the blind Daoist priestughed loudly as he faced the direction that the limp young boy was wildly sprinting over from. "Very well, I''ve been waiting for you to arrive, you measly fiend! You''re seeking death! Now, die!"


    The old Daoist priest took a firm step forward as he unleashed a palm strike. Only afterward did he shout a warning to the limp young boy. "Get down!"


    The young boy leaped forward and rolled along the muddy mountain path.


    Golden light dazzled in the old Daoist priest''s palms, and each stroke of the symbols radiated with a brilliant golden glow. There was a faint rumble of thunder in his palms.


    Contrasted against the dark and rainy atmosphere of the deste mountain, these streaks of golden light appeared especially piercing and eye-catching.


    The ball of ck smoke behind the young boy ground to a sudden halt. It was just about to flee, yet it had already been struck by a beam of golden light. It was as if it had been enveloped by arge golden. There was a crackling and hissing sound, and the dark shadow wailed in anguish as it quickly vanished into nothingness.


    The young boy ran behind the old Daoist priest with his back still bent. He was panting heavily, and he nted the soul-summoning banner into the ground. Upon seeing the little girl''s worried expression, he grinned and shook his head to signify that he was fine.


    After vanquishing the fiend with a single palm strike, the old Daoist priestughed heartily and eximed, "You were nothing but a lowly yin entity born from withered bones, yet you still dared to show yourself in front of me?!"


    A wisp of gray was seemingly dragged inside the nted banner.


    The old Daoist priest leaped up before twisting around in mid-air and throwing another palm strike. "Come on over, all of youe on over! You can all transform into my boundless merit and virtue!"


    Another yin entity creeping up behind the young boy and little girl was sted into smithereens by the old Daoist priest''s lightning technique. It wasn''t long before another wisp of gray flew into the banner.


    The old Daoist priest dashed and leaped across the mountain path as he rapidly unleashed palm strike after palm strike. Beams of golden light shed again and again, apanied by the astonishing sound of rumbling thunder.


    Heughed heartily, and his aura appeared imposing as his aged face was illuminated by the arcs of lighting shing amid the dreary rain. He was indeed capable of ying demons and vanquishing fiends. "Just how vast and magnificent is my lightning technique? Is it something that measly yin entities like you can rival? The great demon cowering behind the scenes, are you going to send more small fry to their deaths? I urge you to hurry up and surrender! Hand over half of your wealth, and perhaps I''ll be benevolent enough to spare your life!"


    For the past thousand years, lightning techniques had remained dominant as the most lofty of the myriad techniques of the Daoist Sect. Once they were unleashed, they were widely recognized as the mightiest and most peerless of techniques.


    However, when it came to the Five Lightning Righteous Technique, few Daoist Sects in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent were able to trulyprehend its essence. Most of the techniques being taught were either iplete or variations that only emted its form but not its essence. As a result, those who wielded thesetter techniques would definitely suffer a bacsh. As time went on, their vitality would slowly be exhausted, leading them to an early death.


    In other words, the old Daoist priest''s blindness wasn''t necessarily due to natural causes.


    The balls of ck smoke that had been rapidly fluttering around the forests surrounding the mountain path gradually reduced in number. At the same time, the revolting sounds that were a mixture of their whimpering, wailing, and roaring also subsided into silence.


    "Master, a lot ofnterns have been hung up behind us," the little girl said quietly.


    The blind Daoist priest turned around to "look" over. He could sense numerous white papernterns materializing in the air and being mysteriously lit up. It was as if a fiery dragon that measured hundreds upon thousands of meters long was slowly swimming through the mountains and marshes.


    His expression became serious, and he rubbed his palms together. The symbols that he had drawn with his disciple''s blood were already nearing their limit.


    The old Daoist priest drew the peach wood sword from his back, and it was as if he were facing a formidable enemy.


    A woman dressed in a bright red wedding dress walked over in a calm and casual manner. There was an oil-paper umbre in her hand, and her eerie voice sounded next to their ears even though her mouth clearly wasn''t moving. "Daoist priest, please continue to draw your symbols and talismans. I can wait for you even if you want to cover your entire body in them. After this, I''ll invite you three to my residence where I''ll personally wash your faces, pull out your tendons, and pierce your hearts."


    It appeared as if the female ghost in red was most interested in the round-faced little girl. Her hoarse voice continued to ring next to their ears as she reached up to cup her small and snow-white face. "For example, washing faces is like this."


    In the next moment, the round-faced little girl hurriedly shut her eyes in fright.


    As it turned out, the female ghost had lightly wiped her hands across her face and "washed" her skin away, revealing a bloody and harrowing appearance.


    1. Also known as a feng shuipass ?


    2. The School of Naturalists studies the concepts of yin-yang and the Five Elements. ?


    3. This is based on a chant spoken by feng shui masters. ?

 Chapter 123: Encounter on a Narrow Path

    Chapter 123: Encounter on a Narrow Path


    The blind Daoist priest pointed the tip of his peach wood sword at the female ghost in the red wedding dress, and he asked, "Are you a demon or a ghost?!"


    The female ghost lightly twirled the oil-paper umbre in her hand, and standing alone on the mountain path in the distance, she appeared quite lonely and without any support. After making her way over, her red wedding dress was now already covered in mud. For some unknown reason, she hadn''t used her mystical powers to form a dress that could repel dirt and water with the formless miasma in the mountains. It was clear that her bright red wedding dress was made from real silk, and perhaps it had even been made by the dressmakers near this mountain range.


    Just then, the female ghost had ripped the skin off her face by swiping her hand down. At this moment, she slowly moved her hand up to once again ster the skin back on her face, giving her a pale and colorless look. She looked much like a beautiful young woman who belonged in her room awaiting marriage. If it weren''t for her sicklyplexion, she would actually appear no different from ordinary young women. She was extremely close to the master and his two disciples now, yet even the blind old Daoist priest couldn''t sense any demonic energy radiating from her.


    In fact, these great demons who possessed high cultivation bases could already wander around human cities without any issues. As long as they didn''t purposely approach the city god pavilions or the Wenchang pavilions and martial sage temples, they wouldn''t be targeted and suppressed by the forces in these mortal cities. Of course, this was under the prerequisite that they were willing to conceal their demonic aura and suppress their innate desire to kill and cause catastrophes.


    The corners of the female ghost''s mouth moved slightly. Even though her lips remained unmoving, a voice sounded next to their ears once again.


    "Daoist priest, you desire to vanquish demons and fiends to umte boundless merit and virtue, and so I came over here to meet with you. I eagerly await your so-called Five Lightning Righteous Technique."


    The old Daoist priest was feeling increasingly astonished. Theyers of the Inverting Compass in his sleeve wildly fluctuated back and forth. This was apass that had four internal and externalyers in total, corresponding to demons, spirits, Yin entities and ghosts, and mountain gods and river gods. Apart from theyer that corresponded to spirits, the three otheryers of the Inverting Compass were all spinning and shaking violently.


    This signified that the female ghost before them had an extremelyplicated background. When she was still alive, it was extremely likely that she had been a great demon with a powerful cultivation base. After dying, she had transformed into a powerful ghost that was able to rule over a region. However, beforeprehensively falling to evil, she had already gained the right to be promoted to a mountain goddess or river goddess.


    The blind Daoist priest grumbled in grief in his mind. Compared to the tricky and scheming mountain ghost in Three Twigs Mountain, was this female ghost any weaker? In fact, were they even on the same level? The old Daoist priest did his best to maintain his expression and calm down his heartbeat, lest the female ghost pick up on his nervousness. He slowly lowered his peach wood sword and changed to holding it backward, signaling that he meant no harm.


    With a generous smile, he said loudly, "Young Miss, even though your demonic aura is vast, giving you the ability to rule over an entire region, it''s a rare pleasure indeed that my observations using my heart''s eyes show me that there''s little killing intent radiating from your body. You''vemitted few sins, and even the wisps of resentment circling around you are remnants from many years ago and barely worth a mention. As an itinerant cultivator, I can almost be regarded as a cultivator in the same vein as you, Young Miss. Yet, I''ve identally intruded on your territory and disturbed your cultivation. My apologies, my apologies."


    The female ghost who had been gazing up at her oil-paper umbre the entire time suddenly retracted her gaze and glowered at the traveling Daoist priest who was skilled in wielding lightning techniques. She finally opened her mouth to speak this time, saying, "Young Miss? Can''t you see my wedding dress? Call me Lady!"


    The female ghost wearing the bright red wedding dress was essentially roaring when she spoke thest three words.


    The next instant, heavy rain crashed down and wild winds swept through the mountains.


    There was a snap as the female ghost closed her oil-paper umbre.


    She held the umbre with one hand and lightly stroked it with the other, gently removing the rainwater from its surface. However, her face continued to contort as she looked at the faces of the Daoist priest and his two disciples. "As expected of a blind person... An old and blind person! You can observe a person using your heart''s eye, huh? Then let me bring you back to my residence. I''ll have you ill-intentioned and bull-nosed[1] old Daoist priest understand what heart-wrenching pain is!"


    The old Daoist priest attempted to lighten the mood, sighing and saying, "Mdy, is there any need to take things so far? Is there no room to maneuver or relent?"


    The female ghost started to slowly walk forward. She walked along the muddy path one step at a time, with one hand holding her oil-paper umbre and one hand holding up her dress, revealing her soaked and soiled embroidered shoes. With a faint smile on her face, she replied, "Your Daoist cultivation is shallow, yet you still dare to face me with ill intentions. Yes, it''s best that you die. Death will definitely be your best option. That way, you won''t dy my husband''s studies and dy him from passing the imperial exam..."


    In the end, the female ghost''s voice became nothing more than a soft murmur, with a gentle look also appearing in her eyes. However, her words which were like whispers to herself werepletely drowned out by thatshing wind and pouring rain.


    "Mdy, do you truly insist on fighting to the death with me?" the blind Daoist priest asked with a cold chuckle.


    The old Daoist priest had traveled to many ces in the past few dozen years, and he had already wandered around almost half of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He wasn''t someone to be afraid of trouble, so upon seeing things reach this irreparable state, he softly shouted, "Littlemed, as long as we work together and sessfully repel the enemy, I promise you that I''ll spare Little Jiu''er from offering me any talisman spring water for an entire year."


    Theme young boy nodded in agreement. He reached over to grab the soul-summoning banner that read "subduing demons and capturing ghosts, eliminating fiends and safeguarding Dao", and he said in a solemn voice, "I''m ready."


    The old Daoist priest forcefully stomped the ground before cing his index finger and middle fingers together on both hands, forming Daoist finger swords. He then quickly recited a sword spell, eventually finishing with the phrase, "urgent matter that needs immediate resolution".


    The soul-summoning banner nted in the ground suddenly opened up from its initially crumpled state, and it was now billowing freely and pping in the wind. The characters printed on it became pale white, and it was as if these characters were soldiers suited in silver armor and standing on the battlefield awaiting orders from their general. They started to run across the banner and enter formation.


    The characters "subduing demons and capturing ghosts" flowed through the banner and entered the wooden pole, eventually traveling through theme young boy''s arms and shoulders and rapidly coursing through his body. In the end, these characters entered the young boy''s ears and nose.


    His eyes instantly became pure white, and each time he inhaled and exhaled, ck smoke would float around his face and orifices.


    Theme young boy clenched his hands into fists before tilting his head and unleashing a furious roar at the sky. His body became wreathed in ck smoke, and the pea-sized raindrops surprisingly evaporated when they arrived within one meter of his head.


    Compared to the female ghost who was concealing her Yin energy, theme young boy appeared even more like a Yin entity or ghost who would devour innocent mortal humans.


    The female ghost had been observing the round-faced little girl the entire time, and only when theme young boy started to furiously charge at her did she finally turn to look at the relieved old Daoist priest. "Such a massive disappointment," she said calmly. "In fact, this can''t even be regarded as a heretical path. Instead, it can only be categorized as a pathetic and crooked path. Sinners who use others of wrongdoing shouldn''t be granted death. Instead, they should be granted life that''s even more torturous than death."


    Theme young boy arrived before the female ghost in a sh, and he leaped high into the air before throwing a kick at her head.


    The female ghost didn''t dodge, nor did she try to block his attack. One of her hands remained holding up her dress with two fingers the entire time, and her figure was graceful as she directly walked forward.


    There was a loud thump.


    The female ghost''s head was "dragged out with its roots" and sent flying to somece down the mountain.


    However, the headless female ghost continued to advance forward.


    Afternding, theme young boy once again whipped his leg at the headless female ghost, this time striking her waist.


    Using the back of her hand that was holding the oil-paper umbre, the female ghost lightly blocked the waist-severing kick of theme young boy that carried immense force.


    Theme young boy''s attack was surprisingly unable to move the female ghost''s hand a single inch.


    However, borrowing the powerful reaction force, the young boy performed a twist in mid-air before throwing a palm strike at the female ghost''s heart. "Subduing demons!" he roared in a solemn voice.


    The silver characters "subduing demons" materialized on the back of the young boy''s hand before automatically dismantling themselves one stroke at a time. In the end, these strokes gathered together to transform into a short silver sword that was brimming with killing intent. Enveloped in azure-white light, the short silver sword shot out from his hand and thrust at the female ghost''s heart.


    The female ghost raised her hand and pinched the sharp flying sword that was just about to pierce through her bright red wedding dress with two fingers.


    The flying sword that measured only a foot long rang and shuddered violently.


    "So be it if I lose my head," the female ghost said unhurriedly. "However, this wedding dress definitely can''t be damaged. It can be washed if it bes dirty, but mending it after it bes damaged will render it no longer beautiful. Otherwise, why does my husband always tease my needlework...?"


    Theme young boy almost immediately followed his palm strike up with an uppercut. However, he didn''t shout the words "capturing ghosts". Even so, a flying sword still formed from the characters on the banner and shot out from his fist. His expression was awkward and stiff, but theme young boy definitely wasn''t a slow-witted fool.


    Lashing out to kill his enemy, theme young boy used both open and concealed attacks.


    A deafening roar suddenly exploded at this moment, bellowing, "Lowly ghost, this Daoist priest is going to enforce justice on behalf of the heavens! You might be missing your head, but I''m still going to st your soul with bolts of furious lightning!"


    A bolt of white lightning crashed down from 30 or so meters above the mountain path.


    The female ghost didn''t let go of her oil-paper umbre. With her other hand, she first pinched the "subduing demons" flying sword with her index finger and thumb before raising her hand slightly and catching the "capturing ghosts" flying sword with her ring finger and pinky.


    With a graceful thrust, she then mmed her elbow into theme young boy''s head, sending him flying back and crashing into the muddy mountain path, where he slid for another three meters before finallying to a stop.


    The female ghost raised her oil-paper umbre and opened it with a soft snap.


    The bolt of white lightning crashed into her umbre, creating brilliant sparks.


    Exerting slightly more force with her four fingers as she stood under the oil-paper umbre, the female ghost forcefully snapped the two flying swords in half. After falling to the ground, the shattered swords transformed into two puddles of silver liquid before quickly mixing together with the mud.


    With a wave of her hand, the female ghost''s head flew back and reattached itself to her neck. Her veins and flesh knitted back together, and it wasn''t long before she recovered her original appearance.


    Using her free hand, she removed a few des of green grass from her hair.


    "Again!"


    The blind old Daoist priest''s heart shuddered, and he knew that he would have no chance if he didn''t unleash his full power and fight as if his life depended on it. He took a deep breath, and his expression became dignified as a faint yellow glow enveloped his body.


    He lifted one foot off the ground, and he pulled a fist back and heavily hammered it against his abdomen. Meanwhile, he raised his other palm to the sky, causing his sleeves to slide down and reveal a string of sanguine symbols on his elbow.


    "A breath forms clouds and rain, a smile summons thunder and lightning! Recite atop clouds, immortals point the way!" the old Daoist priest recited in a solemn voice.


    The female ghost pursed her lips. As she walked past the severely wounded young boy with her oil-paper umbre still in hand, she casually raised a foot to kick him aside, annoyed that he was blocking the path. The young boy flew down the mountain, yet he immediately vanished from mid-air.


    The round-faced little girl went crazy, and she used the small silver de to cut her palms and arms before chaotically smearing blood all over her face. After doing this, she charged at the female ghost to fight her to the death.


    However, the little girl forgot that it was pouring rain at this moment. Moreover, she didn''t have the immortal power to maintain the spiritual energy of the talismanic symbols like the old Daoist priest. Thus, her face was already washed clean by the time she arrived in front of the female ghost. All that remained was rainwater that continued to slide down her face. Meanwhile, her blood had already been washed away.


    The female ghost threw a casual p, striking the little girl''s face and immediately sending her soaring through the air. Like theme young boy, she quickly vanished from mid-air.


    Afterward, a bolt of white lightning that was as wide as a bucket would crash down at the female ghost for each step that she took. After smashing into her oil-paper umbre, the bolts of white lightning would explode apart and send arcs of electricity crackling into the surroundings.


    If someone were to gaze at this mountain from a distance right now, they would see arcs of white lightning snaking down from not high up in mid-air before exploding apart in a brilliant manner in the mountain forest.


    ��������


    Initially a light but dreary drizzle that could be navigated with bamboo hats on their head, the rain suddenly transformed into a torrential downpour without any warning. It was extremely difficult to continue forward.


    When Chen Ping''an suggested that they find a ce to shelter from the rain, Lin Shouyi held his bamboo hat with one hand to prevent the relentless rain from pushing it crooked before saying in a serious voice, "Something''s not right."


    Li Huai grabbed Li Baoping''s sleeves and shouted, "I''m a bit scared!"


    "Isn''t Senior Yin god a ghost as well? What are you afraid of?" Li Baoping said, educating the little boy.


    "Oh, you''re right!" Li Huai eximed, with his eyes lighting up.


    He then turned around to issue an instruction to the white donkey trailing behind Lin Shouyi, "Little white donkey, don''t get lost."


    The donkey snorted in reply.


    The Yin god appeared beside Chen Ping''an, and it told him in a hoarse voice, "There''s a female ghost watching over the mountains and rivers of this ce. She''s exchanging blows with the old Daoist priest right now, and if everything goes as expected, then it''s almost certain that she''ll achieve victory. Her origin is unclear, but what''s clear is the fact that her cultivation base is quite high. If it were during normal times and at another location, then I could indeed capture her with no problem. However, at this time and in this ce... It''s unlikely that I''ll seed."


    The Yin god carefully scanned the surroundings before exining, "The formal mountain gods and river gods listed in the Mountain and Sea Genealogical Record all have their own mountains and territories or areas of jurisdiction. When they fight with others in their territory, they''ll naturally gain a clear advantage due to having the favor of the surrounding heaven and earth.


    "Apart from these areas, there can indeed be powerful demons or fiends in the mountains and rivers not assigned formal gods by the imperial court. However, it will be impossibly difficult for them to create territories that are simr to Confucian schools and academies, Daoist temples and blessednds, or Militarian ancient battlefield ruins. These aren''t things that can be created with a powerful cultivation base alone. On top of that, one also needs to have immense fated opportunities. However, the heavens have never favored Yin entities like me, so how can it be easy to openly rule over a piece ofnd akin to how mortal empires rule over provinces and cities?"


    "Senior Yin god was definitely a schr when he was alive," Li Huai murmured to himself in a timid manner.


    The Yin god''s voice became solemn and low, and he pointed at the mountain path underfoot before continuing, "I have very bad news for you. The ruling female ghost here is already no inferior to mountain gods. In fact, it''s even possible that she''s enjoying the power of a river guardian at the same time. Everything about her exudes a sense of strangeness.


    "Also, the path that you''re walking was put under a mystical ability by the female ghost from the very beginning. Right now, you''re walking on a ''path to the underworld'' that she secretlyid. I''m a Yin entity, so I can naturally enter and exit this path as I please. However, it''s possible that I might severely wound your physical bodies and souls if I try to forcefully lead you out of this path."


    "Senior Yin god, since you''re unable to defeat her, and since we''re unable to leave this path, what else can we do?" Lin Shouyi asked in a calm andposed voice.


    "We''ll discuss this when she appears. Rest assured, I definitely won''t allow her to injure any of you," the Yin god replied in a solemn voice.


    The Yin god felt slightly guilty and remorseful. He regretted the fact that he had chosen to forge forward against the aura of righteousness just then. Even though this would greatly benefit his cultivation in the future, to an inestimable degree no less, the problem was that it had temporarily reduced his cultivation to just 75 or so percent of what it had originally been. And now, they had also fallen for the female ghost''s trap. In fact, it was extremely likely that her target had always been Chen Ping''an and the others to begin with, not the blind old Daoist priest and his two disciples.


    The white papernterns that hovered above several kilometers of the mountain path were nothing more than bait to lure them over.


    The Yin god''s expression wasplicated. The cultivation base of the blind old Daoist priest wasn''t especially high, yet his tongue was truly as barbed as could be.


    "All of you, stand behind me," the Yin god said.


    It wasn''t long before the Yin god reached the front of the group.


    Chen Ping''an and Lin Shouyi stood directly behind him, with one to the left and one to the right.


    Chen Ping''an had already swapped his machete out for Auspicious Talisman, while Lin Shouyi''s hands were resting by his sides, with a paper talisman in each of his sleeves.


    Li Baoping and Li Huai stood behind them.


    At the very end of the group was the white donkey, which was stomping the ground in slight irritation and unease, sending mud flying everywhere.


    A female ghost wearing a red wedding dress and holding an oil-paper umbre slowly walked over from the distance. She was dragging the blind old Daoist priest by the leg using her other hand, and she finally came to a stop when she arrived a dozen or so meters in front of Chen Ping''an and the others. One after another, countlessnterns lit up above the mountain path. This was the same case even behind Chen Ping''an and hispanions. Orbs of soft red glow cast a red sheen over everyone''s face.


    The female ghost tossed the old Daoist priest between them, and it was unknown whether he was alive or dead. There was a look of "delighted surprise" on her face, and she used her finger to count them before saying, "Oh, so many esteemed guests. One, two, three. There are three schrs as well. Hmm, which one of you is a virtuous Confucian? My husband once made the resolve to be a virtuous gentleman so that he could bring peace to thends and people. You people are so young, yet you''ve already managed to achieve my husband''s long-cherished ambition."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to step forward, yet the Yin god shook his head and said in a quiet voice, "There''s no rush."


    The female ghost cocked her head and looked left and right, sizing up the three children who were carrying small bamboo bookcases. "My husband often said that only those with upstanding character can be genuinely regarded as schrs. Thus, I''ll ask my subordinates to invite the passing schrs to my ce whenever I yearn for my husband who''s yet to return from his distant journey. I''llvish them with beautiful maidservants, the only existing copies of ancient books, and thousand-year-old guqins[2]. I enjoy listening to them make their pledges of undying love, and their artful manner of uttering these promations of love are ones that can only be achieved by schrs who have filled themselves with the knowledge of poems and books."


    After saying this, the female ghost focused her attention on the Yin god and continued with a faint smile, "Senior Yin god, you''re truly out of luck this time. If it were a few years ago, then I definitely wouldn''t have dared to show myself before you. "


    She lowered her head andughed softly with her hand covering her mouth. There was affection in her eyes, and she murmured to herself, "It''s indeed not good for women to show their faces in public."


    However, her deathly pale face appeared far too creepy under the soft illumination of thenterns.


    Li Huai stuck his head out to take a nce, yet he was so terrified that his legs immediately started to shiver.


    The female ghost smiled and asked, "It''s been far too long since I''ve chatted with anyone, so I really couldn''t help myself just then. You guys don''t mind, do you?"


    She remembered something, and she gently closed her oil-paper umbre.


    At almost the exact same moment, the torrential downpour suddenly came to a stop. Not a single drop of rain remained in the sky.


    "Dare I ask, mdy, what eventually happens to the schrs who are invited to your residence?" Lin Shouyi asked with a smile.


    The female ghost started to walk forward again, with the smile vanishing from her face. "Them? In the end, I''ll cut these schrs who have betrayed their promises in half at the waist. After helping them stop their bleeding, I''ll nt them in my garden.


    "Because I want to know whether these so-called schrs that my husband always talked about will also bloom in the soil. Will they also yield fruitful results?


    "However, they always leave me bitterly disappointed. They merely transform into racks of dry bone. However, maybe it''s because these people can''t be regarded as genuine schrs yet. So, your arrival here truly filled me with immense happiness."


    Lin Shouyi''s expression was livid.


    Li Baoping shook in anger.


    Meanwhile, Li Huai decided to simply cover his ears and mumble, "I''m not listening, I''m not listening..."


    "I used to like schrs in the past. However, I detest disloyal people the most!"


    The female ghost slowly looked up. There were tears of blood trickling from her eyes.


    Those who became obsessed in love would always suffer disappointment and betrayal.


    Streaks of blood started to slide down from the top of the white papernterns that were hovering in mid-air above the mountain path. In the end, thenterns were all extinguished.


    "In the end, I finally realized that there''s not a single schr in the world who isn''t a disloyal person..."


    The female ghost''s face was covered in blood. She casually tossed her oil-paper umbre aside, the umbre that had once been the token of love between her and her husband. She covered her face with both hands, and the aggrieved sobs that she tried so hard to suppress softly seeped out from between her fingers.


    "Husband, I don''t me you... Pleasee back..."


    1. Because Daoists focus on inhtion and exhtion, they''re sometimes referred to as bull-nosed Daoist priests. Another reason could be due to their Daoist hat looking like an upturned bull''s nose. One final reason might pertain to the fact that Laozi once rode an ox during his travels. ?


    2. Guqin is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument traditionally favored by schrs. ?

 Chapter 124: Ghost Hitting the Wall

    Chapter 124: Ghost Hitting the Wall


    On the two sides of the mountain path, the white papernterns that were hovering in mid-air with no branches to hang on had already transformed intorge rednterns. Swaying in the wind, sanguine blood bubbled like boiling water and sent beads of blood crashing onto the sides of thenterns, giving rise to a crisp and eerie crackling sound.


    The female ghost continued to cry by herself, and she remained unwilling to remove her hands from her face. Shepletely ignored the Yin god.


    The Yin god''s mind fluctuated slightly, and he used the voice of his mind to secretlymunicate with Lin Shouyi. He told the young boy to use the mountain aura talisman whenever he got the opportunity. This was a talisman that could shatter all kinds of barriers. Afterward, he would do his best to hold the female ghost back.


    Once the "path to the underworld" was shattered, Lin Shouyi and the others could flee from this area and leave the mountain. They didn''t need to worry about him. The Yin god also warned Lin Shouyi that they shouldn''t follow this mountain path anymore. Instead, Chen Ping''an should use Auspicious Talisman to forge a new path.


    After agreeing to this, Lin Shouyi asked in an uncertain voice whether they should leave the slender saber Auspicious Talisman for him. However, the Yin god shook his head and replied that he couldn''t pick this saber up at all. Its aura was far too powerful. Moreover, this saber was the best for forging a new path, as its brilliant aura would leave an aura of righteousness on the trees and vegetation that it made contact with. This was an aura that would innately restrain Yin entities. Thus, it could prevent their enemy from employing any more ghostly tricks.


    Wiping her face and removing her hands, the female ghost once again revealed her colorless and deathly pale face. There was a sinister smile on her face as she remarked, "You came without invitation, and now you''re trying to leave without bidding farewell. Such acts are not the acts of virtuous people."


    The Yin god''s appearance became blurry, and his figure rapidly dissolved away like a melting candle. In the end, he transformed into a ball of tumultuous ink-ck smoke that charged at the female ghost.


    The female ghost raised a hand and flicked her sleeve, causing therge sleeve to open up like a bird''s wing and create a shield in front of her.


    Even so, the force of the collision still sent the female ghost stumbling back 25 or so meters. As she retreated, the sanguinenterns directly above her also exploded one after another. The blood inside thenterns didn''t spray into the surroundings, and they instead flew toward the female ghost who had been forced back by the Yin god. They were like swallows returning to their nests, and this was a simr sight to how the old Daoist priest had used the soul-summoning banner to absorb the essence of the remnant souls.


    "Get ready to follow me," Lin Shouyi said in a solemn voice. "We''ll discuss things further after we leave this mountain path. Chen Ping''an, we''ll need to forge a new path through the woods afterward, and Senior Yin god said that you should use Auspicious Talisman to do so."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "I''ll go and put the old Daoist priest on my back first. We can''t just ignore him and leave him to die."


    The blind old Daoist priest was barely breathing as hey a dozen or so paces away from them.


    Chen Ping''an sprinted over and slung the pitiful old man on his back. He then turned around and returned to the group.


    Lin Shouyi stood still and pinched a yellow paper talisman with two fingers. At the same time, he quietly recited an incantation under his breath.


    This was a Barrier Shattering Talisman, one type of the Mountain and Water Talismans. ording to the Yin god''s exnation, there were hundreds upon thousands of types of Mountain and Water Talismans. These were talismans that Qi refiners definitely needed to bring with them when they set off on long journeys or entered mountains and rivers. This was in order to prevent themselves from facing so-called "ghost hitting the wall" situations, as themoners often liked to call it.


    More precisely, these talismans were used to defend against mountain-guarding formations set by their fellow cultivators, or to defend against the evil schemes of powerful mountain ghosts and spirits. This would be especially important when they entered the ruins of ancient battlefields, unmarked burial grounds, and other simr ces. Without a few Barrier Shattering Talismans, Yang Energy Illumination Talismans, or Three Pure Ones[1] Mind Calming Talismans, one would essentially be walking headfirst into a trap, unarmed and defenseless.


    Lin Shouyi suddenly opened his eyes. In the depths of them, a streak of gold quickly shed past. "Follow the talisman," he said in a solemn voice.


    The others looked over, only to see the Barrier Shattering Talisman float away from Lin Shouyi''s fingers and hover in mid-air at head height. It started to flutter around, and it looked much like a drunkard trying to find their way home.


    The talisman stopped after nearing the side of the mountain path that hugged the mountain face, and Li Huai asked, "Does it want us to smash headfirst into the mountain?"


    Lin Shouyi was the first to stride forward, and his figure suddenly disappeared into the mountain.


    Li Baoping and Li Huai followed after him. Behind them, Chen Ping''an carried the old Daoist priest and led the donkey as he also vanished from the mountain path.


    The yellow paper talisman initially wanted to follow them into the mountain as well. However, as if being stealthily tugged by someone, it immediately became exhausted of spiritual energy and limply floated to the floor.


    The four children reappeared in the depths of a dense forest. They exchanged nces, and even Lin Shouyi who had activated the Barrier Shattering Talisman was baffled and at aplete loss.


    Chen Ping''an asked Lin Shouyi to carry the old Daoist priest for him first. He then climbed a tall tree and observed the surroundings from its highest point. They were seemingly located in a ravine surrounded by mountains on three sides. Even with Chen Ping''an''s exceptional eyesight, he still couldn''t see the surroundings clearly. He could only see a blurry outline.


    Before leaving the mountain path, the Yin god and the female ghost had been engaged in an intense battle in the distance. The sound of explodingnterns had been ceaseless and lingering.


    After using the Barrier Shattering Talisman to flee, however, their surroundings suddenly becamepletely silent. The forest was deathly quiet, and not a single rustle could be heard. This huge contrast didn''t ease Li Huai''s mind, and it instead caused him to feel even more terrified and uneasy.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath before gripping the slender saber Auspicious Talisman and saying, "No matter what, we''ll head toward the south first. Only that side isn''t blocked by towering mountains."


    ��������


    In a ravine littered with towering ancient trees, there were neat rows of tall buildings resting together to form a splendid residence. The size and extravagance of this residence were even superior to that of generals and ministers in the mortal world, and perhaps only the residences of county kings could rival it.


    A que with the golden characters "Beautiful Water Noble Wind" hung high upon the gate of the residence, and the strokes of these characters were filled with such vigorous power that they looked like the work of an immortal. Outside the gate was a pair ofrge stone lions, with each measuring a height equivalent to two humans tall. One of the stone lions was reaching forward with its paw and holding down a stone child that was asrge as a person. The stone lion appeared mighty and imposing.


    The air rippled, and an old man dressed in azure and holding arge redntern walked out from within this disturbance.


    He was none other than the pce minister from the Ritual Office of the Ministry of Personnel.


    The old man sighed, and his brows were knitted into a deep frown. It was clear that he believed that this visit would be a very troublesome one. He stuck the handle of thentern under one of the stone lion''s feet, and the initially dark and gloomy residence that was cold and empty instantly became suffused with light. Up high and down low, in the distance and nearby, almost a thousandnterns lit up at exactly the same time.


    Countless doors were pushed open, and no fewer than 100 people walked out �� beautiful young women, old stewards, stablemen and chefs, servants and maids, gardeners and housekeepers, and so on... It was as if they had all received an order from their master at the same time and were just about to start work.


    However, almost all of them were deathly pale, with not a hint of expression in their eyes.


    In a garden inside the residence, theme young boy and the round-faced little girl were huddled together as they leaned against a wall.


    Blood flowed from the seven orifices on theme young boy''s face, and it was clear that he had already suffered severe injuries. He most likely wouldn''t be able to walk many steps even if he were allowed to leave. In order to fight against the astonishingly powerful female ghost just then, theme young boy had summoned the silver characters "subduing demons and capturing ghosts" from the banner and into the acupoints in his face. This was a sinister technique that would severely harm his mind and soul.


    Meanwhile, the little girl had cut her hands and arms several times, causing her to lose far too much blood. This was made even worse by the fact that she hade into contact with some of the female ghost''s Yin energy. She was still dizzy at this moment, and she felt like she wanted to hurl.


    When thenterns lit up, theme young boy''s expression became even grimmer. He hurriedly reached over to cover the little girl''s eyes.


    What appeared before the young boy were racks of dry and decaying skeletons. In fact, only the upper half of these skeletons were visible above the ground. They were packed densely together, and it was as if they were being nted like vegetables in a garden. There were at least 40 to 50 sets of skeletons.


    Theme young boy felt a slight sense of despair.


    This was because one of the skeletons surprisingly had a faint golden spine. Its limbs were also as pure white as fine jade, and it was clear that this person had been a Qi refiner who had already reached the Middle Five Tiers and achieved a "golden branch and jade leaves". ording to the blind old Daoist priest, only Qi refiners who were extremely powerful among their peers in the Middle Five Tiers could achieve this kind of phenomenon.


    As for the old Daoist priest who could barely reach the doorstep of the Middle Five Tiers, he hadn''t even managed to cultivate a golden branch yet, so how could he possibly cultivate jade leaves?


    No wonder he had lost soprehensively.


    The gulf between their power was far too immense.


    The gate of the residence opened, showing its greatest respect as it weed one of the three most powerful pce ministers of the Great Li Empire.


    However, the old man didn''t enter. Instead, he sat down on the gate threshold and looked at the wide path outside the residence. "Lady Chu, can you listen to me and not make things difficult for those young children?" he asked softly.


    Next to the gate, therge redntern resting beneath the stone lion''s feet started to shudder violently.


    As thentern wildly swung back and forth, the four bright red characters, "souls, homeward ye go", also started to ripple with wisps of sanguine light.


    The old man''s voice became firmer as he warned, "Lady Chu! If anything happens to those children in your territory, to say nothing of this residence, even the Great Li Empire will suffer great cmity as a result."


    However, it was a shame that there was still no reply.


    "Lady Chu!" the old man called in slight anger.


    An old man who looked like a steward appeared at the gate. He was wearing a felt hat, and his hands were sped behind his hunched back. He coughed before chuckling softly and saying, "The Great Li Empire has already recognized these mountains and waters as Young Mistress'' territory for countless years. Young Mistress has also peacefully coexisted with the Great Li Empire this entire time.


    "In fact, I heard that many years before I even became the steward of this residence, some previous emperor of the Great Li Empire once became indebted to Young Mistress. Even now, the Golden Characters Iron Certificate[2] with the characters ''Eternal Harmony of Mountains and Rivers'' is still disyed in the residence. After that unfortunate event, all of the emperors from the previous ones to the current one tacitly allow Young Mistress to vent her anger. Why is today any different?"


    The old man in azure turned around to look at the old steward wearing the felt hat. "Not only is today different, but Lady Chu won''t be allowed to mutte and kill passing schrs in the future anymore either!" he said slowly. "I''ll naturally exin the reason to Lady Chu. However, if Lady Chu isn''t willing to stop or face me, then don''t me the Great Li Empire for being merciless!"


    The old steward patted his chest to stop his coughing. He smiled and replied, "The Great Li Empire is facing turmoil right now, so unless Master Ruan personallyes over, Young Mistress genuinely won''t be afraid of anyone. Even if she can''t defeat some of the secret honored members of the Great Li Empire, will the empire truly have the courage to dig up hundreds of kilometers of mountains and sever the Embroidered Flower River if Young Mistress decides to go into hiding? Will you not be afraid of affecting Go Table Mountain and that descended Jewel Small World?"


    The pce minister''s expression was dark, and he replied, "Our lord isn''t an honored member of the Great Li Empire whose ego is even bigger than the heavens. He''s always detested those who take a mile when given an inch."


    The gate slowly closed, and the old steward stood inside the residence and smiled with squinted eyes, saying, "Young Mistress has given a reply. She said that the Great Li Empire can test her out."


    "Then test her we will!"


    The pce minister from the Ministry of Rites shook his head. He was also a straightforward person, so he didn''t say anything else to try to convince Lady Chu. Instead, he directly walked down the steps and retrieved hisrge redntern, tossing it into the sky.


    His figure slowly faded away.


    Meanwhile, thentern rose into the sky like a red moon.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an and the others had solemn expressions as they stood on the street outside therge residence.


    None of them had imagined that they would suddenlye across such an extravagant residence deep within the wild mountain forests.


    Chen Ping''an had been responsible for hacking away the branches and shrubs with Auspicious Talisman and clearing a path for them. Right now, he was also panting in slight exertion. This wasn''t because he had expended a lot of energy, but it was because there was a heavy feeling weighing on his mind.


    The blind old Daoist priest on Lin Shouyi''s back finally stopped ying dead. He pped himself and said through tears, "Who would have thought that the female ghost would be so powerful? Yet, I actually dared to provoke her, and I even dreamed about ying demons and vanquishing fiends... Oh, my old eyes have truly gone blind... Indeed, my useless eyes haven''t gone blind for nothing..."


    Lin Shouyi was given a huge fright, and he hurriedly let the old Daoist priest jump down from his back.


    Li Huai hid behind Li Baoping, and Li Baoping''s face was also slightly pale as she tugged Chen Ping''an''s sleeve and asked in a quiet voice, "Junior uncle, are you afraid?"


    Chen Ping''an raised an arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He nodded and replied, "Of course I''m afraid. However, there''s no need to worry. There''s still me and Lin Shouyi."


    "I felt like I could give it a try before, but now? My measly abilities are only enough to elicit a slight wag of her fingers," Lin Shouyi said with a bitter smile.


    Chen Ping''an ced Auspicious Talisman in its scabbard and returned it to Li Baoping. When he saw the puzzled expressions on her and Lin Shouyi''s faces, he exined, "Let me try in a moment."


    "That female ghost isn''t afraid of Auspicious Talisman and isn''t afraid of Lin Shouyi''s talismans, but she''s actually afraid of fists?" Li Huai asked with a naive expression.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t reply, and he started to calm his breathing and focus his mind.


    1. The Three Pure Ones are the highest deities in the Daoist pantheon and are regarded as manifestations of Dao. ?


    2. " Golden Characters Iron Certificates" (������ȯ) were unique documents bestowed upon meritorious officials. Such documents could be used to reduce or eliminate the punishment for crimesmitted by the receiving official or their descendants. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    "Ghost hitting the wall" (����ǽ) means getting lost at night and walking in circles.</blockquote>

 Chapter 125: Shattering the Formation With a Single Thrust

    Chapter 125: Shattering the Formation With a Single Thrust


    In front of the residence with the que "Beautiful Water Noble Wind"...


    Perhaps feeling that death was imminent, the blind old Daoist priest suddenly went mad and started to utter nonsensical gibberish.


    Inside his sleeves, Lin Shouyi held a talisman in each hand �� the Pearl Within a te and Fiery Rain. He would try his best, but the rest would be up to the will of the heavens.


    Beside him, Chen Ping''an was silently controlling the wandering dragon-like wisp of Qi in his body. He visited his two acupoints to confirm that the wisps of sword qi were still present and undisturbed.


    How did he confirm this? This was actually very simple. As long as the fiery dragon that brought a warm and fuzzy feeling to his meridians didn''t dare to stop in front of those acupoints, then it would signify that the two wisps of "extremely, extremely small" sword qi were definitely still present.


    This time, Chen Ping''an felt like a single wisp of sword qi wouldn''t necessarily be enough to kill that female ghost in the wedding dress.


    If that were the case, then he would unleash both wisps of sword qi!


    His heart would definitely ache afterward, but this was definitely better than dying.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s heart was in fact already aching in pain before he had even used a single wisp of sword qi.


    Thus, the miserly young boy''s expression appeared slightly stiff. There was also a strong sense of killing intent.


    Li Huai suddenly discovered that the white donkey next to him was forcefully stomping the ground again and again. Compared to its irritation and unease in the morning, the white donkey was seemingly a little happy and delighted at this moment.


    Even when the female ghost appeared on top of the steps in front of the residence, the white donkey still only slowed down its stomping very slightly.


    The female ghost nced down at her bright red wedding dress, which was damaged and ripped in several areas. She suppressed her boiling rage and turned to look at the young children in front of her. She then gracefully hovered down.


    Turning slightly and performing a curtsy, the female ghost said in a soft and gentle voice, "Wee to my residence, esteemed guests. You can call me Lady Chu. It''s a shame that my husband is still yet to return from his distant journey, so I have no option but toe out and host you myself."


    ��������


    Inside the small bamboo forest in Go Table Mountain that was concealed by a formation, Wei Bo, who had seized the opportunity to recover his status as a mountain god, gazed at the mountainous pile of cut bamboo in front of him. These were the stalks of bamboo that A''Liang had felled with a single sh. Even though Wei Bo had obtained far more than he had lost during all thismotion, personally seeing these stalks of lush green bamboo that had drawn spiritual energy from Go Table Mountain for thousands of years lying there was still like looking at a beautiful woman who had been hacked apart at the waist. He couldn''t help but sigh.


    Wei Bo was already using the power of illusion of his pale gold earring, and others would still be unable to detect him even if he revealed his true body in his territory. This was the same case even for the ck python. He started to lightly snap his fingers, and the stalks of bamboo on the ground started to disappear one by one.


    After collecting all of it, Wei Bo left the bamboo forest and saw the ck python trembling and lying coiled up nearby. There was a young swordsman standing there with his sword hanging horizontally behind his waist. Beside him, there was a "familiar acquaintance" tilting his head up and gulping down wine. This was the powerful cultivator from the Great Li Empire who A''Liang had sent flying back to Go Table Mountain while soaring to the capital. Wei Bo only knew that his surname was Liu. In the end, he had been carried away by that swordsman.


    Wei Bo had a slightly puzzled expression. The man had been on the brink of death not long ago, yet in such a short time, he had already recovered and was up and about again, even though he still appeared slightly sluggish. However, even those who practiced top-notch physique-refining secret techniques wouldn''t be able to recover so quickly and soprehensively.


    Of course, it was indeed the case that those who reached thest two tiers of the Middle Five Tiers would all have their own secret abilities and trump cards. Thus, Wei Bo naturally wouldn''t question him about this. Buddhist monks wouldn''t discuss surnames, and Daoist priests wouldn''t discuss lifespans[1] �� this was something that everyone knew.


    After wiping the wine from the corners of his mouth, the strong and burly man said in a deep voice, "Old mountain lord of Go Table Mountain, my name is Liu Yu. Even though I don''t especially like you, I''ll definitely repay you for saving my life in the future. If you have any urgent requests, then just crush this message talisman. If I''m not upied with the tasks assigned by the imperial court, then I''ll definitelye over to help you even if I''m in the southernmost Old Dragon City of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent."


    The burly man casually tossed Wei Bo a beautiful white jade tablet. After catching it, Wei Bo chuckled, "Frank in terms of what you like and detest, open and upright in manner, and in possession of this Peace and Safety Tablet that''s unique to Militarian sects and temples. Liu Yu, are you a cultivator from Wind Snow Temple or True Martial Mountain?"


    "Is that any of your business?" the burly man humphed coldly.


    Having just returned from the Embroidered Flower River, the young swordsman smiled and said, "Liu Yu is a typical sharp-tongued but soft-hearted person. Please don''t mind him."


    Wei Bo hurriedly waved his hands and replied, "I wouldn''t dare."


    The swordsman casually rested his elbows on his longsword and said with a warm smile, "There''s coincidentally some impromptu matter that I have to deal with in Dragon Spring County. If you don''t mind, then do you want to leave the mountain with us? Even though I already notified County Magistrate Wu Yuan beforehand, meaning that there shouldn''t be any issues, what I''m afraid of is the potential for things to go awry. After all, not only is a geomantic official from the Ministry of Astronomy in Downtrodden Mountain now, but there are also many external forces there. After just improving the rtionship between you and the Great Li Empire slightly, I definitely don''t wish to see things fall apart again."


    "Judging from themotion of the battle not long ago, it can''t be that a formal god of the Five Mountains has been killed, right?" Wei Bo replied in a seemingly casual manner. "What, can I also seize this opportunity to grab a small slice of the cake? Could it be that this so-called impromptu matter that you speak of genuinely has something to do with me?"


    The rough and reckless-looking Liu Yu squinted his eyes.


    However, the young swordsman remained calm and rxed as he chuckled, "Rest assured, I definitely won''t kick others to the curb when they''ve outlived their usefulness. Regarding the eventual oue of this trip to Dragon Spring County, it''s all up to what you, Wei Bo, desire. The imperial court of the Great Li Empire definitely won''t force others to do something that they''re unwilling to do. As for the specifics of this matter... To tell you the truth, I''m not too sure about it either. I only know that the emperor attached great importance to this matter after hearing about it. In the end, he specifically reminded us to ''treat them with courtesy''."


    Wei Bo sighed and said, "I''ve always had a stinky temperament where I''m easily persuaded by reason but can''t be cowed by force. Since you''re asking me like this, how can I possibly refuse? I''m truly afraid of you people."


    "Shouldn''t you yield to neither persuasion nor force?" Liu Yu sneered.


    "Thank you for the praise, thank you," Wei Bo said with a smile.


    The young swordsman nced at the obedient and docile ck python and said in amusement, "Your vision is fairly impressive. However, remember not to cause any trouble when you go to Downtrodden Mountain in the future. There''s a member of your species residing in theke of a nearby mountain, so even if you two fight in the future, it''s best that you don''t affect any of the mortals in that area. Apart from this, there''s nothing else that''s worth looking out for. Since you''re a mountain spirit of the Great Li Empire now, you at least don''t need to worry about being casually hunted and killed by the passing cultivators anymore."


    The ck python earnestly nodded in reply. After ingesting the snake gall pebbles from Jewel Small World, its body had surprisingly shrunk in size instead of growing anyrger. However, its four dragon-like ws had be even thicker than before, and the ink-ck scales covering its body had also be increasingly bright and lustrous. At the same time, a thin golden line that was difficult to notice had also appeared on its abdomen.


    Because there was still no one residing between here and Dragon Spring County, there was no need for them to rest in the mornings and travel at night even though they were bringing the ck python with them.


    When they arrived at the Iron Talisman River, the ck python carefully slid into the water after receiving permission from the young swordsman. Even though it was extremely delighted, it still did its best to suppress its instinct �� it didn''t dare to wantonly twist its body and p the river water. The three people stood on the ck python''s back, and it was as if they were passengers on a boat as they casually glided north along the Iron Talisman River.


    Wei Bo frowned and lightly flicked his sleeves. He then scooped some water into his hand and swished it around as if he were trying to determine its weight. There was surprise in his voice as he eximed, "I''m aware that the Iron Talisman was elevated from a river to a great river. But...?"


    The young swordsman exined the situation to him, saying, "After sessfully fusing into the Iron Talisman River, the river goddess here encountered another rare opportunity. This caught the attention of a geomantic official, who hurriedly reported the situation to the imperial court. The emperor was delighted, and he promoted the river one more level after having promoted it twice already."


    Wei Bo gently moved his hand around, causing the river water in his palm to slowly spin in circles. He clucked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "Then hasn''t this fortunate person who became the new river goddess of Iron Talisman River already reached the highest level in the mortal Mountain and River Genealogical Records? Interesting, how very interesting...


    "In just a few days, she''s alreadypleted the journey that takes her colleagues many hundreds or even thousands of years. Such talent and fortune is simply astonishing �� this is a destiny granted by the heavens! Most importantly, the promotion of this river goddess seemingly hasn''t resulted in an encroachment on the fortune of the other waterways. I have to say that the Great Li Empire is truly quite fortunate."


    The young swordsman''s expression finally became serious for the first time, and he asked, "Wei Bo, are you sure that her promotion hasn''t encroached on the fortunes of the other mountains and rivers? Are you sure that her fortunes have alle from the initially small Iron Talisman River?"


    Wei Bo smiled and remained silent.


    Once the formal god of the Northern Mountain of Divine Water Nation, his observations were naturally keen and not something that the geomantic officials from the Ministry of Astronomy couldpare to. Indeed, these geomantic officials could only be regarded as "amateurs among experts".


    Due to the battle with A''liang not long ago, the mountains and rivers in the Great Li Empire were ebbing and flowing in their fortunes, causing the fortunes of the empire to also waver. At the same time, three of the five formal gods of the Five Mountains had also been severely wounded, so the matters pertaining to the other mountains and rivers could only be managed by the geomantic officials for the moment.


    "Wei Bo, I''m sure that this information alone can reap you rich rewards from the imperial court," the young swordsman said in a solemn voice.


    Wei Bo looked up, and the gentle breeze brushed against his face. At this moment, the already ethereal-looking "young man" appeared even more like a transcendent immortal. His gaze was gentle, and he asked with a faint smile, "Can I swap it for a small fated opportunity? For example, creating a smoother path to immortality for a new disciple in the Pce of Eternal Spring for the next hundred years? This is a disciple who already has the talent to reach the Middle Five Tiers."


    "This isn''t difficult," the young swordsman replied with a smile.


    "I feel guilt toward the Liu n of Divine Water Nation..." Wei Bo murmured softly.


    "How many years ago was that? Even mountain gods and river gods who enjoy lifespans as long as empires aren''t as foolishly sentimental at you," Liu Yu grumbled in impatience. "When empires copse, it''s already a huge fortune if your gold statue doesn''t crumble along with it. If you''re able to serve the new empire and continue to enjoy incense and offerings, then that''s an even greater fortune than one can only dream of. Even if you''re indebted to the Liu n of Divine Water Nation, that was already something from several hundred years ago. Regardless of whether they deserved to die or not, all of them had already died. So why the hell are you still acting so melodramatic?!"


    Wei Bopletely ignored him. The only thing that reverberated in his ears was the gentlepping of the river water.


    "Stubborn fool! And to think that I actually owe you a favor... Ah, such a great misfortune!" the staunch Liu Yu fumed.


    The young swordsmanughed heartily and said, "Bad fate is still fate. You two should just ept this and endure it."


    "I wonder if Old Lantern will sh with Lady Chu in his trip down south," Liu Yu remarked casually. "If they get into a fight, I''d wager that Old Lantern wille out worse for wear."


    The young swordsman shook his head and said, "I hope everything goes smoothly without trouble. Lady Chu is extremely important to the Great Li Empire. Moreover, she''s also the type of resolute person who would choose to fight to the death without any hesitation if things truly came to that. If you weren''t severely wounded, and if that woman hadn''t needed to return to the Pce of Eternal Spring so urgently to pick up Her Majesty, then I wouldn''t have asked Pce Minister Han to ept the task of escorting them down south. Pce Minister Han is amiable on the outside and firm on the inside, and his temper is actually even worse than yours."


    Liu Yu roared withughter and said, "No worries, I''m sure everything is fine. As long as there aren''t any elegant and talented schrs in the group, then Lady Chu naturally won''t take a fancy to them. In fact, if Old Lantern were 30 or 40 years younger, then he might have genuinely been kept in her residence to act as her husband."


    "If you''re so brave, then why don''t you repeat this in front of Lady Chu?" the young swordsman teased.


    "If she dares to leave her territory, then I''ll dare to repeat this in front of her," Liu Yu chuckled.


    The young swordsman sighed with emotion andmented, "Sages are referred to as sages because they possess their own small world. When they reside in this small world, they can enjoy all of opportune time, geographical advantage, and popr support."


    "It''s a shame that you''re a swordsman, Master," Liu Yu said with pity. "Such powers can''t be achieved by swordsmen. Otherwise, if your offensive ability and ability to kill is unrivaled, and you also enjoy the defenses of a sage''s small world, then..."


    The young swordsman raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "I already have a sword, so is this not enough?"


    Only at this moment did the ordinary-looking swordsman give one a dazzling and almost blinding feeling.


    There was a forced smile on Liu Yu''s face.


    Wei Bo suddenly stood up straight and looked into the distance, only to see a woman sitting on the branch of a willow tree that was horizontally extended above the river. She was dressed in azure robes, and there was a face armor concealing her appearance.


    Her hair was long and a rare pale gold color, and it extended all the way to the surface of the Iron Talisman River where it gently undted with the water.


    For some reason, Wei Bo recalled a popr line from a poem.


    Entering the water, the willow flowers undte like duckweed[2].


    When the young swordsman saw the woman, he quietly exined, "She''s the river goddess of the Iron Talisman River. She''s only just formed her godly body, and the imperial court is still yet to construct a river god shrine for her. As such, her spirit is still slightly unstable."


    Without turning around, Wei Bo asked, "What''s her name?"


    "This littledy''s name is as good as can be �� Yang Hua, as in water element willow[3]!" Liu Yu humphed coldly. "She''s enjoyed heaven-rivaling fortune this entire time, fortune that''s enough to make others go green with envy. She was born in the countryside, and after being chosen by a geomantic official for her impressive aptitude, she further received recognition from the renowned Daoist sword ''Talisman'' in the capital. And now, she''s even been promoted to a lofty river goddess with few peers. With her good fortune, is she not going to ascend to the heavens in the future?"


    Wei Bo''s expression returned to normal, and he sat down on the ck python''s back and observed, "Oh, so she has the aptitude of a rain goddess. No wonder her journey has been as smooth-sailing as wind and water. With such a powerful neighbor who I''ll see all the time, heaven knows whether this will be a good or a bad thing."


    Even though the young swordsman found thisment slightly strange, he couldn''t put his finger on what exactly he found strange about it.


    However, to disy the aptitude of a rain goddess was indeed a rare, once-in-a-century event.


    Riding on the back of the ck python, Wei Bo and the others glided past the flowing willow tree. The river goddess Yang Hua paid no heed to them.


    In Divine Water Nation of yore, poets were abundant and especially renowned for creating poems of farewell. Once sung and passed on by the women in the brothels, these poems would often shoot to fame and quickly sweep through the entire continent.


    In these poems, por flowers[4] were equivalent to willow flowers.


    However, just like the rough and burly Liu Yu had said, these things were all ancient history.


    If Wei Bo didn''t exin this, who would care? Even if he did exin it, who would be willing to listen?


    Only Confucian sages had once left an annotation �� Por, that from which willows sprout[5].


    ��������


    Wei Bo suddenly turned around, yet the river goddess Yang Hua was already nowhere to be seen.


    At this moment, in somece even further south than Go Table Mountain, arge redntern slowly rose into the sky.


    The young swordsman ced his hand on the hilt of his sword and said with a grim expression, "By the looks of it, I need to personally take a trip down south."


    However, right at this moment...


    In some majestic mountain on the border of the Great Li Empire, a dash of white shot out from the mountaintop and rapidly flew toward the north. Like a brilliantet, an extremely long streak of snow-white light trailed behind it.


    This was actually the sword qi of a flying sword!


    Moreover, the owner of the flying sword was nowhere to be seen.


    The sword qi was both long and weighty.


    After a while, the swordnded not far away from the banks of the Embroidered Flower River.


    Shattering the formation that was almost as powerful as a sage''s handiwork with a single thrust, the swordnded precisely in front of a white donkey.


    1. This means not asking disrespectful questions that invade other people''s privacy. ?


    2. The phrase used for willow flowers (�) corresponds to Yang Hua''s name. This line also symbolizes people who are being toyed with by destiny, where their fate is undting and uncertain. ?


    3. This description (ˮ���) originates from A Dream in Red Mansions, and is actually used to describe women with loose morals. Water element refers to the fact that a person has a disposition as changeable as water. Liu Yu is most likely being sarcastic. ?


    4. The term for por flowers corresponds to Yang Hua''s name. See the below footnote. ?


    5. This is technically incorrect nowadays, but in Ancient China, the term for por also encapsted willows. Thus, the terms por flower (�) and willow flower/catkin (����/��) were used interchangeably. In fact, por and willow were also used as a single term (����) to refer to willows. ?

 Chapter 126: Terrestrial Sword Immortal

    Chapter 126: Terrestrial Sword Immortal


    Shattering the heavenly barrier, the swordnded on the street in front of the extravagant residence.


    Meanwhile, the longet-like trail of sword qi didn''t dissipate even long after the sword had finished its journey through the air and the powerful barrier. Instead, it lingered like a ray of blinding sunshine shooting into a dreary and lifeless room.


    As if it hade across an old friend in a foreign town, the white donkey started to joyously run circles around the sword.


    Lady Chu was clearly dumbfounded. As the owner of these mountains and rivers, she could clearly sense the might of this sword better than anyone else. The foundations of the mountains shuddered, and the water in the rivers boiled. If she hadn''t used her aura to envelop the residence behind her, then it was very likely that the close to 1000nterns hanging inside it would have been extinguished in a single breath as well.


    The female ghost was both astonished and enraged. She didn''t look at where the sword hadnded, and she instead turned to glower at the irreparable fissure in the dark sky. At the same time, beads of blood started to seep out from her bright red wedding dress. Like beads of water rolling across a lotus leaf, more and more blood seeped from her wedding dress, eventually connecting together to form a pool.


    She waved her sleeves and roared in fury, "Those who dare to trespass, death penalty! Impudent sword immortal, I''m going to twist your head off and nt it in my garden! I''m going to make you live a torturous life for tens upon hundreds of years!"


    A loudugh traveled over from the distance, and in the end, this voice gathered onto the flying sword. Not only was this voice gentle and honest, but it even possessed a unique charm. It was as if a gentle spring breeze were washing over them as a noble disciple told them a romantic story.


    However, the soaring pride in the voice was unconcealed as it said, "Please wait for a moment, young girl. My physical body is yet topletely stabilize, so I''m unable to travel as quickly as my flying sword. However, I do wonder what the scenery in your garden is like..."


    "My garden isn''trge, and the scenery isn''t anything to write home about either. However, it''s good enough to nt an extra head!"


    The deathly pale face of the female ghost became livid purple and increasingly eerie. Her smile was sinister, and two streams of sanguine water shot out from herrge sleeves and rushed toward the fissure in the sky.


    "Sword arrives, filth subsides!" someone dered loudly.


    The dense barrier shuddered violently.


    After rushing upward and converging at the fissure in the sky, the two streams of blood suddenly exploded apart and shot out in all directions. It was as if it were raining blood. The female ghost shuddered, and she lightly shook her sleeves. Countless drops of blood returned to the sleeves of her wedding dress.


    A young man dressed in white robes descended from the sky. There was ayer of misty white aura around him, and it was as if he were surrounded by the mists of argeke or the astral energy of a mountain peak. His hair was bound, yet it was neither decorated with a hairpin nor covered by a crown. His index finger and middle finger were held together to form a sword, and there was a majestic column of sword qi that was as thick as a muscr arm emanating from his body.


    This was a blinding column of sword qi, and it was like a white flood dragon as it rapidly soared around the surroundings. The drops of blood and the dark aura of filth instantly dissipated upon being struck by this radiant sword qi.


    The handsome young man who looked no older than 30 gracefullynded between the female ghost and the group of children led by Chen Ping''an. With a whoosh, the flying sword on the ground flew to the man''s side, with the tip of its de directly pointing at the que that read "Beautiful Water Noble Wind".


    The man retracted his two fingers, causing the powerful and seemingly tangible column of sword qi to momentarily falter. He nced back, and he came to a sudden realization when he saw the little girl in red with the small bamboo bookcase. He suddenly remembered that the old item that had once apanied him through thick and thin for many years already no longer belonged to him.


    A carefree smile appeared on his face, and with a wave of his hand, Li Baoping''s green bamboo bookcase shuddered slightly. The small silver gourd hidden inside trembled gently, and a snow-white flying sword that was only two inches long flew out from the Sword Nurturing Gourd. The column of sword qi reluctantly flew inside the flying sword. Afterward, the flying sword quickly dashed toward the young man''s be, disappearing in a sh.


    The sword immortal massaged his be and said in amusement, "Why don''t we treat this entire continent as our home in the future? You''re not a young girl waiting for marriage in your room anymore, so there''s no need for you to coop yourself up in that building all the time."


    There was a spring in the white donkey''s steps as it clip-clopped up to the young man and affectionately nudged his shoulder with its head.


    The man smiled faintly as he reached over to stroke the white donkey''s head. "Long time no see, old friend. I''ve truly missed you."


    Following the young man''s forceful entry, the fissure in the sky had already slowly closed up. However, this had used up arge amount of spiritual energy from the mountains and rivers. In just a short moment, almost 50 years of umted energy was flushed away, transforming into nothing more than polluted air.


    Lady Chu regained herposure, and she sneered, "A sword by the waist, externalizing sword qi, and a bonded flying sword... Each is more powerful than the former. What an outstanding terrestrial sword immortal. You''re probably not from the Great Li Empire, right?"


    The sword immortal who had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere smiled faintly and replied, "I''m nothing more than rootless duckweed, someone with no roots and no ties. My name isn''t worth mentioning."


    After saying this, the man didn''t only turn his head around, but he instead turned his entire body around, boldly exposing his back to the female ghost. Having just exited seclusion, the terrestrial sword immortal''s voice was gentle as he exined, "I can be regarded as somewhat of a friend of A''Liang''s. Mhm, only somewhat. The other part of our rtionship is me being somewhat of a disciple of his. However, it''s a shame that A''Liang isn''t willing to acknowledge this.


    "He said that my nature is too pedantic, and that I''m also too soft-handed when I deal with matters. Because of this, I''m never quick enough when I draw my de. He can''t bear to embarrass himself by acknowledging me as his disciple. In any case, I rushed over from far away because I sensed the presence of my old friend and also the anomaly inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd. Forgive me for asking, but where is A''Liang? And who are you children?"


    "We''re also A''Liang''s friends," Chen Ping''an exined. "The gourd was given to Li Baoping by A''Liang, and Li Huai was responsible for looking after the donkey. As for where A''Liang went, I''m sure you''ll hear about it in the future."


    Compared to the female ghost, Li Huai �� who always had strange thoughts running around in his mind �� felt much more familiar with this terrestrial sword immortal who imed to be A''Liang''s friend. In his view, wouldn''t A''Liang''s friend be his friend as well? In terms of whether he was an immortal or not, could this be more important than the fact that they were friends?


    However, the incident on the ship had traumatized Li Huai, and he no longer dared to speak so carelessly. Nheless, he continued to gesture to the white donkey with his eyes.


    The young swordsman attentively listened to Chen Ping''an''s exnation, and in the end, he nodded and said, "Irgely understand the situation now."


    Almost everyone noticed a sudden but slight tremoring from the earth. It was as if an Ao[1] were turning its body, and it was as if the mountain range were about to copse. The female ghost''s expression changed drastically. She wanted to leave, yet she discovered that a bonded flying sword had already sealed off her path of retreat. A snow-white flying sword had already arrived one meter before her forehead at some unknown time.


    She was filled with rage, and she roared, "Pce Minister Han, great river god of the Embroidered Flower River, are you two not going to do anything about this?! If that Yin god truly severs the mountain root here, not only will the Embroidered Flower River and the two other great rivers be affected, but which of Go Table Mountain, Iron Talisman River, and Dragon Whisker River in the north will be spared? Which of them won''t be affected?!"


    Holding arge redntern in his hand, there stood an old man in the sky beyond the barrier. He chuckled coldly and replied, "Lady Chu, where has your imposing and confident manner disappeared to?"


    The female ghost''s expression became grim.


    Standing beside the old man was a god suited in armor and with an azure snake coiled around his arm. He was here to lighten the mood, lest conflict break out between Pce Minister Han and the female ghost and affect the fortune of the Great Li Empire. His voice was solemn as he said, "Lady Chu, Pce Minister Han and I can ask the Yin god to stop his actions of severing the mountain root. However, we hope that Lady Chu can remain calm and refrain from any provocative speech as well."


    The female ghost smiled and replied, "What if I want to spar with this great sword immortal? Is this also a provocative request?"


    Pce Minister Han chuckled in anger and spat, "Oh, how benevolent of you, Lady Chu! I''ve truly learned a valuable lesson today. Very well... Very well! The Ministry of Rites of the Great Li Empire will definitely thank you in the future!"


    "You''re nothing but a measly pce minister, yet you still dare to utter such wanton and threatening words? Are you trying to scare a little child?" the female ghost sneered. "You''ll only have the right to order me around when you be the minister in charge of the Ministry of Rites."


    The azure snake on the great river god''s arm hissed rapidly, sending plumes of white mist into the air. The great river god was clearly more familiar with the imperial court and future direction of the Great Li Empire than the secluded female ghost, and there was displeasure on his face as he warned, "Lady Chu!"


    The female ghost held a hand to her mouth as she giggled. At the same time, she turned slightly and held her dress with her other hand, performing a curtsy and saying, "Then my apologies to Lord Han."


    The old man''s face was red with anger, yet he chose to remain silent for the sake of the stability of the mountains and rivers in the Great Li Empire.


    Otherwise, with Lady Chu''s habit of wantonly and brutally killing passing schrs, would the Great Li Empire have chosen to turn a blind eye for so many dozens of years?


    However, the old man had never felt that the imperial court''s decision was incorrect.


    This was a majestic empire that was destined tost for thousands of years and tens of thousands of generations. What did a few dead schrs matter? What did their innocence or guilt matter?


    If he weren''t an official of the Great Li Empire, and if he weren''t the pce minister of the Ministry of Rites responsible for contacting and recruiting Qi refiners, then his temperament and identity as a Confucianism disciple would have definitely pushed him to resolutely attack the female ghost. He would do so even if this meant an internecine oue.


    However, during his ascension to his current position, he had witnessed brutal battles resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, he had witnessed the changing titles of the myriad official residences in the capital, he had witnessed assassins and spies from other nations lunging over like moth to mes, and he had witnessed battles between immortals that had ruthlessly inflicted death upon hundreds upon thousands innocent mortals.


    His position as pce minister dictated that he had to consider problems from a different perspective.


    Pce Minister Han was no longer the youth of years gone by who needed to studiously read Confucian ssics. He was no longer an impoverished schr who knew only the knowledge written on paper.


    In fact, for the sake of upholding thew of the Great Li Empire, he had once personally executed a brave and righteous martial artist who had been seeking revenge against immortals on behalf of innocent mortals.


    Before sumbing to his grave wounds, the martial artists had unleashed a torrent of abuse and sneered that the Great Li Empire was truly asical as could be. He had scolded Pce Minister Han andbeled him ackey of the immortals.


    However, Pce Minister Han had calmly told the martial artist that there would eventuallye a day �� perhaps in 30 years, or perhaps in 50 years �� when the Great Li Empire would no longer suffer from innocent deaths like this. Before drawing his final breath, the righteous martial artist had spat a mixture of spit and blood onto his face.


    What matters in the world were truly clear-cut and ck-and-white?


    Holding thentern in his hand, and withplicated emotions in mind, the old man looked up and gazed toward the north. For some reason, his superior didn''t seem to be in a hurry to show himself or interfere.


    The young sword immortal paid no heed to Lady Chu and the pce minister of the Great Li Empire. As for the great river god and Yin god, he cared even less about them. He simply turned around to face the female ghost who had been stopped by his sword, smiling and asking in amusement, "You want to engage in swordy with me?"


    Lady Chu smiled with squinted eyes and replied, "If we''re only sparring, then I''m more than willing to. After all, this is my first time seeing a terrestrial sword immortal as young as you."


    The young sword immortal waved his hand, and the white donkey hurriedly ran back to Li Huai. He then reached toward the hilt of his sword before nodding and saying, "Sure thing."


    The female ghost squinted her eyes and replied, "Oh? You''re not joking?"


    Grabbing the hilt of his sword, the young sword immortal said in a soft voice, "High Radiance."


    He shed down in a simple motion.


    However, heaven and earth changed colors, and the small and misty world was instantly illuminated with a brilliant radiance.


    A burst of sword qi surged toward Lady Chu.


    The shocked and flustered female ghost had no time to do anything but raise her hands and block her face. Meanwhile, herrge sleeves blocked her entire body.


    Even so, she was still ruthlessly cut into two.


    The anguished wails of Lady Chu reverberated around the magnificent residence that stood behind her.


    The servants and maids froze and fell into a trance, with blood starting to trickle from the orifices on their faces. Some of them directly copsed to the floor and dissolved into puddles of pus.


    Inside the residence, there was a youngdy oblivious to the fact that she was stabbing her arm again and again as she learned embroidery. There were also two guards exchanging punches and eventually obliterating each other''s heads as they practiced martial arts. However, their movements continued even though only less than half of their heads remained.


    The female ghost hurriedly dashed toward the gate of the residence. As she did so, countless sanguine threads materialized between the two halves of her body like the fibers of lotus roots. She rapidly knitted back together as she soared through the sky.


    "Again," the young sword immortal said calmly.


    His sword swept sideways.


    Like the sparkling surface of water, an arc of sword light stretched across the sky.


    Lady Chu was severed at the waist, making her appear much like a "beauty stepping out of the water".


    Her wedding dress softlynded on the top step in front of the residence.


    The female ghost transformed into wisps of chaotic smoke as she flew into the golden que, causing blood to continuously pitter-patter onto the floor below. At the same time, her pained and twisted face asionally pushed against the surface of the que, during which she would beg, "Please spare me, sword immortal!"


    The young immortal had only attacked twice, unleashing one downward sh and one sideward sh. Yet, this was already enough to slice the arrogant and imposing female ghost''s soul into four, forcing her to return inside the que that maintained this small world. Indeed, this que was the "root of the mountains and source of the rivers", and it was only inside here that the female ghost could keep herself alive.


    There was amon saying in the world �� "living under the eaves of others"[2]. In fact, this saying already revealed some secrets. Regardless of whether it was crossbeams or ques that rested under the eaves, it was often the case that they were filled with secrets and mystery.


    Lin Shouyi''s mind wavered. No wonder A''Liang had remarked that sword immortals were the most carefree, deadly, and unreasonable among Qi refiners. However, it was a shame that the sword was unsuitable for Lin Shouyi even though he was extremely talented in cultivation. He couldn''t help but feel slightly disappointed. However, he quickly resolved his Dao Heart again.


    If he could rely on his supreme Dao powers to achieve victory over divinely powerful terrestrial sword immortals in the future, then wouldn''t that be even better? However, Lin Shouyi was extremely aware that the terrestrial sword immortal standing in front of them was most likely a Qi refiner at the legendary Upper Five Tiers. If pure martial artists were regarded as inferior to Qi refiners, then sword immortals could be regarded as superior to all other kinds of Qi refiners.


    The reason for this was simple �� no one was willing to fight against powerful sword immortals.


    It was rumored that someone had once performed some analysis before. Among those who had severed the bridge to immortality of others, one-third of them were sword immortals. This was even more than the Militarian cultivators who were decisive in battle and were reluctant to attract karmic fate. One had to realize that there existed tens of thousands of paths of cultivation, each with its own fated opportunities. There were the Hundred Schools of Thought, the formal sects and the heretical sects, and so on and so forth. Sword immortals belonged to but one of the myriad paths.


    Chen Ping''an''s thoughts were much simpler than Lin Shouyi''s. He was only contemting a single thing. As it turned out, swords could also be used like this...


    The young sword immortal held one hand behind his back and gripped his sword with the other. "The same mistake shouldn''t be made more than three times. Lady Chu, why don''t you ept one more sword strike?" he asked with a smile.


    A figure silently appeared under the que. This was also an ordinary-looking young man with a sword resting behind his waist. "Wei Jin of Wind Snow Temple, this is enough," he said slowly.


    "It should be Wei Jin from the Divine tform," the sword immortal in white corrected with a smile.


    He said no more, and the terrestrial sword immortal who imed that he was yet to stabilize his cultivation base immediately unleashed another sh.


    The young swordsman opposite him was expressionless as he gripped the hilt of his sword and slowly drew it one inch from its scabbard. He didn''t draw his sword any further.


    However, a miniature and adorable mountain range surprisingly appeared between the two swordsmen. This was a winding mountain range that hovered in mid-air.


    The young sword immortal, Wei Jin, severed the mountain range with his sh. However, the sword intent of his sh was almostpletely exhausted as a result. Wei Jin didn''t persist, and he didn''t unleash any further sword strikes.


    Some thousands of kilometers away, a gigantic fissure appeared in an undting mountain range that stretched 50 kilometers, creating a huge canyon. It was as if the mountain range had been struck by an immortal''s de.


    1. Ao is a mythical creature with a dragon head and fish body. ?


    2. This means to live under someone''s thumb. ?

 Chapter 127: Locking Eyes

    Chapter 127: Locking Eyes


    Wei Jin smiled and asked, "Are you that person from the Mohist Sect?"


    The young swordsman standing under the que had a displeased expression. Senior A''Liang, couldn''t you have at least told them my name?


    "Give me a moment," he said to Wei Jin.


    The young swordsman turned to face the female ghost whose soul was residing in the que, and he said with a frown, "Lady Chu, things have alreadye to this, so can you please show some sincerity?"


    The female ghost nodded, after which the barrier in the sky slowly dissipated. This was a sign that the barrier around her territory was being lowered, akin to how mortals opened their doors to wee guests.


    No matter how secluded and ignorant she was, she had still heard about this man''s many achievements. He was a wanderer from the Mohist Sect, and after taking refuge in the Great Li Empire with another leading figure of Mohism, he had immediately been treated as an esteemed guest by the emperor. Right now, he was an honored guardian of the Great Li Empire''s capital city and one of the most important figures overlooking the immortal forces.


    It was said that he would travel alone to all corners of the world whenever he had time. Every time he came across mountains or other spectacr scenery, he would transform these sights into his own sword intent.


    Thus, when the pce minister of the Ministry of Rites and the great river god of the Embroidered Flower River appeared on the street and cupped their fists in respect, the young swordsman merely nodded back in acknowledgment. This was proof enough of his transcendent standing in the Great Li Empire.


    The Yin god also stood beside Chen Ping''an, with his murderous aura soaring into the sky. Just then, he had been determined to sever the mountain root of this ce even if it meant sacrificing his cultivation base. He had been intent on fighting to the death with the female ghost. Once the mountain root was shattered, the shield of the female ghost would also be destroyed. At that time, she would lose her ability to rival those 10th tier cultivators.


    A smooth and jade-like arm reached out from within the que, and the red wedding dress swayed as it floated toward this hand. When the female ghost stepped out from the que again, she had already dressed herself back in the red wedding dress. Even though she had been cut into four by Wei Jin just then, leaving her teetering on the brink of death, she had still insisted on maintaining thepleteness of her wedding dress. It was abundantly clear just how precious this wedding dress was to her. She waspletely obsessed with it.


    After stepping out from the que, the female ghost inadvertently nced at the small bookcases on the children''s back. Her expression instantly changed, and an aura of hostility immediately erupted from her body. Even though she tried her best to suppress it, this was still easily noticed by everyone else.


    The young swordsman sighed and turned to nce at the young boy wearing straw sandals whom he had seen once on the ship traveling along the Embroidered Flower River. There was sincerity in his voice as he asked, "Can you children put the three bookcases away first? It was because of Lady Chu''s resentment toward schrs that she gave up the opportunity to be a mountain goddess or river goddess at that time. The reason behind this is truly difficult to exin in just a few words. Chen Ping''an, since no significant damage was done, I hope that you and yourpanions can show some mercy and rest this matter. What do you say?"


    The young swordsman pondered for a moment before smiling and adding, "If that''s okay, then you only need to agree to let me use an illusion technique."


    "Go ahead," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    The three small, emerald-green bookcases immediately disappeared from everyone''s view. Of course, Qi refiners would naturally be able to see them if they focused their gaze.


    The young swordsman returned his gaze to Wei Jin, the youngest cultivator at the Upper Five Tiers in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Not only that, but Wei Jin was also a swordsman whose strength could be elevated by another level.


    He was yet to reach 40, yet he had already reached the Upper Five Tiers. He was a supreme prodigy whose talents would astonish everyone, regardless of which continent he was in. This would be the case even if he were in the vast and magnificent Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    Among the "young" cultivators, Wei Jin from Wind Snow Temple and Song Changjing from the Great Li Empire could be considered as the undisputed jade walls of the south and the north. One had broken through the 10th tier and be an 11th tier sword immortal, while the other had reached the legendary 10th tier of martial arts. Sure enough, they had both lived up to their expectations.


    One was a "civil official", while one was a "military officer". However, both of them possessed limitless potential for the future.


    The young sword immortal smiled and asked, "Apart from resolving the current issue, I wonder if Sword Immortal Wei has any other ns after traveling all the way to the Great Li Empire?"


    Wei Jin, who had traveled the world as a chivalrous swordsman the entire time, smiled and countered, "What does it matter if I don''t have any other ns? And what does it matter if I do?"


    "If you simply n to sightsee, then you''re wee to visit anywhere apart from the few restricted areas of the empire," the young swordsman replied frankly. "If you don''t mind, I''m willing to act as your guide. However, if you have ulterior motives and wish to take advantage of the unrest in the Great Li Empire, then I''ll stand here in your way and personally witness just how quick Sword Immortal Wei''s flying sword is."


    Wei Jin returned his renowned sword, High Radiance, to its scabbard by his waist. "In Wind Snow Temple, I''ve always been the one who has respected Master Ruan the most. However, various reasons and circumstances have meant that I''ve been able to meet him. Thus, I epted the task of apanying these children to Yefu Pass on the border of the Great Li Empire after receiving the message that Master Ruan sent from Jewel Small World. However, a senior called A''Liang provided me with some guidance regarding swordsmanship while I was traveling here, and it was because of this that I entered seclusion and advanced to the next tier. In other words, you don''t need to worry about my trip to the north."


    The young swordsman opposite him was treating him with sincerity, and Wei Jin had always been an open-minded person to begin with. Thus, Wei Jin didn''t treat the young swordsman''s slightly stiff attitude as an act of provocation. Instead, he said with honesty to the young swordsman who possessed the impressive ability to move mountains, "If you want to spar with me, then I''m more than happy to ept your request. I initially thought that there was already no further need to travel around my home continent, the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. After listening to A''Liang''s stories about the outside world, I felt a strong desire to visit Stctite Mountain, the ce where A''Liang trained. I want to genuinely hone my skills with the sword."


    It was precisely because Wei Jin had traveled to many ces and encountered many people that he was increasingly aware of the importance of the word "perseverance".


    The blind old Daoist priest was unable to interject and say anything. He didn''t dare to either.


    Just the widely renowned Wei Jin from Wind Snow Temple alone was able to stifle the old man who belonged to a heretical path.


    How rare were Upper Five Tier cultivators in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? One had to realize that 10th tier cultivators were already powerful enough to be the pirs of nations and empires, with rulers and emperors treating them as esteemed guests who could help safeguard the fortunes of theirnds. Which Upper Five Tier cultivator wasn''t as elusive as a divine dragon? These were supremely powerful cultivators who were capable of founding their own sects! Many empires and nations existed in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, yet how many immortal ns and forces were able to enjoy the title of "sect"? So few that they could be counted on fingers!


    Wei Jin cupped his fists and said to the young swordsman, "Till we meet again in the future."


    The young swordsman cupped his fists in reply, saying, "Hopefully news of your feats will travel from Stctite Mountain to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in the future."


    The two swordsmen exchanged a smile.


    Friends till old age, yet still like strangers; friends from a chance encounter, yet already like bosom friends. Such was the meaning of these words.


    "Let''s go," Chen Ping''an said softly.


    Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi all nodded in reply.


    The blind old Daoist priest gritted his teeth and summoned his courage before asking in a careful voice, "Esteemed immortal, the two disciples of this weak Daoist have been... invited into the residence by Lady Chu, so can you please allow me to collect them before I leave? This weak Daoist is simply worried that his crude and naughty disciples will identally break Lady Chu''s household rules..."


    The young swordsman turned to the female ghost and asked in a gentle voice, "Can you let them go, Lady Chu?"


    "Since you''ve already spoken, how could I possibly dare to refuse?" the female ghost replied with a nod.


    This guardian swordsman of the capital had been able to block Wei Jin''s third strike by simply pushing his sword one inch out of its scabbard. He was far more powerful than he let on, and the female ghost in the wedding dress was keenly aware of just how fearsome he was. To put it simply, he wasn''t someone that she could rival. This would most likely be the case even if she were at her peak and had the protection of the surrounding mountains and rivers.


    In any case, she couldn''t be regarded as a genuine 10th tier cultivator, while it was unknown whether this strange swordsman from the Mohist Sect was simr to Wei Jin, in the sense that he was already an 11th tier terrestrial sword immortal.


    She was slightly aggravated as she peered at the young children. If it weren''t for one of them preventing her from lighting thenterns, and if she hadn''t seen their detestable appearance as traveling schrs, how could she have possibly suffered such a miserable fate? To say nothing of the fact that she had been shed apart twice by the attacks of Wei Jin, even the root of the mountains and source of the rivers in her territory had almost been destroyed by that Yin god.


    Holding the leash of his white donkey, Wei Jin turned to Chen Ping''an and the others before smiling and asking, "Shall we head off now?"


    Chen Ping''an naturally had no issues.


    And thus, a new terrestrial sword immortal joined their group on this long journey to the north.


    Li Baoping walked up beside Chen Ping''an and said, "Junior Uncle."


    "What''s wrong?" Chen Ping''an asked softly.


    Li Baoping giggled and replied, "Nothing!"


    Chen Ping''an patted her head.


    The little girl in the red jacket walked next to Chen Ping''an. In reality, she was thinking of her eldest brother.


    With a wave of her hand, the female ghost casually plucked theme young boy and the round-faced little girl from her garden and tossed them in front of the blind old Daoist priest.


    Afterward, she nced out the corners of her eyes in some direction. Coincidentally, she saw the young boy in straw sandals also turning his head to nce back at her.


    The two of them locked eyes.


    Chen Ping''an''s gaze was cold.


    For some unknown reason, Lady Chu suddenly felt a slight sense of apprehension at this moment.


    However, she quickly dismissed this as preposterous andical. She quickly retracted her gaze, not willing to waste any more time on this ordinary young boy. She was confused as to why she was suddenly feeling slightly paranoid.


    Afterward, she subconsciously nced back again, yet the young boy in straw sandals had already turned around and slowly walked away. He naturally fell in line at the back of the group.


    ��������


    In their fight over the 30-odd dragon kilns in the small town, the Four Families and Ten ns in Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley had schemed endlessly and shed much blood over hundreds upon thousands of years. Now that the small town had be Dragon Spring County and opened up to outsiders, however, they had no option but to form an alliance andbine their powers. However, which of them wasn''t privately contacting the imperial court and the immortal forces of the Great Li Empire?


    Some rumors spread like wildfire in the outside world, yet the families and ns in Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley didn''t take them seriously at all. For example, people imed that the "Dragon, Qilin, and Phoenix" of the Li n had be nothing more than jokes following the death of Li Baoping''s teacher, the master of Mountain Cliff Academy. Instead, they imed, it was Zhao Yao and the other young schrs that the powerful families and ns in the small town didn''t dare to underestimate. These were youths who had the potential to be immortals.


    However, it was said that the second son of the Li n''s n leader, Li Baozhen, had encountered a powerful person in the capital. This person had made an exception and epted him into the imperial academy as a disciple. Here, he studied "Grand Etiquette" with Liu Wenhu, a renowned schr in the imperial court. This had sent some small waves through the small town.


    As for Li Hong''s eldest son, the only impression that the seniors in Fortune Street had of him was that he was a bookworm who had be stupid from reading too much. Meanwhile, his daughter Li Baoping was a crazy girl who always ran around outside. She had done so ever since a very young age. Apart from this, there was nothing special about Li Hong''s eldest son and only daughter. Only his second son, Li Baozhen, had the chance to bring honor to the Li n.


    In the study in the Li n''s residence, a young man with a distant expression handed a letter to his father, Li Hong. This was a letter from the capital city.


    Li Hong chuckled and remarked, "Baozhen is the same as his younger sister. He''d rather send letters to his older brother than send them to his own father and mother."


    The young man smiled bitterly and replied in a soft voice, "Father, you should mentally prepare yourself for what''s written in the letter."


    Li Hong''s expression instantly became solemn. He pulled the letter out of the envelope, and after skimming over the first few lines of greeting and small talk, his expression became increasingly dark the further down that he read. He stood up and lit an oilmp, cing it inside the brush washer. He then held the letter over it, and the ashes fell into the exquisite plum-blue brush washer. The man summarized his son''s actions with two words, "Absolute farce."


    "What do you think about this matter?" Li Hong asked his eldest son. "Should we listen to your younger brother''s suggestion and erase the lowly genealogical records of Zhu He and Zhu Lu''s ancestors through the county office? Should we help them bemoners?"


    If Zhu He and Zhu Lu managed to sessfully change their status and erase their names from the lowly genealogical records of servants kept by the Li n, then their children and grandchildren would no longer need to be generational servants or maids either. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to describe this as a carp jumping a dragon''s gate andpletely changing their fortune.


    Those guarding the gate for the prime minister could also be regarded as seventh-rank officials[1]. In terms of who could achieve sess and who could only meander at the same level, this was wholly dependent on the abilities of those who cast off the shackles of servitude and obtained freedom. If one were obsequious and untalented, then it would naturally be better for them to rely on more powerful people. If one were knowledgeable and able, then it would naturally be better for them to forge their own path.


    The young man smiled bitterly and replied, "Father, you''ve already made up your mind."


    Li Hong leaned back in his chair and raised his hands to massage his temples. "But I still want to hear your opinion. It''s unsustainable if everyone in the n wants to obtain wealth and opportunity from dangers and risks."


    There was a bright glimmer in the young man''s eyes as he quietly sat there, and he replied, "The most challenging part of this is that one party will feel estranged from the n no matter who Father chooses to support. Thus, Baozhen''s actions were incorrect. His decision to act on his own and leave the n with no path of retreat is even more incorrect. His actions are unpleasant, and his maliciousness toward Chen Ping''an from y Vase Alley is the most incorrect."


    Li Hong''s expression wasplicated as he looked at his eldest son. "As Baozhen''s older brother, how could you not be aware of his temperament? Since you already knew that things would end up in such an awkward situation, why didn''t you choose to apany him to the capital at that time?"


    "Grandfather has entered seclusion, Baoping has left on a distant journey, and the small town is also undergoing major changes at this moment. Now is a critical time that will decide the future direction of the families and ns. The Li n can''t give itself a blind spot," the young man replied. "My mind wouldn''t be at ease if I left. And even if I do n to leave, that can only be after the situation here has settled down and be clear. If there''s no other option, then I can also choose to not participate in the imperial examination for a while."


    Li Hong nodded slightly when he heard the mature and level-headed analysis in the beginning. However, he instantly became worried when he heard thest few sentences from his eldest son. He sat up straight and eximed loudly, "You definitely can''t do that! Recruiting schrs through the imperial examination is one of the most important policies of the Great Li Empire. This is no inferior to the imperial court''s recruitment of immortal forces!


    "Li Baozhen is more impatient than you, and before leaving home, he promised your grandfather and me that he would abide by the rules and refrain from using hidden schemes after leaving the small town. He promised that he wouldn''t push his luck or take any risks. And what was the result? He''s decided to act first and askter, no? We have no option but to ept his farcical decisions. Since this is the case, your decision to dy participating in the imperial examination will slow the progress of the Li n down by at least three years!


    The young man silently swallowed the words that had already reached the tip of his tongue.


    If he uttered these words, it would signify the end of his already-strained rtionship with his younger brother. Their rtionship would hit rock bottom, and there would be no possibility of mending it ever again.


    Moreover, uttering these words would also be absolutely meaningless. This was because his father had already made up his mind. In the depths of his heart, he didn''t disagree with his second son taking risks to seek opportunity and wealth.


    To get up early and work hard for three years on an incorrect path, or to lie low and wait for three years on a correct path... The effect that each would have on the n and its two generations for the next 30 years went without saying.


    The young man left the study and walked down the spacious corridor that was decorated with elegantly carved patterns by himself. He suddenly heard the tinkles of a wind chime hanging from the eaves.


    He ced his hand inside his sleeves, shut his eyes, and tilted his head slightly upward. As he listened to the ethereal chimes, he murmured, "Having too many smart people around is also a bad thing..."


    The schr in azure was called Li Xisheng.


    1. This refers to the fact that even those working seemingly lowly jobs can wield great power if they work for a powerful and influential person. ?

 Chapter 128: Stunning Scene

    Chapter 128: Stunning Scene


    Without the sinister interference from the female ghost, Chen Ping''an and hispanion''s trek through the mountain range became far smoother than before.


    There was a path in the ravine that led all the way to the female ghost''s residence. This path should have been wide enough to allow two horse-drawn carriages to travel side-by-side, yet it was now already filled with wild grass and covered in chilly mists. Even so, this was still far better than the path that they had arrived on after using the Barrier Shattering Talisman to leave the "path to the underworld". That was a path where Chen Ping''an had needed to use Auspicious Talisman to slowly clear the vegetation to clear a path forward.


    The man who the female ghost had called a terrestrial sword immortal didn''t speak after suddenly joining their group. Instead, the sword immortal from Wind Snow Temple''s Divine tform held the leash of his white donkey with one hand and held the hilt of his sword with his other hand as he walked with his eyes shut. Meanwhile, his mind wandered around in a distant ce.


    If there existed a gulf between the Lower Five Tiers and Middle Five Tiers, then there undoubtedly existed the distance between heaven and earth between the 10th tier and the 11th tier. Even though 10th tier Qi refiners were honored as esteemed pirs in mortal empires and nations, it was still necessary for them to cultivate in stillness and seclusion for dozens or even hundreds of years at a time. Only then could they somewhat enter the "Extreme Stillness Begets Movement".


    This was a state that would allow them to advance to the 11th tier. However, among the Qi refiners who left their ns and sects after entering this state, many would eventually fail to advance to the 11th tier. If this were the case, they would return to their ns and sects to continue cultivating in seclusion.


    Wei Jin silently stopped practicing the unique breathing technique of Wind Snow Temple. He opened his eyes and turned around to observe the children who were familiar with A''Liang. However, most of his attention was still focused on the memorial service in Wind Snow Temple. He was still unable to break free. It had already been many years since he hadst visited his master''s tomb and offered wine to him.


    After hearing the so-called bullshit little stories from A''Liang, Wei Jin was now yearning to visit Stctite Mountain, the mountain thaty on the border between the two worlds. He was even more eager to visit that city wall, the great wall atop which countless sword immortals stood.


    Wei Jin heaved a sigh, feeling like he hadn''t fought to his heart''s content just then.


    If his physical body had already stabilized and wlessly fused together with his sword intent while he was standing under the "Beautiful Water Noble Wind" que just then, then his final sword strike at the sword immortal from the Mohist Sect wouldn''t have contained any imperfections. In other words, the young swordsman from the Mohist Sect would have needed to draw his sword by more than an inch. In fact, he would have needed to draw it at least halfway.


    Li Huai was extremely curious as he looked at the drifting gaze of the immortal in white. At the same time, he also felt very disappointed. How great would it have been if A''Liang were present? Li Huai wanted to pat A''Liang''s shoulder and tell him that this was the definition of a powerful swordsman, and that he was still a small way off. He wanted to tell A''Liang to learn from Wei Jin.


    After all, just look at how Wei Jin had arrived! His sword had arrived before his person, and sword qi had hovered around his white robes. Afterward, he had pummeled the evil ghost woman until she started crying for her mother. Just how astounding and impressive was this? Was this something that A''Liang �� who liked to wear a bamboo hat and walk next to the river with the white donkey �� could achieve?


    Lin Shouyi noticed that Wei Jin was observing them. However, he also noticed that the swordsman from Wind Snow Temple was lost in some other thought. The aloof young boy quietly adjusted his bookcase and started to contemte his own cultivation.


    Lin Shouyi''s mind was heavy after experiencing the female ghost''s unfathomable mystical abilities and witnessing the godly exchange between the two powerful swordsmen. There was still a long and arduous path before him. His measly cultivation base right now was not even enough to warrant a casual attack from them.


    Wei Jin retracted his drifting gaze before stopping and retrieving a smooth jade tablet from his sleeve. He smiled and said honestly, "I can''t apany you children all the way to Yefu Pass. I need to immediately head to Jewel Small World and use the Dragon ying tforms there to sharpen High Radiance and my bonded flying sword. I need to prepare for my journey to Stctite Mountain in the future. A''Liang told me that the ce lying beyond Stctite Mountain is experiencing an intense one-in-100-year battle right now. This is something that I definitely can''t miss."


    When Wei Jin saw none of the children step forward to ept the jade tablet, he patiently exined, "Even though you children are being apanied by a rtively powerful Yin god, I still want to give you this jade tablet to help prevent any unexpected incidents like the one today. This is a unique ''Peace and Safety Tablet'' from Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain. If you encounter any trouble, you can simply activate the jade tablet with your Qi and exin your situation to it. Once you release it, it will automatically fly to the sect and ask for assistance."


    Seeing that the children still refused to step forward to ept the important jade tablet, Wei Jin didn''t scold them for being foolish and naive. Instead, he smiled and said, "If you feel like it will be safer with me apanying you rather than having this small jade tablet, then I naturally won''t turn down your request. I''m simply discussing the options with you. In terms of what you choose, this ispletely up to you."


    "Senior sword immortal, you can head to Dragon Spring County to search for the Dragon ying tforms to sharpen your des. We''ll ept the jade tablet," Chen Ping''an said. "Senior Yin god has always nned to apany us to Yefu Pass. The imperial court of the Great Li Empire has also granted us permission to head there without any obstructions. This is why the three cultivators appeared in front of the female ghost just then. Even though they were a littlete, this still proves that they intend to keep their word."


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before saying earnestly, "I''m sure that big incidents like the one today won''t crop up again and again."


    He epted the jade tablet and handed it to Lin Shouyi, saying quietly, "Remember to keep it safe. Also, it''s best that you don''t put it in the bookcase. Otherwise, it will be difficult to retrieve in emergency situations if you put it too far away."


    Lin Shouyi nodded and replied, "I understand. I''ll ce it in my sleeves next to the two remaining paper talismans."


    Wei Jin gave a knowing smile. He was slightly surprised by Chen Ping''an''s reasonable nature. In fact, Wei Jin had been slightly puzzled about his position as leader just then. While standing on the street in front of the female ghost''s residence, Wei Jin had already noticed that Lin Shouyi was someone who had set foot on the bridge to immortality.


    His acupoints were filled with vitality, and they were not only magnificent but also stable. He was a rare cultivation talent. Moreover, the young boy was also an aloof and proud person, so how could he be willing to listen to others? Yet, it seemed like he didn''t have any problem with Chen Ping''an being their leader.


    As for the youngest and most mischievous child among them, there was naturally no need toment on his good fortune seeing that A''Liang had especially tasked him with looking after the white donkey. Because of this, Wei Jin would give him a parting gift no matter what. After traveling through so many nations unencumbered, Wei Jin had naturallye across all kinds of fated opportunities and obtained all manners of rare treasures. He had given most of them to fated individuals, so the only treasures he had right now were naturally the most precious ones.


    Moreover, after observing Li Huai through his limpid sword heart, sweeping away the foggy barrier that someone had purposely erected, Wei Jin discovered that Li Huai''s innate aptitude was actually even better than Lin Shouyi''s. He was a top-notch piece of jade that the Militarian elders dreamed of obtaining.


    Appearing wreathed in white mist in the sword immortal Wei Jin''s eyes, the little girl wearing the bright red jacket asked, "If this tablet encounters a situation like today, will it truly be able to fly away without being stopped? Will it be able to fly out of the ''path to the underworld'' and the night-sky barrier that you shattered with your flying sword just then?"


    Wei Jinughed heartily and exined, "Rest assured, even the sagely barriers of 10th tier cultivators won''t be able to trap it. This jade tablet is extremely quick, much quicker than traveling atop a flying sword. As the jade tablet makes its way to Wind Snow Temple, the disciples of the sect who are traveling the world will summon it before them using a secret technique once they detect its presence. These disciples will often be willing to offer their assistance. Thus, most dangers are resolved without requiring any reinforcements from the sect."


    Li Baoping nodded and said, "I understand. The jade tablet itself is a kind of ''passport'' and emblem. If even Senior Yin god can''t defeat them, then these people definitely have powerful backgrounds. With their experience and age, they''ll immediately recognize Wind Snow Temple''s Peace and Safety Tablet. As such, they''ll definitely feel apprehension toward Senior Sword Immortal and your sect. So even if the jade tablet is unable to reach Wind Snow Temple, just its presence alone is already a type of deterrence. Showing this jade tablet is equivalent to warning others not to provoke Wind Snow Temple."


    Wei Jin faltered upon hearing this, astonished at the intelligence and understanding of the little girl. He immediately developed a good impression of Li Baoping, who was wearing a serious expression. Thus, he naturally found her friendly and adorable as well.


    In the end, Wei Jin unconsciously nced at the young boy in straw sandals again. Perhaps he only became the leader because he''s the oldest?


    Wei Jin shifted his gaze and looked at Li Huai, the little boy who had helped him look after the white donkey the entire time. After pondering for a moment, he flicked his wrists and summoned a row of small y statues to his palm. They were only half a finger tall, with one being a swordsman with a sword by his waist, one being a Daoist holding a fly-whisk, one being an armored warrior, one being a crane-riding woman, and one being a gong-beating watchman. There were five y statues in total.


    "These five y statues can be regarded as semi-inanimate objects that havebined the profound puppet knowledge of Naturalists and Mohists and the vast talisman knowledge of Daoists," Wei Jin exined as he handed the y statues to Li Huai.


    "I don''t understand the intricacies behind them, and I simply know that they mighte to life one day if you look after them properly and familiarize them with your aura. Afterward, you''ll need to continually feed them the essence of the Five Elements �� fire spirit, water essence, and so on. Due to their small size and miniature acupoints, meridians, and so on, they can only reach a maximum cultivation base equivalent to seventh tier or eighth tier Qi refiners..."


    When he said this, Wei Jin realized that he had perhaps spoken too much. He stopped speaking, and he simply looked at Li Huai with a smile.


    The little boy didn''t forget to turn his head to look at Chen Ping''an. Thetter hurriedly nodded, and only then did Li Huai grab the five y statues, thinking that he now had six small minions if he counted the painted puppet in his bookcase!


    Wei Jin jumped onto the white donkey and said, "Then farewell. I wish you all a safe and smooth-sailing journey."


    Even though Wei Jin was generous and chivalrous, he couldn''t be regarded as someone who would freely part with treasures and wealth. The path of cultivation was long, so who knew whether their brief and few encounters with others were positive fate or ill fate? With Wei Jin''s powerful karmic fate, and with the intangible and undetectable will of the heavens, who knew what would happen if a person epted Wei Jin''s presents at an inappropriate time and without the necessary karmic fate? If they weren''t fated to receive such good fortune, perhaps these presents would instead bring them cmity and lead them to an early death?


    Why were immortals so stringent when they recruited disciples? In fact, some tests would evenst dozens of years.


    Since these children had traveled with A''Liang before, Wei Jin believed that they were definitely no ordinary children.


    As for who A''Liang cared about the most, regarded the most highly, and had the highest hopes for... It might have been Li Huai, the little boy with a powerful background who was blessed with fortune, or it could have been the extremely likable little girl wearing the red jacket. It could also have been Lin Shouyi, the young boy who stayed true to his Dao Heart. Any one of these options was possible. Or perhaps A''Liang had simply spread the love between the three children.


    However, the most pressing matter for Wei Jin right now was to head to Stctite Mountain. Otherwise, he would miss the opportunity to witness that grand and lofty battle. If this weren''t the case, he would have truly wanted to personally apany these children to Yefu Pass.


    As a swordsman who had ambitions of reaching the pinnacle of the Sword Dao, how could he let slip this one-in-100-year opportunity?


    Chen Ping''an instinctively cupped his fists in respect. However, he habitually ced his left hand over his right hand due to his first experience on the ship traveling down the Embroidered Flower River. Now, however, it seemed like Wei Jin and the other young swordsman both cupped their fists with their right hand over their left hand. This left Chen Ping''an feeling a little awkward. Afraid that he was breaking some kind of rule, Chen Ping''an hurriedly changed the cement of his hands.


    Wei Jin noticed this small detail, and after seeing the young boy''s embarrassed expression, he couldn''t help but chuckle. Bending down to pat his oldpanion''s back, he said, "Let''s go."


    The white donkey happily trotted forward. However, it suddenly turned around after taking a few steps, and it ran back to Chen Ping''an and nudged the young boy''s face. Only then did it set off on the long journey with its owner.


    Even though Li Huai had been responsible for looking after the donkey, how could the little boy have the patience and determination to actually do so? Had it not been Chen Ping''an quietly feeding it, cleaning its nose, and shooing mosquitoes and flies away?


    Chen Ping''an smiled and waved goodbye to the white donkey.


    The swordsman in white chuckled in surprise. He leaned back and bounced up and down with the cadence of his donkey.


    Okey-dokey, as it turns out, this terrestrial sword immortal''s rtionship with others is even inferior to his oldpanion''s...


    ��������


    Heaven and earth were barren; bleakness and destion pervaded.


    It was as if only a single wall remained between the sky and thend. This was a wall that stretched for an unfathomable length and that towered to an inconceivable height.


    Even when looking over from 50 kilometers to the south, one could still clearly see the 18rge characters that had seemingly been engraved using sword qi.


    Judging from this fact, one could imagine just how colossal the characters were, and just how tall the great wall was.


    Dao Power, Grand Majestic, Western Land.


    Thunder Pool Restricted Land, Eternal Lasting Sword Qi.


    Qi, Dong, Chen.


    Fierce.


    Several hundred kilometers south of the great wall, the sound of a horn suddenly sted through the air as if it wanted to shatter the roof of heaven and earth.


    Countless dark shadows gathered together in a dense crowd. Following the sound of the horn, specks of fire started to appear, eventually transforming into a sheet of flickering light. If one looked over from an elevated position far in the north, what they would witness would be a sea of dazzling mes.


    Standing atop the city wall, an old voice rang out with dignity and might, "Swords, take flight!"


    Above that great wall that stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers and had rested here for a millennium...


    At this instant, hundreds of thousands of flying swords flew over the city wall in unison and dashed toward the south, carrying with them trails of brilliant sword qi.


    It was as if flood water were crashing over a levee.


    What could encapste the stunning scenes of the world better than this?

 Chapter 129: Atop the Mountains

    Chapter 129: Atop the Mountains


    The young swordsman from the Mohist Sect habitually rested his elbows on the hilt of his sword and the tip of his sword scabbard as he stood under the que in front of the female ghost''s residence. Even so, he didn''t give off a feeling of exhaustion. "Lady Chu," he called softly.


    However, he didn''t say anything else after this.


    The pce minister with thergentern and the great river god of the Embroidered Flower River both slowed their breathing down at the same time as if in tacit understanding. Their expressions were solemn.


    "What, you want to dish out punishment now?" the female ghost sneered.


    The young swordsman looked up at the location where Wei Jin''s flying sword had pierced through the barrier. "Lady Chu, there''s no need to utter such words out of anger. I have no intention of doing anything of the sort. However, I hope that you won''t interfere with the children leaving this ce or the blind old Daoist priest and his two disciples'' journey up north.


    "Regardless of whether your actions were intentional or not at that time, the Great Li Empire''s Song n has always felt gratitude toward Lady Chu. After all, your actions helped the Song n extend the lifespan of the empire. Afterward, the Great Li Empire''s Song n also performed a deed that left them feeling guilty toward Lady Chu. Even though I didn''t feel scorching rage and indignation after learning about that tragic event, as an outsider, I definitely still felt a sense ofpassion."


    Silence.


    The female ghost raised a hand and twirled her hair, disying her delicate and gentle nature as a woman. She smiled with squinted eyes and said, "And now you can exin your ''but''."


    Sure enough, the young swordsman nodded and continued, "But Lady Chu''s act of wantonly killing schrs has be increasingly difficult to conceal. The truth will eventuallye out, and something will eventually have to be done. For example, today.


    "I don''t dare to specte what the emperor will think, but if I ever hear about a schr vanishing from here again, I''ll definitely pay Lady Chu a visit and personally bring you to the water dungeons. Rest assured, the emperor values rtionships, but he definitely values rules even more. Moreover, no matter how much goodwill exists between people, this is something that can eventually be exhausted."


    The young swordsman sighed and said with a sincere expression, "Lady Chu, regardless of whether you believe this or not, I dearly hope that such a day will never arrive."


    The female ghost gazed into the distance, with her fingers lightly pinching the sleeves of her wedding dress. This was a rare moment of calm for her, and she replied in a gentle voice, "Seeing how you were willing to lower your voice and speak so patiently with a young boy, I believe you."


    After pausing for a long moment, her expression gradually became cold. "Right now, I promise not to kill passing schrs anymore. However, I hope you understand that I might not be able to control myself in the future if I unconsciously see those traveling and poem-reciting schrs. I''m not pleading with you, and I simply want to tell you the truth. You can punish me however you see fit at that time. Whether I''m captured and tossed into a water dungeon, or whether I sever the root of the mountains and source of the rivers first... We''ll rely on our own abilities, and we''ll bear the consequences of our own actions!"


    "Deal," the young swordsman said with a smile.


    The great river god of the Embroidered Flower River wanted to say something, but he eventually chose to remain silent.


    Before leaving, the young swordsman turned to the great river god and said, "There''s no need to cover up those matters anymore. You might as well tell Lady Chu the truth. After all these years, I''m sure that Lady Chu is aware of these events already. I''ll take responsibility for anything that happens afterward, so you don''t need to worry about the imperial courtying me on you."


    The great river god cupped his fists and replied in a solemn voice, "Thank you. I''ll definitely wade through fire and water for you in the future even if it''s for a private matter!"


    The young swordsman waved his hand before soaring into the air and leaving with Pce Minister Han.


    Lady Chu stood there and looked at the great river god who was deeply trusted by the imperial court of the Great Li Empire with slight disdain on her face. She didn''t invite him into her residence, nor did she shoo him away.


    The great river god strode onto the steps and casually sat down, saying, "I know that you''ve always viewed us crude martial artists with disdain, so I''ll try to keep things short. Your husband didn''t betray your love for him. However, the imperial court of the Great Li Empire never told you the truth because they were acting in the interests of the empire. They were afraid that you would leave this ce and leave no one to suppress the remnant aura of the Divine Water Nation that''s most concentrated at Go Table Mountain. It''s because of this that the imperial court purposely led you to misunderstand that schr."


    The sleeves of Lady Chu''s wedding dress billowed, and her eyes became bloodshot and tears of blood trickled down her cheeks. However, her expression remained calm as she said, "Things have alreadye to this, yet you still want to deceive me? Do you really think I''m a three-year-old toddler? Even though I''ve never set foot outside these mountains and rivers after he left, not going to Wanping County and Red Candle Town to enjoy the scenery of the mortal world, do you really think I''m deaf and unaware of what he did during his time at Lake View Academy? Many passing schrs mentioned this, so I know exactly what he did! I know all about it! In the end, he fell in love with another woman...


    "I''m fully aware that if he falls in love with someone, that means that he definitely loves them from the bottom of his heart," Lady Chu murmured.


    The great river god''s expression was calm as he continued, "Then you should also know that as the first schr from the Great Li Empire entering the academy through his own abilities, he was jointly targeted and pushed to a miserable state by many people in Lake View Academy. In the beginning, they purposely heaped him with insincere praise. Some people spentrge amounts of money to hire the most famous prostitute, asking her to pretend that she admired his talent. Through this, they then spread his name and built his reputation.


    "They also asked the great Confucians of nearby nations to purposely treat him as a dear friend despite their age difference. At the same time, they made it such that each of his calligraphy works ended up as valuable as an entire city. They employed many other tactics, each tying in with the others. In the end, he was only half a step away from bing the first noble person from the Great Li Empire officially recognized by the Confucian schools.


    "However, everything was turned on its head in a single night. His reputationy in tatters after someone used him of giarizing poems. The renowned prostitute also ndered him as impotent and infertile. At the same time, several famous schrs and wise Confucians jointly attacked his articles on morals and virtue, using him of being a hypocrite and scolding him as a dreg of Lake View Academy. Once full of spirit and vigor, the hugely talented schr was driven mad just like that.


    "He went crazy for a long time, and the schr who had hailed from impoverished beginnings became the butt of jokes for the entire Lake View Academy. The usation of the Great Li Empire being a nation of northern barbarians became increasinglymon and convincing. However, no one expected him to suddenlye to his senses in the end."


    The great river god of the Embroidered Flower River stopped and looked at Lady Chu, who was stuck in a trance. "Do you know why he came to his senses?"


    Lady Chu slowly sat down on the steps and spread her wedding dress to the sides, causing it to look like a bright red peony in full bloom. "Was it because Qi refiners from the Great Li Empire helped him?"


    The burly man chuckled, and there was a chilly look in his eyes as he bluntly replied, "If the Great Li Empire really did do something, they would have chosen to kill him instead."


    Lady Chu grimaced before nodding and saying, "He brought disrepute to the empire, so this does indeed make sense. The battle between empires causes people to resort to all conceivable means. This is only natural."


    The man exhaled and revealed, "The schr was only able toe to his senses because a woman whom he was familiar with arrived by his side."


    Lady Chu''s body stiffened.


    The great river god slowly stood up and walked down the steps. "That woman was wearing a face mask, one that looked exactly the same as Lady Chu. If I''m not wrong, then she emted almost all of Lady Chu''s voice, habits, and hobbies as well. If the schr was targeted due to the conflict between the two empires before, then what toyed with his mind and eventually forced him to death was perhaps this battle between schrs."


    The great river god strode away as he revealed the final truth, "After finding out the truth, the schr decided to jump into theke andmit suicide. It was that simple.


    "Inferring from his conversations with his two best friends in the imperial academy before he departed for Lake View Academy, we can conclude that he already knew that you weren''t a human from a long time ago. It was because of this that he was determined to be a noble figure of Confucianism, a level above virtuous figures. Presumably, this would give him the confidence to ask the imperial court for a formal wedding with you once he returned to the Great Li Empire."


    The great river god had already left.


    Yet, the female ghost in the wedding dress who hadmitted far too many crimes to even record was still sitting on the steps, a serene expression on her face. Her movements were gentle as she fixed the folds on her sleeves, smoothing one area, folding another area... This was something that she would never grow tired of.


    ��������


    Not long after Wei Jin left with his donkey, hurried shouts traveled over from behind Chen Ping''an and the others. These were shouts asking for their benefactors to please stop for a moment. Turning around, they saw that it was the blind old Daoist priest and his two disciples running after them.


    The old Daoist priest had experienced many hardships before, so he naturally knew that it was thanks to these children of unknown origin that he was able to safely make his way out of the mountain. However, who knew whether the entric female ghost would suddenly change her mind and decide to capture them again, offering them face-washing and heart-piercing services?


    ording to his two disciples, there were genuinely rows of schrs "nted" in the garden of the residence. Moreover, some of them had seemingly pulled themselves out of the soil after much struggle. Looking at their skeletons, however, they were indeed pitiful people who had been cut in half at the waist.


    The old Daoist priest had hurriedly run over with the support of the round-face little girl, and he was oblivious to the fact that his aged Daoist robes were already filled with thorns from the two sides of the path. He appeared as disheveled as could be. Truth be told, even though the old Daoist priest''s heretical lightning technique was indeed unable to suppress the female ghost, he would still definitely be regarded as an old immortal if he ever disyed his power in the mortal world.


    In fact, he was indeed honored as a mighty immortal quite often during their journey to the north. Even though he had been regarded as a talentless scammer in Three Twigs Mountain, this kind of miserable encounter was ultimately a very rare urrence.


    The old Daoist priest no longer tried to appear mysterious like before. He squeezed a smile and asked, "Dare I ask, where is Wind Snow Temple''s Great Sword Immortal Wei? This Daoist priest''s mortal name is Xu Yingzhen, and my Dao title is Xuan Guzi. I''ve looked up to Great Sword Immortal Wei for a long time, and it''s truly a silver lining that I''m able to encounter you here. Being able to personally witness those three magnificent and transcendent sword strikes was truly a most divine fortune."


    "The terrestrial sword immortal has already left to travel to the north by himself," Lin Shouyi said with a cold smile. "If you want to butter up to him, then you''d better hurry past us and continue up north. Perhaps you can still catch up to him."


    The old Daoist priest gave a forced smile and chuckled, "If we''ve missed the opportunity, then we''ve missed the opportunity. Destiny has yet to bring us together, so we can''t try to hasten things through force."


    Wei Jin was an immortal at the Upper Five Tiers, belonging to a group of powerful people who were as elusive as dragons. The old Daoist priest was fully aware of his own abilities as well. Thus, even if he truly caught up to the swordsman from Wind Snow Temple, he would most likely only annoy Wei Jin and obtain no benefits either.


    To mortal humans, cultivators from immortal sects were naturally very rare. However, encounters between cultivators could all be regarded as events of destiny. This was indeed true. Yet, destiny could also be divided into good destiny and bad destiny, just like karmic fate could be divided into positive fate and ill fate.


    The old Daoist priest had captured demons and subdued fiends throughout his journey, and this was in order to umte hidden virtue for himself. He had engaged in 50-odd battles, and he was definitely relying on more than just his fifth tier Qi refiner cultivation base and heretical lightning technique to remain alive and jumping.


    Noticing the awkward silence, the old Daoist priest hurriedly turned left and right and said with a smile, "Little Jiu''er, littlemed, hurry up and kowtow to thank your benefactors!"


    The round-faced little girl was just about to kneel after hearing her master''smand. Meanwhile, there was a dark expression on the face of theme young boy who was holding the muddied banner.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly stepped forward and lightly grabbed the skinny little girl''s arms, saying with a smile, "There''s no need."


    He then turned to theme young boy and said, "Thank you for warning us on the mountain just then."


    Theme young boy was stunned, and his face surprisingly flushed slightly red in embarrassment. He mumbled and didn''t know how to reply. In the end, he decided to directly turn his head around to face somewhere else. Just then, theme young boy had faced the female ghost head-on and even engaged in close-quarterbat with her. Even though the gulf between their power had been huge, his aura hadn''t withered as a result. Yet, who would have thought that he was such a shy and easily embarrassed young boy?


    The old Daoist priest was delighted. After kicking theme young boy, he purposely put on an angry expression and scolded, "Pathetic little thing."


    Afterward, his voice became solemn as he said, "Benefactors, if you head south after leaving this mountain, you''ll reach Three Twigs Mountain after traveling for approximately one and a half days. However, remember not to travel through it at night. There''s a powerful ghost residing in a tomb there, and it''s unjustly upying a blessednd and absorbing the ancestral blessing and spiritual energy of a family. If this weren''t the case, the results of divination show that a member of the family''s previous generation should have be a high-ranking official.


    "The ghost has a rtively powerful cultivation base, and its strength can likely rival that of fourth tier Qi refiners. Most importantly, ites and goes like a shadow and is extremely difficult to capture. Using some kind of unknown sinister technique, it''s also created a dozen or so Yin corpse puppets. I fought against it before, and I fell at the final hurdle several times. Not only did I waste several precious lightning talismans, but I was even misunderstood as a scammer by the local residents. it was truly infuriating."


    Lin Shouyi''s mind fluctuated slightly as he heard a secret warning from the Yin god. "You''re skilled in the Five Lightning Righteous Technique? Daoist priest, which sect are you from?" he asked.


    The old Daoist priest felt slightly awkward. He felt like the aloof young boy was truly an amateur who had only just entered the cultivation world and thus didn''t understand the rules. After all, how could one ask about someone else''s background so directly? This was a big taboo regardless of whether one was a Daoist cultivator or a martial artist.


    However, seeing that they had experienced hardships together, and since the terrestrial sword immortal Wei Jin had helped set them free, the old Daoist priest decided not to make a fuss about this matter. After some careful thought, he replied slowly, "This is a long exnation, so please bear with my rambling, benefactors. My home country is the renowned Southern Stream Nation that promotes Daoism above all else. There''s arge Daoist Sect near the border, and this is the leading Daoist Sect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    "This sect possesses the Limpid Pond Blessed Land, one of the 72 blessednds. Not only is the sect leader the imperial preceptor of Southern Stream Nation, the rulers of several surrounding nations have also personally visited the sect to confer him with the title of True Lord due to his mystical Dao powers and abilities. Indeed, he''s honored as the highest-ranking True Lord in four different nations.


    "Thus, this esteemed Daoist immortal is widely recognized as one of the 10 greatest immortals in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Truth be told, if Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin had encountered this Daoist immortal before advancing to the next tier, he would have genuinely been unable to enjoy a level footing with him."


    Chen Ping''an and Lin Shouyi listened intently, not willing to miss a single word.


    No matter how strong one was, there was always someone stronger.


    This was especially the case regarding the title of "True Lord". After all, hadn''t Liu Zhimao �� an outsider who had entered the small town�� enjoyed the title of River Severing True Lord?


    However, Li Baoping and Li Huai were far more distracted than the other two. Li Baoping asionally nced at the round-faced little girl who was timidly hiding to the side of the blind old Daoist priest. She appeared too shy to face others.


    The blind old Daoist priest was in a great mood to speak, and with Little Jiu''er''s help, he unconsciously walked between Chen Ping''an and Lin Shouyi. Spittle flew as he continued, "Forces that can be called sects are generally divided into three levels �� ancestral sects, formal sects, and lower sects. Among them, ancestral sects are often referred to as ancestral temples. As for lower sects, these sects often have many subordinate forces.


    "However, their naming conventions for these forces are far more rxed as long as they don''t use the word sect without authorization or use the titles of other teachings. For example, Daoist temples, Buddhist temples, and so on. These forces simply need to offer tributes to the lower sects and maintain good rtionships with the mortal empires. By doing this, they can find themselves a good piece ofnd to cultivate in peace. They can also recruit talented disciples to pass on their teachings.


    "I''vee from Truth Seeking Temple, which used to be one of the top-notch forces in Southern Stream Nation. However, it started to decline around 100 years ago, and when it came to my generation, almost all of my seniors rode their cranes to the west. Only a few of us remained. Moreover, none of us achieved any great sess.


    "I''m not afraid of beingughed at, and I''ll admit that the Five Lightning Righteous Technique of Truth Seeking Temple is indeed not the formal lightning technique. We focus on cultivating the acupoints in the liver and the galldder, and our knowledge is wholly focused on the characters ''breath'' and ''smile''. This draws from the phrase ''A breath forms clouds and rain, a smile summons thunder and lightning''.


    "Upon sessfully learning this technique, one will be able to witness rising clouds and rain and booming thunder and lightning when using their mind''s eye to observe their acupoints. After experiencing these miraculous phenomena, one will be able to achieve resonance with heaven and earth. Raising their hands and lifting their feet, one will have the ability to summon divine lightning to punish evils and sins...


    "Of course, these heretical techniques from Truth Seeking Temple are nothing more than ridiculous jokespared to Great Sword Immortal Wei''s powerful sword strikes that can shatter all techniques."


    Lin Shouyi frowned and asked, "The five organs consist of the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney. Only when gathering the aura of these five organs as if gathering five bolts of lightning can one unleash a formal technique of the Great Dao. So why does your temple focus on cultivating the galldder, which is external to the five organs, as a method of summoning lightning?"


    The awkward expression on the blind old Daoist priest''s face was definitely genuine this time. He heaved a heavy sigh, and there was exhaustion on his face as he replied in exasperation, "We had no option but to do this. The Five Lightning Righteous Technique is a secret technique of the formal sect not taught to any external forces. To put it bluntly, even if an outsider manages to get their hands on this technique, who would dare to practice it without authorization?


    "Truth Seeking Temple focuses on cultivating the acupoints in the liver and the galldder. However, even the cultivation techniques regarding the liver are nothing more than shallow methods coincidentally learned by one of the previous masters of the temple. These methods are barely simr to the genuine ones in physical form, and they''repletely devoid of any simrity in terms of aura. This is why there are so few formal sects and formal branches in the world, yet so many heretical forces and heretical techniques."


    "So that''s how it is," Lin Shouyi eximed in realization.


    "The Great Dao is difficult to navigate, and this difficulty is born from the fact that there exists far more than just a few thousand muddy and winding paths," the old Daoist priest sighed with sincere emotion.


    "It''s precisely because the temple''s lightning technique is a heretical one that cultivating it results in both benefit and harm. This is simr to how Naturalists will be subject to formless punishment from the heavens if they reveal divine secrets. Because of this, we often choose to recruit disciples with congenital disabilities to the temple.


    "The heavens take pity on these people, so it''s less detrimental for them to frequently use the lightning technique from Truth Seeking Temple, which harms the essence of both the liver and the galldder. We don''t have extravagant wishes of attaining immortality, but if their fortune is good enough, they can at least enjoy a peaceful life and afortable death due to old age.


    "ording to rumors, once a Qi refiner from thatrge continent unleashes their formal lightning technique, thunder guardians and lightning goddesses, rain gods and wind deities, Daoist enforcers and wind officials... All kinds of divine beings will appear and listen to theirmand, helping them gather more power and momentum. Can you imagine this? After unleashing such an extravagant technique, how can the mountains and rivers not change color?"


    The blind old Daoist priest was filled with vigor as he described these things that had absolutely nothing to do with him. He didn''t appear dejected or despondent in the least.


    Even though cultivation was as difficult as ascending the heavens, this was perhaps one of the main reasons why people still flocked over and mored to cultivate.


    After setting foot on the path of cultivation and stepping onto the bridge to longevity, and after witnessing or hearing about the stunning sceneries atop the mountains �� the ability to attain immortality, the chance to learn profound techniques, the power to summon wind and rain, the strength to move mountains and flip seas, and the existence all kinds of peculiar and unimaginable sights �� who would still be willing to toil away in the stifling miasma of the mortal world?


    The old Daoist priest sighed and exined, "I''ve traveled all over the ce with my two disciples for the past few years, and we''ve subdued demons, vanquished fiends, captured ghosts, and exorcized evil many times. Moreover, we receive our payment in silver. There''s nothing we can do about this, as cultivating requires us to seek wealth. After all, constructing a bridge to immortality is the greatest money-burner in the world. Even if powerful and influential ns are experiencing trouble from evil spirits, I have no background to speak of, nor do I have anyone to help rmend me. Thus, I''m naturally unable to enter their residences to help them.


    "When wealthy local families perform the Liberation Rite of Water and Land[1], they''ll only invite monks and Daoists that are renowned in their area. They don''t trust outsiders. However, I can''t unleash my lightning techniques to frighten the mortals and prove that I''m not a scammer, can I? Thus, I have no option but to do what I do. If we seed in defeating the demons, we won''t necessarily earn much silver. If we fail, however, we''ll definitely lose more than we earn. Cultivation is truly difficult..."


    They chatted as they walked, and when they finally came to their senses, they realized that they had already left the cage-like ravine. Perhaps this was merely an illusion, but they felt like the surroundings had suddenly be radiant and beautiful once again. They no longer felt the dense aura of coldness and darkness from just then.


    After a while, Chen Ping''an discovered that the blind old Daoist priest was showing no signs of leaving even though he had already stopped talking. He continued to trek south with them. In the end, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but ask, "Daoist priest, isn''t your destination to the north?"


    The old Daoist priestughed loudly and replied, "No hassle, this is nothing but a small dy. We''re unable to repay you for saving our lives, so just think of this as me and my two disciples seeing our benefactors off. This is only a matter of walking a few more steps."


    Afterward, the two groups of travelers continued to walk south just like that. Everything was smooth sailing, and they didn''t encounter any more troubles. When they eventually left the mountain range, the blind old Daoist priest finally breathed a sigh of relief. He casually found a ce on the side of the path to sit down. The round-faced little girl with the nickname Jiu''er hurriedly handed him some water. Meanwhile, theme young boy stood behind the old Daoist priest and turned his head to gaze at the mountain range. No one knew what he was thinking about.


    Before parting ways, the old Daoist priest retrieved a well-kept silk scroll from his luggage and personally handed it to Chen Ping''an. "This scroll is the ''Mountain Scouring Album'' handed down in the temple. Almost 100 different types of mountain ghosts and spirits are recorded in it, and you can use this album as a reference in your future travels.


    "This is the first time you children have embarked on a long journey to seek knowledge, and it''s also inevitable that you''ll cross many mountains during your travels. So, perhaps this album will be of use to you in the future. I''ve already memorized everything on it, so its only value to me is a sentimental one. That being the case, it''s better for me to give it to you children. That way, we can make the most of this ''Mountain Scouring Album'' and also leave everyone happy."


    Lin Shouyi tugged Chen Ping''an''s sleeve. Chen Ping''an understood his intention, and he reached over to ept the ''Mountain Scouring Album''. However, he also retrieved the only remaining snake gall pebble on him and gifted it to theme young boy. He simply said that it was a local specialty from his hometown that wasn''t worth any money. It was simply something rare. Theme young boy initially wanted to refuse this gift, yet the blind old Daoist priest hurriedly told him to ept it. He said that this was some goodwill from their benefactor. The extremely introverted young boy had no option but to quietly ept. He wanted to speak, yet he couldn''t bring himself to do so. In the end, he was still too shy to utter the words "thank you".


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "After passing Red Candle Town and Go Table Mountain, you''ll arrive in a ce called Dragon Spring County. When you get there, you can go to the Burclover shop or the pastry shop and look for a girl called Ruan Xiu. If you show her this snake gall pebble, she''ll understand that you��re friends of mine. Perhaps she''ll even help you settle down in the small town. When I arrive at the next ry station, I''ll make sure to write a letter to her to exin the situation."


    They parted ways after this, and the blind old Daoist priest chose to take a detour rather than enter that mountain range again. He refused to set foot in that ce again.


    They continued to head south, and Chen Ping''an turned his head to look back. He then slowly retracted his gaze.


    Chen Ping��an suddenly wanted to practice swordsmanship.


    1. A Buddhist ritual to invite beings of higher realms to help beings of lower realms break free from their suffering. ?

 Chapter 130: Gazing at Mountains and Listening to Water

    Chapter 130: Gazing at Mountains and Listening to Water


    If life werepared to a river, then these chance encounters were like passing currents that would quickly go their own ways after a brief moment of entanglement.


    The blind old Daoist priest with the Dao title Xuan Guzi remained silent for a long time afterward. His disciple Jiu''er was slightly unustomed to this.


    Even though theme young boy was unwilling to hand the snake gall pebble over, he still decided to offer it to his ill-tempered master after a moment of hesitation and conflict.


    The old Daoist priest epted the smooth and exquisite pebble and carefully caressed it in his palm for a moment. After this, he surprisingly returned it to the young boy and said, "Here, keep it for yourself."


    Theme young boy waspletely baffled as he epted the pebble. He looked at Little Jiu''er, yet she subtly shook her head to signify that she didn''t understand their master''s thoughts either.


    "Littlemed, this is your fated opportunity, and it''s not something that your master can take away. If I truly attempted to, then that would only lead to bad consequences," the old Daoist priest exined.


    "Why do you think that young boy, Chen Ping''an, is going to send a letter to Dragon Spring County when he reaches the next ry station? If I were to hazard a guess, then I''d say that our stay in Dragon Spring County will be a miserable one if I''m the one to retrieve that pebble in the pastry shop or Burclover shop instead of you. Perhaps they won''t try to make things difficult for us, but it will definitely be challenging for us to settle down. It will be even harder for us to find a mountain to cultivate in."


    "Oh," theme young boy replied. He wasn''t a cunning person, so he naturally wasn''t good at understanding these matters.


    The blind old Daoist priest rubbed the little girl''s head and said, "You two are truly blessed by good fortune."


    Little Jiu''er was more observant than her older brother, and she asked, "Master, do older sister and herpanions have powerful backgrounds?"


    The old Daoist priest nodded and replied, "The Dragon Spring County that the young boy mentioned was formed after Jewel Small World that hung in the sky above the Great Li Empire shattered and fell to the ground. The Confucian Sage Qi Jingchun overlooked this small world for 60 years. Those children with bookcases were all extremely smart, and they said that they were on a long journey to the academy in Great Sui Nation. That being the case, who can they be the disciples of?"


    The little girl was slightly envious as she said, "Disciples of a Confucian Sage... How impressive."


    "If this weren''t the case, would Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin have rushed over to rescue them immediately after advancing to the next tier and exiting seclusion?" the blind old Daoist priest sneered. "In any case, those children were being guarded by a Yin god who could surprisingly threaten the mountain roots and river sources of that ferocious female ghost. None of those children are simple people."


    There was emotion in his voice as he remarked, "Their future potential is limitless, absolutely limitless..."


    Little Jiu''er suddenly realized something in hindsight, and she asked in curiosity, "Since Master already knows that they have a powerful guard, then why did you still take the unnecessary step to warn them about the powerful ghost in Three Twigs Mountain? They didn''t need to worry about this to begin with!"


    The old Daoist priest reached over to pinch her cheeks out of habit. He chuckled and said, "Foolish girl, this is called doing others a favor at no cost. We can act as good people without spending a single copper coin, so why not do it?"


    "But if they see through Master''s thoughts, then won''t that be making the situation worse by doing something unnecessary?" the little girl asked timidly.


    The old Daoist priest was rendered speechless. He shook his head and sighed. In the end, he patted Little Jiu''er''s head and said, "Master needs to treat you two better in the future. During these years, I''ve always dreamed about striking great fortune and finding myself a supremely talented disciple from the side of the streets. I''ve always grumbled about you two having a bad background. However, looking back now, it seems like I''m the one who''s been blind to your talents."


    The little girl felt slightly afraid. Her master appeared far too unfamiliar at this moment. Her face was slightly pale, and she asked, "Master, have you been possessed by a ghost? Jiu''er can hardly recognize you."


    The old Daoist priest roared withughter. He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Little Jiu''er, Master promised not to collect talisman spring water from you for the next one year before. Let''s discuss this again now. Can we change it from one year to half a year? What do you say?


    "Just think about it. For the past while, it''s seemed like the demonic forces have always been one step ahead of us. Not only was I viciously beaten by the female ghost, but the banner also lost four of its eight characters. In addition to this, I also parted ways with the ''Mountain Scouring Album'' that was passed down to me by the seniors in the temple. As my disciples, shouldn''t you two show some care for your master? Shouldn''t you offer me some things out of piety?"


    The little girl felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. This was the master that she was familiar with. Thus, she didn''t hesitate at all before replying, "Then let''s change it to half a year!"


    Theme young boy carefully put the pebble away. "The pebble is already mine," he said in a gloomy voice.


    The blind old Daoist priest was extremely peeved, and he shouted in anger, "Dogs can''t change their habit of eating shit[1]!"


    The little girl covered her mouth and giggled.


    The littlemed also started to chuckle.


    ��������


    The Yin god revealed his true body when they reached a ce with few people. However, his body was still blurry, with ck smoke lingering around his figure. Yin energy exuded from him as he apologized in a hoarse voice, saying, "I wasn''t able to protect everyone, and I even allowed you to be led to the female ghost''s residence. I''m sorry."


    Chen Ping''an was genuinely at a loss regarding how to console him. After trying to find the right words for half a day, he finally said, "It''s okay as long as you try your best."


    There was a somber smile on the Yin god''s face as he said, "No matter what, it was my fault this time. This is especially the case since it was my act of prioritizing my cultivation that caused you children to end up in such a perilous situation. I truly can''t forgive myself. If anything untoward were to happen, I wouldn''t haveined even if I perished together with the female ghost after obliterating the root of the mountains and source of the rivers."


    Li Baoping smiled and said, "When I was little, Big Brother always liked to tell me all kinds of strange things. One time, he told me about the story of a city god. He said that the method of weighing up hidden virtue is slightly different. I remember this very clearly �� for a good deed that is intended, there is to be no reward; for an evil deed that is unintended, there is to be no punishment[2]. One''s ability is limited, so since you tried your best in both thought and action, there''s no need for you to feel too guilty. Otherwise, how tiring would that be?"


    The Yin god was rendered speechless. He couldn''t help but feel slightly ufortable about being lectured by a little girl, even though she had disyed the aura of a noble person not long ago.


    Li Baoping became lost in her own world again, and she was slightly annoyed as she hammered her palm with her fist. "Big Brother always liked to talk about these strange and peculiar things, and I simply treated them as interesting stories at the time. If I knew better, then I would have listened to them more carefully."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, yet he eventually chose not to.


    The Yin god looked at him and asked with a smile, "Can we have a private conversation?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded, and he told Lin Shouyi and the others to continue forward first.


    After waiting for Lin Shouyi and the others to walk 300 or so meters away, the Yin god finally said, "It was Old Man Yang from the medicine shop who asked me to protect Li Huai."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and said, "Oh, I initially thought you were apanying us to protect Baoping or Lin Shouyi."


    "Li Huai''s father Li Er almost killed Song Changjing. He''s very powerful," the Yin god replied with a smile. "There was one time when Li Er went to Old Man Yang and said that his wife had been bullied by others, so he needed to find the ancestors of those people to exact revenge. Because of this, he needed to leave Jewel Small World. Old Man Yang couldn''t dissuade him, so he could only reluctantly agree in the end.


    "Afterward, I heard that a powerful immortal force in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had its ancestral hall forcefully destroyed by Li Er''s fists. Moreover, he had fought his way up to the mountaintop all the way from the mountain foot."


    Chen Ping''an''s jaw dropped when he heard this.


    Didn''t everyone call Li Er the most good-for-nothing man on the west side of the small town? In fact, even his son Li Huai thought this.


    "Then why doesn''t Li Er tell Li Huai about this?" Chen Ping''an asked with a perplexed expression.


    The Yin god''s mood seemed to improve significantly after starting to talk about Li Er, and he replied, "Li Er is someone who has a tendency to be extremely stubborn and fixated on things. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have married that woman."


    Chen Ping''anughed happily and remarked, "Li Huai will definitely be overjoyed when he learns the truth."


    "You''re not nning to tell Li Huai about this?" the Yin god asked. "When we were at Pillow Ry Station, you directly revealed the truth behind Zhu Lu and her father''s departure to Li Baoping even though A''Liang encouraged you not to tell her so soon."


    Chen Ping''an slowly continued forward, and he replied, "That was something directly rted to me, so since I felt like it was correct to talk about it, I could naturally make this decision myself. However, since Li Huai''s father is unwilling to tell his son about this, who am I, an outsider, to interfere? Would I tell Li Huai the truth just to make him a little bit happier? This isn''t right."


    The Yin god nodded in understanding. He recalled the time when Li Er had viewed this young boy from y Vase Alley in higher regard than those other supreme prodigies. In fact, Li Er had even been willing to break the rules as he attempted to give the golden carp and the Dragon King Basket to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly stopped in his tracks, asking, "My eyesight is very good, and I was also worried that you were a bad person at the start. So I vividly remember that during our first encounter, Senior Yin god looked at me before looking at Li Huai. Why was that? Was it simply unintentional, or...? If you don''t want to answer this, then just pretend that I didn''t ask."


    If the Yin god were still a living person, then he would definitely be parched and feel like he was sitting on a bed of needles at this moment.


    Back at that time, how could he have imagined that Chen Ping''an was such a perceptive person? His gaze had only rested on the young boy for a split second, and it could be said that he had concealed it very well.


    However, the Yin god quickly epted this when he thought about Chen Ping''an''s performance throughout this journey. It was most likely because of this that Chen Ping''an was able to win the trust of hispanions.


    Even though Lin Shouyi had already reached the Middle Five Tiers and be a genuine immortal, Li Baoping still wouldn''t listen to him, and neither would Li Huai. As for the Yin god, he would most likely be no exception either. In his eyes, Lin Shouyi was ultimately nothing more than an extremely intelligent and talented junior.


    This was a very strange feeling.


    It was as if Chen Ping''an possessed an aura that could cause others to feel "at ease with the situation" and "unquestioning of his position".


    If hebeled something as incorrect, then hispanions would also feel that the matter was incorrect.


    If he said that something could be done, then hispanions would also feel that the task could be done.


    However, this wasn''t the strangest part. What was even stranger than this was the fact that Chen Ping''an had never tried to deliberately unt any of his skills.


    Quite the contrary, in fact. He would humbly learn characters and how to read from the little girl who called him junior uncle, and he had never treated Li Huai as an immature little child either. He was also willing to chat with Lin Shouyi and listen to his stories about the outside world.


    The Yin god smiled and replied, "I won''t answer this question for the moment. However, you can rest assured that I won''t try to harm you."


    Chen Ping''an jogged forward, not forgetting to turn around and say with a smile, "I wouldn''t have asked this question if I didn''t trust you!"


    The Yin god slowly concealed his figure, sighing as he did so. Apanying these children on a long journey was truly taxing on the mind.


    In reality, the ill-natured maidservant Zhu Lu would have been considered a fairly impressive prodigy if she were ced in some ordinary force in a mortal empire. However, it was a shame that she was far inferior to everyone else in this group of children. In fact, she was inferior in all facets.


    During their journey south, they had first passed Dragon Whisker Creek and the Iron Talisman River before passing the Embroidered Flower River and the Rushing Tranquil River. They had passed more waterways than they had mountains. For the next one and a half days, however, it was as if they had used up all of their "waterway" luck. They could barely find a single stream in the mountains.


    They did indeede across some water, yet these were all puddles of stagnant water that were undrinkable. They passed many sickly willow seedlings that were neither tall nor luxuriant. Instead, many of them were crooked and lying on their sides. Insects buzzed around, and the environment was as ufortable as could be.


    Li Huai was a little scared. This was because the blind old Daoist priest had made an inauspicious remark about them needing to pass through a ghost-ridden area called Three Twigs Mountain. Not only was there a malicious ghost here, but there were even Yin corpses acting as its subordinates.


    Li Huai couldn''t help but feel depressed when he thought about this. His painted puppet and y statues were far too small, so it was very likely that their fighting abilities would be insufficient even if they truly came to life. Moreover, the five y statues that Wei Jin had given him wouldn''te to life no matter how he warmed them up in his hands. That sword immortal in white wasn''t a liar, was he? He wasn''t willing to part with a genuine treasure, yet he didn''t want to affect his image as a sword immortal, so he had purposely told him a big lie?


    Dusk fell, and Chen Ping''an stopped to craft a makeshift stove to cook dinner. Li Huai ran off to collect arge bundle of dry sticks. Afterward, he squatted down next to Chen Ping''an andined, "Chen Ping''an, I feel like Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin isn''t as good as A''Liang."


    Chen Ping''an ignored him.


    Li Huai ran back to his bookcase and retrieved the painted puppet and a y statue. He then used the painted puppet to viciously bully the sword-wielding y statue. After a while, he ced the y statue on its knees and pretended that it was begging for forgiveness. At the same time, he shouted, "Oh, mighty female ghost, please spare me! I, Wei Jin, understand my sins..."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether tough or cry. In the end, he could only exin, "Wei Jin is a very good person."


    Li Huai rolled his eyes, and his hands continued to chaotically move around as he used the painted puppet to ravage the y statue.


    Lin Shouyi was sitting on a nearby rock and flipping through the ''Mountain Scouring Album''. He looked up at Chen Ping''an and said, "If my observations weren''t wrong, then it seemed like Wei Jin was somewhat looking down on you. Or more precisely, he was least optimistic about your abilities."


    Li Baoping, who was quietly tidying her small bookcase, was infuriated upon hearing this. "For real?!"


    Lying on the floor with his bottom raised, Chen Ping''an slowly kindled a me in the pile of firewood. Leaning back into a squat and preparing to cook dinner, he asked, "Does him looking down on me change the fact that he''s a good person?"


    Li Huai was stunned. "Chen Ping''an, what are you thinking? How can someone who looks down on me be a very-good good person? They can only be a not-so-good good person!"


    Chen Ping''an''s movements were methodical as he started to busy himself with cooking. "Wei Jin is such a powerful person, and he''s even referred to as a terrestrial sword immortal by others. Yet, his tone was still gentle and polite when he spoke to us, and he was even willing to exin the situation and the facts to us children. Do you think all immortals are like this? No, they''re not. Before leaving the small town, I came across an immortal who would kill others on a whim, and who would only listen to their own reasoning. In fact. I came across more than just one."


    Chen Ping��an briefly mentioned those deadly encounters, yet he wasn''t willing to expand on them any further. "If you don''t want to be looked down on by others, then you can only rely on yourself. If you''re the best at nting crops, the best at firing pottery, the strongest when chopping firewood, or courageous enough to lead the charge whenpeting for water with the other alleys, then you naturally won''t be looked down on by others."


    Chen Ping''an nced at the others and continued, "This was the case in our hometown. However, things will be slightly different when we reach the academy in Great Sui Nation. If Li Baoping is good at studying, and if Lin Shouyi bes an impressive cultivator at a young age, then you two naturally be held in high regard by the others. As for you, Li Huai... You''re still little, so you don''t need to worry about this yet."


    "Chen Ping''an, you might not be worried, but I am!" Li Huai eximed anxiously.


    "Can you wake up earlier in the morning to practice walking meditation and fist techniques with me?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Of course not!" Li Huai replied without any hesitation.


    "Then I''ll teach you standing meditation?" Chen Ping''an offered.


    There was a look of disgust on Li Huai''s face as he replied, "Why do I have to learn that? I''m still so little."


    "Oh, so you know that you''re still little now? Then why were you so worried just then?" Chen Ping''an asked in exasperation.


    Li Huai waspletely dumbstruck. After mulling over this for a long time, he was still unable to offer any response. In the end, when they were all sitting around to eat dinner, Li Huai used his chopsticks to grab a pickle and down arge mouthful of rice before asking, "Say, is there a cultivation shortcut that can allow one to achieve sess overnight? For example, a method where I can cultivate today and be an immortal tomorrow?


    "A''Liang said that there isn''t. If I knew earlier, I should have asked Wei Jin about this as well. What if A''Liang doesn''t have such a method but Wei Jin does? Then I would have struck gold! For the remainder of our journey, I could have traveled atop a flying sword, and whoosh! I would fly here and there, even faster than Chen Ping''an''s walking meditation. I would have been like a gust of wind! You guys would have only been able to trail behind me and eat my dust!"


    "Who''s going to eat dust?" Li Baoping asked with a stern expression.


    Li Huai gulped and looked at Lin Shouyi. He then silently turned his head to look at Chen Ping''an. In the end, Li Huai felt a little downcast. However, a brilliant idea suddenly sprang into his mind, and he hurriedly picked his painted puppet up from the ground. "She''s going to eat it! She''s my most powerful general right now! After all, she''s the biggest, the most beautiful, the most experienced, and also the most decorated. She''s apanied me on my expedition for the longest time. Those five dirty little y statues can only rank second, third, fourth, and fifth, and sixth."


    "Then what about the little creatures in ''Severed Water Cliff''?" Lin Shouyi asked with a smile.


    "Them? I don''t like them very much," Li Huai replied with a shake of his head.


    "It''s because you don''t like to read, isn''t it? That''s why you''re unwilling to see them. Because you need to open the book first," Li Baoping said, revealing the true reason.


    Li Huai pretended that he couldn''t hear her.


    Chen Ping''an looked up and nced at the slightly taller Three Twigs Mountain in the distance. "What does everyone want to buy after we pass Three Twigs Mountain and arrive at the next town?" he asked.


    "Junior uncle, I want to buy some misceneous books," Li Baoping answered in excitement. "Mr. Qi said that apart from Confucianism, the Hundred Schools of Thought also have their own ssics that are worth a read. Mr. Qi said that rocks from other mountains can also be carved into jade[3]."


    "Chen Ping''an, if it''s possible, I want to buy a Go set. The cheapest one will do."


    "What about you, Li Huai?"


    "If I don''t buy anything, can you give me the money instead? I want to save some money. Mother taught me that having some money in the pockets will keep one calm in the face of all kinds of situations!"


    "What do you think?" Chen Ping''an replied.


    Li Huai chuckled and said, "I was just trying my luck. After all, what if you suddenly discovered your conscience?"


    Chen Ping''an chuckled coldly in reply.


    Li Huai''s expression instantly froze, and he hurriedly changed the topic and said, "Didn''t that old Daoist priest tell us not to enter Three Twigs Mountain during the night?"


    Lin Shouyi shook his head and exined, "Senior Yin god, Chen Ping''an, and I have already discussed this before. If that malicious ghostes out to attack us when we''re traveling through Three Twigs Mountain at night, then we''ll simply face it head-on and suppress it. Senior Yin god will stay hidden first, and he''ll let me try to defeat the malicious ghost using my talismans and lightning technique. This is in order to give me some training. If the malicious ghost stays in hiding, however, then we''ll just let it be. We''ll continue on our way."


    Night fell, and the four children slowly ascended the mountain. Three Twigs Mountain wasn''t tall, yet its slope was gentle and very long. Chen Ping''an purposely took a detour as well, since there wererge expanses of unmarked graves in the mountain. Of course, there existed even more marked graves that were frequented and cleaned by their descendants. There were tombstones decorating these graves, and these tombstones were also engraved with words. Shreds of paper money that weren''t fully burnedy scattered across these graves.


    They traversed Three Twigs Mountain in under two hours. Apart from the night breeze being slightly cold, they didn''t encounter any other strange matter.


    Lin Shouyi felt slightly disappointed. However, he wouldn''t try to forcefully seek a fight either.


    Afterward, their journey to Yefu Pass on the border of the Great Li Empire became even more smooth sailing.


    When passing through the market of a small town, Li Baoping bought five or six misceneous books, some of them being travel journals, some of them being Buddhist or Daoist ssics, and some of them being the notes of literati.


    Lin Shouyi bought a Go set, and after teaching Chen Ping''an the rules, they would frequently y with each other whenever they had free time. This was because Li Baoping was too impatient and always wanted to ce seven or eight pieces in a single turn. Not only that, but she alsoined that Lin Shouyi was too slow. As for Li Huai, he was simply toozy to use his brain. Surprisingly, however, it was the Yin god who yed Go with Lin Shouyi the most.


    The memory of spending almost 10 taels of silver to buy a crappy book in Red Candle Town was most likely still fresh in Li Huai''s memory. Thus, he chose to not buy anything this time.


    Even though Chen Ping''an wanted to practice swordsmanship, he didn''t genuinely begin to do so apart from asionally retrieving the locust wood sword from his basket.


    In his view, the most important thing right now was to hone his fist technique! Only after he felt like he had the spare attention would he start to practice the sword. Regarding the Qi channeling technique that A''Liang had taught him, Chen Ping''an had only managed to reach the halfway mark. He was unable to make it past the sixth stop no matter what.


    Even though he couldn''t practice the sword for the moment, A''Liang had told him that the Eighteen Stops was a technique created through much hardship by countless swordsmen. Diligently practicing the Eighteen Stops was equivalent toying a solid foundation for his sword practice in the future. Whenever he thought about this, Chen Ping''an would feel reinvigorated and filled with enthusiasm.


    Whenever he had free time, whether he was on arge branch atop a mountain or on the edge of a cliff beside the water...


    The young boy would form hand seals and perform standing meditation by himself, silently cultivating as he gazed at the mountains and waters. Where there were mountains, he would gaze at mountains; where there was water, he would listen to water.


    1. This saying refers to the notion that a person can''t change their bad habits. ?


    2. This is a sentence from the chapter ''Examination for the Post of City God'' in Liaozhai, a collection of tales written by Pu Songling during the Qing Dynasty. ?


    3. This means borrowing knowledge from others to improve oneself. ?

 Chapter 131: (1): Scholars Disciple

    Chapter 131: (1): Schr''s Disciple


    Wu Yuan left the Li n''s manor on Fortune Street with one of his trusted schrly secretaries. As he was walking along the street in his official attire, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, then bnced himself on one foot as he removed one of his boots to pour out the sand inside. The schrly secretary was already ustomed to seeing this.


    However, Fortune Street was far more lively and bustling than it had been in the past, so the young schrly secretary felt the need to conceal Wu Yuan as much as possible so that he didn''t make a fool out of himself in front of the surrounding bystanders.


    At the same time, he said in a quiet voice, "Li Hong had already told us that he was willing to set an example by making apromise when ites to the matter regarding the immortal tomb, so why has he suddenly changed his mind? Is he not concerned that he''ll tarnish his image and be regarded as a fickle and unreliable man in your eyes?"


    There was a weary look on Wu Yuan''s face as he sighed, "I''m assuming it''s because Li Hong''s second son, Li Baozhen, has managed to make a name for himself in the capital. Perhaps he''s already found a powerful backer and sent a letter back to inform his nsmen of this, telling Li Hong not to make any rash decisions or something like that.


    ��Alternatively, it could be that reclusive eldest son of Li Hong''s who advised him that it''s best to stay put and observe for now. It''s hard to say what led to this decision. In any case, we''re the ones who have to suffer the consequences. All of our original arrangements were made on the basis that my teacher would... Let''s not talk about this anymore.


    ��Where there''s a will, there''s a way. Let''s go and have a couple of gons of spring peach blossom wine. I''ll treat you, but I don''t have any money on me, so you''ll have to pay this time. I''ll pay you backter."


    The schrly secretary was already ustomed to this type of shameless gesture from Wu Yuan, and a curious look appeared on his face as he remarked, "There''s a story circting around the town, stating that a fortune teller had once foretold that the two sons and the daughter of the Li n on Fortune Street were destined for great things, isn''t that right?"


    Wu Yuan rubbed his own thin and pale face as he smiled and replied, "You believe in stuff like that? Everyone who wants to make a name for themselves in the capital city of our Great Li Empire has some insight when ites to establishing connections and forging reputations, particrly those whoe from humble upbringings.


    ��Even so-called wealthy and powerful ns aren''t guaranteed to do well. Your Fu n has always been renowned for its tremendous wealth. Outsiders may be unaware of whether that reputation is deserved or not, but I''m sure you''re well aware of the truth. isn''t that right, Fu Yu?"


    Fu Yu was quite disgruntled to hear this, and he protested, "Why are you bringing up my n all of a sudden?"


    Wu Yuan''s mood was buoyed by Fu Yu''s indignant disy, and he burst intoughter as he patted Fu Yu on the shoulder as he said, "We''re both in the same boat, each of us is just as unsightly as the other."


    Fu Yu also burst intoughter upon hearing this. "Isn''t it much better to say that we share the same ambitions and outlook on life?"


    "That''s rather pretentious, is it not?" Wu Yuan chuckled. "It''s really tiring having to keep up the facade of a gentleman. Instead, it''s much easier to embrace being a scoundrel."


    "You''ve really let yourself go, haven''t you?" Fu Yu sighed with a wistful shake of his head.


    Wu Yuan also heaved a forlorn sigh, then changed the subject as he mused, "I miss my wife."


    Fu Yu smiled as he said, "Isn''t it about time that we lifted the restrictions on brothels in our Dragon Spring County? Fine wine is decent on its own, but its vor is ultimatelycking with no beautiful women in apaniment."


    Wu Yuan nodded in response as he replied with a serious expression, "There are some women among the prisoners of the Lu Empire that would be perfect for the job. As opposed to forcing them to work themselves to death in the forests and mountains, we may as well give them another choice.


    ��Of course, we can''t force them into this, so the decision will ultimately be up to them. Fu Yu, from now on, you don''t have to apany me on these trips and be shunned by the town''s residents anymore. Instead, I''m going to put you in charge of overseeing this matter."


    Fu Yu was very much taken aback to hear this. He had only brought up this subject as a joke, and a perplexed look appeared on his face as he asked, "Are you being serious right now?"


    Wu Yuan adjusted his cor slightly, then smiled as he replied, "Why would you think I''m not being serious about this? With all those mountains being developed, the majority of their future residents are going to be immortals. How are we going to keep those esteemed immortals around and convince them to spend money in our town? Are you going to be able to do that, or do you think I''m up to the task?


    ��I''m just an insignificant little governor who''s about to be stripped of his title of kiln supervision official. I''ve heard from my teacher that those immortals are generally not attracted to mortal women for their looks alone because female cultivators possess far superior physical bodies to mortal women.


    ��Hence, the only thing about mortal women that could present some measure of allure to immortals would be their status. For example, the princess of a fallen empire or the young mistress of a powerful n that had fallen from grace would be like rare delicacies in the eyes of immortals, and those prisoners of the Lu Empire are notcking in this area."


    An indignant look appeared on Fu Yu''s face as he grumbled, "Why has the imperial court decided to assign a new kiln supervision official at a time like this? It''s clear that you''re being screwed over! During the past two months, you''ve explored every single one of the 60 or so mountains on foot and spent countless time and effort negotiating with those sly old foxes.


    ��From the construction of the county office and the city god pavilion to the site selection of the wenchang pavilion and the martial sage temple, from the preparation of the construction materials to the cement of those prisoners from the Lu Empire, you''ve overseen every single task on your own, no matter how trivial, and there hasn''t been a single day when you''ve gotten over six hours of sleep!


    ��Yet now, those old farts in the imperial court are condemning you for failing in your duties? Perhaps someone from the imperial court has been manipting the four surnames and ten ns all along, instructing them to pose obstacles for you at every turn! I bet they''re trying to ensure that your political career never makes it out of Dragon Spring County!"


    Following his indignant tirade, Fu Yu seemed to have realized that this was a rather unrealistic conspiracy theory, and he grumbled, "At the very least, they''re trying to ensure that you won''t be in charge of any of the ministries before you turn 50. All you''ll be able to do is slowly progress up the ranks without receiving just reward for your efforts."


    Wu Yuan opened his mouth as if to say something, but remained silent in the end.


    All of a sudden, Fu Yu burst intoughter, and Wu Yuan turned to him as he asked, "What''s gotten you so happy all of a sudden?"


    Fu Yu replied, "Dragon Spring County is a small ce, butpared with the luxurious capital, I much prefer living here. There''s fine wine, pastries, and meat buns every morning. If I want to eat anything, I can juste here on foot to purchase it, and the return trip would only take me an hour at most.


    ��Sometimes, when I''m in a bad mood, I would go to the wine shop and order half a liter of wine, then sit on my own in peace and quiet for an hour or two without anyone approaching me or calling out to me. If I''m in the mood for it, I can order a small bowl of braised meat and a dish of pickled vegetables to help the wine go down.


    ��I really want to keep spending my days like this, and that gives me even more incentive to do well here, even if there are many hardships ahead."


    Wu Yuan nodded in response. "If all we did wasze around and rely on others to carry us up the ranks, then what''s the point in serving as officials? We have to put our foot down and actually do something to benefit the people.


    ��I have to say that you''re better than me in this regard. I came from an impoverished background, so I know how difficult things are for the general public. In contrast, you''re a young master of the esteemed Fu n, so it''s quite surprising to me that you can think this way."


    The two of them walked along beside one another, and Fu Yu sighed, "Therein lies the problem. You can do things for the sake of the people, but the people won''t necessarily be grateful to you. In the history books, there is certainly nock of examples of capable officials diligently working for the sake of the people, only to be denounced and stripped of their official titles in disgrace.


    ��Over the past few centuries, there have been some cases of such officials being posthumouslyuded for their deeds, but those examples are far and few in between, and what does it matter anyway when they''re already dead?"


    "That''s not the right way to think about it," Wu Yuan disagreed with a shake of his head. "If you set out to do something, then that should be your focus. Your purpose should be to aplish something that you can feel proud of. As for whether the people will be grateful to you and whether the imperial court will approve of your deeds, that''s not for you to think about now.


    ��Overthinking such matters will only result in disillusionment, and you could easily find yourself losing your will and drive before you''ve even done anything. As Confucians, we are not like Daoists and Buddhists, who are always seeking out the limits of the teachings that they believe in."


    Fu Yu heaved a faint sigh upon hearing this.


    Meanwhile, Wu Yuan continued, almost as if he were speaking to himself, "Among the three teachings, Daoism has a focus on peace and tranquility. It is a teaching that revolves solely around oneself. Even if the heavens fall and the earth shatters, as long as one attains immortality for oneself, that is enough.


    ��They do not ce any importance on past and future lives, instead focusing on the life that they are presently living, because they need their current body toplete the journey to immortality. In contrast, Buddhism is split up into Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism.


    ��Theravada Buddhism is simr to Daoism, while Mahayana Buddhism tells its believers that all pain and suffering in this life will lead to blessings in the next life, thereby instilling within its believers immense hope for the future. As for Confucianism, it is the most closely intertwined with the secr world out of the three teachings.


    ��Furthermore, it raises a predicament where the more well-learned and advanced one''s cultivation base is, the more cautious and restricted they be as they always feel like their words and actions could break certain rules or encroach upon certain boundaries.


    ��For example, my teacher''s doctrine is that practical ability should be valued above theoretical knowledge, and his objective is to weed out the Confucians who have nothing but empty knowledge. Unfortunately, all those who propose radical new ideas are bound to be ostracized and make many enemies."


    Wu Yuan shook his head as he continued, "My teacher had the right idea, but anything will inevitably go sour when taken to the extreme. Furthermore, there is a sense of inertia present in everyone.


    ��There''s a very good chance that during extended periods of peace, say 500 or even 1,000 years, schrs will still be reading the same books that contain the teachings of sagely figures, but they''d be doing so in a conceited and sanctimonious manner, rather than actually trying to better themselves. At the moment, this is not a problem.


    ��The three eternal pursuits of Confucianism are to establish a strong moralpass, make contributions to society and empire, and ensure that one''s words and writings are worthy of being passed down to future generations.


    ��At the moment, Confucians are still striving for the three pursuits in equal measure, but if my teacher''s doctrine were to be implemented, then the emphasis would gradually be skewed solely to the contributions one can make to society and empire. If such a mindset were to set in, then schrs would renounce the establishment of a strong moralpass and the pursuit of theoretical knowledge. That would truly be a terrifying world to live in."


    Fu Yu was stunned to hear this, and an rmed look appeared on his face as he grabbed firmly onto Wu Yuan''s arm, then said in an urgent voice, "Wu Yuan, you absolutely cannot say this to your teacher no matter what! You''re not a cultivator, so you don''t know how cruel and brutal the pursuit of the Great Dao can be. Any careless words or actions could lead to your demise!"


    Wu Yuan patted the back of Fu Yu''s hand as he replied with a wry smile, "Of course I don''t have the courage to say this to my teacher. Furthermore, given my teacher''s immense intelligence and wealth of knowledge, perhaps I have simply failed toprehend the full breadth and nuance of his doctrine. I''m sure my teacher would scoff at my ideas."


    Fu Yu released Wu Yuan''s arm, then cautioned once again, "Make sure you don''t ever let these ideas slip out. I don''t want to see you follow in Song Yuzhang''s footsteps and..."


    Fu Yu''s voice trailed off there as he knew that it would be unwise to speak excessively on these topics.


    Wu Yuan changed the subject as he said, "Fu Yu, if I ever stray down the wrong path, you have to remember to rebuke me and denounce me to my face, no matter how lofty my status is at that time. You have to make me see reason and guide me back to the right path."


    "Rest assured, if that timees and my words can''t get through to you, then you can expect a punch from me, Minster Wu."


    "A minister of one of the six ministries is only a second-rank official, that''s too paltry a post for me to settle for."


    "Not at all! Think about it, once our Great Li Empire takes over the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, would you still think the minister of one of the six ministries is too paltry a position? In my opinion, that''s already a very lofty goal to aim for.


    ��Let me make this clear right now: all I''m good at ising up with some ideas here and there, and I''m not a very adaptable person, so I''m going to follow you until the day that I die. If you be a minister in the future, how about you make me your right-hand minister?"


    The pair of schrs continued to jokingly discuss this subject as they returned to the county office.


    Inside the Yuan n''s manor, an azure-robed schr picked up his book as he smiled and murmured to himself, "Wu Yuan, your thought process is correct when ites to the excessive emphasis on practical contributions that could result from my doctrine, but it''s also true that you have indeed failed toprehend the full depth of my doctrine."

 Chapter 132: Student Cui Chan

    Chapter 132: Student Cui Chan


    At the stroke of dawn, a horse-drawn carriage drew to a halt outside the Yuan n''s manor. Yu Lu and Xie Xie were waiting beside the horse-drawn carriage with their luggage on their backs, and Cui Chan was making his way out of the manor while yawningzily. He was wearing an ivory-colored robe of exceptional material and tailorship, and trailing along behind him was the young boy, who had a dejected and reluctant look on his face.


    "Where are we going, Young Master?" Yu Lu couldn''t help but ask.


    "I''m taking you to seek out an education in Great Sui Nation. The two of you were meant to be students of Mountain Cliff Academy to begin with," Cui Chan replied in azy voice.


    Yu Lu and Xie Xie exchanged a bemused nce upon hearing this.


    The coach driver was one of the spies of the Great Li Empire, and he was seated in apletely still manner at the front of the carriage. Cui Chan bent down to lift up the curtain covering the entrance of the carriage, then suddenly turned and instructed, "Get Wang Yifu toe and rece you as coach driver. You stay in Dragon Spring County and continue to keep an eye on Dragon Riding Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley."


    The spy nodded in response, then got down from the carriage and departed in silence.


    Around 15 minutester, Wang Yifu arrived to rece the coach driver. Yu Lu was looking directly ahead with aposed expression, while a cold look surfaced in Xie Xie''s eyes, and she didn''t seem to have been very fond of Wang Yifu.


    Wang Yifu was the man who had been tasked with killing Song Yuzhang. He had once been a general of the Lu Empire, but he hadn''t been reduced to a prisoner of the Great Li Empire, nor had he been integrated into the Great Li Empire''s military. Instead, he had be a personalpdog to Song Jixin''s mother, and now that she had been banished to the Pce of Eternal Spring, Wang Yifu''s master had changed from her to Cui Chan.


    Due to the fact that they were traveling along the official road, the horse-drawn carriage they were taking was quite arge and spacious one that was enough to fit the three of them. However, Cui Chan instructed Yu Lu and Xie Xie to sit outside, while he upied the spacious carriage on his own.


    It didn''t take long before the sound of reading rang out from within the carriage. Cui Chan was the esteemed imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire and arguably the best go yer on the entire continent, yet he was having to recite passages from these children''s books every day, and it was quite an amusing sight to behold.


    The horse-drawn carriage traveled out of the town through the eastern gate, and Cui Chan lifted the curtain to take a look at the newly constructed county office near the eastern gate.


    At the moment, only the foundation of the county office had taken shape, and under the supervision of the county officials, the manualborers sourced from the town were busy at work, raising clouds of dust across the entire eastern gate. Cui Chan lowered the curtain with a dark expression.


    After leaving the town, the horse-drawn carriage traveled along the official road for roughly two hours before Cui Chan instructed Wang Yifu to stop the carriage. Cui Chan then emerged from the carriage before making his way to a small hill on his own, where Cui Minghuang of Lake View Academy had already been waiting for him for quite some time. As soon as he spotted Cui Chan, Cui Minghuang immediately extended a respectful bow.


    Cui Chan stood on the hilltop as he looked back at the town. Unfortunately, given how drastically his cultivation base had fallen, he no longer had the eyesight to be able to see the town clearly. "It''ll take some time for Cloud Drape Mountain to be instated as the Northern Mountain of our Great Li Empire, so that''s most likely not going to be happening anytime soon.


    ��However, construction of the new academy on Cloud Drape Mountain must continue, and it''ll bepleted in half a year at the very least. Rest assured, you''ve taken a huge risk here and almost lost your life, so I definitely won''t renege on my promise to you. Once the academy is constructed, you will be instated as the deputy mountain master.


    ��After that, the Great Li Empire will be sure to do everything in its power to support this new academy so that it will be more worthy than Mountain Cliff Academy of bing one of the 72 academies of Confucianism."


    Cui Minghuang was quite relieved to hear this, and he vowed with a determined expression, "I won''t disappoint you, esteemed patriarch."


    Cui Chan paid no heed to Cui Minghuang''s promise as he continued, "I''m going to leave that porcin boy to you. Once the new academy is constructed, get him to study there. Barring any mishaps, his cultivation should progress very smoothly. In fact, he may even reach the Middle Five Tiers at a startlingly fast speed, so you have to be mentally prepared.


    ��I advise you to hide him so that he isn''t exposed to the outside world too early. I meticulously selected those pieces of broken porcin from the mountain porcin, and it took me a great deal of time and effort to assemble those porcin pieces into a porcin person that possesses a soul.


    ��He was nothing more than a pile of scrap porcin, yet he''s now virtually indistinguishable from a living person, and his creation is the culmination of my life''s work, coupled with a healthy dose of luck, so you have to look after him. I don''t mean to make things sound more dire than they are, but essentially, I''m entrusting him fully to you now as I''m no longer able to look after him myself. "


    Cui Minghuang was ovee by emotion as he cupped his fist and extended a deep bow. "Rest assured, patriarch, I''ll be sure to treat him as if he were my own flesh and blood!"


    Cui Chan was looking a little weary as he said, "Aside from Song Changjing, you can do with the two groups of spies in the town as you see fit. I''ve already spoken to them in advance, so they''ll be willing to follow your orders. Also, whenever you have some free time, go and chat with Old Man Yang from the Yang Family''s medicine shop.


    ��That old fart is extremely fair in everything he does, and he never puts any weight on concepts like good and evil, or enemies and allies. Try and convince him to agree to make deals with you. As for Ruan Qiong, I advise you to stay away from him. At this point, the four surnames and ten ns on Four Families and Ten ns and Peach Leaf Alley are all broken up, and they''re no longer as tight-knit and unified as they once were.


    ��Make sure to keep an eye out for the Li n, the one that Li Xisheng belongs to. As for the Li n''s arrogant second young master, Li Baozhen, now that his backer has fallen, he won''t be knocked back down to square one, but this will teach him a lesson on how vtile and unpredictable things can be in the capital city.


    ��You can choose either one of the two brothers, but you can only choose one. As for Wu Yuan, you can interact with him as you see fit, but stick strictly to official matters and don''t get too close to him."


    Even though Cui Chan was a handsome young boy, Cui Minghuang was struck by the illusion that he was standing before a weary and jaded old man who had lived 10 lifetimes.


    A careful look appeared on Cui Minghuang''s face as he asked, "Could it be that Wu Yuan is..."


    Cui Chan was slouched over slightly as he made his way down the hill, and he nodded as he replied in a weary voice, "He serves Her Majesty. She''s always had a tendency to select people like him whoe from humble upbringings, but are intelligent, and have lofty aspirations and exceptional forbearance. At the same time, all of them have their own fatal ws, which make them easy for her to control."


    An enlightened look appeared on Cui Minghuang''s face upon hearing this. "I see. No wonder I felt like something wasn''t quite right on that asion when you were speaking to me back at the Yuan n''s ancestral residence. It was only after the event that I realized that it had to have been because Wu Yuan was present."


    Cui Chan heaved a faint sigh, and instead of concealing the truth, he revealed, "Back at the Yuan n''s ancestral residence, I gave him a chance. In the past, he had leaked all manners of trivial information to Her Majesty, but I turned a blind eye to all of that.


    ��However, if he had chosen to leak that secret to her after leaving the manor, then he would''ve sealed his own fate. If a disciple dares to betray their master, then the master is perfectly justified to kill the student."


    Cui Minghuang offered no response to this.


    Cui Chan patted him on the shoulder as he mused, "I have very high hopes for you. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have told you all of this."


    "I''m both honored and terrified," Cui Minghuang replied with a wry smile.


    "You can stop here, there''s no need to apany me any further."


    Cui Chan sped up as he made his way down the hill, and after taking around a dozen steps, he turned around with a smile as he said, "You''re a smart guy, so I''m sure you''re thinking that given how I set that trap for Wu Yuan, I must''ve set a trap for you as well.


    ��Truth be told, you''re not wrong. That is indeed the case, but as for where the trap is and when you''ll need to make a choice that decides whether you live or die, that''s something that you''ll have to ponder for yourself."


    Cui Minghuang was horrified to hear this, nor did he disy any indignation. Instead, his eyes were full of resolve and anticipation as he replied, "I''ve already read all the books I need to read, so this will be where the joy in my life lies from here onward."


    Cui Minghuang turned and cast his gaze toward the horse-drawn carriage at the foot of the mountain, tucking his hands into his sleeves as he mused, "Sure enough, you really do need all three types of disciples. In Cui Minghuang, Wu Yuan, and the porcin boy, I''vepleted the set. From now on, the four of us will go our separate ways and see what fate has in store for us."


    As he was walking along, Cui Chan suddenly shuddered as he murmured to himself, "Given Chen Ping''an''s personality, if he ever finds out the truth someday, he''ll definitely beat me to death without a second thought!"


    A hint of sorrow and anxiety appeared on his face as he continued, "What''s most damning of all is that a master ispletely justified to kill their disciple! No, I can''t allow myself to meet such a terrible fate. I have to think of a way to get myself out of this pickle..."


    All of a sudden, a smile appeared on Cui Chan''s face, and he began to swagger down the hill in a carefree manner as he chortled to himself, "I can just pin the me entirely on the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor! I''m Cui Dongshan, not Cui Chan!"


    The body that he was currently using was one that he regarded as an extremely precious treasure. It was innately pure and untainted, but the original host of the body had been born with a mental disability, and he passed away before even reaching six years of age.


    Over the course of many years, Cui Chan had refined the body using a secret technique to transform it into a vessel that could be easily possessed on a temporary basis, much like an inn that one could stay in. Jewel Small World was extremely important to him as it concerned his Dao attainment catalyst, so he had to enter the small world in person, and that was why he had brought out this vessel and possessed it with a part of his soul.


    As a result, there were two Cui Chans in this world, one old and one young. The old Cui Chan remained in the capital city of the Great Li Empire to continue serving as the imperial preceptor, overseeing matters from afar, while the young Cui Chan entered the town and resided in the Yuan n''s ancestral residence in case any unforeseen mishaps were to ur.


    Of course, deep down, Cui Chan also had a secondary objective, which was to witness Qi Jingchun''s demise with his own two eyes.


    For once in his life, he wanted to beat Qi Jingchun fair and square.


    However, what Cui Chan hadpletely failed to anticipate was that he would lose to Qi Jingchun in catastrophic fashion, and that was only the beginning of his suffering.


    Following Qi Jingchun''s passing, he was sought out by the old geezer that was supposed to have already perished in the Forest of Virtue, who casually severed his connection between him and his original body and imposed a punishment on him, forcing him to read those same few books every single day.


    What was even more ridiculous was that none of those books were ones that had been written by the old man. To make matters even worse, he had made an utterly absurd decision, condemning Cui Chan to serve as Chen Ping''an''s student!


    What could I possibly learn from Chen Ping''an? Pottery firing or charcoal making?


    As for exactly what that old geezer was thinking, that was something that literally only the heavens knew!


    The old man had never attained any lofty schrly titles in the secr world, but he was once ranked as high as fourth in the Confucian temple. At that time, he had truly been at the height of his powers. People were scrambling to carry his deity statue into the temple in reverence, and even the old man himself couldn''t stop them.


    However, Cui Chan had always felt like the old man was quite happy with what was happening at the time, and he never made a serious effort to intervene.


    ��������


    On a mandatory path on the way to the Great Li Empire''s southern border, a horse-drawn carriage was parked on the side of the road, and Cui Chan was seated on the roof of the carriage, looking northward with an expectant expression.


    Wang Yifu was seated in the driver''s position, and as usual, he waspletely silent.


    Yu Lu was organizing his belongings, while Xie Xie was seated beside Wang Yifu in a casual and carefree fashion. She and Yu Lu had their backs facing one another, and she was swinging her legs back and forth while snacking on some sunflower seeds.


    All of a sudden, Cui Chan stomped a foot down as he eximed, "They''re finally here!"


    Wang Yifu remained facing away from Yu Lu as he said in a quiet voice, "Look after yourself, Your Highness."


    Yu Lu smiled as he nodded in response. "Likewise, General Wang."


    Wang Yifu also gave a slight nod, and he was just about to say something else when Xie Xie pped her hands together, having just finished arge handful of sunflower seeds, and she said in a light and airy voice, "There''s no need for an esteemed general like yourself to speak to lowly prisoners like us."


    "I owe your master a great debt," Wang Yifu said with a wry smile.


    Xie Xie rested her hands on her knees as she looked up at the sky, and she smiled as she replied, "In that case, you should be saying this to all of those people who''ve passed away. I took no part in that battle, and I didn''t take my own life after the event, either. On the contrary, I''m doing quite well, and I''m about to be a student of the new Mountain Cliff Academy very soon, so there''s no reason for you to be telling me this, General Wang."


    "Don''t mind her, Wang Yifu," Yu Lu interjected. "She''s just a child who hasn''t grown up yet, and she has all this pent-up anger, but doesn''t know who to vent her frustrations on, so she''sshing out at anyone that she can."


    "Do you still think you''re the revered prince of the Lu Empire?" Xie Xie scoffed. "What right do you have to condescend me like this?"


    Yu Lu smiled and offered no response as he continued to organize his belongings.


    Meanwhile, Wang Yifu was feeling a little exasperated.


    If it weren''t for the fact that he was concerned for the safety of these two children, there was no way that he would''ve agreed to serve Song Jixin''s mother.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an''s group was traveling southward along the official road when he suddenly spotted a familiar young boy rushing toward him. The boy was disying such glowing enthusiasm that he seemed even more ecstatic to see Chen Ping''an than a young maiden would''ve been to see the man of her dreams.


    The young boy was none other than Cui Chan, and there was a dazzling smile on his face as he dered, "Chen Ping''an, I know this might sound like a joke to you, but I''m telling you now with the utmost sincerity and seriousness that from this day forth, I am your student!


    ��If you won''t ept me as your student, then I''ll kill myself right here and now! Once I''m dead, don''t forget to erect a tombstone for me and engrave the words ''The grave of Chen Ping''an''s disciple'' onto the tombstone!"


    Chen Ping''an was stunned into silence, and only after a long while did he return to his senses as he asked, "What''s your real name?"


    "Cui Dongshan!" Cui Chan replied with a wide smile.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. "Alright, I''ll make sure to include your name on the tombstone as well."

 Chapter 133: (1): Traveling Together

    Chapter 133: (1): Traveling Together


    Cui Chan wasn''t surprised by this response, and he said in a patient manner, "I know you have some reservations about me and think that I''m harboring ulterior motives, but you can observe me for a while before you decide whether you want to ept me as your first disciple.


    ��At the moment, my cultivation base isn''t anything special, but I have a decent wealth of knowledge and experience, and I know the customs and traditions of Great Sui Nation like the back of my own hand, so having me apany you on your journey to Great Sui Nation will make a world of difference."


    Cui Chan could see that Chen Ping''an was stillpletely unmoved, but he wasn''t disheartened by this, and he continued, "Rest assured, I haven''t juste here empty-handed to ask you to ept me as your disciple.


    ��Instead, I''ve prepared a set of extremely precious presents for you, one of which is a copy of the ''Blessed Beast and Spirit Album'', which is something that virtually every traveling cultivator of the Middle Five Tiers has a copy of. On top of that, my copy is even more precious because it''s naturally nurtured five or six types of spirits."


    Cui Chan was counting off his presents one by one on his fingers as he continued, "There''s also a set of four treasures of the study, out of which the brush holds an ink-devouring fish. Regardless of whether you decide to write or paint using the brush, after you''re done, there''s no need to wash the brush as the ink-devouring fish will gobble up all of the ink. Isn''t that amazing?


    ��Surely you have to agree that this is an exceptional tool for any schr. As for the ink, it''s threefold pine rustle ink. Tap the ink stick with your fingers, and it''ll produce a pleasant sound like the rustling of pine needles in the wind. Even if you use only a tiny amount of the ink to write something, the fragrance of the ink will still linger for many years.


    The inkstone is an ancient artifact left behind by a nameless old monk from another continent, and it''s called the pond of release. Are you not intrigued? The paper is golden stone sheet, a type of paper that is used by emperors to officially assign mountain and river gods."


    Cui Chan took a deep breath here, then continued, "The most, most, most important present I have for you is a half-dead bonded flying sword! It''s forged from an exceptional material and is peerlessly sharp. The best thing about it is that you won''t need to nurture its sword qi or develop its sword intent. Instead, you''ll essentially be able to use it right away.


    ��I obtained the flying sword by chance, and it''s been a cherished piece in my collection for many years. I haven''t refined it this entire time, not because I don''t think it''s a good sword, but instead because I''m not a swordsman, so it would be a terrible waste for me to refine such a fine flying sword..."


    Initially, Cui Chan was full of vigor and enthusiasm, but his voice was bing quieter and quieter as he spoke. He discovered that not only did Chen Ping''an not seem to be tempted by his presents in the slightest, on the contrary, the more presents he rattled off, the more resolute the look of refusal in Chen Ping''an''s eyes became.


    A dejected look appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he sped his hands together in front of his chest and asked in a pitiable manner, "Is that still not enough? I''vee here with full sincerity to be your student. If you don''t believe me, I can swear a vow. If I harbor even the slightest bit of ill will toward you, then let me be struck down by lightning right where I stand!"


    "No!" Chen Ping''an dered in an imcable voice with a shake of his head.


    Chen Ping''an first saw Cui Chan back at Master Ruan''s cksmith shop, and at the time, he had mistaken the boy to be Wu Yuan''s schrly attendant. During their second meeting at the archway, Cui Chan had taken the initiative to speak to Chen Ping''an, referring to himself as "Uncle Cui Chan".


    He had revealed a bunch of strange and inexplicable insider information to Chen Ping''an, then followed him to y Vase Alley, where he had stolen the couplets stered on the gate of Song Jixin''s yard.


    Unlike in Cai Jinjian''s case, Chen Ping''an had never sensed any killing intent from Cui Chan, but he definitely didn''t trust Cui Chan, either. He was hoping that Cui Chan would stay away from him, and never did he think that Cui Chan would follow him all the way to the border of the Great Li Empire.


    Chen Ping''an was no idiot, and he knew that Cui Chan''s intentions definitely weren''t pure. Otherwise, why would he have followed him all the way to the border and offered up so many precious gifts just to be his student?


    Cui Chan took a subtle nce at Chen Ping''an''s hair, only to discover that the jade hairpin had already disappeared.


    ording to their prior agreement, the old man would put in a word for him with Chen Ping''an. At the very least, the old man wouldn''t reveal to Chen Ping''an the fact that he was the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor, nor would he expose the plot that Cui Chan had hatched against Chen Ping''an and Qi Jingchun.


    As for why the old man was letting him off the hook so easily and why he had decided to emerge from the Forest of Virtue at a time like this, when the oue of the situation had clearly already been decided, Cui Chan couldn''t be bothered to try and deduce the reasons behind all of this.


    Trying topete against a true Sage in calction and deduction would''ve been apletely futile endeavor. In particr, his soul was split up, and his cultivation base and stamina were both far inferior to their past standards.


    He was afraid that once he reached a certain depth in his deduction, he would inadvertently break certain rules set by the old man and be reduced to a mentally handicapped husk of a person, just like the fate that had befallen the original host of this body.


    "Chen Ping''an, did you not encounter an old schr who informed you of the situation at Red Candle Town''s Pillow Ry Station?" Cui Chan asked.


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly in befuddlement.


    Cui Chan carefully examined Chen Ping''an''s expression, and he could tell that Chen Ping''an wasn''t faking his reaction. "Alright, in that case, I''ll have to bring out my trump card, but let me make this clear in advance, Chen Ping''an: I''vee to you with all the sincerity in the world, yet you''ve turned me down in such a cruel manner, so I''ve decided to reduce my presents to you by half. This is your final chance to change your mind!"


    Chen Ping''an offered no response as he promptly turned to leave, and Cui Chan hurriedly pulled a ck go stone out of his sleeve upon seeing this, then tossed it onto an empty area by the side of the official road. "This is a message left to you by Old Man Yang. Once you crush the go stone, you''ll learn about the events that led up to this.


    ��After that, you''ll have to help me prove my innocence and tell Chen Ping''an that I have no ulterior motives. I came here with the sole intention to be his student, and my intentions are pure and earnest."


    The Yin god didn''t reveal himself, but the ck go stone that was capable of storing verbal messages abruptly disintegrated in mid-air.


    Shortly thereafter, Lin Shouyi approached Chen Ping''an with a peculiar expression, and he whispered, "The Yin god says that Old Man Yang of the Yang Family''s medicine shop has told you to ce your trust in Cui Dongshan, and that he won''t try to plot against you.


    ��He says that you should treat him like a servant and do with him as you see fit on the way to Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy, and that it would be a waste not to ept a free disciple like this. He also said that from now on, Cui Dongshan''s fate is intertwined with yours, and that your safety is integral to his survival, so he wouldn''t dare to harbor any ill will against you."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, then asked, "Who''re they?"


    A smile appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he introduced, "The tall idiot is called Yu Lu, Lu as in fortune, and the little dark-skinned girl is called Xie Xie, as in thank you. I wonder who gave her such a ridiculous name!" [1]


    Cui Chan then put on a sorrowful expression that was so fake that it wouldn''t even have fooled a blind man, and he sighed, "Both of them are former citizens of the fallen Lu Empire, and the tragedy that they''ve had to endure truly saddens me. Xie Xie had already studied at Mountain Cliff Academy for some time in the past, while Yu Lu wasn''t as fortunate.


    ��Not long after he left his hometown, the battle between the Great Li Empire and Lu Empiremenced, so both of them were forced to return home. Now that their empire has fallen, the only reason they''ve been spared is because they''re students of Mountain Cliff Academy. If I don''t take them to Mountain Cliff Academy, they''ll be sure to perish in the mountains to the west of your Dragon Spring County.


    ��They''ll either be beaten to death by some mountain god who finds them to be an eyesore, or they''ll be forced to fend for themselves in the cruel environment of the mountains and die of exhaustion before they even reach 30 years of age. That''s why they''re extremely grateful to me and insist on referring to me as young master. I''ve tried to tell them that it''s not necessary, but they refuse to listen."


    Xie Xie smiled as she interjected, "If you feel like it''s a burden on your shoulders for us to refer to you as young master, then I won''t call you that anymore."


    Thankfully, Yu Lu didn''t try to escte the situation, and he merely smiled as he said, "I''m already used to calling you young master, so I''ll continue to do so."


    Cui Chan turned to Xie Xie with a fake smile as he said, "Thank you for being so thoughtful, Xie Xie."


    After a period of silence, Lin Shouyi seemed to have received another message from the Yin god, and he continued in a quiet voice, "Old Man Yang says that it would be best for us to take in Yu Lu and Xie Xie, and that it would only benefit us to do so. He says that if you really don''t want to ept Cui Dongshan as your student, then you can just use him as a meat shield.


    ��If you encounter any danger in the future, you can just get him to take the fall for you. He''s carrying a pocket treasure, so he has a lot of resources at his disposal and can withstand a great deal of punishment."


    Cui Chan had been eavesdropping on Lin Shouyi this entire time, and he immediately red up with rage upon hearing this. "Old Man Yang, you backstabbing old fart! How could you do this to me?!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he asked in a low voice, "If I take in those two, will they be your schoolmates in the future?"


    A wry smile appeared on Lin Shouyi''s face as he replied, "Perhaps. Truth be told, neither Li Baoping nor I have much of an idea about the true situation in Mountain Cliff Academy, and Mr. Ma didn''t tell us anything during our previous trip out of the town."


    Li Huai had been stealing furtive nces at Yu Lu this entire time, and he felt like this was someone that he could get along with. At the very least, he certainly seemed more approachable than the short-tempered and violent Li Baoping and the cold and aloof Lin Shouyi. Yu Lu was carrying some heavy luggage on his back, and upon noticing the nces Li Huai was casting his way, he smiled and nodded at Li Huai in response.


    Meanwhile, Li Baoping was asionally taking nces at Xie Xie, and their eyes had met on more than one asion. In direct contrast with that time when they had encountered the blind old Daoist priest and his disciples, where Li Baoping had immediately taken a liking to the round-faced little girl with the nickname of Jiu''er, Li Baoping couldn''t bring herself to feel any fondness toward Xie Xie.


    There was a smile on Xie Xie''s face, making it impossible to glean her true emotions, but she was also not very fond of Li Baoping.


    This was the first time that the two of them had ever met, so this mutual hostility that they felt toward one another clearly had nothing to do with reason or logic.


    Chen Ping''an turned to Cui Chan as he said, "Yu Lu and Xie Xie can join us, but you can''t."


    Cui Chan''s smile immediately faded as he asked, "Why?"


    "Because I don''t think you''re a good person," Chen Ping''an replied.


    This was a rather childish statement from Chen Ping''an, but no one found it to be amusing. Even Li Huai, who was always carefree and never fazed by anything, could feel a sense of suffocating pressure in the air.


    Yu Lu turned to look behind him, and he discovered arge cloud of dust in the distance. The earth was trembling in a dull manner under a set of pounding horse hooves, and the ground resembled a lowly peasant that had been whipped into submission, only just barely clinging onto life as they suffered in silence.


    The mighty aura of the Great Li Empire''s cavaliers swept through the air, and even though it was only a unit of 30 to 40 light cavalry units, they were still giving off a sense of menacing killing intent.


    Yu Lu''s eyes narrowed involuntarily upon seeing this.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan extended his hands out of his sleeves, then brought them down in a calming gesture, doing his best to maintain hisposure as he said, "I came here to be your student because an old schr insisted that I do so.


    ��If you refuse to ept me as your student, then that''s fine. I''ll simply apany you on your journey to Mountain Cliff Academy as Yu Lu and Xie Xie''s young master, and you can all just pretend that I don''t exist. How about that?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. "As long as you don''t mess with me and stop trying to make me ept you as my student, you can do whatever you want."


    Cui Chan was just about to say something when the unit of cavaliers thundered past.


    Yu Lu had been observing the unit of cavaliers this entire time, and he had already lowered his head while also raising an arm, using his sleeve to shield himself from the dust.


    Meanwhile, Xie Xie had already moved off the official road.


    Unfortunately for Cui Chan, he just so happened to be wearing a pristine white robe.


    As the formidable unit of cavaliers stormed past, Cui Chan was rooted to the spot with his entire body covered in dust. His mouth was still open, but he was unable to utter even a single word.


    Li Huai couldn''t help but take pity on Cui Chan, and he mused to himself, "I''m beginning to feel a little sorry for him."


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an wiped the dirt and grime from his face, and he murmured to himself with a dazed expression, "What have I done to deserve this?"


    ��������


    ording to the rules established by Ruan Qiong, any cultivators traveling through what was once Jewel Small World were prohibited from flying or traveling atop flying swords, unless they had express permission from the Great Li Empire''s imperial court. Following the killing spree that Ruan Qiong had gone on to set an example, all of the cultivators in the Great Li Empire had epted this rather unreasonable rule.


    Liu Baqiao descended from the sky atop his flying sword outside Jewel Small World, and after paying some silver, he got into one of thevish horse-drawn carriages prepared exclusively for cultivators at the ry station. He traveled by carriage to the new school founded by the Dragon Tail County Chen n, where he found his good friend, Chen Songfeng, personally teaching a ss of around a dozen children.


    Upon spotting Liu Baqiao through the window, Chen Songfeng immediately wanted to find someone else to teach the ss in his stead, but Liu Baqiao hurriedly waved a hand, indicating that he was happy to wait.


    An hourter, the lesson concluded, and all of the children extended respectful bows to their teacher, following which Chen Songfeng quickly made his way out of the ssroom. Upon arriving by Liu Baqiao''s side, he took a nce at Liu Baqiao''s sword with an intrigued expression, then asked, "So this is the talismanic sword in the Dragon Locking Well of the Great Li Empire''s capital city?"


    Liu Baqiao rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion, then sped his hands behind the back of his head as heined, "That bastard, Song Changjing, promised that he was going to save the talismanic sword for me to pull out once I get to the capital. On the way there, I heard a bunch of stories about how someone had already taken the talismanic sword.


    ��I didn''t believe them, thinking that Song Changjing had only spread a false rumor to cate everyone so that no one would attempt to take the talismanic sword before I got there, but when I did get there, I discovered that the sword had already been taken by some woman called Yang Hua!"


    Liu Baqiao was bing more and more furious as he spoke. "I went to Song Changjing to demand an exnation, and guess what happened? All he did was get someone to pass on a message to me, telling me that if I want the sword, then I should seek out Yang Hua and take it from her by force.


    ��Never in my life have I seen such a shameless 10th tier grandmaster! After that, I learned that this Yang Hua had be the official goddess of the Iron Talisman River in this county. What can I say? That''s life, I suppose."


    1. The Lu (») in Yu Lu trantes to fortune. ?

 Chapter 135: Dusting Off Clothes

    Chapter 135: Dusting Off Clothes


    As Xie Xie returned to the campsite, Lin Shouyi and the Azure Maiden''s game was wrapping up. Xie Xie took a nce at the state of the game, then quickly lost interest as she approached the campfire to warm her hands.


    Chen Ping''an cut down a series of branches and used them to pitch three crude tents, then arrived beside Li Baoping, who quickly went to bed while yawning in a weary manner. Out of the two remaining tents, one of them was shared by Li Huai and Lin Shouyi, while Xie Xie also had a tent to herself. Yu Lu often slept on the coach driver''s spot on the horse-drawn carriage, and he would be able to spend the night with a nket wrapped around him.


    Of course, on the vast majority of nights, they would be able to find somece to stay in, such as an inn or a temple in the forest.


    Once on a stormy night, they stumbled upon a wealthy residence thanks to the faint glimmers ofntern fire in the night, and the owner of the residence was a former minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He was an old man who had constructed this residence to live in the mountains following his retirement, and he had been very hospitable.


    He was very pleased to have seen Li Baoping and the other children who were on their journey to seek out an education, and even after he learned that they were from the Great Li Empire, which was technically an enemy of Great Sui Nation, he still treated everyone with warm hospitality.


    When it came to his preparation of food and drinks, he strictly abided by the sagely teachings of using the best possible ingredients prepared as meticulously as possible, and it had truly been an eye-opening experience for Chen Ping''an and his group of little hillbillies.


    The old man became particrly fond of Li Baoping and Yu Lu, and after learning that Li Baoping liked to read travel journals, not only did he gift her a few travel journals from his private collection, he also insisted on taking Chen Ping''an and his group to a nearby scenic location, which turned out to be an extremely renowned cliff in the area, standing on the bank of a river.


    The surface of the cliff was as smooth as a mirror, and there were ancient engravings on the cliff that had been there for countless years. The script of the text engraved onto the cliff had never been seen anywhere else, and it was extremely difficult to read.


    Countless schrs throughout history had visited the cliff just to be able to see these engravings, and rubbings of the engravings were widely distributed throughout Yellow Court Nation and Great Sui Nation, but still to this day, no one had been able to discern the true meaning of the text.


    Everyone had their own opinion on what the text meant, but there was no consensus that could be settled on.


    At the time, Cui Chan had only taken a nce at the cliff from afar before dering that the engravings had been made by the Heavenly Lord of Lightning, and that it contained a warning from the Heavenly Emperor to a flood dragon.


    The old man immediately burst intoughter upon hearing this, clearly not taking Cui Chan seriously. Countless schrs of the past had made extensive efforts to try and decipher the text engraved on the cliff, yet not a single one of them had dared to proim that they knew the meaning of the text, so it was no wonder that the old man wouldn''t take a casual remark from a 15-year-old boy seriously.


    After leaving the former minister''s estate, Chen Ping''an noticed that whenever he prepared meals for everyone using the earthen stoves that he constructed in the wilderness, they would always look at him with rather peculiar expressions.


    In particr, on one asion, Li Baoping had suddenly deredpletely out of the blue, "Junior Uncle, the food that you make is really delicious. I''m not lying to you! Your food is just as good as the food we had at Minister Ma''s house!"


    Li Huai was also feeling a little sleepy, so he retired to the tent after notifying Lin Shouyi. However, Lin Shouyi still had no intention of sleeping, and he continued to y games of go with the Azure Maiden.


    Following the conclusion of their games, Lin Shouyi told Chen Ping''an that he was going to apany the Azure Maiden back to her mountaintop temple to grab the precious go manual concealed within the cavity wall of the temple.


    In order to reassure Chen Ping''an and put any potential concerns he may have had to rest, Lin Shouyi exined that the Azure Maiden had intended to return to her temple on her own, but he had volunteered to apany her.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an couldn''t say anything other than caution Lin Shouyi to take care walking up the mountain at night.


    With that, Lin Shouyi began to scale the mountain with the Azure Maiden, while Chen Ping''an looked on from afar. It seemed that there were some rules on the mountain that had to be followed, as evidenced by the fact that the Azure Maiden was gliding along with her feet hovering above the ground.


    Furthermore, a ghostly green me had appeared in front of her to illuminate their surroundings, and she and Lin Shouyi were chatting spiritedly with one another, so not only was this not a harrowing sight to behold, it was instead much like the candlelit nightly strolls described in Li Baoping''s travel journal.


    ��������


    Following Xie Xie''s departure, Cui Chan continued to stand by himself on the branch. asionally, harrowing owl calls would abruptly ring out in the night. These birds were referred to as "disced birds" by the citizens of Yellow Court Nation, and they were considered to be a bad omen, often associated with harbingers of doom and bringers of bad news.


    A plume of ck smoke surged through the forest beforeing to a rest beside Cui Chan.


    Cui Chan snapped out of his jumbled thoughts as he asked, "Are you leaving?"


    The Yin god from the town nodded in response. "Those amulets bestowed upon me by Old Man Yang are indeed able to ward off the damage inflicted upon me by the astral winds and the city passes, but the amulets are only just enough to support me over the course of a return journey to and from the border of the Great Li Empire.


    ��Now that I''ve apanied everyone to Yellow Court Nation, this is already further than where I was supposed to go, and I may begin to struggle upon reaching Embroidered Flower River and Wanping County."


    The Yin god''s features resembled rippling water or a flickering me, constantly transitioning in an indistinct manner as he mused, "I don''t know what kind of deal you made with Old Man Yang, but I hope that you can settle things with Chen Ping''an and the others in an amicable fashion."


    Cui Chan was quite polite to the Yin god, and replied, "I''ll try my best."


    The Yin god suddenly smiled and asked, "Do you believe in karma, esteemed imperial preceptor?"


    Cui Chan shook his head in response. "I''ve never believed in karma. If you want to advise me to do good deeds to umte good karma, then I have some advice for you as well: people of different aspirations and principles will ultimately walk different paths.


    ��As opposed to worrying about whether I''ll protect Chen Ping''an or not, you should be worrying about whether your wife and son are being used as a pair of pawns by the River Severing True Lord of Lake Shujian."


    The Yin god heaved a resigned sigh. "There are limits even to what humans can do, let alone a Yin creature detested by heaven and earth like me."


    "There are no dead-ends in the pursuit of the Great Dao, it''s just that some paths are more arduous than others," Cui Chan said. "Those who gather Yin energy will be spirits, while those who gather Yang energy will be gods, and it has nothing to do with whether you''re human or not.


    ��It''s not like you don''t have the chance to ascend to godhood someday. Think about those mountain spirits, their path of cultivation is truly arduous."


    "That is indeed true," the Yin god chuckled, then fell silent for a long while, disying no intention to set off on his journey back to the Great Li Empire.


    "Do you still have something else to tell me?" Cui Chan asked. "I know that aside from repaying a debt, you also regard Chen Ping''an in a very favorable light yourself. However, I''m sure that you''re unaware that I had already earmarked Chen Ping''an for great things from the very beginning, earlier than anyone else.


    ��I can''t tell you the exact details as they concern some secrets pertaining to my pursuit of the Great Dao, but what I can tell you is that even back when I was in the capital, I had set my sights on Chen Ping''an noter than Old Man Yang did, and I also invested no less attention into Chen Ping''an than Old Man Yang."


    "That has nothing to do with what I want to say," the Yin god replied with a smile and a shake of his head.


    Cui Chan''s brows furrowed slightly as he snapped, "If you have something to say, then hurry up! I''m not in a good mood right now."


    The Yin god was unfazed by the turn in Cui Chan''s demeanor, and he said, "I admire you very much for your doctrine of cing more weight into practical ability and contributions to the empire and to the people.


    ��Many Confucians denounce your doctrine, and you have more detractors than supporters, but I firmly believe that in the centuries and millennia toe, your doctrine will eventually be adopted and widely supported by the masses."


    Cui Chan was rather taken aback to hear this, and he raised an eyebrow as he turned to the Yin god with a surprised expression. "I didn''t know that you supported my doctrine."


    In response, the Yin god made a surprising gesture, extending a deep and respectful bow, the type that was extended by students of Confucianism toward senior sagely figures, and he said, "This bow of mine is not being extended to the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire. Instead, it is a gesture of admiration that I''m extending to you for daring to propose a new doctrine despite the widespread condemnation."


    Only after the Yin god had traveled hundreds of kilometers away did Cui Chan slowly return to his senses, and a mixture of sorrow and gratification appeared on his face.


    He took a step forward, causing the branch beneath his feet to bow even further, and he abruptly shook out his sleeves before sping his hands behind his back.


    The defeated look in his eyes hadpletely faded, and he was brimming with purpose and intent once again.


    ��������


    As Lin Shouyi returned to the campsite, there was a furious look on his face, and he sat down beside the campfire with an ancient book held tightly in his hand.


    "What''s wrong?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Lin Shouyi spat through gritted teeth, "Those absolute scoundrels! If those schrs from Yellow Court Nation were to do nothing more than gather for drinks in the temple, then I would have nothing to say, but how could they do something so despicable and unsightly?


    ��They''re a disgrace to all of the schrs in the entire world! If I were the Azure Maiden, I would''ve already evicted those bastards out of the temple by force!"


    "Regardless of what they did, the Azure Maiden herself hasn''t done anything to them, isn''t that right?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Lin Shouyi nodded in response.


    "In that case, you''ll have to learn to adapt and ept," Chen Ping''an said.


    Lin Shouyi raised his head to look at Chen Ping''an with a rather perplexed expression, and as soon as he caught sight of Chen Ping''an''s face, he was immediately instilled with an inexplicable sense of calmness and tranquility. He heaved a faint sigh, then replied in a quiet voice, "I understand."

 Chapter 134: (1): This Year

    Chapter 134: (1): This Year


    On the summit of Horizontal Mountain was a small temple with no que hanging over the entrance. Outside the temple was a massive and lush cypress tree that seemed to have been there since ancient times.


    The area outside the temple was brightly lit by a series ofnterns, and there were around a dozen men and women who appeared to be servants gathered outside the temple in small groups, chatting quietly with one another.


    Inside the temple were five or six men of ages ranging from 20 to 40 who were drinking with one another. Their faces were flushed red with the alcohol that they consumed, and peals ofughter were ringing out incessantly, while a series of opened wine jugs were strewn all over the ground.


    These men appeared to havee from noble backgrounds, as evidenced by their speech and mannerisms, and they were discussing all types of topics, including politics and recent events.


    In a drunken state, one of the men stripped down to expose his upper body, then raised his wine cup up high as he turned to the statue of the Azure Maiden and chortled, "I don''t care if you''re a god or a spirit, I''m not afraid! If you dare to reveal yourself, then I have the courage to invite you to drink with us!


    ��Azure Maiden, if you''re willing to step down from your pedestal tonight, then that would be sure to make for a fantastic story, and you''ll be revered for generations toe! To you, Azure Maiden!��


    The drunken man was stumbling around unsteadily as he threw his head back to consume his cup of wine, but most of it spilled onto his body and the ground.


    His friends were constantly throwing jibes at him, and one of them was emboldened by the alcohol, dering that he was going to carry the Azure Maiden statue down from the pedestal and sleep with it that night.


    In doing so, he would be sleeping with a goddess, and that was a story that he would''ve been able to tell for a very long time. His sphemous words drew an even louder chorus ofughter from the group of men, but at the same time, an inaudible sigh rang out within the temple.


    A gentle breeze blew past, and the group of men continued to drink, with none of them sensing anything amiss.


    ��������


    Halfway up the mountain, Chen Ping''an was in the midst of his standing meditation when his attention was suddenly drawn to something, and he looked down to find Xie Xie approaching him on the ground below with a branch in her hand.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to get down from the branch that he was standing on when Xie Xie raised her head to look up at him with a smile, and she waved her branch around as she said in her naturally seductive voice, "There''s no need for you toe down, we can have a chat up there."


    As soon as her voice trailed off, she began to rush forward in an agile manner before springing up and treading onto arge tree. Using the tree as aunching pad, she sprang toward another tree, and by repeating this process, she was able to quickly rise up through the air. After just a few steps, she had already arrived on a branch near the one that Chen Ping''an was perched on, and it was clear that she was not just some ordinary, untrained girl.


    Xie Xie turned to the side as she sat down onto the branch, swinging her feet back and forth as she said with a smile, "You''re a martial artist, while I''m a cultivator, so we''re not quite the same. In the eyes of the arrogant cultivators, martial artists are just people with no aptitude for cultivation, so they were forced to settle for something inferior and turn to martial arts instead.


    ��That''s why the nine tiers of martial arts are denounced as the nine lowly tiers. Essentially, cultivators are like formal officials of the imperial court, while martial artists can be likened to lowly informal officials, and the former looks down on thetter, ultimately resulting in mutual hostility and resentment."


    "Why are you telling me all of this?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Xie Xie set the branch in her hand horizontally down across her legs, then replied in a direct and straightforward manner, "It seems like Cui Dongshan has truly run out of options, and he''s desperately trying to explore any option that he can. He approached me in private and told me that if I can put in a good word for him with you, even if you continue to refuse to ept him as your student, he''ll still give me a treasure.


    ��Of course, I wanted that ownerless flying sword of his, but he refused to give it to me. Instead, he was only willing to promise me a bamboo flute after I did his bidding. He showed me the flute, and it was a genuine Fish Bug Flute, which was once part of the Lu Empire''s secret imperial collection.


    ��It was one of the tokens that represented the alliance forged between a sect and the Lu Empire''s first-ever emperor, and as a woman, I''m naturally fond of all of the beautiful things in this world, so that''s why I came to find you."


    Seeing as he hadpany, Chen Ping''an ceased his standing meditation and also sat down onto his branch with an upright posture, looking directly at Xie Xie as he prompted, "I''m listening, please continue."


    Xie Xie smiled as she replied, "That''s all I had to say. I only brought up the differences between martial artists and cultivators as an ice-breaker to kick off the conversation. To tell you the truth, it''s been very cathartic for me to see Cui Dongshan being turned away by you over and over again, but now that I''ve been tasked with putting in a good word for him, I have no idea what to do.


    ��I''m worried that you''ll turn me down without even hearing what I have to say. If that happens, then that Fish Bug Flute that I''ve been promised will slip through my hands."


    Chen Ping''an nodded as he said, "If Cui Dongshan asks, then I''ll tell him that you''ve already put in a good word for him. If possible, would you be able to tell me more about matters rted to martial arts?"


    Xie Xie''s examined Chen Ping''an''s face through narrowed eyes, as if she were trying to see right through him, and she replied in a gentle voice, "When ites to matters rted to martial arts, everything that I know is just hearsay anyway, so there''s no reason why I can''t share this information with you.


    ��The reason I know about some of these basic concepts is because for cultivators, the Lower Five Tiers concern the refinement of the body, so there''s a lot of ovep with martial arts training, and that''s also why they''re referred to as the Lower Five Tiers."


    She extended a finger and pointed at a few parts of Chen Ping''an''s body as she continued, "There are over 300 acupoints in the human body, and they''re all interconnected, like a winding mountain range.


    ��For martial artists, the first tier is the y Embryo Tier, and at that tier, one needs to find the qi within, then help it locate the most suitable acupoint for it to dwell in. This is where the disparity in aptitude between martial arts practitioners is reflected. Surely someone has told you about this before, right?"


    Chen Ping''an was listening attentively to Xie Xie''s description, and upon hearing her question, he replied, "I have heard about this in the past, but I don''t mind listening to it a few more times, so please continue, and there''s no need to consider whether I''ve already heard something before."


    Xie Xie was unconsciously patting the branch sitting on herp as she raised her chin slightly and cast her gaze toward an even higher spot than the branch that Chen Ping''an was situated on. "The so-called martial arts prodigies are those who can find that burst of qi at a very young age, and select an important acupoint for that burst of qi to reside in, rather than some insignificant acupoint in an obscure part of the body.


    ��In fulfilling these two prerequisites, one will have an inherent advantage over others. It would be like someone taking over a small hill in the wilderness, or an unfrequented graveyard, while someone else has taken over a prosperous town like Red Candle Town, and there''s even someone who''s taken over the capital city of the Great Li Empire. Those three are naturally inpletely different positions.


    ��The third deciding factor on whether one is a martial arts prodigy or not is the thickness, density, and length of that burst of qi in their body. Even if your acupoint is the equivalent of the Great Li Empire''s capital, if you don''t have the ability to tap into your potential, then it will all have been for naught. Does that make sense to you?"


    "It does," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "The bonded flying sword that Cui Dongshan had been referring to is a flying sword that is nurtured within the bonded acupoint of a swordsman. Such a flying sword is fused as one with the soul of the swordsman, and when it flies out of the swordsman''s acupoint to cut down an enemy, it will take on a substantial form, but upon returning to the acupoint, it will revert back to an intangible form, so it''s quite a profound object.


    ��My master once told me that the acupoints in the human body can be likened to small worlds in that they possess properties simr to pocket treasures. If one can fully harness their bonded acupoint through cultivation, then they''ll be able to fit anything in the acupoint, regardless of whether that be a flying sword, or even a treasure as massive as a mountain.


    ��For martial artists, the key to reaching the second tier is to expand the pathways in one''s body with the bonded acupoint as the starting point, expanding and smoothing out the narrow and rugged meridians into official roads. Why is it that there are so many types of martial arts in the world? The reason for this lies in the different paths that one can take.


    ��One''s starting point, the paths that they take, the shortcuts that they follow... Each type of martial art has its own secret method that cannot be passed on to outsiders. For example, the meridians opened up by martial arts who practice fist techniques will bepletely different from the ones opened up by those who specialize in using different types of weapons.


    ��Chen Ping''an, I can tell that you''re currently establishing a foundation in the second tier, and that''s why you''re working so tirelessly in your walking meditation, standing meditation, and fist technique practice. At your rate of progression, I''m sure you''ll be able to reach the third tier very soon. By the way, can you tell me where your bonded acupoint is?"


    "No," Chen Ping''an refused with a shake of his head.


    "Why so stingy?" Xie Xie grumbled with a scornful look on her face.


    However, she then thought of the predicament that Cui Chan was in, and she immediately felt like it was only normal for Chen Ping''an to turn down her request, given his personality. To put it in rather unttering terms, Chen Ping''an''s personality was like a rock in atrine, and it was as stinky as it was unyielding. On the flip side, one could also say that he possessed a resolute personality and unshakeable resolve.


    "What makes you think that I should be able to reach the third tier very soon?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    Xie Xie replied, "Martial artists rely solely on that burst of qi within their bodies. Essentially, a martial artist attains destructive power at the cost of harming their own body. If a martial artist wants to extend their lifespan, then they have to reach the sixth tier as soon as possible. Once they get there, they''ll be able to nurture their soul every day in order to reciprocate their body.


    ��If a martial artist remains at the second or third tier for too long, then that innate burst of qi will be more and more depleted. Each time they engage in battle against someone and sustain severe injuries, some more of that qi would seep away. Hence, there are countless idiots who have killed themselves through their martial arts training.


    ��For martial artists from wealthy ns, they''re able to treat their injuries by bathing in water infused with precious medicinal ingredients, but that doesn''t address the root of the problem, and they''re unable to truly nurture their souls through such means.


    ��Even though it''s impossible to attain immortality through the pursuit of martial arts, once you get to the pinnacle of martial arts, reaching the ninth tier or even the legendary 10th tier, you''ll be able to easily live for a century or two."


    "I don''t think that''s entirely correct," Chen Ping''an countered. "Martial arts practitioners who possess outstanding aptitude can seek to climb up the ranks quickly, but for someone like me with mediocre aptitude, the more I hurry, the more prone I am to making mistakes, so it''s better for me to be slow and steady with each step that I take.


    ��As long as I don''t make any mistakes, I''ll be heading in the right direction. Besides, I''m not practicing training martial arts to pursue those lofty tiers. I''m merely doing this to... strengthen my own body."


    At the end, Chen Ping''an decided to go with a more euphemistic exnation rather than telling the truth, which was that he was practicing martial arts for the sake of survival.


    After what Cai Jinjian had done to him, not only had he been deprived of any chance to pursue the path of cultivation, his body was left in terrible condition as well. During the battle on Go Table Mountain, the injuries that he had suffered had resulted in theplete eradication of the lifespan that he had painstakingly umted.


    Thankfully, throughout the rest of the southbound journey, Chen Ping''an had managed to establish a foundation once again through extensive daily walking and standing meditation, and he could clearly sense an improvement in his physical condition. His body was like a dpidated old house that was leaking wind everywhere, but it wasn''t apletely lost cause, and its condition could still be improved through some crude repair jobs.


    Xie Xie smiled as she said, "Everyone experiences a different rate of progression in martial arts. If you feel like it''s better to take the slow and steady route, then I''m sure that''s fine."


    As a cultivator, Xie Xie didn''t know much about martial arts training to begin with, and she often habitually applied cultivation concepts to martial arts training. Even though she had seen and experienced more than Zhu He, she was definitely not as familiar with the fine nuances of martial arts training as a fifth tier martial artist like Zhu He.


    Furthermore, the patriarch of the Li n on Fortune Street had personally praised Zhu He as a brilliant martial arts teacher, and that was sufficient testament to how outstanding Zhu He was at instructing others in martial arts training.


    However, Zhu He was limited by the fact that he had lived in the small town his entire life, so just like the vast majority of martial artists in the world, he firmly believed that the ninth tier was already the very pinnacle for martial artists, and that was why he referred to the ninth tier as the End Tier.


    In reality, there was still a 10th tier above the ninth tier. The two tiers were separated by only a single number, but the disparity between the two was massive, even more so than the gulf between the sixth tier and the ninth tier.


    Martial arts training waspletely unrted to the pursuit of the Great Dao, so even if a martial artist were to attain a body that was even more resolute than the indestructible vajra body of Buddhism, it would still be quite difficult for them to aplish much. Setting aside everything else, their short lifespan was a massive obstacle that stood in their way.


    A curious look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he said, "I''ve always thought that cultivators like yourself were transcendent and carefree beings who stand above all of us ordinary people, yet you just mentioned that even cultivators have to engage in refinement of the body. Why is that?"


    Back in the town, Ning Yao had once warned him that even though people like Cai Jinjian of Dawn Cloud Mountain and Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City were bound by the restrictions of the town, their physical bodies were still far superior to those of the average person, and either of them would''ve been able to easily kill him with a single punch. In contrast, it would be very difficult for Chen Ping''an to kill a cultivator like them unless he struck them in a vital region.

 Chapter 136: This is How Things Are at the Foot of the Mountain

    Chapter 136: This is How Things Are at the Foot of the Mountain


    While staying overnight in the wilderness, it was imperative for someone to be on lookout duty throughout the night. Prior to reaching the Pillow Ry Station of Red Candle Town, Chen Ping''an had been responsible for lookout duty during the first half of the night, while Zhu He had taken over for the second half of the night.


    Now that Zhu He was no longer with the group, Lin Shouyi was the one on lookout duty for the first half of the night, while Chen Ping''an stayed up for the second half of the night, and their role was to keep the campfire going and look out for unexpected attacks.


    Chen Ping''an was quite familiar with this task. During the process of pottery firing, maintaining the fire was of the utmost importance. Chen Ping''an had served as an apprentice in the kilns for many years, and even though Old Man Yao had never taught him any of the important pottery firing skills as he regarded Chen Ping''an to becking in aptitude, Chen Ping''an rarely ever made a mistake while performing all of the other manualbor tasks.


    Hence, he couldn''t have been more familiar with a task like nightly lookout duty, which was a stern test of one''s patience and willpower.


    Furthermore, while staying up in the night, he was left to his own devices in a quiet setting, so he was free to practice the walking and standing meditation stipted in the Mountain Shaking Guide. asionally, he would also be able to weave some straw sandals, or pull out that small chunk of Dragon ying tform to sharpen Li Baoping''s saber.


    As he had be more proficient in his standing meditation, the fiery-dragon-like burst of qi in his body had ultimately chosen a pair of acupoints to reside in. The standing meditation, coupled with Chen Ping''an''s breathing techniques, would put him in a profound half-asleep state.


    Even though the spring chill was lingering for a long time this year, and the heat of summer remained a distant memory of the previous year, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t feel cold, even if he were to inadvertently allow the campfire to burn out while he was on lookout duty in the second half of the night.


    Whenever he ceased in his standing meditation to switch to walking meditation, he would feel a sense of warmth throughout his entire body, and he didn''t feel weary at all while traveling during the day.


    On this night, Chen Ping''an continued to sit beside the campfire to meditate, and the burst of qi within his body quickly traveled along the acupoints near his dantian, much like a carp swimming upstream against the flow of the water.


    The burst of qi then lingered momentarily in the acupoint that had been vacated by that wisp of sword qi, like a traveler resting briefly in a ry station or a climber taking a break halfway up a mountain, following which it continued to travel upward, making it all the way to the back of Chen Ping''an''s neck, then to his be in one go.


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes and exhaled, then rose to his feet and jumped up and down lightly a few times. All of a sudden, he turned to discover Yu Lu, who had made his way down from the horse-drawn carriage and was slowly approaching the campfire with a bunch of not-so-dry branches held in his arms.


    He then squatted down beside the campfire and carefully added the branches to the fire one after another as opposed to casually tossing them in all at once, and the fire quickly began to burn with greater ferocity.


    Yu Lu extended his hands toward the fire before rubbing them together, then turned to Chen Ping''an with a smile as he asked, "Chen Ping''an, can I take part in nightly lookout duties as well from now on? You have to practice your standing and walking meditation, and it would be best for you not to get distracted while doing so.


    ��I''m sure you can tell that I have a decent level of fitness, so if you''re willing to ce your trust in me, I''m happy to take over the four hours before first light."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "I appreciate the kind offer, but at the moment, there''s no need for such an arrangement to be made."


    Yu Lu knew that Chen Ping''an still didn''t trust him enough to ce everyone''s safety in his hands, but he wasn''t bothered by this at all. Instead, he merely nodded and said, "If you ever need me to take over, feel free to tell me. I want to do something for everyone as well. Otherwise, I feel like I''m just a useless burden."


    Yu Lu''s angr features and bright eyes were illuminated by the fire, and Chen Ping''an could clearly sense his good intentions, so he smiled and replied, "I''ll be sure to do so."


    "At this time of year, it''s already summer, yet the weather is still likete spring," Yu Lu casually remarked.


    "The weather has indeed been a bit strange this year," Chen Ping''an agreed.


    After making some more small talk, Yu Lu stood up to take his leave, and Chen Ping''an looked on as he departed.


    ording to what Lin Shouyi had told him in private, Yu Lu didn''t appear to be a particrly exceptional go yer, and he never made any brilliant moves, but in reality, he was a superior go yer to Xie Xie, who had a far more aggressive and attacking style.


    Chen Ping''an had already noticed that Yu Lu was extremely meticulous in everything that he did, and Lin Shouyi agreed with this sentiment, remarking that Yu Lu was even more reliable and capable than the most experienced and seasoned officials of the imperial court.


    This was a quality that Chen Ping''an had observed on many asions. For example, Yu Lu had only watched Chen Ping''an weave straw sandals on a couple of asions before he was able to weave his own, and he did so to quite a high standard. In fact, the straw sandals that he was currently wearing had been woven by himself.


    Another example was whenever Chen Ping''an was fishing, Yu Lu would often observe off to the side in silence, keeping track of when Chen Ping''an cast his hook, which stretch of water he cast into, how he made his casts, how he tired out big fish on his line, how he pulled fish out of the water, how he prevented fish from slipping off the hook as they leaped out of the water, and many other fine details involved in fishing.


    On one asion, Chen Ping''an was busy with something else, so Yu Lu asked him if he could try his hand at fishing in Chen Ping''an''s stead. Even though he had no prior fishing experience, Yu Lu had done quite well.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t make any remarks about any of this, but he had been observing Yu Lu closely this entire time. His conclusion was that if Yu Lu were a good person, then he would definitely be able to do some fantastic deeds, but if he were a bad person, then Chen Ping''an didn''t even dare to imagine what he would be capable of.


    An uneventful night passed by.


    In addition to the gradually dwindling campfire beside Chen Ping''an, amp had been lit in the carriage in the distance, and it had stayed lit the entire night. It seemed that Cui Chan had stayed up the entire night poring over a book.


    Only a glimmer of light had appeared in the sky when Chen Ping''anmenced his training for the day. He arrived at a spot halfway up Horizontal Mountain with the most open view and began to practice his fist techniques. As he did so, he was gradually joined by Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi.


    As for Li Huai, he had the least perseverance of the three children, and he only joined Chen Ping''an in his fist technique practice for a short while before rushing away. Yu Lu and Xie Xie were already ustomed to this, and on this day, Cui Chan lifted the curtain before stepping out onto the horse-drawn carriage, where he observed Chen Ping''an''s trio''s fist technique practice.


    In the beginning, he had regarded this practice with disdain, often rolling his eyes before retiring back to the carriage. However, as the days passed, he was spending more and more time observing their practice.


    After breakfast, everyone began to make their way up the mountain path toward the mountain summit. Along the way, they passed by the Azure Maiden Temple and the old cypress tree. If one were to look solely at the size of the tree and ignore the depth of its fortune, then it was alreadyparable to the old locust tree in Jewel Small World.


    Lin Shouyi had thought that Chen Ping''an would continue on his way, but to his surprise, Chen Ping''an paid the temple a visit to take a look, then called for Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi to enter the temple. As it turned out, the interior of the temple was aplete mess, and there was a strong stench of alcohol in the air.


    Li Huai looked up at the deity statues on the pedestal in the temple, and no matter how he looked at it, he couldn''t see the resemnce between it and the female spirit that had yed go against Lin Shouyi the night before.


    Along their journey, Lin Shouyi was the one who had interacted the most with the Yin god, so he was more familiar with topics rted to ghosts and spirits, and he provided an exnation to Li Huai, telling him that due to the fact that many local residents in an area were extremely grateful to the deities that granted them protection, they would often craft the deity statues to take on as ttering a visage as possible.


    As a result, many deity statues bore no resemnce at all to the actual deities that they represented, but that didn''t hinder the deities from being worshipped.


    It took everyone close to an hour to clean up the temple, and only after that did they continue on their journey. Prior to his departure, Lin Shouyi stood on his own next to a futon at the foot of the deity statue, then cupped his fist in a parting salute toward the Azure Maiden.


    At the same time, Cui Chan stepped into the temple with Yu Lu, and the former inspected his surroundings briefly before making his way to the pedestal that the statue stood upon. He took a nce at the dusty little incense burner to find that it was just an ordinary copper burner, but even though it had already been there for centuries, the surface of the burner was still gleaming brightly.


    There were countless incense snubs bunched together in the burner, and it was evident that even though this temple wasn''t listed in Yellow Court Nation''s genealogical records, thereby making it an illegal temple that should''ve shut down, it was clearly a very popr ce of worship, particrly given its small size.


    All of a sudden, Cui Chan instructed, "Yu Lu, you should bow whenever you encounter a temple. In doing so, you''ll be umting good karma with thend."


    Yu Lu didn''t really understand what he had just been told, but he still followed Cui Chan''s instruction and extended three bows to the temple.


    Meanwhile, Xie Xie was standing outside the temple''s entrance with the bamboo flute strapped to her waist.


    After leaving Horizontal Mountain, the group arrived in a prefectural city of Yellow Court Nation. Thankfully, Chen Ping''an and the others had already witnessed the majesty of the border pass, and as the point where three rivers converged, Red Candle Town was also quite a bustling and thriving ce, so they were already mentally prepared for the sights and scenes that awaited them in cities of the outside world.


    Even so, Li Huai was still clearly rather timid, and even the painted wooden figures that he often held in his hands had been put back into his little bookcase.


    The identification and visiting documents for Chen Ping''an''s group were from the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring County, and the procedure for entry into the city waspleted very quickly and smoothly. Even though Yellow Court Nation belonged to Great Sui Nation rather than the Great Li Empire, thetter had already conquered the entire northern region of the continent, and its southbound expansion was inevitable.


    Hence, Yellow Court Nation had always given preferential treatment to traveling schrs from the Great Li Empire, stopping just short of worshipping them as deities. After all, there was a very good chance that Yellow Court Nation was going to be a subsidiary nation to the Great Li Empire at some point.


    The Lu Empire had once been the northern ruler of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but not only had the empire copsed, even all of the members of the imperial n had been reduced to lowly prisoners, thereby setting an example that Yellow Court Nation would''ve been foolish to ignore.


    Prior to entering the city, Chen Ping''an had asked the local residents what scenic locations there were to visit in the city. This was because during their trip to Mountain Cliff Academy, Chen Ping''an wanted Li Baoping and the others to be able to see as many renowned mountains, rivers, temples, and other spectacles of interest as possible, as long as it was safe to do so.


    He didn''t want them to keep their heads down and travel to Mountain Cliff Academy, only to miss out on all of the scenery along the way and end up with only memories of hectic travels and surviving in the wilderness.


    In this city, they were going to visit the oldest city god temple in Yellow Court Nation. The vastly renowned wall murals in the temple depicted the 18 abysses of punishment, and it was said that the murals were so life-like that they would make one feel as if they were actually in the abysses of punishment.


    After asking for some directions, the group made their way toward the city god temple along a wide street.


    All of a sudden, amotion suddenly rang out behind them, and Chen Ping''an turned around to discover an astonishing sight, one that he would''ve never been able to see in the Great Li Empire. There was a group of roughly seven or eight distinguished-looking young men and women, all of whom were dressed in flowing attire, and they were led by a white-haired elderly man as they swaggered along the street.


    One of them was straddled atop a giant ck tiger steed, while another had a huge crimson snake that was over 20 feet in length slithering along behind them, and yet another one of them was carrying a massive bull horn bow on their back.


    The throngs of people on the lively and bustling street quickly parted to create a path for the group of cultivators, and some children who were oblivious to the gravity of the situation were forcibly dragged off the street by their parents to hide in the shops on either side of the street. The owner of the huge crimson snake wasn''t making any particr effort to keep the creature in check, and it was slithering along the street in an unrestrained manner.


    Furthermore, there was red armor fitted over its head and its tail, giving it an even more imposing and menacing appearance. Instead of slithering along in a straight line, it would asionally stray toward the shops on either side of the street, where it would stop and raise its head to look down on the terrified residents of the city.


    A small child was so terrified by the snake''s menacing gaze that he erupted into tears, and his parents hurriedly pped their hands over his mouth in horror.


    Thankfully, the snake continued onward, but right as the child''s father heaved a sigh of relief, the snake abruptly whipped its tail into the man''s face, sending him somersaulting through the air several times before falling heavily onto the ground. He then threw up a mouthful of blood before struggling to his feet, then fled the scene with his horrified wife and child.


    Standing far away, Chen Ping''an could see that some of the bystanders were taking pleasure in the family''s misfortune, some were cowering in terror, and some were looking on in amazement, but no one seemed to have regarded the snake''s actions as inappropriate.


    Lin Shouyi closed his fingers around the talisman up his sleeve as he stood beside Chen Ping''an, while Li Baoping and Li Huai were standing closer to the shops.


    The horse-drawn carriage that Cui Chan was in also diverged from its original path as Yu Lu guided it to the side of the street before bringing it to a halt.


    The group of immortals quickly arrived beside Chen Ping''an''s group, and the old man said something to the group of young cultivators behind him, upon which all of them immediately turned to Chen Ping''an and the others, some with provocative expressions, some with intrigued looks in their eyes.


    At the same time, the owner of the red snake finally called out to the creature, instructing it to stay by his side. It was clear that the old man had already warned them to be more restrained if they were to encounter fellow cultivators during their travels.


    While passing by Chen Ping''an''s group, the old man gave them a slight smile, posing as some type of profound figure, and he also extended a slight nod toward Lin Shouyi.


    After that, the two groups separated without any incident.


    Cui Chan made his way out of the carriage, then kicked Xie Xie aside, even though she wasn''t actually blocking his path. He jumped down from the carriage, then dered in an indifferent voice that was audible to Chen Ping''an, "This is how things are like outside of the Great Li Empire."


    Chen Ping''an could see that only after the group of cultivators had departed did some official guards arrive on the scene to restore order, but they were only showing up as a formality, rather than actually doing anything useful.


    "Do the authorities not care that this is happening?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Cui Chan smiled as he replied, "They either don''t care, or they''re too scared to do anything, and there are even some officials who are dying for the opportunity to suck up to these cultivators."


    Chen Ping''an turned to Li Baoping and Li Huai, then said in a quiet voice, "Let''s keep going."


    Cui Chan didn''t get back into his carriage. Instead, he slowly walked along between Chen Ping''an''s group and the horse-drawn carriage.


    His sleeves were billowing out around him in a majestic manner, making him resemble an elegant deity.

 Chapter 137: Carrying a Mountain of Silver

    Chapter 137: Carrying a Mountain of Silver


    As the group drew closer to the city god temple, they discovered that most of the people on the streets were worshippers who hade to offer incense in the temple. There were many stalls on either side of the street, selling all types of wares, such as food and children''s toys. Chen Ping''an bought Li Baoping and Li Huai a tanghulu each, and the two children immediately began topare whose tanghulu was bigger.


    As it turned out, Li Huai was the luckier of the two children, and there were a total of six hawthorn berries on his stick, and overall, he had beaten Li Baoping four times. After iming his victory over Li Baoping, Li Huai began to rush in circles around Chen Ping''an and Lin Shouyi while holding his tanghulu high above his head.


    Meanwhile, Li Baoping was eating her tanghulu in silence, and she suddenly extended a leg forward in a sneaky fashion. Li Huai was caughtpletely off guard and tripped over her leg, falling face first onto the ground, while his tanghulu fell out of his hand and rolled away into the distance.


    Thankfully, his bamboo bookcase was strapped quite securely to his back, so it didn''t fall off, but that was no constion to Li Huai, and he began bawling his eyes out as he sat on the ground.


    Li Baoping raised her head, feigning an oblivious expression as she looked around in an innocent manner. Chen Ping''an was both exasperated and amused by her actions, and he gave her a firm flick on the forehead, then helped Li Huai to his feet before buying the distraught boy another tanghulu.


    Li Huai''s tears immediately gave way to a wide smile, and he epted the clean tanghulu, then picked up the dirty tanghulu from the ground, holding one in each hand. This time, he made sure to stay far away from Li Baoping as he waved his tanghulus around in a gloating fashion.


    Li Baoping rolled her eyes at him as she scoffed, "You''re so immature!"


    What was rather interesting was that no matter what Li Baoping did to Li Huai, he had never held a grudge against her. In fact, he had never even gotten angry at her, and at the very most, he would only feel saddened or indignant.


    This was something that Chen Ping''an and Lin Shouyi had never been able to understand, and Lin Shouyi could only exin that certain things were simply meant to be, and it seemed that Li Huai was simply destined to suffer in silence at Li Baoping''s hands.


    Cui Chan had separated himself from the group quite a while ago, stopping on his own in front of a stall selling misceneous goods. Yu Lu stopped the carriage to wait for him, but Cui Chan didn''t even raise his head as he waved a hand at Yu Lu, indicating for him to follow Chen Ping''an and the others.


    Meanwhile, he began to examine the goods being sold, but in the end, nothing caught his eye, and he prepared to depart. Throughout this entire process, he hadn''t uttered a single word.


    The owner of the stall was azy-looking young man, and whenever there had been customers passing by his stall on the way to the temple, he hadrgely ignored their price inquiries, so business was far from booming. In his eyes, Cui Chan''s attire and demeanor indicated that he was from a wealthy n in the city, and theckadaisical look on his face immediately faded at the sight of Cui Chan''sck of interest in his wares.


    He hurriedly rose to his feet from his stool, putting on a fawning expression as he introduced that the dozen or so items being sold had all been passed down for generations in his family, and that they were at least 200 to 300 years old. He was only selling them now as his family had encountered a crisis and was in urgent need of money. Otherwise, he would''ve sooner died than put these cherished treasures up for sale.


    It was clear from the young man''s appearance that had ruined his body through excessive alcohol consumption and sexual activity, and no matter how he advertised his wares to Cui Chan, thetter remainedpletely silent. Thus, the young man could sit back down onto his stool in a defeated manner.


    Any of the young masters of affluent ns in the city could crush him like an ant, so he certainly didn''t dare to try and force Cui Chan to purchase his wares. It was said that those affluent ns were visited by immortals virtually every year, and whenever such a visit took ce, the visiting immortals would all be ceremoniously weed, producing scenes that were even more lively and bustling than festival celebrations.


    The fireworks set off on those asions were so loud that they shook the very heavens, and those ns wanted nothing more than to tell the entire city that they had been blessed with a visit from esteemed immortals.


    "I''ll take everything on this table for 10 taels of silver. Will that be enough?" Cui Chan suddenly asked.


    The young man shook his head vigorously as he replied with a sullen expression, "Forgive me for turning down your offer, esteemed young master, but all of these items that I''m selling really are treasures that have been passed down for generations in my family.


    ��There are clear records on our genealogy tree that one of my ancestors once served as the imperial teacher of the Later Shu Nation''s Auspicious Dynasty. Surely it''s not too much to ask for 70 or 80 taels of silver for even just a single one of these things."


    The young man''s face had be flushed red as he picked up a colored ss figure that was around half an inch in length. Unfortunately, the figure was dull and devoid of luster, and it certainly didn''t look like a prized artifact.


    The young stall owner leaned forward slightly, then carefully handed the ss figure to Cui Chan as he said, "Take a good look at this, esteemed young master. If you have good eyesight, you''ll even be able to see the eyebrows and the creases on the robes of the figure. The amount of detail on this thing is astounding!


    ��Even if the material isn''t of the highest quality, this is still an extremely rare ss figure, so surely it wouldn''t be too much to ask for three or four taels of silver for it! If we factor in all of the other treasures here, 10 taels of silver is simply far too low a price for me to ept. Please consider raising the price out of the boundless generosity of your kind heart, esteemed young master."


    Cui Chan paused momentarily for contemtion, then offered, "How about 11 taels of silver then?"


    The young man was so exasperated that he almost passed out, and he was rooted to the spot as he stared at Cui Chan in a dazed manner before heaving a resigned sigh. "Please don''t y with me like this, esteemed young master."


    Cui Chan burst intoughter, then asked, "Do you recognize official silver?"


    The young man faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded with a wry smile as he replied, "Of course. Our n was quite affluent during my father''s generation, and around a dozen of the shops on the street neighboring the city god temple once belonged to our n."


    Cui Chan pulled out a silver ingot before setting it down onto the table as he dered, "Here are 20 teals of the Great Li Empire''s official silver. Converted into the inferior silver used in your Yellow Court Nation, this should be equivalent to at least 25 taels of silver. Will that be enough for this table of trash?"


    The young man had snuck all of these items out to sell in secret, and he had set out to sell them for 20 taels of silver, so he immediately epted the offer with a gleeful expression, hurriedly picking up the ingot of silver before clutching it tightly in his hand. He carefully examined the silver ingot for a moment, then gently scratched it with his fingernail, and he determined that this really was a silver ingot of exceptional quality.


    He was terrified that Cui Chan would change his mind, so he quickly stowed the silver ingot away, then grabbed onto the corners of the tablecloth before lifting them up and tying the corners together to form a parcel.


    All of the items inside were ttering together as he did so, and after tying up the corners of the tablecloth, the young man pushed the parcel toward Cui Chan with an ecstatic smile as he dered, "It''s all yours, esteemed young master."


    Cui Chan picked up the parcel as he jibed, "If you''ve sold me counterfeit wares, then I''m going to hunt you down and make you eat these things one by one."


    The young man put on a fawning smile as he assured, "I''m renowned around these parts for my honesty and integrity, and I''ve never swindled anyone, so you can rest assured, esteemed young master. This was definitely a favorable deal for you."


    Cui Chan carried the parcel of items in one hand as he sped up in his footsteps to catch up to Chen Ping''an and the others.


    As he drew close to the horse-drawn carriage, he casually tossed the parcel to Xie Xie, then arrived by Chen Ping''an''s side as he pointed at the eye-catching roof of the city god temple up ahead and introduced, "This is thergest city god pavilion in Yellow Court Nation, and it said during the final years of the Later Shu Nation''s existence, this temple had jurisdiction over the city gods of several states, so the green zed tiles on the roof are of an extremely high quality.


    ��They definitely would dare to put such precious tiles onto the roof of the average city god temple. This wasn''t the original site of the temple, and it was only moved here after the Hong n took over the nation and ushered in a new dynasty. The original site of this city god temple was quite a good ce with an old well nearby.


    ��That well was a spirit spring, and it''s since been turned into an inn by a sect of Yellow Court Nation. The inn caters exclusively to cultivators, officials of the imperial court, and wealthy individuals, and the spiritual energy emanating from the spirit spring is very conducive to cultivation, making it an extremely rare and exceptional ce in the mortal world."


    "Is it expensive to stay there?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Cui Chan considered the question for a moment, then replied, "In your eyes, it would be ridiculously expensive."


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at Lin Shouyi, who was looking at the decorative beasts on the roof of the city god temple, then asked in a quiet voice, "How expensive is it?"


    Cui Chan smiled as he replied, "It would cost at least 100 taels of silver per person per night, and if you want to stay in the room closest to the well, then the price would more than double."


    As the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor, Cui Chan once controlled a part of the empire''s intelligence system, and his area of focus was specifically on the immortal powers in the Great Li Empire and in the surrounding nations. It was through those intelligence sources that he had learned about the history of this prefectural city, including the history of this city god temple.


    As for why he was familiar with the exact prices charged by the inn, that was a piece of information that he had learned just for something to do in his free time, and perhaps it would''ve served as an interesting topic of conversation whenever he was summoned to see the emperor.


    Chen Ping''an lowered his voice as he asked, "If I had a gold essence copper coin on me right now, how much silver would I be able to exchange it for?"


    Cui Chan remained silent as he pointed at the city god temple, which was drawing closer and closer.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Chen Ping''an asked with a perplexed expression.


    "I''m saying that you''ll be able to exchange it for a mountain of silver the size of this temple," Cui Chan exined with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an''s mouth gaped open slightly as he turned to the huge city god temple and unconsciously adjusted the belongings on his back.


    Only now was he aware that he was carrying a mountain of silver on his back, and he was suddenly struggling under its weight.


    Cui Chan noticed this subtle gesture, but gave no reaction.


    After hesitating for a long while, Chen Ping''an stopped in his tracks right before he stepped into the city god temple, then asked, "Cui Dongshan, can I borrow some silver from you?"


    Cui Chan seemed to have been waiting for Chen Ping''an to make this request, and he tucked his hands into his sleeves as he smiled and nodded in response. "Of course you can. You can treat me as a walking treasure trove of resources. If you want money, then I have money. If you want treasures, then I have treasures. I have everything that you could ever think of, so you''re limited only by your imagination."


    Chen Ping''an took a moment to make up his mind, then said, "In that case, we''ll stay in this inn for tonight. Regardless of how long we stay here, I''ll get you to take care of all of the costs for now. After we leave the inn, give me a total sum, and you can set the interest rate as you see fit. Once we return to Dragon Spring County, I''ll repay you in both principal and interest, is that alright?"


    Cui Chan extended a hand out of his sleeve and waved it as he replied, "Don''t worry about interest, all you have to do is repay the principal sum."


    Right at this moment, Li Huai suddenly squatted down with half a tanghulu still held in his hand, and his eyes widened as he stared at Cui Chan''s boots.


    As it turned out, there was a pristine white little ant standing on Cui Chan''s boot, and the ant''s original intention was to climb up Cui Chan''s boot and onto his robes, but as soon as it fell under Li Huai''s scrutiny, it immediately stopped moving. Li Huai was very much intrigued by the sight of the little ant, and he reached out a hand to try and grab it.


    The little ant was greatly startled to see this, and it didn''t dare to y dead any longer as it immediately jumped up in an agile manner. It hooked onto the fine material of Cui Chan''s robes with its front legs, then rushed quickly up to Cui Chan''s waist, and with one final leap, ittched onto the underside of Cui Chan''s sleeve, where it dangled while swinging slightly from side to side.


    Cui Chan''s expression remained unchanged as he caught the ant between two of the fingers on his right hand, then gently held it in his palm before thrusting it into his left sleeve.


    In an astonishing turn of events, the ant melted away like snow and ice in Cui Chan''s palm, instantly transforming into a silver ingot, but the silver ingot was still squirming and moving incessantly.


    After stowing the moving silver ingot up his sleeve, Cui Chan looked around to find that Yu Lu and Xie Xie were disying no reaction to the miraculous feat that he had just performed, but Chen Ping''an and his group of little hillbillies from Jewel Small World were astonished by what they had just seen.


    Cui Chan clearly didn''t want to offer an exnation to Chen Ping''an and the others, and he turned to Yu Lu as he said, "Get some incense with Xie Xie, we''ll be using them once we enter the city god temple. Ideally, get an incense tube while you''re at it. Of course, make sure to get a cheap and simple one. Otherwise, I''m not going to pay for it."


    Yu Lu and Xie Xie did as they were told, departing to secure some incense sticks, while Chen Ping''an suddenly said, "Cui Dongshan, that silver ingot was the money that you used to buy that parcel of items, right? How has it turned into an ant ande back to you?"


    An innocent look appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he replied, "I already paid for the items, and he agreed to the price, but the silver ingot insisted oning back to me on its own. I feel really bad about this as well."


    Li Huai was crouched down on the ground, and an envious look appeared on his face as he mused, "What a fantastic little creature that is. If I had a silver ingot like that, I''d be able to go anywhere I please."


    Cui Chan looked down at Li Huai with a smile as he asked, "You like it? Do you want it? That little thing is called a bug silver, and it can''t do anything remarkable aside from pose as a silver ingot. No one knows how these creatures came into existence, but even in therge vaults of many empires, there''s no guarantee that a bug silver would appear even over the course of a century.


    ��Furthermore, even if they do appear, they''re usually not very big, and they can only transform into pieces of scrap silver. It''s extremely rare to see one as big as the one up my sleeve right now, and that''s why I like to bring it with me everywhere I go. Furthermore, it''s impervious to fire and water, and even if tremendous force is exerted upon it, it''ll remainpletely unharmed.


    ��You can even slice it up into dozens of pieces, but all you have to do is gather all of the pieces back together in one pile, and it''ll quickly return to its original form. Do you want it? If you do, I can give it to you."


    Li Huai rose to his feet as he replied with a serious expression, "I have only one sister. Her name is Li Liu, and at the moment, she''s still A''Liang''s wife."


    Cui Chan was ustomed to Li Huai''s way of speech, and he replied, "Would you like the bug silver for free? I''m not interested in your sister."


    "If I use it to pay for food and treat Chen Ping''an and the others to delicious meals, will it be able toe back on its own every single time?" Li Huai asked.


    Cui Chan nodded with a smile, and the silver ingot dropped out of his sleeve before he handed it to Li Huai.


    LLi Huai was just about to ept the silver ingot when a hesitant look appeared on his face, and he turned to look at Chen Ping''an, who said, "If we''re going to eat, then we have to pay for our meals. We can''t use tricks to get out of paying for food. I don''t care what Cui Dongshan does, but don''t forget that you are a disciple of Mr. Qi..."


    Li Huai immediately sped his hands behind him, pressing them tightly against his own backside as he shook his head at Cui Chan and sighed, "You can keep it."


    However, Chen Ping''an then continued, "I wasn''t finished, Li Huai. You are Mr. Qi''s disciple, but you can still ept the bug silver. This is a gift from Cui Dongshan to you, so you should ept it. As for how you use it in the future, we''ll establish some rules when the timees."


    Li Huai''s eyes immediately lit up as he grabbed the silver ingot out of Cui Chan''s hand. He was just about to put the silver ingot in his chest pocket when a thought urred to him, and he quickly turned around so that his back was facing everyone, then opened his bookcase and tossed the silver ingot inside.


    Cui Chan withdrew his hand with a resigned expression as he mused, "I''ve always been the swindler, but it appears that I''ve been swindled myself here."


    Shortly thereafter, Yu Lu returned with an intricately crafted boxwood incense tube that was filled with incense sticks, enough for everyone to make multiple temple visits.


    Aside from Xie Xie, who had to stay behind to keep an eye on the horse-drawn carriage, everyone else made their way into the city god temple, and after offering their incense to the city god, they saw a pair of couplets in the main hall.


    One takes nothing with them in death, and they can only pray for the welfare of their descendants in the underworld; One may be denounced for millennia toe in the world of the living, but they''ll realize none of that matters on the other side.


    The city god statue was situated on a tall pedestal at the center, while on either side of it down below were its subordinates, presenting quite a formidable lineup to behold, with just the assortment of generals alone consisting of a total of eight statues. These were the supervisors of the eight divisions, which included the likes of the Yin Yang Division and the Quick Report Division.


    Cui Chan informed them that this was the extent of the number of divisions, even in the city god temples of the highest caliber on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but thergest city god temple in the world had as many as 24 divisions, including even a Register Examination Division, a Disease Expulsion Division, and an Academic Policy Division. Essentially, it rivaled the imperial court of a small empire.


    Lin Shouyi was very intrigued by all of this, while Li Baoping wasn''t disying much interest, and Li Huai was the most cowardly one of the three, so he only dared to remain tightly by Chen Ping''an''s side.


    After seeing the renowned wall murals of the 18 abysses of punishment in the temple, everyone felt like this visit to the temple was very much worth the trip. After that, they made their way out of the main hall and arrived in the rear hall, which resembled a room in a county office where cases were judged.


    The city god was seated behind the desk with a pair of judges standing on either side of him, but there was only half a couplet outside the hall, which read: "Sincerity is the key, there is no need to kowtow, get out of my sight", while the second half of the couplet was missing.


    Li Baoping finally found something that had caught her interest, and she began to try andplete the couplet, but no matter what she came up with, she remained dissatisfied, and her brows were tightly furrowed as she continued to persevere, not willing to give up.


    Cui Chan and Yu Lu were also standing beneath the iplete couplet, while Chen Ping''an, Lin Shouyi, and Li Huai were looking into the hall from the entrance.


    There were a series of statues inside the hall, one of which was kowtowing against the ground, another one was wearing shackles, and a third one was hanging their head while kneeling to the city god.


    An azure-robed elderly man who was only his own spotted the eye-catching bamboo bookcase on Li Baoping''s back, and a warm smile appeared on his face as he approached Cui Chan, then also raised his head to look up at the iplete couplet as he said, "I can see that you''re a group of little schrs. Have any of you thought of a good second line toplete the couplet?"


    Cui Chan ignored the old man, pretending not to have heard him, while Li Baoping genuinely didn''t hear him as she would always invest her full attention into something that caught her interest.


    Yu Lu was the only one to offer a response, and he smiled as he replied, "I''ve thought of a few, but I''m not happy with any of them. They''re far too terrible to be heard, so I won''t share any of them with you."


    The old man burst intoughter, and he pointed at the iplete couplet as he said, "With regard to this couplet, there''s an unspoken rule in the city, which is that anyone, regardless of whether they be human, spirit, ghost, or monster, anyone who cane up with a second line that satisfies everyone will be an esteemed guest of the old city god."


    "What qualifies as a second line that satisfies everyone?" Yu Lu asked with a puzzled expression.


    "Look within yourself for the answer," Cui Chan replied in ackadaisical manner.


    Li Baoping just so happened to be mulling over a simr question, but she had encountered a mental block that she was unable to bypass. Upon hearing Cui Chan''s answer to Yu Lu''s question, she reflexively added, "In the peaceful night, when the mind is clear and sharp, look within yourself, and the answer will arise."


    The old man gave a nod of approval.


    Even though Li Baoping was ultimately unable to think of a suitable second line, the old man still insisted on apanying them out of the city god temple, then waved farewell to everyone with a benevolent smile on his face as he stood inside the temple.


    After leaving the ancient city god temple, Chen Ping''an began to ask the people on the streets for the location of the inn mentioned by Cui Chan, but none of them were aware of such a ce. It seemed that the inn didn''t even exist in this city, so Chen Ping''an could only turn to Cui Chan.


    Cui Chan smiled as he said, "How about we find some other ce to stay then? I only heard about the inn from someone else, so the information may not be urate. If that inn doesn''t exist, then you won''t have to borrow money from me."


    Chen Ping''an turned to look at Lin Shouyi, who looked back at him with a lost expression, and Chen Ping''an decided to persist as he said, "You guys can explore the market, I''ll keep asking around."


    With that, Chen Ping''an rushed forward on his own, asking one passerby after another if they had heard of the inn mentioned by Cui Chan.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan made his way back toward the horse-drawn carriage with a displeased look in his eyes. In his eyes, even though Chen Ping''an had a priceless gold essence copper coin in his possession, it was still extremely expensive to stay at the inn, and ultimately, it would only benefit someone else, so he couldn''t understand why Chen Ping''an was making such a diligent effort.


    While bending down to lift the curtain of the carriage, Cui Chan took a nce at thepletely oblivious Lin Shouyi, and a hint of envy suddenly appeared in his eyes.

 Chapter 138: Tug of War

    Chapter 138: Tug of War


    In the end, Chen Ping''an was only able to find out the former site of the city god temple, but no one had heard of the inn that Cui Chan had mentioned. This prefectural city was a major city in the northern region of Yellow Court Nation, and in order to get to the city god temple''s former site, they had to travel across virtually half of the entire city.


    By the time everyone arrived at their destination, it was already close to dusk, and they were only greeted by the tall red wall. After that, it took them a very long time before they finally found an alley with an obscure entrance, one that was barely just wide enough for the two horse-drawn carriages to fit through.


    The deeper one ventured into the alley, the more one felt like they were entering another world. Faint wisps of mist were asionally rising up from the gaps between the bricks underfoot, and those wisps of mist would drift toward the tall walls on either side of the alley, where they would then slowly flow along the walls amid the faint sound of flowing water.


    Cui Chan could tell that Chen Ping''an and the others were feeling quite apprehensive, so he exined, "This alley is called the Flowing Cloud Water Alley, and it''s one of the signature attractions of this inn. Once we enter through the front gate of the manor, we should be able to see a Bright Moon Shadow Wall. There are spirits of unknown origins residing in the shadow wall, and they possess no set form.


    ��Their form roughly corresponds with the state of the moon, so the lunar cycle is entirely reflected on the wall. However, the most precious shadow wall here is the Combined Sun Moon Wall. If some constetions could be added to the wall, then it would be something that even the immortal sects would be desperately fighting over."


    At the end of the alley was a tall gate with a pair of imposing door gods engraved onto its surface. The door gods were even taller and more intimidating than a pair of strong young men, and they were both d in golden armor, presenting a formidable sight to behold. One of them was riding a tiger steed while wielding a sword, while the other was riding atop a flood dragon with a saber held aloft in his hand.


    The two door gods were glowering into the alley with furious expressions, and due to the fact that they were carved out of wood rather than crafted from paper, as ordinary door gods were, they struck the beholder with an even more suffocating sense of pressure.


    Li Huai gulped nervously at the sight of the door gods, and he much preferred the freedom of camping out in the wilderness.


    The gate slowly swung open, and a beautiful woman with a pair of peach blossom eyes emerged, swinging her hips from side to side as she strode over the doorstep in an elegant manner.


    There were two girls behind her with their hair arranged into a pair of ring buns, and each of them had a longsword in an azure scabbard strapped to their waist. Instead of apanying the woman as she approached Chen Ping''an''s group, the two girls remained at the entrance.


    The woman extended a graceful curtsey as she said, "My name is Liu Jiahui, Jia as in Emperor Jiaqing, and Hui as in flowers. My name is not worthy of note, you can just call me Jiahui. May I ask if you would like to stay at our Autumn Reed Inn? Have you made a reservation in advance?"


    While the woman was speaking, her gaze was fixed firmly on Cui Chan, who was by far the most well-dressed of the group.


    However, Cui Chan didn''t reciprocate her warm reception, acting in a very rude manner. The two of them looked at one another, and even though the woman was rather displeased, the smile on her face remained unchanged.


    However, the two girls standing at the entrance were clearly quite angry to see this.


    No one in the entire city dared to be so disrespectful to their mistress. Even if the esteemed prefectural governor were to run into the woman during an outing or while offering incense to the temples, he would be sure to treat her with a great deal of respect, referring to her as Mistress Liu, and if he had something to ask of her or required the Autumn Reed Inn to help him amodate an esteemed guest, he would refer to her respectfully as Immortal Liu.


    The woman took a quick nce at the cold and aloof Lin Shouyi out of the corner of her eye, but she didn''t discover anything amiss, so she turned her gaze back to Cui Chan before asking in a gentle voice, "Are you perhaps unhappy with my service or displeased with our Autumn Reed Inn? Perhaps you''re disappointed and think that our inn isn''t what it was made out to be?"


    Cui Chan was running out of patience, and he pointed at Chen Ping''an as he said, "You''re speaking to the wrong person. He''s the one who calls the shots and holds all the money in our group."


    The woman was quite taken aback to hear this, and she hurriedly extended a curtsey toward Chen Ping''an as an apology. Before she had a chance to say anything, Chen Ping''an took a nce at the gates, then withdrew his gaze and took a deep breath, seemingly having just made up his mind. "We have quite a few people here, will there be enough rooms for us?"


    The woman smiled as she replied, "Of course! Our city''s triennial water god temple worship ceremony ising up soon, and immortals havee from far and wide to attend the ceremony, so our Autumn Reed Inn is a bit busier than usual, but even so, we would be honored to amodate esteemed guests such as yourselves.


    ��Even if I have to vacate the courtyard that I''m living in and temporarily move to another inn, I definitely wouldn''t dare to turn you away."


    In the end, Chen Ping''an requested arge courtyard by the name of Clear Dew, and it was the courtyard that was situated closest to the old well where the city god temple used to be, making it the premier courtyard of the Autumn Reed Inn. The reason why it had been vacant up to this point was that it was too expensive to stay in. The price was 2,000 taels of silver per day, regardless of how many people were staying in the courtyard at once.


    There was nock of cultivators among the Autumn Reed Inn''s patrons, but when it came to cultivation, unless one came from a wealthy n, or had affluent backers, or had methods through which they could securerge sums of ie themselves, one generally had to be extremely frugal and careful with their spending.


    Many mortals had the impression that all cultivators were extremely wealthy, but in reality, that was far from the truth.


    The old well in the Autumn Reed Inn was indeed the spring that was the source of the spiritual energy in the area, but for a cultivator, spending 2,000 taels of silver per day to stay there was definitely not a worthwhile investment. Hence, this courtyard was mostly reserved for wealthy and powerful figures, more so as a sign of status rather than for its cultivation benefits.


    Mistress Liu personally led Chen Ping''an''s group through a series of corridors before arriving in a peaceful courtyard. There were a bunch of banana trees growing in a corner of the courtyard, as well as a stone water vat that was around half as tall as a grown person. Inside the vat was a school of koi fish of different colors, and there were lotus flowers floating on the surface of the water, some of which had only just begun to bloom.


    Mistress Liu pointed at a copper bell on a stone table, and she smiled as she said, "If you need anything, just shake the bell, and some servants will immediately arrive to do your bidding. Also, if you exit the courtyard through the back door and go northward around 30 or so steps, you''ll be able to see a pavilion by the name of the Boundary Pavilion.


    ��There are three futons ced in the pavilion, and cultivators can sit in the pavilion to absorb the spiritual energy in the area. Unfortunately, the well is not open to the general public, I hope you may understand."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. "Alright, we''ll be sure not to go past the Boundary Pavilion to the old well."


    Mistress Liu''s naturally seductive peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly as she put on a genuine smile and said, "Your understanding is very much appreciated."


    "Mistress Liu, isn''t there supposed to be a shadow wall over at the gate?" Li Baoping asked with a curious expression.


    Mistress Liu heaved a faint sigh upon hearing this question, and she clearly didn''t want to go into detail about the matter, so she replied in an ambiguous manner, "A minor incident took ce earlier, causing the shadow wall to lose its ability to reflect the lunar cycle, so we removed it."


    The Clear Dew Courtyard contained four rooms, with three of the rooms being upied by Li Baoping and Xie Xie, Li Huai, and Chen Ping''an, and Cui Chan and Yu Lu, while the final room was reserved for Lin Shouyi, who was already a cultivator.


    Upon entering this ce, Lin Shouyi was struck by a refreshing sensation. It was like having to travel through a heavy storm, with the ground being reduced to mud, forcing one to pull their feet out of the mud with every single step that they took, only for the rain to suddenly recede, and not only did the road dry out, the traveler had also changed into a set of clean clothes.


    The contrast was naturally akin to night and day, with the traveler feeling as if they had been reborn anew, and that was the exact same feeling that Lin Shouyi was experiencing.


    At the same time, he was feeling rather perplexed about why there was such a fantastic cultivation location concealed in such an obscure location in the town.


    On the way to the Clear Dew Courtyard, they didn''t encounter any other guests staying at the inn. ording to Mistress Liu, this was a rather busy period for the Autumn Reed Inn, but even so, it waspletely different from the lively and bustling inns that they had previously stayed in along their journey.


    Following Mistress Liu''s departure, Chen Ping''an set his basket down in the room, then pulled an ebony wood box out of the basket. Inside the box were four jade hairpins of the most simplistic of designs ced next to one another. Two of the hairpins were crafted from mutton fat jade, and they were extremely smooth and delicate.


    The other two hairpins were crafted from green jade and ck jade, respectively, and those four hairpins, along with the box that they were housed in, had cost Chen Ping''an 100 taels of silver.


    On the way to the Autumn Reed Inn, they had passed by a jade shop. Chen Ping''an had originally only intended to go in and take a look to broaden his horizons, but those four hairpins had caught his eye, sitting peacefully in the open wooden box, presenting a pleasant sight to behold.


    Upon hearing the astonishing price of 100 taels of silver from the shopkeeper, Chen Ping''an had immediately decided against buying the hairpins, but Cui Chan had encouraged him to change his mind on several asions. In the end, he tantly dered that if Chen Ping''an wasn''t going to purchase the hairpins, then he was going to do so.


    Ultimately, Chen Ping''an decided to heed Cui Chan''s advice, and just like the money spent on amodation at the inn, that was going to be owed to Cui Chan until they returned to Dragon Tail County.


    Thus, the first sum of money that Chen Ping''an owed Cui Chan turned out to be 100 taels of silver, which wasn''t a lot, but it definitely wasn''t an insignificant sum, either.


    The shopkeeper gifted Chen Ping''an a small carving knife used by jade workers, and he also exined to Chen Ping''an the different levels of hardness of the three types of jade, thereby requiring different amounts of force to be exerted when engraving inscriptions upon them, and Chen Ping''an had carefullymitted everything to memory.


    While on the boat on the Embroidered Flower River, the jade hairpin gifted to him by Qi Jingchun had gone missing, and at the time, he had dered to Li Baoping that if the opportunity ever arose in the future, he would buy a hairpin and inscribe those eight characters onto it himself.


    He had followed through on that promise, except what was supposed to have been one hairpin had turned into four.


    Li Huai set his little bookcase down at the foot of the wall, then flopped down onto the bed on his back as he sighed with a blissful expression, "This is truly an abode that''s meant for immortals. It''s too bad my parents and my sister aren''t fortunate enough to experience this."


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to him, and he hurriedly sprang up from the bed before rushing to his bookcase and rummaging through its contents. Before long, he had pulled everything out of the bookcase, including his wooden dolls and y figures, following which he stuck his head into the empty bookcase.


    He then abruptly turned to Chen Ping''an andined in an indignant manner, "I knew it! That silver ingot is gone! Cui Dongshan must''ve taken it! What do I do, Chen Ping''an? Can I go and ask for it back from him?"


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was seated in front of the table with the wooden box and the carving knife ced in front of him, and he was inspecting the items with a serious look on his face.


    Upon hearing Li Huai''sints, Chen Ping''an turned to him with a smile and replied, "That bug silver belongs to you now, so if it really is in Cui Dongshan''s possession right now, then of course you can ask for it back."


    Li Huai hurriedly rushed out of the room upon hearing this as he dered, "I''m going to give him a piece of my mind!"


    "Make sure to be polite and respectful," Chen Ping''an said.


    Chen Ping''an got up to close the door, then returned to the table and picked up the intricate jade carving knife between two of his fingers, carefully feeling its weight and bnce.


    As for what he was going to inscribe onto his hairpin, that was very simple, it was going to be the same phrase as the one engraved onto the hairpin that he had lost: "As gentle and amiable as jade should a virtuous person be".


    As for the other three jade hairpins, he was nning to give them to the three children as a parting gift once they arrived at Mountain Cliff Academy, and he was going to engrave the phrases Baoping, Shouyi, and Huaiyin onto them, respectively. [1]


    Even after extensively racking his brains, these were the only things that Chen Ping''an could think of to inscribe onto the three hairpins. The phrases weren''t particrly elegant or meaningful, but he definitely couldn''t go wrong with them, either.


    All of a sudden, the door of his room was pushed open by Lin Shouyi, who was standing in the doorway with a furious expression as he yelled, "Chen Ping''an, have you gone insane?! You spent 2,000 taels of silver just to stay here for a night?!"


    Chen Ping''an turned around with a dazed expression to face the furious boy, and he discovered that Cui Chan was standing next to Lin Shouyi with an extremely punchworthy grin on his face.


    Lin Shouyi was so furious that his lips were trembling, and he stabbed a finger at Chen Ping''an as he continued, "Do you know how much 2,000 taels of silver is worth? Are you the son of the prefectural overseer or are you a member of the imperial family?"


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly in response to Lin Shouyi''s usatory words, and he gently set down his carving knife before rising to his feet. He was just about to say something, but Lin Shouyi had already departed.


    Meanwhile, Li Huai snuck into the room with the silver ingot clutched in his hand. He didn''t dare to get involved in this at all, and his face was a little pale from fear as he sat down onto the edge of the bed.


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at Cui Chan, then returned to his chair.


    As the perpetrator who had stirred up this conflict, Cui Chan leaned against the doorframe as he jibed, "It''s a terrible feeling having your good intentions thrown back in your face, right?"


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to him.


    Cui Chan was silent for a moment, then made his way into the room before sitting down at the table across from Chen Ping''an. He rested his chin on one hand as he looked at Chen Ping''an with a smile and continued, "We both know that you borrowed money from me to stay here, but do you think that Lin Shouyi thinks that you spent the entire group''s joint funds to stay here?


    ��You spent the money for the sake of his cultivation, but Lin Shouyi has already developed a concept of money from a young age, so perhaps after weighing up the pros and cons, he still felt like this was not a good deal, and maybe that''s why he got mad at you. I think these are all possibilities."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression remained unchanged.


    "You must think that I enjoy stirring the pot, right?" Cui Chan asked with a wide grin. "If you think that, then you''re wrong. Let me give you an analogy here: earlier today, I used a silver ingot to purchase a whole bundle of trash. However, whenever that bug silver falls into the hands of a stranger, it would find an opportunity to transform into something like an ant or a dragonfly and return to me.


    ��Because of that, you must feel like I swindled that man and screwed him over, right? Once again, you couldn''t be more wrong. That man is nothing more than a desperate gambling addict, someone who takes everything for granted and doesn''t appreciate what he has. If I had given him actual silver to fund his gambling addiction, then I would really be screwing him over, and perhaps he''ll end up dead in a few days.


    ��Now that he doesn''t have any silver to gamble with, he''ll have no choice but to steal stuff out of his household to sell again, and that would allow him to live for a few more days."


    "Ever since you left the carriage and introduced the city god temple to me, then mentioned this Autumn Reed Inn, apparently by chance, you''ve been setting a trap for me, right?" Chen Ping''an asked. "I just don''t understand why you would do something like this. You''re hurting others with no benefit to yourself, so what''s the point?"


    Cui Chan cocked his head to the side as he tapped two of his fingers against the table in session and replied, "There was once someone who was slightly older than you. He had a seal that had the phrase ''the world wees spring'' inscribed upon it."


    Cui Chan''s voice trailed off here, and he seemed to have fallen into deep thought.


    "So?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Cui Chan returned to his senses, then massaged his own be. As he thought of all of the strange happenings that had taken ce along their journey, he was bing more and more convinced of one thing, which was that the seal that Qi Jingchun had given Zhao Yao was one that harbored extremely important meaning.


    Unfortunately, as soon as Zhao Yao was confronted by Cui Chan, he immediately chose to hand over the seal. Regardless of his reason for doing so, whether it be to protect himself or his family, the fact that he had chosen to hand over the seal meant that whatever was harbored within the seal naturally returned to heaven and earth, so it was no longer that spring had lingered for so long this year.


    However, Cui Chan didn''t think that things were this simple.


    Regardless of whether Qi Jingchun had some other tricks up his sleeve, the old schr had tied his fate together with Chen Ping''an''s. As a result, he was forced to apany Chen Ping''an on his journey, and his future had be extremely uncertain, but he still wasn''t willing to just give up and surrender all hope.


    Instead, his desire for victory was burning more fiercely than it ever had, and he wanted to guide Chen Ping''an step by step onto his path of sunshine and roses, rather than be led down the dark and decrepit alley that Chen Ping''an walked.


    It was as if the two of them were engaging in a tug of war, but as opposed to a contest of physical strength, this was a battle of mental fortitude.


    The thought ofpeting against Chen Ping''an in a contest of mental fortitude gradually put Cui Chan in a better and better mood. He was once a Tier 12 cultivator and a go grandmaster who was vastly renowned across the Middle Earth Divine Continent, so there was no way that he would lose to a child.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was paying no further heed to Cui Chan as he had already begun carving the first character onto his jade hairpin.


    1. Huaiyin (����) directly trantes to locust shade, so it''s meant to convey something like shade cast by the locust tree. Both Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi have two character names, while Li Huai only has a one character name, so I''m assuming Chen Ping''an decided to tack on the yin character after huai to ensure that Li Huai''s hairpin was also inscribed with two characters. ?

 Chapter 139: Strange Happenings (1)

    Chapter 139: Strange Happenings (1)


    As the night grew darker, a burst of pleasant clip-clopping from horse hooves trotting along the ground rang out from the Flowing Cloud Water Valley outside the gates of the Autumn Reed Inn. Mistress Liu was standing outside the entrance by herself with a pair of tiger-shaped gold essories hanging from her waist.


    A horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of the gates, and a middle-aged man in a schrly robe emerged from within. The man gave off a natural sense of authority, and he seemed to be a man who was well-versed in both books and the martial arts. However, he was looking quite weary at this moment, and a smile appeared on his face at the sight of Mistress Liu as he said, "Sorry to keep you waiting. Let''s go inside."


    Mistress Liu turned around to lead the way into the inn with an indifferent expression.


    The man nced at the tiger amulets hanging from her waist, and his brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "Do you really need to be that cautious around me?"


    A cold smile appeared on Mistress Liu''s face as she replied, "I''m just a woman who runs a small inn, I can''tpare with the mighty prefectural office. Just a couple of days ago, our signature shadow wall was removed, and all I could do was suffer in silence.


    ��To add further insult to injury, the perpetrator has brought a bunch of disciples and grand-disciples to stay at my inn, and once again, all I can do is put on a smile and tend to the needs of those revered immortals. It''s all thanks to your exceptional governance over the prefecture that I''ve been blessed with the honor of serving these esteemed immortals..."


    "That''s enough, Jiahui," the man said in a stern voice. "I know that you''re angry about this situation, but I''m not in a much better situation than you are. In order to prepare for the water god temple worship ceremony, I''ve been running around like a headless chicken ever since dawn, and my throat feels like it''s on fire.


    ��I''vee here to rest for a moment at your inn rather than return directly to the prefectural office because I wanted some peace and quiet, not to hear you ramble andin."


    Mistress Liu turned to the man with a displeased look in her eyes, but as a woman who could see the big picture, she ultimately suppressed her emotions and changed the subject as she said, "You''ve been toiling away for this ceremony for the past half-year, and it''s definitely an ostentatious asion.


    ��The old prefectural governor isn''t able to make it in person due to health reasons, but he''s sent his most trusted subordinate to attend the ceremony, and that''s more than sufficient as a gesture of support.


    ��On top of that, all of those renowned schrs, monks, and anchorites will be in attendance to offer their support, and that''s not even to mention everything that our prefecture has pledged to this event. If the funding provided by our prefecture in private were to be taken elsewhere, surely it would be enough to support a pair of river gods."


    "That is indeed true," the man replied with a nod.


    "Has the Cold Food Great River God finally taken a liking to you this time?" Mistress Liu asked in a quiet voice. "Has he agreed to help youy im to the position of governor?"


    The man sped his hands behind his back and he was clearly very familiar with theyout of the inn as he made his way into an elegant courtyard, then shook his head as he sighed, "That itinerant cultivator truly showed up at a bad time. His actions have far-reaching consequences in all areas.


    ��He wanted to avenge those mortals who had been wrongfully killed, so he came to your Autumn Reed Inn and sought out that cultivator from the Spirit Charm Sect, and he inflicted severe injuries upon the cultivator during their battle, destroying the foundation of your inn''s shadow wall in the process. If that had been the extent of the incident, then I would''ve still been able to contain the situation.


    ��For example, I could report this matter to the imperial court and pin the me solely on that itinerant cultivator to spare that cultivator from the Spirit Charm Sect of all wrongdoing, thereby consoling the Spirit Charm Sect, which has deep-rooted ties with our Yellow Court Nation. However, at the same time, I would also allow that itinerant cultivator to slip away in secret.


    ��I would arrange a manhunt within our prefecture, but it would only be for show, and the true purpose of the manhunt would be to stall for time to allow him to get away. Seeing as he''s an itinerant cultivator, he must be used to traveling across thend anyway, so I''m sure it wouldn''t have been difficult for him to get away."


    A hint of vexation appeared in the man''s eyes here, and he continued, "But this just had to have happened right before the Cold Food River worship ceremony. Not only is this ceremony one that''s receiving widespread attention and scrutiny, everyone knows that during the initial stage of the great river god''s rise to godhood, he was only able to gain a foothold with the assistance of one of the Spirit Charm Sect''s patriarchs.


    ��This rtionship has been carefully maintained by the Spirit Charm Sect for over 200 years, and during that, not only have they not troubled the great river god over anything, they''ve sent people to visit the great river god once a year, carryingvish presents with them each time.


    ��With the exception of that period of time in which the sect was forced to endure a major crisis, that annual tradition has never been interrupted, so which side do you think the great river god would be more inclined toward in the wake of this incident?"


    The man was constantly pacing around the courtyard, unwilling to take a seat, and Mistress Liu handed him a cup of hot tea as she smiled and jibed, "My esteemed prefectural overseer, can we please sit down to talk? If you keep pacing in circles like this, I''m going to get dizzy and pass out."


    The man finally sat down, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face as he said, "I found out the location where that itinerant cultivator is hiding three days ago, and my initial thought was to stall for as long as possible.


    ��At the very least, I wanted to stall out the matter until after the ceremony, and if I can do that, perhaps he''ll be able to escape alive, but today, the Cold Food Great River God revealed his godly body to me in the water god temple, and do you know what he said to me?"


    Mistress Liu shook her head in response. She was naturally unable to glean the thoughts of a great river god.


    As the manager of the Autumn Reed Inn, the sect that Mistress Liu belonged to was actually quiteparable to the Spirit Charm Sect. However, every renowned cultivating sect had its own set territory, and the Spirit Charm Sect was the leader of the dozen or so cultivating sects in the three northern prefectures of Yellow Court Nation.


    Essentially, the cultivators of the Spirit Charm Sect could do whatever they wanted in the northern region of Yellow Court Nation, but they held a great deal of respect and veneration for the great river god that had been assigned by the emperor himself.


    After all, Yellow Court Nation wasn''t a mighty empire like the Great Li Empire or Great Sui Nation. Ever since the founding of Yellow Court Nation, it had always been one of Great Sui Nation''s 12 subsidiary nations, and it had barely any mountain and river gods that had been assigned by the emperor.


    To put it in blunt terms, even if Great Sui Nation were to lift all restrictions and allow the Hong n of Yellow Court Nation to appoint as many mountain and river gods as they pleased, the limitations of the nation would''ve still prevented them from appointing many at all.


    Firstly, the nation''s territory was limited, and secondly, the vast majority of desirable cultivation locations with abundant spiritual energy had been imed by the immortal ns in the region.


    Hence, when it came to a great river god that controlled the fortune of a mighty body of water, that was an important figure that even the prefectural overseer had to do everything in their power to suck up to.


    The man set down his teacup, then began massaging his temples as he said, "The great river god told me that he had already uncovered the hiding spot of that itinerant cultivator a day before me.


    ��He says that even though he can see that I''m unwilling to perform my duty and enforce justice, as the great river god of the Cold Food River, he must abide by the rules and refrain from interfering with the official matters of Yellow Court Nation for no good reason.


    ��He acknowledged that I''ve made some decent contributions during my time working in the prefectural office, and that if I were to be reced, there''s a chance that my sessor could be an ipetent fool who''s constantly causing trouble, which he would then have to step in and resolve. Hence, that would be detrimental to his cultivation, and for that reason, he won''t report my inaction to the imperial court."


    Mistress Liu''s face paled slightly upon hearing this. "Does that mean that he won''t assist you in progressing further up the ranks?"


    A wry smile appeared on the man''s face as he replied, "Not only that, but if I want to keep my current position, I''ll have to apprehend that itinerant cultivator tonight."


    A remorseful look appeared on Mistress Liu''s face as she sighed, "I shouldn''t have taken my frustrations out on you earlier."


    An indignant look then surfaced in her eyes as she continued, "The Cold Food Great River God has maintained a good reputation for the past few centuries, but when ites to this matter that concerns his personal interests, he''s still chosen to selfishly take sides, rather than do the right thing.


    ��That man was just a third-generation disciple of the Spirit Charm n, yet he dared to tantly lust after a woman at the city god temple. First, he killed a couple outside the city, and after hearing that one of their children managed to escape, he pursued that child without mercy or remorse, killing an entire vige of over 30 people in one night! These heinous actions arepletely unforgivable!


    ��That itinerant cultivator just so happened to run into him, and prior to avenging that vige, he made the smart decision to spread word of the perpetrator''s crimes across the entire city, and posters denoting his transgressions were even put up at the entrance of your prefectural office.


    ��Only after doing all of that did the itinerant cultivatore to my Autumn Reed Inn to challenge the perpetrator. The great river god has informants all throughout the prefectural city, so there''s no way he wouldn''t have been aware of all of this."


    In response to Mistress Liu''s indignantints, the man merely heaved a forlorn sigh. "Cultivators pursue the Great Dao of heaven and earth, and in their eyes, mortal lives are worth next to nothing. Compared with their pursuit of the Great Dao, things like upholding justice and doing the right thing pale into insignificance.


    ��Objectively speaking, it''s not like the Cold Food Great River God ispletely above thew, it''s just that a fourth-rank official like me doesn''t have the jurisdictive power to hold him to thew. The old governor would be able to do more than I can, but only His Majesty would be able to truly hold the great river god ountable."


    "What if you were a prefectural overseer of the Great Li Empire?" Mistress Liu mused in a quiet voice.


    A stern look appeared in the man''s eyes, and he mmed a hand heavily down onto the armrest of his chair as he scolded, "Watch your mouth, Liu Jiahui! No matter how powerful the Great Li Empire is, it was still once a nation of northern savages. If the Great Li Empire were to take over the northern region of the continent, then that would be the day that civilization falls in the north of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent!"


    An enraged look appeared on Mistress Liu''s face as she countered, "If you truly have a spine, then why don''t you go against the great river god''s wishes and insist on protecting that itinerant cultivator to the end? He may be a great river god, but I''m sure he''s not omnipotent!


    ��Are you telling me that he can just do whatever he pleases in the northern region of our Yellow Court Nation without any consequences? If worsees to worst, I''ll call upon my sect and have them duke it out against the Spirit Charm Sect to see whoes out on top!"


    The man was so bewildered by Mistress Liu''s outburst that he couldn''t help but burst intoughter. "How old are you? How could you still be so childish andughable at your age? Do you think that the Great Li Empire enjoyed a smooth ascent the entire time en route to reaching its current heights?


    ��There''s so much injustice in this prefecture of ours alone, think about how manypromises would have to have been made across the vast territory of the Great Li Empire! The emperor of the Great Li Empire would''ve undoubtedly been forced to endure and tolerate far more filth and injustice than we could ever imagine!"


    Mistress Liu fell silent upon hearing this.


    The man took a sip of tea, then leaned against the back of his chair with an exhausted expression, pulling on his own cor as he mused, "I am a student of Confucianism, so I must do my best to better myself and abide by the rules. However, at the same time, I''m also an official of Yellow Court Nation, and there are millions of citizens in the territory under my jurisdiction.


    ��I have to ensure that they can live peaceful lives and aren''t stricken down by poverty. Hence, I can''t serve as an official while abiding by the same standards that I enforce upon myself as a person. I have to suck up to those immortal sects and implore them to grant us people and treasures to ward off all types of droughts and natural disasters.


    ��I have to present gifts and appease those arrogant mountain and river gods so that they''ll impart some of their fortune in our prefecture. For all mortals, regardless of whether they be impoverished peasants or wealthy merchants, if they''re oppressed by immortals, all I can do is offer temporary solutions and console them as much as possible."


    The man closed his eyes as he continued, "If I hadn''t gone against my conscience this entire time, I would''ve resigned from my position or been stripped of it long ago. If that had happened, then as soon as that itinerant cultivator put up the first poster outside the prefectural office, my sessor would''ve immediately apprehended him in order to suck up to the great river god.


    ��If someone else were in my position, after that itinerant cultivator dies tonight, there won''t even be a tombstone erected for him. Then again, if someone is already dead, what does it matter if they have a tombstone, if they have people offering wine to them during festivals, or if people remember the good deeds that they had done during their lifetime?"


    The man rose to his feet, then made his way over to the window as he continued in a solemn voice, "The second year of Yellow Court Nation''s Jialu Period, which was 10 years ago, an earthquake struck at midnight, affecting three states, including the Praise Sate, which was the most heavily affected of the three states.


    ��Countless houses, city walls, and temples copsed, killing over 60,000 people. For an entire month after that, an aftershock would take ce once every few days, causing all of therge rivers in the north, including the Cold Food River, to be extremely turbulent. Close to 100 people perished by drowning in our prefecture alone. During the fourth year of the Jialu Period, andslide took ce in the Lush State.


    ��During the eighth year of the Jialu Period, a boat on a river in the southeastern Bnce State erupted into mes on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The fire spread to all of the boats gathered on the river that night, of which there were over 1,000, resulting in over 10,000 people being burned to death."


    A despairing look appeared on the man''s face, and his lips were quivering as he sighed, "Were those disasters really just natural disasters? The people don''t know the truth, but I do."


    The man turned to Mistress Liu as he continued, "In fact, I can even imagine that prior to his capture and death, that itinerant cultivator will be sure to curse me as apdog of the Spirit Charm Sect and the Cold Food Great River God, and his resentment for me will exceed his resentment for them."


    Mistress Liu wanted to say something, but didn''t know what to say.


    A cid look gradually returned to the man''s face as he mused, "I''m certain that after that itinerant cultivator''s death, the wealthy ns in the city will immediately begin spreading false rumors, iming that I went out of my way to find the itinerant cultivator''s hiding spot before having him killed, all to appease the Spirit Charm Sect."


    "That will most likely be the case," Mistress Liu sighed.


    The man smiled as he said, "I''m not saying this for you to hear, I''m saying this to myself..."


    There was white mist constantly rising up out of the old well in the Autumn Reed Inn before dissipating in all directions, but the water level in the well was actually extremely low, and its internal walls were covered in moss.


    All of a sudden, the water level in the well began to rise rapidly, and once the water had risen to the same level as the opening of the well, a tall and imposing armored man wielding a short halberd stepped out from within. The man had a long feeler growing out of each side of his face, but aside from that, he looked no different from a normal person.


    The man inspected his surroundings, paying no heed to Lin Shouyi, who was seated in silent meditation over at the pavilion. He then rose up into the air, instantlynding in the courtyard where Mistress Liu and the prefectural overseer were situated before dering, "I''ve already personally decapitated that itinerant cultivator, Prefectural Overseer Wei.


    ��At the time, there were many bystanders at the scene, and that ursed scoundrel began directing all manners of foul insults at you. He also revealed many embarrassing secrets of yours, and he dared to extend those insults to my master as well. I had originally intended to grant him a swift death, but I was infuriated by his insolence, so I stabbed a few holes into him first before chopping off his head.


    ��Once I return to my master, I''ll be sure to clear up the situation with him, so rest assured, that scoundrel''s insolent words definitely won''t impact your rtionship with my master."


    After making this report, the subordinates of the Cold Food Great River God departed without any hesitation, while Mistress Liu looked on with a dazed expression.


    Given that itinerant cultivator''s strong sense of justice, it was only to be expected that he would denounce the prefectural overseer as apdog before he was killed. However, it didn''t make any sense for him to reveal a bunch of embarrassing secrets about the prefectural overseer in front of the Spirit Charm Sect and so many bystanders from the city.


    The prefectural overseer had met the itinerant cultivator in secret before, so each of them had an idea of what the other person was thinking. It could be said that it was rather strange that the prefectural overseer had suddenly decided to betray the itinerant cultivator, but it was even stranger that the itinerant cultivator would direct so much nder at the prefectural overseer as his final words.


    "It seems like I still underestimated him, after all."


    Having served as an official for so many years, the prefectural overseer was much more familiar with these matters, and he quickly developed a rough idea of what had to have transpired.

 Chapter 140: Strange Happenings (2)

    Chapter 140: Strange Happenings (2)


    Within the Great Li Empire, all mountain and river gods appointed by the imperial court were merely presented to the general public in the form of statues or temples, and even the gods of the Five Mountains were no different.


    However, on the rest of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent outside of the Great Li Empire, all mountain and river gods, from the great river gods of the Iron Talisman River, the Red Candle Town, and the Rushing Tranquil River, to the lowly river guardians such as the one in Dragon Whisker Creek, as long as they could establish strong ties with the local authorities and there weren''t any powerful cultivating sects nearby, they would be able to erect official mountain and river pces, ones that weren''t inferior in scale to the pces of mortal empires.


    As one of the highest-ranked gods of Yellow Court Nation, the Cold Food Great River God had constructed avish pce on a plot ofnd next to the Cold Food River where there were no cities or towns within a radius of 100 kilometers.


    The pce took up over 1,000 acres ofnd, having been constructed over the course of many years, and there was a que that read "Great Water" hanging over its entrance. However, it was proimed to the general public that the pce was owned by the founding n of Yellow Court Nation, the Chu n, and that the descendants of the Chu n had constructed the pce after earning an immense amount of wealth.


    In reality, the true owner of the pce was the Cold Food Great River God.


    On this night, the pce was brightly lit, and there seemed to be a banquet taking ce inside with all manners of wealthy and noble figures in attendance.


    The walls were lined with eternal memps, which were extremely precious treasures even in cultivating sects. Themps weren''t precious for their intricately crafted covers. Instead, what made them so valuable was the drop of ambergris inside of eachmp.


    Eternal memps were mostly used in ces like imperial tombs, and all that was required to light the substance was a normal candle and a wick that had been dipped inmp oil made from the fat of deepsea amber whales.


    If the ambergris were of sufficiently high quality, then themp could burn for a century without going out. Furthermore, its aroma would linger for long periods of time, and that aroma had a soothing effect that was not inferior to that of top-grade sandalwood.


    The main seat in the pce was upied by an azure-robed man, who held a white jade cup in his hand. The cup contained a type of golden wine that was both viscous and fragrant, and he was gently swirling the contents of the cup around in circles.


    There was a round rank insignia embroidered onto the chest of the man''s robes, depicting a coiled golden dragon.


    All of the 20 or so guests present in the hall were cultivators of quite a lofty status, but they still treated the azure-robed man with a great deal of veneration, and the hint of wariness that asionally shed through their eyes indicated that their respect for the azure-robed man went beyond the respect held by a guest toward their host.


    ��������


    At the Autumn Reed Inn.


    Quite some time had already passed since Cui Chan''s departure, and under the light of themp, Chen Ping''an had finished engraving the first white jade hairpin. He raised his head to look at Li Huai, who was seated across from him with his head resting on the table, and he asked, "Would you like ''Li Huai'' or ''Huai Yin'' engraved onto your hairpin? If you want your name on your hairpin, just like for Baoping and Shouyi, then it''ll be really simple, whereas Huaiyin carries a bit more meaning."


    Li Huai''s mind was clearly elsewhere, and he smiled as he replied, "Whichever one is fine."


    Chen Ping''an picked up the ck jade hairpin as he mused, "Do you want this one? The color matches the shade cast by a tree."


    Li Huai nodded in response, then mustered up some courage before asking, "Chen Ping''an, you''re not going to get mad at Lin Shouyi and beat him to death, are you? I feel like even though Lin Shouyi has be a cultivator, you''d still be able to easily take care of him with a punch or two. Lin Shouyi has a really stinky personality, he doesn''t like to talk much, and he''s a bit more cunning than us, but he has a good heart..."


    Chen Ping''an was rather amused to hear this, and he scoffed, "What''s going on in that head of yours? Why would I fight Lin Shouyi?"


    "If Lin Shouyi picks a fight with you, you can agree, but just teach him a lesson and don''t go too far," Li Huai said in a timid manner. "Lin Shouyies from a wealthy family, and he''s not tough like me. I can take a few hits from Li Baoping and still be fine, but I don''t think he''ll be as durable."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to exin this matter to Li Huai, so he simply replied, "Alright, I''ll be sure to keep that in mind."


    Li Huai was very relieved to hear this, and a smile immediately appeared on his face as he rushed over to his little bookcase to pull out his wooden dolls and that silver ingot.


    He then returned to his seat and plopped the wooden doll down onto the silver ingot before continuing, "Lin Shouyi told me before that all of the states, prefectures, and major cities follow the teachings of Confucianism when establishing their policies. Cities have city god pavilions, while counties have city god temples.


    ��Officials like prefectural overseers and county magistrates oversee the world of the living, while the city gods preside over the world of the dead, maintainingw and order and patrolling the borders to prevent ghosts and spirits from doing anything sinister.


    ��The city god temple that we went to was massive, and it''s situated in a prefectural city, so why is it still called a temple? Shouldn''t it be called a city god pavilion instead? Also, we spent so long exploring the city god temple during the day, is it possible that we''ve already run into the city god, but we simply failed to recognize him?"


    Chen Ping''an thought about these questions for a moment, then replied, "You''ll have to raise these questions to Cui Dongshan."


    Li Huai shook his head vigorously in response. "I don''t like that guy. He always talks in a strange and mysterious way."


    ��������


    Inside a room, a pair of girls, one older than the other, were seated across from each other with an oilmp between them. One of them was polishing her bamboo flute, while the other had her arms crossed in a staunch manner with a cold look in her eyes.


    "Xie Xie, you snore at night, and it''s really loud," Li Baoping dered. "Even when I was sleeping in my own tent really far away from yours. I could still hear you."


    Xie Xie raised her head with a smile as she replied, "You must''ve heard someone else, I never snore in my sleep."


    "How do you know you don''t snore in your sleep?" Li Baoping asked as she raised an eyebrow.


    Xie Xie gently massaged the bamboo flute with her fingers and imitated Li Baoping''s eyebrow raise as she replied, "Because I''m a cultivator, someone that people like you revere as gods and immortals."


    "Oh yeah? Well, do you have a little bookcase?" Li Baoping asked as she raised her chin in a provocative manner.


    Xie Xie had no response to this.


    Feeling as if she had just secured a resounding victory over Xie Xie, Li Baoping pulled out the pile of books from her bookcase so that she could do some reading under the light of themp. As usual, she picked out her beloved travel journal, which contained all types of stories about strange and exotic ces, as well as ghosts and spirits.


    She quickly became immersed in the stories, furrowing her brows one moment before nodding in enlightenment the next, then disying an ted expression, only to be dazed and dejected a momentter.


    Meanwhile, Xie Xie was watching closely as she unconsciously glided a finger back and forth along the side of her own cheek.


    ��������


    Lin Shouyi was seated in the pavilion with his eyes closed, breathing and meditating in silence as he carefully sensed the flow of "water" between heaven and earth. It was like the process of waves washing away sand, removing the impurities while preserving the precious essence. He was collecting the white mist that was emanating from the well bit by bit before absorbing them into his acupoints.


    Even though quite a loudmotion had rung out from the well, Lin Shouyi remainedpletely unmoved. Thankfully, he wasn''t the target of the being that had emerged from the well, so neither of them interrupted one another.


    The "Recite Atop Clouds Scripture" that had caught Lin Shouyi''s eye on Go Table Mountain was a secret Daoist scripture for cultivating the Five Lightning Righteous Technique. When it came to cultivation guidance for cultivators of the Lower Five Tiers, the scripture only had some very general instructions, but as someone who was particrly proficient in calction and deduction, Lin Shouyi was able to make great use of the scripture.


    It didn''t take long before Lin Shouyi began to feel a swollen sensation from several of the acupoints in his body, but he was still unwilling to stop. They had traveled a very long way to get here, and he had never felt such rich and pure spiritual energy before, so he was unwilling to pass up any of it.


    An hour passed by, and Lin Shouyi''s face had be very red and flushed. He was like a starving man who had been treated to a massive banquet, and due to his unrestrained feasting, he had overeaten and was absolutely stuffed.


    All of a sudden, someone tapped Lin Shouyi on the shoulder, and he inadvertently burped, releasing a stagnant breath in the process. It was as if the breath that he had just released truly had been stagnant in his body for a long time, and it reeked of a nauseating odor.


    The person who had just tapped Lin Shouyi on the shoulder hurriedly swept his sleeve through the air to scatter the foul stagnant breath as he scolded, "I don''t know whether I should call you brave or stupid! Are you not afraid of stuffing yourself to death?"


    Lin Shouyi faltered slightly upon hearing this, then asked with a perplexed expression, "Shouldn''t a cultivator strive to absorb as much of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as possible?"


    "In the words of Xie Xie, how is a small cup supposed to be able to hold thousands of liters of wine?" Cui Chan countered. "If it really is a case of the more the better, then those old geezers who established teachings would''ve already devoured all of the spiritual energy in all the worlds! How would there be any left for other cultivators?


    ��You have to take things slowly and progress one step at a time, and the amount of spiritual energy you can absorb is dependent on how many acupoints you''ve developed."


    A hint of lingering fear welled up in Lin Shouyi''s heart upon hearing this, and he raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan sat down with his legs crossed as he cast his gaze toward the old well, out of which spiritual energy continued to rise up incessantly. However, this ethereal white mist could only be seen by cultivators who had already made decent progress, or by masters of the martial arts. For the average person, even if they were to stick their head into the well, they would only be able to feel that it was slightly cooler than other ces.


    Cui Chan turned to Lin Shouyi with a smile as he said, "I saved your life, so how about you lend me one of your talismans aspensation? I''m only borrowing it, so I''ll return it to you."


    A hesitant look appeared on Lin Shouyi''s face, and Cui Chan continued, "Rest assured, I''m not going to borrow any of the four most precious talismans in your possession. Instead, I only want that gold dust talisman, which is a great talisman, but not among the best ones in your collection."


    Lin Shouyi finally nodded in agreement.


    Thus, Cui Chan snapped his fingers, and a golden talisman slipped out of Lin Shouyi''s chest pocket before drifting into Cui Chan''s grasp. Cui Chan lowered his head to inspect the talisman with an appreciative expression.


    Talisman paper was one of the foundational tools of talismanic ns, and the most ordinary talisman paper in the world was yellow worship paper. Above that was yellow seal paper, which was firmer than yellow worship paper, and it wasmonly used by all the Daoist sects in the world.


    There were also some special examples, such as a type of azure talisman paper that was likened to fine weather after a storm, as well as some vibrant talisman papers of different colors, many of which were used by emperors to inscribe their imperial edicts. These were often awarded to officials during festivals or celebrations, and they were impossible formoners to purchase, no matter how wealthy they were.


    Talisman paper was generally used by Daoist sects for talisman creation, and Daoist talismans were considered to be the traditional, fundamental roots of all talismans in the world, revered as the progenitor of all talisman branches. However, talismans didn''t necessarily have to be inscribed on talisman paper.


    Enlightened individuals following the teachings of Daoism and terrestrial gods were capable of inscribing talismans into the air without any need for talisman paper.


    Furthermore, Militarians also had talismans of their own, as did Confucianists, but their talismans were slightly moreplexpared with Militarian talismans, and generally speaking, a formal script was used for these talismans, but the formal script was also split up into seven or eight different types, depending on the calligraphy masters that had created them.


    In contrast, Buddhists ced more emphasis on hand seals, and there were talismans in Buddhism as well, but they were rtively rare.


    "What are mystical abilities supposed to be?" Lin Shouyi asked with a curious expression.


    Cui Chan carefully stowed the gold dust talisman up his sleeve as he casually replied, "You''ll find out once you get to the Middle Five Tiers. At that point, you''ll be able to manifest heart strings with your intentions, and the extent of your cultivation base and the height of your Dao foundation will dictate the number of heart strings you''ll have, as well as their thickness. That is what it means to be able to procure items from afar."


    At the moment, Lin Shouyi was a cultivator at the pinnacle of the third tier. To be able to reach this level in just a few months was astonishing progress, and this rapid rate of progression could be attributed to Lin Shouyi''s outstanding natural aptitude, as well as that gon of wine from A''Liang.


    Some wealthy people liked to purchaserge snakes from hunters to mix the contents of their galldders with wine for incredible medicinal effect, so one could only imagine just how potent a medicinal wine infused with the demon core of an Ascension Stage great demon would be.


    Cui Chan rose to his feet with a smile as he said, "A''Liang is a mentor of yours in this early stage of your cultivation journey, and you have to cherish this opportunity. Otherwise, I''ll..."


    "What are you going to do?" Lin Shouyi asked in a direct and straightforward manner.


    "I''ll be very cross with you," Cui Chan concluded with a smile.


    He was originally about to say "I''ll kill you", but he decided to change his wording at thest moment.


    After that swollen sensation in his acupoints gradually faded, Lin Shouyi closed his eyes again, using his body as a vessel to gather energy in order to construct his bridge to immortality.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan leaped out of the pavilion before making his way toward the old well, holding the golden dust talisman that he had borrowed from Lin Shouyi between two of his fingers.


    "Cui Dongshan, what are you doing?!" Lin Shouyi yelled.


    Cui Chan stepped onto the edge of the well, then turned to Lin Shouyi with a yful smile. He then raised the talisman high above his head and gently waved it around. At the same time, he stepped back, and his entire body slid into the well as he said internally, "Repel water."

 Chapter 141: Fantastic Oddities (1)

    Chapter 141: Fantastic Oddities (1)


    Even though the sky had turned dark, it wasn''t actually all thatte. Additionally, theyout of the Clear Dew Courtyard in the Autumn Reed Inn was quite exquisite, and Li Huai didn''t feel like sleeping anyway, so while Chen Ping''an was busy engraving the jade hairpins, Li Huai pulled out the wooden box that had been gifted to him by the mountain lord of Go Table Mountain before setting it down onto the table.


    He then ced his wooden doll and the four y figures given to him by Wei Jin of Wind Snow Temple into the box, along with the copy of "Severed Water Cliff" that had been purchased in Red Candle Town.


    Even with all of those items transferred into the delicate yellow ebony box, there was still some space left over. The wooden box was disying a red hue, and ording to Wei Bo of Go Table Mountain, the box had gradually turned from yellow to red during the countless years in which it had been buried in the soil.


    Not only had the wood not rotten in this process, it had developed a unique fragrance. Li Huai leaned in close to the wooden box to take a careful whiff, and sure enough, the fragrance was still there, and it hadn''t faded in the slightestpared with when he hadst smelled it at the Pillow Ry Station.


    Ever since leaving the small town to travel to Mountain Cliff Academy, Li Huai had been forced to endure plenty of hardships, but he had reaped some rewards along the trip as well. Aside from the prized bamboo bookcase sitting in the corner, there was also this delicate yellow ebony box, the wooden doll, and the y figures.


    Additionally, there were several precious silverfish dwelling within that copy of "Severed Water Cliff", as well as the green darkness fish that A''Liang had pped into the book, but Li Huai wasn''t a very keen reader, so he very rarely read through the book that Chen Ping''an had spent close to 10 taels of silver on.


    Li Huai turned to look at Chen Ping''an, who was focused intently on the engravings that he was making on the jade hairpins. He thought about how much money that Chen Ping''an had spent on the book, and how he had barely even touched the book since it was purchased.


    At the time, he had vowed to Chen Ping''an that he would definitely read the book, and he was feeling a little guilty for not living up to that promise. Thus, he pulled out the copy of "Severed Water Cliff", which appeared to be in brand new condition, and he opened it to a random page to read so that he would feel a little better about himself.


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to Li Huai, and he pped a hand to his forehead before putting a hand down his own cor. He reached into the chest pocket that Li Liu had sewn into his robe, then pulled out a parchment paper bag that he waved at Chen Ping''an with a grin as he asked, "Chen Ping''an, do you know what this is?"


    Chen Ping''an carefully set down the hairpin and the carving knife, then asked, "What is it?"


    A smug look appeared on Li Huai''s face as he pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of the parchment paper bag and exined, "A while ago, there were people constantly leaving the school, and in the end, there were only five of us left, Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Shi Chunjia, Dong Shuijing, and me. During our final lesson, Mr. Qi gave us each a piece of paper with the Qi character written upon it.


    ��He told us to imitate it as closely as we can, and that it would be our homework. After that, Mr. Qi didn''t take the pieces of paper back from us. My mother felt like Mr. Qi''s writing was quite neat and uniform, but it didn''t even have as much ir as the characters inscribed on the neighbor''s couplets.


    ��However, seeing as Mr. Qi was our teacher for quite some time, she told me I should keep this piece of paper as a reminder of him, so I asked my sister to sew a pocket inside my robe in secret and ced the piece of paper in the pocket, wrapped in a parchment paper bag.


    ��After that, I asked Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi where their pieces of paper were, and Li Baoping told me that she had lost hers long ago, while Lin Shouyi told me that he had put it in a safe ce at home so that it didn''t get lost or damaged during our journey."


    Li Huai unfolded the piece of paper, then gently smoothed down the creases, revealing a neat Qi character that was around the same size as the palm of his hand.


    Li Huai stared at the character for a moment, then raised his head as he turned to Chen Ping''an and said with a serious expression, "I want you to have this, Chen Ping''an. I don''t have any use for it, and I''m always losing stuff."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head with a smile as he replied, "If you''re worried that you''ll lose it, I can keep it for you before we reach Mountain Cliff Academy. However, seeing as this is homework left for you by Mr. Qi, then as a student of Mr. Qi''s, you should keep this as a prized possession. Even though Mr. Qi is no longer with us and you don''t have to imitate the character anymore, you should keep it as a reminder of him, just as your mother said."


    Li Huai nodded in response, then slipped the piece of paper between the pages of "Severed Water Cliff" that he was on, then tossed the book back into the wooden box.


    Unbeknownst to him, the three silverfish and the green darkness fish that were dwelling on different pages of the book all quickly left the original pages that they were on, swiftly swimming through the gaps between the lines of text on the pages before swimming into the slip of paper that carried the Qi character. It was as if they had returned to water, and they were swimming around in tion.


    Compared with the extremely fortunate rewards that Li Huai had reaped along the journey, Lin Shouyi hadn''t been any less fortunate than him. He had obtained arge collection of ancient scriptures of different standards and materials, including the "Recite Atop Clouds Scripture" and the "Mountain Scouring Album", which was filled with illustrations of all types of mountain spirits.


    The blind old Daoist priest had bestowed the book upon Chen Ping''an as thetter had given thatme young boy a snake gall pebble of an extremely high quality. In return for the precious gift, the old Daoist priest had given him this album, which he proimed to be a treasure that had been passed down for generations to his master, and the album had then been gifted to Lin Shouyi by Chen Ping''an.


    As for Li Baoping, she had obtained the Auspicious Talisman and the Sword Nurturing Gourd. It was only a collection of two items, but both of them were extremely valuable treasures, even in the eyes of immortal cultivators.


    In contrast, Chen Ping''an had put in more effort and contributed more than anyone else on this trip, but he had only ended up with that rather withered-looking golden lotus seed, and to this day, he still didn''t know what it could be used for. On top of that, he also owed Cui Chan a huge sum of money.


    Li Huai rested his head down onto the table as he repeated for the umpteenth time, "Lin Shouyies from a very wealthy family, but his status as an illegitimate son is very awkward, so he''s prone to being more sensitive than others. Don''t take what he says to heart, Chen Ping''an."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. "I''ll find himter, and everything will be fine once we talk things out."


    All of a sudden, Li Huai said, "Good and honest people are always the ones who get screwed over. My father is like that, and you''re the same, Chen Ping''an. I think you should stop being such a good and honest person in the future. Think more about yourself, and don''t constantly do things for the benefit of others. Otherwise, even if nothing happens to you, Li Baoping will get so angry for your sake that she''ll die of an aneurysm!"


    An amused smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face at the mention of Li Baoping, and he asked, "Why is it that Baoping is always picking on you, but you never retaliate?"


    "I don''t dare to retaliate! I''m no match for her!" Li Huai replied in a justified manner.


    Chen Ping''an burst intoughter upon hearing this, and the weariness he felt from engraving the jade hairpins was instantly swept away.


    Li Huai also burst into joyfulughter. In his memory, Chen Ping''an rarely everughed like this. Regardless of what he was doing or saying, Chen Ping''an was always very restrained and cautious, fearful of doing or saying the wrong thing.


    This reminded Li Huai of his father, who was rather simr in that regard. If he was happy, he would purse his lips ever so slightly, and if he was unhappy, then his eyebrows would droop down.


    Li Huai hesitated momentarily, then decided that he wanted to tell Chen Ping''an some things from the bottom of his heart. He continued to rest his head on the table as he put on a mysterious expression and asked in a low voice, "Do you know why I''m always putting up with Li Baoping?"


    "Is it because you like her?" Chen Ping''an jibed.


    "Of course not! I''m just a little kid!" Li Huai scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "I''m not a pervert like Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing. Whenever my sister brings something to me at school, those two would stare at her as if their eyeballs were glued to her, especially Dong Shuijing!


    ��Whenever he makes up an excuse toe y at my house, only to find that my sister isn''t around, he would mope around like he''s sick, but as soon as my sister gets home, he would immediatelye alive again, looking like he wants to fill our house''s water vat twice over!


    ��My mother likes Dong Shuijing more than Lin Shouyi because she thinks he''s a good and honest guy like my father, while my sister probably likes Lin Shouyi a bit more because he''s more like a schr."


    After taking a brief detour to badmouth Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing, a slightly dejected look appeared on Li Huai''s face as he returned to the subject at hand, and he continued, "In the school, everyone used to make fun of my father, saying that he''s the most useless man in the entire town, that he''ll never amount to anything, that all he does is rely on my mother.


    ��As the saying goes, like father like son, so it only makes sense that I''m the worst student in the school and always scoresst whenever Mr. Qi gives us tests."


    A smile appeared on Li Huai''s face as he continued, "Li Baoping came from the wealthiest background out of anyone in the school, but she never ys with anyone, not even Lin Shouyi. She''s always flying around like the wind every day, and she''s always thest one to enter the ssroom and the first one to disappear when ss ends.


    ��She finds me noisy and annoying, and she often likes to beat me, but she never makes fun of my father. One time, my father came to find me at the school, and everyone looked down on him, while Li Baoping was the only one who was willing to guide my father through the school.


    ��She even called him Uncle Li, and thinking back to that, he was really happy even a few dayster. Whenever someone intentionally badmouths my father in front of me, Li Baoping would step in and stop them, not allowing them to say whatever they please."


    "I see," Chen Ping''an mused with an enlightened expression. "By the way, do you have anyone that you hate, Li Huai?"


    Li Huai faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied, "No. Whenever I go home and get to eat a fat and yummy chicken drumstick while hearing my mother telling my father and my sister off for the most trivial things, everything that I felt unhappy or angry about during the day would immediately be forgotten."


    Chen Ping''an squeezed the wick of themp between his fingers so that it would burn brighter, and he smiled as he said, "That''s very impressive."


    A perplexed look appeared on Li Huai''s face as he asked, "What''s so impressive about that? I think it''s much more impressive that you can grab a lit wick with your bare fingers, that you can traverse the mountains without even having to wear straw sandals, that you know how to cut firewood and catch fish.


    ��From a very young age, Li Baoping would always like to climb onto trees and proim that she could fly. Even if she fell onto the ground, she never cried, she would merely stand up on her own and limp her way back home.


    ��In order to prevent her parents and other senior family members from noticing her limp, she would intentionally wait until it was veryte before she went home. She''s not scared of anything, yet even she thinks that you''re the most brilliant and impressive person under the heavens."


    Chen Ping''an picked up his carving knife again as he exined, "You''ll know what''s so impressive about yourself when you''re a little older."


    Li Huai didn''t understand what that meant, and a look of yearning appeared in his eyes as he stared at the hairpins. "When are you going to give us those hairpins?"


    Chen Ping''an stopped what he was doing as he replied, "When all of you get to Mountain Cliff Academy."


    "Why did you give that ''Mountain Scouring Album'' to Lin Shouyi?" Li Huai asked. "I could tell that you liked it as well."


    Chen Ping''an picked up one of the jade hairpins and carefully inspected the fine patterns on it under the light of themp as he replied, "I''m afraid that I won''t be able to hold onto such a good thing, and I''m really close with all of you, so it doesn''t pain me to give the book to Lin Shouyi."


    "It doesn''t pain you even to spend 2,000 taels of silver for just a single night of amodation?" Li Huai asked in a careful manner.


    Chen Ping''an ced the jade hairpin and the carving knife back into the box, then said with a stern expression, "I have to go outside more and see more of the scenery here. Otherwise, it won''t be worth all the money I spent to stay here."


    Li Huai turned to look at Chen Ping''an''s departing figure while concealing an amused grin.


    Following Chen Ping''an''s departure, Li Huai vowed to himself that he was going to give Chen Ping''an something that was most precious to him in the future.


    Along this journey, they had traveled a vast distance, and Li Huai had already lost count of how many times Chen Ping''an had apanied him to pee and poop while standing nearby in silence, all because he was too afraid to go on his own. Even if it were just for that alone, he had to repay Chen Ping''an.


    ��������

 Chapter 142: Fantastic Oddities (3)

    Chapter 142: Fantastic Oddities (3)


    Cui Chan had truly appeared at a terrible time.


    All of the guests present were very sensitive to minute details, and after taking a quick nce at the displeased look on the great river god''s face, they immediately understood that Cui Chan had turned up without an invitation. Thus, as they turned back to look at him, they were all watching him as if he were already as good as dead.


    Due to the limited territory of Yellow Court Nation''s northern region, mountain and river gods were quite rare, so no one dared to defy the Great Water Pce. However, not only had this young boy turned up uninvited to the pce, he had swaggered out into the open and tantly revealed himself to the great river god, leading all of the guests in the hall to wonder if he had a death wish.


    The rather effeminate man whose original form was a water snake slowly raised a wine cup with his fingers arranged in the orchid fingers pose while watching the uninvited guest with smoldering desire in his eyes.


    Handsome and beautiful children had always been his favorite, but this handsome young boy most likely wasn''t going to be able to survive for much longer, and he couldn''t help but be saddened by this imminent loss.


    The boy had just disyed tant disrespect to the great river god, so he certainly wouldn''t dare to abduct the boy and take him back to his abode to enjoy. All he could hope for was to take the boy''s body after he was killed to serve as ate-night snack.


    The man had a very high-pitched voice, and he smiled as he said, "The wine in this cup is golden jade elixir, which is a wine that''s unique to our Cold Food River��s Great Water Pce.


    ��For a cultivator, drinking just a single cup of this wine will reap them the same benefits as cultivating in a blessednd for 10 days, and if a mortal were to consume this wine, all of their ailments would be quickly dispelled. There''s still half a cup left, would you like to have a taste?"


    Cui Chan strode over the doorstep, but didn''t continue any further from there. Instead, he remained on the spot and inspected his surroundings, paying no heed to the notorious and menacing water snake spirit.


    The water snake spirit was so enraged by the boy''s insolence that he couldn''t help but smile, and he flicked out his extremely long tongue to lick his lips as he chuckled, "If you''re going to throw my kindness back in my face, then you can repent in death!"


    With a flick of his wrist, the remaining golden wine in his cup sshed through the air. The wine abruptly drew to a halt, suspended in mid-air, before splitting up into individual droplets, of which there were several dozen. The droplets of wine then hurtled directly toward Cui Chan even faster than speeding arrows, whistling through the air with incredible force.


    In the eyes of everyone present in the hall, if the boy couldn''t evade the droplets of wine, then his body would be sure to be punched full of holes.


    Just this masterful disy of water maniption was a stunning sight for many of the younger cultivators present, and everyone was of the opinion that the insolent boy''s fate was sealed.


    The white-haired old man was no exception. A hint of surprise had appeared in his eyes when he first caught sight of the boy, but he then quickly shook his head with a forlorn expression. In his eyes, the boy was like an ignorant calf that didn''t know to fear tigers.


    This was the distinguished Great Water Temple, and it was not a ce where he coulde and go as he pleased. It was a pity that such a handsome and refined young boy had to die here, but no one could save him.


    Everyone in the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent knew that when it came to securing talent from the imperial examination, the first thing that the emperor of Yellow Court Nation looked at was whether an examinee''s handwriting was pretty or not, and only after that did he appraise the contents of their writing.


    If both were of a satisfactory standard, then the examinee would move on to the most important phase of the selection process, where the emperor examined everyone to see who was the most handsome of the bunch.


    The old man had already spotted the group of traveling schrs that Cui Chan belonged to on the streets of the city. He was somewhat proficient in the art of anthroposcopy, and after examining Cui Chan, he determined that the only thing remarkable about the boy was his outstanding physical appearance. However, overall, he paled into insignificance whenpared with the cold and aloof azure-robed boy in the group, who was truly a brilliant cultivation talent.


    The old man shifted his gaze away from the boy, whose tragic fate was already sealed, and he turned to a familiar young cultivator seated across from him with a dark expression.


    The young cultivator sensed his senior''s gaze, and he recoiled ever so slightly, but he then quickly recalled that he had found a truly powerful backer, so he no longer had to fear the old man. Thus, he sat up straight and put on aposed facade, even going as far as to raise his cup to the old man with a calm smile, a gesture that the old man stoically ignored.


    The old man was sufficiently refined to be able to rein in his temper, but the two young men beside him were furious to see this, and they were glowering intently at the insolent traitor seated across from them.


    The Spirit Charm Sect cultivator who was seated on his own across the table was none other than the perpetrator behind the recent incident. After he had massacred the entire vige, he was confronted by the itinerant cultivator, who was passing through the area. Among the inner sect disciples of the Spirit Charm Sect, his aptitude was quite mediocre, and hisbat prowess wasn''t his forte, so he was no match for the itinerant cultivator, who was very proficient in battle and pursuit.


    Thus, he had fled into the city as quickly as he could, and after that, he decided to stay at the Autumn Reed Inn, clearly with the intention of relying on the inn and Mistress Liu for his own protection.


    After tracking down the Spirit Charm Sect cultivator, the heroic itinerant cultivator stormed into the Autumn Reed Inn, even at the risk of being regarded as an enemy by the inn, and he engaged the Spirit Charm Sect cultivator in another battle.


    During the process, not only was the inn''s prized shadow wall destroyed, the Spirit Charm Sect cultivator had intentionally led him to a busy street nearby, where he had then unleashed a bunch of treasures and mystical abilities in a haphazard fashion, injuring over 20 innocent civilians.


    That gave the wealthy ns of the city an excuse to exert pressure on the authorities, and it was deemed that the itinerant cultivator was at fault in the incident, and that he was to be executed. As for what the true circumstances behind the incident were, he would already be dead, so even if there were some rumors going around, nothing could be substantiated.


    Those itinerant cultivators who didn''t wish to have their names recorded by the authorities had always been viewed in an unfavorable light by their respective nations. The authorities didn''t necessarily dare to target them, but all official bodies prayed that such itinerant cultivators would stay away and refrain from wreaking havoc in the territories under their jurisdiction.


    If a conflict were to arise between an itinerant cultivator and a local power, as long as the former wasn''t an extremely powerful cultivator, the local sects and authorities would definitely choose to side with thetter.


    The young cultivator who had betrayed his sect could see that the senior that he had previously feared and revered had no intention of acknowledging his toast, so he merely smiled and threw his head back, downing most of the wine in his cup in one go before wiping his lips with his sleeve.


    He then lowered his head as he smiled and said, "Even if I cultivate and toil away for a century in the Spirit Charm Sect, I would still have no chance of reaching the Middle Five Tiers. Now that I''ve caught the fancy of the great river god, there''s finally some hope in my pursuit of the Great Dao! That''s why from the instant I met that strategist, I had made up my mind to establish my own forces.


    ��This is an opportunity that countless people would die for, so why should I care about the reputation of my former sect? Is that something that can feed me?! Even if it is, so what? I''ve never been given favorable or even fair treatment, all I ever get is the cold leftovers that you and the others leave behind!"


    The young cultivator burped loudly, and he began to chuckle to himself, but no one could see the sorrow and resignation concealed deep within his eyes.


    He slowly picked up a piece of delicate fish between his chopsticks, then took a nce at the Great Water Pce''s chief strategist out of the corner of his eye as he murmured to himself, "If I don''t look out for myself, who will? I''ve been presented with such a life-changing opportunity, so why shouldn''t I grab it with both hands?


    ��Besides, I''m just a lowly cultivator of the Lower Five Tiers, what right do I have to turn down the bequeathment of the great river god? I would''ve been struck down on the spot had I dared to do so!"


    The white-haired old man seated across from the young cultivator was the outer sect grand elder of the Spirit Charm Sect. Strictly speaking, he was only responsible for overseeing the outer sect, but in reality, he took care of many of the affairs of the inner sect as well.


    He hade to attend this Cold Food River worship ceremony primarily with the goal of broadening his direct disciples'' horizons and showing them what the world outside of their sect was like. Of course, if they could take advantage of this opportunity to establish ties with some other powers, then that would naturally be an added bonus.


    The two young men who were apanying the old man at this banquet were both young prodigies of the Spirit Charm Sect. One of them had a 20-foot-long giant red snake resting behind him in a coiled fashion, while the other one had a massive ck tigerying on the ground beside him.


    The sight of the two giant creatures resting next to one another was quite a formidable one to behold.


    However, right as everyone in the hall thought that Cui Chan was sure to suffer a gruesome death, an astonishing turn of events unfolded.


    Cui Chan remained standingpletely still on the spot, watching as the droplets of wine rapidly hurtled toward him.


    However, as soon as the droplets of wine made contact with his robes, they instantly vanished like a flurry of snowkes swirling into a massive burning cauldron.


    The great river god nodded as he murmured to himself, "So he has some type of water repulsion ability. No wonder he dared to crash my banquet."


    He leaned forward slightly as he turned to his strategist with a smile and asked, "Is there something special about his robe, or is it something else that''s allowing him to repel water?"


    The strategist withdrew his gaze from Cui Chan as he turned to the great river god and replied, "I don''t think it has anything to do with his robe. If you ask me, I think he''s carrying a Daoist water repulsion talisman, and it''ll be very difficult for normal water-based mystical abilities to break through that talisman''s natural restriction."


    The great river god couldn''t help but burst intoughter. "Surely this little boy doesn''t think that he can do whatever he pleases in my Great Water Pce just because he''s carrying a talisman!"


    "I presume he has some other tricks up his sleeve," the strategist replied with a smile.


    "That would certainly spice up this boring banquet," the great river god mused as an intrigued expression reced the bored look on his face.


    He then turned to the water snake spirit with an amused smile as he chuckled, "You''ve made quite a fool out of yourself, haven''t you? I''ll allow you to fight in the hall, but you can''t use your iron maces. Otherwise, we''ll have to see you smash someone''s head open again, and it''ll be satisfying for you, but I don''t think it would be conducive to the appetites of our guests."


    "Thank you for granting me this opportunity, my lord," the water snake spirit replied as he rose to his feet with a smile.


    Cui Chan took a few steps back so that he could take a seat on the doorstep, and after doing so, he waved a hand at the water snake spirit, who had just emerged from behind his table, and he said, "Hold on a second, I still have something to say, so let me finish."


    The literary master and the state attendant exchanged a bewildered nce, while the great river god burst into raucousughter before downing a cup of wine.


    Among the guests, there were two people seated up the table from the Spirit Charm Sect traitor. Both of them were around 30 years of age, and they were giving off sharp and forbidding auras.


    Even after witnessing Cui Chan''s water repulsion ability, neither of them paid any heed to him.


    One of them had a longsword strapped to his back even as he was drinking wine, while the other one had his sword resting on his table, no more than several feet away from his sword-wielding right hand.


    It was clear that these two were both swordsmen, and even though it wasn''t apparent whether the two of them had managed to fully nurture their bonded flying swords, swordsmen were widely epted to possess the most destructive power out of all cultivators, and they possessed the greatest potential to take down opponents of a loftier cultivation base than theirs.


    Hence, even a cultivator of the Middle Five Tiers wouldn''t dare to look down on a swordsman of the Lower Five Tiers.


    With each tier of progression made by a swordsman, the increase in the power of their flying sword would far exceed the increase in power that a normal cultivator could expect to experience.


    In particr, all bonded flying swords of swordsmen of the Lower Five Tiers were extremely brittle and fragile, but if that swordsman could reach the Middle Five Tiers, then a drastic transformation would be observed.


    Every single swordsman who had already reached the Middle Five Tiers or had the potential to do so were esteemed guests everywhere they went, particrly if they were of a young age. Among cultivating sects, there was a popr saying: "In the Middle Five Tiers, a 100-year-old swordsman canpare with a 60-year-old cultivator".


    What this saying entailed was that a cultivator who could reach the Middle Five Tiers at 60 years of age was considered to be a brilliant prodigy, but for a sword cultivator, even if they could only reach the Middle Five Tiers at 100 years of age, they were still considered to be just as prodigious.


    Out of the two swordsmen visiting the Great Water Pce, one of them was an itinerant cultivator. It was said that he had received the inheritance of a powerful traveling swordsman, who had bestowed upon him an exceptional weapon that could slice through metal like a hot knife through butter.


    As for the other swordsman, he was the final disciple of the master of the Lurking Dragon Temple. The Lurking Dragon Temple belonged to the alchemy branch of Daoism, and they focused primarily on gathering natural treasures to be refined into pills, which were then consumed to aid their cultivation.


    The premier treasure of the temple was an ancient inkstone by the name of the Old Flood Dragon Inkstone, and it was one of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s 10 most renowned inkstones. There was a tiny flood dragon coiled on the edge of the inkstone, snoring quietly in its slumber.


    It was said that during ancient times in Shu Nation, flood dragons ran rampant and wreaked havoc wherever they went, so there were legends of immortals ying evil flood dragons all across thend.


    Apparently, this tiny flood dragon dwelling in the ancient inkstone was one that had escaped that ancient purge.


    As a disciple of the Lurking Dragon Temple master, the young swordsman with his sword resting on the table hade here to represent the temple and speak with the great river go, discussing the possibility of upgrading the Lurking Dragon Temple from a temple to a pce.


    It was quite difficult for a Daoist cultivation sect to obtain the character for "temple" as the suffix of its name. As was the case for appointing true lords, there was only a set number that could be assigned, so it wasn''t the case that an emperor could just appoint as many true lords as he wanted.


    Hence, not just any Daoist priest could be selected by the emperor to receive this great honor. Instead, the Daoist sects of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent would send people to assess whether someone truly had what was required to be appointed as a true lord.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan cleared his throat as he sat on the doorstep, then dered in a loud voice, "I came today to teach you all a lesson to be proper and decent humans. Of course, for the ghosts and gods here, I''ll also teach you how to be proper and decent spirits and deities. Jeez, this is a bit more tiring than I expected it to be."


    Cui Chan had only justmenced his deration when a disinterested look appeared on his face, and he no longer had the conviction to continue. As a result, the rest of his deration was made in a rather feeble and unconvincing manner.


    "A human must uphold justice and stand like a pir between heaven and earth. A god is worshipped by the masses, so they must reciprocate the masses by granting them blessings and protection.


    ��Even if their Divine Dao has already copsed, as long as they continue to be worshipped and revered, they will never truly die. A ghost is renounced by heaven and earth, but they must strive to persevere through the astral winds and the thunderps to attain immortality."


    This was supposed to have been a rousing deration, but when spoken in such a disinterested tone, it becamepletely meaningless and devoid of ir.


    Cui Chan heaved a faint sigh, then pursed his lips as he murmured to himself, "Brother A''Liang, you can pull off something like this, but it just doesn''t sound right when I say it."


    Cui Chan heaved yet another sigh before rising to his feet, then continued, "Alright, I''ve yed around for long enough. I suppose it''s time to get down to business."


    He then turned to spot in the hall where there was not a single person as he scolded, "What gives someone as weak and pitiful as yourself the courage to y the hero? Do you really think that you''re the seconding of A''Liang?


    ��Because of your actions, your souls and senses have beenpletely scattered. If you hadn''t encountered someone like me, who''s proficient in the art of soul maniption, you would''ve been reduced to a vengeful spirit forced to roam thend aimlessly until your inevitable demise, and you would''ve had to pray with all your might just to be able to see the arrival of a new day. Was it really worth it?"


    After Cui Chan rose to his feet, he pointed at all of the people before him as he dered, "To be frank, all of you are nothing more than mere ants in my eyes."


    His deration was met withplete silence.


    "You don''t believe me?" Cui Chan asked.


    Momentster, the wine cup in the great river god''s hand abruptly shattered.


    Out of everyone in the entire Great Water Pce, the great river god was the only one who was able to see what appeared to have been a deity statue that was several dozen feet tall standing behind Cui Chan. An aura of righteousness permeated throughout heaven and earth, and the deity statue was standing upon its altar, looking down on the ants around it.


    The great river god''s lips began to quiver uncontrobly.


    Is he an 11th tier cultivator? Perhaps a 12th tier cultivator?

 Chapter 143: Fantastic Oddities (4)

    Chapter 143: Fantastic Oddities (4)


    Could it be that a true Confucian Sage hase to my Great Water Pce? Not only that, but it seems like he''s not just an ordinary Confucian Sage, like the mountain master of a certain academy.


    The great river god was gritting his teeth so tightly that they were about to shatter.


    His posture was extremely rigid, and his entire body was tightly wound. He had been a dominant force in the northern region of Yellow Court Nation for centuries, yet at this moment, he was having to clench his fists tightly and m them heavily down onto the armrests of his chair just to suppress the urge to fall to his knees and kowtow for mercy.


    Yellow Court Nation was nothing more than one of Great Sui Nation''s subsidiary nations, so there was no way that this uninvited guest was a local cultivator. The great river god knew all of the powerful cultivators of Yellow Court Nation like the back of his hand, so he knew who he could afford to mess with and who he had to suck up to.


    This was one of the keys to the safe and prosperous reign that the great river god had enjoyed over the past few centuries.


    There were 72 academies of Confucianism, and the mountain master of every single one of them had to have been at least a 10th tier cultivator to have been considered qualified for their role.


    Almighty cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers were often extremely enigmatic and reclusive, so these academy mountain masters, who were generally 10th tier cultivators that were rtively closer to mortal empires, were already worthy of being referred to as Confucian Sages by the mortal empires. Aside from that, there were also Arhats of Buddhism and terrestrial gods of Daoism, both of which were also respectful titles used by the mortal empires.


    This small group of cultivators at the top of the pyramid were like the deity statues worshiped in temples. They certainly transcended far beyond the average person, but at the same time, they weren''t too distant, and they were still close enough that prayers and worship could reach them. As for the immortals of the Upper Five Tiers who were concealed above the clouds, there was simply no way to find or reach them.


    The great river god''s eyes were gradually bing bloodshot, but he was still doing everything in his power not to blink as he scrutinized the deity visage behind Cui Chan intently. From his perspective, he was seeing an authoritative elderly man in a pristine white robe standing atop a divine altar.


    The old man''s entire body was giving off scintiting radiance, and every single ray of light radiating from his body seemed to be imbued with the paramount principles of the Great Dao.


    Upon closer inspection, one would be able to see that each ray of light wasprised of countless vanishing golden characters that were linked together, denoting the rules and etiquette that had to be observed by Confucians.


    The deity visage wore a tall hat and a loose-fitting robe, with sleeves that were as wide as the wings of a bird, swaying on their own despite theck of wind. There was a glowing jade pendant hanging from his waist, and it was particrly eye-catching, like a miniature full moon.


    There was no mistaking it, this really was the aura of a Sage!


    During his lifetime, the great river god hade from a privileged background, so ever since he was a small child, he had learned many secrets that were unbeknownst to the average person. Thus, he was able to identify the signs of a Sage, and that made him even more terrified.


    If another cultivator of the Middle Five Tiers had been in his ce, perhaps they would''ve regarded this as some type of illusion designed to trick and swindle.


    Finally, the great river god blinked, and he was forced to shift his gaze elsewhere due to the stinging pain in his eyes. At the same time, tears began to slide down his face from the sharp stinging sensation, but those tears quickly dissipated. He was naturally unwilling to disy any fear or timidity in the face of all of his guests.


    He had made it to this point over the course of a long cultivation journey, and he wasn''t able to climb to this position solely thanks to his good fortune and exceptional aptitude for cultivation. If he didn''t also possess outstanding mental fortitude to support his natural gifts, then he would''ve most likely already been flushed away by the turbulent water of the Cold Food River.


    He had been taught in the past that when it came to learning the knowledge of sages, the more effort one invested, the more difficult the task would seem, and that when it came to the deity visages of sages, the more one looked up at them, the taller and mightier they seemed.


    At this point, the rules established by the sages of Confucianism were bing more and moreplex and meticulous, and certain rituals and traditions had virtually been set in stone. Gone were the days of the ancient Shu Nation, which was too far in the past for historical records to be kept.


    At the time, there had been many flood dragons across the ancient Shu Nation, and these flood dragons obeyed no one. It was said that the most powerful sword immortals of ancient times liked to go after these flood dragons to hone their swordsmanship, and they took pride in collecting prized flood dragon scalps.


    Isn''t Qi Jingchun dead? The Sage that''s currently presiding over Jewel Small World should be Ruan Qiong, the Militarian cultivator who defected from Wind Snow Temple. In that case, who is this?


    It was clear to the great river god that this unwee guest hadn''te here with friendly intentions.


    However, this was his territory, so even if he were being confronted by the gods themselves, he certainly wasn''t just going to kneel down and ept his fate.


    With that in mind, the great river god forcibly suppressed his fear, and he took a deep breath before raising his left fist slightly, then gently brought it down upon the armrest of his chair. It was a casual gesture, but it caused the entire Great Water Pce to shudder violently. At the same time, massive waves began to sweep over the section of the Cold Food River that directly neighbored the Great Water Pce, crashing forcefully into the river''s banks.


    Everyone in the hall also shuddered involuntarily, and the longswords within the scabbards of the two young swordsmen were disying a particrly strong reaction, screeching and struggling incessantly in an attempt to fly out of their scabbards.


    However, Cui Chan remainedpletely unmoved, and the deity visage behind him was as still as a mountain.


    He raised his head slightly to look up at the great river god before him, and there was a derisive sneer ying on his lips.


    Even though the Great Water Pce was situated next to the river, wide water passageways had already been burrowed deep into the earth beneath the pce. Hence, it was closely interconnected with the fortune of the Cold Food River, thereby making it arge formation in itself.


    It couldn''tpare with the protective formations of some of the top-tier cultivating sects or the protective formations of the imperial capital city, but as long as the great river god remained in his pce, this ce would essentially serve as a personal small world that responded to his beck and call.


    This was far from the norm, and the great river god''s peculiar bloodline was an integral reason behind why he was able to achieve this.


    Generally speaking, a qi refiner would only be able to aplish such a feat after reaching the 10th tier. For example, any 10th tier qi refiner of the three teachings and Militarianism would possess an immense geographic advantage if they were able to remain in their own territory.


    The academies of Confucianism, the monasteries of Buddhism, the temples of Daoism, and the ancient battlefield of Militarianism... These all served as the territories of the qi refiners following those respective teachings, and anyone else that entered those territories would be forced to conform to the rules established by those presiding over said territories.


    The hall had be so silent that even a pin drop could be heard, and the atmosphere had also be quite peculiar.


    The great river god was able to see the deity visage behind Cui Chan, but everyone else in the hall was stillpletely in the dark, feeling quite perplexed about the current situation. In their eyes, the white-robed young boy had swaggered into the pce before making some extremely insolent remarks, yet the great river god seemed to have suddenly fallen into a daze.


    Could it be that this insolent young boy actually came from an immortal n or sect that had close ties with the Great Water Pce? Was that why he dared to be so arrogant and insolent?


    The effeminate man had already emerged from behind his table, and his intention was to capture Cui Chan, but he had stopped cold in his tracks. As a cunning water snake spirit who had been serving the great river god for many years, he had learned just how valuable the skill of observation could be, and he could already sense that something wasn''t quite right.


    Meanwhile, the great river god continued to remain silent. That tap on his armrest produced quite a stunning spectacle, but it seemed that it was only a gesture meant for intimidation, almost as if the great river god were too afraid to actually directly confront the boy.


    Meanwhile, the young boy remained standing on the spot with a cocky expression that was almost challenging the great river god to punish him, and that only served to further exacerbate the strange nature of the situation.


    Finally, the great river god broke his silence, smiling as he said, "May I ask for what purpose you''vee to visit my Great Water Pce?"


    Just now, he had drawn upon the power contained within a section of the Cold Food River to test out the authenticity of the deity visage behind Cui Chan. As a man of extreme pride, he simply couldn''t bring himself to bow his head to someone else while on his own territory without at least verifying that the visitor really was as powerful as they appeared.


    If that deity visage had wavered even by the slightest degree, then the great river god would''ve instantly smashed Cui Chan''s head to bits for attempting to swindle and embarrass him on his own territory.


    However, the deity visage remained as still as an immovable mountain, and he quickly realized that the boy standing before him truly was the real deal.


    On the path of cultivation, courage was most definitely a required quality, and one should have the resolve to rise up and grow stronger in the face of adversity and powerful enemies.


    However, at the same time, it was just as important to be adaptable and be aware of one''s own limits.


    Cui Chan sped one hand behind his back while holding his other fist in front of his abdomen, putting on an extremely punchworthy disy of insolence as a cold smile appeared on his face. "You''ve already attacked me once, so it''s my turn now, right?"


    A dark look appeared on the great river god''s face.


    The water snake spirit was finally unable to rein in his temper any longer, and he strode forward with his back facing the great river god as he raised his maces and screeched in a furious voice! "How dare you! I can''t allow an insolent little brat like yourself to act as you please in the face of our revered great river god!


    ��Master, even if you''re going to punish me for this, I must smash this insolent brat''s head open and devour his brains along with the golden jade elixir in my cup!"


    The great river god''s expression darkened even further as he scolded in a stern voice, "Our esteemed guest must be treated with respect. Stand down and return to your seat at once, Qing."


    Not only did the water snake spirit not follow the great river god''s orders, he sped up even further as he strode toward Cui Chan. "Your kindness is being taken advantage of here, Master! This insolent brat needs to learn some manners, so allow me to teach him a lesson in your stead!"


    After hearing the great river god''s orders, the water snake spirit immediately understood what his true intentions were. Given the great river god''s violent tendencies, if he really wanted to stop the water snake spirit from confronting the young boy, then he would''ve already swatted the water snake spirit straight out of the pce with a sweep of his sleeve.


    Instead, he was putting on this disingenuous disy by referring to the boy as an esteemed guest, and it was clear what he actually wanted.


    The water snake spirit felt himself to be quite fortunate. That carp spirit had managed to curry the favor of the great river god by killing that itinerant cultivator, but if he could defend the great river god''s honor in front of all of these guests, then he would surely receive a handsome reward.


    Despite the great river god''s violent tendencies, he had always been quite generous as well, and the water snake spirit was expecting at least arge vat of golden jade elixir as a reward for his efforts.


    Unbeknownst to the water snake spirit, the great river god was intentionally sending him to his death in order to verify for a second time that Cui Chan was indeed as powerful as he appeared to be.


    All of the guests in the hall were filled with intrigue and anticipation, wanting to see what was going to happen next. Prior to this, the ceremony had been extremely boring and uneventful, but that was certainly no longer the case.


    Even if the white-robed young boy were merely bluffing and had no power to back up his insolent words, it would still be quite a spectacle to see one of the great river god''s subordinates im the life of this cocky young brat.


    "The umted earth forms a mountain, serving as the origin point of wind and rain."


    This entire time, Cui Chan couldn''t even be bothered to spare a nce at the water snake spirit, and he suddenly began to recite a passage of poetry in a casual andckadaisical manner, as if he were cating a teacher who had instructed him to recite the passage as an assignment.


    However, as soon as his voice trailed off, a serious look suddenly appeared on his face, and in the blink of an eye, he had transformed from ackadaisical young boy into an extremely solemn and dogmatic schr, giving off an immense aura of righteousness.


    He then raised a foot before stomping it down in a forceful manner as he continued, "The umted water forms an abyss, giving rise to flood dragons!"


    The deity visage behind Cui Chan emted his movements, also raising a foot before quickly stomping down onto the ground.


    In this instant, the great river god found himselfpletely immobilized, and it was a struggle for him just to draw breath. There was a horrified look on his face, and he desperately wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn''t spit out even a single word.


    It was as if he had encountered a natural predator, as if no matter how far he progressed in the path of cultivation, he would still bepletely powerless in the face of such a formidable foe, unable to do anything aside from ept his own fate.


    The words "giving rise to flood dragons" was like a thunderp that had erupted right beside the great river god''s ears, reverberating over and over again. It was as if someone had thrust a finger directly into his heart before stirring it up into a frenzy, sending waves of uncontroble emotions surging throughout his entire body.


    At the same time, the coiled golden dragon embroidered onto his chest suddenly began to frantically swim around as if it had sprung to life, and the azure robe was serving as theke that it was swimming in. However, the dragon was swimming around in an extremely frenzied and erratic fashion, fueled by pain and insanity, disying none of the casual poise andposure one would expect to see in a flood dragon in water.


    As the golden flood dragon swam around frantically, its original bright golden coloration gradually began to fade. At the same time, golden threads were constantly peeling off the azure robe before drifting down onto the ground, where they were reduced to ashes.


    Cui Chan smiled as he took a step forward, then raised his foot once again. "To think that a little pond insect like you would dare to test me repeatedly! You tested me twice just now, so I''m going to stomp on your Cold Food River and split it up into three segments! Let''s see how you''re going to rule over thekes and rivers now!"

 Chapter 144: One Sitting on the Well, One Looking at the Sky

    Chapter 144: One Sitting on the Well, One Looking at the Sky


    In the Autumn Reed Inn, near the old well located near the pavilion...


    A young boy in straw sandals quietly sat by himself. It was as if he were waiting for someone.


    Nearby in the room, the little boy Li Huai was already fast asleep. The oilmp on the table had already been extinguished.


    Just then, Chen Ping''an had put away several maps. Some of them disyed the states and prefectures in the south of the Great Li Empire, while some of them disyed the territories of Great Sui Nation. These maps had all been gifted to him by Ruan Xiu.


    After cing the maps back into his basket, Chen Ping''an had sat down beside the table and started to mull over the same problem again.


    There was definitely no need to suspect Ruan Xiu.


    However, Cui Chan and Wu Yuan, the county magistrate, had jointly visited the cksmith shop before.


    And ording to Ruan Xiu''s casual remarks, these maps had been generously offered to her by none other than the office of the county magistrate.


    Chen Ping''an and the children had traveled south ande across that group of people outside Yefu Pass. After deciding to travel together, their experiences in Yellow Court Nation had been as strange as could be.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an had walked toward the pavilion once again. He sat down on the old well to wait for Cui Chan.


    ��������


    The Great Water Pce was permeated with an aura of gloom and misery. Blood covered the floor of the entire hall.


    Initially a boisterous hall filled with music and dance, this was now a hall that couldn''t be starker in contrast.


    Dressed in white, Cui Chan remained sitting on the elevated white jade chair, with his mind wandering in a ce far away.


    Meanwhile, the great river god stood in front of him in the hall and used his water element mystical abilities to rid the bloodstains and sanguine smell from his body. The beautiful maidservants in the Great Water Pce had all been disposed of by the great river god, regardless of whether they were water ghosts or living humans. A ruler careless in speech would lose officials, while secrets carelessly disclosed would lead to death. As the mighty great river god watching over the 18 rivers in the north of Yellow Court Nation and forging them into a unified power, he was naturally deeply aware of this principle.


    Of his two most trusted subordinates, the chief strategist in Confucian robes was neither drinking nor eating meat. Instead, he was sitting upright like a lifeless y Bodhisattva. Meanwhile, the bloated toad appeared listless as it obediently sat in its spot. It appeared as if it had been petrified by the bloody events of today.


    Nearby, Tang Jiang remained calmly sitting in his original spot. In fact, the spy from the Great Li Empire''s Green Bamboo Pavilion held a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a ss of wine in the other as he enjoyed the delicious dishes that were gradually bing cold.


    How many years had it been since he hadst felt so satisfied and delighted?


    If Tang Jiang bowed and spoke obsequiously for a few more years, then he might genuinely have be ustomed to working as a lowlyckey for others. At that time, perhaps he would forget how to stand up straight and enjoy the dignity of a normal person even if the iron hooves of the Great Li Empire''s warhorses shattered thends of Yellow Court Nation...


    The cultivator who had defected from the Spirit Charm Sect hadn''t been killed. However, he was already drenched in sweat.


    Apart from him, there were two other extremely fortunate souls who hadn''t been killed.


    They were none other than the two young swordsmen who hade from entirely different backgrounds. Just then, Cui Chan had given them an opportunity to avoid death. There were two beasts in the hall brought over by the cultivator from the Spirit Charm Sect, if the two swordsmen who were yet to reach the Middle Five Tiers could kill one beast each using only their bonded flying sword, then Cui Chan would allow them to be genuine esteemed guests of this Great Water Pce.


    In fact, Cui Chan even agreed that they could refer to the great river god of the Cold Food River as their brother. Such a huge honor would undoubtedly allow the two swordsmen to greatly elevate their status. They would immediately be hot property in the northern regions of Yellow Court Nation. This was especially the case for the Qi refiner from the Lurking Dragon Temple. He was nothing more than an adored disciple of the temple''s master, but from today onward, he would very likely be the leading candidate to be the next temple master. Not only that, but no one would dare to challenge him.


    The two swordsmen were both at the peak stage of the third tier, and the power of their bonded flying swords was still extremely flimsy and unsustained. Thus, their battle with the two beasts was incredibly intense and perilous. Even though they ultimately pulled through, their victory could only be considered a pyrrhic victory. They had both suffered heavy wounds. Fortunately, however, their bonded flying swords hadn''t been damaged too severely.


    Cui Chan was still zoning out, yet no one dared to disturb him.


    However, they naturally couldn''t sit there and wait forever, so in the end, the great river god in azure could only call out in a soft voice, saying, "Perfected Immortal?"


    Cui Chan came to his senses and swept his gaze across the hall. He then turned to the two swordsmen and said, "Since you two won, this demonstrates that you have the right to continue down this path of the Great Dao. You two can leave and treat your wounds first. The Great Water Pce will provide you with the best pills, and they''ll also provide you with all the materials you need to refine your swords.


    "That masterless swordsman, you can stay in the Great Water Pce in the future and enjoy the position of low-ranked honored member. As for the swordsman from the Lurking Dragon Temple, tell your greedy andscivious master that both levels of government, from prefecture to state, will help regarding the elevation of the Lurking Dragon Temple from a temple to a pce. The Great Water Pce and a few cab elders from the imperial court will also provide their assistance. Tell him to sit tight and wait for the good news."


    The two swordsmen were over the moon, and they both thanked Cui Chan profusely before taking their leave.


    Cui Chan turned to Tang Jiang and said, "There''s no need to gild the lily after returning. Just continue to lie low with the other spies."


    Tang Jiang quickly stood up to receive this order.


    He was just about to leave, yet he heard Cui Chan snap, "Don''t you understand the concept of ''reaching over to lead the sheep away''[2]? Are you not going to take the remaining wine on the tables with you?"


    Tang Jiang was slightly hesitant.


    "Just think of this as something that the Great Li Empire owes you. It''s your loss if you don''t take it," Cui Chan said with impatience.


    A peculiar glow suddenly appeared on Tang Jiang''spletely unremarkable face. He cupped his fists and turned around before striding out of the hall. After walking out, and with his back facing everyone, he raised his hands above one shoulder and cupped his fists at Cui Chan once again. He didn''t dare to turn around, and the rims of his eyes were red as he gazed into the distance.


    "Milord, the Great Li Empire has never owed Tang Jiang anything! Even if I can only watch the Great Li Empire flourishing and rising from a distantnd... Haha, this feeling... Is it not tens of thousands of times better than the vor of that wine?!"


    "Hah, your ability to tter others is truly well-trained and top-notch. However, it''s a shame that I''m immune to this. Alright, you can piss off now," Cui Chan scolded with a chuckle.


    Outside the hall, the spy from the Great Li Empire who was no longer a young man roared with heartyughter as he strode across the soil of a foreignnd. His steps were light and carefree.


    Looking at the empty hall, Cui Chan suddenly revealed, "My surname is Cui. I''m from the capital of the Great Li Empire."


    The chubby man whose true identity was a river-blocking toad was utterly baffled.


    The great river god was slightly stumped.


    Meanwhile, the Yin entity strategist hurriedly stood up and bowed in a respectful manner, saying, "My respects to Imperial Preceptor!"


    The great river god was stunned. After a while, he wholeheartedly epted the situation and remarked, "So it''s the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor who has personally visited my humble home."


    The slow-witted toad prostrated itself on the floor once again. It continued to bang its head on the floor and kowtow, and it appeared as sincere as could be.


    "Does Prefectural Governor Wei have any hidden background? Will he be a potential roadblock for us in the future?" Cui Chan asked.


    The great river god shook his head and replied, "Wei Li was born in a poor family in Yellow Court Nation''s south. He doesn''t have any powerful supporters in the official circles either, or else he wouldn''t need to yield to me in this prefecture. Right now, he has no option but to betray his spirit as a schr to tter the Great Water Pce."


    Cui Chan rested his cheek on one hand and used his other hand to tap the armrest of the white jade chair. "When conquering the northern nations before, the Great Li Empire was focused on overwhelming them and smashing through them like splitting bamboo. Those who refused to surrender would be killed without mercy. Song Changjing was no stranger to massacring cities and digging mass graves for tens of thousands of people. This was an act of demonstrating the Great Li Empire''s might.


    "However, our expedition down south won''t be as easy and smooth sailing as this. Yellow Court Nation is the first big challenge that lies in our path. Thus, we can''t have it be a broken mess that''s left in tatters. After all, all of the empires and nations to the north of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Lake View Academy and to the south of the Great Li Empire''s Yefu Pass are carefully observing the development of this situation.


    "There will only be an increasing number of loyal officials like Wei Li in the future. Most importantly, we need to determine whether people like Wei Li make up the majority of an empire''s officialdom, or whether people like that state attendant make up the majority. Depending on the different situations, the ferocity and speed of the Great Li Empire''s army will also vary."


    The strategist nodded slightly.


    Cui Chan suddenly looked at the strategist andmanded, "Tell me your thoughts about Wei Li."


    The strategist smiled and replied, "Wei Li is very intelligent, yet he''s also not intelligent enough. If he were intelligent enough, then he wouldn''t have attempted to appease both parties during themotion before. He wouldn''t have tried to appease his own conscience while also trying to maintain good rtionships with the others. Such beneficial oues don''t exist in the world. At the very least, they don''t exist in the territories controlled by the Great Water Pce."


    He pointed at the trembling traitor from the Spirit Charm Sect and said, "After threatening and bribing this person a little..."


    Cui Chan interrupted the strategist river guardian and said with a smile, "A little? You''re saying this quite casually, but everyone reacts differently to a given situation. Not everyone is as loyal to their nation as you are Sui Bin, and not everyone is willing to resolutely choose death for the sake of righteousness. Not only did you choose death for yourself, but you even dragged your entire family along with you."


    The strategist was unfazed, and he cupped his fists before replying, "You tter me, Imperial Preceptor."


    Cui Chan waved a hand and signaled for Sui Bin to continue.


    "As the home of the Great Water Pce, many things have happened in the prefecture over the course of the past several hundred years. For example, we secretly breached a levee, causing some prefectures to experience both floods and droughts, and so on. Not only was Prefectural Governor Wei aware of these matters, but even the governors and overseers before him most likely suspected that something was going on," Sui Bin continued.


    "However, they were never able to gather any solid evidence, and they were also apprehensive of the great river god''s might. Thus, they swept these matters under the rug and allowed us to coexist peacefully the entire time. Speaking of the prefectural government''s archive room, it''s experienced numerous floods and fires over the years. In terms of the things that were recorded on these lost documents, they were all matters that the Great Water Pce hoped to keep secret from the public. We weren''t afraid of a government siege, and we simply didn''t want our reputation to take a hit."


    After exining this, Sui Bin turned to the great river god and said with a faint smile, "Master is someone who cares about his reputation."


    The great river god chuckled in annoyance and said, "Sui Bin, are you really going to pick at the scabs of your savior like this? If it weren''t for me gathering your damaged soul that was drifting across the river and reforging a body for you at that time, then you would have already experienced reincarnation heaven knows how many times."


    Sui Bin smiled and feigned begging for forgiveness. He was surprisingly unafraid of the great river god''s overwhelming might.


    The strategist''s face was dark green, and he bent down in front of Cui Chan to pick up a ss of wine. After taking a sip, he continued, "That Wei Li is both ambitious and talented, and he relied on his own abilities to climb to the level of prefectural governor. However, he''s still willing to bow his head and endure many things. If someone like him breaks free from our control and is promoted to a ministerial position in the capital in the future �� especially one in the Ministry of Rites who''s extremely trusted by the emperor of Yellow Court Nation �� thenbined with his grievances from his previous roles in the local areas, won''t we be afraid of him gathering his resolve and pointing his de at the Great Water Pce at that time?


    "With this in mind, I told the great river god that we can indeed use this kind of official. However, if they still have a... sense of righteousness in their mind, then we definitely can''t trust them with any great responsibility."


    Cui Chan shot a sideways nce at Sui Bin. "Such prating criticism of his ulterior motives. If you chose to cultivate instead of bing an official, then perhaps you would have had an opportunity to reach the 10th tier."


    "It''s a shame that we can''t go back in time," the river guardian Sui Bin said with a rxed smile.


    Cui Chan stood up and shook his sleeve, causing half a stick of incense to slide out.


    Everyone in the hall was puzzled. What was this young-looking imperial preceptor from the Great Li Empire ying at?


    Cui Chan ced the half-burned stick of incense in the air and allowed it to hover there. He then snapped his fingers.


    The incense lit up, sending wisps of smoke into the surroundings.


    These wisps of smoke didn''t dissipate in the air, and they instead hung there and slowly converged into the slender figure of a young woman.


    Sui Bin''s expression changed drastically, and he was finally unable to maintain hisposure any longer. "How is this possible?!" he eximed.


    The great river god squinted his eyes and shot a sideways nce at his trusted strategist. Even though he was astonished by the young imperial preceptor''s mystical abilities, he was actually feeling quite rxed as he enjoyed the show taking ce.


    The young woman''s figure stabilized slowly, with her appearance bing increasingly clear as well. When she eventually floated down andnded on the hall, it became clear that she was the woman being honored in the Azure Maiden Temple on Horizontal Mountain. She had yed Go with Lin Shouyi once, and Cui Chan had also ordered Yu Lu to offer her a stick of incense.


    One had to realize that even Old Man Yang from the small town had sincerely praised the young imperial preceptor as someone who was "proficient in the art of soul maniption". Thus, it was clear that Cui Chan had used some sort of unique secret technique to "steal" the young woman from the temple.


    Generally speaking, it was impossible for deities from illegal temples to freely leave their territories. This was especially the case for low-level deities with shallow cultivation bases.


    The strategist who had gone by the name Sui Bin during his life exploded in rage upon seeing the young woman. His face became increasingly dark, and his finger shook uncontrobly as he pointed at the young woman. His initially calm expression became twisted as he spat, "Shameless wretch! You still have the face to leave Horizontal Mountain? Have you forgotten your oath? Absolute wretch! Disloyal to your country and undutiful to your parents... You''re a wretch who has betrayed everything!"


    The young woman was panic-stricken and terrified upon seeing the strategist, and she said in a timid voice, "Father..."


    However, she felt extremely ashamed after uttering this, and she covered her face and started to sob. She appeared pitiful and helpless.


    Cui Chan crossed his legs and asked in an amused voice, "Are you surprised?"


    He then looked at the great river god and said with a chuckle, "I''ve read ''The Records of Shu Nation'' before, and one of the strange and interesting stories recorded on it is about the Azure Maiden Temple in Horizontal Mountain. ording to the story, a high-ranking official from an overthrown empiremitted suicide for his nation beside an old cypress tree on Horizontal Mountain.


    "However, his family was unwilling to die with him, so they all fled to other ces. Only his youngest daughter slit her throat andmitted suicide with him. Her blood sprayed onto the ancient cypress tree, and this allowed her soul to take residence there. In the end, she became the Azure Maiden of Horizontal Mountain. What a deeply moving story."


    The great river god sat down on an empty chair and chuckled, "This is nothing but a false myth. In reality, the situation was theplete opposite. When Sui Bin decided to give up his escape at the small temple andmit suicide with the assistant minister of their destroyed nation to demonstrate his loyalty, most of his female rtives chose to hang themselves andmit suicide. The others also ran into walls or swallowed gold tomit suicide. In fact, only his youngest daughter was unwilling to die.


    "She ran out of the small temple, yet Sui Bin caught up to her and killed her with his sword under the ancient cypress tree. She transformed into a resentful spirit, yet a sliver of her sentience remained intact. She was also rtively kind-hearted after her death, and she provided both shade and protection to many passing mortals. It was because of this that she gained a good reputation in ''The Records of Shu Nation''."


    The great river god took a sip of wine and continued, "Afterward, her father became my subordinate and eventually became the river guardian of some river near Horizontal Mountain thanks to my rmendation. Perhaps Sui Bin felt guilty, or perhaps it was because of some other reason, but he secretly asked someone to make a gold-gilded y statue for the resentful spirit that was already nearing its end after beingshed by the winds and scorched by the sun. It was thanks to this that his daughter was able to survive."


    Cui Chan clicked his tongue in wonder.


    However, the river guardian Sui Bin became even more enraged, and he roared, "You''re even worse than a beast! I remained upright and righteous my entire life, and the Sui n also remained proper for over 300 years. Yet, in the end, how did we produce a wretch like you?!"


    Cui Chan reverted to hiszy sitting position with his cheek resting on a hand. As he watched the miserable scenes ying out between the estranged father and daughter, he suddenly said, "Sui Bin, that''s about enough."


    In his fit of rage, Sui Bin couldn''t care less whether the young boy was an imperial preceptor or not. "I''m merely disciplining my daughter; is there anything wrong with this?!" he retorted.


    "But I feel like you''ve already taken things far enough," Cui Chan replied calmly. "Is this a good enough reason for you?"


    "Sui Bin! Don''t be disrespectful! If you dare to say another word, then I''ll knock all of your teeth out!"


    Tonight was the first time that the great river god actively begged for forgiveness for his subordinates. He stood up again and bowed his head to Cui Chan before begging, "Please don''t mind him, esteemed imperial preceptor."


    Cui Chan jumped off the white jade chair andzily stretched his back. "Alright, alright, I''m going to leave now. Otherwise, a certain someone is going to be suspicious of me."


    He navigated around therge desk and made his way down the steps. With his hands holding his sleeves, he chuckled and said to the young woman who hadn''t dared to raise her head this entire time, "Don''t listen to your father''s nonsense. A young and gentle girl like you should be learning musical instruments, Go, calligraphy, and painting at your age. When your heart flutters, you should hide in your room and secretly daydream about your crush. That''s how you should be living life.


    "In terms of crumbling mountains and severed rivers, bloody battles and destroyed countries? This is all because of men like your father being ipetent and useless. Yet, Sui Bin was still shameless enough to drag you into the grave with him. What are you feeling ashamed of? Your father''s the one who should feel ashamed for hanging himself. Rest assured, the great river god will definitely protect you in the future. If your father dares to scold you, then tell the great river god to give him a good p."


    Sui Bin was absolutely stupefied.


    The great river god could feel a headache forming.


    The young woman mustered her courage and raised her head for a split second to steal a nce at her father. However, she quickly lowered her head again and sobbed in a quiet voice, "Father, it was your daughter who was undutiful."


    Cui Chan huffed and quickly strode over, lightly pping the young woman on the back of the head. "You meek little thing," he scolded with a chuckle.


    Seeing that the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire was about to leave, the great river god hurriedly ran after him and asked in a quiet voice, "Imperial Preceptor, you''re not going to rest here tonight?"


    "I''m afraid of the murderous aura of this ce," Cui Chan replied.


    The great river god didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    When he arrived at the door, Cui Chan first nced at the silent father and daughter before turning to the great river god of the Cold Food River and saying, "You''re much more fortunate than her. You have a father who isn''t so stubborn and pedantic."


    The great river god became even more submissive than before, and he asked, "You''ve already met my father before, esteemed Imperial Preceptor?"


    Cui Chan nodded and replied, "The old man even treated me to a few meals of mountain delicacies. Truth be told, it was much better than yourbination of meat and beautiful women."


    "I wouldn''t dare topare myself to my father," the great river god chuckled.


    Cui Chan stopped and patted the great river god''s shoulder. "When the Great Li Empire conquers Yellow Court Nation, I''ll definitelypensate you and even throw in some extra for the damage that I caused with my two stomps. And that white jade chair is also a little useful to your tribe, so I''ll leave it with you as a gift."


    "I''m willing to loyally serve Imperial Preceptor!" the obsequious great river god said in a solemn voice.


    Cui Chan clearly didn''t take him seriously, and he told the great river god that there was no need for him to see him off. Cui Chan left the Great Water Pce by himself and leaped into the Cold Food River.


    His hands and feet didn''t move, yet he was still able to nimbly cut through the water. He advanced gracefully, and it was as if he were a white flood dragon who had lived here since ancient times.


    Following the flow of the river, he eventually arrived at the bottom of the well located at the old address of the city god pavilion. He didn''t return to the nearby Autumn Reed Inn immediately, and he instead stopped here for a long time, silent and unmoving.


    He stood at the bottom of the well, and his hands were sped behind his back as he looked up at the sky.


    ��������


    Sitting on the well, the young boy above suddenly asked, "Why aren''t youing up?"


    "Because I don''t dare to," Cui Chan replied with a smile.


    1. A y on the idiom "looking at the sky from the bottom of the well", which refers to a person who is ignorant and short-sighted. ?


    2. To have sticky fingers. This literally means seizing the opportunity to steal from others. ?

 Chapter 145: Traces (1)

    Chapter 145: Traces (1)


    "Come up," Chen Ping''an said from the top of the well.


    "No," Cui Chan replied with a shake of his head from the bottom of the well.


    Chen Ping''an''s voice was calm as he said, "Let''s have a good chat and speak some reason first. We won''t throw hands straight away. In any case, I have nothing but a bit of brute strength, so could I defeat you, Cui Dongshan, in a fight?"


    "I refuse!" the young Cui Chan insisted as he shook his head in earnest.


    "Why?" Chen Ping''an asked with a frown.


    "I''m afraid of the heat, and it''s cooler down at the bottom of the well," Cui Chan replied loudly.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath before standing up. He started to slowly pace around the old well.


    Cui Chan''s voice quickly traveled over from the bottom of the well again, saying, "Chen Ping''an, stop pretending already. Even though you don''t acknowledge me as your disciple, I acknowledge you as my master! So I can neither attack you nor do I dare to kill you. If you insist on throwing hands, then I''ll definitely be the one who suffers the most. Also, your killing intent has almost filled up the entire well already! If I still go up to face a beating, then am I stupid or what?"


    The young imperial preceptor chuckled as he spoke. As he stood in the gently rippling water, he reached over and ran his fingers along the wall of the old well. It was filled with dark green moss that was smooth and cold to the touch.


    Even though his tone was calm, his mind was feeling nowhere near as rxed. In fact, this was even more draining on his mind and taxing on his body than pretending to be a supremely powerful cultivator in the Great Water Pce.


    This was because traveling through the groundwater to the well, Cui Chan had finally realized for the very first time that the young boy Chen Ping''an could genuinely threaten his life. Even though Cui Chan was unsure of what kind of frightening technique Chen Ping''an was concealing, his intuition had always been very urate.


    Chen Ping''an was walking in circles, yet he was unwilling to beat around the bush and go around in circles with the person at the bottom of the well. "Did you and County Magistrate Wu Yuan secretly tamper with those maps from the county magistrate''s office?" he asked directly.


    "Sorry? What? I can''t hear you! Chen Ping''an, what did you say just then? I can''t hear you properly from down here!" Cui Chan shouted.


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "Then that''s a yes."


    "Huh? What kind of logic is this?" Cui Chan instantly shouted in panic.


    "I''m going to ask you a single question," Chen Ping''an said. "Are you going to harm Li Baoping and the others?"


    Cui Chan didn''t directly answer this question. Instead, he countered, "Will you believe my answer?"


    "No," Chen Ping''an replied without any hesitation.


    Cui Chan stomped his feet in anger and spat, "Then why the hell are you asking?!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything else.


    Cui Chan pricked his ears up and listened carefully, yet he still didn''t hear anything after a long while. He instantly became panicked. An aggrieved feeling welled up in his mind, and a solemn and tragic expression appeared on his face.


    Fucking hell, this is truly a case of a tiger being bullied when out of its habitat. If we were both at the Great Water Pce, would you, Chen Ping''an, dare to act so arrogantly toward anyone there? Would you dare to act so arrogantly toward even the weakest ant in that ce?


    However, it was a pity that Cui Chan was in a hugely disadvantageous position where he had no option but to yield. He hurriedly craned his neck and yelled, "Chen Ping''an, Young Master Chen, Brother Chen, Lord Chen, Ancestor Chen! You stubbornly refuse to be my master, and so be it if you refuse. But there''s no animosity between us, nor are there any grievances, so can you stop acting in such an unreasonable manner? Even if there''s no master-disciple bond between us, we can at least show some mutual respect as fellow cultivators, right?!"


    He finally managed to elicit a response from Chen Ping''an, who said, "I promised Mr. Qi that I would keep them safe and bring them to the academy in Great Sui Nation."


    The young boy in white at the bottom of the well fellpletely silent.


    The young boy in straw sandals standing beside the well also fell silent.


    Chen Ping''an had never trusted Cui Chan, and he had remained extremely guarded against him the entire time.


    Cui Chan had been harboring ulterior motives since the very beginning, and there was absolutely no doubt about this. Even a blind fool would have been able to realize this.


    Take, for example, their choice to stay in the Autumn Reed Inn. Cui Chan had used the city god temple as an excuse to mention the Autumn Reed Inn. His words had appeared sincere and well-intentioned, yet he had actually been using Lin Shouyi''s cultivation as bait the entire time. Indeed, he had manipted the situation such that Chen Ping''an would actively ask to search for the old address of the city god temple.


    After exiting Yefu Pass, their journey to this inn had been far too smoothpared to their bumpy journey from before. Lin Shouyi had calmly cultivated the entire time, while Li Huai was nothing more than a little child who was always up to no good. Even though Li Baoping didn''t say anything, the little girl had definitely been hurt by Zhu He and Zhu Lu''s actions.


    Moreover, Li Baoping was the one who most lived up to their purpose of ''journeying and seeking knowledge with books on their back''. She would often ponder some strange and peculiar questions. Compared to Lin Shouyi who was already a Qi refiner and Li Huai who possessed immense talent, Li Baoping was also the one who was most willing to face hardships on this journey to seek knowledge.


    As for Xie Xie and Yu Lu, these were people who Cui Chan had introduced into the group. Thus, they had to be considered separately.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was always busier than everyone else �� he was responsible for their food and shelter ��he would still continue to practice walking meditation while on the road. When he had spare time, he would also practice standing meditation to nurture his body and patch up any shorings.


    However, there was one thing that Chen Ping''an would never forget. That was, his duty to protect Li Baoping and the others and bring them to the academy in Great Sui Nation. Regardless of whether it was during the battle against pythons in Go Table Mountain, the perilous threat of assassination in Red Candle Town''s Pillow Ry Station, falling into the deadly trap of Lady Chu, or their journey through mountains and rivers in Yellow Court Nation, this was a duty that he had never forgotten.


    Standing under the pavilion, Lin Shouyi had given Chen Ping''an a warning before leaving. He had warned Chen Ping''an that Cui Dongshan was seeking to obtain a matter from him, one that wasn''t necessarily a physical object. Perhaps Cui Dongshan was seeking arge and abstract matter that pertained to the Great Dao of cultivators.


    Li Baoping had also once mentioned in passing that Cui Dongshan was extremely skilled at Go. She and Lin Shouyi could n a few steps ahead, yet Cui Dongshan''s calctions were far more profound and far-sighted. In fact, it was so far-sighted that she, Lin Shouyi, Xie Xie, and Yu Lu werepletely unable to fathom it. When Cui Dongshan yed against them, it was very likely that he was already pondering the middle of the game while only cing the first piece. In fact, it was possible that he was already pondering the end game.


    After Lin Shouyi left, Chen Ping''an had stared at the old well and felt like the knot in his heart had be even tighter and harder to undo.


    As Chen Ping''an mulled over this, not only did his thoughts not be clearer, but they instead became even more muddled and convoluted. In the end, he had no option but to abandon his thoughts about theseplex matters first. He would start his analysis from the very beginning.


    For example, from his time in the small town, his home town.


    Or from the time of their first encounter.


    As he pondered this, Chen Ping''an suddenly thought of an outsider, County Magistrate Wu Yuan.


    Where there was a county magistrate, there would naturally be a county magistrate''s office. Indeed, the true origin of the stack ofrge and small maps that he carried with him was this county magistrate''s office and not Ruan Xiu��s.


    Chen Ping''an returned to his room and started toy the maps out. He studied them for two entire hours.


    Even so, he was still unable to uncover the truth. However, he could vaguely make out a trace.


    Combining the traces on the different maps, it would add up to a length of approximately three meters.


    It was only three meters on the map, yet Chen Ping''an and the others had spent a huge amount of time and faced many hardships to cover this seemingly short distance.


    Cui Chan raised his hands and said, "Okay, I''m scared of you, I give in, alright? Can I swear to the heavens? I promise that I, Cui Dongshan, won''t hurt the three bratty kids, Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi!"


    "Cui Dongshan."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Are you being genuine?"


    Cui Chan patted his chest so hard that even Chen Ping''an could hear it from the top of the well. "Believe me this one time!"


    Right at this moment, a crisp and delighted voice traveled over from the distance. "Junior Uncle! Sure enough, you''re over here!"


    A little girl wearing a red jacket rapidly charged over from the distance and sprinted toward the pavilion with a whoosh. With a leap, she soared through the air where she furiously swung her arms. She thennded in front of the pavilion with a thud, with her body swaying back and forth. After she regained her bnce, she continued to sprint toward the old well which was still a short distance away.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly dumbfounded, and he didn''t know whether tough or cry. However, he felt like this was something that he would eventually be ustomed to. He hurriedly walked over and asked, "What''s wrong? Can''t fall asleep?"


    Li Baoping immediately feigned a demeanor of maturity and sighed, "That Xie Xie snores way too loudly when she sleeps."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and remained silent.


    Li Baoping immediately became honest and said, "Alright, I admit that she doesn''t snore when she sleeps. I was woken up by my own nightmare."


    Chen Ping''an turned around and shot a nce at the well before retracting his gaze and asking with a smile, "What nightmare?"


    Li Baoping shook her head and replied, "Ever since I was little, I would dream almost every single day. However, I can never remember the contents of my dreams. I can only vaguely remember whether it''s a good dream or a bad dream."


    Chen Ping''an pulled her over to the pavilion to sit down.


    Li Baoping continued to speak non-stop, saying, "Junior Uncle, we''ve already traveled for almost half a year after leaving the small town. ording to the maps, we''re already more than halfway to our destination. Time truly flies! It flies even quicker than I can run, right?


    "Sigh, it would have been great if Great Sui Nation were located at the southernmost region of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. That way, I could have witnessed the sea with Junior Uncle.


    "Junior Uncle, the Iron Talisman River and the Embroidered Flower River are already sorge and so full of water, so just howrge and how full of water is the sea? I heard Big Brother say that there''s an Old Dragon City there, and if we look south from its city walls, we''ll be able to see waves that soar dozens of meters high. Doesn''t that sound terrifying?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "We''ll definitely go through many pairs of straw sandals if we want to travel somewhere so far away. However, our current destination is the academy in Great Sui Nation. I''ve heard that there will be far fewer mountains once we enter the territory of Great Sui Nation. At that time, you guys won''t need to wear these straw sandals anymore. You can buy some morefortable boots."


    Li Baoping nced down at her thick and sturdy straw sandals before looking up and saying with a grin, "Then I''ll buy the same boots as Junior Uncle. I''ll simply choose a smaller size. Let''s make a promise."


    "What, you''re afraid that I''ll embarrass you guys if I don''t wear boots and continue to wear these straw sandals?" Chen Ping''an teased.


    Li Baoping''s eyes widened in astonishment, and she eximed, "Wow! Junior Uncle, you know how to crack jokes now?"


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this.


    Li Baoping swung her feet as she sat on the bench. Looking up, she suddenly discovered a string of small wind chimes hanging from the eaves.


    "Junior Uncle, I always feel like our teacher is thinking of us," she said from out of nowhere.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    The little girl shut her eyes and rested her head on the red pir of the pavilion. She listened to the crisp tinkling of the wind chimes.


    It was as if thest wisp of spring wind in the world were gently pushing the wind chimes hanging from the eaves.


    Ding ding, ding dong, ding ding dong.


    Li Baoping waited for a long time, yet the wind chimes didn''t tinkle again. She leaped up from the bench and sprinted away from the pavilion. As she did so, she didn''t forget to turn around and wave her hand, shouting, "Junior Uncle, I''m going back to sleep now!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and waved goodbye. He then returned to the old well.


    Cui Chan stayed put the entire time, neither leaving the well from the bottom nor climbing up to the top.


    ��������


    There was an undting mountain range in the west of Dragon Spring County, and one of the mountains in this range was Downtrodden Mountain. Right now, it was County Magistrate Wu Yuan''s most trusted subordinate, Fu Yu, who was overseeing the construction of the mountain god temple on Downtrodden Mountain. In fact, Wu Yuan had sent him here because Fu Yu had gotten into an argument with outsiders in the county city not long ago. Wu Yuan wanted to avoid extra trouble during this important time, so he had sent Fu Yu over toy low for a while.


    Late one night, when the moon was bright and the stars were few, the young man from the capital who had been born into a powerful n but ended up as a petty official walked alone by himself through the mountain paths. He came to a stop when he saw the strange person who was erecting bamboo buildings on Downtrodden Mountain.


    When that person saw Fu Yu, he smiled and asked, "Shouldn''t Imperial Preceptor Cui''s disciple, the esteemed County Magistrate Wu Yuan, be the one looking for me?"


    Fu Yu''s expression was calm and indifferent as he frankly exined, "Wu Yuan is a chess piece that Her Majesty nted beside the imperial preceptor. Meanwhile, I''m the chess piece that the imperial preceptor nted next to the county magistrate."


    A handsome appearance, a noble demeanor, a cold expression, and an aloof manner of speech �� this was in stark contrast to Fu Yu''s gentle and graceful demeanor in the county magistrate''s office.


    Fu Yu extended a hand and held his palm outstretched after revealing this huge secret.


    The other person retrieved the ck Go piece from Fu Yu''s palm and gestured for him to take a seat on a nearby bamboo chair. There was a beaming smile on his face as he said, "I understand. So one of us is asking for an exorbitant price, while one of us is attempting to get a ripping bargain. Standing in the gentle breeze under the bright moon, the two of us are going to shamelessly pursue selfish benefits?"


    Fu Yu nodded as he looked at the man who was once the formal god of the Divine Water Nation''s Northern Mountain. He wasn''t angered by Wei Bo''s words of ridicule, and his expression remained calm as he sat down on the small bamboo chair. He turned around to nce at the bamboo building that was yet to reachpletion. The bamboo building wasn''t big, yet it was still less than half built even after such a long time.


    This was because Wei Bo hadn''t hired any of the strong young men from the small town. He wasn''t willing to contact the county magistrate office of Dragon Spring County to borrow the prisoners from the Lu n either. Instead, he had chosen to do everything by himself.


    Right now, only Downtrodden Mountain and a few other mountains were still open to the public. Woodsmen and residents from the small town could still enter Downtrodden Mountain to cut firewood. Meanwhile, the other mountains were all busy buildingrge residences under the guidance of all kinds of gods and immortals. Plumes of dust would rise from these mountains every day.


    It was rumored that there existed an incredibly deep cliff cave in Downtrodden Mountain. Near this cave, one would be able to see huge ditches that had been created by a humongous and heavy body. ording to the subordinate officials and residents of the small town responsible for building the mountain god temple in Downtrodden Mountain, many of them had seen a ck python whose body was as thick as a well before. This ck python would often slither over to the creek for a drink, and it would neither retreat in fright nor attack in a frenzy when it saw them. Instead, it would calmly slither away after drinking its fill.


    Wei Bo had crafted an exquisite and elegant bamboo fan for himself, and he was lightly fanning it back and forth as he sat cross-legged on a bamboo chair.


    There had almost been no scorching hot days this summer, and autumn was already right around the corner. This was something that surprised many people.


    Just like how the little girl in red from Fortune Street liked to y hopscotch using the squares she had drawn on the floor with charcoal, it was as if the seasons had directly hopped from spring to autumn.


    Fu Yu hesitated for a moment before changing the topic and saying, "Even though we belong to different camps, I have to say that Lord Wu is a good person who will also make a good official in the future."


    Wei Bo had a dismissive expression as he smiled and remarked, "Then he''ll need to stay alive first."


    Fu Yu''s expression became grim.


    Wei Bo purposely ignored this, and he lightly waved his bamboo fan. The mountain wind softly brushed over him, causing his sideburns to gently flutter in the air. He truly appeared even more divine than a god.


    Wei Bo''s voice waszy as he continued, "There''s not much else that I can offer you at this moment. Why don''t you tell me what I can expect in return first?"


    Fu Yu took a deep breath before replying, "You can be the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain!"


    Wei Bo''s expression remained rxed as he smiled faintly and said, "If I remember correctly, the formal god of the Northern Mountain was uninjured after that huge battle. The emperor of the Great Li Empire isn''t going to strip such an important person of their godly status in such a casual manner, is he?"


    Fu Yu lowered his voice and replied, "The emperor suggested promoting Cloud Drape Mountain to the Northern Mountain of the Great Li Empire before, but this was put on hold after a while. However, there have been some new developments recently, and the emperor has decided to make bold moves in this area."


    "For real?" Wei Bo asked.


    "For real," Fu Yu replied with a nod.


    "Is this not a bit rushed?" Wei Bo asked with an amused smile. "To say nothing of Great Sui Nation, the Great Li Empire hasn''t even managed to conquer Yellow Court Nation yet. Yet, you''re already nning to ce the Northern Mountain in the southernmost region of the empire?"


    Fu Yu chose to stay silent, keeping his mouth tightly shut and resolutely refusing to recklesslyment on the emperor''s decisions.


    Wei Bo put his bamboo fan away and contemted this for a long time. In the end, he said with emotion, "The Great Li Empire has truly put an irresistible offer before me..."


    He stood up and used his bamboo folding fan to tap his palm. He then turned around to nce at the bamboo building.


    "Haha, your emperor truly has a good eye. I, Wei Bo, am someone who survived A''Liang''s attack and am still able to jump around in full health. As such, I''m naturally more than qualified to be the formal god of the Northern Mountain."


    In the end, he looked at Fu Yu with squinted eyes and said, "Alright, you can spit it out now. Tell me what you want me to do."


    At this moment...


    Wei Bo was no longer the white-haired mountain lord who had appeared before Chen Ping''an and the others on the stone teau in Go Table Mountain.


    Nor was he the handsome young man who had carried the delicate yellow ebony box in his hands.


    He wasn''t the pitiful person who had brushed past that young girl on the mountain path either.


    Fu Yu was feeling slightly nervous at this moment.


    This was because the man before him would very likely be the most powerful formal god in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in the future �� the formal god of the Northern Mountain. Not one of the most powerful, but the most powerful.

 Chapter 146: Backer and Helper

    Chapter 146: Backer and Helper


    A "waterfall" crashed down toward the young Cui Chan.


    Cui Chan was stunned. His current body was young and full of vigor, and this somewhat affected his mind and temperament. Moreover, the speed of the sword qi would definitely be quicker than his speed of diving down the water in the well. Cui Chan had no path of retreat.


    Since this was the case, he didn''t shirk from the situation either. He held one hand in front of his chest and formed a seal, while he extended the palm of his other hand toward the top of the well. He summoned an item that was arguably a life-saving trump card.


    A mirror appeared in Cui Chan''s jade-white palm, and this was a mirror that was only slightly smaller than the mouth of the well. A faint yellow glow radiated from the face of the mirror.


    Some of the white sword qi flowed past the side of the mirror and instantly evaporated all of the water in the well.


    Meanwhile, the face of the mirror blocked the vast majority of the sword qi, with the collision between the two unleashing blinding and spectacr sparks.


    There was a loud ng.


    Cui Chan fell more than one meter down, and his entire arm started to shake uncontrobly. A momentter, his arm was slowly pushed down and bent by the sword qi, and his palm gradually drew level with the top of his head.


    His head also started to tilt to the side, and after a while, it was his shoulder that was carrying the ancient mirror instead of his palm. Cui Chan could ept his head tilting, because if the mirror tilted instead, then what would greet him would be the powerful burst of sword qi. At that time, the situation would be far more severe than simply losing this priceless body that was pristine and wless. Indeed, this "young Cui Chan" would be killed by the sword qi, leaving only Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan alive.


    This was a naturally formed "golden branch and jade leaves"[1] body of the highest quality, and at this moment, all of its joints were squeaking and popping like popcorn.


    Cui Chan''s face was twisted and pale as angry red marks appeared on his shoulder due to the pressure exerted by the mirror. Inch by inch, his body was slowly pushed down into the bottom of the well. However, he still chuckled in a hoarse voice and remarked, "Someone like me is also going to suffer something like this? Old schr[2], Qi Jingchun, you two bastards are always screwing me over! One of you caused me to drop from the 12th tier to the 10th tier, and one of you caused me to drop from the 10th tier to the 5th tier! If you two are so capable, then why don''t you get your disciple and junior brother toprehensively turn me into a mortal?! Come on, if you''re so capable, then what are you still waiting for?! I refuse to believe that a burst of sword qi unleashed by a young boy at the second tier of martial arts can shatter this Lightning Division Stamp Mirror!"


    Sword qi unleashed by terrestrial sword immortals would often soar toward the stars. These bursts of sword qi would originate from the ground before rushing up and illuminating the entire sky.


    Because Chen Ping''an had unleashed this attack toward the bottom of the well, the burst of sword qi appeared far more reserved and unremarkable inparison. However, the waterway connecting the well to the river was already suffering a huge catastrophe. In fact, even the fortune of the Great Water Pce located far away down the river was being threatened.


    The great river god of the Cold Food River had initially thought that tonight''s disastrous encounter was a blessing in disguise. Because of this, he was currently drinking wine and celebrating with two of his most trusted subordinates, the strategist Sui Bin and the river-blocking toad. However, cmity suddenly befell again.


    In just a few seconds, a web of small cracks had already appeared on the que that was engraved with the golden words, "Great Water Pce". The great river god had no option but to hastily run to the door and use his hands to stabilize the que and prevent the golden characters from crumbling. However, this caused the fortune of the river to flow out from his body and slowly dissipate.


    Standing at the bottom of the well, the handsome Cui Chan had an expression of deep pain as he held up the mirror with his shoulder. "Chen Ping''an! If you fail to kill me this time, then I''ll definitely kill you with my own hands once I get back up there, even if that means leaving myself half-dead! I''ll slowly peel your soul from your body and force you to suffer agonizing pain for 100 years!"


    During his time in the small town, Cui Chan had once stolen the couplets stuck on the wall of Song Jixin''s house. Afterward, Chen Ping''an had mentioned the name Embroidered Tiger and the title of uncle to Old Man Yang while visiting him in the courtyard of the Yang Family''s medicine shop. However, Old Man Yang hadn''t said anything, and Chen Ping''an hadn''t tried to dig any deeper either. Chen Ping''an had simply treated Old Man Yang''s silence as an indication that he was unaware or uninterested in the matter.


    When reporting his name under the archway before, the young boy with a birthmark between his be had used his true name, Cui Chan. He had also said that the second character of his name was extremely obscure and umon. Thus, Chen Ping''an had only been able to confirm the character of his name, Cui.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an had recalled something that Ning Yao had mentioned in passing. There was a person with the nickname Embroidered Tiger in the Great Li Empire, and this was someone who was incredibly skilled at the game of Go. He was the only person from the Great Li Empire who the Go expert from Great Sui Nation viewed as a challenging opponent.


    Chen Ping''an had asked Li Baoping and the others whether they had heard of "Embroidered Tiger" before, yet the three children who had grown up in the small town like him had all shaken their heads in reply. After that, Chen Ping''an had also asked the Yin god the same question, yet the Yin god refused to answer him even though he was clearly knowledgeable about the situation.


    He exined that he couldn''t reveal the answer because he needed to abide by some certain rules. If he broke these rules, Yin lightning would rise from the earth and obliterate his soul. Chen Ping''an was naturally unwilling to put him in such grave danger, so he had no option but to push these questions to the back of his mind.


    Observing the Yin god''s attitude toward Cui Chan, Chen Ping''an had noticed that the Yin god was both distant and calm toward the young boy. At the very least, the Yin god didn''t treat Cui Chan as his enemy. This caused Chen Ping''an to feel slightly more at ease. Regardless of whether this young boy was Cui Dongshan or the Go yer Embroidered Tiger, and regardless of what this young boy was trying to obtain from him, this was ultimately nothing more than a "fight between two people".


    Even if he lost this "game of Go", he could still unleash a wisp of sword qi to ensure mutual destruction. If one wisp wasn''t enough, then he could simply unleash another wisp. If even two wisps of sword qi were unable to kill Cui Chan, then Chen Ping''an could only ept his fate.


    After seeing those traces on the maps, however, the uneasiness in Chen Ping''an''s mind had be increasingly intense. He was extremely afraid that these traces hade from an origin even beyond the county magistrate''s office. He was afraid that this was a scheme that he couldn''t begin to fathom.


    For example, Mr. Qi who was in perfectly good health had suddenly passed away. Afterward, Mr. Ma had also suffered a sudden death while taking Li Baoping and the others to Mountain Cliff Academy. In the end, it was surprisingly Chen Ping''an who had be the wealthiest person in the small town, even gaining possession of five entire mountains!


    Before entering the well tonight, the young boy with the surname Cui had personally mentioned a seal with the characters "The World Wees Spring" while he was in the room. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was coincidentally in possession of a seal with the characters "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment" gifted to him by Mr. Qi.


    This was definitely rted to Mr. Qi!


    This was definitely rted to Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, and Li Huai!


    Perhaps this was a situation that could leave one or more of them dead.


    While in the small town, Chen Ping''an had already witnessed the cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness of cultivators first-hand.


    If the adorable Li Baoping, scaredy-cat Li Huai, or intelligent Lin Shouyi died in front of him, yet he was helpless to do anything, Chen Ping''an was unable to imagine just how remorseful and guilt-ridden he would feel.


    Chen Ping''an was not only slow, but also rigid when he yed Go. He viewed himself as far inferior to Lin Shouyi.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was ultimately unable to fully understand the situation, he had stille to the decision that he definitely couldn''t allow the extremely skilled Go yer "Embroidered Tiger" to do as he pleased, especially since he could already see the worst-case scenario.


    If Cui Chan were only after his possessions or Lin Shouyi''s abstruse Great Dao, then Chen Ping''an wouldn''t have made such a huge decision to seize the moment and strike first.


    At this moment, after unleashing the wisp of sword qi, the acupoint where the sword qi had once resided became hollow andpletely empty. As a result, the Qi nurtured by Chen Ping''an''s own body fervently took advantage of the situation to funnel into the acupoint. This then excited the Qi and flow of blood in the nearby acupoints, causing them to shudder violently. Acute pain gripped at Chen Ping''an''s chest, causing him to copse into a sitting position on the wall of the well. He hurriedly took deep breaths.


    Meanwhile, the burst of sword qi in the well remained lingering for a long time due to the fact that it was being blocked by the ancient mirror.


    Chen Ping''an kept his eyes locked on the bottom of the well as he hurriedly attempted to regte his breathing. He tried to hold in a deep breath, yet he failed time and time again.


    His eyes were bloodshot, his ears were ringing, his heart was thumping like someone banging a drum, and it was as if his meridians were wildly flowing rivers that had just experienced a torrential downpour. There was only a single thought remaining in Chen Ping''an''s mind �� Again... I definitely have to do it again. I definitely have to prepare thatst wisp of sword qi and have it ready to unleash in my acupoint. Otherwise, he''ll kill everyone if I leave him with enough strength to counterattack! I promised Mr. Qi before... Not a single one of them can be put in danger! I definitely have to seed...


    Driven by this stubborn thought, Chen Ping''an first stood up in a shaky manner before raising a single foot and cing it onto the wall of the well. He then raised his other foot and pulled himself up onto the well.


    Regardless of how much his body swayed, Chen Ping''an''s feet remained firmly nted on the wall of the well.


    However, it was a shame that there was nowhere here to witness this.


    With his body still swaying, the young boy formed a sword with his index finger and middle finger and pointed at the bottom of the well.


    ��������


    Next to a seashore on the west side of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there stood an impoverished schr who was nning to leave the continent and return to the distant Middle Earth Divine Continent. He suddenly sensed the situation at somece at this moment, and he grumbled in exasperation, "Oh, you little boy, the older you be the more you seek death. To teach without severity is the teacher''s fault[3]. So be it, the person who takes the shit has to wipe their own bottom.


    "Let me see where you are... In the northern region of Yellow Court Nation and still yet to reach Great Sui Nation. Huh? You''re very close to that river, aren''t you? That''s very good. I coincidentally visited that Thundering Cliff not long ago, so this will save me a lot of time.


    "Being too powerful and skillful is also a bad thing... It makes things much more difficult when trying to make a choice. Let me think for a moment... Mhm, I''ll use the Daoist Sect''snd-shortening technique[4].


    The old schr adjusted the luggage on his back before sighing and using the tip of his toes to form a mound of sand in front of him. After reciting some chant, he then ttened the mound of sand with his foot.


    At the same time, the old schr vanished from the seashore.


    The next instant, an old schr stumbled into appearance above the mountain face where the engravings of the ancient Shu Nation were located. He lightly ced his feet on the mountain peak, and after stabilizing himself, he cast a nce into the distance. He looked very pleased with himself as he said with emotion, "I do indeed feel slightly more powerful without the burden of this body."


    The entire mountain started to shudder, and the surface of the great river rippled violently like a silk tablecloth that was being violently shaken. Every few dozen meters, there was a wave that rose several stories high.


    The old schr was unwilling to damage the environment on the two sides of the river, so he hurriedly extended a hand and made a downward pressing motion.


    The tumultuous river that looked as if it were being troubled by a malicious flood dragon instantly became calm.


    Only at this moment did the old schr discover the two schrly-looking travelers on the fringes of the mountain face, one old and one young. They were both wide-eyed with shock as they stared at him, and the old schr could only chuckle awkwardly and remark, "Aha, the moon is quite full and beautiful tonight. Then I won''t disturb the two of you and let you enjoy the beautiful scenery. Just pretend that you didn''t see me."


    The old schr then nced at the distance before nodding and saying, "Mhm, that''s the ce. Thankfully it''s not too far away."


    He was just about to stride forward, yet he suddenly came to a stop when his foot was just millimeters from the ground. The old schr''s expression became solemn. "Huh?"


    Taking this mountain face as the center point of a circle, wisps of sword qi suddenly appeared in the air along the circumference that had a radius of five kilometers from this point. There were hundreds upon thousands of wisps of sword qi, and as they gathered together, they formed an astounding and humongous sword formation.


    Those who dared to touch this sword qi would be obliterated into nothingness.


    This was Cui Minghuang''s first thought.


    This was a lightning pond that definitely couldn''t be crossed.


    This was also the thought running through the mind of the old schr who had returned to the mortal world from the sea of stars[5].


    The two men then exchanged a nce, with wryer smiles and astonishment on both of their faces.


    It was often said that fights between immortals would cause suffering to the mortals. However, the two of them could already be considered as genuine immortals, so how could they describe the current situation?


    The old schr heaved a sigh. He had a slight headache, and he grumbled, "What are you guys ying at?"


    The sneer of a woman traveled over, and she said, "What, only you people are allowed to have backers and helpers? And my Little Ping''an isn''t allowed to have any?"


    1. Literally means a powerful skeleton with a golden spine and jade limbs. ?


    2. Referring to his master. ?


    3. A line from the ''Three Character ssic''. ?


    4. Literally shortening the earth to an inch. ?


    5. The drunk old man. ?

 Chapter 147: Please Defeat the Formation

    Chapter 147: Please Defeat the Formation


    Right now, there were three people standing atop the mountain that had the engravings made by the Heavenly Lord of Lightning. There was also that woman who was extremely skilled with the sword hiding in some unknown ce. They could hear her voice, but they couldn''t see her person.


    Among them, the person with the lowest cultivation base, Lake View Academy''s Cui Minghuang, was experiencing the biggest headache. If it were anywhere else, he would definitely be regarded as a powerful and top-notch immortal. He would be treated as a most esteemed guest, and he would hear so many words of ttery that his ears would start to grow calluses. However, it was a pity that Cui Minghuang had be the most unremarkable ant tonight. In fact, he was perhaps even inferior to an ant.


    After bing ustomed to his high and lofty status, Cui Minghuang couldn''t help but feel stifled by this terrible feeling. He could only silently recite the Confucian ssics in his mind to suppress these distracting thoughts.


    He nced at the old man who had returned from the sea of stars in the sky. Right now, the old man was disguised as the former assistant minister of Yellow Court Nation. In reality, however, he was an old flood dragon who had lived for a terrifyingly long time.


    He was far calmer than Cui Minghuang at this moment, and he stroked his beard with one hand as he gazed at the sword qi cage with great interest. He murmured to himself as he clucked his tongue in wonder.


    Cui Minghuang had secretly traveled south by the order of the imperial preceptor, and the aim of his trip was to discuss a secret matter with the old flood dragon who was lying low here. The imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire wanted to invite this old man who was temporarily disguised as the former assistant minister of Yellow Court Nation to be the first mountain master of the new academy being constructed on Cloud Drape Mountain. Meanwhile, Cui Minghuang would remain in the position of assistant mountain master as promised before.


    Add to that another reputable schr from the Great Li Empire, and the three of them would jointly be in charge of the new academy that was going to fill the void left by Mountain Cliff Academy. Considering just how ambitious and bold the emperor of the Great Li Empire was, it was a certainty that the yet-to-be-named academy on Cloud Drape Mountain would be far grander and filled with a more literary atmosphere than Qi Jingchun''s Mountain Cliff Academy.


    Regarding the position of mountain master of Lake View Academy that was initially promised, it was rumored that the emperor of the Great Li Empire would offer him some otherpensation in private.


    Before receiving the secret letter from Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan, Cui Minghuang had beenpletely unaware that the small and measly Yellow Court Nation actually housed such a powerful flood dragon. Taking into ount the uniquely tough physique of flood dragons and their innate ability to wield water element mystical powers, it could be said that the power of 10th tier flood dragons would definitely be no weaker than that of 11th tier Qi refiners.


    Cui Chan''s letter also revealed that after that astounding battle to y the dragon, blood had flowed for tens of millions of kilometers through the mountains and rivers of the ancient Shu Nation which was renowned for itsrge poption of flood dragons. The severed limbs and broken bones of flood dragons had littered thend, creating an extremely tragic and harrowing scene.


    Afterward, this old flood dragon had kept himself extremely well concealed throughout the many years, continually shifting his form and taking on different disguises �� he had been a general and an official, a peddler and a normal soldier, a warrior and a gant traveler,... He had experienced all kinds of positions and treatments, and he had experienced all kinds of vicissitudes of life.


    The old flood dragon was uninterested in leaving descendants, and as a result, he only had very few children. Casting one''s gaze across the entire Yellow Court Nation, the old flood dragon only had a single daughter and two sons. Among them, his youngest son was none other than the great river god who resided in the Great Water Pce under the Cold Food River.


    Meanwhile, his daughter was the founder of Purple Sun Residence, the force that Autumn Reed Inn''s Liu Jiahui belonged to. However, she had kept her identity a secret the entire time, and even the first generation of her disciples at Purple Sun Residence were mostly unaware of her true form. Following the gradual death of these elders, the truth regarding her identity had already been lost.


    As for the old flood dragon''s eldest son, this was a virtuous and pure-hearted person whose personality was in stark contrast to most flood dragons. He had loved travel and adventure ever since a young age, and right now, there waspletely no news about his whereabouts. In fact, it was difficult to say whether he was even still in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    With his luggage still on his back, the impoverished old schr had only just arrived from the seashore using thend-shortening technique of the Daoist Sect. After arriving here, he hadn''t imagined that he would actually be blocked by someone else. Most importantly, this was genuinely a very troublesome situation. This caused the frown on his face to grow deeper and deeper. The soaring wall of sword qipletely severed the aura of heaven and earth, and this meant that even the old schr was temporarily unable to sense the events that were going on behind it.


    He stroked his chin and mumbled, "Goodness gracious me! The women in the world are all this impressively powerful now?"


    The old schr sighed before raising a hand and making a knocking motion with his finger. "Freeze," he said softly.


    Heaven and earth instantly fell silent, with the roar of the river ceasing and the subtle shattering sound of the mountain wind crashing into the wall of sword qi subsiding.


    Inside a radius of five kilometers, the flow of time came to aplete standstill.


    The aura of a Confucian Sage suffused into the surroundings, majestic and mighty.


    Cui Minghuang''s expression of astonishment and fear instantly transformed into one of wild delight. He started to loudly recite the teachings of the sages in his mind, using this to strengthen his aura of righteousness.


    This was a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity for a Confucian noble who yearned to be a sage.


    In fact, even the experienced and knowledgeable old flood dragon was stunned at this moment. He instinctively took several steps back, increasing the distance between himself and that old schr who lookedpletely unremarkable. Even though this would make no difference, the old flood dragon still chose to do it anyway. This was in order to demonstrate his humble respect.


    In the ancient past, before the dragon was in and while the old flood dragon was still young, he had heard his elders talking about a Confucian Sage whose statue was ced only a spot behind Confucious in the Confucian temples. This sage had once agreed upon an unwritten rule with the Dragon Kings of the four directions, dictating that once flood dragons came onshore, they had to step aside when they came across virtuous people and hide underwater when they came across sages.


    Once upon a time, a powerful dragon who was only weaker than the four Dragon Kings had challenged a sage traveling by thekeside. It had felt confident because it was still in theke, and it had purposely created crashing waves that soared even higher than the fields of the nearby city. It had terrified the residents and beings by thekeside, and it had used this as a means to provoke the sage. It had stayed in theke and not broken the rule, so what could the Confucian Sage do about it?


    At that time, the old flood dragon who was still young had felt that this was an incredibly satisfying act. However, his elders had been filled with sorrow as they told the rest of the story. The Confucian Sage had extended a finger and said something simr to what the old schr had chanted just then. Unleashing a powerful technique that could control thends and freeze the surroundings, the Confucian Sage had frozen the True Dragon in the air beforemanding theke to recede dozens of kilometers.


    And thus, the True Dragon had wantonly wandered onshore and refused to hide underwater even whening across a sage. As punishment, the sage had skinned the dragon and plucked its tendons before suppressing it under a boulder in theke that was asrge as an entire mountain. The sage had left the dragon there for 1000 years.


    After telling this story, the elders had warned the young flood dragons that the temper of the Confucian Sages, especially those who had statues in the Confucian temples, was actually quite bad. Otherwise, why would the saying "sanctimonious and holier-than-thou" exist?


    When he heard this, the old flood dragon had asked with a puzzled expression that, weren''t the Confucian Sages flouting the rules by doing this?


    However, his elders had been filled with indignation as they scolded him for being a fool and reminded him of who had personally created these rules.


    Standing above the mountain face, the old flood dragon felt slightly sentimental as he recalled these events of the past. "Flood dragons act on behalf of the heavens, controlling both the clouds and the rain and providing an invaluable service," he murmured. "We can almost be regarded as independent rulers of regions who listen to orders but still maintain our independence. In the end, however, we''ve fallen to such a miserable state and are even facing extinction. We can''t me the sages for this. It''s because we''re far too ambitious and greedy. This is nothing more than self-inflicted demise."


    "Huh?" The old schr turned around to look at the old flood dragon who was dressed as a schr in his seventies. He smiled faintly and said with a nod, "To acknowledge a wrong and correct it is the greatest good that a person can perform. Mhm, there was once a noble person, a noble person, mind you! Little Qi once... Ah, so be it. To cross paths is fate... However, it''s a shame that I don''t have time to talk with you two right now. Off you go."


    After murmuring to himself, the old schr lightly swept his finger outward.


    The old flood dragon and Cui Minghuang were forcefully removed from the mountaintop.


    The person and the flood dragon arrived on the surface of the river far away. They both opened their palms and looked down, after which they immediately closed their hands at almost the exact same time, carefully concealing the golden characters that had appeared on them. They were naturally unwilling to reveal these golden characters to others.


    Standing atop the mountain that was enveloped by the sword formation, the old schr looked around beforeughing loudly and announcing, "Hiding oneself isn''t the behavior of a brave and heroic person!"


    However, the old schr quickly realized that his promation wasn''t exactly correct. He became speechless, and he was unsure of how to dig himself out of this hole.


    A tall woman in white appeared on the side of the mountain cliff that was facing the river. There was arge lotus leaf in her hand, one that was so big that it could be viewed as an umbre. However, the stem of the leaf was snow-white, and it perfectlyplemented the spotless white dress and shoes of the woman.


    The old schr frowned upon seeing the lotus leaf. His mind whirred as he performed some divinations, and he eventually sighed with a dejected expression on his face. He gazed up at the sky, and he was unwilling to retract his gaze for a long while. "Where did we go during our final trip?" he murmured. "Back in the day, the lively and energetic young boy kept saying how noble people would act with integrity and follow the path of the Dao, unyielding and choosing to break rather than to bend. In the end... You were the one who was troubled."


    The old schr looked at the tall woman in white and said, "It''s not a good thing for Chen Ping''an to kill the young Cui Chan."


    The woman smiled faintly and replied, "Is that so? But I can''t do anything about it. If you''re capable enough, then we can discuss this after you make your way out of this sword formation. Trying to reason with me won''t work. In fact, it might be more useful if you try to reason with my Little Ping''an instead."


    She paused for a moment before chuckling coldly and continuing, "However, the prerequisite remains the same and you still have to make your way out of this formation first. You were only able to send those two people out of the formation because I couldn''t be bothered blocking you."


    "I was never skilled at fighting back when I was alive, and this is even more the case now. So, why do you insist on making things difficult for me?" the old schr asked in exasperation. "In any case, Chen Ping''an and the young Cui Chan can be regarded as... half a disciple and half a disciple''s disciple. Who do you think I''ll help? Even though I''m heading over there with the intention of keeping Cui Chan alive, is my goal not to ultimately help Chen Ping''an?"


    "That sounds very reasonable," the woman in white said with a nod.


    However, she then shook her head and continued, "However, I didn''te out today to speak reason with others."


    The old schr became increasingly exasperated, and he persuaded, "Can you take into consideration my rtionship with your Little Ping''an and make an exception for me? I''m nothing more than a teacher, so I won''t be able to do anything with my knowledge if you refuse to listen to my reasoning. Meanwhile, you''re one of the people... swords who are the best at fighting in the four worlds. No, calling you a sword isn''t entirely correct either. Forget about it, there''s no use worrying about your identity. In conclusion, doing this is very unfair to me!"


    The tall woman held her strange umbre and replied with an indifferent expression, "Then defeat the formation."


    The old man was incredibly exasperated, and in the end, he could only ask in a careful voice, "Do you know who I am?"


    "Sure I do. You''re the Schrly Sage," the tall woman in white replied as the corners of her lips curled up into a slight smile.


    The old man was stunned. She was aware of his identity, yet she still refused to give him any face? She was taking things a bit too far...


    There were currently three sages in this Majestic World �� the Paramount Sage, the Etiquette Sage, and the Second Sage.


    The Paramount Sage referred to the sect master of the Confucian Sect. This old man was the greatest sage and the esteemed master of all Confucian disciples in the world. His statue was ced in the highest and the most central location of the Confucian temples.


    To the left and right of his statue was the Etiquette Sage, the second-generation sect master, and the Second Sage, the sage who had carried forward the teachings pioneered by his predecessors and forged ahead into the future.


    The former had received the most praise andmendation from the Paramount Sage, and he was viewed as a model of good morals and the master of etiquette. It was this Etiquette Sage who had drawn up the most rigorous andplicated rules of the Confucian Sect. Meanwhile, thetter was widely regarded as the closest to the Paramount Sage in terms of knowledge. Moreover, it was his innovation and transformation of the Confucian teachings that had allowed it to be the singr "teaching for emperors and rulers" in the world.


    After these three sages, the fourth most esteemed sage in the Confucian temples was the Schrly Sage.


    Of course, these were all things from the distant past. Right now, this fourth spot had already be vacant for a very long time. This was because the statue of the Schrly Sage had been demoted time and time again, eventually being directly removed from the Confucian temples. So be it if the mighty fourth sage was simply kicked out from the Confucian temples. Yet, even his statues weren''t spared in the end, and the miserable statues that had already been forced to seek shelter elsewhere were ruthlessly smashed into smithereens by a bunch of Confucian disciples who regarded themselves as protectors of Dao.


    The old schr reached behind himself and patted his luggage, causing it to vanish into thin air.


    He then asked in a patient manner, "Why don''t we discuss this in a civil manner? Can we please not fight?"


    The tall woman in white thought about this for a moment before nodding and replying, "Sure, then I''ll show you a little more respect?"


    "Yes, that would be best," the old schr replied with a delighted chuckle.


    The sword qi in the sword formation instantly became even more intense and majestic than before. It was as if that peerless sword formation was yearning to sever the Great Dao of heaven and earth.


    It was rumored that many sword immortals existed in the ancient past, with exceptional prodigies appearing one after another. These were sword immortals who dared to stand up against the founders of the three teachings and wantonly travel through the different worlds; these were sword immortals who wielded the End Tier Sword Technique, mastered the Paramount Tier Sword Dao, and possessed invincible sword spirits as they journeyed through thends.


    The tall woman in white cracked a grin and said, "Please defeat the formation, Schrly Sage! Is asking you like this a little more respectful?"

 Chapter 148: The Young Boy Has Questions For the Spring Wind

    Chapter 148: The Young Boy Has Questions For the Spring Wind


    The old schr stomped his foot and fumed, "Only viins and women are hard to deal with[1]! Our ancestors don''t deceive us!"


    The tall woman in white twirled the snow-white lotus leaf that she had plucked from some unknown ce. She was radiating with killing intent. Even though there was a smile on her face, this smile appeared chilling and menacing no matter how one looked at it. "You can''t beat me in a fight, so you''re going to curse me instead? Are you looking for a beating?!"


    The circr sword formation that had initially had a radius of five kilometers instantly shrunk in size, bing so small that it only enveloped the mountain face beside the river. At the same time, the wisps of sword qi also became increasingly intense and rming, with the wall of sword qi even forcing the formless Great Dao circting through heaven and earth to be visible. Bursts of ck and white furiously collided together, and they sent countless sparks flying through the air before eventually returning to the chaotic void of nothingness together.


    The old schr shrunk back slightly. However, a brilliant thought suddenly urred to him, and this immediately restored his confidence. "I can agree to a fight, but can we fight in a slightly different way?" he asked loudly. "Rest assured, my suggestion can definitely help Chen Ping''an as well. I guarantee you that this is a reasonable request that will suit your wishes!"


    The tall woman in white remained silent. However, she suddenly saw the old schr desperately signaling at her with his eyes.


    She hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "Fine."


    ��������


    Standing above the well in Autumn Reed Inn, Chen Ping''an''s index finger and middle finger were held together to form a sword that directly pointed at the bottom of the well.


    The brilliant ray formed by the first burst of sword qi gradually faded down to half its initial brightness in the old well. It was no longer blinding, and Chen Ping''an could borrow its radiance to observe the burst of sword qi that had been described as "extremely small". After leaving his acupoint, this burst of sword qi had condensed into something tangible before crashing into the well and furiously pummeling its "base". In fact, this "base" that was withstanding the furious punishment of the sword qi was seemingly a round mirror.


    Chen Ping''an naturally wouldn''t know that this was called the Lightning Division Stamp Mirror, a mirror with an extremely impressive background!


    In the ancient past, the gods from the lightning division had seized the opportunity to carve up the lightning powers �� the ancestor of all powers �� of the Heavenly Lord of Lightning after his passing. Each god had obtained a portion of this power. Afterward, with the exception of the god responsible for weing the arrival of spring, the state of these gods had be increasingly miserable, with many of them declining to be nothing more than mountain gods and river gods. They were either restrained by the sages of the three teachings and prohibited from leaving the "thunder pool", or they were whimsically summoned through lightning element talismans or god-summing techniques andmanded to do the biddings of Militarian sects such as Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain or of some Daoist Sects.


    This Lightning Division Stamp Mirror was once owned by one of the formal gods of the lightning division. Even though the mirror had experienced catastrophe after catastrophe, causing it to already be extremely damaged and weak, the almost exhausted lightning power within it was still something that definitely couldn''t be shattered by some random cultivator at the Middle Five Tiers.


    Standing at the bottom of the well, Cui Chan had already been pushed more than three meters down from his initial position. Even so, he still used his hands and shoulder to firmly support the bottom of the mirror. The mirror continued to shudder and crack as it was pummeled by the burst of sword qi, yet it wasn''t long before the remnant wisp of lightning power within it automatically repaired all the damage.


    The burst of sword qi was like an army of armored cavalry attempting to slice through the enemy formation, while the surface of the mirror was like a formation of foot soldiers defending with all their might.


    The two sides chipped away at each other, and this was a battle to see who would exhaust their power first.


    Cui Chan gritted his teeth, and his handsome face was already unclear due to theyer of blood covering it. Right now, he no longer had the extra strength to curse Chen Ping''an. Instead, he could only think to himself, "Once I struggle through this torrential downpour of sword qi, I''ll definitely charge to the surface and return the favor 100 times over! I can definitely seed! The sword qi is already weakening, so I only need to hang on for a little while longer. Just you wait, Chen Ping''an!"


    Even though his determination was unwavering, his blood-soaked appearance was still as miserable as could be.


    Cui Chan had never been reduced to such a disheveled state before, not even during the miserable times after he had turned his back on his master. He had traveled all over the world, leaving the Middle Earth Divine Continent, journeying through therge continent in the south, and eventually choosing to settle in the smallest Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Once the first disciple of the Schrly Sage, Cui Chan had traveled for tens of millions of kilometers after leaving his master. However, when had he not been rxed and carefree? Which demon or spirit had ever been able to challenge him and leave him in a disheveled state?


    One had to realize that before bing the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, the wandering Cui Chan had once had a pet phrase that was both unrefined and inelegant. After ughtering demons and fiends on a whim, he would always like to say, "Reduced to ashes with a snap of my fingers, you monsters are truly inferior to even mere ants."


    Holding up the mirror with his hands and shoulder, the young Cui Chan continued to sink further and further down the well. However, the magnitude of his descent was gradually decreasing.


    The mirror was still able to resist the burst of sword qi, yet wisps of the sword qi continued to rush down past the rim of the mirror, mming into Cui Chan and causing him to be weaker and weaker.


    With a single thought, a life-saving talisman slid out from one of his sleeves. This was a trump card that he had treasured for many years. Being forced to use it now, he felt such great pain that even his expression became slightly twisted as a result.


    The golden talisman first attached itself to Cui Chan''s white sleeve before immediately melting away. A short momentter, numerous gold symbols started to flow over his white robe. If one listened carefully, one would discover that Buddhist chants were surprisingly traveling out from the white robe that was rippling like water. This caused the young Cui Chan to appear extremely dignified and solemn.


    This was an extremely special talisman. If one regarded gold powder and cinnabar as the most integral materials when it came to drawing talismans, then there were also some extremely rare materials that could only be found through fortune rather than intention. Once these materials were used to draw a talisman, the power imbued within the talisman would be indescribably mysterious.


    The golden talisman that Cui Chan had just used was a good example of this. The main material used to draw the talisman was the golden blood of a Golden Arhat from the Buddhist nation in the west. Moreover, this enlightened monk had almost be a Bodhisattva, and as such, his blood had transformed from red to gold. After dripping this blood onto gold powder and copying the ''Diamond Sutra'' onto a talisman paper, one would be able to create a Vajra Seal that was filled with boundless Buddhist power. In fact, such a Vajra Seal would even be able to block the full-power attack of a terrestrial sword immortal.


    How could the young Cui Chan not feel pained?


    After activating this life-saving talisman that was as valuable as an entire city, he performed some rough calctions in his mind and easily determined that the burst of sword qi could only shatter the face of the mirror at most. However, it wouldn''t be able to damage the body of the mirror. Afterward, this Lightning Division Stamp Mirror would heal and return to normal as long as he soared into the thunderclouds and invited lightning into the mirror during thunderous nights for a few years.


    With this in mind, Cui Chan instantly felt much more at ease. He bent his arm slightly and roughly wiped the blood from his face. "How utterly humiliating... This almost damaged the foundation of this body''s golden branch and jade leaves!"


    He shut his eyes and started to quietly gather his power.


    Some critical instant before this burst of sword qipletely disappeared would be the instant that he charged to the top of the well.


    He naturally wouldn''t wait until this sword qipletely disappeared.


    If he waited until that moment, and if Chen Ping''an realized that he hadn''t died, then who knew whether the bumpkin from y Vase Alley would have another sneaky and despicable attack waiting for him?


    After all, his current cultivation base and physique were already too weak to withstand another unexpected attack.


    The path to the Great Dao was truly rugged and difficult to walk!


    There was intense resentment in Cui Chan''s mind.


    Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan had initially thought that his trip to the small town would be the end game for this "game of Go". Because this pertained to his Dao attainment catalyst, he had even been willing to separate his soul into two and ce one half of it in another body. He had then openly left the capital of the Great Li Empire with this young body.


    He had initially thought that even if he couldn''t sever the schrly fortune of the Schrly Sage and his junior brother Qi Jingchun''s branch of Confucianism, he would still be able to use y Vase Alley''s Chen Ping''an as a target for visualization and meditation. Through this, he could perfect his own shorings and temper his mind which was the mostcking. Once he seeded, this would help him advance to the 10th tier and give him hope of returning to the peak stage of the 12th tier.


    In fact, he could even seize this opportunity to have the Great Li Empire promote his teachings. If his knowledge and teachings could spread to half of the continent, then he would be able to advance to an even higher tier from what was already a lofty cultivation base. If all of the Confucian disciples in the continent became his disciples, then the benefit that he would receive would simply be unimaginable.


    No matter how he analyzed the situation at the time, Cui Chan''s calctions had told him that he enjoyed an undefeatable position. The only variable was how many benefits he would ultimately obtain.


    However, he had never imagined that Qi Jingchun''s true direct disciple was neither Zhao Yao whom he had gifted the spring seal to, nor Song Jixin whom he had gifted his remaining books to. In fact, it wasn''t even a schrly student like Lin Shouyi.


    Instead, it was that little girl called Li Baoping �� a female! How could a female possibly inherit the schrly lineage? A female teacher? A female Confucian? Was Qi Jingchun not afraid of them bing a huge joke that everyone in the worldughed at? Was he not afraid of those old men in the Confucian schools and academies viewing him as the number one heretic?


    Even more than this, he had failed to imagine that Qi Jingchun would take a disciple for their master and even gift the final relic of their master, the Schrly Sage, to that young boy Chen Ping''an.


    This being the case, not only was the schrly lineage not severed, but it was even passed on to Li Baoping''s generation. Not only that, but Cui Chan, who had previously betrayed his master, was once again tied to the Schrly Sage because of Chen Ping''an.


    Initially confident of his victory, these events had caused Cui Chan to suffer aprehensive mental breakdown. Add to that the formless influence of the schrly fortune, and his cultivation base had directly plummeted to the fifth tier. It was only after forming an alliance with Old Man Yang and learning that long-lost Divine Dao secret technique that Cui Chan had been able to patch up the shoring of the secret technique that he had been studying. This had allowed him to rapidly nurture his soul and start to advance his cultivation again.


    However, this kind of secret technique had a fatal w. That was, the cultivation he gained was nothing more than an "illusion" that would be shattered after he exhausted its power. This was unless he advanced to the 10th tier in a single go and became a cultivator at the Upper Five Tiers. If he managed to do this, then he would be able to "treat illusions as reality and treat reality as an illusion". Reality and illusion would be jumbled, and this would be apletely different state.


    When arriving at Autumn Reed Inn in this prefectural city, the young Cui Chan''s "illusory" cultivation base had already been close to reaching the ninth tier. It was because of this that he had been able to use a Militarian technique to "invite a god" and summon the Golden Dao Manifestation of a Confucian Sage. His cultivation base had been fake, but his abilities had been real.


    This was the reason why the great river god of the Cold Food River had been scared out of his wits. Otherwise, with his experience and skill of ruling the northern rivers for hundreds of years, how could he be tamed by Cui Chan so easily? It was naturally necessary to put him through extreme suffering for him to be as obedient as a small catfish in the creek.


    At the bottom of the well...


    The sword qi raining down from the top of the well was still intense and aggressive, with wisps of sword light being deflected into the surrounding wall by the face of the mirror.


    The feet of the young Cui Chan were almost touching the bottom of the well already. The groundwater linking the well to the great river had alsopletely evaporated a long time ago.


    The young Cui Chan started to count down in his mind.


    He didn''t want to kill Chen Ping''an, and this was the genuine truth. At the very least, it was the truth for now.


    This was because Cui Chan was ying a tug of war with Chen Ping''an. He wanted to drag this young boy onto his own path of the Great Dao. Thus, not only would Cui Chan not harm Chen Ping''an in the short term, but he would even do his best to help Chen Ping''an advance his cultivation. At most, he would only try to subtly change Chen Ping''an''s way of thinking. Through continual suggestions and subtle influences, Cui Chan would eventually transform him into someone who walked the same path as he did. If Chen Ping''an were fortunate enough and eventually became capable of inheriting Cui Chan''s lineage, then Cui Chan wouldn''t reject this either.


    However, Cui Chan genuinely wanted to kill Li Baoping.


    This was because once the little girl grew up, the more she was scolded and the more she was pushed away, the more Cui Chan''s cultivation and Great Dao would be affected. This wasrgely due to her rtionship with Chen Ping''an. As someone seeking perfection in cultivation, this was something that Cui Chan definitely couldn''t tolerate.


    The young Cui Chan felt like this was undeserved bad luck.


    No matter how much I appear like a sinister person with ulterior motives, was there any reason for me to act so meekly and submissively this entire time if I truly wanted to kill you? I clearly mean no harm to you.


    So why are you, Chen Ping''an, intent on killing me because of some mere spection?!


    Why are you intent on killing me simply because you think I mean harm to the three children? And you aren''t hesitant in the least!


    What kind of person does that make you? Can you still be considered a righteous person or a noble person? Qi Jingchun always praised noble people, so why are you, someone highly valued by him, so unreasonable? And why did the old geezer tell me to learn how to be a good person from you?! I, Cui Chan, was once the first disciple of the Schrly Sage, and it was I who passed knowledge down to Qi Jingchun.


    In terms of my standing in the Confucian Sect, I''m ranked far higher than those ordinary virtuous people and noble people. And yet you, Chen Ping''an, are wantonly acting on your whims. The old geezer''s eye for people is truly as terrible as always.


    After picking and choosing for so long, has Qi Jingchun not chosen a second Cui Chan for you?


    Cui Chan''s feet touched the stone bs at the bottom of the well, and he continued to count down in his mind, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.


    At the same time, a feeling of satisfaction welled up in his chest.


    Haha, this is even better. This means that after I break free from this dangerous situation, I''ll be able to leave you alive while subjecting you to miserable punishment. By doing this, you''ll naturally enjoy a smoother journey when you follow me down my path of the Great Dao in the future. By the looks of it, your luck isn''t too bad.


    The old schr had nted a restriction on Cui Chan, and this was a restriction that only pertained to Chen Ping''an. It prohibited Cui Chan from having any ill thoughts toward Chen Ping''an. Otherwise, he would suffershes to his mind and heart. Apart from this, the restriction didn''t prohibit him from anything else. This was somewhat in line with the old schr''s knowledge and teachings which focused on seeking the fundamental origins of all matters. After fixing one''s foundation, one would then be able to flourish when it came to upholding morals and interacting with others.


    In the future, I''m going to force you to watch on and see how Qi Jingchun''s direct disciple, that little girl called Li Baoping, dies in front of you. I''m going to make you understand the meaning of battles between the Great Dao and why she had to die!


    The time has arrived!


    Cui Chan''s arms were already bloody and deeply wounded from supporting the mirror. In fact, his wounds were so deep that his bones could already be seen. However, he paid no heed to this as he spat, "A ray of sword qi crashing down like a waterfall? Back up you go!"


    ��������


    However, a short moment before Cui Chan thought that he had seeded, the young boy with straw sandals finally stabilized himself on top of the well and finished gathering his power. This was a game of mere milliseconds. Even though his mind was still trembling and his body was still aching in agonizing pain, he still said in a soft and quivering voice, "Go."


    The second burst of sword qi rushed down into the well.


    Fuck your grandpa, Chen Ping''an! I''m going to be killed by you in this well!


    This was the only thought running through Cui Chan''s mind at this moment.


    Chen Ping''an wobbled back and forth as he stood on top of the well, and it looked as if he were about to fall over at any moment.


    ��������


    Before this...


    The second time Chen Ping''an had visited and sat down at the pavilion, Li Baoping who had just been woken up by a nightmare had run over and sat down opposite him. At that time, a light breeze had brushed through the small pavilion for no reason at all.


    Chen Ping''an had recalled something, and this was a memory that caused him to feel a little sad. At the same time, he had shut his eyes with Li Baoping and carefully listened to the tinkles of the wind chimes hanging from the eaves.


    While listening to this, the young boy had silently told himself, "Mr. Qi, if the wind chimes tinkle an even number of times, then I''ll let things go first and tolerate that Cui person for a bit longer. If they tinkle an odd number of times, however, then I''ll make my move now."


    Ding ding, ding dong, ding ding dong.


    After seven chimes, the wind chime had settled down and didn''t make any more noise.


    After waiting for a while, the little girl in red had jumped up and left the pavilion. After that, Chen Ping''an had stood up and jumped onto the wall of the well.


    ��������


    Long before this, before Chen Ping''an had left the small town...


    He had received a reminder from Old Man Yang at that time, and Chen Ping''an had taken an umbre and left the Yang Family''s medicine shop. He had run off after the teacher from the private school who had visited Old Man Yang and gifted him, Chen Ping''an, two seals.


    The schr and the young boy had walked down the street together.


    "Noble people can be deceived through means within reason. You can repeat this phrase to Senior Yang and the others.


    "If you encounter any problems in the future, you can pose your questions to the spring wind. Mhm, you simply need to keep this in mind. Perhaps you''ll need to do this in the future. However, I hope that you won''t ever need to do this."


    After saying this, the schr whose sideburns were graying had no longer worn a stern expression like he always did while teaching in the private school. Instead, he had winked at the young boy with a warm smile on his face.


    ��������


    When leaving the small town with the little girl Li Baoping...


    The remnant soul of some schr in green had returned to the mortal world after visiting somerge world in the heavens beyond the heavens. After following Chen Ping��an and Li Baoping for a while, he hade to a stop and gazed at the disappearing figures of his junior brother and disciple. He didn''t see them off any further.


    In the end, the schr had waved a silent goodbye, and the gentle movements of his sleeves had sent a wisp of spring wind fluttering around the young boy. This was a silent wisp of wind that had remained lingering for a long time.


    ��������


    Inside the well...


    The young Cui Chan was brutally smashed into the bottom of the well along with his Lightning Division Stamp Mirror. He was forced to curl up on the extremely dry bluestone bs at the bottom of the well, and this was so that he could hide under his mirror as best as possible.


    Even though he was still exerting his full power and putting up a final struggle, Cui Chan was in fact already lost in despair and resigned to death at this moment.


    The mirror shuddered violently, brutally pressing down on the young Cui Chan hiding beneath it. At the same time, the sword qi flowed past the mirror like water and mercilessly seared the young boy''s body. Cui Chan''s consciousness started to fade.


    Right at the moment that he shut his eyes...


    The restriction that the old schr had ced on the young Cui Chan''s mind surprisingly faded away.


    Cui Chan instantly felt a flicker of hope, and it was as if he had finallye across water after suffering thirst for a painfully long time. He became spirited and energetic, and he naturally didn''t dare to hold back anymore. If he didn''t fight for his life now, then when would he get another opportunity?


    "Haha, the heavens are on my side! Old geezer, even someone like you can make such a massive mistake! Old and undying bastard, even you''ve ended up shooting yourself in the foot. The heavens are truly on my side! The heavens never seal off all exits!"


    One after another, Cui Chan slowly extracted therge golden characters that were filled with auras of righteousness from his soul. There was a twisted expression on his face, and he was suffering torturous and irrepressible pain that was even more terrifying than being cut by tens of millions of des.


    However, Cui Chan''s mind became increasingly clear as he took control of the ownerless golden characters, "Teachings of a sage, words used to record Dao", and used them to attack the sword qi pounding down into the well.


    The golden characters collided with the sword qi.


    There was surprisingly no explosion, yet the more silent this collision was, the more astounding and stifling it was.


    This was no longer a battle between raw strength and might. Instead, this was an alternate form of a battle between Great Dao.


    However, the surging sword qi was ultimately nothing more than an "extremely small" wisp of sword qi.


    Simrly, those golden characters were nothing more than characters that Cui Chan had taken advantage of and borrowed for the moment.


    The two sides pushed at each other, and in the end, it was as if they were going to end up evenly matched.


    In fact, it was as if they were two armies that were going to ughter each other and ensure an internecine oue.


    After detecting this opportunity, Cui Chan was no longer resigned to despair and death. Instead, he carefully sat up before slowly entering a squatting position. After a while, he finally managed to stand up with his back still bent.


    He stepped sideways, and his mirror instantly tilted to the side as well, deflecting thest wisp of sword qi toward the wall of the well. Cui Chan decided to directly toss the ancient mirror away. He then stomped his feet and soared up the well, instantly vanishing from the bottom where he had been trapped. Only his dark and furious voice continued to reverberate around the well.


    "Even if you still possess a thirst wisp of sword qi, you definitely won''t have enough time to unleash it now!"


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an was standing on top of the well and performing standing meditation, with his hands also forming a seal representing the Sword Furnace. After unleashing hisst wisp of sword qi, he had already entered this position and prepared to face his opponent.


    The introduction of the Mountain Shaking Guide clearly stated its purpose: "Those who practice the Mountain Shaking Fist in the future, remember this fact even if you''re facing the founders of the three teachings. Your fist technique is allowed to be weak, and your fist technique is also allowed to lose in battles. However, the fist intent that you possess definitely can''t take a single step in retreat!"


    ��������


    At the same time...


    The little girl in red suddenly jolted awake in her room in the refined and peaceful courtyard again. This wasn''t because of a nightmare, and she had instead been pped awake by a locust wood sword.


    The dazed Li Baoping suddenly widened her eyes. The wooden sword that had broken through the window rapidly drew the character "Qi" in the air before flying toward the door with a swoosh. Li Baoping hurriedly jumped down from her bed and ran after the sword barefoot, not even stopping to put her shoes on. After leaving her room, she followed the wooden sword to her junior uncle''s room. Because Chen Ping''an hadn''t returned yet, the door to his room was naturally still unlocked. The flying sword knocked it open, and Li Baoping ran inside the room after it. She then saw the wooden sword pointing toward Chen Ping''an''s basket.


    In the end, Li Baoping retrieved a seal that her junior uncle had kept hidden away under the guidance of the flying wooden sword. After uncapping it, she realized that this was the seal with the characters "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment" that her junior uncle had secretly shown her just one time. Only after detecting this did the flying wooden sword earnestly "nod its head". It quickly flew out of the room.


    Li Baoping firmly held onto the seal that Mr. Qi had gifted her junior uncle before following the locust wood sword that had mysteriously appeared in Chen Ping''an''s basket at some time. She sprinted toward the pavilion, and she then deftly leaped down from it before running toward the well where her junior uncle was standing.


    The seal instantly flew out from her hand and rapidly dashed toward the well. After hovering to a height above her junior uncle''s head, the seal suddenly mmed down with an extremely heavy thud.


    A heart-wrenching scream traveled over from the top of the well. "Again? Fuck you, Qi Jingchun! Can you fuck off and stop haunting me? Are you going to give this a fucking rest or not?!"


    What Li Baoping saw was a young boy in white suddenly appearing above the well before being heavily struck in the forehead by Chen Ping''an''s seal. This caused him to fly back and copse to the ground.


    Before losing consciousness, the young Cui Chan who was now devoid of any cultivation murmured, "Qi Jingchun, you win this time. I admit defeat."


    1. A line from the Analects of Confucius. However, this is most likely using a misinterpreted meaning, ?

 Chapter 149: Setting Up a Battle

    Chapter 149: Setting Up a Battle


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes widened in surprise as he watched the seal with the characters "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment" smashing into Cui Chan''s forehead. After bouncing back, the seal came to a hovering stop in midair as if it were a puppet being pulled back and held in ce by someone. However, the "puppeteer" was seemingly too weak, and this resulted in the seal slowly bouncing around near the same spot.


    Chen Ping''an followed the seal with his gaze, and he eventually turned his eyes to the locust wood sword that was hovering between himself and Li Baoping. There was a little girl in gold who was only as tall as a pinkyying sprawled and hiding on the underside of the flying sword. She tightly gripped the wooden sword with her hands and feet, and it was only at this moment that she struggled to climb back to the upper side of the sword and stand up. The mini and adorable little girl in gold stumbled around in a daze, and it was as if she were a drunkard who could barely keep herself upright. By the looks of it, her trip on the flying sword hadn''t been a fun one.


    The tranquil sealnded on the wooden sword, and its slightly hefty weight caused the hilt of the sword to tilt upward. This caused the little girl to p her arms in an attempt to stabilize herself as she slid toward the seal.


    Li Baoping also hadn''t noticed the existence of the little girl in gold just then. After noticing her, Li Baoping delightedly ran over with great interest. She bent her knees slightly, and she held the tip and hilt of the locust wood sword with her hands as she leaned over to take a closer look at the little girl in gold who was attempting to hide.


    The little girl in gold faltered slightly, and it was as if she were someone who was very shy by nature. She covered her face with her hands before jumping straight up. When shended, she surprisingly sunk into the locust wood sword and vanished from sight.


    Chen Ping''an was unsure of what this was all about, and he was unwilling to spend his time mulling over it right now. "Baoping, toss me the wooden sword. You can look after the seal first," he said in a hoarse voice.


    Li Baoping immediately suppressed her curiosity, knowing that the most important thing right now was to deal with Cui Chan. After grabbing the seal, she gave a soft shout as she exerted much of her strength to toss the locust wood sword to her junior uncle.


    However, the little girl didn''t control her strength properly, and the locust wood sword arced toward somece a little bit off from where Chen Ping''an was standing.


    "Turn around!" Chen Ping''an said to Li Baoping.


    He then strode toward the left side of the well and nted his foot on the edge of the well wall. After catching the wooden sword, he continued to stride forward, thrusting the wooden sword at Cui Chan''s heart as hended on the ground.


    Right at this moment, the little girl in gold stuck the upper half of her body out of the locust wood sword in Chen Ping''an''s hand, and it looked as if she were about to cry. Her face was filled with guilt and regret, and she earnestly waved her hands and shook her head at Chen Ping''an. It was as if she wanted to stop Chen Ping''an from killing Cui Chan.


    However, Chen Ping''an had been extremely resolute from the moment he caught the wooden sword to the moment he thrust it forward. When the little girl in gold appeared, the tip of the wooden sword had already made contact with Cui Chan''s chest. Because Chen Ping''an had fired pottery and molded pottery for so many years, his control over his strength could be regarded as extremely precise. Even if he wanted to pull out from this attack, the Qi channeling through his body and the momentum from his arms through to the wooden sword dictated that it would be impossible for him to change the oue.


    An old schr with luggage wrapped in cotton cloth on his back suddenly materialized next to them, mumbling with relief, "Phew, thank heavens. I was only an inch away from being screwed over."


    Following the old schr''s sudden arrival from out of nowhere, it was as if the young Cui Chan''s neck was grabbed by someone and yanked back, causing him to instantly stand straight. Even though Cui Chan was still in a daze, his back was upright and he was standing as straight as green pine. This allowed him to escape the fate of having his heart pierced by Chen Ping''an.


    The old schr looked at the young boy in straw sandals who rapidly retreated and held his wooden sword horizontally in front of himself. Meanwhile, he used his other hand to drag Li Baoping behind him. His grip on the sword was amateurish and awkward, and it could be roughlypared to how a woodsman in the mountains would attempt to hold a calligraphy brush. It looked very awkward and wrong.


    "So it''s you, huh?" the old man sighed with emotion.


    Chen Ping''an was tense and guarded as if he were facing a formidable enemy. He didn''t dare to be careless, and he said softly, "Baoping, run away if you find the opportunity. You don''t need to worry about me."


    However, Chen Ping''an quickly noticed that Li Baoping was tugging his sleeves, again and again. He was slightly surprised, and he looked down and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Li Baoping''s expression was stiff, and she lifted a finger and pointed behind Chen Ping''an. She opened her mouth slightly, and it was as if she were mouthing three words, "There''s a ghost."


    Sandwiched by enemies?


    Chen Ping''an tensed up, and when he turned around to take a nce, his expression quickly became dumbfounded. He blinked his eyes, and then he blinked them some more. After confirming that he wasn''t seeing things, he didn''t dare to say anything lest he was overheard and ended up putting Big Sister Immortal in grave danger instead. However, he also felt extremely anxious to say something, yet he didn''t know what to say or where to begin. Right now, he was as frantic as an ant on a griddle.


    Li Baoping quietly grabbed her junior uncle''s sleeve as she nced at the amiable-looking old schr before turning her head to nce at the elusive female ghost who could seeminglye and go as she pleased.


    Compared to the female ghost in the bright red wedding dress that they had encountered before, tonight''s female ghost was dressed in white and also holding a white... lotus leaf in her hands? Li Baoping couldn''t help but mumble to herself. Were the female ghosts in the world all this elegant and refined?


    Way back when, she had once forced her eldest brother to tell her those bloody and gruesome ghost stories. Among the red skeletons, water ghosts, river spirits, and other fiends that he had described, which of them wasn''t terrifying and inclined to cut open a person and feast on their flesh on a whim? He had painted them all as extremely hideous and terrifying creatures.


    Were they anything like the female ghost standing in front of her right now? In fact, this female ghost was even more beautiful and attractive than Lady Chu, the female ghost in the bright red wedding dress.


    She was extremely tall, yet she still appeared beautifully slender. Her lustrous ck hair was like a dazzling waterfall, and it was tied together with a golden silk cloth and draped over her shoulder such that it fell in front of her chest. She appeared especially refined and dignified.


    Li Baoping felt like the woman in front of her was both tall and beautiful. This made her feel extremely envious. She secretly stood up on her tippy toes, yet she quickly put the heels of her feet back down in disappointment.


    Right now, it was as if the tall woman only had eyes for Chen Ping''an.


    She smiled with squinted eyes and said, "We''re going to fight with them in a while. There''s no need to be afraid of that old man. He''s only good at enduring a beating."


    "Don''t worry, this big sister isn''t a bad person. She''s on our side!" Chen Ping''an said to Li Baoping, making sure to reassure her first.


    He then looked up and couldn''t help but ask in a quiet voice, "Didn''t you say that you couldn''t leave the small town? What if the sages notice this?"


    The tall woman shook her wrist, causing the lotus leaf in her hand to sway gently. She spoke in a slow and gentle voice as she replied, "Do you know of a ce called the Lotus Flower World?" Her disposition was extremely calming.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly recalled Ning Yao''s words, and he nodded before replying, "Someone told me about this before. This is a ce where the Dao Ancestor goes to rx and calm his mind. Even though it''s only one of the 36 small worlds, even the smallest lotus leaf in that small world spans an arearger than the entire capital city of the Great Li Empire."


    The tall woman smiled faintly and exined, "It''s not that exaggerated. For example, the lotus leaf in my hand can span a radius of five or so kilometers if it assumes its true form. Of course, thergest lotus leaf in that small world is definitely much bigger than the capital of the Great Li Empire. These lotus leaves can obscure one''s presence, so in other words, even the sages of the three teachings and the grandmasters of the hundred schools of thought won''t be able to detect my movements."


    When she saw the perplexed expression on Chen Ping''an''s face, she smiled and borated, "I didn''t have this treasure yet when we met for the first time. However, Qi Jingchun took a trip to the heavens beyond heavens before he left the mortal world, and he found the Dao Ancestor and haggled with that undying old man for a while. It was thanks to him that I was able to get this lotus leaf umbre. In terms of the price that Qi Jingchun paid... I''m not exactly clear about this. After all, his kindred character ''Tranquil'' vites a taboo and has left many people in the Daoist Sect disgruntled. So I can say with certainty that Qi Jingchun definitely paid a huge price during his trip out of this Majestic World and to the Lotus Flower World."


    Even the tall woman had a slightly adrift look in her eyes when she said this. She admired that Confucian disciple from the bottom of her heart.


    After Qi Jingchun returned to the mortal world from the heavens beyond heavens, the two of them had enjoyed one final conversation.


    "This lotus leaf?"


    "I took a trip to the heavens beyond heavens and plucked it from the Lotus Flower World. It can help you leave this ce without alerting the Great Dao of heaven and earth. You don''t need to worry about the sages detecting your movements."


    "This is indeed quite good, but are you not afraid of Chen Ping''an bing wanton and unscrupulous with me by his side? Are you not afraid of him turning into the type of person that you, Qi Jingchun, detest so much?"


    "I''m well aware of Chen Ping''an''s temperament and character, which is why I''m not worried about him taking advantage of his power to bully others. I won''t be worried even if you stand guard next to him the entire time."


    "You''re this optimistic about Chen Ping''an?"


    "What do you think? He''s my junior brother, after all!"


    "You and Chen Ping''an are of the same generation, while I''ve epted Chen Ping''an as my master. So, what are you trying to imply, Qi Jingchun?"


    "Haha, I wouldn''t dare!"


    The tall woman couldn''t help but sigh softly in her mind upon recalling this conversation.


    It was a pity that the world had lost Qi Jingchun.


    In a rare disy, the fearless Li Baopingmented in a timid voice, "Big sister, you''re so beautiful."


    The tall woman nodded and said with a smile, "Mhm, much more beautiful than you."


    She was not only bold, but also ruthless and cutting!


    Li Baoping was slightly dazed and speechless.


    Chen Ping''an''s forehead was dripping with cold sweat.


    Behind Chen Ping''an, another happy reunion was taking ce.


    The old schr red at the young boy in white who had already regained his consciousness. The young Cui Chan red back at the old man, thinking, +++=== I''m already down, so do I need to fear another fall? Do I need to be afraid of you?


    The old schr looked at the tall woman, who nodded back and signified that it was okay for him to continue.


    Only then did the old schr turn back to the young Cui Chan and scold in embarrassed anger, "Aren''t you very smart, Cui Chan? Then why don''t the two of us review the events from just then? Did you consider why I suddenly lost control over those characters thereby allowing you to remove them from your soul? Did you consider why those characters were coincidentally even-matched with the wisp of sword qi, with bothpletely grinding away the other and allowing you to soar up from the bottom of the well and have an opportunity to unleash a deadly attack at Chen Ping''an? Did you consider that you might have been killed by Chen Ping''an in the end, while Chen Ping''an would have also been severely wounded by you?!"


    The young Cui Chan''s expression was dark and wavering. In the end, he could only purse his lips in a sulky manner and pretend to be indifferent as he replied, "It was nothing more than some interference from some Confucian sage. What''s so surprising about that? Even Qi Jingchun willingly walked into a death trap and resigned himself to such a fate, so what''s wrong with me being tricked once as well?"


    He became increasingly angry as he spoke, and he jabbed his finger at the impoverished old schr and roared, "Old geezer, you still have the face to say all this? Qi Jingchun who you had the highest hopes for has died, and the fool Ma Zhan who was the most mentally weak has also died. And that person with the surname Zuo decided to simply vanish for good! Meanwhile, I''ve also fallen to such a miserable state. At the end of the day, is the constant not you? Is this not your fault?


    "You write the best essays in the world, have the most profound concepts in the world, and have also helped the world for the longest time. Are you happy now? The Second Sage, listen carefully, the Second Sage, the third-ranked sage in the Confucian temples, promotesmoners as being more important than a ruler to an empire, with affairs pertaining to soil and grain falling between them[1]!


    "And being as impressive as you are, you insisted on promoting worship and respect toward heaven, earth, rulers, parents, and teachers. The Second Sage posited that human nature is fundamentally good at birth, yet you just had to go against him and say that human nature is fundamentally evil at birth. Fucking hell, how did the Second Sage offend you?!"


    The young Cui Chan stomped his feet in anger. In fact, this was a habitual response that he had inherited from the old schr as well. His finger was almost about to touch the old schr''s nose, and he continued to roar, "Worse than that, the Second Sage isn''t much older than you, so perhaps he''s still alive and enjoying life somewhere in the world. So why are you so stubborn, old geezer? Couldn''t you have targeted the Paramount Sage or Etiquette Sage instead? Perhaps the Second Sage might have even helped you! Yet, you insist on going against the Second Sage. I''m seriously impressed by your stubbornness!"


    The old schr remained silent, and he simply wiped away the spittle that the young Cui Chan had unleashed on his face.


    A small fight or disagreement within a family or group wouldn''t cause muchmotion, especially if it took ce behind closed doors.


    However, one had to realize that this was a conflict between the Second Sage and the Schrly Sage. This was a "battle between third and fourth" that shook the entire Confucian Sect and all of its schools and academies. This was far too astounding. These were two lofty sages, and they could almost be considered the representatives of the entire Confucian Sect �� the sect that had written the rules for this Majestic World�� since the Paramount Sage and the Etiquette Sage no longer showed themselves in the mortal world. Even though this conflict wasn''t necessarily a fundamental one that would cause the Confucian Sect to split up, how could the founders and elders of the other teachings not be secretly amused and delighted when they saw this?


    Afterward, an extremely secret gamble had taken ce within the Confucian Sect. The loser would admit defeat and voluntarily imprison themself in the Forest of Virtue.


    The old schr had lost, so he had no option but to stay in the Forest of Virtue and wait for death. He had also been unable to do anything as his statues in the Confucian temples were demoted again and again, eventually being smashed to smithereens.


    However, when his most impressive disciple traveled to a distant continent and died while challenging the Heavenly Dao, the old schr finally made a deal with all of the other sages in order to break his previous promise. This wasn''t a deal with just the Confucian Sages, but instead a deal with all of the sages of the various teachings. This was a deal that no one had anticipated. After all, the vows and promises of sages couldn''t be easily broken. Otherwise, this world that was bound by strict rules might have already be unrecognizable a long time ago.


    The old schr had voluntarily abandoned his physical body and his myriad mystical abilities as a Confucian Sage. Right now, he simply traveled the world with his soul.


    He waited until the young Cui Chan ced his hands on his hips and lowered his head to take deep breaths before asking, "Are you finished now? Is it my turn to exin things?"


    After unleashing all of his pent-up emotions and thoughts in an angry outburst, the young Cui Chan started to feel a bit nervous and timid upon recalling all of the old schr''s past achievements. He immediately fell silent.


    The old schr sighed and asked, "Who taught Qi Jingchun the game of Go?"


    "Me!" Cui Chan puffed his chest out and replied.


    The old schr was expressionless as he slowly said, "I once told all of you that you must remain calm andposed when reasoning with others, even if you''re in an argument or debating about the Great Dao."


    Cui Chan immediately lowered his voice in apprehension, replying, "It was me... Qi Jingchun was untalented in Go, so he refused to y with me after losing a few times."


    "Then who taught you the game of Go?" the old schr asked.


    Cui Chan was unwilling to say the answer.


    "Me!" the old schr humphed coldly.


    Cui Chan felt extremely aggrieved and resentful.


    Old geezer, do you understand the concept of leading by example?


    The old schr paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing, "When you taught Qi Jingchun the game of Go, were you more skilled at Go or was I more skilled at Go?"


    "You were more skilled than me," Cui Chan replied reluctantly.


    "Then do you know that Qi Jingchun was able to defeat me not long after learning Go from you?" the old schr asked.


    The young Cui Chan was stunned.


    However, he didn''t doubt the veracity of the old schr''s words.


    "Do you know what Qi Jingchun said to me in private?" the old schr asked. "He said that his senior brother enjoys ying Go, but is quite fixated on winning or losing. He said that he didn''t want to hold back and deceive you when ying Go, yet subjecting you to continual losses would cause you to lose a hobby that you enjoyed."


    "So what if this is the case?" the young Cui Chan stubbornly retorted.


    The old schr was angry at his stubbornness, and he scolded, "You''re just pig-headed and unwilling to change. You''re always able to identify your mistakes quickly, yet you always take the longest time to admit to them. As for changing? Hmph!"


    "And just who did I learn this from?!" the young Cui Chan shouted in retort.


    The old schr red at him before falling silent for a short moment. In the end, he said with regret, "Perhaps Ma Zhan''s betrayal disappointed Little Qi even more than your bunch of schemes."


    "People like Ma Zhan aren''t even worth talking about," Cui Chan sneered. "His ambitions were loftier than the heavens, yet his life was more fragile than a piece of paper. My goal is at least to obtain a Dao attainment catalyst and pass down my teachings and lineage. But him? He was willing to betray hispanion and be the pawn of someone else simply for the title of mountain master of some academy and the chance to lead a Confucian school in the future �� things that are nothing more than fame and fortune. He genuinely deserved to die.


    "Old geezer, you offered Qi Jingchun the words ''Learning cannot stop; indigo is extracted from bluegrass but darker than bluegrass, and ice is condensed from water but colder than water[2]'' when farewelling him at that time. This saying has spread far and wide, and this is something that I''m well aware of. But what words did you offer to Ma Zhan?"


    "Heaven and earth birth noble people, and noble people bring order to heaven and earth[3]. Such a pity," the old schr replied calmly.


    It was unknown whether he was expressing pity for this saying or expressing pity for Ma Zhan.


    Cui Chan sneered and recounted, "When Ma Zhan left the small town with those children, he got along really well with one of my pawns, and he was even willing to reveal some information. He mentioned that he had shed with Qi Jingchun regarding whether they should leave or stay in Jewel Small World. In the end, Qi Jingchun had said something extremely strange and slightly startled Ma Zhan �� ''A wise man must know when to retreat and when to stand their ground.''


    "That utter fool Ma Zhan continued to act ording to his selfish desires even after Qi Jingchun''s courageous and righteous death. He was still dreaming about bing the mountain master of an academy. Only when death stared him in the eyes did he finallye to a realization. He finally confirmed that Qi Jingchun had already been aware of his actions when talking to him in the private school. However, Qi Jingchun had simply been unwilling to expose him, with the hope that he could do his best to look after those children.


    "Ma Zhan was truly slow, and he only realized that everything was over after being dyed and lied to twice. It was only then that he finally manned up for the first time in his life. He sacrificed his right to reincarnation in order to wound my pawn and help those children escape back to the small town. In the end, all this extra trouble hase about because of this..."


    The young Cui Chan''s voice became increasingly listless as he spoke thest few sentences.


    The old schr sighed with emotion.


    Many people and things in Jewel Small World had been heavily concealed and kept secret, especially during Qi Jingchun''s 60 years in charge. Qi Jingchun, Old Man Yang, and some other powerful figures had acted behind the scenes and caused the small world to be increasinglyplicated and unpredictable. In fact, it was extremely difficult for even the old schr, the Schrly Sage, to perform divinations on the small world. He didn''t dare to im that his divinations were correct.


    "Finished your conversation?" the tall woman asked in a soft and gentle voice.


    Cui Chan noticed that the old schr''s expression was slightly grim. The old schr sighed heavily, and out of the corners of his eyes, he saw that the tall woman had turned around to look at him at this moment. The old schr could only put his luggage down in a begrudging manner. He then retrieved a scroll and lightly untied the string that held it together.


    Chen Ping''an was at aplete loss.


    The tall woman walked next to him and said with a smile, "You canunch three sword strikes in a moment."


    She squinted her eyes and gazed at the sky thaty beyond the lotus leaf. "I''m going to revert to my true form afterward, and there''s no need for you to be surprised," she said slowly.


    As if remembering something, she added in an apologetic voice, "I forgot to say a word."


    Chen Ping''an looked up upon hearing this.


    The tall woman''s expression became respectful, and she said, "Master."


    1. Mecius'' political thought, arguing thatmoners are the foundation of any empire and thus more important than the rulers. ?


    2. An extract from Xunzi''s ''Exhortation to Learning''. Xunzi is often ranked as the third great Confucian philosopher, and this extract refers to the fact that a student can surpass their master if theymit themselves to learning. ?


    3. Another one of Xunzi''s sayings. ?

 Chapter 150: Clear the Mountains

    Chapter 150: Clear the Mountains


    Even though the little girl in red felt discouraged for a moment, she was Li Baoping, after all! She quickly became energetic and full of spirit as she quietly shuffled her feet and sneakily moved from the left-hand side of the tall woman to behind her. Continuing to shuffle her feet, Li Baoping eventually arrived on the right-hand side of the tall woman. She looked at her garment and checked out herrge lotus leaf. Li Baoping felt like these were still very beautiful, and that the tall woman was still very attractive.


    After hearing Cui Chan''s outburst and listening to the old schr''s scolding, Chen Ping''an was able to notice a few things. However, he was still in disbelief as he gulped and quietly asked the tall woman, "Is this old schr Mr. Qi''s teacher? Is he that Schrly Sage or something? A mighty Confucian Sage?"


    No wonder their journey had been filled with so many ups and downs. No wonder they hade across A''Liang, the terrestrial sword immortal from Wind Snow Temple, and of course, this young boy with the surname Cui.


    The tall woman nodded and replied with a smile, "Yes, that''s indeed the case."


    The true identity of this tall woman was the sword spirit of the old sword billet that had hung under the stone arch bridge. She had waited there for almost 10,000 years, and she had once personally witnessed the death of the final True Dragon in the world. That was an epic final battle that had involved the powerful Qi refiners from the three teachings and the hundred schools of thought.


    Even so, they had still suffered countless casualties, with the corpses of the victims raining down from the sky and crashing into the earth. Their souls had gathered together and didn''t dissipate, and they had eventually intertwined together with the fortune of the True Dragon once it was killed. In the end, this had formed Jewel Small World. In the tall woman''s eyes, however, this was nothing more than a measly fight between toddlers.


    The sword spirit had looked on with a cold gaze the entire time. Her eyes would asionally light up from time to time, and she would secretly reach over to grab a few beautiful-looking items.


    She had initially thought that she would spend the remainder of her life either sleeping or yawning as she observed those majestic ancient ruins. She would drift through these ruins, and she would be inferior to even lonely souls and wild ghosts. Just like that, she would travel with the undting flow of time and eventually wait until the day that her spiritual energy vanished for good.


    However, before the demise of Jewel Small World, she had chosen Chen Ping''an to be her second master. She hadn''t chosen the sword prodigy Ning Yao or the impressive Ma Kuxuan, nor had she chosen Xie Shi, Cao Xi, or the other prodigies who hailed from the small town.


    In fact, this was all thanks to Qi Jingchun.


    First, it was during that night when he had sat alone on the covered bridge until the next morning. Sitting under the que that read "Rising Winds Crashing Water", he had convinced her to open her eyes to take a look at that young boy from y Vase Alley, even if it was only a single nce.


    In fact, the sword spirit hadn''t felt anything when she had taken her first nce at Chen Ping''an.


    She had already witnessed far too many incredible sights during her lifetime.


    Because of this, she had remainedpletely indifferent. To her, what did it matter if Jewel Small World shattered and fell? What did it matter if the Heavenly Dao unleashed a bacsh on the residents of this small world? None of these things would affect her.


    However, she had indeed been curious about why someone like Qi Jingchun �� a schr who was regarded as impressive enough to found his own teaching �� had set his eyes on a young boy who had never attended school or even read any books before.


    Thus, she had taken a few more nces at Chen Ping''an after that day. However, she still hadn''t felt anything.


    Afterward, she had be very bored and finally recalled the "cupped handful of water" that Qi Jingchun had left using his power as the sage of the small town. Qi Jingchun had scooped this "water" up using a powerful mystical ability, and he had ced it under the covered bridge before leaving, having sat there for an entire night. Recorded in this "cupped handful of water" were some events that had taken ce in Jewel Small World during the past dozen or so years.


    One day, when she had nothing to do, she felt like she had to find something to upy herself with, right? And thus, she had revealed her human form and hovered above the water under the covered bridge. She had observed the rippling water as she brushed her hair.


    What was recorded was the life of the young boy from y Vase Alley.


    There were schemes with setups that stretched for a thousand kilometers, there were trivial arguments in the streets and alleys, there were kind acts that concealed deadly intent, there were cmities that resulted from unintentional acts, there were happy reunions and sad farewells, there was grief and sincerity, and there was life and death.


    The sword spirit felt like this was quite interesting. At least, it was more interesting than watching the fights between the toddlers and the worm.


    For example, she had seen the little Chen Ping''an carrying a basket that was almost half as tall as him and saying that he was going to enter the mountains to pick medicine. Yet, he had started to bawl before even setting foot on the mountain.


    For example, the little boy had stood on a small stool and murmured to himself as he moved the wok spat around, saying that he was definitely going to cook a delicious meal tonight �� not too salty and not too nd, but just right.


    And for example, the little boy had run away from the stand selling tanghulu, drool dripping from his mouth as he did so. He could only try his best to recall the taste of this snack from when he had eaten it years ago.


    Finally, for example when the little boy had gone fishing in the creek at noon in order to stay alive,pletely oblivious to the fact that even gods and immortals would struggle to catch fish during noon. He had ended up so sunburned that he looked like a piece of charcoal.


    The sword spirit knew that these were hardships. However, she had never regarded these as hardships that were difficult to endure or ovee.


    This was because she had once traveled far and wide with her previous owner, taking part in many battles and witnessing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. In fact, there had been enough mangled corpses of gods and deities to build up an entire mountain, and there had been enough demon cores of great demons to make many skewers of tanghulu. These were very crunchy skewers of tanghulu. Those demons from the outside worlds had blotted out heaven and earth, yet she and her master had been able to obliterate them with a single strike.


    Thus, she was still unwilling to agree even when Qi Jingchun visited her again. When even Qi Jingchun, a schr who was extremely skilled at speaking reason, ran out of ideas, he had been left with no option but to retrieve that "cupped handful of water". Standing on the covered bridge, he had gently poured this water into Dragon Whisker Creek, causing those images to slowly flow away. There were images of Chen Ping''an hastily running through the alleys to deliver letters, and there were images of Chen Ping''an visiting the immortal tomb to pray for his mother''s good health. When starting to pour this water, Qi Jingchun had decided that he wouldn''t try to persuade the sword spirit again.


    After pouring away the water, Qi Jingchun had started to walk to one end of the covered bridge. Yet, it was his unintentional remark during this time of great disappointment that had finally moved the stone heart of the sword spirit ever so slightly. "We''re all very disappointed in this world..."


    The sword spirit had remained calm, and that cupped handful of water had been about topletely vanish into the creek. The final scene was the little boy waving goodbye to his father in y Vase Alley. "Dad, I''m five years old now! I''m an adult!"


    Looking at the back of that figure, the sword spirit had said, "Let him walk across the covered bridge. If he can persist and push forward, then I can consider your proposal."


    Qi Jingchun had turned around in deep astonishment before breaking into heartyughter. Earnestly nodding, he had replied, "I believe Chen Ping''an, so please believe me!"


    The schr had strode down the steps of the covered bridge, and his two sleeves had billowed in an exaggerated manner in the wind. It was as if these sleeves had been filled with Qi Jingchun''s youth and vigor.


    The sword spirit''s reminiscence was interrupted by a question from the young boy.


    "Since he''s Mr. Qi''s teacher, can we not fight with each other?" Chen Ping''an asked carefully.


    The sword spirit let go of the snow-white lotus leaf, allowing it to hover high in the air. The lotus leaf instantly became humongous, sorge that it covered an area measuring five kilometers in radius.


    She then shook her head and replied, "For the sake of Mr. Qi, you have to fight this battle."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and said, "Even though I don''t know the reason, I''ll believe you since it''s rted to Mr. Qi and since you''re saying this..."


    He paused for a moment, and a determined expression appeared in his eyes. He looked at the tall woman and grinned, "I''ll fight!"


    The sword spirit smiled in reply before turning her gaze to the old schr who was still trying to dy things. He was still yet to untie the string on the scroll after all this time, and he was even mumbling to himself at this moment.


    "Once upon a time, I only knew how to hide in the study and libraries to obtain new knowledge. This caused me to miss out on many things. After leaving the Forest of Virtue, I attempted to live in a manner that I never dared to before. For example, drinking to my heart''s content, arguing with others, eating spicy food, swimming with bare shoulders, and so on. My journey has taken me to many ces and allowed me to witness many famous mountains and great rivers..."


    "Schrly Sage, there''s still something that you haven''t experienced yet. A saber to the neck. Mhm, I mean sword. Trying to buy time like this isn''t going to make a difference," the sword spirit said in amusement.


    "Can''t you see that I''m waiting for the two of you to change your minds?" the old schr huffed.


    The sword spirit squinted her eyes and humphed, "Don''t try to push your luck, old man!"


    "Old man?" the old schr chuckled.


    "I''ll remember this," the sword spirit replied with an increasingly gentle and soft smile.


    The old schr gave in and decided to go with the flow. "Then we''ll fight! Who''s afraid of who? Do you really think I''m unable to fight? It''s just that my fighting skills are worse than my argument skills."


    He finally managed to untie the string on the scroll, and with a flick of his wrist, the painting unfurled with a crack. It unfurled diagonally toward the ground, and the old schr kept his hand firmly holding the other end of the scroll. This painting of mountains and rivers was genuinely a very long one, and it instantly covered the entire area surrounding the old well. Chen Ping''an had initially wanted to shuffle away, yet the tall woman had ced her hand on his shoulder and stopped him from moving.


    The fearless Li Baoping decided to directly squat down and carefully analyze the painting. She didn''t forget to reach out with her hands to jab this area and tap that area.


    Meanwhile, the young Cui Chan was standing behind the old schr and carrying his luggage for him.


    "Retrieve!" the old schr shouted softly.


    Squatting next to the old well, the little girl who was carefully analyzing the painting suddenly snapped to her senses. The painting on the floor had already disappeared.


    At the same time, her junior uncle, the big sister female ghost who had a fairly bad temper, and her teacher''s teacher whom she should have referred to as grandmaster also vanished from sight.


    She looked up, only to discover that the painting had already rolled back up and be a scroll again. It quietly hovered in midair.


    The young Cui Chan wasn''t surprised by this at all. He obediently stood there and carried the old schr''s luggage. Meanwhile, his expression was one of fury and resentment, aggrieved that his freedom had been stripped from him.


    Li Baoping immediately stood up and held the tranquil seal high in the air, asking loudly, "That Cui person, where''s my junior uncle?! If you don''t tell me, then I''m going to smack you with this seal! I''m always unable to control my strength when I beat others, so I won''t take responsibility if I identally beat you to death!"


    Cui Chan nced at the little girl before nodding and replying with an apathetic expression, "Then smack me to death."


    Are you challenging me?


    So be it if the female ghost challenged me. But a bad person like you?


    Li Baoping faltered for a moment before ring up in rage. Without saying another word, she pumped her legs and sprinted around the scroll hanging in the air. She was shorter than Cui Chan, so she nimbly leaped up before forcefully smacking the seal into Cui Chan''s forehead with a loud thwack.


    The young Cui Chan was struck with disbelief. His eyes were zed over, and he reached up to rub his even redder and more bruised forehead. He suddenly tossed the old schr''s luggage aside and squatted down, wrapping his arms around his head and shouting, "I can''t deal with this anymore! Everyone is able to bully me now!"


    Li Baoping couldn''t help but feel slightly guilty for some reason. She ced her hand that was holding the seal behind her back, quietly hiding the offending weapon. She then started to investigate the scroll, hoping to find her junior uncle.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an looked around, and he discovered that the environment was simr to when he had been pulled "underwater" by the sword spirit at that time. The surroundings were vast and very empty, and this caused some "physical items" to appear especially "real". For example, there was a tall wall located far in front of him, so tall that Chen Ping''an couldn''t see the top of it no matter how he craned his neck.


    The tall woman in white beside him twirled her hair in her hands and said with a smile, "This is inside the painting, and it''s also inside the Schrly Sage''s consciousness. It''s quite difficult andplicated to exin. You only need to know that we''ll both be safe and sound from any negative consequences if you unleash the sword strikes here. This is also one of the reasons why I agreed to the old man''s proposal. Otherwise, I would have directly fought him above that mountain face."


    Her other hand suddenlynded on Chen Ping''an''s shoulder, and she continued, "We''re too close right now, so you''re unable to see this ce clearly. I''ll bring you back a little first, say 400 kilometers."


    Chen Ping''an felt like he was a gust of wind as he was rapidly dragged backward by the sword spirit. After retreating heaven knows how far away, he finallynded and was able to stand still. His jaw fell open, and he had no time to worry about his difort or the churning inside his acupoints. He stared at the mountain. They were observing it from 400 kilometers away, yet it still appeared so magnificent and huge?


    Compared to this colossal mountain, would Cloud Drape Mountain from his hometown not appear like a small and insignificant dirt mound?


    The tall female''s expression was solemn, and she said, "There''s a more important reason, and that''s the fact that the Schrly Sage agreed to give you some extra advantages if we fought him here."


    Chen Ping''an was stunned beyond belief, and he asked with a slightly parched mouth, "What?"


    The tall female looked him in the eyes and replied, "When youunch your sword strikes here, you''ll possess a cultivation base that''s equivalent to 10th tier Qi refiners. Of course, this is only an illusion. However, it''s a very realistic illusion. I hope you can embrace this experience and carefully appreciate the feeling. In terms of your future cultivation, this experience will be...pletely useless."


    She was amused by her own words, and she chuckled, "Alright, I''m just trying to tell you one thing. Don''t just focus on your fist technique and nothing else. More importantly, don''t feel like the purpose of practicing this fist technique is merely in order to stay alive. Such a mindset is far too pathetic. How can your ambition be so small? Just think about it, who are you?"


    "Chen Ping''an?" Chen Ping''an replied in a daze.


    So be it if he had given an irrelevant answer. Most importantly, who else could he possibly be if not Chen Ping''an?


    The tall female bent down and stroked the young boy''s head. "Apart from being Chen Ping''an, you''re also my master!"


    The young boy felt slightly embarrassed.


    The angry voice of the old schr traveled over from the peak of the colossal mountain at this moment, saying, "Alrighty then. You were in such a hurry just then, yet you''re not in a hurry now?"


    The sword spirit took a deep breath before pointing at the mountain and exining, "This is the tallest of the Five Mountains in the Middle Earth Divine Continent."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    There was a fervent expression in the sword spirit''s eyes as she gazed at the mountain in the distance, and she asked, "What should you do if there''s a mountain blocking your Great Dao?"


    "Climb over it," Chen Ping''an replied softly.


    Her lips curled up into a smile, and she wasn''t annoyed as she asked again, "And what if you have a sword in your hand?"


    Chen Ping''an recalled the scenes of himself clearing the mountain paths, and he asked, "Clear the mountains and forge forward?"


    "Correct!" the sword spirit replied with a loudugh.


    The tall female strode forward and stood in front of Chen Ping''an. She formed a sword with her index finger and middle finger, and she slowly dragged this finger sword from the left to the right.


    An extremely small speck of light suddenly exploded on the leftmost side.


    It was as if a brilliant sun had appeared there.


    This dazzling radiance then stretched to the right.


    The further right this blinding radiance extended, the fainter the tall female''s figure became.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an saw a scabbardless sword materialize in the air before him. It was as if this sword had already been waiting for someone to pick it up for tens of millions of years.


    The blinding radiance had already vanished.


    Chen Ping''an slowly walked forward and grabbed the hilt of the sword.


    After grabbing the sword, he instantly felt as if heaven and earth had turned upside down. All of his acupoints shuddered, and the Qi flowing around him fell into disarray. They gusted around him with such ferocity that Chen Ping''an could barely open his eyes.


    He shut his eyes, and as if in tacit understanding with the sword, he said, "Move together!"


    The sword rang fervently.


    It was as if the sword were an autumn cicada buzzing to heaven and earth as it stood on the highest branch!<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    The sword billet hanging under the stone arch bridge should actually be a sword de. It is a de without a hilt, pommel, and guard. Future chapters (after 180ish) will reflect this change.</blockquote>

 Chapter 151: The Young Boy Has a Sword to Hack the Mountain

    Chapter 151: The Young Boy Has a Sword to Hack the Mountain


    The old schr was standing on a huge boulder atop the colossal mountain. The mountain wind whistled past him, causing his sleeves to loudly p in the air.


    At this moment, did the white-haired old schr standing high against the mountain wind still appear impoverished in the least?


    The old schr gazed at the brilliant speck of light that suddenly burst into existence more than 400 kilometers away. Even though it was extremely far away, the old schr still found it to be slightly blinding. He nodded slightly and said, "So many years have passed, and even though the edge of the de is far blunter than the legends, the intense aura of sharpness that it possesses hasn''t declined by much. Impressive, how very impressive. After a lengthy 10,000 years filled with vicissitudes, you''re still able to maintain such a razor-sharp spirit. However..."


    The old schr quickly smiled and continued, "I''ll use this mountain to teach the two of you the meaning of true difficulty and the need to retreat to avoid defeat. In terms of things like fighting, it''s best that we keep it to a minimum. After all, fighting will detrimentally affect rtionships."


    The mountain that the old schr had "visualized" into the painting and was standing on right now was as renowned as could be.


    In the Middle Earth Divine Continent, thergest of the nine continents, there was a lofty mountain called Tassel Mountain. This was a majestic mountain, and it could be said that it rose from the earth and soared into the sky. On the mountain peak, there was a monument upon which the Paramount Sage had personally written the characters "Epitome of the World", there was a cliff face upon which the Etiquette Sage had personally engraved the characters "Ancestor of the Five Mountains", there was an engraving upon which the first disciple of the Dao Ancestor had left the characters "Astral Winds Gently Arrive", and there was an engraving upon which a Militarian Sage had used his fingers to engrave the characters "Sole Paragon Wudang".


    Only taking into ount the engravings left by the emperors of the different dynasties from the different continents during their ceremonies of worship toward heaven and earth throughout history, there were already more than 180 in total. These stone tablets consisted of ones that were engraved using cursive, seal, official, and regr script. These characters and cliff faces that were filled with an aura of mystery and profoundness extended all the way from the Heaven Ascending tform on the peak of Tassel Mountain to the waist of the mountain halfway down. Monuments and historical sights were everywhere one looked.


    The old schr gazed at the dazzling sword light far away in the distance. When he had first arrived by the old well and seen Chen Ping''an''s sword stance, he had felt like the young boy''s manner of holding the sword was as unsightly as could be. Even as someone who didn''t care much about martial arts, the old schr had still been barely able to stand that sight. Now, however, the old schr only had a single feeling as he observed the young boy holding the sword horizontally in front of him.


    Steady.


    Chen Ping''an''s hand was extremely steady as he held the sword. His mind was also very calm and still, and this allowed his soul and aura to be even steadier.


    After funneling all of her sword intent into the "old sword billet", the tall woman directly appeared in Chen Ping''an''s mind using an even more intangible and illusory body. This was an incredibly mystical sight. Her pupils were gold and her feet were bare, and when she lightlynded on the ke" that was Chen Ping''an''s mind, light ripples undted across the surface. A voice sounded in the young boy''s mind.


    This was a gentle voice that reverberated through his mind, and it said, "There''s no need to hurry. Take your time to familiarize yourself with the feeling of being a 10th tier Qi refiner.


    "So-called sword techniques only consist of a few different types. There aren''t many variations. This is the difference between ordinary cultivators in the world and those from lofty immortal sects. Qi refiners refine Qi andbine both nurturing and refining together. They''re able to nurture a myriad of different sword qi, some which are profound and some which are shallow, some which are mighty and some which are lowly. If others are creeks or streams while you''re ake or river, you''ll naturally be hundreds upon thousands of times more powerful than them.


    "The power of your sword qi depends on how much your physique and acupoints have been explored and opened up. The more acupoints you open up, the more potential you''ll unlock. If others only possess a single low-level blessednd while you''ve unlocked all of your blessednds, the gulf between the two of you will be like the gulf between heaven and earth! Meridians are like paths, and the tougher and wider they are, the better. If the paths of others are single-log bridges while yours is a grand highway that leads to the heavens, how can they possibly rival you?"


    The sword spirit observed the surroundings, and after seeing the images in Chen Ping''an''s mind, she smiled widely and asked in a soft voice, "Do you understand?"


    Chen Ping''an was still struggling to adapt to the feeling of being a 10th tier Qi refiner. Add to that the utterly chaotic aura around him, and he couldn''t even open his eyes, much less open his mouth to reply. Fortunately, the sword spirit had told him that he only needed to reply using his thoughts. Chen Ping''an truthfully replied, "I understand, but I don''t know how to do it."


    The tall woman wasn''t surprised at all, and sheughed heartily upon hearing the young boy''s reply.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t quite understand, and he continued to focus his full attention on adapting to this feeling of being a 10th tier Qi refiner.


    This was a strange feeling that he couldn''t exin using words.


    It was as if he were a starving person with a rumbling stomach whose belly had suddenly been stuffed full of generous amounts of fish and meat, not leaving a single empty space. It was as if all of his acupoints had been opened up.


    The wisp of Qi within him was like a fiery dragon swimming around and had suddenly transformed from the size of a thread to the size of aicallyrge loach. It rapidly dashed through his meridians, traveling everywhere it wanted without any obstructions. As it swam, it didn''t forget to pull the Qi from the other acupoints toward itself. This had a snowballing effect, and it was as if the fiery dragon wouldn''t relent unless it became a genuine flood dragon.


    Chen Ping''an''s insides became as clear and limpid as colored ze, while his torso and meridians werefortably stretched until they became like a golden branch and jade leaves.


    His True Qi was unblemished, his form radiated with a sense of natural simplicity, and he was able to freely observe the state of longevity.


    One after another, the abilities and phenomena that Lin Shouyi had mentioned to him before appeared in his mind.


    Hovering in his mind, the sword spirit said in a soft voice, "It''s still a little bitcking. Sword immortals are different from ordinary Qi refiners, after all."


    She then looked up and gazed into the distance, with her gaze piercing through Chen Ping''an''s mind and directlynding on the huge boulder atop the towering mountain. She smiled and asked, "What do you say? Otherwise, your shameless act of summoning Tassel Mountain to use against your opponent is far too unfair."


    "I simply want the two of you to wholeheartedly ept your loss."


    The old schrughed heartily as he replied to the sword spirit. After hesitating for a brief moment, he retracted his gaze slightly and swept his gaze over the entire mountain. In the end, his gaze settled on a cliff face that had a strange "copybook" engraved onto it by an ancient sword immortal using their abundant sword qi. This was none other than the "Flying Sword Copybook" that attracted many sword immortals from the Middle Earth Divine Continent. These sword immortals would observe this copybook, and some of them would even build huts under the cliff face toprehend the Sword Dao contained within the copybook.


    "Here, take it! In terms of how much you can retain, that''spletely up to your own abilities. Back then, Little Zuo was in the same situation as you. He was yet to formally begin learning the sword, yet he unintentionally came across these characters when climbing the mountain. After observing them, he was able to retain six characters. This was an immediate reflection of his talent in swordsmanship. There are many prodigious swordsmen, but one has to realize that prodigies alsoe in different levels. Those who can retain five characters are guaranteed to be terrestrial sword immortals. Chen Ping''an, let us see just how talented you are!"


    The old schr waved his sleeve, causing the sevenrge and ancient characters to fly out from the cliff face and soar toward Chen Ping''an who was standing 400 kilometers away. These characters arrived before him in a sh, and when they did so, they had already be characters in official script that were only as big as his palm. They were golden and dazzling, and they started to rapidly circte around him.


    After a while, however, not a single character was willing to approach Chen Ping''an. They drifted further and further away from him, and in the end, they decided to directly fly back to the cliff face.


    The old schr felt both awkward and guilty upon seeing this, and he murmured, "I was trying to be clever, but my n has clearly backfired on me. Sorry about this, Little Ping''an. I never imagined that these characters would be so disrespectful..."


    The tall woman in Chen Ping''an''s mind humphed coldly in reply.


    The old schr produced a forced smile and said, "Troublesome, how very troublesome... How should I deal with this? No worries, let me think of an easier method. Something like this can''t trip me up. I''m old friends with the mountain god of Tassel Mountain, so I''m extremely aware of just how much wealth he has. If pushes to shove, I''ll just..."


    "I''m not surprised that the seven characters didn''t take a fancy to me."


    Right at this moment, Chen Ping''an opened his eyes ever so slightly and directly voiced his thoughts, not using his mind tomunicate with the tall woman anymore. "In any case, I didn''t want to obtain them either. Honest!"


    The tall woman''s heart shuddered.


    Chen Ping''an tightened his grip on the sword and slowly continued, "When practicing my fist technique, I always have a nagging feeling that my punches will eventually be very quick if I keep practicing like this. In fact, I feel like they can be the quickest. With you by my side now, I feel like this is already enough. I don''t need those characters, and I''m confident that my sword strike will still be very quick! Believe me, it will definitely be very quick!"


    The tall female nodded in reply.


    The old schr also faltered for a moment, and he clucked his tongue in wonder before saying, "Your attitude and manner are truly like Little Qi from when he was young."


    There was a faint smile on the old schr''s face, yet he purposely humphed and said in a cold voice, "Let me see just how powerful your 10th tier sword strike is. Will it unleash the power of an 11th tier cultivator, or will it unleash the power of a 12th tier cultivator? Chen Ping''an, don''t drag your feet and only unleash a sword strike that''s equivalent to the seventh tier or eighth tier! Come on, what are you still waiting for? If you still don''tunch your sword strike, then the sun is going to rise again!"


    After teasing the young boy, the old schr sat down cross-legged and murmured, "A poet once remarked, ''For ten years my sword was sharpened, yet a test on its de has never happened; I disy it to Your Majesty today, tell me who has grievances to alleviate[1].'' However, so many grievances and injustices exist in the world, yet there only exists a single sword..."


    A carefree smile appeared on the old schr''s face, and he no longer troubled himself with these mncholy thoughts. "In any case, others might sharpen their swords for 10 years, but the sword in your hand has been sharpened for 10,000 years!" he gloated.


    "Go!" Chen Ping''an and the tall woman solemnly eximed in unison.


    Chen Ping''an started to charge forward at full speed. He surprisingly held the sword behind him.


    The old schr simply smiled and shook his head when he saw this.


    The young boy looked up as he sprinted forward like the wind. He then leaped high into the air before shing down.


    The world fell silent.


    There was no astonishing sword light that illuminated heaven and earth. There was no remarkable sword qi that soared into the sky.


    At this instant, however, the old schr who had initially been facing the south as he sat on the boulder atop the mountain tilted his body sideways.


    Hovering in Chen Ping''an''s mind, the tall woman suddenly fell into his "mind''ske" before shutting her eyes and murmuring, "It''s already been 10,000 years."


    At the same time, Li Baoping who was investigating the scroll next to the old well in Autumn Reed Inn suddenly widened her eyes and eximed in astonishment, "Why did the scroll suddenly crack?!"


    1. From Jia Dao''s poem, A Swordsman. This represents the extraordinary nature of something, and taken in the context of the poem, represents a grand desire to unleash the power of this extraordinary item. ?

 Chapter 152: (1): Higher than the Heavens

    Chapter 152: (1): Higher than the Heavens


    Cui Chan was sitting on the ground in a daze, and when he heard Li Baoping''s exmation, he shot a sideways nce at the little girl. "This scroll won''t get a single scratch even if the sky copses," he huffed.


    "Do you know what it means for the sky to copse? An unnamed person from the Middle Earth Divine Continent once pierced the heavenly river with his sword, drawing limitless water from the Yellow River Small World. Looking at it from afar, it was as if a huge hole had been torn in the sky, causing water to gush down with vigor.


    "This was how two of the 10 wonders of the world were created �� ''Yellow River''s wateres from the heavens'', and White Emperor City that exists within the iridescent clouds [1]. The city lord of White Emperor City is quite a remarkable person, and he''s one of the few people who dare to openly identify as a member of the demonic orthodoxy. He''s incredibly free-spirited, and I was fortunate enough to y Go with him in the iridescent clouds outside White Emperor City once.


    ��This was dubbed ''10 games in the iridescent clouds'', and I felt extremely honored even though I lost more games than I won. After all, the banner that read ''respectfully allow the world to go first''[2] had already been flying above the city wall of White Emperor City for over 600 years. The number of people who have the right to y Go with the city lord of White Emperor City can be counted on a single hand..."


    Li Baoping didn''t like listening to this nonsense, and she snapped, "Why are you babbling on so much and trying to show off? I said the scroll is cracked, so the scroll is cracked! If I''m correct and you''re wrong, then let me stamp your forehead with the seal again? Do you dare to ept this bet?!"


    A bet?


    Cui Chan''s interest was immediately piqued. The dejected expression vanished from his face, and he eagerly stood up before dusting off his bottom and asking with a smile, "Then what if I win?"


    "If Junior Uncle still insists on killing you aftering out from the scroll, then I''ll help collect and bury your body afterward!" Li Baoping replied generously. "Tell me, where do you want to be buried? How about the immortal tomb in my hometown? I always go there, so I''m quite familiar with the environment of that ce. That will save me heaps of trouble..."


    Cui Chan grimaced as he put up a hand and said, "No, no, no, hold it right there. If I win, then you need to convince Chen Ping''an not to kill me. Not only that, but he even needs to ept me as a disciple."


    Cui Chan''s forehead had been brutally struck by Qi Jingchun''s seal, "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment", the instant that he had dashed out from the old well just then. This hadprehensively dispersed thest inking of "righteous aura" from his young body, causing him to drop from the fifth tier to the level of an ordinary mortal. Sure enough, Qi Jingchun had been correct. While visiting the Yuan n''s ancestral residence in the small town, Qi Jingchun had told Cui Chan that he would naturally have ways to make him suffer if he didn''t repent and change his ways.


    However, the tide of the times was with the Great Li Empire, and their imminent expedition down south was like an arrow that was drawn back and had to be fired. Moreover, the cultivation path that Cui Chan walked was one where turning back was not an option. He couldn''t take a single backward step. Thus, even though he already knew that Qi Jingchun had prepared some ns at the time, he still had no option but to do what he had to do. At most, he would simply be more cautious with his actions and words.


    Regardless of all this, both the young Cui Chan and Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan in the capital were people who honored their bets. This was the case irrespective of how scheming, bloodthirsty, and sinister they were. This was a quality that Cui Chan had never lost, from the time that he had be the Schrly Sage''s disciple, to the time that he fell to be the imperial preceptor of a barbaric nation in the tiny Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Li Baoping shook her head and replied, "I won''t agree to such a wager even if I''m certain of my victory."


    Cui Chan blinked and challenged, "How will you be a young schr and female teacher in Mountain Cliff Academy in the future if you refuse to even entertain such an offer?"


    Li Baoping had an expression of scorn as she looked at her... former "uncle master"? When the little girl said something, it was as if she would beat to death a road-blocking beast in her mind. However, she would never "collect and bury" the corpse, and she would instead run to a faraway ce with a hop and a bound, searching for her next opponent. Back in the small town, even Qi Jingchun had been helpless against this.


    The little girl raised her arm and waved the jade-white seal in her hand. "Are you scared?"


    Cui Chan chuckled and replied, "Heh, I''m not going to argue with a little bumpkin girl from the mountains."


    Li Baoping slowly put her arm down and lightly blew a breath over the characters on the seal. It looked like she was preparing to use the seal again.


    Cui Chan gulped and persuaded, "Li Baoping, don''t be like this, okay? We can sit down and talk things over. We''re fellow Confucian disciples, after all, and noble people should use reason instead of violence. In any case, aren''t you afraid of your junior uncle not liking you anymore after seeing you act in such an arrogant and pompous manner, without a shred of a noble woman''s grace and elegance?"


    "Junior Uncle not liking me anymore? I''m Junior Uncle''s favorite person in the world!" Li Baoping announced with a happy smile.


    Cui Chan sighed and said, "But your junior uncle will eventually have a girl who he likes the most."


    "Then I''ll be his second favorite! This is still something to be very happy about," Li Baoping replied without hesitation.


    Cui Chan looked at the little girl as if he were looking at a ghost or a god. "Seriously?"


    Li Baoping suddenly put on an expression that was identical to Cui Chan''s as she looked at somece behind him. Cui Chan turned around, thinking that some kind of ident had happened behind him. Right now, his body was unable to withstand any kind of mishap. In the next instant, however, he immediately realized that something was wrong. There was nothing behind him, and there was definitely no ident to be seen.


    Traveling as swiftly as a bolt of lightning, a seal forcefully smacked into Cui Chan''s forehead, sending him tumbling backward.


    Cui Chan was filled with grief and indignation as he fell to the ground. This was the third time already!


    Lying on his back and staring at the sky, Cui Chan roared in anger, "Li Baoping, if you dare to sneak up to me and smack me with that seal again, then you''ll fall from your junior uncle''s second favorite person to third favorite person. And your standing will continue to fall like this each time you dare to attack me. You can weigh up the consequences yourself! I was once a Confucian Sage, after all, so my words should still hold a bit of weight no matter what. Don''t say that I didn''t warn you!"


    His tone was stern, but this was naturally nothing more than an empty threat. Confucian Sages were indeed capable of transforming their words into decrees. However, there were stringent requirements pertaining to their lineage and fortune as well as their aura of righteousness.


    Apart from his pocket treasure and "golden branch and jade leaves", it could be said that Cui Chan waspletely empty-handed at this moment. Even worse than this, pocket treasures were simr to extremely tiny small worlds, in the sense that Qi refiners needed to be at a certain cultivation base to ess them even if they were connected to them through their minds. For the pocket treasure that Cui Chan possessed, one needed to be at or above the fifth tier to ess it. If someone wanted to forcefully ess it, then they would at least need to be at the 10th tier. For example, a Militarian swordsman. If one were an 11th tier cultivator, then forcefully essing this pocket treasure would be extremely easy.


    This was a very simple concept. A pocket treasure could be viewed as a house, and a house would naturally have a lock. Meanwhile, the owner being at the fifth tier could be viewed as the owner having the key to the house in their possession. However, they still needed to use this key to open the door.


    If a thief wanted to break in, this naturally wasn''t impossible. However, it would be extremely difficult.


    Right now, Cui Chan''s body was as weak as could be. The same could be said about his soul. In fact, he was weaker than even ordinary frail schrs. Thus, he needed to get proper treatment in the future if he wanted to recover his strength to the level of ordinary people. As for cultivation, this was truly up to the will of the heavens. He would need toe across a huge fated opportunity or strike a huge fortune. However, taking into ount his ceaseless misfortunes on this journey, Cui Chan felt like he would be extremely satisfied as long as he could stay alive and be Chen Ping''an''s student.


    Initially a 12th tier Confucian Sage, he had first fallen to the 10th tier before falling to the fifth tier. And now, he had fallen to the level of an ordinary mortal where there was no lower level for him to fall.


    Cui Chan felt like his life was truly full of ups and downs and downs and downs and downs.


    You still dare to threaten me? Li Baoping eximed in her mind.


    This person doesn''t learn from his previous beatings. In fact, he''s even inferior to Li Huai!


    Li Baoping angrily sprinted over before squatting down and furiously stamping the seal on the young Cui Chan''s head.


    Her actions were swift and vigorous.


    Her actions caught her victimpletely off guard.


    Even as resilient as Cui Chan was, he still couldn''t help but feel that his life was empty and devoid of meaning at this moment.


    After all, his opponent was only a little girl, not the Schrly Sage or Qi Jingchun.


    ��������


    Inside the scroll, Chen Ping''an lost his consciousness after unleashing the sword strike andnding back on the ground. The tall woman caught him in her arms, and she carefully fixed his position such that they were both sitting on the ground. Her arms were lightly wrapped around the skinny young boy, and because her tied hair was draped in front of her, it covered Chen Ping''an''s face. She reached over to sweep her hair behind her back. She then lowered her head to gaze at Chen Ping''an''s tanned face.


    However, she suddenly looked up with a slightly astonished expression.


    A colossal golden figure had appeared in the scroll that was the forbiddennd of a sage. He stood atop Tassel Mountain, and it looked like he was having a conversation with the old schr. The tall woman had seen and experienced all kinds of things before, yet even she felt that this uninvited guest couldn''t be underestimated. Perhaps unwilling to reveal the contents of their conversation, the old schr created a barrier to stop their voices from traveling out.


    The tall woman didn''t think much about this. She lowered her head to look at the sleeping young boy again, saying with a faint smile, "If you be a Qi refiner in the future, and if your skin bes a little fairer, then you''ll actually be an elegant young boy as well. Perhaps you won''t be considered handsome, but you''ll definitely be considered proper and smart."


    Atop the towering mountain...


    Afternding on the mountain peak, the golden figure that had initially measured 3000 meters in height shrunk to be a burly man who measured only three meters in height. He was dressed in a suit of golden armor that appeared both mighty and dignified. There were countless talismanic characters engraved on this suit of armor, and some ancient symbols that had already been lost with time radiated with a rustic and deste aura. It was difficult to say how many thousands of years or tens of thousands of years these symbols had been passed down for.


    Some had existed for many thousands of years, yet they still radiated with a divine glow as if they had only been engraved yesterday. With these symbols engraved in the armor, it was as if they were towering mountains that had a myriad of golden rivers flowing between them.


    The old schr was in the wrong, so he could only shrink back slightly and purposely avert his gaze.


    The burly man was wearing a helmet that covered his face, and he said in a deep voice, "It has already been 6000 entire years since I became the formal god of Tassel Mountain. However, this is the first time that anyone has dared to raise their sword and challenge my mountain. Old schr, care to exin this?!"


    "Exin what?" the old schr asked with a baffled expression.


    The burly man was well aware of the old schr''s personality, so he couldn''t be bothered wasting his time to speak to him anymore. He turned around to look in Chen Ping''an''s direction, and he asked with a frown, "Her aura is extremely ancient and fundamental. Which mighty being is she? Was she the one who personally attacked Tassel Mountain?"


    "I suggest that you don''t provoke her. This old girl has a fairly bad temper," the old schr warned in a quiet voice.


    "And I have a good temper?" the burly man retorted in a calm voice.


    The old schr rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, yes, yes, none of you have a good temper, and only I have the best temper. Happy now? All of you like to be unreasonable toward those who are willing to speak reason. How bloody infuriating!"


    The burly man suddenly thought of something, and the tense atmosphere that was enveloping the mountain peak immediately vanished into thin air.


    The old schr sighed and said, "I won''t exin the process of what happened, and you simply need to know that it''s rted to Little Qi. Can you show some mercy just this once?"


    The burly man remained silent.


    "Then I''ll take your silence as a yes," the old schr chuckled. "Sigh, everything about you is good, but you''re just a bit too easily embarrassed and like to put on airs. Just what kind of rtionship do we have? Back then, the two of us snuck over to sneak a nce at that mountain goddess'' true appearance. However, who would have thought that she was bathing and changing at that time? If it weren''t for me being chivalrous and facing her wrathful anger by myself, and if it weren''t for me talking to her about the teachings of the sages for three days and three nights and eventually convincing her with reason, would she have put her grudge aside and spared your old face from utter embarrassment...?"


    "Shut up!" the burly man snapped in a sullen voice.


    The old schr knew that he had seeded, so he didn''t try to push his luck any further. It could be said that the formal god of Tassel Mountain was someone who strictly upheld his rules. Thus, being able to get this blockhead to bend his rules was already a very impressive feat. At least, the old schr felt very impressed by himself.


    He became slightly smug, and he pointed at the distance and said, "Oh, that''s right, do you see over there? That young boy is the final disciple that Little Qi took for me. What do you think about him? Fairly impressive, right? Haha, at least I like him. His personality is extremely simr to me when I was young. He likes to speak reason with others, and he''ll only get physical if he''s genuinely unable to convince others through reason. When he does get physical, his demeanor is also simr to Little Qi��s when he was young. Tsk, tsk, do you have any wine on you?"


    The burly man''s examining gaze quickly swept over Chen Ping''an. "Either Qi Jingchun went crazy, or you''ve gone blind."


    The old schr didn''t get angry, and he instead chuckled and said, "This is a matter pertaining to schrs, so what do meatheads like you understand?"


    The burly man in golden armor could most likely be considered the highest-ranking and most powerful formal god of the Five Mountains in this Majestic World. However, being powerful didn''t imply that he could do as he pleased. This was because powerful and transcendent gods like him �� especially those who were unaffected by the amount of incense and offerings they received �� would often be subject to more rules and restrictions in this Majestic World.


    Before having his divine statue moved into the Confucian temples, the old schr had once been responsible for overseeing the Five Mountains, among which Tassel Mountain was a member. Being given this responsibility could either be viewed as being sidelined to a position with little benefits, or it could sometimes also be viewed as achieving a great feat.


    For example, one of the three most renowned battles of the old schr rted to him using his kindred character to crush one of the Five Mountains of the Middle Earth Divine Continent more than halfway into the earth.


    The godly body of the mountain''s formal god had been shattered on the spot. However, this was a formal god with extremely powerful backers. Indeed, the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor had been so infuriated that he had almost torn apart the sky to charge into the Majestic World from the heavens beyond heavens.


    Not yet very old at that time, the old schr had chosen to soar into the sky by himself instead of retreating to one of the three Confucian schools. After arriving at the border between the Majestic World and the heavens beyond heavens, he had faced off against the furious second disciple of the Dao Ancestor. The old schr had then tilted his head and pointed at his neck, challenging his opponent to hack him there.


    The old schr had been extremely rxed and carefree during his trip to the sky.


    Could this be regarded as having a good temper?


    Could a teacher with a good temper produce students like Qi Jingchun, Cui Chan, and the person with the surname Zuo? One was capable of founding his own sect, one had betrayed his own master, and one had deviated from the Confucian teachings and turned his back on Dao.


    "For the sake of Qi Jingchun who was facing certain death, you were willing to go back on your vow and leave the Forest of Virtue, even going as far as to abandon the foundation of your Great Dao. What are you after?" the burly man in golden armor suddenly asked.


    A virtuous person viting the rules and a noble person going against reason would both lead to miserable fates. Within the Confucian orthodoxy, there would naturally be Sages and masters to punish these people ording to the rules.


    However, the most miserable fate would be reserved for sages acting contrary to their wills and convictions.


    It could be said that the Schrly Sage had put his life on the line for Qi Jingchun, someone who was destined for an inevitable death.


    Almost no one could understand his actions.


    The oue had already been decided, so what was the point of acting ording to his emotions?


    Thus, the mountain god in golden armor couldn''t fathom this even though he had witnessed all kinds of incredible things before.


    1. The former references Li Bai''s poem ''Invitation to Wine'', while thetter references Li Bai''s poem ''Setting Off Early from White Emperor City''. ?


    2. This is a statement of confidence from someone extremely skilled. Simr to letting your opponent always take white in chess. ?

 Chapter 153: Mind Realm

    Chapter 153: Mind Realm


    With a tap of his foot, the old schr strode past 400 kilometers of river and mountain and gracefullynded at the location where Chen Ping''an had unleashed the sword strike just then. He started to slowly stroll around, and he raised his arm and bent his fingers as he knocked on the surrounding air. It looked as if he were randomly knocking on nonexistent doors.


    However, there was no response, so the old schr had no option but to put his arm down and say in exasperation, "This doesn''t make sense! This kind of behavior is akin to setting up a tent in someone else''s home. Forget about it, I''ll just wait."


    The old schr patiently waited for the sword spirit to show herself. After waiting for a long time, he stood up on the spot to mull over a difficult question. He didn''t appear impatient in the least.


    A light ripple appeared in the air, after which a tall woman strode out from the faintly discernible void with Chen Ping''an in her hands.


    The old schr came to his senses, and he immediately said, "I admit defeat. Let''s not fight anymore. In any case, it''s already not important whether the remaining two sword strikes areunched, right?"


    There was a hint of a smile on the sword spirit''s face, and she asked, "Then how are we going to settle your two provocations toward me?"


    "The same mistake shouldn''t be made more than three times, right?" the old schr said with augh.


    The tall woman looked toward Tassel Mountain and asked, "Is he the new mountain god of Tassel Mountain? How long has he been in this position?"


    "Exactly 6000 years," the old schr replied. "In the 3000-odd years prior to that, the situation was a chaotic mess with gods being reced left and right. All dignity was lost, and Eastern Mountain, Tassel Mountain, also had three different owners during that time. During the most chaotic period, Tassel Mountain was once viewed as a force that belonged to the demonic orthodoxy, having been overtaken by the enemies. That was truly a time when etiquette crumbled and chaos took charge.


    "However, the current mountain god of Tassel Mountain has been able to maintain stability for 6000 years. Even though luck has yed a part in this, the bigger reason is his terrifying power. His fist is powerful enough, and he''s not afraid to challenge others either. As such, who isn''t apprehensive of him?"


    The sword spirit sneered and said, "Etiquette crumbling and chaos taking charge? Perhaps the three teachings were unhappy with the distribution of benefits? Or perhaps the Majestic World experienced a standoff between good and evil? What about the Etiquette Sage? With his temperament, how could he stand idly by?"


    The old schr sighed and replied, "It''s a long story... Forget about it."


    The tall woman sped her hands behind her back andmented with an increasingly scornful expression, "With the situation already settled, they naturally had to have an internal conflict. Haha, so much for a battle between Great Dao and contention between the hundred schools of thought. It was indeed lively, but what was the result? Did the world truly be a better ce?"


    The old schr shot a nce at the sword spirit, and his tone was extremely firm as he stated, "The Confucian Sect naturally can''t be regarded as so limpid that one can see the bottom. Not everyone is a virtuous person or a noble person. However, our Confucian Sages have put their heart and soul into trying to make this a reality, and it''s not an exaggeration to say that they worked their hearts out and went through infinite hardships. Thus, the fundamental core of Confucianism has always been upright and pure. You can''t deny this with a simple remark."


    "Is this the third time?" the sword spirit asked in an amused voice.


    In stark contrast to his unserious nature just then, the old schr was surprisingly unwilling to take a single backward step at this moment. His voice was calm as he said, "If you feel like this is incorrect, I can speak facts and reason and exin this to you for hundreds upon thousands of years. In the meantime, you''re also free to use a sword to speak your own reason."


    The tall woman carefully looked the skinny old schr up and down. "Did you truly disperse your fortune as a sage and leave only your soul? Are you truly treating this world as a ce to house your soul?"


    The old schr remained silent for a moment before answering, "That''s correct."


    The tall woman suppressed her spontaneous killing intent and said with aplicated expression, "After so many years, only the two of you have managed to do this. However, I''m very curious about your reason. Is it because you respect that person''s choice? Or is it because you were left with no other option? The former is very unlikely. This pertains to the Great Dao, so I presume that those old men in the Confucian Sect won''t allow you to seed even if this isn''t some kind of enjoyable assignment."


    "To emte those better than oneself is only natural and right," the old schr replied calmly.


    The tall woman pondered for a moment before taking a nce at Chen Ping''an and chuckling, "Not only was our goal achieved, but we even surpassed all expectations. Seeing that you made this choice, and more importantly for the sake of my master, let''s save the two sword strikes forter, shall we? If I suddenly feel annoyed by you in the future, we can settle both new scores and old scores together."


    The old schr instantly broke out of his act, with the serious expression immediately vanishing from his face. He pped his leg and chuckled, "Yes, yes, let''s save it forter! Saving it forter is good! The mortals in the world all like to save things forter on new year''s eve. They purposely leave some dishes unfinished for the next day, and this signifies that there''ll always be enough to eat and use. This is a very good omen!"


    The old schr looked d to have escaped alive no matter how one looked at him.


    However, the sword spirit paid no heed to this, and she said in a cold voice, "Let us out."


    The old schr flicked his sleeve and strode forward, saying in a loud voice, "Head tilted back andughing loudly, I leave through the door."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly remembered something, and he asked in a quiet voice, "Was my sword strike very disappointing just then? Thatrge mountain didn''t seem to move at all. The old senior also said that my talent with the sword would be determined by how many characters I could retain. Even though I didn''t want to ept them, the characters seemed to be unwilling to approach me as well. Does this mean that my talent with the sword will be as ordinary as my talent with my fists?"


    Chen Ping''an became increasingly downcast, and he continued, "The old senior also said that if I dragged my feet, I would only be able to unleash a sword strike equivalent to the seventh tier or eighth tier even if I were given a cultivation base at the 10th tier."


    Anyone could open their mouth to utter grand rhetoric and make rousing derations. However, things in the world were difficult precisely because they had to be done one step at a time.


    Chen Ping''an, the hillbilly from y Vase Alley, understood this principle far too well.


    The sword spirit reached over to pinch the young boy''s face. She smiled and replied, "You''ll find out in the future."


    Chen Ping''an''s face flushed bright red. He wanted to say something, but he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    The sword spirit had already developed a mental link with Chen Ping''an since long ago, and she grabbed the young boy''s hand and slowly walked toward the door that led out of the scroll. "I know, master. I definitely won''t be so unrestrained in front of that young girl in the future, lest she misunderstand you and treat you as a disloyal person."


    A bright smile spread across Chen Ping''an''s face. There was relief, and there was also happiness at bing close friends with the sword spirit.


    The tall woman suddenly turned around and asked in a slightly sulky voice, "Aren''t you afraid of Big Sister Immortal feeling upset?"


    Chen Ping''an thought about this for a moment before replying earnestly, "I''ll apologize to you if that''s the case. However, I feel like some things should be like this."


    Sadness filled her face, and it surprisingly looked like she was about to cry.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was slightly flustered, his expression remained resolute as he tightly pursed his lips. He was unwilling to betray his conviction because of this.


    The sword spirit suddenly burst into heartyughter. She raised a thumb at Chen Ping''an and praised, "Handsomely done!"


    "You''re really not angry?" Chen Ping''an asked in a timid voice.


    Still holding the young boy''s hand, the sword spirit stopped when she arrived in front of the door. She suddenly bent down and hugged the young boy, with a warm smile beaming across her face. Her smile was dazzling, and it was as if she were experiencing the joy of sleeping in inside cozy nkets on a cold winter day. This was an indescribable happiness. She didn''t care about Chen Ping''an''s feelings at this moment, and she happily eximed, "Kyaaa~ My Little Ping''an is so friggin'' adorable!"


    The young boy instantly felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He froze to the spot, and his mind becamepletely nk.


    Big Sister Immortal.


    Immortal had simply been his first impression, and Big Sister was in fact how Chen Ping''an truly viewed the tall woman.


    She finally let go of Chen Ping''an, and when she stood up and looked back, she saw that the elusive old schr had returned to the scroll again. Standing with his back facing them, the old schr coughed and said, "One should not look at that which is contrary to propriety. Don''t worry, I didn''t see anything and I didn''t hear anything either. I simply forgot something just then, so I had toe back to retrieve it."


    The tall woman was in an extremely good mood, so she couldn''t be bothered caring about this.


    Etiquette, morality, and karmic fate?


    These extremely broad, extremely lofty, and extremely distant notions could never bind or restrict her.


    On the path of the Great Dao, there had once existed a person who had possessed nothing other than the sword in his hand as he marched forward.


    If anything stood in his path, he would hack it down with his sword.


    If anything was unjust, he would deliver justice with his sword.


    After slumbering for 10,000 years, the sword spirit finally found herself a new master.


    Her two masters were as different as night and day.


    However, she didn''t feel disappointed.


    If she had initially chosen Chen Ping''an �� this thread of hope and this extremely small "if" �� because of Qi Jingchun... then she would now refuse to listen to him even if he returned to life and told her that she was wrong and shouldn''t have chosen this young boy. She wouldn''t listen to him even if he uttered teachings and principles that were grander than the heavens.


    She let go of Chen Ping''an and gestured for him to go first.


    The young boy exited through the door.


    Gazing at his shoulders which were still frail, the sword spirit followed closely behind him.


    Everyone had a realm in their mind. Qi refiners referred to this as a Pill Room, while mortals referred to this as "the heart".


    The mind''ske was only a part of this.


    When standing above theke in Chen Ping''an''s mind back then, the sword spirit had seen a vast expanse of white. It was as clean as could be.


    After a while, she had finally discovered something that was different from the surroundings. She had found the "true form of the mind''s realm" that even the young boy wasn''t aware of.


    That was a lonely child who was only four or five years old. He was curled up on the ground with his arms around his knees, and he was sitting there all alone with no one to apany him. Next to his feet was a pair of mini straw sandals. The little boy would often sit there in a daze just like that.


    Beside the little boy was a small and unmarked burial mound.


    Near this burial mound, there were another two mounds of earth that were even smaller in size. These mounds of earth were shaped like mountain peaks.


    Whenever the little boy rested enough, he would put on his mini straw sandals and run to a distant ce. There, he would collect a "small mountain" and carry it back to the unmarked grave. This was a strenuous task, and he would only be able to carry the "small mountain" a short distance at a time.


    When carrying these "small mountains", the little boy would always have a small seal hanging from his waist and a small bamboo hat sitting on his head.


    The small seal would swing back and forth with the little boy''s footsteps.


    Strangely, however, there wasn''t a reflection of the young boy''s ancestral home from y Vase Alley.


    Perhaps in the young boy''s mind, there was already no home for him to return to after his parents'' death. Thus, he insisted on guarding that small burial mound instead.


    His expression was stubborn, and he habitually furrowed his brows and pursed his lips.


    However, the little boy would asionally smile as well, and this was probably because he had experienced something that was truly worth being happy about. During these times, he would quietly talk to the small burial mound. His lips would move slightly, yet no sound would appear in his mind''s realm. However, the sword spirit had a mental link with him, so she could naturally hear his silent words.


    "Mother, I became acquainted with an immortal big sister. She looks a lot like you when she smiles."


    Apart from the times when he carried small mountains "home", the little boy would almost never leave the small burial mound. From time to time, it would look like he was holding hands with someone as he walked a short distance south. It was as if he were holding hands with a little girl. However, the little boy would still silently turn around to look at the burial mound every few steps, clearly demonstrating his reluctance to walk too far away.


    Even so, there was one kind of situation where the little boy would pump his legs and sprint very far away, with his little head raised and his eyes intently staring at the sky. It was as if he were chasing some person in the sky who had left and was heading to a distant ce.


    ��������


    The old schr had a solemn expression as he stood inside the scroll.


    "Indigo is extracted from bluegrass but darker than bluegrass �� this is still a possibility."


    An old person nodded and replied, "Indeed."


    He fell silent for a long time. When he discovered the entire world starting to tremble slightly, he said in exasperation, "You''re so patient toward that young boy, so can''t you be more patient toward me as well? Oh, that''s right, you even know how to smile now! If the legends passed down by the ancient sword immortals are true, then won''t those powerful immortals who were hacked to the brink of death by you stare their eyes out if they see you in your current form?"


    The old schr looked up at the sky of the small world, and it was as if his gaze were piercing through severalyers of the heavens. He suddenly chuckled in a self-mocking manner and said, "Just as the heavens never run out of energy, so should we always strive to better ourselves[1]. What a brilliant saying. This will still hold true even after tens of thousands of years. No wonder our Confucian ancestors had to humbly acquire knowledge from you back then. By the looks of it, not only were we schrs slower in adopting the practice of speaking reason, but we''re also far from reaching a state where we can fully expound it."


    1. From Yi Jing. ?

 Chapter 154: (1): Discussing Dao with the Old Scholar

    Chapter 154: (1): Discussing Dao with the Old Schr


    When the old schr exited the scroll again, he saw that Cui Chan was still lying on the ground and ying dead. "How unseemly!" he humphed coldly.


    Cui Chan dazedly stared at the sky and mumbled, "There''s nothing to look forward to anymore, so I might as well die and piss off from this world."


    The old schr walked over and gave him a kick. "Stop trying to act pitiful. Don''t you want to know why Little Qi only lowered your cultivation base and didn''t dispose of you instead?"


    Cui Chan''s eyes were adrift, and he murmured, "When you were kicked out of the Confucian temples back then, not only was Qi Jingchun not affected by you, but his cultivation base even continued to rise. This already revealed a lot of things. Qi Jingchun was already capable of founding his own branch since a long time ago, and his view on Confucian principles was outwardly simr but inwardly different from your Schrly lineage. Thus, he felt like he didn''t have the right to kill me. Instead, he hoped that you could clean up your own branch in the future."


    The old schr was infuriated by hisck of fight. Giving him another kick, he roared, "To gauge the mind of a noble person with the mind of an immoral person[1]... This saying is describing people just like you! I''ll count to three, and if you still don''t get up by then, then you might as welly here forever and wait for death! You won''t need to dream about attaining the Great Dao anymore. One! Two! Two! Two..."


    Cui Chan was determined to remain lying on the ground.


    The old schr was left in an extremely awkward position, and he could only turn around and signal to Chen Ping''an with his eyes, asking the young boy to help dig him out of this hole.


    Chen Ping''an nodded and retrieved the locust wood sword from Li Baoping''s hands. He then strode forward and arrived beside Cui Chan. With his facepletely expressionless, he said the final "one" before thrusting the sword down at Cui Chan''s neck.


    His thrust was powerful, and his aim was urate. Perhaps Chen Ping''an didn''t realize it himself, but after experiencing and understanding the state of a calm mind inside the scroll, his hands were now finally able to keep up with his mind. Because of this, his thrust was incredibly fierce and filled with killing intent even though it looked unremarkable on the outside.


    Cui Chan hurriedly scrambled to his feet in terror.


    Chen Ping''an put his wooden sword away and nodded at the old schr, signaling that he had already resolved the pressing issue for him.


    The old schr sighed and looked toward the tall woman standing not far away from Chen Ping''an. "Let''s find a ce to talk."


    He then shot a re at Cui Chan and ordered, "You keep up as well! This pertains to your Dao attainment catalyst, so if you continue to stuff around, you might as well let Chen Ping''an kill you with a single sh."


    The group of people walked toward the courtyard. The old schr looked around, and he shot a nce at the "small sky" that was being maintained by the sword spirit''s snow-white lotus leaf. His fingers formed seals, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Let''s find a room to chat. Chen Ping''an, is there anywhere suitable? We only need to talk, and it doesn''t matter if there isn''t any furniture in the room."


    Chen Ping''an nced at Lin Shouyi''s room. His lights were already out, and this was perhaps because Lin Shouyi was already resting after exhausting himself by cultivating for too long in the pavilion. Chen Ping''an could only abandon his n of using thergest room. He nodded at the old schr and said, "Then let''s go to my room. There''s only a little boy called Li Huai sleeping there, and it shouldn''t be a big issue even if we wake him up by ident. However, Lin Shouyi is a cultivator who''s likely particr with many things, so it''s best that we don''t go over and disturb his rest."


    The sword spirit sat down on a stone chair in the courtyard and chuckled, "You guys chat. I''m not interested in these things."


    In the end, the old schr, Chen Ping''an, the young Cui Chan, and Li Baoping sat on four chairs around the table in Chen Ping''an''s room. Meanwhile, Li Huai was fast asleep on the bed. The little boy had a very bad sleeping posture, and right now, he was sleeping sideways across the bed with his head hanging off the side. Even so, he was still sound asleep.


    Chen Ping''an adeptly helped the little boy straighten his body before cing his arms and legs under the nket. He then folded the nket in to prevent any warmth from escaping. In the end, Li Huai looked like a tightly wrapped up rice dumpling.


    When Chen Ping''anpleted all these natural tasks and returned to his seat, Li Baoping asked in a quiet voice, "Junior Uncle, do you help me fold my nket in every night as well?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "There''s no need to. Your sleeping posture is far better than Li Huai''s. You fall asleep immediately, and you remain still for the entire night until you wake up in the morning."


    Li Baoping shook her head and sighed. She struck her palm with her fist, and shemented, "If I knew this earlier, then I would have developed a bad sleeping posture from a young age. This is all Big Brother''s fault. He lied to me and said that having a good sleeping posture would allow me to have good dreams."


    "Then I''ll need to thank your big brother when I return to the small town in the future," Chen Ping''an chuckled.


    During their journey, the family member whom Li Baoping mentioned the most was her big brother. As a result, Chen Ping''an had a very good impression of this schr who liked to hide in the library and read books.


    The old schr looked at the little girl and asked with a smile, "Is your big brother Fortune Street''s Li Xisheng?"


    Li Baoping nodded and asked in puzzlement, "What''s wrong?"


    "This name is quite ambitious[2]," the old schr replied with a chuckle.


    Cui Chan couldn''t help but roll his eyes.


    Li Baoping was slightly worried, and she asked, "Is having an ambitious name a good thing or a bad thing?"


    The old schr became even more amused, and he replied with a shake of his head, "If one can withstand it, then having an ambitious name is naturally a good thing."


    Li Baoping was a little girl who loved getting hung up on things, so she asked, "Old mister, then how can one withstand it?"


    Cui Chan rolled his eyes again. Ah shit, here we go again. This ys right into the old geezer''s hands. He loves educating others, so he''s definitely going to start giving a lecture to exin things.


    Sure enough, the old schr swept his gaze over the surroundings. He was slightly disappointed upon not finding any snacks to enjoy wine with, and he exined slowly, "If one''s fundamental nature is kind, if one''s knowledge is vast, if one''s character is highly moral, and if one has traveled the world and experienced many things, then they''ll naturally be able to withstand it."


    Li Baoping ced the seal on the table before kicking off her straw sandals and lifting her legs onto the chair to sit cross-legged. She then crossed her arms in front of her chest and said with a troubled expression, "But my big brother isn''t as impressive as this! Maybe I should write a letter back home and tell Big Brother to change his name?"


    Cui Chan couldn''t help but say in reminder, "Old geezer, can we discuss the important matters first? The Great Dao, remember? The Great Dao!"


    Li Baoping silently picked up the seal and huffed a breath over the four oracle bone script characters on the bottom.


    Cui Chan hurriedly shut his mouth.


    Even if the old geezer possessed a supreme cultivation base, he was still someone who liked to speak reason, after all. Thus, being shameless and persistent was a tactic that would work on him.


    However, the two children that Qi Jingchun had chosen were Chen Ping''an, a hillbilly who had never studied before, and Li Baoping, a little girl whose understanding of principles was as crooked as could be. Meanwhile, Cui Chan was like a dragon who was stranded in shallow waters and being teased by fish at this moment. He was helpless against the two children, regardless of how knowledgeable and powerful he was. His only fate was to be beaten and humiliated. The more he resisted, the more he would suffer.


    The old schr pulled a gon of wine from thin air before tilting his head back and taking a small sip. He felt slightly sad as he looked at the seal that Li Baoping had ced back on the table.


    In fact, Cui Chan was also feeling quite puzzled tonight. Even though there were some times when the old geezer would reveal his true emotions, he would be a stubborn and pedantic person therge majority of the time. No matter where he sat, he would always look like a gold statue that was sitting atop some divine tform. This was especially the case during the period of time when his teachings had enjoyed the most poprity.


    When he hosted lectures to exin his teachings, had there ever been fewer than 1000 "disciples" sitting upright and listening with their ears pricked? Among his audiences, there were also rulers and officials, cultivators and immortals, and noble people and virtuous people. These were magnificent events, and even the traitor Cui Chan had to admit that his teacher had truly been as brilliant as the sun and moon at that time. The Schrly Sage''s brilliance shone both day and night, and such was his radiance that even the myriad stars in the gxy seemed to lose their luster.


    Just then, however, the old geezer had actually kicked him twice? And he was actually drinking wine while talking about the Great Dao?


    Even though Cui Chan appeared casual and uncaring, he was actually feeling extremely serious and solemn at this moment.


    At the end of the day, Cui Chan had extremelyplicated feelings toward the old geezer sitting beside him. He both admired and resented him, and he both feared and remained fond of him. As the first disciple of the Schrly Sage, did Cui Chan not also feel angry at his teacher''sck of fight and aggrieved at his teacher''s misfortunes?


    Li Huai started to talk in his sleep, murmuring, "A''Liang, A''Liang, I want to eat meat! Stingy A''Liang, just let me take a sip of wine from your small gourd..."


    Li Baoping''s eyes lit up. Li Huai''s embarrassing act could be used as a topic for conversation after snacks and meals for many days.


    Cui Chan shot a subtle nce at the old schr when he heard the mention of A''Liang.


    The old schr cleared his throat and looked at the three people sitting around the table. "Alright, let''s get into the main topic now. Chen Ping''an, Li Baoping, the two of you probably know that I''m Qi Jingchun''s teacher already. As for Cui Chan, he was once my first disciple and Qi Jingchun''s senior brother. Because I was busy studying at that time, it was indeed my first disciple Cui Chan who was responsible for Qi Jingchun''s study and education in other things such as Go.


    "Afterward, however, Cui Chan turned his back on me and evenmitted the sins of deceiving his master and destroying his ancestors. In fact, Cui Chan could also be considered one of the yers in the game of Go that resulted in Qi Jingchun''s death in Jewel Small World. As such, it''s no exaggeration tobel him a culprit who killed his own junior brother.


    "The same can be said for Ma Zhan, one of my unofficial disciples. However, Ma Zhan wasn''t a yer in the game of Go. Instead, he was a critical ''overy''[3] controlled by the main culprit hiding behind the scenes. Before I arrived in your hometown, this young body was only a temporary residence for Cui Chan. The real Cui Chan is the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire and an old man who doesn''t look any younger than me."


    There was a furious expression on Li Baoping''s face, and the rims of her eyes were red with rage as she glowered at Cui Chan.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s response frightened Cui Chan even more. His gaze was lowered, and his expression couldn''t be seen.


    The dog that bites doesn''t show its teeth[4].


    Cui Chan was far too familiar with Chen Ping''an''s personality. After all, he had paid more attention to the life and experiences of the young boy from y Vase Alley than Old Man Yang.


    Cui Chan tried his best to maintain hisposure. However, he couldn''t help but think, Shit, I''m dead meat. Old geezer, you''ve truly screwed me over.


    The old schr changed the topic, and he looked at Chen Ping''an and asked, "There''s something that I need to ask you first, and we can treat this as the introduction to tonight''s conversation. If you agree, then I''ll go ahead and act ording to my n. I want to extract a ''segment of time'' from you. Don''t worry, it won''t involve too many of your private matters. Are you willing to ept this request?"


    "Go ahead," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    The old schr extended a hand and flicked his wrist at Chen Ping''an. Before long, strands of mist appeared around Chen Ping''an and slowly flowed toward the old schr''s palm, eventually transforming into a clear and crystalline ball of water that was green in color. The old schr turned his hand such that his palm was facing downward. He then lightly massaged the ball of water, causing it to flow toward the table. Lively and vivid images appeared on the table.


    Li Baoping widened her eyes in astonishment. She hurriedly leaned over the table and eximed, "Wow, Junior Uncle, this is the mountain path where we encountered the female ghost in the wedding dress! Oh, and I''m in this image as well! Haha, my small bookcase is still the prettiest one! Sure enough, it looks better than Lin Shouyi and Li Huai''s. They look quite silly while carrying their bookcases..."


    From when the female ghost appeared on the muddy path with her oil-paper umbre, to when the countlessnterns lit up over the mountain path and created a magnificent dragon that snaked through the mountains...


    From when Lin Shouyi used his paper talisman but still failed to break free from the "ghost hitting the wall" trap, to when they were tricked to the residence with the que "Beautiful Water Noble Wind"...


    And from Wei Jin''s carefree arrival when he shattered the formation with his flying sword, to when he resolved the difficult situation and sessfully led them away...


    The old schr made a grabbing motion at the table, causing the "segment of time" to gather into a ball of water again. He then pushed this ball of water toward Chen Ping''an, causing it to vanish from the world.


    This was a supreme mystical ability that pertained to the source of the Great Dao. However, the old schr was able to dexterously wield it without relying on the small world of a sage and without relying on the mysterious power of an artifact.


    Li Baoping found this magical and interesting.


    However, Cui Chan was someone who understood the implications of this. He became increasingly astonished. Just what in the world was going on with the old geezer? He had clearly lost his cultivation as a sage, so why could he still wield such incredible powers?


    "Is this female ghost detestable?" the old schr asked in a quiet voice. "Of course she''s detestable. She killed countless innocent people, and her crimes are cruel and numerous. However, is she pitiful as well? She is pitiful in some sense. As a ghost, she was initially kind-hearted and able to hold down fortune for the imperial court. At the same time, she also performed many good deeds for the locals and was very amiable with the passing schrs. This should have been a beautiful thing. In the end, however, she fell into a state where she was detested by all and pushed back by the Great Dao. She''s entangled in karmic fate, and she''s weighed down by so many matters that she won''t be able to resolve them in several lifetimes."


    The old schr sighed and said, "That''s why it''s often said that behind every detestable person is a reason for pity. Isn''t that right?"


    Cui Chan felt as if he were facing a formidable foe. He didn''t dare to nod, nor did he dare to shake his head.


    Li Baoping quickly entered her "contemtion" mode. After carefully mulling over this for a while, she replied, "She''s more detestable than pitiable."


    The old schr nodded at the little girl and asked with a chuckle, "Then between being detestable and pitiable, how much more detestable than pitiable is she? And what percentage of her is pitiable?"


    Li Baoping carefully pondered this for a while longer before replying, "We''ll measure this using the notions of being fair, being reasonable, and being legal. We''ll evaluate her actions using this, and we''ll carefully calcte the numbers using the results?"


    The old schr smiled and continued to ask, "Li Baoping, sticking to things that are legal is naturally good. However, a new problem then arises. How do we determine whether thews in the world are goodws or badws?"


    The little girl was stumped, and it seemed as if she had never considered this problem before. However, she didn''t back down, and she replied, "Old mister, give me some time. This question is quite big and difficult like the one Junior Uncle gave mest time. I need to think about it carefully for a while!"


    There was a kindly smile on the old schr''s face as he nodded and praised, "Very well."


    Cui Chan humphed coldly as he looked at the familiar expression on the old schr''s face and the expression of concentration on Li Baoping''s face.


    As expected of Qi Jingchun''s teacher and Qi Jingchun''s most prized disciple. Their mannerisms are the same, and even the atmosphere of their lessons is the same!


    After stumping Li Baoping, the old schr turned around to look at the pure eyes of Chen Ping''an. "When studying and contemting difficult questions in the past, I always liked to consider the worst-case scenarios first. Today is no different. Behind every detestable person is a reason for pity �� there''s no ring problem with this statement. However, many self-proimed smart people in the world like to act as if everyone else is drunk while only they remain sober. They focus only on the pitiable aspect mentioned by this statement, and they purposely gloss over and ignore the detestable aspect.


    "Some of them are simply abusers of mercy andpassion, and this ispounded by the fact that they aren''t the victims of said people''s ''detestable'' nature. As such, they don''t feel the same agonizing pain as the victims. Yet, these people like to stand on the sidelines and loudly offer their opinions, blindly insisting that others be tolerant and merciful. Chen Ping''an, where do you think the root of the problem lies?


    "You have to realize that many of these people that I speak of have read many books and are indeed quite knowledgeable. Some of them might even be extremely skilled at expounding grand but empty principles. Chen Ping''an, do you have any thoughts about this? Feel free to say whatever is on your mind."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but he couldn''t help but hesitate. In the end, he replied, "I don''t have anything to say."


    Cui Chan was no longer in the mood to listen to Chen Ping''an''s reply. He started to silently analyze the situation, mulling over why the old geezer was suddenly talking about these things.


    The old schr looked at Li Baoping to his left and Cui Chan to his right before slowly saying, "Right and wrong can be measured by the human mind, while good and evil will be weighed by the god of the underworld. Why is this? This is because each person''s moral character, upbringing, and life experience are different. The human mind fluctuates, so how many people dare to im that their conscience is the fairest and most upright?


    "And thus, Legalists adopted a shortcut whereby they drew a bottom line for morals and etiquette. The line was drawn at this height, and it couldn''t be ced any lower."


    As he said this, the old schr reached down and used his finger to draw a line lower than the table.


    "Of course, it''s possible for thesews to include ''badws'' as I alluded to just then. I won''t expand on this point anymore, or else we could sit here for three days and three nights and still have a lot to cover. To summarize,ws are inanimate, while the human mind is alive. If there exists no one to enforce thews, then suchws will further be as dead as can be. As such, we still need to seek a solution from a higher level."


    The old schr raised his hand and pointed at the roof.


    1. Saying derived from Zuo Zhuan. ?


    2. Xisheng literally means "hoping to be a sage". ?


    3. Literally trantes to unreasonable y, and this means a potentially dangerous piece. ?


    4. This means that dangerous people can often look quite harmless ?

 Chapter 155: Hearty Conversation

    Chapter 155: Hearty Conversation


    Li Huai had a wonderful sleep-in, and he wasn''t willing to wake up even when the sun rose high into the sky. His bed was far toofortable, and it was as if he were sleeping in a big ball of cotton. The little boy opened his sleepy eyes before sitting up and looking around. He was confused for a moment, and it took him quite a while to remember that this wasn''t his hard wooden bed at home, nor was it a temporary tent in the wilderness. His first thought was that it was so good to have money. His second thought was that no wonder Chen Ping''an was such a miser.


    In fact, Li Huai wanted to sleep in some more. However, upon realizing that Chen Ping''an wasn''t next to him or within sight, he couldn''t help but feel a little anxious. He quickly put on his clothes and shoes before grabbing the painted puppet from his bamboo bookcase and dashing out of the room. He saw Lin Shouyi ying Go with an impoverished old man, and he noticed that even Li Baoping was obediently sitting on a stone chair and attentively observing the game. Meanwhile, Yu Lu and Xie Xie stood beside Lin Shouyi and helped hime up with strategies.


    Chen Ping''an was sitting opposite Li Baoping, and when he saw Li Huai waving at him and running over, he stood up and offered his seat to the little boy. Li Huai was just about to sit down, yet he noticed Cui Chan standing behind Chen Ping''an and staring at him with a fake smile. The little boy thought for a moment before quietly cing his painted wooden doll on the stone chair instead. He didn''t sit down, and he only dared to stick his bottom up and lean over the side of the table.


    The young Cui Chan turned around to look at Yu Lu and Xie Xie, with his eyes as dark and gloomy as creek water as his gaze swam over their faces.


    Xie Xie perceptively detected Cui Chan''s gaze. However, she didn''t look up, and she simply felt a sense of puzzlement. In the past, she would get goosebumps whenever the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire rested his dark gaze on her. Today was different though, and it was as if his gaze were merely one from a mortal human. She no longer felt a sense of stifling pressure. Was this because of the warm autumn sun?


    Yu Lu calmly looked up and shed a faint smile at his "young master".


    Cui Chan beckoned to them and ordered, "Yu Lu, Xie Xie, you twoe over here."


    He then smiled at Chen Ping''an and asked, "Can we head over to the Boundary Pavilion to have a chat? We need to discuss some things openly and honestly."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in reply, and the four of them set off for the pavilion. Before leaving, Chen Ping''an patted the cowardly Li Huai''s head and said in amusement, "You can finally sit down without having to worry now."


    When they arrived at the pavilion, Cui Chan shot a nce at the wind chime hanging from the eaves before turning to Yu Lu and Xie Xie and saying, "You two introduce your real identities. There''s no need to hide anything. Rest assured, there are no schemes or calctions behind me doing this. Even if you two don''t trust me, you should at least trust Chen Ping''an, right?"


    Yu Lu and Xie Xie exchanged a nce, and neither of them was in a hurry to go first.


    After joining their group, the tall and simply dressed Yu Lu had acted as their coach driver the entire time. He was hard-working and uining, and he was the one who helped Chen Ping''an the most. In fact, the Yu Lu could perform especially well even when it came to needlework and sewing.


    However, he was also a germaphobe, and he was passionate about washing clothes and scrubbing shoes. He would feel extremely ufortable whenever he saw anyone''s clothes or shoes be stained with mud or torn by the branches and thorns on the mountain paths. In fact, an anxious expression would also appear on his face if he inadvertently saw the messyyout inside Li Huai''s bookcase. Whenever they stopped to rest by a water source, Yu Lu would also make sure to clean the carriage until it became spotless.


    Regarding this, even Chen Ping''an had to concede that he was inferior to Yu Lu. How could such a busy person exist in the world?


    As for Xie Xie, the tanned and slender young girl with a stern expression, Li Baoping surprisingly felt a strong sense of resentment and hatred toward her, viewing her as a criminal. This was a rare disy of Li Baoping''s childish side. Lin Shouyi had an average impression of her, and he didn''t regard her as very good or very bad. At most, the rtionship between them was borne from the few games of Go they yed with each other during some spare time. However, Li Huai was quite friendly with her, and the two of them would often y mock battle simtions using Li Huai''s painted wooden doll and y figures.


    "You guys feel free to chat away. I''lle backter to wrap things up," Cui Chan huffed.


    The handsome young boy strode out of the pavilion and started to stroll around in the surroundings. After a while, he bent down and grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground. Walking over to sit on the old well, he started to toss the pebbles inside and listen to them plopping to the bottom in boredom.


    However, upon realizing that he was truly doing something so meaningless and boring, Cui Chan became slightly dazed and felt as if he were living a different life.


    He nced at the dark water in the well. He was genuinely a mortal now, so he was no longer able to see through the water and observe the scenes below. At this moment, Cui Chan felt an urge to lean over and fall into the well tomit suicide.


    In the pavilion, Yu Lu decided to speak first. "I''m the prince of the former Lu Empire, Yu Lu. I hid myself in the mountain clearing team formed by survivors from the Lu Empire before, and I actually went by another pseudonym, Yu Shilu. Reading this backward, it means that I''m a ''remnant evil'' from the Lu n[1]. Each time someone called me by this name, they could help remind me that everything was already in the past."


    Xie Xie immediately jumped up in rage, pointing at Yu Lu''s face and scolding in fury, "Everything is already in the past?! You sure are able to put things lightly and calmly, Prince. You''re truly even more ascetic and free from desire than us cultivators! However, hundreds of cultivators from my n spilled blood and died for your Lu n! How are we meant to forget this?!"


    Tears streamed down her face, and she continued in a quivering voice, "Just ask your own conscience, how many Qi refiners who have attained Dao and achieved immortality are willing to battle and die for an empire? There''s only us! Ever since there have been states and empires in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, we''re the only n in history that has chosen to stand firm and have everyone risk their bridge of immortality, never retreating or surrendering! This was for no other reason than to prove and fight for the legitimacy of the Lu Empire!"


    Yu Lu remained calm as he asked, "Then what do you want me to do? I am indeed the prince of the Lu Empire, but my father, His Majesty, always acted ording to his own will. He shooed me off to study in an academy in the Great Li Empire, an enemy empire, simply because he was afraid of me gaining too much power after hearing some baseless rumors from out of nowhere. I''ve never wielded power and run an office, nor have I ever had any rtionships with other officials and influential people. My attention has always focused on studying the ssics written by the sages. Tell me, Xie Xie, what do you want me to do?"


    Xie Xie was provoked and angered even further by Yu Lu''s cold and apathetic response, and her entire body shook with fury as she spat through gritted teeth, "My surname is Xie, but I''m not called Xie Xie. My name is Xie Lingyue, and I was the youngest Qi refiner to reach the fifth tier in the Lu Empire! I''m a descendant of the Wind God Xie n! I detest the foolishness and ipetence of your royal family, but I detest your pathetic decision to go with the flow even more! You''re so shameless that you''re actually happy to be the servant of your greatest enemy, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire?! If your ancestors knew about this..."


    Yu Lu remained unfazed, and his voice was as calm as always as he interrupted the young girl''s usations and said, "If you, Xie Lingyue, have the courage and grit of a descendant of the Wind God Xie n, then why don''t you go and die? If you feel likemitting suicide isn''t brave and heroic enough, then why don''t you openly assassinate Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan? That way, you''ll be able to martyr yourself in a spectacr manner. How nice would that be?"


    Yu Lu turned around to face Chen Ping''an who was watching on with indifference. He smiled and asked, "Chen Ping''an, can I borrow 100 taels of silver from you? That way, I''ll be able to construct arge tomb for Martyr Xie to express my deepest respect and admiration."


    Chen Ping''an nced at the tall Yu Lu before ncing at the slender Xie Xie. "If you want to live, then why not make the most of your life?"


    He pondered for a moment before continuing, "Let me tell you some of my thoughts. They might not make sense, so just ignore it if that''s the case. If some grievances can''t be settled straight away, then why not put them aside for the moment? It will be fine as long as we don''t forget them. In the future, there will eventuallye a day when we can voice our thoughts and settle our grievances."


    Chen Ping''an looked at the two most distinguished survivors from the Lu Empire. One was a prince who had almost ascended the throne, and one was the most talented cultivator in the empire. Chen Ping''an understood that his persuasion and attempt to stop their fight might fall on deaf ears. This wasn''t strange. After all, why did they have to listen to a hillbilly from y Vase Alley?


    Chen Ping''an looked at Yu Lu and Xie Xie revealing their true emotions. Xie Xie was no longer aloof and distant, and she could also be angered to the point where she would cry. Yu Lu was no longer polite and amiable, and he could also speak in a manner that was barbed and hurtful. Even though Chen Ping''an didn''t take pleasure in their misfortune, it was only at this moment that he finally felt a familiar sense of human emotion from these two people.


    Thus, even though he felt like he was extremely bad at exining principles, Chen Ping''an still racked his mind as hard as he could. After much struggle, he finally added, "Both of you are more knowledgeable than me, and I don''t know how you two consider problems either. However, I can tell you what I''m most afraid of. I''m afraid that if I be powerful enough to decide someone''s fate, especially when I feel like I''m in the right, it turns out that I''m actually wrong and being unreasonable.


    "Of course, I might not have a choice if I have to act out of necessity, for example, when I''m facing a life-or-death situation. In that case, I''ll have to do what I have to do. However, we must not act on our impulses in normal situations, and we can''t allow ourselves to be controlled by our own subjective opinions either. A''Liang told us that we should always go a step further and ask ourselves ''why'' no matter the situation. I strongly agree with his suggestion.


    "That''s why I want to read books and learn more characters. In fact, I know that you two look down on me whenever I go and seek guidance from Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi or whenever I practice handwriting on the ground with Li Huai. I want to read books, and I want to gain knowledge and learn principles from these books. I want toe across more people, and I also want to travel to more ces. I want to be just like A''Liang, and I want to be able to pat my chest and im that I''ve visited more mountains and rivers than you''ve eaten grains of salt in your lifetime.


    "Only then will I be able to... Oh, I''m only talking about a potential if! If that day trulyes, and if I''m able to wield the same power as Terrestrial Sword Immortal Wei Jin from Wind Snow Temple, then my sword strike will definitely be very quick, regardless of whether I''m trying to kill someone or save someone! Or if my sword skills arecking but my fist techniques are decent, then my fist will..."


    There was a bright glow on Chen Ping''an''s face at this moment, and it was as if he were thinking about himself when "that day" finally came.


    Wielding his sword with ease and verve, and throwing his fists with vigor and spirit!


    A man wearing a bamboo hat had once liked to tease Chen Ping''an all the time. "You''re a handsome young boy, so you should smile a bit every day, okay? It''s not good to think about too many things all the time, okay?"


    Chen Ping''an had actually felt quite gloomy every time he heard this. He had wanted to loudly reply, "I want to change as well, but I''m not able to right now!"


    Yu Lu remained sitting the entire time. Meanwhile, Xie Xie also returned to her seat with an angry expression. However, she no longer looked like she wanted to fight to the death with Yu Lu.


    Looking at the calm andposed Chen Ping''an, Yu Lu smiled and asked in curiosity, "Chen Ping''an, it seems like you''re quite good at exining these principles, so why do you never discuss these things with Li Baoping and the others?"


    "I have close rtionships with them, so I don''t need to exin these principles to them," Chen Ping''an replied.


    This naturally implied that he didn''t have a close rtionship with Yu Lu and Xie Xie, and it was because of this that he needed to exin these principles and whatnot.


    Yu Lu was instantly rendered speechless.


    Xie Xie''s expression was still cold, yet the corners of her mouth tugged up into a slight smile. However, she quickly forced herself to suppress this smile.


    She carefully stole a nce at the dazed Cui Chan who was sitting on the well before hesitating for a moment and exining slowly, "I was initially a Qi refiner at the Sea Observation Tier of the Middle Five Tiers, and I was only half a step away from breaking through and advancing to the eighth tier, the Dragon Gate Tier. However, after I became a remnant survivor of the Lu Empire, a malicious empress from the Great Li Empire sent a famous swordsman to ce several Dragon Restricting Nails into my acupoints using some secret technique.


    "Because of this, I''ll suffer agonizing pain each time I try to channel my True Qi now. Moreover, even if I risk severe future consequences to channel my True Qi, I''ll only be able to wield power equivalent to the fourth tier or fifth tier."


    After revealing these big secrets that pertained to her fate, Xie Xie turned around to re at Yu Lu who was pretending to be mute.


    "What do you want?" Yu Lu asked.


    "Stop trying to y stupid. Chen Ping''an is able to catch fish because of all his umted experience and his understanding of the fact that slow birds should make an early start..." Xie Xie sneered.


    She paused for a brief moment after saying this, and she discovered that Chen Ping''an wasn''t angry at her jibe out of the corner of her eye. Instead, he was smiling like a fool. She breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "However, if you, Yu Lu, didn''t rely on your martial arts skills to catch those fish, then I''ll adopt your surname!"


    Yu Lu smiled faintly and replied, "Oh, so this is what you''re talking about. I thought none of you would pay any heed to these measly things. After all, are martial artists worth talking about? When I was in the Eastern Pce[2], I was destined to have no interaction with cultivation toward immortality because of my identity as a prince. As a result, I could only look for those secret martial arts scriptures in the pce to study. I already said before that my father, His Majesty, was afraid of the rumors spread by those folk songs. He wasn''t afraid of me, someone who was studying martial arts because he had nothing better to do."


    The smile disappeared from Yu Lu''s face, and his voice was filled with sincere self-deprecation as he continued, "Others might not be familiar with the situation surrounding martial artists and the mortal world, but are you not familiar with it, Xie Lingyue? It''s nothing more than a small pond beside the foot of the towering mountain that represents cultivators. Regardless of howrge the fish inside this pond are, can they berger than those in the mountains? Without considering any other ce and simply focusing on our former Lu Empire, how many ninth tier cultivators were there? There weren''t many, but there weren''t few either. However, what about ninth tier martial artists? There wasn''t a single one.


    "Thus, my decision to practice martial arts was simply an act of fooling around. Maybe you guys feel like I''m exaggerating and making myself sound pitiful. However, I still have to say this. In the dull and boring Eastern Pce, even a teacher identally passing gas would be something rare and interesting and worth talking about for a while."


    "Oh? By the sounds of it, your martial arts level isn''t low, huh?" Xie Xie said with a cold chuckle.


    Yu Lu sighed and shook his head with a sincere expression. "My martial arts level isn''t high. I''m only at the sixth tier."


    There was a hint of astonishment in Xie Xie''s eyes. Her expression also froze slightly.


    Martial artists were extremely particr about taking things one step at a time when it came to progressing through the tiers. They would often umte their power for a long time before suddenly soaring to great heights, and it was often the case that martial arts grandmasters would bete bloomers. The Great Li Empire''s Song Changjing was a martial arts freak, and casting one''s gaze over the history of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to describe him as a one-in-100-year prodigy.


    Because of these factors, people would be especially envious of the talent and fated opportunities of those prodigious martial artists who were at a high tier at a young age. However, they would quickly ept this and feel like it was only natural because the description of prodigy was already more than enough to exin everything.


    Yu Lu belonged to thetter category.


    He was only 14 or 15 years old, yet he was already a sixth tier martial artist!


    He was a genuine freak!


    One had to remember that Prince Yu Lu of the former Lu Empire was a pampered royal in the Eastern Pce who had most likely never experienced a life-and-death battle before.


    He had be a sixth tier martial artist through reading martial arts scriptures?


    Yu Lu silently swallowed the words that were already on the tip of his tongue after seeing Xie Xie''s stunned expression.


    I''m almost about to advance to the seventh tier. It will only take me three to five years at most.


    Xie Xie couldn''t help but feel ufortable upon thinking of the fact that she was standing so close to a sixth tier martial artist. For some reason, she felt like Yu Lu would suddenly turn on her and violently smash her head to bits.


    Sixth tier Qi refiners could indeed be far weaker than their cultivation base suggested. However, it was best that one didn''t have such kinds of thoughts about pure martial artists.


    Chen Ping''an stood up and looked at the heavily tanned young girl first. "Lin Shouyi is also a Qi refiner. Xie Xie, even though your cultivation is restricted now, your experience and understanding still remain. In the future, I''ll have to trouble you with talking to Lin Shouyi about cultivation. Mhm, he can be quite cold and aloof, so you''ll have to bear with him for a bit. Oh, that''s right, Lin Shouyi is also someone who can be persuaded by reason but can''t be cowed by force. He''s quite easily embarrassed, and he can''t refuse if others persuade him gently and with reason. Xie Xie, you need to temper his understanding of cultivation a bit more, and you can do this by seizing the opportunity to talk about cultivation when you y Go with him. I feel like this would be quite good."


    After saying this, Chen Ping''an turned to Yu Lu and said, "Yu Lu, since you''re a powerful sixth tier martial artist, I won''t need to worry about tiring you out when I get you to wash clothes, scrub shoes, and carry out other misceneous tasks in the future anymore. Feel free to ask for work, and I''ll definitely have more than enough clothes for you to wash!"


    In the end, Chen Ping''an shouted at the distant Cui Chan, "I''ve finished talking with the two of them; you cane back now. Mhm, in the words of schrs, our conversation could be described as... hearty and enjoyable!"


    Chen Ping''an wore a beaming smile as he left the pavilion. There was a spring in his step, and it was clear that he was genuinely very happy.


    Inside the pavilion, Yu Lu and Xie Xie exchanged a nce. They had a nagging feeling that something was off, yet they couldn''t quite put their finger on what it was.


    1. Backwards is Lu(¬) Shi(��) Yu(��), which literally means ''remain from the Lu n''. ?


    2. The Eastern Pce is the pce of the prince. ?

 Chapter 156: Long Grass and Flying Warblers on the Young Boys Shoulder

    Chapter 156: Long Grass and Flying Warblers on the Young Boy''s Shoulder


    Cui Chan hopped off the well and walked back to the Boundary Pavilion. He stopped outside and became motionless. Because the Autumn Reed Inn didn''t want people to investigate the old well without authorization, the Boundary Pavilion only had a single entrance and exit on the western side.


    Right now, Cui Chan was standing on the eastern side with a slightly dazed look on his face. In the end, he gritted his teeth and ced his hands on the railing of the pavilion, exerting his full strength to climb up and flip himself onto the long bench inside the pavilion. He panted heavily as hey on the bench.


    Yu Lu and Xie Xie became slightly alert when they saw this, and they simply treated this as the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire ying tricks and toying with them. They were extremely wary of falling into his traps.


    To put things bluntly, Yu Lu and Xie Xie wouldn''t dare to do anything even if Cui Chan stood still and handed a saber to them. In fact, they wouldn''t even dare to ept the saber.


    In Xie Xie''s eyes, Chen Ping''an was only able to treat Cui Chan with such indifference because of his ignorance andck of understanding of Cui Chan''s status. Chen Ping''an had never witnessed the true world of cultivators before, and this meant that he didn''t understand the profound importance and meaning behind battles between cultivators, the opening and closing of temples, and the notion of attaining Dao and achieving immortality.


    Once the first disciple of the Schrly Sage, Cui Chan was also the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire and a Qi refiner at the peak stage of the 12th tier. Any one of these identities was as impressive and profound as a towering mountain. These were identities so magnificent that they couldpletely suppress and stifle a person.


    Now, however, the feeble Cui Chan was lying on a bench inside the pavilion and panting like a dog. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "As you guys can see, I''ve suffered an unexpected misfortune recently. Not only have I lost all of my cultivation and be extremely weak, but I''ve even lost the ability to use my pocket treasure. I''ve be a weak and defenseless bugger. So if you two have any grievances or resentment toward me, then now is the best time for you to act. This is a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity, and it''s an opportunity that you''ll never get again in the future."


    Cui Chan turned around to gaze at the territory of the Great Li Empire thaty beyond this inn and beyond this nation. His voice was feeble as he cursed, "You''re enjoying the benefits, yet I''m suffering the consequences. Fuck your grandpa, imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire. Oh, hang on, that would be my own grandpa as well..."


    Cui Chan continued to mutter and curse under his breath. Even though he had failed to be Chen Ping''an''s student, interacting with Li Huai for so long during their journey had indeed allowed him to be more skillful and smooth when it came to cursing others. Would you look, he was even cursing himself right now!


    Xie Xie was ustomed to the imperial preceptor''s entric behavior, so not only did she not think that Cui Chan had gone crazy, but she instead became increasingly cautious and apprehensive of him.


    Cui Chan sat up straight and leaned on the railings, cing his arms horizontally on top of them at the same time. He was coincidentally sitting in between Yu Lu and Xie Xie.


    He sighed and said, "You two think that Chen Ping''an isn''t afraid of me because he''s ignorant of how lofty the mountains are and how deep the rivers are. This is..."


    Cui Chan paused for a short moment beforeughing loudly and finishing, "Correct."


    After saying this, he looked at them and continued, "However, this is only half of the reason. Those who are ignorant are fearless, right? Yet, there''s one area where you two are inferior to Chen Ping''an. He has a clear conscience, so he doesn''t have anything that he needs to be afraid of. What about you guys? One of you has mysteriously be a sixth tier martial artist through reading books. And right now, you''re currently enduring humiliation and shouldering heavy responsibility after having your empire destroyed. As for the other one, you''re a brilliantly talented Qi refiner who harbors intense resentment and hatred toward your enemies. However, you feel like you still have a lot of time and opportunities in the future.


    "Thus, Chen Ping''an dares to attack me if he feels like it''s necessary, but what about you two? You continue to hesitate and feel apprehensive. Perhaps you feel like it''s easy for me to say this. After all, I am Cui Chan, and the two of you do indeed need to thank me for being able to stay alive."


    Cui Chan massaged his back and said with a troubled expression, "In fact, my back hurts like hell."


    He then looked at Yu Lu and asked, "Why don''t the two of you wholeheartedly follow me in the future? What do you say?"


    Yu Lu smiled faintly and replied, "After leaving the group of prisoners, I''ve already been following Lord Imperial Preceptor the entire time. And I even feel like things have been going quite well. This long journey to seek knowledge has been a spectacr one, and it''s far more interesting than sitting in the Eastern Pce and pretending to be a bookworm and listening to those boring teachers. If Lord Imperial Preceptor can exin some difficult concepts and principles to me in your spare time, then I''ll feel like my life is veryplete and full."


    Cui Chan pointed briefly at the tall young boy and said, "Chen Ping''an is extremely cautious and reserved because he''s a frog that has suddenly jumped out from the bottom of the well. As such, he''s rmed and afraid of everything that he sees. You, on the other hand, are someone who is genuinely shrewd and calcting. You look like a scheming person, and I truly want to punch your smiling face sometimes."


    "Is my situation any betterpared to Chen Ping''an? Aren''t I also a frog at the bottom of the well?" Yu Lu asked in resignation.


    "Wealth and fortune invites cmity; challenges and hardships enable sess. I''ll gift this sagely advice to you for free. Take it and ponder it carefully," Cui Chan replied casually.


    Having already read countless books, Yu Lu asked in curiosity, "Which sage in the Confucian temple offered this teaching?"


    Cui Chan pointed at himself and replied, "Me!"


    Yu Lu was rendered speechless and even more exasperated.


    Cui Chan retrieved a pebble from his sleeve and lightly tossed it toward the wind chime hanging from the eaves. He missed once, twice, and then three times.


    He shot a nce at Xie Xie before pursing his lips and saying, "I truly want to toss you over instead. That way, the wind chime will definitely ring."


    As she sat there, the young girl remained unmoving and expressionless like a y Bodhisattva.


    Cui Chan smiled and said, "Xie Xie, you genuinely want to kill me, yet you feel like you only have a single opportunity. Because of this, you tell yourself that you definitely need toe up with aprehensive n first. You don''t want to die for nothing. Yu Lu is smarter than you, and he feels like it won''t make a big difference whether I''m killed or not."


    The young Cui Chan sighed and continued, "Let''s consider the four other children, Chen Ping''an, Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, and Li Huai. In terms of ranking your impression of them from best to worst, Yu Lu''s should go Lin Shouyi, Li Baoping, Chen Ping''an, and Li Huai.


    "As for Xie Xie, it should go Li Baoping, Li Huai, Chen Ping''an, and Lin Shouyi."


    Cui Chan then pointed his thumb at himself and said, "As for me, the order is Li Huai, Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, and Chen Ping''an. The one I like the most is Li Huai, a silly boy who enjoys silly good fortune. This is because he poses the smallest threat to me. When ites to Li Baoping, a radiant and spirited little girl, how can people dislike her, especially bad and scheming people like me? Just looking at her gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. As for Lin Shouyi, he isn''t unlikeable, but I''ve already seen far too many prodigies who are simr to him. As such, I can''t develop any great interest in him."


    Cui Chan squinted his eyes and chuckled, "Yu Lu dislikes Li Huai the most, and this is because you detest his personality of mucking around and waiting to die. You can''t understand how such irresponsible and purposeless people can exist in the world. Of course, there''s also his slobbish and unclean nature. On the other hand, you like Lin Shouyi the most because you''re subconsciously treating yourself as the prince of the Lu Empire, and the prosperity of an empire is dependent on having ambitious pir talents such as Lin Shouyi.


    "Xie Xie looks like she''s familiar with Lin Shouyi, with the two of them often ying Go together. In reality, however, she feels so jealous that she''s almost about to go crazy. They''re both cultivation prodigies, so why is Lin Shouyi able to enjoy a smooth-sailing journey while she has to suffer cmity after cmity, so much so that it''s extremely likely that her Great Dao and bridge to immortality will be severed?"


    Yu Lu remained silent.


    Xie Xie''s expression was extremely dark and ashen.


    Cui Chan roared withughter and asked, "So, why do none of us like Chen Ping''an? Yet, why do Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, and Li Huai, three young and inexperienced children, like Chen Ping''an the most? Why is their feeling toward Chen Ping''an theplete opposite to ours? Isn''t this very interesting and worth contemting? Yu Lu, Xie Xie, if one of you can offer the answer that I think is correct, then I''ll give you guys an item that you''ll find very useful."


    "Because the three of them have developed a habit of subconsciously turning to Chen Ping''an whenever theye across an obstacle or a fork in the road," Xie Xie replied slowly. "They feel like Chen Ping''an is the fairest person when ites to dealing with these matters. Moreover, he''s willing to put in the effort and make necessary sacrifices. To the three of us, however �� ignoring Lord Imperial Preceptor''s personal ns and ambitions �� this kind of seemingly easy-going and kind-hearted mortal is truly far too ordinary and unremarkable."


    Yu Lu shook his head and remarked, "Chen Ping''an isn''t as easy-going as he appears."


    Cui Chan clicked his tongue and judged, "You two are just as incorrect as each other, and it''s truly adorable how foolish you two are. In fact, why don''t I get the two of you to marry each other? We have a talented man and a beautiful woman... Oh, hang on, it should be a handsome man and a talented woman. How about it?"


    Yu Lu and Xie Xie didn''t reply. They knew that Cui Chan was simply making a joke at their expense.


    Cui Chan rubbed the jade pendant hanging from his waist between his thumb and index finger and exined, "You two arepletely unaware of the fact that Chen Ping''an is like a mirror. He''s someone who will allow those beside him to see their own shorings more clearly than normal. Thus, if one interacts with him for an extended period of time, one will definitely encounter issues if their mind was already troubled or blemished to begin with.


    "There was once a foolish young girl called Zhu Lu who was ruthlessly forced onto a perilous path. I call her foolish because she was unaware of her own stupidity. After doing something bad, however, she was still confused and unaware of the situation. This is called being foolish and evil at the same time. They''re both females, yet Zhu Lu is far inferior to Her Majesty, the empress of the Great Li Empire. The smartest aspect of Her Majesty is the fact that she''s well aware of the bad things that she''s doing. At that time, she said to me, ''Do you think I''m unaware of all the bad things I''m doing?'' It was because of this casual remark that I decided to ally with her."


    Cui Chan pointed at himself and continued, "ording to the secret exnation of some enlightened saint from the Daoist Sect, each person has two heartstrings hovering above their hearts, one good and one evil. Just as Chen Ping''an believes, some things are correct just because they are, while some things are wrong just because they are. This won''t change regardless of who performs the actions and who tries to exin the situation.


    "What''s interesting about this is theplexity and difficulty of worldly matters, in the sense that one can seldom avoidmitting many small sins for the sake of doing a great good. Take, for example, Confucian disciples who are unwilling to go against their conscience. Perhaps they''ll be unable to maintain their positions in the imperial courts, and perhaps they''ll even fail to climb high up the ranks in the Confucian schools and academies. In the end, they might have no option but to hide inside the Confucian libraries and divorce themselves from reality. This way, however, they''ll be of little benefit to the outside world that continues to march forward.


    "After staying in the Confucian libraries for too long, some of these schrs be extremely stubborn and pedantic, and they''repletely unable to ept any blemish or shoring in a person''s moral character. They readily criticize and denounce anyone whom they view as imperfect. Ironically, however, they''repletely powerless against those powerful beings who are thoroughly sinister and immoral. In the end, they have no option but to fade into obscurity, leading to aplete copse of etiquette and morals."


    Cui Chan retracted his gaze from the two pondering youths. Raising one hand to draw a line and lowering his other hand to draw a line, he continued, "The line on top is good and the line below is evil. Everyone has two heartstrings, and my heartstring that represents good is extremely high up, so high that it can almost reach the heavens. As a result, there aren''t many good people in my eyes.


    "However, my heartstring that represents evil is extremely low down. What this means is that I''m willing to interact and cooperate with almost anyone, using them to achieve my goals. I won''t feel any guilt or remorse because of this. The distance between you two''s heartstrings is nowhere near as great as mine. However, the distance between them definitely isn''t small either."


    Cui Chan lowered his left hand and held the thumb and index finger of his right hand very close together, leaving only a miniscule gap. He squinted his eyes and looked down at his two fingers, saying, "Chen Ping''an''s heartstring that represents good is very low, so to him, doing good deeds is only natural and right. This is why others view him as a foolishly kind person. However, you have to realize that having a low threshold for good deeds doesn''t imply that Chen Ping''an is truly as easy-going and tolerant as he appears. This is because his heartstring which represents evil is only very slightly below his heartstring which represents good. Thus, he''ll be extremely determined and resolute once he forms his opinion and decides to do something. For example... killing me.


    "In fact, the two of you should be well aware of the fact that regardless of how you look down on Chen Ping''an, the two of you �� and me as well, of course �� can never be his friend."


    "I can try," Yu Lu suddenly said.


    Xie Xie sneered when she heard this.


    When she caught sight of Yu Lu tilting his head upward and directly facing the young imperial preceptor out of the corner of her eyes, however, Xie Xie was reminded of the time when she was threatened by Cui Chan while standing on top therge tree branch and forced to seek out Chen Ping''an to exin martial arts to him in simple terms.


    The young girl felt extremely ashamed and awkward when she recalled this.


    Immediately afterward, she recalled that skinny figure that had been standing on the branch and facing the gentle mountain breeze.


    Xie Xie suddenly felt a mysterious sense of sadness. Once upon a time, she had also possessed such kind of unsullied mind. Her gaze had also been looking forward the entire time.


    "After saying so much and wasting so much breath, what point am I trying to make to you two?"


    Cui Chan started to wrap things up and deliver the final conclusion. He stood up and chuckled, "The point I''m trying to make is, you two stupid fools need to show some sincere respect to my teacher in the future, understand?"


    Yu Lu and Xie Xie exchanged a nce for the second time today.


    "Two pitiable bastards who don''t know good from bad and don''t know the profoundness of heaven and earth!"


    Cui Chan suddenly red up in rage for no apparent reason. His expression was extremely dark, and he strode forward before throwing a punch and striking Yu Lu''s face. "You''re nothing more than a worthless prince who became a prisoner and almost had characters carved onto his face! Do you know how many emperors and princes the Great Li Empire has executed? You want to try? You''re a bastard who''s changed his surname and betrayed his ancestors, so do you have the right to even try?!"


    Yu Lu was slightly flustered. After being punished by a solid punch, he didn''t dare to strike back or show any signs of displeasure. He was simply dazed by the young imperial preceptor''s actions.


    Cui Chan turned around and walked up to Xie Xie, throwing a p at her face. "And you''re nothing more than a little bitch whose n has beenpletely destroyed. Do you know how many terrestrial gods have died by my hands?"


    The innately proud and haughty Xie Xie instinctively raised her hand to grab Cui Chan''s wrist, preventing him from striking her face. However, she immediately regretted her action. Sure enough, a terrifyingly ferocious aura exploded from Cui Chan''s body. His gaze was intense as he stared at Xie Xie, and the young girl was so scared that she immediately let go of his wrist. Cui Chan nced down at his bright red and slightly swollen wrist before throwing a vicious p at the young girl''s face. "You two pathetic things dare to look down on Chen Ping''an?! He''s my teacher!" he yelled in a harsh voice.


    One p after another, Cui Chan viciously pped Xie Xie four or five times.


    The young girl was so terrified that she didn''t even dare to lessen the impact of his strikes using her cultivation. It wasn''t long before her face became red and swollen, with blood seeping from the corners of her mouth.


    Filled with killing intent, it seemed as if Cui Chan was still angry and intent on dealing more punishment. He was just about to look for something to use as a weapon, yet he suddenly saw a familiar figure running over at this moment. He immediately froze to the spot with a startled expression.


    The uninvited guest only had enough time to shout, "Breakfast..."


    However, he immediately saw Cui Chan''s act of violence toward Yu Lu and Xie Xie. Hurriedly swallowing the word "time", he started to furiously charge toward the young Cui Chan.


    The aura radiating from the young boy in straw sandals was a killing intent even more intense than Cui Chan''s.


    Cui Chan was petrified, and he scrambled to crawl over the railings of the pavilion before running over to the old well. As he ran, he didn''t forget to look back and shout, "Chen Ping''an, what are you ying at?! I''m simply disciplining my ve and maidservant, so what the hell does this have to do with you...? Hey, let''s discuss things in a civil manner, okay? I''ll apologize to you, okay? Can we stop and speak some reason?"


    After sprinting into the pavilion, Chen Ping''an bent his knees slightly andunched himself into the air, quickly flying over the railings like a soaring sparrow. Afternding on the ground outside, he continued to sprint toward Cui Chan.


    Knowing that it would be extremely difficult for him to escape from Chen Ping''an this time, Cui Chan decided to give up and make a final stand instead. He stood on top of the old well and said in a tragic and quivering voice, "Chen Ping''an, if you truly want to beat me to death today, then I might as well jump into the well andmit suicide! It''s up to you whether you believe me or not!"


    Chen Ping''an continued to sprint forward.


    Cui Chan was just about to jump into the well. Chen Ping''an frowned upon seeing this, and he ground to a sudden halt.


    Cui Chan had already stepped forward, and in this moment of life and death, it took him great effort and difficulty to finally retract his leg. His body swayed back and forth, and his life was hanging by a thread.


    With his current physique, he would definitely suffer a miserable fate if he jumped into the well that was filled with the remnant power of Chen Ping''an''s sword qi. Even if he didn''t drown or freeze to death, and even if he were rescued and dragged back up by Chen Ping''an, he would still suffer severe wounds to his vitals. He would end up more dead than alive.


    From this, it was abundantly clear that the young Cui Chan was genuinely afraid of Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an carefully observed Cui Chan. After a long while, he finally said, "Breakfast time."


    Cui Chan carefully jumped down from the well. However, he still didn''t dare to walk forward, and he exined in grief and indignation, "I was disciplining them for your sake just then. Yu Lu and Xie Xie look down on you from the bottom of their hearts, and I was fighting against this injustice and telling them to be more respectful to you in the future. How was I wrong? You''re treating my good intentions as ill will instead!"


    Chen Ping''an chuckled coldly and replied, "Stop trying to use me as an excuse. You''re simply a leopard that can''t change its spots!"


    After saying this, Chen Ping''an turned around to leave. When he passed the pavilion, his voice was much gentler as he said to Yu Lu and Xie Xie, "Lin Shouyi and the others have already finished ying their game of Go. It''s time for breakfast now."


    Cui Chan didn''t be angry, and he instead chuckled as he followed Chen Ping''an from a distance. He swayed erratically as he ran, and his tworge sleeves pped back and forth. "As expected of my teacher. He''s far smarter than those two fools."


    His expression immediately changed when he passed the pavilion, and he scolded, "What are you two still standing there like idiots for? It''s time to eat!"


    Yu Lu smiled faintly as always as he walked out of the pavilion and down the steps. He turned around and asked, "Are you okay?"


    Xie Xie nodded with teary eyes.


    The tall young boy pointed at the corners of his mouth. Xie Xie immediately came to her senses, and she turned around to wipe the blood from the corners of her mouth.


    ��������


    They enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast prepared by the Autumn Reed Inn. Li Huai''s belly was round and full, and the heartless little boy waspletely unaware of the strange atmosphere lingering over the breakfast table.


    The old schr looked at Chen Ping''an and chuckled, "Let''s go, I''ll take you for a stroll through this prefectural city''s bookshops. We can chat casually, and if it''s possible, you can even treat me to a drink."


    He then turned to the eager Li Baoping and asked with a smile, "Want to join us?"


    The little girl nodded eagerly and replied, "Let me get my little bookcase first!"


    Lin Shouyi stayed in the inn and continued to practice breathing techniques ording to the secret techniques recorded in the <em>Recite Atop Clouds Scripture</em>. Li Huai was toozy to move, and he didn''t feel any desire to go window shopping today either. He simply reminded Chen Ping''an to buy some delicious snacks for him. Meanwhile, Cui Chan said that he had some personal matters to deal with, and that he was going to visit the owner of the inn to see if they could get a discount. Yu Lu and Xie Xie returned to their own rooms.


    In the end, only three people left the Autumn Reed Inn �� the old schr, Chen Ping''an, and Li Baoping. After passing Flowing Cloud Water Alley, the old schr led the way as they searched for bookshops.


    Li Baoping continued to show off her bookcase to the old schr, running in circles beside him and asking him if her little bookcase looked good. The old schr naturally nodded and said that it looked amazing.


    After mulling over it for a long time, Chen Ping''an finally couldn''t help but ask, "Schrly Sage, are you angry at me?"


    The old schr had almost praised Li Baoping''s bamboo bookcase to heaven and back, and upon hearing this, he smiled and replied, "Are you referring to the fact that you rejected the offer to be my final disciple? No, I''m not angry at all. I''m a little bit disappointed, but after pondering about it, I feel like this is for the better. Qi Jingchun''s original intention, and A''Liang''s intention when he traveled with you, was not necessarily to give you anything. And there''s also that time when I secretly took away your jade hairpin. At the end of the day..."


    The old schr spread his hands and continued, "This is so that you, Chen Ping''an, can remain as just that, Chen Ping''an. You won''t have too manyplicated rtionships, and you''re simply a young boy from Jewel Small World''s y Vase Alley. Your name is Chen Ping''an, and you''re apanying Li Baoping and the others as they journey far to seek knowledge. It''s that simple."


    The old schr smiled and exined, "That mischievous A''Liang who likes to fool around finally treated something seriously for once. He helped you guys out by encouraging the Great Li Empire and other mortal organizations not to bring additional difficulties to you and the three children. Before that, Qi Jingchun already seeded in convincing... the people above not to interfere with the situation.


    "However, my arrival forced your good-tempered Big Sister Immortal to show herself. This created some small difficulties. But you don''t need to be afraid of this, because this old man still has some skills up his sleeves. I definitely won''t create any extra trouble for you guys. This is just a matter of speaking reason to schrs, after all, and this is something that I''m good at."


    The old schr patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and said, "You can seek knowledge in peace in the future."


    He then smiled and remarked, "This is how a young person''s shoulder should be. Avenging the destruction of one''s empire or n and upholding the notion of righteousness? These things can wait. One should first carry the gentle breeze and the bright moon, the long grass and the flying warblers. What rests atop a young person''s shoulder should be these beautiful things."


    Li Baoping''s eyes lit up, and she raised a thumb at the old schr and praised, "Schrly Sage, that was a beautiful remark!"


    The old schrughed heartily. He lightly patted his belly and replied, "Why, of course! My belly is filled with knowledge!"


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath as he watched the joyfully chatting old schr and little girl. He couldn''t feel what was on his shoulders, but he could already feel the warmth in his heart.


    1. Long grass and flying warblers is a description derived from a sentence in Qiu Chi''s (Southern Liang Dynasty) letter. This is a description of Jiangnan''s scenery at the end of spring. ?

 Chapter 157: Lonely the Sages All Will Be

    Chapter 157: Lonely the Sages All Will Be


    In the eyes of the carefree Li Baoping, this prosperous prefectural city in the north of Yellow Court Nation was extremely lively and bustling. In fact, it was even livelier and more bustling than several of her hometowns put together.


    In the eyes of the old schr who had seen countless mountains and rivers, however, he would naturally see further and deeper. Perhaps he could already see the iron hooves of an enemy empire marching south and the tragic scene of dust and smoke rising into the air. Those jolly smiles and delightful conversations would soon be the source of anguished wails and heart wrenching screams.


    In fact, it was surprisingly those haggard beggars sitting on the sides of the streets who would experience less pain and suffering in the future. As for those hooligans and rogues, they would further find great opportunities in that chaotic world. Perhaps they would even soar in status to be the new officials and generals of Yellow Court Nation.


    However, the old schr had already experienced many vicissitudes, so he naturally wouldn''t allow these emotions to show on his face, lest he ruin the good mood of the little girl and young boy.


    Weaving left and right through the streets, the old schr eventually led them to an old bookshop where he bought them a few books each. The owner of the bookshop was an old man who had failed to achieve sess in the imperial examination, and he was someone who would often feel a sense of superiority and not pay much heed to others. However, he felt a sense of familiarity and respect toward the eloquent old schr, and he was eventually captivated by the knowledge and moral principles of the old schr.


    The books were meant to cost around 20 taels of silver, yet the old man insisted that he would only ept 10 taels of silver. After leaving the bookshop, the old schr looked at the expressions of admiration on Li Baoping and Chen Ping''an''s faces and chuckled, "How about that? Studying and reading books is quite useful, isn''t it? It helped us save eight taels of silver today. And that''s why people say books hold houses of gold within them[1]..."


    After saying this, the old schr lowered his voice and said in a mysterious manner, "In fact, in some ce to the south �� not the southern regions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, of course �� there''s a Pure Confucian Chen n. There''s a stubborn old man in this n who always disagrees with me, and when he was young, he would read books and study day after day, night after night. After a few decades, his sincerity and devoutness likely moved the heavens. One day, he genuinely read a house of gold and a wife of beauty into existence."


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes widened in astonishment. He gulped and asked, "How big was the house of gold?"


    Meanwhile, Li Baoping had an expression of curiosity as she asked, "How beautiful was that woman?"


    The old schrughed heartily as he pointed at the two children and replied, "If you get the opportunity, you should go and check it out yourself in the future. I''m not going to reveal the answer here. After all, seeing is believing. One can indeed describe magnificent mountains, beautiful waters, and stunning sceneries. However, this naturally can''tpare to witnessing it for yourself."


    "Mr. Schrly Sage, why did you buy those books for Junior Uncle? They''re truly so simple! Even Lin Shouyi and I could teach the contents of those books. Isn''t buying them a waste of money?" Li Baoping suddenly asked.


    The old schr''s smile was reced by a serious expression, and he replied, "It''s not the same. It''s not the same at all. The most profound books in the world definitely use the simplest and most easily understandable exnations. These kinds of books are the most suited to educating the masses. Do you know why these books are the cheapest? For example, just how cheap is the Dao Ancestor''s <em>Book of Dao and Its Virtue</em>[2]? If one wants to read it, then one can easily purchase it. If one wants to learn from it, then one can easily derive knowledge from it."


    "It''s because many copies have been printed and many people purchase it, right? That''s why it''s so cheap," Li Baoping added with a slightly confused expression.


    The old schr nodded and exined with a smile, "That''s half correct. After all, if a book is too expensive, how many people would be willing to buy it? Wouldn''t it be better to buy food to fill up their bellies instead? However, we also have to consider the perspective of the paramount sages. If they want to spread their teachings and be the official teaching of a state, empire, continent, or even world, how many direct disciples can they possibly take?


    "Thus, a better option is to cast a wide and print their teachings and principles onto books. By lowering the barrier to entry, many more people will be exposed to these teachings and principles. If the barrier to entry is too high, on the other hand, preventing people from being exposed, how many brilliant disciples and students can be produced?"


    Chen Ping''an sighed softly.


    "What''s wrong? You find this too boring?" the old schr asked in concern. "That''s not very good. It''s very important to study and read books."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No, I just feel like this is quite simr to ordinary people opening stores and fighting for business. In Dragon Riding Alley in my hometown, I have two stores that my friend is helping me look after. I wonder if they''re making a profit or loss right now."


    As if recalling something from the past, the old schr sighed in emotion. He waved a hand and said, "Let''s go. I''ll take you guys to a restaurant to drink some wine. Chen Ping''an, if you''re feeling a strong craving, you can have a little bit to drink. However, Baoping is still too young, so you''re not allowed to drink yet."


    It was still early in the morning, so many restaurants and taverns were still yet to open for business. Fortunately, the old schr found a small tavern that was located on the corner of the street. The ce was sloppy and filled with oil stains, but the three people fortunately didn''t care too much about these things. If Cui Chan, Yu Lu, and Xie Xie were present, they would most likely furrow their brows in distaste. One had high standards, one was a germaphobe, and one had been pampered since a young age. It was very likely that they would never sit down to drink wine in this kind of ce.


    The old schr ordered a pint of loose wine and a te of salted peanuts. Chen Ping''an continued to adhere to the rule of martial artists not being allowed to drink. Beside him, Li Baoping actually wanted to try some wine. However, with her junior uncle by her side, how would she dare to make such a request? Thus, she could only watch the old schr drinking with a slightly envious expression.


    After traveling together with Chen Ping''an for so long, and after being subtly influenced by him this entire time, the three children were roughly aware of what they could do and what they couldn''t do. Sometimes, Li Baoping would also feel like her junior uncle was too strict with things. However, after taking a nce at her beautiful bamboo bookcase and her soft straw sandals, she would immediately push these thoughts out of her mind.


    Because Lin Shouyi had already be a Qi refiner, an immortal, he naturally possessed lofty ambitions. He did indeed have his own opinions about Chen Ping''an, but standing at a great height and able to gaze far into the distance, he felt like these trivial matters weren''t worth his time or attention. Thus, he never said anything either.


    As for Li Huai, this was a mischievous little boy who was most willing to spit out whatever was on his mind. However, it was a shame that most of his remarks and actions werepletely unreasonable. Thus, he would often be suppressed and punished by Li Baoping before Chen Ping''an could even say or do anything.


    Because of these factors, they had yet to encounter any irreconcble differences during their journey to seek knowledge. They were able to maintain a delicate bnce. After Zhu He and Zhu Lu''s departure, the uninvited arrival of Cui Chan, Yu Lu, and Xie Xie outside Yefu Pass allowed the four children to find amon enemy. As a result, the four children ended up growing even closer to each other.


    The old schr continued to enjoy his wine, and his face became slightly red after only a single pint. He didn''t channel his mystical powers to dissipate the effects of the alcohol, and this was perhaps because he had recalled something sad. This was also a rare opportunity for him to rx. Thus, the old schr allowed himself to drink wine and extinguish the sorrows in his mind.


    After looking around, he said in a soft voice, "I had a childhood friend who grew up in a poor family and who had to leave school before he could even graduate. Afterward, he opened a small tavern that was about the same size as the one we''re in right now. He married and had kids when he was 18, and he eventually passed away when he was 65. He ran his small tavern and sold wine for almost 40 years."


    The old schr lightly swirled his wine bowl and continued, "Whenever I had some spare change in my pockets, I liked to visit his tavern if I wanted to drink wine. I would visit his tavern no matter how far away I was."


    There was a hint of sadness on the old schr''s face as he smiled and continued, "On that final visit, however, I saw that the tavern was closed. After asking around, I discovered that my friend had already died. Since his tavern had shut down, I had no option but to buy wine from other ces. Only then did I realize that he had always charged me more than the other taverns for the type of wine that I ordered."


    "Schrly Sage, you treated him as a friend, but it seems like he didn''t treat you as a friend!" Li Baoping huffed in anger.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything.


    The old schr took a sip of wine before continuing, "However, after many years, I learned that the wine he sold me was actually fermented using ingredients that he personally collected from the mountains. He didn''t worry about the cost, and he only used the best ingredients he could find. He was selling the wine to me at a loss."


    Li Baoping''s jaw fell open. The little girl was instantly filled with a sense of shame and remorse.


    The old schr pinched a peanut and popped it into his mouth. Chewing slowly, he reminisced, "In 40 years, I went from being an impoverished schr to someone who passed the imperial examination after much difficulty. Afterward... I also gained some abilities and became a little famous. Each time he saw me, my friend would only encourage me to drink wine and nothing else. He never mentioned the studies of his children, nor did he ever mention the turmoil in his wife''s n. No, he simply encouraged me to drink wine. Back then, he would always sit opposite me, where Little Baoping is sitting now. That was the seat furthest away from me. However, each time he looked up, he would be able to see me. He always had a dumb smile when he looked at me."


    Li Baoping thought for a moment before silently standing up and moving to the seat opposite Chen Ping''an. She grinned widely at him.


    Chen Ping''an made a face at her.


    "Only afterward did I find out that his children had either be extremely powerful officials who were wanton and domineering, bringing cmity upon both the empire and its citizens, or be young wives of officials who ruthlessly killed their maidservants for the most trivial reasons. His wife''s n suddenly shot up in status and gained immense wealth as well, bing one of thergest ns in their prefecture. This was a sinister n from top to bottom, and they were willing to do anything for the sake of wealth and fame. They brought pain and suffering to countlessmon people."


    The old schr dazedly stared at the empty seat opposite him as he continued, "However, you insisted on guarding that rundown tavern and selling wine. You fermented wine year after year, all the way until you died of old age."


    Li Baoping''s jaw fell open again. There was a look of incredulity on her face.


    The old schr retracted his gaze. As he drank the low-quality wine and enjoyed the side of salted peanuts, he said to Chen Ping''an, "You need to apply yourself and earnestly practice martial arts and swordsmanship in the future. You shouldn''t try to speak reason all the time, and you especially shouldn''t be stubborn and do exactly as the books say. You need to understand how to be flexible. Otherwise, you''ll be very tired very quickly. In the end, you might look around and discover that you''re all alone, with not a single friend beside you. Because they need to lead by example, have the sages past and present not done many unreasonable things as well?"


    The old schr extended a finger and drew a line on the table. His arm eventually became straight, and it looked as if he wanted to extend the line out of the table as well. "Just think about it. There are some paths that you can walk alone for one year. But what about 10 years? What about 100 years? 1000 years? Yet, some people are extremely stubborn and insist on continuing down these paths by themselves. So, what should be done? If that''s the case, then one must do the appropriate things at the appropriate times. One can''t be too stubborn or conceited because of their experience or old age. After experiencing everything, one will no longer feel regret when one journeys alone down their path of the Great Dao in the future. Instead, they''ll feel..."


    The old schr was genuinely drunk at this moment, and he pointed at himself with his thumb and eximed, "I''m so fucking impressive!"


    After proiming this in a proud voice, the old schr''s head tilted forward and banged into the table with a loud thud.


    After footing the bill, Chen Ping''an slung the old schr onto his back and left the tavern.


    Li Baoping secretly giggled when she saw this.


    As it turned out, even the Schrly Sage could be drunk! Moreover, he would also ramble on about things after bing drunk.


    "Chen Ping''an! Failing to be unrestrained is failing to make the most of your youth. You definitely have to drink, you hear me? Drinking is amazing!


    "And Little Baoping, you definitely have to remember this. You have to cherish Chen Ping''an, this stupidly kind person. Don''t feel like he''s being unreasonable simply because he''s too kind and too correct. Don''t grow distant from him because of this. Otherwise, there''ll eventuallye a day when you''ll feel deep regret. Chen Ping''an might be the second Little Qi, and when something eventually happens to him, either no one will know, or no one will dare to help him even if they do know. How tragic would that be...?


    "Little Ping''an, we adhere to reason and principles not because we want to make ourselves suffer, but because we want to slowly umte knowledge and righteousness. If one day you suddenly feel like the entire world is being unreasonable, you''ll then have the confidence and legitimacy to loudly proim that everyone is wrong!"


    The drunk old schr forcefully pped the young boy''s head as he spoke.


    Carrying the old schr on his back, Chen Ping''an could only nod earnestly with a pitiful expression.


    The old schr burped and straightened his neck, and it was as if he were looking for the little girl with the small bamboo bookcase. Li Baoping hurriedly jumped and said, "I''m over here!"


    The old schr forcefully pped Chen Ping''an''s head again before saying, "Oh, okay. Little Ping''an, let me ask you this. When you read more books in the future, and when you agree with the principles and reasonings in these books more and more, what would you do if one day all... or half of the schrs in the Majestic World start to criticize Little Baoping and condemn her as being shameless? What would you do if they condemn her for liking her own junior uncle?"


    Li Baoping didn''t understand how her actions would be wrong, and she huffed, "What''s wrong with me liking Junior Uncle? Just what kind of crap are these people studying?!"


    Chen Ping''an had endured many difficulties and toiled on the bottom rung of society ever since a young age. Because of this, he was able to consider more and think further. He was also aware of just how vile people could be. "If such a day trulyes, and if people truly want to condemn Baoping, then they��ll need to speak to my fists first," Chen Ping''an replied without hesitation.


    He then turned to the little girl and said with a smile, "In addition to my fists, I''ll also be able to wield a sword in the future. So if such a day trulyes, then you definitely need to tell your junior uncle. I''ll definitely rush over to protect you no matter how far away I am!"


    "Then what if Little Baoping feels like you can''t defeat those people no matter what? What if she purposely doesn''t tell you because she''s afraid of you getting hurt? And in the end, you, Chen Ping''an, only learn of the tragic oue after the fact. What will you do then? When thingse to that, will you perhaps hunt those schrs down and wantonly massacre them?"


    Chen Ping''an stopped walking and looked at the little girl, asking, "Baoping, do you want your junior uncle to be abused and killed after massacring the culprits to exact revenge for you? Or do you want to confidently stand up and face off against them before thingse to that? Do you want to face those bad people together? Even if we die, we''ll die a dignified death and not have any regrets."


    Li Baoping was slightly flustered, and she replied, "Junior Uncle, it sounds like the second option is slightly better?"


    The old schrughed heartily and added, "It won''t be as miserable as you two think. Schrs still care about their face, after all, so things won''t be so grave that it ends up as a life-and-death situation. However, it will be a bumpy path."


    In the end, the old schr clicked his tongue in wonder and said, "Ping''an, you''re already able to utilize the sequential order ideology to exin things after such a short time. Impressive, very impressive."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "Old mister, so be it if you''re trying to frighten us. But are you perhaps taking things a little too far by pretending to be drunk so you don''t have to foot the bill?"


    The old schr''s head instantly tilted to the side, with his snores bing as loud as thunder.


    There was lingering apprehension in Li Baoping''s mind, and she shuffled over to grab Chen Ping''an''s sleeve.


    "What are you afraid of? You should study hard in the future and aim to defeat them using reason. If this still isn''t enough, then your junior uncle will also practice his fist techniques and swordsmanship even more earnestly starting from today. At that time, I''ll stand on my sword and fly over with a whoosh, covering thousands of kilometers and arriving by your side in a sh. Just think about it, everyone will be wide-eyed with shock as they crane their heads to look up at your junior uncle. The situation will be the same as when we saw Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin back then. When that timees, you can tell everyone that this is my junior uncle! Is he impressive? Is he powerful?"


    The little girl nodded in earnest. Sheughed happily as she jumped up and down, and she eximed, "Wow! That''s super impressive!"


    1. "A book holds a house of gold" is a line from Song Dynasty Emperor Zhenzong''s poem, ''Exhortation to Learning Poem''. This literally means study hard be rich. ?


    2. Laozi''s Dao De Jing, the foundational work of Daoism. ?

 Chapter 158: (1): Eat You

    Chapter 158: (1): Eat You


    Li Baoping was already longing for the arrival of such a day, and not only was she not fearful in the slightest, she was full of childish optimism and anticipation for the day that her junior uncle would be able to whiz around on top of a flying sword, arriving by her side from the farthest corners of the world before dering to everyone that he was her junior uncle.


    As for the peril that woulde from the arrival of such a day, Li Baoping wasn''t considering that at all. After all, no matter how intelligent she was, there was no way that she could imagine just how sinister and terrible human nature could be. Even if she were to rack her little brain with all her might, it was simply impossible for her to conceive all of the perils that were lurking in the shadows that she was yet to explore.


    Being the naive little girl that she was, she had chosen to ce all of her trust and belief in a single person.


    The old schr who was sleeping soundly on Chen Ping''an''s back had chosen to reveal those secrets precisely because he cherished this rare and precious childish naivety that Li Baoping possessed.


    "Junior Uncle, if you run into someone that you can''t beat in a fight or in an argument, make sure to run away," Li Baoping urged in a gentle voice.


    "I will, as long as you don''t think it''s too embarrassing for me to run away like a coward," Chen Ping''an chuckled.


    After that, Chen Ping''an took Li Baoping to a few shops and bought brand new boots for all three children, but refrained from buying a pair for himself, not because he was that stingy, but instead because they simply didn''t feel right on his feet. When he was trying out the boots, they felt extremely unnatural, to the point that he almost didn''t even know how to walk anymore.


    Aside from that, he also bought each of the three children two sets of new clothes. Chen Ping''an would''ve been lying if he said that all this spending didn''t pain him at all, but this was a necessary expenditure.


    Once again, Li Baoping chose a bright red garment for himself, not just because it gave her a cheery and festive appearance. Chen Ping''an had heard herin quite some time ago that a traveling Daoist priest had once passed through Fortune Street several years ago and read the fortunes of Li Baoping and her siblings.


    While examining Li Baoping''s eight characters, he had mentioned that it was best for her to wear red clothing as that could ward off evil and protect her from sinister forces. Li Baoping was spoiled to no end by her elders, who were willing toply with her every demand, but this matter had always been non-negotiable.


    The more Li Baoping grew up, the more frustrated she became by this, but she still did as she was told. Last time at the ry station in Red Candle Town, she had received three letters from her family, namely from her father and her two brothers, and all three of them contained a reminder for her not to pick out clothes of any other color just for a change of scenery.


    Li Baoping would often grumble to Chen Ping''an in private that if she ever saw that no-good Daoist priest again, she would be sure to give him a vicious beating.


    As the two of them were visiting the shops, the old schr was still sound asleep, so Chen Ping''an could only continue to carry him on his back. Thankfully, the old schr wasn''t very heavy at all, weighing less than 50 kilograms by Chen Ping''an''s estimates. He had no idea how such a light old man could fit so much knowledge in his stomach.


    On the way back to the Autumn Reed Inn, Li Baoping''s bookcase was stuffed full of the things that they had just purchased. During the course of this long journey, she had be thinner, and herplexion had darkened, but she had also be hardier and full of exuberance and vigor, so Chen Ping''an wasn''t concerned that the additional weight would be too much for her to bear.


    Upon arriving at the Flowing Cloud Water Alley, they were greeted by the same mystical sight of cloud and mist. Even though Chen Ping''an had already seen it many times, he still couldn''t help but be amazed and perplexed by this inexplicable sight.


    The illustrations on the Mountain Scouring Album gifted to them by the blind old Daoist priest were also quite strange and wondrous, but seeing those illustrations didn''t have quite the same impact as directly experiencing an inexplicable phenomenon in person.


    As they arrived at the entrance of the inn, where the two colorful door gods were engraved on the gate, the old schr suddenly woke up, and in the instant that his feetnded on the ground, his luggage immediately appeared on his back.


    He was holding a silver ingot in his hand as he turned to the pair of surprised children and said with a smile, "All good things muste to an end. I still have many ces to go, and I must continue westward on my journey, so this is where we part ways. Chen Ping''an, whether that half of Cui Chan is good or evil has already beenrgely decided.


    ��It''s notpletely set in stone, but there''s not much ambiguity left. From now on, I leave him to you. When ites to educating someone, teaching by example is more important than preaching through words, and that''s why I decided to leave him with you."


    Li Baoping''s brows furrowed slightly as she said, "Cui Chan is a really, really bad person! Why are you always trying to protect him, Schrly Sage?"


    A resigned look appeared on the old schr''s face as he exined with a patient smile, "I have no other choice. I''ve already lifted the restrictions on him, so if you still think that he deserves to be killed next time, then do what you need to do and don''t worry about what I think.


    ��I''m going so far to protect him because I failed in educating him properly, and that''s the main reason why he strayed down the wrong path. Hence, I don''t want topletely renounce him and give him the false impression that I made a very rushed and arbitrary decision."


    A weary look appeared on the old schr''s face as he continued, "At the time, I truly didn''t have the time and energy to spare. There was a battle that I had to win, so I didn''t have the time to exin to him the reasons behind my teachings. I was unable to guide him down the right path, and that''s what''s resulted in everything that happened thereafter.


    ��In a fit of rage and frustration, he decided to turn his back on my teachings altogether, leaving a huge mess behind, and Ma Zhan was one of the victims of all of this. If he were to take firm and solid steps down the new path that he has taken, there is indeed hope that he will benefit the world for countless years toe.


    ��Perhaps he would even be able to expand the teaching of Confucianism. All of this is tooplex for me to exin to you right now, but you''ll perhapse into contact with things like this if you manage to reach sufficiently lofty heights in the future. When that timees, don''t do what I did.


    ��Take your time to think, and don''t be in a hurry to make decisions. You must be patient, particrly to those close to you. Do not make blind and hasty decisions. Otherwise, the oue will be negative for everyone."


    The old schr reached out with a wizened hand to pat Chen Ping''an''s head as he spoke, then patted Li Baoping''s little head as well as he said, "Don''t always think about growing up so quickly. Once you''re all grown-up, you''ll find that there are more and more things that you''ll be forced to do, and there will be very few friends who will always remain by your side.


    ��When ites to clothes and shoes, the newer, the better, but when ites to friends, the older, the better. However, as people get old, there will eventuallye a day when they pass away."


    "Lin Shouyi told me that those cultivating immortals can live for 100 years, or even 1,000 years if they can make sufficient progress in their cultivation!" Li Baoping said.


    The old schr smiled as he asked, "And what happens after 100 years or 1,000 years?"


    "I''ll be dead?" Li Baoping asked in an uncertain voice.


    The old schr couldn''t help but burst intoughter at her unintentionally humorous response, and he said, "You''re such a good little girl, Baoping. If there everes a day when you''re no longer of this world, your friends will be extremely sad. I will be so distraught that I''ll be bawling my eyes out, and I won''t even be able to drink any wine."


    An enlightened look appeared on Li Baoping''s face as she nodded in response. "You''re right, that''s why everyone has to live!"


    The old schr offered his silver ingot to Chen Ping''an, who scrutinized it with a suspicious expression as he asked, "This isn''t a bug silver, is it? Cui Chan has one of those."


    The old schr shook his head with a smile as he chuckled, "Only Cui Chan as a boy would find a little trinket like that interesting. The old Cui Chan wouldn''t even bother to take a nce at such a thing. This thing may look like a silver ingot, but in reality, it''s an ownerless sword billet, one that''s of a far higher caliber than the one in Cui Chan''s pocket treasure.


    ��The most important aspect of this sword billet is that it has very deep historical roots. If you ever get the chance, you have to pay the Middle Earth Divine Continent a visit and take this thing to Tassel Mountain. Perhaps you''ll even be treated to some delicious wine by a certain person. The floral fruit wine of Tassel Mountain is the best in the world, and even an immortal would get drunk on it!"


    Chen Ping''an epted the silver ingot, and the old schr jibed, "What''s this? You weren''t willing to be my disciple before, and you insisted on turning me down no matter what I said. Why are you epting this thing so easily now?"


    A slightly awkward look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "I feel like it would be hurtful to you if I continued to refuse."


    "It''s because this thing looks like a silver ingot, Schrly Sage! How could Junior Uncle not like something that looks like silver?" Li Baoping whispered to the old schr, and she immediately received a flick to the forehead from Chen Ping''an.


    Li Baoping clutched at her forehead with her hands and didn''t dare to say anything further.


    The old schr burst intoughter as he said, "Don''t call me Schrly Sage next time we meet, little Baoping. You are Qi Jingchun''s disciple, while I am Qi Jingchun''s teacher, so what should you call me?"


    Li Baoping faltered slightly upon hearing this. "Grandteacher? Grandmaster?"


    The old schr nodded with a pleased smile. "That''s it! You can call me either one of those, just pick whichever one you like."


    Li Baoping hurriedly extended a deep bow, but she forgot that her bookcase was heavier than before, and as a result, her center of gravity was tipped forward, almost causing her to fall face-first onto the ground. Thankfully, Chen Ping''an reacted in time and caught her before she could fall.


    The old schr remained standing still on the spot, epting this bow from Li Baoping in a calm and justified manner.


    After adjusting the luggage on his back slightly, the old schr heaved a faint sigh as he said, "The sword billet''s name is ''Little Capital''. Don''t have any qualms about epting it. The karma and fate attached to the sword billet have already beenpletely severed, and as for how you can use it, that''s very simple.


    ��As long as you treat it earnestly, everything wille naturally, and it''ll automatically ept you as its master. If you don''t treat it earnestly, it won''t awaken even if you hold onto it for 10,000 years, and it''ll be no more valuable than a piece of scrap metal."


    Chen Ping''an carefully stowed the sword billet away, and the old schr nodded as he dered, "I''m going now."


    He then turned to depart, but Li Baoping called out to stop him. "Grandteacher!"


    "What is it, little Baoping?" the old schr asked as he turned to her with a smile.


    Li Baoping pointed up at the sky as she said, "Aren''t you going somewhere very far away, Grandteacher? Why aren''t you flying up into the sky and suddenly disappearing like ''whoosh''!"


    The old schr was very amused to hear this, and sure enough, he really did vanish on the spot in the next instant.


    Chen Ping''an and Li Baoping raised their heads to look up at the sky in unison, but the old schr was already nowhere to be seen.


    In reality, he hadn''t gone very far at all. At this moment, he was situated on the end of the Flowing Cloud Water Alley that was closest to the street, and he took a nce in the direction of the Autumn Reed Inn before slowly departing.


    ��������


    Inside the courtyard, the tall woman was seated on a stone bench, looking up at the sky with a gentle smile on her face.


    Yu Lu and Xie Xie were situated right next to her in the same courtyard, but they werepletely oblivious to her presence. Whenever she appeared, she would conceal her own aura so that Yu Lu and Xie Xie weren''t able to see, hear, or sense her.


    Li Baoping went to her room to organize her new belongings, while Chen Ping''an sat down beside the sword spirit.


    The tall woman swept a hand through the air, and the old sword billet that had been hanging under that bridge for countless years appeared in her grasp. "Seeing as there''s been a change in circumstances, I''ll have to make some adjustments to my own ns ordingly.


    ��Our 100-year agreement will remain unchanged, but from now on, I''m going to speed up in the sharpening of the sword billet, striving to restore it most of the way back to its original state within 60 years. This means that the chunk of Dragon ying tform that you''re carrying won''t be enough. In fact, it won''t be anywhere near enough."


    Chen Ping''an was very perplexed to hear this. If he recalled correctly, he had taken that small chunk of Dragon ying tform that had suddenly appeared in his yard to the cksmith forge.


    A faint smile appeared on the tall woman''s face as she said, "Do you still recall that time that you had a dream of falling into the creek along with the basket on your back while sitting on the bridge? I already took away that chunk of Dragon ying tform during that time, and what you thought was the chunk of Dragon ying tform was nothing more than an ordinary rock that I had cast an illusion onto.


    ��Well, I suppose it''s not exactly urate to call it an ordinary rock. Instead, it was a snake gall pebble of the highest caliber, one that''s sufficient to turn a small reptile into a... arge reptile? In order to shorten 100 years to 60, I''ll have to at least use up thatrge chunk of Dragon ying tform in the mountains.


    ��Perhaps I won''t have to use up the entire cliff, but I''ll definitely be using most of it. Having said that, that''s not something you have to worry about. I have ways to keep everyone oblivious to the fact that I''m using the Dragon ying tform, and if worsees to worst, I''ll just have to toss those Militarian cultivators of Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain a few secret scriptures aspensation.


    ��Not only will they not feel like they''ve been hard done by, I''d say there''s a decent chance that they''ll burst into tears from tion!"


    Chen Ping''an felt as if he were listening to a fictional story, and he had no response for what he was hearing.


    The tall woman extended a hand up toward the sky, and that pristine white lotus leaf appeared in her grasp. "Due to the involvement of that impoverished schr and the fact that that sword of yours is a little out of the ordinary, this lotus leaf isn''t going to be able tost much longer, and that''s one of the reasons why I''m in such a hurry to get back.


    ��The other reason is that the schr promised me that you won''t be implicated by the matters concerning Cui Chan. He''ll make a trip to the Yingyin Chen n first, and after reasoning with them, he''ll go to the west. Hence, from now on, just do as he says and focus your efforts solely on taking those children to the academy in Great Sui Nation.


    ��With Cui Chan and the sixth-tier martial artist, Yu Lu, apanying us, I''m sure that even if you run out of sword qi, you''ll be able to deal with any perils thate your way."


    Her brows then furrowed slightly with concern as she continued, "However, once we get to the academy in Great Sui Nation, I''ll have to remain there for the next 60 years and I won''t be able to leave during that time. Otherwise, all of my prior efforts could go to waste. You have to ensure that you don''t die and that you continue to make steady progress in your cultivation, and that''s going to be a little difficult."


    "A''Liang once told me that once someone reaches the third tier, regardless of whether they''re a martial artist or a qi refiner, they''ll be ready to attempt a solo trip across a nation," Chen Ping''an said. "As long as they don''t go out seeking death, they should be fine under most circumstances.


    ��At the fifth or sixth tier, one would be able to explore half of an entire continent, as long as they don''t take undue risks and venture into the notoriously perilous areas, or try to y the hero and go after evil entities. As long as one refrains from doing these things, they should be able to survive just fine.


    ��However, if one encounters some type of unforeseen disaster that results in their death, then they can only me their bad luck. Given the terrible luck that led to their demise, even if they had stayed home the entire time, they wouldn''t have been safe anyway, so it wouldn''t have mattered if they had stayed home or decided to go out on an adventure."


    The sword spirit nodded with a pleased expression as she said, "I''m d that you think this way. This is how things should be. If you''re always hesitant and timid, there''s no way you''ll ever be able to make any substantial progress in cultivation."


    An intrigued look then suddenly appeared on her face, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, "I''m already about to leave now, so why is it that you still haven''t asked me how you can ensure your own survival?


    ��Our lives are intertwined together, so aren''t you curious about why I haven''t helped you mend your bridge of immortality so that you can embark on the path of cultivation? Surely this isn''t too much for you to ask no matter what perspective you''re looking at this from."


    "I did think about asking these questionsst night before I went to bed, but I held my tongue in the end," Chen Ping''an admitted in a truthful manner.


    "Why is that?" the sword spirit asked.


    A serious look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "It''s not that I''m too embarrassed to ask. This is something that concerns my survival, so no matter how embarrassed I may feel, there''s no way I would refrain from asking those questions if I deemed it necessary.


    ��The reason why I chose no to ask is that I''ve always believed in Old Man Yao''s teachings. He was half a master to me during my days as a pottery firing apprentice, and he once said to me..."


    The sword spirit cut off Chen Ping''an as she nodded and said, "I know what you''re going to say. I saw and heard what he said in that recollection of yours, and it''s indeed a very interesting quote."


    She then became a little worked up as she rose to her feet and continued, "Do you know why there is a concept of ''seeing through facades'' among you humans? This is a real concept, but among mortals, it''s something that is intertwined with fate, so even if they change their name, that''s all epassed within the overarching rules, so it''srgely inconsequential.


    ��However, anything that concerns one''s bridge of immortality or alters the many acupoints in one''s body is a matter of great importance. Cultivation in itself is something that goes against the natural order to begin with. To put it in more harshly, cultivating is something that defies the Heavenly Dao.


    ��When qi refiners speak of Dao attainment, they''re trying to prove that their Great Dao can make the Heavenly Dao bow its head. The heavens want me to go through the natural cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death, yet I''m going to defy that by attaining an immortal body that''ll grant me eternal freedom.


    ��Essentially, you''re forcing the gods to bend to your will and acknowledge your immortality, so that''s obviously going to be an extremely difficult endeavor. If it were easy to construct a bridge of immortality, then countless cultivating ns would be filled with immortal descendants.


    ��The meridians, acupoints, and bloodlines of humans are some of the most profound things under the heavens. When ites to the concepts of the inner and outerrge and small worlds championed in Daoism, the small world here refers to the human body, implying that one''s body is a natural blessed paradise, while the bridge of immortality is the bridge that connects the two worlds.


    ��Hence, attaining immortality is truly as difficult as ascending to the heavens. It''s not entirely impossible, but the price that must be paid in order to aplish this goal is one that''s extremely steep. One must be at an extremely lofty cultivation base before they can construct a bridge of immortality, and they must be cultivators of certain schools of thought, such as Naturalism or Medicinism.


    ��This is one of the reasons why these teachings have managed to remain standing to this day, even though its followers aren''t verypetent in battle.��


    A hint of disappointment appeared in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, but to the sword spirit''s relief, he wasn''t disying any dejection or pessimism after hearing all of this. A faint smile appeared on her face as she continued, "The most important thing for you at the moment is to refine your body and build a good foundation.


    ��That is something that will only benefit you down the line. Otherwise, it would be extremely embarrassing for you if you can''t even pick up the sword after I''ve finished sharpening it. Don''t think to yourself that picking up the sword will be an easy task. Inside that impoverished schr''s scroll, he gave you the illusion that you were a 10th tier cultivator.


    ��The physical constitution of the average ninth tier cultivator may not necessarily be able topare with that of a pure martial artist of the fifth or sixth tier, but for cultivators who aim to reach the 10th tier, not a single one of them would be so foolish as to neglect their physical refinement.


    ��In fact, the vast majority of them will be even more diligent in bodily refinement than pure martial artists, slowly and meticulously refining their bodies and souls, unwilling to tolerate even the slightest w or imperfection. This is why all of the 10th tier qi refiners in this world are as advanced in age as the old turtles lurking on thekebeds."


    Chen Ping''an made sure tomit all of this firmly to his memory.


    The sword spirit stood in the courtyard as she smiled and continued, "You have to wait for me for 60 years, little Ping''an. You better make sure that you haven''t turned into an unsightly old man by then. If you do, I may have to revoke our agreement and refuse to recognize you as my master!"


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet and was just about to say something when the sword spirit approached him while extending a hand, as if she wanted to strike palms with him to seal their agreement.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly raised his hand as well, but ultimately, their hands passed each other by in the air.


    As it turned out, the sword spirit had already vanished from the spot, departing without any warning.


    Chen Ping''an sat back down on his original spot, then suddenly pped a hand to his own forehead. He had just recalled that he had forgotten to ask the sword spirit and the Schrly Sage what that little girl in gold in the locust wood sword was supposed to be!

 Chapter 159: (1): Conclusion of a Long Journey

    Chapter 159: (1): Conclusion of a Long Journey


    After living in the Autumn Reed Inn for three days, it was ultimately Lin Shouyi who proposed that there was not much point in staying there any longer.


    He wasn''t able to absorb much spiritual energy anymore, and for some reason, whenever he meditated for too long in the pavilion, he would feel a sharp aura that felt as if it were emanating from some type of ded weapon, and his body and soul were unable to handle it.


    In a rare disy of humor, Lin Shouyi joked that Chen Ping''an should go to the bottom of the well to check if there were any treasures there.


    Chen Ping''an had a rough idea of why this was the case. It had to have been the case that during his sh against Cui Chan, the two wisps of sword qi that had left his acupoint had to have harmed the fortune of this former city god temple site.


    Due to the fact that this was a matter that concerned the sword spirit, Chen Ping''an couldn''t borate much on it, and he could only take a couple of extra nces at Cui Chan as they were leaving the inn.


    Cui Chan had originally been in quite a good mood these past few days, but he was feeling a lot more apprehensive after receiving those nces from Chen Ping''an, and he immediately began to consider which evil deed that he hadmitted that was leading to this retribution.


    As they were leaving the inn, there just so happened to be someoneing in to stay in the inn. Cui Chan paid no heed to this neer, but the three children were all surprised to find that it was the old former minister of Yellow Court Nation.


    As it turned out, he and his family and servants had arrived in the prefectural city as part of a sightseeing trip, and there were three horse-drawn carriages parked in the alley outside the inn.


    The old former minister was extremely happy to be seeing the three children again, and he was particrly d to see that they were all wearing new clothes and new boots in the ce of their straw sandals. In fact, he was so happy to see them that he insisted on apanying them out of the city.


    Among his family members, the most eye-catching ones were a graceful woman dressed in simple yet elegant attire, and a dignified and imposing azure-robed man. The old man introduced them to everyone as his eldest daughter and his youngest son.


    He said that neither of them were cut out to be fine schrs, so depending on them to bring glory to the family was nothing more than an unrealistic dream. The azure-robed man remainedpletely expressionless even as his father wasining about them to outsiders, while the woman was looking at the three children with a smile on her face.


    In the end, her gaze settled on Yu Lu, and her smile widened even further, as if she had just spotted an exceptional delicacy. All of a sudden, she raised a sleeve and turned to the side while lowering her head, as if she had just been ovee by an urge to cough, but in reality, she was licking her lips in secret with her face concealed behind her sleeve.


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, while Yu Lu wore his usual smile as he turned to Cui Chan and asked, "When should we set off, Young Master?"


    "Right now," Cui Chan replied in an indifferent voice.


    "I''m afraid my body''s not what it used to be," the old man chuckled. "A while back, I came down with the flu, and I have to protect myself from the elements, so I''ll take the same carriage as Young Master Cui.


    ��This will also be a good opportunity for me to enquire Young Master Cui about the cliff engravings. You two can follow along behind us. If you don''t want to travel out of the city on foot, then it''s up to you whether you want to take a horse-drawn carriage or not."


    The two horse-drawn carriages made their way out of the Flowing Cloud Water Alley, and inside the front carriage, Cui Chan and the old man were seated across from one another with a rather heavy atmosphere in the air.


    The old man cupped his fist in a salute as he said, "Please forgive me for my unannounced visit, esteemed Imperial Preceptor."


    Cui Chan was stroking the jade belt around his waist as he glowered at the old man with a displeased expression, and he asked in a cold voice, "Did that little runt in your family coax you intoing here? Are you trying to test me to see if I have what it takes to kill you and your son?"


    Despite Cui Chan''s rude words and abrasive demeanor, the old man remained friendly and amicable as he replied, "That son of mine is not verypetent in anything, but he''s always trying toe up with crafty little ideas.


    ��He had no idea what to do on this asion, and that''s why he turned to me in the hope that I would be able to devise some course of action for him that would allow him to best assist yourself and the Great Li Empire. Surely this is anything but a challenge issued to you.


    ��If that''s how you''re interpreting the situation, then you''ve misunderstood my intentions, and you''ve also overestimated my son."


    Cui Chan shook his head as he said, "I don''t care what your intentions are, all I care about is what you do and the final oues achieved by your actions. Seeing as that little runt broke our agreement, I''ll be sure to punish him, but that''s something for me to worry about.


    ��As his father, if you''re unwilling to settle for what you''ve been given, and you want to revoke our agreement and no longer wish to serve as mountain master of the new academy on Cloud Drape Mountain, then we''ll settle this matter over time. If you think you can beat me in the end, then you''re free to give it a try."


    The old man''s expression darkened slightly upon hearing this. "Why do you feel the need to be so overbearing, esteemed Imperial Preceptor? My son has indeed overstepped some boundaries by doing this, but as the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, shouldn''t you be prioritizing the big picture above all else?


    ��Am I not at least of sufficient importance in the ns of the Great Li Empire for you to be a little more tolerant of our actions?"


    "For people like you, who are ustomed to treachery and deceit, perhaps you feel like testing me like this is apletely normal course of action. I used to be like this in the past as well, but the situation has changed since then," Cui Chan said as his eyes narrowed slightly. "My teacher has taught me that when ites to some matters, not even the slightest transgression can be permitted without appropriate punishment."


    Cui Chan leaned forward slightly as he looked straight into the old man''s eyes, and he sneered, "Do you really think you have the right to be sitting in the same carriage as me? Are you not aware that your true body, that old and emaciated little flood dragon on that inkstone in the Lurking Dragon Temple, has already fallen into my hands?"


    "Why are you doing this, esteemed Imperial Preceptor?" the old man asked with a wry smile. "We are allies. Even if some small conflicts were to arise between us, surely there''s no need to threaten the foundations of one another''s Great Dao."


    The old man''s wry smile then faded as a cold look appeared in his eyes. "This was meant to be something that would''ve benefitted both sides immensely. Are you not afraid that the final oue will turnpletely sour for everyone involved because of your actions?"


    Cui Chan looked intently into the old man''s eyes, and his words became even more scathing and overbearing, but the tone of his voice had be extremely cid. It was like the calm surface of a river concealing the violent undercurrents in the depths.


    "You have no right to be threatening me. You have to be the one to figure out what I want, do you understand? After this, I''m going to strike that sleeping flood dragon in the inkstone using an ancient lightning ability until I''ve gotten rid of 300 years worth of your cultivation base. I don''t even have to deal with that little runt in your family myself. In the end, you will be the one to turn on him to vent your fury."


    A hint of killing intent surfaced in the old man''s eyes as he let loose a low roar. "You''re going too far, Cui Chan!"


    "I''m going too far?" Cui Chan immediately burst intoughter. "Who do you think you are? Why do you think you and your family deserve any respect from me? Take a look at yourself, then look at that little runt you call your son. How are you supposed to make anything out of yourselves?


    ��In particr, look at the founding matriarch of the Purple Sun Residence outside. As soon as she saw the abundant dragon qi in Yu Lu, she began salivating like an idiot! Even if I elevate your ipetent family to a lofty position, do you think you''ll be able to stay there?"


    Cui Chan wagged a finger with a derisive sneer on his face as he answered his own question. "You don''t have what it takes."


    Before the old man had a chance to reply, Cui Chan pointed out the window as he said, "Leave. Looking at you is dirtying my eyes. If I don''t receive a satisfactory answer within three days, then I won''t be giving you any response. When that timees, you can feel free toe after me and try to take my life."


    The old man was silent for a long while before extending a deep bow and backing out of the carriage.


    This entire time, Cui Chan''s mental state had remainedpletely tranquil and cid, as if he had engaged in nothing more than a casual chat about the weather.


    The carriage stopped momentarily before continuing onward, and Cui Chan closed his eyes as he began a count of three. "One..."


    A gentle breeze blew through the carriage without any warning, causing Cui Chan''s white robes to ripple slightly like the surface of a gentle flowing creek.


    After exiting the carriage, the old man chatted amicably with the children for a brief moment, then remained by the side of the path on his own, watching as the group departed from the prefectural city.


    The azure-robed man and the graceful woman emerged from the horse-drawn carriage behind him with perplexed looks on their faces.


    Meanwhile, the old man continued to stare at the horse-drawn carriage that Cui Chan was in, and in the end, he withdrew his gaze with a defeated expression, having been unable to spot any signs of weakness.


    The old man turned to his son and daughter with a smile as he said, "We''re missing one, but this is still a family reunion of sorts, and for that, I''m very d."


    The woman who was the founding matriarch of the Purple Sun Residence clearly had sharper intuition than the azure-robed man. As a flood dragon, she possessed an innate ability to glean the mental state of others, and she had already realized that something wasn''t quite right with the old flood dragon''s mental state.


    As soon as she made this realization, she immediately sprang up into the air without any hesitation, attempting to flee the prefectural city as a streak of light. However, she had forgotten that the gap between her and her father wasn''t just one of seniority.


    The old man was clearly already at the height of his fury, and he didn''t care whether the prefectural city would suffer coteral damage at his hands. Besides, even the entire Yellow Court Nation wasn''t enough to contain him, let alone a tiny, insignificant prefectural city.


    Sure, there were some talented and powerful individuals here, but no one that came close to posing a threat to the old flood dragon. At this point, the Great Li Empire''s southern expansion was something that was already set in stone, so he no longer needed to hide his true form.


    However, this was something that could only be built on the premise that he could establish a stable alliance with the Great Li Empire.


    This unnecessary visit of his had achieved theplete opposite of the intended objective and irked the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor. Ultimately, the old man could only me himself for being too spooked. As a result, his mental state had fluctuated far too much, leading to a loss of rationality.


    On this asion, he hadn''t disyed any morepetence than his son, the Cold Food Great River God. After all, he and Cui Minghuang of Lake View Academy had personally witnessed that "thunder pool" at the summit of the engraved cliff, as well as the old schr who had brushed them out of the thunder pool with nothing more than a wave of his sleeve. Furthermore, a string of golden text had appeared on his palm after the event.


    In the Great Water Pce secret letter sent out by the azure-robed man, he had told his father about the young imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire. He had described in detail everything that Cui Chan had done thus far, and he had also stated that Cui Chan had beenpletely stripped of his cultivation base.


    The letter hadn''t actually harbored any sinister intentions at all. All the azure-robed man wanted was for his father to negotiate with Cui Chan to see if he could secure some more benefits for the Great Water Pce.


    After all, the Great Water Pce didn''t dare to contend against Cui Chan. Even if they could somehow kill Cui Chan, how would that benefit them in any way? If they were to do that, then the Great Water Pce would definitely be razed to the ground during the Great Li Empire''s southern expansion.


    "Why did you do that, Father? Did my sister do something wrong?" the azure-robed man asked in a trembling voice.


    The old man had a wizened hand extended with its fingers curled up into ws, and he was dragging his hand downward slowly as he replied with a cold expression, "Your sister doesn''t have much to do with this. The main culprit is you!


    ��Your unnecessary actions have cost me 300 years worth of cultivation base, and there are going to be even more troubles toe, so I''m not in a very good mood. Is that enough of a reason for you?!"


    A series of crimson flowers appeared between the old man''s fingers, and they appeared quite petite and adorable, but that was far from the reality.


    High up in the sky, five massive blood gashes had been gouged into the woman''s body, reducing her to an even more horrific state than a piece of pork on a chopping board, and all of the gashes ran so deep that bone was visible through them.


    Not only that, but she was immediately dragged back to the prefectural city, having already fled to over 1,000 feet away in the blink of an eye.


    However, due to the fact that all of this was unfolding high up in the sky, the residents of the prefectural city didn''t notice for the most part. Aside from a few people who just so happened to have been looking up at the sky and were astonished by what they saw, the rest of the city remainedpletely oblivious.


    Finally, the woman plummeted back down onto the ground with her entire body reduced to a mangled mass of flesh and blood. She was wearing a runed garment of a very high caliber, but it had been torn to shreds, and she was curled up into a ball on the ground, howling in pain as she desperately implored the old flood dragon to spare her.


    She was the almighty head of the Purple Sun Residence, a godly figure to Yellow Court Nation that had hopes of reaching the 10th tier, yet at this moment, she was rolling around in agony like a wretched dog.


    With a casual sweep of his sleeve, the woman was sent flying toward a shop on the side of the street, where she snapped a pir in half before slumping to the foot of the pir like a pile of mud.


    The azure-robed man''s face immediately paled as he asked, "Did the imperial preceptor get angry? I''ll admit that I was wrong for doing something unnecessary like this, but does that really warrant such an over-the-top response from him? Is he not afraid that we''ll side with Great Sui Nation?"


    The old man looked at his panicked son for a moment, then heaved a forlorn sigh before departing without administering any physical punishment, seemingly too disappointed in him to even bother trying to admonish him.


    The azure-robed man rushed over to pick up his sister, who was on the brink of death, then returned to the horse-drawn carriage. The coach driver was the river guardian under the Great Water Pce, and as the azure-robed man lifted the curtain of the carriage, his back was facing the river guardian as he said in a remorseful voice, "You were right, Sui Bin. I shouldn''t have been so reckless."


    The river guardian raised his whip and spurred the carriage back to the Autumn Reed Inn as he replied, "There''s always a silver lining on every cloud, and this is no exception. Now that we know what the imperial preceptor is and isn��t willing to tolerate, it''ll be easier to deal with him in the future. epting a slight loss now is much better than unwittingly overstepping boundaries at someter point and incurring much more severe consequences."


    The azure-robed man set his sister down in the carriage, then sat down behind the river guardian as he grumbled, "A slight loss?! My father lost 300 years worth of cultivation base! Given his terrible temper, I''m going to have all hell to pay for this! Other people may be unaware of this, but you know exactly how all of my other siblings died!"


    A faint smile appeared on the river guardian''s face as he said, "It''s good that they''re dead, esteemed Great River God. Now that there are only three of you left alive, all of you are indispensable. In the past, I would''ve had to fetch your body. In fact, perhaps I would''ve even had to fetch pieces of your body from different ces before assembling them together, and that would''ve been quite a pain."


    If Sui Bin had been attempting to console him this entire time, the azure-robed man would''ve only felt more and more uneasy. He wouldn''t have been able to stay in the prefectural city, and perhaps he would''ve even fled his Great Water Pce to hide somewhere far away until things blew over.


    Hence, these scathing words from Sui Bin were actually making him feel a bit more reassured. He took a nce at the river guardian, and it was no wonder to him that he and Prefectural Overseer Wei Li were held in such high regard by Cui Chan.


    "Please don''t call me esteemed Great River God, I''m not used to hearing something like that from you. Over these past years, I''ve always treated you well, while you''ve never sucked up to me, and I think that''s a good rtionship to maintain. We''ve been through the hard times together, let''s continue to stick together now that our fortune is turning for the better."


    A frustrated look then appeared on the azure-robed man''s face as he grumbled, "I''d say my father hasn''t read any fewer books than the Confucian Sages, and his private book collection is the most impressive one in the entire Yellow Court Nation, so why is it that he still has such a foul temper?"


    "Your father doesn''t have a foul temper," Sui Bin countered with a smile. "Wasn''t he really friendly toward those young little schrs?"


    The azure-robed man had no response to this.


    Sui Bin hesitated momentarily, then continued, "The reason why your father was so enraged most likely has something to do with his Dao attainment catalyst. Even though you intentionally kept this a secret, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire surely knows that your father is aware of this. If he''s able to see so far into the future, then it''s certainly not out of the question that he could be doing this to get you and your father to turn on one another."


    The azure-robed man shuddered slightly upon hearing this, and an elderly voice suddenly rang out within the carriage.


    "Sui Bin, it''s not necessarily a good thing that you''re so smart."


    "Don''t forget that I was once also a schr," Sui Bin chuckled. "Well, I suppose I still am, but I''m a schrly ghost now. Death has already befallen me, so I have nothing to fear."


    The old flood dragon that had suddenly appeared in the carriage smiled as he said, "I can rest assured with you providing counsel to this useless son of mine."


    Meanwhile, the azure-robed man was feeling rather uneasy.


    In the past, perhaps his father had looked down on the lowly river guardian that was Sui Bin, or perhaps he didn''t need anyone else as he was keeping a low profile. However, now that he was about to begin carving out an empire for himself, he was going to require capable subordinates, and the azure-robed man couldn''t help but be concerned that Sui Bin would defect to his father''s side.


    Sui Bin seemed to have gleaned his thoughts, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "Rest assured, I won''t betray you. Even though I''ve be a ghost, I''ve still retained some degree of integrity and resolve."


    The old flood dragon took a cold nce at his daughter, who was curled up into a ball in a corner of the carriage, then turned to the curtain of the carriage as he put on an earnest and benevolent smile as he said, "I''ve heard about what''s going on with your daughter. Would you like me to lend her a hand and help her be the mountain goddess of Horizontal Mountain?"


    Sui Bin shook his head in response. "She''s nothing more than a disgraceful creature that''s even lowlier than a swine. Just leave her to her own devices."


    The old flood dragon burst intoughter. "That sounds exactly like something I would say."


    Meanwhile, the hearts of the azure-robed man and the severely wounded woman were filled with sorrow.


    One was the Cold Food Great River God, while the other was the founder of the Purple Sun Residence, and both of them were only one step away from reaching the 10th tier. In their respective territories, they were worshiped as gods and revered even above mortal emperors, yet in the presence of their father, they were truly just disgraceful creatures even lowlier than swine.

 Chapter 160: The Young Boy Already Knows the Taste of Sorrow

    Chapter 160: The Young Boy Already Knows the Taste of Sorrow


    Despite the fact that the emperor was being rudely ignored by the five children, neither he nor any of the important officials behind him were irked in the slightest. Instead, all of them were looking on with amused smiles, and this was a clear indication of just how high a regard schrs were held in Great Sui Nation.


    The group of children were gathered together, speaking quietly to one another, and the three green bamboo bookcases were particrly eye-catching. Among them, the little girl wearing the red padded coat was the most attention-grabbing child, and she appeared to have been quite agitated for some reason.


    All of a sudden, the shortest of the five children abruptly burst into tears, perhaps because he was in apletely unfamiliar ce, or perhaps he was intimidated by the grand wee prepared by the emperor.


    Not only did the emperor of Great Sui Nation not disy any annoyance upon seeing this, he turned and began to make small talk with the elderly head minister of the ministry of rites.


    In the end, the three children turned their collective gaze to the end of the street, unwilling to meet the emperor up ahead.


    The emperor of Great Sui Nation wasn''t in a hurry, but this was still a rather awkward impasse. Hence, a reputable schr of Great Sui Nation, who was also serving as one of the three deputy mountain masters of the new Mountain Cliff Academy, made his way out of the group on his own to remind the children that it was time to enter the academy.


    Thankfully, there were no further mishaps or dys. The children didn''t know the customs and rites of the imperial court, but everyone was more than willing to forgive them for their minor transgressions, given how innocent and adorable they were. Despite their young age, they were already ustomed to extending formal Confucian salutes and curtseys, and that alone was already an extremely pleasing sight to the emperor.


    He personally gifted each of the five children a jade pendant and a box of golden dragon ink sticks, and what followed should''ve been aplicated series of formalities thatsted at least half a day, but the emperor made an exception on this asion and simplified the process as much as possible, much to the relief of the three tense and apprehensive children.


    As for Xie Xie and Yu Lu, they were already ustomed to such situations, so they didn''t feel nervous at all.


    Finally, it was time for the deputy mountain masters to take them to their respective school buildings before informing the children of what they were going to be taught. The five children were split up into school buildings, none of which were very close to one another.


    The academy took up a massive area, and aside from the buildings constructed along the mountain, the entire Eastern Splendor Mountain itself had also been assigned to the academy, so it was no surprise that the school buildings were so far away from each other.


    Great Sui Nation had extremely high hopes for this academy, which had fewer than 200 students, but over 30 extremely reputable and knowledgeable teachers.


    The mountain master was none other than the head minister of Great Sui Nation''s ministry of rites. However, in reality, he was only the mountain master in status, and the head deputy mountain master that would be overseeing the educational affairs of the academy was a former teacher at the original Mountain Cliff Academy.


    He was also one of the Schrly Sage''s secret disciples. His name was Mao Xiaodong, and his bright red nose made him very recognizable. Despite the fact that he was already over 90 years of age, he was still very healthy and looked to have only been 50 to 60 years old.


    He wasn''t present to wee the five children as he had to teach lessons at the academy in order to not dy the education of the other students, and the emperor of Great Sui Nation naturally had no objections to this.


    It was said that this deputy mountain master carried a redwood ruler that was strapped to his waist, upon which were engraved the words "rules" and ws". All those who had seen the ruler proimed that someone had engraved the word "below" in tiny text between the two words, so the whole thing spelled out "rules belowws".


    It was actually quite unexpected that Great Sui Nation had managed to sessfully take over what remained of Mountain Cliff Academy. First and foremost, approval from the emperor of the Great Li Empire had been of the utmost importance. Otherwise, there was no way that this could''ve happened.


    Perhaps the emperor of the Great Li Empire harbored guilt in his heart toward Qi Jingchun, or perhaps he had some other ns. In any case, the entire imperial court of Great Sui Nation was of the opinion that taking over the academy was a massive blessing.


    Initially, there were around four dozen teachers and students from the original Mountain Cliff Academy, and Mao Xiaodong had yed a pivotal role in allowing them to sessfully leave the Great Li Empire. The journey to Great Sui Nation hadn''t been all smooth sailing for them. Instead, it had been one that was fraught with peril.


    Even though Great Sui Nation had invested so much resources into the new Mountain Cliff Academy, it was still somewhatcking due to the absence of the academy''s founder, Qi Jingchun, or anyone directly rted to him.


    However, from this day forth, with the arrival of the five children, the academy was well and trulyplete.


    Standing halfway up Eastern Splendor Mountain was a wenzheng hall, at the center of which was hanging a portrait of the Paramount Sage of Confucianism. To the left of the portrait was another portrait of a solemn elderly man who had had his name concealed, while to the right was a third portrait, this one depicting Qi Jingchun, the first mountain master of Mountain Cliff Academy.


    Inside the hall was an old man with a redwood ruler strapped to his waist, and he respectfully offered three sticks of incense to the three Sages as he lowered his head and recited to himself in silence, "Knowledge is the vessel that carries the Dao, passing it down from generation to generation."


    ��������


    The old Mountain Cliff Academy had a rule, which was that amodation was provided, but not food.


    Hence, back when Mountain Cliff Academy was in the Great Li Empire, many students of the academy who hade from impoverished backgrounds would earn money for food by helping the academy make copies of scriptures.


    This rule hadn''t been abolished by the new Mountain Cliff Academy, but it was now a lot more lenient. At the moment, the majority of the students of Mountain Cliff Academy were local children native to Great Sui Nation. Due to the fact that this was the first-ever cohort of students, the imperial court of Great Sui Nation had chosen to enroll students from nearby.


    Hence, almost all of them came from wealthy and powerful ns of Great Sui Nation, so they weren''tcking in money. Furthermore, the academy was providing these new students with many benefits, and just the free books, brushes, ink, Confucian robes, and everything else provided by the academy free of charge amounted to an astonishing sum of wealth.


    Li Huai was the youngest of the five children, and after reaching his dormitory, he discovered that it waspletely empty as all of the students who shared the same dormitory with him were still attending their lessons.


    Having already burst into tears once at the foot of the mountain, Li Huai crouched down onto the ground and began to sniffle once again. He was feeling extremely sorry for himself, feeling as if he had lost both his parents and his friends, and the sleeves of his new clothes were smeared with tears and snot over and over again.


    In the end, Li Huai opened his bookcase as he continued to weep, and only after putting on that pair of straw sandals did he feel a little better. However, he was then worried that other students would look down on him, so he put on his new boots again, and he repeated the process several times, weeping the entire time.


    He had already made up his mind to make Chen Ping''an his junior uncle, but he didn''t have a chance to call him that before they were separated, and he couldn''t help but reminisce about all the good things that Chen Ping''an had done for him.


    Meanwhile, after setting down his bookcase, Lin Shouyi made his way out of his dormitory on his own to take a stroll. There was still a rather cold look on his face, and he walked with firm and decisive footsteps as he came upon a scripture library. Due to the fact that it was newly constructed, it was still giving off a faint woody fragrance.


    On the way here, he was always able to hear the familiar sound of book passages being recited, and it seemed that there were far more students here than back in the school in the small town.


    Lin Shouyi took a deep breath before making his way into the scripture library.


    He had heard that he could read countless books in here without having to spend even a single copper coin.


    All of a sudden, Lin Shouyi was struck by a sense of sorrow. If the stingy Chen Ping''an had stayed with them, he would''ve definitely encouraged them to read more books from the library. By his logic, being able to read books for free was equivalent to earning money!


    As for Li Baoping, she was seated in her deserted dormitory, and after opening her bookcase, she dug out the letter that Chen Ping''an had written to her. The letter was very long, and it told her that he was going home, that he would inform her family that she was safe and well, and that he would be sure to tell her eldest brother that she had been very obedient and conscientious along the entire journey.


    He also told her that he had punched a hole into the gold essence copper coins and strung a length of red string through the hole so that she could wear the coin around her neck. She cautioned her not to lose the coin and told her that if she were ever in urgent need of money, she could sell it for silver.


    The letter also said that he had prepared a jade pendant for each of the three children as a parting gift, and the words "Baoping", "Shouyi", and "Huaiyin" had been engraved upon them, respectively. He said that hadn''t been able to help them much over the course of the journey, so he insisted that they at least ept this gift from him, and that if they found the jade pendants to be too unsightly and embarrassing to wear, then they could just hide them somewhere.


    He said that Li Huai was very timid and frightful, so Li Baoping should y with him more and ensure that he wasn''t picked on by anyone in the academy. As for Lin Shouyi, his personality was quite cold and aloof, so Chen Ping''an encouraged Li Baoping to regrly stay in touch with him so that their bond didn''t weaken.


    He said that Yu Lu was a powerful martial artist, and that Xie Xie was also a cultivator, so if any physical altercation were to arise, he cautioned Li Baoping not to charge ahead at the very front. Instead, she should turn to them for help, and there was no need for her to worry about owing them any favors as her junior uncle would repay those favors in her stead in the future.


    Furthermore, that whetstone by the name of the Dragon ying tform had been left by Chen Ping''an in her bookcase, and he cautioned her to always go somewhere deserted before sharpening her de so that she didn''t scare her schoolmates. There was also that small silver gourd that she had to keep safe...


    Finally, Chen Ping''an apologized for not apanying them into the academy and departing without first bidding farewell. They hade all this way, yet he was unable to see the journey through to its conclusion, and for that, he felt very apologetic.


    He encouraged them to keep safe and work hard in their studies so that when all of them forged resounding reputations for themselves, he would be able to boast to everyone that he knew Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi personally.


    Despite the extensive length of the letter, every single character had been written in impable fashion. There was no ir or excessive elegance to his handwriting, but it was incredibly consistent and meticulous, just like his personality.


    In his eyes, right was right, while wrong was wrong, and good things had to be cherished with all of one''s might.


    As Li Baoping read through the letter, tears began to flow down her cheeks before falling onto the letter like a bout of autumnal rain that symbolized the sorrow of parting ways.


    She wasn''t bawling her eyes out, but her heart was still filled with mncholy, and she was stubbornly chastising herself to stop crying. Otherwise, if her junior uncle were to see her like this, his heart would be broken.


    ��������


    On a wide street in the capital city of Great Sui Nation, Cui Chan was chattering incessantly as he smiled and asked, "If you''re so unwilling to part with them, then why did you sneak away without telling them?"


    It was clear that he was pouring salt onto Chen Ping''an''s wounds.


    After looking back at the academy for a long while, Chen Ping''an turned around and strode away with a stoic look on his face.


    "You''re their junior uncle, aren''t you? Are you not afraid that they''ll be picked on in the academy? If that happens, there won''t be anyone there to stand up for them," Cui Chan said, while Chen Ping''an continued to remain silent.


    The capital city of Great Sui Nation was massive, and the two of them were finally able to make it out of the city gates right before the nightly curfew arrived. Cui Chan was holding a gon of wine in his hand that he would take small sips out of as he walked, and even after exiting the city, it seemed that the gon still hadn''t run dry.


    All of a sudden, a team of elite cavalry rushed out through the city gates before catching up with the duo, led by none other than Prince Gao Xuan of Great Sui Nation.


    This time, he wasn''t apanied by the two old men, and after getting down from his horse, he arrived by Chen Ping''an''s side with a displeased expression as he asked, "Have you forgotten about thepensation that I owe you? I''m going to feel very guilty if you left just like this!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he said, "If it''s not too much trouble, please look after those children for me. That will serve as more than enoughpensation."


    Gao Xuan shook his head in response. "That''s an entirely different matter. I''m not going to promise you that I can look after the children as even I can''t meddle in the academy''s affairs. However, rest assured, my father will definitely make the time to keep an eye on the academy on asion. Hence, thepensation that I promised you must be delivered to you. Even if you don''t ept it, you have to take it first before throwing it away."


    Gao Xuan intentionally put on a menacing expression as he continued, "Chen Ping''an, don''t forget that I am a prince of Great Sui Nation! You''d better not embarrass me by turning me down!"


    "Alright, give it to me," Chen Ping''an replied as he extended a hand forward.


    Gao Xuan burst intoughter as he extended a fist toward Chen Ping''an, then suddenly loosened his fist before mming his palm heavily down onto the palm of Chen Ping''an''s hand. "From now on, you''re my friend! If you evere back to the capital city of Great Sui Nation,e straight to me!"


    Chen Ping''an was rather taken aback to hear this, then withdrew his hand as he nodded in response. "Alright."


    Gao Xuan didn''t waste anymore time as he got back on his steed, then bent over so that his eyes remained roughly level with Chen Ping''an''s, and a bright smile appeared on his face as he said, "It''s a long journey back, so I prepared a horse-drawn carriage for you. The carriage will arrive very soon. If you prefer walking, you can sell the carriage for money, but don''t sell it too cheaply. At the very least, it''s worth 700 to 800 taels of silver."


    After that, Gao Xuan departed just as quickly as he arrived, galloping back into the city with his team of elite cavalry, attracting a great deal of attention from passersby on the official road.


    Chen Ping''an and Cui Chan continued onward, and thetter asked, "You must be quite perplexed about why an esteemed prince is being so friendly and hospitable to you, right?"


    "I am indeed perplexed, but seeing as I can''t think of an answer, there''s no point in thinking about this matter," Chen Ping''an replied.


    However, Cui Chan wasn''t willing to drop the subject, and he exined, "It''s actually not veryplicated. Gao Xuan is a prince, and Yellow Court Nation is a subsidiary nation to Great Sui Nation. Additionally, Great Sui Nation definitely has spies in the Great Li Empire, so I''m sure he''s aware of what took ce along the journey from the Great Li Empire to Mountain Cliff Academy.


    ��Furthermore, Baoping and the others are far more important than they can imagine, and that''s why he''s going out of his way to be on friendly terms with you. Essentially, this is a long-term investment, and even if it doesn''t pay off, he doesn''t really stand to lose anything."


    Cui Chan pursed his lips as he continued, "If the current emperor of the Great Li Empire had been any other emperor in the empire''s history, and if the mountain master of Mountain Cliff Academy had been any other mountain master aside from Qi Jingchun, then the academy would''ve died on the very spot that it stood, like a withered old tree struck down by lightning.


    ��Of course, it truly is quite admirable that Great Sui Nation had the courage to take over Mountain Cliff Academy, and the emperor of the Great Li Empire has rather mixed feelings about all of this. You may not believe me when I say this, but prior to its fall, the Lu Empire that Yu Lu and Xie Xie belonged to was once the undisputed number one nation in the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    ��However, there are only three worthy adversaries in the eyes of the Great Li Empire''s emperor, and the emperor of the Lu Empire was not one of them. Instead, the emperor of Great Sui Nation, a nation that''s slightly inferior to the Lu Empire of old, ims one of those three spots."


    While Cui Chan was revealing all of these secrets, Chen Ping''an was busy changing into his straw sandals, and Cui Chan was left feeling rather dejected, as if he were talking to an earthen wall.


    "Teacher, can you weave a pair of straw sandals for me as well?" Cui Chan asked. "I wouldn''t mind having a little bookcase, either."


    Chen Ping''an carefully stowed the pair of boots away, then hoisted his bamboo basket back onto his back as he grumbled, "Wearing straw sandals isn''t meant to be something done for fun!"


    "But I feel like it''s really fun," Cui Chan countered with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an continued to make his way along the official road, looking directly ahead as he asked, "Is reading books fun?"


    For what seemed like the first time in a long time, Cui Chan fell silent upon hearing this question. A hesitant look appeared on his face as he strapped his wine gon back to his waist, then inteced his fingers behind his head as he replied, "I''ve never felt like reading books is fun."


    After walking for a long while, Chen Ping''an turned to look back at the mighty city walls of Great Sui Nation''s capital under the final rays of light of dusk.


    Cui Chan had been silent for quite some time, but he suddenly burst intoughter upon seeing this. "Haha! I knew you wouldn''t be able to resist!"


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to Cui Chan''s jibes as he asked with an earnest expression, "Should I have stayed at the academy for a few days? At the very least, I should''ve made sure that they were all settled in before I left, right?"


    Cui Chan was caughtpletely off guard by this question, and he pondered it for a moment before replying, "I think it makes no difference whether you left sooner orter."


    Chen Ping''an gave Cui Chan a disdainful nce, and his expression essentially said: "Well, that was a useless answer".


    Cui Chan was feeling a little dejected, and a sullen look appeared on his face as he said, "I was doing my best to alleviate your sorrows, Teacher. Surely you don''t have to look at me like that."


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at the wine gon strapped to Cui Chan''s waist, then quickly withdrew his gaze and heaved a faint sigh before picking up the pace.


    Cui Chan''s expression remained unchanged, but deep down, he was astonished.


    <em>Even Chen Ping''an has times when he wants to drink wine?! Ah, I see. The young boy already knows the taste of sorrow. </em>

 Chapter 161: Inevitable Separation

    Chapter 161: Inevitable Separation


    The horse-drawn carriage gifted to Chen Ping''an by Gao Xuan arrived quitete, only reaching Chen Ping''an deep in the night. The coach driver was that old man with no facial hair, the same one who had been by Gao Xuan''s side during his time in Jewel Small World, and thus far, Chen Ping''an had met this old man twice.


    In contrast with Gao Xuan''s friendly and hospitable demeanor, the old man wore an aloof expression, and after handing over the horse-drawn carriage to Chen Ping''an, he began to make his way back to the capital city on foot.


    Before doing so, he turned to take an extra nce at Cui Chan, but Cui Chan was busy marveling at how exceptional a specimen the horse pulling the carriage was, and hepletely failed to notice the old man''s scrutiny.


    Cui Chan jumped onto the carriage and voluntarily took on the role of coach driver, then waved at Chen Ping''an as he said, "The carriage hasn''t been tampered with in any way, so we can use it without any qualms."


    Chen Ping''an inspected his surroundings to find that it was already quite dark, and due to the nightly curfew in the capital city, the lively and bustling official road during the day waspletely deserted at night.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head as he said, "This is a good chance for me to practice my walking meditation. Just focus on driving the carriage, I''ll be able to keep up as long as you don''t go too fast."


    Cui Chan knew how stubborn Chen Ping''an could be, so he didn''t bother to try and persuade him any further. He slowly drove the carriage forward while taking a sip of wine as he loudly mused, "There are countless things to worry and fret over, but all thingse to an end eventually. On another note, the autumnal weather sure is nice and cool!" [1]


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an trailed along behind the horse-drawn carriage in silence, repeating the six-step walking meditation of the Mountain Shaking Fist over and over again. At this point, walking and standing meditation were already second nature to him.


    As for Cui Chan, he continued to ramble nonsense, rattling off quotes from Confucian ssics one moment, then reciting random poetry phrases the next, and he was barely quiet for even a single moment.


    In the end, he even began singing about how he had an old donkey that he never rode, and after listening to his ramblings for close to two hours, Chen Ping''an finally exhaled and ceased in his walking meditation, then dered, "I''m going to take a rest inside the carriage."


    Only after entering the carriage and setting down the basket on his back did Chen Ping''an notice that there was a small mountain of jars and vials stacked up in the corner. However, due to how dark it was, he was unable to discern what these containers held.


    Cui Chan smiled as he exined, "There are a few jars of fine wine, some pills for cultivation and injury recovery, and even some make-up. That Gao Xuan really is an interesting guy. If we set aside the fact that he''s from an enemy nation and judge the merit of his character alone, he''s a lot more... friendly and amodating to those useful to him than the younger brother of your friend, Song Jixin, and my former disciple, even though they''re both princes."


    Chen Ping''an sat down behind Cui Chan with his side facing him and his legs dangling outside of the carriage as he shook his head and said, "Song Jixin was never my friend."


    "I''m sure, Song Jixin... I suppose we should call him Song Mu now, would be heartbroken to hear that," Cui Chan chuckled. "Prior to leaving y Vase Alley, Qi Jingchun bestowed upon Zhao Yao a seal that contains the inscription ''the world wees spring'', while his parting gift for Song Jixin were six books, three of which were misceneous ones, namely ''Profound and Subtle'', ''Tao Li Anthology'', and ''Tales of Mountains and Seas'', while the other three were elementary books, namely ''Principles of Life for Children'', ''Rites and Music'', and ''An Anthology of Literary Essays''.


    ��Song Jixin harbors veryplex emotions toward you. In order to give himself some peace of mind, he left thetter three books on the table in his house prior to his departure. However, that''s where theplexities of the human hearte into y.


    ��He knew even if you picked up the key that he tossed into your yard, there''s no way you would''ve taken those books without permission. Even so, he can still console his own conscience by convincing himself that he did a good deed for you. Isn''t he a smart guy, Teacher?"


    Cui Chan had revealed a bunch of secrets, but there was one thing that he had refrained from mentioning.


    He spected that Qi Jingchun had already anticipated that all of this would happen. He had foreseen that Song Jixin would look down on those three elementary books and choose to leave them behind for Chen Ping''an.


    Cui Chan had previously thought that he was far superior to Qi Jingchun when it came to hatching plots and devising machinations, but looking back now, he realized that he couldn''t have been more wrong.


    "Song Jixin has always been very smart," Chen Ping''an conceded in a quiet voice.


    "Is your rtionship with him so awkward because he deceived you into going back on your promise to your mother?" Cui Chan asked with a curious expression.


    Chen Ping''an offered no response.


    Cui Chan smiled as he continued, "I shouldn''t have brought that up. I''m not trying to make excuses for justifications for Song Jixin, I''m just telling you the truth. Regardless of whether what he did was right or wrong, there''s an underlying reason behind his actions, and that reason is a very simple one.


    ��Song Jixin enjoyed far superior material conditions to yours, andter on, he even had a maidservant to tend to his needs. On top of that, he was well-versed in reading, go, and calligraphy, but the more superior he was to you, the more discontent and envious he became."


    "At the time, he was mistakenly regarded as the kiln supervision official''s illegitimate son, and from a young age, he was always being insulted by everyone in the town for this, both to his face and behind his back," Chen Ping''an finally said.


    Cui Chan nodded in response. "That''s why, whenever Song Jixin sees you, he would think to himself, why is it that someone as wretched and impoverished as yourself at least had aplete set of parents, yet he didn''t? In fact, he didn''t even know the name of his own mother.


    ��The thing that was most unbearable to him was that despite how tragic your life has been, in his eyes, you seemed to have been living a far more enjoyable life than him. Once you''ve filled your belly, you''d go to sleep, and after you wake up, you''d busy yourself with your daily activities.


    ��Whenever Song Jixin sees this, he would be ovee with envy and frustration. Hence, he wanted to pass his suffering onto you, and he knew what you cared about the most, so he decided to take that away from you."


    Chen Ping''an could still recall that rainy night in y Vase Alley. That was the first time that he had ever been struck by the urge to kill someone, and he had almost strangled Song Jixin to death that night.


    Liu Xianyang had snuck out of the kilns with him, and he inadvertently witnessed Chen Ping''an''s actions from afar. As a result, for an entire month after that night, Liu Xianyang didn''t dare to speak to Chen Ping''an, much to his dismay.


    "The actions of a child can result in many different types of consequences, whether that beughable, pitiful, or terrible," Cui Chan sighed. "Not only do children have the hearts of children. There are many important figures in lofty positions who are just as immature and naive as children when dealing with certain important matters that require a far higher level of maturity andpetence."


    Chen Ping''an arranged his hands into the sword furnace position, but instead of continuing to meditate, he said with a calm expression, "While it''s true that I resented Song Jixin fiercely for making me go back on my promise to my mother, that''s not what truly made me dislike him."


    Cui Chan was very intrigued to hear this. "Oh? What else could he have possibly done then?"


    "That time that Liu Xianyang was almost beaten to death, Song Jixin was squatting on top of a nearby wall, encouraging the people that were beating Liu Xianyang. He wanted to see Liu Xianyang being beaten to death. Someone like him is... very terrifying in my eyes," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Cui Chan fell silent upon hearing this.


    Chen Ping''an raised his head and cast his gaze into the distance as he said, "Back in the town, there''s a saying that those who watch others carrying heavy loads can''tprehend how tiresome it is. I don''t think this is particrly reprehensible, but if you have someone that maliciously adds to the heavy load just because they think it''s fun, how could you possibly make friends with someone like that?"


    "It''s not like Song Jixin ever added to the load on your shoulders," Cui Chan countered. "Deep down in his heart, perhaps Song Jixin really wanted to be your friend. He''s smart enough to know what type of people he should befriend. For example, he looks down on Zhao Yao, whom he perceives to not be as intelligent as him, but he still remained on friendly terms with Zhao Yao due to his connection to Qi Jingchun."


    "I dislike people like that," Chen Ping''an condemned with a shake of his head.


    "You know, a lot of people wille to dislike someone like you as well," Cui Chan said in a candid manner.


    "Why do I need so many people to like me?" Chen Ping''an asked with a smile. "As long as I have food, shelter, and clothes on my back, I have no worries. I don''t want or need anything from anyone else."


    "Teacher, you just described a mental state that is impossible to tarnish as it is one that is without desire. That is truly an admirable state of mind to be in!" Cui Chan said as he gave Chen Ping''an a thumbs-up.


    "I know you''re trying to lure me into talking about these things so you can gather more information on me, but it''s fine. After telling you all of these things, I feel a lot better now," Chen Ping''an said in a quiet voice.


    "Teacher, you possess immense wisdom under a humble facade, while I harbor tremendous stupidity under a facade of wisdom," Cui Chan chuckled. "If we join forces, the world will be our oyster!"


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an asked, "You must know A''Liang, right? He once sang the same song about the old donkey that he never rode."


    Cui Chan''s expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he replied, "I knew A''Liang from a very long time ago, even earlier than Qi Jingchun, and certainly a lot earlier than the likes of Ma Zhan and Mao Xiaodong. Back when I was drinking with A''Liang, those two were probably just a pair of kids ying with mud somewhere."


    It was a night with a bright moon and few stars, and a hint of sorrow appeared on Cui Chan''s face as the night breeze blew through his hair.


    "After I left my hometown, I also embarked on a journey to seek out an education, but I had to go far further than you did. I was extremely proud, and after being thoroughly embarrassed one time, I epted the old schr as my teacher in a fit of rage. At the time, the old schr wasn''t all that renowned, and his teachings were viewed as heretic, so I was his first-ever disciple.


    ��Qi Jingchun and the others all became the old man''s disciples after I did, and he didn''t actually have very many direct disciples. His style of teaching was one in which he insisted on imparting knowledge in as much detail as possible. At times, there were simple concepts that could easily be exined in a couple of sentences, but he would talk about them for days, so he simply didn''t have the time and energy to keep too many disciples around.


    ��He had more in-name disciples, and as for those who were willing to stoop to calling themselves thepdogs of the Schrly Sage, there are too many of those to even count. A''Liang met the old schr even earlier than I did. Initially, A''Liang''s intention was actually to beat up the old schr, but he wasn''t just any ordinary old schr. Instead, his way with words was unmatched.


    ��There''s a debate between the three teachings, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, held once every 60 years, and it''s the most perilous event under the heavens with no equal! Countless bright figures in the three teachings have been lured down unorthodox paths during these debates, ultimately bing viewed as heretics within their own teachings.


    ��The more respected and revered those people once were, the more denounced and condemned they became after their conversions. Prior to turning my back on my teacher, I was confidently expressing my own insights on Confucianism during the debate for the purpose of helping�� Forget it, only a washed-up old man talks about their former glory.


    ��The old schr was the only one in history to have participated in two consecutive editions of the debate, and most importantly, he won on both asions, but that��s a story for another time. All you need to know now is that back then, it was truly no exaggeration to say that the old schr waspletely unmatched under the heavens.


    ��He was referred to as the leader of a teaching, a moon among stars, and if one weren��t a schr themselves, there was no way that they would��ve been able to fathom his brilliance. Otherwise, why do you think the old man was revered in the Confucian temples, even though he secured himself a significant merit title during the imperial examination?


    ��The small nation that the old schr came from was essentially begging him to ept an honorary title of unprecedented prestige, but the old schr stoically refused. In reality, he was hatching a plot. Anyway, it didn''t take much talking at all before A''Liang waspletely swept along by the old schr''s words, and the two sworn enemies became the best of friends.


    ��From there onward, the old schr''s status was elevated further and further, while A''Liang''s cultivation base climbed higher and higher, and the two of them had always been on great terms with one another. Among the old schr''s disciples, A''Liang shared the closest ties with me, Qi Jingchun, and another disciple with the Zuo surname.


    ��A''Liang did a lot for the three of us. In particr, for the sake of Qi Jingchun and the guy with the Zuo surname, he waged many epic battles for the ages!"


    A reminiscent smile appeared on Cui Chan''s face, and he continued, "Whenever A''Liang returns to us after one of his epic battles, he would boast by saying stuff like ''man, I really am badass'' or ''when I wasying waste to that sect today, all of the celestial maidens in there had stars in their eyes and wanted to eat me alive! Forget it, you kids are too young to understand''."


    Cui Chan took a sip of wine as he sighed, "There was one really admirable quality in A''Liang, which was that unlike us schrs, he never boasted when he talked."


    After saying so much, Cui Chan finally smiled as he concluded, "That''s all I have to say. Just like you said, I feel a lot better now as well."


    Chen Ping''an had already closed his eyes to meditate, but it was clear that he had listened carefully to every single word that Cui Chan had said.


    Cui Chan had a cid look on his face as he said, "We''ve opened ourselves up to each other, but that still doesn''t change the fact that I''m a bad person, while you''re a good person."


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes as he said, "I''m going to keep practicing my walking meditation."


    "Go ahead," Cui Chan said with a smile.


    With that, Chen Ping''an jumped down from the carriage and continued to practice his walking meditation in silence.


    The smile on Cui Chan''s face gradually faded, and he finished the final bit of wine in his gon as a dazed look appeared on his face. He murmured to himself, "Chen Ping''an, are you not aware that someone like you is also terrifying in the eyes of many?"


    "I heard that," Chen Ping''an called out from behind the carriage.


    Cui Chan burst intoughter. "You have exceptional hearing, Teacher! As expected of a prodigiously talented martial artist like yourself! It won''t be long before you''re entirely invincible and unite the entire world under your g!"


    "Thanks," Chen Ping''an grumbled in a sarcastic voice.


    ��������


    On the return journey, they passed through many scenic locations.


    The horse-drawn carriage and the horse had already been sold by Cui Chan for a high price of 1,500 taels of silver, and with those funds, he purchased himself a beautiful bookcase, in which he stuffed everything that was of value that was originally in the carriage.


    In contrast with the journey to Great Sui Nation, Chen Ping''an had more spare time to practice his Mountain Shaking Fist during the return journey, as well as to practice the Eighteen Stops.


    As long as there was no heavy rain, he would practice twice daily, once in the morning and once at night. He performed his walking meditation very slowly, as if Li Baoping and Li Huai were still practicing alongside him, except the children had been reced with Cui Chan, whose movements were far more fluid and graceful than Chen Ping''an''s.


    Whenever they came across a tall mountain or arge body of water, Cui Chan would loudly recite passages from sagely scriptures, and even though Chen Ping''an remained silent on those asions, he would always recite the passages in his heart alongside Cui Chan.


    Unlike that night on the official road outside Great Sui Nation''s capital city, the two of them no longer opened up and spoke candidly to one another. Instead, they would often go entire days without speaking to each other at all, and Cui Chan would asionally sneak away. Upon his return, his mood would vary depending on the oues of his outings, and Chen Ping''an never asked where he had gone or what he had done.


    Thus, the two of them continued in their journey without any urgency, and autumn soon transitioned into winter.


    The route for the return journey had been selected by Cui Chan, and it waspletely different from the one that they had taken to reach Great Sui Nation, but Chen Ping''an raised no objections to this.


    The two of them would asionally encounter some bizarre and interesting events, which they would either observe from afar, or find themselves right in the thick of the action. Even though Chen Ping''an had alreadypleted the journey from the Great Li Empire to Great Sui Nation, he still couldn''t help but be bewildered by some of these events.


    One night, the two of them were traveling along argeke to the east of Great Sui Nation. Under the moonlight, they spotted a pair of graceful immortals flying through the air in the distance.


    Each of them was holding a massive iron chain, using which they lifted an enormous rock the size of a mountain from the bottom of theke, sending huge waves sweeping over the surface of theke in all directions. The mountainous rock was hoisted up into the air, then carried to their sect.


    Cui Chan exined to Chen Ping''an that there were many things that umted the natural essence of the environment they were in, and if these things were to be discovered by a cultivating sect, the sect would often send people to seize the object and transport it back to the sect to serve as an exclusive artifact that helps preserve the fortune of the sect.


    Cui Chan also said that this particrly cultivating sect was being quite considerate of others as they had chosen to carry out the operation at night, and they were willing to spend the money to purchase expensive iron essence chains.


    The average cultivating sect wouldn''t have bothered to take these measures, and they would''ve simply bought arge quantity of cheap metal chains for the job. If the chains were to snap and drop the mountain on the way back to the sect, the local authorities wouldn''t dare to hold the cultivating sect ountable even if it were to crush a mortal settlement and result in a bunch of deaths.


    Even if the mountain were to fall into arge city, so the incident couldn''t be kept secret, the matter would''ve still most likely been settled with a payment from the offending cultivating sect.


    In a majestic mountain range on the border between Great Sui Nation and Yellow Court Nation, Chen Ping''an spotted arge school of what appeared to have been carp. However, they were traveling along the mountain path, seeminglypletely fine despite the fact that they were out of water.


    Cui Chan exined to Chen Ping''an that these were mountain crossing carp, and that they could survive for up to half a month out of water. Mountain crossing carp had extremely high standards of the water that they chose to reside in, and if the body of water they inhabited turned bad and uninhabitable, they would immediately move.


    The more abundant the spiritual energy in a body of water, the higher the poption of mountain crossing carp that would generally be found within, and one out of every 10,000 mountain crossing carp would be a golden spirit creature. Hence, most cultivating sects liked to keep such creatures in their ponds and observe their migratory behavior to determine the levels of spiritual energy in the sects.


    After that, as they were passing through avish city of Yellow Court Nation, they encountered a pair of young swordsmen racing through a busy market no more than five feet above the ground atop flying swords.


    They were traveling extremely quickly, as if they were having apetition to see who was the superior flying swordsman, and they had no regard whatsoever for the people around them. Some of the people in the market weren''t able to get out of their way in time, and many of them suffered injuries of different degrees of severity as a result.


    As one of the swordsmen was flying through the air near Chen Ping''an, an old woman was so startled that she fell onto the ground. Both she and the swordsman attempted to evade each other, but unfortunately for her, they inadvertently mirrored one another''s movements, so in her attempt to dodge to the side, she had actually positioned herself right in the swordsman''s path.


    The young swordsman didn''t want to lose to hispanion, so he sped up instead of trying to take further evasive action, clearly nning to plow his way straight through the old woman.


    If Chen Ping''an hadn''t dragged the old woman out of his path, she would''ve most likely been killed on the spot.


    Not only was the swordsman not grateful to Chen Ping''an for this, he turned around and gave Chen Ping''an a vicious re instead.


    After that, the two swordsmen quickly vanished into the distance.


    All of the residents of the city were extremely shaken up by this incident, but no one dared to pursue the matter, and even those who wereining about what had just happened only dared to do so in hushed tones.


    Cui Chan remainedpletely indifferent to this, and he remarked that other qi refiners who were yet to reach the Middle Five Tiers wouldn''t have dared to be so reckless and brazen in a city like this, but swordsman had always been considered to be the most precious of qi refiners, and that was why those two were able to get away with such reprehensible behavior.


    The old woman thanked Chen Ping''an earnestly for saving her life, then rushed away in a panic, while Chen Ping''an turned in the direction that the two swordsmen had departed in, staring after them for a long while.


    "You can''t hold everyone ountable for their actions," Cui Chan remarked in an indifferent manner. "Besides, how are you going to hold them ountable anyway? Are you going to chase after them and kill them? Don''t forget that they didn''t kill a single person here.


    ��Alternatively, are you going to try and preach to them that what they did was wrong and warn them not to do this again? Even if you were powerful enough to force them to ept your preaching, what are you going to be able to do if they simply fall back to their old ways after you leave? If you ask me, you''re only raising unnecessary ire for yourself by concerning yourself with these matters."


    "I won''t chase after them. I don''t have the power required to make a difference here," Chen Ping''an said with a shake of his head.


    "I would rather you get involved in this. As your student, I''ve done nothing to help you along this entire journey, and I''m feeling racked with guilt, so I would be extremely grateful for an opportunity to do something for you."


    It was clear that Cui Chan was only saying this to goad Chen Ping''an, and after receiving no response, Cui Chan smiled as he asked, "So what are you going to do if you do manage to attain the power to make a difference someday?"


    "I''ll wait for that day toe before making a decision," Chen Ping''an replied as he continued on his way.


    Cui Chan hurriedly followed along as he asked, "What day is that day going to be?"


    "I don''t know, but it''s not going to be tomorrow," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Cui Chan continued to trail along behind Chen Ping''an as he mused, "It would be great if that day turned out to be the day after tomorrow then. As your student, I would be able to bask in the light of your glory."


    Chen Ping''an raised his head to look up at the sky, and it suddenly urred to him that the new year would''ve almost arrived by the time he returned to the town, and he was wondering if he should take this opportunity to buy a few sets of couplets as these things weren''t really sold in Red Candle Town.


    Right at this moment, Cui Chan also raised his head, but he was looking at a tall building, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he mused, "How interesting."


    Chen Ping''an turned in the same direction to find a tall pavilion that stood out in the city like a crane among chickens. In stark contrast with the clear weather elsewhere in the city, shes of lightning could be seen within the dark clouds above the building, and it was as if it were raining only in that one small area.


    Cui Chan turned to Chen Ping''an with a smile as he said, "This is something that we definitely have to get involved with, Teacher! If you''re not willing toe, then I''ll go on my own, and you can wait for me at the city gates."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t skip a beat as he continued to make his way toward the city gates, and he replied, "If you haven''te out by the time the nightly curfew arrives, then I''ll go ahead on my own."


    A sullen look appeared on Cui Chan''s face. "How could you be so cruel, Teacher?"


    Chen Ping''an''s back was facing Cui Chan as he raised his arm and disyed his middle finger.


    Cui Chan''s expression immediately changed as he waved farewell to Chen Ping''an. "You''re bing more and more humorous, Teacher! It appears my influence is being felt!"


    Chen Ping''an withdrew his middle finger and clenched his fist tightly.


    Cui Chan hurriedly extended a bow as he called out, "Take care, Teacher!"


    1. This is a somewhat altered version of a poem from a poet whocks the words to articte his worries and concerns, so he can only console himself by telling himself that everythinges to an end eventually, then attempts to distract himself by remarking on the weather. ?

 Chapter 162: (1): The Children Bullied by Great Sui Nation

    Chapter 162: (1): The Children Bullied by Great Sui Nation


    After emerging from the city gates, Chen Ping''an stood beside the lively and bustling official road to rest.


    There was a tea shop not far away, and after some hesitation, Chen Ping''an bought a bowl of tea, then sat down to drink it.


    He very rarely regretted anything, but he was beginning to regret leaving the capital city of Great Sui Nation so early.


    Just as Cui Chan had said, what if the three children were picked on by others, and he wasn''t by their side to protect them?


    Chen Ping''an hadn''t seen much of the world, but that didn''t mean that he hadn''t seen the good and bad sides of human nature. His upbringing had been quite rough, and he was forced to do everything in his power just to survive. As a result, he knew far more about the hardships of life and the ugly side of human nature than Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi.


    In particr, through hearing all of Cui Chan''s errant ramblings along the course of this journey, Chen Ping''an hade to realize something: just because someone was in a lofty position of power didn''t mean that they were smart, and just because someone was well-read didn''t mean that they were a good person.


    Chen Ping''an continued to sip on his tea, and he silently arrived at a decision as he cast his gaze toward the city walls.


    ��������


    In Mountain Cliff Academy on Eastern Splendor Mountain, there was a hall with a que that read "Pine Wave" hanging above its entrance, and this was essentially the teacher''s office in the academy.


    The mountain master and the head minister of Great Sui Nation''s Ministry of Rites were taking advantage of a rare break to have some tea, and both of them were looking quite rxed. The other people present in the room were all teachers of the academy who were quite advanced in age, and the three deputy mountain masters were also present.


    One of them was an elderly man with a square face, and he tried to resist the urge to speak for a moment, but ultimately gave in as heined, "Those children are a bunch of troublemakers!"


    It seemed that this piece of criticism wasn''t sufficient to vent his fury, and he added, "They''repletely incorrigible!"


    Not only was this deputy mountain master an extremely reputable schr who was responsible for holdingrge-scale lectures in the new academy, he also possessed the official title of "noble person", and his name was recorded in one of the three schools of Confucianism. As such, the words that came out of his mouth carried more weight than those uttered by his peers.


    The head minister of the Ministry of Rites was an unremarkable-looking old man with a benevolent appearance. If it weren''t for the official robes that he was wearing, one would''ve struggled to imagine that he was a second-rank official. Furthermore, schrs and well-read individuals were held in extremely high regard in Great Sui Nation.


    For example, the title of heavenly official was assigned to the head minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the Great Li Empire, but that title was given to the head minister of the Ministry of Rites in Great Sui Nation.


    The head minister''s smile remained unchanged as he prompted, "Why don''t you tell just what makes them so incorrigible?"


    The deputy mountain master was more than happy to voice hisints, and he grumbled, "Lin Shouyi possesses exceptional aptitude and a good foundation, but his personality is... I don''t know what to say. He''s always skipping sses to go read books in the scripture library. That in itself isn''t a bad thing, but he hasn''t even read a single Confucian ssic.


    ��Instead, he''s read a bunch of unorthodox Daoist secret scriptures. He''s only been attending the academy for a short time, yet he''s already borrowed 20 to 30 such books. This is ridiculous! I''m not saying that students of Confucianism should be forbidden from reading Daoist scriptures, but at his age, he has to read the ssics first to establish a good theoretical foundation.


    ��If he strays down the wrong path from his readings, how will I face the former mountain master on the other side?"


    The head minister nodded in response, and he had clearly slowed down in the drinking of his tea.


    The more the deputy mountain masterined, the more incensed he became. "And that girl, Li Baoping, is even more disobedient! She''s always spacing out during lessons, and she doesn''t give her teachers any of the respect that they deserve!


    ��She''s either flipping through the pages of that travel journal that she''s already read countless times, or she''s drawing little figures on its pages. Not only that, but those figures are all depicting fighting techniques used by those barbaric martial artists!"


    The head minister resisted the urge to chuckle as he lowered his head and took another sip of tea.


    "As for Li Huai, he does everything that he should. He doesn''t flunk lessons, nor does he cause any trouble, and he alwayspletes the homework assigned to him by his teachers, but his learning ability is simply... I sometimes feel like there''s a block of wood in his head as opposed to a brain!


    ��He''s always nodding off and drooling all over his desk during his lessons, how could he possibly be a direct disciple of the former mountain master? These children will be the death of me, I tell you!"


    One of the younger deputy mountain masters chuckled, "Our Mountain Master Liu has plucked out quite a few of his beard hairs already in frustration while dealing with these children."


    "I''m only a deputy mountain master," the square-faced old man corrected with a stern expression.


    The head minister burst intoughter upon hearing this, and he set his teacup down beside him as he asked, "Is there no good news at all? If it''s all just going to be bad news, then I wouldn''t dare to visit again."


    The square-faced old man''s mood took a slight turn for the better upon hearing this, and he nodded as he replied, "There is some good news. Surprisingly, Yu Lu and Xie Xie have disyed particrly outstanding aptitude, and they''re far more well-aligned with the standard mold of what a Confucian schr should be like.


    ��They treat others in a very sensible fashion, and they''re quite respectful to their teachers. In particr, Yu Lu is an extremely pleasant and courteous young man. I would say he''s the pick of the bunch, and I think he''ll go on to achieve great things."


    The head minister wasn''t in any hurry to jump to conclusions, and his smile remained unchanged as he turned to a tall old man, who had been dozing off in secret this entire time, "What do you think, Elder Mao?"


    The tall old man had a redwood ruler strapped to his waist, and he immediately snapped out of his stupor as he blurted out, "Wha? The head minister is going to leave? Won''t your stay a while longer?"


    The head minister was quite amused, and he said, "Well, if you insist that I stay a while longer, then it would be rude of me not to oblige."


    A chorus ofughter instantly rang out within the office.


    The head minister patiently summarized and ryed Deputy Mountain Master Liu''sints to Mao Xiaodong, and after hearing what the head minister had to say, an enlightened look appeared on his face as he said, "I see. In that case, I really do have something to say about this."


    "We''re all eagerly awaiting your input," the head minister prompted.


    Mao Xiaodong sat up straighter as he asked, "Let me ask all of you this: is Qi Jingchun a more aplished schr than all of us here?"


    His question was met withplete silence.


    Was this a rhetorical question?


    Mao Xiaodong then asked, "Does Qi Jingchun have a better eye for students, or are we superior in this regard?"


    Once again, the answer was obvious.


    Deputy Mountain Master Liu was silent for a moment, and he didn''t directly refute what Mao Xiaodong was implying. Instead, he lowered his slightly as he said, "Elder Mao, we all know that Jewel Small World is a tiny ce. I heard that its total poption was only 5,000 to 6,000 people, so there definitely wouldn''t have been many children to choose from among them. Could it be that Mr. Qi didn''t have the luxury of choice?"


    Mao Xiaodong had been by Qi Jingchun''s side the entire time during the founding of the Great Li Empire''s Mountain Cliff Academy, and he was the undisputed top-ranking figure in the new academy regardless of whether it was in terms of cultivation base, seniority, or morality and schrly aplishment. Hence, everyone, including the head minister of the Ministry of Rites, respectfully referred to him as Elder Mao.


    After hearing Deputy Mountain Master Liu''s question, Mao Xiaodong smiled and replied, "Of course that''s a possibility. In fact, it''s not just a possibility, it''s the undeniable truth!"


    Everyone waspletely dumbfounded by this response.


    Mao Xiaodong looked around the room as he continued, "It''s your Great Sui Nation that expects all of these children to be geniuses who will go on to achieve great things. Furthermore, you want them to pledge their allegiance to Great Sui Nation when they grow up so you can use them to gloat over the Great Li Empire. I don''t harbor such selfish desires, so I don''t have such lofty expectations of them."


    The head minister hurriedly coughed into his sleeve a couple of times, and that gave him an excuse to pick up his teacup before taking a sip of tea.


    Mao Xiaodong paid no heed to the head minister''s awkward reaction as he continued to speak without any qualms. "If I had my way, then those children can do whatever they want. They can eat or drink whatever and whenever, and if they want to learn, then I''ll teach them, but if they want to ck off, then I''ll leave them be.


    ��I don''t care if they go on to achieve great things or not. My official role is the deputy mountain master of this academy. I already have so many students to teach, and with each passing year, I''ll only have more and more students to look after. I don''t have the time and energy to hear all of you bickering about which child climbed a tree, or flunked their lessons, or drew some little figures in a book."


    Everyone in the room was left staring at each other with dumbstruck expressions, and the head minister continued to drink from his cup, but the tea inside had actually already run out.


    Mao Xiaodong smiled as he rose to his feet and said, "If you''ll all excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to, so I won''t be able to sit here and sip tea with you any longer, esteemed Head Minister."


    The head minister rose to his feet with an amicable expression as he said, "In that case, I''ll take my leave as well. I''ve taken up far too much of your valuable time already."


    "Don''t be in such a hurry to go, esteemed Head Minister. Why don''t you finish your tea first?" Mao Xiaodong urged.


    He then got up slightly onto the tips of his toes and peered into the head minister''s cup. "Oh, you''ve already finished your tea. Even so, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Have another cup before you go.


    ��If someone hears that you only had one cup of tea before you left, they''d think that our hospitality wascking and that we drove you away. What if the Ministry of Revenue decides to stand up for you and intentionally cut our academy''s funding? We would all be kicking ourselves if that happened!"


    A wry smile appeared on the head minister''s face as he cupped his fist in a salute and implored, "Please spare me, Elder Mao. How about this? From now on, you can be the mountain master, while I''ll be a deputy mountain master!"


    "That won''t do at all!" Mao Xiaodong chuckled as he turned and departed.


    Following his departure, the head minister heaved a resigned sigh, then grumbled, "I came here for some peace and quiet, but here I am, being lectured by Elder Mao. I don''t think I even have the courage toe back here again!"


    A chorus ofughter rang out within the office, and even the ever-serious Deputy Mountain Master Liu was quite amused.


    ��������


    Compared with the Five Mountains, Eastern Splendor Mountain of Great Sui Nation wasn''t particrly imposing at all. Instead, it was only tallerpared to all of the other mountains in the area, and that made it appear more important.


    On the mountain summit was a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, and after sitting on one of the tree''s branches and spacing out for a while, she wrapped her arms around the trunk of the tree and slid down to the ground in a well-rehearsed fashion.


    As soon as she did this, she spotted a tall old man who was watching her with narrowed eyes and a sly grin, and he didn''t seem like a good person.


    "Are you skipping your lessons again?" Mao Xiaodong asked.


    To her credit, Li Baoping was very honest, and she said, "I know the academy has rules. I ept my punishment."


    "Did Qi Jingchun punish you for skipping lessons?" Mao Xiaodong asked.


    Li Baoping shook her head in response. "He wouldn''t punish me for skipping lessons, he never cared about things like that. However, if we recite what he taught us incorrectly, then we''ll receive a reminder from him the first time, but we''ll be punished with a beating the second time."


    "I see," Mao Xiaodong replied, then asked, "What were you looking at up there?"


    Li Baoping faltered slightly upon hearing this, as if the answer should''ve been obvious, and she replied, "The scenery."


    Mao Xiaodong became even more intrigued as he asked, "What type of scenery is out there? Howe I''ve never heard of any good scenery in this area?"


    Li Baoping blinked innocently as she suggested, "Why don''t you climb up there and take a look for yourself?"


    "It''s unbing behavior for schrs to climb trees," Mao Xiaodong said, following which an enlightened look quickly appeared on his face. "I see what you''re doing. You want me to break the rules as well so I won''t be able to report you, right? You''re a pretty smart little girl!"


    Li Baoping shook her head with a smile on her face.


    Mao Xiaodong could clearly tell that she disagreed with his statement, so he asked, "Do you think I''m incorrect to say that climbing trees is behavior that is unbing of schrs?"


    Li Baoping patted down her clothes as she exined, "One time, when I got my kite stuck in the branches of a tree, it was Mr. Qi who climbed the tree to get it down for me. Another time, I tossed Li Huai''s underpants onto a tree, then ran home by myself, and afterward, I heard that it was Mr. Qi who got his underpants down for him. The schrs of your academy always like to fixate on these pointless little things."


    "It''s our academy, not my academy," Mao Xiaodong corrected.


    He sped his hands behind his back as he looked down at Li Baoping with a smile and asked, "You must feel like Qi Jingchun is better than all of the teachers here, right?"


    Li Baoping heaved a faint sigh, and she couldn''t help but wonder why this old man was asking her all of these stupid questions when he should''ve been old enough to know better.


    Mao Xiaodong said in an earnest and heartfelt voice, "While it''s true that your teacher was a far more aplished schr than we are, it wouldn''t be right for you to denounce all of our rules just because of that. These rules exist for a reason. You''ve heard of the saying ''one can do as they please, but not break the rules'', right? Do you know whates before that?"


    Li Baoping nodded in response. "It''s ''at 17'', and before that, it''s ''at 16, one learns to correctly process even things they don''t like to hear''."


    Mao Xiaodong was renderedpletely speechless.


    As an extremely aplished schr in his own right, he knew what Li Baoping was trying to say, but he couldn''t understand how such a strange answer had popped into her head. [1]


    Li Baoping waved at Mao Xiaodong as she prepared to rush away. "My name is Li Baoping, and I only recently enrolled in the academy. Rest assured, I won''t try to evade my punishment. I''ve already read all of the rules, and I know that I have to write out a copy of a text within three days.


    ��I''llplete that tonight, then hand it in to Mr. Hong. If you don''t believe me, you can go to Mr. Hong yourself for confirmation. I write even faster than I run, so I''ll definitely be able to get it done in time!"


    Mao Xiaodong was left feeling rather exasperated, and he hurriedly called out to stop Li Baoping. "Don''t be in such a hurry! I still haven''t finished preaching to you. After you''ve heard what I have to say, that will serve as a substitute to your punishment."


    Li Baoping had already raised her foot to prepare rushing away, but she could only stop in her tracks upon hearing this, and she turned back to Mao Xiaodong with wide eyes as she said, "Go ahead, but if you don''t have anything good to say, then I''d rather go back and write out a text."


    Mao Xiaodong was rendered speechless for a moment upon hearing this, but he then quickly gathered himself as he said, "Think about it this way: even the Paramount Sage of Confucianism only dared to do as he pleased upon reaching 70 years of age. If the average person were to do the same without any regard for rules or consequences, wouldn''t that be really bad?"


    "Of course," Li Baoping replied with a nod.


    Mao Xiaodong smiled as he said, "Alright, that''s all I have to say. You won''t have to write out a text for your punishment now."


    It was Li Baoping''s turn to be dumbstruck upon hearing this. "That''s it?"


    She then heaved a long sigh as she took a nce at Mao Xiaodong, and she seemed to have wanted to say something, but she refrained from doing so in the end, and she extended a respectful curtsey before preparing to rush down the mountain.


    Mao Xiaodong became even more exasperated upon seeing this. "Why did you just look at me like that? I bet you''re thinking that I''m older than Qi Jingchun, but I''m not as well-read as he is, aren''t you?"


    Li Baoping nodded in response. She was determined not to actively deceive anyone, and seeing as Mao Xiaodong had already seen through her, she naturally wasn''t going to deny it.


    Mao Xiaodong smiled as he said, "The truth is that I only look old, while Qi Jingchun appears young. In reality, he''s even older than I am, so it''s no wonder that he''s more well-read than me."


    Li Baoping was very skeptical of this im.


    Mao Xiaodong seemed to have been incensed by her skepticism, and he snapped, "Why would I lie to a little girl like you?"


    All of a sudden, Li Baoping wasn''t in a hurry to rush down the mountain anymore. Instead, she crossed her arms and took a few steps to the left, then a few steps to the right before looking up at Mao Xiaodong, then asked a rather inexplicable question. "Even if it''s true that you''re younger than Mr. Qi, and that''s why you''re not as well-read as he is, why is it that my junior uncle is way younger than you, but he''s also more well-read than you?"


    "Your junior uncle is more well-read than me? I don''t believe you," Mao Xiaodong mused.


    A hint of urgency appeared in Li Baoping''s eyes, and she took a careful look at her surroundings, then ced a little hand beside her mouth as she said in a low voice, "I''m telling you a secret, make sure you don''t tell anyone else."


    She then indicated to the top of her own head as she continued, "If Mr. Qi has this much knowledge, then my junior uncle has at least this much knowledge."


    She indicated to her shoulder as she spoke for a point ofparison. She then raised her hand slightly so that it was level with her ear as she concluded, "Once he learns how to read on the trip back home, he''ll have this much knowledge!"


    Mao Xiaodong was dumbstruck to hear this, and in the end, he could only y along. "In that case, your junior uncle must be an amazing person!"


    Li Baoping nodded vigorously in response. "You''re right! My junior uncle is incredibly amazing!"


    "That''s good," Mao Xiaodong suddenly sighed as a forlorn look appeared on his face. "The more incredible he is, the better he''ll be able to protect our precious little Baoping in the future."


    A slightly sullen look appeared on Li Baoping''s face, and she forced a smile onto her face as she rushed away, waving farewell to Mao Xiaodong as she ran down the mountain. "I''m going. I actually think you''re quite well-read as well. I''d say you have this much knowledge..."


    She was just about to indicate her perception of Mao Xiaodong''s level of knowledge with her hand, but as she did so, she became distracted and fell t on her face. She then picked herself up with incredible speed and efficiency before rushing down the mountain at an even faster pace than before.


    Mao Xiaodong patted the ruler that was strapped to his waist as he looked on at Li Baoping''s departing figure, and he sighed to himself, "You should''ve told me about him, Jingchun. If I had known that he was so amazing, I would''ve loved to have met him."


    1. The actual quote is: "at 60, one learns to correctly process even things they don''t like to hear; at 70, one can do as they please, for their desires no longer lead them to break the rules". Here, Li Baoping is mixing sixty up with sixteen and seventy up with seventeen. ?

 Chapter 163: Finally Becoming Teacher and Student

    Chapter 163: Finally Bing Teacher and Student


    After passing through a series of streets and alleys, Cui Chan finally managed to track down the estate that the pavilion was situated in. As expected, it was an auspicious estate with a pair of stone tigers on either side of the entrance.


    The doorstep was extremely high, and the gates were tightly shut. However, what was strange about the ce was the que hanging above the entrance, which read "Iris Orchid", rather than bearing the surname of the n that owned the estate.


    The pavilion that had caught Cui Chan''s attention earlier appeared to have been the private scripture library of this estate, and it was just as tall as the Confucian temple in the city, so this was clearly not just any ordinary wealthy n.


    The closer he drew to this Iris Orchid manor, the more Cui Chan could sense the palpable tension that was in the air. It was like the low atmospheric pressure environment before the arrival of a storm, making one feel slightly out of breath.


    Aside from the aura of righteousness championed by proponents of Confucianism, there were many other types of invisible auras between heaven and earth, most of which could be categorized as pure or impure.


    Pure auras were beneficial to cultivation, while impure auras were harmful to the soul and were generally present in ces like burial sites, ancient funeral mounds, and past battlegrounds, but it was also often the case that those ces harbored more than just impure auras.


    The blessednds in the world that were beneficial to cultivation were like rooms filled with irises and orchids, giving off an alluring fragrance.


    Cui Chan sped his hands behind his back as he casually made his way up the staircase. A middle-aged porter emerged from a side door, and he could see that Cui Chan carried himself with a remarkable degree of poise and grace. Hence, he didn''t dare to look down on Cui Chan despite his youthful appearance, and he respectfully enquired about Cui Chan''s identity.


    Cui Chan told the porter that he was an itinerant immortal who umted good karma by ying demonic and devilish entities. From outside the city, he noticed that something wasn''t quite right with the manor, and that a crisis was imminent, so he hade here to save the manor''s residents.


    The porter merely brushed off Cui Chan''s ims as a joke. He was aware that supernatural entities did indeed exist in this world as there were many innocuous spirits residing within the walls of this very manor. However, in his eyes, it was downright preposterous to suggest that there was a malevolent entity that dared to wreak havoc within the city, particrly inside the Iris Orchid manor.


    ��Everyone in the city was aware that the patriarch of the Cao n residing in the manor and his three sons were almighty immortals. In particr, the youngest son, Cao Xishan, had be the heir to a cultivating n just a year ago, and he was proficient in both swordsmanship and lightning techniques.


    It was clear that Cui Chan was being regarded as a liar, but he remained unbothered as he patiently exined, "The feng shui in your manor is quite good, and that scripture library is situated in the prime location, making it essentially the eye of the formation. Additionally, I''m assuming that many of the books inside have had seals personally ced upon them by sages and noble men, so over time, they''ll begin to gather spiritual qi.


    ��As a result, ordinary malicious entities and spirits wouldn''t dare toe here, but some innocuous spirits that are kind and timid in nature and enjoy residing with humans will be able to grow and develop very smoothly here."


    The porter''s patience was running out, and he told Cui Chan to leave right away while reaching out to gently push Cui Chan. He didn''t have the time or the humor to listen to a deceitful young boy''s ramblings.


    Cui Chan gently brushed aside the porter''s hand with a smile as he continued, "However, there''s something strange about the scripture library in this manor in that there''s a massive python lurking inside. Perhaps it was there from the very beginning, and its origins are unclear. It''s also possible that someone invited the python into the scripture library at some point.


    ��If I''m not mistaken, it seems to be a fire python, and recently, it''s been undergoing the second-tost shedding of its skin. If it manages to seed the next time it sheds, it''ll be able to be a mighty flood dragon."


    Cui Chan pointed a finger out of the city as he continued, "However, there''s a water snake in the river of a superior cultivation base to the fire python, and it''s currently lurking on the riverbed, waiting for an opportunity to strike. There''s no way it would simply allow its sworn enemy to sessfully shed its skin.


    ��Regardless of what they were originally like, all flood dragons, dragons, snakes, and pythonse to resent their own kind once they attain intelligence. Hence, if your manor doesn''t make preparations in advance, the water snake will be sure toe here while the fire python is in a feeble state as it''s shedding its skin in order to take the fire python''s life.


    ��At the same time, it''ll seize that halfway fire core that''s taken shape in the fire python''s body and devour it to enhance its own cultivation base. With the power of both fire and waterbining as one in its body, it won''t be far from attaining the Great Dao."


    A furious look appeared in the porter''s eyes, and he attempted to push Cui Chan away again, this time with more force. "Get out of here! You''re such a handsome young man, yet everything thates out of your mouth is nonsense!"


    Cui Chan sighed as he murmured to himself, "You see now, Teacher? Preaching never gets you anywhere. All of this is such a pain in the backside. I''m going to do things my way from now on."


    He swept a sleeve through the air as he spoke, releasing a gentle breeze that sent the porter flying back several dozen feet, instantly knocking him out cold.


    Immediately thereafter, five or six burly men rushed out of the side door, but it was only a group of second tier martial artists. Cui Chan paid no heed to them as he continued onward, and they fared even worse than the porter did, flying back through the air even without requiring a sweep from Cui Chan''s sleeve. Afternding on the ground, all of them were groaning with pain, unable to get up again.


    As Cui Chan strode through the manor, more guards converged around him from all directions, but none of them were able to slow him down in the slightest.


    Upon arriving at the za outside the scripture library, a hint of intrigue finally appeared in Cui Chan''s eyes. He was being opposed by three men, who appeared to have been a father and two sons, and there was no one else in the area aside from them. Either they didn''t want what was inside the scripture library to be exposed, or they were prohibiting others from approaching this area in order to avoid innocent casualties.


    Cui Chan only nced at the three men for a moment before looking right past them. The scripture library upied a huge area and was six stories tall. The sky above the library was concealed behind a dense nket of dark clouds, within which lightning was shing incessantly amid dull, rumbling thunderps.


    The tail of the body of a massive python that was over 100 feet in length could be seen extending out of the entrance of the library on the bottom floor, while its body was winding all the way upward through the library, and its massive head was flicking out its forked tongue incessantly at the dark clouds in the sky.


    In the face of the lightning shing within the clouds, its heart was filled with abination of awe and veneration, but also a sense of potent fighting spirit. There were barely any demonic creatures in this world that didn''t fear the sound of thunderps. This innate sense of fear was something that had been engrained deep in their genes over the course of countless past generations.


    It was said that in the distant past, a certain Heavenly Emperor who wielded the power of lightning once traveled across the worlds with his entourage of lightning gods and rain gods, ying countless demons and devils in the process.


    Cui Chan continued onward, and the two youngest figures among the trio stepped forward with furious expressions to teach him a lesson, only to be stopped by their father, who was a middle-aged man wearing a suit of antiquated copper armor. He indicated for them to stand down and proceed with caution, then cupped his fist in a salute as he said, "My name is Cao Hushan. May I ask the reason for your visit, esteemed guest?"


    Cui Chan continued to step forward without pause as he replied in azy voice, "All my goodwill was used up on that porter at the entrance of the manor. I''m going to scale this building now, let me make this clear: if any of you try to stop me, I''ll put an end to your entire family line!


    ��Well, that may be going too far, but at the very least, I''ll kill all three of you. If my teacher demands an exnation from me after the event, I can just tell him that the three of you perished in battle against the water snake and the fire python.


    ��I won''t feel guilty in the slightest, and in order to put on a convincing act for my teacher, I may even shed some crocodile tears for you. If I didn''t have such an old-fashioned teacher, I''d be free to do whatever I want, but as things are, I''ll have to exercise some restraint."


    Cao Hushan closed his hand around the hilt of the saber strapped to his waist, and ayer of earthy yellow light shed over his suit of armor as he asked in a cold voice, "Do you really think you can just do as you please to our Iris Orchid Cao n?"


    Cui Chan spat onto the ground with disdain as he scoffed, "You dare to bestow the title of Iris Orchid upon yourselves? You have so many good books in this library, yet instead of encouraging your descendants to read the sagely scriptures and learn their sagely teachings, you get them to y with swords and spears.


    ��Even more unforgivable is the fact that you''re colluding with a demonic creature, going as far as to allow it to reside in this scripture library to absorb the schrly aura of these fine books. On top of that, you''re all well aware that the day the fire python sheds its skin will be the same day that it''ll be forced to engage the water snake in the river in a battle to the death, yet instead of warning the residents of the city to evacuate, you intentionally conjured up an illusion, putting up a facade of lightning clouds to conceal the sight of the fire python scaling the building.


    ��Do you know how many people in the city will perish during the course of the battle between the fire python and the water snake?"


    A slightly indignant look appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he grumbled, "This is all your fault, Teacher! Your way of doing things has begun to rub off on me, and I''m developing a habit of wasting all this time with words and preaching!"


    A tall and imposing spear-wielding young man stepped forward with a cold smile as he said, "There''s no need to bother speaking to this bastard, just let me kill him! He deserves to die 1,000 deaths for attempting to interfere with our Cao n''s conquest of the state!"


    Cui Chan burst intoughter, and he pointed a finger at the young man as he said, "I like that fiery temper of yours..."


    Immediately thereafter, a tiny spot of blood appeared on the young man''s be. He was just about to unleash a mystical ability to enhance the spear treasure that he was wielding when he felt a slight pain between his eyes, and before he could raise a hand to touch the spot where the pain wasing from, he suddenly slumped down onto the ground, having perished without any warning.


    The yellow light glowing from the Cao Hushan''s armor grew even brighter, and it was as if his entire body had been concealed within a yellow cloud.


    Meanwhile, his other son began to chant an incantation while making a string of hand seals and rushing back in retreat, frantically adopting measures to protect himself. Soon, a string of glowing white text appeared beside him, and the head of the string of text linked up with its tail to form a ring around his body.


    Not only that, but a tiny fire python with scorching mes all over its body had appeared in the air above him, and it was rapidly revolving around him. On top of that, the antiquated hat on his head was giving off a burst of five-colored light that erupted in all directions to form a protective barrier.


    In the blink of an eye, he had set up multipleyers of defenses around himself, and Cui Chan was very amused to see this. "You''re a real coward, aren''t you? I suppose cowards are the ones who always get to live the longest."


    In the next instant, a spot of blood appeared on the young man''s be as well, and he also instantly met his demise without any warning.


    "Once you be a ghost, you''ll no longer have to fear death. No need to thank me," Cui Chan said with a faint smile.


    Meanwhile, Cao Hushan had already fled for his life.


    Cui Chan couldn''t even be bothered to go after him. He was feeling extremelyzy, and he didn''t want to have to go to the trouble of hunting such an insignificant piece of small fry.


    Instead of immediately making his way into the scripture library, Cui Chan stopped at its entrance. The gon strapped to his waist was rather heavy as it was filled with wine.


    On the way here, Cui Chan had purchased another liter of loose wine. He had finished his original gon of wine after leaving the capital city of Great Sui Nation, and there were several jars of fine wine in the carriage gifted to them by Gao Xuan, but it wasn''t like he could just sit in the carriage and drink wine straight out of the jar.


    Hence, Cui Chan decided to keep the gon around instead of throwing it away, and now that it had been by his side for so long, he had grown rather attached to it. After finishing the jars of wine in the carriage, Cui Chan was forced to purchase loose wine from the streetside wine shops that he encountered.


    At the moment, Cui Chan had no choice but to borrow money from Chen Ping''an. He didn''t have any silver scraps, all he had was a vast amount of wealth that he couldn''t ess before bing a fifth tier qi refiner.


    After taking arge swig out of his gon, Cui Chan strode forward and stepped over the doorstep of the scripture library.


    Having already detected the threat posed by Cui Chan, the fire python had retreated back into the scripture library, and as a result, the dark clouds and the lightning in the sky had somewhat receded.


    Cui Chan made his way toward the staircase as he sighed, "Climbing the stairs is such a pain!"


    By the time Cui Chan reached the fifth floor, he refused to go up any further, sitting down onto the steps with a sullen expression, unwilling to take another step.


    A massive red head with a pair of inky-ck eyes slowly peeked out from between the fourth and fifth floors, and it was peering carefully at Cui Chan.


    Cui Chan turned to the fire python with a forlorn expression as he mused, "If I had something like you to talk to and entertain myself with in our household back in the day, perhaps I wouldn''t have turned out like this."


    The fire python gently rested its chin onto the ground, putting on a humble disy of subordination. Compared with the father-and-son trio of the Cao n, who had ambitious aspirations of taking over the entire state, this fire python was clearly far more prudent.


    Cui Chan smiled as he asked, "Are you not angry that I intervened and stripped you of your opportunity to attain immortality?"


    The fire python shook its head in response, and the entire fifth floor trembled slightly as it did so.


    Cui Chan nodded as he said, "I can see that you''ve already attained intelligence. If you insist on shedding your skin, that water snake in the river will have a far higher chance of sess than you, and it''s very likely going to be the case that the cultivation base you''ve arduously umted over the past several centuries will ultimately only benefit someone else."


    On a higher step than the one that Cui Chan was sitting on was an azure-robed boy who appeared to have been roughly six or seven years of age. The boy had a pair of vertical pupils, and he was squatting atop the railing of the staircase, watching Cui Chan as he remarked, "Not only are you extremely cruel and ruthless, you seem to have a really good eye as well, seeing as you''re aware of how powerful I am."


    The fire python was greatly startled, and its entire body began to tremble slightly as it fought its own instincts, resisting the urge to flee.


    Without the protection of Cao Hushan and his sons, it had no choice but to forcibly put an end to its own shedding process, and it was currently in its most feeble state, so there was no way that it could match the water snake in battle.


    "You''re a cheeky little boy, aren''t you?" Cui Chan chuckled as he turned around.


    A puzzled look appeared on the face of the little boy in azure, and he pointed a w-tipped finger at himself as he asked, "Are you talking to me, kid?"


    In the next instant, the little boy in azure sped his hands over his forehead, and blood was seeping out incessantly between his fingers as he fell from the railing of the staircase onto the fifth floor, where he rolled around in pain, causing the entire scripture library to sway and tremble.


    Cui Chan pulled an object out of his sleeve as he snapped, "Alright, drop the act! If you keep this up, I''m really going to send you to the other side to meet your maker!"


    The little boy in azure immediately stopped rolling around, then rose to his feet and dusted himself off as he asked, "What do you want? I have extremely close ties with the official river god outside the city. We''ve been referring to each other as brothers for close to the past 300 years, so don''t think that you can just do whatever you please to me like this little girl here who doesn''t even dare to meet the city god.


    ��You possess a decent cultivation base, so you have the right to be weed as an esteemed guest in my pce. If you help me devour this little girl here today, I''ll let you kill anyone that you please in this city, and..."


    All of a sudden, the voice of the little boy in azure cut off here, and he was unable to utter even a single word, as if he were being strangled by the neck. He stared intently at the object in Cui Chan''s hand, then began to tremble in a horrified manner. The fire python had also transformed into a little girl in a pink dress, and she was also trembling uncontrobly with her body curled up into a ball at the entrance of the stairwell.


    Cui Chan held an antiquated inkstone in his hand, within which resided a thin and old flood dragon that was only just over an inch in length. If one were to listen carefully, they would be able to hear the faint sound of snoring from the slumbering flood dragon.


    To the little boy in azure and the fire python in the scripture library, this gentle snoring was even more terrifying a sound than rumbling thunder.


    Cui Chan lowered his head with a shimmering golden needle pinched between his thumb and index finger, and he scratched the tip of the needle along the edge of the antiquated inkstone, raising a trail of sparks as if he were sharpening the needle as he said, "Get in here."


    The little girl in pink had her back against the wall, and she rose to her feet with great difficulty, unsure of how to proceed.


    "Do we get anything out of this?" the little boy in azure asked.


    "You do. For example, you get to live," Cui Chan replied with a smile and a nod.


    The little boy in azure nodded in response, as if he were going toply, only to then crash his way straight through a window on the fifth floor before fleeing the scene.


    He was closely followed by a streak of golden light that was around two to three feet in length, and it sped directly after him toward the east.


    Momentster, enormous waves erupted over the surface of the river to the east outside the city, and there were traces of blood visible within the water.


    Chen Ping''an was drinking his tea at the city gate, and he immediately paid the bill before rushing into the city.


    Upon arriving at the Iris Orchid manor, he discovered that there was no one guarding the entrance, so he was able to rush all the way to the towering scripture library without encountering any resistance.


    He arrived on the scene just in time to see Cui Chan emerging from within while holding onto the hand of a little girl in pink, and in order to lighten his own load, he had instructed the tiny little girl to carry his bookcase for him. As a result, the only thing that he was carrying was the wine gon strapped to his waist.


    All of a sudden, a thought seemed to have urred to Cui Chan, and he instructed the little girl in pink to fetch him a few of the books with the most abundant spiritual energy in the library, while he sat down on the doorstep of the scripture library, drinking some wine as he looked up at Cui Chen Ping''an with a smile and said, "Go ahead, Teacher. I''m listening."


    "Do you know why I asked you to return to Dragon Spring County with me?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Cui Chan took arge swig of wine, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he replied, "I do. You''re worried that without your supervision, I''ll go back to my old ways and cause trouble in Mountain Cliff Academy. You''re concerned for the three children, so you would rather burden yourself with having to travel with me rather than risk having any harm befall those children."


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, while Cui Chan sighed, "Don''t look at me like that! Did you really think it was that difficult to guess your intentions? The surprise on your face right now is an insult to my intelligence!"


    Chen Ping''an was silent for a moment, then said, "If you''re willing to protect them in earnest, then from this day forth, I''ll agree to let you be my student."


    "You have yourself a deal!" Cui Chan immediately replied as he raised his gon up high.


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly once again. "You know what? Forget it."


    "Was it because I agreed too quickly?" Cui Chan asked with a cold smile. "Don''t be in such a hurry to withdraw your offer. From the moment I snuck away from that horse-drawn carriage with you, I had already anticipated that things woulde to this. Hence, I didn''t agree so quickly just now because I was eager to pounce on this opportunity.


    ��Instead, it''s because I already anticipated everything in advance, so don''t think that I''m just saying this to cate you, Chen Ping''an. You may not believe me when I say this, but remaining in the capital city of Great Sui Nation was a part of my n from the very beginning. Do you think it was fun for me to y mind games with myself along the entire journey to Great Sui Nation?


    ��This may be too much for you to fathom, but these are mind games being yed between the Great Li Empire and Great Sui Nation! The fate and fortune of the two empires hinge on the oue of this game!"


    Cui Chan paused momentarily, then sighed, "It''s not really my style to y the hero and venture deep into enemy territory at the risk of my own safety, but there''s no helping it this time. At the end of the day, I was the one who made this mess, and it wouldn''t sit right with me to have someone else clean it up for me. Teacher, if I really do happen to die in Great Sui Nation''s capital city..."


    "I''ll be sure to construct a cenotaph for you," Chen Ping''an said with an earnest expression.


    Cui Chan was momentarily dumbstruck upon hearing this, then murmured to himself in a low voice, "Holy shit, he even knows about cenotaphs... Looks like he learned a lot from Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi on the way to Great Sui Nation. As expected of my teacher, what a faster learner he is!"


    "By the way, do you want Cui Chan or Cui Dongshan engraved on your tombstone?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    A horrified look appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he protested, "Don''t say that! I''m not dead yet!"


    A smile then appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he continued, "I knew that you would do this, so I even prepared a parting gift for you in advance. That little girl just now is actually a fire python, and she''s been nurtured by the schrly aura in the scripture library from a young age, so she has a very docile and obedient personality and would make a perfect little schrly attendant for you.


    ��As for the other child, he''s a water snake with a more violent personality, but you need someone that can fight your battles for you on the way back to Dragon Spring County. That way, you won''t have to dirty your own hands if youe across any thugs or bandits. Jewel Small World is a very alluring ce for them, and once they enter your territory, they won''t be able to disobey you.


    ��However, you''re going to have to wait a moment for that water snake. He''lle here soon to apologize of his own volition."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know what to think about all of this.


    "You are a bad person, and you''re far smarter than I am, so I''m sure you know how to deal with other bad people far better than I do. I want you to protect Baoping and the others in earnest once you return to the academy."


    There was a heartfelt look in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, and he took a deep breath, then cupped his fist in a salute as he continued, "If you can do that, then you have my thanks in advance!"


    "The fact that you''re making this decision means that you''re willing to ept me as your student, even if it''s just a little. It''s the student''s duty to serve their teacher, so there''s no need to thank me."


    Initially, there was a mischievous grin on Cui Chan''s face, but after seeing Chen Ping''an''s serious expression, he immediately put on a solemn expression of his own as he cupped his fist in a parting salute before extending a deep bow. "This is where we part ways, Teacher. Make sure to look after yourself on the way back to Dragon Spring County."

 Chapter 164: Good Company Equate to Good Influences

    Chapter 164: Good Company Equate to Good Influences


    The little girl in pink rushed out of the scripture library while carrying arge stack of ancient books just in time to see Cui Chan bowing to Chen Ping''an, and a hint of fear instantly appeared in her eyes as she turned to thetter.


    At the same time, a little boy in azure fell out of the sky with his clothes in tatters, presenting a sorry sight to behold. A streak of golden light was revolving incessantly around him, as if it were a soldier responsible for escorting a criminal.


    The little boy in azure was panting heavily as heid on the ground and wiped the blood from his face. He turned to Cui Chan, and the vicious look in his eyes still hadn''tpletely faded. This was no surprise, considering that he had reigned supreme in the river outside the city for several centuries up to this point, so he was naturally feeling extremely furious and indignant to have been embarrassed like this.


    With a snap of his fingers, the streak of azure light flew back up Cui Chan''s sleeve like a bird returning to its nest.


    Cui Chan could see that there was a slightly perplexed look on Chen Ping''an''s face, so he smiled and exined, "Do you recall back when we were outside the Yefu Pass, how I was boasting to you about how I had prepared some extremely precious presents for you?


    ��One of those presents is this temporarily ownerless flying sword by the name of Golden Autumn. Not only is it quite a powerful flying sword, even someone with a cultivation base that''s not particrly advanced can use it."


    A smug grin appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he said, "Thest owner of this flying sword was an almighty sword immortal of the Middle Earth Divine Continent. He was also aplete and utter go addict, and perhaps he took a hard knock on the head or something, but he decided to switch from sword cultivation topletely dedicating himself to ying go.


    ��Unfortunately for him, he was a rather mediocre go yer, and he lost this flying sword to me in a bet. Ultimately, I''d say he made the bet with me knowing full well that he would lose his flying sword out of a desire to cut all ties with his former identity as a swordsman."


    "Will Lin Shouyi be able to use this Golden Autumn?" Chen Ping''an asked with a curious expression.


    A dismayed look appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he groaned, "Teacher, you''re disying way too much favoritism! Of course Lin Shouyi will be able to use the sword, but it would be an enormous waste to give it to him! I''m willing to give this sword to you, but there''s no way I''d be willing to give it to Lin Shouyi!"


    The little girl in pink and the little boy in azure exchanged a nce with one another, and both of them could see their own astonishment mirrored in each other''s eyes.


    The concept of making a bet with a sword immortal from the Middle Earth Divine Continent was apletely unfathomable one to them.


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at his surroundings, then prepared to depart and continue on his way.


    "Please wait a moment, Teacher. I have some other things to tell you so that no unforeseen mishaps arise during your journey back to Dragon Tail County," Cui Chan said, then pulled out the inkstone that was once the premier treasure of the Lurking Dragon Temple as he turned to the water snake and the fire python as he ordered, "Put your true bodies in here right now! I don''t have much patience, so I suggest you don''t test me. If you dare to dy any longer, I may just have to..."


    Cui Chan''s voice trailed off here, and he began contemting whether he should just kill the little boy in azure to get rid of him once and for all. After all, in order to enact the n of Dragon Spring County, it was already sufficient for him to establish ties with the old flood dragon.


    As for the fire python and the water snake before him, neither of them were very advanced in their cultivation base, and they hadn''t evenpleted their transformations into flood dragons yet, so they were nowhere near the level of the Cold Food Great River God. Hence, he had captured them as nothing more than a tiny added bonus.


    His thought process was that seeing as he couldn''t ess the treasure chamber in his pocket treasure, he would subjugate these two little creatures for Chen Ping''an so that he could keep them around and have them look after his mountains. This was a chance for the fire python and the water snake to go to Jewel Small World, so it was actually a massive blessing for them.


    Hence, Cui Chan didn''t care about whether they lived or died. At this point, he and Chen Ping''an were already student and teacher. Cui Chan knew Chen Ping''an''s personality better than anyone else, and he knew that it was like a rock in atrine, as stinky as it was unyielding.


    If Chen Ping''an hadn''t epted Cui Chan as his student, there was no way he would''ve been willing to ept these two creatures as an offering from him, but now Cui Chan had officially be his student, it was an entirely different story.


    With that in mind, Cui Chan was suddenly ovee by a myriad of emotions. Dealing with Chen Ping''an had been extremely wearisome for him, requiring more mental effort than the physical effort it would''ve taken to move the Five Mountains.


    However, after stepping over a certain invisible boundary, he was struck by a very strange feeling. Despite all his wiles and cunning, being epted as Chen Ping''an''s student gave him a sense of... reassurance.


    The little boy in azure could see the golden light shing within Cui Chan''s sleeve, and he hurriedly fell to his knees before kowtowing to the ground. "Please spare me, esteemed immortal! I''m willing to pledge my eternal loyalty to you and do whatever it is that you ask of me without anyints!"


    Having read countless books in the scripture library of the Iris Orchid manor, the little girl in pink didn''t want to be associated with the water snake. She wasn''t the type of creature that could just freely spout a bunch of nonsense that went against what she was actually thinking, and as a result, she was at a temporary loss for what to do.


    Cui Chan couldn''t be bothered to waste any more time with words, and he raised the inkstone as he dered, "I''ll count to three."


    The little girl in pink hesitated momentarily, following which a tiny fire python that was as thin as a thread flew out of her be before entering the inkstone. Immediately thereafter, her face turned as pale as a sheet, and she looked as if she were on the verge of passing out.


    A defeated look appeared on the face of the little boy in azure as he heaved a forlorn sigh while murmuring to himself, "So be it. A wise man learns to submit to his circumstances."


    Smoke then began to billow out of all of his orifices before converging to form a small azure snake that was slightly thicker than the fire python before also flying into the inkstone. As soon as the python and the snake entered the inkstone, they immediately curled up into a pair of balls, not daring to make even the slightest move.


    After all, on the edge of the inkstone was the slumbering old flood dragon, which was an ancestor to all serpentine creatures, and they were terrified that any wrong move could rouse the old flood dragon from its slumber and send it flying into a thunderous rage.


    Cui Chan picked up the inkstone, and a cold smile appeared on his face as he said, "You two need to learn to count your blessings. You''ll be somewhat restricted by this inkstone, but through it, you''ll be able to advance in your cultivation base. If the same opportunity were presented to other demonic creatures rted to flood dragons, they would be begging me to draw their true bodies into the inkstone."


    The well-mannered little girl in pink who had grown up her entire life in this scripture library immediately extended a curtsey of gratitude upon hearing this, while the little boy in azure was ustomed to living a more unrestrained and uncouth lifestyle, and he pursed his lips with disdain at Cui Chan''s ims.


    Cui Chan paid no heed to this as he smiled and continued, "Both of you have heard of the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring County, right? It''s the ce that Jewel Small World became after it fell out of the sky. My teacher is an extremely rich man there, and he owns five mountains, as well as many snake gall pebbles that are imbued with immense spiritual energy.


    ��Those things were formed by the spirit blood of the final true dragon of this world, I''m sure I don''t need to tell you just how valuable they are. Hence, the two of you better make sure to look after my teacher well on the way back to Dragon Spring County."


    The eyes of the little girl in pink immediately lit up, and she extended a deep bow toward Chen Ping''an with an ted expression. "Please use this loyal servant as you see fit."


    The little boy in azure was even more direct, falling straight to his knees as he kowtowed to the ground and asked, "Master, do you require any beautiful maidservants to warm your bed at night? I know many beautiful women, some of whom are even cultivators. All you need to do is give me the nod, and I''ll abduct... I mean, invite them to your doorstep invish sedan chairs right away!"


    Chen Ping''an massaged his own be with an exasperated expression as he took a nce at Cui Chan. It seemed that those who were alike really did tend to band together. With that in mind, it made sense that someone like Cui Chan would attract someone as bizarre and unruly as the little boy in azure, while those around Chen Ping''an, like Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi, were a lot more sensible.


    After his spiritual connection was severed by the old schr, Cui Chan possessed the body of a boy, and his personality had also regressed to one that was more childish, but he still retained all of the experience and outlook of his older self. Hence, through that brief nce alone, he was able to roughly glean Chen Ping''an''s thoughts, and he was left feeling a little exasperated.


    <em>How can Li Baoping and the other children be considered to be normal? In fact, you''re not even normal yourself, Chen Ping''an! Who in their right mind would dedicate themselves to practicing the moves of a shoddy fist technique manual a million times before thinking about anything else? </em>


    The little boy in azure raised his head as he said, "Master, Cao Hushan of the Iris Orchid manor has another son, and he was previously stationed outside the city beside the river to keep an eye on me. His cultivation base isn''t all that advanced, but he has decent aptitude and an immortal n as a backer.


    ��At this point, I presume he must''ve already met up with his father. Once he learns about what happened from his father, he''ll definitely be causing trouble for us in the future, so should I..."


    The little boy opened his mouth up wide, then chomped down viciously to simte devouring the son of Cao Hushan in question.


    Cui Chan smiled as he said, "There''s no need for you to involve yourself in this matter any further. All you have to do is apany my teacher out of the city, and I''ll take care of the rest here."


    "Don''t kill unless it''s necessary," Chen Ping''an warned with a meaningful look.


    "I''ll be sure to keep your teachings in mind, Teacher," Cui Chan replied with a wide smile.


    Right at this moment, the bamboo basket on Chen Ping''an''s back stirred slightly, and Chen Ping''an turned around to find the locust wood sword swaying slightly from side to side. The adorable little girl in gold climbed along the wooden sword and the basket all the way onto Chen Ping''an''s shoulder before beckoning to him, and Chen Ping''an immediately leaned his head closer to her so that she could whisper into his ear.


    After listening carefully to what the little girl had to say, he turned to Cui Chan and said, "It''s saying that once you reach Mountain Cliff Academy, you have to pass on two messages to Mao Xiaodong, one of which is ''the heavens and humans are separate entities, and human nature is subject to change'', while the second message is ''etiquette governs behavior, whilews rule through fear''."


    Aplex look appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he heaved a faint sigh.


    It was clear that one of those was a parting message from the old schr to himself, while the other were the final words of Qi Jingchun that he had originally hoped would be passed on to Mao Xiaodong by Chen Ping''an.


    With that in mind, Cui Chan was feeling a little dejected, and he pointed at the little girl on Chen Ping''an''s shoulder as he said, "This is the only remaining incense entity of Jewel Small World, and it''s alreadye most of the way to attaining a godly body.


    ��There''s a mountain god temple on Downtrodden Mountain, and the mountain god in there is a decently trustworthy figure, so you can leave her there so that she can reside in the temple and draw sustenance from the incense being offered there."


    A hesitant look appeared on the face of the little girl in gold standing on Chen Ping''an''s shoulder, but ultimately, she took a deep breath as she cast her gaze toward Cui Chan as she said, "Mr. Qi left me another message, but at the time, he told me that you may not be worthy of hearing it. However, now that you''ve officially be Chen Ping''an''s student, I think I can ry the message to you even though you''re still a bad person."


    Cui Chan faltered slightly upon hearing this, following which a hint of excitement appeared welled up in his heart, and he put on a serious expression as he prompted, "Please go ahead."


    The little girl in gold said in her tender voice, "The student asks ''why does it say that a crab has six legs and two ws? Is that a clerical error?'', to which the teacher replies ''the impoverished schr has a tight budget''." [1]


    Cui Chan immediately burst into raucousughter upon hearing this,ughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face, while everyone else looked on in befuddlement.


    Cui Chan made his way back toward the scripture library on his own while continuing to howl withughter, wiping the tears from his eyes as turned and said, "I won''t apany you beyond this point, Teacher. I wish you a safe and smooth journey home."


    After making his way into the scripture library, Cui Chan looked down at Chen Ping''an''s departing figure from a window on the second floor as he yelled, "Teacher, if you encounter any trouble that seems impossible to ovee, then you can go and seek out that former minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Just tell him that you''re my teacher, and it would be even better if you could tell him that you''re half a student to that old schr!"


    "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind," Chen Ping''an replied as he turned around. "Look after yourself."


    "It looks like we''ll both be embarking on journeys of our own," Cui Chan murmured to himself as he waved farewell at Chen Ping''an.


    He then made his way all the way up to the sixth floor, where he cast his gaze into the distance.


    The reason why he had been unwilling to make his way up to this level earlier wasn''t because there were any secrets lurking on this floor. Instead, it was simply the childish nature of his personality at y once again, resulting in some unpleasant memories surfacing in his mind.


    He may have been the first disciple of the Schrly Sage and the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, but he had once been young, just like everyone else.


    Upon making his way to the top floor, Cui Chan fell backward onto the ground before casually cing the antiquated inkstone on the ground beside him, paying no heed to the dust that was gathering all over his pristine white robes.


    He turned to look at the inkstone as he murmured to himself, "Seeing as I''ve already begun, I may as well go all the way and gather the true bodies of all of the flood dragon descendants of the ancient Shu Nation into this inkstone."


    He then turned to look at the caisson ceiling up above, where an authoritative dragon was engraved, and it was a little different from the scripture library back home, which was dimly lit and certainly didn''t have anything as beautiful as this caisson ceiling to behold.


    Cui Chan closed his eyes, feeling a little sleepy.


    He still recalled that during his youth, he possessed tremendous aptitude, but was always easily distracted. His cruel grandfather had very high hopes for him, and in order to hone his concentration, he had been locked up in the small pavilion on the top floor of the scripture library. Thedder was carried away so that he couldn''t get down, and his meals were lifted up to him using rope.


    Of course, there was also avatory, which was changed every day. As an act of rebellion to disy his displeasure at this inhumane treatment, Cui Chan would often tear pages off books to use as toilet paper, or fold them up into little paper kites and birds before tossing them out the window and watching them fly away with the wind. Whenever he did this, he would hear his grandfather erupt into a furious tirade at the foot of the scripture library.


    During that time, the one thing that Cui Chan did the most was stack up all of the books in the pavilion, then stand up on the tall pile of books so that he could look out at the river outside the city through the window. It was often the case that he would spend hours at a time watching the river.


    Back then, his name had been Cui Chanchan, rather than Cui Chan, with the first Chan in his name representing the sound of flowing water, while the second represented mountains. [2]


    His grandfather had given him this name in the hope that he would grow up into an aplished schr with morality as lofty the tallest of mountain peaks and sufficient knowledge to fill thergest of rivers. Beyond all else, his grandfather hoped that he would go on to be a noble person who was respected and revered by the masses, but Cui Chan wanted none of that for himself.


    After finally being freed from his purgatory on the top floor of the scripture library, he immediately left his home to embark on a long journey. He traveled out of the nation, then made it all the way to the Middle Earth Divine Continent, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from his stubborn mule of a grandfather as possible.


    On top of that, he removed the second chan from his name as well, preserving only the first chan, which he preferred over the second one.


    Even after returning to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and bing the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, he didn''t return home even once as he simply didn''t want to.


    Cui Chan opened his eyes, then wiped a sleeve across his face as he snapped, "What are you looking at? You''ve never seen a man cry before?"


    The Yin god of a schrly-robed old man had appeared on the top floor of the scripture library. It was none other than that old flood dragon, and he was staring at the inkstone with a dark expression.


    Cui Chan remainedying on the ground, then sent the inkstone flying toward the old man with a sweep of his sleeve as he said, "I''ve already rid you of 300 years worth of cultivation base, so I''m not going pursue the matter fromst time any further. Instead of traveling to Dragon Spring County, I want you to help me capture all of the flood dragon descendants in this ce.


    ��I don''t care what age or cultivation base they are, capture all of them in this inkstone. My teacher has arge collection of exceptional snake gall pebbles that he left at home, and thank heavens that he did. Otherwise, given his personality, he may have already given all of the pebbles away at this point. Once all of the flood dragon descendants are captured, those snake gall pebbles can finally be put to good use."


    Cui Chan then sat up as he casually dusted himself off, while the old flood dragon stowed the inkstone away.


    He could clearly sense the change in Cui Chan''s aura, and the discontent in his heart instantlypletely faded, reced by resignation and admiration. "As expected of the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor."


    Cui Chan heaved a faint sigh as he said, "There''s nothing surprising about any of this. This is a rare urrence on the tiny Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but on the Middle Earth Divine Continent, all you have to do is stay there for a century, and during that time, you''ll see countless exceptional prodigies make meteoric rises before falling to their demise just as quickly as they emerged onto the scene.


    ��The turnover will be so fast that you won''t even be able to follow all of them. In the end, you''lle to realize that longevity is paramount above all else."


    The old flood dragon shook his head with a smile as he said, "The Middle Earth Divine Continent is not a ce the likes of us can set foot on. If we''re discovered, there''s a very high likelihood that we''ll be captured by those powerful empires and be torn to shreds."


    Cui Chan remained seated on the ground as he said with an indifferent expression, "There''s been another change of ns. Some people in the capital city of the Great Li Empire think that you don''t have the authority to serve as the mountain master of the new academy on Cloud Drape Mountain.


    ��I objected to this idea, but His Majesty has already made a decision to assign you as only a deputy mountain master, and you may not even be second-in-charge. This was an oversight on my part, so if you choose to renege on our agreement, then I won''t have anyints."


    The old man smiled as he replied, "I think it''s a blessing to serve as one of the lower-ranking deputy mountain masters. If anything bad happens, I''ll be able to hide behind those above me on the hierarchy."


    Cui Chan''s brows furrowed slightly as he warned, "If you''re saying this just to suck up to me, then I suggest you reconsider, because I won''t allow you to renege on our agreement in the future once you''ve made this decision."


    "Rest assured, my decision has already been made," the old man replied.


    Not only was Cui Chan not relieved to hear this, a mocking sneer appeared on his face as he remarked, "No wonder you were able to live for so long."


    The old man paid no heed to the mockery on Cui Chan''s face as he sighed, "All I hope for now is to be able to live a little longer."


    Cui Chan rose to his feet, and all of the dust that was clinging to his robes fell away on its own as he said, "I''m going to need you to take me to Great Sui Nation, thene back here and put an end to things here in Iris Orchid manor. Along the way, you can turn that river god outside the city over to your side as well."


    A peculiar look appeared on the old man''s face upon hearing this.


    Cui Chan strode over to him with a grin as he asked, "What is it? Are you not used to having someone straddle across the back of your neck? There''s nothing to be embarrassed about. In the distant past, immortals rode dragons just as wealthy individuals rode horses and donkeys. It was something extremely normal andmonce."


    A wry smile appeared on the old man''s face as he epted his fate. "In that case, I''ll wait for you outside."


    Cui Chan nodded in response, and the old man vanished in a sh.


    All of a sudden, gusts of fierce wind abruptly swept up in the sky above the city, and the clouds up above descended to such a low altitude that they almost came into contact with the top of the scripture library.


    The river god outside the city had already adopted its human form, and it was standing on the bank of the river, looking up at the sky with awe and veneration in its eyes.


    The three gods of the city god pavilion, the wenchang pavilion, and the martial god temple were also doing the same thing.


    Cui Chan stepped forward and drifted out of the window, passing through the sea of clouds beforending on the head of an old flood dragon, where he sat down with his legs crossed, using the flood dragon as his steed.


    He was just like a godly immortal of the ancient past, riding atop a dragon steed.


    He closed his eyes as he made a hand seal to practice meditation, just like Chen Ping''an often did.


    It seemed that goodpany equated to good influences.


    ��������


    Over at the city gates, Chen Ping''an turned to look up at the churning sea of clouds in the sky, apanied by the pair of children.


    As soon as the little boy in azure made his way out of the city, he immediately felt like an almighty flood dragon that had been released back into the sea, and he remarked in an uncouth manner, "That bastard really is a pain to deal with!"


    The little girl in pink took a nce at her sworn enemy with tightly pursed lips, refusing to say anything.


    Chen Ping''an reached out to rest his hand atop the little boy''s head in a warning gesture as he said, "He''s my student."


    The little boy in azure was so terrified that he hurriedly rushed away, while Chen Ping''an continued onward.


    It seemed that badpany equated to bad influences as well.


    1. I''m not entirely sure, but I think what this is supposed to mean is that the impoverished schr has never bought a crab due to budgetary limitations, so he''s never actually seen a crab up close and doesn''t know that it''s actually supposed to have eight legs. ?


    2. Cui Chan''s current name is �ޞ�, with �� being the surname Cui, while �� means sound of flowing water. His past name was �ޞ��f, with �f (also pronounced chan) meaning tall mountain. ?

 Chapter 165: (1): If Chen Pingan were Here

    Chapter 165: (1): If Chen Ping''an were Here


    The journey back was an extremely lively one, so lively, in fact, that even someone as patient as Chen Ping''an was beginning to run out of this virtuous quality.


    All of this could be attributed to the little boy in azure, who was even more of a chatterbox than Cui Chan.


    Winter was just beginning to set in, and Chen Ping''an had been traveling with the two children for five days up to this point. The three of them were slowly making their way along the chilly official road, and the little boy in azure was beginning to harass Chen Ping''an again. "Master, once we get to your home in Dragon Spring County, can you spare me from servant duties like sweeping the floor and making the bed?


    ��It''s a little embarrassing, and if those bastards here in the city hear about what I''m doing, they''llugh at me for the next few centuries! If my reputation gets swept to the ground, I won''t be able to rule over those demons and water ghosts with authority anymore. Around these parts, everyone knows my name, and I can get whatever I want here!"


    Chen Ping''an merely pretended not to be able to hear the boy as he knew that providing any response would lead to instant disaster.


    However, the little boy in azure remained unfazed as he continued, "If you don''t believe me, you can ask that silly girl. Even the officials and nobles in this city revere me as a deity. Granted, the prince that''s living in this city is a bit more arrogant, and I can only say that he''s rtively polite to me, but he''s very close with my brother, and they''re often enjoying themselves somewhere together.


    ��Now that I think about it, you should''ve visited my ce before we left the city, Master. I would''ve had to have kept your arrival a secret. Otherwise, and I don''t mean to boast, but if I made an announcement that my master was visiting, then a massive wee ceremony would''ve been arranged for you right away!"


    Through his conversations with the little girl in pink, Chen Ping''an had developed a rough understanding of the personality of the little boy in azure.


    He was always bullish in the way that he did things, and he was often used by the river god as a scapegoat. There were many disasters that had shaken the entire imperial court of Yellow Court Nation that had nothing to do with him, but all it would take would be the tiniest amount of goading from the river god, and he would immediately im responsibility.


    Not only did he not feel as if he were being yed for a fool, he felt extremely heroic, as if he were helping out a friend. One time, he was pursued by a grand elder of the Spirit Charm Sect who had been sent to kill him and had to flee for over 1,000 kilometers.


    At this point in her story, the timid and reserved little girl made a rare disy of expressing her true thoughts, telling Chen Ping''an that she wouldn''t have minded one bit if the little boy in azure had perished during that ordeal.


    Chen Ping''an could see that the little boy in azure was about to boast about his past aplishments again, and he couldn''t help but interject, "Do you really not know that the river god was just using you as a scapegoat, or do you know, but simply don''t care?"


    The little girl in pink nodded discreetly behind Chen Ping''an, clearly wanting to ask this exact same question herself.


    The little boy in azure didn''t dare to rebuke Chen Ping''an, but the little girl''s subtle nod didn''t escape his detection, and a cold sneer appeared on his face as he scoffed, "Of course a silly girl like you doesn''t know anything about brotherly bonds!"


    He opened his mouth up as wide as he could as he spoke, revealing a set of menacing white teeth as he put on a threatening disy. "If you keep spouting nonsense and badmouthing me to our master, I''m going to find an opportunity to eat you, then shit you out of my ass!"


    The little girl in pink looked back at him with a resentful expression.


    <em>I didn''t say anything! You''re just picking on me because you don''t dare to rebuke our master! </em>


    Chen Ping''an jostled the basket on his back slightly. Even though Cui Chan had set off back to Mountain Cliff Academy in Great Sui Nation, he still couldn''t help but be concerned for Li Baoping and the other children. However, he knew that there wasn''t anything that he could do aside from worry.


    He raised his hands to his face and breathed some warm air onto them as he looked up at the sky.


    Winter had arrived, and he was wondering when it would begin to snow.


    He wanted to get back to the small town before the new year, but if he couldn''t make it, then he would do a bit less walking meditation and focus more on standing and seated meditation while riding atop the true serpentine body of the little boy in azure as a steed. In that case, they would have to do their best to choose a secluded route that wasn''t as frequently traveled.


    That small chunk of Dragon ying tform that Mr. Qi had cut off from somewhere had been left to Li Baoping by Chen Ping''an, while the Mountain Scouring Album bestowed upon them by the blind old Daoist priest had been left to Lin Shouyi.


    Even so, Chen Ping''an still had quite a few possessions, but none of them took up that much space. Now that the children had arrived at Mountain Cliff Academy, so he no longer had to take care of them, the basket on his back was feeling a little empty, and he was rather unustomed to this feeling.


    Back on Go Table Mountain, A''Liang had extorted the mountain lord, Wei Bo, and in the end, Chen Ping''an had acquired a dry and withered golden lotus flower seed. It was the one thing that was leftover after everyone else had already had their picks, and to this day, he still didn''t know what the seed could be used for.


    After revealing itself once back at the city, the incense entity residing in his locust wood sword had disappeared once again.


    Chen Ping''an had some scrap pieces of bamboo leftover from the bookcases that he had made for the three children, and whenever he had some spare time, he would practice his writing on those bamboo scraps, recording certain quotes and sayings that he felt to be deep and meaningful.


    There were also several books, which had been personally chosen for him by the Schrly Sage.


    There was a white jade hairpin, which he had engraved characters onto himself. Chen Ping''an had put on the hairpin back in the capital city of Great Sui Nation, but he had since removed it again and carefully stored it away.


    After departing from the capital city, Cui Chan had told him that it was actually the wooden box that was the most valuable thing, but at the time, Chen Ping''an had left the wooden box to Li Baoping along with the three hairpins, and he certainly wasn''t regretting that decision.


    There was the pair of Mountain and Water Seals, as well as the extremely important "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment" seal.


    There were also a few sheets of paper that held the medicinal recipe left behind by Daoist Lu. For the purposes of practicing his reading and writing, Chen Ping''an would still asionally pull out those sheets of paper for reference.


    As for the little sword billet that resembled a silver ingot, it was supposedly somehow rted to Tassel Mountain of the Middle Earth Divine Continent, and it was extremely bright, able to light the way at night.


    However, there were also some unexpected items in the basket.


    Aside from a letter that Cui Chan had slipped into his basket without his detection, there was also a pair of couplets and a "fortune" character. In the letter, Cui Chan stated that this was a gift from him to Chen Ping''an, and that he hoped that Chen Ping''an would ept them. He also reassured Chen Ping''an by telling him that there were no traps involved.


    It was clear from this that not only had Cui Chan anticipated that he would have to return to the capital city of Great Sui Nation, he had even predicted that Chen Ping''an would ultimately decide to ept him as his student.


    There was a hint of lingering fear in Chen Ping''an''s heart as he made this realization, but there was nothing that he could do.


    Furthermore, there was a pair of copybooks in his basket, one of which was called the "Lush Mountain Green Water Copybook", which contained rather sophisticated content. This was a more serious copybook, while the other copybook was more befitting of Cui Chan''s absurd personality. It was called "Teacher, Please Put More Oil and Salt in Your Dishes", and it was an entire copybookining about how stingy Chen Ping''an was.


    The handwriting in the copybook was... Chen Ping''an couldn''t offer any professional critique, but he simply felt like the handwriting was very pleasing to the eyes, and just looking at this copybook alone made him feel as if he were standing in the Flowing Cloud Water Alley.


    The little boy in azure continued to chat incessantly, and it seemed that he would never run out of energy or things to say.


    In contrast, the little girl in pink followed along obediently behind Chen Ping''an in silence, and she continued to carry Cui Chan''s bookcase on her back. No matter how Chen Ping''an tried to persuade her, she stubbornly refused to put anything from the bookcase into his basket.


    It quickly dawned on Chen Ping''an that the little girl was a fire python that had lived for hundreds of years, so she wouldn''t get tired from carrying a bookcase like Li Baoping.


    As soon as the thought of Li Baoping sprang into his mind, Chen Ping''an was struck by the urge to turn back and return to the new Mountain Cliff Academy. All he would do was stand behind a wall and watch Li Baoping and the others happily attending their lessons.


    He would make sure that they weren''t picked on and were safe and well, and that even though he wasn''t by their side, they were still living happily, or better yet, living even more happily than when he had been with them.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath as he began to practice his walking meditation in silence.


    ��������


    The new Mountain Cliff Academy had be an important subject of conversation in the capital city of Great Sui Nation, and almost all of the noble and wealthy individuals in the city were discussing this topic, finding the events taking ce in the academy extremely intriguing and amusing.


    Of course, the ns that were at the center of the recent incidents didn''t feel the same way. For example, there was the Chu n of Phoebe Creek, the manor of Pir General Han, and the manor of the Huaiyuan Feudal Lord. The older individuals of those three ns were not in a very good mood, and it showed in their expressions during the daily imperial court assemblies.


    Great Sui Nation held schrs in high regard, but didn''t oppress military officials, either. However, in the imperial court, schrly officials were ultimately in a better position than their military counterparts.


    The imperial censors of Great Sui Nation held a great deal of power, and recently, the imperial court had been very lively. The officials of the Censorate and the six supervisory divisions were all expressing their own opinions, taking sides in the incident concerning the brawl that had taken ce in the academy, and they were being extremely direct and unyielding in those opinions.


    There were some who were standing up for Pir General Han, the Huaiyuan Feudal Lord, and the others, stating that those foreign schoolchildren were cruel and uncultured, bearing none of the grace and restraint that schrs were supposed to possess. The opposing camp imed that the children from the Great Li Empire were not at fault.


    They hade all the way from Dragon Spring County, and what were they supposed to do? Simply remain silent and docile in the face of bullying? This was met with more opposition, which stated that there was no bullying involved. It was extremelymonce for verbal arguments to break out between schrs, so how was there any bullying?


    In order to support this notion, many examples of famous debates in the past were brought up, and the refutation was that the children from the Great Li Empire were at fault as they were the ones who had escted the conflict to a physical altercation. In any case, everyone had their own opinion on the matter, and no consensus could be reached.


    This incident that had attracted such widespread attention in the capital city had stemmed from a conflict between four children who shared the same dormitory in the academy. The conflict had escted to a point where the girl by the name of Li Baoping had beaten up three of the children while carrying a ded weapon, and one of her victims just so happened to have been the precious son of the Huaiyuan Feudal Lord.


    Furthermore, the Huaiyuan Feudal Lord and the Chu n of Phoebe Creek were inws, and the eldest grandson of the Chu n was one of the brightest young figures in the academy. At only 16 years of age, he was already referred to as a genius, and he was widely regarded as an extremely bright prospect who was sure to do great things for Great Sui Nation.


    After hearing about the incident, this eldest grandson of the Chu n didn''t immediately intervene in person. However, two of his good friends and ssmates at the academy, namely the grandson of the Pir General Han and a young boy from the wealthy Hua n of the capital city, had gone to Li Baoping to demand an exnation.


    Of course, they didn''t retaliate by beating her up as well, but there were certainly some rather unsavory words directed at her. Lin Shouyi just so happened to stumble onto the scene right as the altercation was taking ce, and a fight immediately ensued.


    The two local children from Great Sui Nation were no match for Lin Shouyi, who had been taken under the wing of Dong Jing, and they were handed a brutal beating. Following this esction, the eldest grandson of the Chu n had no choice but to step in, and he sought out Lin Shouyi for what turned out to have been an extremely spectacr battle.


    The eldest grandson of the Chu n wielded an immortal tool that had been passed down in his n for generations. It was a Cloud Lightning Zither with strings formed by lightning gathered by a powerful qi refiner before being refined using a secret technique. With each strum of the strings, the sound of rumbling thunder would ring out. However, Lin Shouyi, who was beginning to forge a reputation for himself in Great Sui Nation''s capital city, also put up a ster performance.


    Even though they were both third tier qi refiners, and the eldest grandson of the Chu n held a huge advantage in the form of that powerful immortal tool, Lin Shouyi was able to hold his own using his Five Lightning Righteous Technique. He was slightly on the back foot the entire fight, but it was certainly still a fantastic showing.


    It was said that this fight had even drawn Dong Jing and a bunch of other teachers to the scene, and they observed the battle from afar, both to satisfy their own curiosity, as well as to prevent any unforeseen mishaps from taking ce.


    Ultimately, the eldest grandson of the Chu n came out on top at the price of snapping one of his zither strings. Lin Shouyi was left riddled with wounds, none of which were very severe, but the sheer number of injuries inflicted upon him made the fight an extremely tortuous one for him.


    Just like in the imperial court, there were factions in the academy as well. It was clear that these foreign schoolchildren were being granted favorable treatment, from that massive wee ceremony held by the emperor himself, to the fact that the teachers at the academy clearly prioritized their education over that of the other students.


    This made many of the local students from Great Sui Nation feel very disgruntled, while the original batch of students that had traveled from the Great Li Empire to the new Mountain Cliff Academy alongside Mao Xiaodong clearly hadn''t had the best of times, either. Hence, with the exception of a few outliers, the vast majority of them sided with Lin Shouyi and Li Baoping.


    As a result, the cohort was split up into two opposing camps that fiercely resented one another, and the atmosphere in the academy had be very tense.


    However, strangely enough, the teachers paid no heed to all of this, and that only served to further exacerbate the situation.


    At this crucial juncture, someone else stepped forward to add more fuel to the fire.


    The son of the deceased general, Pan Maozhen, was originally a loner who didn''t like to interact with anyone, but for some reason, right after Lin Shouyi recovered from hisst fight, he was challenged by the boy, who ate a blow from Lin Shouyi''s lightning technique head-on before barreling through to send Lin Shouyi flying with a punch.


    This time, Lin Shouyi was truly severely injured, throwing up several mouthfuls of blood. Right as he finally struggled to his feet, he was struck by another punch to the head, which sent him crashing to the ground like a ragdoll. The boy that had challenged him had been just as domineering and decisive as his father had been on the battlefield, and prior to his departure, he spat on Lin Shouyi to add further insult to injury.


    Only after this incident did the teachers of Mountain Cliff Academy finally intervene, prohibiting further fights between students.


    However, the cycle of vengeance didn''t end there. After Lin Shouyi''s defeat, not only did Xie Xie not go to visit him, she sought out the boy with the Pan surname on the very same day and beat him to the point that he was bleeding from all of his orifices and had to flee for his life. If it weren''t for the fact that a teacher had intervened to stop Xie Xie from closing in on her prey, that boy would''ve most likely been permanently disabled.


    With that, this whole farce escted to a breaking point, and with the intervention of another student from the academy, there were finally signs that everything would be brought to a conclusion.


    The student in question was a legendary figure in the academy. He came from a humble upbringing, and even before reaching 20 years of age, he was already regarded to have been sufficiently knowledgeable to serve as a teacher''s aide at the academy.


    Prior to this, he had left Great Sui Nation to travel to Lake View Academy, where he passed an examination overseen by nine noble persons who were renowned across the entire continent to officially secure the title of a Confucian virtuous person. Hence, his return to Great Sui Nation had been an extremely triumphant one.


    The imperial court court of Great Sui Nation had sent out the right-hand minister of the Ministry of Rites to wee the young virtuous person as far out as five kilometers away from the city, and there was still more toe. The emperor had sent one of the chief eunuchs of the imperial court to present the young virtuous person with a priceless set of four treasures of the study as a reward to encourage him to pursue even greater heights.


    Hence, this student by the name of Li Changying had stepped onto Eastern Splendor Mountain as a newly appointed virtuous person and with the blessings of Great Sui Nation''s emperor.


    The first thing that he did after entering the academy was seek out Li Huai to deliver an apology.


    After that, he paid a visit to the bedridden Lin Shouyi, and finally, he went to Xie Xie, telling her that Mountain Cliff Academy was a ce of education, so neither should escte this conflict any further.


    The entire time, Xie Xie remainedpletely silent.


    ��������


    The emperor of Great Sui Nation wasn''t a particrly renowned emperor on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He wasn''t as ambitious and capable as the emperor of the Great Li Empire, he didn''t have the artistic and schrly ir of the Southern Stream Nation''s emperor, and he wasn''t even as renowned as the emperor of the already fallen Lu Empire.


    However, the southern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had always been abundant with resources, while the north was bleak and sorelycking in that regard. Great Sui Nation was already quite unique in the north, and even the nobles of Southern Stream Nation were happy to establish ties with Great Sui Nation, while the members of Great Sui Nation''s imperial n were regr visitors of Lake View Academy.


    The emperor of Great Sui Nation very rarely called upon the core officials of the imperial court, including high-ranking officials from the six ministries, for private meetings after morning assembly, but this day was an exception to the norm. All of the officials knew that the incidents that had taken ce in the academy had escted to the point that the emperor himself had to hear about the matter.


    As a result, the head minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was also serving as the mountain master of the academy, became the center of attention for this private meeting. He arrived at the meeting with some good friends from the imperial court, and he didn''t appear to have been in a hurry at all. Furthermore, he was looking very rxed and carefree, but the same couldn''t be said about Pir General Han and the others.


    The initial period of the private meeting progressed in a very lukewarm fashion. In fact, it wasn''t even as heated as the small fire brazier in the room. The emperor simply brought up some matters on which no verdict had been arrived at during the morning assembly, and it was nothing more than a formality.


    All of the officials present had been serving in the imperial court for the majority of their lives, so they were already ustomed to these urrences. Thus, verdicts were quickly made on the subject matters discussed through votes, and everyone was eager to move on to address the true elephant in the room.


    After the formalities had concluded, the emperor took a sip of his warm lotus seed soup, and there was a faint sense of anticipation in the room. Everyone knew that it was finally time to move on to the main course.


    The emperor set down his cup of soup, then looked around with a smile as he asked, "Why are you all looking so eagerly at me? Are you waiting to see me make a fool out of myself?"


    Pir General Han was quite advanced in age, but he was still very fit and healthy. Even though he was only seated in his chair, he still gave off a sense of authority, yet at this moment, he was feeling a little awkward. The Huaiyuan Feudal Lord was only around 30 years of age, and he was feeling even more uneasy.

 Chapter 166: Teacher’s Orders

    Chapter 166: Teacher��s Orders


    Li Changying was quite wary of the approaching Yu Lu, but an aura of righteousness rose up in his body before billowing out of his sleeves, and he remained friendly and amicable as he said, "I know that you and Li Huai and the others all traveled together from the Great Li Empire to Mountain Cliff Academy, and I can understand that you feel the urge to stand up for them, but can we talk things out before we fight?


    ��If you can convince me that you have the moral high ground, then I''m willing to let yound a few punches on me without any retaliation."


    However, Yu Lu didn''t stop even for a moment as he continued to close in on Li Changying, and as he did so, he began to say some things that Li Changying found to be utterly perplexing. "During our journey here, I was always responsible for lookout duty in the second half of the night, so let''s leave the talking for another time. If you ever get the chance to meet Li Baoping''s junior uncle, you can speak to him yourself, but I''m not here to talk tonight."


    At this point, there were only five steps separating them.


    Yu Lu took arger stride forward as he smiled and warned, "Here Ie! You better look out so that you don''t get beaten halfway to death by me in a single punch. Otherwise, I''ll owe you too much in medical fees, and I''ll have to borrow money from a certain someone. If I want to borrow money from him without having to return it, then I have to be a very good friend of his, and I don''t have that distinction yet."


    As soon as his voice trailed off, he took a second stride forward, and his footnded so heavily that Li Changying could feel a tremor run through the ground underfoot. Due to the fact that the force was directed solely downward, the majority of it seeped into the earth, so there wasn''t much of an impact on the surface.


    Li Changying was well aware of this, and just from that single step alone, he was able to deduce that Yu Lu had to have been a martial artist of at least the fourth tier, which meant he was certainly not an opponent to be looked down on.


    Despite all these thoughts that were running through his mind, Li Changying quickly reacted to the situation, and his aura rapidly surged throughout his entire body. Cultivators engaged in both Qi development and Qi refinement, allowing them to simultaneously enhance their bodies and nurture their Qi, and that was why cultivators lived longer than martial artists.


    In particr, Li Changying had been blessed by a massive piece of fortune at a young age, and not long after he began to disy his burgeoning talent, he caught the eye of a master cultivator of Great Sui Nation, who took Li Changying under his wing. From there onward, his cultivation base had rapidly progressed, and even though he wasn''t even 20 years of age yet, he had already reached the sixth tier.


    If Lin Shouyi could be likened to a diamond in the rough that still had to be polished and refined, then Li Changying would be a refined gemstone that had already been polished to a mirror-like gleam.


    There were massive gulfs between the fifth and sixth tiers, and the ninth and tenth tiers for cultivators, and the same applied to the third and fourth tiers, and the sixth and seventh tiers for martial artists.


    In the face of the oing Yu Lu, Li Changying made a discrete hand seal before retreating several steps in a graceful manner. He then brought his index and middle fingers together and held them in front of his own chest. It was only a simple hand seal, but when used by Li Changying, it gave off a sense of righteousness, and he was already disying the makings of a master.


    Not only that, but wisps of faint azure Qi suddenly appeared in the scripture library before surging toward Li Changying in a frenzy like a school of tiny azure fish.


    The sixth tier was also known as the Cave Abode Tier, and at this level, a cultivator was capable of opening up their internal cave abode to draw in spiritual energy from the world around them.


    The 365 acupoints in the human body were like 365 naturally forming blessednds, and this was why it was said that humans were the rulers of all sentient beings and why at a certain point, all spirits and demons in the world had to adopt human forms before they could continue cultivating.


    Aside from the seven acupoints that were innately open in the human body from birth, a man only had to open nine additional acupoints before they could reach the next tier, while a woman had to open 12 to do the same. This was why many female cultivators didn''t possess particrly lofty cultivation bases, and why it was quite rare to see female cultivators at the upper range of the Middle Five Tiers.


    However, it wasn''t all doom and gloom for female cultivators. Due to the fact that they were required to open more acupoints to reach the Middle Five Tiers, the rewards that they would reap upon reaching that level would be more bountiful than those of their male counterparts.


    "Rise, formation," Li Changying dered in a quiet voice, and a series of translucent and sheathless longswords instantly appeared around him.


    The swords were arranged in a circle at different heights, and they were slowly revolving around Li Changying. All of these swords had been formed by Li Changying''s spiritual energy, and even though they hadn''t yet attained substantial forms, they still presented a fearsome sight to behold.


    Yu Lu''s retaliation was as simple as it was domineering,ing in the form of a straight punch that resembled a battering ram aimed straight at a city gate.


    Li Changying smiled as he thrust his index and middle fingers toward Yu Lu, sending three bursts of sword Qi hurtling directly toward him.


    Yu Lu had disyed the power of a fourth tier martial artist earlier, but all of a sudden, he abruptly elerated, shattering one of the tiles beneath his foot as heunched his fists through the air.


    The three bursts of sword Qi were instantly shattered by three quick punches in session from Yu Lu before they even had a chance to disy their power.


    Li Changying was slightly taken aback to see this, and he shifted several steps to the side, still moving in a verynguid and graceful fashion, as one would expect from a Confucian schr.


    At the same time, the remaining bursts of sword Qi assembled themselves beside him right as a sweeping kick from Yu Lu arrived.


    All of the sword Qi to Li Changying''s left exploded in unison, sending a burst of ripples surging through the air. As a result, Li Changying''s vision was slightly blurred, as if he were looking into a crude copper mirrormonly used by the masses.


    At the same time, he was feeling a little annoyed at Yu Lu''s overt aggression and overbearing attitude.


    He gave a cold harrumph as he continued to take evasive measures, moving out of the way right before Yu Lu''s vicious sweeping kick struck his shoulder. In the blink of an eye, the two of them had swapped ces, with Li Changying ending up at the spot where Yu Lu had been just a moment ago.


    Yu Lu spun around in a circle, carried by the momentum of his own kick, following which the Qi within his body descended, allowing him to instantlynd on the ground in a silent manner, much like a dragonflynding on the surface of a tranquilke.


    In doing so, he disyed extraordinary speed, affording Li Changying no time to draw energy from the environment around him. As a result, he had no choice but to muster up the spiritual energy in his body to defend himself, and at the same time, he didn''t take any further evasive action, advancing instead of retreating as heunched both fists at his opponent.


    Even though he was a Qi refiner, the physical prowess and killing intent disyed by Li Changying at this moment weren''t inferior in the slightest to those of a pure fourth or fifth tier martial artist.


    Initially, Li Changying had used the abilities of a swordsman to defend himself, then adopted the Daoistnd-shortening technique to take evasive measures, and now, he was directly fighting fire with fire like a martial artist, disying stunning versatility in the opening few exchanges of the fight.


    It seemed that he was incorporating abilities from all of the hundred schools of thought into his fighting style, and that was a clear indication of his lofty ambitions and aspirations.


    A simple and unadorned sh between fists took ce as a loud thump rang out in the air.


    In the wake of the sh, Yu Lu remainedpletely still on the spot, while Li Changying stumbled back several steps with his arms hanging down limply by his sides. His face had paled slightly, and there was an incredulous look in his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Yu Lu continued to press forward, showing no signs of restraint or mercy.


    All of a sudden, an elderly sigh rang out within the scripture library.


    The sigh hade from the foot of a wall over 200 feet away, with a series of bookshelves standing between the wall and the pair ofbatants.


    Immediately thereafter, a streak of bright white sword light that was around three feet in length was sent hurtling through the air, flying around a row of bookshelves before passing by Li Changying in a sh as it flew directly toward Yu Lu.


    However, Yu Lu continued to charge forward, swaying his body to the side at thest possible moment to dodge the streak of sword light by a hair''s breadth before continuing to rush forward in a strange posture.


    "That''s enough!"


    A hint of anger had crept into the elderly voice.


    The streak of sword light that had just flown past Yu Lu abruptly stopped cold in its tracks, and instead of swiveling around, it flew directly backward, this time with the hilt of the sword acting its tip.


    It was clear that the elderly swordsman that was lurking in the shadows knew that even with his masterful sword maniption abilities, he couldn''t afford to waste time by having the flying sword swivel around as even the slightest dy could prove to be extremely costly, potentially resulting in Li Changying sustaining severe injuries from his opponent''s attack. Hence, he had chosen to save time by having the flying sword hurtling back in reverse, and it was flying directly toward Yu Lu''s back at an even faster speed than before.


    Yu Lu sprang up into the air, then stepped onto a bookshelf to his right tounch himself forward. In doing so, not only was he able to evade the flying sword that was hurtling toward him from behind, he was also further elerating his charge toward Li Changying, and he threw a punch straight at Li Changying''s head.


    As soon as the elderly swordsman intervened, Li Changying had already prepared himself for the worst, and he silently recited a passage from a Confucian ssic written by the Etiquette Sage. In the same instant that Yu Lu stepped onto the bookshelf, many of the bookshelves on the level began to tremble slightly in unison.


    A string of white text then flew out of every single book that contained the passage that Li Changying had just silently recited. These strings of text came in all types of scripts, and they converged from all directions in front of Li Changying in the blink of an eye.


    In the end, all of the strings of text formed a slow-moving stream in front of Li Changying, one that was glowing with radiant light. The stream was quite small, but it was giving off a holy and righteous aura.


    Meanwhile, Yu Lu was rapidly plummeting down from above, and his expression remained unchanged as he continued to swing his fist through the air.


    With just a single punch, he was able to sever the stream down the middle and pulverize all of the text within it!


    Immediately thereafter, Yu Lu struck Li Changying with a kick to the abdomen. Li Changying was widely recognized as the most aplished cultivator among all of the students of Mountain Cliff Academy, yet this single kick sent him flying back several dozen feet before falling onto a path between two rows of bookshelves. Even afternding, he continued to slide back for over 10 feet, indicating just how much force was behind that kick.


    A gray-robed old man appears beside Li Changying, and the flying sword that had failed to strike its target returned to the old man''s side before hovering near his shoulder. The tip of the sword was aimed directly at Yu Lu as the old man hurriedly crouched down with a panicked expression to take Li Changying''s pulse.


    In doing so, he discovered that Li Changying''s injuries were quite severe, but there was no threat to his life. However, he was considered to be a rising star that even the important officials of Great Sui Nation''s imperial court had to treat with respect, so no harm could be allowed to befall him!


    With that in mind, the old man turned to glower at Yu Lu with a furious expression. "How could you be so cruel at such a young age?! Do you know what you''ve..."


    The old man''s voice quickly trailed off as Yu Lu was still closing in on his prey. Even after inflicting such severe injuries on Li Changying and after the old man''s intervention, he still had no intention of stopping there.


    Yu Lu rustled his sleeves slightly before tucking his hands back into them as he casually strolled toward Li Changying and the old man with a smile on his face. "Even now, Li Huai''s y figures still haven''t been found, and there''s still been no apology delivered to Li Baoping for the insults that she had to hear. Before those things happen, don''t bother to try and talk sense or reason to me because I''m not going to listen."


    Yu Lu paused momentarily here, and he appeared to have been moving in quite a slow and leisurely manner, but in reality, he was closing in on Li Changying very quickly. "Granted, Li Changying did issue an apology to Li Huai, but he isn''t the perpetrator who stole Li Huai''s y figures, nor the one who insulted Li Baoping, so his apology is just as useless as that flying sword of yours."


    The gray-robed old man was so infuriated by Yu Lu''s words of provocation that his hair and beard were beginning to rise up into the air on their own, and he hurriedly fed Li Changying a pill. Such was his fury that he couldn''t help but chuckle, and he dered in a cold voice, "Let''s see if you''ll be willing to listen to reason after I stomp you into the ground!"


    Yu Lu''s smile remained unchanged as he replied, "If I lose, then I''ll ept my loss without any objections. When the timees, there will be someone else to stand up for me, but that time may note anytime soon. After all, that person isn''t here at the moment."


    The old man rose to his feet, and the flying sword beside him slowly rose up as well, continuing to hover right next to his shoulder.


    However, the old man still seemed to have been quite concerned about Li Changying, and he took a nce down at the injured young man with a worried look on his face.


    Yu Lu''s fist techniques were extremely strange. Initially, it appeared that Li Changying hadn''t sustained any internal injuries, and even the old man felt like his injuries weren''t very severe. However, the true nature of his injuries only came to the fore after he was fed that pill.


    Even after the pill was consumed, Li Changying''s Qi was still churning violently without disying any signs of settling down, and this inability to wrest back control over his own Qi could prove to have extremely dangerous consequences.


    For a Qi refiner, it was very difficult to reach the Cave Abode Tier and even more difficult to consolidate that tier. As soon as one decided to open up their acupoints to absorb spiritual energy from the outside world, they were inviting an external source of energy into their body, which was quite a risky endeavor.


    In order to absorb spiritual energy from the outside world, one must sift through countless different types of energy between heaven and earth to pick out the desirable ones. This process was essentially like a city under siege opening up its gates tounch a retaliative attack. In doing so, they were giving up their only advantage and ran the risk of beingpletely overwhelmed by the enemy outside the city walls.


    As soon as this happened, all of the acupoints and meridians in one''s body would be like cities and roads that were inundated in a flood. If the process were to go wrong, then irreversible consequences would be incurred. Hence, the Cave Abode Tier was the true first hurdle that one encountered on the path of cultivation, and it was even more difficult than making a breakthrough from the Lower Five Tiers to the sixth tier.


    Many cultivators, particrly itinerant ones with no support from backers or sects, would choose to remain indefinitely at the highest tier of the Lower Five Tiers for fear ofpletely losing any chance at attaining immortality if they were to fail in the formation of a cave abode.


    Cultivation was something that defied the Heavenly Dao, so cultivators were constantly forging ahead against the flow of natural order, which was why the path of cultivation was so painful and arduous.


    The old man was a secret personal servant that the imperial court of Great Sui Nation had assigned to Li Changying, so if Li Changying''s future cultivation potential were to bepromised by this injury, then the me would fall squarely upon him!


    Yu Lu smiled as he asked, "You must be very conflicted right now, right? You''re wondering if you should save Li Changying first or deal with me first."


    The old man was gritting his teeth in fury. Just as Yu Lu said, he had no idea how to proceed in this situation, and despite his vast wealth of experience, he was beginning to grow rather flustered.


    He was a Sea Observation Tier cultivator and a swordsman. The term "Sea Observation" came from the phrase "I watch all rivers flow into the sea from my vantage point, and as they do so, they flow straight into my heart".


    At this tier, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would begin to expand one''s meridians, much like the rivers that ultimately flowed into the sea, or like the expanding official roads that led to major cities. One spiritual energy would gradually condense and elevate before beginning to reciprocate the cultivator''s physical body, thereby extending their lifespan.


    Generally speaking, cultivators of this tier were all able to live to at least 100 years of age.


    On Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Sea Observation Tier swordsmen were already considered to be grandmasters in the Dao of the sword.


    In Great Sui Nation, even for officials as lofty as the ministers of the Six Ministries, they weren''t guaranteed to have a swordsman of this caliber assigned to them for their personal protection in the event that they had to leave the capital city for whatever reason.


    After taking a deep breath, the old man decided to end this battle as quickly as possible, resolving himself to do so in three attacks at most.


    "Seeing as you don''t know what choice you should make, let me make the decision for you!"


    Yu Lu was bing more arrogant by the second, and there was an extremely infuriating grin on his face as he took three steps forward, with each sessive step more powerful than the previous one, shattering the ground beneath his feet.


    <em>If you don''t know whether you should fight me, then I''ll force you to fight me! It''s as simple as that! </em>


    The old man''s pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this. Yu Lu''s aura was already quite formidable to begin with, yet it was being elevated significantly with each step that he took, and his soul was so majestic and fearsome that it was as if there were an ancient deity of war residing inside.


    A stunned look appeared on the old man''s face as he eximed, "You''re a sixth tier martial artist?"


    When it came to battles between cultivators and pure martial artists of the same tier, with the exceptions of outliers like swordsmen, Militarian cultivators, and cultivators who possessed certain extraordinarily powerful treasures, the martial artist was virtually certain toe out on top. In fact, there were even cases of martial artists severely wounding or even outright killing cultivators one tier above them.


    The old man was astonished that Yu Lu was such an aplished martial artist at such a young age, but he wasn''t fearful in the slightest.


    He was a seasoned swordsman who had endured countless past battles, not to mention he was at the seventh tier among Qi refiners, the Sea Observation Tier.


    If he were intent on going all-out to kill Yu Lu, then it would''ve taken no more than a single attack to get the job done.


    Hence, a cold sneer appeared on the old man''s face as he dered, "You clearly have a death wish, but in order to uphold the rules of the academy, I''m not going to actually kill you. I''m just going to beat you until you''re half-dead!"


    It appeared that Yu Lu was charging ahead with the resolve toy down his own life, but in reality, this was nothing more than an act, and internally, he was praying that the old man would inflict injuries on him that were as severe as possible.


    ��������


    After straying away from the official road, Chen Ping''an and the two children began to traverse through the wilderness. To put it more urately, it was the little boy in azure traversing through the wilderness in his massive serpentine true form while carrying Chen Ping''an on his back. What came as quite a pleasant surprise to Chen Ping''an was that he was still able to practice his Mountain Shaking Guide walking meditation even while standing on the water snake''s back.


    Initially, he would frequently slip, so his walking meditation was constantly interrupted, but after an limation process, Chen Ping''an was able to practice his walking meditation just the same as if he were walking on t ground, even if he requested the water snake to intentionally sway its body from side to side to increase the difficult of his walking meditation.


    The little girl in pink had no right to use the water snake as her steed, so she could only rush along beside the water snake with Cui Chan''s bookcase on her back while apuding and cheering for her master.


    On this day, Chen Ping''an''s trio was taking a rest on a mountaintop, and the three of them were gathered in front of a campfire. The little boy in azure was beginning to ramble once again.


    "Master, you''re at the age where you should start to think about taking a few concubines and maidservants. Have you considered what type of woman you''d like?"


    Chen Ping''an was warming his hands over the fire, and the light of the mes was shining upon his dark-skinned face as he shook his head in response.


    The little boy in azure reached into the mes and pulled out a wisp of fire, then snuffed it out between his fingers little by little, producing a sound that resembled the crunch of dried soybeans being crushed. "Why not? Rest assured, Master, not only will the women I find for you not ask for any betrothal gifts, they''ll willinglye to you with handsome dowries instead! Is that still not a tempting proposition for you, Master?"


    "No," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    The little boy in azure was very confused, and he snuffed out the me in his hand before pulling another bunch out of the campfire as he asked, "But why?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and remained silent.


    "Oh, I see, it''s because you already have someone you love," the little boy in azure mused as a hint of realization appeared in his eyes.


    Chen Ping''an red at him in response.


    The little boy in azure continued, "There''s nothing embarrassing about having a girl you like, Master. It would be much weirder if you were into men instead..."


    All of a sudden, a sh of inspiration appeared in his eyes, and he put on an effeminate disy as he said, "Well, actually, I''d say I''m pretty handsome, so how about.."


    Chen Ping''an''s skin immediately began to crawl, and he snapped, "Get out of my sight right now!"


    The little boy in azure rushed away into the distance while turning to the little girl in pink with a menacing expression as he said, "Hey, did you bring any rouge and cosmetics with you? I need to use it!"


    Chen Ping''an pped a hand to his forehead, wondering what he had done to deserve this.


    After that, Chen Ping''an sought out the little boy in azure as he normally did, challenging him to a sparring match to hone his own physical constitution.


    The little boy in azure may have been extremely erratic in nature, but he was more than powerful enough to deal with a second tier martial artist like Chen Ping''an. Even though Chen Ping''an was far more powerful than the average martial artist of the same tier, the little boy in azure had the physical constitution of a flood dragon, so Chen Ping''an''s punches barely even tickled him.


    In contrast, a single punch from him would be enough to send Chen Ping''an flying. Initially, back when Chen Ping''an first began approaching the little boy in azure for these sparring matches, thetter had failed to hold back sufficiently, and he had sent Chen Ping''an flying back through the air like a cannonball with a single punch.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an only came to a rest after snapping a tree that was as thick as a grown man''s leg, and the little boy in azure had been terrified, thinking that he had just dug his own grave for sure. However, after Chen Ping''an made a full recovery, he continued to challenge the little boy in azure to further sparring matches.


    On this day, Chen Ping''an had only just pulled back his fist, and he hadn''t even thrown a punch yet, but the little boy in azure was already rolling around in apparent agony, as if he had just been struck by an extremely heavy blow.


    The boy then "staggered" to his feet, dusting himself off as he praised, "What a fearsome punch that was, Master! My goodness, just the aura from the punch was enough to send me flying!"


    The little girl in pink was looking on from afar with a stunned look on her face.


    Prior to this, she had only heard that the water snake was a simpleton with tremendous power and a violent personality, never did she think that he would be so shameless!


    Chen Ping''an was already ustomed to this, and he heaved a faint sigh as he said with a serious expression, "Stop ying around!"


    The little boy in azure immediately adopted a crane stance, standing on one leg while iling his arms around randomly and making a string of strange sounds.


    Chen Ping''an''s expression darkened slightly as he sat back down beside the campfire.


    The little boy in azure hurriedly rushed over to his side, then put on a fawning smile as he implored, "Don''t be mad at me, Master. I''ll be serious from now on."


    Chen Ping''an waved a dismissive hand in response. "It doesn''t have anything to do with you. I just have some things weighing on my mind."


    "In that case, let''s continue after you''ve had a chance to think things through," the little boy in azure replied.


    ��������


    Late at night, Cui Chan was beginning to scale Eastern Splendor Mountain, constantly sighing andining to himself as he did.


    All of a sudden, a voice rang out in his mind. "What are you doing here?"


    "I''m here on my teacher''s orders," Cui Chan snapped in a disgruntled manner.

 Chapter 167: (1): I Have No Lack of Treasures

    Chapter 167: (1): I Have No Lack of Treasures


    Mao Xiaodong was standing in the wenzheng hall halfway up the mountain with his redwood ruler strapped to his waist, and he appeared to have been dozing off.


    Following the emperor''s personal visit to Eastern Splendor Mountain, all of the spies on the mountain had already been withdrawn, and even the 10th tier Qi refiner who had been assigned with the task of protecting the mountain only dared to reside near the mountain, prohibited from setting foot in the academy unless it was for a good reason.


    This was the respect that Great Sui Nation was giving to Mountain Cliff Academy, and it was also a reflection of the trust that the emperor of Great Sui Nation had in Mao Xiaodong.


    Inside the wenzheng hall, portraits of the three Sages with ties to Mountain Cliff Academy were hanging in front of an offering of incense. At the center was naturally a portrait of none other than the Paramount Sage, the patriarch revered by all followers of Confucianism under the heavens.


    The other two portraits depicted the Schrly Sage, whose identity had been intentionally concealed on the portrait, and the first mountain master of the academy, Qi Jingchun.


    At the entrance of the academy at the foot of the mountain, Cui Chan submitted his clearance documents, then scaled the mountain all the way up to this point.


    He poked his head into the wenzheng hall and took a nce inside, but refused to go in, standing outside the doorstep with a furious expression as he yelled, "Mao Xiaodong! Are you doing this just to make me mad, or are you trying to screw me over? You better give me an exnation right now! If I''m not satisfied with your exnation, I''ll leave this ce right away and never return!"


    Mao Xiaodong''s eyes remained closed as he replied with an indifferent expression, "Eithere in to offer some incense, or let''s get to the bottom of this. Otherwise, if I take so much as even a single nce at you, I''m your grandson."


    Cui Chan sat down at the doorstep as he harrumphed, "Even if you''re willing to be my grandson, I''ll have to consider whether I''m willing to ept a grandson like you. Who was it that came to me with snot and tears flowing down their face, begging me to teach them to y go?


    ��Even after studying the game for 10,000 years, you were still thoroughly embarrassed by me, even though I had given you a two-stone handicap? Do you still remember the look on your face back then?"


    "Go is nothing more than a game," Mao Xiaodong replied in an indifferent voice.


    A mocking sneer appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he countered, "Go may just be a game, but yourck of mastery in the game reflects yourck of discipline and dedication. Everyone knows that among all of the old schr''s failed secret disciples, you were a mediocre schr, but you revered your teacher more than anyone else, serving the old schr even more earnestly than you would''ve done your own father!


    ��Why have you suddenly started promoting the teachings of another Sage, particrly one that was sworn enemy of the old schr? I know you learned go from me, but are you trying to follow in my footsteps and betray your teacher as well?"


    Mao Xiaodong''s eyes remained closed as he sneered, "If I continue this pointless bickering with you any further, then I''m your son."


    Cui Chan rolled his eyes as he said, "I only came to Eastern Splendor Mountain this time to stay here on a temporary basis as I have no home to return to. Right now, you''re the mountain master of the academy, so just turn a blind eye to my existence. If you don''t want to see me, then don''t look at me. Without your supervision, I''ll have the freedom to do as I please, and we''ll both be happy."


    "Given your opportunistic nature, I''m worried that the entire academy is going to be taken apart before long!" Mao Xiaodong scoffed. "I''m not going to stop you from going against Great Sui Nation, but don''t even think about wreaking havoc here on Eastern Splendor Mountain. This is an academy, a ce of education, not a ce that you can defecate on and defile as you please!"


    Cui Chan''s brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "Did you not receive that secret letter from me? The one with the go stone enclosed?"


    Mao Xiaodong nodded in response. "I did receive it, but I tossed it into the fire right away before opening it. After that, I immediately went to go and wash my hands. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have dared to pick up my chopsticks and dig into my meal."


    These were some very scathing words from Mao Xiaodong, but Cui Chan wasn''t bothered at all, and a cheeky grin appeared on his face as he rose to his feet before making his way over to Mao Xiaodong''s side. "Xiaodong, I can assure you that I haven''te here this time because I''m plotting something.


    ��All I want to do is focus on my reading, do some sunbathing in my free time, asionally y some go with you, and look after those kids from Jewel Small World while I''m at it."


    "If I believe you, then I''m your ancestor," Mao Xiaodong scoffed.


    Cui Chan was rather perplexed to hear this. "What''s wrong with being my ancestor? Isn''t that a good thing for you? You''d be vaulting up the ranks in terms of seniority!"


    "Of course that''s not a good thing for me!" Mao Xiaodong scoffed. "If I were your ancestor, I''d be so furious with you that I''d be rolling around in my grave!"


    "That''s enough from you, Mao Xiaodong!" Cui Chan snapped in a furious voice.


    Mao Xiaodong''s eyes remained closed as he shook his head in response. "I''ll stop when I feel like it."


    Cui Chan stabbed a finger at Mao Xiaodong as he asked, "You wanna fight?"


    Mao Xiaodong''s eyes instantly sprang open, and an astonishing aura erupted out of his body as he replied, "A fight is exactly what I want! I was no match for you back in the Great Li Empire, but here, I''m willing to fight you with one hand tied behind my back!"


    Cui Chan blinked momentarily, then said, "You''re my grandson now. A grandson can''t just go around beating up his grandfather."


    Mao Xiaodong gripped onto the ruler strapped to his waist as he said, "It''s fine, I''ll just make you a nice grave after I''ve beaten you to death."


    Cui Chan hurriedly extended a hand as he said, "Hold on a second! Both the old schr and Qi Jingchun wanted me to pass a message onto you. Listen to what I have to say first before you decide if you still want to fight."


    Mao Xiaodong''s eyes narrowed slightly, and the killing intent radiating from his body became even more pronounced as he threatened, "Be careful what you say next, for they may be your final words."


    Cui Chan''s lips fluttered slightly as hemunicated a message to Mao Xiaodong.


    After hearing what Cui Chan had to say, Mao Xiaodong stared intently at him, particrly into his eyes. One''s eyes were always referred to as the window to one''s soul, and if one''s heart were to be likened to ake, then one''s eyes would be the center of theke. If one''s heart were clear, then that would be reflected in their eyes, whereas if they harbored impure emotions or motives, then their eyes would appear murky and unclear.


    Back in the old Mountain Cliff Academy in the Great Li Empire, Mao Xiaodong wouldn''t have bothered with this at all. At the time, his cultivation base had been far below Cui Chan''s so no matter how long he peered into Cui Chan''s eyes, he wouldn''t have been able to see anything.


    However, the tables had beenpletely turned on this asion, and he was now the one with the cultivation base advantage over Cui Chan, so this became an effective way of telling whether Cui Chan was lying or not. Most importantly, both of them had once been students of the Schrly Sage, so he would''ve been able to peer into Cui Chan''s heart more clearly than if someone else had been in Cui Chan''s ce.


    After looking into Cui Chan''s eyes for some time, Mao Xiaodong withdrew his gaze before departing.


    Cui Chan smiled as he asked, "Where are you doing? You don''t wanna chat for a bit longer?"


    "I have to go wash my eyes right away. Otherwise, I''m going to turn blind!" Mao Xiaodong harrumphed coldly.


    A gleeful look appeared on Cui Chan''s face as he said, "That is true. This youthful body of mine is blindingly handsome to behold."


    Mao Xiaodong stopped in his tracks and turned around with the intention of administering a beating. After all, he had wanted to beat this traitorous bastard to death for a very long time.


    A faint glimmer of golden light appeared in Cui Chan''s sleeve, ready to fly out at any moment, and a stunned look appeared on his face as he eximed, "Are you really going to attack me? Confucian Sages influence others with their morality, and noble persons convince their others through reason. Due to your connection to the old schr, you''re still only a virtuous person, but even virtuous persons don''t just roll up their sleeves to fight someone!"


    Mao Xiaodong turned to depart once again.


    Cui Chan hurriedly followed along, sping his hands behind his back in a graceful manner as he asked, "How are Li Baoping and the others doing at the academy? Are they causing trouble here?"


    "They are, indeed," Mao Xiaodong snapped.


    Cui Chan''s expression darkened slightly as he asked, "No one''s been picking on them to set an example, have they?"


    A cold smile appeared on Mao Xiaodong''s face as he replied, "I thought you were the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, attempting to pit the academy against Great Sui Nation to put the emperor of Great Sui Nation in an awkward position so you can put aplete end to Mountain Cliff Academy''s lineage."


    A slightly awkward look appeared on Cui Chan''s face, and he scratched his head as he replied, "That old bastard in the capital would be capable of doing something like that, but I won''t. I''ve turned over a new leaf and abandoned the path of good for evil... I mean, abandoned the path of evil for good, and I''ve been this way for quite some time already."


    Mao Xiaodong heaved a faint sigh as he cast his gaze toward the pavilion on the summit of Eastern Splendor Mountain. His voice wasn''t very loud, but dered in a resolute tone, "Cui Chan, if you dare to do anything detrimental to the academy, even if it''s just once, I will kill you."


    Cui Chan waspletely unfazed by the threat as he casually replied, "Do whatever you want as long as it makes you happy. Tell me what''s been happening with Li Baoping and the others. I''m not lying to you at all when I say that I''m in a way more tragic situation than you are. No one in this world canpare with how pitiful my existence has be.


    ��If you''re ever in a bad mood, I can tell you about what I''ve been through, and I guarantee you your mood will be significantly improved, but if you ever doe to hear my story, make sure to bring a few gons of wine with you. The emperor of Great Sui Nation is quite a generous guy, so I''m sure he''s given you quite a few gons of fine wine."


    Mao Xiaodong took a nce out of the corner of his eye at Cui Chan with a strange look on his face, then shook his head as he continued onward while giving Cui Chan a brief recount of the events that had transpired thus far.


    During the final battle in the scripture library, Yu Lu had taken on Li Changying and the gray-robed old man, and ultimately, neither side hade out on top. All three of them had walked into the scripture library on their own, yet they all had to be carried out of the scripture library on stretchers at the end.


    Even as the deputy mountain master of the academy, Mao Xiaodong wasn''t able to keep this massive piece of news confidential.


    That night, the head minister of Great Sui Nation''s Ministry of Rites, one of the chief eunuchs of the imperial pce, and the 10th tier cultivator who had been lurking near Eastern Splendor Mountain had all made their way onto the mountain to address the situation.


    In the face of these three authoritative figures, all Mao Xiaodong had said was that he would personally answer to the emperor of Great Sui Nation, and that no one else, including even the princes and the head ministers of the Six Ministries, had a right to enforce their will on the academy.


    In reality, the three of them had actually only entered the academy to check on the situation, and they had no intention of assigning me to anyone, but Mao Xiaodong had turned them away in an extremely inhospitable fashion.


    The 10th tier cultivator was about to fight Mao Xiaodong on the spot, but thankfully, he was stopped by the head minister, and the three of them quickly made their way down the mountain before entering the imperial pce to meet the emperor.


    Li Changying and the old gray-robed swordsman had apanied them on that trip. At the time, both of them were already able to walk, but they were still in terrible condition, yet to recover from their injuries.


    "What identity are you going to adopt to stay at the academy?" Mao Xiaodong asked.


    Cui Chan replied without any hesitation, "If you read my secret letter, then you would already be aware of the identities of Yu Lu and Xie Xie. I can expose one of them, such as Xie Lingyue from the number one cultivating sect of the fallen Lu Empire.


    I can present myself to everyone as a senior from the same sect. If I choose to expose Yu Lu''s identity instead, then I''ll dere myself to be one of the hidden guardians of the Lu Empire''s imperial n. Rest assured, I''ve made watertight preparations for both scenarios, so this isn''t a cause for concern."


    Mao Xiaodong wasn''t convinced, and he said in a concerned voice, "The spies of Great Sui Nation are no lesspetent than the ones from the Great Li Empire. On top of that, Great Sui Nation has always maintained close ties with the Lu Empire, so..."


    Cui Chan cut Mao Xiaodong off there as he interjected, "Who am I?"


    Mao Xiaodong had a great deal of resentment toward Cui Chan marinating in his heart, and he couldn''t help but snap, "Who are you? You''re my son!"


    Cui Chan gleefully epted this new identity as he called out, "Father!"


    Mao Xiaodong was momentarily rooted to the spot upon hearing this, then gritted his teeth in fury before vanishing from the spot in a sh.


    "Father, where are those children staying right now? Father?" Cui Chan yelled into the night, but received no response.


    He rolled his eyes as he murmured to himself, "Fine, I''ll knock on every single door Ie across one by one. I''ll find them eventually."


    Meanwhile, Mao Xiaodong had returned to the wenzheng hall, and he offered three sticks of lit incense to the three portraits hanging in the hall as he said with a hint of sorrow in his eyes, "Master, Senior Brother, no matter how I think about this, I can''t understand why you did this! I know that I can''t even begin topare with the two of you, and that you must have your reasons for doing this, but..."


    Tears began to stream down his face as he spoke, and he concluded in a sullen voice, "But I just don''t want to ept any of this."


    ��������


    Of course, Cui Chan wasn''t actually so foolish that he would go around knocking every door that he came across. Instead, he sprang onto the roof of a dormitory before inspecting his surroundings from his vantage point.


    He spotted several lights in the surrounding area, and he flew toward the nearest source of light, then got up on the tips of his toes so his head could reach the window. He could hear the sound of sshing water on the other side, and he poked a hole in the window paper in an unhurried manner.


    Sure enough, there was a woman bathing on the other side, but her figure was absolutely hideous, and Cui Chan winced as he looked away, while the woman standing in the wooden bucket inside screamed in rm.


    Cui Chan remained standing outside the window as heined, "What are you screaming about? I''m the one who''s been traumatized here!"


    A loud thump rang out as water sshed all over the window. As it turned out, the woman inside had thrown her bailer at the window.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan had already departed while massaging his own eyes as he murmured to myself, "That was certainly not a sight for sore eyes."


    Another sharp scream rang out, and oilmps were lit up in quick session in the nearby dormitories.


    Cui Chan continued to search through the dormitories, and finally, had found the people that he was looking for. What was even more fortunate for him was that Li Huai, Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, and Yu Lu were all gathered in the same ce.


    Yu Lu wasying on the bed on his side, and even though his face was quite pale, he seemed to have been in decently high spirits.


    Li Huai was seated at the head of the bed, looking down at the pair of straw sandals on his feet with a worrisome look on his face, while Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi were seated across the table from one another, doing some nightly reading.


    Cui Chan barged his way into the room as he asked in a loud voice, "Did you miss me?"


    Li Baoping was momentarily dumbstruck by Cui Chan''s sudden arrival, following which an ecstatic look appeared on her face as she asked, "Where''s Junior Uncle?!"


    Cui Chan stepped into the room, then closed the door with his foot and sat down onto the stool in between Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi as he rolled his eyes and replied, "Teacher didn''te. I''m all on my own."


    Li Baoping sprang out of her chair, then rushed outside the dormitory, but even after looking around for a long while, she still failed to spot Chen Ping''an. In the end, she could only return to her seat in a dejected manner before slumping down onto the table in dismay.


    Lin Shouyi set down the copy of "Recite Atop Clouds Scripture ", then carefully bound it with that golden thread. After stowing the book away, he opened his mouth to say something, but didn''t know where to begin.


    Cui Chan poured himself a cup of tea before guzzling it down in one go as he waved a hand and said, "I already know everything that happened."


    He then turned to Lin Shouyi with a smile as he continued, "Get Xie Xie toe here. Tell her that her young master needs someone to pour his tea for him."


    Lin Shouyi hesitated momentarily upon hearing this, and Cui Chan urged, "Why aren''t you going? Could it be that you have a secret crush on Xie Xie and are afraid that I''m going to sleep with her tonight? Are you blind or am I the one who''s blind?"


    Lin Shouyi stood up with a resigned expression and left the dormitory to look for Xie Xie.


    Meanwhile, Cui Chan turned to the dejected Li Huai with a smile and said, "Stop being so glum, Li Huai. After Chen Ping''an heard about what happened, he praised you for being a brave and upstanding young man."


    "Did he really?!"


    Li Huai immediately raised his head upon hearing this, ecstatic at the thought of praise from Chen Ping''an.


    However, Li Baoping immediately poured a bucket of cold water over his head.


    "Are you an idiot? Junior Uncle left the capital city ages ago, how is he supposed to know what''s been happening at the academy? Also, does that sound like how Junior Uncle would praise someone? At the very most, he would only give you an approving smile, and at the very, very most, perhaps he''ll give you a thumbs-up."


    Li Baoping suddenly sat up straighter and crossed her arms with a proud expression as she concluded, "Junior Uncle is saving all of his praise for me!"


    Li Huai fell back into a dejected state upon hearing this.


    After a long silence, he looked down at his own straw sandals as he proposed, "How about I move in with Lin Shouyi?"


    Li Baoping turned to him with a furious expression upon hearing this. "Why are you still such a coward, Li Huai? Why do you have to be the one to move? If anyone has to move, it should be those three!"


    She then suddenly lowered her head and slumped back down onto the table as she said in a deted manner, "Forget it. I''m in no ce to be saying this to you."


    Meanwhile, Yu Lu began to struggle into a seated position, and Li Huai hurriedly helped him up. Yu Lu leaned back against the wall and sat with his legs crossed as he said in an apologetic voice, "Forgive me for not being able to pay my respects to you, Young Master."

 Chapter 168: (1): All Fathers are Heroes

    Chapter 168: (1): All Fathers are Heroes


    A''Liang had once teased Li Huai, calling him a little rascal who was a tyrant at home, but a meek little coward outside. This was a quality that he had most likely picked up from his mother.


    Even before reaching Eastern Splendor Mountain and catching sight of Mountain Cliff Academy, Li Huai''s mother was already beginning to grow a little fearful, having beenpletely drained of the courage and bluster she had disyed while trash-talking in the streets of the small town.


    In contrast, the footsteps of Li Huai''s father remained as stable and resolute as they had been throughout this entire journey, and their daughter, Li Liu, was also quite calm andposed, asking for directions without any qualms.


    In the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the residents of Great Sui Nation''s capital city were renowned for their arrogance and inhospitality, but they were more than willing to lend their help to such a kind and pretty girl.


    Even though Mountain Cliff Academy had moved away from the Great Li Empire and been stripped of its title as one of the 72 academies of Confucianism, thereby severely harming its status, it was still an extremely revered ce that countless schrs of Great Sui Nation looked up to.


    Furthermore, the etiquette disyed by the teachers at the academy waspletely impable. Despite the shabby attire worn by the trio and their hillbilly-esque demeanors, they were still treated with respect and hospitality after they announced that they were rtives of one of the academy''s students.


    They were taken to the lodging area in the academy that was specifically reserved for foreign guests, and after being assigned a ce to stay, they were taken to the ssroom to find Li Huai. After learning that Li Huai was absent from his lesson, they were taken to Lin Shouyi''s dormitory, where they spotted him scrubbing stuff down onto the ground with a tree branch.


    The reason why the teacher knew to go to Lin Shouyi''s dormitory to find Li Huai was because the three children were closely monitored due to their status as direct disciples of the original mountain master. Furthermore, they had caused a massive debacle recently, so virtually everyone was aware of where the three children were staying and what they had done.


    In the eyes of most of the teachers in the academy, this was not a matter that they were overly concerned with, choosing to focus on their teaching, rather than investing too much time and emotion into what they viewed to have been an inconsequential matter.


    Upon hearing his name being called, Li Huai raised his head, and he was a little dumbstruck as he caught sight of the three familiar figures approaching him. He thought that he was dreaming, and only after rubbing his own eyes forcefully did he throw the branch away and stand up before rushing to his family.


    He extended a respectful bow and thanked the teacher who had led his parents and sister here, then turned to them with tears brimming in his eyes, unable to utter even a single word.


    Without his parents by his side, he would sometimes feel a little dejected, but he would then force down those emotions. However, now that his parents were standing before him, he was unable to control his emotions any longer, and all of them immediately came rushing to the fore.


    Having said that, he had recently made an extremely long journey, and even though he was still quite young, he had seen many things under Chen Ping''an''s guidance. They had traveled fromte spring to early winter, and during that time, he had learned to be more reserved, refraining from skipping around in joy as he would''ve done back in the town. He wiped his arm across his eyes as he asked, "Father, Mother, Li Liu, why are you here?"


    The teacher who had led the trio here smiled and bade them farewell, leaving them to their family reunion.


    As soon as the teacher departed, Li Huai''s mother felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she threw her arms around Li Huai as her voice began to choke up. "My poor baby, you''ve be so thin and dark! Oh, my heart is about to break! It''s all your father''s fault.


    ��We were already far away from the capital city, but he suddenly said that he was worried about you, that he was concerned that you wouldn''t have enough money for food, or that you''d fall ill and have no one to look after you, so the three of decided toe back and pay you a visit at the academy..."


    The short and stocky Li Er was standing like a steel tower with a mountainous bundle of luggage on his back, and he scratched his own head with an awkward expression as he said, "All I said was that I wonder if Huai''er will have chicken drumsticks to eat at the academy, and both your mother and your sister immediately burst into tears. I tried to console them, but they wouldn''t listen, so in the end, we had toe back..."


    Having had the truth exposed, Li Huai''s mother immediately turned to glower at Li Er with a displeased expression, and she snapped, "Shut your mouth, you idiot! If you don''t want to see Huai''er, then go stand by yourself at the foot of the mountain!"


    A bashful grin appeared on Li Er''s face, and he didn''t go anywhere.


    Li Huai''s mother crouched down and patted her son''s head while gently massaging his thin arms. A pained look appeared on her face as she asked, "Why have you gotten so thin? Are you struggling to eat and sleep?"


    A proud look appeared on Li Huai''s face as he grinned and replied, "My sleep and appetite have been fantastic! Mother, I followed Chen Ping''an and the others and walked on my own two feet all the way here to Mountain Cliff Academy!


    ��We went so far, thousands of kilometers, from our town to Go Table Mountain, then to Red Candle Town, then to Embroidered Flower River, then Yefu Pass, and then through Yellow Court Nation... You see these?"


    He took a step backward as he spoke, then raised a foot as he continued, "Chen Ping''an wove these straw sandals for me, and they''re both sturdy andfortable. I wanted to learn how to weave them myself, but Chen Ping''an didn''t teach me. Guess how many pairs of straw sandals I went through on the way here, Mother!"


    Li Huai''s mother was unable to hold back her tears any longer upon hearing this, and her entire body was racked with sobs. Li Liu hurriedly crouched down beside her and gently held onto her hand for moral support.


    A panicked look appeared on Li Huai''s face, and he had no idea why his mother had suddenly burst into tears. He hurriedly put his straw sandals away, and after a moment of contemtion, a thought suddenly urred to him as he said in a loud voice, "Come to my room, Mother. I have something good to show you all!"


    Upon entering Lin Shouyi''s dormitory, Li Huai set his green bamboo bookcase down onto the table, then imitated Li Baoping as he crossed his arms and took a nce at his sister out of the corner of his eye. He then imitated Cui Chan''s manner of speech, putting on a smug expression as he asked, "What do you think? That''s my little bookcase. Isn''t it beautiful? Aren''t you envious?"


    After that, he put the bookcase on his back in a well-rehearsed fashion, then walked ap around the table, much to the amusement and sorrow of Li Liu, who hurriedly helped him take off the bookcase before cing it back onto the table with tears swimming in her eyes. There was a gentle smile on her beautiful and delicate face, making the beholder feel as if they were basking in a warm spring breeze.


    "No one''s been picking on you, have they?" Li Er suddenly asked.


    "Not at all," Li Huai replied with a smile as he shook his head.


    His mother immediately began fuming. "What are you going to do even if someone''s been picking on our son? Look at your cowardly face! Whenever our son gets picked on back at home, I''ve always been the one to stand up for him! What have you ever done?"


    Li Er shrank back slightly as he protested in a quiet voice, "That was back when we were in the town. Our neighbors all have good intentions, and if I spoil our rtionship with them, you''ll be the one that has to suffer the consequences."


    Li Huai''s mother mmed a hand down onto the table as she yelled, "How dare you talk back to me! Are you trying to rebel, Li Er? Do you feel like you''ve seen more of the world during this trip, so you want to abandon your family and switch to a younger and more beautiful wife?"


    "Of course not," Li Er replied in an exasperated manner.


    "You definitely want to, you just don''t have the courage to do it and know that other women wouldn''t even take a second nce at you!" Li Huai''s mother snapped. "That vixen with the long legs that we came acrossst time, I could tell just by taking a single look at her that she''s an improper woman!


    ��Don��t try to tell me you didn��t sneak any nce at her! What aughable disgrace! She didn''t even have two ounces of meat on her chest, yet she thought herself to be more beautiful than me!"


    Li Er wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so, and in the end, he could only crouch down onto the ground and heave a resigned sigh.


    That woman on the mountain appeared to have been quite young, but in reality, they were around 700 to 800 years of age and were a ninth tier demonic cultivator. If he hadn''t taken a nce at her as a warning gesture, she would''ve attempted to kill them for food. If his wife and his daughter hadn''t been by his side, he would''ve just killed that woman with a single punch, but he didn''t dare to exin these arcane matters to his wife.


    Even while crouching on the ground, Li Er still had the bundle of luggage on his back, so it appeared as if he had his back resting against a small mountain.


    "What are you doing with the luggage still on your back?" Li Huai''s mother snapped. "Are you trying to withhold what''s in there from our son so you can save it for those vixens out there?!"


    Li Er hurriedly rose to his feet, then opened up the bundle of luggage and pulled out a bunch of food, clothes, and books.


    "Since when was our family this rich?" Li Huai asked with a curious expression.


    His mother smiled as she exined, "Your father may be an idiot, but he''s a lucky idiot. On the way here, your father found some medicinal herbs that he managed to sell for quite a bit of money. That was the first time in my life I had ever seen gold!


    ��It was bright and shimmering, and just looking at it gave me a sense of joy! I''ve managed to umte some wealth, but don''t even think about trying to get your hands on it. I''m saving it for when you marry a wife in the future."


    Li Huai took a nce at his sister, then said, "It''s alright, I''m in no hurry to get married. Save it for my sister as her dowry."


    A displeased look immediately appeared on his mother''s face. "A married daughter is like spilled water. Once she gets married, she''ll belong to someone else''s family, so why would I save up money for her dowry?"


    Li Liu was already ustomed to the favoritism that her mother disyed, and she wasn''t bothered. From a young age, she had always had a very mild and pleasant personality, and she took after her father in this regard. In contrast, Li Huai''s personality was far closer to his mother''s, and it created quite an interesting dynamic, with the daughter taking after the father and the son taking after the mother.


    Li Huai shook his head as he disagreed, "Mother, if this is how you think then even if my sister managed to find a good husband, she''s going to suffer in her marriage. You''re just lucky to have found someone as honest and kind-hearted as my father, doing everything that you ask of him.


    ��Otherwise, if my father had been a bad husband and abused you during your marriage, would you really have been able to rely on my uncles to stand up for you? Without support from your family, you would only be more depressed, and you would''ve eventually fallen ill. Isn''t that right, Mother?"


    Li Huai''s mother was renderedpletely speechless upon hearing this, while Li Liu was silently chuckling into her own hand.


    In the end, Li Huai''s mother gently poked him on the forehead as she grumbled in a sheepish manner, "You''re all grown up now, so you''re no longer on my side, is that right?"


    Li Huai chuckled in response, then turned to his sister with a sly grin as he said, "Li Liu, I sought out a bunch of husbands for you while on the way here..."


    Li Liu blinked at him with a confused look in her eyes.


    Li Huai''s mother pped him on the head as abination of displeasure and amusement appeared on her face. "What are you talking about? Your sister can only marry one man. Of course, if she married a bad husband and didn''t want to suffer, then she could get a divorce and marry someone else, but she can''t marry multiple people at once!"


    Li Huai''s gaze remained fixed on his sister as he said, "Li Liu, I''m living with Lin Shouyi right now."


    "Lin Shouyi? Is that the boy whose father is serving as an official in the kiln supervision office?" his mother asked.


    Li Huai nodded in response. "That''s him. He''s the one who''s been fighting over my sister with Dong Shuijing. He''s really strong right now, and he also treats me really well. Back in the school in our town, I didn''t really have a high opinion of him, but I''ve since discovered that he''s actually a very good person. Having said that, his personality is a little cold, and he''s also a littlecking in patience, so he can''tpare with my future junior uncle, Chen Ping''an."


    Li Liu offered no response to this.


    Li Huai''s mother smiled as she asked, "Who''s this Chen Ping''an that you keep talking about? Is his family rich? Is he one of the husbands that you picked out for your sister?"


    Li Liu shook his head in response. "Chen Ping''an is one of my best friends, just like A''Liang. However, he''s not one of the husbands I picked out for Li Liu. He''s actually at just the right age, but Li Liu isn''t good enough for him."


    Li Liu pped him on the head once again as she scolded, "What do you mean Li Liu isn''t good enough for him? How could you talk about your own sister like that? What''s wrong with your sister? She''s got good looks and a good personality. She''ll make a fantastic wife for anyone, there''s no one who''s too good for her."


    Li Er was seated across from her with a peculiar look on his face.


    A serious look appeared on Li Huai''s face as he said, "If I''m going to be honest, I''d say that my sister is... passable in terms of looks. As for her family background, I don''t think that''s something I need to borate on."


    A smile appeared on his face here as he continued, "Having said that, we can''t decide who our parents turn out to be. Besides, our family is indeed a little poor, but you and my father are great people. One time, I was taking a shit with Chen Ping''an in the mountains, and we were having a chat at the same time.


    ��Chen Ping''an told me that both his parents passed away quite early, so I should appreciate and cherish you and my father. At the time, I didn''t think much of it. I thought he was simply looking for a conversation starter because he had constipation. However, Iter came to realize that this was a heartfelt piece of advice from him. I''m really, really close with Chen Ping''an.


    ��You guys know that I''m really scared of ghosts. Whenever I have to relieve myself at night, I have to bring him with me, and he''s never told me that I''m annoying. I can tell that even in his heart, he didn''t find me annoying at all. Someone like him is definitely too good for my sister."


    "So you''re saying that he''s a good person just because he takes shits with you," Li Huai''s mother harrumphed coldly.


    Li Huai began to count off his fingers as he replied, "Aside from that, Chen Ping''an also made this bookcase and all those pairs of straw sandals for me. He cooked for me and washed my clothes and helped me look after my donkey. One time, I caught the flu, and he traveled dozens of kilometers through the mountains in the dead of night to buy medicine for me.


    ��He bought me books and a jade pendant, and he taught me fist techniques and told me to be good to my parents. Whenever I make a mistake, he never scolds me or abuses me. Instead, he''s always on my side, shielding me from bullies or anyone else that tries to hurt me. I can''t even count all of the good things that he''s done for me. I would love for him to be my brother-inw, but that''ll probably onlye true in my dreams."


    Li Huai''s mother was rendered speechless upon hearing this.


    Li Er had never seen his son so excited and enthusiastic while talking about someone else, but he was d that Chen Ping''an had looked after him so thoroughly during their journey.


    Li Huai''s mother smiled as she pulled out a pair of sturdy cloth shoes. "Your sister sewed these for you. They''ll definitely be morefortable to wear than your straw sandals."


    Li Huai suddenly heaved a forlorn sigh.


    "What''s wrong?" His mother asked.


    Li Huai looked up at his mother with a sorrowful expression as he said, "Why couldn''t you have given birth to another sister, one that''s more beautiful than Li Liu? I''d be able to give her to Chen Ping''an, and after that, I''d be able to call him my brother-inw or my junior uncle or whatever I like."


    Li Huai''s mother grabbed onto his ear and gave it a vicious twist as she snapped, "How could you say that about your own sister?"


    Meanwhile, Li Liu had a wide smile of amusement on her face.


    She loved her unruly brother with all her heart.


    She knew that no matter how her naughty brother badmouthed her, unbeknownst to those outside of their family, he was always very good to her.


    "Out of your two children, your daughter possesses immense aptitude, while your son is a bearer of tremendous fortune."


    That was an assessment of the Li Family from Old Man Yang of the Yang Family''s medicine shop. Of course, there was also a second half to his appraisal, but Li Liu chose to forget that part as soon as he heard it. It went "there''s also a malevolent shrew who curses everyone that shees across, and it''s nothing short of tragic that Li Er has her for a wife".


    The sound of footsteps rang out from the door, and Lin Shouyi appeared at the entrance of the dormitory.


    He was immediately rooted to the spot at the sight of Li Liu, following which a slight blush appeared on his face.


    Li Huai was eager to stir things up, and he turned to Lin Shouyi as he pointed at his own sister and chortled, "Lin Shouyi, Li Liu came here of her own ord to be your wife!"


    Li Huai''s mother was quite fond of Lin Shouyi. In her eyes, he was a sensible and educated boy and not just a child of a wealthy official. During the few asions where he had visited the Li Family''s residence, he hadn''t spoken much, but he had always treated Li Huai''s mother with respect and never looked down on them for being impoverished.


    Furthermore, she had always had a soft spot in her heart for educated individuals, and she felt like her daughter had to marry an educated man, even if that man wasn''t rich.


    Li Huai stood on the bench as he jibed, "Sit beside my sister, Lin Shouyi. You''re going to be her husband in the future anyway."


    "Stop uttering nonsense!" his mother scolded as she gave him a pinch.


    Lin Shouyi took a deep breath, and of course, he didn''t dare to sit beside Li Liu. After politely greeting Li Huai''s parents, he sat down across from Li Liu with a stack of books sitting on hisp.


    In contrast with Li Huai''s mother, Li Er had a preference for Dong Shuijing over Lin Shouyi. However, he had quite a good impression of Lin Shouyi as well, it was just that Dong Shuijing''s personality was more simr to his, so they got along a bit better. In this household, his opinion on Li Liu''s future husband was the one that was going to matter the least. In this regard, the order of hierarchy was his wife, Li Huai, Li Liu, andst and least, himself.


    The conversation soon moved onto the academy and Eastern Splendor Mountain, and after learning that Li Huai''s parents and sister were going to be staying for a few days, Lin Shouyi offered to show them around.


    An amused grin appeared on Li Huai''s face as he jibed, "Already performing your duties as a son-inw, I see."


    For that, he received a gentle pinch on the arm from his sister and a firm flick to the forehead from his mother.

 Chapter 169: Send Someone Who Can Put Up a Fight

    Chapter 169: Send Someone Who Can Put Up a Fight


    Li Er and Cui Dongshan made their way onto the mountain summit, where Mao Xiaodong was standing outside the pavilion with a grim expression.


    There were far fewer ninth tier martial artists than 10th tier cultivators on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and that was why Song Changjing held such a significant status in the Great Li Empire.


    Ninth tier martial artists had refined their bodies to essentially the limits of what was humanly possible, making them supposedly impervious to all attacks. Mao Xiaodong knew that ninth tier martial artists weren''t actually as almighty as the rumors suggested. After all, there were still cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers who possessed the power to move mountains and part seas.


    However, the performance that an eighth tier Song Changjing had disyed during his battles against top-tier cultivators showed that martial artists really were worthy of the high praise that they received. After all, cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers were like profound deities that resided in the heavens, and they were extremely rarely seen.


    Cui Dongshan smiled as he introduced, "This here is Mao Xiaodong. He was once Qi Jingchun''s junior brother, and he''s currently only a deputy mountain master of Mountain Cliff Academy, but he''s the one who actually calls the shots here."


    Li Er hadn''t even bothered to take a nce at Mao Xiaodong prior to this, but he immediately greeted Mao Xiaodong with a smile. "It''s an honor to make your acquaintance, Mr. Mao. I am Li Huai''s father."


    Both Mao Xiaodong and Cui Dongshan were quite taken aback to see this. Given Li Er''s short temper, they had thought that he would''ve at least harbored some resentment toward Mountain Cliff Academy.


    After all, the academy hadn''t done anything during this entire debacle, and it appeared that they had taken a fair and neutral stance, but in reality, that was a rather inhospitable disy. Not only were Li Baoping and the others feeling extremely indignant, even the students who had left the Great Li Empire together with Mao Xiaodong were unable to understand why Mao Xiaodong hadn''t stood up for them to demand an exnation from Great Sui Nation''s imperial court.


    This was just like back in Jewel Small World, where Qi Jingchun had fallen into a deadend, and there was no way that he would''ve been able to leave the small world alive. Even though the emperor of the Great Li Empire hadn''t actively contributed to Qi Jingchun''s downfall, nor had he tried to protest against the powers that were determined to have Qi Jingchun killed, and that had thoroughly disappointed many of the schrs who had emerged from the old Mountain Cliff Academy.


    A smile appeared on Li Er''s face as he said, "Back in the town, Mr. Qi was drinking with me one time, and he mentioned Mr. Mao. A schr who''s earned the approval of Mr. Qi must be a true schr in my eyes, so as the head of the academy, I''m sure that you had to have had your reasons for not interfering in this matter. I haven''t ever gone to school, but I''m not so foolish to not understand at least this much."


    It appeared that outside of home, Li Er wasn''t all that socially awkward, it was just that there weren''t many people that he felt like talking to, and it was clear that Mao Xiaodong was only being granted this honor thanks to Qi Jingchun''s appraisal of him.


    Mao Xiaodong heaved a resigned sigh in response. "I''m too ashamed to ept your kind praise."


    After exchanging some small talk with Mao Xiaodong, Li Er began to inspect his surroundings, and his sharp gaze surged over the city like a wave. As the wave continued to flow over thendscape, several sshes asionally popped up, resembling resolute rocks in a turbulent river, but those sshes then quickly subsided in rm, avoiding a direct confrontation with Li Er''s gaze.


    One of those sshes hade from none other than Cai Jingshen, the 10th tier Qi refiner situated closest to Eastern Splendor Mountain.


    It didn''t take long before Li Er tracked down the vast and majestic building that he was looking for. It had red walls and green roof tiles, the ssic imperialbination, and it was filled with abundant Dragon Qi.


    "Do you want to find someone to reason with?" Mao Xiaodong asked.


    Li Er was just about to leave the mountain, but after hearing Mao Xiaodong''s question, he stayed for a while longer as he nodded in response. "I''m going straight to the emperor of Great Sui Nation. If he''s willing to listen to reason, then I''ll get him to summon a representative from the Chu n of Phoebe Creek, Pir General Han''s n, the n of the Huaiyuan Feudal Lord, and all of the other parties at fault toe and see me.


    ��I won''t pick on them, I''ll just get each n to send out their most capable fighter, and I''m happy to take them on one after another, or fight them all at once, whatever they prefer."


    Li Er''s expression and the tone of his voice remained as calm and cid as ever as he spoke.


    Meanwhile, Cui Dongshan was internally rubbing his hands together with glee. As a bystander, he was eager to see just how much of a scene Li Er could cause.


    Mao Xiaodong was feeling quite exasperated, and he was just about to try and dissuade Li Er from his n when thetter turned to him with a smile, revealing a set of pristine white teeth as he continued, "If the emperor of Great Sui Nation refuses to listen to reason, then that makes things even simpler for me.


    ��I''m willing to be more lenient to those who are reasonable, but those who are on the opposite end of the spectrum must also be dealt with ordingly. If I don''t raze the imperial pce of Great Sui Nation to the ground today, I''ll take after the imperial family''s surname!"


    Cui Dongshan was relishing this opportunity to fan the mes, and he immediately began to goad Li Er even further while under the guise of providing helpful advice. "The protective formation of Great Sui Nation''s capital city is quite formidable against enemies outside of the city, but its effects are quite mediocre on those inside the city.


    ��It''s nowhere near as powerful as the well-rounded White Jade Capital of the Great Li Empire, but you have to remember that this is the center of Great Sui Nation, and the imperial pce is the center of the center. Even though you''re a pure martial artist at the pinnacle of the ninth tier, if you fall into an encirclement, you may not be able to escape without at least sustaining severe injuries."


    Li Er turned to Cui Dongshan with a cold look in his eyes as he sneered, "That''s something for me to worry about, I don''t need you blowing all of this nonsense into my ear. My wife can nag me all she wants, but who the hell do you think you are? I don''t give a shit about your ns, but that doesn''t mean that you can treat me like an idiot!"


    Cui Dongshan smiled as he replied, "Looks like my kind intentions have beenpletely misconstrued. In that case, do whatever you please, I won''t say another word."


    Li Er also smiled as he said, "Having said that, I do have to trouble you to tell Li Huai that I''ve gone out to buy some things for them, so I won''t be returning to the academy until a bitter."


    There was a concerned look on Mao Xiaodong''s face as he said, "Please do proceed with caution. Truth be told, I have my own selfish intentions in this matter. I''m hoping to use this opportunity to provide all of the children of the academy with a truly peaceful learning environment.


    ��I don''t want Mountain Cliff Academy to get caught up in the conflict between Great Sui Nation and the Great Li Empire. With that objective in mind, I was nning to make a trip to the imperial pce soon to settle things once and for all with the emperor of Great Sui Nation..."


    Li Er raised a hand to cut him off as he interjected, "Your ns are none of my business, Mr. Mao. I am going to the imperial pce to settle a family matter. However, you can rest assured that I definitely won''t attract any trouble for the academy."


    A wry smile appeared on Mao Xiaodong''s face as he sighed, "If I''m going to be brutally honest, the more of a scene you cause at the imperial pce, the more the academy will benefit. However, venturing into the imperial pce on your own is an extremely perilous endeavor, and I''d advise you not to take such a direct and aggressive course of action unless it''s absolutely necessary.


    ��If possible, I would like you to wait for me to visit the emperor of Great Sui Nation. I''ll exin the situation to him and advise him to exert some pressure upon the ns involved. If you''re still not satisfied with the oue after that, then you can do whatever you please. What do you think?"


    Li Er shook his head in response. "I appreciate the kind offer, Mr. Mao, but as I just said, this is a family matter, and as the head of the family..."


    Li Er''s voice abruptly cut off here, and he hurriedly amended, "As the man of the family and as Li Huai''s father, if it''s something that I can resolve with my fists, then I''ll take care of it on my own, and I don''t want to overthink it."


    Mao Xiaodong had no choice but to turn to Cui Dongshan, hoping that with his slick tongue, he would be able to somehow dissuade Li Er from his n. Unfortunately, Cui Dongshan seemed to have suddenly developed a keen interest in the surrounding scenery.


    In the end, Mao Xiaodong could only heave a resigned sigh, then changed the subject and asked something that he had always been genuinely curious about. "How was Qi Jingchun living back when he was teaching in the town?"


    Li Er faltered slightly upon hearing this, clearly taken aback by the question, and after a moment of contemtion, he replied, "He lived a decent life in the town. I visited Mr. Qi''s home once, and we didn''t speak about much, but I have a great deal of admiration for Mr. Qi.


    ��Even my wife, who... has a bit of a sharp tongue, was full of praise for Mr. Qi, joking to me that if she were 20 years younger, then she would''ve definitely divorced me to marry Mr. Qi instead. After that, she began toment the fact that our daughter was too young to be married."


    This was a rather embarrassing story, but Li Er was telling it with a happy smile on his face, and then concluded, "I think Li Huai is immensely fortunate to have had a teacher like Mr. Qi."


    It was clear that Li Er admired Qi Jingchun from the bottom of his heart.


    One time, his wife had been scratched up so badly that her entire face had been bloodied, and the perpetrator had been outside Jewel Small World, with an ancestor who was a cultivator. In a fit of fury, Li Er had left Jewel Small World without the knowledge of his family and made a trip outside. He started from the foot of the mountain, storming all the way up to the n''s ancestral hall, destroying everything in his wake before eventually demolishing the ancestral hall as well.


    The entire time, he didn''t utter even a single word, and he didn''t even dere his name before departing. The brutal one-man demolition job had left half of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in a state of shock and awe.


    Upon Li Er''s return to the town, he received a visit from Qi Jingchun.


    In order to leave Jewel Small World, one had to first secure approval from Qi Jingchun. Li Er had always held a great deal of respect for Qi Jingchun as Li Huai''s teacher, so he had followed the rules and requested approval before leaving Jewel Small World, and he was caughtpletely off guard by Qi Jingchun''s visit following his return.


    He was very concerned that Qi Jingchun would develop a negative impression of Li Huai due to his actions. At the time, there had only been some low-quality loose wine at home, and Li Er had been too embarrassed to even bring it out for Qi Jingchun to drink.


    However, Qi Jingchun had stated a desire to drink wine, so the two of them sat down onto the couple of stools in the yard with a bowl of wine each. The so-called table was actually just a third stool, upon which was ced a dish of homemade pickled vegetables and another dish of salted peanuts.


    After speaking briefly to Li Er about how Li Huai was doing in his studies, Qi Jingchun smiled as he remarked, "The strong and courageous dare to draw their de to challenge those more powerful than themselves. Your actions remind me very much of a close friend of mine."


    Li Er wasn''t very good with words, and he replied in a dull manner, "I have no de."


    Qi Jingchun took a sip of wine, then self-amended, "Then perhaps I should''ve said that you raised your fist to challenge someone more powerful than yourself."


    Li Er had truly been feeling extremely anxious at the time, not just because Qi Jingchun was the Sage overseeing Jewel Small World, nor was it because he was Li Huai''s teacher. Instead, it was because his own master had once appraised Qi Jingchun as someone who "possessed the potential to establish a teaching of his own".


    Li Er''s anxiety didn''t stem from fear. Instead, it arose from earnest admiration. The further one progressed as a martial artist or cultivator, the more they woulde to discover just how remarkable certain people in high-up ces were. Even though Li Er didn''t fear anyone, he held nothing but respect and admiration for those lofty and unfathomable figures.


    Li Er didn''t dare to cate Qi Jingchun, so he could only speak candidly. "I suppose that would be somewhat applicable to my actions. I can''t interfere with a fight between children, but I can certainly go after their ancestors and teach them a lesson."


    Qi Jingchun tapped his bowl against Li Er''s with a smile as he asked, "How do you feel about the n that you went after?"


    Li Er shook his head as he replied, "They''ve got quite a big reputation, so I thought they wouldn''t beplete pushovers, but it turns out I was wrong."


    A sheepish smile then appeared on Li Er''s face as he apologized, "Sorry for treating you to such terrible wine, Mr. Qi."


    However, Qi Jingchun downed his bowl of low-quality wine in one go, then cast his gaze toward the distant night sky with a reminiscent look in his eyes as he replied, "The wine is just fine. I often drank wine like this back when I was young, and my temper was far worse than yours back then."


    Li Er could tell that Qi Jingchun still wanted to have more wine, but as an act of courtesy, he left half a gon of wine behind for Li Er, then rose to his feet as he said, "I wouldn''t dare to guarantee that I can teach Li Huai to be an aplished schr, but I''ll definitely teach him to be a good person with a heart that''s no less kind than yours. You have my word on that, Li Er."


    Li Er also rose to his feet as he said, "That''s more than enough, Mr. Qi."


    In the end, Li Er apanied Qi Jingchun to the entrance of his courtyard, and thetter made his way down the alley on his own, cutting a rather lonesome figure.


    Thest time Li Er saw Qi Jingchun was when he was hiding in the side room of the Yang Family''s medicine shop. It was raining on the street that day, and Qi Jingchun had been walking side by side with Chen Ping''an else under an umbre.


    The umbre wasn''t thatrge to begin with, and he had tilted it so that Chen Ping''an was shielded from the rain. The two of them were chatting with one another, and Chen Ping''an was looking up at him with a smile on his face, while Qi Jingchun wore a smile of his own as he looked down at Chen Ping''an.


    Li Er had never seen Qi Jingchun look so... not so lonely.


    At this moment, standing on the summit of Eastern Splendor Mountain, Li Er took a nce at Cui Dongshan and Mao Xiaodong, then smiled as he said, "In my eyes, not a single schr under the heavens canpare with Mr. Qi."


    The thought of Qi Jingchun reminded Li Er of Chen Ping''an, and in the end, he thought of his own son, Li Huai.


    There were a myriad of emotions churning in his heart, and he wanted to say something to express those emotions, but he couldn''t quite articte what he wanted to say, so instead, he was going to express himself with his fists rather than his words! For some reason, he felt like he owed Qi Jingchun half a gon of wine, and he was going to drink in Qi Jingchun''s memory after a good fight.


    All of a sudden, Li Er exploded up into the sky from Eastern Splendor Mountain, hurtling rapidly through the air in a massive arc and crossing half of the entire capital city beforending in the imperial pce of Great Sui Nation.


    ��������


    Inside the in yet elegant resting quarters of Great Sui Nation''s imperial pce, the emperor summoned the head minister of the Ministry of Rites once again, and he asked with furrowed brows, "Has there still been no response from the academy?"


    The head minister shook his head as he replied, "All Elder Mao said is that he''lle to the pce to provide you an exnation on the matter at some point, but he didn''t tell me when he would do so."


    A deted look appeared on the emperor''s face as he sighed, "It''s our Great Sui Nation that should be providing their academy with an exnation, but if Elder Mao doesn''te to see me, I can''t exactly rush the academy intoing to me to seek justice."


    The head minister took a moment to meticulously consider his words, then said in a careful manner, "If the conflict between Li Huai and his dorm mates had stemmed from an argument between children, then that would be understandable. Our Great Sui Nation would indeed be at fault initially, and as for everything that came after, the me could be roughly evenly divided between the two parties.


    ��However, the actions of that boy by the name of Yu Lu at the end went too far. Not only did he act with excessive malice and aggression, he''s also proven himself to be an extremely sly and scheming character.


    ��ording to that swordsman, Yu Lu progressively revealed his power in stages, initially pretending to be a fourth tier martial artist, then a fifth tier martial artist, and throughout the rest of the battle, he maintained the level of a sixth tier martial artist, only revealing his power as a seventh tier martial artist at the very end to severely wound the swordsman in a single blow."


    The emperor of Great Sui Nation nodded in response. The chief eunuchs standing outside had actually already exined this to him. He spected that Yu Lu was originally at the pinnacle of the sixth tier, but during that battle in the scripture library, he had used that Sea Observation Tier swordsman as a whetstone to hone himself, making a breakthrough at the very conclusion of the battle, disying outstanding aptitude and mental qualities in the process.


    The sequence of events that had unfolded in the eyes of the emperor of Great Sui Nation waspletely different from what had been perceived by the uneasy head minister.


    All of a sudden, the elderly eunuch outside abruptly arrived by the emperor''s side. All the head minister saw was a blur sh past his eyes before the chief eunuch appeared in front of the emperor,pletely disregarding the etiquette that should''ve been upheld by a servant in the presence of the emperor.


    The emperor wasn''t rmed or enraged by this in the slightest. Instead, he was only feeling rather curious.


    Immediately thereafter, a burst of violent tremors ran through the entire imperial pce, following which a thunderous voice rang out.


    "Where is the emperor of Great Sui Nation?"


    The emperor rose to his feet with a smile as he chuckled, "He certainly has nock of courage. Just how powerful is he?"


    "He''s a ninth tier martial artist, and there''s a chance that no ordinary ninth tier martial artist, so he''s certainly a force to be reckoned with," the elderly chief eunuch replied in a grim voice.


    The emperor nodded in response. "It''s just like how there are disparities in skill between ninth dan go yers. They appear to all be on the same level, but in reality, the gap can be quiterge."


    The emperor made his way out of his resting quarters under the protection of the chief eunuch, and he continued, "There was supposed to have been a 10th dan, but apparently, that despotic tyrant in White Emperor City of the Middle Earth Divine Continent proimed himself to be a 10th dan go yer, and he put up a g on the city wall that read ''unmatched in go under the heavens''.


    ��As a result, no empire dared to award the 10th dan title to any of the go yers in their territory. In my opinion, our Great Sui Nation has the best go yers in the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but just like everyone else, our Great Sui Nation also doesn''t dare to break this tradition. I really want to go to White Emperor City to take a look for myself."


    "Let the guards in the pce test out his power first, and you can decide whether to meet him after that," the chief eunuch advised.


    The emperor and the chief eunuch had only just made their way out of the corridor when they were approached by an elderly cultivator, who delivered a report on the situation outside.


    On the za outside the Hall of Martial Valor, the deputy general of the imperial guard, who was a seventh tier martial artist, had already been knocked out by a single punch, and everyone else was too afraid to even approach him to carry him away.


    After walking for about 100 meters, they were delivered another report by a physically imposing general d in a suit of golden armor.


    A 10th tier cultivator who was stationed near the pce all year round had immediately entered the pce at the first sign of disturbance, but he had only just summoned an immortal treasure before it was sent flying straight out of the imperial pce by Li Er with just a single punch.


    With another punch, Li Er sent the cultivator crashing straight into the city wall, and unlike the deputy general from before, the cultivator wasn''t knocked out on the spot, but he was also no longer fit for battle.


    The emperor nodded in response to the report, then asked, "The formation in the pce has already been activated, right?"


    The armor-d general nodded as he replied, "It''s already been activated and is ready to be used at any time. All of the grandmaster martial artists and cultivators in the capital city are all currently on their way to the imperial pce."


    "Has the intruder attacked anyone unprovoked?" the emperor asked.


    The general shook his head in response. "No. All he said is that he''s here to see you, and unless we actively attack him, all he does is stand still on the spot."


    "A mistake shouldn''t be repeated three times," the emperor murmured to himself.


    The chief eunuch smiled as he said, "Now''s not the time to be following these pedantic rules, Your Majesty. Let me go and face him, and if I lose as well, you can always meet him then."


    "You''re both martial artists, so make sure you don''t lose too badly," the emperor jibed.


    The chief eunuch was an extremely respected figure in the imperial pce, having already served three emperors of Great Sui Nation, and he smiled as he replied, "I won''t draw upon the Dragon Qi of the capital city unless it''s absolutely necessary."


    The chief eunuch then sprang up into the air, flying over a pce in the blink of an eye like a dragonfly bouncing over the surface of ake. He resembled a graceful and elegant immortal who was flying with the wind.


    Upon reaching the eighth tier, the Wing Formation Tier, martial artists gained the ability to fly, and thus, this tier was also known as the Far Roaming Tier.


    In general, a martial artist at the pinnacle of the ninth tier was already considered to be an End Tier Superior Grandmaster, indicating that they already reached the conclusion of the path of martial arts.


    End Tier martial artists possessed physical bodiesparable with the Buddhist Arhat Vajra Body, and with the exception of 10th tier cultivators, any cultivator of the Middle Five Tiers would be as good as dead if they allowed an End Tier martial artist to get within 100 feet of them, unless they had an extremely powerful protective treasure at their disposal.


    The chief eunuch drifted down onto the za outside the Hall of Martial Valor, keeping a distance of over 200 feet between himself and Li Er.


    Prior to his arrival, ayer of golden light had appeared over the ground, the rooftops, and all of the walls in the entire imperial pce. It was like a flowing golden wave that covered the entire pce in a thinyer of golden water, within which faint images of flood dragons could be seen, baring their fangs and brandishing their ws in a formidable sight to behold.


    This formation in Great Sui Nation''s imperial pce was called the Dragon Wall.


    Given the extensive period of peace that Great Sui Nation had enjoyed, it had already been over a century since the Dragon Wall wasst used.


    Following the activation of the formation, the entire imperial pce was giving off a golden glow. Having endured countless brutal battles throughout his lifetime, the chief eunuch''s heart was filled with a myriad of emotions at the sight of the Dragon Wall.


    "I didn''t think we would meet again."


    The chief eunuch sped one hand behind his back, while his other hand was clenched into a fist in front of his abdomen, and he dered, "We''ll exchange three punches each. If you win, you''ll get to meet His Majesty."


    Back in Jewel Small World, it was none other than Li Er who was holding the Dragon King Basket that contained the golden carp that he was trying to sell to Chen Ping''an, only for the chief eunuch and Prince Gao Xuan to intercept these two enormous opportunities.


    At the time, Li Er had concealed his own power extremely well, and the chief eunuch was affected by the restrictions in Jewel Small World, so he waspletely oblivious to the fact that Li Er was a Superior Grandmaster martial artist.


    Li Er remainedpletely expressionless, and he skipped all the pleasantries as he said in a rather inauthentic Eastern Treasured Vial Continent official dialect, "I''ll let you have two punches at me first."


    The chief eunuch raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Alright, I''ll dly ept your kind offer!"


    Li Er didn''t say anything further as he sank his Qi into his Dantian, and even though he hadn''t made a single move, the za outside the Hall of Martial Valor began to groan and rumble as if it were about to shatter, giving Li Er the appearance of an immovable mountain.


    All of the golden light radiating from the ground within a radius of 100 feet around him instantly faded.


    The chief eunuch took a deep breath, then took a small step forward, and with each sessive step, his stride length grew longer and longer. In the end, his final step covered a distance of 20 feet, and he charged toward Li Er with unstoppable force while throwing a punch directly at his chest.


    A resounding boom rang out across the entire imperial pce.


    A golden flood dragon that was roaming over the ground on the za outside the Hall of Martial Valor was struck by the tremendous shockwaves from the sh, and it instantly darted back in retreat before curling up into a ball in a distant corner, not daring to make even a single move.


    Li Er was forced back three or four steps by the blow, and he said in a calm voice, "You get one more punch."


    The chief eunuch offered no response as his red python robes pped audibly around him. He took a step forward as he let loose a loud roar, then threw another punch, this time at Li Er''s forehead.


    His fist struck Li Er''s forehead inplete silence, but countless soldiers of the imperial guard, courtdies, and eunuchs in the imperial pce were all dealt an extremely heavy blow.


    The soldiers of the imperial guard were all capable cultivators or martial artists, but even they felt their eardrums shudder violently as their Qi and blood churned within their bodies. As for the courtdies and eunuchs who were affected, many of them were instantly sent flying back before tumbling down onto the ground with blood seeping out of their ears.


    Li Er was sent flying by this all-out blow from the chief eunuch, and his entire body was embedded into the city wall behind him, but he quickly extricated himself out of the wall with his hands. He then gently descended onto the ground, and his expression remained unchanged as he made his way toward the elderly eunuch. "You still have one more punch left, and you can attack at any time, but I''m going to be retaliating from here."


    Earlier, it had only taken Li Er a single punch each to defeat the deputy general of the imperial guard and that 10th tier cultivator, and even now, in the face of this chief eunuch, he was still only going to deliver a single punch.


    He was a simple and honest man, and he didn''t want to beat down anyone excessively.


    The elderly chief eunuch took a deep breath as he said, "Please enlighten me!"


    Li Er began to charge forward before throwing a simple straight punch straight into the chief eunuch''s chest.


    In the next instant, the chief eunuch hadpletely vanished from the za outside the Hall of Martial Valor. However, a huge hole had appeared in the wall far behind him. Li Er waited for a moment, but no one emerged from the hole in the wall, and he dered, "Listen up, emperor of Great Sui Nation: if you''re going to keep hiding, then you''d better send out someone who can put up a fight. If you can''t find anyone, then you can get all of them toe at me at once!"

 Chapter 170: (1): The Superior Grandmaster Who Enjoys Fine Wine

    Chapter 170: (1): The Superior Grandmaster Who Enjoys Fine Wine


    There were seven or eight figures hovering in the air or standing on the walls on the edge of the imperial pce. All of them were raring to go, and all it would''ve required was a single instruction from the emperor for them to swoop in on Li Er at once.


    These old immortals and grandmaster martial artists were all very familiar with one another and could work together very effectively. On a one-on-one basis, they knew that none of them would''ve been a match for Li Er, but they were certainly not so honorable that they wouldn''t exercise their numbers advantage.


    Outside the walls around the za outside the Hall of Martial Valor, the chief eunuch rose to his feet. At this point, his red python robes were already in tatters, and his lips moved slightly as if tomunicate something.


    The emperor nodded in response as he cautioned, "Be careful."


    At the same time, there were things brewing in the entire imperial pce and the capital city of Great Sui Nation. Over at the Ministry of Astronomy, 12 shimmering golden-armored warriors had emerged from the earth in all directions. They were standing at 30 to 40 feet tall with runes inscribed all over their bodies, and each of them was holding a different divine weapon.


    Over at a monastery, a bell toll rang out, apanied by the sound of Buddhist chanting. At the same time, purple mist was rising up from a Daoist temple to form a massive talisman, while a white flood dragon was emerging from beneath a stone arch bridge, climbing up along its side before rearing its head above the bridge''s railing...


    Inside the imperial pce, the Dragon Wall formation was protecting the imperial family, while outside the imperial pce, there was another vast, all-epassing formation that had been nurtured by Great Sui Nation over the course of several centuries. The formation''s purpose was to protect the entire capital city so that it would be able to deal with formidable external threats.


    If this formation were to be activated, then all of the cultivators and martial artists within the capital city would be suppressed by the Dragon Qi of the imperial n, forcibly lowering their cultivation base by a tier or two.


    If a cultivator of the Upper Five Tiers were to try and wreak havoc throughout the capital city, even if that cultivator were ultimately hunted down and killed, the damage that they would''ve been able to inflict upon the city prior to their demise would''ve still been immeasurable.


    However, if that same cultivator of the Upper Five Tiers were to be suppressed to only the 10th tier, then they would be far easier for Great Sui Nation to deal with. Even if everyone else also had their cultivation bases suppressed, the situation would''ve still been advantageous to Great Sui Nation as they would''ve had the numbers advantage.


    Even if a 10th tier cultivator were to go all-out, trying to wreak as much havoc as possible without any regard for their own life, the damage that they would''ve been able to cause would''ve still been limited to an eptable degree.


    Essentially, this formation acted like an obstacle on one''s bridge of immortality, obstructing the cirction of Qi within the bodies of cultivators and martial artists, thereby restricting their power.


    Back when Jewel Small World was suspended in the sky above the Great Li Empire, the formation that the four Sages had jointly created had been able to suppress the use of all mystical abilities in the small world, and anyone who dared to forcibly unleash any mystical abilities within the boundaries of the small world would''ve suffered extremely severe bacsh.


    Back then, the River Severing True Lord, Liu Zhimao, had only conducted some minor divination, but even so, he had several decades lopped off his lifespan, clearly indicating just how formidable the formation was.


    After rising to his feet, the chief eunuch mmed his own fists together with ferocious power, and a fierce look appeared on his face as he yelled, "Come to me!"


    The nine illusory golden flood dragons lurking within the Dragon Wall formation instantly converged toward the chief eunuch from all directions, transforming into tiny golden snakes, each of which was around the same length as a human finger. These tiny snakes passed through the seven orifices of the chief eunuch before fusing as one with his soul.


    All of a sudden, it was as if the chief eunuch had transformed into a golden deity from an ancient divine court, and he strode toward the hole in the wall. With each step that he took, golden ripples would spread over the ground. Instead of lowering his head so that he could pass through the hole in the wall, he smashed the entire wall to bits with a single swat of his hand before returning to the za outside the Hall of Martial Valor.


    Officials of the imperial court who assisted the emperor were known as dragon aides, while eunuchs who served the emperor were a tier below that, referred to as dragon servants. Both were able to sense the Dragon Qi of the emperor, but it was still extremely remarkable that the chief eunuch was able to control the Dragon Qi of the imperial n and wield it for himself.


    All of the cultivators and martial artists gathered on the edge of the imperial pce exchanged shocked nces with one another upon seeing this.


    Clearly, there was some type of extremely important and confidential secret behind this.


    "How about we go again?" the chief eunuch challenged as he looked directly at Li Er.


    If he had been a weak ninth rank Go official prior to this, then with the injection of Dragon Qi, he had enjoyed a significant increase in his figurative go skills, making him one of the strongest ninth rank Go officials in Great Sui Nation.


    Li Er was rather taken aback as he looked at the chief eunuch. It was as if his body had been filled by arge volume of golden liquid, much like the god-summoning techniques of the two Militarian ancestral sects, but was also somehow slightly different.


    Li Er couldn''t be bothered to give this matter any deep thought, and he nodded as he said, "That''s much better."


    During his battle against Song Changjing in Jewel Small World, there had been two whetstones for him, one of which was Song Changjing, who had been at the pinnacle of the ninth tier at the time, while the second one was Jewel Small World itself. Even so, Li Er was still unable to make a breakthrough. Instead, he served as a catalyst for Song Changjing to make a breakthrough to the 10th tier.


    He would''ve been lying if he said that he wasn''t disappointed at all by this, and that was why he had agreed to Old Man Yang''s suggestion for him to leave Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to find his Dao attainment catalyst.


    At the time, Old Man Yang had told him that his breakthrough wouldn''te in a situation of life and death.


    Li Er''s gaze roamed over his surroundings, and he was suddenly struck by a faint glimmer of enlightenment.


    Why had Old Man Yang intentionally suppressed Li Huai''s aptitude? And why was it that during that visit from Qi Jingchun, he had seemingly casually mentioned the phrase "the strong and courageous dare to draw their de to challenge those more powerful than themselves" as they were drinking wine?


    Looking back, Li Er now realized that in uttering this phrase, Qi Jingchun was acknowledging his Martial Dao. Even back then, Qi Jingchun had already told him everything that he needed to know, yet despite the fact that Li Er had been walking this path this entire time, he had never recognized it himself.


    Indeed, his Dao attainment catalyst was to challenge those more powerful than himself!


    During that battle against Song Changjing, Li Er held an advantage to begin with, so he wasn''t actually filled with much battle intent at all. Instead, he was only carrying out the instructions of his master. Furthermore, he also wanted to know just how he matched up against a martial artist at the pinnacle of the ninth tier.


    The concluding stages of the battle had been satisfying, but deep down, Li Er had never felt like he was fighting in order to make some type of point.


    However, at this moment, he was essentially facing the entire Great Sui Nation. The reason that he hade here was to stand up for his son, but now that he had ventured deep into enemy territory and was surrounded by formidable foes, he suddenly burst into carefreeughter.


    Back on the summit of Eastern Splendor Mountain, he had wanted to say something, but he couldn''t find the words to articte what he wanted to say, so in the end, he could only depart without saying anything.


    Having been a pushover in Jewel Small World his entire life, Li Er had suddenlye to a revtion. His son was such a thoughtful and obedient child, yet he was still being picked on. As Li Huai''s father, his current power as a ninth tier martial artist wasn''t guaranteed to be enough to beat his opponents into submission, so what he had to do was make a breakthrough and leave the ninth tier behind!


    Li Er took a deep breath as he sensed the immense pressure weighing down upon him from all directions, and he thought to himself, <em>Don''t rush things. Everything has to be done one step at a time. This whetstone still isn''t sufficiently heavy yet.</em>


    All Li Er had was a pair of fists, but he didn''t hesitate in the slightest as he rushed toward the chief eunuch, who had attained a godly body thanks to the Dragon Qi of Great Sui Nation, and thetter was also charging at Li Er.


    At the pinnacle of the Martial Dao, there were no fancy techniques to speak of. Everything boiled down to speed, power, and uracy. The objective was to strike the opponent''s most vulnerable spots at the fastest speed with the most tremendous power.


    They were going to wear each other down like water dripping through stone, and it was a contest to see who would oust the other. The one left standing would get to live, while the one who fell would die. It was that simple.


    Both of thebatants were formidable martial artists at the pinnacle of the ninth tier, and with each blow that theynded on each other, all of the cultivators and martial artists on the edge of the imperial pce would feel their Qi and energy shuddering and being thrown into disarray.


    The battle between Li Er and the chief eunuch was no less intense than a sh between immortals, and unlike battles between martial artists of a lower cultivation base, it was considered taboo to watch the battle from up close. This was an unspoken rule among immortal powers.


    Watching a battle of this caliber while standing too close could easily result in the loss of one''s life, and pping and cheering, or making remarks about the unfolding battle were even more frowned upon. Battles between cultivators often involved a vast array of treasures, unleashing attacks that affectedrge areas, and the more ferocious the battle, the further thebatants were likely to travel.


    They could easily move across multiple battlefields over the course of a battle, and it was often the case that everything in a radius of several kilometers or even several dozen kilometers would be razed to the ground, so it would''ve been utterly suicidal to try and watch such a battle for entertainment.


    As for why there were people willing to watch such riveting battles, despite the severe risk that they were taking on, that was because it was important for powerful cultivators and martial artists to observe others in battle while engaging in self-reflection, identifying their own weaknesses and ws, and it was certainly not just for entertainment or to makements on what thebatants could''ve been doing better.


    Hence, even as he was in the midst of such a fierce battle, the chief eunuch still made sure to find a moment in between exchanging blows to establish a rule with Li Er for the sake of the safety of the bystanders. "Leaving this za is considered an automatic loss!"


    Thankfully, Li Er nodded in agreement, and thus, their spectacr battle continued.


    The za outside the Hall of Martial Valor was originally very t and even, but at this point, it was alreadypletely unrecognizable, riddled with craters and trenches.


    Even the tall walls on either side of the za were riddled with around a dozen huge holes. The wall behind Li Er only had four or five holes, but the wall behind the chief eunuch had clearly suffered more damage.


    There was one section of the wall that had three holes punched into it right next to one another, causing that section of the wall topletely copse, and it was as if a gateway had been created. However, neither of them had retreated out of the boundaries of the walls, so the oue of the battle was still yet to be decided.


    The chief eunuch was most definitely on the back foot, but he was only growing stronger as the battle progressed, and he wasn''t disying any signs of tiring. His red python robes were being torn apart further and further, but his indestructible godly body was still glowing as brightly as ever. In the imperial pce, the chief eunuch held all of the advantages.


    Not only had he been elevated from a weak ninth tier martial artist to an extremely formidable one, the seemingly endless supply of Dragon Qi that was directly interconnected with the fortune of Great Sui Nation meant that he was essentially invincible.


    During thetest exchange of blows, the chief eunuch struck Li Er with a punch to the head, while Li Er''s fistnded on his chest.


    Li Er was sent flying back before stomping down onto the wall behind him,unching himself forward at an rming speed. The section of the wall that he had used as aunching pad instantly copsed.


    Meanwhile, the chief eunuch was also forced back by the sh, and with each backward step that he took, his feet would sink deeper and deeper into the ground, creating a trench that was over 100 feet in length. As Li Er pounced at him once again, all he could do was cross his arms above his own head in passive defense.


    With another ferocious punch, the chief eunuch was forced down to one knee and sank over 20 feet into the ground, while a massive crater had appeared around him.


    Li Er refused to let up, leaping high up into the air as he clenched both hands into tight fists before mming them down upon the chief eunuch over and over again.


    A rapid string of dull thumps rang out within the crater, much like the sound of thundering horse hooves.


    With each violent tremor that ran through the ground, the crater would continue to expand, and chunks of bricks were sent flying in all directions from the surface of the za.


    It was as if Li Er were using the chief eunuch to bore a well into the earth!


    The chief eunuch waspletely powerless to retaliate, and he continued to sink deeper and deeper into the ground while the golden light radiating from his body shuddered incessantly.


    A wry smile appeared on the face of a 10th tier cultivator standing atop a flying sword, and he sighed, "Only now am I witnessing for the first time just how unreasonable and ruthless the fighting style of a martial artist at the pinnacle of the ninth tier can be."


    As he was speaking, the flying sword beneath his feet was swaying slightly like a small raft in a turbulent sea, and if any lesser cultivator had been in his ce, they would''ve most likely already lost control and been blown away into the distance.


    As a top-tier cultivator, observing a battle between pure martial artists had no benefits for him whatsoever, so if it weren''t for the fact that he was bound by duty to be present, he would''ve departed long ago.


    Inside the imperial pce of Great Sui Nation was a secret passageway that branched off into many ces, such as the offices of the Six Ministries and the new Mountain Cliff Academy on Eastern Splendor Mountain. The emperor was able to traverse through the secret passageway without alerting the officials of the imperial court or the people of the city.


    Otherwise, whenever he left the pce, a huge fuss would be made, and the people of the city would have to sweep all of the streets clean in anticipation for his arrival.


    At this moment, Mao Xiaodong was walking slowly through the secret passageway, apanied by a chief eunuch who was sweating profusely. Just like the chief eunuch who was battling Li Er on the za outside the Hall of Martial Valor, he was also wearing a red python robe, but despite that both of them upied the same official position, there was actually a vast disparity in status between the two.


    The chief eunuch did dare to get mad at Mao Xiaodong, so he could only carefully urge Mao Xiaodong to pick up the pace over and over again. However, despite the fact that Mao Xiaodong verbally obliged each time, he wasn''t walking any faster at all, and the chief eunuch was feeling so agitated that he was seriously considering picking up Mao Xiaodong and carrying him to the imperial pce.


    Meanwhile, back in Mountain Cliff Academy, Cui Dongshan began to walk back to his own dormitory in ackadaisical fashion after departing from the summit of Eastern Splendor Mountain. He had a peaceful little courtyard to himself, and at this point, Xie Xie''s identity as the prodigious cultivator of the Lu Empire, Xie Lingyue, had already been revealed.


    It was also dered that she was a disciple to Cui Dongshan, so she had moved into the same courtyard to serve him.


    Cui Dongshan made his way into the courtyard, and with a graceful sweep of his sleeve, a go board and two boxes of stones appeared on the stone table. There were already stone stones ced on the board, presenting an extremelyplex middlegame position.


    Cui Dongshan was standing in front of the stone table as he picked up a white stone with a contemtive expression, seemingly pondering the best move to y in the position.


    Having already had half of the Dragon Restricting Nails in her body removed, Xie Xie had already recovered to the fifth tier, and if one were to look closely at her, they would be able to see light surging all over her entire body.


    Cui Dongshan heaved a faint sigh as he ced the white stone back into the box, turning away from the position as he made his way back into the room. There, he sat down and opened a Confucian ssic before intecing his fingers together and cing his hands down onto his legs.


    A gentle breeze blew past to flip over the page of the book sitting in front of him.


    Xie Xie was standing at the entrance of the room with a look of veneration and envy in her eyes.


    That gentle breeze was a gust of book flipping wind that was found only in Confucian schools and academies.


    Unfathomable and unpredictable.


    That was the assessment that both she and Yu Lu had of Cui Dongshan.


    They could never tell what he was thinking or what he was going to do next.


    All of a sudden, the thought of Chen Ping''an sprang into her mind, and she couldn''t help but wonder how Chen Ping''an had been able to make Cui Dongshan submit to him this entire time. Was it really just because of that inexplicable title of teacher that he had somehow managed to obtain?


    A contest of wills was no different from a tug of war, and there had to be a decisive oue.


    Cui Dongshan remainedpletely still, allowing the book flipping wind to flip through the pages of the book in front of him. He looked down at the teachings of the Confucian sages on the book''s pages as he smiled and said, "A''Liang once had a mantra: ''when out in the world, we have to win people over with our morality and defeat our enemies with our handsome looks''.


    ��My teacher is executing this mantra to perfection, and as his disciple, I am earnestly willing to admit defeat to him."


    Xie Xie lowered her head, not daring to reveal her expression.


    Cui Dongshan''s head remained lowered as he snapped, "Get away from me, you ugly bitch! Don''t you feel ashamed staying in the same room as someone as outrageously handsome as myself? If I were you, I would''ve already killed myself from shame and inferiority long ago!"


    Xie Xie extended a curtsey as she said in a quiet voice, "Please pardon this humble servant."


    "If you''re going to die, don''t die in the courtyard," Cui Dongshan added. "There''s a tall ginkgo tree on the mountain summit that you can hang yourself from."


    Xie Xie departed in silence, then sat down onto a stone stool in the yard. As she looked at the position on the go board, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had thought of a way out of her current predicament.


    Upon sensing the abnormal fluctuations in Xie Xie''s aura, Cui Dongshan instantly burst intoughter within the room. He hurriedly sped a hand over his own belly while wiping the tears from his eyes as he guffawed, "You''re thinking that you could marry Chen Ping''an to be my master''s wife? Holy shit, I''m about to die fromughing..."


    Xie Xie was instantly plunged back into the depths of despair, while Cui Dongshan was rolling on the ground with mirth.

 Chapter 171: (1): The Young Girl By the Willow Tree

    Chapter 171: (1): The Young Girl By the Willow Tree


    Mao Xiaodong arrived in a peaceful courtyard to discover Cui Dongshan seated with his legs crossed on a stone stool, humming a tune to himself while facing the positionid out on the go board. His hands were spread open and ced on the edges of the ck and white go stone boxes, and as he pondered the position, he was gently tapping the go stones with his fingers, causing them to tter together audibly.


    Following Mao Xiaodong''s arrival, Cui Dongshan asked, "How did it go? Did Li Er demolish the entire imperial pce?"


    Mao Xiaodong arrived beside the stone table, then took a nce at the position on the board, which was gradually bing more clear-cut. Even after observing the position for a while, he wasn''t able to glean much from it, so he didn''t bother analyzing it any further, and he sat down beside Cui Dongshan as he asked, "What are you plotting? Or should I say, what are the two of you plotting?"


    Cui Dongshan''s gaze remained fixed on the position as he mused, "It hasn''t been long at all since you arrived here, and you''re already beginning to think for the sake of Great Sui Nation! I don''t want to chastise you for switching allegiances, but isn''t it a little unbing of you to switch allegiances this quickly?"


    Mao Xiaodong mmed a palm down onto the stone table, and all of the stones on the go board sprang up before being suspended in mid-air.


    The ck stones were situated slightly higher than the white ones, making them appear like ayered image, but no matter how Mao Xiaodong examined the stones from whichever angle, he was unable to see any hidden meaning behind them. In the end, he gave a cold harrumph, and all of the stones instantly fell back to their original spots with unerring uracy.


    Meanwhile, Cui Dongshan remainedpletely still on his stool as he mused, "Mountain Cliff Academy should just do the same things that it always has and adapt to whatever situation that arises. Why worry so much about things that are outside of your control? Is Mountain Cliff Academy going to disappear if the Great Li Empire conquers Great Sui Nation?


    ��I don''t think so. Great Sui Nation is also unable to instate Mountain Cliff Academy as one of the 72 academies, so what does it matter if Great Sui Nation is conquered and the Mountain Cliff Academy bes part of the Great Li Empire again? It makes no difference anyway."


    A stern look appeared on Mao Xiaodong''s face as he dered, "The heart of Mountain Cliff Academy lies in its students and teachers, not in its name! Even if we set aside the students of the academy from Great Sui Nation, those children who left the Great Li Empire with me are still very young and at a very delicate stage of their development. How are they going to feel with so much uncertainty and unrest around them?"


    Cui Dongshan''s expression remained unchanged as he smiled and remarked, "You have lofty aspirations, but unfortunately, you''re limited by yourck of foresight. The way you see things is too shallow and near-sighted."


    A cold smile appeared on Mao Xiaodong''s face as he sneered, "Of course I don''t have as much foresight as someone as wise as yourself."


    Cui Dongshan rose to his feet, clutching a handful of go stones as he slowly paced around the stone stool and said, "Even if the monastery no longer exists, the monk will still be there. Even if the monk ceases to exist, the Buddhist scriptures will still prevail. Even if the Buddhist scriptures are lost, the teachings of Buddhism will still live on, and even if the teachings of Buddhism are no longer followed, the Buddha himself remains eternal."


    He then raised his hand and sped one hand behind his back while gently flexing his other wrist, casually strolling through the courtyard as he continued, "Everything in this world is temporary and transient, and they should all be viewed as such.


    ��{Whenever you trulye to understand the purpose for the academy''s existence, that''s when Mountain Cliff Academy will reach an unassable position, and when that timees, it doesn''t matter which territory or nation it belongs to."


    "Do you think Mountain Cliff Academy is one of the schools of Confucianism?" Mountain Cliff Academy scoffed. "How could the academy possibly ever reach an unassable position as you described?"


    Cui Dongshan paused in his footsteps, casting his gaze toward Mao Xiaodong from across the stone table as he asked, "Why not?"


    He then took a gentle step forward as he asked, "Why don''t you give it a try?"


    "That''s easy for you to say when none of this rests on your shoulders," Mao Xiaodong replied with a solemn shake of his head.


    Cui Dongshan also shook his head as he sighed, "You really should meet my teacher, Chen Ping''an."


    The early winter sun was hanging high up in the sky, basking Mao Xiaodong in a warm glow, and he smiled as he said, "Chen Ping''an must naturally be an exceptional child for Qi Jingchun to have been willing to assign him with such an important responsibility, but you''re constantly plotting something, like a dog who can''t shake the habit of eating its own shit."


    "Oi oi oi, don''t go around likening me to a dog when you''re the one with dog shit for brains," Cui Dongshan chuckled.


    Mao Xiaodong didn''t want to stay here and trade any more insults with Cui Dongshan, so he stood up to leave, but before doing so, he made sure to get thestugh. "If my brains are dog shit, then your brains would be even more putrid and devoid of substance. Even a dog wouldn''t want to nibble at them!"


    Cui Dongshan burst intoughter. "It sounds like someone''s green with envy."


    Mao Xiaodong began to depart from the courtyard, and his back was facing Cui Dongshan as he dered, "Li Er''s visit to the imperial pce went extremely well, achieving the desired oue without taking things too far, so you better not take things any further than this. If any trouble arises in the future, I''ll hold you ountable. Don''t me me for not warning you in advance."


    An exasperated look appeared on Cui Dongshan''s face. "How could you hold me ountable for the things that Li Er could do? I''m nothing more than an insignificant little ninth tier ant! If my teacher were here, it wouldn''t be difficult to keep Li Er in check. He''s much more capable when ites to reasoning with others than I am."


    Mao Xiaodong turned to Cui Dongshan with a "cid" expression and said, "If possible, I really want to smash open that head of yours to see exactly what''s in there."


    Cui Dongshan raised a hand and adopted the orchid fingers pose, then put on a feminine disy as heined, "You''re such a meanie!"


    Mao Xiaodong immediately turned to depart with a dark expression, looking as if he had just stepped into a pile of dog shit.


    Following Mao Xiaodong''s departure, Cui Dongshan sat back down onto his stone stool, and he extended his fistful of go stones into the air above the go board, then gently released loosened his grip so that one stone after another came slipping out of his grasp.


    Seven or eight stones fell onto the go board in session, and all of them were white stones, thereby disrupting the bnce of stones on the board. In the end, Cui Dongshan crouched down onto the stone stool with both hands empty, and he was resting his chin on his knees with a contemtive look on his face.


    Just as Mao Xiaodong had said, there weren''t many people under the heavens who could tell what Cui Dongshan was thinking at any given time.


    Perhaps Qi Jingchun was the only exception.


    The sound of faint footsteps rang out from the entrance of the courtyard as Xie Xie returned from her lessons, and she set down her things before picking up a broom to sweep away the fallen leaves in the courtyard.


    A gentle breeze blew through the air as she swept her broom over the ground.


    "Xie Xie, do you prefer the Great Li Empire or Great Sui Nation?" Cui Dongshan suddenly asked.


    This was the first time that Xie Xie had been asked such a serious question by Cui Dongshan, and she was momentarily at a loss for how to respond, clutching onto her broomstick in an uneasy manner. Thankfully, she was quite clever, and prior to this, she had already decided that while staying with Cui Dongshan, she wasn''t going to overthink anything.


    No matter how much she tried, there was no way that she would ever be able to outthink him, so it was better to just be candid and straightforward, saying whatever sprang into mind. Even in the worst-case scenario, he would only receive a beating, and she really had nothing to lose.


    With that in mind, she replied, "Great Sui Nation is better suited to someone wishing to lead a peaceful existence, and it''s a veryfortable ce to stay. In contrast, the Great Li Empire is more suited to someone with lofty ambitions, and that''s why it''s a more powerful empire that''s thriving with vitality and itching to conquer those around it.


    ��What''s most remarkable about it is that the Great Li Empire has gradually begun controlling the cultivating powers within its territory, thereby getting closer and closer to establishing absolute supremacy within its own borders."


    Cui Dongshan nodded in response, refraining frommenting on whether he thought her assessment was correct or not, and in a rare disy of mercy, he didn''t insult her for her views.


    Xie Xie immediately became even more convinced that this was the right way to go. Yu Lu was right! In order to protect herself, she had to force herself to be more short-sighted and not think too much about the future.


    All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan asked, "Why have you still not hung yourself? I''ve already been waiting for quite some time to arrange your burial. After you hang yourself, I''ll carry your body down the mountain on my back while sheddings tears and using Cai Jingshen of being a shameless old bastard, stooping as low as to sneak into the academy to vite someone as hideous as yourself.


    ��I would im that after he had his way with you, you were so humiliated that you ended your own life, and that would give me an excuse to pick another fight with him in order to avenge you."


    Xie Xie waspletely dumbstruck upon hearing this.


    Cui Dongshan turned to look at her as he continued, "After I dered to everyone that you were my disciple, I had no choice but to lend you a bunch of treasures, and I''m really beginning to regret that decision."


    Xie Xie immediately lowered her head as she continued to sweep the yard.


    Cui Dongshan took a nce at her elegant figure, then suddenly added, "You know, if my grandson, Cai Jingshen, really were to sneak into your room to have his way with you at night, I''d say he''s doing alright for himself."


    Xie Xie raised her head to stare at Cui Dongshan with a nk expression.


    Cui Dongshan looked straight into her beautiful eyes as he heaved a forlorn sigh. "Right now, only those eyes of yours are befitting the name of Xie Lingyue."


    Tears began to well up in Xie Xie''s eyes, and she lowered her head as she continued to sweep the ground.


    Cui Dongshan heaved another forlorn sigh, then gently waved a hand to stow the go board and the go stone boxes into the pocket treasure jade seal up his sleeve as he mused, "What a terrible eyesore you are. Forget it, I''m going back to my room to read."


    Inside the empty main room was a thatch cushion sitting on top of arge woven straw mat, and with a sweep of his sleeve, Cui Dongshan pulled a Confucian scripture out of a small pile of books sitting in the corner of the room. The booknded in front of him, and it didn''t take long before a gust of book flipping wind began to circle around him.


    The book flipping wind began to flip through the pages of the book, and Cui Dongshan began to read.


    Whenever this happened, Xie Xie would always sit in silence at the entrance of the room, feeling very cid and tranquil as this was the only time that Cui Dongshan wouldn''t target her. Furthermore, this was the first time that she had ever personally witnessed someone able to conjure up such a bizarre and fantastic world just by reading. Prior to this, she hadn''t even heard of anyone else capable of doing something like this.


    After the gust of book flipping wind flipped the book open to the first page, Cui Dongshan began to read aloud in an extremely expressive voice, and as he did so, it was as if droplets of rain were falling onto the page. Shortly thereafter, a lotus flower suddenly appeared between the pages, looking extremely vibrant and life-like.


    One page was flipped over after another, and time slowly passed by.


    An image of two opposing armies appeared between the lines and characters on the page. Each individual general and soldier was far tinier than even a grain of rice, yet their auras werepletely unmatched. A cloud of yellow mist then appeared above the page of the book, as if a cloud of yellow dust had been raised over the battlefield.


    After that, an elegant woman who was only just over an inch in height came walking out of the book''s pages in a graceful manner with a basket of flowers slung over one shoulder.


    Then came a burly, bare-chested with a coarse beard, singing loudly as he vigorously beat arge drum.


    The pages also contained an old woman who was folding clothes, and if one were to listen closely, they would be able to hear the faint rustling of fabric against fabric.


    There were also children chasing each other while riding atop bamboo horses, skeletons armed with des roaming through an eerie tomb, a schr seated with a contemtive expression, as if he were pondering the textid out before him...


    ����


    Regardless of how much Xie Xie resented and feared Cui Dongshan, she had to admit that whenever he was fully focused on his reading, he was like a true breath of fresh air, the very embodiment of purity.


    She simply couldn''t understand how such a terrible person could give off such a sagely visage while reading.


    While Xie Xie was observing Cui Dongshan, she inadvertently fell into a daze, so she failed to notice that on this day, he was disying a rather strange reaction as he reached the end of the book. There was an intense look in his eyes, but an expression of pain and conflict on his face.


    As he was reading, yet another image appeared, this one depicting three people on the same page. It was impossible to make out the facial features of the three figures, but it was clear that their ages varied drastically.


    There was an old man who was standing on the bank of a river, peering into the water with a look of intense concentration.


    Nearby was a lonesome middle-aged man who was looking across at the opposite bank with a contemtive look on his face.


    There was also a young boy riding atop an ox while looking up at the sky. There was a book resting on top of the ox''s horns, while the boy was beginning to nod off in a drowsy fashion.


    In the end, Cui Dongshan suddenly threw up a mouthful of blood, and the image above the pages of the book instantly vanished.


    Xie Xie turned to look at him with an rmed expression, and he wiped the blood from his lips in an expressionless manner as he murmured to himself, "There''s no helping it, I''m simply too far away."


    "Are you alright, Young Master?" Xie Xie asked with a concerned expression.


    Cui Dongshan sped a hand over his own heart, while his other hand clenched into a tight fist, and he instructed in a strained voice, "Go and fetch me that Water Artwork that I lent to you. Hurry!"


    Xie Xie hurriedly did as she was told, going back to her room to fetch an ancient artwork, and she spread it out in front of Cui Dongshan before quickly running back to the entrance of the room.


    Cui Dongshan''s throat began to convulse slightly, and he hurriedly raised a hand before pressing the back of his hand firmly against his own lips. Only after a long while did he lower his hand before taking a deep breath.


    There were a total of 12 Water Artworks under the heavens,and they depicted 12 rivers across four worlds. This was the Water From the Heavens, and it depicted the spectacr scene of a sword piercing through a small world, sending water from a river within said small world cascading down from the heavens.


    Back when Cui Chan was still the first disciple of the Schrly Sage, he had yed a game of go against the city lord of White Emperor City among the clouds, and he had been defeated, but had put up a very good fight. For his efforts, the city lord had bestowed upon him this extraordinarily precious artwork, and Cui Chan had always greatly admired the city lord of White Emperor City.


    Cui Dongshan''s gaze was focused on the water, but his thoughts were with the mountains.


    Thinking back, he had traversed the most difficult mountain terrain under the heavens on his own, and the journey had been even more arduous than ascending to the heavens.


    As soon as this thought sprang into Cui Dongshan''s mind, he couldn''t help but p his own kneecap as he eximed, "What a steep and majestic mountain!"


    All of a sudden, he noticed that a small cliff had appeared on the Water Artwork. The cliff itself waspletely unremarkable, but there was a familiar figure of a young boy standing atop the cliff, facing the water as he peered into the distance.


    Xie Xie was astonished to see this.


    How had Chen Ping''an snuck onto this Water Artwork along with that stone cliff?


    At this point, Cui Dongshan had already regained hisposure, and he brought his palms together with a cheeky grin on his face as he said, "I pay my respects to my esteemed teacher."

 Chapter 172: (1): Encountering Injustice

    Chapter 172: (1): Encountering Injustice


    Without Cui Dongshan''s purposeful interference, Chen Ping''an no longer came across any strange events in his journey afterward. He was finally traveling in the normal world and not traversing through strange and mystical mountains.


    However, Chen Ping''an waspletely oblivious to this, and he even felt a slight sense of disappointment. In fact, he was fairly eager to meet more spirits and ghosts that could broaden his horizons. Right now, there was already no need to worry about Li Baoping and the other children''s safety, and there was also a water snake and a fire python apanying him, both of which had be spirits and could assume human form.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an hoped toe across more weird and wonderful matters. Of course, the condition was that he could simply observe them from a safe distance. That way, he could gain knowledge and broaden his horizons while still remaining safe.


    Unfortunately for Chen Ping''an, however, things remained calm andckluster the entire time, and he was almost about to reach the border of Yellow Court Nation.


    Night fell, and Chen Ping''an decided to spend the night in a quiet and rundown temple beside the mountain path after finishing a session of walking meditation on the water snake''s back. He started a fire and began to cook.


    Even though Chen Ping''an had purposely chosen rtively deste and less-walked paths for his return journey to the Great Li Empire, he still came across many people in the forests and mountains. Most were dressed in fur coats and brocade robes, with sabers or swords hanging by their waists.


    They radiated with the aura and presence of wandering cultivators, though there were also some with fierce expressions and crude appearances. Thetter were clearly people who had chosen more sinister paths. Fortunately, these people only shot a few sideways nces at Chen Ping''an and his twopanions, and they didn''t create more trouble.


    When it came to traveling around the world, those who looked easy to bully �� such as old monks, young Daoist priests, and beautiful Daoist nuns �� were often the most dangerous to provoke and pick on. This was a lesson learned the hard way by many cultivators in the past.


    For Chen Ping''an, it was thanks to the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink that he wasn''t targeted by other cultivators. After all, few normal people would travel through deste areas with two little children following them. Not only that, but these were also extremely refined and delicate-looking little children. Yet, they still had the courage to casually wander around isted mountains and deep forests where wild beasts roamed. As long as one wasn''tpletely stupid, they would definitely think twice before trying to target such a strange group.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an and the two little children had indeede across a group of brutish men who were fleeing from arrest before. These men had harbored ill intentions toward Chen Ping''an and the others, yet they had cautiously trailed the three people from a safe distance, looking for an opportunity to strike. Indeed, the little children looked like they could be squashed to death with a single finger. Yet, after seeing the little boy in azure transform into his true form, that of a terrifying water snake, and upon seeing him cut through the mountains and forests and obliterating everything in his path, the men had been so petrified that they had almost wet their pants.


    The little girl in pink helped collect dry branches for Chen Ping''an, and she kept herself busy the entire time. Meanwhile, the little boy in azure was farzier than her, and he preferred toze around and wait for food to be served. He squatted outside the rundown temple and yawned again and again.


    "Master, there are two groups of people approaching each other on the mountain path, and it won''t be long before theye across each other," he said in azy voice. "On the left-hand side, those people are filled with killing intent, and it seems fairly lively and fun. On the right-hand side, everyone is dressed in fancy clothes and riding majestic horses. Not only that, but there are even beautiful women with shapely long legs.


    "Master, if you''re interested in them, I can snatch them over for you and have them be your mistresses. After you''ve had your fun, you can release them and allow them to return home. If you want topensate them, I can simply give them some treasures or fated opportunities. Perhaps they''ll even thank you for your benevolence, Master..."


    Chen Ping''an''s bum was raised in the air as he exhaled over the embers in the dry branches to help the fire grow. "Don''t cause any trouble when they pass uster," he replied casually.


    The little boy in azure massaged his cheeks in boredom. "Master, if I don''t stretch and get involved in some action soon, even my hands and feet are going to rot and be moldy," he huffed in dissatisfaction.


    Chen Ping''an chose to ignore him.


    Shouts suddenly rang out somewhere along the mountain path that passed by the rundown temple.


    There was a man with a dirt-covered face chasing after a beautiful woman who was fleeing in panic.


    Meanwhile, a brawny man roared withughter and shouted, "Run, bitch, run! Master is finally going to catch you this time. When he gets his hands on you, see how he strips you naked and exposes your supple flesh! Oh, it will take Master a while to decide where he wants to start gobbling you up from!"


    The five or six men beside the bald and brawny man all roared with wantonughter. Theirughs were sinister, and their voices were also filled with a sense of delight and hatred.


    "This kind of sinister woman should be directly thrown into a pot and cooked into a stew! Add some onions and garlic and toss in a pinch of peppercorns... Tsk, tsk, that will definitely be a delicacy! There''s at least a hundred pounds of meat on her, and that will surely be enough for us to enjoy for several meals."


    "Don''t fight me for her! I''ve always liked to eat young pigeons ever since I was a child!"


    The little boy in azure''s eyes lit up.


    Chen Ping''an asked the little girl in pink to help him do some cooking. Meanwhile, he stood up and walked over to the front gate of the rundown temple. The little boy in azure was itching to get involved in the action, yet he had no option but to stay still after Chen Ping''an ced a forceful hand on his head.


    On the other side of the mountain path, there was the clip-clop of hooves and the sounds of joyful conversations. However, this group of people quickly noticed themotion taking ce on the mountain path in front of them. After hearing the crude and vulgar shouts of the bandit-like men, a displeased and ice-cold expression instantly spread across the face of a young woman with a bow slung over her shoulder.


    She nced at the stumbling woman with a voluptuous body before quickly turning her attention to the brutes who were swinging their sabers and swords around as they chased after her. With a cold humph, the young woman put pressure on the horse''s abdomen with her long and shapely legs. The horse instantly sprinted forward, and the young woman shouted, "I''m going over to rescue her!"


    A young man with a sword decorated with a silver tassel immediately ordered his horse to follow after her. After arriving beside the young woman, he smiled and warned in a soft voice, "Zhi Lan, there were outsiders present just then, so it wasn''t appropriate for me to say too much. However, ording to the secret documents of our prefectural office, the Centipede Mountain Range is filled with spirits and demons who like to cause trouble. In fact, there are several great demons in therger mountains who even understand the concept of helping each other out. They''re extremely difficult to deal with.


    "Whenever the local officials ask immortals toe over to help capture the spirits and demons, it''s always the case that we can only capture some weak and insignificant fiends. As for the great demons, they always flee or hide immediately after bing aware of the situation. They''re incredibly cunning and slippery. If it weren''t for the officials bringing cultivators over to clean up the Centipede Mountain Range a short while ago, I wouldn''t have dared to bring you into these mountains."


    Apart from the silver bow that was engraved with ancient talismans, the young woman also had a slender saber in a ck scabbard hanging by her waist. She ced a hand on the hilt of the saber and said in a cold voice, "It would be even better if they''re truly spirits and demons. After all, it''s not only gods and immortals who are capable of ying demons and vanquishing fiends. We can also do this!"


    The young man smiled in exasperation. He didn''t say anything else, and he simply controlled his horse to keep up with the young woman. He could only hope that nothing unexpected would happen while they charged over to deliver justice. Unlike the inexperienced young woman who had only just left her teacher and sect to adventure, he was the descendant of an influential n with government officials. Thus, he was much more experienced and knowledgeable when it came to the dangerous and sinister nature of the world.


    The clothes of the fleeing woman were in tatters, and they were barely able to cover her body. Large swathes of her pale and delicate skin were exposed, making her appear as pitiful as could be. Even though she was also someone who practiced martial arts, it was clear that she was already nearing exhaustion after fleeing from the men for so long, with her footsteps appearing especially feeble.


    Upon seeing the young man and young woman approaching on horseback, she immediately took a deep breath and forcefully summoned the strength to shout, "Please save me, chivalrous cultivators!"


    The young woman removed her cloak and tossed it to the fleeing woman. She then deftly controlled her horse, maneuvering it such that it just scraped past the fleeing woman. She drew her saber and tugged on the reins of the horse, bringing it to a stop.


    "Piss off!" she roared at the brutish men who were pursuing the voluptuous woman. Her aura was overbearing as she angrily red at them.


    Behind her, the young man stopped beside the frightened woman and said with a faint smile, "Everything is okay now,"


    The woman draped the cloak over her shapely body. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she panted heavily as she said in a quivering voice that was filled with lingering apprehension, "Young Master, you and yourpanions must be careful of those strong people in the wilderness who proim themselves to be cultivators. They are indeed able to wield some mystical powers, so it''s best that you warn yourpanions not to act in a hasty or reckless manner.


    "If you''re unable to suppress them, it will be fine as long as you and the youngdy can hold them back for a short while. That will be enough time for me to flee. However, I''ll have to apologize to that chivalrous youngdy about this cloak..."


    The young man was silently observing the woman this entire time, and he didn''t detect anything amiss after hearing her words. He smiled and replied, "There''s no need to flee in such a hurry. It''s still daytime, so I doubt that they''ll dare to do anything too sinister or outrageous. However, if they''re genuinely criminals who have made a habit of killing people and stealing goods, then we can still deal with them even if they''ve cultivated in some sect before. There''s no need to worry, miss. We''ll naturally be able to deal with them, so please feel at ease."


    The woman looked like she wanted to say something, yet she eventually refrained from doing so. She didn''t retort the young man or try to exin things any further, and she simply put on a pitiful expression as she warned, "Young Master, you and yourpanions still need to be careful. Those brutes are capable ofmitting all kinds of evils, and spewing threats and uttering curses are as natural as breathing to them. Please take care and don''t let them soil your ears."


    The young man rxed his guard slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he nodded and replied, "With how kind-hearted you are, you don''t deserve to suffer this kind of danger."


    The woman forcefully bit her lips upon hearing this, and a pained and dejected expression spread across her face as she lowered her head. She burst into tears, and she stammered, "I just feel so sorry for my pitiful husband and daughter... Truly... My daughter was only twelve, and yet... Oh, I can''t live on like this anymore..."


    The other young men on horseback had already arrived beside them at this moment, and after hearing the woman''s words, how could they not understand the extreme tragedy that she had just experienced? When traveling through deste mountains and dangerous waters, there would often be sinister people who stole treasures and kidnapped beautiful women. This wasn''t amon urrence in Yellow Court Nation, yet it couldn''t be regarded as a rare event either.


    A young man who had purposely let his beard grow long instantly red up in anger. Even though he was a short-tempered person who wasn''t easy to deal with no matter in his sect or in the cultivation world, he was someone who couldn''t tolerate the strong picking on the weak. Thus, he angrily dashed forward on horseback and shouted, "Zhi Lan, let me assist you! These detestable criminals all deserve to die!"


    Further down the path, the group of brutish men saw the young woman named Zhi Lan rushing over. Upon seeing the voluptuous woman about to escape, the leader of the group became red-eyed with worry. "Blind little miss, did you just tell me to piss off?!"


    Looking at the young woman''s murderous expression, heughed in anger and spat, "Hurry up and piss off into the distance! You''re a bunch of brats who have yet to grow hair down there and are still drinking your mama''s milk, yet you dare to y the hero already? If it were your sect elders here instead, I would have already rushed over and given them a good p!


    "Hurry up and move out of the way. That woman is an old demon who hasmitted sins for over a hundred years, and she''smitted all kinds of evils that one can imagine. After I capture her and skin her alive, we''ll naturally see whether she''s a human or a demon!"


    The bearded young man who had charged forward by himself immediately drew his sword and pointed it at the brutish leader of the group. Heughed loudly and said in amusement, "Oh, the criminal is slinging usations first?"


    There was an old man in azure robes standing behind the brawny man, and he furrowed his brows and scolded, "Pointing at someone with the tip of your sword? Who taught you such bad manners?!"


    The bearded young man shot a re at him and retorted, "Your bloody ancestors!"


    The old man in azure robes chuckled coldly and said, "Old Song, you guys go over and capture that demondy first. I''ll stay here and teach these younglings a good lesson."


    "Don''t let things drag on for too long. That old demoness is clearly hiding a trump card, so we''ll need to rely on your Rejuvenation Technique just in case we suffer any wounds," the brawny man nodded and said with a solemn expression. He then charged forward with his subordinates,pletely ignoring the young woman and young man who were standing in their way.


    The mountain path was quite narrow, and it was only wide enough to fit three horses side by side. The beautiful young woman who was holding a saber in her hand immediately red at the brutish men and shouted in a stern voice, "You still refuse to stop?!"


    The brawny man flicked the reins of his horse and charged through the gap between the young woman and the bearded young man. Zhi Lan thrust her saber out in an attempt to stop him, yet the brawny man gently raised his saber and easily pushed her de out of the way. The young woman from a famous n who regarded herself as a rtively aplished cultivator was immediately transfixed with shock, with an expression of incredulity spreading across her face.


    The bearded young man was far more short-tempered and vicious than Zhi Lan, and he brutally shed down at the brawny man with his saber. However, the brawny manpletely ignored his attack, and he was instead fully focused on the voluptuous woman standing on the path in front of him. He casually reached over to grab the bearded young man''s saber before tossing it down the mountain.


    The two initially high-spirited youths immediately froze to the spot. It was as if they were a pair of dazed door gods as they allowed the group of criminal-appearing men to charge past them.


    Trailing behind the group of brutish men, the old man in azure slowly navigated over on his horse. He looked at the two astonished youths and sneered, "You two are nothing more than third tier martial artists, yet you still dared to challenge us? You children arepletely unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth. Do you know how many Qi refiners at the Lower Five Tiers have died at the hands of that old demoness? More than your fingers can count! Yet, you measly cultivators want to protect her? Perhaps she''s pondering how to skin and swallow you people, her honorable and righteous saviors, alive!"


    The old man pursed his lips and continued, "In fact, that''s quite hard to say. That old demoness is skilled at a sinister dual cultivation method, and she quite enjoys feeding on the blood essence of strong young men. Three-legged brats like you can indeed die a rtively enjoyable death. Even if you be a ghost, you''ll be a merry one for sure."


    The bearded young man flushed red with embarrassment. "Old geezer, you''re taking things too far!" he bellowed in anger.


    The old man raised an arm and made a pping motion. He was still a fair distance away from the bearded young man, yet a crisp and forceful crack sounded across the young man''s face. The young man was sent flying off his horse, and he tumbled twice in the air before thudding to the ground.


    If a knowledgeable cultivator were present, they would immediately recognize this as an attack that could only beunched by cultivators who were at least lesser grandmasters at the fourth or fifth tier. Meanwhile, those who were at the sixth or seventh tier would be superior grandmasters who possessed the strength and right to found their own forces in a nation.


    As for legendary cultivators at the eighth or ninth tier? It was almost impossible toe across such lofty cultivators, and which one of them wouldn''t be the esteemed guest of mortal emperors and rulers? Thus, these legendary cultivators were already transcendent above the ordinary cultivation world.


    The young woman was rtively smart and strong-willed, and she immediately turned around and warned her friend, "Be careful of that woman!"

 Chapter 173: Life Is Like a Journey

    Chapter 173: Life Is Like a Journey


    There were gatherings, and there were farewells �� life was full of willow branches[1].


    In the long river of time, there were many ferry stations where people reluctantly parted with theirpanions. In each section of time that was like a short journey, there would be those who boarded the ferry, and there would also be those whonded. When the ferry arrived at the next station, there would then be a new round of gatherings and farewells.


    Indeed, that hard-working young boy from y Vase Alley who neverined about his situation had already experienced many reluctant farewells in the previous ferry station.


    Dawn arrived, and Li Er along with his wife and daughter had already finished packing their luggage. They bade farewell to everyone at the foot of Eastern Splendor Mountain, andpared to the farewell at the small town, Li Huai was no longer as simple-minded as before. Back in the small town, he had felt like his parents and sister''s departure would give him more freedom and also allow him to eat tanghulu and drumsticks every day. Now, however, he felt a sense of mncholy. The little boy had grown up, after all.


    Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Yu Lu, Xie Xie, and the handsome Cui Dongshan all came over to bid farewell to Li Huai''s family.


    The rims of the woman''s eyes were red, and she was unwilling to let go of her son hands. She continued to prattle on about how he needed to wear more in winter, how he needed to eat and drink enough, and so on. Li Huai quietly listened to his mother talk.


    Meanwhile, Li Er appeared naive as stood beside them, and Li Liu helped her younger brother smooth the wrinkles on his brand-new clothes that were already neat enough. She then looked back at the que hanging on the front gate of Mountain Cliff Academy,pletely ignoring the judgemental gazes of Yu Lu and Xie Xie as she did so.


    Li Huai''s mother finally finished speaking to her son and decided to reluctantly leave, and she forcefully kept herself from turning around to look at him as she walked away. Li Er patted Li Huai''s head and smiled as he followed behind his wife. Behind them, Li Liu patted her younger brother''s shoulder and curtsied to his friends before leaving in a calm andposed manner.


    Li Huai gently kicked Lin Shouyi. The aloof young boy was tightly gripping a letter in his sweaty hand, and he shook his head as he looked at the disappearing figure of the young girl. "Next time," he murmured.


    Li Huai wasn''t willing to appear sad in front of his friends, and he forcefully suppressed his feelings of sadness and anxiety as he found an interesting topic to talk about. "Cui Dongshan, if you''re Chen Ping''an''s student, while all of us are Mr. Qi''s students, and since Li Baoping refers to Chen Ping''an as Junior Uncle, what''s the rtionship between us?" he asked with a chuckle.


    Cui Dongshan sped his hands behind his back and appeared extremely handsome and graceful as he replied in a smug voice, "I''m the first disciple of my master, so my seniority is very high. In fact, it''s tens of thousands of miles higher than this Eastern Splendor Mountain."


    Li Huai faltered upon hearing this, and he asked, "So we have to refer to you as Big Brother?"


    "Big Brother?" Cui Dongshan repeated.


    He immediately became panicked, and he eximed, "Your entire family is filled with big brothers! I''m not going to be your big brother! Apart from this, you can call me whatever you want."


    Li Huai was slightly dumbfounded, and he suggested, "Then I''ll call you Junior Brother? But this sounds a little awkward."


    Cui Dongshan''s eyes lit up, and he said, "Little Brother sounds good! Not only is it respectful, but there''s also a sense of geniality with this title. In the future, all of you can refer to me as Junior Brother. The same goes for you two as well, Yu Lu and Xie Xie. There''s no need to call me Master in the future. This is far too stiff, so just call me Junior Brother like Baoping and the others."


    Li Baoping humphed and said, "I haven''t agreed yet!"


    The little girl wearing the bright red jacket charged out the archway.


    "Li Baoping, we still have sses afterward!" Li Huai shouted.


    "I know that I''ll be punished and forced to copy those articles, so I already finished copying them outst night! What''s there to be afraid of? I need to wander around and familiarize myself with this ce first, or else how can I show Chen Ping''an around the city in the future?" Li Baoping raised her little head up high as she shouted this in response and sprinted off into the distance. She chased after a flock of pigeons in the sky, and the squawks of the birds rang out one after another and traveled over the bustling capital of Great Sui Nation.


    "Then bring me along with you!" Li Huai shouted.


    Li Baopingpletely ignored him. Compared to her small figure that was running further and further away from the academy, her mind was already wandering in somece even further away.


    ��������


    After arriving in a mountain range on the border of Yellow Court Nation, Chen Ping''an stopped for a rest and washed his face in a small stream running through the mountains.


    Unlike the little girl in pink, who was carrying someone else''s bookcase, the little boy in azure possessed a pocket treasure that was filled with all kinds of weird and wonderful trinkets. In the beginning, he hadn''t wanted to unt his possessions to his master. After setting his sights on obtaining a snake gall pebble, however, he couldn''t help but think about this matter every day. Thus, he started to take out his possessions and beg Chen Ping''an to trade a snake gall pebble with him.


    At this moment, the little boy in azure retrieved a collection of small bottles that came in all shapes and sizes. He squatted down beside Chen Ping''an and started to exin the interesting nature of these bottles to his master. Picking out a pinkish-green y bottle and pulling out its cork, the little boy in azure poured its contents out into the stream in front of them. Before long, the gentle glow of the moon rushed out into the stream, appearing as dreamlike and illusory as could be.


    The little boy in azure grinned and asked, "How is it, Master? Isn''t it beautiful? This is a magnificent moon bottle that cultivators are extremely fond of. Apart from this, there are also iridescent cloud bottles, sun radiance bottles, and a whole heap of other bottles. These bottles are used to collect iridescent clouds and celestial radiance from the Five Mountains, though the spiritual energy contained within them is naturally inferior to the spiritual energy contained within the small worlds and blessednds. However, the contents of these bottles are extremely beautiful when they''re poured out, right? What do you say, Master?"


    Chen Ping''an was indeed slightly astonished. The dense mountain forest was slightly dark and shadowy even though it was daytime, yet looking at the flowing moonlight in the small stream, Chen Ping''an genuinely felt like all kinds of peculiar and wonderful things existed in the world.


    The little boy in azure continued to persuade Chen Ping''an, saying, "Exchanging one bottle for one snake gall pebble is naturally an unfair deal. I still have three reverberating bottles with me, and the name of these bottles is derived from the saying ''music reverberates around the room, not ceasing for three days''[2]. These bottles are all filled with the most ethereal sounds in the world. This bottle is filled with the sound of croaking frogs, this bottle is filled with thepping ofrge tides, and this bottle is filled with the rustling of pine trees on a tall mountain.


    "Just think about it, Master! When you uncork one of these bottles when you go to bed, you''ll hear the gentlepping of water beside your pillow. Just how rxing is this? Are you not tempted? I have so many precious bottles here, yet all I''m asking for is a single snake gall pebble! Only a single one! Master, if you nod and agree, then these seven or eight bottles are all yours. If you refuse such a generous offer, you''ll face the retribution of heaven and earth..."


    Chen Ping''an silently calcted the number of snake gall pebbles he had remaining in the small town. He still had quite some high-quality snake gall pebbles remaining, so he nodded and said with a smile, "Deal."


    The little girl in pink was furiously waving her hands beside them, and she gestured with her eyes in an attempt to dissuade Chen Ping''an from epting the little boy''s offer.


    However, the little boy in azure crammed all of the bottles into Chen Ping''an''s arms before starting to skip around in joy. He raised two fingers at the little girl in pink and bragged, "I have one more snake gall pebble than you. I''m already one tier above you right now, so after we arrive in Master''s hometown and after I eat my snake gall pebbles, I''ll be two tiers higher than you, silly girl. At that time, you need to show some self-awareness and stop following Master around and embarrassing him in front of everyone. Just one schrly attendant is enough for Master. He doesn''t need any silly maidservants or whatnot..."


    The corners of the little girl''s lips curled downward, and she scrunched up her delicate little face as if she were about to cry.


    "If you keep bullying her, then I''ll have no option but to go back on my word," Chen Ping''an said in exasperation.


    The little boy in azure immediately coughed and said to the little girl in a serious voice, "You need to be more careful and attentive when looking after Master''s clothing and food in the future, understand? For example, you should immediately transform into a beautiful young girl after eating your snake gall pebble. When Master feels the urge in the future, you can warm his bed for him, and the two of you can enjoy long and wonderful nights..."


    After putting the precious bottles away, Chen Ping''an pped the little boy in azure on the back of the head and scolded him. "Stop spewing nonsense."


    The little boy in azure feigned a respectful bow and said, "Yes, as youmand, Master."


    Chen Ping''an squatted down on a rock in the stream again, took out a biscuit, and started to nibble on it. "Do you guys know what a Dragon King Basket is?" he asked casually.


    The faces of the two little children became slightly pale. The little boy in azure became extremely stiff, and to say nothing of cracking jokes, he couldn''t even summon the strength to walk.


    The little girl in pink carefully exined, "I''ve read about this in ancient books, and as long as a Qi refiner tosses such a treasure into arge river, they can definitely seed in capturing a flood dragon. The most terrifying thing about this treasure is that flood dragons and rted species should naturally enjoy a huge advantage when they''re in the water. Indeed, they won''t be at a disadvantage even against Qi refiners who are one or two tiers above them. If their opponent has a Dragon King Basket, however, then they''ll be at a disadvantage even if the Qi refiner is one or two tiers below them. In other words, Qi refiners will be able to capture us with ease."


    The little boy in azure instinctively retreated several steps from Chen Ping''an. He squatted down in the distance and added, "It''s not that simple. After being captured and trapped inside the Dragon King Basket, the pain that we''ll suffer is no lesser than the pain of a mortal human being tossed into a pot of boiling oil. We''ll suffer agonizing pain as if we''re being relentlessly cut by tens of thousands of knives. This is a secret technique from the ancient Shu Nation''srgest sect that can''t be revealed to outsiders. They''re the only ones who can weave Dragon King Baskets, and they sell these treasures to Qi refiners who desire to capture rtives of flood dragons like us."


    His voice was quivering, and he waved his fist as he continued, "A Dragon King Basket this small will be enough to capture me."


    Chen Ping''an held his hands out and gestured in the air, asking, "Then what about one this big?"


    To say nothing of the little boy in azure who understood the immensely powerful nature of Dragon King Baskets, even the little girl in pink was frightened into silence at this moment.


    The little boy''s expression was sullen as he replied, "Master, I''ve never even heard of such arge Dragon King Basket existing in the world before, let alone seen one. It can''t be that you have one, right?"


    He suppressed the urge to give up his second snake gall pebble and exined in an uncertain voice, "If such arge Dragon King Basket truly exists, then even an old ancestor who has transformed into a flood dragon for thousands of years will have no option but to obediently surrender. Master, do you feel like those bottles aren''t beautiful enough? It''s okay, you can keep them and y with them as you see fit. If you genuinely don''t like them, then you can simply return them to me when we reach your hometown. As for the snake gall pebble, Master can decide whether to give it to me or not depending on your mood..."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether tough or to cry. "I don''t have a Dragon King Basket, and even if I did, the two of you wouldn''t need to worry about anything."


    No wonder Prince Gao Xuan from Great Sui Nation had felt so apologetic after buying that golden carp and Dragon King Basket. Apart from giving Chen Ping''an a pouch of gold essence copper coins, he had also thanked Chen Ping''an during his stay in the capital of Great Sui Nation.


    When seeing that man with the fish basket and golden carp in the small town at the time, Chen Ping''an had immediately noticed something extraordinary about the two items. After all, how could a carp still be alive and flopping around after being caught and out of water for so long?


    However, he had genuinely been too poor, and he had barely been able to sustain himself for a very long time. Thus, how would he dare to spend money carelessly? After starting work in the dragon kilns and earning some copper coins, Chen Ping''an still didn''t dare to make any unnecessary purchases. Even so, it was still extremely difficult for him to afford food and necessities.


    In any case, the arrival of Gao Xuan and the old man had prevented him from buying the fish and the basket.


    Chen Ping''an tossed a pebble into the stream. He was feeling slightly despondent at this moment, and this wasn''t because he had lost a huge fated opportunity. Instead, it was because he felt like he had lost a huge mountain of gold and silver.


    At the end of the day, what he cared about was the money.


    In reality, Chen Ping''an was unaware of the fact that the man had been none other than Li Huai''s father and one of Old Man Yang''s disciples, Li Er. At that time, Li Er had been at the peak of the ninth tier. Moreover,pared to the gatekeeper of the small town who had been responsible for collecting gold essence copper coins, Li Er had a far better impression of Chen Ping''an.


    As for why he hadn''t directly gifted the fish and basket to Chen Ping''an, there was a profound reason behind this. Those who cultivated the same Dao as Old Man Yang had always ced great emphasis on the notion of fairness. Thus, Li Er had casually named a price and given Chen Ping''an the opportunity to haggle with him. That way, things would appear rtively more fair and realistic.


    However, it was a pity that the prince from Great Sui Nation had appeared halfway. Li Er had already been bending the rules, so the appearance of the prince and the old man had instantly caused him to be alert. He hadn''t dared to give the fated opportunity to Chen Ping''an anymore, and he had also been scolded by Old Man Yang after the fact. Not only that, but Old Man Yang had also revealed a cruel truth to him. If Chen Ping''an had truly managed to obtain the golden carp and Dragon King Basket, it was extremely difficult to say whether he would have been able to leave the small town alive.


    All kinds of undercurrents were swirling around the small town, and even until today, Chen Ping''an was still unable to understand the true nature of his hometown.


    When it came to the Great Dao, it was always the case that dangers and opportunities woulde hand in hand. Whether an action could be regarded as a friend adding insult to injury or an enemy helping in a time of adversity, things wouldn''t be clear until much further down the track.


    Chen Ping''an and the two little children set off again. They set up camp on a mountain peak at night, and Chen Ping''an still did his standing meditation before sitting next to the small fire for a while. Only afterward did he go to sleep. This had already be a habit of his. This was the case even though there was no longer a need for him to stay awake for guard duty.


    It waste at night, and silence enveloped the entire mountain peak.


    Sitting beside the fire, the little boy in azure added some dry branches to the mes. He gestured to the little girl in pink with his finger and said, "Silly girl,e over here."


    The little girl was leaning on Cui Dongshan''s bookcase in the distance, and she furiously shook her head and replied, "No."


    The little boy in azure smiled with squinted eyes and reassured, "I promise that I won''t eat you."


    The little girl stubbornly refused to go over.


    The little boy in azure became slightly angry, and he threatened, "If you don''te over, then I''ll genuinely go over there to gobble you up! What''s wrong with you? You refuse to ept my reasonable request, and you''ll only yield after a beating?"


    The little girl in pink had no option but to summon her courage and walk over.


    "Say, Master is such an ordinary and uninteresting person, so how does he have such a vicious and terrifying student?" the little boy asked.


    The little girl thought about this for a moment before replying, "Master is a kind-hearted person, and good people will always be blessed with good karma."


    The little boy in azure chuckled coldly and retorted, "Can kind-heartedness feed a person?"


    The little girl shrunk back in apprehension.


    "And you''re actually a fifth tier fire python, huh?" the little boy sneered. "Not only that, but you also possess some unique capabilities. Can you please show some spine?"


    The little girl genuinely showed some spine at this moment, and she retorted in a soft voice, "You were hunted by the grand elder of Spirit Charm Sect for over 1000 kilometers, so why didn''t you show some spine at that time?"


    In a rare turn of events, the little boy in azure didn''t be angry after hearing this. Instead, he patiently exined, "I wasn''t afraid of that old witch. She''s truly a shameless person, and she still smeared several kilograms of makeup on her face even though she''s already so old. In any case, I was unable to unleash my full power. If I had chosen to eat that old witch, I would have angered the entire Spirit Charm Sect and brought their wrath down upon Brother River God as well. I couldn''t bring myself to do this."


    The little girl in pink secretly turned around and rolled her eyes.


    She only dared to do this much.


    "Silly girl, are you trying to rebel?!" the little boy in azure huffed in anger. "You really can''t go three days without a beating, huh?! Just because you''ve got my master supporting you now, you''re going to ignore your actual master?"


    The little girl was terrified, and she was just about to shout for Chen Ping''an.


    The little boy in azure hurriedly waved his hands and gestured for her to calm down. He sighed and changed the topic, saying, "Master is only a second tier martial artist, and even though he''s no weaker than ordinary third tier martial artists, both of us are well aware of the fact that he''s still very feeble and weak. Moreover, his lifestyle and manner of speaking clearly demonstrate the fact that he''s not from a wealthy family. Does he truly own five mountains in his hometown? Does he truly possess so many snake gall pebbles? Perhaps his vicious student was purposely lying to us? Perhaps he wanted to trick us into some small and pathetic mountain?"


    The little girl in pink curled up and gazed at the mes that she had a strong natural affinity with. She felt a reassuring warmth wash over her, and she murmured, "I don''t really mind. The two current generations of descendants in the Zhn Cao n all have ulterior motives, and they''re all unable to live up to the expectations of the schrly atmosphere that their ancestors worked so hard to cultivate. I never liked any of them in the first ce. So, it''s actually quite nice to follow Master back to his hometown."


    The little boy in azure had a solemn expression, and the mischievous grin that he always wore was no longer visible on his face. He sighed with emotion and said in a soft voice, "The Cao n has indeed veered down the wrong path. However, they were left with little option but to do so. If it were someone else, they would have chosen the same path as well. If one can be an immortal, who would still be willing to stupidly study and attend imperial examinations?


    "Cultivating one''s own character to a state of high virtue, bringing virtue to the world, and educating the masses? These are nothing more than lies told by the Confucian sages. After living in the Imperial River for so many years, I witnessed heaps of schrs experiencing misfortunes and acting against the Confucian teachings.


    "Ignoring everyone else and only focusing on the governors and overseers, which one of them didn''t act like a pathetkey when seeing Brother River God? In fact, they were even more obsequious than when they saw the imperial officials in the capital. If some cultivator caused trouble, these people would immediately rush over to ask Brother River God to mediate. If my brother were in a bad mood, he would sometimes ignore them and leave them outside his temple for several days. During this time, those people wouldn''t even dare to make a peep. How utterly boring."


    The little girl in pink wanted to say something, yet she ultimately decided to remain silent.


    The little boy in azure chuckled and said, "Master has already fallen asleep, yet the night is still young for me. I still don''t feel like going to sleep. Short as it may be, the spring night is worth thousands of taels of gold... Silly girl, why don''t you be my wife?"


    The eyes of the little girl in pink instantly became red, and she scolded, "Stinky hooligan!"


    The little boy in azure widened his eyes and eximed, "What''s wrong? This will be a huge fortune for you! In fact, it''s as if fortune is rising from the graves of your ancestors, understand?! Do you genuinely think that I like you? If I weren''t coveting the snake gall pebble that you''ve yet to obtain..."


    The little girl stood up and announced, "I''m going to tell Master!"


    The little boy had no option but to relent again. He furiously waved his hands and begged, "Don''t be like this, okay? Why don''t we be brother and sister with each other? After bing sworn brother and sister, your things will be my things, and my things will also be my things..."


    Carrying the bookcase on her back, the little girl in pink decided to run away from the little boy.


    The little boy in azure stood up andughed loudly as he ced his hands on his hips. Afterward, he pursed his lips and grumbled in a disinterested mood, "She''s truly a silly girl."


    He sprinted to the peak of a mountain cliff and suddenly dered in a loud voice, "In the world between heaven and earth, both you and I are travelers making temporary stops! Taking the silly girl with me, I''m going to return home with Master!"


    Chen Ping''an should have been fast asleep, yet the corners of his lips curled up into a smile when he heard this. Only at this moment did he stop channeling the Eighteen Stops technique and truly fall asleep.


    1. A custom where willow branches are broken off and offered as a farewell gift. ?


    2. An idiom extracted from ''Liezi - Tangwen''. This refers to music so beautiful that one can''t forget it. ?

 Chapter 174: (1): Snowfall in the Major Snow Solar Term

    Chapter 174: (1): Snowfall in the Major Snow Sr Term


    From arge river in Yellow Court Nation that originated from the Great Li Empire, Chen Ping''an caught an unexpectedrge fish, and the little girl in pink used it to cook up a delicious fish soup.


    After filling their bellies, the trio sat down for a chat.


    Chen Ping''an had read in some books that immortals were able to absorb the essence of the sun and the moon and get by without food entirely, and he wanted to know whether this was actually useful for advancing one''s cultivation base.


    The little girl in pink immediately nodded vigorously in response, while the little boy in azure shook his head while skipping some stones across the river as he replied, "The benefits are so minor that they''re entirely negligible. When ites to descendants of flood dragons like us, the key of our Great Dao is to rely on the natural environment and harness the fortune of mountains and rivers. Everything else isrgely useless and ineffective."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he asked, "If it still provides at least some benefit, then why not make use of it? Both of you want to evolve into flood dragons, and in the future, you''ll have to pick out arge river that''ll allow you to travel straight into the sea. Only then will you be able to attain the bodies of True Dragons and fulfill your Great Dao. Is that not sufficient reason for you to work hard in your cultivation?"


    The little boy in azure skipped one final stone across the water, then pped his hands together as he replied with a smile, "Cultivation is a matter of talent, not hard work."


    "If you possess talent for cultivation, doesn''t that mean you should work even harder so you don''t squander that talent?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The little boy in azure faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied, "Ah, Master, I''m suddenly beginning to get a headache. I must''ve caught a cold or something, so I need to go and sleep."


    Chen Ping''an was rather amused to hear this.


    "But you''re a water snake, how could you possibly have..."


    Before he had a chance to finish, the little boy in azure had already jumped into the river, where he immediately vanished, only to be reced by an enormous water snake that was swimmingnguidly over the riverbed, resembling a monarch inspecting the territory under their jurisdiction.


    "Don''t mind him, Master, he''s justzy," the little girl in pink said in a quiet voice. "However, his aptitude and bloodline are both superior to mine, and his physical body is naturally more powerful as well. Even if I cultivate for two or three more centuries, I won''t be able to catch up to him."


    "In that case, don''tpare yourself with him. Justpare yourself with yourself and aim to be a little better today than you were yesterday, and a little better tomorrow than you are today," Chen Ping''an consoled.


    The little girl in pink was immediately reinvigorated. "You''re right, Master! No wonder you''re still working so hard in practicing your fist techniques, even though you''re only a second tier martial artist, Master. As the saying goes, a dumb bird must make an early start..."


    The little girl in pink hurriedly pped her hands over her own mouth here, realizing that she had just likened Cheng Ping''an to a dumb bird.


    Chen Ping''an was very amused to hear this, and he said, "You''re right, I am indeed a dumb bird, and that''s why I have to work extra hard."


    After that, he began to practice his walking meditation along the riverbank, and even for someone with as steadfast a personality as the little girl in pink, she was starting to grow bored of seeing Chen Ping''an''s walking meditation, having already witnessed it so many times.


    Several dayster, Chen Ping''an slowly made his way up a mountain while using a length of bamboo as a walking stick, and during the climb, he picked up a handful of soil in a solemn fashion, then carefully ced it into a small cotton pouch that he had prepared in advance.


    The pouches of soil had gradually umted to be the heaviest item in the entire basket, and both the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure had refrained from asking why he was doing this, regarding it as some type of secret to Chen Ping''an''s cultivation.


    Initially, the little boy in azure was feeling quite d that he no longer had to adopt his true form and carry Chen Ping''an on his back, but after walking at such a slow pace for such a long time, his patience was wearing thin. However, he didn''t dare to question Chen Ping''an''s itinerary, so he could only make some conversation to stave off his boredom.


    "Master, why were you so frugal back in the prefectural city that we passed by? If you''re short on money, you can spend mine! I have a ton of money, so don''t be afraid of running out. Even if we spend all of the silver that I''m carrying, I can just go to any river and quickly unearth a bunch of treasures to be sold for money."


    "I''ve heard that cultivation is an endeavor that''s extremely taxing on one''s finances, so..."


    It was clear that Chen Ping''an was about tounch into one of his spiels again, and the little boy in azure immediately dered, "I was lying to you just now, Master! I''mpletely broke!"


    He was willing to do anything to avoid hearing Chen Ping''an''s boring spiels.


    However, in the end, the little boy in azure was still unable to stand the loneliness, and after Chen Ping''an fell silent, he initiated the conversation once again. "Master, I don''t mean to criticize you or anything, but we cultivate so that we can spend as much money as we want and earn back just as much with ease.


    ��We''re supposed to be heroes who live our lives to the fullest and stamp our mark on this world! We don''t cultivate in order to be petty misers who are concerned with every single trivial little thing..."


    Chen Ping''an offered no refutation to this, merely continuing to make his way slowly up the mountain.


    It was clear that he and the little boy in azure were bound to part ways someday even though they were walking on the same path for now.


    This was one of the most important insights that Chen Ping''an had gleaned on his trip to Great Sui Nation with Li Baoping and the others.


    ��������


    On the border between Yellow Court Nation and the Great Li Empire, Chen Ping''an encountered a natural disaster that shook the very earth beneath his feet. Dust could be seen rising up in all directions on a distant mountain summit, and upon spotting this phenomenon, Chen Ping''an had rushed toward the scene with the two children in tow. In the end, they arrived in a small city in Yellow Court Nation, where they were greeted by a horrific sight.


    The city walls had copsed along with countless houses and temples. Close to half of the city''s residents had lost their homes, and everyone was in a state of despair. There were Daoist priests of different ages rushing in and out of the temples, disying all types of different emotions, with the younger Daoist priestsmenting the disaster that had befallen the city, while the older ones were looking quite ted, as if they had somehow profited from the disaster.


    Thankfully, order in the city was still being maintained rtively well, and Chen Ping''an only ran into a group of thugs that were terrorizing a young boy and a young girl who were brother and sister and had lost their parents to the disaster. Chen Ping''an immediately intervened, preventing the thugs from abducting the young girl to be sold as a prostitute.


    These thugs were taking advantage of the situation for their own personal benefit, and after a couple of them were forced back into retreat by a punch and a kick from Chen Ping''an, all of them quickly scurried away.


    After that, Chen Ping''an left the pair of orphaned siblings 20 taels of silver before departing. In the end, he decided to take a rest in an abandoned martial sage temple, and to his surprise, despite the fact that the temple was in a state of disrepair, it hadn''t been harmed in the slightest during the earthquake that had just taken ce.


    A painted y statue of the martial stage was standing atop a pedestal, looking down with an authoritative expression.


    It only took a single nce at the martial stage statue for the little boy in azure to figure out why this temple was the only ce that had remainedpletely unharmed during the earthquake. "This is a tiny temple in a small city, and it''s clearly not getting enough visitors and incense offerings.


    ��If you don''t have enough to eat, you''ll starve to death, and that applies to both humans and deities. Hence, the deity of this temple is already long gone, so it''s naturally unable to protect the entire city, and it can only just barely keep this temple intact."


    The little girl in pink didn''t have the knowledge and experience of the little boy in azure, but her personality was more pure and innocent. She extended a respectful bow toward the martial stage statue, and after noticing that Chen Ping''an had begun sweeping the ground, she decided to help out by wiping away the dust on the altar.


    The little boy in azure didn''t dare to insult Chen Ping''an, so he could only turn to the little girl in pink with a mocking sneer on his face as he jeered, "You''re just a little fire python who''s read a handful of books, why are you trying to suck up to a deity like this?


    ��Also, during that massive battle that took ce all those years ago, the entire world underwent a massive revolution, and as descendants of flood dragons, we are seen asplete traitors. It''s a good thing that this lowly deity isn''t here anymore.


    ��Otherwise, that bow of yours would''ve definitely been seen as provocation, and the deity would''ve perhaps been goaded into revealing his true form, appearing in the form of his godly body to smash your head open with a single punch! If that were to happen, I would definitely p and cheer him on!"


    "Why are you flood dragons considered to be traitors?" Chen Ping''an asked with a curious expression.


    The little boy in azure realized that he had said something that he shouldn''t, and he hurriedly closed his mouth before shaking his head vigorously.


    The little girl in pink went even further, pping her hands over her mouth as she turned to Chen Ping''an with a pitiable expression, putting on an adorable disy that said: "Please don''t ask me, Master. I wouldn''t dare to tell you anything even if I knew."


    The entire sky was filled with resplendent red clouds, and Chen Ping''an and the little girl in pink started a fire and began to cook in the temple. Meanwhile, the little boy in azure was waiting with a bored expression for food to be served, walking back and forth along the tall doorstep as he did so.


    All of a sudden, he jumped down before quickly making his way down the steps, where a pair of siblings had arrived. He then cleared his throat and put on a high and mighty demeanor as he asked, "You''re looking for my master, right? What business do you have with him? If you''re hoping that our master will provide the two of you with further assistance, then I suggest you leave right away. However..."


    A sly grin appeared on the face of the little boy in azure as he took a nce at the young girl. Her clothes were very shabby, much like the clothes worn by Chen Ping''an, and her looks weren''t anything outstanding, but she had an exceptional figure, and despite her age, she already had possessed the allure of a voluptuous grown woman, which was a very rare trait for someone so young.


    The smile on the face of the little boy in azure faded as he continued with a serious expression, "If you feel like there''s no way for you to repay my master other than to give yourself over to him to warm his bed at night, then I''ll inform him of your arrival right away."


    The young boy was the older of the two siblings, and an enraged look appeared on his face as he turned to leave, but her sister gently tugged on his sleeve, and only then did he discover that their savior had already emerged from the martial sage temple.


    Chen Ping''an gave the little boy in azure a firm flick on the forehead, then said with an apologetic expression, "Don''t mind him, he likes to joke around a lot."


    "It''s alright, my brother and I aren''t offended," the young girl replied in a shy manner.


    As it turned out, the two of them hade to deliver some food to Chen Ping''an. None of them were very good with words, so not long after Chen Ping''an epted the food from the pair of siblings, the boy turned to depart, while the girl extended a rather awkward curtsey toward Chen Ping''an before taking her leave as well.


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh, then made his way back to the martial sage temple. The little boy in azure was still skipping around on top of the doorstep, and Chen Ping''an said to him in a gentle voice, "I know you don''t have any bad intentions, but don''t go around constantly making jokes when talking to others. Sometimes, you may not mean any harm with your words, but they can still be very hurtful nheless and leave scars for many years."


    A hint of displeasure appeared in the eyes of the little boy in azure, but he disguised it very well, and he nodded as he gave an affirmative response, and that was the end of the matter.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t speak any further on the subject as he returned to the martial sage temple to practice his seated meditation.


    From a very young age, Gu Can, who had also previously lived on y Vase Alley, had held arge number of grudges against his "enemies". Whenever he mentioned those people to Chen Ping''an in private, he would always be filled with resentment and hatred, and despite his tender age, he was already considering doing heinous things such as digging up the ancestral graves of the people who had wronged him.


    It was very difficult to say who was at fault in this matter, but ording to the Schrly Sage, when looking at such matters in sequential order, it could be determined that many of the knots in Gu Can''s heart had originated from some seemingly inconsequential insults and jibes.


    The little boy in azure nced at the little girl in pink, who was busy at work, then turned his gaze toward the meditating Chen Ping''an, and he wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so in the end. However, it seemed that suppressing what he wanted to say was only making him feel more agitated, and he began to pace back and forth faster on the doorstep.


    In the end, he was unable to resist the urge to speak up any longer, and he stood still on the doorstep while swinging back and forth, falling toward the interior of the temple one moment, then leaning back out of the temple the next as he said to Chen Ping''an, "What an ungrateful little wretch that boy is! He couldn''t even take a light-hearted joke.


    ��If you ask me, he should''ve just died in that earthquake! He''s got no redeeming traits, yet he''s more arrogant than anyone! He deserves to live a life of pain and suffering!"


    Chen Ping''an remained seated on the ground in a meditative state, offering no response.


    The little boy in azure was silent for a moment, and a cold look appeared in his eyes as he glowered intently at Chen Ping''an, but he didn''t his best to put on a joking tone as he continued, "Master, when we''re out in the world, we have to help those who are close to us rather than always dogmatically thinking about right and wrong.


    ��Only then will we be able to do well for ourselves. Besides, I didn''t even do anything to that pair of siblings. You treated them with such kindness, and the sister disyed the gratitude that you deserved, but her brother was a real nasty piece of work. Part of the reason why he was so angry was because he felt humiliated that I had made that joke about his sister, but the main reason is his inferiorityplex.


    ��Deep down, he knows that he''s nothing more than a useless piece of trash, and that even if that disaster hadn''t befallen his family, he still wouldn''t have been able to protect his sister anyway. If someone like him continues to remain so stubborn and unyielding in the future, then he''s only going to get himself into more trouble. Hence, I was fooling around with them for their sake, Master."


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes upon hearing this, and after carefully pondering what he had heard he nodded in response. "What you said is correct, but there is a sequence to right and wrong. You can''t retroactively justify something that you did wrong with something that you did right aftermitting the initial unjust deed."


    The little boy in azure concealed his hands within his sleeves as he clenched them into tight fists. At the same time, he lowered his head, seemingly afraid that Chen Ping''an would be able to glean his turbulent emotions through his eyes. Back in the Imperial River, he had been able to do whatever he pleased, reigning supreme over all other beings in the river with the exception of the river god.


    At this moment, his heart was burning with fury, and he wanted nothing more than to kill this infuriating "master" of his with a single punch, then devour the fire python to supplement his own cultivation, using her as a stepping stone on the way to fulfilling his own Great Dao.


    The little boy in azure turned around and jumped down from the doorstep as he dered, "I''m going to apologize to them now, Master."


    He had said this in a lighthearted tone, but his expression was twisted with violent fury and killing intent.


    Following his departure, the little girl in pink said in a fearful voice, "He really was very angry just now, Master. Given his personality, if he had been back in the Imperial River, the river would''ve most likely already been flooding right now;. ording to the records in the local prefectural chronicles, the Imperial River had flooded many times in the past few centuries, and not only did the river god not try to suppress these floods, he would try to help them along instead."


    Chen Ping''an patted her on the head as he replied, "If he doesn''t want to listen to my preaching, then I won''t preach to him from now on."


    With that deration, Chen Ping''an had truly made up his mind that he wasn''t going to preach to the little boy in azure anymore.


    He had thought that they had grown a little closer during the course of their journey together, and that was why he had been willing to try and impart some things that he felt to be correct and beneficial onto the little boy in azure.


    However, if his preaching was only bothering the little boy in azure, then he would just return to square one and treat the boy like aplete stranger again. From this point onward, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t say anything as long as the little boy in azure didn''tmit any severe transgressions.


    Back when they had first met, Chen Ping''an definitely wouldn''t have said anything over such a trivial matter, and he certainly wouldn''t have said so many things that hade straight from the heart. He and Cui Dongshan hadpleted an extremely long journey together, yet Chen Ping''an had barely said anything genuinely heartfelt to him.


    The little girl in pink looked up at Chen Ping''an with an innocent expression as she said, "You can preach to me, Master. I really like hearing you talk about these things."


    A faint smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he said, "You have to make sure correct me if I say anything wrong."


    The little girl in pink nodded eagerly in response as she said, "What you said about the sequence of actions just now was brilliant, Master! I felt I learned so much just from that alone!"


    She then quickly blushed as she hurriedly rified, "I mean it, Master! I''m not sucking up to you like he does!"


    Chen Ping''an was watching the fire, and the rice was about to be ready. Meanwhile, a disgruntled look appeared on the face of the little girl in pink as she grumbled, "Let''s not leave any food for him, Master. Just let him starve!


    ��You were saying all those things for his sake, yet he got so angry at you! If it isn''t for the fact that his true body is currently trapped in that inkstone, he would''ve definitely attacked you just now! I was so scared that my heart was about to jump out of my chest!"


    "That won''t do," Chen Ping''an said as he shook his head with a smile. "We still have to leave something for him to eat."


    "I''ll do whatever you say, Master," the little girl in pink replied with a bright smile, and Chen Ping''an patted her affectionately on the head.

 Chapter 175: Signed

    Chapter 175: Signed


    Chen Ping''an caught two handfuls of snow, then rubbed his hands together as he made his way back to the cave with a wide smile on his face. He extended his hands over the fire to warm them for a while, then pulled a book out of his basket and began to read it under the light of the fire. This was a Confucian ssic that had been gifted to him by the Schrly Sage.


    Chen Ping''an had a very good memory, and having read the book so many times along his journey, he had alreadypletely memorized its contents, but he still liked to flip through its pages and quietly read aloud to himself.


    Li Baoping had once told him that the meaning of a book would be clear once it was read many times, and Chen Ping''an couldn''t agree more with this saying.


    Hence, whenever he was practicing his walking and standing meditation ording to the Mountain Shaking Guide, he would always tell himself that the same principle applied to both reading and fist technique practice. Perhaps after practicing the same fist technique a million times, its meaning would naturallye to him.


    He was practicing his fist techniques diligently day and night, doing so for around 14 to 16 hours every single day, and it had been very effective for mending his body, which had previously resembled a dpidated house.


    In particr, Chen Ping''an could sense that by practicing these fist techniques in conjunction with the breathing method taught to him by Old Man Yang and the Eighteen Stops Qi channeling technique, his physical constitution was gradually improving, so survival was no longer his sole objective.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an wanted a little more. For example, if he were to reunite with a certain girl someday, he wanted to be able to show off his walking meditation to her without drawing the same reaction that she had disyed back in his house on y Vase Alley. At the time, she had been staring at him as if he were an idiot, but the next time, he wanted her to give him a thumbs up and praise him for how cool he looked.


    Chen Ping''an slowly flipped through the pages of the book in his hand, reading every single page extremely meticulously. His darkplexioned face was illuminated by the light of the campfire, and if one were to look at him for any length of time, they would begin to discover that there was more to him than initially met the eye.


    The little girl in pink was a mighty fire python, but she still had the heart of a child. Back in the Zhn Cao n''s estate, she had remained in the scripture library the majority of the time, not daring toe out for fear of being struck down by misfortune.


    During this journey back to Chen Ping''an''s hometown, she was bing more and more attuned to the childlike side of herself, and at this moment, she was busy making a snowman beside the boardwalk, eagerly anticipating more snowfall from the heavens.


    The little boy in azure was a water snake, so he had a natural affinity to water, but he simply couldn''t muster up any interest toward such a mundane bout of snowfall, so he was seated beside the campfire with a lethargic expression,menting his own ill-fortune for having to travel with such a pair of frustrating individuals.


    The little girl in pink had made an extremely life-like snowman in the visage of Chen Ping''an, and she was about to go and show him when her expression suddenly changed drastically, and she rushed back to the cave with a panicked look in her eyes. "Master, a man and a woman have appeared on the boardwalk. The man doesn''t appear to be remarkable in any way, but the woman is giving off tremendous demonic energy! What do we do?"


    The little boy in azure sniffed at the air for a moment, and a reinvigorated look immediately appeared on his face. "Oh, there really is a powerful demon, and she reeks of a foxy stench! Master, you may not know this, but fox demons are some of the most beautiful demons in the world. Let me go out there and capture her as a maidservant to warm your bed at night! She''ll be much better than this silly girl that''s as thin as a stick!"


    Chen Ping''an closed his book as he said, "If they''re just passing through, then we''ll vacate the boardwalk and let them pass. We can always fight them if it turns out that they have sinister intentions."


    All of the enthusiasm in the little boy in azure instantly faded away as he obediently sat back down and heaved a forlorn sigh. "Master, you need to give me an opportunity to make a contribution."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he replied, "Getting all of us safely back home would be an enormous contribution on your part."


    "We''ve already entered the territory of the Great Li Empire, yet we''re still being so cautious all the time!" the little boy in azure protested in an indignant voice. "When will I ever be able to show off what I can do?"


    On the ancient boardwalk set by chisel into the face of the cliff, a man and a woman were walking along, one behind the other, through the wind and snow.


    The woman was wearing a brocade pce dress that entuated her exquisite figure, as well as a veiled hat that concealed her facial features, while the man was quite tall and handsome and was wearing a pristine white fur coat. There was also a red wine gourd strapped to his waist, and it was as if his entire body were part of the natural setting.


    As the two of them were passing through the cave, the woman turned to take a nce at Chen Ping''an''s trio inside, then proceeded to ignore them.


    The little boy in azure was eager for some conflict, but his entire body instantly stiffened up at the sight of that casual nce from the woman, and he immediately sat up even straighter than Chen Ping''an.


    In contrast, the little girl in pink possessed an inferior cultivation base, so she was unable to sense just how formidable the woman was, and she was looking at the pair of passersby with a curious expression. As for Chen Ping''an, he had set the book in his hands down onto hisp, and he was warming his hands over the fire, paying no heed to the passing duo.


    While the man was passing by the snowman, an amused smile appeared on his face, and he hesitated momentarily before making his way toward the cave.


    However, he didn''t overstep any boundaries, stopping at the entrance of the cave as he cast his gaze toward Chen Ping''an and said in a fluent Eastern Treasured Vial Continent official dialect, "My servant and I are quite weary from having to trudge through all this snow at night. Would we be able toe inside and join you for some rest?"


    Chen Ping''an turned to discover a man with a warm and friendly disposition standing at the entrance of the cave. He knew that this was apletely unavoidable confrontation, and that if the man truly harbored sinister intentions, then it wouldn''t have mattered if he allowed them to enter the cave or not. With that in mind, he smiled and replied, "Sure."


    The man made his way into the cave, but the woman who he had referred to as his servant remained standing at the entrance of the cave.


    The man sat down with his legs crossed, and his back was facing the interior of the cave as he removed the gourd from his waist to have some wine.


    Prior to doing so, he revealed in a candid fashion, "That servant of mine is a fox demon. She sensed the three of you earlier, so I instructed her to release some of her demonic energy as a cautionary gesture to avoid unnecessary conflict. Rest assured, we do not harbor any ill intentions."


    Chen Ping''an had already realized that they were in an extremely perilous situation upon noticing how tense and fearful the little boy in azure had suddenly be. However, at this point, Chen Ping''an knew that there was no point in panicking about the situation, so he merely braced himself for a possible attack from the man and his servant.


    Regardless of whether they were immortals or demons, it was impossible to tell what their true intentions were, but in any case, Chen Ping''an was not unfamiliar with battles of life and death.


    He had endured more than his fair share of such battles, including the one against Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua in that small alley, as well as his battles against the Mountain-moving Ape, Ma Kuxuan at the immortal tomb, the white python on Go Table Mountain, and that assassination attempt from Zhu Lu at the Pillow Ry Station. Throughout all of that, his ability to remain calm in perilous situations had yed a vital role in his survival.


    The man took a sip of wine, and his eyes were glowing as brightly as the light of the moon as he turned to Chen Ping''an with a smile, then remarked in a direct and straightforward manner, "I can see that your martial arts cultivation base isn''t all that advanced, but your fist intent has a remarkably solid foundation. If you keep developing in this fashion, the End Tier will surely be within your reach."


    The little boy in azure gulped nervously, not daring to make even the slightest move.


    <em>Holy shit, this man has to be a great demon among great demons! </em>


    The reason why he had arrived at this conclusion was very simple. Fox demons were extremely renowned in the world for their bewitching qualities, as well as the fact that they struggled to conceal their demonic energy more than other types of demons.


    Hence, when it came to the bads that were sung about cultivators that went on demon-ying quests, it was quite often the case that they would hunt down fox demons that were still yet to be sufficiently powerful to protect themselves.


    As the fox demon outside approached the cave, her fox demon aura should''ve be more and more pronounced, but as she was passing by the entrance of the cave, her aurapletely faded instead, striking the little boy in azure with the false impression that she was just an ordinary mortal that he could easily crush with just a single finger.


    The little boy in azure was a demonic being himself, and attaining a human form was only the first step in a demonic cultivator''s journey to attaining the Great Dao. At this point, he was still far away from truly bing a human.


    He was a sixth tier water snake withbat prowessparable to that of the seventh tier Imperial River God, yet he waspletely unable to sense the fox demon''s aura, and it was immediately clear to him that these two were not to be messed with. In fact, he would dly be their grandson as long as they were willing to spare him.


    The little boy in azure spected that the female fox demon had to be at least at the ninth tier. In fact, there was even a chance that she was an almighty 10th tier cultivator, though that chance was rather slim.


    For all of the demonic beings under the heavens, reaching the 10th tier was a massive obstacle, no less difficult to ovee than for a human cultivator. For a demonic cultivator to reach the 10th tier was an indication that they had received the acknowledgment of the Great Dao, and that was an extraordinarily difficult feat to aplish, requiring an unfathomable amount of fortune and hard toil.


    The old flood dragon that was the father of the Cold Food Great River God was at the 10th tier, yet his powers were alreadyparable with those of an 11th tier cultivator.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t aware of all of this, but he knew that a crisis was potentially afoot, so he was certainly not letting his guard down. Despite the man''s praise, Chen Ping''an didn''t growcent, and he merely replied in a polite manner, "Thank you for your kind praise."


    The man took a small sip of wine, then said, "It''s a pity that your bridge of immortality has been broken. It''ll be next to impossible to repair it, so perhaps it''s better for you to pursue an alternative route and construct a new bridge of immortality altogether..."


    The man''s voice trailed off here, and a surprised look appeared in his eyes as he spotted the book sitting on Chen Ping''an''sp. A smile appeared on his face as he remarked, "Well, what a coincidence this is."


    After that, he slowly rose to his feet before departing, and by the time he emerged from the cave, the woman in the pce dress was already leading the way down the boardwalk in silence.


    The man turned to nce at the snowman on the boardwalk as he smiled and repeated, "What a coincidence."


    The two of them continued to trudge through the wind and snow, and the woman in the pce dress remained facing forward as she said in a respectful voice, "Master Bai, could it be that this chance meeting was set up by the Sages on both sides?"


    The man shook his head in response. "I only came on this journey for rxation purposes, and I have no objectives. I''ve been very careful to cover my tracks and make sure that I haven''t alerted anyone, so if they''re still trying to plot against me, then what could I possibly do?"


    The snow continued to fall, covering the entirendscape in a pristine white nket.


    After trudging along for about two kilometers down the boardwalk, the man suddenly stopped in his tracks, then raised his head to look up at the sky with a lonesome expression.


    The woman in the pce dress also stopped in her footsteps, and she could see that the man was disying no intention of moving, so she carefully called out, "Master Bai?"


    The man continued to look up at the sky as he said in a quiet voice, "All I wish for is peace and quiet, but it seems that''s too much to ask. You grew up your entire life in this world, so why is it that you''re always thinking about crossing Stctite Mountain?


    ��I would be able to understand it if you missed your home and were eager to return to your roots, but your roots lie right here, so what exactly is it that you desire? Is it really so fun to tempt fate like this?"


    The woman in the pce dress was horrified to hear this, and she immediately fell to her knees before kowtowing to the ground. Looking down at her from above, her seductive body was trembling incessantly as she implored in a fearful voice, "Please spare me, Master Bai."


    The man paid no heed to her as he answered his own question. "If you ask me, it''s no fun at all."


    The fear in the heart of the woman in the pce dress was mounting by the second, and she gritted her teeth as a vast aura instantly erupted out of her body.


    In the next instant, a mountainous eight-tailed giant fox that was as fair as snow appeared on the boardwalk. It sprang onto the mountain face before scrambling toward the mountaintop in a panicked frenzy, trying to get as far away from the man as possible.


    The man remained still on the spot as he gently called out a name: "Qing Ying."


    A loud thump rang out, and a storm of blood came raining down onto the mountain. As it turned out, one of the giant eight-tailed fox''s tails had exploded.


    Countless snowkes were stained red by blood, transforming the section of the boardwalk around the man into a nightmarish crimson scene.


    It was said that once upon a time, there had been countless demonic beings wreaking havoc in all of the worlds, creating widespread disasters. The mortals didn��t even know what these demons were, so they were powerless to resist and werepletely at the mercy of these demonic beings. Later on, a sage crafted a massive cauldron, upon which the names of all demons were engraved, as well as their records of their origins.


    The sage then ordered for over 1,000 replicas of the cauldron to be made and ced on the summits of all of the major mountains on all of the continents for mortals to memorize. Countless courageous mortals braved the perilous conditions to climb those mountains, and they became the first cultivators.


    The majority of those mountainster went on to be the Five Mountains of all of the nations, and they were revered by countless mortals.


    The enormous fox demon on the mountain face came plummeting down from above, and it was clear that this wasn''t just a simple matter of losing a tail and suffering severe damage to its cultivation.


    Given the cruel and violent tendencies of demonic creatures, they were often at their most fearsome when backed into corners and forced to the brink of death.


    All of this hinged directly upon the name "Qing Ying" being uttered, as well as the person who had uttered the name.


    The fox demon plummeted to the foot of the mountain, sending countless snowkes erupting in all directions. It appeared to be on the verge of death, and it was gasping for air, breathing out plumes of blood mist that melted away all of the snow around it to reveal the muddy ground underneath.


    All of a sudden, the man appeared in front of the fox demon, then raised his red gourd to take a sip of wine. Compared with the mountainous fox demon, he resembled nothing more than a tiny ant standing in front of a human.


    "Before you manage to cultivate a new eighth tail, just stay by my side and don''t think about anything else. There are some things that you still can''t get involved in for now," the man said. "If it isn''t for the goodwill that you''ve umted with me up to this point, you would already be dead right now. Seeing as you''re still alive, make sure to cherish this life. Let''s keep going."


    With a sweep of his sleeve, the man withdrew the restrictions in the area, returning the small world that he had casually carved out back to the outside world.


    The fox demon gradually reverted back to her human form, then struggled to her feet before stumbling along behind the man with a bleak expression.


    The difference of one tail was like the disparity between heaven and earth.


    Its presence had allowed her to look down on all of her brethren, and its absence relegated her to mundane mediocrity, but she didn''t dare to consider vengeance even for a moment.


    For beings like her, who had been born and raised in this world, the whims of Master Bai were no different from the decree of the heavens.


    ��������


    Inside the cave, the little boy in azure was wiping the sweat from his forehead with a look of lingering fear on his face. "That was way too scary..."


    "Was that woman really powerful?" the little girl in pink asked in an oblivious fashion.


    The little boy in azure immediately red up with rage. "You really are an idiot! That woman was at least a ninth tier fox demon! If she wanted to, she could''ve easily killed all of us! On top of that, she is only that man''s servant, so how strong do you think <em>he</em> is?!"


    "But our master isn''t as powerful as us," the little girl in pink countered in a timid voice, much to Chen Ping''an''s amusement.


    The eyes of the little boy in azure lit up slightly upon hearing this. "Hold on, you''re right!"


    The boy then burst intoughter before clearing his throat as he apologized in a sheepish manner, "Sorry about that, Master, I didn''t mean tough at you. No one is perfect, so please forgive me for my shorings."


    Chen Ping''an continued to read his book, but he was unable to focus on it, so in the end, he could only set it aside. After a brief moment of contemtion, he pulled out the medicinal recipe left to him by Daoist Lu. Everything in the recipe had been written in an orderly andpact script.


    Chen Ping''an picked up a thin branch before crouching down and using the branch as a writing tool to imitate Daoist Lu''s handwriting on the snow-covered ground outside. In order to prevent the sheets of paper from being soaked by the falling snow, he had to carefully protect them, so he was only able to read and imitate one character at a time.


    Having thoroughly embarrassed himself earlier, the little boy in azure was eager to go to bed so that he could forget about his humiliation, while the little girl in pink made her way out of the cave to continue perfecting her snowman.


    At the end of the medicinal recipe, Daoist Lu had pulled an azure jade seal out of his sleeve and stamped the sheet of paper. Hence, the "Signed, Lu Chen" now appeared at the bottom of the final page in red characters.


    That night, Chen Ping''an wrote out all of the characters in the entire medicinal recipe for handwriting practice, including even the characters in the red stamp.


    As Chen Ping''an began to write out the characters for Lu Chen on the ground with his branch, the man who was referred to as Master Bai abruptly turned around, even though he was already far away from the cave.


    By the time Chen Ping''an finished writing out Lu Chen''s name, it was as if heaven and earth had suddenly been turned on their heads.


    The man remainedpletely still with a solemn look on his face, but the woman in the pce dress was so rmed that she was barely able to remain on her feet.


    She was feeling extremely uneasy, and an instinctive sense of fear spread through her entire body as she unconsciously approached the man while calling out in a fearful voice, "Master Bai?"


    The man withdrew his gaze before continuing onward. "It''s fine. The two of us have nothing to do with each other, just like how the water in a well has nothing to do with the water in a river."


    As for who was the tiny well and who was the vast river, that was something known only to the heavens.

 Chapter 176: (1): Not Knowing Enough to Speak on a Matter

    Chapter 176: (1): Not Knowing Enough to Speak on a Matter


    The next morning, Chen Ping''an''s trio continued their journey, trudging through the wind and the snow. Chen Ping''an was leading the way from the front, and all of a sudden, he paused in his walking meditation.


    "I wonder who Master is thinking of," the little girl in pink mused in a quiet voice.


    "In this god awful weather, Master is probably thinking about finding a scenic location to take a shit so that his arse wouldn''t get frostbite," the little boy in azure said in azy voice.


    "That''s disgusting!" the little girl in pink protested in an angry voice.


    "What can I say? The truth hurts sometimes," the little boy in azure sighed.


    ��������


    This year, it was particrly lively and bustling in Southern Stream Nation, and a massive ceremony had only just concluded.


    On the border of Southern Stream Nation was a mountain that extended all the way up into the clouds, and behind that mountain was a forest. A young Daoist nun was slowly walking along a small path in the forest while holding a vibrant green bamboo stick in her hand, and trailing along behind her was a white deer that had a particrly intelligent gleam in its eyes.


    A white-robed man with a longsword strapped to his back was walking along beside her, and there was a dejected look on his face.


    "I already told you this more than once before: I won''t necessarily dislike you if you''re only at the Lower Five Tiers, but there''s also no guarantee that I''ll like you even if you reach the Upper Five Tiers," the Daoist nun said with a hint of exasperation on her face. "We are simply not meant to be, Wei Jin, so why are you unwilling to give up on me? How about you tell me what you need me to do for you to be willing to give up on me?"


    The fact that a Daoist nun like her was speaking in such a direct and straightforward manner about this subject indicated that she really was beginning to grow rather annoyed by the man''s persistent advances.


    The man was none other than Wei Jin, the prodigious swordsman of Wind Snow Temple''s Divine tform.


    When it came to cultivators, there was a hierarchy even among prodigies, and the fact that Wei Jin had reached the 11th tier at such a young age meant that he was definitely among the cream of the crop, even in the context of cultivating prodigies.


    At this moment, Wei Jin was looking extremely deted,pletely unlike someone who had just reached the Upper Five Tiers. A wry smile appeared on his face as he asked, "Is it because you already have someone that you like? Is it that senior uncle from your sect?"


    The young Daoist nun stopped in her tracks, and the exasperation on her face grew even more pronounced as she turned to Wei Jin and scoffed, "Wei Jin! How could you be so unreasonable!"


    Wei Jin''s expression remained unchanged, but he was feeling a little indignant. However, he didn''t know how to exin himself or take back what he had just said, so he decided to remain silent for now. Even in his current dejected state, in the eyes of others, he was still one of the top rising young swordsmen under the heavens, but unfortunately for him, that wasn''t enough to win the young Daoist nun''s heart.


    Love was the most unreasonable thing under the heavens. Wei Jin wasn''t the first person to be frustrated by matters rted to love, and he most definitely wasn''t going to be thest, either.


    "Let me ask you one final question, He Xiaoliang," Wei Jin said in a gentle voice.


    "Go ahead," He Xiaoliang replied with a nod.


    Wei Jin hesitated for a moment, then directed his gaze elsewhere as he said in a slightly raspy voice, "You''re someone who takes fate very seriously. If you finally meet the person that you''re fated to be with someday, would you choose to be their Dao partner for the sake of your so-called Great Dao, even if, deep down in your heart, you don''t actually love him."


    The entire world fell silent, and in that instant, it was as if even the breeze blowing through the forest had be stagnant.


    "I would," He Xiaoliang replied with a smile.


    The final glimmer of hope in Wei Jin''s eyespletely faded upon hearing this, and he continued to look away from He Xiaoliang as tears began to well up in his eyes. "If you be Dao partners with someone you don''t love, you won''t be happy, even if you and your Dao partner be the envy of the entire world. I don''t want to see you unhappy, He Xiaoliang."


    He Xiaoliang heaved a faint sigh, and even though a hint of mncholy had appeared in her eyes, her Dao Heart remained as resolute as ever. "Wei Jin, even if such a day doese, and I do be discontent with my life, I still won''t ever regret my decision, and I certainly won''t fall in love with you instead."


    "Is that so?" Wei Jin murmured in a quiet voice.


    He Xiaoliang turned to depart, while Wei Jin continued to linger in the forest.


    She wasn''t going to regret anything, but he was already regretting asking such a stupid question that was only ever going to hurt both He Xiaoliang and himself.


    A young Daoist priest emerged from the forest, apanied by a pair ofrge fish that were swimming through the air, one azure and one red.


    Wei Jin withdrew his gaze, and only after He Xiaoliang was far away from him did he dare to look at her departing figure.


    The young Daoist priest was none other than the Golden Boy of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s current generation of Golden Boy and Jade Girl, and Wei Jin said to him in a cold voice, "I''ll kill you if you dare to tell anyone about this."


    The young Daoist priest was rather wary of Wei Jin, considering he was an 11th tier swordsman, but this forest was situated on the mountain right behind his sect. He wasn''t doubting the fact that Wei Jin would be willing to attack him at the drop of a hat.


    However, he was confident that even if Wei Jin did attack him, he would be able to survive. Hence, he scoffed, "Is it not unbing of an 11th tier swordsman of Wind Snow Temple to be issuing threats like this in our Divine Edict Sect?"


    The young Daoist priest had made sure to put extra emphasis on the words "Divine Edict Sect".


    Among the three Daoist sects of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Divine Edict Sect of Southern Stream Nation was ranked at the top, receiving the vast majority of incense and offerings.


    Last time, he and He Xiaoliang had made their way up north to travel to Jewel Small World of the Great Li Empire, and in all of the ces that they passed through, all of the mortal emperors, True Lords, and terrestrial gods that they encountered had treated them with the utmost respect without exception.


    Divine Edict Sect was situated on the border of Southern Stream Nation, and it had sole ownership over one of the 72 blessednds, the Limpid Pond Blessed Land. Its sect master, Qi Zhen, was a True Lord in four different nations and possessed unfathomable powers.


    He was one of the few true immortals on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and even though Divine Edict Sect was considered to be one of the lower sects of their branch of Daoism, Qi Zhen would''ve still been regarded as an extremely important figure even if he had gone to formal sect on the Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    This Golden Boy just so happened to have been Sect Master Qi Zhen''s most prized disciple, while his senior sister, He Xiaoliang, was a disciple of Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman, who was the senior brother of Sect Master Qi Zhen. In contrast with Qi Zhen, Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman had no lofty ambitions, and He Xiaoliang was the only disciple that he took under his wing.


    Back when He Xiaoliang first entered Divine Edict Sect, no one had known of her. Her aptitude wasn''t anything remarkable, and her background had also been rather mundane. Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman was the only one who had taken a liking to her, and in hindsight, it was clear that everyone else had misjudged her.


    Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman was the only one to have identified this diamond in the rough, and as a matter of fact, he didn''t even have to polish this raw diamond much. He Xiaoliang was blessed with immense fortune, and she enjoyed a meteoric rise without requiring much support from her master, making such swift progress in her cultivation that she quickly became the envy of the entire sect.


    As the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there was a very good chance that they would be Dao partners, and that would''ve been true even if they hadn''t been in the same sect. All of the sects on the continent would''ve been to facilitate such a marriage.


    Throughout the entire near-thousand-year history of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there had only been three instances of the Golden Boy and the Jade Girl emerging from the same sect, including this one, and in both of the previous cases, the Golden Boy and Jade Girl had gone on to be Dao partners who had both reached the Upper Five Tiers, and he certainly didn''t want to buck this trend.


    Wei Jin turned to the young Daoist priest, and he was suddenly looking a little deted as he said, "If your master, Qi Zhen, were here, perhaps I would be tempted to challenge him to a battle, but you''re not even worthy of seeing my sword."


    It wasmon knowledge that an 11th tier swordsman was entirely powerful enough to go toe to toe against a 12th cultivator, as long as they weren''t a Militarian cultivator.


    Qi Zhen had already been stuck at the pinnacle of the 11th tier for many years, and the recently concluded ceremony had been held to celebrate the breakthrough that he had finally been able to make. This meant that Wei Jin and Qi Zhen were both Qi refiners who had only recently made breakthroughs, and if this had been any other setting, it would''ve been difficult to say who would''vee out on top in a fight.


    However, this was the territory of Divine Edict Sect, and it was riddled with countless formations, so Qi Zhen held all of the environmental advantages here. As such, he definitely couldn''t have been regarded as a normal 12th tier cultivator.


    The young Daoist priest smiled as he goaded, "So what?"


    Wei Jin had just been rejected by He Xiaoliang once again, so he was already in a foul mood, and he had no patience to stomach the young Daoist priest''s provocation.


    "You asked for it," Wei Jin said in an indifferent voice.


    The young Daoist priest didn''t even see Wei Jin draw his sword before a streak of sword qi that was only just over an inch in length came swooping down toward the top of his head.


    The young Daoist priest was just about to lose a life-saving talisman when he saw a hand that was as fair and smooth as jade reaching out above his head, catching that formidable streak of sword qi before it could descend upon him.


    A small spurt of blood sshed through the air, appearing extremely out of ce in this peaceful and tranquil forest.


    Wei Jin took a nce at the unwee guest, then released the hilt of his sword and slowly turned to depart, leaving behind a parting threat as he did so. "You better watch yourself."


    A Daoist priest whoseplexion was as fair as jade appeared in front of the Golden Boy, and he withdrew the hand that had just shielded the Golden Boy from Wei Jin''s sword qi. A deep gash that exposed the bone underneath had been sliced into the palm of his hand.


    "Daoists like ourselves should be cultivating our minds and striving for self-improvement, so why goad others just for the sake of momentary self-satisfaction?" the Daoist priest questioned in a gentle voice.


    "I''m sorry, Senior Uncle. I''ve seen the error in my ways," the Golden Boy replied in a respectful manner.


    The handsome and graceful Daoist priest smiled as he said, "If you see the error in your ways, then strive to be better. Don''t just apologize for the sake of it."


    An embarrassed look appeared on the Golden Boy''s face upon hearing this, and he replied, "I really am sorry, Senior Uncle. I''ll be sure to change myself for the better."


    The Daoist priest who was being referred to as senior uncle wasn''t actually that old, looking as if he wasn''t even 30 years of age, and he said with a smile, "Even if you don''t want to change, I can''t do anything about it. Your master is my senior brother and the sect master, so I can''t do anything to you."


    The Golden Boy had no idea what to say in response. Speaking with his senior uncle had always given him a massive headache, and the same applied to his master, Qi Zhen, as well.


    A sullen look instantly appeared on his face as he said, "I''ll go transcribe a copy of the Daoist ssic right away, senior uncle."


    The Daoist priest nodded in response. "You can transcribe a copy of the Luxuriant Dew Volume and give it to me in three days."


    The Golden Boy hurriedly departed with a pitiable look on his face. This was a task that was undoubtedly going to take him three days and three nights toplete.


    Following the Golden Boy''s departure, the Daoist priest took a step forward, instantly crossing a lotus pond to arrive by He Xiaoliang, and he said, "The pursuit of the Great Dao often conflicts with worldly emotions and desires. Have you made up your mind?"


    "I have, Senior Uncle," He Xiaoliang replied with a nod as she gently stroked the soft and furry back of the white deer beside her with a dejected look on her face.


    The Daoist priest cast his gaze toward the lush and vibrant lotus leaves in the pond. It was already winter, so countless lotus leaves outside the mountain had already been killed by the frost, but all of the lotus leaves here were still thriving as if it were the height of summer.


    "If it really doese to that, I''ll be sure to stand by your side," the Daoist priest assured.


    Instead of expressing any gratitude toward the Daoist priest, He Xiaoliang mused, "The Great Dao truly is heartless."


    The Daoist priest nodded in response. "The fact that you''vee to realize this will only be beneficial to your cultivation."


    The reason why he was choosing to side with He Xiaoliang and oppose his senior brother, Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman, wasn''t because he pitied He Xiaoliang. Instead, it was because He Xiaoliang just so happened to have been standing on the same Great Dao as his. Hence, even if He Xiaoliang and Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman were to switch positions one day, he would''ve still made the same choice.


    He Xiaoliang set aside her train of thought as she smiled and asked, "Senior Uncle, who exactly is that guy that we jokingly refer to as Junior Uncle Lu? He''s been staying at the border of Southern Stream Nation for close to a year now."


    The Daoist priest shook his head in response. "I''m unable to see through that person, but seeing as he wants to refer to me as his senior brother and he beat me in that game of go, I''ll just have to let him do as he pleases.


    ��All I managed to determine was that he was the crux of the death trap in Jewel Small World, but what Qi Jingchun did came as a surprise to everyone, so in the end, he was unable to find an opportunity to strike. On top of that, I know that he has some ties to the formal sect above our Divine Edict Sect, but that''s the extent of what I was able to uncover through my divination."


    He Xiaoliang couldn''t help but feel a little spooked upon hearing this.


    Even though all of the Sages had quickly concealed the battlefield on which Qi Jingchun had made his final stand, He Xiaoliang had personally witnessed the beginning of that battle. On top of that, she had also felt the aftereffects of the battle.


    By the time she was able to sense what was happening, the battle had already drawn to a conclusion, yet she had still been astonished by what she had felt, and at the same time, her resolve to pursue the Great Dao had been further bolstered.


    The world was so vast and those who stood at the top of the world were so mighty. She wanted to see the world for herself and reach those lofty heights someday.


    The Daoist priest smiled as he said, "There''s no need to overthink things, everything will naturally fall into ce."


    After that, he began to slowly walk along the bank of the lotus pond, seemingly contemting something.


    The Daoist priest was considering some of the most fundamental questions under the heavens, such as why there was rain, why humans were considered to be above all other creatures, why the moon went through a cycle of wholeness, and why blessednds existed. These subjects were generally considered by the average person to have been too boring to talk about, but that was only because they knew far too little of those matters to be able to speak about them.


    He Xiaoliang looked on at the Daoist priest with a hint of inferiority in her heart.


    Her inferiority had nothing to do with the disparity in cultivation base and seniority between them. Instead, it stemmed from the fact that he had already gone far further down the Great Dao than she had, despite his young age.


    He had reached such lofty heights that she had no choice but to look up to him while being reminded of just how unworthy she was.

 Chapter 177: The Buddha Observes a Bowl of Water

    Chapter 177: The Buddha Observes a Bowl of Water


    The Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had always been split up into the north and the south with Lake View Academy acting as the point that divided the two.


    Those in the north were considered to be savages, while the south was considered to be more civilized.


    Those in the south had always held a natural disdain for northerners, and even the renowned schrs of Great Sui Nation were willing to concede their inferiority to the schrs of Southern Stream Nation. Hence, for those who came from affluent ns in the south, it was considered to be a disgrace to be married into a n in the north.


    The end of the year was quickly approaching, and there was a barefoot middle-aged monk with a square and angr face walking slowly through a busy market in the south while carrying a bowl in his hands.


    There was a streetside performer pulling out all the stops, attracting loud cheers from the crowd of spectators. The monk spotted a little monkey tied to a wooden pole, and it was extremely emaciated, thereby making its eyes appear particrlyrge.


    The monk crouched down as he pulled out half a piece of stale biscuit, then pulled off a chunk before cing it onto the palm of his hand and offering it to the scraggy monkey.


    However, the monkey was frightened by the monk''s kind gesture, and it scrambled to rush back in a panicked fashion, only for the metal chain it was bound by to be instantly pulled taut, causing it to fall to the ground. The monkey''s entire body was riddled with whipshes, and it curled up into a ball and began sobbing to itself.


    The monk gently set down the piece of biscuit near the wooden pole, then snapped the remaining half of biscuit into pieces before scattering them over the ground. After that, he ced down his metal bowl as well before backing away and sitting down with his legs crossed around three or four meters away from the wooden pole, where he began to recite scripture passages to himself.


    He was constantly cultivating wherever he went, regardless of whether he was walking or sitting.


    The emaciated monkey was truly starving, and after the monk sat down, it stared at him with a timid look in its eyes for a long while before finally mustering up the courage to pick up one of the pieces of biscuit on the ground. It then scurried back to its original spot and quickly devoured the biscuit, and its courage was bolstered even further when it noticed that the monk was disying no reaction to what it was doing. Thus, it quickly devoured another piece of biscuit, and the process repeated itself.


    All of a sudden, it noticed that there was some water in the metal bowl, so it approached the bowl for a drink. Even though it was winter, the water in the bowl was slightly warm. With its stomach filled, the monkey was feeling much more content, and it became even less fearful of the monk, staring directly at him with a nk look in itsrge eyes, as if it were wondering why the monk was disying such kindness.


    Afterpleting his recitation of the scripture passage, the monk opened his eyes before rising to his feet, and the monkey immediately scurried for cover once again. However, the monk merely picked up the metal bowl before departing.


    The monkey poked its head out from behind the wooden pole, watching as the monk disappeared into the crowd.


    For the first time in a long time, it gave a light burp, and it scratched at its own emaciated face as it blinked itsrge eyes.


    The barefoot monk made his way through the crowd with his head lowered, refusing to raise his head even if a passerby bumped into his shoulder. Instead, he would raise his right hand in front of his own chest as a Buddhist salute while nodding slightly before continuing onward.


    There was a deranged old man with knotted hair and tattered clothes stumbling through the market. Whenever he encountered a child, he would approach their guardians, regardless of whether they were wealthy or impoverished, before asking all of them the same question. Most of the people in the market were already ustomed to this, and they would generally pick up the pace in their footsteps and lead their children away.


    asionally, someone would make a joke at the old man''s expense, and there were also some hot-tempered young men who would shove him away. Regardless of the reception, the old man continued to repeat the same strange question over and over again.


    "Have you named your child yet?"


    A group of uncouth young men who were very familiar with the old man stopped him in his tracks, and one of them wore a sly grin as he asked, "There''s a child in my family that hasn''t been named yet, what do you want?"


    The old man was ecstatic to hear this, so much so that he broke into a joyful jig, and he said, "I''ll name the child! I''ll be sure to give them a good name this time..."


    "You can name my arse!"


    The young man kicked the old man in the abdomen, sending him falling back onto the ground, where he began to roll around in pain with his hands sped over his stomach.


    The bowl-bearing monk crouched down before helping the old man to his feet, while the group of uncouth young men departed while guffawing like hyenas.


    After being helped to his feet, the old man grabbed tightly onto the monk''s arm as he asked that same disrespectful question. "Does your child have a name?" [1]


    The monk took a nce at the old man, then shook his head and dusted off the old man''s clothes before continuing onward.


    Meanwhile, the old man continued to make a fool of himself in the market, earning a bunch of abuse and disdainful looks for his efforts.


    As the sun was beginning to set, the monk began to beg for food, but stopped after visiting seven households, only securing a meager amount of food that barely covered the bottom of his metal bowl.


    The monk entered the city from the north, then exited the city from the south. Along the way, he passed through many throngs of people on the streets, and whenever he encountered any insects, he would pick them up before cing them on the sides of the streets so they wouldn''t be trampled on.


    Uponing across an ancient temple that had long been abandoned, the monk extended a Buddhist salute outside the door before slowly making his way inside.


    In the walkway under the eave outside the hall of the temple, the monk ate the food in his bowl, then sat down with his legs crossed and continued to cultivate.


    In the darkness of the night, the deranged old man stumbled into the temple, and he didn''t even take a nce at the monk before rushing straight into the hall, where he then copsed onto a pile of thatch. After that, he covered himself up as best as possible with a ragged nket before falling asleep.


    An uneventful night passed by.


    The old man who was obsessed with naming other people''s children only woke up at noon, and as soon as he woke up, he immediately left the dpidated temple before returning to the city to ask everyone that he came across the exact same question. This entire time, he hadn''t even taken so much as a single nce at the barefoot monk.


    Initially, some people had spected that the old man could''ve been a powerful cultivator with a strange personality, but they quickly discovered that he was just a powerless old man who didn''t retaliate no matter what type of abuse he was subjected to. He would cry and scream when beaten, and even bleed when the beating became too severe. In the end, there were only some unruly young thugs who still liked to abuse the old man for their entertainment.


    The old man had already been living in this abandoned temple for many years.


    During the next close to half a year, the monk temporarily lived in the temple day after day, asionally going to the city with the old man to beg for food, and he would also asionally leave the city and return to the temple with the old man.


    However, the two of them never spoke to one another, and there was barely even any eye contact between them the entire time. Whenever the old man saw the monk, there would be a dazed look on his face, and he wouldn''t be able to remember anything.


    There was a heavy thunderstorm that night, and the sounds of the howling wind and pelting rain were so loud that two people most likely wouldn''t have been able to hear one another even if they had been yelling right at each other in close proximity.


    The old man was curled up into a ball on the makeshift thatch bed, and he would shudder in fright whenever a thunderp rang out. The old man was sound asleep, and perhaps he had thought of some painful memory or was having a nightmare. In any case, his fists were clenched into fists, and his entire body was tightly wound as he repeatedly murmured to himself, "I gave you a bad name, my grandson... I ruined you..."


    There were no longer any tears left to shed on his wizened face, but that only made his suffering seem more potent and heart-wrenching.


    The thunderps soon became quite few and far between, but the rain was still as heavy as ever, and the old man''s sleeptalking had already subsided.


    However, right as the old man fell into a restful state of sleep, the monk suddenly curled his fingers before making a gentle knocking motion.


    The sound of a wooden fish being struck rang out across the entire temple, and it was clearly audible even above the sound of the heavy storm.


    The old man shuddered before abruptly sitting upright and scouring his gaze across his surroundings. A dazed look appeared on his face, followed by a hint of relief, which then turned into deep sorrow.


    He rose to his feet and made his way out of the hall, and despite his ragged and pitiful appearance, he walked with an extremely fearsome aura, like a tiger rushing down a mountain or a dragon swimming along a river. However, despite his formidable aura, his body remained extremely frail.


    He was like the very definition of a paper tiger.


    After making his way out of the temple, he looked up into the night sky in silence with nothing but mncholy in his eyes.


    "All those who cannot discard their emotions will feel pain," the monk said in a gentle voice.


    The old man continued to look up at the sky as he scoffed, "There''s is no pain, I''m willingly subjecting myself to this! Are you telling me that immortals who are devoid of emotions are somehow better than everyone else? All they care about is their bullshit immortality and they regard themselves to be superior to all others.


    ��They don''t even remember that they''re still humans. If the average person forgets their roots, then they''ll be punished by the heavens, yet an immortal can only be considered to be an immortal by forgetting their roots. What aughable existence..."


    "All living beings feel pain," the monk replied in a concise manner.


    The old man fell silent, then sat down with his legs crossed as he reseted his tightly clenched fists on his knees and murmured in a self-deprecating voice, "All of that feels like a lifetime ago."


    The old man abruptly woke up again at dawn, having inadvertently fallen asleep, and his eyes had turned murky again as he continued his deranged existence.


    This continued for over a month until the old man finally regained his sanity again on an autumn night with a full moon. However, this time, his aura was far frailer than before, and he seemed no different from an ordinary frail old man.


    He sat in the corridor under the eave beside the monk, looking up at the full moon as he mused to himself, "My grandson is very smart, the smartest schr under the heavens. It''s just unfortunate that he bears the Cui surname, and it''s even more unfortunate that he has me for a grandfather. Things shouldn''t have been like this..."


    The monk remained silent.


    As winter arrived, so did the snow, and the old man''s teeth were chattering violently as he slept in the temple. His face had turned blue, and it seemed that he wasn''t going to be able to make it through the winter. The monk entered the temple with his bowl in his hand, and he handed the old man a warm biscuit. The old man epted the biscuit with a dazed expression, then suddenly hurled it into the ground as a hint of rity returned to his eyes.


    The monk picked the biscuit up from the ground, then offered it to the old man again, but the old man shook his head as he said, "I only continue to live because I want to see my grandson again. Otherwise, I won''t be able to pass on. I can''t die like this! I have to tell him that I''m sorry, and I failed him... I can''t go insane, I have to be conscious! Save me, monk!"


    The old man grabbed onto the monk''s arm with all his might as he implored, "If you can let me see my grandson in a conscious state, I''m willing to do whatever you want from me... I''ll kowtow to you right now! I''ll be your disciple! With your almighty power, you''ll definitely be able to save me!"


    Upon regaining his consciousness once again, the old man''s aura had be so frail that it was like a piece of rotten wood. His life force was beginning to disy signs of fading away, and he was unable to maintain full lucidity.


    "Are you still unable to cast aside your obsessive desires?" the monk asked in an indifferent voice. "At this point, what will you be able to achieve even if you meet him?"


    A grief-stricken look appeared on the old man''s face as he asked, "How can I simply cast everything aside? This is not a matter that concerns just myself. I won''t be able to cast it aside for as long as I remain alive!"


    The monk paused momentarily for some deliberation, then suggested, "If you can''t cast it aside, then pick it up."


    "How do I do that?" the old man asked in a dazed manner.


    "Go to the Great Li Empire," the monk replied.


    The old man nodded in response. "You''re right! My grandson is in the Great Li Empire."


    The monk shook his head as he corrected, "Your grandson is in Great Sui Nation, but your grandson''s teacher is in Dragon Spring County of the Great Li Empire."


    A horrified look appeared on the old man''s face upon hearing this, and he hurriedly scrambled back until his back was against the wall. He then shook his head vigorously as he yelled, "I don''t want to meet the Schrly Sage..."


    Immediately thereafter, he flew into a thunderous rage. "If you want to harm me, then just kill me! If you want to harm my grandson, then I''ll smash your godly body to bits with my fists! Even if the Buddha himself is standing before me, he still won''t be spared from my fists!"


    The old man struggled to his feet as he spoke, and his aura suddenly became so formidable that it wasn''t inferior in the slightest evenpared with the pair of martial artists that had shed against each other in Jewel Small World.


    However, that aura was the only bluff that he had left.


    The monk''s expression remained calm as he lowered his head to peer into his metal bowl, and he discovered that the water inside was rippling slightly. "The Buddha observes a bowl of water, and he sees countless living creatures."


    "Don''t try to preach to me, you bald bastard!" the old man said with furrowed brows.


    The monk turned around and gently lifted his metal bowl as he said, "The most intriguing thing about your grandson is that he can see the ''little''. I think you should speak to his teacher."


    "I won''t let you have your way, monk," the old man replied with a determined look in his eyes.


    "You''re nothing more than a de of grass with no roots," the monk sighed, then stood up and departed.


    The old man hurriedly sat down with his legs crossed, making use of this brief window of sanity to mediate, and ayer of resplendent golden light slowly appeared over his wizened skin.


    He then carved the words "Great Li Empire Dragon Spring County" into the palm of his hand with his fingernail, resulting in a gorey sight to behold, and he told himself over and over again, "I have to go to this ce, and all I''ll do there is look but not speak. I won''t ask or do anything."


    After that, he returned to the temple before promptly falling asleep.


    The snow storm outside was growing heavier, but as soon as the cold air reached the entrance of the temple, it would dissipate on its own.


    1. This is especially disrespectful as Buddhist monks are meant to be celibate. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    No idea what "little" is supposed to be/mean. What do you think?</blockquote>

 Chapter 178: (1): I Gaze at a Mountain

    Chapter 178: (1): I Gaze at a Mountain


    Chen Ping''an chose not to go through Yefu Pass when entering the Great Li Empire again. After leaving the nk road in the mountain valley, Chen Ping''an and the others encountered a team of elite cavalry.


    His group and the cavalry unit stared at each other for a few moments as the blizzard howled.


    Initially, most of the cavalry had already silently turned around. However, one soldier suddenly charged forward on his horse and arrived beside Chen Ping''an in a sh. This person had a young and determined look, and his expression was one of vignce and scrutiny. Looking into the depths of his eyes, there was also a sense of resoluteness that Chen Ping''an didn''t understand.


    After this soldier charged forward, the others had no option but to grit their teeth and follow suit. Plumes of snow were sent flying into the air as the horses galloped forward.


    Using the official dialect of the Great Li Empire, Chen Ping''an shouted, "We''re from the Dragon Spring County, and we''ve just returned from Yellow Court Nation. We entered the Great Li Empire through the ''cow fence''."


    At the same time, Chen Ping''an retrieved the passport issued to him by Dragon Spring County from his pocket. After traveling through many nations to go to the new Mountain Cliff Academy, his passport was already covered in official stamps from all the different checkpoints of the different nations. Seeing that the soldier who had charged over first was about to dismount, Chen Ping''an immediately jogged over and raised his passport high above his head to hand it over. The soldier became even more tense, and the pupils of the other cavalry also contracted as if they were facing a great enemy.


    The soldier bent down to ept the passport. After carefully examining it, a brilliant smile suddenly spread across his face. He loosened his tight grip on his saber and made a subtle gesture to the others that everything was safe and under control. However, he still insisted on dismounting, and he jumped off his horse before returning the passport to Chen Ping''an. After the young boy carefully put the passport away, the young soldier smiled and said, "The weather is terrible right now, so you cane to our beacon tower to rest for a few days if you encounter any troubles. You can replenish your rations and set off again when the snow lets up a bit."


    Chen Ping''an could sense the deep sincerity of the soldier, and he immediately cupped his fists and chuckled, "It''s okay, I can use this as an opportunity to practice my fist techniques. It is quite challenging, but I can still endure it."


    Martial arts was extremely mainstream in the Great Li Empire, and its citizens were more on the tough and physical side. In fact, the Great Li Empire was renowned in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent for this trait.


    Chen Ping''an''s determination and perseverance immediately won over the group of elite cavalry. Even the old lieutenant with a rough and unsophisticated look gave a knowing smile.


    The two parties brushed past each other just like this. The cavalry continued south to patrol the borders, while Chen Ping''an continued north to return to his hometown.


    The old lieutenant turned around to gaze at the three figures that were disappearing toward the north. His smile vanished, and he turned to his subordinate and chided, "Are you trying to y the hero or something? Have you grown tired of living?! To say nothing of how powerful that young boy was, it was abundantly clear that the two lightly dressed children next to him were rtively strong cultivators. Otherwise, how could they possibly withstand this harsh weather? Did you not notice their healthy looks when we interacted with them up close just then?


    "If they had been spies from an enemy nation, not only would your rash decision have led to the destruction of our unit, but it would have also dyed the transmission of intelligence!"


    The young soldier mumbled slowly, and it was clear that he was still unwilling to own up to his mistake. "Lieutenant, we are second-grade soldiers patrolling the borders, inside the territory of the Great Li Empire. Cultivators have to abide by our rules no matter where they''re from, right? If they truly dare to kill us, they''ll definitely find themselves in deep trouble once an investigation is carried out. Taking a step back, isn''t there still the general? I''m confident that he can defeat anyone who dares to challenge him."


    The old lieutenant who had been on horseback for half his life swung his whip in anger. However, he only struck the air above the young soldier''s shoulder, and his strike was louder than it was damaging. "If this happened many years ago when I just joined the army, your action just now would have been viewed as a provocation toward esteemed Qi refiners, understand?"


    He chuckled in anger.


    "You would have been killed before you even realized what hit you. If your general was a kind and just person, they would have at most asked the cultivators for a few dozen taels of silver aspensation. If they weren''t, however, then they would have simply dismissed your death with a wave of their hands!"


    Those who were able to be second-grade soldiers in the border army were all true elites. Few of them were stupid. After hearing the old lieutenant''s scolding, the young soldier hurriedly tried to make up for his mistake by saying, "Please calm down lieutenant. When we march into the capital of Great Sui Nation in the future, I''ll use my military merit to exchange a beautiful noblewoman for you and..."


    The old lieutenant interrupted him and scolded with a smile, "Piss off, your measly military merit isn''t even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth! Enough with the nonsense. Continue to patrol the border! The higher-ups have told us to be careful of Yellow Court Nation acting rashly out of desperation. The harsher the weather, the more careful we need to be. We''re not afraid of them charging over to seek death, but after fighting for so many years, it''s always been the hooves of our horses trampling over their territory. How can we allow them to charge into our territory instead?"


    The young soldier grinned and replied, "Okay, okay, then I''ll head off first. I guarantee that not even a single fly will be able to enter Cow Back Mountain Valley."


    He took a deep breath before adjusting his thick but slightly stiff mink hat. Small shards of ice fell off as he charged forward on his horse.


    A middle-aged soldier couldn''t help but ask, "Lieutenant, there was such hugemotion on the border between the two nations not long ago, and I heard that there was an earth-shattering conflict in the territory of Yellow Court Nation that resulted in the death of many people. However, our side barely suffered any losses. Is there some deeper reason behind this? Lieutenant, you''re quite informed from yourwork, especially since many of your oldrades have already be captains. I''m also aware of the fact that you especially visited them for a drink a short while ago. Is there anything you can reveal to us?"


    The old lieutenant''s expression was solemn, and he didn''t reveal anything. Instead, he cracked a grin and said with a fervent gaze and a baleful voice, "There''s nothing much to say. However, it won''t be long before we can eat meat again. This is good news!"


    Further to the north, Chen Ping''an who was marching forward in the snowstorm slowly said, "I''vee across cavalry from Great Sui Nation before, and they escorted us from the border to the capital city. Compared to the cavalry from the Great Li Empire, however, I can''t help but feel like there''s something different about them... However, I can''t quite put my finger on it."


    "Master, this is a very simple matter," the little boy in azure replied in azy voice. "The cavalry of Great Sui Nation are nothing more than guard dogs raised in arge courtyard. They might look powerful, but they''re only so-so when ites to a true fight. However, the cavalry of the Great Li Empire, especially those patrolling the borders, can be viewed as a pack of wild dogs. They bite at everyone, and their teeth have already be extremely sharp. Also, if the border patrol from Yellow Court Nation came across us instead, they would have immediately run as far away as they could. They wouldn''t have had the courage to approach us and ask questions."


    The little boy in azure yawned before casually continuing, "When I lived in the Imperial River before, I heard the river god talking about a secret matter. More than a dozen years ago, a border army in the north of the Great Li Empire was involved in a conflict with a group of Qi refiners. In his anger, the general mobilized 6000 elite cavalry andbined forces with his military secretaries and also the Qi refiners borrowed from the main army. He chased the offending Qi refiners for more than 400 kilometers, and he managed to kill three of the four culprits."


    The little girl in pink was astonished, and she eximed, "Regardless of whether they patrol the local regions or the cultivation world, none of the armies in Yellow Court Nation dare to challenge a Qi refiner. Indeed, the Zhn Cao n is pouring all of their resources into raising their young son because they hope that he can be a powerful cultivator. At that time, they can ride on his coattails, and they won''t need to live at the mercy of others anymore.


    "However, Yellow Court Nation''s Hong n is rotten to the core already, from the elders all the way to the youth. When war breaks out in the future, they''ll definitely be no match for the barbarians from the Great Li Empire."


    The little boy in azure scooped up handful after handful of snow in boredom, shaping them into balls before tossing them into the distance. "The border army of the Great Li Empire also suffered heavy casualties that time, with more than half of the cavalry being killed. What made matters worse was the fact that over half of the military secretaries were also killed. In any case, this caused a hugemotion that infuriated the emperor of the Great Li Empire. He summoned the third-rank general to the capital, and he immediately demoted him to the lowest-level soldier. Only then did the forces behind the four Qi refiners finally calm down.


    "However, I heard that the general who once guarded the northern border appeared at Yefu Pass in the south just a few yearster. Moreover, he was quickly promoted back to his original position, and his previous army in the north was also honored with the title of Iron Cavalry. Not only was the army quickly replenished, but they were even given many first-grade horses and soldiers. Because of this, they''re doing extremely well right now."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly thought of the new Mountain Cliff Academy in Great Sui Nation, and he murmured to himself, "Please don''t go to war."


    The little boy in azure quickly tossed a snowball high into the air before swiftly sending a second snowball hurtling toward it. The two snowballs collided and exploded in midair. "The arrow has already been nocked and the bow is already drawn, so it''s inevitable that a nation-destroying war is going to break out. The most important factor is whether Great Sui Nation stands up for itself or not. However, if the White Jade Capital of the Great Li Empire is truly as powerful as the rumors say, then I''d wager that most of the cultivators from the Great Sui Nation will choose to retreat to the sidelines and protect themselves instead.


    "After all, they would have lost their initial advantage, and it''s only natural that they don''t want a flying sword from the White Jade Capital to pierce through the defensive formations of their abodes and kill them in an instant. That would be a truly miserable death. Indeed, who''s willing to test the deadly might of the White Jade Capital? The higher a Qi refiner''s cultivation base, the more they''re afraid of death and cherish their life.


    "In any case, Brother River God said that he''ll immediately surrender if the flying swords of the White Jade Capital are half as powerful as the rumors say. With how the Great Li Empire goes about things, an early surrender might even allow him to keep his position as the river god of the Imperial River."


    The little girl in pink had a baffled expression as she asked, "What''s the White Jade Capital? And it can even shoot out flying swords?"


    The little boy in azure roared withughter. With a snap of his fingers, a snowball immediately struck the little girl''s forehead. "A flying sword will shoot out from the White Jade Capital that''s located in the capital of the Great Li Empire. Flying as fast as a terrestrial sword immortal at the Upper Five Tiers, the flying sword will instantly soar over thousands of mountains and rivers before piercing through the head of a silly girl. Sounds like fun?"


    The little girl in pink held her forehead with her hands. She was quite frightened by the little boy''s words.


    The little boy in azure chuckled in a mocking manner and continued, "With your measly cultivation, is it necessary to use a flying sword from the White Jade Capital to kill you? You are indeed a silly girl, but the imperial court of the Great Li Empire isn''t silly at all. If the dozen or so flying swords from the White Jade Capital target those powerful cultivators hiding behind the scenes in Great Sui Nation first, I wager that a number of the most powerful cultivators in Great Sui Nation will choose to silently leave the nation in order to avoid the impending conflict."


    Even though Chen Ping''an remained silent the entire time, he felt like the majority of reasonings and assumptions offered by the water snake from the Imperial River were correct. Thus, he quietly listened to the little boy andmitted this information to memory. However, Chen Ping''an also became increasingly confused. With how smart and observant the little boy in azure was, why was he willing to take the me for that ill-intentioned river god in the Imperial River?


    Perhaps he hadn''t noticed anything amiss because he was already ustomed to the river god''s behavior?


    Chen Ping''an didn''t ask the little boy in azure about this. At the end of the day, this was the little boy''s personal matter to deal with.


    Chen Ping''an started to quietly practice walking meditation. Walking headfirst into the snowstorm, he performed the steps of walking meditation again and again.


    Wading through the knee-deep snow, Chen Ping''an was forced to perform the Mountain Shaking Fist Guide''s walking meditation extremely slowly. From the nk roads of the mountains to the knee-deep snow right now, the longer he persisted, the more mental and physical energy he needed to exert. As time went on, he needed to exert a dozen or even a hundred times more effort than normal.


    From his head to his toes, and from outside to inside, Chen Ping''an was almost frozen into a block of ice at this moment. In the end, the mystical wisp of Qi that was like a fiery dragon patrolling checkpoints started to quickly swim through his acupoints without him needing to consciously channel the Eighteen Stops technique. This helped Chen Ping''an just barely maintain his True Qi.


    However, each inhtion and exhtion would still cause him to suffer excruciating pain.


    The mischievous little boy in azure was baffled by this, and he felt like Chen Ping''an was simply being unreasonable. Why couldn''t he give up and simply admit that he was untalented? Others advanced their cultivation by leaps and bounds every day, while Chen Ping''an struggled to achieve half the results with double the effort. How embarrassing!


    Meanwhile, the little girl''s heart ached for Chen Ping''an.


    The snowstorm gradually subsided after five days, and their journey was no longer as difficult as before.


    During this time, Chen Ping''an and the two children made their way around two checkpoints and a dozen or so beacon towers bothrge and small.

 Chapter 179: Adding Soil

    Chapter 179: Adding Soil


    After seeing Downtrodden Mountain, Chen Ping''an started to fervently sprint home, not caring about walking meditation or standing meditation anymore. He didn''t experience any sense of nervousness about returning home. Instead, he simply focused on sprinting to the small town, and the pouches of soil that took up more than half of his bamboo basket started to bounce up and down, rustling loudly following his heavy footsteps and the movements of his shoulders.


    The little boy in azure and the little girl in pink giddily ran after him. The little boy looked around everywhere. In fact, the two children had already noticed the abnormally abundant amount of spiritual energy in the atmosphere after nearing the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring County. This was an atmosphere that caused a sense offort to sweep through their bodies. The little boy in azure who was actually a water snake could barely keep the drool from dripping down his chin as he looked at the tall mountain in the distance. His mouth was watering, and it was as if he were gazing at a table full of delicacies.


    Some time ago, the little boy in azure had casually remarked that feeding on iridescent clouds and dew was only the lowliest form of cultivation for flood dragons and other simr species. Cultivating in this manner would be extremely slow. Only by ingesting mountain roots and swallowing river fortunes would they be able to advance their cultivation in leaps and bounds.


    However, it was a shame that the renowned mountains that were abundant with spiritual energy were all either owned by powerful forces or owned by the empires. The former viewed these mountains as their forbiddennds, while thetter filled these mountains with mountain god shrines and temples. Even as powerful as the little boy in azure was, he still didn''t dare to rashly fight for these mountains. This was something that pertained to attaining Dao and achieving immortality, so there was no notion of friendship or even family when it came to these matters. This was especially the case for ghosts, spirits, and other kinds of fiends.


    Compared to the little boy in azure, the little girl in pink was far more reserved and calm. This was because the little fire python had indulged herself in Confucian ssics ever since a young age. Even though they were both from species rted to flood dragons, it was clear that their Dao attainment catalysts werepletely different.


    Chen Ping''an slowed down after reaching the foot of Downtrodden Mountain. With his extremely good eyesight, he quickly noticed that there were many locations where plumes of dust were flying around on the mountain. Chen Ping''an felt slightly anxious when he saw this. Theoretically speaking, Master Ruan should have been looking after Downtrodden Mountain for him, so there was no way there could be any ident.


    Wei Bo, the mountain lord from Go Table Mountain, had indeed promised to construct a bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain for him before. However, this was only a small building, so it should have already beenpleted a long time ago. After that, Wei Bo should have returned home. After all, he definitely wouldn''t stay here for too long. That being the case, why did it look like there were still many construction sites on Downtrodden Mountain?


    Perhaps the ck python had reverted to his old ways and had started to eat people on Downtrodden Mountain? So the enraged county office had sent people into the mountains to hunt it down?


    Chen Ping''an was just about to tell the little boy in azure to revert to his true form so that they could quickly ascend the mountain. However, he suddenly recalled something that he had recently read in a book, and this was a phrase that taught one not to be flustered when they came across unexpected situations. The phrase was beautifully written, and just repeating it a few times caused Chen Ping''an to feel a lot better. In fact, this was a phrase that he had especially chosen to engrave onto a bamboo slip as well.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. At the same time, he silently told himself, "Don''t be flustered and don''t be rash. This is what the book taught me, and it''s actually quite a simr concept to when one molds and fires pottery."


    He was just about to enter the mountain, yet a blur suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. When the blur finally stabilized, Chen Ping''an realized that it was a familiar person standing in front of him with a smile. "Wei Bo!" he instinctively eximed.


    The little girl in pink couldn''t help but wow in astonishment. She felt extremely amazed. Following the young Cui Chan, this was the second god or immortal that she had seen in her life. This person was also unreasonably handsome. However, she immediately felt a slight sense of embarrassment, and she ran over to hide behind Chen Ping''an.


    The little boy in azure faltered and froze to the spot. He then turned around with an aggressive aura and asked, "Master, is this person trying to steal yournd?"


    "Of course not," Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied with a smile.


    He looked at the mountain lord who appeared far more carefree and rxedpared to when he was in Go Table Mountain, and he asked in curiosity, "Why are you still in Downtrodden Mountain? Isn''t it bad for mountain deities and river deities to leave their territory for too long?"


    Wei Bo smiled and replied, "It''s all a big coincidence. I''ve moved to Cloud Drape Mountain now, so I''ve be your new neighbor. Chen Ping''an, please look after me in the future."


    After saying this, the man who was once the formal god of the Divine Water Nation''s Northern Mountain and imminently about to be the esteemed formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain jokingly cupped his hands and even bowed slightly at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an felt like it wasn''t right to ept this bow, so he immediately turned to his side to avoid it. He smiled and asked, "Is the bamboo buildingplete?"


    Wei Bo straightened his back and replied with a nod, "It''s all done. I promise that I didn''t cut any corners. It''s in Downtrodden Mountain, so why don''t I take you guys over to have a look? I initially chose a piece ofnd with good feng shui that would allow the building to most easily take root. However, that piece ofnd was taken by Downtrodden Mountain''s mountain god temple instead, so I had no option but to choose another piece ofnd. Even so, it''s still a very good location. The view there is nice and open, and the scenery is also very beautiful. For the past year, I''ve always gone there whether I''m busy or not. Don''t shoo me away after I''ve outlived my usefulness in the future, okay?"


    Not only was Wei Bo handsome, but the little girl in pink felt like he was unexpectedly good-tempered as well. The little girl felt slightly proud at this moment. Her master was indeed impressive. After all, even his friends were extremely dashing and good-natured.


    The little boy in azure felt increasinglycking in self-confidence. Without any warning, Wei Bo suddenly bared his teeth and pretended to lunge at the little boy, causing him to jump a few dozen meters back in fright. Wei Boughed heartily and said, "Along with that ck python in the mountain, our Downtrodden Mountain is truly going to be very lively."


    "Downtrodden Mountain isn''t yours," Chen Ping''an corrected with a stern expression.


    "Yes, yes, yes... You, Chen Ping''an, are the owner, and I''m only a guest. Happy now?" Wei Bo asked with an exasperated expression.


    The group of four people started to walk up the mountain. As they walked, Wei Bo considerately exined the current situation to Chen Ping''an. "The mountains to the west of the small town all have owners now. There''s construction going on in all of them, and everyone''s busy with developing their mountains. Apart from paving mountain paths, they''re also constructing pavilions and all kinds of other buildings.


    "Mountains with mountain god temples like Downtrodden Mountain are even busier. The Ministry of Works from the Great Li Empire is responsible for funding these construction projects, and apart from the 10,000 or so prisoners and refugees from the Lu Empire that provide freebor, the prefectural office and county office of Dragon Spring County have also hired many local workers to help with the construction in the mountains. By the looks of it, they won''t stop until they create paradise on earth. This is truly a slight waste of resources and manpower."


    Wei Bo pointed at the wide dirt path in front of them and continued, "In the future, this path will be paved using stone bs transported over from the outside. In any case, it will only be better quality than the bluestone bs in Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley."


    "I don''t need to pay for this, right?" Chen Ping''an asked carefully.


    Wei Bo smiled and pointed at the sky before replying, "As long as you''re not dreaming of constructing a bridge in the sky and connecting Downtrodden Mountain to some other mountain, then you don''t need to spend a single copper coin."


    "Are you telling me that someone actually did this?" Chen Ping''an asked in shock.


    "Of course!" Wei Bo replied with a nod. "And not only one or two forces. In fact, several mountains in the north are going to be connected together with bridges in the sky. The relevant forces have already dispatched their guest elders or spent a huge sum of money to hire Qi refiners who are especially skilled at constructing immortal abodes. The construction of these bridges has already started, and one of them is actually a stone bridge instead of a simple chain and nk bridge.


    "I''ve heard that the stone being used has all been dug up from ake, and the cost of constructing this bridge will be at least one million taels of silver. However, the bridge will definitely turn out very nice. Walking along this bridge and being shrouded in clouds and mists, feeling as if one is an ethereal immortal as one gazes at the rising and setting sun and the rolling clouds... Even I''m a bit tempted by this."


    "So they''re actually this rich, huh?" Chen Ping''an clicked his tongue in wonder and said.


    "If you''re willing to sell either Rainbow Cloud Mountain or Immortal Herb Mountain, then you''ll also be an extremely wealthy person in an instant. At that time, you''ll also be able to indulge yourself in such extravagance," Wei Bo said in amusement.


    "What are you talking about? Why would I need those fancy but useless things? The mountains themselves are the foundation of everything," Chen Ping''an huffed.


    Wei Bo roared withughter.


    The miserly Chen Ping''an was still the miserly Chen Ping''an.


    And his measly second tier cultivation was still the same measly second tier cultivation.


    He had gone through pair after pair of straw sandals, yet Chen Ping''an was still the same young boy as before.


    The little boy in azure felt a strong sense of dislike toward Wei Bo no matter how he looked at him. In fact, he felt a strong urge to kick him in the backside and send him sprawling to the ground. It was best that he facented into the ground!


    As they climbed the mountain, they saw several groups of prisoners and refugees from the Lu Empire. Some were old, and some were young, some were strong men, and some were young wives. However, most of them looked haggard and worn. The supervising soldiers from the Great Li Empire had most likely received some kind of order from the imperial court, so they didn''t try to intentionally make things even more difficult for these people who had lost their country. When some of the elderly or fatigued people fainted, they would be helped away by their friends and family and brought beside a stove that was roaring with mes. There, they would be fed some food and hot water.


    "Things didn''t always look this good," Wei Bo said in a nonchnt voice. "If we talk about the Lu n prisoners who froze to death, fell to death, or were beaten to death ormitted suicide to escape this humiliating fate, there were more than 600 of them in just two short months. Afterward, Wu Yuan, who was promoted to the position of prefectural overseer of Dragon Spring County, risked his official position to write a memorial to the throne. Only then did the deaths of these prisoners and refugees reduce drastically."


    "Prefectural overseer?" Chen Ping''an asked in puzzlement.


    Wei Bo reached out and drew a big circle in the air. "Jewel Small World had a vast area of more than 500 kilometers in radius, and right now, many of the neighboring states and prefectures are fighting tooth and nail to take control of the outer edges of it. They''re all seeking help from friends and allies to speak for them in the imperial court, and this has allowed some of them to seed and obtain small portions from the edges. Even so, Dragon Spring will still be unable to fully control its territory if it only remains as a county. In fact, things will still be fairly difficult even if it bes a prefecture."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding. After journeying to Great Sui Nation and back, he was now keenly aware of the sizes of the different nations, states, prefectures, and counties. After all, he had personally traveled over thesends and experienced their sizes. "The ck python from Go Table Mountain hasn''t caused any trouble aftering here, right?" he asked.


    Wei Bo shook his head and replied, "It''s been obediently cultivating in Downtrodden Mountain this entire time. It hasn''t hurt anyone. Even if ites across other people when it goes out to drink water, people have already be ustomed to seeing it. In fact, some of the braver youths already dare to throw stones at it from far away. However, the ck python is also able to endure this."


    Chen Ping''an frowned and said, "This isn''t right. I need to talk to someone to clear this up. Wei Bo, do you know who''s responsible for this area? I need to talk to them about this regardless of what the oue is. It''s very unreasonable to harass other people like this."


    "How are they harassing other ''people''? That''s clearly a mountain python who has just gained intelligence," Wei Bo couldn''t help but chuckle.


    He then teased, "In any case, that ck python has extremely thick skin, so it won''t feel any pain even if someone forcefully hacks at it with their sword. Chen Ping''an, there''s no need to make such a big fuss about this. In any case, if I remember correctly, you don''t seem to have a very good impression of this ck python to begin with. So why are you suddenly beginning to side with it immediately after returning to Downtrodden Mountain?"


    "If the ck python dared to attack others first, then I would have immediately asked someone to kill it after returning to Downtrodden Mountain. I would have been willing to do this even if I had to pay," Chen Ping''an replied.


    The young boy then shook his head and continued, "However, if this isn''t the case, then it wouldn''t matter whether the ck python lives in Downtrodden Mountain or not. Regardless of where it is, the ck python is merely keeping to itself as it enters and exits the mountain. Yet, other people are deciding to actively provoke it for no reason at all. This isn''t fun or amusing. Instead, it''s called seeking death. If I dared to act like this, I would have already died in the mountains a hundred times over."


    "That makes sense," Wei Bo said with a faint smile.


    "I''ll help you deal with this matterter. I''m very familiar with all the different rtionships pertaining to these mountains."


    With her hands holding the straps of the bamboo bookcase that were slung around her shoulders, the little girl in pink was filled with curiosity.


    This was a gigantic mountain, and they still hadn''t reached the halfway mark even after walking for so long. Yet, this mountain was actually owned by her master!


    Sure enough, their master hadn''t lied to them. He was truly very rich!


    The little boy in azure felt slightly refreshed after finally being able to listen to these grand reasonings and principles again. Of course, this naturally wasn''t because he was convinced or persuaded by Chen Ping''an''s reasonings. Instead, it was because he felt excited by the fact that Chen Ping''an was rebutting the mountain god in white robes. This was a mountain god whose cultivation base he couldn''t see through.


    With a seemingly casual expression, Chen Ping''an asked, "Wei Bo, do you know Ruan Xiu? She''s a young girl who lives in the cksmith shop next to the Dragon Whisker River."


    Wei Bo pretended to think for a moment before suddenly putting on an expression of realization. "Oh, you''re talking about Sage Ruan Qiong''s darling daughter! I''ve seen her from afar a few times. Right now, the Great Li Empire is spending the most effort and resources on Divine Elegance Mountain, the mountain that they own. She went over to check on the construction progress several times, and she would alsoe over to visit Treasured Scripture Mountain and Rainbow Cloud Mountain every time.


    "Before the bamboo building waspleted, she also visited Downtrodden Mountain once. She had her hands sped behind her back, and she watched me busily working on the roof of the bamboo building just like that. She even asked me if there was anything that she could help with, but I didn''t let her help. So she just stood there and watched for a long time. I couldn''t help but feel a bit awkward. In the end, she quietly left at some unknown time."


    Chen Ping''an turned to the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure and exined with a smile, "Ruan Xiu is a very good friend of mine. I have two shops in the small town, and they''re both being looked after by her right now. When you two see her, remember to call her Big Sister Ruan."


    The little girl in pink immediately nodded and replied, "Okay!"


    However, the little boy in azure was slightly reluctant, and he mumbled, "I''m already old enough to be her ancestor, so why do I have to call her big sister? I''m losing 18 generations of seniority for nothing..."


    Chen Ping''an shot an emotionless nce at him, and the little boy in azure immediately thumped his chest with both hands as if he were beating a drum. His voice was filled with righteous spirit as he announced, "Since Master has spoken, I can even call her mother if you want!"


    Chen Ping''an was amused by this, and he decided to act against his miserly nature in a rare disy. Speaking like a wealthy person, he promised, "I''ll give both of you an extra snake gall pebble when we get back."


    The little girl in pink jumped up and down as she cheered with joy.


    "Master, can I get another snake gall pebble if I call her Master''s Wife?" the little boy in azure asked in a daze.


    Chen Ping''an pinched his forehead and replied, "I won''t stop Ruan Xiu if she wants to beat you to death at that time."


    The little boy in azure was startled, and he suddenly recalled that Wei Bo had referred to Ruan Xiu as "Sage Ruan Qiong''s darling daughter" just then. Regarding the temperament of True Martial Mountain''s Ruan Qiong, those in Yellow Court Nation''s Imperial River had all heard about it before. This was a truly domineering and unreasonable person. After all, since when had there ever been a sage who would drag others into their territory to kill them?


    The little boy in azure immediately chuckled dryly and said, "I''ll definitely be polite and respectful toward Big Sister Ruan. In fact, I''ll even help Master keep an eye on that silly girl and prevent her from identally saying the wrong thing and angering Big Sister Ruan. That way, I can prevent us from facing deadly danger and prevent Master from facing an awkward situation..."


    Chen Ping''an did his best to suppress a smile. He purposely didn''t tell them about Ruan Xiu''s gentle nature, and he instead put on a stern expression and said with a nod, "Mhm, remember to be polite when you guys see her."


    After walking along the twisting and turning dirt path for a while, Wei Bo finally brought them onto a small path that was paved with stone bs. "This small path was temporarily paved by me, and I simply used some pebbles from the mountain streams. Chen Ping''an, you can rece it in the future if you want," Wei Bo said in a self-deprecating manner.


    As he walked along the firm and neat stone path, Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "There''s no need. This is already very good."


    Their vision opened up, and they saw a two-storey bamboo building in front of them. It was lush green in color, and it appeared especially exquisite and unique. Most importantly, the bamboo building had a backdrop of beautiful mountains and rivers.


    There were several dainty and cute bamboo chairs in the lower storey of the bamboo building, and all of them had a small and soft cushion made from thatch.


    There was a dazed look in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, and his jaw also dropped in astonishment. He was transfixed with shock.


    When Wei Bo had promised to construct a bamboo building for him, Chen Ping''an had initially felt like it would already be very good if the building wasn''t crooked and shaky.


    He hadn''t imagined that it would be so exquisite.


    Chen Ping''an came to his senses and asked softly, "This building is mine?"


    "Of course," Wei Bo replied with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists and said, "Wei Bo, you can regard Downtrodden Mountain as half your home in the future. You''re free to stay here whenever you want."


    Wei Bo smiled and said, "Oh? You''re changing your mind so quickly? Didn''t you say that Downtrodden Mountain isn''t ''ours'' just then?"


    "Wei Bo, you''re the mighty mountain lord of Go Table Mountain, so isn''t it beneath you to lower yourself to my level?" Chen Ping''an replied with a chuckle.


    Wei Boughed heartily. He briefly pointed at the young boy andmented, "So you have changed a bit, after all. By the looks of it, it wasn''t a waste of time for you to undertake that long journey to seek knowledge."


    Afterward, Wei Bo looked at the young boy and two children sprinting to the second storey of the bamboo building where they then leaned against the railing of the balcony to gaze into the distance. Looking at the head of the young boy that was slightly higher up than the heads of the two children from where Wei Bo was standing, the mountain lord of Go Table Mountain felt like these heads looked quite simr to a small mountain.


    "Master, Master, the scenery here is amazing! Can we live here in the future?"


    "Of course you can."


    "Master, why don''t you give this building to me? I can give up one normal snake gall pebble. What do you say?"


    "No."


    As if infected by the joyous atmosphere, Wei Bo, who was no longer the mountain lord of Go Table Mountain, also turned around to gaze at the mountains and rivers in the distance, a faint smile on his face.


    To interact with noble people was akin to entering a room full of irises and orchids; as time went on, one would naturally adopt the fragrance[1].


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an led the little boy and little girl down the mountain and toward the small town. Wei Bo was someone who came and went like a shadow, and he had already vanished from sight at this moment. "Sneaking around in such a manner... It''s clear that he isn''t a good person! Master, don''t interact with him too much in the future. I''m speaking from a mature and prudent standpoint!" the little boy in azure warned in a quiet voice.


    Chen Ping''an ignored him.


    After leading the two children through the familiar mountain paths, they eventually arrived on the west side of the small town where they could see the houses in the distance. Chen Ping''an sighed softly.


    Just then, they had already climbed the unremarkable True Jewel Mountain. There, Chen Ping''an had gazed at his hometown and roughly pointed out many different ces to the two children beside him.


    For example, y Vase Alley where his ancestral home was located, the private school where Mr. Qi had taught, Dragon Riding Alley where his two shops were located, Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley where he had delivered the most letters to, the cksmith shop outside the small town, the immortal tomb to the east, the mountain of porcin in the north, and so on...


    The only ce that Chen Ping''an didn''t introduce was the stone bridge that had already returned to its original appearance. He merely nced at it out of the corners of his eyes when he looked at the cksmith shop, and not only did he not introduce it, but his gaze didn''t linger on it either.


    He had personally witnessed and experienced the dangers and absurdities of the outside world, so he was well aware of the fact that he needed to be as careful as could be.


    The little boy in azure swaggered forward and asked, "Master, are we going to Dragon Riding Alley to pay a visit to the Burclover shop and pastry shop first?"


    "We''ll go to my parents'' tomb first," Chen Ping''an replied softly.


    The three of them didn''t cut through the small town, and they instead walked downstream along the bank of the river.


    They silently walked past the stone bridge that no longer had an old sword billet hanging under it, and they then walked past the cksmith shop that was dotted with low thatched cottages and tall sword furnaces. In the end, they finally arrived in front of a small tomb. Chen Ping''an put his bamboo basket down and retrieved the small pouches of soil that were even smaller than his fist. He then started to add soil to the tomb.


    There was neither sadness nor grief on the young boy''s tanned face, and there wasn''t a sense of joy about returning to his hometown either.


    After climbing over mountains, sailing across rivers, and traveling tens of thousands of kilometers, the first thing that the young boy did after returning home was to quietly open these pouches and add soil to his parents'' tomb.


    1. A saying by Confucius. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Adding soil is a tradition where new soil is added to a tomb. This is usually done during the Qingming Festival.</blockquote>

 Chapter 180: (1): Like a God

    Chapter 180: (1): Like a God


    Chen Ping''an and the two children descended the mountain and entered the small town. After seeing the wealthy and exquisite appearance of Downtrodden Mountain and the bamboo building, the little boy in azure felt like it wouldn''t be a bad idea to adapt to the local customs of the small town. At the same time, his longing and feeling of nostalgia for his own hometown also became a little bit fainter.


    There was a beaming smile on his face as he asked, "Master, where are we going next? To your home in y Vase Alley? Master, why don''t we buy the entire y Vase Alley? It doesn''t matter if Master is a bit tight on funds right now. I also have money! I don''t dare to say that I have a lot of money, but if I evaluate my possessions in terms of gold and silver... That will truly be quite arge sum. Master, you can use snake gall pebbles to trade with me. Just normal ones will do!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "What''s the point of buying y Vase Alley? That''s aplete waste of money."


    The little boy in azure was slightly reluctant to ept defeat. However, he didn''t dare to talk back to Chen Ping''an. In any case, he felt like his calctions and schemes were extremely profound and shrewd. Was he not doing all this to obtain some extra snake gall pebbles?


    The little girl in pink felt a little happy when she saw the little boy in azure being rendered speechless. She also had her own calctions and ns. When they arrived at y Vase Alley, she was thinking of helping her master tidy up his home and making it spotless and refreshing.


    When they arrived on the bank where the creek became the Dragon Whisker River, Chen Ping''an told the two children some stories that were rted to the creek. The little boy in azure was absent-minded as he listened to these stories. However, he suddenly looked at somece in the river with an angry expression, and he immediately leaped over without saying so much as a single word. Even though he didn''t revert to his fearsome true form, his ability to control the water was still fairlyposed and outstanding.


    Each time he punched the surface of the river, it would be as if he were digging out a new well. Large and tumultuous vortexes appeared in the river, and the initially calm river immediately became restless and turbulent. The little boy in azure walked across the river as if he were walking across drynd, and it was as if he were pursuing something that was hidden at the bottom of the river. As he walked, he shouted, "Blind shrimp soldiers and crab generals, you measly beings actually dare to covet my beauty?!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t stop him. Firstly, the little boy in azure had leaped over far too suddenly, giving Chen Ping''an no time to react and stop him. Secondly, he had indeed felt like something was watching him one time he was practicing walking meditation beside the river before leaving the small town with Li Baoping and the others. It had been an ufortable and gloomy aura, and it had even caused a cold chill to run down his spine. However, Chen Ping''an had only just started to practice his fist technique at that time, so he hadn''t dared to investigate the reason behind this. He had chosen to keep a respectful distance instead.


    The little girl in pink felt a slight headache when she saw the little boy in azure reveal his violent temper again, and she quietly warned Chen Ping''an, "Master, did the imperial court of the Great Li Empire appoint any deity to the Dragon Whisker River? For example, a river guardian or a higher-level river god? We shouldn''t take things too far. As the books say, the official in charge is sometimes more effective than the magistrate of the county. The books also say that a close neighbor is better than a distant rtive..."


    Chen Ping''an was stumped by her question. He looked around before mulling over this carefully and replying, "If there''s a river god, then there should be a river god temple as well, right? But I don''t remember seeing any on the way."


    Chen Ping''an sighed softly in his mind. He recalled the words "more haste, less speed" that he had personally engraved onto a bamboo slip that was resting in the basket on his back right now. With this in mind, he decided to abandon this kind of aimless probing. He looked at the little boy in azure who was bing increasingly ferocious as he fought and shouted, "Come back!"


    Above the surface of the river in the distance, the little boy in azure shook his sleeves to unleash the brilliant glow of his immortal treasures. Heughed loudly and said, "Master, give me a moment, just a little while longer. I''m almost about to catch this slippery little eel! Trying to fight with me in the water? How very... Oh? So you also have some treasures. This immortal treasure looks quite nice. However, it''s a shame that I possess an innately invincible physique when ites to battles in or around water. Stinky woman, your abilities are far too weak! Wahaha! After I capture you, I''ll toss you onto Master''s bed and guarantee myself an extra snake gall pebble!"


    The little boy in azure exchanged blow after blow with the Yin entity in the river. They both unleashed the power of their immortal treasures, causing brilliant shes of light to dance above the Dragon Whisker River. Of course, this was mainly because the little boy in azure wanted to toy with his opponent. Otherwise, with his powerful physique and impressive cultivation, he should have been able to severely wound his opponent even if he didn''t assume his true form.


    After a while, the little boy in azure turned around and jogged back to Chen Ping''an with arge bundle of... ck hair in his hand?


    When he returned to the bank where Chen Ping''an and the little girl in pink were standing, the little boy in azure let go of the hair and said with a smug expression, "Master, that woman was fairly beautiful, and her bottom was also very plump and round. In fact, her bottom is twice the size of this silly girl''s. How about you take her as a maidservant?"


    The little girl in pink flushed bright red in embarrassment and anger.


    A head and pale neck floated to the surface of the river beside the little boy''s feet. It was a female Yin god with a shapely appearance and a pitiful expression. Her raven ck hairy sprawled across the surface of the river, and it undted up and down and flowed back and forth following the rapid flow of water.


    She saw Chen Ping''an, and she felt like the young boy had seemingly grown a little taller. However, he still looked as impoverished as always. Yet, as if hazy mist was rising from his ancestor''s tomb[1], he had actually gained a powerfulckey in the little boy. There was a dark and gloomy look in the woman''s eyes, and she quickly pushed aside herplicated thoughts. She lowered her head and sobbed, "I''m the newly appointed river goddess of the Dragon Whisker River, so ording to the rules, I need to go around and inspect everyone in the vicinity of the river. This is my responsibility, so please forgive me if I''ve unintentionally offended you. Please don''t take offense at my actions."


    Chen Ping''an told the little boy in azure to hurry up and leave the river. He then cupped his fists at the unfamiliar river goddess and said in apology, "No, we were the ones who offended you, River Goddess. I''m Chen Ping''an, and I''m a local of Dragon Spring County. Might I ask where you''re from, River Goddess?"


    A strange look shed across the river goddess'' eyes. However, she quickly replied in a timid voice, "Since I''ve be a river deity, it''s necessary that I sever my mortal past. This is simr to how Buddhist monks don''t mention their names and how Daoist priests don''t talk about their age. So please don''t ask about my past, Young Master. In any case, not only do I have no intentions of harming others, but I''ll even safeguard the fortune of the Dragon Whisker River."


    The little boy in azure was enraged upon hearing this, and he roared, "Master is giving you face, but you''re actually refusing his kindness? Are you picking on my master because he''s too nice?"


    Chen Ping''an reached over to ce a hand on the little boy''s head, preventing him from returning to the river to battle with the official river goddess. He then smiled at the woman and said with a nod, "Thank you for your hard work, River Goddess."


    The river goddess hurriedly waved an arm that was as white and smooth as a section of white lotus loot and said, "I don''t dare to ept your gratitude. We be acquainted through an altercation, but Young Master Chen doesn''t need to apologize or thank me. If you need any help in the future, you can send someone to the river to notify me. I''ll definitely do everything I can to help you."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t continue this awkward conversation with the river goddess for much longer. This wasn''t his strong suit, and he also felt very ufortable about how the river goddess continued to refer to him as Young Master Chen. He quickly walked away with the two children, and it wasn''t long before they arrived near the cksmith shop next to the river. Chen Ping''an was slightly hesitant, and he didn''t know whether he should head over to say hi to Sage Ruan Qiong and his daughter Ruan Xiu or directly return to y Vase Alley first.


    The woman who had been promoted from river guardian to river goddess yet still didn''t have a river goddess temple slowly swam to the bottom of the river. There was a sinister look in her eyes, and her face was also filled with fury. She stomped down and killed an old tortoise in the wet soil. Still wanting to vent her anger, she stomped down again topletely pulverize the shell of the tortoise. Only after doing this did she stop. However, the irresolute river goddess immediately felt a slight sense of regret.


    The old tortoise that was as big as a millstone had already lived for at least 200 years. Add to that the spiritual energy flowing over from Jewel Small World that benefited all kinds of trees and vegetation and birds and beasts, the old tortoise had in fact already gained a sliver of intelligence. After another 200 to 300 years, it could have perhaps be a useful subordinate for her once it sessfully gained intelligence.


    The river goddess heaved a miserable sigh. She bent down and said to the pulverized tortoise, "If you want to me someone, then me that hillbilly Chen Ping''an. He was the one who caused you to die. He''s the true culprit. Young Master Chen? Ptui! Little bastard who caused his parents to die... Why didn''t you die on your journey to seek knowledge? Why weren''t you crushed into a pile of minced meat...?"


    The river goddess bitterly resented the young boy from y Vase Alley. She continued to curse him as she walked along the bottom of the river, and her raven hair that measured three meters in length gracefully flowed behind her shapely body like the long dress of a noblewoman. She wasn''t paying attention, and she slowly strolled downstream along the Dragon Whisker River. When she finally came to her senses, she realized that she had already arrived at the intersection between the Dragon Whisker River and the Iron Talisman River. Beneath her feet was a rapid waterfall that rushed downward.


    She hurriedly turned around to run away in fright.


    Dragon Spring Prefecture had been extremely busy in the past year, with countless spirits and demons rushing over from all corners in the hopes of cultivating here and absorbing the abundant spiritual energy. If she were simply taking advantage of this situation to ask for tolls from the passing spirits and demons to umte some wealth for her grandson Ma Kuxuan, then that aggressive and violent great river goddess of the Iron Talisman River was genuinely someone who was bloodthirsty and murderous. Even two hands weren''t enough to count the number of wandering cultivators who had died at her hands.


    Strangely, however, the imperial court of the Great Li Empire and the prefectural office of Dragon Spring Prefecture didn''t interrogate the great river goddess about this at all. This caused her to feel extremely envious. At the same time, she also became increasingly eager about her river goddess temple that was still yet to be constructed even after so long.


    Standing near the cksmith shop, Chen Ping''an was still undecided about whether he should head over to say hi. However, he suddenly saw a young girl in green appear near the stone bridge in the distance.


    The young girl also saw him, and after confirming his identity, she paused for a moment before walking over at a brisk pace.


    Chen Ping''an also walked over with the two little children. He smiled and waved at the young girl from afar, loudly greeting, "Ruan Xiu!"


    Ruan Xiu answered him and jogged over. After standing still, she said in a gentle voice, "You''ve returned."


    "Mhm, I''ve returned!" Chen Ping''an said with a nod.


    The two of them fell silent.


    The little boy''s eyes widened.


    <em>Wow, as expected of the daughter of Wind Snow Temple''s Sage Ruan Qiong! She''s truly very beautiful.</em>


    <em>Ah, what a great shame. One truly can''t judge a book by its cover. It seems like her temper isn''t very good, and she might smash me to death with a single punch if I say the wrong thing. Otherwise, I would definitely call her Master''s Wife.</em>


    The little girl in pink blinked in curiosity and admiration. When she grew up, she also wanted to be as beautiful as this gentle-looking young girl in green.


    Ruan Xiu was the first to break the silence, and she said with a faint smile, "Why don''t youe with me to the cksmith shop to have some hot water first? After that, I can help you carry the things that you left here back to y Vase Alley."


    Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Afterward, Ruan Xiu started to tell him about all the small and trivial things that had urred in the small town. She told him that she had already gotten someone to repair the house in y Vase Alley with an unknown owner. She also told him that business wasn''t going especially well at the Burclover shop and pastry shop. When she said this, there was a slightly apologetic and ashamed expression on her face.


    While Chen Ping''an was away, she had also made the decision by herself to bring the cage of hens and chicks from his neighbor''s house back to the cksmith shop. However, two of the hens had been eaten by wild cats because she hadn''t been careful enough. Ruan Xiu appeared even more downcast when she said this. Chen Ping''an was quite amused, and he hurriedly consoled her and told her to not worry about these trivial things.


    In fact, they could even kill an old hen tomorrow to make some chicken stew. His culinary skills had improved greatly, so the stew would definitely be delicious. Ruan Xiu was extremely rmed when she heard this, and she told Chen Ping''an that he definitely couldn''t kill the hens. They were all very well-behaved, and she had even given names to all of them.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t wipe the smile from his face.


    Only at this moment did the gentle Ruan Xiu realize that Chen Ping''an was purposely teasing her. She shot a gentle re at him.


    The little boy in azure also came to a sudden realization. As it turned out, his master had been tricking him from the very beginning. In what way was this big sister bad-tempered?


    He had suffered a great loss! Regardless of whether he lied, rolled around on the floor, threatened suicide, or even attempted to steal, the little boy in azure felt like he had to obtain this snake gall pebble that had narrowly brushed past him no matter what. Otherwise, he couldn''t quell his anger!


    After walking into the organized cksmith shop, the initially casual little boy suddenly became pale with fright. Meanwhile, the little girl in pink also ran over to hide behind Chen Ping''an.


    There were seven wells.


    They were scattered like stars in the sky and Go pieces on a board.


    Moreover, sword qi was soaring into the sky from each of these wells.


    Even taking a single nce at these wells caused the two little children''s eyes to ache in pain. In fact, they could barely suppress the urge to shed tears and revert to their true forms to resist this formless but profound and mighty sword intent. The little boy in azure and the little girl in pink trembled in fear, with their excitement and eagerness about visiting Dragon Spring Prefecture immediately vanishing in a puff of smoke. Their only thought right now was that this ce was filled with dangers around every corner. This ce was a thunder pool on earth, one that was best suited to suppressing rtives to flood dragons like them.


    Chen Ping''an told the two of them to sit down on the bamboo chairs in front of a thatched cottage, while he left with Ruan Xiu to collect some things from a nearby mud house. Only then did they finally breathe a small sigh of relief. They exchanged a nce, and they realized that they both had beads of sweat on their foreheads.


    1. This refers to a person experiencing great fortune, as mist rising from the earth can be seen as a sign of life and vitality. However, it is often said in a derisive manner. ?

 Chapter 181: Not Worth It

    Chapter 181: Not Worth It


    There were always some people who would give one a good impression straight away. This couldn''t be exined.


    When Chen Ping''an saw the young schr, his feeling of heavy-heartedness that had developed from walking down half of Fortune Street was instantly swept away. He carried the y pot and briskly walked forward.


    The young schr had a warm smile, and he didn''t stand there and wait for Chen Ping''an. Instead, he walked over and said, "You''re Chen Ping''an, correct? I''m Li Xisheng, Li Baoping''s big brother. I''ve already received the most recent letter that Baoping sent from Mountain Cliff Academy. As her older brother, I truly don''t know how to express my gratitude. I''ve heard that you''re always reading now, so you''re wee to visit my house as much as you want in the future. I have a small collection of books, so please feel free to borrow them at any time."


    Not only did he extend this offer, but he even bowed in gratitude after epting the y pot from Chen Ping''an. "Words cannot express my gratitude."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly flustered by this. In the end, he could only point at the y pot and say with a demure expression, "Young Master Li, there''s a mountain crossing carp in the y pot, I found it in the mountains during my journey back to the town. It''s a gift for Li Baoping."


    Li Xisheng nced down at the golden fish that was leisurely swimming around in the small y pot. When he looked back up at Chen Ping''an, he sighed with emotion and said, "I once read about mountain crossing carp in the notes of a past sage. These are incredibly rare creatures. Who would have thought that I would have an opportunity to see one in my lifetime? Rest assured, I''ll definitely raise it carefully. Li Baoping will definitely be overjoyed when she returns home in the future."


    Chen Ping''an was at aplete loss. He didn''t know how to reply to Li Xisheng''s sincere and enthusiastic words. Even though he had dragged Cui Dongshan along to stare at that impressive school of mountain crossing carp at that time, so much so that his eyes had be sore, and it had taken him much effort to catch this specific mountain crossing carp, Chen Ping''an genuinely didn''t view it as anything too precious. This was regardless of what the books said and regardless of how mystical Cui Dongshan said these carp were.


    As long as it was for a genuine friend of his, Chen Ping''an was willing to do everything in his ability.


    However, Chen Ping''an was truly not good at small talk, so he scratched his head before saying goodbye. He was just about to turn around and leave.


    Li Xisheng hurriedly called out to stop Chen Ping''an from leaving. "Why don''t youe in and stay for a while? I''ll show you around first, and this way you''ll be able toe by yourself in the future. I''ll notify the steward afterward."


    "Maybe next time," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    "Then at least let me put the mountain crossing carp elsewhere first and return the y pot to you, okay?" Li Xisheng said with a resigned smile.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t turn his offer down this time, and he nodded and replied, "Then I''ll wait for you here."


    "Alright, I''ll be just a moment," Li Xisheng said with a smile.


    He turned around and jogged inside with the y pot in his hands.


    At this moment, the young man no longer appeared like a sagely person who expounded the teachings of Confucian ssics. Instead, he genuinely appeared like Li Baoping''s big brother.


    After a short while, Li Xisheng jogged back with the y pot. There were also several books tucked under his arms. After Chen Ping''an epted the y pot, he bent down and ced it on the ground before vigorously scrubbing his hands clean. Only then did he ept the books. He also tucked them under his arms like Li Xisheng had, and he awkwardly picked the y pot and said, "I''ll return them once I finish reading them."


    There was a smile as gentle as the spring breeze on Li Xisheng''s face as he waved his hand and said, "There''s no hurry. Take your time and read them at your own pace. These books are far more well-behaved than Li Baoping, and they won''t run around everywhere like her."


    Then, he stopped joking around and continued slowly, "Chen Ping''an, my invitation for you to visit and borrow books isn''t out of mere politeness. Instead, I genuinely hope that you can visit often. Even though Baoping is very smart, she''s still a small child, after all. Getting a small child to sit down and quietly read is even more difficult than ascending to the heavens. In fact, it feels like I''ve been the only person browsing and reading these books all these years. Thinking about it carefully, this is actually quite mundane."


    Li Xisheng spoke many things from his heart in a single breath.


    If other members of the Li n were present, they would definitely look west to see if the sun was rising[1].


    This was because inparison to his younger brother Li Baozhen, the lesser-known Li Xisheng appeared far too pedantic and uninteresting. Even though he was gentle and polite to everyone, he was generally a person of few words. This made him appear silent and boring. If he wasn''t hiding in the scripture library and reading books, then he would be taking a walk in therge residence by himself. This was the same every day. He would watch the sunrise and sunset, the falling snow and bright moon, and everything else in between. Heavens knew what he could learn from observing these things.


    Fortunately, Li Xisheng was the eldest grandson of the Li n, after all, so his rtionship with the others in the n wasn''t bad at all. No one would dislike a good-tempered future n leader. It was simply the case that he wasn''t as likable as his younger brother Li Baozhen.


    "I will visit," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Li Xisheng nodded in reply before waving goodbye to the young boy.


    Looking at Chen Ping''an''s gradually disappearing figure, Li Xisheng murmured, "Charming the green mountains appear in my eyes."


    A knowing smile spread across his face, and he continued, "Likewise, the green mountains also see me so?[2]"


    Li Xisheng turned around and walked toward the front gate of the Li n''s residence. There was a wide smile on his face as he strode over the door threshold, and he remarked to himself, "It''s another beautiful day."


    However, upon recalling the news from the capital, he couldn''t help but sigh. This couldn''t be helped. Everyone had their burdens, and every family had their hardships. He continued to walk, and after passing a few corridors and buildings, a smile reappeared on his face. "That won''t hold up today''s beauty."


    In the corridor, a young maidservant walked over from the opposite direction. She slowed down and turned to her side to perform a curtsy.


    "Young Master," she greeted in a delicate voice.


    Li Xisheng habitually slowed down and acknowledged her with a smile and a nod. However, he didn''t say anything, and he brushed past her just like that.


    The good-looking maidservant turned around to gaze at Li Xisheng. She involuntarily felt a sense of self-pity.


    <em>Young Master is indeed a fairly good person. However, it''s a shame that he''s oblivious to others'' feelings</em>, she sighed forlornly in her mind.


    If it were Second Young Master, he would have definitely stopped to chat with her. Moreover, he would have alsoplimented her on the beautiful new headwear that she had bought.


    However, there was something that she naturally didn''t know.


    Li Xisheng, the eldest grandson of the Li n, was indeed oblivious to the feelings and environment in this ce. However, he was deeply familiar with the feelings and environment in other ces.


    For example, sudden rain striking withered lotuses, spring breeze blowing toward armored horses, beautiful women looking into bronze mirrors, generals wearing fine swords, and thick snow covering green mountains.


    In Li Xisheng''s eyes, these were some of the most beautiful sights in the world.


    Li Xisheng returned to his courtyard. Here, there was a small pond that was built from piled-up pebbles of all kinds of colors.


    He squatted down beside the pond and looked down at the limpid water. Inside the pond, there was the mountain crossing carp that was swimming around in a leisurely and carefree manner.


    It was very difficult to imagine that this decent-looking pond was all the handiwork of Li Baoping. Each time she snuck out from home, she would very likely go to Dragon Whisker Creek to collect pebbles. Day after day and month after month, she would bring a few pebbles back every time. One day, when looking at the small mountain of pebbles lying in the corner of the courtyard, Li Baoping had suddenlye up with the brilliant idea to build a pond that could be used to raise fish and crabs for her big brother. Li Xisheng couldn''t stop her, and in the end, he could only help her with ideas and suggestions. However, from the beginning to the end, Li Baoping had been the one doing all the manual work. As her big brother, Li Xisheng had naturally wanted to help. However, Li Baoping had stubbornly refused his help.


    Li Xisheng saw a small creature sneakily sticking its head out from under a bluestone b and looking around. He smiled and said, "You two need to get along with each other. You''re not allowed to fight."


    He then stood up and headed to the small scripture library that had a que with the characters "Humble Abode" hanging above the door. He started to prepare paper, grind ink, and raise his calligraphy brush to draw.


    This was a painting of a snow-covered pine tree that gave off a strong ancient feel.


    After putting his calligraphy brush down, Li Xisheng shook his wrist and looked down to closely observe his painting. The ink was yet to dry, and its fragrance wafted toward his nose.


    In the end, he lightly blew onto the painting.


    As if facing a powerful gust of wind, the green pine tree in the painting surprisingly started to rustle, instantly shaking the snow from its branches.


    ��������


    Ruan Xiu happily returned to the cksmith shop. Failing to find her father forging iron using the sword furnace, she looked around for a while before finally seeing him sitting in a bamboo chair under the eaves. He was surprisingly drinking by himself.


    "Father, you''re not forging iron?" she asked with a puzzled expression.


    The middle-aged man shook his head.


    <em>Forge my ass! Today isn''t a good day for forging swords. However, if it''s hammering Chen Ping''an, I''ll be more than happy to oblige!</em>


    Ruan Xiu sat down next to him and said, "Father, I forgot to buy you wine today. When I go to the small town tomorrow, I''ll definitely buy you a pot of good wine."


    She was adding insult to the injury. Of course, the young girl naturally didn''t know that her words were essentially the same as rubbing salt into her father''s wounds.


    Ruan Qiong sighed and took arge swig of wine. He nkly stared at the distant Dragon Whisker River, and he asked in a low voice, "Xiuxiu, do you like Chen Ping''an?"


    "Of course I do," Ruan Xiu replied with a smile.


    Ruan Qiong surprisingly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his daughter''s answer. By the looks of it, there was still a chance to do something about this before it was toote. "Do you know why I didn''t agree to take Chen Ping''an as a disciple?" the Militarian sage asked.


    Ruan Xiu faltered for a moment before replying with a puzzled expression, "Father, didn''t you already exin this before? You said that you had a fairly good impression of Chen Ping''an, but it was a shame that the two of you weren''t like-minded people with amon goal. As such, he isn''t suited to bing your disciple. I already know about this. In addition, Chen Ping''an is... a bit different from other people. So you''re afraid that I''ll attract the attention of many hidden forces acting in the background if I get too close to him. Because of this, you''re actually quite unhappy with me bing friends with Chen Ping''an. Ipletely understand this."


    Ruan Qiong was instantly rendered speechless. He felt like his daughter had taken the words right out of his mouth. Forcefully swallowing the words that had already reached the tip of his tongue, he tilted his head and gulped down another mouthful of wine.


    He was trying to drink wine to extinguish his gloom, but the more he drank, the gloomier he became.


    <em>Since you already understand these things, then you should hang out less with Chen Ping''an in the future! Silly daughter, you''re notcking in such a measly fated opportunity, and Chen Ping''an has also lost his ability to "draw moths to the mes." </em>


    <em>Moreover, your body itself is your greatest fated opportunity! And what did you do? Once you heard that he was going to return, you immediately sprinted from Dragon Riding Alley all the way to the stone arch bridge. You then pretended that you were casually taking a walk and leisurely heading toward your own shops. Just who in the world were you trying to trick?</em>


    Ruan Qiong put his wine aside and said in a calm voice, "Qi Jingchun''s exit amounted to the wrapping up of the end game. However, even though Dragon Spring Prefecture no longer has any great dangers, it''s still the case that many people are surrounding and coveting the juicy piece of meat that is Jewel Small World. Many things aren''t as simple as you think. My opinion is still the same as before. If it''s trouble that Chen Ping''an caused, he can easily deal with them by himself. Once you be involved in them, however, things will be far more difficult to resolve."


    Ruan Xiu stretched her legs and leaned back into the bamboo chair. With azy look in her eyes, she replied, "I know, I know... I promise that I''ll cultivate earnestly. If anyone dares to do anything untoward in the future, I won''t need your help either. I can deal with them by myself."


    Like falling snow, another handful of salt was rubbed into Ruan Qiong''s wounds.


    The Militarian sage almost spat out a mouthful of blood.


    He huffed angrily and stood up. When he walked past behind his daughter, he rewarded her with a smack on the back of her head. "You''re always siding with outsiders!"


    The corners of Ruan Xiu''s mouth curled up into a smile as she turned around to look at her father''s back.


    She didn''t have much to do right now, as she didn''t need to forge iron or look after the shops in the small town. She started to lightly twirl her wrist.


    Her bracelet seemingly came to life, and the small fiery dragon that was woken from its nap started to slowly circle around the young girl''s soft and delicate arm.


    ��������


    Ruan Qiong walked toward a newly constructed sword furnace. Apart from the many strong young men working in the cksmith shop right now, he had also taken three new disciples this year. However, they were only unofficial disciples right now, and they couldn''t be considered as in-house disciples. A young boy with long eyebrows who wasprehending sword intent by a well suddenly opened his eyes and jogged over to Ruan Qiong.


    "Master, you''re going to the forge?" he asked softly.


    Ruan Qiong shook his head. He changed his mind, and rather than walking to the sword furnace, he walked toward the Dragon Whisker River instead. He wanted to personally measure the amount of darkness in the river[3] If there was enough, then he could carry out his promise to Ning Yao and start to forge the sword.


    The young boy with long eyebrows followed closely behind him.


    Even though one was walking in front and one was walking behind, the two of them were still walking the same path.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an returned to his shop in Dragon Riding Alley and handed the small y pot to the little boy in azure. He then handed the key and books to the little girl in pink. After doing this, he told them to return to his house in y Vase Alley first.


    Meanwhile, he went to the Yang Family''s medicine shop by himself. Regardless of whether it was windy, sunny, or raining, the couplets that were stuck on the two sides of the shop would be changed every single year. However, what was written on them would never change �� "May all sicknesses be eradicated; may all medicines be rendered unnecessary".


    Chen Ping''an asked a new shop attendant about Old Man Yang''s whereabouts, and he was told that Old Man Yang was in the courtyard right now. After walking through the side door, Chen Ping''an saw the old man sitting on a small stool in the courtyard. His back was bent and his legs were crossed, and he was holding his smoking pipe and puffing away as always.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything, and he appeared slightly uneasy in a rare disy.


    Old Man Yang got straight to the point and said, "You want to ask about your parents? And whether or not it''s possible that they''re in the same situation as Gu Can''s father? You want to know whether their souls remained in the small town after their deaths?"


    Chen Ping''an''s breathing instantly became heavy.


    "No, they didn''t."


    The old man exhaled a big cloud of smoke and directly exined the reason behind this answer. "Because it wasn''t worth it."


    The young boy lowered his head and became even quieter.


    Looking down, he could only see the blurry outline of his straw sandals, which were already severely worn.


    1. This metaphor refers to somethingpletely out of the ordinary. ?


    2. An extract from Xin Qiji''s work�������ɡ�������˥�ӡ�. Xin Qiji was a Chinese poet, calligrapher, and military general during the Southern Song dynasty. Green mountains symbolize a noble character, so this quote refers to a person having the pure and noble determination to prefer loneliness over bingplicit with immoral people. ?


    3. Reminder that ording to Old Man Yang, the river guardian (Granny Ma) can turn the water "dark", which can give rise to water essence that''s beneficial to forging and refining swords. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Poor Ping''an</blockquote>

 Chapter 182: My Reasons Are in My Scabbards

    Chapter 182: My Reasons Are in My Scabbards


    When Chen Ping''an returned to his house in y Vase Alley, he saw the little girl in pink holding a broom and sweeping the courtyard. Meanwhile, the little boy in azure was leaning over the small water vat with his mouth wide open and facing the surface of the water. There was still half a meter between his mouth and the water, yet there was a small column of water flowing up from the water vat and into his mouth. It was as if he were a dragon drawing water from a well.


    Chen Ping''an sat down on the door threshold. The little girl in pink noticed that he was slightly lost in thought, so she considerately didn''t say anything to disturb him. In fact, the courtyard had already been cleaned spotless by Ruan Xiu quite a while ago. However, the little girl in pink would always feel uneasy if she wasn''t doing something to help. She would feel like she didn''t deserve the snake gall pebbles that her master had so generously given her.


    Chen Ping''an''s mind was wandering in some ce very far away, and he suddenly recalled Cui Dongshan''sments regarding Song Jixin. He stood up and retrieved the set of keys that Song Jixin had secretly tossed into his courtyard when leaving the small town. He then ran next door and opened the gate to his neighbor''s courtyard. Sure enough, he saw three books stacked on the table in the study after entering Song Jixin''s house. They were ''Principles of Life for Children'', ''Rites and Music'', and ''An Anthology of Literary Essays''.


    Chen Ping''an carried a chair over and started to flip through ''Principles of Life for Children''.


    During Chen Ping''an''s trip back to the small town from Great Sui Nation, he had been apanied by Cui Dongshan who would often recite Confucian ssics. After listening to these ssics for a while, Chen Ping''an discovered that ''Principles of Life for Children'' wasn''t simple at all.


    If one were to look at the title of the book only, perhaps one would feel that it only talked about very shallow principles.


    However, during his casual conversations with Cui Dongshan, he had learned that teachers in ordinary schools most definitely wouldn''t use ''Principles of Life for Children'' as a textbook for children. Perhaps Mr. Qi was the only person who could exin this profound and obscure Confucian ssic in such a simple and easily understandable manner. Because of this, Li Baoping and the others had never felt like this book was too difficult or profound to understand.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t n to take the three books back home with him. After reading a dozen or so pages of ''Principles of Life for Children'', he felt like he couldn''t even gain an elementary understanding of the contents with his measly knowledge and non-existent education. If he tried to wrack his brain more, he would only seed in confusing himself and giving himself a headache. He would feel as if he were falling through mists and clouds, with nowhere safe to stand.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an had no option but to put the book down. He retrieved the small silver sword billet from his sleeve and gently held it in his hands. Afterward, he continued to space out like he had while sitting on the door threshold of his own house.


    He had walked past the stone arch bridge twice, yet he had failed to feel anything from the sword billet. This was an imperceptible feeling, but Chen Ping''an realized that the sword spirit would truly disappear for an entire decade. She would use this time to sharpen the edge of the de using that half of the Dragon ying tform. The Dragon ying tform had already been split into three and divided between Ruan Qiong, Wind Snow Temple, and True Martial Mountain, yet the sword spirit still insisted on doing this. As to whether this would cause any trouble, Chen Ping''an had no way of knowing. He was even less able to interfere.


    During that snowy winter night many years ago, Chen Ping''an saved the young girl who had fallen unconscious in front of his house. In the end, however, she had be Song Jixin''s maidservant instead. She had also changed her name from Wang Zhu to Zhi Gui. Not long ago, she had apanied Song Jixin��who turned out to be the prince of the Great Li Empire��to the capital.


    The office of the kiln supervision official, the que that read "Rising Winds Crashing Water" on the covered bridge, the seemingly bottomless Dragon Locking Well, the locust tree that had ancestral blessings in each of its leaves, the immortal tomb, and the mountain of porcin...


    This was not to mention the influential and mighty beings in the small town.


    It was aplete mess.


    No wonder Old Man Yang had said that he would one day discover just how big this small town truly was.


    A dejected expression appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face when he thought of the old man in the pharmacy who promoted fair exchanges. He exhaled gently and instinctively tightened his grip on the sword billet in his hand. After standing up, he ced the sword billet back inside his sleeve before leaving the house that Song Jixin had abandoned. When he arrived home, he handed the set of keys to Liu Xianyang''s house to the little girl in pink. He told them the two children to move over there. After all, his house in y Vase Alley was far too small.


    The little boy in azure was yet to drink his fill, so he waffled on in irritation as he stood up and stopped drinking. However, he suddenly thought of something, and he asked, "Master, didn''t you give me an ordinary snake gall pebble in exchange for a pile of crap... I mean, a pile of precious vases? Since you''re so close with Ruan Xiu, why don''t you give those iridescent cloud vases and magnificent moon vases to her as a present? Master, speaking from my hundreds of years of experience traveling around the world, all females in the world like these fancy little trinkets regardless of how lofty their statuses. Are these vases not better than a crappy bamboo slip?"


    He chuckled thievishly and continued, "What, is Master unwilling to part with those precious vases? Are you unwilling to give them to Ruan Xiu? Then allow me to be bold and remind you that Ruan Xiu is the only child of a Militarian sage. Thus, even giving her 10,000 of those vases is a good deal!"


    Chen Ping''an helped the little girl in pink pick up the small bookcase.


    "Couldn''t you tell that Master Ruan doesn''t like me?" he snapped.


    The little boy in azure carefully thought back to the situation just then. Sure enough, that mute and gloomy sage had indeed been fairly indifferent toward Chen Ping''an. "Is he blind? Otherwise, how could he not see Master''s bright future? Don''t get angry, Master. It''s not worth it to detrimentally affect your health because of this...." the little boy said, defending Chen Ping''an against this perceived injustice.


    However, he suddenly recalled that Ruan Qiong was the overseer of this small town, so inside this region, he was like an emperor sitting atop a throne and able to see everything. Because of this, he also possessed all kinds of unimaginable powers and mystical abilities. The little boy in azure hurriedly pped himself and said, "Please don''t take offense at a child''s babble. The esteemed sage is taking a nap and didn''t hear anything at all. Even if you heard it, please don''t punish me..."


    The little boy in azure looked up again and asked, "But what does giving these vases to Ruan Xiu have to do with whether the sage likes you or not?"


    "If I''m going to give her these vases as a present, I''ll definitely give them all to her," Chen Ping''an exined. "However, if Ruan Xiu carries such arge number of vases home, Master Ruan will most likely discover this. At that time, he''ll dislike me even more. In fact, he might even mistakenly think that I have ulterior motives. And what if Ruan Xiu and her father have an argument because of this? That naturally won''t be good."


    The little girl in pink nodded in sudden realization. "Master is truly so considerate."


    There was a stunned expression on the little boy''s face. "Master, what do you mean mistakenly think that you have ulterior motives? Don''t you clearly have ulterior motives in your rtionship with Ruan Xiu?"


    "What utter nonsense are you speaking?!"


    Chen Ping''an smacked the back of the little boy''s head and sent him stumbling out of the house. Letting the momentum carry him, the little boy ran through the courtyard and all the way to the front gate. He then turned around and said with a mischievous grin, "Master, you''re not thinking of killing me to silence me, right? I promise that I''ll keep my lips tightly sealed! Even more tightly sealed than Baoping''s vase[1]!"


    Chen Ping''an pped a hand onto his forehead. He couldn''t help but feel secondhand embarrassment.


    The little girl in pink looked through the courtyard toward y Vase Alley. She felt like she was experiencing another eye-opener. The first time was when she experienced the abundant spiritual energy in Dragon Spring Prefecture, the second time was when she personally witnessed the hidden profoundness of Downtrodden Mountain, the third time was when she saw the extraordinarily handsome Wei Bo, and the fourth time was when she walked into the beautiful bamboo building that could gather the fortune of mountains and rivers.


    Now was the fifth time. What entered the little girl''s eyes was an elegant schr who was standing in the dimly lit alley. Right now, it appeared as if he were a brilliant sun rising above the horizon.


    The man in azure smiled and asked, "What''s wrong with Baoping?"


    The little boy in azure instantly became tense. His movements were stiff as he turned his head around, and he looked left and right after seeing the young man in the alley. However, he didn''t see anyone else, and this caused him to feel extremely puzzled. The aura of the schr standing in front of him appeared to bepletely unremarkable.


    The little girl in pink blinked furiously as she looked at the young schr. At this moment, the fire python who had grown up in the Zhn Cao n''s scripture library found that the young schr had seemingly lost all of his radiance and mystical aura in an instant. He looked like an ordinary young man no matter how she looked at him.


    Having finally learned his lesson, the little boy didn''t shoot his mouth even though he couldn''t see anything special about the young man. He chuckled and pretended to be naive and stupid as he replied, "Li Baoping is my master''s best friend, so I admire that little girl very much. May I please ask who you are?"


    "Brother Li, what brings you here?"


    Chen Ping''an immediately revealed his identity, afraid that the little boy in azure would cause trouble again. He walked to the courtyard gate.


    "I forgot to tell you that I''ve filled the nk areas of the pages with many of my ownprehension and questions," Li Xisheng replied in a slightly apologetic voice. "The words in ck ink are some of my shallow understandings, while the words in red ink are some questions that I wish to personally ask the sages. I''ve especiallye here to tell you that you don''t need to worry about these annotations for the moment. If you can avoid reading them, then it''s best that you do so. If you do end up reading them, however, try not to think about them, and definitely don''t let my thoughts affect your understanding of the principles expounded in the books."


    "I''ll keep this in mind," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Li Xisheng looked at the little boy in azure with a smile and said softly, "Joking around is fine. However, you must understand that the more one speaks, the more likely it is that one will slip up. Words also carry great power. Words form phrases, phrases form sentences, and sentences form essays. The Great Dao lies within this."


    The little boy in azure looked up and stared at the schr who had mysteriously appeared from out of nowhere. He was grumbling and jeering at the schr in his mind, and he simply didn''t speak his thoughts out loud. It was truly painful to hold his tongue. If it weren''t for the fact that he had just been screwed over at the cksmith shop, the little boy in azure would have truly wanted to open his mouth to ask the young schr why he didn''t go to be a sage in a Confucian school, with how much he enjoyed being a teacher to others and all.


    As if seeing through the little boy''s thoughts, and perhaps even hearing them directly, Li Xisheng smiled warmly and exined in a patient manner, "Buddhists have a concept of progression, and Daoists have also a concept of walking across the bridge to immortality and climbing up thedder to the heavens one step at a time. As for Confucians, we follow the principle of gradual and steady advance. Thus, we need to participate in the imperial examinations first. Regarding whether we can be Confucian sages in the future, this is something far too distant and lofty. I don''t dare to dream about this."


    The little boy in azure was stunned, and he made a face as if he had just lost both of his parents. He didn''t dare to look at Li Xisheng anymore, and he instead turned around to look at Chen Ping''an with a pleading expression in his eyes. He appeared extremely forlorn, and it was as if he could no longer see a point in life. He surprisingly didn''t dare to say a single word.


    His expression was as if he werementing to his master about just how terrifying Dragon Spring Prefecture was. A random person walking over to sit in the bamboo chair beside him turned out to be a sage, and a random person visiting Chen Ping''an''s house in y Vase Alley was a Confucian schr who could read his thoughts. Was he a noble person? Or perhaps a virtuous person?


    Next time, would a random passer-by walk over to casually smash him to death with a single punch?


    The little girl in pink''s face was beet red. She summoned her courage and asked loudly, "Mister, why is it often the case that we''ll suddenly fail to recognize some characters when we read? Even though they''re unmoving on the page right in front of our eyes, why do we still feel like they''re extremely unfamiliar?"


    Li Xisheng was slightly astonished. He looked at the adorable little girl, and a sense of understanding appeared in his mind. An approving smile spread across his face, and he bent down and winked at her before exining in a soft voice, "This is because at some certain times, some certain characters will be secretly borrowed away by some certain sages!"


    It was difficult to tell whether he was joking or being serious.


    The little girl in pink became a little angry. She was especially stubborn when it came to books and knowledge, and she surprisingly started to lecture Li Xisheng, saying, "Mister, if you don''t know the correct answer, then please don''t answer the question in such a random and careless manner. How can such unreasonable things happen in the world? To say you know when you know, and to say you don''t know when you don''t, that is knowledge...[2]"


    The little girl became less confident as she spoke, and her voice also became quieter and quieter. In the end, her voice was so quiet that it could barely be heard. In fact, even she probably couldn''t hear her own words.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and patted the little girl''s head. He then turned to Li Xisheng and said, "Don''t be angry, Brother Li. She''s not normally like this."


    Li Xishengughed heartily and replied, "No, this is good."


    When he heard that Chen Ping''an was going to head somewhere else, Li Xisheng decided to follow him and leave y Vase Alley together.


    As they walked, Chen Ping''an suddenly discovered someone standing in front of them in the alley with their hands sped behind their back. This looked like a young... swordsman?


    On the side of the swordsman''s hip, there was a short sword that was only slightly longer than a dagger. On his other hip, there was a sword that was far longer than ordinary swords.


    The short sword had a snow-white scabbard, while the long sword had a pitch-ck scabbard.


    The young swordsman appeared slightly feminine from the side, and the corners of his mouth seemed to be habitually curled up into a smile. It was as if he were permanently wearing a faint smile. As a result, he looked fairly simr to a fox. His eyes were squinted right now, and he was gazing at the old residence that appeared in far better condition than he had imagined. Not only was the young swordsman not surprised or happy, but he even felt a slight sense of displeasure.


    He turned around and "smiled" at Chen Ping''an and Li Xisheng.


    "Do you know who repaired this residence?" he asked in a warm and delicate voice.


    Chen Ping''an''s expression didn''t change, and he countered, "What''s wrong? Should a damaged house not be repaired?"


    The young swordsman shook his head and replied with a smile, "Let''s disregard the quality of the repair work first. Does the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture have the saying, ''moving soil above Tai Sui''s head''[3]?"


    Even though the young swordsman was smiling the entire time, Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to put his guard down at all. In fact, he even felt as if there were a cold chill gripping his heart.


    This seemingly amiable outsider... was very dangerous!


    Li Xisheng suddenly stepped forward and held his arm out, blocking Chen Ping''an and the two little children behind him.


    "Stand behind me. Don''t say anything and don''t do anything. Just watch," he said quietly.


    The smile on the young swordsman''s face grew even wider. He rested his hands on the hilts of his long and short swords, and he cocked his head in an attempt to look at Chen Ping''an who was standing behind the young schr in green. In the end, he stood still and asked, "Oh, such a coincidence! Have Ie across the culprit? As for you, what are you trying to do? Are you seeking death?"


    Li Xisheng smiled and replied, " Reasonable discussions should be held, but swords shouldn''t be drawn from their scabbards so casually."


    The young swordsman shrugged and replied with a guileless smile, "But my reasons are in my scabbards!"


    "Oh, is that so?" Li Xisheng said nonchntly. He then pointed at himself and said in realization, "Ah, so you have ulterior motives, and your target is actually me?"


    The young swordsman smiled and replied, "It''s not asplicated as you think. I don''t even know your name. It''s just that I immediately got a bad impression of you at first sight. After hearing you spew your nonsense, I have an even worse impression of you now. However, luck is on my side, and I''ll be able to hit two birds with one stone. I can teach both you and that little guy a lesson at the same time. Isn''t this wonderful?"


    The young swordsman wrapped his hand around the hilt of his short sword and chuckled, "Rest assured, I, Cao Jun, seldom kill people with my swords."


    Li Xisheng frowned and asked, "Are you a descendant of Sword Immortal Cao Xi?"


    The young swordsman sighed and sidestepped the question, saying, "Why bother? Why are you trying to bring yourself trouble? With my status and cultivation base, would I be able to bully that young boy much even if I disliked him? At most, I would only obliterate his measly martial arts foundation. Yet, you insist on stepping forward and poking your head out. So be it if you''re extremely powerful or extremely weak. However, if your strength is only so-so, and if you only just lose to me, what will you do when I take my anger out on that young boy? Won''t you have harmed him instead?"


    After saying this, the young swordsman cracked a grin that revealed his sparkling white teeth. "Alright, let''s cut to the chase. Truth be told, I''m an extremely talented person who can sense the presence of some peculiar things. For example... sword billets. Regarding all of the other things, such as repairing my ancestral home without permission, me having a bad impression of you, and so on, these are all... genuine as well. However, there''s no need for you guys to worry. I''ll make an offer for the sword billet, and my offer definitely won''t be low. In terms of whether you guys feel like this is a forced sale, this has got nothing to do with me at all."


    "Can I ask you something before you start a fight with us? What''s your current cultivation base?" Li Xisheng asked.


    "Who asks this before a fight? However, since you''re so interested, I don''t mind answering your question," the young swordsman replied with a sneer. His eyes were squinted into a line. Compared to his frivolous manner of speaking before, he was far more concise when it came to revealing his cultivation base. "Sword, between eight and nine."


    "I understand," Li Xisheng replied with a nod.


    The sword billet in Chen Ping''an''s sleeve started to be hotter and hotter. The young boy ced his left hand behind his back, and he twisted his wrist around and tightly grabbed the sword billet.


    ��������


    For the past while, Ruan Qiong would asionally walk to the bank of the Dragon Whisker River and ce his hand in the water, testing the Yin energy of the river.


    The young boy with long eyebrows would frequently follow behind him.


    Today, Ruan Qiong suddenly poured the water from his palm while he was squatting beside the river. "You dare to break my rules just because you have a good ancestor? How impudent!"


    A projection of the tense scenes in y Vase Alley gradually appeared on the surface of the river.


    The young boy with long eyebrows pointed at the young swordsman with two swords of different lengths and asked, "Master, are you talking about him?"


    Ruan Qiong nodded and exined, "One of his ancestors, Cao Xi, is a sword immortal who can be regarded as one of the most powerful people in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent along with your ancestor, Xie Shi. He can gain a solid footing and found his own force even in the otherrger continents. He is indeed very impressive."


    The young boy with long eyebrows wasn''t especially interested in these matters. He continued to stare at the projection on the surface of the river, and he asked, "Master, what should we do? Are you going to stop him?"


    "Stop him? For what?"


    Ruan Qiong sneered and said, "I''ll wait until he injures someone, then I''ll directly beat him to death. These are the rules."


    The young boy with long eyebrows asked about the reason behind this conflict, and after hearing Ruan Qiong''s brief exnation, he eximed in surprise, "That Cao Jun dares to covet someone else''s treasure and even force them to sell it right under Master''s nose? Are outsiders all this arrogant and unreasonable?"


    Ruan Qiong was expressionless as he replied, "To seek heavenly treasures, one needs to part ways with mortal wealth. This isn''t strange. Even I was unable to detect the mystical nature of that sword billet before, yet Cao Jun is treating it with such seriousness and importance. This means that Cao Jun has a unique eye for things, and it also signifies that this sword billet will definitely shock the world once it reveals its true form. In fact, Cao Jun is only holding back because he''s in the small town. If this were anywhere else, he would directly kill his target and take their treasure. He wouldn''t take the time to offer them something in exchange."


    The young boy with long eyebrows had only just started cultivating a short time ago, and at this moment, he felt like the world was far too iprehensible. "Master, how do bad people like this be such powerful Qi refiners?" he asked.


    "You''ve never read any books before, so how can you discuss the notion of good and bad? Remember, cultivators view these things differently."


    Ruan Qiong stood up and departed in a sh after saying this.


    ��������


    In the Li n''s residence, an old man was ying with a bird in a cage. However, his attention wasn''t focused here, and there was an eager smile of anticipation on his face. As if hoping for conflict, he murmured, "Hurry up and fight. Seize this opportunity to soar in status in a single breath. At that time, who won''t recognize you...?"


    ��������


    Atop Cloud Drape Mountain, Wei Bo was dressed in white robes and sitting cross-legged on a cloud that was hovering only three meters above the ground. He was sound asleep, and his head would droop down before jerking back up from time to time. He looked much like a small chick pecking at grains of rice.


    Beneath the clouds, numerous birds and beasts were tightly packed together, all of them hoping to get near that cloud such that they could get closer to the white-clothed deity who had a pale gold earring.


    A figurended heavily on the peak of the mountain, causing the birds and beasts to scatter.


    There was a dazed expression on Wei Bo''s face as he opened his sleepy eyes, and after he discovered the middle-aged man, he dispersed his cloud and hovered to the ground. "Ah, what a rare guest. It''s my pleasure to wee you."


    "I''m here to warn you that Sword Immortal Cao Xi might charge to this ce in the near future," Ruan Qiong said in a slightly distant voice. "When the timees, you can choose to stand aside and watch, but don''t try to pour fuel on the fire."


    Wei Bo nced at y Vase Alley and replied, "Is someone purposely using Cao Xi to smear you and the Great Li Empire? Is it Great Sui Nation? Lake View Academy? Southern Stream Nation? Or some other powerful person?"


    Ruan Qiong''s expression was solemn.


    Everything else was fine, and he could simply deal with the problems as they came up. However, he was afraid that someone might target his daughter.


    Ruan Qiong looked at the small town, yet his focus wasn''t on y Vase Alley where a battle was about to take ce. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the Yang Family''s medicine shop.


    He breathed a sigh of relief.


    Ruan Qiong left as quickly as he hade.


    "How bloody annoying! This person scheming and that person calcting... There''s no end to this!" Wei Bomented.


    He disappeared in a sh, and he reappeared in the corridor in the second storey of the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain. Hey down and continued to sleep.


    Things had be clear now. As it turned out, the small town was filled with hidden tigers and dragons. These were powerful and influential beings who were keeping an eagle eye on even the most minor events.


    1. A pun on Baoping which literally means treasured vase. ?


    2. From ''The Analects of Confucius''. ?


    3. This means to purposely provoke someone powerful or influential. Moving soil refers to carrying out construction work, and Tai Sui is a Chinese term for the star directly opposite the Jupiter during its roughly 12-year orbital cycle. Tai Sui is personified as a deity living under the earth. ?

 Chapter 183: He Has Spring Leaves, Summer Thunder, Autumn Wind, And Winter Snow

    Chapter 183: He Has Spring Leaves, Summer Thunder, Autumn Wind, And Winter Snow


    As the end of the lunar year drew near, the weather became increasingly cold, and the narrow dirt road in y Vase Alley also became extremely hard.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath and looked toward the tall figure in front of him. "Brother Li," he called softly.


    Li Xisheng didn''t turn around. He smiled faintly and said, "Don''t worry, I can deal with him. Even if I''m weaker than him, the small town still has its own rules that will prevent him from taking things too far."


    The young swordsman who referred to himself as Cao Jun chuckled and said, "Are you talking about the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, or are you talking about Militarian Sage Ruan Qiong? If it''s the former, then I encourage you to abandon your wishful thinking. If the imperial family truly has a backbone, then they won''t be cowering like they are now. If it''s thetter, then haha, allow me to keep an air of mystery first. You guys can wait and see."


    Cao Jun looked at the handsome and jade-like schr in green. Compared to his seemingly young appearance, this schr was genuinely a very young person. This caused him to feel slightly unhappy. He tightened his grip on his short sword and asked, "You genuinely want to fight? Sometimes it''s better to ept a small loss. Perhaps you might look backter and discover that the small loss was actually a blessing in disguise."


    Li Xisheng smiled faintly and replied, "Since you im that your reasons are all in your scabbard, I''m willing to hear it out."


    "I heard that Jewel Small World prohibited all usage of mystical abilities before. Now that the small world has shattered and fallen to the earth, you''ve already advanced to the Middle Five Tiers in just one short year. Quite an impressive feat."


    There was a look of approval on Cao Jun''s face. However, he quickly shook his head and clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, "Ah, such a pity."


    Li Xisheng extended a hand and said, "Please go ahead."


    Cao Jun couldn''t help but chuckle, "Naive and ignorant. Since this isn''t a life-and-death battle, I''ll suppress my cultivation so you don''t lose tooprehensively in the first fight of your life."


    Li Xisheng smiled and remained silent.


    "When you climb out from the bottom of the well in the future, you''ll realize that someone like me can be regarded as..."


    With a tap of his foot, Cao Jun leaned forward and charged toward Li Xisheng. The smiling swordsmanughed loudly, and his aura instantly changed. The final few words of his remark reverberated around the narrow and cramped y Vase Alley: "Kindhearted and forgiving!"


    A dazzling white light exploded forward, bringing with it a ferocious sword qi that instantly flooded through the entire alley. Combined with Cao Jun''s insane speed, it looked as if his blurry and barely perceptible figure were a part of the explosive sword qi. Looking at it from afar, one could be forgiven for thinking that floodwater was rushing through the small alley and violently crashing toward Li Xisheng and the others after a torrential downpour.


    A sheet of white enveloped the narrow alleyway. However, amid the torrential sword qi, one could vaguely see a radiance that was even more snow-white. It was as if a white fish were quietly swimming through the "river".


    The flow of sword qi halted.


    Li Xisheng appeared rxed and unhurried, and he turned to his side before raising a hand and extending it toward the short sword that looked like a white fish.


    He then lightly but urately grabbed Cao Jun''s wrist.


    Cao Jun smiled faintly and released his grip, causing the short sword that was only a meter from Li Xisheng''s chest to shoot forward.


    Li Xisheng had a calm expression as he raised his left hand and put his index finger and middle finger together.


    In this critical moment that could decide victory or defeat, he precisely pinched the short sword between his fingers.


    The white fish rolled its body.


    The short sword followed suit and twisted its de.


    Li Xisheng had no option but to retreat. Cao Jun seized this opportunity to press forward, and his sword-wielding hand had already clenched into a fist and swung toward Li Xisheng''s neck.


    At the same instant that Li Xisheng raised his elbow to block Cao Jun''s fist, the white fish shot forward to attack him. Li Xisheng shook his other wrist, causing hisrge sleeve to ripple.


    The white fish swam right into Li Xisheng''s sleeve.


    Cao Jun sneered and thrust his foot into Li Xisheng''s abdomen, causing the young schr in green to stumble back several meters.


    However, he didn''t seize this opportunity to attack, and he instead stood still with one hand behind his back and one hand in front. He appeared extremely confident and carefree.


    Li Xisheng stabilized himself, but his face had already be slightly pale. Even though Cao Jun was a swordsman, his kick had been extremely powerful and no weaker than the kick of a pure martial artist at the peak stage of the fifth tier. This was the terrifying nature of swordsmen and militarian cultivators. They practiced both Qi refinement and physique refinement. Thus, Li Xisheng didn''t feel very good after being struck by this kick. The Qi cirction inside him had definitely been affected to some degree.


    Meanwhile, muffled ngs continued to travel out from therge sleeve that Li Xisheng had used to trap Cao Jun''s small sword. After a while, there was the soft sound of fabric tearing, after which wisps of snow-white sword light seeped out from the tears in Li Xisheng''s sleeve.


    Using his hand on the side of the peculiar sleeve, Li Xisheng either bent or straightened his fingers rapidly to form a Daoist hand seal. At the same time, he quietly recited the word "suppress" in his mind.


    His sleeve which was already taut and chaotic instantly became calm again.


    The sound of the flying sword striking his sleeve became nothing more than a faint ring.


    Cao Jun wasn''t surprised, and he said with a smile, "Seven."


    Li Xisheng''s sleeve instantly ripped apart, all the way to his elbow. A burst of brilliant sword light appeared near his wrist.


    This looked much like a beautiful sight of someone holding the full moon in their hand. In reality, however, this was a burst of sword light that possessed immense power and killing intent.


    Li Xisheng''s fingers rapidly moved around as he formed another hand seal. Meanwhile, the ridges on his palm that was now hidden from view gently moved around like flowing water as they changed their paths.


    A foggy bluish-purple glow instantly appeared around his elbow.


    The white fish that was ferociously circting Li Xisheng''s arm led the sword qi into battle against the bluish-purple glow emanating from the young schr''s elbow. Their collisions released the crisp sound of metal striking stone, and the frequency at which this was released would cause one''s ears to ache.


    In fact, dust and scraps of y continued to fall from the tall wall on one side of the alley and from the short wall of the old residence on the other side of the alley.


    Cao Jun opened his extremely squinted eyes a little, and he jeered, "Oh, how interesting. It''s said that the Daoist Sect has tens of thousands of seals, and I''ve already witnessed no fewer than 200 of them. However, I truly haven''t seen any that are as simple and convenient as what you''ve just used. Your sixth tier cultivation base is far too stable and powerful, is it not? It''s always been the case that sixth tier swordsmen can pick on seventh tier Qi refiners. However, when has it ever been the case that a sixth tier Qi refiner like you can face a seventh tier swordsman head-on? If word of this gets out, won''t I, Cao Jun, be aughingstock among the sword cultivators of the world?"


    After experiencing and oveing his initial inexperience, Li Xisheng appeared like he could already calmly face the situation now. In fact, he could even chuckle and reply, "Perhaps the reasons in your scabbard... aren''t profound enough?"


    Cao Jun nodded in sincere agreement. There was a wide smile on his face as he announced, "Eight!"


    The flying sword that was as agile as a white fish flew toward its owner, Cao Jun. After arriving in front of him, it hovered to a stop and instantly lost its luster. It was as if the short sword were nothing more than an ordinary short sword. Not a single wisp of sword qi radiated from it, and it no longer appeared as dazzling and eye-catching as it had just then.


    With a shake of its body, the sword intent that had appeared strange and cold just then suddenly became radiant and righteous.


    The flying sword instantly vanished from sight.


    An extremely small gash appeared on the wall beside them. However, only a tiny amount of crushed y drifted down.


    Li Xisheng raised his right hand and attempted to catch the short sword that was flying over on an arc with two fingers again.


    However, the young schr suddenly turned his head.


    In the next moment, the flying sword bore a hole into the tall wall behind Li Xisheng''s left shoulder.


    The flying sword vanished again.


    However, a bead of blood appeared on Li Xisheng''s left cheek before expanding to reveal a gash that was an inch in size.


    Sure enough, the saying was true. When fighting against swordsmen, there would only be a thin line between life and death.


    <em>So this is the eighth tier. It is indeed very impressive</em>, Li Xisheng thought to himself.


    Sword cultivators were publicly recognized as the most powerful of the hundred branches of Qi refiners specifically because of their flying swords. They were ferocious enough to end a battle by targeting a single point, and at most, they would only leave a single gash.


    Regardless of how towering and majestic a mountain was, it wouldn''t be too difficult to drive a nail or carve a groove into the mountain face.


    Militarian cultivators were also unique among Qi refiners, in the sense that they cultivated both the soul and the body. Even so, their style of fighting was still inferior to swordsmen when it came to resoluteness and ruthlessness.


    Others might possess tens of thousands of treasures, or they might possess profound mystical abilities. However, swordsmen only pursued the goal of ending a battle in a single strike and slicing through all techniques with a single sh.


    Cao Jun remained standing in an arrogant manner with a hand ced behind his back. He patted the scabbard of his other sword and said, "A cultivation prodigy like you definitely carries the hopes and expectations of your entire n. That being the case, don''t you have a few defensive treasures? I find it hard to believe that you don''t have any. Let me say this first. Regardless of what your intention is, someone will genuinely die if you continue to conceal your true power and refuse to show it to others. I''m afraid that I might get too excited and end up unable to hold back. At that time, you''ll definitely die in vain."


    Li Xisheng wasn''t angered by his opponent''s taunts, and his voice remained as warm and calm as always as he said, "Chen Ping''an, I might have to get you three to move back a bit. It will be best if you can move ten or even fifteen meters back."


    Cao Jun pped his forehead andined with an aggrieved expression, "Your opponent is standing right in front of you, yet you''re still rxed and carefree enough to speak nonsense with others? I''m very angry."


    There was hidden killing intent behind the young swordsman''s smile and words.


    At the same time that Cao Jun pped his forehead, his flying sword had already flown behind Li Xisheng''s back borrowing the loud sound of the p. It was genuinely silent and elusive.


    ng!


    A crisp and ethereal sound reverberated throughout y Vase Alley.


    Cao Jun faltered for a moment beforeughing loudly and remarking, "Really? This works as well? Then I genuinely won''t hold back anymore?"


    A lush green bamboo leaf materialized behind Li Xisheng''s back and blocked the flying sword''s deadly strike.


    ng, ng, ng, ng...


    Inside the small alley, crisp ngs continued to ring out around Li Xisheng.


    Apart from numerous bamboo leaves, he also had peach leaves, willow leaves, locust leaves, and many other leaves...


    He had all kinds of lush green leaves.


    Cao Jun squinted at the intense battlefield around his opponent.


    Li Xisheng remained firm, and there were leaves hovering high and low all around him. Meanwhile, the short sword named White Fish flew among them and continued to do battle with the formation. However, it was unable to make any progress.


    Even though green leaves continued to fall to the ground, Cao Jun still couldn''t help but feel a little bit helpless. This was because by his rough estimation, the young schr most likely had at least a hundred of these leaves.


    Thus, Cao Jun was in a fairly bad mood right now.


    <em>Does your family sell leaves or something? Even if they do, does anyone buy them?</em>


    However, Cao Jun was unwilling to retreat just like this, and he refused to believe that a measly sixth tier Qi refiner could hold on until the end. Manipting so many leaves at once definitely couldn''t be easy, and the amount of concentration and effort this took was definitely quite significant.


    Cao Jun silently told himself that even though it would be an unfair victory, he could still somewhat treat this as a slow and inefficient way to sharpen his de. He wanted to see just how long this schr couldst for.


    The short but ferocious flying sword started to wantonly dash around and sh at everything in its path.


    Inside the small alley, leaves continued to fall to the ground, changing from lush green to yellow as they did so.


    "If we continue to fight like this, we can fight until next year," Li Xisheng suddenly warned. "Say, once you finish expounding the reasons of this sword, why don''t you expound the reasons of your other sword as well? If you can, you might as well unleash your bonded flying sword as well. No matter what, we should at least determine a victor first, right? After all, my friend is still waiting for me."


    Cao Jun''s eyes suddenly widened, and he finally wiped the smile from his face. "Will you die if you don''t boast?"


    Li Xisheng sighed and didn''t say anything else.


    He simply shook his unbroken sleeve and let out arge pile of incredible trinkets.


    There were a small number of remaining spring leaves, but in addition to this, there were also beads of fingernail-sized summer thunder, wisps of finger-length autumn wind, and kes of down feather-sized winter snow.


    His opponent had a sword that could shatter 10,000 techniques.


    So, what could he do?


    Could he gather 10,001 techniques?


    And thus, the young schr called Li Xisheng who had only just reached the Middle Five Tiers revealed that he already possessed spring leaves, summer thunder, autumn wind, and winter snow. In fact, he still possessed more things in addition to this. Many more things.

 Chapter 184: More Than Meets the Eye

    Chapter 184: More Than Meets the Eye


    Cao Jun looked at the pile of trinkets. It was as if they were a bunch of heavily armored infantry standing in formation and resolutely defending their general, Li Xisheng.


    He noticed something special about them after a while, and he said in admiration, "You''re definitely very skilled at Go. Moreover, you''re definitely proficient at the School of Naturalists'' methods of divination."


    Li Xisheng was only a sixth tier Qi refiner, so unless he was the reincarnation of one of the founders of the threergest teachings, there was no way he should have been able to manipte so many items at once. However, it was clear that the young schr in azure was using another, more efficient technique. Each time he defended against the short sword''s strikes, he would first calcte the rough trajectory and target of the sword. Thus, apart from using some of his energy to keep the spring leaves, autumn wind, and other items hovering in mid-air, there was only a small region where he actually needed to focus therge majority of his spiritual energy.


    This battle was like the defense of a city. Cao Jun was a powerful attacker, yet he didn''t have enough soldiers at his disposal. As a result, he could only focus on attacking a single side of the city. Meanwhile, even though Li Xisheng looked like he had arge number of soldiers stationed on each wall, the reality was that three walls would always be guarded by unusable soldiers. However, he simply needed to predict the future and urately calcte the target of Cao Jun''s next attack. With this done, he appeared extremely rxed as he defended against the swordsman''s attacks.


    With a single thought, Cao Jun''s snow-white sword retreated from the battlefield and returned to his side. Cao Jun nced down at it, and he saw that both the tip and de of the sword were slightly burred from battle. It was more damaged than he had anticipated. Fortunately, White Fish''s sword intent rose slightly after the short sword was struck and tempered hundreds of times. At the end of the day, this was still a profitable exchange.


    Cao Jun felt slightly conflicted at this moment. The emperor of the Great Li Empire indeed hadn''t dared to go against the hidden forces of the three teachings for the sake of Qi Jingchun. However, he would most likely be willing to enter conflict with the Cao n �� which had already taken root and settled down in another continent �� for the sake of a local Qi refiner who had hopes of advancing to the Upper Five Tiers.


    This was a rare moment of hesitation for Cao Jun. He sheathed White Fish, and he wrapped his hand around the hilt of his other sword, Ink Chi[1], at the same time.


    He purposely pretended to be angry, and he spat, "If you''re so capable, then stop hiding behind your defenses like a coward!"


    Li Xisheng smiled and countered, "Do you even have the capability to hide behind defenses like a coward?"


    Cao Jun was rendered speechless. He was once a prodigious swordsman who a powerful sword immortal of a continent had ced high hopes in, and what he had pursued was peerless intensity and unrivaled killing power. Thus, it was only natural that he neither had the time nor the interest in cultivating defensive abilities like Li Xisheng. The young schr didn''t counterattack no matter how he was attacked or taunted, and he simply relied on hisrge pile of strange and wonderful trinkets to earnestly defend himself. He stubbornly refused to attack.


    Someone had oncepared sword cultivators to light cavalry. Both were as agile and swift as the wind, and flying swords were like crossbows in the sense that they were used for close-quarterbat and small-scale battles. It was often the case that one exchange would be enough to determine life and death. As for the destructive power of terrestrial sword immortals at the Upper Five Tiers, their flying swords could bepared to bed crossbows[2] on the battlefield. Even though they simply sat on top of city walls, they acted as a powerful deterrence to enemy forces.


    Meanwhile, Militarian cultivators could bepared to heavy cavalry. If they were allowed to raise their energy and aura to the peak, then they would be analogous to heavy cavalry charging at the enemy. They possessed powerful offensive and defensive capabilities, and they were peerless when it came to breaking through enemy formations.


    As for pure martial artists whom people often viewed as unable to attain Dao, they could only bepared to clumsy heavy infantry who possessed mediocre offensive abilities. Even if it were a grandmaster at the Far Roaming Tier, the eighth tier of martial arts, they would still be far inferior to Qi refiners. Grandmasters at this tier could already walk on wind, but if they couldn''t defeat their enemies while engaged in close-quarterbat, they would immediately be at a disadvantage once the battle dragged on and once their enemies increased the distance between them.


    When Li Xisheng noticed Cao Jun falling silent, he raised a hand and made a gentle sweeping motion, causing some of the summer thunder and autumn wind in front of him to shift to the side and thus broadening his field of view. "Your sword hasn''t been able to state its reasonings and principles thoroughly enough," he said.


    In other words, he was willing to listen to the reasoning and principles of Ink Chi, Cao Jun''s other sword.


    Cao Jun lightly massaged his cheeks and replied, "You speak in such an unpleasant manner. However, I admit that you have the right to do so. I have a suggestion for you, and you can consider it for a while. Why don''t we have a life-and-death battle where we each take responsibility for our own life or death? This will have nothing to do with our n or country. What do you say? Do you dare to gamble with your life?"


    Li Xisheng shook his head and said, "You can already tell that I''m not adept when ites to offensive abilities. In other words, you''ve already been enjoying an indomitable position this entire time."


    The young schr didn''t mind revealing the true extent of his abilities.


    "Are you honest, or are you stupid?" Cao Jun asked in exasperation.


    As he looked at the young schr, he couldn''t help but recall the most impressive schr in the Southern Whirl Continent, the current n leader of the Pure Confucian Chen n.


    ording to rumors, the old man who had gained immense knowledge from reading had gentle breezes hidden in his sleeve. Not only that, but he carried the bright moon on one shoulder while holding the red sun on the other.


    Cao Jun pushed these thoughts out of his mind and turned his head, only to see a small and bright red fox standing on its hind legs on the roof of some old house in y Vase Alley. The fox looked at Cao Jun and said, "The patriarch sent me over to tell you not to overdo things. If you''re killed by Ruan Qiong, he''ll simply find a random spot here to bury you. In any case, that can be considered a burial in your ancestral hometown."


    An expression of disdain appeared on Cao Jun''s face, and he said, "What? Can you repeat that again?!"


    The little fox cleared its throat and instantly went from refined and cultured to fierce and evil. It ced its front paws on its hips and cursed, "That old bastard Cao Xi told me to tell his bastard grandson to hurry up and stop. Otherwise, if you annoy the cksmith Ruan Qiong and end up being pulverized into minced meat, he won''t try to seek revenge for you. He has hundreds of descendants, so he doesn''t have time to help all of you. He also said it''s a shame you haven''t married that woman yet. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have told me toe here to say all this. Instead, it would have been best if you were smashed to death. That way, he could seize the opportunity to take your wife."


    Cao Jun''s expression became nonchnt, and he nodded and remarked, "That sounds about right. This is indeed the tone of that old bastard."


    Li Xisheng didn''t care about these things, and he said, "If we''re not fighting, then please move aside and let us pass."


    "Yes, yes, we''re not going to fight anymore. I can''t kill you, and you can''t kill me either. How boring."


    Cao Jun smiled and continued, "I''m going to head over to the cksmith shop to take a peek and pay homage to the sage."


    He stomped his feet and directly soared into the sky. He then rapidly descended toward the cksmith shop by the river.


    As for the shitty rule that prohibited one from unauthorized flying in Dragon Spring Prefecture? Cao Jun genuinely couldn''t give two shits about this.


    The result was a loud boom.


    Cao Jun was instantly sent flying like a meteor. In the end, he finally managed to stop himself after a great struggle. However, he was already several hundred kilometers away. He had spun countless times in the sea of clouds, and after sitting down, he couldn''t stop himself from vomiting blood. He was as pale as a sheet, yet he didn''t show any signs of anger or frustration. Instead, his habitual smile returned to his face as he said, "Sure enough, none of the cultivators from Wind Snow Temple have a good temper. I wonder if the Divine tform''s Wei Jin will give me a surprise?"


    The bright red fox flew circles around Cao Jun and took great joy in his misfortune. "You''ve suffered the painful consequences, huh?"


    "Well, I haven''t died or anything," Cao Jun chuckled.


    The fox clicked its tongue in wonder and remarked, "Your habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong is just like Cao Xi."


    "If I don''t bully the weak and fear the strong, then should I bully the strong and fear the weak instead? Are you retarded?" Cao Jun said.


    The fox didn''t pay any heed to this. It raised a paw to its chin and stood on its tippy-toes to gaze at the small town. "That strange sword billet that you weren''t able to snatch over��what was that all about?"


    Cao Jun''s expression was dark as he replied, "You still have the face to ask about this? If it weren''t for you egging me on to kill him and snatch the treasure, I would have at mostpleted a fair trade with that young boy."


    The fiery red fox put on a stern expression and lectured, "People need to stay true to their hearts. However you are in the outside world is however you should continue to carry yourself in the small Dragon Spring Prefecture. The only difference is that there''s an 11th tier Militarian sage here. However, don''t you also have an 11th tier Sword Immortal following behind your ass? One of them enjoys favorable timing and geographical advantage, and one of them possesses a powerful divine weapon. Both of them are the most unreasonably powerful types of Qi refiners. However, they''re evenly matched, so if you''re able to witness a battle between them, perhaps you might even gain some enlightenment? So why not take advantage of this?"


    Cao Jun chuckled coldly and replied, "With Cao Xi''s temperament, he''ll definitely take advantage of me tenfold if I dare to take advantage of him like this."


    The fiery red fox rubbed it in, and it repeated like it always did, "Then just let him bed your wife a few times in the future! What is there to be afraid of?"


    Cao Jun didn''t reply, and the faint smile remained on his face as he looked at the fox. The young swordsman''s smile didn''t waver in the least.


    The fox pretended to be surprised, and it eximed, "Woah, you''re actually angry this time? After goofing around for a hundred years, you actually have moments when you be serious as well?"


    Cao Jun smiled faintly and replied, "Swatting mosquitoes and flies in my boredom, suddenly I develop the urge to exterminate all mosquitoes and flies."


    White Fish was drawn from its scabbard, unleashing a brilliant arc of light.


    The head of the fiery red fox was sent flying into the air. However, not a single drop of blood was spilled.


    Moreover, the head continued to speak, saying, "Oh dear, your sword is as slow as a turtle moving house. And you still call yourself a prodigious swordsman? How embarrassing!"


    The headless body of the fox swaggered along the roof, making sure to exaggerate the swinging of its bum as it did so. Itpletely ignored the flying sword that was piercing through its body again and again. Meanwhile, the head flying through the sky continued to taunt, "Are you trying to tickle me with your sewing needle?"


    Sword light exploded in the air, sending rays of blinding white light into the surroundings.


    To say nothing of the fox''s body that was already in 17 or 18 pieces, even its head had already been hacked into eight separate slices. However, the flying sword faltered for a moment, and the fiery red fox instantly recovered to normal.


    This cycle repeated itself again and again.


    In the end, Cao Jun sighed and resheathed his sword.


    The fox twisted its neck around and walked beside Cao Jun before sitting down. "Young man, how much you boast should be corrted to how powerful you are."


    Cao Jun nodded and replied, "That makes sense. I''ll listen to you."


    "Since that''s the case, then let me borrow your wife for a bit after you guys get married? In any case, she''s a female, and I''m a female as well. It''s difficult to say who will be taking advantage of whom."


    The fiery red fox started to stir trouble again, jeering, "Woah, the ninth tier swordsman who was the number one sword prodigy in our Southern Whirl Continent a hundred years ago is actually being this obedient today?"


    As it turned out, the "young" Cao Jun was already over 100 years old. He pursed his lips as he gazed into the distance, and hepletely ignored the incessant taunting from the fiery red fox.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an quickly jogged up to Li Xisheng and asked in deep concern, "Are you okay?"


    Li Xisheng smiled and replied, "That was my first fight, and my opponent turned out to be a swordsman. Truth be told, I was actually quite flustered. However, the oue was fairly good."


    Chen Ping''an breathed a sigh of relief.


    The silver ingot sword billet in his sleeve had already calmed down. After Cao Jun left, the sword billet was no longer searing hot and trembling.


    The little boy in azure suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Chen Ping''an''s waist, yelling, "That was terrifying! Far too terrifying! Sure enough, I didn''t guess wrong. Just a random person walking along almost smashed me to death with a single punch! There''s no way I can stay in the small town, absolutely no way! Master, can you show some benevolence and allow me to fuck off back to Downtrodden Mountain to cultivate? I promise, I swear to the heavens, that I''ll definitely start to cultivate earnestly from today onward. I won''t rest regardless of whether it��s day or night, and to say nothing of feeding on iridescent clouds and dew, I''m even willing to eat grass and chew soil on Downtrodden Mountain! I''ll do it all!"


    Li Xisheng couldn''t help but chuckle. "Cultivators like Cao Jun are ultimately a very small minority. Even though I''ve never left the small town before, I can say with confidence that few people with a cultivation base as high as Cao Jun have a temperament as strange as his. There''s no need for you to be so worried," he hurriedly said infort.


    However, the little boy in azure ignored Li Xisheng, and he continued to beg Chen Ping''an to show him some mercy. After Chen Ping''an pushed his head away, he firmlytched onto the young boy''s arm instead. He then leaned back, stubbornly refusing to let Chen Ping''an walk forward. "Master, please show some kindness! I''m begging you! If you want, I can even return an ordinary snake gall pebble to you! Please?! Master, it''s not like you don''t know that I''ve always been a scaredy-cat. In fact, even my legs tremble when I''m traveling at night. And just how long have we been in the small town? Yet, just a normal trip out, and we encounter bursts of sword qi chaotically slicing through the air! I''m genuinely terrified..."


    Chen Ping''an had no option but to stop. "Do you remember the way back to Downtrodden Mountain?" he asked in exasperation.


    The little boy in azure wiped snot and tears from his face, and he was finally willing to act meekly in a rare disy. "Master, it''s alreadye to this, so I''ll obviously say that I remember even if I don''t!"


    "Master, I remember the way back," the little girl in pink said quietly.


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment before saying, "Then the two of you can return to Downtrodden Mountain first and temporarily stay in the bamboo building. However, you have to promise me that you won''t cause any trouble. After I finish dealing with the matters here, I''ll immediately head over to check on you guys. I''ll try to get things done as quickly as possible, and I''ll try to visit Downtrodden Mountain once before the new year."


    The little boy in azure bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, wise and magnificent Master!"


    "Master, I''lle back after taking him to Downtrodden Mountain," the little girl in pink said quietly.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "There''s no need. The bamboo building is suitable for cultivation, so you should stay with him in the mountain as well. Don''t be afraid of him. If he dares to break his promise and tries to secretly bully you, I''ll make sure to deal with him when we see each other again."


    The little boy in azure stomped his feet and eximed, "Master, silly girl, can''t you two show me a bit of trust? Am I the type of person to go back on my word? Who in the imperial court of Yellow Court Nation doesn''t know that the river god of the Imperial River has a trustworthy and reliable brother? If I promise to exterminate someone, I definitely won''t allow them to go free. If I promise to kill someone''s ancestors, I definitely won''t turn around to kill their descendants instead..."


    Chen Ping''an chuckled and remarked, "Oh, so you''re this powerful, huh?"


    The little boy in azure immediately turned around with a fake expression of embarrassment. He lightly waved a hand and said, "Master, I''m just boasting to muster some courage. Please don''t believe any of it."


    Chen Ping''an ced a hand on his head before extending his other hand and saying, "Hand it over."


    The little boy in azure was slightly confused, and he looked up and asked, "What?"


    "Just then, you agreed to return an ordinary snake gall pebble to Master if he allowed you to return to Downtrodden Mountain," the little girl in pink reminded him quietly.


    The little boy in azure squeezed out a smile and begged, "Master, you''re mighty and wealthy, so please don''t be like this."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t retract his hand.


    In the end, the little boy in azure could only retrieve the smallest snake gall pebble in his possession and obediently ce it in Chen Ping''an''s hand.


    Chen Ping''an handed the snake gall pebble to the little girl in pink and said with a smile, "When you guys arrive in Downtrodden Mountain, you can give this to him as a reward if he doesn''t bully you."


    The little girl in pink carefully put the snake gall pebble away.


    The little boy in azure hurriedly grabbed the little girl''s elbow and said, "Let''s hurry up and go to Downtrodden Mountain! We should leave this ce as soon as possible!"


    However, the little boy came to a sudden stop immediately after turning the corner. Without needing him to say anything, the little girl in pink swiftly took out the small snake gall pebble and tossed it back to him.


    After putting the snake gall pebble away, the little boy in azure nodded and chuckled, "Silly girl, are you tired? Do you want me to carry the bookcase for you?"


    The little girl in pink vigorously shook her head.


    The little boy in azure sighed andmented, "You''re destined to a life of hard work. However, you''re lucky in the sense that you''re a stupid person who has stupidly good luck."


    The little girl in pink cracked a grin.


    The little boy in azure straightened his back and puffed out his chest, announcing, "Let''s go! Lead the way! It''s time to return home!"


    Since there was no need to go to Liu Xianyang''s house anymore, Chen Ping''an took Li Xisheng to the entrance of the small alley.


    Li Xisheng stopped and hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "It might be too early to say this, but just treat this the same way as my annotations in those books. Just like how you shouldn''t think about them after reading them, you shouldn''t think about this either after I tell it to you."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "Please go ahead, Brother Li."


    "Have you heard of the story ''When a White Horse Is Not A Horse''[3] before?" Li Xisheng asked slowly.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and replied, "Baoping and Li Huai once argued about this topic when traveling to Great Sui Nation. However, the more I listened to them, the more confused I became."


    Li Xisheng smiled and pondered for a moment before saying, "Then let''s not delve too deep into it first. Let me put it another way. If I have one grain of sand and I add to it another grain of sand, how many grains of sand do I have now?"


    "Shouldn''t it be two?" Chen Ping''an asked in confusion.


    Li Xisheng smiled and replied, "Of course. Then what if I add one pile of sand to another pile of sand? How many piles of sand do I have now?"


    "Still one?" Chen Ping''an answered uncertainly.


    Li Xisheng patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and exined, "It''s rumored that when the sages of the ancient past invented writtennguage, ghosts and gods in heaven and earth were astonished and terrified to the point of shedding tears. This was naturally an immense act of merit. However, you need to understand one thing. There are times when writtennguage can act as an invisible barrier that prevents us from recognizing the true nature of the world. Thus, one should not be pedantic and pay excessive attention to wording when reading a book. If you encounter a bottleneck, why not take a step back before ascending several steps upward? You should try your best to walk upward. If one doesn''t reach the peak of a mountain, then one will fail to appreciate the nature of t terrain[4]."


    Chen Ping''an was at a loss, and he could feel a headache starting to form. This was a simr feeling to when he had flipped through ''Principles of Life for Children'' not long ago. Lost in confusion, he felt as if there were no path forward and no path back.


    "Take it slowly; there''s no need to hurry," Li Xishengforted.


    "Mhm, I understand," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    ��������


    Now missing a sleeve, Li Xisheng returned by himself to hisrge residence on Fortune Street. All of the servants and maidservants in the residence felt slightly baffled when they saw their young master''s awkward and disheveled appearance. Their young master was already an adult, yet apart from apanying his elders to visit the ancestral graves, he almost never left the residence. Now that he had finally headed out for a rare stroll, he had actually had some kind of rough encounter that left him in such a sorry state? Surely he couldn''t have fought with someone, right?


    Li Xisheng returned to his courtyard and checked on the peacefully coexisting crab and mountain crossing carp first. He then changed into a new robe and entered "Humble Abode" to read for a while. Afterward, he went to a building that was always locked. After opening the lock and entering the building that was owned by him, what entered Li Xisheng''s gaze was a row of disy shelves lined against the wall. However, these shelves didn''t have any antiques or ancient trinkets on them. Nor did they have any exquisite porcin pieces that Dragon Spring Prefecture was renowned for. Instead, these shelves were filled with seals of varying sizes and materials.


    Apart from these shelves that were filled with seals, the only other thing in the building was a desk and a chair. There were three unfinished seals on the desk, and they were respectively carved from wood, yellow jade, and bronze. There was arge box of exquisitely made carving des on the table, and there were also several ancient books that were written on precious material.


    Li Xisheng gently closed the door before walking over and sitting down behind the desk. The three seals on the desk were all missing a single character only. The bronze seal had the characters, "Vanquish the Heretical", and it was missing the character "Teachings". The yellow jade seal had the characters, "Heaven Overseeing Lord", and it was missing the character "Dharma" in front of "Lord"[5]. The wooden seal had the characters "Qi Creates Life", and it was missing the character "Azure" at the start.


    Carving seals was the same as drawing talismans, and it was important that these things werepleted in a single go.


    However, Li Xisheng clearly wasn''t adhering to this principle.


    Not only did he not pick up a carving knife to engrave the final characters, but he instead shut his eyes and started to nap. His breathing was calm and slow, like a murmuring stream that couldn''t be exhausted.


    This was a small room, but it was much more than met the eye.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an returned home, and he discovered that the locust wood sword on the table had imperceptibly tilted.


    Even though he was stunned, he still sat down beside the table with a calm and unchanging expression.


    1. Chi (�) means either a hornless dragon or mountain demon. ?


    2. Ancient Chinese siege weapons simr to ballista. ?


    3. This is a paradox in Chinese philosophy attributed to Gongsun Long, a philosopher and writer who was a member of the School of Names. ?


    4. This refers to the notion that without ascending a mountain, there''s no point ofparison to drive home the point that t terrain is indeed t. ?


    5. The Heaven Overseeing Dharma Lord is a Daoist deity from the Zhengyi Sect. This deity is said to have Buddhist influences. ?

 Chapter 185: (1): Sword Billet In Hand

    Chapter 185: (1): Sword Billet In Hand


    Back then, Qi Jingchun had used the locust branch collected and dragged over by Li Baoping to secretly carve a locust wood sword. He had then secretly ced this sword in Chen Ping''an''s bamboo basket. Inside this locust wood sword, there lived a small incense person of unknown origin.


    However, after appearing for a short time once in Autumn Reed Inn and once in the Zhn Cao n''s residence, the timid incense girl had never appeared again. Chen Ping''an went with the flow, and he didn''t try to do anything by force.


    It waste night, and an old man was still puffing away at his smoking pipe in the Yang Family''s medicine shop. He furrowed his brows, and after making a grabbing motion, an incense girl fell to the ground from the void.


    "Qi Jingchun went to so much effort to conceal you. What''s his goal?" Old Man Yang asked coldly.


    The incense girl timidly stood up, and it was as if she were extremely apprehensive of this old man. Her hands tightly gripped the hems of her clothes, and her lips moved slightly as she spoke.


    The more Old Man Yang listened, the more tightly his brows knitted together. After contemting for a long time, he finally said, "I ept."


    He used his smoking pipe to tap the ground, causing a small temple to materialize and roll toward the incense girl.


    The incense girl was delighted, and she was just about to jump inside the small temple. However, she suddenly looked up, and it was as if she wanted to say something.


    Old Man Yang''s expression was cold, and he said, "Knowing everything is naturally the best. However, if you can''t achieve this goal, then it''s best that you don''t know anything at all. Only this way can you live a peaceful life."


    It appeared as if the incense girl was still a little bit hesitant. She wanted to take a trip back to y Vase Alley, such that she could at least say goodbye to that young boy.


    Old Man Yang raised his smoking pipe and exhaled a cloud of thick smoke. "Being truly smart is to keep all of your smarts hidden away. Do you genuinely think that the young boy doesn''t think about anything at all? Do you think that apart from practicing fist techniques, he only knows how to be foolishly kind and charitable? And you even followed him around for so long. You''re genuinely foolish, but he isn''t foolish at all."


    The incense girl pouted in slight disappointment. However, she was instantly transfixed with shock after walking into the small temple.


    Standing in the temple, it was as if she were an infinitesimally small grain of rice in a humongouslyrge vat.


    On the tall walls of the small temple, there were countless dazzling names that were all glowing with different colors.


    Above the incense girl, there was a sea of spectacr and brilliant stars.


    Old Man Yang put his smoking pipe away and sped his hands behind his back. With his back slightly hunched, he left the pharmacy and left the small town. He sighed as he walked across the stone arch bridge, and his sigh was filled with a sense of pity and puzzlement. After slowly crossing the stone arch bridge, he walked along the bank of the Dragon Whisker River and arrived outside the cksmith shop. He didn''t walk inside, and he instead walked to the riverside.


    With a soft stomp, the river goddess immediately swam up from the bottom of the river. Her soul was shuddering, and she felt slightly dizzy. After realizing that it was Old Man Yang, she immediately put on an obsequious smile and said, "Great Immortal, there''s no need for you to use your paramount mystical abilities. Just give me a shout, and I''ll immediatelye up."


    "Head to the river source of the Dragon Whisker River at once," Old Man Yang ordered expressionlessly. "Actively disperse half of your godly body into the river and help Ruan Qiong increase the Yin energy of the water."


    The river goddess was stupefied.


    Disperse half of her godly body? The old man said this casually, but the agonizing pain and damage to her Great Dao that this entailed was simply inestimable.


    The river goddess felt the urge to flee to somece tens of thousands of kilometers away.


    However, it was a shame that this was clearly impossible.


    "If you seed, I''ll help you ask for a river goddess temple after Ruan Qiong finishes forging the sword," Old Man Yang added. "That way, you''ll be able to fully recover your godly body in at most 50 to 60 years. Afterward, you''ll also enjoy incense and offerings for hundreds upon thousands of years. This is a long-term benefit, and you''ll definitely end up obtaining more than you sacrificed."


    "Dispersing half of my godly body will be far too painful. I''m scared of pain..." the river goddess murmured hesitantly. Her voice was so quiet that it could barely be heard.


    The old man didn''t say anything, and he simply looked at the rippling surface of the Dragon Whisker River.


    "Great Immortal, can I refuse?" the river goddess asked carefully.


    "Of course you can," Old Man Yang replied with a nod.


    The river goddess was delighted, and she also felt extremely surprised at the same time. Since when had this great immortal be so understanding and reasonable?


    Old Man Yang smiled coldly and continued, "The effect will be even better if I pulverize your entire godly body. Rest assured, after your soul vanishes tonight, I''ll make sure topensate your descendants in the future."


    The river goddess felt a slight sense of despair. After weighing things up for a moment, she asked in a quivering voice, "Great Immortal, can all of thepensation be given to my grandson?"


    She was filled with hope, and this was because she knew that this Great Immortal treated her grandson, Ma Kuxuan, slightly differently regardless of how fair he was when it came to other matters.


    However, Old Man Yang shook his head and refused again, saying, "No."


    The river goddess�� expression was ashen, and she said in a pitiful voice, "Then I''ll go to the river source of the Dragon Whisker River."


    Old Man Yang didn''t say anything.


    The river goddess gritted her teeth and started to swim upstream. After passing the stone arch bridge that was no longer peculiar, she directly headed into the depths of the mountains.


    Ruan Qiong walked to the riverbank and stood next to the old man. "Whether I sessfully forge a sword for that young girl or not, I''m not worried at all. I don''t have any intention of making a deal with you," he said.


    "This main aspect of this deal has got nothing to do with you forging a sword for that young girl."


    Old Man Yang shook his head and continued, "However, I can help you conceal your daughter''s true identity for 30 years. The condition is that you finish forging the sword as quickly as possible. This is the deal that I''m after."


    Ruan Qiong was unfazed, and he asked with a smile, "True identity?"


    "Ruan Qiong, you simply need to nod or shake your head," the old man said calmly.


    Ruan Qiong felt slightly stifled, but he still nodded and agreed to Old Man Yang''s proposal.


    The old man smiled and said, "When you look back in the future, you''ll realize that this was worth it."


    Ruan Qiong asked a strange question, saying, "Then what wouldn''t be worth it?"


    "Ruan Qiong, eavesdropping on other people isn''t a good habit," Old Man Yang chuckled.


    "You, the eldest grandson of the Li n, and Wei Bo. I must keep an eye on the three of you," Ruan Qiong admitted in a frank manner.


    The old man nodded before shaking his head and saying, "It might be better to swap my position and Li Xisheng''s position around."


    "After 1000 years? Or after 10,000 years?" Ruan Qiong asked with a smile.


    The old man didn''t say anything else.


    Once they entered the chaotic age of battle between the hundred schools of thought, fiercely ambitious individuals, heroic figures, talented prodigies, and peculiar beings would rapidly spring up one after another like bamboo shoots after rain. In just a short period of time, the world would bepletely changed.


    The old man had witnessed these magnificent scenes before �� more than once.


    At the end of the day, Ruan Qiong was only a Militarian sage and not a Naturalist sage. Even though he was already nning very far ahead �� for example, the matters pertaining to his daughter Ruan Xiu''s growth �� it was still not far ahead enough.


    At this moment, Old Man Yang suddenly said, "Of course it wasn''t worth it. What''s the point of gathering the souls of two ordinary mortals? The price to pay for doing so isn''t small. If it were Ma Kuxuan, however, that''s naturally another matter altogether."


    Ruan Qiong smiled and asked, "Senior, you''ve never been optimistic about Chen Ping''an?"


    "It''s fine as long as someone else is optimistic about him," Old Man Yang replied expressionlessly.


    ��������


    The official post road toward the north reopened, and this caused the already bustling Red Candle Town to be even livelier.


    It was nighttime, and a decorated boat with green bamboo curtains leisurely navigated out of the inlet and sailed toward the town. After entering the river that separated Red Candle Town into two, the decorated boat immediately received a guest. This was a wealthy elder dressed in brocade robes and a middle-aged man dressed in coarse clothes. They looked like a wealthy master and his stewarding out to drink flower wine[1].


    This was a medium-sized decorated boat with five boat hostesses. Two of them rowed the boat, and two of them yed instruments and prepared wine. The remaining boat hostess was the most beautiful of them all, and she sat beside the old man and carefully served him like an obedient and lovable woman. The old manughed heartily, and he pointed at the unrefined man and said, "How about it, Old Man Xie? People rely on elegant robes, just as Buddhas rely on golden robes. This saying isn''t wrong, is it?"


    Perhaps it was his embarrassment turning to anger, or perhaps he was an honest and frank person, the middle-aged man epted a cup of wine from a boat hostess and thanked her before turning to the old man and saying, "Stop calling me Old Man Xie all the time. We''re not that familiar with each other."


    The old man was a shameless person, and while he was epting his cup of wine from the boat hostess, he seized the opportunity to caress the back of her hand. He didn''t forget to wink and make eyes at the slender woman either. This disgusted the boat hostess immensely. However, she had no option but to put on a forced smile.


    The old man didn''t pay any heed to this, and he simply indulged himself in the cup of wine. "You might not be familiar with me, but I''m very familiar with you! Your name spread from the northeast all the way to the south. Each time I talk about you with old friends, they all beg me to introduce them to you after learning that we''re from the same hometown. They all say that it will be a big regret of theirs if they don''t manage to see a great hero such as yourself."


    The middle-aged man simply frowned in reply. He lowered his head and continued to drink wine.


    The old man had a split mustache, and right now, he was sitting cross-legged with his head tilted and gazing at the bustling nightlife on the banks. He swirled his wine cup with one hand, and he pinched and stroked his mustache with his other hand. He looked extremely sleazy and uncouth no matter how one looked at him. This was made worse by the fact that he was purposely touching the boat hostess'' shapely behind with his knee. The boat hostess was ustomed to seeing the tangling bodies of men and women, yet she still regretted her decision to sit next to this old man instead of the quiet middle-aged man.


    When the old man raised his hand to stroke his mustache, his sleeve slid down to reveal a dark green rope bracelet on his wrist. The observant boat hostesses on the decorated boat felt slightly disappointed upon seeing this. If this bracelet were worn by a young child, it would still appear fairly dainty and adorable. On the wrist of an old man, however, it appeared quite strange and out of ce.


    The old man suddenly retracted his gaze, and he asked the beautiful woman beside him, "Do women in this business believe in pledges as eternal as the mountains and seas?"


    Not only was this boat hostess stumped, but the other boat hostesses didn''t know how to reply either. They exchanged nces with each other, and they didn''t know what the old man was trying to get at.


    The old manughed heartily and pointed at the middle-aged man sitting opposite him. "Look for him. It''s genuinely useful. He''s an impressive mountain lord, and he looks after quite a number of mountains. Pledges as eternal as the mountains and seas. The mountains mentioned here..."


    The middle-aged man frowned but remained silent. He continued to slowly and absent-mindedly sip wine.


    The old man then pointed at himself and continued, "In reality, looking for me is also useful. There''s an extremely tall building in the world, and the name of this building is also very impressive. It''s called the Sea Suppressing Pagoda, and it naturally sits next to the sea. My house is located near this pagoda."


    The middle-aged man was finally unable to endure this any longer, and he said with a displeased expression, "Person with the surname Cao, what''s the point in bragging to them about this?"


    The old man took a small sip of wine before picking up his chopsticks to eat some snacks. He shot a sideways nce at the middle-aged man and replied, "It''s precisely because they don''t understand anything that it''s interesting to talk to them about this. Bragging about these things to cultivators is what''s truly uninteresting."


    There was a dark expression on the middle-aged man''s face, and he lowered his head and continued to drink wine.


    When talking about pledges as eternal as the mountains and seas, these were now mainly used by teachers in mortal empires and cities to describe pledges of love between men and women. In reality, the true meaning of such a pledge was already no longer understood by ordinary mortals.


    Indeed, such pledges were especially important to cultivators. Cultivators could make pledges to the mountains and seas, and such pledges would then possess indescribably mystical abilities to bind a person to their pledge. As such, these pledges were far more useful and effective than the written pledges sold by mortals in the world.


    When choosing mountains, these could be the Five Mountains officially recognized by the imperial courts. The higher one''s cultivation base, the higher the level of the mountains needed to be. Generally speaking, pledges of this type would be used when forming alliances between empires or when signing agreements pertaining to trade. As time went on, however, it became increasinglymon for such pledges to be used during engagements.


    In terms of seas, this had already lost much of its original importance. This was because following the death of thest True Dragon in the world, the seas andkes in the nine continents of the Majestic World had already be ownerless. Mortal empires didn''t have the right or power to assign official gods to the Five Lakes and Four Seas, and as a result, there were no longer any legitimate water gods in the world who could step forward to rule those five gigantickes and four boundless seas.


    The sun rose from the east and set in the west, and it was rumored that the sun rose from somece in the East Sea.


    1. To drink flower wine means to visit prostitutes. ?

 Chapter 186: (1): Guard the Night

    Chapter 186: (1): Guard the Night


    After Chen Ping''an lost consciousness, the little boy in azure finally let go of the little girl in pink''s elbow as they stood on the stairs to the second floor. The little girl sprinted upstairs, and her face was already drenched with tears. She cried uncontrobly, and as she checked Chen Ping''an''s pulse and observed his soul, she turned around and sobbed, "Why did you stop me? You ungrateful and cold-blooded person... If Master dies, I''ll fight you to the death..."


    The little boy in azure appeared cold and expressionless, and he said, "I call you silly girl, yet you''re still unwilling to admit it. If you recklessly interrupted Chen Ping''an''s Qi cirction just then, you would have been categorized as an enemy by that burst of sword qi. At that time, not only would you have been beaten half dead, but you would have detrimentally affected Chen Ping''an''s Dao attainment catalyst as well. In fact, you might even have killed him. This is a positive fated opportunity, yet you somehow almost turned it into a tragic cmity."


    The little girl in pink choked with broken-hearted sobs, and she whimpered, "Master is drenched in blood, and Master is almost about to die! Are you happy now? I''m not silly! I know that you''re coveting Master''s snake gall pebbles. Master should never have brought you home. You''re far too ungrateful and unconscionable. Master is so good to us, and yet..."


    With a light jump, the little boy in azurended on the green bamboo railing where he then squatted down and snapped, "It''s not up to you to say whether Chen Ping''an''s dead or not. With your measly cultivation, what the hell do you know?"


    The little girl''s sobs became quieter and quieter, and this was because she discovered the changing state of the two bursts of Qi inside Chen Ping''an''s body. They had initially been chaotic and wild, yet they were now gradually bing orderly and calm. This was much like a meeting between mountains and water.


    Even though the two would collide in the beginning and give rise to tumultuous and towering waves, this fearsome nature would gradually subside and transform into calm and tranquility. Simrly, Chen Ping''an''s soul which was violently trembling in agonizing pain also started to settle down, with its painful wails eventually turning into quiet whimpers.


    Chen Ping''an was in deep slumber, and the twisted expression on his tanned face slowly loosened and returned to normal. In the end, the young boy surprisingly looked like an infant who was enjoying afortable nap while being swaddled in someone''s arms.


    The little girl in pink was overjoyed, and her face was filled with tear stains as she turned to the little boy in azure and said in a low voice, "Master is okay, it''s just that he''s truly fallen asleep."


    The little boy in azure rolled his eyes. He stood up, and he treated the railing as a path as he started to take a stroll.


    After Chen Ping''an fell unconscious, it was as if the little girl in pinkpletely lost all direction. She could only turn to the little boy in azure and ask, "What should we do now?"


    The little boy in azure remained silent as he paced back and forth along the railing. In reality, he only had a fuzzy understanding of the situation as well. Thus, he genuinely didn''t dare to make any conclusions about what they should do. He did indeed covet Chen Ping''an''s snake gall pebbles, but to say that he would take advantage of someone''s misfortune and kick them while they were down? This was an insult to him, the good brother of the Imperial River''s great river god. He would rather punch Chen Ping''an to death fair and square and openly take his small mountain of snake gall pebbles than sneakily snatch them away while he was unconscious.


    In the cultivation world, one needed to have a sense of morality and justice.


    This was the principle that he had always abided by.


    After bing drunk, the great river god of the Imperial River had once made a very knowledgeable remark. "One can''t uphold too much morality and justice in the cultivation world, but one needs to uphold these to at least some degree. If onepletely abandons these things, then one will suffer a fate no different from the final True Dragon. Such people will eventually drown to death in the cultivation world."


    The little boy''s heart jolted, and a shadow suddenly fell across him. Looking up, he discovered that a white-robed god was standing beside him with a smile that was asking for a beating. The god was looking down at him.


    Wei Bo smiled at the little boy in azure and said, "Little water snake, I''m very surprised that you didn''t think about killing your master."


    The little boy in azure couldn''t stand this person''s handsome appearance, and it was as if the two of them were destined to sh with each other. This was especially the case now that Wei Bo was peering down at him and speaking with a mocking tone. The little boy couldn''t help but curse, "I regret the fact that I didn''t do your mother back then!"


    Wei Bo''srge sleeve fluttered gently as he gracefully jumped down from the railing. While doing so, he lightly patted the little boy''s head and chuckled, "How naughty."


    This looked like an ordinary pat, yet the little boy''s legs were pushed apart, causing him to fall on his bum on the railing. He grimaced and sped his behind in pain.


    If this were somewhere else, even a mountain of copper or steel might have been crushed by the little boy''s fall. However, this small bamboo building was truly very sturdy.


    Wei Bo sat down beside Chen Ping''an and ced a hand on the young boy''s wrist. His pulse was stable and calm, and this was a good sign.


    "Esteemed Immortal Wei, it''s quite cold outside, so should I carry Master inside?" the little girl in pink asked in a soft voice.


    Wei Bo smiled and replied, "You''re a fire python who''s rted to flood dragons, so you have a powerful innate ability to resist searing heat and freezing cold. Because of this, you might not be able to fully sense the peculiar benefit of this bamboo building. That is, this building is warm in winter and cool in summer. In fact, even an ordinary person won''t suffer frostbite if they strip naked in the bamboo building during a heavy snowstorm. So, you can let your master sleep here. Not moving him is the most suitable choice."


    The little girl in pink breathed a sigh of relief. She hurriedly bowed in gratitude to Wei Bo.


    Wei Bo didn''t think much about this, and he asked with a smile, "Did Chen Ping''an bring a new change of clothes?"


    The little girl in pink shook her head and replied, "Master most likely didn''t n to stay here for a long time, so there aren''t any clothes in his bamboo basket."


    Wei Bo frowned and looked at Chen Ping''an''s clothes which seemed as if they had been submerged in blood. When the young boy woke up, he naturally couldn''t keep wearing this set of clothes. "You two can either go to the small town to buy some clothes, or you can go to y Vase Alley to collect some clothes. Make haste and return as soon as possible. Chen Ping''an is most likely going to wake up soon," Wei Bo suggested.


    "Oh, okay," the little girl in pink replied. She was just about to leave.


    However, the little boy in azure had a dark look in his eyes as he stared at Wei Bo. "I don''t trust you."


    Wei Bo thought for a moment before saying, "Then you can stay."


    The little boy in azure tossed the little girl in pink a gold ingot and said, "Apart from buying Master some new clothes, buy the two of us some new clothes as well."


    "I don''t need any," the little girl in pink replied with a smile.


    "I was only saying that to be polite," the little boy in azure said with a stern expression.


    The little girl in pink felt a little sad. With a whoosh, she ran out of the bamboo building and sprinted down the mountain.


    After she left, the little boy in azure sat down on the railing with his back facing the sleeping Chen Ping''an and the sitting Wei Bo. He was lost in a myriad of thoughts.


    Chen Ping''an slept for an entire day and night before finally waking up. After cleaning himself and changing into new clothes, he feltpletely reinvigorated and refreshed. He didn''t put on his straw sandals, and he stood barefoot in the corridor on the second floor. The bottom of his feet were filled with calluses that were as thick as stone and steel. When Chen Ping''an was still little, his calluses had been caused by the friction between his feet and the coarse straw sandals. Afterward, these calluses were slowly hardened and thickened by the mountain stones and thorny vegetation.


    There was a white jade hairpin in Chen Ping''an''s hair, and this was the one on which he had personally engraved eight small characters.


    He hugged the locust wood sword against his chest and stared nkly toward the south.


    Wei Bo returned after leaving for a while, and he brought with him some medicinal ingredients which he told the little girl in pink to help him cook. This medicine could be used to help Chen Ping''an replenish his vital energy. However, the young boy was used to doing everything by himself, so he wanted to go over to cook the medicine himself. The little girl in pink didn''t let him help no matter what, and there was a deep frown on her small and bright red face. Her expression was pitiful, and it was as if she were about to cry. Chen Ping''an couldn''t endure this, so he could only huff and let her be.


    The little boy in azure had run out to wander around, and it was as if he were the ruler of a nation traveling around to patrol his territory. He walked up the mountain today, and there was a mountain god temple at the peak of the mountain. Here, there was a strange mountain god with a golden head being worshipped. The temple was still undergoing construction, and there were still some bits and pieces that needed to be finished up. Thus, there were all kinds of people in the area �� officials from the Ministry of Works, cultivators who took orders from the imperial court and were responsible for helping out, and workers from the small town as well as prisoners and refugees from the Lu Empire.


    Wei Bo stood beside Chen Ping''an and said with a smile, "After all that chaos in your body, it''s fortunate that you didn''t suffer for nothing. You''re finally about to advance to the third tier."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "It''s much quicker than I imagined. I initially thought that it would take at least three to five years."


    "What a difficult person to talk to. Boring. See youter."


    Wei Bo couldn''t help but chuckle as he bobbed his head and walked away. He didn''t fly around this time, and he instead swaggered down the staircase one step at a time.


    After Wei Bo left, Chen Ping''an patted his chest and murmured, "I know that you''re still unwilling to ept this. You don''t really want to stay together with me, right?"


    The young boy''s voice was low as he continued, "That swordsman Cao Jun definitely has some outstanding features. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have been so excited in his presence. However, this is only normal. He''s a swordsman at the eighth or ninth tier, so such a powerful immortal is naturally far more powerful than me. But what can I do about this? The Schrly Sage gifted you to me, so before I die, you''re not allowed to go anywhere else..."


    A piercing pain traveled over from Chen Ping''an''s chest. His throat shuddered slightly, and he was just about to cough a mouthful of blood.


    However, Chen Ping''an gritted his teeth and forcefully swallowed the mouthful of blood. His voice was muffled as he said, "Even though I don''t know the truth of the matter, I can roughly guess that you can kill me with ease. However, for one reason or another, you''re not able to kill me. Because of this, you''re stuck in an extremely awkward situation. Am I correct?"


    After pausing for a moment, Chen Ping''an raised his hand and wiped the two trails of blood flowing from his nose. "This doesn''t worry me. I still have a few changes of clean clothes here, and my small maidservant is also a fire python. After I wash my clothes, she can immediately dry them for me. If you''re so capable, then you''re free to continue crashing around between my acupoints. This kind of pain... Heh, I''m not bragging or anything, but it''s truly nothing in my eyes. I experienced greater pain than this when I was only five years old."


    A burst of intense pain struck his abdomen. It was as if a tumultuous sea were churning in his stomach.


    Standing barefoot in the corridor, there was an unwavering look in Chen Ping''an''s eyes as he continued to hug the locust wood sword against his chest. However, he couldn''t prevent his voice from trembling as he said, "If I shout in pain, then I''ll honor you as my ancestor in the future."


    Among the 18 acupoints �� the 18 checkpoints �� it was as if there existed two insurmountable obstacles. One existed between the 6th and the 7th, and one existed between the 12th and the 13th.


    When channeling his Qi before, Chen Ping''an could only channel it past six acupoints in a single breath. Even though his Qi was yet to reach its limit, it was as if there was already nowhere else for it to go. As such, it could only crash into a wall and fail to advance. After mysteriously fusing the silver sword billet into his hand, however, it was as if the barrier between the sixth and seventh acupoint had loosened a little, even though he was still unable to reach the checkpoint to the seventh acupoint.


    This could bepared to a person tirelessly building a bridge, causing the scenery on the opposite bank to be vaguely visible. As time went on, this scenery would also be clearer and clearer.


    Moreover,pared to practicing his fist technique and walking meditation to temper his physique, the effect of the sword qi wantonly crashing around inside his body was even more evident. It was seemingly forcing Chen Ping''an to cultivate both the inside and outside of his body.


    This was analogous to having arge mountain that Chen Ping''an had continuously tried to walk through and construct a path on. However, there had been no efficient way to do so, and he could only hack away at the trees and shrubs and make incredibly slow progress.


    After the sword billet entered his body, however, it was as if the little boy in azure had assumed his true form and started to swim through the mountain. Thus, an extremely rough "path" was naturally carved into the mountain. Afterward, Chen Ping''an simply needed to follow the water snake and smooth out the path.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t afraid of hardship. However, this didn''t mean that he enjoyed it. After all, how many people in the world genuinely enjoyed hardship?


    If enduring hardship could bring him benefits, however, then Chen Ping''an would actively look for hardships without a shred of hesitation.


    After living alone for so many years, and after enduring so much pain and hardship, Chen Ping''an came to understand a principle. Living in this world, there were many people who did many things. For a significant number of them, hardship was nothing more than just that, hardship.


    Enduring hardship to ultimately reap a reward? One had to ask the napping heavens whether they agreed or not.


    Chen Ping''an decided that he still needed to leave the majority of his possessions in Ruan Xiu''s cksmith shop. There were too many people in Downtrodden Mountain, and Chen Ping''an didn''t feel safe leaving his things here.


    If it weren''t for Li Xisheng that day, Chen Ping''an would have suffered a great loss even though he was standing outside his own house in y Vase Alley.


    No wonder the little boy in azure always muttered those words. The cultivation world was indeed filled with dangers.


    Chen Ping''an''s head tilted to the side, and he suddenly raised a hand to cover his mouth. Blood seeped out from between his fingers.


    Chen Ping''an took deep breaths, and he spread his palm to reveal a puddle of blood.


    "I''m going to leave the mountain and construct a tomb for my parents afterward. Can we call a temporary truce first?" Chen Ping''an asked angrily.


    The sword billet was about to charge at an acupoint, but it slowly calmed down after hearing this. It had seemingly agreed to Chen Ping''an''s request.

 Chapter 187: (1): Old People In the New Year

    Chapter 187: (1): Old People In the New Year


    The flying sword no longer appeared like a rough and unrefined silver ingot. Apart from its extremely small size, it now appeared exactly like a sword. However, it was seemingly in a state between illusory and real, and this gave it a translucent appearance and immortal aura.


    Hovering in the glow of dawn, the small and exquisite flying sword glistened with a dazzling and eye-catching radiance.


    Chen Ping''an faltered for a long moment before finally asking, "What''s the matter, you want to fly out for some fresh air because it''s New Year? Say, do flying swords like you pay particr attention to festivals as well?"


    The tip of the flying sword rotated slightly.


    Chen Ping''an tensed up, and he prepared to flee at any moment.


    After rotating a full 360 degrees, the tip of the sword tilted slightly upward, while the hilt of the sword tilted slightly downward. It was as if the flying sword were familiarizing itself with this slightly unfamiliar world.


    The sound of the little boy in azure waking up and yawning traveled over from inside the house. With a whoosh, the flying sword flew toward Chen Ping''an''s be, with its speed so quick that it left an afterimage in its original spot. A thin arc of light appeared in the air, and the speed and nimbleness of the flying sword were far beyond Chen Ping''an''s imagination. He couldn''t dodge it at all, and he immediately felt a cool sensation on his be. The young boy reached up to touch his forehead. However, there was no bloody hole there, and there wasn''t even so much as a scratch.


    The flying sword easily flew into his body and returned to the acupoints.


    It was as if the flying sword were a peerless terrestrial sword immortal carving a path through the battlefield �� it was simply unstoppable.


    Chen Ping''an nned to ask Ruan Xiu about this when he got the chance. Were all flying swords in the world this mystical and impressive?


    Near the front door, the eagerly excited little boy in azure was already carrying arge bundle of bamboo tubes that had been prepared a while ago. As he walked out the front door with the bleary-eyed little girl in pink, he lightly kicked her in the back. The little girl hurriedly patted her clothes clean. These were brand new clothes that Master had only just bought for her! She red at the little boy and asked, "What are you doing?!"


    Standing in the courtyard, the little boy in azure sighed and replied, "Are you stupid? As a fire python, you have an innate ability to wield fire-element mystical abilities. So, are you going to hurry up and light the firecrackers?"


    The little girl in pink blinked upon hearing this. As it turned out, fire-element mystical abilities could be used like this as well?


    During their trip back to the small town, Chen Ping''an had always been the one lighting fires to cook. This had been the case even if it were raining or snowing. As a result, the little girl in pink had never considered using her abilities to light fires before.


    Chen Ping''an had never raised this issue before, and she had never thought of this possibility either. Meanwhile, the little boy in azure most likely couldn''t be bothered mentioning it.


    With the help of the little boy and the little girl, the firecrackers were set off, with each bang bidding farewell to the old year.


    It wasn''t long before the explosions of firecrackers started to ring out in other houses on y Vase Alley. It was as if the firecrackers were echoing each other from afar.


    The little boy in azure enjoyed himself immensely. After the little girl in pink finished setting off the final firecracker, she went inside the house to grab a broom and was just about to sweep up the scraps. However, Chen Ping''an smiled and took the broom from her before putting it upside down against the wall. As it turned out, the small town had a custom where every family would ce their brooms upside down on the first day of the Lunar New Year. This signified that they wouldn''t do anything for the day. This was a day for resting.


    Chen Ping''an stood beside the wall and looked at the empty courtyard next door. He was filled with mixed emotions. After hesitating for a moment, he eventually decided to grab the extra set of couplets and two "spring" characters from his house and stick them on the front gate next door.


    The little boy in azure smiled and asked, "Master, are they very good friends of yours?"


    "Hopefully we''re not enemies," Chen Ping''an replied softly.


    After returning to his own courtyard, Chen Ping''an stood in the alley outside his front gate and looked at the two colorful door gods. One represented civil affairs, while one represented martial arts affairs. The civil god held a jade ritual baton, and the martial arts god held a steel truncheon. No matter how Chen Ping''an looked at them, he couldn''t help but feel that they looked strange. In the past, the small town had sold all kinds of paper-based door god stickers. Apart from the civil god and martial arts god, there had also been a fortune god and many other types of gods.


    This year, however, all of the door god stickers in the small town were regted and forced to be the same. ording to the shopkeeper, this was a rule established by the local official. Moreover, the golden statues of gods that would be worshipped in the new, yet-to-be-built, Wenchang pavilion and martial sage temple in the small town would be none other than statues of the two gods illustrated on the door god stickers.


    Chen Ping''an recalled what Old Man Yang had told him, and his impression of those words became deeper and deeper.


    Chen Ping''an pushed these gloomy thoughts out of his mind. He then walked over to sit in the courtyard and bask in the sun. He didn''t think of anything else.


    The little girl in pink continued to sit on her small stool and eat roasted sunflower seeds. As for the little boy in azure, he sped his hands behind his back and walked in circles around the courtyard. He was filled with lofty ambitions, and he shouted that he was going to cultivate earnestly this year. He would definitely blow Master and the silly girl away. When the next year rolled around, he would be able to freely roam around the small town and do anything he wanted. He wouldn''t need to be afraid of anyone, not even shitty swordsmen at the eighth or ninth tier.


    After saying all this, the little boy in azure smiled obsequiously and said, "Master, you only need to give me a few more good-quality snake gall pebbles. To say nothing of next year, I''ll be invincible in the small town tomorrow! At that time, Master can bring me around and do anything you want. You can bully men and grab women, and you can enjoy life as a wanton tyrant who doesn''t need to abide by any rules. If youe across any beautiful girls you like, you can directly drag them into y Vase Alley and... Wahahaha! Master, does thinking about this make you happy?"


    Chen Ping''an grabbed a handful of roasted sunflower seeds from the little girl in pink''s side of the table and replied with a nod, "As long as you''re happy."


    The yearning smile on the little boy''s face immediately froze and disappeared. He sighed and groaned as he sat down next to Chen Ping''an. With him to the left and the little girl in pink to the right, it was as if they were two mini door gods. However, the little boy in azure felt like it was an ill omen for him to make a bad start on the first day of the new year. Thus, he retrieved an ordinary snake gall pebble and started to loudly crunch down on it. He had no option but to create a good omen for himself.


    It was also at this moment that Chen Ping''an suddenly retrieved two small and exquisite pouches from his sleeves. These were some Spring Festival goods from his pastry shop in Dragon Riding Alley. He handed them to the two little children and said in amusement, "Here, some lucky money from your master."


    The little boy in azure didn''t feel any delight, yet upon opening the pouch, his eyes bulged as far out as they could. As it turned out, this was a top-quality snake gall pebble that was as colorful as the iridescent clouds of twilight.


    The little girl in pink also received a top-quality snake gall pebble.


    After returning to Chen Ping''an''s ancestral home in y Vase Alley back then, the little boy in azure had seen things very clearly. Apart from the 90-odd ordinary snake gall pebbles, there had also been 11 remaining top-quality snake gall pebbles in Chen Ping''an''s pouch. At that time, he had given them two top-quality snake gall pebbles each, and this had reduced his number of top-quality snake gall pebbles from 11 to seven. And now, he was giving them another top-quality snake gall pebble each. Didn''t this mean that he had already given away half of his top-quality snake gall pebbles?


    <em>Chen Ping''an, do you genuinely see yourself as a charity that''s going around to cultivate good rtionships?</em>


    Even though he was tightly gripping the snake gall pebble in his hand, the little boy in azure still couldn''t help but warn, "Master, if you keep giving things away like this, how can you umte enough wealth to find yourself a wife in the future?"


    The little girl in pink held the "lucky money" in her hands with her head lowered and her lips pursed. Tears pitter-pattered down her soft and delicate cheeks.


    The little boy in azure felt slightly conflicted, but he just had to spit the thoughts out from his mind. "Master, aren''t you afraid of my cultivation rising explosively after eating these three top-quality snake gall pebbles? Aren''t you afraid that you''ll never be able to catch up to me in your lifetime?"


    "If you have a friend who''s living a good life, will you be happy for them or not?" Chen Ping''an countered.


    The little boy in azure nodded and replied, "Of course I''ll be happy for them. The friends and brothers that I''ve made are all genuine."


    "Then what if your friend is living a much better life than you? Will you still be happy for them?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The little boy in azure became slightly hesitant.


    Chen Ping''an popped a roasted sunflower seed into his mouth and chuckled, "I''ll be even happier."


    The little boy in azure fell into a slight trance at this moment. He suddenly felt like the world that he had roamed for hundreds of years was seemingly different from the world that Chen Ping''an was living in. Was his world too profound and deep? Or was Chen Ping''an''s world too simple and shallow?


    After giving his opinion, Chen Ping''an didn''t ponder much about this topic anymore. His conversation with the little boy in azure had only been a casual one, after all.


    However, the little boy in azure remained glum and in low spirits. Meanwhile, the little girl in pink also became quiet after putting her snake gall pebble away.


    Chen Ping''an felt a slight sense of regret. Perhaps he was wrong to give them this lucky money? Or perhaps he should have given it to themter?


    How worrisome...


    Considering only y Vase Alley, many people in the alley had already left. There was Song Jixin and Zhi Gui, and there was also Gu Can and his mother. However, a new person had now moved in. Latest year, this person had taken out a title deed from his ancestors and handed it to the government office in Dragon Spring Prefecture. The officials had initially wanted to carefully verify this title deed, and this was becausend in the small town was extremely valuable right now. Countless outsiders wanted to move into the small town, and they were even willing to rent if they couldn''t directly buy a house. Thus, the officials had treated this matter with utmost care and caution. They couldn''t allow some scheming and deceitful person to trick their way into a house.


    However, it wasn''t long before Wu Yuan, the first county magistrate of Dragon Spring County �� now the first prefectural overseer of Dragon Spring Prefecture �� personally charged to the county office to take full control of this matter.


    A short whileter, the y Vase Alley gained a new resident, a young man named Cao Jun. His ancestors had moved out from the small town, and now he was returning to his ancestral home to work hard and make a living.


    The residents in the alley were all quite curious about Cao Jun, the young man who rarely left his house. Because many of the local residents were involved in the construction of the offices and temples in the mountains, and because the county offices and prefecture office had both put out many official statements confirming the existence of gods and immortals in the world, the residents in Dragon Spring Prefecture were left with no option but to ept this reality.


    In the beginning, the residents of the small town spected whether the handsome and extraordinary Cao Jun was also an immortal. Upon further thought, however, they realized something amiss. An immortal living in y Vase Alley? That would be trampling on the value of immortals, no?


    On this day, two unfamiliar people walked into y Vase Alley.


    One was an elderly man with a thin green rope around his wrist, and one was a young man with a sword strapped horizontally behind his back. They walked into y Vase Alley together, entering from the side where Gu Can''s house was located. While walking past Song Jixin and Chen Ping''an''s courtyards, the old man peered over the short walls and looked at the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink. There was a mystical smile on his face.


    The little girl in pink was slightly baffled, but she didn''t think much about this. Meanwhile, the little boy in azure looked calm and rxed, yet he was actually praying in his mind that this wasn''t another old immortal or powerful demon.


    The young swordsman smiled and waved, saying, "Chen Ping''an, we meet again."


    Chen Ping''an stood up and opened the courtyard door. He smiled and asked, "Are you here to wish a happy new year to the residents?"


    The young swordsman shook his head and replied, "No, I have some matters that I need to deal with. However, I can indeed wish people a happy new year on the way."


    The old man smiled with squinted eyes and asked, "Youngd, I heard that the roof of my ancestral home was destroyed by a Mountain-moving Ape because of you? And it was also you who paid to get it fixed?"


    <em>Swordsman Cao Jun''s n elder?</em>


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly tense, and he said in apology, "I''m so sorry about that, Mister. It was indeed my fault."


    The old man waved a hand and said, "I understand the situation. The house was already old and rundown, so it would have definitely copsed by itself if it wasn''t fixed sometime soon. There''s no need to apologize. In fact, it''s the Cao n that should be thanking you. That young man Cao Jun wanted to snatch something from you before, correct? Rest assured, I''ll head over to discipline him right now... Oh, haha, I forgot to say, Happy New Year."


    As he said this, the affable old man surprisingly cupped his fists and shook them slightly. This was his way of wishing Chen Ping''an a happy new year.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly returned the gesture.


    The young swordsman frowned slightly, and he took a subtle step forward and coincidentally arrived between the old man and Chen Ping''an. He wrapped his arm around the young boy''s shoulder and smiled as he walked toward the courtyard door. He then turned around and said to the old man, "Mr. Cao, why don''t you return home first? I''ll visit you a littleter."


    The old man squinted and nodded in acknowledgment. He didn''t pay much heed to this, and he slowly left by himself. After heaven knows how many hundreds of years, he had finally returned home to this alley again.


    After Chen Ping''an and the young swordsman stepped over the door threshold and entered the courtyard, the spiritual glow in the eyes of the two colorful door gods that were invisible to mortal eyes had already vanished without a trace.


    Standing in the courtyard, the young swordsman warned in a soft voice, "When traveling around the world in the future, remember that males need to wrap their left hand around their right hand when cupping their fists to pay respect. This is called paying auspicious respects. If done the other way around, this is viting a taboo and wishing misfortune upon others."


    Chen Ping''an abruptly looked over at the young swordsman, who continued in a seemingly casual manner, "You simply need to keep these etiquettes in mind."

 Chapter 187: (2): Old People In the New Year

    Chapter 187: (2): Old People In the New Year


    There were only three small stools in Chen Ping''an''s house, so the little girl in pink hurriedly stood up to offer her seat to the young swordsman. However, the young swordsman wasn''t in a hurry to sit down, and he chuckled, "Since I''m visiting on New Year''s Day, it naturally doesn''t make sense for me toe empty-handed. Here, I have two small trinkets for you guys."


    He extended his hand, and there were two jade tablets with no engraved characters resting in his palm. However, there were the unique cloud patterns of the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n engraved on the four corners of the jade tablets. "These are called Peace and Safety Tablets, and you can hang them on your waist. It''ll be slightly beneficial to you two when you''re settling down here in the future. If you decide to embark on a long journey, these jade tablets will also make your travels around the Great Li Empire easier and more convenient."


    The little boy in azure was quite eager to ept this, and this was because he understood the precious nature of these jade tablets.


    As for the little girl in pink, she didn''t know anything about these jade tablets. Thus, she simply turned around to look at Chen Ping''an. Whether they epted these gifts or not was entirely up to their master.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "You can ept it."


    The little boy in azure and the little girl in pink both bowed and thanked the young swordsman after epting the jade tablets.


    The young swordsman immediately bid farewell and turned around to leave after giving the presents to the little boy and the little girl.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to ask him to stay, so he could only apany him to the door of the courtyard.


    Meanwhile, in the Cao n''s ancestral home, the old man was standing beside the pond in the house. There was also a red fox sitting up on the skywell[1], while Cao Jun was sitting on a chair with one leg crossed over the other. He was looking at his ancestor out of the corners of his eyes, and he was toozy to even say anything in greeting.


    After the young swordsman walked in, the old man smiled and asked, "You have a fairly good rtionship with that young boy?"


    The young swordsman smiled and replied, "With Mr. Cao''s lofty cultivation base and status, you actually decided to target a young boy living in an impoverished alley?"


    Cao Xiughed and said, "I was merely giving him some minor punishment. At most, he would have only experienced misfortune for a single year. It''s nothing much. In fact, even mere mortals with slightly stronger ancestral blessings and slightly more Yang energy can endure this misfortune. In any case, didn''t you interfere as well? You helped that young boy dispel some small cmities."


    The young swordsman shook his head and didn''t say anything else.


    This was the absurd nature of the world. Xie Shi and Cao Xi were both powerful figures who had grown up and walked out from Jewel Small World, and the former was an honest and sincere person who was renowned throughout severalrge continents. Xie Shi was publicly regarded as a grandmaster, and he was someone who could stand out and distinguish himself in the Complete Reed Continent, a continent that was filled with swordsmen. In fact, he had the potential to be an extremely powerful and influential Heavenly Lord, and he was someone whom even his enemies respected.


    On the contrary, Cao Xi was someone with a strange personality. He had never had a good reputation, and everyone said that he was an unkind and ungenerous person. They imed that it was because of his extremely good fated opportunities that he was able to continually grow stronger in an unstoppable manner.


    Yet, contrary to expectations, it was the unorthodox sword immortal, Cao Xi, who was now standing on the side of the Great Li Empire. Meanwhile, Xie Shi was unexpectedly about to do something quite disgraceful.


    Cao Jun stood up and said with a faint smile, "I know who you are. You''re the Mo n''s Xu Ruo. You roamed around the Middle Earth Divine Continent for many years, and you''re extremely renowned there. People refer to you as a flood dragon among humans. I feel like Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Wei Jin likes to immerse himself in the world and dislikes staying in the mountains because of your influence. Perhaps he''s trying to emte what you did in your youth."


    Xu Ruo recalled that young and high-spirited sword immortal from Wind Snow Temple. He shook his head and chuckled, "He''s not trying to emte me."


    Cao Xi suddenly remembered something, and he jumped into the dried-up pond and turned over a bluestone b. There was an ordinary copper coin hidden there, and it was already covered in rust. The renowned terrestrial sword immortalughed heartily. He put the copper coin in his sleeve and clicked his tongue in wonder. "What a good omen, what a very good omen."


    Cao Xi looked up at the young swordsman and said, "In my view, the shattering of that bonded porcin was the fault of the Great Li Empire and Dragon Spring County. It was because of their mistake that the ident urred. However, the Great Li Empire already providedpensation at that time, and the other party also epted thispensation. Logically speaking, this matter should have concluded there. However, that buyer has now raised this matter progressively up the ranks of the hidden forces, and he''s eventually gotten the mighty Xie Shi to step forward to frighten the others. Things have been done in a fairly hical and unscrupulous manner.


    "In fact, it''s quite easy to resolve this matter. We can just make one vigorous effort to beat Xie Shi to death. There''s me, there''s you, and there''s also Sage Ruan Qiong. If the three of usbine forces, Xie Shi will not only lose, but he won''t be able to flee either. Xie Shi''s seeking death, so he can''t me anyone else if we grant him his death wish."


    "Even if we kill Xie Shi, what should the Great Li Empire do if the shattered and fallen Jewel Small World is alsoprehensively destroyed?" Xu Ruo asked.


    "Killing Xie Shi and sending a warning to the others is an extremely effective tactic. This is no less effective than constructing another White Jade Capital," Cao Xi replied. This was easy for him to say, as he didn''t need to put himself in the shoes of Xu Ruo or the Great Li Empire.


    The young swordsman ignored him.


    However, Cao Xi continued to tempt him, saying, "Isn''t the Great Li Empire about to march south? If we kill Xie Shi, just how many old bastards at the 10th tier or Upper Five Tiers will dare to remain in Great Sui Nation? I wager that there''ll be no more than five. If I''m wrong, then I''ll deal with all of the additional old bastards. What do you say?"


    Xu Ruo was slightly puzzled, and he asked, "Is there bitter and deep-seated hatred between you and Xie Shi?"


    Cao Xi shook his head and replied, "No, we''re nothing more than fellow townsmen. We''re not from the same generation, and we''ve never met each other before this either. Our ancestors didn''t bear any grudges against each other either. However, I simply can''t stand Xie Shi relying on his powerful cultivation to bully the Great Li Empire. He''s far too ungrateful to his home nation. He was born in the Great Li Empire, after all, and so be it if he doesn''t show any gratitude to the empire for raising and nurturing him. Yet, he''s actually opposing the Great Li Empire now? I, Cao Xi, can''t stand this type of person."


    "Absolute motherfucking bullshit!"


    The fiery red fox standing on the skywell immediately revealed Cao Xi''s true intentions, sneering, "The Southern Whirl Continent''s Pure Confucian Chen n is a branch n that originated from the Middle Earth Divine Continent. The main Chen n has always been at odds with the Daoist Sect, so killing Xie Shi can be viewed as the greatest present in the world to them. To say nothing betrothing an official descendant of the Pure Confucian Chen n to Cao Jun, they''d even be willing to betroth another descendant from the main Chen n in the Middle Earth Divine Continent to him."


    "You loudmouthed woman," Cao Xi scolded with a chuckle. He raised a hand and flicked his sleeve.


    The fiery red fox instantly exploded into smithereens.


    Compared to when it had been hacked into pieces by Cao Jun''s flying sword, the fox clearly took a much longer time to knit back together and return to its original form.


    It ripped up a roof tile and aggressively threw it at Cao Xi. After doing this, it turned around to flee as quickly as a bolt of lightning.


    Cao Xi casually caught the roof tile and tossed it back up to its original position.


    In fact, the roof tile was already shattered into many pieces.


    Xu Ruo, the gant individual from the Mo n, rejected Cao Xi''s suggestion. "This kind of matter isn''t something that I can make a decision on."


    Cao Xi rolled his eyes and asked, "Then who in the Great Li Empire can make this decision?"


    Xu Ruo smiled and replied, "Only three people �� the emperor, Monarch Song Changjing, and Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan."


    "Then tell one of them toe over!" Cao Xi eximed in anger. "You, Xu Ruo, are justing here to watch a show without actually doing anything? What''s the point? Since Xie Shi has dared toe here by himself, it''s clear that he definitely has something to rely on. If on the off chance he manages to flee even after the three of usbine forces, and if he manages to achieve his goal and even flee back to the Complete Reed Continent, then we three pitiful insects �� in addition to the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n �� will all be fucked at that time!"


    "They wille," Xu Ruo replied with a nod.


    Cao Xi instantly fell silent.


    This was because he always liked to project his shorings onto others. He was very afraid that the Great Li Empire would turn around to target him after disposing of Xie Shi.


    This was especially the case since the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n wasn''t some kind of noble entity.


    Some genuine noble person, a person who was even more powerful than him and Xie Shi, had already died.


    He had died right in this small town.


    One naturally couldn''t me the Great Li Empire for being disloyal, nor could one me the emperor for cowering from the conflict.


    However, Cao Xi felt like this was far too much of a bad omen. It was extremely inauspicious.


    Moreover, he had received news regarding the Great Li Empire''s Jewel Small World on his way here, and one piece of information had mentioned his ancestral home being damaged and fixed. This had soured his mood even more.


    If it weren''t for the Pure Confucian Chen n requesting it, he would have beenpletely unwilling to involve himself in this conflict.


    This was especially the case since Cao Xi was still yet to figure out the root cause of Qi Jingchun''s certain death. As a result, he felt extremely uneasy once he set foot in Dragon Spring Prefecture.


    Because of this, he hoped that Xie Shi''s death could fish out the main culprit. At that time, even if the worst-case scenario in his mind yed out, there would still be the Great Li Empire''s Song n, Sage Ruan Qiong and Wind Snow Temple, and his supporters, the Pure Confucian Chen n and the Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Chen n to share the risk together.


    Risk and reward came hand in hand.


    This was the same regardless of whether it was the mortal world or the cultivation world.


    ��������


    The Xie n''s ancestral residence was on Peach Leaf Alley, and the descendants of the n couldn''t be regarded as great in number. In fact, the Xie n was already in decline. If it weren''t for the young boy with long eyebrows bing Ruan Qiong''s unofficial disciple, the Xie n would have needed to make the miserable decision of selling their ancestral residence long ago.


    A middle-aged man knocked on the gate of the ancestral residence.


    A young girl opened the gate, and she asked, "You are?"


    "I''m your ancestor," the middle-aged man replied in a serious tone.


    The young girl with bright eyes and slender eyebrows looked like a graceful and restrained person, but she was in fact a fierce and short-tempered individual. "It''s New Year''s Day, so how can you harass someone like this? Do you want me to grab a broom to smack you?" she eximed in fury.


    The middle-aged man was unfazed, and he replied, "You can go and flip through the n''s genealogy books. Look for the Jiaxu book, and there''ll be someone called Xie Shi recorded there. That''s me. Also, the character ''Shi'' is missing a dot."


    Fifteen minutester, everyone in the Xie n was kneeling on the floor outside the ancestral hall.


    Xie Shi ignored his trembling descendants, and he silently walked inside the ancestral hall to offer three sticks of incense.


    His voice was solemn as he said, "The young boy with slightly longer eyebrows than everyone else, you can enter to offer some incense. The rest of you can return. In any case, there''s no need for you people to offer incense. After all, just seeing you people will cause a ball of fire to well up in our ancestors'' chests."


    Outside the ancestral hall, a woman was filled with sheer delight. She was so moved that tears were streaming down her face. She grabbed her son''s arm and covered her mouth at the same time, preventing herself from making any noise.


    The young boy with long eyebrows took a deep breath. After his mother let go of him, he stood up and carefully walked into the ancestral hall. He walked toward that mighty figure.


    ��������


    On the post road outside the small town, a horse-drawn carriage was slowly trundling along.


    The carriage driver was Liu Yu, the person who had blocked the swordsman on Go Table Mountain. Inside the carriage, there was a refined old man who looked like a schr, and there was also a young girl who had a naturally sharp and aloof appearance.


    They were none other than Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan and Court Lady Zhi Gui.


    Or perhaps it was better to call them the old Cui Chan and Wang Zhu?


    ��������


    Inside the small courtyard on y Vase Alley, the little boy in azure wrapped his arms around his head and started to wail in grief again.


    Why was this small town so bloody annoying? This was only the first day of the new year, yet they had already been visited by two people whom he couldn''t determine the cultivation base of. Just using his knee or ass, he could already imagine just how powerful these two people were. They were definitely terrifying people who could smash him to death with a single punch!


    In the past, the little boy in azure had always regarded himself as someone who had experienced and witnessed many huge storms. After arriving in the small town, however, he finally realized that those huge storms were inferior to even the small puddles on the narrow y Vase Alley.


    He began to sincerely admire Chen Ping''an. To be able to survive until today... What an immense feat! Sure enough, the young boy who had be his master wasn''t an ordinary person. It was no wonder that he had been followed around by such a vicious student back then.


    And thus, tears streamed down the little boy in azure''s face as he grabbed Chen Ping''an''s hand and said from the bottom of his heart, "Master, I''ll definitely treat you better in the future."


    Chen Ping''an pushed his head aside and chuckled, "You''re always the most afraid of everything. How embarrassing."


    The little boy in azure nced at the silly and simple-minded girl out of the corners of his eyes. He felt like he was indeed embarrassing himself. He quietly sat back down on his small stool and fumed in silence.


    The little girl in pink was indeed more simple-minded than him. She held the smooth and delicate Peace and Safety Tablet in her hands, and she liked it so much that she could barely put it down.


    Of course, the most simple-minded of them all was still their master, Chen Ping''an.


    He retrieved several bamboo slips that were inscribed with characters and ced them on the short mud wall between his courtyard and Song Jixin''s. This could be somewhat regarded as basking books, right?


    1. A skywell (�쾮) is a typical feature of traditional homes in southern and eastern China. ?

 Chapter 188: (1): Grand Rules and Trifling Trivialities

    Chapter 188: (1): Grand Rules and Trifling Trivialities


    The bamboo slips quietlyy on the mud wall between the courtyards, enjoying the warm sunshine of early spring with their master.


    At this moment, another uninvited guest arrived.


    Dong Shuijing.


    Back then, he had been unwilling to apany his fellow ssmates, Li Baoping and the others, to Great Sui Nation. The rustic young boy had turned down the opportunity to embark on a long journey to seek knowledge, and he had instead chosen to remain in the small town. Meanwhile, Shi Chunjia, the little girl with twin pigtails, had chosen to move to the capital with her family.


    It was from that moment onward that the final five students from Mr. Qi''s private school had parted ways and scattered across the continent.


    After seeing that it was Dong Shuijing, Chen Ping''an hurriedly invited him in and told him to take a seat. The little girl in pink nimbly brought over some snacks and desserts. Dong Shuijing was slightly reserved and embarrassed, and it was as if he were a young student who had just made a mistake. It was as if he were sitting in a ssroom and waiting for his teacher to punish him.


    However, Chen Ping''an genuinely didn''t feel like it had been wrong for Dong Shuijing to make the decision to remain in the small town.


    One night during his journey to Great Sui Nation with the three children, Chen Ping''an had been called over by the cowardly Li Huai to take a shit together. While they chatted, Li Huai had told him about Dong Shuijing''s background. Everyone said that while his mother had been pregnant with him, she had gone over to the Iron Lock Well to draw water. Yet, she had surprisingly given birth to him while bending over. It was because of this that he was called Dong Shuijing[1]. His ssmates had all teased him about this, yet Dong Shuijing had never tried to exin anything. He had let them do as they pleased.


    Regarding the fact that both Dong Shuijing and Lin Shouyi liked Li Huai''s older sister, Chen Ping''an was even more aware of this fact. However, he wasn''t especially interested about whether this was true or false.


    A long time ago, his next-door neighbor had told him that the young masters in Fortune Street and Apricot Blossom Alley would already have mistresses and maidservants at their age. If it were a young master from Dragon Riding Alley, perhaps the matchmakers would already be helping them look for wives. If they were one or two years older, then they would have already be fathers. This was extremely normal in the small town. As for the poorest alleys like y Vase Alley, it would be possible for men to remain single all the way up until 30 or 40 years old.


    Dong Shuijing briefly told Chen Ping''an about the new private school in the small town, and Chen Ping''an told him some stories from his long journey to the Great Sui Nation. However, he didn''t dare to mention the more bizarre events, and this was because he was afraid of Dong Shuijing overthinking things. After all, being an honest person didn''t imply that Dong Shuijing was also a stupid person.


    After learning that the small town would have its own ry station in the future, Dong Shuijing asked Chen Ping''an for the address of Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy. The young boy was very happy, and he said that he would definitely write letters to Li Baoping and the others in the future.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly hesitant. Sending letters and items was equivalent to sending gold and silver. Now that Dong Shuijing was alone and helpless, he wouldn''t necessarily be able to bear the cost of sending letters. However, Chen Ping''an ultimately decided against saying anything. Instead, he simply made a mental note in his mind.


    Dong Shuijing left with a happy smile on his face.


    The little boy in azure clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "That stupid boy was a fairly decent person. I initially thought that he wasing over to shamelessly ask for a free meal. If he had dared to do so..."


    He subconsciously looked at Chen Ping''an before swallowing the words that had already reached the tip of his tongue. He changed tack and continued, "Then I would have kindly encouraged him against such actions. I would have definitely exined the reasons and principles to him and advised him to put himself in the shoes of others."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and patted the little boy''s head. "Then I''ll have to trouble you if ites to that."


    On the second day of the new year, it was customary for people in the small town to visit their friends and family to wish them a happy new year.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t have any rtives, so he decided to bring the little boy and the little girl to Downtrodden Mountain.


    Downtrodden Mountain was located in the southwestern region of Dragon Spring Prefecture, and beside it were three other mountains of varying heights. However, these mountains were all far smaller than Downtrodden Mountain. They were Jumping Fish Mountain, Rapid Rise Foothill, and Heavenly Capital Peak. They had all been bought by immortal forces from outside the Great Li Empire, and in order to construct impressive and unique residences on them, they had remained busy with construction both day and night before New Year''s Eve.


    When Chen Ping''an and the two little children walked past Heavenly Capital Peak today, the mountain had finally be quiet.


    During the past year, all kinds of strange and extravagant structures had appeared on the mountains �� mansions and temples, pavilions and pagodas, courtyards and towers, scenery viewing tforms, long bridges that hung between two mountains, and so on. These were all breathtaking structures.


    As for Chen Ping''an''s Downtrodden Mountain, it appeared rtively empty and quiet even though it was muchrger than the surrounding mountains. This was because almost all of the constructions were beingpleted by the Great Li Empire only. Meanwhile, as the owner of the mountain, Chen Ping''an wasn''t funding any additional construction.


    This was the case with Downtrodden Mountain, which enjoyed the presence of a mountain god, so the situation was naturally even worse in Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and Immortal Herb Mountain. These mountains were empty and lifeless, and the cultivators responsible for overseeing the constructions on the nearby mountains couldn''t help but find it amusing every time they looked over at their neighboring mountain.


    This person was rich enough to buy mountains, yet they were too poor to develop these mountains? This was far too absurd.


    When Chen Ping''an and the two little children neared Downtrodden Mountain, Wei Bo mysteriously appeared in front of them again.


    Chen Ping''an handed Wei Bo a small pouch, inside of which was a top-quality snake gall pebble. The young boy asked Wei Bo to help him hand this snake gall pebble to the ck python from Go Table Mountain. Wei Bo smiled and epted this "lucky money", saying that he would definitely bring it to the ck python. He promised that he wouldn''t steal it.


    They walked up the mountain together, and Chen Ping''an asked Wei Bo about the new private school in the small town. Wei Bo naturally knew more than Dong Shuijing, so he gave a detailed exnation to Chen Ping''an. As it turned out, this was a n private school set up by the Dragon Tail Creek Chen n. However, it was open to everyone, and it waspletely free of charge as well. In fact, even the children of prisoners and refugees from the Lu Empire could attend this private school. This decision had been equivalent to saving dozens of lives. Otherwise, it would have been anyone''s guess whether those skinny and malnourished children could have made it pastst winter.


    As Dragon Spring Prefecture became increasingly prosperous, many ns started to move over from the neighboring states and prefectures. A fair number of them wererge and powerful ns that were both wealthy and great in number. These ns spent huge sums of money to snap up houses andnd in and around the small town, and they naturally prioritized therge residences on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley. And now, many of the old residences in Dragon Riding Alley and Peach Leaf Alley were changing owners as well.


    In one short year, the private school had already grown to over a hundred students. All of the teachers in the school were also renowned literati and schrs.


    After exining all this, Wei Bo smiled and asked, "Do you feel like these people are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Why are these proud and conceited schrs willing to leave their hometown ande here to suffer? Moreover, why are they willing to teach a bunch of children and youths?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Is it because the Dragon Tail Creek Chen n offered them a lot of money?"


    Wei Bo roared withughter. He waved a hand and exined, "This genuinely has nothing to do with money. Among those well-read schrs, two of them are virtuous persons. As such, how can they be swayed by money? No, these people are hoping to enter Cloud Drape Mountain. Why? Because an interesting ce called Forest Deer Academy is about to appear there."


    The little boy in azure interjected and asked, "You said that you lived in Cloud Drape Mountain before, so were you perhaps doing odd jobs at Forest Deer Academy?"


    "Shoo, shoo, shoo, go and find some shade somewhere else. I''m discussing extremely important and profound matters with your master."


    Wei Bo waved his sleeve to shoo the little boy away. After a while, he continued, "In fact, even blind people can see that the Great Li Empire is nning something big. After all, Forest Deer Academy is a clearpetitor to Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy. Once the Great Li Empire seeds in its expedition down south, and once Great Sui Nation''s Gao n is destroyed, the two quotas that Eastern Treasured Vial Continent has for the 72 Confucian academies will definitely go to Lake View Academy and Forest Deer Academy.


    "Thus, the earlier one enters Forest Deer Academy, the more likely one will be able to be a ''dragon-aiding official''. ''Dragon aiding'' and ''dragon following'' differ by just one character, yet the gulf between them is as immense as the gulf between heaven and earth.


    "However, this can''t be helped. If a schr wants to realize their ambition and benefit both their nation and its people, then they must first gain a seat in the imperial court. Otherwise, their theories and ideas will be nothing more than empty words. Of course, if one fails to squeeze themself into the imperial court, then they can also take a step back and cultivate their own moral character. Refining their own knowledge isn''t a bad choice, and they can also choose to spread their teachings and educate the masses, thereby guiding society in a positive direction. Compared to the former choice, however, this is naturally a duller and more lonesome path."


    Wei Bo was nonchnt as he said this, and as he continued to climb up the mountain, his tworge sleeves swayed back and forth like two white clouds hovering toward the mountain peak.


    The little girl in pink couldn''t take her eyes off this. Carrying the small green bookcase on her back, she was imagining a future where her own master would also be this graceful and outstanding.


    "Wei Bo, are you a mountain god now?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    A knowing smile appeared on Wei Bo''s face, and he replied, "Chen Ping''an, I''ve been waiting for you to ask this the entire time."


    The little boy in azure pursed his lips. There was a scornful expression on his face.


    <em>Mountain god?</em>


    <em>And I''m the brother of a great river god!</em>


    Wei Bo raised a hand and pointed at Cloud Drape Mountain before continuing, "Right now, I''m temporarily the mountain god of Cloud Drape Mountain."


    As he walked beside the little girl in pink, the little boy in azure secretly started to bob his head and act up.


    "If everything goes ording to n, Cloud Drape Mountain will soon be specially promoted to the Northern Mountain of the Great Li Empire," Wei Bo added.


    Chen Ping''an stopped and asked, "Northern Mountain? Shouldn''t it be the Southern Mountain?"


    Wei Bo shook his head and replied, "No, it''s the Northern Mountain."


    "Wow!" the little girl in pink eximed. Her eyes were filled with admiration. The formal god of one of the Five Mountains! This was a genuinely impressive and lofty position. Moreover, this was a formal god of the Five Mountains from the Great Li Empire.


    The little boy in azure gulped and moistened his throat. He then quickly walked to Wei Bo''s side and looked up with a smile. "Esteemed Immortal Wei, are you tired from the trek? Do you need to sit down and rest? Do you want me to massage your shoulders and legs for you?"


    Wei Bo smiled with squinted eyes and eximed, "Oh? Why aren''t you scoffing at me anymore?"


    The little boy in azure put on a righteous expression and dered, "Esteemed Immortal Wei! You''re good friends with my master, and I''m also part of Master''s family. In that sense, the two of us can be considered as half-friends as well, right? Is this a suitable inference, Esteemed Immortal Wei?"


    Wei Bo reached over to pinch the little water snake''s cheek. He didn''t hold back, and hemented, "How naughty."


    There was a stiff smile on the little boy''s face. However, he didn''t dare to resist.


    There was no other option. If Wei Bo were telling the truth, then both he and his master were subject to his whims now. Regardless of how many mountains Chen Ping''an owned, he would need to obey Wei Bo''s whims as long as he remained in Dragon Spring Prefecture.


    As the lofty formal god of one of the Five Mountains, Wei Bo could cause all of the mountains in his territory to quake with just a single sneeze. If he wanted to, it would be extremely easy for him to manipte spiritual energy, dig up mountain roots, and do many other things. Moreover, he could do all of these things without anyone else noticing.


    Wei Bo smiled and asked, "A lot is going on in Divine Elegance Mountain, and works haven''t ceased even to this day. Chen Ping''an, do you want to head over to take a look? It''s extremely interesting."


    Chen Ping''an was fairly eager, and he nodded earnestly and replied, "Sure thing! I''ve always wanted to go there to check things out."


    Wei Bo whistled, and it wasn''t long before a loud rumble traveled over from somewhere in the mountain. After a while, a gigantic ck python with a golden line on its belly slithered over and appeared before their eyes. The little boy in azure and the little girl in pink were both feeling slightly nervous. It was extremelymon for species rted to flood dragons to cannibalize each other, and this ck python had already made genuine progress in cultivation and was disying signs that it had the aptitude to be a flood dragon in the future.


    When it came to the numerous descendants of flood dragons who hadplicated bloodlines, many of them were unable to assume even an inkling of a flood dragon''s form even if they had advanced to the seventh or eighth tier and could already assume a human form. In fact, this was the case even for some powerful ninth tier descendants.


    The little boy in azure always made the excuse that their cultivation relied on talent and aptitude, and that he wasn''t cking off or beingzy. In reality, he was indeed half correct.


    Wei Bo tossed the small pouch to the ck python and said, "This is some ''lucky money'' from Chen Ping''an. There''s no hurry to eat it, and we''re going to need you to take us to Divine Elegance Mountain first."


    The eyes of the ck python were extremely calm, and there wasn''t the slightest hint of conflict or resistance inside them. It slowly lowered its head, disying sufficient gentleness and goodwill.


    The four people stood on the body of the ck python as it slithered over Downtrodden Mountain and descended from the north. During this time, the ck python carefully navigated its way around the mountain god temple.


    After leaving Go Table Mountain and arriving at Downtrodden Mountain, the initially violent ck python had already be far calmer than before.


    It was abundantly clear that this wasrgely thanks to Wei Bo.


    They rapidly traveled through the mountains, and at one point, the white-robed Wei Bo pointed at a group of people standing at the foot of a mountain and exined with a smile, "Those are Mohist disciples who are extremely skilled at mechanisms, and there are also a few Naturalists who are skilled at geomancy and feng shui. These people have all been invited into therge mountains in Dragon Spring Prefecture. These two groups of disciples often appear together, and the cooperation between them is also absolutely seamless. Indeed, these people are critical and always required when ites to constructing immortal abodes and mountain god temples."


    Afterward, they saw severalrge gray toads with bloated bellies that were as white as snow slowly dawdling up a mountain.


    As it turned out, these were river-swallowing toads that could hold tens of thousands of liters of water in their bellies. After reaching their destination, they simply needed to open theirrge mouths in the direction of the excavated pool. Water would then continuously rush from their bellies into the pool.


    There was also a type of smaller toad, and these were called path-clearing toads. Their bellies were extremely tough, and as they crawled along, they could tten the ground underneath them and create a wide and t mountain path.


    However, even though Wei Bo told them about the young mountain-moving apes being raised by the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, Chen Ping''an and the two little children weren''t able to personally see them this time.


    When passing Yellow Flower Peak, Chen Ping''an and the others encountered a group of Daoist priests who were busy ordering several golden-armored warriors around, getting them to excavate the mountain and transport huge rocks.


    As it turned out, it was almost impossible not to rely on Daoist talisman cultivators when it came to constructing immortal abodes. These cultivators could transform their talismans into puppets with enough intelligence to understand some crude and basicmands. These puppets would then act upon thesemands without needing to rest or sleep, all the way until they exhausted their spiritual energy. At that time, they would automatically transform into a pile of paper ashes.


    1. Shuijing literally means well. ?

 Chapter 189: (1): Discussing Swordsmanship Outside The Badass Building

    Chapter 189: (1): Discussing Swordsmanship Outside The Badass Building


    "What''s the point of beating them to death? Are you not worried about getting your hands dirty?" an old voice suddenly asked from behind Ruan Xiu.


    The women were initially astonished and frightened by Ruan Xiu''s sudden disy of anger, especially since this was the first time they had seen her like this. When they saw the old man walk over, however, they all breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this was an old man whom everyone in the small town was familiar with. After all these years, regardless of whether one was wealthy or poor, everyone would have needed to interact with this old man.


    More specifically, they would have needed to interact with his Yang Family''s medicine shop. Indeed, even the god of the underworld needed to ask for the medicine shop''s permission if he wanted to bring someone six feet under. The only issue was that the medicine shop charged too much. This was something that everyone disliked.


    Ruan Xiu remained silent as she turned around to nce at the old man.


    Old Man Yang tookrge puffs from his smoking pipe as he looked at the barbed-tongued women. They couldn''t be regarded as scheming and wicked, though they definitely couldn''t be regarded as kind-hearted either. When Chen Ping''an had lost his parents and struggled to survive back then, he had indeed received quite some help from his neighbors and others in the alley. After all, Chen Ping''an''s parents had been generous and kind people, and the hearts of humans were also made from flesh[1].


    For example, Chen Ping''an had always been invited for meals by Gu Can''s mother and several other elderly people who had already passed away. These meals weren''t necessarily great, but these neighbors had also given him some old clothes whenever winter arrived. These clothes were full of stitches and mends, but they had at least been able to keep him alive.


    However, this was the interesting thing about the world that one could ruminate. There were some people who had sincerely offered Chen Ping''an as much help as they could. While doing so, these people hadn''t thought about getting anything in return either. When the young boy became sessful, they simply felt a sense of slight happiness from the bottom of their hearts. These people were also willing to offer some remarks to their descendants, saying that good people would always be blessed with good karma. Would they look, the heavens had opened their eyes, and the good karma of that husband and wife had all been given to their son now.


    Along with this, these people also felt a slight sense of anticipation and hope for the future. They dreamed about their family also obtaining such good fortune.


    On the flipside, there were also some people who had barely offered any money and help to the young boy back then. In fact, it was very likely that they had also made many derogatory remarks. After Chen Ping''an''s miraculous turnaround, however, it was also these people who tried to perform daylight robbery and ask for as much as they could. They all painted themselves as Bodhisattvas who selflessly helped people in need. For example, the three women standing in front of Ruan Xiu.


    They often went to the two shops on Dragon Riding Alley to grab free food and free goods, and they would even bring their entire families along to grab things for free. However, Ruan Xiu had always endured this, because she didn''t want these people to speak ill and spread rumors about Chen Ping''an. At the same time, she didn''t want the ounts of the two shops to look bad either, so she had no option but to use her own money to make up for these losses. This wasn''t an excessive amount, and it was only around 400 to 500 taels of silver for the year.


    Taking into ount the impoverished nature of y Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley, however, where the bottom-rung members of society could barely even see a few scraps of loose silver a year, this was truly quite a huge sum.


    Old Man Yang looked at the woman who hadn''t brought her children over and said, "Go and tell this to your husband who''s working in the county office, and remind him to pass it on to the superior above him as well. The heavens can see our every move. When ites to such repulsive actions, it''s best that one understands when enough is enough. Otherwise, be careful that your children won''t be able to give you any descendants in the future. If they truly cause a cmity, no one can make it out unscathed."


    The woman had a slightly guilty conscience, but she still said, "Old Man Yang, what are you talking about? I don''t quite understand."


    "If you don''t understand, then piss off."


    The old man exhaled a ring of misty smoke before continuing, "Alright, let me say something that all of you can understand. When buying medicine from my shop in the future, all of you will have to pay double. If someone''s about to die, the doctors from the Yang Family''s medicine shop won''t go to your houses either. Instead, they''ll directly prepare coffins for you."


    The women were astounded.


    Old Man Yang nced at a child with a delicate appearance and strong bones who was timidly standing beside his mother. He shook his head and sighed, "What a shame. A measly 100 taels of silver has forcibly severed your path to immortality. When you fail to establish yourself in therge mountain in the west in the future, and when you encounter hardships and cmities after leaving your hometown in the future, think back to the words that I''ve said today."


    The old man started to leave, and he said, "Xiuxiu, if they still don''t piss off in a while, then you can genuinely beat them to death. Doing so will bepletely within reason, and no one will be able to say anything. After killing them, there''s no need to collect their corpses either. You can simply toss them out of y Vase Alley. After dirtying your hands, you can also wash them clean in the Dragon Whisker River."


    Ruan Xiu initially had a fairly decent impression of Old Man Yang, though it couldn''t be regarded as especially good. She felt like he was enveloped in ayer of mystical smoke that concealed his true nature. Because of this, she had always felt a slight sense of apprehension toward him. However, her impression of him improved drastically at this moment, and she replied with a smile, "I''ll visit your shop with Chen Ping''an next time to wish you a happy new year."


    Old Man Yang nodded in reply. He didn''t refuse her offer. As he walked through the narrow alley, he passed many old residences that were rundown and empty like the Cao n''s ancestral residence had been. In the end, however, only a few of them would be repaired and get a new lease on life. Many families had few descendants, and some of them had already disappeared for good.


    Upon thinking of Li Er''s shrewish wife, and turning around to nce at that reasonable and understanding young girl again, the old man couldn''t help but feel mixed emotions. Half were good emotions, and half were bad emotions.


    Casting one''s gaze over the entire small town, perhaps that heartless and foolish woman was the only person who dared to throw so much bullcrap at the old man. Most importantly, the old man couldn''t defeat her in an argument.


    One time, Old Man Yang had been truly unable to stand things after being trapped and scolded by that woman again. He had told Li Er to control his wife''s toxic tongue. After remaining silent for a long time, Li Er''s eventual reply had infuriated Old Man Yang even more. He had said, "Master, if you''re truly angry, then why don''t you beat me instead? However, remember not to hit my face. Otherwise, if my wife sees it, she''ll definitely charge over to scold you again."


    If it weren''t for Li Er''s daughter, Old Man Yang truly wanted to p that woman into a pile of minced meat.


    The three women didn''t dare to remain in y Vase Alley for a second longer. They hade in high spirits, and they were now leaving in low spirits. After leaving the alley, they even got into an argument with each other. They started to shift the me, and they cursed and swore as they tried their best to push all of the me onto the others.


    The child who had been singled out by Old Man Yang remained quiet and solemn as their mother continued to argue with the others. Turning around to look back at the narrow alley, the child felt like their heart was empty for some indescribable reason. It was as if they had lost something very important. This feeling was as if a cook had lost their salt, and as if a woodcutter had lost their hatchet.


    After the three women dejectedly ran away, Ruan Xiu discovered that the two door gods on Chen Ping''an''s courtyard gate were missing their true spirit for some reason.


    This was extremely strange. Even if one purchased ordinary paper-based door god stickers from the market, they would still possess a bit of spiritual energy as long as the illustrated door gods were still alive and honored. It was just that this spiritual energy would be quickly washed away by the wind and rain, meaning that it couldn''t resist too many sinister winds or murderous auras. Because of this, people needed to purchase new door god stickers every New Year. This wasn''t simply for the sake of celebrating or creating a more joyful atmosphere.


    However, the two figures illustrated on the door god stickers stuck on Chen Ping''an''s courtyard gate were the founders of two pir ns in the Great Li Empire, the Yuan n and the Cao n. Both ns were flourishing, and both figures were being offered arge amount of incense. As such, it didn''t make sense for the true spirit of these door god stickers to disappear immediately after they were stuck on.


    Ruan Xiu frowned and walked over. She raised a hand and lightly ran them across the coarse paper, causing golden light to immediately flow through the door god stickers again. This light was filled with a sense of righteousness. However, this was something that couldn''t be seen with mortal eyes.


    After doing this, Ruan Xiu left in satisfaction. Regarding the situation of the door god stickers on Song Jixin''s courtyard gate, the young girl in green didn''t take so much as a single nce at them.


    She strolled all the way to the alley where Liu Xianyang''s house was located. She whistled softly, and it wasn''t long before a dog happily bounded over and ran in circles around her. She smiled and tossed a fragrant and fiery red pill at the dog. The old dog immediately ate it, and its footsteps were nimble and quiet as it followed behind the young girl with a ponytail. It gently wagged its tail back and forth.


    When one person attained Dao, even chickens and dogs could rise to the heavens with them.


    It was often said thatparing oneself to others could anger one to death. If a Qi refiner saw this scene, however, they would realize that evenparing themself to a dog could anger them to death.


    Ruan Xiu had initially felt slightly disappointed after failing to see the person who she hade to visit. Now, however, she was starting to feel happy again.


    Wouldn''t you take a look? He had asked her to look after these animals for him, so she had looked after them extremely well regardless of whether it was that coop of chickens or this old dog.


    The young girl in green happily walked along the stone alleyway, with her ponytail gently swinging from side to side. The heavens were high and the earth was vast, but it was the scenery here that was the best.


    ��������


    Wei Bo vanished again after taking Chen Ping''an back to Downtrodden Mountain. However, he didn''t return to Cloud Drape Mountain, and he instead went directly to the peak of Downtrodden Mountain. What appeared in his vision was a majestic mountain god temple. In front of the temple, there was a magnificent square that was paved with a type of peculiar stone that looked like white jade but was as strong as iron essence. Inside the temple, the golden statue of the mountain god had already been carved and erected. However, it was yet to open to the public and officially receive offerings.


    Wei Bo''srge sleeves gently billowed like water as he leisurely walked forward. After being notified of this mountain god''s arrival, a worn-out external official from the Great Li Empire''s Ministry of Works hurriedly rushed over to greet him. After seeing this exhausted formal official who had frostbite on all 10 fingers, Wei Bo amiably discussed the construction progress with him as they slowly wandered around.


    As they talked, Wei Bo couldn''t help but sigh with emotion in his mind. Being able to transform themself from a small vassal state of the Lu Empire into a dominant empire that ruled over the entire northern regions of the continent, the Imperial Song n of the Great Li Empire definitely wasn''t relying on just illusory and intangible fortune.


    The external official didn''t enter the mountain god temple. Instead, he stopped outside the door threshold while Wei Bo entered by himself. Afterward, the official left in a hurry so that he could personally keep an eye on the construction matters. Regardless of whether these were big matters or small matters, he had to personally watch over them all.


    In the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, the saying "nothing but pure wind in the sleeves[2], as carefree and unfettered as immortals" was used to describe noble and transcendent officials in the Ministry of Rites.


    The saying "chowing down onrge pieces of meat, decisively ying enemies, and charging forward on armored horses to shatter formations and expand territory" was used to describe martial artists from the Ministry of War.


    And finally, the saying "eating dirt, eating dust, and drinking wind from the northwest" was used to describe officials from the Ministry of Works.


    However, as a powerful and influential external official who hade from a wealthy n, this person was still working in such a meticulous and conscientious manner. It was truly difficult to imagine such a scene in the other empires.


    Wei Bo lightly flicked his sleeve and shut therge doors. Inside the mountain god temple, there was the fragrance of high-quality materials and timber that refreshed one''s mind.


    The statue of Downtrodden Mountain''s mountain god was honored in the main hall, and this was an extremely strange statue that had a head forged from pure gold.


    The godly body of a man in Confucian robes drifted out from the statue of the mountain god. Above his neck, his face glimmered with a faint golden color, although it was nowhere near as jarring and eye-catching as that of the statue.


    This man was none other than Song Yuzhang, the mountain god of Downtrodden Mountain.


    He was the previous kiln supervision official of Dragon Spring County, and he had lived in the small town for 20-odd years. In the past, people had mistakenly thought that y Vase Alley''s Song Jixin was his illegitimate son. When it came to the covered bridge with the que "Rising Winds Crashing Water", this was something that Song Yuzhang had personally supervised the construction of. Afterward, Song Yuzhang had left the small town and returned to the capital before being sent back to the small town again. During this process, his neck had been snapped by that person sent over by the imperial concubine[3], and his head had been hidden in a box. To kill and silence someone, and to kill someone who had outlived their usefulness �� this was a most typical example.


    Song Yuzhang knew far too much of the Imperial Song n''s dirty secrets and internal matters, so he had in fact always known that he would eventually be killed. Indeed, this righteous official had already prepared himself for death during his trip back to the capital. He had disyed utmost loyalty, and he had been unflinching in the face of certain death.


    It was because of this that Wang Yifu, the general from the Lu Empire sent over by the imperial concubine of the Great Li Empire, had offered that sincere conclusion.


    "It seems that not all schrs are so insufferable."


    1. Referring to the fact that people should be soft-hearted and disypassion. ?


    2. This means that one isn''t corrupt, hence there isn''t anything hidden in their sleeves. ?


    3. Referring to Song Jixin''s mother. She isn''t actually the empress, which she was incorrectly referred to as before. ?

 Chapter 190: I am a Swordsman

    Chapter 190: I am a Swordsman


    Wei Bo touched on the topic a bit more, but he was ultimately unwilling to reveal too much. White spaces had to be left in works of calligraphy and painting[1], and a simr principle also applied when it came to conversing with others.


    An elegant white robe rose into the sky and gracefully flew away in the sea of clouds and wisps of mountain wind.


    After leaving Downtrodden Mountain, Wei Bo slowed down and casually grabbed a nearby cloud. As if he were making a snowball, he continually kneaded the cloud and increased his force as he did so. After forcefullypacting the cloud, Wei Bo ended up with a white ball that was asrge as a pebble in his hand. As he hovered in the sky, he located one of the river sources of the small town''s Dragon Whisker River.


    He lightly tossed the white ball toward the stream in the mountain, and after itnded, it wasn''t long before an azure fish swam over and gobbled it up. The azure fish then swam downstream following the flow of the current, exiting the mountain, passing the Azure Cow Ridge, the stone arch bridge, the cksmith shop, and eventually entering a tumultuous stream of water at the intersection between the Dragon Whisker River and the Iron Talisman River and plummeting down the waterfall.


    The river roared forward, and time continued to flow. On the bank of the Iron Talisman River where no one else was present, the river goddess named Yang Hua was sitting on the trunk of the old willow tree that extended over the river. Her eyes were shut as she rested her mind, yet the river goddess whose beauty was concealed by face armor suddenly opened her eyes at this moment.


    With a wave of her hand, a lively azure fish immediately appeared in her palm. She used a finger to slice open its belly, uncovering the white ball that was filled with spiritual energy. She then lightly ran her thumb over the incision on the fish''s belly, sowing the wound of the messenger fish back together. The azure fish slipped through her hand and into the water, and it appeared as lively and joyful as could be. It was as if its scales were even more colorful than before.


    Yang Hua looked down at the white ball in her hand. Wisps of cloud root aura hovered inside this white ball, and this made the white ball as precious as could be. This was something extremely beneficial to river deities. Of course, river deities and mountain deities all had their own kinds of delicacies. For example, water essence and cloud roots were both formed by the condensation of intangible mountain and water aura into something tangible. Impurities were separated and only the essence was kept, and the value of these things to deities was simr to the value of Dragon ying tforms to divine weapons, and the value of snake gall pebbles to flood dragons and their ilk. Indeed, these were all things of great significance.


    Yang Hua looked up, and she could vaguely see a man in white robes standing atop a mountain amid the clouds and mists. There was a golden earring on one of his ears.


    Not long ago, she had personally witnessed this person riding on the back of that ck python with mediocre cultivation talent alongside Xu Ruo, a Mohist disciple and one of the Great Li Empire''s guardians. After going against the flow of the river and passing this ce, they had headed toward the mountains in the distance. However, Yang Hua hadn''t imagined that Wei Bo would surprisingly be the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain. His rank was now far above hers.


    Right now, Yang Hua was unsure of why Wei Bo was expressing goodwill toward her. Perhaps his position was unstable, so he needed to win over others?


    Yang Hua smiled coldly. She clenched her fist and resolutely crushed the white ball in her hand, causing all of the spiritual energy to flow into her body. Her hair billowed in the wind, and waves appeared in the river beneath her feet. It was as if the river were expressing its delight after seeing its master advance her cultivation.


    Wei Bo retracted his gaze from the distant Iron Talisman River before turning around and returning to Cloud Drape Mountain.


    As he rode the wind and flew across the mountains, there would asionally be Qi refiners who looked up and loudly shouted in greeting. In the past, Wei Bo would always smile and greet them back. Today, however, he was in no mood to do so.


    He simply arrived before an iron chain and rope bridge that hung between two mountain peaks. This bridge was still in construction, and it was wide enough to allow two horse-drawn carriages to pass by each other. No matter how powerful the mountain wind was, the bridge would only sway a very small amount. This was because the Mohist Qi refiners and mechanists all had strict requirements regarding how much the bridge was allowed to sway under what kinds of wind conditions. They most definitely wouldn''t cut any corners.


    nks of ebony wood wereid across the rope bridge, an extremely tough kind of wood. In fact, the full-power attack of a swordsman at the Lower Five Tiers would only be able to leave a small hole in this wood. The iron chains were also forged from top-quality iron essence.


    After all, shops that had a history of 100 years could already be considered time-honored and reputable in the mortal world. In the cultivation world, however, only those ces with a history of over 500 years dared to call themselves a time-honored ce.


    As the white-robed mountain god walked across the nks of ebony wood, the stark contrast between the two made one want to sigh with emotion and remark, "Ah, what a tall and majestic mountain!"


    Wei Bo stopped and ced a hand on the bridge railing. He looked up and gazed into the distance.


    He knew that at least half of the reason why he was able to be the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain was that man with the bamboo hat and bamboo saber.


    It was because the Great Li Empire had discovered that it was only after his encounter with that man that he had mysteriously shattered the restrictions ced on him. Initially reduced to a pitiable mountain lord, he had returned to his original position as the mountain god of Go Table Mountain.


    All of this was thanks to that strike from the bamboo sword. In fact, even Wei Bo had onlye to understand this a long time after the fact. As time went on, Wei Bo gradually started to realize the remarkable nature of his godly body.


    Could a small bowl hold an entire vat''s worth of water? Of course it couldn''t. This was the case even though he had once been the formal god of Divine Water Nation''s Northern Mountain, a high-ranking formal god who could ept an appreciable amount of incense and offerings. It was just that an immortal had used a paramount mystical ability to ce a restriction on him afterward.


    However, to ept all of the incense and spiritual energy in the Great Li Empire''s northern mountain regions? When leaving Go Table Mountain, Wei Bo had felt like this would be an impossible task. Attempting to ept all of the incense and spiritual energy would be a severe overestimation of his own abilities. Perhaps it wouldn''t be as severe as an earthworm trying to shake a tree, but it would definitely be as bad as an infant trying to swing a hammer to forge iron. If he attempted this, he would definitely end up damaging his body and ruining his fundamental vitality.


    Now, however, Wei Bo could masterfully govern and control the 30-odd mountains in his area.


    This was the reason why he was willing to show the greatest goodwill to Chen Ping''an and bring him around the mountains, essentially telling everyone that this young boy was under his protection.


    Firstly, Chen Ping''an wasn''t unlikeable. Secondly, he needed to repay A''Liang. Thirdly, it was possible that A''Liang would one day return to this world again.


    The third reason was naturally the most important.


    If A''Liang did indeed return to this world one day, Wei Bo was extremely afraid that the man would be displeased at his performance. If that were the case, then since the strike from the bamboo sword at Go Table Mountain had allowed his cultivation base to rise explosively, the next strike from the bamboo sword at Cloud Drape Mountain could perhaps crush him back to his original state. If he were still the Wei Bo at Go Table Mountain, then perhaps he could treat this with much less importance. Now, however, he couldn''t bring himself to do so.


    This was because of the young girl cultivating in the Great Li Empire''s Pce of Eternal Spring.


    Wei Bo turned around to gaze toward the south, the distant south of the Great Li Empire. He squinted his eyes and softly murmured, "You definitely have to live a good life. And don''t fall for schrs anymore. Schrs are the worst when ites to failing those hopelessly in love with them."


    ��������


    Sitting outside the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, the little boy in azure wanted to eat an ordinary snake gall pebble to settle his nerves after listening to Wei Bo''s story about that incredible battle at the border between the two worlds.


    As the little boy in azure crunched down on the snake gall pebble, he thought of Chen Ping''an''s pitiable expression as he had turned around to look at the bamboo building just then. He couldn''t help but click his tongue in wonder and say, "Who would have thought that Master would also shed tears? Master is truly someone with genuine emotions. It was a storypletely unrted to him, yet he was still so moved that he couldn''t help but shed tears. I''m sure that things will definitely be spectacr when Master travels around the world in the future. When hees across injustices, he''ll roar and charge over to save those young women who will then pledge themselves to him. With a shake, Master will then be someone extremely experienced in rtionships..."


    In the little boy''s mind, Chen Ping''an''s future travels around the world would definitely be filled with beautiful and charming women. He became happier and happier as he thought about this, and he felt like it would be incredibly interesting when someday a female cultivator threw herself into the arms of this stubborn and boring young boy.


    Meanwhile, the little girl in pink was still feeling a sense of shock and awe from Wei Bo��s story. Her expression wasplicated, and there was bubbling unease in her mind. She turned to the little boy in azure and asked in a quiet voice, "The demon tribe in that world is so cruel and violent, so how are the mortals and immortals in the Majestic World able to maintain peace with each other? Why don''t the cultivators suppress and massacre us?"


    The little boy in azure thought for a moment before casually replying, "Perhaps they view us as nothing more than dog shit on the side of the street. Even stepping on us will be an act of soiling their shoes."


    The little girl in pink only half believed this answer. However, she couldn''t think of any other exnation for this, so she could only bury this sense of concern and unease in her mind for the moment.


    Wei Bo had already left, and Chen Ping''an was in no hurry to get up and return to the bamboo building either. He quietly sat on the small bamboo chair by himself. The mountain wind of early spring was still biting cold, and it caused the sideburns of the young boy to freely billow in the air.


    Before leaving, Wei Bo had smiled and said, "It''s rumored that A''Liang is looking for a sword, a sword that''s worthy of his strength."


    Chen Ping''an clearly remembered his encounter with that person on the bank of the Iron Talisman River. Holding his bamboo hat in one hand and lightly pping his bamboo saber with the other, he had bragged, "I''ve yet to find a sword that''s worthy of me, one that I can use to humiliate all of the saber-wielding cultivators in the world."


    Wei Bo continued, "Some people say that he''s a swordsman at the peak stage of the 13th tier, and during his battle with the great demons back then, the sword in his hand hadn''t been one of the best. However, he had already be ustomed to it, so he hadn''t been willing to switch to another sword. After that sword shattered, he naturally needed to look for a better sword.


    "Imagine this. What if A''Liang manages to find a sword that he''s satisfied with? In fact, what if he manages to find a sword that can elevate hisbat power? Just one such sword is enough, and just elevating hisbat power by a single tier is enough. At that time, he''ll possessbat power at the peak stage of the 14th tier! As a sword cultivator, perhaps he''ll even be able to battle against the founders of the three teachings at that time! Perhaps he can battle against the Dao Ancestor, Buddha, and the Paramount Sage!


    "This is simply unimaginable. After obtaining such a sword, just how incredible will A''Liang be?"


    Wei Bo left after saying this. His face was filled with anticipation and reverence, and it was as if he were a small hill gazing up at a majestic mountain.


    After entering the Schrly Sage''s picture scroll, Chen Ping''an had once unleashed a single sword strike.


    Only at this moment did Chen Ping''an understand what A''Liang had given up.


    Walking down the mountain with A''Liang that rainy night, the man wearing the bamboo hat had said this to the young boy.


    "You know, you''ve taken something that I thought was as good as mine.


    "If you don''t be powerful enough to carve out at least two or three characters at that ce someday, I''m going to beat the crap out of you!"


    Back then, Chen Ping''an hadn''t understood the significance of these words that A''Liang had said in such a casual manner. This was because the man wearing the bamboo hat had appeared as calm andposed as could be as he had uttered these words. As a result, the young boy had beenpletely oblivious to the true weight of his decision.


    At that time, Chen Ping''an had been absolutely clueless regarding just how powerful and impressive that sword was.


    He hadn''t been aware of A''Liang''s true power either.


    If Chen Ping''an had be aware of these things before parting ways with A''Liang, he would have definitely asked Big Sister Immortal, who was the manifestation of the sword spirit, whether she could follow another master. That man was called A''Liang, and he was a swordsman and a very good person.


    A''Liang hadn''t said anything, so the young boy hadn''t known anything.


    A''Liang bade farewell, and the young boy finally learned the truth.


    <em>Just how foolish is A��Liang?</em>


    <em>What right does he have to scold me as a foolishly kind person?</em>


    Chen Ping''an was lost in thought for a long time. Afterward, he stood up and walked back to the bamboo building. Upon seeing this, the little boy in azure asked in a quiet voice, "Master, are you okay? Were you frightened by Wei Bo''s story? There''s genuinely no need to be afraid of those things. Stctite Mountain? Sword Qi Great Wall? A''Liang? Great demon sword immortals? These things couldn''t be any further away from us! We don''t need to worry about them even if the heavens copse!


    "Confucian sages are more than just talk. Theirbat power is also fairly impressive. In any case, that sword immortal with a strange name has got nothing to do with us regardless of how powerful he is. This kind of person definitely has three heads and six arms, and they''re definitely fierce and unrestrained and willing to kill everyone standing in their way no matter if they''re gods or immortals. In fact, I''d choose not to meet such a person even if I had the opportunity to. They''re far too terrifying. Just a single sneeze from them might reduce me to nothing more than a rack of bones."


    Chen Ping''an patted the head of the rambling little boy and chuckled, "I''m fine."


    He walked to the second floor of the bamboo building and grabbed his locust wood sword before making his way to the corridor under the eaves. He raised the locust wood sword high above his head toward the sky and spoke two sentences in his mind.


    "I''m a swordsman.


    "It''s a deal."


    1. This refers to Chinese calligraphy and traditional painting, where it is often the case thatrge white spaces will be purposely left. This is an artistic choice with historical roots. ?

 Chapter 191: (1): Doing Business Is Also Cultivation

    Chapter 191: (1): Doing Business Is Also Cultivation


    Even though Chen Ping''an''s bridge to immortality had already been shattered, and it was definitely impossible for him to repair it in the short term, there were indeed many divinely skilled sword grandmasters in the world who could rival Qi refiners powerful enough to move mountains and part seas.


    When it came to pure martial artists, the most carefree and graceful among them were always swordsmen. If there were two equally handsome and impressive martial artists, with the former using fists and thetter using a sword, it would always be thetter who was more likable than the former.


    When throwing punches, one would have to physically strike their opponent and attack until their knuckles became bruised and bloody. In fact, one might even have to directly shatter their opponent''s head or prate their opponent''s belly. How could thispare to using a sword?


    Possessing the courage of ten thousand people since young, now even more impressive with a treasured sword by his waist. Heroic is the youth''s ambition, capable of ending lives while enjoying wine with a smile[1].


    Roaming the world with my swordsmanship now mastered, ying flood dragons where flood dragons roam[2].


    Just how carefree was this? Just how refined and admirable was this?


    Even as pedantic and uninteresting as Chen Ping''an was, he had still involuntarily felt a sense of yearning upon hearing Cui Dongshan reciting these poems atop a cliff next to some river.


    Chen Ping''an was practicing fist techniques right now, and he at least had the Mountain Shaking Guide to teach him. No matter how much Ning Yao looked down on it, it was at least able to point him in the right direction when it came to practicing martial arts.


    When it came to practicing swordsmanship, one naturally needed a sword scripture or something simr as well. Otherwise, with Chen Ping''an''s talent andprehension ability, he didn''t feel like he would be able to make much progress. In fact, he felt like he would fail to make any progress even if he practiced until the heavens grew old and the earth became deste.


    This caused Chen Ping''an to feel slightly anxious.


    Outside the bamboo building, a man walked over from the distance with a bamboo hiking pole in his hand. There was a peach wood talisman hanging by his waist, and he loudly shouted, "Chen Ping''an!"


    Standing on the second floor, the gloomy Chen Ping''an looked over and asked loudly, "Brother Li, what brings you here?"


    Chen Ping''an sprinted downstairs.


    Bringing Cui Ci �� the young boy who could be regarded as half his disciple �� with him, Li Xisheng had especially climbed up Downtrodden Mountain to visit the mountain master, Chen Ping''an.


    Li Xisheng untied the peach wood talisman from his waist and said directly, "I might need to leave the small town soon, so I hurriedly made my way over here to give you something. Otherwise, I was afraid that I wouldn''t have enough time to exin things properly if I had to leave in a hurry."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t reach over to ept the peach wood talisman. He wasn''t worried about the young man trying to harm him, and he was instead ustomed to not epting things that he hadn''t earned. He couldn''t bring himself to ept things for free.


    "You know about my younger brother, Li Baozhen, right?" Li Xisheng asked.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in reply.


    "It was under his secret directions that Zhu Lu attempted to kill you in Pillow Ry Station," Li Xisheng exined. "He was naturally in the wrong, but it was already toote for me to stop him when I found out. Li Baozhen is someone who has never been willing to acknowledge his mistakes ever since a young age. However, what can I do about this? He''s Li Baoping''s second brother, and he''s also my younger brother. Family is family, after all. Since he''s unwilling to apologize and repent for his mistake, I have no option but to do so in his ce."


    Looking at the tanned young boy who chose to remain silent, Li Xisheng smiled and continued, "Rest assured, I''m discussing matters as they are, and this peach wood talisman is only an apology gift for the assassination attempt in Pillow Ry Station. After I leave the small town, you still need to be careful of Li Baozhen. If you be significantly more powerful than him in the future, Chen Ping''an, I implore you to spare his life once and give him the chance to change his ways. Once, just once.


    "Of course, if the two of you are evenly matched and engaged in a perilous battle of life and death, then there''s no need for you to hold back and show any mercy. The most important thing is self-preservation."


    Chen Ping''an carefully considered this for a moment before slowly replying, "Okay!"


    Li Xisheng offered the peach wood talisman to the young boy and said with a warm smile, "Since that''s the case, then be at ease and ept this. It''s nothing much."


    "Brother Li, there''s no need for you to give me anything. Also, you can rest assured that I''ll definitely keep my promise."


    Chen Ping''an waved his hand and smiled as he continued, "Since you traveled so far and especially came here to give this to me, it''s definitely a very valuable item. Moreover..."


    Chen Ping''an''s voice trailed off, and he didn''t say anything else.


    In reality, A''Liang had once mentioned to him that the genuinely big fated opportunities in Jewel Small World still remained in Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley.


    Chen Ping''an''s intuition told him that these fated opportunities were perhaps rted to the peach wood talisman in Li Xisheng''s hand.


    Seeing the young boy''s strong determination, Li Xisheng hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can we talk in private?"


    ��������


    After Dragon Spring County became Dragon Spring Prefecture, the county that initially had a unique name with the character "dragon" had its name changed to Locust Yellow County. The prefectural office was set up in a location to the north of the mountains, and the county office remained in the same ce in the small town.


    The county magistrate was a young official with the surname Yuan, and in stark contrast to the previous county magistrate, Wu Yuan, who always liked to do things by himself, County Magistrate Yuan barely ever showed himself. Strangely, however, many of the matters and projects that had be stagnant under the now-promoted Wu Yuan''s watch were starting to progress smoothly and steadily again.


    For example, the construction of the Wenchang pavilion and the martial sage temple. Because of this, many people felt like it was extremely unreasonable that the useless Wu Yuan had been promoted.


    The new kiln supervision official was a young man with the surname Cao. He was of a simr age to County Magistrate Yuan, and his surname was also that of a Pir General n. Compared to the elusive County Magistrate Yuan, however, Kiln Supervision Official Cao was much more willing to show himself in public. Not only did he take the initiative to visit the wealthy ns and families in Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, but he even visited the private school established by the Dragon Tail County Chen n quite often.


    This was especially the case when it came to Li Xisheng''s lessons. If Kiln Supervision Official Cao had spare time, he would definitely take off his official garb and change into Confucian robes to attend this young schr''s lessons. He would openly sit at the back of the ssroom, and he would never feel embarrassed by the fact that he was attending a lesson with a big group of young children.


    There was a post road to the east of Locust Yellow County, and the ry station on this road that was closest to the small town was called Locust Residence Ry Station. It wasn''trge, but it had everything that a ry station needed to have. The five ry station horses here were second-grade war horses, and this was something that small ry stations in other counties could only dream of.


    On this day, several groups of esteemed guests arrived at Locust Residence Ry Station early in the morning. Prefectural Overseer Wu Yuan had already traveled over from the west, and he only brought with him two of his most trusted subordinates, a schrly secretary and a martial secretary. County Magistrate Yuan arrived after him, having made his way over on a carriage. When he saw his superior standing beside the post road and waiting for him, however, he was unwilling to even greet him. Instead, County Magistrate Yuan directly walked into the ry station and asked for a pot of tea. He then sat there and sipped tea by himself.


    After a while, Kiln Supervision Official Cao arrived on horseback, with the smell of alcohol lingering around his body. He wobbled as he unmounted his horse, and he burped loudly as he walked forward with his steed. He had most likely drunk too muchst night, and he had thus drunk more to awaken himself this morning. When he saw Wu Yuan, he hurriedly patted his clothes to get rid of the smell of alcohol. Acting as if nothing was wrong, he walked up to the prefectural overseer and bowed in greeting, chuckling, "Subordinate Cao Mao pays his respects to Prefectural Overseer Wu."


    Wu Yuan had been promoted to a lofty position, yet he didn''t appear smug at all. "Kiln Supervision Official Cao is an official who reports to the Ministry of Rites, so there''s actually no need for you to pay respects to me," he said in a refined and courteous manner.


    There was a wide smile on Kiln Supervision Official Cao''s face. His appearance was handsome and his body was slender, so it was no wonder that this man with a carefree demeanor was referred to as the "Jade Tree of the Cao n". "No, it''s only right that I should pay my respects to you. After all, subordinates should treat their superiors with respect. In any case, if Lord Wu bes the son-inw of the Yuan n in the future, then you''ll truly transform into a dragon. At that time, your influence in the officialdom will be even greater. I wouldn''t dare to slight Lord Wu."


    Cao Mao''s speech and mannerisms made one feel as if they were bathing in the refreshing spring breeze.


    He was being extremely modest at this moment, yet he spoke freely in a way that was very against the rules of officialdom. In fact, he wasn''t showing too much respect to Wu Yuan, an official who was in charge of arge prefecture.


    However, this wasn''t strange. As a legitimate descendant of the Cao n whom his elders had high hopes for, Cao Mao had many reasons not to like Wu Yuan, the future son-inw of the Yuan n.


    The Yuan n and the Cao n were both powerful pir ns in the capital of the Great Li Empire. They had initially been very close with each other, and there had often been marriages between the descendants of the two ns. During the past 100-odd years, however, the two ns had gradually drifted apart and be hostile with each other.


    The ancestors of the two ns who had led them to their current glory had once been staunch allies who had fought alongside each other on the battlefield. At the same time, they had also been crucial pirs of the Great Li Empire, and it was thanks to them that the empire had been able to rise and flourish. Moreover, Cao Hang and Yuan Xie were from the same ce, so the history books referred to them as the "twin jade pendants of schrship and martial arts." Even until today, many legends and stories about these two individuals were still being spread far and wide throughout the streets and alleys of the Great Li Empire.


    In fact, after regting the door god stickers in Dragon Spring Prefecture, all of the door gods stered on the gates of the residences were illustrations of Cao Hang and Yuan Xie, the ancestors of the Cao n and the Yuan n, respectively.


    In terms of sending their descendants over to be officials in Dragon Spring Prefecture, nobody knew whether this was under the guidance of some powerful immortals or due to a desire to obtain ancestral blessings. After all, that old locust tree had already copsed and withered, with all of its leaves scattering and nowhere to be found. It was truly difficult to say whether this ancestralnd for the two ns still possessed any ancestral blessings for them.


    It wasn''t long before several other people arrived together. They were all elderly people.


    One of them was an old woman with a walking stick, and her grandson Zhao Yao had been Qi Jingchun''s schrly attendant. During the tumultuous period in the small town back then, he had already taken a cow-drawn cart and left his hometown.


    There was also an old man whose aura was hidden, and he was the old ancestor of the Li n. After the restriction in the Jewel Small World was lifted, the old man sessfully advanced to the 10th tier and won two protected appointment positions[3] for the Li n. However, his eldest grandson Li Xisheng turned down this offer, while his other grandson Li Baozhen chose to ept this offer. Thetter sessfully became a formal official in the capital of the Great Li Empire.


    In terms of the remaining protected appointment position, this could only be left vacant for the moment. In any case, the Li n could save this for a promising descendant in the future.


    In addition to the old woman from the Zhao n and the old man from the Li n, there was also a short old man from a residence that was located on the corner of Peach Leaf Alley. He had a benevolent and kindly expression, and when Chen Ping''an had been delivering letters back then, he had even wanted to invite the young boy into his house to offer him some water. However, the young boy hadn''t dared to ept his invitation.


    Apart from them, the remaining elders were also n leaders from the Four Families and Ten ns. They owned many dragon kilns, farnds, and ordinary mountains, and it could be said that they were the genuinendlords of the small town.


    An old man dressed in Confucian robes and wearing a tall hat on his head lightly pushed the curtain of his carriage aside and stepped down. He squinted his eyes and swept his gaze around the surroundings, instantly causing everyone to feel a suffocating aura sweep over them.


    Like the shadow of a tree, a person''s reputation followed them everywhere they went.


    The old man in Confucian robes had countless profoundly powerful titles �� the first disciple of the Schrly Sage, Qi Jingchun''s senior brother, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, Confucian sage, an imperial go yer who had enjoyed a match with the city lord of White Emperor City amid the iridescent clouds...


    Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was the smallest of the nine continents in the Majestic World, yet the rise of Cui Chan helped attract the gazes of many mighty figures hidden in the background to this small continent.


    After Cui Chan stepped down from the carriage and stood still, all of the elderly n leaders bowed and paid their respects to him in unison.


    When the n leaders slowly raised their heads, they were astonished to discover a beautiful young girl dressed in pce attire stepping down from the carriage and standing behind the powerful and influential old man. Some of the n leaders were aware of some secrets, and this caught thempletely off guard.


    "All of you can return now," Cui Chan said in a calm and indifferent voice.


    None of them dared to object. In fact, they didn''t even dare to express the slightest hint of anger or resentment.


    1. Extract from Li Bai''s poem, ��������곡�С�. This is a poem about young and skillful swordsmen. ?


    2. Extract from Lu Yan''s (Lu Dongbin) poem ''Jueju''. Lu Dongbin is a legendary Chinese schr and poet who lived during the Tang dynasty. ?


    3. This gives hereditary privilege based on the merit of one''s ancestors in terms of entering schools and bing officials. ?

 Chapter 192: Writing as if Assisted by the Gods

    Chapter 192: Writing as if Assisted by the Gods


    Chen Ping''an and Li Xisheng walked up the stairs and went to the second floor of the bamboo building. They stood there and gazed into the distance.


    Meanwhile, the young Cui Ci and the two little children remained downstairs and gazed at each other.


    "Do you know the meaning behind Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley?" Li Xisheng asked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. All he knew was that the people who lived on these streets and alleys were rich, extremely rich. The paths were paved with bluestone bs, and there were also stone lions outside the residences. In fact, even the door gods on their front gates appeared more spirited and lively.


    Li Xisheng held up the peach wood talisman in his hand and exined, "Fortune is a homonym with talisman, and the first character of the street name represents the character talisman[1]. As for Peach Leaf Alley, the character peach corresponds with the peach in peach wood talisman. Combining the names of the street and alley together, we get peach wood talisman."


    A look of realization spread across Chen Ping''an''s face.


    "This is a huge fated opportunity of the small town, and it''s possible that this peach wood talisman is an even greater opportunity than those matters of the Five Elements, such as the golden carp."


    Li Xisheng continued to exin the situation, saying, "I had a strange dream near the end of the year, and I can vaguely remember seeing many people and many things. However, I forgot everything after I woke up. I feel like I yed a game of Go with someone, and I also feel like I learned about the hidden secrets pertaining to the peach wood talisman. Theplicated nature of it is as mystical as can be. It''s truly difficult to exin."


    Li Xisheng pointed at the bamboo building and said, "I initially wanted to hand this peach wood talisman on the front door of the bamboo building to ward off all evils and defend against all mystical powers. This might sound a little exaggerated, but this peach wood talisman can indeed protect this mystical bamboo building and allow it to be even sturdier and more indestructible. Moreover, as time passes, the presence of the peach wood talisman will also lead to the growth of all kinds of nt and tree essences..."


    After saying this, Li Xisheng smiled and asked in amusement, "Chen Ping''an, do you really not want it? Such a good opportunity won''t present itself again in the future."


    "Since it''s such an impressive item, you should leave it for yourself, Brother Li," Chen Ping''an replied without hesitation. "Aren''t you going to leave and embark on a long journey soon? I just returned from a long journey, and there are a myriad of bizarre and wonderful things, but also countless lurking dangers. So, you''re definitely going to need these powerful immortal tools."


    There was a wide smile on Li Xisheng''s face, and he asked, "Do you feel like Ick immortal tools?"


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this, and he immediately recalled Li Xisheng''s battle with Cao Jun on y Vase Alley. However, a thought suddenly urred to him, and he remembered a saying from some book. "The more the better!" he replied.


    Li Xisheng felt slightly helpless, and he had no option but to put the peach wood talisman away. After tying it back to his waist, he said in disappointment, "It would have been a perfect match with the door of the bamboo building."


    In fact, Li Xisheng even turned around to look at the front door that was downstairs behind him before remarking, "It would have genuinely been a perfect match."


    In fact, the young man was being a bit childish at this moment.


    Chen Ping''an wanted tough, yet he felt like it would be a bit rude to do so. Thus, he could only hold back hisughter.


    In the beginning, Chen Ping''an had been willing to interact with Li Xisheng and be friendly with him because he was Li Baoping''s older brother. After interacting with him several times, however, Chen Ping''an grew to like this young schr more and more. This wasn''t because of Li Xisheng''s aura of righteousness, nor was it because of his identity as a Qi refiner and his ability to rival Cao Jun even though that had only been his first fight. Instead, it was because this young man''s interaction with the world around him gave others a sense of reassurance andfort.


    This was the same feeling that A''Liang gave sword cultivators, and this was the same feeling that Mr. Qi gave Confucian schrs.


    Even though A''Liang had never mentioned swordsmanship to Chen Ping''an, and even though Mr. Qi had never expounded grand principles to Chen Ping''an, the young boy couldn''t help but feel that A''Liang was the most powerful swordsman and that Mr. Qi was the most knowledgable schr.


    Deep down, Chen Ping''an sincerely hoped that he could be someone like them. However, he had never revealed these ambitions to anyone before. This was because he was afraid of appearing like someone who was overestimating their own abilities.


    Li Xisheng suddenly made his mind up at this moment, and he said, "No, I can''t leave things at this. My conscience truly won''t allow me to do so. I can''t leave just like this!"


    Chen Ping''an was just about to speak.


    However, Li Xisheng suddenly reached over and ced a hand on his shoulder. There was a solemn expression on his face, and he said, "Chen Ping''an, I''ll be nosy and say something else. When interacting with others in the future, you need to refrain from using your own criteria to measure everyone else. For example, you might feel like refusing to ept the peach wood talisman is a natural and correct choice because you''re thinking about what is best for me, Li Xisheng.


    "Thus, you don''t feel guilty after making such a choice. Is this correct? Yes, it''s very correct. However, you have to understand that all kinds of people exist in the world. You might feel at ease, but you also need to consider whether the people beside you feel at ease."


    Li Xisheng patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and continued, "Just pretend that I''m forcing you to do something difficult. You don''t need to overthink this. If it were anyone else, I wouldn''t have said this to them. However, you''re different, Chen Ping''an. I feel like you''re a very good person, and you can be even better. In fact, there are even times when you''ll cause those around you to feel a sense of shame. Do you know this?"


    Chen Ping''an had a puzzled expression.


    <em>Am I that good?</em>


    Li Xishengughed heartily and walked over to the balcony railing. Waving at his schrly attendant downstairs, he said, "Bring my luggage up for me. I need to use something now."


    "Alrighty, give me a second," Cui Ci replied.


    The young boy whose appearance was as exquisitely beautiful as porcin hurriedly ran upstairs. He adeptly shrugged the luggage bag off his shoulders, and this was a bag that held a Hundred Treasures Box, something that schrs had to bring with them when they traveled. Inside this box was an entire set of calligraphy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. The items were all fairly old, and they didn''t appear very expensive either.


    Li Xisheng picked up a calligraphy brush, and this was a slightly small and nimble brush that appeared like it was especially for writingpact regr script and official script. The characters "Wind and Snow Awl" were engraved on the top half of the shaft of the brush, which was made from bamboo. However, after being passed down for many generations and existing for so many years, the brush now radiated with a soft red glow. Even more peculiar than this, the hard tip[2] of the brush was a faint golden color and as straight as a sharp awl.


    Chen Ping''an shuffled over after Li Xisheng picked the brush up, and he discovered that there were several extremely small and barely perceptible characters engraved on the bottom half of the bamboo shaft.


    "Writing as if Assisted by the Gods."


    Li Xisheng clearly noticed Chen Ping''an''s discovery of these small characters. He lifted the brush slightly and exined with a smile, "The meaning of a book will be clear if you read it many times. One''s writing will be as if they''re being assisted by the gods if one reads countless books. A simr saying also applies to practicing martial arts �� if the spirit doesn''t arrive, the punch won''t drive. This sounds extremely vague and meaningless, but this isn''t the case at all.


    "The essence of these idioms and sayings is the notion of diligence and hard work. Practice makes perfect, and perfect breeds mysticality. Approaching things step by step, one can attain understanding. After understanding one principle, one can understand and master all principles."


    Cui Ci attained sudden enlightenment at this moment, and it was as if he had grasped the seedling of some profound principle. He scratched his ear and itched his cheek, and he appeared as impatient and anxious as could be.


    Nearby, the little girl in pink who had read countless books ever since a young age became dazed and muddled. She felt as if she had drunk a jar of old wine and be extremely drunk.


    Only the little boy in azure remained unaffected as he sat on a railing and picked his nose. In fact, he only became startled after seeing the strange behavior of Cui Ci and the little girl in pink.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t feel too much after hearing this, but he made sure to quietlymit these sayings to memory.


    Li Xisheng lightly breathed onto the tip of the brush, and it was as if the hard golden tip suddenly started to soften. Even though it still appeared as sharp as an awl, it now had an additional sense of spiritual energy.


    Li Xisheng smiled faintly and said, "Give someone a fish, and you''ll feed them for a day, but teach them to fish, and you''ll feed them for a lifetime. Since you refused to ept the peach wood talisman, I''m left with no choice but to reveal some of my skills. I''ve yet to obtain profound knowledge from the books, but I regard myself as someone who''s rtively skilled at seal carving and talisman drawing.


    "Today, I''m going to write characters and draw talismans on the bamboo strips of this bamboo building. Rest assured, these characters and talismans won''t be visible to the naked eye after I finish. In other words, they won''t affect the aesthetics of this bamboo building. However, these characters and talismans might create some certain phenomena in the future, but you don''t need to be surprised at that time.


    "The main purpose of today is to teach you how to draw talismans, and I''ll only stop when you feel like you''ve managed to understand some of the process. There''s no need to worry, and I''ll make sure to write and draw slowly. You can also take things slowly."


    Chen Ping''an flushed slightly red with embarrassment, and he said, "Brother Li, I''m a bit slow and stupid, so please mentally prepare yourself."


    Li Xisheng gently shuffled over, and it was as if he were facing an empty wall as he faced the bamboo building. Holding one hand behind him and with one hand holding the calligraphy brush, he looked for a ce to make the first mark. "If treating others with kindness is stupid, and if being diligent and tenacious is stupid, then what this represents is a problem with the world. Chen Ping''an, I hope you can maintain this kind of so-called stupidity," Li Xisheng said with a faint smile.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head. Due to his rtionship with Old Man Yao, he had be ustomed to being scolded ever since a young age. At the same time, he had also be ustomed to witnessing the exciting and wonderful nature of other people''s lives. Thus, he wasn''t quite able to adjust to Li Xisheng''s words of praise today.


    Li Xisheng pondered for a moment before turning around and saying, "When ites to drawing talismans, the talisman branch of Daoism has always been the leader in the field. However, when we draw talismans, there''s actually no need for us to rigidly adhere to the branches and principles of Daoism. The paramount principles of the world are ultimately reflected by the transformation of decaying matters into mystical matters. This is just like how you practice your fist techniques..."


    Li Xisheng smiled knowingly and continued, "It''s very beautiful."


    There was a young boy who would practice fist techniques. Where there were mountains, he would gaze at mountains; where there was water, he would listen to water.


    Li Xisheng felt like nothing in the world was more poetic than this image.


    He lightly shook his head before holding his breath and concentrating his attention. His expression was solemn as he exined, "When drawing talismans, one needs to have talisman paper. Talisman paper can be anything in the world, yet you need to start from the basics and take things one step at a time. It''s important that you diligently start with paper first. After we''re finished here, I''ll give you a stack of rtively good-quality talisman paper as well as an illustrated beginner''s guide to drawing talismans.


    "You don''t need to worry about buying extra talisman paper for the moment, but you''ll need to start worrying about this expense after you finish using the stack that I''ll give youter. This is inevitable. One of the challenges of cultivation is the requirement to spend exorbitant amounts of money. Sword cultivators need to temper flying swords, and talisman cultivators need to userge amounts of talisman paper. These are all unavoidable things.


    "A breath of True Qi imbued into the tip of the brush, a stroke in a breath like the connected fibers between severed lotus roots. The characters can be separate, but the intent must remain connected. Like the peak of two mountains, they must resonate from afar and maintainmunication with each other.


    "Chen Ping''an, watch me closely."


    Li Xisheng suddenly ced the Wind and Snow Awl into his other hand before wiping his empty hand on his sleeve. Only after doing this did he return the calligraphy brush to his writing hand. He smiled at Chen Ping''an and exined, "I learned this from you. Whenpleting some tasks, one needs to show sufficient respect. I wascking in this areapared to you, so after seeing your attitude, I decided to emte your virtues."


    When meeting Li Xisheng for the first time at the Li n''s residence on Fortune Street, Chen Ping''an had put the y pot on the ground and wiped his hands clean before daring to ept the books from Li Xisheng.


    However, Chen Ping''an would have never expected for his small action to elicit such a solemn response from Li Xisheng.


    Li Xisheng finally started to draw talismans. In fact, it looked like he was simply a schr diligently writing characters.


    Standing atop the building, one could see the magnificent sun in the distance.


    Li Xisheng''s writing was extremely neat and gentle. In terms of form, his handwriting appeared simr to the nd and tasteless feel of Daoist Priest Lu Chen''s handwriting on the prescriptions. In terms of soul, however, his handwriting appearedpletely different.


    Even though Chen Ping''an had a mysterious feeling about Li Xisheng''s handwriting, he couldn''t quite exin the reason behind this feeling.


    Afterward, Li Xisheng wrote many phrases and sayings from poems, Confucian ssics, Daoist scriptures, and the teachings of the hundred schools of thought that he regarded as wonderful.


    There were times when he would stand on his tippy-toes to reach the top of walls, and there were times when he would bend down low to write on the bottom of the walls. He continued to shuffle around, and he continued to breathe onto his brush and moisten the tip. When he wrote to his heart''s content and felt delighted, he would even get his schrly attendant, Cui Ci, to bring a chair up from downstairs. He would stand on the chair and write with freedom and joy, and he would sit on the floor and write with wilful liberty.


    He wrote, "I dare not speak loud, for I fear astonishing the immortals in the heavens"[3]. He wrote, "To defeat mountain bandits is easy, to defeat the heart''s bandit is difficult"[4].


    He wrote, "Mortals are unawakened Buddhas, and Buddhas are awakened mortals". He wrote, "The ssh of a scull echoes through the emerald mountains and waters"[5]. He also wrote, "The Master''s doctrine is simply to be true to the principles of nature and to exercise benevolence toward others"[6].


    Chen Ping''an was yet to say "I understand", so Li Xisheng continued to write on the bamboo walls. He wrote enthusiastically, and he wrote tirelessly.


    He wrote each character quickly, and upon theirpletion, the golden glow around them would quickly vanish into the bamboo wall. However, their profound meaning would remain, not dispersing for an endlessly long time.


    The little boy in azure had already jumped off the railing at this moment. He walked up to the little girl in pink and asked in a low voice, "What is he writing?"


    The little girl in pink kept her voice down and replied, "I recognize all of the characters, but I don''t understand the meaning of the phrases... They''re far too profound..."


    "That''s because you''re stupid," the little boy in azure chuckled.


    Cui Ci turned around and shot a re at them, scolding, "Don''t disturb Teacher while he''s writing!"


    The little boy in azure pursed his lips and retorted, "Brat, this is my home, so if you continue to prattle, be careful that I kick you out."


    "You have eyes, yet you fail to recognize the profound and valuable nature of these characters. What a waste of Teacher''s efforts," Cui Ci fumed.


    The little boy in azure crossed his arms and leaned on the railing before sneering, "What can you do about me? Only my master had the right to lecture me about these things."


    Li Xisheng wrote, and Chen Ping''an observed. Both of them turned a deaf ear to the trivial argument behind them.


    The sky was already getting dark, and Li Xisheng was already standing at the other end of the corridor. He stopped writing and asked with a smile, "How is it?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head with a wry smile.


    "It''s okay, we''ll go downstairs," Li Xisheng said in a warm and gentle voice.


    They all walked downstairs to the ground floor of the bamboo building, and the little girl in pink and the young Cui Ci held candles in their hands to help illuminate the characters.


    Even though the little boy in azure grumbled andined, it was evident that he was still extremely earnest as he observed the characters on the wall.


    Standing by the river, Confucius said, "Time passes like flowing water, unceasing no matter day or night."[7]


    Today was a reflection of this.


    Cui Ci''s hand violently shook all of a sudden. As it turned out, the candle in his hand had already reached the bottom and burned his fingers.


    The pretty young boy silently reced it with a new candle.


    When Li Xisheng wrote the characters, "Burning talismans and shattering seals", Chen Ping''an suddenly eximed, "Hang on!"


    Li Xisheng stopped writing. Turning around to look at the young boy, heughed loudly and said, "That''s right!"


    The Confucian schr was slightly pale, and his face was also filled with exhaustion. However, he was still full of spirit and vigor.


    He took a deep breath and stretched his back before handing the calligraphy brush to the young boy. "Chen Ping''an, this Wind and Snow Awl is my gift to you. I''m confident that you won''t bring disgrace to it."


    Only at this moment did Chen Ping''an recall the biggest problem with the situation. "I''m unable to be a Qi refiner, yet drawing talismans requires one to use their spiritual energy. That being the case, how can I draw talismans?"


    Li Xisheng smiled and exined slowly, "I''m going to give you an illustrated guide to drawing talismans in a moment, and this guide contains many different types of talismans. However, the quality of these talismans won''t be too high, so the requirement for one''s spiritual energy won''t be especially high either. Even so, there will be certain requirements pertaining to the corresponding acupoints.


    "By learning how to draw talismans, you''re essentially walking down an unconventional path of martial arts cultivation. Martial artists also possess True Qi, though this is theplete opposite of the Qi channeling techniques of Qi refiners. Because of this, each talisman that you draw will be like taking a trial. It will be like a sh on the battlefield where the braver party will win.


    "Thus, you need to finish drawing a talisman in the quickest time possible with the most stable Qi. Otherwise, you''ll fail toplete the talisman even if you''re only a slight bit off. As long as you''re willing to persist, even dripping water can prate stone. Drawing talismans will no longer be limited to just drawing talismans. At the same time, you''ll also be tempering your physique and training your soul."


    After epting the brush, Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "I understand!"


    It was alreadyte at night.


    Li Xisheng turned around and gazed beyond the mountains. "After this farewell..."


    He didn''t voice the remaining thoughts in his mind, and he instead brushed away the feelings of mncholy before chuckling, "I''ve always wanted to take a look at the outside world, and this is simply bringing my ns forward by a little. It''s not bad."


    Afterward, Li Xisheng didn''t choose to stay in Downtrodden Mountain for the night. Instead, he chose to descend with Cui Ci in the darkness of night.


    In fact, the young schr even refused to let Chen Ping''an see him off to the foot of the mountain.


    Chen Ping''an felt a sense of loss and despondence as he stood outside the bamboo building.


    The little boy in azure grinned andmented, "Master, this person is fairly good. Not only is he powerful, but he''s also upright and loyal. I like him! He has the right to be brothers with me."


    "You might be willing to, but is he willing to?" Chen Ping''an said with a huff.


    There was a confident expression on the little boy''s face, and he replied in a proud voice, "Is there anyone in the world who would refuse the offer to be brothers with me? Are they stupid or what?"


    "I don''t know whether other people are stupid or not, but I''m well aware of whether you''re stupid or not," Chen Ping''an chuckled.


    The little boy in azureughed loudly and proimed in a smug voice, "I''m naturally as smart as can be."


    There was a hint of pity in the little girl in pink''s eyes as she looked at thepanion standing beside her. In the past, she had always felt like he was decisive, vicious, and ruthless. Now, however, she suddenly felt like he was actually quite slow and stupid.


    The little boy in azure had a sharp sense, and he quickly noticed the look of pity in the little girl''s eyes. "Silly girl, are you unwilling to ept this? Then let''s fight one on one!"


    The little girl in pink hid behind Chen Ping''an.


    She wasn''t stupid, after all.


    ��������


    The moonlight was hazy, and Li Xisheng slowly descended Downtrodden Mountain with the young Cui Ci. After leaving the mountain, he bent down by a stream and cupped some water in his hands to wash his face and refresh his mind. After all, concentrating for so long to write each stroke required a huge amount of mental effort.


    Li Xisheng looked up and saw an old man standing on the opposite side of the stream, takingrge puffs from his smoking pipe.


    He stood up and bowed in greeting, saying, "Li Xisheng pays his respects to Mr. Yang."


    The old man calmly turned to the side to avoid the young schr''s bow.


    After Li Xisheng straightened his back, Old Man Yang finally said, "I need you to perform a divination for Chen Ping''an. Is that possible?"


    "Of course," Li Xisheng replied with a nod. He didn''t hesitate at all.


    "Mhm, I''ll definitely repay the favor afterward," Old Man Yang said.


    Li Xisheng didn''tment on this, and he directly stated, "A straight path down the Great Dao, clearing mountains in the way and crossing rivers along the path. It is advisable that he embarks on a distant journey as soon as possible, and to the south is where the benefits lie."


    "I trust you," Old Man Yang said with a smile.


    Li Xisheng was slightly puzzled, but he didn''t question the old man about this.


    Old Man Yang nced at the peach wood talisman hanging by the young schr''s waist, and aplicated look shed across his eyes. His figure also vanished like a puff of smoke. Indeed, it turned out that the old man had only been a wisp of purple smoke.


    The young schr and his schrly attendant continued on their way.


    "Teacher, can you bring me with you if you embark on a distant journey?" Cui Ci asked.


    "Of course," Li Xisheng replied with a smile.


    "Huh?" The young boy was deeply astonished.


    Cui Ci had initially thought that it would be extremely difficult to convince his teacher to bring him along. However, it was actually this easy?


    "This is because someone wants you to follow me. As for me, I don''t feel like this is something bad either," Li Xisheng exined softly.


    The young boy fell silent for a long time. His head was lowered, and he was slightly downcast as he asked, "Teacher, I want to know where I came from."


    Li Xisheng sighed and replied, "That''s not an easy question to answer. Why don''t you contemte where you want to go first?"


    Cui Ci suddenly became happy, and he said, "Where else can I go? I''m going to follow Teacher around and go wherever Teacher goes!"


    Li Xisheng smiled and remained silent.


    The moon bright and the stars few, feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. Having met the person on one''s mind, the world bes beautiful once again.


    Cui Ci could clearly sense his teacher''s mood at this moment, and he also became happy just like his teacher. His footsteps became light and joyful as he walked down the mountain path.


    ��������


    In one short night, Downtrodden Mountain was slowly crushed more than three meters into the ground.


    During this time, Wei Bo had been standing on some nearby mountain and observing Downtrodden Mountain slowly sink down little by little.


    As it turned out, truly profound characters in the world were actually this hefty.


    Wei Bo smiled and remarked, "Impressive, how very impressive. Even I''m slightly curious about who you really are, Li Xisheng. Is there genuinely no rtionship between you and the Chen n''s model tree? Then just who are you?"


    Night turned into day, and Wei Bo involuntarily looked at the bamboo building in the distance again.


    A rtionshipplementary, the sun and moon vying for brightness.


    ��������


    Outside the bamboo building, since Chen Ping''an and the two little children weren''t feeling sleepy, they sat on three bamboo chairs that were lined up in a row and waited for the sun to rise.


    "One ordinary snake gall pebble for 10,000 taels of silver... Is this too expensive?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked the little boy in azure.


    The little boy in azure was stunned.


    "Is it too expensive?" Chen Ping''an asked nervously.


    The little boy in azure suddenly leaped up and shouted, "Only 10,000 taels of silver? Master, are you trying to humiliate me?!"


    Chen Ping''an felt at ease, and he asked, "Then what about 11,000 taels of silver?"


    "Master, I''m going to run away from home if you keep this up!" the little boy in azure huffed in anger.


    Chen Ping''an naturally wouldn''t take his words seriously, and he asked in curiosity, "What currency do cultivators use when buying and selling things?"


    The little boy in azure chuckled and replied, "Give me a second, Master, I''ll show you the currency used by cultivators. I''m quite wealthy, you know?"


    With a flick of his sleeve, the mystical pocket treasure that he always carried with him started to rain all kinds of dazzling jades onto the ground. There was a small mountain of them, and they were all carved into the shape of copper coins. There were approximately three different types, and each one was a slightly different size.


    The little boy squatted down and started to introduce the different types of jades to Chen Ping''an, telling his master about the origin of these jades and also their different values.


    This was the currency used by immortals!


    Chen Ping''an, the little miser, hurriedly stood up from his chair and ran over to squat down beside the small mountain of jades. He carefully listened to the little boy in azure''s exnations.


    In the end, he suddenly asked, "I want to give Treasured Scripture Mountain to Ruan Xiu. Do you guys think this is appropriate?"


    The little girl in pink blinked in response. She was at aplete loss.


    The little boy in azure plonked to his knees and eximed, "Master, does this not hurt your soul? You have to restrain yourself, you definitely have to restrain yourself! Master, please don''t be rash! Ruan Xiu is the best girl in the world, and I definitely won''t refute this. However, she''s yet to actually marry you and be your wife!"


    Chen Ping''an ignored the little boy''s nonsense about marriage or whatnot. He simply shook his head and replied, "This doesn''t hurt my soul."


    The little boy in azure wailed and shouted, "But it hurts my soul!"


    1. The first two characters of Fortune Street (��») are read the same as the term talisman (����). More specifically, Fortune Street is actually Fortune and Prosperity Street. ?


    2. A tip made from stiffer animal fur to enable easier writing of certain scripts. ?


    3. Extract from Li Bai''s poem, ''Overnight Stay in a Mountain Temple (ҹ��ɽ��). ?


    4. A quote by Wang Yangming, a Chinese calligrapher, general, philosopher, politician, and writer during the Ming dynasty. ?


    5. Extract from Liu Zongyuan''s poem, ''Old Fisherman''. Liu Zongyuan was a Chinese philosopher, poet, and politician who lived during the Tang dynasty. ?


    6. Extract from The Analects of Confucius. This is a statement made by Zengzi, a Chinese philosopher and disciple of Confucius. Heter taught Zisi, the grandson of Confucius, who was in turn the teacher of Mencius. ?


    7. Extract from The Analects of Confucius. This reflects the impermanent nature of life and the precious nature of time, and urges one to make the most of every second to study and better themselves. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    "Writing as if Assisted by the Gods" is an idiom that refers to one being divinely skilled at writing after reading countless books.


    What do you think is going on? Is Li Xisheng trying to help Ping''an?</blockquote>

 Chapter 193: Same Surname Different Fortune

    Chapter 193: Same Surname Different Fortune


    There was a short old man in the private school in the small town, and even though he was a teacher, his appearance was unkempt and disheveled. His name was Chen Zhenrong, and he liked to drink. After getting drunk, he would raise his finger to the air and casually draw squiggly lines in empty space. No one knew what he was writing or drawing.


    When he mumbled drunk nonsense, he wasn''t speaking the official dialect of the Great Li Empire nor was he speaking the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. In other words, no one knew what he was saying either.


    Even though the old man''s surname was Chen, he wasn''t a descendant of the Dragon Tail County Chen n. However, the distinguished Chen Songfeng still treated the old man with utmost respect. In reality, however, the other teachers in the private school didn''t have a good impression of this unsociable and unkempt old man.


    On this day, the unkempt old man took swigs of wine as he drunkenly crossed the stone arch bridge and walked toward the cksmith shop. Using the dialect of his hometown, he loudly mumbled, "Soaring through the stars, arriving before lofty mountains, riding the aura of heavenly essence, roaming the vast universe.[1] Clouds swirl, rainshes, heavens fall, seas rise. How majestic!"


    The old man arrived at the cksmith shop, where he finally stopped walking and didn''t barge in without invitation. Instead, he smartly ran over to Dragon Whisker River to wash his face. Most likely because a few handfuls of cold water were still unable to sober him up, the old man decided to directly lie down on the ground and stick his entire head into the cold creek. He furiously shook his head around before finally lifting it out of the water and roaring withughter. "How refreshing andfortable!"


    He stood up and suddenly sighed. This was because he recalled the miserable state of almost all of the Chen n descendants in the small town. These people had actually be ves and servants for the other ns. The old man didn''t have any deep rtionships with them, and he understood the hardships of the world and the fact that he couldn''t me these Chen n descendants who were bringing great shame and humiliation to their ancestors. After all, these were still people with the same surname as him.


    The old man was unable to rid himself of his pent-up depression. He opened his wine sk again, yet he was extremely hesitant at this moment. After a long internal battle, he nced at his surroundings before sneakily taking a few small sips like a criminal. "If this were in the Southern Whirl Continent, descendants of the Chen n with names in the genealogy records certainly wouldn''t fall to the miserable state of bing ves for others regardless of how impoverished they be. Otherwise, they would be bringing shame and humiliation to the Pure Confucian Chen n," he muttered.


    After saying this, the old man mysteriously pped himself and scolded, "Shameless old geezer, you were unable to control your tongue again! You promised yourself that you wouldn''t drink again, yet here you are taking sips of wine!"


    After pping himself, the old man chuckled and decided to give in since things had alreadye to this. He took another two swigs of wine, and he simply punished himself with two half-hearted ps.


    The old man finally felt satisfied after enjoying tworge mouthfuls of wine that he had purchased from a beautifuldy. He directly walked into the cksmith shop and loudly shouted Ruan Qiong''s name. It wasn''t long before Ruan Qiong walked out from a sword furnace and removed his cowhide apron. He casually tossed his apron to the young boy with long eyebrows who was following behind him.


    The old man immediately started to disparage the sage from Wind Snow Temple, saying, "Ruan Qiong, you''re inferior to Qi Jingchun. You''re genuinely far inferior to Qi Jingchun..."


    Ruan Qiong paid no heed to this as he had already be ustomed to this old man''s entricity. He surprisingly didn''t greet Chen Zhenrong, and he simply remained silent as he stood in front of the old man. Instead, it was the young boy with long eyebrows standing behind him who frowned in displeasure. However, the young boy suppressed his negative feelings and didn''t say anything.


    Ruan Qiong started to lead the way, and Chen Zhenrong walked beside him. However, the old man was still unwilling to spare Ruan Qiong, and he continued to mutter and grumble like somemon woman from a marketce. He spoke using the official dialect of the Southern Whirl Continent this time, and there was a unique charm to this dialect as he said, "Ruan Qiong, just look at Qi Jingchun. The lineage that he belonged to was targeted by us, yet he was still willing to repay animosity with kindness. He was still willing to look after that model tree.


    "If it were me, I would have shown that girl, Chen Dui, the tree on the graves before returningter to crush it under my feet. Letting them rejoice for a short while before forcing them to face a crushing reality... Isn''t that delightful? However, it''s a shame that Qi Jingchun was a noble and upright person who wouldn''t do such kind of thing.


    "Because of this, our ancestor was unwilling to turn on that person even though he stole a sun from the ancestor''s shoulder while reasoning with him. Our ancestor allowed him to ''borrow'' the sun for a hundred years.


    "But look at you. Don''t me me for saying this, but just look at how listless and unambitious you are. Your cultivation has failed to advance a single inch, and in the end, you''ve only taken two or three measly cats and dogs as your opening disciples. Let''s focus on long eyebrows over here. He''s merely relying on the fortune of his n, so how many years can he enjoy sess for? 100 years? Or maybe 200 years?"


    The old man smiled at the young boy with long eyebrows after saying this. The extremely confused young boy had initially felt a bit angry, and he had been displeased at the fact that the old man wasn''t showing enough respect toward his master. However, when the old man looked at him with a benevolent smile, the young boy, who was easily persuaded by reason but couldn''t be cowed by force, could only nod in response. He waspletely oblivious to the evil schemes of the old man, and he waspletely clueless about the fact that the old man was actually denigrating him.


    Ruan Qiong led Chen Zhenrong to somece under the eaves where there was a row of lush green bamboo chairs. After the three of them sat down, the old man humphed coldly and said, "That girl who''s missing a thumb is truly as stupid as stupid can be. Is she truly someone who walks the same Dao as you?


    "And thest one is even more hrious. He''s a wild boar spirit, yet he insists on transforming into a handsome young man. Hahaha... Ruan Qiong, oh Ruan Qiong, I''m almost about to die fromughter. Even if you don''t find this embarrassing, I can''t help but feel embarrassed for you!"


    Ruan Qiong finally opened his mouth, saying, "Are you done yet? If you''re done, then I''ll offer you some wine."


    Ruan Qiong told the young boy with long eyebrows to leave and get some wine.


    "Offer me some wine? Sure thing! It''s not like I want to drink or anything, and I''m simply following the local customs. The guest should follow the example of the host, right? Since this is Sage Ruan Qiong''s way of weing his guest, this wine can naturally be enjoyed. It can be enjoyed to the heart''s content!"


    Sitting on the bamboo chair, the old man turned toward Ruan Qiong and said, "However, drinking is one matter, and taking disciples is another matter. Since you''ve left Wind Snow Temple and have decided to found your own force, and you''ve already obtained your own mountains, it''s time that we discuss the matters pertaining to your opening disciple.


    "If it reallyes to it, I can help you find three disciples. We need to swap the current ones; we need to swap all of them! Even if you''re only picking from the Chen n descendants of Southern Whirl Continent, I can still guarantee that they''ll be stronger than the three unofficial disciples that you currently have."


    Ruan Qiong was unfazed, and he replied, "When picking disciples, I don''t consider their talent, nor do I consider their aptitude. I simply consider their character."


    The old man was infuriated, and he eximed, "I knew you would reply with this absolute bullshit! Ruan Qiong, you''re a stubborn piece of crap!"


    In a rare disy, Ruan Qiong surprisingly smiled and asked, "Then why are you still my friend, Cheng Zhenrong?"


    As a Militarian cultivator, how had Ruan Qiong managed to be the overseer of Jewel Small World after Qi Jingchun, a Confucian schr? Part of the reason was naturally Ruan Qiong''s lofty cultivation base. However, another part of the reason was the Pure Confucian Chen n''s significant influence from behind the scenes.


    Ruan Qiong never tried to deny this.


    "Because I want to! Is this any of your business?!" the old man huffed in anger.


    He then turned around and shouted, "Where''s my wine? You said that you would offer me some wine, so why is it still not here yet? What''s wrong with that brat? Is he purposely trying to anger me...?"


    Ruan Qiong looked at his extremely noisy old friend and asked with a smile, "What''s wrong? Are you feeling annoyed after arriving in Dragon Spring Prefecture and seeing the miserable state of the two Chen n branches in the small town? Don''t me me for saying this, but those two branches have got absolutely nothing to do with you or the Pure Confucian Chen n. What are you so angry about?"


    "Forget about it. Just thinking about it is infuriating."


    The old man sighed and shot a sideways nce at Ruan Qiong before saying, "You initially wanted to hide in peace for the sake of Xiuxiu, yet look at the situation now. You''re stuck in a ce filled with conflicts and schemes. Are you doing alright?"


    Ruan Qiong shook his head and replied, "There''s no harm. A mistake can sometimes turn out to be beneficial."


    "It''s fine to have an unyielding spine, but it''s certainly not good to have an unyielding tongue that''s unwilling to admit mistakes," the old man scoffed.


    "If I encounter any troubles, I definitely won''t refrain from asking you for help," Ruan Qiong said softly.


    Out of the corners of his eyes, Chen Zhenrong saw a young girl in green walking over from the distance. Beside her was the young boy with long eyebrows, and they were bringing wine over together.


    The old man immediately smiled and waved his arms at the young girl. "Xiuxiu, over here! Huh? Why are you turning around to leave? Xiuxiu, don''t leave! Do you have someone who you like? If you don''t, I can help you find one. Don''t look for men in the tiny Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. This is an isted and barbard, so what kind of good men can there be?


    "Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin and the Great Li Empire''s Song Changjing are quite alright, but they''re ultimately a bit too old for you. So, if you want to look for a good man, you should look in Southern Whirl Continent... Huh? Xiuxiu''s already left..."


    The old man hung his head in dejection. Fortunately, the young boy with long eyebrows walked over and gave him two jars of wine. Chen Zhenrong put one jar beside his feet, and he opened the other jar and started to gulp it down.


    Ruan Qiong epted a jar of wine but didn''t show any signs of wanting to drink it. "After looking around everywhere, didn''t your Pure Confucian Chen n only manage to find Cao Jun as well? If I remember correctly, he''s already over a hundred years old."


    "What''s wrong with Cao Jun?" the old man eximed in panic. "I feel like he''s fairly good. If he hadn''t been targeted and harmed when he was young, he wouldn''t have been any worse than Wei Jin. Looking back at history, there are more than just one or two great sword immortals who werete bloomers. Ah... If you want to me someone, then me his ancestor Cao Xi for not being powerful enough. If he were a descendant of the Chen n, who would have dared to target such a talented individual?"


    Ruan Qiong didn''t say anything. He had a terrible impression of Cao Jun.


    The old man sighed and asked, "I can''t help but find this strange. They all have the same surname, so how have the descendants in the small town ended up in such a pitiful state? Where did all of their fortune go? During the past 1000 or 2000 years, has there been any person with the surname Chen achieving great sess in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent or some other continent?"


    Ruan Qiong pondered for a moment before replying, "Not that I can think of."


    Chen Zhenrong suddenly thought of something, and he stated, "That sounds about right. However, just in case..."


    It was as if Ruan Qiong were facing a formidable enemy at this moment, and he essentially rebuked, "Chen Zhenrong, since when did you be so sordid?!"


    The old man raised a hand. As it turned out, his fingers had been trembling uncontrobly this entire time. "I can''t draw true dragons anymore, and I can only draw some feeble four-legged snake. Zhenrong? I should change my name to Jiarong in the future...[2]"


    He drank some wine and said in resignation, "If this were in the past, perhaps my words would have still carried some weight and had some influence regarding this matter. Now, however, there''s nothing I can do."


    Ruan Qiong was infuriated, and he fumed, "Being as powerful as the Pure Confucian Chen n is..."


    The old man interrupted Ruan Qiong and said, "Which n isn''t filled with a mixture of good and bad people? Even in the Confucian Sect and Daoist orthodoxy, isn''t there still a distinction between sages, noble individuals, and virtuous individuals? Isn''t there still a notion of rank? In any case, this matter isn''t as despicable as you imagine."


    Ruan Qiong fell silent. Heavy emotions weighed on his mind, and it was as if there were arge mountain pressing down on his heart.


    Human power had its limit, and the same could also be said about sages.


    1. This is based on one of Chen Rong''s poems which was written on his Nine Dragons painting. Chen Rong was a Chinese painter and politician of the Southern Song Dynasty celebrated for his depictions of dragons. Chen Zhenrong is a character inspired by this historical figure. ?


    2. Zhenrong () literally means true appearance, while Jiarong () literally means fake appearance. ?

 Chapter 194: Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends

    Chapter 194: Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends


    Even though he didn''t need to visit any family or friends to wish them a happy new year, it didn''t make sense for Chen Ping''an to stay in the quiet and lonely Downtrodden Mountain the entire time. Thus, Chen Ping''an led the two little children out of Downtrodden Mountain and returned to the bustling small town. Right now, the small town was already no less busy than any of the prefectural cities in Yellow Court Nation.


    However, the Iron Lock Well was now missing its iron chain, the old street was now missing its old locust tree, and the private school was now missing Mr. Qi... Regardless of how bustling the small town was, and no matter how strong the atmosphere of the New Year celebrations, Chen Ping''an still couldn''t help but feel slightly downcast.


    After nearing the small alley, the little boy in azure grumbled, "Master, I''m not making a threat or anything, but if Ie across a vicious person who''s powerful enough to kill me with a single punch when returning to y Vase Alley this time, I''m genuinely going to stay in the mountains and never return to your ancestral home again! Don''t me me for being disloyal at that time!"


    Just as they arrived at the entrance of y Vase Alley, Chen Ping''an saw a familiar figure that was as slender as a soft willow branch in the spring breeze. There was a bucket of water in her hands, and she had most likely just returned from the well located on Apricot Blossom Alley.


    She appeared to be struggling, and after a while, she decided to directly drop the bucket to the ground. The young girl bent down and panted as the bucket of water heavily thudded to the ground and sent sshes of water into the surroundings. However, the young girl paid no heed to this.


    She was none other than Song Jixin''s maidservant, Zhi Gui. Or more urately, Wang Zhu.


    In terms of whose maidservant she became, his or his neighbor, Song Jixin''s, Chen Ping''an didn''t me the young girl for her choice. After all, a fine fowl would choose a fine tree to perch on, and a talented person would choose a worthy master to serve. Chen Ping''an had read this in a book, and it was only natural for a person to adhere to this principle.


    It had been a windy and snowy night back then, and the young girl had been at death''s door when she had copsed onto the thick snow on the ground. Summoning thest ounce of her power, she had feebly reached up and knocked on that gate.


    It was Chen Ping''an''s choice whether he saved someone or not, but it was someone else''s choice whether they repaid this debt of gratitude or not.


    However, their reunion was much sooner than expected, and Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel mixed emotions.


    Zhi Gui also saw Chen Ping''an, and she used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead as she observed the young boy. He was still wearing straw sandals, and there was an extra hairpin in his hair now. He had also grown slightly taller, and he was no longer lonely and helpless as he walked along the streets. There were two little children following behind him now.


    Zhi Gui didn''t say anything.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to wave and greet her, yet he suddenly noticed the little boy in azure furiously tugging his arm and preventing him from walking forward. Not only him, but the little girl in pink also hid behind him and tightly held onto his sleeve. Their teeth were chattering, and they barely dared to even breathe.


    It was as if they were mortals who were most terrified of ghosts, yet they somehow managed to genuinelye across a ghost during the day.


    The little boy in azure was filled with regret. He regretted the fact that he was so loud-mouthed and had uttered those words. He had jinxed the situation!


    "Master, I''m scared... This is even scarier than death..." the little girl in pink whimpered as she hid behind Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an sighed and said, "Then you guys go and wander around somewhere else in the small town first. For example, you can go and help out in my shops on Dragon Riding Alley. I''ll look for you guyster."


    The two little children were extremely relieved, and they turned around and fled as quickly as they could.


    Chen Ping''an walked toward y Vase Alley by himself. This was a scene that had reyed itself many times over the years, and the young boy helped the young girl carry her bucket of water as they walked into the alley together.


    "Are those two children your new schrly attendant and maidservant?" Zhi Gui asked.


    "Do I look like I''m cut out to be someone''s master? They''re just calling me master for fun," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    "Oh, okay," Zhi Gui said.


    When they walked past the Cao n''s ancestral residence, they saw that the courtyard gate was wide open. Cao Xi was squatting by the front gate and eating roasted sunflower seeds, while Cao Jun was squatting on top of the wall and also eating roasted sunflower seeds.


    It was clear that they were here to enjoy a show.


    "Esteemed young miss, is this boy your young lover?" Cao Xi asked with a chuckle. "It''s so early in the morning, yet the two of you are already getting all lovey-dovey with each other. You''re making me and Cao Jun, two old men, so envious!"


    Just like always, there was a smile on the face of Cao Jun who liked to look at others with squinted eyes. There was a long sword and a short sword hanging by his waist, and he nodded and concurred, "Yes, we''re envious, very envious."


    "A crooked stick will have a crooked shadow! No wonder your ancestral home copsed," Zhi Gui humphed coldly.


    Cao Xi was a mighty terrestrial sword immortal from Southern Whirl Continent, and he was also half the owner of Sea Suppressing Pagoda. Yet, he wasn''t angered at all, and his smile surprisingly grew even wider as he said, "Yes, esteemed young miss is correct. However, after so many years, I wonder why our Cao n doesn''t have a single incense entity? I was flourishing in Southern Whirl Continent, so theoretically speaking, things should have been going splendidly over here as well. So, how has Cao n declined to such a pitiful state?"


    Zhi Gui didn''t slow down, and she turned her head to look at Cao Xi before smiling innocently and replying, "Cmities unleashed by the heavens can be avoided, but cmities created by oneself can''t be escaped. Do you think someone ate the incense entities of your n or something? In any case, the small town prohibited all mystical abilities, so trying to rely on ancestral blessings to nurture an incense entity would have been even more difficult than ascending the heavens. Perhaps your Cao n never had an incense entity in the first ce, right?"


    Cao Xiughed loudly and said, "Yes, that sounds very reasonable. Mind your step, esteemed young miss. The alley is old and worn out, so be careful of tripping and spraining your ankles."


    There was a dark expression on Zhi Gui''s face as she walked away with her back facing the old bastard.


    Chen Ping''an remained silent the entire time.


    Cao Jun chuckled and asked, "What''s going on, Old Man Cao? With your achievements in Southern Whirl Continent, you should have enough incense entities for them to be forming groups and fighting against each other on the door lintels, right?"


    Cao Xi didn''t care much about this, and he replied, "It is indeed very difficult for incense entities to appear in Jewel Small World, and she wasn''t lying to us when she said this. However, with the achievements of Xie Shi and I, there should have still been at least one or two incense entities remaining.


    "For example, it''s thanks to the existence of a pair of incense entities that Peach Leaf Alley''s Xie n has managed to maintain itself for several hundred years without dying out. Otherwise, they would have suffered a fate simr to the Cao n long ago, with their residence bing rundown and all of their descendants dying off."


    Cao Jun clicked his tongue in wonder and said, "Were they eliminated by that young girl? Then why are you still so friendly with her? You''re not trying to bed her, are you?"


    A fiery red fox jumped down from the roof and onto Cao Jun''s head. It giggled and said, "Bed her? Old Man Cao definitely isn''t brave enough to do so. That young girl has the attention of many powerful people now, so Old Man Cao wouldn''t dare to covet her even if he were one tier higher. At most, he''ll only dare to make some teasing remarks. These are nothing more than empty words with no real impact."


    Cao Xi turned around and chuckled, "Piss off. Your foxy smell is preventing me from enjoying the fresh air of my hometown."


    The fox standing above Cao Jun''s head raised a paw and pointed at its feet. At the same time, it forcefully stomped its foot and said, "Come on, if you''re so powerful, then unleash the bonded sword from your wrist and attack me here! Cao Xi, if you don''t do this, then you''re my grandson! Come one, attack me to your heart''s content. If I dodge, then I''m your granddaughter!"


    Cao Jun swayed his head but didn''t manage to shake the fiery red fox off. "So be it if the two of you want to fight with each other, but can you please not drag me into your conflict?" heined in exasperation. "To be fair, Old Man Cao has just taken a 38th mistress. If you''re genuinely unable to tolerate this, then just skin her alive and use her skin as your new clothes. It''s not like you haven''t done these things before, and you''re familiar enough with the process. So why the heck do you insist on venting your frustration on me?"


    "That old bastard likes women with big buttocks, and he hasn''t changed a single bit even after so many years. How repulsive!" the fiery red fox sneered.


    Cao Xi returned to the front gate where he sat down and started to snack on roasted sunflower seeds again. "Even a thousand taels of gold can''t buy what I like. Oh, that''s right. Here, have some sunflower seeds for the new year, you foxydy."


    There was a loud boom.


    The fiery red fox exploded into smithereens above Cao Jun''s head. After a short while, she reappeared on the roof where she almost instantly exploded into pieces again. This process repeated itself again and again, all the way from the roof of the Cao n''s residence to the roof of the neighboring residence and beyond. Only after the fox left y Vase Alley did it stop exploding into bits. Its eyes were dim, and it gritted its teeth as it sat cross-legged above some eave. It started to meditate and practice a breathing technique.


    Cao Xi had already run out of sunflower seeds, so he patted his hands clean before standing up and returning to the courtyard. He looked at Cao Jun and ordered, "Don''t muck around recklessly for the next little while. The Great Li Empire has already be a hotly contested territory, and things aren''t as simple as you might think."


    "Alright, I know," Cao Jun repliedzily.


    "I... know...?"


    Cao Xi carefully ruminated these words before chuckling coldly and saying, "Do you have the right to utter these words?"


    "Alright, I understand," Cao Jun replied in a frivolous manner.


    Cao Xi strode toward the house and spat, "Ninth tier trash!"


    Cao Jun appearedpletely unfazed.


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an arrived in front of his neighbor''s house and handed the bucket of water to the young girl. "Song Jixin didn''te back with you?" he asked casually.


    However, Zhi Gui sidestepped his question, and she asked, "What happened to my coop of hens and chicks?"


    "I don''t know..." Chen Ping''an replied with a baffled expression.


    The young girl carefully observed his expression before suddenly putting on a beaming smile. She didn''t dig any deeper, and she instead used two fingers to gesture in the air. "Song Mu is this much taller than you now."


    "Oh, okay." Chen Ping''an turned around and returned to his own courtyard.


    Immediately after opening his front gate and entering the courtyard, he discovered that the upside-down fortune decoration on the front door had gone missing. He red up in rage, and he immediately walked to the wall between the two residences and interrogated, "Zhi Gui, where''s my ''fortune'' decoration?!"


    However, he quickly chuckled in anger. As it turned out, the fortune decoration was stuck on the front door of his neighbor''s house.


    This person was truly an extremely audacious thief.


    Zhi Gui ced the bucket of water beside the kitchen building before calmly walking over and replying with an innocent expression, "I don''t know."


    This was the exact same answer that Chen Ping''an had given her just then.


    "Give it back!" Chen Ping''an demanded angrily.


    Zhi Gui''s eyes widened, and she replied, "Well, I purposely left the wooden figure in the kitchen, and it''s clear that you went over and moved it. But I didn''t say anything about that, did I?"


    Chen Ping''an was instantly rendered speechless. He was indeed in the wrong regarding this matter.


    "Did you put up any couplets at Qi Jing... Mr. Qi''s private school?" Zhi Gui suddenly asked.


    Chen Ping''an faltered for a moment before nodding and replying, "I did. I put up both couplets and fortune characters."


    He was unwilling to discuss this with her any further, and he directly went inside his house and grabbed thest remaining fortune character. He then grabbed adder and stuck the character upside down on the front door.


    Standing by the courtyard wall, Zhi Gui told him, "It''s crooked."


    Chen Ping''an was unfazed, and he used his fingers to gently press the red paper into the glue on the front gate.


    "I''m serious. Why would I lie to you? Chen Ping''an, why are you so stubborn and unable to distinguish good from bad? Having a crooked fortune character is a bad omen," the young girl said in a worried voice.


    Chen Ping''an climbed down thedder and looked up. He confirmed that the fortune character wasn''t crooked.


    However, Zhi Gui was unwilling to relent, and she continued, "It''s genuinely crooked. If you don''t believe me, then ask Cao Xi and the other cultivators toe over and take a look. You''ll realize that I''m not lying to you. Your body and vision are mortal, so your observation ability will be inferior to ours no matter how good your eyes are."


    Chen Ping''an walked inside and loudly mmed the door shut.


    After around 15 minutes, the young boy sneakily opened the front door and quietly stepped outside. He opened his eyes wide and intently stared at the fortune character.


    It wasn''t crooked.


    As if detecting his presence, Zhi Gui opened her door a crack and stuck her head out. There was a stern expression on her face as she announced, "It''s genuinely crooked."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel slightly vexed. He carried a stool out and sat beside the front door to bask in the sun. After a while, he started to practice pottery molding.


    Zhi Gui stood beside the courtyard wall and watched the young boy who was no longer a potter for a moment. After bing bored, she returned inside to go to bed.


    Shey down in bed and gulped. Only a single incense entity had been born from the door lintel in the Cao n''s ancestral residence. This was an incense entity of extremely high quality, and its body had been a dazzling golden color. It would''ve even beenpletely gold if not for some minor imperfections. However, it was a shame that the incense entity had barely been enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.


    ��������


    Next door, Chen Ping''an''s mind was as calm as water as he adeptly practiced pottery molding.


    When he rested, he started to mull about his future. Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and Immortal Herb Mountain were all close to the mountain that Ruan Qiong owned. This was because their agreement dictated that he would freely rent these mountains out to Ruan Qiong.


    With these mountains neighboring each other, the situation became one where Ruan Qiong was in control of thergest region in the west. In return, Ruan Qiong would look after these mountains for Chen Ping''an, lest he face anything untoward and not have the life to enjoy these benefits. Regarding this, Chen Ping''an was extremely grateful to Ruan Qiong.


    In terms of True Jewel Mountain, nothing needed to be said about this ce. It was a very small mountain, and it could be regarded as one with little to no potential. To say nothing of creating a blessednd here, it was barelyrge enough to build a thatched cottage on. In fact, Chen Ping''an was most likely the only person who had been willing to waste a gold essence copper coin on this mountain.


    However, it was indeed necessary for him to diligently manage Downtrodden Mountain.


    Chen Ping''an was well aware of the extraordinary nature of the bamboo building. In addition to this, Downtrodden Mountain also had a mountain god temple that helped to guard the fortune of the mountain. This ce was indeed a valuable piece ofnd with good geomantic omen. Moreover, there was also a ck python with the ambition of bing a flood dragon essentially acting as the guardian of this ce.


    Right now, another two little children who were rted to flood dragons were following him around. It was because of this that Chen Ping''an had thought about trading snake gall pebbles for silver with the little boy in azure. Perhaps he wouldn''t be able to transform Downtrodden Mountain into a ce filled with treasures, but he could at least hope to make it a ce that could sustain him in the future.


    Chen Ping''an loved money, and this was because he had grown to understand the difficulty of earning money ever since a very young age. However, this didn''t mean that he would be a penny-pincher once he became rich.


    The young boy was determined to practice the sword in the future. However, before confirming how to practice it properly, it wouldn''t help him at all regardless of how impatient and anxious he was.


    Of course, he would definitely continue to earnestly practice the Mountain Shaking Fist as well. After all, he had already promised that would throw one million punches. Right now, he was still a fair way off reaching this target.


    In terms of drawing talismans, this could be viewed as a different type of martial arts cultivation. Practicing fist techniques was a way to temper one''s physique, while drawing talismans was a way to temper one''s acupoints. The two didn''t sh, and they were insteadplementary with each other.


    Chen Ping''an simply needed to take some time away from walking meditation and use it to draw talismans instead. However, drawing talismans required talisman paper, and talisman paper required valuable gold and silver. Upon thinking of this, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel slightly weak and frightened.


    At the end of the day, he was still earning too little money.


    Apart from these things, the biggest disappointment that Chen Ping''an was facing right now was his temporary inability to control and use the pocket treasure that the sword spirit had given him. Even though he felt safe cing most of his belongings in the cksmith shop, this was ultimately an inconvenient thing to do. Cui Dongshan and the little boy in azure''s minimization treasure and pocket treasure had allowed Chen Ping''an to witness the precious and practical nature of these treasures. It was no wonder these treasures were so rare. Even when it came to powerful cultivators, not every single person had such a treasure.


    Chen Ping''an looked toward the south. How was Master Ruan progressing with the sword?


    Ruan Qiong had promised Ning Yao that he would forge a divine weapon for her.


    When Master Ruan finished forging the sword, Ning Yao would gain a convenient new weapon. Meanwhile, he still had his locust wood sword.


    Chen Ping''an felt like it would be a good idea to name these swords "Subduing Demons" and "Eliminating Fiends".


    Then there was also that sword billet that the Schrly Sage called "Little Capital". However, Chen Ping''an felt like it would be more appropriate to change its name to "First" or "Morning". After all, it was on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year that the sword billet had transformed into a flying sword for the first time.


    Immediately after this thought appeared in Chen Ping''an''s mind, the sword billet that had already remained silent in his sea of Qi for a long time instantly started to fly around and wreak havoc again.


    Chen Ping''an''s face immediately became beet red as he started to suffer agonizing pain.


    He took a deep breath, and he didn''t have enough time to return inside his house. In the end, he could only practice standing meditation to resist the sword billet''s rapid and violent act of revenge.


    He was suffering indescribable misery.


    ��������


    Cui Chan, the Great Li Empire''s imperial preceptor, had been staying in the ry station closest to the small town for the past while. He didn''t make a huge deal about this, nor did he purposely conceal his presence.


    Today, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan walked out of the ry station and told the swordsman, Xu Ruo, not to follow him. He walked away by himself.


    Each step that he took covered two kilometers in distance, and in the end, he arrived on a small street where he stood still and blocked a ragged-looking old man.


    The barefoot and disheveled old man dazedly looked at the imperial preceptor who was dressed in Confucian robes. His eyes were murky, and he relied on hisst sliver of consciousness to ask a very strange question, "You''re not my grandson. Where''s my grandson?"


    There was aplicated look in Cui Chan''s eyes. He wanted to say something, yet he eventually chose to remain silent.


    The old man was covered in scraps of dirt and grass, and he continued to ask, "Where''s my grandson? I don''t want to see you, I want to see my grandson."


    Cui Chan sped his hands behind his back. His fingers were interlocked, and they were trembling slightly.


    The delirious old man suddenly red up in rage and roared, "Where''s my grandson?! Where did you hide my grandson?! Hurry up and return Chan''er to me!"


    After saying this, the old man''s aura instantly nosedived and hit rock bottom. "I''m going to change my grandson''s name for him. I''m going to change his name to a better character..." he murmured.


    There was a sorrowful expression on Cui Chan''s face, and he said in a self-deprecating voice, "It''s as if this is a different life. No, not simply as if. This is very clearly the case."


    The disheveled old man reached over and pushed Cui Chan aside. He continued to walk forward, mumbling, "Move out of my way. Don''t dy my search for Chan''er. I''m going to find his teacher and ask him whether my new name for Chan''er is good or not."


    Cui Chan stood still and didn''t block the old man.


    Looking into the distance, he saw a middle-aged monk with an iron-willed appearance slowly walking over.


    The ascetic monk was measuring heaven and earth with his feet. He was a Buddhist practitioner.

 Chapter 195: (1): Sword Suppressing Pagoda

    Chapter 195: (1): Sword Suppressing Pagoda


    In Zhi Gui''s eyes, her next-door neighbor, Chen Ping''an, was enjoying a nap as he sat on a small stool and swayed back and forth.


    In the swordsman Cao Jun''s eyes, however, Chen Ping''an''s soul was shaking violently. It was as if he were a lone boat stuck in a tumultuous river and facing the grave danger of capsizing at any moment.


    The fiery red fox was standing on Cao Jun''s shoulder at this moment, and it teased, "Even though I can''t determine the origin of that sword billet, I can confirm that its quality is definitely very high. In fact, even I''m feeling a bit envious. Yet, you''re actually going to give up on it after facing such a small setback? This isn''t like you at all, Cao Jun."


    Cao Jun tossed the sunflower seed shells into the courtyard next door before shaking his head and replying, "I''m not going to fight for it anymore. Old Man Cao is correct, and it''s important to keep a low profile and avoid making any big moves for the next little while. If I die, then everything will be over."


    However, the fiery red fox continued to persuade him, saying, "The same mistake shouldn''t be made three times, so you still have one chance remaining. Horses won''t grow fat without wild grass, and people won''t be rich without ill-gotten wealth. Cao Jun, you suffered a great setback when you were young, and your mind''ske was pulverized into a puddle of mind, causing your cultivation to reach a dead end. If you don''t take an unconventional path, how can you possibly achieve great sess?"


    Cao Jun remained silent, and he simply lowered his head and continued to eat sunflower seeds. There was a gloomy look in his eyes.


    He had enjoyed great fame ever since birth, and he had initially been regarded as a one-in-100-year sword prodigy in Southern Whirl Continent. He had been born with wisps of pure sword qi in his mind''ske, and these wisps of sword qi had been slim and graceful like ake full of lotuses. It was as if they had been waiting for the right moment to bloom.


    However, Cao Jun had suffered a severe blow, and an incredibly powerful cultivator had forcefully obliterated his mind''ske and annihted almost all of the wisps of sword qi. It was as if the wisps of sword qi had be withered lotuses.


    Afterward, Cao Jun had be theughing stock of the entire Southern Whirl Continent. He had left many sword prodigies from the same generation as him in the dust during his youth, yet they were now surpassing him one after another.


    The fiery red fox sighed in grief and used its paw to pat Cao Jun''s head. "What a pitiful little child. The foundation of your Sword Dao has been shattered, and your future has also been destroyed. After so many years, you''ve even lost the courage to challenge the heavens now."


    Cao Jun was slightly astonished as he turned his head to look toward Chen Ping''an''s home, and he remarked, "This young boy has a fairly decent disposition. I didn''t notice it at all before, and he''s actually managed to find his own method of cultivation."


    To experienced and knowledgeable cultivators from the mountains, most things in the world wouldn''t be frightening or astonishing anymore. However, they would still find these matters interesting and intriguing.


    The fiery red fox was also slightly astonished. It jumped onto Cao Jun''s head and craned its neck to look into the distance. After observing Chen Ping''an''s internal struggle with the sword billet for a while, it saidmented in a soft voice, "Mhm, it''s simr to a Buddhist hitching post[1]. It''s helping the young boy stabilize his soul boat, and it''s acting like an anchor to keep the small boat in ce. His body is damaged and full of patchwork, and it''s truly remarkable that he''s been able to make it to this step.


    "However, this still isn''t enough to subdue that sword billet. Cao Jun, things were far too smooth sailing for you before you were targeted and harmed, yet things have be far too difficult for you after that event. Perhaps the young boy''s experience today can provide you with some inspiration for your cultivation journey in the future..."


    The faint smilepletely vanished from Cao Jun''s face, and his expression gradually became solemn.


    When it came to cultivation, one''s talent could bepared to a bowl used for food. Some people had very big bowls, yet what good would this do if an insufficient amount of rice was ced inside? They would still go hungry, and their achievements would naturally be limited.


    During Cao Jun''s long journey, he had traveled from the magnificent Southern Whirl Continent all the way to the barbaric Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He had surprisingly benefited a lot from this journey, and all of the little things had added up to help him.


    Chen Ping''an was extremely strong-willed as he battled against the sword billet, and he also had an "anchor" to help keep his soul stable and prevent it from being swept away. However, the spirit and vigor of the sword billet were far too immense, and it was using its raw strength to crash around in a ferocious manner.


    The fiery red fox pped its paws together and eximed in sinister delight, "He''s about to lose! Oh, how utterly pitiful... Perhaps he''ll have toy in bed for 10 days or half a month. It''s clear that the sword billet has only just developed spirituality, and it''s because of this that it''s unable to fully channel and unleash its innate mystical powers. Otherwise, the young boy couldn''t havested until now."


    Even though Cao Jun''s cultivation base was inferior to that of the fox spirit on his head, the fiery red fox was walking a different cultivation path, after all. Thus, its observation of the situation was as if it were trying to look through an obstructing mountain. As a sword cultivator, however, Cao Jun naturally had his own unique observations. "That''s not necessarily the case," he said.


    "Huh? It seems like there are three extremely deep acupoints in the young boy''s body," the fiery red fox eximed in surprise. "Perhaps he''s also a fairly decent sword prodigy? No, that can''t be it. These were most likely created afterward, though they appearpletely wless, as if they were innate. How extravagant. No wonder I wasn''t able to detect it straight away."


    It was mostly a mortal saying to im that someone had "deep acupoints", and this was used to describe someone who was shrewd and calcting. Moreover, this description carried a slightly negative connotation.


    For cultivators, however, this description carried an extremely positive connotation. To have acupoints that were as deep and profound as mansions and cities... It was naturally the case that the taller andrger the better and more magnificent.


    The fiery red fox sighed softly and remarked, "He''s such an ordinary-looking young boy, yet even he has such peculiar qualities that can''t be underestimated. Cao Jun, you should obediently listen to that old bastard and not cause too much trouble for the next while. Even though this shattered Jewel Small World is nothing more than aplicated realm in a small space, it''s truly a ce that''s filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. It is indeed a good idea to keep a lower profile."


    Cao Jun nodded and concurred, "Yes, we should live with our tails between our legs."


    The fiery red fox angrily stomped on Cao Jun''s head and shouted, "Untamable little bastard! I was warning you out of the goodness of my heart, yet you''re actually cursing me instead?!"


    Chen Ping''an''s aura gradually became calm, and the sword billet that had enjoyed an advantage the entire time suddenly decided to stop fighting for some unknown reason. It started to quietly hover around inside a majestic acupoint.


    Cao Jun stopped spying on the situation, and he said with a mischievous smile, "I heard that you have a younger sister called Qing Ying, and she''s also one of the old ancestors of the Fox n alongside you. She has the potential to grow a ninth tail, and Old Man Cao has coveted her beauty for many years. Is she genuinely very beautiful?"


    The fiery red fox grabbed its tail and used it as a fan to lightly generate some cool air. It bared its teeth and replied, "Beautiful my ass. She''s always expressionless, and she''s never liked to smile ever since a young age. She''s also very haughty, and it''s clear that she''s someone who won''t enjoy good fortune. With this old bastard''s taste in women, even a female pig will appear divinely beautiful to him as long as its ass is big enough."


    Cao Jun hesitated for a moment before asking in a soft voice, "I heard that she''s been lingering around that Mighty Suppressing Pagoda for the past hundred years, so is she perhaps hoping to be that person''s maidservant or concubine?"


    The fiery red fox let go of its tail and clutched its belly in loudughter. It was as if it had just heard the most hrious joke in the world. "Master Bai taking a fancy to her? As one of the great demon kings who has lived for the longest in the nine worlds, and as someone who has traveled every nook and cranny of two worlds, what kind of female hasn''t Master Bai seen? How can he take a fancy to such an ordinary little fox?"


    The Sea Suppressing Pagoda was located on the southern shore of the Southern Whirl Continent, and the Cao n was coincidentally one of the guardians of this pagoda. Thus, Cao Jun was aware of many of its secrets.


    The fiery red fox''s voice was low as it continued, "The sages of the three teachings have treated our Master Bai with injustice! It was clearly Master Bai who helped..."


    "Stinky woman, are you seeking death?! Are you not going to shut up?!" Cao Xi bellowed from inside the house.


    The fiery red fox suddenly came to its senses. Realizing that it had misspoken, it surprisingly looked up at the sky before putting its palms together and bowing deeply. It was as if it were sincerely repenting for its sin. Not only that, but it didn''t dodge Cao Xi''s attack either. The old man snapped his fingers and unleashed a wisp of sword qi that sted the fiery red fox''s body apart.


    "You spoke 20 words just then, so obediently face your punishment!"


    One after another, Cao Xi unleashed 20 wisps of fierce sword qi at the fiery red fox who didn''t dodge a single one of them. In the end, Cao Jun carried the fox that was on the brink of death back inside the house.


    However, Cao Xi was still unable to quell his anger, and he pointed at the fox in Cao Jun''s arms and yelled, "If you want to seek death, then why don''t you jump into Ruan Qiong''s sword furnace? That way, Ruan Qiong can still at least thank you for something. Don''t spout your bloody nonsense here and drag my Cao n down with you! The heavens are boundless and the earth is vast, and the founders of the three sects might not punish you for your words. However, what about their disciples? Not to mention anyone else, just what kind of temper does the master of Stctite Mountain have? Are you not aware of this?! You cursed woman!"


    The fiery red fox''s head tilted to the side. It had fallen unconscious.


    "Alright, that''s enough," Cao Jun said softly. "Without her, you wouldn''t be where you are today. You can indeed be a bad person or an evil person, but you still need to keep a bit of your conscience."


    Cao Xi suddenly stopped and red at his descendant, who was no longer smiling, with a dark expression.


    There was disdain on his face as he flicked his sleeve and said, "Piss off and tell that brat Cao Mao not to stoop to the same level as the Yuan n. Such short-sightedness, and with only the gains and losses they make in the Great Li Empire in mind... What a bunch of trash! Why don''t they go and die?! And they still have the face toe and visit me, their old ancestor? Tell them to piss off!"


    Carrying the fox in his arms, Cao Jun turned around to leave with an apathetic expression.


    Cao Xi stood in his ancestral home by himself, and he started to slowly pace around the courtyard.


    Once upon a time, there had been a sickly old man here, one who had been bedridden in a poorly lit room year after year. There had also been an undutiful drunkard son, and this person had always been worried about the inevitable funeral expenses when the time came. Apart from them, there had also been a timid and easily influenced woman who would always wake up early and go to bedte. Not only had she needed to do housework, but she had also needed to work in the fields. When she was 30 years old, she had already appeared older than the other women who were in their forties in y Vase Alley.


    At that time, however, there had been a mischievous and impoverished young boy who hadn''t been afraid of everything. He would smile and chuckle every day, and he would neither study nor do any work. Instead, he had always daydreamed about being able to buy one of the biggest mansions on Fortune Street one day. In terms of whether his grandfather and parents would still be alive when that day finally came �� if it came at all �� the young boy hadn''t considered this at all. He had been too busyzing around and daydreaming.


    No longer a young boy, the old man retrieved that rusty old copper coin and held it above his head. He looked through the square hole in the coin, and he looked through the square skywell above the courtyard.


    Thinking back to the past, it was as if there had existed such a conversation.


    "Mother, when I achieve great sess in the future, I''ll let you sleep on piles of gold and silver."


    "Okay!"


    "Mother, I''m being serious!"


    "Hurry up and put that copper coin away. Or else if your father sees it, he''ll take it away again."


    ...


    Cao Xi pushed these thoughts out of his mind and looked around at his surroundings. There was self-deprecation in his voice as he said, "I''ve be an immortal, yet the human feeling of this ce haspletely disappeared..."


    1. This doesn''t seem to be an actual thing, but this is referring to a hitching post for the mind. ?

 Chapter 196: Martial Artists

    Chapter 196: Martial Artists


    The emerald green jasper sword in the young boy''s palm was called Fifteenth.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel like whoever had named this sword was even worse at naming things than him.


    Right now, he could clearly feel a slightly cool aura seeping into his skin. After entering his body, however, this aura surprisingly became a wisp of warmth that made his entire body feel cozy. It was as if he were enjoying the warm sunshine on a cold winter day.


    Chen Ping''an noticed the mysterious aura flowing along his meridians and slowly passing each of his acupoints. In the end, it decided to stop and enter an acupoint in which a wisp of sword qi had been hidden before. The flying sword started to leisurely fly around the spacious "residence" that seemed to echo with the acupoint where the silver sword billet was residing.


    Old Man Yang exhaled a ring of smoke and said with a nod, "This is slightly beyond my expectation. This sword seems to have a fairly good affinity with you. Things shouldn''t have gone so smoothly, and I initially nned to help you all the way and subdue this flying sword for you. After forcing it into an acupoint, it would be up to you and your perseverance to win over the sword."


    The old man used his mystical powers to observe the surprisingly obedient flying sword in Chen Ping''an''s acupoint. After hesitating for a brief moment, he asked, "I''m genuinely curious about something, so I want to ask you two questions. You don''t have to answer them if you don''t want to. Chen Ping''an, you''ve been practicing fist techniques for so long, yet you''ve only just managed to reach the door to the third tier. Are you anxious? Also, when you practice your fist techniques, is there something that drives you, allowing you tost all the way until today?"


    "I do feel anxious sometimes, but I also know that feeling anxious won''t improve the situation," Chen Ping''an replied truthfully. "This is simr to firing pottery, and the more anxious and hurried one bes, the easier it is to make a mistake. So I try to avoid thinking about the situation. However, it bes impossible to stop these thoughts sometimes, so I empty my mindpletely and do my walking meditation using only my instinct. "Or I might find a ce with an open view to practice standing meditation. If neither of these methods work, then I''ll try to read and practice writing characters. If even this fails, then I have no option but to let my mind run wild. For example, I''ll think about how much money I currently have..."


    Chen Ping''an''s voice trailed off, and he couldn''t help but feel slightly ashamed.


    Old Man Yang''s expression remained unchanging, and he said, "You can continue and answer the second."


    Chen Ping''an subconsciously straightened his back and didn''t try to hide anything. In fact, he wasn''t willing to hide anything, and he was much like an impoverished person showing off the most valuable item in their home. He was filled with unreasonable confidence, and he continued, "I had a fight with someone on the Embroidered Flower River, and I became increasingly confident of one thing. That is, when I feel like I''m correct, my punches can be extremely quick no matter who my opponent is! And each subsequent punch will only be quicker!"


    "Extremely quick?" Old Man Yang asked. "If I let you punch me 10,000 times or even 100,000 times, will you even be able to touch the hems of my clothes?"


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t discouraged at all, and he instinctively replied, "I''llpete with myself first, and only after I''m satisfied with my own skills will Ipete with others!"


    "Mhm, this mindset isn''t wrong for you," Old Man Yangmented.


    Ma Kuxuan was also a young boy from the small town, but his path was one that led him to another extreme. What he pursued was a position of absolute dominance and status, a position where he was the leader of his generation. This wasn''t because he was too conceited. Instead, this was because his talent and aptitude were far too good, so much so that not daring to think like this would be a waste of his immense talent. This was a blessing from the heavens, so he would instead suffer a bacsh if he didn''t grab it with both hands.


    As for the impoverished young boy who had removed his jade hairpin just then, he was most likely walking down a different path that appearedpletely unremarkable in the beginning. It would still appear unremarkable when one looked again, and it would only end up appearing decent regardless of how many times one looked. They would feel like this path wasn''t so stupid and pathetic after all, and it could indeed lead to some good things. In the end, most people would dismiss it as nothing more than this and pay no more attention to it.


    Old Man Yang''s expression was serious as he said, "I''ll teach you two mantras to control Fifteenth with. One mantra is used to nurture the sword essence, and one mantra is used to open and close the pocket treasure."


    "If I nurture two flying swords in my body at the same time, will they not sh with each other?" Chen Ping''an asked first.


    Old Man Yang sneered and replied, "Doesn''t Ruan Qiong possess two bonded flying swords? In fact, he only has two because he needs them for the sake of forging swords and pursuing Dao, and because he needs to expend an exorbitant amount of extremely rare treasures. His personal matters also y a part in this. Otherwise, with his aptitude and wealth, he could easily nurture two more bonded flying swords.


    "When ites to bonded flying swords, what''s important is fated opportunity. If the time isn''t right, then one won''t be able to obtain a flying sword even if they try extremely hard to do so for a hundred years. If the time is right, however, they won''t be able to prevent themselves from obtaining a flying sword even if they try their best to do so.


    "Flying swords can''t bepared to ordinary weapons either, where the more one has the better. The ultimate state that sword cultivators crave is being able to shatter all techniques with a single sword. Why not two swords or three swords? This is because for sword cultivators who have genuinely attained Dao and reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, it is already enough to have one bonded flying sword that''s intricately connected with them. Having more will instead be a burden for them.


    "As for you, Chen Ping''an, practicing fist techniques is needed in order to stay alive. But why do you want to practice the sword? I can''t be bothered specting. In terms of mountains, immortal treasures, and other items, you can treat these the same as copper coins. Will you everin about having too much money andin about money weighing you down?"


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly embarrassed, and he scratched his head and asked, "How big is the storage space inside Fifteenth? How many things can I put inside?"


    Old Man Yang smiled and replied, "The length, width, and height of the space are approximately the same as the length of your locust wood sword. It''s not too shabby, and it''s already a little better than most ordinary pocket treasure. You won''t be able to fit mountains of gold and silver inside, but you''ll at least be freed from the need to carry arge bamboo basket around with you as you travel the world.


    "But remember this. Don''t put living things inside the pocket treasure. For example, the sword billet, First. If you forcefully put it inside the pocket treasure, you''ll break some rule pertaining to ''blessednds,'' and you''ll end up destroying both flying swords. At that time, you can have fun suffering by yourself."


    Afterward, Old Man Yang taught Chen Ping''an the two mantras and repeated them two extra times. After Chen Ping''anmitted them to memory, the old man continued to smoke and exhale clouds of rising smoke.


    This was an imperceptible feeling, but it was as if a small bridge had formed between Chen Ping''an and the emerald green flying sword in his acupoint. He couldmunicate with it now, and this was an extremely mysterious and wonderful feeling.


    With a single thought, Chen Ping''an''s soul shuddered slightly and allowed Fifteenth to fly out from his body without any restriction at all. However, he was unable to stop it, and the flying sword continued to shoot toward Old Man Yang. The old man didn''t blink, and after a second, it was as if the emerald green flying sword had mmed into a solid wall. It dazedly flew back toward Chen Ping''an and quickly disappeared into his acupoint in a sh. Like an angry little child, it then refused to acknowledge any of Chen Ping''an''s subsequent mental calls.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly flustered.


    Old Man Yang found this a little funny, and he said, "All of Fifteenth''s previous owners were fairly famous and capable people, and it''s nevere across an owner as stupid and poor at sword control as you. Thus, it naturally feels embarrassed and unwilling toe out to show itself. However, you don''t need to worry about this. As long as you work hard and practice enough, the rtionship between you and the flying sword will gradually grow stronger. When you receive its true acknowledgment, you''ll then be able to have greater control over it. At that time, evenmanding it to shatter itself and vanish into nothingness won''t be too difficult."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding and breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn''t afraid as long as he could improve the situation through dedication and hard work.


    What he was most afraid of was situations that he couldn''t improve no matter how dedicated he was and how hard he worked. For example, firing pottery.


    "Do you know why Fifteenth is willing to share in wealth and woe with you even though it understands that your aptitude is only mediocre?" Old Man Yang suddenly asked. "This is because you''ve discovered the crucial notion of ''quickness'', a notion that is naturally aligned with the fundamental sword intent of Fifteenth. The unique nature of Fifteenth is its speed. It yearns to be so quick that its opponent has no time to react, and it yearns to make the first strike and be unparalleled in this area."


    A look of realization spread across Chen Ping''an''s face. At the same time, he also thought of the silver sword billet, Little Capital. It was most likely causing trouble for him because he hadn''tprehended its sword intent yet.


    Old Man Yang waved a hand and said, "Don''t run around too much for the next little while. Just quietly wait for Ruan Qiong''s news."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    "A New Year''s gift?" the old man scoffed. "Not to mention whether I''m willing to bend my rules to ept it, are you even able to offer me something that I''m interested in? Taking a step back, even if you truly possess something that I''m interested in, will you be willing to offer it to me?


    "Shoo, shoo, shoo. We''ve already finished discussing the proper matters, so hurry up and return to Downtrodden Mountain and wait for Ruan Qiong''s news there. As for the belongings that you left at the cksmith shop, I''ll order someone to collect them and deliver them to you. It would be too eye-catching for you to appear near the cksmith shop now. It isn''t suitable."


    Chen Ping''an understood the old man''s temper, so he immediately stood up and left the Yang Family''s medicine shop without dawdling around.


    After stepping out the front door of the pharmacy, however, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but turn around and walk past the side building. When he saw Old Man Yang still sitting there and smoking, he bowed in gratitude toward the old man.


    The old man calmly epted his bow.


    When Chen Ping''an left again, the old man tapped his yellowing bamboo smoking pipe in thought.


    Many years had passed, and Old Man Yang had secretlypleted countless different transactions. Even until today, he still didn''t have very high hopes for the young boy from y Vase Alley. Some people had genuinely good fortunes, and it could be said that they enjoyed limitless blessings from the heavens. They would often enjoy good fortune for all of their life, all the way up until some point when they suddenly suffered their first misfortune. This would be an earth-shattering moment. Indeed, the lives of these people were happy yet tragic.


    However, having a resilient life force wouldn''t make things much easier. Such a person''s life would be filled with ups and downs and all kinds of joys and sorrows. Thus, it would be genuinely difficult for them to reach a lofty height. Meanwhile, it would be extremely easy for those truly talented prodigies to increase the gap between them. In the end, these people would only be able tog behind and eat dust.


    In some sense, Chen Ping''an was like a de of wild grass growing beside a field under the old man''s nose. Wind and rain crushed him down time and time again, yet he continued to persevere and struggle on with life. Perhaps even a dog wouldn''t be willing to near him to take a piss, yet a gust of spring breeze, and he would be born anew.


    It was because of this that Old Man Yang was willing to go with the flow and ce a bet on him, someone whom he had the least confidence in. Small gambles could bring entertainment, and losing this gamble wouldn''t hurt him much at all. Meanwhile, winning would be an unexpected but pleasant surprise.


    If one had a good life, then one needed to make a vigorous effort to reach the top in a single push.


    If one had a resilient life, then one needed to take advantage of their stamina to push to the top.


    However, Old Man Yang knew that the world was heading into a period of chaos where the hundred schools of thought would contend with each other and where heroic beings would rise one after another. This was a one-in-1000-year period where prodigies would appear in great numbers.


    <em>On the path of cultivation, falling behind at the start will often imply falling behind forever. Chen Ping''an, it will genuinely be difficult for you to catch up and stand out.</em>


    ��������


    Chen Ping''an walked along the narrow street and murmured to himself, "I''m so sorry, Fifteenth. I''m sorry for embarrassing you. I''ll definitely work hard to practice the sword control mantra in the future and do my best to avoid another embarrassment like today."


    Chen Ping''an truly felt a little guilty.


    When others showed kindness toward him, Chen Ping''an would feel uneasy if he couldn''t return the favor or do something for them.


    The emerald green flying sword in his acupoint jumped slightly, and it was as if were in a good mood again and forgiving the young boy for hisical attempt at sword control just then.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but smile. They were both flying swords, but Fifteenth was far milder and nicer than the bad-tempered First.


    Just as this thought appeared in Chen Ping''an''s mind, the sword billet, First, immediately left its acupoint and started to cause chaos again. Chen Ping''an was forced to bend down in pain, and he could only stand there unable to take another step forward.


    Fifteenth noticed this sudden change, and it dashed out of its acupoint with a whoosh before soaring through the meridians and eventually arriving in front of First''s "home". It hovered in the air and slowly floated in circles, seemingly hesitating about whether it should pay its fellow flying sword a visit.


    Chen Ping''an was unable to walk normally, so he could only shuffle to the side of the street with great difficulty and sit down on a step.


    First finally stopped causing chaos inside the young boy''s body, and this was most likely because Fifteenth had attracted its attention.


    The two bonded flying swords that were both extremely unfortunate when it came to getting a new master hovered on the two sides of the acupoint, one inside and one outside. It was as if they were aggressively facing off against each other, yet it was also as if they were having a hesitant chance meeting.


    Chen Ping''an seized this opportunity to take deep breaths and have a short break. He then jogged to Dragon Riding Alley and collected the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink before setting off for Downtrodden Mountain.


    First didn''t want to meet Fifteenth.


    The two of them parted in unhappiness.


    When they approached True Jewel Mountain, First started to cause trouble for Chen Ping''an again, and the young boy suffered so much pain that he almost fell to the ground and started rolling around. He had no option but to squat down and clench his jaws. His body was drenched in sweat, and he was almost on the verge of losing consciousness.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an could only summon all his strength to practice the Eighteen Stops breathing technique. Moreover, because he had broken the barrier between the sixth stop and the seventh stop now, Chen Ping''an was able to maintain a sliver of consciousness whilepeting in a tug-of-war with the sword billet. However, the price that he paid for this was clearly feeling the severe pain caused by the shuddering of his soul. This torturous pain was no lesser than that of being skinned or facing death by a thousand cuts.


    Fifteenth was itching to do something about this, yet it continued to stay in its acupoint. It was seemingly going to observe the situation from afar before making its decision.


    When First had enough fun and finally calmed down again, it was as if Chen Ping''an had just been fished out from a body of water. He continued to hobble forward, and even his walking meditation postures were wobbly and unstable. However, even Chen Ping''an didn''t notice that the fist intent flowing over him was imperceptibly growing stronger and more concentrated.


    In therge mountains, there was a barefoot and disheveled old man randomly running around like a headless chook. His eyes were murky, and he stumbled and fell as he continued to murmur, "Where''s Cui Chan''s teacher? Where''s my Cui Chan''s teacher?"


    The crazy old man''s eyes suddenly cleared up a little. He observed his surroundings, but he didn''t leap into the air or fly on the wind. Instead, he took a deep breath and shut his eyes. He carefully analyzed the terrain of the mountains, and with a single stride, he immediately arrived before a group of three people. The disheveled old man looked at the young boy who was drenched in sweat and practicing walking meditation, and he asked, "Are you Chen Ping''an?"


    Chen Ping''an tensed up, and he nodded and replied, "Yes, that''s me. Old Mister, is something the matter?"


    The little boy in azure''s eyes became ssy, and his expression became ashen.


    After leaving the small town, he had initially thought that he would have the freedom to do whatever he wanted. Yet, walking along a small and deste mountain path, they had stille across an immortal who could kill him with a single punch?


    There was an anxious expression on the old man''s face, and he asked in an urgent voice, "I''m Cui Chanchan... I''m Cui Chan''s grandfather. Are you his current teacher?"


    Chen Ping''an faltered for a moment, and he became increasingly cautious as he replied, "You could say that."


    The disheveled old man spoke extremely quickly, and he asked, "How is he doing right now? Is he being bullied by others?"


    Chen Ping''an thought about this for a moment. However, this was a very difficult question to answer, because the young Cui Chan �� also known as Cui Dongshan who had headed off to Mountain Cliff Academy �� had endured quite a challenging time during their long journey to Great Sui Nation. Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to lie to this disheveled old man who imed to be Cui Chan''s grandfather, yet he didn''t dare to tell theplete truth either.


    In his subconsciousness, Chen Ping''an felt like the old man before him had a very simr aura to Sun Scorch Mountain''s mountain-moving ape. In fact, the only difference between them was their cultivation base. However, whether it was the mountain-moving ape who was more powerful, or whether it was this old man who was more powerful, Chen Ping''an couldn''t tell at all.


    The old man frowned, and Chen Ping''an and the two little children instantly felt a stifling pressure wash over them. The old man humphed and said, "Even though you''re my grandson''s teacher, meaning that I should show respect toward you, you''re a pure martial artist who has yet to even reach the third tier. What gives you the right to be my grandson''s teacher?! If my grandson encounters problems in the future, will you, his teacher, only be able to stand on the sidelines and watch on helplessly?! No, this ispletely uneptable!"


    The disheveled old man''s gaze was as intense as a de, and he stared at Chen Ping''an and stated, "Bring me to a ce that you think is safe. I''m going to help you out a bit!"


    Before Chen Ping''an could even nod or shake his head, the old man had arrived by his side and grabbed one of his shoulders. "Hurry up! Time won''t wait for us, and I can only maintain consciousness for 15 more minutes at most. Don''t waste any time!"


    Chen Ping''an had no idea what was going on.


    However, the old man''s grip on his shoulder caused a piercing pain to shoot through his body and reach his soul. In fact, even First and Fifteenth, his two flying swords, started to ring in grief. After all, the power that they could unleash was intricately linked with Chen Ping''an''s cultivation base. Thus, they were naturally helpless against the old man''s aggressive and overbearing actions.


    Meanwhile, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink didn''t dare to move at all. It wasn''t because they didn''t want to, but it was instead because they couldn''t.


    It was rumored that pure martial artists who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation �� for example, those who had reached the ninth tier, the Mountain Summit Tier �� could condense their aura and unleash it as if it were unstoppable sword qi. With a single roar, they could also shatter their opponent''s courage. This wasn''t a rare sight, regardless of whether it was in the cultivation world or on the battlefield.


    "Hurry up and say! If you continue to dither, I''ll pulverize your hands and feet with a single punch! I won''t care if you''re my grandson''s teacher or not!" the old man roared in anger.


    Chen Ping''an''s expression was resolute, and he gritted his teeth and channeled his Qi. He was going to make ast-ditch effort and fight for that sliver of a chance to stay alive.


    The old man looked into Chen Ping''an''s eyes, and he suddenly burst into loudughter. He released the young boy''s shoulder and took a backward step beforeughing heartily and saying, "Little child, you''re on the right track. Not bad, not bad. You''re a good talent to work on! If you fell into the hands of some other bullshit martial arts grandmaster, they would have failed to make much of you regardless of how much effort they put into training and polishing you. However, I''m not the same!"


    Wei Bo''s white robe gracefully materialized on the mountain path. After remaining silent for a brief moment, Wei Bo said to Chen Ping''an, "There''s no harm in bringing this old mister to the bamboo building first. If you agree, then I''ll lead the way."


    The old man looked at Wei Bo and remarked, "Oh? I haven''t seen such a dog-like mountain god for a long time. Interesting, very interesting. After I recover a bit of my strength, I''ll definitely seek you out for a sparring match if I have the opportunity."


    Wei Bo smiled and replied, "Old mister, there''s no need for you to seek me out for a sparring match. You should put your effort into polishing your grandson''s teacher''s martial arts cultivation, and that will probably keep you busy for long enough."


    There was a smile of ridicule on the old man''s face, and he said, "Enough with the nonsense. Bring me to Chen Ping''an''s territory, that Downtrodden Mountain or whatnot. I know that there''s a ce suitable for training there. Now, lead the way!"


    Wei Bo wasn''t angered by the old man''s overbearing nature, and he nodded with a smile before snapping his fingers and causing their surroundings to contort. The five of them instantly appeared in front of the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain.


    Chen Ping''an looked at Wei Bo, and the mountain god gently nodded in reply.


    The disheveled old man grabbed Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and easily jumped onto the second floor of the bamboo building. He pushed the door open and led Chen Ping''an inside. The old man raised an eyebrow and said with delightedughter, "What a nice ce, what a truly nice ce! I can maintain clear-headed for at least a few hours a day. This ce is truly no inferior to a small world or blessednd. You''re finally showing some of the magnanimity that''s expected of my Chanchan''s teacher."


    The old man took several steps backward and asked, "Chen Ping''an, can you endure pain and hardship?"


    Chen Ping''an, who was confused from the beginning to the end, instinctively nodded and replied, "Yes, I can."


    "Can you endure immense pain and hardship?" the old man continued to probe.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to answer this question.


    The old man was slightly displeased, and he scolded, "Why are you acting like a little girl? If you can, then say yes, and if you can''t, then say no! Is it that difficult? You''re far too hesitant! If it were anyone else, I would have genuinely been unwilling to help anymore!"


    Chen Ping''an quietly told himself that the old man standing in front of him was a bit mentally challenged, so he didn''t need to pay any heed to his words. He would let the old man say whatever he wanted.


    The disheveled old man stepped forward and entered an ancient stance where he thrust one fist forward and held one fist tight against his chest. This was a simple stance, yet his aura instantly became astonishing.


    "Those who can endure the most difficult hardships can rise to be the most extraordinary people. If a martial artist wants to climb to the top, then they must suffer like a wild dog scavenging for food beside the street before reaching the pinnacle! They need to tell themselves that they must challenge the Great Dao of heaven and earth if they want to live an enjoyable life! They need to challenge those bullshit immortals! They need to challenge fellow martial artists! They need to challenge themselves! And they need to fight for that single breath!


    "When this breath is exhaled, it should force heaven and earth to change colors! It should force immortals to kneel and kowtow! It should force all of the martial artists in the world to feel as if you are the paramount heavens!"


    The white-haired old man, who appeared even more ragged than a beggar, radiated with an unparalleled aura of might and spirit.


    The old man was clearly telling the young boy one thing; he was peerless!

 Chapter 197: (1): Chen Pingan Is Drinking Wine

    Chapter 197: (1): Chen Ping''an Is Drinking Wine


    Chen Ping''an instantly faltered upon hearing this.


    This was an instinctive reaction, just like how the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink had froze upon seeing Zhi Gui. In fact, such kind of reaction had little to do with how high one''s cultivation base was. Instead, this was purely due to the overwhelming nature of one''s aura.


    Pure martial artist... In some sense, this was most likely the essence of the description, pure.


    Back then, Song Changjing hadn''t done anything either while standing in the government office in the small town. However, the sword cultivator Liu Baqiao, who also had a fairly impressive cultivation base, had felt as if his entire body were being pierced by needles.


    There was a loud boom.


    Chen Ping''an had just been about to do something to guard against any unexpected situation, yet he was immediately sent flying backward before he could even do anything. He violently crashed into the wall of the bamboo building before limply sliding to the floor. He struggled for a short moment, but he only managed to sit up with his back against the wall. There was blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, and he couldn''t stand up no matter what.


    The old man crossed his arms after kicking Chen Ping''an in the abdomen, and he peered down at the young boy who was in a miserable state. He chuckled coldly and said, "You dare to let your mind wander when facing off against an opponent?! You''re truly seeking death!"


    Chen Ping''an reached up and wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth. After slowly exhaling, he stood up in front of the wall, as if he were facing a formidable enemy.


    "The world tells us that there are only nine tiers of martial arts, yet it fails to realize that there exist more glorious views above the ninth tier," the old man said calmly. "You''ve only just reached the door to the third tier, yet in reality, your foundation for the second tier is only just passable. If I hadn''t appeared, and if you had advanced to the third tier due to your pursuit of cultivation speed, you would have very likely ruined your foundations for reaching the ninth tier in the future.


    "The path of martial arts doesn''t allow for any shy but unstable foundations. You''ve done fairly well so far, but it''s still far from enough! This is because you already underperformed when performing Qi dispersion during the first tier!"


    Chen Ping''an''s breathing gradually returned to normal, and this was thanks to the fact that he had never cked off when it came to tempering his physique. His foundation was very solid, and one had to realize that the description of "fairly well" was a very high appraisaling from the old man. If an ordinary martial artist like Zhu He received such an appraisal, it was very likely that they would be so moved that they shed tears of joy.


    However, Chen Ping''an was yet to understand these things, so he could only reply in a quivering voice, "Thank you for the assessment."


    The old man strode forward, and the entire bamboo building shook slightly as a result. The invisible characters that Li Xisheng had written on the green bamboo walls also became faintly visible for a brief moment. A pure and imperceptible glow flowed from these characters, and the scene was much like that of the magnificent moon bottle releasing its contents into the stream back at that time. This was a captivating sight.


    The old man noticed this, but he didn''t pay any heed to these external matters. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on Chen Ping''an as he revealed, "The y Embryo Tier is a tier where one needs to find their innate Qi and build a foundational frame for their martial arts. This Qi will act as the pirs, and this Qi will act as the tall walls! However, before finding this Qi and utilizing it, one needs toprehensively disperse their current Qi and expel all of the impurities and filth umted after birth. In fact, even the spiritual qi of heaven and earth needs to be expelled as well!


    "Pure martial artist. What does the pure stand for? This stands for purely seeking to challenge heaven and earth! Don''t be like those Qi refiners who are so sneaky and furtive. In the end, they''ll be nothing more thanckeys who can only live at the mercy of their master!"


    Chen Ping''an only understood some of this. Moreover, deep down in his heart, he didn''t agree with all of the old man''s assertions.


    The corners of the old man''s lips curled up into a smile, and he sneered, "The second tier is often referred to as the Wooden Fetus Tier, though I feel like calling it the Mountain Carving Tier will be better. People always talk about immortals from the mountains, so martial artists should aim to carve these mountains apart with a single punch! This tier focuses on training one''s tendons and bones, and the stronger one''s foundation, the greater one''s achievement in the future.


    "If one''s foundation is strong enough, their achievements in the future will be no weaker than that of the indestructible vajras from the Buddhist Sect or the pure zed ones from the Daoist Sect. Martial artists like us can also temper our physiques to a state of paramount stability. As for Militarian cultivators? Heh, they belong to no category, and the path that they follow is both harmful and nothing more than a shortcut. They''re an absolute joke!"


    Militarian cultivators did indeed have a powerful shortcut, and apart from summoning deities and being possessed by gods, they could also nurture a heroic spirit in their acupoints. Heroic spirits were a type of innately powerful yin soul that didn''t disperse after a person''s death, and once they sessfully fused together with a cultivator''s soul, their form would be like that of a Daoist pill cauldron where fire and water blended. This could be considered as another path, and it could also be regarded as an extremely powerful technique. ording to the ragged old man, however, this Militarian cultivation method was not even worth a mention. The old man''s haughtiness was simply astounding.


    The old man beckoned to Chen Ping''an and said, "Come on,e over here. I''ll suppress my cultivation base to the third tier, and you can unleash your full power to attack me as hard as you can. If I move even half a step, then it''s your victory!"


    Chen Ping''an was slightly hesitant.


    He was still very confused about the current situation. The old man had mysteriously appeared from out of nowhere, and he had then imed that he was Cui Chan''s grandfather. And now, he was asking Chen Ping''an to attack him for no apparent reason. The young boy couldn''t help but feel befuddled.


    With Cui Chan''s current power and status, did he still need protection from a teacher who didn''t live up to his name? Moreover, the old man had also imed that there weren''t any shortcuts when it came to martial arts, and he had also said that Chen Ping''an''s talent was very poor. Thus, Chen Ping''an didn''t even dare to dream about achieving half of what Cui Chan had achieved. With this in mind, didn''t the old man''s words conflict with each other?


    The old man was displeased, and he said, "Your temperament is truly as boring as can be. I told you to attack me, so just attack me, okay? What, do you want me to kneel down and beg you to attack me?"


    Chen Ping''an''s stubborn nature finally showed itself again, and he remained unmoving as he stayed in his defensive posture.


    There was a dark and murky look in the depths of the old man''s eyes, and he said, "Let me ask you this. Do you want to reach the third tier? And do you want to be one of the most powerful third tier martial artists in the world?!"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied without hesitation, "Yes!"


    The old man tilted his head slightly to the side, and he pointed at it and said with an extremely domineering expression, "Then hit me here! I dislike your attitude and temperament very much, but for the sake of Chanchan, I''ll give you one more chance. If your punch is passable, then I''ll give you some help and allow you to personally experience the scenery of the genuine third tier."


    "Then I''m really going to punch you, okay? I won''t hold back!" Chen Ping''an said slowly.


    The old manughed loudly and replied, "Enough with the nonsense, little girly. How did your parents raise such a cowardly child? Are you missing something between your legs? Your parents were definitely cowards too, right?"


    A burst of fury welled up in the young boy''s mind.


    Those who appeared kind and gentle definitely had an area that was as hard and steel in their mind. They would stubbornly uphold their seemingly foolish kindness even when they suffered hardships.


    This was the case for the young boy from y Vase Alley.


    He had traveled tens of thousands of kilometers; he had tirelessly practiced fist techniques day and night.


    Chen Ping''an took a step forward before immediately shooting toward the old man at an astonishing speed. At the same time, he clenched his right fist and threw a punch at the old man''s forehead.


    It looked like a single punch, yet there were two dull thuds.


    In the next instant, Chen Ping''an retreated several steps with his arms hanging by his sides. He then retreated again and again.


    As it turned out, the powerful impact of the punch had caused agonizing pain to shoot down Chen Ping''an''s right arm. However, he had also shown his ferocious side at that moment, and he had thrown another punch at the old man''s head using his more powerful left hand.


    However, it was a shame that neither punch managed to move the old man a single inch. In fact, the old man yawned with a detestable expression of boredom. Looking at the young boy''s awkward situation, he sneered, "That''s the full power of your punch? Are you trying to tickle me? Am I your wife, or are you my wife? I called you a dickless girly just then, and it seems like I was genuinely correct. If I were your parent, I would truly be angered to death."


    A dark expression fell across Chen Ping''an''s face.


    "What''s wrong? Your parents are already dead?"


    The old man feigned an expression of realization, and he eximed, "Oh... Then that''s even better! They''ll definitely be angered back to life!"


    After experiencing a burst of agonizing pain, Chen Ping''an''s arms becamepletely numb. However, he still dashed forward and leaped into the air before twisting his body and throwing a vicious kick at the left side of the old man''s head. However, apart from a dull thud, the old man remained unmoving and unfazed. Borrowing the momentum from the strike, Chen Ping''an twisted in the air before throwing another kick at the right side of the old man''s head.


    When the young boynded again, both of his legs were weak and powerless. His shoulders were uneven, and it took him several steps to stabilize himself.


    The old man looked at the limp young boy as if he were looking at a retard. "Since you already suffered agonizing pain in your left leg, why did you choose to unleash even more power using your right leg? Don''t you understand pain?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t reply. His face was as white as a sheet, and his shoulders were also uneven as they rose up and down. His legs had definitely suffered heavy wounds as well.


    The old man nodded and remarked, "By the looks of it, this is your limit. How very disappointing."


    Chen Ping''an dashed forward for a third time, and he did so using the six-step walking meditation method of the Mountain Shaking Fist. Even though his speed was slightly slower than the previous two times, his aura was not weaker in the slightest. The old man faltered slightly, and he remained standing in the same spot and calmly waited for the young boy''s attack to arrive.


    After performing walking meditation countless times, the fist intent of the Mountain Shaking Fist had already fused together with Chen Ping''an''s soul. Even though his arms and legs were wounded, his aura still appeared brilliant when he started to perform walking meditation.


    After the pale-faced but determined Chen Ping��an finished performing walking meditation, he tapped his feet and leaped high into the air. He then raised his head and threw a ferocious and forceful punch at the old man''s forehead.


    Chen Ping''an leaned back and copsed to the floor. He was panting heavily, and his eyes were filled with helplessness.


    "Smart people understand the need to retreat in the face of difficulty. As for you, youngd, you''re far inferior to them. However! Not being smart is correct. If you want to be a pure martial artist, then you don''t need to be too smart. After all, a smart person might ultimately be the victim of their own ingenuity. For this reason, I''ll..."


    A look of approval finally shed across the old man''s face, and he had a wide grin as he strode forward and continued, "Reward you with a kick!"


    This was a lightning-quick kick of extremely small magnitude, and it preciselyshed toward the temple of the young boy who was lying on the ground.


    Chen Ping''an summoned all of his strength to raise an arm to block this vicious kick.


    In the end, he was sent crashing into the wall with his arm held tightly against his head. Hey curled up there, and there wasn''t a single inch of his body that wasn''t hurting.


    The old man stood still and peered down at the pitiful young boy. "I''ve already gained aprehensive understanding of your martial arts foundation. What we went through just then was only the appetizer, and the truly painful part of the process is only just about to begin. Go out and give them a heads-up first. Tell them to prepare arge bathtub and the best nourishing medicinal ingredients. It''s best if they can prepare some golden sore medicines.


    "Of course, it''s best if they can also prepare a coffin. Haha, I''m afraid that you might suddenlymit suicide after being unable to endure the punishment. You know, that won''t be too bad either. At least you can reunite with your family underground."


    Chen Ping''an rested for an entire 15 minutes before finally being able to stand up and hobble out of the room with great difficulty. When he arrived in the corridor, he saw the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink who were exchanging nces with each other. Apart from them, there was also the mountain god in white who appeared as if he were taking slight pleasure in Chen Ping''an''s misfortune.


    After seeing the battered and exhausted Chen Ping''an, Wei Bo couldn''t help but chuckle, "I''ll go and prepare a top quality medicinal tub and top quality ointments and alchemical pills straight away. Rest assured, Ox Horn Mountain''s Cloth Wrapper Shop has everything that we need. In terms of money, I''ll pay for you first, and you can repay me whenever you have the money. There''s no rush. However, friends are friends, and business is business. I''ll still have to charge you a small amount of interest."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and squeezed out a smile that appeared even more hideous than the most frightening of grimaces. After Wei Bo left, he plonked to the floor and rested his back against the wall.


    "Master, is practicing fist techniques painful?" the little boy in azure asked softly.


    Limply sitting on the floor, Chen Ping''an involuntarily shuddered as he answered with a bitter expression, "It''s extremely painful."


    The little boy in azure had personally witnessed all of the times that Chen Ping''an had practiced walking meditation and standing meditation in the wind and snow, and he conceded that the pain and difficulty of doing this with the physique of a second tier martial artist was something that he couldn''t endure no matter what. This was far too excruciating.


    This wasn''t the kind of pain where one had their arms hacked off in a single stroke, causing blood to spurt everywhere and the victim to bawl with tears. Instead, this was a kind of pain where one had their flesh slowly cut off using a blunt de. This was a kind of pain where even breathing would feel as if one were drinking violent winds and swallowing countless des.


    However, if even Chen Ping''an found his current training painful, then the little boy in azure truly couldn''t imagine the torturous pain that it involved.


    The little girl in pink turned around and started to silently sob.

 Chapter 198: (1): The Young Boy Wants to Travel

    Chapter 198: (1): The Young Boy Wants to Travel


    The sages once said, "When the heavens are about to ce great responsibility on a great person, they always first frustrate their spirit and will, and exhaust their muscles and bones.[1]"


    Wei Bo traveled to Downtrodden Mountain almost every single day, bringing Chen Ping''an extremely valuable medicinal ingredients from Cloth Wrapper Shop.


    Even though Wei Bo couldn''t entirely empathize with Chen Ping''an''s suffering these past 20 days, he was indeed astonished by Chen Ping''an''s resilience as well as the disheveled old man''s brutality.


    Just how great a responsibility did the heavens want to ce on Chen Ping''an to have him suffer such inhumane punishment? When chaos took over the world and bad news traveled over from Stctite Mountain, they surely weren''t going to ask Chen Ping''an, this young boy, to charge over and stop a million enemies with a single sword, right?


    When this thought surfaced in Wei Bo''s mind, even he couldn''t help but think that it was preposterous.


    Just how vast was the heaven? Just how boundless was the earth? One had to realize that Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was only the smallest of the nine continents in the Majestic World. Indeed, therge continent that was closest to Stctite Mountain was none other than the Southern Whirl Continent which was brimming with prodigies and powerful beings.


    There were supreme talents Cao Xi, someone who was an extremely powerful terrestrial sword immortal. Even so, he still couldn''t be regarded as one of the most powerful cultivators in Southern Whirl Continent. Those who genuinely stood at the peak of the continent were people like the old ancestor of the Yingyin Chen n.


    Some time during the past 20 days, Song Yuzhang, the mountain god of Downtrodden Mountain, had visited and asked to speak to Wei Bo. However, Wei Bo had simply had a short and indifferent conversation with him. He had been far less weing and hospitable than the first time. Both parties were well aware of the reason behind this.


    Song Yuzhang wanted to be a loyal official, a foolishly faithful one who always put the interests of the Great Li Empire first. During their first encounter in the mountain god temple at the peak of Downtrodden Mountain, Song Yuzhang had revealed his true thoughts even though his audience had been Wei Bo. Meanwhile, Wei Bo wasn''t a benevolent y Bodhisattva who felt no anger, so the two of them had eventually parted ways on slightly bad terms.


    Today, Wei Bo held a bag of medicinal ingredients in his hands as he leisurely walked up the mountain. After arriving at the bamboo building, he discovered that Chen Ping''an was standing near the railing and had just finished practicing standing meditation. Chen Ping��an was yet toplete his training session today, and he surprisingly waved at Wei Bo when he saw him.


    Wei Bo lightly tossed the bag of medicinal ingredients that was worth 100,000 taels of silver to the little girl in pink. He then shot a brief nce at the little boy in azure who was sitting cross-legged on the cliffside before jogging to the second floor in a spritely manner. His feet thumped against the bamboo stairs, and he didn''t seem like the formal god of the Northern Mountain who was imminently about to receive his appointment. Instead, he seemed like a shop clerk who had to run around everywhere.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was about to enter a torture chamber, he still smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Esteemed Immortal Wei."


    "No, it''s not hard at all. It''s just walking a few steps, and I can even wander around and enjoy the scenery at the same time. In any case, I''m a mountain god, after all, so it''s my responsibility to patrol the mountains."


    Wei Bo rested his elbows on the railing and turned around to look at the young boy, asking, "Was drinking half a pot of wine that useful?"


    "I''m not sure why this is either," Chen Ping''an replied in embarrassment. "My mood changedpletely after drinking a bit of wine."


    Wei Bo nodded and said, "That''s a good thing."


    The old man''s deep and resonant voice traveled over from the room on the second floor, "Come in and enjoy yourself!"


    A helpless smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he waved goodbye to Wei Bo. Meanwhile, Wei Bo couldn''t help but smile wryly as well. Enjoy himself? The old man sure had gall to say this.


    Removing armor sounded very innocent and unremarkable, right? But what was this in reality? The old man was asking Chen Ping''an to peel his skin back and remove his fingernails!


    What about reeling silk? This was telling Chen Ping''an to reel his own tendons and blood vessels!


    These were brutal punishments that genuinely tested Chen Ping''an''s mental strength because he was required to do this to himself. Not only that, but he also had to keep his eyes wide open and make sure that he didn''t go too fast. He had to slowly torture himself using these inhumane methods.


    Wei Bo felt numb with apprehension. At the same time, however, he was also filled with eager anticipation regarding Chen Ping''an''s martial arts cultivation base.


    After undergoing such brutal training, just how solid and powerful would his third tier cultivation base be? When he fought against enemies in the future, just how impressive would hisbat power be?


    Chen Ping''an removed his straw sandals and walked into the empty room on the second floor. After closing the door, he saw the old man sitting cross-legged on the floor and flipping through the Mountain Shaking Guide. His brows were knitted into a deep frown.


    When seeing Chen Ping''an practice the Sword Furnace[2] today, the old man had suddenlye up with the idea to check out the fist guide that the standing meditation technique hade from. Upon hearing this request, Chen Ping''an had given him a lengthy exnation simr to what he had given Ning Yao back then �� he was only looking after this fist guide for someone else, and the Mountain Shaking Guide wasn''t his property. Thus, the fist techniques and diagrams recorded in the guide couldn''t be shared with anyone else, and so on and so forth. The old man had been so annoyed that he had almost taught the young boy a lesson on the spot.


    "This is that Mountain Shaking Guide?"


    The old man casually tossed the fist guide back to the young boy. There was a derisive smile on his face, and he chuckled, "There exists an insect in my hometown called the pi fu[ref]Pi Fu is a type ofrge ant.[ ef]. Unlike others of its ilk, it does nothing but transport mountain rocks into the water its entire life. Hahaha! So it turns out that this was written by a worldly martial artist from the southeastern region of Complete Reed Continent. Simply look at this small-minded and unsophisticated manner of speech. Just how powerful could the author of this fist technique have been to have written something like this?


    "Fortunately, this person had the self-awareness to clearly write this: ''Though never honored in parallel with the most paramount fist techniques of this age...'' Otherwise, I would have truly needed to scold him and call him shameless.


    "My fist technique decides not victory and loss, but life and death. It ces emphasis not on movements, but on intent. Tsk, tsk. This description is truly like a toad trying to swallow heaven and earth. Such boastful words! Chen Ping''an, do you know why the author described his fist technique as such? The answer is very simple �� because if he focused on victory or loss, then this fist technique would always lose more than it won. As such, the author ced an emphasis on deciding life and death instead. After all, a person can only die a single time."


    "If the fist guide is so terrible, then why was Senior willing to read it so carefully and remember all the details?" Chen Ping''an said in a mopey voice.


    The old man roared withughter and replied, "The fist technique recorded in the guide is genuinely crap. However, the person who wrote this guide is truly audacious, and reading through it gave me quite a good chuckle. I read it as if I were reading a messy travel journal."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t rebut the old man. However, he was quite unhappy after hearing this.


    He cherished this fist guide very much. He cherished it immensely!


    In fact, deep down in Chen Ping''an''s heart, his gratitude toward the Mountain Shaking Guide was no lesser than his gratitude toward the three wisps of sword qi from the sword spirit.


    The former was a life-saving technique, while thetter was a life-saving trump card. There was no notion of which was superior, nor should there be one. In any case, Chen Ping''an had a rough idea of just how powerful or weak the Mountain Shaking Guide was. After all, Ning Yao hadn''t rated it highly either, and she had simply told him to follow it step-by-step and use it to learn some fist techniques. However, she hadn''t felt like this could lead him to any great sess. Afterward, Zhu He had also observed Chen Ping''an performing walking meditation, and he hadn''t noticed anything special about it either.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t care about these things.


    No matter how many years passed, whether it was 10 years or 100 years, and no matter how high his martial arts achievement was at that time, he would still like the Mountain Shaking Fist. In fact, he would only like it more than today, not less!


    The old man smiled and said, "Let me ask you a simple question before beginning the training session today. If you answer it correctly, I''ll have a small surprise for you. If you answer it incorrectly, however, heh..."


    Chen Ping''an gulped in slight apprehension.


    The smile disappeared from the old man''s face, and he asked in a solemn voice, "Disregarding the description of the fist techniques, which sentence in the fist guide do you like the most?"


    "Those who practice the Mountain Shaking Fist in the future, remember this fact even if you''re facing the founders of the three teachings. Your fist technique could be weak, and your fist technique could lose in battles. However, the fist intent that you possess definitely can''t take a single step in retreat!" Chen Ping''an replied without hesitation.


    The old man abruptly stood up and said, "Time for training!"


    ��������


    In the cksmith shop located to the south of the small town, Ruan Xiu grumbled at her father and said in displeasure, "Why won''t you let me help forge the sword?"


    The middle-aged man nced at the brand-new sword furnace and asked, "Do you know why I agreed to forge this sword for that young girl?"


    Ruan Xiu nodded and replied, "Of course I do. She gave us such arge Dragon ying tform, and that was more than enough to purchase a good sword."


    Ruan Qiong shook his head and exined, "Not only this, but I also hope that the first sword that I forge after founding my own force will be able to astonish the world, regardless of whom I forge it for. I want all of the sword cultivators in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and perhaps even Complete Reed Continent, to learn of the peerless sharpness of this sword!"


    When he said this, a dazzling aura emanated from Ruan Qiong, who even the wine-selling women in the small town dared to tease. It was as if he were a schr expounding grand principles, it was as if he were a Daoist priest exining Dao, and it was as if he were a Buddhist priest teaching Dharma.


    Leaning back into his seat, Ruan Qiong clenched his hands into fists and lightly tapped them against his knees. His gaze was intense, and he no longer appeared rough and inarticte like he always did. "With this in mind, who''s the most suitable person to give this sword to? In the beginning, Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin was naturally the most suitable candidate. After all, he can be considered as part of us. However, it was a shame that he remained cultivating in seclusion the entire time.


    "Ning Yao came during this time, and she actively asked me to forge a sword for her. Not only that, but she also gave us that Dragon ying tform. Thus, I naturally wouldn''t turn her down. The ce that exists beyond Stctite Mountain is even more impressive than the sword cultivator holynds in Complete Reed Continent. In that ce, my sword will have a greater opportunity to win the attention of the sword cultivators in the world."


    Stctite Mountain was regarded as the biggest mountain seal in the world. It had initially been a small and exquisite seal, but after descending from the sky, it had transformed into a towering and majestic mountain. This was clearly in order to disgust the Confucian sages. Not only did the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor �� whose Daoist temple was located in a different world �� drive this nail into the Majestic World, but he even demanded all of the Qi refiners who passed through Stctite Mountain to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall to sign a "mountain alliance".


    Ordinary people weren''t aware of the existence of Stctite Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall. After all, these ces were essentially located at the very edge of the Majestic World. Meanwhile, most ordinary cultivation forces in the mountains were small and isted to their own area of the world. Thus, it was very likely that they might have never heard of Stctite Mountain or the Sword Qi Great Wall before.


    If it were a more powerful force, then they might perhaps mention these two ces in passing. However, it would be very difficult to delve any deeper. Firstly, they didn''t receive much news about these ces. Secondly, these ces were extremely far away from them, so there was little need to pay too much attention to them.


    Even when it came to the most top-notch cultivation sects in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, such as Wind Snow Temple, they still felt as if the Sword Qi Great Wall was shrouded in mystery, as if they were trying to look at a flower veiled in mist. This was because Stctite Mountain sat between them and the Sword Qi Great Wall, and this mountain was the handiwork of the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor. It was as if he had constructed a private courtyard in the Majestic World.


    His actions were truly as domineering as could be.


    The entire Majestic World belonged to the Confucian Sect, yet he insisted on building his own small garden in their territory.


    It was no wonder the Schrly Sage had run to the border between the two worlds to hurl abuse at the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor before bing a sage, and it was no wonder his actions had been one of the greatest points of pride for Confucian disciples at the time.


    ording to some widespread narratives, one could wander around and freely check things out when one went to Stctite Mountain. However, there were some things that one definitely couldn''t reveal to outsiders. Otherwise, if one dared to flout this rule, one would find themselves sought out by the disciples and grand-disciples of that Master Daoist. Moreover, the three schools and 72 academies of the Confucian Sect generally wouldn''t get too involved in these matters. They would at most say a few words to mediate the situation.


    As for why the Confucian sages who were honored in the temples chose to turn a blind eye to this matter? This most likely pertained to some very fundamental and profound secrets.


    This could be easily summarized using two words �� heaven knows.


    "Father, you said a lot, but what does all of this have to do with you not letting me help you forge the sword?" Ruan Xiu asked in puzzlement.


    Ruan Qiong nodded and replied, "The quality of that sword is too high, and the material used to forge it is too high-grade as well. Your cultivation base is already high enough now, so I''m afraid that you''ll cause too much of amotion and astound too many people if you be too engrossed and passionate in the forging process. The small town is brimming with all kinds of people now, so even the slightest bit ofmotion will be big news that spreads throughout half of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent."


    Ruan Xiu felt even more puzzled, and she asked, "Aren''t I just forging iron? Do you think I can forge a peach cake into existence?"


    "If you merely forged a peach cake into existence, then that would spare me a lot of worry and trouble," Ruan Qiong humped coldly.


    Ruan Xiu chuckled awkwardly and didn''t say anything else.


    She hadn''t eaten many snacks and desserts during the past year, so just the mention of them made her want to drool. She couldn''t help but feel slightly embarrassed.


    After holding back for a long time, Ruan Qiong finally couldn''t help but say, "After hearing that this was a request for him to bring a sword to Ning Yao, that little brat immediately agreed without any hesitation. In fact, he didn''t even ask about how far away Stctite Mountain is from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Hmph, he''s trying to punch far above his weight! How audacious!"


    Ruan Xiu turned around and said quietly, "Father, this is simply a case of him liking a girl, so there''s no need to worry about whether he''s worthy or in the same ss as her or not, right? It''s not like they''re getting engaged or married or anything. At that time, it might somewhat make a tiny bit of sense to consider his power and status. However, he only likes her right now, so even heaven and earth won''t pay any attention to this."


    Ruan Qiong faltered upon hearing this, and he asked, "You''re aware that he likes Ning Yao?"


    "I''m not blind, father," Ruan Xiu widened her eyes and replied. "And it''s not like you don''t know that I can see a person''s heart. I already knew this a long time ago."


    Ruan Qiong was so angry that he couldn''t utter a single word. Right now, he felt a strong urge to charge to Downtrodden Mountain in a single step and smash that little brat from y Vase Alley to death with a single punch.


    How could that bumpkin bully his darling daughter like this?


    Ruan Xiu suddenly giggled and said, "Father, you''re not thinking that I like Chen Ping''an, are you? Mhm, I''m talking about the type of like in a romantic sense."


    Ruan Qiong was slightly baffled. Even though he felt a little uneasy, he still pretended to be rxed as he replied in a stubborn manner, "How could you possibly like that brat? This has got nothing to do with his background. I was also an impoverished boy who came from a poor family, so there''s no need to dwell too much on this point. However, I''m genuinely not a fan of Chen Ping''an''s appearance and talent, and I''m not especially impressed by his disposition or temper either. How can he possibly be worthy of my Xiuxiu?"


    Ruan Xiu straightened her arms and inteced her fingers together as she gazed into the distance. "Oh, so father doesn''t like him."


    As a mighty Militarian sage, Ruan Qiong was almost angered to death after hearing his darling daughter say this.


    However, he still mustered his courage and asked, "Then what about you, Xiuxiu?"


    Ruan Xiu''s reply was slightly beside the point, and it was as if she were deflecting to a less serious issue. "Chen Ping''an will only like a single girl, and I''m more aware of this than anyone else."


    The young girl smiled happily when she said this.


    Ruan Qiong was slightly dumbfounded by this response. He didn''t know what his daughter was thinking. However, he wasn''t her mother, after all, so it naturally didn''t seem right for a man like him to dig any deeper regarding this topic of love and romance.


    Ruan Xiu squinted her watery and spirited eyes and giggled, "Peach cake is so delicious."


    Ruan Qiong abruptly stood up and said in a sullen voice, "I''ll go to the small town to buy you some."


    "Alrighty," Ruan Xiu replied in a weak and gentle voice.


    Ruan Qiong felt very angry as he walked to the small town.


    <em>Chen Ping''an, you little piece of shit... You forced my Xiuxiu to endure for more than half a year without any snacks or desserts!</em>


    <em>My darling daughter has be skinnier!</em>


    1. A quote by Mencius. ?


    2. Reminder that this is the name for standing meditation. ?

 Chapter 199: The Oriole Leaves and Returns

    Chapter 199: The Oriole Leaves and Returns


    Several significant events took ce in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent after the New Year.


    Firstly, thanks to the strong rmendation of his senior brother, Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen, the young Daoist priest with a surprisingly senior status in the Divine Edict Sect was invited to the sect that controlled the Divine Edict Sect.


    This was arge Daoist sect in the Middle Earth Divine Continent. He became the newly appointed Scripture Care Spiritual Master of the sect, and he was responsible for looking after that incredibly precious and profound Daoist work, the ''Dongxuan Scripture''[1]. This scripture was widely regarded as the fundamental outline of Daoism.


    This news was just as big as that of Divine Edict Sect''s Qi Zhen being bestowed the title of Heavenly Lord.


    Secondly, True Martial Mountain, one of the ancestral temples of the Militarians, recruited a new disciplest year who advanced three tiers in a single year. True Martial Mountain had initially had a slightly smaller presence and reputation than Wind Snow Temple, but news of their prodigious new disciple caused their reputation to skyrocket.


    In fact, they were showing signs of overtaking Wind Snow Temple. Moreover, one had to realize that this was taking into ount the fact that Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin had just advanced to be a terrestrial sword immortal. Indeed, this was proof of just how prodigiously talented that young boy was.


    Thirdly, there was a small rumor that the northern barbarians in the Great Li Empire had gone crazy and wanted to elevate some mountain in the south and have it be their new Northern Mountain. This instantly caused widespreadmotion and discussions, with the majority of people dismissing and ridiculing the Great Li Empire''s actions. They derided the bumpkin Song n as having shallow knowledge and not even being able to tell north from south. Only Lake View Academy strictly prohibited its students from discussing this matter. This was something worth ruminating over.


    The other matters weren''t as astounding as these three, and many of them were nothing more than rumors that had be more and more inurate as they were spread. Thus, it was difficult to determine the veracity of these things. For example, it was rumored that in the southernmost city of the continent, the Old Dragon City, Young Master Fu Nanhua was going to marry a direct descendant from some powerful n of Southern Stream Nation.


    The n that the woman was from was one of the most powerful and influential ns in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. However, it was said that the woman was shockingly ugly and already over 30 years old.


    For example, it was also said that Great Sui Nation was being rocked by unrest. Many powerful cultivators were secretly leaving the empire and choosing to journey down south. It was rumored that they were fleeing from the White Jade Capital of the Great Li Empire which appeared genuine yet fake at the same time.


    As for Mountain Cliff Academy which had lost its title as one of the 72 academies of Confucianism and settled down in the capital of Great Sui Nationst year, this couldn''t be considered a big piece of news.


    Some time ago, Great Sui Nation had also announced that they now had an astonishingly powerful 10th tier martial artist. However, everyone in the southern regions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had regarded this as nothing more than a pathetic lie and diversion technique by Great Sui Nation''s Imperial Gao n.


    The Lantern Festival had only just passed, yet so many significant events had already taken ce in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The continent had seemingly never been so busy and lively before.


    Following Wei Bo''s act of going to Downtrodden Mountain to take a walk and rest his mind every day, Downtrodden Mountain also started to be very lively and busy. The immortal forces in the three neighboring mountains had initially treated Downtrodden Mountain as a mere joke, especially since its owner refused to build any residences on the mountain.


    Now, however, they frequently ran over to Downtrodden Mountain to "coincidentally" encounter the formal god of the Northern Mountain. Sometimes, they would also go to the mountain god temple at the peak of the mountain to offer some incense.


    Thetter wasn''t a simple act. In fact, there were many regtions and things to watch out for when an immortal entered a temple to offer incense. Immortals generally wouldn''t enter the temples of gods, and they were even less likely to carelessly offer incense. This was unless they were offering incense to essentially form an alliance.


    For example, an immortal would only offer incense in a mountain god temple if they had a residence in the mountain and the imperial court appointed a new god to the mountain. However, they would only offer one stick of incense instead of three, and this could be regarded as somewhat of a greeting. If the stick of incense burned all the way down, this would signify the god in the temple acknowledging the immortal who had offered it. If the stick of incense didn''t burn all the way down, however, this would signify that the time and rtionship weren''t mature yet.


    As for whether the immortal force decided to turn against the god or further attempt to build a rtionship with them in the future, this would depend on the respective power and confidence of the two parties. Or in other words, this would depend on how powerful and influential the mortal empire was.


    However, the small Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was different from Middle Earth Divine Continent where all kinds of forces and philosophies bloomed, after all. It was rumored that there had once been a powerful empire that had a history of over a thousand years in Middle Earth Divine Continent, and every time the empire waned and weakened, an ambitious and wise ruler as well as powerful and loyal officials would definitely be born. That empire also held pure martial artists in extremely high regard.


    One time, that empire had also performed a glorious feat with no precedent. A foolish ruler who had almost severed the fortune of the empire had red up in rage for a lover, and he had mobilized the power of the entire nation to surround and attack arge mountain. In addition to immortal treasures from Qi refiners and flying swords from sword cultivators, there had also been countless powerful crossbows from pure martial artists as well as 6000 trebuchets that were engraved with Daoist talismans.


    Not only this, but there had also been close to 10,000 gigantic bed crossbows specially built by the mechanists from the Mohist Sect. The ruler had mobilized all of the weapons in his nation, and each of the bed crossbow bolts had been as thick as a pce pir... In the end, therge mountain had been transformed into a giant echidna.


    The small town in Dragon Spring Prefecture was still as lively as always, yet the mountains to the west of it had been surprisingly quiet and peaceful the past two days. To say nothing of the external immortal forces who had settled down there, even the unruly demons and spirits didn''t dare to misbehave or do anything out of the ordinary. This was because Cui Chan, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, was starting to patrol the mountains.


    ording to rumors, this was the first time that the old man in Confucian robes had visited Dragon Spring Prefecture. The old man appeared dignified and serious, and he only brought two subordinates with him as he walked from the north to the south. He entered the mountains from the prefectural office that was located to the north of the small town.


    Because Cui Chan didn''t purposely conceal his presence, and had notified his prized disciple, Prefectural Overseer Wu Yuan, beforehand, all of the forces in the mountains had received a notice from the prefectural office well before the imperial preceptor arrived. They were told to prepare themselves and get ready to wee the imperial preceptor when he entered the mountains to enjoy the scenery.


    Of course, they weren''t being forced to offer the imperial preceptor treasures and rare ingredients, nor were they being ordered to purify thends and sweep the paths. However, they at least had to give the imperial preceptor some face, and at least one leader from each force had to stay put in their mountain to greet him. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate if there was no one to greet the imperial preceptor and answer his questions.


    Among the mountains, Ruan Qiong''s Divine Elegance Mountain and Cloth Wrapper Shop''s Ox Horn Mountain were definitely the most important of them all. Thus, Wu Yuan had no option but to send County Magistrate Yuan and Kiln Supervision Official Cao to the two mountains first, lest the imperial preceptor not be greeted properly.


    As for Cloud Drape Mountain, it was without a doubt they had to prepare it properly. After all, the emperor was going to personally visit soon. Sure enough, after Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan stayed in Cloud Drape Mountain for two days and visited the temple of Northern Mountain as well as the nned location for the new academy, another figure appeared beside him and apanied him the entire time.


    This caused a hugemotion, as the person beside him was none other than Yellow Court Nation''s previous assistant minister, Cheng Shuidong. This gave rise to many spections. Had Yellow Court Nation''s Hong n, which was a vassal to Great Sui Nation, already betrayed their alliance?


    In the end, Cui Chan arrived at Downtrodden Mountain which was located at the southernmost end of the mountain range. He entered the mountain god temple, and Song Yuzhang appeared in his godly body to greet the imperial preceptor.


    When seeking knowledge during his youth, Song Yuzhang had deeply admired and looked up to Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan. Now that he was able to see him up close and even discuss some matters regarding morality and virtue with him, Song Yuzhang, who had already be a mountain god, still couldn''t help but feel extremely thrilled and emotional.


    After leaving the mountain god temple, Cui Chan told Song Yuzhang to head to Cloud Drape Mountain and discuss the matters pertaining to the demons entering the mountains with Wei Bo. Meanwhile, he told his two subordinates, Xu Ruo and Liu Yu, to return to the small town. They needed to keep an eye on Xie Shi and Cao Xi.


    Night fell, and the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire slowly descended the mountain by himself. After walking along a small and serene path, he finally arrived in front of a two-story bamboo building. The little boy in azure was cultivating by the cliff, while the little girl in pink was eating sunflower seeds and desserts under the eaves. The little girl blinked her eyes when she saw the old man. Her master was still unconscious in the tub of medicinal water, and she didn''t dare to close the door and turn the old man away, nor did she dare to allow an unfamiliar old man to wander into the bamboo building.


    The little boy in azure had been cultivating in earnest recently, and he remained tirelessly meditating both day and night. Apart from carrying Chen Ping''an down from the second floor of the bamboo building, he almost never stepped away from the cliffside of the mountain. However, after opening his eyes, the first thing that he saw was a profoundly powerful Confucian disciple who looked like he had a fairly bad temper. At this moment, the little boy in azure truly felt the urge to jump down the cliff tomit suicide.


    So be it if he came across powerful beings who could kill him with a single punch on the streets of the small town or in y Vase Alley. And he could also endure it if he came across such people on the deste mountain paths of Downtrodden Mountain. Yet, to have someone who was powerful enough to kill him with a single punch walk up at his front door while he was peacefully cultivating?


    Those who didn''t fear death would disy great courage. The little boy in azure had a stiff and lifeless expression as he said to the old man, "My master isn''t taking any guests at the moment. If you''re unhappy about this, then go ahead and smash me to death with a single punch. In any case, you need to step over my dead body first if you want to go and disturb my master."


    The old man nodded and replied with an indifferent expression, "You want to die, correct?"


    The little boy in azure was just about to speak, yet the little girl in pink had already asked in a childish voice, "Old Mister, who are you looking for?"


    Cui Chan turned around and replied with a faint smile, "I''m Cui Chan, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire. I''m not looking for your master, and I''m actually looking for that person on the second floor of the building."


    The little boy in azure acted as if he had been struck by lightning. His eyes instantly rolled into his head, and he ced one hand on his head before chaotically swinging his other hand around as if he were blind. "What did I say just then? Why did I suddenly forget? What''s happening to me...?"


    The old man on the second floor stood beside the railing and said to the little girl in pink, "Let hime up. You and the little water snake can go and y somewhere else first. Rest assured, this has got nothing to do with your master, Chen Ping''an."


    Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan grabbed two chairs and walked up to the second floor of the bamboo building. He carefully ced the two chairs in the corridor, one for him and one for the disheveled old man.


    "What''s wrong?" the disheveled old man asked.


    "For the sake of my Great Dao, I found a body shed by a great immortal in the ancient past and ced half of my soul in it," Cui Chan exined indifferently. "My soul was split into two, and the other half of me wandered around the Great Li Empire''s Jewel Small World in the body of a young boy. However, I lost against Qi Jingchun, and he caused the cultivation base of my other half to drop drastically. At the same time, my soul was also destabilized.


    "Afterward, I made a deal with a prisoner who''s lived for an incredibly long time. I learned a secret technique, and this allowed me to finally stabilize my mind and soul after great difficulty. However, the old schr came to this ce afterward, and he chose the young me and abandoned the old me who was in the capital of the Great Li Empire. He severed the spiritual connection between the two of us, and he caused us toprehensively be two people. And thus, there are now two Cui Chan in the world..."


    There was a cold look on the face of the disheveled old man, and his hands were tightly clenched into fists as they rested on his knees. He gazed into the distance and stated, "You''re wrong, it''s Cui Chanchan."


    Cui Chan''s expression remained unchanging, and he replied, "I''m Cui Chan, and this has been the case ever since I left our hometown. As for the young boy who possesses the other half of my soul, he''s chosen a new name that''s rted to mountains, Cui Dongshan. However, I feel like calling him Cui Chan would be better. Cui Chan and Cui Chan[2] Mountains and rivers don''t separate, and mountains and rivers will eventually reunite. This is a fairly good omen."


    "How have you be so old?" the disheveled old man looked over and asked.


    Cui Chan smiled in a self-deprecating manner and replied, "I left home when I was 20 years old, and I traveled to Middle Earth Divine Continent when I was 24 years old. Afterward, I experienced all kinds of ups and downs for 100-odd years. After betraying my teacher, I wandered around and traveled the world for 30 or so years. After returning to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, I''ve also remained in the Great Li Empire for all these years. I''m already over 200 years old, so I''m not a young person anymore."


    The disheveled old man shook his head and said, "This isn''t the Chanchan that I remember."


    Cui Chan smiled and replied in a nonchnt voice, "Grandfather, do you know? You''ve always been like this, and you always do things in a way that you feel is correct. It''s as if everyone in the world and all of the principles between heaven and earth have to orbit around you. In fact, things only stopped being like this after you went crazy. Even though I''m unaware of the reasons and misfortunes behind this, and even though I don''t know why the Cui n didn''t confine you, I don''t believe that your visit today will benefit either of us in any way."


    The disheveled old man shook his head again and revealed, "I came here to look for your teacher."


    "The old schr?" Cui Chan sneered. "He already left Eastern Treasured Vial Continent a long time ago, and he went to Southern Whirl Continent and caused a hugemotion there. In fact, even one of the suns on the shoulders of the Yingyin Chen n''s patriarch was stolen by the old schr. The entire world is discussing this with astonishment and fervor right now, but he doesn''t care about these things anymore. He''s as carefree as can be."


    The disheveled old man chuckled and remarked, "Chanchan would have never spoken like this when he was little. He would say bad things about other people, but he would always add anotherment at the end. For example, this person is very good to their family, or this person is genuinely skilled at poetry. However..."


    "That''s enough!" Cui Chan interjected with a cold humph. "These are all stale things from the past, and bringing them up all the time will only fill the air with dust."


    The disheveled old man roared withughter. "As expected of a mighty person who''s be the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire and is capable of determining the future direction of half the continent."


    Cui Chan sighed in response.


    "No wonder I failed to recognize you back then," the disheveled old man said in a self-deprecating manner. "The Chanchan that I remember is far too different from what you''ve be now."


    Cui Chan stood up and rested a hand on the railing. "The human heart is like water. If it doesn''t move, then it will be a puddle of stagnant water."


    The disheveled old man slowly stood up and said, "I can tell that apart from the swordsman apanying you, there are still two other powerful people in the small town. What, are they here to target you? Do you need me to do anything?"


    Cui Chan hesitated for a brief moment before replying in a half-truthful manner, "That depends on whether you''re brave enough to kill a Daoist Heavenly Lord from Complete Reed Continent first."


    The disheveled old man replied with a chuckle.


    Cui Chan turned around to look at the old man. Just like how he waspletely different from what the old man remembered, the old man waspletely different from what he remembered as well. Back then, the patriarch of the Cui Chan had walked around with a walking stick and appeared worn with age. Moreover, he had also had the aura of an elegant schr.


    The disheveled old man shut his eyes.


    He started to search for the aura of someone in the small town.


    ��������


    In the Xie n''s residence on Peach Leaf Alley...


    Cao Xi personally came over to pay a visit.


    Xie Shi couldn''t be bothered introducing him to the Xie n, and Cao Xi wasn''t willing to blow his own trumpet either. Thus, no one in the Xie n knew that this wealthy man was actually a terrestrial sword immortal from Southern Whirl Continent.


    Xie Shi was waiting for a clear response from the emperor of the Great Li Empire. Which of three people �� Divine Edict Sect''s He Xiaoliang, True Martial Mountain''s Ma Kuxuan, and the small town''s Li Xisheng �� was he ultimately willing to hand over?


    Even though the Xie n was in the dark about Cao Xi''s true identity, the fact that he was their old ancestor Xie Shi''s "friend" was already reason enough for them to treat him with utmost respect. They didn''t dare to offend him at all.


    As he sat in the main hall and sipped tea, Cao Xi shot a sideways nce at a pair of small and adorable incense children who were hiding inside a que and poking their heads out to look at him.


    Xie Shi was annoyed at Cao Xi''s attitude, and he was just about to stand up and shoo him away. However, the two of them suddenly looked toward the southwest at almost the exact same time.


    Cao Xi squinted, and he appeared to be taking slight pleasure in someone else''s misfortune.


    Meanwhile, Xie Shi appeared unfazed on the surface, yet he was feeling slightly stunned on the inside.


    This was the aura of a martial artist at the peak of the ninth tier.


    From somece in therge mountain to the southwest of the small town, there was a person wantonly sweeping their gaze over the entire small town.


    In the end, they locked their gaze on Xie Shi.


    Sitting opposite Xie Shi, Sword Immortal Cao Xi had his bonded flying sword formed from a river wrapped around the wrist.


    Nearby, there was also a "young" swordsman who had silently appeared on Peach Leaf Alley at some unknown time. He was none other than the Mohist cultivator, Xu Ruo. He leisurely walked around with his sword resting horizontally behind him.


    He was rtively unknown in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    However, he was extremely well-renowned in Middle Earth Divine Continent. Even so, most of the people in the Middle Earth Divine Continent only knew that Xu Ruo''s sword was focused on defense and not focused on attack. His sword techniques were unsophisticated and simple, and his sword qi was profound while his sword intent was sturdy. He was extremely famous for his defensive capabilities. However, few people were aware of the fact that Xu Ruo''s divine sword skills were ultimately used to kill enemies as well. How could he possibly focus on defense only?


    There were traveling Mohist cultivators all over the world, and even though their purpose was to suppress the strong to aid the weak, their destructive ability and ability to kill definitely wasn''t low, regardless of whether they were in the cultivation world or on the battlefield. Thus, apart from Militarian cultivators, Mohist cultivators were the most valued and relied upon among the hundred schools of thought by generals on the battlefield.


    Just now, a pure martial artist at least at the peak stage of the ninth tier had suddenly appeared in the mountains. Moreover, he was ready to cause trouble, and it was clear that he harbored ill intentions toward Xie Shi.


    Not only that, but Xie Shi also needed to consider Sage Ruan Qiong, whose current stance was unknown.


    Xie Shi took a sip of tea and swept his gaze around the surroundings.


    Just as he was about to ce his teacup back on the table...


    A small oriole suddenly swooped down through the skywell in the courtyard and left a trail of ripples in the air. However, things quickly returned to normal.


    The small and adorable oriolended on Xie Shi''s shoulder and lightly pecked his clothes.


    Chen Ping''an had seen this oriole before, and so had Qi Jingchun. In fact, many residents in the small town had seen this oriole before.


    There was puzzlement on Cao Xi''s face, and his expression changed drastically in the next moment. In the end, beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his smiling face became deathly pale. He felt a sense of respect and fear, and he also felt a sense of relief.


    Xu Ruo sighed and removed his hand from the hilt of his sword. He felt like it wouldn''t make a difference whether he drew his sword or not. The oue would be the same no matter what. He was still too slow.


    Ruan Qiong merely faltered for a brief moment before continuing to forge iron in earnest.


    Only the disheveled old man sitting in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain roared withughter. He was filled with fighting spirit.


    1. Dongxuan (����) references a category of Daoist scriptures. ?


    2. Cui Chan''s current name is �ޞ�, with �� (Cui) being the surname and �� (Chan) which means the sound of flowing water being the name. Here, he suggests using the character �f (also pronounced Chan) which means tall mountain as the name for the young Cui Chan. This is also a y on his past name �ޞ��f (Cui Chanchan). ?

 Chapter 200: (1): Crux of the Death Trap

    Chapter 200: (1): Crux of the Death Trap


    After the oriolended on Xie Shi''s shoulder, he ced the teacup on the table and seemingly put his worries aside as well. Heughed heartily and asked, "Is this how the Great Li Empire wees its guests?"


    Cao Xi felt slightly awkward.


    He did indeed want to kill Xie Shi and fish out the powerful Daoist cultivator who was supporting him from behind the scenes. At that time, everything would descend into chaos. Southern Whirl Continent''s Yingyin Chen n, the small town''s Sage Ruan Qiong, the two Militarian ancestral temples in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain, the White Jade Capital of unknown power in the capital of the Great Li Empire, the scheming Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan from the Great Li Empire, and so on and so forth...


    Cao Xi could not only fulfill his promise to the Pure Confucian Chen n and sessfully gain control over his own bonded porcin, but he could also be family with them through a wedding between their descendants. Afterward, he could find an opportunity to remove himself from the conflict andfortably watch the chaos unfold from the outside. Even if the heavens copsed, there would still be some other powerful person to bear the brunt first. There were only benefits, and in the worst-case scenario, he would simply hide in the Sea Suppressing Pagoda in the future.


    However, Cao Xi didn''t want to be the person who locked horns with Xie Shi first.


    The knowledgeable Xu Ruo had already abandoned his intention of drawing his sword after detecting the presence of the oriole. After hearing Xie Shi''sment, however, displeasure rose in his heart and caused him to ce his hand on the hilt of his sword again. The Mohist cultivator slowly approached the residence of the Xie n as he strolled through Peach Leaf Alley.


    As he walked, he said, "There''s no need for me toment on how the Great Li Empire wees its guests. If the empire genuinely had ill intentions toward you, Zhi Gui wouldn''t have appeared in the small town in the first ce. To move one through emotions, and to convince one through reasoning. The Great Li Empire hasn''t treated you too badly.


    "On the contrary, you, Xie Shi, were quite haughty when you spoke in the ry station, and you didn''t take the Great Li Empire seriously at all. What, you want to rely on the support of your ancestor to continue your haughty show? Fine, then I''ll challenge you to a battle of life and death as Xu Ruo alone."


    Xu Ruo walked to the front gate of the Xie n''s residence and said with a smile, "Rest assured, the words of Mohist disciples are worth their weight in gold. I''m challenging you to a battle now, and things will end when one of us dies. In the future, neither the Great Li Empire nor my seniors from the Mohist Sect will seek you out for trouble."


    Cui Chan, Cao Xi, Ruan Qiong, Xu Ruo, and the nameless martial artist �� the small town was brimming with powerful figures right now, and these five were the strongest. They formed an invisible thatpletely surrounded Xie Shi. Theoretically speaking, Xu Ruo should have been the least likely person to step forward and challenge Xie Shi. In the end, however, it was unexpectedly this amiable Mohist cultivator who wanted to draw his sword and fight to the death with Xie Shi first. He wanted to witness the supreme power of a Daoist Heavenly Lord.


    Xie Shi frowned and looked toward the front gate of the residence. "Xu Ruo, do you genuinely want to fight me?" he asked in a solemn voice.


    Xu Ruo patted the hilt of his sword and replied with a carefree smile, "It''s already been 60 years since Ist unleashed a true sword strike. I''ve nurtured two or three swords for this purpose, and I would say that this is enough to make do. I''m confident that I definitely won''t disappoint Heavenly Lord Xie."


    In a rare sight, Xie Shi felt as if he were in a slight dilemma. If there were animosity between them, and if this were in Complete Reed Continent, then he would readily agree to the fight. However, things weren''t so simple now that he had traveled south to the Great Li Empire.


    The fact that Xie Shi was going against his conscience to do these things was already a very clear reflection of the problem. As the Dao Master of a continent, how could he possibly submit to humiliation and journey south to his hometown simply because someone was threatening him using his bonded porcin?


    Cao Xi took slight pleasure in Xie Shi''s misfortune.


    Xu Ruo was well-known for being someone who could be easily persuaded by reason but couldn''t be cowed by force. He was one of the most easy-going and amiable people among the traveling cultivators in the world. In terms of how powerful he was, how high his cultivation base was, and how profound his backers were, this was a mystery since he seldom fought with others.


    However, cultivators in the mountains and outside the mountains all believed one thing �� if a cultivator was able to live for a long time, build a significant reputation, and still have a very good temper, then they would definitely be extremely terrifying when they became angry and lost their temper.


    Right at this moment, an elderly voice reverberated through the residence of the Xie n like the ringing of a great bell. "Xu Ruo, don''t fight with this old man. Xie Shi, was it? Let me deal with him and use him as practice. Coincidentally, I can treat this as a celebration for returning to the 10th tier of martial arts. If my opponent isn''t powerful enough, I won''t be able to fight to my heart''s content!


    "If you feel like I''m picking on the weak and taking advantage of numbers, then you can go ahead and call your backers over. I don''t mind at all, and I''ll have a hearty fight with those who are supporting you. Same as Xu Ruo, we''ll treat this as nothing more than a fight between you and me. We''ll take personal responsibility for our own life and death!"


    The small oriole that was still standing on Xie Shi''s shoulder chirped in a crisp and pleasant manner.


    Xie Shi pricked his ears and listened, and he smiled knowingly before cupping his fists and announcing, "My elder said that I wasn''t sincere enough before, and it wasn''t right for me to be so overbearing and forceful! As such, he''s making haste and traveling over to Dragon Spring Prefecture now, and he even said that he''ll personally help the Great Li Empire trick..."


    Xie Shi ryed the contents of the elder''s message to everyone, yet his expression froze slightly when he reached this portion. Realizing that he shouldn''t reveal his elder''s shorings to everyone, he hurriedly changed corrected himself and continued, "He even said that he''ll personally help the Great Li Empire invite the Jade Girl, He Xiaoliang, over, lest the Great Li Empire fall foul of the Divine Edict Sect. This is our show of sincerity. In other words, the Great Li Empire only needs to focus on True Martial Mountain."


    Cao Xi thought about this for a moment, and he couldn''t help but have a nagging feeling that something was off. However, he couldn''t find any issues with Xie Shi''s words.


    Xie Shi looked toward the front gate of the residence before cupping his fists and saying with a smile, "If you want to fight, then I''ll definitely entertain you after I finish dealing with this matter!"


    He then looked toward the mountains in the southwest where Downtrodden Mountain and the bamboo building were located, and he said, "If you want to fight with my elder, you still have to go through me, Xie Shi, first. I ask for your understanding regarding this matter. If you feel like this is a sign of me looking down on you..."


    Xie Shi retracted his fists and sped his hands behind his back. He then chuckled coldly and continued, "Then so be it, and you can treat this as me looking down on you!"


    He made one final remark, saying, "When this matter is over, I''ll definitely entertain you."


    In the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, the disheveled old man looked toward Cui Chan with a smile. "How is it? When should I act?" he asked. "If this were an ordinary scenario, I definitely wouldn''t be able to tolerate it."


    Cui Chan remained unfazed, and he gently rubbed his index finger against his thumb as if he were contemting the benefits and drawbacks. He slowly replied, "There''s no need to hurry. This is a business discussion, and what Xie Shi is trying to do is daylight robbery. As such, I simply want to borrow your ninth tier cultivation to help the emperor reach a better deal. Since his backer has already spoken and taken a huge step backward, there''s no need for the Great Li Empire to turn on Xie Shi anymore.


    "Heh, Xie Shi still needs to guard the mountains to the north of Lake View Academy in the future, so we certainly can''t injure this esteemed Heavenly Lord. After I leave this mountain, I still need to talk to Xu Ruo and persuade him not to act on an impulse for the moment. Ah, this is giving me a slight headache. Xu Ruo is without desire and strong-willed, so when ites to things that he''s set his mind on... Ah, I can feel my headache growing."


    Standing in the corridor, the barefoot and disheveled old man looked at the side of Cui Chan''s face and sighed, "Chanchan, you shouldn''t have be like this."


    Cui Chan pointed into the distance and sneered, "I''m Cui Chan, and your grandson Cui Chan[1] is in Great Sui Nation. Not only does he have the appearance of a young boy, but he even has the naive mind of a young boy. He should be to your liking."


    Cui Chan''s mood suddenly took a turn for the worse, and he roared, "Show yourself!"


    His sudden bellow caused the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink to shudder in fright. In fact, the little boy in azure was so terrified that his legs were trembling like jelly.


    <em>What, I''m not even allowed to secretly curse in my mind now? You''re even able to hear this? Since when did Confucian sages be so incredibly powerful?</em>


    Fortunately, a tall and slender man quickly walked over from the small and serene path outside the bamboo building. He was handsome, looked around 30 years old, and wore ck robes. However, he radiated an aura simr to hard and cold icicles, and it was clear that he wasn''t easy to get along with.


    He walked up to the bamboo building with firm and confident strides, and he lowered his head and cupped his fists at the second floor as he said, "The Cui n''s guest elder, Sun Shujian, pays his respects to the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, and pays his respects to Patriarch Cui!"


    There was displeasure in Cui Chan''s eyes, and he said, "That monk with the bowl stopped you once, and that was equivalent to him saving your life once. Yet, you still dare to enter the mountains ande here?!"


    At that time, Cui Chan had secretly left the ry station to visit the disheveled old man. He had already noticed Sun Shujian hiding in a concealed location when arriving, and he had felt an urge to kill the man. However, the monk had stepped in before Cui Chan could act on his urge. He had stood between Cui Chan and the guest elder of the Cui n, and Cui Chan had ultimately decided against killing Sun Shujian because he hadn''t wanted to create unnecessary conflict with the monk.


    Sun Shujian''s expression was solemn and resolute, and his fists remained cupped as he raised his head and locked gazes with the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire. "There''s always someone from the Cui n keeping an eye on the patriarch, and this responsibility is given to a new person every 10 years. This is in order to protect the patriarch and prevent him from being harmed by others.


    "I''m the one currently responsible for the patriarch''s safety. After the patriarch decided to leave the southern regions without warning, it was also me who helped him report incorrect intelligence and im that he was still wandering around in the same southern regions."


    Cui Chan smiled with squinted eyes and asked, "So you''re here to ask me for a reward?"


    Even though Sun Shujian shook his head, the fervent look in his eyes wasn''t hidden at all. "I wouldn''t dare to! I, Sun Shujian, simply wish to learn fist techniques from the patriarch! Even if my talent is limited, and I can only learn the basics, I''m willing to do this with no regrets!" he responded loudly.


    The barefoot old man chuckled and remarked, "I was in an abject state for a hundred years, and when I asionally regained rity, I remember seeing many people like you. Most of them had a higher cultivation base than you, but all of them were inevitably all looks and no substance. In terms of talent andbat power, those people are genuinely inferior to you, a vagrant sixth tier martial artist. There''s no need for you to be modest. In fact, your decision to banish yourself to the role of looking after me for a hundred years with no return is also part of your personal scheme, am I correct?"


    Sun Shujian had the disposition of a true viin, and he nodded and admitted, "I was indeed trying to get lucky, and I do truly wish to borrow Patriarch Cui''s good graces to ascend to the heavens in a single step!"


    "Oh? How wildly ambitious. Perhaps the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire over here will like you," the disheveled old man said as he pointed at Cui Chan standing beside him.


    He then pointed at himself before finally pointing at the pure martial artist standing in front of the bamboo building. "Ungrateful wretch, you know that I''m the patriarch of the Cui Chan, yet you still dare to act like this? How truly courageous. Weren''t you afraid that I would smash you into mincemeat with a single punch when I regained rity?"


    Sun Shujian''s expression was resolute, and he replied, "I only knew that I would regret things for a lifetime if I didn''t take this gamble and fight for a chance!"


    Cui Chan squinted his eyes and finally observed this young junior carefully for the first time.


    This was fairly interesting.


    The disheveled old man observed Cui Chan''s expression out of the corners of his eyes. He smiled and nimbly jumped down from the second floor. After gracefullynding and standing still, what stood behind the old man was the tightly shut door of the bamboo building and the pitiful Chen Ping��an who was lying in a tub of medicinal water on the first floor.


    The disheveled old man gazed at the tense guest elder from his n and said, "If you want to learn fist techniques from me, then you have to have some genuine talent and ability. Do you dare to face a punch from me? If you can withstand it, then the eighth tier is definitely within sight for you, and perhaps even the ninth tier. If you can''t withstand it, well.... There naturally won''t be a second punch."


    A remarkable fated opportunity was sitting in front of him, yet Sun Shujian still maintained his cool andposure. "Dare I ask, Patriarch Cui, what cultivation base will your punch correspond to?" he asked in a frank manner.


    Still standing on the second floor, Cui Chan smiled when he heard this question. Sun Shujian did indeed have the right to be his Go piece.


    The disheveled old man roared with delightedughter, and he replied, "You''re at the sixth tier, so I naturally won''t bully you. I''ll offer you a punch at the fifth tier. How does this sound?"


    Sun Shujian strode forward with one foot and shuffled his other foot back. He then entered a fist fighting stance and caused a burst of fist intent to wash through his body like a stream. His movements were practiced, and his aura was natural.


    It was clear that the self-taught Sun Shujian was not only resolute and determined when it came to martial arts, but he also had rtively remarkableprehension ability. As a vagrant cultivator, it was extremely likely that he had shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to reach his current height. He was a martial artist at the peak stage of the sixth tier, and he was a martial arts grandmaster who could freely travel around the cultivation world of a continent.


    Sun Shujian held his breath, and at this moment, he vaguely had the demeanor of a powerful cultivator already. "Please unleash a punch, Patriarch!"


    Cui Chan suddenly sighed for some unknown reason.


    The barefoot old man strode forward and threw a punch.


    A simple and unremarkable punch struck Sun Shujian''s forehead.


    Sun Shujian had no time to dodge the old man''s punch, and he was immediately sent flying over 30 meters into the distance. Hey in a pool of blood, and his arms and legs convulsed as blood continued to freely flow from his orifices. Before dying, the wildly ambitious martial artist widened his eyes and stared at the sky. His eyes were filled with confusion, unwillingness, and anger.


    The little girl in pink covered her eyes, not daring to look at this scene.


    The little boy in azure gulped in apprehension.


    <em>See, didn''t he just smash someone to death with a single punch?</em>


    "Why did you do this?" Cui Chan asked from the second floor of the bamboo building.


    The disheveled old man turned around and leaped back to the second floor. Standing under the eaves, he replied, "This type of person isn''t worthy of learning fist techniques from me."


    Cui Chan felt a slight sense of shame. Sun Chujian was a pure martial artist who had the potential to reach the eighth tier or even higher, and he could have be an important Go piece that others couldn''t underestimate. However, since he was already dead, Cui Chan quickly tossed aside his small amounts of feelings for the young martial artist. There was no use thinking about a dead person. Thankfully, this was someone else''s territory, so there was no need for him to dispose of the corpse.


    "Then why did you kill him?" Cui Chan asked in curiosity.


    The old man sat down and replied, "It wasn''t to show you, it was to show that person downstairs."


    Fortune and cmity weren''t predetermined, and they were instead summoned by one''s actions.


    Cui Chan looked down.


    A young boy was standing in front of the bamboo building and looking up at them with a dark expression.


    However, the young boy remained silent the entire time.


    The atmosphere was ice-cold.


    1. Aka Cui Dongshan. ?

 Chapter 201: (1): If There Is No Worry In My Heart

    Chapter 201: (1): If There Is No Worry In My Heart


    After the loud and direct Cao Xi left, the Xie n instantly became peaceful and quiet again. However, everyone in the n �� from the housewives to the children, and from the old servants to the elders �� tiptoed around in a cautious manner, afraid that they would disturb Xie Shi as he rested.


    For the past few days, everyone in the Xie n felt as if they were living in a dream. An old ancestor who had his name recorded in the Jiaxu genealogy book of the n had suddenly appeared in front of them. This was an old ancestor who had lived for heaven knows how many years.


    Among everyone in the n, perhaps only the young boy with long eyebrows was able to remain rtively calm andposed. This was because Xie Shi had roughly exined the outside world to him, and the young boy had also been told to follow Ruan Qiong and forge iron with him. When it came to fated opportunities, it wasn''t necessarily the case that following his old ancestor around and acting in a haughty manner would be better.


    The young boy with long eyebrows was mentally tough and resilient, and he didn''t show any signs of wanting to change his teacher even after learning that Xie Shi was imminently going to be the first Heavenly Lord of Complete Reed Continent. Xie Shi was soon going to be superior to his current teacher Ruan Qiong no matter if it was cultivation base or status. Xie Shi felt a slight sense of approval when he saw this. This was the disposition that was expected of the Xie n''s descendants.


    The young boy with long eyebrows naturally didn''t know that if he had shown any signs of hesitance, Xie Shi would have abandoned all thoughts of training and developing him. In fact, he would have even paid Ruan Qiong a visit and said a few words to him, lest the young boy with long eyebrows bring misfortune and cmity to his n.


    In other words, long eyebrows would have almostpletely lost the opportunity to achieve immortality and rejuvenate his n.


    When recruiting and teaching disciples, cultivators from the mountains ced heavy emphasis on the cultivation of one''s mind. This was especially the case for Daoist terrestrial immortals. One''s mind wasn''t something that could be easily understood in a few years, and it was often the case that cultivators would travel around the world for dozens of years before being able to find a satisfactory disciple to whom they could pass their true teachings.


    During these dozens of years, many cultivators would give their disciples all kinds of trials and examinations �� wealth, perilous hardships, romance, and all varieties of mortal matters. These were all checkpoints on the path of cultivation. Whether one remained a measly fish in the river, or whether one leaped through the dragon gates to sess and immortality, all of this might be determined by a single choice.


    The path of cultivation was long, and each person who was able to reach the 10th tier was undoubtedly an astonishing prodigy. This was especially the case for Qi refiners who managed to reach the Upper Five Tiers.


    However, there were a myriad of Great Dao, and there was no definitive path that led to the peak of the mountain. Thus, everyone had their own unique fated opportunity. Indeed, a quality and characteristic that Heavenly Lord Xie Shi didn''t like was very possibly desired by some other sage or heretical cultivator. Thus, it was often said that the heavens would never cut off all paths.


    Of course, Xie Shi''s lofty status naturally gave him a wide and distant view. In reality, the young boy with long eyebrows had talent and aptitude that was extremely sought after by the immortal sects in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. These sects would definitely recruit him as a disciple before deciding anything else.


    After all, it would be incredibly beneficial for a force to gain a new immortal at the Middle Five Tiers. Such cultivators would be extremely helpful in terms of intimidating mortal empires and in terms of maintaining a subtly bnced rtionship with neighboring forces. Thus, these forces naturally wouldn''t be as pedantic and nitpicky as Heavenly Lord Xie Shi.


    Xie Shi slowly sipped wine with an anxious expression.


    "Is something weighing on your mind, Old Ancestor?" the young boy with long eyebrows asked as he sat on the opposite side of the table.


    Upon seeing that there were no outsiders present, a pair of extremely high-quality incense children jumped down from the que hanging in the hall. They started to happily run around and y with each other on the young boy''s shoulders and head. The young boy with long eyebrows had already be ustomed to this.


    Xie Shi gloomily drank a mouthful of wine and replied, "I''m merely feeling a little guilty."


    The young boy with long eyebrows was dumbfounded, and he asked, "Old Ancestor is so powerful, yet you still need to do things against your conscience?"


    Xie Shi smiled and replied, "You''ll also be troubled by such matters in the future. There''s no need to feel astonished. Your personality is more honest and straightforward than flexible and agile, so it will be a fairly good choice for you to learn the sword. Daoists cultivate a pure and tranquil mind, and this sounds as if one is transforming themselves into a puddle of stagnant water. However, this isn''t the case. Instead, it''s a path where the examination of one''s own conscience is most important. There are all kinds of considerations and restrictions, and this isn''t an easy path to walk at all."


    Long eyebrows nodded in understanding.


    Xie Shi sighed with emotion in his mind as he looked at the rtively childish face of the young boy.


    Chaos was about to erupt, and all kinds of powerful beings were about to rise and gain renown. Things were destined to be spectacr and lively. At the same time, however, there would be an inevitable increase in partings, deaths, and other matters that went against one''s will. This would be the case both in the mountains and outside the mountains.


    Xie Shi waved his hand, signaling to the young boy that he could leave.


    The pair of incense children jumped back into the que, where they leaned against each other and chit-chatted in a low voice.


    Xie Shi closed his eyes and rested his mind. His breathing was calm, and his mind was at ease.


    ��������


    After leaving Peach Leaf Alley, Cao Xi started to randomly wander around the wide streets and narrow alleys. He was like a wealthy man, and outsiders werepletely unaware of his lofty status. Moreover, Cao Xi was someone who could strike up a conversation with anyone.


    In fact, if it weren''t because all of the treasures in Jewel Small World had already been found and taken, Cao Xi would have flipped the entire small town upside down before he stopped his search. Indeed, he was known as someone who would pluck the feathers of passing geese in Southern Whirl Continent[1].


    Cao Xi felt deep resentment in his mind. He was angry at the fact that the Great Li Empire had forcefully purchased and sold those things before. ording to the secret reports from the descendants of the Cao n in the Great Li Empire, the empire had truly reaped many benefits during that process of forcefully collecting treasures. It was as if the empire had been fishing in a dryke. Even as high as Cao Xi''s cultivation base was, he still couldn''t help but feel slightly envious.


    During that dragon-ying battle, the ancestors of the three teachings and hundred schools of thought had engaged in a bloody and earth-shattering battle here. Corpses had rained down like snow, and the four sages had eventually descended from the sky and sealed this area off. And just like that, all of the treasures had been left in the small world.


    Afterward, the small world would open its doors to outsiders once every 60 years. After paying to enter, these outsiders would rely on their own skills and abilities to collect any remaining treasures. Many of these outsiders obtained great fortune and had their cultivation base rise explosively after leaving the small world.


    Cao Xi hesitated for a moment before murmuring, "Descendants and future generations will have their own fortunes... my ass. If I don''t give them some guidance, I reckon things will be quite doubtful."


    He arrived at the kiln supervision office, and the gatekeeper there was someone with rtively poor observation skills and judgment. Moreover, he didn''t have the right to know about the Cao n''s internal matters and cultivation matters either. Thus, he aggressively stopped Cao Xi and the gate and refused to let him enter. Cao Xi didn''t get angry, and he chuckled merrily as he stood outside the kiln supervision office and chatted with the gatekeeper. After a while, the two of them became quite familiar and friendly with each other.


    However, Cao Jun, who had moved out from the Cao n''s ancestral residence and temporarily settled down here, noticed something was off and gave Kiln Supervision Official Cao Mao a warning. The eldest grandson of the Pir Cao n hurriedly ran to the front gate in fear. Upon seeing his old ancestor whom he always thought about, Cao Mao immediately plonked to his knees and kowtowed without hesitation.


    The gatekeeper was almost scared out of his wits.


    Even though Cao Mao had cheerily chatted with Prefectural Overseer Wu Yuan before, he actually didn''t hold Wu Yuan �� someone with an underprivileged background and the disciple of the imperial preceptor �� in very high regard. Cao Mao was also a renowned young master in the capital of the Great Li Empire. Now that he had arrived in front of Cao Xi, however, he didn''t hold back at all as he expressed his utmost respect.


    However, he couldn''t be med for being so spooked. Cao Xi was the most senior ancestor in the Cao n, and his status was even higher than the ancestor who had won the title of pir general for the n. However, only the eldest son of each generation had the right to learn this huge secret.


    This was something they could reveal in moments of great danger, and they could announce that their old ancestor was a terrestrial sword immortal from Southern Whirl Continent and half the owner of the Sea Suppressing Pagoda. This was something even more powerful and useful than a death-exemption te[2].


    Cao Xi walked up to Cao Mao and gave him a kick. "Stand up; stop embarrassing yourself in front of so many people."


    Cao Mao hurriedly stood up and wasn''t even willing to pat the dust from his official garb. The rims of his eyes were red with emotion, and this was emotion that came from the bottom of his heart.


    His old ancestor was an immortal at the Upper Five Tiers, and that kind of person wasn''t someone that he could easily see on a whim. This old ancestor''s name was clearly written on the genealogical records of the Cao n!


    With such a powerful backer, could the descendants of the Cao n not act haughtily and do anything they wanted in the Great Li Empire? In fact, could they not act haughtily and do anything they wanted in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?


    "Have you checked Chen Ping''an''s genealogical records?" Cao Xi asked.


    "I''ve checked all of it, and there isn''t anything out of the ordinary," Cao Mao replied in a reverent and respectful voice. "Even his ancestors from hundreds of years ago were only ordinary residents in the small town. In fact, there isn''t a single record about any of his ancestors being a Qi refiner."


    "Mhm, then that makes this matter much simpler," Cao Ximented, "However, this is still fairly strange and fishy. Either the Dragon Tail Creek Chen n has tampered with the records, or some old ancestor from that Chen n was far too fortunate, so much so that he used up all of his descendants'' fortune for dozens of generations. Forget about it, there''s no need to worry about these trivial matters."


    Cao Mao bowed down and wanted to lead his old ancestor to the main hall of the kiln supervision office. However, Cao Xi immediately snapped, "How measly is your position? I would feel ashamed to sit in that main hall."


    Cao Mao was at aplete loss.


    He genuinely had zero experience when it came to interacting with old ancestors who were powerful immortals. Even if his grandfather, the current n leader of the Pir Cao n, were present, it was very likely that he would also feel as stuck in a hopeless position.


    Cao Xi stood under the archway in therge space in front of the kiln supervision office and ordered with a cold smile, "Cao Jun, get your ass over here."


    After a short while, Cao Junzily walked over with two swords of unequal length hanging by his waist. After seeing Cao Xi''s casual posture, he chuckled, "What''s wrong? You were pissed off after meeting with those people in the Xie n''s residence, so you want to use me as a punching bag to vent your anger? You ran all the way over here just to drag me out and scold me?"


    Cao Xi shot a sideways nce at Cao Jun and spat, "How pathetic!"


    Cao Jun chuckled and replied, "Heh, there''s nothing I can do about this. I take after you, after all."


    Deep down in his heart, Cao Mao was slightly envious of this young swordsman who was from the same n as him and whom he only knew the name of. He surprisingly dared to speak to their old ancestor in such a rude and carefree tone.


    Cao Xi fell silent for a moment, and he carefully observed theyout and cirction of feng shui in the kiln supervision office. After a while, he suddenly asked, "Has the office just undergone a recent renovation? Whose idea was it?"


    Cao Mao nced around before replying in a low voice, "Grandpa took the floor n of the office with him and earnestly asked a powerful person from the capital''s Lu n for some tips. What''s wrong? Was this not appropriate?"


    Cao Xi''s expression was grim as he replied, "Not appropriate? It''s as appropriate as can be! Compared to how the winds were concealed and the water was gathered before, this slight change is akin to a beautiful act of painting eyes on the dragon[3]. In the future, this ce will very likely be the origin of your dynasty. "Mhm, don''t misunderstand me, your destiny isn''t good enough for you to be a genuine ruler. If nothing unexpected happens, you can at most inherit the title of pir general. If you''re fortunate, you might even be recorded as a n rejuvenation ancestor in the n genealogical records."


    Cao Mao could barely hide his wild delight.


    Cao Jun habitually squinted his eyes and smiled.


    Meanwhile, Cao Xi couldn''t help but feel slightly exasperated. He had gone through so much trouble to build arge n with numerous descendants, yet in the end, all of his descendants were nothing more than pathetic and unambitious good-for-nothings. The mere position of pir general was able to make this stupid child smile in such an ecstatic manner?


    His mood instantly became foul. However, he didn''t let this show on his face.


    He couldn''t help but think about his ancestral residence which had been repaired by someone else. The residence was slightly different from his memory now. For example, when he was little, the eaves of the skywell had already been extremely damaged. However, they didn''t have enough money to repair the rundown residence, so whenever it rained, the ground would always be flooded with rainwater.


    This was in contrast to the skywells of wealthy ns, which would push all of the "wealth and fortune" brought by the rain and snow into the ponds beneath the skywells and prevent the ground from bing too wet. This was truly a case of cleanly epting feng shui.


    ording to the elders in the small town, if a n''s ancestors performed good deeds and were rewarded with 100 grains of rice, then their descendants could use the bowl that was the pond beneath the skywell to catch these 100 grains of rice without spilling a single grain. However, when Cao Xi was little, their pond had only been able to catch at most half a grain of rice.


    Now that their ancestral residence had been repaired, however, they were enjoying fortune thanks to misfortune. If they believed those superstitions of the elders, then their n could now catch all of the ancestral blessings that descended from the heavens.


    "A family that umtes goodness is sure to have abundant happiness. Should I believe this to some extent?" Cao Xi murmured to himself.


    "So be it if other people believe this. But you, Cao Xi, believing this? If you truly believed this, then you definitely couldn''t have made it to where you are today!" a fiery red fox sitting above the archway sneered.


    Cao Xi didn''t look up, and he chuckled coldly and replied, "That''s because I''m resilient and capable, so I have the freedom to not believe it. However, if I don''t believe it to some small extent, then I''m afraid that the good-for-nothing Cao n in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent will disappear with a snap of someone''s fingers one day."


    "Oh, you seriously believe it?" Cao Jun jeered. "What''s this? Is our old ancestor going to perform good deeds to umte good karma? The sun is truly rising from the west today!"


    Cao Xi looked at Cao Jun and warned, "Don''t think about trying to get that sword billet anymore. If you''re unhappy about this, then I''ll naturallypensate youter."


    "Why''s this?" Cao Jun asked with an increasingly cold smile.


    "Because I''m your ancestor," Cao Xi replied casually.


    Cao Jun suddenly burst intoughter. "Then it''s a deal! Good people will always be blessed with good karma, so Old Ancestor will definitely enjoy a long life!"


    The fiery red fox stood on the archway and eagerly pped its paws in celebration. However, its remark was extremely sarcastic as it said, "Wow, such a touching scene between a benevolent ancestor and a dutiful descendant! The old ancestor is generous, while the young descendant is filial. What a sweet sight. Oh, I can barely stop myself from crying..."


    Cao Xi humphed and couldn''t be bothered responding to the foul-mouthed fox. He turned around and flicked his sleeves before striding away.


    When the old man left the kiln supervision office, the sky had already be gloomy. It was truly going to rain soon.


    He returned to his ancestral residence in y Vase Alley, and the pitter-patter of spring rain followed soon after. The rain became heavier and heavier.


    Cao Xi sat by himself in the main hall. There was no que hanging in the average-sized hall, and someone else had already gobbled up the incense entity that had appeared after much difficulty.


    This was a lone and rundown residence.


    Cao Xi suddenly stood up and walked over to the kitchen to grab arge white bowl from the cupboard. He then made his way to the pond under the skywell and squatted down on the outside edge. His feet were resting on the pebbles inside the small pond, and he used therge white bowl to catch the falling rain.


    After collecting half a bowl of rainwater, Cao Xi lifted the bowl and drank a mouthful. However, he immediately poured the rest of the rainwater into the small pond and grumbled, "Schrs only know how to spew bullshit. How does water from one''s hometown taste better than wine?"


    Cao Xi sighed and became lost in thought.


    In the end, the old man looked back with the bowl still in his hands, as if he could see an old woman doing housework inside the house. She was seemingly resting at this moment, and she hugged the broom in her arms as she quietly stood there and smiled at her son. There were times when children wished to care for their parents, yet their parents had already passed[4]. His mother hadn''t been able to enjoy a drop of fortune, yet she hadn''t cared about this as long as her son could be sessful.


    The old man had already enjoyed all kinds of glory and wealth in the world, and it had already been hundreds upon hundreds of years since he hadst felt such a deep sense of sadness. Tears clouded his vision, and he softly murmured, "Mother, oh, my silly mother."


    ��������


    Work had alreadymenced at the southern mountain foot of Cloud Drape Mountain. Forest Deer Academy was going to be constructed here, and it was as if new buildings were springing into existence with each passing day. The Great Li Empire treated Forest Deer Academy with utmost importance, and the Song n emperor viewed the construction of this academy as equivalent to the construction of the mountain god temple for the formal god of Northern Mountain. In fact, he even issued two imperial edicts regarding this matter, one to the provincial office and one to the prefectural office.


    Cheng Shuidong, the old flood dragon from Yellow Court Nation, was dressed in azure and appearedpletely like a Confucian schr.


    Including the emperor of the Great Li Empire and Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan, only few people knew of the old flood dragon''s true identity. Thus, even though Cheng Shuidong''s literary works were quite widespread and had a great reputation in the northern regions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, many officials in the imperial court of the Great Li Empire still criticized the fact that a measly assistant minister from Yellow Court Nation was going to be appointed to the position of assistant mountain master.


    Many officials felt that Cheng Shuidong didn''t have a strong reputation when it came to the study of Confucianism, so his words wouldn''t carry enough weight to convince and lead others. Meanwhile, the generals of the Great Li Empire were even more dissatisfied. The old geezer from the Yellow Court Nation was already lucky to be alive, yet he now wanted to be the master of the schrly disciples in the Great Li Empire?


    The old flood dragon stood beside Wei Bo and watched the construction work that was in full swing and sending plumes of dust into the air. This was the first time that the two of them had met in a private capacity.


    "Wei Bo, you''re like dying embers that unexpectedlye back to life every time," Chen Shuidong sighed with emotion.


    Wei Bo had initially been the formal god of the Divine Water Nation''s Northern Mountain. However, his gold statue had been shattered by the Great Li Empire and thrown into the water, where it had sunk to the bottom. Afterward, someone had painstakingly helped him piece his shattered body back together, allowing him to just barely ensure that incense continued to burn for him.


    However, cmity had suddenly descended from the heavens, and his gold statue had been restricted by two Go-ying immortals. This had caused him to be a mountain lord, a most low-level deity. In fact, he had been inferior to even ordinary river guardians. In the end, however, he had risen astronomically and now be the formal god of Cloud Drape Mountain, the Northern Mountain of the Great Li Empire.


    It wouldn''t be surprising if the native mountain gods of the Great Li Empire felt an urge to fight Wei Bo to the death.


    Cheng Shuidong had traveled all around the world during his younger years, so he was actually an old acquaintance of Wei Bo.


    The sky started to drizzle, pushing the floating dust particles back toward the earth.


    The old flood dragon and Wei Bo naturally didn''t need to worry about the rain hitting them.


    Wei Bo extended an arm and gently waved his hand, causing the curtain of rain in front of him to waver slightly. He smiled faintly and said, "Why else would people be all envious of gods and immortals? In any case, the term puts gods before immortals.[5]"


    "Is the emperor truly going to travel south to visit Dragon Spring Prefecture?" Cheng Shuidong asked quietly.


    Wei Bo didn''t try to hide anything, and he replied with augh, "That''s right, he''s going to travel down here fairly soon. At that time, it will definitely be very interesting when you, an old flood dragon, has an audience with the emperor, a true dragon[6]. How is your preparation for the greeting gift?"


    "I''ve already prepared everything; it''s barely worth a mention," the old flood dragon replied with a smile.


    Wei Bo pointed in the direction of the small town and asked, "Will they end up fighting? If they do, will you interfere?"


    Cheng Shuidong hesitated for a moment, and he was ultimately unwilling to treat the future formal god of the Northern Mountain as an idiot. "I''ve already be involved, so what else can I do?"


    Wei Bo could feel a slight headache forming, and he said, "Just don''t break my Cloud Drape Mountain."


    The old flood dragonughed loudly and said in amusement, "How long has it been? You''re treating this ce as home already?"


    Wei Bo chuckled and replied, "I like the new but don''t tire of the old."


    The old flood dragon pointed at the mountain god in white and remarked, "Not tiring of the old to such a degree as yourself... This is truly a rare sight in our world."


    Wei Boughed heartily and teased, "This is most definitely because you''re not well-read and well-traveled enough."


    Cheng Shuidong immediately understood Wei Bo''s insinuation. The smile disappeared from his face, and he warned, "There are some things that other people can do, but we can''t talk about."


    Wei Bo nodded in acknowledgment. He suddenly recalled something, and he said, "I need to take a trip to Downtrodden Mountain. I won��t apany you in the rain anymore."


    1. This refers to someone who likes to take advantage of things to gain small benefits ?


    2. A te bestowed by the emperor that allows one to be exempt from the death penalty. Often the highest reward an official could receive. ?


    3. Adding finishing touches to bring something to life. ?


    4. A line from ''The Sayings of Confucius''. This represents a feeling of exasperation and helplessness at the fact that one''s parents have passed before one can properly look after them. ?


    5. Referring to the term ���� which means both god and immortal depending on the context, and literally reads gods and immortals. ?


    6. The emperor is not a true dragon in the literal sense. However, emperors in ancient China all used the symbols of dragons. ?

 Chapter 202: All Four Seasons in the World Will Be Pretty

    Chapter 202: All Four Seasons in the World Will Be Pretty


    For the past two days of training, the disheveled old man''s attacks had be increasingly intense. Even though he no longer ordered Chen Ping''an to skin himself and sever his own tendons, he still used the Deity Drumming Technique to punch the young boy again and again, with each punch dealing more damage than thest. Chen Ping''an was genuinely pummeled to the verge of copse.


    Outside the bamboo building, the little girl in pink was absent-mindedly eating sunflower seeds. Her lips were already split, yet she was stillpletely unaware of this. As for the little boy in azure, he was silently cultivating by the cliff with a solemn expression. Not only was he relying on his innately powerful physical constitution to digest the high-quality snake gall pebble in his stomach, but he was also trying his best to concentrate and not be disturbed by the harrowing scenes inside the bamboo building.


    In fact, little did the water snake from the Imperial River know that this was in fact a grand fated opportunity to cultivate both his body and his mind. Not only could he nurture his Qi, but he could also temper his Qi. Inside his body, it was as if powerful waves were mming intorge pirs that stood amid rivers. This was an extremely rare opportunity.


    The little girl in pink would feel uneasy at times, and whenever this happened, she would reach over to run her hands over the bamboo building. Even though the characters that Li Xisheng had written on the bamboo walls weren''t visible anymore, she had alreadymitted all of them to memory. She remembered all of the characters, and she even remembered all of the character strokes.


    Whenever she felt like she couldn''t bear listening to the agonized howls of her master or the sound of him smashing into the walls, she would force herself to recite the poems and essays that had been written on the bamboo walls.


    This was also a form of cultivation.


    In terms of snake gall pebbles, it was naturally the case that the more the better. This was a treasure that all of the flood dragons and their ilk dreamed of obtaining. However, this treasure also adhered to the hidden notion of "one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand".


    Wei Bo had revealed a secret regarding this before, and he had exined a concept to the two little children. After eating the first high-quality snake gall pebble, it would take impure flood dragon descendants approximately one year to digest it. The little girl in pink �� a fire python �� had a weaker physical constitution, so it would take her even longer. Perhaps it would take her 13 to 14 months. However, the little boy in azure had a stronger physical constitution, so it would only take him a little over half a year.


    Digesting the second high-quality snake gall pebble wouldn''t be as easy. It would take them 10 years of hard work to properly digest. As for the third one, it would take them 100 years and slow and steady work to gradually chip away at it. For the fourth one, they would need to endure for a lengthy 1000 years. And for the fifth one, it would take them a whopping 10,000 years!


    Thus, it was already insignificant and meaningless whether they could obtain a fifth high-quality snake gall pebble or not. After all, this couldn''t even be regarded as icing on the cake. At most, it could only be considered a precious collectible in their treasure chamber.


    It was because of this that the little boy in azure had started to covet ordinary snake gall pebbles instead after obtaining three high-quality snake gall pebbles. Ordinary snake gall pebbles couldn''t guarantee him a cultivation breakthrough, but they could certainly help him umte 10 years'' worth of cultivation at a time. As such, his cultivation base would gradually be more and more powerful. To improve his cultivation while eating... Was this not incredible?


    Back then, the little boy in azure had dreamed about lying down like a wealthy individual to enjoy his fortunes. He would sunbake every day, and his cultivation base would continue to rise as he mucked around and enjoyed the scenery. How rxing and satisfying!


    However, everything changed after Chen Ping''an started to train with the disheveled old man. The little boy in azure changed his thinking, and he began to cultivate in earnest in stark contrast to before. In fact, the water snake from the Imperial River was rtively simple-minded, and his thoughts were rtively simple. He was tired ofing across people who could smash him to death with a single punch, and he didn''t want his cultivation base to be overtaken by the country bumpkin Chen Ping''an either. After all, just how embarrassing would that be?


    The heaven was big and the earth was big, but the face of the gant heroes in the cultivation world was the biggest!


    Inside the bamboo building, the barefoot old man crossed his arms and peered down at Chen Ping��an curled up on the floor. Chen Ping''an was aching with pain, and popping sounds wereing from all over his body as if popcorn were being made. Just then, the disheveled old man had thrown 28 punches using the Deity Drumming Technique and struck the same number of acupoints on Chen Ping''an''s body. This was brutal punishment, and it left Chen Ping''an in his current state of abject misery where he was only hanging on by a single breath.


    "It was only 28 punches, yet you''re already acting as if you''re dead," the old man sneered in a cold voice. "How unsightly! If you can''t endure 30 punches, then you can''t be regarded as the most powerful third tier martial artist in the world!"


    Chen Ping''an was drenched in blood, and such was his exhaustion that he was in no state to answer. He had breathed using the technique that Old Man Yang had taught him, he had channeled the fire-dragon-esque True Qi in his body, and he had utilized the Eighteen Stops technique that A''Liang had imed was gradually created and refined by countless sword immortals. He had channeled all three of these things in unison, yet he had only been able to just barely endure the disheveled old man''s 28 powerful punches.


    The old manshed out with a kick and struck Chen Ping''an in the back, sending him mming into the wall before crashing back down onto the floor. Chen Ping''an had almost stabilized his sea of Qi already, yet the old man''s sudden kick rendered all of his previous work for naught. His Qi became chaotic again, and he convulsed on the floor as if he were suffering epileptic shock.


    The old man roared withughter and said, "What should a pure martial artist rely on if they want to stand at the peak of the cultivation world? They need to rely on their ability to hold in a breath of Qi! They need to use this breath of Qi to grind to death those Qi refiners who can wantonly draw spiritual energy from the environment! If you lose your ability to hold in your breath of Qi and fight after suffering such measly pain, then what do you n to do afterward? Hide in a corner to recuperate and replenish your Qi? Will your opponent afford you this opportunity? So, the breath of Qi that you''ve umted is still far from enough!"


    Measly pain...


    Face caked with blood, Chen Ping''an was unable to say anything to retort the disheveled old man.


    The old man was speaking in a vicious manner, and he was going to extreme lengths to verbally torment the young boy. However, if a martial arts grandmaster who had fought against the disheveled old man were present, or if a cultivator from the mountains who had been wounded by or killed by him were present, they would definitely be filled with shock and disbelief. Apart from being profoundly masterful at fist techniques, the old man was also well-renowned for having incredibly high standards.


    At his peak, he had been the only 10th tier martial artist in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. At that time, he had relied on his physical body and fists alone to sweep through three entire continents! Before throwing punches, the old man wouldn''t introduce himself and tell his opponent his name. After throwing punches, the old man wouldn''t reveal his identity either. He woulde and go like a swift breeze.


    He would immediately leave after a fight, and if he identally killed someone, that unfortunate person''s descendants and disciples would be free to seek him out and exact revenge if they had the courage and power. What did it matter if dozens or hundreds of them surrounded him and attacked him? What did it matter if they used all kinds of immortal treasures and employed all kinds of schemes? He would block everything with his two fists!


    At that time, the cultivators in the three continents had only known that this entric and nameless martial artist of profound power would seldom show respect to defeated opponents. In fact, the old man wouldn''t treat his opponent with respect and seriousness even if they were evenly matched. He had disyed even less interest in taking a disciple.


    There were many mystical qualities about the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, and this had allowed the old ancestor of the Cui n to remain clear-headed for two hours every day. Now that he was slowly recovering and returning to his peak, he could remain clear-headed for approximately half a day at a time.


    After plummeting from his lofty peak into a deep abyss, the disheveled old man, who was Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan''s grandfather, had already lost all feelings of goodwill toward his n. Because of a matter pertaining to his grandson back then, he had been deeply saddened and hurt by those wretched descendants who had ingratiated themselves with the rich and powerful. Thus, he no longer felt connected to them, not even in a familial sense.


    Now that he had arrived at Downtrodden Mountain, he would stay in the bamboo building every day and asionally gaze at the distant mountains and rivers from the balcony of the second floor. The disheveled old man started to like this ce, and this wasn''t simply because of the bamboo building being a blessednd that could calm his mind.


    Wei Bo arrived in front of the bamboo building just in time to hear the disheveled old man roar in fury, "Chen Ping''an, why the hell are you lying sprawled on the floor?! If you can''t stand up, then crawl up!


    "After traveling far and wide, and after killing and wounding countless people, do you know who the only person that I respect is?


    "It''s an eighth tier martial artist whose name I''ve already forgotten. I stepped on his face when he was on the brink of death, and before he died, he mustered all of his remaining strength to throw onest punch at me. Even though his punch was weaker than that of an infant or woman, that was a punch that everyone in the world needs to respect, regardless of whether they''re a 10th tier martial artist or a legendary 11th tier martial god!


    "That punch encapsted the true will of martial artists!"


    A series of thumps and cracks rang out again. It was clear that after struggling hard to finally stand up, Chen Ping''an was being pummeled and rag-dolled around the room again.


    "Chen Ping''an, again! This kind of measly pain is nothing! If you''re a man, then stand up and face my fists..."


    The disheveled old man fell silent for a moment before ring up in anger. He started to curse, and many of his insults were in fact learned from the young boy from y Vase Alley.


    As it turned out, Chen Ping''an''s heart strings had almost snapped.


    Taking things too far was just as bad as not taking things far enough.


    Chen Ping''an had been unwilling to back down, so not only had he forcefully endured using his breath of Qi, but he had even subconsciously channeled his mystical and intangible heart''s Qi. He had been sent flying by the disheveled old man afterward, and his heart''s Qi had been deted along with his normal breath of Qi. He was genuinely teetering on the brink of death now. After training with the old man for so many days, this was the first time that they had encountered an unexpected ident.


    The old man continued to curse, yet he had already squatted down and hurriedly ced a palm on the young boy''s chest. He looked down at the young boy''s tanned face that was twisted in agony, and he looked at the young boy''s hand that was tightly clenched into a fist above his chest. This was a purely instinctive action.


    The disheveled old man extended his other hand and lightly wrapped it around Chen Ping''an''s fist, which was so injured that bone was visible. A rare smile of kindness and care spread across his face, and he softly chuckled, "Not bad, youngd. Your actual attacks are in a low-level but solid ce, your fist intent is in an intangible and lofty ce, and your fist technique is in the depths of your heart. You''ve already set foot on the true path of martial arts."


    It was hard to tell whether Chen Ping''an was dreaming or dazed at this moment, but he started to murmur curses and insults.


    The old man faltered for a moment, and he smiled instead of getting angry. "Stinky brat."


    ��������


    The next day, Chen Ping''an forcefully endured 29 punches before falling unconscious.


    After regaining consciousness, the first thing that Chen Ping''an did was walk up to the second floor of the bamboo building with great difficulty. "Will I be killed by your 30 punches next time?" he asked.


    "No," the disheveled old man opened his eyes and replied.


    Chen Ping''an stood under the eaves on the second floor and started to curse. Gu Can''s mother had once been regarded as the most notoriously skilled trash talker in the small town. In fact, even Apricot Blossom Alley''s Granny Ma had been forced to go home to reflect on the lesson learned time and time again. After learning these lessons, however, she had still been defeated again and again. As someone who had often watched these battles, Chen Ping''an was naturally very skilled at cursing and trash-talking if he genuinely let loose as well.


    He would definitely have no opportunity to curse or trash talk during training tomorrow.


    Thus, he would curse to his heart''s content today.


    In any case, he would suffer his fair share of hardships and unfair share of punishment. Moreover, it wasn''t like the disheveled old man would truly beat him to death, so what was there to be afraid of?


    If he didn''t let loose, Chen Ping''an felt like he would genuinely stifle himself to death. However, to stifle himself to death before he had learned anything significant in terms of fist techniques? He couldn''t ept this!


    The disheveled old man paid no heed to this.


    In reality, this was for the better.


    Because this was in fact one of the most significant aspects of the training.


    The young boy from y Vase Alley had umted far too many impurities in terms of his emotions, and it was as if Chen Ping''an had swept all of the trash to one corner of the room. There wasn''t much, and it wouldn''t be enough to affect his mental state. After all, this trash was out of sight and out of mind. However, once he started to climb up the cultivation tiers of martial arts, these seemingly insignificant impurities would be continually magnified.


    While Chen Ping''an was still at the second and third tier of martial arts, the disheveled old man could remove these impurities with rtive ease by tempering him with all kinds of fist techniques and mystical abilities. If Chen Ping''an were at the critical door threshold between the sixth and seventh tier, or if he were standing in front of the gulf between the ninth and tenth tier, then it would be unfathomably difficult to turn around and attempt to sweep away these impurities.


    However, the disheveled old man was no Bodhisattva, so how could he tolerate Chen Ping''an''s relentless barrage of curses and trash talk? "Piss off! If you utter another word, then I''ll beat you to death right now!" he roared in anger.


    Chen Ping''an chuckled happily and walked away in deep satisfaction.


    Meanwhile, the disheveled old man smiled and scolded, "He''s truly simr to Cui Chan when he was little."


    The old man''s expression became slightly adrift after he said this.


    When Cui Chan was little, had he, as a grandfather, been too strict and ruthless? Had he detrimentally impacted Cui Chan due to putting too much pressure on him?


    The third sage of Confucianism had once said these wise words, "At the beginning of life, one is naturally good in nature. Human nature is alike, and it is habits that make them different.[1]"


    The disheveled old man sighed.


    He had personally been involved in that heart-stopping battle between the third and fourth sages of Confucianism. As for the result? He had been reduced to his current state. In fact, things had only stopped at this thanks to the fact that he hadn''t been <em>too</em> involved.


    He had traveled to a nameless mountain one time, and he had coincidentallye across an elder in Confucian robes enjoying the sunrise and strolling along the mountain peak. The elder had been slowly loosening his body up, and it was as if he had been walking in circles. However, with the observation skills of a 10th tier martial artist, the old ancestor of the Cui n had realized that the elderly schr wasn''t simply walking in circles in the same spot. Instead, he had been shifting slightly outward with each circle that he walked.


    At that time, he had asked in curiosity, "Old mister, why don''t you walk away in a straight line?"


    The elder in Confucian robes had smiled faintly and replied, "That will be against the rules, so I certainly can''t do that."


    Afterward, they had enjoyed a hearty conversation about all matters in the world. After that, however, the old ancestor of the Cui n had never seen the elderly schr again.


    ��������


    Before training the next day, the disheveled old man smiled at Chen Ping''an and said, "Since you''ve already stabilized your third tier cultivation, then let''s continue and temper your fourth tier martial arts cultivation as well. It won''t hurt to dy your trip by a few days."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and didn''t say anything. Once Master Ruan finished forging the sword, he would immediately set off on his long journey.


    However, the disheveled old man continued to tempt Chen Ping''an, saying, "Why was Sun Shujian, who was at the peak stage of the sixth tier, killed by my punch that I unleashed using the power of a fifth tier cultivator? This is because even at the same cultivation tier, there can still be a huge gulf between people. Thus, even though I practice martial arts, which supposedly makes it difficult to kill people above one''s tier, I still managed to kill the stronger Sun Shujian with ease. It was because his foundation was too weak.


    "Take the imperial examination, for example. After progressing to the final examination, why do some people be incredibly noble Zhuangyuan and Tanhua[2], while others can only be Jinshi[3]? In fact, some of them even be pitiable pseudo-Jinshi. The emperor''s audience hall can be viewed as a tier, yet inside this tier, there''s still a distinction between the top level, middle level, and bottom level.


    "Chen Ping''an, you have to realize that there exists a huge gulf between the third tier and fourth tier of martial arts. This gulf is simr to the huge gulf that lies between the final tier of the Lower Five Tiers and the first tier of the Middle Five Tiers for Qi refiners. In terms of the difference between having my help and not having my help... You''ve experienced some hardship already, so you should be well aware of the benefits. If you can push forward and advance to the fourth tier, then your martial arts journey in this tier will be a smooth sailing one. Is this not good?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head without any hesitation.


    Since Old Man Yang had told him to leave as soon as possible, and to immediately leave the mountains and head south after receiving the sword, Chen Ping''an definitely wouldn''t dy things for even 15 minutes.


    Deep inside his heart, Chen Ping''an also felt a slight sense of apprehension toward the training regimen above the third tier. He would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn''t scared.


    The disheveled old man nodded and said, "Being able to resist temptation is also a good thing. Just like Sun Shujian, countless cultivators of decent talent have died an early death. Many of them died because of greed. So, let me make an exception and give you a reward today. I''ll punch you 31 times instead of 30 times. Rest assured, I guarantee that you won''t die. You don''t need to cry tears of gratitude and profusely thank me for helping you stabilize your third tier cultivation base. After all, who told you to be Chanchan''s teacher..."


    The disheveled old man appeared amiable on the surface, yet how could Chen Ping''an not notice the seething killing intent and chilly aura behind his words?


    He had felt extremely satisfied after cursing and trash-talking the old man yesterday, so was he going to suffer the consequences now?


    After enduring 31 punches, Chen Ping''an slept in the tub of medicinal water for one entire day before sleeping in bed for one entire night. This was the first time he had slept for so long after training.


    Dawn arrived, and Chen Ping''an walked out of the bamboo building, only to see Wei Bo and the two little children sitting under the eaves.


    After seeing Chen Ping''an, Wei Bo looked up with a beaming smile before cupping his fists and saying, "Congrattions!"


    Chen Ping''an returned the gesture and said with a bitter smile, "I''m not sure where to begin..."


    The little girl in pink offered her chair to Chen Ping''an. After he sat down, Wei Bo lowered his voice and revealed, "Ruan Qiong is going to finish forging the sword these two days. When I was chatting with the small water snake before, I heard him say that you wanted to buy a Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    "So, I took this matter into my own hands, and I made a transaction regarding the presents that the imperial court of the Great Li Empire would give with each mountain. I gave up the five immortal treasures for you, and I asked for a Sword Nurturing Gourd instead. Chen Ping''an, if you feel like this wasn''t worth it, then we can trade the Sword Nurturing Gourd back for the five immortal treasures instead."


    The little girl in pink and the little boy in azure both gestured to Chen Ping''an with their eyes, telling him not to do anything stupid and decide to give up the Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I naturally only want the Sword Nurturing Gourd."


    Wei Boughed heartily, and he casually flicked his sleeve and retrieved an exquisite red gourd.


    This gourd was slightly smaller than A''Liang''s silver gourd, and it had a warm and olden-style appearance that made it very likable.


    Chen Ping''an''s face was filled with delight as he carefully epted the small red gourd. He opened his eyes wide, and he leaned closer to carefully inspect the gourd.


    Wei Bo smiled and exined, "This Sword Nurturing Gourd can only be considered a medium-grade gourd, and it can''t be regarded as a genuine divine artifact. However, even these gourds are already very rare and very difficult to obtain. After all, this is Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and it can''tpare to Complete Reed Continent, which is full of sword cultivators. However, even in Complete Reed Continent, this small Sword Nurturing Gourd would still be coveted by many sword cultivators at the Middle Five Tiers."


    Wei Bo pointed at the bottom of the small gourd and said, "The characters on the bottom are ''Jiang Hu'', and this is a homonym with the term for the cultivation world [4]. It''s fairly interesting. Moreover, this is most likely a precious relic left by some sword cultivator with the surname Jiang, hence the choice of characters engraved on the bottom. Do you like it?"


    There was an ted smile on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he hurriedly replied, "I like it, I like it! How can I not like it? It''s a Sword Nurturing Gourd!"


    The little girl in pink covered her mouth and giggled. Meanwhile, the little boy in azure rolled his eyes and pped his forehead.


    <em>Alrighty then, so Master still understands the value of things, and he''s aware of the exorbitant value of Sword Nurturing Gourds. It''s because of this that he''s so delighted. It''s genuinely impossible for Master to change his miserly nature.</em>


    "Can it hold wine?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    Wei Bo nodded and replied with a smile, "Naturally. It can hold several liters of wine without problem, and this won''t affect its ability to nurture a flying sword. However, you must remember that you can''t nurture flying swords with opposing intents inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd. There''s no notion of the more the better either, and this will instead affect the progress of nurturing the swords. It''s best that you nurture two or three swords in it..."


    Wei Bo suddenly smiled in a self-deprecating manner after saying this, and he chuckled, "Being able to nurture two flying swords at once is already frightening enough. To say nothing of the fated opportunity needed to obtain high-grade flying swords, just how much wealth will be required to nurture them?"


    Chen Ping''an silentlymitted this to memory.


    With a whoosh, two flying swords then soared out from his acupoints, one after another. There was First, whose original name was Little Capital, and there was also Fifteenth, the emerald green flying sword that Old Man Yang had given him. The two flying swords disappeared into the exquisite red Sword Nurturing Gourd in a sh. They were seemingly very happy and energetic at this moment, and they were flying around everywhere and continually hitting the walls of the Sword Nurturing Gourd. This caused the small gourd to gently shake in Chen Ping''an''s hand.


    Wei Bo''s eyes widened in astonishment. He felt extremely embarrassed, and he could only shake his head and say, "Alright...well...just pretend I didn''t say anything."


    The little boy in azure felt a sense of shared pride, and he humphed, "Do you understand the immense wealth of my master now?"


    Wei Bo didn''t argue with the small water snake, and he chuckled, "Yes, I understand."


    In the end, he smiled and added, "Oh, that''s right, I''ve filled the gourd with wine already. With your capacity for alcohol, you can drink to your heart''s content."


    After Wei Bo left, Chen Ping''an grabbed a bamboo chair and went to sit down in front of the cliff by himself. He sat there and took small sips of wine.


    The little girl in pink wanted to follow him, yet the little boy in azure grabbed her arm and stopped her from walking over. He shook his head and told her not to go over.


    Chen Ping''anfortably leaned back into the bamboo chair and stretched his legs. The small gourd, which he was using as a wine sk for the moment, was resting in his hands. After taking a few sips of wine, he could already feel a searing heat on his cheeks and a burning sensation in his throat. His entire body became warm.


    Chen Ping''an gazed toward the distant south, and there was a look of yearning in his eyes.


    It was as if the mountains and rivers there would be the cultivation world, the jianghu, as per the homonymic name of his Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    This was a life that Chen Ping''an had never imagined before.


    <em>Being able to live, and being able to live well... This is truly great.</em>


    ��������


    After Chen Ping''an''s parents passed away, the orphan from y Vase Alley suffered the greatest hardships imaginable from five to seven years old.


    There were times when he was so hungry that it felt like his intestines were tying knots around themselves. At these times, he genuinely wanted to dig up y to eat. During mealtimes, wisps of smoke rose from all of the neighboring houses, and even as the young orphan had walked along the alley, he was still able to smell the alluring fragrance of food. His clothes were all old clothes left by his parents, and he had cut them up and tailored them to suit his own small body. However, he hadn''t thrown any of the offcuts out, and he had slowly saved them up piece by piece.


    The first time the little boy had eaten someone else''s food was when he had exhausted all of his own food and money. He had already sold everything he could. He was six years old at the time, and it was a cold winter month when it was impossible to enter the mountains to collect herbs and earn money. There had been no way for him to make a living, yet he wasn''t willing to steal from others either.


    Hunger and cold had attacked him, and he had been like a lone ghost as he had wandered from one side of the alley to the other. He had wandered around all the way until nighttime when wisps of smoke had started to rise from the neighboring houses. Upon seeing this, the little boy had feltplete and utter helplessness regarding how he would survive in the future.


    Before this day, some kind-hearted people had asionally invited Little Ping''an to their house to have a meal. However, the little boy had always smiled and said that there was still rice at home. He would then hurriedly run away.


    That day, however, the little boy had genuinely run out of everything. He had gone to the Yang Family''s medicine shop in the morning, and he had wanted to borrow some money from the old man. However, Old Man Yang had refused to see him.


    When dusk arrived, the little boy had thought to himself with an upset expression, would someone perhaps smile and invite him to their house for a meal when they saw him?


    However, no one had opened their door for him on that day. There had been joyousughs behind the tightly shut doors, and there had also been angry curses behind the tightly shut doors.


    In the end, the little boy had returned to his courtyard with an empty and growling stomach. He hadid down on his ice-cold bed and draped a thin nket over himself. He had then silently told himself that he wasn''t hungry at all. He wouldn''t feel hungry once he fell asleep. He wouldn''t feel hungry if he thought about his father and mother.


    1. The first line of the ''Three Character ssic''. It was probably written in the 13th century, and is mainly attributed to Wang Yinglin during the Song dynasty. It is also attributed to Ou Shizi. ?


    2. Titles for people whoe first and third in the highest imperial examination. ?


    3. A sessful candidate in the highest imperial examination ?


    4. In Chinese, the cultivation world (����) is read "jianghu". The characters on the gourd (����) literally trante to "ginger sk". ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Poor little Ping''an</blockquote>

 Chapter 203: Young Drunkard

    Chapter 203: Young Drunkard


    The barefoot old man walked out from the bamboo building at some unknown time, and he walked over to the cliffside and stood beside Chen Ping''an. He smiled and asked, "What are you doing? After oveing a huge challenge, are you recalling your sufferings and contrasting them with your happiness now?"


    Chen Ping''an''s train of thought was interrupted, and after he came to his senses, he took a sip of wine before turning around and saying with a smile, "Is this not very good?"


    The old man was dressed in coarse white clothes today, and he appeared especially refreshed and refined. "Not very good? It''s as good as can be! How dull would it be if one didn''t have any hopes and aspirations? True heroes are those who can endure hardships and enjoy prosperity.


    "When suffering hardships, don''t be a sissy who goes aroundining to everyone about how much you''re suffering. When enjoying prosperity, make sure to be at ease and enjoy things to your heart''s content. If it''s prosperity that you''ve earned, then why should you be forced to enjoy it in secret?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Some of my words might displease you, Senior, but they''re genuinely words from the bottom of my heart. Are you willing to hear them? I''ve never said them to anyone else before, not even to Liu Xianyang, my very best friend."


    The barefoot old man squatted down beside the bamboo chair and said in amusement, "Oh? Is it the crap about your pitiful past? Sure, go ahead and amuse me."


    Chen Ping''an took a sip of wine and didn''t get angry at all. He offered the small red gourd to the old man, but the old man waved his hand and said that he wasn''t a fan of the low-quality wine. Chen Ping''an opened his heart up and slowly said, "Even though I howled in agony every time I practiced fist techniques with Senior, and I secretly cried a few times and felt like I would genuinely be killed by you, I still feel like my childhood was the most difficult time of my life.


    "I clearly remembered the first time I had entered the mountains to gather herbs by myself. The sun was very very big in the sky, and I was carrying arge bamboo basket that was almost my height. I was very ambitious back then, and I thought that I would be able to collect more herbs if I brought a bigger basket with me. That way, Mother would also get better quicker.


    "However, the skin on my shoulders was scraped off very quickly, and once the sun shone on it and my sweat trickled over it, I felt a searing pain course through my body. Most importantly, I had only just walked out of the small town at that time. Upon realizing that I would need to endure this pain for half a day or an entire day, I genuinely felt like giving up right there and then."


    The old man snickered.


    He wasn''t snickering at Chen Ping''an, and he had instead recalled the extravagant lifestyles of his descendants in the Cui n. The Cui n had enjoyed lofty status and wealth for many generations, and they were a top-notch n in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. When teaching fist techniques to the young children in the n, all of them would act as if they were suffering a great grievance. Moreover, this was only for standing meditation. These children wouldin to their parents after returning home.


    When it was winter, the children wrapped up inyers of fur coats would feel as if they were suffering the greatest hardship in the world when they were told to attend school in the morning. When it was New Year''s Eve, the children would also ask their elders and ancestors for extremely thick red envelopes. The barefoot old man hadn''t liked this, yet his brothers and rtives in the same generation as him had all genuinely enjoyed going along with this. As the saying goes, the child who cries gets candy.


    "The second time was because I was starving," Chen Ping''an continued. "I had no rice left, and I had already sold everything that I could sell. I starved for a day, yet I didn''t have the courage to beg others for food. So, I walked up and down the alley and hoped that someone would walk up to me and invite me for a meal. Winter was truly very cold that year.


    "The summer months weren''t as bad, because I could simply wear feweryers of clothes regardless of how poor I was. Not only that, but I could even enter the mountains to collect herbs and exchange them for some copper coins. While collecting herbs, I could also collect some wild greens and fruits as well.


    "I could also borrow iron hammers from my neighbors and use them to tap the rocks in the creek. That way, I could knock the fish hiding under rocks unconscious. After drying them at home, I could eat them without even needing to add oil or salt. And they were quite delicious as well.


    "However, I waspletely out of options that winter, and I would have starved to death if I didn''t beg anyone for food. So, what could I do? I couldn''t bring myself to beg in the beginning, so I kept telling myself that I had promised Mother that I would live on well in the future. So, how could I be a beggar just one year after my parents'' deaths? Iy in bed at that time, and I felt like I could ovee my hunger if I just endured for a little while longer.


    "Of course, hunger is hunger, and this couldn''t be changed. However, I didn''t lose consciousness because of this, and I instead became more awake the hungrier I got. In the end, I had no option but to climb out of bed and leave my house. I started to pace up and down y Vase Alley again, and there were several times when I wanted to knock on someone''s door but ultimately refrained from doing so. I couldn''t bring myself to beg no matter what.


    "Afterward, I told myself that I would walk down y Vase Alley onest time. If still no one opened their door and invited me to a meal, then I would go and knock on someone''s door to beg them for food. However, I silently vowed that I would definitely repay the family who was willing to feed me once I grew up.


    "I started walking from the end of the alley where the Cao n''s ancestral residence is located, and there was still no one who opened their door even when I reached the other end of the alley where Gu Can''s house is located."


    The old man roared withughter, and he didn''t show any sign ofpassion at all. "What, so whose door did you end up knocking on? Were they willing to invite you in for a meal?"


    Chen Ping''an hadn''t appeared especially upset when recounting these things, and his expression became increasingly lively and buoyant when he reached this part of the story. As if he had taken a sip of the most delicious wine, he continued, "I could only cry and walk back the way I hade. However, after taking a few steps, the courtyard door behind me suddenly creaked open. I didn''t dare to look back at the start, but someone started to call out to me.


    "I hurriedly wiped my tears away and turned around, and I saw a neighbor holding a fire basket in their hand. It''s a type of small stove that has copper on the inside and woven bamboo on the outside, so someone can hold it in their hands and casually walk around. She seemed very surprised to see me."


    The old man clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "The heavens will always leave us a way out. Youngd, so you got a free meal just like this?"


    Chen Ping''an vigorously wiped his face which was already stained with tears. However, he grinned widely as he replied, "No, that neighbor thought for a moment before saying, ''Little Ping''an, are you truly able to enter the mountains to collect herbs? Do you truly recognize those herbs?'' I naturally said yes, and I wasn''t lying to her either. During those two years, I frequently went into the mountains every few days to collect herbs. In fact, I almost became more familiar with the mountains than y Vase Alley.


    "My neighbor smiled and waved me over, and she said loudly, ''Great, thene over here Little Ping''an. I have something that I need your help with. My body can''t endure the cold, so I need a few medicinal herbs to cook some medicine to nurture my body. However, the Yang Family''s medicine shop is too expensive, and I can''t afford the herbs there. So, Little Ping''an, can you enter the mountains to collect some herbs for me when spring arrives? I''ll give you copper coins, but the price has to be lower.''"


    Chen Ping''an''s voice became soft as he continued, "I walked over to discuss this with her, and she used this opportunity to hand the fire basket to me. After finishing our discussion, she saw that I was still standing there, so she smiled and asked, ''What''s wrong? You haven''t eaten yet, so you want to get yourself a free meal? No, I won''t let you in unless this is counted in the payment toward the medicinal ingredients!''"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and gazed toward the distance. "After my parents passed away, I was able to see all kinds of expressions in peoples'' eyes. Many children the same age as me swore at me and called me a wicked child who cursed my parents to die. Even if I only watched them flying kites and fishing from a long distance away, they would still pick up stones and throw them at me.


    "Some adults also liked to scold me and call me a bastard. They said I was detestable and lowly filth who was too filthy to even be a wealthy person''s ve. They said I was even more troublesome and in the way than the shattered porcin pieces in the mountain of porcin.


    "However, when thatdy chatted with me that day, and when she said that I needed to pay for food, Senior, you definitely don''t know just how happy I was. When I went inside to eat, tears started to stream down my cheeks again. However, thedy joked and said, ''Oh, is my cooking too amazing or too terrible, Little Ping''an? It can even cause someone to cry?'' At that time, I only dared to lower my head and eat, and to say that the food was delicious."


    The old man nodded and asked, "Then did you ever consider the fact that your neighbor was actually trying to help you? However, she was simply helping you using a better method."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "I didn''t think of this at the start, but after eating at her house a few times, I quickly came to realize this."


    That neighbor was none other than Gu Can''s mother.


    Because of this, Chen Ping''an had always watched on from nearby whenever Gu Can''s mother argued with other people. There were a few times when the arguments had be very intense, and Gu Can''s mother had been surrounded and attacked by a bunch of other women. When they had rushed over to scratch her face and pull her hair, Chen Ping''an had also ran over to protect her. He hadn''t fought back either, and he had simply stood there and allowed the other women to take their anger out on him.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an never thought of himself as a foolishly kind person.


    If Chen Ping''an didn''t thank and repay someone as good as Gu Can''s mother, then Chen Ping''an felt like he wouldn''t even be human. Regardless of how bad her reputation was in y Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley, to Chen Ping''an, she was first and foremost his savior.


    After giving the small catfish to Gu Can, so what if he found outter that it was actually a huge fated opportunity?


    Chen Ping''an didn''t regret his decision at all.


    When the world offers one bit of kindness, one should definitely cherish it and show gratitude, regardless of how big or small the act of kindness is.


    Thus, when Old Man Yao, Chen Ping''an''s half-teacher, had said those words, the young boy had felt like it was the best saying in the world.


    If it''s yours, then grab it with both hands. If it isn''t yours, then don''t even dream about it.


    No one in the world owes you anything. However, if you owe someone else something, then don''t just ignore the matter.


    Afterward, this was exactly how Chen Ping''an had treated Liu Xianyang.


    Going into the mountains to collect herbs wasn''t a long-term solution, after all, and it was eventually Liu Xianyang who had taught him how to set up traps to catch game, how to make bows, and how to fish. After entering the dragon kilns, it was also the slightly older Liu Xianyang who had looked after and protected Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an had struggled through his earlier years and eventually became a young boy, one who could feed and look after himself. Even though he was very willing to speak reason with other people, he would make an exception when it came to matters pertaining to Gu Can or Liu Xianyang. For example, when the Mountain-moving Ape attacked Liu Xianyang and almost killed him, Chen Ping''an tossed aside all thoughts of trying to reason with it. As long as he was powerful enough, he would fight it to the death!


    Chen Ping''an had once said to a young girl from the outside world that if he found a girl as good as his mother, he would roll his sleeves up and fight to protect her even if their opponent was the Dao Ancestor. Whether or not he could win the fight was one matter, and whether or not he was willing to fight to protect his wife was another matter. Chen Ping''an would feel very guilty and ashamed if he couldn''t cherish and protect his own wife.


    Of course, Chen Ping''an felt like he had found that girl already. However, he simply hadn''t confessed his feelings yet. It was because of this that he needed to embark on a long journey to deliver the sword.


    He was going to carry the two swords, which he had secretly named Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends, and walk up to her. He would then summon his courage and loudly confess, "Ning Yao! I like you! I like you very much, regardless of whether you like me or not!"


    As for whether he would receive a p or lose her as a friend... He would consider this after confessing to her!


    The old man grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from Chen Ping''an''s hand and took arge swig of wine. He didn''t immediately toss the gourd back to the young boy, and he instead huffed, "This wine is genuinely mediocre. Go on, keep telling your story. These trivial and impure matters are only worthy of such lowly wine."


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment before cing his hands inside the opposite sleeves and saying, "I seemingly came to some sort of realization after making it through that winter, and I also became shameless enough to beg others for food when I seriously couldn''t endure my hunger anymore. I remembered all of their help, and I thought to myself that I would enter the mountains to earn money to repay them when the weather became warmer.


    "Some kind-hearted elderly neighbors would also give old clothes to me, and I wouldn''t feel embarrassed about epting them anymore. I wouldn''t lie about having enough, and I would instead ept their acts of goodwill. I went into the mountains as much as I could those few years, but I was still only able to make very small amounts of money. I was truly too weak, and many of the medicinal ingredients stocked by the Yang Family''s medicine shop were truly difficult to find.


    "However, this was only normal, right? After all, how could widely avable medicinal ingredients make me any money? So, I started to help my neighbors in the alley. In the morning, I would help them draw water from the Iron Lock Well, and when there was farmwork, I would go and help them in the fields. At night, I would also hang around and help them fight for water, lest other people sever or redirect the water channels.


    "I didn''t dare to fight with others head-on, so I would always hide far away and wait for those strong young men to leave. Afterward, I would run over and secretly redirect water back to my neighbors'' fields. Only after their fields received enough water would I undo my work and go home. Because of this, I was chased by other people many times. Fortunately, I was small and quick at that time, so I didn''t suffer beatings too many times."


    The barefoot old man continued to leisurely drink wine from the small red gourd. Even though he said the wine was poor quality, he still continued to drink it one sip after another. He was truly drinking quite a bit. In any case, the old man wasn''t feeling annoyed about Chen Ping''an''s recollection of these trivial matters either.


    Chen Ping''an opened his heart up to the old man, and he felt much better after getting these things off his chest. He reached over to grab the red gourd, yet the old man raised his elbow and pped his hand away. "Wait for a moment," the old man huffed.


    The barefoot old man held the wine gourd with two fingers and said slowly, "Chen Ping''an, you''ve recounted so many trivial matters, so do you want to hear some of my useless grand principles now? How powerful and lofty was I when I stood at the pinnacle of martial arts back then? Yet, even at my peak, I still found these grand principlespletely and utterly useless. Do you want to hear them?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "Go on, I love listening to the principles and reasonings of other people."


    The old man stood up and said, "I once had a chance encounter with a refined old schr on the peak of a mountain in Middle Earth Divine Continent. I didn''t know his identity at the time, but I was able to roughly guess it after my meeting with him. However, I was unable to understand his good intentions, and it was because of this that I was eventually reduced to a crazy and pitiful old man.


    "Don''t look at me and think that I''m nothing more than a pure martial artist who only knows how to talk about fist techniques. In reality, I''m a genuine schr as well, and I''ve read an extremelyrge number of books. After chatting with the old schr for a while, I asked him some things that I couldn''t figure out by myself. After hearing my questions, the old schr roughly exined some of his principles to me."


    The barefoot old man started to walk around in circles with the wine gourd in his hand. "The old schr said that we''re living in a veryplicated world where the words of many people are self-conflicting, even if they''re incredibly knowledgeable schrs. After witnessing many unreasonable things, it''s also inevitable that we start to question ourselves. Are the principles in the books wrong? Or are they notplete and notprehensive enough?


    "Then the question arises. What should we do? How should we view this world in which many people expound principles yet fail to adhere to said principles? There is indeed a solution. One solution is to live a simple and straightforward life. My fist is powerful, or my sword techniques are powerful, or my Dao power is powerful, so I''ll use these to shatter some matters that I see as incorrect. I''ll use these simple methods to resolve the most difficult problems. Everything will be fine as long as I''m happy.


    "If heaven and earth restrict me with their rules and regtions, then I''ll shatter these things with a single punch. If a Great Dao in the world is suppressing me, then I''ll shatter the myriad Dao with my sword. Even if I''m unable to do this to my heart''s content for the moment, I''ll persevere and continue to walk down this path. There can be people like this, but we can''t allow everyone to be like this."


    The old man stopped pacing around after saying this, and he looked at Chen Ping''an and said in a self-deprecating voice, "I belong to this category of people."


    The old schr continued and said that the second solution was to live very smartly. One should live ording to what will require the least effort and what will make their life the easiest. So-called rules and regtions are put into ce for us to look for loopholes. If schrs choose this path, then they''ll be nothing more than Cynics[1].


    "Following this solution, one can also make trade-offs between what is viewed as reasonable, choosing matters that adhere to a personal sense of reason but that go against the world''s sense of reason. This will lead to a bustling world where everyone acts ording to self-interest. If this self-interest can be reced with virtue, just how good will the world be?


    "Thest solution is to live a boring life where one oveplicates alreadyplicated issues. One can pedantically analyze principles, carefullyb through logic, and slowly ponder over issues. Doing all this is for the sake of understanding the reasons and motives behind a matter.


    "However, after going around in a full circle, one might surprisingly find themself back at the original spot. So, was everything for naught? Not necessarily, because one will feel very content and satisfied after making heads or tails of a matter. This feeling is like... taking a sip of aged wine and feeling a warm and fuzzy feeling spread through your body.


    "The Confucian sages that we schrs praise so highly aren''t in fact as profoundly good and perfect as people like to think. They''re also very much human. However, the true principles and teachings of Confucianism definitely aren''t fragile and useless either. Even if one doesn''t agree with the notion of human nature being fundamentally good at birth, so be it. After all, we can always encourage people to strive for goodness."


    The barefoot old man started to pace around in circles again, and he eventually stopped and added, "I don''t dare to confirm whether that old man was that person or not. However, thinking back to our conversation at that time, it wouldn''t have been easy for that old schr to calmly say those words to me if he genuinely was that person. After all, I was in Middle Earth Divine Continent to attack their base."


    The old man raised the small red gourd and took arge gulp of wine. He then casually tossed the Sword Nurturing Gourd back to Chen Ping��an before gazing into the distance and roaring with heartyughter. "I traveled all around the world back then, and it would be truly stifling if I didn''t spit out all of the grand rhetoric and rousing derations in my mind!"


    Standing in front of the cliff, the old man stepped forward and gazed up at the sky. "When I traveled between heaven and earth, the brilliant sun in the sky and the radiant moon at night both had to ask me, is the world bright enough?"


    The old man turned around and asked with a chuckle, "Chen Ping''an! Do you feel like this is enough?!"


    Chen Ping''an was just about to lower his head and drink a sip of wine. After hearing this, he had no option but to look up and dazedly reply, "Not quite?"


    The old man roared withughter. He pointed into the distance and continued, "When I walked across rivers andkes, the roaring rivers and surging waves had to ask me, have I enough water to quench your thirst?"


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly seized this opportunity to drink a sip of wine. After hearing the old man''s rousing words, he couldn''t help but feel a slight sense of boldness as well. With one hand holding his wine gourd and one hand clenched into a fist and resting on his knee, he also joined in on the action and loudly dered, "It''s not enough!"


    The old man continued, "When I traversed the peaks of mountains, the extravagant abodes and the lofty immortals had to ask me, is the breeze atop the mountain cool enough?"


    Chen Ping''an''s face was flushed red, and he took anotherrge swig of wine and borrowed the strong effects of the alcohol to wantonly roar withughter. This was unprecedented for him, and he shouted with a glowing expression, "This isn''t enough! It''s far from enough! There''s not enough wine, there''s not enough water, and there''s not enough mountain breeze! There''s not enough of anything!"


    Outside the bamboo building, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink exchanged a nce.


    The little girl in pink was slightly worried about her master. He wasn''t going to be a young drunkard, was he?


    Meanwhile, the little boy in azure grumbled in his mind, <em>Has Master gone crazy? Perhaps he''s gone stupid from training with the old man? Heh, does that mean I don''t need to cultivate so earnestly anymore? Why don''t I ck off for a few days?</em>


    In the end, Chen Ping''an became drunk and copsed to the ground along with his bamboo chair.


    And from this day onward, the world was introduced to a new young drunkard.


    1. Cynicism is a school of thought in ancient Greek philosophy. ording to Cynicism, people are reasoning animals and the purpose of life and the way to gain happiness is to achieve virtue, in agreement with nature, following one''s natural sense of reason by living simply and shamelessly free from social constraints. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Ping''an went through so much and still remained so pure. Pretty impressive. I''m d he has the guts to pursue his love for Ning Yao. How do you think that will go?</blockquote>

 Chapter 204: Sword Delivery From an Old Friend

    Chapter 204: Sword Delivery From an Old Friend


    The young Daoist priest returned to the small town after leaving a short while back. He was someone whom many young girls and young women in the small town constantly thought about, and he set up his stall in the same ce as before and started to offer fortune-telling services again.


    Surprisingly, however, there was now a fellow fortune teller sitting nearby, offering his business and stealing customers from the young Daoist priest in the bustling small town. He was in his seventies, and he was dressed in brand-new Daoist robes. His cheeks were surprisingly rosy, and he appeared as ethereal as could be,


    The old Daoist priest was sitting behind arge table, and he exuded the aura of a mystical immortal. There was a shiny big container on the table, and inside the container were neatly cut bamboo slips. An extravagant-looking silk g was also standing beside the table, and there was a couplet written on the surface of the g �� "Knowledgeable in yin and yang, well-versed in the Eight Trigrams, skilled in astrology, and proficient at geography, all it takes is a single slip; Able to sacrifice wealth to avert cmity, and able to umte merit and virtue, all it takes is a few copper coins."


    Business was booming at this fortune-telling stall, and an endless stream of residents from the small town were asking the old Daoist priest for bamboo slips. They all imed that his divination was extremely urate, and news of this quickly spread throughout the entire small town. Moreover, the old Daoist priest hade at just the right time, as the residents of Dragon Spring Prefecture had just witnessed remarkable scenes and confirmed the existence of immortals in the world.


    Thus, they became increasingly sincere, and even the poorest families in the small town were willing to offer himrge handfuls of copper coins for his services, even if he only asked for a few. They all wanted to bathe in his jolly nature.


    Meanwhile, few people visited the stall of the young Daoist priest. In fact, business was so bad that one could genuinely set up a to catch birds in front of his stall[1]. After the young Daoist priest set up his stall, an oriole did indeed fly over from the distance before circling in the sky and flying away again. The young Daoist priest felt slightly sad.


    There was a pitiful expression on his face as he looked at some young women, and these were familiar faces with whom he had enjoyed friendly conversations before. However, these young women who hade together in groups of two or three after hearing news of his return quietly chatted with each other and purposely looked at his awkward situation without doing anything. In fact, they became increasingly happy upon seeing his awkward situation.


    This caused the young Daoist priest to feel another pang of slight sadness. In the end, he was truly bored out of his mind, so when he saw that there weren''t many customers visiting the old Daoist priest next door, he decided to shamelessly walk over and sit down in front of the stall. Even though the old Daoist priest had a righteous expression and an unwavering gaze, he was in fact feeling quite uneasy in his mind.


    Young people had stronger physiques, so if they genuinely engaged in a dispute and threw hands because of businesspetition, he wouldn''t be able to withstand many punches from them. The old Daoist priest had some shallow understanding and abilities when it came to fortune-telling, and he was also very skilled when it came to verbal altercations. However, he was no good at physical fights, and he would most certainly fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness.


    The young Daoist priest with the lotus flower hat on his head sat down with a smile. However, he didn''t say anything.


    The old Daoist priest shot a quick nce at the lotus flower hat. This was a hat that he had never seen before. Apart from a rare fewrge Daoist temples, almost all of the Daoist priests in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and therge continent to the southeast wore fishtail hats, regardless of whether they were from the mountains or not. This couldn''t be muddled up. After all, this was a critically important matter that pertained to the entire Daoist orthodoxy. As such, who dared to audaciously wear a different hat? There would be no need for Daoist temples to act, as government officials would immediately arrest such people and toss them into cells.


    The old Daoist priest immediately felt much more at ease. This young man was most likely an amateur who didn''t even understand the most basic rules and regtions of Daoism. After hearing a few shallow principles and concepts here and there, he hade up with this random and out-of-ce hat and perhaps even felt very pleased with himself. Perhaps he felt transcendent and different from ordinary mortals.


    The old man calcted the distance between his stall and the county office, and he felt like victory was firmly within his grasp. His aura immediately changed, and a brilliant glow appeared in his eyes. He instantly recovered his demeanor as an ethereal and transcendent person. He gazed at the handsome young Daoist priest just like that, and he appeared especially frightening and imposing at this moment.


    Sure enough, a look of unease spread across the young Daoist priest''s face, and he asked, "Immortal Elder, did you discover the bumpy nature of my long journey here just by observing my face?"


    <em>Wowee, it''s a stupid youngd! This is fairly good. In fact, this is much better than him being a rash and hotheaded young man. With my silver tongue, I can definitely deal with this amateurish junior in just a few sentences.</em>


    The old Daoist priest was secretly happy, and he couldn''t help but doubt the business prospects of the fortune-telling stall beside him.


    He pretended to be profound, and he said, "Seeing that you''re my junior, why don''t you draw a bamboo slip? I won''t charge you any copper coins, and I''ll tell your fortune for free."


    The young Daoist priest chuckled and replied, "How can I bring myself to trouble you, Immortal Elder? I simply came here to have a chat. After all, to have a chance encounter here is also fate..."


    Even though the young Daoist priest said this, he had already leaned over and extended a hand to grab a bamboo slip.


    The old Daoist priest raised an eyebrow, and he reached over to ce a hand on top of the bamboo slips. The young Daoist priest had no option but to huff and retract his hand. He lightly waved his hand around, and he smiled sheepishly and said, "Haha, I saw some specks of dust on Immortal Elder''s bamboo slips, so I wanted to help Immortal Elder wipe them clean."


    A fake smile appeared on the old Daoist priest''s face, and it was clear that he was shooing this "customer" away without closing his stall.


    This was because a woman and her young child were hurriedly walking over from the distance. Business was beckoning, so the old Daoist priest naturally didn''t have the time or effort to speak nonsense with this amateur fortune teller anymore.


    The young Daoist priest could only stand up and obediently return to his own stall. He ced his hands behind his head before leaning back into his chair and gazing up at the clear blue sky.


    Further in the distance, a middle-aged man slowly walked over with a young boy with long eyebrows. Beforeing here, Xie Shi, the young boy''s old ancestor, had told him that he was bringing him over to visit the master of his Daoist branch. Even though the young boy was far more mentally mature and tough than others at the same age as him, he still couldn''t help but feel a strong sense of unease and apprehension.


    He felt like this person would definitely be an ethereal and profound old immortal with flowing white hair. Perhaps he would even have a spiritual animal beside him, whether that be an immortal crane or a flood dragon. In any case, this would definitely be a powerful person with a soaring divine aura.


    However, Long Eyebrows was dumbfounded upon seeing that vaguely familiar face.


    The young Daoist priest was a familiar face in the small town, and he was someone who would tell fortunes for woodsmen, read palm patterns fordies, write letters for people, and do everything else in between. When it came to weddings where he could grab a free bite, the young Daoist priest wouldn''t be careless either. In any case, all he needed to do was to say some auspicious words.


    Afterward, he would be able to eat big bowls of meat and drink big bowls of wine. Moreover, his appetite wasn''t any lesser than that of strong young men who did physical work, so his manner of eating could truly cause one to feel anxious about the copper coins required.


    Long Eyebrow''s mother, the cultured and polite woman from the Xie n, had once brought the young boy over to have his fortune told by the young Daoist priest. He had obtained an auspicious bamboo slip, and the young Daoist priest had uttered a load of nonsensical but auspicious words. After hearing this, Long Eyebrow''s mother had joyfully turned around to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.


    However, the young Daoist priest had tried to push his luck, and he had offered to read the palm pattern for his mother as well. While offering this, there had been a slimy smile on his face. Upon seeing this, Long Eyebrows had angrily dragged his mother away and thought, how could there be such a shameless pervert in the world? When leaving with his mother, Long Eyebrows hadn''t forgotten to turn around to shoot a vicious re at the young Daoist priest.


    Xie Shi was just about to bow respectfully in greeting. However, the young Daoist priest gently shook his head and made a pressing motion with his hand, gesturing for Xie Shi to sit. Xie Shi obediently sat down on the long bench. Meanwhile, the young boy with long eyebrows gulped and stood beside Xie Shi with his head lowered. His mind waspletely muddled at this moment.


    The old Daoist priest shot a sideways nce at the neighboring fortune-telling stall, and he almost rolled his eyes upon seeing the middle-aged man and young boy walk over. There were actually people visiting that untalented young Daoist priest to have their fortunes told? Were they not wasting their copper coins?


    Xie Shi didn''t know where to begin. He was the Dao Master of a continent who was imminently about to be a Heavenly Lord as well, yet he was surprisingly filled with nervousness at this moment.


    The young Daoist priest ignored Xie Shi, and he looked up at Long Eyebrows whose head was slightly lowered. "I didn''t lie to you back then, did I? Your auspicious bamboo slip was genuine. I don''t deceive any of my customers, regardless of whether they''re old or young," he said in amusement.


    For some reason, the young boy with long eyebrows felt an urge to fall to his knees and kowtow. However, he couldn''t kneel down no matter what.


    The young Daoist priest who had introduced himself as Lu Chen to Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "There''s no need to be so tense. You didn''t do anything wrong back then, so it doesn''t make sense for you to feel guilty. What, you feel like you were wrong just because I''m more senior than your old ancestor? Then your life will truly be filled with nervousness and worry. The further up you climb, the more you''ll feel guilty and wrong whenever you see someone else. Why cause trouble for yourself? That would be aplete waste of my auspicious bamboo slip."


    The young boy with long eyebrows had always been fairly smart and sensible in front of him, so why was he suddenly bing so timid at this critical moment? This caused Xie Shi to feel slightly annoyed and angry. He was about to scold the young boy, yet the young Daoist priest immediately shot a re at him. Xie Shi was terrified, and he immediately shut his mouth.


    Xie Shi smiled wryly in his mind. As it turned out, he wasn''t in a much better position than the young boy with long eyebrows.


    Lu Chen smiled and asked, "You''re genuinely not going to keep him by your side to train and polish?"


    Xie Shi was sitting upright, and he took a deep breath and channeled a mystical ability to straighten his mind. He no longer appeared as apprehensive and nervous as before, and he replied, "Enjoying the shadow of a big tree is both a good thing and a bad thing. It''s very difficult for the new tree to be as big and tall as the old tree."


    "Correct," Lu Chen said with a nod.


    He then rubbed his chin and clicked his tongue in wonder, saying with a chuckle, "When I return, I can say this to my teacher as well. He shouldn''t always grumble about his students not being sessful. As a teacher, he should bear at least half of the responsibility."


    After finally calming his mind and emotions with much difficulty, Xie Shi''s mind immediately became a jumbled mess again. There was a bitter expression on his face, and he didn''t dare to say anything in response.


    And he still wanted to be a Heavenly Lord? Perhaps he would even lose his title of Spiritual Master, right?


    His master''s teacher naturally wouldn''t be angry because of these trivial matters. However, who knew how his master''s Second Senior Brother would react? That was someone with an unpredictable temper...


    If that person became angry for real, who could block him?


    Lu Chen gestured to the young boy with long eyebrows and said, "Come over here and look after my stall for me. I''m going to wander around for a while and visit an old acquaintance."


    Long Eyebrows didn''t dare to be the dove who upied the magpie''s nest[2]. He didn''t dare to genuinely walk over and sit in Lu Chen''s seat. Thus, he refused to budge a single step.


    Xie Shi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. He had genuinely been afraid that Long Eyebrows would foolishly walk over and plonk down on Lu Chen''s seat.


    Lu Chen didn''t think much about this, and he gave an order to Xie Shi who was hurriedly standing up, "I''m not going to visit the others, so go and tell them not to show excessive passion toward an uninterested person. I''ve been in a bad moodtely, so I''m afraid that I won''t be able to hold back if someonees over to annoy me. Heh...


    "Also, if I want to see your descendants in the future, is there any need for you to go the extra step to bring them over to me? Even if they hide underground, I''ll still be able to find them. Isn''t that right? So, I don''t want this to happen again."


    Xie Shi nodded and said in a low voice, "Understood!"


    Lu Chen cleared his throat and asked with a wide smile, "Where is this child''s mother? Did she note because she''s busy with something else? I didn''t have time to read her palm patternsst time."


    Xie Shi was renderedpletely speechless. This was the first time he had seen this side of his master.


    As it turned out, the rumors secretly circting among the many Heavenly Lords and Spiritual Masters were all fucking lies!


    Long Eyebrows had already bepletely stupefied.


    Lu Chen swaggered away. When he walked past the neighboring fortune-telling stall, he said with an envious expression, "Immortal Elder is so busy..."


    The old Daoist priest smiled and nodded in response. However, he couldn''t help but grumble in his mind, <em>Hurry up and piss off!</em>


    Lu Chen continued to wander around, and he eventually entered y Vase Alley. When he walked past the Cao n''s ancestral residence, the gate to the courtyard was tightly shut. Standing inside the house, Cao Xi, the terrestrial sword immortal from Southern Whirl Continent, silently bowed and paid his respects. The fiery red fox also prostrated itself on the floor in a sincere manner. Its entire body was trembling in apprehension.


    Lu Chen waspletely indifferent to all of this, and he directly walked to a residence where he jumped up to look inside the courtyard.


    The young girl who was basking in the sun in the courtyard next door frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"


    Lu Chen turned around and pointed at himself beforeughing loudly and saying, "Youngdy, you don''t recognize me anymore? I stayed in the small town for a whilest year, so the two of us should both know each other. In any case, both you and your young master visited my stall to have your fortunes told. Do you not remember?"


    The young girl feigned contemtion for a while before shaking her head and replying, "No, I don''t remember!"


    Lu Chen shuffled over to the courtyard wall neighboring Chen Ping''an''s house. He stood on his tippy toes and leaned on top of the wall, and he sniffed heavily and remarked "Oh, you''re cooking right now. It''s very fragrant. I can smell the fragrance from all the way over here."


    There was an innocent expression on Zhi Gui''s face, and she shook her head and replied, "No, I''m not cooking."


    Lu Chen smiled and cocked his head slightly. He then pointed at the young girl and said, "My nose is very sensitive, so you can''t trick me."


    "Oh, is that so?" The young girl walked over to the kitchen and pulled out all of the burning firewood. The fiery stove was immediately extinguished, and the cooking rice became a pot of half-cooked rice.


    Zhi Gui walked to the kitchen door and patted her hands clean. "How about now?" she asked.


    Lu Chen raised a thumb at her and said, "You win this time!"


    The young girl didn''t take this seriously, and she asked, "Are you looking for Chen Ping''an? What''s the matter? I can pass on the message for you."


    Lu Chen smiled and replied, "I''ll look for him myself. I don''t dare to trouble you, youngdy. Otherwise, I''m afraid that I won''t be able to set up my stall tomorrow."


    "Go ahead and tell me. I''m on very good terms with Chen Ping''an," Zhi Gui said.


    After saying this, she pointed at the fortune character that was stuck on her front door. "See, it''s exactly the same as the one on his front door. Chen Ping''an gave it to me."


    <em>Young girl, you can''t tell lies with such a straight face. Do you genuinely think I can''t calcte the truth?</em>


    Lu Chen couldn''t help but grimace. He was genuinely unsure of how Qi Jingchun had tolerated this young girl back then. Not only this, but he had even been willing to take good care of her.


    He sighed and said, "To tell you the truth, I''m not here to look for Chen Ping''an today. I''m here to look for you, Wang Zhu."


    Zhi Gui expressionlessly looked at the young Daoist priest and replied, "Even though Young Master is temporarily away, Chen Ping''an will definitely help me exact revenge if you dare to humiliate me. Also, I''m familiar with Qi Jingchun, and he''s a powerful Confucian sage. Are you not afraid of him suddenlying back to life to beat you to death?"


    Lu Chen raised his hands and massaged his cheeks. There was exasperation in his voice as he replied, "To say nothing of whether Chen Ping''an is willing to exact revenge for you or not, Qi Jingchun is genuinely dead, so he definitely won''te back to life."


    Zhi Gui raised her slender eyebrows.


    It was as if her eyebrows were slender willows gently swaying in the spring breeze.


    Lu Chen ced his hands on top of the courtyard wall again, and he said with a smile, "Wang Zhu, there''s a fated opportunity that I want to give you. Do you dare to ept it?"


    The azure sleeves of his Daoist robes gently rested on top of the earthen courtyard wall.


    It was as if his sleeves were coiling dragons and crouching tigers.


    Zhi Gui crossed her arms in front of her chest as if protecting herself, and she sneered, "Pervert, scoundrel, lecher, libertine!"


    Lu Chen retracted his hands and held his belly as he burst into roaringughter.


    Thinking back to the past, there had still been tens of thousands of True Dragons in the world. After dividing the treasures ording to merit, one of the dragons responsible for overseeing all of the rivers andkes in all of the worlds had been an extremely renowned female dragon. Her status had been indescribably lofty and noble, and just how much had she loved him? And in the eyes of other people, just how cruel and heartless had he been?


    The young Daoist priestughed so hard that tears almost streamed from his eyes.


    Regardless of how big the Great Dao was, it still wouldn''t be big enough to amodate love and romance.


    To be envious of lovers but not of immortals �� such people existed in books, such people existed in the mountains, but such people definitely didn''t exist atop the mountain peaks.


    Lu Chen looked at the young girl who shouldn''t have appeared in the world. He remembered asking his teacher back then, "The of natural regtions is sparse yet holds everything back, so how is Jewel Small World able to exist?"


    The old man had simply smiled and replied with two sentences.


    "Being sparse yet able to hold everything back is the crux of the issue, and adhering to the regtions of the Heavenly Dao is already insufficient to preserve oneself, hence the copse.


    "The Great Dao numbers fifty, the heavens form forty-nine, and the humans take one, where one manifests into all[3]."


    At the time, the old man had squatted beside the pond in the Lotus Flower World and cupped some water in his hands. He had then poured this water onto a lotus leaf that was slightly tilted to one side. The water had flowed down the lotus leaf and split into several streams, yet in the end, all of the streams had returned to the pond.


    The old man had then raised his palm at Lu Chen. As it turned out, a single bead of water had remained in his palm. Tilting his hand slightly, the bead of water had then started to flow around following the patterns on his palm. The bead of water had taken a path full of twists and turns, and it had continued to travel in many different directions. Each time it had stopped and turned, it had represented the journey along a different Dao. If that bead of inconspicuous water represented some person traveling along the path of time, then all of the twists and turns would represent this person transforming into someonepletely different.


    A single different thought, and a single different step �� it was these slight differences that gave rise to the three teachings and the hundred schools of thought, officials and generals and peddlers and pawns.


    Lu Chen pushed these thoughts aside and grinned at the young girl sitting in the courtyard. "This fated opportunity that I''m giving you... You have to ept it even if you don''t want to."


    Zhi Gui chuckled coldly and asked, "Do you know who I am?"


    "Do <em>you</em> know who I am?" Lu Chen retorted.


    Zhi Gui''s expression turned dark, and she replied, "You''re a stinky Daoist priest. Can you bear the responsibility for this?"


    Lu Chen smiled faintly and said, "My mortal name is Lu Chen, and this is already enough to exin everything."


    Zhi Gui was genuinely stumped this time. "What did you say?"


    Lu Chen''s expression returned to normal, and he leaned on top of the courtyard wall and chuckled, "Youngdy, do you want me to read your palm patterns for you? I can divine everything, from when you''re going to get married, to whether you can give birth to a son, and whether you''ll be a couple consisting of a beautiful woman and a handsome man."


    Zhi Gui blinked and asked, "Can you only eat? And not read my palm patterns?"


    Lu Chen jumped over the courtyard wall before snapping his fingers and replying, "Deal."


    "It''s half-cooked rice. You don''t mind this, do you?" Zhi Gui asked.


    "I do mind this. But I''ll fire up the stove and finish cooking it," the young Daoist priest rolled his eyes and said. He swaggered into the kitchen and started to slide the firewood back into the stove. He then grabbed the stove blowpipe and started to furiously blow into it.


    Standing by the kitchen door, Zhi Gui felt a strong urge to viciously smack the back of Lu Chen''s head with a broom.


    ��������


    Ruan Qiong continued to forge iron inside a sword furnace in the cksmith shop. Themotion was even more astonishing than before, and dense sprays of sparks flew through the air and illuminated the entire room. In fact, the sparks continued to umte in mid-air without dissipating, and they didn''t flow out of the sword furnace either. In the end, there was almost nowhere to stand in the room.


    However, not only was Ruan Xiu in the room today, but even Wei Bo was present. The space was limited, so the mountain god and the young girl could only stand side by side. Ruan Xiu was hugging a scabbardless long sword, and the de hadn''t been sharpened yet. The sword lookedpletely unremarkable. Even in the eyes of sword cultivators at the Middle Five Tiers, this would be nothing more than a brand-new sword de.


    Ruan Qiong continued to swing his hammer as he looked at Wei Bo and said in a solemn voice, "Please take Xiuxiu to Downtrodden Mountain. Senior Yang has already erected a barrier to conceal this area, so there most likely won''t be any idents."


    He then turned to Ruan Xiu and warned, "After going to Downtrodden Mountain and delivering the sword, make sure not to say anything extra and simply tell him to make haste and go to Ox Horn Mountain with Wei Bo. When he arrives, he can take that ''ferry'' to the south. Before the sword is sharpened by a Dragon ying tform, it won''t disy any sense of sharpness or appear extraordinary in any sense. However, it will still reveal some clues if it''s seen by great demons.


    "So, tell that brat not to seek death when he travels south, and warn him not to butt heads with those great demons in the mountains and rivers. With his current martial arts cultivation, he has a fair opportunity to make it to Stctite Mountain alive as long as he doesn''t seek death."


    Wei Bo had this better thought out than Ruan Qiong, and he said, "I still have a thick locust branch, so I can help Chen Ping''an carve two scabbards when I go to Downtrodden Mountain and take him to Ox Horn Mountain''s Cloth Wrapper Shop."


    Ruan Qiong wanted to say something, but he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    Wei Bo gave a knowing smile and said, "Rest assured, I''ve already used an illusion technique to cover that Sword Nurturing Gourd. Generally speaking, only Qi refiners at or above the 10th tier will be able to see through the illusion. It shouldn''t be a problem."


    Ruan Qiong lowered his head and continued to forge. It was as if thunder were rolling through the room.


    This Militarian sage was filled with annoyance and anger, and he couldn''t wait for that little brat to pack up and piss off.


    Wei Bo didn''t dare to show any carelessness this time, and not only did he silently recite a spell in his mind, but he formed seals with his hands as well. He quietly channeled the fortune of the mountains and rivers in his territory.


    Wei Bo and Ruan Xiu quickly appeared in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain.


    Chen Ping''an was notified beforehand, so he had already finished packing all of his luggage. Moreover, because his Fifteenth was a pocket treasure, he didn''t need to carry arge bamboo basket on his back anymore. As such, he had far fewer things to carry aroundpared to any of his previous trips. This caused Chen Ping''an to feel a bit strange. It would take time for him to get used to this. He had always held a machete in his hand to clear the mountain paths before, yet all he had at this moment was two extremely light flying swords. This was a very unfamiliar feeling.


    Ruan Xiu passed him the sword and also passed on the warning given by her father. In the end, she handed him an embroidered bag and said with a smile, "Chen Ping''an, this is a present for you. It''s some peach cakes."


    1. Referring to the Chinese idiom �ſ���ȸ, which means receiving very few visitors or customers. ?


    2. This means to forcefully upy someone else''s residence. ?


    3. The first three segments are from Yi Jing. There are some different exnations for this, but it roughly means that of the 50 natural regtions, 49 are formed by the heavens and unchangeable by humans. However, the remaining one is the variable changeable by humans. In other words, this "one" is a variable that a person can use to change their own destiny. As such, this variable can naturally manifest and transform into a myriad of forms. Interestingly, this saying also rtes to fortune-telling and divination. In ancient China, there were fortune tellers who used yarrows to perform divination. They would gather 50 stalks of yarrow, yet they would put one aside and not use it, only using 49 instead. ?

 Chapter 205: (1): Traveling South With A Sword

    Chapter 205: (1): Traveling South With A Sword


    An unmatched aura soared from the sword furnace beside the Dragon Whisker River. The sound of the Militarian sage forging iron boomed like thunder, and when the demons in the surroundings heard this, they felt as if their internal organs were about to explode.


    For the past few days, almost all of the cultivators in Dragon Spring Prefecture had involuntarily turned their attention to the cksmith shop beside the river. Qi refiners would often crowd on the newly constructed pagodas and pavilions on the mountain peaks, as well as that dangerously high bridge between the two mountains. From these high vantage points, they would gaze at the distant scene of Ruan Qiong forging iron in the sword furnace.


    In fact, even the convicts and refugees from the Lu Empire, as well as the soldiers from the Great Li Empire responsible for supervising them, would often engage in spirited discussions about this in their spare time. They spected whether Ruan Qiong would trigger a peculiar phenomenon of heaven and earth once he seeded in forging the sword.


    Themotion by the river suddenly intensified at an explosive rate today, and all of the vagrant demon cultivators in the mountain started to feel restless and uneasy. In fact, some weaker demons and fiends felt as if they were being melted in a furnace even though they were already being protected by the formless fortune of the mountains and rivers in this area. They were suffering immense pain. Thus, everyone felt like Sage Ruan Qiong had reached a critical stage of the sword-forging process. This was the moment that would decide sess or failure.


    Inside the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, Chen Ping''an had already made all of the necessary preparations and was ready to set off at any time. He was ready to head to the ferry station at Parasol Tree Mountain. Thest time Wei Bo had taken the young boy around his territory, Chen Ping''an had already seen the peculiar sight above Parasol Tree Mountain.


    The entire mountaintop had been sliced t, and there was an empty area that measured around two kilometers in radius. Wei Bo purposely hadn''t revealed everything to Chen Ping''anst time, and he hadn''t told him what kind of ferry would be used to carry cultivators on their long journeys.


    Ruan Xiu had given him a bag of peach cakes as a farewell gift, and Chen Ping''an naturally hadn''t turned down her present. In fact, not long ago, he had also asked Wei Bo to visit Ruan Qiong and mention his intention of gifting Treasured Scripture Mountain to him. However, Wei Bo had returned to the bamboo building in a very disheveled state. He told Chen Ping''an that Ruan Qiong had rewarded him with two words after hearing his proposal �� piss off! Afterward, he had offered Chen Ping''an a slightly longer response, "Tell that brat to piss off as far away as he can."


    Chen Ping''an had no option but to drop the matter. He knew that his thinking had gone awry regarding this matter. After all, true acts of goodwill weren''t one-sided affairs. Thus, he decided to put this matter aside for the moment. In any case, the little boy in azure always said that people in the cultivation world believed in the notion of there being ample time to deal with gratitude and revenge. Chen Ping''an felt like this was very reasonable. There would indeed be ample time for him to thank Ruan Qiong and Ruan Xiu in the future. As such, there was no need to rush things.


    However, Chen Ping''an still mulled over this for a while, and he also had a serious discussion with the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink. The two little children saw no problem with his proposal, so he made up his mind and asked Wei Bo, the formal god of Northern Mountain, to hire two extremely skilled dessert chefs. These two chefs would start working in his pastry shop after he left Dragon Spring Prefecture. Afterward, he also asked the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink to give Ruan Xiu a heads up, telling her that she could eat for free in his pastry shop.


    In reality, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink both wanted to apany him on his trip down south. The former was afraid that after losing Chen Ping''an''s protection, some random person would walk over tomorrow and smash him to death with a single punch. Thus, when Chen Ping''an returned again, he would only be able to visit his tomb and burn incense for him.


    In addition to this, the water snake from the Imperial River had already advanced another tier, so he wanted to return to the cultivation world to enjoy a free and unfettered life. He wanted to travel around the outside world to rediscover his face and heroic aura that he had lost in Dragon Spring County.


    Meanwhile, the little girl in pink viewed herself as Chen Ping''an''s maidservant, so she was worried that there would be no one to look after and serve her master if she didn''t apany him. She would feel extremely guilty if she stayed in Downtrodden Mountain and did nothing to help.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t agree to their request.


    The little boy in azure threw everything at Chen Ping''an to convince the young boy to take him along �� crying, shouting, threatening to hang himself, threatening to jump off a cliff, and kneeling on the floor. After much persuasion from Chen Ping''an, the little boy in azure finally agreed to stay in the bamboo building to cultivate. Fortunately, the little boy had a fairly good rtionship with the ck python from Go Table Mountain now, so he would often run over to brag and speak nonsense with it. He even forcefully became brothers with the ck python.


    Even though the little boy in azure was extremely talented, he was in fact only a youth when considering the fact that he was from the ilk of flood dragons. Not only that, but he was also a rtively disobedient and mischievous youth. He had never received guidance or education from a sagacious teacher before, so even the so-called righteousness of the cultivation world that he believed in appeared slightly childish and fickle to the little girl in pink, someone who had read countless books.


    However, after interacting with each other for so long, the little boy in azure had already fixed many of his bad behaviors. He wasn''t evil-natured either, so Chen Ping''an wasn''t too worried about him. He simply told the little boy not to bully the little girl in pink. The little boy in azure patted his chest and promised that he definitely wouldn''t bully her. He was a big man after all, so why would he bully a little girl?


    Everything was ready.


    Wei Bo subtly pointed at the room on the second floor and asked with a smile, "Almost time to leave? Are you going to say goodbye to the old senior?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded before turning around to knock on the door. "I''m leaving now."


    The barefoot old man was sitting cross-legged inside the room, and there was a hint of frustration and anger in his voice as he asked, "You''re not going to reconsider my offer for a while longer?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "I can''t dy things any longer. I have to leave immediately."


    "How cowardly!" the old man said with a cold humph.


    Chen Ping''an was helpless against this, and he could only turn to Wei Bo and say, "Let''s set off for Parasol Tree Mountain."


    Ruan Xiu stood beside the bamboo railings and gently waved goodbye.


    Chen Ping''an was still wearing a pair of straw sandals, and this was something that he had already grown ustomed to. He held the brand-new sword in his arms, and this sword was tightly wrapped in manyyers of cotton cloth. There was also a vermilion Sword Nurturing Gourd by his waist and a locust wood sword strapped to his back, and apart from these, he had nothing else.


    He wanted to say something to Ruan Xiu, yet he felt like doing so would be extra. In the end, he scratched his head and said in a soft voice, "Take care, Ruan Xiu."


    Hershes shuddered slightly, and she nodded with a faint smile.


    Chen Ping''an then turned to the two little children and exhorted, "Make sure to cultivate earnestly in Downtrodden Mountain in the future. If youe across any troubles, remember not to be rash. Apart from spending some money to buy these mountains, there hasn''t been any additional expense. So, you don''t need to worry about these mountains too much.


    "I already discussed this with Mountain God Wei, and if the situation truly bes very bad, he''ll use his mystical powers to move the bamboo building to Cloud Drape Mountain. You guys will definitely be safe if you stay inside the bamboo building. Moreover, the old senior will also help us look after the bamboo building, so you guys don''t need to worry about these things too much."


    For the first time, the little boy in azure couldn''t bring himself to feel annoyed at Chen Ping''an''s fussiness.


    The little girl in pink grabbed her master''s sleeve, and there was an extremely reluctant expression on her small face as tears streamed from her eyes.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and gazed into the distance. This trip was too hasty, so he didn''t have the opportunity to return to his ancestral home in y Vase Alley. In fact, he didn''t even have the opportunity to visit his parents'' tombs. Chen Ping''an inevitably felt a sense of disappointment, but there was naturally nothing he could do about this. He understood what was more important.


    One had to realize that his trip to the south to deliver this sword pertained to the ns of three people �� Old Man Yang, Ruan Qiong, and Wei Bo. Among them, Old Man Yang was doing this because of the golden incense girl. He waspleting a transaction with Chen Ping''an, or more urately, Mr. Qi. He was helping Chen Ping''an leave this increasinglyplicated small town, a ce that was bing filled with conflicts and schemes.


    In terms of the reason, and regarding what these conflicts and schemes referred to, Chen Ping''an didn''t know the details. However, Li Xisheng had mentioned that he should leave as soon as possible, so Chen Ping''an was entirely convinced that leaving the small town was for the better.


    Wei Bo reached over and ced a hand on Chen Ping��an''s shoulder. "You might feel a bit dizzy," he warned.


    "Understood," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    After tempering his third tier martial arts cultivation base with the barefoot old man, experiencing pain was truly as normal as eating and drinking for Chen Ping''an. After all, he had walked a tightrope between life and death every day.


    When he thought about the fact that he wouldn''t experience such brutal training sessions again today, tomorrow, and in the future, Chen Ping''an felt a sense of relief as most people would. However, he felt an even stronger sense of emptiness.


    He looked at Ruan Xiu and the two little children and said, "I''m leaving now."


    Wei Bo and Chen Ping''an instantly vanished from Downtrodden Mountain. Their disappearance was silent and still, and not even the tiniest wisp of wind was generated as a result.


    Standing beside the bamboo railing, the little girl in pink said in a quiet voice, "Big Sister Ruan, Master will definitely think of you and miss you in the future."


    The little boy in azure tossed an ordinary snake gall pebble into his mouth and crunched down on it. He then put on a serious expression and started to utter absolute nonsense, saying, "That''s right, Master always calls ''Ruan Xiu, Ruan Xiu'' when he dreams about you in his sleep. It''s very embarrassing."


    Ruan Xiu naturally wouldn''t believe his nonsense. However, she still smiled very happily.


    ��������


    Wei Bo and Chen Ping''an appeared in a secluded mountain forest at the foot of Parasol Tree Mountain. Wei Bo told Chen Ping''an to wait for a moment, and he quickly left before returning a short timeter. There was a strange locust wood scabbard in his hand, a scabbard that could hold two swords at once. He told Chen Ping''an to ce the sword in his arms and the locust wood sword on his back inside the scabbard.


    And thus, Chen Ping''an became an adventurer with twin swords on his back and a wine gourd by his waist. He did indeed look like a sword cultivator from the cultivation world.


    Wei Bo walked around Chen Ping''an and chuckled, "Oh, pretty good-looking."


    A grin spread across the young boy''s face.


    He walked up the mountain with Wei Bo.


    Because the barefoot old man had rewarded him with 31 punches instead of 30 using the Deity Drumming Technique, the extra punch was now causing his fist intent to gradually stabilize and conceal itself.


    This was the same concept as a sword being sheathed.


    Wei Bo was still dressed in white robes withrge sleeves, while Chen Ping''an was carrying two swords on his back and a wine gourd by his waist. The former appeared divine and ethereal, and thetter appeared youthful and gant.


    Chen Ping''an tried to suppress his curiosity, but he eventually gave in and asked, "Wei Bo, is the small town very dangerous?"


    Wei Bo nodded and replied, "Try to imagine this. Many flood dragons rush into a small pond at once, so when they casually swish their tails, it will naturally trigger surging waves that tower into the sky. Moreover, just a single wave crashing down will be powerful enough to pulverize a Qi refiner at the Middle Five Tiers.


    "As for you? Even though you''re not a key focus point for those powerful beings, your existence on the Go board alone dictates that your life is in the hands of others, regardless of how unremarkable a stone you may be. So, Old Man Yang was correct in telling you to immediately leave Dragon Spring Prefecture. The fact that you were able to understand this and ept it is very good."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "I wanted to go outside to explore a bit anyway. Moreover, I can also borrow this opportunity to improve my martial arts, and I can strive to discover the catalyst for breaking through to the next tier by myself."


    "The old senior in the bamboo building is still sulking about something. Did you turn down some kind of offer?" Wei Bo asked in curiosity.


    Chen Ping''an was unwilling to dive into this topic. After all, this pertained to the old man''s private matters. However, Wei Bo had indeed been busily running around to help him these past few weeks, and he had also been open and honest with him regarding other important matters. Not only that, but there was also his rtionship with A''Liang to consider. Thus, Chen Ping''an was willing to reveal some of the less sensitive information.


    "I only know that an extremely powerful Daoist immortal arrived in the small town. Old Senior said that he wanted to give me a profound fated opportunity, so he would let me observe the battle between him and that powerful Daoist immortal, such that I couldprehend the true essence of fist intent. It would be up to me how much I couldprehend. In fact, Old Senior said that I might even advance to the fourth tier in a single breath and develop an extremely solid foundation at the same time."


    Chen Ping''an paused for a moment before continuing, "I asked Old Senior what his chances of winning were. He was extremely honest with me, and he said not even 10 percent. Instead, he would almost certainly die. This is because he still hasn''t returned to his peak yet. Even if he were at his peak, he would still have zero chance of victory.


    "I was very baffled at the time, and I didn''t understand why he wanted to fight with the Daoist immortal if his defeat was already a foregone conclusion. However, Old Senior said that one of the biggest wishes of his life was to fight against the so-called strongest Daoist immortal in the world. Only then would he have no regrets.


    "Since that uninvited guest has a very close rtionship with True Invincible, the old man said that he would fight him first to gauge his own power in rtion to True Invincible. He would use this fight to determine the gulf in power between them. In terms of helping me advance to the fourth tier and giving me a profound fated opportunity, all of this was only secondary."


    Chen Ping''an chuckled in a self-deprecating manner and continued, "I naturally have my own selfish desires as well. I didn''t dare to take the risk and render the ns of you, Old Man Yang, and Master Ruan useless. After all, what would I do if the battle caused too muchmotion? So, I directly voiced these thoughts to Old Senior. He became angry after hearing this, but he didn''t punish me in any way. He simply scolded me and said that my courage was even smaller than a grain of rice.


    "He continued to scold me, and I continued to persuade him. I said that no matter what, he needed to wait until he returned to his peak before engaging in the fight. Waiting for a while longer wouldn''t hurt. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to fight to his heart''s content. Old Senior was clearly persuaded by this. Even though he didn''t say anything, he most likely agreed that it would be disappointing if he wasn''t able to fight at his full strength. As such, he eventually abandoned his n to challenge the Daoist immortal. However, he''s still annoyed at me. You also saw it when you were in the bamboo building back then. He''s still a bit angry."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly gave a knowing smile and remarked, "In fact, Old Senior is quite childish as well sometimes."


    Wei Bo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. If the barefoot old man and the young Daoist priest had truly fought against each other, things would have genuinely gone to shit.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an hadn''t been lured in by the temptation of advancing to the fourth tier. Otherwise, Wei Bo could imagine the oue even if he used his bum to think. The old man would have died without any regrets. However, the shattered Jewel Small World would have been shaken to the core and revealed many hidden secrets. There would have been bloody carnage afterward, and many powerful cultivators would have attempted to seize this chaos to make a profit. As the "first move" in this game of Go, Chen Ping''an would have definitely suffered a miserable fate.


    As for Wei Bo, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan, Ruan Qiong, Xie Shi, Cao Xi, Xu Ruo, Cheng Shuidong, and so on, none of them would have been able to escape. All of them would have been embroiled in the chaos, and all of them would have lost control over their own fate. Indeed, they would have be just like Chen Ping''an, someone who could only rely on luck and listen to heaven''s will.


    In terms of the 30-odd mountains, it was difficult to say how many of them would have managed to survive. However, big trees would naturally catch more wind, and Cloud Drape Mountain �� which was only a step away from bing the Northern Mountain of the Great Li Empire �� would have definitely crumbled into nothingness. It was often said that the mystical powers of immortals could move mountains and turn seas, and this wasn''t generous or unfounded praise. Instead, it was the absolute truth.

 Chapter 206: (1): The Moon Is Round, The Moon Is Crescent

    Chapter 206: (1): The Moon Is Round, The Moon Is Crescent


    Early-rising birds would have insects to eat, and only night-grazing horses would grow fat.


    This principle was indeed logical, and this saying was indeedmon and logical. However, even though the pitiful young Daoist priest woke up early and went to bedte, and he opened his fortune-telling stall earlier than his neighbor and closed itter than his neighbor, he was still unable to "eat" anything or "grow fat".


    This was because the residents in the small town were more willing to believe that the old Daoist priest wearing the fishtail hat was a genuine immortal, and that he was more urate when it came to fortune-telling. Moreover, he wouldn''t grab every opportunity to try to ask for free food and drinks.


    In addition to this, he would never treat his customers differently, regardless of whether they were beautiful young women or elegant and mature women. He was filled with a righteous aura, and he would definitely nevere up with new and novel ways to trick little children of their snacks like a certain someone else.


    When it came to doing business, the most frightening thing was to have your productpared to someone else''s.


    Thus, it could be said that the young Daoist priest had experienced both the warmth and coldness of human nature these past few days. To say nothing of bing rich, it was very likely that he barely had enough money to even put food on the table now. Even the young women who had enjoyed chatting with him before didn''t acknowledge him anymore. Not only did they not visit his stall to have their palms read, but they would even pretend that they didn''t recognize him when they walked past his stall.


    The young Daoist priest could onlyfort himself by thinking that these young and adorable women, who carried with them the fragrance of nts and nature, were only pretending to be unfamiliar with him on the surface. Deep down, however, they were actually doing this because they were shy and too embarrassed to greet him. They were actually filled with adoration and love for him. Otherwise, why were they all dressed in such beautiful clothes when they walked past his stall? And these beautiful clothes would be different every day as well.


    The young Daoist priest was unwilling to disappoint these young girls and let their feelings go unnoticed, so being as eagle-eyed as him, he would always greet them by their names and say a few words of praise. For example, praising them for having a beautiful hairpin, or praising them for having a beautiful and fitting dress, and so on...


    The young women would often be slightly flustered and walk away quickly. Of course, there were also some brave women who would turn around and make eyes at him. Some of them would also scold him and call him pathetic. However, it was a shame that none of them approached his fortune-telling store to give him business.


    This caused the young Daoist priest to feel slightly sad. As he sat idly behind his stall every day, he would either be using his sleeves to wipe the bamboo container clean or holding the bamboo slips up and exhaling over them. Sometimes he would also hold his hands behind his head and rock back and forth, or directly rest his head on the table and gaze sideways at the bustling business of the neighboring stall. Comparing oneself to others could truly anger one to death.


    Fortunately, the young Daoist priest didn''t let his embarrassment transform into rage even after having no business from morning until night, day after day. From time to time, he would even walk over to the old Daoist priest''s stall to make some small talk with him. This caused the old man, who was contemting whether to move to a new location, to feel slightly more rxed. In the end, he even felt a slight sense of pity for the young and stupid Daoist priest.


    Since he had already made a small fortune in the small town, enough tost him for half a year, he decided to provide some guidance to the young Daoist priest. When there were no customers, he waved his hand and invited the young Daoist priest with the lotus hat over. The young Daoist priest giddily ran over and sat on the bench, and there was an eager and expectant expression on his face as he asked, "Immortal Elder, do you have something to teach me? Are you going to offer me some incredible tips?"


    The old Daoist priest picked up the small teacup beside his hand and took a sip of cool tea. He sighed and asked in a frank manner, "Did you just enter this business not long ago?"


    There was a troubled expression on the young Daoist priest''s face as he replied, "It can''t be considered a short time. However, my business is always worse than others."


    The Daoist orthodoxy was split into three branches, with each of the Dao Ancestor''s disciples responsible for leading one branch. These branches shared the same origin, yet they flowed in different directions. Not only did these branches flourish in a certain world and develop power and influence as majestic as the Confucian Sect in the Majestic World, but they even gave rise to manyrge sects in the Majestic World where the Great Li Empire belonged. These sects had be important and deeply ingrained forces in the Majestic World.


    In addition to them, there were also countless Daoist temples that enjoyed many worshippers and incense offerings. Each continent in the Majestic World also had a Dao Master, Heavenly Lord, or Spiritual Master who possessed a blessednd.


    The old man pointed at his unlucky "junior" before pointing at himself and saying, "You''ve already been in this business for quite a while? Then you''re truly lucky that you haven''t been arrested and forced to eat prison meals yet! Let me ask you this. Why in the world are you wearing this lotus flower hat? Do you know that only a tiny number of Daoist temples and forces have the right to wear this style of Daoist hat in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?


    "Among them, the most powerful is Southern Stream Nation''s Divine Edict Sect. Their sect leader and Spiritual Master is none other than Old Immortal Qi, the Dao Master of the continent. He was just promoted to the position of Heavenly Lordst year! As for the remaining Daoist temples, which of them isn''t a top-notch immortal force?


    "Will Daoist priests from these forces need to leave the mountains to set up crappy little stalls and work as fortune tellers? Will they need to interact with hillbillies and vige women who reek of dirt? What, don''t tell me you''re an immortal from Divine Edict Sect? Or perhaps a Daoist priest from thoserge Daoist temples?"


    The young Daoist priest waved his hand and said, "No, I''m neither of these."


    He was Lu Chen, so he was naturally neither of these things.


    The old man was peeved, and was just about to scold this rash young man. However, he suddenly eximed with an astonished expression. As it turned out, there were two people standing in front of the neighboring fortune-telling stall, a middle-aged man and a young boy.


    Even though the middle-aged man had a sickly expression, he was still radiating with a powerful aura that made him appear much like a government official. He possessed the might and disposition of an official! Meanwhile, the young boy was dressed in white robes and had a jade belt around his waist. His face was also jade-like, and it was clear that he was a young master who had been raised in a wealthy n.


    The two people silently stood in front of the stall next door, and it was as if they were patiently waiting for the young Daoist priest to return.


    The old Daoist priest''s sense of pity instantly vanished into a puff of smoke. When he looked at the stupidly lucky young Daoist priest again, he couldn''t help but find him an eyesore.


    Lu Chen thanked the old Daoist priest with a smile before taking his leave and returning to his own stall. After sitting down, he asked, "Are you here to draw a bamboo slip or to have your face read?"


    The middle-aged man sat down and shook his head. "We''re not here for either of these things," he replied with a smile. "In any case, things have alreadye to this, so there''s no point in drawing slips or asking for a face reading."


    He looked at the young Daoist priest and hesitated for a moment. In the end, he still cupped his fists for the first time in his life and said honestly, "I''m a mortal ruler, so ording to the etiquette of the Majestic World, I don''t need to kneel down in front of any immortal. Now that Branch Master Lu has blessed my Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture with his presence, neither do I need to kneel and kowtow, nor can I bow ording to Confucian etiquette. So, let us treat this as a chance encounter in the cultivation world. I''ll be bold and wee Branch Master Lu using the method of people in the cultivation world. Please don''t be offended."


    Lu Chen smiled and said, "How very strange. You''re an emperor, so why don''t you refer to yourself as ''We'' or ''the virtueless one''[1]?"


    "With Spiritual Master Lu here, I truly don''t dare to do so," the middle-aged man replied with a bitter smile.


    "And here I was thinking that the Song n emperor of the Great Li Empire was a heroic and brave person who was afraid of neither heaven nor earth," Lu Chen said in amusement. "After all, you were quite brave when A''Liang charged all the way to the imperial pce''s White Jade Capital, weren''t you? You refused to kneel no matter what. I was watching the show from the distant Southern Stream Nation back then, and even I couldn''t help but shed some cold sweat for you."


    "If I kneeled, then all of the essence and spirit umted by the ancestors of the Great Li Empire''s Song n would have copsed and dissipated," the emperor of the Great Li Empire said in a self-deprecating manner. "So, how could I possibly kneel? Even if he cut my head off, my body could not fall on its knees."


    Lu Chen nodded before suddenly smiling and asking, "Are you here to wag your tail and beg for pity because you constructed a replica of the White Jade Capital without permission? Or are you here to use me of a crime because an immortal from the Lu n screwed you over?"


    "Of course not," the emperor of the Great Li Empire replied with a smile. "I''m not willing to do so, and I don''t have the courage to do so either. In any case, I need to personally attend when that mountain is elevated to the status of the Northern Mountain of the Great Li Empire. Truth be told, the Mohist Sect''s Xu Ruo went as far as delivering a message to me using his bonded flying sword when I was halfway here. He encouraged me not to show myself in front of you.


    "The imperial preceptor also held a simr opinion. Both of them were forthright, and both of them didn''t hold back. This was especially the case with Imperial Preceptor Cui. He''s extremely familiar with my temper, so he was afraid that I would offend Branch Master Lu if I decided to give up all hope and go all out."


    Lu Chen casually looked the terminally ill emperor up and down. He clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "I''m very curious about one thing. A''Liang''s punch shattered your bridge of immortality, and this both freed you from your fate as a puppet and shortened your life considerably. Are you grateful toward him, or do you deeply resent him?"


    "Both," the emperor of the Great Li Empire replied. "In fact, it can be said that I don''t feel much of either toward him. Ever since ancient times, there have been rules and regtions in the Majestic World to bind and restrain rulers. Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers are prohibited from bing rulers, and Qi refiners at the Lower Five Tiers are prohibited from ruling an empire for more than 60 years. In addition to this, emperors are innately unsuited to cultivation.


    "However, I was unable to resist the temptation from Mr. Lu, who helped construct the White Jade Capital, and I walked down a heretical path and secretly cultivated to the 10th tier. This was naturally a huge mistake. Even so, I gave in to my desire because I dearly wanted to hear the iron hooves of the Great Li Empire''s warhorses thundering across the southern seashore outside Old Dragon City."


    The emperor of the Great Li Empire appeared full of spirit and energy when he said this, and it was as if he were a sick old man experiencing a period of terminal lucidity. "If that day trulyes, I believe it will be even more remarkable and thunderous than the ferocious thunder of spring."


    Lu Chen didn''t offer any response to this. Instead, he said, "It was quite impressive for you to clean out your n and forces in such a short amount of time, and you even had the courage to turn down the offer from Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Lu n. Of course, this is inrge part thanks to the sudden decision of the Mo n''s main branch to support the Great Li Empire. No matter what, your life as an emperor... has been full of ups and downs."


    The emperor wasn''t surprised at all. Even though immortals also needed to abide by theplex rules and regtions established by the Etiquette Sage, the handsome young Daoist priest sitting in front of him wasn''t an immortal in the ordinary sense.


    Why had the emperor of the Great Li Empire insisted oning to the small town to personally visit this "young" Daoist priest? Was this not because of his feeling of respect and admiration toward Branch Master Lu? This was a most simple and pure kind of feeling.


    Like a tall mountain that one must gaze up at, like a righteous path that one yearns to follow[2]; though impossible to reach, one still longs to arrive at that destination.


    If one could truly arrive at that destination and personally witness the tall mountain, then that would also be a great fortune of one''s life.


    A hint of unease and hope appeared on the emperor''s face, and he asked, "Since Branch Master Lu is here, can I perhaps ovee this cmity?"


    Lu Chen smiled and shook his head. "Flowing down the dazzling mortal river of stars, you''ve always been one of the more brilliant and eye-catching ones. I can naturally extend your lifespan, and to say nothing of 10 years or 100 years, I can even extend it by 1000 years without much difficulty.


    "However, once I extend your lifespan and change your destiny, I''m afraid you''ll have to abandon your position and follow me to some other world. Only by doing so will you genuinely be able to survive. Otherwise, do you truly think the rules and regtions established by the Etiquette Sage are only for show? Do you think those statues in the Confucian temples are nothing more than dead and inanimate objects?"


    The emperor of the Great Li Empire sighed and remained silent for a long time.


    Lu Chen looked the expressionless young boy up and down with a sideways nce, and he chuckled, "Song Jixin, or should I call you Song Mu? What a coincidence, the two of us have crossed paths again. Do you know that Qi Jingchun held you in very high regard? Do you know that initially, you should have been one of the critical people who inherited his lineage? Qi Jingchun didn''t simply use an illusion technique against me. Otherwise, my oriole definitely wouldn''t have taken that copper coin that you tossed out. However, it''s a pity that while your destiny is fairly good, you''re missing just a little bit of luck. Just a tiny little bit."


    Lu Chen held his hand up, and his index finger and thumb were only a sliver away from touching. He sneered and continued, "The books that Qi Jingchun gave you possessed the genuine fortune of his schrly lineage. Yet, you were actually unwilling to bring a single one away with you. You have to realize that a righteous aura exists between heaven and earth. However, this intangible aura of righteousness also possesses its own spirituality. Someone gave you something, yet you were unable to grab their gift with both hands. You can''t me anyone but yourself."


    Song Jixin''s mind became a chaotic mess, and cold sweat immediately flowed down his back.


    "Song Mu!" the emperor roared softly.


    Song Jixin finally regained a sliver ofposure, yet he still trembled uncontrobly and looked like he was on the verge of copsing.


    Lu Chen continued to jeer at him, saying, "Flustered already, youngd? Are you feeling intense regret? Song Jixin, then have you considered this before? If you truly grabbed that fated opportunity with both hands, would you have been able to endure the consequences? Why did Qi Jingchun die because of Jewel Small World? Ignoring his act of seeking death, and his refusal to enter the small world given to him by the Schrly Sage, the biggest factor was the bacsh from the Heavenly Dao.


    "If you became stained with even a tiny bit of that bacsh, you would have been riddled with trouble for an extremely long time. If that were the case, then so what if you became the emperor of the Great Li Empire? So what if the iron hooves of the Great Li Empire''s heavy cavalry crushed the southern seashore of the Great Li Empire?"


    The emperor ced a heavy hand on the young boy''s shoulder and said in a solemn voice, "Don''t overthink these things!"


    Lu Chen didn''t push any further, and he said in azy voice, "People always like to feel deep regret over opportunities that brushed past their shoulders, and people always like to busy themselves with feelings of envy toward the fated opportunities and fortunes of others. Haha, how hrious and amusing."


    The emperor retracted his hand, and his palm was already filled with sweat. His face became increasingly pale, and he asked, "Branch Master Lu, can you spare the Great Li Empire?"


    Lu Chen faltered upon hearing this, and he suddenly mmed the table and said with a loudugh, "An unfortunate prophecy wille true!"


    He then observed his surroundings before squinting his eyes and gazing at somece high up in the sky. He smiled faintly and asked, "What do you say? This isn''t a case of me forcing you to do something difficult. Rest assured, I''ll let nature take its course regarding what happens in the future. I don''t have any spare time to waste in this ce. To put things bluntly, I wouldn''t have been willing to subject myself to the rules of others in this ce if it weren''t for Qi Jingchun."


    The old Daoist priest in the neighboring stall felt muddleheaded and tired. After the young Daoist priest returned to his own stall, the old Daoist priest started to feel drowsy and even showed signs of nodding off. Moreover, no customer approached his stall, so he was sitting there all by himself. However, even the old Daoist priest didn''t notice the changes that were silently taking ce on his palms. As one of the ridges on his palm grew longer, his lifespan also grew longer along with it. This was an unnoticeable bestowal of fortune.


    This was because the young Daoist priest''s mood finally improved from the terrible state it was in due to the actions of the Lu n. Thus, he decided to casually bestow some fortune upon the old Daoist priest.


    The emperor of the Great Li Empire bade farewell and took his leave with Song Jixin. He was feeling mixed emotions, and he didn''t dare to turn around and look back.


    Lu Chen suddenly sighed with emotion for no apparent reason, remarking, "The world is truly full of mystical and indescribable wonders."


    In reality, the sages from the three teachings and the hundred schools of thought as well as the powerful figures and leaders from the old ns and forces were all extremely busy people. They were all preparing for the imminent chaos and battles that were soon going to sweep through the world.


    The spring breeze would transform into rain, in which the people in the mortal world would bathe. Good and evil would be rewarded or punished, and blessings and misfortunes would be decided by one''s actions.


    The young Daoist priest snapped his fingers, causing the world to return to normal. He gazed at the tall mountain to the west and said, "Go on, you can leave now. What happens after this will have nothing to do with you."


    1. The "We" (��) in this case is the royal first-person pronoun. Thetter is referring to the title ����, a humble pronoun used by emperors in ancient China. It literally means someone who iscking virtue (�ѵ�). ?


    2. An extract from the ssic of Poetry, the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry,prising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC. A tall mountain symbolizes someone of lofty morals and profound knowledge. ?

 Chapter 207: A Person Falling From The Sky

    Chapter 207: A Person Falling From The Sky


    Thanks to Wei Bo, Chen Ping''an was able to live in an extremely extravagant residence. There were carved beams and jade pirs, and there were arge number of rooms and many exquisite decorations. Upon seeing this, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but think, <em>Perhaps even the residences of emperors aren''t any better than this?</em>


    Apart from this, the Kun ship had also organized two maidservants for him, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi. One was shapely and voluptuous, while the other was slender and willowy. They were sisters with simr appearances, yet their figures werepletely different.


    They were responsible for taking care of the esteemed guest, Chen Ping''an, whether that be cooking, washing, or cleaning. They were extremely mellow, and they spoke in a gentle and warm manner. Chen Ping''an was extremely ufortable with this. Moreover, how could he get these beautiful young girls to do everything? Thus, he still insisted on doing everything by himself regardless of how the two young girls tried to persuade him otherwise.


    Chen Ping''an asked for a tub of water to wash his feet that night, and he ced his extremely calloused feet into the scalding hot water. Chun Shui and Qiu Shi were standing nearby, and there was a hint of sulkiness in their eyes. Chen Ping''an felt very uneasy, and it took him a lot of effort to persuade the two young girls to go outside to rest. He breathed a sigh of relief after doing this, and he shuffled his feet in the tub of water and looked around at his surroundings.


    Chun Shui and Qiu Shi sat in the room outside. They leaned toward each other, and they softly chit-chatted using their mother tongue from Complete Reed Continent. Their voices were mellow as they talked, and they curiously spected about the young boy''s background. Why did the supervisor of the Kun ship view him in such regard? Why had he given this young boy a heaven-grade token?


    They chatted about the traditions and customs of the Great Li Empire that they had heard from other people, and they gossiped about the strange and interesting things that had happened in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent during the New Year. They also mentioned some celestial maiden from some immortal abode, and they praised the beauty of her robes and scarves and just how much these things suited her disposition and appearance. They also praised the beauty of her pearl hairpin that hade from a dragon pce.


    There was an azure porcin te on the table, and severalyers of fresh fruits and melons stacked on top of it. A refreshing fragrance wafted from the fruits, expensive products from various mountains in Complete Reed Continent. Not only were they fragrant, but they also possessed a faint hint of spiritual energy.


    The twin sisters with vastly different figures only dared to steal a few nces at the fruits. They didn''t dare to touch them without permission.


    The sound of Chen Ping''an''s footsteps drew closer, and Chun Shui and Qiu Shi immediately stood up and respectfully awaited hismands. Chen Ping��an was still wearing his straw sandals, and he wasn''t willing to put down his twin swords even though he was indoors.


    The twin sisters exchanged a nce out of the corners of their eyes, and the corners of their lips also curled up into slight smiles. They found this quite interesting. However, they didn''t dare tough at the young boy.


    In any case, this Kun ship from Ceremony Mountain[1] would carry people and cargo and make a return trip across three continents every single year. As such, the two top-grade maidservants in the heaven-grade residence had seen all kinds of strange and peculiar Qi refiners before.


    In fact, they felt like this esteemed guest from the Great Li Empire could even be a 40 or 50-year cultivator. This was far toomon in the cultivation world. When traveling outside, one needed to be especially wary of young-looking people. The younger these people appeared, the more careful one needed to be. Indeed, one should never challenge such people recklessly.


    Qiu Shi grabbed the tub of water and went outside to pour it away. Meanwhile, Chun Shui smiled and asked Chen Ping''an whether he would be going to watch the guqin[2] performance tonight. A celestial maiden from Yellow Millet Pavilion, a force with a good rtionship with Ceremony Mountain, had agreed to y the guqin tonight, and all of the esteemed guests from the heaven-grade residences could attend her performance without needing to pay. Moreover, these esteemed guests would all be offered private rooms.


    Chen Ping''an was still carrying Subduing Demons, the sword that Ruan Qiong had forged, at this moment, so he naturally wasn''t willing to wander around and mingle with too many people. Thus, he politely turned down this invitation. Chun Shui was slightly disappointed by this oue. After all, if their esteemed guest Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to attend, then they naturally couldn''t attend either. However, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi genuinely enjoyed the guqin performances of that celestial maiden. Moreover, listening to her performances could also give them an "Ear Washing."


    The majority of cultivators in Yellow Millet Pavilion were female, and almost all of them were very skilled at ying musical instruments, ying Go, writing calligraphy, and making tea. When a celestial maiden cultivated a certain art to the pinnacle level, they would obtain the honorable titles of "Eye Clearing," "Heart Cleansing," "Ear Washing," and so on.


    The celestial maiden on the Kun ship had the ability to perform "Ear Washing" with her guqin performances, and this title was praise of her guqin skills as well as the pleasant sounds of her music. Moreover, "Ear Washing" could be taken in the literal sense, and melodies from these celestial maidens'' musical instruments could genuinely wash away the umted filth in one''s ears and nearby acupoints.


    Chun Shui and Qiu Shi had already cultivated for seven years now, but limited by their mediocre talent, they were still only second tier Qi refiners. In fact, they couldn''t even be regarded as unofficial disciples of Ceremony Mountain. Thus, even though the benefits of "Ear Washing" were only minor, the two young girls were still unwilling to let slip any opportunity to improve their cultivation.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t aware of all these things. In fact, even if he were aware of these things, it was very likely that his decision would have still been the same. This was dictated by his cautious nature. In any case, he was a pure martial artist who had never even seen a guqin before, and he was also carrying many extremely valuable treasures at this moment. As such, he naturally didn''t dare to swagger around the Kun ship.


    Chun Shui and Qiu Shi didn''t need to do anything, but they still needed to stay in a wing room of this heaven-grade residence. And thus, the three of them could only awkwardly look at each other. Chen Ping''an became increasingly envious of Wei Bo. If Wei Bo were in his position, the three of them would have definitely been enjoying a carefree atmosphere and talking andughing with each other. The atmosphere definitely wouldn''t have been as awkward as it was now.


    In reality, however, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi didn''t feel awkward at all. Instead, they found this situation very novel and interesting. After all, very few guests would be like this young boy. There were indeed some strange guests, but most of them would be strange in an entric or aloof sense.


    For example, there were some guests who felt the strange need to clean every nook and cranny of the residence, even the beams and undersides of the beds. They busied themselves with this peculiar task, and they weren''t willing to let the twin sisters help them either. It was as if a single speck of dust in the residence would dirty their hearts.


    There were also guests who were terrified of the dark, and they would retrieve numerous giant glowing pearls from their pocket treasures and put them everywhere �� on the tables, on the beds, and everywhere they could. The entire residence would be blindingly bright.


    There had also been a skinny and shriveled old man who had brought with him a group of mummified corpses with a nauseatingly foul stench. All of the corpses had been female, and all of them had been dressed in beautiful robes and decorated with makeup. They had also been able to walk and move freely, and had simply been unable to speak. That had been an extremely harrowing experience. In fact, the twin sisters hadn''t dared to sleep a wink the entire night, afraid that they would also be mummified corpses in the morning if they weren''t careful.


    Chen Ping''an felt like this awkward atmosphere wasn''t sustainable, and it would also be a bad idea for him to practice standing meditation in front of outsiders. Thus, he had no option but to summon his courage and break the silence. Using the formal dialect of Complete Reed Continent which he wasn''t fluent in, he asked, "Chun Shui, Qiu Shi, where in Complete Reed Continent is Ceremony Mountain located?"


    Immediately after breaking the silence, Chen Ping''an discovered that the atmosphere was already far more harmonious andfortable than before. This was because the twin sisters were seemingly born with the skills to converse with others. Afterward, there was almost no opportunity for Chen Ping''an to speak. He simply needed to prick his ears up and listen.


    In fact, when Chen Ping''an politely offered them some fruit to rehydrate themselves, the two young girls also epted his offer with slightly flushed faces. One of them turned to the side to eat, while one of them continued to describe Ceremony Mountain to Chen Ping''an. When she became tired, her sister would take over and continue to exin the situation. Chen Ping''an listened with keen interest.


    As it turned out, Ceremony Mountain was a rtivelyrge force local to Complete Reed Continent. It was located in the southwest, and it had already been over 120 years since a powerful Qi refiner at the Upper Five Tiers had appeared in the force. Because of this, Ceremony Mountain had removed the title of "sect" from its name ording to the rules of this world. Once called the Ceremony Sect, this force had now returned to its original name of Ceremony Mountain, as named by its founder.


    However, Ceremony Mountain had genuinely experienced great power and wealth before. At its peak, Ceremony Mountain once had two powerful immortals at the Upper Five Tiers. The two immortals had possessed supreme mystical powers, and their names had spread far and wide throughout the continent. Even though the two sect rejuvenation ancestors had only been at the Unpolished Jade Tier, the first tier of the Upper Five Tiers or better known as the 11th tier, it had still been extremely impressive and dazzling for a sect to have two Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators at the same time.


    Even though the twin sisters couldn''t be considered disciples of Ceremony Mountain, they were still filled with a sense of exuberance and shared pride as they recounted the legendary encounters and achievements of the ancestors of the force.


    While traveling on a transcontinental ship, one ancestor had encountered arge group of deep-sea monsters. However, he had forcefully driven them back, and the brilliant glow of his sword had been even more dazzling than the bright moon hanging above the sea.


    Another ancestor had been extremely skilled at lightning techniques, and he had won the nickname of "Divine Cloud Heavenly Lord" while traveling from the southwest of Complete Reed Continent all the way to the northeast. During this time, he had also killed innumerable demons and fiends. Even until today, countless people in Complete Reed Continent were still extremely grateful to him. In fact, they had his merit memorial tablet ced in their residences, and they would continue to honor him with incense and offerings for generation after generation.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t think too much about these glorious deeds, and simply felt a slight sense of longing after hearing them. However, he was very interested in the Unpolished Jade Tier, the 11th tier for Qi refiners. He couldn''t help but ask the twin sisters about this. Even though Chun Shui was only a second tier Qi refiner, she still knew many things about this matter because Upper Five Tier cultivators had appeared in Ceremony Mountain before.


    She started to tell Chen Ping''an what she knew, and she said that the legendary Unpolished Jade Tier could be viewed as a level of great aplishment for Qi refiners. One could return to a state of natural simplicity at this tier, and this would allow their physique to tend toward perfection. They would be like gold and like jade, and they would no longer need to rely on immortal treasures that were external to their body. Instead, they would be naturally resistant and fearless toward water and fire as well as evil matters. Generally speaking, such cultivators could enjoy a lifespan of 500 years to 1000 years.


    Because of this, it was extremely difficult for Qi refiners at the Unpolished Jade Tier to be interested in the changing of dynasties in the mortal world.


    As Chun Shui said this, Qiu Shi also finished eating her jade-green fruit. She identally burped, and she immediately flushed a slight shade of red in embarrassment. Her older twin Chun Shui shot a re at her, and Qiu Shi hurriedly tried to right her wrong by exining to Chen Ping''an, "Young Master Chen, this maidservant has also heard people say that after advancing to the Upper Five Tiers, Qi refiners no longer need to worry about the impure auras between heaven and earth corroding their physiques like surging river water after leaving small worlds and blessednds.


    "The umtion of spiritual energy in their bodies will gradually reach a limit, and when this happens, cultivating in the mountains or outside the mountains won''t make a big difference anymore. People at the Upper Five Tiers will enjoy much more flexibility and freedom than those at the so-called immovable 10th tier, the Nascent Tier."


    There was a look of yearning in Qiu Shi''s eyes, and she continued, "All of the female Qi refiners in the world dream of reaching the Upper Five Tiers. This is because after reaching the 11th tier, one will have a single opportunity to transform themselves. In other words, this will be an opportunity for one to beautify themselves without detrimentally affecting their fate. Because of this, many female cultivators originally white-haired and old could regain a youthful appearance. This appearance willst forever, all the way until they die."


    "Why aremoners afraid of manipting their appearances[3], yet those at the Unpolished Jade Tier can guarantee no detrimental effect to their fate?" Chen Ping''an asked in curiosity.


    Qiu Shi was rendered speechless. She knew this was the case, but she didn''t know why this was the case. After all, how could a second tier Qi refiner like her know about the scenery at the Upper Five Tiers?


    Chun Shui was more observant than her younger sister, and was also more willing to think about problems. She smiled and replied, "Young Master Chen, I don''t dare to offer any conclusions about the truth, but I do have some thoughts that you can use as a reference. When ites to mortal people, their appearances are fixed from the moment that they appear in their mother''s womb. This does indeed pertain to one''s fate, so mortalmoners outside the mountains naturally find it taboo to alter their appearances. This isn''t without basis.


    "However, it''s already fairly difficult for a Qi refiner to detrimentally affect their fate by altering their appearance after advancing to the Middle Five Tiers. In terms of why Qi refiners at the Unpolished Jade Tier can alter their appearances without detrimentally affecting their fate, I feel like this is because..."


    As she said this, Chun Shui raised her hands and feigned building a house on the table. "Qiu Shi and I are only at the Lower Five Tiers, so Qi refiners like us will only have one or two columns in their house. Things are always the most difficult in the beginning. If we alter our appearances, this will be equivalent to snapping one of the few columns. As such, our metaphorical house will naturally face the risk of copse."


    Chun Shui then made a wave motion with her hands and continued, "However immortals at the Middle Five Tiers and Upper Five Tiers have already constructed a sturdy house, and perhaps they''ve even constructed an entire residence that''s like an imperial pce. Thus, they most likely won''t be affected much even if they snap a few columns while altering their appearance.


    "When female Qi refiners at the Unpolished Jade Tier alter their appearances and beautify themselves, perhaps this is a process of them altering the external appearances of their metaphorical residence. Or perhaps they''re adding a brand-newyer of zed tiles to their roof, making it appear more beautiful than before. Young Master Chen, does my exnation make sense?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Yes, it does."


    Chun Shui was slightly embarrassed, and she added, "These are just some silly thoughts of mine. Don''t take them too seriously, Young Master."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "I feel like your exnation makes a lot of sense."


    Qiu Shi blinked and said with a disappointed expression, "Those are immortals at the Unpolished Jade Tier! Big Sister and I have never seen such powerful cultivators before, not even once from far away."


    Chun Shui''s expression became slightly solemn, and she said, "Not seeing them is good. If immortals at the Upper Five Tiers get into a fight, even cultivators at the Middle Five Tiers won''t fare much better than mortal humans."


    Qiu Shi pouted and said, "I just want to see them once from very far away."


    Chun Shui was slightly exasperated, and she replied, "Can we see as far as the immortal treasures of Upper Five Tier cultivators can attack? If we''re not careful, then we might be killed before we even realize what hit us."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t interject. Each person had their own dreams, and he wasn''t familiar with the twin sisters either. Thus, there was no need for him toment on this.


    Someone standing at the bow of the Kun ship suddenly pointed at somece in the distant west with his jaw hanging wide open. Aftering to his senses, he hurriedly called hispanions over and shouted, "Hurry, look over there!"


    A hole of unknown size had been forcefully smashed into the sky of the Majestic World. Something plummeted down, and it appeared as if it had been punched down from the sky.


    Even though the item was plummeting down at a rapid speed even faster than top-grade immortal treasures, the roof of the sky was far too high above thend below. Thus, everyone could see this stunning scene as long as they looked toward the west.


    It was as if aet were rapidly shooting toward the ground with a dazzling trail of snow-white light behind it.


    Commotion swept through the entire Kun ship, and after running out to ask about the situation, Qiu Shi hurriedly returned and informed Chen Ping''an about this. She told him to make haste and go to the viewing tform that was part of his heaven-grade residence. This was something that he definitely couldn''t miss.


    After hearing this, Chen Ping''an walked through the study with Chun Shui and Qiu Shi and opened the door to the viewing tform. Sure enough, he saw a brilliant and eye-catchinget shooting down toward the earth in the distant west.


    Beyond the sky, a booming voice filled with satisfaction rumbled across the sky, slowly traveling through the mind''skes of all of the Qi refiners in the world. "A''Liang, how was this Daoist priest''s fist?!"


    All of the Qi refiners in the Majestic World were forced to hear this, regardless of whether they wanted to hear it or not.


    This was truly domineering.


    At this moment, it was very likely that countless Qi refiners, spirits, demons, ghosts, and deities were looking up and turning around to gaze toward the west. It was very likely that they were stunned by the profound Dao power and powerful punch of that Daoist priest.


    Chen Ping''an''s jaw also dropped.


    <em>What? A''Liang, you were smashed through the sky by someone?</em>


    Theet crashed down in some continent in the western regions of the Majestic World, and it sted a colossal crater into the ground. The person bounced up after this, and due to the unfathomable power of that punch, he bounced up to a height almost as tall as Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Tassel Mountain. The person looked around after reaching the top of the arc, as if he were gauging his directions. In the end, he disappeared with a sh.


    Almost no one in the world could keep up with his movements. In fact, the number of people who were powerful enough to keep up with his movements could be counted on two hands, yet without exception, all of them had already grown ustomed to this. They didn''t have the time or effort to deal with these tendencies. At most, they would silently perform some divinations to analyze any changes in the world.


    "That punch was fairly... badass?" the young boy with twin swords on his back murmured.


    However, someone suddenly smacked the young boy on the back of the head and eximed in frustration, "Badass my ass!"


    1. Ceremony, Dajiao (����) is a Daoist ritual where Daoist priests pray for peace and harmony. ?


    2. A plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been yed since ancient times, and has traditionally been favored by schrs and literati as an instrument of great subtlety. ?


    3. This refers to "disfigurement" (����), where physical alterations are made to one''s face. ?

 Chapter 208: Im Off

    Chapter 208: I''m Off


    Chen Ping''an turned around and saw a familiar face.


    The man was no longer wearing a bamboo hat.


    Chen Ping''an was dazed as he looked at the man, and he was temporarily at a loss for words.


    Meanwhile, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi were given a huge fright. At the same time, they were also irritated by this person''sck of respect for the rules. He was far too irresponsible.


    The Kun ship could be viewed as somewhat of a small world, and a ce that had its own rules and regtions. For example, fights were prohibited, and if there were any disagreements or arguments, they had to be reported to the attendants in the Kun ship. One couldn''t use mystical abilities without reason either, and if there were mortals above the ship, one wasn''t allowed to wantonly harass or humiliate them.


    There were many rules and regtions, and some thought they were excessive and unnecessary. However, forces that had the wealth and power to purchase Kun ships for intercontinental trade were all top-notch forces in the mountains. Moreover, they would generally hire high-tier Qi refiners and pure martial artists to watch over their ships, and they would also hirerge numbers of itinerant cultivators skilled atbat. This was one of the main reasons people adhered to the rules. After all, rules were inanimate and inflexible, yet fists were alive and nimble.


    Apart from this, there was also time cicadas, a type of spiritual matter, resting in the decorative branches that lined all of the corridors. These cicadas never rested, and they had the ability to record scenes that they had witnessed. Even the most subtle movement of aura couldn''t escape their senses. Moreover, if these time cicadas were killed, they would release a mournful and deafening buzz. As such, Kun ships used these cicadas to monitor thieves aboard the ship.


    One had to realize that Qi refiners were also a mixed bag of good and bad people. As people cultivated, their mind''ske would continue to expand without limit. Thus, itinerant cultivators or vagrant cultivators without a high-ranking official cultivation method were unable to concentrate their mind and calm their heart. As such, these people would often be extreme in terms of both good and bad. They would simply act ording to their feelings.


    In any case, cultivation was a bottomless abyss that would consume one''s wealth and easily gobble up one''s mountain of gold and silver. People wouldn''t be rich without additional revenue streams, and risk and reward came hand in hand. As such, it was only natural that many people sumbed to evil.


    Chen Ping''an chuckled before breaking into joyfulughter.


    The man standing in front of him was none other than A''Liang.


    A''Liang was barefoot with his sleeves rolled up, and he appeared travel-worn and also slightly exhausted. However, there was a bright glimmer in his eyes, and he was filled with a soaring fighting spirit.


    He appearedpletely different from the man who had been holding the leash of a donkey and wearing a bamboo saber by his waist. At that time, A''Liang had appeared goofy and irresponsible. Indeed, the way that he had spoken had made him appear boastful and unreliable.


    Now, however, he was no longer wearing a bamboo hat, and he no longer had a silver Sword Nurturing Gourd. In fact, he didn''t have a bamboo saber either. Instead, he had suddenly appeared in front of Chen Ping''an just like this. While Chen Ping''an was at the second tier, he hadn''t been able to determine A''Liang''s power. In fact, he had even felt like Zhu He could potentially rival A''Liang.


    However, after advancing from the second tier to the third tier, Chen Ping''an''s observation of A''Liang changedpletely. He felt like A''Liang could only be more powerful than Cui Chan''s grandpa, the old man with an astounding aura. However, Chen Ping''an was still unable to determine just how powerful A''Liang truly was.


    But what did this matter? The only thing that mattered was that he was able to see A''Liang again so soon. Chen Ping''an smiled happily, and he felt a strong urge to... drink some wine.


    A''Liang stood on the viewing tform that granted him a wide and unobscured view, and his eyes lit up when he saw the twin sisters, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi. He immediately leaned against the tform railing and struck a pose that he believed was carefree and handsome. He then ced a hand on his forehead and flicked his hair up, saying, "Greetings,dies. I''m A''Liang, a swordsman."


    Chun Shui was aposed person, and she didn''t respond to A''Liang''s greeting. However, her younger sister was slightly more short-tempered, and it was indeed the man in front of them who had broken the rules first. Thus, the slender Qiu Shi frowned and said with confidence, "I don''t care who you are. Unless the Kun ship experiences an emergency situation in the sea of clouds, all guests and passengers are prohibited from using mystical powers, and all people are prohibited from entering the rooms of others without permission!"


    After saying this, she sneered and continued, "And you im to be A''Liang? What, are you that powerful immortal who fell from the sky? If you truly are, then will you ept me as a disciple? Hey, I''m begging you."


    A''Liang grinned and said, "I''ve traveled the world for many years, yet I''ve genuinely never taken a proper disciple before. However, what can I do? My swordsmanship is too profound, so it''s indeed very easy for others to be ashamed of themselves once they witness it. As such, they can''t even muster the courage to ask to be my disciple. Youngdy, you''re the first person to directly make this request. I like it!"


    Qiu Shi was just about to mock him, yet her older sister gently tugged on her elbow. Qiu Shi was the maidservant of a heaven-grade premium room, after all, so she forcefully swallowed her words even though she was still very annoyed at the man standing in front of them. This man didn''t respect the rules and also had an insincere feel.


    Chun Shui was far more meticulous and thoughtful than her younger sister, and she could tell that the man standing in front of them was a friend of their esteemed guest, Chen Ping''an. Moreover, he hadn''t done anything too extreme either.


    Thus, even though the Kun ship of Ceremony Mountain had many rules and regtions, these were things that could be applied flexibly instead of absolutely. Otherwise, their profitable business would have been snatched away by theirpetitors long ago. When doing business in the world, maintaining harmony to bring wealth was a never-changing principle.


    Chun Shui first looked at Chen Ping''an and asked with a smile, "Young Master, is this... A''Liang your friend? Is he also a guest on the Kun ship?"


    Chun Shui couldn''t help but feel awkward and ufortable when she said the name "A''Liang."


    As for whether this A''Liang was the same as <em>that</em> A''Liang, Chun Shui refused to believe this was the case. After all, this was analogous to someone with the same name as the wealthiest person in the continent visiting a mortal alley that was littered with chicken droppings and dog shit. Would people feel like they were a paramount individual beyond reach? Would people feel like they were the wealthiest person on the continent?


    "He''s my friend," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Upon realizing that the twin sisters were still waiting for him to answer the other critical question, a sh of brilliance suddenly came to him, and he said with a smile, "He''s also friends with Wei Bo, the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain."


    The question weighing on the twin sisters'' minds was immediately resolved.


    As it turned out, this man was also acquainted with the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain. No wonder Ceremony Mountain was showing such lenience toward him.


    Because the Great Li Empire had conquered the entire northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and disyed its dominant might, even people in Complete Reed Continent had heard much about this empire. Moreover, even before constructing a ferry station on the Great Li Empire''s Parasol Tree Mountain, Ceremony Mountain''s Kun ship had still needed to travel over the territory of the Great Li Empire.


    As for Chun Shui and Qiu Shi, two maidservants carefully raised by Ceremony Mountain, their ability to represent Ceremony Mountain was much more important than their ability to cultivate. Their job was to wlessly look after their guests and build positive rtionships with them.


    Perhaps an immortal from the mountains might take interest in them one day, and if such an immortal took them as his beautiful mistresses, then this would result in a good rtionship between the immortal''s force and Ceremony Mountain. This was also one of the original intentions of Ceremony Mountain.


    Because of this, Chun Shui had a very good understanding of the Great Li Empire.


    Not only was Chun Shui well aware of the power and status of the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain, but even her lively younger sister, Qiu Shi, was aware of this.


    Since this was the case, many of the rules already flexibly applied could be loosened even further. Chun Shui dragged Qiu Shi over to perform a graceful curtsy with her. They then took their leave and returned to the main hall of the residence, leaving the viewing tform to Chen Ping''an and his uninvited guest. After exiting the study, Qiu Shi asked in a quiet voice, "Big Sister, should we inform Supervisor Ma about this?"


    Chun Shui shook her head and replied, "There''s no need. We shouldn''tplicate things even further. If Supervisor Ma feels like this is a rtionship worth developing, then he''ll definitely go full steam ahead to develop it. If that man is genuinely friends with the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain, then he might have a very happy conversation with Supervisor Ma. However, he''ll most likely dislike us for being unthoughtful if we inform Supervisor Ma about this matter. After all, who likes to have others talk behind their back?"


    Qiu Shi understood the deeper meaning behind her older sister''s words, and she asked glumly, "Big Sister, do you want to leave Ceremony Mountain?"


    A warm smile appeared on Chun Shui''s face, and she gently twisted her younger sister''s delicate ear as she replied, "It''s only natural for people to strive for better. Only by bing sessful in the future can we thank Ceremony Mountain for raising us and teaching us. Otherwise, are we truly going to make tea, wash clothes, and fold nkets for strange guests every single day? Have you forgotten? We''re also Qi refiners."


    Qiu Shi was filled with anxiety, and she rested her arms and head on the table and sighed, "Big Sister, I''ll just listen to you. I can''t be bothered thinking about all these things."


    Chun Shui leaned down and whispered in younger sister''s ears. It wasn''t clear what she was saying, but Qiu Shi''s face immediately flushed red with embarrassment. Qiu Shi immediately sat up straight and turned around to tickle Chun Shui''s armpits. The twin sisters started to giggle as they mucked around with each other.


    From time to time, they would also nce over at the study, lest their esteemed guest and his friend catch them ying around. Even when they revealed their true nature, this pair of twin sisters still appeared extremely mellow and as gentle as water.


    Over at the viewing tform.


    A''Liang kept poking his head around the door, as if he were searching for the beautiful figures of the two young girls. After all, it wouldn''t hurt to feast his eyes a bit.


    Chen Ping''an suppressed a smile and asked, "You were fighting with someone?"


    "Mhm, that''s right. It was a very shameless person," A''Liang replied. "Apart from the Dao Ancestor, this old bastard is the best fighter in the Daoist Sect. Ptui! He was merely relying on his geographic advantage and his immortal tools. However, this doesn''t matter. I''m going to go back and return this punch to him!"


    There were many things that Chen Ping''an wanted to say, but he was so frightened that he couldn''t help but swallow all of his words.


    A''Liang retracted his furtive nces and turned around to walk to the tform railing. He looked Chen Ping''an up and down before clicking his tongue in wonder and remarking, "Youngd, it''s only been a short while, but you''ve almost reached one-thousandth of my graceful demeanor already! Very well, very impressive indeed!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond. After a long while, he was finally able to squeeze out a polite response and say, "Come down to visit whenever you have time?"


    A''Liang was deted upon hearing this, and he huffed, "Bloody hell..."


    <em>Little brat, how can you look down on me like this? What, in your mind, I''m the one who''s always going to get beaten and punched down? Perhaps you''re unaware of the fact that the stinky old Daoist priest in the feather coat was sent flying by a single punch of mine before? In fact, he even smashed countless demons to death while flying back!</em>


    However, A''Liang felt too embarrassed to say these things. After all, he had indeed lost during their previous exchange. He wasn''t the Schrly Sage, and he wasn''t shameless enough to speak nonsense like that old schr. He would say all of this after he defeated his opponent!


    At that time, he could tell Chen Ping��an how he had beaten an old Daoist Branch Master to the verge of wetting his pants. He could tell Chen Ping''an that he wasn''t lying, and that he never boasted!


    In any case, that shameless old Daoist priest, the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor, had genuinely epted the title of "True Invincible". A''Liang hadn''t been able to stand this, so the two of them had thus gotten into a fight. Upon seeing that A''Liang didn''t have a sword, the old Daoist priest had also chosen not to use his weapon, one of the four great immortal swords. Afterward, the two of them had exchanged blows using fists and Dao power high above thend of the Heavenly World. While fighting, they had also continued to y heavenly demons. That had indeed been an amazing feeling!


    There would eventuallye a day when he would beat that stinky old Daoist priest up and force him to admit that he was "Not Invincible".


    A''Liang noticed the vermilion wine gourd tied to Chen Ping''an''s waist, and heughed loudly and said in amusement, "Oh, you''re even drinking now?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Yes, but my alcohol tolerance isn''t that good yet. I can only drink a small amount every time."


    A''Liang nced at the sky and said, "Chen Ping''an, we can still chat for a while longer. You can choose some more important topics to talk about."


    Chen Ping''an briefly told A''Liang about the recent events.


    A''Liang raised a thumb and said, "Since that''s the case, then be at ease and continue to travel south. Also, hurry up and get stronger, then you''ll be able toe up to the sky to visit me in the future. The mortal world is very good, but the heaven beyond the heaven filled with powerful opponents is also very spectacr!"


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly guilty, and he admitted, "A''Liang, even though I''m carrying swords on my back, I haven''t started to officially practice the sword yet."


    A''Liang grinned and replied, "When reaching the pinnacle state, practicing the fist is equivalent to practicing the sword. There''s no need to feel anxious!"


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    A''Liang patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and said, "Don''t be like this. Regarding the old sword de under the stone arch bridge, Qi Jingchun indeed contacted me about it first. However, he went back on his wordter, and he said that he had found a more suitable candidate than me. I wasn''t angry, because I was the one who understood Qi Jingchun''s temper the best. Even so, I naturally couldn''t help but feel curious. Which incredible person had forced that stubborn fart Qi Jingchun to finallye to his senses? It was because of this that we crossed pathster.


    "Afterward, my doubts and questions were also relieved because I realized one thing. Even if I walked to that stone arch bridge in your hometown, the sword spirit might not have chosen me as her owner. Back then, I told you that you took away something that was as good as mine, but I was simply boasting!"


    Chen Ping''an was dumbfounded.


    <em>A''Liang also boasts?</em>


    A''Liang grinned widely, so wide that his entire face became scrunched together likeyers of warm sunshine folded together. Heughed heartily and asked, "What''s wrong? I''m not allowed to boast? Say, was it embarrassing for me to be punched down into the mortal world? Of course it''s embarrassing! However, I still came to visit you, didn''t I? Why is this?"


    Chen Ping''an was baffled, and he asked, "Why?"


    A''Liang pointed at the sky and replied, "Truly powerful individuals don''t care about being invincible or whatnot. They simply care about staying alive. They care about staying alive regardless of how resounding their defeat is. That way, they''ll be able to stand up and unleash their furious attacks again!"


    A''Liang pointed toward the south and chuckled, "After passing that stinky old Daoist priest''s Stctite Mountain, you''ll arrive at the Sword Qi Great Wall where I sharpened my Sword Dao for many years. Do you think I was always peerless and mighty? No, most definitely not. There were countless times when I was beaten and chased as if I were a homeless dog!


    "Of course, I''m not afraid of anyone in the world when ites to fighting one-on-one. However, what could I do about those shameless great demons teaming up to fight against me? I had no option but to flee and curse. After breaking free with much difficulty, I would then sneak back and assassinate one of them before strolling off with my head held high.


    "After returning to the Sword Qi Great Wall and tossing the head of the great demon over, those young ones would start to shout and whoop without needing me to even say anything. You don''t know just how hungry the gazes of those young girls and beautiful women were. It was as if they could devour me alive! I felt quite embarrassed during those times..."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but say, "I believe everything you said at the start. However, I don''t quite believe thosest two or three sentences that you said."


    "Even if you see through me, you don''t have to expose me like this," A''Liang said awkwardly.


    They fell silent for a moment.


    A''Liang looked up at therge fissure in the sky that was slowly knitting back together.


    "A''Liang, do you want some wine?!" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked in a loud voice.


    A''Liang faltered for a moment beforeughing and saying, "I''ll take you up on thatter!


    "Alright, we''ll leave things here then. When you arrive at the Sword Qi Great Wall, if you hear anyone using this matter tough about me, then remember to tell them that A''Liang will soon smash that Daoist second disciple into the Heavenly World with a single punch!"


    After saying this, A''Liang shouted softly, "I''m off!"


    The Kun ship shuddered violently, and it slowly descended dozens of meters before finally managing to arrest its downward momentum with much difficulty.


    A rumble traveled over from the sky, and that streak of light shot to a height that even the Qi refiners aboard the Kun ship were unable to see. An even more astonishing explosion traveled over, and the sea of clouds within a radius of several kilometers waspletely obliterated into nothingness. A''Liang vanished just like that.


    In the next instant, he appeared in the sky above the sea between Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and Middle Earth Divine Continent. There was another deafening explosion, and A''Liang soared over the eastern seashore of Middle Earth Divine Continent as well as the majestic Tassel Mountain that towered into the sky. A deity in golden armor sitting cross-legged in the sky opened his eyes.


    A''Liang then soared past the White Emperor City located in the iridescent clouds outside Yellow River Small World, and a paramount demonic cultivator standing above the city wall nced at his quickly disappearing figure.


    Just like this, A''Liang continued to rapidly ascend toward the fissure in the sky. Before the fissure closed, A''Liang dashed through it and bade farewell to the world.


    Chen Ping''an stood on the observation tform for a long time, unwilling to leave.


    It was difficult to say whether A''Liang was truly invincible or not. However, it was without a doubt that he was truly graceful and carefree.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Any A''Liang fans? :)</blockquote>

 Chapter 209: (1): Also A Wooden Sword

    Chapter 209: (1): Also A Wooden Sword


    A''Liang hade in a hurry, and he had also left in a hurry. However, not only did Chen Ping''an not lose his respect for the badass A''Liang after seeing him being punched down by someone else, but he even felt like this version of A''Liang was especially handsome and dashing.


    Even so, Chen Ping''an still couldn''t help but feel slightly disappointed. Even until today, he still hadn''t seen A''Liang draw his sword yet.


    Chen Ping''an retracted his gaze and untied Jiang Hu, the Sword Nurturing Gourd, from his waist. After taking a small sip of wine, he couldn''t help but sigh with emotion and say, "After throwing one million punches, I''ll need to shift my focus to practicing the sword."


    After tying his wine gourd back to his waist, Chen Ping''an was no longer as cautious as he was before. There was a wide smile on his face as he started to openly practice standing meditation.


    There were the sword immortals who had flown over the small town on their flying swords, and they had soared through the sky and enjoyed the strong winds amid the clouds as they had journeyed afar and watched the ebbing and flowing tides. There was Patriarch Cui whose punches could move the earth and shake the mountains, and there was Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin whose sword had arrived before he had and unleashed a brilliant radiance between heaven and earth...


    If these beautiful and glorious things were disyed by others, then one should attempt to emte them after one got over their feeling of envy. In terms of whether one would seed or not, this could be discussed after one put in sufficient effort.


    This was a very simple concept.


    The violent tremor caused many people on the Kun ship to be frightened and uneasy. Because of this, and because Chen Ping''an had still yet to return from the observation tform, Chun Shui became afraid that an ident might have urred. Thus, she risked offending the esteemed guest and walked through the study to the door leading to the observation tform.


    After arriving here, she discovered that the cultivator who was friends with the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain had already vanished without a trace. Chun Shui couldn''t help but grumble in her mind. This person was truly mysterious and elusive.


    When she saw Chen Ping''an cultivating, she silently turned around without saying anything. At the same time, she purposely walked quietly as she returned to the main hall.


    Interrupting the cultivation of a Qi refiner or a pure martial artist was a huge taboo regardless of whether one was from the mountains or from outside the mountains.


    When powerful Qi refiners entered seclusion, these would be incredibly important matters for an entire force. A hundred or so years ago, Ceremony Mountain had experienced a hugemotion rted to this matter. A "young" elder at the ninth tier had entered seclusion in an attempt to advance to the 10th tier, yet it was at this moment that a mortal enemy had infiltrated Ceremony Mountain due to their carelessness. Of course, it could also be said that this was due to their enemy''s superior power.


    In any case, the foundation of the elder''s Great Dao had been destroyed, meaning that he could only remain at the Golden Core Tier for the rest of his life. Not long after that, the mental state of the elder had decayed and eventually crumbled. He had initially enjoyed a wonderful reputation in Ceremony Mountain, yet after that incident, he had be incredibly violent and cruel. He would kill his concubines and maidservants on a whim, and he had even crippled his Sea Observation Tier disciple and almost shattered his bridge of immortality.


    In the end, the disciplinary elder who had viewed this elder as her own child had been left with no option but to personally suppress him and confine him to the prison behind the mountains.


    Afterward, the disciplinary elder who hadn''t left the mountains for a hundred years had made an astounding decision. She had gone to the ancestral hall of Ceremony Mountain and retrieved the sword of the founding ancestor. She had then left the mountains and charged into the sect of their mortal enemy, going on a killing spree and personally executing the cultivator who had ruined the young elder''s life. She had roared withughter before returning to Ceremony Mountain. Within a year after returning, however, she had suddenly passed away.


    Regarding this matter, the disciples of Ceremony Mountain only dared to discuss it in secret. This was especially the case regarding whether the disciplinary elder''s decision to exact revenge was worth it or not. However, even the immortal sects and ns outside of Ceremony Mountain admired and praised the disciplinary elder''s bold and heroic actions. They felt like she had disyed the might and demeanor of Ceremony Mountain''s founding ancestor. Afterward, these immortal sects and ns had shown increased goodwill toward Ceremony Mountain, which had already lost its title of sect.


    Supervisor Ma, the person responsible for all matters pertaining to the premium rooms on the Kun ship, was a chubby old man who had jade rings of various colors on his fingers. He went around to all of the premium rooms and personally exined to the esteemed guests that the violent tremor hadn''t been caused by an enemy attack. Instead, the Kun had simply been acting mischievously in a rare one-in-100-year urrence.


    In terms of the guests in the other rooms, Ceremony Mountain couldn''t be bothered wasting its time to exin the situation to them.


    Qiu Shi opened the door, and when Supervisor Ma heard that Chen Ping''an was cultivating on the observation deck, he smiled and told her to deliver the message afterward.


    Before leaving, Supervisor Ma looked over the young girl''s slender shoulder and gazed at her more voluptuous sister, Chun Shui. She was shapely and graceful as she stood beside the table, and even from the front, he could still see the beautiful curves of her bottom. The old man reluctantly retracted his gaze and joked, "Qiu Shi, you need to eat more. Look at how skinny you are. It''s not good for young girls like you to be too skinny. If you can''t afford it, then don''t worry, Big Brother Ma can still spare this amount of money for you. There''s no need to be polite with me, and just ask if you need to, understand?"


    Qiu Shi smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.


    After closing the door and sitting down beside her older sister, however, she couldn''t help but roll her eyes and grumble, "Damn old pervert. Having him look at me is like having a slug crawl over the back of my hand. It feels slimy and disgusting! And Big Brother Ma? Big Sister, I genuinely want to punch him blind!"


    "You have a beautiful appearance, but you won''t allow others to look at you for even a second longer? How temperamental! Do you truly think you''re a celestial maiden from the immortal sects?" Chun Shui said in a gentle voice of amusement. "I wonder, are you close friends with Yellow Millet Pavilion''s Celestial Maiden Liu? Could you please introduce this lowly maidservant to her?"


    Qiu Shi''s eyes widened upon hearing this, and she huffed, "Big Sister, how can you tease me like this?"


    "This young master from the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture is an easy-going person," Chun Shui suddenly said.


    Qiu Shi blinked her watery eyes and said, "What, you''re not thinking of genuinely offering yourself to him, are you? He''s only a young child, after all, so how can Big Sister like him?"


    "What nonsense are you uttering?" Chun Shui said in exasperation.


    Qiu Shi giggled and replied, "I know, I know, you like Ceremony Mountain''s Esteemed Immortal Han. Indeed, he''s the direct disciple of the mountain leader, and he''s also extremely talented and very handsome. Most importantly, he''s polite and amicable to everyone hees across. He also made a huge name for himself during his two trips down the mountain to train. When we attended Ceremony Mountain''s celebration that''s held once every three years, the expression you had when you watched him sparring with someone from a distance... Tsk, tsk, your gaze was like a spring breeze that could melt snow..."


    Chun Shui leaned forward, and her chest inadvertently formed a stunning curve as it pressed against the edge of the table. She reached over and gently pped her younger sister''s forehead, saying, "You''re at the second tier, and I''m also at the second tier. Combined together, our cultivation tier is still lower than his. He reached the Abode Tier three years ago, and perhaps he will have already reached the Sea Observation Tier when we return this time."


    Qiu Shi smiled and grabbed her older sister''s hand. Mimicking the tone and demeanor of Supervisor Ma, she teased, "Oh, Miss Chun Shui, your dainty hands are truly pale, and your appearance is truly beautiful. The hands of other celestial maidens might not be as pretty as yours even if they don''t need to do housework all year round..."


    One of her hands was being held by her younger sister, so Chun Shui raised her other hand to cover her mouth as she giggled.


    The path of cultivation was difficult, but there were always happy things that could make one smile. For example, the twin sisters depended on each other, and they had enjoyed a rtively peaceful life ever since a young age. When they had free time, they could even secretly think about some lofty people and matters.


    Chen Ping''an had already finished cultivating and walked to the door threshold leading to the main hall. After seeing this, however, he silently returned to the observation deck, unwilling to disturb this sweet moment.


    His movements had been quiet and gentle the entire time, so the twin sisters hadn''t detected his presence at all.


    Chen Ping''an decided to practice walking meditation on the observation deck.


    He had set himself a goal to throw one million punches, and it wasn''t the case that any random punch would count. Instead, it would only count after hepleted all six steps of walking meditation.


    If he simply pursued speed, it couldn''t be said that he wouldplete the one million punches within a few days. However, if he relentlessly practiced for 12 hours every day during this trip down south, thenbined with the punches he had umted while traveling to Great Sui Nation and back, he could reach one million punches in approximately two and a half years.


    However, Chen Ping''an wasn''t pursuing speed. Instead, he was pursuing slowness and steadiness. This was because after breaking through the sixth stop of the Eighteen Stops technique that A''Liang had taught him, Chen Ping''an was now experiencing apletely different scenariopared to the first six stops. It was as if his Qi was a flowing river, slow but substantial. As such, Chen Ping''an couldn''t be careless. Moreover, the principle of "more haste less speed" was something that often appeared in the books, so Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t dare to ignore this.


    If everything continued as normal, then it would be impossible for him to reach his target of one million punches before arriving at Stctite Mountain.


    This caused Chen Ping''an to feel slightly helpless.


    He had initially wanted to achieve at least one thing before meeting her again.


    Right now, Chen Ping''an was already fairly skilled at performing walking meditation. Even if he thought about other matters, he could still use these fist stances to temper his body and mind.


    Practicing fist techniques was like reading.


    The meaning of a book would be clear after one read it many times, and one''s writing would also be as if one were being assisted by the gods if one read countless books. Sure enough, the sagely principles in the books didn''t lie.


    After resting for a short while, Chen Ping''an rested his arms on the deck railing and gazed into the distance. The sun was setting to the west, draping a golden robe over the sea of clouds. The golden light was dazzling and magnificent as it rippled over the clouds, and this was a sight that could rx one''s mind.


    When the twin sisters had taken him for a tour around the room before, the sea of clouds had appeared like gigantic sheets of cotton in Chen Ping''an''s eyes. Moreover, it had appeared like two sheets of cotton between which the Kun ship traveled. Because of this, it had seemed as if the sky were close and the earth were also close. That had been a very interesting feeling.


    Chen Ping''an slowly looked away. His room was the highest, and all of the remaining premium rooms were considerably lower than his. There were also some Qi refiners standing on the observation decks of these residences and enjoying the iridescent clouds of dusk. Inside the sturdy railings that lined the outside perimeter of the tall building, there were quite a few people taking walks, and children running around and ying under the supervision of their guardians. There was the sound of chatter andughter.


    Chen Ping''an saw the back of a figure, and with his current vision, he was able to clearly see the bag that was diagonally slung across the person''s back. There was also a wooden sword beneath the bag. The person was dressed in well-worn Daoist robes, and also had a wooden hairpin in his hair. The young man slowly turned to his side and gazed down at thend. He raised a hand to block the sun from his eyes, and his expression appeared slightly adrift.


    Even though there was a formless barrier imperceptibly rippling and protecting the area on the Kun''s back, a gentle breeze could still make it through. The young Daoist priest had dry and cracked lips, and the passing breeze gently lifted his sideburns into the air.


    He also had a wooden sword strapped to his back.


    The young boy from y Vase Alley was staying in a premium room and standing on an observation deck above all others. When his maidservants chatted, they would talk about stories pertaining to immortals at the Upper Five Tiers. Beneath them was the smallest continent in the Majestic World, and it was very likely that the Qi refiners in the small forces �� and especially itinerant cultivators and vagrant cultivators who were struggling like rootless duckweed in the mountains and marshes �� would never learn of the names of the Upper Five Tiers, even until their death.


    Meanwhile, the young Daoist priest from who-knows-where was silently standing in front of the railings on the lowest level of the Kun ship and counting his remaining money as he starved. He was determining whether he had enough money to take the Kun ship to Southern Stream Nation.


    Chen Ping''an retreated a few steps and continued to practice his fist techniques.


    His movements were natural, and his fist intent was in but elegant.


    Chen Ping''an continued to practice walking meditation on the observation deck all the way untilte at night, when the moon shone bright and nketed the radiance of the stars.

 Chapter 210: (1): Encounter and Reunion

    Chapter 210: (1): Encounter and Reunion


    Chen Ping''an had the status of an esteemed guest, but in reality, he wasn''t a noble or wealthy person at all. Thus, he didn''t require the twin maidservants to genuinely serve him or whatnot. Because of this, Qiu Shi turned her attention to the matters happening outside this premium room.


    She was like a well-informed reporter as she told Chen Ping''an about the interesting people and matters on the Kun ship every day. She didn''t care whether he wanted to listen or not, and this didn''t matter anyway since the impoverished young boy from the Great Li Empire was an easy-going person.


    The young girl continued to gossip, and she talked about how someone managed to obtain a rare piece of beautiful jade while gambling on stones at the gambling venue. This piece of jade had possessed rare jade essence, and after being extracted, it had glowed with a dazzling and eye-catching radiance. It was worth at least 30,000 snowke jades, so that person had made a huge fortune.


    Meanwhile, two wealthy customers had visited the weapon store owned by Mr. Liu. They had both set their eyes on the same spirit tool, and they had eventually started to bid with each other out of anger. They had raised the price again and again, and it was ultimately the customer who had boarded the Kun ship at the Great Li Empire''s Parasol Tree Mountain that had offered a higher amount.


    The Heaven Rivaling Painted Ji[1] had initially been priced at 8000 snowke jades, but the customer had eventually ended up spending close to 20,000 snowke jades to purchase it. Qiu Shi was extremely envious of this. After all, who in the world spent money so carelessly like this? Had his money been swept over by the wind?


    Someone had also put on a drunken show at Apricot Blossom Tavern, and they had continued to shout ady''s name in a heart-wrenching manner as they wailed in grief. The nearby guests had all been extremely irritated, and in the end, the manager of Apricot Blossom Tavern had dragged the person away and given them a good beating.


    Two dayster, however, the person had returned to the tavern again. He hadn''t dared to make a scene, but rather squatted outside the tavern and chowed down on dry biscuits as he dazedly gazed at the room of thedy he had feelings for. Tears and snot had flowed down his face, adding the perfect mixture of condiments to his dry biscuits.


    In fact, this young fourth tier cultivator had spent all of his savings on a beautiful entertainer[2] who was like a white lotus. He had spent all of his money on her these past two months, and the two of them had also been very close and intimate with each other. This was nothing. However, it was rumored that the young cultivator was obsessively in love with her, yet he hadn''t even touched the hands of that entertainer yet. In this sense, he was truly a moral and righteous person.


    Qiu Shi babbled non-stop about these peculiar matters, and she didn''t forget to embellish these stories with her own opinions and descriptions to make them even more exaggerated and gripping. Indeed, her descriptions of these events were even more spectacr than the stories told by storytellers. However, Chen Ping''an treated them as nothing more than stories.


    Right now, Chen Ping''an''s interest wasn''t in these people and matters that urred on the ship. Instead, his interesty in the world beneath them.


    One night, the Kun ship was forced to descend to a lower altitude aftering across strong winds and turbulence in the sky. This allowed Chen Ping''an to discover raging fires tearing through an empire in the world beneath them. Columns of smoke rose into the air, as if they were crooked trees rising from the fields.


    Chun Shui knew about many things in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and after searching through a geomantic map in the study, she quickly offered an answer about the situation beneath them. As it turned out, it was a bloody war that pertained to the fortunes of two empires that had been mortal enemies for many generations already.


    After warring for several hundred years, the two empires had finally decided to go all out and gamble the power of their entire empire to decide victory. Hence, they had also dispatched many Qi refiners to the battlefields.


    This battle had definitely wounded both empires to the core. Thus, when casting one''s gaze over the region north of Lake View Academy in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there were already few empires that could rival the northern barbarians in the Great Li Empire, with the exception of Great Sui Nation.


    Chun Shui looked down at thend of death and misery and said with a soft sigh, "If the war bes even more intense, then Eastern Treasured Vial Continent might gain a new ancient battlefield. In a few dozen years, when the aura here settles, sages from True Martial Mountain or Wind Snow Temple will most likelye over to transform this into a brand-new territory for the Militarian Sect."


    Chen Ping''an also looked down at thend where brilliant shes of light would appear from time to time. Meanwhile, he could also see warriors in golden and silver armor who only appeared as big as a fingernail from the Kun ship. Right now, they were doing battle against gigantic beasts that had crawled out from fissures in thend.


    Chen Ping''an spected that this was a battle between Qi refiners who could summon helpers with their mystical abilities.


    Apart from this, he was stupefied by many other scenes.


    A group of immortal cranes cried out as they slowly rose into the air. They rose through the sea of clouds, and they pped their wings and soared into the sea of clouds even higher up, as if they were a moving painting.


    A group of geese flew toward the south, and there was also a column of tumultuous clouds filled with thunder and lightning. Many flying Qi refiners hovered outside this column of clouds and used special immortal tools to extract the lightning from within it.


    There were also Qi refiners riding azure phoenixes that were far quicker than the Kun ship. They were surrounded by treasured light, and they disappeared in a sh.


    Chen Ping''an heard that there was a letter shop on the Kun ship that could use flying swords to deliver letters, and its function was much the same as ry stations in the mortal world. Thus, he wrote two letters and asked Qiu Shi to head over to the letter station to deliver them for him. There weren''t any secrets in the letters, and the main point of them was to tell everyone that he was safe and sound. In addition, the letters also contained some peculiar and interesting stories that he had heard from Qiu Shi. As such, it didn''t matter even if other people read these letters.


    However, it was truly expensive to deliver these letters, and a letter sent to the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring County would cost him 10 snowke jade coins. This was the currency used by immortals in the mountains. Sending a letter to Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy was even more expensive, and this would cost him an entire 20 snowke jade coins.


    Chen Ping''an was shocked, and the reason why he had only written two letters instead of a letter for everyone. One letter was addressed to Wei Bo in the Great Li Empire, while the other letter was addressed to Li Baoping in Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy. He asked the two of them to deliver his message to the others.


    Chen Ping''an was standing on the observation deck at this moment, and under Chun Shui''s guidance, he discovered shes of light asionallying from a small detached building near the railings of the ship. These shes of light were subtle and quick, making them quite difficult to detect.


    Chun Shui smiled and exined, "All things have their own requirements and desired environments, and flying swords used to deliver letters are no exception to this. There''s a certain altitude that''s the most suitable for releasing flying swords, and the resistance at this altitude is extremely small. Thus, some Qi refiners make a living by earnestly opening up special passageways at this altitude.


    "After flying swords are released into the sky, they''ll all enter these small passageways to fly toward their destination. Disciples fromrger forces all know about this rule, so when they soar into the sky to travel, they''ll actively avoid interfering with these passageways."


    Qiu Shi arrived in the study at this moment, and she leaned against the door frame leading to the observation deck and giggled, "Of course, there are also foolish vagrant cultivators who crash headfirst into these passageways after learning how to fly and finally soaring into the sky with much difficulty. If they are lucky, they''ll be beaten ck and blue. If one is unfortunate, it''s possible that their eyes might be pierced or their neck might be sliced open. When they plummet from this high altitude, they''ll st onto the ground and die right away. They''ll transform into a puddle of flesh. How pitiful."


    Chen Ping''an asked a very novice question, saying, "Are there people who block these letter-delivering flying swords out of boredom?"


    Qiu Shi nodded and replied, "Sure there are. There are heaps of mentally challenged people among Qi refiners as well. However, these small passageways for flying swords aremonly referred to as Cloud Pattern Paths, and there are special Cloud Pattern Qi refiners who especially watch over these paths. They rely on this to make a living, so they dearly hope that fools will fly over to interfere with the flying swords.


    "These flying swords aren''t worth much money, but catching these foolish Qi refiners will allow them to forcefully demand an astronomical amount of money aspensation. If the troublemaker is poor, then the Cloud Pattern Qi refiners will ask the mortal empire that said troublemaker belongs to forpensation. If it''s a vagrant cultivator who has no money and isn''t registered with any mortal empire, then the Cloud Pattern Qi refiners can only ept their misfortune. In any case, this won''t be a big loss for them."


    An expression of envy appeared on Qiu Shi''s face, and she continued, "The Qi refiners who are responsible for watching over these Cloud Pattern Paths are all extremely wealthy! Whenever they board intercontinental ships to travel, they''ll always stay in at least medium-grade rooms."


    Chun Shui''s voice was warm and gentle as she added, "In reality, powerful immortal sects and ns that have existed for thousands of years generally won''t use flying swords to deliver messages. There are many mystical secret techniques in the world, and these secret techniques can make it seem as if people from far away are talking face-to-face.


    "For example, there''s a kind of linked elm tree blossom. If one person massages their elm tree blossom with a special technique and speaks into it, then the linked elm tree blossom that''s located at some other ce will automatically vibrate and repeat the speaker''s words to the other person."


    Chen Ping''an clicked his tongue in wonder.


    Qiu Shi looked at the earnestly listening Chen Ping''an and thought to herself, <em>How did this poor young boy be acquainted with the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain? Just how incredibly lucky did he get?</em>


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an was only poor. He wasn''t very knowledgeable, but he would ask questions whenever he wasn''t sure about something. He would never pretend to be knowledgeable at his own cost. Because of this, the pure and simple-natured Qiu Shi felt like he was a very good person. If he were poor but liked to show off, and if he were unknowledgeable but liked to feign knowledge, then that would truly be both pitiful and detestable.


    After chatting for a long time, it was inevitable for the twin sisters to mention their ce of origin, Complete Reed Continent.


    There were many sword cultivators in Complete Reed Continent, and it was without a doubt that they made up thergest percentage of cultivators.


    Sword cultivators had powerful destructive abilities, so it was only natural that many of them were domineering people. Just how domineering were they? A simple example would demonstrate this well.


    Southern Whirl Continent was located to the south, and Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was located to the east. Thus, these two continents weremonly referred to as Southern Whirl and Eastern Treasured Vial.


    Complete Reed Continent was clearly located in the northeastern region of the Majestic World, yet they insisted on referring to themself as Northern Complete Reed Continent. As a result, the Pure White Continent located in the north could only be called Pure White Continent. They were forced to drop the description of north from their name.


    When the graceful and gentle-natured Chun Shui talked about Complete Reed Continent, she also disyed a slight hint of pride and haughtiness. However, she didn''t notice this herself. Qiu Shi naturally disyed this sense of pride and haughtiness even more openly, and she liked to talk about how great "our" Complete Reed Continent was and how mediocre "your" Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was. There was a bright and lively glimmer in her eyes, and she was like a proud and haughty little warbler.


    One day, Chen Ping''an finally decided to leave his premium heaven-grade room.


    Even Chun Shui was slightly overjoyed, and Qiu Shi was so happy that she jumped up and down in excitement before bowing and thanking Young Master Chen.


    This caused Chen Ping''an to feel slightly guilty.


    The reason he decided to finally leave his room was that Qiu Shi had delivered a huge piece of news. Tonight, the Flower and Bird Scroll passed down by the ancestors of Ceremony Mountain would be disyed at the bow of the Kun ship. This scroll could allow one to witness scenes from tens of thousands of kilometers.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t overly astonished by this, especially since the little boy in azure had retrieved a bowl of water on that one windy and snowy night. The water in the bowl had clearly disyed the sight of Celestial Maiden Su Jia flying on her sword.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an wasn''t heading over to look at this treasure. Instead, he was heading over because the event that was going to be streamed on the scroll had much to do with him. As such, he had no option but to attend.


    Sun Scorch Mountain and Wind Lightning Field were going to engage in a life-and-death battle. This news had arrived suddenly, and there hadn''t been any warning before this at all. The entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was caught by surprise.


    Moreover, even though only a few morsels of information made it out, this was still enough to make everyone feel a cold chill.


    The two top-notch sword cultivation forces in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent were going to choose three sword cultivators each �� one old, one middle-aged, and one young.


    The young sword cultivators wouldn''t fight to the death, and they would simply fight until a victor was determined.


    The middle-aged sword cultivators could either fight to the death or fight until a victor was determined. This was subject to the will of the two sword cultivators. However, everyone in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent knew that whenever sword cultivators from these two forces came across each other in the outside world, they would engage in battles to the death anyway.


    Since this was a critical battle that would bring either glory or humiliation to their force, the temper of the sword immortals from Sun Scorch Mountain and Wind Lightning Field would most likely push them to fight to the death.


    As for the old sword cultivators, their only option was to fight to the death!


    Killing intent permeated the air.


    Swords were yet to be drawn, yet it was as if everyone could already smell the metallic stench of blood.


    The young sword cultivator chosen by Sun Scorch Mountain was none other than Celestial Maiden Su Jia, a cultivation prodigy who possessed a high-grade Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    Meanwhile, Wind Lightning Field had chosen a direct disciple who wasn''t well-known. In fact, it could be said that he waspletely unknown. He was even less famous than his junior brother, Liu Baqiao. However, since this was a pinnacle battle that was attracting gazes from all over the continent, how could Wind Lightning Field possibly be mucking around?


    Chen Ping''an led his maidservants downstairs and headed to the bow of the Kun ship.


    The Flower and Bird Scroll passed down by the ancestors of Ceremony Mountain was decorated with all kinds of lively and colorful birds. These painted birds flew around inside the scroll, and they would even release a variety of crisp and ethereal chirps and cries.


    When the scroll was fully unfurled high above the bow of the ship, it measured approximately 15 meters in length and six meters in height. It was gigantic from up close, and the Qi refiners could see it even if they chose to remain in their rooms. However, that naturally wouldn''t be satisfying enough.


    Moreover, the attacks of sword cultivators were as quick as lightning and as imperceptible as strands of hair.


    At the same time, the profound and subtle sword intent possessed by their Sword Dao would exist for but a split second. Because of this, it was naturally the best choice to observe these battles from up close.


    And thus, the seats for the guests were also divided into different tiers. The guests in the three detached residences were offered seats in the front row. Not only were fruits and snacks prepared for them, but there were even beautiful maidservants nurtured and trained by some heretical forces as well as the highest-ranking prostitutes from Peach Blossom Tavern. As for whether the three groups of people appreciated this, this was a different matter altogether.


    Behind them were people like Chen Ping''an, guests from the premium rooms. If these guests were in a good mood, they could naturally bring their maidservants along to the event. If they wanted toe alone, however, this was naturally fine as well.


    The Kun ship prohibited its guests from using mystical powers without permission, and it would be too unrefined for these cultivators to hover in the sky to observe the battles anyway. If everyone wanted to gain a better vantage point, it was inevitable that things would be messy and chaotic. In fact, there was even the possibility that conflict might ur. Thus, the Kun ship strictly prohibited everyone from manipting the wind to fly into the air. This wasn''t negotiable.


    Due to these rules, most people brought chairs and stools over, and this made it seem like they were a bunch of mortalmoners gathering together and getting ready to watch a show.


    Chun Shui and Qiu Shi were still quite young, but they were already very familiar with these kinds of events and matters. There were also attendants clearing the path for them, so they managed to arrive at their assigned location smoothly and without a hitch. This was an extremely optimal location.


    Thus, the young boy in straw sandals instantly drew many curious gazes.


    Perhaps this was a strange-tempered descendant from a wealthy n who liked to act as an impoverished person?


    Otherwise, why was he wearing a pair of straw sandals? Perhaps he was nning to go outside to remove weeds? Or was he nning to go to the fields to transnt seedlings?


    1. A Chinese polearm simr to the halberd. ?


    2. The exact term used (���� - qingguan) refers to a profession more or less the same as that of a geisha. ?

 Chapter 211: (1): Match Made in Heaven

    Chapter 211: (1): Match Made in Heaven


    The young Daoist priest''s palms were sweating profusely as he clutched the jade badge tightly while forcing his way through the crowd, drawing much ire and verbal abuse in the process.


    A nearby attendant of Ceremony Mountain quickly noticed the young man forcing his way through the crowd, and he approached the young Daoist priest with a stern expression, but right as he was about to scold the Daoist priest, thetter spread a hand open to reveal a beautiful jade badge assigned to guests staying in the Premium Room C.


    A benevolent smile immediately appeared on the attendant''s face as he asked, "Are you staying in room C, esteemed guest?"


    The attendant was raising this question as he was somewhat familiar with the physical appearances of all of the guests staying in the premium rooms on the Ceremony Mountain Kun ship.


    The young Daoist priest mustered up some courage, then exined, "My name is Zhang Shan, and I''m a traveling Daoist priest. I am from a distant branch of Mount Longhu''s Zhang n, but our branch isn''t officially listed in the genealogical records of Mount Longhu. The guest staying in room C, Chen Ping''an, is... a friend of mine. I was dyed by some matters so I''ve shown upte, and I''m looking for Chun Shui and Qiu Shi."


    As soon as he dered his intentions, the young Daoist priest immediately regretted his decision to do so, feeling as if he had been too reckless and abrupt, and that he shouldn''t have epted the jade badge without discretion. He was a very thoughtful young man who liked to keep his emotions bottled up, and he often drove himself into corners when thinking about certain matters.


    This was exactly the case here, and he was left at a loss for what to do. He felt like this was a w that was pervasive throughout every single element of his life, whether it be while he was training or when he was ying demons and devils.


    Right as the young Daoist priest was ruing his decision, the attendant''s smile grew even more pronounced as he stepped away to the side, indicating that the young Daoist priest was allowed toe in. At the same time, the attendant said in a respectful voice, "Pleasee with me, Esteemed Immortal Zhang."


    After learning about the situation, Chun Shui voluntarily gave up her seat, and an additional sandalwood chair was provided. Even as the young Daoist priest sat down, he still felt as if he were in a dream.


    Chun Shui had only just vacated the chair, so there was still some of her residual body heat left on it. This made the young Daoist priest feel very awkward, and he was quite shy to begin with, so a faint blush appeared on his face. He hurriedly shifted his bottom so that he was sitting only on the edge of the chair, as if failure to do so would''ve been the equivalent of desecrating Chun Shui.


    Qiu Shi was very amused to see this.


    Chun Shui was rather perplexed about how Chen Ping''an had acquainted himself with this impoverished Daoist priest, but her expression remained unchanged as she sat down onto the new chair that had been brought out next to the young Daoist priest. As a maidservant that hade out of a major cultivation sect, observation was a mandatory skill to possess, and the young Daoist priest''s ufortable reaction naturally hadn''t evaded her attention.


    A faint smile appeared on her face, and for some reason, she beganparing the young Daoist priest to the guest that she was serving, Chen Ping''an. Both of them came from impoverished backgrounds and were embarking on long journeys on this ship, and both of them were being exposed to these sights of auspicious opulence for the very first time, but even though Chen Ping''an was the younger one of the two, he was clearly much more calm and steadfast, disying none of the tension and unease present in the young Daoist priest.


    While the young Daoist priest was fidgeting in an uneasy fashion, a thought suddenly urred to him, and he hurriedly rose to his feet before offering his jade badge to Chun Shui. "This is Chen Ping''an''s jade badge, please return it to him."


    Instead of epting the badge, Chun Shui replied in a gentle voice, "Young Master Chen will be back soon, so you can return it to him yourself, Esteemed Immortal Zhang."


    Looking into Chun Shui''s beautiful eyes from such close proximity, the young Daoist priest couldn''t help but blush once again as he sheepishly withdrew the jade badge, disying none of the poise and grace befitting of an immortal.


    The young Daoist priest was very thirsty, but all he could find was a dish of tea leaves and no tea. He was too shy to ask for some tea to be brewed for him, so he could only suffer in silence.


    Qiu Shi had been very amused by the young Daoist priest this entire time, and she picked up a a bitter sparrow''s tongue tea leaf before cing it into her mouth with an amused expression as she exined, "Esteemed Immortal Zhang, these tea leaves can be directly consumed, so there''s no need for them to be brewed into tea."


    Chun Shui was a little exasperated, but she couldn''t scold her sister for her rudeness in front of everyone else.


    She knew that if the young Daoist priest were someone with a petty and extreme personality, then he would likely develop a grudge against Qiu Shi for this slighting gesture, but thankfully, the young Daoist priest had a very mild personality.


    The flush on his cheeks deepened even further as he picked up a couple of tea leaves between his fingers, then ced them into his mouth before gently chewing on them.


    Immediately thereafter, his face immediately puckered up as if he were a small child eating a sour grape or a goldthread herb for the first time, and he couldn''t help but shudder at the taste.


    Qiu Shi had to cover her mouth to conceal her mirth, and she found it very entertaining toying with this young Daoist priest.


    As for Chun Shui, she was a little perplexed.


    Through his gesture of picking up those tea leaves, the young Daoist priest had inadvertently revealed something about himself. He had picked up the tea leaves between his index finger and his middle finger, with thetter on top while the former was on the bottom, exactly as one would when picking up go stones, and that the fact that he did this in such a natural and inadvertent manner indicated that he frequently yed the game.


    If he were just a bottom-dwelling Qi refiner from an impoverished n, then he most likely wouldn''t even have had a chance to see a go board. After all, musical instruments, Go, calligraphy, and painting were considered to have been pastimes exclusively for the wealthy.


    Furthermore, ying Go was something that required a great deal of application and investment, and there was no upper limit to the amount of time and effort that one could spend perfecting their game.


    Hence, for a cultivator of the Lower Five Tiers, there was no way that they would distract themselves with a game like go unless it was something that they had picked up at a very young age. After all, with the time and energy that he spent ying go was time and energy that was diverted away from cultivating, thereby resulting in a very high opportunity cost.


    The devil was always in the details, and what Chun Shui truly found interesting about observing people was precisely these fine details.


    Chen Ping''an was a young boy with an impoverished upbringing, yet he was able to stand on the ship''s observation deck every single day, practicing his fist techniques while looking out at the clouds.


    In contrast, this shy Daoist priest had most likelye from a highly educated n, and he would''ve possessed a decent status in the mortal world, but in the world of immortals, he was ultimately someone that was relegated to wandering the deck of the Kun ship.


    Right at this moment, Chun Shui just so happened to notice the child being held by the timid man in the front row turning to smile at her, and she gave him a smile of her own out of politeness.


    At the same time, she was thinking to herself that the most important test under the heavens had to have been the circumstances that one was born into.


    As for the child, he was marveling at Chun Shui''s beauty, and he really wanted to purchase her to be his personal maidservant. That way, whenever his hands became cold from flipping through book pages during winter, he would have her warm them.


    The child tugged on his mother''s sleeve, and his mother was very cold and arrogant to everyone else, but she was extremely doting and affectionate with her son. She lowered her head so that the child could speak into her ear, and he told her what he was thinking.


    The woman turned around to take a nce at Chun Shui with a cold expression, then turned back to her son with a smile as she said, "Her aptitude is far too mediocre. Even if we give her all the cultivation resources in the world, there''s no way she''ll be able to even touch the Middle Five Tiers. Don''t worry, once we get off the ship at Old Dragon City, I''ll find a Cave Abode Tier woman to serve as your maidservant."


    This sounded like a preposterous im, but not only did the child believe her, no one else around them batted an eyelid at the prospect of finding a Middle Five Tiers woman to serve as a maidservant for a child.


    The woman had made no effort to keep her voice down, and Chun Shui''s face immediately turned deathly pale.


    The woman had dered that she had no hope of ever reaching the Middle Five Tiers, and that struck her with a sense of despair.


    All of a sudden, the woman turned her gaze to Qiu Shi, and she remarked, "Oh, this littless here has some potential, but she''s not quite as pleasing on the eyes as the other one. Do you like this one, Son? If you do, I can buy her from Ceremony Mountain."


    The boy also turned his gaze to Qiu Shi, then scoffed with a disdainful expression, "I don''t like her at all. She''s as thin as a stick, just like you, Mother."


    Indeed, the woman was very tall but also extremely thin andnky, and she wasn''t irked by her son''s words at all. Instead, she patted him on the head and erupted into raucousughter that sounded just harrowing as the cries of a crow in the dead of night.


    Qiu Shi waspletely oblivious to what had just been discussed between the two, while Chun Shui''s head was lowered with her hands folded over her knees, and she was clenching them together so tightly that veins could be seen bulging on the backs of her hands.


    ��������


    Even though Chen Ping''an had a very good impression of that Daoist nun, he still decided to contact First and Fifteenth in his Sword Nurturing Gourd, and only after receiving a response did he finally feel reassured.


    This was a gift that had fallen onto hisp, so he had to be careful that it wasn''t a trap.


    Back when Old Man Yao was alive, whenever he had a drink, he would always tell some fantastic and mystical stories that all of his disciples liked to hear. Whenever those stories were being told, even Liu Xianyang would be happy to listen, while the other disciples merely felt like an intoxicated and rambling Old Man Yao was far more endearing than his normal stern and critical self, so they didn''t really care what he was talking about.


    Everyone had their own fate, and some were destined to walk upon the stone b streets of Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley. Even during heavy storms, those streets would still provide firm footing that could be easily walked on. In contrast, some were destined to walk the dirt roads of the small alleys, which would be extremely muddy and slippery with the slightest amount of rain.


    Those who were even less fortunate were essentially walking on sheets of paper that could tear at a moment''s notice, and even blessings would turn into curses for them as it would be too much for them to bear.


    Chen Ping''an would always sit furthest away out of all of the disciples andmit all of Old Man Yao''s stories to memory.


    Interestingly enough, Chen Ping''an was the disciple that Old Man Yao was most reluctant to teach, but he was also the disciple who was most willing totch onto his every word.


    It was very rare for bad people to do good things, and that certainly couldn''t be counted upon, but if one were to encounter a good person doing a bad thing, then that would truly be extremely unfortunate, and Chen Ping''an was hoping that this meeting wasn''t going to be some sinister trap.


    If he were walking into an unavoidable trap, then he presumed that it was most likely because of that sword in the locust wooden box that he was carrying on his back. Even though Wei Bo, Ruan Qiong, and Old Man Yang had all contributed to its concealment, someone must have still discovered it somehow.


    Chen Ping''an slowly made his way up the staircase before entering the main hall, but the Daoist nun from Divine Edict Sect was nowhere to be seen. He looked around for a while and finally discovered her standing beside the desk in the study.


    She was still wearing her usual Daoist robes, but the fish tail hat that she normally wore had been reced by a lotus flower hat. In the Daoist orthodoxy, Divine Edict Sect was a very strange entity with very chaotic inheritances and lineages from all three teachings, making for a massive mess.


    He Xiaoliang had one hand resting on the desk as she revealed in a direct and straightforward manner, "Chen Ping''an, I came to see you under request from Branch Mast..."


    The words "Branch Master Lu" almost slipped out of her mouth, but she remainedposed as she continued, "Under request from Lu Chen, the Daoist priest who once visited y Vase Alley. He''s in the small town right now, but it''s not a good time for him to see you. He asked me to retrieve a medicinal recipe, the one that has his seal stamped on the end.


    ��Aside from that, he also asked me to return to you a snake gall pebble. From now on, neither you nor Lu Chen will owe the other anything, and you can continue to live your lives as normal. He also told me that if you two were to ever meet again someday, then he would be more than happy to sit down with you and share a drink or two."


    Chen Ping''an felt relieved yet also apprehensive upon hearing this.


    This wasn''t about the sword forged by Ruan Qiong. Instead, it was solely about him.


    He Xiaoliang smiled as she continued, "Finally, he also asked me to tell you to look after yourself, and to get off the ship at Southern Stream Nation."


    "Alright," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    He Xiaoliang pointed at the table in the main hall, and the two of them sat down across from one another. After a brief moment of contemtion, she flipped a hand over to produce an imperial jade seal of a fallen nation.


    It was very uniform in shape and crafted from extremely high-quality jade, and it was a minimization treasure, which was even rarer and more precious than a pocket treasure. Cui Chan had one such treasure in his possession, and it was one of the dozens of treasures that he had used in his battle against Cai Jingshen.


    After that, He Xiaoliang raised a hand, and an antiquated inkstone appeared in the air, hovering above the jade seal. Immediately thereafter, an antiquated jade book flew out of the inkstone, and out of the book drifted a small lotus leaf. Finally, a snake gall pebble rolled out of the pocket treasure that was lotus leaf, and it was none other than the one that Chen Ping''an had requested He Xiaoliang to give to Lu Chen.


    She had just pulled out a minimization treasure and three pocket treasures, and it was an extremelyprehensive silent bragging of wealth.


    Any 10th tier Qi refiner under the heavens would''ve been absolutely astonished had they witnessed this, yet all of these blessings had fallen into He Xiaoliang''sp.


    He Xiaoliang stowed away the lotus leaf, the jade book, the antiquated inkstone, and the jade seal, then gently pushed the snake gall pebble toward Chen Ping''an.


    She could see that Chen Ping''an didn''t seem to dare to ept the snake gall pebble, so she said in a candid fashion, "I can assure you that Lu Chen hasn''t tampered with this snake gall pebble, just like he promised that he wasn''t going to use any mystical abilities to spy on our meeting no matter what I said or did. He made these promises to me in person, so you can rest assured."


    Only after hearing this did Chen Ping''an draw upon Fifteenth to produce a medicinal recipe, the very same one that Lu Chen had given to him back on y Vase Alley.


    Instead of reaching out to take it, He Xiaoliang used a mystical ability to stow the medicinal recipe into her lotus leaf pocket treasure.


    After doing all of this, He Xiaoliang''s expression had clearly be more rxed, and she had even begun eating a spirit fruit by the name of fire pear.


    As she did so, she smiled as she said, "Alright, now that all of the official matters are out of the way, it''s time to discuss some private matters. Don''t be nervous, Chen Ping''an."


    A wry smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face. How could he not be nervous?


    "Have you heard that I left Divine Edict Sect?" He Xiaoliang asked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    "Looks like I''m still not sufficiently renowned," He Xiaoliang mused in a self-deprecating fashion.


    After that, she seemed to have been in no hurry to speak, continuing to munch on her fire pear with a look of enjoyment on her face. This fruit was able to ward off the cold, but when it came to the spiritual energy imbued within a fire pear, it couldn''t even begin topare with an everspring mandarin. Hence, it wasn''t very expensive, and it was amon snack prepared for guests during winter and spring in wealthy and powerful mortal ns.


    However, there were more everspring mandarins in the fruit bowl and barely any fire pears. If Chen Ping''an hadn''t asked Chun Shui and Qiu Shi about the prices of the two types of fruits, he would''ve definitely mistaken fire pears as the more expensive of the two fruits.


    In reality, this was an indication of Ceremony Mountain''s wealth and generosity.


    He Xiaoliang was munching on her fire pear with a rxed expression, while Chen Ping''an was seated in his chair in a tense fashion, unsure of what her intentions were.


    She was the Jade Girl of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Daoist orthodoxy, yet for some reason, she had suddenly dered her departure from Divine Edict Sect. Some said that it was due to her attachment to that junior uncle of hers, who had traveled to Middle Earth Divine Continent to take over the Daoist orthodoxy of the sect above Divine Edict Sect.


    They spected that she was finally unable to suppress her love for her junior uncle, and that she was determined to pursue him even at the expense of her sect, her master, and her Great Dao.


    With He Xiaoliang removed from the position of Jade Girl, a new one had emerged to rece her, but instead of Divine Edict Sect, this new Jade Girl was a rtively unknown Daoist nun from Autumn Water Sect. There was widespread spection that He Xiaoliang''s actions had drawn the ire of the entire continent''s Daoist orthodoxy, and that had led to Divine Edict Sect losing its im over both the Golden Boy and the Jade Girl.


    He Xiaoliang''s master had also been infuriated by her decision, and it had taken a great deal of convincing from Qi Zhen to prevent him from storming down the mountain to chase after He Xiaoliang and confront her.


    Everyone knew that He Xiaoliang''s master had extremely high hopes for her and had nurtured her as if she were his daughter.


    This was something that everyone in Divine Edict Sect was aware of, and it was exactly because of this that her master was so saddened by her actions.


    However, at the same time, there were some skeptics out there. Wasn''t He Xiaoliang supposed to be the most fortunate cultivator on the entire continent? If so, how had she ended up in this situation?


    Could it be that an even greater opportunity had fallen onto herp, one that was enough to convince her to abandon even her master and her sect? The problem here was that the rules of the Daoist orthodoxy were extremely strict, no less so than those of the schools and academies of Confucianism, so even if she were to go to the sect above Divine Edict Sect on Middle Earth Divine Continent, would she really be able to stay by her junior uncle''s side given the terrible reputation she had earned for herself?

 Chapter 212: Stern Tests

    Chapter 212: Stern Tests


    In the small town in the Dragon Spring Prefecture, a young Daoist priest wearing a lotus flower hat was seated by himself behind a small desk in an old school building that was no longer in use. He cast his gaze toward the spot where Qi Jingchun had been standing for 60 years, and he was silent as he unconsciously traced a finger back and forth over the surface of the desk.


    Upon returning to his senses, Lu Chen raised a hand, making a grabbing motion, and he was able to "scoop" He Xiaoliang straight up from the Kun ship and pull her to his side. Even for a Golden Core Tier Qi refiner like He Xiaoliang, instantly traveling over such a vast distance left her reeling from a sense of dizziness, and she stumbled momentarily before steadying herself.


    A solemn look then appeared on her face, and she took a moment topose herself and smooth down her clothes before taking three steps back and falling to her knees, then kowtowed to the ground as she dered, "Disciple He Xiaoliang pays her respects to her master."


    It was nothing short of an enormous blessing for the Jade Girl of a continent''s Daoist orthodoxy like her to be a direct disciple to a Branch Master of Daoism.


    Lu Chen nodded in response, then gestured for He Xiaoliang to get up as he said, "There''s no need to observe such trivial formalities as my disciple, it''s the thought that counts. You probably don''t believe what I''m saying right now, but you''lle to understand once you meet your five other senior brothers and sisters. Outside of the Great Dao, everything else ispletely superfluous."


    Lu Chen had been born in Majestic World, but he had actually grown up in Heavenly World, and he didn''t ce much bearing on the rites and formalities observed in Confucianism or even the integral rules of Daoism. Even prior to his ascension, he had always ced very little weight on social norms, and that was why he lived a very carefree and uninhibited life and why his writings were renowned for their free-flowing nature.


    In contrast with his first senior brother, who was meticulous to a fault, and his second senior brother, who was very careful and prudent, even in the face of their master, Lu Chen had never been one to follow rules. He had been scolded by his first senior brother and even beaten by his second senior brother for this, but he remained true to himself. Thankfully, his master wasn''t bothered by his uncouth nature.


    Lu Chen could see that He Xiaoliang was feeling rather tense and apprehensive, and he smiled as he asked, "Why are you so nervous? Could it be that you''re still apprehensive about what happened before? Are you thinking that I''m constantly trying to go around setting traps for you? Is that why you feel the need to meticulously ponder everything that I say and do? If that''s what you''re thinking, then you''re wrong.


    ��Ovepensation is just as much of a mistake asck of adaptation. You were able to be my direct disciple as you managed to pass three tests, the first of which is that you detected my machinations and immediately peered into your own heart, remaining true to yourself and dispelling the illusion that you and Chen Ping''an were a ''match made in heaven.''


    ��That allowed you to grasp the truth, which is that the two of you are only loosely tied together by fate. Only after passing this test will you be able to ensure your own survival on Complete Reed Continent. That continent is filled with swordsmen, and everything is settled by the sharpness of one''s sword or the hardness of one''s fists.


    ��You''ll eventually encounter some major setbacks there, and given how smoothly everything has gone in your life thus far, your mentality willpletely crumble if your mental state is affected by these setbacks. If that happens, then I''ll have no choice but to give up on you."


    Lu Chen smiled as he continued, "On this asion, Xie Shi requested three people from the Great Li Empire. Setting aside Li Xisheng for now, Ma Kuxuan was the lucky child chosen by my second senior brother. There may be quite arge age gap between the two, but their personalities are very much alike, and that''s why he was chosen.


    ��As for whether there were other hidden circumstances involved, the rules of the Daoist orthodoxy stipte that junior and senior brothers are not to perform divination on one another, so I have no way of knowing. You are the one chosen by me as your Dao Heart and your cultivation experiences are very simr to my past experiences.


    ��You had to see through illusions to find yourself, and the situation isn''t anywhere near asplex as you imagine it to be. I didn''t choose you to serve as a pawn or puppet to y a role for Daoism in the battle between the hundred schools of thought or anything like that. Instead, I simply liked the look of you, so I decided to take you as my disciple.


    ��Do you really think those old farts in the Confucian temples would actually let me go free without closely scrutinizing my every move? My intentions and ns are aplete open book. As for whether you''ll be able to establish a firm foothold on Complete Reed Continent and survive to the very end, that will be up to you. Once I travel to Heavenly World, I won''t go out of my way to look out for my disciples.


    ��The Confucian Sages won''t intentionally try to harm you, and you have a senior brother who''s roaming Middle Earth Divine Continent, as well as a senior sister who''s cultivating at the Sword Qi Great Wall. If anything happens, you can turn to them for help.


    ��Now that you''re a disciple of mine, you have certain standards to live up to, and you have to do me proud, but don''t worry, I''m not like your previous master back at Divine Edict Sect, and I won''t force you to engage in dual cultivation with me."


    He Xiaoliang had reverted back to the same beautiful Daoist nun as before, the one who regarded everything else outside of the Great Dao as inconsequential, and she asked a question that had been on her mind for a long time: "Are there also Confucian Sages pulling strings in secret in Heavenly World that our Daoist teaching has full control over?"


    Lu Chen immediately burst intoughter. "Of course! It''s the same everywhere, and everyone is very busy. Surely you don''t think that the likes of Ma Kuxuan, Wei Jin, and Song Changjing are the cream of the crop among the prodigies of this world?


    ��If you do think that, then you should really go and visit Middle Earth Divine Continent, or White Jade Capital of Heavenly World. In those ces, you''lle to realize that there''s always a more brilliant prodigy out there."


    He Xiaoliang was seated behind a nearby desk, and she was looking directly into Lu Chen''s eyes. After hearing what he had said, her brows furrowed slightly, as if she was perplexed about something.


    "You must be wondering why the three teachings don''t just establish an agreement to only develop their forces on their own territory instead of going to the trouble of meddling with one another, right?" Lu Chen asked with an amused expression.


    He Xiaoliang nodded in response. That was exactly what she was thinking.


    "That''s because all of the territories are ancient battlefields that were imed by our predecessors at the cost of their lives," Lu Chen exined. "We''re also afraid that the territories that we rule over could turn on us. If we choose to willingly iste ourselves, or our actions make those beneath us feel as if their pursuit of the Great Dao is being restricted, then the ultimate oue can be seen in all of the current worlds."


    Lu Chen casually pointed in the direction of the immortal tomb in the town as he continued, "The worlds continue to exist, but the once high-and-mighty rulers of these worlds have been reduced to nothing more than sets of remains buried in the ground."


    A hint of enlightenment appeared in He Xiaoliang''s eyes.


    Some things were too distant and too difficult to understand, and those who knew about such things were unwilling to divulge these matters to others or write them down in recordings, so their sessors naturally remained oblivious.


    There were far too many theories out there, and the mes of spection were only further fanned by the Fictionists, overtly imaginative and expressive schrs, and historians who wanted to make it appear as if they knew more than the average person.


    With so much false information constantly circting, even if some grains of truth did rise to the surface, they would be quickly drowned out again, and ultimately, reality would be twisted to the point that untruths wereuded, while the truth was condemned as fiction.


    Lu Chen smiled as he continued, "But I digress. Let''s get back to the main topic. Your second test is one in which I have to determine whether you''ll be dependent on Heavenly Lord Xie Shi during your trip to Complete Reed Continent, or whether you''ll be establishing your own sect there.


    ��That''s why I intentionally set a trap for you, leading you to the false belief that you turned your back on both of the correct options while choosing the most incorrect one, one that''ll make you miss out on any opportunity to fulfill your Great Dao. As a result, you''ll be filled with remorse and begin to doubt your own judgment and Dao Heart."


    "I was only able to pass the test thanks to the shred of rity I had remaining in my mind," He Xiaoliang replied in a candid fashion.


    Lu Chen smiled as he said, "With regard to this point, I used it as the finale to exin why you and Chen Ping''an were connected by fate. Let''s talk about the final test first. This one is a bit moreplicated as it has multiple parts. The term ''love'' can epass many different meanings, and romantic love can easily arise between a man and a woman.


    ��Hence, I nted a seed of love in your heart without your detection, and whenever the seed is nourished by the waters of fate, it''ll sprout and grow at a rapid rate. This method of speeding things along normally does more harm than good, but it''s actually perfect in your case. Besides, even the unadvised methods can turn into effective ones when used by me.


    ��When it came to your former master from Divine Edict Sect, who raised and nurtured you from a young age, and the exceptional prodigy, Wei Jin, you were able to pass both of those tests with ease, remaining true to yourself and not wavering in the slightest, but when it came to the final test in the form of Chen Ping''an, I decided to intentionally make things more difficult for you.


    ��I actively established a bridge between the two of you to ce you in a difficult dilemma. If you had abandoned your free will and chosen to follow the path that I set out for you just because you were intimidated by my status as a Branch Master, then I would''ve still allowed you to establish a sect of your own on Complete Reed Continent, but I definitely wouldn''t have epted you as my disciple. Finding a suitable disciple is a very difficult matter."


    Lu Chen''s smile faded as he continued, "If you want to be my disciple, then you should harbor the ambition to go even further and reach even loftier heights than I have. In my eyes, there''s no such thing as turning your back on conventional wisdom and straying off the right path.


    ��Conventional wisdom is just a set of rules written down by those who''vee before us, and the so-called right path is just the beaten path walked by our predecessors. As for whether those things are actually correct, why don''t you go and take a look for yourself?"


    Even someone as aloof and detached as He Xiaoliang couldn''t help but be struck by a sense of awe and veneration upon hearing this.


    She rose to her feet, then extended a respectful curtsey to Lu Chen as she said, "I hope that someday, I can reach the lofty heights upon which you stand and sit alongside you as equals."


    "That''s going to be rather difficult," Lu Chen mused.


    He Xiaoliang sat back down as she asked, "Master, what did you mean when you referred to the ''finale'' earlier? And is there some deeper meaning behind my fated ties with Chen Ping''an?"


    Lu Chen nodded in response. "Of course. If you weren''t He Xiaoliang, and he wasn''t Chen Ping''an, and you were just a pair of ordinary people instead, it would''ve indeed been rather foolish of me to y match-maker between the two of you. Qi Jingchun was ying match-maker in order to ce a burden on Chen Ping''an''s shoulders in the hope that his heart will be honed to the point that it''ll be able to carry the weight of mountains someday.


    ��As for you and Chen Ping''an, you two are like a pair of mirrors that reflect one another, and it wasn''t just a matter of having Chen Ping''an share your fortune and using him as a test to help you ovee the hurdle of love. When ites to Chen Ping''an''s personality, I''ve seen countless strange and enigmatic people in this world, and he''s not all that strange or remarkable, but his personality is very simr yet also different from yours.


    ��There''s a certain level of affinity between the two of you, and that''s why even during your first encounter, you were able to tell that the two of you were loosely connected by fate. In reality, your fated ties aren''t that loose, it''s just that your cultivation base is limited, and you couldn''t see the true depth of those ties."


    "Is this another test, Master?" He Xiaoliang asked in a quiet voice.


    Lu Chen burst intoughter. "Why would I test you when you''ve already be my disciple? Are you not going to be satisfied unless you be a direct disciple to the Dao Ancestor himself so you can rank alongside me as equals?"


    He Xiaoliang''s eyes remained clear and lucid as she shook her head with a smile and replied, "That is not my intention."


    "Seeing as I''ve be your master, I should give you a weing gift as my new disciple. This is not an insignificant gift, it''s a bit of ''Dao'' that I managed to obtain from your grandmaster prior toing here," Lu Chen said with a smile.


    He Xiaoliang faltered slightly upon hearing this.


    She had only just severed the "bridge" between herself and Chen Ping''an back on the Kun ship and it appeared that she had already reverted back into the He Xiaoliang that was blessed by the heavens.


    Lu Chen seemed to have gleaned her thoughts, and he burst intoughter as he dered, "Let me take on a trip against the flow of time!"


    Even though all mystical abilities were restricted in Jewel Small World, it was still unable to escape from the overarchingws of the world, such as the procession of seasons and the cycle of birth, growth, illness, and death.


    With Lu Chen''s powers, he was able to disy these cycles to He Xiaoliang.


    He Xiaoliang was still situated in the school, yet it seemed as if she were temporarily disconnected from this world, and her eyes were glowing as she looked at all of the scenes acting out in reverse around her.


    This was the exact path that she wanted to pursue!


    Lu Chen smiled as he said, "Follow me and I''ll take you somewhere to meet two people."


    The two of them set off with the sound of children reading aloud ringing out clearer and clearer behind them in the school, except their reciting was also in reverse, and it was truly as if they had memorized the books so well that they could recite them back to front.


    The children''s appearances and voices were clearly visible and audible, but perhaps due to certain restrictions or the deal that Qi Jingchun had made with the Dao Ancestor, he was nowhere to be seen in the ssroom. It was as if he had never existed, and his presence hadpletely faded from the river of time.


    Lu Chen passed through a series of streets and alleys with He Xiaoliang right on his heels, sticking close behind him for fear of getting lost and being unable to find her way out again.


    In the end, Lu Chen stopped in his tracks and told He Xiaoliang to wait, and she immediately obliged, not daring to make a single move.


    With a sweep of his sleeve, the flow of time was reversed back to the correct direction, and all order was restored.


    After that, Lu Chen led her to a nearby stand. He Xiaoliang didn''t know why he had brought her here, and she couldn''t help but wonder if there was something special about this streetside stand. The stall owner was a humble and honest-looking middle-aged man who was selling tanghulu.


    A short whileter, He Xiaoliang spotted a thin and dark-skinned child slowly approaching the stand. He stopped right beside her, taking a nce at the bustling tanghulu stand as he gulped down some drool. After business had died down a little, the child departed.


    Lu Chen snapped his fingers, and a day immediately passed by.


    The tanghulu stand continued to operate day after day, and the child passed by it over and over again while returning from collecting medicinal herbs in the mountains, or from catching fish in the creek, or while helping his neighbors carry water to their residences.


    One day, the child set off to pick medicinal herbs from the mountain as usual, carrying his basket on his back, but upon reaching the entrance of y Vase Alley, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. During hisst outing, he was very fortunate to have picked up a few very valuable medicinal herbs, and in a rare disy of prosperity, the small rice jar back home had been filled past the halfway mark, so he wasn''t going to have to worry about food for at least the next ten days.


    With that in mind, he looked up at the gloomy sky, seemingly telling himself that a heavy storm wasing, so even if he did set off for the mountains, he would most likely have to turn back around anyway.


    Hence, the child rushed back to his house, then removed the basket from his back before digging a small y jar out from the foot of his yard wall. He tipped several copper coins out of the small jar, then quickly rushed out of y Vase Alley to the tanghulu stand.


    However, the closer he drew to the stand, the heavier his footsteps became, and he slowed down further and further. Finally, he stopped in his tracks while still quite far away from the stall with a conflicted look on his face, and his fist clenched harder around the copper coins.


    In the end, the child took a few more steps forward, then squatted down and began staring at the bright red tanghulus with a dazed expression.


    Lu Chen and He Xiaoliang were standing right beside him, and the former smiled as he asked, "If you were in his shoes, what do you think he would be thinking at this moment?"


    "If only I could eat the tanghulu and not have to pay," He Xiaoliang immediately replied without any hesitation.


    Lu Chen nodded in response. "Keep watching."


    During a lull in business, the tanghulu stand owner seemed to have spotted the boy who was always passing by his stand, but could never afford to buy a tanghulu.


    Initially, the stand owner sat on his chair in silence, but in the end, it seemed that he felt sympathetic toward the child, and he stood up as he beckoned to the boy with a smile. "I''m about to pack up for the day, and I''m not going to be able to sell these remaining tanghulus. If you want one, I can give one to you for free."


    The stand owner wore a friendly smile as he spoke, and he pulled out a tanghulu before offering it to the boy. "Go on, take it."


    However, the child hurriedly rose to his feet, then shook his head with a smile before running away.


    He Xiaoliang was a little perplexed to see this. If this was a younger version of Chen Ping''an, then she actually wouldn''t have found this decision to be strange at all.


    Lu Chen pointed at the tanghulu stand owner as he said, "This man is a Naturalist from Middle Earth Divine Continent who isn''t all that renowned among mortals, but in reality, he alone possesses the power to contend against the entirety of the Naturalist Lu n. He''s a very strange and remarkable person, and even my first senior brother doesn''t have a grasp on his thoughts and intentions."


    He Xiaoliang became even more perplexed upon hearing this.


    "Let me show you why I brought you here," Lu Chen said with a smile, then extended a hand forward and swept it through the air to conjure up a "Chen Ping''an".


    The child rushed over and epted the free tanghulu, then skipped joyfully back to y Vase Alley. After having the tanghulu, he was unable to forget the taste, and a few dayster, he returned to the stand to receive another free tanghulu. As time passed, a hint ofziness began to arise in his heart. He would often think of the tanghulu stand, and he would pick fewer medicinal herbs during his forays into the mountains than he normally would.


    This mindset was onlypounded day after day, year after year, and while it wasn''t necessarily the case that he had be a bad person, he was no longer the same Chen Ping''an that He Xiaoliang had first encountered on the Azure Cow Ridge.


    After that, they returned to that point in time, and Lu Chen conjured up another Chen Ping''an with a sweep of his hand. This time, he didn''t choose to ept the free tanghulu. Instead, he paid for it, and after that, he became even more motivated to work, bing obsessed with earning money.


    Eventually, he grew tired of tanghulus, but then developed a taste for pastries. Just like the previous scenario, the child continued to grow up year after year, and this Chen Ping''an also wasn''t quite right in He Xiaoliang''s eyes.


    As Lu Chen raised his hand over and over again, He Xiaoliang saw one Chen Ping''an after another, all of whom made slightly different decisions, leading to a variety of different changes.


    In the end, He Xiaoliang fell into deep thought.


    Lu Chen smiled as he said, "Let''s go back."


    With that, the two of them returned to the school.


    This trip through the river of time was very much like that time when Qi Jingchun had led Chen Ping''an to the old locust tree to secure a locust leaf.


    Lu Chen''s hands were sped behind his back as he led the way forward and asked, "Have you figured out what I''m trying to show you?"


    "Only by remaining true to oneself can one remain oneself," He Xiaoliang replied in a quiet voice.


    Lu Chen nodded in response, but offered no reply.


    "Could it be that I''m wrong, and I''m too short-sighted?" He Xiaoliang asked.


    Lu Chen turned around with a smile as he replied, "No, no, not at all. You arrived at the correct conclusion, the only problem is that you seem to be oblivious to just how mighty your master''s powers are!"


    ��������


    While Lu Chen was passing through a certain passage of time with He Xiaoliang, there was a Confucian schr with a pair of gray sideburns sitting in a room on his own. Having just dismissed the schoolchildren for the day, the schr was ying out a Go position on his own ording to a manual.


    His face was no longer blurry and indistinct, having be clearly visible, and right as Lu Chen and He Xiaoliang were passing by outside, Qi Jingchun bent down to pick up a Go stone as he smiled and mused to himself, "It''s nothing much."

 Chapter 213: (1): Longing

    Chapter 213: (1): Longing


    By the time Chen Ping''an made his way down the staircase and returned to his seat, he had already missed two major battles.


    Daoist Priest Zhang Shan, who was seated on the adjacent chair, hurriedly rose to his feet and cupped his fist in a grateful salute upon spotting Chen Ping''an, who returned the salute before epting the jade badge that was being returned to him.


    For this publicly disclosed battle between sworn enemies, the battlefield hadn''t been set in either Wind Lightning Field or on Sun Scorch Mountain in order to ensure fairness. Instead, the designated battlefield was the Divine tform of Wind Snow Temple. As a Militarian sacrednd, Wind Snow Temple was on friendly terms with more powers than True Martial Mountain, and it had also always kept a lower profile.


    The disciples who left the sect to go on long journeys mostly did so for exploration and training purposes rather than to step onto any battlefields, so Wind Snow Temple had good rtions with both sects and wasn''t going to be biased toward either one.


    As for why Wind Snow Temple had chosen the Divine tform, one of the reasons was because it was situated on the summit of a tall mountain, thereby providing a stunning view and wide horizons. Purely visually speaking, the Divine tform was the most scenic location in the entirety of Wind Snow Temple.


    On top of that, the Divine tform had very few disciples and was being propped up almost solely by Wei Jin, but due to reasons surrounding Wei Jin''s master, he didn''t have very close ties with the sect, so it was presumably the case that Wind Snow Temple was trying to take advantage of this opportunity to add some numbers to the Divine tform''s ranks.


    After hearing the oues of the first two battles from Qiu Shi, Chen Ping''an was astonished. Wind Lightning Field had lost both battles, losing a pair of renowned and formidable swordsmen in the process, both of whom had perished to their Sun Scorch Mountain opponents.


    For the second battle, both of thebatants had perished, but the cultivator of Sun Scorch Mountain had managed to survive just a little longer than his Wind Lightning Field opponent, so ording to the rules, Wind Snow Temple assigned the victory to Sun Scorch Mountain.


    Despite how vast the Divine tform was, there weren''t many people who hade to spectate the battles. There was a small cluster of buildings situated in the Divine tform''s northeastern corner, and only the Qi refiners of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent who possessed sufficient status and cultivation base were permitted to spectate the battles from those buildings.


    As for everyone else who wished to spectate, they could only do so from afar from the other mountains in Wind Snow Temple.


    Hence, the two opposing sects upied virtually the entirety of the Divine tform.


    Only after some conversation did Chen Ping''an discover that Zhang Shan hadn''t even heard of Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain before. However, this wasn''t all that unexpected. The Qi refiners of Complete Reed Continent had always held themselves in very high regard, and as the smallest of the nine continents, Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had perpetually been looked down on.


    Perhaps only the likes of Mountain Cliff Academy, Lake View Academy, and people like Cui Chan, Song Changjing, and Wei Jin were worthy of any degree of respect in the eyes of Complete Reed Continent''s cultivators.


    Furthermore, given Zhang Shan''s cultivation base and the fact that he was from a different continent, it would''ve been much stranger if he had known so much about Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    The entire continent was aware that Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain were sworn enemies. In the sword spar arena in the deepest part of Wind Lightning Field were the remains of the Sun Scorch Mountain matriarch.


    Following her demise in battle, she had been exposed to the elements to this very day, and not only was Wind Lightning Field unwilling to return the body so that the disciples of Sun Scorch Mountain could hold a proper burial, even the longsword that impaled her head to put an end to her life hadn''t been pulled out.


    Her body remained in the sword spar arena for all disciples and visitors of Wind Lightning Field to gawk and jeer at, and it had already been this way for 300 years.


    This was humiliation of the highest order!


    Sun Scorch Mountain stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship on the continent, and it had been going from strength to strength during the past 300 years. Its three youngest generations of disciple were already more exceptional than those of Wind Lightning Field, and roughly once every 60 years, someone from Sun Scorch Mountain would issue a challenge to Wind Lightning Field in an attempt to recover the remains of their matriarch.


    However, the master of Wind Lightning Field, the very same person who had in Sun Scorch Mountain��s matriarch, lived for 300 more years after that battle. Even though Sun Scorch Mountain had churned out a whole host of prodigies during this time, none of them were able to defeat the field master.


    When it came to those who came to challenge him, he dealt with them more humanely than he did with Sun Scorch Mountain��s matriarch, but he certainly wasn''t kind or benevolent by any stretch of the imagination, either snapping the bridge of immortality of the challenger, or destroying their bonded swords.


    In reality, for the cultivators of Sun Scorch Mountain, this was a fate worse than death, and they would''ve much rather died a valiant death in battle than be relegated to such a terrible fate.


    This was the origin of the ssic story of "one man from Wind Lightning Field dominating an entire mountain".


    Finally, the master of Wind Lightning Field passed away, and it was said that he had gone into the cycle of reincarnation in early spring. His passing also coincided with the passage of 60 years since thest challenge, and even though Wind Lightning Field had done everything in its power to keep this a secret, the cultivators of Sun Scorch Mountain were still somehow able to find out.


    In the wake of this news being leaked, the cultivators of Sun Scorch Mountain were ecstatic, with some offering incense and wine to their deceased matriarch, while some of the elderly cultivators who had lived through the humiliation from 300 years ago drank until they werepletely inebriated.


    The young swordsmen of Sun Scorch Mountain were raring to go, having finally been presented with an opportunity to exact vengeance for the 300 years of humiliation that they had suffered.


    Sun Scorch Mountain had won the first two battles in very convincing fashion, and as a result, the third battle that was supposed to have decided the oue of the contest had bepletely superfluous.


    Qiu Shi was actually feeling a little concerned. In her eyes, the final battle most likely wasn''t going to happen. Wind Lightning Field had already lost two battles, and they were able to save some face in the second battle, during which bothbatants had fallen to their demise, but if they were to lose the final battle, then that would be three losses in a row, and Wind Lightning Field''s reputation would''ve beenpletely ruined.


    If Wind Lightning Field were to stop here, at least it could be said that they were gracious in defeat.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an thought of the swordsman Liu Baqiao, who had apanied him into the mountain in search of model trees, and he said, "Wind Lightning Field will definitely fight the third battle."


    To Chen Ping''an, Liu Baqiao wasn''t a friend or a foe. However, among the group of cultivators who had visited the small town from the outside world, he was one that had left a very deep impression on Chen Ping''an, and he just had a feeling that a sect that could produce a swordsman like Liu Baqiao definitely wouldn''t back down just so save face.


    Sure enough, after a secret three-way discussion between Wind Snow Temple, Wind Lightning Field, and Sun Scorch Mountain, the short and child-like master of Wind Snow Temple led a pair of cultivators to the center of the Divine tform, where he dered the imminentmencement of the third battle.


    Sun Scorch Mountain had sent out Su Jia, and she had a longsword strapped to her back and a Sword Nurturing Gourd strapped to her waist. As usual, she was truly stunning to behold.


    The swordsman representing Wind Lightning Field was the final disciple of the field master, and his name was Huang He. He carried a massive sword case on his back, and it was unclear whether there was a single massive sword inside or multiple smaller swords.


    Almost everyone''s attention was focused on the young swordsman and swordswoman, but in contrast, Chen Ping''an was circting the True Qi within his body, and his gaze was directed toward the cluster of buildings on the Divine tform, trying to find a certain person.


    The scroll was only sorge, but one of the main reasons this practice was so popr was that Qi refiners and martial artists both had far superior eyesightpared with the average person. A mortal saw a grain of sand as just that, whereas a Dao Ancestor could see an entire world.


    All of a sudden, a cold gleam shed through Chen Ping''an''s eyes as he picked up a few sparrow''s tongue tea leaves to chew on.


    Standing in the corridor on the top floor of a tall building was an imposing elderly man dressed in a white robe. His arms were crossed in front of his chest as he looked down at the za on the Divine tform, and there was a little girl with a set of intricate features straddled across his shoulders.


    The elderly man was standing slightly to the right rtive to the center, and all of those next to him were extremely esteemed figures on Sun Scorch Mountain, giving off a vast collective aura that rose straight up into the heavens.


    Chen Ping''an stared intently at the old man in white for a moment, then shifted his gaze toward another tall building, this one having been assigned to Wind Lightning Field''s cultivators by the Divine tform. There were very few swordsmen standing on this building.


    In contrast with Sun Scorch Mountain, which had sent out virtually all of its swordsmen of the Middle Five Tiers, Wind Lightning Field had barely sent anyone to the event, and most of them appeared quite young.


    For example, Liu Baqiao was seated on the railing in an uncouth posture, but despite hisckadaisical demeanor, there was a grim look in his eyes in the wake of the two consecutive defeats suffered by Wind Lightning Field.


    Zhang Shan was intently scrutinizing the unfolding scene, and he murmured to himself, "It''s about to begin!"


    Qiu Shi smiled as she said, "For the first two battles, both sides were aiming to kill one another. However, the oue of this battle is inconsequential, so I''m assuming it''ll be more of a back-and-forth affair and won''t be as fierce as the previous two."


    Chen Ping''an refrained from offering any opinion on the matter.


    His thoughts were still primarily lingering on that Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain.


    Chen Ping''an silentlymitted to memory all of the faces that he could see on the pavilion assigned to the Sun Scorch Mountain cultivators. Only by knowing the enemy could he be best prepared. Compared with hearing about these people from others, it was far more reliable to see them with his own two eyes.


    Perhaps these people were going to stand in his way during his future ascent to the mountaintop, so they were all potential enemies of his. Of course, he was still very far away from reaching that point. After all, at this moment, he was still only a third-tier martial artist.


    The old man wearing the mink fur hat mused, "Thatss by the name of Su Jia is most likely not in for a good time."


    The young swordsman situated to the far right was habitually patting the scabbard of his swords as he nodded in agreement. "Her loss is sealed. It''s too bad that the Sword Nurturing Gourd fell into her hands. I don''t think you''d be able to find a third such Sword Nurturing Gourd even on the entire Complete Reed Continent."


    Sure enough, the battle concluded after only three exchanges. Su Jia had drawn her sword and released the bonded flying sword from her Sword Nurturing Gourd, but she was stillprehensively defeated by Huang He. As it turned out, the huge sword casket on his back was filled with small swords, and it was as if he were carrying a ho''s nest on his back. There was no single bonded flying sword.


    Instead, he excelled in controlling arge number of flying swords at once, and Su Jia waspletely powerless to retaliate. One sword pierced through her sword-wielding arm, another severed the red rope that tied her Sword Nurturing Gourd to her belt, and finally, a pair of flying swords pierced through her wrists. By the time she fell onto the ground in a puddle of her own blood, she had already fallen unconscious.


    There weren''t that many truly widely admired celestial maidens on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The former Jade Girl, He Xiaoliang, was undoubtedly at the top of the list, following which were Su Jia and three or four other women.


    They were goddesses who had descended into the mortal realm in the eyes of countless young male Qi refiners, and they were showered with love and admiration. There were even some who jokingly imed that ever since Su Jia made a name for herself, the yearly new disciple intake for Sun Scorch Mountain had increased by as much as 30%.


    Huang He was standing beside Su Jia, and he raised a foot before stepping down onto that exceptional Sword Nurturing Gourd, gently rolling it back and forth underfoot.


    The corners of his lips then curled up slightly as he swept his gaze across her surroundings, then finally settled his gaze on the pavilion where all of the esteemed figures of Sun Scorch Mountain were gathered.


    An inky-ck bonded flying sword flew out of his be, and it was buzzing audibly. As soon as the flying sword emerged, the originally tranquil wind and clouds around the entire Divine tform were instantly swept up into a chaotic frenzy.


    After that public disy of provocation, Huang He withdrew his bonded flying sword, then dered toward the pavilion, "In 60 years, I''ll be visiting Sun Scorch Mountain to issue a challenge, and I''ll be iming another head to be ced in our Wind Lightning Field."


    An elderly founder of Sun Scorch Mountain standing on the top floor of the pavilion was furious to hear this, and he was barely able to suppress the urge to storm onto the za and stomp this arrogant little bastard to death.


    All of a sudden, the doors of the top floor of the pavilion where Wind Lightning Field''s cultivators were situated opened, and a handsome ck-robed swordsman emerged, from within, then cast his gaze toward the elderly founder of Sun Scorch Mountain as he jibed, "It''s not good for old men like us to pick on these juniors. If you want a fight, then how about I be your opponent?"


    As soon as this swordsman emerged from the pavilion, not only was that elderly founder of Sun Scorch Mountain stunned into silence, all of the other Sun Scorch Mountain cultivators were alsopletely astonished, and a hint of despair had surfaced in their eyes.


    This man was none other than the master of Wind Lightning Field, Li Tuanjing. He was truly a prodigious swordsman, reaching the 10th tier at just 40 years of age, but what was very strange about him was that he hadn''t advanced any further in his cultivation base during the next few centuries after that.


    However, even though he hadn''t advanced to the Upper Five Tiers, he was still considered to be among the handful of most formidable swordsmen on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, certainly the most fearsome of all of the continent''s 10th tier swordsmen.


    Prior to reaching the 11th tier, Wei Jin had also admitted that he was no match for Li Tuanjing.


    Wasn''t he supposed to have passed away?


    Li Tuanjing paid no further heed to the bewildered Sun Scorch Mountain cultivators as he raised his head with a smile, seemingly casting his gaze toward all of the people spectating the battles from behind the scenes. He then sped a hand behind his back before joining the index and middle fingers of his other hand, then gently swept those two fingers through the air with a flick of his wrist.


    A gentle breeze was instantly released from his fingertips before transforming into a streak of vast sword Qi, and it circled around in the sky above the Divine tform, severing the connection between the Divine tform and the outside world.


    All of the people in the scroll werepletely astonished, while those outside of it were just as bbergasted.


    Standing on the tall pavilion on the Divine tform, Li Tuanjing didn''t attack the Sun Scorch Mountain cultivators, nor did he issue any threats. Instead, he merely observed the drifting clouds in the distance, seemingly in a daze.


    The cultivators of Wind Snow Temple were quite relieved to see this.


    As the most formidable 10th tier swordsman, Li Tuanjing''s powers were nearly unmatched. Whenever a Qi refiner was considered to be the best among a certain group, especially in the context of an entire continent, then they were sure to be extremely fearsome.


    For example, back when Song Changjing was considered to be the most formidable ninth tier martial artist on the continent, it was said that he had already disyed 10th tierbat prowess during that battle in the capital city.

 Chapter 214: (1): Traveling Through a Stormy Night

    Chapter 214: (1): Traveling Through a Stormy Night


    Ceremony Mountain seemed to have adopted a method simr to rubbing to preserve all of the scenes that had unfolded on the scroll, and one sheet of thin veil-like paper was torn off after another, totalling 10 sheets of paper, which were then sold in an auction format.


    The ship owner specifically called upon Chun Shui and Qiu Shi to step forward and serve as auctioneers.


    Initially, Chen Ping''an didn''t think much of this, but he then noticed that even though both Chun Shui and Qiu Shi had been called upon to serve as auctioneers, only Chun Shui was actually doing her job, and she was doing so immactely, seemingly very familiar with the duties of an auctioneer.


    In contrast, Qiu Shi was standing off to the side, staring directly at Chen Ping''an, and only after seeing him direct his gaze toward her did a pleased look appear on her face, and she raised her chin slightly in a proud manner, as if only now did she feel as if she were standing on equal terms with Chen Ping''an for once.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t really understand what she was thinking, so he turned his attention to the sheets of paper that were being sold instead. Out of the 10 rubbings, each sessive one harbored less spiritual qi than the previous one and was also more blurry. Furthemore, the final sheet could only be viewed once, and it was also the cheapest of the lot, starting at a price of only 30 snowke jade coins.


    The type of jade used to craft these coins was called snowke jade, and it was a specialty local product of the northern Pure White Continent.


    It was primarily distributed throughout two blessednds, and if these coins were ced under the light of the sun, it would appear as if there were translucent snowkes drifting around inside. That was why they were also known as minor snow coins. On the front of these coins was inscribed the words "Prosperous Year," while on the back were the words "Snow-covered Ground."


    Due to therge volumes of production of snowke jade and the fact that it contained a considerable amount of spiritual energy, over time, it gradually became the universal currency used by all immortals on the nine continents.


    In fact, it was so prevalently used that it was something that low-tier cultivators had to prepare whenever they went on journeys of any considerable length. Snowke coins could definitely be exchanged for gold and silver, but the reverse wasn''t always guaranteed.


    The reason for this was very simple. The wealthy and powerful individuals of the mortal world all had their own territories and immortals that they made offerings to, and there was no way that they could make these offerings in the form of carriage-loads of gold and silver.


    That was far too conspicuous and also very cumbersome. In contrast, offering a box of snowke coins was a far better alternative, and if some special attention were paid to the construction and material of the box, then that would be even better.


    Chen Ping''an gritted his teeth to steel himself before purchasing the final one of the 10 pages for 30 minor snow coins. Due to the fact that it was the final one, the ship owner handed it over to Chen Ping''an in person. Qiu Shi wasn''t as mature and reliable as her sister, Chun Shui, and she didn''t have much fear or respect for the ship owner, constantly chirping and prancing around him like a little warbler on a branch.


    Thankfully, the ship owner had watched the two girls grow up their entire lives, and Qiu Shi had superior aptitude to Chun Shui with hopes of reaching the Middle Five Tiers someday, so the ship owner had a great deal of patience for her. Essentially, he was seeing her as a long-term investment.


    For someone like him, who made a living catering to cultivators, he had to look at the big picture and set his sights far into the future. Not only did he have to keep tabs on what was directly in front of him, he had to think many years down the line as well.


    After all of the sheets of paper were sold, the ship owner yed a prank on Qiu Shi, picking up a fire pear from the fruit tter on the table next to the sandalwood chairs and handing it to her, following which he promptly departed. Chen Ping''an was rather perplexed to see this, but his puzzled gaze was met with a vicious re from Qiu Shi.


    As it turned out, this fire pear was hermission for assisting in the sale of the sheets of paper. However, after ring at Chen Ping''an, a smug smile appeared on Qiu Shi''s face, and she unted her fire pear to Chun Shi by waving it in front of her.


    Following the conclusion of the showdown between Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain, Chen Ping''an parted ways with Zhang Shan, then returned to the Heaven-grade Room C with Chun Shui and Qiu Shi. However, not long after the two parted ways, they met again.


    As the Kun ship slowly descended upon the ferry station in Southern Stream Nation, Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shan chose to disembark from the Kun ship together. There, Chen Ping''an waved farewell to the pair of maidservants, and that spelled the end of their time together.


    The ferry station in Southern Stream Nation was constructed on argeke on the border that Southern Stream Nation shared with Ancient Elm Nation.


    In contrast with the ferry station on Parasol Tree Mountain in the Dragon Spring Prefecture, this one was farrger, with five Kun ships able to dock there at the same time.


    Parting ways with Chun Shui and Qiu Shi hadn''t exactly been an emotional affair for Chen Ping''an. During the time that he had spent on the Kun ship, he had shamelessly asked Ceremony Mountain for many fruits and snacks, and the two maidservants had been direct beneficiaries of this.


    At some point, the people of Ceremony Mountain began to specte that Chen Ping''an had to be some short-sighted hillbilly who had never seen the outside world and was keen on taking advantage of all of the free stuff that he could get his hands on.


    Even if Chen Ping''an had known about this, he wouldn''t have been bothered, but Qiu Shi was quite unhappy on his behalf, and in the end, Chun Shui was the one going to the Kun ship''s kitchen to request fruits and snacks.


    As he disembarked from the Kun ship, Chen Ping''an was carrying a bunch of fruit peels and cores with him.


    Due to the fact that there weren''t many people disembarking from the ship at Southern Stream Nation, Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shan quickly ran into one another, and they decided to travel together.


    Near the railing of the ship, Qiu Shi harrumphed coldly, "Look at how heartless he is, Big Sister! He wasn''t sad at all as he left the ship! I bet he''s already thinking about all the women and vices of the mortal world."


    An exasperated look appeared on Chun Shui''s face as she sighed, "Young Master Chen wasn''t even interested in Apricot Blossom Tavern, what makes you think he''d be interested in brothels? We''ve both seen countless men who''ve appeared esteemed and well-mannered on the surface, only topletely sumb to the allure of Apricot Blossom Tavern.


    ��The women in the tavern who go out of their way to suck up to them are no inferior to goddesses and celestial maidens in the eyes of mortal men, and after having a few drinks, all of those men immediately show their true colors. If only all men were like Young Master Chen."


    "That''s only because Chen Ping''an is still young!" Qiu Shi retorted, seeminglypletely unconvinced. "Once he grows up, he''ll be just as bad as all of those other men. Perhaps next time he travels on our Kun ship, he''ll start trying to sweet-talk us and lure us into bed with him."


    Chun Shui''s eyes narrowed slightly as she nced at the embroidered pouch hanging from Qiu Shi''s waist as she asked, "Do you really think that?"


    All of a sudden, Qiu Shi turned around, pretending to not be able to see Chen Ping''an''s gesture of farewell.


    Chun Shui cast her gaze into the distance, and only then did she discover that Chen Ping''an was cupping his fist toward the two of them in a farewell salute, a gesture that was very much befitting a martial artist who practiced his fist techniques so earnestly.


    Chun Shui hurriedly raised an arm to wave farewell in response.


    Only after Chen Ping''an had turned to depart did Qiu Shi turn back around with a disgruntled look on her face, and Chun Shui was quite amused to see this. "Why do this to yourself? He''s already so far away, it''s not like you''re going to lose a pound of flesh if you just politely bid farewell to him."


    Qiu Shi took a nce at her sister''s voluptuous chest, and she was fighting back a smirk as she retorted, "Of course with that body of yours, you''re not afraid of losing a pound of flesh, but I can''t afford to spare any flesh from my body."


    The two immediately erupted into a yfight.


    After a brief chat, Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shan learned that both of them were nning to travel southward. Chen Ping''an was doing so for a rather inexplicable reason. Both Lu Chen and Old Man Yang had told him to disembark from the Kun ship at Southern Stream Nation, so he didn''t dare to take the ship to the next ferry station in Old Dragon City instead, even though that would''ve been more convenient.


    As for Zhang Shan, he was simply too impoverished to be able to afford traveling on the ship any longer, and if he didn''t disembark, then he would most likely have to start working on the ship as a manualborer just to be able to fill his belly.


    Personality-wise, the two of them got along quite well with each other, so they agreed to travel southward together. As for when they were going to part ways, it would be a conversation for another time.


    The ferry station where they had disembarked from the Kun ship was situated on the border between Southern Stream Nation and Ancient Elm Nation, and Zhang Shan was somewhat fluent in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, so he began exining to Chen Ping''an some things about Ancient Elm Nation.


    The imperial n of Ancient Elm Nation was the Chu n, and there was a story about the origins of the nation''s name. It was said that back in ancient times, there had been a goddess responsible for heralding the arrival of spring and for the life cycles of all nt life under the heavens.


    However, there was arge tree in Ancient Elm Nation that was always a little slower to turn green in spring and a little slower to turn yellow in autumn than all of the other nts, much to the goddess''s annoyance. As punishment, she decreed that this tree was to never attain sentience or intelligence, and that was the origin of the saying of "elm wood lump." [1]


    Zhang San was a third tier Qi refiner still yet to consolidate his cultivation base, but as a Daoist priest from the Mount Longhu Daoist orthodoxy, he couldn''t have been more familiar with theborious task of traversing mountains and valleys.


    Prior to entering the mountains, Zhang Shan had pulled out a copper bell from his bags and tied it to the end of his peach wood sword''s hilt. As he did so, he exined to Chen Ping''an, "This is a demon detecting bell, and it''s a very popr item in Daoist circles. It serves a simr purpose to the Bai Ze Album that''s prevalent among Qi refiners, but this bell of mine is only one of the lowest tier, so it can only just barely be considered to be a demon subduing instrument.


    ��After being injected with spiritual energy, it can detect demonic beings up to a tier higher than me for a duration of several hours. At the moment, I''m only at the third tier, so it won''t be able to detect any great demons at or above the fifth tier."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so in the end.


    He was rather perplexed at how easily Zhang Shan had revealed his cultivation base to someone that he had only just met. On top of that, it was rather strange that he was referring to fifth tier demons as great demons, and this left Chen Ping''an feeling rather perplexed.


    Could it be that Zhang Shan wasn''t from the same world that he was? The little girl in pink and the little boy in azure were both Qi refiners of the Middle Five Tiers, yet back in Dragon Tail County, the little boy in azure was constantly going on and on about how worried he was that he would be pummeled to death by a single punch by someone someday.


    Despite his befuddlement, Chen Ping''an''s impression of Zhang Shan had improved even further.


    Zhang Shan waspletely oblivious to Chen Ping''an''s befuddlement, and he was still trying to console him. "But don''t worry, Young Master Chen, everyone in our circles say that no great demons would dare to wreak havoc within a radius of hundreds of kilometers of any territory under the jurisdiction of a righteous immortal sect.


    ��The reason for this is very simple: those great demons simply don''t have the guts to do anything out of line. Otherwise, if an immortal of the Middle Five Tiers hears of what they''ve been doing, they could lose their lives the very same day, isn''t that right?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and nodded in response.


    Schrs venturing into the mountains to visit immortals had always been amon trope in many stories that had been written throughout the ages, as was the concept of immortals posing as ordinary people to mess around in the mortal world.


    The mortal and immortal worlds had always been closely interconnected.


    It was only after he had gotten onto the Kun ship did Chen Ping''ane to realize that ces like the Dragon Spring Prefecture were extremely rare on the three continents including Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Many mortals would spend their entire lives without seeing a so-called immortal even once.


    Zhang Shan was a very kind-hearted and hospitable person, and after learning from Chen Ping''an through their conversation that he wasn''t even carrying a Bai Ze Album with him, he immediately insisted on giving his Bai Ze Album to Chen Ping''an, telling him that it had only cost him three minor snow coins, and that just like his demon detecting bell, it was a very low quality product that had been made in a private workshop.


    He proimed that it was too shoddy a Bai Ze Album for him to gift to anyone under normal circumstances, but seeing as Chen Ping''an needed one right now, he could use it to get by for now. In any case, Zhang Shan had alreadypletely memorized the Bai Ze Album, so he didn''t need it anymore anyway.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to ept the Bai Ze Album free of charge, so he tucked a hand up his sleeve to conceal it before pulling two minor snow coins out of his pocket treasure, Fifteenth, then offered them to Zhang Shan, who hesitated momentarily before only epting one minor snow coin. As he did so, he told Chen Ping''an that for such an old and low quality Bai Ze Album, even one minor snow coin was too much to ask for.


    Back when Chen Ping''an encountered that female ghost in the red wedding dress, the blind Daoist priest had already given him a Mountain Scouring Album that had been passed down from generations, and it was indeed countless times better than the Bai Ze Album, but Chen Ping''an had given it to Lin Shouyi.


    Chen Ping''an continued to scale the mountain while flipping through the pages of the Bai Ze Album, and he was very intrigued by what he saw. In particr, there were some images of demons and spirits that hadn''t been recorded in the Mountain Scouring Album, and it felt quite rewarding umting this new knowledge.


    When it came to traversing through mountains, even if Zhang Shan traveled for 10 more years, he most likely still wouldn''t be able to match Chen Ping''an''s level of proficiency.


    Chen Ping''an was traversing the mountain terrain as if he were taking a stroll in the park, while Zhang Shan wasn''t exactly gasping for air, but he was definitely proceeding far moreboriously.


    Unlike when he was back on the Kun ship, where he had to proceed with caution at all times, Chen Ping''an was intentionally making his footsteps heavier and louder. Following his fist technique practice back in the bamboo building, he had learned that he had to rx from time to time so that he wasn''t constantly wound too tightly.


    Furthermore, traveling on the Kun ship waspletely different from traveling here. Now that he was no longer on the Kun ship, he didn''t have to be so careful as even the average third tier martial artist wouldn''t have been in much danger traversing through a nation on their own. Most importantly, Chen Ping''an had a great deal of trust in Zhang Shan.


    Even though they had only recently met, he felt like they were already old friends, and this was the same feeling that he had gotten back when he first saw Mr. Qi outside the school, or Li Xisheng at the Li n''s manor.


    1. In China, calling someone an elm wood lump is the same as calling them ignorant or unintelligent. ?

 Chapter 215: Eyebrow Filling

    Chapter 215: Eyebrow Filling


    The deathly pale and hunch-backed old woman was staring nkly at Chen Ping''an''s group.


    The schr who had knocked on the door had a very cowardly personality, and he didn''t even dare to look directly at the old woman as he hid behind hispanion, internally kicking himself for being so eager to step forward and knock on the door.


    The schr was quite an avid reader of various types of different books, and he had read nock of stories concerning all manners of ghost and spirits, the majority of which fell into two categories. The first category contained the spirits that were very beautiful and alluring, such as the seductive fox spirits that lured in passing schrs.


    The second category contained spirits that were ghastly in appearance, and at night, their residences would appear to be standard courtyards, but if one were fortunate enough to live to the next day, then they would discover that they had actually spent the entire night in an abandoned graveyard.


    The schr holding the torch was a little more courageous than hispanion, and he jostled hisrge bookcase up and down to adjust its position on his back while rubbing his hands together for warmth as he forced a smile onto his face and asked, "Would you be able to take us in for a night, Madam?


    ��The rain is too heavy, and our friend here has already fallen unconscious from the cold. If we can''t find a warm ce for him to stay, he may not be able to make it through the night. Saving lives is one of the best deeds one can do, so please take us in out of the kindness of your heart."


    The old woman wore a stern expression as she said something in the local dialect, and she seemed to have been asking a question.


    The schr could only offer an exnation using the same dialect.


    The old woman turned her gaze toward Chen Ping''an, then suddenly asked in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, "You''re a martial artist?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    The old woman then directed her gaze toward the hilt of the peach wood sword that was strapped to Zhang Shan''s back. In his conscious state, his breathing had be deeper and more even than when he was conscious. This was one of the remarkable things about Qi refiners.


    Everything they did strove toward a return to simplicity, and that sometimes had rather surprising oues. Upon noticing the peach wood sword, the old woman''s eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, "And your friend is a Daoist?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded once again.


    Finally, the old woman turned her attention back to the uneasy umbre-holding schr as she asked, "Are you a schr?"


    The schr shook his head in response. "I haven''t made any notable achievements in the imperial examination, so I wouldn''t dare to call myself a schr."


    The old woman pursed her lips, then slowly hobbled out of the way as she said, "Seeing as you''re all legitimate young men, you cane in and stay the night, but make sure to stay in your rooms and don''t go walking around anywhere without permission.


    ��Otherwise, if you alert my master to your presence, then you''ll have to bear the consequences on your own. There are braziers in the rooms that you can light yourselves, and there''s no need to ask permission before you light them. You''re all guests, and my master isn''t so stingy that he would be bothered by the loss of some firewood."


    After Chen Ping''an and the others had stepped into the courtyard, the old woman looked around outside momentarily, then quickly shut the gate. The thick and heavy gate was made to appear as light as a feather in her hand, and it was swung shut with ease.


    This was quite arge estate with four sections, and Chen Ping''an''s group was assigned to stay in one of those sections. There, they were told that they were forbidden from going into the courtyard in the back. The rooftops of the estate bore engravings of all types of beasts, birds, and scenery, while the window frames had also been intricately crafted. The ground in the courtyard was paved with azure and red bricks, making it very clear where the main paths were.


    There were also corridors tucked under the eaves that sheltered one from the rain during storms like this one.


    Upon stepping into one of the corridors under the eaves, the old womanpletely vanished into the shadows. Right at this moment, there was a sh of lightning, and the two schrs caught a glimpse of the old woman''s deathly pale smiling face, a sight so terrifying that they almost passed out on the spot before hurriedly making their way into the nearby room.


    Still spooked by what they had just seen, the two schrs, who had the surnames of Chu and Liu, didn''t dare to go to bed on their own, so they could only stay together in the same room for now. The schr with the Liu surname set down his oil paper umbre, then lit amp to read some sagely scriptures in order to calm his jangling nerves.


    The schr with the Chu surname was a bit more courageous. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been aware of this estate''s existence. He set down the torch and began to fiddle with the brazier, pulling some fire sticks that were wrapped tightly in oil paper from his bookcase. With those, he was able to quickly light a fire, and the room began to gradually warm up.


    After that, he inspected his surroundings momentarily, then patted the bed in the room to find that the nkets were slightly damp and were giving off a slightly rank and moldy odor. This was only to be expected.


    Ever since the beginning of spring this year, it had been raining virtually constantly in Colorful Garment Nation, so the nkets in a vacant guest room naturally weren''t going to be in the ideal condition. In any case, it was already very fortunate that they had a ce to stay at all, and the schr certainly wasn''t going to criticize the estate owner over something like this.


    The schr with the Chu surname was quite handsome with a tall and slim figure, and his hair was bound neatly within an azure bandana. There was a disposition of righteousness about him, and as he inspected his surroundings, he discovered that the window frames were very intricately crafted with things like bats and carp engraved onto them, all of which had positive connotations of luck and prosperity.


    All of a sudden, he leaned in closer to the window to find that there were some traces of red paint on a slightly wider wooden sill between two of the windows. The red paint was rather unclear, but he could just barely make out the fact that it was spelling out some text.


    As the room gradually warmed up, the schr with the Liu surname was also bing more courageous. He set down the book in his hand, and upon noticing that hispanion was staring at the window, he cast his gaze toward the same direction, only to spot a burst of bright red light beside the window, which illuminated the face of the ghastly old woman, who dered in a raspy voice, "It''s already quitete, so you should both go to bed."


    The sudden emergence of thentern-bearing old woman almost scared the pair of schrs to death.


    The old woman had just made her way over from the room directly across from this one, and Chen Ping''an had also been reading inside and seen the old woman through the window, yet his reaction was nowhere near as panicked and distressed.


    The old woman shook her head as she hobbled away while chuckling to herself, "Looks like schrs really are cowards."


    In the other room, Chen Ping''an was standing near the window, and he said in a quiet voice, "She''s gone."


    Zhang Shan had regained his consciousness as soon as he entered the estate, and he was instantly reinvigorated upon taking a Yang Restoration Pill washed down with a swig of the wine from Chen Ping''an''s gourd. Originally, he had been unwilling to waste a pill, but he had suddenly felt a sh of demonic Qi in the area, and he didn''t dare to conserve his pills any longer. After all, his life was more precious than a single light snow coin.


    Zhang Shan sat up on the bed, dressed in a new and dry Daoist robe as he leaned down beside the brazier, using the fire inside to warm his hands. As he did so, he said in a quiet voice, "Let''s take turns on lookout duty tonight, Chen Ping''an. Otherwise, I won''t be able to rest at all. I can''t shake the feeling that something''s not right about this ce."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he replied, "All you need to do is hang your peach wood sword and demon detecting bell by the window. I''m not familiar with things like demons and spirits, so I''ll need the bell to alert me if any of those things are nearby. As for keeping lookout at night, that''s something that I''m very good at, so just rest assured and sleep. I''ll make sure to wake you up if something happens."


    Zhang Shan thought about this for a moment, then made up another excuse not to immediately go to bed. "Alright, I''ll hang my peach wood sword and demon detecting bell by the window, but I''ll warm up by the fire a bit longer before I go to bed."


    While Zhang Shan was hanging up his wooden sword, Chen Ping''an said, "Someone previously inscribed runes onto the windowsill, but it must''ve already been quite a long time, and the runes aren''t very clear anymore. However, they should be Daoist runes. Do you recognize them?"


    Zhang Shan initially hadn''t noticed these runes, but after hearing what Chen Ping''an had to say, he carefully inspected the windowsill, and only then did he notice some traces of the runes. He couldn''t help but be impressed with Chen Ping''an''s attention to detail, and as he carefully inspected the runes, a grim look slowly appeared on his face.


    After that, he gently wiped a finger over the indistinct runes before sniffing at his own fingertip, following which he sat back down in silence.


    "If things really are as I imagine, then we''re in a bit of trouble. The runes inscribed on the windowsill are meant to ward off ghosts, and judging from those remnants, they appear to be a type of divine runes from Divine Edict Sect.


    ��The runes are extremely powerful, indicating that they were inscribed by a figure of high seniority from Divine Edict Sect, and they cover virtually the entire window. On top of that, the strokes are very urgent, so that senior had to have been facing some extremely formidable ghostly entities."


    Zhang Shan heaved a forlorn sigh here, then continued in a remorseful voice, "If I had known this would happen, I should''ve taken that Yang Restoration Pill earlier. If I had done that, I would''ve been conscious as we were approaching this estate.


    ��I have a decent level of proficiency in skilled geomancy and feng shui, and even from afar, I would''ve been able to get a rough idea of the characteristics of this property, including whether the feng shui umted here is of the Yin or Yang attribute and whether it''s deviated from the path of righteousness. With that information, I would be able to extrapte many things. I''m sorry, Chen Ping''an, my stinginess has put you in a very perilous situation."


    Instead of consoling the remorseful young Daoist priest, Chen Ping''an jibed, "Isn''t eliminating fiends and defending Daoism your forte, Esteemed Heavenly Master Zhang?"


    Zhang Shan hurriedly waved his hands as he said, "Please don''t refer to me as Heavenly Master."


    A hint of longing appeared in his eyes as he continued in a quiet voice, "True Heavenly Masters are all direct disciples of the Li n from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence. All of them are esteemed figures dressed in yellow and purple, and aside from that, Heavenly Masters of the Middle Five Tiers from outside the Zhang n are also awarded the official title of Heavenly Master.


    ��Even among Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Masters, there are many distinctions. The first-rate Heavenly Masters are all Upper Five Tiers immortals who are revered and worshiped in the ancestral hall of Mount Longhu. Below them are the direct lineal descendants of the Zhang n, one of whom will hold the Heavenly Master Seal and an immortal sword.


    ��Below thates all of the Heavenly Masters from outside of the Zhang n who are cultivating on Mount Longhu. As a natural blessednd, Mount Longhu is open to the outside world, as long as those Qi refiners promise to leave the mountain to y demons and eliminate fiends once they reach a certain level in their cultivation.


    ��When that timees, Mount Longhu will bestow upon each of them a peach wood sword. This is the allure and generosity of Mount Longhu, and it''s a ce that all Daoist priests from other continents like myself regard with reverence and longing."


    Chen Ping''an listened carefully to what Zhang Shan had to say, gaining a deeper understanding of the concept of Heavenly Masters in the process.


    The heavy storm continued, and bursts of faint crackling would asionally ring out from the pair of petite stone lions situated on either side of the entrance of the estate.


    The old woman was standing on a small stool in the courtyard, hanging her litntern on one of the pirs in the corridor. The me inside thentern was flickering in the wind, and all of a sudden, it was snuffed out entirely.


    As it turned out, the wick inside had run out.


    The old woman began coughing as she got back up onto the stool, then removed thentern before pulling a new me out of her sleeve, one that was as red as blood. If one were to look closely at the me, they would notice that it had no wick.


    The old woman turned around so that her back was facing the courtyard, then plucked a white hair off her own head before piercing it forcefully into the center of the me, as if she were using it as a wick. After that, she gently breathed into the me, and it was instantly ignited before being ced into thentern, which was, in turn, hung up on the pir once again.


    Thentern continued to sway in the wind, illuminating its surroundings with its bright red radiance.


    On a clear night, it would''ve been sure to attract moths, and it was unclear what the purpose of lighting antern was on a stormy night in such a secluded estate.


    Zhang Shan didn''t feel like sleeping, so he began telling Chen Ping''an some stories about perilous encounters that he had previously had with demons and spirits. Chen Ping''an was listening to the stories while taking small sips of wine out of his red gourd when he suddenly brought a finger to his lips in a silencing motion.


    Zhang Shan immediately fell silent and turned his gaze toward the peach wood sword hanging by the window, but the demon detecting bell remainedpletely still.


    Momentster, the sound of door-knocking rang out, and as it turned out, they were being visited by the pair of schrs. Chen Ping''an made his way over to the door before opening it. The storm outside was still as ferocious as ever, and the wind was so strong that it was blowing the rain sideways, so there wasn''t a single dry spot even in the corridors under the eaves.


    The schr with the Chu surname was holding an umbre in one hand and a wine gon in the other with a smile on his face, while the schr with the Liu surname was breathing onto his own hands to keep them warm.


    He was also smiling as he said, "Brother Chu brought a few gons of fine wine with him on this journey, and there''s still one left. As the saying goes, sharing is caring, so if you don''t mind, how about joining us for a drink? But let me make this clear in advance: I have a very high alcohol tolerance, so I won''t be able to spare much wine for you, I hope you won''t mind."


    Chen Ping''an raised the gourd in his hand with a smile as he replied, "I''ve brought my own wine, so the three of you can share that gon."


    The schr with the Liu surname stepped into the room as he chuckled, "That sounds like a fantastic arrangement to me."


    The schr with the Chu surname followed him into the room, then set down his umbre in the corner. The four of them sat around the brazier for a moment before the schr with the Liu surname pped a palm to his own forehead. "I forgot to bring cups!"


    He then turned to hispanion with a wry smile as he said, "I''m too scared to go back for them, Brother Chu."


    The schr with the Chu surname stood up with a slightly exasperated smile as he said, "If there really are ghosts and spirits in the world, then there would be no need to fear death, would there? If you think about it that way, then it''s a good thing. Besides, schrs like us walk the path of righteousness, so even if ghosts and spirits did exist, they would fear and respect us, so what do you have to fear?"


    With so many people in the room, the schr with the Liu surname was clearly emboldened, and he was even in the mood to be making jokes. "I can''t even secure a decent mark in the imperial examination, so I can barely be referred to as a schr. In contrast, you''re far more well-read than I am, Brother Chu, so of course you have nothing to fear."


    The schr with the Chu surname shook his head before departing, and he quickly made his way over to the room across the courtyard, bringing back four wine cups with him shortly thereafter. Two tall and proud five-colored roosters were painted onto the inner walls of the cups, and Zhang Shan epted one of the cups before asking, "Brother Chu, Brother Liu, could these be the cockfighting cups unique to Colorful Garment Nation?"


    The eyes of the schr with the Liu surname immediately lit up. "You''ve heard of our Colorful Garment Nation''s cockfighting cups?"


    Themp on the table wasn''t very bright, so Zhang Shan held his cup between two of his fingers as he tilted it toward the brazier, using the light of the me to carefully observe the pair of five-colored roosters as he mused, "These cups are extremely renowned, so of course I''ve heard of them.


    ��Ie from Complete Reed Continent in the north, and during my travels, I once saw a pair of martial artists gamble exorbitant amounts of wealth using these cups. It''s a very remarkable thing. I hear that all you have to do is fill the cup most of the way with wine, then inject a wisp of spiritual energy into the wall of the cup, and the two roosters would begin fighting to the death on their own.


    ��Apparently, even 10th tier Sages are unable to predict the oues of the cockfights in advance. Hence, any cockfighting cups that make it out of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent instantly have their prices spike up by hundreds, sometimes even thousands of times. The cockfighting cups of Complete Reed Continent are one of the important items required to board the Kun ship at the ferry station in Southern Stream Nation."


    A proud look appeared on the face of the schr with the Liu surname, and he smiled as he nodded in response. "I don''t know anything about spiritual energy, but what I do know is that the Qi refiners of our Colorful Garment Nation like to use these cups for entertainment purposes. After pouring some wine into the cups, all they have to do is squeeze the cups between their fingers for a moment, and the roosters inside would immediately spring to life before fighting to the death.


    ��As for why these cups are considered to be so precious, I once read from some historical chronicles that the five-color soil used to fire these cockfighting cups is a unique type of soil that''ll quickly lose all of its unique properties upon leaving Colorful Garment Nation, and that''s how cockfighting cups became unique to our nation."


    Zhang Shan nodded in response with a contemtive expression, thinking to himself that if anyone could establish a monopoly over this five-color soil, then they would surely be able to reel in massive profits.


    Chen Ping''an was quite willing to believe this im. Due to his past pottery firing experience, he was very familiar with the properties of soil. The kiln workers of the Dragon Spring Prefecture had worked in pottery firing for generations, and that required them to develop a thorough understanding of soil. As a result, Chen Ping''an had heard many fantastic and wacky stories about soil from them.


    For example, Old Man Yao had once told him that all y had its own fate, just like humans. Some was molded into Bodhisattvas to be worshiped and revered, some was made into fine porcin to be used by imperial ns, and some was made into crude pots and jars used in the households ofmon folk.


    After having some wine, the schr with the Liu surname had be slightly inebriated, with a hint of redness creeping onto his cheeks. His mood had improved significantly, and he smiled as he said to Zhang Shan, "I can tell from the peach wood sword on your back that you''re a cultivator. Would you be able to make these roosters in these cups spring to life? If so, we could make some bets and have some fun. What should we bet on?"


    It was clear that the schr was apletely different person under the influence of alcohol, and he appeared to have also been a gambler at heart.


    The schr with the Chu surname sighed as he dissuaded, "You''ve already had enough to drink, so you should go to bed, Brother Liu."


    Zhang Shan also hurriedly replied, "A cockfighting cup is worth a lot of money, so let''s not waste one here."


    The schr with the Liu surname downed his cup of wine in one go, then hurled the cup viciously into the wall, shattering it into countless pieces as he chortled, "We have to toil away and work ourselves to the bone in order to afford things like this, yet they continue to outlive us long after we''re dead. How absurd is that? How much is a cockfighting cup worth?


    ��Only two taels of silver in Colorful Garment Nation, but how much is a Jinshi title worth? That''s far more expensive. At the very least, I can''t afford one..." [1]


    An awkward look appeared on the face of the schr with the Chu surname, and he exined, "Brother Liu always likes to ramble about ridiculous things when he''s drunk, so please don''t mind him."


    Chen Ping''an merely smiled and continued to drink in silence.


    In the end, the schr with the Liu surname was helped back to his room by hispanion, with Zhang Shan escorting them to the door.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an remained seated as he took a nce at the entrance of the room.


    ��������


    Under the heavy rain, a burly man with a thick beard and a saber strapped to his waist was wading through the mud, arriving in front of the estate before knocking on the gate.


    The old woman stood on the other side of the gate as she asked in a raspy voice, "Can I help you?"


    "I''m here for shelter!" the man yelled.


    "You speak with the demanding arrogance of someone who''s not here to seek shelter from the rain," the old woman said in a snide voice.


    "What? Are you telling me that there''s no ce for a single man like myself to stay in this entire estate?" the man snapped.


    "We do have room for you to stay, but my master won''t be pleased with someone as arrogant and demanding as yourself," the old woman sneered. "My master is not a very amodating person, so if you irk him, not only will you be able to stay the night, you may even end up having to stay longer than you bargained for."


    The individual strands of the man''s beard resembled hard nails, and he gripped onto the hilt of his saber as he glowered at the old woman with a menacing expression. "Cut the chit-chat and let me in! If I stay in this rain any longer, I''m going to fall sick. How am I going to go to the brothels if I get sick? Those little vixens will suck me dry in seconds, thenugh at me for myck of stamina!"


    The gate slowly swung open as the old woman sighed, "It''s much better to beughed at than to lose your life."


    The man bristled slightly upon hearing this, then quickly burst intoughter as he replied, "This body of mine has umted over three decades'' worth of Yang energy, so I ain''t scared of shit! Not only will demons and spirits be too scared to face me, even if their ancestorse out to y, they''ll run for their lives when they see me!"


    The man made his way into the courtyard as he spoke, and his brows furrowed slightly as he inspected his surroundings.


    The old woman mmed the gate shut once again, and all of a sudden, a loud crack rang out outside.


    As it turned out, the head of one of the stone lions outside had fallen onto the ground and shattered into pieces, but the noise waspletely drowned out by the sound of the ongoing storm.


    ��������


    In the affluent ns of some of the nations in the southern part of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, many women lived in boudoirs, and some of the more strict families would even remove the staircases leading to the upper floor, essentially trapping a woman in a makeshift tower until the day that they were meant to be wed.


    In one of the sections of the estate was one such boudoir, and despite the fact that it was veryte at night, there was a man filling out the eyebrows of a woman, who wasying on a reclining chair.


    The man was gently working at the woman''s brows with an eyebrow pencil, but the woman''s face was nothing more than a severely mangled mass of decaying flesh, through which many sections of bone were revealed. There were even maggots visibly squirming in her flesh, yet...also visible was her faint smile.


    1. It''s probably no surprise to all of you that corruption existed even in ancient times, and it''s said that wealthy families purchasing schrly titles was quite amon urrence. Of course, this is a serious crime, but that wasn''t much of a deterrent for the wealthy and powerful. ?

 Chapter 216: Strike

    Chapter 216: Strike


    Zhang Shan watched as the two schrs returned to the opposite room, then stood in the corridor as he extended a hand forward to catch a small handful of rain. After inspecting the rain for a while, he let it fall onto the ground before returning to the room and closing the door.


    He then pulled out an ordinary yellow paper talisman with his dry hand as he said, "There really is something not right about this ce. The rainwater is particrly heavy and cold, which indicates that it''s very likely to be harboring sinister energies. This talisman of mine is called an evil-incinerating talisman. It''s very ordinary, but extremely prevalently used as it can detect the presence of sinister energies."


    Zhang Shan held the talisman between two of his fingers as he silently recited an incantation, then abruptly stuck it to the remaining moisture in the palm of his other hand, and the talisman instantly ignited upon contact, then quickly burned to ashes. A grim look appeared on Zhang Shan''s face upon seeing this, and he scraped the ashes into the brazier.


    "How much did that talisman cost?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zhang Shan wasn''t surprised by this question at all, and he replied with a serious expression, "These types of spirit talismans are considered to be illegitimate, much like informal officials in the imperial court. Hence, they''re very cheap.


    ��All they cost to make is a sheet of yellow paper and the time and ink required for a Qi refiner of the Lower Five Tiers to inscribe the talisman. A single snowke coin can purchase over 30 of these evil incinerating talismans, so it only works out to be around three taels of silver per talisman."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    When it came to talismans, he had once witnessed the effects of the barrier-shattering talisman. At the time, everyone had been fooled by the female ghost in the red wedding dress, and they were being led down to the Underworld, thereby cing them in a very perilous situation. Thankfully, Lin Shouyi had been able to guide everyone to safety using a barrier-shattering talisman that fell into the category of mountain and water talismans.


    After that, in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, Li Xisheng had made some inscription talismans on the walls of the building. This was only something that could be aplished by a cultivator of a lofty cultivation base and advanced talismanic mastery.


    In the end, he had bestowed upon Chen Ping''an an elementary book about Daoist talismans, as well as arge stack of talisman papers of different materials. Of course, there was also that Wind and Snow Awl that would allow Chen Ping''an to draw talismans even without the need for red ink.


    After carefully reading through the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book several times, he was able to learn five or six of the simplest talismans recorded in the book.


    ording to the book, talismans were split up into nine grades, with Qi refiners of the Upper Five Tiers inscribing talismans for the first, second, and third grades, otherwise known as the Upper Three Grades, cultivators of the Middle Five Tiers inscribed talismans of the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, also known as the Middle Three Grades, and cultivators of the Lower Five Tiers inscribed seventh, eighth, and ninth grade talismans, or talismans of the Lower Three Grades.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t a Qi refiner, but he was able to use his Eighteen Stops Qi channeling technique to inscribe some of the elementary talismans recorded in the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book. As for talismans above that level, they were out of Chen Ping''an''s reach for the moment.


    Li Xisheng had once told him that inscribing talismans was much like sword practice. As the saying went, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Instead of teaching Chen Ping''an how to inscribe certain talismans, he had given Chen Ping''an this book so that he could learn for himself.


    However, during his southbound journey, Chen Ping''an had still prioritized his fist technique practice above all else, and as a result, he was only able to inscribe three types of talismans during his free time: thend-shortening talisman, the Yang energy illumination talisman, and the treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talisman. He had inscribed two or three of each type of talisman in the event of unforeseen mishaps.


    Thend-shortening talisman could drastically shorten thend, allowing Chen Ping''an to reach any spot within a radius of 100 feet in just a single step. The Yang energy illumination talisman was a type of barrier-shattering talisman, and if he were to encounter another "ghost hitting the wall" situation in the ruins of ancient battlefields, unmarked burial grounds, or other simr ces, he would be able to follow the Yang energy illumination talisman to safety.


    As for the treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talisman, this was a more offensive type of talisman that could summon a treasured pagoda to temporarily trap an evil entity, and the pagoda would alsosh the soul of said evil entity with the power of lightning.


    All three of these talismans were among the most ordinary ones recorded in the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book, and they were only included in the book at all as they were referenced as ssic examples of certain talismanic branches.


    Zhang Shan''s alcohol tolerance was ratherckluster, and he was feeling rather drowsy after having some wine to drink. Having been pelted by the heavy storm earlier, he was already quite exhausted, and he was reassured by the thought of having Chen Ping''an on lookout duty through the night, so he quickly fell asleep.


    Chen Ping''an was very familiar with nightly lookout duty, and he sat on his own while taking small sips of wine. All of a sudden, he abruptly turned toward the corner of the room, where the oil paper umbre was propped up against the wall.


    Initially, the umbre had been carried by the schr with the Liu surname, but after entering the estate, it had been carried instead by the schr with the Chu surname.


    At this moment, the umbre was propped up against the wall with its tip on the ground and its handle facing upward, but there wasn''t any water on the ground beneath it, and that was clearly not normal.


    Furthermore, Chen Ping''an could sense a cold aura in the air that sent chills running down his spine.


    Hence, he rose to his feet, pretending to stumble a little as if he were drunk, and as he walked across the room, he grumbled to himself under his breath, "Which one of those geniuses put the umbre here upside-down like this? If I did something like this back home, my elders would''ve made sure that I copped an earful..."


    After making his way over to the corner of the room, Chen Ping''an pretended to hup as he reached out to grab the handle of the umbre, as if he intended to tip it the right side up, but right as he reached out, a talisman slipped out of his sleeve, and a sharp and piercing look appeared in his eyes as he did away with his drunken facade.


    He reached out like lightning to catch the yellow paper talisman between two of his fingers, and it was none other than a treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talisman. He then pped the talisman against the handle of the umbre, and a treasured pagoda projection emerged to epass the entire umbre, which immediately began to warp while giving off a sizzling sound akin to that of water being thrown over a hot pan.


    The light radiating from the treasured pagoda quickly dimmed, following which the pagoda itself faded away.


    Chen Ping''an was worried that the talismans he had inscribed were too mediocre in quality, so to ensure that whatever sinister force was inside the umbre was sessfully eradicated, he pulled out the other two treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talismans that he had inscribed and quicklty stuck them to the oil paper umbre as well.


    Immediately thereafter, his formidable fist intent erupted out of his body, and he unleashed a relentless barrage of one-inch punches upon the three demon-suppressing talismans, with every single one of his punches packing formidable explosive power. His fist aura wasn''t damaging the umbre at all, but his powerful fist intent had all seeped into the umbre.


    This was the disparity between an ordinary third tier martial artist and one that had been taught by Cui Chan''s grandfather. The difference was truly night and day.


    After doing all of that, Chen Ping''an stood in an alert and ready stance while gripping tightly onto his Sword Nurturing Gourd, ready to unleash First and Fifteenth at a moment''s notice.


    However, the umbre merely shuddered for a short while before a plume of rank ck smoke rose up from it, and nothing else happened after the ck smoke dissipated.


    Chen Ping''an was a little dumbstruck by how quickly and easily the crisis had been averted.


    Did this oil-paper umbre really not have anything more to offer?


    For example, perhaps a fearsome sinister entity was supposed to have erupted out of the ck smoke with a thunderous roar.


    Chen Ping''an could still clearly recall the encounter with the female ghost in the red wedding dress on that winding mountain path. On that asion, it had beenpletely dominant, and even the blind monk who was skilled in lightning techniques had been no match for her.


    If it weren''t for Wei Jin resolving the crisis with a single sh of his sword, Chen Ping''an would''ve most likely been forced to use up the two wisps of sword qi in his body, and that would''ve deprived him of the opportunity to engage in thatter showdown against Cui Chan at the well.


    Chen Ping''an crouched down as he stared nkly at the oil paper umbre, and after taking a sip of wine, he reached out to rustle the umbre a few times, only to be greeted by the sound of falling ashes.


    He continued to remain in a crouched position, scratching his head while drinking wine with a rather empty feeling in his heart. Having grown ustomed to the hellish training that he had endured every single day in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, this had been far too easy inparison. It was like... someone who was ustomed to drinking hard liquor being forced to drink water.


    However, he then began to console himself. Regardless of whether the oil paper umbre had something to do with one of the schrs, or if that sinister entity had only concealed itself within the umbre after they had entered the estate, that thing had most definitely only been ackey that had been sent out to test the water. Hence, he couldn''t afford to growcent.


    With that in mind, he rose to his feet, then sat down beside the table and pulled out his Wind and Snow Awl from his pocket treasure, using it to inscribe a talisman under the light of themp. The talisman was still the same treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talisman, but this time, he was using a sheet of golden talisman paper rather than yellow paper talisman.


    Afterpleting a talisman, Chen Ping''an habitually picked up his wine gon and took arge swig of wine. He then took a small break to settle his aura, and only after that did he dare to begin inscribing another talisman.


    In the dark and stormy night, the Wind and Snow Awl was flying over the page with ir and gusto in the hands of the slightly inebriated Chen Ping''an.


    Beside him was the Sword Nurturing Gourd and the wooden box that contained Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends, and of course, Zhang Shan was snoring away on the bed.


    ��������


    The darkness of the night was only punctuated asionally by shes of lightning, and on a small hill not far away from the estate, a middle-aged Daoist priest was holding a fly whisk. There was a dark look on his face, and he spread his hand open to reveal an antiquated copper coin, which suddenly shattered under his gaze.


    The Daoist priest''s expression darkened even further, and there was a clear pained look in his eyes, but he put on a casual and nonchnt facade as he discarded the coin, then harrumphed coldly to himself, "The longer those two filthy creatures keep up their futile resistance, the more punishment they''ll be piling on themselves!"


    Standing beside the middle-aged Daoist priest was a tall and imposing man withrge eyes and bushy eyebrows. He was severely underdressed in this terrible weather, but didn''t seem to have been bothered at all by the heavy rain. An asional hint of golden light would sh through his eyes, and there was a fist-sized seal box hanging from his waist.


    He was beginning to grow a little impatient and disgruntled at the Daoist priest''s failed attempt at making a move, and a cold smile appeared on his face as he said, "If we still have to barge in there by force, then I''m not going to ept a 50:50 split anymore!"


    The Daoist priest didn''t want to argue over this matter, so he dodged the subject as he asked, "Who is that man who entered the estate earlier, and why did he just so happen to visit on this night?"


    A mocking sneer appeared on the tall man''s face as he replied, "I heard that a wandering hero came to our Colorful Garment Nation at the end ofst year, and he earned quite a reputation for himself by ying a few mediocre spirits with that saber of his. If my observation is correct, then he''s only a fourth tier martial artist at the very most.


    ��If we were elsewhere, perhaps I would have to be a little wary of him, but we''re on my territory right now, so he''spletely at my mercy. When the timees, we''ll just have to take care of him as well. You can take his body and make it into a puppet or do whatever with it that you please, but I''m taking that saber."


    The middle-aged Daoist priest swept his fly whisk through the air, and a cloud of mist rose up from his entire body as his rain-soaked Daoist robes were instantly dried.


    He then said with a smile, "Alright, you have yourself a deal."


    The tall man hesitated momentarily, then asked, "Are you sure that the backer of the owner of this estate has already fallen from grace in the Divine Edict Sect?"


    The middle-aged Daoist priest nodded in response as he jeered, "Aren''t you supposed to be a mountain god? You seem awfully out of the loop."


    A dark look appeared on the tall man''s face as he spat through gritted teeth, "It''s all because of that estate! It contains some secret formation from Divine Edict Sect that slowly devoured all of the spiritual energy in the area.


    ��As a result, my godly body has been gradually eroded during this past century, and no one even regards me as a mountain god any more! In fact, I''m not even treated with the same level of respect as mountain lords elsewhere! I won''t be able to rest at night until I exact vengeance against them!"


    The Daoist priest nodded in response before offering up some words of constion.


    The mountain god temple in this area was the ce where the man''s godly body was revered, and it was an illegal temple that hadn''t been officially appointed by Colorful Garment Nation imperial court to begin with. On top of that, the area was riddled with unmarked graves, resulting in a vast abundance of sinister energies.


    After the tall man became the mountain god, he elerated the process of the natural environment''s decay for the sake of his own cultivation base. As the eye of the formation, the estate only drew upon sinister energies and left the natural spiritual energy of the areapletely untouched, so it was actually serving to maintain bnce, but there was no point in discussing such matters.


    The middle-aged Daoist priest who had deviated onto devilish paths and the equally deplorable mountain god were both aware that neither of them were saints.


    "I''m doing this to reim my territory, while you want to take that female ghost''s body to use as your puppet, so our objectives are clear, but what does that guy want? Could it be that there''s some secret precious treasure in this estate that we don''t know about?" the tall man suddenly asked.


    "I''m not sure," the Daoist priest chuckled in response. "How about we ask him together?"


    "That sounds like a good idea," the tall man replied with a knowing smile.


    The Daoist priest inspected his surroundings to find a series of bleak and deste mountains with extremely sparse vegetation, and he knew that what little vegetation was present here only existed thanks to that female ghost.


    That female ghost''s fate and personality were both very rare, and that was why the Daoist priest had be increasingly more eager to im her upon arriving here.


    ��������


    In the second section of the estate, the light in the room had already been snuffed out, indicating that the two schrs had already gone to bed, yet themp in Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shan''s room was still lit.


    Before the old woman had a chance to knock on the door, the man who had just arrived in the estate had already caught a whiff of the wine in the room, and he immediately began pounding on the door as he yelled, "Do you have some wine that you can spare? I''d do just about anything for a drink right now!"


    The old woman made no effort to stop him, merely remarking, "Sort out who''s staying in which room by yourselves."


    Chen Ping''an reced the stopper on his wine gourd, then opened the door to find a man with a rugged appearance standing outside.


    The man took a nce at Chen Ping''an, then said in a casual manner, "Are you also a martial artist, kid? I can tell from the way that you walk and breathe. Have you reached the second tier yet?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he replied, "I''ve been studying martial arts from my seniors from a young age, and this is my first time exploring the world on my own, so I still don''t know the distinction between tiers yet."


    Meanwhile, Zhang Shan had already been woken up by themotion and was sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on his shoes.


    The man strode into the room before sitting down onto a chair as he mused, "You''re saying you don''t know the distinction between tiers? So you must be from some impoverished rural area, right? In that case, why have you embarked on such a long journey, and why are you so fluent in the official dialect of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? You can''t learn something like that from any rural area! You must be a spirit wearing human skin, aren''t you?!"


    The man drew his saber most of the way out of its scabbard as he spoke, and the de of the saber was giving off a bright gleam as he glowered at Chen Ping''an and roared, "Tell me your name! My saber doesn''t y nameless ghosts!"


    Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shan exchanged a bbergasted nce with one another.


    Could it be that the rain was so heavy that water had gushed into the man''s head?


    Among Qi refiners, there were countless itinerant cultivators pursuing all types of unorthodox paths. Even demons and nts that attained sentience were inevitably discriminated against, but they certainly weren''t actively hunted. However, ghostly cultivators were an exception to this, and once discovered, it was virtually inevitable that they were going to be hunted down and killed.


    The cycle of life dictated by the Heavenly Dao involved birth, aging, illness, and death. In their pursuit of immortality, Qi refiner were going against the Heavenly Dao. Those who perished were considered to be part of the natural order, but ghostly cultivators fell into neither camp, so they were widely denounced as unjust beings that had to be killed.


    Ghostly cultivators weren''t cultivators when they were alive, nor were they mountain and river gods that were appointed by imperial courts after their deaths.


    Hence, the targets that were hunted by the truly formidable Heavenly Masters of Mount Longhu primarily consisted of ghosts that wreaked havoc throughout thend, as opposed to spirits that were hiding in mortal society.


    The more lively and prosperous a ce was, the more neutral the term "spirits" was, holding neither negative nor positive connotations.


    In somerger nations, particrly powerful empires with well-established immortal sects, even the mortals were often ustomed to coexisting with all types of strange and wacky spirits.


    It was said that there were many petite winged spirits that could fly around and help women wash andb their hair, apply makeup, and fold their clothes. These spirits were extremely close with their owners and were considered to be a great asset to society.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t bother to defend himself, merely removing the stopper from his wine gourd before taking a sip of wine.


    The saber-wielding man faltered slightly upon hearing this, then gulped slightly, clearly craving the wine that Chen Ping''an was drinking. His aggressive demeanor instantly faded, and he said in a shameless manner, "If you let me drink some of your wine, I can turn a blind eye even if you really are a ghost. As long as I don''t catch youmitting any evil deeds, we can get along just fine."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    The man heaved a long sigh. "You''re a conniving and dishonestd, that''s what you are! You''re using your wiles to trick good and honest men like me!"


    Zhang Shan hurriedly sat down to act as mediator, striking up a conversation with the man in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    ��������


    Inside the boudoir of the estate, the man and the woman were snuggled up next to each other on the reclining chair. The woman was wearing a dark green dress with a massive skirt that concealed her legs and feet.


    The man gently whispered into the woman''s ear, "May you always have warm clothes to wear during the cold spring, may you always be happy, may you always be greeted by the sight of clear skies and stunning scenery whenever you look out the window..."


    The hideous woman began to make a series of unintelligible sounds in response, almost as if she were sobbing, and the skirt of her dress was rippling like waves.


    The old woman was walking through the pitch-ck corridor, heaving a faint sigh to herself. In the end, she sat down beside the pir where thentern had been hung up. Day after day, year after year, the old woman stroked her own withered face, and she had long forgotten how many years it had been since she hadst looked in the mirror.


    She could only presume that the same applied to her young mistress, who hadn''t taken a single step out of her boudoir in the past century.


    ��������


    The saber-wielding man was in the process of chatting with Zhang Shan when his hand suddenly flew onto the hilt of his saber, and his joking demeanor instantly vanished as he said in a serious voice, "Just as the rumors in the nearby town say, the demonic Qi ising from the backyard of this estate, and it''s extremely formidable demonic Qi!


    ��It''s no wonder that the feng shui in this ce haspletely wasted away, there could well be a sixth tier demon here! I''m going to y the demon. If anything goes wrong, make sure to get out of here right away. Don''t brush off my words of warning! This is an extremely perilous ce, and you could easily lose your lives here if you''re not careful!"


    The man then paused momentarily before continuing, "There''s no need to run right away. Otherwise, the demon in this estate could pounce from the shadows. Even if I''m defeated, I''ll do everything in my power to keep them at bay. When the timees, listen to my call, and when I tell you to run, don''t hesitate to do so!"


    After that, the man took a deep breath before drawing his saber out of its scabbard. He then reached out a hand to brush aside the ashes in the brazier before pulling out a lump of lit charcoal that he held in his hand, rubbing it against the de of the saber to send sparks flying in all directions, giving the saber an even sharper and more resplendent appearance.


    Even though the chances of victory were quite slim, the man wasn''t disying any fear, and he appeared to have a truly heroic heart.


    The man''s courageous disy earned Chen Ping''an''s respect, and he offered his gourd to the man, only for thetter to turn him down with a smile as he rose to his feet with his saber in his hand.


    "I always crave a drink when there''s nothing happening to stave off the boredom, but ying powerful demons and ghosts is far more exhrating than drinking!"


    The man pushed the door open and strode into the backyard in the stormy night, and the light radiating from his saber illuminated the surrounding area as he raised his head, casting his gaze into the distance.


    "My name is Xu Yuanxia. Come out to face me!"


    Zhang Shan picked up his peach wood sword and demon detecting bell, then said to Chen Ping''an in a solemn voice, "I''ll go help him y the demon. You''re a pure martial artist, so you''re not fit to face ghosts and demons in battle before you reach the fourth tier. Hence, you should stay here, and I''ll call for you if we need you."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    With that, Zhang Shan rushed out the room in a lithe and agile fashion, and after remaining in his chair for a moment, Chen Ping''an chose not to continue waiting in the room. Intead, he also stepped outside, peering through the rain to the room on the other side of the courtyard as he dered, "I know it''s you."


    Themp in that room had already been snuffed out long ago, yet the door slowly swung open, and the schr with the Chu surname emerged from inside. He was holding the torch that had been snuffed out by the rain earlier, and there was a faint smile on his face.


    After looking across at Chen Ping''an for a while, he raised a hand, rubbing his palm against the end of the torch, and it was instantly ignited. After that, he gently plunged the other end of the torch into a nearby pir, and the torch pierced halfway into the pir with ease.


    "You''re the one who talks the least out, but you''re the smartest of the bunch. Of course, you must have some skills to back up your smarts as well, considering you were able to vanquish Daoist White Deer''s copper coin ghost. However, that''s only a third tier ghost with not much merit to speak of, so don''t take that as a reason to grow arrogant and conceited..."


    Chen Ping''an remained silent, and all of a sudden, he vanished from the spot without any warning.


    The schr faltered slightly upon seeing this.


    A figure shot through the space between the two rooms like lightning, pouncing directly at him. The schr wasn''t taking Chen Ping''an very seriously, and he didn''t even have a chance to react before he was struck on the head by a swift and vicious punch that left a trail of glowing white fist aura behind it.


    He was sent flying through the air, crashing through the wall and the door before tumbling onto the corridor outside. In the end, his back crashed into a thick pir, causing countless tiny cracks to appear on the pir, and only then was he stopped in his tracks with blood gushing out of his mouth. His soul was jangling in his body, and there was an astonished look on his face.


    Not only was the punch extraordinarily powerful, the fusion of fist intent and fist aura was even more remarkable, which had a suppressive effect on him, much like the ghost-striking whips used by immortals.


    A resounding boom rang out as he was struck by another punch to the neck, and this time, even the pir behind him was toppled.


    These two punches had left tears and blood streaming down all over his face. His robes were in tatters, and he was utterly infuriated, so much so that he was about to revert to his true form andpletely do away with the original n.


    Right at this moment, he heard Chen Ping''an utter a single word: "First."

 Chapter 217: (1): Sword Immortal

    Chapter 217: (1): Sword Immortal


    Anyone who had ventured into the world for any substantial period of time had some trump cards up their sleeve.


    As soon as the schr with the Chu surname heard Chen Ping''an utter the word "First," he felt a sense of foreboding, and he knew that this was most likely one of Chen Ping''an''s trump cards.


    However, he couldn''t identify where this sense of peril wasing from. His mind was racing, and he gritted his teeth as a white ball slid out of his sleeve. The ball was glowing brightly even in the darkness of the night, and it was clear that it was no ordinary object.


    The schr clutched the ball tightly in his hand, and it melted like wax in the face of fire, turning into a liquid as viscous as mercury. The stream of liquid then quickly spread over his arm and soon covered his entire body. All of a sudden, it was as if he had put on a suit of pristine white armor.


    The breastte at the center of the suit of armor was shimmering brightly, and it had been forged to resemble the suits of radiant armo worn by deity statues in the temples and monasteries of the mortal world.


    If it weren''t for the fact that the schr could sense that his life was under threat, he would''ve sooner reverted back to his true form than use this priceless armor pellet. Armor pellets were supreme Militarian treasures extremely revered and sought after, and there was no ceiling to how expensive they could be.


    Furthermore, demand had always far outweighed supply for these things, and they were generally jointly forged by Mohist mechanists and cultivators from the talismanic branch of Daoism.


    In their normal state, armor pellets were fist-sized balls that were very portable and didn''t take up much space. Upon being injected with True Qi, they instantly transformed into an all-epassing suit of indestructible armor.


    The armor protecting the schr was giving off ayer of faintly rippling white light, illuminating the surrounding rain-covered ground a bright white color, and as he rose to his feet, he appeared far calmer than before as he said with a wry smile, "You''ve truly screwed me over, kid.


    ��I prepared this suit of radiant armor in the potential case of a disagreement when splitting the spoils and both Daoist White Deer and that mountain god turned on me, but now that I''ve been forced to reveal it, they''ll already know that I have this suit of armor in my possession, so what am I to do now?"


    Despite the casual tone of his voice, the schr didn''t dare to let down his guard in the slightest. He was rather perplexed about why there had been no followup after Chen Ping''an had uttered the word "First". No sword had flown out of the opposite room from his wooden box, nor had any allies lurking in the shadows sprang forth to make their presence known.


    The schr knew that Chen Ping''an definitely wasn''t the type of person who liked to make jokes.


    With just two punches, Chen Ping''an had almost forced him to revert back to his true form, and he was confident that even that brash saber-wielding man with his fourth tier powers wouldn''t have been able to achieve the same feat.


    Hence, even though this "First" was yet to make an appearance, the schr knew that as soon as it appeared, it would definitely be a formidable opponent, or a powerful treasure, either of which would be sure to pose a serious threat to him.


    Meanwhile, a slightly frustrated look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he gave the Sword Nurturing Gourd hanging from his waist a firm p.


    Inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd, First had inexplicably undergone a drastic change in personality. Prior to this, it had been very violent and short-tempered, often administering physical punishment upon Chen Ping''an for no reason.


    However, upon leaving Downtrodden Mountain, it had be extremelyzy,ying around and doing nothing all day, and it couldn''t even be bothered to punish Chen Ping''an anymore. Even after that firm p of the Sword Nurturing Gourd, First remainedpletely unmoved, hovering in a stationary manner in the space within the Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    In contrast, Fifteenth was buzzing around incessantly, voluntarily engaging inmunication with Chen Ping''an to the best of its abilities, as if it were telling him that if First didn''t want to heed his call, then it would be happy to fight in First''s stead.


    After attaining sentience, the pair of flying swords resembled infants that were still not yet able to speak. They possessed intelligence, but not to a very high degree, and they still acted mostly ording to their instincts.


    They could clearly sense Chen Ping''an''s intentions and emotions, butmunication was often quite difficult between them. Furthermore, Chen Ping''an only had a vague sense of what they were feeling at any given point in time, which further impeded theirmunication.


    Upon spotting Chen Ping''an''s gesture, the schr immediately turned his gaze toward the red wine gourd that was hanging from Chen Ping''an''s waist. However, he discovered that it waspletely devoid of luster and didn''t appear to be remarkable in any way.


    Prior to this, when they had first met in the stormy mountains outside the estate, the schr with the Chu surname had carefully sized up Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shan. His verdict was that the two most likely weren''t particrly formidable martial artists or cultivators.


    Colorful Garment Nation wasn''t a veryrge nation, and there weren''t many formidable figures in its territory. In fact, even the likes of Daoist White Deer were considered to be one of the most powerful immortals of thend.


    Barring any mishaps, there shouldn''t have been anyone capable of opposing him here.


    He had left his residence and made the southbound journey from Ancient Elm Nation to Colorful Garment Nation all for the sake of what was in this estate. He had been plotting extensively for this day, and even though his victory was all but assured, he had still decided to take a cautious approach, recruiting Daoist White Deer and that illegitimate mountain god to his cause.


    The three of them all had their own objectives, and he had befriended the schr with the Liu surname and lured him onto a trip to this ce. He then told his two allies that he was volunteering to scout the estate at the risk of his own personal safety, and he was using the righteous energy that the schr with the Liu surname had umted from a young age to conceal the faint demonic energy emanating from his body.


    His true objective was to examine the ley lines that the formation had been built upon so that he could take advantage of the chaos of the uing battle to steal the treasure that he hade to obtain.


    After that, he would flee the scene and leave Daoist White Deer and the mountain god behind, using the armor pellet as a surprise trump card to protect himself and facilitate his escape. From there, he would return to Ancient Elm Nation to continue his cultivation.


    As for why Xu Yuanxia had arrived at the estate, that wasn''t just a coincidence. Instead, it was because the schr with the Chu surname had been spreading rumors in the nearby cities and towns, giving the estate a demonic and sinister reputation. In reality, while it was true that the estate was rife with Yin energy, it had never actually harmed the nearby people or had any negative impact in general.


    The reason that the schr had done this was to furtherplicate the situation so that it would be easier for him to make his escape. It would be good if Xu Yuanxia could weaken the owner of this estate, and it would be even better if he couldst until Daoist White Deer and the mountain god arrived.


    The valiant and heroic Xu Yuanxia was naturallypletely oblivious to all of this, and he had believed all of the rumors. After downing tworge bowls of wine in a nearby town, his blood rushed to his head, and he could sense that something wasn''t quite right about this storm, so he had immediately stormed to the estate to y the so-called demons here.


    The mountain god had personally applied oil to that torch, while the oil-paper umbre had concealed Daoist White Deer''s copper coin ghost, and neither of them had appeared all that remarkable, but there was actually a great deal of thought put into both of them.


    The torch had been assigned with the task of helping the mountain god inspect the internalyout of the estate from up close, while the copper coin ghost''s job was to infiltrate the estate, then find an opportunity to emerge from the oil-paper umbre to destroy the measures that had been set up in the estate to ward off external threats, including things like the remnants of the runic talismans that had been inscribed onto the window sills and the shadow wall that still contained a hint of the righteous aura of Daoism.


    These things had allowed the estate to weather many a storm and endure numerous sinister attacks.


    None of the three parties involved in the alliance were easy to deal with, but that was only to be expected.


    Among itinerant cultivators,petition was fierce, and it was very much a game of survival of the fittest, so anyone who wascking in power would''ve already perished, serving as stepping stones for more formidable cultivators.


    Were there Qi refiners who didn''tpete with others and simply kept to themselves? Of course there were. For example, the three inhabitants of this estate, the male and female owners and the elderly female servant, had remained in this estate and kept a low profile for the past century, yet they still couldn''t escape the fate of being targeted by others.


    The schr with the Chu surname didn''t want to attract any unnecessary trouble, so he decided to back down, smiling as he said, "There''s no bad blood between us, Young Master Chen, so there''s certainly no need for us to fight to the death. As long as you''re willing to leave this estate tonight, I''ll be sure to treat you to fine wine and exceptional hospitality if you ever pass through Ancient Elm Nation at any point in the future.


    ��Even if you want to drink in the imperial pce of Ancient Elm Nation, I can easily take you there on a snowy night, and we can sit atop the rooftop of the imperial pce and share a drink together while appreciating the snowy scenery. With me in apaniment, you won''t have to worry about drawing the ire of the imperial n."


    The schr with the Chu surname was a spirit of rather illegitimate origins, but the human form that he had attained was extraordinarily handsome and refined, even more so than the young masters from the most affluent ns of the nearby cities and towns. This was definitely not just down to mere coincidence, and there had to have been some fated blessings bestowed upon him that had allowed him to attain his looks and disposition.


    Chen Ping''an finally spoke upon hearing this. "I heard that the emperor of Ancient Elm Nation also has the Chu surname. Are you rted to him?"


    The schr with the Chu surname hesitated momentarily, then seemingly as a gesture to disy his sincerity, he nodded with a smile as he replied, "There are some ties between us, but no blood ties. It''s a long story, but in summary, we both rely on one another but are also wary of each other at the same time."


    The Chu character �� consisted of a forest �� on top and a foot �� on the bottom, and the schr had chosen the Chu surname for himself to imply his true identity as a tree spirit.


    However, this was not so obvious to Chen Ping''an as he had only just begun to learn to read and was still only at the stage of learning the pronunciations and definitions of characters, so he was still far from the stage where he could dissect characters and glean their implicit meanings. After all, he was nowhere near as well-read as the likes of Cui Chan or Wei Bo.


    Chen Ping''an took a moment to examine the suit of armor worn by the schr with the Chu surname, then decided not to use Fifteenth for now. Instead, he was going to take this opportunity to test out the power of his fists so that he could gauge what level he was at as a third tier martial artist.


    With that in mind, he asked, "What tier of Qi refinement have you reached?"


    "I''m only at the fifth tier," the schr replied with a smile.


    Of course, he was being modest in his use of the word "only."


    He was only one tier away from reaching the Middle Five Tiers, and that was certainly nothing to be scoffed at. Even in major cultivating sects, cultivators of the Middle Five Tiers were considered to be extremely valuable assets, and they were either elders of lofty status or figures with substantial administrative power in their respective sects, and this was even more true for tiny nations like Ancient Elm Nation and Colorful Garment Nation.


    However, Chen Ping''an was rather ignorant to such intricacies, and he took the schr''s statement at face value. Thus, the schr''s attempt at modesty fell upon deaf ears. To Chen Ping''an, his interlocutor was one of the fifth tier "great demons" that Zhang Shan had spoken of, and the young man flexed his wrists from side to side as a faint smile appeared on his face.


    He couldn''t beat the female ghost in the red wedding dress, but he could certainly try his hand at this opponent. If he could beat the schr to death with his fists, then that would naturally be best, but even if he couldn''t, he always had his flying swords to bail him out.


    Even back when Chen Ping''an had only just begun practicing fist techniques, he had dared to lead that Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain on a wild goose chase. Setting aside how much power he possessed, he was certainly notcking in courage.


    In fact, very few martial artists in this world could match him in this regard. Of course, that didn''t mean that he was brash and reckless. On the contrary, his caution and intelligence in battles were also strong suits of his.


    An exasperated look appeared on the schr''s face. "Why do you still insist on a fight?"


    Chen Ping''an gave him a very straightforward answer: "If I don''t beat you, my friend and that man with the saber will be in a lot of danger."


    A cold look appeared in the schr''s eyes. He was a fifth tier cultivator who was used to being respected and revered, even by the imperial n of Ancient Elm Nation, so he was naturally no pushover.


    "It sounds like you''re not going to repent until you''ve met an early grave! Let me tell you this: there are still two other people just as formidable as myself waiting to pounce outside the estate. Are you sure you want to get involved in this? Do you really think I''m scared of you?"


    Chen Ping''an''s response instantly had the schr fuming.


    "Whether you''re scared of me or not has nothing to do with whether I''m going to fight you."


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath, and he had wasted this much time talking to the schr not because he was trying to show off or anything like that. Instead, he was taking this time to gauge the attitudes of the two flying swords in his Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    That was a key factor that determined how he was going to approach this fight.


    Back when it first appeared in Chen Ping''an''s house on y Vase Alley, First had emerged in the form of a tiny streak of white light suspended in mid-air. Even though its de was very slender, it was filled with a vast aura of righteousness, and it had disyed itself in its full power and glory without making any attempt at concealment.


    In contrast, Fifteenth, which Chen Ping''an had obtained from Old Man Yang, was less direct and confrontational. It had a more peaceful disposition, and whenever it moved around inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd, it would always do so in a jerky manner, moving extremely quickly with abrupt stops and starts.


    Furthermore, whenever it drew close to the inner wall of the Sword Nurturing Gourd, it would alwayse to an abrupt halt just short of striking the wall, in stark contrast with First, which would always fly around wildly inside the gourd, crashing into its walls with reckless abandon.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an had determined that Little Capital��or, as Chen Ping''an had renamed it, First��was sharper than Fifteenth and also more sturdy. Its ws, however, were also very clear, namely itsckluster speed and how difficult it was for Chen Ping''an to control. Hence, whenever Chen Ping''an used it, he would always find it to becking in precision and uracy.

 Chapter 218: (1): Arrival of Immortals

    Chapter 218: (1): Arrival of Immortals


    In the backyard of the estate, a fierce battle was taking ce outside the boudoir.


    Xu Yuanxia had traveled all the way here with the intention of ying demons, and even though he was only a fourth tier martial artist, the saber he was wielding was a divine weapon of a very high caliber. After being injected with True Qi, it would release a burst of red light that could slice through all things in its path with unstoppable force.


    As it turned out, the old woman outside was a third tier Qi refiner, but she was already quite advanced in age and no longer had the energy to fight. After only around a dozen exchanges, she was knocked out cold by Xu Yuanxia using the pommel of his saber, then kicked into a nearby room, where shey in an unconscious state.


    Under normal circumstances, the old woman wouldn''t have put on such an inept disy. However, the problem was that she had resided in this estate for over a century, and during that time, she had constantly been basking in the sinister energies drawn here by the formation.


    As a result, even though she wasn''t a sinister ghostly being, she was still particrly weak to the Yang energy imbued within the man''s prized saber. On top of that, Xu Yuanxia had umted a great deal of experience in battle during his travels, and with those factorsbined, it was no wonder that the old woman had been defeated so quickly.


    Following the old woman''s defeat, the male owner of the estate had emerged to face Xu Yuanxia on his own. He drifted down into the yard from the reclining chair, wielding a longsword that hadn''t seen the light of day for a long time.


    The de of the sword was as cool as water, and against the opposing saber, the sword took a more delicate and spritely approach, refraining from shing directly against it. Every sword strike was aimed at the important acupoints all over Xu Yuanxia��s body, and a burst of azure swordlight was being released from the tip of the sword, whizzing around like an agile firefly in the stormy night.


    In contrast, Xu Yuanxia fought in a very direct and confrontational fashion. His attacks were rather nd andcking in embellishment, but every single saber strike of his was fast and powerful.


    He didn''t use a vast array of techniques, nor were his attacks particrly refined, but they were fast and decisive, and they would be sure to severely wound the opponent upon contact. Hence, even though the ck-robed man had superior technique, Xu Yuanxia still had the upper hand.


    As the battle wore on, Xu Yuanxia''s attacks became even faster and more formidable, and it seemed that he was being fuelled by a sense of righteous fury as he roared, "You deplorable bastard! You clearly came from a righteous path, so why have you willingly fallen into depravity rather than striving to pursue the Great Dao?


    ��What do you have to show for your efforts? You''re nothing more than a half-human, half-ghost abomination! You insist on protecting that female ghost at the expense of the welfare of this entire area! Look at what you''ve done! This entire ce ispletely devoid of human habitation for hundreds of kilometers! You deserve to die a thousand deaths for your heinous crimes!"


    With another furious roar, Xu Yuanxia gripped the hilt of his saber with both hands, then swung it down viciously upon his opponent''s sword. The blow was so ferocious that the male owner of the estate was sent stumbling back several dozen feet, and it certainly wasn''t helping his cause that his feet were slipping on the slick ground.


    After steadying himself with great difficulty, the ck-robed man forced down a mouthful of blood that was threatening to gush out of his throat, then flicked his wrist to sh the air. As the sword struck the rain droplets in its path, they sounded like firecrackers.


    Xu Yuanxia took a step forward while holding his saber in one hand, and the saber was glowing with dazzling radiance, illuminating his entire arm as he pointed a finger directly at the ck-robed man with a furious look on his face. "The teachings of Buddhism say that it''s never toote to turn back and mend one''s ways. Lay down your sword right now and repent over what you''ve done! Do you really think I don''t dare to cut you down?"


    For the first time in the battle, the ck-robed man spoke, and even though his voice was extremely raspy, resembling the sound of a blunt de being sharpened on a whetstone, there was a refined and elegant disposition about him, and not only did he not hurl any spiteful words at his opponent, he jibed with a calm expression, "The teachings of Buddhism also say that the one must firsty down their de if they wish to attain salvation."


    Xu Yuanxia inspected his surroundings briefly, then took a nce at the reclining chair on the second floor before withdrawing his gaze as he sneered, "The fact that you''re still in the mood to be bickering with me like this tells me that there must be some more tricks up your sleeve that you''re relying on. I suppose that shoulde as no surprise.


    ��Given your background and your cultivation base as a fifth tier Qi refiner, perhaps you''ve already umted a huge amount of filthy wealth over the past century. Otherwise, the nearby mountain god wouldn''t be turning a blind eye to your actions.


    ��If I''m not mistaken, you must be too ashamed to go back to your seniors, but you''ve definitely been unting your background so that no one would dare to touch you, isn''t that right?"


    Xu Yuanxia was bing more and more furious as he spoke, and his face resembled that of the furious war deities being worshiped in temples as he roared, "Answer me!"


    The ck-robed man remained silent with a faint smile on his face, but there was a hint of mncholy deep in his eyes.


    "I gave you a chance to repent and change your ways, but you chose not to take it, so don''t me me for cutting you down in cold blood!" Xu Yuanxia roared.


    The ck-robed man heaved a faint sigh, and a slightly guilty look appeared on his face as he bit through the tip of his own index finger, using his own blood to inscribe runes upon the de of his sword.


    Inscription talismans had always been an integral part of the Daoist teaching, and it was said that in ancient times, such inscriptions could be used to send messages directly to the deities in the heavens. If one''s message were sufficiently earnest and reverent to be epted by such deities, then all types of miracles would befall them.


    For example, an inscription talisman presented to lightning deities could grant one the ability to wield lightning with their bare hands. On top of that, they would attain a godly body, and for a short time, it would be as if they were a lightning god incarnate, wielding tremendous power.


    "No wonder there are remnants of inscription talismans on that shadow wall over there, you''re an official disciple of Divine Edict Sect! How could someone like you have fallen so far! You''re even more deplorable than I imagined!"


    Xu Yuanxia was absolutely fuming, and he shed down with all his might, unleashing an eruption of light that was so radiant that it was as if night had suddenly transitioned to day in the courtyard.


    No matter how pitiful some demons and spirits were, Xu Yuanxia was already ustomed to their actions. In his eyes, they were innately evil, and it would''vee as a shock to him had they been benevolent and friendly toward humans. Hence, even though he had always given it his all when ying demons and eliminating fiends, never had he been so furious.


    The man in front of him was a Qi refiner who had renounced the path of righteousness to pursue one of evil, and that was why he was so enraged.


    Fuelled by his rage, Xu Yuanxia''s attacks had be even more formidable. That prized saber of his was a divine weapon that countless martial artists would''ve dreamed of. In his hands, it was giving off dazzling radiance and an incredibly formidable aura, to the point that the rain falling from the sky didn''t even get a chance to hit the ground before it waspletely pulverized in mid-air.


    In contrast, even though the ck-robed man had made talismanic inscriptions on the de of his sword, his body was decayed, while his will had also been whittled away, and he resembled an elderly man on his deathbed. He was only just barely able to maintain his cultivation base at the fifth tier, but his aura had alreadypletely wilted away.


    No matter how wide a river is, without any water running through it, it''s nothing more than a ditch in the ground.


    With no energy to feed on, the talismanic inscriptions on his sword only had a very minimal enhancement effect on his speed and power.


    On the second floor of the boudoir, the female ghost was finally unable to bear watching any longer, and she rose up with one hand covering her own face, while her other hand was holding a pir to support her enormous frame.


    As soon as she appeared, numerous tree roots that were as thick as the arms of grown men shot out of the walls, the ground, and the pirs of the courtyard like speeding arrows.


    Xu Yuanxia had gained the clear upper hand, but all of a sudden, the tables had turned, and he found himself in a very perilous situation. Even so, he disyed no fear as he crossed through the courtyard, dodging some of the arrow-like tree roots that were flying his way and severing others with his saber. It was as if the danger that he was in had further ignited his heroic spirit, and he burst intoughter.


    "I knew you were a tree spirit! Come! I''ll sever all of your roots, but I''ll make sure to leave you just barely clinging onto your final breath so that you can be baked to death under the light of the sun!"


    Right at this moment, Zhang Shan came rushing onto the scene through the corridor with a pair of yellow paper talismans on his calves. These talismans allowed him to run like the wind, and he was moving so quickly that he was nothing more than a faint blur in the night.


    "Mr. Xu, I''vee to help you y the demons!"


    Xu Yuanxia was struck by a vicious tree root to the shoulder, and he took advantage of the force of the blow to perform a pirouette in mid-air, then sever the tree root with his saber. The severed section of the tree root continued to thrash around incessantly afternding on the ground, while ck blood was pouring out the section of tree root that shrank back into the wall, giving off a putrid odor.


    That, in addition to the dark and heavy rain falling from the heavens, gave the entire courtyard an overwhelming sinister aura. Thankfully, Xu Yuanxia possessed tremendous martial intent that formed a protectiveyer of golden light around his body.


    Spotting Zhang Shan rushing onto the scene, he threw up a mouthful of blood as he yelled in an exasperated voice, "I appreciate the thought, little Daoist priest, but if you really want to help me, then take your friend and leave this estate right now! Go to the nearest town and prepare some fine wine for when I make my triumphant return! That would be the biggest favor you can do me!"


    However, Zhang Shan was unwilling to leave. As a Daoist priest, it was his duty to y demons for the benefit of the people.


    As a side branch disciple of Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence, even though he was far away from that holynd of Daoism, and he was just some unknown Daoist priest with very limited abilities, he was still one of the countless candidates to bing an orthodox Heavenly Master of the Zhang n!


    The talismans glued to his legs were the divine movement talismans that he had purchased for a steep price, and they couldst roughly 15 minutes. Divine movement talismans were also known as armored horse talismans, and as their name suggested, they could help the user run as fast as a galloping horse, much like ancient deities riding atop gusts of wind.


    As such, divine movement talismans were considered to be a seventh grade talisman, and no matter how expensive they were, the price was worth it for Zhang Shan, who had a frail body andcklusterbat prowess.


    As soon as he entered the fray, Zhang Shan made a hand seal, then cast his gaze up toward the boudoir on the second floor as hemanded, "Go!"


    The peach wood sword on his back immediately shot forth, yet instead of directly flying toward the female tree spirit, it was following the movement of his fingers, flying through the air in arge arc. In the end, it skirted around a pir, then flew toward the female tree spirit from the side at a vicious angle.


    Not only did the female tree spirit have to help her husband ward off the attacks of Xu Yuanxia, she now also had to deal with the peach wood sword that was hurtling toward her, and as a result, she no longer had the spare attention required to conceal her own face.


    As it turned out, half of her face waspletely rotten with maggots crawling through her flesh and patches of bare bone exposed, while the other half of her face was riddled with cracks, like a piece of shattered chinaware. Her hideous appearance was truly nauseating, and a cowardly mortal could easily die from the intense fright of seeing such a ghastly sight.


    Several thin azure branches shot out of a nearby pir, ensnaring the peach wood sword mere inches before its tip plunged into the female tree spirit''s face.


    All of a sudden, a tiny speck of silver light appeared on the peach wood sword, and it surged up and down along the de of the sword. This speck of light was a talismanic galldder, and all of the tree branches that came into contact with it were immediately set alight with plumes of smoke rising up from them.


    The female tree spirit let loose an agonized howl as she hurriedly twisted her head to the side, not daring to look at the speck of spiritual light any longer. At the same time, she frantically swept an arm through the air, hurling the clump of tree branches that were about to be incinerated into ashes toward the boudoir along with the peach wood sword that was still ensnared within the branches.


    Due to how quick and excessive her head-turning motion had been,rge chunks of flesh and maggots flew off her face,nding on the reclining chair, and she began to sob in a distraught manner, perhaps out of pain, but perhaps also out of embarrassment.


    The ck-robed man''s calm demeanor finally cracked upon seeing this, and a pained look appeared on his face as he yelled, "You''ve gone too far! Why do you insist on working with that illegitimate mountain god to target me and my wife?! Zhuo Jing may be a tree spirit, but she''s never harmed a single soul!


    ��During the past century, aside from maintaining Zhuo Jing''s vitality with my own lifeblood, all I''ve done is set up this formation in this estate that''s been absorbing all of the sinister energies in a radius of 150 kilometers. In contrast, that illegitimate mountain god has been leeching off the natural fortune of thend to bolster his own cultivation base!


    ��You proim yourselves to be heroes and Daoist priests, yet why are you targeting us instead of that illegitimate mountain god?!"


    A look of grief and indignation appeared on the man''s face as he continued, "Just because my wife and I aren''t ''human'', while that scoundrel is revered as a mountain god, you think that we must be evil, while he must be righteous, is that right?"


    The man raised his sword horizontally in front of his own chest, then lowered his head to look down at the bright gleam that it was giving off. Once upon a time, he had cultivated swordsmanship in the blessed paradise of the Divine Edict Sect. He had been well-versed in inscription talismans and was once a handsome young prodigy with hopes of reaching the Middle Five Tiers.


    However, all of that changed one day when he received a letter from his father, informing him that his fiance, who he had known ever since they were children, had fallen severely ill. Even the most renowned doctor in the city had already given up on her, but in the letter, he was told to remain in the sect and focus on the cultivation as even if he did return home, he most likely wasn''t going to be able to make it in time to see her before she passed.


    The end of the letter implied that this marriage definitely wasn''t going to be a stumbling block for his future rise in Divine Edict Sect.


    He burned the letter and returned home as quickly as he could, but by then, she was already dead.


    He refused to listen to the pleas of his family, using a secret technique of Divine Edict Sect to inscribe a soul calling talisman with his own blood, then took the woman''s body and drew upon what little remained of her soul, traveling deep into the mountains in the dead of night.


    During the day, he would hide in caves, then travel as quickly as he could after the sunset, trying to find a ce with an abundance of Yin energy in the hope that he could help guide her soul back to the realm of the living.


    During the subsequent century, he spent the entirety of his wealth and exhausted his cultivation base to build this estate, stealing the wood core of an ancestral elm tree of Ancient Elm Nation and using a transnting secret technique to connect the woman''s soul with the core.


    There were no longer any legs beneath the skirt of her dress, all that remained was a mass of tree roots. This estate had been built to extend her life, but it had also be her prison.


    They pledged themselves to each other in marriage in the boudoir, kowtowing to heaven and earth, their parents and seniors, then finally to one another.


    The only person who refused to abandon them this entire time was the woman''s personal maidservant, and even she had grown into an old woman.


    The ck-robed man lowered his sword as he murmured in a broken voice, "If this is the state of the world, then there''s no point for us to cling to life any longer."


    Xu Yuanxia also lowered his saber, then raised a hand to signal a truce. "Are there some hidden circumstances behind all of those that I don''t know about?"

 Chapter 219: (1): Zhang Shans Poem

    Chapter 219: (1): Zhang Shan''s Poem


    Zhang Shan stood up and smoothed down his robes, then strode into the courtyard with a righteous look on his face as he yelled, "Everyone, please listen to me!"


    Everyone present immediately turned to look at him with different expressions. The young boy from Divine Edict Sect with the length of ck rope coiled around his waist turned to Zhang Shan with a displeased look on his face, and he unwound the rope from around his waist before casually tossing it through the air.


    The rope instantly unfurled on its own in mid-air like a spirit snake, tying Zhang Shan up in the blink of an eye. As a result, Zhang Shan almost fell over as he swayed from side to side, and he was only just barely able to keep himself upright.


    "Why should we have to listen to you?" the young boy from Divine Edict Sect asked with a cold sneer. "You''re just some fake Daoist priest of unknown origins. If you don''t shut your mouth, I''ll throw you out of this courtyard!"


    A furious look appeared on Zhang Shan''s face as he yelled, "My name is Zhang Shan, and I am a disciple of Spiritual Master Fire Dragon of Heavensoar Sect on Complete Reed Continent, and I am a member of the Zhang n of Mount Longhu! I''ve embarked on a long journey to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in order to hone my Dao Heart andplete the examination set for me by Mount Longhu.


    ��As soon as I return home, I''ll officially be a Daoist priest of the Heavenly Master Residence! You may be from Divine Edict Sect, but that doesn''t give you the right to insult a member of Mount Longhu''s Zhang n!"


    The young boy from Divine Edict Sect was rathercking in life experience, and he was looking a little dumbstruck by Zhang Shan''s fiery demeanor.


    It was clear that he was intimidated by the mention of Mount Longhu and the Heavenly Master Residence, and he didn''t know how Divine Edict Sect stacked up against those ces.


    The fact that the Heavenly Master Residence was known in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent even though they were on another continent indicated that they were not to be messed with.


    As for Mount Longhu on Middle Earth Divine Continent, that was an even more vastly renowned ce that didn''t fall under any branches of Daoism. Instead, it was an independent Daoist orthodoxy of its own, so of course the young boy from Divine Edict Sect had heard of it, but the stories that he had heard were limited only to some unofficial myths and legends, most of which were being spread by ignorant mortals.


    Generally speaking, no Qi refiner took these stories seriously and merely regarded them as jokes, but as the most prominent Daoist sect on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, those of Divine Edict Sect knew far more about the true power of the Heavenly Master Residence than others.


    The Heavenly Master of the Zhang n wielded a seal alongside an immortal sword and possessed boundless Dao power andbat prowess. Even on Middle Earth Divine Continent, which was rife with powerful immortals, he was ranked among the continent''s top 10 immortals of the Upper Five Tiers.


    His position of superiority was quite simr to that of Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and that was why the young boy felt intimidated by Zhang Shan''s ims.


    Zhang Shan knew the importance of striking while the iron was still hot, and he scrutinized the elderly Daoist priest intently as he continued, "As for a former disciple of Divine Edict Sect, Yang Huang may have fallen from grace, but he did so for the sake of love, and even in the eyes of us outsiders, his actions aremendable.


    ��At the very least, we think that he and his wife are deserving of our sympathy. As the leader of the Daoist orthodoxy on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, surely Divine Edict Sect should have the generosity and graciousness befitting such a lofty status, should it not?"


    The youngest Daoist priest of the bunch, the child holding the rectangr wooden block, gently tugged on the sleeve of the young girl as he asked in a quiet voice, "I think Heavenly Master Zhang is right, Senior Sister. What do you think?"


    The young girl shook her head in response. "Don''t listen to him spout nonsense."


    Chen Ping''an found this to be a very eye-opening experience, but at the same time, he was a little perplexed as he nced over at the roof of the boudoir out of the corner of his eye.


    Zhang Shan wanted to point at the elderly Daoist priest in order to lend more impact to his words,only to find that he was unable to do so as he was bound tightly by the ck rope.


    Instead, he skipped a step forward with a cold smile on his face as he said, "On top of that, you and Yang Huang were once fellow brothers of the same generation of disciples from Divine Edict Sect, so why is it that you insist on targeting him in your reunion instead of catching up and talking about old memories over a drink?


    ��When ites to the Heavenly Masters of our Zhang n, regardless of whether we''ve been officially annointed or not, as long we encounter one another during our travels, then we''ll be sure to catch up like good friends, so why does your Divine Edict Sect not share the same culture?


    ��Besides, while it''s true that I''m also a cultivator and a descendant of Mount Longhu''s Zhang n, even I''m well-versed in the principle that there are always exceptions to every rule."


    A cold tone crept into Zhang Shan''s voice as he continued, "Could it be that you have a personal vendetta against Yang Huang, and that''s why you''re renouncing the teachings of your sect in order to force this pair of husband and wife to their deaths?


    ��I raise this as a possibility, but I don''t think it''s a very likely one. I can tell just from a single nce that you''re a very generous man. After tonight, I''ll be sure to speak highly of yourself and Divine Edict Sect to everyone that I meet. Even when I return to Mount Longhu someday, I''ll look back on Divine Edict Sect in a favorable light."


    The elderly Daoist priest had his hands sped behind his back as he stood in silence.


    All of a sudden, the young Daoist priest standing on top of the wall uttered a sentence that no one present was able to understand.


    Zhang Shan was rather perplexed by what he had heard, and to his surprise, the young man reverted back to the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent as he stabbed a finger in Zhang Shan''s direction and yelled in a furious voice, "You''re a fraud! I just asked you a question in the official dialect of Complete Reed Continent, why are you unable to answer me?!


    ��Posing as a descendant of Mount Longhu''s Zhang n here on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is a tant act of disrespect and sphemy to our continent''s Daoist orthodoxy! You better kneel down and repent for your crimes before I strike you down where you stand!"


    Zhang Shan was astonished to have encountered someone so shameless, and he erupted into a furious tirade, hurling a torrent of abuse at the young Daoist priest in the true official dialect of Complete Reed Continent, then switched back to the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent as he yelled, "That''s utter nonsense!


    ��Is this how low Divine Edict Sect is willing to sink just to further its own nefarious means? How pitiful it is that this is the state of the leader of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Daoist orthodoxy!"


    However, the young Daoist priest standing atop the wall paid no heed to him, turning to the elder Daoist priest as he smiled and said, "Master, I''ve already determined that this person isn''t from Complete Reed Continent. As for whether he''s truly a descendant of Mount Longhu''s Zhang n, that''s still yet to be seen. I suggest we throw him out of the courtyard and take care of this ghostly couple first before we decide what we should do with him."


    The elderly Daoist priest seemed to be moved by the idea, and he was just about to speak when Xu Yuanxia was finally unable to suppress his fury any longer.


    He strode forward with his saber brandished, and as he did so he chortled, "I''m just aplete nobody, and I certainly have no way to dissuade all of you from carrying out justice on behalf of Divine Edict Sect in any way that you please, but if you insist on punishing Yang Huang ording to the rules of your sect, then I''m going to have to listen to the rules of Divine Edict Sect and determine for myself if they hold any merit.


    ��However, if you''re going to kill Yang Huang and his wife without following the rules, then even if I have toy down my own life here, I''ll be sure to oppose you to my final breath!"


    The young boy from Divine Edict Sect who had ensnared Zhang Shan with his demon-binding rope suddenly asked, "You proim that you''re from a sect on Complete Reed Continent under Mount Longhu.


    ��In that case, do you have a passport to prove that you''re from Complete Reed Continent and a descendant of the Zhang n? If you don''t have the proof, then you''re not going to be able to get away with posing as a Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu."


    A hesitant look appeared on Zhang Shan''s face, and Xu Yuanxia''s brows also furrowed slightly in concern.


    If Zhang Shan really had lied about his identity as a distant rtive of the esteemed immortals on Mount Longhu, then that was a serious crime. Divine Edict Sect had the right to oversee the Daoist orthodoxy of the entire continent, so if Zhang Shan were found guilty of such a crime, then he would surely be handed down a severe punishment.


    Zhang Shan took a deep breath, then turned to Chen Ping''an as he said, "Chen Ping''an, help me retrieve my passport from my bags."


    A wry smile appeared on Yang Huang''s face as he turned to look at his wife, and she nodded in response, seemingly aware of what his intentions were. Thus, Yang Huang turned back to face everyone as he said, "Mr. Xu, Daoist Priest Zhang, I appreciate everything you''ve done for me, and if I am fortunate enough to be reincarnated, I''ll be sure to repay you in my next life.


    ��Regardless of whether Divine Edict Sect punishes us ording to its rules, or whether these people decide to punish us based on past personal vendettas, Zhuo Jing and I ept our fate. Having said that, please don''te to the false conclusion that everyone in our Divine Edict Sect is like this. That is absolutely not the case!"


    Yang Huang''s was standing up straighter and straighter as he spoke, and it was as if he had cast aside all of his inhibitions and the indignations of the past century as he pointed a finger directly at the elderly Daoist priest and continued, "Idiots like him, who only focus on cultivation without making any efforts to better themselves as people, are part of the minority in our Divine Edict Sect.


    ��It''s no wonder that 100 years have passed by, yet you''re still only at the fifth tier, Zhao Liu. I was already at the fifth tier 100 years ago, and if I recall correctly, you were still only a pathetic third tier Qi refiner. No wonder that tier is considered to be such a major hurdle. It''s almost as if it were designed to obstruct selfish and foolish bastards like yourself!"


    Yang Huang had done away with all of his reservations and had spoken his mind without any regard for the consequences.


    The younger Daoist priests of Divine Edict Sect could only look back and forth at one another with awkward looks on their faces, while the sword-bearing Daoist priest who referred to Zhao Liu as his master was infuriated. Intense killing intent was radiating from his body, and the longsword in the scabbard behind his back was ready to spring forth at a moment''s notice.


    However, he couldn''t deny that Yang Huang''s scathing words held a great deal of truth. Zhao Liu''s cultivation base had remained stagnant at the third tier for several decades before he was finally able to make a breakthrough, and the young swordsman had also been stuck at this tier for a very long time.


    Once upon a time, he had been considered a prodigy, a diamond in the rough that had hopes of reaching the Middle Five Tiers. However, over time, he had fallen into obscurity, and now, it had been deemed that he had virtually no chance of ever acquiring a bonded flying sword. As a result, his status in Divine Edict Sect had plummeted drastically in just the past decade alone.


    Back at the height of his powers, he was even able to asionally exchange a few words with the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of the continent, and that was an enormous honor!


    In particr, during a conversation that he had shared with He Xiaoliang once upon a time, she had even shed him a smile.


    It was such a rare and breathtaking sight, and he didn''t care that it was only a gesture made out of politeness.


    She was a woman that was being desperately pursued even by an almighty Sword Immortal, and he was no ordinary Sword Immortal, he was the youngest swordsman to have ever reached the Upper Five Tiers in the entire history of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent!


    As for him, he was only able to follow a master with no hope of ever attaining the Great Dao, apanying a bunch of kids on a pointless trip for his master to exact vengeance on an old rival under the guise of carrying out official sect duties.


    It was made out to be a journey undertaken for training purposes, but on the way here, all he had done was y some spirits that still hadn''t attained intelligence and eradicated some demons that still hadn''t even attained human forms yet.


    Now, he was here engaged in a pointless squabble with a Daoist priest from a foreign continent and a wandering hero, and the futility of the situation matched the hopelessness of his cultivation career.


    Hence, he was just about to draw his sword in a fit of rage.


    This ghostly traitor and his tree spirit wife were deserving of death anyway. No matter how inept he was, he was still a third tier swordsman, and he had curried some favor with a few of the sect''s elders and even the Golden Boy back when he was still considered a prodigy, so even if he were punished for his actions here, the punishment would only be limited to copying scriptures or some other symbolic punishment that was nothing more than a p on the wrist, and he had nothing to fear.


    All of a sudden, a teasing voice rang out without any warning. "Don''t go around drawing your sword over every little thing."


    Everyone turned in unison to the direction that the voice hade from, and they discovered a burst of faint ripples in the night sky there. Whoever it was that had arrived on the scene, they seemed to have been using some type of advanced concealment talisman, and they had actually been observing the proceedings this entire time.


    At this moment, they finally revealed themself, and it was a young woman who wasn''t exactly slender, but didn''t fall into the category of portly, either. She had a set of round and rosy cheeks and was wearing bright red attire, giving her a very festive appearance.


    A slightly panicked look appeared on Zhao Liu''s face as he hurriedly cupped his fist in a salute and extended a deep bow. "Zhao Liu pays his respects to Senior Aunt Fu."


    "How do you know me?" the young woman standing atop the flying sword asked with a perplexed expression.


    There was a fawning smile on Zhao Liu''s face as he replied, "There''s no disciple throughout the entire Divine Edict Sect who doesn''t know of your esteemed self, Senior Aunt Fu."


    A dark look suddenly appeared on the young woman''s face as she asked with a cold smile, "Has the entire sect already been made aware that the Golden Boy turned down my confession of love to him? Which member of our sect had nothing better to do than run their mouth and gossip to you about me? I''ll be sure to show them my gratitude once I return to the sect."


    Not only was Zhao Liupletely befuddled by what he had heard, everyone else was just as confused.


    They knew of this young woman not because of any romantic confession she had made. Instead, it was because she was a figure of a very high level of seniority in the sect, and she had astonishingly powerful backers to boot. Her favorite pastime was to fly as quickly as she could atop her flying sword between the mountains of the sect.


    She was constantly flying around throughout the year, and her penchant for bright red clothing made her stand out even more. The maneuver that she liked to perform the most was to ride her sword straight up into the heavens, then plummet directly downward from dizzying heights, only to abruptly swerve mere 20 to 30 feet from the ground before gliding away in a shy fashion, often only avoiding disaster by mere inches.


    There was no other swordsman who was as reckless as her, and over time, she gradually earned a resounding reputation for herself in the sect.


    Two years ago, she had tried to cut the margins down even further, only reversing the direction of her fall at a height of just 10 feet above the ground.


    As it turned out, that wasn''t enough space to work with, and she crashed headfirst into the ground, sticking out of the ground alongside her flying sword like a pair of radishes waiting to be picked. All of the spectating disciples had been cheering and pping just a moment ago, only to be stunned into silence by this oue.


    Only after a scolding from He Xiaoliang, who she was on very good terms with, did she begin to exercise some restraint in her reckless endeavors.


    Not long after that, she broke through her fifth tier bottleneck and reached the Cave Abode Tier of the Middle Five Tiers. After that, she began whizzing around Divine Edict Sect atop her flying sword once again, constantly flying past in front of the cave abodes of all of the old immortals residing on the sect''s mountains.


    All of them were ustomed to peaceful cultivation, so they were naturally very disgruntled by this, but the young woman''s great-grandfather was the master of Divine Edict Sect''s current sect master, Qi Zhen. Hence, Qi Zhen was always quite cold and detached toward everyone else, but he favored this young woman over even the Golden Boy and Jade Girl.


    Upon seeing the expressions on everyone''s faces, the young woman immediately realized that not only had she misinterpreted things, she had just aired out her own dirtyundry for everyone to hear, and she was so embarrassed that she wanted to fly away into the night.


    However, she then recalled the promise that she had made to He Xiaoliang and the Golden Boy, so she could only endure her fury and embarrassment as she stood on the rooftop with a stern expression, contemting how she could end things here as soon as possible.


    Just like many other sects, Divine Edict Sect was split up into the inner sect and the outer sect. Prior to He Xiaoliang''s departure from Divine Edict Sect, both the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of the continent had belonged to the same sect, and that was an extremely rare urrence. In order to train these two prodigies, Qi Zhen had instructed them to oversee the outer sect''s affairs.


    Of course, he hadn''t just thrust such a huge responsibility upon them, then allowed them to make their own decisions without any supervision. Instead, he adopted a system much like what was seen in mortal empires, with imperial censors supervising all of the imperial court''s officials.


    Furthermore, they would also asionally be assigned the responsibility of taking care of some of the mortal external missions solely on their own. In those cases, they would write down their advice for how to handle the matter in question before handing down this advice to the external disciples that were responsible for addressing the sect''s mortal affairs.


    After everything was said and done, He Xiaoliang and the Golden Boy would also have the right to assess and evaluate the performance of said external disciples.


    Hence, as the Jade Girl of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Daoist orthodoxy, Divine Edict Sect had truly spared no effort in nurturing and honing He Xiaoliang''s abilities. That was why many people were bewildered by her decision to leave the sect, including a great number of the senior figures in Divine Edict Sect, and it resulted in many of them denouncing her for being an ungrateful traitor.


    He Xiaoliang had been one of the brightest young prodigies on the entire continent, and it was precisely because Divine Edict Sect had invested so much into her development that her departure from the sect had hurt those in the sect so deeply.


    The secret letter that Yang Huang had sent to Divine Edict Sect had actually already arrived as early as the new years, and back then, He Xiaoliang hadn''t yet left the sect. An argument had erupted between her and the Golden Boy over this letter, with thetter presenting his verdict first.


    In his opinion, Yang Huang''s actions were understandable, so there was no need to administer too severe a punishment. However, He Xiaoliang held thepletely opposite viewpoint on this matter, and her verdict had been extremely harsh and scathing, stating that as a former disciple of Divine Edict Sect''s, Yang Huang''s fall into depravity was utterly deplorable, and a severe punishment had to be handed down in order to set an example.


    However, when it came to the female ghost, both of them shared the same opinion, which was that she should simply be left to her own devices.

 Chapter 220: (1): Mountain and Water Seals

    Chapter 220: (1): Mountain and Water Seals


    The old woman was busy cooking in the kitchen, and she was rather surprised to see Chen Ping''an. ording to the teachings of sages, noble gentlemen were supposed to stay out of the kitchen. [1] While the sagely teachings advised using the best possible ingredients and preparing food as meticulously as possible, that didn''t mean that noble and virtuous individuals would cook in person.


    However, the old woman was only surprised for a moment before realizing that for someone like Chen Ping''an, who clearly traveled extensively, he would''ve had no choice but to cook and fend for himself. On top of that, he didn''t seem to be a child from a highly educated family.


    Having said that, the old woman didn''t think that Chen Ping''an would be able to help her much, so he assigned him with the simple tasks of cleaning the vegetables while also keeping an eye on the stove.


    Chen Ping''an readily epted these chores, helping out wherever he could, and it didn''t take long before the rhythmic sound of the old woman''s chopping rang out in the warm kitchen. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was seated on a little stool, peeling some spring bamboo shoots.


    "What happened to your left hand, Young Master Chen?" the old woman asked.


    Chen Ping''an took a nce down at his own bandaged left hand, then replied with a smile, "I fell over by ident and injured it a little, but it''s no big deal."


    The old woman was happy to have someone chatting with her, and she smiled as she said, "You have to be more careful when walking on the slick ground while it''s raining. This estate has already been around for a very long time, and we were in a very difficult predicament prior to this, so we had to keep a low profile.


    ��At the very most, all we did was perform some simple repairs on the yard walls. We also very rarely hang upnterns in the night, and we didn''t dare to hire any skilled artisans toe and help us for fear that we would scare them, so all the repairs on the estate were done by me, and they''re only serviceable, at best.


    ��Many of the bricks on the ground are quite bumpy and uneven, and if we were an affluent n in therge cities, not only would that be an embarrassing sight for us, we would quickly be theughing stock of the entire city if someone else were to see it.


    ��Thankfully, my masters never cared much for what people said behind their backs, and they''ve been willing to tolerate my shoddy repair jobs. I''m very fortunate to be serving such a pair of kind and gracious masters."


    The old woman spoke in a mellow and cid voice that resembled a calmly flowing river. All of the emotions that she had experienced over the course of the past century had condensed at the bottom of her heart bit by bit, and despite all of the hardships that she had to endure, she felt very blessed and fortunate.


    "Master Yang and his wife are very fortunate to have you," Chen Ping''an said in a quiet voice.


    The old woman faltered slightly upon hearing this, then turned to Chen Ping''an with a smile as she jibed, "You look like such an honest and down-to-earth kid, where did you learn to sweet talk others like that? "


    At this point, Chen Ping''an had already finished peeling all of the spring bamboo shoots and ced them into a clean bamboo basket, and he raised his head as he replied, "I''m telling the truth!"


    The old woman looked into Chen Ping''an''s clear and earnest eyes for a moment, then turned back to her cooking. Her smile had grown even wider, and she asked, "Do you have a girl that you like, Young Master Chen? The girls over in the nearby prefectural city are renowned for their good looks in our Colorful Garment Nation.


    ��If you''re not in a hurry to go anywhere, I suggest you visit a temple fair or something like that. Who knows? Perhaps you''ll be able to find your future wife there. You may not be all that aplished a martial artist, but Rouge City is just a small ce with no deities or immortals, so you''ll already be standing above most of your peers.


    ��If you''re willing to settle permanently here, you could easily serve as a general or an admiral or something like that, and you could marry a young maiden from a good family. Doesn''t that sound like a good life to lead?"


    A shy look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he didn''t know how to respond.


    The old woman turned to take a nce at Chen Ping''an, and a knowing smile appeared on her face as she mused, "Oh, I get it. You must already have someone you like."


    A deep blush appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and said, "The girl that I like once asked me if I like her, and at the time, I said I didn''t like her, so if I go to her now and tell her that I do like her, do you think that she''ll think of me as a liar?"


    "That sounds like a tongue twister, Young Master Chen," the old woman chuckled with an amused expression.


    The dish that she was cooking was simmering over the stove, so she sat down on a small stool beside the stove and smiled. "Why did you tell her that you didn''t like her at the time? Were you afraid or embarrassed? Or did you think that admitting to your feelings would make the girl look down on you, so you decided to put on a stoic facade?"


    Chen Ping''an considered this question carefully for a moment, then gave a very candid and earnest answer. "Because I''m stupid."


    The old woman immediately burst intoughter, and the harsh lines of her face were softened by her amusement. "I think the girl that you like won''t be mad at you. It''s always a good thing for a girl to be liked, particrly by someone as earnest and pure as yourself."


    A slightly sullen look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he set down the basketful of spring bamboo shoots onto the counter beside the stove, then said, "But she once told me that she only likes powerful Sword Immortals..."


    The old woman held back the urge tough as she said, "Well, that really is a tall order for you. A Sword Immortal has to be at least at the sixth tier. My young master was a prodigious cultivator, yet even back when he was cultivating in Divine Edict Sect, he wasn''t able to reach the Middle Five Tiers.


    ��I have a suggestion for you, Young Master Chen: I think you should negotiate with the girl that you like to see if she can lower her standards a little. For example, instead of a sixth tier swordsman, how about she epts a fourth or fifth tier swordsman instead?


    ��All swordsmen are generally revered and admired everywhere, and a fourth or fifth tier swordsman is already considered to be very remarkable by the vast majority of people."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but decided against it in the end.


    By "powerful Sword Immortal," Ning Yao definitely meant one that was at least at the 12th tier!


    Even if she was willing to lower her standards a little for him, he would still most likely have to be on par with the likes of Wei Jin.


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh, then suddenly said, "The food''s ready!"


    The old woman hurriedly stood up and lifted the lid of the pot, and it didn''t take long before a delicious dish that excelled in appearance, aroma, and vor was scooped out onto a te. Chen Ping''an was instructed to carry the dish to the main hall, and he was also told that he didn''t have toe back to the kitchen after delivering the dish.


    However, Chen Ping''an quickly rushed back after setting the dish down on the table in the main hall, and in response to the old woman''s angry facade, Chen Ping''an smiled as he exined, "I''m here for some wine. Master Yang agreed to spare me some wine..."


    Chen Ping''an removed the wine gourd from his waist as a bright smile appeared on his face, and he concluded, "And he said that I can take as much as I want."


    The old woman pulled a winedle out of a nearby cab, then smiled as she pointed at the severalrge jars of wine in the corner of the kitchen as she said, "Take an unopened jar of wine for everyone to share. There''s a jar that''s already been opened over there, and it''s still about halfway full. You can use that to fill your wine gourd, and it should definitely be enough."


    After that, the old woman paid no further heed to Chen Ping''an as she continued cooking. A short whileter, Chen Ping''an informed her that he was leaving, then departed from the kitchen with a jar of wine in his hands.


    The woman turned to nce at the red wine gourd strapped to Chen Ping''an''s waist with a smile on her face. The gourd was rather weathered and unremarkable in appearance, and the old woman was rather amused that Chen Ping''an was already such an avid drinker at such a young age.


    At the same time, she couldn''t help but wonder if this gourd of wine would be drunk for celebration or to drown his sorrows once he met the girl that he liked.


    Of course, she was rooting for him and hoping that his feelings would be reciprocated by the girl of his heart, as was the case for her masters.


    At this moment, there was a joyous and harmonious atmosphere in the main hall.


    Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing were seated on the left hand side of the table, while Xu Yuanxia was sitting at the head of the table. Xu Yuanxia was a very direct and straightforward man, so he couldn''t be bothered to turn down this arrangement.


    Meanwhile, Zhang Shanfeng was seated on the right hand side, and after the dishes and wine were carried to the table by Chen Ping''an, everyone began drinking to their hearts'' content. In a ratherical sight to behold, Zhuo Jing''s roots snaked all the way from the boudoir into the main hall, and in order to not spoil everyone''s appetite, she had put on a thick veil to conceal her face.


    Earlier, Xu Yuanxia had already asked whether there were any immortal techniques that could be used to help the poor woman recover her original appearance, but Yang Huang had shaken his head with a wry smile in response before giving Xu Yuanxia a detailed exnation for the reasons involved.


    As it turned out, thebination of Divine Edict Sect''s inscription talismans, the secret technique that had been used to resurrect Zhuo Jing, and the wood core of Ancient Elm Nation''s ancestral elm tree had resulted in a set of veryplex circumstances to navigate. The crux of the matter was that the formation in the estate and the wood core of the ancestral elm tree had fused as one and couldn''t be moved.


    As for this location, it was a massive unmarked grave with a radius of hundreds of kilometers. 200 years ago, a horrific famine had befallen Colorful Garment Nation, and over 100,000 people had perished as a result. Most of them had been buried haphazardly around the area, and all of the past emperors of Colorful Garment Nation since then had hoped to alter the Feng Shui of this ce.


    There was one asion when a master Daoist priest at the Sea Observation Tier had been passing through Colorful Garment Nation, and the emperor at the time had requested an audience with the Sea Observation Tier Daoist priest, imploring him to alter the fortunes of the area.


    Extensive remedial measures were thus taken. Even just the two heavenly worship ceremonies that had been carried out cost close to a million taels of silver. However, the effects onlysted a few years before the area reverted back to a horrific hellscape that was rife with wandering spirits and sinister energies, and it seemed that even the gods would��ve been powerless to change anything.


    Yang Huang had chosen this ce for its Feng Shui, and it was keeping Zhuo Jing alive, but it was no different from drinking seawater to quench one''s thirst. Eventually, there woulde a day when she would be an evil spirit.


    Yang Huang was very candid about this inevitable eventuality, and Zhuo Jing had also epted her fate. The two of them had already made an agreement that when that day arrived, they would both put an end to their own lives so that they didn''t be a menace to the people in the area.


    The wood core of the ancestral elm tree was actually a very pure object, but at the time, Yang Huang had been desperate to save Zhuo Jing''s soul, and the drastic measures that he had taken had resulted in her soul progressively bing more and more tainted.


    If she could absorb the spiritual energy of a pure and untaintednd over a prolonged period of time, then she could have been able to recover her spirituality and even reciprocate the fortune of thend, bing an existence simr to the illegitimate mountain god. The only difference was that due to the ancestral elm tree, her divine nature would''ve beenpletely different from the illegitimate mountain god.


    She would''ve served to benefit the area, while that illegitimate mountain god could only spoil and taint thend even further.


    In the end, Yang Huang mused that in 30 years at most, he and Zhuo Jing would no longer be around, so he urged Xu Yuanxia, Zhang Shanfeng, and Chen Ping''an toe and visit as frequently as possible before time was up for them. At the very least, they would have a clean ce to stay, and he and Zhuo Jing would certainly enjoy thepany and pleasant conversation.


    This was a matter that concerned the enormous fortune of the entire area in a radius of hundreds of kilometers, so neither Xu Yuanxia nor Zhang Shanfeng were able to think of any feasible solutions. Only Qi refiners who had reached the 10th tier had the power to influence the fortune of thend.


    It was an unspoken rule that all 10th tier Qi refiners could refer to themselves as Sages. Initially, this was a title of reverence coined by mortal empires. Immortals of the Upper Five Tiers were simply far too rare, while 10th tier cultivators had to upy a blessednd with abundant spiritual energy and cultivate for extensive periods of time in order to make a breakthrough.


    asionally, they would interact with mortal emperors and other important figures of the mortal world, and over time, 10th tier Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist Qi refiners all became colloquially known as Sages.


    While it was true that Chen Ping''an had be an avid drinker, he never drank very much in any single sitting. In contrast, Xu Yuanxia preferred to eat and drink to his heart''s content whenever the opportunity arose. As for Zhang Shanfeng, his tolerance for alcohol was even inferior to Chen Ping''an''s, yet he was very susceptible to persuasion. It didn''t take much convincing from Yang Huang and Xu Yuanxia for him to down one bowl of wine after another.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an only dared to pour very small amounts of wine for him at a time, yet even so, it still didn''t take long before he waspletely inebriated, stumbling around with rosy cheeks and heavy-lidded eyes. In his drunken state, he had be a lot louder, and he was happily discussing things that he had seen during his travels with Xu Yuanxia, while also reciting poetry with Yang Huang.


    The old woman would periodically bring in new dishes, and with one jar of wine emptied, she immediately brought in another one.


    It was a very joyous asion for everyone present, yet right as the second jar of wine was about to run dry, an anguished wail suddenly rang out.


    "Where have you gone, Brother Chu? Don''t leave me here on my own! Daoist Priest Zhang, Young Master Chen, why are you two also nowhere to be seen? Have you been eaten by demons and spirits? Curse you, abhorrent demons! If you''re going to eat us, then eat all of us together! Don''t save me forst!"


    The old woman set down a dish onto the table, and she was just about to go to the schr with the Liu surname and exin to him what had happened, but Chen Ping''an hurriedly rose to his feet and volunteered to go in her stead.


    The old woman quickly decided that this was for the best. After all, if she were to go, the cowardly schr would most likely be so frightened that he would fall unconscious.


    Before long, the schr with the Liu surname was led to the main hall by Chen Ping''an. His legs were trembling, while his lips had turned blue, but he was slightly reassured at the sight of Xu Yuanxia.


    However, he then spotted the terrifying tree roots snaking into the main hall from the boudoir, and his eyes instantly rolled back into his head. Right before he fell unconscious, Chen Ping''an tightened his grip around the schr''s arm, sending a sharp jolt of pain running through his arm that snapped him back to his senses.


    The schr was on the verge of tears as he turned to Chen Ping''an andined, "Just let me faint!"


    An exasperated look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he said, "If you''re too scared to stay sober, then have some wine. If you drink yourself to death, then so be it. Surely you have at least that much courage."


    "Can I refuse?" the schr asked with a pitiful expression.


    "No!" Chen Ping''an replied in a stern voice.


    The schr took a careful nce at Chen Ping''an''s face, and he could tell that Chen Ping''an was serious, so he could only heave a forlorn sigh before dering, "Fine, if you want me to drink, then that''s what I''ll do! Even if this wine is going to kill me, it''s still wine!"


    After taking a seat at the table, the schr with the Liu surname didn''t dare to look at anyone, and all he did was drink in silence.


    Xu Yuanxia smiled as he asked, "How did you end up bing friends with that tree spirit? I can''t believe you traveled all the way here with him. Now that I think about it, you''re very blessed to have survived to this point and be drinking with us right now. Judging from your attire, you must be from quite an affluent n of Colorful Garment Nation, right?"


    1. There''s more context and nuance to the actual saying, which states that a noble individual stays out of the kitchen not because they think cooking is beneath them, but instead because they can''t bear to see living creatures being killed for food. ?

 Chapter 220: (2): Mountain and Water Seals

    Chapter 220: (2): Mountain and Water Seals


    "My father is the prefectural overseer of the Blusher Prefecture, but we''re not a wealthy n at all," the schr with the Liu surname replied in a trembling voice.


    An exasperated look appeared on Xu Yuanxia''s face. "What kind of response is that? Do I look like some type of bandit or robber to you?!"


    The schr took a nce up at Xu Yuanxia, and he couldn''t help but think to himself that Xu Yuanxia couldn''t have looked more like a bandit in his eyes.


    Xu Yuanxia didn''t intimidate the schr any further as he suddenly turned to Yang Huang with a slightly concerned expression. "Brother Yang, is that old Daoist priest really going to take care of the illegitimate mountain god? I''m worried that he may spare the illegitimate mountain god as a way to get back at you."


    Yang Huang shook his head as he smiled and replied, "Seeing as Senior Aunt Fu was involved in this matter, Divine Edict Sect would be sure to keep close tabs on how this matter has been resolved. On top of that, all external disciples that are sent out of the sect for training have to undergo a final assessment that''s extremely strict and meticulous, so Zhao Liu won''t be able to just do whatever he pleases."


    Yang Huang''s smile then faded as he continued, "What I''m worried about right now is that the illegitimate mountain god could have some backers among the local authorities. Given Zhao Liu''s sneaky and conniving nature, I could easily see him discussing this matter with some high-ranking officials of the prefecture. On the surface, it would be a discussion, but in reality, they would be working together to hatch a scheme.


    If Zhao Liu managed to convince the imperial court and Ministry of Rites of Colorful Garment Nation to keep that illegal temple or even instate the illegitimate mountain god as an official one, then things could be very grim.


    The gods of the Five Mountains of Colorful Garment Nation can''tpare with those fromrger nations, only possessing the cultivation base of a sixth tier Qi refiner, and they can even wield Sea Observation Tier power when in their own territory.


    That mountain god may be an illegitimate one, but he''s still managed to attain a godly body, and if Zhao Liu managed to convince the imperial court of Colorful Garment Nation to assign him as the official mountain god, then there''s a chance that he could attain Cave Abode Tier power. Any words of advice from an immortal from Divine Edict Sect would undoubtedly be taken very seriously by the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation."


    After hearing what Yang Huang had to say, Xu Yuanxia, Zhang Shanfeng, and Chen Ping''an turned to the schr with the Liu surname in unison.


    The schr was lookingpletely befuddled. He had no idea what concepts like gods of the Five Mountains, illegitimate mountain gods, the Cave Abode Tier, and the Sea Observation Tier were. In the end, he said in a timid voice, "My father is only a fourth-rank prefectural overseer, I don''t think he''s ever even heard of things like mountain gods before, so he won''t be able to help at all."


    Xu Yuanxia smiled as he said, "Don''t worry, we''re not expecting your father to help in this matter, all we need to ensure is that he doesn''t do the opposite of helping. First thing tomorrow morning, I''ll apany you back to the Rough Prefectural City to meet your father. At the very least, we have to get there before Zhao Liu does.


    I''m sure that once Zhao Liu sees me at the prefectural overseer''s office, he''ll know not to go through with any schemes that he could be plotting. If he does decide to go through with it anyway, he''ll have to worry about me going to Divine Edict Sect to report his actions, and you can bet that I''ll be doing just that! I''ll kick down the gate of the sect or do whatever it takes to attract the attention of the sect''s higher-ups and have them uphold justice!"


    Yang Huang immediately rose to his feet and cupped his fist toward Xu Yuanxia in a grateful salute. "You have my thanks, Brother Xu."


    A peculiar look appeared on Xu Yuanxia''s face, and he took a sip of wine as he grumbled, "What do you mean by ''Brother'' Xu? You''re so old that you could be my great-grandfather!"


    Yang Huang burst intoughter as he replied, "Age is not something that can get in the way of friendship!"


    Even Zhuo Jing began to chuckle to herself upon hearing this exchange. The schr with the Liu surname had finally be a little more rxed after having some wine to drink, only to immediately be as pale as a sheet once again upon hearing Zhuo Jing''s hauntingughter.


    That night, Zhang Shanfeng had way too much to drink, while the schr by the name of Liu Gaohua didn''t dare to drink to his heart''s content for fear of passing out and never waking up again. In the end, the four of them stayed in the same section of the estate, with Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng staying in adjacent rooms, while the schr with the Liu surname became neighbors with Xu Yuanxia.


    An uneventful night passed by.


    Early in the morning, Zhang Shanfeng got out of bed and opened the door to find that Chen Ping''an was already practicing his walking meditation in the yard outside. Compared with back when they had first met, it seemed that his walking meditation was bing slower and slower.


    The four of them departed after having the breakfast prepared by the old woman. It was a bright and sunny day, and Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing were rather averse to being exposed to the sun, so the two of them waved farewell at everyone from the boudoir.


    Xu Yuanxia yawnedzily as he looked up at the bright sun through narrowed eyes and remarked, "It''s a brand new day."


    Zhang Shanfeng was engaged in a spirited conversation with the schr with the Liu surname about the customs and traditions of the Blusher Prefecture, and thetter was in far higher spirits after leaving the estate. It was as if he had suddenly sprung back to life, and he was eagerly sharing his knowledge with Zhang Shanfeng.


    Upon making his way to the front gate, Chen Ping''an suddenly turned around and said to the old woman, "If you ever encounter any trouble, you can send a letter to Dragon Spring County, which is situated in the northernmost region of the Great Li Empire. Address the letter to a person called Wei Bo on Cloud Drape Mountain, and tell him that Brother Yang Huang is a friend of mine, and that I owe him a lot of wine."


    The old woman nodded in response with a smile on her face. She naturally wasn''t taking this seriously, but she didn''t turn Chen Ping''an down, either.


    Some acts of kindness were like light rain falling into the sea. They didn''t make much of a difference, but there was no reason to refuse them.


    Chen Ping''an extended a hand forward, offering seven or eight snowke coins to the old woman as he said, "The Great Li Empire is really far away from Colorful Garment Nation, so you''ll need this money to post the letter."


    Yang Huang had already exhausted all of his wealth to build this estate, and as a result, the master and servant trio was forced to live an extremely frugal lifestyle, to the point that they had to brew their own wine, and all of the ingredients for the dishes that were cooked had been picked by the old woman from far away.


    The old woman hesitated momentarily, but ultimately decided to ept the snowke coins.


    While it was true that sending a letter to the Great Li Empire at the northernmost tip of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was going to cost a lot of money, it definitely didn''t require seven snowke coins.


    However, it was only a small handful of coins, and it was just the right amount, not too much and not too little. It felt like turning down the coins would''ve been a rather cold gesture and perhaps even a little rude, and even if she did ept the coins, it wasn''t like she would be owing him a huge favor.


    With that in mind, a series of mixed emotions welled up in the old woman''s heart. Despite his young age, Chen Ping''an was already able to take such a considerate and nuanced approach when it came to treating others, and the old woman couldn''t help but wonder just how much hardship he had to endure to have made him so mature beyond his years.


    Zhang Shanfeng beckoned to Chen Ping''an with a smile as he urged, "Come on, Chen Ping''an, it''s time to go."


    Chen Ping''an gave Zhang Shanfeng an affirmative response, then bade farewell to the old woman. After rushing away a few steps, however, he suddenly turned back to face the boudoir and yelled, "I read in a book that those who are connected by love will never be apart!"


    Over at the boudoir, Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing exchanged a smile, and they felt as if all of the suffering that they had been forced to endure up to this point had been worth it.


    Chen Ping''an continued to jog backward as he waved farewell to the old woman again. "The spring bamboo shoot and meat stir fry that you cookedst night was delicious! I''ll definitely be visiting again!"


    The old woman stood at the entrance of the estate with a warm smile on her face, and she heaved a faint sigh at the sight of the departing Chen Ping''an.


    As the group arrived at the manor of the Blusher Prefectural Overseer, he was in the process of attending to his daily duties in the official hall. Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng were seated in the guest hall, in which the furnishings were quite simple, yet still elegant and refined.


    The two were sipping on some tea that had brought to them by a maidservant, while Liu Gaohua led Chen Ping''an to his father''s study, doing so in a very sneaky fashion as Chen Ping''an had asked him for a geomancy map of the Blusher Prefecture, and it had to be one with an imperial court seal stamped on it.


    Liu Gaohua didn''t know why Chen Ping''an had made such a request, but he thought back to how he had managed to leave the estate alive, and how he had not only witnessed an incarnated spirit but even sat down at the same table and shared a drink with her. As soon as this thought sprang into his mind, his heart was immediately filled with pride, and he agreed to help Chen Ping''an sneak out a geomancy map.


    Chen Ping''an had given him 50 taels of silver for his troubles, and Liu Gaohua''s initial thought was to refuse as bringing money into the matter would be hurtful to their friendship. However, as soon as he saw the 50 taels of silver, he immediately changed his mind, thinking to himself that they most likely weren''t ever going to meet each other again anyway, so it didn''t really matter whether their friendship remained intact or not.


    Liu Gaohua led Chen Ping''an to the study, sneaking around like the thief the entire time, and after closing the door, he rummaged through the chests and cabs for a long while before finally pulling out an old scroll, which was an antiquated geomancy map of the Blusher Prefecture, but this one was only a backup copy.


    When it came to geomancy maps that were drawn by the Ministry of Astronomy, there were always two official maps, one of which was hung up in the office of the local authorities, while the other was given to the local general for safekeeping purposes, and the backup copy was always left somewhere to gather dust.


    After examining the map to confirm that it was what he was looking for, Chen Ping''an nodded as he dered, "This is it."


    He had spent 50 taels of silver to buy a very slim possibility.


    Mr. Qi had once said to him that if he ever came across a map that he liked, then he could bring out his mountain and water seals and stamp them onto the map without the need for any ink paste


    After asking Liu Gaohua where Yang Huang''s estate was situated on the map, he made up an excuse to get Liu Gaohua to go to the bookshelf and pick out a few travel journals. While Liu Gaohua''s back was turned, Chen Ping''an instantly pulled his mountain and water seals out of his pocket treasure.


    The inscriptions on the seals had been personally carved out by Qi Jingchun, and the seals were crafted from the finest snake gall pebbles of Jewel Small World.


    Chen Ping''an breathed onto the pair of seals momentarily, then pressed them down onto the spot where the estate was situated on the map.


    However, nothing seemed to happen, and Chen Ping''an could only roll up the map before tucking it under his arm as he turned to Liu Gaohua and said, "Alright, let''s get out of here. If your father catches us, then you''ll have to deal with him on your own. I already paid you for this, so if you end up being beaten by your father, you''ll still have silver to spare after paying your medical bill."


    Liu Gaohua picked out a couple of books at random and tossed them at Chen Ping''an, following which the two of them left the study together.


    Chen Ping''an heaved an internal sigh, thinking to himself that his actions had most likely been futile. Then again, he hadn''t harbored any high hopes that this would work anyway. How could he possibly reverse the fortune of an entire area spanning a radius of several hundred kilometers just by stamping a seal down onto a map? It wasn''t like he was a god.


    However, there was one thing that Chen Ping''an had failed to take into ount.


    He was certainly no god himself, but the man who had bestowed those seals upon him had been a god among gods.


    All of a sudden, all of the filth and sinister energies within a radius of several hundred kilometers receded, restoring the purity of thend.


    The mountain god temple of the illegitimate mountain god instantly copsed, while the illegitimate mountain god''s godly body was also destroyed.


    As it turned out, Zhao Luan had indeed spared him, and he had even met with the illegitimate mountain god in secret to tell him how to proceed from here onward. The illegitimate mountain god had been ecstatic, thinking that his fortunes were about to be reversed, that he wasn''t just going to be a lowly illegitimate mountain god anymore. Instead, he was going to ascend to the position of a formal god with the assistance of an immortal from Divine Edict Sect.


    Hence, right up to the instant that his godly body was destroyed, he still had no idea what had happened, and he was seated on his altar with a dazed expression as he faded into nothingness.


    Meanwhile, Zhao Liu was departing from the area with his juniors, and he instantly sensed what had just taken ce.


    A stunned look appeared on his face.


    <em>Could it be that the Golden Boy personally intervened in this matter? It can''t be! Surely even the Golden Boy can''t influence the fortune of thend from so far away! </em>


    The other Divine Edict Sect juniors were feeling very concerned and uneasy in the wake of this unexpected turn of events, but the little boy had lowered his head to conceal the smile that had appeared on his face.


    <em>I fucking knew it! I knew that guy was an old bastard that had lived for centuries! He''s definitely the one that was responsible for all of this! Haha, once I get back to the sect, I''m definitely boasting to my master, telling him that I saw an immortal of the Upper Five Tiers! </em>


    Over at the boudoir, Yang Huang sprang onto the rooftop as quickly as he could, paying no heed to the scorching pain of sunlight on his skin. He looked around to find that the entire surrounding area was thriving with vitality, and that spiritual energy was converging from all directions. A stunned and ecstatic look appeared on his face.


    As for Zhuo Jing, she had plunged straight through the roof, allowing her hideous body beneath her dress to be exposed under the light of the sun. She took a deep breath, and for the first time in 100 years, she inhaled a lungful of clean and fresh air that made her feel refreshed and reinvigorated.


    Tears of excitement began to well up in Yang Huang''s eyes as he said, "A Sage must''ve intervened to help us! Perhaps Senior Aunt Fu''s appearance alerted a certain powerful figure of Divine Edict Sect to our situation, and they decided to perform this miracle for us out of the boundless kindness and generosity of their heart! In any case, this is a fantastic development. I didn''t even dare to dream that something like this would ever happen..."


    Yang Huang''s voice began to choke up as he spoke, and he suddenly fell to his knees, kowtowing thrice in all four directions.


    Zhuo Jing was unable to kneel, so she could only extend deep bows of gratitude.


    The old woman also kowtowed to the heavens and the earth.


    She had almost never touched any alcohol in her life, yet she was struck by the sudden urge to pour herself a bowl of wine. She didn''t enjoy the taste, but who cared? This was an asion worthy of rapturous celebration, and it would be an injustice to the asion not to have some wine.


    With that in mind, she made her way into the corner of the kitchen, and with a bowl in one hand, she took the winedle with the other, extending it into an already opened jar of wine.


    An instantter, she was rooted to the spot.


    <em>Why is there so little wine left?</em>


    Her brows furrowed slightly with befuddlement, then her skin began to crawl. She hurriedly set down the bowl and thedle, then abruptly standing back upright as she murmured to herself, "How is this possible?"


    She wiped away the sweat that had beaded up on her forehead, following which a smile suddenly appeared on her face as she poured out what little remained of the wine in the jar into her bowl.


    After that, she made her way out of the kitchen and sat down onto a bench in the corridor, silently staring into the distance as she took some small sips of wine. For the first time in a long time, she felt a sense of peace and serenity.


    On a day just as bright and sunny as this one, Chen Ping''an had rushed away with his wooden box on his back and a radiant smile on his face as he waved farewell to her.


    There was a small red gourd strapped to his waista gourd, she now realized, filled to the brim with wine.


    <em>So he''s a young alcoholic Sword Immortal. </em>


    An amused smile appeared on the old woman''s face as she thought to herself, <em>He''s such a fantastic young boy, the girl that he likes must be really exceptional as well.</em>

 Chapter 221: Enjoying the Lively Atmosphere

    Chapter 221: Enjoying the Lively Atmosphere


    In the prefectural overseer''s residence in Blusher Prefecture...


    After stealing a backup prefectural geomantic map from his father, the family thief Liu Gaohua started to feel a little guilty and nervous. He felt like the 50 taels of silver were like a hot potato, so he wanted to do something to rectify this situation somewhat. Thus, he left Xu Yuanxia and the others in the guest hall and ran to his father''s work office by himself.


    He told his father that he had met immortals from the books during his travels, and one of them was a big-bearded saber-wielding man who was a renowned and gant individual in the cultivation world. In fact, even the most powerful person in the prefecture might not be able to withstand three strikes from this man. As such, they definitely couldn''t neglect him and make him feel unwee.


    There was also a Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu, and he had a peach wood sword on his back and possessed profound knowledge. ying demons and subduing fiends was like child''s y to him. Finally, there was a young boy with the surname Chen who was even more incredible. Even though he looked young, he was definitely 80 or 90 years old already. Indeed, he simply appeared young because achieving sess in cultivation would allow one to obtain a youthful appearance.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu was slightly skeptical of his son''svish and exaggerated praise of these three guests. With a hint of nervousness in his mind, he brought an experienced and knowledgeable aide with him and went to the guest hall to meet these esteemed guests. However, he was deeply disappointed by what he saw.


    The prefectural overseer hadn''t seen many immortals or ghosts before, but his judgment of people was genuinely very good. After greeting his guests, he sat down to drink a cup of tea with them. However, it was clear that he wascking interest. After telling Liu Gaohua to look after the three esteemed guests, he found an excuse to return to his office.


    While walking back to his office, Prefectural Overseer Liu shook his head andmented, "Gant martial artist? Heavenly Master? They fail to live up to these titles, yet they''vee to my residence to cheat me of food, shelter, and wealth. How audacious. If they dare to push their luck, then I''ll make sure to throw them into jail and have them eat their fill of jail food."


    The old aide chuckled and said in a quiet voice, "They''re not so incapable that they''ll stoop to the level of cheating us of food and shelter. I don''t know about the young Daoist priest or the young boy with the swords, but that saber-wielding man does indeed possess some genuine skills. The guards in the residence are definitely no match for him.


    "Lord Liu, you''re aware that I once traveled around the world for 20-odd years before starting my work here. I''vee across countless well-renowned grandmasters in the cultivation world, and ced in the southern region of our Colorful Garment Nation, all of them can be considered top-notch elites. In terms of his aura and disposition alone, that big-bearded man is no inferior to these people. His eyes possess an intense glint, and his aura feels stern and forbidding."


    Prefectural Overseer Liu nodded and replied, "That''s a fair analysis."


    "Lord Liu, think about it. The general who''s responsible for overseeing our prefecture is publicly regarded as a fourth tier superior grandmaster. We saw him from a distance during that feast back then, and at the time, we felt like he had a natural sense of authority even when he was simply drinking or casually chatting with others. We felt like he was extremely intimidating. Now, carefully think back to our meeting with Xu Yuanxia just then. Did he possess a simr aura?" the old aide asked in a quiet voice.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu frowned and said, "By the sounds of it, you want us to build a good rtionship with him and win him over? However, I''ve heard that when dealing with people from the cultivation world, one can only be considered generous if they offer a thousand taels of silver. If one only offers a few taels of silver as payment, then this will be seen as an act of humiliation instead of generosity. This will offend those reckless brutes from the cultivation world. However, I''ve always been upright and uncorrupted, so I don''t have any spare money to offer them. What should I do? Perhaps I have to borrow money from those wealthy people in the prefectural city?"


    A hint of displeasure appeared on his face, and he continued, "If this rtionship is predicated on the stench of copper coins, then so be it if I give it a pass."


    In reality, schrs  especially those who were officials in the imperial court  still looked down on martial artists in the cultivation world.


    The old aide sighed in his mind. This was a rtionship from the cultivation world that hade running to their door, yet Prefectural Overseer Liu was still unable to grab this opportunity with both hands. It was no wonder that he was only a fourth-rank official even though his essays and assessments were so brilliant. He couldn''t me anyone else for this.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu''s imperial examiner was also a duke and senior official in the imperial court of Colorful Garment Nation, and if he were the prefectural overseer instead, then he would do everything in his ability to build this rtionship, even if it meant borrowing money and selling his possessions.


    Supposing that the big-bearded martial artist was a third tier lesser grandmaster, then many things could be done in the shadows once their rtionship reached a certain level. Moreover, there was always give and take when it came to rtionships, so how could one possibly hope to take without giving? It wasn''t right for officials to always beg others for help.


    In any case, Prefectural Overseer Liu simply needed to build a rtionship with the wealthy ns in the prefectural city and borrow a few hundred taels of silver from them. Was this truly so difficult and embarrassing? No, of course not. In fact, this was the prefectural overseer giving them face!


    However, Prefectural Overseer Liu didn''t like hearing these things, especially since he felt like these beliefs were a stain on the decorum of schrs. After making the same mistake once or twice, the old aide understood what should be said and what shouldn''t be said.


    Upon thinking of this, the old aide couldn''t help but feel slightly disheartened. The imperial court was full ofplicated rtionships and interests, and was the cultivation world not the same? Before concealing his identity and leaving the cultivation world, the old aide was once a trusted strategist for an alliance leader in the southern regions of Colorful Garment Nation.


    There were times when revenge was exacted swiftly and debts of gratitude were repaid earnestly, but it was more often the case that rtionships would beplicated and full of small nuances. So what if one started out gant and full of enthusiasm? All it took was a few years to wear them out. Indeed, just how proud and mighty had the alliance leader been back then? Yet, in the end, did he not also lose his wife, children, and wealth?


    Liu Gaohua was left in a fairly awkward position after his father came and left in a lukewarm manner. Not only that, but the prefectural residence was so stingy that it was unable to even offer a few guest rooms to the three guests. In the end, Xu Yuanxia asked Liu Gaohua to bring them to the nearest inn to rest. The big-bearded martial artist also asked him to immediately notify them if the old Daoist priest from Divine Edict Sect entered the residence of the prefectural overseer. Liu Gaohua nodded and agreed to these requests.


    Thanks to its good location and time-honored reputation, the inn was bustling with people and business. Fortunately, the face of the prefectural overseer''s son was still worth some money. The inn forcibly found a few rooms for them, and it didn''t dare to wantonly raise the price either. Liu Gaohua epted all of this without a second thought, and he waspletely oblivious to the fact that the owner of the inn was painfully parting with a good sum of money by doing this. Xu Yuanxia was quite amused by this, and even the young Daoist priest Zhang Shanfeng shook his head upon seeing this.


    Interacting with others and dealing with social matters also required sufficient knowledge. This knowledge was seldom taught in the ssics written by the sages, but it could be observed and learned in the cultivation world. Thus, Chen Ping''an observed these things andmitted them to memory.


    In reality, this kind of knowledge also existed in y Vase Alley, Peach Blossom Tavern, and all of the other mortal streets and alleys in the world.


    Chen Ping''an and the others casually chatted in Xu Yuanxia''s room. As they chatted, they naturally started to talk about their trip to the old residence and the value of Zhang Shanfeng''s divine movement talisman. Xu Yuanxia asked the young Daoist priest how much these talismans cost, and after learning of their exorbitant value, he immediately felt a little indebted to the young Daoist priest from Complete Reed Continent. He smiled and said that they definitely needed to obtain some rewards the next time they went to y demons and vanquish fiends.


    Even though Zhang Shanfeng was impoverished and tired of his less-than-ideal situation, he didn''t me the heavens or other people at all. Xu Yuanxia was quite impressed by this. After all, he understood how important it was for cultivators to umte wealth. Having traveled far and wide himself, Xu Yuanxia was well aware of the rules and cultivation methods of some immortal forces in the mountains.


    When it came to the cultivation of Qi refiners, what they cultivated was the mind, the body, and also gold and silver. If the young Daoist priest failed to break free from his cycle of poverty, then it would definitely be very difficult for him to advance to higher tiers. Regardless of how impressive his mindset was, his achievements would be limited by hisck of wealth and resources.


    While having this casual conversation with Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng, Chen Ping''an was finally able to properly learn about the Lower Five Tiers for the first time.


    When returning to the small town from Great Sui Nation with his "student", Cui Chan, Chen Ping''an had been curious about this because Lin Shouyi had already be half an immortal from the mountains. During a rare casual chat with Cui Chan, Chen Ping''an had asked him about matters regarding cultivation and Qi refining.


    However, the young Cui Chan had rolled his eyes and snickered, "Lower Five Tiers? They''re all trash. How boring is it to talk about these things? This is an insult to Teacher''s lofty and elegant nature. Teacher, why don''t we talk about the Upper Five Tiers? Thinking back to the past, your student was also at the 12th tier..."


    Chen Ping''an''s impression of Cui Chan had been extremely bad at the time, so he hadn''t been willing to listen to his boastful and exaggerated descriptions. As such, he had stood up and walked away to practice standing meditation.


    Thinking about this now, had his actions hurt Cui Chan''s sense of dignity? After all, Cui Chan had once been a 12th tier immortal, and he had even yed Go in the iridescent clouds with the city lord of White Emperor City...


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head before drinking a sip of tea. Right now, he was regretting his decision to attach the bank notes worth 2000 taels of silver to the letter addressed to Cui Dongshan. It was improper to be so polite to his student who had once been an immortal. Wasn''t his action an insult to Cui Dongshan?


    The Lower Five Tiers for Qi refiners were referred to as the Mountain Ascending Five Tiers  the Copper Skin Tier, the Grass Root Tier, the Willow Tendon Tier, the Bone Qi Tier, and the Furnace Molding Tier. Among these five tiers, the first four were focused on cultivating one''s flesh. Even though these were cultivation tiers for Qi refiners, they were in fact nurturing a tough physique during these earlier tiers. This was very important as well. The reason for this was simple. If a person were viewed as a bowl, then refining a pound of Qi would be useless if the bowl could only hold eight ounces. The excess Qi would bepletely meaningless.


    The final cultivation tier, the Furnace Molding Tier, was a stage where one integrated everything together and forged their cultivation into a furnace. This was a stage where one''s body  which could be viewed as one''s Qi refining tool  reached a stage of great aplishment. In other words, they could officially ascend the mountains.


    Yang Huang, the ghost from the ancient residence, had mentioned the Willow Tendon Tier many times before, and he described this as the "Cultivator Trapping Tier". Because of this, the big-bearded martial artist especially exined this to Chen Ping''an again. He had spoken with eagerness and relish, and his words were filled with a pure martial artist''s ridicule toward immortals from the mountains. This made Chen Ping''an, who was coincidentally stuck at the third tier, feel extremely helpless.


    "There was once an astonishingly talented cultivator with the surname Liu. Just by tempering his tendons alone, he was able to directly advance to the Upper Five Tiers and obtain a supreme immortal body. It could be said that this was an incredible feat with no precedent. In fact, it''s because of this that the third tier for Qi refiners is called the Willow Tendon Tier.


    "However, this tier is called the Cultivator Trapping Tier. This is because many cultivators who yearn to take shortcuts go astray and walk down dead ends based on the iplete secret cultivation texts left by that talented cultivator. They be trapped in this tier for far too long, and this eventually dys them and inhibits them for life."


    The big-bearded martial artist was only drinking tea, but he appeared just as hearty as if he were drinking wine. There was derision in his voice as he continued, "We martial artists are always looked down on by cultivators from the mountains, but there is one area where we''re definitely superior to those Qi refiners. That is, we take solid and steady steps, and we don''t take any random or jumbled shortcuts. We''re far more grounded than Qi refiners.


    "Thus, the Willow Tendon Tier has trapped countless young cultivators who are putting their faith in shortcuts and luck. Moreover, when considering Qi refiners at the lower five tiers, they have zero advantage over pure martial artists at the third tier unless they''re militarian cultivators or sword cultivators!"


    As the only Qi refiner present, the young Daoist priest grumbled in annoyance, "Then why don''t wepare martial artists at the Three Qi Tempering Tiers[1] to Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers? We Qi refiners will definitely be more likely to win."


    Xu Yuanxia chuckled and said, "Let''s stick toparing cultivators at the same cultivation level. Qi refiners at the ninth tier, the Golden Core Tier, are pretty impressive, aren''t they? But what if theye across pure martial artists at the Mountain Summit Tier? Will a group of 10th tier Qi refiners dare to cause trouble in front of the Great Li Empire''s Song Changjing? Song Changjing is this among the pure martial artists in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent!"


    The big-bearded martial artist raised his thumb.


    He was unwilling to put his thumb down as he loudly praised, "These kinds of martial artists are genuine heroes in the world. They exist outside the mountains, yet they can peer down on those from the mountains. Ah, it''s such a great shame that I can''t see him in person. Otherwise, I''ll shamelessly make a toast with him no matter what!"


    There was a strange expression on Chen Ping''an''s face.


    Wasn''t Song Changjing the uncle of Song Jixin? He had visited y Vase Alley once before, and Chen Ping''an had even crossed paths with him.


    In any case, there were a few other pure martial artists in the small town who possessed simr cultivation bases to Song Changjing. There was Li Huai''s father, and there was also Cui Chan''s grandfather...


    Chen Ping''an lowered his head and quietly took a sip of tea.


    Afterward, the three of them walked down to the ground floor of the inn to eat. People were having spirited discussions while eating and drinking, and as it turned out, an old immortal was about to bless Blusher Prefecture with his presence. His mystical abilities were profound and unpredictable. Immortals described in books could transform beans into soldiers, yet this old immortal was someone who could transform pieces of paper into beautiful women.


    After the pieces of yellow papernded on the ground, they would transform into beautiful women of shapely figures and demeanor who appeared no different from real people. They could sing and dance, and they could also engage in conversations with no issues.


    While traveling south through Colorful Garment Nation, the old immortal had already impressed many officials and nobles on the way. Thus, even though the old immortal was yet to arrive in this prefectural city that was renowned for its beautiful women, people were already craning their necks and eagerly awaiting his arrival. The men were keen to see those pieces of paper transforming into all kinds of beautiful women, and they wanted to see whether these women truly possessed a unique charm. Meanwhile, the beautiful women in the prefectural city started to feelpetitive. After all, how could a thin sheet of paper be more beautiful than them?


    Chen Ping''an had little interest in this.


    However, the big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest were both extremely eager, and they said that they definitely had to go over to check this out. The former was filled with sincerity as he said that the old immortal was perhaps a demon or evil spirit who was wearing human skin. Thetter nodded earnestly and said that they definitely couldn''t allow demons or evil spirits to enchant and bewitch others.


    Looking at the two people who were speaking in a righteous manner, Chen Ping''an thought to himself,<em> Can the two of you wipe away your drool before speaking? You just want to look at some beautiful women, don''t you? Just say it straight if that''s the case! I''m not going tough at you guys or anything.</em>


    <em>Ah... At the end of the day, this is because they haven''t seen a genuinely beautiful girl before.</em>


    Chen Ping''an was very confident regarding this.


    This was because he felt like he had already seen the most beautiful girl in the world.


    Her eyebrows were like the distant mountains...


    1. Fourth tier to sixth tier for martial artists.

 Chapter 222: (1): Some Who Part Can Still Reunite

    Chapter 222: (1): Some Who Part Can Still Reunite


    A small pond was newly dug out behind the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, and the water was extremely limpid and housed no fish. The pond was empty, and it was unknown what purpose it would serve. Wei Bo would often squat down in front of the pond, and he could stare at it for one entire hour at a time.


    He even asked the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink to diligently look after this small pond for the next half a year, telling them not to let outsiders approach it. Perhaps Wei Bo didn''tpletely trust the two little children with this task, so he even asked the ck python that now had a golden line on its belly to move out from its nest and keep guard near the bamboo building.


    After Chen Ping''an left Downtrodden Mountain, there was no one left for the little boy in azure topare himself to. Spring was also settling in, causing the weather to gradually be warmer. Because of this, the little boy in azure slowly started to ck off. The little girl in pink reminded him about this two times, but the little boy in azure asserted that this was called maintaining an equilibrium andbining rest with cultivation. This was called umting his cultivation and suddenly soaring to great heights one day. This definitely wasn''t a case of giving up and bingzy.


    Wei Bo came to the bamboo building again today, and the little boy in azure giddily followed behind him. No matter how much the little boy had questioned Wei Bo before, the mountain god would simply tell him to wait and see. Wei Bo was unwilling to reveal the truth to him. This caused the little boy in azure to feel extremely curious, and it was as if there were an unscratchable itch in his mind. In fact, he felt an urge to assume his true form and dive into the pond to make heads or tails of the situation.


    However, he was afraid of Wei Bo''s position and power as well as this formal god''s sinister habit of hiding des behind his smiles. With this in mind, the water snake from the Imperial River forcefully suppressed his curiosity, lest his situation deteriorate while he was living under Wei Bo''s influence.


    Just like always, Wei Bo squatted down in front of the small pond and carefully observed the delicate flow of the water. The water appeared still, yet this couldn''t be further from the truth. In reality, the root of Downtrodden Mountain''s fortune didn''t lie in the mountain god temple at the peak of the mountain. Instead, the root of the mountain fortune was at the bamboo building, while the root of the water fortune was in the small pond in front of him.


    Mountain God Song Yuzhang was already on bad terms with the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain, and he was also a loyal minister both during life and after death. Thus, loyal to the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n as he was, he reported this secret information to the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Astronomy. However, he was simply told to remain tight-lipped and not to leak this secret.


    Since this was an order from the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, Song Yuzhang didn''t try to pursue the matter any further. In terms of his cultivation base being restricted because of this, leaving him unable to exercise full control over Downtrodden Mountain, Song Yuzhang viewed this very lightly.


    However, it could be said that Song Yuzhang''s rtionship with his superior, Wei Bo, was bing worse and worse.


    The little boy in azure also squatted down beside the small pond. In fact, he had no idea where the limpid water in the pond had been collected from. However, since Wei Bo was the formal god of the Great Li Empire''s Northern Mountain, he could naturally move mountains and transport water inside his territory with ease.


    The little boy in azure eagerly stared at the limpid water, feeling frustrated at the fact that he was unable to discover any clues or traces. He failed to notice that Wei Bo, who was squatting beside him, had a tense expression even though he was in his own territory. There were beads of sweat on his forehead, and it was as if there were a mountain weighing down on his shoulder. He couldn''t stand up even if he wanted to.


    Time flowed like water, and the little boy in azure eventually yawned in boredom. Only at this moment did he notice the stranger standing beside Wei Bo. This person was standing with his back bent and his hands sped behind his back, and there was a smile on his face as he looked at the small pond. He was dressed in Daoist robes, and there was a lotus flower hat on his head. He looked young, and he appeared fairly handsome as well. However, his smile seemed a little improper.


    He looked like someone who would use the excuse of reading palm patterns for others to improperly touch the hands of young women. If this were in the past, and if they were near the Imperial River, then the little boy in azure''s short temper would have definitely led him to confront the young Daoist priest and tell him to piss off as far away as possible. Now that he had experienced so many things in Dragon Spring Prefecture, however, he was much more reserved than before.


    However, he quickly remembered that he was standing next to the lofty formal god of the Northern Mountain, and there was also an utterly terrifying superior grandmaster at the pinnacle of martial arts in the bamboo building as well. That being the case, what did he need to be afraid of?


    The little boy in azure hurriedly stood up before clearing his throat and saying, "Oi, oi, oi, the Daoist priest over there, how can you be so disrespectful? How can you barge over without greeting us first? Do you know who my master, Chen Ping''an, is? He''s the owner of this entire mountain! Moreover, there''s also an extremely aggressive ck python staying near the bamboo building, and it absolutely loves to eat people. You should thank me that you''re still alive because I''m the one who earnestly persuades it to give up meat every day. Otherwise, hmph, hmph!"


    The little boy in azure crossed his arms and turned his nose to the air.


    He roared withughter in his mind.


    <em>Wahahaha, I''ve been holding back for so long, and I''ve finallye across a mere mortal who I can scold! What a rare asion!</em>


    With this in mind, the little boy in azure became increasingly fond of the young Daoist priest. In fact, he felt an urge to be brothers with him.


    "Is that so? Then it''s thanks to you that I was able to escape a cmity," the young Daoist priest said with a dazzling smile. He hurriedly thanked the little boy in azure.


    In the eyes of the little boy, this young Daoist priest''s actions and demeanor were far more sincere than Wei Bo''s cold and menacing smile that hid daggers behind it. However, the little boy in azure had been screwed over far too many times in this dogshit Dragon Spring Prefecture. Once bitten, twice shy, so the little boy couldn''t help but feel like every person was potentially a supreme cultivator. As such, he carefully looked the young Daoist priest up and down again.


    After confirming that he didn''t have the aura of a Qi refiner, the little boy in azure felt so moved that he almost shed tears of joy. He swaggered over, and he jumped up to pat the young Daoist priest on the shoulder. "There''s no need to thank me. Before leaving Downtrodden Mountain, Master Chen Ping''an told me that I needed to assume responsibility when he was away. As the host, how can I allow you, my guest, to suffer from fright?"


    The barefoot old man saw this sight from the window on the second floor of the bamboo building, and he chuckled, "If you''re so capable, why don''t you pat the young Daoist priest on the shoulder again?"


    The little boy in azure immediately became alert. He looked up at the young Daoist priest, and he then nced up at the crazy old man who was standing at the window on the second floor. Finally taking a nce at the lotus flower hat on the young Daoist priest''s head, he asked in an uncertain voice, "Let''s be open and honest with each other. Are you a 10th tier Spiritual Master from the Daoist Sect, or are you an 11th tier or 12th tier Heavenly Lord?"


    The young Daoist priest smiled and shook his head, replying, "I''m neither."


    The little boy in azure was slightly skeptical, and he said in a low voice, "My dear friend, as members of the cultivation world, we should all stick to the principle of sincerity when we deal with others, regardless of our seniority or cultivation base. You can''t lie to me, okay?"


    The young Daoist priest nodded and said, "I''m genuinely telling the truth."


    Even if the little boy in azure couldn''t defeat those under the 10th tier, wasn''t there still Wei Bo and the crazy old man in Downtrodden Mountain? Thus, it would truly be pathetic if he still remained timid and cowardly!


    The little boy in azure rapidly considered these things in his mind, and he felt like he was already standing in a position of certain victory. A smile instantly spread across his face, and he jumped up and patted the young Daoist priest on the shoulder again. "I can see that you''re talented, so don''t be disheartened. It''s only the Nascent Tier of Daoism, so you still have some hope of reaching it as long as you work hard for a few hundred years.


    "If you''re truly unable to reach it and get picked on by others in the future, then just tell them my name and say that you''re acquainted with... the white water snake from the Imperial River or the little dragon king from Downtrodden Mountain. How do these two nicknames sound? One''s carefree, while one''s impressive..."


    The barefoot old man roared with wantonughter. He raised his thumb at the little boy in azure and remarked, "I''m impressed, little water snake. If you don''t die today, then you''ll be able to brag about this for the rest of your life!"


    The little boy in azure gulped upon hearing this. His eyes darted around, and he coughed before hanging his head and preparing to step back in retreat. "Oh, it''s time to cultivate. I definitely can''t miss my cultivation session today."


    The young Daoist priest smiled and nodded, saying in a gentle voice, "Yes, that''s right, one definitely can''t ck off when ites to cultivation. Come on, let''s go. I have some shallow knowledge about cultivation, so I can answer your questions and help you clear up your doubts."


    The little boy in azure''s vision suddenly became hazy. When things cleared up again, he suddenly discovered that there was someone standing beside him. This wasn''t strange. However, what was strange was the fact that there was also someone squatting down beside Wei Bo. Not only that, but there was even someone standing opposite the crazy old man on the second floor of the bamboo building. In fact, there was also a person furtively ncing over while standing behind the silly girl who was secretly poking her head out from behind the bamboo building.


    All of these people were identical to the young Daoist priest with the lotus flower hat!


    The little boy in azure closed his eyes and pretended to be blind as he felt his way forward. "I can''t see anything, I can''t see anything at all. I''m walking around in a dream, just walking around in a dream..."


    Standing behind the bamboo building, the little girl in pink blinked herrge and watery eyes. Unlike the disrespectful little boy in azure, she was more curious than she was afraid. The young Daoist priest standing behind her had his hands tucked in his opposite sleeves. As he looked at the talismanic characters appearing on the bamboo wall, he clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "These characters are indeed as interesting as always. As expected of the person who helped... Haha, these divine secrets can''t be revealed."


    Standing on the second floor of the bamboo building, the young Daoist priest leaned against the window sill and asked with a smile, "I''ve heard that you want to fight?"


    The barefoot old man bowed in respect ording to Confucian tradition, and he then paid his respects as a schr from the Cui n. After standing up straight, he took two steps back and sped his hands in respect as a martial artist. He no longer appeared respectful or fearful, and there was fervor in his eyes as he said, "Please enlighten me a little, Branch Master Lu!"


    The young Daoist priest pretended to be relieved, and heughed loudly and replied, "Yes, that''s no problem at all, as long as it''s only a little. If you asked for a lot, then I would have truly been in a pinch. After all, I''m in Majestic World, so it''s as if my two legs are wading through mud. I can''t walk too quickly, and I can''t jump too high either."


    Next to the small pond, the young Daoist priest squatting beside Wei Bo asked, "Great Mountain God Wei, can you tell me about the origin of this water? Can you tell me about the origin of that golden lotus seed growing in the pond?"


    Wei Bo was still unable to stand up, so he could only smile bitterly and reply, "Branch Master Lu, this is 15,000 liters of spring water that I secretly ordered someone to collect before Divine Water Nation was destroyed. As for that golden lotus seed, it''s an old antique from the imperial treasure treasury of Divine Water Nation. Even the imperial family and the Ministry of Astronomy were unable to exin the use of this lotus seed back then, and they simply treated it as a precious heirloom that they continued to pass down.


    "While I was fleeing after the destruction of Divine Water Nation, I coincidentally came across this lotus seed in Go Table Mountain. After that, it became my possession. I''m wondering whether the spring water can nurture this golden lotus seed and allow it to bloom into that golden-purple lotus that is rumored to only exist in the Lotus Flower World."


    Because Wei Bo was the formal god of the Northern Mountain, the owner of all of the mountain ranges in this region, his fate was thus directly linked to these mountains. However, this geographical advantage would sometimes transform into a natural catastrophe instead. It would be a huge burden for the formal god.


    When the young Daoist priest wearing the lotus flower hat appeared beside him, Wei Bo was immediately suppressed and no longer able to move. Even though the young Daoist priest was only stepping on Downtrodden Mountain, he was essentially stepping on the head of Wei Bo as well.


    If the young Daoist priest stomped on Downtrodden Mountain with his foot, then the gold statue of Wei Bo on the peak of Cloud Drape Mountain would immediately lose half an arm.


    The young Daoist priest shook his head and corrected, "Golden-purple lotus flowers aren''t unique to the Lotus Flower World. There are three incredibly high-quality golden-purple lotus flowers in the Heavenly Master Residence of the Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Mount Longhu. They''re growing fairly well, and they''re already more than 30 meters tall."


    Wei Bo was rendered speechless.


    The young Daoist priest was none other than Lu Chen, the third disciple of the Dao Ancestor whose Daoist Sect was dominant in Heavenly World.


    The Daoist Sect in Heavenly World was split into three teachings, and the branch masters of these teachings all enjoyed transcendent standings in the world. Their statuses were equivalent to Majestic World''s Etiquette Sage, Second Sage, and Schrly Sage.


    Lu Chen smacked the little boy in azure''s head and said with a faint smile, "Okay, stop trying to y blind and dumb. If I truly wanted to harm you, do you really think this would help?"


    Even until now, the little boy in azure was still in the dark about Lu Chen''s true identity. However, judging by the young Daoist priest''s mystical abilities  which he had used in front of Wei Bo and the crazy old man, no less  the little boy in azure was well aware that he hade across a supremely powerful person. Moreover, it was extremely likely that this young Daoist priest was more powerful than anyone he had evere across before.


    This clone of Lu Chen apanied the little boy in azure to the cliff and asked with a smile, "Have you heard the story of covering one''s ear to steal the bell before?"


    The little boy in azure wiped the sweat from his forehead and sniffled, "Yes..."


    "What did you think about it? Tell me the truth," Lu Chen said.


    The little boy in azure sobbed and replied, "I simply found it amusing."


    "You''re worthy of being taught," Lu Chen remarked in emotion.


    The little boy in azure suddenly squatted down and wrapped his arms around the head. He dazedly looked into the distance, and he had a pitiful expression as if his life was empty and devoid of all meaning.


    He missed Chen Ping''an at this moment. If his master were present, then he would feel slightly more at ease even if his master''s cultivation base waspletely negligible.


    A rare expression of benevolence appeared on Lu Chen''s face. He turned around and looked down at the dazed little boy, and he asked in a soft voice, "Little water snake, do you want toe to Heavenly World with me?"


    The little boy looked up, and his tear-stained face was scrunched into a frown. His bottom lip was downturned, and he replied in a pitiful voice, "If I say no, will you lift your foot and crush my head into pieces?"


    "Of course not," Lu Chen shook his head and said with a smile. "I''ll simply confiscate this small pond. After all, both the spring water and the golden lotus seed can be considered things that I left in this world. By taking it away, I''m essentially taking a huge fated opportunity away from Chen Ping''an. Don''t you always im to be a hero and a brave person? After sponging off Chen Ping''an so much, are you not going to show some loyalty toward him? Are you not going to do a little something for him?"


    The little boy in azure slowly shook his head. Tears clouded his vision, and he said, "Chen Ping''an won''t me me even if I''m disloyal one or two times."


    Lu Chen raised a hand to his forehead. He was also powerless against such a stupid little fool. So be it. The fate between them was yet to mature, so he would just leave things at this first.


    He sighed and told the little boy in azure, "When you see Chen Ping''an, tell him that he owes me a favor regarding this small pond. He needs to return this favor in the future. As for you, you can head to therge waterway that runs through Complete Reed Continent from east to west when you''re entering the river to be a flood dragon. If you can make it past half of the waterway, then that can be considered a sess. When that timees, you can ask Chen Ping''an to protect you and act as your guard. Mhm, this is the favor that he needs to return to me."


    "Why are you treating me so well, Immortal Elder?" the little boy in azure asked in hesitation.


    Lu Chen saw right through the little boy in azure, and he huffed, "Firstly, I''m not your long-lost father or old ancestor. Secondly, I''m not interested in your flood dragon skin after you sessfully transform into a flood dragon. Thirdly, I''m only providing you with guidance this one time because of your peculiar background. However, I might ask you if you want toe to Heavenly World with me again in the future."


    After saying this, this clone of Lu Chen vanished in a sh.


    The little boy in azure stood up and looked around. He found that the young Daoist priest standing behind the silly girl and squatting beside Wei Bo had also vanished without a trace.


    A smile instantly broke through his tears, and he swaggered over to the little girl in pink who was standing behind the bamboo building. His voice was filled with arrogance as he announced, "Silly girl, do you know? The old immortal praised me for having immense talent, and he almost fell to his knees to beg me to be his disciple. He even said that he would bring me to some Heavenly World or whatnot to live in luxury!


    "But just who am I? Since I''ve acknowledged Chen Ping''an as my master, I naturally have to uphold the justice and righteousness of the cultivation world, don''t I? So, I rejected his offer without a shred of hesitation. Heh, you didn''t see his expression back then. There were tears glistening in his eyes.


    "Ah... What a pity. The old immortal was so sincere, but who can he me for Chen Ping''an being so fortunate and taking me as a young schrly attendant first? It''s also my fault for being so loyal! Oh, that''s right. Silly girl, what did the old immortal say to you?"


    The little girl in pink raised a hand that was glowing with golden radiance, and she replied in an awkward voice, "The old immortal discussed some calligraphy rules with me, and in the end, he said that you would definitely spew nonsense. So, he asked me to reward you with a p in his stead."


    There was a crisp and sweet-sounding smack.


    The little boy in azure was brutally struck by the glowing golden palm, and he spun several times in the air before finally mming into the ground. He remained lying there, and he decided to feign death.


    Wei Bo was filled with worry as he stood beside the small pond and gazed toward the second floor of the tranquil bamboo building.

 Chapter 222: (2): Some Who Part Can Still Reunite

    Chapter 222: (2): Some Who Part Can Still Reunite


    Inside a private residence called the "Great Luxuriant Residence" in Ancient Elm Nation, there was a tall and handsome schr whose appearance was a little pale and sickly. He was eating a steamed peach flower mandarin fish at this moment, and there was a custom-made silver hook in his left hand and a pair of green bamboo chopsticks in his right hand. He slowly enjoyed his in-season meal, and even a pot of imperial-grade wine was beside his hand. From time to time, he would put his chopsticks down and grab this pot of wine to enjoy a sip.


    Four of the most powerful martial arts grandmasters and Qi refiners in Ancient Elm Nation were standing in front of the elegant schr''s meal table. They were all renowned cultivators.


    There was a sword grandmaster at the peak stage of the fourth tier of martial arts, a self-taught prodigy who had strong killing intent and was extremely bloodthirsty. Opinions about him were divided, and he received both praise and criticism from the cultivators in Ancient Elm Nation and the surrounding nations.


    It was widely acknowledged that he had many achievements but was immoral. His admirers staunchly believed that he could achieve certain victory against any sword cultivator at the Lower Five Tiers, as long as they weren''t a sword cultivator from a proper sect.


    Another was an assassin at the fourth tier, and he surprisingly didn''t conceal his face. He was a rustic-looking man with an unremarkable appearance.


    On a closer look, though, it was clear that he was wearing a fake skin mask.


    He was the leader of Ancient Elm Nation''s Case Purchasing Pagoda, an organization of assassins that was renowned throughout several nations. The name Case Purchasing Pagoda symbolized the fair price of their work, with the customers only needing to pay the price of a wooden case if they wanted to obtain a pearl in return.


    He had once epted a request to assassinate a Qi refiner at the Middle Five Tiers, and he had only been a hair away from seeding. If it hadn''t been for a secret immortal treasure that his target had, it was very likely that he would have seeded in his attempt. Afterward, the Case Purchasing Pagoda had suffered furious retribution and almost been forced to lie down low.


    However, the Case Purchasing Pagoda had also disyed its courageous and merciless side. Without caring about the consequences, it had especially targeted and killed disciples from that immortal n traveling around the world to train. This was a longsting conflict that had continued for more than 20 years, leaving one side on the verge of destruction and the other side severely wounded. In the end, the conflict only ended after personal intervention and mediation from the imperial preceptor of Ancient Elm Nation.


    In the cultivation world, there were indeed people and forces who lived wretched lives and subjected themselves to the whims of others. However, there were also courageous and daring people and forces willing to spite themselves in order to drag immortals down from the mountains.


    Of the two other Qi refiners, one was a bewitching woman who was an itinerant cultivator. She was skilled with poison, and had an endless array of abilities that were incredibly difficult to defend against. No one was willing to provoke this "scorpiondy," regardless if they were martial artists or immortals from the mountains.


    The final Qi refiner was an unfamiliar face who had never shown himself in the imperial court of Ancient Elm Nation before.


    The reason why the young man who looked like a schr preparing for an imperial examination was able to gather these four powerful cultivators together was that he was none other than the imperial preceptor of Ancient Elm Nation.


    After finishing the fragrant and sulent peach flower mandarin fish, the imperial preceptor retrieved three pieces of paper from his sleeve. Each piece of paper had the portrait of a person, and the imperial preceptor bent his finger and tapped on the portrait in the middle. This was the portrait of a young boy carrying a wooden case.


    He smiled and said, "There''s a ck-grade immortal treasure in the imperial treasury, and whoever seeds in killing him will be able to obtain this treasure. However, let me say this first. It''s extremely likely that this young boy is a sixth tier sword cultivator, and his external appearance as a third tier pure martial artist is nothing more than a facade. Don''t be fooled by this.


    "I only care about receiving his head, and I couldn''t care less about how you people go about killing him. As for the two other people, there will naturally be some rewards for killing them as well. You can rest assured about this."


    Three of the four cultivators left, leaving only the Qi refiner who had never appeared before the imperial court of Ancient Elm Nation before.


    "Imperial Preceptor Chu, using the possessions of others to achieve your own goals isn''t very good, is it?" he sneered.


    The young schr smiled and asked, "Is this your opinion? Or is this the emperor''s opinion?"


    The Qi refiner remained silent.


    The young schr smiled and said, "Won''t everything be fine as long as you''re the one to bring that person''s head back? The treasure will still belong to the imperial treasury of the Chu n, and it will simply take a detour through my hands."


    The Qi refiner humphed coldly before turning around to leave.


    After making a brief stop at Southern Stream Nation, the Kun ship owned by Ceremony Mountain hovered into the sky and continued to travel south.


    The Kun ship traveled above the middle and slightly southern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and it was still flying in a leisurely manner through the clear blue skies.


    On this evening, the old schr with the mink fur hat and missing tooth walked out of his standalone residence and arrived at the bow of the ship. His field of view was wide, and he gazed at the magnificent sight of the sun setting in the west.


    The old schr stood there and watched the setting sun for a long time, and at some unknown time, a woman also taking a stroll around the ship walked over and stood beside him. She was a truly peculiar person, and was actually using the exquisite flying sword "Lightning" as her hairpin. The flying sword was famous throughout Complete Reed Continent. Thus, using it as a hairpin naturally demonstrated hervishness and wealth.


    There was a pearl pendant hanging from the hilt of the flying sword, and the reason for this was even more peculiar. This was because the woman''s father was afraid of Lightning being too quick, causing his daughter to be unable to control it. Thus, he had obtained this hornless dragon pearl from some secret realm in some dragon pce. Not only that, but he had even gone as far as to refine his sword again in order to bore a hole through this pearl. After attaching it to his daughter''s flying sword, it could be used to reduce its speed.


    The old schr didn''t turn around to look at the young woman who had be "enemies" with him not long ago. There was a smile on his face, and his lips didn''t move as he secretly transmitted a message using his mind. "Little girl, you shouldn''t havee here to see me. Be careful of exposing yourself. Otherwise, your father won''t let you off lightly regardless of how much he dotes on you."


    The young woman had a cold expression, and she replied, "Mr. Sword Urn, why are you doing this? You have no rtives, no friends, no descendants, and no disciples either..."


    The old schr rubbed his mink fur hat and no longer tried to conceal his voice. He smiled and directly said, "Little girl, be honest with yourself and say it directly if you genuinely don''t like Young Master Hul. There''s no need to force yourself to like a man simply because he''s a good person. If youe across a man whom you like in the future, there''s no need to force yourself to dislike him simply because he''s a bad person either."


    The young woman blushed slightly.


    The old schr sighed with emotion and said, "After experiencing a bumpy life where I''ve called the entire world my home, at the very end, it''s surprisingly the small courtyard on this Kun ship that calms my mind the most. Thankfully, I brought a case of books with me when boarding the ships. When I open my door each day, I''m able to see a sea of clouds as well as mountains and rivers and the sun and moon. How pleasing to the eye... After returning to my room and shutting my door, what greets me is a desk full of books and essays about morality, things I can use to cultivate my mind..."


    The young woman sighed softly.


    It was her father who had organized this trip to the south for her, and he had said that she could use this trip to rx her mind.


    In the beginning, she had thought that her father was attempting to set her up with Young Master Hul. It was only after arriving at the Great Li Empire''s Parasol Tree Mountain ferry station that she had realized that things were far moreplicated than this.


    In fact, it was only yesterday when she had finally learned the entire truth. She discovered that Mr. Sword Urn was surprisingly the most critical Go piece on this Kun ship.


    This was a very bold and consequential y.


    In fact, she almost felt like she was nothing more than a sacrificial Go piece as well.


    The old schr with the mink fur hat waved his hand and said, "Off you go. I''m not a handsome young man or anything, but you are indeed a young and unmarried woman. You might not feel awkward apanying me to watch the sunset, but I can''t help but feel a little uneasy."


    The young woman silently turned around and left. After returning to her courtyard, she halted her breathing and focused, quietly waiting for the drastic change to arrive.


    The old schr from Complete Reed Continent who had the nickname of Sword Urn smacked his lips and took off his mink fur hat. After forcefully patting it two times, he casually tossed it overboard where it drifted away with the wind. "See youter, oldpanion."


    The old schr turned around to gaze toward the north. When he was young, he had once been a schr in Complete Reed Continent who had possessed the talent to be a noble person. However, his temper had been bad, and he had also been arrogant and conceited. From morning to night, and from one year to the next, he had continued to scold other people. He had derided officials as useless fools, he had ridiculed generals as good-for-nothing gluttons, and he had used the emperor of being a foolish and self-indulgent person. He had scolded everyone, but had he not been scolding himself as an utterly useless schr as well?


    After both his n and nation disappeared, the old schr was no longer able to scold anyone.


    No longer wearing a mink fur hat, the old schr walked back to his courtyard. The attendants and servants from Ceremony Mountain all greeted him with utmost respect when they saw him, and this caused the old man to feel a slight sense of guilt. However, he remained smiling as he greeted them back and joked around with them. He appeared extremely friendly, and he was far more "adorable" than the unsmiling Young Master Hul or the sinister and ruthless-looking Mistress Azure Bone.


    Night arrived, and the old man returned to his room and grabbed a Confucian ssic. He then went to sit in the courtyard. He didn''t read the book, and he simply closed his eyes and started to nap.


    The Kun ship was flying over the territory of the Luminous Vermilion Empire right now, a powerful empire with the highest number of sword cultivators in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. It was rumored that Wind Snow Temple''s Terrestrial Sword Immortal Wei Jin had stayed in this empire the longest when traveling around the world for the first time. He had engaged in several life-and-death battles during that time, and all of his opponents had been renowned sword cultivators in the Luminous Vermilion Empire.


    The Luminous Vermilion Empire was a top-notch empire in the south-central region of the Great Li Empire, and it had an impressive dozen or so vassal states. In terms of territory, it was second to only the Great Li Empire which had conquered the Lu Empire. Moreover, among the old emperor''s many sons, there were two who had given up their right to the throne and be ninth tier sword cultivators.


    Of the four great guest elders of the imperial family, there was a 10th tier sword cultivator who had fought three times with Wind Lightning Field''s Li Tuanjing, someone who was regarded as the most powerful cultivator beneath the Upper Five Tiers in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He had lost all three times, yet the difference in power between him and Li Tuanjing had not been that significant. Otherwise, Li Tuanjing wouldn''t have epted his two subsequent challenges.


    Not long ago, the two powerful empires to the north of Lake View Academy had fought to the death and had both be severely depleted. Not far to the south, the Luminous Vermilion Empire had watched on without interfering. All of the officials in the imperial court had taken great pleasure in the misfortune of their two northern neighbors.


    There were numerous nations in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, yet only fewer than 10 of them could be regarded as legitimate empires.


    The northern Lu Empire had already be history, and it was said that many members of the imperial hadmitted suicide by hanging themselves or jumping into wells. In terms of those who remained alive, they had all been reduced to convicts or refugees who were forced to do hardbor for the Great Li Empire. Great Sui Nation was unable to challenge the Great Li Empire by itself.


    Traveling down south, two empires had fought each other to the death. In fact, the mortal enemies had even used up thest remaining treasures passed down by their ancestors. Both empires were severely depleted, and corpsesy strewn across their territories. Blood caked thend, and the location of their final battle was destined to be an ancient battlefield ruin that went down in history.


    To the north of Southern Stream Nation and Lake View Academy, the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was raging with war.


    To the south, however, song and dance continued in peace.


    Yet, it was on this evening that tens of thousands of bursts of sword qi suddenly erupted from an unnamed mountain inside the territory of the Luminous Vermilion Empire. The brilliant glow of the sword qi illuminated thend within dozens of kilometers, making it seem as if it were day. The bursts of sword qi soared into the sky like a waterfall flowing in reverse, and they urately mmed into the Kun ship that was passing overhead.


    The colossal intercontinental Kun ship was instantly riddled with holes, and hundreds of people aboard the ship were killed in a sh. The severely wounded Kun thrashed around violently as it wailed in agony. The numerous formations used to stabilize the structures on the Kun''s back were destroyed by the furious bursts of sword qi, so the violent thrashing of the Kun naturally made matters even worse.


    Combined with the brutal winds sweeping through the skies, hundreds of people were directly thrown off the Kun ship, plummeting to their deaths on the territory of the Luminous Vermilion Empire.


    The destruction of the Kun ship was already a foregone conclusion. Including the ship owner, all of the Qi refiners from Ceremony Mountain werepletely helpless against this situation. They could only stare on in helplessness as the dying Kun dove toward the ground.


    During this time, powerful cultivators continued to soar into the sky in panic. Mistress Azure Bone and herpanions were among these people.


    The slender and extremely thin Mistress Azure Bone had a dark expression, and her eyes also became like sharp des as she squinted. She held her son in one arm, and she held the neck of her husband with her other hand. She stared at the plummeting Kun ship long and hard before shifting her gaze to the mountain where the bursts of sword qi had erupted from. It was as if she was searching for the culprit.


    Like small grains of rice, cultivators continued to soar into the air and distance themselves from the Kun ship as quickly as they could.


    However, the Qi refiners who were unable to fly had no option but to leave their fate to the heavens. Moreover, if the Kun turned on its back when itnded on the ground, then it was without a doubt that all of them would be crushed to death. They would have no chance of survival.


    Right at this moment, an extremely long ray of golden light materialized in the sky to the north.


    The ray of golden light arrived beneath the head of the Kun.


    This was surprisingly a middle-aged monk with an iron-willed expression. He held the Kun with his hands, and with a furious roar, he bent his knees slightly and summoned a giant pool of golden lotuses beneath his feet.


    However, just how immense was the momentum of the plummeting Kun ship? It was as if an entire mountain were crashing down from the sky.


    The monk was continually pushed down, and the golden lotuses beneath him were also obliterated one after another. Even though his appearance slowed the descent of Kun a little, he would still be crushed more than 30 meters into the earth by the head of the Kun if things continued as they were.


    Blood flowed from all seven orifices on the middle-aged monk''s face. However, his blood wasn''t bright red, and it was instead golden-yellow.


    He was surprisingly a Golden Arhat from the Buddhist Sect.


    The monk showed no signs of giving up, and he unleashed an explosive bellow as he suddenly turned around to support the Kun with his back. With his hands now free, he used them to form seals on his chest.


    The Buddhist monk raised his right forearm upright. His palm pointed outward, and his fingers pointed upward like five towering mountains.


    This was the Abhayamudra, the gesture of fearlessness of the Buddhist Sect.


    Golden blood drenched the middle-aged monk, yet his expression remained calm and unfazed. It was as if he werepletely indifferent and unfeeling toward his intense pain and the sacrifice of his hard-earned cultivation base.


    When the feet of the monk made contact with the ground, the Kun ship''s descent had already be slow and stable. However, the monk was still eventually pushed into the earth. When the Kun ship finally rumbled to a stop, the monk was already nowhere to be seen.


    After a long while, the earth started to loosen, and a dust-covered monk covered in golden blood slowly dug himself out. He walked out from under the Kun, and his face was filled withpassion and sympathy as he turned around and put his palms together. He lowered his head and said, "Amitabha."


    Under the backdrop of night, the middle-aged monk walked across the back of the dead Kun and weaved his way through the copsed buildings and dead bodies.


    When he came across wounded individuals, he would do everything in his ability to look after them and provide them with help. In the end, he came across a young girl whose face was drenched in blood. The middle-aged monk sighed softly. Seeing that she was uninjured, he put his palms together and silently walked away.


    The eyes of the young girl were expressionless, and there was a young girl of the same age lying in her embrace. The face of the corpse was unclear, and there was a beautiful embroidered pouch hanging limply from her waist.


    The young girl who was still alive gently patted the back of the corpse and murmured over and over again, "Don''t be scared, don''t be scared..."


    In Blusher Prefecture of Colorful Garment Nation...


    The sun was high and bright, and the streets and alleys of the prefectural city were bustling with people. Outside the city, the official roads were also flooded with merchants and travelers.


    The old immortal was staying in arge residence not far from the prefectural office. The owner of the residence was an extremely wealthy individual, and he sent invitations to many nobles in the city, both powerful nobles and rtively weak nobles. He invited them to his residence, and he especially constructed a tall stage for this asion. Night was yet to arrive, yet his residence was already decorated with colorfulnterns. Guests arrived one after another, and many of them brought their family and children along. There were probably no fewer than 300 people.


    Thanks to their rtionship with Liu Gaohua, the son of the prefectural overseer, Chen Ping''an and hispanions were also able to attend this grand event. However, their seats were not anything special. They were seated on two long benches inside a corridor beside ake. Even so, they at least had a small table filled with fruits and snacks.


    This was much better than some of the guests nearby, who only had seats but no tables or snacks. In fact, they had only received this table because Liu Gaohua had decided to sit with them instead of his father. Because of this, the host had decided to provide them with fruits and snacks as well.


    Chen Ping''an had initially wanted to practice standing meditation, but he was afraid that doing so would be far too eye-catching. Thus, he could only grab his wine gourd and slowly sip wine.


    Liu Gaohua was sitting between the big-bearded martial artist and Daoist Priest Zhang Shanfeng, and he was quietly telling them about the impressive wealth of this n as well as their secret rtionship with some great general in Colorful Garment Nation.


    The old immortal and his yellow paper beauties arrived as scheduled, and he made his appearance by flying over from a tall building in the distance. He slowly descended onto the tall stage in the middle of theke. When hended, hisrge sleeves billowed slightly as if he were a dragonfly gentlying into contact with the water. His immortal aura was disyed to the max, and his impressive entrance won thunderous apuse and shouts of approval from the audience sitting around theke.


    The old immortal''s cheeks were rosy, and he appeared especially graceful and refined in his immortal robes. He didn''t speak any nonsense afternding on the stage, and he didn''t even make small talk with the prefectural overseer or the general of the prefectural city.


    Instead, he shook his wrist and summoned a yellow talisman between his fingers. If one were a cultivation grandmaster with good vision, then one would be able to make out the outline of a woman on this talisman. However, this outline was far from appearing detailed or lively.


    The old immortal gently snapped his fingers, causing the yellow talisman between his fingers to shoot forth andnd on the ground. A plume of azure smoke slowly rose into the air.


    Immediately afterward, a graceful woman in colorful garb walked out from the azure smoke in an elegant manner. She then performed a curtsy toward the most esteemed guests sitting in a waterside pavilion.


    The big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest clicked their tongues in wonder. Meanwhile, Liu Gaohua excitedly pped his hands and roared in approval.


    However, Chen Ping''an suddenly shifted his gaze upward at this moment.


    Someone coincidentally looked over at the same time.


    This person was half-squatting on a distant courtyard wall, and he was shing a wide grin at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an calmly stood up and told Zhang Shanfeng that he was going to the toilet. The young Daoist priest nodded in acknowledgment and told him toe back quickly, lest he miss the spectacr show that was sure to follow. Chen Ping''an smiled and nodded in response.


    When Chen Ping''an left the corridor and walked down the steps, the young boy in ck simr age to him also walked over along the courtyard wall.


    The distance between them continued to shrink.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath, and it was as if he were facing a formidable foe.


    There were some partings where reunions were not desired. Yet, it was often the case that reunions would inadvertently ur.


    For example, this reunion between Chen Ping''an and Ma Kuxuan.


    However, there were some partings where reunions were clearly desired, yet it was most often these partings that would never lead to reunions again.


    For example, the parting between Chen Ping''an and the young girl, Qiu Shi.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Damn...</blockquote>

 Chapter 223: (1): Battle on the Street

    Chapter 223: (1): Battle on the Street


    Standing on the tall stage in the middle of theke, the beautiful woman in colorful robes who had transformed from a yellow talisman paper looked around with her lively and attractive eyes. How could she be a lifeless puppet? She was clearly a living and breathing beauty!


    The old immortal was standing on the edge of the stage, and he retrieved a small pink porcin bottle from his sleeve under the watchful gazes of everyone. Pulling the cork from the bottle, he casually tossed it toward the center of the stage. The bottle rolled to somece near the feet of the beautiful woman in colorful robes, and after remaining silent for a moment, the sound of a guqin melodiously traveled out from the bottle.


    It was as if a guqin grandmaster were present on the stage and gracefully ying the instrument. If a guqin master were present, they would be able to discern the slow rhythm of the starting tune. Following the introduction of music, the beautiful woman in colorful robes slowly stretched her body, and her long sleeves looked like flowing iridescent clouds.


    The guqin paused momentarily, and the beautiful woman in colorful robes also stopped her movements. She maintained a yful posture with her legs crossed over each other.


    She stood lightly on her tiptoes in her pink embroidered shoes, as if her feet were young lotus buds revealing their tips.


    The rhythm of the guqin gradually picked up, and the graceful dance of the beautiful woman sped up as well. Her hips swayed like the gentle breeze, and a single backward nce from her would be filled with captivating charm.


    When the guqin became chaotic and forceful, it was as if arge handful of pearls were pitter-pattering onto a jade te.


    The old immortal smiled faintly, and he suddenly lifted his two sleeves and caused four yellow paper talismans to float out from each sleeve. These paper talismans transformed into plumes of azure smoke when they hit the ground, hiding the beautiful woman from the view of the audience. They could only hear the rapid tune of the guqin, yet they couldn''t see the figure of the beautiful woman in colorful robes. This caused them to be slightly anxious, yet it also caused them to be increasingly eager and excited.


    The notes of the guqin suddenly turned exuberant, like water sttering out of a fallen silver vase[1].


    It was also at this instant that eight beautiful young women in flowing white robes suddenly appeared amid the faintly discernible azure smoke. With the woman in colorful robes in the middle, the eight ethereal-looking young women leaped outward with swords in their hands. At the same time, they gave a strange shout in unison as if they were ancient tribe members performing a ritual to honor their god. However, this didn''t ruin their elegant demeanor at all, and it instead gave off a valor no inferior to the bravest of men.


    Sitting in the waterside pavilion, the eyes of the middle-aged general responsible for the garrison near Blusher Prefecture immediately lit up. He was quite astonished by this performance. He had initially epted the invitation ande here out of respect, but after seeing this magnificent sight, he couldn''t help but apud and sing praises of the performance.


    "What a brilliant demonstration of heavy cavalry charging into battle! The young women leaping forward with swords in hand were especially brilliant in their ability to capture the fearsome aura of this scene. This is indeed a difficult and impressive achievement."


    Prefectural Overseer Liu stroked his beard and nodded with a smile, concurring, "It is indeed quite remarkable."


    The tune of the guqin soared through into the sky afterward, as if there were spring thunder rolling through the sea of clouds. The eight sword-wielding young women in white robes continued to dance with the woman in colorful robes in the middle, and they spun around incredibly quickly and thrust their swords forward with agility and vigor.


    Meanwhile, the beautiful woman in colorful robes purposely slowed down, her movement now in stark contrast with the eight young women in white. Moreover, there were many times when the young women in white leaned back and thrust their swords backward, with the tips of their swords stopping only an inch or so from the woman in colorful robes. Their movements were extremely risky, yet the beautiful woman in colorful robes remained smiling like a dazzling flower the entire time.


    The scene on the tall stage in the middle of theke had the beauty of flowing clouds and rippling water, and it also had a charm that was both heart-stopping and soul-stirring.


    The old immortal smiled faintly and said in a soft voice, "Come back!"


    The graceful movements of the beautiful women on the stage were extremely quick, and des of snow-white sword light continued to sweep toward the surroundings. This sword light would illuminate the faces of some guests from time to time, and many of them would be so scared that they would immediately cover their faces with their hands. It was also at this moment that the old immortal issued hismand.


    The eight young women in white suddenly stopped their movements and transformed back into pieces of yellow paper talismans. They hovered in the air, and when the old immortal waved his hand, they immediately flew into his sleeves like swallows returning to their nest.


    The beautiful woman in colorful robes bent down and retrieved the pink porcin bottle before gracefully walking over to the old immortal and handing it back to him. She then shed a beautiful smile toward the waterside pavilion, and only after that did she transform into a roughly drawn yellow paper talisman like the eight young women in white. The old immortal carefully ced the talisman inside his sleeve.


    This skillful performance by the old immortal from afar astonished everyone sitting around theke. All of the wealthy people who had traveled over from all over Blusher Prefecture were stunned by this performance, and some local "esteemed immortals" who had initially wanted to challenge the old immortal no longer had the face or confidence to jeer and boo.


    Zhang Shanfeng leaned forward to get around the son of the prefectural overseer sitting between him and Xu Yuanxia, and he asked in a soft voice, "Big Brother Xu, were you able to determine their true identities? Are they ghosts or demons? In any case, my demon-detecting bell didn''t ring at all."


    The big-bearded martial artist ignored the young Daoist priest''s question, and he rubbed his chin and mumbled, "In terms of their figures, the young woman in white who had a mole next to her mouth was no inferior to the woman in colorful robes."


    Liu Gaohua was still filled with astonishment, and he murmured to himself, "Such incredible mystical abilities. No wonder the notes written in the books always express people''s desires to enter the mountains to visit immortals. If I can learn this mystical ability, then will I still need to visit brothels and drink flower wine in the future?"


    The big-bearded martial artist finally came to his senses, and he asked Zhang Shanfeng, "Chen Ping''an still isn''t back yet? He didn''t fall into the toilet, did he?"


    "Chen Ping''an isn''t interested in these things, so maybe he secretly ran away to practice his fist stances," the young Daoist priest replied in exasperation.


    Xu Yuanxia nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Chen Ping''an is definitely able to do such things to spoil the fun. In fact, we can ask Young Master Liu to take us to those lovey-dovey ces afterward. After experiencing those things, I guarantee that Chen Ping''an will feel a strong urge to squat right next to the stage in the middle of theke the next time there''s a performance."


    There was a troubled expression on Liu Gaohua''s face, and he said, "Chivalrous Xu, I''m so poor that there''s nary a decoration in my house. You guys have seen the state of my residence as well. I did asionally visit those ces in the past, but that was because I was dragged over by my friends. To put things bluntly, the girls were initially willing to tter me and actively serve me because I''m the son of the prefectural overseer. After a while, however, they all started to deride me as a stingy cheapskate behind my back. They''re stopping just short of showing an attitude to my face."


    "As the son of a powerful official, you''ve actually managed to reduce yourself to such a state? That''s quite impressive of you, Liu Gaohua," the big-bearded martial artist teased. "What, you haven''t had any sess with your studies, and you''re unable to inherit your father''s position, but you''re unwilling to give up some face to umte wealth another way? So, in the end, you choose neither option and just aimlessly seek entertainment every day?"


    A look of dejection appeared on Liu Gaohua''s face, and he said in self-ridicule, "If I weren''t the only son in the family, and if my father weren''t hoping for me to continue our bloodline, then he would have at most written a eulogy for me if I had died in that ancient residence. His eulogy would definitely be filled with tears and emotions, and it would definitely be famous among schrs and literati. In reality, however, the rtionship between us is only so-so."


    Xu Yuanxia peeled a mandarin and offered half of it to Liu Gaohua. He didn''t say anything to console the prefectural overseer''s son.


    It was because the young man was living a peaceful life where he didn''t need to worry about food or shelter that he felt like everything was a struggle.


    When true hardships struck, however, he would quickly realize that this kind of struggle was, in fact, no struggle at all.


    Zhang Shanfeng was slightly worried about Chen Ping''an, and he was just about to stand up and head off to look for him. However, the corridor was already flooded with people and impossible to navigate through, so he had no option but to give up.


    After arriving at a quiet location, Chen Ping''an stopped seven or eight steps away from the exterior wall of the residence.


    The young boy in ck remained squatting on the wall with an amused look in his eyes. He looked Chen Ping''an up and down, and he said in the dialect of Dragon Spring Prefecture, "During our battle by the stream back then, I was unable to discern the power of your fists. Looking back at it now, I was indeed careless when I fought you in the immortal tomb. My loss wasn''tpletely unwarranted."


    To hear one''s native tongue in a foreignnd...


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t feel happy at all.


    This young boy in ck was none other than Apricot Blossom Alley''s Ma Kuxuan. Back then, he had been taken as a disciple by True Martial Mountain, one of the Militarian ancestral forces in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    During their battle in the immortal tomb, Ma Kuxuan had purposely held back and umted his power with the goal of killing both him and Ning Yao in a single breath. However, it was because of this that Chen Ping''an had found the opportunity to almost kill him using the skirt dagger that he had borrowed from Ning Yao. Yet, it was at that critical moment that the powerful cultivator from True Martial Mountain had stepped forward to block his attack. As a result, Chen Ping''an had failed to kill Ma Kuxuan.


    There was a handful of brined soybeans in Ma Kuxuan''s hand. He tossed them into his mouth one after another and enjoyed them with relish.


    While cultivating in True Martial Mountain, he had initially been worried that this young boy from y Vase Alley would have died already or be nothing more than a measly mortal. If that were the case, then it would feel extremely unfulfilling when he finally managed to exact revenge.


    During the past year or so, Ma Kuxuan had entered True Martial Mountain to train with his second master. He had made a huge name for himself during this time, and it could be said that he had be famous throughout dozens of nations around True Martial Mountain. Who in these nations didn''t know about this one-in-a-century prodigy from True Martial Mountain? Which Militarian elder or ancestor dared to shoot a sideways nce at him simply because of their seniority or power?


    Facing no obstructions whatsoever, he had advanced three tiers in just one short year. Right now, he was already at the peak stage of the fifth tier, the Furnace Molding Tier. This was absolutely terrifying.


    Ma Kuxuan had engaged in no fewer than sixteen battles against opponents of the same cultivation on True Martial Mountain, and he had achieved victory in each and every one.


    However, it was a shame that his trip to the outside world this time could only be regarded as freely exacting revenge and repaying debts of gratitude based on his whims. He was still unable to break through the barrier of the fifth tier and advance to the Middle Five Tiers. Thus, Ma Kuxuan was in a fairly bad mood.


    He had told his master to return to True Martial Mountain first, and he had said that he wanted to wander around the outside world to rx his mind. He wanted to look for some grandmasters at the Three Qi Tempering Tiers to practice his techniques, and he wanted to see whether these battles could help him shatter his barrier and advance to the next tier.


    However, even without using the many immortal treasures that he had obtained as rewards, gifts, or wagers, Ma Kuxuan had still been unable to find a genuine martial arts grandmaster after traveling through half a dozen small nations. Most of them had been martial artists at the fourth tier or fifth tier fishing for fame, and none of them had been able to withstand more than a few punches from him.


    Ma Kuxuan continued to snack on his brined soybeans as he chuckled, "Chen Ping''an, by the looks of it, you''ve set your mind on bing a pure martial artist? In fact, this doesn''t matter too much. If you''re lucky, the Great Li Empire might be interested in you once you be a sixth tier martial artist. At that time, you can choose to be a general with a bit of power and influence, and that can be considered bringing glory and honor to your ancestors."


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to this, and he directly asked, "Are you here to look for me? Or are you simply passing by?"


    Ma Kuxuan broke intoughter, and it was as if he had heard the most hrious joke in the world. He finally stoppedughing after much difficulty, and he tossed the remaining brined soybeans into his mouth before sneering, "I''m merely passing by. You truly overestimate yourself, Chen Ping''an. As for why I''m here? It''s because I heard about a peerless sword god who''s entered seclusion in Colorful Garment Nation for more than 30 years.


    "Everyone praised his sword techniques as divine and godly, and they imed that he was even more powerful than the immortals from the mountains. Theyvished him with praise, saying that his sword rested not in his hands but in his heart and whatnot. I found him after much difficulty, yet he was unwilling to ept my challenge and said that he had already exited the cultivation world.


    "I was furious when I heard this. I spent more than half a month looking for him, so how could he shoo me away just like that? However, no matter how I attacked him, he would simply dodge my attacks and refuse to engage in battle. He continued to run away just like that. Even if I caught up to him and smashed him to death with a single punch, that would have gone against my initial goal of looking for others to spar with.


    "So, I came up with a n and went out to look for his descendants. After killing two of them, I took their heads with me and went to look for the sword god again. He finally agreed to fight with me. However, he was only a sword-wielding martial artist at the fifth tier, so how could he live up to his title of sword god? What do you say, Chen Ping''an?"


    In reality, Ma Kuxuan was someone of few words in True Martial Mountain. He definitely wasn''t someone who would go on and on without rest. Apart from experiencing asional enlightenment, advancing to the next tier, or heading out to find others to fight or kill, he would spend most of his time cultivating in seclusion.


    Apart from his teacher-in-name, there were two other old ancestors from True Martial Mountain who would train with him and teach him the true intent of Militarians. One was arranged by True Martial Mountain, and one had volunteered due to their interest in Ma Kuxuan. In fact, thetter viewed Ma Kuxuan as their sessor.


    Even Ma Kuxuan was unsure of why he felt like saying so much to Chen Pingan. Of course, there were still more important things to do after saying all of this.


    For example, having another fight!


    1. The author is referencing ''Song of the Pipa'' to describe the rhythm and emotions expressed by the guqin and the dancing women in the paragraphs before and after this. This is a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi, one of the greatest poets in Chinese history.

 Chapter 223: (2): Battle on the Street

    Chapter 223: (2): Battle on the Street


    After entering True Martial Mountain, Ma Kuxuan had promised himself that he would never lose against opponents at the same cultivation level as him, regardless of whether they were Qi refiners or pure martial artists. This was the case at the Lower Five Tiers, and this would remain the case when he advanced to the Middle Five Tiers and Upper Five Tiers!


    Because of this, Chen Ping''an was a small knot in his heart. This kind of small knot was nothing for Miltarian cultivators, but it was still very repulsive! Ma Kuxuan was naturally unhappy about this. He was undefeated in True Martial Mountain where many immortals resided, yet he had actually lost to this hillbilly who only knew some bastard fist techniques back then?


    "Since we''vee across each other again, are we going to have another fight?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Ma Kuxuan rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Don''t worry, I won''t bully you, and we can have a battle at the third tier. Seeing that we share a hometown, I''ll also do my best to avoid killing you by ident. Even if you''re wounded or crippled tonight, you''ll still be able to feel proud about your victory against me in the immortal tomb when I advance to the Upper Five Tiers in the future. However, let me warn you first. You can feel smug about this in private, but if you dare to tell others about it, then I won''t go easy on you anymore."


    Ma Kuxuan peered down at the calm and unfazed Chen Ping''an, and a hint of displeasure appeared in his mind.<em> Oh, you''ve even learned how to feignposure now. By the looks of it, you have indeed learned some things after walking all the way to Colorful Garment Nation.</em>


    The amused smile remained on Ma Kuxuan''s face, and he told himself that this little brat would understand the immensity of heaven and earth after he defeated him with a few punches in a while.


    Ma Kuxuan was just about to jump down from the courtyard wall, yet Chen Ping''an had already said, "We''ll fight outside."


    Ma Kuxuan had been squatting on the courtyard wall the entire time, and after leaning backward, he vanished without a trace. It was as if he had fallen onto the street outside the residence.


    Chen Ping''an looked around before tapping a foot and leaping onto the courtyard wall. Ma Kuxuan was slowly walking along a deserted street, and he bent a finger and beckoned Chen Pingan over.


    After Chen Ping''annded on the street, Ma Kuxuan held one hand behind his back and used his other hand to scratch his head. Then, he took a nce at Chen Ping''an''s sword case and smiled widely. "You can use whatever weapon you want. I won''t consider this as you taking advantage."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything, and he slowly walked forward after assuming the six-step walking meditation stance of the Mountain Shaking Fist.


    Deep water naturally made no sound.


    The same principle could be applied to the fist intent of martial artists. By internalizing and concealing one''s aura, and by returning to a state of natural simplicity, one''s fist intent could thus be absolute reason.


    Even though Ma Kuxuan continued to denigrate Chen Ping''an, and continued to treat him as a pitiful fool, his aura immediately changed when he calmed his mind down and prepared to fight his opponent. He clenched one hand into a fist and held it against his abdomen, and he kept his other hand open and held it behind his back. When he formed a fist, he habitually had his fingers lightly dig into his palm.


    There was a gap of a dozen or so meters between them.


    "Having fist intent alone isn''t enough; you''re far too slow!"


    Ma Kuxuan suddenly strode forward, causing the ground to shudder slightly when his foot made contact with it. The force of his stomp traveled deep into the earth, yet it showed no signs of dissipating into the surroundings. The young boy in ck arrived before Chen Ping''an in a sh, and he immediately used his right hand to throw a punch at his opponent''s head.


    Chen Ping''an raised both hands at once, and he tilted his head slightly as he used his left hand to swat away Ma Kuxuan''s punch. At the same time, he used his other hand to grab Ma Kuxuan''s sneaky cross hook. He leaned forward slightly, and he used his left elbow to strike Ma Kuxuan''s face.


    However, Ma Kuxuan unexpectedly raised his knee and furiouslyunched a front kick to block Chen Ping''an''s advance. He leaned back, retreated one step, and sessfully increased the distance between them, dodging Chen Ping''an''s elbow strike.


    He was just about to unleash another explosive attack. After all, his front kick was powerful enough topletely shatter the target''s internal organs. While traveling around and challenging grandmasters from all over, even fifth tier martial artists had seldom been able to avoid vomiting a few ounces of blood after being struck by Ma Kuxuan''s punches or kicks. Even though Ma Kuxuan was a Militarian cultivator, his physique was surprisingly better tempered than that of most pure martial artists.


    However, Ma Kuxuan failed to strike Chen Ping''an, and he discovered that his opponent had grabbed onto his leg and thrown him sideways.


    Ma Kuxuan rapidly adjusted his posture in mid-air, and he eventually thrust his feet into the wall. His body was surprisingly parallel with the ground, and he maintained this strange posture as he walked forward as if he were walking on t ground.


    Chen Ping''an walked beside him, and he threw a punch after the other at Ma Kuxuan''s head.


    He didn''t use the fist techniques that Cui Chan''s grandfather had taught him in the bamboo building.


    This was a probing exchange, as both sides were unaware of their opponent''s true strength. Thus, they held back and continued to umte power, and this first exchange was merely an act of observing their opponent''s ability. They didn''t use their full strength, and they didn''t engage in furious exchanges straight away.


    It wasn''t strange for Chen Ping''an to be so cautious, but it was very interesting that Ma Kuxuan  someone who had seen many things in True Martial Mountain and fought against many grandmasters in the cultivation world  was also so careful. It was clear that in the depths of Ma Kuxuan''s heart, he still felt a sense of indescribable apprehension toward Chen Ping''an, the only person who had defeated him before.


    <em>He''s attacking!</em>


    Two small craters appeared on the wall.


    Like a vicious arrow, Ma Kuxuan shot toward his opponent. Chen Ping''an suppressed his True Qi into his core abode; he stomped the ground and nimbly slid back. He suddenly unleashed his power, and with a boom, the tiles under his straw sandals cracked and sent clouds of dust into the air.


    Ma Kuxuan continued to throw punches, and his attacks rained down on Chen Ping''an like a torrential downpour. Chen Ping''an retreated as he fought, but he continued to face his opponent head-on and used punches to deal with punches. Ma Kuxuan''s attacks were forceful and relentless, and he unleashed attack after attack as if he had no idea what fatigue even meant. Even though he was in mid-air and his feet had no contact with any surface, Ma Kuxuan was still able to unleash tremendously powerful strikes.


    Thuds and cracks echoed from between them.


    It was as if someone were furiously beating a war drum.


    Ma Kuxuan''s relentless attacks forced Chen Ping''an to retreat a dozen steps. Right now, Chen Ping''an''s back was almost against the wall.


    However, possessing an advantage in the sense that his feet were on solid ground, Chen Ping''an was able to make use of this to borrow power or dissipate power. As they exchanged blows, he was able to gain a slight advantage thanks to this.


    A momentter, Chen Ping''an stomped on the ground with both feet and forcefully blocked Ma Kuxuan''s punch. He then returned the favor with interest, throwing a ferocious punch and striking Ma Kuxuan''s face. The young boy in ck was sent flying backward.


    However, just as Chen Ping''an was about to take a deep breath and replenish his Qi, Ma Kuxuan threw a sweeping kick as he flew backward, striking Chen Ping''an''s neck.


    Ma Kuxuan had been sent flying back by Chen Ping''an''s punch, and he twisted in mid-air so that he couldnd on his feet. Even so, the momentum pushed him back a few more paces.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was sent spinning around by Ma Kuxuan''s kick, and he bent his knees slightly to stabilize hmself. Then, he immediately retreated, seemingly trying to stabilize his breath.


    Ma Kuxuan cracked a grin, revealing his menacing white teeth. He was roughly aware of the power, speed, and flow of True Qi of Chen Ping''an''s fist technique now. He dashed forward, and his movements were so quick that it was as if he were using a Daoist divine movement talisman.


    Chen Ping''an was forced to assume a seemingly defensive fist stance. Ma Kuxuan''s pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately spun around just as he was about to collide with Chen Ping''an. His feet moved quickly, and he looked much like a spinning top as he pirouetted around Chen Ping''an. He was tilted backward in an odd stance, but he didn''t fall back no matter how precarious his position looked. At the same time, he made sure to maintain a distance of one arm''s length between himself and Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t recklessly try to punch Ma Kuxuan.


    After spinning around in a couple full circles, Ma Kuxuan finally managed to arrest his momentum and stand up straight. He nimbly darted from ce to ce around Chen Ping''an again, and he asked in a curious voice, "This punch is very dangerous. Does it have a name?"


    Chen Ping''an naturally wouldn''t answer his question. He lightly shifted his feet, and he made sure that he was always facing Ma Kuxuan. All the while, he remained in his usual fist stance with fist intent coursing through his entire body. Meanwhile, the burst of True Qi that was like a fiery dragon also continued to swim around his body.


    Ma Kuxuan received no response, but this didn''t stop him from leisurely dancing around Chen Ping''an. He suddenly chuckled to himself and said, "Oh, how stupid of me. I don''t me you. I came across many so-called grandmasters and gant cultivators when I traveled around the cultivation world this time, and when they fought with each other and exchanged blows, there would always be countless idiots on the sidelines pping and shouting in excitement. The fights between these people truly looked like little chicks pecking at rice.


    "This might sound funny, but before they unleashed their strikes, they would always like to shout ''eat my attack'' and other such. Sometimes, they would stupidly reveal the name of their technique as if they were afraid of their opponent not understanding the essence of their sword strike or whatever."


    Ma Kuxuan smiled with squinted eyes, and his expression appeared especially rxed andzy.


    Even though he said that he only wanted to determine a victor and that he would hold back, his killing intent at this moment was in no way different from his killing intent during their previous battle at the immortal tomb.


    He stood still and suggested, "It''s pointless for the two of us to face each other like this. Now that I suppressed my power to your level, you can actually force a draw. Chen Ping''an, do you want to make things a little more interesting?"


    Chen Ping''an pursed his lips and said, "You can use your fifth tier cultivation. I won''t consider this as you taking advantage."


    The usually taciturn Chen Ping''an was directly throwing Ma Kuxuan''s words back at him.


    To the proud and haughty young boy from True Martial Mountain, even if Chen Ping''an pped him in the face, it wouldn''t have been as insulting.


    He simply replied with a chuckle.


    There was a dazzling smile on his face, but he was actually seething with anger on the inside. He continued to clench and loosen his fist, and arcs of snow-white lightning crackled between his fingers.


    As it turned out, when suppressing himself to the third tier and fighting against Chen Ping''an, he had also refrained from using his Militarian techniques. Thus, their fight had appeared especially worldly and unrefined.


    Chen Ping''an was unfazed, however, and his fist intent soared rapidly like a roaring river.


    This time, however, he changed his ancient Deity Drumming Technique stance into the intense and unrestrained Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique stance.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an said something that steeled Ma Kuxuan''s resolve to kill him, as if thetter hadn''t been resolved enough already.


    "Ma Kuxuan, I''m begging you, just fight me if you want to. But can you stop spewing so much nonsense?"


    Ma Kuxuan took a deep breath and wiped away his expression ofziness. His eyes were emotionless, and there was neither haughtiness nor joy or anger.


    His expression was calm, and he extended a finger and asked, "Do you dare to fight inside the second circle that I drew with my movements just then? The person who steps out of the circle first loses."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in acknowledgment.


    Ma Kuxuan strode forward and entered the circle without hesitation.


    Chen Ping''an from y Vase Alley.


    Ma Kuxuan from Apricot Blossom Alley.


    Both of them were well aware of their situation.


    Ma Kuxuan wanted to decide more than just victory and defeat. He wanted to decide life and death as well.


    Chen Ping''an, on his part, was unwilling to retreat. More precisely, any thoughts of retreat would mean death. Moreover, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t feel guilty about killing someone like Ma Kuxuan, a bastard who would kill more people the more powerful he became.


    Their encounter in this foreign country was a coincidence.


    Ever since their encounter in the small town, however, the formless battle between their Great Dao was destined.


    Moreover, there was also the conflict between their fathers that Ma Kuxuan was aware of but Chen Ping''an was still oblivious to.


    In Colorful Garment Nation that resided in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and on the quiet street that resided in the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture...


    Chen Ping''an made the first move using the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique. The inch movement talisman in his sleeve was already prepared and ready to use, and he could unleash his true killing technique, the Deity Drumming Technique, at any moment. He could use this to drive home his advantage.


    Profound lightning from True Martial Mountain appeared in the hands of Ma Kuxuan. He was truly a fifth tier Militarian cultivator.


    They stood within a few feet of each other, within the small area marked by Ma Kuxuan''s circle.


    However, this small area was filled with the fist intent and astonishing lightning of the two young boys.


    This was a deadly fight at close quarters.


    Taking into ount their cultivation base alone, the battle between a martial artist at the peak stage of the third tier and a Militarian Qi refiner at the peak stage of the fifth tier could, in fact, be viewed as little chicks pecking at rice in the words of Ma Kuxuan.


    Taking into ount Chen Ping''an''s martial arts fist intent and Ma Kuxuan''s Militarian soul that he had nurtured long ago, however, this would be a stunning sight even from the point of view of immortal ns and forces in the mountains, to say nothing of the cultivation world outside the mountains.


    Ma Kuxuan shattered Chen Ping''an''s Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique before thetter could umte his true fist intent.


    However, it wasn''t long before Ma Kuxuan was solidly struck by a full punches from the Deity Drumming Technique. A faint golden glow appeared on Ma Kuxuan''s face, and he was forced to use a secret technique from True Martial Mountain to forcefully halt the momentum of this strange fist technique.


    Afterward, Ma Kuxuanunched several attacks of his own, causing Chen Ping''an to bleed from the temple. Chen Ping''an was also struck by two orbs of lightning, and it was as if spring thunder had exploded next to his ear and his face had been smashed by a sledgehammer. However, he had already experienced all kinds of pain in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, so he genuinely couldn''t be bothered to acknowledge this level of injury.


    Ma Kuxuan became increasingly brave and ferocious as he fought, like a crazed demon.


    The two young boys from Dragon Spring Prefecture exchanged relentless blows head-on. They pursued speed, and they were willing to injure themselves to strike their opponent. With their tenacity and ferocity, they were willing to risk grave injury if it meant they could gain even a sliver of an advantage over their opponent.


    Thus, even when it was clearly possible for them to block their opponent''s strike, they would still choose to face the strike head-on such that they could throw a strike of their own!


    Chen Ping''an''s internal organs were churning, and blood was flowing from all seven orifices on his face.


    Ma Kuxuan''s aura was also chaotic, and agonizing pain gripped at his heart. There wasn''t much lightning left in his hands.


    However, both of them became increasingly calm and grounded.


    They were treating each other as whetstones to temper and refine their Great Dao.


    The final time the two of them exchanged strikes and wounds, Chen Ping''an suddenly decided to change his attack after a thought urred to him. Standing meditation was used to nurture his soul, but he chose to use this stance to attack at this moment. He moved his hands apart, but his Qi remained connected as he jabbed two fingers into Ma Kuxuan''s be and another two fingers into Ma Kuxuan''s chest.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was also struck in the chest by two punches from Ma Kuxuan.


    Both of them stumbled back in unison, and Ma Kuxuan swallowed a mouthful of blood when he stepped outside the circle. There was a sinister smile on his face as he announced, "Chen Ping''an, you''ve lost this time. Now we have one victory each!"


    Chen Ping''an remained silent, and he shuffled his feet as he kept his eyes fixed on Ma Kuxuan. He used the back of his hand to slowly wipe the blood from his face, but he didn''t dare to cover his vision for a single instant.


    Right at this moment, someone standing on the wall smiled faintly and said, "Very well."


    Ma Kuxuan sighed and turned around to leave. Turning his head back to look at Chen Ping''an, he pointed at him and said, "Next time we meet, we''ll decide victory and defeat as well as life and death."


    Ma Kuxuan''s face was twisted in pain as he slowly walked forward, but he gritted his teeth and didn''t allow himself to make a single sound.


    Chen Ping''an stood still and looked up at that familiar figure.


    It was the Militarian cultivator from True Martial Mountain who had brought Ma Kuxuan away from the immortal tomb.


    When the fifteenth punch of the Deity Drumming Technique was interrupted, Chen Ping''an had already noticed the presence of this person. More urately, this person had purposely made his presence known to Chen Ping''an.


    Because of this, Chen Ping''an had decided against using his two bonded flying swords.


    The Militarian cultivator had transmitted to Chen Ping''an that he didn''t need to worry about deciding life or death. Instead, he simply needed to fight using his full strength. Once victory and defeat was decided, the Militarian cultivator would stop the victor from attempting to kill the loser no matter who the victor was.


    The man strode forward and walked next to Ma Kuxuan, whose face was filled with tears of pain. He turned to Chen Ping''an and said, "In order to express my apology and gratitude, I''ve helped you dispose of one hidden assassin. Otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult for you to gather your concentration and engage in another fight after rxing your mind. It would have been very easy for that assassin to take advantage of your situation."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in acknowledgment.


    Why the so-called gratitude?


    The Militarian cultivator was well aware of the fact that Chen Ping''an''s foot hadn''t actually made contact with the ground outside the circle. Instead, the young boy''s foot had remained in mid-air. However, Ma Kuxuan had been at his limit after the final sh, so he hadn''t been able to notice this minor detail.


    As for why Chen Ping''an was still so cautious?


    This was because he didn''t trust the words of that Militarian cultivator from True Martial Mountain at all.


    There was only one Mr. Qi, and there was only one A''Liang.

 Chapter 224: Talented Scholar and Beautiful Lady

    Chapter 224: Talented Schr and Beautiful Lady


    On the tall stage in the middle of theke, the old immortal demonstrated his incredible abilities again, using four yellow paper talismans to summon four beautiful women. They were all shapely and beautiful in different ways, and they were no inferior to the beautiful woman in colorful robes just then.


    He then asked the well-prepared attendants and servants in the residence to carry a guqin and guqin table, a Go table and Go set, and arge desk and the four treasures of the study onto the stage. There was a dazzling array of items.


    Mortal humans cared about firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, while schrs and refined people naturally cared about guqin, Go, calligraphy, and painting. Thetter group of people did no housework or hardbor, and their sleeves were filled with elegant and refreshing wind.


    The old immortal pointed at the woman gracefully sitting in front of the Go table before cupping his fists and asking in a loud voice, "Are there any Go masters in Blusher Prefecture? If anyone manages to defeat her, then they''ll be able to take this Go table and the two boxes of Go pieces that are worth 1000 taels of gold."


    Nothing in this residence was cheap.


    In any case, one naturally wouldn''t dare to show off cheap and ordinary items in front of so many officials and wealthy nobles.


    Colorful Garment Nation''s Blusher Prefecture was especially fond of schrly arts, so there were many people in the prefectural city who were passionate and skilled at Go. It wasn''t long before an elder in azure stood up and walked toward the tall stage in the middle of theke. Upon seeing this, some haughty Go yers could only obediently sit back down. Judging from this, it was clear that the elder in azure was definitely the number one Go yer in Blusher Prefecture.


    The old immortal and the elder in azure acknowledged each other with a nod. Thetter then walked to the Go table and sat down. Before starting the game, the two sides needed to decide who yed first. Perhaps the elder was feeling conceited about his seventh rank, or perhaps he viewed himself as the elder among the two people at the same rank, so he immediately grabbed a handful of white pieces.


    The woman who was transformed from a yellow paper talisman smiled faintly before bending down to retrieve two ck pieces. After counting the white pieces, it was decided that the elder in azure would use ck and y first[1].


    A chorus of raucous cheers instantly rang out around theke.


    As one of the top-notch Go yers in Colorful Garment Nation, the elder in azure was naturally the pride of Blusher Prefecture. As such, it was only reasonable for the guests around theke to cheer for him. After all, they would naturally support their own.


    The old immortal pointed toward the two women sitting behind therge desk. He pointed at the woman to the left and said, "Prefectural Overseer Liu, I heard that you''ve been worried about something recently. The newly constructed temple is still missing a couplet, so after she finishes writing one up, you can have a look at it and decide whether you want to use it or not. Your essays are brilliant and well-renowned throughout the imperial court, and your exquisite judgement will naturally allow you to make a good decision."


    Prefectural Overseer Liu stroked his beard as he nodded and smiled. He appeared both reserved and pleased.


    The old immortal then turned his attention to the general sitting beside Prefectural Overseer Liu in the waterside pavilion. Heughed loudly and said, "General Ma, you''re a brave general with great merits, and you were once a member of the core forces who guarded the border of Colorful Garment Nation. You only returned after experiencing a hundred battles. Even though I''m from a foreign nation, I still have utmost respect for you. So, I''m going to humbly ask her to paint a snowy battlefield scene for you!"


    The general downed the wine in his ss and roared with delightedughter. "If the painting is good, and if it can truly capture the vast atmosphere of the battlefield, then I''ll personally see you off for fifteen kilometers when you leave!"


    The old immortal cupped his fists and thanked the general in advance. He then walked to the guqin table and retrieved a stick of incense from his sleeve. He ced the stick of incense in an empty copper censer and personally lit it up. Smoke wafted into the sky, and a purple aura drifted around the incense.


    He nodded at the beautiful woman sitting in front of the guqin, and thetter gave a pleasant smile before lowering her head and starting to prepare herself mentally.


    When the melodious and ethereal tune of the guqin sounded, the minds of the hundreds of guests around theke immediately started to rx.


    In the primitive past, sages invented the guqin to right the sounds of the world. The guqin could restrict lust and evil and right one''s mind[2].


    Sitting inside a corridor, Xu Yuanxia snacked on sunflower seeds as he clicked his tongue in wonder. "He''s got quite a few tricks up his sleeves. However, they''re all so gentle and mellow, so this iscking some excitement."


    The big-bearded martial artist had little knowledge regarding the schrly arts of guqin, Go, calligraphy, and painting, so it was only normal that he was feeling a distinctck of interest. He was more willing to watch those women brandish their swords. The woman in colorful robes and the eight young women in white had twisted their hips and vaguely shown off the curves of their supple bottoms. That was the kind of beautiful scene that he liked to watch.


    The young schr Liu Gaohua was also addicted to Go, so he was very interested in the game between the elder in azure and the young woman. However, he didn''t have the right to enter the stage to watch the game, and he could only me himself for being such an incapable descendant of an official.


    Zhang Shanfeng was truly worried at this moment. After waiting for so long, Chen Ping''an was still yet to return from his trip to the toilet. He hadn''t truly fallen into the toilet, had he? Ignoring the surrounding guests rolling their eyes at him, he gave Xu Yuanxia and Liu Gaohua a heads-up before standing up and heading off to look for Chen Ping''an.


    The old immortal had a tranquil smile on his face as he stood with his hands inside his opposite sleeves. He appeared profound and enigmatic, and he observed everything that was happening around theke. He knew that half of his n had already seeded.


    Ma Kuxuan retrieved a small porcin bottle as he walked along the street. After pouring two silver pills into his hand and tossing them into his mouth, he said in exasperation, "Master, you''re like a ghost that can''t stop haunting me."


    By the looks of it, his master had been following him around the entire time during his travels and fights in the cultivation world. Ma Kuxuan felt extremely helpless and exasperated about this. However, he roughly understood his master''s character; the man was a stubborn and pedantic person who would be unwavering once he set his mind on something.


    Ma Kuxuan wasn''t feeling guilty or anything. In fact, the old ancestor who had taught the secret techniques of the Militarian Sect to him and bestowed him with powerful immortal treasures had told him that apart from the mountain master''s order, True Martial Mountain didn''t have any genuine rules or regtions. Moreover, the sect master had already cultivated in seclusion for a hundred years, so order had long since bex.


    The man remained silent.


    He had left True Martial Mountain this time in order to protect Ma Kuxuan as he went to seek trouble with themander of the Sea Tide Cavalry. This pertained to the death of Ma Kuxuan''s grandmother.


    The empire that the Sea Tide Cavalry belonged to had coincidentally fought a brutal war with its mortal enemy not long ago. It had been an earth-shattering war. One empire had deployed its deity that measured 300 meters in height, while the other empire had also deployed a colossal bull that was responsible for guarding the nation. Apparently, it was an iron bull that immortals had used to suppress the waters in the ancient past.


    The Sea Tide Cavalry had suffered heavy casualties in the war, and Ma Kuxuan''s infiltration had also resulted in the death of three additional middle-ranked generals in a single night. After assassinating them, Ma Kuxuan had left without a care in the world.


    Afterward, the Militarian cultivator hadn''t rejected Ma Kuxuan''s request when the young boy had said that he wanted to travel through the cultivation world to temper his physique. However, he had continued to secretly follow Ma Kuxuan around, lest anything untoward happen to the young boy.


    Ma Kuxuan wiped his tears away and exhaled heavily. He then ced his hands behind his head and asked, "If  I''m saying <em>if</em>  Chen Ping''an had the opportunity to kill me, would you step forward to kill him first?"


    The man finally replied, saying, "I don''t dare, and I don''t want to either."


    He wouldn''t dare to because of a certain person that had once barged into the pce of the Great Li Empire and severely damaged the White Jade Capital. That person clearly had a strong rtionship with Chen Ping''an.


    If it were only this, then some people would still feel the itch to target Chen Ping''an as time went on.


    Unexpectedly, however, the transcendent sword immortal at the Upper Five Tiers had returned to the mortal world much sooner than anyone had expected. Even though he had been pummeled into the Majestic World by True Invincible, the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor, how many people in the world were even qualified to take a full power punch from this person?


    He didn''t want to because he had a fairly good impression of Chen Ping''an. If it weren''t for the request of the sect, he felt like the young boy from y Vase Alley who had alreadyprehended the true intent of fist techniques was, in fact, more suitable than Ma Kuxian to be his disciple.


    However, the sect leader had issued a strict decree during a critical moment of his seclusion, and he had ordered True Martial Mountain to take Ma Kuxuan as a direct disciple and treat this matter with utmost importance. He wouldn''t ept a single mistake. Otherwise, he would hold those in charge ountable once he exited seclusion.


    It was because of this that True Martial Mountain had sent him to Jewel Small World. While fighting over Ma Kuxuan with the Golden Boy and Jade Girl from Divine Edict Sect, the Militarian cultivator had also been unwilling to take a backward step the entire time. In fact, he had appeared extremely stubborn and unruly, aggressive even.


    With that said, it was actually incorrect to view the man as Ma Kuxuan''s master, even in name only. The Buddhist Sect had lecturer monks, ascetic monks, missionary monks, guardian monks, and so on. In the same vein, the Militarian cultivator''s true role was the Dao guardian of Ma Kuxuan. He was responsible for protecting Ma Kuxuan as thetter progressed through his journey ofprehending the Great Dao. As such, it wasn''t important whether Ma Kuxuan''s Great Dao aligned with his or not.


    "But <em>you</em> may kill Chen Ping''an. Well, that''s if you have the ability," the man suddenly added.


    The man naturally wasn''t encouraging Ma Kuxuan to do this. Instead, he was simply stating a fact.


    Ma Kuxuan sneered and replied, "If I have the ability to? Why wouldn''t I have the ability to?! Other people might not know how many immortal treasures are in my pocket treasure, but you know it very well."


    The man smiled and countered, "You have immortal treasures, but your opponent doesn''t have any?"


    Ma Kuxuan cracked a grin and said with a scornful expression, "So what if he has immortal treasures as well? Can theypare to mine? To say nothing of the golden immortal molt passed down through the generations in True Martial Mountain, just the two heroic spirits guarding my soul are akin to the most destructively powerful sword cultivators. As long as my opponent isn''t at the Middle Five Tiers, so what if they stab me hundreds or thousands of times with their flying sword? Will they be able to harm a single hair of mine?"


    "Then why didn''t you use them? Why did you insist on getting beaten up so badly?" the man asked.


    "This fight was far more interesting than those small skirmishes on True Martial Mountain. How can I willingly use those crappy immortal treasures to defeat that person and have him suffer a confused death? This goes against my personality, and I''m not willing to bully Chen Ping''an like this either.


    "So, I''m going toprehensively defeat him in the area that he views as his greatest asset and advantage. Isn''t he a pure martial artist who possesses an innate advantage in terms of physique? Then I''ll use my physique that''s been tempered by Militarian cultivation methods to fight with him head-on. Master, did you truly think I was unaware of the strangeness and power of Chen Ping''an''s fist technique simply because I confined our fight to a small area?"


    Ma Kuxuan smiled and continued, "I was well aware of this. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have purposely avoided Chen Ping''an''s fist technique the first time around. However, when I thought about it, why did I need to avoid the fist technique of a third tier martial artist? Since this was the case, would I also need to avoid the attacks of sixth tier martial artists and ninth tier grandmasters in the future? Even if I be more powerful and possess the upper hand in terms of cultivation base, will I still need to avoid the attacks of End Tier grandmasters like Song Changjing?"


    "Then what''s your answer?" the man asked.


    Ma Kuxuan looked back. The two of them had already walked very far, and they were soon about to arrive at the city gate. The young boy with the wooden sword case was already nowhere to be seen. Ma Kuxuan retracted his gaze, and a look of determination appeared in his eyes as he replied, "If I''m fighting against other people in the future, then I can decide whether or not to avoid their most powerful attacks depending on the situation. This won''t matter as long as I win in the end. However, I can''t ept this if it''s against that person! I insist on using my physique as a fifth tier Qi refiner to fight against him, a third tier martial artist!"


    The man didn''t offer a response.


    Ma Kuxuan frowned and asked, "Why is Chen Ping''an''s physique so powerful even though he''s only at the third tier? Even though I didn''t do too well in terms of tempering my physique, having spent more of my time and effort to recruit ancestral heroic spirits of True Martial Mountain, my so-called ''not too well'' is only inparison to myself. How does Chen Ping''an possess such an unreasonably powerful physique?"


    The man shook his head and replied, "Everyone has their own fated opportunity. Do you think you are able to obtain all of the good things in the world?"


    Ma Kuxuan snickered and said, "As long as it''s within my vision or reach, then all of the good things in the world should belong to me and only me!"


    The man dismissed this with a smile.


    There were many things that he didn''t say and many principles that he didn''t exin, but this didn''t mean that Ma Kuxuan was correct. There were also many words of praise that he didn''t offer, but this didn''t mean that Ma Kuxuan hadn''t done well enough.


    Dao guardians simply needed to guarantee that the person they were guarding could walk higher and further along their path of the Great Dao. They simply needed to be protected from premature death.


    As for Ma Kuxuan, he was destined to walk very high and very far.


    As for how high and how far exactly, and which historical figure he could rival, many mighty figures hidden in the background of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent were watching on with eager anticipation.


    As they walked, Ma Kuxuan eventually held a hand to his abdomen and a hand to his face, cursing, "It hurts so fucking much!"


    Chen Ping''an forcefully replenished his Qi and didn''t allow his concentration to falter. After doing this, he swept his gaze around to look for the so-called assassin. There was no corpse on the street, so he could only jump onto the wall and dash forward with his back slightly bent. He suddenly stopped after a while, and he lightly jumped to the ground. This was where he and Ma Kuxuan had first confronted each other.


    There was a pile of ashes sitting here, and there was also a small white bowl and a charcoal-like piece of ebony resting on top of the ashes. Chen Ping''an didn''t walk over, and he remained still in the same spot as he focused his gaze. The true appearances of the Five Mountains were painted on the outside of the exquisite white bowl. However, he couldn''t detect anything special about the piece of ebony.


    This assassin had most likely been killed in an instant by the Militarian cultivator from True Martial Mountain. The Militarian cultivator had then used a secret technique to disintegrate the assassin''s corpse into a pile of ashes. However, he hadn''t destroyed the two precious treasures owned by the assassin, and he had instead purposely left them lying here. Perhaps this was the Militarian cultivator''s way of apologizing to him?


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before walking over and squatting down. He picked up the piece of ebony that was only a foot long. It was quite hefty, and it surprisingly weighed four to five kilograms. He then picked up the small white bowl and spun it around in his hands. Examining it carefully, he saw that there were names written next to the drawings of the Five Mountains. If Chen Ping''an remembered it correctly, these were most likely the Five Mountains of Ancient Elm Nation.


    It wasn''t difficult for Chen Ping''an to guess the assassin''s identity. This was most likely someone sent by the schr with the surname Chu from the ancient residence. ording to his ims, even the emperor of Ancient Elm Nation only enjoyed the same standing as him. Before dying, his body had also transformed into rotten wood, clearly a sign that he had used a substitution technique to avoid death. He had made a threat as well, saying that he would definitely cause trouble for Chen Ping''an in the future.


    Afterward, things had be simple and clear when Yang Huang had exined the situation regarding his wife and her female elm wood core. The foundation of Schr Chu''s Great Dao had been his body which was transformed from a section of ancient elm, as well as the female elm wood core of the female ghost from the ancient residence. It was due to this that the tree spirit had used the term "again and again" after being suppressed by Chen Ping''an.


    Since these were relics left by his mortal enemy, Chen Ping''an didn''t feel a shred of guilt when taking them. Not only that, but he even started to grumble about how poor the assassin was. How did they have so few possessions? Why didn''t they have a few dozen snowke coins on them?


    Chen Ping''an ced the small white bowl and the hefty piece of ebony in his pocket treasure. He was truly unable to walk much further, so he dragged himself another dozen or so steps to a tall and sturdy apricot tree next to the wall. He leaned against the wall and slowly sat down. He then retrieved a clean shirt from Fifteenth and carefully wiped off his blood.


    After all, he couldn''t run back to thekeside corridor with his body drenched in blood after saying that he was going to the toilet, could he? Not only would Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng feel suspicious of him, but even the other guests in the corridor would very likely create a scene. Today was a lively and bustling day, so Chen Ping''an didn''t want to be the center of attention. He didn''t want to cause trouble for Liu Gaohua either.


    Chen Ping''an was able to endure hardships and withstand pain, but this didn''t mean that hardships and pain were any less ufortable. His internal organs were wounded quite heavily during his life-and-death battle with Ma Kuxuan inside the circle, so all he wanted to do right now was to sit down and not think about anything.


    The performance on the tall stage in the middle of theke was still ongoing, so Chen Ping''an could still hear the apuse and delighted shouts of the guests around theke. However, his sight was blocked by a corridor and the packed guests, so he was unable to see the spectacr performance directed by the old immortal. He couldn''t do anything about this, so he decided to nce up and look around instead.


    The old apricot tree beside him had arge crown and many branches. There were many blooming apricot blossoms, and the tree enjoyed many wisps of spring breeze.


    Different people were indeed very different from each other.


    Ma Kuxuan had alsoe from the small town, but he was the kind of person extremely indifferent toward things that he didn''t care about. For example, he had never cared about other people calling him a retard and stepping on his new shoes to make them dirty. When it came to things that he <em>did</em> care about, however, he couldn''t ept other people being better than him, not even by a single bit.


    On the contrary, Liu Xianyang would choose to directly give up when he realized that Chen Ping''an had surpassed him. For example, he had chosen to give up on bow-making, trapying, and so on.


    As for Gu Can, the snotty little kid from y Vase Alley, he had hoped for Chen Ping''an to be even more skilled and capable. That way, he could also share in the honor by following behind Chen Ping''an.


    Of course, apart from these people''s innate personality, their actions also depended on the closeness or distance of their rtionship with other people.


    Chen Ping''an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and took a swig of liquor. A burning sensation tore through his acupoints, making him feel even worse than before. However, this was the strange nature of the world. Even though this was incredibly painful, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but want to drink more as he grimaced and bared his teeth. He didn''t drink inrge mouthfuls, however, but rather in small sips.


    For poor drunkards, even liquid left over from the distition process was a divine delicacy. As for the shaojiu[3] in Chen Ping''an''s gourd, it would''ve been considered a delicious liquor even to people of much more refined taste.


    He felt slightly stifled and aggrieved after his battle with Ma Kuxuan today, but even more delighted and satisfied.


    Even though Ma Kuxuan had been careless, allowing Chen Ping''an to have a draw with him, Chen Ping''an had never viewed victory or defeat with much importance anyway. Just like A''Liang said, one needed to avoid death and live on if one wanted to enjoy life.


    Chen Ping''an felt like A''Liang''s words were unrefined, but the meaning behind them was far from unrefined.


    And thus, Chen Ping''an raised his wine gourd high above his head. He shook it slightly and immediately faltered. A sullen expression spread across his face as he lowered his wine gourd in annoyance. At the same time, he swallowed the grand rhetoric and rousing derations that had already reached the tip of his tongue.


    As it turned out, there was no liquor left.


    Chen Ping''an lowered his head and retied his wine gourd to his waist. He suddenly recalled something, and hemunicated with Fifteenth with his mind. It wasn''t long before an embroidered bag appeared in his hands. Opening it, he saw three pieces of peach cake. He leaned down to sniff it, and he determined that it hadn''t gone off at all. Pocket treasures were truly mystical, and even after so long, it had kept the peach cakes almost as fresh as when he had received them on Downtrodden Mountain.


    Chen Ping''an held the bag in one hand and used his other hand to grab a peach cake. He put it in his mouth and chewed carefully. At the same time, he rested his head against the wall and looked up at the many apricot blossoms decorating the tree.


    After eating an entire piece of peach cake, Chen Ping''an was reluctant to eat more. He carefully put the embroidered bag away.


    There was a radiant smile on his face. <em>The peach cakes from my shop are so delicious!</em>


    His first thought was to give these cakes to Ning Yao for her to try. Chen Ping''an foolishly chuckled to himself for a while as he daydreamed about their reunion. However, he suddenly pped himself and scolded himself, "Are you stupid?"


    There was no medicinal water prepared by Wei Bo for Chen Ping''an to bathe in, so his speed of recovery was incredibly slowpared to before. In fact, the difference in speed was like the difference between walking and flying on a sword. However, walking wouldn''t be an issue after he rested for a while.


    Just as Chen Ping''an was about to stand up and return to the corridor, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps traveling over from a distance. One set of footsteps was heavy, while one set of footsteps was light. It was most likely a man and a woman.


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment before deciding to stay where he was. He was hidden by the apricot tree, so he could stand up and leave after these two people passed by.


    However, what happened next left Chen Ping''an stunned and speechless. The man was seemingly not from Colorful Garment Nation, so he conversed with the woman using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. After arriving in a shadowy location near the apricot tree, they embraced each other and started to breathe heavily.


    The woman''s mouth was gently denying the man''s advances, but her hands were saying something else entirely. The man was also a shameless person, and he was running his lips all over the woman''s face and neck. It was very likely that his hands were doing improper things as well.


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly uneasy. What should he do? Call out to warn this pair of illicit lovers? Or hope that they would stop after a while and leave?


    It was best not to be involved with these matters and watch on for too long. Otherwise, if he were caught, he would be marked as a filthy peeping tom even if he wasn''t.


    He hesitated for a moment before ultimately deciding to stand up and cough.


    The young woman standing close to the apricot tree shrieked and hid behind the man.


    The man strode around the apricot tree and red at Chen Ping''an, whose face was unclear at this moment. Seeing that this was a skinny young boy who wasn''t especially tall, the man immediately felt a strong sense of confidence. "Don''t be scared! I won''t abandon you even if this rapist who''s coveting your beauty beats me to death! If he wants to target you, then he can do it over my dead body!"


    The young woman broke into sobs. However, it was unclear whether this was out of fear or because she was moved by the man''s words. She rested her shoulder against the man''s wide and warm back and murmured in deep emotion, "Mr. Liu, you''re so good to me."


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon seeing this. He wasn''t angry, and he simply didn''t know whether tough or to cry. Perhaps these two people had been whipped in the head by cow tails when they were younger?


    However, remaining in a deadlock like this wasn''t helpful to anyone, so Chen Ping''an could only find himself an excuse. He pretended to be embarrassed as he said, "Young Master, Young Mistress, please don''t misunderstand. I arrived here earlier than the two of you. This is my first time in this residence, and I don''t know where the toilet is. So, I could only..."


    However, the man immediately cut him off with a loud roar. "Lecher! Rapist! Hurry up and tighten your belt! What are you trying to do? How repulsive! How can there be such perverted and debauched people in the world?!"


    At the same time, he didn''t forget tofort the terrified young woman standing behind him. "Don''t worry, Miss Liu[4]. Just hide behind me. Don''t dirty your eyes by looking at this kind of person."


    In the end, the man secretly winked and pulled a face at Chen Ping''an. His expression was smug, and his face looked as punchable as could be. It was as if his face were saying, "I''m going to y the role of a hero saving a beauty today, so I''m going to take advantage of this situation and win over this youngdy. Little brat, hit me if you dare!"


    Chen Ping''an looked at him.


    He was a fairly handsome young man. His figure was slender, and his face was like jade. He looked like a typical frail schr. It was no wonder the big-bearded martial artist always muttered that there weren''t many good and honest schrs in the world, and that there were too many blind and foolish beauties in the world. These beauties were actually uninterested in him, Xu Yuanxia, and they were instead interested in those frail and sickly schrs!


    Chen Ping''an stepped forward and instantly arrived before the young schr. One pter, the young schr copsed to the side, unconscious before he even hit the ground.


    The jaw of the young woman fell open in shock. There was a dazed look in her eyes, and she wanted to shriek in terror. However, she didn''t dare to, and she could only forcefully suppress her urge. She was afraid that this violent thug would kill her as well.


    At that time, wouldn''t she and her new lover be a pair of dead mandarin ducks[5]?


    However, weren''t talented schrs and beautifuldies supposed to face disapproval from their parents instead? After oveing all kinds of obstacles and challenges, weren''t they supposed to ultimately obtain happiness and be a couple? The novels never talked about talented schrs and beautifuldies being brutally beaten to death by thugs and rapists!


    Chen Ping''an strode forward and left. He adjusted the wooden case on his back, and he didn''t take a single backward nce at the talented schr and beautifuldy.


    1. This describes the process of who goes first in a game of Go. The person with the higher rank (or seniority if at the same rank) grabs a handful of white pieces. The other person grabs one or two ck pieces to guess whether there is an odd or even number of white pieces, respectively. If they guess correctly, they use the ck pieces and go first.


    2. From ''Bai Hu Tong'', a Confucian text based on the White Tiger Hall Conference held in 79 CE.


    3. Aka Baijiu. Colorless Chinese liquor typicallying in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume.


    4. Different character from Mr. Liu ( vs ).


    5. In traditional Chinese culture, mandarin ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike other species of ducks. Hence they are regarded as a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity.

 Chapter 225: Walking at Night

    Chapter 225: Walking at Night


    Chen Ping''an returned to thekeside corridor. After sitting down, he noticed that Zhang Shanfeng wasn''t present. He asked Xu Yuanxia about this, and the big-bearded martial artist joked around and said that the young Daoist priest had met a beautiful youngdy, and the two of them had decided to go on a night adventure together.


    Liu Gaohua started to make things up along this line as well. Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t believe them. However, there was a strange look in his eyes as he looked at the face of Liu Gaohua, the only son of the prefectural overseer. There couldn''t be such coincidental matters in the world, could there? After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Do you have any married sisters?"


    Liu Gaohua was baffled by the question, and he replied, "No, I don''t. I have an older sister and a younger sister, but just like me, neither of them are married yet. We''re still sponging food and drink from home. Our father always scolds us and calls us a bunch of ipetent fools, saying that his sry ispletely wasted by us. This is especially the case since he needs to prepare dowries and betrothal gifts. Because of this, he ims that he''s been unable to buy desk decorations for many years."


    Chen Ping''an breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she wasn''t married yet. Otherwise, if this woman whose appearance was slightly simr to Liu Gaohua were truly his sister and were truly cheating, then he would feel bad regardless of whether he told Liu Gaohua about it or not.


    It wasn''t long before the performance on the tall stage in the middle of theke came to an end. There was thunderous apuse, and Prefectural Overseer Liu and General Ma personally walked over to greet the old immortal and have a chat with him. They were very amiable, and they didn''t act haughtily because of their status.


    The old immortal answered their questions adeptly, and the two officials felt especially rxed and refreshed as they spoke with him. While they were chatting, a young man who looked to be from a noble family walked over and begged the old immortal to take him as a disciple. However, the stewards and a few servants from the residence immediately came over to drag him away.


    Zhang Shanfeng returned a bitter than Chen Ping''an, and he breathed a big sigh of relief when he saw hispanion sitting safe and sound in the corridor. "I thought you fell into the toilet," he joked.


    Chen Ping''an was unwilling to reveal the battle on the street, so he replied in a low voice, "I couldn''t find the toilet, but I was too embarrassed to ask the steward of the residence for its location. So, I decided to sneak away to a quiet ce where there was no one. However, this took me a very long time. When I got back, I saw that there were far too many people in the corridor. I didn''t want to squeeze my way in, so I chose to wait outside for a while first."


    "After squirreling your way into the dark corners of the alley, did you manage to see any love-dovey scenes?" Xu Yuanxia asked in a teasing voice. "I''m telling you, schrs and beautiful women are everywhere in Colorful Garment Nation, especially in Blusher Prefecture. When they''re bored, they all like to read some risque novels or restricted books. After reading many of them, they''ll naturally want to test out some of the things written in the books..."


    Liu Gaohua couldn''t help but chuckle when he heard the big-bearded martial artist say this. He nodded and said, "Yes, that''s right. My younger sister is only 13, but she''s already read a few adult books in secret. However, these weren''t books about romance. She''s a wild and rebellious child, and she''s been extremely interested in the chivalrous aspect of the cultivation world ever since she was little. She always grumbles about the men in Blusher Prefecture being too feminine and soft.


    "Anyhow, she''s learned about how to escape from her room, how to set updders to climb over the walls, and so on. Even though she''s very smart and savvy, my mother is thankfully smarter and savvier than her. So, she''s never been able to seed."


    Xu Yuanxia''s eyes lit up, and he patted his chest and said, "Being interested in the cultivation world is a good thing! I have many stories in my belly, and just one or two of them will be the most fragrant and delicious dishes to go with wine!"


    Liu Gaohua rolled his eyes and said, "Please don''t, my younger sister is still little. Chivalrous Xu, we might have a good rtionship, but this is limited to the cultivation world only. In any case, won''t your seniority be negatively affected if you be my brother-inw?"


    The big-bearded martial artist smiled widely and said, "Don''t you still have an older sister?"


    Liu Gaohua didn''t dare to say anything, and it was as if there were something that was too awkward to say.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    Xu Yuanxia roared withughter and heavily patted Liu Gaohua''s shoulder. "Look at how frightened you are! I''ve traveled around the cultivation world for many years, and I have more lovers and soulmates than my fingers can count. I''ve never been interested in unmarried young girls!"


    The performance and feast ended, and many guests gradually left the big residence. Chen Ping''an and his twopanions returned to the inn. Meanwhile, Liu Gaohua was brought away by someone sent over by his father. He needed to go and socialize with the other esteemed guests.


    Even though he was not particrly distinguished or talented, and had almost no hope of bing an official, he was still the prefectural overseer''s only son. Thus, Prefectural Overseer Liu still hoped that Liu Gaohua could support and manage the Liu n in the future. At the very least, he couldn''t be too pathetic.


    Because he had obtained two new treasures, Chen Ping''an asked Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng about immortal treasures as they walked back to the inn.


    Chen Ping''an had no option but to do this. Who could he me? His previouspanions had been far too unreasonable.


    A''Liang had casually kept a bamboo saber by his waist, while the young Cui Chan had spoken in a terrifyingly profound and lofty manner whenever he spoke about cultivation tiers and immortal treasures. It was as if Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers and Upper Five Tiers were nothing more than little children rolling around in the mud. Their immortal treasures were naturally not worth a mention either.


    Meanwhile, the barefoot old man in the bamboo building had directly said that martial artists shouldn''t rely on external treasures. Otherwise, if one needed to rely on external treasures to travel through the cultivation world, then one might as well stay at home and work in the fields.


    Chen Ping''an also felt very helpless and exasperated about this.


    Fortunately, Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng''s exnations allowed him to roughly understand the different grades of so-called immortal treasures. As it turned out, there was a very strict hierarchy not too dissimr to that of the imperial court. "Immortal treasure" was a very general term.


    The lowest-grade immortal treasures were craft tools, and these could only be regarded as well-made inanimate items. The descriptions of "sharp enough to cut floating hair", "able to slice through iron as if slicing through mud", and so on werergely used to describe these craft tools. When immortal forces in the mountains bestowed treasures upon new disciples as was customary, they would mostmonly use high-quality craft tools. For example, Zhang Shanfeng''s peach wood sword.


    Of course, peach wood swords bestowed upon Heavenly Masters by the Heavenly Master Residence of Mount Longhu would be far superior to this.


    The next grade up from craft tools was valuable tools. The divine weapons and powerful tools used by grandmasters in the cultivation worldrgely belonged to this category. Valuable tools were made from rare materials. Ordinary cultivators  especially rootless duckweed like vagrant cultivators who belonged to no force and pure martial artists who were viewed as unable to cultivate the Great Dao  would possess one or two valuable tools at most, and that if they were lucky. For example, Zhang Shanfeng dreamed of obtaining a valuable tool, and he hoped that he could obtain a Daoist sword in the future.


    In fact, Xu Yuanxia''s saber was a peak-quality valuable tool.


    Following on from valuable tools were spirit tools and immortal tools. These were genuine immortal treasures. Spirit tools were further categorized as connate or acquired, with the former being rarer and more precious than thetter.


    Connate spirit tools were blessed by heaven and earth, and they possessed abundant spiritual qi that would allow cultivators to wield them with extreme ease. It could be said that cultivators could achieve twice the results with half the efforts when they wielded connate spirit tools. At critical moments, these connate spirit tools could even be destroyed in order to provide their owner with spiritual qi.


    In fact, snowke coins could somewhat be considered as connate spirit tools as well. However, a single snowke coin contained far too little spiritual qi, so little that it was almost negligible. Thus, Qi refiners wouldn''t be so foolish as to extract spiritual qi from snowke coins to help them cultivate.


    Acquired spirit tools  such as high-grade yellow paper talismans or divine items carved by Qi refiners  could be regarded as top-notch spirit tools. These immortal treasures were incredibly valuable. For example, the jade pendant named Old Dragon Rainbringer, owned by Old Dragon City''s Young Master Fu Nanhua. The Mandrill Teapot that Fu Nanhua purchased from Song Jixin was even more valuable.


    Even though the demon-binding chains, demon-suppressing wood, ghost-striking whips, and other tools carried by the Qi refiners from Divine Edict Sect were also acquired spirit tools, they were far inferior to Fu Nanhua''s Old Dragon Rainbringer and Mandrill Teapot in terms of both value and worth.


    Above spirit tools were immortal tools.


    Immortal was a very profound word.


    Otherwise, it wouldn''t be linked to cultivation and the three teachings[1].


    Immortal tools contained the formlessws of heaven and earth.


    Sword Nurturing Gourds which were especially used to nurture and refine flying swords undoubtedly belonged to this category. Of course, the silver Sword Nurturing Gourd that A''Liang had obtained from Wei Jin and the Sword Nurturing Gourd that was tied to Sun Scorch Mountain''s Su Jia''s waist were both top-notch Sword Nurturing Gourds. They were like imperial childrenpared to the rest, especially due to their link with the Dao Ancestor.


    ording to the legends, the Dao Ancestor had personally plucked a vine from a gourd nt before ascending from the world. Six gourds had grown from the vine, and they had then been crafted into six Sword Nurturing Gourds by a paramount being. Thus, these were naturally unparalleled Sword Nurturing Gourds that ordinary Sword Nurturing Gourds couldn''tpare to.


    Above immortal tools, there were still celestial tools.


    For therge majority of Qi refiners, they would never be able to see a single celestial tool in their entire life. In fact, even sect-level forces might not necessarily possess a celestial tool. Take, for example, Divine Edict Sect, the leading Daoist Sect in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Only after Sect Leader Qi Zhen sessfully advanced to the next tier and was promoted to the level of Heavenly Lord did he finally receive a celestial tool from their superior sect in Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    The bonded flying sword like a bracelet on Cao Xi''s wrist could be regarded as a pseudo-celestial tool. The sword immortal from Southern Whirl Continent hade across a huge fated opportunity, and he had used the water from arge river to craft and temper this bonded flying sword. In fact, the most terrifying thing about Cao Xi was this bonded flying sword.


    Of course, the most powerful celestial tools in the world were naturally surrounded by legends and remarkable stories. Those who possessed these celestial tools naturally enjoyed unparalleled fame and standing as well.


    For example, the Heavenly Master Seal and immortal sword in Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence, and the small copper cauldron[2] that the patriarch of the Yingyin Chen n had coincidentally obtained during his adventures around the world when he was young.


    ording to rumors, this small copper cauldron was a replica of the Mountain and River Great Cauldron that an ancient sage had hung on his waist.


    Celestial tools were already as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Among them, however, there was an even more legendary category of tools that had birthed their own consciousness, their own "god", after many many years.


    These "gods" most definitely weren''t the same as mountain gods and river gods appointed by mortal empires. Formal gods were said to have indestructible golden bodies, but before these paramount "gods" of spirit tools, this was nothing more than a mere joke.


    Chen Ping''an had a rough idea about immortal treasures now.


    Even disregarding his five mountains, he was still very very rich!


    His wealth right now was very impressive and substantial!


    Just tonight, he had obtained a white bowl and a piece of ebony for free from the side of the street.


    There was also his locust wood sword, Eliminating Fiends.


    Through He Xiaoliang, Lu Chen had also returned a snake gall pebble to him. Even ignoring the fact that snake gall pebbles were items coveted by flood dragons, they were still definitely the most top-notch materials for crafting spirit tools.


    The three seals that Mr. Qi had given him were all made from the best-quality snake gall pebbles.


    Li Xisheng had also given him the Wind and Snow Awl and arge stack of precious talisman papers.


    The Sword Nurturing Gourd by his waist  an extremely rare item among immortal tools  was a treasure that most sword cultivators at the Middle Five Tiers yearned for immensely.


    Inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd were two bonded flying swords that had temporarily epted him as their owner  First and Fifteenth.


    Thus, there was a spring in the young boy''s step as he walked back to his room by himself. He looked very much like the little boy in azure, especially after a day withouting across someone who could smash him to death with a single punch.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was temporarily unable to confirm the exact grade and value of every item, he was confident that the items from Downtrodden Mountain definitely wouldn''t be bad!


    He needed to drink to celebrate!


    There was already no liquor in his Sword Nurturing Gourd, so Chen Ping''an went to ask the inn waiter about the price of liquor here. The cheapest local brew was at least eight silver coins for a pint, while the inn specialty brew was 10 taels of silver for a pint. Moreover, haggling wasn''t allowed!


    Chen Ping''an''s Sword Nurturing Gourd could carry around 10 pints of wine, so it would only cost him 100 taels of silver if he chose the most expensive specialty brew. This was normal silver, and not snowke coins that were specially used by immortals from the mountains. With his mountains of gold and silver and piles of spirit tools and immortal tools, how could he mistreat himself by not drinking the most expensive liquor?


    And thus, Chen Ping''an resolutely purchased 10 pints of local brew.


    Chen Ping''an, Xu Yuanxia, and Zhang Shanfeng had already returned to their own rooms, yet Liu Gaohua visited the inn and went to look for Zhang Shanfeng first. There was a very awkward expression on the face of the prefectural overseer''s son, and standing behind him were a handsome schr and a beautiful woman. The woman bore a slight resemnce to Liu Gaohua, and it was very likely that she was his older sister.


    Liu Gaohua exined the situation to Zhang Shanfeng. As it turned out, they were here to ask for some anti-inmmatory ointment, the kind often used by cultivators. Young Master Liu had gone to watch the old immortal''s performance, but he had identally tripped and fell because there were too many people and it was too dark on the streets. He had hit his head, and he was still feeling a little dizzy at this moment.


    The pharmacy in the prefectural city had already closed for the day, and his older sister was truly worried about Young Master Liu''s injuries. After hearing that he was acquainted with chivalrous cultivators and immortals from the mountains, she hade over to ask for some help. She was very afraid that these injuries would lead to crippling issues for Young Master Liu further down the track. Moreover, she was willing to pay for his treatment.


    Zhang Shanfeng led the three of them to Xu Yuanxia''s room. The big-bearded martial artist was very generous and straightforward, and he immediately walked over to look at the frail schr''s injuries. After taking a good look at them, Xu Yuanxia said that there wouldn''t be any issues. However, he quickly noticed the reluctant and slightly displeased expression on the young woman''s face.


    But who was Xu Yuanxia? He was very astute and experienced, and he smiled and retrieved some ointment from his bag. He told Young Master Liu to apply this cream to his temples. His injuries would definitely be healed, and it could be guaranteed that there wouldn''t be any side effects.


    The young woman finally felt reassured. She sat down and rubbed her eyes, and there was love and deep emotions in her eyes as she stared at the young schr. It was as if she were in a trance. The young schr alsoforted her and told her that everything would be fine, and he spoke in a very refined and sophisticated manner.


    The big-bearded martial artist grimaced upon seeing this. He was most afraid of these things.


    Even though Zhang Shanfeng was a Daoist priest, he was still very keen on fun and exciting matters like his. Moreover, happiness and fun were best shared with everyone. As such, he immediately ran away to drag Chen Ping''an over. He said that Liu Gaohua''s older sister hade to visit, and that she was a fairly good-looking woman. She had also brought a refined-looking schr with her, and it was likely that this schr would soon be the prefectural overseer''s son-inw.


    Chen Ping''an had just finished pouring the wine into his Sword Nurturing Gourd, so his room was still filled with empty wine pots and the smell of wine. Because Zhang Shanfeng was determined to drag him over to get in on the fun, and he didn''t want to reveal his secrets regarding the Sword Nurturing Gourd, Chen Ping''an could only abandon his n to practice standing meditation tonight.


    He followed Zhang Shanfeng to Xu Yuanxia''s room. When he entered, the handsome schr and the beautiful woman who had secretly met under the moonlight not long ago immediately drew a sharp breath in unison.


    If his enemies didn''t take action, then he wouldn''t take action either.


    Chen Ping''an pretended to not know anything, and he directly sat down on a chair next to the table. He grabbed his wine gourd and started to drink.


    The young schr felt quite uneasy, and he didn''t know whether to stand or to sit. Meanwhile, Liu Gaohua''s older sister  the young woman who had been poisoned by unrealistic romance novels  felt even more nervous. After all, she was an unmarried young woman from a noble family, yet she had only been a step away from privately pledging herself to an unfamiliar man without her parents'' permission. This was an embarrassing situation no matter how one looked at it.


    Even though Blusher Prefecture was rtively open-minded, it was still big news for the daughter of the prefectural overseer to be hugging and getting all touchy with a schr from the outside. If they had been caught by someone familiar with them, it was very likely that news of this would have spread through half of the prefectural city by tomorrow.


    "What''s wrong? Are the three of you acquainted with each other?" Liu Gaohua asked in puzzlement.


    The young schr was naturally good at bullshitting, so he cleared his throat and exined, "I was strolling by thekeside with your older sister tonight, and we coincidentally bumped into this young master. He had a sword case on his back, and he was genuinely walking with the might and presence of dragons and tigers. His aura was extraordinary, and I was instantly impressed by his disposition. Thus, I naturally remember him clearly. It''s my utmost honor to meet him again!"


    The young schr''s eyes were filled with pity and pleading as he sped his hand in greeting. Earlier today, he had felt like the heavens had given him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to y the role of a hero saving a beauty when he had seen Chen Ping''an''s skinny arms and skinny legs. How could he let such a good opportunity slip by? Wouldn''t that be wasting the goodwill of the heavens? Thus, a not-so-fairytale "misunderstanding" had urred.


    Chen Ping''an felt neutral toward the young schr. He didn''t detest him much, but he certainly didn''t have any good impressions of him either. He simply chuckled in reply. He didn''t expose the young schr, and he still left some room to repair the rtionship.


    At the end of the day, Chen Ping''an was unwilling to interfere with the private matters of Liu Gaohua''s family.


    Regardless of whether this was a positive rtionship or a negative rtionship, and regardless of whether they were a match made in heaven or destined for tragedy, none of this had anything to do with Chen Ping''an.


    However, if Liu Gaohua were swapped for Zhang Shanfeng, someone whom Chen Ping''an viewed as a true friend, then he would definitely tell the truth without any hesitation. Even if he didn''t expose them in public, he would still warn Zhang Shanfeng about the situation in private. He would tell him that his future brother-inw was far too unprincipled and unscrupulous, and that he didn''t appear like a refined schr at all.


    In the end, they learned that Young Master Liu was an impoverished schr who had arrived here after traveling around the world to seek knowledge. He had met Liu Gaohua''s older sister by chance at a temple fair, and he was unexpectedly so poor that he had to ask Chen Ping''an and his twopanions for a ce to stay. However, the inn was already full, so Liu Gaohua could only smile obsequiously and beg them to take the young schr in.


    This was a big eye-opener for Xu Yuanxia. It was truly rare for people to do so much for their brother-inw. Not only did Liu Gaohua not disdain the young schr for his poor background, but he was even going as far as to hide this ill-matched rtionship for his older sister.


    The young schr didn''t dare to share a room with Chen Ping''an, and he wasn''t willing to stay together with the big-bearded martial artist either. He was so frail and delicate, yet Xu Yuanxia appeared so crude and carnivorous. This was far too terrifying. Thus, he chose the most normal one of them, the Daoist priest, to stay with. Zhang Shanfeng had no objections to this.


    Liu Gaohua left the inn with his older sister, who was extremely reluctant to part with the young schr.


    The siblings walked along the quiet streets that were about to enter curfew. When they were about to reach home in the prefectural office, Liu Gaohua said in a soft voice, "Big Sister, I don''t like that person very much. However, I''m willing to help you wherever I can since you like him. If you regret this decision one day, there''s no need to feel too dejected, and there''s no need to be scared even if our parents scold you or do something over the top. The sky won''t fall, and I''ll always be here to help you. I''m your little brother, after all."


    The young woman gently kicked her little brother. Her embarrassment turned into anger, and she scolded, "Liu Gaohua! Can you have some faith in me? Why are you saying such inauspicious things?!"


    Liu Gaohua turned around and made a face at her.


    The young woman pretended to be scared, and she shouted "ghost" as she lifted the hem of her dress and ran to the gate of the prefectural office.


    Liu Gaohua sighed and hurriedly walked after her.


    However, he suddenly stopped and turned around. The street behind him was empty, and he didn''t see anything out of the ordinary even after looking around for a while. He shook his head and continued to the prefectural office.


    This was because he had felt a cold chill on his neck and down his spine just then.


    Liu Gaohua continued tofort himself, telling himself that there was nothing to be afraid of. He had seen an old immortal with his father not long ago, and he had even spoken a few words with that old immortal. After basking in his immortal aura for a while, Liu Gaohua was certain that sinister beings wouldn''t dare to approach him anymore. For example, beings like that tree spirit from the old residence.


    Just as the servant closed the side gate of the prefectural office, a night guard started to strike his gong on a deserted street in the distance. It was clearly midnight, yet he was striking the gong pattern for early morning.


    A hoarse voice faintly sounded on some street in Blusher Prefecture. "The weather is dry, and all things are dry, so be careful of candle mes[3]."


    The blind old night guard held a copper gong in his hands. There should have been a mute night guard with him, and the two of them had beenpanions for many years. They were very familiar with each other, and the mute night guard was responsible for striking a rattle.


    However, the blind night guard waspletely unaware that hispanion had be a woman in white tonight. When she struck her rattle, blood would spray from the surface of her instrument. However, this blood would transform into wisps of ck smoke and quickly dissipate before it couldnd on the street.


    Even so, the blind old night guard continued to strike his gong and shout in a hoarse voice, "The weather is dry, and all things are dry, so be careful of candle mes."


    1. The character used () is technically "Dharma" or "Law", with thetter being more urate in the context. "Law" in this sense refers to the Buddhist Law or Daoist Law. We have decided against tranting it as w" in this case because it doesn''t work like that in English.


    2. Ding are prehistoric and ancient Chinese cauldrons, standing on three or four legs with a lid and two facing handles. They were used for rituals among other purposes.


    3. This was a warning repeated by night guards/watchmen in Ancient China. This is because during curfews, no one would be on the streets to notice or help someone if their house caught fire.

 Chapter 226: (1): Two Swords in My Case, Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends

    Chapter 226: (1): Two Swords in My Case, Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends


    A peaceful night passed by at the inn.


    Chen Ping''an was staying in a room at the end of the corridor by himself, and before going to bed, he practiced standing meditation and walking meditation for two hours first. In the end, he retrieved the white bowl with the illustration of the Five Mountains as well as the piece of burnt ebony. He tossed and turned them in his hands and examined them for a long time, yet he was still unable to discover anything special about them.


    He hoped that these two items would be worth one or two hundred snowke coins each.


    He put the hefty piece of ebony away, and he poured some local wine into the small white bowl. With amp next to him, he flipped through the two travel journals that Liu Gaohua had given him. From time to time, he would take a sip of the local wine. It tasted fairly decent.


    After putting out themp and climbing into bed, Chen Ping''an closed his eyes and started to rey the fight with Ma Kuxuan in his mind. He reflected on the gains and losses of each punch. The fight had been intense and extremely dangerous, so Chen Ping''an hadn''t dared to conceal the fist techniques that Cui Dongshan''s grandfather had taught him. Thanks to this, he was also able to gain a deeper understanding of the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique


    However, it was a shame that he had only been able to throw fifteen punches using the Deity Drumming Technique. His intuition told him that if he had seeded in throwing twenty in a row, Ma Kuxuan would have most likely been forced to admit defeat. This was just like how he had suppressed the tree spirit schr wearing the radiant armor transformed from an armor pellet.


    No matter how Chen Ping''an thought about it, however, allowing Ma Kuxuan to achieve a narrow victory over him had been the best choice at the time.


    Apart from achieving somewhat of a draw against Ma Kuxuan, now a prodigy at True Martial Mountain, Chen Ping''an actually felt very little emotion about this fight. Firstly, he didn''t understand the significance of Ma Kuxuan advancing three tiers in a single year. Secondly, just like how Ma Kuxuan detested him, an impoverished young boy from y Vase Alley, did he not detest Ma Kuxuan, someone of the same age from Apricot Blossom Alley, as well?


    There was indeed something like fate and destiny between people. There were some people who would immediately leave one with a good impression, as if they were warm rays of sunshine on a chilly winter day. For example, Mr. Qi, Li Xisheng, and Zhang Shanfeng.


    Meanwhile, there were some people who would immediately leave one with a bad impression, as if these people were blinding rays of sunshine on a scorching summer day. For example, Ma Kuxuan, Old Dragon City''s Fu Nanhua, and Light Breeze City''s Miss Xu[1].


    Before falling asleep, Chen Ping''an had one final thought. The Deity Drumming Technique was definitely his most powerful fist technique right now. However, he was unsure of what would happen if he could throw fifty or even a hundred punches in session. Might he be able to sever arge river and carve a path through it? Might he be able to split a mountain and cleave a gorge through it?


    The first light of dawn peeked over the horizon, and Chen Ping''an had already woken up to practice the six-step walking meditation in his room. After a short while, he noticed that someone was reciting some text in a courtyard that had a rock garden and lush green trees. It was the schr with the surname Liu. He seemed very much like an impoverished schr who was studying hard, and he recited the teachings of the sages with a poetic cadence.


    Chen Ping''an continued to practice his fist stances. Sure enough, it wasn''t long before the other guests in the inn started to let loose torrents of abuse. Some short-tempered adventurers from the cultivation world directly climbed out of bed naked, grabbing bowls and tes from their table and throwing them at the impoverished schr. Things instantly became chaotic.


    However, the impoverished schr was a stubborn person, and he started to recite the ssical teachings of the sages even louder as he jumped around to avoid the bowls and tes. This immediately enraged everyone.


    Some guests who were covering their heads and ears with their nkets cursed as they climbed out of bed and got dressed. They then walked to the window and started to municate" with the ancestors of the impoverished schr.


    Things were truly as chaotic as could be.


    After fifteen minutes or so, Chen Ping''an and Xu Yuanxia both sat in Zhang Shanfeng''s room. The young Daoist priest was busy bandaging up Schr Liu''s head.


    The owner of the inn had only just left. His expression was dark, and he was gritting his teeth in anger. How had he wound up with such a bastard guest? Not only that, but he couldn''t scold or beat this person either. After all, he was an esteemed guest brought over by the son of the prefectural overseer. Thus, he could only swallow his anger and suffer in silence.


    The problem was that the other guests in the inn also had impressive backgrounds. Some of them were extremely wealthy merchants, and some of them were powerful adventurers from the cultivation world. In other words, none of them were pushovers that he could ignore. And now, thanks to that bastard schr''s shitshow in the morning, how could he still do business in the future? How could he expect return customers?


    The impoverished schr''s full name was Liu Chicheng. He was from White Mountain Nation, and when introducing his hometown, he put heavy emphasis on the fact that it was close to Lake View Academy. It was as if this were even more honorable and glorious than the Dragon Tail Creek Chen n.


    For the next few days, they had nothing much to do in the inn. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Chicheng would often sneak out by himself. It was very obvious that he was going to meet up with Liu Gaohua''s older sister.


    Meanwhile, Xu Yuanxia took Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng around the prefectural city to visit some scenic spots and historic sites. The Wenchang pavilion and martial sage temple were ces that they definitely had to visit, as was the gathering in the city god pavilion in Blusher Prefecture.


    There was a slightly gloomy expression on Xu Yuanxia''s face when he returned, and he simply said that he was travel-worn when Zhang Shanfeng asked him about this.


    Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng had disembarked the kun ship at the ferry station in Southern Stream Nation before continuing to travel south. Zhang Shanfeng was heading to the Old Dragon City, which was in the same direction as Chen Ping''an''s destination.


    Meanwhile, the big-bearded martial artist was traveling to Azure Phoenix Nation which was located in the southeast of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He said he was delivering something to a friend whom he had met and be good friends with in the cultivation world. He could still travel with Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng for the moment, and in terms of when he would part ways with them, this would depend on the ferry lines avable at the next ferry station.


    They waited for three entire days in Blusher Prefecture, yet they were still yet to hear anything from the cultivators from Divine Edict Sect who had left the mountains to train. Instead, they received a visit from the old woman from the old residence. She traveled all the way to the prefectural office to look for them, and after seeing Liu Gaohua, the prefectural overseer''s son brought her over to the inn that Chen Ping''an and the others were staying at.


    The old women told them the good news, saying that the fortune of the mountains and rivers near the old residence had undergone a dramatic change for the better. The impure aura had been reced with a pure and spiritual aura. Moreover, the female owner was no longer in danger of further deterioration and transformation into a ghost, and her body and appearance were also starting to recover.


    Simrly, the male owner''s soul was also starting to recover after no longer needing to nurture a ghost. His cultivation base started to advance, and he was surprisingly showing some small signs of being able to advance to the fifth tier. They were truly being blessed with one good fortune after another.


    The old woman could only specte that they had received secret help from some old ancestor from Divine Edict Sect.


    The big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest both nodded in agreement. They felt like there was no other exnation.


    Emotions surged through Chen Ping''an''s mind, but he maintained a calm andposed expression the entire time.


    Before leaving, the old woman told Chen Ping''an that she had bought him a pot of good wine while traveling over. The two of them walked to Chen Ping''an''s room, and after closing the door, the teary old woman immediately wanted to kneel down. Chen Ping''an was astonished, and he quickly grabbed her arms to stop her from doing so. He refused to ept her grand gesture of gratitude no matter what.


    Because Chen Ping''an had purposely revealed some secrets while pouring wine into his Sword Nurturing Gourd back then, the old woman was indeed aware of some more things than the others. Thus, it was only natural for her to have some spections.


    The old woman didn''t ask anything, and Chen Ping''an didn''t exin anything either.


    Before leaving, the old woman simply retrieved a silk-wrapped item and carefully ced it on the table. "The gold statue of the illegal mountain god is well and truly shattered, so there''s now one less evil god to terrorize the world," she exined in a quiet voice.


    "This is naturally an amazing thing. Master immediately hurried over to the temple after hearing about this, and he arrived there before the group of immortals from Divine Edict Sect. He secretly took more than half of the shards of the shattered gold statue, eight pieces in total.


    "ording to Master, the shattered gold statue of an illegal mountain god shouldn''t produce so many shards. So, it can be presumed that the illegal mountain god also experienced some fated opportunities while he was alive. In any case, these gold statue shards are valuable items that one can only dream of obtaining.


    "In fact, even the secret treasury of a nation might not have many such items. Young Master Chen, please do ept them. You can treat this as a gift of gratitude from my two masters and me."


    The rims of the old woman''s eyes became red, and she continued, "In reality, these gold statue shards are nowhere near enough to repay Young Master Chen for your great kindness and help. However, the old residence genuinely has nothing else of value, so my masters decided to erect a living tablet[2] for Young Master Chen. If Young Master Chen passes by Colorful Garment Nation in your future travels, please doe to the old residence to visit us..."


    Chen Ping''an could only nod in agreement.


    At the very end, the old woman whispered, "My mistress can be considered half an illegal deity now, and when she observed Blusher Prefecture from a distance, she discovered that there were wisps of Yin energy rising from the prefectural city for the past two nights. This has made Mistress uneasy, so she hopes that Young Master Chen can leave the prefectural city as soon as possible.


    "Regardless of how capable Young Master Chen is, Master always says that one can never be too cautious, especially when ites to the journey of cultivation. It''s best not to be involved in everything. Even if one manages to escape unharmed every time, it''s inevitable that this will dy one''s cultivation, after all. This is naturally not ideal."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and agreed without hesitation.


    After walking the old woman to the door of the inn, she smiled and said, "I wish Young Master Chen a safe and sound journey."


    From the beginning to the end, the old woman didn''t take a single nce at Chen Ping''an''s vermilion wine gourd that was hanging by his waist.


    Chen Ping''an watched the old woman disappear into the crowd of people. He then turned around and jogged to Xu Yuanxia''s room. After calling Zhang Shanfeng over as well, he told them about the peculiar phenomenon in Blusher Prefecture that the old woman had warned him about.


    Xu Yuanxia ced his hand on the hilt of his saber and said with a nod, "This is also what I''m most worried about. I didn''t tell the two of you about this before because I was afraid of you guys being young and impulsive and insisting on bing involved in this matter.


    "If there''s genuinely a demon or spirit that dares to openlymit crimes in the prefectural city with wanton disregard for the city god pavilion, the Wenchang pavilion, and the martial sage temple, then this is definitely a very powerful foe. With our lowly cultivation, perhaps we''re not even enough to act as an appetizer for this enemy.


    "However, with howrge a prefectural city of a nation is, there will often be powerful cultivators and officials hiding behind the scenes. If a battle truly breaks out, these cultivators and officials will still have a chance at victory thanks to their innate geographical advantage. At the end of the day, this hinges on the rtionship between the imperial court of Colorful Garment Nation and the immortal forces in the mountains."


    "How far away are the closest river gods and mountain gods to Blusher Prefecture? If something genuinely happens, will they be able to rush over immediately?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The big-bearded martial artist mulled over this for a short moment and replied, "The river god is 150 kilometers from here, and the formal god of Southern Mountain is approximately 350 kilometers from here. However, the mountain gods in Colorful Garment Nation won''t have an especially powerful cultivation base. This is only a small nation, after all, and it''s far inferior to thoserge empires. I''m afraid that they''ll only be at the Abode Tier of the Middle Five Tiers at most."


    Zhang Shanfeng frowned and asked, "Then once they leave the mountains, won''t theirbat power only be equivalent to Qi refiners at the fifth tier?"


    "These are thews of heaven and earth; there''s nothing we can do about it," Xu Yuanxia said in helplessness.


    "Then can we notify Liu Gaohua''s father?" Zhang Shanfeng asked. "He''s the prefectural overseer, after all, and General Ma who''s stationed near the prefectural city also looks like a cultivator. If they make some preparations, perhaps they can dissuade the hidden demons and evil spirits from causing more trouble?"


    Xu Yuanxia sighed and exined, "I''m not trying to scare you guys, and this isn''t a case of me being afraid of death either. However, this matter is truly very troublesome. To say nothing of whether the prefectural overseer will believe us or not, even if he does, and even if General Ma is willing to bear the risk of making false military reports and being stripped of his position, do you know how long it will take for a message to be delivered from here to the capital of Colorful Garment Nation? Even if it''s delivered with the highest priority?


    "And the message will still need to be reviewed by the six ministries as well as the emperor. Afterward, the emperor will need to issue an imperial edict to the imperial court and secretly order the mountain gods and river gods to render assistance to the prefectural city. Just how long will this process take?


    "Taking a step back, even if the imperial edict is delivered, and all of the surrounding Qi refiners and gods rush over to help, what should we do if our enemies catch wind of this and act earlier than initially nned and leave before our reinforcements arrive? If the imperial court wants to seek revenge in the future, who will they target?"


    Xu Yuanxia pointed at the young Daoist priest and the young boy with the sword case on his back. "Do you guys believe me if I say that we''ll be treated as aplices of the demons at that time? And if the person who exposes us isn''t Prefectural Overseer Liu, then it will be General Ma?


    "Even worse, what if our enemies had other ns to begin with? What if they''re purposely luring cultivators and gods away from the other ces? At that time, this prefectural city might be peaceful and quiet, yet some other immortal force or prefectural city in the nation might be turned upside down. If that''s the case, then we''ll immediately be irredeemable criminals who deserve the death penalty without even needing others to expose us."


    Zhang Shanfeng was stupefied, and his face was transfixed with shock and slight disbelief.


    1. Thedy who obtained Liu Xianyang''s suit of armor.


    2. "Living tablets" are simr to ancestral tablets used to honor dead ancestors, but the color is red instead of ck to differentiate between the living and the dead. These tablets are used to pray for blessings for the person honored on them.

 Chapter 226: (2): Two Swords in My Case, Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends

    Chapter 226: (2): Two Swords in My Case, Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends


    Xu Yuanxia poured himself a cup of wine and sighed with emotion, "Don''t think that I''m being an rmist and trying to scare you guys. Not only have I witnessed such things before, but I''ve personally experienced it first-hand as well. Several of my friends died because of their kindness..."


    Xu Yuanxia pointed at his bag nearby and said calmly, "I won''t go into the details, but out of us four friends, I was the only one who made it out alive. One of them didn''t even leave a corpse. I was at least able to collect the corpses of the other two, and I''ve already delivered the ash urn of one person to his family. As for the ash urn of the other person, that''s the purpose of my trip to Azure Phoenix Nation."


    It was no wonder that the big-bearded martial artist had twice told Zhang Shanfeng and Chen Ping''an to leave the old residence as quickly as possible.


    "Brother Xu, you''re a chivalrous man. Do you regret the decision you made back then?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    The bid-bearded martial artist lowered his head and dejectedly took a few sips of wine. After raising his head, he pursed his lips and said, "My friends have already died, so I have no idea if they regret their decisions or not. But as the sole survivor, I regret it to death."


    This was possibly the first time that the gant and proud martial artist had spoken in such a dejected and ungant manner.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t explicitly say whether he wanted to stay or leave.


    During his trip to Great Sui Nation with Li Baoping and the others, he had always been the one making the decisions out of necessity. Moreover, he hadn''t been allowed to show any weakness or hesitation.


    Now that he was traveling around the world by himself, there was no longer any need for him to make decisions for others.


    Zhang Shanfeng was clearly at a loss, and he looked around and asked, "Then what should we do?"


    Xu Yuanxia fell silent, and he continued to take sips of wine.


    "If we stay, and we step forward to face any challenges, how likely is it that we''ll have problems protecting ourselves?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Xu Yuanxia carefully organized the words in his mind before replying, "The biggest danger is our enemies having allies among us and using these allies tounch a surprise attack. If it were me, I would definitely use some technique to suppress the gods in the Wenchang pavilion and the martial sage temple.


    "Moreover, it looks like the gods in the Wenchang pavilion and the martial sage temple have already be weak due to the negative effects of the old residence and the illegal temple, so it''s very easy for issues to appear in these areas. Fortunately, the incense,yout, and aura of the city god temple looked fairly good to me when I visited not long ago...."


    "Can we directly look for the city god and exin the situation to him?" Chen Ping''an asked. "Prefectural Overseer Liu and General Ma might not understand the existence and power of these strange things. Even if they trulye across such a situation, they can likely shirk responsibility using the fancy words and exnations of politicians. However, the city god''s health and situation are intricately tied to that of the prefectural city.


    "To put things bluntly, Prefectural Overseer Liu can hide and General Ma can keep his army put, but the city god definitely can''t escape. Moreover, if the demons and evil spirits are truly scheming for something, then it''s almost certain that they''ll target the local city god first. In this sense, the city god definitely cares about this matter more than the local officials."


    Xu Yuanxia''s eyes lit up, and he heavily pped his thigh and eximed in a solemn voice, "This is a good n!"


    Zhang Shanfeng smiled and raised a thumb at Chen Ping''an.


    Someone knocked on the door at this moment, and Chen Ping''an walked over to see who it was. As it turned out, it was Liu Chicheng, Liu Gaohua, and Liu Gaohua''s older sister. They had anxious expressions, and Liu Gaohua poured himself arge cup of wine after sitting down. "Don''t you guys find this strange? The statue of the heavenly official in the city god temple suddenly cracked apart just now, and there''s even blood flowing from it and painting the floor red. Not only that, but the city god temple is also filled with snakes, rats, and scorpions. It''s absolutely revolting. My father has sent people over to close the city god temple, lest the sight of these things frighten the residents of the city."


    There was a serious expression on Xu Yuanxia''s face, and he remained silent as he exchanged a nce with Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng.


    "What about the Wenchang pavilion and the martial sage temple?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Liu Gaohua faltered upon hearing this, and he shook his head and replied, "I''m not sure about those two ces. The locals don''t like visiting the Wenchang pavilion and the martial sage temple, especially since there''s nothing much to see in those ces."


    Liu Gaohua''s older sister was still a little uneasy around Chen Ping''an, and she only dared to sit next to Liu Chicheng, as far as she could from the young boy. Her voice was soft and mellow as she said, "When I was taking some tea to Father, I coincidentally heard him mention something to an elderly Daoist guest. Even though the Wenchang pavilion and the martial sage temple enjoy a lot of incense and offerings, these incense and offerings are regarded as things that are offered but not epted.


    "The elderly Daoist priest also felt helpless about this, and he said that there was nothing the imperial court could do about this situation. Colorful Garment Nation is only so big, so it''s impossible for an additional formal mountain god to be appointed. He also said that if a prodigious schr from Blusher Prefecture managed to enter Lake View Academy, the feng shui of this ce might potentially improve. My father sighed and shook his head when he heard this, and he said that Blusher Prefecture didn''t have the ability to invite such an impressive schr over."


    Liu Chicheng was stumped, and he asked with a puzzled expression, "What are you guys talking about? What Wenchang pavilion and martial sage temple? What formal mountain god? However, I am familiar with Lake View Academy. It''s next to the border of White Mountain Nation, and I''ve visited and gone inside the academy several times.


    "Hmm, can I be considered somewhat of a prodigious schr then? Rest assured, Miss Liu, Lake View Academy recruits one schr from White Mountain Nation each year, and this can be considered special treatment toward White Mountain Nation. One day, perhaps I can also..."


    Liu Gaohua rolled his eyes and snapped, "Give it a rest, why don''t you? You''re barely more knowledgeable than me."


    Liu Chicheng huffed and shut his mouth.


    His jumbled knowledge from the different teachings was effective against women but not very useful against fellow schrs.


    After chatting for a while, Liu Gaohua and his older sister took their leave first. Before leaving, Liu Gaohua recalled something and warned, "Judging from what my father said while we were at the city god temple just then, the entire prefectural city will go under martialw starting from tomorrow. It will be easy to leave but difficult to enter. However, it''s entirely possible that it will be difficult to leave as well after a while.


    "Because of this, Liu Chicheng has decided to leave the city tomorrow. What about the three of you? Let me say this first. If the city truly goes under martialw tomorrow, then General Ma will definitely be involved in it. At that time, I won''t be able to help you even if I''m the prefectural overseer''s son. So, if you want to leave, you should do so by tomorrow night at thetest."


    Liu Chicheng had already walked out with Liu Gaohua''s older sister. They were reluctantly farewelling each other in Zhang Shanfeng''s room, and they thankfully didn''t get too lovey-dovey with each other because Liu Gaohua was still standing there and waiting for them.


    After Xu Yuanxia closed the door, he lightly tapped the table with his fingers and said, "It''s almost certain that the city god temple has already been negatively affected. By the looks of it, these demons and heretical cultivators are scheming something big. I wonder if the cultivation base of Blusher Prefecture''s city god has fallen, and if those people have trapped him inside the city god temple using some underhanded method. Or perhaps he''s already been killed.


    "The situation is dire right now, but things are also bing clearer and clearer. The prefectural overseer and the nearby army should be on high alert as well. If we warn them about the situation now, our credibility will be much higher than before."


    Zhang Shanfeng looked at Chen Ping''an and asked in a hesitant voice, "Maybe we should warn the prefectural overseer before leaving?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "You and brother Xu can leave with Liu Gaohua to warn the prefectural overseer about the situation. I''m going to take a trip to the city god temple to verify the situation. The earlier we learn of the truth, even if it''s only a small slice of the truth, the more beneficial it will be to our decision-making."


    Zhang Shanfeng wasn''t confused about the need to split up. However, he couldn''t understand why it was Chen Ping''an heading over to the dangerous city god temple instead of him.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and exined, "Bhivalrous Xu needs to draw his saber, and it''s best that he can summon gusts of fierce winds as well. This can demonstrate his status as a martial arts grandmaster. Meanwhile, you need to have your peach wood sword fly through the air, so that you can prove your identity as a Daoist priest from Mount Longhu. This will demonstrate your ability to y demons and subdue fiends. What will I do if I go to the prefectural office? Throw punches in front of the prefectural overseer?"


    The big-bearded martial artist roared withughter. Zhang Shanfeng also understood Chen Ping''an''s intentions, and the young Daoist priest told him to wait for a while. He then went to his room to retrieve three talismans. Two were of the lowest quality, but they were the most useful evil-detecting talismans. The yellow paper talisman would immediately selfbust upon detecting sinister auras.


    The final talisman was a divine movement talisman. After funneling some Spiritual Qi or True Qi into the talisman, one could run as fast as a horse for 15 minutes. One could run on the wind without expending any energy.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t refuse these talismans, and he ced them inside his sleeve. "Aren''t you afraid that I''ll run away?" he asked in amusement.


    The young Daoist priest widened his eyes and eximed, "Chen Ping''an, you can''t do that!"


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly shook his hands.


    Zhang Shanfeng started to chuckle to himself.


    If Chen Ping''an fled, Zhang Shanfeng would indeed feel sad about losing that expensive divine movement talisman. However, he would feel even sadder about losing a good friend.


    The three of them parted ways at the entrance of the inn. Xu Yuanxia left with Zhang Shanfeng, and they followed Liu Gaohua to the prefectural office located in the west of the prefectural city.


    Chen Ping''an was coincidentally heading in the same direction as the impoverished schr, Liu Chicheng. One was heading to the city gate in the east, while one was heading to the city god temple in the northeast.


    Miss Liu wasn''t present, so Liu Chicheng no longer conducted himself as a schr. He lowered his head and bowed his back as he walked beside Chen Ping''an, and he asked in curiosity, "Young Master Chen...are you a legendary martial arts grandmaster? Even though you''re young and have only just entered the cultivation world, perhaps you''re already a paramount elite because of your supreme talent and impressive background? Is it because of this that your p was so quick and ethereal that night? In fact, I waspletely unable to detect your attack. Can this be viewed as reaching a divine level?"


    "As long as it''s a martial artist attacking you, you naturally won''t be able to detect their attack," Chen Ping''an replied in exasperation.


    As if suffering great humiliation, Liu Chicheng eximed, "That''s impossible! Young Master Chen is definitely a martial arts grandmaster hidden in the mortal cities. If I were to hazard a guess, perhaps you''re the final disciple of Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god who''s renowned in several neighboring nations. Otherwise, who carries two swords with them when they''re traveling outside? One of them is Illuminating Sun, the sword used by the sword god while he traveled around the world back then, am I correct? Can I touch it?"


    Chen Ping''an was quite impressed by this person''s imagination. However, he was unwilling to speak nonsense with him, so he put on a stern expression and replied with a nod, "Yes, this is Illuminating Sun, so you need to be careful. My case is filled with razor-sharp sword qi, so you''ll immediately be wounded by them once you take the sword out. Are you afraid?"


    "No, I''m not afraid," Liu Chicheng said with a shake of his head.


    He had initially wanted to touch the sword case, but his hands were now obediently sped behind his back.


    After the two of them parted ways, Liu Chicheng continued to walk along the street toward the east gate of the prefectural city. The frail schr suddenly raised his head and nced at a figure standing atop the city wall. It was none other than the old immortal who had performed on the tall stage in the middle of theke. The armored General Ma was standing beside him at this moment, and there were two other elderly but unfamiliar faces standing next to them. The old immortal was pointing at ces around the prefectural city.


    Liu Chicheng clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "Inviting a thief into the house, butpletely oblivious to the fact."


    Elsewhere, it wasn''t long before Chen Ping''an arrived at the square outside the city god temple. He focused his gaze, yet he was unable to detect anything because he wasn''t a Qi refiner. However, his instinct as a pure martial artist told him that there was an extra hint of bloodshed and darkness surrounding the city god temple that had red walls, green roofs, and a zed top. It no longer appeared as peaceful and tranquil as his first visit.


    This was analogous to someone tossing a piece of charcoal onto a snow-covered ground. Perhaps ordinary passers-by wouldn''t notice anything out of the ordinary, but those with good vision and keen observation would definitely see the piece of charcoal. Moreover, it would appear especially jarring.


    There were soldiers from the prefectural office standing guard outside the city god temple, and they prohibited people from entering the temple to offer incense.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath before looking around and finding a rtively secluded wall. He snuck over and retrieved an evil-detecting talisman.


    After arriving there, he leaped over the wall when no one was looking. Uponnding inside the city god temple, the evil-detecting talisman between his fingers immediately selfbusted and burned to a crisp.


    There was no need to verify anything else. It was already abundantly clear that this was the doing of demons and evil spirits.


    Chen Ping''an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and took arge swig of wine.


    At the same time, he reached behind his back and patted the wooden case.


    The locust wood sword was called Eliminating Fiends, and the sword that Master Ruan had forged was temporarily called Subduing Demons. Regardless of how much the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink looked down on these names, saying that they weremon and basic, Chen Ping''an felt like the names Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends were very good.


    Since he had chosen such good names for these swords, he naturally couldn''t let them down.


    Chen Ping''an used his foot to gently flick away a venomous snake that was furiously slithering over. His movements appeared gentle and calm, yet the bones and flesh of the venomous snake immediately shattered in mid-air.


    Right now, Chen Ping''an''s focus was on the two colorful y statues of heavenly officials that were standing outside the redcquer gate of the hall. One stood to the left and one stood to the right, and blood streamed down both of them. There were countless multi-colored venomous snakes slithering over them, and there were also palm-sized pitch-ck scorpions resting on their heads and arms and showing off their strength. In fact, there were even rats wantonly scuttling in and out of the y statues'' broken abdomens and faces.


    Chen Ping''an was involuntarily reminded of the terrible state of the immortal tomb in his hometown. He was instantly infuriated, and he slowly walked over following the direction of the wall. He tried his best to calm his breath and remainposed. After all, being angry wouldn''t increase one''s strength, nor would it allow one''s True Qi to circte quicker.


    As he advanced, Chen Ping''an quietly said in his mind, <em>Chen Ping''an, if you truly can''t defeat them, then you need to flee as quickly as you can!</em>

 Chapter 227: Sword Strike

    Chapter 227: Sword Strike


    Shen Wen was the name of the city god honored in Blusher Prefecture''s city god pavilion. Before his death, he was an official from the Censorate, and he was renowned in the imperial court for his integrity and upright manner. He had also spoken the famous words "a loyal official during life, an upright ghost after death[1]". It was already 300 years since his death, yet he still enjoyed abundant incense and offerings.


    Because Chen Ping''an had visited the city god temple with Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng before, he was quite familiar with the paths and locations of everything. There were four separate halls in the city god pavilion, and two painted y statues of heavenly officials were standing in front of the first gate inside the temple. They had initially appeared mighty and impressive, yet they were in a miserable state at this moment, with snakes, rats, and other vermin all over them.


    Chen Ping''an walked next to the exterior wall of the temple for a few dozen paces, but he was yet to encounter any demons or sinister spirits. He didn''t hesitate anymore and pulled out a Yang energy illumination talisman from his sleeve. The talisman hovered an arm''s length in front of him, and it gently swayed back and forth, then automatically flew toward the gate as Chen Ping''an took a step forward.


    Chen Ping''an immediately felt much more at ease. Even though the city god pavilion had been attacked, and the city god temple square was ruined beyond recognition, there was definitely still remnant spiritual energy flowing through the buildings at the back of the temple. Otherwise, the illumination talisman wouldn''t have flown forward by itself. Instead, it would have retreated toward the walls.


    The illumination talisman radiated with a soft yellow glow, and the pure light enveloped Chen Ping''an''s entire body. Wherever he walked, the centipedes, scorpions, and other poisonous vermin on the ground would quickly scuttle away. When Chen Ping''an walked past the first internal gate, the vermin on the two y statues of heavenly officials were most likely affected by the radiance of this illumination talisman as well. The vermin all crawled to the statues'' backs or hid inside the statues'' hollow abdomens.


    Chen Ping''an held his breath and gathered his concentration. He slowly continued forward.


    Behind the first internal gate was the great hall with a que. The deity honored inside this hall wasn''t the city god, but instead a general who had yed an important role in the founding of Colorful Garment Nation. The statue of the general was seated, and there were eight statues of subordinate officials standing to the two sides.


    The golden characters on the que had been personally written by the founding emperor of Colorful Garment Nation, and more than half of the golden ink had already been chipped off. There was a ck snake as thick as a bowl resting coiled on top of the que. Its head was hanging down, and it looked at Chen Ping''an and hissed at him as if showing off its might and warning him away.


    When Chen Ping''an stepped inside the great hall, the ck snake suddenly shot over and widened its maw. However, Chen Ping''an twisted his body and turned to the side without even looking up. He then grabbed the head of the ck snake with his hand and gently flicked his wrist. The ck snake instantly became limp as if it had no bones. Chen Ping''an threw it away, and by the time it hit the ground, it was already as dead as could be.


    Chen Ping''an followed the swaying illumination talisman forward. After passing the hall, there was another square that was smaller than the first one. There were old trees all around, and there was a stone tablet that recorded the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation''s imperial edict to appoint a city god. Thest time Chen Ping''an hade here, he had actually stood in front of this stone tablet and examined it for half a day. In the end, he hade to a single conclusion. The handwriting was truly mediocre, even inferior to the handwriting of the young Cui Chan.


    Fortunately, the young Cui Chan  or rather Cui Dongshan  wasn''t present. Otherwise, he would definitely be angered by Chen Ping''an''s observation.


    There was a god of wealth hall and a Tai Sui hall[2] to the left and right of the square. People could pray for fortune and wealth in the former hall, and they could pray for peace and safety in thetter. The residents in the city were probably more sincere when they prayed in these hallspared to the great hall.


    The illumination talisman continued to fly forward, and Chen Ping''an continued to follow closely behind it.


    However, after a few moments he suddenly turned around. He felt like a white shadow had shed across therge stone tablet under the old cypress tree just then.


    The silvery voices of young women traveled out from the god of wealth hall and the Tai Sui hall. Their voices were extremely faint, and it sounded as if they were joking and giggling with each other. However, there was also a hint of chilliness behind their charming voices. It was as if they were female ghosts in the yin dimension transmitting their voices to the yang dimension, with their voices slowly seeping through the boundary between yin and yang bit by bit.


    Borrowing the shade provided by the old cypress trees, the voices of these women floated through the windows of the two halls and entered the square between them. However, their voices melted like snow uponing into contact with the scattered sunlight, so they became much softer than they initially were. However, Chen Ping''an was still able to vaguely hear them.


    Chen Ping''an furrowed his brows as he turned around and continued forward.


    The main hall of the city god pavilion was only a dozen or so steps in front of him. This was the city god hall where Shen Wen was honored.


    The twin swords in his wooden scabbard were more for show right now; the two bonded flying swords in his Sword Nurturing Gourd were his main fighting force apart from his fists.


    In terms of other external items, Chen Ping''an also had some talismans that were simr to the illumination talisman. These talismans hade from the ancient book that Li Xisheng had given him, the ''Authentic Death-Avoiding Book''. He had two gold-colored treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talismans, and he had drawn these talismans just in case after destroying the yin entity in the oil-paper umbre back at the old residence. Chen Ping''an had wanted to use them during his battle with the tree spirit from Ancient Elm Nation afterward, but the tree spirit had been defeated by First and Fifteenth before he had found the opportunity to do so.


    Apart from this, Chen Ping''an also had one Yang energy illumination talisman and threend-shortening talismans. Thetter could be used to assist his Deity Drumming Technique, and it could of course be used to flee from danger as well. Hisnd-shortening talismans were definitely no inferior to Zhang Shanfeng''s divine movement talismans.


    The instant that Chen Ping''an turned back around...


    A woman in white appeared on top of the stone tablet. She was sitting there with her hair disheveled and covering her face.


    She extended a finger that was all bone and no flesh, and she gently tapped the top of the stone tablet. A spring instantly burst forth, not with water but with bright red blood. The blood flowed down the tablet, and it wasn''t long before the thousand or so ancient characters on the stone tablet became blood red. It was as if the stone tablet had transformed into a blood letter.


    Strangely, however, the white dress of the woman remained spotless and unsoiled. There wasn''t a single drop of blood on it.


    With her hair still covering her face, the woman looked up and started to sing in a melodious voice. Perhaps this was an ancient bad from Colorful Garment Nation that had already been lost with time, and the woman extended two bony fingers to twirl her hair as she sang in a low voice. She gently swayed her legs, and there was some blood and flesh on her bare feet, in contrast to her fleshless hands. As her feet swung back and forth, the blood flowing down the stone tablet also sshed into the surroundings.


    Compared to the indistinct chattering andughter from the god of wealth hall and the Tai Sui hall, the voice of the singing woman in white was far louder and clearer. The old cypress tree above her rustled in the wind as if it were singing in harmony with her.


    The woman in white seemingly reached a joyful part of the song, so she raised her bony hand to gently y with her hair again.


    The tightly shut doors of the god of wealth hall and the Tai Sui hall suddenly creaked open at this moment. A person stumbled out from each hall, and the person from the god of wealth hall was a young man who had one arm cleaved off at the shoulder.


    However, his bleeding had already stopped, and there was an azure sword in his remaining hand. His face was deathly pale, and there was no sign of life or emotion in his eyes.


    The person from the Tai Sui hall was a middle-aged man in azure. His head was hanging as he limped out of the hall, and upon closer inspection, it became apparent that his head had almost been chopped off by someone using a sharp weapon. In fact, his head was only held to his body by a sliver of flesh and skin.


    The woman in white sitting on top of the stone tablet rotated her wrists, causing the movements of the two stumbling men to instantly be smooth and agile. They started to dance in the square. As it turned out, there were numerous transparent threads attached to the fingertips of the woman''s bony hands. These threads were like spiderwebs, and they were wrapped around the limbs of the two dead men and controlling their each and every movement.


    At the same time, women in white continued to appear from the two halls which now had their doors wide open. They exited with clouds of ck smoke behind them, and they continued to rapidly hover around the doors of the halls. They quietly giggled as they looked at the two men, and their faces were filled with expressions of taunting and hatred. However, the scattered rays of sunshine were like a natural barrier that they didn''t dare to recklessly cross.


    Even so, there were still four or five women in white who couldn''t suppress their urge. They rapidly dashed forward with clouds of ck smoke behind them, and they quickly flew around and circled the corpses of the two men. While doing so, they used their fingers to toy with the deathly pale faces of the two men.


    They would shuffle behind the two men at times, and they would also dash up from under the two men at other times. However, the price they paid for this short moment of joy was being brutally disintegrated by the sunlight.


    Chen Ping''an stood at the door threshold of the main hall, as if the Yang energy illumination talisman had run into a brick wall that prevented it from advancing forward. It dashed forward and came to an abrupt halt again and again, and it was unable to advance forward no matter what.


    The Yang energy in the yellow paper talisman continued to drain away.


    Chen Ping''an held his hand out, and it was as if his palm were resting against the frozen surface of ake in winter. He pushed harder, yet he was still unable to break through the barrier.


    Chen Ping''an put his index finger and middle finger together. As he turned around, he viciously flicked his wrist and caused the illumination talisman that had little spiritual energy remaining to rapidly shoot toward the square. The talisman spun around the two puppet corpses once, and the two deceased men copsed to the ground with a loud thud. The transparent threads attached to their bodies were severed, and blood started to stream from their bodies after they copsed to the ground.


    The woman in white retracted her hands. She wasn''t angered, and it was instead the women who had exited the two halls who waved their arms and bared their teeth at Chen Ping''an. There was deep hatred in their eyes as they red at him.


    Regardless of how kind a person was during their life, they could no longer be viewed through the Second Sage''s lens of fundamental goodness once they became an evil spirit. Just like how bamboo baskets couldn''t collect water, such evil spirits couldn''t maintain kindness any longer.


    This was the intangible and undetectable will of the heavens.


    Chen Ping''an looked toward the back of the woman on the stone tablet and said in a soft voice, "Youngdy, we should show some basic respect toward deceased people. No matter what kind of hostility existed between you and them back then, why not let bygones be bygones?"


    The woman in white ignored him and continued to sing. However, she used the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent this time, and this was something that Chen Ping''an could understand.


    "A form like a withered husk, a heart like extinguished ashes... True knowledge he possesses, yet free from conceit he remains. Confused he appears, and no schemes can prate his heart. Oh, what kind of person is he...?[3]"


    The woman''s voice was calm, and it surprisingly possessed a sense of tranquility and peacefulness. There was no hint of anger or hatred at all.


    Chen Ping''an could understand the words, but he couldn''t understand the deeper meaning behind the words.


    In any case, he wasn''t in the mood to mull over this either. The main hall of the city god pavilion was sealed off from the outside world using some kind of formation, and it was very likely that the city god was trapped inside. This prevented him from patrolling the prefectural city and helping Blusher Prefecture ovee the imminent cmity.


    The main hall behind Chen Ping''an was the city god hall where City God Shen Wen and two other gods were honored. The statue of Shen Wen was more than nine meters tall, and visitors needed to raise their heads to gaze up at him.


    To his left and right were the statues of a schrly god and a martial god who were both six meters tall. They were holding an official seal and a steel truncheon, respectively.


    ording to rumors, a Daoist priest with the surname Zhang hade here from another continent more than 200 years ago. He hade to some realization after experiencing the simple and honest nature of Blusher Prefecture, and after returning home, it wasn''t long before Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence had bestowed the "Colorful Garment Nation Blusher Prefecture City God Protection Seal" upon Colorful Garment Nation.


    Only then did people find out that the young Daoist priest had actually been Esteemed Daoist Huangzi from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence. This enthralling story spread through half of the continent, and it was rumored that the gold seal was now secretly stored in the imperial treasury of Colorful Garment Nation.


    There was also a giant mural that illustrated 81 beautiful women dancing withrge sleeves.


    People praised this mural as "ink that seems alive, and just a single breath away froming alive".


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything else after seeing the woman in white ignore his words. He quietly patted the Sword Nurturing Gourd on his waist.


    After doing this, he turned around and threw a punch at the "frozen surface" sealing off the city god hall. Ripples danced across the seal formation, and the three statues inside the main hall also appeared to shudder.


    Chen Ping''an slowly walked using the six-step walking meditation stance as he threw punch after punch at the seal formation. He was using none other than the Deity Drumming Technique.


    Of course, he was also on guard against any sudden attacks from the women in the square.


    A sigh traveled over from atop an old and towering cypress tree, and a young girl said, "Idiot, that''s a seal formation formed by two powerful cultivators at the fifth tier. Even my master won''t be able to shatter it in a short amount of time. Otherwise, how can the city god still be trapped inside? Yet, you want to forcefully shatter it with a martial arts technique?


    "Save yourself some strength and leave this ce before the female ghosts develop killing intent toward you. Otherwise, you''ll be the corpse puppet dancing around the next time some fooles barging in."


    Perhaps Chen Ping''an''s punches were far too casual in her eyes, so they were unable to give off any sense of power or might.


    This caused the strange young girl atop the cypress tree to look down on him.


    After his fight with Ma Kuxuan in the street, Chen Ping''an''s fist intent was increasingly hidden now. He also performed walking meditation slower than before, and his manner of walking was more aligned with the notion of nourishment. The reason why many low-level martial arts techniques would end up cursing their own body for its deficiencies was that they were chaotic and unrefined. Thus, the more diligently they trained, the more they would damage their body and soul.


    However, even though Chen Ping''an''s physical movements were slower when he performed walking meditation, his cirction of Qi was countless times quicker than before when he performed standing meditation. If his cirction of Qi werepared to the delivery of letters from ry stations, then his speed had only been that of a single quick horse before. Now, however, it was the speed of several quick horses running in ry[4].


    This nature of concealing his fist intent was extremely mystical, and it was something that definitely couldn''t be detected by martial artists under the sixth or seventh tier.


    The woman in white suddenly stopped singing. She turned around and stared intently at Chen Ping''an''s eighteenth punch.


    The young boy''s fist surged forward like the ringing of arge bell, and the aura of the entire square was shaken into action. A fracturing sound instantly rang out from the blood-soaked stone tablet.


    The woman in white unleashed a high-pitched shriek that could piece through one''s eardrums. It was as if she were a general issuing amand, and the hovering young women in front of the two halls immediately transformed into two columns of surging ck smoke. One column fused into the seal formation and used the remnant yin souls of the young women to fortify the formation, while one column surged toward Chen Ping''an and tried its utmost to interrupt his flowing fist intent. It tried to stop him from throwing the neenth punch using the Deity Drumming Technique.


    "You reckless fool, you''ll drag me to my death! If I die here today, then see how I scold you to death when we meet again on the path to the afterlife! But we would already be dead... Damn, I haven''t died yet and you''re pissing me off to death!"


    The young girl finished her angry grumbling atop the old cypress tree. She didn''t hesitate anymore; she dashed forward, producing a series of crisp tinkling sounds. The sounds circted around her, and they also gave rise to rings of faint golden flowers. Her lithe figure was truly pleasing to the eye.


    Hidden under her thick hair, the corners of the woman in white''s lips curled up into a slight smile. There was a cold and mocking look in her eyes.


    She extended her bony hands and pped them together.


    Inside the main hall of the city god pavilion, the schrly god and the martial god to the left and right of City God Shen Wen creaked and groaned as ifing to life. Huge amounts of dust were shaken off their bodies, and they both took a step forward and walked down from their tform. There was a loud boom as their feet stomped onto the bluestone floor of the main hall.


    The two y statues strode forward and charged toward the door, with the martial god raising his steel truncheon and smashing it down at Chen Ping''an''s head. Meanwhile, the schrly god who was holding an iron essence official seal strode out the door without hesitation. It raised its iron seal and thrust it toward the slender young girl.


    Initially, shattering the seal formation on the main hall should have returned freedom to the city god. This would have been the most logical progression of events. Unexpectedly, however, the true killing intent wasn''ting from the square in front of the city god hall, nor was iting from the menacing women in white who were filled with eerie yin energy. Instead, it wasing from inside the city god hall where their hopes and helpers should have been?!


    Then...where in the world was City God Shen Wen? Where was his godly body?


    The tallest and mightiest y statue inside the city god hall was the initially golden and dazzling statue of the city god. It was dull and devoid of luster now, and the ground surrounding it was filled with golden shards. Only a few specks of gold remained in its eyes. If the locals of Blusher Prefecture were present, they most likely wouldn''t dare to believe that this was the "Golden City God" of Blusher Prefecture that they were all extremely proud of.


    This was because ording to the Local County Chronicle of Blusher Prefecture, gold leaf worth almost a hundred taels of gold had been used to gild the statue of the city god. In order to achieve this, the prefectural overseer of that generation had begged the wealthy forces and ns in the prefecture for help. After sessfully raising enough money, he had specially asked someone to carve a merit tablet to record the names and ns of those people who had helped.


    The statue of the city god that was now missing almost all of its gold exterior spoke with great difficulty. Its hoarse voice traveled over to the door threshold, saying, "Hurry up and leave, you two. There are many demonic and heretical cultivators with unknown backgrounds in the prefecture, but there are only the female ghosts in white here.


    "If the two of you manage to escape, you definitely have to look for the esteemed immortals from Divine Edict Sect or the noble schrs or virtuous schrs from Lake View Academy. Tell them that Colorful Garment Nation is facing a great catastrophe. If Colorful Garment Nation falls, then none of the six surrounding nations, including Ancient Elm Nation, will be spared!"


    As it turned out, the city god pavilion meant to protect the residents of the prefectural city was barely able to protect itself at the moment.


    Outside the main hall...


    The young girl who had bells tied to her arms and legs helped Chen Ping''an block the column of ck smoke formed by the female ghosts in white. As her four bells sounded, countless faint golden flowers bloomed in the air, creating a dazzling scene. The fearsome column of ck smoke was immediately sliced up and shattered into pieces.


    However, the young girl was also struck by several wisps of chaotic ck smoke. She vomited blood, yet she still refused to retreat. She stood near the reckless fool and lightly shook her wrist. Her bells chimed, and golden flowers bloomed, continuing to disintegrate the wisps of smoke that were echoing with wails of agony.


    As she did this, Chen Ping''an calmly threw his 19th punch.


    The other column of ck smoke ferociously surged into the "icy surface" that was sealing the main hall off from the outside world. It helped the seal formation block the umted might of the 19th punch of the Deity Drumming Technique.


    At the same time, the two traitorous statues of the schrly god and the martial god continued to attack Chen Ping''an and the young girl. The martial god continued to swing its steel truncheon at Chen Ping''an''s head, while the schrly god continued to thrust its official seal toward the back of the young girl''s head.


    Chen Ping''an was unfazed, and he quickly threw his 20th punch in quick session. The seal formation shuddered violently. Even though it was yet to shatter, it was already showing signs of buckling under pressure. It could only withstand one more punch at most. However, there was a feeling of helplessness and exasperation in Chen Ping''an''s mind. He could no longer throw the 21st punch of the Deity Drumming Technique. After all, he couldn''t stand idly by and watch the young girl be smacked to death by the official seal of the schrly god, could he? Otherwise, he did indeed have the opportunity to throw the 21st punch.


    The stone tiles under Chen Ping''an''s feet cracked under pressure as he suddenly disappeared and dodged the strike from the martial god''s steel truncheon. He instantly arrived beside the schrly god, and he used the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique to throw a punch at the y statue''s waist.


    This was a life-saving punch, so Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to hold back at all. Because of this, snow-white fist intent swirled around his arm as his fist surged forward. A fearsome fist aura was formed, and there was also the vague sound of ferocious wind and lightning.


    The six-meter tall y statue was forced to step sideways after being struck by Chen Ping''an''s powerful punch. Itsrge feet carved a deep trench into the ground.


    The young girl turned around to see what was going on after hearing themotion behind her. Only then did she roughly understand the situation. There was a slightly dazed expression on her face when she looked at the unremarkable young boy with the wooden scabbard on his back again.


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to the young girl''s thoughts, and he paused the movements of his arms as if he were preparing to throw another punch. However, he retrieved two gold-colored treasure-pagoda demon-suppressing talismans from his sleeves instead, and he secretly stuck these talismans to his palm. The steel truncheon in the martial god''s hand missed its target and obliterated the stone tiles on the ground instead. The martial god straightened his back and swung his steel truncheon at Chen Ping''an again.


    Chen Ping''an had practiced his slow-paced walking meditation countless times during his journey down south.


    However, when he wanted to be quick...


    ...he could genuinely be very quick!


    The steel truncheon missed again, and Chen Ping''an had already arrived in front of the y statue of the martial god at some unknown time. With a tap of his feet, he leaped up and forcefully struck the forehead of the martial god with his palm.


    There was dazzling golden light!


    A golden treasure pagoda materialized around the y statue of the martial god. It was slightly taller andrger than the martial god, and arcs of lightning shed through the pagoda like countless soaring dragons.


    It was as if the y statue were being enshrined inside the treasure pagoda.


    Just what kind of feeling was this? This could be determined by observing the shattering body of therge y statue. Regardless of how the martial god struggled, and how ferociously he attacked the treasure pagoda with his steel truncheon, the treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talisman remained firm and unwavering as it suppressed him.


    Immediately after using the first gold-colored treasure-pagoda demon-suppressing talisman, Chen Ping''an had thrust his feet into the martial god''s chest and used him as a tform to leap toward the schrly god. In a sh, he arrived before the schrly god who was rapidly charging toward the young girl. With another smack, he stuck the remaining gold-colored talisman onto the iron essence official seal of the schrly god.


    The towering y statue bent its knees as if a mountain was bearing down on it. Shards of y continued to break free from its knees, and it was almost forced to stumble forward and fall to the ground.


    Chen Ping''an''s feet were yet to touch the ground. After using his two dazzling golden talismans, he continued to soar upward, all the way until he reached the y statue''s head. He stood on the head of the schrly god and looked toward the woman in white who was standing atop the stone tablet.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t pause, and he charged toward the stone tablet under the old cypress tree as if he was running on the wind. While soaring through the air, he reached behind his back and lightly patted his sword case, saying in a quiet voice, "Eliminating Fiends!"


    The locust wood sword flew out of the case andnded in Chen Ping''an''s hand.


    Chen Ping''an swung his sword down.


    His movements were smooth andpleted in a single breath, and he appeared fairly carefree and dashing.


    1. A quote from Fang Xioaru''s . Fang Xiaoru was a Chinese official and Confucian schr of the Ming dynasty.


    2. Tai Sui is a Chinese name for stars directly opposite the Jupiter in its roughly 12-year orbital cycle. Personified as deities, they are important features of Chinese astrology, feng shui, and Daoism.


    3. An extract from Zhuangzi''s ''Knowledge Rambling in the North''. This extract describes a knowledgeable person who is free from conceit and unmoved by desires or vested interests.


    4. This references the method of delivering letters/messages in the past. Over long distances, swapping to a new horse at each ry station will naturally result in a quicker speed than simply using the same horse.

 Chapter 228: (1): First and Fifteenth, Eliminate Fiends With Me

    Chapter 228: (1): First and Fifteenth, Eliminate Fiends With Me


    Chen Ping''an swung his locust wood sword down at the woman in white standing on top of the stone tablet.


    He didn''t utilize any sword technique or sword stance, and there was no spiritual glow on the locust wood sword capable of suppressing yin entities either.


    The woman in white, whose face was covered by her thick hair, pursed her lips. Even though she looked down on her opponent, she was still unwilling to be too careless because the young boy had sessfully suppressed the two y statues of the martial god and the schrly god just then.


    She decided to y with him for a while. In any case, maintaining control of the city god pavilion would naturally be best, but losing control of it wouldn''t matter too much either. After all, there would always be more powerful allies to snatch it back.


    She reached down and quickly ran her hand along her waist, retrieving a long sword that had no scabbard. The sword was blood-red, and it was filled with a repulsive aura. She had most likely concealed this sword using an illusion technique.


    When she ran her bony palm across the sword, a trail of sparks flew into the air as she made contact with its de. Not only that, but an emerald green bracelet also slipped off her wrist and started to rapidly circle around her. Its path was unpredictable, and it was so fast that it quickly became a blur, leaving an emerald-green trail behind it in the air.


    For cultivators in the world, it was naturally the case that the more immortal treasures the better. This was the same concept asmoners wanting as much money as possible. No one wouldin about having too much wealth. However, genuine spirit tools and immortal tools were far too rare and precious.


    If a person was lucky enough to possess two, then they would try their utmost to have one for offense and have one for defense. One could be used to attack enemies and force them back, and one could be used to defend oneself and keep oneself safe. With an offensive treasure to attack and a defensive treasure to guard, this would naturally be a wlessbination.


    For example, the Militarian armor pellet used by the tree spirit in the old residence. The armor pellet could transform into a suit of radiant armor, a top-notch defensive immortal treasure.


    Right now, the woman in white was following this exact principle. She had a blood-red sword and an emerald green bracelet, and the former was used for offense while thetter was used for defense.


    In fact, all of Chen Ping''an''s actions had taken ce in but the blink of an eye  from forcefully suppressing the y statues of the martial god and the schrly god using strange and extremely high-quality talismans, to stepping on the schrly god''s head, to finally lunging over and attacking with his locust wood sword.


    The locust wood sword instantly arrived in front of the woman.


    The woman in white quickly raised her sword and shed sideways, causing a burst of blood-red sword qi to materialize above her head. If the young boy didn''t dodge in time, then this burst of sword qi would definitely hack him into two at the waist.


    However, the young boy suddenly vanished from sight.


    Inch movement talisman!


    The woman in white knew that the situation was bad.


    <em>ng!</em>


    The sound of steel striking stone suddenly reverberated around the square without any warning.


    After that, a string of nging sounds rang out as concentrated and rapid as raindrops from a torrential downpour striking a roof.


    The expression of the woman in white changed slightly. She twisted her hips, and she quickly flew away from the top of the stone tablet. She circled the lush green cypress tree with her blood-red sword, and it was as if she were hiding from something. She also purposely distanced herself from the emerald green bracelet. There were approximately six meters between her and the bracelet, and this would allow her to freely control it while also avoiding any attacks.


    It was a flying sword!


    The young boy was actually a sword cultivator who could control a flying sword!


    What wooden sword? What Eliminating Fiends? These were all covers used to trick people! His true killing blow was that cunning flying sword that was yet to reveal its true appearance.


    He was young, yet his mind was truly meticulous and malicious! No wonder he had sessfully be a sword cultivator, the most difficult cultivation path for Qi refiners.


    The woman in white felt extremely pained as she listened to the ceaseless nging sounds ringing around the square. No matter how much spiritual energy her bracelet possessed, it would still be unable to withstand such brutal bullying from the flying sword. This was no different from ruthlessly trampling a flower underfoot.


    Her bracelet was called "Viscous Ice[1]", a high-grade spirit tool that her old ancestor had personally bestowed upon her. It wasn''t known for its sturdiness, but it was rather adept at defending against surprise attacks from those so-called immortals who had attained the Dao. After all, her old ancestor had predicted long ago that their secret n to steal the most valuable national treasure of Colorful Garment Nation would definitely result in a bloody battle with many casualties.


    Qi refiners from powerful ns and forces might not be the most courageous when it came to fighting to the death, but they would definitely have countless mystical abilities and immortal treasures that had been passed down through the generations. These were things that they had to defend against.


    The woman in white was temporarily unable to predict the movements of Chen Ping''an''s flying sword. However, she didn''t dare to retrieve her bracelet either. This infuriated her immensely, and she felt wrathful anger for the first time in a long while.


    If her bracelet was shattered in this battle, then to say nothing of her allies, she would definitely lose more than she could gain in this trip to Colorful Garment Nation. Even if they seeded in the end, the reward that she received for her contributions would most likely be insufficient to make up for the bracelet.


    Her hair billowed wildly, revealing her true appearance.


    She was surprisingly the woman in colorful robes who had been the first to perform on the tall stage in the middle of theke that night. She had enchanted countless men from Blusher Prefecture that night, and these men had felt deep regret that they couldn''t pull her into their embrace and show her some love.


    Judging from this, the old immortal who had the demeanor of a transcendent being was at least one of the main masterminds behind the trouble brewing in Blusher Prefecture.


    However, these people were acting so openly and boldly, so how was there not a single cultivator from Colorful Garment Nation who had seen through them?


    Standing in the square, Chen Ping''an faltered upon seeing the woman''s true appearance. His expression was solemn, and he ced the locust wood sword back in the wooden scabbard. He habitually grabbed his wine gourd and took a gulp of wine.


    The woman in whiteughed in anger when she saw that the young boy was still in the mood to drink. Her robes fluttered in the wind, revealing her wrists and feet. They were nothing but white bones. It could be envisioned that her slender body was much the same.


    Only her face had flesh and skin. Not only that, but her appearance was also extremely beautiful.


    As it turned out, she was a beautiful skeletal woman. No, she was a beautiful skeletal ghost.


    The woman in white felt slightly more at ease after confirming that the flying sword couldn''t break through the defenses of her bracelet and soar over to attack her. That being the case, she would capture and kill the young boy first. He was seeking death, so he couldn''t me anyone else for his miserable fate. She had initially wanted to toy with him for a little while, but who could have imagined that he was actually fairly powerful?


    What did it matter that he was a sword cultivator? She and her allies could deal with him as long as he wasn''t a transcendent and ethereal great sword immortal. Even if he were a sword immortal at the upper end of the Middle Five Tiers, she and her allies would still be able to kill him if he dared to show himself in the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture!


    The small square in front of the city god hall was now divided into three battlefields. There were two gold-colored treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talismans slowly grinding away the demonic qi of two y statues. Shards of y shot into the surroundings, and plumes of smoke rose around the y statues. The sound of cracking continued to echo around the square. The y statues of the martial god and the schrly god were unable to break free no matter how they roared and bellowed.


    Arcs of lightning shed inside the treasure pagodas formed by the demon-suppressing talismans, and it was as if Heavenly Lords from the Thunder Department were using whips of lightning to viciously strike evil beings. The two y statues were firmly suppressed in the treasure pagodas.


    The second battlefield involved First, the flying sword that Chen Ping''an had summoned just moments back. It finally hadn''t insisted on making a shy entrance from the Sword Nurturing Gourd this time, instead opting to sneak in without alerting the woman in white. However, it was a pity that she possessed a defensive bracelet that had blocked that deadly strike for her, preventing her head from being separated from her body.


    Perhaps First had be truly angry, or perhaps it was like a child who had found a new toy. It started to ignore Chen Ping''an''s thoughts, and it focused its attention on the emerald green bracelet. As if forging iron, it continued to strike the bracelet again and again. It purposely slowed down as well, and it controlled the region where the bracelet could travel.


    The final battlefield was naturally the one where the deadly battle between Chen Ping''an and the woman in white was taking ce. The woman was determined to kill this young "sword cultivator" first.


    She charged over with her blood-red sword, and she roared at the two halls honoring the god of wealth and the Tai Sui at the same time. The yin entities and female ghosts itching for action immediately surged out and transformed into ck smoke, blotting out heaven and earth as they rushed toward Chen Ping''an who was standing alone in the square.


    The young girl with silver bells on her wrists and feet initially wanted to rush over to help Chen Ping''an, but the young boy looked at her and warned her not to be involved with his eyes.


    The young girl didn''t act rashly, and obediently stayed put in the first battlefield. However, she gently moved her arms and feet, causing her silver bells to continuously emit ethereal rings. She used her full strength to send the faint golden flowers out from under the eaves of the main hall, and she insisted on helping Chen Ping''an exterminate the female ghosts even though her face was already deathly pale.


    To Chen Ping''an, the young girl''s willingness to help him was already enough.


    He forcefully swung his arms, causing a turbulent and dazzling fist aura to flow over them. This was none other than the Rain Evaporation Technique that Cui Chan''s grandfather had taught him. His abundant aura instantly burst outward, mming into the dozen or so female ghosts who had rushed out from the side halls and were viciously charging toward him.


    They were already being scorched and severely wounded by the scattered rays of sunshine, and Chen Ping''an''s punch was also a domineering one that had the aura of a formidable warrior. This wounded them even further, and their sharp fingernails which were as long as fingers were unable to get within three meters of Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an was far more capable than just throwing a single punch. He leaned backward, and he instantly retreated several meters with a tap of his feet. He dodged the sword strike of the woman in white, yet the beautiful female bone ghost was like a parasite that wouldn''t let go of him. Her feet didn''t touch the ground, and she simply dashed across the air as she chased after Chen Ping''an. She thrust her sword forward.


    However, Chen Ping''an also took this opportunity to assume a fist stance filled with an ancient vor and throw another two punches. A full dozen ghosts chaotically running around were instantly obliterated.


    The beautiful ghost in white started to run through the air quicker and quicker, and her hair billowed in the wind as she roared, "You truly deserve to die!"


    The tip of her long sword was only a few inches away from piercing through Chen Ping''an''s heart.


    Chen Ping''an twisted his feet, and he emted what Ma Kuxuan had done during their fight on the street. He started to spin around like a spinning top. Not only was he able to dodge the woman in white''s sword strike, but he was even able to seize this opportunity to close the distance between them and throw a punch at her face.


    However, the beautiful ghost in white surprisingly transformed into a cloud of white mist and dispersed into the surroundings. She reappeared more than teb meters away. She made a dragging motion with her hand, and the blood-red sword that she had left behind spun a half circle and shed down at Chen Ping''an''s elbow.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t hesitate to use hisst inch movement talisman. He appeared beside the beautiful ghost again, and the abundant fist aura enveloping his body made him seem like the scorching sun. The beautiful bone ghost shrieked in pain, and it no longer had the time or effort to control the blood-red sword in the distance. It used the same technique as just then, and it transformed into a cloud of white mist that quickly dispersed into the surroundings.


    There was a solemn and determined expression on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he quietly said in his mind, "First!"


    Even though it was unwilling, the flying sword still left its current battleground and shot through the air, directly stabbing at the beautiful female bone ghost who had only just reappeared. The emerald green bracelet and the blood-red sword faltered momentarily the instant that she disappeared for the second time, and it was as if they were hesitating because they had lost contact with their owner.


    The beautiful ghost finally became panicked and flustered when she noticed the flying sword shooting toward her be. She covered her face with her hands, and her hair also furiously curled around to protect her face.


    The exquisite and snow-white flying sword quietly came to a hovering stop in front of her. It didn''t continue to shoot forward.


    However...


    A cold sensation spread across the back of her head.


    1. Refers to , a type of jade.

 Chapter 228: (2): First and Fifteenth, Eliminate Fiends With Me

    Chapter 228: (2): First and Fifteenth, Eliminate Fiends With Me


    As if bound into ce by a restriction technique, the beautiful female bone ghost stood still and didn''t move at all. There was disbelief on her face, and her movements were stiff as she turned her head around after a moment. She dazedly looked at the young boy who was charging toward her.


    <em>So be it if you''re a sword cultivator... But why do you have two flying swords? And why are you disguising yourself as a pure martial artist?</em>


    She could dodge First, but she couldn''t dodge Fifteenth[1]!


    However, Chen Ping''an remained alert and on guard even though the female ghost''s neck had been sliced through from behind by Fifteenth, his other flying sword. He paid no heed to the other yin entities and female ghosts, and ignored them no matter how they charged over at him. He charged over to the beautiful female bone ghost as quickly as he could, and he resolutely used the Deity Drumming Technique to throw punch after punch. After throwing 20 punches, the bones under the white robes were smashed into smithereens.


    In the end, the beautiful female bone ghost exploded apart along with her white robes. A yellow paper talisman with the drawing of a female slowly drifted to the ground.


    The other yin entities and female ghost instantly lost their leader following her death, and they all rushed back inside the two side halls to hide. However, a fair portion of them wereprehensively disintegrated by the sun before they could flee back to the shade of the side halls. There were no longer the charming sounds of joking and giggling traveling out from the side halls, and there was instead only the sound of sobbing.


    The blood-red sword fell to the ground, and the emerald green bracelet was like a lost puppy as it continued to circle around the area where the beautiful female bone ghost had disappeared.


    Chen Ping''an stood still and didn''t rush over to grab the bracelet straight away. He didn''t reach over to grab the yellow paper talisman either.


    He looked around, and after confirming that there was no more danger, he patted the Sword Nurturing Gourd and had First and Fifteenth fly back inside.


    He squatted down and carefully examined the yellow paper talisman.


    Chen Ping''an then retrieved the other evil-detecting talisman that Zhang Shanfeng had given him and held it near the yellow paper talisman on the ground. He waved it around, and the evil-detecting talisman did indeed selfbust. However, the me was tiny, and it only burned a corner of the evil-detecting talisman before extinguishing.


    Only after seeing this did Chen Ping''an truly pick the yellow paper talisman up using his fingertips. He quickly discovered that the yellow paper talisman wasn''t made from ordinary paper. The paper was incredibly smooth and soft, but it was also very tough, as if not even a strong man could tear it apart.


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment, then cing the yellow paper talisman with the illustration of the beautiful woman inside his sleeve. In reality, he was cing it inside his pocket treasure.


    One very important reason behind the preciousness of pocket treasures was their ability to block detection from the outside world. Even though this wasn''t absolute, this was roughly what the situation was like.


    When Chen Ping''an put the yellow paper talisman away, the emerald green bracelet also flew over to him by itself. Chen Ping''an held the evil-detecting talisman in his hand, and he saw that there wasn''t any reaction at all. He reached over to grab the bracelet and ced it in his pocket treasure as well.


    When he walked over to retrieve the blood-red red sword, however, the evil-detecting talisman immediately burst into mes and burned to a crisp. Chen Ping''an felt slightly hesitant. He could definitely sell this sword for a handsome sum of money, but he was more worried about whether it would affect Fifteenth if he recklessly ced it inside this flying sword that doubled as a pocket treasure.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an grabbed the sword and looked around for a while. He then looked up at the old cypress tree next to the stone tablet. He decided to temporarily hide the sword among the dense branches and leaves, so he ran up to the tree, leapt up to the branches, and concealed it there.


    "Sir Immortal..." the young girl called timidly.


    Chen Ping''an, only to see the young girl pointing at the ground beside her feet. The y statues of the martial god and the schrly god had copsed and shattered into countless pieces. There was a small mound there, and there were a few silver shards glimmering among the shattered y. These shards were extremely eye-catching.


    However, there was something even more unexpected than this: a treasure-pagoda demon-suppressing talisman was quietly hovering next to the small mound. Apart from being slightly dimmer than before, it appearedpletely undamaged otherwise.


    It was a simr case for the other small mound of shattered y. There were also silver shards, and the demon-suppressing talisman was also hovering next to the small mound. Like the steel truncheon of the martial god that had been obliterated by the fearsome lightning, the square official seal of the schrly god had also been destroyed.


    However, there was now a small and simple-looking azure wooden box sitting there. It was just big enough to fit in the hand of a small child.


    Chen Ping''an was delighted, and he hurriedly jumped down the cypress tree to grab the two talismans and the six silver shards first. He ced them inside his pocket treasure. After doing this, he carefully picked up the azure wooden box radiating with a warm and gentle aura. Even though he was only holding it lightly, Chen Ping''an still felt a mysterious sense of calmness and ease.


    Chen Ping''an ced the small wooden box with unknown contents inside his sleeve. However, he didn''t ce it inside his pocket treasure. He breathed a sigh of relief.


    The young girl stood next to him and kept her eyes wide open as she stared at the "sword immortal" who had disyed his powerful mystical abilities and yed demons and eliminated fiends.


    Her master who taught her immortal techniques in secret had once told her that there existed many old immortals who had achieved great sess in cultivation in the world. However, these old immortals had the appearance of children, and they were truly carefree and unrestricted by heaven and earth.


    She had witnessed many strange things today, but none of these things were stranger than the young-looking immortal in front of her.


    For example, how was it possible for a talisman to be preserved once it was activated?


    Her master was mostly a cultivator in the cultivation world and somewhat of an immortal from the mountains, and he had told her many things about immortals in the mountains and immortals outside the mountains. However, she had genuinely never heard about a reusable talisman before.


    Chen Ping''an had a fairly good impression of the young girl. As he walked toward the front entrance of the city god hall and prepared to use the Deity Drumming Technique toprehensively shatter the seal formation around the hall, he turned around and asked in a quiet voice, "This ce is very dangerous, so why did youe here to begin with?"


    <em>Wow! The immortal is speaking to me!</em>


    <em>Moreover, he appears fairly friendly.</em>


    The young girl was super happy, and she flicked her wrist and caused the bell on it to tinkle as she replied, "Mr. Immortal, the four bells on my wrists and ankles can protect me. Master said that I canst for a short while even if I''m attacked by immortals at the Abode Tier. However, the biggest problem about this is"


    Hearing this, Chen Ping''an hurriedly shook his hands and interrupted the young girl''s foolish reply.


    "Hey, hey. Don''t reveal the secrets pertaining to your immortal treasures to anyone," he warned her. "Hurry up and leave. You shouldn''t stay in this ce for too long. In fact, it''s best if you leave the prefectural city as soon as possible."


    The young girl shook her head and replied, "My parents are still in the prefectural city, so I won''t be going anywhere. Since I''ve learned some immortal techniques, I''m going to stay behind to protect them."


    Chen Ping''an could only drop the matter. He didn''t persuade her to leave anymore, and he simply told her to stand further back. He then started to attack the seal formation with ferocious punches.


    His twenty-first punch shattered the icy surface of the seal formation with a massive explosion. ck smoke churned out, and countless wails of agony, resentment, fury, and hatred mixed together in the smoke. Chen Ping''an used the raging fist aura of the Rain Evaporation Technique to evaporate this ck smoke. Even if he missed some, they would be destroyed by the young girl standing behind him.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly turned around to look toward the eastern city wall. Even though he couldn''t see the city gate tower clearly, he had seemingly felt some kind of gazeing over from that direction just then.


    It was most likely that the destruction of the formation here had affected the formations in other ces as well. Thus, the sinister masterminds behind this scheme had most likely discovered his existence.


    Out of an abundance of caution, Chen Ping''an retrieved hisst remaining Yang energy illumination talisman before stepping over the door threshold and entering the city god hall. He noticed that the young girl next to him wanted to say something, so he could only ask, "What is it? You know about something strange inside?"


    There was a look of embarrassment on the young girl''s face, and she felt like she was perhaps a bit too naive. However, since Mr. Immortal was already asking her, she could only muster her courage and reply, "My parents said that when entering temples to offer incense, men should step over the door threshold with their left foot first, while women should step over with their right foot first."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "Got it, thank you."


    He stepped over the door threshold with his left foot first and followed behind the hovering illumination talisman. He arrived beneath City God Shen Wen''s y statue.


    All of the golden shards on the floor had flown back to the y statue of the city god. Between the time that Chen Ping''an shattered the seal formation and walked here, seventy or eighty percent of the gold gild had already returned to the statue. There was a faint golden glow radiating from the nine-meter-tall y statue''s eyes, and it was as if it was peering down at the residents of the prefecture.


    The city god''s first words were not very polite. Before Chen Ping''an could say anything, hemanded, "Young man, hurry up and hand the iron essence official seal over!"


    His words instantly angered the young girl. However, people had respected and revered the city god for many hundreds of years, so the indignant young girl didn''t dare to voice her anger. She could only grumble in her mind.


    Chen Ping''an, on the other hand, was unperturbed. As he was about to take out the azure wooden box left over after the iron essence official seal disintegrated, he exined, "The official seal was already destroyed by my talisman"


    Chen Ping''an was only able to say half a sentence.


    "Nonsense!"


    The y statue of the city god was enraged, and plumes of dust spread into the surroundings as he raised a foot high up into the air. The y statue had be golden again, and its mighty appearance certainly lived up to its title of Golden City God.


    "Do you truly think you can act wantonly in front of me simply because you defeated a few small fry?! If it weren''t for three of them joining forces and my subordinates betraying me, how could I have been suppressed and trapped inside the city god hall? How could they have found the opportunity to act so impudently? Make haste and hand the iron essence official seal over to me! Don''t waste any more time. The situation is dire, and I need to enter the city to suppress the demons!"


    Before the seal formation around the city god hall was shattered, City God Shen Wen had been busy protecting thest wisp of his divine consciousness and preventing it from being destroyed. Moreover, the seal formation filled with filth had sealed the city god hall off from the outside world, so the city god inside had naturally been unable to detect what was going on outside.


    In his mind, the enemy wouldn''t have left any powerful subordinates here after the three great demons and demonic cultivators left. This was because they didn''t understand the mysterious nature of this ce. Because of this, the city god was only curious about how the young boy with the wooden scabbard had shattered the seal formation on the door. Perhaps he was a sect disciple who was skilled at divination and formations?


    No matter what, the sovereignty of Colorful Garment Nation and the life and death of the more than 100,000 residents in Blusher Prefecture were intricately linked with that item from the city god pavilion. Thus, the city god couldn''t allow anything to happen to it.


    The giant y statue strode off its divine tform and heavily stomped its foot three meters in front of Chen Ping''an. The bluestone tiles shattered into pieces as the y statue bent down and extended a hand toward the young boy. "Hurry up and hand the official seal over!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t move, and he asked, "Is it really that difficult to say thank you to those who helped you?"


    The city god faltered upon hearing this, and he tried to find the right words for a long time before eventually sighing and nodding. "I made a mistake because I was too impatient. I do indeed need to thank you."


    Chen Ping''an retrieved the azure wooden box and said, "The iron essence official seal has indeed been destroyed, and it''s be one with the mound of y remains of the schrly god. However, it left this small wooden box behind. Is this what you''re looking for?"


    The city god nodded slowly.


    Chen Ping''an tossed the wooden box high into the air. The city god caught it and said with a faint smile, "This is exactly what I''m after."


    Chen Ping''an turned around to leave, and the young girl immediately followed after him.


    However, the sound of rushing wind suddenly traveled over from behind them, and Chen Ping''an immediately knew that things were bad. He quickly channeled his True Qi, which circted several hundred kilometers around his body like a fiery dragon soaring through his meridians.


    The young girl, who had just reached the door threshold, was stupefied.


    She turned around, only to see the city god''s giant leg viciously mming into the young boy''s back. The young boy was forced to bend over, and he was almost pushed to his knees. However, he forcefully held his breath and prevented the nine-meter-tall y statue of the city god from crushing him to the floor.


    Chen Ping''an''s face was beet red, and he said in a quivering voice, "Leave, now!"


    The young girl didn''t dare to hesitate, and she hurriedly dashed out of the door and arrived in the square. Looking back, she could see wisps of pitch-ck smoke drifting around the y statue of the city god. These wisps of ck smoke entered and exited the seven orifices on his face, and the eyes of the y statue also became an eerie faint golden color.


    "Be careful! The city god has fallen to demonic ways!" the young girl screamed.


    Chen Ping''an bent his knees slightly, and he gritted his teeth. The pressure on his back continued to increase, yet he also continued to straighten his stance bit by bit.


    He then reached down and patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd. At the same time, two gold-colored treasure-pagoda demon-suppressing talismans slipped out from his sleeves. He held the talismans between his fingers, and he inadvertently nced at his straw sandals as he looked down.


    He felt that things were truly satisfying and wonderful.


    He felt that his journey around the mortal world was truly interesting and full of spectacr encounters.


    He roared withughter and eximed, "First and Fifteenth, eliminate fiends with me!"


    1. This is a legitimate Chinese saying meaning that one can''t avoid something (a bad thing such as debt collection) forever. "First" and "fifteenth" refer to days of the month on the lunar calendar. <blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    penguin''s thoughts: lmao you know what they say


    in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes


    (they are benjamin franklin, he literally said that)</blockquote>

 Chapter 229: (1): Flocking Over

    Chapter 229: (1): Flocking Over


    While Chen Ping''an went to the city god pavilion to check on the situation, both Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng went to the prefectural office to visit the prefectural overseer. However, they were both prepared to be turned away.


    To their surprise, Prefectural Overseer Liu quickly walked to the guest hall to wee them after receiving news of their arrival from his son, Liu Gaohua. There was an anxious expression on Prefectural Overseer Liu''s face, and not only did he not turn the big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest away, but he didn''t ask Xu Yuanxia to brandish his sword and Zhang Shanfeng to manipte his peach wood sword either.


    He hesitated for a moment after hearing the two cultivators describe the situation, and he asked the two of them to follow him to the main hall. Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng were both astonished when they saw the seven or eight people sitting in the main hall.


    There was a general dressed in a suit of armor with a saber across his knees, there was an elderly official pointing and gesturing at a geomantic map, and there were a few men and women who were filled with vitality and vigor. It was clear that thetter group of people were cultivators. Unless they were concealing their aura on purpose, they were all third to fourth tier Qi refiners.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu briefly introduced the people in the main hall. Most of them were powerful people from Blusher Prefecture. However, there were also outsiders who hade after learning about the situation in the prefecture. These people were simr to Xu Yuanxia and the others.


    Xu Yuanxia paid extra attention to an ordinary-looking man. His aura was calm, and he was most likely a powerful cultivator who would be calm during normal times but ferocious whenever he unleashed his power.


    Meanwhile, Zhang Shanfeng stole a few extra nces at a certain Daoist priest. The old Daoist priest was drinking tea in a leisurely manner right now, and a copper-armored warrior three meters tall was standing behind him. These kinds of warriors were unique to Daoism''s talismanic branch; they were only minimally sentient and would strictly obey the simplestmands from their masters. For example, killing enemies. High-grade copper-armored warriors possessedbat power that could rival third tier martial artists, and these warriors most definitely couldn''t be dismissed as just crude puppets.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu roughly exined the current situation to Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng, both of whom had arrivedter than the others. He then sighed with emotion before cupping his fists and saying in a sincere manner, "I''m very grateful that all of you righteous people havee here to help. If we manage to navigate through this challenge, then Blusher Prefecture will definitely erect a tablet to honor all of you. Your deeds will also be recorded in the Local Prefecture Chronicles."


    Almost everyone stood up to return the gesture, politely saying that it was only right for them to help.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu walked over to the table. There were two unfurled maps there, and one showed the terrain of the prefectural city while one showed all six prefectures of Colorful Garment Nation. Prefectural Overseer Liu pointed at some ce between Blusher Prefecture and one of the neighboring prefectures.


    "I just received some good news. General Ma and the old immortal are personally standing guard on the city wall, and 600 elite cavalrymen have already been dispatched to our prefectural city and are rushing over as quickly as they can. They''ll arrive by evening today at thetest. Another 2000 infantrymen should arrive outside the city after midnight as well."


    This was the first time Prefectural Overseer Liu was dealing with this kind of situation, and he was so anxious and tense that it felt as if his throat were on fire as he spoke. Moreover, he had run around everywhere in the morning, and he had been on tenterhooks the entire time. As a result, his voice was extremely hoarse as he spoke. He hurriedly epted a cup of hot tea from his old aide.


    The old aide had provided ns and strategies to the prefectural office for many years and walked over to the table to help Prefectural Overseer Liu exin the situation. He pointed at several different locations and said, "We''ve discovered strange urrences in five ces so far: the city god pavilion to the northeast, Embroidery Alley to the north, Horse Head Bridge to the south, Dangling Copper Tower to the west, and the Zhao n residence in the center.


    "We''ve already ced the city god pavilion under emergency closure, and the two immortals who snuck in to investigate have yet to return. Six people died violent deaths in Embroidery Alley, and all thirty-two families in the area have already been evacuated. Human-eating water demons appeared under Horse Head Bridge, and we''re not sure if these demons have swum down the river and entered other areas of the city. This is quite a troublesome matter.


    "The Dangling Copper Tower that was used to provide warnings for immortals in the mountains has copsed, and the old man who was responsible for guarding the tower was brutally killed. As for the Zhao n residence, more than a dozen people have gone mad for no reason at all, and it''s as if their insanity is an infectious gue. In fact, two of thew enforcement officers who went over to investigate the situation went mad as well. Because of this, we even had to"


    Prefectural Overseer Liu coughed quietly, and the old aide didn''t speak any further.


    After all, it wouldn''t be a good look for the prefectural office if news of this spread. Moreover, it was even possible that it would affect the prefectural overseer''s good reputation.


    This was because the prefectural office had already sent people to the Zhao n residence to seal off all exits. People inside the residence were strictly prohibited from leaving.


    The old Daoist priest with the Daoist title Chong Miao[1] smiled and said, "This is a dire situation with severe consequences, so your actions are nothing if not bold and courageous, Lord Liu. You are prioritizing the safety of the more than a hundred thousand residents in the prefectural city, so I''m confident that people will feel deep gratitude toward your resolve and decision-making as long as they have a shred of reason and conscience."


    The armored general was sprawling on a chair, and he pursed his lips in a mocking manner as he shot a sideways nce at Daoist Chong Miao.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu felt slightly awkward, and he said in a soft voice, "I don''t need them to thank me. If anything, I''ll be grateful if they don''t question my decisions."


    He quickly changed the topic and said with emotion, "Thankfully, the old immortal is coincidentally visiting our prefecture at the moment. He observed the night sky yesterday, and he discovered the yin energy permeating the prefectural city from above. Otherwise, we would most certainly still be clueless. And once those demons took us by surprise... the oue would have simply been unimaginable! Absolutely unimaginable!"


    "Was the Dangling Copper Tower simr to the beacon towers on the borders? Was it able to call for help from nearby immortal forces?" Xu Yuanxia asked.


    The armored general nodded with a gloomy expression and replied, "That''s exactly right. However, those demons were extremely cunning and vicious, and they targeted the Dangling Copper Tower and caused our prefectural city to lose contact with the Spiritual Horn[2] Force that''s located 450 kilometers away. The Dangling Copper Tower could actually utilize mystical powers to send messages. It would have taken no longer than fifteen minutes to inform the Spiritual Horn Force about our situation. Right now...we have no option but to use flying swords to deliver the message now. Tsk, the speed of flying swords is not bad, but they''re truly expensive."


    The armored general shot another sideways nce at Daoist Chong Miao, who looked extremely pleased with himself. The Daoist priest truly looked as punchable as could be.


    He had actually charged them a hundred thousand taels of silver for the most ordinary flying sword! Did the Daoist priest genuinely believe that they were unaware of the situation of ry stations in the mountains? Not to mention, it was very likely that he had privately charged Prefectural Overseer Liu a huge sum for the two copper-armored warriors as well.


    The armored general was General Ma''s subordinate, and they had fought alongside each other on the borders for many years. Even though he had never been a big fan of Prefectural Overseer Liu  in his opinion, a bookworm  his impression of this official had be much better these past two days. Not only had the prefectural overseer not hidden under his bed in fear like the average official, but he was actually running around and doing his best to control the situation.


    On the contrary, he had a terrible impression of the old Daoist priest who was taking advantage of the dire situation for his own selfish gains. He was a heretical Daoist priest who was also based in Blusher Prefecture, so what right did he have to extort the others? If the prefectural city was destroyed, then what would Chong Miao do even if he managed to escape? So what if he decided to abandon his family, disciples, and ancestral inheritance? Was he not afraid of having nothing but bare walls in his house in the future?


    "Dare I ask, Prefectural Overseer Liu, when the esteemed immortals from the Spiritual Horn Force will arrive at Blusher Prefecture? Approximately how many people wille?" Xu Yuanxia asked.


    The prefectural overseer smiled and replied, "Fortunately, the Spiritual Horn Force has a thousand-year-old colored luan[3]. It was once the steed of the Spiritual Horn Force''s founding master, and after the master passed, the colored luan has never left the mountains again. The Force Masters after that have also been able to ask the colored luan for help, and the colored luan can carry five to six people on its back and fly over. Assuming that nothing goes wrong, I believe that the cultivators from the Spiritual Horn Force should arrive by noon tomorrow.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu sighed before suddenly raising his voice and urging, "So, I need everyone''s help in defending the prefectural city until the esteemed immortals from the Spiritual Horn Force arrive. We need to at least hold on until noon tomorrow!"


    Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng exchanged a nce. They both had slightly anxious expressions.


    Zhang Shanfeng was more worried about Chen Ping''an''s trip to the city god pavilion. Would he encounter any dangers there?


    There were towering city walls running along the east gate of Blusher Prefecture, and there was a guard station: a two-floor building with a threeyer hip-and-gable roof.


    General Ma''s armor was not new and shiny as befitting of a parade suit. Instead, it was riddled with gashes from swords and sabers. However, it was clear that the general from Colorful Garment Nation liked this suit of armor very much.


    There hadn''t been many battles on the borders of Colorful Garment Nation for the past century, and there had only been some asional skirmishes with Ancient Elm Nation located to the north. Because of this, martial artists in the army all held military merit and achievements in very high regard. After all, these things were critical if one wanted to receive promotions in the army or officialdom.


    If it weren''t for the fact that General Ma had no one speaking for him in the imperial court, he would have most likely be a powerful official in the Ministry of War long ago, even from a young age.


    As he stood atop the guard station, General Ma suddenly noticed the old immortal looking at the city god pavilion. The old immortal gazed in that direction for a long time, and General Ma thought that something unexpected had suddenly urred again. "Elder Huang, are the demons there causing trouble again?"


    The old immortal withrge and flowing sleeves stroked his beard and chuckled, "There''s nothing to worry about. I naturally have my ways of suppressing them. What we truly need to concentrate on is the Zhao n residence in the middle of the city. This ce is far too close to the prefectural office, so the consequences will be severe if anything untoward were to happen.


    "Fortunately, I came across two very good friends while I was traveling south. They''re both leaders in immortal forces from the mountains, and they had initially nned to travel to Lake View Academy together to discuss the Dao with the schrs in the academy.


    "However, the situation here is very serious, so I no longer have the freedom to consider whether this will dy their travels. I''ve already sent a message to the two of them and asked them to rush over to help Blusher Prefecture as quickly as possible. I believe they can fly on the wind and arrive here very soon.


    "At that time, General Ma and I can guard the east gate, while one of my friends can keep an eye on the Zhao n residence and guard the prefectural office at the same time. My other friend can go over to guard the west gate. In addition to us, there are also several cultivators and gant individuals inside the prefectural office right now. I''m fairly sure that the troublemaking demons won''t be able to erode the prefectural city."


    General Ma cupped his fists in gratitude and said, "Elder Huang, if it weren''t for you discovering the abnormalities and warning us in time, the residents in the prefectural city would have definitely suffered a catastrophe. Not only that, but you are even willing to step forward in the face of danger and provide us with help! I''m a crude barbarian, so it''s hard for me toe up with eloquent words. However, I''ll definitely remember your help!"


    The old immortal smiled and said with a shake of his head, "If cultivation on the mountains was for the sake of achieving individual transcendence while ignoring the suffering of others, then what''s the point of cultivating to be an immortal? What''s the point of achieving immortality?"


    General Ma heavily thumped his chest te with his fist, then raised his thumb and saying in sincerity, "Elder Huang, just this remark alone proves that you''re genuinely cultivating the Dao!"


    An angry expression spread across the face of the middle-aged general, and he continued, "As for some immortals in Colorful Garment Nation who only care about fame and fortune, especially those immortals in the capital... Hmph! Absolutely shameless! They stick their hands out and ask the imperial court for money every day, and they use this money to build immortal pagodas and tall towers, wasting manpower and money in the process... Sigh, let''s not talk about this. The more I talk about it, the angrier I get!"


    The old immortal sped his hands behind his back and said with a faint smile, "Which river in the world doesn''t have soil and sand flow together with the water[4]? General Ma, there''s no need to be overly resentful about this. Since the world is like this, why don''t you cultivate and perfect yourself first?"


    General Ma nodded in sincere agreement. He felt increasing respect toward this old immortal. This man was truly a powerful immortal, and a real one at that, an immortal who had deeppassion for others.


    Immortals didn''te from only the blessednds and immortal abodes in the mountains. They came from outside the mountains as well.


    The old immortal squinted his eyes and used his mystical powers to observe the city god pavilion again. However, he was too far away from the city god pavilion, so he was unable to see the situation very clearly. It would have been great if Old Demon Mi had been present. He had some ways to observe mountains and rivers through his palms, so he would have likely been able to observe the situation in the city god pavilion very clearly. After all, they were only a short distance away from the city god pavilion from the perspective of this mystical ability.


    Just now, Elder Huang had detected the seal formation around the city god hall being shattered. He was able to confirm its destruction, and it was definitely some naive person trying to y a hero. However, this didn''t matter, as he had already prepared backup ns in the city god pavilion. Old Demon Mi had secretly tampered with the two y statues <em>and</em> the city god a long time ago.


    Not hesitating to pay a huge price, Old Demon Mi had sacrificed twenty years of unique incense offerings to target the three deities, causing them to fall to demonic ways. Because of this, Old Demon Mi had stubbornly asked Elder Huang and his two friends for three spirit tools. Only after receiving them did he stop nagging and get to work.


    In other words, the small ripples in the city god pavilion ultimately couldn''t change the direction of the surging river.


    This was a scheme that the four parties had prepared in secret for thirty years, so how could they possibly fall at the final hurdle?


    This was unless a 10th tier terrestrial immortal descended from the sky and suddenly proimed that they were going to protect the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture. Only in that case would they perhaps back down.


    However, Elder Huang and the others had investigated and confirmed the attitudes of Divine Edict Sect, Lake View Academy, and the other powerful immortal forces already. Thus, they were confident that no 10th tier Qi refiner would suddenly descend from the skies. Moreover, powerful beings at the Nascent Tier were always elusive and hard to find. To put it bluntly, unless they were a righteous Nascent Tier immortal from an upright force, it was difficult to say whether they would be willing to be involved in this matter.


    Their momentum was unstoppable, and their sess was inevitable!


    The old immortal smiled in his mind. In reality, he felt a strong urge to turn around and pat the shoulder of the honest and simple-minded general. He wanted to smile and tease him. <em>Little Ma, your judgment of others is quite poor. I''m no righteous immortal. If anything, by your standards, I''m a demonic and heretical cultivator. As for the immortals in the capital of Colorful Garment Nation that you speak of, two of the most famous ones are actually my direct disciples.</em>


    Heretical and vagrant cultivators like them were just like thieving rats in the fields. They would remain idle for long periods at a time, but they would also make enough to live for years on end once they sprang into action!


    Once they sessfully obtained that immortal treasure, they would simply go into seclusion for twenty or thirty years if worse came to worst. They would travel further south and secretly n to steal even more valuable items. Afterward, they would be powerful and carefree immortals again.


    Perhaps one day, they might even be someone as powerful as that person in Middle Earth Divine Continent''s White Emperor City. Even though everyone in the world knew he was a demonic cultivator, did anyone dare to call him a demon to his face? Even therge majority of Upper Five Tier cultivators in the world didn''t dare to do this!


    However, the old immortal could only daydream about these kinds of wonderful things. He was simply amusing himself.


    He nced at the south, and he turned around to look at the north. He was feeling slightly hesitant. It was definitely the safest option to flee to the south after they seeded. If they fled to the north as agreed, they would need to face many more dangers in order to obtain the treasures and opportunities they desired. If they seeded, however, they would definitely gain immense wealth.


    1. Chong Miao () literally means worshiping the wonderful.


    2. "Spiritual horn" (literally , actually "spirit rhinoceros") actually means "mutual understanding." The source is a poem by Li Shangyin, a Tang Dynasty poet and politician. Apparently the rhinoceros horn has perfect and even grain running all the way from root to tip, and Li Shangyin thought that it was a great metaphor for thoughts and feelings that perfectly cross the distance between people


    3. The luan is a kind of bird in Chinese mythology, loosely resembling a phoenix.


    4. This means good and bad people or things being mixed together.

 Chapter 229: (2): Flocking Over

    Chapter 229: (2): Flocking Over


    ording to the wishes of the young girl with the surname Fu, a group of people from Divine Edict Sect headed out to look for that illegal mountain god temple. However, the fortune of the mountains and rivers suddenly underwent a dramatic change halfway through their journey, and it gradually transformed from an impure and turbulent state into a pure and stable state. Zhao Qing, the old Daoist priest leading the group, was extremely astonished by this. He decided to continue to the illegal mountain god temple to check the situation.


    However, what he discovered was the shattered gold statue of the illegal mountain god. Mountain God Qin was already dead. They were pleasantly surprised to find some shards of the shattered gold statue among the ruins, and even Zhao Liu was deeply astounded by this. He carefully retrieved the shards of the gold statue and put them away. Even though he eventually had to turn them over to the sect, it was still a good feeling to caress and examine these shards from time to time.


    The old Daoist priest hesitated for a long time after returning to the small town, and he ultimately decided to visit the old residence by himself to repair his situation with Yang Huang.


    Yang Huang and his wife had the support of Senior Aunt Fu now, so they no longer needed to worry about Divine Edict Sect causing trouble for them in the future. Moreover, not only was the formation around the old residence still intact, but they also had the chance to further their cultivation as well.


    With Yang Huang''s impressive talent, perhaps he would have the opportunity to be a Middle Five Tier cultivator in the future. This was especially the case now that his wife, the ghostly tree spirit, was no longer a burden on him.


    Zhao Liu could perfectly envision the future. For example, Yang Huang wasn''t a pedantic and stubborn person, and he had cultivated extremely good rtionships with others in Divine Edict Sect back while he was still cultivating there. Thus, with a bit of effort, it was entirely possible that Yang Huang or his wife could be appointed as a formal mountain god by the imperial court. If it were thetter who seeded, then things would truly be quite terrifying.


    If both husband and wife were at the Abode Tier, who wouldn''t want to build a good rtionship with them? In fact, even Divine Edict Sect would very likely go with the flow and show goodwill toward them!


    And what would happen to him, Zhao Liu, at that time?


    When that time came, even kowtowing and begging Yang Huang and his wife for forgiveness wouldn''t work. As such, he was better off bowing his head and actively expressing goodwill toward them now.


    Zhao Liu made up his mind, so he no longer paced around in hesitation. He directly visited the old estate and congratted the husband and wife on their good fortune. He apologized to them at the same time, and he drank three cups of wine as punishment. He also gave them a low-grade but very likable spirit tool.


    Yang Huang was also a remarkable person, and was extremely polite and friendly toward the apologizing Zhao Liu even though they had just been engaged in a serious conflict not long ago. He started to drink with Zhao Liu, and he even epted the small spirit tool. However, after Yang Huang became slightly drunk, he started to loudly scold and criticize Zhao Liu. In the end, even his ghostly wife was unable to watch on.


    She persuaded him to stop, but Yang Huang insisted on continuing no matter what. Zhao Liu sat there and didn''t say anything at all. He simply endured Yang Huang''s criticisms.


    Afterward, Zhao Liu stayed in the old estate and sent a message to the other disciples of Divine Edict Sect who were staying in the small town. The disciples could only stay in the small town for another day.


    Things were harmonious and peaceful.


    When Zhao Liu left, he knew that Yang Huang had done everything for show only. Yang Huang would only look down on him even more. Indeed, Yang Huang was the type of smart person who would prefer to criticize noble people rather than provoke scheming evildoers.


    However, Zhao Liu was still satisfied with his trip. He was content that their rtionship had been mended. They were far from being friends, and Zhao Liu didn''t need to dream about bing friends with Yang Huang in his lifetime. However, they would no longer be enemies either. If he put in a bit of effort and cultivated this rtionship well, traveling to Blusher Prefecture from time to time, perhaps he would have an opportunity to be acquaintances with Yang Huang in the future.


    There wereplicated emotions in Zhao Liu''s mind as he returned north with the group of disciples from Divine Edict Sect. However, he quickly discovered something abnormal about Blusher Prefecture after traveling a few dozen kilometers. Even so, the old immortal from Divine Edict Sect still remained silent.


    That night, they camped in the open on a mountain peak. The young third tier sword cultivator found the old Daoist priest standing in front of the cliff, and he quietly asked, "Master, there''s clearly demonic energy permeating through Blusher Prefecture. It''s quite abundant and vigorous, and this is definitely the doing of powerful demons since they dare to act so openly and wantonly. Should we rush over to check the situation?"


    Zhao Liu chuckled and replied, "Even you''re able to see the soaring demonic energy, so how can I not? Your master isn''t blind."


    The young sword cultivator carefully ruminated on the words of his master. "Then should we use a flying sword to inform our sect? Should we ask for reinforcements?" he asked in a hesitant voice.


    The old man squinted his eyes and peered at the night sky above the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture. "Senior Aunt Fu ordered us to suppress the illegal mountain god, but the mountain god temple has already copsed, and we''ve also retrieved three shards of his gold statue. In addition to this, you guys have also reaped many benefits and gained many advantages over your peers from this trip outside the mountains. How many Qi refiners at the Lower Five Tiers have seen the shards of a mountain or river god''s gold statue before? We can definitely obtain a grading of ''high'' for our trip this time. If we''re fortunate, we might even obtain a grading of ''very high''."


    Zhao Liu turned around and continued in a soft voice, "Xiping, you need to understand that doing too many good things can sometimes be a bad thing. If we decide to deliver a message using a flying sword, our sect will very possibly discover our decision to shirk from battle once they send people to Colorful Garment Nation to investigate this matter and match up the timelines. Master is only willing to tell the truth and say these things to you because you''re my most prized disciple. Remember not to say this to anyone else."


    The young sword cultivator was wholeheartedly convinced, and he lowered his voice and said, "Master is the wisest and most magnificent! Master always has the mostprehensive ns!"


    Zhao Liu turned around to nce at the campfire in the distance. The three other disciples from Divine Edict Sect were sitting cross-legged while sleeping, and there were indistinct wisps of mist hovering around the ears and nose of the youngest disciple as he breathed. The aura of the siblings who had entered the sect earlier than him was far inferior.


    The old man furrowed his brows and said in a low voice, "We need to discuss this matter with that little kid as well. He has extremely keen senses, so don''t be fooled by his faade of naivety. We can trick that brother and sister, but we won''t be able to trick him. If we don''t clear things up with him, there''ll be big trouble for us if he goes around talking about this once we return."


    The young sword cultivator nodded in understanding.


    Zhao Liu turned around to look at his direct disciple with a pleased smile, and he continued in a gentle manner, "Xiping, it won''t be easy to seal that mischievous child''s mouth. Didn''t you secretly take a shard of the gold statue? This is against the rules to begin with, and the sect will definitely punish you severely if they find out. Here, hand it over and I will help you give it to that little kid. Let''s see if he dares to ept this hot potato.


    "If he does, then you and I will be partners in crime in the future. We''ll be able to look out for each other once we return to the mountain. In a sense, I am also paving a path for you. If he doesn''t ept it, however... Heh, Master is the leader of this group, so I''m naturally responsible for judging everyone''s performance. I need to write up a document for the external department once we return, so I can act within the rules to deal with the backer of this little kid. No one will be able to find any problems."


    The old man extended his open hand toward the young sword cultivator. "Come on, hand it over."


    An angry expression instantly spread across the young sword cultivator''s face. However, he quickly squeezed out a smile, and he didn''t try to hide anything as he retrieved arge shard of the gold statue and handed it to the old Daoist priest. There was no hint of unwillingness on his face.


    Zhao Liu epted the golden shard and chuckled, "Oh, it''s quite big. This one piece is the size of two pieces. By the looks of it, your luck is quite good. You managed to reap such a huge benefit."


    There was a stiff expression on Xiping''s face, and he forced a smile and replied, "After returning to the sect, I initially wanted to give it to you for your birthday next month, Master."


    "Mhm, thank you for the thought," Zhao Liu said as he patted the young sword cultivator''s shoulder.


    Afterward, the young sword cultivator silently returned to the campfire and sat down cross-legged. He closed his eyes, and a faint smile remained on his face the entire time.


    The old Daoist priest sat down in front of the cliff by himself. He practiced breathing techniques and refined Qi, and he remained silent for a long moment before suddenly ridiculing himself in a soft voice. "The Great Dao is beyond my grasp, so I can onlye up with some small schemes. Haha, how pitiful."


    The young schr Liu Chicheng left the prefectural city from the east gate. After walking along the official road for five kilometers, he stopped at the ry station to rest for a while. Commoners with no schrly merit definitely couldn''t enter such ry stations to rest. There was a tea stall outside the ry station, and Liu Chicheng asked for a bowl of piping hot tea. This warmed up his stomach, and he softly murmured as if he were talking to himself.


    "Don''t you always brag about how powerful you are? Are you truly going to ignore this dire situation? Young Mistress Liu is a really good girl. Not only did she give me money to spend, but she didn''t hesitate at all when giving it to me. Moreover, she let me hug her and caress her too. She solved one of my biggest issues regarding money. Otherwise, did you really want me to beg or sell my ass? If I starve to death, you won''t be any better off!


    "Hah, isn''t it your great misfortune toe across a master like me? Why don''t you mention how you arrived here? It was thanks to me entering the abandoned tomb by ident and shattering that thousand-year-old formation. It was because of this that you were rescued from the prison and allowed to see the light of day again. Do you know? Because of your existence, I don''t dare to unleash my full power when ying around with women now. I only dare to touch their hands and kiss them. Otherwise, won''t I be benefiting you, a dirty old man?


    "Immortal my ass! You''re always hiding like a homeless dog, and you didn''t dare to show yourself even when I was knocked to the ground with a single punch. And you call yourself an immortal above the Unpolished Jade Tier or whatnot? Then I''m a Golden Core Tier immortal as well! I''ve heard that only Golden Core Tier immortals are genuine immortals. When they''re bored, they can fly through the sky every day. When they feel like it, they can descend to the ground to drink some wine. Even emperors and officials have to treat them with utmost respect.


    The owner of the tea stall was filled with worry as he looked at the impoverished schr sitting in the distance. This young schr wasn''t a retard, was he? Was he mumbling and speaking to himself? It didn''t matter if he was a retard, but it would definitely matter if he didn''t have any money!


    Liu Chicheng widened his eyes and eximed, "What? The Golden Core Tier is nothing but shit? Do you believe me when I say that I''ll fart you out after finishing my bowl of tea? And then we''ll each go our separate way in the future?


    "It''s not good to expose people''s shorings when arguing with them. So what if I''m an illegitimate son...? Even if I had no parents to raise me, I''m still better off than you, an old freak. You''re already so old, yet you still insist on wearing that pink Daoist robe. Tsk, tsk, tsk, how utterly shameless. Why don''t you beg me to buy some makeup for you...? Ah, fuck... Not again..."


    The young schr''s voice had already been quiet to begin with, and it eventually became so quiet that even he couldn''t hear himself. His eyes gradually lost focus and became murky, but they instantly became intense and full of spirit the next moment. It was as if a deity had possessed him, and his aura becamepletely different from before. He no longer appeared like an impoverished schr, and he instead appeared like an... emperor in disguise.


    There was a wide smile on Liu Chichengs''s face as he extended his hand and shakily lifted the bowl to finish thest mouthful of tea. He stood up and tossed a handful of copper coins on the table before striding away. His footsteps were slightly shaky and unstable at the start, and it was as if he had just drunk a bowl of wine instead of a bowl of tea. There was also a slightly intoxicated expression in his eyes.


    However, his footsteps became increasingly stable and firm as he walked, and the young schr eventually left the official road and entered a field that was filled with blooming rapeseed flowers. There was no one around, and he shrugged and caused the rope of his bag to automatically undo itself. The bag slid off his back and hovered in mid-air. At the same time, a beautiful and exquisite Daoist robe floated out from the bag.


    Sure enough, it was pink!


    The young schr''s robe automatically undid itself and slid off his body, switching with the pink Daoist robe. It then obediently folded itself and flew inside the bag.


    Apart from the exquisite pink Daoist robe that didn''t adhere to the rules of this world, there was also a golden hairpin in the bag that slowly hovered up and slid through his hair.


    The bag then disappeared in a sh. It was clear that it had entered some pocket treasure.


    Of course, it was also possible that it had entered a minimization treasure, or perhaps a legendary container treasure, which were referred to as "mystical small worlds."


    The young schr spread his arms and gazed up at the sky. There was an intoxicated smile on his face, and his pink Daoist robe surprisingly appeared alive and excited as it suddenly opened up with a flutter and hovered to his back. As if there were a maidservant helping him, the pink Daoist robe automatically slid itself onto his body.


    Liu Chicheng had already been handsome to begin with, and he actually appeared even more handsome after putting on this robe.


    The carefree and elegant schr strode forward through the air. He was carried by the wind, and he ascended higher and higher as he walked, all the way until he entered the clouds. "1000 years in the tomb, 1000 years also in the world," he sang loudly.


    Rapeseed flowers from another world bloomed on the ground under his feet.

 Chapter 230: (1): Subdued

    Chapter 230: (1): Subdued


    In the prefectural office, the old aide tugged Liu Gaohua along and walked to the back door of the government office. Liu Gaohua saw a horse-drawn carriage that was already prepared, and it looked like someone was about to embark on a long journey to somece outside the prefecture. The old aide extended a hand and said with a wide smile, "Please enter the carriage, Young Master."


    A young woman opened the curtain of the carriage, and her face was stained with tears. Upon seeing that it was her younger brother, she released the curtain and felt a little bit better. She leaned against the wall of the carriage and started to think about Young Master Liu again.


    Liu Gaohua was baffled, and he asked, "Uncle Song, what''s this all about?"


    "The prefectural overseer told me to take you and your older sister out of the prefectural city," the old aide replied with a stern expression.


    Liu Gaohua was astonished and retorted, "Leaving the prefectural city now? Why? Is Blusher Prefecture genuinely facing a great catastrophe? Uncle Song, the more dangerous the situation is, the more that I can''t leave the prefectural city. What will I do if something happens to Father?"


    The old aide who had worked in the prefectural office for many years smiled and answered, "If something truly happens, what can a feeble schr like you do?"


    Liu Gaohua was rendered speechless.


    "Young Master, let''s leave. Young Mistress is still waiting for you," the old aide urged.


    Liu Gaohua shook his head and insisted, "I''m not leaving no matter what! You can tell my sister to leave by herself..."


    Before he finished speaking, Liu Gaohua had already turned around to sprint to the back door. However, his vision suddenly became a blur, and he was surprised to find the old aide blocking the back door. As Liu Gaohua came to a stop, the old aide smiled like a sly old fox.


    He looked the young man up and down and said, "Uncle Song has traveled around the world before, after all. It''s only natural that I know some moves. Are you going to enter the carriage yourself, or do you want me to knock you unconscious and carry you onto the carriage? Truth be told, I am already a bag of old bones. Can you bear to have me carry you around?"


    "You''ll have to knock me out to stop me!" Liu Gaohua said stubbornly.


    The old aide sighed and said, "Your father understands your stubborn temperament, so he initially told me to pass on a message. However, I purposely didn''t mention it straight away because I was afraid of damaging the rtionship between the two of you. Now that you''re acting like this, however, I have no option but to tell the truth. Your father said, ''Liu Gaohua, you''ve never done a single thing that''s satisfied me for the past twenty years. So, don''t stay in the prefectural office to cause more trouble, okay?''"


    Liu Gaohua''s eyes became red, and his lips also started to tremble.


    He fell silent for a moment before asking in a feeble voice, "What about my younger sister?"


    The old aide shook his head and replied, "There''s no time to worry about her right now. You and Young Mistress should leave first. I''ve already sent someone to search for Second Young Mistress."


    Liu Gaohua was about to say something stubborn again, and the old aide also became impatient. He stomped his feet and snapped, "Oh, my dear Young Master Liu, don''t me me for saying this, but how can a man achieve great things if they''re so hesitant and overemotional?"


    "My parents don''t care about me, and my younger sister doesn''t care about me either. I''ll be shocked if a bastard as useless as me can achieve great things!" Liu Gaohua eximed in grief.


    The old aide almost choked upon hearing this, and he huffed, "Leave, leave, leave, hurry up and leave."


    Liu Gaohua was slightly dazed, and he felt like he would be wrong no matter what he did.


    At this moment, he couldn''t help but recall the things that had weighed heavily on his mind in the past. For example, his father always being busy with official matters and essays about morality, his father enjoying profound discussions with outsiders and being willing to y Go for an entire afternoon with guests, and his father never sparing words of praise for the sons and daughters of his good friends.


    However, his father had always been indifferent toward him, especially after he had failed to do well in the imperial examination. Sometimes, his father would even ridicule him...


    Only at this moment did Liu Gaohua realize that these were nothing more than trivial matters.


    The old aide sighed and said, "Just leave, okay? You''ll only cause more trouble if you stay here. You''ll cause your parents to worry for nothing."


    There was a pitiful smile on Liu Gaohua''s face as he replied, "Okay, I''ll leave then."


    The old aide nodded and waited for Liu Gaohua to enter the carriage. He then sat in the driver''s seat and slowly navigated the carriage along the street where everyone''s door was tightly shut. The hooves of the horse clip-clopped toward the south of the city.


    Liu Gaohua gazed out at the scenery in the prefectural city as the horse-drawn carriage trundled along. Most streets were still as busy as always, and there were many travelers as well as arge number of shops. Things were extremely lively, and people were blissfully unaware of the perilous danger that was already lurking over the entire prefectural city.


    ording to General Ma, the demons were definitely well-prepared since they dared to act in such a brash and wanton manner. In the worst-case scenario, the death toll would definitely be more than just a few hundred people. In the past, many catastrophes had beenbeled as gues by the imperial court of Colorful Garment Nation. These so-called gues had killed tens of thousands of people, and many of these catastrophes had actually been demonic cultivators deploying sinister formations or sullied immortal treasures breaking free from control.


    It was often the case that the corpses of the victims would be left alone to face the elements. This was because no one dared to collect the corpses to bury. The so-called gue that had infected Blusher Prefecture back then was also one such situation. It was because of this that the gigantic unmarked burial ground of several hundred kilometers in radius had appeared.


    If the sky truly copsed, who among the naive and cluelessmoners could escape? This was unless there was a powerful cultivator to hold the sky up for them. If the cultivator couldn''t hold it up, however, then they could only wait for death.


    The old aide sighed in his mind. The actions of the prefectural office and Prefectural Overseer Liu truly caused him to view them with increased respect.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu had indeed paid Daoist Chong Miao to deliver a message using a flying sword. Moreover, the Spiritual Horn Force would indeed send people over as reinforcements. This wasn''t false either. The im that the colored luan could rapidly fly south with cultivators on its back also wasn''t false.


    However, Prefectural Overseer Liu had lied about <em>how</em> quick it truly was. If the colored luan flew with no passengers, it could indeed arrive above the prefectural city by the following noon. If it were carrying two or three people, however, then it might not arrive in the northern region of Blusher Prefecture even when tomorrow night fell.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu lied on purpose because he was the highest-ranking official in the prefecture. As such, he needed to step forward in this moment of great danger and inspire his subordinates and allies to hold on until the colored luan arrived with reinforcements. The best oue was naturally if they could hold on until tomorrow noon.


    That way, everyone would have already stepped forward to fight with the demons and demonic cultivators. At that time, they would no longer have the option to retreat and leave, especially since they would have already be enemies with the demons. In other words, they would be forced to fight for their own survival as well as the survival of the prefectural city.


    If the demons hiding in the city remained unmoving until tomorrow noon, that wouldn''t matter either. When the time came, Prefectural Overseer Liu naturally had his own methods to force the demons out.


    If the demons and demonic cultivators were still able to remain quietly hidden after Prefectural Overseer Liu actively dered war on them, then there would be even less cause for worry. After all, the prefectural city would already have reinforcements from several forces by then. Most importantly, the esteemed immortals from the Spiritual Horn Force would also be close to arriving. As such, the situation would be even less worrisome for Prefectural Overseer Liu.


    And this was why people said that the schemes and calctions of schrs could drown people to death once they were pushed into a corner and forced to fight.


    This was also the first time that the old aide had truly seen his superior, Prefectural Overseer Liu, for who he was. The old man wasn''t disappointed at all. Instead, he felt like this was deserving of a hearty drink.


    However, it was a shame that there was most likely little opportunity to do so.


    Before tricking Young Master Liu to the back door, the old aide had engaged in a heart-to-heart conversation with Prefectural Overseer Liu.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu had spoken honestly and said that if this was a matter of one or two hundred lives lost, he''d abandon things and flee. However, with such a huge number of innocentmoners at stake, he could no longer do that.


    While saying this, the schr in official garb pointed at his heart and said that he wouldn''t feel right there.


    He also said that after reading sagely books for so many years, he felt like they were old friends who had known each other for many years. If he cowered and fled to save his own skin, then he was afraid that he wouldn''t have the face to read these books again. He wouldn''t be able to see his old friends again.


    "If I don''t read again, then what''s the point of staying alive?"


    Having never experienced warfare before, the prefectural overseers teeth chattered as he said those sincere words. His face was pale, and his knees were wobbling. He was unable to hide his fear no matter what.


    The old aide clearly saw fear written all over his body.


    To utter such brave words in such a cowardly manner...


    It was truly quite theical sight.


    However, the old aide was simply unable tough. He hadn''t found the situationughable either.


    Some schrs who had be officials were indeed very different from those impoverished and self-pitying schrs who felt like their talents were unrecognized and unappreciated.


    The old aide acting as a driver pushed these thoughts aside and had the horse trot faster out of the city.


    He couldn''t help but nce back. Where had the mischievous disciple whom he had secretly taken run off to? Where were they ying now? He hadn''t been able to find them no matter how he looked, so he could only pray that they stayed safe and out of trouble. The catastrophe looming over Blusher Prefecture definitely wasn''t something that they could be involved in.


    The old aide shook his head andmented in exasperation, "The cultivation world is murky, while the mountains are filled with strong winds. Neither ce is calm and easy to settle down in. Is it really that difficult to lead a quiet and peaceful life?"


    There was a rice shop in the north of the prefectural city, and a tall and skinny old man had opened and run this shop for twenty years or so. He didn''t speak much, and the two shop attendants who also lived in the prefectural city alongside him didn''t like to speak much either.


    However, they often visited the city god pavilion to offer incense, and thanks to this, their neighbors had a somewhat good impression of them. The rice and misceneous items in the rice shop were also of good quality and sold at a cheap price, so business here had always been fairly decent.


    Today, the rice shop weed two customers from outside the prefectural city. They were a middle-aged couple who looked honest and dutiful. The rice shop closed very early, and a young shop attendant who had been newly hiredst winter exined that the shop owner had rtives visiting from afar. No one found this strange. After all, it was only normal for rtives who hadn''t seen each other for a long time to chat for a bit longer.


    After closing the rice shop, the owner of the shop and the middle-aged couple sat around a table of mouthwatering dishes. The fragrance of the food wafted through the air. Meanwhile, the three shop attendants sat together in a corner and snacked on sunflower seeds. It was clear that they didn''t have the right to sit at the table.


    The man who hade from afar directly reached over to grab an oily drumstick. He ravenously chowed down on it, and he held a pot of wine in his other hand as he ate. When he tilted his head back to drink wine, half of the contents would enter his mouth, while the other half of the contents would spill.


    The woman cocked her head slightly, pinched her chin with two fingers, and made a gentle tearing motion. A thin face mask was surprisingly torn off and pped down onto the table. Only then did she lean back into the chair and heave a huge breath. "Wearing this piece of shit is so ufortable. I can''t even breathe properly. To think that I actually spent 30 snowke coins for it..."


    The three shop attendants drew a sharp breath. The maskless woman was truly very ugly!


    The three of them exchanged a smile. They felt like the woman had caught a bargain by buying the face mask for 30 snowke coins.


    As the woman spoke, she reached up with her other hand to tear off a second face mask and throw it onto the table.


    The three shop attendants were instantly astonished. They all gulped as they looked at the woman.


    She was criminally beautiful, and the three shop attendants prayed that there wouldn''t be a third face mask. However, they couldn''t help but wail in their minds when the woman raised her hand again. <em>Alrighty then, so she really is an ugly woman, after all.</em>


    To their surprise, the extremely beautiful woman winked at them and said in a sweet voice, "There''s no more face mask; this is big sister''s true appearance. Am I beautiful?"


    The owner of the rice shop huffed and said, "Hurry up and discuss the proper matters."


    The man tilted his chin and signaled for the woman to speak. He was still busy eating and drinking.

 Chapter 230: (2): Subdued

    Chapter 230: (2): Subdued


    The woman retrieved a small mirror and held it in front of her face as she tidied the hair at her temples. Her voice waszy as she said, "Old Demon Mi[1], we''vee here to discuss how we''re going to share the spoils."


    Old Demon Mi grabbed some pickled cabbage with his chopsticks and ced them into his mouth. He crunched down on them, and he furrowed his brow as he said, "We''re yet to obtain the spoils, yet you''re already thinking about how to share the spoils? Is wind blowing inside your head?"


    The woman lowered her mirror slightly and replied with an enchanting smile, "You have a very close rtionship with Immortal Colored ze, and the two of you have been friends for more than a hundred years. My husband and I are naturally aware of this. However, the ship is about to sink, so you''re not thinking of drowning with him, are you, Old Demon Mi?"


    The old man whom the woman had referred to as Old Demon Mi put his chopsticks down and asked, "What''s this all about?"


    "How beautiful. As expected of a high-grade face mask that cost me 80 snowke coins. However, the shop owner was too cowardly, and he didn''t dare to make me a face mask that was 70 to 80 percent simr to He Xiaoliang''s appearance even when I offered him 200 snowke coins."


    The woman put the mirror on the table and tore off another face mask, revealing an old and freckled face.


    There was oil dripping from her husband''s mouth as he chuckled and said, "That''s exactly right. If you could buy a face mask that was 70 to 80 percent simr to He Xiaoliang or Su Jia''s appearance, then I would be willing to spend 500 snowke coins on it, to say nothing of 200 snowke coins. At night, I can wrap my arms around Immortal He or Celestial Maiden Su and make love with them. Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a divine life! I could go at it all night long!"


    The woman rolled her eyes at her husband and continued to talk about the proper matters. "A sword immortal with the surname Fu from Divine Edict Sect has also joined the group of cultivators traveling south from the Spiritual Horn Force. She''s quite young, but her ego is even bigger than the heavens. While traveling south, the two elders from the Spiritual Horn Force have both been treating this young girl as a Bodhisattva."


    "For real?" Old Demon Mi put his chopsticks down and asked with a solemn expression.


    The woman nodded and replied, "If this weren''t the case, then what benefit would there be in us convincing you to break the alliance? We definitely won''t cut off our nose to spite our face. If we''re too careless when ites to doing business, we definitely can''t build up a time-honored reputation."


    Old Demon Mi asked a critical question, saying, "How do you know that Divine Edict Sect is involved in this matter? Do you have spies in the Spiritual Horn Force? And they''re spies with a senior standing in the force?"


    "Is this very strange?" the woman retorted.


    The old man chuckled coldly and replied with a fake smile, "As it turns out, your business has already extended to the forces in the mountains. How very impressive."


    The middle-aged man threw the chicken bone onto the floor and rudely interjected, "It will only be impressive once we extend it to the peak of the mountains, right? Our small-time business is nothingpared to that."


    "Old Demon Mi, this is the situation right now, so tell us what your decision is going to be," the woman said directly. "If you insist on remaining allied with Immortal Colored ze, my husband and I won''t say anything else. We''ll immediately leave after finishing this meal. After all, we can reap huge rewards from the Spiritual Horn Force already.


    "If you''re willing to ally with us, however, then we should take our time to flesh things out. We''ll activate the formation early after disposing of Immortal Colored ze, and we''ll take advantage of the chaos to steal that treasure and then flee."


    The tall and skinny old man was slightly hesitant.


    The middle-aged man wiped his mouth and added, "After killing Immortal Colored ze, you''ll be able to obtain more than just his colored ze bowl. You can keep however much of your old friend''s belongings that you manage to find. However, that seal must go to us."


    Old Demon Mi pondered for a moment before saying, "Give me a moment."


    He turned around to look at his youngest disciple. "Toss some copper coins to calcte our fortune."


    The shop attendant was a handsome young boy with red lips and sparkling white teeth. There was a brilliant smile on his face as he retrieved a handful of copper coins. As he squatted on the floor and held the copper coins in his hand, he looked up and asked, "Old Man Mi, is there anything in it for me?"


    "You no longer need to wear female clothes at night," the old man replied calmly.


    The two other disciples exchanged a smile with unsurprised expressions. The young boy blushed slightly, and he asked in a shy and coquettish voice, "How is this a benefit? Old Man Mi, can you change it to something else?"


    Old Demon Mi thought for a moment before replying, "I''ll give you 10 percent of the benefits."


    "After receiving these benefits, will I still be alive to enjoy them?" the young boy asked in his soft and feminine voice.


    Old Demon Mi cast a cold nce at his two other disciples who had already been with him for a long time. He then nodded at the young boy and said, "Yes, you will."


    A seductive smile appeared on the young boy''s face as he bit open the skin on his finger and painted his blood on each of the copper coins. After doing this, he tossed the copper coins on the floor and examined them for a moment. He looked up with a delighted expression and eximed, "Great fortune!"


    Old Demon Mi felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He looked at the husband and wife and said, "I''ll tell my disciple to activate the formation early, and the three of us will team up to deal with Immortal Colored ze. We''ll make the battle short and sharp. How does this sound?"


    The woman slowly retracted her gaze from the young boys face. She was in a terrific mood, and she replied, "That sounds great."


    "Old Demon Mi, you''ve been friends with Immortal Colored ze for more than a hundred years, so can you truly bring yourself to betray him?" the middle-aged man suddenly asked in an eerie voice.


    Old Demon Mi picked up some food with his chopsticks and countered, "Will you kill your wife if someone promises you a colored ze bowl left behind by an immortal?"


    The middle-aged man appeared slightly sheepish.


    The woman didn''t feel sad at all. She picked up her mirror and started to check herself out again. "Hah, if I''m worth as much as a colored ze bowl in the eyes of this heartless person, then my life was worth it."


    Outside the city god hall, the young girl trembled with fear as she stood in front of the back door of the great hall. In fact, she didn''t dare to stand in the small square between the god of wealth hall and the Tai Sui hall.


    This was because an earth-shattering battle was taking ce inside the city god hall in front of her.


    City God Shen Wen, who had sumbed to demonic ways, had stomped his foot onto Mr. Immortal''s back. However, the young-looking immortal appeared even more impressive, and he instantly forced himself to stand upright, pushing the city god two steps back in the process. Afterward, the renowned golden city god of Colorful Garment Nation unleashed his astonishingbat power and sprinted around the spacious main hall, chasing after the immortal who was dashing around everywhere with a wooden sword case on his back.


    During their fight, Chen Ping''an threw another twenty-one punches using the Deity Drumming Technique. This was the strange fist technique that he had used to shatter the seal formation. He clearly managed to shatter the gold gild of the demonic golden city god, with crumbs of gold ke floating to the floor. Countless cracks appeared on the y statue of the city god as well, releasing wisps of ck smoke.


    However, the golden city god bellowed and formed a strange hand seal that the young girl didn''t recognize. Not only did the crumbs of gold ke rise up and gather on his face again, but even the cracks on his body started to close up and knit back together.


    The eyes of the city god were pitch-ck like ink. A cold and eerie aura radiated from them, and witnessing it would cause a cold chill to run down one''s spine. Apart from this, however, his dazzling golden body still appeared brilliant and eye-catching.


    He was nine meters tall, and each of his punches could leave a crater in the wall. At the same time, each of his stomps could pulverize the tiles on the floor. He was much like a dignified god from the Heavenly Court who had now traveled to the mortal world to subdue demons and eliminate fiends.


    The young girl with silver bells on her wrists and ankles was filled with worry. Could such a formidable golden city god truly be defeated?


    She was also confused about why the young-looking old immortal didn''t use his two golden talismans again. In fact, he wasn''t even willing to use his flying swords! Instead, he simply engaged in close-quartersbat with the city god using his fists. Up until now, he had already used several different fist techniques.


    During their battle, she had also seen the young-looking old immortal be smashed from one side of the city god hall to the other side. Judging by the sounds, it was very likely that he had been embedded into the wall. Afterward, the city god directly tore a pir down and started to use it as a weapon. He didn''t care about the structural integrity of the city god hall, and he didn''t care about whether it would copse or not. He started to wantonly swing the pir around.


    Battles between gods and immortals were truly earth-shaking.


    This was a heart-stopping spectacle for the young girl, and her palms were already filled with sweat. She silently cheered the young-looking immortal on.


    Even though the young-looking old immortal was at a temporary disadvantage, he was truly fighting in a gant and impressive manner.


    For example, he raised his arms above his head to block arge pir viciously mming down. The pir split apart with a boom, and the immortal''s knees were pushed into the earth.


    The young girl hurriedly closed one eye and turned her head around. She couldn''t bear to look at the sight, and she thought to herself that this would definitely hurt a lot.


    Another time, the young-looking immortal was sent flying out of the main hall by a kick. He rolled more than a dozen times in the square, and the city god stood behind the door threshold of the main hall and gazed at him with a cold smile. He beckoned Chen Ping''an over with a finger, and the young boy immediately charged into the hall after standing up.


    After less than 15 minutes, the city god hall waspletely destroyed by City God Shen Wen. After ripping out five to six pirs, the main hall that had weathered the elements for several hundred years finally copsed and crumbled.


    Plumes of dust blotted out the sky as the golden city god ripped out the final red pir. The wall to the left didn''t crumble apart like the wall to the right, and it instead copsed outward as an entire piece. Chen Ping''an was standing above this wall, and his sleeves were already in tatters. He turned around and softly spat out a mouthful of blood.


    Right now, Chen Ping''an was treating the golden city god as a second Ma Kuxuan. He was using this battle to temper his own physique and soul.


    He most likely couldn''t defeat the city god with his fists alone.


    Moreover, it appeared as if the y statue of the city god could quickly regenerate itself and return to its peak state in this city god hall no matter how it was pummeled and no matter how severe its wounds were. This was very unreasonable.


    Chen Ping''an nced at the ruins of the city god hall out of the corners of his eyes. Thinking back to the positioning of the golden city god this entire time, he finally came to a realization.


    Pocket treasures were regarded as mystical small worlds, and these treasures worked in much the same way.


    Meanwhile, the sages from the different teachings and schools also had the notion of territory. For example, how Mr. Qi and Master Ruan were in charge of Jewel Small World. As long as Confucian sages were in schools and academies, and Militarian sages were in ancient battlefield ruins and so on, these sages would possess a time and geographical advantage when they did battle with others.


    It was logical to conclude that the city god of Blusher Prefecture''s prefectural city also enjoyed such advantages in the city god hall.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath and continued to charge forward. He needed to test his theory and lure the city god out of the city god hall first. If he seeded, then luring the city god out of the entire city god pavilion would naturally be the best oue.


    However, things were often imperfect, and the golden city god instinctively refused to leave the ruins of the city god hall even though he had already sumbed to demonic ways and be utterly confused.


    Even when Chen Ping''an purposely became injured on two separate asions and fell outside the city god hall to bait him, the golden city god still refused to step outside his territory. At most, he would only use the red pirs as weapons to wildly m down at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an was unwilling to waste too much time here. He still needed to return to the prefectural office as soon as possible to expose the main culprit behind these events.


    The hearty nature of this battle was finally revealed at this moment.


    Chen Ping''an continued to throw a barrage of punches. At the same time, First and Fifteenth both flew out from his Sword Nurturing Gourd and shot toward the golden city god.


    Atop the ruins of the city god hall, the white-colored First and the emerald-green Fifteenth cooperated with Chen Ping''an''s fists andunched attacks as they circled around the y statue of the golden city god.


    The young girl with silver bells was dazzled and stunned by this sight.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an retrieved a gold-colored treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talisman. At the cost of sacrificing this talisman and causing it topletely lose its luster, he finally managed to suppress the golden city god and shatter his gold statue. In the end, only a dozen or so shards of his gold statue remained. Along with these golden shards, there was also that small azure wooden box.


    Chen Ping''an silently collected these items and wiped the blood from his face. He then walked up to the young girl and asked with a smile, "What''s your name?"


    "Liu Gaoxin!" the young girl replied in a daze.


    "Gaoxing as in happy[2]?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The young girl blushed slightly, and she exined, "Gao as in ''high'' and Xin as in ''warmth.'' Not happy."


    When choosing her name, her parents had hoped that she could thrive in the future and still experience warmth when reaching the highest peak.


    The young girl was quite beautiful, and her heart was also pure.


    She was unwilling to dwell on this matter, especially since the young-looking old immortal had just finished his intense battle with the golden city god. He needed to rest and replenish his energy.


    Chen Ping''an had initially wanted to praise her name and say that it could be appreciated by both refined people andmoners. In this sense, it was very simr to his own name.


    However, since it wasn''t the "Gaoxing" he was thinking of, he could only swallow these words. Then, something urred to him, and he asked in curiosity, "You''re not Liu Gaohua''s younger sister, are you?"


    The young girl''s eyes lit up, and she asked, "Oh? Mr. Immortal, you know my older brother?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I met him not long ago, and I''m actually heading to the prefectural office right now. I need to tell your father that the old immortal is the true culprit behind everything."


    Liu Gaoxin hadn''t gone to enjoy the atmosphere and watch the performance on the tall stage in the middle of theke that night, so she hadn''t seen the appearances of the female ghosts controlled by the old immortal either. Chen Ping''an was already leaping toward the tall wall surrounding the city god pavilion at this moment, and the young girl hurriedly followed behind him.


    The two of them jumped across roofs and ran along walls, but the physique of the young girl was far inferior to Chen Ping''an even though she also tempered and trained her body. It wasn''t long before she started panting in exertion. Chen Ping''an stopped on an eave to let her rest and catch her breath.


    "Elderly Sword Immortal, why don''t you fly on your sword? It will be faster if you do that and take me along with you," Liu Gaoxin suggested carefully.


    So be it if she were carelessly addressing him as a sword immortal. But old sword immortal?


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether tough or to cry. He decided to ignore her, and he started to sprint along the roofs and walls again once the young girl''s breathing returned to normal.


    <em>This old sword immortal truly does things in a peculiar way</em>, the young girl thought to herself.


    <em>Moreover, he also has an extremely good temper!</em>


    While speaking to him just then, she had secretly nced at his face a few times as well. He was fairly handsome, and he genuinely didn''t appear old at all!


    1. The "Mi" () used here literally means rice.


    2. The name Gaoxin () sounds very simr to "happy" (Gaoxing/) in Chinese. <blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    lol she thinks Ping''an is an old immortal XD</blockquote>

 Chapter 230: (3): Dark Clouds Over the City

    Chapter 230: (3): Dark Clouds Over the City


    "Terrible news!"


    Standing atop the building on the city wall and observing the prefectural city, the old immortal suddenly eximed in astonishment. He turned to the confused General Ma and exined, "A huge problem has arisen in the city god hall. By the looks of it, a great demon has unleashed its power and directly obliterated the undecaying gold body of the city god. I need to personally head over to take a look. Otherwise, I won''t feel at ease.


    "The golden city god is intricately linked with the fortune of Blusher Prefecture, so the predicament of City God Shen Wen has a huge bearing on the future of the prefectural city. If his gold statue isprehensively destroyed, then the vitality of Blusher Prefecture will be severely damaged even if it manages to ovee this perilous situation!"


    The old immortal looked toward the city god pavilion with an anxious expression. He sighed and said with a cold chuckle, "So be it! I''ll charge into the area today even if it''s a dragon''s nest or tiger''s den! I might even have to sacrifice my cultivation to see whether I can rescue the severely wounded city god...


    "Who would have thought that the troublemaking demons are so powerful? I initially thought that they were simply using a formation to trap the city god. However, to think that they''re going as far as to viciously destroy an entire city... General Ma, there''s no other option. I''ll temporarily leave the east gate of the city to you."


    "Elder Huang, should I send a dozen or so elite infantrymen to help you?" General Ma asked in a solemn voice. "There are still several dozen special arrows in the prefectural office, and these arrows are capable of killing demons and fiends."


    The old immortal shook his hand and replied, "There''s no time. It won''t make much difference either."


    General Ma was an experienced warrior, after all, so he didn''t hesitate at all after hearing this. He cupped his fists and said, "I wish Elder Huang godspeed and victory!"


    "Thank you for your well wishes, General Ma!" the old immortal replied with cupped fists. He smiled faintly before jumping down the city wall like a free bird. He fell dozens of meters andnded on the ridge of a house, and he gracefully stood up before dashing forward again. After a dozen or so graceful leaps, he eventually became nothing more than a small speck in the distance. He arrived outside the city god pavilion where the dust was just beginning to settle.


    Elder Huang  also known as Immortal Colored ze by Old Demon Mi and the middle-aged husband and wife  didn''t head inside the city god pavilion straight away. Instead, he went to therge square outside the tall walls in front of the great hall. He slowly walked forward.


    He waved hisrge sleeves, causing arge stack of yellow paper talismans to flutter in mid-air. Smoke billowed from the yellow paper talismans, and they quickly transformed into a dozen or so sword-wielding young women in the blink of an eye. They were dressed in white, and their movements were light and nimble as their slender figures dashed toward the great hall that honored the general who had helped to found Colorful Garment Nation.


    When the old immortal walked past the two severely damaged statues of the heavenly officials, the poisonous vermin that had been crawling over them had already disappeared without a trace. He walked inside the great hall. Most of the y statues here remainedrgely intact, and Immortal Colored ze naturally knew the reason behind this.


    There was no deity here, so these mighty-looking y statues were, in fact, nothing more than just y statues made by craftsmen. Thus, Old Demon Mi naturally wouldn''t spend his time and effort tampering with them. After all, that would be a huge waste of his unique incense offerings.


    The sword-wielding young women who had performed on the tall stage in the middle of theke nimbly dashed to the small square between the god of wealth hall and the Tai Sui hall. One of them moved their mouth slightly, and it was as if they were quietly calling out to someone. However, there was no reply.


    Immortal Colored Gaze stepped out the back door of the great hall and stood still. He looked around before frowning and saying, "There''s no need to call for her anymore. Your colorful garment sister has already been beaten back to her original form. In fact, even I can''t detect her remnant soul. The person who defeated her has a very high cultivation base."


    The old immortal suddenly made a waving motion, causing the blood-red sword to instantly fly out from its hiding spot in the crown of the old cypress tree and appear in his hand. Immortal Colored ze lowered his head and sniffed the sword. He felt slightly at ease, and this was because he didn''t detect any demonic qi on the sword. This was a good sign, as it meant that it wasn''t Old Demon Mi who had discovered the abnormalities in this ce. It wasn''t he who had snatched away the iron essence official seal that appeared like a decorative piece.


    He casually tossed the blood-red sword to a young woman in white who had a mole next to the corner of her mouth. He then slowly continued forward. Even though the situation hadn''t reached the direst state yet, it wasn''t much better than the direst state either. The city god hall had been destroyed, and City God Shen Wen had also been reduced to a pile of rubble. The martial god and the schrly god had also suffered an identical fate. Meanwhile, the iron essence official seal was nowhere to be seen.


    Immortal Colored ze''s expression was dark, and he contemted whether it was that mighty figure hiding far behind the scenes who had developed an interest in this seal, the Colorful Garment Nation Blusher Prefecture City God Protection Seal. Was it because of this that the mighty figure had kept things hidden from him and ordered someone to snatch the seal first?


    However, the old man quickly rid himself of this thought. There was no need for the mighty figure to do this  most likely. To Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers, such a treasure was naturally a valuable item worth as much as a city. These Qi refiners would go as far as to fight with their lives on the line in order to obtain such a treasure.


    To that old immortal genuinely standing at the peak of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, however, there was absolutely no need to do this. The seal was nowhere near valuable enough for him to go back on his word and act in such a forceful manner.


    The scheme of that person was far, far too grand. He was looking to install chaos and incite a frenzied war between five nations, including Colorful Garment Nation and Ancient Elm Nation. He wanted to hear the drums of war beating in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and he wanted to see smoke and ashes spreading through thends.


    Immortal Colored ze, this heretical wandering cultivator, had a dark expression as he entered the ruins of the city god hall. In the end, he arrived beside a wall that had copsed outward as a single piece.


    Even though the wall wasplete and withoutrge cracks, there were arge number of small cracks and dents along its length. The old immortal carefully examined everyst detail. There were eighty-one beautiful women dancing withrge sleeves illustrated on the wall, but only thirty or so of them remained mostly intact. The old man stomped his feet andmented, "What a terrible waste!"


    After confirming that there was no one around, the old man still ordered the sword-wielding young women to stand guard in different locations. Only then did he squat down and retrieve a small and exquisite bowl with seven brilliant colors.


    The bowl was dazzling and bright, and the old man carefully held it in his left hand after taking it out of his sleeve. The surroundings were instantly illuminated by several different colors. This was a spectacr sight.


    Immortal Colored Gaze hurriedly waved his right sleeve, slightly suppressing the multi-colored glow illuminating the ground. He silently recited something, and the beautiful women on the wall mural started to slowly move around. They floated out of the wall one after another, funneling into the colored ze bowl.


    The thirty beautiful women with the most undamaged appearances and clothes entered the small bowl first. Afterward, a dozen or so beautiful women with undamaged face but damaged clothes and limbs entered the bowl. In the end, only the women with damaged face and body alike remained on the wall. It was as if there were quiet sobbing flowing through the wall like a gentle stream flowing over rocks.


    However, the old man was unwilling to stop at this, and he even dragged the entire background of the mural from the wall. He ced the background inside his small bowl as well. As if losing their homes, the damaged women on the wall sobbed even harder. Their voices were filled with grief and anguish as they wept on the now-empty wall.


    Immortal Colored ze put his small bowl away and peered down at the scattered women on the wall after standing up. He shook his head, and there was immense pain in his heart as he raised hisrge sleeve andunched a heavy palm strike. The wall instantly disintegrated into dust.


    The rice shop opened its doors again, but it wasn''t opening its doors for business. The three shop attendants each went to a location in the prefectural city. There was a delighted smile on the handsome face of the youngest boy as he ran out of the shop. Meanwhile, Old Demon Mi led the middle-aged couple to a quiet alley.


    "Hasn''t the golden city god inside the city god pavilion transformed into your puppet, Old Demon Mi? Even though its cultivation base declined a little because of this, how could its gold statue suddenly explode without warning? Perhaps there''s a powerful cultivator at the Middle Five Tiers hiding in this small prefectural city?" the woman asked.


    Old Demon Mi was in a foul mood. His biggest trump card and shield had been mysteriously destroyed just like that. Anyone in his stead would have been just as pissed.


    He thought for a moment before spreading his hand open. He was still going to attempt to observe the mountains and rivers through his palm. This was a high-level mystical ability, and it was treasured and kept secret by a small number of immortal forces. It was due to a fated opportunity that Old Demon Mi had obtained a damaged secret text from a heretical force and thus learned some very shallow concepts.


    However, the damaged secret text was missing half of the Qi channeling mantras, so using this mystical ability would consume one drop of his heart''s blood each time. This was a huge price to pay. Moreover, if there were high-tier Qi refiners present in the area that he was secretly observing, it would be very easy for them to discover his presence. At that time, it was extremely likely that they would follow the traces to hunt him down. And thus, this initially profound mystical ability was now incredibly useless thanks to its damaged nature.


    Why did so many immortal forces and ns in the mountains enjoy an unshakeable position? A big reason for this was that they possessedplete secret techniques that had been passed down through the generations. Using these secret techniques wouldn''t have any side effects. After being refined by generation after generation of elders, these mystical abilities were almost wless.


    Because of this, there was no need for the descendants and prized disciples of these forces to fumble around and take long and windy paths. It was rumored that some high-grade secret techniques could even give one the opportunity to reach the Upper Five Tiers. Below this, there were also some secret techniques that could help one advance to the Middle Five Tiers.


    On the flip side, just how many vagrant cultivators and itinerant cultivators were there in the world? And how many of them had fallen to heretical and demonic ways because of wed techniques? Countless!


    A drop of scarlet blood seeped out from Old Demon Mi''s palm. It suddenly exploded apart, and a cloud of blood appeared in his hand. An image quickly materialized on the old man''s palm. The focus was none other than the city god pavilion.


    The old man squinted his eyes, and he saw the old immortal along with the women in white. He gently swayed his palm, and the image of the city god pavilion quickly became an image of just the destroyed city god hall. The image of the squatting old immortal became much clearer.


    Old Demon Mi chuckled and said, "The heavens are on our side! Old Man Chen couldn''t contain his curiosity, so he personally went to the city god pavilion to investigate the situation. He''s walking straight into our trap!"


    There was a bright glimmer in the woman''s eyes as she locked her gaze onto the colored ze bowl in Immortal Colored ze''s hand. "Is that the immortal relic, the colored ze bowl?" she asked.


    Old Demon Mi suddenly clenched his hand into a fist, causing the cloud of blood in his hand to return to his body. He turned around and chuckled coldly, saying, "What, you want to fight me for it?"


    There was a soft expression in the woman''s eyes, and she smiled charmingly and replied, "I wouldn''t dare to."


    Old Demon Mi ignored the acting of this temptress, and he quickly weighed up the pros and cons in his mind.


    Old Man Chen''s target had always been the wall mural in the city god hall, something that had always been under the golden city god''s watchful gaze. The old immortal had imed that he was after the vitality and energy of that mural, as well as the beautiful women on it who possessed genuine immortal qi after being bathed in incense offerings for hundreds of years.


    Moreover, he could use the mural to shelter the souls of the women that he had gathered from the unmarked graveyards. The benefits were twofold, and perhaps he could even nurture a few yin entities as powerful as the woman in colorful robes.


    Old Demon Mi finally came to a realization at this moment. Perhaps... that seal from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence had never been in the prefectural office or the Zhao n residence. Instead, it had always been in the city god pavilion! As for his friend, Old Man Chen, he had nned to obtain all of the treasures right from the very beginning. He had never considered giving the seal away to Old Demon Mi, who had worked extremely hard with his disciples to fight for this seal.


    <em>What a brilliant n, Immortal Colored ze!</em>


    <em>Old friend, since youck virtue, then don''t me me forcking loyalty!</em>


    The clear sky above Blusher Prefecture gradually became dark and gloomy. Dark clouds drifted over from all directions, bearing down on the city and stifling all of its residents.


    A horse-drawn carriage peacefully trundled out of the south gate. Holding the horse reins in one hand, the old aide used his other hand to grab a pot of beautiful wine that he had prepared beforehand. Just as he was about to take a sip, he saw an impoverished schr standing on the official road nearby and furiously waving at them. At the same time, he shouted, "Old Man Song, Old Man Song, it''s me! I''m good friends with your young mistress! Is she in the carriage?"


    The old aide tensed up upon seeing the impoverished young schr. Perhaps the demons had locked their gazes onto the prefectural office since long ago? Were they intent onpletely destroying them? Were they not going to spare the young master and the young mistress?


    The young woman hurriedly leaned down and pulled the curtain back, saying in a happy voice, "Uncle Song, he''s my friend, Liu Chicheng, and he''s a traveling schr from White Mountain Nation."


    Another head stuck out from the carriage, and Liu Gaohua asked in puzzlement, "Liu Chicheng, didn''t you leave the prefectural city long ago? How are you still here? Which young mistress were you teasing and flirting with?"


    The old aide hesitated for a moment before deciding to stop the carriage.


    If this was a blessing, then he couldn''t decline it. If it was misfortune, then he couldn''t avoid it.


    He could only observe the situation and take action ordingly.


    Liu Chicheng rolled his eyes upon hearing the teasing remark of Liu Gaohua, his future brother-inw. He giddily jogged over. Even though he didn''t know why the old monster had suddenly descended from the sky and temporarily returned his body to him, he couldn''t be bothered mulling over these things either. In any case, the old monster had promised Liu Chicheng that he would deal with all of the troubles using a single finger as long as Liu Chicheng could convince this carriage to turn around and return to the prefectural city.


    Liu Chicheng was in fact still wearing that pink Daoist robe right now, but the old monster had told him that Qi refiners under the 10th tier, including those bullshit Golden Core Tier immortals, wouldn''t be able to see through the exquisite illusion technique that he had employed.


    Liu Chicheng stood beside the carriage and panted heavily as he asked, "What''s wrong? Are you guys fleeing as well? Liu Gaohua, you undutiful son, how can you bear to abandon your parents and leave them in perilous danger like this? There are so many demons causing trouble in the city, so as the son of the prefectural overseer, shouldn''t you be leading the charge against them? Or at least raising your arms and calling for action? Shouldn''t you be guarding the gate of the prefectural office and refusing to take a single backward step, even if it means death?


    "See, I only walked a short distance from the prefectural city before thinking that it was wrong to leave just like this. Just think about it. I''m an outsider, but even I feel like I should sacrifice myself for the sake of righteousness. To be unflinching while dying for the sake of righteousness is the duty of schrs like us..."


    The old aide gritted his teeth in anger, and he felt the urge to furiously p this impoverished young schr.


    Liu Gaohua looked at Liu Chicheng as if he were looking at a retard.


    Meanwhile, there was already an intoxicated look in his older sister''s teary eyes. She held her hands on her heart, and she felt like Young Master Liu had definitely returned to see her.


    Liu Gaohua rolled his eyes and said, "You can return by yourself if you insist. But my sister and I are going to hide somewhere safe."


    Liu Chicheng couldn''t help but grumble in his mind, <em>Old geezer, what should I do? My brother-inw isn''t heroic or gant at all. I''m essentially talking to a brick wall.</em>


    In the next instant, Liu Chicheng suddenly discovered that he couldn''t control his own arms or legs. He "gently" stomped on the official road.


    There was a huge boom.


    Plumes of dust rose above the official road. Looking over from the city wall, it was as if a yellow flood dragon of several kilometers long had suddenly appeared out of thin air.


    Liu Chicheng gulped and cleared his throat. He sped his hands behind his back, and he tried his best to appear dignified and mighty as he announced, "Truth be told, I, Liu Chicheng, am actually a Golden Core Tier immortal!"


    The old aide was shocked, and he was temporarily dazed and rendered speechless.


    Perhaps only the most top-notch grandmaster in Colorful Garment Nation  that old sword god living in seclusion  could unleash such a powerful stomp, right?


    Was the irresponsible and impoverished young schr in front of them actually an immortal from the mountains messing around in the mortal world?


    Liu Chicheng attempted to stand on his tippy-toes and directly fly onto the carriage. However, his body remained unmoving. In the end, he could only give up and dejectedly climb onto the carriage. After squeezing into the carriage, he sat cross-legged between the brother and sister who were exchanging a nce with each other. Liu Chicheng turned around to look at the excited young woman, and he said with a faint smile, "Miss Liu, sincerity leads to thingsing true, am I correct?"


    Chen Ping''an and Liu Gaoxin arrived on a roof ridge near the prefectural office. Chen Ping''an came to a stop, and the young girl was just about to ask him something. However, Chen Ping''an pointed at the walls and tall buildings of the prefectural office. The young girl looked over, and her heart immediately shuddered. There were numerous powerful bows specially crafted by Mohist cultivators, and all of the arrowheads were directly aimed at the two of them. The dozen or so powerful archers were all dressed in suits of armor from Colorful Garment Nation.


    Liu Gaoxin frowned and said, "They look like guards left at the prefectural office by General Ma, so they might not recognize me. Should I shout and exin our identity? Everything will be fine as long as I exin the situation. However, I''m afraid that a lot of time might be wasted if the officials start to interrogate us."


    Chen Ping''an looked up at the sky, and he hesitated for a brief moment before replying, "Let''s part ways here. You don''t need to charge inside too quickly, and you can exin the situation to them when they stop you. However, I need to find my friends as quickly as possible."


    The young girl was also a resolute person, and she nodded and replied, "Understood! I''ll listen to you, Old Immortal!"


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath before leaping up into the sky. An arrow viciously whizzed over, but Chen Ping''an suddenly rose even higher. He lightly stepped on the arrow and charged toward the prefectural office.

 Chapter 231: Seeing the City God Again

    Chapter 231: Seeing the City God Again


    Chen Ping''an''s forceful charge invited volley after volley of powerful and urate shots from the archers. The guards that General Ma had left at the prefectural office were all top-notch elite soldiers that he had brought over from the borders. The strength in their arms was incredible, and they were also extremely experienced in war and battles. Even against an immortal from the mountains, they would still be able to cooperate wlessly with each other.


    Chen Ping''an dashed over from the roof ridges andnded deep inside the prefectural office. This had only taken him a few seconds, yet he had already been forced to swat aside two incredibly ferocious and urate shots.


    "I''m Liu Gaoxin, the daughter of Prefectural Overseer Liu! The old immortal hase to help our allies! Please lower your bows!" the young girl with the silver bells shouted.


    Chen Ping''annded in front of the door of the main hall. He didn''t turn around, and he took two steps to the side as he reached out to catch an arrow that had whizzed over from behind him. There were ancient and simple-looking cloud patterns engraved on the arrow, and there were also three small and dazzling grooves carved into the arrowhead. Chen Ping''an casually tossed the arrow aside, causing it to stab into the earth.


    "Brother Xu, Zhang Shanfeng, are you guys in the main hall?" he asked in a solemn voice. "The main culprit behind the incident at the city god pavilion is the old immortal who performed on the tall stage in the middle of theke that night!"


    The big-bearded martial artist was the first person to rush out. Zhang Shanfeng and the armored general followed closely behind him.


    A copper-armored warrior nine meters tall strode out with a boom and directly charged over to throw a punch at Chen Ping''an. Chen Ping''an had no option but to raise a hand and block the attack. This copper-armored warrior had been summoned by a talisman carefully drawn by Daoist Chong Miao. It was quite powerful.


    Even though it wasn''t high-grade, itsbat power could still rival that of pure martial artists at the peak stage of the second tier. However, the joints of the copper-armored warrior started to violently groan and shake after Chen Ping''an caught its fist. It creaked loudly, yet it was unable to advance no matter what.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu also ran out of the main hall. He looked up, and he saw the young girl with silver bells standing on top of the wall. "She''s my daughter! She''s my daughter, Liu Gaoxin. Please don''t injure her by ident!" he immediately shouted.


    The big-bearded martial artist hurriedly exined the situation to the people beside him as well. "He''s my friend, Chen Ping''an, and he went to the city god pavilion to investigate the situation."


    The armored general nodded and used his arm to give a military signal. The archers hidden around the prefectural office didn''t put their bows away immediately, and they instead lowered them slightly and went from full draw to half draw. Their actions were identical, and even the curvatures of their bows were almost exactly the same.


    Xu Yuanxia had traveled to many nations before, and he astutely noticed this small detail. He was instantly impressed. He hadn''t imagined that a ce as bookish as Colorful Garment Nation would also have such disciplined and powerful soldiers. General Ma, the one guarding the east gate of the prefectural city, was definitely a talented general.


    Daoist Chong Miao made a hand seal andmanded the copper-armored warrior to return. The armored warrior had failed to suppress the young boy, so there was a slightly displeased expression on Daoist Chong Miao''s face as he sneered, "Old Immortal Huang is the main culprit? Hahaha! You scheming little boy, I feel like you''re the sinister person who''s trying to take advantage of this situation!"


    The old Daoist priest with bright-colored robes turned to Prefectural Overseer Liu and the general and said, "If the profoundly powerful Old Immortal Huang is really the main culprit with ulterior motives, then why are we still discussing things anding up with ns here? We might as well wait for death. Moreover, if Old Immortal Huang is the main culprit, then why did he actively give us a warning? Was there any need to go this extra step?"


    "It does seem quite illogical," Prefectural Overseer Liu concurred after contemting for a brief moment.


    However, the general spoke in fairness for the young boy, and he said, "Heretical and demonic cultivators are extremely skilled at making risky moves. They can''t be viewed through ordinary lenses. The best choice right now is to be skeptical of everyone. Anyhow, why don''t we hear this young boy out first?"


    Liu Gaoxin jumped down from the wall and sprinted over. Her movements were filled with energy, and the silver bells on her wrists and ankles also chimed and released waves of golden ripples. It was clear that she was already a legitimate cultivator. Prefectural Overseer Liu had no time to think about how his youngest daughter had suddenly be an immortal.


    When she arrived in front of him, he immediately asked with an anxious expression, "Are you hurt anywhere? Silly girl, why are you still running around everywhere now that the prefectural city is so chaotic and dangerous? How utterly foolish!"


    Liu Gaoxin pointed at Chen Ping''an and began, "The old immortal..."


    However, she suddenly realized that she had misspoken. This was because while rushing over, the old immortal  an incredibly skilled swordsman  had specially told her to keep the battle in the city god pavilion a secret. He was still unwilling to reveal his true identity, lest there were also demons hiding inside the prefectural office. He didn''t want to reveal his abilities to them.


    Liu Gaoxin hurriedly made up for her mistake, saying, "Chen Ping''an and I encountered a female bone ghost in the city god pavilion. She was the beautiful woman in colorful robes who performed on the tall stage in the middle of theke that night, and she was one of the demons who were causing trouble in the prefectural city.


    "It took Chen Ping''an and me a lot of effort to finally subdue her, yet the city god and his two subordinate gods had unexpectedly sumbed to demonic ways as well. ck smoke was billowing from their faces, and they were just about to hunt us down. Fortunately, an old immortal who could manipte flying swords rushed over at that moment and rescued us.


    "However, the old immortal was also severely wounded because of this, so he told us to rush over to exin the situation first. That old man with the surname Huang is scheming to obtain an immortal treasure with his allies. The old immortal wanted me to tell you not to bring wolves into the prefectural office, Father! He also said that if it''s necessary, he''ll definitely offer assistance again once he recuperates his sea of Qi and bonded flying sword. He''ll help us subdue demons and eliminate fiends!"


    Chen Ping''an''s expression was calm, and he praised the sharp-witted young girl in his mind.


    Compared to Zhu Lu''s behavior in Go Table Mountain, and the group of youths outside the rundown temple back then, Liu Gaoxin was truly much more impressive.


    Everyone briskly returned to the main hall. Before they could sit down, however, an elite soldier drenched in blood walked in and informed them thatmoners who had seemingly fallen to demonic ways had appeared in several ces inside the prefectural city. These people were violently killing others, regardless of whether they were family, friends, or neighbors.


    Themoners were like pure martial artists who had fallen to demonic ways, and they all shared a simrity in that there was blood seeping from their eyes. They were also incredibly agile, and this made them incredibly difficult to deal with. Many soldiers andw enforcers had already been wounded.


    Not only this, but sanguine glows also appeared in unison in many ces around the prefectural city. They appeared on stone arch bridges filled with travelers, they appeared in quiet alleys, and in many other ces. Wherever they appeared, nts would wither and fish would turn belly up.


    The atmosphere in the main hall was solemn. Prefectural Overseer Liu forcefullyposed himself and started to organize his men. Apart from ordering people to rush over to the east gate as quickly as possible to warn General Ma about Old Immortal Huang''s potential identity, the people inside the main hall were also divided into groups of two. They would head to different ces in the city to investigate the abnormalities and guard against further idents. If they came across demonic beings or affectedmoners, they had the right to execute them on the spot.


    Apart from this, the petty officials in the prefectural office were also told to leave the office. They were tasked with warning themoners about the situation and telling them to immediately go home. They weren''t allowed to leave their house after that, and those who flouted themand would be severely punished as if they had disobeyed the night curfew.


    Xu Yuanxia was grouped together with Zhang Shanfeng, with the former being a pure martial artist and thetter being a Daoist priest. This was a perfectbination. Meanwhile, Daoist Chong Miao was grouped together with the armored general. At Liu Gaoxin''s earnest request, she was put together with Chen Ping''an. However, regardless of how selfless Prefectural Overseer Liu was, how could be fine with his daughter rushing into danger?


    Fortunately, a gant cultivator offered to go to the Zhao n residence along with Chen Ping''an and Liu Gaoxin. Only then did Prefectural Overseer Liu repeatedly warn Liu Gaoxin not to be reckless. She had to listen to the two powerful cultivators.


    Liu Gaoxin was naturally overjoyed. She nodded and promised her father that she would definitely be careful. However, Prefectural Overseer Liu was still worried that she wasn''t taking this seriously enough, so he dragged her over and warned her again.


    The young girl became slightly impatient, but the young-looking old immortal next to her suddenly said, "Young Mistress Liu, don''t make Prefectural Overseer Liu worry about you."


    Liu Gaoxin faltered for a moment before looking over at Chen Ping''an. She saw that he wasn''t angry, and he wasn''t taking advantage of his seniority either. Instead, he simply looked like he wanted to do things a bit better. Even though Liu Gaoxin was puzzled about his intentions, she still forced herself to patiently bid farewell to her father. She promised him that she definitely wouldn''t be reckless. Prefectural Overseer Liu felt slightly more at ease, and he cupped his fists and thanked Chen Ping''an and the martial artist.


    "Then I''ll leave my daughter to the two of you," he said sincerely.


    Chen Ping''an and the martial artist returned the gesture. The three of them then rushed to the Zhao n residence, which was only two streets away from the prefectural office.


    The martial artist with the surname Dou looked up at the sky. He shook his head and sighed with emotion, saying, "Be it immortals from the mountains or be it demons and fiends, none of them care about the lives of mortal humans. It shouldn''t be like this."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond. In the end, he chose to remain silent.


    The three of them arrived in front of the Zhao n residence, and there were already men and women who had fallen to demonic ways baring their teeth and swinging their arms as they charged out to attack. The archers and guards outside were mainly from thew enforcement office and prefectural office, so how could they havee across such a scene before? After all, they would only be dealing with thieves and robbers at most for their work.


    Most of them were deathly pale, and the uracy of the archers was simply unbearable. Moreover, the family members and servants from the Zhao n surprisingly continued to charge forward even after being struck by arrows. Chen Ping''an personally witnessed a young boy with a bloody face being struck in the chest by a powerful arrow from 20 paces away. He was sent flying and knocked to the ground, but he immediately struggled to his feet with the arrow sticking out from his chest. Afterward, he vomited blood as he continued to charge at them.


    The crude formation of the archers and guards was immediately dismantled by the chargingmoners who had fallen to demonic ways. As such, they had no option but to engage in close-quartersbat with these people who didn''t fear death.


    If Chen Ping''an and the others hadn''t arrived in a timely manner, it was very likely that the people rushing out from the Zhao n residence would have soon spread all over the prefectural city. Like a gue of locusts, they would have caused immense damage.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether this demonic infection could be cured, so he mainly focused on using his fists and legs to push these people back toward the Zhao n residence. Liu Gaoxin rang her silver bells, and numerous golden flowers materialized in the air and floated into the surroundings. The demonicmoners who came into contact with the golden flowers would all crumble and transform into puddles of thick blood. A foul stench filled the air.


    The saber-wielding martial artist with the surname Dou drew his saber, which radiated a blinding snow-white light. Each time he shed down, a demonicmoner would be cleaved into two, regardless of whether they were men or women, old or young. His saber skills were very impressive, and he was clearly a grandmaster who had already returned to a state of natural simplicity. His strikes were direct and simple, and there wasn''t any unnecessary flourish at all.


    Compared to Xu Yuanxia''s saber skills, however, his movements were missing the coarse aura of a warrior on the battlefield. Instead, there was an additional aura of mysticality. It was extremely likely that he was a martial arts grandmaster at or above the fourth tier. This person hadn''t revealed his true abilities in the main hall in the prefectural office, and it was clear that he was adhering to the so-called notion of grandmasters not flouting their strength.


    After blocking a wave of demonicmoners from the Zhao n residence, Liu Gaoxin discovered that the ground around her was filled with blood and torn limbs. She suddenly squatted down and started to throw up.


    A speck of red light suddenly shed and disappeared from inside the Zhao n residence, releasing a concentrated yin aura.


    Seeing that there was temporarily no danger in front of the Zhao n residence, Chen Ping''an nimbly leaped over the tall wall of the residence with a tap of his foot. He dashed toward the location where the red light had appeared.


    Following the traces left by the red light, Chen Ping''an arrived at an elegant and tranquil courtyard with a three-storey scripture library. There was a young man in white sitting on the steps of the building in azy manner, and one of his hands held his cheek while his other hand held an ancient book. He opened his mouth and yawned.


    The extremely handsome young man looked sideways at Chen Ping''an and asked with a faint smile, "Why have you arrived sote? Your bearing is quite extraordinary, so perhaps you''re an immortal from the mountains? Or are you a sect disciple traveling around the martial arts world?"


    After sitting up straight, the young master from the Zhao n moistened his finger with saliva and gently flipped the page of his book. Another speck of red light shed and disappeared.


    The red light transformed into a thick rope, as if a python were contorting itself in the air. After pausing near the tall wall of the courtyard for a moment, it was just about to shoot toward somece in the residence and attach itself to the body of amoner.


    Chen Ping''an patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    The bright red light was instantly sliced apart.


    The young master in white raised his brows and said in amusement, "Oh? You''re also a minor sword immortal? How very impressive. I''ve heard that sword cultivators at the Lower Five Tiers had immense destructive power, but it''s also very easy for their stamina to be too low. After unleashing a few dazzling bursts of sword qi, it''s very easy for them to be exhausted and powerless. I wonder if you''re the same or more powerful?"


    The young master in white held the ancient book in one hand and used his other hand to flip through it from the beginning to the end.


    Several dozen streaks of red light that were snake-like and as thick as a thumb soared into the sky next to the scripture library. They were just about to shoot off in different directions. However, the young master in white saw that the young boy with a vermilion wine gourd by his waist was surprisingly in the mood to take a sip of wine. He was just about to sneer and mock the young boy some more, but the expression on his face quickly froze.


    This was because the banded red snakes in the sky were instantly sliced apart by bursts of criss-crossing white light.


    A cold sensation then spread over his be, and his eyes widened in shock as if he had seen a ghost during daytime. He died a miserable death.


    As it turned out, the flying sword had done more than just pierce through its head. A wisp of sword qi had also seeped into his body and soul and rapidly annihted all of his vitality without giving him a chance to react.


    Chen Ping''an retied the wine gourd to his waist. At the same time, First and Fifteenth returned to the Sword Nurturing Gourd in a leisurely manner.


    The martial artist with the surname Dou was standing on top of the courtyard wall, and he cupped his fists at Chen Ping''an upon seeing this scene.


    A thought suddenly urred to Chen Ping''an, and he said, "Tell Liu Gaoxin that I''m going to head over to the mountain lord temple first. I won''t be long."


    The martial artistughed heartily and replied, "This ce is already under control, and there are only a few small fry left. Please be at ease and head over."


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly exasperated. He had intended to conclude the battle as quickly as possible, but his act of killing his enemy using his flying swords had still been seen by someone else. He nodded in acknowledgment before tapping his feet and dashing away into the distance.


    Chen Ping''an sprinted through the city and leaped over the city walls, and he eventually arrived at a deserted mountain lord temple following the voice in his mind''ske. He looked up, and he saw an elegant schr beckoning him over from the mountain lord temple. There was a smile on his face, yet his body was faint and swaying as if it were a flickering me that was about to extinguish.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before making his way over.


    The deity was standing behind the door threshold in a dimly lit room, while Chen Ping''an was standing outside in a slightly better-lit area.


    The schr sped his hands and bowed in respect. After standing up straight, he smiled faintly and said, "This is our second encounter. I''m Shen Wen, and I''m the city god of Blusher Prefecture. I''ve watched over this prefectural city for hundreds of years. The oue today was predestined by the karma of the past, and it was my mistake that led to this eventual result.


    "If it weren''t for you preventing me fromprehensively falling to demonic ways, perhaps the mighty golden city god of Colorful Garment Nation would have ended up helping those sinister demons. Perhaps I might have be a sinister god who massacred his own people. I need to thank you for your help."


    The schr smiled in a carefree manner after saying this, and he continued, "I was oblivious to the fact that I was falling to demonic ways back then, so my actions must have been foolish andical in your eyes, young immortal. I need to thank you for helping me, such that I didn''t attack my own people and end up with a foul reputation in the history books. I also need to thank you for your honesty and trust. Your willingness to return that azure wooden box to me is truly extraordinary."


    When entering the city god hall back then, Chen Ping''an had been willing to return the wooden box to City God Shen Wen. This was a good deed.


    Chen Ping''an clearly possessed a pocket treasure, yet when returning the azure wooden box to City God Shen Wen, he had retrieved it from his sleeve instead of his pocket treasure. This signified that the young foreign boy had always viewed the wooden box as a possession of the city god hall.


    This was a good heart.


    Chen Ping''an carefully observed City God Shen Wen, and he was no longer able to detect traces of demonic aura. He breathed a small sigh of relief.


    He hesitated for a moment before cupping his fists and saying, "I was trying to protect myself in the city god hall back then, so I had no option but to destroy your gold statue..."


    Shen Wen was no longer appearing in front of others as the golden city god of Colorful Garment Nation, and he waved his hand and changed the topic, asking, "Young esteemed immortal, are you a schr?"


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly ashamed, and he shook his head and replied, "I can''t be regarded as a schr. Right now, I only know how to flip through books and make some notes. I simply hope that I can learn some more characters and learn some moral principles."


    City God Shen Wen smiled and asked, "Do you know about the uses of gold statue shards?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. He indeed didn''t know.


    "You have to take care of those golden shards," City God Shen Wen said softly. "Regardless of whether it''s formal gods of mountains and rivers, gods of the city god temples, or gods of the martial temples and schrly temples, all of the deities who enjoy incense offerings in the world have something called a gold statue.


    "We''re appointed to our position by the imperial court, and we''ll have a gold statue made of us after that. Afterward, we''ll nurture our own spiritual nature and divine aura. However, gold statues are also separated by grade, just like how officials are separated by rank. The gold statues of the formal gods of the Five Mountains are the highest grade, and this is followed by the formal gods of the great rivers as well as the city god of the capital, and so on and so forth.


    "The item inside the azure wooden box is a seal personally carved by some Great Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence, Colorful Garment Nation Blusher Prefecture City God Protection Seal. This is a supremely powerful immortal tool that possesses the mighty power of the heavens, but it can only be used if one channels a five-lightning cultivation method.


    "Even though I''m the current city god of Blusher Prefecture''s prefectural city, deities like me are unable to wield lightning techniques from the Daoist orthodoxy. In reality, it was more of a symbolic gesture when Heavenly Master Residence bestowed this seal to Blusher Prefecture. It was in order to protect the feng shui of Blusher Prefecture, and it wasn''t for the sake of granting power to the city god or to the Qi refiners from Colorful Garment Nation.


    "If it weren''t for this Heavenly Master Seal formlessly deterring the demons, the unmarked graveyards filled with resentful auras outside the prefectural city would have already affected us long ago."


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment and asked, "Should I hand it over to Prefectural Overseer Liu for you? Or should I hand it over to the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation?"


    City God Shen Wen carefully looked into the pure and limpid eyes of the young boy. He then waved his sleeve and said with a heartyugh, "The sages teach us that divine artifacts in the world should only go to those with virtue!"

 Chapter 232: (1): Lasting Peace

    Chapter 232: (1): Lasting Peace


    There was immense weight behind the golden city god''s words.


    In fact, it was often the case that even virtuous schrs and noble schrs bestowed these titles by Confucian schools and academies wouldn''t dare to refer to themselves as "one with virtue". There were three ways to immortality for schrs  to be a paragon of virtue, a paragon of achievement, or a paragon of words.


    To be a paragon of virtue was the highest goal, and this was naturally the most difficult to achieve as well. Therge majority of schrs could never achieve this, and they could only settle for the lower goal of bing a paragon of achievements. In fact, many would have to settle for even less.


    However, Chen Ping''an had only read a few books, so he was stillcking in knowledge regarding these things. As such, he was unable to understand the deeper meaning behind these words spoken by Shen Wen. Moreover, Shen Wen had spoken these words as a schr from Colorful Garment Nation and not as the city god of the prefectural city.


    Chen Ping''an naturally liked the azure wooden box, something that could calm his mind whenever he touched it. Now that he knew its contents, a seal personally engraved by some Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence, he naturally liked it even more. Who in the world wouldn''t like such a treasure? Chen Ping''an liked it very much!


    However, liking it was one matter, and this didn''t mean that he could snatch it away from someone else. This had nothing to do with how fast he could throw punches, how high his martial arts cultivation base was, and how many flying swords he had. In fact, this adhered to the Confucian principle of self-restraint and following etiquette. However, Chen Ping''an was simply unaware of this reasoning and principle right now.


    Shen Wen smiled and said, "You can keep the seal."


    City God Shen Wen became even happier upon seeing the slight puzzlement of the young immortal. Having enjoyed incense offerings for hundreds of years, he had seen all kinds of prayers, requests, and foolish asks from visitors to his temple. There was also hardship, sincerity, and helplessness.


    In his lifetime, Shen Wen had been a loyal schrly official who had only understood the notion of serving his nation. After bing a city god, however, he had understood the mortal world more and more.


    In fact, he would also be angry from time to time. He would be annoyed at those men and women who only knew how to burn incense and pray for help, yet never strived to help themselves. He would be frustrated at those wealthy merchants and lowly hooligans who were filled with sinister thoughts. He would also feel aggrieved at people''s misfortunes and feel angry at theirck of fight.


    As he was about to disappear from the world for good, all of these people and matters floated through his mind one after another. The golden city god felt a plethora of mixed emotions as he looked at the young boy standing outside the door.


    Shen Wen suddenly drew a breath and forcefully stabilized his dispersing figure a little. "The city god and schr Shen Wen has onest request, but it''spletely up to you whether you do this or not. I don''t dare to force you."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "Please go ahead, City God."


    "If a wise emperor assumes the throne of Colorful Garment Nation in the future, could you please offer them some assistance?" Shen Wen asked. "Even if it''s only a small matter such as droughts or floods, could you please use your mystical abilities to help the residents of Colorful Garment Nation safely ovee these natural disasters if you''re coincidentally nearby? Just once, just once is enough."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Rest assured, City God, I''ll definitely travel over to help Colorful Garment Nation if I hear that they''re in trouble, regardless of whether the emperor is virtuous or not. However, let me say this first. I''ll only act within my abilities. Please understand."


    "This is very good, this is already very good," Shen Wen murmured with a gratified expression.


    In reality, the golden city god of Blusher Prefecture felt a slight sense of guilt at this moment. This was because he was taking advantage of Chen Ping''an with his request. He was certain that the young boy in front of him would definitely reach great heights as long as no major problem affected his path of cultivation. If Chen Ping''an felt goodwill toward Colorful Garment Nation, then theter he helped them and the higher his cultivation base was, the more it would benefit Colorful Garment Nation.


    Shen Wen looked at the gloomy sky outside the mountain lord temple. There was slight bitterness and pain in his heart, and he thought to himself, <em>I, Shen Wen, can only do this much for Colorful Garment Nation.</em>


    Aftering to his senses, he smiled and said, "I only exined half of the situation regarding the shards of gold statues just then. I exined their origin and grade. In terms of their use, they''re quite simr to... dragon-ying techniques. They''re extremely useful, but the prerequisite to using them is also extremely stringent.


    "If these shards are given to ordinary people, they''ll bepletely useless even if there are dozens or hundreds of them. If the owner of these shards has a friend who''s cultivating godhood, however, then these golden shards will genuinely be priceless. They''ll be an extremely valuable type of connate spirit tool. If possessed by an emperor, these shards will also be the highest form of reward and bestowal toward mountain gods and river gods in their nation.


    "Even if you can''t use them, you can sell these shards to those who understand their value when reaching somece near the peak of the mountains. For example, you can sell them to powerful cultivators at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier. The price...is however much you ask for!"


    Chen Ping''anmitted all of this information to memory with a solemn expression.


    Shen Wen smiled faintly and said, "Show me your hand."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly puzzled, but he still extended his hand.


    Shen Wen reached up and grabbed at something in his chest. He then clenched his fist and extended it to Chen Ping''an. An item fell from his open hand into Chen Ping''an''s palm.


    It was a golden object the size of a goose egg.


    Chen Ping''an looked up and blinked at the city god.


    Shen Wen smiled and exined, "Countless Militarian cultivators go to great lengths and face many difficulties when they travel to ancient battlefield ruins to search for yin souls. In reality, they''re searching for the heroic spirits and heroic souls of valiant warriors and war gods. I was a schr, and the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation appointed me as the city god of Blusher Prefecture''s prefectural city after I died.


    "My gold statue is of decent grade, but it can''tpare to those of city gods in the capitals of powerful empires. However, this gold statue schrly core... It''s not inferior to that of any city god in the continent!"


    At this moment, it was as if Shen Wen had returned to the time when he was twenty. After studying hard for more than a dozen years, he had just left the fields and entered the officialdom. He was filled with high spirits, and he had led the way into the imperial pce with the status of champion schr from the imperial examination. His ambition wasn''t to bring glory to his n and ancestors, but it was instead to bring smiles to the faces of all people in the nation.


    A schr, an official, and then a golden city god, Shen Wen felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders after he handed the schrly core to the young boy. After meticulously guarding this area for hundreds of years, he could finally take a good long rest now.


    Chen Ping''an kept his hand outstretched for a long time. Shen Wenughed heartily and gently tapped the core with a finger. He smiled faintly and said, "The wings of a colored phoenix I don''t have, but the horn of tacit understanding is in my heart[1]. Young immortal, you should read more in the future!"


    Chen Ping''an respectfully put the schrly core away. He ced it inside his pocket treasure along with the azure wooden box.


    He then bowed and paid respects to City God Shen Wen, following the etiquette of a junior schr paying their respects to a senior schr.


    However, Shen Wen returned the gesture as an equal, not as a senior.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly recalled something, and he strode inside the mountain lord temple and retrieved his mountain and water seals. "City God, my name is Chen Ping''an, and I''m from the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture," he said softly. "My teacher, Mr. Qi, gave me this pair of seals, and he said that I could use them to stamp geomantic maps when I came across mountains and waters I fancied.


    "There was dense yin energy at the unmarked graveyards before, so I asked for a geomancy map from the prefectural office. I stamped the area of the unmarked graveyards, and the fortune of mountains and rivers in that area genuinely seemed to change. Now that demonic cultivators are causing chaos in the prefectural city, will these seals still be effective? Can they suppress the demonic qi that''s hanging over the city?"


    "Can I hold them for a moment?" Shen Wen asked with a serious expression.


    "Of course," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Shen Wen carefully epted the mountain and water seals with both hands. He then held one seal in each hand as he lifted them high above his head. After looking at the engraved characters on the underside of the seals as well as the slightly red marks, Shen Wen took a deep breath and lowered his arm. "Did Mr. Qi tell you that there''s a shoring with this pair of priceless and profound immortal tools? Each time you use them to stamp something, they''ll lose a bit of their spiritual energy, all the way until theypletely exhaust their spiritual energy. At that time, they''ll be nothing more than ordinary seals."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and replied with a grin, "Mr. Qi didn''t tell me about this."


    "Aren''t you afraid of the seals losing a big portion of their spiritual energy if you use them on the prefectural city?" Shen Wen asked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "What''s there to be afraid of? It''s not like I''m wasting the spiritual energy of the seals or anything. I saw eight words in a travel journal published by Blusher Prefecture before  rivers clean, seas calm, seasons harmonious, yields abundant[2]. I especially liked this saying, and I even engraved the characters onto a bamboo slip. Moreover, I feel like this is the reason why Mr. Qi gave me the two seals. If Mr. Qi were here, he would definitely choose to do the same thing."


    Shen Wen sighed and said, "It''s a shame that the demonic cultivators are more focused on using sinister techniques to affect people''s minds and transmit diseases. This pair of mountain and water seals is quite extraordinary, but they won''t be able to improve the current situation much.


    "Chen Ping''an, put the seals away. As I said before, you can help Colorful Garment Nation if a virtuous ruler assumes the throne in the future. If you''re coincidentally passing by, you can ask the emperor for a geomancy map of the capital. If you stamp that map, you can help the capital for at least a hundred years. Put the seals away, and remember to look after them well. Don''t take them out carelessly and don''t let other people see them."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly disappointed, but he could only do as he was told and put the seals away.


    Looking at the young boy''s expression, Shen Wen didn''t know whether tough or to cry. How could there be such a "stupid" child? Cultivators in the mountains were all like merchants seeking to maximize their profits. Perhaps some would care less about immediate losses, but they would be casting their gazes further and nning hundreds or thousands of years ahead. No matter what, they were still seeking to maximize their profits.


    Shen Wen''s body became increasingly transparent and unstable, and he said in a solemn voice, "Chen Ping''an, just like you said a moment ago, you only need to act within your abilities when dealing with the demonic cultivators in the prefectural city. That will be enough."


    Chen Ping''an nodded, and he grabbed the wine gourd from his waist. He looked up at the sky with the city god.


    "Hold on a moment. Did you say you were from the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture? Provinces, prefectures, and counties in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent generally won''t have the word ''dragon'' in their names," Shen Wen suddenly remarked.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "My hometown used to be Jewel Small World. After the small world shattered and fell to the ground, it was renamed to Dragon Spring Prefecture."


    Shen Wen faltered upon hearing this, and he asked in an uncertain voice, "Is the Mr. Qi that you speak of the Mr. Qi from Mountain Cliff Academy? The Schrly Sage''s most prized disciple?"


    There was a dejected expression on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "Mhm, that''s him."


    Shen Wen dazedly nced at the young boy from the Great Li Empire.


    A pair of straw sandals, a wine gourd, flying swords, a pair of seals, a pure heart, and the name Chen Ping''an.


    Shen Wen''s mouth became slightly parched, and he asked, "Chen Ping''an, are you Mr. Qi''s direct disciple?"


    Chen Ping''an was extremely hesitant, but he ultimately decided to tell the truth. "Mr. Qi was unwilling to take me as a disciple. However, I came across the Schrly Sage afterward, and it appeared like Mr. Qi wanted to take me as a disciple on behalf of the Schrly Sage.


    "However, I felt like I wasn''t even a schrly student at that time, so I didn''t ept the offer to be the Schrly Sage''s disciple. The Schrly Sage didn''t get angry, and it was just that he became drunk. When I was carrying him around, he smacked my head and persuaded me to drink..."


    Chen Ping''an raised his wine gourd and said with a dazzling smile, "And that''s why I''m drinking now."


    Schr Shen Wen felt as if he were being pummeled by lightning. Moreover, it wasn''t a single bolt of lightning, but a full-blown lightning storm.


    <em>Qi Jingchun! Qi Jingchun''s junior brother! The Schrly Sage! The Schrly Sage''s final disciple!</em>


    <em>This kid...turned down the offer? He...what?!</em>


    Shen Wen was stupefied.


    Chen Ping''an dazedly stared at the city god. Perhaps he had said something wrong? He could only drink a sip of wine in secret to suppress his astonishment.


    However, Shen Wen suddenly burst intoughter. He clutched his stomach as heughed, and there were almost tearsing out from the corners of his eyes. He forcefully patted the young boy''s shoulder and praised, "Good, very god! The decisions made by us schrs definitely can''t be understood by other people! This is correct, this is the way!"


    Shen Wen retracted his hand and sped both hands behind his back. He then strode out of the mountain lord temple and eximed, "What an incredible feeling! A schr..."


    Shen Wen turned around and smiled. He raised a thumb at Chen Ping''an and said, "Beautifully done!"


    After the golden city god strode out of the mountain lord temple, thest shred of his divine spirit also disappeared. He vanished from the world as heughed, and his very being turned into nothingness.


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly sad, and he retied the wine gourd to his waist. He looked at the location where the schr from Colorful Garment Nation had vanished, and he softly murmured, "Shattering peace,sting peace[3]."


    No one else in the Zhao n residence fell to demonic ways after Chen Pingan killed the young master in white. Even though Liu Gaoxin continued to throw up, she was still unwilling to retreat to the peaceful prefectural office. Instead, she insisted on following the martial artist with the surname Dou around to hunt down the remnant demonicmoners.


    When they arrived at a firewood shed, the door was tightly shut. The martial artist frowned and kicked the door open, only to see a little boy who was eight or nine years old. There were piles of firewood behind him.


    "Move aside! Those who have fallen to demonic ways can''t be saved!" the martial artistmanded calmly.


    The little boy pursed his lips and vigorously shook his head.


    There was a cold and indifferent expression on the martial artist''s face as he strode over and ced a hand on the little boy''s head. With a swing of his arm, the little boy was thrown backward where he crashed into the wall. The martial artist then used his saber to push two bundles of firewood aside, revealing a skinny little girl with sickly yellow skin. She was tightly bound by ropes, and blood continued to flow from one of her eyes. Meanwhile, her other eye was undamaged and the same as normal people. Her lips were also pale and trembling.


    The martial artist raised his saber and was just about to sh down. However, the little boy picked himself up with much difficulty and grabbed a machete. He then charged over and stood in front of the little girl, shouting through gritted teeth, "I''ll kill you if you dare to hurt her!"


    He was surprisingly using the official dialect of the continent. Sure enough, the Zhao n was thergest and most powerful n in Blusher Prefecture. Even a young servant in their residence was fluent in the official dialect of the continent.


    The martial artist snickered and spat, "Foolish brat, do you know that your idiotic kindness might result in the deaths of hundreds of people?"


    The little boy was skinny and his clothes were thin, but there was unwavering determination in his eyes as he shouted, "I don''t care! I''m going to protect Luanluan!"


    The martial artist kicked the machete-wielding little boy aside and viciously swung his saber down at the pitiful little girl.


    The chimes of silver bells sounded, and the saber that shattered numerous golden flowers suddenly flew over. The martial artist''s saber strike was brought to a halt. However, it still left an inch-long gash on the little girl''s forehead.


    The martial artist wasn''t angered by this, and he simply turned around to look at the young girl. "Liu Gaoxin, are you able to save her?" he asked. "Others might not know about the serious implications of falling to demonic ways, but are you unaware of this as a sessful Qi refiner? What, are you going to personally kill this little girl when things reach a hopeless state?"


    Liu Gaoxin''s face was as white as a sheet, and she replied with trembling lips, "I can''t bear to see her die."


    The saber-wielding martial artist scoffed and said, "Maybe I killed those demonic people too quickly when we were fighting in front of the Zhao n residence? Perhaps Young Mistress Liu didn''t see them feeding on the flesh and blood of other innocent people?"


    The little boy stood up with much difficulty again, and he was no longer able to hold the machete properly due to the agonizing pain coursing through his body. The machete feebly shook in his hand. He looked at the martial artist and shrieked, "Bastard, why don''t you kill me first if you''re so capable?!"


    "Do I need any capability to kill you?" the martial artist sneered.


    He was just about to swing his saber down again.


    The rims of Liu Gaoxin''s eyes were red as she turned her head around. She couldn''t bear to look.


    "Hold on," someone suddenly said from outside the shed.


    1. A line from a no-title (poetic style) poem by Li Shangyin, a Chinese poet and politician of thete Tang dynasty. This line refers to lovers far apart thinking about each other. As exined in an earlier note, the horns of rhinos were viewed as spiritual and a symbol for tacit understandingprehension.


    2. These descriptions are painting the picture of a peaceful and harmonious age.


    3. The phrase for shattering () is a homonym with the phrase forsting (). Because of this, people say "shattering sting) peace" ([]) when they identally shatter something as a way to console themself and wish for good luck.

 Chapter 232: (2): Lasting Peace

    Chapter 232: (2): Lasting Peace


    The martial artist whose back was facing the door thought for a moment. He surprisingly sheathed his saber, and he turned around and cupped his fists at the person. He smiled and said, "Since you are willing to take responsibility, esteemed immortal, I''ll leave the matter here to you."


    As it turned out, it was Chen Ping''an who had just returned to the Zhao n residence. He nodded at the martial artist in acknowledgment.


    He then quickly walked inside the firewood shed and squatted down in front of the little girl. He discovered that she was seemingly using her full strength to resist the demonic aura inside her body. Moreover, even though blood was seeping from her eyes and heart-wrenching pain was tearing through her body, she still bit her lips and refused to make a single sound. She tried her best to open her unaffected eye which was filled with a pleading look. If one could live, who would be willing to die? This was especially the case for little children.


    Chen Ping''an looked at the unyielding little girl and gently patted her head. "Don''t be scared, okay? It''s okay to cry if it hurts. Everything will be okay," he consoled in a gentle voice.


    The little girl looked up, and she faced the smiling young boy with her small face that was half-drenched with blood. She immediately burst into tears.


    Regardless of how big or small they were, there were some feelings of grief that one could only understand if they experienced it themselves.


    Otherwise, even the kindest words and intentions of outsiders might not be enough to truly console a person.


    Chen Ping''an helped the little girl undo the ropes around her body. He turned around and squatted down before looking at her and saying, "Here, I''ll carry you to a safe ce and ask someone to save you."


    After two small and ice-cold hands grabbed onto his shoulders, Chen Ping''an turned to the machete-wielding little boy and asked with a smile, "Can you please tie us together with some ropes? I''m afraid that I won''t be able to look out for her if Ie across other troubles on my way. However, you need to be quick. Can you do this?"


    "I can!" The little boy tossed the machete aside and crudely wiped his tears away. He then hurriedly ran over to Chen Ping''an and the little girl and adeptly tied them together using a rope.


    Chen Ping''an slowly stood up and said to Liu Gaoxin and the martial artist, "I''m going to bring this little girl to the prefectural office first. Her treatment can''t be dyed any longer. I''ll ask around to see if there''s anyone who can save her. You two bring the little boy with you. If there are still lingering dangers and problems inside the Zhao n residence, Liu Gaoxin, can you bring him outside the residence first? Is this okay?"


    The martial artist smiled and replied, "This is only a small matter. Young Mistress Liu can bring him outside first. I can look through the Zhao n residence by myself."


    Chen Ping''an turned to the little boy and said, "Be careful. I''lle back to tell you the result no matter what it is, okay?"


    The little boy nodded vigorously as he raised an arm to wipe the tears from his face.


    Chen Ping''an dashed out of the firewood shed with the ice-cold little girl on his back. He leaped onto a wall, and with a few graceful bounds, he quickly arrived on top of the tall walls surrounding the prefectural office. The hidden archers recognized Chen Ping''an now, so they didn''t draw their bows and aim their arrows at him. They allowed him to freely enter the prefectural office and head to the main hall.


    Meanwhile, Liu Gaoxin led the little boy out of the Zhao n residence. The little boy appeared extremely anxious and uneasy as he asked, "Big Sister Immortal, can your friend truly save Luanluan?"


    This was the first time that someone had referred to Liu Gaoxin as Big Sister Immortal. Naturally, she was taken aback. She squeezed out a smile and replied, "I''m no Big Sister Immortal. Rest assured, that old immortal is a genuine immortal from the mountains. If someone can save her, that''s him. However... if he doesn''t manage to save her, you can''t me him either, understand?"


    The little boy gave a tearful nod.


    Liu Gaoxin patted his head and sighed softly.


    Chen Ping''an entered the main hall. Apart from Prefectural Overseer Liu, there were two other Qi refiners responsible for guarding the prefectural office present. One was an old woman with a long sword and a cloth pouch by her waist. The other person was an old man with a silver calligraphy brush hanging by his waist. It was said that he was an itinerant cultivator from near Blusher Prefecture. He was at the third tier, and he had never joined an immortal force. He had simply relied on fated opportunities and hard work to reach his current level.


    Perhaps Qi refiners at the third tier wouldn''t even dare to breathe too loudly when walking around Dragon Spring Prefecture in the Great Li Empire. However, this cultivation base was enough for a cultivator to act as they pleased in the provinces and prefectures of small nations.


    Chen Ping''an roughly exined the situation to Prefectural Overseer Liu and the two Qi refiners. He had already untied the rope and carefully ced the little girl on a chair. "Is there any way to save this child?"


    There was a displeased expression on the old woman''s face. Seeing that Prefectural Overseer Liu didn''t speak, however, she didn''t say anything either. After all, it would be bad for her to supersede the prefectural overseer''s opinion. She humphed coldly and remained standing in the same spot. In fact, she even closed her eyes to ignore the situation.


    However, the old man briskly walked over to the chair and squatted down. He reached over to hold open the little girl''s bleeding eye, and he said in a solemn voice, "This little girl has good cultivation aptitude. She has a pair of innate yin-yang eyes, which allow her to easily observe the cirction of spiritual qi in the yang world. She can easily see ghosts and other yin entities at night as well.


    "Initially, she had the opportunity to set foot on the path of cultivation. However, this pearl was covered by dust, and she was unable toe across a good judge of talent. It''s because of this that she''s now suffering such a tragedy. Her yin eye has transformed into a resting ce for the demonic aura, and it can be viewed as a miniature unmarked burial ground where a foul stench permeates. Even strong young men with abundant yang energy would wail in pain if they are to suffer such a tragedy. What a pitiful little girl."


    The old man carefully observed the blood around the rims of the little girl''s eye as he took her pulse. "She has a strong will to live, and she desperately needs mystical pills and medicines that are filled with yang energy right now... No, even high-grade pills of this sort won''t be able to erase the concentrated demonic aura in her yin eye.


    "This is a difficult situation, a very difficult situation. I only have a single Spring Breeze Pill on me right now, and this nurturing pill will only be able to help her maintain her vitality. What she truly needs right now is a... spirit talisman. Moreover, it must be a high-grade spirit talisman that can draw the spiritual energy from her yang eye into her yin eye. Only with yin and yang being bnced, and only with a bit of perseverance and fortune will the little girl have a chance at survival. However, where are we going to find such a spirit talisman?"


    As the old man spoke, he retrieved a small rosewood box from his sleeve and opened it, revealing an azure-colored pill with a pleasant fragrance. He immediately fed it to the little girl without hesitation.


    Chen Ping''an was squatting next to them, and he asked quietly, "Old Senior, will a yang energy illumination talisman work?"


    The old man was delighted, but he immediately smiled bitterly and said, "Of course it will! How can it not? There are tens of thousands of types of talismans in the world, and the yang energy illumination talisman is an extremely high-grade type. It''s one of the best spirit talismans for the current situation, and it will have immediate effects after being used.


    "However, do you truly have one? A real one and not a counterfeit? You have to realize that many greedy Qi refiners in the world counterfeit this type of talisman and sell them as if they were real. They use yang borrowing talismans instead, but they sell them for more than a hundred times the normal price..."


    "I have one," Chen Ping''an replied in a solemn voice.


    He then stood up and said, "I''ll return very soon."


    The old man didn''t find this strange, and he simply warned, "You need to be quick."


    Cultivators naturally wouldn''t disy their wealth in front of outsiders.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu bent down and observed the little girl''s pitiful state. However, he quickly retracted his gaze and walked to the table to study the geomancy map.


    The old woman holding a long sword in her arms nced at Chen Pingan''s disappearing figure and sniggered.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly found a quiet corridor and stood with his back to a column. He sat down cross-legged, and he retrieved two items from his pocket treasure, Fifteenth. It was the Wind and Snow Awl and a gold paper talisman that Li Xisheng had given him.


    After fighting with Ma Kuxuan in the street, battling against the ghosts in the city god pavilion, and suppressing the golden city god who had fallen to demonic ways, Chen Ping''an''s body and soul were already at their limits. Just like Liu Gaoxin had thought, what he needed the most right now was a good rest.


    This was much like climbing a mountain. The first half of the journey might be easy and rxed, but the higher up one climbed, the more difficult and tiring it would be. In the end, even taking a single step would feel as if one were trying to carry a mountain on their shoulders.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath and bent down. His vision was slightly blurry as he held the Wind and Snow Awl which had the words "writing as if assisted by the gods" engraved on it. He lightly shook his head and thought back to the time when he had been an apprentice in his hometown''s dragon kiln. When molding and firing pottery, it was critical that one didn''t make any mistake, no matter how small. This was because a single mistake might transform a porcin piece from an imperial-grade one to a trash-grade one.


    Chen Ping''an tried his best to stabilize his breathing. He then relied on a breath of martial artist True Qi to start drawing the talisman. The qi and aura of Qi refiners could be unceasing and continuously cycling. Even though drawing talismans also required one to finish it in a single breath of Qi, this was still much easier for Qi refinerspared to pure martial artists.


    Chen Ping''an''s bridge of immortality was already shattered, so it would take him a huge amount of effort and energy to draw a talisman that was filled with spirit. It wouldn''t be any easier than throwing 21 consecutive punches using the Deity Drumming Technique.


    When drawing talismans, one couldn''t be too quick. However, one couldn''t be too slow either.


    In a quiet corridor where there was no one else...


    Chen Pingan held the Wind and Snow Awl in his hand and bent down to draw a talisman with steady strokes. However, blood was slowly flowing from the seven orifices on his face.


    Was worth it to use a golden talisman  the value of which he already knew  on a little girl whom he had never met before?


    Chen Ping''an had never even considered this.


    Would he feel pained by this afterward?


    With how miserly Chen Ping''an was, he would definitely feel pained by this. However, that was something for the future, so he would deal with it then. If worse came to worst, he would simply drink away his troubles.


    A yang energy illumination talisman was drawn on a gold paper talisman... Complete!


    Chen Ping''an wiped the blood from his face and sprinted to the main hall of the prefectural office with unstable steps. The old man faltered when he epted the talisman from Chen Ping''an, and there was a look of incredulity on his face. The spiritual energy in the talisman was so abundant that it looked about to burst out from the golden paper. The old man appeared a little uncertain, and he asked, "Then I''ll use it, okay?"


    "Use it!" Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    The old man squatted down with the yang energy illumination talisman between his fingers, and he softlymanded, "Talisman, activate!"


    The golden talisman remained quiet and unmoving.


    The old man was extremely embarrassed, and his face was flushed red as he channeled all of the Qi in his body.


    "ACTIVATE!"


    Only then did the golden talisman roar to life. However, it didn''tbust and disintegrate into dust, but instead released arge orb of golden spiritual light.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu, who didn''t understand the true implication and mystical nature of this, clicked his tongue in wonder. Meanwhile, the old womans eyes almost bulged out of her head.


    The old man didn''t dare to be careless. He forcefully channeled his Qi again, and he raised his other hand and held his index finger and middle finger together. Pointing at the dense orb of golden light that was flowing like water, he chanted, "Separate yin and yang, fuse water and fire!"


    A small portion of golden light floated toward the bleeding yin eye of the little girl, while most of the golden light fused into her yang eye.


    After a brief moment, they could clearly see a thread of golden light forming a bridge between the little girl''s two eyes. The golden light then slowly flowed from her left eye into her right eye.


    The little girl bit her lip apart in pain, and her hands were tightly wrapped around the armrests of the chair. Her small and skinny body convulsed violently, and her face was also contorted in agony. Chen Ping''an gently grabbed one of her hands. Regardless of whether she could hear him or not, he still quietly consoled her, saying, "Hang in there, you''ll definitely live. Staying alive is the most important thing. Believe in yourself, and understand that everything will be possible as long as you stay alive..."


    The old woman was unable to contain her curiosity. She walked up behind the old man and Chen Ping''an, and she looked down and carefully observed the thread of golden light flowing across the bridge of the little girl''s nose.


    The old woman smiled and said, "Sure enough, you''re a sword immortal who''s achieved great sess in cultivation."


    Her face was filled with wrinkles, and she appeared as old as could be. However, her eyes strangely appeared as enchanting as those of a beautiful woman at this moment. They were filled with a captivating charm.


    She had already detected the sudden change in the young boy''s aura.


    However, sheughed loudly as she dashed away, directly tossing her long sword away in the process. She stopped at the doorway and untied the cloth pouch from her waist. Raising her hand, she said in a sweet voice, "Young sword immortal, do you feel like your Qi is stagnant and sluggish? Hehe, don''t worry. This is an Embracing Snow Barrier that I specially formted for you. It''s odorless and tasteless, and those under the Dragon Gate Tier are extremely susceptible to it. So don''t be embarrassed!


    "Also, it will onlyst for seven or eight minutes. Your sea of Qi will be stagnant, and you''ll simply be unable to manipte your Qi. Mhm, your soul will also be frozen over, and you''ll no longer be able to use your mind to control your flying sword. Of course, you''ll recover and be an impressive sword immortal again after seven or eight minutes."


    As a third tier Qi refiner, the old man was tens of thousands of kilometers away from reaching the Dragon Gate Tier of the Middle Five Tiers. Thus, he had also been rendered immobile by this Embracing Snow Barrier long ago. His face was as white as a sheet, and his head immediately tilted to the side when the old woman dashed back. He copsed to the floor, unconscious.


    Fortunately, he had already finished treating the little girl. Otherwise, the two of them might have been killed together. Of course, this oue was because the so-called old woman was being extremely cautious. Her true target was the young boy with the wooden sword scabbard on his back.


    She was going to use the head of a young sword immortal to swap for a ck-grade immortal treasure from the imperial treasury!


    The treasure was firmly within her grasp.


    The old woman tore the face mask from her face. It was extremely sticky, and she tossed it far away, revealing her mature and beautiful appearance. Not only this, but her body also returned to normal with a few twists. She was slender and shapely, and she was none other than the scorpiondy, the Qi refiner from Ancient Elm Nation. She was extremely skilled at using poison.


    She turned around and said with a smile, "Brother Dou, it''s your turn now. My body is feeble, and it''s nowhere near as powerful as yours. As the pagoda leader of the Case Purchasing Pagoda, you''ll be able to hang in there even if you''re stabbed once or twice by the flying sword of a sword immortal. Even though the sword immortal is already like an ordinary person right now, who knows whether he''s hiding any trump cards? I definitely can''t withstand any such thing."


    The martial arts grandmaster with the surname Dou slowly walked over to the doorway.


    He looked at the young boy who had stood up, and his face was expressionless as he said, "Chen Ping''an, I''m sorry about this. Our imperial preceptor wants your head. If we had met in the cultivation world, perhaps we could have even enjoyed a drink together. However, that''s already impossible now. All three of you have to die."


    Chen Ping''an pursed his lips and remained silent as he looked at the man and woman standing at the doorway.


    It was as if he were saying, <em>"Just then, you said that cultivators from the mountains are immoral and think nothing of human lives. However, people from outside the mountains don''t appear much better."</em>


    The martial artist simply dismissed this with a smile. He unsheathed his saber and strode inside the main hall, saying, "I''ll help you finish the wine in your gourdter."


    Prefectural Overseer Liu was baffled and at aplete loss.


    What in the world was going on?


    Chen Ping''an remained standing in the same spot.


    Not long ago, Ma Kuxuan''s teacher, the sword cultivator from True Martial Mountain, had killed an assassin from Ancient Elm Nation. Now, two of them had appeared in front of him at the same time. However, he didn''t know whether there was a fourth.


    Chen Ping''an finally spoke. "Since you''ve already seen my trump cards..."


    He paused for a brief moment, and he suddenly smiled and continued, "First, Fifteenth, we can be a little shier this time."


    The poisonous beauty from Ancient Elm Nation clicked her tongue in wonder and remarked in amusement, "Young sword immortal, are you still going to struggle in vain? Do you know that the pagoda leader of Case Purchasing Pagoda has the title of Thousand Faces? Do you know that he''s most skilled at dealing with Middle Five Tier immortals from the mountains? He might not be able to enjoy an advantage during normal times, but it won''t be hard for him to snap your neck within seven or eight minutes today."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t be bothered responding to the woman''s unpleasant remarks. He quietly rested and nursed his Qi.


    A streak of dazzling white and a streak of dark green flew out from Chen Ping''an''s Sword Nurturing Gourd and hovered to his left and right.


    The woman was astonished, and she eximed in a quivering voice, "How is this possible?! How can you still summon your flying swords?!"


    Even the saber-wielding martial artist who had seen and experienced many things before had no option but to stop. He no longer held his saber with a single hand. Instead, he held it with both hands.


    Chen Ping''an looked to his left and right. He smiled at his two flying swords and asked, "How about we fight together? Kill the talkative one first. I''ll deal with the quieter one."


    The pagoda leader of Case Purchasing Pagoda was renowned in several nations for his assassination skills. However, he wasn''t willing to recklessly advance at this moment.


    Chen Ping''an had already dashed forward, and the tiles under his feet shattered as he stomped on the floor and shot forward.


    At the same time, the snow-white flying sword and the dark-green flying sword drew two beautiful arcs in the room as they instantly shot past the saber-wielding martial artist.


    The woman shrieked and leaped into the sky with a tap of her foot. She was just about to flee. She never wanted to see this young freak again.


    However, her slender figure briefly faltered two times as she flew through the air. She then limply copsed to the floor.


    Two trickles of blood slowly flowed from her heart and be.


    The saber-wielding martial artist unleashed an explosive roar. He held his saber with both hands, and his aura quickly rose to a peak. He didn''t advance, however, but instead shot back.


    Two shes of light suddenly appeared on his calves, and this caused him to fly back even quicker. He directly crashed into the spirit screen[1] outside the main hall. He shot through the wall, and two dazzling orbs of light immediately appeared on his hands. The dust-covered assassin mmed his hands into the ground and instantly vanished from sight.


    Chen Ping''an slowly walked to the doorway. He looked around, and he eventually pointed in a certain direction and said, "He''s over there."


    First and Fifteenth flew along the ground and shot toward the direction pointed out by Chen Ping''an in unison.


    The ground was clearly paved with sturdy ck bricks, yet they rippled like a wave as the flying swords shot past. They finally settled down after a while.


    Only at this moment did Chen Ping''an reach up to cover his mouth. He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, and he swallowed the mouthful of blood that had rushed to his throat. He untied the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist and allowed his two flying swords to fly back inside.


    He then slowly drank a sip of wine. This was none other than the local brew that cost eight silver coins a pint. It genuinely tasted quite good. However, he wondered what the special brew of Blusher Prefecture that cost 10 taels of silver a pint would taste like.


    1. Spirit screens, also known as spirit walls, are walls used to shield entrance gates/doors in Chinese architecture. They can either be inside or outside the gate/door they''re protecting.

 Chapter 233: (1): The Dust Has Settled

    Chapter 233: (1): The Dust Has Settled


    A voice that was filled with respect and reverence sounded behind him. "Young Master Chen, what in the world is going on?"


    As it turned out, Prefectural Overseer Liu had finallye to his senses.


    In terms of matters regarding mountain gods, river gods, ghosts, and demons, Liu Gaohua could only learn about them through supernatural novels and the notes of literati. Moreover, he could only learn very little. However, it was apletely different case for his father, Prefectural Overseer Liu. He was a high-ranking official who looked after an entire prefecture, after all, and Blusher Prefecture was also one of thergest prefectures in Colorful Garment Nation.


    Thus, Prefectural Overseer Liu had already learned about many secrets a long time ago. At the very least, he was definitely aware of the matters pertaining to the city gods, mountain gods, and river gods of the provinces and prefectures. Indeed, officials from the Ministry of Rites would especially exin these mystical things to the high-ranking officials of the local areas.


    Chen Ping''an stabilized his sea of Qi a little and tied his Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist. He turned around to look at Prefectural Overseer Liu, and he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    His victory had been a very dangerous one. In reality, he had already reached his limit after battling against the ghosts and gods in the city god pavilion and drawing a talisman for the little girl. However, he didn''t need to expend spiritual energy to control his two unique flying swords like ordinary Qi refiners did, and this allowed him to summon them from his Sword Nurturing Gourd to attack his enemies. It was also because of this that the scorpiondy''s meticulously prepared Embracing Snow Barrier had beenpletely useless against him.


    Even so, controlling First and Fifteenth would still consume his mental energy. In other words, if Pagoda Leader Dou from Case Purchasing Pagoda hadn''t fled in fear, it was very likely that Chen Ping''an would have been killed by him. Or perhaps the two of them would have severely wounded each other. If that happened, not only would Chen Ping''an''s bridge of immortality be shattered, but even his newfound martial arts path might have been obliterated due to irreparable damage to his body and soul.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''te up with an immediate exnation for Prefectural Overseer Liu regarding this situation. After all, this pertained to far too many secrets. Fortunately, Prefectural Overseer Liu didn''t try to press him for answers after seeing the troubled expression on his face.


    Immortals from the mountains also had many rules and taboos when they traveled through the mortal world. Naturally, Prefectural Overseer Liu had this muchmon sense. He simply needed to confirm that the young sword immortal in front of him was an ally. Wasn''t he Liu Gaohua''s friend? This was enough!


    After making some polite small talk with Prefectural Overseer Liu, Chen Ping''an turned around and walked over to the old man. He squatted down and took the pulse of the kind-hearted Qi refiner. His pulse was stable, and he was most likely safe from danger. He would probably regain consciousness soon after the effects of the Embracing Snow Barrier wore off. Chen Ping''an suddenly looked up. The little girl was blinking herrge eyes and looking at him with curiosity.


    Herrge and watery yin-yang eyes were now filled with a faint golden glow after experiencing the power of the yang energy illumination talisman.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and helped her wipe the blood from her face. "Everything is okay now. Does it still hurt?" he asked.


    The corners of the little girl''s lips curled up into a smile, causing two shallow dimples to appear on her cheeks.


    Chen Ping''an lifted the old man up and ced him on a chair. He then walked over to the door. Prefectural Overseer Liu felt like it would be safest to follow this sword immortal around right now, so he also followed Chen Ping''an and walked outside the main hall. Chen Ping''an walked up to the corpse of the scorpiondy and retrieved the white cloth pouch from her waist.


    He found a small brush washer made from famille rose[1], and there was a small white snake coiled up inside of it. The snake was only an inch long, and its tail was extremely thin. It furiously hissed at the sky, but it was clear that it was tough on the outside but weak on the inside. There was also a pitch-ck scorpion feebly lying down next to it. Looking carefully, one could see that its body was like an ink-ck pipa[2].


    A thought suddenly urred to Chen Ping''an. Trying to control First and Fifteenth to fight against enemies would be nothing more than a pipe dream right now. However, getting them to fly out to frighten others wouldn''t be too difficult.


    First transformed into a streak of white light as it soared out from the Sword Nurturing Gourd and directly shot toward the ancient-styled brush washer. It came to a stop above the snake and the scorpion, and the small white snake immediately started to tremble in fear. It tightly pressed itself against the wall of the brush washer.


    Meanwhile, the small ck scorpion was extremely human-like as it wrapped its pincers over its head in a pleading manner. First slowly flew around inside the brush washer as if it were a general patrolling a military encampment. It appeared extremely mighty and domineering.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu no longer had the mighty aura of an official and the refined nature of a schr at this moment. He squatted down next to Chen Ping''an and clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, "A true immortal sword, and a true sword immortal!"


    Chen Ping''an stood up with the brush washer in his hand. He examined it carefully, and he was surprised to discover a ring of extremely small characters near its base. These characters swam around the base of the brush washer like tadpoles, and they appeared like a group of lively and adorable children gleefully running around in circles.


    There were 16 characters in total  Spring flower autumn moon, spring wind autumn tree, spring mountain autumn rock, spring water autumn frost.


    Chen Ping''an smiled knowingly. He was reminded of the twin sister whom he had met on the Kun ship. The older sister Chun Shui wasposed and mature, while the younger sister Qiu Shi was more lively and childish. Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but gaze up toward the south. Had they arrived at Old Dragon City yet? If he could meet them again, he wanted to give this small and beautiful brush washer to them as a present. However, it was a shame that the brush washer only had Chun Shui but no Qiu Shi[3]. It was only a single character off. Otherwise, it would have been even better.


    Chen Ping''an was still unaware that some misfortunes were an inability to achieve perfection, while some misfortunes would be eternal regrets.


    "Lord Liu, we should show some respect toward those who are deceased, so can you please collect her body and organize a burial for her? I''m willing to pay for everything," Chen Ping''an said.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu smiled and replied, "This is nothing. There''s no need for you to stress about this or pay for it, Young Master Chen. You can leave everything to the prefectural office, and we''ll definitely get it sorted."


    The smile disappeared from his face, and he said in a hesitant voice, "However, that old bastard Elder Huang is definitely scheming something with his demonic allies and abilities. Perhaps we might need your help again to suppress them in the future."


    Chen Ping''an smiled bitterly and replied, "I need arge barrel of scalding hot water right now. I have my own medicinal ingredients, and I need to soak for at lease a couple of hours. I need to recuperate first."


    Prefectural Overseer Liu nodded and said, "Yes, it''s only right for you to rest. I''ll order my subordinates to organize this right away. Young Master Chen, your health is the most important thing; it''s definitely the most important thing. The safety of the more than a hundred thousand residents in Blusher Prefecture is all up to you now, Young Master Chen. We definitely can''t allow any mishap to ur. I''ll get someone to prepare a tub of hot water for you right away..."


    Prefectural Overseer Liu briskly walked away. The fourth-rank official of Colorful Garment Nation hadn''t spoken in an ambiguous or subtle manner. Instead, he had been extremely straightforward with Chen Ping''an.


    No matter how unfamiliar Chen Ping''an was with the imperial court or officialdom, he was still able to easily understand Prefectural Overseer Liu''s intention. He couldn''t pat his chest and promise anything, but at the same time, he also couldn''t turn around and leave at this critical moment. He could only smile bitterly and remain silent.


    Apart from delivering the sword to Ning Yao, Chen Ping''an treated everything else with an attitude that could be described with four words  <em>act within my abilities</em>.


    He had dealt with the golden city god, Shen Wen, in this manner, and he was going to deal with the prefectural overseer of Blusher Prefecture in the same manner.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an climbed into arge tub of medicinal water in a quiet and elegant room. These medicinal ingredients were from Wei Bo; the formal mountain god had given him three portions before he left Dragon Spring Prefecture. Wei Bo naturally could have given him more. The mountain god had enough silver, and the Cloth Wrapper Shop also had enough natural treasures. However, Wei Bo hadn''t purchased more portions than necessary.


    At the time, he had joked that purchasing more would be a bad omen. After all, giving Chen Ping''an too many portions of medicinal ingredients would be akin to wishing him bad luck. He wished that Chen Ping''an would have a safe and smooth sailing journey, where he didn''t get wounded more than three times. Giving him three portions of medicinal ingredients was a form of wishing him good luck.


    Chen Ping''an asked Prefectural Overseer Liu to keep things a secret for him when he entered the room with the prepared tub of hot water. He didn''t want others to find out that he was a so-called sword immortal. Prefectural Overseer Liu happily agreed to his request. In fact, it was almost as if he wanted to make a vow.


    At the same time, Chen Ping''an also handed a divine movement talisman to Prefectural Overseer Liu, asking him to return it to Zhang Shanfeng for him.


    While soaking in the tub of medicinal water, Chen Ping''an clearly detected the hugemotion taking ce in Blusher Prefecture''s city god pavilion. However, he couldn''t do anything about this, so he decided not to think about it at all. He calmly nurtured his Qi using the Eighteen Stops Technique that A''Liang had taught him and the breathing technique that Old Man Yang had taught him.


    He entered a meditative state in the tub of medicinal water, and his hands formed the Sword Furnace seal from the Mountain Shaking Guide. He was like a withered tree in winter quietly waiting for the rejuvenating spring breeze.


    Violence and bloodshed remained prevalent throughout Blusher Prefecture on this night. The demonic cultivators sessfully activated their formation, and this causedmoners from various ces in the prefectural city to fall to demonic ways. The prefectural office was stretched to the limit to deal with this.


    Meanwhile, there was both good news and bad news from elsewhere in the city. The good news was secretly sent over from the east gate by General Ma. Elder Huang, the demonic cultivator who had disguised himself as an immortal, had suddenly gotten into a conflict with three other people for some unknown reason. They were having an earth-shaking fight near the city god hall.


    However, the bad news was also caused by this very fact. Neither of the four people was holding back, and they were all using their trump cards and powerful immortal treasures. They were naturally unleashing all kinds of sinister techniques as well. As a result, hundreds of houses and buildings were damaged, and many residents were wounded or killed.


    The elite cavalry under General Ma''smand rushed over to the prefectural city as quickly as possible. However, they couldn''t charge through the streets and alleys on horseback, so they were forced to dismount and do battle on foot. They were all dressed in armor and wielding powerful bows or crossbows. Apart from the several dozen special arrows from the prefectural office''s storage, however, ordinary arrows were unable to wound or threaten the four demonic cultivators.


    Firstly, these arrows were unable to keep up with the four demonic cultivators as they twisted and dashed around the battlefield. Secondly, the arrows would often be swatted aside before they could even near their target. In fact, some arrows were even caught and casually thrown back by the four demonic cultivators when they had a slight reprieve from the intense battle. This wounded and killed 80-odd elite soldiers.


    In fact, the elite soldiers couldn''t wound the four demonic cultivators even if they died trying.


    General Ma could indeed be described as a fearless warrior. He was brave and skilled on the battlefield, and he also led the charge against these demonic cultivators. He and his lieutenant found several opportunities to charge over and engage in close-quartersbat with whichever demonic cultivator had be separated from the others. After a while, their actions angered Immortal Colored ze and Old Demon Mi who had been engaged in a ferocious fight with each other.


    The two parties were so annoyed that they resolutely decided to hold a truce first, using this opportunity to severely wound General Ma and his lieutenant. If it weren''t for a dozen or so elite soldiers using specially crafted Mohist arrows to cover for them, and the elite soldiers putting their lives on the line to protect their superiors, it was almost certain that General Ma and his lieutenant wouldn''t have been able to leave the prefectural city alive tonight.


    During the second half of the night, Immortal Colored ze, who was fighting against three opponents had arge handful of white rice sprinkled over his head. Smoke instantly started to rise from his body. In just a few moments, he was a bloody mess, with countless holes burned into his flesh.


    He had no option but to dive into the ground using an earth movement technique. His three opponents started to scour the area for him. If they came across any guards or soldiers who dared to obstruct them, they would immediatelysh out and kill them without mercy.


    Dawn arrived, and Chen Ping''an walked out of the room after stepping out of the bathtub and getting dressed. What greeted him was the sight of Liu Gaoxin nodding off on a small stool at the end of the corridor.


    The young girl was only in shallow sleep, so she quickly woke up after detecting Chen Ping''an''s presence. Afraid that she was drooling in her sleep, she hurriedly turned around to wipe her face.


    In reality, she had only arrived back at the prefectural office a short while ago. After changing into a set of clean clothes, she hade here to guard the door for Chen Ping''an.


    Liu Gaoxin and Chen Ping''an walked to the main hall together. Chen Ping''an asked her some questions, and he roughly caught up with the events that had transpired in the prefectural city during the previous night. He felt slight disbelief when he heard that the demonic cultivators had gotten into an internal conflict. However, they couldn''t have faked their battle.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was unaware of the reasons behind their internal conflict, he knew that it was a good thing as long as it benefited Blusher Prefecture. Many people had died because of this, but in a battle between demonic entities, coteral damage was simply inevitable.


    In Cui Chan''s words, this was the attitude of the most powerful entity in the world  <em>obey me and prosper, or resist me and perish</em>.


    At the time, the young imperial preceptor in flowing white robes had purposely given Chen Ping''an a hint. However, it was a shame that his hint had gone unheeded. Chen Ping''an hadn''t been willing to specte on the identity of this entity, so the young Cui Chan had been given no option but to reveal the answer himself. He had referred to this entity as the "unstoppable momentum of the world."


    This was the unstoppable momentum of the world.


    The young Cui Chan had also said that the prosperities and vicissitudes in the world were determined by the trend of some unstoppable momentum.


    Chen Ping''an had beenpletely uninterested in Cui Chan''s profound and mystical musings. This was because he hadn''t understood them at all. At the same time, he had been afraid of falling victim to Cui Chan''s tricks.


    Even though Lin Shouyi, Li Huai, Yu Lu, and Xie Xie weren''t especially close with the young Cui Chan, it was very likely that they all felt a sense of respect and reverence toward him from the bottom of their hearts. In fact, they probably felt some measure of admiration toward him as well.


    Of course, only Li Baoping, the little girl in the bright red jacket, was different. She definitely didn''t feel these emotions toward Cui Chan.


    Instead, it was the young Cui Chan who was fearful of her.


    Through his conversation with Liu Gaoxin, Chen Ping''an was able to learn about the numerous battles that had gued the prefectural cityst night. Including Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng, many powerful cultivators from the mountains and from outside the mountains had fought to suppress the demonicmoners all over the city. Each time they returned to the prefectural office, they would treat their wounds and rest for a short moment before rushing out to help again.


    During this time, Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng had evene across a young but elite demonic cultivator. This person was most likely one of the key members responsible for setting up the demonic formations.


    The two sides had fought for less than ten minutes, but their battle had been riddled with perilous danger. Arge chunk of flesh had been torn off Xu Yuanxia''s shoulder by the young demonic cultivator who had fought with his bare fists. It was only after Daoist Chong Miao had hurried over with his copper-armored warrior that the vicious demonic cultivator had been forced to retreat.


    Moreover, Liu Gaoxin''s older sister and older brother had already left the city safely, yet they had suddenly returned again for some unknown reason. Liu Gaoxin''s master, the old aide, had also apanied them back.


    They had held a long discussion with her father behind the closed doors of his study, and her master had then brought her older sister and older brother to the backyard. It was as if they had encountered something extremely strange. Moreover, they seemingly couldn''t decide whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.


    If it were good, then everyone would be happy. If it were bad, then all would be finished. In any case, neither Liu Gaoxin''s father nor her master wanted to involve her in this matter. She had been rushing around the prefectural city to fight against the demonic cultivators andmoners anyway, so she hadn''t had the time to think too much about this matter either.


    Apart from this, there was also the matter regarding the little girl that Chen Ping''an had rescued from the Zhao n residence. She and the stubborn little boy had both been settled down in the prefectural office for the moment.


    When Chen Ping''an and Liu Gaoxin approached the main hall, they immediately noticed the somber aura hanging in the air. They hurriedly walked inside, only to discover the stench of blood filling the hall.


    An elderly Daoist with tattered robes was slumped in a chair. His hair was disheveled and his face was bloodied, and there was also blood flowing from a chest wound. He was covered in wounds, so many that it was almost impossible to bandage him up. He was in a miserable state, and was barely able to draw breath.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu, Xu Yuanxia, Zhang Shanfeng, and the elder who had a calligraphy brush hanging by his waist were all standing around the old Daoist priest. The old Daoist priest who had helped the little girlst night weakly shook his head. There was pain and guilt on his face. Prefectural Overseer Liu also heaved a long sigh.


    The dying old man was none other than Daoist Chong Miao, the person who had appeared to everyone as arrogant and sordid in the beginning.


    The old Daoist priest experienced a period of terminal lucidity, and his murky gaze brightened up for a moment. He looked up at Prefectural Overseer Liu and chuckled, "Lord Liu, if the esteemed immortals from the Spiritual Horn Force manage to eliminate the demonic cultivators and save Blusher Prefecture, then I''ll leave my family of several dozen people in your care. I''ll have to trouble you, the parent official of the prefecture, with the task of looking after them."


    Prefectural Overseer Liu nodded and replied in a solemn voice, "Please rest assured, Daoist Chong Miao. Even if I''m not holding office in Blusher Prefecture in the future, I''ll still inform the new prefectural overseer of the events that urred today. I''ll tell them about your contributions to Blusher Prefecture. Whatever the means, I''ll definitely ensure the safety of your family."


    Daoist Chong Miao cupped his fists with much difficulty. He then turned to the young Daoist priest, Zhang Shanfeng. The rims of the young boy''s eyes were slightly red. Daoist Chong Miao smiled and said, "Zhang Shan, if it weren''t for you being foolish and rushing in with no regard for your own safety, perhaps I would have been killed by them right there and then. Not only that, but the demonic cultivator might have fled as well. If it weren''t for you, how could I have performed the great feat of killing a demonic cultivator...?"


    The old Daoist priest started to cough. His coughing became increasingly severe, and everyone persuaded him not to speak anymore.


    "Old Daoist priest, should I get someone to call your descendants and juniors over?" Xu Yuanxia asked in a soft voice.


    Daoist Chong Miao nodded in reply.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu immediately went over to talk to his subordinates, telling them to inform the close rtives of Daoist Chong Miao about the situation as quickly as possible.


    While he still had some energy and consciousness, Daoist Chong Miao silently calcted the time it would take for his descendants to rush over here. He then quietly rested for a while before looking around at everyone and slowly saying with a smile, "I''m actually well aware of the fact that you guys held contempt toward my decision to take advantage of the dire situation for personal gains before. However, business is business, and cultivators shouldn''t be ashamed of talking about money or trying to make a profit. There''s nothing we can do about this.


    "As wandering cultivators with no powerful sect of backer to support and protect us, we can only rely on ourselves to make money and fight for those slivers of opportunities. If we don''t fight for these things, what else can we do?"


    The old Daoist priest fell silent again after saying this. He appeared to be in a reverie, as if he were thinking about the glory and humiliation of his life.


    He pushed aside these thoughts after a long while, and he suddenly sighed with emotion and remarked, "We have to do business, but as human cultivators, we also have to act human, don''t we?"


    He chuckled to himself, which triggered a coughing fit.


    "However, maybe it''s because of my poor aptitude and my early realization that I''m unable to attain the Great Dao that I have such naive andughable thoughts. How can genuine cultivators from the mountains coat themselves in the stench of copper coins? And why would they concern themselves with the lives and sufferings of mortal humans from outside the mountains?"


    The old man dazedly stared in the direction of the door, seemingly searching for the familiar figures of his descendants. "I''ve been referred to as Daoist Chong Miao for all this time, yet I''ve ultimately been unable to hear others respectfully refer to me as Spiritual Master Chong Miao. Such a shame! Such a great shame!" he murmured.


    Upon expressing his disappointment, it was as if his entire aura copsed at the same time. His vision became blurry, and his breathing became extremely feeble. His voice was barely audible as he murmured, "Why are they still not here...?"


    In the end, the old man was unable to hold on until his family hurried over. He passed away with his back slumped on the chair.


    He hadn''t been especially discontent or regretful in death, but he hadn''t been able to close his eyes in peace either. He had simply appeared like an old man peering into the distance, straining in an attempt to see something but failing to see it clearly.


    Everyone fell silent.


    Chen Ping''an walked over and helped to clean the blood from Daoist Chong Miao''s face.


    Soon after he finished this, the descendants from Daoist Chong Miao''s family finally rushed over. There were more than a dozen of them, and there was a mixture of young, elderly, men, and women. Prefectural Overseer Liu roughly recounted the situation to them. Of course, he also told them about his promise to the old Daoist priest.


    Daoist Chong Miao''s eldest son was a middle-aged man with arge belly, and he naturally expressed deep gratitude toward Prefectural Overseer Liu. Meanwhile, most of the women in the family were sobbing in grief.


    However, a little boy who was a tad over 10 years old suddenly charged forward and furiously roared, "Why did only my grandpa die?!"


    There was rage and resentment on the little boy''s face, and his gaze was like that of a jackal as he widened his eyes and roared, "Answer me!"


    Xu Yuanxia furrowed his brows.


    Zhang Shanfeng turned around to look at the pale old man who had already passed away. He sighed to himself. There were times when giving a truthful answer would be even more hurtful.


    In the beginning, the old Daoist priest had actually wanted to obtain all of the battle merit for himself. It was because of this that he had fallen prey to the demonic cultivator who had purposely shown himself weak. He had rashly advanced and fallen into grave danger. If it hadn''t been for him and Xu Yuanxia risking their lives, the oue would have been even worse.


    However, while it was true that Daoist Chong Miao had his personal interests, this was nothing more than human nature. He had fought fromst night all the way until today morning, and all the way until his heroic death. This definitely couldn''t be exined as simply doing business. As a resident of Blusher Prefecture, the old Daoist priest definitely wouldn''t have fought for his hometown with his life on the line if he hadn''t felt a sincere attachment to this ce from the bottom of his heart.


    Human emotions and worldly affairs were the most difficult things to exin using reason.


    Wanting to to break down all matters and exin them using reason was like attempting to separate alcohol from liquor. It would be nd and tasteless.


    The utterly enraged little boy pointed at everyone and yelled, "All of you are murderers!"


    The middle-aged man with arge belly, the eldest son of Daoist Chong Miao, hurriedly told his wife to drag their crazed son away. He then apologized to Prefectural Overseer Liu and the others.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu appeared unfazed, and he replied that one shouldn''t take offense at a child''s babble. In fact, he even apologized to the middle-aged man, saying that it was his dereliction of duty as the prefectural overseer that had led to this situation. He expressed a feeling of guilt and shame toward Daoist Chong Miao''s family, and he said that it was his actions that had led to the loss of a strong pir of their family. He also promised them that he would personally visit their residence to apologize.


    However, no one knew what Prefectural Overseer Liu was truly thinking in his mind. Would the rtionship forged by Daoist Chong Miao with the prefectural office be tainted because of this? Heavens knew.


    And thus, it was often said that it was up to destiny whether one could obtain the blessings passed down by their ancestors or not. Some people could grab it with both hands, while some people could only watch it slip through their fingers. Some people could grab an entire handful, while some people could only grab a small sliver.


    Very often, the person involved would bepletely oblivious to all of these mystical happenings. They could only act ording to their instincts and true nature.


    1. Famille rose (French for "pink family") is a type of Chinese porcin introduced in the 18th century and defined by pink overze enamel.


    2. A traditional Chinese string instrument.


    3. Chun Shui''s name literally means "spring water" (). The Qiu in Qiu Shi''s name literally means autumn.

 Chapter 233: (2): The Dust Has Settled

    Chapter 233: (2): The Dust Has Settled


    In a dark alley in Blusher Prefecture, there was a young boy dressed in in clothes. However, his lips were red and his teeth were sparkling, and his skin was as smooth and delicate as that of a beautiful young girl.


    He was sitting with his back against the wall, and a dying man in his arms was continuously vomiting blood. There was also a man squatting beside them and keeping a lookout. They were none other than Old Demon Mi''s disciples, the three shop attendants from the rice shop. The young boy was a local from Blusher Prefecture, and Old Demon Mi had only taken him as a disciplest year.


    The senior brother in the young boy''s arms was the demonic cultivator who had fought to the death with Daoist Chong Miao and the others. This was as expected of a demonic cultivator. He grinned widely, and thest thing he said before his death was surprisingly this, "Junior Brother, do you like me more, or do you like your Second Senior Brother more?"


    The young boy gently tilted the man''s chin with his fingers. He looked down with deep emotions in his eyes and sobbed, "Of course I like you more."


    The man retrieved a yellowing book from his robes and shakily handed it to the handsome young boy.


    When the young boy epted the valuable book, the man in his arms had already died. The young boy held the book high in the air and turned around, calling out to his second senior brother.


    The man''s attention was almostpletely drawn to the valuable book.


    The young boy suddenly darted at him, with the book still in one hand, and used his other hand to jab at his second senior brother''s throat. As it turned out, there was a hidden de in his sleeve.


    The young boy stabbed his second senior brother three times,pletely destroying the man''s throat. Blood sttered all over the smiling face of the handsome young boy.


    The man grabbed his throat with both hands and slumped down against the wall. His eyes were wide with shock and disbelief as he stared at his junior brother who had suddenly attacked him with such viciousness.


    The young boy put the valuable book away and reached up to wipe his face. He then wiped his bloodied hands on the clothes of the dying man. He retrieved another book from his second senior brother''s robes and giggled, "Second Senior Brother, I lied to First Senior Brother just then. I actually like you a bit more. However, I naturally like myself the most.


    "First Senior Brother always said that those who don''t look out for themselves will be destroyed by the heavens. Even though our stinky and entric master always ridiculed First Senior Brother for being uneducated and being unable to understand the true meaning of this saying, I feel like First Senior Brother actually understood this saying fairly well. After all, I have the same interpretation as him.


    "In any case, we''re heretical and demonic cultivators to begin with, so please don''t me me for doing this, Second Senior Brother. Just treat this as an opportunity to apany First Senior Brother in the afterlife. When you enter the afterlife, remember to tell First Senior Brother that I actually like you a bit more..."


    The man died with misery and regret.


    However, the young boy continued to bobble his head and murmur. He ran his hands over the two corpses, searching for any spirit tools or treasures that he might have missed. He appeared like a young boy who was humming while trimming vegetables for cooking.


    However, the young boy quickly froze and stopped what he was doing. He retrieved the two books from his robes and ced them on top of his head.


    A voice that the young boy was extremely familiar with sounded from above his head. It was a voice filled with vicissitudes and carrying an even more familiar sense of ridicule. "How impressive. As expected of my prized disciple. You haven''t learned many skills, but you sure have the spirit of a vicious demonic cultivator."


    The young boy''s teeth were chattering. He was genuinely afraid right now.


    The tall and skinny old man turned around to forcefully spit out a mouthful of blood. When his blood hit the wall, it immediately transformed into a cloud of misty ck blood.


    Old Demon Mi, a demonic cultivator who hady low in the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture for almost 20 years, cursed under his breath. "How sneaky of you, Immortal Colored ze Chen Xiaoyong. I''m going to beat you to death even if you manage to flee from Blusher Prefecture this time!"


    The old man looked at the young boy with disdain and said, "Stand up and put those two books away. Since your senior brothers have died, you''ll be my great disciple now."


    The young boy trembled with fear as he stood up.


    Old Demon Mi took out a small oilmp covered in sticky oil from his sleeve. He inhaled vigorously, and it was as if the souls of his two disciples were being dragged from their corpses as they floated into the oilmp. Their faces, which were twisted with intense agony, appeared on the sticky oilmp. However, they vanished just as quickly as they had appeared, fusing together and bing one with the oilmp.


    A cold chill ran down the young boy''s spine.


    A person appeared on each end of the alley and slowly bore down on them. They were none other than the husband and wife who had visited Old Demon Mi''s rice shop not long ago. The hips of the woman were swaying even more than willow branches in the wind, and she remarked, "Oh, what a coincidence, Old Demon Mi. We meet again."


    Old Demon Mi''s pupils contracted slightly, and he sneered, "What, you want to go back on your word now? We already agreed that the colored ze bowl would belong to me while the remainder of Old Man Chen''s belongings would belong to you."


    The woman lightly dragged her hooked-like fingers along the alley wall. She shed a charming smile and said, "We did agree about this, but Immortal Colored ze has gone into hiding now. He can feign death, but my husband and I can''t wait for death in this ce along with him, can we? Old Demon Mi, shouldn''t you split some of your profit with us? You can''t render our trip to this ce useless, can you?"


    A dark and gloomy expression spread across Old Demon Mi''s face.


    The handsome young boy lowered his head as he stood with his back against the wall. His eyes secretly darted around.


    After General Ma led his soldiers inside the prefectural city to provide reinforcements, there were no one guarding the east gate of the city.


    A young man in pink Daoist robes stood in a corridor on the top floor of the building atop the city wall. There was a faint smile on his face as he gazed at the alley where Old Demon Mi was standing, and he snickered, "Heh, it''s nothing more than a crappy colored ze bowl, something that I used as a wine bowl in the past. Yet, they''re actually fighting to the death for it? Has Colorful Garment Nation already be this uninteresting after only 1000 years?"


    He took a nce at the situation before deciding that he didn''t want to waste any more time on it. He focused more of his attention on the prefectural office, saying, "Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence... Heh, who would have thought? You sent someone to Blusher Prefecture 200 years ago to ce a talisman here, using the form of a Heavenly Master Seal.


    "However, due to personal interest, the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation was unwilling to properly provide it with spiritual energy. Moreover, the appearance of the unmarked burial ground likely messed up the ns of the two sides as well. Because of this, I was finally able to break free from the prison. The heavens can ruin even the greatest ns."


    He held the railing with one hand and used his other hand to form a seal. With Blusher Prefecture as his target, he divined the fortune of Colorful Garment Nation from 500 years ago until now. He suddenly smiled and looked toward the north. He wasn''t looking north of just Colorful Garment Nation, but he was instead looking toward the northernmost point of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    He clicked his tongue in wonder and said, "Amazing, what an amazing person. The Colorful Garment Nation has lost a national treasure that''s been passed down for many generations, and the Spiritual Horn Force that''s been protecting the Colorful Garment Nation for all this time has also been severely affected. Their sect treasure, the Colorful Immortal Robe, has been stolen by someone.


    "How can Ancient Elm Nation and the two other neighboring nations remain idle? Taking advantage of someone''s plight is a most simple concept. Moreover,ints are already building up among officials near the capital thanks to the emperor''s long dereliction of his duties. If another cmity befalls the nation, the public will definitely seethe with anger and resentment. Perhaps they''ll even cause unrest and incite a chaotic battle between several nations.


    The possessed Liu Chicheng nodded and continued, "Since this is the great trend of the world, I also need to take a few disciples."


    He took a step forward, and his body immediately faded before disappearing.


    In the next moment, he walked into that narrow and dark alley.


    Old Demon Mi and the middle-aged couple were just about to fight to the death, yet they were instantly scared motionless by this person''s appearance.


    The aura of this person was indescribably mighty and domineering. It was as if a few small crustaceans living in a calm and peaceful river hade across a flood dragon whose body took up the entire riverbed.


    The possessed Liu Chicheng in pink Daoist robes didn''t speak any nonsense at all. He casually waved a sleeve, and the middle-aged couple in the alley were directly crushed to death. In fact, not even a speck of dust remained of them. As for their spirit tools, immortal tools, snowke coins, and whatnot? These things were naturally destroyed along with them.


    The tangled stems and pink lotus flowers on Liu Chicheng''s Daoist robes weren''t inanimate objects. Instead, they were genuine lotus flowers that lightly swayed about and released a brilliant fragrance.


    It was as if the pink Daoist robes were a pond of lotus flowers.


    Old Demon Mi had seen many things in his lifetime, but he still couldn''t help but sweat profusely. "Esteemed Immortal, why didn''t you kill me as well?" he asked.


    The possessed Liu Chicheng smiled faintly and replied, "Do I have to y demons and safeguard the Dao after putting on this Daoist robe? Am I not allowed to wear it because I like its looks?"


    Old Demon Mi was rendered speechless.


    <em>Holy fuck! This person is definitely a paramount demonic cultivator! Moreover, he''s definitely the legendary type who stands at the peak of the mountains!</em>


    The possessed Liu Chicheng flicked a finger and sent Old Demon Mi flying to the other side of the alley. "Stop being an eyesore. Hurry up and piss off. Also, your disciple is mine now."


    He sped his hands behind his back and walked up to the young boy. Looking down, he smiled and asked, "What''s your name, youngd?"


    The handsome young boy slowly looked up and gulped. "Esteemed Immortal, my name is Yuan Tiandi," he replied timidly.


    "Hmm?"


    The possessed Liu Chicheng was slightly puzzled, and he asked, "Tiandi as in heaven and earth?"


    The young boy shook his head. His face was pale, and he was afraid that his head would be smashed into smithereens in the very next instant. However, he didn''t dare to lie, so he could only reply truthfully, "My family was poor when Mother was pregnant with me, and she still had to work in the fields even when she was nine months pregnant. In the end, Mother identally gave premature birth to me while she was working. Because of this, my father named me Tiandi[1]."


    There was a dazzling smile on the possessed Liu Chicheng''s face, and he patted the young boy''s shoulder and said, "Then your name is actually pretty good. I like it. You''re my disciple from now on. Here, Master will give you a wee present first."


    The young boy saw his mysterious new master raising a hand and snapping his fingers. A miasma of red demonic energy suddenly materialized in the surroundings and furiously rushed over, fusing together and transforming into a giant red ball. The "young" demonic cultivator in pink casually rubbed two fingers together and caused the giant red ball to shrink and condense into the size of a fist.


    The possessed Liu Chicheng used his palm to lightly smack the young boy''s head. He smiled and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. You need to survive first if you want to be my disciple. If you manage to hold on until morning, then you''ll be the... second powerful member of our great sect."


    The young boy crashed into the wall and writhed in indescribable agony. It was as if his be was splitting apart.


    The possessed Liu Chicheng waspletely unfazed by this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After opening them again, he looked toward the distant west and murmured, "First Senior Brother, the air in your White Emperor City is truly better..."


    This unexpected cmity had erupted quickly and caught everyone off-guard, but it had alsoe to an end just as quickly and left everyone in disbelief. In fact, such was the abnormality of the situation that the entire prefectural office and all of the elites under General Ma''smand had the mistaken belief that the demonic cultivators still had a more powerful trump card.


    However, when the sun rose and illuminated the prefectural city with its dazzling rays, everything started to return to normal and the number of demonicmoners also started to drastically reduce. Everyone felt a sense of unease as they sat around and waited for the colored luan and esteemed immortals to arrive from the Spiritual Horn Force.


    The anticipated reinforcements failed to arrive on time, and they were nowhere to be seen even when night arrived again. During this time, Prefectural Overseer Liu also "fell sick" and was confined to his bed. Fortunately, the prefectural city didn''t suffer any more tragedy caused by demonic cultivators.


    In fact, there had only been a few ruffians taking advantage of the situation to break into peoples'' houses and rob them. However, these ruffians had been quickly suppressed and caught by General Ma''s soldiers, many of whom were still feeling angry. Two ruffians who had been resisting with weapons had been directly killed on the spot. In reality, however, the two pitiful ruffians had only grabbed the wooden sticks out of instinct.


    Another night passed, and Blusher Prefecture remained quiet and peaceful. However, no one dared to lower their guard, andrge numbers of armored soldiers continued to uphold martialw and patrol the prefectural city both day and night.


    The next morning, the colored luan still didn''t arrive above the prefectural city. Instead, it was an old man and a young girl who flew over on their swords. Chen Ping''an and his twopanions recognized thetter. She was none other than the round-faced young girl with the surname Fu. The old man was a grand elder from the Spiritual Horn Force. Prefectural Overseer Liu immediately recovered from his "illness" when they arrived at the prefectural office.


    The grand elder possessed an impressive aura and spoke in an elegant manner, but the hint of anxiousness on his face couldn''t be concealed. After sitting for a short while and confirming that Blusher Prefecture was already free from demonic aura, he quickly bade the young girl farewell. He soared into the sky on his sword and hurried back to the Spiritual Horn Force.


    While traveling south to aid Blusher Prefecture, they had suddenly received a message from their force delivered via a flying sword. Their sect treasure, which had been passed down for a thousand years, had suddenly gone missing!


    However, this was a top-secret matter that pertained to the survival of the Spiritual Horn Force, so the grand elder of the force naturally wouldn''t reveal this information to outsiders.


    In reality, the grand elder at the Middle Five Tiers hadn''t wanted to continue to Blusher Prefecture at all. However, he had still gone there because of face, and most importantly, because he had been afraid of leaving a bad impression in the eyes of the young girl from Divine Edict Sect. After all, how could the importance of a prefecture in Colorful Garment Nationpare to the importance of Colorful Immortal Robe? This was the foundation of their force!


    Afterward, another delightful thing happened in the prefectural office. The young sword immortal who was said to be from Divine Edict Sect took a fancy to Prefectural Overseer Liu''s youngest daughter, Liu Gaoxin. She said that she could personally rmend her to Divine Edict Sect''s outer sect. Moreover, Liu Gaoxin had a very good chance of directly bing the direct disciple of some elders from the inner sect.


    This was a joyous asion.


    However, only Liu Gaoxin was glum and unhappy about this. She was then scolded by her mom and dad, scolded by her big sister and big brother, and even scolded by her master, the old aide of her father.


    Even though the round-faced young girl had a surprisingly senior standing in Divine Edict Sect, the leading Daoist sect in the continent, she was genuinely good-tempered and amiable with Liu Gaoxin. This was unlike her aloofness toward Zhao Liu and Yang Huang. She was always smiling when she interacted with Liu Gaoxin, and she even dragged the young girl into the prefectural city to stroll around. She bought some cosmetic products and other things for young girls.


    This year was unlikest year, when spring had leftte and summer had arrivedte.


    This year, early spring came andte spring left, and tomorrow was going to be the beginning of summer. In other words, spring was about to end.


    Dawn arrived, and Liu Gaoxin left the prefectural city. She wasn''t reluctant to leave, and she simply left a stack of letters in her room. The rims of her eyes were red as she mounted a handsome white horse. Sister Fu from Divine Edict Sect also mounted a handsome white horse. As the horses clip-clopped along the bluestone bs of the street, Liu Gaoxin drew further and further away from her family and hometown.


    While traveling along the street that had few people, however, Liu Gaoxin suddenly turned her head as if in tacit understanding. She saw Chen Pingan with twin swords on his back standing on the ridge of a roof and waving goodbye at her.


    Liu Gaoxin pursed her lips and vigorously turned back around. Tears rolled down her cheeks.


    Liu Gaoxin''s mood suddenly improved, and she tilted her head high with her back facing the young boy who had secretlye to see her off. There was a happy smile on her face.


    The round-faced young girl with the surname Fu nced back, and she felt like the young boy standing on the roof ridge in the distance appeared slightly familiar. However, she didn''t have a deep impression of him, so she decided not to think about these matters.


    After farewelling Liu Gaoxin, Chen Ping''an sat on the roof ridge by himself and started to drink wine from his wine gourd.


    He took small sips of wine, and he reminisced his time with Mr. Qi. Spring wind lingered around his sleeves.


    1. His name is  as in "fields." The "heaven and earth" Tiandi is  and it''s a taboo among cultivators due to the association with the Dao, it''s basically dering that you are on par with the Dao itself.

 Chapter 234: Demonic Qi in the Temple

    Chapter 234: Demonic Qi in the Temple


    Chen Ping''an, Xu Yuanxia, and Zhang Shanfeng were persuaded to stay in the prefectural office for three days.


    After experiencing the recent cmities, it was as if Liu Gaohua had be apletely different person. He was no longer resigned like before, and would often look for his father to ask questions and learn. They would discuss morals and etiquette, and they would also discuss methods of bringing peace and prosperity.


    However, Prefectural Overseer Liu was still lukewarm toward his son. Even so, Liu Gaohua would no longer feel afraid or uneasy when he saw an expression of impatience on his father''s face. He would no longer walk away in fear. In any case, he had annoyed Prefectural Overseer Liu to no end these past two days.


    More of the time, however, Liu Gaohua would stick together with the big-bearded martial artist and Daoist Priest Zhang Shanfeng. Apart from this, he would also keep a wary eye on the impoverished schr, Liu Chicheng, as if he were guarding against a thief. He didn''t mind this impoverished schr from White Mountain Nation getting married to his sister, but he definitely wouldn''t allow him to get his way with her before he took her out of her house in the wedding sedan carried by eight people.


    Since they were all friends who had experienced cmities together, Liu Gaohua no longer tried to hide too many things from Chen Ping''an and the others. He privately told them about some matters pertaining to the cultivation world and imperial courts of Colorful Garment Nation.


    Even though the demonic cultivators who had brought cmity upon Blusher Prefecture had already fled or been killed, the casualties and damage that they had inflicted upon the prefectural city were still causing massive ripples. Everyone was jittery, and many wealthy families were secretly preparing to leave the prefectural city and settle down in other provincial cities.


    In fact, even the wealthy families in the capital of Colorful Garment Nation were reconsidering their position. Even if they didn''t move away, they still had to avoid putting all of their eggs into one basket. After all, this wasmon sense to begin with.


    ording to rumors, low-ranked officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War had already left the capital and were slowly traveling south toward Blusher Prefecture after the imperial court of Colorful Garment Nation received news of the situation. It was said that they were traveling over to investigate the incident and reassure the residents.


    However, Prefectural Overseer Liu had already been in the officialdom for half his life, so he knew that this was nothing more than a meaningless gesture from the emperor in the capital. They didn''t need to dream about receiving funds from the Ministry of Revenue to deal with the aftermath, not even a single tael of silver.


    Blusher Prefecture was a mess right now, and there was little money left in the prefectural treasury to deal with the situation. Moreover, Prefectural Overseer Liu wasn''t the type of corrupt and extortionate who would heartlessly grab money from his residents.


    In the end, he had to shamelessly ask the wealthy ns in the prefectural city for money. Rather than giving them any material benefit, he could only offer them words of praise in the Local County Chronicles or engraved stone tablets for future generations to admire. Moreover, he had to deal with this matter before the officials from the two ministries arrived in the prefectural city.


    He definitely couldn''t offend the emperor, and couldn''t cause extra trouble for the officials from the Ministry of Revenue, who were already under a lot of pressure. Only by avoiding these things could he keep his position as prefectural overseer.


    There were ups and downs in life, and this was the same in the imperial court, the business world, and also the cultivation world. The downs of some people might also lead to the ups of some other people.


    For example, Chen Ping''an and hispanions'' decision to help the prefectural city. Regardless of whether they had acted out of righteousness orpassion, they were finally able to reap positive rewards from their positive actions. After going over their spoils, Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng found that they had surprisingly made a huge profit.


    Xu Yuanxia had obtained a new powerful weapon, a short saber left behind by Old Demon Mi''s eldest disciple. The previous owner of this short saber had been a demonic cultivator, but the saber qi of this weapon was unexpectedly bright and dazzling after it was drawn from its scabbard. It didn''t appear sinister at all.


    Not only that, but the armored general had also developed a strong rtionship with the big-bearded martial artist after fighting alongside him. He had purposely reported a top-notch bow and five Mohist arrows from the prefectural storage as lost and had secretly given them to Xu Yuanxia.


    Xu Yuanxia had initially refused to ept them. Militaryw was paramount, and regardless of what things were like in the other regions of Colorful Garment Nation, it was very likely that General Ma adhered to this principle judging from his manner of leading his soldiers.


    After learning of Xu Yuanxia''s concerns, the lieutenant general had roared withughter. Since he appreciated the big-bearded martial artist''s temperament, the lieutenant general had revealed a small secret and said it was approved by General Ma.


    In the beginning, he had only dared to ask for a single arrow. However, after General Ma informed Prefectural Overseer Liu about this, the prefectural overseer had waved his hand and directly modified his report to the Ministry of War, changing the number of used arrows from sixteen to twenty-one.


    Zhang Shanfeng had obtained two spirit tools that were in bad condition. One was a severely damaged wine cup made of white jade as thin as paper. It could automatically absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and it could eventually form a dewdrop that was filled with spiritual energy every five days. Zhang Shanfeng had identally chipped the wine cup while cing it into his luggage, and this would most likely affect the spiritual energy umtion speed of the spirit tool.


    There was also a pair of legendary chopsticks from Azure Divine Mountain. One chopstick was engraved with the characters "Azure Divine Mountain," and the other chopstick was engraved with the characters "divine cloud bamboo." Just by looking at them, one could see that these chopsticks had quite some history. As for whether they were genuinely made from divine cloud bamboo from Azure Divine Mountain, this was anyone''s guess right now. However, the chopsticks were indeed brimming with spiritual energy.


    In any case, these were the spirit tools that Qi refiners at the Lower Five Tiers dreamed of!


    Chen Ping''an didn''t take out the azure wooden box and the golden and silver shards of the city god''s gold statue. These pertained to significant matters, and they could lead to both great fortune and great misfortune. These treasures weren''t like the mountain turtles or snake eagles in his hometown. They weren''t things that he could hunt down and share with friends like Liu Xianyang. Thus, Chen Ping''an only showed them the piece of burnt ebony and the white bowl with the painting of the Five Mountains.


    Xu Yuanxia didn''t notice anything special about the white bowl, but he clicked his tongue in wonder when he saw the hefty piece of ebony. He said that this was lightning-struck wood, and it wasn''t a type of wood that could be simply produced by lightning striking trees. Instead, the bolt of lightning had to be one of the five types of lightning that possessed heavenly might, and the struck tree also had to survive the encounter, because dead wood couldn''t contain such kinds of mystical lightning aura and heavenly might. Xu Yuanxia weighed the piece of burnt ebony in his hand and chuckled, "Chen Ping''an, do you believe me when I say that an Agrarian cultivator can transform this piece of ebony into a small sapling full of vitality if you give it to them?"


    Chen Ping''an immediately understood what he meant.


    This was a very valuable item!


    The prefectural office symbolically rewarded them with five hundred taels of silver. This was a gesture of respect toward the righteous cultivators, and it was also a manner of thanking them for their hard work.


    The big-bearded martial artist was unwilling to ept this, and Daoist Priest Zhang Shanfeng was also unwilling to ept this. However, Chen Ping''an chose to ept the silver. Because of this, Zhang Shanfeng even teased him and called him a true miser. Chen Ping''an simply smiled in reply.


    The little boy from the Zhao n residence was called Zhao Shuxia, while the little girl whom he had tried to protect was called Luanluan. Their misfortunes had been a blessing in disguise, and they had both broken free from the shackles of their lowly status now. They became students of the old man called Mr. Fisherman, and Luanluan had even be a direct disciple of the old man.


    When Chen Ping''an practiced walking meditation in the courtyard each morning, Zhao Shuxia would squat beside the courtyard door and watch him with his cheeks in his hands.


    Chen Ping''an turned a blind eye to this.


    What he was doing were stances from the Mountain Shaking Guide, and he had never viewed the manual as his property. That meant he couldn''t carelessly teach these fist techniques to others, but at the same time, he didn''t view Zhao Shuxia''s act of "stealing techniques" as a bad thing.


    This little boy was extremely kind-hearted.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an purposely performed the six stances of walking meditation slower than normal. He performed them again and again.


    On his final day in the prefectural office, the sun shone bright above his head. Summer had arrived, and all matters had fully ripened.


    When it was nighttime, Chen Ping''an said to the little boy, "Zhao Shuxia, can you earnestly practice these fist stances a miluh, I mean, a hundred thousand times?


    The little boy nodded vigorously.


    "You shouldn''t pursue speed, only stability," Chen Ping''an warned. "Moreover, you can''t make any mistake when you perform the six stances. Only after going through the six stances without error can it be considered as a single punch. You should reach a hundred thousand punches in three to five years. Remember, you have to start over if you make any mistake. You can''t be careless about this."


    Either Chen Ping''an wouldn''t speak, or he would be extremely pedantic and fussy. The little boy in azure and the little girl in pink in Downtrodden Mountain were most familiar with this.


    Chen Ping''an carefully thought for a moment before continuing, "Practicing fist techniques is a... very dumb process. Zhao Shuxia, you can be a smart person  of course, you are indeed much smarter than me  but you should know that the dumber, the better when you practice fist techniques. Do you understand?"


    There was a determined look in the little boy''s eyes as he clenched his fists and replied, "I understand! Only by enduring the greatest hardships can I rise above all others!"


    The innately intelligent little boy genuinely understood this principle.


    Chen Ping''an was very amused, and he asked, "What do you want to do after rising above all others?"


    "I''m going to buy a lot of warm winter clothes for Luanluan!" Zhao Shuxia replied without hesitation.


    "Then what about yourself?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The little boy wiped his mouth and replied with starry eyes, "I''m going to eat full meals every day!"


    The smile disappeared from Chen Ping''an''s face. He frowned slightly and asked, "That''s all?"


    The little boy was from an impoverished and lowly background, so he was naturally skilled at reading people''s expressions. He was slightly troubled upon seeing Chen Ping''an''s frown, and he was afraid that his benefactor would view him as unambitious. However, he genuinely had no other thoughts at this moment, and he was ultimately unwilling to lie to Chen Ping''an. In the end, he could only hang his head and say in remorse, "That''s all."


    "How is eating full meals enough?"


    Chen Ping''an had purposely put on a stern expression just then, but it softened considerably at this moment as he rubbed the little boy''s head. "You also need to have meat with every meal!" he said in amusement.


    Zhao Shuxia instantly chuckled like a fool.


    Zhang Shanfeng, Liu Gaohua, and Liu Chicheng were squatting in a row on the corridor bench.


    Luanluan was sitting in thep of Liu Gaohua''s older sister, and they were slightly further away from the three men.


    Everyone smiled in amusement upon seeing Chen Ping''an''s interaction with Zhao Shuxia.


    They had faced many challenges during their time together, and this was a rare case of a peaceful encounter and a peaceful farewell.


    At noon the next day, Liu Chicheng left the prefectural city with Chen Ping''an and the others. Liu Gaohua and his older sister, Zhao Shuxia and Luanluan, as well as the old schr Mr. Fisherman all went to see them off. They saw them off all the way to a resting station three kilometers from the city. There were gentle willows[1] near the resting station.


    Liu Chicheng and Miss Liu reluctantly farewelled under the shade of the willow tree. Nobody knew what Liu Chicheng had told her, but there was a hint of a smile on the woman''s face even though she was extremely sad. There was clearly a strong sense of emotion and anticipation in her eyes.


    Chen Ping''an walked over to Mr. Fisherman and handed him the paper notes worth five hundred taels of silver. He also gave him a gold paper talisman. He said that these were presents to the master on behalf of Zhao Shuxia and Luanluan, and he hoped that Mr. Fisherman could ept them.


    The old man was a direct person, and he epted the gift without any hesitation. He smiled and told Chen Ping''an to be at ease. He promised that he would definitely treat Zhao Shuxia and Luanluan as if they were his own children. He definitely wouldn''t let them suffer. In the end, Chen Ping''an cupped his fists and said, "Mr. Fisherman, your moral integrity is even higher than mountains and longer than rivers!"


    These were words of sincere praise from the bottom of Chen Ping''an''s heart.


    As such, it wasn''t difficult or embarrassing for Chen Ping''an to give such sophisticated praise for the first time.


    The old man held the hands of the two little children as he watched the four people leave. He chuckled softly and said, "He possesses both an immortal air and a chivalrous aura. He''s a true talent of a nation."


    Liu Gaohua lightly nudged his older sister''s elbow and asked with a smile, "Sister, what magic potion did Liu Chicheng feed you? He was actually able to stop you from crying?"


    The woman smiled faintly and replied, "Liu Chicheng said that he''ll definitelye back to marry me once he achieves great sess. At that time, he''ll definitely have a hearty conversation with his father-inw and convince Father that he''s a virtuous son-inw."


    Liu Gaohua grimaced and said, "You seriously believe the empty promises of schrs?"


    His older sister held her hands to her heart and gazed at the back of the schr who had a willow wreath on his head. She was seemingly in a trance as she murmured, "The novels are all like this."


    Liu Gaohua felt slightly exasperated, andmented, "How old is he? Yet, he''s still wearing a willow wreath on his head without any sense of shame? How can an impoverished schr like him achieve great sess?"


    His older sister stomped on his foot, fuming. "You''re not allowed to talk about your brother-inw like this."


    Liu Gaohua hurriedly retracted his foot in pain. He stood further away from his older sister, and he wrapped his hands behind his head in a carefree manner.


    However, a loud p echoed as a hand made contact with his head.


    Liu Gaohua turned around and was just about to let loose a torrent of abuse. However, when he saw who had struck him, he felt as if a strong hand were clutching his throat. He couldn''t speak no matter what. His face became red with exertion, and he eventually called out, "Father..."


    His older sister was even more worried and tense.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu had changed his official garb for the azure robes of schrs. He stood between his son and daughter and asked, "You''re friends with Chen Ping''an?"


    Liu Gaohua was unable to determine his father''s mood and hidden intention at this moment, so he carefully replied, "I guess so?"


    Prefectural Overseer Liu nced at his son and chuckled coldly. He didn''t say anything else, and he turned around and walked over to Mr. Fisherman. He started to discuss morality and virtue with the old man.


    Miss Liu secretly patted her chest. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.


    "Sister, did I say something wrong again?" Liu Gaohua asked softly.


    She was amused at his misfortune, and she replied, "You''ve been wrong so many times that it doesn''t matter anymore. This is the situation right now. What are you afraid of?"


    Liu Gaohua sighed in grief.


    The two of them didn''t dare to follow their father, lest he roll his eyes at them again. They were even more afraid of being scolded by him. Thus, they followed him from a suitable distance.


    Zhao Shuxia suddenly slowed down and walked next to Liu Gaohua. He looked up and quietly said, "Big Brother Liu, my master praised you as a good person, saying that you''re good-natured and have a sense of filial piety. Your father was very modest about this, and he said that you''re just passable enough to not bring shame to the family."


    Liu Gaohua had just questioned Liu Chicheng''s ability to achieve great sess, yet he was met with these remarks so soon after that. He hurriedly ran to the river, saying that he needed to wash his face.


    The group of people were able to enjoy a rare moment of peace and rxation as they slowly walked back to the prefectural city along the official road. They brushed past a handsome young boy as they did so.


    There was a handful of willow branches in the young boy''s hand, and there was also a red mark on his forehead.


    He was truly very beautiful.


    Three dayster, Chen Ping''an and his threepanions settled down in an old and rundown temple for the night. This temple was located on a secluded mountain path leading to Water Combing Nation.


    Prefectural Overseer Liu had told them about it, saying that he had heard about a strange ferry station on Water Combing Nation''s Earth Dragon Mountain that wasn''t mentioned in the official records. It was extremely likely that this was the ce Chen Ping''an was looking for. Perhaps this was the ferry station where immortals from the mountains went to catch ships that sailed across the sea of clouds.


    When they arrived at that ferry station, Xu Yuanxia would bid Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng farewell and head to Azure Phoenix Nation in the southeast of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent by himself. He would bring his friend''s ashes back to his hometown.


    Xu Yuanxia liked to travel around the world on foot, and he also liked to write travel journals to record his adventures. He liked to record the strange and dangerous natural sceneries that he came across. Because of this, he was always unwilling to take transcontinental ships from the ferry stations.


    Meanwhile, Liu Chicheng''s destination was somece in the southwest of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. It was a ce that none of the others had heard of before. In fact, even the knowledgeable and well-traveled Xu Yuanxia had never heard of this ce before.


    The abandoned temple was quite creepy at night. The statues of the Four Heavenly Kings had already copsed to the ground, and the Buddhist temple was also veryrge and spacious, allowing gusts of eerie wind to freely blow through. The hoots of night owls would asionally echo through the surrounding forest without warning as well. Liu Chicheng was so frightened that even his lips were trembling.


    Even though they were sitting around a campfire, Liu Chicheng still shuffled as close to the big-bearded martial artist as he could. He felt like Xu Yuanxia was the most fearsome-looking of them all, so he would definitely be able to suppress any ghosts and yin entities in the surroundings. He most likely couldn''t rely on youngsters like Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng.


    As for the "old ghost with makeup" living inside his body, Liu Chicheng had never viewed him as very powerful. He wasn''t even at the Golden Core Tier, and he could only hide inside his body and boast about his abilities. If he were truly powerful, then how could he have been suppressed and locked up for so many years? How would he have needed Liu Chicheng''s help to escape? With this in mind, just how powerful could he truly be?


    After all, which genuine immortal didn''t possess a divine and ethereal aura? Who the fuck would wear a pink robe to stroll around the city? In any case, even Liu Chicheng felt embarrassed for him.


    The demon whom Liu Chicheng had given the nickname "old ghost with makeup" was well aware of his host''s encounters and experiences.


    However, Liu Chicheng would lose portions of his memory whenever the old demon took over his body and put on the pink Daoist robes. He would only remember the events before and after he was possessed.


    This caused Liu Chicheng to feel extremely angry. When he married a breathtakingly beautiful wife in the future, and took in jade-like mistresses and shapely maidservants, what would he do if he suddenly passed out right after climbing into bed with them? He would lose all senses and memories, and it would already be morning when he opened his eyes again. Not only that, but he would also be fully dressed and out of bed. Just how shitty would that be? Most importantly, who could hein to? Who would understand his unique distress?


    Liu Chicheng was squatting with his bottom high in the air as he reached forward to warm his hands over the campfire. His face was filled with anxiousness. He was genuinely worried about his situation.


    The old temple was shrouded in the darkness of night, and Liu Chicheng became increasingly afraid as he looked to his left and right. Fortunately, Xu Yuanxia was still drinking next to him, and Daoist Priest Zhang Shanfeng was still practicing swordsmanship with his peach wood sword nearby. This caused Liu Chicheng to feel slightly at ease.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had ventured further away to search for firewood and dead branches to start another fire to cook. Liu Chicheng was truly impressed by this young boy. He waspletely fearless, and extremely simple-minded as well. He would practice the same two fist techniques again and again, day after day. Nothing would stop him from doing so. Liu Chicheng felt like he would have already be an excellent schr of Lake View Academy if he had studied half as hard as Chen Ping''an was practicing his fist techniques.


    It wasn''t long before Liu Chicheng saw Chen Ping''an jogging back. Apart from arge bundle of dry branches in his arms, there was also an old-looking item around four or five feet long in his hands. Chen Ping''an asked the others what it was and whether it was worth any money.


    Liu Chicheng rolled his eyes and scoffed, "It''s just a tallmp stand to put your oilmp on. Poor families can only afford shortmp stands, and they wouldn''t be so fussy about these kinds of things anyway.


    "ording to some unofficial history books, a Buddhist temple called the Forest Temple was once the wealthiest temple among many empires in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. In fact, this temple was even wealthier than the emperor. Was this not an act of rebellion? Because of that, there were several movements to destroy Buddhism. If themp stand in your hand was brand new, then it might have been worth some money indeed. However, it''s nothing but a pile of scrap metal now. It''s barely worth a few copper coins."


    Chen Ping''an felt a slight sense of pity. After putting the bundle of dry branches down, he hurriedly ran away to return the tallmp stand to its original spot.


    Liu Chicheng rubbed his forehead. He felt like it was fairly embarrassing to travel around the world with a hillbilly like Chen Ping''an.


    After Chen Ping''an finished cooking, Liu Chicheng picked and chose his food during dinner. He theny down some nkets and prepared to sleep.


    The big-bearded martial artisty down and immediately fell asleep after drinking to his hearts content. His snores were like rumbling thunder.


    Zhang Shanfeng was responsible for lookout duty for the first half of the night, and Chen Ping''an was responsible for the second half.


    Chen Ping''an walked around to gather and tidy up the damaged statues of the Bodhisattvas and Heavenly Kings first. He then moved them to corners where they wouldn''t beshed by the wind and rain. After finishing this, he started to practice walking meditation on the bumpy ground of the temple.


    In Liu Chicheng''s words, Chen Ping''an''s punches were so slow that the time it took him to throw a single punch would be enough time for him to enjoy a good long sleep.


    However, Chen Ping''an suddenly started to speed up during the second half of his training session. In the end, his punches became as quick as lightning. Wind whistled around him. After a short while, however, Chen Ping''an started to slow down again.


    Zhang Shanfeng walked over and watched him for a while. Then, he smiled and asked, "What''s wrong? Is there something weighing on your mind?"


    Chen Ping''an stood still and broke his fist stance. There was exasperation in his voice as he replied, "I''ve reached the barrier to the next level, but I can''t cross this barrier no matter what. This feels quite frustrating."


    Zhang Shanfeng smiled and said, "Oh, so you want to advance to the next tier? You want to be a fourth tier martial arts lesser grandmaster before the age of twenty? This would be incredibly impressive even in Complete Reed Continent."


    Chen Ping''an sighed and revealed, "Before setting off, someone told me that it''s best that I advance to the Qi Refining Tier of martial arts before I arrive at Old Dragon City."


    All of a sudden...


    The demon-detecting bell above Zhang Shanfeng''s luggage suddenly started to shudder and ring violently.


    Zhang Shanfeng tensed up and eximed, "There''s demonic qi approaching the temple!"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and suggested, "Put the demon-detecting bell away first, lest we warn our opponents of our presence."


    The big-bearded martial artist sat up and roared withughter. "Business is truly going well for the three of us! We can''t even stop fortune from seeking us out!"


    Afterughing for a while, Xu Yuanxia stroked his beard and ced his hands on the hilts of his two sabers. His voice was solemn as he said, "But remember to keep this in mind. When ying demons and eliminating fiends, staying alive is our number one priority."


    Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng exchanged a smile. The young Daoist priest chuckled and said, "I still have a divine movement talisman."


    After racking his brains for a moment, Chen Ping''an muttered, "I can run very fast!"


    1. Willows are a symbol of reluctant farewells.

 Chapter 235: (1): Yellow Chrysanthemums in My Hometown

    Chapter 235: (1): Yellow Chrysanthemums in My Hometown


    In the Xie n residence located in the small town in Dragon Spring Prefecture...


    A young boy with long eyebrows held several books in his hands as he ran into the courtyard. He was filled with joy as he eximed, "Old Ancestor, I learned a new sword technique from Master today!"


    Heavenly Lord Xie Shi nodded in acknowledgment and put his book on the table.


    When speaking with others, even someone countless generations younger than him like this young boy, Xie Shi would still treat the conversation with utmost respect. He definitely wouldn''t look around and be absent-minded.


    The young boy with long eyebrows was still unaware of the significance behind this disposition. Right now, he was thinking more about his old ancestor''s title of Heavenly Lord. He was thinking about the longsting prosperity of the Xie n, and he was immersed in delight about the inevitable rise of the Xie n. He was only a young boy, after all, so he was oblivious to the subtleties regarding Xie Shi''s disposition.


    Xie Shi epted the books from the young boy and ced them on the stone table. He gestured for the young boy to sit.


    After lightly sitting down, the young boy with long eyebrows asked, "How is it, Old Ancestor? Are they eptable?"


    Xie Shi gently patted the books and chuckled, "Why wouldn''t they be eptable? If I participated in the imperial examination, I most likely wouldn''t even make it to the regional examination."


    Even though Xie Shi looked very much like one of the boorish farmers in the small town, he was actually someone who had read countless books and was well-versed in the theories of the three teachings. While staying in the Xie n residence, he had sat in the courtyard to read every day.


    When Long Eyebrows finished forging at Master Ruan''s cksmith shop every day, he would visit the newly opened bookshop in the small town to buy a few books. Xie Shi had told Long Eyebrows right from the beginning that he didn''t need to limit himself to books belonging to Daoist Sect. He could buy any book that he wanted.


    Xie Shi suddenly stood up. The young boy with long eyebrows naturally stood up as well. The two of them stood there for seven or eight minutes.


    The young boy was then astonished to see his mother smiling gently as she led a young Daoist priest into the courtyard.


    When she left, Xie Shi was just about to say something. However, the visiting Daoist priest with a lotus flower hat waved his hand and gestured for Xie Shi to sit.


    Lu Chen plonked down on a stone chair and used his hand as a fan. He drew some cool breeze toward himself, and he was seemingly making small talk as he ordered, "Xie Shi, when the matters in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent conclude, you should pay more attention to the matters concerning He Xiaoliang for the next sixty years. You don''t need to help her directly or anything, you just need to guarantee that she doesn''t die.


    "After she gains a solid footing and founds her own sect, you can indeed add icing on the cake at that time. You can give her people, money, immortal treasures, or whatever you want. The more you give her the better. This can also be considered positive karma between the two of you."


    Xie Shi stood up and cupped his fists in respect. "As youmand, Branch Master!"


    "Your old-fashioned and stubborn nature is truly unlikable," Lu Chen teased.


    He then turned to the young boy with long eyebrows and said with a wide smile, "Come over here, Long Eyebrows. Let me give you a farewell gift."


    The young boy with long eyebrows trembled in slight fear. He felt excitement, as well as respect and reverence toward the Daoist priest. He hurriedly looked toward Xie Shi.


    Xie Shi nodded, signaling that it was okay for him to ept the gift.


    In reality, cultivators at the Unpolished Jade Tier of the Upper Five Tiers wouldn''t really dare to casually give fated opportunities away to other people.


    However, the good and bad of Branch Master Lu Chen''s gifts were already predetermined. There definitely wouldn''t be any exceptions.


    Moreover, he was giving this item to the young boy with long eyebrows right in front of Xie Shi, so how could this be a bad thing?


    It was definitely the best thing in the world!


    This was a great fortune for the young boy.


    Lu Chen flicked his wrist, and an exquisite and crystal-like seven-colored treasure pagoda quickly appeared in his palm. Rays of light flowed through it, and it appeared as wonderful as could be. A closer look would reveal thirty-six ques hanging around the small treasure pagoda that was no taller than half a foot.


    Xie Shi had just sat down, but he immediately stood up again and said to Long Eyebrows in a solemn voice, "Hurry up and kneel down to express your gratitude!"


    Lu Chen didn''t stop the young boy this time, and he allowed Long Eyebrows holding the small treasure pagoda in his arms to dazedly kneel down and earnestly kowtow three times.


    Lu Chen smiled faintly and said, "I know you''re a mild-tempered person, so I don''t need to worry about you picking on other people. This small pagoda can suppress all demons and yin entities under the Upper Five Tiers in the world. It can somewhat be regarded as a pseudo-immortal weapon. However, you need to keep one thing in mind. Ghosts and demons that you can see aren''t necessarily the worst and most evil ones. It''s more likely that wanton demons lurk in the depths of people''s hearts."


    The cheeks and ears of the young boy were bright red, and he loudly replied, "This junior will definitely keep this in mind!"


    Lu Chen appeared aszy and mischievous as always, and he chuckled, "When you master the sword after training with Ruan Qiong for a while, you''ll naturally be a sword cultivator who needs to travel around the world. At that time, you should observe the hearts of people more. The reason I''ve given you this treasure pagoda is so that you don''t need to worry as much about external matters. You can think more about your personal matters. The Buddhists talk about self-cultivation[1], it''s a fairly interesting concept.


    "Oh, that''s right. Xie Shi, remember to find a better minimization treasure for this child. Not trying to hasten his development is a good thing, but seniors shouldn''t be too stingy and cheap either."


    Xie Shi was just about to stand up and ept thismand again.


    Lu Chen chuckled and scoffed, "Do you believe me when I say that I''ll smack you to death with a single p? There''s no end to this, huh?!"


    Xie Shi had no option but to obediently sit down again.


    Lu Chen pondered for a moment before standing up. The smile vanished from his face, and he said in a solemn voice, "Remember to protect Li Xisheng in the future. If anything goes wrong, I''ll return to the Majestic World from the White Jade Capital even if it means breaking the rules on both sides. And if that happens, I''ll hold <em>you</em> responsible!"


    Xie Shi had already been scolded just now, so he didn''t know whether he should stand or sit at this moment.


    Lu Chen pped his forehead andmented, "With a grand-disciple as dumb as you, it''s no wonder that my branch of Daoism isn''t prosperous and thriving."


    Lu Chen looked up and raised an arm, flicking his lotus flower hat with a finger. He smiled and said in a soft voice, "Hey, are you around, Seventy? If you are, then please open the door to see this guest out!"


    Xie Shi''s expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly looked up in the direction of Branch Master Lu''s gaze.


    Even with the vast Dao power of a Dao Master, he still needed to strain his eyes to peer through theyers of clouds. He could only see some slight ripples somece at the top of the sky.


    Lu Chen disappeared in a sh.


    The small door that had opened in the sky immediately mmed shut.


    Lu Chen, one of the three disciples of the Dao Ancestor, silently vanished from the Majestic World just like that. He returned to the Heavenly World.


    Young Daoist Lu Chen''s departure from the Majestic World caused almost no ripple. However, Branch Master Lu Chen''s arrival to the Heavenly World caused a hugemotion  a truly hugemotion.


    This was also beyond the sky, but it was the sky of the Heavenly World ruled over by the Daoist Sect. A giant hole asrge as a mountain appeared in the golden sea of clouds, and a column of golden light as wide as a mountain surged down andnded on top of a building that was more than thirty kilometers tall.


    An old schr with a bamboo cane in his hand and a bookcase on his back walked through the undting mountain ranges in the Heavenly World. Walking beside him was a young schrly attendant he had just taken in. The skinny old schr raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. Looking up, he smiled and said, "By the looks of it, Qi Jingchun has angered him quite a bit."


    "Teacher, who''s Qi Jingchun?" the young boy asked.


    The skinny old man smiled and replied, "He''s a schr from my hometown. He isn''t old, but his knowledge is very profound."


    The young boy''s next question was quite childish, and he asked, "How profound?"


    The skinny old man pondered for a moment before giving a seemingly perfunctory response. "Isn''t there a saying in your hometown? Even floods can''t cover a duck''s back[2]."


    "Then it''s probably not very profound," the young boy mumbled.


    The skinny old manughed heartily and exined, "The true task of a schr isn''t to seek profound and vast knowledge. Instead, a schr should use their knowledge to bring themon people along with them, taking them over mountains and rivers. Apart from giving themselves a peaceful ce to reside, schrs also need to give themon people a peaceful ce to reside. Otherwise, what use will their knowledge be, regardless of how profound it is? It might benefit themselves, but it will fail to benefit the wider world."


    "Teacher, I feel like your reasonings and principles are quite profound," the young boy said in exasperation.


    The skinny old man reached over and flicked the young boy on the forehead. He then started to sigh to himself.


    The young boy was extremely bored. Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to sigh along with his teacher.


    The old man was thinking about his hometown. Right now, thends were probably filled with yellow chrysanthemums already, right?


    Xie Shi had to admit that he felt a huge sense of loss after Lu Chen left the Majestic World. Even so, his mind was evidently more rxed than before.


    In reality, Xie Shi felt very uneasy when Lu Chen was in the small town. If he wasn''t careful and made a mistake, it would be witnessed and remembered by the branch master.


    Xie Shi exhaled softly, and his aura changed drastically. He stood in the courtyard and gazed at the distant ferry station located on Parasol Tree Mountain to the west. In a while, a colossal ship, the best in Complete Reed Continent, would dock there. Several mighty figures renowned throughout the continent would be on the ship.


    Several powerful forces traveled south to jointly investigate the incident regarding the destruction of Ceremony Mountain''s kun ship in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Apart from several grand elders from Ceremony Mountain, there were also powerful cultivators from a few other forces.


    However, only Ceremony Mountain, the weakest of the forces involved, was still in the dark regarding the matter. Xie Shi knew the truth, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan knew the truth, and the two mighty figures on the colossal ship were also well aware.


    Mr. Sword Urn had been the most critical Go piece. He had been on a suicide mission.


    Even in Complete Reed Continent, very few people knew the truth about this itinerant cultivator''s mink fur hat. In fact, it was this mink fur hat that was his immortal tool, the sword urn. While helping him nurture his own flying sword, this immortal tool could also generate countless wisps of sword qi. After umting these wisps for hundreds of years, the sword urn was brimming with sword qi.


    In the end, Mr. Sword Urn had unleashed his full power and sacrificed this immortal tool, which allowed him to deliver a strike that could almost rival the full power strike of a sword cultivator at the Unpolished Jade Tier.


    This had been enough to sink the kun ship from Ceremony Mountain.


    All of this had been done to allow Xie Shi to take the second step without objections. Because of this incident, the Daoist Heavenly Lord from Complete Reed Continent could personally travel to the region north of Lake View Academy and stand guard there. In other words, he couldpletely sever the link between the northern regions and southern regions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. By doing so, he could guarantee no mishaps when the Great Li Empire took advantage of the unstoppable trend to conquer the entire northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Xie Shi patted Long Eyebrow''s shoulder and said, "Follow me."


    The young boy with long eyebrows followed his old ancestor to the Yang Family''s medicine shop. When he walked back out, a so-called minimization treasure was in his possession, as well as a promise from Old Man Yang.


    The price for this was a promise from Heavenly Lord Xie Shi.


    After returning to the small courtyard in the Xie n residence, Xie Shi told the young boy the gist of the incident involving the kun ship.


    After seeing the solemn expression on his old ancestor''s face, Long Eyebrows asked in curiosity, "Old Ancestor, since Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is the smallest continent in Majestic World, what is there to be afraid of when you''re the Dao Master of the muchrger Complete Reed Continent?"


    Xie Shi shook his head and replied with a smile, "Your understanding of the world is far too simple. In the future, I can guarantee you that countless people will mor loudly and use Complete Reed Continent of bullying Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Among these people, more than half of them will be screaming and calling for trouble while standing on the sidelines to enjoy the show. A smaller half of them will be itching to make a move.


    "Among thistter group of people, there''ll be another subgroup of people who will rush over from various different ces for various different reasons. The genuinely powerful cultivators will be hidden among this subgroup of people. For example... people like Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin. Moreover, this subgroup of people will only increase in number as time goes on.


    "However, you don''t need to do anything right now, you simply need to wait and see. In any case, you shouldn''t get involved in this matter before you advance to the Upper Five Tiers of Qi refinement regardless of how things y out. You should peacefully study swordsmanship under Ruan Qiong''s tutge."


    It was as if these things were weighing heavily on Long Eyebrow''s mind. Xie Shi couldn''t help but chuckle and say, "Even if the worst-case scenario ys out, it''s not something that will happen in the short term. What are you worried about?"


    The young boy remained in low spirits. He turned around and walked toward the courtyard door, saying, "Old Ancestor, I''m going to practice my swordsmanship."


    Xie Shi sat beside the stone table by himself. He closed his eyes and rested his mind, and he quietly calcted and analyzed the great trend sweeping through Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Not long after Xie Shi and the young boy left the Yang Family''s medicine shop, Cao Xi paid a visit to the pharmacy as well. The attendants in the shop didn''t pay much attention to him. The small town was flourishing right now, and there were arge number of wealthy people. As such, they weren''t desperate for the patronage of this fat man.


    Cao Xi smiled and asked them whether Old Man Yang was in the backyard. A young shop attendant was collecting medicinal ingredients and weighing them near the medicine cabs, and he took a nce at the obese and wealthy-looking man before tilting his chin toward the bamboo curtains at the back of the shop. He was toozy to even say anything. Cao Xi thanked him and slowly walked over. He pulled the curtains aside and entered the backyard that had arge and square skywell as well as four corridors under the eaves. This was a bit more impressive than his ancestral residence.


    There was a long bench in the corridor opposite to the main building in the backyard, as if this bench was specially prepared for guests like Cao Xi.


    Right now, Old Man Yang was sitting outside the main building, smoking. His bamboo smoking pipe had initially been green, but it was already yellowing and aged now. Through the clouds of smoke, the old man saw the sword immortal who had crossed the sea and arrived from Southern Whirl Continent. The two of them naturally recognized each other.


    Cao Xi hadn''t been young when he had left the small town, but he had very little memory of this old man who always hid behind the medicine shop and observed the situation of the world. On the contrary, Old Man Yang was most definitely well aware of who Cao Xi was. In fact, even Cao Xi''s ability to sessfully leave Jewel Small World back then might have been due to Old Man Yang getting involved.


    Cao Xi naturally wasn''t here to thank the old man. He wasn''t the type of person to reciprocate a drop of kindness with a spring of goodwill. Even if Old Man Yang visited him, Cao Xi might not necessarily acknowledge him. In Jewel Small World  or Dragon Spring Prefecture, as it was now known  everyone had to give some face to Old Man Yang. However, this wasn''t the case for Cao Xi.


    Afterpleting this transaction, he would immediately return to Southern Whirl Continent and shamelessly ask the patriarch of the Yingyin Chen n for remuneration. As such, what did it matter how mysterious Old Man Yang was? What did it matter how influential he would be in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in the future? This had shit all to do with Cao Xi.


    As for the Pir Cao n in the Great Li Empire? It was up to them whether they experienced fortune or cmity in the future. At most, Cao Xi would only provide them with some symbolic help before leaving this ce. It didn''t matter to him whether the emperor of the Great Li Empire appreciated this or not. Cao Xi had countless descendants. Moreover, cultivation wasn''t for the sake of having a lot of offspring and allowing them to enjoy carefree lives. These things were only small rewards.


    Cao Xi''s first question was, "Senior Yang, after all these thousands of years, which person who walked out from Jewel Small World, the smallest of the small worlds, has had the greatest achievement?"


    "And just who do you think you are, little spring onion?" Old Man Yang retorted.


    Cao Xi raised his hand and exposed his white and chubby wrist. There was a green rope tied around his wrist. He chortled withughter and replied, "I do indeed have a spring onion here."


    "Hurry up and spit it out," Old Man Yang snapped.


    Cao Xi lowered his arm and immediately changed his attitude. He rubbed his hands together and said with an obsequious expression, "Senior Yang, this junior has heard that you possess profound mystical powers. Do you perhaps know of the whereabouts of my mother''s soul? Has it vanished beside her tomb? Or has she entered the cycle of reincarnation? Or perhaps... you secretly took it away? Perhaps you''re waiting to sell it for a high price?"


    Old Man Yang ignored the hidden killing intent transpiring from thetter half of the terrestrial sword immortal''s words. "You want to buy it from me? As long as you can afford them, I can even return your father''s soul to you, to say nothing of your mother''s soul," he replied directly.


    Cao Xi roared withughter and pointed at the old man. He tapped his finger in the air several times and said, "Senior Yang, you are truly a straightforward person. Very well, very well! This trip hasn''t been a waste of my time! Haha, if we''re speaking of purchasing things, then I wonder exactly how much your life is worth!"


    "You''re wee to do business with me," Old Man Yang replied in a calm voice. "However, if you''re unwilling to pay up aftering here, then I suggest that you piss off before you piss <em>me</em> off."


    Cao Xi narrowed his eyes. He lightly rubbed his thumb and index finger together, on both hands.


    His posture appeared extremely strange andical. However, he was radiating with killing intent.


    Facing this killing intent... Old Man Yang waspletely unfazed.


    1. The original term here () is an old Chinese idiom referring to people who only take care of themselves and don''t care about external matters. It''s themon way of the Theravada branch of Buddhism, whereby one seeks to be an Arhat and be free from samsara, while the Mahayana branch might choose to stay within the cycle of reincarnation to help others.


    2. In a literal sense, this means that water can''t drown ducks because ducks can swim. In a symbolic sense, it means that hardships can''t defeat a person because of their profound abilities.

 Chapter 235: (2): Yellow Chrysanthemums in My Hometown

    Chapter 235: (2): Yellow Chrysanthemums in My Hometown


    Cao Xiughed loudly and said, "We can indeed do business, I mean, doing business with others has always been my favorite thing. However, I dearly hope that you won''t ask for too high a price, Senior. Otherwise, I definitely won''t buy anything. Perhaps you aren''t too familiar with the type of person I am, so let me exin this to you. For the sake of cultivation, I''m even willing to sell my own sons or grandsons. However, I''m quite well off now, and I''ve returned to my hometown with money and glory. I somewhat miss my parents after seeing the buildings in the small town, and that''s why I feel a small urge to act on my feelings of nostalgia."


    "There''s a young girl called Li Liu. She went to Complete Reed Continent in the north with her parents," Old Man Yang said slowly. "The souls of your parents are in her possession now. If you''re willing to make a fair transaction, then I''ll be willing to do business with you as well. I guarantee that everything will go smoothly. At that time, your parents'' souls will be returned to you with their whiskers and tails fully intact.


    "Of course, you can also go back on your word and attempt to forcefully snatch the souls of your parents. If that''s the case, then you can turn around and leave now. You''ll be fully responsible for what happens in the future."


    There was a wry smile on Cao Xi''s face as he replied, "Whiskers and tails... Senior Yang, your figure of speech is far too unpleasant. Alright, name your price."


    Old Man Yang used his smoking pipe to point at Cao Xi''s wrist.


    Cao Xi was enraged, and he eximed, "What the heck? You want me to give my bonded flying sword to that Li Liu?! Old Man Yang, have you gone crazy?"


    Old Man Yang shot a sideways nce at him and continued, "You''ve always kept the other flying sword that you had before refining this great river, correct? You can give that flying sword to Li Liu. Remember to teach her the sword technique as well."


    There was a dark expression on Cao Xi''s face.


    Cao Xi chuckled coldly and said, "Don''t feel like you''re suffering a loss. You''ve never taken a good disciple in your life, so I''m essentially giving you one for free right now. Perhaps everyone will say this when they mention you in the future  Oh, Cao Xi? You mean Li Liu''s master?"


    Cao Xi was slightly intrigued by this. He rubbed his hands together and clicked his tongue in wonder, asking, "The girl is this powerful?"


    Old Man Yang pursed his lips and replied, "Why, look for her and find out! I''m sure that you''ll be extremely willing to hand your flying sword over to her when you see her."


    "Then it''s a deal! If I want to gamble, then I''ll take a big gamble. Only a big gamble can live up to Great Sword Immortal Cao''s name!" Cao Xi pped his thigh and eximed.


    He then lowered his voice slightly and asked, "Is there anything else apart from this? Are there any other transactions we can make?"


    "Your father''s soul," Old Man Yang replied calmly.


    Cao Xi was taken aback. However, he immediately rolled his eyes and said, "Forget about it. I wouldn''t want it even if <em>you</em> paid me to take it."


    Old Man Yang started to exhale puffs of smoke again. "If you don''t want it, then you don''t want it. Let''s consider something else. Look for True Martial Mountain''s Ma Kuxuan and be his Dao guardian. Look after him for the next ten years."


    Cao Xi put on a fake smile and replied, "A sword immortal who has the potential to reach the 12th tier acting as the Dao guardian of a young child?! I don''t care much about my face, and I am indeed renowned for my shamelessness in Southern Whirl Continent. However, I still care about this amount of face!"


    "I can allow Cao Jun to join the army of the Great Li Empire and temper his sword heart on the battlefield. I can ask someone to protect him in secret for twenty years, all the way until his sword heart is fully healed," Old Man Yang said in a solemn voice.


    Cao Xi''s expression turned serious.


    "Don''t try to push your luck," Old Man Yang scoffed. "Which is more important  your face, or an additional terrestrial sword immortal in your n?


    There was a troubled expression on Cao Xi''s face, and he replied, "Cao Jun is clearly an ungrateful brat. If he bes a terrestrial sword immortal in the future, then won''t he try to overthrow me? Having two sword immortals in a single n will indeed allow us to stand up straight and be proud people no matter where we are. Oh, no, I should say ''proud immortals.'' But really, who knows whether that brat will seek revenge on me in the future..."


    Old Man Yangpletely ignored this and said, "Anyway, when Cao Jun bes a terrestrial sword immortal, he has to promise me one thing. Rest assured, I won''t tell him to die or whatever. This task won''t be too difficult for Cao Jun at that time."


    Cao Xi was slightly puzzled. "Senior Yang, why don''t you look for Cao Jun yourself and discuss this with him? Perhaps there are some other schemes and considerations? The two of us can be considered fellow townsmen, so you shouldn''t screw me over even if we don''t shed tears of emotion upon seeing each other, right?"


    "Cao Jun doesn''t have the right to do business with me now. But you do," Old Man Yang replied bluntly.


    Cao Xi was rendered speechless.


    When he finally left the Yang Family''s medicine shop, Cao Xi stood on the street and nced back at the pharmacy. "That old man Chen Chun''an wouldn''t have predicted these matters as well, would he?" he murmured to himself.


    y Vase Alley.


    It waste at night, and a wealthy-looking young boy in brocade robes dazedly sat in a courtyard.


    Before the cultivator from the School of Naturalists was killed by his imperial uncle, Song Changjing, in the capital, he had once visited him and had a shocking discussion with him.


    In fact, the old man had even revealed his huge scheme against the emperor of the Great Li Empire. He had persuaded the emperor to cultivate in secret, thereby breaking the rules established by the Confucian sages. Not only had the emperor reached the Middle Five Tiers in secret, but he had even continued upward and advanced to the 10th tier without much difficulty.


    The emperor had chosen this path in the hopes that he could see the Great Li Empire conquer the entire continent. Meanwhile, the Naturalist cultivator had enacted this scheme so he could transform the emperor, Song Jixin''s father, into an obedient puppet. When the emperor of the Great Li Empire officially entered seclusion to advance to the Upper Five Tiers, that would be the moment he lost his sentience and transformed into a puppet.


    However, A''Liang''s arrival had shattered the emperor''s bridge of immortality. At the same time, it was extremely likely that the emperor had noticed some traces and clues when his bridge of immortality had shattered. The traps hidden inside his bridge of immortality had most likely been exposed.


    Even though the emperor had concealed his emotions extremely well on the za outside the White Jade Capital, he ultimately hadn''t imagined that the cultivator had tampered with his son''s body as well.


    No matter what, A''Liang''s punch hadpletely ruined the intricate n of the Naturalist cultivator. This was a n that his branch of Naturalists had carefully put together and executed for dozens of years.


    Even so, things were far from over.


    Right now, Song Jixin was feeling extremely solemn as he recalled those words.


    "What''s wrong, Young Master? Is there something weighing on your mind?" Zhi Gui walked over and asked.


    Song Jixin turned around and replied with a smile, "No, I''m just unable to fall asleep."


    Zhi Gui nodded and carried a stool over to sit next to Song Jixin.


    "The moon is bright and the view is good, so why don''t we take a little stroll?" Song Jixin suddenly suggested.


    "Alright, I''ll listen to you, Young Master," Zhi Gui replied in azy voice.


    They were still master and servant, and they walked through the streets and alleys of the small town together. When they arrived next to the stone table behind the old private school where Mr. Qi had taught in the past, Song Jixin reached over and ran his hand over the ice-cold surface of the Go table. He had sat on the north seat every time, while Zhao Yao had sat on the south seat every time. Back then, he hadn''t understood why this was. Now that everything was clear, however, he finally understood the reason behind this. Song Jixin smiled and said, "I wonder how Zhao Yao is doing right now."


    Zhi Gui became quieter than usual after arriving here.


    Afterward, the two of them continued to stroll around without purpose. They walked to wherever their hearts took them.


    The iron chain had already been removed from the Iron Lock Well by a man from the outside. This iron chain was also a fated opportunity for immortals.


    The ck cat from Apricot Blossom Alley had seemingly left the small town with that quiet retard Ma Kuxuan.


    The old sword de under the covered bridge  which had been torn down to reveal the stone arch bridge again  had also vanished without a trace.


    It was also rumored that Sage Ruan Qiong was soon going to found his own sect on one of hisrge mountains. This was sure to be a grand event. The Great Li Empire''s Ministry of Rites treated this as the most important event for the tail end of spring, and they spent many resources and much effort to organize the ceremony.


    The two neighboring shops in Dragon Riding Alley, the Burclover shop and the pastry shop, had both been bought by an owner with the surname Chen. This was truly astonishing. After all, almost everyone with the surname Chen in the small town was a ve or servant of the Four Families and Ten ns.


    The constructions of the new Wenchang pavilion and martial sage temple were alreadyplete. They were located at the immortal tomb and the mountain of porcin, and they honored the old ancestors of the Yuan n and the Cao n, respectively. They were the "two jade pendants" who had brought renewed prosperity to the Great Li Empire, and it could be said that they had been returned to their hometown now.


    There were many couplets written by famous schrs and literati. In fact, even renowned schrs and literati from the distant Southern Stream Nation personally wrote couplets and sent them over. Their brush strokes were powerful and fearless.


    Song Jixin pursed his lips outside the temple honoring the sages. "Hah, upright and fearless."


    In the end, the prince of the Great Li Empire turned around to gaze at the tall mountains in the distant west. He was looking in the direction of Downtrodden Mountain.


    There was a mountain god temple with few worshippers and few incense offerings there.


    As the young boy gazed at the distant Downtrodden Mountain, a downcast expression appeared on his face. He seemed weary.


    Besides the grand temple that honored the formal god of Northern Mountain on Cloud Drape Mountain, there were also many ordinary mountain god temples on the tall mountains in the west. Among them, the mountain god temple on Cool Wind Mountain enjoyed the most worshippers and incense offerings. This was because it was located close to the prefectural city of Dragon Spring Prefecture.


    Moreover, it also had the widest and most even mountain path, making it fairly easy to visit. There were also tea shops and restaurants along the way, as well as small andrge inns for worshippers to stay in. These shops and inns popped up one after another like bamboo shoots after spring rain.


    There was a marketce at the foot of the mountain, and all kinds of tea, liquor, snacks, flowers, and pets were sold at this ce. There was everything that one could wish for. In fact, many children in the small town would be ecstatic when they heard that their parents were going to the mountains to offer incense. They would almost be as happy as they were during the New Year.


    This was because there were fragrant and fresh pancakes with meat fillings, old men making miniature y figurines, and so on. The New Year''s money of many children would secretly apany them to this marketce. After having heaps of fun there, the children would often be severely reprimanded and punished by their parents after returning home.


    A young boy called Dong Shuijing also owned a stall here. He only sold wontons.


    Shrimp, spring bamboo shoots, and tofu were all incredibly vorful. After sprinkling on some chopped spring onions and adding a bit of his homemade chili sauce, the wontons would truly be as delicious as could be.


    The young boy had initially been studying at the new private school set up by the Dragon Tail Creek Chen n. However, he had suddenly dropped out of school for some unknown reason, even though it was free. He sold one of the two old estates in the small town, and he used the money to purchaserge new estates in the new prefectural city. The new estate was only a few kilometers from Cool Wind Mountain.


    His wonton shop would open from early morning until evening, and there wouldn''t be a fixed closing time. As long as there were still customers, Dong Shuijing would wait for them to finish eating no matter howte it was. Only after that would he pack up his stall and wheel it home.


    There was no longer a night curfew in the prefectural city, so there were bustling scenes and big crowds everywhere one went. If one gazed at the prefectural city from the mountain god temple atop Cool Wind Mountain at nighttime, it would seem as if there were countlessrgenterns resting on thend.


    On this night, the tall and solidly built young boy was already preparing to pack up his wonton stall. He was about to return home.


    However, a strange man unexpectedly walked over from the distance. He seemed to be a swordsman, but his sword wasn''t by his hip or on his back; it was hung by his belt behind his back. He walked over to the stall and asked with a smile, "Stall boss, are you still selling wontons?"


    Dong Shuijing grinned and replied, "Yes, of course! However, I need to boil some water first. Please wait for a while."


    The man smiled and sat down beside a table. The table was wiped clean, without a single stain or drop of oil on it. There was also a handmade bamboo holder filled with long and slender bamboo chopsticks. As it turned out, this young stall owner was also a dexterous craftsman.


    The man received arge bowl of steaming wontons. There were spring onions floating on top of the red soup, and just the look of them was enticing and mouth-watering. Dong Shuijing asked him if he could eat spicy food, and the man replied that the spicier the better. Hearing this, the young boy handed him arge te of chili sauce.


    The man grabbed a pair of chopsticks. He was in no hurry to eat, and he lowered his head and closed his eyes to take in the fragrance of the wontons first. He clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "This is the smell!"


    He then casually asked, "Do you know about the Mohist Sect?"


    Dong Shuijing nodded and replied, "Of course I do. My teacher mentioned them before, he said that the Mohist teaching used to be one of the four great teachings. As such, the Mohist teaching is naturally very impressive. However, learning Mohist theory is difficult, and abiding by Mohist principles is even more difficult. This is a huge test of one''s character. Moreover, there''s also a bigger risk of splitting hairs and going down dead ends. Teacher described the Mohist Sect as... kind of adorable."


    Dong Shuijing scratched his head upon saying this. There was an innocent smile on his face, and he added, "It was my teacher who said this."


    The man chewed on a wonton and earnestly nodded. "Such a good description!"


    He then asked, "Then have you heard about the saber-lending cultivators[1] among traveling Mohist cultivators before?"


    Dong Shuijing shook his head with a nk expression.


    Mr. Qi had never mentioned this before.


    The man put down his chopsticks and patted his belly. He exhaled heavily and appeared extremely rxed at this moment. He smiled and asked, "Then do you want to be a saber-lending cultivator?"


    Dong Shuijing''s pupils contracted slightly, but they quickly returned to normal. He smiled and shook his head, replying, "Selling wontons is quite good. I can make money, and it''s also very peaceful."


    Back then, he, Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Li Huai, and Shi Chunjia, five students from the private school, had tricked the driver of the horse carriage who was actually a spy from the Great Li Empire. Even though Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi hade up with the n, all of them had been forced to give a perfect performance. Otherwise, all of their efforts would have been wasted if someone had slipped up. Naturally, none of these five children who had eventually be Qi Jingchun''s direct disciples were simple people.


    Take, for example, Dong Shuijing. He was still young, but he was already smart enough to seek out Ruan Xiu and ask her to sell the old estate in the small town for him. After selling it for an exorbitant price, he quickly went to the prefectural city to buyrge new estates. He didn''t buy a single estate, but an entire street!


    Money had fallen from the sky, and there were many ways to use this money. One could use money to earn more money.


    When it came to small amounts of money used for survival, however, it was a different matter altogether. In this case, a penny saved was a penny earned. These two ideas didn''t conflict with each other.


    The man waved his hand and said with a faint smile, "Don''t be in a hurry to answer this question. If you''re wondering why I''m choosing you, Dong Shuijing... I''ve already observed you for quite a long time. You''re not the best in each area, but you don''t have any issues in any area either. This is already good enough."


    Dong Shuijing felt slightly exasperated, and he asked, "You are?"


    The man didn''t conceal his identity. "My name is Xu Ruo, and I''m a Mohist disciple from Middle Earth Divine Continent. I''m naturally not a saber-lending cultivator, but a very good friend of mine asked me to promise him something before he died. He asked me to find a suitable disciple for him, one that could inherit his lineage.


    "He was the previous patriarch of the saber-lending cultivators in Mohist Sect, and he was a very powerful person. He drank with A''Liang many times, and he paid for the wine every time. While A''Liang was traveling around Middle Earth Divine Continent, A''Liang left a trail of debt in his wake. It was again this good friend of mine who helped pay them off."


    "Who''s A''Liang?" the young boy asked.


    "The son of the mortal enemy of your teacher''s teacher," Xu Ruo replied.


    "What?!"


    Dong Shuijing waspletely stupefied. What in the world was going on?


    Xu Ruo stood up and said, "I''ll visit againter. Have a good think about what I said."


    "Hang on a second!" Dong Shuijing suddenly called.


    The man smiled faintly and said, "I''ll put this bowl of wonton on credit first. Perhaps when you agree to be a saber-lending cultivator in the future..."


    "How can I ept this? Since I''m doing business, even brothers should keep clear ounts," Dong Shuijing insisted.


    Xu Ruo nodded and took out a few copper coins, saying, "Haha, you truly have the temperament of a saber-lending cultivator."


    He strode away under the soft glow of sunset.


    Dong Shuijing sat down and looked at the disappearing figure of the traveling Mohist cultivator. He raised an arm and wiped the sweat from his forehead.


    He hadn''t mustered his courage to ask for the copper coins because he was stubborn and pedantic. Dong Shuijing wasn''t a naive and rash person. Instead, he had done this to probe the character of the man in a very crude and basic manner.


    Dong Shuijing quietly sat beside the table in a daze. He was motionless, and he didn''t feel a sense of wild joy as if a huge fortune had descended from the heavens. He was instead feeling a little lost.


    The young boy didn''t like this kind of feeling.


    In reality, he wasn''t a very ambitious person. He simply wanted to earn some money to guarantee himself afortable life with enough clothes and food. He wanted a well in his estate, and he wanted a willow tree next to this well. Each spring, he hoped to see tender green shoots sprouting from the willow tree. When the breeze blew over, he wanted to see the willow branches swaying back and forth. This would be... very adorable.


    1. This is a reference to knife-lending merchants, a mysterious group of people from folk legends. These people didn''t sell their knives and only lent them, and they would offer profound prophecies while doing so. They would receive payment after the prophecies came true.

 Chapter 236: Theres Always a Taller Mountain

    Chapter 236: There''s Always a Taller Mountain


    It was a secluded ce, and it was also a dark and windy night. This was the best time to kill people and steal goods. At the same time, it was also the best time to y demons and eliminate fiends. The oue was dependent on who was more powerful. Were the cultivators more skilled, or were the demons more vicious?


    Pleasant chatter and silveryughter traveled over to the rundown temple in Water Combing Nation. In the end, there was knocking on the front door. The big-bearded martial artist nced at Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng before teasing, "Which of you is going to open the door to wee our guests? If I go, I''m afraid that I''ll frighten these female spirits. At that time, what will we do if they turn around and flee without saying a word?"


    Zhang Shanfeng patted his chest and said, "This Daoist priest is slightly more handsome than Chen Ping''an, so..."


    Liu Chicheng was woken up by the chiming of the demon-detecting bell, and he was still muddle-headed and barely awake. Upon hearing the phrase "female spirits", he immediately thought of the fox spirits and beautiful ghosts from the supernatural tales.


    This instantly filled him with courage, and he hurriedly crawled up and shouted, "I''ll go, I''ll go! The ghosts and spirits from the tales are most fond of feeble schrs like me. All three of you are carrying sabers and swords, so I''m definitely the most suitable candidate since I''m unarmed.


    "However, let me say this first. If we encounter good spirits, then let''s treat them in a friendly manner. If they''re willing to spend a lovely night with me, then don''t try to stop me from apanying them. If we encounter bad fiends who want to eat our livers, however, then you guys have to save me!"


    Liu Chicheng giddily ran over to open the door. A strong gust of wind whooshed in, mming into the schr and forcing him to close his eyes. Afterward, he felt a fragrance waft past him as two silvery voices sounded beside him. A silk sleeve brushed over his face as well, and it felt incredibly delicate and smooth. Liu Chicheng was slightly intoxicated. He hurriedly closed the door.


    When the mountain wind finally subsided, he turned around and saw three beautiful women. Two of them smiled sweetly and ran toward the campfire where Xu Yuanxia and the others were sitting. Their figures were shapely, and just looking at them from behind caused Liu Chicheng''s heart to flutter.


    There was also a slightly younger woman, and she was dressed in a light pink dress and wearing a pair of embroidered satin shoes. She timidly stood in front of Liu Chicheng and nervously pinched her dress with her fingers. Compared to her bold and beautiful big sisters, Liu Chicheng found her to be especially adorable and attractive.


    The big-bearded martial artist was sitting cross-legged and drinking wine. The two bold women walked over, and their low-cut cors revealedrge swathes of their delicate white skin. The bashful Daoist priest flushed a slight shade of red when he saw this.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was attending to the campfire. He shifted the branches around and continued to add more in. The dry branches burned and continued to release crisp crackling sounds.


    The two beautiful women with deep valleys between their breasts quickly chose their targets. There was deep emotion in their eyes as one sat beside the young Daoist priest and one sat beside Chen Ping''an. Xu Yuanxia was already opening his arms, yet his movements quickly froze when he saw this. He faltered for a moment, and he started to drink again to disguise his awkwardness.


    The enchanting woman next to Zhang Shanfeng ced a hand on her cor in a seemingly reserved manner. It was as if she were trying to cover her exposed skin. In reality, however, she lightly pressed down and caused her clothes to hug her breasts even tighter. Her breasts looked like they were about to burst out. She nudged the young Daoist priest with her shoulder and asked in a sweet voice, "Oh my, young Daoist priest. You''re even carrying a wooden sword on your back? Is this a legendary peach wood sword? Why don''t you pull it out to show big sister how long it is?"


    Zhang Shanfeng flushed bright red. He didn''t dare to reply.


    The woman snuggling up to Chen Ping''an had a sharp chin and seductive eyebrows. She extended her slender hands and said in a gentle and mellow voice, "Young Master, my sisters and I encountered strong mountain winds while we were traveling at night, and this caused my small hands to be ice-cold. Young Master, if you don''t believe me, why don''t you touch them to see?"


    Chen Ping''an pointed at the campfire and said with a smile, "Miss, if your hands are cold, why don''t you warm them up by the fire? It won''t take long for you to get warm."


    The young woman in the light pink dress didn''t join in on the conversations. Instead, she squatted in front of the campfire by herself. Her head was lowered, and she reached her hands over to warm them up. Liu Chicheng sat down beside her and actively tried to get familiar with her, asking with a smile, "Young miss, are you and your sisters from Water Combing Nation?"


    The young woman nodded in reply. She looked up with trembling eyshes, and she looked like she wanted to speak. However, she couldn''t help but hesitate.


    The big-bearded martial artist shot a sideways nce at the young woman''s embroidered satin shoes. He then looked at the two seductive women and chuckled, "Apart from the small amount of dirt on her feet, how did you both manage to remain so spotless after traveling across so many mountain paths? You''re not mountain ghosts and spirits, are you?


    "If that''s the case, then the four of us are truly in big trouble. When the timees, we''ll have no option but to beg the two of you for a quick and painless death. However, dying at the hands of two beautiful women is also a fairly elegant fate. Hehe, what do you say, big sisters?"


    Liu Chicheng chuckled and remarked, "These two big sisters are so stunningly beautiful, so how can they possibly be ghosts or spirits? Appearances are born from the mind, so this is simply impossible. Taking 10,000 steps back, even if these two big sisters are truly ghosts, they''re definitely good ghosts who only perform good deeds. Why don''t we recite poems and drink tonight?


    "Even though yin and yang have different paths, this chance encounter between humans and ghosts is still worth some celebration and drinks. Only that will make this an elegant and refined encounter. Isn''t that right, big sisters? When we drink in a while, please don''t reveal your ghostly attributes by ident. Otherwise, that will ruin the beauty of the moment."


    The two enchanting women exchanged a smile. They had hunted people for a hundred or so years here, yet this was the first time they hade across such a simple-minded person. Was he daring because of his incredible power? Or was he naive because of his inexperience? Perhaps he waspletely oblivious to the viciousness of ghosts and fiends in the mountains and rivers?


    One of them covered their mouth and giggled, while one of them directly clutched their stomach and chortled withughter. Her body rocked back and forth, causing her breasts to bounce up and down. Standing opposite her, Liu Chicheng gulped when he saw this.


    The young woman suddenly looked up with a deathly pale face and shrieked, "Hurry up and run! They''re..."


    The beautiful woman covering her mouth and giggling suddenly became serious. Sheshed out with a hand, striking the young woman''s forehead and causing her to copse backward onto the ground. There was a bright red welt on her forehead.


    Liu Chicheng was given a huge fright.


    At almost exactly the same time, Zhang Shanfeng put two fingers together to form a sword seal. The peach wood sword on his back instantly flew out, rapidly drawing an arc in the air before directly piercing the back of the beautiful woman who hadshed out.


    The beautiful woman copsed to the ground after being stabbed by the peach wood sword. However, no blood flowed from her body, and it was as if the peach wood sword shrouded in spiritual light had simply pierced into empty clothes.


    The womans face and body contorted severely. It was clear that she wasn''t a spirit who had cultivated a human form. Instead, she was a ghost or a simr entity who didn''t possess a physical body. ck smoke rose from the female ghost, and she continued to struggle in an attempt to flee from this area. However, she couldn''t break free from the restriction of the peach wood sword that was impaled into the ground no matter what. It was as if she were a chained beast.


    Zhang Shanfeng recited a spell, causing the spiritual glow on the peach wood sword to be increasingly brilliant. The female ghost was no longer able to maintain her human form.


    A sh of saber aura sted over. As it turned out, the big-bearded martial artist had also drawn his saber in a ferocious manner. His saber shed through the mes of the campfire, and countless streams of fire danced across his de like soaring fire dragons. He was like an immortal tempering his divine weapon.


    Xu Yuanxia shed down, obliterating all of the ck smoke formed by the female ghost whose soul had been ensnared by Zhang Shanfeng''s peach wood sword. The ck smoke immediately dissolved uponing into contact with the saber brimming with a powerful aura. The female ghost''s ear-piercing shrieks of agony echoed throughout the old temple.


    Xu Yuanxia turned around, and was left feeling slightly ashamed by what he saw.


    Chen Ping''an was holding the neck of the female ghost in one hand and punching her in the gut with the other. The female ghost was already in a dire state, with little ck smoke remaining in her body.


    They had both annihted a female ghost, but Chen Ping''an''s actions were truly silent and deadly. He was ruthless, and he was showing no mercy even toward such a beautiful woman.


    Liu Chicheng wasn''t stupid, and he had no time to worry about protecting the beautiful young woman. He was on the verge of wetting himself as he ran away from the young woman and navigated around the campfire, eventually arriving behind Chen Ping''an and the others.


    The young woman struggled to sit up, and she was close to tears as she sobbed, "Hurry up and run, our mama[1] will arrive soon..."


    Just as she finished speaking, the demon-detecting bell shook violently again. A strong gust of yin wind sted the door open, and a wisp of chilly mountain wind directly mmed into the young woman''s back, causing her to spit blood. Her slender body was sent flying past the campfire, and she was forced to stumble toward the young Daoist priest and the big-bearded martial artist.


    Xu Yuanxia hurriedly put his saber away, lest he injure the innocent young woman. However, a sly smile suddenly spread across the young woman''s face at this moment. Her hands shot forward and jabbed at Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng''s chests several times. While doing this, she also borrowed the opposing momentum to jump back slightly andnd in the fire. She used her embroidered satin shoes to y around with the raging mes, yet the scorching hot firewood and the flickering mes were unable to injure her at all.


    She paid no more heed to the frozen Daoist priest and martial artist. However, she stepped forward to kick the peach wood sword and send it flying away. A faint ck scorch mark appeared on her embroidered satin shoe when it came into contact with the wooden sword.


    The young woman peered down and focused her gaze on the young boy, the only person who could still fight. There was an amused smile on her face, and she said, "If you''re willing to flee, then I can allow you to go free."


    Gusts of cold and eerie wind howled past the door. At the same time, several men and women with ghostly auras materialized and looked toward the young woman inside the temple with fervent expressions. There were ck banners in their hands, and they loudly eximed, "Mama''s powers are unparalleled and evesting!"


    Chen Ping''an stood up straight and asked, "Are you a human or a ghost?"


    The so-called mama who was in the form of a young woman smiled eerily and replied, "The human heart is full of evil ghosts. The human heartes first, and the evil ghostseter. From this, the human heart is slightly more terrifying. I''ve lived in this ce in Water Combing Nation for 200 years, and my specialty dish after all these years is called the stir-fry heart. The heart must be freshly plucked, and I also need to add lots of spices. Otherwise, the heart will taste too earthy, and who likes that?


    "However, there are also some exceptions. An old Daoist priest passed by this ce a few years ago, and he managed to kill a few obedient maidservants of mine with his powerful cultivation. That Daoist priest had a top-notch heart. It was a rare delicacy. The four of you are also quite powerful, so I wonder what your hearts will taste like? I suppose they won''t taste too bad. After all, the physiques and souls of cultivators are ultimately superior to those of mortals..."


    Suddenly, somece extremely far away from the old temple, the voice of an old man clearly echoed. "A suitable day for swinging a sword, isn''t it?"


    The young woman''s expression changed drastically.


    shes of sword light burst across the front door, separating the heads of the ghosts and yin entities from their bodies. Naturally, being beheaded meant nothing whatsoever to a ghost. However, these ghosts and yin entities who dominated the region appeared as weak as mortals under the attacks of the sword light. After being beheaded, they had no chance of recovering and surviving.


    It wasn''t long before an old man in ck stepped through the door. His expression was in, and an empty sword scabbard was hanging by his waist. Meanwhile, an unsheathed sword floated beside him. Its bronze de was filled with cracks, and there wasn''t a single lick of sword qi or spiritual light flowing over it. However, the rusty sword still radiated a formless might as it quietly hovered beside the old man.


    Pure sword qi, brimming sword intent, and fearsome sword skills.


    When traveling around the world, there would always be a taller mountain[2].


    The young woman was clearly aware of this old man''s identity. Her fingernails became as long as hooks, and she arched her back as she stared at the old man in ck.


    "Song Yushao, as someone from the cultivation world, are you truly going to make enemies of the four evil spirits of Water Combing Nation?!" she shouted. "Are you not afraid of us joining forces to destroy your Sword Water Vi?!"


    The old man remained calm and unfazed as he looked at the powerful and notorious demonic cultivator from Water Combing Nation. Hearing this threat, which was nothing more than the ghost trying to look tough, he simply tilted his head.


    "Are you an idiot?"


    1. This isn''t referring to mama in the literal sense. It''s referring to a senior and respected woman of high status.


    2. Referring to a more powerful person.

 Chapter 237: (1): Lesser Heat Has Passed, but the Spring Wind Remains

    Chapter 237: (1): Lesser Heat Has Passed, but the Spring Wind Remains


    There was a dark expression on the face of the female fiend who looked like a young woman. "Song Yushao, do you insist on fighting with me today?"


    The old man in ck fished out an old almanac from his robes. He flipped to a certain page and ced his finger somewhere, murmuring to himself, "A suitable day for fasting, a suitable day for seeking wealth."


    Song Yushao put the almanac away and returned his ancient bronze sword to its scabbard. He extended a hand toward the young woman and said, "I''ll allow you to sacrifice wealth to avert cmity."


    The young woman was well aware of this strange old man''s rules, so she immediately retrieved a yellow jade copper coin from her sleeve. The characters "end of plum rain and beginning of scorching summer" were engraved on its front side, and the characters "thunder rumbling across heaven''s peak" were engraved on its backside. These types of jade coins were simr to snowke coins, in the sense that both were currencies used by immortals from the mountains.


    The jade coin in the young woman''s hand wasmonly known as a lesser heat coin[1]. Lesser heat coins were far more valuable than snowke coins; the difference between the two was like the difference between silver taels and copper coins.


    She lightly tossed the lesser heat coin toward Song Yushao. However, she didn''t make any more threats. She instead smiled sweetly and said, "It was through blows that we became acquainted with each other, so I hope you won''t turn me away when I visit your Sword Water Vi in the future."


    The old man in ck was expressionless as he caught the lesser heat coin and put it away. He made no attempt to stop the young woman as she transformed into a cloud of ckish-green smoke and slowly drifted away from the abandoned temple.


    The sword grandmaster called Song Yushao flicked his fingers and released several wisps of arrow-like wind, striking several acupoints on the chests of Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng. The two of them had been tricked and immobilized by the female fiend just then, and with their acupoints seals, they were unable to move or speak.


    Given enough time, they could have broken through these seals by themselves. However, until that happened, Chen Ping''an would have been forced to fight against the young woman by himself.


    This was the first time Zhang Shanfeng had experienced the acupoint sealing techniques of an elite cultivator from outside the mountains. He started to breathe deeply, trying to get rid of the strong sense of difort he was feeling.


    Xu Yuanxia was a top-notch pure martial artist to begin with, so he couldn''t help but flush bright red with embarrassment after suffering this major slip-up. He cupped fists his fists at the old man and said, "Thank you for your help, Sword Saint Song!"


    The old man in ck was an entric person, and hepletely ignored the big-bearded martial artist''s words of gratitude. He directly walked over to the campfire and sat down with his legs crossed. He ced his sword across his knees and closed his eyes to rest.


    Upon seeing this, Xu Yuanxia lowered his voice and roughly exined Song Yushao''s background to Zhang Shanfeng and Chen Ping''an.


    In the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent  actually in the dozen or so nations near Colorful Garment Nation  there were four sword grandmasters extremely well renowned. There was a sword god in Colorful Garment Nation, but he had already left the cultivation world and lived in seclusion in the mountains for 30-odd years. People praised his sword skills as godly, and his sword was called Illuminating Sun.


    However, a nightmarish piece of news had spread aroundtely, iming that the old sword god had died at the hands of someone seeking vengeance. This had sent tumultuous waves through the surrounding cultivation world. Everyone was feeling uneasy.


    Then there was the old man in ck sitting in front of them right now. He was the previous vi master of Water Combing Nation''s Sword Water Vi, and someone with a very strange temperament. He was one generation younger than Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god, and he enjoyed the honorable title of sword saint. His sword was called Iron Water. He was also the founder of Sword Water Vi, thergest force outside the mountains in Water Combing Nation. The current vi master was his eldest grandson, someone who was also very impressive with the sword.


    Meanwhile, an extremely famous sword paragon had burst onto the scene in Ancient Elm Nation. He possessed incredible destructive power, but his martial ethics were truly as terrible as could be. He was a wandering cultivator with no permanent residence, and he hadn''t founded his own force either. He always traveled around by himself. However, it was rumored that he had a fairly good rtionship with the emperor of Ancient Elm Nation. His sword was called Green Jewel.


    Finally, there was the youngest prodigy from Pine Stream Nation. This person had given himself the title Green Bamboo Sword Immortal.


    These four sword grandmasters were like dazzling stars shining brightly in the skies above Colorful Garment Nation and the dozen or so surrounding nations. Even the immortal forces from the mountains didn''t dare to underestimate them.


    Song Yushao suddenly opened his eyes and chuckled coldly, saying, "Stop sneaking around! Show yourself!"


    The old man venerated as a sword saint drew his bronze sword and casually shed down in the direction of the deity altar in the temple. A wave of dazzling sword qi suddenly burst forth andpletely annihted the already decrepit deity altar. A pretty but skinny young girl was revealed. Her hands were wrapped around her head, as if to protect herself.


    When this strange young girl appeared, Zhang Shanfeng''s demon-detecting bell started to softly chime again.


    When it came to the cultivation methods of spirits, demons, ghosts, and yin entities, almost all of them were unorthodox and heretical. If these beings didn''t possess a powerful cultivation base, they would often be easily detected by demon-detecting bells.


    It was because of this that demon-detecting bells were a necessity for Qi refiners, with only the Bai Ze Album being superior to it. They were highly valued and used by everyone. Before advancing to the fourth tier of martial arts, Xu Yuanxia had also possessed a simr demon-detecting bell as a form of defense and warning.


    Right now, most of Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng''s attention was focused on the young girl.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was amazed by the old man''s sword strike. The young boy also wanted to practice the sword, but he was still unable to find the figurative entrance to this path. Song Yushao''s sword strike appeared casual and rxed, and he had seemingly unleashed a huge wave of sword qi with a simple sweep of his arm. The wave of sword qi was unstoppable, and it was like a thundering waterfall crushing everything in its path.


    Liu Chicheng had be abnormally quiet after the female fiend hadshed out at them. He was squatting beside the campfire and silently warming his hands with his head lowered.


    "This is a pure Buddhist temple, so how can measly demons like you be allowed to sully it?!"


    There was a cold and stiff expression on Song Yushao''s face as he flicked his wrist. The tip of his bronze sword shuddered slightly, instantly releasing a blinding white ray that looked like the demon-binding chains used by immortals from the mountains. Its wavy form quickly spread apart in mid-air, transforming into arge as it descended toward the frightened young girl who had been categorized as a demon. It was as if she were being hunted by a vast ofws brimming with Heavenly Dao.


    This was truly an eye-opening experience for Chen Pingan.


    Sword qi should have been concentrated and meticulous, yet it could also be manipted and transformed like this?


    The old man was carefree and confident as he wielded his bronze sword with a single hand.


    Chen Ping''an was most fascinated by Song Yushao''s calm andposed demeanor. This was something that he longed for.


    There were crackling sounds as the of sword qinded on the young girl. She writhed around in pain on the floor, and the bone-piercing pain caused by the scorching sword qi was already beginning to damage the depths of her soul. Back then, Chen Ping''an had also experienced torturous pain in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain. However, this time the victim was a minor demonx with cultivation and neverpeted with others.


    A short moment passed, and the young girl was no longer able to maintain her human form after being struck by the sword saint''s attack. Half of her face reverted to that of a fox''s, and tufts of white fur also appeared on her neck and the back of her hands. A faint foxy smell wafted through the air.


    The snow-white fox spirit with a weak cultivation base struggled and wailed, "I''ve never hurt anyone before! I''ve never hurt a single person before! I''ve only pranked and frightened some schrs who seek shelter in this old temple. Don''t kill me, don''t kill me..."


    There was seemingly a knot in the old man''s heart as he held his bronze sword brimming with sword qi and glowing with sword light.


    "Demons are demons, and fiends are fiends!" he eximed in a stern voice. "So what if you haven''t hurt people before? Once your cultivation improves, you''ll naturally start to kill innocent people for fun!"


    Half of the young girl''s body had already reverted to her original fox form. She prostrated herself on the ground and said throughbored breaths, "I even rescued two schrs from the hands of that mama. I had to give her some items that I''d been treasuring for a long time in order to do this, and only then was she willing to release the schrs. I''ll never hurt anyone, I''ll never hurt anyone in my life..."


    "A measly fox spirit like you deserves nothing but death!" the old man in ck sneered. "I dare say that I''ll only kill one innocent being at most out of 100!"


    The young fox spirit was already too weak to say anything else. Her clothes were tattered, and her bloodied body convulsed on the ground. Her bright ck eyes had been especially lively before, but they were already dim and lusterless at this moment.


    As she died, she didn''t feel hatred toward the old man for being ruthless and unreasonable. Instead, she dazedly looked toward the door of the temple as if she were waiting for an impoverished schr to arrive. It was as if she were waiting for someone to prank and scare. Seeding one time could make her feel happy for several months.


    Liu Chicheng slowly looked up. A hint of golden light flowed in his profound eyes, and there was also a cold smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. A resigned sigh escaped his lips, one that reflected his familiarity and experience with worldly affairs. He felt like the world would still be as uninteresting as always even if another thousand years passed.


    Just as Liu Chicheng was about to stand up...


    Chen Ping''an stood up and adjusted the sword case on his back. "Senior Song, what if this fox spirit is the one innocent being? What will you do then?" he suddenly asked.


    The old man pursed his lips before replying with a smile, "Then that''s perfect. It will guarantee that the previous 99 and subsequent 99 beings that I kill will be demons and fiends causing trouble for themon people. Knowing this, my sword strikes will be even faster and more resolute."


    Chen Ping''an pointed at the young girl who hadpletely reverted back to her original fox form already. "Then what about her?"


    Song Yushao patted his chest and replied in a blunt voice, "If my old almanac says that today is suitable for burying people, then I''ll bury her after killing her. If not, then I''ll leave her corpse exposed to the elements. She can pray to reincarnate into something better in her next life, and hope that she doesn''t be a demon or fiend again. Of course, it''s more important for her to pray that she doesn''te across me again."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly stubborn, and he said, "It''s naturally correct for Senior to y demons and subdue fiends. However, you can do even better."


    The old man carefully observed the young boy with the sword case. He suddenly chuckled and said, "Little boy, are you an idiot? You''re simply seeking shelter in an old temple, yet you''re actually treating yourself as a benevolent Bodhisattva liberating people from suffering now?"


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before asking, "Senior Song, under what condition will you let this fox spirit go?"


    Song Yushao stood up and replied in a solemn voice, "Little boy, seeing that you''re also a swordsman roaming the cultivation world, I can use my killing blow for her against you instead. If you can block my strike, then I''ll let the matters in this old temple slide. Regardless of whether this fox spiritmits sins or performs good deeds in the future, you''ll be the one to bear the karmic fate. If you fail to block my strike and die by my hands, however, then you can only me yourself for being too weak to stand up for others. What do you say?"


    Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng both stood up. It was as if they were facing a formidable enemy.


    Song Yushao roared withughter. "I don''t mind if the two of you want to interfere as well. After all, I simply need tounch two more sword strikes. The rules will be the same."


    Hisughter was loud and sonorous. In fact, it was filled with so much energy that even the decaying beams in the temple started to shudder, causing countless plumes of dust to float through the air.


    "I ept!" Chen Ping''an said with a nod.


    He then shook his head at Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng, signaling for them not to interfere.


    "Be careful."


    The old man was a direct person, and he immediatelyunched a sword strike after giving a warning.


    There were only three meters between them, and the sword ray and astral energy of the strike instantly arrived in front of Chen Ping''an.


    An inch movement talisman had already slid out from the young boy''s sleeve. The talisman was made from ordinary yellow paper, and it was resting between his fingers. Chen Ping''an vanished from the spot the instant that the sword qi neared him.


    The old man in ck snickered upon seeing this.


    1. Lesser Heat or Minor Heat is the eleventh of the twenty-four sr terms, around mid-July. <blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Lesser heat () is the 11th sr term in the traditional Chinese lunisr calendar which divides a year into 24.</blockquote>

 Chapter 237: (2): Lesser Heat Has Passed, but the Spring Wind Remains

    Chapter 237: (2): Lesser Heat Has Passed, but the Spring Wind Remains


    As it turned out, the burst of sword qi was continuing to surge forward after failing to strike Chen Ping''an. Its target was coincidentally the snow-white fox spirit that was curled up on the ground.


    The inch movement talisman was from the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book that Li Xisheng had given Chen Ping''an, and it was truly a mystical and mysterious talisman. However, it was a consumable item that could only be used a single time. After activating it, Chen Ping''an immediately reappeared six meters away from his original spot.


    However, when he discovered the burst of sword qi bearing down on the fox spirit, it was already toote for him to retrieve and use another inch movement talisman. As a result, he had no option but to physically lunge over. At the same time, he reached toward his shoulder and gripped the hilt of Eliminating Fiends, his locust wood sword. He shed toward the burst of sword qi.


    Even though he wasunching a sword strike, Chen Ping''an was fundamentally using a fist technique rather than a sword technique.


    He was using the fearsome Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique that Cui Chan''s grandfather had taught him. However, he was unleashing this technique using his locust wood sword instead of his fists.


    Chen Ping''an''s physique and soul were both only at the third tier of martial arts, and he was nowhere near the level of a a superior grandmaster who could adeptly fuse fist techniques and sword intents together. Because of this, his hurried sword strike would appear especially awkward in the eyes of genuine sword cultivators.


    The sword strike imbued with fist intent crashed into the burst of sword qi unleashed by Song Yushao, forcefully stopping it from killing the young fox spirit.


    Sword light erupted into the surroundings, and sword qi sted through the air.


    Holding the locust wood sword in his hand, Chen Ping''an stepped to the side and turned around, with his back at the fox spirit. He randomly swung his sword at the scattered sword qi, and his sword stance was entirely simr to the Bastard Fist Technique that a certain young girl had teased him about before.


    Zhang Shanfeng breathed a sigh of relief. However, he could barely bring himself to watch on.


    The big-bearded martial artist pped his forehead and said in helplessness, "His fist techniques were fairly impressive, so I initially thought he was a young swordsman with incredible hidden skills, especially since he''s been carrying that sword case around for so long..."


    After destroying all of the fragmented sword qi, Chen Ping''an hurriedly examined the locust wood sword in his hand. Even though it was a light wooden sword, it was surprisingly tough and durable. There wasn''t a single scratch on the de even after blocking the sword saint''s tremendous sword strike. Chen Ping''an felt extremely relieved.


    There was a carefree smile on Song Yushao''s face as he said in self-ridicule, "I never imagined that someone would use the Bastard Fist Technique to block my sword strike. Well, no matter. I''ll uphold my end of the promise. You managed to block my strike, so I won''t target that fox spirit anymore. The two of you can take care of yourselves. However, karmic fate will always punish evildoers, so I hope the two of you will appreciate and remember the meaning of our encounter."


    The old man resheathed his sword. He had been sitting with his legs crossed the entire time, and he finally stood up to turn around and leave at this moment. He looked up at the gloomy night sky after exiting the temple, and he murmured to himself, "Too many demons and fiends to kill, and too many ghosts and spirits to kill... When will this all end?"


    Then he suddenly turned around and said with a smile, "The four of you can visit my vi if you''re interested. The vi will host a meeting to elect an alliance leader for Water Combing Nation''s martial arts world soon, and this election can be viewed as a grand event in the cultivation world. I most likely won''t be present when the four of you arrive at the Sword Water Vi, so you can directly look for Steward Chu, the oldest steward in the vi. Tell him that you''re new friends I made while traveling around the cultivation world. At the very least, he''ll treat you to some wine."


    Song Yushao then looked at Chen Ping''an and said, "Your patience to ''do something even better'' tonight was an attitude that I also possessed from my youth to middle age. In fact, I was even more steadfast than you. However... no, forget about it. These are just the disheartened grumblings of an old man, so it''s best not to ramble on about them to a young boy. In any case, I hope you can persevere and maintain this attitude."


    The old man already in his twilight years patted the sword by his waist before silently vanishing into the distant darkness of night.


    Chen Ping''an was dazed for a long while. When he finally came to his senses, he turned around and couldn''t help but widen his eyes. The young fox spirit had already disappeared at some point.


    The big-bearded martial artist pointed at his own face and teased, "Chen Ping''an, oh, Chen Ping''an... When ying the role of a hero saving a beauty, this is the deciding factor regarding whether the beauty is willing to pledge herself to you!"


    Chen Ping''an ced his locust wood sword back in the wooden sword case that Wei Bo had made for him. He jogged to the campfire and extended his hands toward it. At the same time, he caught sight of the yawning Liu Chicheng squatting opposite him.


    The young schr grinned and asked, "What are you staring at? Are you finally envying my elegance and handsome appearance? Sigh... In fact, I envy you as well, Chen Ping''an. If I possessed half of your martial arts talent, I would have already be the dream man of hundreds upon thousands of female cultivators in the cultivation world!"


    Chen Ping''an rolled his eyes. He grabbed the wine gourd from his waist and drank arge mouthful of wine.


    He held the wine gourd in his hand afterward, and the crashing waves in his mind were in stark contrast to his outwardly calm demeanor.


    Chen Ping''an hadn''t used the two flying swords in his Sword Nurturing Gourd to block Song Yushao''s powerful sword qi just then, and he had instead charged into danger by himself. However, he hadn''t been acting rashly.


    He sighed and stood up, walking to an empty area where he retied the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist. He then closed his eyes and carefully reyed the three sword strikes of the sword saint in his mind. One strike had destroyed the deity altar and forced the fox spirit to show itself, one strike had transformed his sword qi into a with a simple flick of his wrist, and one strike had flown at Chen Ping''an.


    With his eyes still closed, he took out his locust wood sword and emted the old man''s stance. He held his sword horizontally in front of his chest, as if he was preparing to draw it from a scabbard.


    For some reason, however, Chen Ping''an couldn''t get the stance right no matter what. He felt like he wouldn''t seed even if he mulled over it and practiced it tens of thousands of times. To say nothing of achieving a simr demeanor or aura, he couldn''t even achieve a simr physical stance.


    This was in stark contrast to his experience of learning the six steps walking meditation from Ning Yao.


    As it turned out, sword techniques were fundamentally different from fist techniques.


    Chen Ping''an sighed and had no option but to put his locust wood sword away. This sword had apanied him on two long journeys already.


    Someone smiled and remarked, "Chen Ping''an, your wooden sword is too light, so you won''t be able to achieve the correct stance no matter what. Lifting something heavy as if lifting something light is a high-level skill in the Sword Dao, and you''re not some kind of supreme prodigy when ites to practicing the sword. You''re only an amateur. It''s only natural for you to feel like something is off.


    "Forget about reaching the peak, let''s just talk about learning the ropes. When ites to fist techniques, having a somewhat skilled master to guide you is good enough. When ites to sword techniques, however, one needs to have a truly sagacious teacher to guide them. You know, you should have asked that Song Yushao for guidance. His cultivation isn''t high, but he''s already forged his own Sword Dao. This is quite impressive."


    Chen Ping''an turned around to look over.


    These insights hadn''t been offered by the big-bearded martial artist, and they hadn''t been offered by the young Daoist priest who could manipte his peach wood sword either. Instead, they had been offered by Liu Chicheng, the impoverished schr who was most removed from the cultivation world.


    While speaking, Liu Chicheng kept adding dry branches to the fire. Illuminated by the campfire, it was as if his slender body were gently swaying with the mes.


    Zhang Shanfeng was asking Xu Yuanxia about acupoint sealing techniques, and the two of them werepletely absorbed in their own conversation as one asked questions and one answered them. Neither of them paid much attention to Liu Chicheng''s words.


    No... more urately, neither of them heard Liu Chicheng''s words at all.


    This was because Liu Chicheng hadn''t opened his mouth to speak. However, Chen Ping''an had indeed heard Liu Chicheng''s voice.


    Chen Ping''an asked a very strange question, saying, "Is it you? Back in Blusher Prefecture, I heard Prefectural Overseer Liu say in private that you''re actually a Golden Core Tier immortal. He knew this because you demonstrated your mystical powers outside the prefectural city."


    Liu Chicheng waved a hand and slowly made his way around the campfire, arriving beside Chen Ping''an. He chuckled and replied, "Alright, let''s stop targeting each other in secret, shall we? You already know that I''m a great demon, and I also know that the sword in your sword case has a very impressive background. Otherwise, it wouldn''t have failed to suppress its own aura and started to buzz after sensing my aura just then.


    "Even though you managed to forcefully suppress its movements very quickly, I''m not a blind or deaf person who''spletely oblivious to my surroundings. Since we''re bothpletely aware of each other''s secrets now, can you tell me which sagely person forged the sword on your back, Chen Ping''an? Who in Stctite Mountain are you delivering the sword to?"


    "Are you trying to snatch it?" Chen Ping''an asked with a solemn expression.


    The possessed Liu Chicheng smiled with squinted eyes, and it was as if he had just heard a hrious joke. He sped his hands behind his back and shook his head, saying with a smile, "It''s an impressive sword, but I genuinely have no interest in it. I know you don''t believe me, but this doesn''t matter. I''m far more powerful than you, so you simply need to trust my actions if you don''t trust my words. Oh, that''s right, have you heard of this saying before? Beautiful things in the world are easily destroyed; iridescent clouds soon disperse, and colored ze soon shatters?[1]"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "I''ve read this line in a poem."


    Liu Chicheng flicked his sleeve, causing mist and smoke to swirl around them. However, things would appearpletely normal if one looked over from the campfire. It would look like Liu Chicheng was having a delightful conversation with Chen Ping''an. In reality, the impoverished schr from White Mountain Nation appeared extremely handsome and elegant as he stood there in his pink Daoist robe. This was a very uncanny sight.


    "Iridescent clouds prone to dispersing refers to the iridescent clouds surrounding White Emperor City. Clouds gather and disperse like smoke there, creating a stunning spectacle.


    "As for colored ze prone to shattering, this refers to a great demon who originated from a demonic force in White Emperor City. Just like the conflict tonight, he got into an argument with his senior brother for the sake of an insignificant small demon. One was considering the great trend of the world, while one was considering the justice of the specific situation. The two sect brothers broke off rtions because of this.


    "Looking back on the matter now, it seems trulyical and no different from two children getting into an argument with each other. In any case, I smashed an entire colored ze pagoda in White Emperor City out of anger, and only a few colored ze bowls managed to survive. I left White Emperor City after that and started to travel around the world without the protection of my master''s force.


    "Afterward, I was hunted for tens of millions of kilometers by protectors of Dao and ultimately thrown into prison. I was suppressed there for a thousand years. Meanwhile, my senior brother watched on without doing anything the entire time."


    "Why are you telling me all this?" Chen Ping''an asked with a frown.


    Liu Chicheng smiled faintly and shook his hands, causing therge sleeves of his pink Daoist robes to shudder slightly. He ced his hands over his abdomen and said in a serious manner, "Because I intend to take a disciple now. I feel like you, Chen Ping''an, are a fairly suitable candidate, and I can teach you the most supreme sword techniques in the world.


    "Even though I''m a demon born in the Majestic World, my senior brother is the leader of a demonic force, and he appears even more divine and immortal than immortals because of this. Thus, many powerful beings from immortal forces who have attained Dao are still willing to pay respects to him.


    "In other words, the sword technique I''ll teach you is an authentic one that will allow you to reach the pinnacle of the Great Dao. Once youe across a destined fated opportunity, you''ll have the chance to directly advance to the Upper Five Tiers. You have to understand the weight behind the word ''authentic.'' This term can''t be thrown around carelessly. Even though people like Song Yushao have discovered some of their own Sword Dao true intent, the limited talent of this pure martial artist means that he''d only be able to guide you to the Middle Five Tiers of sword cultivation.


    "Chen Ping''an, what do you say? Do you want to be my disciple and cultivate the Great Dao with me?"


    "And be a demon?" Chen Ping''an retorted.


    The possessed Liu Chicheng smiled faintly and replied, "In my view, the Great Dao ces before us a rugged and challenging path that only the most determined and resolved individuals can traverse and reach the end of. In fact, such kinds of individuals might be able to walk even higher and further than those supremely talented prodigies.


    "You, Chen Ping''an, walk the same path as me. I''ve already recruited a senior brother for you, and you can rest assured that you''ll be my final disciple. In at most 100 years, the three of us will definitely gain renown throughout the world. We''ll return to White Emperor City and win an esteemed spot there."


    Liu Chicheng looked deep into Chen Ping''an''s eyes and continued with a smile, "My senior brother and I were in a very interesting force before. My senior brother was a human, yet he cultivated the techniques of demons. Meanwhile, I''m a demon, but I cultivated the techniques of humans. Our teacher had a motto: education without distinctions. In this sense, our teacher was very simr to True Invincible, the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor.


    "Apart from White Emperor City, there are several otherrge demonic orthodoxies in the world. They''re all astonishingly powerful, and the rtionship between them is alsoplicated and intertwined. Even immortal forces with the title of sect need to avoid direct conflict with these orthodoxies. From this, one can see that the distinction between demonic orthodoxies and other orthodoxies is nothing more than a joke. As long as one is powerful enough and possesses a high enough cultivation, these distinctions have no influence at all."


    Chen Ping''an grinned and said, "Before bing your disciple, I need to ask my other teachers for their opinions."


    Beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead, yet Chen Pingan appearedpletely calm and rxed at this moment.


    "Oh?"


    Liu Chicheng''s eyes lit up, and he remarked, "I knew that you had impressive teachers. However, that doesn''t matter. Why don''t you tell me who they are? Assessing the situation and choosing the most powerful teacher to study under isn''t embarrassing at all. I won''t force you, and I won''t frighten you with words either. If your teachers are superior to me, I definitely won''t force you to be my disciple."


    The Schrly Sage had most likely left Eastern Treasured Vial Continent already, so where would Chen Ping''an find him?


    Mr. Qi had already passed away, so it was seemingly impossible to ask for his opinion as well.


    However, Chen Ping''an definitely didn''t want to learn supreme Great Daos or whatnot from this person.


    He took a deep breath and decided to take a gamble.


    Sess or failure all depended on this gamble.


    If this didn''t work, then he would simply fight with his life on the line again. If this still didn''t work, then he would simply be the disciple of the possessed Liu Chicheng for the moment. Just like A''Liang had said, the heaven was great and the earth was great, but staying alive was the greatest of all. No matter what, he definitely had to deliver the sword to Stctite Mountain and personally hand it over to Ning Yao! Everything else was secondary!


    When Chen Ping''an had apanied Li Baoping and the others to Great Sui Nation, and when he had returned to Yellow Court Nation with the young Cui Chan afterward, no one knew why he would always practice standing meditation when he reached the peak of mountains and the banks of rivers. Moreover, he would remain standing in the same spot for a long time even after he finished practicing standing meditation.


    Even though he was traveling around the world by himself now, he would still sit on the apex of roof ridges by himself. This was the case when he had farewelled Liu Gaoxin in the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture. On thest day of spring, he had sat in the spring breeze and murmured to himself while drinking wine.


    During these times that others wouldn''t think too deeply about, there would be spring breeze lingering around his sleeves.


    Deep down in his heart, Chen Ping''an knew that Mr. Qi had definitely passed away already. However, Mr. Qi had once told him something.


    <em>"If you encounter any problems in the future, you can pose your questions to the spring wind."</em>


    Liu Chicheng couldn''t help but happily chuckle. He felt like this was quite an interesting situation.


    He saw the young boy in front of him shaking his hands and causing his sleeves to flutter, exactly as he had done just then.


    However, the smile quickly vanished from Liu Chicheng''s face.


    Chen Ping''an raised his hands and revealed the wisps of spring wind joyfully dancing around his sleeves. It was as if they were azure flood dragons swimming through the clouds.


    "Mr. Qi?" Chen Ping''an asked softly.


    Liu Chicheng''s heart shuddered violently. At this moment, it was as if he had returned to that huge battle from a thousand years ago. It was as if he were facing off against that Heavenly Master who had an immortal sword in one hand and a Daoist seal in his other!


    A warm and rich voice sounded beside Chen Ping''an. "I''m here."


    1. A line from Bai Juyi''s poem, . Bai Juyi was a Chinese musician, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty.

 Chapter 238: The Spring Breeze Accompanies You for a Thousand Li

    Chapter 238: The Spring Breeze Apanies You for a Thousand Li


    The pink Daoist robes of Liu Chicheng slowly fluttered in the light breeze. The supreme demonic cultivator from White Emperor City felt a rare sense of apprehension at this moment.


    This didn''t make any sense.


    The wisps of spring wind had transformed into a figure beside Chen Ping''an. The figure was a Confucian schr in azure robes and with white sideburns. He appeared intangible, and had a faint smile on his face.


    Liu Chicheng observed his aura, and he determined that the schr was already like a candle close to extinguishing. However, there was also an unexinable feel about the schr in addition to his feeble aura. If he were an Upper Five Tiers Qi refiner, he would most likely fail to understand the reason behind this. However, the great demon currently possessing Liu Chicheng''s body had been a legitimate Immortal Tier cultivator during his peak a 12th tier cultivator.


    Before betraying the demonic orthodoxy, he had seen far too many capable people and peculiar individuals in White Emperor City, a ce that existed among iridescent clouds under the descending water from Yellow River Small World. These people stood at the pinnacle of the world, and had caused him to feel restricted and reserved.


    The more he couldn''t see through a person, the more he wouldn''t dare to underestimate them.


    Qi Jingchun looked at Chen Ping''an and used his eyes to reassure the young boy. Standing beside the young boy, he smiled at Liu Chicheng and said, "I''m Qi Jingchun, a disciple of the Schrly Sage and a previous mountain master of Mountain Cliff Academy."


    The possessed Liu Chicheng was slightly dazed.


    The person standing in front of him wasn''t haughty or overbearing, and instead appeared very polite and pleasant. However, Schrly Sage? Qi Jingchun? Mountain Cliff Academy? What were all of these random things? Perhaps two sagely Confucians had appeared during the thousand years he had been suppressed by Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master?


    Moreover, the title of Schrly Sage wasn''t simple at all. The suffix of sage implied that he had the right to possess a godly statue and be honored in the Confucian temples. Not only this, but his godly statue would be near the very front. For example, this was the case with the Etiquette Sage and the Second Sage.


    If anyone were to me, it would be the half-assed schr in Liu Chicheng. He was far too unknowledgeable, and he was always messing around with things not relevant to study. He wasn''t interested in the situation of the continent. Instead, he liked to dream about using the pitiful amount of knowledge in his brain to woo women and enjoy wonderful times with them.


    Of course, his attitude also yed a big part in this. He felt like Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was a barbard, so there would definitely be few cultivators at the Upper Five Tiers even if they umted for another millennium. As such, he didn''t need to pay any attention to this continent.


    Qi Jingchun casually flicked his sleeve, instantly dispersing the restriction formed by Liu Chicheng.


    Noble people treated others with sincerity.


    With the restriction gone, the big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest quickly noticed the peculiar situation over there. They exchanged a nce with each other. Was the person wearing pink Daoist robes the impoverished schr, Liu Chicheng? Why did he have such a strange fetish of dressing like a woman as well? And who was that senior schr in azure Confucian robes?


    Liu Chicheng''s eyes narrowed.


    This Confucian schr had actually shattered his illusion technique in an instant. Even though his cultivation base could only rival half an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator at the moment, the profound mystical abilities passed down by the demonic orthodoxy of White Emperor City shouldn''t have been so easy to shatter, even if his opponent were a Qi refiner at the actual Unpolished Jade Tier.


    Zhang Shanfeng was just about to stand up and walk over to Chen Ping''an. However, Xu Yuanxia immediately grabbed him by the elbow and warned in a quiet voice, "Let''s finish our discussion here. We definitely can''t get involved with the matters over there. It''s best for us to ignore thempletely."


    After saying this, the big-bearded martial artist saw the schr in azure robes looking over and nodding at them with a smile.


    Xu Yuanxia hurriedly cupped his fists in reply.


    Qi Jingchun smiled and asked, "Senior, are you White Emperor City''s Colored ze Pagoda Master?"


    Liu Chicheng nodded and replied in amusement, "What, you''ve heard of my great name before? Is it infamous and already known by everyone in Middle Earth Divine Continent?"


    Qi Jingchun shook his head and replied, "No, but I once traveled to the Yellow River and met the city lord of White Emperor City on the river bank. He mentioned you during our conversation."


    Liu Chicheng suddenly let loose a torrent of abuse. "What absolute bullshit! My senior brother would never exit the city to greet others! With his temper, he''ll never leave the city to wee guests, even if they''re Confucian sages personally heading over to visit him out of admiration. At most, he''ll only show his face on the city wall amid the iridescent clouds. That would already be giving huge face to you Confucians. Yet, you''re trying to tell me that you met him on the river bank? Good one, you stinky brat! You should have a bottom line even when you''re bullshitting!"


    Qi Jingchun couldn''t help but chuckle and say, "The city lord even asked me to y three games of Go with him. However, I was busy at the time, and I needed to immediately return to a Confucian school. Because of this, I still owe him three games. Unexpectedly, I never had the opportunity to visit White Emperor City again after that. This is truly a regretful thing."


    Liu Chicheng raised his hands and forcefully rubbed his cheeks. There were mes of fury burning in his chest. Even though he had broken off with his senior brother, with no more rtionship between them to speak of, he still felt respect toward the city lord of White Emperor City in the depths of his heart. This was a very pure feeling of respect and reverence. Thus, he was considering whether he should resolutely attack and destroy thest wisp of this person''s damaged soul.


    Since the Colored ze Pagoda Master was unwilling to believe him, Qi Jingchun chose not to say anything else.


    In reality, Qi Jingchun didn''t have a bad impression of this great demon from White Emperor City who had returned to the world once again. The first time the great demon had developed killing intent was when the sword saint from Water Combing Nation had wanted to indiscriminately kill the young fox spirit.


    Among the many schrs who rambled on about morals and virtue, there was no shortage of hypocrites who acted in a sanctimonious manner. Among the many demonic cultivators, there was also no shortage of people who were distinguished and admirable.


    Qi Jingchun had traveled around the world with Senior Brother Zuo several times before, so he had naturallye across many such examples. Thus, he wouldn''t categorize people in a rigid manner based on their background.


    In any case, Qi Jingchun was well aware of the shattering colored ze incident that had urred in White Emperor City a thousand years back. Thus, he actually felt a sense of approval toward the great demon standing in front of him.


    He patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder before smiling at Liu Chicheng and saying, "Chen Ping''an definitely can''t be your disciple, Senior. However, if you are still willing to teach sword techniques, and if Chen Ping''an is still willing to learn, then I''d be happy for that to happen."


    Liu Chicheng raised a finger and slowly wagged it left and right. "What situation are you in right now? Both of us are well aware of this. You''re nothing more than a damaged wisp of soul formed by the condensation of some spring breeze. Even if you were a Confucian sage at the Upper Five Tiers while you were alive, that was then and this is now. Do you think you have the ability to haggle with me?"


    Qi Jingchun nced at the great demon dressed in a pink Daoist robe. He could see the killing intent radiating from Liu Chicheng. The great demon was itching to make a move.


    Members of the demon tribe were innately more reckless than calm, and it was often the case that they would follow their natural instinct of violence when making decisions. This led to many tragedies in the world.


    It wasn''t unfounded for the Majestic World to impose so many restrictions on great demons. Someone had once proposed the notion that "members of a different species can''t be trusted" and that "demons and fiends are short-sighted beings who delight in robbing life force from others, with only human teaching encouraging people to sacrifice themselves for just causes."


    These opinions and remarks were extremely discriminatory toward non-human species.


    In reality, many sages from the three Confucian schools had suggested hunting down all great demons at the Upper Five Tiers during the Etiquette Sage''s reign over the Majestic World. The sages had wanted to throw these great demons into jail andpletely eliminate all future threats. However, the Etiquette Sage ultimately hadn''t adopted this suggestion.


    Qi Jingchun sighed with slight emotion.


    At the end of the day, the reasoning of demonic beings all revolved around a single word  survival. They tirelessly pursued survival so that they could grow and be more powerful. By bing more powerful, they could then act in an unrestrained and wanton manner.


    However, the reasoning of the Majestic World revolved around rules and regtions. The Majestic World would act within the boundaries of these rules and regtions to bestow favor upon its inhabitants.


    Qi Jingchun extended a hand and said with a smile, "If you don''t want to speak reason and only want to use brute force, then I''ll have no option but to borrow a sword and sever half of your cultivation."


    The long sword that Chen Ping''an had privately named Subduing Demons slowly slid out of its scabbard inside the locust wood sword case. It rang like a thirsty birding across water, and its aura soared into the sky.


    Liu Chicheng''s pink Daoist robes swelled outward, and there was a look of violent rage in his eyes. A vast demonic aura coursed through his body as he chuckled and asked, "Are you sure you have the opportunity to grab that divine weapon that''s been specially forged to target demons? Even if I can''t obliterate your soul with a single punch, are you not afraid of me smashing Chen Ping''an into meat paste with a single punch?"


    Qi Jingchun was unfazed, as if he were expounding the most natural principle in the world as he replied, "As long as I remain in the world, no one will be able to harm a single hair of my junior brother."


    Liu Chicheng roared withughter. "I don''t believe this!"


    However, his pupils suddenly contracted drastically.


    He waspletely enveloped in a faint golden orb right now.


    However, an opening appeared in the orb above his head, and this was simr to the time when someone had shed a gigantic hole into Yellow River Small World. The White Emperor City Chaos Origin Golden Light Formation that was protecting Liu Chicheng was easily breached by an attack. What appeared at the start was a tiny ck dot. However, this quickly transformed into a thin ck line before rapidly expanding and eventually splitting the Golden Light Formation in half.


    The tip of the sword was only an inch away from Liu Chicheng''s be.


    Liu Chicheng was frozen still.


    Failing to make the first move didn''t mean that he was helpless and defeated. Quite the contrary, in fact, as White Emperor City was renowned for its mastery of all kinds of mystical powers and techniques. Just his pink Daoist robe alone was a pseudo-immortal tool that could block Qi Jingchun''s sword strike without needing him to move.


    However, the long sword in the Confucian schr''s hand wasn''t the sword forged by Ruan Qiong. Instead, it was that basic locust wood sword.


    And thus, Liu Chicheng decided to retreat and relent because Qi Jingchun wasn''t intending to aggressively suppress him.


    In a sense, both parties were taking a step back.


    Qi Jingchun slowly pulled back the wooden sword and returned it back to Chen Ping''an''s sword case. He smiled and remarked, "Things would have beenpletely different if A''Liang or Senior Brother Zuo had unleashed this sword strike."


    "Did my senior brother genuinely exit the city to meet you? And he even asked you to y three games of Go with him?" Liu Chicheng asked.


    Qi Jingchun nodded in reply.


    This was the truth. He didn''t need to feel proud about this, and he didn''t need to conceal it either.


    In any case, Qi Jingchun had never thought too much about these experiences.


    This was in stark contrast to the young Cui Chan who was still feelingcent and extremely pleased with himself after ying 10 games of Go with the city lord of White Emperor City.


    Liu Chicheng sighed in emotion. He appeared slightly adrift.


    It was as if a colored ze bowl had shattered in his heart. He felt both disappointment and relief.


    In his mind, that haughty man was ultimately an invincible and wless person. This was the case regardless of how resentful and furious he was toward his senior brother''s heartlessness. Such a person shouldn''t have made exceptions for anyone.


    Liu Chicheng was slightly disheartened as he said, "Since Chen Ping''an and I can''t be student and teacher, I won''t teach him sword techniques anymore. My abilities aren''t that cheap yet. Qi Jingchun, since you''re so capable, why don''t you teach him by yourself?"


    He was seemingly a little sullen as he turned around and strode toward the entrance of the old temple.


    "Please wait for a moment. I have some words to offer you," Qi Jingchun suddenly said.


    Liu Chicheng turned around with a puzzled expression.


    However, peculiar lights and spectacr colors suddenly rippled through his mind''ske.


    Astonishment and wild delight quickly spread over Liu Chicheng''s face. He was filled with mixed emotions as he asked, "How very impressive, Qi Jingchun. Someone as capable as you can be a paramount immortal standing at the peak of the mountains regardless of which world you go to. How have you fallen to such a miserable state?"


    "In what sense have I fallen?" Qi Jingchun countered with a smile.


    Liu Chicheng faltered upon hearing this. He felt heartfelt admiration toward the Confucian schr, and he replied, "I must concede my inferiority to you. We can count this as me owing a favor to Chen Ping''an. When I regain my fame in Middle Earth Divine Continent in the future, Chen Ping''an cane to White Emperor City to look for me."


    Before leaving the old temple, Liu Chicheng flicked hisrge sleeve and grabbed the young fox spirit hiding in a dark corner. He left the old temple with her.


    Just then, the young fox spirit had changed into brand-new clothes and pped several ounces of makeup onto her face. There were patches of red and green, and her appearance was as hrious as could be. She had most likely mistaken this for the appearance of beautiful women...


    There was also a book in her robes, her favorite secret piece of reading that she always kept on herself. The book was called <em>Talented Schrs and Beautiful Ladies,</em> and it was badly printed and full of incorrect characters. In any case, this was a collection of romantic tales that also made some mentions of virtuous etiquette relevant to unmarrieddies from powerful ns.


    For example, they needed to speak in a gentle and soft manner, and had to lower their heads in a shy manner when they saw a handsome schr for the first time. Afterward, they would need to timidly steal a nce before flushing red and lowering their head again. There were many profound principles. The young fox spirit learned many things from these tales. In fact, she would even shed tears time and time again when she read those tales with tragic endings.


    When Liu Chicheng forcefully grabbed her and took her away, she was initially given a huge fright. However, she immediately became happy again when she saw the handsome young boy standing outside the old temple. There was a red mark on his be and a willow branch in his hand. The young fox spirit felt like the heavens were truly kind to her. They had rewarded her with a handsome young boy whom she liked at first sight so soon.


    Liu Chicheng brought his disciple and the young fox spirit with him as he descended the mountain and headed off into the distance. Only he knew what his destination was.


    Qi Jingchun looked around and also led Chen Ping''an out of the old temple. They stood in the empty area outside the entrance and used the moonlight to gaze at the night scenery of the distant mountains.


    "People have three immortal souls and seven mortal forms[1]. The three immortal souls are embryo light, refreshing spirit, and serene essence. After I died, the fortunes of my souls and forms were mostly returned to this world. I also gave my disciples Li Baoping, Li Huai, and the other children the character Qi. As for you, Zhao Yao, and Song Jixin, I secretly left a wisp of spring wind on three of you using the damaged remains of my three immortal souls.


    "In fact, my current form can''t be viewed as theplete Qi Jingchun. I can only be regarded as a Dao guardian who''s apanying you for a short period of time.


    "Song Jixin''s chosen path is bing more and more distant from the Confucian orthodoxy, but this is simply the nature of worldly affairs. Each person has their own fate and destiny, and rtionships like this can''t be forced.


    "Zhao Yao was obstructed by Cui Chan at the time, and the circumstances back then forced him to give up the seal with the characters ''the world wees spring.'' I had already predicted this, so I told Zhao Yao not to be overly worried about the fate of the seal. Afterward, Zhao Yao came across another fated opportunity during his journey to another continent. However, a slight w developed in his mind because of this. As his junior uncle in name, perhaps you''ll need to help him once in the future."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but he couldn''t help but hesitate.


    Qi Jingchun smiled and said, "You want to say that you can''t be regarded as my junior brother because you didn''t agree to my teacher''s proposal? That''s alright. Even if you don''t view the old schr as your teacher, I still view you as my junior brother."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head before nodding and replying, "Okay!"


    Qi Jingchun patted the young boy''s shoulder and asked, "Do you feel tired after walking all the way to this stage?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No, it''s been spectacr. Apart from practicing fist techniques, I''ve also been able to ovee all kinds of challenges and make all kinds of new friends like Brother Xu and Zhang Shanfeng. In addition to this, I''ve alsoe across many spirits, gods, and ghosts. So, I don''t feel tired."


    As if afraid that Mr. Qi wouldn''t believe him, Chen Ping''an smiled and repeated, "I genuinely don''t feel tired!"


    Qi Jingchun nodded in response.


    He knew that the young boy was being honest in a sense, and he was indeed truly excited.


    However, how could he not feel tired after traveling such great distances and encountering so many troubles?


    He practiced uninteresting fist techniques day after day, and his frail shoulders also had to carry the burden of other people''s expectations as well as the difficulties of the world. It was even more important for him to guard against the sinister nature of people''s hearts. Thus, how could he not feel tired when dealing with people and challenges, all of which were unpredictable in nature?


    Chen Pingan was carrying this heavy burden by himself, yet he was unwilling to have others worry about him.


    After realizing that Mr. Qi already knew everything, Chen Ping''an immediately blurted out his encounter with the mysterious mountain crossing carp, his experiences in the Flowing Cloud Water Alley in Yellow Court Nation, his encounters with Shen Wen in the city god hall of Blusher Prefecture and the city god''s admiration toward Mr. Qi, Wei Bo who had moved from Go Table Mountain to Cloud Drape Mountain in the small town, the female ghost in the wedding dress with a strange temperament, the beautiful bone ghosts, and of course, that man who wore a bamboo hat.


    Chen Ping''an talked about A''Liang the most, and he also mentioned A''Liang''s dazzling smile whenever the swordsman talked about Mr. Qi. His face would scrunch up into a smile, yet he would also appear the saddest at these moments.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an chuckled and recounted how A''Liang had been punched down into the mortal world by a single punch from the Dao Ancestor''s second disciple. After reuniting, A''Liang had told him not to worry about practicing the sword yet, as practicing fist techniques to the pinnacle stage was already the same as practicing the sword. Thus, he wasn''t feeling too worried at the moment.


    Qi Jingchun stood side-by-side with the young boy who was rambling on about his experiences. He smiled and asked, "Do you miss A''Liang a lot?"


    Chen Ping''an looked up at the sky and murmured, "A''Liang will eventually return."


    He then turned to Mr. Qi and asked, "Right?"


    Qi Jingchun nodded with a smile.


    "Then what about you, Mr. Qi?" Chen Pingan asked.


    Qi Jingchun sighed and shook his head. "After apanying you for all this time, it will eventually be time for me to say goodbye. I''ve already done everything I can."


    Chen Ping''an lowered his head and silently stared at his feet.


    This reply hit Chen Ping''an the same way as Old Man Yang''s reply of "wasn''t worth it" back in the Yang Family''s medicine shop. Even though he expected it, it still made him feel very sad. He felt incredibly sad.


    Qi Jingchun reached over and gently ced a hand on the young boy''s head. "Even though I said that my damaged soul is acting as Dao guardians for the three of you, is umting all of the spring wind here not a form of me asking you to travel around the world for me? I have no more regrets."


    He shed Chen Ping''an a knowing smile and continued, "You can feel sad, but you can also drink wine, right?"


    The rims of Chen Ping''an''s eyes were red as he grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist and handed it to Qi Jingchun.


    Qi Jingchuns figure was bing increasingly faint, and hezily stretched his back and shook his head with a smile. "You can save my portion forter."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t drink any wine either, and he retied the gourd to his waist.


    He was afraid of genuinely bing a drunkard.


    "Chen Ping''an, do you want me to apany you to practice the fist technique onest time?" Qi Jingchun suddenly suggested.


    "The six-step walking meditation?" Chen Ping''an asked in puzzlement.


    Qi Jingchun nodded in reply.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath before slowly walking forward and calmly throwing a punch.


    The moonlight was pure, and the Confucian schr in azure robes walked beside Chen Pingan and also threw a punch with him. His movements were also calm and leisurely.


    After finishing the six-step walking meditation, Chen Ping''an came to a gentle stop and didn''t repeat the fist technique anymore.


    He didn''t turn around but instead gazed into the distance, just like that.


    There was no more spring wind hovering around his sleeves.


    He knew.


    This time, Mr. Qi...had truly left.


    1. A Daoist concept regarding the human soul.

 Chapter 239: (1): Observing the Waterfall

    Chapter 239: (1): Observing the Waterfall


    Chen Ping''an returned to the old temple, where he was responsible for lookout duty for the second half of the night. Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng didn''t ask him anything, so he didn''t exin anything either.


    Chen Ping''an faced the campfire fromte night until dawn, and the flickering mes illuminated his face, which seemed slightly less tanned than before. Nobody knew what he was thinking about.


    The first rays of sunshine were peeking over the horizon, and the big-bearded martial artist was still sleeping soundly. Meanwhile, Zhang Shanfeng folded his nkets and discovered that Chen Ping''an wasn''t in the old temple anymore. He walked out and found that Chen Ping''an surprisingly wasn''t practicing his fist techniques today. Instead, he was standing still with the locust wood sword in his hand.


    Chen Ping''an turned around when he heard the young Daoist priest''s footsteps. "You''re awake?"


    Zhang Shanfeng nodded and spread out his arms, stretching his body to loosen himself up. A morning breeze brushed through the mountains, still carrying with it a hint of chilliness. Zhang Shanfeng grabbed the peach wood sword from his back and started to practice his usual set of sword techniques. He twisted and turned, and his body followed the movements of the sword. He appeared light and nimble.


    Zhang Shanfeng had arms as long as a monkey''s, and the transitions between his sword stances were also smooth and rxed. From the perspective of cultivation elites outside the mountains, Zhang Shanfeng was a natural talent especially suited to practicing the sword. Of course, such a notion most likely didn''t exist for cultivation forces in the mountains.


    These forces ced more emphasis on nurturing Qi and refining Qi, and all they wanted was to be able to advance through the cultivation tiers quickly enough. All they desired was massive cultivation speed, to the extent of leaving everyone else in the dust and stunning their elders.


    After Zhang Shanfeng finished practicing his sword techniques, Chen Ping''an was still standing there with the locust wood sword in his hand. He was very hesitant, and he couldn''tunch a sword strike no matter what.


    During breakfast, the three of them had a discussion and decided to visit Song Yushao''s Sword Water Vi together. They would rest there for a short while before asking around for the exact location of the ferry station in Water Combing Nation. Once they mapped everything out, they would then set off for their destination.


    Sword Water Vi was around 350 kilometers from here, and there were many towering mountains and majestic peaks on the way. Fortunately, the wind was calm and the sun was bright now that summer had arrived. Thus, the three of them could freely travel without too many worries. It wasn''t long before they arrived near Sword Water Vi.


    The vi was located at the foot of an elegant-looking mountain. Before heading over, they passed through a bustling small town that seemed to have a continuous flow of visitors. Chen Ping''an bought some wine to fill his Sword Nurturing Gourd. Meanwhile, Xu Yuanxia visited a bookstore and Zhang Shanfeng was responsible for replenishing their supply of dry food and dry meat.


    It was only during times of need that one would regret not having enough money. The big-bearded martial artist was interested in the sole copy of a book that had been left behind by the previous empire of the nation. It was in a very good state, but the price was also exorbitant. However, Xu Yuanxia was helpless to do anything due to theck of money in his possession. At this moment, he couldn''t help but feel frustrated at his modesty back in Blusher Prefecture. He should have happily epted the 5000 taels of silver like Chen Ping''an.


    Sometimes, just a single copper coin short could be a huge and insurmountable obstruction, even for gant heroes. Thus, the three of them continued to make their way toward Sword Water Vi. While walking over, Zhang Shanfeng mentioned a type of coin called grain rain coins[1].


    These coins were even more valuable than lesser heat coins, and Zhang Shanfeng said that he had never had the opportunity to see them before. He had only heard about these coins.


    One lesser heat coin was worth 1000 snowke coins, while one grain rain coin was worth 100 lesser heat coins. Earth immortals at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier seemingly all used thistter type of coin when purchasing and selling immortal treasures. Most importantly, grain rain coins could also double as a beneficial and nutritious item for Qi refiners. A Qi refiner could rapidly replenish their Qi and vital energy by absorbing the energy from these coins.


    As they walked, Xu Yuanxia also reminded Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng about the treasures that they had obtained from killing the demonic cultivators in Blusher Prefecture. If these treasures weren''t beneficial to their cultivation, then it was best that they sold them to the shops in the mountains. As long as the price wasn''t too unreasonable, it made sense for them to sell them here.


    Using the money, they should then purchase one or two spirit tools that would benefit their current cultivation. After all, securing a useful spirit tool would be far more useful than keeping useless treasures. Just like how money was best spent on useful items, cultivation treasures were best exchanged for useful tools that could assist one''s cultivation as well.


    Zhang Shanfeng had already thought about this before, and he replied that he wanted to buy a few offensive talismans that he had always dreamed of obtaining. It would be best if they were lightning-element talismans. In addition to this, he also wanted to purchase a fairly-priced Dao sword. Even though his peach wood sword could also subdue ghosts and yin entities, the fragile nature of the peach wood meant that he would definitely be in trouble if he came across extremely strong demons who could physically damage his sword.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but grumble. He was naturally wishing that the myriad treasures in the world would only enter his pockets and not exit them.


    Moreover, he was slightly different from Zhang Shanfeng in the sense that he was fundamentally a pure martial artist who focused on tempering his physique and refining his fist techniques. These things belonged to him alone and could not be taken away, and they could also be viewed as a formless type of defense.


    Moreover, there were also the two flying swords in his Sword Nurturing Gourd that possessed boundless destructive power. Thus, Chen Ping''an didn''t intend to sell or trade the small trinkets that he had seized from his enemies.


    After arriving at the busy Sword Water Vi, the three of them discovered that they were in a slightly awkward situation. There was indeed a very elderly Steward Chu in the vi, but the concierge and the steward responsible for weing guests found a bunch of legitimate reasons to turn down the three strangers'' request to meet Ancestor Chu. Their expressions didn''t reveal anything, but it was clear that they didn''t want to satisfy Chen Ping''an and hispanions'' request.


    One had to realize that Ancestor Chu was already close to a hundred years old. He was a meritorious veteran who had fought alongside the vi master, and he had already stopped attending to trivial worldly matters a long time ago. After handing the Sword Water Vi to his eldest grandson, the previous vi master  the sword saint  became exceedingly mysterious and difficult to find. He would often travel outside for three to five years without returning to the vi.


    Thus, it could even be said that the highly respected Ancestor Chu was the second master of the Sword Water Vi. That being the case, could any random stranger request an audience with him? Did they view the Sword Water Vi as nothing more than a measly stall in a small town?


    And thus, Chen Ping''an and hispanions were turned away in a lukewarm manner. Zhang Shanfeng asked Xu Yuanxia whether they could offer the steward some silver coins to resolve the situation.


    However, Xu Yuanxia smiled wryly and replied, "Casually offering silver coins to bribe people in the cultivation world is akin to giving them a p. This is especially the case with leading cultivation forces such as the Sword Water Vi. Trying to bribe them with silver coins will only make things worse."


    Zhang Shanfeng smiled and suggested, "If pushes to shove, Big Brother Xu can always demonstrate his saber techniques in front of the entrance. We''ll definitely be invited inside as esteemed guests."


    In reality, the cultivation world wasn''t especiallyplicated and mature in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. It couldn''tpare to Complete Reed Continent where there were numerous top-notch swords cultivators. As a pure martial artist at the fourth tier, Xu Yuanxia could already be regarded as a grandmaster who had the ability to act wantonly in small nations such as Colorful Garment Nation and Water Combing Nation. He also had a powerful weapon, and this made him even more impressive.


    If he hadn''t been tricked and struck by the sneak attack of the young woman back in the old and rundown temple, and had fought against her head-on with his full strength, he wouldn''t necessarily have lost to the so-called mama, one of the four evil spirits of Water Combing Nation.


    Xu Yuanxia stroked his beard with the palm of his hand. If things didn''t work out, then he could only adopt this n as ast resort.


    Zhang Shanfeng suddenly tugged at their sleeves. Xu Yuanxia and Chen Ping''an turned around, only to see a huge and extravagant horse-drawn carriage slowlying to a stop. It was very imposing, and a young girl and a burly man stepped out from the carriage.


    The young girl was a familiar face, none other than the demon who had caused trouble for them in the old temple. Back then, she had told Sword Saint Song Yushao that she would personally pay a visit to his Sword Water Vi. Unexpectedly, she was genuinely upholding her promise and not being perfunctory in the least.


    The burly man was nine feet tall. In spite of being unarmed, his aura was overwhelming, and the esteemed guests and cultivation elites who had traveled here from all over the cultivation world all stepped back to let him through.


    Chen Ping''an and hispanions made eye contact with the young girl. She said something to the burly man before walking over. She performed a graceful curtsy, then smiled and said, "Three gant heroes, it was through blows that we became acquainted with each other, so why don''t we share a table now that we''re all guests of Sword Water Vi? Why don''t we smile away our past grudges?"


    Xu Yuanxia exchanged a nce with Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng. He then turned around and replied with a smile, "Sure thing!"


    It wasn''t long before a hunch-backed old man walked out from the vi to wee the young girl and the burly man. His surname was Chu, and he had received a greeting card from the burly man before they had arrived. Thus, the vi didn''t dare to neglect or slight them.


    Xu Yuanxia borrowed this opportunity to deliver Song Yushao''s message to the old man, who was none other than the vi''s chief steward, Steward Chu. Upon hearing Xu Yuanxia''s words, Steward Chu immediately confirmed that this was indeed the previous vi master''s manner of speech. Compared to his caution when dealing with the young girl and burly man, he appeared far more sincere and warm when dealing with Xu Yuanxia and the others.


    Moreover, this was a critical time for the vi, so the more cultivation friends the previous vi master could make the better. If there were enough supporters, perhaps the young vi master could solidify his position as the leader of the alliance!


    After entering the vi, walking through corridors, and navigating around shadow walls, the three of them were personally led to arge detached courtyard by Steward Chu. The vi was quite spectacr, and this was a serene and beautiful courtyard. As for the young girl and burly man, they were coincidentally given a nearby courtyard.


    Chen Ping''an had heard the sound of flowing water before entering the courtyard, so he asked Steward Chu about whether there was a stream nearby. As it turned out, there was arge and majestic waterfall not far from here. They could arrive at this waterfall if they exited through the back of the courtyard and followed the stone-bbed path. This was a scenic spot in Sword Water Vi renowned throughout Water Combing Nation. After it rained, a rainbow would form across the waterfall and form a magnificent view.


    Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng didn''t want to walk around right now, so Chen Ping''an decided to visit the waterfall by himself.


    Zhang Shanfeng practiced his sword techniques in the courtyard. Meanwhile, Xu Yuanxia sat on a stone chair and muttered in a self-ridiculing manner, "Alrighty then... I failed to hear the crashing waterfall as a fourth tier martial artist, yet your sensitive ears actually managed to pick it up?"


    After walking some distance away, Steward Chu stopped in his tracks and turned around to look in the direction of the distant waterfall. "Perhaps Chen Pingan is actually an old superior grandmaster who''s regained his youth?" he murmured to himself.


    A visiting convoy arrived at Dragon Spring Prefecture. These were definitely rare and esteemed guests.


    The convoy was an official one from Great Sui Nation, and they kept a low profile and didn''t use fancy carriages. Even so, their arrival still sent huge waves through the imperial court of the Great Li Empire. In fact, there were two pir generals among the group of officials weing the convoy. One had the surname Yuan, and one had the surname Cao. There was also the head minister of the Ministry of Rites who hade from Mountain Cliff Academy.


    In addition to them, there were several influential officials from the capital. Without exception, these officials were all trusted subjects of the emperor. Prefectural Overseer Wu Yuan was also among them, but he appeared far too unremarkable inparison.


    The leader of the convoy from Great Sui Nation was an old man who wasn''t a well-known figure. His surname was Gao, the same as the emperor, but his disposition was more like that of a storyteller who traveled around the world and called everywhere home. He didn''t appear noble at all, and only had a single attendant, a young girl.


    There were two other carriages, with one carrying Prince Gao Xuan and a eunuch wearing robes embroidered with pythons, and one carrying an assistant minister from the Ministry of Rites. This assistant minister had a lofty status, but his official rank wasn''t actually very high.


    The two groups of people met at a ry station and only enjoyed a simple meal with refreshing tea. Afterward, they hurriedly made their way to Cloud Drape Mountain, which had just been elevated to the status of Northern Mountain. Wei Bo, the great mountain god of the Northern Mountain, and Cheng Shuidong, previously an official in Yellow Court Nation and now the assistant mountain master of Forest Deer Academy, patiently waited for the two convoys at the foot of Cloud Drape Mountain.


    The three groups converged and climbed the mountain together.


    The Imperial Song n of the Great Li Empire was going to form an alliance with the Imperial Gao n of Great Sui Nation on Cloud Drape Mountain!


    The two remaining empires in the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent were going to sign a hundred-year pact!


    While the two parties went through the process of forming an alliance ording to Confucian etiquette, two young boys of the same age stood facing each other. They were both princes, and one was Song Jixin. Standing behind him was his absent-minded maidservant, Zhi Gui. The other was called Gao Xuan, and standing behind him was a white-haired chief eunuch wearing a python robe. The eunuch was standing in an upright and respectful manner.


    Gao Xuan smiled and said, "We meet again."


    Song Jixin had a terrible impression of this prince whom he had first met in y Vase Alley, so he didn''t acknowledge him or say anything in reply.


    Gao Xuan had a glum expression as he said, "Fortunes ebb and flow, and you''re more impressive and influential than me now."


    Song Jixin smiled coldly and didn''t say anything.


    Gao Xuan turned to the slim and graceful young girl and said with a faint smile, "I''m very good friends with Chen Ping''an now. When he was in Great Sui Nation, he would often mention you whenever he talked about his hometown."


    Zhi Gui rolled her eyes in a forthright manner.


    As if remembering something, Gao Xuan looked at Song Jixin and asked, "I wanted to buy your maidservant before, and if I remember correctly, you asked for 10,000 taels of gold. Is this offer still on the table?"


    Song Jixin finally opened his mouth, replying, "How much does the entire Great Sui Nation cost? Why don''t you name a price? When I be rich in the future, maybe I''ll buy your entire nation."


    Gao Xuan clicked his tongue in wonder. "Clothes make a person, and a saddle makes a horse[2]. Your haughty manner is truly terrifying now."


    "Then are you terrified to death now?" Song Jixin sneered.


    Gao Xuan pursed his lips, and he didn''t exchange barbs with Song Jixin anymore. He turned around to look at the mountain god temple of the Northern Mountain that possessed a majestic aura, and he asked in a quiet voice, "If the mountain god temple of the Northern Mountain is here, then where is the mountain god temple of the Southern Mountain?"


    In the East Mountain of the capital where Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy was located, the other half of the alliance pact was being formed in an even more secretive manner. Even though the ceremony looked rtively simple, and it was kept aplete secret from non-involved parties, the officials in the capital were all extremely anxious and tense.


    From the emperor to the six ministries, and from inside the mountains to outside the mountains, everyone was rxed on the outside but tense on the inside. Everyone kept a close eye on Mountain Cliff Academy.


    Fortunately, Assistant Mountain Master Mao Xiaodong was like an old hen looking after her chicks, and he had strongly requested the imperial court of Great Sui Nation not to pause the normal teaching schedule in the academy due to this matter. In the end, it was because of this that therge majority of teachers and students in the academy didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary.


    Great Sui Nation was on high alert, but they couldn''t be med for making such a big fuss. This was because the representative from the Great Li Empire responsible for signing the East Mountain Alliance had far too powerful a background.


    He was none other than Cui Chan, the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire.


    1. Grain rain () refers to the 6th of the 24 sr terms. Traditionally, this sr term marks the beginning of warmer temperatures and the onset of the rainy season, making it an important period for farmers to ensure a satisfactory harvest for the rest of the year.


    2. This is a saying that posits a person will appear especially energetic and impressive if they wear a good outfit. Simrly, horses will appear especially beautiful if they have a good saddle. This points to how an outfit, literal or figurative, can vastly change a person''s appearance and status.

 Chapter 239: (2): Observing the Waterfall

    Chapter 239: (2): Observing the Waterfall


    In a serene courtyard in Mountain Cliff Academy, a young girl was sitting in a kneeling position by the door. She felt so apprehensive that she didn''t even dare to breathe too loudly. She was Xie Xie, a young girl now famous in the capital of Great Sui Nation.


    Two people sat opposite each other in the room.


    At the same time, from another perspective, there was only one person in the room.


    There was the young Cui Chan in flowing white robes, and there was the old Cui Chan in azure Confucian robes.


    The two of them didn''t say anything to each other after meeting. They only yed a game of Go with each other, and it was eventually the young Cui Chan, who now went by Cui Dongshan, who had lost by a single move. However, Cui Dongshan wasn''t in a bad mood because of this, and he reviewed the game with a rxed grin.


    Meanwhile, the old Cui Chan had a solemn expression as he epted the cup of hot tea that Xie Xie was apprehensively handing over. He slowly sipped the tea, and didn''t look at the Go board.


    "Are you unwilling to ept my request even if there''s a method to fuse our souls back together?" the old Cui Chan suddenly asked.


    Cui Dongshan continued to pick up Go pieces and ce them back in the Go box. "Do you really need to ask?" he huffed. "What kind of temper and attitude does Cui Chan have? He''d rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. This was the case a hundred years ago, and this will still be the case ten thousand years from now!"


    "Life is unpredictable and filled with all kinds of preposterous urrences," the old Cui Chan sighed.


    Cui Dongshan chuckled and asked, "It''s difficult for me to obtain information now, so can you tell me if things have be chaotic near Colorful Garment Nation in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?"


    The old Cui Chan nodded and replied, "Even though there was a small ident, this wasn''t enough to obstruct the great trend. Chaos is already inevitable."


    Cui Dongshan spent a long time tidying up the Go board. Then, he shot a sideways nce at the old geezer sitting in an upright manner as if he owned the ce, and immediately felt a slight sense of anger. He refused to act as a servant any further, and he stretched his arms and legs andy down on the exquisitely woven bamboo mat.


    "You have better fortune than me, and the old schr is someone who bullies the weak and fears the strong. He was unwilling to target you, so he came over to pick on me, a naive and harmless young boy, instead. You don''t understand how many eye rolls and grievances I suffered on my journey from Jewel Small World to the capital of Great Sui Nation," Cui Dongshan mumbled.


    The old Cui Chan remained silent.


    Cui Dongshan was sprawled on the bamboo mat, looking at the ceiling. He touched his forehead, as if he could still feel some lingering pain there. This was a mental trauma that the stinky little girl, Li Baoping, had smashed into him using that seal!


    Cui Dongshan crossed his legs and sighed, "The emperor of Great Sui Nation is also a bold and courageous person, being willing to swallow this humiliation and shoulder a heavy burden. He was surprisingly willing to ept this utter humiliation and sign an alliance treaty with the Great Li Empire. However, the Imperial Gao n from Yiyang County will have to hide in their shell for a hundred years because of this.


    "They''ll have to yield to the whims of others and hand over all of their vassal states, including Yellow Court Nation. They can only watch on as the armored cavalry of Great Li Empire navigates around theirnd and marches down south,ying down the foundations for their historical feat of conquering and uniting the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in the future."


    "Can you or I predict the state of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in a century?" the old Cui Chan asked in a calm voice. "Even if we can, will we definitely be correct? The Imperial Gao n of Great Sui Nation might be willing to endure this humiliation today, but perhaps this is their first step toing from behind and overtaking the Great Li Empire?"


    Cui Dongshan shook his head and remarked, "If it were me, I definitely wouldn''t be able to endure such humiliation."


    Cui Chan chuckled coldly and assessed, "As it turns out, my mind and my judgment skills were really pathetic during my youth. No wonder I''m in such a miserable state today."


    Cui Dongshan didn''t be angry. He gently swayed a leg and wrapped his hands behind his head like a pillow. As he dazedly stared at the ceiling, he said, "For some reason, you look down on me, but I also dislike you. We''re looking into a mirror, and we both detest what we see. Haha, there are actually such interesting things in the world."


    Cui Chan hesitated for a moment before revealing, "Grandpa has arrived in Dragon Spring Prefecture, and he''s now staying in a bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain. He''s already be much more clear-headed than before, but..."


    "I knew there would be a cursed ''but''!"


    Cui Dongshan covered his ears and rolled around on the bamboo mat. At the same time, he copied Li Huai''s howling as he shouted, "I''m not listening, I''m not listening!"


    Cui Chan ignored him and continued, "Before leaving Majestic World, Lu Chen found him and exchanged blows with him inside the bamboo building. Grandpa ispletely obsessed with fist techniques, so much so that he''s almost fallen to heretical ways.


    "Because of this, his biggest desire is to find out just how powerful the Dao of 10th tier martial artists is. He wants to see whether it''s superior or inferior to the Dao of 13th tier or even 14th tier Qi refiners. Even if it''s inferior, he wants to see just how much it''s inferior by. So, even though he was facing a branch master of the Daoist Sect..."


    Cui Dongshan turned around to look at Cui Chan sitting on the other side of the Go table. "When he''s in Majestic World, Lu Chen also has to abide by the rules established by the Confucian temple, right? He can only wield the power of a 13th tier Qi refiner at most. Meanwhile, Grandpa has returned to the 10th tier, so he has a chance to rival Lu Chen if he can return to his peak. He won''t face certain death even in the worst-case scenario."


    Cui Chan shook his head and exined, "Lu Chen used a small trick and dragged Grandpa into a small world. By doing so, their battlefield was no longer in Majestic World."


    Cui Dongshan suddenly stood up, with killing intent spreading across his face. His voice was extremely restrained and calm as he asked, "Did Grandpa die?"


    Cui Chan took a sip of tea and slowly replied, "No, he didn''t. He walked out of Downtrodden Mountain afterward, and he was like an ordinary resident in the small town as he busied himself with the task of buying the four treasures of the study. When I found Grandpa, he told me that Lu Chen used a mystical Dao technique to summon ten historical martial artists at the 10th tier inside his small world. They were all under Lu Chen''s control. Just think about it, one punch from each of the historical 10th tier martial artists would mean certain death. With this in mind, would you still throw a punch?"


    Cui Dongshan stood up before sitting down and crossing his legs again. He reached up to grab his hair, and there was annoyance on his face as he replied, "I naturally wouldn''t, but Grandpa definitely would. Did Grandpa not know about the significance of this? If he didn''t throw the punch, then that would essentially equate to abandoning any hope of reaching the legendary 11th tier of martial arts. If he didn''t throw the punch, then wouldn''t that be giving up his life-long pursuit of reaching the peak of martial arts?"


    Cui Chan put the teacup on the table and asked, "Then have you thought about this before? What if he survived even after throwing that punch? In fact, what if he sessfully advanced to the 11th tier of martial arts? At that time, both you and I, as well as Chen Ping''an, will never enjoy another peaceful day.


    "Those powerful figures who have remained hidden behind the scenes for hundreds upon thousands of years can tolerate 10th tier martial artists appearing in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. However, they might not tolerate the appearance of a new 11th tier martial god.


    "In this sense, Grandpa''s punch was a transaction with Branch Master Lu Chen. One can also say that it was a transaction with Middle Earth Divine Continent. He exchanged the 11th tier of martial arts for an opportunity to buy misceneous items from the marketce. He exchanged it for a peaceful life."


    Cui Dongshan leaned back and plonked onto the floor, muttering, "How boring."


    Cui Chan''s heart shuddered slightly, and he instantly snapped his head around to look toward the door.


    Cui Dongshan did the same.


    "Qi Jingchun! You were like a ghost that couldn''t stop haunting me, and you''re finally willing to disappear for good now. I want to see whether you still have any trump cards to y Go with me!" Cui Chan said with a cold smile.


    "Old Cui, you can muck around with this if you want," Cui Dongshan said in a listless manner. "However, I won''t apany you to y Go with Qi Jingchun. This is even more boring."


    Cui Chan humphed coldly and stood up to peer down at the young him. "Wet mud can''t form a wall![1]!" he sneered.


    Cui Dongshan didn''t feel embarrassed in the least. Instead, there was a grin on his face as he chuckled, "Lying in wet mud to sunbask actually feels quitefortable. Please don''t help me up. I''ll get angry at whoever tries to help me up."


    "Hand it over!" Cui Chan extended a hand and demanded.


    "Hand what over?" Cui Dongshan blinked and asked.


    "That minimization treasure!" Cui Chan replied with a dark expression.


    Cui Dongshan rolled to his side and turned his butt toward Cui Chan.


    There was a cloudy look on Cui Chan''s face as he relented and said, "I''ll temporarily lend it to you for 20 years. After that, I''ll take it back even if you haven''t advanced to the Upper Five Tiers yet."


    Cui Dongshan quickly turned around and raised a hand, haggling, "At least 50 years!"


    Cui Chan walked to the door and flicked hisrge sleeve, replying, "30 years. Otherwise, I''ll beat you to death right now if you dare to push your luck any further."


    After Cui Chan left the courtyard, Cui Dongshan rolled across the bamboo mat all the way until he reached the door.


    Xie Xie was like a wooden puppet, and she had sat in a kneeling position beside the door threshold the entire time.


    Cui Dongshanzily stood up and shot a sideways nce at the young girl''s sitting posture. He chuckled and said, "Xie Xie, your butt is actually quite big. No wonder you want to be my master''s wife."


    The young girl remained silent and unmoving as she obediently sat there.


    Cui Dongshan jumped up and ran to the young girl''s side. He then viciously kicked her butt and sent her sprawling into the courtyard.


    The young boy in white ced his hands on his hips and chortled withughter.


    The young girl silently stood up, not even patting the dirt from her clothes.


    Cui Dongshan sighed and lightly hammered his chest,menting, "It''s like daggers are cutting at my heart when I see you in such a pitiful state."


    Xie Xie forcefully squeezed out a smile.


    Cui Dongshan hurriedly covered his eyes with a hand. At the same time, he vigorously shook his other hand and eximed, "Hurry up and turn your head around! Heavens, I''m seeing a ghost during the daytime! Your young master is about to go blind!"


    The young girl turned around and cast her gaze upward. There were blue skies for as far as the eye could see.


    When she was young, she had never understood why a cloudless sky represented the best weather. After all, wouldn''t iridescent clouds be more spectacr and beautiful? Only after entering the mountains did she understand the reason behind this  without clouds, there wouldn''t be rain.


    Li Baoping used an "alliance leader badge" carved from wood to summon everyone over. She had drawn inspiration from a novel that she had just finished reading, one that described the adventures of a gant cultivator. He was a respected alliance leader in the martial arts world, and he couldmand the others once he showed his alliance leader badge. He was very mighty and impressive.


    Holding the self-crafted alliance leader badge in her hand, Li Baoping swaggered around to knock on everyone''s doors. She didn''t say anything, and simply raised the badge in her hand with a stern expression. After doing this, she would walk away to knock on the next door.


    In the end, Lin Shouyi, Li Huai, Yu Lu, Xie Xie, and even Cui Dongshan came over to join in the fun. They gathered in Li Baoping''s dormitory and waited for the "alliance leader of the martial arts" world to speak.


    Li Baoping cleared her throat and hung the wooden badge around her neck. There was a thick envelope on the table.


    The young girl in the bright red jacket slowly opened the envelope and said with a solemn expression, "Junior Uncle wrote a letter to all of us. As Division Leader of the East Mountain Division which falls under the jurisdiction of Dragon Spring Prefecture Headquarters, I''m now going to read the letter to all of you. Remember not to make loud noises, and make sure not to be distracted. Don''t... Li Huai, sit still! And you, Cui Dongshan, you''re not allowed to cross your legs! Yu Lu, stop snacking on sunflower seeds!"


    The group of children and youths had no option but to sit still and obediently listen to the little girl.


    Li Baoping read the letter that her junior uncle had addressed to her first. She read it with rhythm and cadence.


    She then carefully folded the letter and ced it beside her hand. She retrieved the second letter, which was addressed to Li Huai. The next letter was addressed to Lin Shouyi, and the final letter was addressed to both Yu Lu and Xie Xie.


    The contents of the letters were mainly regarding trivial matters that had urred in the small town during the new year. Chen Ping''an also told them not to argue with each other, especially since they were away from home now. It was important for them to work together and be nice to each other.


    They shouldn''t let their family worry, but they shouldn''t tire themselves out from studying too much either. From time to time, they should also leave the mountain to clear their mind. They could stroll around the capital of Great Sui Nation together, or they could engage in some other rxing activities.


    Apart from this, Chen Ping''an had also written about some strange events and peculiar individuals that he had encountered after leaving the capital of Great Sui Nation. He also described his experience on the kun ship, and he recounted what the scenery was like when he looked down from high up in the sky. His descriptions weren''t artistic in the least. Rather, they were straightforward and without ir.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s words were filled with a sense of sincerity that allowed everyone to clearly visualize his posture when he had written these letters. Chen Pingan would have definitely been sitting in an even more upright manner than them. Moreover, his expression would have also been serious and meticulous.


    After reading all of the letters, Li Baoping brought her hands down in a calming gesture and announced, "That''s all!"


    "Li Baoping, Chen Ping''an pretty much wrote a letter to each of us, so can''t you directly hand them over to whoever they were addressed to?" Li Huai asked with a puzzled expression.


    The little girl shot a re at Li Huai, causing him to shrink back in apprehension.


    Cui Dongshan pointed at himself and asked, "Where''s my letter?"


    Li Baoping crossed her arms and sat down on a bench with her legs crossed. She then shook her head and replied, "Junior Uncle didn''t write a letter to you."


    Cui Dongshan raised his head and pretended to shed tears. "There''s actually such a heartless and unjust teacher in the world," he murmured.


    Li Baoping suddenlyughed loudly and pulled several banknotes from the envelope. These were official banknotes of the Great Li Empire, and she exined, "Junior Uncle mentioned a matter in my letter, but I forgot to read it just then. Here, take it, Junior Uncle said that he owes you 2000 taels of silver, so he''s returning it to you now. Cui Dongshan, you can''t lie and say that Junior Uncle didn''t return the money to you in the future. I can act as a witness for Junior Uncle!"


    Cui Dongshan epted the banknotes with a heartbroken expression. A flicker of hope suddenly appeared in his eyes, and he asked, "Baoping, did your junior uncle mention anything about couplets? I wrote them. Did Teacher put them up on New Year''s Eve? Can you carefully go over the letter again? What if you missed something?"


    "I didn''t miss anything!" Li Baoping replied firmly. "I''ve already read over the letter nine times! I can recite it from back to front!"


    There was a look of suspicion on Cui Dongshan''s face, and he bent down and reached over to grab the letter. He wanted to read it himself.


    However, Li Baoping immediately ced a hand on the carefully stacked pile of letters and red at the young boy who was nothing more than a defeated opponent. "How dare you!"


    There was always one matter to subdue another matter.


    Cui Dongshan huffed and retracted his hand. He plonked back down and heaved a long sigh, feeling like life wasn''t worth living anymore.


    "Cui Dongshan, do you feel like these notes are an eyesore? Why don''t you give them to me?" Li Huai said quietly.


    Cui Dongshan put the banknotes away and shot a sideways nce at the little boy. "The banknotes aren''t an eyesore, but you, little brat, are indeed an eyesore."


    Li Huai crossed his arms like Li Baoping and replied smugly, "Be careful of what you say. Do you not know that I''m the division leader of the E-section dormitory that''s under the jurisdiction of the East Mountain Division which falls under the jurisdiction of Dragon Spring Prefecture Headquarters?!"


    Cui Dongshan stood up and patted his bottom, scolding with a smile, "Piss off!"


    Li Baoping collected all of the letters and ced them back into the envelope. "I''ll look after these letters for everyone, lest you lose them by ident. Dismissed!"


    Cui Dongshan yawned and left the dormitory.


    Lin Shouyi and Li Huai also left together.


    Yu Lu and Xie Xie leftst.


    As he walked, Yu Lu smiled and remarked in a soft voice, "In the letter that Chen Ping''an wrote to us, my section of the letter had twenty-four more characters than yours."


    "Yu Lu, just how childish are you?" Xie Xie grumbled with a dark expression.


    Yu Lu smiled in a very punchable manner.


    Deep in the mountains located in Sword Water Vi, a spectacr waterfall that looked like a white silk cloth descending from the skies.


    There was a dark green pool at the bottom of the waterfall, one that was so deep that its bottom couldn''t be seen. The blurry silhouette of a red fish vaguely appeared for a moment, then disappeared once more.


    The waterfall was thunderous, and water vapor permeated the surroundings.


    Chen Ping''an mulled over a question as he stood in an exquisite waterside pavilion located beside the deep pool.


    If heunched a sword strike, could he sh open the curtain of water booming down the waterfall?


    Chen Ping''an contemted the power of the crashing water before considering his own awkward situation. He couldn''t evenunch a proper sword strike yet. Thus, the answer was a resounding no.


    With a tap of his foot, Chen Ping''an leaped up andnded on the red railing of the waterside pavilion. He initially wanted to practice standing meditation, but his hand involuntarily reached down and grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd. He went with the flow and took a sip of wine. He then looked up at the peak of the waterfall before slowly shifting his gaze downward.


    The waterfall was like a burst of sword qi flowing down into the mortal world from an immortal''s sleeve.


    1. This is an insult calling someone so useless that they can''t be helped or saved.

 Chapter 240: Even Clay Bodhisattvas Have a Temper

    Chapter 240: Even y Bodhisattvas Have a Temper


    Chen Ping''an attained some enlightenment while observing the waterfall, but he ultimately didn''t draw his locust wood sword to emte the sword strike that Mr. Qi had unleashed toward the pink-robed great demon in the old temple.


    "What in the world is going on?" Chen Ping''an murmured to himself. "Why do I feel like my movements will definitely be wrong if Iunch a sword strike? Perhaps fist techniques arepletely different from sword techniques? Maybe one of them can be mastered through hard work, while the other can only be mastered through talent?"


    Right now, Chen Ping''an was still unaware of the fact that this wasn''t because of hisck ofprehension skills, and it most definitely wasn''t because of hisck of talent in swordsmanship. Rather, everyone whom he hade across was far too powerful and profound for him, a third tier martial artist, toprehend. This was in terms of both their cultivation base and their mystical sword techniques.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s eyesight and observation skills were very good. Thus, he was able to catch many fine details that ordinary martial artists were unable to notice. As a result, he felt a formless pressure weighing on himself, especially since he had a habit of seeking perfection whenever he did something.


    Every time he wanted tounch a sword strike, he would inevitablypare himself to those profound cultivators and end up feeling like his sword weighed thousands of pounds.


    Chen Ping''an hade across all kinds of powerful cultivators on his journey. There was Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin, a terrestrial sword immortal who had shattered the female ghost''s barrier with a single sh, with his sword arriving before his person.


    Afterward, the Mohist cultivator Xu Ruo had drawn his de  a mountain range that he had obtained from visualization and meditation  a small amount and used it to block Wei Jin''s strike. Then there was also Qi Jingchun, who had casually and rxedlyunched a sword strike to shatter the Chaos Origin Golden Light Formation, a technique from White Emperor City''s demonic orthodoxy.


    This waspletely different from his experience of learning the Mountain Shaking Fist from Ning Yao in y Vase Alley. Back then, Chen Ping''an could somewhat imitate Ning Yao''s movements after watching her perform walking meditation a few times. In fact, he could even imitate some of the true intent of this fist technique.


    However, Cui Chan''s grandpa had already offered a conclusion regarding this. After reading the Mountain Shaking Guide, he said that the Mountain Shaking Fist was, in fact, an extremely simple and crude fist technique. It was barely worth a mention, and a fist technique that anyone could imitate.


    This was indeed the case, just like how Blusher Prefecture''s Zhao Shuxia could also temper his physique after watching Chen Ping''an for a while and imitating the walking meditation.


    However, the most valuable part of the Mountain Shaking Fist was its attitude and will. Thus, getting started with the Mountain Shaking Fist was easy, but trying to fullyprehend and master the fist technique was difficult.


    Just how difficult?


    One only needed to look at the t of the Mountain Shaking Fist  <em>Those who practice the Mountain Shaking Fist in the future, remember this even if you''re facing the founders of the three teachings. Your fist technique is allowed to be weak, and your fist technique is also allowed to lose in battles. However, the fist intent that you possess definitely can''t take a single step in retreat!</em>


    When Cui Chan''s grandpa hade across Lu Chen after returning to the peak stage of the 10th tier, had he chosen to throw a punch at his opponent? No, he hadn''t. Regardless of what his considerations were, the end result was that he hadn''t thrown a punch at Lu Chen. From this, one could see just how difficult it was to fully achieve the essence of the Mountain Shaking Fist. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that it was as difficult as ascending the heavens.


    The descending water crashed into the pool and sent sshes of water flying everywhere, as if millions of pearls were exploding in unison and giving rise to a veiled mist.


    "A''Liang, practicing the sword is so difficult."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head in a dazed manner before drinking a sip of wine. He felt a little helpless. He looked around while standing on the railing of the waterside pavilion, and his gaze eventually settled on the peak of the waterfall again. Even though he no longer felt the urge tounch a sword strike, he recalled the words of Cui Chan''s grandpa, the old man had helped him temper his third tier physique. When describing the Rain Evaporation Technique, the barefoot old man had frankly recounted his feat of forcing the rain to retreat into the sky the first time he had unleashed this technique.


    Gazing at the giant waterfall that was thundering down right now, Chen Ping''an was curious about whether the old man in the bamboo building could throw a punch and cause the waterfall to retreat or even flow backward.


    The young boy''s urge tounch an unfamiliar sword strike immediately became an urge to throw an extremely familiar punch. Chen Ping''an immediately became confident again, and this was a sense of confidence that stemmed from his experience of doing his walking meditation hundreds of thousands of times. This confidence stemmed from his refusal to retreat even when facing powerful opponents.


    Chen Ping''an looked at the spectacr waterfall, and a wild thought suddenly urred to him. If he unleashed his full power to throw a punch, could he potentially st a hole into the curtain of water?


    After sting a hole into the curtain of water by luck, might there be a wisp of his fist aura that continued forward and mmed into the tough stone cliff behind it? Could someone like Xu Yuanxia, a martial artist from the cultivation world who had already been at the Qi Refining Tier for many years, smash a small crater into the stone cliff?


    Chen Ping''an was tempted to try.


    However, he quickly hopped down the railing and sat on the long bench in the waterside pavilion. He started to drink wine, and he looked much like a tourist who hade to the vi to enjoy the scenery.


    Chen Ping''an looked toward the mountain path, and it wasn''t long before a group of people in bright-colored clothes slowly walked over. Some people were talking andughing loudly, with an aura of might in their voices, while some people were talking gently in a calm and refined manner. There were also graceful women whose smiles were as beautiful as blooming flowers.


    Of the three people walking in front, the person in the middle was a handsome young master whoseplexion was as fair as jade. There was a jade pendant hanging from one side of his waist and an umon short sword hanging on the other side. He appeared dignified and extraordinary.


    To his left was a middle-aged man with a saber. and this person walked with an aura as mighty and domineering as dragons and tigers. Right now, he was looking around with acent expression. To his right was a young schr wearing a square kerchief on his head and holding a folding fan.


    Several women and young girls were behind the three of them, all of them possessing extraordinary dispositions and appearances.


    There was a girl among them who looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, and she was no shorter than the men around her. Her expression was ice-cold and aloof, and a long saber decorated with gold was hanging by her waist. The saber was in an exquisite scabbard, but her manner of wearing the scabbard was very strange and umon. It was attached to her waist in the reverse direction, just like the middle-aged man''s.


    She nced at the locust wood sword case on Chen Ping''an''s back before ncing at the vermillion wine gourd by his waist. She couldn''t determine his background or cultivation base from these, so she quickly lost interest in the young boy.


    Further back, there was an entourage of guards and followers. Most of them were strong young men with imposing auras and intense gazes. Among them, a person with an ox horn bow slung on his back was the most eye-catching.


    An indescribable aura of the cultivation world swept toward the waterside pavilion.


    The mountain path to Sword Water Vi''s waterfall led to a dead end, and the final destination of the path was none other than the waterside pavilion. The path was narrow, and there was almost no space left as the group of people walked along it. Thus, Chen Ping''an had no option but to remain in the waterside pavilion for the moment. He would find an opportunity to leave after these people entered the pavilion.


    The three men in front walked up the steps first, followed by the group of women and young girls behind them. Meanwhile, the guards and followers spread out to keep watch and guard over the different areas of the waterside pavilion. Most of them just took a cursory nce at the young boy with the sword case on his back, then proceeded to ignore him.


    The young master in the middle had the aura of a descendant from a powerful n, and his gaze paused slightly when he swept his eyes over Chen Ping''an. It was as if he were waiting for Chen Ping''an to speak first. However, Chen Ping''an appeared slightly in and demure when their gazes locked together.


    The young master smiled faintly and nodded in greeting. In reality, however, he was feeling a little puzzled at this moment. Many powerful cultivators from all over the cultivation world hade to Sword Water Vi, yet there was actually someone who didn''t recognize him?


    Only after seeing this did Chen Ping''an return the gesture and nod in greeting.


    Just as Chen Ping''an was about to take this opportunity to leave the waterside pavilion, a young woman sitting beside the young master looked at Chen Ping''an and said in a gentle voice, "Young Master, if you''vee here to enjoy the scenery, then you don''t need to leave if you still want to enjoy the view for a bit longer."


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this. This was because the young woman had spoken using the official dialect of Water Combing Nation, a dialect that he didn''t understand at all.


    The young woman realized this, and she immediately repeated her words using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Chen Ping''an finally understood what she was saying.


    The middle-aged man turned to Chen Ping''an and said, "Youngd, you can be at ease and stay here. There''s no need to feel reserved, and you can drink and enjoy the scenery as you please. If we consider who arrived here first, it''s actually our group that is disturbing your peace and leisure. Of course, you can feel free to leave afterward if you find us too noisy."


    After hearing this, most people would feel forced to remain seated in the same spot for a while longer. However, Chen Ping''an cupped his fists and replied, "I''ve already been here for half a day and enjoyed the scenery of the waterfall. I''m going to take my leave now."


    The middle-aged man with the saber by his waistughed heartily as he surprisingly stood up and returned the gesture. "No worries at all. Please suit yourself."


    One of the youngest girls widened her eyes in disbelief. She felt like this unfamiliar young boy truly had terrible observation skills. Moreover, he also appeared very arrogant. Was he truly unaware of who that young master in the waterside pavilion was? Did he not know that this person was Song Fengshan, the young vi master of Sword Water Vi? He was a top-notch young sword immortal in the cultivation world of Water Combing Nation! In fact, it was rumored that a princess admired him so much that she had almost run away from home to elope with him!


    Even if the young boy didn''t recognize the young vi master, did he not recognize the powerful person who dared to wear his saber in reverse as well? The middle-aged man who had cupped his fists at Chen Ping''an appeared especially friendly and approachable andpletely unlike a powerful figure from the cultivation world. In reality, however, he was the current vi master of Unruly Saber Vi, a mountain vi that was equally as renowned and powerful as Sword Water Vi.


    He was a renowned first-rate saber superior grandmaster in Water Combing Nation, and he had once traveled across the cultivation world of more than a dozen nations. His might and power were known far and wide, and even Sword Saint Song Yushao had personally praised his saber skills as brilliant and only a hair away from reaching a divine martial level.


    The young girl was secretly amused, and contemted whether this impoverished-looking young boy was a young hatchling who had only just entered the cultivation world. Or perhaps he was an audacious thief who had snuck into Sword Water Vi, so he didn''t dare to remain here for too long? Haha, things would be very interesting if that were truly the case.


    Chen Ping''an exited the waterside pavilion and walked down the steps. However, an aloof voice suddenly traveled over from behind him. "Please wait for a moment."


    Chen Ping''an turned around and saw that it was the girl wearing her saber in reverse who had spoken. She walked to the top of the steps and looked down at him, asking, "Who''s your master? Are you from a sword sect in Colorful Garment Nation or Ancient Elm Nation?"


    Even though the young girl appeared slightly overbearing, Chen Ping''an still shook his head and tried his best to maintain a sense of politeness as he replied, "Ie from a ce even further north, and I visited Sword Water Vi with my friends because we heard that the young vi master is going to be nominated as the alliance leader of the martial arts world in Water Combing Nation. We want to find an opportunity to congratte him."


    The handsome young master smiled faintly.


    Meanwhile, the young schr lightly rocked his folding fan and teased, "The deity is present, yet the mortal is unaware."


    The middle-aged man looked at the young girl and huffed, "You little martial arts addict, don''t be disrespectful toward other guests! What did I say to you before? You can''t try topete and spar with everyone after leaving Unruly Saber Vi."


    The young girl ced her palm on the hilt of her saber, causing the tip of the saber to tilt slightly upward and precisely point at Chen Ping''an standing at the bottom of the steps. Shepletely ignored the middle-aged man''s words as she kept her gaze fixed on Chen Ping''an and asked, "Are you at the second tier or third tier of martial arts? How many years have you practiced the sword for?"


    Chen Ping''an furrowed his brow and cupped his fists. He then turned around to leave, not nning to interact with this young girl from a powerful n in Water Combing Nation anymore.


    Chen Ping''an was easygoing and polite, but this didn''t mean that he didn''t have his own principles and bottom line. When it came to strangers, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t provoke them, but he wouldn''t fear them either.


    Cai Jinjian, Fu Nanhua, the mountain-moving ape, the white python that he had killed in Go Table Mountain, the officials and guards on the ship traveling across Embroidered Flower River, the young Cui Chan who had refused toe up from the bottom of the old well in Yellow Court Nation, and the female ghost whose soul he had obliterated with his fists while holding her neck in the old temple not long ago  all of these individuals had experienced the young boy''s wrath after crossing his bottom line.


    The young girl had a cold smile on her face as she softly scorned, "Trash like you still have the face to walk around the cultivation world with swords on their back? You still dare to enter Sword Water Vi? Maybe the person who taught you swordsmanship only taught you how to be a coward, hey?"


    The middle-aged man felt slightly exasperated and helpless. His daughter''s temper had always been like this ever since birth, and it was truly a crappy temper that caused a lot of trouble.


    However, regardless of how he grumbled about this, the middle-aged man was still extremely proud of his only child''s martial arts talent. He didn''t conceal his expectations, and directly announced that his daughter wouldn''t marry out. Instead, her husband would have to enter Unruly Saber Vi. This was because his daughter was destined to be the next vi master of Unruly Saber Vi.


    The middle-aged man was unwilling to rely on his strength to pick on others, so he stood up and was just about to persuade his daughter to stop provoking that young boy from another nation. After all, martial arts needed to uphold martial virtue as the most important thing. Martial prowess was only secondary.


    However, he knew that his daughter was truly unwilling to listen to these old principles. Not only her, but the young prodigies in the current cultivation world were all uninterested in these teachings. Which of them didn''t treat these teachings as passing wind? Their faces would be filled with impatience, and they would snort in contempt behind their elders'' backs.


    The most impressive and renowned young prodigy in Water Combing Nation during the past ten years was none other than the young vi master sitting in the waterside pavilion. He was already at the fourth tier of martial arts at such a young age, and he had already earned the title of small sword immortal for himself.


    Each time Song Fengshan needed tounch a sword strike  regardless of whether he was challenged by someone else or he was the challenger  he would definitely burn incense, bathe, and change into brand-new clothes that he had never worn before. And he would never let his opponent walk away alive.


    However, this sword prodigy who killed with resoluteness would extremely likely be the youngest fifth tier grandmaster in the history of Water Combing Nation.


    After advancing to the fifth tier at thirty and defeating the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal, Song Fengshan could legitimately assume the title of sword immortal. At that time, his grandpa, Sword Saint Song Yushao, would still be alive. And now that Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god was dead, who in the surrounding dozen or so nations could still rival Sword Water Vi?


    This was a critical reason behind why the cultivation world of Water Combing Nation was willing to yield to this junior.


    However, Song Yushao had seldom shown himself for the past several dozen years, and this was a reflection of his disappointment toward the current cultivation world.


    It was rumored that this grandpa and grandson didn''t have a very good rtionship with each other, and it was said that the old sword saint especially disliked his grandaughter-inw who was soft on the outside but ruthless on the inside.


    After hearing the girl''s taunting remarks, even someone as easygoing as Chen Ping''an couldn''t help bute to a sudden stop. He turned around to look toward the waterside pavilion.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know much about the so-called rules of the cultivation world, and he was even more ignorant when it came to the local traditions and customs in Water Combing Nation. However, the young boy felt like there were some principles that could be applied no matter where one was, and there were some matters that were ck and white regardless of the situation.


    Fortunately, the middle-aged man had already walked next to his daughter and scolded her with a stern expression, saying, "With such arrogance and such a fiery temper, how can I possibly dare to let you travel around the cultivation world by yourself? We''ll push it back by a year!"


    The young girl was enraged, and her ice-cold face became increasingly chilly. However, the person beside her was her father after all, and he was also her master who had taught her martial arts and saber skills. He was both a father and a mentor. Moreover, there were so many outsiders present, so what more could she do, especially since she had heard so many stories about the martial arts world from a young age?


    No matter how frustrated she felt, she could only humph coldly and shut her mouth, not taunting the young boy anymore. She turned around and walked back to the long bench in the waterside pavilion. She sat down and turned her head to look at the crashing waterfall in a foul mood.


    There was an apologetic expression on the middle-aged man''s face as he said, "Youngd, I, Wang Yiran, apologize to you on behalf of my daughter."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in acknowledgment before turning around to leave. He had a terrible impression of the young girl, especially since she reminded him of Zhu He and Zhu Lu. This was an identical situation. Their fathers were clearly reasonable and amiable people, so how were their daughters so arrogant and self-centered?


    How very strange!


    Upon thinking of Zhu Lu who had attempted to assassinate him, Chen Ping''an naturally thought of the mastermind behind the assassination attempt as well  Li Baoping''s second brother, Li Baozhen. This was a grudge that couldn''t be avoided.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but sigh.


    He left without saying anything, and this truly pushed the already furious girl over the edge. She was unable to endure this anymore, and she immediately stood up and scolded him with a furious expression. "The mighty vi master of Unruly Saber Vi personally apologized to you, and you, bastard, aren''t even going to say anything in reply? Fatherless scum!"


    Chen Ping''an expressionlessly turned around and tightened the rope of his sword case. "If you want to spar, then let''s go ahead and spar."


    Chen Ping''an had remainedrgely silent for the 350-kilometer trip from the old temple to Sword Water Vi. He wasn''t in a good mood. Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng had also noticed this, so the big-bearded martial artist had even reined in his habit of drinking by a noticeable degree. He didn''t make crude remarks while drinking or eating, either. It was also because of this that the two of them had tacitly turned down the offer to visit the waterfall together with Chen Ping''an even though they wanted to go. They wanted Chen Ping''an to get some fresh air and rx by himself.


    The young girl strode to the top of the steps and sneered, "Alright, I''ve been waiting for this!"


    However, Chen Ping''an''s next question astonished everyone in the waterside pavilion, making them look at him in a new light. "Does a spoken life and death contract count?"


    "Youngd, sparring is okay, and I won''t interfere no matter what the oue is," Wang Yiran, the renowned saber grandmaster from Water Combing Nation, said in a stern voice. "However, I don''t wish to see a life-and-death battle. The two of you can spar until a victor is decided. How does that sound?"


    The girl was just about to say something, but Wang Yiran immediately red at her with an intense gaze. The young girl had almost never seen such a strict expression on her father''s face before, so she was immediately scared into silence. She didn''t dare to retort the young boy anymore.


    Wang Yiran stared at Chen Ping''an and said, "If you want to make a life-and-death contract before fighting, I definitely won''t agree to the fight. If you only want to spar, however, then I''m willing to let my daughter suffer this hardship even if your attacks are merciless. I hope she can take this opportunity to understand the depth of the martial arts world. She has to learn that some half-assed skills don''t make her invincible, and she should temper down her arrogance!"


    In the end, the middle-aged man turned around to nce at his daughter. Uttering these words in front of so many outsiders fully reflected the serious nature of his words.


    One could admonish their children in the presence of others, but one could only admonish their wife in private.


    This was most likely an old rule from the old cultivation world.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath and said, "Then we''ll spar!"


    Standing beside his daughter, Wang Yiran lowered his voice and said, "Shanhu, remember to control your strength when you spar. It''s never good topletely burn one''s bridges, so don''t make your path in the cultivation world too narrow."


    Wang Yiran was still of the opinion that his daughter was more likely to win. As her father, however, he still had to teach her the important principles first.


    The girl looked at the young boy who was standing on the narrow path outside the waterside pavilion. She pursed her lips and replied, "I know, Father."


    She ced her hand on the hilt of her saber and smiled faintly. With a tap of her feet, she then leaped high into the air toward the ignorant young swordsman.


    While in the air, the girl drew her famous saber.


    At the same instant, a dull thud echoed over from the small path, and the figure that had been in the corners of everyone''s eyes suddenly vanished without a trace. In the next instant, the young boy with the sword case on his back reappeared in front of the young girl who was about to raise her saber.


    His fist mmed into her forehead, and he borrowed the reaction force to nimbly jump back to his original position. Rather than resuming his fighting stance, however, he just stood there in a carefree manner.


    Meanwhile, the girl looked like a ragdoll as she flew over the roof of the waterside pavilion and eventually crashed into the pool under the waterfall. Nobody knew whether she was alive or dead.


    This was a sparring match between two young cultivators.


    One party had been loud like thunder, but the expected lightning had never made an appearance.


    One party had been extremely direct, and even though no thunder had echoed, the lightning bolt had struck hard.


    Chen Ping''an turned around to leave. While doing so, he grabbed his wine gourd and lifted it high up to take a swig of wine. He showed his back to everyone in the waterside pavilion.


    As it turned out, even y Bodhisattvas had a temper.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Don''t mess with Ping''an!</blockquote>

 Chapter 241: It’s Easier to Brag After Drinking a Sword Immortal’s Wine

    Chapter 241: It��s Easier to Brag After Drinking a Sword Immortal��s Wine


    Wang Yiran had a solemn expression as he turned around and leaped onto the railing of the waterside pavilion. He didn''t have time to deal with his frightened female rtives in the pavilion, and he rapidly dashed toward the pool to scoop up his defeated daughter.


    The young vi master of Sword Water Vi was unfazed, and the young schr rocking his fan clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "I didn''t expect him to be a powerful martial artist hiding his true strength."


    The young schr closed his folding fan with a crack before focusing his gaze on the young boy who was disappearing further and further into the distance. This young boy with the sword case on his back was definitely a lesser grandmaster at the fourth tier of martial arts!


    Perhaps he was the final disciple of Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god? However, the cultivation world was dangerous and his master had been violently killed in a mountain, so he had no option but to disguise himself as a traveling cultivator from another nation?


    Had he traveled far away to flee from danger? Otherwise, who could have raised such a young martial arts prodigy? He had reached the grandmaster stage even earlier than Song Fengshan.


    Song Fengshan''s wife, a beautiful and virtuous-looking young woman, couldn''t help but ask in a soft voice, "Will Shanhu be okay?"


    Song Fengshan imperceptibly caressed the hilt of his sword, Vast Water, with his thumb. He smiled and remained silent.


    The young schr smiled faintly and exined, "Please rest assured, mdy. Lady Wang isn''t in any danger, nor has she been severely wounded. The young boy used a clever technique, and he only used the external power of his fist aura to knock Lady Wang unconscious.


    "Lady Wang only suffered some external wounds that won''t affect her physique or soul. The young boy restrained himself at just the right moment. I believe that he was heeding the words of Vi Master Wang  a person shouldn''t make their path in the cultivation world too narrow."


    Sure enough, Shanhu slowly regained consciousness after Wang Yiran carried her back to the waterside pavilion and tapped several of her acupoints. Apart from appearing extremely disheveled, beingpletely soaked, having some of her skin revealed, and losing all of her face, her condition and aura seemed fairly okay.


    She struggled to stand up, and her forehead was red and swollen as she stood with her back facing the others. She propped a hand against a column and ced her other hand over her mouth. The soaked and slender young girl had watery eyes, and appeared charmingly pitiful in stark contrast to her normally aloof nature.


    The young girl who was joining in on the fun with no regard for the serious nature of the situation craned her neck and dazedly looked at Chen Pingan drinking on the mountain path. "Wow! He''s truly a powerful person!" she eximed in astonishment.


    The young schr stole a quick nce at Shanhu''s slender figure, which was on full disy thanks to her drenched clothes. The corners of his lips curled up into a slight smile. Her legs were long and shapely, and the naive young boy was most likely unfamiliar with the vor of such legs. To experienced young masters from powerful ns like him, however, it was well known that such legs were the most damaging to the health of men.


    One issue had just concluded, but another issue immediately arose.


    There was a notion of subordinates sacrificing themselves when their master was humiliated in the cultivation world, and the man with the ox horn bow seemingly saw the reserved snickers of a few other guards and subordinates as he stood among the other trusted subordinates in the waterside pavilion.


    His anger instantly filled him with courage. He let out a roar, then grabbed his precious bow which had taken a craftsman ten years to make. At the same time, he grabbed an arrow with white fletching from his quiver and drew his bow to full. "An evildoer like you dares to injure the young mistress? Eat my arrow!"


    Unexpected situations were urring one after another, so even Unruly Saber Vi''s Vi Master Wang  who was renowned for hisposure and his steadfast techniques  couldn''t help but feel a little angry.


    "Ma Lu! You can''t shoot someone in the back!" he bellowed.


    Chen Ping''an was already a hundred paces away, and was just about to turn back around. However, he faltered slightly, and saw someone standing on a branch atop a towering tree with their hands sped behind their back out of the corners of his eyes. The mountain wind brushed past, and the branch under the old man in ck''s feet also bounced up and down like gently undting water. He appeared especially impressive as he stood there.


    The two of them exchanged a quick nce, and the old man quickly nodded in acknowledgment. Upon seeing this, Chen Ping''an abandoned his urge tosh out. However, he still turned around to face the waterside pavilion.


    The old man instantly vanished, then reappeared on the narrow mountain path in the next moment. He was like a wisp of smoke as he brushed past Chen Ping''an. He raised his arm and extended a finger, pointing it upward.


    An arrow sliced through the air, but it was stopped by the old man''s fingertip just like that. The shaft of the arrow shattered under the immense force of the impact, yet the old man''s finger remained unmoving and uninjured.


    The old man gently pinched the arrowhead with two fingers. With a casual toss, the arrowhead whistled back and pierced through the hand of the archer.


    The man was a fearless person, however, and he refused to drop his ox horn bow just because of this. His wounded hand hung limply by his side, but he still held his bow up with the other. His eyes were wide with anger and ferocity as he red at the uninvited guest.


    "When journeying through the cultivation world, one is responsible for one''s own life and death!" the old man in ck said with a cold expression. "Have your elders not taught you this simple principle before? So be it if you don''t follow any rules in other areas of the cultivation world in Water Combing Nation. You can do whatever you like. However, this is uneptable in Sword Water Vi."


    Song Fengshan''s wife stood up and performed an elegant curtsy. "Patriarch," she greeted respectfully.


    Wang Yiran''s expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly cupped his fists and lowered his head. "Unruly Saber Vi''s Wang Yiran pays his respects to Sword Saint Song!"


    The young schr immediately smacked the young girl''s head, signaling for her to stand up. He then bowed and said, "Mount Xiaochong''s Han n disciple, Han Yuanshan, pays his respects to Old Vi Master."


    The young girl was a lively person who wasn''t frightened by the situation at all. She copied her older brother, bowing but not lowering her head. She looked straight ahead at the extremely famous immortal and said in a childish voice, "Mount Xiaochong''s Han n disciple, Han Yuanxue, pays her respects to Old Vi Master."


    After Sword Saint Song Yushao showed himself, his grandson, Song Fengshan, was surprisingly thest person to stand up. His voice was emotionless as he slowly said, "Grandfather, your trip to the outside world was quite short this time. I thought that you would only be willing to return after all of the guests left and the vi became quiet and peaceful again."


    The old man looked around, and he simply remarked, "What a foul atmosphere."


    He then turned around and simply left with Chen Ping''an. The influential Han n from Water Combing Nation''s Mount Xiaochong? The vi master of Unruly Saber Vi? He paid no heed to these things, as if they were all beneath him. The old vi master couldn''t be bothered even taking an extra nce at them.


    Song Yushao walked side-by-side with Chen Ping''an, and his expression only became slightly forlorn after he turned his back to the others. After walking half a kilometer, he said in self-ridicule, "My n has gone astray, and they''re even inferior to a waterfall now. Apologies for the embarrassing sight."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond, so he could only reply with some generic but polite words. "The people in the vi are actually quite fine. They''re not as bad as you make them out to be, Senior."


    Every family had their own hardships, so the old man was unwilling to talk about the shorings of his n in front of outsiders regardless of how magnanimous and open-minded he was. He changed the topic and said, "Why did you suddenly change your mind when you threw that punch? Why did you only use thirty or fourty percent of your strength?


    "The future vi master of Unruly Saber Vi is a stubborn person who isn''t easy to deal with. She might not appreciate your mercy, and she might even cause you trouble in the future. Nowadays, people in the cultivation world only care about their own feelings and happiness. I strongly dislike this, but I''m also unable to appreciate yourck of firmness."


    Chen Ping''an drank some wine and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth. He smiled and replied, "Punching someone to death simply because I''m unhappy is far too much. In any case, I''m about to leave Water Combing Nation very soon, so it won''t be easy for Unruly Saber Vi to cause trouble for me even if they want to. What''s she going to do, curse me behind my back? It''s not like I can hear her curses anyway."


    Song Yushao turned around to nce at Chen Pingan, who had a sincere expression on his face. His attitude was unexpected, yet it was also understandable at the same time. Song Yushao smiled and remarked, "It''s fine for a bunch of old bones like me to say something like this, as I already have one foot in the grave. Nothing matters anymore, so what can I do? However, you''re only fifteen or sixteen, right? It''s truly boring to hear you speak in such a mature manner."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t rebut the old man. The gloominess weighing on his mind had already cleared up significantly after he threw that punch, and this was already enough.


    He suddenly recalled something, and warned in a quiet voice, "The mama from the old temple who referred to herself as one of the four evil spirits of Water Combing Nation hase to your vi with a huge man. You need to be careful, Senior."


    Song Yushaoughed heartily and replied, "This is nothing. Counting the young master from the Han n who''s sitting in the waterside pavilion, the infamous four evil spirits of Water Combing Nation have all gathered in my vi already."


    "Who''s the final evil spirit?" Chen Ping''an asked in puzzlement.


    "Let''s not mention them," replied Song Yushao with a bitter smile, shaking his head.


    Chen Ping''an drank a mouthful of wine and thought about some things.


    The old man understood his intention, and he honestly exined, "There''s no scheme behind my invitation to you and yourpanions. I simply hope that the vi won''t be filled with dogs and pigs wearing human skin. After all, this Sword Water Vi is something I built myself from the ground up, so I don''t want dogshit to be lying around everywhere, a pile here and a puddle there. Just walking around my own ce disgusts me. With you and yourpanions staying as guests here, I feel much more pleased andfortable."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether tough or to cry. This senior was far too honest and frank.


    However, what Chen Ping''an didn''t know was the fact that while bing increasingly renowned as a sword saint, Song Yushao was also nicknamed "iron knob" by those in the same generation. This referred to Song Yushao''s unsmiling nature, both at home and even more in the cultivation world.


    If one tried to im that Song Fengshan had apletely different personality to his grandfather, Song Yushao, then that would be a misjudgement of the young sword immortal''s character. It was just that Song Yushao was radiating with the stubborn and restricted nature of cultivators from the past generations. These were things that Song Fengshan was unwilling to adhere to as he pursued the pinnacle of the Sword Dao.


    Song Yushao was past seventy, and he had encountered far too many storms ande across far too many sinister people during his travels through the cultivation world. Thus, he was increasingly certain of one thing: a person should only reason with those who were reasonable. Under all other circumstances, his rusty iron sword was the only argument he had and the only argument he needed.


    Song Yushao liked to travel around with only his sword as apanion, and he had seen many impressive young prodigies during the past few years. They were truly talented, yet their martial virtue truly left much to be desired. However, they were still very sessful, and were still admired by countless people in the cultivation world.


    There was something that Song Yushao didn''t really understand. The cultivation world would be handed over to these people in maybe fifty years, so what was there to look forward to at that time?


    No matter how talented with the sword Song Yushao was, he was only a single person, after all. Those in the same generation as him were passing away one after another, taking with them the old principles that the youths didn''t like listening to. These principles were buried six feet under along with them. Now that his half-friend half-enemy, the old sword god of Colorful Garment Nation, had died, Song Yushao felt even more demotivated and uninterested.


    He felt like the current cultivation world was nd and tasteless. The wine had lost its vor.


    The old man and the young boy casually strolled around with nothing to do. After a while, Song Yushao suddenly said, "Those people in the waterside pavilion had bad eyes, and they were unable to determine the level of your fist intent. However, I was able to see it clearly, so let me be nosy and tell you this.


    "There''s something wrong with your mental state right now, and the barrier between the third tier and the fourth tier is the first major barrier for us martial artists. The more solid your foundation is, the more susceptible you are to unexpected idents if you advance to the fourth tier with knots in your heart. After all, an avnche on arge mountain is hundreds upon thousands of times more terrifying than andslide on a small mountain. Youngd, you have to be careful!"


    Chen Ping''an was instantly frightened back to his senses. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and he mulled over things for a few moments before turning around and saying, "Thank you for your warning, Senior."


    Song Yushao thought for a bit before saying something that seemed to bepletely irrelevant. "Your decision to pull back just then was indeed a sign of your kindness. However, doing so was also a blemish when considering your advance to the next cultivation tier. If you had unleashed your full power just then, you would have probably killed that young girl, or at least you would''ve left her crippled.


    "With that, you would have enraged everyone and the spar would''ve turned into a life-and-death battle. Perhaps that would have been your opportunity to break through to the next tier. Indeed, this is what immortals from the mountains refer to as a fated opportunity."


    Chen Ping''an smiled in response, but the truth was that didn''t feel any regret at all. Rather, his reply was filled with a sense of maturity again. "It doesn''t matter. What is mine can''t run away, and what isn''t mine can''t be caught."


    In fact, Song Yushao was carefully observing the subtle changes in Chen Ping''an''s expression the entire time. The old man imperceptibly nodded upon seeing the calm demeanor and pure eyes of the young boy.


    The Sword Dao pursued by this young boy and the Dao of his grandson, Song Fengshan, werepletely different things. The gulf between them was like the gulf between heaven and earth. At this stage, it was too early to say who was right and who was wrong, and who could advance further and quicker. However, Song Yushao personally felt like this young boy from another nation, who had poor sword skills even though he was traveling around with a sword case, was more to his tastes than his prodigy of a grandson.


    In terms of educating future generations, schrly ns were indeed more capable than forces from the cultivation world. Song Yushao wholeheartedly epted this observation. He had focused most of his attention and effort on practicing with the sword during his earlier years, and this had resulted in him turning a blind eye to the development of his n.


    Perhaps it could also be said that he had possessed few tools at his disposal. At most, he could only beat or scold his descendants. Looking back at these things now, the old man could only feel guilt and regret.


    In reality, Song Yushao felt like his situation was no better than that of Unruly Saber Vi''s Wang Yiran.


    Etiquette came from aristocratic ns, while immortal powers came from martial sects.


    Genuine descendants of aristocratic ns were raised in an environment full of etiquette and rules ever since a young age. Simrly, immortal techniques were systematically passed down since ancient times in immortal forces in the mountains.


    Song Yushao was well aware of this fact. He had once traveled afar to Southern Stream Nation, and had interacted with many renowned individuals over there. There were all kinds of people with different personalities, and they indeed all possessed their own demeanor and mannerisms. In fact, even the feeble schrs over there could cause one to feel embarrassed and ashamed.


    On the narrow mountain path linking the waterfall to Sword Water Vi, there was an exquisite and adorable resting station with upturned eaves. There was a que hanging at the entrance that read "Mountain and Water," and the couplets on the two sides of the doorway read "Jagged White Stones" and "Murmuring Limpid Water." These were very simple words, but also unique in their own way.


    Song Yushao was very fond of this resting station, and he dragged Chen Ping''an over to sit on a long bench inside the pavilion. They sat opposite each other, and the old man ced his sword across his knees. Meanwhile, the young boy kept his swords on his back. One was a highly regarded sword saint, and onecked the confidence to evenunch a sword strike.


    Their view was wide, and the distant mountains were like the dark eyebrows of a beautiful woman.


    The mountain wind was refreshing, allowing one to feel rxed and carefree.


    Song Yushao sat quietly, not even trying to make small talk with the young boy. He simply thought about some personal matters.


    His grandson, Song Fengshan, wasn''t wildly ambitious when it came to matters regarding the cultivation world. Rather, it was his grandson''s wife who was fanning the mes from behind the scenes. She was always whispering in his ears, and she had managed to persuade him that he was only doing some minor things in a convenient manner. It was because of this that he was going to be the alliance leader of the martial arts world.


    Not only that, but he was even going to lead both normal cultivators and demonic cultivators alike, going as far as to extend his influence into the imperial court as well. Otherwise, with Song Fengshan''s temperament, how could he have cared about that princess from Water Combing Nation back then? Not killing her with a single sh was already showing strong restraint and benevolence.


    The "Four Evil Spirits of Water Combing Nation" was a recent title that had only appeared in the past ten years. They weren''t well known in the cultivation world, and generally speaking, only cultivation grandmasters at Wang Yiran''s level had heard of them before. The most powerful member of this group was the burly man who had arrived at Sword Water Vi with the so-called mama. He had an immortal treasure, a silver halberd, and he had founded a demonic force in Water Combing Nation.


    Ranked second was the demonic young girl from the old temple, and after her was the seemingly unremarkable young master from the Han n who had been sitting inside the waterside pavilion. He was from a famous n, yet he cultivated demonic techniques instead. Not only that, but he had even won over and gained control of many high-ranking officials in Water Combing Nation.


    The weakest of the four evil spirits was seemingly far away, yet right in front of them at the same time. It was none other than Song Yushao''s granddaughter-inw.


    She had "coincidentally" be acquainted with Song Fengshan while he was traveling. Afterward, the two of them had be husband and wife without Song Yushao''s knowledge or permission. Not only that, but they had even announced their marriage to the world. When Song Yushao had finally returned from his long trip, things were done already and couldn''t be undone.


    What exasperated Song Yushao the most was the fact that the infatuated Song Fengshan admitted to knowing his wife''s demonic identity. That time, Song Yushao had drawn his sword and shattered his eldest grandson''s sword. Then, he had run his sword through the woman''s stomach.


    Song Fengshan had gone wild with rage and tried to fight his grandpa with his life on the line.


    Frustrated and infuriated, Song Yushao hadshed out to sever his undutiful grandson''s wrist tendons,prehensively severing his ability to pursue the Sword Dao, lest he harm others in the future.


    Unexpectedly, however, the woman had stepped forward to block the strike for Song Fengshan, even allowing the old man to pierce her heart. She hadn''t died, but her bridge of immortality had been shattered. Afterward, she had be a feeble woman who would always get sick, even during colder spring days.


    These were unpleasant family matters, and Song Yushao had tried to use both reason and emotion to persuade his grandson. In the end, he had still failed to persuade him even after unleashing several sword strikes. In fact, things had beplicated and strained instead.


    Song Yushao heaved a long sigh.


    The Mountain and Water Pavilion was surrounded by jagged white stones and murmuring limpid water. The scenery was beautiful, but the worldly affairs were disappointing.


    "Senior Song, can I practice fist techniques at the waterfall for the next couple of days?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    Song Yushao immediately agreed to his request without asking any questions. "Why not? I''ll immediately notify everyone that the area from the Mountain and Water Pavilion to the waterfall is a restricted area of Sword Water Vi. Anyone who enters without permission will be punished by death."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head in an uneasy manner. "I can go over to practice my fist techniques at night when there''s no one enjoying the scenery at the waterfall. There''s no need to seal the area in the morning, that would be far too unreasonable."


    Song Yushao shook his head andughed heartily, replying, "You''re far too reserved, youngd. Do I need to speak reason with others when sealing off an area and keeping it shit-free in my own territory?"


    Chen Ping''an could only ept this and say, "If there''s anything the vi needs help with, please do let me know, Senior."


    The old man patted the iron sword on his knees and huffed, "My sword is different from the two swords on your back."


    An awkward expression appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and focused on drinking, not saying anything else.


    Song Yushao suppressed a chuckle and retied his sword to his waist. He then stood up and said, "Feel free to practice your fist techniques whenever you want. You can stay in the vi for as long as you like. Oh, that''s right, your wine doesn''t smell good at all. When I get back, I''ll tell someone to bring you a few jars of flower carving brew. It''s been buried underground for almost twenty years, and that''s what I call a good wine! Just what in the world are you drinking right now? It''s no better than water. More importantly, you always like to take one or two sips regardless of whether there''s anyone around. I can''t help but feel embarrassed for you."


    With a tap of his foot, the old man swayed and instantly appeared on a tall branch in the distance. With a few nimble bounds, he immediately vanished from sight.


    Chen Ping''an sat in the Mountain and Water Pavilion by himself.


    He hade across this senior twice, and he couldn''t help but recall City God Shen Wen from Colorful Garment Nation''s Blusher Prefecture. Even though one was a renowned pure martial artist in the cultivation world and one was a schrly deity who enjoyed incense offerings  oh, and there was also the Qi refiner who had taken Luanluan as his disciple as well  he had a nagging feeling that the three of them were quite simr in a sense. However, he couldn''t quite put a finger on what it was. In any case, Chen Ping''an felt like he genuinely couldn''t buy the cheapest liquor for his wine gourd anymore after interacting with them.


    Well, this didn''t matter. After all, he was soon about to receive the best wine in Sword Water Vi, wasn''t he?


    Most importantly, he didn''t need to spend any money!


    And thus, Chen Ping''an was in a very good mood when he left the Mountain and Water Pavilion and returned to his temporary residence.


    When he arrived in the courtyard, Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng exchanged a nce upon seeing his joyful expression. What was going on? Was visiting the waterfall that effective?


    Chen Ping''an happily sat down beside the stone table and chuckled, "I''m going to practice fist techniques at the waterfall tonight. Who wants toe with me?"


    "Perhaps you peeped on a beautiful woman bathing near the waterfall?" the big-bearded martial artist asked with a sly grin. "If such a beautiful sight exists, then count me in!"


    Zhang Shanfeng blinked and added, "I can keep a lookout for the two of you."


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly exasperated, and he exined, "How can that be possible? In fact, I even got into a conflict with some people at the waterfall. I had a fight, and my opponent was seemingly someone from Unruly Saber Vi. Fortunately, Senior Song stepped in and helped me block an arrow from one of their subordinates. Otherwise, I most likely would have had to keep fighting them. If things continued like that, I might have ended up dragging the two of you down with me as well..."


    Xu Yuanxia clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "Chen Ping''an, drag us down as well? I''m an unrefined man, so how can you covet my beauty? If you ask me, I''d say that Zhang Shanfeng is indeed quite beautiful. When I go to the small town, I''ll help him buy some female clothes. Afterward, we can get him to wander around the waterfall. Maybe I''ll even be a matchmaker for the two of you and sessfully unite you in love and marriage..."


    Chen Ping''an almost spat out the wine that he was drinking.


    Zhang Shanfeng feigned vomiting, and he hurriedly scurried away from his two friends. There was mock anger on his face as he eximed, "Even rabbits don''t feed on the grass beside their nests! Yet, the two of you are actually targeting your brother as well? You''re taking things too far!"


    Chen Ping''an quietly stood up and walked over to sit on another stone chair, distancing himself from Xu Yuanxia.


    The big-bearded martial artist stroked his beard and asked, "What''s wrong? For the sake of our brothers, we should even be willing to take des to our chests. That being the case, what''s wrong with changing into female clothes? Brother, you can''t be so disloyal!"


    Zhang Shanfeng cupped his fists and begged for forgiveness, continually retreating as he said, "I''m going to study some ssics in my room. Since the two of you are so loyal, why don''t you enjoy the conversation by yourselves?"


    Xu Yuanxia roared withughter.


    Chen Ping''an smiled knowingly.


    Steward Chu coincidentally arrived at this moment, and he hade with a few subordinates to deliver fourrge jars of vorful wine. He left after delivering them, but it was clear that he was behaving more respectfully and cheerfully toward Chen Ping''an.


    In reality, Zhang Shanfeng didn''t like to drink. Thus, Chen Ping''an was just about to split the wine in half with Xu Yuanxia, giving him two of the four jars. However, Xu Yuanxia hesitated for a moment before smiling and shaking his head, saying, "One jar is enough for me. You can take three, Chen Ping''an."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly puzzled.


    Xu Yuanxia looked around and didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary. Only then did he point at the vermilion wine gourd by Chen Ping''an''s waist and chuckle softly, "Do you really think I didn''t notice anything? I didn''t travel around the cultivation world for nothing, and I was simply too embarrassed to say anything in the past. This is simr to how Zhang Shanfeng introduced himself as Zhang Shan at the start. Who doesn''t have some secrets when adventuring through the cultivation world? Your wine gourd is either a legendary pocket treasure from the immortal forces or it''s an even more valuable Sword Nurturing Gourd. Am I correct?"


    The big-bearded martial artist pointed at his eyes and said, "Haha, I can already see through everything."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t deny anything, and he replied softly, "I''m sorry for hiding this from the two of you for so long."


    Xu Yuanxia rolled his eyes and huffed, "Come on, what is there to apologize about? Being careless in the cultivation world is the true crime toward one''s friends."


    A forlorn expression appeared on the big-bearded martial artist''s face after he said this. He cracked open a jar of beautiful mountain vi wine that had been sealed for a long time and poured some into his ordinary wine pot. He swished it around after filling it, and he added, "I''m not trying to be polite. I suffered a lot myself, so I know how things are."


    Xu Yuanxia gulped downrge mouthfuls of wine. There was still more than half a jar remaining, so he could definitely drink his fill.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything upon seeing that Xu Yuanxia was in low spirits. He also started drinking, but he drank slowly, unlike the big-bearded martial artist who waspping it up like a cow.


    Xu Yuanxia downed an entire pot of wine in a few breaths. His beard was filled with beads of wine, and he casually wiped it with his hand before chuckling and asking, "Your wine gourd is filled with the same wine, but will it taste different from mine?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and tossed his wine gourd to the big-bearded martial artist. "Here, try it yourself."


    Xu Yuanxia raised the Sword Nurturing Gourd high into the air before tilting his head backward and gulping down arge mouthful of wine. He then tossed the wine gourd back to Chen Ping''an and remarked in satisfaction, "It does taste a bit better!"


    "What bullshit!" Chen Ping''an replied with a grin. "The wine in my wine gourd is the cheapest wine from some small town. How can itpare to the mountain vi''s twenty-year flower carving brew?"


    Xu Yuanxia was slightly drunk, with his face flushed red as he stood up and shakily walked to his room. He was going to have a nice, long sleep. However, he stopped, turned around and replied with a grin, "It''s the wine of a future great sword immortal, so how can it not taste good? It tastes very good!"


    He turned back toward the door and stumbled several steps forward. His head swayed back and forth as he murmured to himself, "I, Xu Yuanxia, can brag about this forever!"

 Chapter 242: (1): The Rainbow Above the Waterfall

    Chapter 242: (1): The Rainbow Above the Waterfall


    Even though night had already fallen, Sword Water Vi was still brightly lit. All of the courtyards, big and small, were filled with guests, and they went through countless jars of fine wine in a single night. It was said that after the event, even those in the small town were able to smell the aroma of wine drifting over from the vi.


    Chen Ping''an had enquired Steward Chu about the ferry station, and there was indeed one in Water Combing Nation, over 300 kilometers away from Sword Water Vi. It was situated on the border of Water Combing Nation and Pine Stream Nation, and it was said that cultivators frequently appeared there.


    However, the entire area in a radius of 150 kilometers around the ferry station had been marked as a restricted area by the imperial family of Water Combing Nation, and anyone who dared to venture into the area without a special permit was punished by execution.


    The old steward was a very thoughtful man, and he told Chen Ping''an that Sword Water Vi was on very good terms with the chief military governor''s manor situated on the border, and all they would have to do would be to send a letter to the manor to receive this special permit, so that wasn''t something that Chen Ping''an had to worry about.


    Zhang Shanfeng asked the old steward whether there were any shops run by cultivators at the ferry station where he could exchange for certain things, and the old steward confirmed this to be the case. After Song Fengshan''s original sword was damaged, he had paid the ferry station a visit and brought back the short sword that he was currently carrying.


    The old steward was eager to share everything that he knew, and not only did he reveale all of this insider information about Water Combing Nation, he shared that Song Fengshan had spent 900 snowke coins to purchase that short sword by the name of Vast Water, and that was close to half of the vi''s entire wealth.


    Of course, the steward wasn''t so willing to spill his guts because he was overly trusting and naive. Instead, it was because Sword Saint Song had told him that when it came to these three, particrly Chen Ping''an, he could treat them as if they were his closest friends, and that the vi didn''t have to be wary of them at all.


    Fulfilling one''s promises no matter what, sticking by one''s friends even through life and death, cherishing friendship with all one''s heart; those were the mantras that Song Yushao had abided by his entire life.


    Steward Chu had served Song Yushao for sixty years, and during that time, he had given everything to the vi, sticking with the vi through thick and thin and sometimes even putting his life on the line. It was only because Song Yushao''s way of life had rubbed off on him that he had been willing to serve the vi so diligently and wholeheartedly.


    After enjoying avish feast in Zhang Shanfeng''s room, Chen Ping''an prepared to depart to the waterfall to practice his fist techniques. However, Zhang Shanfeng suddenly told him to wait.


    Xu Yuanxia had one foot resting on a bench, using a toothpick to pick at his teeth, and he asked if Zhang Shanfeng needed him to leave.


    Zhang Shanfeng assured him that he could stay, then rushed over to open his bags before pulling out a pair of bamboo chopsticks that he pushed toward Chen Ping''an across the table.


    "Why are you giving me this? We''ve already finished our meal, haven''t we?" Chen Ping''an asked with a curious expression.


    The pair of bamboo chopsticks on the table were part of the spoils that Zhang Shanfeng had reaped from the battle back in the Blusher Prefecture, one of which had the characters "Azure Divine Mountain" inscribed upon it, while the other bore the inscription of "divine cloud bamboo."


    "They''re yours now," Zhang Shanfeng said with a smile. "This will serve as my interest repayment for that armor pellet that you gave me. There''s nothing I hate more than owing people money, and just the thought of any debt is enough to ruin my sleep and my appetite, let alone a debt of 500 snowke coins, which would convert to 500,000 taels of silver!


    Steward Chu said that the total wealth of the entire Sword Water Vi only amounts to fewer than three million taels of silver. If I don''t give you something in return, I won''t be able to sleep at night at all."


    An exasperated look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face. "Are you an idiot? If these chopsticks really are crafted from divine cloud bamboo, you can easily sell them for a few hundred snowke coins!


    Even if they aren''t made from divine cloud bamboo, the spiritual energy that''s lingered on the chopsticks for several centuries can''t be faked, so even at the very least, it''s still an acquired spirit tool that can be sold for a couple dozen snowke coins! What kind of interest repayment could possibly be this high? What do you take me for? A loan shark?"


    Chen Ping''an became more and more enraged as he spoke, and he pushed the chopsticks back to Zhang Shanfeng as he continued, "Besides, we''re about to go the ferry station in Water Combing Nation soon, and there are shops that sell immortal treasures there, so let''s have these chopsticks appraised first to determine their value before we think about anything else.


    If they''re only worth about a dozen snowke coins, then I''ll ept them, but if they''re worth anything over fifty snowke coins, then I definitely won''t be taking them as interest."


    Zhang Shanfeng shook his head as he objected in a determined voice, "I can''t ept that! My conscience won''t allow it! Daoists like myself fear internal demons above all else, so if you don''t ept these chopsticks, you''ll be hindering my pursuit of the Great Dao!"


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet as he scoffed, "What a load of horse dung! This is not negotiable. You''re keeping these chopsticks, and that''s final. If you don''t want to ept that, then let''s have a fight, and the winner gets to decide."


    Zhang Shanfeng fell silent upon hearing this.


    Chen Ping''an also didn''t say anything further as he departed to practice his fist techniques by the waterfall.


    Zhang Shanfeng heaved a forlorn sigh, then turned to Xu Yuanxia as he asked, "What should I do?"


    A hint of schadenfreude appeared on Xu Yuanxia''s face as he chuckled, "I can''t believe you just tried to thrust your wealth upon someone as wealthy as Chen Ping''an!"


    Zhang Shanfeng was feeling a little frustrated, and he poured a cup of wine for himself before taking a small sip, upon which his face instantly became brightly flushed.


    Unbeknownst to Chen Ping''an and Xu Yuanxia, during that battle against Old Demon Mi''s eldest disciple back in the Blusher Prefecture, Zhang Shanfeng had called upon the armor pellet in what appeared to be a dire situation, and it was only thanks to the suit of radiant armor that he was able to shield Daoist Chong Miao from a lethal blow.


    Daoist Chong Miao had been utterly astonished, as he had immediately recognized the suit of radiant armor. He told Zhang Shanfeng that he only knew of one such armor pellet in Ancient Elm Nation''s imperial vault. It was said that the number one martial artist of Pine Stream Nation had once offered to purchase the armor pellet from Ancient Elm Nation for 6,000 light snow coins, but was turned down by Ancient Elm Nation''s emperor.


    This was something that had been constantly weighing on Zhang Shanfeng''s mind ever since then, but he didn''t know how to bring up the subject to Chen Ping''an. After that, following the incident at the old temple, Chen Ping''an had be uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, making it even more difficult for Zhang Shanfeng to approach him for a conversation.


    Now that they had arrived at Sword Water Vi and were about to travel to the ferry station, Zhang Shanfeng was finally unable to bear the torment any longer. Hence, he revealed everything to Xu Yuanxia, and after hearing his story, Xu Yuanxia set two things straight for Zhang Shanfeng.


    The first thing was that Chen Ping''an was definitely aware of the true value of the armor pellet, and he had said it was only worth 500 snowke coins because he knew that Zhang Shanfeng wouldn''t ept it otherwise.


    The second thing was that Chen Ping''an had definitely had an impoverished upbringing, but what was just as certain was that he had attained an enormous amount of wealth since then, as evidenced by the fact that he was staying in a heaven-grade suite while traveling on the Kun ship. However, it seemed that he had never ced too much weight on wealth and material belongings, at least when it came to his friends.


    Hence, this was no longer just a simple matter of Zhang Shanfeng owing him money. Instead, he owed Chen Ping''an a massive favor.


    In conclusion, Xu Yuanxia didn''t directly tell Zhang Shanfeng what to do. Instead, heid out two more things, the first of which was to caution Zhang Shanfeng to never take the kindness of his friends for granted, while the second thing was that debts had to be repaid no matter what, even between brothers, let alone friends. Only then would a rtionship be able tost.


    If one were to think that debts didn''t have to be repaid between friends, then they would inevitably be burning their bridges, and they woulde to rue their own naivety someday.


    This was why Zhang Shanfeng had hatched the idea of giving those bamboo chopsticks to Chen Ping''an under the guise of an interest repayment.


    As for why he hadn''t tried to give Chen Ping''an that white bowl that could slowly absorb spiritual energy and manifest them into droplets of dew, that was because that bowl was an item of the utmost importance to his cultivation as a Qi refiner. In contrast, Chen Ping''an was a pure martial artist, so the bowl would only benefit him very slightly, and even if he were to receive it, he would most likely only sell it for some light snow coins.


    Zhang Shanfeng''s face was bright red with inebriation as he continued to sip on wine, and he sighed, "Can you point out a path for me, Brother Xu? I am truly stumped."


    Xu Yuanxia put on a serious expression as he said, "If worsees to worst, how about you put on some women''s clothes and go to him like that? On the way here, it seems like Chen Ping''an hasn''t disyed any interest in women or female ghosts at all. If anything, he was really quick to fight them when he had to..."


    Xu Yuanxia was clearly making a joke out of the situation, and Zhang Shanfeng heaved a forlorn sigh before slumping down onto the table, where he promptly fell asleep.


    Meanwhile, Xu Yuanxia was stroking his own beard with a contemtive expression, and two images surfaced in his mind, the first of which was when Chen Ping''an had told that woman in the dpidated old temple to hold her hands over the fire if she felt cold. After that, she had turned into a female ghost, and Chen Ping''an had grabbed her by the throat before raining down punches upon her until she ceased to exist.


    He then thought of the incident that Chen Ping''an had just mentioned, where he had punched that young woman straight into the pool at the waterfall, and he couldn''t help but shudder as he eximed to himself, "Holy shit! He''s not actually into men, is he?"


    Meanwhile, the banquet continued in the main hall of Sword Water Vi.


    Large, colorful rugs had been draped over the ground in the hall. They were known as "ground gowns," something that was unique to Zhin Prefecture of Colorful Garment Nation.


    Vi Master Song Yushao was still unwilling toe out and entertain the guests, so Song Fengshan was seated on the main chair. Beside him was his kind and capable wife, who had always carried herself with exceptional poise. Not only was she exceptional at dealing with internal family affairs, her handling of external affairs was also extremely praiseworthy, but despite how capable she was, she took care to never outshine her husband.


    This was why even though Song Fengshan was constantly in seclusion, his reputation was only continuing to grow in Water Combing Nation, to the point that he was able to hold all-epassing martial gatherings.


    All of the representatives of Water Combing Nation''s top-ranking sects had already arrived, and aside from these significant figures in the cultivating world, there were also several formidable itinerant cultivators and old seniors who had been absent from the public eye for a long time.


    All of them were quite advanced in age, and even a pair of extremely respected and venerable senior figures had taken this opportunity to reunite after many years, lending the event even more prestige.


    Han Yuanshan and Han Yuanxue were also present, but their seats were situated further down the back. They were technically representatives of the authorities, so they were very much out of ce here. Sword Water Vi and the Han n weren''t actually on very good terms with one another, so if they were to sit too close to the front, then that would be sure to attract spection andints from the other guests present.


    Wang Yiran and Wang Shanfu of Unruly Saber Vi had been arranged better seats than the Han siblings, and Han Yuanxue was quite displeased by this, feeling as if she and her brother were being shunned by the vi, and that nowhere in Water Combing Nation should they be subjected to this type of treatment.


    In contrast, Han Yuanshan waspletely unbothered, pping his folding fan gently with one hand while raising his cup for toasts with the other. Despite his refined and schrly appearance, Han Yuanshan actually had an astonishing alternative identity as one of the four evil spirits of Water Combing Nation.


    Even though Water Combing Nation had a ferry station, there was actually no cultivating power within its borders. Hence, the four evil spirits, which was a rather unttering name for a group, actually referred to the handful of most powerful cultivators in Water Combing Nation.


    Of course, besides being one of the four evil spirits, Han Yuanshan also had a "clean" identity as a member of the Han n of Mount Xiaochong, and had countless friends and acquaintances that upied official posts. Hence, he was granted free passage wherever he went, including even the vastly renowned Sword Water Vi.


    In front of a lone table to the left side of the hall sat a burly man and a young woman. There was a clear gap between this table and all of the other ones as everyone present was aware of the man''s identity.


    He was none other than the leading figure of Water Combing Nation''s underworld. His name was Dou Yang, and he appeared to be a young man in his prime, but it was said that he was already over a hundred years of age.


    He proimed himself to be the leader of the demonic orthodoxy, and had a dozen of demonic enforcers under hismand. He was a dominant force in the southern region of Water Combing Nation, but thankfully, hergely kept to himself on the border of Water Combing Nation and Pine Stream Nation, keeping a rtively low profile over the past few decades.


    However, all of the individuals of the older generation present were extremely resentful and wary of him. Fifty years ago, three horrific battles were waged for the sake of territory in Water Combing Nation between the righteous orthodoxy and the demonic orthodoxy, and thousands of powerful righteous cultivators lost their lives in those battles.


    The fact that the Sword Water Vi dared to make such an arrangement for Dou Yang and his maidservant rather than granting him a seat at the front of the hall instantly won everyone''s admiration, and it also earned Song Fengshan a great deal of respect.


    Even though Song Fengshan was the host of this event, he was very sparing with his words, mostly drinking wine by himself instead of forcing himself to make conversation with others. asionally, someone would try and strike up a conversation with him by mentioning their bond with his father, but at the very most, all they would receive in response would be a toast.


    In contrast, his wife was familiar with everyone and their past feats, and she was even aware of the achievements of some of the young prodigies present. She would always make sure to bring up these topics when conversing with them, and as a result, not only did no one feel as if they had been shunned, everyone felt acknowledged and appreciated.


    As usual, she was carrying herself in exceptional fashion, and no one could fault her as the hostess of the event.


    Meanwhile, the mama from the ancient temple, who had been mistaken by everyone as Dou Yang''s personal maidservant, was observing all of the guests present in a subtle fashion. asionally, she would make eye contact with Han Yuanshan, but only for an instant each time before both looked away. However, whenever this happened, she would give him a seductive smile or an alluring look, and those details certainly weren''t missed by Han Yuanshan.


    He would also make some subtle gestures in reciprocation, fanning the mes of desire in the mama''s heart. As she lowered her head to drink some wine, she stuck out her tongue and ran it halfway around the edge of her cup, causing Han Yuanshan to gulp involuntarily.


    He had personally experienced her skills in the bedroom before, and it was an unforgettable experience every single time. Even though he possessed exceptional aptitude and had cultivated certain demonic secret techniques, he was still no match for her under the covers.


    None of this had escaped Dou Yang''s notice, and he sneered, "Can you restrain yourself for one second, you slut?"


    "Oh? Are you jealous?" the young woman chuckled.


    Dou Yang took a sip of wine and paid no heed to her jibes.


    In contrast with the pursuit of the Great Dao, things like romantic love were of zero consequence!


    Wang Yiran could clearly sense his daughter''s disappointment, as well as the deep affection and pain in her eyes as she snuck furtive nces at Song Fengshan.


    Wang Yiran knew that no positive oue could''ve ever arisen from this one-sided love, but at the same time, he saw no need to intervene and try and force them apart. Unruly Saber Vi was beneath Sword Water Vi anyway, so he had no right to say anything in this matter.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t necessarily a bad thing for his daughter to go through some hardships, such as suffering from an unrequited love... or being knocked unconscious by a single punch. All of these hardships would help her be a more capable vi master in the future, and it was certainly better than having her grow up sheltered and ipetent.


    With that in mind, Wang Yiran decided to turn a blind eye to all of this. In their youth, almost all master cultivators had multiple love interests, but how many of them were actually worth pursuing? Once one reached the very pinnacle of the world, they would discover that nothing truly mattered aside from the pursuit of the Great Dao.


    With that in mind, he couldn''t help but think of Han Yuanshan. It was said that he was constantly entertaining love interests, and the most remarkable thing about him was that he could make all types of womenpletely devoted to him, whether they be daughters of high-ranking officials, female disciples of renowned sects, cold and bloodthirsty killers, revered and admired celestial maidens... None of them were immune to his charms.


    If his daughter were to fall in love with someone like that, then Wang Yiran would be sure to forcefully intervene. Otherwise, there would undoubtedlye a day when Unruly Saber Vi would fall into Han Yuanshan''s hands.


    It was clear that Han Yuanshan was an extremely cunning and ambitious man, and he definitely had some people with exceptional foresight instructing him from the shadows. Working with someone like him for mutual benefit was certainly a good idea, but actually befriending such a sinister individual would be no different from courting death.


    As for his daughter''s love for Song Fengshan, Wang Yiran didn''t see that as a problem as Song Fengshan was a righteous individual. If Song Fengshan were willing to take Wang Shanfu as his wife, then Wang Yiran wouldn''t even be opposed to the idea of having Unruly Saber Vi merge with Sword Water Vi.


    Of course, the new collective vi would have the word "saber" in its name, and one of their future children had to inherit the Wang surname. If such an alliance were to be forged, then in a hundred years from now, the Wang and the Song surnames would be the only two surnames that mattered in Water Combing Nation!


    Right at this moment, someone offered a toast to Wang Yiran, and he raised his cup with a smile in reciprocation. Even though Wang Shanfu was quite distracted, she had enough etiquette to follow her father in reciprocating the toast.


    After setting down his cup, Wang Yiran cast his gaze forward as he asked, "Are you still thinking about what happened with that boy? You must feel like the only way to alleviate your humiliation would be to have him killed, right? Let me offer you some words of advice: that boy is no ordinary person.


    Even Song Fengshan is already regarding him as a potential rival, and it seems like there are some ties between him and old Sword Saint Song as well. Han Yuanshan spectes that he may be a prized disciple of Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god, and I think may very well be right. If that''s the case, then he''s only left Colorful Garment Nation in order to avoid his master''s enemies in the wake of his passing.


    Sword Saint Song shared a very close bond with Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god, and that''s most likely why he''s taking such care to look after that boy, even going as far as to personally teach Ma Lu a lesson."


    Wang Shanfu gripped the hilt of her saber tightly in her hand as she lowered her head and countered, "Am I just supposed to let this slide then, Father? If that bastard had severely injured me or even beaten me to death in front of that waterside pavilion, then so be it, I''ll just have to concede, but he went out of his way to humiliate me in front of so many people!


    How can I go anywhere from now on? Am I just going to have to stay my entire life in Unruly Saber Vi?"


    Wang Yiran mmed his cup heavily down onto the table as he sneered, "Why can''t you go anywhere? Because you''re embarrassed? Because you''re afraid people won''t respect you? Respect is something that you have to earn by winning battles! If you''re weak, people will remember your humiliation forever, but if you''re strong, you''ll find that everyone is remarkably forgetful of such things.


    In a few decades, when you be an even more formidable saber master than myself, when you rise to the sixth tier alongside the likes of Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god and Sword Saint Song, no one will ever mention this incident again! All everyone is going to talk about is which master swordsmen you''ve defeated, how many demonic cultivators you''ve in, and how many heroic feats you''ve achieved!"


    Wang Shanfu''s shoulders were trembling slightly as she hung her head and said in a dejected voice, "But I can''t even beat a no-name swordsman younger than myself. Worse yet, I couldn''t even take a single punch from him! How am I ever going to get to your level, let alone surpass you?"


    In the region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent where Water Combing Nation was situated, the sixth tier was already considered to the upper limit for pure martial artists, and no one had progressed beyond that level in the past few centuries, so if anyone were to reach the seventh tier, then they would virtually be considered to be an invincible deity.


    It was said that Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god had been on the cusp of reaching the seventh tier at his peak, but ultimately, he seemed to have be disillusioned for some reason, following which his cultivation base plummeted, and he vanished out of the public eye entirely.


    Song Yushao had once stated in a very candid and straightforward fashion that there was no way he would ever be able to reach that level in this lifetime.

 Chapter 242: (2): The Rainbow Above the Waterfall

    Chapter 242: (2): The Rainbow Above the Waterfall


    If Chen Ping''an were to hear this, then he would most likely be astonished once again. After all, even Zhu He, who hade out of Jewel Small World as a fourth tier martial artist, had been aware that the ninth tier was the End Tier of martial arts.


    Of course, that was also incorrect as both Song Changjing and Li Er had reached the 10th tier shortly thereafter, while the 11th tier was the true pinnacle of martial arts. It also just so happened that Cui Chan''s grandfather had just barely missed his chance to progress to the 11th tier.


    Unbeknownst to Chen Ping''an, the former Jewel Small World, now known as the Dragon Spring Prefecture, could be considered to be the most formidable andplicated ce on the entirety of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    In Yellow Court Nation, the little boy in azure was considered to a dominant force, a sixth tier great demon, yet in Jewel Small World, he was too scared to even go outside for fear of being smashed to death by a single punch from some random passerby. Right now, his wildest aspiration was to be powerful enough that it would take someone from Jewel Small World at least two punches to kill him.


    With that in mind, it was no wonder that the little boy in azure was so perplexed about how Chen Ping''an had managed to live to this day.


    Chen Ping''an also didn''t know the answer to that question. He had simply gotten by day after day, and it seemed that the gods had finally smiled upon him.


    In reality, in the beginning, it was because some people wanted to keep him alive, and when he had outlived his usefulness and it was time for him to die, a certain school teacher had intervened to keep him alive and tell him not to lose hope in this world.


    After that, a certain braggadocious swordsman had taught him how to live in this world. He hoped that Chen Ping''an could grow up quickly so that he would no longer have to be a pawn in the ns of others.


    However, unknown to everyone else were the hardships that Chen Ping''an had suffered during this time, all of the perils that he had to endure, and all of the difficult decisions that he had to make.


    Right now, he possessed a vast array of immortal treasures and even a precious Sword Nurturing Gourd, but he still only liked to buy the cheapest wine everywhere he went.


    Over at the waterside pavilion near the waterfall, Chen Ping''an wasn''t carrying his sword case this time. Instead, he had chosen to leave it in the courtyard as he trusted Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng to look after it.


    However, that wine gourd was still strapped to his waist.


    When traveling the world, one shouldn''t go out of their way to start trouble, but they also shouldn''t fear trouble if it were to arise, and one''s safety had to be prioritized above all else. Those were the mantras that Chen Ping''an abided by during his travels.


    Once again, Chen Ping''an stepped onto the railing of the waterside pavilion, and was just about tounch himself off the railing toward the formidable waterfall up ahead when he paused momentarily, then took a step forward tond on the stone base of the pavilion.


    He was worried that if he were tounch himself off the wooden railing with all his might, then it would snap under his foot. He knew that Song Yushao definitely wouldn''t make him pay for the railing, but it would still make him look bad.


    He took a deep breath and dug his feet into the ground while flexing his wrists from side to side, and for this first punch, he decided that he wanted to test out the momentum with which the waterfall was crashing down, so he was only going to use seventy or eighty percent of his power.


    Thus, he took a step forward, and a resounding boom rang out over the ground. Thankfully, the sound of crashing water in the waterfall was loud enough to drown out that sound, and heunched himself at the waterfall like a speeding arrow.


    His fist pierced deep into the waterfall, but right as his entire arm was about to pass through the waterfall, his head and shoulder were struck by the water crashing down from above, forcing him to tilt forward before plunging straight down into the pool.


    The chaotic currents of the flowing water forced him to tumble through the pool in a few involuntary somersaults, following which his head poked out of the slightly more still and calm water near the waterside pavilion. From there, he mmed a palm down onto the surface of the water,unching himself toward the waterside pavilion andnding on the stone base outside the railing.


    His head was still ringing, and in particr, the arm that he had thrown the punch with was throbbing with pain. The most damning of all was that the bottom of the pool was riddled with jagged rocks that hadnded some bruising blows to his head.


    Thankfully, Chen Ping''an had grown ustomed to physical punishment from his training back in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, so even though these injuries weren''t exactly minor, they werergely inconsequential in his eyes.


    For his second punch, Chen Ping''an used ny percent of his power, and he also adopted the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique that Cui Chan''s grandfather had taught him. In doing so, he attempted to plunge his entire body through the waterfall so that his fist could strike the rock wall behind it.


    Unfortunately, his fist was only able to just barely graze the surface of the rock wall before he was once again mmed to the bottom of the pond by the vast volumes of water crashing down from above.


    Upon returning to the surface and making his way back to the waterside pavilion, Chen Ping''an immediately took advantage of the aura raging inside his body like a prowling fiery dragon, taking no time to rest as he threw a third punch at the waterfall, this time using a hundred percent of his power.


    On this asion, his fist was able to crash into the cold stone wall behind the waterfall, but by that point, it had be very feeble, and it most likely hadn''t even been able to leave a slight mark.


    The Qi in Chen Ping''an''s dantian was churning incessantly, and he could only exhale slowly and control his breath using the techniques Old Man Yang had taught him. At this point, channeling the Eighteen Stops Technique had already be second nature to Chen Ping''an, and it was able to flow naturally without even requiring any attention from him.


    His Qi quickly passed through ten acupoints one after another. Previously, it had gotten stuck between the sixth and seventh acupoints, but now, it was getting stuck between the twelfth and thirteenth acupoints, as if there was some kind of vast gulf preventing it from progressing any further.


    After taking a moment to collect himself, Chen Ping''an threw a fourth punch at the waterfall.


    He repeated this process over and over again, and after throwing about a dozen punches, he had be so shaky on his feet that he had to lean against the railing for support. In the end, he didn''t resist his fatigue any longer, sitting down with his legs crossed and taking a few sips out of his wine gourd while his Qi was still settling.


    Back home, he had looked up at the moon countless times during the course of his rigorous efforts to earn a living for himself. He had watched the moon with Liu Xianyang, and with Gu Can as well, and after looking at it for so long, he no longer felt anything at the sight of it, except during the Mid Autumn Festival.


    During these two journeys that he had embarked on, he had witnessed the moon under all types of different settings, and he was able to appreciate its beauty again. Now that he was delivering a sword to Stctite Mountain, he had to travel to Old Dragon City in the southernmost region of the continent, and couldn''t help but wonder how captivating the moon would look atop the southern sea.


    A short whileter, Chen Ping''an set those thoughts aside, then rose to his feet and secured his Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist as he began throwing his next round of punches. He told himself that he had to throw three consecutive punches while using the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique.


    Back in the bamboo building, Cui Chan''s grandfather had once said that no capable cavalry unit would be broken down by just one or two attacks, and that a relentless assault was required to wear them down over time.


    After being pummeled by the waterfall over and over again, Chen Ping''an was developing a clearer and clearer sense of the pain in his body. After concluding his second round of punches, Chen Ping''anid down onto the stone base of the waterside pavilion, panting heavily.


    Back on Downtrodden Mountain, if Cui Chan''s grandfather had only subjected Chen Ping''an to his punches, forcing him to passively ept beatings in order to refine his body and spirit, then perhaps Chen Ping''an wouldn''t have had the mental fortitude to push himself beyond this point. However, he had taken it a step further by forcing Chen Ping''an tomit horrific acts of self-muttion, and that had honed his willpower even further.


    One time, as Chen Ping''an had beenying in a puddle of his own blood, Cui Chan''s grandfather had looked down on him with a mocking sneer as he jeered, "You can''t even endure this much pain, yet you want to reach the ninth or tenth tier someday? What a joke!"


    Chen Ping''an had wanted to hurl a torrent of abuse at the old man, but he had been too worn out to even speak.


    Compared with the suffering he had endured on Downtrodden Mountain, this was downright blissful!


    He had to ensure that his capacity for enduring pain and hardship didn''t diminish as he progressed in his cultivation.


    With that in mind, he dragged himself to his feet, then gritted his teeth tightly as he continued his practice.


    Fifteen minutester, the waterfall was still crashing down under the moonlight, and it seemed to be mocking Chen Ping''an for his insistence on trying to achieve an impossible feat.


    Chen Ping''an was floating on his back, and his eyes were wide open as he stared up at the sky.


    After trudging back onto the stone base of the waterside pavilion, he threw yet another punch as he roared, "Get through!"


    This time, his punch was so formidable that he managed to blow a huge hole into the waterfall, following which his fist crashed heavily into the rock wall, and his entire body almost passed through the waterfall, but sure enough, he was once again swatted mercilessly to the bottom of the pool, then swept away by the current.


    This style of training continued in a stop-start fashionte into the night, at which point, Chen Ping''an was seated on the railing of the waterside pavilion, looking like a half-drowned chicken.


    He feebly raised his gourd to his lips, then took a small sip of wine, upon which he immediately felt a burning sensation in his throat and his internal organs. He hurriedly set down his Sword Nurturing Gourd upon feeling this sensation, not daring to take another sip.


    In the distant Sword Water Vi, the banquet was still far from over, and the entire vi remained brightly lit as the guests drank and made merry to their hearts'' content.


    Chen Ping''an''s head was cocked to the side as he stared at the seemingly invincible waterfall.


    For the final round of punches, Chen Ping''an had used the Deity Drumming Technique, bounding gracefully over the water before plunging his fist through the waterfall over and over again.


    There was a limit to what one could subject their body to, and Chen Ping''an knew that it was time to stop. He was already utterly exhausted, and if he were to continue in this fashion, then there was a good chance that he would fall into the water in an unconscious state, only to resurface as a drowned corpse.


    His entire body was soaked as he made his way out of the waterside pavilion and returned to the courtyard.


    Even after such grueling training, he slept for less than six hours, and after having a rushed breakfast, he returned to the waterside pavilion the very next morning.


    Only at noon did he return to the courtyard, but this time, Chen Ping''an had to ask Zhang Shanfeng to request arge bathtub from Sword Water Vi for him on his behalf. Steward Chu sent a reliable maidservant to fetch a bathtub before filling it with hot water, and Chen Ping''an closed the door of his room to bathe himself.


    Wei Bo had only bought enough medicinal ingredients from Ox Horn Mountain''s Cloth Wrapper Shop for three uses, and he had already used up one batch back in the Blusher Prefecture, so he would only have one batch left after this bath.


    On this day, Sword Water Vi was going to continue to wee guests from all parts of the region, and the alliance leader election was only going to take ce the next day, which had been picked out as an auspicious day.


    This gave everyone the chance to visit and interact with one another, and many people were taking advantage of this opportunity to visit old friends or established seniors, make new acquaintances, or hold sparring matches. Hence, the entire vi was still just as lively and bustling as it had been the day before.


    At night, Chen Ping''an had some dinner with Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng again, then returned to the waterfall.


    This time, Chen Ping''an noticed a protrusion roughly the size of a Go board at the center of the pond, in front of the waterfall. For some reason, despite the countless years of flowing water it had been subjected to, the rock hadn''t been shaved t. Chen Ping''an had been struck by a burst of inspiration upon seeing the rock, and instead of only practicing his fist techniques on the waterfall, he also took some time to stand on the rock to practice his standing meditation.


    As the waterfall came crashing down upon him, he was eventually forced to switch from standing meditation to seated meditation, then ultimately slipped off the rock altogether and fell into the water.


    After several cycles of this, Chen Ping''an was able tost several minutes in standing meditation on the rock, and he gradually extended that time. In the end, he began lowering his head, extending it out of the waterfall so that his back would be subjected to more of the force crashing down from above, and in total, he was able tost almost fifteen minutes.


    In contrast with striking the waterfall over and over again, Chen Ping''an was surprised to discover that this type of training seemed to be more beneficial. He felt as if a strong wind was blowing through his acupoints, causing them to loosen ever so slightly, thereby allowing him to channel his Qi even faster than before when using the Eighteen Stops Technique.


    After making this discovery, Chen Ping''an was so excited that he gulped down arge mouthful of wine, but the resulting burning sensation in his stomach was so intense that he couldn''t help but jump up and down, wincing in pain in the waterside pavilion.


    After engaging in a few more bouts of standing meditation under the waterfall, midnight had already passed, yet themotion over at Sword Water Vi was only growing louder. Chen Ping''an returned to the courtyard after a fruitful day of training, and the bathtub was already waiting for him in his room alongside a pair of maidservants assigned by the vi.


    He used up the final batch of medicine in the bath and, in an extremely rare urrence, slept all the way until noon.


    After enjoying a hearty meal, he left the courtyard in high spirits, nodding and smiling at the pair of maidservants outside as he passed them by, then practiced walking meditation on his way to the waterside pavilion near the waterfall.


    Apparently, Sword Water Vi had only been in existence for sixty or seventy years, while the waterside pavilion had been here long before that. Yet, there was a misconception that the waterside pavilion was part of the vi.


    While Chen Ping''an was making his way into the distance, the two bored maidservants began to chat quietly among themselves.


    One of them, a young woman with an oval face, remarked that Chen Ping''an was a very strange person, while the other responded in an amused fashion, saying that he wouldnt have caught the eye of the old vi master if he were a normal person.


    The oval-faced young woman then began to tease herpanion, saying that even though Chen Ping''an wasn''t quite as handsome as their young vi master, he was still quite good-looking, and she asked herpanion whether she was into him.


    The other maidservant replied that after witnessing their young vi master''s ir and handsome looks, she no longer had eyes for any other man.


    The two young women continued to chat with one another while no one else was around. To them, it was an immense stroke of fortune that they were able to stay in Sword Water Vi. Perhaps their kind-hearted mistress would arrange for them to marry some handsome young prodigy in the future, but in any case, Sword Water Vi would always be their home and their safe haven in their time of need.


    Upon approaching the waterside pavilion on this day, Chen Ping''an noticed that Song Yushao was there, seated on the long bench.


    He quickly made his way up the steps, then sat down across from Song Yushao, who withdrew his gaze from the waterfall and began to examine Chen Ping''an.


    He then nodded with approval as he said, "You''re already getting the hang of it. This is truly some impressive progress."


    Chen Ping''an was very happy to hear this.


    "The wine brewed in my vi tastes better than the stuff you get from elsewhere, doesn''t it?" Song Yushao asked.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head as he replied, "It does, but I''m going to be conflicted now whenever I buy wine in the future."


    Song Yushao was very amused to hear this, and he jibed, "Are you telling me you don''t have enough money?"


    Chen Ping''an considered the question for a moment, then replied in a truthful manner, "No, but drinking wine doesn''t seem to be beneficial to my fist technique practice, so it always feels to me like I''m wasting money. However, now that I''ve gotten used to drinking, itll always feel like somethings missing if my wine gourd is empty."


    "Why are you getting hung up over things like this? You''re not a woman! As long as a man can afford it, they should drink the best wine that money can buy and think about everything elseter," Song Yushao chuckled.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head vigorously in response. "I have to be miserly with my spending. Now that I''ve developed a habit of drinking, it''s one that I won''t be able to kick, but if I develop a habit for opulence as well, I''m going to resent myself."


    Song Yushao pointed at Chen Ping''an as he chuckled, "You''re a wealthy man who''s never going to be able to enjoy his wealth."


    A bright smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "As long as I have food to eat and wine to drink for every meal, I''m already very content."


    Song Yushao was infected by Chen Ping''an''s optimism and enthusiasm, and a smile appeared on his face as well as he asked, "Who''s going to cook and buy wine for you?"


    "Even if I get a wife in the future, I''ll still be cooking and buying wine for myself," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Song Yushao immediately spat onto the ground as he red at Chen Ping''an and scolded, "Are you an idiot? You''re just going to get yourself a wife, then put her on a pedestal and worship her like a Bodhisattva? Do you not know that women are going to walk all over you unless you give them regr beatings?"


    A sheepish look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he pulled out his gourd and took a small sip of wine.


    Beating the girl that he liked? As if. She would tear him into shreds if he even dared to think aboutying a finger on her!


    Besides, he hadn''t even expressed his feelings to her yet, so who knew if she was going to be his future wife? Of course, he would be ecstatic if Ning Yao could be his wife, and just the mere thought of that was enough to ster a dumb grin across his face.


    Song Yushao shook his head with a resigned expression at the sight of Chen Ping''an''s stupid expression, and he sighed, "Looks like you really are an idiot."


    In any case, Song Yushao had no interest in educating Chen Ping''an on how to treat his future wife, and a serious look appeared on his face as he dered, "In order to progress from the third to the fourth tier, you must expel the impurities in your body bit by bit. Additionally, you''ll also need to start focusing on your mindset.


    The path that your fists take must be clear and without obstruction, and you must have the courage and determination to take down any opponent that stands before you. For swordsmen, they must achieve a clear heart andpletely immerse themselves in their sword, to the point that their sword is the only thing that they need to face heaven and earth, or whatever demons and deities thate their way. Chen Ping''an, have you truly hardened your resolve?"


    Song Yushao''s expression became more and more fierce as he spoke, and at the end, he was practically shooting daggers at Chen Ping''an out of his eyes.


    Chen Ping''an remainedpletely unmoved as he nodded in response. "Once I set my mind on something, I never back down."


    Song Yushao rose to his feet, and a vast surge of sword qi erupted out of his body, sweeping toward Chen Ping''an like a waterfall. "You sure make it sound easy! I don''t think you''re prepared at all!"


    Chen Ping''an also rose to his feet, and his eyes were clear and bright as he said, "To be honest, I don''t really understand what it means to have a clear heart and unshakeable resolve. I just feel like..."


    Chen Ping''an turned and pointed at the nearby waterfall as he continued, "I have to punch through this waterfall and leave a mark of my fist on the rock wall behind it. In fact, I think there wille a day when I punch the waterfall so hard that it flows in reverse so that it won''t ever be able to knock me down again!"


    "Then why aren''t you doing it? Do it right now!" Song Yushao roared!


    Chen Ping''an immediately turned to the waterfall outside the waterside pavilion, doing so purely out of instinct, and took a few steps back, standing at the top of the staircase before adopting an ancient fist stance that Cui Chan''s grandfather had never assigned a name to.


    Even though the sword saint of Water Combing Nation was standing right next to him, Chen Ping''an could no longer see him. In fact, the entire waterside pavilion had ceased to exist in his eyes, and the only thing that was focused on was his opponent, which was the waterfall standing before him!


    During this southbound journey, Chen Ping''an had been practicing his walking meditation as slowly as possible, going as slow as he could, but this time, he was pursuing speed, as much speed as he was capable of mustering!


    His strides were huge, to the point that the final step that he took sent him crashing straight through the railing of the waterside pavilion. He then stepped onto the stone base outside, leaving a trail of footmarks in his wake. From there, heunched himself forward, and his fist aura was dense and formidable, as if an azure dragon was wound around his arm.


    His fist punched through the waterfall, and he burst through the water as his fist crashed into the rock wall, instantly shattering it and sending countless rock fragments flying in all directions.


    And that wasn''t the end.


    Chen Ping''an threw one punch after another, alternating between right and left fists, pummeling the rock wall relentlessly in the true spirit of the Deity Drumming Technique.


    Rock fragments and water were stting in all directions, and so much moisture had erupted up into the air above the waterside pavilion that a resplendent rainbow appeared.


    Song Yushao was standing in the waterside pavilion with his hands sped behind his back, and his robes were pping audibly from the gusts of wind generated by Chen Ping''an''s punches. He looked up at the vibrant rainbow up above as he chortled, "Brilliant!"

 Chapter 243: (1): I Take a Swig of Wine in the Face of a Vast Army

    Chapter 243: (1): I Take a Swig of Wine in the Face of a Vast Army


    This was a stunning sight to behold, considering that it was only a pure martial artist breaking through to the fourth tier, and it made Song Yushao feel like it was worth living a few more years, even though the current state of the world was one that he abhorred.


    Song Yushao gently patted the old sword strapped to his waist, which had sensed the immense aura erupting out of Chen Ping''an. He could tell that the sword was raring to be let out of its scabbard.


    A slightly forlorn look appeared on Song Yushao''s face as he sighed, "If Gaofeng were still alive, perhaps he would be the one standing here tonight."


    The second vi master of Sword Water Vi, Song Gaofeng, was Song Fengshan''s father, and he had also been a top-rate prodigy in the way of the sword. Unfortunately, he had been weighed down by romantic affairs, and that had ultimately led to his ruin. Song Yushao had actually yed a very big role in this tragedy, and it had always been his biggest regret.


    The reason for this was that Song Fengshan''s mother was a mountain spirit, which was a taboo despised by humans. However, at the time, Song Yushao had been at the height of his powers, and he didn''t care about what others thought of him. With his sword in his hand, he had reigned supreme in Water Combing Nation.


    During one of his outings, he saved a pure and kindhearted little girl who turned out to be a nt spirit that had attained a human form. Not only did Song Yushao not look down on her for this, he took her back to the vi, and over time, she and Song Gaofeng developed feelings for one another. Song Yushao remained true to himself, not raising any objections to this, and in the end, the two of them became husband and wife.


    If that had been the end of the matter, then this would have been a happy story. However, fate was often a cruel and fickle mistress. Song Gaofeng''s wife had a garden that she carefully nurtured, and it was filled with abundant spiritual energy, allowing it to thrive all year round.


    At some point, a rumor began to spread, iming that the nts in the garden were equivalent to miracle pills, and that consuming a single one would allow one to gain over a decade''s worth of cultivation base. After that, people began stealing nts from the garden, but the kindhearted woman simply turned a blind eye to this, allowing the thieves to do as they pleased.


    The vi also released a public statement, informing everyone that the nts in the garden could only extend one''s lifespan slightly, but provided no benefit to one''s cultivation. As time passed, everyone began to realize that this was indeed the case, and the garden was left alone.


    However, one day, someone picked the majority of the nts in the garden, and they still weren''t satisfied after that, trampling the rest of the nts to death. The nts in the garden had no benefit to one''s cultivation base, but the garden itself was the woman''s Dao attainment catalyst, and its destruction sent her spiraling into a deep depression, ultimately leading to a grave illness.


    Song Gaofeng was able to track down the culprit, and as it turned out, it was a woman whose love for him had turned to resentment over time. Song Gaofeng hadshed out with his sword without any hesitation, but was stopped by the woman''s father, the alliance leader of Water Combing Nation at the time, as well as a fist technique master that was renowned across several nations.


    On top of that, he was also a border general, so he had very extensive ties in the imperial court and was very trusted by the emperor. In reality, the title of alliance leader was one that the emperor assigned in order to ce shackles onto someone.


    Song Gaofeng was determined to kill the culprit, but he was no match for her father. Following his return to Sword Water Vi, the woman and her father also visited to apologize, and in a disy of sincerity, the alliance leader had even severed one of his own arms, standing outside the vi with the fresh wound still gushing blood.


    While it was true that Song Yushao was perfectly capable of defeating and killing the alliance leader, what could he do? Lop off the man''s other arm, then decapitate his daughter?


    He could only let the matter slide.


    Throughout this entire process, Song Gaofeng remained by his wife''s sickbed, and he didn''t evene out to meet the woman and her father.


    Following their departure, Song Yushao informed his son of what had happened, and Song Gaofeng refused to see him as well, only telling his father that he wished to be alone.


    Only after everything was said and done did Song Yushao learn that his son had gone down a demonic path, cultivating a demonic secret scripture. Prior to making his final act, he had disfigured himself and switched to a different weapon, leaving his usual sword at home.


    On the day that the renowned fist technique master retired from his post as the alliance leader, Song Gaofeng had infiltrated his manor and in the old alliance leader, albeit suffering severe injuries himself in the process. By the time he returned to the vi, he was already a spent force, and in the end, he passed away with his dying wife on the same night.


    At the time, Song Yushao had been standing by the doorway, while Song Fengshan stayed by his parents'' bedside. Even though he was only a young boy back then, he didn''t shed a single tear.


    All of the guilt that Song Yushao felt toward Song Gaofeng was transferred to Song Fengshan, and Song Fengshan''s insistence on marrying a female spirit had torn that old wound of Song Yushao''s wide open.


    He waspletely disillusioned and increasingly racked with guilt, and that was why he was unwilling to intervene even after learning that Song Fengshan was colluding with the other three evil spirits of Water Combing Nation. He was no longer the same young man who stuck to his way of life at all costs, even if it meant having to kill his own grandson.


    Song Yushao was well aware of what Song Fengshan wanted to do.


    Even though Song Gaofeng had managed to kill the former alliance leader that night, the true culprit had gotten away with her heinous actions. After that, the emperor didn''t want to make an enemy out of Sword Water Vi, but he most likely also pitied the daughter of the former alliance leader, so he served as matchmaker and introduced her to a decorated general of Water Combing Nation.


    In the end, they became husband and wife, and she received an honorary title for her marriage to this general.


    Everyone knew that Song Yushao yed by the rules, so even though he was the sword saint of Water Combing Nation, the emperor wasn''t concerned about him. As for Song Yushao''s grandson, he had only been at a very tender age at the time of his parents'' death, so everyone simply thought that he would be too young to remember the events much.


    Thus, all was well and peaceful in Water Combing Nation for over two decades, and the position of alliance leader was vacant that entire time.


    That was until Song Fengshan opened the doors of Sword Water Vi, inviting esteemed and prestigious figures from all parts to attend the inauguration ceremony that was going to be held the next day.


    Song Yushao no longer had any interest in worldly affairs, but that certainly didn''t mean that he waspletely detached from everything. Why was it that he had made so many frequent outings on his own these past years? Was it really just so he could turn a blind eye to his own grandson''s actions and try to put himself in a better mood?


    That was most definitely not the case.


    Song Yushao knew that a day would inevitably arrive when everything came to a head, and immense pressure woulde crashing down upon his cherished Sword Water Vi. Song Fengshan was going to step out of line, secretly bing an enemy of the entire imperial court, and this inevitable eventuality weighed on Song Yushao''s heart twofold.


    The first thing that weighed on his heart was his guilt toward Song Gaofeng, while the second thing was that Song Fengshan''s actions wentpletely against the rules that he had upheld his entire life.


    He was hesitating about whether he should turn on the imperial court. If he were to do that, he would be directly provoking the authority of the emperor, but that wasn''t a concern for him at all. What he was truly concerned about was that doing such a thing wouldpletely go against his very way of life.


    Deep down, he had never approved of Song Fengshan''s actions, but he couldn''t tell anyone all of this.


    He had made histest outing with the objective of visiting Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god, whom he considered to be both a friend and rival of his. He wanted to spar with the old sword god, and wanted even more to undo these knots in his heart.


    Unfortunately, the old sword god had already passed away. Song Yushao had no choice but to turn back halfway, and that resulted in that incident in the ancient temple.


    Song Yushao was so lost in thought as he stood in the waterside pavilion that he didn''t notice that Chen Ping''an was still in the waterfall.


    By the time he realized that something wasn''t right, Chen Ping''an was already slowly making his way out of the waterfall. He leapt up andnded in the waterside pavilion, where he started bandaging his own battered and bloodied fists.


    Song Yushao cast his bothersome train of thought aside and smiled. "You''ve already had a taste of our vi''s fine wine, don''t you think it''ll taste even better now that you''re a Lesser Grandmaster?"


    However, what Chen Ping''an had said next had him reeling from shock.


    "I wasn''t able to do it. I''m now able to punch through the waterfall, but there''s still a line that I haven''t been able to cross."


    Song Yushao examined Chen Ping''an''s restrained aura, and his fist intent was as turbulent and unrelenting as a waterfall. A stunned look appeared on his face as he eximed, "You clearly already have what it takes to reach the fourth tier! In fact, I can say with absolute confidence that I''ve never seen any third tier martial artist with a foundation more solid than yours! What could possibly be missing?!"


    A resigned look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "I don''t know exactly what it is, all I know is that there really was something missing. However, I know the general direction. A path has beenid out beneath my feet, so I won''t have to stumble around without any direction any longer.


    I should be able to grind it out before I get to Old Dragon City, and if I''m lucky, perhaps I''ll naturally make a breakthrough once I reach the ferry station of your Water Combing Nation. Having said that, my luck has never been great, so it''s much more likely that I''ll only be making the breakthrough after arriving in Old Dragon City."


    Song Yushao sped his hands behind his back, then walked a couple ofps around Chen Ping''an as he mused, "I thought I had already seen it all, but it seems like there''s always more waiting to be seen in this world! You''ve truly broadened my horizons. In any case, let''s go have a drink. Even though you haven''t made a breakthrough, this is still worthy of celebration!"


    Chen Ping''an shook his wine gourd around to find that it was still quite full, and he nodded with a smile in response.


    "The hotpot served in a restaurant in the small town outside the vi is absolutely exquisite, and the wine that they serve is quite nice as well. Would you like to go and have a taste? It''s just the right time for a meal, and I''m on very good terms with the shopkeeper, so I should be able to get a twenty percent discount for us," Song Yushao proposed.


    As soon as Chen Ping''an heard about the twenty percent discount, he immediately dered in a rare disy of generosity, "I''ll foot the bill then!"


    An amused smile appeared on Song Yushao''s face. "Are you sure? Let me make this clear in advance: a hotpot meal and the best wine that the restaurant has to offer will be at least five or six taels of silver."


    Chen Ping''an immediately rescinded his offer in apletely unabashed manner. "Now that I think about it, the town is a bit far from the vi, so why don''t we just have a drink in the courtyard?"


    Song Yushao gave Chen Ping''an a thumbs-up as he praised in a facetious manner, "What a truly generous man you are!"


    Chen Ping''an suddenly burst intoughter as he dered, "Fine, let''s go! We''re having hotpot for lunch today, and that''s final!"


    Song Yushao faltered slightly, but he didn''t give Chen Ping''an a chance to change his mind. He sprang out of the waterside pavilion and rushed out of the vi, instructing Chen Ping''an to follow along behind him.


    Chen Ping''an had been thinking to invite Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng as well, but he could only abandon that idea and trail behind Song Yushao.


    As he was springing over the roof of the waterside pavilion, Chen Ping''an turned back to the pavilion with a smile on his face.


    He had used his finger to carve out two lines of text onto the rock wall behind the waterfall in secret. One line contained the name of a certain girl, while the second line read "Chen Ping''an was here". He was hoping that the next time he returned to Sword Water Vi, that girl would be by his side, but of course, that was only something that he dared to think about in the privacy of his own mind.


    On y Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley, whenever a household had to hold a funeral or a wedding, the neighbors were always willing to offer their help. This was an unspoken tradition that had been passed down in the town for generations, much like the tradition of adding soil to graves during each visit. On this day, someone on Apricot Blossom Alley was getting married, and the wife was a wealthy woman from Peach Leaf Alley.


    This family from Apricot Blossom Alley had a very good reputation, and back in the day, even someone as nasty as Granny Ma had gotten along quite well with this household. Hence, close to twenty tables wereid out for the wedding, and anyone coulde in and have a meal as long as they submitted a red pocket of any amount, whether that be one piece of scrap silver or even just a few copper coins.


    There were several unfamiliar faces at the wedding, but one of them was slightly more recognizable than the others. It was an old man who lived in an old house on y Vase Alley and often took strolls around the town wearing the attire of a very wealthy man. Over time, everyone had be familiar with him, and his surname was Cao, so everyone liked to call him Old Man Cao.


    He was always very friendly and polite to everyone, disying none of the arrogance and detachment one would expect to see in a man of his wealth, and he would often chat for long periods of time with his neighbors about nothing in particr.


    He was very friendly with Old Man Han, who was the head of the family where the wedding was being held, so on this day, he had arrived with avish red pocket, and Old Man Han had specifically brought his son and daughter-inw over to Old Man Cao''s table to offer a toast.


    Old Man Cao had brought three people with him, all of whom also had the Cao surname. One of them was a handsome young man by the name of Cao Jun, and he lived in the same old house on y Vase Alley. There was also another grandfather and grandson duo who had only recentlye to the small town, and apparently, they were rtives of Old Man Cao from the capital city.


    They seemed to be refined schrs who also held themselves with a special type of dignity and poise, indicating that they were perhaps government officials, but of course, it could also be the case that all people from the capital city had this particr disposition.


    Old Man Cao was a very outgoing man and was often seen approaching other tables to propose toasts. As for the grandfather and grandson duo who hade to the capital city, they were clearly not very ustomed to such a rowdy setting, and as a result, they appeared quite reserved and out of ce, remaining seated in their chairs and only asionally having some food and wine.


    In contrast, Cao Jun seemed to be a bit morefortable. He sat on a long bench and he drank by himself, looking at Old Man Cao with amusement as he made small talk with some of the other old men present.


    The bride''s household on Peach Leaf Alley had suffered a bit of a fall from grace since its heyday, but was still far wealthier than the groom''s household. Hence, the head of the bride''s family was a little reserved and unwilling to engage with others, and everyone from Apricot Blossom Alley and y Vase Alley felt this to be quite normal.


    Even if the households on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley were no longer what they used to be, they were still far superior to the average household in the small town, and if it weren''t for the fact that Old Man Han''s son was a capable of young man who had found himself an official post in the Dragon Spring Prefecture Office, there was no way that he would''ve been able to take a bride from Peach Leaf Alley.


    Old Man Cao began to make his way over to another table, while Cao Jun took a mouthful of whatever was on his te, then grimaced and hurriedly picked up his cup of wine to chase the food down. He then turned to the grandfather and grandson duo before asking in the official dialect of the Great Li Empire, "Is the food and drink not to your liking? I can take you elsewhere to have a better meal if you''d like."


    The grandfather was an elderly man wearing an azure robe, and he smiled as he shook his head in response. "There''s no need to go to such trouble. I''m not looking down on the customs and traditions here, it''s just that my stomach has gotten ustomed to the Buddhist cuisine from the capital, and I''m not used to eating so much meat and heavy foods.


    Besides, Dragon Spring Prefecture is where the ancestors of our Cao n came from, so we certainly can''t forget our roots."


    Cao Jun smiled as he nodded in response. "How unfortunate it is for our n that we had such a foolish ancestral patriarch."


    The old man didn''t dare to reply to this.


    The ancestral patriarch of the Cao n was an 11th tier swordsman, and even as an important government official, the old man didn''t dare to raise a single word of criticism against the esteemed ancestral patriarch.


    The grandson was a young man who was just as handsome as Cao Jun, and his name was Cao Mao. He was the newly assigned kiln supervision official of the Dragon Spring Prefecture, and he was renowned in the Great Li Empire''s imperial as a handsome and capable young representative of the Cao n.


    At the time, it was Cao Mao who had weed the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire at the Locust Residence Ry Station on his own, and he had been reeking of alcohol at the time, presenting a rather casual and uncouth image that was in stark contrast with other esteemed young masters of the capital city.


    As Cao Xi returned to his chair, even Cao Mao unconsciously sat up straighter. The azure-robed old man hurriedly set down his chopsticks, then picked up the wine gon to fill the cup of the esteemed ancestral patriarch Cao Xi, who was who-knew-how-many generations his senior.


    Cao Xi downed the cup of wine in one go, then set down the empty cup. After taking a nce at the guests that were still piling in through the door, he rose to his feet as he said, "Let''s not overstay our wee. It''s time to vacate these seats for the peopleing after us."


    With that, the four of them left the courtyard and walked along the tables that had been arranged in all of the neighboring households in the alley. Cao Xi led the trio into y Vase Alley, then casually asked, "Has your emperor returned to the capital city?"


    The old man replied in a respectful voice, "His Majesty is feeling a little unwell, and he''s already left for the capital city from the ry station in the Dragon Spring Prefecture."


    While passing by the Gu Family residence, Cao Xi took a nce at the uninhabited house with its tattered door gods and couplets, and he stopped in his tracks as he said, "I hear that the mother and son who used to live here have been taken by the River Severing True Lord to Cyan Gorge Ind in Bamboo Scroll Lake.


    That boy by the name of Gu Can had a massive blessing fall onto hisp prior to leaving the town, granting him control over a water fateparable in power to a 10th tier Qi refiner. On top of that, the water flood dragon has been rapidly progressing in its cultivation base, and there''s a very good chance that it could go beyond the 10th tier in the next few decades. Is all of that true?"


    The old man nodded in response. "The imperial court of the Great Li Empire set up an intelligence organization under the personal supervision of the imperial preceptor, and the organization is responsible for documenting the lives of the children growing up in Jewel Small World.


    Not only was Gu Can selected from this town, there were also children like Ma Kuxuan from Apricot Blossom Alley, Zhao Yao from Fortune Street, and Xie Lingqi of the Xie n. However, there are also some outsiders who encountered significant opportunities here, such as Prince Gao Xuan of Great Sui Nation. There are sixteen of those fortunate individuals in total."


    Cao Xi continued onward for a short while, then stopped in his tracks once again as he asked, "What about the people who used to live in these two houses?"


    He was referring to a pair of neighboring houses, one of which had been upied by Song Jixin, now named Song Mu, and he had recently returned to the capital city with the emperor. The other house had been inhabited by a boy named Chen Ping''an. He had since embarked on a journey down south, but he owned two shops in the town and five mountains in the west.

 Chapter 243: (2): I Take a Swig of Wine in the Face of a Vast Army

    Chapter 243: (2): I Take a Swig of Wine in the Face of a Vast Army


    An awkward look appeared on the old man''s face as he replied, "Chen Ping''an and His Highness don''t appear to be among the sixteen children that I mentioned earlier."


    Cao Xi nodded in response, then asked, "What about Li Xisheng?"


    "He''s not one of them, either," the old man replied with a shake of his head.


    Cao Xi turned to Cao Jun, who had a pair of swords strapped to his waist, one long and one short. "You''ve faced Li Xisheng in battle before. Even though he''s only a sixth tier cultivator and you''re a ninth tier swordsman, I recall that you weren''t able to get the better of him. What do you think of him?"


    "What do you want me to say? He''s strong and I''m trash!" Cao Jun grumbled.


    Cao Xi smiled as he said, "Very soon, you''ll be traveling to the border to join the army. If you''re lucky, you''ll be able to stay by Song Changjing''s side and apany the Great Li Empire''s cavalry in their southbound crusade. Perhaps you''ll only stop after conquering everything up to the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. What do you think of that?"


    "It''s just another way to pass the time," Cao Jun replied in a straightforward fashion.


    Cao Mao couldn''t help but feel a hint of genuine admiration toward Cao Jun. Both of them appeared to be around the same age, but in reality, there was an age gap of around sixty years between them. Recently, the two of them had been drinking together quite regrly, and Cao Mao hade to learn that Cao Jun''sckadaisical demeanor wasn''t just an act. Instead, it was truly his personality.


    A stern look appeared on Cao Xi''s face as he dered, "If you don''t kill a 10th tier cultivator or two within the next decade, I''ll kill you myself!"


    Cao Jun inteced his hands behind the back of his head as he turned to Cao Mao with a smile and said, "Make sure to give me a proper burial after I''m dead. Just bury me over at the immortal tomb, the Feng Shui there is quite nice. Having a Bodhisattva statue and a Daoist heavenly official as neighbors would definitely put me in a good mood as neither of them will do any talking, so I''ll definitely be able to rest in peace."


    Cao Xi immediately red up with rage. "You little shit! Do you know how much I had to sacrifice to repair that connate sword qi lotus pond in your body?!"


    Cao Jun''s smile widened even further, and his eyes narrowed into slits, giving him the appearance of a sly fox as he replied, "How am I supposed to know that? How about you tell me?"


    A cold sneer appeared on Cao Xi''s face as he said, "You are a disgrace to the family name. No matter what we do for you, you won''t amount to anything! Piss off! Go to the capital and seek out Song Changjing, then go straight to the southern border. I don''t want to see you again in the next ten years!"


    Cao Jun didn''t need any further invitation to leave, and he did so without any hesitation, springing up from the ground and flying away toward the north.


    Cao Mao was aware of the rules of this ce, and he was just about to caution Cao Jun not to take flight, but it was already toote.


    On the bank of Dragon Whisker River to the south of the small town, Ruan Qiong chuckled coldly, "He never learns, does he?"


    In the next instant, a longsword slowly rose up into the clear, blue sky of Dragon Spring Prefecture, resembling a geyser gushing up into the heavens.


    "Ruan Qiong, must you be so dogmatic with your rules?"


    Cao Xi''s expression darkened slightly as his green rope-like bonded flying sword appeared in his grasp with a flick of his wrist. This was the weapon that had allowed Cao Xi to reign supreme over Southern Whirl Continent, a pseudo-celestial tool that had been refined from an enormous river by an ancient deity.


    The sword remained concealed within Cao Xi''s sleeve, wound around his wrist, but as it trembled slightly, wisps of green vapor rose up into the air, then sped rapidly toward the departing Cao Jun.


    Meanwhile, Ruan Qiong''s sword was hurtling toward Cao Jun''s head far faster than the speed at which he was flying toward the north, and barring any mishaps, he was inevitably going to be decapitated before he could leave Jewel Small World.


    Fortunately for him, a huge green river suddenly appeared between him and Ruan Qiong''s flying sword.


    The sword sliced through the river, which was only several kilometers wide, but the river was folding in on itself to produceyers of obstacles that obstructed the flying sword over and over again. However, the flying sword was still able to pierce through the seemingly endless expanse of water, slicing through the waves with unstoppable might.


    Cao Jun continued to fly onward as he swiveled around in mid-air, and the longsword strapped to his waist flew out of its scabbard, striking the tip of Ruan Qiong''s flying sword with unerring uracy. His longsword was instantly repelled back, and he threw up a mouthful of blood, but he was flying away even faster than before.


    At the same time, the vast green river wrapped itself tightly around Ruang Qiong''s flying sword, and streaks of sword qi were constantly shooting out of the green river until it waspletely pulverized into countless water droplets that rained down from the heavens. However, before the water droplets had a chance to fall to the ground, they reverted back into streaks of green sword qi that returned to y Vase Alley.


    Meanwhile, Ruan Qiong''s bonded flying sword waspletely unscathed as it hovered in mid-air, and a brief momentter, a small pool of water emerged beneath the flying sword. The sword slowly descended into the pond, and with that, itpletely vanished out of sight.


    Cao Jun had taken advantage of the force of Ruan Qiong''s attack to propel himself through the air, and he was chortling with mirth as he flew through the air. "Sometimes, a strong gust of wind is all that''s needed to carry one to the heavens! Thank you for seeing me off, Sage Ruan!"


    On y Vase Alley, the azure-robed old man was looking on with an awestruck expression. He wasn''t a Qi refiner, but the Cao n had nock of formidable cultivators serving as guest elders. However, it was still an extremely rare urrence for him to witness such a spectacr sh between immortals.


    As for Cao Mao, there was a concerned look on his face as he asked, "What are we going to do if the Sage of this cees after us, esteemed ancestral patriarch?"


    A cold sneer appeared on Cao Xi''s face as he replied, "I may not be able to beat that 12th tier Daoist Heavenly Lord of Complete Reed Continent, but I''m certainly not going to fear some newly ascended 11th tier swordsman! Cao Jun on his own is already enough of a disgrace to our Cao n, I certainly can''t humiliate our n any further!"


    Only in this instant did Cao Mao trulye to realize why their ancestral patriarch, who appeared to be just a friendly old man in the small town, was able to be the guardian of that seaside Mighty Suppressing Pagoda.


    Ruan Qiong had appeared at the other end of y Vase Alley, and he provoked, "How about we put that to the test?"


    Cao Xi refused to back down. "Sure. You pick the ce, I''ll pick the time."


    "There''s an uninhabited ridge in the mountains to the west that has a formation set up by the Great Li Empire. That should suffice as a battlefield for us to settle this once and for all," Ruan Qiong immediately proposed without any hesitation.


    Cao Xi nodded firmly in response. "Alright, in that case, let''s fight in a hundred years!"


    Ruan Qiong faltered slightly upon hearing this, then spat disdainfully onto the ground before departing.


    Cao Mao couldn''t help but bury his face in his hand, while the azure-robed old man didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    "Why are you all looking like that? This is called strategy! You two don''t know shit!" Cao Xi scoffed with a roll of his eyes.


    Cao Xi made his way into the old house on y Vase Alley, and Cao Mao and his grandfather were just about to follow him inside when the door was mmed shut right in their faces.


    The two of them could only exchange a wry smile before sheepishly departing from y Vase Alley and making their way to the kiln supervision office, where they would discuss the n''s future ns.


    At this point, the storm had already descended upon Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and the situation was very much in the favor of the Great Li Empire, so the earlier they could get in, the more they would stand to profit.


    On top of that, there was another massively favorable circumstance for the Cao n at the moment, which was that Cao Xi was going to remain in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent for some time, and the prodigious swordsman, Cao Jun, was going to join the Great Li Empire''s border army.


    In light of this, the emperor of the Great Li Empire was definitely going to favor the Cao n, and it was all but certain that they would be able to dominate their sworn enemies, the Yuan n, for the foreseeable future.


    Back in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, Cui Chan''s grandfather had grown ustomed to wearing coarse clothes and walking around barefoot, but after that visit from Lu Chen, he seemed to have suddenly had a change of heart, putting on a schrly azure robe and also crafting a bamboo cane and a pair of wooden clogs for himself to help him traverse through the mountain forest.


    He also began frequently making his way down the mountain to purchase books and stationery, arranging the second floor of the bamboo building into a refined study, and he would pick up a brush to practice his calligraphy whenever he had some time to spare.


    The little girl in pink and the little boy in azure didn''t know what to make of this, and they initially thought that he had gone insane due to Qi deviation.


    However, after witnessing the old man''s calligraphy, the little girl in pink began to engage in frequent conversations with him, and only then did she discover that he was truly an astute schr with exceptional expertise in all four areas of musical instruments, Go, calligraphy, and painting. Furthermore, he was also extremely well-versed in all things rted to orthodox Confucianism.


    The little boy in azure didn''t care about all of that. All he was worried about was his own survival, and he wanted nothing more than to practice martial arts under the old man so that he could be the top dog that reigned supreme in this small world. Only then would he be able to rest easy at night.


    Hence, he would often go to the old man and nag him insistently, telling him that the Dragon Spring Prefecture was filled with formidable figures, and even the slightest bit ofcency could result in his downfall. He told the old man that the Great Li Empire was a very perilous and unpredictable ce, and that the only way to truly keep oneself safe was to attain unmatched power.


    Unfortunately for him, the old manpletely ignored him, and at the very most, he would only asionally chat with the little girl in pink to impart upon her some of his vast wealth of knowledge. It seemed that he had discarded his pursuit of martial arts altogether, leaving the little boy in azure feeling extremely exasperated.


    In the end, he decided that he could only count on himself, so he continued to cultivate on his own, doing his best to digest the two top-grade snake gall pebbles that he had devoured.


    Having recently been officially instated as the formal god of the Northern Mountain, Wei Bo had be extremely busy, but he would still asionally make time toe to the bamboo building to examine the small pond that the lotus flower seed had been tossed into.


    Aside from leaving that lotus flower seed on Downtrodden Mountain, Chen Ping''an had also heeded Wei Bo''s advice, leaving one of his spare seals on the first floor of the bamboo building.


    As the owner of Downtrodden Mountain, his seals could serve as subjugation treasures on the mountain, and the seal that he had chosen to leave behind was the one on which Qi Jingchun had engraved the words "Chen Shiyi". There was nothing particrly special about the seal, it simply contained a blessing for Chen Ping''an from Qi Jingchun.


    All martial artists who ascended to beyond the 10th tier were considered to be martial gods, and they could rank alongside the most powerful Qi refiners under the heavens.


    The little girl in pink regarded the seal as an object of the utmost importance, almost giving it more weight than the bookcase that Cui Chan had assigned to her. Each day, she would secretly take out the small seal that her master had given to her three times to carefully clean it with a silken cloth. No matter what strategies the little boy in azure employed to try and get her to hand over the seal, she refused to budge.


    Thanks to the snake gall pebbles given to her by Chen Ping''an, the little girl in pink had already broken through the final hurdle of the Lower Five Tiers, thereby reaching the Cave Abode Tier. After that woulde the Sea Observation Tier, the Dragon Gate Tier, the Golden Core Tier, and the Nascent Tier. There was still a very long way to go, and her journey was far from over.


    However, in contrast with the Sea Observation Tier little boy in azure, who had suddenly be desperate to make progress in his cultivation, the little girl in pink was taking a much more natural and rxed approach.


    All she would do every single day was ensure that the bamboo building was spotlessly clean, and outside of that, she would read some books or look at the scenery, resulting in a mental state that was far more calm and rxed than that of the little boy in azure.


    All of a sudden, the roles had been reversed, and it was the little boy in azure looking down on her for beingzy andcent.


    That night, the little boy in azure was meditating atop the cliff, while the little girl in pink was seated on a small bamboo chair, eating some sunflower seeds.


    Cui Chan''s grandfather made his way downstairs, then dragged over another bamboo chair to sit down beside the little girl in pink, and he said, "For the past 1,000 years, our Cui n has been one of the most respected and highly educated ns on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, yet we''ve never been able to nurture a fire python as wise as yourself.


    That just goes to show that blessings can onlye naturally, and there''s no point in striving for them excessively."


    A smile appeared on the face of the little girl in pink as she asked, "Grandpa Cui, do you think my master has made a breakthrough yet?"


    A hint of schadenfreude appeared on the old man''s face as he chuckled, "I made him into the most formidable third tier martial artist, so there''s no way he could make a breakthrough so easily. I''d say he''s still far from reaching that stage. Perhaps his cultivation base will have remainedpletely unmoved even by the time he gets to Old Dragon City.


    Maybe he''ll be so disheartened by hisck of progress that he''ll turn to drowning his sorrows every day and turn into a dejected little drunkard."


    "You taught my master half of his fist techniques, Grandpa Cui. How could you be happy at the thought of him being unable to make a breakthrough?" the little girl in pinkined.


    The old man burst intoughter, and he exined, "You''re not a martial artist, so you don''t know what it entails for someone to be the most formidable third tier martial artist under the heavens. Back when I killed Guest Elder Sun Shujian with a single punch, he was at the pinnacle of the sixth tier, while I was only at the fifth tier.


    Why was I able to do that? It''s because all martial artists have different foundations. Some have terrible foundations, and their cultivation bases resemble tall buildings that would sway and wobble even in the face of a light breeze, whereas those with solid foundations possess cultivation bases as immovable as mountains."


    A concerned look appeared on the face of the little girl in pink as she said, "There''s no one to look after my master on this journey, so he has to do everything on his own. Will that hinder his training?"


    The old man took a nce at the little boy in azure, then turned his gaze back to the little boy in azure as he said, "It''s a testament to Chen Ping''an''s character that he was not only able to keep you two together, but also prevent you from fighting even in his absence.


    I wonder if he''ll continue to be able to maintain the same level of purity and fairness once he bes a wealthy and powerful man in the future. Running a small household and leading arge n are two entirely different endeavors."


    The little girl in pink raised her head as she asked in an adorable disy of naivety, "If my master really does be the leader of arge n someday, will you be able to help him, Grandpa Cui?"


    The old man patted her on the head as he replied, "There are some matters that outsiders simply can''t lend their assistance in."


    He then rose to his feet and pointed into the distance as he continued, "Imagine that someday, Chen Ping''an establishes a sect of his own. In that sect will be you, the little water snake, that ck snake from Go Table Mountain, and all of these mountains. Someday, all of these mountains will be upied by formidable beings, such as the boy who epted Chen Ping''an as his master and all of those children who refer to Chen Ping''an as their junior uncle.


    In the eyes of mortals, yours will be an immortal sect, and there will inevitablye a time when the sect elders wish to ept disciples. Eventually, there will be tens, hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of people under Chen Ping''an. If a conflict arises between two people close to him, then that will be aplex issue that can''t just be resolved with a punch or a sh of a sword. In that case, what should he do?"


    Having read all types of historical records back in that library in Yellow Court Nation, the little girl in pink was aware of just how difficult a problem this was, and she wasn''t even in the mood to eat sunflower seeds anymore.


    The old man smiled as he said, "Then again, there''s no need to be overly concerned. There''s one good thing about Chen Ping''an that not many people have been able to identify."


    The little girl in pink waited for a long while for the old man to borate, but he remained silent, so she couldn''t help but ask, "Grandpa Cui, my master is already so good and virtuous, what other good things could there possibly be about him that I don''t know about?"


    The old man erupted intoughter. "There''s one thing really good about you, and that''s your ability to suck up to others, particrly your master, in a way that''spletely natural and unpretentious."


    The little girl in pink was a little embarrassed to hear this. She wasn''t making an effort to suck up to anyone, she truly felt like her master was the best master in the world!


    The old man sat down by his bamboo, and he didn''t try to build any further suspense as he revealed, "Chen Ping''an is very easygoing, and all of the people close to him will take that for granted. However, someday, something wille up that''ll make Chen Ping''an extremely stubborn and unyielding, perhaps the most unyielding man under the heavens.


    When that happens, something strange will follow. Everyone will feel... scared and uneasy, and that''ll prevent them from trying to talk back to him."


    The little girl in pink hurriedly joined her palms together as she prayed, "I hope Master never gets angry."


    The old man heaved a faint sigh.


    Despite how proud the old man was and the vast age gap between him and Chen Ping''an, he had to admit that he didn''t have very much to teach Chen Ping''an when it came to being a better person.


    However, if it weren''t for that, he wouldn''t have been willing to choose Chen Ping''an as the one to inherit his fist techniques.


    What was the point in epting a disciple if not for the hope that the disciple could surpass the teacher? If they couldn''t best him, what would it matter even if he were to ept a thousand disciples? In the grand scheme of things, they would still just be ants waiting to be crushed!


    An uneasy look suddenly appeared on the face of the little girl in pink as she asked, "What if you do something that makes my master angry someday, Grandpa Cui? Would you be scared?"


    The old man gave her a flick on the forehead, then rose to his feet before storming away as he grumbled, "What kind of question is that?"


    Over at the cliff, the little boy in azure had actually been eavesdropping on their conversation this entire time. He turned to the little girl in pink with a sly grin and gave her a thumbs-up, while the little girl in pink began to happily munch on sunflower seeds again.


    Even though the old man had refused to answer the question, the answer was already apparent to her.


    Year after year, Old Man Yang of the Yang Family''s medicine shop had looked after that tiny backyard. He had witnessed countless generations of the Yang n over the course of countless years, including all of the past n leaders, as well as certain figures in the n who had been fortunate enough to be Qi refiners.


    There were some who were able to uncover that astonishing secret, and all of them would help Old Man Yang carefully guard that secret, while the rest of the n''s members and the medicine shop''s employees were only aware that there was an old man in the shop that was around the same age as the oldest seniors in the n. All they knew about this old man was that he never seemed to go out, and he had a very strange personality that made him rather difficult to deal with.


    He was an expert when it came to saving lives, but of course, he charged a very steep price for his services. Regardless of who it was, if they couldn''t afford his services, then he would tell them to prepare a coffin. The coffin shop was on the same street anyway, so it was very convenient.


    On this day, Old Man Yang was smoking his pipe in the backyard as usual, but on this particr asion, he was holding a newly published novel from the bookstore.


    The novel came from the Fictionist school of thought, which was once quite a prominent school of thought, but as time passed, its influence and relevance gradually faded, as had been the case for Mohism. In the end, it was relegated to just another one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, known mostly for publishing unofficial historical records, as well as raunchy stories that appealed to the masses.


    On top of that, they also dabbled in writing hit pieces against certain important figures or events. There were many emperors and generals throughout history that had had their reputations dragged through the mud by these hit pieces.


    For example, there were some capable officials who had dedicated their entire lives to serving and bettering the nation to whom they had pledged their allegiance, but in the end, what they were known for wasn''t their heroic andmendable feats. Instead, they were associated with scandalous stories like how they had to sleep with at least ten women every single night.


    There were also stories of great Confucian saints and virtuous individuals who became known as shameless perverts who would sink as low as to assault nuns at night for their own perverse pleasure.


    As a result, all of their brilliant quotes and books were naturally also disregarded as the depraved ramblings of perverts and scoundrels.


    This was why a saint from a school of Confucianism had once dered in fury and indignation that Fictionists were a gue to the entire world.

 Chapter 243: (3): I Take a Swig of Wine in the Face of a Vast Army

    Chapter 243: (3): I Take a Swig of Wine in the Face of a Vast Army


    However, the Etiquette Sage, responsible for setting the rules of the world, treated Fictionists in much the same way as he did the demon tribe, affording them the greatest degree of tolerance and eptance.


    This was why Old Man Yang wasn''t particrly fond of either of the parties involved in the conflict between the Second Sage and the Schrly Sage on Middle Earth Divine Continent. At the very most, Old Man Yang was only willing to praise the knowledge and intellect of the Schrly Sage.


    As for the Second Sage  who, despite his title, was actually only ranked third in the Confucian temples  Old Man Yang found him to be rather despicable. In his eyes, the term "pretentious" was perfect for describing the Second Sage.


    The novel that Old Man Yang was holding was still giving off a faint inky fragrance, and it had been purchased for him by a shop employee from the street in the Dragon Spring Prefecture lined with bookshops.


    The novel detailed the major achievements of many heroic figures. Whenever they found themselves in dire straits, there would always be nock of defiant words from them, all of which boiled down to ming the gods for their blindness.


    Whenever Old Man Yang came across these quotes, he seemed to be rather amused, and in the end, he closed the book as he chuckled to himself, "These young people really need to learn to me themselves rather than the gods."


    He then stowed the book away and lit his pipe, then took out what appeared to be a miniature temple out of his sleeve. He threw the temple onto the ground, then tapped the ground beside his foot with his bamboo pipe as he called out, "Come out, Song Qing."


    A plume of smoke billowed out of the entrance of the miniature temple on the ground, and the smoke quickly took on the form of a wizened old man, who extended a deep bow toward Old Man Yang as he greeted in a respectful voice, "I pay my respects to the esteemed divine lord."


    Old Man Yang paid no heed to the greeting as he instructed, "I''ll allow you to leave this ce, and as long as you remain within Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, you''ll be restored to your former cultivation base.


    Your duty will be to protect Cao Jun of the Cao n on y Vase Alley. As long as Cao Jun can fully mend the sword pond in his heart, the members of your branch of the Song n will be sure to enjoy a resurgence that''ll guarantee them wealth and prosperity for at least the next century. After that, what bes of them will be up to them."


    The old man was present in the form of a Yin soul, but there was still a longsword formed by smoke hanging from his waist. The sword was alreadypletely devoid of sword Qi, but was brimming with sword intent, clearly indicating that he had been a formidable swordsman back when he was alive.


    After hearing Old Man Yang''s promise, an ted look appeared on his face, and he extended another deep bow in gratitude. "Thank you for your kindness, esteemed divine lord."


    With a sweep of his sleeve, Old Man Yang released a series of talismans that adhered themselves everywhere on the old Yin soul. Those talismans would ensure the old Yin soul''s safety as he traveled the world, and with their addition, the soul was instantly and significantly stabilized.


    As a result, his aura and sword intent were both drastically elevated, and if they hadn''t been concealed by thatrge cloud of smoke that Old Man Yang had just released out of his mouth, all of the Qi refiners in the entirety of Dragon Spring Prefecture would''ve been alerted.


    "Go," Old Man Yang said. "Cao Jun has already set off for the capital city of the Great Li Empire. You can directly inform him of this arrangement. If you dare to break the rules, not only will you be wiped out of existence, I will personally see to it that your entire branch of the Song n is eradicated entirely. Your lineage will bepletely severed, and your branch of the Song n will be lost to history. Do you understand?


    "I wouldn''t dare to step out of line, esteemed divine lord," Song Qing assured in a solemn manner.


    "Your words mean nothing, I''ll be watching your actions," Old Man Yang said in a cold voice.


    Song Qing nodded in response, then vanished in a sh.


    Following Song Qing''s departure, Old Man Yang raised his head up to look at the sky, and he remained silent for a long while before finally heaving a resigned sigh. "People say that the gods are watching one''s every move, and karma will alwayse around. If that really were the case, then would we be in such a position right now?"


    On the second floor of the restaurant in the town outside Sword Water Vi, Chen Ping''an and Song Yushao were seated across from one another at a window-side table, having a hotpot. The table between them wasden with things like spring bamboo shoots, beef aorta,mb, goose intestines, duck blood...


    Of course, there were also two gons of fine wine and a cup of the restaurant''s signature red hot sauce. For those with a low spice tolerance, this sauce was enough to make their skin crawl.


    Chen Ping''an''s spice tolerance wasn''t actually all that exceptional, but after some goading, Song Yushao eventually convinced him to grab a dish, telling him that this restaurant had seven or eight types of hot sauce, and that it would be a lifelong regret for Chen Ping''an if he didn''t try out all of them. Only then did Chen Ping''an muster up his courage to add a spoonful of hot sauce to his dish.


    Due to the fact that Song Yushao never showed himself in his true identity in the vi and the nearby town, the portly restaurant owner wasn''t aware that the old man eating here was the sword saint of Water Combing Nation. All he knew was that the old man had the Song surname, and he was an expert when it came to all things food.


    The hotpot and fine wine that he served certainly wouldn''t go to waste on such an avid foodie, so the shopkeeper was very happy to see Song Yushao visiting with a friend this time. He personally led them up to the second floor to this windowside table, and served them himself all of the dishes and wine.


    It didn''t take long before Chen Ping''an was sweating profusely, and his face was deeply flushed, but the food was truly delicious, and he couldn''t stop eating. On top of that, he was paying for this meal, so it simply wouldn''t sit right with him if he didn''t eat as much as possible.


    Song Yushao was looking on with amusement as Chen Ping''an continued to stuff food down his own throat, and whenever the spice became too much for him, he would foolishly try to alleviate the pain by having a sip of wine.


    The temporary relief would immediately be followed by even more intense burning pain, and it was quickly turning into a vicious cycle. Even so, Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to take even a short break, and he kept staring intently into the pot to see which items were cooked and ready to eat. Song Yushao was in a fantastic mood upon seeing this, and he was also eating a lot faster than he normally would''ve when eating alone.


    Song Yushao suddenly raised his cup as he said, "ording to the old rules, I shouldn''t have appeared in that waterside pavilion. A breakthrough for a martial artist is just like seclusion for a Qi refiner, and it''s considered to be taboo for bystanders to be present, so I''m going to have a cup of wine as punishment."


    As soon as his voice trailed off, he downed his cup of wine in one go.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly raised his cup as well, then forced down the food in his mouth before downing his wine as well. After that, he poured another cup of wine for himself to raise a toast as he said, "If you hadn''t been present, I wouldn''t have been able to get closer to the fourth tier at all, so I should be thanking you."


    Song Yushao reciprocated the toast by having another cup of wine himself.


    Song Yushao cast his gaze toward the streets outside through the window. asionally, a passerby would meet his gaze, upon which they would hurriedly lower their heads, not daring to maintain eye contact.


    A faint smile appeared on Song Yushao''s face as he withdrew his gaze and said, "I went to the waterside pavilion earlier today as there was something that I had to tell you in person. You have to leave the vi tonight no matter what. Do not stay for the alliance leader election ceremony tomorrow."


    Chen Ping''an continued to eat and drink, but he slowed down slightly as he asked, "Is someone targeting the vi?"


    Song Yushao made no effort to hide the truth, replying in a candid fashion, "That''s right. A storm ising, but it has nothing to do with you."


    Song Yushao then raised his cup as he continued, "It''s not that I''m looking down on you and your friends, it''s just that these are our Sword Water Vi''s internal affairs, so it wouldn''t be appropriate for you to get involved. In any case, it''s not right of me as the host to be evicting a guest, so I have to drink another cup of wine as punishment. You can do as you please."


    Chen Ping''an really did as he pleased, and he only took a small sip of wine in response.


    Song Yushao was unbothered by this, and he picked up a piece of goose intestine with his chopsticks, then swished it around in the pot for a while before coating it in hot sauce and carefully savoring it.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but didn''t seem to know where to start.


    Song Yushao smiled as he said, "Right now, we have to focus on eating, and we''re not going to talk about anything. Fine people, fine food, and fine scenery are the three things in life that can''t be squandered."


    Chen Ping''an lowered his head and continued to eat.


    Everything had to eventuallye to an end, however, and even the best hotpot meal was bound to end. After all of the food was finished, Chen Ping''an set down his chopsticks. The wine gons had also run dry, with Chen Ping''an drinking far more wine than he normally would''ve. Not only was his face bright red, his neck and his ears were alo brightly flushed as he said in a drunken voice, "Those two from Unruly Saber Vi don''t seem to have any intentions ofing after me."


    Song Yushao smiled. "There''s no telling what people are thinking. There have been many stories of vendettas being settled years down the line. Thankfully, you''re not from Water Combing Nation, and you''ll be leaving soon, perhaps never to return. Otherwise, you''ll have a lot to deal with."


    Song Yushao suddenly recalled something as he was speaking, and he continued, "You seemed to be quite angry at the waterside pavilion at the time, and I found that to be rather strange. If I were just a normal bystander who didn''t know anything about you, I would''ve considered you to be quite impudent.


    As the master of Unruly Saber Vi, Wang Yiran has been a vastly renowned martial arts master for many years, yet he treated you with a great deal of respect. Not only did he not try to intimidate you, he was even willing to apologize to you on behalf of his daughter, so why was it that you still looked so indignant?"


    Chen Ping''an burped, then removed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, but instead of drinking from it, he contemted the question momentarily before replying, "I don''t have anything against Wang Yiran, I just feel like there was something wrong about that entire situation."


    "What do you mean by that?" Song Yushao asked.


    Chen Ping''an took another sip of wine, then exined, "I once heard an old man speak about the order of things. I''m not well educated, and I don''t know many characters, so I only had a very surface-level understanding of what he told me at the time, but I like to think these things over whenever I have some free time, and it''s urred to me that there''s an order when ites to what''s right and wrong.


    Of course, there are also varying degrees to which something can be right or wrong, and one can''t justify something that they previously did wrong just because they did something right after that, even if they only made a very minor mistake before making significant amends. I think it''s important to dissect that minor mistake from earlier and truly understand it. Only then will the amends that are madeter have a point.


    It''s just like when you''re walking, one step has to be taken at a time. Now, of course, these are just things that Ivee up with myself, and they may not actually be correct. During this journey down south, Ive read many books, and none of them have mentioned anything like this, so Ive never been sure if Im right or not.


    However, if we were to apply this concept to what happened at the waterside pavilion, then it wasnt correct or necessary for Wang Yiran to apologize to me. Instead, all that was needed was for his daughter to apologize to me, and that wouldve been the end of the matter.


    Just because Wang Yiran is a renowned martial artist doesnt mean that I have any obligation to ept an apology from him, and even if I was willing to ept the apology, does that absolve his daughter of all wrongdoing? I dont think thats right. Even if he did the right thing, it does nothing to change the fact that his daughter was at fault.


    If this isnt properly addressed, then shell continue to make the same mistakes tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and perhaps even ten years down the line."


    Chen Ping''an scratched his own head, then continued in a slightly sheepish manner, "This is all just straight from my mind, Senior Song. Just treat it as some nonsensical ramblings."


    Song Yushao was initially stunned by what he heard, but then, a look of enlightenment appeared on his face, and he felt as if his entire world view had suddenly been turned upside down.


    He thought back over his own life, particrly the painful tragedy surrounding his son, Song Gaofeng. Prior to this, he didn''t want to recall those events, and didn''t wish to think too deeply about who was at fault or who was to me, but only after hearing what Chen Ping''an had to say just now did he trulye to realize where the knot in his heart stemmed from, as well as why he had always been so racked with guilt and remorse, to the point that he had been unable to even directly face the knot in his heart.


    Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes, and his hands were trembling as he picked up a piece of food from the bottom of the pot with his chopsticks. As he ced the bit of food into his mouth and began slowly chewing, a smile slowly surfaced on his face.


    All of the old rules that he had abided by his entire life, the very same rules that were seen as gospel by the older generation... Only now did he realize that those rules weren''t entirely without their ws!


    What had Song Gaofeng done wrong all those years ago? If anyone was at fault in that incident, then it was the state of this world!


    It wasn''t that former alliance leader who had been at fault, and the mistake couldn''t be atoned for just because he severed his own arm. It had never been about him in the first ce!


    It was his daughter who had wronged Song Gaofeng, and she was the one who owed him and his wife an apology!


    Tears were beginning to stream down Song Yushao''s face, but they wentpletely unnoticed as he slowly set down his chopsticks, then rose to his feet as he said to Chen Ping''an with a wide smile, "I, Song Yushao, treat you to this meal on behalf of my son, my daughter-inw, and the entire Sword Water Vi!"


    The entire second floor of the restaurant erupted into a frenzy.


    Song Yushao?! Sword Water Vi?! These were two things that had stood at the pinnacle of Water Combing Nation for the past century!


    Song Yushao paid no heed to themotion ringing out around him as he cupped his fist toward Chen Ping''an in a salute and continued, "There are some things that I must speak to my grandson about, so I''ll be going ahead and returning to the vi. I may not be able to see you off when you leave, but as long as I continue to live, you will always be wee at my Sword Water Vi!"


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet with a befuddled expression, only to see Song Yushao spring out of the window before flying away into the distance.


    Song Yushao flew back to the gates of the vi, then strode over the doorstep, ignoring all of the respectful greetings extended toward him as he made his way straight to a small courtyard that had already been vacant for many years. There, he found his grandson, Song Fengshan, who was standing in the courtyard, resting with his eyes closed.


    Song Fengshan opened his eyes, but remained silent, just as he had been as a boy standing beside the deathbed of his father and mother.


    That rusty sword had already been strapped to Song Yushao''s waist for many years, and it was like a permanent fixture, an extension of his body, but on this day, Song Yushao removed it from his waist, holding it one hand as he offered it to Song Fengshan.


    There was a cold look on Song Fengshan''s face as he asked, "Why are you giving me this?"


    "This is your father''s sword, so it''s only right that you inherit it as his son," Song Song Yushao replied in a solemn voice.


    Song Fengshan continued to refuse to ept the sword as he sneered, "Oh? What is going on today? First, youe and visit me ahead of time to congratte me on my imminent inauguration as alliance leader, and now, you give me this crappy iron sword. Are you finally going to shed yourself of the titles of Sword Water Vi Master and Water Combing Nation Sword Saint and pass them down onto me?"


    Song Fengshan''s hands were sped behind his back, and despite the sharp and cold look in his eyes, there was a smile on his face as he said, "My sincerest apologies, but I have some terrible news for you, Grandfather. The emperor has personally sent out several confidential imperial edicts, and an imperial army of close to ten thousand elite troops has already assembled outside the city.


    I presume they''ll arrive at our Sword Water Vi as early as tomorrow to y the treasonous new alliance leader. I''m not asking for you to intervene and save me, Grandfather. I''m serious, I''m saying this from the bottom of my heart. All I want for you is to stand by and watch, and all that I ask is that you don''t strike me down here and now."


    Song Yushao looked into his grandson''s eyes, and he suddenly burst into heartyughter as he strode forward, then mmed a palm heavily down onto Song Fengshan''s shoulder.


    He made no attempt to disguise the joy and approval on his face as he dered, "As expected of the son of Song Gaofeng and Liu Qian! I know that the one leading the army is none other than that woman''s husband, General Chu Hao."


    Song Fengshan''s brow was tightly furrowed in befuddlement, while Song Yushao continued, "Seeing as that foul wench wants to escte this matter even further, this is the perfect opportunity for me to finally confront the imperial court and give them a piece of my mind!"


    Tears began to well up in Song Yushao''s eyes, and he raised his other hand to gently unfurrow Song Fengshan''s brows as he murmured, "After all these years, it''s time that your grandfather finally did something for you."


    Song Fengshan took a step back, then lowered head and covered his face with his arm.


    Song Yushao continued, "Fengshan, from this day forth, I won''t keep trying to drill those so-called old rules into you anymore. However, I want you to listen to what I have to say one final time. The old world is not without its faults, but there are many elements of it that are correct and good, and I hope that you won''t renounce those elements when you step into the new world."


    As his voice trailed off, Song Yushao set the rusty iron sword down onto the stone table in the courtyard, then made his way toward the entrance of the courtyard. On the way there, he cast his gaze toward the main room of the courtyard, and he wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so in the end.


    "Where are you going, Grandfather?" Song Fengshan asked in a raspy and emotional voice.


    Song Yushao continued onward without turning his head as he replied with a smile, "I have to go fetch my own sword. It''s been buried under the pool at the foot of the waterfall all these years!"


    Song Fengshan continued to remain still on the spot as Song Yushao faded into the distance.


    The door of a room in the courtyard slowly swung open, and a young woman emerged from within as she asked, "You''re not going to stop him?"


    Song Fengshan wiped the tears from his eyes, then gentlyid a hand onto the sword on the table as he replied with a confident smile, "We hatched a n long ago, and everything is progressing in ordance with that n. Don''t you want to see the spectacr sight of a single man stopping an entire army cold in its tracks? At the very least, that''s something that I want to see. I''ve already been envisioning it in my mind for many years."


    "Why did he suddenly change his mind?" the young woman mused with a perplexed expression, following which a concerned look appeared on her face as she said, "I don''t think he''s going to be pleased with what our vi does from here onward."


    Song Fengshan harrumphed coldly in response. "If worsees to worst, I''ll just let Grandfather stab me a few more times with his sword as punishment. If that still doesn''t satisfy him, then I''ll bring out Father''s sword. Let''s see if he''ll still be able to bear the thought of killing me then!"


    "Well, well, well, you haven''t called him Grandfather in over twenty years, yet it''sing out of your mouth as smooth as butter all of a sudden," the young woman jibed.


    Song Fengshan turned to give her a cold re, while the young woman merely smiled in response.


    She was actually a spy of the Great Li Empire, and once the mighty army of the Great Li Empire exerted its dominance over the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, she would be able to finally reveal her true identity and disy that Peace and Safety Tablet awarded to her by the Great Li Empire''s imperial court with pride and dignity.


    Song Fengshan was well aware of all of this.


    The next day, Water Combing Nations alliance leader election ceremony was held at Sword Water Vi.


    At the same time, a mighty army was storming toward Sword Water Vi, and the countless thundering hooves of the army''s horses were raising a vast cloud of dust that obscured the entire sky.


    The army was led by a general d in a suit of bright armor, straddled atop a tall and majestic horse. There was an eager smile on his face as he cast his gaze into the distance, and he was practically brimming with excitement. Once he razed Sword Water Vi to the ground, he would undoubtedly be the leading military official of Water Combing Nation.


    All of a sudden, his eyes narrowed slightly.


    As it turned out, Water Combing Nation''s sword saint had appeared up ahead, having retrieved his sword from beneath the waterfall, and he was standing in the way of the formidable army on his own.


    Actually, he wasn''t quite on his own. There was also a young boy with a wine gourd strapped to his waist trailing along far behind him.


    The young boy didn''t appear to be nervous at all in the face of the enormous army up ahead.


    He simply removed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, threw his head back, and took arge swig of wine.

 Chapter 244: (1): I Am Chen Pingan of the Great Li Empire

    Chapter 244: (1): I Am Chen Ping''an of the Great Li Empire


    Song Yushao had only just retrieved his sword from under the waterfall the day before. It was a renowned sword by the name of "Immovable," a divine weapon feared by many Qi refiners, and it was in a scabbard crafted out of a rare kind of azure bamboo.


    As it turned out, the first time that Song Yushao had seen this sword was precisely in the same ce, under the pool at the foot of the waterfall. Furthermore, it had been right under the protruding rock atop which Chen Ping''an had practiced his standing meditation under the waterfall.


    There was a hidden mechanism in that rock, and Song Yushao had managed to obtain the sword by chance. The sword yed no small part in the development of his swordsmanship, and it could be said that it was an integral part to his eventual rise to be the sword saint of Water Combing Nation.


    After reading through countless scriptures, Song Yushao had finally found a record pertaining to this sword.


    It was said that the sword had been forged by a martial god from another continent, but it hadter be lost in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and it was said to be capable of splitting mountains and vanquishing great evil.


    Following the passing of Song Gaofeng, Song Yushao had taken his son''s sword, and his original sword had been returned to its former resting ce in the rock.


    At this moment, this very same sword was strapped to Song Yushao''s waist as he stood and confronted the army before him, which had slowed down drastically. True to the sword''s name, he was standing like an immovable mountain with no fear on his face whatsoever.


    Out of this formidable army of close to 10,000 troops, there were 3,000 elite cavalry that had been selected from Chu Hao''s personal army, and all of them were battle-hardened border veterans. Besides them, there were also almost 5,000 elite soldiers selected from various armies across the entire nation, in addition to over 1,000w enforcers who directly served the official authorities and formidable martial artists that had been hired at a steep price.


    Of course, there were also some powerful cultivators who directly served General Chu Hao, and almost all of them had been presented to him by the emperor as part of the dowry of the deceased former alliance leader''s daughter.


    The former alliance leader was long dead, but he had served as alliance leader for close to twenty years and had the backing of the imperial court, so he had secretly developed many loyal subordinates, all of whom now served his son-inw, Chu Hao.


    Even though so many years had already passed, Chu Hao''s wife still harbored extremely deep resentment toward Sword Water Vi.


    On the surface, Chu Hao was constantly vowing to exact vengeance for her, but in reality, he knew that Sword Water Vi was not to be messed with unless the perfect opportunity arose. Without an explicit instruction from the emperor, there was no way that he would openly provoke the number one swordsman of the entire nation.


    Hence, despite his wife''sints, Chu Hao remained unmoved and refused to take any action. Thankfully, Sword Water Vi had stepped out of line on this asion and forced the emperor''s hand. Chu Hao immediately seized the opportunity, volunteering to lead the army to vanquish Sword Water Vi, and everything naturally fell into ce.


    Pertaining to this entire situation, not only did Chu Hao''s wife have a knot in her heart, Chu Hao himself also had his own gripes. His wife had clearly been aware that Song Gaofeng already had a wife, and the two of them shared a very loving rtionship.


    On top of that, Song Gaofeng''s father was the sword saint of Water Combing Nation, so it was a disy of extreme entitlement and selfishness for her to demand Song Gaofeng to divorce his wife and marry her just because her father was the alliance leader.


    The fact that she had gone to destroy that woman''s garden and ruin her life out of spite just because she didn''t get the man that she wanted only served to show how venomous and depraved a woman she was. If Chu Hao had been in Song Gaofeng''s ce, he would''ve sent out his entire army to im her head in retaliation.


    Having said that, Chu Hao wasn''t Song Gaofeng, and despite his internal gripes about his wife''s character, he had to admit that marrying her came with a multitude of benefits. Not only had he earned the emperor''s trust, he had ended up with a beautiful wife and around a dozen top-tier cultivators and martial artists that served him with absolute loyalty.


    It was truly killing three birds with one stone, so whatever qualms and reservations he had about his wife were downright negligible inparison. Furthermore, after the old alliance leader was in by Song Gaofeng, the former''s daughter had been taught a harsh lesson, and she had learned to be a lot more restrained, sticking to her duties as a housewife for the most part.


    She also proved herself to be a capable socialite who got along well with many other important figures in the capital city, and that had contributed greatly to Chu Hao''s smooth progression up the ranks. As a result, Chu Hao often felt like he had to thank Song Gaofeng for teaching her that lesson. Otherwise, he would''ve been forced to deal with the full brunt of her unrestrained venom.


    Unbeknownst to everyone except Chu Hao, his wife was following him in secret on this trip, and she was staying in a confidential location in the nearby city. She had said to Chu Hao that Song Yushao could be spared, and that if he were to run away, then so be it. However, that scoundrel by the name of Song Fengshan had to be killed.


    Once he was dead and cremated, she would personally take his ashes in an urn to the grave of Song Gaofeng and his wife, then smash the urn in front of them, forcing them to witness the end of their lineage.


    There was truly no one more cruel than a woman scorned, but in Chu Hao''s eyes, this was a good thing.


    Chu Hao held onto the reins of his horse with one hand while shielding his eyes from the sun with the other as he continued to peer into the distance in a leisurely fashion.


    The official road here was very wide, and the terrain on either side of it was very t and level, making it perfect for foot soldiers to march over, and even the cavalry could make a charge at any moment if need be.


    In Chu Hao''s eyes, Song Yushao was just a senile old geezer who was used to reigning supreme in Water Combing Nation, but didn''t have even half a clue when it came to battlefield tactics. Seeing as he was determined to perish with Sword Water Vi, Chu Hao was more than happy to grant him that wish!


    Chu Hao cast his gaze toward the old sword saint in the distance, and a mocking sneer appeared on his face as he lowered his hand to stroke the gold paper knife in his hand, one that had been awarded to him personally by the emperor, and he smiled as mused to himself, "It''s a pity that such a valiant hero is going to meet his demise today.


    Of course, it''s also a good thing that he showed up. Now, when people mention this event in the future, they''ll speak of how I slew a sword saint."


    There were many legends of almighty heroes defying impossible odds to oppose mighty armies on their own, but unfortunately, those were only embellished stories. In this region, there were around a dozen nations, including Water Combing Nation, and there was nock of formidable generals in those nations, ones that possessed incrediblebat prowess.


    They were always seen leading their troops from the front, and if they had a powerful steed beneath them, then their powers would be enhanced even further, but in reality, there existed no one capable of opposing an entire army on their own.


    Chu Hao was not just some sheltered schr. In fact, he was a veteran who had fought in countless battles, and never had he encountered anyone capable of such a miraculous feat.


    Song Yushao remained standing on the spot. Now that he hade here, he was unwilling to back down even a single step, but there was a hint of exasperation in his eyes as he turned to look back.


    <em>What the hell are you doing here, Chen Ping''an?! This is no merry road trip! </em>


    Chen Ping''an was carrying the sword case that contained Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends strapped tightly to his back.


    He jogged over to Song Yushao''s side, and thetter turned to him with a frustrated expression. "Back at the waterside pavilion, after your conflict with Unruly Saber Vi, I told you that when journeying through the cultivation world, one is responsible for one''s own life and death. Do you understand what that means, Chen Ping''an?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Song Yushao couldn''t help but burst into exasperatedughter. "You don''t know shit! In the cultivating world, there''s danger at every turn! I didn''te here just to show my face, then immediately retreat as soon as the going gets tough. I''m here to make a final stand, and in the heat of battle, I won''t be able to babysit you, do you understand?"


    Song Yushao was bing more and more furious as he spoke, and in the end, he heaved a faint sigh as he concluded, "You shouldn''t havee here, Chen Ping''an."


    "Regardless of what you''re nning to do today, I only have one job, and that''s to ensure that you leave this ce alive. That''s it. I won''t kill anyone," Chen Ping''an said. Then, he tilted his head for a moment and corrected himself. "At least, I''ll <em>try</em> not to kill anyone."


    Song Yushao took a deep breath, doing his best to rein in his temper as he said, "Right now, we are about to face an entire army. In the heat of battle, do you really think you can avoid killing just because you said so? Do you think this is a children''s game?


    In an army, there are thousands of cavalry that can storm at you from all directions and endless foot soldiers to stand in your way, not to mention the thousands of archers taking aim at you, ready to let loose volleys of arrows at the drop of a hat.


    On top of that, there are around a dozen formidable cultivators directly under Chu Hao''smand, as well as a group of master archers who can shoot with exceptional power and uracy, all of whom are considered to be important assets to the imperial court when ites to dealing with master martial artists and Qi refiners.


    Even for someone like me, I won''t be able to avoid severe injury if I get struck by an arrow in the vitals!"


    "If they''re really that formidable, then have youe here just to surrender your own life?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "I''m going to try and go after their general, Chu Hao," Song Yushao exined. "I''m going to capture him before they have a chance to strike me down, and once I do that, this army will be without a leader. After that, I''ll force Chu Hao to hand over that woman.


    If I''m on my own, my chances of sess will be about fifty percent, but if you rush into battle with me, as soon as we get surrounded, you''ll only be a burden to me. Listen to me and return to the vi right away, then take your two friends and get as far away from this ce as you can."


    Song Yushao raised his head to bask his face in the sunlight, and it was a bright and sunny summer''s day, a perfect day to be making a final stand.


    A faint smile appeared on his face as he turned back to Chen Ping''an with a smile and said, "I appreciate the gesture, Chen Ping''an, but regardless of whether I die here today or whether Sword Water Vi falls or survives, I can look back on my life and say that I have no regrets. Is that not enough? I''d say that''s more than enough!"


    Chen Ping''an patted the wine gourd strapped to his waist as he said with a bright smile, "I''m not trying to boast, but when I run at full tilt, I''m definitely faster than all of those horses! On top of that, I have some life-saving trump cards up my sleeve, so you don''t have to worry about me. Just focus on taking down Chu Hao, and I can take care of myself. If I weren''t capable of that, then I wouldn''t have shown up today at all."


    Song Yushao''s temper finally boiled over again, and he had to fight the urge to swat Chen Ping''an on the head as he yelled, "Idiot! Do you really think that shitty little gourd of yours is a Sword Nurturing Gourd? Even if it is a legendary Sword Nurturing Gourd, how will it be of any use to you, a pure martial artist?!"


    Chen Ping''an adjusted his position so that he was standing behind Song Yushao, concealing himself from the opposing army, then patted the Sword Nurturing Gourd strapped to his waist as he said, "Someone''s looking down on you, First. Why don''t youe out and prove them wrong?"


    Song Yushao waspletely rooted to the spot.


    <em>What the hell is he doing? Nothing''s happening! </em>


    A slightly awkward look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he called out, "Fifteenth!"


    A streak of green sword light instantly flew out of the Sword Nurturing Gourd like lightning. It was a sleek andpact little sword that was glittering and translucent, and it emerged in between Chen Ping''an and Song Yushao, then began to slowly whiz around from side to side, as if it were seeking the approval of its master.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an was already well aware that out of the two swords in his Sword Nurturing Gourd, Fifteenth was very gentle and obedient, following Chen Ping''an''s everymand, and it was like a sweet and caring pet. As for First, sometimes, Chen Ping''an wasn''t sure if he was its master or if it was his master.


    It refused to heed Chen Ping''an''s call unless he was in life-threatening danger or if there was something that caught its interest. However, Chen Ping''an hade to ept this, rather than yearning for First to be as obedient as First. At the very least, First had never defied him when it truly mattered.


    "You''re telling me this really is a Sword Nurturing Gourd?!" Song Yushao eximed with a stunned expression.


    Chen Ping''an merely gave a wide smile in response.


    However, the surprise on Song Yushao''s face then faded as he reverted back to a solemn expression, patting Chen Ping''an on the shoulder as he said, "You have an extremely bright future ahead, Chen Ping''an. Do not throw away your life for nothing here. Go! I''m already very touched that you decided to apany me this far.


    The path ahead of you is a very smooth one, and you''re blessed with powerful treasures, so you need to cherish your life even more. Get out of here, and don''t make me repeat myself again. Otherwise, I''m going to beat the crap out of you before that army even has a chance to get to you, do you hear me?!"


    However, when it came to stubborness, Song Yushao had met his match, and Chen Ping''an refused to back down as he dered in a solemn expression, "I, Chen Ping''an,e from y Vase Alley of Locust Yellow County of the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture, and I''m on a journey to see what this world has to offer, so don''t try to stop me!"


    "You''re a hopeless idiot!" Song Yushao eximed as he burst intoughter.


    Chen Ping''an took a step forward so that he was standing directly beside Song Yushao, then said, "Also, I owe you a hotpot meal."


    Even though Song Yushao was looking into the distance, he was still concerned about Chen Ping''an, and he asked, "Will you really be able to get away if things take a turn for the worse?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. "Not only do I have my Sword Nurturing Gourd and flying swords to protect me, I made twenty inch movement talismansst night, so if I have to run, I guarantee that my speed will be unmatched, and I''ll be impressing even myself!"


    This sounded like a joke, but as Song Yushao turned to examine Chen Ping''an''s expression, he found that the boy waspletely serious.


    Song Yushao was very reassured to see this, and he gripped the the hilt of his Immovable as he dered, "Alright, then I''ll be waiting for you to treat me to that hotpot meal!"


    "If we eat hotpot at the restaurant, can we bring our own wine?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    Even though he had had a Sword Nurturing Gourd, a pair of flying swords, and a stack of inch movement talismans at his disposal, he was still the same stingy little miser that he had always been.


    "Of course you can! Who''s going to stop you?" Song Yushao chortled, then rushed forward as he drew his sword out of his scabbard and dered, "I''ll be going on ahead. All you have to do is watch my back for me!"


    On one side was a formidable army of ten thousand, while on the other side were only two people.


    Despite how lopsided an affair this was, it was actually the army that was far more tense and nervous than their two opponents. In particr, some of the younger and less seasoned soldiers were trembling slightly from the tension in the air.


    In the face of just two opponents, all they had to do was wear them down into exhaustion and eventually death. There was no real need to strategize. The cavalry would lead the charge and form an encirclement, while the archers would provide support from afar,unching volleys of arrows to prevent Song Yushao from escaping.


    After that, the foot soldiers would storm onto the scene, with the front row of soldiers forming a barricade of shields, while the foot soldiers behind them attacked with long spears through the gaps between the shields.


    Aside from the standard bows used by the archers in the army, there were also several dozen divine bows that had been taken from Water Combing Nation''s imperial vault. These divine bows had been crafted by Mohist artisans, and they had always been given to the best archers that the army had to offer.


    The tips of the arrows used had cloud runes engraved upon them, while the shafts of the arrows were crafted from iron essence, while the fletching was fashioned from golden falcon feathers. Each arrow was extremely sturdy and heavy, making them too unwieldy for the average archer.


    Only exceptional martial artists possessed the strength required to fully draw these bows, and the arrows shot from these bows were far faster, more powerful, more urate, and went farther than arrows shot from the average bow.


    Last but not least, there were twenty formidable cultivators gathered around Chu Hao to form a protective encirclement. With all these obstacles standing in Song Yushaos''s way, getting to Chu Hao was going to be no less difficult than ascending to the heavens.


    Chu Hao knew that victory was firm within his grasp. Just the 3,000 elite cavalry from his personal army alone would''ve been more than enough to deal with Song Yushao, and they were battle-hardened veterans who were fearless and willing to tackle the enemy head-on. However, that didn''t mean that the rest of the troops would also be so fearless.


    As a seasoned veteran himself, Chu Hao was well aware of this. Hence, for this particr battle, any soldier that was to perish would receive a staggering hundred taels of silver from the imperial court as reparations, and everyone in the n that the deceased soldier belonged to would also be exempt frompulsory military service for a decade!


    However, anyone who dared to flee or desert the battle would be executed on the spot, and their ns would be banished from Water Combing Nation entirely!


    With such a strong incentive for participation and an equally great punishment for deserting, the soldiers had no choice but to prepare to fight to the death.


    Chu Hao was straddled atop his horse beneath a majestic g, lookingpletely confident and assured.


    There was no way that a single man could possibly oppose an entire army, and the emperor had already promised him in private that he could take half of the wealth of Sword Water Vi to issue rewards to the troops of this army, while the other half would be taken by the imperial treasury.


    However, Chu Hao would have to cover the rest of the expenses of this march, and he was not permitted to turn to the Ministry of War or the Ministry of Revenue for financial aid.


    Even so, Chu Hao was confident that he would still be able to profit immensely after the Sword Water Vi was stripped.


    Instead of rising up into the air and making himself a sitting duck for all of the opposing archers, Song Yushao leaned forward and lowered his center of gravity, then charged forward like lightning toward the uniform line of elite cavalry that formed the vanguard of Chu Hao''s army.


    The first volley of arrows came raining down from the sky, and the entire area was abuzz with the sound of countless twanging bow strings.


    Song Yushao stomped a foot heavily down onto the ground,unching himself forward at an such an incredible speed that it was bing difficult to even track him with the naked eye. At the same time, he spun around as he shed his sword through the air, and a burst of tremendous sword qi emerged within a radius of several dozen feet around him, erupting in all directions.


    The ground behind Song Yushao was instantly riddled with arrows, while the arrows that were on course to strike him were all shattered by the sword qi around him.


    He was disying extraordinary speed and extremely formidable sword qi, much to the shock and awe of the opposing army, but the troops remained unfazed as the next volley of arrows was fired in an orderly fashion.


    Song Yushao spun around like a spinning top with Immovable held before him, and thousands of Immovables instantly appeared all around him, all of which had their tips pointing outward.


    In the blink of an eye, he had conjured up thousands of streaks of sword qi, and he thrust a finger up at the heavens as he roared, "Go!"


    With a stomp of his foot, all of the sword qi in a semicircle around him shot through the air, hurtling toward the row of oingnce-wielding cavalry that was leading the charge. In the blink of an eye, dozens of horse legs were severed, and around twenty horses were decapitated altogether, plunging the entire line of cavalry intoplete disarray.


    Meanwhile, Immovable rose up into the heavens, and streaks of sword qi continued to fan out across the surrounding area like a giant umbre. All of the arrows that struck this umbre were instantly pulverized as if they were fragile eggs that had been dashed against a rock.


    Two elite cavalry units were elerating in their forward charge from either nk, tilting themselves sideways atop their steeds to shoot arrows diagonally at Song Yushao. The remaining semicircle of sword qi behind Song Yushao immediately shot forth as well, and several dozen more horses in these two elite cavalry units were in on the spot, while the soldiers riding atop those horses were sent flying through the air.


    However, these were clearly all extremely well-trained soldiers, and very few of them fell unconscious from the impact of falling off their steeds. The majority of them either drifted lightly onto the ground or quickly mbered to their feet, drawing their des and charging directly at Song Yushao.


    Just the title of Water Combing Nation Sword Saint alone wasn''t going to be anywhere near enough to intimidate these elite troops, all of whom had crawled out from under piles of bodies on the battlefield on countless asions.


    Out of the dozen or so nations in the western region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Colorful Garment Nation had the greatest number of troops, so on paper, it had the most formidable military. In particr, it held a significant advantage over the other nations when it came to the number of cavalry.


    However, in terms of actualbat prowess, it was farckingpared with Ancient Elm Nation, which was renowned for the ferocity of its foot soldiers, Pine Stream Nation, which had the best cavalry and archers, and Water Combing Nation, which had the toughest and most valiant people. In contrast, the border army of Colorful Garment Nation was just a bloated unit of ipetent troops.

 Chapter 244: (2): I Am Chen Pingan of the Great Li Empire

    Chapter 244: (2): I Am Chen Ping''an of the Great Li Empire


    Once upon a time, a formidable general with the Ma surname had emerged in Colorful Garment Nation military, but his superiors essentially forced him to move to the Blusher Prefecture out of envy, and he lived out the rest of his days there. In light of Colorful Garment Nation''s obvious military ipetence, it had be a very alluring piece of free real estate for the three nations that directly neighbored it.


    Chu Hao had volunteered to lead this army against Sword Water Vi not just to settle a personal vendetta for his wife. Instead, the main reason was actually because he wanted to im the position of general of the army that would eventually be sent to conquer Colorful Garment Nation.


    If he could sessfully bring down Sword Water Vi, then that would lend him greater authority and acim in the imperial court. Otherwise, even if the emperor wanted to select him for the role, he would undoubtedly be met with resistance from some more seasoned generals with more des to their name.


    If he could y the sword saint on top of eliminating Sword Water Vi, then that would contribute significantly to furthering his agenda.


    Surrounded by his formidable army, Chu Hao waspletely safe, and with that in mind, he couldn''t help but think to himself, <em>Even the heavens are on my side! Kill as many as you please, Song Yushao. Let''s see what you''re going to do once you''repletely worn down. Soon, I''ll be leading an almighty border army of over 100,000 troops on a northbound march, and I''ll be the one to im top honors for the eradication of Colorful Garment Nation! </em>


    <em>When that timees, there''s a very good chance that I''ll be able to im one of the ten spots among the generals of the decade adjudged by Lake View Academy! Song Changjing of the Great Li Empire is nothing more than a northern savage who only reached his current position thanks to his imperial ties. In terms of actual strategic acumen andpetence when leading an army, he''s nothingpared with me!</em>


    Chu Hao unconsciously tightened his grip around his golden paper cutter as the smile on his face grew even wider, and he could already envision his imminent meteoric rise.


    Meanwhile, Song Yushao had sessfully withstood the second volley of arrows fired at him by Chu Hao''s cavalry, and at this point, he was already no more than fifty meters away from the line of cavalry. Given the speed at which he was advancing, the cavalry had already given up on firing more arrows at him, and they had adopted the formation shattering setup that couldn''t have been more familiar to them as they stormed at Song Yushao with unstoppable might.


    All of a sudden, a sense of foreboding welled up in Song Yushao''s heart, and he sprang several meters to the side while charging forward, allowing him to evade an arrow that hade flying at him with extraordinary speed. That arrow had been far more formidable than the normal arrows fired at him in the volleys from the cavalry, and three more of those arrows were fired at him in rapid session, but he was able to sessfully evade them every single time.


    At the same time, he thrust his joint index and middle fingers upward, and Immovable came plummeting out of the heavens at his behest.


    As for the de-wielding cavalry who had tumbled down from the backs of their fallen steeds, they were prepared toy down their lives, but none of them were able tond a single blow on Song Yushao, and all of them felt as if he were simply gliding past them in a wraith-like manner.


    Immovable continued to plunge forward like a flood dragon powering through a river, severing the legs of several horses in the blink of an eye. The sword seemed determined to open up a path for its owner to advance freely, and it was hurtling forward with unstoppable force, plunging straight through all of the horses in its path.


    A trail of fallen horses and cavalry were left in its wake, immediately following which a wraith-like figure would glide through the chaos in a graceful and carefree manner.


    Song Yushao was slicing through the elite cavalry in his path like a sharp de, and after sessfully piercing through the line of cavalry, he was met with a mountainous wall of shields that were spread out before him in a line.


    The spear tips protruding out of the gaps between the shields were all shimmering with a menacing gleam, and the length of these spears was around one and a half times the height of a grown man. Thebination of shields and spears formed an impregnable fortress that was also capable of lethal retaliation, and it seemed that there was no way to bypass it.


    If he were to leap high up into the sky to attack Chu Hao from above, then he would be sure to be shot full of holes by the array of archers standing behind the wall of shields and spears.


    Due to how quickly Song Yushao had been advancing earlier, the archers were renderedrgely useless, but that certainly didn''t mean that they would remain ineffective for the rest of the battle. In particr, the archers wielding the prized Mohist divine bows were sure to y an important role going forward.


    Song Yushao forcibly drew in a fresh breath, and his Qi instantly began to surge violently throughout his entire body. Right at this moment, several top cultivators of Water Combing Nation who had pledged their allegiance to the imperial courtunched themselves into the air off the heads and shoulders of the foot soldiers in front of them.


    They were concealed behind the wall of shields, so Song Yushao was unable to see them, and they were pouncing on this interval where Song Yushao was out of breath to make their move,shing out at him with formidable weapons.


    Instead of backing down in the face of these mighty adversaries, Song Yushao sprang forward without any hesitation, sweeping his longsword horizontally through the air.


    Even though they had perfect timing to capitalize on Song Yushao pausing to draw a breath and replenish his qi, they had never faced a sixth tier swordsman in battle before, and they failed to anticipate just how quickly a swordsman of this caliber was able to replenish the air in his lungs.[1]


    In the blink of an eye, three fourth-tier Lesser Grandmasters were chopped in half by the oing streak of crescent-shaped sword qi.


    They had met their demise before they had even had a chance to y any role in the battle, and one couldn''t help but wonder if they had died filled with regrets.


    After ying these Lesser Grandmasters, Song Yushao shed downward without pause. Four or five of the armord foot soldiers in front of him, as well as several of the soldiers behind them, were instantly torn apart by the streak of devastating sword qi, together with their armor and weapons.


    Blood and scattered remains instantly sttered onto armor of the nearby foot soldiers, but this was a very well-trained and experienced unit. More foot soldiers instantly charged forward from the rear to fill the hole that Song Yushao had just pierced into their ranks, while the other foot soldiers on either side of the hole also closed in to fill the gaps.


    Those who didn''t fear death weren''t guaranteed to survive on the battlefield, but those who did fear death often found themselves suffering the very fate that they frantically tried to avoid.


    In the brief moment that it took for the hole in the formation of foot soldiers to be filled, Song Yushao was able to catch a glimpse of just how deep the formation was, and he couldn''t help but heave an internal sigh. However, his fighting spirit didn''t waver in the slightest as he sprang up into the air before shing his sword through the air once again, severing several rows of spears at the forefront of the opposing formation.


    At the same time, he abruptly tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword, and his unbridled sword intent erupted out of his body. It was as if he were wielding a full moon that was glowing with dazzling radiance, threatening to steal the limelight from the sun up above!


    With a thunderous roar, he rose up over three meters further into the air, and his sword intent and sword qi swelled drastically in unison. The moon that he was wielding was originally only the size of a jade te, but it abruptly expanded dramatically to epass his entire body, keeping all of the oing arrows at bay as he flew directly toward Chu Hao from above. Upon striking the shining moon, all of the arrows would have their tips chipped and their shafts snapped.


    While the entire army''s attention was focused on Song Yushao, Chen Ping''an wasn''t just standing around. Instead, he also rushed forward with the speed and agility of a nimble rabbit.


    The cavalry of Chu Hao''s army naturally weren''t going to turn around; doing so would only cause disruption to the formation of foot soldiers. They remained in ce, and Chen Ping''an was forced to bear the full brunt of their fury.


    While it was almost to be expected that the almighty sword saint of Water Combing Nation would be able to pierce through their ranks, no one could''ve anticipated that this unknown young boy would also be so difficult to deal with.


    He was extraordinarily fast, able to cover ten meters with every single stride, and he was also infuriatingly agile, managing to sessfully evade a volley of arrows along with four or five Mohist arrows fired at him from very sharp angles.


    As for the arrows that he was unable to evade, he would simply brush them aside with his hands. Before long, he had already rushed into the ranks of the cavalry like a slippery eel, traversing through the tiniest of gaps in the opposing formation.


    During the asional instances where he was forced to face an enemy directly, he would either throw a punch into the horse''s side to send both horse and rider flying ten meters through the air, or ram his shoulder into the oing horse to achieve the same oue.


    After that, he would gently spring up into the air,unching himself off the horse''s back with the grace and finesse of a dragonfly skimming over water. In the blink of an eye, he would already be gone, leaving behind nothing more than a gentle breeze in his wake. All of the cavalry that he passed by wouldsh out with their des and spears, but none of them were able to even graze his clothes.


    In their eyes, he was definitely a grandmaster martial artist who was at least at the pinnacle of the fourth tier, perhaps even a fifth tier martial artist!


    Ance-wielding cavalry carefully took aim at Chen Ping''an''s neck, then thrust thence upward violently with unbridled killing intent.


    Chen Ping''an cocked his head to the side to just barely evade the oingnce, and at the same time, he reached out to grab onto the shaft. Thence was a prized weapon that had been passed down in the soldier''s family for generations, but despite his best efforts, it was still wrenched out of his grasp, leaving the flesh on his hand torn and bloodied.


    Chen Ping''an adjusted thence while in mid-air so that he was holding onto it with both hands, then plunged it deep into the ground. Thence was remarkably flexible, and it bent in a massive arc before catapulting Chen Ping''an close to twenty meters up into the sky with a dull twang.


    Even as he wasunched into the air, Chen Ping''an was still holding onto one end of thence instead of leaving it behind.


    All of the cavalry that he had left behind could only look on as he flew through the air like a wind-riding immortal beforending on a patch of emptynd directly behind their ranks. Uponnding on the ground, Chen Ping''an took a step back without pause, then swung his arm through the air with all his might to hurl thence up into the sky.


    After that, he patted the wine gourd strapped to his waist as he sprang up into the air, and in the next instant, he vanished into thin air without any warning. It was as if he had used some type ofnd-shortening mystical ability, and all of the cavalry looked on in shock and awe as he appeared atop thence an instantter.


    He was standing on thence with one foot in front of the other, just like how legendary sword immortals rode atop their flying swords, presenting an awe-inspiring sight to behold.


    If it weren''t for the fact that they were in opposing camps, they would''ve been unable to resist the urge to cheer him on.


    Immediately thereafter, an even more infuriating sight unfolded.


    Not only was Chen Ping''an flying through the air atop his newly acquirednce, he had removed the wine gourd from his waist and was taking a swig of wine, even as he was surrounded by throngs of enemies!


    All of the onlookers were incensed to see this, but deep down, they couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration.


    Both Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an were advancing deep into enemy territory, but they were doing so inpletely different ways.


    The former was slicing through the enemy ranks with his unmatched sword qi, cutting down enemies with every single sh of his sword, whereas Chen Ping''an hadn''t killed a single person thus far.


    All he did was follow Song Yushao like a shadow, and he was waltzing into the enemy camp as casually as if he were taking a stroll in the park.


    Due to the incredible speed at which thence was traveling and the unexpected nature of this turn of events, the enemy archers were momentarily rooted to the spot. However, themanders in the army quickly snapped back to their senses and began barking orders, instructing the strongest archers to intercept Chen Ping''an by shooting their bows with incredibly high draw weight.


    Of course, the archers wielding Mohist divine bows were also among them, and a fierce storm of lightning-fast arrows were sent hurtling toward Chen Ping''an.


    While everyone was still reeling at what they were seeing, they soon found themselves even more astonished as two resplendent streaks of light, one white and one green, suddenly shot out of Chen Ping''an''s red wine gourd before striking and shattering all of the oing arrows.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t need to take any evasive measures at all, and the crisis was averted in virtually the blink of an eye.


    After flying for a good two hundred meters, thence had already begun its descent. Chen Ping''anunched himself up into the air, allowing thence to crash down to the ground. He did so just in time to evade an attack from a top-tier swordsman of Water Combing Nation, and the swordsmannded on the ground before turning back to glower at Chen Ping''an with a look of frustration and indignation on his face.


    Earlier, he had beenpletely powerless to stand against Song Yushao''s tremendous sword qi, but that was only to be expected. Yet now, he hadpletely failed to even graze a no-name young boy with his attack! How was he supposed to live with himself?


    As a formidable swordsman of Chu Hao''s army, he sat on an elevated pedestal, enjoying far greater benefits than the average soldier, yet now that it was time for him to do his job, he had failed in humiliating fashion!


    Further up ahead, Song Yushao was no more than 200 meters away from Chu Hao. At this point, the ball of sword qi around him had already been worn down significantly by the countless arrows and spears that it had withstood, not to mention that the attacks that had been thrown at him by the dozen or so powerful cultivators directly under Chu Hao''smand.


    Right at this moment, a streak of green sword qi came hurtling toward Song Yushao with unstoppable might, and it was finally able to breach the barrier of sword qi around him. However, it was met by Song Yushao''s Immovable sword, and was split in half before sweeping past him, instantly killing dozens of foot soldiers behind him on the spot.


    Song Yushao withdrew his sword as a line of blood trickled down from the corner of his lips. This time, he didn''t dare to rx and replenish his qi.


    At the very least, the person who had attacked him just now had to be a fifth tier swordsman, so it was not someone that he could afford to take lightly.


    At this moment, that person was standing right beside Chu Hao. He was dressed in a green robe with one hand sped behind his back, while the other hand was holding his sword with the tip aimed directly at Song Yushao.


    The man didn''t appear to be very old, seemingly only in his early thirties, but he could just as well be over forty. Upon closer inspection, Song Yushao discovered that the man wasn''t even wielding a sword. Instead, it was a well-polished piece of green bamboo the length of a normal sword.


    He was standing atop his saddle rather than sitting on it. This made him appear significantly taller than Chu Hao, but thetter didn''t seem to mind.


    The swordsman turned to Chu Hao with a smile as he said, "That sword of Song Yushao''s has quite a nice bamboo scabbard. Would you be able to give it to me, General Chu?"


    "Why not?" Chu Hao immediately replied in a generous manner. "Forget the scabbard, you can have the sword as well if you want!"


    The swordsman shook his head with a smile as he replied, "There''s no need for that. Immovable is Song Yushao''s personal sword, so if you can offer it up to your emperor, then that would be a symbolic representation of the martial arts world bowing its head to the imperial court."


    An enlightened look appeared on Chu Hao''s face, and he immediately burst intoughter. "How thoughtful of you, Green Bamboo Sword Immortal!"


    Song Yushao was standing on a small patch of empty ground that had been vacated by all of the surrounding foot soldiers, and the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal dered, "Sword Saint Song, the instant that you draw your next breath will be the instant that you meet your demise!"


    Song Yushao''s expression remained unchanged, while a loudmotion rang out from behind him.


    Chu Hao''s eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled what appeared to be a silver ingot out of his sleeve, and he clutched it in the palm of his hand. Momentster, a pair of old men with white hair emerged beside him.


    One of the old men was wearing a brocade robe. Between his index and middle fingers, he held an azure talisman that had golden text inscribed upon it. The other one had a burly and imposing physique, and he was wielding a pair of axes with cloud designs engraved upon them. Neither of them was wearing armor, and it was clear that they weren''t soldiers of Chu Hao''s army.


    Both of them cast their eyes toward Song Yushao, and in contrast with the calm confidence that the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal was exuding, the two old men were a little apprehensive.


    Both of them were formidable Qi refiners who were also guest elders of Water Combing Nation''s imperial n, and they were aware of just how fearsome a sixth tier swordsman could be, particrly when the swordsman in question was prepared toy down his life to make one final stand.


    "I need one of you to help the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal y Song Yushao as quickly as possible, while the other one keeps that boy at bay," Chu Hao instructed.


    The burly ax-wielding man strode toward Song Yushao with a cold smile on his face as he dered, "I''ll force the old bastard to breathe and replenish his qi!"


    Meanwhile, a wry smile appeared on the brocade-robed old man''s face as he gently tossed forward the azure paper talisman that he had treasured for many years. Despite his reluctance to part with the talisman, he had no choice but to do so in the face of such a formidable foe.


    After rising up into the air, the talisman vanished in the blink of an eye.


    Immediately thereafter, a burst of golden light erupted out of thin air roughly 150 meters away, and a giant warrior d in a suit of golden armornded on the ground with a resounding boom. The warrior stood at over seven meters tall, towering over the surrounding foot soldiers, and it was wielding a huge halberd. There was no actual body encased within the suit of golden armor, only streaks of silver light that were moving around incessantly.


    Chen Ping''an continued to charge forward, and it appeared as if he was running on air, but in reality, he was using First and Fifteenth as stepping stones to pave the way forward.


    Chen Ping''an was most definitely a very dogmatic and stubborn person, but he had actually changed quite a bit ever since he had begun traveling the world on his own.


    The golden-armored warrior was holding its huge halberd in one hand, and it was scrutinizing Chen Ping''an intently, preparing tosh out as soon as he was within range, but Chen Ping''an remainedpletely unfazed.


    Back in the Blusher Prefecture, Daoist Chong Miao had summoned a pair of copper-armored warriors to protect himself in battle, and if Chen Ping''an recalled correctly, even the best copper-armored talismanic warriors were onlyparable in power to third tier martial artists. By Chen Ping''an''s estimates, this golden-armored warrior had to be at leastparable with a fourth tier martial artist, perhaps even a fifth tier one.


    Of course, there was no way that this would be enough to make him back down. Even back when he was first practicing fist techniques, he had possessed the courage to take on the old Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain on his own, so this glorified puppet certainly wasn''t going to strike fear into his heart.


    In a gesture that was almostpletely instinctively, Chen Ping''an reached out to grab onto the hilt of his locust wood sword.


    At the same time, he instructed internally, "First, Fifteenth, go help Senior Song deal with those two. I''ll take on this thing on my own."


    At no more than twenty meters away from the golden-armored warrior, the two flying swords beneath Chen Ping''an''s feet darted away, one to the left and one to the right, flying past the golden-armored warrior that was now charging at their master.


    Chen Ping''an leaped up into the air while his hand remained locked around the hilt of his locust wood sword, and he yelled, "You''ll be fine, Senior Song, Ill make sure of that, so breathe whenever you''re ready!"


    The burly old man was charging at Song Yushao with his axes raised, while the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal was waiting to pounce, but there was a confident smile on Song Yushao''s face, and he ced his full trust in Chen Ping''an as he drew a full breath.


    The Green Bamboo Sword Immortal immediately pounced on that opportunity tosh out with his sword.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an continued to fly through the air while murmuring to himself in a voice that was audible only to himself, and he found himself in an unprecedented immersive state where his mind waspletely empty, and his heart was focused fully on his sword.


    Back in the ancient temple, Mr. Qi had managed to slice through the Golden Light Formation of that pink-robed great demon with ease with a single sh of the locust wood sword.


    Seeing as he still wasn''t ready to emte that sword strike, he decided that he would take things slowly, just as he did in his fist technique practice. There would inevitablye a day when he threw his millionth punch, and everything would fall into ce.


    All he was focused on was moving his sword, and he was determined to pierce through anything in his path, whether that be mountains or rivers.


    He channeled Eighteen Stops Technique with all his might, and the sword qi within his body surged forth like floodwaters through a broken dam, passing through a series of acupoints normally seen as not worth cultivating for the majority of swordsmen.


    In the next instant, Chen Ping''an forcefully drew his locust wood sword, unleashing a burst of resplendent sword qi that he was unable to see as he shed his sword at the giant golden-armored warrior.


    The golden-armored warrior was instantly sliced apart along with its massive halberd!


    Chen Ping''annded on both feet, then raised his head just in time to see a huge rift appear diagonally across the golden-armored warrior.


    Dazzling silver light erupted out of the rift as the warrior''s golden armor fell apart, falling to the ground in a heap.


    Chen Ping''an''s knees remained slightly bent, and he was sweating profusely with a slightly dazed look on his face, but he quickly snapped back to his senses as he stood up straight again with his locust wood sword held tightly in his hand.


    Never had he felt so exhrated, and all he wanted was to yell out to express his emotions.


    In the face of the formidable army, he raised his locust wood sword as he dered at the top of his lungs, "I am Chen Ping''an of the Great Li Empire!"


    1. The original says something along the lines of "exchanging breath." This refers to the fact that the short moment between exhaling and inhaling is a natural moment of weakness, and it''s impossible to fully mobilize one''s muscles during the inhtion because the core has to be at least partially rxed to allow the diaphragm to descend. This concept is even more important in internal martial artsin order to draw in and circte qi properly, deep abdominal breathing is absolutely necessary. For this reason, this is often tranted as "replenishing qi." However, it takes a normal human around two seconds, and a lot of things can happen in a fight in two seconds.

 Chapter 245: Wind Rustling Through the Forest

    Chapter 245: Wind Rustling Through the Forest


    His deration was met with dead silence. All of the enemy troops surrounding Chen Ping''an were momentarily rooted to the spot before erupting into a flurry of action. They weren''t just gathered around Chen Ping''an to watch his heroics. Instead, all of them had prepared their spears and raised their bows, aiming them directly at what they perceived to be a young sword immortal.


    In the face of such immense pressure, Chen Ping''an did something quite unusual. He ced his locust wood sword back into his sword case with his left hand while removing his wine gourd from his waist with his left, then raised his left hand up high as if he were saying to the army of Water Combing Nation: "Please wait a moment while I have a drink."


    This instantly created a huge stir in the surrounding troops, and even the experienced and capablemanders in the army couldn''t help but exchange a few bewildered nces. Could it really be that this young boy was a sword immortal capable of opposing an entire army on his own? This entire time, he had been nothing but the embodiment of grace and nonchnce, strolling through the enemy ranks without a care in the world.


    All of the soldiers felt utterly humiliated, and they didn''t know how to proceed. They couldn''t just throw more people at him, knowing full well that anyone who stood in his path would most likely be killed. While it was true that a hundred taels of silver in reparations was a huge sum, these soldiers were the closest ofrades, and they were practically brothers. No one wanted to see their brothers turn into piles of cold and lifeless silver.


    First and Fifteenth had already done their part to further contribute to the air of invincibility that Chen Ping''an was exuding, and they had now moved on to assist Song Yushao.


    The Green Bamboo Sword Immortal''s sword strike swept directly toward Song Yushao''s sword qi like a turbulent wave, but it was opposed by First, which managed to chip away at the attack bit by bit until it vanished. Meanwhile, the ax-wielding Militarian cultivator of Water Combing Nation had his hands full dealing with Fifteenth, which was whizzing around him at an extraordinary speed.


    The burly old man had no intention of sacrificing himself to bring down Song Yushao, and he hurriedly went on the defensive, constantly moving around his axes around like a pair of shields to defend himself against Fifteenth. A string of loud ngs were ringing out incessantly around him, while trails of sparks were flying from his axes as he frantically kept Fifteenth at bay.


    Song Yushao took advantage of this opportunity to draw in a new breath, and his sword intent swelled drastically as his ck robes pped and swayed despite the absence of wind. Thanks to Chen Ping''an''s help, he had managed to avert a severe crisis and was raring to go again.


    While raising his hand as a smokescreen to distract the surrounding troops, Chen Ping''an instructed internally, "First, Fifteenth, keep harassing your opponents. You can use some tricks to intimidate them if you like!"


    First was more than happy to heed Chen Ping''an''s call, sticking to the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal like glue while attacking him relentlessly. Fifteenth also continued its rapid-fire assault, and much to the burly old man''s dismay and indignation, his prized axes were quickly riddled with pits and indentations from Fifteenth''s relentless strikes.


    The Green Bamboo Sword Immortal possessed superior cultivation base and a keener eye than all of his peers, and as he was warding off First''s attacks, a furious look appeared on his face as he yelled, "You fools! He''s not actually drinking wine, he''s just using that to disguise the moments where he''s drawing breaths!"


    Opportunities to strike down a swordsman as formidable as Song Yushao were very difficult to create, and one such opportunity had just been foiled by Chen Ping''an''s meddling influence.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an had already returned his Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist, and he leaped over the formation of footsoldiers while giving the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal a cheeky grin.


    Song Yushao chortled with mirth.


    The brocade-robed old man certainly wasn''t expecting his trump card to be struck down so easily, and he could only give a wry smile as he pulled out three more azure talismans. Unfortunately, none of them had golden runes inscribed upon them. Instead, one was written in silver runes, while the other two were inscribed in red.


    He tossed the three talismans forward, producing three more talismanic warriors, one silver and two copper. The three talismanic warriorsnded on the ground beside one another with a resounding thump, positioning themselves in front of Chu Hao.


    By the time Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an arrived before Chu Hao, the roles hadpletely switched, and the two of them had turned from prey into hunters.


    If it hadn''t been for Chen Ping''an, Song Yushao would''ve already perished in this battle, but thanks to his impact, Song Yushao had actually managed to gain a slight upper hand!


    Thus far, Chu Hao''s military career had spanned over more than half his life. During this time, he had fought in over thirty battles without suffering a single defeat, and he possessed sufficient prudence to see that the tide of the battle was turning against him.


    At this point, the confident smile on his face had faded, and he covertly injected his True Qi into the silver-ingot-like treasure in his hand. The treasure was an armor pellet, and it was the most valuable piece in his wife''s dowry.


    The armor pellet instantly spread over the suit of armor that Chu Hao was already wearing like ayer of mercury, transforming the suit of ck armor into one that was bright white in color and decorated with cloud patterns. This suit of armor was called the Divine Dewbearing Armor, and was colloquially referred to as Dew Armor by cultivators.


    Even though this was only a Militarian armor pellet of the lowest caliber, not a single other general from any of the other dozen or so nearby nations possessed such a treasure. Of course, this wasn''t because they were too poor to afford one. Instead, it was simply because there was no supply to meet the demand.


    Otherwise, countless generals would be more than willing to pay 1,500 snowke coins for an armor pellet, and even if that price were doubled, there would still be many generals moring to sell everything that they owned in order to buy one. 3,000 snowke coins equated to 300,000 taels of silver, and that was certainly a steep price for anything <em>but</em> a treasure that could save their lives.


    The Militarian cultivators had a monopoly on armor pellets, while Qi refiners outside of swordsmen werecking in their bodily refinementpared with Militarian cultivators, so they were even more eager to get their hands on armor pellets. As a result, barely any armor pellets slipped through the cracks to fall into the hands of pure martial artists.


    Song Yushao rmenced his forward charge, and now that he didn''t have to watch his own back, he was advancing more freely than ever.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an covered a distance of over seven meters with just a single stride as he instructed, "Come back!"


    First reluctantly ceased its harassment of the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal as it slowly flew back to Chen Ping''an, and it was clearly not very happy.


    In contrast, Fifteenth returned to Chen Ping''an in an instant, whizzing around him to protect him from all of the oing spears and arrows.


    Standing on the back of his horse, the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal heaved a faint sigh as he took a longing nce at the bamboo scabbard strapped to Song Yushao''s waist. After that, he leaned back, thenunched himself off the back of his horse, then turned around in mid-air as he continued to dart away into the distance, using the heads of the soldiers behind him as stepping stones.


    In the blink of an eye, he had alreadypletely separated himself from Chu Hao''s army, and he returned the length of green bamboo in his hand back to his belt as he slowly made his way toward the city.


    As he did so, he turned back to take a nce at the battlefield as he mused to himself in a forlorn voice, "Looks like I won''t be able to get my hands on that bamboo scabbard anytime soon. If Song Yushao manages to survive this ordeal, he''ll surely be able to live for two or three more decades."


    With the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal fleeing from the battle, a sense of panic immediately began to set in among the army. There was a perplexed look on Chu Hao''s face as he cast his gaze toward the troops that had been recruited from the border armies of Water Combing Nation.


    These soldiers, in particr, were in aplete state of disarray. Theoretically speaking, things shouldn''t have been so chaotic. While it was true that these soldiers were far inferior inbat prowesspared with the troops from Chu Hao''s personal army, they had endured many battles on the borders, so they shouldn''t have been so ipetent.


    That was when Chu Hao spotted one of the generals of the border armies. He wasn''t doing anything to try and control his disorganized troops. Instead, he was merely straddled atop his steed with his arms crossed as if he were nothing more than a passive observer. Chu Hao was furious to see this, and he gritted his teeth tightly as he fought back the urge to rush over to that general and hack him to pieces with his sword!


    All of a sudden, Chu Hao''s expression changed drastically as he rose up from the saddle of his horse to look around. In doing so, he discovered that the resolute and unyielding wall of foot soldiers had be an obstacle standing in the path of his 3,000 elite cavalry, preventing them from being able to circle back around to protect him.


    Without the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal to worry about, all Song Yushao had to contend with were the ax-wielding old man and the talismanic warriors summoned by the brocade-robed old man. He was able to hold off these opponents with rtive ease, even having the spare capacity to observe Chu Hao while locked in battle.


    Chen Ping''an was graduallying to realize that something wasn''t quite right. The fast and powerful attacks of the foot soldiers were gradually slowing down, and the number of spears and arrows flying his way was slowly decreasing. In the end, all that the footsoldiers did was passively observe, as if they had nothing to do with this battle.


    Furthermore, Chen Ping''an could see a number ofmanders and generals constantly moving around their troops, seemingly issuing certain instructions to them.


    With a single sh of his sword, Song Yushao was able to slice a copper-armored puppet into two, and it instantly reverted back to its talisman form before disintegrating into ashes. With another sh of his sword, Song Yushao raised a trail of sparks over the burly old man''s huge axes.


    The scraps of metal scraped off the pair of axes flew in all directions as scorching-hot sparks, ttering audibly against the suits of armor worn by the nearby soldiers. It was clear that Song Yushao''s opponents were no match for him, and it was only a matter of time before they were defeated.


    After forcing back the ax-wielding Militarian cultivator, Song Yushao pointed the tip of his sword straight at Chu Hao as he dered, "I''vee all this way to invite General Chu Hao alone toe and visit our vi. There''s no need for bloodshed from anyone else, but if you insist on standing in my way, then I regret to inform you that my Immovable may not be so forgiving."


    All of a sudden, a resounding boom rang out not far away from Chu Hao''s direction.


    As it turned out, while everyone was distracted by Song Yushao, Chen Ping''an had already made it to no more than fifty meters away from Chu Hao, while the dozen or so formidable martial artists in his path were slowly forced back further and further.


    After assigning First and Fifteenth with the task of watching his back, he used an inch movement talisman to pass straight through the miniature battlefield where Song Yushao and the two Qi refiners were locked in battle, appearing no more than ten meters away from Chu Hao! From there, he lunged forward, stomping heavily down onto the ground and mming his right fist into the head of Chu Hao''s horse.


    The horse''s head instantly shattered, as did its two front legs. For all of Chu Haos talent as a general on the battlefield, he was actually only a third tier martial artist, and as he tipped forward, he was struck by Chen Ping''an''s left fist.


    All of the spiritual energy within his suit of Dew Armor instantly converged toward the spot that had just been struck by Chen Ping''an''s fist, but he was still seen flying back through the air, falling about fifteen meters away and raising arge cloud of dust.


    Chen Ping''an continued to charge forward, and one of Chu Hao''s personal guards immediately rushed forward on horseback. He put on an excellent disy of horsemanship as he tugged on the reins at just the right time for his steed to rear up on its hind legs and stomp down upon Chen Ping''an''s head with its front hooves.


    Chen Ping''an abruptly elerated, then ducked down to evade the horse''s iling hooves. He then instantly straightened up again, ramming his shoulder straight into the horse''s belly. As a result, the horse wasunched off its hooves and sent flying backward!


    Immediately, Chen Ping''anunched himself forward off both feet, much like he had done when jumping over the creek back in the small town. Chu Hao had only just struggled to his feet when he was struck by another punch, this time to his head.


    His suit of Dew Armor glowed radiantly, but he still fell back and toppled to the ground in an unconscious state.


    Just a moment ago, Chu Hao had been envisioning his imminent instatement as one of the continent''s top ten generals, yet now, he was being lifted up by Chen Ping''an by the scruff of his neck like a little bunny. Chen Ping''an hefted the unconscious general up to the height of his own shoulder, then shook him around a little with a wide smile as he yelled at Song Yushao, "I''ve caught him, Senior Song!"


    At this point, the battle was already decided, and the two imperial Qi refiners exchanged a resigned nce with one another.


    Instead of continuing to press his advantage, Song Yushao returned his sword to its scabbard, then cupped his fist in an apologetic salute toward the pair of Qi refiners as he said, "My apologies. Please pass on a message to His Majesty for me, tell him that I''m willing to ept any punishment he decides to hand down upon myself and my Sword Water Vi."


    After that, he charged forward, and his sword qi fell like rain, severing the legs of all of the horses of Chu Hao''s personal guards to prevent them from getting to Chen Ping''an.


    Uponnding beside Chen Ping''an, he said, "Go! We''ll be safe as soon as we return to the vi. This army is alreadypletely disheartened and won''t pose any threat to us in the near future!"


    All of the footsoldiers in the army were looking on inplete silence.


    Only now did the cavalry from Chu Hao''s personal army finally realize what had happened, and they began to circle around under the leadership of amander. The foot soldiers didn''t dare to directly oppose the cavalry, and they slowly split apart down the middle, doing their best to open up a path wide enough for the cavalry to pass through.


    "I still have one more inch movement talisman left," Chen Ping''an revealed to Song Yushao in a quiet voice.


    Song Yushao smiled as he said, "You go ahead, I''ll watch your back this time. Don''t directly charge at the footsoldiers, just retreat to the left-hand side, and we''ll return to the vi through the mountains so the cavalry can''t pursue us. Otherwise, they''ll be a pain to deal with."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, then took a deep breath as he tightened his grip around the scruff of Chu Hao''s neck before using his final inch movement talisman.


    Only now did everyonee to realize how he had managed to abruptly disappear on several previous asions in the battle.


    This time, he was notpletely invisible, especially as Chu Hao was still trailing along behind him. The unconscious general was being blown by the wind, flying in a horizontal position as Chen Ping''an dragged him, much like a streamer floating in the air behind a dancing woman.


    After the inch movement talisman wore off, Chen Ping''an was revealed again, and he began running through the air as he had done before.


    However, for some reason, as he took his first step, he stumbled a little, and only after that did he begin running through the air in a smooth fashion.


    Song Yushao followed Chen Ping''an, and the two of them fled the battlefield. It didn''t take long before the two of them were reduced to tiny ck spots on the distant horizon. In the end, they were able to escape into the forest in the distance.


    At this point, their safety was all but ensured, and a concerned look appeared on Song Yushao''s face as he recalled Chen Ping''an''s initial stumble.


    "Have you suffered internal injuries?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head with a smile as he exined, "I''m fine, it''s just that one of my flying swords is acting up."


    The first time he had "flown" through the air over Chu Hao''s army, he had used First and Fifteenth as alternating stepping stones. However, as he attempted the same thing a second time, First was no longer willing to cooperate, and it intentionally sidestepped Chen Ping''an''s foot, causing him to stumble. After that, it returned to the Sword Nurturing Gourd, but thankfully, Fifteenth was fast enough to keep up with Chen Ping''an''s pace on its own.


    "I''ve heard that in the north, there are master martial artists who have sessfully reached the Martial God Tier, and not only are they able to stand in mid-air as they please, they can even fly just like Qi refiners can," Song Yushao mused with a hint of longing in his eyes.


    Chen Ping''an had heard simr stories from Zhu He, and nodded in confirmation as he replied, "That''s something that only eighth tier martial artists are capable of. That tier is called the Wing Formation Tier, and it''s also known as the Far Roaming Tier due to the flight ability that one gains at that tier."


    A perplexed look appeared on Song Yushao''s face as he asked, "Aren''t all tiers above the sixth tier collectively known as the Martial God Tier?"


    Chen Ping''an was also rather perplexed to hear this, and shook his head as he replied, "That''s not what I''ve heard. While it''s true that spirit refinementmences once one progresses beyond the sixth tier, they''re still nowhere near the level where they can be referred to as martial gods. Only those at the seventh tier, the Vajra Body Tier, have the right to be referred to as Lesser Grandmasters.


    After thates the eighth tier, the Wing Formation Tier; then the ninth tier, the Mountain Summit Tier; and finally, the 10th tier. We have a 10th tier martial artist in our Great Li Empire, and his name is Song Changjing. He''s the uncle of my former neighbor on y Vase Alley, and I had the chance to meet him once. He was really strong, and I could tell that he was a master martial artist just by looking at him."


    Song Yushao waspletely bbergasted, and felt as if he were listening to a fictional story.


    Upon seeing the look on Song Yushao''s face, Chen Ping''an decided to refrain from articting what he was about to say next, which was that the barefoot old man who had taught him his fist technique was also a 10th tier martial artist, and that he was the first 10th tier martial artist to emerge on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in several centuries.


    Song Yushao quickly took this information in stride as he chuckled, "It appears I''m the epitome of a hillbilly who''s seen nothing. No matter. It''s fantastic news that there''s still so much to be conquered above the sixth tier for martial artists! Otherwise, if it''s only the cultivators who get to experience the scenery at the top, then we martial artists would be put to shame!"


    Chen Ping''an nodded vigorously in response, and was thinking to himself that if Song Yushao were to pay a visit to the small town, he would surely get along very well with Cui Chan''s grandfather.


    There were some people who didn''t see a vast disparity in cultivation base as a reason to not share a drink with someone else at the same table.


    In the eyes of Chen Ping''an, Song Yushao was an extraordinary man, so he was confident that the old sword saint would be respected no matter where he went.


    After Chu Hao''s True Qi ran out, his Dew Armor reverted back to its silver ingot form before falling onto the ground, and Chen Ping''an flicked it up with his foot and put it away.


    At this point, Chu Hao had already regained consciousness, but he didn''t dare to open his eyes, and Chen Ping''an gave him a swift chop to the back of the neck to knock him out again, while Song Yushao looked on with an amused smile.


    In his eyes, Chu Hao was truly blessed with immense fortune to have been captured by a mighty young sword immortal from the Great Li Empire.


    "What happens next?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Song Yushao contemted the question for a moment, then replied, "No matter how desperate those 3,000 cavalry are to save their master, they wouldn''t be so foolish as to directly storm Sword Water Vi. It''s clear that Fengshan somehow managed to nt some of his people in Chu Hao''s army, and the troops are in a state ofplete chaos, so none of them will be able to stage a rescue for Chu Hao. I presume they''ll return to the city to wait and observe."


    His expression then darkened slightly as he continued, "However, with the demise of Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god and the unrest taking ce in the Blusher Prefecture, as well as what''s currently happening with our Sword Water Vi, I feel like the academy is about to intervene soon."


    "The academy? As in Lake View Academy, one of the 72 academies of Confucianism?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "That''s right," Song Yushao replied with a forlorn sigh. "Over the past 1,000 years, cultivators and mortals have been able to coexist in rtive peace and harmony, and that''s all thanks to the academy''s supervision. However, on this asion, our Sword Water Vi could be standing in opposition against the academy, and that''s something that I never thought would happen.


    If those esteemed figures from the academy get involved, our vi will most likely be just as disillusioned as the army we just faced, and the vi''s reputation could be swept to the ground."


    Chen Ping''an had some recollection of Lake View Academy. As far as he was aware, this was an academy that ranked alongside Mr. Qi''s Mountain Cliff Academy, and it was also rted to that incident with the female ghost in the red wedding dress.


    On the way back to Yellow Court Nation from Great Sui Nation, Cui Chan had been feeling quite bored, so he had mentioned some of the bewildering background information behind the incident, and as it turned out, it had something to do with a schr at Lake View Academy.


    Finally, there was the noble schr of Lake View Academy, Cui Minghuang, who had once entered Jewel Small World as a representative of Confucianism on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    However, as for why someone like Song Yushao, who dared to oppose an entire army on his own, seemed to be so apprehensive toward the academy... that was a question that Chen Ping''an didn''t have an answer to.


    A self-deprecating look appeared on Song Yushao''s face as he sighed, "It''s not like we''ll just roll over and surrender against the academy, but at the same time, we don''t have the courage to stand against them. What a predicament!"


    Chen Ping''an was feeling rather perplexed.


    Song Yushao seemed to have gleaned Chen Ping''an''s thoughts, and he sped his hands behind his back as he strolled slowly through the forest. As he did so, he peered at the rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves, which resembled nuggets of gold that had spilled down onto the ground.


    After a brief silence, a resigned look appeared on his face as he said, "Are you not aware that the words of schrs are considered to be gospel? I once saw a virtuous schr from Lake View Academy in person. He was so young, yet the sword god of Colorful Garment Nation went out of his way to wee the young schr so that he could learn from the young man.


    The young virtuous schr sat in a formal and dignified manner, while the sword god of the Colorful Garment Nation was made to resemble a small child in a ssroom sitting across from him, and even though the schr made no disy of hisbat prowess, he was giving off an indescribable aura of invincibility."


    A wry smile appeared on Song Yushao''s face as he continued, "Even if there were a thousand of me, it would still make no difference in the face of a single reprimanding line from a schr of the academy."


    "Then what if the schrs of the academy are wrong? What if even virtuous schrs and noble schrs make mistakes? Who''s going to hold them ountable?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "The sages above them will be responsible for that," Song Yushao replied with a smile.


    A contemtive look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he continued to drag Chu Hao along by the scruff of his neck, while Chu Hao''s trailing feet rustled audibly over the ground.

 Chapter 246: (1): A Chaotic Mess

    Chapter 246: (1): A Chaotic Mess


    It wasmon practice to rest and recuperate after a grueling battle. Chu Hao''s army no longer posed any threat, and Song Fengshan was looking after the vi, so Song Yushao wasn''t in a hurry to get back. Instead, he was going to wait for Chu Hao to regain consciousness so that he could ask him some questions.


    Once a pure martial artist reached a certain cultivation base, a period of rest would be all that was required to return to peak condition as long as they didn''t suffer any substantial injuries. The duration of this period varied from person to person.


    For those who were at the "Martial God Tier"  in actuality, the Vajra Body Tier, the Wing Formation Tier, and the Mountain Summit Tier, it was said that they couldplete a breathing cycle in the blink of an eye, doing so with such speed and efficiency that it was virtually instantaneous, so there was no weakness to be exploited.


    If Song Yushao had been at one of those three tiers, then the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal''s n of waiting for him to breathe out before striking would''ve been impossible to execute. It was also because of this that there had always been a saying in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent  a martial god was always at their peak up to the moment they met their demise.


    However, Song Yushao had only heard stories about the so-called Martial God Tier, and while Chen Ping''an was more familiar with those tiers, even he didn''t know much more about them.


    Right at this moment, Song Yushao noticed that Chen Ping''an wasn''t looking quite right. Theoretically speaking, once a martial artist left the battlefield, their condition should''ve been steadily recovering, yet Chen Ping''an was still looking quite weary. With that in mind, Song Yushao stopped in his tracks and asked, "Be honest with me, have you suffered internal injuries?"


    Before answering the question, Chen Ping''an first took a nce at Chu Hao. His breathing was slow and even, and didn''t appear to have awakened, but Chen Ping''an wasn''t fooled.


    Back when he was exploring the mountains and wilderness with Liu Xianyang in his younger days, he would often catch snakes, and all he would have to do was shake a snake around a little to loosen up all of its joints. He did the same thing here with Chu Hao, knocking him out again with a flick of his wrist.


    Chu Hao thought that he had been putting on an impable act, and he let loose an anguished howl internally as he lost consciousness once again. He could onlyment his own misfortune at having run into such a callous and unreasonable sword immortal.


    Only after Chu Hao was knocked out again did Chen Ping''an exin to Song Yushao, "I''m not a swordsman, so controlling the two flying swords is very taxing on me mentally. Even though they can fight on their own after leaving the Sword Nurturing Gourd, some of my attention is required to support them, acting as a scabbard in a way.


    Otherwise, they wouldn''t be able to stay for too long outside of my acupoint or my Sword Nurturing Gourd. On top of that, I also had to use a few inch movement talismans in a short time, and my breath was too rushed, so I''m not feeling too great. Having said that, it''s not a big problem, and as long as I don''t have to fight again anytime soon, I can slowly recover through my breathing technique."


    Song Yushao was relieved to hear this. Strolling through the shade and sunlight in the forest, the old sword saint was looking very rxed and carefree, not just because the knot in his heart that had gued him for years had been untied, but also because he had made a young friend to whom he could entrust his own life.


    In the process, his faith and hope in the world had been reignited. Even if so many things had changed, there were still things in this world that were worth living for.


    All of a sudden, a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Chen Ping''an, with a Sword Nurturing Gourd in your possession, you have an advantage over other swordsmen in that you won''t have to use up resources to repair your bonded flying swords after each usage. Having said that, I still owe you a great debt. I wasn''t expecting Chu Hao to recruit Pine Stream Nation''s Green Bamboo Sword Immortal to help him bring me down.


    If it wasn''t for your help, I would''ve definitely met my demise back there, so once we return to the vi, I''ll give you all of the light snow coins in our vi''s possession as repayment. It''s not much, we''ve only managed to save up fewer than 2,000 light snow coins over the years, and Fengshan spent half of it to purchase Vast Water, so I only have about 800 or 900 light snow coins to give you."


    Song Yushao was getting a little embarrassed as he spoke, and a self-deprecating face appeared on his face as he sighed, "To think that my life would only be worth less than 1,000 light snow coins."


    Chen Ping''an considered the proposal for a moment, then nodded as he said, "I''ll only take 300 coins, Senior Song. There''s no need to give all of it to me, I''m sure Song Fengshan will have uses for light snow coins in the future."


    Inside the pocket treasure that was Fifteenth, there was the batch of snowke coins that the little boy in azure had spent to purchase those ordinary snake gall pebbles, and also eight lesser heat coins that were even more valuable than snowke coins, so it was already quite arge sum of wealth, and normally, Chen Ping''an would''ve turned down the offer without a second thought.


    However, under Wei Bo''s introduction, Chen Ping''an had personally witnessed the scenes that unfolded in Cloth Wrapper Shop on Ox Horn Mountain, and he was worried that if he didn''t have enough money in his possession, then he could miss out on something that caught his eye once he reached the ferry station.


    Chen Ping''an decision to ept the offer, but also not fully ept it, was rather surprising to Song Yushao, and an amused look appeared on his face as he chuckled, "Do you know what people of the older generation would say to that?


    They would say that discussions about money would only hurt our brotherly bond. If you see me as a brother and a friend, then don''t try to argue this matter any further. Otherwise, we may not even be able to remain as friends anymore!"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "Owing someone a favor is more painful than owing someone money. At the very least, that''s how I feel."


    Song Yushao was much in agreement with this statement, and he nodded in response. "That''s a sentiment that I share, and it should be a universal one."


    A gentle breeze was blowing through the forest, causing the leaves and branches to rustle audibly.


    Song Yushao was concerned about Chen Ping''an''s condition, so he wasn''t walking very quickly. On top of that, he was feeling quite rxed, having already achieved his objective of capturing Chu Hao, so he was in the mood to be appreciating the passing scenery.


    As he did so, he requested Chen Ping''an not to knock out Chu Hao again the next time he woke up as he had some questions for the general. Chen Ping''an naturally agreed to this request. Having already determined Chu Hao''s approximate cultivation base, Chen Ping''an knew that the general posed no threat to him.


    He didn''t want to have to carry Chu Hao on his back, but it was also rather cumbersome to be constantly dragging him around by the scruff of his neck, so in the end, he simply decided to drag Chu Hao along by one leg, much like an old janitor dragging around a broom.


    The Green Bamboo Sword Immortal wasn''t worried that Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an woulde after him, and he was returning to the city along the official road at a leisurely pace. All of a sudden, he turned his gaze to the forest in the distance, and stopped in his tracks before grabbing onto the length of bamboo strapped to his waist. An acquaintance of his slowly emerged from the forest.


    It was an old man with a very angr face that gave him a rather menacing appearance. The sword strapped to his waist was in a scabbard wrapped in ayer of green threads of unknown material, and it was far longer than the average longsword, so it was very attention-grabbing.


    The Green Bamboo Sword Immortal stepped off the official road and made his way toward the elderly swordsman from Ancient Elm Nation, who he had met on several past asions, and the two of them stopped in unison around twenty meters away from each other.


    "It''s been about five or six years since west parted ways by that river, right, Su Lang?" the old swordsman asked with a smile.


    "What do you want, Lin Gushan? If you have something to say, then hurry up. I''m not in a very good mood right now," the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal said in a cold voice.


    The old swordsman wasn''t bothered by Su Lang''s hostile demeanor, and he cut straight to the chase, revealing, "I was entrusted by the imperial preceptor with the task of intercepting and killing Chen Ping''an. I faced him in battle once in the past, and he killed both the scorpiondy and a Qi refiner who was an imperial guest elder.


    Right now, only the master of the Case Purchasing Pagoda and myself are left, but we''re not willing to give up just yet. I''m sure both Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an would''ve been worn out somewhat by the battle that just took ce, and I was thinking that perhaps we could join forces to hunt those two down together. If we seed, you can do with Song Yushao as you please, while we take Case Purchasing Pagoda back to Ancient Elm Nation."


    Su Lang took a nce at the forest in the distance, then asked, "Will we be able to make it in time? What are our chances of sess?"


    "The owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda specializes in assassination, and he''ll strike first, harassing Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an to slow them down. As for what our chances of sess are, that''s not something that I can say for sure. Even if the three of us join forces, I can''t say with confidence how many of us will survive to the end."


    "If you had tried to cate me by telling me that we had great chances, then I would''ve refused right away," Su Lang said with a smile.


    "Does that mean you agree?" Lin Gushan asked.


    Su Lang nodded in response. "You go and help the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda, I''ll turn back right now to find Chu Hao''s deputy and those two Qi refiner guest elders of Water Combing Nation. As long as the two of you can dy Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an, I can ensure that our chances of sess will be improved."


    Lin Gushan was a little hesitant to ept this arrangement.


    Su Lang smiled as he said, "We''re only deciding to work together on a spur of the moment basis, so I understand that you don''t fully trust me. However, I''m sure you understand how much of a temptation it is for a swordsman of Pine Stream Nation like myself to be able to personally im the head of Water Combing Nation''s old sword saint."


    A cold smile appeared on Lin Gushan''s face as he scoffed, "Are you nning to im the head of Ancient Elm Nation''s sword paragon as well while you''re at it? Wouldn''t it be nothing short of ideal if you could reign supreme as the sole dominant force out of all of the swordsmen in the entire region?"


    Su Lang pinched a stray strand of hair between two of his fingers while tapping the length of green bamboo strapped to his waist with a finger of his other hand, and he dered in a nonchnt fashion, "I''m going to be honest, I''ve never seen you as a threat."


    Lin Gushan''s eyes narrowed slightly. "What an impudent little rascal you are!"


    "The truth is often harsh and difficult to stomach," Su Lang replied with a nonchnt shrug.


    Lin Gushan was silent for a moment, then said, "In any case, Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an are ourmon enemies, so the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda and I will be awaiting your reinforcements.


    If you fail to follow through, I wouldn''t dare to say whether the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda woulde after you for revenge, but I, for one, will be sure to demand an exnation from your Pine Stream Nation''s imperial family!"


    Su Lang merely extended a hand forward in response, gesturing for Lin Gushan go on ahead.


    With that, Lin Gushan departed, while Su Lang returned to the official road.


    Along the way, Su Lang suddenly stopped in his tracks as he had spotted a beautiful young woman in a yellow and pink dress, standing in the middle of the road like an immacte celestial maiden.


    Su Lang slowly continued onward, while the young woman pulled a secret letter out of her sleeve. The letter was enclosed in a red wax seal, a precautionary measure taken by the sender to prevent the one tasked with delivering the letter from opening it.


    The young woman smiled as she said, "Song Fengshan asked me to pass this letter onto you. He says that there''s a proposal in this letter, and that if you agree to it, then just give me a nod. Song Fengshan promises that you''ll be the sole sword immortal for the next 60 years in all of the dozen or so nations in the region, and that your position will be unchallenged during that time."


    After a brief moment of contemtion, Su Lang pulled out a pair of white silken gloves out of his sleeve, then put them on as he beckoned to the young woman and said, "Toss the letter to me."


    The young woman was none other than the mama of the ancient temple, one of the four evil spirits, and she had left Sword Water Vi to keep an eye on Song Yushao in case of any unforeseen mishaps, but the more important task assigned to her was to personally deliver this letter to Su Lang.


    As it turned out, the vastly renowned Green Bamboo Sword Immortal had imperial blood in his veins, but his bloodline wasn''t very pure, so he had no chance of bing heir to the emperor of Pine Stream Nation.


    Su Lang carefully removed the wax seal, then opened the envelope, and after quickly scanning over the contents of the letter, a faint smile appeared on his face. With a flick of his wrist, he tore the secret letter to shreds, then removed his gloves and stowed them back up his sleeve as he nodded and said, "You can go and report back to Song Fengshan now.


    I can see that Sword Water Vi is being very sincere, and I''m more than happy to reciprocate this sincerity. Tell Song Fengshan that he''ll soon be receiving a piece of good news rted to the old sword saint, and that I hope that he can follow through on the promises that he made in this letter."


    The young woman immediately extended an elegant curtsey, and she smiled as she said, "Song Fengshan can be rather cold and unfriendly, but he''s still a very reliable and dependable man, and he''s even more seasoned and calcting than old demons like us who have lived for centuries.


    Hence, you can rest assured and ce your trust in him. In the near future, you''ll be the undisputed ruler of the cultivation world in all of the dozen or so nations in this region, and it''ll be a position no less prestigious than emperor of any nation."


    "I certainly hope so," Su Lang replied with a smile.


    "If you ever need someone to warm your bed, just send me a message, and I''ll be at your service at any time you wish!" the young woman said as she gave Su Lang a seductive look, following which her body disintegrated into a plume of smoke that rose up into the sky and quickly vanished out of sight, leaving behind only a peal of tinklingughter.


    Su Lang continued onward while weighing up his options.


    Should he aim for short-term gains and im the reward that was virtually already in his grasp, or should he join forces with Song Fengshan so that he could be elevated to the pinnacle of the cultivation world? Was a bird in the hand truly worth two in the bush here?


    All of a sudden, Su Lang burst intoughter as he recalled a rather amusing proposal on the secret letter. Song Fengshan had promised him that roughly once every decade, they would stage an epic act in which the two of them would face off against one another in a battle of the titans.


    Song Fengshan was going to inherit the title of sword saint of Sword Water Vi, while Su Lang had sole im over the title of sword immortal, and the two of them would engage in a so-called battle to the death. In reality, it was nothing more than a ruse. Song Fengshan had even picked out three candidate locations for these battles to take ce.


    For the first battle, Song Fengshan would issue a challenge to him, and the battle would take ce atop the main hall of Pine Stream Nation''s imperial pce. In that battle, Su Lang was scripted to emerge with a crushing victory.


    The second battle would take ce atop Sword Water Vi''s waterfall, and Song Fengshan woulde out slightly on top. The third battle would be waged in the unmarked graveyards of Colorful Garment Nation''s Blusher Prefecture, and Su Lang would be the victor.


    Su Lang found this to be very amusing, so he decided to reciprocate the olive branch extended by Song Fengshan by presenting him with the heads of Ancient Elm Nation''s sword paragon and the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda.


    It didn''t take long before Su Lang spotted Chu Hao''s army in the distance, but he was still mulling over all the machinations that Song Fengshan had meticulously woven as he murmured to himself, "So young, yet already so cunning..."


    In the end, he refrained from returning to Chu Hao''s army. Instead, he suddenly veered off the official road and darted into the forest on his own.


    It was still going to be a three-on-two battle, but it was going to be him, Song Yushao, and Chen Ping''an up against Lin Gushan and the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda.


    Upon entering the forest, Su Lang intentionally slowed down as he chuckled to himself, "What a perilous ce this world is."

 Chapter 246: (2): A Chaotic Mess

    Chapter 246: (2): A Chaotic Mess


    Inside a quiet and unremarkable courtyard in the city, there resided an esteemed guest from the capital. The courtyard wasn''t very grand or opulent, but it was very tidy, and all of its furnishings were quite elegant and tasteful. Furthermore, the courtyard was situated in a quiet pocket in what was otherwise quite a busy location, so it was clear that a great deal of thought had been put into its site selection and construction.


    There was a woman standing in the courtyard, and even though she was already quite advanced in age, she looked after herself very well, and much of her youthful beauty still remained. At first nce, one could easily mistake her for a young woman only around thirty years of age.


    At this moment, she was bent over slightly, feeding the fish inside arge vat. Inside the vat were around a dozen tiny goldfish, while on the surface of the water were numerous water lilies, and there was an alluring contrast between the green and the gold.


    Aside from her, the only other person in the courtyard was a physically imposing maidservant with a saber strapped to her waist.


    However, there were many more people lurking in the shadows on the streets and alleys around the courtyard, including elite soldiers from the military and several formidable martial artists. Some of the most experienced and capablew enforcers of the regional supervisor''s manor had arrived in the area well in advance, and that was a clear indication that the woman staying in the courtyard was quite an important figure.


    However, despite all of these protective measures that were in ce, the maidservant in the courtyard, who was as well-built as a man, suddenly crumpled to the ground without any warning, while a handsome young man holding a folding fan appeared behind her.


    His sideburns were drifting slightly in the light breeze produced by his fan, and he cast his gaze toward the elegant woman still feeding the fish in the water vat. Her stunning figure was certainly a sight for sore eyes, and for him, it was worth making the trip just for this piece of stunning scenery.


    The woman stood up straight as she turned in silence to look at the young man, who smiled as he said, "Greetings, Madam. We''ve met before in the capital city."


    The woman remained calm and collected as she sneered, "Since when did the Han n of Mount Xiaochong dare to oppose a general?"


    The young man put his folding fan away, then ced his hands over his own face, rubbing it. A momentter, a face that was extremely familiar to the woman was revealed, and his voice had also changed into one that she couldn''t have been more familiar with as he asked, "How about now, Madam?"


    Before the woman could scream, Han Yuanshan gently pressed a finger over her lips as he made a hushing motion and said, "Rest assured, Madam, I like to im the hearts of women, but I would never stoop as low as to have my way with a woman by force. However, I''m sure that you''ll be willing to surrender your body to me someday, and when that timees..."


    At this moment, Han Yuanshan had adopted Chu Hao''s appearance, and he pointed at the water vat of fish as he concluded, "We''ll be able to have as much fun as a pair of fish swimming through the water."


    In the Blusher Prefecture of Colorful Garment Nation, an elderly schr with a jade pendant hanging from his waist was standing atop the city walls with a grim look on his face.


    Inside the imperial study in the capital city of Colorful Garment Nation, another elderly schr was standing with his hands sped behind his back. He also had a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and was looking out the window in silence, while the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation was standing beside him in an uneasy fashion, not even daring to sit down.


    In Ancient Elm Nation, there was yet another elderly schr with an identical jade pendant hanging from his waist. He was sitting in a crude horse-drawn carriage that he had rented, and the coach driver was a young man constantlyining about everything. While they were still around ten kilometers away from Ancient Elm Nation, he was abruptly rooted to the spot.


    He had very good eyesight, and could see arge army in the distance, apanied by some important-looking officials dressed in formal attire. There was also a golden-robed man standing beside the official road, and from the looks of it, all of them seemed to be waiting for someone.


    The schr inside the carriage set down the book that he was reading, then said to the coach driver, "Take me to the ry station. Rest assured, they''re waiting for me. In addition to the deposit issued to you earlier, the reward given to you in private by Ancient Elm Nation''s imperial court will serve as the rest of my payment."


    The schr began packing up his bookcase with a smile on his face as he continued, "It''s not every day that we get to go out on a trip. Make sure you don''t annoy our mountain master anymore once you return to Water Combing Nation."


    Meanwhile, at Sword Water Vi, the alliance leader election ceremony was about tomence. Inside the hall, there were several faces missing from those who had been present during the earlier festivities, but also many important figures from both the path of righteousness and the underworld alike that had just arrived. By this point, most of the significant figures of Water Combing Nation had made their appearance.


    Song Fengshan was in the main seat, and he wasn''t disying much of a reaction at the sight of these important figures.


    There were people with all types of different agendas among them, including some who wished to pledge their allegiance to Song Fengshan, some who were eager to see his downfall, some who wished to assess the situation before cing their bets, and also some from the imperial court who thought that they would be treated to a good show.


    Not far away from Song Fengshan sat his wife, whose opulent attire and regal demeanor definitely wouldn''t have lost out to any of the imperial concubines in the pce.


    Of course, Song Fengshan was extremely confident, but there were others present who were just as confident as him.


    However, neither side could''ve anticipated that the arrival of an unwee guest wouldpletely shatter the ns that they had meticulously put together over the course of many years.


    There was no report from the porter, nor did any of Sword Water Vi''s disciples step in to stop this unwee guest. The man simply arrived and dered his own identity, and almost everyone present immediately extended respectful bows, as mandated by Confucian etiquette.


    The new arrival was a young man in a Confucian robe with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and he walked with an indescribable gait and rhythm, making his way into the main hall of Sword Water Vi in an unhurried fashion.


    After stepping into the hall, he took a nce at his surroundings, then dered once again, "Greetings, everyone, I am Virtuous Schr Zhou Ju of Lake View Academy."


    Almost everyone in the hall instantly rose to their feet to extend respectful bows toward the young virtuous schr.


    The young man returned their salute, then took a few steps forward before casting his gaze toward Song Fengshan, who was looking back at him with a dark expression.


    His wife gentlyid a hand onto his arm before giving him a subtle look, indicating for him to proceed with caution.


    "Is Han Yuanshan of Mount Xiaochong''s Han n here at the vi?" Zhou Ju asked in a calm voice.


    Song Fengshan suppressed the fury in his heart as he put on a fake smile and replied, "I''m afraid you''ve missed him. He was here at the vi just yesterday, but he''s no longer here today. He told me that he was suddenly struck by a bout of wanderlust and wanted to see what sights and scenes Water Combing Nation had to offer. May I ask what business you have with him, esteemed virtuous schr? If it''s nothing urgent, I would be more than happy to pass on a message for you."


    Zhou Ju smiled as he replied, "Han Yuanshan is a top schr of Water Combing Nation''s imperial court and a follower of Confucianism, yet he''s cultivating demonic arts and harbors sinister intentions to spoil the welfare of a nation. I''ve been tasked with taking him to Lake View Academy to be punished, and as for what his punishment is going to be, that will be decided once he gets there.


    Song Fengshan, here is a word of advice for you from me, not as a virtuous schr of the academy, but simply as Zhou Ju: it''s still not toote to turn back. Don''t run your horse off the cliff, then onlye to regret your actions as you fall."


    Song Fengshan ced his elbow on the armrest of his chair, then rested his chin on the palm of his hand as he cocked his head to the side, sizing up Zhou Ju with an amused smile on his face.


    It was said that whenever these noble schrs left the academy to carry out official duties, they would always be carrying these jade pendants bestowed upon them by the sage of the academy. Those jade pendants recorded their experiences and conduct, and was supposed to be a measure put in ce to assure others of their integrity and cleanliness of conduct.


    The jade pendants were the simplest of jade amulets meant to bring safety and prosperity, but they had different text engraved upon them depending on the noble or virtuous schrs they had been assigned to. The inscriptions were always extremely profound, often containing expectations and advice that the sage of the academy had for these schrs.


    In a disy of extreme rudeness, Song Fengshan showed no intention of replying, so his wife naturally interjected to defuse the situation, standing and extending a curtsey toward Zhou Ju as she smiled and said, "If Han Yuanshan really hasmitted such heinous crimes, then our Sword Water Vi will be sure to perform its duty and assist the academy in apprehending him."


    Zhou Ju cast his gaze toward the woman, then scoffed in a cold voice, "You''re only able to stand here and speak in such a righteous manner because your bridge of immortality was severed long ago. Otherwise, you won''t be in a much better position than Han Yuanshan right now. Those who pursue the demonic arts have no ce in this world, and any demonic practitioners who dare to disrupt the welfare of nations will have our academy to answer to!"


    Song Fengshan sat bolt upright as he glowered intently at Zhou Ju. "Have a bit more respect when you speak to my wife!"


    "Fengshan!" the young woman hurriedly called out as she turned to him with an urgent expression, and Song Fengshan took a nce at her before heaving an internal sigh and falling silent again.


    All of a sudden, Dou Yang, the self-proimed leader of the demonic orthodoxy, took arge swig of wine, then mmed his cup heavily onto the table with an audible sneer.


    Zhou Ju turned to Dou Yang as he dered, "Once I''vepleted the official duties assigned to me by the academy, I''ll be removing this jade pendant from my waist. I hope you still have the courage to sneer at me then."


    Dou Yang took a derisive nce at Zhou Ju out of the corner of this eye, then chuckled, "Others may fear Lake View Academy, and I do as well, but I''m nowhere near as afraid as the others as I''m aware of your academy''s rules. I know the barriers to entry for virtuous schrs, as well as the bottlenecks that prevent them from advancing beyond that status, and I know just how big the gap is between virtuous schrs and noble schrs.


    So I suggest you don''t try to intimidate me with empty threats. Even if you remove your jade pendant, I''ll still fear your academy, and I wouldn''t dare to fight you all-out, but if you were to renounce your status as a virtuous schr of the academy altogether and face me as a man, then pardon mynguage, but I would beat the living shit out of you!"


    This was an extremely bold deration from Dou Yang, but also one that was quite cathartic for everyone present. Even though many of the righteous individuals present resented him fiercely for his past actions, they still couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration toward him for his courage to be so blunt and forthright even in the face of a virtuous schr of Lake View Academy.


    The fact that Water Combing Nation had such a valiant spearhead of the demonic orthodoxy surely ced it above the likes of Colorful Garment Nation and Ancient Elm Nation.


    A faint smile appeared on Zhou Ju''s face, and he lowered his head as he began to murmuring to his jade pendant, "Do you hear that, Teacher? How can I just stomach these tant insults without retaliation?


    I understand that I have to refrain from beating up those virtuous schrs of our academy, but I''m not in the academy right now, do I still have to be so tolerant of a demonic Qi refiner? I know you''d definitely tell me to be more tolerant, and that if I could rein in my temper, then I would be reinstated as a noble schr, but I just can''t do it... What was that? What did you say, Teacher? Hello, can you hear me? It looks like there''s something wrong with this jade pendant of mine.


    You really have to reprimand the jade pendant makers at our academy so they do a better job, Teacher! In the meantime, I''ll speak to youter. Make sure to assign me a new jade pendant once I return to the academy, Teacher..."


    From everyone else''s perspective, it was as if Zhou Ju had suddenly gone insane, grabbing onto the jade pendant hanging from his waist and shaking it around vigorously while pretending that it was vibrating on its own. In the end, he made a hand seal, and a gentle breeze blew toward him, forming a cocoon around the jade pendant. Only then did he remove the jade pendant from his waist with a smile before stowing it up his sleeve.


    In the meantime, the young woman hurriedly made her way over to Song Fengshan''s side, then said with a wry smile, "I''ve managed to recall who this is, Fengshan. He''s one of the direct disciples of the sage of the academy. Among all of the sage''s direct disciples, he''s the youngest and has the shortest temper.


    As for his powers... If he''s not ranked at the top, then he''s at least the second-ranked disciple. At just thirty years of age, he became a noble schr, and that had created a massive stir at the time. He''s regarded as the second brightest young prospect of the academy, behind only Cui Minghuang, so he''s always been closely protected by Lake View Academy.


    ording to our sources, his name is Zhou Juran and not Zhou Ju, and that''s why I wasn''t able to recall who he was right away."


    Dou Yang gulped nervously as a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.


    He didn''t know that Zhou Ju was Zhou Juran, hearing Zhou Ju mutter to himself about beating up virtuous schrs and a reinstatement to the status of noble schr had alerted him to the fact that this was not someone to be messed with.


    Hence, he immediately rose to his feet and was about to apologize.


    There was no shame in conceding inferiority to a noble schr of Confucianism.


    However, Zhou Ju didn''t give him a chance to apologize. He stabbed a finger in Dou Yang''s direction as he smiled and dered, "Our Confucian predecessors once spoke of a valley filled with broken rocks and gusts of wind fierce enough to have those broken rocks swirling around like weightless leaves. It may sound imusible, but I''ll demonstrate that all of you right now!"


    All of a sudden, fierce astral winds swept through the air in a radius of about three meters around Dou Yang, and they were as ferocious as a tornado as they revolved around Dou Yang in a frenzy.


    After the astral winds subsided, all that remained of Dou Yang was a bare skeleton.


    Zhou Ju didn''t even bother to take a nce at Dou Yang''s skeletal remains as he turned to Song Fengshan and said, "I''m sure you''vee to realize that I was actually speaking to your wife with plenty of respect just now."


    Song Fengshan was so furious that veins were bulging on the back of his hand, but his wife was holding him down with a firm grip and a smile on her face. She replied, "Of course. We are extremely grateful for your kindness, esteemed virtuous schr."


    Zhou Ju smiled as he said, "Seeing as Han Yuanshan isn''t present, I won''t interrupt your ceremony any longer. I''ll go look for him, you can continue as you please."


    With that, Zhou Ju turned and departed in a casual and graceful fashion. Right as he emerged from the entrance of the vi, a duo consisting of a young boy and an old man just so happened to be returning. Both of them had blood stains all over their clothes, indicating that they had just endured some tough battles.


    None of them stopped or said anything, and they passed each other by right as they were striding over the doorstep.


    Zhou Ju immediately began to scrutinize Chen Ping''an intently, and thetter found that to be rather strange, so he returned Zhou Ju''s gaze, and their eyes met.


    Even after Chen Ping''an had already made his way into the main hall, and their eye contact was broken, Zhou Ju was still staring intently at Chen Ping''an with an unblinking gaze.

 Chapter 247: (1): Parting Ways

    Chapter 247: (1): Parting Ways


    In the wake of Zhou Yu''s departure, morale in the vi had plummeted to rock bottom, but the arrival of Song Yushao lifted everyone''s spirits slightly. After all, Lake View Academy was very far away, and with the departure of Zhou Ju, there was nothing left for everyone to worry about for the time being.


    On top of that, the academy hadn''t brought any substantial usations toward Sword Water Vi, which ensured that the vi would be escaping punishment for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, so long as Song Yushao remained alive, Song Fengshan''s status as the alliance leader would remain unchallenged, even if Song Yushao didn''t constantly remain in the vi.


    All of a sudden, Song Yushao swung around and took a few steps to the side, seemingly intentionally positioning himself in front of Chen Ping''an in a protective manner. He then strode straight back out of the vi while smoothing down his robes. As he exited, he extended a slight bow and cupped his fist in a salute in Zhou Ju''s direction.


    Only then did everyone in the main hall discover that an elderly man in a Confucian robe had appeared in the sky outside of the vi. What was most remarkable about the old man was that he was standing at around ten meters tall, and there was an ethereal quality about him.


    A sage had arrived at the vi in person.


    Zhou Ju had sensed the arrival of the elderly sage an instant before Song Yushao, and he hurriedly looked away from Chen Ping''an, then rustled his sleeve slightly to remove the cocoon of wind that he had conjured up around his jade pendant.


    As a result, the jade pendant was revealed. As it turned out, the words "curb your temper" were engraved upon it. After that, he hung the jade pendant from his waist again, and right as Song Yushao was extending his salute, he also extended a deep bow as he greeted, "This humble student pays his respects to his teacher."


    The old man resembled a giant deity statue, the type that was worshiped in temples, and he looked down upon his disciple in an expressionless manner as he dered, "I''ll assign someone else to take care of Han Yuanshan, you return to the academy right away."


    Zhou Ju heaved a faint sigh, then stood up straight again with a sullen expression as he asked, "Is there any chance I can convince you to change your mind, Teacher?"


    "No," the sage replied in a direct and straightforward manner.


    "Fine," Zhou Ju sighed with a resigned expression.


    The sage cast his gaze toward Song Yushao, then cupped his fist to return the salute. He then sped his hands behind his back with a smile and said, "I can see a breakthrough is imminent for you, Vi Master Song. I must offer you my congrattions in advance.


    I''ve heard that whenever you go out to travel, you always make it a point to visit the Confucian temples in the areas that you pass through, and that''s trulymendable. If you ever get some spare time, you cane to our academy to cultivate for some time after you make your breakthrough so you can consolidate your Vajra Body Tier cultivation base."


    Song Yushao''s admiration for the elderly sage grew even further upon hearing this, and he maintained his cupped fist posture as he said, "Thank you, esteemed sage."


    Lake View Academy was a vast distance away from Sword Water Vi, yet the elderly mountain master had somehow managed to make it here in the blink of an eye. It was as if any distance for him could be covered with just a single step, hinting at his unfathomable power.


    A smile appeared on the elderly sage''s face, and due to the fact that he was hovering in mid-air and possessed an enormous stature, everyone inside the main hall of the vi was able to see him in his full glory. He took a long nce at Chen Ping''an, and a series of mixed emotions shed through his eyes, including acknowledgement and approval, a hint of mncholy, and some reminiscence.


    In the end, he looked away without saying anything, then turned back to Zhou Ju as he warned, "Do <em>not</em><em>even try</em> to dy your trip. Return to the academy as soon as possible. I have another important duty to assign to you once you get back."


    Zhou Ju''s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. "Is it something to do with the north?"


    The elderly sage paid no heed to Zhou Ju as he didn''t want to discuss such confidential matters in front of outsiders. Instead, he turned to all of the people gathered in the main hall of the vi as he dered with a smile, "There are many paths that one can pursue to reach the Great Dao, and practicing martial arts is also a form of self-cultivation.


    If you can glean the wonders of the Heavenly Dao, then that''ll reciprocate your Martial Dao foundation. I hope that all of you will continue to walk the path of righteousness, and our Lake View Academy is open to all of you at any time toe and further your cultivation."


    Despite his lofty status, the sage didn''t disy any haughtiness or arrogance, and he spoke in a tone as warm andforting as spring rain, striking everyone with a sense of tranquility.


    This was the disposition of a true sage, and a hint of genuine admiration instantly welled up in the hearts of everyone in the hall. All of the important figures in the hall had already risen to their feet, and regardless of their background or allegiance, all of them extended a collective respectful bow toward the esteemed sage.


    As opposed to the respect that they had disyed toward Zhou Ju, which was born out of fear, this gesture of respect was far more genuine and heartfelt.


    Shortly thereafter, the elderly mountain master vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a few rays of rippling golden light.


    Prior to his departure, the sage took one final nce at Chen Ping''an with a myriad of emotions in his eyes. It seemed that Qi Jingchun of Mountain Cliff Academy really had chosen this young boy to serve as the guardian of his direct disciples.


    There were very few people in Lake View Academy aware of this, and even for the elderly sage, he was only able to glean some things after seeing Chen Ping''an for himself.


    At the same time, he cautioned, "Juran, regardless of what you see in that young boy, do not do or say anything reckless. Make sure to be prudent with your words and actions at all times."


    Zhou Ju smiled as he replied, "Rest assured, Teacher. He may not be all that remarkable right now, but I know better than to judge him as he currently is."


    The sage had already departed, and only then did Zhou Ju notice that the jade pendant hanging from his waist had disappeared, having been taken by his teacher.


    He continued to make his way out of the hall, and only after he had emerged from the entrance of Sword Water Vi did he turn back with a smile as he mused to himself, "My eyes have truly been opened."


    Even though he was only a virtuous schr of Lake View Academy for now, even someone like Cui Minghuang, who was a vastly renowned noble schr on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, didn''t dare to take him lightly at all. This wasn''t just because he possessed very formidable Confucian powers, nor was it only because he had once been a noble person, only to be demoted back to a virtuous schr due to past transgressions.


    Instead, it was because he was able to see some things that even his teacher couldn''t, and due to his unique and exceptional talents, even the sage of the three Confucian schools had personally instructed the mountain master of Lake View Academy to be meticulous and diligent in his guidance of Zhou Ju so that the young prodigy didn''t stray down the wrong path.


    In the eyes of Zhou Ju, all of the people of the world were truly diverse and varied. All cultivators, particrly those who followed the teachings of Confucianism, liked to take some forms of energy, essence, and spirit that possessed special meaning and visualize them as certain strange phenomena, such as a series of miniature people the size of grains of rice.


    Zhou Ju could see all of these miniature figures on the bodies or inside the acupoints of others.


    For example, a virtuous schr of the academy who appeared to be thriving and full of vitality on the outside could have a miniature figure that was hobbled and hunched-over, as if it were bearing the weight of a mountain on its back.


    A schr who was renowned for their strict and meticulous demeanor could have a beautiful celestial maiden flying around near his head.


    An academic schr with a boring and dogmatic personality could have a little swordsman whizzing around in their body between their acupoints without a care in the world.


    When it came to the virtuous schr that Zhou Ju had beaten, he was constantly virtue-signaling and was renowned in the academy for his rigorous attitude and exceptional writing talent. However, when Zhou Ju gazed upon that virtuous schr''s writings, he saw that the pages were filled with fluttering butterflies and romantic bees, as well as a honey-coated sword that was constantly whizzing around in a chaotic and directionless manner.


    This was the type of person that Zhou Ju detested the most, but out of respect for his teacher, he suppressed his own temper time and time again. However, he finally reached a breaking point during an incident not long after Mountain Cliff Academy was stripped of its title as one of the 72 Confucian academies.


    At the time, word had only just begun to spread that Qi Jingchun had met his demise, and that Mountain Cliff Academy was moving from the Great Li Empire to Great Sui Nation. That virtuous schr saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike, and he vehemently denounced Qi Jingchun''s teachings, trying to appeal to certain esteemed Confucian figures who espoused the same negative views of Qi Jingchun.


    In doing so, he was hoping to earn the approval of those esteemed figures to aid in his promotion to be a noble schr. Zhou Ju''s views on Qi Jingchun were quite neutral, but he truly detested that pretentious and sycophantic virtuous schr from the bottom of his heart, particrly as he was only speaking out against Qi Jingchun now that he was dead.


    In the end, Zhou Ju gave the virtuous schr such a brutal beating that he was too embarrassed to show himself in public for half a year.


    In Cui Minghuang, Zhou Ju saw a vast territory with borders that stretched far and wide, but it was severely ravaged and war-torn. There was not a single miniature figure to be seen in his heart. As for Cui Minghuang himself, despite the ir that he possessed and how vastly renowned he was, his true form was a simple and honest old farmer who tended diligently to his fields.


    Zhou Ju had always possessed this strange ability from birth, and he also had exceptional memory and writing ability. At nine years of age, he entered the academy in secret, and under the teachings of the academy''s sage, he was able to be a virtuous schr at just fourteen years of age. After that, he continued to stay in a study room that had been personally constructed for him by his teacher, and he kept a very low profile, only ever meeting his senior brothers and sisters.


    After bing a noble schr at twenty years of age, he was appraised by a ceremonial artifact in a Confucian temple, which deemed him to possess the potential to be a Righteous Figure, one that would rank alongside the likes of Cui Minghuang.


    As Zhou Ju made his way down the road that led from Sword Water Vi to the town, he suddenly sighed to himself, "I can''t help but feel a sense of inferiority."


    All of a sudden, a figure appeared beside Zhou Ju out of thin air, and he asked in a gentle voice, "Did you see something worthy of interest, Juran?"


    Zhou Ju smiled as he said, "Can you please not scare me like that, my good teacher? What if you give me such a massive fright someday that my brain stops working and I turn into an idiot? You''ll be kicking yourself then!"


    The mountain master of the academy paid no heed to Zhou Ju''sints as he walked along in silence.


    Zhou Ju smiled as he continued, "You know what? I''m not going to tell you this time, Teacher. Your curiosity will never be satisfied, and there''s nothing you can do about it."


    The elderly sage burst intoughter. "Fine. I''ll just have to beat you once you get back to the academy."


    Only then did the elderly mountain master truly depart, while Zhou Ju continued to think back to what he had seen with an amazed look on his face.


    He possessed a schrly core that had clearly been given to him by someone else, yet it coexisted in perfect harmony with his soul without either one rejecting the other. Hence, despite his young age, he already possessed the makings of a noble person.


    He walked with a gentle breeze blowing through his sleeves, and atop his shoulders was a meadow filled with sunflowers and golden orioles, presenting a breathtaking sight to behold.


    There was a little person seated on the meadow, burping loudly between swigs of wine from his red gourd.


    There was a little person in a pair of straw sandals, practicing standing meditation by a river or walking meditation through the mountains.


    There was a little person with his hair arranged into braids, flipping through the pages of a book. It seemed that the reading was not progressing very smoothly, and the little person''s brows were tightly furrowed as he scratched his own head in befuddlement.


    There was also a little person seated with his legs crossed, counting money with a wide smile on his face. asionally, he would pick up a coin and bite down onto it to verify its authenticity, or polish it with his sleeve to give it a bright gleam.


    There was a little person glowing radiantly with treasured light, running around everywhere while handing things off to others, as if he were constantly giving away the possessions that he treasured the most...


    He had so many diverse and wonderful ideas, as well as countless deep-rooted desires, yet his heart was as pure as pure could be. It was incredible to think that such a strange boy could exist in this world.


    Zhou Ju''s smile faded as he heaved a faint sigh. While it was true that he was in awe and admiration of what he had seen in Chen Ping''an, he didn''t want to be like Chen Ping''an at all. In his eyes, living like that had to be very tiresome.


    Having said that, it would be great if he could be true friends with someone like that.


    All of a sudden, a thought urred to Zhou Ju, and he abruptly sprang up from the ground and rose up into the sky. Water Combing Nation wasid out beneath him, and through the gaps in the clouds, he could see the undting mountain ranges down below.


    He murmured to himself, "Now that I''ve seen the Daoist Heavenly Lord of Complete Reed Continent, perhaps I should heed that person''s advice and pick arger blessednd to visit as a transcendent immortal. Otherwise, it feels like I''m going to remain stuck at this bottleneck in my cultivation for the rest of eternity!"


    Chen Ping''an was naturally oblivious to the fact that Zhou Ju had already gleaned so many of his secrets thanks to that unique ability of his.


    For the people of Water Combing Nation, a visit from a sage of Lake View Academy was an extremely rare urrence, one that may not ur even once in a generation. However, Chen Ping''an wasn''t all that astonished. He had seen far too many incredible things back in Jewel Small World and during his subsequent trip to Great Sui Nation.


    Despite his young age, he had witnessed things that the people of Water Combing Nation couldn''t even imagine in their wildest dreams, not least of which was the mountain god of Tassel Mountain, whom he had seen in the scroll of the Schrly Sage and even attacked with his own sword.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t linger for too long in the main hall of the vi. This was because Song Yushao had promptly departed after making a deration, one that had created a massive stir among everyone present.


    "The army sent by the imperial court to bring down our vi has already retreated."


    The mama of the ancient temple had actually returned to the vi alongside Chen Ping''an and Song Yushao, but she didn''t dare to face a Confucian sage, so she had observed everything that had just taken ce from the shadows. Fortunately for her, neither the sage nor Zhou Ju paid any heed to her, and she was feeling extremely relieved.

 Chapter 247: (2): Parting Ways

    Chapter 247: (2): Parting Ways


    Only after it was absolutely certain that Zhou Ju and the elderly mountain master had left the vi did she enter the main hall, and after taking a seat, she began tomunicate with Song Fengshan through mental transmission.


    She was a Qi refiner, while Song Fengshan was a martial artist, so in order for mentalmunication to take ce between the two, one had to at least be a fifth tier Qi refiner, while the other had to be a fourth tier martial artist at a minimum.


    Song Fengshan''s wife continued to y the role of the perfect hostess, assuring everyone that there was no need to be concerned, while Song Fengshan sat in a confident silence.


    Outside of relief, he was also feeling some other mixed emotions.


    His grandfather really had managed to oppose an entire army on his own. Not only that, but he had even managed to capture Chu Hao, thereby saving him a great deal of trouble. On top of that, Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an had joined forces with Su Lang, who had been convinced to switch sides by Song Fengshan''s secret letter, and the three of them had faced off against Lin Gushan and the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda.


    The oue of that battle was that Lin Gushan had been decapitated by Su Lang, and with that, the sword immortal had in the sword paragon. The only blemish on what was otherwise a perfect campaign was that the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda had managed to escape using a secret technique, despite suffering severe injuries, and that could be a problem in the future.


    Song Fengshan dered to the young woman in secret, "Once all is said and done, I''ll follow through on our agreement and help you be an official mountain god of Water Combing Nation.


    You''ll attain a godly body and you''ll be able to benefit from the worship of others, but let me make this clear in advance: if you want to be able to make rapid progress in your cultivation and continue to reap benefits after you be a mountain god, then you''ll still have to act ording to my n.


    For the next few decades, you have to go against your true nature and perform good deeds in order to win over the people. If you ruin my ns by going back on our agreement and returning to your old ways, then I''ll be forced to strike you down as an enemy."


    "I certainly know better than to go against you, esteemed young vi master," the young woman replied through mentalmunication with a seductive smile.


    A solemn look then appeared on Song Fengshan''s face as he continued, "Also, I have to trouble you to make a trip to the city and inform Han Yuanshan that there''s been a change in the current state of affairs.


    Even though Zhou Ju has presumably set off back to the academy, I''m sure there will be more peopleing after him, so he''ll have to make a decision on whether he wants to continue to execute his n of posing as Chu Hao to gain a foothold in Water Combing Nation''s imperial court."


    The young woman heaved a forlorn sigh, and she rose to her feet, preparing to set off for the city.


    "Whether it''s in bed or elsewhere, it seems I''m destined to ve away for others. Oh, by the way, make sure to ask Chen Ping''an for the armor pellet that he took from Chu Hao. You have to obtain that armor pellet no matter what, whether it be by paying for it or doing him some favors in exchange. If Yuanshan chooses to take the risk and pose as Chu Hao, then that armor pellet will be an important item for identity verification."


    "I''ll take care of that," Song Fengshan replied.


    The young woman knew that Song Fengshan didn''t like to be nagged, so she didn''t say anything further and promptly departed from the hall.


    Meanwhile, Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an were making their way toward the courtyard in the vi that thetter was staying in.


    While making their way back through the mountains, Chen Ping''an was attacked by the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda, who had already been lurking in ambush for quite some time by then. After that came Lin Gushan, who engaged Song Yushao in battle.


    If Chen Ping''an and Song Yushao had been in peak condition, then there would''ve been no degree of ambiguity at all to the oue of that battle, and they would''ve been sure to crush their two assants. However, Chen Ping''an was severely mentally taxed, so he was unable to control First and Fifteenth with anywhere near the same level of proficiency as before.


    As a result, he was only able to fight the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda to an standstill. As for Song Yushao, he was able to gain a slight upper hand, but Lin Gushan was in peak condition, and their battle wasn''t going to be decided anytime soon, so Song Yushao was unable to help Chen Ping''an in his battle.


    After that, the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal and the young mama had arrived on the scene, and it seemed like each side would be receiving an ally, but theoretically, Lin Gushan''s camp should''ve had the upper hand, with Su Lang joining forces with Lin Gushan to face Song Yushao, while the young mama assisted Chen Ping''an in his battle against the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda.


    However, the situation took apletely unexpected turn from there, with Su Lang decapitating Lin Gushan with a single strike. The owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda immediately fled the scene upon seeing this. In ast-ditch effort, Chen Ping''an was able to control Fifteenth to pierce through the assassin''s abdomen, but thetter was ultimately sessful in his escape.


    The young mama seemed to have been going all-out, throwing a fearsome-looking barrage of attacks at the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda, but it was all for show. After all, whether a foreign boy lived or died didn''t have much of a bearing on the state of Water Combing Nation. Furthermore, Chen Ping''an was an unpredictable individual outside of her control, so perhaps it would be better if he died.


    On this day, Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng were both absent from the vi, having been convinced by Chen Ping''an to go to the small town early in the morning. He had told them that they were going to set off on this day for the ferry station on the border.


    Chen Ping''an hadn''t tried to hide anything from them, revealing the nature of the situation in a direct and forthright manner. Zhang Shanfeng had insisted oning with him, but he was stopped by Xu Yuanxia, who dragged him to the town.


    After sitting down beside the stone table, Song Yushao mused, "Chu Hao is most likely dead."


    Chen Ping''an offered no response to this.


    Just as Wang Yiran''s daughter had been responsible for her actions when she had pointed the scabbard of her saber at Chen Ping''an, Chu Hao was also responsible for his own fate as a general leading an army against Sword Water Vi.


    Chen Ping''an pulled Chu Hao''s armor pellet out of his sleeve and handed it to Song Yushao. Earlier, the young mama had asked him for the armor pellet, but he had refused to give it to her.


    Song Yushao waved a hand as he said, "You were the one who captured Chu Hao, so this armor pellet belongs to you."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "I want you to have it, Senior Song. That woman was really desperate to secure this armor pellet from me, and I''m sure it''s not just a matter of money for her. I didn''t give it to her because I don''t like her character and the way that she does things."


    Song Yushao smiled as he offered, "How about I give you all of our vi''s light snow coins? Otherwise, it wouldn''t be fair, and I would be owing you a favor on top of the money that I already owe you. As for whether Fengshan has enough money to spend, just leave that to him. Given how capable he''s shown himself to be, I''m sure he can acquire a few thousand light snow coins if he wants to."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he said, "Between true friends, it doesn''t matter if one owes the other a favor. You can just treat me to some wine the next time Ie to visit the vi."


    Song Yushao shook his head in response. "You were the one who said that owing someone favors is more painful than owing someone money, yet you''re now saying that it doesn''t matter if friends owe each other favors, so which is it? You can''t just change the rules as you please!"


    Chen Ping''an removed his Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, then took a rxed swig of wine from it. This was not a swig of wine taken to disguise an exchange of breaths. Instead, it was a genuine swig taken purely for enjoyment.


    "If you don''t see me as a friend, then do as you please and return everything that you owe me, whether that be money or favors. After that, we can cut all ties with each other, and I won''te to the vi for a drink even if I''m passing through Water Combing Nation."


    Song Yushao hesitated momentarily, then finally epted the armor pellet with an exasperated look on his face. "What''s going on with you all of a sudden? You''re getting me all confused."


    "Back when I was an apprentice at the dragon kiln in my hometown, my teacher in pottery firing taught me a saying. Either disregard even a cow, or scrutinize even a needle," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Song Yushao asked with a puzzled expression.


    Chen Ping''an was a little embarrassed as he exined, "It means that between close friends, one can give the other something as valuable as a cow without any return, but when ites to doing business, even a needle''s worth of money must be closely scrutinized."


    This was obviously a saying that had been passed down in the small town, rather an adage that could be found in any books, but back in the Blusher Prefecture of Colorful Garment Nation, Daoist Chong Miao had said something simr prior to his death.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an was convinced that this saying was correct, albeit a little rough around the edges.


    Song Yushao immediately burst intoughter as he pointed a finger at Chen Ping''an and dered, "You''re definitely going to be a very rich man in the future!"


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fist in a grateful salute as he replied with a bright smile, "I certainly hope so."


    Song Yushao rose to his feet with a smile as he said, "I''ll go back to the vi to take care of some things, then I''ll treat you to a meal of hot pot in the town. After that, you and your friends can set off for that ferry station."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, and following Song Yushao''s departure, he returned to his room and changed into a set of clean clothes. He then left a ready-made golden treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talisman on the table and ced a wine cup on top of it as a paperweight.


    He had epted 300 light snow coins from Song Yushao back when they left the battlefield as he didn''t want Song Yushao to feel bad.


    Over the course of his journey, Chen Ping''an''s personality had changed quite a bit, and he had turned from a hillbilly who had never even touched a drop of wine into a little drunkard who knew the difference between fine and crude wine. However, there were some aspects of his personality that remained unchanged, and they would most likely stay that way even after centuries or millennia.


    A short whileter, Song Yushao returned to the courtyard with a small package and two jars of fine wine. Chen Ping''an''s wine gourd was filled once again, and even after that, there was still a jar of wine leftover for them to drink while having hot pot in the town. As for the package that contained the 300 light snow coins and some other items, Song Yushao was holding onto it for Chen Ping''an for the moment.


    After departing from the courtyard, the two of them were greeted by the elderly vi steward, who cupped his fist in a salute toward Chen Ping''an as he said with a smile, "Pleasee visit our vi often, Young Master Chen. From this year forth, our Sword Water Vi will prepare a lot of huadiao wine specifically for you, so whenever youe to visit, you''ll always get to enjoy the finest aged huadiao wine." [1]


    "I''ll definitely be sure to make frequent visits then!" Chen Ping''an dered as he returned the salute.


    After that, Song Yushao and Chen Ping''an flew out of the vi once again.


    The old steward remained standing on the spot, looking on at their departing figures with a warm smile on his face. In his eyes, the old vi master had undergone a drastic change for the better. In contrast with the gloomy disposition that he had disyed for the past few decades, it was as if he had returned to his youth, and he was once again full of ir and vigor.


    With Song Yushao in such high spirits, the steward was confident the vi would remain at the top of Water Combing Nation''s cultivation world for at least several more decades.


    Shortly thereafter, the old steward departed from the courtyard on a casual stroll. Along the way, he encountered the two maidservants responsible for the maintenance of that courtyard, and in an extremely rare disy, he greeted them with a warm smile rather than his usual solemn expression, much to the bewilderment of the two maidservants.


    As Chen Ping''an and Song Yushao arrived in the town, the spies sent by the imperial court had already departed well in advance.


    They met up with Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng at the restaurant, and the four of them enjoyed a hot pot together on the second floor. In the wake of Song Yushao revealing his own identity during hisst visit, the restaurant shopkeeper was initially a little timid and reserved, and only after Song Yushao called him an idiot and encouraged him to lighten up did he finally feel a bit morefortable and rxed.


    Zhang Shanfeng didn''t have a very high spice tolerance, but neither did he want to back down from the challenge, so he could only continue to force food down his throat even as his eyes and nostrils wept. In an unusual disy of cruelty, Chen Ping''an told him that drinking wine would help alleviate the burn, and that resulted in Zhang Shanfeng spitting up a mouthful of wine all over Chen Ping''an''s clothes.


    Song Yushao wanted to enjoy himself wholeheartedly for this meal, so he didn''t use his cultivation base to stave off the effects of the alcohol, and before long, he was getting a little drunk.


    He spoke to Chen Ping''an about many things that came straight from the bottom of his heart, and they chatted about anything that sprang into their mind.


    "Listen to me, Chen Ping''an. I know you like to preach, but that''s not a habit that''ll earn you many friends. Girls don''t like to be preached to, and men aren''t much better in that regard. Everyone has their own struggles, and thest thing someone wants when they''re in a foul mood is for someone to preach to them.


    If the things that you preach aren''t correct, then I suppose it''s not so bad, but if they know what you say is right, but simply can''t do it, then that would only make them even more frustrated!"


    Thebination of wine and spicy food was making Chen Ping''an''s tongue a bit numb, but he still slurred in response, "I like to preach from time to time, but I never have verbal altercations with anyone. At the very worst, I''ll only fight them!"


    Song Yushao also imparted some rtionship wisdom upon Chen Ping''an.


    "Chen Ping''an, if a girl ever tells you that you''re a good person..."


    "Then that means she likes me, right?" Chen Ping''an asked with a hopeful expression.


    Song Yushao mmed a hand down onto the table as he chortled with mirth, "My arse! That means you have no chance with her anymore!"


    Chen Ping''an was astonished to hear this, and he hurriedly took arge swig of wine to calm his nerves.


    After a filling meal, Chen Ping''an''s trio parted ways with Song Yushao at the end of the street.


    As the three of them faded away into the distance, Song Fengshan silently appeared beside Song Yushao with a rusty iron sword strapped to his waist.


    Song Yushao continued peering into the distance as he heaved a faint sigh.


    Song Fengshan harrumphed coldly. "Am I your grandson or is he your grandson?"


    Song Yushao could only chuckle in response.


    Despite the indignant tone in Song Fengshan''s voice, there was a faint smile on his lips.


    As it turned out, the package that Song Yushao had given to Chen Ping''an contained all of the 2000 or so light snow coins in Sword Water Vi''s possession, and not a single coin was left for the vi.


    Chen Ping''an had been goaded into drinking cup after cup of wine by Song Yushao, to the point that he waspletely drunk and had to stumble out of the restaurant, so he had forgotten to examine the contents of the package slung diagonally across his back.


    Ultimately, the sly old fox hade out on top against the spritely young buck.

 Chapter 248: (1): Immortal Transaction

    Chapter 248: (1): Immortal Transaction


    Over the course of the journey to reach Sword Water Vi, Chen Ping''an had a lot of things on his mind, so the atmosphere had been rather gloomy and sullen. In contrast, the atmosphere during this trip to the ferry station on the border waspletely different. The three of them revealed many of their secrets to one another, and that significantly solidified their rtionship.


    One night, while camping on a mountain summit, Xu Yuanxia had something to drink and spoke about that horrific incident that had resulted in the deaths of all of his friends. Zhang Shanfeng also opened up in a rare disy, speaking about his background and his master. In the process, he epted the wine gourd offered to him by Chen Ping''an and drank freely out of it in a very uncharacteristic manner.


    While speaking about his master, Spiritual Master Fire Dragon, Zhang Shanfeng erupted into a torrent of abuse, speaking so harshly about his master that the unknowing would have been led to believe that they were sworn enemies.


    However, despite his harsh words, it was clear from the look in his eyes that he missed his master greatly, and during the more emotional parts of his story, he had to pretend to take swigs of wine to conceal the tears in his eyes.


    While telling his story, Zhang Shanfeng sneezed many time, and Xu Yuanxia had made a joking remark, wondering if his master could hear him all the way from another continent, and that if he were omniscient, then perhaps he really was a Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu.


    In response, Zhang Shanfeng had scoffed that his master was no Heavenly Master. In fact, ording to him, the old Daoist priest had never been to Middle Earth Divine Continent even once in his life.


    He was constantly going on about how he had to go to Mount Longhu to pay his respects to his ancestors, but that would always be followed up by some type of excuse, such as his back being sore, or his legs acting up. Outside of that, he would sleep for prolonged periods of time, often sleeping ten to fifteen days in a row without waking up even once.


    The most prolonged instance of this was on an asion where it had snowed for two months straight, and the old Daoist priest had stood in the wind and snow atop the cliff and slept for the entirety of those two months. Only after the snow hadpletely melted did he finally wake up.


    Prior to that, his disciples had already packed their things and were eager to go on their agreed-upon trip to Mount Longhu with their master, but of course, thatpletely fell through. In summary, the old man didn''t disy a single ounce of sincerity, and hepletely disregarded all of theints directed at him by his disciples.


    Regardless of what they said, he merely treated their words as wind blowing past his ears.


    Chen Ping''an also mentioned Mr. Qi, despite not being prompted. After all, Mr. Qi had met both Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng when he appeared in the ancient temple in Water Combing Nation that night.


    However, all that he revealed was that he had grown up in Jewel Small World, and that Mr. Qi had served as a schoolteacher there for many years.


    It wasn''t that Chen Ping''an was reluctant to speak about Mr. Qi. Instead, he was worried that if he began talking about Mr. Qi while in his inebriated state, then he would end up talking about nothing else that entire night.


    During the brief homebound journey he had taken with Cui Chan, thetter had been very disgruntled by how quiet Chen Ping''an always was, so he would constantly try to show off to Chen Ping''an by telling him about what things were like at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, such as the "interesting" ns that the sages of all of the Hundred Schools of Thought had on all of the continents.


    Cui Chan was always quite vague when discussing such topics, only revealing tidbits of information and intentionally withholding the rest, so Chen Ping''an was never able to get a grasp on the full picture, but just the tidbits revealed to him alone were enough for him to realize that Cui Chan had told him about some extraordinary things.


    Chen Ping''an also spoke about his experience in striking the waterfall and the strides that he had made in his cultivation base as a result.


    As a fellow martial artist, Xu Yuanxia was astonished to hear this. Even though he had already guessed at Chen Ping''an''s potential, he still couldn''t help but give Chen Ping''an a thumbs-up while showering him with praise, predicting that he would surely rise to the top of the martial arts world someday.


    In contrast, Zhang Shanfeng was rather perplexed, so Xu Yuanxia gave him an example, telling him that Chen Ping''an''s current cultivation base was the equivalent of a cultivator on the cusp of breaking through the bottleneck of the Lower Five Tiers to reach the Cave Abode Tier.


    Only then did Zhang Shanfenge to realize just how incredible a martial artist Chen Ping''an was, and he immediately beganmenting to the heavens, wondering if all of his hard work in cultivation had been eaten by dogs!


    Chen Ping''an and Xu Yuanxia then burst intoughter and began picking on Zhang Shanfeng together.


    They knew that Zhang Shanfeng wasn''t in need of constion as his mental fortitude wasn''t inferior to Chen Ping''an''s at all. He didn''t fear powerful demons, nor did he fear the rigors of cultivation. The only thing that he feared was not having enough money to fill his stomach.


    The journey after leaving Sword Water Vi proved to be a very smooth one, and having experienced the perils of the Blusher Prefecture and the festivities of Sword Water Vi, the trio was left feeling a little dejected in contrast.


    Thankfully, it didn''t take them long before they reached the border pass, and all three of them had legitimate passports, so even though rigorous checks were conducted, they were still able to progress smoothly through the pass and continue on their journey to the chief military governor''s manor.


    The package that had been given to Chen Ping''an by Song Yushao contained close to 2,000 light snow coins, as well as a letter that had been personally written by the old sword saint, and all Chen Ping''an had to do was present the letter to the chief military governor''s manor to be granted approval from the imperial court to enter the forbidden area.


    Upon arriving at the entrance of the manor, Chen Ping''an approached one of the guards to announce the purpose of his visit, but what he failed to anticipate was that these border soldiers didn''t understand the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know the official dialect of Water Combing Nation, so there was anguage barrier and a lot of gesturing, but not much progress being made. After a brief stalemate, the soldier gestured for Chen Ping''an to wait, then sent in one of hisrades to deliver a report, and before long, a schrly old man in a Confucian robe emerged from the manor.


    He was fluent in all of the official dialects of the entire continent, and Chen Ping''an handed the letter from Song Yushao over to the old man.


    The old schr epted the letter with both hands, then hurriedly brought Chen Ping''an''s trio into the side hall, where they could take a seat. After some tea was brought to them, the old schr rushed away to the office of the chief military governor, and it didn''t take long before a short old man with a darkplexion arrived in the side hall.


    He wasn''t wearing any armor or official robes, and a rather wooden expression was on his face as he handed three bronze seals over to Chen Ping''an, then promptly departed without uttering a single word.


    Even as the three of them were leaving the chief military governor''s manor, Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng were still feeling a little bbergasted at how efficient the unremarkable-looking chief military governor was.


    "When ites to generals who have climbed all the way to the top from the very bottom, none of them will have very chatty personalities," Xu Yunxia exined. "In the imperial, there''s a saying that important figures always speakst."


    "Speakst? He didn''t speak at all!" Zhang Shanfeng retorted.


    The two of them had already been informed by Chen Ping''an about the battle that had been taken ce earlier, so they were aware of the imperial court''s attitude toward Sword Water Vi, and Xu Yuanxia said, "It''s already quite remarkable that the chief military governor was willing to see us and even provide us with those three seals at a time like this. He must be very close friends with Sword Saint Song."


    "I''m sure someone who''s a friend of Senior Song''s can''t be a bad person," Chen Ping''an chimed in with a nod.


    Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng exchanged a smile, following which thetter jibed, "You''re starting to get a little crafty with your words, Chen Ping''an! Wasn''t that just a roundabout way topliment yourself?"


    "Those who are friends of Senior Song''s friends also can''t be bad people!" Chen Ping''an added.


    Xu Yuanxia immediately gave him a thumbs up as he eximed, "I like the sound of that!"


    Zhang Shanfeng slung an arm across Chen Ping''an''s shoulders as he praised, "That was a perfect save!"


    The three of them burst intoughter as they left the border pass through the southern gate, then continued southward with a bronze seal hanging from each of their waists.


    They were going to enter the territory of the ferry station in less than a hundred kilometers, and while resting on a small hill along the way, Chen Ping''an started a fire to cook a meal.


    During this time, some people had observed them in secret from afar, but they quickly departed instead of approaching them, presumably because they had spotted the seals hanging from their waists.


    None of them drank any wine with their meal. They were about to enter a ferry station that was filled with Qi refiners, so it was best to proceed with caution.


    Xu Yuanxia hade here mostly to see off Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng, but if there was a ship traveling to Azure Phoenix Nation in the southeast of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, then that would be even better. As for the shops selling immortal treasures in the ferry station, he was a pure martial artist, and he had just obtained an exceptional weapon, so he had no interest in visiting them at all.


    Zhang Shanfeng wanted to purchase a Daoist sword, as well as to replenish his supply of talismans, such as divine movement talismans. He also wanted to find someone to appraise that pair of divine cloud bamboo chopsticks.


    As for the white bowl capable of condensing spiritual energy into dew and the armor pellet that Chen Pingan had given him, there was absolutely no way that he was going to sell those two treasures. In fact, he was going to keep them concealed the entire time he was in the ferry station in case envious onlookers decided to target him for his treasures.


    Chen Ping''an had already decided that he wasn''t going to be selling anything that he had brought with him from Downtrodden Mountain.


    He had decided to keep the premium snake gall pebble that He Xiaoliang had returned to him back on the Kun ship. Following the fall of Jewel Small World, there wasn''t a single snake gall pebble left in the Dragon Whisker River and the Iron Talisman River, and all of them had been reduced to ordinary rocks.


    Chen Ping''an had heard that snake gall pebbles were unique to Jewel Small World, which meant that this was not only an exhaustible resource, but also in very short supply already. The longer he held onto them, the more precious they would be.


    He also had to make sure to conceal the schrly core that had been gifted to him by City God Shen Wen of the Blusher Prefecture, as well as the golden statue shards and silver shards that he had obtained.


    The Heavenly Master Seal that had the words "Colorful Garment Nation Blusher Prefecture City God Protection Seal" engraved upon it was the treasure that Shen Wen had cherished the most. In his words, "divine artifacts should only be wielded by beacons of morality."


    It was said that this seal had to be used in conjunction with the Five Lightning Righteous Technique to unleash its full power, and as soon as Chen Ping''an learned of this, he immediately thought about giving the seal to either Zhang Shanfeng or Lin Shouyi, thetter of which was still studying at Mountain Cliff Academy.


    However, after much deliberation, he decided not to give the seal to either of them, not because he didn''t want to, but instead because it didn''t feel appropriate. In his mind, even if he were to give the seal to one of those two, it would have to be at ater date, both to give himself time to truly understand what being a "beacon of morality" entailed, and also to give one of Zhang Shanfeng or Lin Shouyi the time to develop into such a vaunted figure.


    In the past, Chen Ping''an would''ve given the seal away without a second thought, but that was no longer the case.


    As for the piece of ebony that had still retained some vitality even after being struck by lightning, the white bowl with a painting of the Five Mountains, and the talisman that contained the beautiful skeletal ghost, Chen Ping''an nned to get them appraised to determine their prices before he decided if he wanted to sell them or not.


    He was confident that the shops in the ferry station wouldn''t force him to sell his possessions against his will.


    The light snow coins that Chen Ping''an had received from Song Yushao, coupled with the light snow coins and the lesser heat coins that he had received from the little boy in azure amounted to a total of around 4,000 light snow coins.


    Just the mere thought of that put him in a very good mood, but the next thought that sprang into his mind immediately soured his mood again.


    Wei Bo and Cui Chan''s grandfather had both told Chen Ping''an something simr in the past, which was that he had to reach the fourth tier before entering Stctite Mountain as only then would he be able to gain a stable foothold on the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    There, he would be able to refine his own body and soul with the most abundant sword intent under the heavens, and that would definitely be immensely beneficial to any pure martial artist of the Three Qi Tempering Tiers. ording to Cui Chan''s grandfather, if he couldn''t reach the fourth tier, then he shouldn''t even bother going to Stctite Mountain at all as he would only be making a fool out of himself.


    Even if he could make his way up there, there was no guarantee that he would be able to crawl his way back down. All he would be able to do would be to deliver the sword to Ning Yao at the foot of the Sword Qi Great Wall, then scurry back to Downtrodden Mountain with his tail between his legs.


    That wasn''t what Chen Ping''an wanted. Instead, he wanted to stay up there for as long as possible.


    Before long, a line of seven or eight people emerged, then began making their way along the path at the foot of the mountain. None of them appeared to be mortals, and Chen Ping''an''s trio merely took a nce at them before looking away.


    When in foreignnds, be wary of Daoist priests and monks, and when traveling through the wilderness, avoid women and children.


    This was an unspoken rule among cultivators, and if one were to encounter a fellow cultivator, it was best not to look too much at them as you never knew when you could encounter a short-tempered cultivator that could snap at the drop of a hat.


    The people passing through also only took a brief nce at Chen Ping''an''s trio before looking away.


    They hadn''t reached the ferry station yet, but the several dozen kilometers that they had left wasn''t going to take very long to cover at all. They were about to part ways, and even though they had agreed not to drink, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but take a sip out of habit.


    Zhang Shanfeng asked for a drink as well upon seeing this, and Chen Ping''an handed his wine gourd to him. In the end, Xu Yuanxia also had a sip, and the three of them took turns passing the wine gourd around, taking sips out of it one after the other as they sat on the summit of the hill in silence.


    After a prolonged period of silence, Xu Yuanxia began to tell a story. "I was once a soldier, and I served in the border army, so I was fighting in battles all the time. I couldn''t bear to see the people around me constantly dying, so I left the army to travel the world, but even then, there were still constantly people dying around me.


    "You may not believe this, but I came from a highly educated family, so it was actually quite a surprise to everyone when I chose to join the army. We weren''t particrly wealthy, but we were certainly a well-respected family where I came from. In the blink of an eye, it''s already been many years since Ist went back. What was supposed to be my hometown now feels like something from a previous life."


    Xu Yuanxia''s beard was soaked with wine as he sat with his legs crossed, and a reminiscent look appeared in his eyes as he continued, "Before joining the army, I was somewhat of a schr, so I was more educated than most of myrades, but that didn''t matter.


    "All of the books glorify soldiers and proim that we fight for the sake of our nations, but in reality, all of us are solely focused on earning money and des. We kill to avenge our fallenrades and because it''s cathartic, that''s it. However, there''s nothing cathartic when we''re the ones being struck down by our enemies.


    "When we''re having our wounds sewn up or having arrowheads pulled out of our bodies in those bloodstained tents, all of us end up howling and crying like little girls, and no one is in a position to make fun of anyone else..."

 Chapter 248: (2): Immortal Transaction

    Chapter 248: (2): Immortal Transaction


    Zhang Shanfeng exhaled as he fell onto his back. He couldn''t drink any longer. Otherwise, Chen Ping''an would have to carry both him and Xu Yuanxia on his back. He looked up at the bright blue sky as he sighed, "My master always says that I have great aptitude, and that I made the right decision to embark on the path of cultivation rather than participate in the imperial examination, but I have no idea where my aptitude lies.


    Perhaps it was also eaten by dogs. I really want to find those dogs and beg them to return my aptitude to me. It''s not like they''ll have any use for it anyway. I''ll need all my aptitude if I want to be able to y demons and vanquish fiends in the future! Once I be powerful enough, I''ll no longer have to feel any guilt. I''ll be able to protect all of the people who pay for my services, instead of having to watch them sumb to evil forces while I flee like a coward."


    It was often the case that people became more willing to spill their guts in an inebriated state, but Chen Ping''an was the opposite and would only get quieter the more he drank.


    He sat on the ground as he listened to his two friends tell their stories. He held onto his wine gourd with both hands as he cast his gaze into the distance, taking a nce at the north before turning to the south. In this instant, he felt like he didn''t have a care in the world.


    Zhang Shanfeng had promised himself that he wasn''t going to get drunk, but ultimately, he ended up being carried by Xu Yuanxia down the hill.


    Xu Yuanxia''s footsteps were still quite steady, but he had be chatty in his inebriated state, and he began reciting many poetry passages, the final one of which was: "For the finest of wine, even a thousand cups won''t suffice..."


    That was followed by a loud burp and nothing else.


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he continued in Xu Yuanxia''s stead, "But when ites to wives, even two are too many."


    "You must be the least ambitious sword immortal in history!" Xu Yuanxia scoffed with a roll of his eyes.


    "That''s ''great'' sword immortal to you!" Chen Ping''an immediately corrected him.


    "And don''t forget me... I''m a Great Heavenly Master..." Zhang Shanfeng murmured in his sleep.


    As it turned out, the ferry station on the border of Water Combing Nation and Pine Stream Nation was a thriving little town, and upon arriving here, Chen Ping''an almost felt as if he had returned to his hometown. The streets were packed with pedestrians, and there weren''t actually many Qi refiners among them.


    Instead, the majority of them were merchants and mortals, thetter of which had already been living here for generations. All of the streets were lined with shops, and at this point, Zhang Shanfeng had already woken up. However, he was still feeling a little woozy and unsteady on his feet, while Chen Ping''an and Xu Yuanxia had sobered up long ago.


    "My advice is that we don''t try to ask around at too many shops. We should just go straight to the biggest shop in the best area in the town," Xu Yuanxia advised.


    Following this advice, the three of them arrived at arge shop with a que that read "Green Beetle Pavilion" hanging above its entrance. It was a five-story pavilion that towered over all of the nearby buildings, and it also took up quite arge area. There seemed to be a spacious courtyard behind the building with tall trees growing inside, and the sound of flowing water could be heard, but it was unclear where it wasing from.


    There was a set of couplets on either side of the shop''s entrance, and they read: "Young and old wee, our prices are fair as can be; We serve you wholeheartedly, so you can buy from us without qualms."


    There were no employees on the street outside encouraging customers toe in, but as soon as the three of them made their way into the shop, they were immediately greeted by a young woman dressed in opulent attire. There was a green insect hovering above each of her shoulders, and they looked as if they were carved out of green jade.


    "Wee. Would you like to have treasures appraised or browse our shop''s wares?" the woman asked in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    As the woman was speaking, the two insects began to circle around all four of them while emitting a faint buzzing sound.


    This was so that their conversation wouldn''t be overheard by anyone else in the shop.


    Xu Yuanxia smiled as he replied, "We''ll have some treasures appraised first, then take a look at what your shop has to offer. If you have treasures that suit our needs and your prices really are as fair as you im, then we''ll consider buying a few things."


    The woman smiled as she introduced, "The first floor is for treasure appraisals, spirit tool appraisals are conducted on the second floor, the immortal treasure appraisals are conducted on the third floor, and the stairwell is over there. You can go to any floor you''d like first, and I''ll be right after you."


    "Let''s go to the second floor first," Xu Yuanxia suggested, then began to make his way toward the stairwell, followed closely by Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng, while the young woman brought up the rear with a faint smile on her face.


    She was in luck. Seeing as these customers were going to the second floor, she would most likely be able to make some goodmission.


    There were a few other young women on the first floor who weren''t inferior to this young woman in the looks department, and all of them were looking on with a hint of envy in their eyes. However, there was nothing that they could do as there was a pre-set sequence that they had to follow when it came to serving customers, so how much they would be able to earn was down to their luck.


    Having said that, all of them generally earned roughly the same yearly ie, and even if someone were to suddenly make a killing in a short time, the rules of the Green Beetle Shop ensured that no one else would know about it. Hence, such an urrence would be kept a secret unless that person revealed it themselves.


    Upon reaching the second floor, the young woman began to lead the way again. There was a long embroidered ground gown produced in Colorful Garment Nation draped over the corridor, and its quality wasn''t inferior in the slightest to the one in the main hall of Sword Water Vi.


    The young woman led the three of them to the entrance of a room, then gently knocked on the door, and only after an elderly voice told her toe in from the other side did she open the door. She then stepped away to the side, allowing Chen Ping''an''s trio to enter the room first.


    There was arge table inside the room, and seated behind it was a spritely old man. There was a small incense burner on the table releasing wisps of fragrant smoke, as well as a potted bonsai nt with a tastefully arched trunk and branches that extended outward far and wide.


    There was a row of tiny green-robed figures seated atop one of the branches, and they were chatting quietly among themselves, but as soon as Chen Ping''an''s trio entered the room, they immediately rose to their feet in unison and extended a collective bow as they said in a tender and child-like voice, "Wee, esteemed customers. We hope you find what you''re looking for!"


    Chen Ping''an was astonished by what he was seeing, while Xu Yuanxia disyed no reaction, not because he wasn''t also stunned, but because he was a seasoned traveler who knew how to hide his emotions.


    As for Zhang Shanfeng, he was a cultivator to begin with, and even though he was very poor right now, he had seen many things back when he was cultivating in his sect, so Chen Ping''an was the only one who was made to appear like an ignorant hillbilly.


    Just this minor detail alone was enough to convince the young woman to ce most of her attention on Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng. In her eyes, Chen Ping''an had to be some itinerant cultivator who had only been able to embark on the path of cultivation thanks to some stroke of luck, so there wasn''t much need for her to focus on him.


    "What would you like to have appraised today?" the old man asked with a smile. "I specialize in the appraisal of bronze artifacts, calligraphy pieces and artworks, and wooden treasures. As for items of other descriptions, I wouldn''t dare to say that I''m an expert in all of them, but I''ve been sitting here in this room in the Green Beetle Shop for over forty years, and I can count on one hand the number of times that I''ve made a wrong appraisal, so you can ce your trust in me."


    Zhang Shanfeng pulled the pair of bamboo chopsticks out of his sleeve before handing them to the old man.


    The old man''s eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the bamboo chopsticks, and he made no effort to disguise his intrigue as he rose to his feet before epting the chopsticks with both hands.


    After sitting back down, he carefully set the chopsticks down onto the table in front of him, then pulled a special silken handkerchief out of a drawer and used it to meticulously wipe down his fingers and the palms of his hands. Only after that did he pick up the pair of chopsticks and begin inspecting them in an enthralled silence.


    He set down the chopstick with "divine cloud bamboo" inscribed upon it, he picked up the one that bore the inscription of "Azure Divine Mountain", then heaved a forlorn sigh as he turned to Zhang Shanfeng with a wistful expression.


    "These chopsticks are made from absolutely exceptional materials. These are most certainly from Bamboo Sea Small World, and in all likelihood, they were crafted from the divine cloud bamboo grown on Azure Divine Mountain.


    Ever since Azure Divine Mountain was sealed off, the price of items crafted from divine cloud bamboo has gone up significantly. In fact, the rate of intion has been nothing short of incredible! It''s just a pity that these were crafted into a pair of chopsticks instead of a ghost-striking whip. This is... so extravagant that it''s downright excessively wasteful!"


    The old man became more and more worked up as he spoke, and at the end, it looked as if he were ready to pick a fight with the maker of these chopsticks!


    The old man gently stroked the inscription of "Azure Divine Mountain" on the chopstick with his finger as he murmured to himself in self-constion, "Then again, if this were a divine cloud bamboo ghost-striking whip, then you would''ve gone straight to the third floor, and I wouldn''t even have had the chance to see these chopsticks.


    Bamboo Sea Small World is such a huge small world, yet it''s home to only a single mountain god, and that''s Lady Zhu of Azure Divine Mountain. The founder of Fictionism once described Lady Zhu in writing as a beautiful barefoot woman with hair unmatched in its luster. It was only a very brief description, but it painted the picture of an exquisitely beautiful goddess..."


    The old man was alreadypletely lost in his own thoughts.


    The young woman who had led Chen Ping''an''s trio to the second floor was feeling a little awkward, but internally, she was absolutely jubnt! It seemed that she was going to be making a killing today!


    <em>Thank heavens they didn''t go to those shameless sluts on the third floor! The women up there all seem innocent and beautiful on the surface, but they''re all filthy vixens who would do anything for money! Any man who has money immediately bes the most handsome man in the world to them, regardless of how old or hideous they are! </em>


    <em>Even after the deal is done, they still shamelessly cling to those men like glue, taking them to the private rooms in the courtyard in the back to pleasure them with their bodies! Shameless! Disgusting! </em>


    Despite her scathing thoughts, she also couldn''t help but be envious of those women on the third floor. What was shecking inparison? Her skills in bed certainly weren''t inferior, and even in the case of female customers, she had certain methods and was confident in her ability to please them.


    If uninterrupted, it looked as if the old man could ramble to himself for the rest of the day, so Zhang Shanfeng could only interject, "Sir, all I want to know is how much this pair of chopsticks is worth."


    The old man immediately snapped back to his senses, then turned to the young woman with a smile as he asked, "Cuiying, I can still take one more treasure for my own collection this year, right?"


    The young woman was rather taken aback to hear this, but then quickly smiled as he replied, "You are indeed able to im one more treasure this year, Mr. Hong. However, we still have to observe the normal procedure and show these chopsticks to the deputy shopkeeper on the top floor before you can have it for your private collection."


    "Of course," the old man replied with a wide smile.


    The old man then turned to Zhang Shanfeng with a serious expression as he said, "In terms of benefitting one''s cultivation, these chopsticks have next to no effect. However, if these were to appear in a mortal empire, then it will be sure to be highly sought after for all of the wealthiest figures and most powerful officials of thend.


    Whenever some food is picked up with these chopsticks, some spiritual energy will rub off on it, and that would strengthen the consumer''s body and extend their lifespan. As long as they don''t suffer premature deaths or are struck down by any major illnesses, these chopsticks could easily add three to five years to someone''s lifespan.


    Furthermore, the fact that they''re crafted using divine cloud bamboo from Azure Divine Mountain will further increase their value. In particr, for collectors looking for such items, they would most likely be willing to pay anything to get their hands on these chopsticks."


    The old man took a nce at the chopsticks on the table, and an ecstatic look appeared in his eyes as he continued, "Our Green Beetle Shop... No, I, Hong Yangbo, would like to offer 450 snowke coins for these chopsticks. Rest assured, I can guarantee you that no matter where else you go, whether that be taking these chopsticks to someone else in our Green Beetle Shop or to any of the other 16 shops in our ferry station, you won''t receive a higher offer than this.


    The average market price for something like this would only be 300 to 400 snowke coins at the very most, and I''m only willing to offer such a high price as I''m really fond of wooden artifacts, and I still have one opportunity left to purchase an item that I appraise this year. What do you say? Would you be willing to sell these chopsticks to me?"


    A beseeching look appeared in the old man''s eyes as he continued, "I really can''t go any higher than 450 snowke coins. If you''re worried that I''m trying to swindle you, or you don''t believe in the reputation of our Green Beetle Shop, then I''m happy to take you to our deputy shopkeeper, or even apany you to all of the other shops in the ferry station for additional appraisals."


    Zhang Shanfeng took a nce at Xu Yuanxia, and thetter gave a slight nod in response.


    Zhang Shanfeng grinned as he raised a hand and spread all five fingers as he dered, "I''ll sell them for 500 snowke coins, take it or leave it!"


    The young woman turned her head to the side to conceal her amusement.


    She knew that given Mr. Hong''s personality, once he encountered something to his liking, he would be willing to spend any amount for the item, as long as he could afford it.


    The old man gave himself a p across the face, but even so, he was still ecstatic as he rose to his feet and replied, "You have yourself a deal! Cuiying, make sure to handle these chopsticks with the utmost care and take them to the deputy shopkeeper on the top floor for appraisal. Once it''s verified that the price I''ve offered is fair, I''ll pay our customers here out of my own pocket, and of course, you''ll get yourmission as well!"


    The young woman did as she was told, carefully picking up the chopsticks before departing in an elegant manner.


    Xu Yuanxia knew that this was a favorable deal for Zhang Shanfeng, an extremely favorable one even.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was still standing beside the table, huddled over the branch of the bonsai tree to look at the tiny green-robed children. He felt like these little guys were really interesting and adorable, and he was thinking about whether he should collect some himself to give to the little girl in pink on Downtrodden Mountain as a present.


    She would most likely be quite fond of them as well, and with them keeping herpany, she wouldn''t get bored in the bamboo building. Meanwhile, the tiny green-robed children were also quite intrigued by Chen Ping''an as it wasn''t every day that they encountered a hillbilly who seemed to be amazed by everything that he saw.


    Hence, both sides were looking back at each other with intrigued expressions.


    As for Hong Yangbo, he was sitting behind the table, humming a joyful tune.

 Chapter 248: (3): Immortal Transaction

    Chapter 248: (3): Immortal Transaction


    It didn''t take long before the young woman returned, and she handed the pair of bamboo chopsticks to the old man with a smile as she said, "The deputy shopkeeper has asked me to congratte you, and he also said that you''re not allowed to show off these chopsticks to him the next time you two have a meal together."


    "In his dreams! There''s no way I''m not showing them off!" the old man immediately retorted.


    He then quickly stowed the pair of chopsticks away before opening a drawer and pulling out five lesser heat coins, which he handed to Zhang Shanfeng.


    "Generally speaking, in transactions that take ce inrge shops, one lesser heat coin is equivalent to 100 snowke coins, but everyone knows that when ites to transactions that take ce in private, each lesser heat coin is generally worth about 104 or 105 snowke coins."


    Zhang Shanfeng nodded in response with a smile as he epted the five lesser heat coins, then turned to find that Chen Ping''an and the green-robed children were still making faces at each other like idiots. He nudged with his elbow as he scoffed, "Quit ying dumb! These are for you.


    I still owe you the principle, but the interest has been paid off, at least. If you feel like that''s too much, then you can deduct these five lesser heat coins out of the principle instead. As for the rest, I''ll just have to repay you in the future."


    After learning the true value of that armor pellet from Ancient Elm Nation, Zhang Shanfeng knew that he couldn''t pretend as if he were still oblivious just because they were friends. The true value of the armor pellet far exceeded the 500 snowke coin price tag that Chen Ping''an imed, and it had to be treated as such.


    Chen Ping''an epted the five lesser heat coins and stowed them away up his sleeve as he dered, "We''re even now! Otherwise, I give you back your money, and you return the armor pellet to me."


    Zhang Shanfeng offered no response to this.


    Xu Yuanxia patted him on the shoulder with a smile as he said, "That''s not a bad oue. If you keep insisting on paying him back in full, then that would be a little pretentious of you."


    Only then did Zhang Shanfeng begrudgingly agree to this arrangement.


    Chen Ping''an slung an arm around Zhang Shanfeng''s shoulder as he smiled and said, "If you really can''t get over it, then how about you sell me your peach wood sword?"


    Zhang Shanfeng immediately pushed him away. "Don''t even think about my peach wood sword!"


    "Hey, don''t shove me! A gentleman never resorts to violence!" Chen Ping''an eximed.


    Xu Yuanxia shook his head with a resigned expression, feeling as if he were babysitting a pair of kids.


    Meanwhile, the young woman turned to Chen Ping''an with a hint of surprise in her eyes.


    <em>Could it be that he''s actually the richest one of the three? </em>


    Zhang Shanfeng turned back to the old man with a smile as he dered, "I don''t have anything else I want to sell."


    The old man was very disappointed to hear this, but Chen Ping''an immediately said, "I have some things I would like you to appraise, Sir."


    The old man immediately sat up straight, then smiled as he extended a hand toward Chen Ping''an. "I''m looking forward to what you have to show me."


    Chen Ping''an pulled out the white bowl with the true appearances of the Five Mountains painted on it, then set it down onto the table.


    The old man slowly inspected the bowl with a calm expression, then set it down as he said, "What''s been painted onto this bowl appears to be the true appearances of the Five Mountains of Ancient Elm Nation. Our Green Beetle Shop is willing to offer 150 snowke coins for it.


    If these were the true appearances of the Five Mountains of arge empire, then that price would increase by severalfold. It''s just that the Five Mountains of Ancient Elm Nation only contain very limited spiritual energy, so the effects of such a painting on this bowl will be significantly reduced."


    A reminiscent look appeared on the old man''s face as he spoke, and he began recounting a story from years past. "Several decades ago, the shop that profited the most from these bowls was none other than the Cloth Wrapper Shop, which had secretly amassed a huge stock of them. At the time, they had truly made immense profits.


    After that, countless smaller shops followed the trend and began purchasing bowls from them, but who would have anticipated that the emperor of the Great Li Empire would suddenly make such a drastic decision to change all of the Five Mountains? Countless merchants were leftpletely out of pocket in the wake of that decision.


    Thankfully, our shopkeeper had the foresight to go against the widespread trend and refuse to purchase even a single bowl at what he believed to be a clearly overinted twice. It was thanks to his foresight that our Green Beetle Shop was able to avoid a disaster."


    Chen Ping''an patiently listened until the old man was done with his spiel, then asked, "So what is this bowl capable of?"


    "My apologies, I always get a little carried away whenever I talk about how incredible our Green Beetle Shop is. Let''s get back on track," the old man said in an apologetic fashion, then pointed at the bowl with a smile as he continued, "Five-colored state soil is something that every nation must have, but where does ite from?


    Aside from five-colored soil that arises naturally in blessed locations, such soil can also be made artificially, and that''s where bowls like thise in.


    One can ce soil taken from the Five Mountains into one of these bowls, and after some period of time, the length of which depends on the quality of the bowl, a small batch of five-colored soil can be produced. Of course, five-colored soil can also be sold.


    Given the quality of the bowl that you have, if you can secure a sufficient supply of soil from the Five Mountains of Ancient Elm Nation, then on an annual basis, you''d be able to make... this sum!"


    The old man spread a hand open, and the young woman had to conceal her face behind her sleeve to conceal her amusement again.


    "Is that 50 snowke coins?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Five," the old man corrected with an amused expression.


    The old man then exined, "Many spirit tools like this one that can continually generate ie over a long period of time have their price set at the amount of ie they can generate over the course of 60 years. If you can earn five snowke coins per year, then 60 years would equate to 300 snowke coins.


    It may sound like I''m trying to swindle you by offering only half that sum, but rest assured, there''s a reason for this. Five Mountain Bowls are rather special. For some nations that are very unstable, their Five Mountain Bowls could be worth nothing at all. The entire nation could cease to exist overnight, and with it, the Five Mountain would naturally be gone as well. In that case, where would the five-colored soile from?


    Fortunately for you, Ancient Elm Nation is quite a stable nation at the moment. Our Green Beetle Shop has never had much interest in purchasing Five Mountain Bowls, so offering half the theoretical price is already quite a favorable deal for you."


    Chen Ping''an thought about it for a moment, then asked, "Can I not sell this bowl?"


    "Of course," the old man replied with a smile. "To be honest, if I purchase this bowl for the Green Beetle Shop today, only for Ancient Elm Nation to fall overnight, then I run the risk of having some of my wage deducted."


    Even though it wasn''t a profit of 50 snowke coins a year, five snowke coins were still equivalent to 5,000 taels of silver, and even the most expensive houses on Peach Leaf Alley cost fewer than 1,000 taels of silver!


    Of course, now that Jewel Small World had descended and be part of the Great Li Empire, house prices in the small town had already risen drastically, but even so, 5,000 taels of silver was still enough to buy quite a few houses in Dragon Spring Prefecture.


    His top priority now was to write a letter to Wei Bo and Cui Chan''s grandfather right away, requesting them to try and help him secure soil from the Five Mountains of Ancient Elm Nation.


    During his return from Stctite Mountain, he was also going to personally pay a visit to the Five Mountains of Ancient Elm Nation and take back as much soil with him as he could carry. Hopefully, at that time, he would still have sufficient spare space left in Fifteenth.


    Right at this moment, Xu Yuanxia suddenly said, "I think you should sell the bowl."


    The old man had gotten very worked up over that pair of bamboo chopsticks, but now that he had regained hisposure, he was still a very shrewd businessman, and he said, "You must be thinking the Great Li Empire''s southward expansion is inevitable, so Ancient Elm Nation may not be standing much longer, right? I actually disagree with that opinion.


    With Lake View Academy standing firm in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, I don''t think the Great Li Empire''s troops will be able to march southward as they please. Even if they do manage to march all the way to Ancient Elm Nation, there are so many nations in between that it''ll take them many years to get to that point."


    Seeing as the old man was being so forting, Xu Yuanxia also decided to express his opinion on the matter. "In my eyes, even with Lake View Academy standing in their way, I still think it won''t take too long before the Great Li Empire''s forces march into the south."


    The old man merely smiled and offered no response, not wanting to argue over this matter. The Green Beetle Shop was a business, and he had nothing to gain out of arguing with customers over trivial subjects.


    Xu Yuanxia turned to Chen Ping''an as he advised, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!"


    Chen Ping''an turned to Xu Yuanxia, and thetter gave him an encouraging nod.


    Chen Ping''an returned the nod, then immediately set the bowl back down onto the table as he asked, "Does your offer still stand?"


    The old man smiled as he replied, "Of course! If our Green Beetle Shop ends up making a loss on this sale, then I have no one to me but myself for myck of sound judgment, and I''ll just have to ept the wage deduction."


    With that, the bowl was handed over in exchange for 150 light snow coins.


    Just as Xu Yuanxia had said, it was much better to have money in hand than to rely on a tenuous and unpredictable projected future profits.


    After that, Chen Ping''an decided to have that piece of ebony and the talisman that contained the beautiful skeletal ghost appraised as well. The old man had appraised the piece of ebony first, and he was full of praise for the item, offering a price of 300 light snow coins.


    He also told Chen Ping''an that the piece of ebony would be highly sought after among many Agrarian and Medicinist cultivators. As for that talisman, he was only willing to offer 50 light snow coins.


    After some thought, Chen Ping''an decided to sell only the piece of ebony while keeping the talisman.


    That was all that Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng had to sell, and next, it was time to spend some money.


    The old man personally apanied them to the door, and even as they were leaving, he didn''t forget to propose a wager to Xu Yuanxia. "If you ever get the chance toe again, we can see how things are going in Ancient Elm Nation, and the one who made the wrong prediction has to treat the other to a drink. What do you say?"


    Xu Yuanxia smiled as he replied, "Sounds good to me! Regardless of whether I lose or win the bet, I would be honored to have a drink with you, Mr. Hong."


    "You''re far too kind," the old man chuckled. "Just for that, I''ll treat you to a drink first next time!"


    Xu Yuanxia cupped his fist in a parting salute.


    Upon hearing that Zhang Shanfeng wanted to purchase a Daoist talismanic sword capable of ying demons and vanquishing fiends, the young woman led the three of them straight to the fourth floor, then took them to arge room with a wooden que that read "Cold Light" hanging above the entrance.


    There were guards stationed at the entrance of the room, and the young woman informed them that she was here with some customers, then gently pushed the door open to reveal shelves upon shelves of swords of all types of descriptions, and the entire room was filled with formidable sword qi.


    However, much to the young woman''s disappointment, Zhang Shanfeng inexplicably dered that he had lost interest as soon as he stepped into the room.


    "Don''t mind him, we''ll still have a look at the swords," Chen Ping''an said to the young woman.


    Zhang Shanfeng stubbornly refused to enter the room, but in the end, Xu Yuanxi forcibly dragged him inside.


    The young woman introduced around a dozen Dao swords of different prices to them one after the other, and even though Zhang Shanfeng tried to feign disinterest the entire time, he still couldn''t help but take an extra nce at one of the swords, namely an antiquated bronze sword. The word was missing its scabbard, and there was a rather indistinct inscription on it that read "True Martial".


    The de of the sword was riddled with scratches, so even though it had been forged out of an exceptional material, the asking price was only 400 snowke coins. Chen Ping''an immediately decided to purchase the sword, but he hesitated momentarily as he was pulling out the coins to pay.


    The young woman gave a faint smile, then made a thoughtful gesture of leaving the room to give him some privacy. By the time she returned to the room, Chen Ping''an had already ced the 400 snowke coins down onto one of the shelves. After counting the money to make sure that it was the correct amount, she slid the True Martial into a ready-made scabbard before handing it to Chen Ping''an.


    The four of them then made their way out of the Cold Light room, but instead of taking the trio out of the Green Beetle Shop''s main entrance, she led them over a hovering covered bridge on the second floor to a tall building in the backyard, and from there, they left the Green Beetle Shop through a side door.


    The young woman then informed them of some of the rules of the ferry station, as well as the routes to take to certain important ces, before waving them farewell. As she turned around, the martial artist guarding the backyard of the Green Beetle Shop had already closed the side door, and she leaned back against the door as she secretly pumped her fist with an ecstatic expression.


    However, she then quickly adopted a calm facade, and by the time she returned to the main building of the Green Beetle Shop, her tion had already turned to mncholy as she beganining to her coworkers about how stingy those three customers had been.


    The Green Beetle Shop was only less than a kilometer away from the ferry station, and there just so happened to be a ship that was setting sail for Cloud Pine Nation. Even though that was still very far away from Azure Phoenix Nation, it was still going to be countless times faster than if Xu Yuanxia were to make the journey on foot.


    On top of that, upon disembarking from the ship at Cloud Pine Nation, he would be able to immediately board another ship straight to Azure Phoenix Nation.


    Hence, Xu Yuanxia was going to be leaving Water Combing Nation on this ship. As for the ship that Chen Ping''an had to take, it was one that sailed over an ancient route that was over 1,000 years old. Its ultimate destination wasn''t Old Dragon City, but it would also drastically shorten the journey of hundreds of thousands of kilometers.


    As they drew close to the ferry station, Chen Ping''an and Zhang Shanfeng both stopped in their tracks at almost the exact same time.


    Chen Ping''an was carrying the True Martial sword, while Zhang Shanfeng was looking down at the ground, not daring to say anything.


    Xu Yuanxia heaved a faint sigh, then turned to Chen Ping''an as he said, "Back in Blusher Prefecture, Daoist Chong Miao once mentioned that in the southeastern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, which is near Azure Phoenix Nation that I''m traveling to, a grand Liberation Rite of Water and Land is going to be taking ce in half a year''s time.


    Countless esteemed figures of Daoism will be flocking to the event, and even a few Daoist immortals vastly renowned across the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent will be hosting lectures there.


    Of course, Zhang Shanfeng wants to go and take a look, but he doesn''t know how to bring up the subject to you. He feels like changing the itinerary on ast-minute basis like this would be a very scummy thing to do, and now that you''ve bought him this Dao sword, he feels even more ashamed to have to part ways with you.


    After all, he promised you from the very beginning that he would apany you all the way to Old Dragon City. I bet he''s feeling so guilty that he wishes he could die right now! You know what? This is perfect! Why don''t you put him out of his misery with True Martial, then bury him right here?"


    Chen Ping''an jumped up and pped Zhang Shanfeng on the head. "What are you, an idiot? You''re like an indecisive woman! You don''t need to feel like you owe me anything! Take the sword and get out of my sight! You can pay me back for itter."


    Zhang Shanfeng''s head remained bowed, and his shoulders began trembling slightly.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything further as he tossed True Martial to Xu Yuanxia, then quickly departed on his own.


    By the time the teary-eyed Zhang Shanfeng raised his head, Chen Ping''an had already made his way into the distance. Right at this moment, Chen Pingan raised a hand up high and gave Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia a wave, as if he could sense the former''s gaze.

 Chapter 249: (1): Flowers in Full Bloom

    Chapter 249: (1): Flowers in Full Bloom


    The ferry station where Chen Ping''an''s ship was set to depart was different from the one for the ship traveling to Cloud Pine Nation. After paying ten snowke coins, he received a wooden badge and submitted in exchange the seal given to him by the chief military governor''s manor. After that, Chen Ping''an traveled to the ferry station together with dozens of other people.


    They were directed to the entrance of an underground tunnel, which was around twenty meters wide, and it was riddled with phrases engraved by renowned figures of eras past. The interior of the cave was brightly lit, and everyone made their way to the tunnel for about fifteen minutes before arriving in a massive underground hall.


    The stone walls on either side of the hall were covered in life-like murals depicting gorgeous celestial maidens adorned in beautiful dresses with long, flowing sleeves. The facial features of the women were clearly visible, and they were all quite voluptuous and curvaceous but stopped short of what would be categorized as chubby.


    Docked at the ferry station was a three-story louchuan[1] with a dragon''s head on the bow and a dragon''s tail on the stern. The louchuan was enormous, almost rivaling the size of an imperial warship, but aside from that, it appeared to be no different from the average mortal ship. In addition to the group of people that Chen Ping''an was in, over 300 people were already gathered at the ferry station.


    There were also all types of shops at the ferry station, most of which were quite small, and instead of ques hanging above the entrance, they only had signs hanging outside.


    The shops sold all manners of wares, such as calligraphy and art pieces, snakes and fruits, as well as some specialty local products of Water Combing Nation, including small ground gowns, cockfighting cups, pine needle calligraphy pieces from Pine Stream Nation, and elm wood carvings from Ancient Elm Nation.


    Earlier, Chen Ping''an had paid ten snowke coins to rent a room on the second floor, while a room on the first floor only cost three snowke coins, which was equivalent to 3,000 taels of silver. While it was true that this was an immortal ferry station, and the journey was quite a long one, this was still an astonishing pricepared with how much it would normally cost to go on a long journey in a mortal empire.


    Thankfully, Chen Ping''an had traveled on a Kun ship in the past, so he already knew what to expect. On top of that, after selling the Five Mountain Bowl and that piece of lightning strike ebony at the Green Beetle Shop, he had an additional 450 snowke coins in his pocket, so he had the money to spare. Additionally, he had to practice his fist techniques and walking meditation every day, so he couldn''t afford to be stingy here.


    There was a Qi refiner seated on a taishi chair on a small stone tform at the edge of the ferry station, and he was holding a teapot riddled with spots that made it look like a fat partridge. He had taken countless sips of the teapot, yet the tea inside still hadn''t run out.


    The Qi refiner issued a verbal reminder to everyone that the ship was going to be setting off in an hour, and that they could consider buying some quality and affordable specialty local products to take back home before boarding. He then went into particr detail about the ground gowns of Colorful Garment Nation and the bonsai nts of Mountain Orchid Nation, sparing no praise as he vehemently advertised these two things.


    Additionally, he also specifically rmended two shops, mentioning them by name. Sure enough, many of the ship passengers were convinced to visit those shops, and this was met with either envy or disdain from the shopkeepers of the other shops, who didn''t have funds required to recruit the Qi refiner''s advertising services.


    Chen Ping''an was standing among the crowd in silence, and he suddenly thought of Liu Gaohua, the son of the Blusher Prefectural Overseer, as well as the tree spirit schr of Ancient Elm Nation and the cockfighting cup that they had been carrying with them at the time.


    He heard that these cups were far more valuable elsewhere, so he also purchased a pair of cockfighting cups for one snowke coin each. After stowing the por box that contained the pair of cups away, he purchased arge bag of fresh fruits, which he carried in his hand.


    Standing among the throngs of people, Chen Ping''an had a pair of straw sandals on his feet, a sword case and a cloth pouch on his back, and a bag full of fruits in his hand.


    There were many people on the ferry station, and were all quite tightly packed together, but it was still far quieter here than in the prefectural markets. Everyone mostly kept to themselves or formed small groups chatting quietly to one another.


    Very few people raised their voices, and some children were unable to suppress their childish exuberance, but they were all apanied by guardians who held them tightly by the hand to prevent them from running around.


    When it came to traveling Qi refiners, none of them would openly disy the sects or powers that they belonged to, and they certainly wouldn''t reveal their true cultivation bases.


    The Lower Five Tiers and the Middle Five Tiers amounted to a total of ten tiers. That was set in stone, but humans weren''t. The teachings of sages described humans as creatures with simr natures, but vastly differing personalities.


    The pursuit of the Great Dao was an extremely long journey. Who could predict how the personality of a Qi refiner would change over the course of decades, even centuries of cultivation?


    If one were to constantly act without foresight or discretion, relying on their power to do whatever they pleased, then there would inevitablye a day where they would be punished for their ill discipline and be stomped into the ground by someone else.


    However, for those who were fortunate enough to belong to prestigious immortal powers, such as Divine Edict Sect, True Martial Mountain, Wind Snow Temple, and particrly Lake View Academy, they still demanded respect wherever they were on the continent even if they weren''t direct disciples, and one certainly had to think twice before crossing such individuals.


    Additionally, if one were fortunate enough to have a master at the Golden Core Tier or the Nascent Tier, then that would also ensure their safety under the vast majority of circumstances.


    Grudges and vendettas among Qi refiners couldst for the span of several lifetimes for a mortal, so it was never a good idea to make enemies for no good reason. The blood feud between Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain was a perfect example of this. Su Jia had once been a proud celestial maiden who possessed beauty and aptitude in equal measure, yet what had be of her since?


    Her top-tier Sword Nurturing Gourd had been confiscated by her sect, and her sword heart and cultivation base were both in tatters. All of a sudden, she hadpletely faded into obscurity, much to the dismay and sympathy of countless young male Qi refiners who regarded her as the woman of their dreams.


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as he took sips of wine out of his Sword Nurturing Gourd, waiting for the ship to set sail. This was going to be a southbound journey of over 100,000 kilometers, and at the destination ferry station would be another ship that traveled directly to Old Dragon City.


    From there, he would travel to Stctite Mountain and enter the Sword Qi Great Wall, so he no longer had the chance to explore the world with his friends. Hence, even if he wanted to have a drink, he could only drink by himself.


    The ship was about to set sail, and the passengers began to board. Chen Ping''an went up the second floor and found his room, which was extremely tiny and crampedpared with the heaven-grade residence that he had stayed in on the Kun ship. There was only a bed inside the room, and a tiny balcony outside that could fit two people standing next to each other.


    Chen Ping''an set down the bag of fruits, which had cost him over ten taels of silver, then removed the sword case and cloth pouch from his back before sitting down onto the clean andfortable bed. As heid down onto the bed, he couldn''t help but think back to his wooden nk bed back in his house on y Vase Alley.


    There was a saying that the poor feared the winter, while the rich feared the summer, but to Chen Ping''an, it felt like even the normal rich had many ways to stave off the heat, let alone almighty Qi refiners that were capable of miraculous feats.


    Chen Ping''an sat up on the bed, then rolled his sleeves and his pant legs, revealing some indistinct talismans on his wrists and ankles, through which True Qi was slowly circting. They resembled invisible restraints, and didn''t appear all that remarkable, nor were they recorded in the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book gifted to him by Li Xisheng. These talismans were Old Man Yang''s handiwork, and they were called True Qi Eight Tael Talismans.


    Old Man Yang hadn''t exined them in much detail, all he had told Chen Ping''an was that these talismans could allow the True Qi in a pure martial artist''s body to circte and refine their physical constitution during their sleep. Furthermore, once Chen Ping''an reached the Qi Refining Tier, these four talismans would fade away on their own.


    However, if he couldn''t break through that bottleneck, then once he reached Old Man Yang, he could go to the Dust Medicinal Shop and find Zheng Dafeng, the former gatekeeper of the town, to remove the talismans for him.


    Chen Ping''an rolled his sleeves and pant legs back down, then made his way onto the balcony. ording to the local chronicles of Water Combing Nation, a true dragon was once being pursued by an immortal, and it fled into the ground, burrowing through the earth with its enormous body to create this underground water channel.


    In the end, it emerged from the ground at the cave in Water Combing Nation before flying toward the Great Li Empire in the north. The conclusion of that battle gave rise to Jewel Small World, and this route was also known as the dragon channel because of this legend.


    There was another channel beside this one, and the two channels facilitated easy travel for ships that came from both the north and the south. Between the two channels was a fence that seemed to stretch on indefinitely, and a radiantntern was hanging from the stone wall once every few kilometers, brightly illuminating the nearby channel.


    However, at night, all of thesenterns would be snuffed out so that the passengers of the ships would be able to sleep without being woken up by the light.


    The rooms on either side of Chen Ping''an''s were quite noisy. The ferry station''s regtions on the second-story rooms were quitex, with a maximum of five people permitted to stay in each room. If there wasn''t enough space to sleep on the bed, then they would just have to sleep on the floor.


    Ten snowke coins was quite arge sum, so not everyone could afford the luxury of having one room to themselves. The path of cultivation was not an easy one to pursue, particrly for itinerant cultivators, who often had to takerge risks in order to earn money.


    If they didn''t have any shortcuts or special ie avenues, then it was no exaggeration to say that all of them were constantly putting their lives on the line in order to earn funds to support their cultivation, so cultivators were generally very miserly people.


    Chen Ping''an''s room was facing the neighboring channel, and as the ship set off on its journey, he discovered that many people were standing near the railing on the first floor of the louchuan, holding fishing rods in their hands.


    They used no bait, simply casting their lines straight into the underground river down below with the bare hooks exposed, and they were essentially trying to hook onto fish through sheer dumb luck by having the moving ship carry their hooks along through the water.


    asionally, there really were some palm-sized fish that were hooked, and they were dragged onto the deck before being casually tossed into fish baskets. Whenever a silver prawn roughly the length of a finger was hooked, then the fisherman would always react with tion.


    As it turned out, this was a very special creature unique to this underground channel, and in Water Combing Nation, they were referred to as "river dragons," while in the south, they were endearingly referred to as "silver." These prawns were able to absorb spiritual energy from bodies of water, and were considered to be a delicacy among avid foodies.


    Juvenile prawns were around a centimeter in length, and after around a dozen years, they could grow to reach the length of a finger. Only after 100 years would they reach the length of two fingers, and at that stage, it would appear as if they were d in a suit of translucent jade armor. A century-old river dragon would be extremely delicious and filled with abundant spiritual energy, able to fetch an astronomical price of half a snowke coin each in the south.


    If a passenger could fish up six century-old river dragons, then that would be their ship fare covered. Not only was this a way to make money, it could also help one pass the time, so why wouldn''t they try their hand at some fishing? The only problem was that river dragons the length of a finger were rtively easy to hook onto, but fishing up specimens two fingers in length or longer was mostly down to luck.


    This river channel had already been in existence for over 1,000 years, and it was said that someone had once fished up a river dragon three feet long. The river dragon had a pair of golden feelers, and it had been a groundbreaking catch. In the end, it was sold to the master of Old Dragon City, but unfortunately, it was never revealed how much he paid for it.


    Chen Ping''an had always been an avid fisherman, so he naturally took interest in what he was seeing, and he rested his chin on the railing of the second floor, looking down at the people fishing on the first floor for a long time.


    As he did so, he thought to himself that there had to be fishing rods for sale on the ship, but he didn''t know how much they cost. If he could buy one for a snowke coin or two, then he would be eager to try his luck as well when he wasn''t practicing his fist techniques.


    Upon returning to his room, Chen Ping''an had some of the fruits that he purchased earlier, which were quite fresh, butpletely devoid of spiritual energy. As he did so, he began to n out his fist technique practice. The journey was going to take two months, and along the way, the ship was going to be making stops at ferry stations in other nations for repairs and supplies. That would add an additional four or five days to the journey.


    This ship was far slower than the Kun ship, but that was only to be expected, considering that the Kun ship was a continent-crossing ship that belonged to Ceremony Mountain, a major sect of Complete Reed Continent.


    By Chen Ping''an''s estimates, he would spend roughly five or six hours a day on sleeping, eating, and other menial tasks, which left roughly eighteen hours a day for fist technique practice.


    Now that he had sped up in his fist technique practice, he had a significant advantage over his past self, and he would be able to practice his six-step walking meditation roughly 3,600 times a day. Over the course of two months, that would equate to over 200,000 repetitions.


    This sounded like nothing more than a simple mathematical calction, but for a seasoned fist technique practitioner like Chen Ping''an, he knew that putting this into practice would be extraordinarily difficult. Even with his exceptional mental fortitude, he felt this was going to be a titanic task.


    In the past, regardless of whether he had been traveling to Great Sui Nation or southward to Water Combing Nation, he had always been passing through all types of diverse scenery. However, here on this ship, he was confined to this small room, and the monotony of repeating the same motions for twenty hours a day in such a nd setting would be enough to drive anyone insane.


    Most importantly, this type of torment waspletely different from the torment that he had suffered while practicing fist techniques under Cui Chan''s grandfather. Thetter was a test of ability to endure excruciating pain over short periods of time, while the former appeared to be far more casual and rxing, consisting of nothing more than leisurely fist technique practice, but it was a different type of slow burn that would constantly chip away at his sanity.


    It would be exactly like the winter storm that he had endured while traveling over the boardwalk in Yellow Court Nation to the Great Li Empire, by the end of which every single breath that he took felt as if he were swallowing daggers.


    It was no wonder that Cui Chan''s grandfather had once told him that a martial artist had to contend with heaven and earth, enduring the most unimaginable pain, while also contending with oneself, honing one''s mental fortitude through slow and monotonous repetition.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath, and after closing the door of the balcony, he began to practice his walking meditation, treading lightly while throwing swift punches.


    The days passed by in this continuous, monotonous grind, and during this time, Chen Ping''an didn''t even go to the restaurants on the ship for meals, merely having some dried rations with wine for sustenance.


    With the arrival of summer, even though it was quite cool in the underground channel, Chen Ping''an was still sweating profusely every day. He started his walking meditation from the door of his room, and he stopped precisely at the edge of the wooden door leading to the balcony. After one repetition, he would turn around and perform the same motions again.


    Over time, the floorboards in his room became riddled with sweat stains. Whenever he became utterly exhausted from his fist technique practice, he would take a short nap. Unlike during his previous travels, where there were constantly other things on his mind, he could focus wholeheartedly on his fist technique practice here in this confined room.


    Throughout the twenty-four hours of a day, eighteen of them were spent on this constant, repetitive grind, while four hours were allocated to sleeping and thest two hours for breaks. He becamepletely immersed in the process, and it was as if this room had be his entire world. There were no longer any mountains or rivers, wind, rain, or snow...


    It was as if the passage of the seasons and all stages of life took ce within this tiny space.


    Over the course of twenty days, the wooden door leading to the balcony wasn''t opened even once.


    One night, Chen Ping''an wasying on the ground with his clothespletely soaked, as were the floorboards beneath him. He was gasping for air like a fish that had just been dragged onto the shore, and he wanted tough, and he wanted to smile, but didn''t have the energy to do so.


    He was wondering what he was going to do if the owner of the Case Purchasing Pagoda were to suddenly attack him while he was in such a vulnerable state.


    With that in mind, he cast his gaze toward his Sword Nurturing Gourd. In that situation, he would have to rely on these two precious little divas to save him.


    Over the next ten days, Chen Ping''an had to remove the wine gourd from his waist and even take off his straw sandals as well. With his sleeves and pant legs rolled up, he continued to practice his walking meditation back and forth in the room.


    He already had one foot in the fourth tier, and felt as if all it would take would be one bout of spirited effort for him to drag his other foot into the fourth tier as well, but it was as if thatgging foot were stuck deep in the mud, refusing to budge no matter how hard he tried. Even after an entire month of walking meditation, his progress was still agonizingly slow, and he had only slightly extricated his foot from the mud.


    During this time, the world around him wasn''tpletely silent. After growing ustomed to life on the ship, the passengers staying in the neighboring rooms weren''t exercising as much restraint as they had initially. The room to Chen Ping''an''s left seemed to be housing a group of traveling heroes, and they would feast on wine and meat every single day while conversing freely about whatever sprang into their minds.


    However, they mostly spoke in the official dialects of other nations, and only very rarely would a few sentences spoken in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent pop up.


    At certain points throughout the day, Chen Ping''an would snap out of his profound, immersive state, and in those moments, any sound that he heard would rumble like thunder in his ears, so he would be very agitated by the sound of the boisterous conversation ringing out to his left.


    As for the passengers staying in the room to his right, they appeared to be a group of immortals from a small cultivating sect, and were rtively quietpared with those staying in the room to the left.


    However, their cultivation required them to recite the teachings of their sect twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night. The soundproofing between the rooms was ratherckluster, and they were using a certain breathing technique, so that was also a source of frustration for Chen Ping''an.


    1. A louchuan (lit. "tower ship") is a massive warship that looks and functions like a floating fortress.

 Chapter 249: (2): Flowers in Full Bloom

    Chapter 249: (2): Flowers in Full Bloom


    All of this was still bearable, but there was something else that happened every once in a while, and it left Chen Ping''an feeling rather exasperated.


    All of the people staying on the third floor of the ship were quite wealthy, and as time passed, Chen Ping''an came to realize that there was a couple staying in the room directly above his. It was a very affectionate couple, and Chen Pingan would often hear the sound of their bed creaking through their floorboards.


    On top of that, the woman seemed to be unable to help herself, and she was constantly "weeping" to apany the creaking of the bed, sounding as if she were suffering great pain at the hands of her partner. This left Chen Ping''an quite confused.


    If whatever they were doing was so painful for the woman, then why did she oblige every single time? If they were a couple, then why couldn''t they talk things out ande to a resolution?


    Chen Ping''an was very exasperated by this, but it wasn''t like he could just go upstairs and knock on their door, then urge the man to be more gentle with his Dao partner. This was not something that an outsider like Chen Ping''an couldment on, and it was both inappropriate and unreasonable.


    Furthermore, Chen Ping''an discovered while he was quite bothered by these noises, the group of men staying in the room to his left treated this like a spectacle to be enjoyed. Whenever the sound of the creaking bed and the whimpering woman rang out, they would immediately cease their conversation, then begin chuckling to themselves.


    From the few snippets that were spoken in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent that Chen Ping''an could understand, it seemed that they were discussing what they were hearing in earnest, as if they were offering theirmentary on a spectacr battle.


    As for the immortals staying in the room on the right, they would also fall silent whenever these noises rang out, but Chen Ping''an noticed that their breathing would always be a little more ragged.


    It seemed that just like him, they were also very much bothered by these sounds.


    Thankfully, it didn''t take long before Chen Ping''an began to gradually grow ustomed to these disruptions.


    On one asion, the bed overhead was shaking so violently that it was as if an earthquake were taking ce, and the woman was wailing at the top of her lungs. Even so, Chen Ping''an merely enjoyed a meal of dried rations washed down with wine in silence, praying to himself that the floorboards overhead would remain firm so the bed didn''t fall onto his head.


    During the few stops that the ship made at other ferry stations, Chen Ping''an was unable to witness the scenery of the southern nations as he didn''t even open the door of his room once.


    After some calction, Chen Ping''an realized that it was roughly time for crops to be nted, so everyone back home would currently be busy toiling away in the fields right now. Even some of the fit young men working at the dragon kilns would be permitted to go home and help out in the fields.


    Back when Old Man Yao was still working as a dragon kiln overseer, he was always very lenient when it came to things like this even though he had a short temper and a scathing tongue. Other kilns would generally only allow a three-day break for the harvest, yet Old Man Yao would always give four or five days.


    Unfortunately, for the likes of Liu Xianyang and Chen Ping''an, who didn''t have any agriculturalnd passed down to them, they had to pick up the ck during this time in the absence of their colleagues, so they always ended up even more tired than the people toiling away in the fields.


    Having already practiced his fist techniques for an entire month, Chen Ping''an hadpleted over 100,000 repetitions without even realizing it.


    What he was most interested in right now was finding out how many of the fishermen on the ship had managed to catch those precious river dragons two fingers in length or longer.


    One day, as Chen Ping''an was taking a break from his fist technique practice at around noon, he suddenly noticed that while he still had wine to spare in his Sword Nurturing Gourd, he was running short on dried rations.


    Hence, he tied the wine gourd to his waist, picked up his sword case, then put on his straw sandals before opening the door of his room for the first time on this journey so he could go to one of the nearby restaurants on the ship to purchase some food.


    Due to the fact that it was lunchtime, the group of men staying in the room to his left just so happened to being out for a meal as well, and Chen Ping''an intentionally slowed down slightly so that he would begging five or six steps behind the group of men.


    One of them couldn''t help but turn around to look at this strange neighbor of theirs, whom they were seeing only for the first time, but one of the other men in his group quickly tugged on his sleeve, warning him not to start any trouble, and the man immediately looked away.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was only a young boy traveling on his own, he gave off a sense of calmness andposure well beyond his years, indicating that he was not to be messed with.


    In the mortal world, this group of men were all figures of decently lofty status, hailing from renowned sects in the cultivation world, but if this unremarkable-looking young boy just so happened to be a powerful swordsman with a short temper, then they could be in a world of trouble.


    Elsewhere, the chances of encountering a powerful swordsman would be slim to none, but that probability was far greater here on this ship.


    At times, simply being in the wrong ce at the wrong time was enough to get someone killed. If they were to get on the bad side of a powerful cultivator, then they weren''t going to be able to talk their way out of a beating, or worse.


    One of the men had once witnessed a swordsman in action from afar. The young swordsman had only been around twenty years of age, but after summoning his bonded flying sword, he was truly an incredible sight to behold, slicing through all of his opposition as if he were cutting down nothing but sheaves of wheat.


    He had been facing several vastly renowned martial artists at the time, ones who proimed that they had indestructible bodies capable of keeping out even the sharpest of des, but in the blink of an eye, all of them had fallen dead with holes pierced through their heads.


    The average Qi refiner wasn''t necessarily a threat. For example, those who followed the Hundred Schools of Thought weren''t necessarily all that adept inbat, but provoking a swordsman, particrly one that possessed a bonded flying sword, was no different from courting death.


    The trip to the restaurant was smooth and uneventful, and Chen Ping''an purchased several kilograms of dry biscuits from the waiter at the packed restaurant, then returned to his room. After closing the door, he opened the door to his balcony and began enjoying a meal of dry biscuit and wine while standing outside.


    There were still some fishermen on the first floor of the louchuan, but even after watching them for about half an hour while enjoying his meal, Chen Ping''an only saw some ordinary fish being caught. Not even a single river dragon youngling was hooked up.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an recalled an asion where he and Cui Chan had been on the summit of a tall mountain. Thetter had been very bored, so he decided to follow Chen Ping''an in practicing his standing meditation. While doing this, he told Chen Ping''an that there was an exceptional blessednd under the heavens, and it was very special in that it was connected to another small world, thereby making it unique from all other blessednds.


    The Divine Edict Sect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Southern Stream Nation had a blessednd to itself, the Limpid Pond Blessed Land. Blessednds were rather simr to subsidiary nations, except they wererger and independent.


    On top of that, thews of the Heavenly Dao inside also varied, and they were often able to produce abundant resources that could be continuously harvested byrge immortal sects. As a result of this abundance of resources, many prodigious figures often hailed from these blessednds, and these prodigies were generally taken by the nations or sects that owned those blessednds, thereby further bolstering their power.


    Chen Ping''an had never been out of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent during the past two long journeys that he had taken, but even so, he had already developed an idea of just how vast the world was and seen something of the unfathomable things that Old Man Yang had mentioned to him.


    During this southbound journey, Chen Ping''an had missed out on going to many ces, some of which he simply didn''t have the time to visit as it would''ve meant taking massive detours. An example of this was the Cyan Gorge Ind of Bamboo Scroll Lake, where Gu Can and his mother were.


    Chen Ping''an hoped that they were thriving there, and that they weren''t being oppressed than others. Even more than that, he hoped that once Gu Can became a Qi refiner, he wouldn''t be like Fu Nanhua, who oppressed those weaker than him.


    As for some other ces, they weren''t appropriate for him to visit, such as Sun Scorch Mountain, where the Mountain-moving Ape was; Light Breeze City, where the Xu n was based; and True Martial Mountain, where Ma Kuxuan was staying.


    No one would listen to him in those ces, and he wasn''t strong enough to pound his reasoning into the people there with his fists, either. Without the protection of Mr. Qi and Master Ruan, he would be stomped to death like an ant, and he was well aware of this.


    While visiting the restaurant to stock up on rations, Chen Ping''an heard that the ship was going to be stopping at a ferry station for half a day the next day. That allowed passengers the opportunity to disembark from the ship to see the scenery, and there was a renowned scenic spot near the ferry station called the Ancient Pond.


    At this time of year, the flowers were in full bloom, so all one had to do was exit the ferry station and travel to the nearest hill, and they would be greeted by the aroma of flowers and the sound of birdsong the entire way there.


    If one were lucky, then they would be able to capture a floral spirit known as the aromatic herb maiden, which gave off a natural faint fragrance.. They were the best living perfume sachets, and they were loved by all female Qi refiners and wealthy women.


    Chen Ping''an felt like it would be a good idea to leave the ship and go out for some fresh air. After staying in his room for an entire month, he felt as if he were about to grow mold.


    After making up his mind, Chen Ping''an returned to his room from the balcony, then closed the door and continued to practice his walking meditation.


    The next day, the ship docked at the ferry station, and the hall inside the underground cave was petite and exquisitely constructed, with a fragrant aroma wafting through the air. In contrast with therge and majestic ferry station of Water Combing Nation, this one possessed a different charm.


    The ship was swaying slightly, and Chen Ping''an got out of bed after sleeping for less than four hours, then began to pack up his things. He was going to take all of his belongings with him as he didn''t dare to leave any of it in his room. Perhaps the Ancient Pond had a resounding reputation, or was a really great ce. In any case, almost all of the passengers on the ship had decided to disembark here for sightseeing.


    After disembarking from the ship, Chen Ping''an was walking with the crowd, and a group of people was next to him, led by a pair of elderly individuals. Both of them had deep and mellow auras that resembled slow-flowing river water, and walked with a special type of lightness in their step.


    Even if they weren''t immortals of the Middle Five Tiers, they couldn''t be far away. Chen Ping''an didn''t have a habit of eavesdropping on others, but during the past month that he had spent in his room, he had no choice but to overhear the conversations of his neighbor, and now that he was he was hearing a conversation take ce in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, which had proven to be a rare urrence, he couldn''t help but listen.


    They discussed the state of the continent, some of thetest news from all of the major cultivating sects, and also some news pertaining to some renowned figures on the continent.


    The conversation was quite casual, and the two elderly individuals did most of the speaking, while the young juniors beside them listened respectfully and very rarely interjected. Even if questions were raised, they were done so very respectfully, and that was very different from what Chen Ping''an had seen from others, such as Liu Baqiao of Wind Lightning Field, Cao Jun of the Cao n on y Vase Alley, and Zhou Ju of Lake View Academy, none of whom had such formal and restrained personalities.


    In the end, one of the elderly men, who had a small ck jade seal hanging from his waist, spoke about how the Kun ship of Ceremony Mountain had crashed, resulting in severe casualties, and he was quite riled up by the subject.


    He acknowledged that the Dao Master of Complete Reed Continent possessed unfathomable powers, and that perhaps even Dao Master Qi Zhen of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent didn''t stand a chance against him, but he was quite critical of how domineering and overbearing the Dao Master was.


    On the subject of the Kun ship crash, a concerned look appeared on the other old man''s face, and he said that while it was true that the Kun ship had been struck by a vast eruption of sword Qi, he didn''t think that any of the empires in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent were responsible for the incident as none of them stood to benefit from striking down a ship from Complete Reed Continent.


    Only a major empire could have been able to gather so much sword Qi at once, but the emperor of that empire had already personally traveled to Divine Edict Sect and sworn that he wasn''t behind this.


    After that, he had met Dao Master Xie Shi of Complete Reed Continent while apanied by Qi Zhen to exin the situation, in response to which Xie Shi had merely said that the cultivators of Complete Reed Continent would investigate this matter ande to their own conclusion.


    Chen Ping''an stopped in his tracks, then abruptly sped up to catch up to the pair of elderly men as he cupped his fist in a salute and asked, "Pardon my interruption, esteemed immortals, but may I ask how the passengers on the Kun ship fared in the wake of the crash?"


    One of the elderly men paid no heed to Chen Ping''an at all, not even sparing a nce at him as he continued onward.


    In contrast, the old man with the seal hanging from his waist stopped as he replied in a patient manner, "Almost all of the passengers of the Lower Five Tiers were killed, and even many of the passengers of the Middle Five Tiers perished."


    At the time, countless streaks of sword Qi had suddenly erupted into the sky from a hill, an attack not inferior to an all-out strike from a sword immortal of the Upper Five Tiers, so it was no surprise that there were such severe casualties.


    The old man could see that this piece of news had dealt Chen Ping''an a heavy blow, and he heaved a faint sigh before continuing onward.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an stood rooted to the spot, and even as he was jostled by a few of the people passing by, he remainedpletely oblivious. By the time he finally returned to his senses, he discovered that almost everyone else had already emerged from the cave to see the Ancient Pond.


    Chen Ping''an slowly made his way to the entrance of the cave to find that it was a bright and sunny day. There was a mountain with a smooth and even slope further away in the distance, and countless vibrant nts and flowers were in full bloom.


    After killing the scorpiondy back at the Blusher Prefecture, Chen Ping''an had actually obtained a treasure, but he had decided not to sell it at the Green Beetle Shop. It was an ink brush washer, with circle of text on the underside that read "spring flowers under the autumn moon, spring wind through autumn trees, spring mountains beneath autumn rocks, spring water giving rise to autumn frost".


    The characters were tiny, and they swam around slowly like tadpoles. Chen Ping''an really liked the character for "spring", and the text also corrted with the names of the pair of maidservants that he had encountered on the Kun ship. At the time, he had felt a little disappointed that there was only "spring water" and no "autumn fruit". [1]


    Otherwise, if he were to ever meet them again, for example, if he were to take the Ceremony Mountain Kun ship again, then he would''ve been sure to show them the washer, not to brag, but just to show them that such interesting coincidences were possible.


    Standing at the entrance of the cave, there was no sorrow of grief on Chen Ping''an''s face. Instead, he was merely staring at the wonderful scenery in the distance with a dazed expression.


    In the wake of this sobering news, he had suddenly lost interest in the scenery, and in the end, he returned to the ship, then continued to practice his fist techniques in his room.


    Close to another month slowly passed by, and in a few more days, the ship would arrive at its destination.


    One night, before he had even realized it himself, Chen Ping''an had alreadypleted his 200,000th repetition of walking meditation.


    He changed into a set of clean clothes, then stepped onto the balcony outside with his shoes off. It was very rare for the ship to be so quiet, and seeing as there was no one else around, Chen Ping''an gently leaped onto the railing, then sat down onto it as he began to drink out of his wine gourd while facing the neighboring river channel. He drank without any thoughts entering his mind, and before long, he discovered that he had run out of wine.


    The Sword Nurturing Gourd had been filled with close to ten liters of fine wine brewed by Sword Water Vi, but some of it had been drunk by Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng. The rest of the wine had only been able tost the past two months as Chen Ping''an had been drinking very sparingly.


    He shook the wine gourd vigorously, but there really was nothing left.


    However, he refused to give up, raising the wine gourd up high and tilting his head back, trying to squeeze out even just a few more drops, but there was not even a single drop left.


    Right at this moment, a four-story ship sailed past in the neighboring river channel, and a passenger staying on the top floor also just so happened to be leaning against the railing, getting some fresh air. She looked on with a stunned expression at the sight of the young boy vigorously trying to shake wine out of a Sword Nurturing Gourd, then finally gave up and rested the gourd on hisp with a defeated look on his face.


    She felt as if this young boy had to have drunk so much wine that he had turned stupid from inebriation.


    With that in mind, she decided to y a little prank on him, raising the green jade wine gon that she was holding as she yelled, "Over here, little drunkard! I have wine here! You can have it if you want!"


    Chen Ping''an cast his gaze toward the young woman in silence.


    The green-robed young woman waited for a moment, but received no response, so she decided to toss her gon straight at Chen Ping''an. The gon flew through the air in a beautiful arc, but right as it got a few meters away from Chen Ping''an, it suddenly flew back into the young woman''s grasp. She burst intoughter, clearly very much amused by her smart little scheme.


    The two ships passed each other by, and Chen Ping''an continued to sit on the railing, expressionless. Had he just stumbled upon an idiot?


    After recing the Sword Nurturing Gourd on his waist, he jumped back down onto the balcony, then went back into his room to continue his fist technique practice.


    For the first time on this trip, Chen Ping''an went to the restaurant in the dead of night to buy wine, but the restaurant was already closed for business for the day, so he could only return to his room and continue his practice.


    1. The maidservants'' names are Chun Shui and Qiu Shi, which trante to spring water and autumn fruit, respectively.

 Chapter 250: (1): From the Northernmost Point to the Southernmost Point

    Chapter 250: (1): From the Northernmost Point to the Southernmost Point


    In the following days, the journey along the dragon channel slowly petered out to a conclusion, and the ship was fast approaching the southern end of the channel.


    Having alreadypleted his target of 200,000 repetitions, Chen Ping''an was no longer as strict and stringent in the rest of his fist technique practice, taking a more rxed approach instead.


    The day after his failed attempt to buy wine, he went out during the daytime to buy three jars of wine from the restaurant, with which he was able to fill his Sword Nurturing Gourd. The wine was extremely expensive, and although its vor was decent, it was not on the same level as the fine brew of Sword Water Vi.


    Chen Ping''an removed the two talismans glued to the wall, both of which were made from ordinary azure talisman paper. One of them was a calming talisman that could help Chen Ping''an focus to a certain degree so that he wouldn''t be swayed by outside distractions, and was amonly used talisman in major Daoist temples of the mortal world during ceremonies.


    The other talisman was a cleansing talisman that many powerful officials and renowned schrs of the mortal world liked to request from Daoist temples during the summertime. Not only were these talismans able to release faint spiritual energy, they also had a cleansing effect that eradicated dirt and foul odors, ensuring that the room they were in stayed pristine.


    Both talismans were among the most rudimentary talismans recorded in the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book, but despite their basic nature, they had helped Chen Ping''an greatly. Otherwise, the ship owner would never allow him to set foot off the ship!


    During the past two months, Chen Ping''an had been practicing his walking meditation day and night in this room, sweating up a storm this entire time, and without the cleansing talisman, the room would have beenpletely uninhabitable.


    Both were disposable talismans, and at this point, they had almostpletely run out of spiritual energy, so they were barely any different from two normal sheets of paper. Chen Ping''an was very ustomed to being cautious and keeping a low profile, so he didn''t even discard these used talismans into the river channel, instead stowing them away in his pocket treasure.


    These were both key contributors to his 200,000 repetitions, so he couldn''t just throw them away. At the very least, they would serve as good souvenirs.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an was all but certain that the stack of talisman paper he had gotten from Li Xisheng, particrly the golden ones and the ancient book pages, were extremely valuable, so he had to use them as sparingly as possible.


    A treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talisman inscribed upon a piece of golden talisman paper was able to easily suppress the officials of the Blusher Prefecture that had fallen into demonic ways, and that was sufficient testament to their value. Another example was the golden-armored warrior that one of the top Qi refiners of Water Combing Nation had used as his ultimate trump card. That golden-armored warrior talisman used paper of clearly inferior quality to the golden talisman paper provided by Li Xisheng.


    Prior to disembarking from the ship, Chen Ping''an made sure to clean up his room and pack up all of his belongings. After returning the wooden badge for his room, he left the ship with everyone else.


    Not far away in front of him was a couple that was conversing with one another, and Chen Ping''an found the woman''s voice very familiar. He took a quick nce in her direction to find that it was a young woman with a mole on the corner of her mouth.


    This was the very same woman who had been "suffering" on the ship for the past two months. In Chen Ping''an''s mind, her love for her husband had to be extremely deep and genuine. Otherwise, there was no way that she would''ve been willing to put up with such torment.


    During the disembarking process, Chen Ping''an heard many things. For example, someone had captured an extremely rare pair of twin aromatic herb maidens at the Ancient Pond. A single one of these nt spirits would only be worth around a dozen snowke coins, but a pair of twins like these would set one back at least fifty or sixty.


    Over the course of the entire two-month journey, very few of the fishermen were able to fish up even one river dragons the length of two fingers, and no miracles had taken ce.


    The ship had stopped at quite a few ferry stations on the way to its ultimate destination, and as some of the wealthier Qi refiners were disembarking from the ship, many of their pitiable servants were forced to carry a mountain ofrge and heavy bags on their backs.


    On top of that, they had to be very careful when they walked so that they didn''t damage any of the items inside the bags, many of which extremely precious and worth no less than the carriers'' lives.


    The ferry station was quiterge, and it was also packed with shops. Here, the wares peddled by the merchants were specialty local products from the cluster of nearby nations. Chen Ping''an had nothing better to do, so he took a stroll through the hops, and inside, he discovered many different types of spirits, most of which were adorable and energetic nt spirits.


    Some were in the form of children, some were elderly men and women, and all of them varied in size and appearance. However, even thergest of these spirits was no taller than a finger, and they were either housed in green bamboo cages or standing atop inkstones. There was also a little girl with wings on her back toiling away in front of a tiny spinning wheel, and it seemed that there was no end to the variety on disy.


    Overhearing some of the bargaining, Chen Ping''an came to find that out that these spirits were simr in nature to the row of tiny green-robed children standing on the branch of that bonsai nt in the green beetle Green Beetle Shop, and their price was determined by their rarity. The cheapest ones only cost a single snowke coin each, while the most expensive ones could fetch up to fourty snowke coins.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an arrived at a conclusion, which was that the further south he went, the moremonce these spirits seemed to be.


    Chen Ping''an visited all of the shops in the ferry station, but didn''t buy anything. This wasn''t because he was stingy. Instead, he was nning to buy some spirits on the way back to the Great Li Empire from the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    After emerging from the underground cave, Chen Ping''an felt as if he were finally seeing the sun again for the first time in a long time. Once again, the entrance of this cave was riddled with engravings from renowned figures, even more than the one at Water Combing Nation ferry station. It was as if all of the engravings were jostling for space, and even the tiniest of spaces had been upied.


    Chen Ping''an carefully examined the engravings on the cave entrance. They were all great pieces of calligraphy that varied in style and ir, but deep down, he still felt as if none of them couldpare with Cui Chan''s calligraphy.


    Outside the ferry station was a valley with a wide and smooth path that was lined with shops. These shops appeared more grand and opulent than the ones by the ferry station, and the streets were packed with pedestrians, presenting a lively and bustling sight to behold. Even the stray dogsying by the side of the road seemed more at ease and well-fed than stray dogs from elsewhere.


    The first thing that came into view was a small three-story building on the left. Hanging above the entrance of the building was a golden que that read "Virtuous Maiden Ferry Station". At this point, Chen Ping''an was already familiar with where he needed to go, and he knew that this was the ferry station where the ship that was bound for Old Dragon City was set to depart.


    After entering the ferry station, he made an inquiry at the counter and was informed that the next ship to Old Dragon City was set to arrive at noon, and that a premium room was going to cost twenty snowke coins, while a standard room cost ten snowke coins. Chen Ping''an asked if there were any rooms that were cheaper than that, and he was told no such rooms existed on the ship, which belonged to the Mutton Fat Hall.


    All of the people in the hall that had overhead Chen Ping''an''s question turned to look at him with derision in their eyes, but he wasn''t embarrassed at all as he paid twenty snowke coins for a jade pendant, on one side of which was engraved the characters "Mutton Fat Hall", while "Premium Room 11" was engraved on the other.


    This reminded Chen Ping''an of his Chen Shiyi seal, which he had left back at the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, and he felt this to be a good omen. With that in mind, he made his way out of the hall with a cheerful smile on his face. There was still some time left until the ship was scheduled to arrive, so he decided to do some shopping.


    He was nning to buy some clothes, but he was going to skip on shoes as he had already grown ustomed to wearing straw sandals over the years, and there were still two brand new pairs left in his pocket treasure.


    The shops on the streets here were far more opulent in appearance, but the wares sold inside were much the same as those in the shops elsewhere, consisting primarily of different types of nt spirits. The spirits being sold here were a little cheaper, and Chen Ping''an felt as if he could easily spend all day looking at these adorable little creatures.


    However, the fact that he was only looking while making no purchases made him a rather unpopr figure in the eyes of the shopkeepers. Chen Ping''an visited the shops one after another at a leisurely pace, and before long, he arrived at a particrly opulent one. He drew to a halt outside the entrance with a slightly dazed look on his face.


    As it turned out, there was a screen roughly the same height as a grown man, and depicted on the screen was an image of a woman with a longsword on her back and a purplish-golden gourd hanging from her waist. She was standing atop a cliff, looking out at a sea of clouds while her elegant dress gently billowed in the wind, giving her the appearance of a pure and untarnished celestial maiden.


    This appeared to be an artwork simr to the scenic painting on the Kun ship.


    Several people were standing in front of the screen, discussing the visage of the young woman on it with schadenfreude in their voices. Not long ago, Celestial Maiden Su had been one of the most sought-after women under the heavens, possessing pride, beauty, and aptitude in equal measure, yet she had suffered a dramatic fall from grace as a result of the long-standing feud between Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain.


    The only time that she had ever worn clothes outside of her sect''s attire was when she fought against evil forces alongside the founder of this shop. At the time, she had donned this exact dress, and in the wake of that battle, this style of dress had taken the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent by storm, with countless female cultivators and wealthy young maidens willing to throw their money at any tailor capable of stitching together such a dress.


    "Howughable is it that this shop is still unwilling to remove this screen? If Su Jia were to see this in person, I think she''d be so embarrassed that she''d dig a hole for herself and crawl into it!" a young woman scoffed.


    In the crowd was a young Qi refiner who had been an admirer of Su Jia for many years, and he had been reining in his temper this entire time, but was finally unable to suppress his fury any longer. "No matter what has be of Celestial Maiden Su, she''s still a pure and pristine immortal! None of you have any right to badmouth her! Let''s see you say the same thing to her face!"


    A middle-aged man retorted with a sly grin, "Before Su Jia had her Dao heartpletely obliterated by that disciple of Li Tuanjing''s, I would''ve been d to even lick the bottom of her shoe, but now... I don''t mean to boast, but if she were to appear before me right now, I would have the courage to squeeze her cheek and wrap my arm around her waist, and what a soft and supple waist that would be..."


    The young Qi refiner was so enraged that he began trembling, and he yelled, "Who could''ve possibly given birth to someone as vile and disgusting as you?"


    "Who? My parents, of course!" the man replied in apletely shameless manner.


    The young cultivators clenched his fists tightly in fury as he glowered intently at the middle-aged man.


    The man''s sly grin grew even wider as he provoked, "What, you wanna beat me to death? Do it! If you kill someone here, not only will you be punished, your sect will also be held ountable. If you really admire Su Jia that much, then surely that''s a small price for you to pay! If you don''t beat me to death, then I''m going to feel up Celestial Maiden Su Jia on that screen to my heart''s content!"


    The middle-aged man stuck out his head as he spoke, challenging the young cultivator to hit him, and thetter could only walk away with a deted expression.


    The man immediately burst into mockingughter. "What a pathetic little runt! Don''t go running your mouth if you can''t back it up! Hey, don''t go! Look, I''m feeling up Su Jia right now! Oh, her cheeks are so soft and smooth! What a pretty littless she is! Celestial Maiden Su my arse! She''s nothing more than a pitiful little wretch with her sword heart shattered! The next time you see her might just be in a brothel!"


    The young cultivator quickly departed, not wishing to listen to the man''s infuriating taunts any longer.


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to the bickering outside as he made his way into the shop, then purchased two sets of the most ordinary clothes for thirty taels of silver. This was actually a renowned shop that was doing extremely well for itself in the southern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and was only one of the shop''s hundreds of branches.


    Even so, it took only a rough nce for aplete novice like Chen Ping''an to determine that the shop''s most prized piece of merchandise, a certain robe, possessed defensive properties that weren''t inferior to Chu Hao''s suit of Divine Dewbearing Armor.


    Even after Chen Ping''an had emerged from the shop, the man was still there. A new group of bystanders had gathered around him, among which there were both men and women, and they were standing in front of the screen. Most of the men had wistful looks in their eyes, while the women were more than happy to see Su Jia''s downfall, thereby creating a rather stark contrast in attitudes.


    The middle-aged man was going through his spiel once again, and hearing him speak about Su Jia in such a vulgar fashion was a very cathartic experience for all of the envious women gathered around him. Even though they knew that he was a scumbag, upon learning that he was the shopkeeper of the neighboring shop, they still suggested to their malepanions to pay the shop a visit.


    The men were naturally vehemently opposed to this, and instead of visiting his shop, they wanted nothing more than to beat the man senseless!


    While it was true that the man was very muchcking in morality, he was a shrewd businessman, and the more people gathered around him, the more scathing his insults of Su Jia became. The women around him were also quite clever. They didn''t want to make themselves look bad, so they never agreed with what the man was saying.


    Instead, they would rebuke him here and there, making it appear as if they were against him, but in reality, they were just fanning the mes. The man was naturally more than happy to oblige, and his insults became more and more vile by the second, much to the tion of the women, who were ncing at their malepanions out of the corners of their eyes, as if they were gloating: "See how far your beloved Su Jia has fallen? Do you still admire her now?"


    The man was bing more and more animated, and emboldened by the indirect support he was receiving from these women, he made his way over to the screen, then waved his hand back and forth over it to simte pping the life-like visage of Su Jia on it while continuing to hurl more insults at her.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but think of how Liu Baqiao was back at the small town while speaking of Su Jia.


    Out of all of the outsiders who had entered Jewel Small World in search of opportunities and treasures, Liu Baqiao was the one of the few people who had left a positive impression on Chen Ping''an.


    The thing that moved Chen Ping''an the most about Liu Baqiao wasn''t his status as a prodigious swordsman of Wind Lightning Field, nor was it the masculine pride that he always spoke with when talking about how someday, he was going to make Su Jia marry him of her own volition.


    Someone had then raised an unexpected question: <em>"What if Su Jia really does set aside the differences between your two sects and fall in love with you someday? What will you do then?"</em>


    The question had left Liu Baqiaopletely stumbled, and in the end, he had mumbled a response. <em>"How could she possibly fall in love with me?"</em>


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but be reminded of himself upon hearing this response.


    For the sake of Liu Baqiao''s pure and devoted love for Su Jia, Chen Ping''an decided that he had to do something. Thus, he made his way over to the screen and began to stare at the middle-aged man.


    The man was just about to take the women around him to visit his shop, only for Chen Ping''an to suddenly appear in his way, and a disgruntled look appeared on his face as he asked, "What the hell are you looking at?"


    "I''m looking at you," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "Oh yeah? Keep looking at me if you dare!" the man threatened.


    "I will," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Even the young women who sorely detested Su Jia couldn''t help but be amused by this exchange, and they were quite interested to see what was going to happen next.


    The sect that the women hade from was quite close to Sun Scorch Mountain, so they would often catch glimpses of the mountain from afar, and it stood like an insurmountable monolith in their eyes.


    When it came to the prized jewel of Sun Scorch Mountain, she was greatly admired by all of the men in their sect, who refused to allow anyone to speak ill of their goddess. It was only now that Su Jia had fallen from grace and they were far away from their sect that they were able to vent some of their longstanding and deep-rooted envy.


    A furious look appeared on the man''s face. "Do you have a death wish?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    "Then what the hell are you doing, standing here like an idiot?!" the man yelled. "I''ll have you know that my family has been doing business here for generations, and I know more powerful immortals than the number of meals you''ve had in your life!"


    In response to the man''s tant threats, Chen Ping''an suddenly replied, "Liu Baqiao of Wind Lightning Field likes Su Jia."


    The man was very much taken aback to hear this, and was momentarily at a loss for words.


    "I know Liu Baqiao," Chen Ping''an continued.


    The man took a nce at the sword case on Chen Ping''an''s back as he gulped nervously, while Chen Ping''an concluded, "If I run into Liu Baqiao someday, I''ll tell him about what you''ve said and done here."

 Chapter 250: (2): From the Northernmost Point to the Southernmost Point

    Chapter 250: (2): From the Northernmost Point to the Southernmost Point


    The man immediately reverted back to his furious facade as he scoffed, "Who are you trying to fool? A little runt like you knows Liu Baqiao of Wind Lightning Field? I know the sect master of Divine Edict Sect, but does he know me?"


    "I don''t know if he knows you, but I''m certain that Liu Baqiao knows me," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "Piss off," the man scoffed with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Quit standing here, spouting nonsense and hampering my business!"


    "There are flying sword mail services at the ferry station, right?" Chen Ping''an asked. After thinking for a second, he continued, "Forget it, I''ll just look for one myself."


    At this point, the man was starting to feel a little fearful, and he intentionally ignored Chen Ping''an as he led the group of men and women to his shop.


    After that, Chen Ping''an really did go to a flying sword mail service. It was situated in a ry station at the end of the street, and for the price of ten snowke coins, he sent Liu Baqiao a letter, giving him a brief recount of what he had seen and heard here.


    As for whether Liu Baqiao would toss the letter away after receiving it, or immediately spring into action and descend upon this ce in a thunderous rage, that wasn''t something for him to worry about.


    There were some things that he had to do, or it wouldn''t sit right with him.


    Having said that, there were also some things that he wasn''t able to do anything about, no matter how much it pained him, such as the Kun ship crash.


    After informing the people at the ry station of the receiver and the address that he was sending the letter to, everyone at the ry station immediately began to regard Chen Ping''an with rather strange expressions.


    At the same time, they became much more respectful in the way that they spoke to and treated him, and someone was even sent to escort Chen Ping''an out of the ry station before asking him whether he needed a guide to the ferry station, to which Chen Ping''an gave a negative response before departing on his own.


    Chen Pingan felt better after leaving the ry station. Back in Jewel Small World, Liu Baqiao had carried himself in a ratherckadaisical fashion, and he had even joked around about the idea of bing brothers with Chen Ping''an, but as it turned out, he was quite a formidable figure in the outside world, the point that even the flying sword mail service here had heard of him.


    The ferry station where the Mutton Fat Hall''s ship was docked was hovering in mid-air on a tall mountain face, and a winding boardwalk had been chiseled into the mountain face, leading up to the ferry station. While walking up the boardwalk, Chen Ping''an spotted many ships that were already hovering in the air outside of the mountain face, and white clouds were drifting through the sky beneath them.


    These ships were quite simr in style to the ships of Water Combing Nation, but they were somehow able to fly. Chen Ping''an was waiting to board the ship on the boardwalk beside the Mutton Fat Hall''s ferry station. A huge cave had been chiseled out here, with only a few merchant stalls set up inside. Chen Ping''an sat down by himself on a bench crafted out of an old tree root, having a meal of dry biscuit washed down with his newly purchased wine.


    At noon sharp, a ship descended out of the clouds in a smooth and stable fashion before drawing to a halt at the ferry station.


    Chen Ping''an boarded the ship with the rest of the passengers. This trip to Old Dragon City was only scheduled to take around twenty-five days toplete as the Mutton Fat Hall''s ship was capable of traveling far faster by air than the ships sailing through the dragon channel. On top of that, it didn''t need to make any stops along the way.


    It was only a two-story ship, and Chen Ping''an was staying in a room on the first floor, which was slightly more spacious, but had no balcony. The ship began to ascend, passing through the sea of clouds, and Chen Ping''an opened the window to find a stunning view outside. Hanging above him was the bright sun, while a sea of clouds could be seen down below, resembling an undting golden mountain range under the sun''s warm radiance.


    Chen Ping''an inscribed a calming talisman and a cleansing talisman once again, then continued his fist technique practice.


    Over the course of the journey, there were stormy nights, stunning sunrises, and days where there was no cloud in sight.


    This time, Chen Ping''an was taking his walking meditation slower than before, and he would asionally open the window to appreciate the scenery outside during his practice.


    One day, when the journey was nearing its end, a sword immortal arrived atop his flying sword. At the time, the ship just so happened to have emerged from a cloud. The young sword immortal was trailing along directly behind it, traveling at such an astonishing speed that even some of the Qi refiners of the Middle Five Tiers on the ship were left in awe.


    The sword immortal quickly caught up to the ship, carving a wide path through the cloud behind him.


    Right as he reached the front of the ship, he drew to an abrupt halt, then gently leaped down from his flying sword onto the deck of the ship. He slid his sword back into its scabbard in a graceful fashion, and someone from the Mutton Fat Hall immediately approached him with a warm greeting, making no mention of the fact that it was against the rules for someone to board the ship mid-journey.


    As it turned out, this was a very wise decision on behalf of the old man; even though the young swordsman haad broken the rules, he wasn''t an unreasonable or aggressive individual. Instead, he had a warm smile as he dered his own identity, then produced of twenty snowke coins without even being requested to do so.


    The swordsman was none other than Liu Baqiao of Wind Lightning Field.


    The old master of Wind Lightning Field, Li Tuanjing, had been renowned as the most formidable 10th tier cultivator, and had dominated Sun Scorch Mountain on his own for centuries.


    Even though it was rumored that Li Tuanjing had already passed away at the end of the recent battle that had taken ce between the two sects, he had shattered the formation of True Martial Mountain with a single swing of his sword, an absolutely astonishing feat of power.


    On top of that, Li Tuanjing''s final disciple, Huang He, had burst onto the scene in stunning fashion, disying an aptitude that wasn''t inferior in the slightest to a young Li Tuanjing. Su Jia of Sun Scorch Mountain had been no match for him, and the scene where Huang He had trodden upon her Sword Nurturing Gourd while shey unconscious at his feet was one that had been deeply imprinted into the memories of everyone present at the time.


    After Huang He took over as the master of Wind Lightning Field, Liu Baqiao was also able to easily make a breakthrough. In fact, it was said that his progress was so rapid that he had almost broken through two tiers in session.


    After informing the old man that he was here to find someone, Liu Baqiao made his way to Room 11 on the first floor and knocked on the door.


    Chen Ping''an was still focused on his fist technique practice, and even though he had sensed the aura fluctuations in the cloud behind the ship, he still continued with his practice without pause. It was amon urrence for immortals to fly past the ship atop their flying swords, so Chen Ping''an hadn''t thought much of it.


    Hence, he was very much taken aback to see the familiar grinning face of Liu Baqiao upon opening his door.


    Liu Baqiao entered the room, then sat down onto the bed after Chen Ping''an closed the door. He noticed the pair of talismans that Chen Ping''an had inscribed, and he jibed, "You''re a rich man now, Chen Ping''an."


    It was only because it was Liu Baqiao that Chen Ping''an hadn''t stowed the talismans away before inviting the visitor inside.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and offered no response to Liu Baqiao''s jibes, and he leaned against the windowsill, leaving the whole bed for Liu Baqiao.


    Liu Baqiao got into a morefortable sitting position as he said, "Man oh man, was it exhausting chasing after this ship. I set off for the ferry station as soon as I received that letter that you sent to me from the Virtuous Maiden Ferry Station..."


    "You didn''t kill anyone, did you?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "I didn''t get a chance to do so," Liu Baqiao scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "As soon as that bastard heard that I''m Liu Baqiao, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to me. On the way there, I was nning to give him a good beating, but I didn''t even get to do that.


    In the end, I bought the screen from the neighboring shop and put it away in my pocket treasure. After that, I asked around everywhere before I finally found out that you were traveling on this ship, and here I am now."


    "What do you need from me?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Why are you sure that I need something from you? Can''t I just pay you a visit for old time''s sake?" Liu Baqiao asked.


    "In that case, why would you chase me all this way?" Chen Ping''an countered.


    A sheepish look appeared on Liu Baqiao''s face as he sighed, "You''re so boring. You haven''t changed at all since back when you were in Jewel Small World."


    Chen Ping''an thought about it for a moment, then decided against asking Liu Baqiao about Su Jia. He presumed that Liu Baqiao had been present during the three battles on True Martial Mountain, and it definitely wouldn''t have felt good for him to see Su Jia suffer such a cruel fate, so Chen Ping''an didn''t want to open an old wound.


    He also considered asking Liu Baqiao whether he had managed to sessfully acquire that talismanic sword from the capital city of the Great Li Empire, but he then realized that this was a confidential matter that concerned Liu Baqiao''s pursuit of the Great Dao, so he refrained from asking that question as well.


    In the end, he could only ask the most nd question on his mind. "Do you really not need anything from me?"


    "I''m just here to pay you a visit," Liu Baqiao re-emphasized in an exasperated manner. "After I came back from the capital city of the Great Li Empire and returned to Jewel Small World, I discovered that you weren''t there anymore. I heard that you set off on a journey to Great Sui Nation, and after that, our Wind Lightning Field and the Sun Scorch Mountain...


    Anyway, I was busy the entire time after that. You may think that I''m just azy guy who does nothing all day, but I actually only recently came out of seclusion. After consolidating my cultivation base, I was really bored, and I just so happened to receive your letter by flying sword, so I decided to meet up with you and confirm our brotherhood..."


    Liu Baqiao''s excessively friendliness was something that Chen Ping''an struggled to cope with, so he didn''t respond.


    A resentful look appeared in Liu Baqiao''s eye as he put on an effeminate demeanor, pointing a finger at Chen Ping''an as he said in a high-pitched voice, "How could you be so cold and heartless, Young Master? Back in your hometown, we reveled in each other''spany, yet now, you cast me aside like an old rag..."


    Chen Ping''an crossed his arms in an expressionless manner as he sat down onto the window sill.


    Liu Baqiao could try and disgust him all he wanted, but he wasn''t going to budge. In the end, this was going to be a battle of attrition.


    Liu Baqiao was the first to admit defeat, heaving a faint sigh as he said, "I knew you wouldn''t have changed one bit since west met. Right now, all of the swordsmen across Eastern Treasured Vial Continent are astonished by my aptitude, and I''ve already been singled out as someone who will be sure to reach the Upper Five Tiers in the future. Are you not aware of this?"


    "I was only recently made aware of that," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile. "As soon as the people at the ry station heard that I was writing a letter to you, they immediately became much more polite and respectful, and they even sent someone to escort me to the door as I left.


    Even after I left, they asked whether I needed a guide, and they were extremely hospitable to me, as if I were some type of important figure. That was the first time I''d ever been treated like that, haha!"


    Liu Baqiao was rather perplexed by Chen Ping''an''s reaction to this.


    <em>What''s he so happy about? Is he this cheerful just because he had received some special treatment for knowing me? </em>


    However, it didn''t take long for Liu Baqiao to figure out why Chen Ping''an was so happy.


    He was happy just because his friend was doing well.


    This was a very simple reason, but the world was often tooplex a ce for such simple reasoning. There were far too many clever people, or people who thought themselves to be clever, and in particr, after interacting with too many scheming cultivators, one often became unable to wrap their head around the simple things.


    Even after almost consecutively progressing up two tiers, Liu Baqiao hadn''t been all that ted, but at this moment, he couldn''t help but be put in a good mood, infected by Chen Ping''an''s simple and pure joy.


    Liu Baqiao couldn''t help but wonder how he would feel in the same situation.


    If he had a friend who was doing better than he was, so much better, in fact, that he would never be able to catch up to them in this lifetime, would he be able to feel the same sense of joy for them?


    Liu Baqiao was very pleased with his own answer to this question, and he became even more convinced that he and Chen Ping''an were meant to be brothers.


    After that, Liu Baqiao didn''t stick around for much longer. After he came out of seclusion, Huang He, the newly instated Wind Lightning Field Master, had forcibly assigned him with an official post, so he still had many duties left to take care of. Having said that, all he really had to do was pass on these duties to the old men who were far better at taking care of these tasks than he was.


    With that in mind, he rose to his feet with a smile, then asked, "Are you short on money at all? I have a few dozen lesser heat coins with me, I can lend them to you if you need."


    Only a wealthy and prodigious swordsman like him would be able to throw around the notion of lending out a few dozen lesser heat coins as if they were only a few dozen taels of silver.


    Chen Ping''an jumped down from the window sill as he replied with a shake of his head, "There''s no need for that."


    A serious look appeared on Liu Baqiao''s face as he said, "Alright, then I''m going now. Next time you return to Jewel Small World, make sure to remember toe visit me at Wind Lightning Field. Otherwise I''ll..."


    He adopted the same effeminate demeanor from before as he concluded, "Be so heartbroken that I''ll drop dead!"


    "If you keep talking like that, then I''d rather die before I go to visit you in Wind Lightning Field," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Liu Baqiao burst intoughter, but there was still a hint of weariness and frailty in his eyes, clearly indicating that he was yet to recover from seeing what had be of Su Jia.


    He turned to depart, but right as he arrived at the door, he suddenly recalled something and turned around again as he said, "By the way, I have a really good friend over at Old Dragon City. He''s a trustworthy guy, so if you need any help, but the flying sword mail service isn''t going to be fast enough, then you can go to him. His name is Sun Jiashu, and he''s the second-richest guy in Old Dragon City. I once mentioned you in a letter that I sent to him, so all you have to do is dere your name, and he''ll definitely be willing to meet you. On top of that, I''m certain that you two will get along."


    "Sounds good," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "There''s no need to escort me to the door. If you''re too hospitable, it''ll make us seem distant. We''ll have plenty of opportunities to meet again in the future anyway," Liu Baqiao said, and to his shock, Chen Ping''an really did remain at the window sill, disying no intention of escorting him to the door.


    He couldn''t help but shake his head with a resigned smile upon seeing this, and after closing the door, he didn''t immediately fly away atop his flying sword. Instead, he made his way over to the elderly Qi refiner of the Mutton Fat Hall who was supervising this ship, and only after chatting with the old man for a while did he finally depart.


    On the day before the ship arrived at Old Dragon City, the passengers were treated to an extremely rare sight of flying fish leaping out of the sea and soaring into the sky. Millions of flying fish with vibrant and colorful wings were flying through the air, and the ship drew to a halt for an hour to allow the passengers to take in this marvelous spectacle.


    Furthermore, an exnation for this spectacle was provided. As it turned out, these flying fish were called Rainbow Phoenix Fish, and they were holding this ceremony to celebrate one of their brethren sessfully developing a pair of true Rainbow Phoenix Wings, an extremely rare and momentous asion.


    However, the people of the Mutton Fat Hall also warned everyone not to try and capture that flying fish that had just attained its Rainbow Phoenix Wings. Otherwise, they ran the risk of provoking the entire school of fish, and that would almost certainly lead to the ship''s demise. Unless a Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier immortal could swoop in to protect the ship, then it would undoubtedly be torn apart by the scorned flying fish.


    Everyone was then reassured that Rainbow Phoenix Fish had very kind and gentle natures, and that they didn''t fear humans. Instead, whenever they sprang out of the sea to soar through the heavens, they often liked to approach humans, so the passengers had nothing to fear, even though the entire ship had been surrounded by these flying fish.


    Furthermore, they could even take this opportunity to try and capture a few of these flying fish as pets, and that would serve as an unexpected bonus for the passengers of the ship.


    Even Chen Ping''an had emerged from his room for this rare spectacle, and he couldn''t help but be mesmerized by the stunningly beautiful sight of the countless Rainbow Phoenix Fish soaring freely through the heavens.


    He leaned on the railing of the ship as he took sips of wine out of his gourd, and sure enough, the school of Rainbow Phoenix Fish began to slowly approach the ship. As they did so, all of them slowed down in unison, and some of the more curious and adventurous ones among them were voluntarily flying closer to the passengers on the ship.


    If someone were to reach out with their hand, most of the fish would immediately fly away, but there were also some that chose to draw even closer instead, and some would evennd on the outstretched hands extended toward them.


    Chen Ping''an had actually already heard of these fish as it was said that the revered rainbow robe of the Spiritual Horn Force, thergest cultivating sect in Colorful Garment Nation, had been woven using the wings that a Rainbow Phoenix Fish had managed to attain.


    The wearer of the rainbow robe was granted protection to all mystical abilities, and what was most incredible about this robe was that all flying swords belonging to swordsmen of the Middle Five Tiers would retreat on their own upon drawing close to the wearer of the robe.


    Chen Ping''an also reached out with one hand like many others on the ship, but not a single one of the flying fish was willing to approach him.


    Thus, he could only sheepishly withdraw his hand and drown his sorrows with more wine.


    Before long, the ship resumed its southbound journey, and as it docked itself at the Old Dragon City ferry station, Chen Ping''an had finallypleted the journey from the northernmost point of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to its southernmost point.

 Chapter 251: Old Dragon City

    Chapter 251: Old Dragon City


    Throughout the thousands of years that Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had been in existence, there had been countless emperors in the north, but in the south, the Fu n had remained the dominant force this entire time.


    The Fu n of Old Dragon City was very wealthy. How wealthy, you ask? The n had as many as three immortal tools that were only slightly inferior to celestial tools, and all of them had been purchased with money. These immortal tools had been passed down from generation to generation, and they were currently in the possession of the n leader, Fu Qi.


    Apparently, the Fu n had only just returned from a trip to Middle Earth Divine Continent, and they had secured another pseudo-celestial tool, and it didn''t appear as if they were going to stop adding to their collection anytime soon.


    The Fu n had no shortage of interesting people and traditions. For example, they never embellished their genealogical record, and the names of the n''s descendants were never given ording to any type of naming convention. Furthermore, women were held in extremely high regard in the n, and there were too many female n leaders in the n''s history to count on two hands.


    The members of the Fu n could read, purchase, and collect books, and some of their private collections contained some of the rarest and most valuable pieces on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but they weren''t permitted to take part in the imperial examination, nor did they ever serve as officials under any emperor. Even if one were to do nothing with their life, the n leader would be more than happy to support them.


    Hence, many exceptionally talented figures had emerged from the Fu n in the past, excelling in all types of fields such as go, calligraphy, painting, and music. There were also members of the Fu n who had written the most ssic recipes, published a travel journal that had received vast acim and renown across the entire continent, and purchased countless mountains in the vast northern region of the continent, only to leave them there,pletely abandoned.


    There had been countless strange and incredible individuals in the history of the Fu n, but the n had one rule that was set in stone, which was that only the most powerful figure of the n could wear the Old Dragon Robe.


    The ferry station that the Mutton Fat Hall''s ship had docked at was close to 200 kilometers away from Old Dragon City, and it wasn''t exactly in a secluded location. Close to 100 ships of all descriptions had docked here, and the ferry station was packed with people and teeming withmotion.


    There were inanimate ships crafted by Mohist artisans, as well as living ships that were simr to Kun ships, and Chen Ping''an was amazed by everything that he saw while the ship that he was on descended out of the sky.


    Before the ship arrived at the ferry station, Chen Ping''an had heard that for the mortals who lived in Old Dragon City, one could spend their entire life exploring the city without seeing everything that it had to offer.


    While the ship was still airborne, Chen Ping''an had attempted to catch a glimpse of the entirety of the city, but unfortunately, his efforts were thwarted by a sea of clouds in the way. Due to Liu Baqiao''s visit, the elderly supervisor of the Mutton Fat Hall on the ship had been keeping a close eye on Chen Ping''an, and he approached Chen Ping''an to exin to him that this sea of clouds was a pseudo-celestial tool of Old Dragon City.


    If one were to look up at the sky from the city, they wouldn''t be able to see a single cloud. On top of that, the old man also told Chen Ping''an a breathtaking legend.


    It was said that sometime around 800 years ago, an army of close to 1,000 evil cultivators had stormed into Old Dragon City. There had been two earth immortals among their ranks, as well as ten Golden Core Tier Qi refiners. This group of formidable figures had plotted in secret for close to a century in order to orchestrate the downfall of Old Dragon City.


    Their n was extremely meticulous, and they had made their move during a period of uncertainty in the wake of the old city lord''s passing, just prior to the assignment of a new city lord. The Fu n was already severely worn down due to infighting as the n''s factions fought tooth and nail to secure the position of city lord, and a battle that was particrly worthy of note had taken ce between two of the patriarchs of the n.


    Each of them had wielded a pseudo-celestial tool during the battle, and even with so many restrictions and formations protecting the city, half of the city was still razed to the ground during the course of their battle.


    In this dire situation, a female Qi refiner emerged, seemingly out of nowhere. It seemed that she had been taking a nap in the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City, and when she appeared, she took a nce at the severely ravaged Old Dragon City down below, then turned a disinterested gaze toward the 1,000 or so Qi refiners who had stormed into the city.


    After that, she casually reached out with one hand, and the vast sea of clouds was condensed into a tiny bead that fell into her grasp. She then tossed the bead into her mouth before letting loose an almighty sneeze, and thousands of tornadoes instantly took shape above the southern sea before sweeping toward the north.


    Among the group of demonic Qi refiners who had descended upon Old Dragon City, all of the ones in the Lower Five Tiers were wiped out by these ferocious winds, and close to half of the ones in the Middle Five Tiers were also eradicated. All of the survivors immediately fled in a blind panic, and after the unrest in the Fu n was quelled, they sent out people to hunt down these surviving demonic cultivators for an entire century.


    Chen Ping''an waspletely bbergasted by what he had heard.


    At the conclusion of his story, the old man asked with an amused smile, "Do you not believe me, Young Master?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. Of course he didn''t! How could there possibly be anyone under the heavens who wielded such almighty power that they could kill so many cultivators of the Middle Five Tiers with just a single sneeze?


    The old man stroked his beard with a smile as he said, "To be honest, I don''t believe the story, either. Even if the Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen of Divine Edict Sect were to join forces with the sword immortals and Sages of Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain to unleash a collective strike, surely it still wouldn''t be so devastating.


    I can only specte that the story was embellished over time and became more and more far-fetched with each passing iteration. Then again, a story would hardly be worth telling if it wasn''t so exaggerated and embellished."


    After bidding farewell to the old man, Chen Ping''an disembarked from the ship and he was instantly greeted by the sight of tall buildings that stretched as far as the eyes could see, as well as streets so wide that he could scarcely believe his own eyes. Despite how spacious the streets were, they were stillpletely packed, and Chen Ping''an was quickly developing a headache as he struggled his way through the crowd.


    At this point, he hadn''t even made it into the city yet, and he had no idea how was supposed to track down the Dust Medicinal Shop where Zheng Dafeng was working. While chatting with the old man from the Mutton Fat Hall earlier, Chen Ping''an had asked him about Stctite Mountain, wondering if he could get there on an intercontinental ship, but the old man had beenpletely stumped.


    Of course, he had heard of Stctite Mountain, given its resounding reputation. The fact that a Daoist Branch Master from another world had hammered such a massive nail into Majestic World was both an extraordinary feat and a tant act of disrespect toward all of the sages whose statues were worshiped in the Confucian temples.


    However, the old man had never heard of any ships from the ferry station in Old Dragon City that could travel to Stctite Mountain. In fact, the old man didn''t even know Stctite Mountain''s exact location. The extent of his knowledge was that it was quite close to Southern Whirl Continent.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an had no idea where to go after disembarking from the ship, and he would just have to take things one step at a time. First and foremost, he was going to focus onpleting the journey of close to 200 kilometers to reach Old Dragon City. On the way there, he made sure to frequently ask for directions to ensure that he didn''t stray off the correct path, and he quickly noticed that there were no pedestrians walking down the center of the streets.


    Instead, those parts of the streets were upied entirely by carriages and mounted steeds. There were carriages drawn by horses and various other types of beasts, as well as people riding atop steeds such as tigers, serpents, tortoises, and cranes. Even though all of them were Qi refiners, everyone was traveling in a very orderly fashion with no one daring to barge ahead.


    Old Man Yang, Cui Chan''s grandfather, and Wei Bo had all advised him that it was best for him to reach the fourth tier before he got on the ship from Old Dragon City to Stctite Mountain. Hence, prior to that, Chen Ping''an was in no hurry to continue his journey.


    However, for some reason, as soon as he set foot in the territory of Old Dragon City, he was struck by a burning desire to get to Stctite Mountain as soon as possible, and whether he reached the fourth tier or not before that no longer mattered all that much to him.


    Having already traveled the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent from the north to the south, he hadpleted a journey of millions of kilometers, yet not once during the course of this journey had felt such an intense sense of urgency.


    Hence, he made his way over to what appeared to be a ry station on the side of the street, and in aplete departure from his normal stingy ways, he spent ten snowke coins to hire a carriage drawn by a pair of majestic white horses. The coach driver wasn''t the typical sturdy young man. Instead, it was a young girl with above-average looks and a naturally refreshing disposition.


    She wasn''t shy or reserved at all, and after Chen Ping''an got onto the carriage, she suggested for him to sit beside her so that she could introduce to him some of the renowned shops that lined the streets along the way, as well what wares were sold in these shops.


    She had grown up her entire life in the ferry station outside Old Dragon City, so she was very familiar with the area, and she assured Chen Ping''an that he wouldn''t regret having her as his coach driver.


    The carriage slowly trundled through the crowd, but as soon as it reached the central area of the street, it immediately elerated under the young girl''s whip, racing toward the western gate of Old Dragon City alongside all of the other carriages around it.


    Chen Ping''an was seated behind the young girl, having his usual meal of dry biscuit, but this time, he refrained from drinking as he had stowed his Sword Nurturing Gourd away into the cloth pouch on his back prior to disembarking from the ship.


    Wei Bo had once warned him that cultivators above the Golden Core and Nascent Tiers were able to see through the illusion that he had cast and recognized the Sword Nurturing Gourd, so it was best to keep it concealed as a safety precaution.


    The young girl was very chatty and outgoing, and she seemed to never run out of things to say, giving Chen Ping''an brief rundowns out the history of all of the shops and tall buildings that they passed by, as well as which powerful immortals resided in those buildings and what notable feats these immortals had aplished.


    In some other parts of the continent, even fifth tier demons were referred to as great demons, yet here in Old Dragon City, Chen Ping''an felt like he had finally found a ce where immortals of the Middle Five Tiers were just asmon as they were back in the small town.


    Chen Ping''an asked the girl if she had heard of the Dust Medicinal Shop, to which she replied that she hadn''t. She told Chen Ping''an that she hadn''t actually seen all that much of Old Dragon City as it was far too massive, and it was split up into the outer city, the inner city, and the Fu city.


    For outsiders, a hefty entrance fee had to be paid in order to pass through each city gate, and that fee applied even to Golden Core and Nascent Tier cultivators. Hence, she had only been to the outer city of Old Dragon City a few times, and after each trip, her money pouch was sure to bepletely deted.


    However, for members of the Fu n and any of the city''s other five major ns, not only were they exempt from this entrance fee, they could even fly through the inner and outer cities as they pleased.


    Of course, if one had the resources and connections required to purchase an Old Dragon Cloud-flipping Pendant, then they could also fly through the entire city without any constraints, with the exception of the Fu city. The young girl then asked Chen Ping''an to guess how much an Old Dragon Cloud-flipping Pendant cost.


    Chen Ping''an made as high of a guess as he could possiblyprehend, a guess of 1,000 snowke coins, equivalent to a million taels of silver.


    The young girl immediately burst intoughter, then turned around and extended a hand toward him, sying all five of her fingers apart as she dered, "Try 5,000!"


    Chen Ping''an was astonished by this answer, but his astonishment was outweighed by the panic of seeing the young girl turn around to face him, and he hurriedly urged, "Please focus on driving the carriage."


    The young girl chuckled with amusement as she turned back around, then raised her chin in a proud manner as she dered, "I don''t mean to brag, Young Master, but even if I let go of the reins and close my eyes, this carriage will still be able to make it all the way to the western city gate without a hitch. I''m only pretending to drive diligently so my customers don''t grow concerned."


    "Don''t just pretend," Chen Ping''an protested in a feeble voice.


    "Alright, I''ll make sure to be extra diligent just for you," the young woman chuckled.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but be infected by her cheerful mood, and a smile appeared on his face as well. A light breeze was caressing his cheeks as he turned to look at the thriving streets around him.


    Strangely enough, even though he had regrly been exposed to the elements during this southbound journey, his skin had somehow be a little fairer, and hisplexion no longer resembled the color of the coals that he had worked with back in the dragon kilns.


    Perhaps the young girl had eyes on the back of her head, but she somehow seemed to be aware that Chen Ping''an was inspecting the surrounding scenery. She took advantage of this opportunity to turn around, then quickly turned back to face forward again, sneaking a furtive nce at the side profile of Chen Ping''an''s face in between.


    He wasn''t particrly handsome, but he was quite nice to look at.


    "You''re quite good-looking, Young Master," the girl chuckled.


    Chen Ping''an''s mood had been buoyed by the girl''s cheerful disposition, and he cracked a rare joke as he asked, "If I let you take a few more looks at me, can you give me a discount of one snowke coin?"


    The fact that Chen Ping''an was capable of making such a joke at all was a clear indication that bad influences like A''Liang, Xu Yuanxia, and Liu Baqiao had rubbed off on him.


    The young girl smiled as she replied, "No can do! From the ry station to the city gate and back is a trip of close to 300 kilometers, and I have to make ten of these trips to earn a single snowke coin."


    "That sounds like quite a hard job," Chen Ping''an sympathized.


    "Not at all," the young girl disagreed with a firm shake of her head. "I''ve always really liked running around all over the city, so I really enjoy this job. Even if I can buy my own shop in the future and end up earning a ton of money, I''ll still drive my own carriage around. In doing so, I''ll be able to meet lots and lots of people, just like you, Young Master."


    A slightly dejected look then appeared on her face as she sighed, "But all of the shops here are so expensive. I don''t think I''ll be able to save up enough money in this lifetime."


    "Oh well, life''s pretty great as it is!" the girl concluded, and she was instantly back to her usual cheerful self again.


    Chen Ping''an also smiled as he offered some words of encouragement, "Just keep working hard and take it one day at a time. Aim to be richer than you were yesterday, and tomorrow, aim to be richer than you are today!"


    The young girl was instantly reinvigorated, and she turned around to give Chen Ping''an a bright smile.


    Due to his previous run-in with Fu Nanhua, Chen Ping''an had a very negative impression of Old Dragon City, one that wasn''t much better than his impression of Sun Scorch Mountain.


    However, he was genuinely fond of this cheerful girl from the bottom of his heart. Of course, there was no romantic affection. Instead, he felt like the girl was the personification of a sunflower, and he really liked to spend time with people like her. Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia also instilled him with the same sense of positivity.


    The young girl continued to introduce thendmarks in the city, while Chen Ping''an listened and observed.


    The time quickly flew by, and no more than two hourster, Chen Ping''an could already see the walls of Old Dragon City''s outer city. The walls were far taller than the walls of any city or pass that he had seen in the past, and right before the trip was about to conclude, Chen Ping''an asked, "By the way, do you know Sun Jiashu?"


    "Who?" the young girl swung around with a bewildered expression.


    "Sun Jiashu," Chen Ping''an repeated.


    The young girl immediately burst intoughter, and she was only able to contain her mirth once the carriage had drawn to a halt.


    All of a sudden, she rose to her feet and pointed a finger at the street behind her, then swept her arm through the air in a huge circle as she asked, "You see all of this, Young Master?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    A wide smile appeared on the girl''s face as he continued, "All of the shops that lined the street leading from the city gate all the way to the ferry station belong to him!"


    Chen Ping''an was astonished to hear this. "All of these shops belong to Sun Jiashu?"


    "That''s right! They all belong to Young Master Sun!" the young girl replied with a proud expression, as if she were the owner of these shops instead.


    She then lowered her voice and put on a mysterious expression as she continued, "I''ve heard from my boss that Young Master Sun is a really great guy. Even though he''s a fantastic businessman, he''s also an extremely kind person, and even the grouchiest old men I''vee across have never had anything bad to say about Young Master Sun and his seniors.


    Some years ago, there was a huge fire on this street, and close to 3,000 of the Sun n''s shops were burned down. At the time, Young Master Sun had only just be the n leader, and not only did he not aim to press charges and assign me, he helped everyone reconstruct their shops with money out of his own pocket!


    I''ve also heard many women say that Young Master Sun is extremely handsome, so he''s definitely the most handsome and most kind-hearted man in all of Old Dragon City!"


    The carriage was still a few hundred meters away from the city gate, and the entire street leading up to the city gate was packed with simr carriages. Right at this moment, a young man wearing a in white linen robe made his way out of the crowd before arriving beside the carriage that Chen Ping''an was on.


    The man was tall and very handsome, but he didn''t exude an air of superiority. Instead, there was a very clean and pure disposition about him, as if he were a refined and elegant schr who came from a highly educated family.


    There were many pedestrians rushing through the gaps between the carriages on either side of the street, and someone inadvertently bumped the man''s shoulder as he was passing by. The former hurriedly apologized, to which the man merely shook his head with a smile.


    The young girl turned to Old Dragon City with an absentminded look on her face as she murmured, "How could there be someone as great as Young Master Sun in this world?"


    Chen Ping''an had no response for this.


    The young man smiled as he cast his gaze toward Chen Ping''an and the young girl, then said to thetter, "Thanks for thepliment."


    "Compliment? Whatpliment?" the young girl asked as she turned to him with a perplexed expression.


    The young man offered no exnation as he turned to Chen Ping''an, then asked, "You''re Chen Ping''an, right? I''m Liu Baqiao''s friend. I received a letter by flying sword from Liu Baqiao not long ago, so I came here to wait for you."


    Speaking to someone from a vantage point was considered to be quite rude, so Chen Ping''an jumped down from the horse-drawn carriage, then asked, "Are you..."


    "That''s right, I''m Sun Jiashu," the man confirmed with a nod.


    The young girl heaved a sympathetic sigh. "How did you end up with the same name as Young Master Sun? That must really suck for you!"


    The young man remained silent with an amused smile on his face.


    The young girl bade farewell to Chen Ping''an, then turned her carriage around before departing.


    Chen Ping''an made his way toward the western city gate of Old Dragon City alongside Sun Jiashu, and as he did so, he couldn''t help but ask, "Sun... Young Master Sun, is it really true that you own this entire street?"


    Sun Jiashu made no attempt at modesty as he smiled and nodded in response. "During our Sun n''s heyday, the entirety of the outer city was ours. However, since that time, Old Dragon City has continued to expand, and our Sun n made several bad major business decisions, so we''re no longer as wealthy as the Fu n. Having said that, we''re still a very wealthy n."


    Chen Ping''an snuck a nce at Sun Jiashu to find that he wasn''t wearing any essories, and nothing about his attire hinted at his wealth at all.


    Sun Jiashu smiled as he asked, "Are you looking for an Old Dragon Cloud-flipping Pendant? No one in our Sun n owns such a thing. To be honest, many of us want to buy one, but we have a set of rules passed down from our ancestors prohibiting us from spending excessively on non-necessities, and those rules are pretty much set in stone, so I can''t go against them. It''s honestly a bit of a pain in the backside."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but didn''t seem to know where to start.


    "Do you want to ask if I can return those twenty snowke coins to you? I''m afraid the answer to that question will have to be no. In my books, friendship and business do not mix," Sun Jiashu said.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head as he said, "What I wanted to ask is, are we just going to walk all the way to your house? Old Dragon City is enormous, isn''t it?"


    Sun Jiashu remained silent as he observed Chen Ping''an with a smile on his face.


    Chen Ping''an sighed as he admitted, "Fine, I''ll admit that I wanted to ask you about the twenty snowke coins. If you''re not going to return the money, then just forget it."


    "No wonder Liu Baqiao told me that we would get along really well," Sun Jiashu chuckled.


    "Do people often call you stingy as well?" Chen Ping''an asked with a curious expression.


    Abination of amusement and exasperation appeared on Sun Jiashu''s face as he shook his head in response. "Liu Baqiao says that both of us are poor, but like to act like we''re rich."


    Chen Ping''an waspletely perplexed to hear this.


    How could someone like Sun Jiashu possibly be referred to as poor?


    "I have a rather unique ability that allows me to see the wealth that''s slipped through someone''s fingers," Sun Jiashu suddenly said.


    He then stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Chen Ping''an as he continued, "I can tell you now that thebined value of the things that you''ve given away is worth more than the entirety of Old Dragon City."


    Inside the inner city of Old Dragon City was a secluded alley, within which was a newly opened medicine shop. It was a tiny shop, but the male shopkeeper had hired seven or eight beautiful women, all of whom had one shared trait, which was the long and slender legs.


    The man did nothing butze around and flirt with his female employees all day long, seeminglypletely unconcerned about the shop''s business. On the surface, the women would all respond to his sexual approaches with shy and embarrassed expressions, but as soon as they turned around, they would roll their eyes in disgust.


    On this day, the man was sitting on a small stool at the entrance of the alley, munching on some sunflower seeds while watching the women that were passing by on the street with bright and attentive eyes.


    <em>I''ve hired some real beauties, but the grass really is always greener on the other side, </em>the man thought to himself.


    Right at this moment, another woman passed by right before his eyes. She was dressed in very bold and vibrant attire, and as for her appearance and figure... The fact that the man had already dropped his sunflower seeds to chase was a better description of her beauty than any words could manage.

 Chapter 252: (1): Clay Bodhisattva Crossing the River on a Sword

    Chapter 252: (1): y Bodhisattva Crossing the River on a Sword


    After submitting the entrance fee, Chen Ping''an and Sun Jiashu passed through a tunnel that seemed to stretch on for an eternity before they finally entered the city. From there, Sun Jiashu led Chen Ping''an onto a spacious horse-drawn carriage. The carriage was a littlerger than the average carriage, while the horses were also more well-trained than normal, but aside from that, there was nothing to suggest that the carriage belonged to a wealthy n.


    The coach driver was a serious-looking old man, and only after Chen Ping''an entered the carriage did hee to discover that there was more than met the eye. Inside the carriage were four white cushions, and there was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf fully stacked with books situated against the wall across the carriage''s curtain.


    There was also a copper incense burner in the carriage releasing faint wisps of fragrant purple smoke. Chen Ping''an and Sun Jiashu sat down across from each other, and Chen Ping''an was feeling rather ufortable, fearing that his straw sandals would dirty the carriage''s pristine interior.


    Sun Jiashu took a nce at Chen Ping''an''s straw sandals, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "Back when I was a little boy, my grandfather took me to travel everywhere in ordance with a tradition that''s been passed down in our n for generations. Before I turned eighteen, I went to a new ce virtually every year. I''ve worked as a shop employee, a fisherman, a farmer, a steward...


    All types of jobs were thrown my way. During those years, I also learned to weave straw sandals, but mine are very shoddy, they''re nowhere near as sturdy as yours."


    Sun Jiashu sat atop one of the cushions in the carriage with his legs crossed, and even though he was sitting in a very upright manner, he still exuded a casual air offort. He smiled and asked, "Would you care to take a guess at which piece of farm work I dreaded the most back then?"


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t a irvoyant or a mind-reader, so he was naturally unable to guess the answer to that question. Furthermore, in his eyes, Sun Jiashu was a very strange person. Even though they had only just met, the more time they spent together, the murkier his impression of Sun Jiashu became.


    Sun Jiashu smiled as he continued, "It was collecting mulberry leaves. I would toil away for hours to collect a full basket of leaves, only for my grandfather to gently press down onto the leaves, and an entire basket of leaves would instantly be reduced to only half full. I would fill the basket again, only for another gentle press to erase hours of hard work, and this cycle of repetition was one that filled me with despair.


    On top of that, each time I went up into the mountains, my legs would be cut up by all of the abrasive weeds and shrubs, creating a bunch of tiny gashes that would sting intensely when I began to sweat. In contrast, I much prefer beingtched onto by leeches while nting rice shoots in the rice paddy fields. My grandfather was a heavy smoker, and those leeches would fall off as soon as they were burned by my grandfather''s pipe."


    Chen Ping''an was very familiar with these struggles himself, and he replied, "Back home, those leeches were a real problem for me as I didn''t want to have to use any salt or vinegar on them. It would always take me a lot of time and effort to pull them out, and by the end, my legs would always be bleeding.


    Thankfully, there''s a type of grass that we call ''green maidens'' that grows by the rice paddy fields, and they''re really good for stopping bleeding. I haven''t seen them anywhere after leaving my hometown."


    Sun Jiashu smiled as he nodded in response. "Those who live in true poverty are often a bit rougher around the edges, but they also have a higher capacity for suffering. No matter how many of these jobs were assigned to me, at my core, I''m still acent young master from a wealthy n, so I still can''tpare with someone like you.


    When I first started traveling with my grandfather, I would constantly throw tantrums and demand to be taken back home. Thinking back now, if I were to have a grandson like myself, I definitely wouldn''t be able to treat him with the same degree of patience that my grandfather afforded me."


    "If such a day really doese, perhaps you''ll be different. Perhaps your personality will have mellowed out by then," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    Sun Jiashu was slightly taken aback, and nodded in response. "Perhaps so."


    One of them was a man who owned the entire street outside of Old Dragon City, while the other was a boy who had supposedly passed up things that were worth even more than the entire Old Dragon City, yet they were discussing these trivialities as if it were the most normal thing in the world.


    The carriage continued onward in a smooth and stable fashion, and even though smoke had been rising up from the incense burner this entire time, the carriage didn''t be filled with smoke. Instead, there was only a subtle and refreshing fragrance in the air.


    "With all of those shops that you have to manage, surely you''re losing a ton of money bying out all this way to meet me. You could''ve just sent someone else," Chen Ping''an said.


    Sun Jiashu shook his head in response. "Earning money is one thing, but how one spends their money is an entirely different matter. When I''m doing business, I have to be extremely meticulous, down to everyst copper coin, and I do work my backside off to earn money, but why do I do this? It''s precisely so that I don''t have to be stingy and pedantic when ites to making friends."


    "That makes a lot of sense!" Chen Ping''an said with an enlightened expression, and he had to fight back the urge to pull out one of the small bamboo slips in his pocket treasure and engrave what Sun Jiashu had just said upon it.


    Over the rest of the journey, the two of them thoroughly enjoyed each other''spany. Sun Jiashu told Chen Ping''an many stories from his past, and Chen Ping''an had always been a very good listener. As more time passed, his impression of Sun Jiashu began to rify again, and he determined that Sun Jiashu was a very rich yet easygoing person.


    Sun Jiashu never bragged about his wealth, nor did he feign excessive modesty to try and make others feel less intimidated. Instead, he acknowledged that he had more privileged financial circumstances than the vast majority of people, yet he still treated others as equals in spite of that.


    Chen Ping''an felt like this was what all wealthy people should aspire to be like.


    Some timeter, the carriage arrived somewhere in the countryside. The street had turned into a dirt road, so the carriage was trundling along in a rather bumpy fashion. Sun Jiashu could see that Chen Ping''an was a little perplexed by this, so he smiled and pulled up the curtain to reveal arge thicket of lush and vibrant reeds outside.


    As the carriage continued onward, a meadow of rapeseed flowers came into view, presenting a very pleasant sight to behold. The flowering period of rapeseed flowers should''ve already passed by long ago, but Chen Ping''an merely presumed that this was because the natural conditions in Old Dragon City were different from those of his hometown.


    "These are the ancestral grounds of our Sun n, and we''ve always tried to preserve its original appearance as much as possible so that we don''t disrupt the ancestral feng shui, as well as to pay homage to our ancestors," Sun Jiashu exined. "Whenever our Sun n receives esteemed guests such as powerful cultivators or high-ranking officials and emperors, we always take them to the Sun Manor in the inner city.


    It''s a very opulent ce that''s not inferior to the Fu n''s Old Dragon Manor. However, when ites to my true friends, I like to bring them here. Our Sun n''s ancestral residence is a few kilometers up ahead. It''s not a veryrge ce, but it''s very close to a river, so it''s great for fishing. I hope you''ll like it."


    "Of course I will, how could I not?" Chen Ping''an replied with a bright smile.


    Sun Jiashu also smiled as he proposed, "How about we walk the rest of the way there?"


    Chen Ping''an naturally raised no objections to this, and thus, the two of them got out of the carriage and began to walk to Sun n''s ancestral residence. On the way there, Sun Jiashu told Chen Ping''an some more things about these ancestral grounds, casually mentioning that the Su n owned the entire area in a radius of several dozen kilometers, epassing six viges that contained around 2,000 households.


    Whatever these households produced, such as silk threads and tea leaves, were all purchased by the Sun n at slightly higher than market price, so all of the vige''s residents had decent ies and led secure and happy lives. This gave Chen Ping''an a clearer understanding of the enormity of Old Dragon City and the generosity of the Sun n.


    As the outlines of the Sun n''s ancestral residence cme into view, Chen Ping''an asked, "Is there an intercontinental ship from Old Dragon City to Stctite Mountain?"


    Sun Jiashu nodded in response. "There is. Old Dragon City is thergest business hub on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, so there are ships leading to any ce where money can be made.


    However, not everyone has the wherewithal to earn money from the Sword Qi Great Wall. Even when ites to the Fu n, our Sun n, and the other major ns of Old Dragon City, a great deal of care has to be taken when doing business with the people at the Sword Qi Great Wall."


    A reminiscent look appeared in Sun Jiashu''s eyes as he continued, "Over the course of the past few thousand years, all of the five major ns with the exception of our Sun n have already changed many times, and the majority fell due to their certain matters rted to Stctite Mountain.


    The few major crises that our Sun n went through were also all rted to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Right now, there are only six ships in Old Dragon City that can travel to Stctite Mountain, two of which are owned by the Fu n. The six ships are all massive, able to hold over 2,000 passengers per trip.


    The Fu n''s ships are a Treasure Swallowing Whale and a floating mountain crafted by master Mohist artisans, and thetter is known as a miniature Stctite Mountain."


    A hint of self-deprecation surfaced in Sun Jiashu''s eyes as he spoke, but a smile then appeared on his face as he continued, "By the way, the Fu n and our five major ns of Old Dragon City are all followers of Commercialism of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Hence, the figures revered in our ns are different from the Confucian sages being worshiped in Confucian temples.


    However, even now, Commercialism still isn''t considered to be an official teaching. I heard that a very long time ago, a sage from one of the Confucian schools ranked quite highly in the Confucian temples once denounced Commercialism byparing it to a dish of dog meat, which is considered to be unfit for presentation in a meal.


    This may sound like quite a scathing assessment, but it''s actually quite a ttering one, given some of the other remarks that have been directed at Commercialism. We''re known as filthy merchants who reek of the stench of money and disgraces to the Hundred Schools of Thought.


    Merchants are denounced as universally unscrupulous scoundrels who would dly sell even their mothers for the right price, and as far as some people are concerned, Commercialism is the worst thing to have ever blighted this world. This is why even though there are so many followers of Commercialism in this world, you''ll never see any being officially endorsed by any of the empires."


    When it came to these matters rted to the inner workings of the Hundred Schools of Thought, all Chen Ping''an could do was listen, and he didn''t dare to raise any opinions of his own.


    Upon reaching the Sun n''s ancestral residence, which was quite a small ce, the two of them were not greeted by any beautiful maidservants. Instead, there were only around a dozen elderly men and women looking after the residence. Sun Jiashu treated Chen Ping''an to a meal that was nowhere nearvish, but nor could it be considered crude and unsightly.


    All of the ingredients were in season and had been sourced from near the residence, and the main dish was a seafood soup. However, Chen Ping''an was ustomed to eating dishes made from freshwater ingredients, so he wasn''t all that fond of the soup. Sun Jiashu didn''t encourage him to eat more soup, instead merely telling Chen Ping''an to eat whatever he pleased.


    After the meal, the two of them went on a stroll on the bank of the river outside the residence, and Chen Ping''an asked, "Young Master Sun, have you heard of a ce called the Dust Medicinal Shop in Old Dragon City?"


    Sun Jiashu thought about it momentarily, then replied, "I haven''t, but I can track it down for you very quickly."


    Chen Ping''an gave a grateful response, to which Sun Jiashu waved a dismissive hand with a smile, indicating that Chen Ping''an didn''t have to be so polite.


    He then bent down to pick up a t and smooth rock before hurling it over the water at a low trajectory, skipping it toward the other bank.


    On the other side of the river was a rapeseed blossom field that shimmered like a field of gold under the light of the sun.


    Chen Ping''an had already set his belongings down in the room that he was staying in, but of course, he was still carrying the Sword Nurturing Gourd and the sword case with him. He removed the gourd from his waist before taking a swig of wine while looking out at the calm river, looking much like a rxed and serene old man.


    Sun Jiashu stopped in his tracks as he said, "By my estimates, there should be three ships setting off Stctite Mountain soon, while the other three ships are still yet to return. One of those is our Sun n''s Mountain and Sea Turtle, while the other two are the Fu n''s Treasure Swallowing Whale and the Fan n''s Osmanthus Ind.


    From a safety perspective, I advise you to pick the Treasure Swallowing Whale. Over the past decade, the climate in the intercontinental channel to Stctite Mountain has been very hostile, and our Mountain and Sea Turtle is not as safe or stable as the Treasure Swallowing Whale. In fact, even Osmanthus Ind is superior in that regard.


    No matter how mild and docile the Mountain and Sea Turtle is, it''s still a living creature, and the Kun ship incident that took ce in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is an example of how traveling on a living vessel can go wrong. In contrast, the Treasure Swallowing Whale can swim through the deep sea, so it''s not exposed to the elements at all.


    Additionally, that channel is a well-established one, and the Fu n has already determined the best route to avoid all of the great demons in the sea. Having said that, if you''re looking forfort and affordability, then look no further than our Mountain and Sea Turtle. I can''t guarantee that the trip will be particrly enjoyable, but at the very least, you won''t have to worry about food or shelter on our Mountain and Sea Turtle."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated momentarily, then replied, "I''m definitely not going to choose the Treasure Swallowing Whale, so it''ll have to be either the Mountain and Sea Turtle or Osmanthus Ind."


    "Why is that?" Sun Jiashu asked with a surprised expression.


    A slightly embarrassed look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "Back in my hometown, I almost killed Fu Nanhua, so there''s no way I would dare to travel on one of their ships."


    Sun Jiashu sped a hand firmly down onto Chen Ping''an''s shoulder as he eximed, "Chen Ping''an, I''ve met many young and courageous heroes, but none as bold as you are!"


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh upon hearing this. It was clear from what Sun Jiashu had just said that Fu Nanhua was not someone that he should have messed with.


    Sun Jiashu was holding back the urge tough, but ultimately, he was unable to do so. "There''s more than one potential heir to the position of city lord of Old Dragon City, and there are also quite a few people eligible to inherit that Old Dragon Robe, but everyone knows that Fu Nanhua is the one that City Lord Fu Qi holds in the highest regard, and one of the patriarchs of the Fu n, who holds a pseudo-celestial tool, is Fu Nanhua''s master.


    Having said that, that patriarch has been in seclusion for the past few years, and it''s said that he''s attempting a breakthrough to the Upper Five Tiers. Hence, Fu Nanhua has the best chance out of anyone to be the next city lord. With all of that, I am truly impressed, Chen Ping''an. If word were to spread that you had almost killed Fu Nanhua, then I guarantee you that you''ll be a household name across half the continent within a month!"


    "I''d rather not have such a reputation," Chen Ping''an replied with a resigned expression.


    Sun Jiashu was chortling with mirth as he continued, "I''ve met Fu Nanhua on many past asions, and I would even say that we''re decently close friends. Of course, Liu Baqiao is a far dearer friend to me than Fu Nanhua.


    The fact that my first response to hearing about Fu Nanhua''s misfortune is tough is a clear indication that I''m not a good person, so you better be careful around me, Chen Ping''an. If you decide to be my friend, make sure you keep your wits about you and don''t go spilling your guts too soon."


    "To be honest, I don''t know Liu Baqiao very well. In fact, we''ve only met twice in total," Chen Ping''an admitted.

 Chapter 253: (1): Awaiting a Sword

    Chapter 253: (1): Awaiting a Sword


    The Dust Medicinal Shop was tucked away deep in the small alley, like a fearful child hiding from a scolding, and the female employees had nothing to do all day aside from dealing with their shopkeeper''s unwee advances. The shop did barely any business, and even the female employees themselves were rather perplexed about exactly why they had been hired.


    While it was true that they had to deal with the shopkeeper''s constant flirting and ogling, he never actually did anything that crossed the line, and they were paid their wages in full and on time every single month, so they were certainly more than happy to while away the hours at the medicinal shop.


    In any case, it wasn''t like they were going to lose any meat from being ogled at by the shopkeeper. In fact, this was quite a high-paying and low-stress job, and as a result, their living conditions and appetites had all improved, so most of them had actually gained weight, much to their chagrin.


    On this day, Zheng Dafeng received another spoken message, which had been sent to him by a Yin god that he had left Jewel Small World with. Regardless of how Zheng Dafeng tried to befriend or goad the Yin god, thetter stoically refused to reveal their cultivation base, so Zheng Dafeng remainedpletely oblivious to just how powerful they were.


    Old Man Yang had instructed the Yin god to tell Zheng Dafeng two things, the first of which was that Chen Ping''an''s True Qi Eight Tael Talismans were already broken, so there was no need for him to remove them. The second thing was that the Dao mentor and Dao guardian were both in Old Dragon City, so he had to be vignt.


    The first thing was easy to understand, but the second thing had been conveyed very vaguely by Old Man Yang, and before Zheng Dafeng had a chance to ask any questions, the Yin god had already vanished.


    Zheng Dafeng was leftpletely perplexed, and he sat down onto the doorstep of the medicinal shop with an absentminded expression. This had always been weighing on his mind. Old Man Yang had admitted that he was Zheng Dafeng and Li Er''s master, but he wasn''t their Dao mentor.


    Instead, he was the Dao mentor of Li Er''s daughter, Li Liu. As for the identity of the Dao guardian, Zheng Dafeng was currently serving as Dao guardian to that young boy from the Fan n. He had to ensure that the boy progressed smoothly past his third tier bottleneck, and from there, he had to assist the boy in reaching the Spirit Refining Tiers.


    Old Man Yang''s attitude toward Chen Ping''an was also rather vague, but there was one thing that Zheng Dafeng was certain of, which was that Chen Ping''an was one of the many people that his master had ced bets on, but he was held in nowhere near as high a regard as Ma Kuxuan, who was blessed by the Heavenly Dao.


    The breathing technique that he had taught Chen Ping''an was only a very rudimentary one, and it really wasn''t anything remarkable. However, Zheng Dafeng spected that due to the incredible progress that Chen Ping''an had been making in his martial arts cultivation, Old Man Yang was slowly beginning to pay more attention to him.


    Zheng Dafeng''s brows furrowed tightly in deep thought as he murmured to himself, "Could it be that he wants me to serve as Chen Ping''an''s Dao mentor or Dao guardian? Surely not. In the past, whenever he''s assigned such duties to anyone, he''s always been very straightforward about all of the details, such as who he wants, how long he wants them to serve for, and what cultivation base the target has to reach during that time. He would never be so vague about something like this."


    Zheng Dafeng inteced his fingers behind his head as he sighed, "Besides, I don''t get along with Chen Ping''an at all! He''s such a boring kid, I just can''t bring myself to like him! Clearly, Li Er would be a much better fit as Chen Ping''an''s Dao guardian. What on earth are you thinking, Master? Why can''t you just tell me what you want me to do in simple and straightforward terms?


    If I only have to serve as a Dao guardian for him for a year or two, then I can endure it, but if I have to be his Dao mentor, then you might as well kill me now!"


    An energetic female employee was eating some sunflower seeds, and she turned to Zheng Dafeng with a smile as she asked, "What''s gotten you so worked up, Shopkeeper?"


    Zheng Dafeng took a nce at the young woman''s t chest, then said in a displeased voice, "You have to keep up, Xiao He. You''ve already got the long legs covered, but you have to grow a little bit of meat on your chest to bnce out your physique!"


    The young woman was quite bold and easygoing to begin with, and after working at the medicinal shop for so long, she had already grown ustomed to Zheng Dafeng''s constant advances, so she didn''t even skip a beat as she continued to eat sunflower seeds.


    "If I want to grow more meat, then I have to eat more, but that requires money. I want to be a bit more voluptuous there, but my limited monthly wage only allows me to eat so much. What can I do? How about you give me a secret pay rise, Shopkeeper? I promise that I won''t tell any of the others."


    "I''d be a fool if I counted on you to keep a secret!" Zheng Dafeng scoffed. "If I give you a pay rise, then tomorrow, I''ll have to give everyone a pay rise! Do you think money just falls into myp? I have to work really hard to support all of you, so don''t make my job any harder."


    The young woman sat down onto the doorstep, then intentionally extended her legs out of the shop as she smiled and said, "Isn''t there a woman living nearby who''s really into you, Shopkeeper? She''s so voluptuous, isn''t she exactly your type? Why do you keep ignoring her? She has more meat up here than all of us girlsbined!"


    The young woman gestured to her own chest as she spoke, and Zheng Dafeng grimaced as he waved a hand to chase her away.


    "A pretty young woman like you shouldn''t go around saying such shameless things! Otherwise, you''re never going to be able to find a husband! Get back to the shop and sweep the floor."


    The young woman wasn''t willing to move, and she retorted in a justified manner, "Our shop is called the Dust Medicinal Shop! It would hardly live up to its name if I made it too clean."


    Zheng Dafeng was no match for her in a war of words, so he gave up altogether, cradling the back of his own head with his hands as heid back to look up at the sky.


    Other people in the city weren''t able to see the sea of clouds up above, but that was not the case for a master martial artist like himself.


    Celestial tools ranked above immortal tools, but they were extremely rare on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. How rare? Sect Master Qi Zhen of Divine Edict Sect, for instance, had only been granted a celestial tool by the formal sect on Middle Earth Divine Continent after reaching Heavenly Lord status.


    Due to how far out of reach celestial tools were, all Qi refiners settled for the next best thing, which were pseudo-celestial tools, artifacts somewhere between immortal tools and celestial tools.


    At the moment, Old Dragon City had four pseudo-celestial tools, two of which were in the possession of the Fu n''s leader, and both of them were formidable offensive treasures. In contrast, the new one that had been purchased from Middle Earth Divine Continent was a defensive treasure. As for the sea of clouds in the sky above the city, the Fu n imed they had always owned if.


    However, as for whether this was actually the truth and whether this was the Fu n''s true trump card, that was difficult to say for sure. As for that story about the woman who had awakened from the sea of clouds 800 years ago to eradicate that army of evil cultivators while wielding the pseudo-celestial tool, that was nothing more than an old wives'' tale.


    For thebination of the woman and the sea of clouds to be that formidable, then two conditions had to be met: the sea of clouds had to be a celestial tool rather than a pseudo-celestial tool and its wielder also had to be a Qi refiner of the Upper Five Tiers.


    The young man turned to Zheng Dafeng with a curious expression as she asked, "What are you looking at, shopkeeper?"


    Zheng Dafeng''s eyes widened as he turned to her with a serious expression, then replied, "I''m looking to see if there are any scantily dressed celestial maidens flying past in the sky."


    The young woman rolled her eyes in response. "Be careful they don''t piss onto your head!"


    "That would be the most divine heavenly elixir," Zheng Dafeng replied as he smacked his lips.


    "Disgusting!" the young woman denounced as she sprang to her feet, while Zheng Dafeng chortled with mirth.


    The young woman had only just made her way back into the shop when she suddenly turned around and asked, "Shopkeeper, can you hum that tune from your hometown that you were hummingst time?"


    Zheng Dafeng shook his head vigorously in response. "I''m counting on that tune to attract the woman of my dreams, so I can''t just hum it for anyone."


    "Hum it for me," the young woman insisted. "Perhaps I''ll be your wife in the future."


    Zheng Dafeng''s eyes immediately lit up, and he was just about to rise to his feet when the young woman sat back down onto the doorstep with a concerned look on her face as she sighed, "I don''t think you''re ever going be able to find a woman to marry you if you''ll believe in such tant lies."


    Zheng Dafeng sat back down in a deted manner, and after a brief silence, he began whistling the same tune that the young woman had requested, except this time, he wasn''t singing the lyrics.


    The young woman leaned forward slightly so that her chin was resting on her hands as she listened in silence. The lyrics of the song were all in Zheng Dafeng''s hometown dialect, so she couldn''t understand them anyway.


    A significant event was about to take ce in Old Dragon City. The young city lord, Fu Nanhua, was going to marry a woman from Cloud Forest''s Jiang n.


    The Jiang n was one of the longest-standing affluent ns on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and it was said that in ancient times, back when Confucianism had only just be the official teaching of the Majestic World, several grand priests had emerged from the Jiang n after the Etiquette Sage established the earliest set of Confucian rules.


    Grand priests were one of the six heavenly official positions, and they were responsible for carrying out all types of rituals and ceremonies to attract the blessings of the heavens.


    The Jiang n was situated on the southeastern coast of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and there was an extremely wide path leading out of its front gates, which faced the sea. The path was close to twenty kilometers in length, and it extended all the way into the sea. At its conclusion stood a pair of enormous natural corals that served as ceremonial gate towers, presenting a stunning and majestic sight to behold.


    After moving from Middle Earth Divine Continent to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the Jiang n gradually turned its back on its schrly roots to pursue business, and it had managed to remain standing to this day through all of the countless hardships and turmoil thrown its way.


    At this point, it possessed sufficient wealth to rival a nation, and the same applied to the Fu n of Old Dragon City, so aing together of these two ns in matrimony was massive news on the continent. Everyone was curious about what type of betrothal gift the Fu n had presented, as well as what the Jiang n was going to offer up as dowry.


    Was it going to be a pseudo-celestial tool? There were also many immortal powers who had shared close ties with the Fu n for generations. What were they going to offer up as congrattory gifts?


    With these questions hanging in the air, countless cultivators had swarmed into Old Dragon City the past couple of months to witness this grand asion with their own eyes. On top of that, there were rumors swirling around that the bride was extremely hideous, and that added an additional element of intrigue.


    Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City had always been renowned for his wide social circle, yet after returning from Jewel Small World, he had suddenly be much more withdrawn. He wasn''t going as far as to refuse to meet with guests, but only his existing friends were granted an audience with him, and he didn''t make any effort to make new friends, in stark contrast with his past self.


    Ever since his return, he had remained in the Fu n''s residence almost this entire time, not showing his face at any of the favorite spots in the city that he had regrly frequented in the past.


    However, on this day, Fu Nanhua had left the Fu n''s residence and made his way to the entrance of Fu city on his own. There was a tall crown on his head, and he was dressed in a pristine white robe with a vibrant green dragon-shaped jade pendant hanging from his waist.


    He looked very calm and mature, but also a little jaded and dejected, in stark contrast with his vigorous and exuberant persona from back before he visited Jewel Small World.


    Recently, the Fu city had been receiving a constant influx of visitors, and even the senior servants of the Fu n, who were perhaps even more experienced in treating guests than the imperial courts of some nations, were struggling to keep up.


    At this moment, there were quite a few important figures from some immortal powers gathered outside the gates of Fu city, here to offer their congrattions on what was widely viewed as one of the most significant marriage alliances in a very long time. Among them were representatives of Dawn Cloud Mountain.


    Dawn Cloud Mountain couldn''t be referred to as a top-tier sect, but the Cloud Root Stones that it produced were highly sought after across several continents, so it was constantly raking in huge revenue and was nevercking in resources. If a few prodigies that could carry the sect''s future could emerge within its ranks, then its ascension to be one of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s first-rate sects would be imminent.


    Old Dragon City had a centuries-long rtionship with Dawn Cloud Mountain as the Cloud Root Stones produced by thetter were one of the important products carried by the Fu n''s Treasure Swallowing Whale and floating mountain ship. Whetstones crafted out of Cloud Root Stones were extremely popr among swordsmen of the Sword Qi Great Wall due to their exceptional quality and rtively low price.


    Of course, the low price was the most important factor of consideration. Even if a whetstone could sharpen a sword far better than a piece of a Dragon ying tform, it would hardly matter if no one could afford it. At the moment, a fierce war was being waged against the demon tribe with no end in sight, and many swordsmen were already in severe debt to maintain their swords, so all of them had to be very frugal with their purchases.


    Of course, Cloud Root Stones could only be referred to as cost-effective whenpared with all of the other precious items being sent to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Cloud Root Stones were sold at extremely different price points depending on whether they were sold to cultivators of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the Fu n of Old Dragon City, or swordsmen of the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    This time, Dawn Cloud Mountain had sent four representatives, namely two patriarchs and their most prized disciples.


    Fu Nanhua had finallye out of the Fu n''s residence in order to meet someone who should''ve already been dead, namely Cai Jinjian of Dawn Cloud Mountain.


    As Fu Nanhua made his surprise appearance, the people gathered near the city gate immediately erupted into conversation, while some began offering him greetings and congrattions. Fu Nanhua responded to everyone with impable etiquette, and finally, he arrived in front of a pair of carriages near the back of the line.


    The carriages were drawn by Azure Piebald Horses, which were very distant rtives of flood dragons. These Azure Piebald Horses indicated that these were carriages that had been hired from the Sun n''s ry station.


    Everyone in Old Dragon City knew that there were two ways to spend massively in Old Dragon City: to purchase an Old Dragon Cloud-Flipping Pendant from the Fu n, and to hire a carriage from Sun Jiashu. Generally speaking, there were also two types of people who would pursue those two options: the extremely rich and the extremely foolish.


    Of course, the two patriarchs of Dawn Cloud Mountain didn''t fall into thattter category. It was very much necessary for them to keep up appearances, particrly during their time in Old Dragon City.


    The two patriarchs hurriedly emerged from their carriages with their disciples at the sight of Fu Nanhua. One of those disciples was none other than Cai Jinjian, who was looking a little pale, but was still as beautiful as ever, while the other disciple was a handsome young man wearing a Dao robe with faint wisps of cloud and mist swirling around it.


    After making some small talk with the patriarchs of Dawn Cloud Mountain, Fu Nanhua stated a request, which was to take Cai Jinjian into the city for a private conversation.


    Cai Jinjian''s master was ecstatic, and they certainly weren''t going to turn down this request. Cai Jinjian had returned from Jewel Small Worldpletely empty-handed, wasting an entire pouch of gold essence copper coins. In the face of those gold essence copper coins, grain rain coins may as well be ordinary copper coins, yet an entire pouchful of the former had disappeared without anything to show for them.


    As a result, during the past two years, Cai Jinjian''s master had been made theughing stock of the entire Dawn Cloud Mountain. The old man had intended to elevate Cai Jinjian to the position of mountain master someday, but that seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream now.

 Chapter 254: (1): Sincerity Can be Just as Moving as it Can be Hurtful

    Chapter 254: (1): Sincerity Can be Just as Moving as it Can be Hurtful


    Sure enough, Chen Ping''an received aprehensive package of information about the Dust Medicinal Shop before nightfall. Aside from its address, he was also informed that the shopkeeper was a man with the Zheng surname, and that the shop was one of the ancestral properties of the Fu n, one of the five major ns of Old Dragon City.


    Shopkeeper Zheng had a northern Great Li ent, and on the surface, he appeared to be a crude and perverted man doing nothing but wasting his life away, but in reality, he had gone to the Fu Manor on two asions, and the Fu n clearly held him in extremely high regard.


    There was a very good chance that he was the martial arts instructor of Fan Gaoming, the grandson of the Fu n''s leader. As for his portrait, that would only be ready the next day.


    Upon receiving this information, it immediately became apparent to Chen Ping''an that this Shopkeeper Zheng was none other than Gatekeeper Zheng Dafeng of the small town. As for the fact the Fan n held him in such high regard, this didn''te as a surprise to Chen Ping''an at all.


    No matter how incapable and improper he appeared, the fact that he had been assigned to a post where he regrly handled gold essence copper coins was a clear indication that there was more to him than met the eye. Otherwise, Old Man Yang wouldn''t have instructed Chen Ping''an to go to him to have his True Qi Eight Tael Talismans removed.


    Aside from that, Sun Jiashu had also sent someone to bring Chen Ping''an detailed packages of information pertaining to the Mountain and Sea Turtle and Osmanthus Ind so that he could make an informed decision on which one to take. The intercontinental journey was one that spanned millions of kilometers over a vast array of diverse and, at times, perilous terrains, so it was not a journey to be taken lightly.


    The packages of information were apanied by a handwritten letter from Sun Jiashu, which essentially said, "I know you''ve decided to take our Sun n''s Mountain and Sea Turtle, but I''m going toy out the pros and cons of both the Mountain and Sea Turtle and Osmanthus Ind for you, nevertheless."


    This seemed to bepletely superfluous, but after reading the letter and briefly pondering the matter, Chen Ping''an immediately developed a sense of newfound admiration for the way that Sun Jiashu conducted his business. If he were a merchant looking to purchase products from Old Dragon City, he would definitely choose to coborate with the more meticulous Sun n over others.


    However, there was one thing that Chen Ping''an was mistaken about, which was that the Sun n was very stubborn and dogmatic in the way that it conducted its business. In particr, it ced extremely heavy emphasis on maintaining an immacte reputation, and it only ever chose business partners for itself, so not just anyone could do business with the Sun n, regardless of how wealthy and powerful they were.


    The Sun n had just as many strange rules as the Fu n did strange people.


    Reach the fourth tier, find the medicinal shop, choose a suitable ship... These were the three main things on Chen Ping''an''s to-do list, and with all of them ticked off, he was able to enjoy dinner in peace. The seafood soup from lunch had been reced with one that was cooked using freshwater delicacies, and it suited Chen Ping''an''s tastes far better.


    He ate like the wind, and for the first time in quite some time, he ate until he was extremely full. After dinner, he went out for a stroll on the river bank. The sun was setting in the west, presenting a beautiful sight to behold. Chen Ping''an felt as if he were in a blessednd, and decided there and then that he had toe back someday, should the opportunity arise.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an was struck by the urge to fish, and he ran back to the Sun n''s ancestral residence to ask an elderly steward if they had any fishing rods. He also asked about the recent fishing conditions, whether there were any particrlyrge fish in the river, and whether berley had to be used.


    The old steward was very familiar with all matters rted to fishing, and he patiently answered all of Chen Ping''an''s questions. After that, he helped Chen Ping''an make the necessary preparations, and the two of them traveled to a good fishing spot together.


    Upon learning that Chen Ping''an intended to fish until veryte into the night, the steward offered to set up a waterside tent for him, but Chen Ping''an had never been one to indulge in such luxuries, so he refused. The old man didn''t force the issue, and he departed to leave Chen Ping''an on his own.


    Chen Ping''an was in no hurry to begin fishing. Instead, he began to practice walking meditation back and forth by the river. After around two hours of walking meditation, he practiced standing meditation for two more hours, and only then did he begin fishing. He closed his eyes as he cast his line, and the sound of the bait plopping into the water rang out.


    A light breeze blew over the rapeseed blossoms, causing their stalks to tremble and sway.


    The water in the river slowly flowed into the distance, and small waves were visible on its surface, while invisible currents surged beneath the surface.


    The fishing line was as thin as a strand of hair, and it was gently being tugged upon, asionally being stretched taut before loosening again.


    That entire night, Chen Ping''an remainedpletely still, allowing the smaller fish to nibble at his bait. No big fish took the bait, and before long, Chen Ping''an had already sat until daybreak.


    Right at this moment, he cast his gaze toward the east, and the instant that he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a spectacr scene that he had never witnessed before.


    To the naked eye, the light of the rising sun should''ve only been red in coloration, but Chen Ping''an was able to see a burst of golden Qi rising up in the east with the sun. These bursts of golden Qi resembled golden dragons slowly roaming across the horizon.


    Chen Ping''an continued to stare at the rising sun and the golden Qi in the distance, and he wasn''t experiencing any difort despite how bright and ring the light was.


    Perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination, but Chen Ping''an felt his heart and soul shudder slightly at the sight of the descending golden Qi, and all of a sudden, a dozen golden dragons descended out of the sky before pouncing directly at him. They were giving off a menacing aura, as if they were determined to crush anyone who dared to gaze upon them.


    The dragons were approaching extremely quickly, and Chen Ping''an let go of his fishing rod as he hurriedly rose to his feet. His fist intent surged forth on its own, spreading throughout his body and his acupoints.


    In the face of this provocation, Chen Ping''an felt as if he were facing Cui Chan''s grandfather in the bamboo building of Downtrodden Mountain. In this moment, his fist intent stood above even the heavens and the earth, and he had to unleash this punch no matter what!


    The dozen or so golden flood dragons had no substantial form, and they were flying directly at Chen Ping''an, who immediately adopted his Rain Evaporation Technique stance.


    First, he nted his feet onto the bank of the river one after the other, doing so with such tremendous force that the power of his stomps prated over three meters deep into the ground. Not only was the ground trembling and rumbling beneath his feet, even the water near the bank of the river was churning, and waves were rising up and surging toward the opposite bank.


    First and Fifteenth had both emerged from the Sword Nurturing Gourd, but they were merely restingzily on the opening of the gourd as passive bystanders, seemingly not regarding the golden flood dragons descending from the heavens as enemies.


    Chen Ping''an waspletely immersed in his fist intent, so he was oblivious to the astonishing phenomenon that he was creating. The only thought in his mind was that now that he had reached the fourth tier, his punches should be even faster.


    However, during the past night of fishing, he had spent the entire time adjusting to the new world that he was witnessing, as well as stabilizing all of his acupoints and his churning aura, so he never had the opportunity to throw a punch to see just how fast it was. Now that the perfect opportunity had arisen, he was determined to capture the moment!


    "Get back!" Chen Ping''an roared as he threw a punch at the leading flood dragon in the sky. His fist intent filled his sleeves, causing them to billow and p audibly, and a resounding boom rang out as the water in the river churned violently, while arge swathe of the rapeseed blossoms in the field on the other side of the river were blown over.


    The ethereal golden flood dragon had no physical body, but it was still struck on the head by Chen Ping''an''s almighty fist intent, and was sent flying back over thirty meters in a dazed and disoriented state.


    Immediately thereafter, a string of resounding booms rang out as all of the golden flood dragons were forced back up into the sky by Chen Ping''an''s Rain Evaporation Technique. There, they continued to circle around in the air, looking down at Chen Ping''an with befuddlement and indignation in their eyes.


    In the end, they could only turn tail and fly back toward the distant horizon. Chen Ping''an faltered slightly upon seeing this, and in the blink of an eye, the golden Qi had faded, restoring the rising sun in the east to its normal state.


    Chen Ping''an got out of his fist stance as a pleased smile appeared on his face.


    Those punches had been thrown with tremendous power and speed, reflecting a substantial improvement from the third tier to the fourth. He felt as if he were no longer restricted by heaven and earth, and there was no sense of sloppiness anymore.


    On the opening of the Sword Nurturing Gourd, First and Fifteenth "exchanged a nce" with each other, following which thetter quickly flew back into the gourd, seemingly too embarrassed to show itself any longer.


    Meanwhile, the more short-tempered First was rooted to the spot for a moment, then sprang up into the air before piercing through Chen Ping''an''s body over and over again. It was unable to harm Chen Ping''an, but it still seemed determined to run through his body repeatedly in order to vent its fury.


    While inside a swordsman''s acupoints, a bonded flying sword would always be insubstantial in form, and it would only attain a substantial form upon its emergence. This was a rule set in stone, so a flying sword nurtured in a swordsman''s acupoint would never be able to harm them.


    At the moment, the rtionship between Chen Ping''an and his two bonded flying swords wasn''t the customary master and servant rtionshipmonly seen between swordsmen and their bonded flying swords. Instead, it was more like the rtionship between tenant andndlord.


    Chen Ping''an was rather perplexed by First''s furious reaction, and he scratched his head as he asked, "What''s wrong? Are you embarrassed for me because my punches were too weak?"


    Following its departure, the phenomenon of golden flood dragons from earlier traveled directly to the Sun n''s ancestral residence, and the four guest elders of the Sun n, consisting of three Golden Core Tier cultivators and one Nascent Tier cultivator, were forced to dispel it.


    After that, they gathered together in a small library in the ancestral residence. This time, they were no longer arguing about whether Chen Ping''an was a Qi refiner or a martial artist, but they had found another topic of debate.


    There were only two situations in which such a phenomenon would arise, the first of which was during a Qi refiner''s ascension to the Golden Core Tier. From there, they would no longer be restrained by heaven and earth, and the ensuing heaven and earth resonance would result in the formation of a Golden Core in their Pill Room, the caliber of which would be determined by the magnitude of the phenomenon triggered by the Qi refiner.


    The other possible scenario in which such a phenomenon would arise would be during a martial artist''s ascension to the fourth tier or the seventh tier. The probability of the former arising was next to zero, while it was almost to be expected for martial artists who had reached the seventh tier.


    Such a phenomenon was even rarer than that of the y Bodhisattva Crossing the River, and one could use it to refine their body and soul. Hence, it was an extremely rare and significant opportunity that had to be cherished.


    It was clear from Chen Ping''an''s formidable sword intent that he was not a Qi refiner, so he could only be a pure martial artist. However, there was still much debate over whether he was a fourth tier or seventh tier martial artist. This time, three of the guest elders were convinced that he was a seventh tier martial artist.


    Only then would it make sense for Sun Jiashu to invite him to the Sun n''s ancestral residence as an esteemed guest. Furthermore, there was no way that a fourth tier martial artist would be able to trigger such a spectacr phenomenon. Despite this, there was still one person who firmly believed that Chen Ping''an had only just reached the fourth tier.


    All of a sudden, a wry smile appeared on the logger''s face as he said, "Let''s set aside this argument for now. Should we not bementing over the fact that he just inexplicably passed up a brilliant opportunity?"


    The other three guest elders immediately fell silent upon hearing this.


    Indeed, the young boy had just triggered an extremely profound bout of heaven and earth resonance.


    This was something that the average pure martial artist could only dream of, yet he had chased it like a fool with his fists.


    In the wake of this incident, all four guest elders were left feeling utterly perplexed. It was clear that this young boy was an exceptionally prodigious martial artist, so why hadn''t his master told him about such a phenomenon? It wasmon knowledge among martial artists that a breakthrough to the fourth tier or the seventh tier could trigger such a phenomenon, yet it appeared that the boy waspletely oblivious to this.


    Of course, none of them would''ve been able to imagine in a million years that the old man in the bamboo building who had taught Chen Ping''an his fist techniques had once reached the pinnacle of the 10th tier, so he didn''t consider something like this to be important at all. Instead, he regarded itpletely insignificant, just as all things were outside of one''s fundamental fist techniques.


    In his eyes, such a phenomenon was something to be avoided at all costs as it was no different from a shortcut. Hence, if he had seen what Chen Ping''an had done, he would''ve surely chortled with glee and praised Chen Ping''an for his "idiocy."


    At noon, Sun Jiashu returned to the ancestral residence, and prior to seeing Chen Ping''an, he was approached by one of the Sun n''s guest elders, who had jokingly remarked to him, "That guest of yours is truly a remarkable boy."


    Sun Jiashu curiously asked why that remark had been made, and the guest elder exined the situation to him, upon which he pped a hand to his own forehead in exasperation. "How ''remarkable,'' indeed!"


    While they were having lunch together, Chen Ping''an noticed that Sun Jiashu was looking at him with a rather strange look in his eyes, much like how he had looked at Liu Baqiao back when they first met.


    Chen Ping''an thought that this was because the phenomenon in the morning had caused trouble for the Sun n''s ancestral residence, and a concerned look appeared on his face as he asked, "What''s wrong? Did my punches from this morning alert the Fu n to my presence here?"


    Sun Jiashu shook his head with a smile as he replied, "There are countless Qi refiners and martial artists in Old Dragon City, and strange urrences take ce here every day. On top of that, very few people dare to spy on our Sun n''s ancestral residence, so you can rest assured that you won''t be discovered here."


    A hesitant look then appeared on Sun Jiashu''s face, and he was internally debating whether he should reveal what had happened to Chen Ping''an. He wanted to tell him the truth, but he was also concerned that the truth would be too painful for him to bear.


    After much internal conflict, Sun Jiashu ultimately decided on a policy of honesty, revealing to Chen Ping''an the exceptional opportunity that he had inadvertently passed up.


    After hearing what Sun Jiashu had to say, Chen Ping''an took a sip of wine, then asked, "Will those golden flood dragons appear again if I go to look at the rising sun tomorrow?"


    "What do you think?!" Sun Jiashu snapped in exasperation.


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh, then gulped down arge mouthful of wine as he mused, "Being uneducated is truly a terrible curse."


    Sun Jiashu sat back in his chair as he jibed, "Are you nning to go night fishing again, then wait for the sunrise?"


    "Can you read minds, Sun Jiashu?" Chen Ping''an eximed with a surprised expression.


    Sun Jiashu hurriedly waved his hands in response. "I have no such ability, but I''ve heard that the founder of Commercialism really was able to read minds."


    After that, Chen Ping''an went to the river to fish once again, while Sun Jiashu walked along beside him, carrying a fish basket. On the way there, Chen Ping''an told him about why he had previously been searching for the Dust Medicinal Shop, and that he no longer needed to go there, now that he had made a breakthrough to the fourth tier, but he still wanted to visit the shop to meet an acquaintance.


    Sun Jiashu naturally agreed to this request, telling him that he could go the next day, but some preparations had to be made prior to that. If he were to personally apany Chen Ping''an, that would only attract attention and ce him in even more danger, so he was going to assign a Golden Core Tier guest elder of the Sun n to apany Chen Ping''an instead.


    As the head of the Sun n, there was no end to the matters that Sun Jiashu had to attend to, so he naturally couldn''t just spend the day fishing with Chen Ping''an. The fish that the Sun n were catching were far bigger than the ones in this river.

 Chapter 254: (2): Sincerity Can be Just as Moving as it Can be Hurtful

    Chapter 254: (2): Sincerity Can be Just as Moving as it Can be Hurtful


    Hence, Sun Jiashu quickly returned to the ancestral residence to take care of some daily duties. After sitting down at the table, heid out some stacks of ount books, and an antiquated abacus was ced in front of him. The abacus didn''t appear remarkable in any way, but what set it apart from the average abacus was the group of tiny golden people seated around it.


    Just like bug silver, they were born from treasure vaults, and their bodies had a shimmering golden hue. Each of them had a pair of wings on their backs, and they liked to whiz around and y with one another. They were supposed to be harbingers of fortune.


    As Sun Jiashu quickly read out the numbers on the ount books in his mind, the tiny golden figures flew onto the abacus to push its beads and perform calctions.


    The abacus had been passed down in the Sun n for generations, but aside from that and the tiny golden children, all of the other items in the study were very ordinary and mundane, including even the oilmp sitting on the table, which Sun Jiashu asionally had to add oil to.


    The ancestral teachings of the Sun n mandated that money had to be used as sparingly as possible, and that even a single copper coin was a valuable piece in foundation of the n. On the other hand, when time came to spend, even enormous investments were to be made without any hesitation.


    Whenever he stood up to add oil to themp, Sun Jiashu would make his way over to the window and take a short break as he looked out at the river.


    He was a fifth tier Qi refiner, and as he looked out the window once again, he suddenly beganmunicating to the guest elders outside the ancestral residence through mental transmission. "I propose a bet. Does anyone want to take me up on it?


    If I lose, I''ll pay one grain rain coin, but if the three of you lose, then you have to look after our Sun n''s ancestral residence for 100 more years. Of course, you''ll still be receiving the samepensation as usual."


    The logger smiled as he scoffed, "Who would take up such a ridiculous bet? It''s way too skewed in your favor!"


    Sun Jiashu smiled as he replied, "I''m going to bet that once the sun rises, Chen Ping''an will be met with the same phenomenon as this morning. How does that sound?"


    "Let''s do it!" the three guest elders replied in unison.


    If he lost, he would only be losing three grain rain coins, but if he won, then the Sun n would be able to enjoy the services of three Golden Core Tier Qi refiners for another century. With some luck, at least one of them should be able to reach the Nascent Tier during that time.


    The three guest elders were also aware of this, but they were convinced that Sun Jiashu wouldn''t win the bet. For them, a single grain rain coin was virtually negligible, but they wanted to secure the bragging rights of winning a bet over Sun Jiashu.


    Sun Jiashu then smiled as he pulled three grain rain coins out of his sleeve before cing them onto the window sill, then said in a self-deprecating manner, "It seems like I''ve already lost the bet."


    The three guest elders didn''t hesitate to im their winnings, and the three grain rain coins vanished into thin air.


    The final one to im his grain rain coin was actually the one with the most advanced cultivation base among the three, and he had the highest hopes of reaching the Nascent Tier.


    A smile appeared on Sun Jiashu''s face as he continued to stand at the window, waiting for the moment that Chen Ping''an opened his eyes from his standing meditation. Meanwhile, the tiny golden children were all looking up at Sun Jiashu with curious looks on their faces, wondering why their owner suddenly didn''t seem interested in earning money anymore.


    The sun slowly began to rise up in the sky, and before long, the entirety of Old Dragon City had already been basked in a warm red glow.


    As the sun continued to rise, the cloud and mist faded, and no remarkable phenomena emerged.


    Even though he had just lost three grain rain coins, Sun Jiashu waspletely unbothered.


    The three guest elders were naturally very pleased, and all of them were making fun of Sun Jiashu.


    The patriarch of the Sun n arrived in the study, and as a Nascent Tier Qi refiner, he was able to temporarily cut off the study''s connection with the outside world with just a wave of his hand.


    A smile then appeared on his face as he consoled, "Do you see now? Your grandfather told you long ago that the Sun n''s unorthodox luck has already beenpletely exhausted by that ability of yours, so you should just focus on sticking to the straight and narrow."


    Sun Jiashu heaved a forlorn sigh, and a thought suddenly urred to him as he bade farewell to the Sun n patriarch, then made his way toward the door with a smile as he said, "I''m going to the kitchen to tell Old Man Song to make a more simple breakfast this morning instead of wasting all those good ingredients.


    It''s not like Chen Ping''an can tell what''s good or bad anyway, perhaps he prefers a meal of pickled vegetables and steamed buns. Instead of wasting money on someone who doesn''t appreciate it, I should save some money."


    The Sun n patriarch nodded in approval with a smile on his face, then turned to tiny golden children on the old abacus with a hint of pride on his face. The Fu n was indeed wealthier than the Sun n, but when it came to these golden wealth-bringing children of the highest caliber, the Fu n only had a single pair.


    To be urate, they had three, but only two of them were twins. In contrast, the Sun n had as many as four. As for the other four major ns of Old Dragon City, only the Fan n had managed to buy a single one from the emperor of a major empire right before it fell to its demise.


    Sure enough, Chen Ping''an''s appetite was significantly improved by the familiar meal of rice congee, steamed buns, and pickled vegetables served up to him, and he was munching down food like a starving whirlwind.


    Sun Jiashu was seated across from Chen Ping''an, eating more slowly while also disying far better table manners, but his appetite was also better than it normally was. It seemed that one''s appetite inevitably improved in the presence of someone else disying an exceptional appetite.


    After that, Chen Ping''an returned to the river and began fishing in earnest, and he was quickly reeling in fish left, right, and center. Half of the fish basket was filled with a type of fish colloquially known as white strips in Old Dragon City, while the rest of the basket was filled with misceneous fish such as yellowhead catfish and dark sleepers.


    After a lunch feast of fish, Sun Jiashu made Chen Ping''an put on a disguise to alter his appearance, following which the Nascent Tier Sun n patriarch led him to a pond outside the ancestral residence. As the Sun n patriarch swept a sleeve over the mirror-like surface of the pond, an image of a building appeared, and the old man assured Chen Ping''an that he could step into the pond to reach his destination right away.


    Chen Ping''an had packed away his Sword Nurturing Gourd, so the only thing that he was carrying was the sword case on his back, and he did as he was told, stepping into the pond without any hesitation. Instead of plunging into the water, he set foot onto the surface of the pond, and a series of ripples spread over the water beneath his feet.


    After he had taken a few more steps forward, he abruptly vanished from the spot, as if he had walked into the mirror surface.


    In the next instant, Chen Ping''an emerged in front of a building, and he looked around to find that this was the exact same scene that had been depicted on the surface of the pond.


    Over at the Sun n''s ancestral residence, the old man was watching the rippling surface of the pond as he turned to Sun Jiashu and remarked, "That boy has an incredibly stable soul and a remarkable backbone. No wonder Liu Baqiao sees him as a friend."


    "That''s not the reason why he sees Chen Ping''an as a friend," Sun Jiashu replied with a smile and a shake of his head.


    "What about you? Do you see him as a friend?" the old man asked.


    Sun Jiashu thought about the question for a moment, then replied, "We didn''t meet during times of crisis, so my bond with him cannotpare with that between him and Liu Baqiao."


    Meanwhile, there was already someone waiting for Chen Ping''an in the inner city of Old Dragon City. It was none other than the Golden Core Tier immortal of the Sun n, and he led Chen Ping''an into a spacious courtyard, where they emerged from a secretive side exit before getting onto a horse-drawn carriage already waiting for them.


    The Golden Core Tier immortal''s aura was restrained, and he served as Chen Ping''an''s coach driver. In the end, the carriage stopped at the entrance of an alley, where there was a young locust tree nearby, beneath the shade of which was a man eating sunflower seeds while reading a book.


    Chen Ping''an got out of the carriage, and the two of them looked at each other.


    The man picked up his stool in silence, then made his way into the alley, while the old man from the Sun n stopped the carriage by the side of the street, then closed his eyes to rest instead of apanying Chen Ping''an any further.


    Upon reaching the medicinal shop, Zheng Dafeng set the stool down at the entrance, then asked Chen Ping''an to take a seat before grabbing another stool for himself. All of the female employees in the shop immediately gathered around to see who this new visitor was, but the disguise that Chen Ping''an had adopted was very unremarkable in appearance, so they quickly lost interest and dispersed again.


    Zheng Dafeng smiled as he asked, "Why have you taken the risk toe here when you''ve already undone the True Qi Eight Tael Talismans on your own? I I recall correctly, you have a vendetta against Young City Lord Fu Nanhua, don''t you? Aren''t you afraid of being discovered and captured? If you''re thinking that the Sun n would step in to save you, then I must tell you that you''re being far too naive."


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to Zheng Dafeng''s questions as he posed a string of questions of his own. "Who told you about my father and my bonded porcin? Who killed my father? And does Old Man Yang have anything to do with this?"


    Zheng Dafeng wore a calm smile as he chuckled, "Do you think I would tell you even if that old geezer had something to do with this?"


    Chen Ping''an offered no response.


    Zheng Dafeng used the book in his hand to fan himself as he said, "I don''t care if you believe me or not, I can assure you that he yed no part in all of this. However, what I can also tell you is that he definitely saw what was happening at a very early stage, but he most likely didn''t think there was any point in stepping in, so he didn''t intervene. If you resent him for his inaction, then that''s up to you, and I won''t try to stop you."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head with a wry smile as he said, "Why would I resent him for that? I know Old Man Yang''s personality very well. He never owes anyone anything, nor does he allow others to owe him anything. Everything that he does is an even and bnced transaction."


    Zheng Dafeng nodded in response. "That''s the correct mindset to have. Looks like I won''t have to bash your head in, after all. I was dreading having to do so as the old geezer would definitely not have been happy with me."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression remained unchanged, and it seemed that he had already anticipated that Zheng Dafeng would have such a fiery personality.


    Zheng Dafeng continued to fan himself as he said, "Among all of the children from back then, if we set aside their respective heritages and backers, the ones that I thought had the most potential were Ma Kuxuan of Apricot Blossom Alley, Zhao Yao of Fortune Street, and Song Jixin of y Vase Alley.


    In contrast, my senior brother, Li Er, who you know as the father of Li Liu and Li Huai, held you in the highest regard, and I thought he was an idiot for that. After that, you encountered all types of phenomenal opportunities after leaving Jewel Small World, and only then did Ie to realize that I had misjudged your potential, and that I was also wrong about my senior brother. In the past, I thought both of you were idiots, but the joke is on me now."


    What Zheng Dafeng actually wanted to say was that both Li Er and Chen Ping''an were incredibly intelligent people.


    "I didn''t dare to raise those questions to Old Man Yang, and I knew that I wouldn''t be receiving any answers, anyway, but I felt like I could raise those questions to you," Chen Ping''an said.


    Zheng Dafeng smiled as he asked, "Do you think you''re safe just because you have a Golden Core Tier Qi refiner protecting you?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head as he replied, "If I raise any questions that concern sensitive information to Old Man Yang, he''d kill me without any hesitation. However, I didn''t think you would dare to do that. Even if my guess proved to be incorrect, I may still be able to survive, and you''ll have to pay a heavy price for killing me."


    What Chen Ping''an actually wanted to say was that even though Zheng Dafeng was also a businessman, he could tell that Zheng Dafeng''s status and cultivation base were far inferior to Old Man Yang''s.


    However, as Chen Ping''an articted those questions, which had been weighing on him for an entire decade, he still felt a strong sense of unease. Thankfully, after reaching the fourth tier, he was able to control his own mental state and put on a calm and rxed facade. Furthermore, as soon as he entered the alley with Zheng Dafeng, he had already pulled out his Sword Nurturing Gourd to begin drinking.


    With First, Fifteenth, and that Golden Core Tier Qi refiner from the Sun n on his side, he was confident in his chances of survival, even if things were to go awry.


    It was time for some old wounds to be split open and examined for what they were.


    Looking at the serious expression on Chen Ping''an''s face, Zheng Dafeng heaved a faint sigh, then rolled up the book in his hand before using it to gently drum on his own knee as he said in azy voice, "You''ve be even more annoying than before. You can pretend to be calm and rxed all you want, but I can tell that you''re tense as a bowstring on the inside.


    There''s no need to be so tense, I''m getting tired just from looking at you! Rest assured, I won''t kill you. Old Man Yang holds you in very high regard at the moment, and even if that weren''t the case, I wouldn''t kill you just because you asked me a few questions. No matter how petty I am, I wouldn''t resort to such extreme measures over something so trivial. However, I''m not going to answer your first two questions. You''ll just have to find out those answers on your own."


    A smile suddenly appeared on Zheng Dafeng''s face as he continued, "Why aren''t you directly asking Qi Jingchun?"


    Chen Ping''an was significantly more at ease upon hearing this, and gently leaned back against his sword case, which was resting against the wall. He then took a swig of wine before giving a perplexing response. "I''m worried that Mr. Qi will be disappointed in me."


    All of a sudden, Zheng Dafeng turned around and yelled, "Mei''er, bring out some sunflower seeds for our guest!"


    A voluptuous woman soon emerged from the shop, holding two dishes of snacks with a smile on her face. As she bent down to hand the dishes to Zheng Dafeng, he feigned a startled expression as he eximed, "My goodness! I thought there was a pair of mountains crashing down upon me!"


    The woman thrust the pair of dishes into Zheng Dafeng''s hands, then hurriedly stood up straight again as she stomped on his foot andined with a seductive smile, "Stop being so corny!"


    Zheng Dafeng handed one of the dishes to Chen Ping''an, then began to eat sunflower seeds himself.


    Chen Ping''an seemed to have already anticipated that he wouldn''t be receiving any answers from Zheng Dafeng, and he wasn''t disheartened in the slightest as he asked, "Do you have any good swordsmanship manuals that you can sell me?"


    "Do you want immortal swordsmanship manuals used by Qi refiners, or ones used by martial artists?" Zheng Dafeng asked.


    "I''m sure you can tell that my bridge of immortality has been severed, so if I want to practice swordsmanship, then my only option is to do so as a pure martial artist," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "I can find you even the best swordsmanship manuals under the heavens, then sell them to you at an astronomical price, but there''s no fun in that," Zheng Dafeng said. "I advise you not to go around searching for any such scriptures on your own.


    I am a martial artist myself, and I know all of the pitfalls involved in these matters. Seeing as you''ve already made some decent progress in your fist techniques, you should just stick to that instead of wasting your time with other futile pursuits."


    Chen Ping''an chewed on a peanut for a moment with a thoughtful expression, then said in an earnest manner, "Thank you. For that piece of advice alone, I can waive the five copper coins that you owe me."


    Zheng Dafeng''s eyelids twitched slightly upon hearing this.


    All of a sudden, he found Chen Ping''an to be far more likable than just a moment ago!


    He stretchedzily as he sat on his stool, then said in an exasperated manner, "Can you take off that shit on your face? You were never that handsome to begin with, and you look even more terrible with that disguise on."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "You already mentioned that I have a vendetta against Fu Nanhua, so I have to be careful under these circumstances. Who''s to say that the Fu n doesn''t have any way to observe the entire city?


    If I were to show my true appearance, that would be equivalent to me standing on their doorstep and yelling for them toe and kill me! As soon as I step out onto the street, I''m going to be mobbed and beaten to death!"

 Chapter 254: (4): Sincerity Can be Just as Moving as it Can be Hurtful

    Chapter 254: (4): Sincerity Can be Just as Moving as it Can be Hurtful


    Fu Chunhua''s face instantly turned deathly pale. She was horrified that her father would misconstrue her intentions and think that she was trying to foil her brother''s ns.


    Fu Qi smiled as he reassured, "There''s no need to be nervous, I''m well aware of your personality. Sun Jiashu has chosen to ce his bets on Chen Ping''an on this asion in order to test our Fu n, and I''m guessing that he''s eagerly looking forward to seeing us take action against him.


    If we do try to intimidate him, he''ll immediately return to the Sun n''s ancestral manor, putting on a pitiable disy as if he were being oppressed by our Fu n. That Golden Core Tier Qi refiner only decided to offer his services to the Sun n as he was indebted to them, so if we were to exert any pressure on Sun Jiashu now, he would never make the decision to defect to our Fu n."


    "Is Sun Jiashu not worried that we''ll kill that boy?" Fu Chunhua asked.


    Fu Qi looked up at the sky as he replied, "It''s understandable that you would think this way. Only if you manage to inherit the Old Dragon Robe someday will you have the opportunity to know some of the things that are truly going on up there."


    Fu Chunhua looked up at the sea of clouds overhead upon hearing this.


    "Even higher than that," Fu Qi said with a smile.


    A hint of longing appeared in Fu Chunhua''s eyes as she attempted to peer through the sea of clouds.


    Prior to reaching the Golden Core Tier, everyone was under the impression that the Golden Core Tier was the pinnacle of cultivation, but only after reaching that tier would one realize that it was actually only halfway up the mountain of cultivation.


    "Compared with the Sun n and Sun Jiashu, our Fu n and I are more decisive," Fu Qi suddenly said. "Right now, I need to leave Old Dragon City to meet with a few esteemed guests that havee from the north. Go to Nanhua and tell him that Chen Ping''an is currently staying in the Sun n''s ancestral residence.


    I want to see what choice he makes in response to this information, and that will decide whether he''ll be the city lord of Old Dragon City. Of course, it''ll also determine whether you still have any chance of inheriting the Old Dragon Robe. I hope that by the time I return to Old Dragon City, the correct decision will have already been made. You can take the carriage back to the city."


    Fu Chunhua did as she was told, while Fu Qi sprang up into the sky, rising gracefully up into the sea of clouds overhead before setting off toward the north.


    Fu Chunhua didn''t have the time to ponder who those esteemed guests could be to warrant a personal reception from the city lord of Old Dragon City. Instead, as she entered the carriage, she began to consider how she should proceed to maximize her own interests, as well as to ponder what decision Fu Nanhua was going to make.


    The more she pondered this conundrum, the more muddled her thoughts became. No matter what she did, she felt like she could reap some benefits, but ultimately, she would still end up very far from the best-case scenario that she had envisioned.


    Even as she arrived at Fu Nanhua''s private residence, she still hadn''te to any conclusive decision, so she could only carefully ry Fu Qi''s message to Fu Nanhua, while removing some parts and adding others.


    Fu Nanhua naturally wasn''t going to fully believe her, but he knew that there was also no way that Fu Chunhua would dare topletely fabricate a message from Fu Qi. After listening to what Fu Chunhua had to say, Fu Nanhua stood up from his chair, and he was just about to begin pacing, a habit that he had developed whenever he had to think about something, when he suddenly sat back down as he dered, "I''ve made my decision. Chen Ping''an has to die!"


    Fu Chunhua smiled as she said, "Shopkeeper Zheng of the Dust Medicinal Shop is a martial artist who''s at least at the pinnacle of the seventh tier, and he could even be at the eighth tier. He has very close ties with the Fu n, and on top of that, the Sun n also has a Nascent Tier patriarch and three other Golden Core Tier guest elders.


    They don''t need to do anything unless the Sun n''s ancestral residence is under threat, but if pushes to shove, I think Superior Grandmaster will most likely be able to convince those three to intervene, and that''s still not even taking into ount all of the Sun n''s other guest elders in the inner city. Are you sure you don''t want to reconsider, Nanhua?"


    "The only thing I''m considering right now is how to kill Chen Ping''an at as little a cost as possible to myself," Fu Nanhua replied with a cold expression.


    "Your wedding ising up soon, are you not afraid that something will go wrong right on the cusp of such an important asion? Additionally, that boy came from Jewel Small World, so he''s technically a citizen of the Great Li Empire. Are you not worried that killing him will tarnish the image of our Fu n in the eyes of the Great Li Empire''s emperor?" Fu Chunhua asked.


    Fu Nanhua offered no response to this.


    "Have a long, hard think about this, Fu Nanhua," Fu Chunhua said as her smile widened. "By telling you all of this, am I hoping that you''llsh out at Chen Ping''an, or am I hoping that you''ll stay your hand?"


    Fu Nanhua continued to remain silent.


    As the silence continued, the smile on Fu Chunhua''s face gradually faded until it disappeared altogether, and a cold look appeared in her eyes as she scrutinized Fu Nanhua, the useless piece of trash who had only managed to reach the sixth tier even after wasting an unfathomable amount of resources from the n.


    How dare he even consider himself a possible heir to their father''s position as city lord? What right did he have topete against her and Fu Donghai, a pair of Golden Core Tier Qi refiners, for inheritance of the Old Dragon Robe?


    Fu Nanhua slowly rose to his feet in a smooth and graceful fashion, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "Fu Chunhua, our mother isn''t the only one who knows about all of the putrid things going on between you and Fu Donghai. I''m very curious, do you know about the filthy dealings between Fu Donghai and your personal maidservant?"


    "My good little brother, you''ll surely be well looked after once Fu Donghai or I be the city lord," Fu Chunhua said with a smile.


    Fu Nanhua seemed to bepletely oblivious to Fu Chunhua''s thinly veiled threat as he said, "Before that, we have to work together as siblings to devise a n to kill Chen Ping''an, don''t we? After all, you have no idea what our father is thinking right now, and you don''t know whether this decision of mine is getting you closer to inheriting the position of n leader or pushing you further away.


    Not only is this a test for me, it''s just as much as a test for you, so you have to be careful with how you proceed, my good sister."


    Fu Chunhua''s eyes narrowed slightly as a cold look appeared on her face.


    Fu Nanhua rose to his feet, then cast his gaze toward the entrance of his private residence as he mused internally, <em>Sun Jiashu, are you really going to sacrifice Chen Ping''an just for a Nascent Tier Qi refiner? Is that really a worthy trade? Or could it be...</em>


    Fu Nanhua shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought. Sun Jiashu wasn''t a madman, so there was no way that was possible.


    ... But what if?


    Only in this moment did Fu Nanhua truly begin to hesitate, and a hint of agitation welled up in his heart.


    Fu Chunhua had watched this little brother of hers grow up his entire life, but he suddenly felt extremely unfamiliar to him, and for the first time, a sense of foreboding welled up in her heart toward her previously unremarkable and innocuous little brother.


    After Fu Qi flew out of the city, he stopped in his tracks high up in the sky, then descended upon a ship that hade from Parasol Tree Mountain of the Great Li Empire.


    On the ship was a Mohist swordsman by the name of Xu Ruo with a sword slung across his back, and the old flood dragon who was an assistant mountain master of Forest Deer Academy.


    With these two on the ship, it would definitely be safe even on a trip to Stctite Mountain.


    The two of them were tasked with protecting a young boy and a young girl. Strictly speaking, only the former was truly under their protection, and it was none other than Prince Song Mu of the Great Li Empire.


    The young girl''s name was Zhi Gui, and she was trailing along behind Song Mu in an obedient and docile fashion. The entire time, she didn''t take even a single nce at Fu Qi, who wasn''t wearing his Old Dragon Robe. On top of that, he hadn''t dered who he was, and he was currently standing on the ship, engaged in some small talk with Song Jixin Xu Ruo, so perhaps he had failed to recognize him.


    The ship passed straight through the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City beforending in the Fu city.


    After arranging ces to stay for these esteemed guests from the Great Li Empire, Fu Qi arrived at Fu Nanhua''s private manor to find that he was leaning against a Coiling Dragon Pir with a dazed and dispirited look on his face.


    "Why do you look so glum?" Fu Qi asked.


    Fu Nanhua turned to his father as he replied, "I''ve been thinking about many things, but no matter what decision I make, it all seems to be wrong. The Fu n, Old Dragon City, the Great Li Empire, Jewel Small World, Sun Jiashu, Fu Donghai, Fu Chunhua...."


    A smile suddenly appeared on Fu Qi''s face as he asked, "Are you aware that no matter what decision you make, you are guaranteed to be the next city lord of Old Dragon City?"


    Fu Nanhua waspletely taken aback to hear this.


    All of a sudden, Fu Qi turned to the side before lowering his head, as if he were weing an extremely important guest.


    A young girl made her way into the hall while greedily sucking in Dragon Qi without any reservation. She was looking slightly inebriated as she sat down onto a chair, then raised her hands and pped.


    A dragon robe emerged behind her alongside a cloud of mist, as if the robe were being cleansed by a cloud of water vapor.


    She rose to her feet, and the dragon robe draped itself over her, while the nine golden dragons in the sea of clouds embroidered onto the robe began to roam over its surface in an extremely life-like fashion.


    She kicked off her boots before sitting back down onto the chair with her legs crossed, and the severely oversized dragon robe was looking ratherical on her. Her face was puckered with indignation as he sighed, "It''s been really hard work pretending that I''m just a powerless little girl even after the restrictions of Jewel Small World are gone.


    I suppose it can''t be helped, there are still some people that I''m no match for at the moment. That stupid Daoist priest, Ruan Qiong, Song Changjing, the leader of Mohism, Sword Immortal Xu Ruo... There are almost too many of them to count.


    Forget it, thinking about them is only making me even more depressed. This is a far better ce than Jewel Small World. As expected of such a great ce. Even after so many years, your Fu n has done very well to preserve so much Dragon Qi. You''ll be rewarded handsomely for your efforts!"


    Fu Nanhua turned to the familiar young girl, then turned to look at his father, who was standing off to the side with a calm expression, and finally, his gazended on the Old Dragon Robe draped over the girl''s petite body.


    He had almost gone insane once before, but this time, he felt as if he were truly going insane.


    Zhi Gui took a nce at her surrounding as she continued, "I had to endure many indignities toe here, but the biggest of all of these indignities that is that I was only able to make it here smoothly because that stinky Daoist priest allowed it to be so..."


    All of a sudden, she stabbed a finger in Fu Nanhua''s direction as she said in a scathing voice, "You pathetic little ant! I hear that you don''t even dare to kill Chen Ping''an! You''re not even worthy of the... What''s your n''s surname again?"


    "We are the Fu n, Young Mistress," Fu Qi replied in a respectful manner.


    Zhi Gui suddenly becamepletely deted as sheid back against the chair, snuggled up inside the Old Dragon Robe as if it were an oversized nket.


    Fu Nanhua felt as if he were on the verge of losing his sanity.


    Zhi Gui nced down at the Old Dragon Robe as she remarked, "This robe is quite nice. As expected of something that''s harnessed the Qi and essence of nine past emperors of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Having said that, the sea of clouds embroidered on the robe is a littleckluster."


    As she made this final remark, her golden eyes lit up with a hint of intrigue.


    Fu Qi seemed to be able to see what Zhi Gui was thinking, and a wry smile appeared on his face as he said, "Young Mistress, the sea of clouds above the city can''t be withdrawn into the Old Dragon Robe for now. Otherwise, it''ll attract too much attention, and someone could realize that something''s amiss."


    "I know, I know," Zhi Gui sighed in response, following which she closed her eyes in a drunken manner. "Now that I''m here, I really don''t want to move again."


    All of a sudden, she jumped down from the chair, and the Old Dragon Robe, which had appeared like an oversized nket just a moment ago, suddenly fit her perfectly. She was standing in the hall while looking outside, seemingly rather hesitant about something.


    Over at the Sun n''s ancestral residence, a wry smile appeared on the face of the Nascent Tier patriarch upon hearing Sun Jiashu''s n, and he asked, "Is that really worth it? Are you not afraid that after this battle, our Sun n will fall from its pedestal and bepletely devoured by the Fu n and the other four major ns?"


    Sun Jiashu''s expression remained unchanged as he replied, "Not at all. The only thing that I regret is that our Sun n doesn''t have more for me to gamble with. Otherwise, I''d raise the stakes even higher."


    The Sun n patriarch was silent for a long while before asking, "What if that boy finds out about our Sun n''s intentions?"


    A determined look appeared in Sun Jiashu''s eyes as he replied, "He won''t find out, and even if he does, it still doesn''t change the fact that our Sun n has made a huge sacrifice for him, and I''m certain that we''ll be repaid for the sacrifices that we''ve made."


    "Is it really the right idea to be making such a radical move?" the Sun n patriarch asked. "Can''t you emte what that boy did in his breakthrough to the fourth tier, waiting for everything to fall into ce naturally on their own?"


    "If I were representing only myself, of course I could wait, but the state of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and the world atrge can''t!" Sun Jiashu replied with a shake of his head.


    The Sun n patriarch could only heave a faint sigh, and he made no further attempt at persuasion.


    After that, Chen Ping''an returned to the Sun n''s ancestral residence from the inner city, and a period of peace followed.


    As usual, Sun Jiashu continued to pay asional visits to the ancestral residence, and each time he did so, he would stay for a night, following which he would propose a bet to the three Golden Core Tier guest elders.


    The first bet was for one grain rain coin, the second was for two, the third was for four, and the fourth bet was for eight grain rain coins.


    In the end, Sun Jiashu lost all four bets, following which he proposed no further bets.


    As for Chen Ping''an, he would continue to go night fishing at the river every single day, waiting for the sun to rise.


    On the 20th day that Chen Ping''an was staying at the Sun n''s ancestral residence, Sun Jiashu was seated in a deep sleep in ordance with a Daoist meditation technique when he heard Chen Ping''an yell out from afar, "Sun Jiashu, look!"


    Sun Jiashu immediately rose to his feet, and without even putting on his boots, he rushed over to the window to look up at the sky.


    Around a dozen golden flood dragons were descending from the clouds in the east, and once again, they were beaten by Chen Ping''an without any hesitation, even though he had already been told that this was an opportunity that was not to be squandered.


    In this instant, Sun Jiashu could only look on in aplete daze, and his Dao Heart very nearly copsed.


    Fortunately, the Sun n patriarch hurriedly arrived by his side, then pressed a hand firmly down onto his shoulder as he consoled, "There''s no need to be so distraught, Jiashu. The cashew tree is an evergreen tree that thrives in all seasons, but a person cannot expect to thrive at all times. It''s for a day like this that you were given this name." [1]


    "I was so close," Sun Jiashu murmured to himself with a deathly paleplexion.


    Even though his mental state was returning to stability, he was still feelingpletely distraught, as if he had lost an entire Old Dragon City.


    In the inner city of Old Dragon City, Zheng Dafeng took a nce at the rising sun in the east while standing in the alley outside the Dust Medicinal Shop. All of a sudden, he pulled out his book, then flipped it to a certain page before reading the Chapter of Sincerity to himself in silence.


    After the phenomenon of golden flood dragons faded, Zheng Dafeng destroyed the book at once, leaving no trace of it behind, then made his way back into the alley with a sullen look on his face as he mused, "I was wrong all this time... He''s my Dao mentor..."


    1. Jiashu () trantes to cashew tree.

 Chapter 255: (1): Dao Mentorship

    Chapter 255: (1): Dao Mentorship


    That night, Sun Jiashu was supposed to be meeting with a certain important figure from the Great Southeastern Continent, but he made ast-minute decision to cancel this meeting. This was a very rude and inappropriate thing to do, to the point that the steward, who barely ever raised any objections to Sun Jiashu''s decisions, couldn''t help but ask him to reconsider.


    However, Sun Jiashu didn''t reconsider, nor did he offer any exnation. Instead, he severed themunication between the Sun n''s ancestral residence and the Sun Manor before making his way to the small ancestral hall in the back.


    The steward was left at aplete loss for what to do, and the Sun n''s Nascent Tier patriarch knew that he had to step in.


    Hence, he appeared in the Sun Manor for the first time in over a century, then personally instructed the steward on how to handle this matter, instilling within him a great deal of calmness and reassurance.


    After taking a bath and changing into some new clothes, Sun Jiashu stood alone in the ancestral hall, offering up some incense before standing in silence, as if he were pondering his mistakes.


    Aside from spirit tablets, there were also portraits of the Sun n''s past n leaders hanging on the walls of the ancestral hall, most of whom were depicted wearing simple and unadorned attire like Sun Jiashu. Sun Jiashu had inherited the position of n leader directly from his grandfather, while his father''s generation had been skipped.


    After relieving himself of the position, Sun Jiashu''s grandfather had left to travel the Middle Earth Divine Continent. At the time, Sun Jiashu had only been in his early twenties, and with such a massive responsibility dumped onto his shoulders, he had suffered through a great deal of hardships over the years.


    Sun Jiashu looked up at the portraits on the walls. Some of them had saved the n during time of great peril, some had established new trade routes, some had befriended cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers for the sake of the n''s prosperity, some had done nothing with their lives and had only negative impacts on the n''s development, some had made terrible decisions, forcing the Sun n to part with much of its territory in the outer city, some had strayed down the wrong path, bing obsessed with cultivation and leaving the duty of overseeing the n to others...


    Sun Jiashu really wanted to know how he was going to be seen by his descendants once he became one of the portraits on the walls. Was he going to be regarded as a shrewd and conscientious n leader who had led the n to new heights, an ipetent n leader who had nted the seed for the n''s descent into ignominy, or a fool who had passed up an exceptionally rare opportunity?


    The Nascent Tier patriarch slowly made his way into the ancestral hallte at night, and after a long silence, he finally consoled, "Given thew of three strikes, it''s already quite remarkable that you had chosen to believe in that boy and bet on him four times, and there''s certainly no shame in losing on the fifth time.


    The fact that the guest elder with hopes of reaching the Nascent Tier was willing to entertain your bets four times indicates that he''s leaning more toward staying in the Sun n''s ancestral residence over defecting to Fu Donghai''s side."


    Sun Jiashu didn''t turn around as he continued to stare at one of the portraits on the walls as he nodded and replied, "I''ve already arrived at these conclusions myself, so I''m not overly bothered by these things.


    When ites to those bets, they haven''t improved the situation, nor have they made things any worse, so I can ept that oue. Even if we do miss out on a future Nascent Tier guest elder, that''s not something that will have a decisive impact on the fate of our Sun n."


    The Sun n patriarch wanted to say something, but ultimately refrained from doing so. What he wanted to ask concerned the foundation of Sun Jiashu''s Great Dao, and it would be inappropriate to pry into such matters, even for him.


    Simrly, even though the three guest elders in the Sun n''s ancestral residence were on very good terms with Sun Jiashu and were very curious about Chen Ping''an''s cultivation base, they still chose not to directly ask Sun Jiashu, merely specting about and betting on the subject instead.


    Sun Jiashu spread open one of his hands as he said, "This entire time that I''ve been with Chen Ping''an, I''ve been treating our rtionship as a business opportunity. It''s not that I don''t see Liu Baqiao as a friend, it''s just that Chen Ping''an is so strange and difficult to understand that I can''t help but want to make a big gamble on him. I can''t help it.


    At my core, I''m a businessman and the Sun n''s leader. I''ve onlye to realize now that knowing too much can also have its drawbacks."


    Sun Jiashu turned around and raised his syed-out hand as he continued, "Up to this point, the Fu n has taken no action against Chen Ping''an, and after he forced back those golden dragons a second time, my n had entirely fallen through, leaving me to suffer the consequences.


    Only then did I realize just how terrible my decision had been, to the point that it had lost me an entire Old Dragon City."


    Even as a revered earth immortal, the Sun n patriarch wasn''t able to see anything special about Sun Jiashu''s hand, but he was certain that through it, Sun Jiashu had already glimpsed the final truth.


    A grief-stricken look appeared on Sun Jiashu''s face as he continued, "If my decision had only cost me a friendship with Chen Ping''an, who was never my friend to begin with, and an Old Dragon City, then I would''ve been able to bear the consequences, no matter how bitter a fruit it is to swallow.


    So what if I missed out? I can just earn more money in the future to make up for it! When ites to the ability to make money, I don''t lose to anyone!"


    The Sun n patriarch remained silent, waiting for Sun Jiashu to continue.


    Sun Jiashu slowly clenched his syed hand into a tight fist, then continued in a trembling voice, "Before this, my way of making money was one that I had always firmly believed was the correct path, one that follows the Great Dao of Commercialism and fits perfectly with the ancestral teachings of our n.


    However, in the wake of this ordeal, after knowing Chen Ping''an for only less than a month, it''s been exposed to be nothing more than an incorrect and terribly misguided path. The founder of Commercialism had long warned the followers of his teachings that money earned through unjust means was like flowing water, going just as quickly as it came, so it was definitely not to be pursued."


    Sun Jiashu turned to the side so that the Sun n patriarch wouldn''t be able to see his expression, and he also lowered his head slightly, seemingly not wanting to see the patriarch''s expression, either.


    The Sun n patriarch slowly made his way over to Sun Jiashu''s side as he said, "The mistakes have already been made. Are you just going to allow yourself to be defeated and do nothing to make amends?"


    Sun Jiashu raised his hands in front of himself before gently blowing onto them as he replied, "For some reason, the Fu n decided not to make a move, and that''s left me in a very difficult position. Most importantly, even now, I still don''t know what Chen Ping''an thinks of me and what kind of person he is. That is the main predicament that I''m facing."


    The Sun n patriarch''s brows furrowed slightly as he said, "It''s difficult to say what Chen Ping''an thinks of you, but have you still note to understand what kind of person he is?"


    A resigned look appeared on Sun Jiashu''s face as he sighed, "Before this, I thought I already had a good grasp on his character, so I was prepared to face the consequences. Even if hees to realize the truth, I was prepared topensate him, and the worst-case scenario would be a clean break, where our Sun n never crosses paths with Chen Ping''an again.


    However, I don''t know if I''m prepared to face the consequences now because I don''t know if Chen Ping''an is consistent in the way that he treats himself and the way that he treats others."


    The Sun n patriarch patted Sun Jiashu on the shoulder as he said, "Jiashu, you''re very intelligent, and you also possess immense talent, so your status as n leader has never been questioned. Even now that you''ve made such a grave mistake, I still think you''re the best candidate for the job.


    Right now, I''m not a patriarch offering counsel and instruction to a n leader. Instead, I''m going to give you a piece of advice purely as a senior to a junior. I think you should cast aside all of your schemes and disregard the fate of the n and the state of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    You are Sun Jiashu, Liu Baqiao''s best friend, and Chen Ping''an is a friend introduced to you by Liu Baqiao, so why don''t you just try to befriend him on a personal level and think about nothing else?"


    "Will that work?" Sun Jiashu asked with a skeptical expression.


    The Sun n patriarch smiled as he replied, "You may as well give it a try. It''s not like things can get any worse. On top of that, some things cannot just be avoided. When you encounter a hurdle, there''s nothing to fear because all you have to do is try your best to get over it.


    As for whether you''ll be sessful, that''s another matter entirely. At the very least, you tried, and just as you said, it''s not going to have a decisive impact on our Sun n anyway."


    "Alright, I suppose I can give it a try," Sun Jiashu said, but he was still looking a little hesitant.


    The Sun n patriarch turned to look at the sky outside the ancestral hall as he said, "Go. Don''t forget that today is the day that the Mountain and Sea Turtle sets sail."


    Sun Jiashu took a deep breath, then departed from the ancestral hall. Even though he had already made a decision, his footsteps were still quite heavy.


    "Jiashu really has suffered a terrible loss this time," The Sun n patriarch sighed to himself. "He lost three times in a row, losing grain rain coins, losing a century of service from a guest elder with hopes of reaching the Nascent Tier, losing to the Fu n, and finally, losing his Dao Heart.


    The wavering of his Dao Heart is the most damning of those consequences, and if I were in his ce, I would most likely only be faring even worse than him. In fact, my Dao Heart would''ve most likely already copsed, leaving no chance for amends to be made. "


    The Sun n patriarch then turned his gaze back to the portraits hanging on the walls as he smiled and continued, "Having said that, I think this is a good thing. At the very least, the consequences are not too severe to bear, and they''ve taught him some valuable lessons.


    It''s never a good thing to have too smooth a journey and rely excessively on one''s own talents and intelligence, wouldn''t you all agree?"


    All of the portraits on the walls fluttered audibly, as if they were expressing their agreement.


    Inside the Fu city, Song Jixin was constantly apanied by the assistant mountain master of Forest Deer Academy wherever he went.


    The deal between Old Dragon City and the Great Li Empire had been decided long before Fu Nanhua entered Jewel Small World, and Song Jixin had onlye to Old Dragon City as an obligatory visit to disy himself to the outside world as a new prince of the Great Li Empire. He was doing this both as a part of Cui Chan''s n and under the orders of the emperor.


    Song Jixin had traveled southward to Old Dragon City from the ferry station in the Dragon Spring Prefecture. The emperor was still resting and recuperating in the capital city of the Great Li Empire, and he hadn''t made any demands of Song Jixin for this trip.


    Hence, as Song Jixin stepped onto the ship, he couldn''t help but feel as if his maidservant, Zhi Gui, was the true focus for this trip.


    Song Jixin was aware of some of the inner workings behind certain things that were stillrgely unfathomable to him, and he knew that there were many long-running plots that were unfolding in the shadows.


    Ultimately, one side would descend southward, while the other would travel northward, and additionally, the Gao n of Great Sui Nation had expressed their willingness topromise and forge an alliance with the Great Li Empire''s Song n.


    In the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was Heavenly Lord Xie Shi of Complete Reed Continent, and he had severed the control that Lake View Academy had over the north.


    Even though the academy hadshed out with a high degree of force and decisiveness, stamping out the stirrings of war that were beginning to arise within the dozen or so nations that included Colorful Garment Nation and Water Combing Nation, Song Jixin could still see a path along which the cavalry of the Great Li Empire could make its southbound march, encountering no meaningful resistance as it conquered everything en route to the south coast...


    Song Jixin could see all of this, but he refrained from speaking about such matters.


    Just because the state of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was beneficial to the Song n didn''t necessarily mean that it was beneficial to him. Not only did he not have interactions with the most important officials of the Great Li Empire, he also had a twin brother in the Pce of Eternal Spring, as well as a mother who disyed a high degree of favoritism for her younger son.


    Upon returning to the capital city of the Great Li Empire, he had paid a visit to the Pce of Eternal Spring. It was customarily mandated that after a long separation between parent and child, thetter had to visit the former following their return.


    However, no matter how much sorrow his mother disyed, Song Jixin discovered that he struggled to reciprocate those feelings. He felt as if he had been watching aplete stranger weeping before him, but while he remained as unmoved as a block of wood. In fact, that was an apt analogy as he had felt like a wooden puppetpletely devoid of emotion at the time.


    All he was able to do was squeeze out some tears, and he had nothing to say to his mother. Their conversation consisted solely of her asking him questions, to which he would respond, and it was more like a stiff and awkward briefing between superior and subordinate rather than a heartwarming reunion between mother and son.


    On top of that, Song He had also been bawling his eyes out on the side, and Song Jixin felt like that reunion had been a very awkward one for all three of them.


    Song Jixin was walking alone down a corridor in the Fu n''s courtyard. He had expressed a desire to take a stroll on his own, so the assistant mountain master of Forest Deer Academy wasn''t apanying him.


    On his stroll, Song Jixin encountered many handsome male servants and beautiful maidservants, none of whom were aware of his identity, but the Old Dragon Cloud-Flipping Pendant and the Old Dragon Rainbringer hanging from his waist granted him free passage anywhere in the Fu n.


    On this day, Zhi Gui had gone off on her own again, and Sword Immortal Xu Ruo was also nowhere to be seen.


    It was said that Xu Ruo was an extremely renowned Mohist figurehead of Middle Earth Divine Continent, and Song Jixin had always been trying to befriend him, but despite how perpetually pleasant and easygoing Xu Ruo seemed, Song Jixin felt like he was very difficult to form a true bond with, and their rtionship remained one that was pleasant, yet distant.


    In his mind, perhaps the situation would improve if he were to inherit the throne someday, so for now, he would just have to bide his time.


    While on his stroll, Song Jixin was inspecting the surrounding scenery, which consisted of the immacte maintained gardens and pavilions of the Fu n, but it didn''t take long before he grew bored of what he was seeing.


    Back when he was strolling through the streets and alleys of the small town, the scenery had never been so unappealing to him, regardless of whether he was apanied by Zhi Gui. As the thought of Zhi Gui entered his mind, his mood worsened even further.


    He was terrified that one day, she would no longer be his maidservant, and that he would suddenly turn around to find that she was gone.


    Just like now, as he turned around to face the empty corridor behind him. The only thing there was a parrot in the cage speaking in the dialect of Old Dragon City. Song Jixin made his way over to the cage, then tapped it heavily with his finger as he said, "Shut up!"


    The parrot was an extremely fast learner, and it immediately copied Song Jixin as it replied, "Shut up!"


    Song Jixin raised an eyebrow as he said, "I want to kiss Song Mu''s arse!"


    The parrot turned around so that its backside was facing Song Jixin, and it replied, "You can kiss my arse!"


    Song Jixin was very amused by this interaction, and his mood was lifted a little as he departed with a smile on his face.


    The Fu n had a Dragon Scaling tform that was a restricted area in Old Dragon City. It wasn''t in the Fu city. Instead, it was on the seaside cliff in the easternmost area of Old Dragon City.


    The Dragon Scaling tform was several hundred feet tall, and it was the tallest building in all of Old Dragon City, but it waspletely empty, and a Golden Core Tier Qi refiner was constantly stationed here, cultivating in a thatch hut while preventing outsiders from stepping onto the tform.


    On this day, Fu Qi was personally apanying a guest onto the tform for sightseeing, and they were apanied only by Fu Nanhua.


    It was strange that Fu Qi stopped at the foot of the Dragon Scaling tform, while the guests made their way up to the tform on their own.


    The Golden Core Tier Qi refiner extended a respectful greeting to Fu Qi, then took a nce at Fu Nanhua before returning to his thatch hut to continue refining his soul by sensing the ebb and flow of the sea''s tide.


    "Nanhua, did you choose to refrain from attacking Chen Ping''an because you thought that Sun Jiashu was smarter than you, so it had to be a trap for you?" Fu Qi asked.


    "Aside from that, I was asking myself how I would treat this matter if I were the city lord of Old Dragon City. Would I use our n''s resources to settle a private vendetta, or..."


    Fu Nanhua''s voice trailed off here as an awkward look appeared on his face.


    Fu Qi was very pleased to hear this, and he praised the young man. "Looks like you really did carefully consider the things that I told you that day. If you''re a member of the Fu n, then you can''t wait until the day you be the city lord before you finally begin acting like one.


    If you don''t even have that much foresight, then even if you''re the most powerful cultivator in the n, it matters for naught. If all you do is make rash decisions to satisfy your own personal agendas, then you''ll eventually get what''sing to you. In the face of an immortal of the Upper Five Tiers, our Old Dragon City is nothing more than a fart in the wind."


    Fu Nanhua gritted his teeth momentarily to muster up some courage, then asked, "Father, how can I inherit the position of city lord with my lowly cultivation base? How can I expect anyone to respect and ept me as city lord?"


    Fu Qi burst intoughter. "Just use money to get yourself there! Our Fu n doesn''t have much else, but we have a ton of money! How do you think I managed to progress from the Golden Core Tier to the Nascent Tier?


    The amount of money and resources I went through are sufficient to purchase that entire street that the Sun n owns outside the city! How do you think I reached the pinnacle of the Nascent Tier thereafter? Sure, I was pretty conscientious in my cultivation, but most of it was thanks to money."


    Fu Nanhua was astonished to hear this.


    <em>It''s that simple? </em>


    Fu Qi sped his hands behind his back, then cast his gaze toward the petite figure scaling the tform as he smiled and said, "While it''s true that I felt you were a worthy candidate to inherit my mantle, her opinion on the matter was the most decisive factor in the decision. In fact, it''s no exaggeration to say that she has the final say on this matter.


    There are some things that are out of your reach at the moment, but you''ll learn more and more about those things from here onward, and the true scenery at the pinnacle of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent will gradually beid out before you."


    A look of excitement and yearning appeared in Fu Nanhua''s eyes.


    A meaningful smile appeared on Fu Qi''s face as he continued, "Someday, you''lle to realize that the entire world around you reeks of the stench of blood."


    As Zhi Gui stepped onto the Dragon Scaling tform, her face was covered in blood, and more bloody tears continued to flow out of her golden eyes.


    She stood on her own, cutting a lonesome figure as she inspected her surroundings.


    The nine continents, the Five Lakes and Four Seas... All of them were riddled with tombs filled with her brethren!

 Chapter 255: (2): Dao Mentorship

    Chapter 255: (2): Dao Mentorship


    On this day, Chen Ping''an was still doing his usual night fishing, which was interspersed with periods of standing meditation. As daybreak arrived, he opened his eyes as he cast his gaze toward the sky in the east, but this time, the golden flood dragons didn''te. Even so, he remainedpletely unbothered as he smiled and waved at the distant horizon, as if he were waving at a familiar acquaintance.


    After that, he packed up his fish basket and fishing rod before returning to the Sun n''s ancestral residence, where he discovered Sun Jiashu waiting for him.


    In reality, Chen Ping''an had been waiting for Sun Jiashu as well.


    Back in that alley in the inner city, Zheng Dafeng had tried to goad him into removing his facade, but the Yin god had intervened and revealed Zheng Dafeng''s intentions to him.


    It seemed that the Sun n had nothing to do with this, but Chen Ping''an was quickly able to deduce Sun Jiashu''s hidden intentions.


    Was he disappointed? Of course.


    Was he furious? Not really.


    Liu Baqiao had clearly harbored good intentions when he introduced him to Sun Jiashu, and ultimately, it was his decision whether he wanted toe to the Sun n''s ancestral residence. Looking back now, Chen Ping''an could see that he hadn''t made the worst decision, but it wasn''t the best one, either.


    The Fu n and the Sun n believed in the teachings of Commercialism, and Sun Jiashu had revealed some of the core beliefs of Commercialism to Chen Ping''an during their past conversations.


    Once again, Chen Ping''an''s impression of Sun Jiashu had be rather murky, and his heart was filled with apprehension and wariness.


    Just because someone was kind and pure didn''t necessarily mean that they were stupid and ignorant. In order to truly be a good person, one had to know what a bad person was. For a good person, just living was the best deed that they could do for this world.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t need books to teach him these basic principles. Instead, he had learned these precious life lessons through his past experiences.


    Sun Jiashu watched as Chen Ping''an approached him, then took a deep breath and didn''t say anything as he extended an apologetic bow.


    Chen Ping''an stepped aside to avoid this seemingly inexplicable gesture of apology from Sun Jiashu.


    After standing up straight again, a wry smile appeared on Sun Jiashu''s face as he said, "Chen Ping''an, I''ve already arranged for you to travel on the Fan n''s Osmanthus Ind ship. Our Sun n is no longer worthy of inviting you to travel on our Mountain and Sea Turtle."


    "Why did you do this, Sun Jiashu?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Sun Jiashu hesitated momentarily, then squatted down as he turned to face the river before picking up some of the pebbles by his feet and throwing them into the water one after another.


    "I wanted to take a gamble and try to profit from your presence here in Old Dragon City.


    I intentionally downyed the level of control that the Fu n had over Old Dragon City to you, only giving you that disguise during your outing when I knew full well that it wouldn''t be enough to conceal your identity. I intentionally dangled you out as bait, and I was making a bet that the stubborn Fu Nanhua wouldn''t be able to resist the urge to strike you down.


    Once that happened, I would ensure your protection at all cost, even if it meant giving up half of the Sun n. After that, you''ll set off for Stctite Mountain, and you''ll feel like you owe me a massive favor. I''m confident that when you repay the favor, our Sun n will recover far more than we''ll lose."


    Chen Ping''an was still carrying his fishing rod and fish basket as he remained on the spot and asked, "How were you so certain that you could ensure my safety?"


    Sun Jiashu continued to face the river as he pointed up at the sky and replied, "There are some things at the pinnacle of this world that I''m aware of as the Sun n''s leader, but they''re things that Fu Nanhua isn''t privy to. Of course, City Lord Fu Qi is also aware of these things.


    In this gamble, all I have to do is put everything on the line, making it appear as if our Sun n were determined to protect you, even if it meant the destruction of our entire n. Once I did that, Fu Qi would take advantage of the opportunity to deal our Sun n a heavy blow, but ultimately back off at a certain point.


    You would be in no true danger during all of this, but you wouldn''t know that, and in the wake of the ordeal, you and I would be close friends."


    Only after hearing Sun Jiashu''s exnation did a sense of fury finally well up in Chen Ping''an''s heart. A cold look appeared on his face as he channeled his aura to suppress his fury with all his might.


    Sun Jiashu tossed out another pebble as he continued, "In recent years, our Sun n has been doing quite well, and on the surface, it appears as if we''ve be powerful enough to stand toe to toe against the Fu n, but I know that we''re still quite far away from reaching that level.


    The Fu n is determined to pledge its allegiance to the Great Li Empire, and the Fan n is doing the same. All of the other three major ns are also seeking out different backers, including Lake View Academy and certain immortal sects of Complete Reed Continent and Great Southeastern Continent.


    All of them have secured backing and safetys for themselves, while our Sun n remains the only exception. I also want to secure the backing of the Great Li Empire''s Song n, but I haven''t been able to find a way in.


    Some time ago, a Golden Core Tier guest elder of our n and I traveled to the capital city of the Great Li Empire, but not only were we not able to secure an audience with the emperor, we weren''t even allowed to set foot into Song Changjing''s manor. As a businessman, this is a terrible situation to be in, and it plunged me into the depths of despair."


    "I can understand that you don''t regard me as a friend, but what about Liu Baqiao?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Sun Jiashu had already prepared answers for all of the questions that he thought that Chen Ping''an would ask, but he wasn''t prepared for this one.


    A bitter look appeared on his face as he cast his gaze across the river.


    This was a question that was very direct and difficult to answer, and even the Sun n patriarch, who was observing this interaction in secret, couldn''t help but feel a little sorry for Sun Jiashu.


    Sun Jiashu lowered his head slightly as he looked down at the ground. For all his wiles as a businessman, this question had left himpletely stumped, so he decided to pursue the easiest route, replying in a candid fashion, "Of course I see him as a friend, but after what I''ve done here, he may no longer be my friend, and to make matters worse, I''ve made an enemy out of you as well."


    "Are you telling me all of this because you don''t dare to kill me? Are you afraid that someday, someone will return to Majestic World and raze this ancestral manor to the ground over what you''ve done?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "I don''t want to kill you," Sun Jiashu replied as he turned to Chen Ping''an and forced a smile onto his own face. "Do you believe me when I say that, Chen Ping''an?"


    Chen Ping''an offered no reply.


    Sun Jiashu rose to his feet, and it was as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was no longer looking so deted, and some of his customary ir and poise had returned to him as he continued, "I''ve told you everything that I have to say. Regardless of what you decide to do, I won''t regret my decisions. The mistakes have already been made, the least I can do is own up to them."


    Chen Ping''an heaved a faint sigh as he said, "After I pack up my belongings, I''ll go to the Dust Medicinal Shop in the inner city, then travel to Stctite Mountain on the Fan n''s Osmanthus Ind."


    "Alright," Sun Jiashu replied with a nod.


    With that, the two of them returned to the Sun n''s ancestral residence in silence, and Chen Ping''an did exactly as he said, packing up his belongings before departing without a word.


    Sun Jiashu was left to eat breakfast on his own, and once again, it was a meal of steamed buns, rice congee, and pickled vegetables. The Sun n patriarch sat down across from him, but before he had a chance to say anything, Sun Jiashu dered, "I''ll inform Liu Baqiao of what happened here as soon as I can."


    "Are you worried that you''ll be in an even worse predicament if Chen Ping''an were to expose you before you had a chance toe clean, or are you simply trying to clear your own conscience?" the Sun n patriarch asked.


    Sun Jiashu set down his chopsticks, then considered the question carefully before replying in a truthful fashion, "There''s a bit of both, I think."


    "Why don''t you consider tampering with Osmanthus Ind?" the Sun n patriarch asked.


    Aftering clean to Chen Ping''an, Sun Jiashu was feeling quite reinvigorated, and he smiled as he replied with a shake of his head, "I can''t try to smooth out a mistake bymitting another one. Also, I have a feeling that doing that will onlynd me deeper in the hole that I''m already in."


    The Sun n patriarch was very relieved to hear this, and he smiled as he said, "Overall, I think this was a positive experience. In the face of an inevitable turn in the tide, it''s naturally a good thing to be able to act before others, but it''s just as valuable to be able to remain levelheaded and notmit any major mistakes despite how high the stakes are.


    As the leader of such arge n, you can''t afford to make risky gambles and ce all of your eggs in one basket."


    "Old people really are treasures that are full of wisdom!" Sun Jiashu remarked with a smile.


    The Sun n patriarch rose to his feet as he said, "I''ll leave you to eat on your own. Make sure to temper your own mental state and don''t allow yourself to get too worked up in the near future."


    Sun Jiashu set down his chopsticks before standing up to apany the Sun n patriarch out of the room, then sat back down to continue eating breakfast.


    It was truly a horrible meal, like the embodiment of the bitter pill that he was forced to swallow.


    After emerging from the territory of the Sun n''s ancestral residence, Chen Ping''an arrived in a prosperous market, then asked for some directions before hiring an ordinary horse-drawn carriage that would take him to the inner city.


    It was quite expensive to travel from the outer city to the inner city, and after entering the carriage, Chen Ping''an began issuing directions to the coach driver.


    A Yin god had appeared in the carriage, the very same one that had appeared outside the Dust Medicinal Shop, and it dered that its surname was Zhao, so Chen Ping''an referred to it respectfully as Mr. Zhao.


    Upon reaching the alley outside the Dust Medicinal Shop, Chen Ping''an paid the fare to the coach driver. On this day, Zheng Dafeng wasn''t sitting under the locust tree. Instead, he was sitting at the counter of the medicine shop with a dazed look on his face. He wasn''t surprised to see Chen Ping''an, and he told Chen Ping''an that the shop was small, but the backyard behind the shop was quiterge.


    Chen Ping''an made his way into the backyard to find that theyout was very simr to that of the Yang Family''s medicine shop. The ground in the backyard was paved with bluestone bs, and there was a main room and two side rooms, both of thetter of which were empty, so Chen Ping''an could choose either one.


    Chen Ping''an chose the one on the left, and he set down his belongings and his sword case inside the room, leaving only the Sword Nurturing Gourd strapped to his waist. Zheng Dafeng had purchased an old pipe from some antique shop, and he was emting Old Man Yang as he sat under the eave of the main room, smoking the pipe while seated on a stool.


    However, in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, there was an air of unfathomable profoundness as Old Man Yang smoked his pipe, but seeing Zheng Dafeng do the same thing was ratherical.


    Chen Ping''an sat at the entrance of his room, dering that he was going to be traveling on Osmanthus Ind. Zheng Dafeng nodded in response, reassuring him that he would keep him safe until he set foot onto Osmanthus Ind.


    The two of them had never gotten along with each other all that well, so their conversation quickly petered out into silence, with one of them continuing to smoke, while the other drank out of his gourd.


    All of the female employees peeking out into the backyard quickly grew bored of what they were seeing, and they dispersed.


    Zheng Dafeng was smoking his pipe in a bored manner, and he couldn''t understand why Old Man Yang had such a habit. To him, it felt like a boring waste of time. asionally, he would sneak a nce at Chen Ping''an out of the corner of his eye. With the fall of Jewel Small World, Chen Ping''an''s fortunes had taken a drastic turn for the better.


    For example, the timing of his arrival in Old Dragon City was one of the things that reflected his improved fortunes. If it weren''t for the arrival of the Cloud Forest Jiang n, Fu Qi may not have been so willing to leave Chen Ping''an alone.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was still thinking about the five copper coins that Zheng Dafeng owed him.


    All of a sudden, Zheng Dafeng asked, "Chen Ping''an, if Mr. Qi had told you that you were never going to be able to reach the fourth tier, what would you have done?"


    Chen Ping''an considered the question for a moment, then replied, "I would have epted my fate."


    Zheng Dafeng seemed to be rather taken aback to hear this, then rolled his eyes in disdain.


    How was Chen Ping''an going to be his Dao mentor when neither of them had any solution to such a damning prophecy?


    Zheng Dafeng was unwilling to give up, and he asked, "What would you have done after that?"


    This seemed like apletely inconsequential topic of conversation. Chen Ping''an casually replied, "I would have continued to practice my fist techniques, of course. What else can I do? I had to begin practicing fist techniques to save my own life. Besides, even if I can''t make a breakthrough, my fist technique practice can strengthen my body, and that''s always a good thing."


    Zheng Dafeng''s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "What if you identally stumbled your way to the pinnacle of the third tier and saw a glimmer of hope for reaching the fourth tier?"


    Chen Ping''an turned to Zheng Dafeng with a wide-eyed expression, stunned by the stupidity of this question.


    His fist technique practice had a positive impact on his life, and making a breakthrough was naturally a good thing. If he were to reach a bottleneck, then of course he would be thinking about how to make a breakthrough!


    Zheng Dafeng could tell what Chen Ping''an was thinking, and he asked, "Would you not consider Mr. Qi''s prophecy? Would that not weigh on your mind?"


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes widened even further, and he couldn''t help but wonder if Zheng Dafeng had suffered a knock to the head. How was it that a martial arts master at the pinnacle of the eighth tier could be capable of asking such stupid questions?


    Chen Ping''an took a sip of wine, then replied, "Mr. Qi was a very wise and knowledgeable man, and everything that he said to me was for my own benefit. If making a breakthrough is a bad thing, then I''ll suppress it and avoid it. However, if it''s a good thing, and Mr. Qi was simply mistaken, then am I supposed to avoid a good thing just because Mr. Qi made an incorrect prophecy? If I were to do that, then Mr. Qi would be very disappointed in me."


    A serious look appeared on Zheng Dafeng''s face as he set down his pipe and asked in a demanding voice, "How could Mr. Qi possibly be wrong?!"


    "If I still had the chance to stand before Mr. Qi and ask him whether he was capable of making mistakes, what do you think his answer would be?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zheng Dafeng''s entire body stiffened, and a pained look appeared on his face as he tossed his pipe aside and began wing at his own head.


    His eyes quickly became extremely bloodshot as he turned to Chen Ping''an with a desperate expression and yelled, "Chen Ping''an, did Mr. Qi ask you to pass on any message to me?! Tell me! If you do, I''m willing to serve as your Dao guardian for a decade, even a century!"


    "He didn''t ask me to pass on any message to you," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    Zheng Dafeng abruptly rose to his feet, then began stumbling around the yard like a cat on a hot tin roof, and his footsteps were so jumbled and disorderly that he didn''t even appear to be as capable as a third tier martial artist.


    <em>He''s not suffering from Qi deviation, is he? </em>Chen Ping''an thought to himself.


    Right at this moment, the Yin god appeared beside him. It had already concealed everything that was taking ce in this courtyard so that no one on the outside would be able to detect what was happening.


    Zheng Dafeng continued to stumble around like a headless chicken as he frantically murmured to himself, "I''ve listened to Mr. Qi''s teachings many times, and I''m sure he must''ve been trying to tell me something back then, but I simply failed to see the message that he was trying to convey... Think, Zheng Dafeng, think! Don''t get agitated..."


    Chaotic gusts of astral winds began to sweep through the courtyard, and they were as sharp as des. It was only thanks to the efforts of the Yin god that the astral winds didn''tpletely destroy the courtyard.


    Chen Ping''an continued to drink in silence as he carefully observed Zheng Dafeng''s strange behavior.


    Before long, tears were streaming down Zheng Dafeng''s face, and he continued to stumble around as he turned to Chen Ping''an and asked, "Has Mr. Qi taught you any principles? Tell me all of them, Chen Ping''an! I don''t care what they are, whether they be sagely teachings from the Confucian ssics or basic principles of life, tell me everything!"


    Chen Ping''an wrapped his arms around his Sword Nurturing Gourd as he asked in an expressionless manner, "Why should I?"


    "Because you are my Dao mentor, Chen Ping''an! Do you understand?!" Zheng Dafeng howled.


    "This is not good, Chen Ping''an," the Yin god cautioned in a grim voice. "If things continue like this, there''s a very good chance that Zheng Dafeng could be drivenpletely insane, and even if he manages to recover his sanity, he''ll have no chance of ever reaching the Mountain Summit Tier.


    On top of that, I may not be able to contain him, and if he gets loose, then this medicine shop, the alley outside, and all of the nearby streets will most likely bepletely destroyed, resulting in countless casualties."


    Chen Ping''an was actually nowhere near as calm as he appeared on the surface.


    <em>What''s all this Dao mentor nonsense? How am I, a fourth tier martial artist, supposed to be able to instruct a master martial artist at the pinnacle of the eighth tier? </em>


    Chen Ping''an could see that more and more gusts of astral wind were emerging within the courtyard, and numerous miniature tornadoes seven to eight feet tall had already taken shape, shattering all of the bluestone bs in their wake.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly called upon Fifteenth in his Sword Nurturing Gourd to summon all of the small bamboo slips that he had engraved various principles onto. At this point, all he could do was hope for a miracle.


    He began to rattle off the principles engraved onto the bamboo slips to Zheng Dafeng one after another, but Zheng Dafeng was shaking his head over and over again while bing more and more agitated by the second.


    At this point, he had already risen up from the ground and was swirling around in mid-air like a kite with a snapped string. On top of that, blood was flowing out of all of his orifices, presenting a terrible sight to behold.


    Chen Ping''an was even doing his best to recall the poetic phrases that Li Xisheng had written on the walls of the bamboo building, reciting them loudly to Zheng Dafeng, but it was still not what he wanted to hear.


    Zheng Dafengs condition had already worsened to the point that he was no longer even able to speak, and all he could do was stumble around in mid-air while unleashing punches, doing everything in his power to cling onto his final shred of sanity.


    The boundary between the eighth and ninth tiers was more spectacr than that between the third and fourth tiers and the sixth and seventh tiers, but it was also more perilous, and it was referred to as the Test of the Heart.


    As for the boundary between the ninth and tenth tiers, that was even more fearsome, referred to as Ramming the Heavenly Gate, and of course, it was even more difficult to ovee.


    Zheng Dafeng was aware of all of this, and that was why he was so envious of his senior brother, Li Er, and Song Changjing, thetter of whom had managed to progress to the 10th tier after just a single battle of life and death.


    He had engaged in countless battles against Li Er in private, and he had almost been beaten to within an inch of his life too many times to count on one hand.


    Why was it that Song Changjing was able to make the breakthrough so easily, yet he was unable to when he clearly possessed far superior aptitude and had reached the eighth tier at an astonishing speed?


    Why was it that Old Man Yang had told him that he had no hope of reaching the ninth tier in this lifetime? That was only pouring more salt onto the already gaping wound on his heart!


    After reading the Chapter of Sincerity and witnessing his Dao mentor forcing back those dawn flood dragons on two asions, he had gleaned the true meaning of sincerity, and as a result, his bottleneck had begun to loosen, yet why was it that the breakthrough was still out of his reach?


    The Yin god''s fists were tightly clenched in apprehension as it stared at Zheng Dafeng, who was on the verge of losing his sanity, and it was grappling with an internal conflict, wondering if it should intervene by force.


    However, it didn''t dare to prematurely intervene. If it were to forcibly put an end to Zheng Dafeng''s deranged tirade, then that would truly put an end to any chance of further progress for him in the martial arts.


    All of a sudden, Zheng Dafeng stopped in his tracks, hovering in mid-air with his entire body drenched in blood. His face was also smeared with blood, and there was a broken look in his eyes as he howled, "I can''t do it, Master! I really can''t! I''m sorry..."


    Looking at the tormented Zheng Dafeng, a thought suddenly sprang into Chen Ping''an''s mind, a thought of an innocent and energetic little girl who wore a red coat all year round.


    He recalled hearing from Li Huai that Li Baoping would often raise some questions that even Mr. Qi was unable to answer, and Mr. Qi never saw anything wrong with that.


    A spark of inspiration instantly arose in Chen Ping''an''s heart, and he murmured to himself, "A disciple doesn''t have to be inferior to the master."


    He had uttered those words to himself in a very quiet voice, yet in the ears of Zheng Dafeng, it sounded like a resounding thunderp.


    He looked down with a dazed expression at the old pipe.


    Old Man Yang never liked to speak to him much, and whenever the old man looked at him with that cold expression through the smoke from his pipe, Zheng Dafeng would always be struck by a crippling sense of inferiority that deted him of the courage to even look directly back at his master.


    Prior to this moment, Zheng Dafeng had never felt like there was anything wrong with that. While everyone else was oblivious to Old Man Yang''s true identity, this was not a secret to him. Others were unaware of just how unfathomably powerful Old Man Yang was, but that didn''t apply to him.


    Old Man Yang''s incredible past feats weren''tmon knowledge, but Zheng Dafeng was privy to them. In contrast, he was only an eighth tier martial artist, so what right did he have to look back at Old Man Yang on level terms?


    Zheng Dafeng raised his head as he took a deep breath, then wiped the blood from his face as he murmured to himself, "I see now."


    In the wake of this moment of enlightenment, there was no spectacr phenomenon. Instead, he merely rose up higher and higher into the sky above the courtyard while thinking to himself, <em>Master, you''re already in an unfathomably high ce, but that''s fine. I will ascend to meet you one step after another.</em>


    On this day, Zheng Dafeng scaled the heavens step by step, rising up until he was above the sea of clouds in the sky before casting his gaze even higher upward.

 Chapter 256: Two Young Boys

    Chapter 256: Two Young Boys


    Chen Ping''an raised his head to look up at the sky, and he discovered that Zheng Dafeng''s breakthrough was causing such a huge phenomenon that it had forced the Fu n''s sea of clouds to reveal itself. However, the sea of clouds ultimately faded, while Chen Ping''an asked with a concerned expression, "Is he not making too much of a scene?"


    The Yin god smiled as it replied, "Only by making a scene like this can he intimidate the rats and scoundrels lurking in the shadows."


    The Yin god was naturally very happy to see Zheng Dafeng make a breakthrough. Old Man Yang was always very fair in his dealings with other people, but a Yin god that hade out of a small temple didn''t enjoy the same treatment.


    If Zheng Dafeng were to fall here, then Old Man Yang''s ns would be negatively affected, and he could easily kill the Yin god in an instant, even though they were separated by a vast distance.


    Chen Ping''an had always been very careful and cautious, but after carefully pondering what the Yin god had just said, he decided that it made sense. However, at his current stage as a martial artist, it was best for him not to emte what Zheng Dafeng was doing here. Only once he reached the same lofty heights as Zheng Dafeng would he be able to do something simr without cing himself in grave peril.


    "Now that the entire city has witnessed Zheng Dafeng''s breakthrough, won''t he be stalked by the Fu n and the five major ns everywhere he goes from here onward?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The Yin god took a nce in the direction of the East Sea, then shook its head in response. "Fu Qi has already paid Zheng Dafeng a visit, and he''ll definitely take advantage of this opportunity to do some business with Fu Qi, so he won''t cause as much of a scene when he returns from the sea of clouds."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, then began packing all of his bamboo slips back into his pocket treasure. Some of these bamboo slips had been made from the leftover bamboo from the bookcases that he had made for the three children, but most of them were made from leftover scrap bamboo from the bamboo building that Wei Bo had given him.


    They were all courage bamboo that had been sourced from Go Table Mountain, and after learning the value of Azure Divine Mountain''s divine cloud bamboo from the Green Beetle Shop in Water Combing Nation''s ferry station, Chen Ping''an hade to cherish these bamboo slips greatly, to the point that whenever he saw any good phrases on the books that he read, he had to think carefully before deciding whether he wanted to engrave those phrases onto the bamboo slips.


    "Can you give me one of those bamboo slips?" the Yin god suddenly asked. "The one says ''gods and immortals walk two different paths separated by Yin and Yang, the soul consolidates the psyche, while the spirit gives rise to the godly body.''"


    "No," Chen Ping''an replied without any hesitation.


    <em>Do you think you''re Baoping, Li Huai, or Lin Shouyi? Why should I give something to you just because you want it? </em>


    However, Chen Ping''an then recalled how the Yin god had exposed Zheng Dafeng''s true intentions to him back in the alley. Regardless of whether it had been instructed to do that by Old Man Yang, it seemed that he owed it a favor for that. With that in mind, Chen Ping''an immediately changed his mind as he said, "Fine, you can have it. It''s just a little bamboo slip anyway."


    The Yin god didn''t know why Chen Ping''an had suddenly changed his mind. It had been excessively direct in its request due to how much it yearned for the jade slip, but it wasn''t actually asking Chen Ping''an for the bamboo slip withoutpensation, and it smiled as it exined, "I wasn''t done just now. What I was saying is that I want to purchase the bamboo slip from you. How does ten grain rain coins sound?"


    Chen Ping''an had only just pulled the requested bamboo slip out of his pocket treasure, and he was astonished to hear the words "grain rain coin."


    A perplexed look appeared on his face as he eximed, "Even if these bamboo slips are made from courage bamboo from Azure Divine Mountain, surely such a tiny piece isn''t worth that much!"


    The Yin god smiled as it replied, "If you sell it to anyone else, it''ll only be worth a few lesser heat coins at the very most, but to me, the phrase on the slip is worth that price. Are you not going to sell it to me because the price is too high? Should I lower it then? How about one lesser heat coin?"


    Chen Ping''an offered the bamboo slip to the Yin god with both hands as he smiled and said, "It''s a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Zhao."


    The Yin god epted the bamboo slip from Chen Ping''an with one hand while handing Chen Ping''an ten grain rain coins with the other. Chen Ping''an epted the grain rain coins from the Yin god, then gawked at them for a moment before hurriedly stowing them away into his pocket treasure.


    "Are you not going to examine them to see if they''re genuine?" the Yin god asked with an amused smile. "There are countless counterfeit lesser heat coins and grain rain coins out there."


    "I''ve never seen a genuine grain rain coin before, but I trust you, Mr. Zhao," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    With that, he strapped his Sword Nurturing Gourd back to his waist.


    A light snow coin was equivalent to 1,000 taels of silver, while a lesser heat coin was equivalent to 100 light snow coins. A grain rain coin was worth 10 lesser heat coins, and that was the so-called rule of "magnitudes of 10" in immortal transactions. As for the gold essence copper coins specially crafted by Jewel Small World, those were even more valuable than grain rain coins.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an felt as if he hade upon an enormous fortune.


    "Mr. Zhao, how about I show you all of my jade slips so you can see if there are any others that you want to buy?" Chen Ping''an suddenly offered.


    The Yin god shook its head as it replied with a smile, "I''m all out of money."


    Indeed, those 10 grain rain coins were all of the money that it had taken with it on this journey to Old Dragon City with Zheng Dafeng.


    One of the reasons why it had offered such a high price was as a congrattory gesture for Zheng Dafeng''s breakthrough, but the more important reason was that the phrase engraved onto the bamboo slip had really resonated with it. The will of the heavens was something that anyone else could scoff, but it had no choice but to believe that such a thing existed.


    It really wasn''t terribly willing to spend ten whole grain rain coins on a single bamboo slip; rather, it simply had no choice but to do so. Theplexities behind all of this were extremely profound, and perhaps only a Naturalist Qi refiner would be able to fully grasp them.


    "It''s alright, Mr. Zhao. If you find any other bamboo slips that you like, then I''ll just give them to you for free," Chen Ping''an said.


    The Yin god turned to Chen Ping''an with a smile, but didn''t say anything further as it turned its gaze back to the sea of clouds up above.


    Old Dragon City was an enormous ce, and the average person would very rarely notice a paper kite or a bird high up in the sky. Hence, Zheng Dafeng''s breakthrough and the subsequent reaction from the sea of clouds wouldn''t attract any attention from all of the mortals in the city, but all of the Qi refiners of the Middle Five Tiers and the master martial artists in the city couldn''t help but watch from down below.


    In particr, this had created a huge stir in the Fu n, and Fu Qi, who had been waiting for Zhi Gui at the foot of the Dragon Scaling tform, had gone to personally witness who it was that had been able to break through the sea of clouds.


    The sea of clouds concealed the mans appearance, so most of the cultivators of lofty statuses in Old Dragon City were only looking up at the sky to see the spectacle and specte about the true identity of the almighty figure who had ascended to the heavens.


    Could it be that the Fu n patriarch in possession of the pseudo-celestial tool had finallye out of seclusion? Or was the Cloud Forest Jiang n patriarch putting on a disy of intimidation on the cusp of Fu Nanhua''s marriage to the young woman from the Jiang n?


    Old Dragon City was the most prosperous city on the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and as an important central hub that connected three continents, all types of people could be found in the city. There were many wealthy people here and just as many depraved gamblers. In the wake of Zheng Dafeng''s breakthrough, all of these gamblers hade out like seedlings after the first bout of spring rain.


    Not only were there private wagers being proposed between friends, even some of the major gambling dens in the city were offering odds and taking bets. There were all types of bets being made on subjects such as the gender and surname of the person who had made the breakthrough, as well as whether the Fu n would target them for their insolence.


    Inside the Fan Manor in the inner city, the leader of the Fan n and the n''s elders and guest elders were all gathered in a corridor with ecstatic looks on their faces. All of them were at least a hundred years of age, and from the instant that Zheng Dafeng ascended into the sea of clouds, they had begun specting about who it was that had made the ascension to such breathtaking heights.


    With the information that they had gathered thus far, they were able to determine that it was Zheng Dafeng who had made a breakthrough without any warning, ascending to the Mountain Summit Tier.


    This was naturally fantastic news for the Fan n, and barring any mishaps, Zheng Dafeng was going to be staying in Old Dragon City for the next few decades, so essentially, the Fan n could enjoy the protection of a ninth tier martial artist for the foreseeable future!


    Novice martial artists cultivated the body, intermediate martial artists cultivated qi, and beyond that came the cultivation of the spirit. The greater the heights one ascended to, particrly after reaching the seventh tier, the gulf between each sessive tier was unimaginably wide. Hence, among top-tier martial artists, a difference of a single tier was almost an insurmountable gap in power.


    Having said that, the oue of a battle between two such martial artists wasn''t always set in stone.


    Simrly, even among ninth dan go yers, there could be a wide variance in skill and ability. On some asions, even seventh and eighth dan go yers could pull off miracles and defeat their ninth dan counterparts, but those were very much anomalies.


    Furthermore, when it came to rank designations for eighth and ninth dan go yers, that was often only determined through a match between a certain Go official of the imperial court, and there existed a huge variance in ability between these Go officials themselves, so it was a far less credible and reliable ranking than one personally assigned by a Go schr of the Confucian schools on Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    A Golden Core Tier patriarch of the Fan n stroked his beard as he chuckled, "Our young master is certainly very fortunate to have such an exceptional Dao mentor!"


    All of a sudden, the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City began to churn violently while descending rapidly, and before everyone knew it, they had already been inundated within the sea clouds.


    In this instant, all Qi refiners and martial artists felt the auras in their bodies stagnate a little in their cirction, but the sea of clouds dissipated just as quickly as it had descended, lingering only for a moment beforepletely vanishing out of sight.


    Even so, many of the Golden Core Tier cultivators in the city were still left feeling quite apprehensive.


    Zheng Dafeng had ascended to the heavens as an eighth tier martial artist, yet as he was returning to the alley on foot, he had already reached the Mountain Summit Tier.


    This entire time, the female employees in the shop were joking around with each other as usual,pletely oblivious to what had just unfolded in the backyard of the shop. Their ignorance was pitiful, but it also kept them content and safe from a world that was beyond their reach anyway. They saw their shopkeeper entering the shop, but they thought nothing of it.


    He was carrying two jars of fine wine that he had purchased from a neighboring street, and he made his way back into the backyard before tossing one of the jars of wine to Chen Ping''an. He then picked up his pipe from the ground and sat back down onto the steps in silence, not smoking his pipe nor drinking his wine.


    Shortly thereafter, he broke his silence, but instead of speaking to Chen Ping''an, the Dao mentor who had been assigned to him by Old Man Yang, he turned to the Yin god as he asked, "Can youe clean with me now, Old Man Zhao? What other instructions did the old geezer give you? Chen Ping''an is going to be leaving on Osmanthus Ind ship in just a few days, can you tell me if I have to serve as his Dao guardian or not?"


    The Yin god shook its head in response. "All the divine lord told me was to let you be and enjoy your life if you could sessfully make a breakthrough, but if you failed, then I was to toss you into the sea to feed the fish."


    Zheng Dafeng rubbed his hands over his own face as he groaned, "My goodness, I''m still just as confused as ever!"


    He then set his pipe down onto hisp before opening his jar of wine, then lowered his head to make a slurping motion. The wine in the jar immediately rose up as a stream before flowing into his mouth on its own.


    Zheng Dafeng wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, then looked up at the sea of clouds in the sky as he asked, "Old Man Zhao, do you think the old man would''ve been able to predict what I saw during my breakthrough? Would he have predicted that I almost made an attempt at Ramming the Heavenly Gate after oveing the Test of the Heart? Would he have anticipated what I saw as I was approaching the Heavenly Gate?"


    Zheng Dafeng heaved a forlorn sigh, then took another sip of wine, following which an amused smile suddenly appeared on his face as he continued, "Only now do I realize the double meaning behind when the old man told me that I had no hope of reaching the ninth tier in this lifetime. What a cheeky old man he is!"


    The Yin god''s eyelid twitched slightly upon hearing this, astonished by Zheng Dafeng''s insolence.


    Immediately thereafter, a sheepish look appeared on Zheng Dafeng''s face as he looked around with a wary expression, and he hurriedly rose to his feet before making his way to the center of the courtyard before turning to face the north as he said, "Please don''t be mad at me, old man.


    I''m feeling very guilty to be unable to express my joy to you in person after making my breakthrough. Your powers are matched only by limitless generosity, so please forgive me and ept this apologetic gesture of mine."


    He then brought his hands together to simte holding some sticks of lit incense, then bowed three times toward the distant Great Li Empire


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was looking on with a puzzled expression, wondering how Old Man Yang had managed to produce a pair of such massively different disciples like Li Er and Zheng Dafeng.


    However, it then urred to him that Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, and Li Huai''s personalities also differed drastically, and the disparities between Li Er and Zheng Dafeng suddenly didn''t seem so strange to him.


    However, prior to simting offering up incense to Old Man Yang, Zheng Dafeng had also made a strange gesture that had caught Chen Ping''an''s attention. He had raised an arm and waved his hand in a circle above his head, as if he were plucking three invisible sticks of incense out of thin air overhead.


    After doing all of that, Zheng Dafeng satzily back down onto his stool, as if he really had just decided to enjoy his life. He turned to Chen Ping''an, who was also looking back at him. Zheng Dafeng was acting like a scoundrel who didn''t want to repay his debts, while the thought Chen Ping''an was expressing through his eyes was that he may not be able to beat Zheng Dafeng in a battle, but he could certainly nag Zheng Dafeng to death if he refused to pay his debt.


    The Yin god was looking at both of them, and it suddenly felt like it couldn''t understand this world anymore.


    Finally, the silence was broken, but not by any of the people in the backyard. Someone had lifted the curtain of the shop''s back entrance, but he didn''t step out into the courtyard right away. Instead, he was holding the curtain with one hand and a gon of the finest osmanthus wine in Old Dragon City in the other.


    Just that single gon of wine alone was worth a snowke coin. The young boy could see that there was someone else in the courtyard with Zheng Dafeng, so he was standing on the spot with a hesitant expression as he asked in an uncertain voice, "Can Ie in, Mr. Zheng?"


    The Yin god had already vanished by the time the boy stepped into the Dust Medicinal Shop.


    Chen Ping''an turned and discovered that the neer was someone of a simr age to him, and he could tell that the boy was a pure martial artist who appeared to be at the third tier. Chen Ping''an could see that as the boy breathed, all of the sinews, bones, muscles, and skin in his body were quivering ever so slightly, indicating that he had established a very solid martial arts foundation.


    However, there were still many ws that had to be ironed out, the most apparent of which was the narrowness and unevenness of the meridians, which served as paths between his acupoints, resulting in suboptimal cirction of his True Qi.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an was surprised to catch himself evaluating someone else''s martial arts cultivation base.


    Only in this instant did Chen Ping''an truly realize that he had reached the fourth tier.


    Zheng Dafeng paid no heed to the dazed Chen Ping''an as he beckoned to the young boy with a smile and said, "I knew your grandfather would be able to figure it out. I don''t want to be too harsh, but all you''re bringing me as a congrattory gift is a single gon of your Fan n''s osmanthus wine? Isn''t that a little too stingy?


    I''m really rough around the edges when ites to important stuff, but I''m very pedantic about the little things. Leave the wine here, then go back home and tell your grandfather that being too stingy cane back to bite him in the future!"


    A resigned look appeared on the boy''s face as he exined, "I snuck out to bring you this wine after hearing about what happened from my grandfather, so this isn''t a gift to you from my seniors. If you don''t like it, I can bring you a better present once I''ve inherited Osmanthus Ind from my n. I snuck this gon of wine out from home, so please don''t tell my grandfather. I''ll go back to ask for a better congrattory present right now."


    With that, the boy set down the gon of wine before rushing away.


    Zheng Dafeng made no attempt to keep him, and he turned to take a nce at Chen Ping''an, who he found to be far less pleasing on the eyes. Both of them were young boys, yet the one from the Fan n treated others with sincerity and generosity, and was also very easygoing.


    In contrast, Chen Ping''an had proven himself to be so stingy that he still remembered an old debt of five copper coins! In Zheng Dafeng''s eyes, the tanned coloration of his skin had to represent the darkness in his heart!


    Chen Ping''an was able to extrapte a lot of information from what the boy had just said.


    The boy came from the Fan n, the n that Sun Jiashu revealed to have secured the backing of the Great Li Empire alongside the Fu n. At the moment, he was Zheng Dafeng''s disciple, and in the future, he was going to inherit that Osmanthus Ind ship.


    Additionally, the Yin god had revealed earlier that Zheng Dafeng was going to make a deal with City Lord Fu Qi.


    Chen Ping''an only considered these matters momentarily before casting this train of thought aside. In any case, it seemed that he would be able to travel to Stctite Mountain on the Fan n''s ship without any issues, and that was his main concern.


    As for what happened in Old Dragon City in the future, whether that be a battle between gods or anything else, that was not something for him to think about. All he had to do was stay patiently in the medicinal shop for a few days, then travel to Stctite Mountain on the Osmanthus Ind ship, make his way to the Sword Qi Great Wall from there, then deliver the sword that he was carrying to Ning Yao.


    All of a sudden, Zheng Dafeng reached out to make a grabbing motion as he chuckled, "Come back, boy. You''re not really nning to ask for a congrattory gift from your seniors for me, are you?"


    In reality, Zheng Dafeng didn''t care in the slightest what the boy said after he got home. The only reason why he had asked him toe back was because he didn''t want to be stuck in a courtyard with Chen Ping''an on his own. Otherwise, the two of them would continue to stare at each other in this tense silence, and Chen Ping''an was his Dao mentor, so it wasn''t like he could just beat him up.


    At this point, the boy from the Fan n had already almost rushed out of the alley, but his clothes were abruptly tugged on from behind, stopping cold in his tracks. He was naturally very startled by this, thinking that he had encountered an assassin, but Zheng Dafeng''s voice then rang out in his heart.


    A wide grin appeared on the boy''s face, and he gestured for the Golden Core Tier guest elder of his n to stand down, then quickly rushed back into the Dust Medicinal Shop. Once inside, he exchanged greetings with a few of the female employees that he had grown familiar with, then lifted the curtain and returned to the backyard while the female employees were all remarking on his good looks.


    The boy liked this atmosphere from the bottom of his heart.


    Of course, the celestial maidens within the Fan n were more beautiful, but from a very young age, he had been able to tell that they always looked at him differently from how the women here looked at him.


    One regarded him as the future head of the Fan n, while the other simply saw him as a young boy who had popped up out of nowhere.


    He didn''t detest the former, but he certainly preferred thetter.


    Chen Ping''an dragged a stool over for the boy, and he hurriedly epted the stool with a smile.


    "Thanks!"


    "You''re wee," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile of his own.


    The boy then turned to Zheng Dafeng as he asked, "Where should I sit, Sir?"


    Zheng Dafeng swept a hand through the air as he jibed, "Go to sit by the curtain and keep a lookout for us."


    "I''m on it!"


    The boy rushed over to the entrance of the backyard in a joyful manner, then sat down in a very strict and rigid posture with his back ramrod straight and his hands resting on his knees.


    Even though he was doing his best to make himself appear formal and serious, he was unable to suppress the smile in his eyes, which were as clearly a flowing creek and clearly expressed all of his emotions, as opposed to the veiled and ambiguous eyes of more calcting and cunning figures.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an found himself feeling a little envious of the boy as he had something that Chen Ping''an had always wanted, but had never been able to obtain.


    Back when the Schrly Sage became drunk and was carried on Chen Ping''an''s back, he had patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder firmly while telling him that a young boy like him should be carrying beautiful things like long grass and flying warblers on his shoulders, as opposed to vendettas and heavy responsibilities.


    That was the case for the boy, but it was something that was out of Chen Ping''an''s reach.


    Zheng Dafeng seemed to have sensed the shift in Chen Ping''an''s mood, and he wasn''t able to tell exactly what Chen Ping''an was thinking, but after a moment of contemtion, a smile appeared on his face as he tossed the gon of osmanthus wine to the boy from the Fan n.


    The boy caught the gon with a bright smile as he said, "I''m only going to take one sip, Mr. Zheng."


    Chen Ping''an raised his Sword Nurturing Gourd with a smile as he proposed, "Let''s drink together."


    The boy faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded eagerly in response. "Alright, in that case, I''ll take a bigger sip than normal! Oh, by the way, my name is Fan Er. That''s not a pet name, it''s my real name. I have an older sister called Fan Junmao, that''s why my name is Fan Er. [1] To be honest, I''m pretty sad that my parents would give me a half-arsed name like this, even though I''m their second child. What''s your name? Can you tell me?"


    The boy then downed arge mouthful of wine. His face instantly flushed, and he began coughing violently. It seemed that he really was quite sad about his name.


    Chen Ping''an took a sip of wine himself, then smiled as he replied, "My name is Chen Ping''an, Ping''an as in safety."


    1. The Er () in Fan Er''s name is literally the number 2.

 Chapter 257: (1): Summit of Osmanthus Island

    Chapter 257: (1): Summit of Osmanthus Ind


    The Fan n''s Osmanthus Ind ship was scheduled to depart in six days, while the Sun n''s Mountain and Sea Turtle had already set off.


    Chen Ping''an had originally nned to go and see the Mountain and Sea Turtle for himself, but given how chaotic a ce Old Dragon City was and the massive spectacle that Zheng Dafeng had created through his recent breakthrough, he decided to refrain from causing trouble and gulped down his curiosity along with his wine.


    Over the next couple of days, the boy from the Fan n continued to visit the Dust Medicinal Shop every day, carrying gons of osmanthus wine with him while seeking instruction in the martial arts from Zheng Dafeng. Normally, Zheng Dafeng was never very serious, but when it came to discussions surrounding martial arts, he turned into apletely different person.


    His choice of words was still a little fancy, but as Chen Ping''an listened to their conversations, he felt like Zheng Dafeng''s advice was indeed very beneficial to the boy at his current stage of martial arts development. In fact, it was no exaggeration to say that Zheng Dafeng was imparting valuable words of wisdom.


    However, none of what Zheng Dafeng said was very useful to Chen Ping''an, and he was left feeling a little perplexed by the end.


    Zheng Dafeng didn''t mind having Chen Ping''an overhear his conversations with the boy from the Fan n. In fact, he was hoping that Chen Ping''an wouldn''t be able to suppress the urge to get involved and instruct the boy himself.


    If Chen Ping''an could step in and rece him as the boy''s Dao mentor, then he would be free to do whatever he wanted, which was mostly to rush back to the shop to continue harassing his female employees. Unfortunately for him, all Chen Ping''an did was listen, but he never said anything, and it was as if he wasn''t proud of his own fourth tier cultivation base at all.


    That made Zheng Dafeng even more disdainful of Chen Ping''an. He was such a young boy, yet he had moreposure than a boring old monk! How was anyone supposed to warm up to a boy like him?


    If it weren''t for the fact that Chen Ping''an was his Dao mentor, he would''ve chased Chen Ping''an out of the shop long ago, then left the shop himself to go and live at the Fan Manor as an esteemed guest. Over there, he would be fawned over by a whole host of beautiful women, and that thought was even more appealing than the osmanthus wine that he was drinking.


    On this day, Fan Er had only just had some of his questions in martial arts cultivation answered by Zheng Dafeng before thetter rushed back to the shop to chat up some girls. Hence, Fan Er struck up a conversation with Chen Ping''an, and the two boys sat under the eave so that they were out of the sun.


    As the head of the Sun n, Sun Jiashu had a very heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and his words and actions reflected this. Everything that he did was designed to make othersfortable in his presence. In contrast, Fan Er was far more innocent, but not so much that he waspletely unaware of the hardships of the average person.


    He was also very smart and outgoing, and overall, it was clear that he had been raised well. His parents were most likely very easygoing people as well, as evidenced by the name that they had given Fan Er.


    Whenever Fan Er spoke of his older sister, Fan Junmao, his eyes would always be full of admiration. Even though he and his sister were only half-siblings that had been born to different mothers and despite the fact that they were both members of an extremely wealthy n, he was still very fond of his sister''s mother.


    He always said that his own birth mother spoiled him too much and was too lenient on him, and while he enjoyed this treatment, he was worried that he would never be able to grow up. In contrast, his sister''s mother also doted on him, but taught him many principles on top of that and was always very objective and reasoned in her approach to educating him.


    Whenever he did something right in his studies, his martial arts practice, or anything else, she would praise him and tell him what he had done right. However, if he made a mistake, then she would treat him like an adult. Instead of scolding or abusing him, she would tell him what he had done wrong in a calm and earnest fashion, so Fan Er respected her from the bottom of his heart.


    Even though the two boys had only known each other for a few days, Fan Er was very willing to open up to Chen Ping''an and tell him about his life.


    As for Chen Ping''an, he was also more than happy to hear Fan Er''s stories, and he would listen in silence while sipping on wine. Initially, Fan Er was worried that he was boring Chen Ping''an, but he quickly came to realize that Chen Ping''an was genuinely fond of hearing him talk, and that encouraged him to open up even further.


    In return, Chen Ping''an also told Fan Er many of the stories from his own childhood, including how he had worked as a kilnborer and how he had traversed the mountains as a child.


    The questions that Fan Er raised after hearing Chen Ping''an''s stories were often very amusing and difficult to predict. "You eat y? Does that taste good? Is it as good as rice? Forget it, it doesn''t matter as long as it can fill my belly! Can you teach me which types of y taste the best? That way, before I''m denied meals as punishment from my parents, I''ll be able to scoop up arge pouch of y on the way to the ancestral hall!


    "Can you produce a piece of chinaware on your own from start to finish? That''s amazing! When I be an adult, you have to give me a piece of chinaware that you made yourself! It doesn''t have to be too fancy orplicated, just make me a wine cup or teacup, as long as others can recognize what it is. That way, I''ll be able to show off the cup to them and tell them that it was handmade by my friend. They''ll be dying of envy!


    "What''s a skywell? What happens if it rains or snows? Can you keep things like fish and crabs in the pond under the skywell?"


    Chen Ping''an answered Fan Er''s questions one by one, then smiled as he said something that made Fan Er absolutely ecstatic. "I have a good friend called Liu Xianyang. He''s a real bigshot nowadays, and he''s already gone to Southern Whirl Continent on his own. He taught me how to make traps and craft bows and arrows. I can introduce you to him if the opportunity arises."


    Fan Er immediately nodded eagerly in response, and he couldn''t wait to learn how to make traps and bows and arrows himself.


    He was already beginning to consider what he would do if Chen Ping''an were to bring Liu Xianyang to the Fan Manor someday. He was considering where the two of them were going to stay, what they were going to eat and drink every day, which ces in Old Dragon City they were going to visit...


    After that, Fan Er was absent from the Dust Medicinal Shop for a day.


    Late at night, the medicinal shop had already closed for the day quite some time ago, and Chen Ping''an and Zheng Dafeng were in the main room in the backyard, eating a meal that had been cooked for them by a woman.


    Zheng Dafeng wanted to show off to Chen Ping''an by making the woman fall head over heels for him with his handsome looks so that she would waive the fee for cooking the meal, but the woman stoically turned down his advances and insisted that he paid her in full, not even willing to offer a discount of a single copper coin.


    Zheng Dafeng was holding his chopsticks in one hand and his wine cup in the other as he casually asked, "Did you have fun chatting about all that useless stuff with Fan Er?"


    Chen Ping''an carefully chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth, then set down his chopsticks as he replied, "I did."


    A disdainful look appeared on Zheng Dafeng''s face, but in the end, he was unable to suppress his curiosity as he asked, "Say, it hasn''t even been that long since I left Jewel Small World, how did you manage to get so many treasures during that time? Did you just blindly run into one stroke of fortune after another?"


    "Why should I tell you? I''m not close with you," Chen Ping''an retorted.


    "So you''re close with Fan Er then?" Zheng Dafeng countered as he raised an eyebrow.


    "I''m closer with him than I am with you," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Zheng Dafeng grimaced as he sighed, "The old man sure did you a massive favor by selling First to you."


    Chen Ping''an offered no retort to this.


    Seeing as he had already broken character, Zheng Dafeng decided that he had nothing to lose, so he continued asking, "So you''re no longer friends with Sun Jiashu, is that right?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Zheng Dafeng smiled as he asked, "Are you not going to try and salvage the friendship with him? I can''t say he''s very smart, but he''s certainly extremely rich! Even if you only be casual friends with him, you won''t have to worry about food and lodging anytime youe to Old Dragon City in the future."


    "That''s about the extent of what he can offer me," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    After a brief hesitation, Chen Ping''an added, "Sun Jiashu isn''t a bad person, it''s just that he''s not sufficiently earnest when ites to certain things. If I were a businessman, I wouldn''t dare to make any major deals with him. For someone like him, he sets a price tag on everyone he encounters, and he knows roughly how much the people around him are worth.


    Ultimately, no matter how close someone is with him, he''ll only regard them as a business asset. Who''s to say that he won''t just sell someone someday for his own benefit? Of course, I don''t know him that well, so I could be wrong in my assessment here. In any case, he no longer has anything to do with me."


    Zheng Dafeng smiled as he said, "I''m surprised that you think of this in such simple terms, and I''m also surprised that you think so badly of him. He''s going to be going to some very high ces in the future. If you pass up on a friendship with him, that will be an unfortunate loss for both of you. If you don''t believe me, then we''ll wait and see and let time do the talking."


    "When you say an unfortunate loss, are you talking about a financial loss?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zheng Dafeng plopped a foot down onto the bench beside him, then asked, "What else could I be talking about? Is money not the driving force behind fulfilling every desire? You think you can cultivate without money? You think you can buy things without money?"


    "If it''s only money I''m missing out on, then there''s really no need for me to befriend Sun Jiashu," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Zheng Dafeng was aware of what Chen Ping''an was implying. It seemed that he was a bundle of contradictions as he was extremely stingy, but also extraordinarily generous to those that he cherished.


    However, these two types of behavior weren''t exactly in conflict with each other. Ultimately, the only thing that a cultivator had to ensure was that the Great Dao that they walked was bnced. As long as that was the case, one could even casually skip along and still eventually reach the mountain summit.


    Even though Chen Ping''an and Sun Jiashu had parted ways, that didn''t necessarily mean that one was better than the other, or one was good, while the other was bad. Instead, it simply meant that they were walking different paths.


    Zheng Dafeng had a very good grasp on Chen Ping''an''s personality, and that was why he couldn''t bring himself to warm up to the boy. Li Er was very fond of Chen Ping''an, but it was the opposite for Zheng Dafeng. Even so, he had to admit that Chen Ping''an''s path had to be acknowledged as it had brought him to this point. How many people under the heavens could serve as Zheng Dafeng''s Dao mentor?


    Old Man Yang could, but he didn''t want to. He was willing to ept Zheng Dafeng as his disciple, but he stoically refused to go even an inch beyond that.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t necessarily willing to be Zheng Dafeng''s Dao mentor, either, but it had simply turned out that way thanks to fate.


    With that in mind, Zheng Dafeng couldn''t help but think of some distant scenes, some of which he had already seen with his own eyes up close, while others were still quite far away for now.


    All of a sudden, he lost his patience, and he decided to end this incredibly boring conversation as he dered, "I''ll be sure to return the five copper coins that I owe you before you depart on Osmanthus Ind, and thepensation will definitely be fair.


    In addition, I''ll also be repaying you for your contribution in my breakthrough. Seeing as the old man didn''t explicitly instruct me to serve as your Dao guardian, we''ll go our separate ways once you step onto Osmanthus Ind."


    Chen Ping''an had no objections to this, and he nodded in response.


    Zheng Dafeng picked up his pipe and lit it. Initially, he had found it rather boring and cumbersome, but now that the habit had been formed, he had grown rather fond of it. No wonder the old man was constantly puffing on his pipe.


    A reminiscent look appeared in his eyes as he thought back to his recent breakthrough. After emerging above the sea of clouds, he had very nearly attempted a second breakthrough to the 10th tier, but what he saw above the sea of clouds dissuaded him from doing so.


    In order to progress to the 10th tier, a martial artist had to Ram the Heavenly Gate, so it made sense that a ninth tier martial artist would be able to see the Heavenly Gate. However, Zheng Dafeng was convinced that the Heavenly Gate that he had seen was most definitely different from any that other 10th martial artists had witnessed in the past.


    The Heavenly Gate had appeared, but it wasn''t the only thing there.


    At the time, Zheng Dafeng had seen an enormous pir in front of the Heavenly Gate. There was a Divine General d in a suit of armor pinned to the pir by a sword. The Divine General had a set of indistinct facial features, and the entire pir was stained with his golden blood.


    Zheng Dafeng had looked up at the impaled corpse at the time, and for an instant, he felt as if the Divine General had sprung back to life, then looked straight into his eyes and uttered a single word.


    <em>Go!</em>


    In that instant, Zheng Dafeng was struck by a sense of irrepressible horror, horror that was so poignant that it had almost sent him tumbling back down to the eighth tier.


    At the time, Fu Qi''s arrival had freed him from that predicament, and at this moment, it was Chen Ping''an''s question snapping him out of his train of thought.


    "Zheng Dafeng, I was beaten to the third tier punch by punch, so I know what it takes to establish a solid foundation. Fan Er''s foundation as a third tier martial artist is clearly unsound, so why aren''t you helping him?"


    Zheng Dafeng turned to Chen Ping''an with a stunned expression, then suddenly burst intoughter. "You think Fan Er''s martial arts foundation is unsound?"


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. "Could it be even worse than I thought?"


    Zheng Dafeng almost choked on the smoke from his pipe as he chortled, "Unsound my arse! Setting aside myself, Senior Brother Li Er, and Song Changjing, Fan Er''s foundation can be considered exceptionalpared to any martial artist on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent!


    On top of that, he''s a martial arts prodigy, yet you''re saying his foundation is unsound? In that case, all pure martial artists on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent should just hang themselves to avoid embarrassment!"


    Chen Ping''an was still rather skeptical upon hearing this. He couldn''t help but feel as if Zheng Dafeng were trying to shift responsibility. In his eyes, all Zheng Dafeng did was harass his female employees, and he didn''t seem to be willing to pay any attention to Fan Er at all.


    Zheng Dafeng smiled as he continued, "If I recall correctly, back when Li Er was at the third tier, even his foundation was a tiny bit inferior to yours. Having said that, that''s nothing for you to be proud of. At the moment, you''ve only shown yourself to be outstanding at the third tier, whereas Li Er''s foundation as a ninth tier martial artist was unmatched under the heavens, and I could say the same about my own eighth tier foundation.


    I''m really curious now. Who was it that managed to beat such a ridiculously solid foundation into you at just the third tier? Surely the old man didn''t summon Li Er back to Jewel Small World to teach you himself!"


    "It was someone else," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    Zheng Dafeng was even more intrigued, and he set down his pipe as he asked, "How did that person hone your body and soul?"


    Chen Ping''an''s expression changed slightly upon hearing this question. Just the thought of the suffering that he had endured in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain was enough to put him in a bad mood.


    Zheng Dafeng smiled as he encouraged, "Come on, tell me! You don''t have to go into too much detail. If you tell me, on top of everything else, I''ll give you a swordsmanship manual. It''s just an elementary one, but it''s also renowned as the most reliable.


    The old man got the manual from a Yin god who had once been a swordsman prior to death, and Li Er, Li Liu, and I have all studied it in the past. However, it was useless to me, and the old man secured it primarily for Li Liu, but it could be useful to you as well."


    Chen Ping''an took a moment to gather his thoughts, then said, "The process of honing the body and the soul is about as simple as grinding glutinous rice down into powder. That''s it, it''s up to you whether you believe me or not. However, after that, there were some things that I had to do."


    Chen Ping''an brought his thumb and index finger together as he spoke, then pointed at his own arm as he continued, "I had to peel off my own skin and pluck out my own tendons one inch at a time without blinking even once.


    There was no need for me topletely tear off my skin, nor did I have topletely pull my tendons off the bone. Instead, someone would tell me when to stop, and after that, I would be carried into a medicinal bath, after which my injuries would heal very quickly."


    "How many times did you have to do this in total?" Zheng Dafeng asked.


    "Too many times to count," Chen Ping''an replied. "I had to do it every single day."


    A bbergasted look appeared on Zheng Dafeng''s face, following which he erupted intoughter. "That''s fantastic! Just the thought of all of the suffering that you had to go through is putting me in a great mood! You can have the sword manual, and I promise you that I won''t tamper with it before I give it to you."


    Chen Ping''an rolled his eyes in response, finding Zheng Dafeng to be a very boring person.


    What other type of person would spend all day running a medicinal shop that never made any money?


    It took a very long time for Zheng Dafeng to finally suppress hisughter, following which he said, "Fan Er''s aptitude is not inferior to yours, but when ites to his mentality, he''s not as strong in that area, which is inevitable, considering his background and upbringing.


    This may sound a little harsh, butpared with you and me, he''s sturdy on the outside, but fragile on the inside. If he had to go through the same training that you did, he would break."


    Zheng Dafeng squeezed his wine cup between two of his fingers, instantly crushing it into powder, following which he asked, "Is martial arts more important or is one''s life more important?"


    Chen Ping''an stood up and began to clear the table, while a grim look appeared on Zheng Dafeng''s face.


    He had suddenly discovered that the circumstances behind the shattering of Chen Ping''an''s bonded porcin were veryplicated, even more so than he imagined.


    All of a sudden, a sense of sympathy toward Chen Ping''an welled up in Zheng Dafeng''s heart.


    The name that he had been given seemedpletely ironic, given that his life up to this point had been anything but safe and secure.


    "Who do you look like more, Chen Ping''an? Your father or your mother?" Zheng Dafeng asked in a casual manner.


    "ording to my neighbors, I look more like my mother," Chen Ping''an replied.


    He then took a nce at Zheng Dafeng before continuing, "No matter who I look like, they''re definitely better-looking than you''ll ever be."


    "Piss off!" Zheng Dafeng snapped, and the tiny hint of sympathy that had welled up in his heart instantly faded away.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Is money not the driving force behind fulfilling every desire?


    This is so deep.


    What do you guys think?</blockquote>

 Chapter 258: (1): The Martial Goddess Stands at the Mountain Summit

    Chapter 258: (1): The Martial Goddess Stands at the Mountain Summit


    here was a badge crafted out of osmanthus wood hanging from Chen Ping''an''s waist. On the front of the badge was engraved a rather strange phrase, which read: "grown under the moonlight, blooming under the sun," while the other side of the badge read: "osmanthus guest of the Fan n."


    It was rather strange that "osmanthus guest" was being used here as opposed to "esteemed guest."[1] Furthermore, the wooden badge, which had been personally given to Chen Ping''an by Fan Er, also carried an inscription that read "friend of Fan Er" in small text. It was clear that Fan Er had made this inscription.


    It didn''t take long before someone arrived to greet Chen Ping''an. It was a middle-aged woman who carried herself in a very elegant fashion, and there was nothingscivious or seductive about her.


    Even though she wasn''t particrly beautiful, she had an exceptional, refined disposition, and Chen Ping''an could tell that she was a Qi refiner of the Middle Five Tiers.


    She introduced herself as one of the administrators on Osmanthus Ind, and told Chen Ping''an that he could refer to her as Aunt Gui, Gui as in "osmanthus."[2] Chen Ping''an was happy to oblige, and he told Aunt Gui that he was going to be in her care on this journey to Stctite Mountain.


    Aunt Gui pointed at the wooden badge hanging from Chen Ping''an''s waist as she exined, "That''s an osmanthus guest badge that only our n leader can hand out, and with that badge, all purchases you make on Osmanthus Ind will be 30% off."


    A hint of amusement then appeared in her eyes as she continued with an affectionate smile, "Fan Er also told me to take extra good care of you, so you can have a 40% discount instead."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, but internally, he had already decided that he wasn''t going to be buying anything else on this intercontinental journey unless it was something that really caught his eye.


    After all, Fan Er regarded him as a friend, and he had to reciprocate those feelings, rather than take excessive advantage of Fan Er''s friendship to abuse the 40% discount he had been given. When it came to business dealings between friends, it was very difficult to gauge what was eptable and what wasn''t, and that was not Chen Ping''an''s forte.


    Aunt Gui led Chen Ping''an to arge manor called the Osmanthus Pce, and on the way there, she introduced to Chen Ping''an the things that he could expect to find on Osmanthus Ind, particrly mentioning that he had to taste the osmanthus cakes and osmanthus wines on offer on the ship.


    Those two things were readily avable in the manor that had been assigned to Chen Ping''an, and all he had to do was ask for them from the maidservant in the manor.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t refuse this offer, patting his Sword Nurturing Gourd with a smile as he said, "I''ll definitely be having some wine."


    Aunt Gui took a nce at the wine gourd strapped to Chen Ping''an''s waist as she smiled and nodded in response.


    There were over 1,000 osmanthus trees on Osmanthus Ind, and the ancestor tree on the mountain summit was even older than Old Dragon City, having been personally nted by an Agrarian immortal from Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    Osmanthus Ind had been able to travel between continents for over 1,000 years without being destroyed, and on top of that, it had been slowly growing this entire time thanks to the spread of the roots of the osmanthus trees on the ind and the special method with which the Fan n had been adding soil to the ind. This could all be attributed to that ancestor osmanthus tree.


    On top of that, the reason the osmanthus wine of the Fan n was so cherished and expensive was that the osmanthus flowers used to brew the wine all came from osmanthus trees that were at least 1,000 years old.


    asionally, some of the wealthy merchants on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent on good terms with the Fan n were able to purchase some of this wine, and it was often saved for their personal collections or to be used as presents.


    After passing through the gate of the Osmanthus Pce, Aunt Gui led Chen Ping''an through a series of corridors and passageways. The courtyard wasn''t particrlyvish or opulent, but it was very elegant and well constructed.


    Finally, Aunt Gui led Chen Ping''an to a courtyard named Guimai, where she exined, "The veins in the leaves of osmanthus trees resemble the Gui, a Confucian ceremonial artifact, and that''s where the name of osmanthus was derived from.[3] The courtyard isn''t veryrge, but it''s where the spiritual energy on the Osmanthus Ind is most abundant."


    Chen Ping''an felt like this was a bit of a waste. After all, he wasn''t a Qi refiner, so it didn''t really matter whether he stayed somewhere with sparse or abundant spiritual energy.


    Instead, it would be much better for someone who could actually benefit from the spiritual energy to stay here. With that in mind, he said, "Aunt Gui, I''m a pure martial artist, so it would be too much of a waste for me to stay here. How about I move to a different courtyard?"


    Aunt Gui smiled as she replied, "It''s not a matter of money, so don''t feel guilty about staying here. Given how close you''ve be with our young master, I wouldn''t be surprised even if this bes your private courtyard and isn''t made avable to anyone else traveling on Osmanthus Ind."


    The notion that this was a gesture of friendship from Fan Er immediately erased the doubt in Chen Ping''an''s mind, and he made his way into the Guimai courtyard without any further hesitation.


    There was a beautiful young woman waiting in the courtyard for him, and she seemed to have a slightly cold disposition. Even though she was only standing still, she presented a stunning sight to behold.


    As soon as she spotted Chen Ping''an and Aunt Gui, a smile immediately appeared on her face as she said, "Greetings, Young Master Chen, my name is Jin Su, Jin as in ''gold,'' Su as in ''millet.'' [4] In ancient times, this was an alternative name for osmanthus flowers. I''ll be looking after you during this journey."


    The smile instantly broke through her slightly cold disposition, and it was as stunning a sight as a garden of flowers blooming at once.


    Chen Ping''an reflexively cupped his fist in a formale salute as he replied, "I''ll be in your care, Jin Su."


    A hint of disappointment then shed through his eyes as he quickly removed the wine gourd from his waist and took a sip.


    Aunt Gui was very observant when it came to the emotions of others, and she caught the sh of disappointment in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, but she didn''t think much of it. After all, who didn''t have a few things on their mind?


    Shortly thereafter, Aunt Gui took her leave. At the entrance of the courtyard, she spotted a familiar figure who she was rather surprised to see, but his arrival actually made a lot of sense. It was none other than the old coach driver of the Fan n, and she smiled as she asked, "Does Young Master Fan have some additional instructions for me?"


    The old coach driver was quite polite and respectful to Aunt Gui, and he shook his head with a smile as he replied, "Master Fan has instructed me to stay in the Guimai courtyard with Young Master Chen over the course of this journey to Stctite Mountain."


    A hint of surprise appeared in Aunt Gui''s eyes, and she asked, "Do you need Jin Su to stay elsewhere?"


    The old coach driver nodded in response. "That would be best. Get her to pick out a courtyard nearby, and all she has to do is bring us some food each day. I''ll take care of the rest."


    Aunt Gui was rather perplexed by this arrangement, but didn''t say anything further as she turned around and called out to Jin Su, and the two of them departed together.


    As they were leaving the courtyard, the old coach driver said, "Master Fan has also instructed us to allocate some of the shade of the ancestor osmanthus tree on the mountain summit to the Guimai courtyard so that it won''t be spied on by others."


    Aunt Gui nodded in response. As for Jin Su, who had managed to pick over 100 osmanthus flowers from Osmanthus Ind, she couldn''t help but take an extra nce at the old coach driver and Chen Ping''an.


    Following the departure of the two women, a cool and refreshing breeze swept through the courtyard. At the same time, the shade of a tree descended over the entire courtyard, but only for a moment before it faded, and the courtyard was once again filled with bright sunlight.


    The old coach driver made his way over to Chen Ping''an, then dered in a candid fashion, "My name is Ma Zhi, and I''m one of the guest elders of the Fan n. I am a Golden Core Tier swordsman, and my aptitude andbat prowess are both rather mediocre.


    "In fact, I would be no match for even someone like Guest Elder Chu Yang of the Fu n, who is also at the Golden Core Tier. I was instructed by our n leader to apany you on this journey. He was requested by Mr. Zheng of the Dust Medicinal Shop to send me here to instruct you in swordsmanship."


    Chen Ping''an immediately realized that this had to be one of the ways in which Zheng Dafeng was repaying him, and he cupped his fist in a salute once again, but before he could say anything, Ma Zhi raised a hand to stop him.


    "There''s no need to begin right away. I''ll be living in this courtyard in the neighboring room. You can take a good rest today and explore Osmanthus Ind to your heart''s content. Otherwise, once we begin our training tomorrow, you may not have the spare time to do so."


    With that, Ma Zhi made his way into a side room in the courtyard, then closed the door with a smile as he murmured to himself, "If Mr. Zheng wasn''t joking, then that boy is going to have a very hard time ahead. Is he really going to be able to withstand this training? I may be very mediocre among other swordsmen of the same cultivation base, but I''m still a Golden Core Tier swordsman!"


    A ck flying sword flew out of his acupoint as he was speaking to himself, and immediately began circling around him, giving off tremendous sword Qi.


    The entire room was instantly filled with cold sword Qi, and the summer heat waspletely eradicated in the blink of an eye.


    Chen Ping''an was staying in the main room directly facing the entrance of the courtyard, and only after closing the door did he carefully open the cloth pouch that Zheng Dafeng had left at his door.


    There was a book that was still carrying the scent of fresh ink, and the title of the book was Proper Sword Scripture. There was a very good chance that Zheng Dafeng had contacted a trustworthy bookstore using the Fan n''s connections to personally print this book.


    Just the title of the book alone was a disy of exceptional calligraphy, and Chen Ping''an was struggling to connect such fine calligraphy to the uncouth andckadaisical Zheng Dafeng.


    Aside from the Proper Sword Scripture, there was also an unremarkable-looking cotton money pouch. After weighing the pouch on the palm of his hand for a moment, Chen Ping''an discovered that there didn''t seem to be many coins inside.


    He thought that it perhaps contained lesser heat coins or grain rain coins, but as soon as he opened the pouch to take a look inside, he immediately closed it again with a stunned expression. The pouch contained gold essence copper coins! He was well aware of just how precious gold essence copper coins were as just a few pouches of these coins had allowed him to purchase several mountains!


    Chen Ping''an didn''t even count the number of gold essence copper coins in the pouch, nor did he examine them to see whether they were Offering Coins, Greeting Spring Coins, Good Fortune Coins, or somebination of the three. Instead, he immediately stowed the pouch away in Fifteenth.


    Outside of those things, all that remained was a jade tablet and a letter.


    The jade tablet was just a simple rectangr jade tablet,pletely unadorned, but the material was exceptional, and it has the same fine and smooth texture as the finest silk. It was clearly a brilliant old artifact, but as for exactly what it was and how old it was, Chen Ping''an was unable to tell.


    Chen Ping''an opened the letter, and sure enough, the handwriting on the letter was identical to that of the title of the Proper Sword Scripture, so it was clearly a handwritten letter from Zheng Dafeng. The letterid out several things in concise terms.


    Firstly, the sword scripture wasn''t particrly advanced, but it was already the pinnacle for pure martial artists, and the sword techniques inside were all very simple, so they were perfect for someone as stubborn and single-minded as Chen Ping''an to practice. Furthemore, those fifteen gold essence copper coins served as repayment for the five copper coins.


    As for the jade tablet, that was a minimization treasure. Aside from that, there was no other information on it, and no mention was made of where it hade from.


    Even so, this was enough to tell Chen Ping''an just how precious an item it was.


    Back when Cui Chan had apanied Chen Ping''an on his journey to Great Sui Nation, he had also been carrying a minimization treasure.


    At the end of the letter, Zheng Dafeng stated that getting Ma Zhi to instruct Chen Ping''an in swordsmanship was a bonus reward that he had included. He had done this so that thetter would be better equipped to deal with the suppressive effect that the Sword Qi Great Wall had on pure martial artists.


    Hence, not only would Ma Zhi be instructing him in swordsmanship, he would also teach Chen Ping''an how to fight against a swordsman of the Middle Five Tiers.


    On this subject, Zheng Dafeng diverted from the brief and concise style that he had adopted throughout the letter thus far,ying out certain principles for Chen Ping''an, things like "only those who endured the most bitter of hardships could be the greatest of men".


    However, even as Chen Ping''an was reading through this part of the letter, he could imagine the sly grin on Zheng Dafeng''s face as he was writing it. Chen Ping''an knew that after Zheng Dafeng had heard about the suffering he had endured to get to the third tier, he would be intent to continue Chen Ping''an''s suffering into the fourth tier.


    He could already imagine Zheng Dafeng smirking to himself back at the Dust Medicinal Shop. The thought of Chen Ping''an being tormented by Ma Zhi on Osmanthus Ind had to be an extremely pleasant one.


    Otherwise, the old swordsman wouldn''t have told Chen Ping''an that he would only have one day to explore Osmanthus Ind.


    Zheng Dafeng had dug a hole for him, and he had no choice but to jump into it.


    Minimization treasures could also be stored in pocket treasures, so Chen Ping''an stowed the sword scripture and the jade tablet away.


    For some reason, he suddenly thought of He Xiaoliang of Divine Edict Sect, who had a vast collection of pocket treasures and minimization treasures. He used to have a very positive impression of He Xiaoliang, but he now thought of her with far less fondness.


    With that in mind, he heaved a faint sigh before leaving the courtyard to explore Osmanthus Ind.


    At this point, the ship still hadn''t yet set sail, and from the mountain summit, he could see many passengers boarding the ship.


    Chen Ping''an cast his gaze into the distance, and all he could see in three directions was the vast sea. It was a breathtaking sight, and also one that reminded him of just how tiny and insignificant he was.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an recalled something that Cui Chan''s grandfather had told him, which was that he was the most powerful third tier martial artist under the heavens, not just Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    During his prior conversation with Zheng Dafeng, thetter had also mentioned this topic and dered that Li Er had once been the most powerful ninth tier martial artist under the heavens. However, now that he had reached the 10th tier, Chen Ping''an presumed that he had temporarily lost his title of the strongest under the heavens.


    Chen Ping''an had heard from Cui Chan that Majestic World was an enormous ce, with fourkes, five seas, and nine continents, including Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Complete Reed Continent, Southern Whirl Continent, Pure White Continent, and Golden Armor Continent.


    All of them were like stars around the moon, the glowing gem that was Middle Earth Divine Continent, and there were several major empires on Middle Earth Divine Continent. Only by conquering half of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent would the Great Li Empire''s territory be able topare with theirs.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but wonder to himself if the legendary 11th tier truly existed for martial artists. .


    He had once raised this question to Cui Chan, but thetter had merely brushed it off without giving an answer.


    On Golden Armor Continent, there was an ancient battlefield with extremely sparse spiritual energy.


    Giant deity statues had once stood at hundreds of meters tall on this battlefield, but they had since copsed without exception. Thend now resembled a toppled and ravaged mountain range.


    This ce was a natural forbidden area for all Qi refiners on the continent.


    There were frequent gusts of astral wind that swept through the area without any warning, and for Qi refiners of the Middle Five Tiers, those astral winds were often lethal.


    1. This is a y on words, with osmanthus guest () being a homonym of esteemed guest () in Chinese. ?


    2. Osmanthus flower () is pronounced as Gui Hua in Chinese, with "gui" meaning osmanthus and "hua" meaning flower. ?


    3. The Gui ceremonial artifact (��) and the character for osmanthus (��) are quite simr. Essentially, osmanthus is just Gui with a ľ radical (ľ + �� = ��). ľ is wood, so the presence of the ľ radical in a character generally means that it''s somehow rted to nts. In this case, osmanthus is essentially a nt equivalent of the Gui artifact. ?

 Chapter 258: (2): The Martial Goddess Stands at the Mountain Summit

    Chapter 258: (2): The Martial Goddess Stands at the Mountain Summit


    The tallest and most majestic of the deity statues was one of the Buddha, and prior to its copse, it seemed to have depicted the Buddha smiling while holding a flower between his fingers. However, the arm of the statue had been snapped at the shoulder and only three of its five fingers remained, while the flower once held between its fingers waspletely destroyed.


    One of those fingers was pointed up at the sky, and just that finger alone was several dozen meters tall, giving one an idea of just how enormous the statue was back when it was standing in its full glory.


    There was a barefoot young girl in white standing atop the finger with her eyes tightly shut, allowing the wind to ruffle her hair. The girl was quite ordinary in appearance.


    A gust of astral wind was sweeping like a wave toward her and the finger that she was standing on.


    The girl''s eyes remained closed, and all she did was utter a single word in a certain dialect from Golden Armor Continent.


    "Open."


    The gust of astral wind was instantly split into two down the middle before blowing past either side of the Buddha''s statue''s finger. A small part of the gust of wind still managed to glide over the girls'' face, slicing a series of gashes into her cheeks, but in the blink of an eye, those injuries werepletely healed.


    The wind continued to blow, carrying the girl''s faint fragrance into the distance.


    ��������


    In the sea near Complete Reed Continent stood a tall mountain that resembled a spike pointing directly up at the sky. However, the mountain summit was a circr pond that resembled a bottomless well, and the light of mes could be seen illuminating the walls of the well. This was the opening of an active volcano, and inside was apletely nude man with a brawny physique.


    He was seated in silence, with his legs crossed, atop a ck rock. He was supporting his chin with one hand, and he seemed to be in deep thought. There were mes and moltenva churning all around him, but he seemed to bepletely oblivious.


    The most remarkable thing about the man was that he had two pupils in each eye.


    There was a frustrated look on his face as he murmured to himself, "It''s been quite difficult trying to progress to the Vajra Body Tier. I suppose I can only me myself for eating too many pills. How much did I eat? 100 kilograms? 200?


    ��Once I reach the Vajra Body Tier, I really have to stop munching down pills like food. Setting aside everything else, just having to poop every day is a real pain in the arse, and it''s downright shameful for a sixth tier martial artist like myself!"


    All of a sudden, a flying sword swooped into the well at an astonishing speed, and the brawny man immediately slumped to the ground before falling into the sea of moltenva around him.


    The flying sword wasn''t particrlyrge, and even though its target already appeared to have been struck down, it still didn''t relent, flying rapidly around the volcanic crater to send countless rocks tumbling into theva down below.


    Given the cultivation base of the owner of the flying sword and how sharp the flying sword was, it would''ve most likely been able to pierce through the entire mountain had this been any other ce on Complete Reed Continent, but here, the flying sword was encountering significant resistance.


    An elderly man was standing on the edge of the volcanic crater with a longsword strapped to his back, and after striking down the brawny man, the old man roared in a thunderous voice, "I''ve finally found you, you despicable bastard!


    ��Don''t y dead, I know that wasn''t enough to kill you! You chose to trap yourself in this ce where there can be no escape. Once you die here, nothing will remain of your body, and perhaps that will go some way to atoning for your sins!"


    The old man then extended his index and middle fingers and swiped them over the scabbard of the sword on his back, and the sword immediately flew out of the scabbard before rising up into the heavens, then rapidly plunged downward, piercing into the sea ofva with a resounding boom to send waves erupting several dozen feet upward.


    Within the sea ofva, a rapidly moving figure could be seen, and they were being pursued by the longsword.


    At the foot of the volcano, a figure was slowly scaling the mountain from each of the four directions.


    There was an elderly Daoist priest stering talismans onto the rocks on the mountain, and a monk making hand seals before thrusting his palms toward the ground. There was also a person holding a scroll that seemed to have no end, unfurling it all the way from the foot of the mountain to resemble a long carpet, and an azure-robed elderly man holding a brush, which he was using to inscribe the teachings of Confucian sages onto the mountain.


    While the old man on the mountain summit was attempting to y his target with his two swords, he murmured to himself with a self-deprecating expression, "To think that a Golden Core Tier swordsman like myself would have so much trouble hunting down a martial artist who hasn''t even reached the seventh tier yet."


    Thoughts of all of the heinous crimes that the man hadmitted sprang into the old man''s mind. Not only had his sect been put through a horrific ordeal, countless other innocent people, both mortals and cultivators, had also lost their lives, and a sense of fury welled up in the old man''s heart as he condemned, "A demon like you, who kills only for fun, deserves to die a thousand deaths!"


    ��������


    Elsewhere, two armies were facing off against each other.


    A raised tform had been temporarily set up in one of the armies, and lyingzily on a narrow bed on the raised tform was a brocade-robed man who appeared to be in his twenties. Two gorgeous young women were seated on either side of the bed, and one of them was massaging the man''s temples, while the other was hunched over to massage his calves.


    Right behind the man was a g that represented his status as the general of the army, pping audibly in the wind.


    One of the stunning maidservants, the one that was massaging the man''s calves, took a nce at the woman, then smiled in amusement as she said, "Young Master, I''ve heard that there''s an eighth tier swordsman and a ninth tier Militarian cultivator in the opposing army.


    ��It looks like our Xie Xiu''s ex-husband really, really loves her, so much so that he''s willing to go to war for her. It''s almost a little poetic. How about you return Xie Xiu to him, Young Master? It would certainly make for a great love story."


    She raised a hand to cover her lips, then chuckled as she continued, "In any case, you''ve already had a good taste of her, and she''s always so stingy, never willing to share you with any of us. Isn''t that frustrating for you? I''ve never seen any maidservant that''s even half as demanding as her."


    The other woman by the name of Xie Xiu paid no heed to her as she continued to gently massage the man''s temples in soft and careful motions.


    The brocade-robed man''s eyes narrowed slightly with a smile as he said, "Xie Xiu is really shy, so I have to look after her feelings. In contrast, you''re far more shameless than she is. If I were to dote on you without discretion, you would eventually be so inted with confidence that you would rebel!"


    Despite his criticisms, the man''s voice was full of affection, and the woman raised her eyebrow at Xie Xiu in a provocative gesture, while thetter continued to stoically ignore her.


    Right at this moment, the brocade-robed man raised his foot slightly as he ordered, "Take off my boots."


    A fervent look instantly appeared in the woman''s eyes as she fell to her knees in front of the bed before removing the brocade-robed man''s boots with trembling hands.


    The man sat up before stretchingzily as he sighed, "To think that our Circling Ascension Continent is only slightlyrger than Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. How disappointing."


    With his feet bare, he reached into Xie Xiu''s cor, then pulled out a golden ball, one that still carried the warmth of Xie Xiu''s body. He then gently squeezed the golden ball between his fingers, and a suit of silver armor often misidentified as a suit of Divine Dewbearing Armor instantly materialized over him.


    What was rather interesting about this suit of armor was that it was riddled with all types of gashes, and there was also a small hole right where the suit of armor sat over the wearer''s heart, as if it had been pierced through by a longsword.


    After putting on the suit of armor, the young man slowly strode forward a few steps, then suddenly turned to Xie Xiu as he smiled and said, "Your ex-husband is inferior to me in all things, but there''s one thing that I''ll never be able to match him in, and that''s telling jokes."


    He reached out to point a finger at the opposing general''s g in the distance, then smiled with amusement as he said to Xie Xiu, "For example, here''s one of his best jokes. Not only did he invite a swordsman, he recruited a Militarian cultivator as well! How hrious is this man!"


    The woman who had taken off the man''s boots immediately sat onto the ground with her back against the bed, chortling with mirth as if she had just heard the most hrious thing in the world.


    Meanwhile, the young man turned to the opposing army as he chuckled, "The wives of others are like fine wines, while the widows of others are even better!"


    Immediately thereafter, he sprang up into the sky before flying through the air, quickly passing over his own army as a streak of white light.


    ��������


    The northernmost region of Pure White Continent was a boundlessnd of ice and snow, and the snowstorm here was so heavy that it was impossible to see the sky through it.


    A figure in a white fur coat was standing amid the ice and snow. asionally, the wind would cause the fur coat to press tightly against her body, revealing a slender yet curvaceous physique. The hood of the fur coat was pressed quite low, but a pair of bright eyes could still be seen within it.


    A small section of a long saber in a ck scabbard could be seen hanging from her waist, and she would asionally reach a hand out of the sleeve of her fur coat to gently stroke the hilt of the saber.


    In doing so, she would reveal a slender wrist even fairer than the snow around her, and it would gleam with a colorful sheen.


    It appeared that beneath the fur coat was a young woman, yet she had dared to brave the elements of such an inhospitable region on her own, making her way to the northernmost region of Pure White Continent, which, in turn, was the northernmost one of the nine continents.


    Even a Golden Core Tier Qi refiner wouldn''t necessarily have the courage to make such a journey on their own.


    The woman pulled out a steamed bun so frozen that it was as hard as iron, and she ate it in silence while continuing to stare directly up ahead.


    This region of Pure White Continent waspletely devoid of human habitation, but great demons would often appear here, and the fact that they were able to take advantage of the natural environment here made them very difficult to deal with.


    Generally speaking, among those who were at the Golden Core Tier, only swordsmen were willing toe here and take their chances against the cunning and persistent great demons. If one were to be a public enemy of the great demons, they would often find themselves surrounded, and that was truly a dire situation to be in.


    The woman stopped in her tracks, having just finished her steamed bun, and the enormous head of a snow wolf slowly emerged from the raging snow storm up ahead.


    As soon as the snow wolf appeared, the snowstorm in a radius of several hundred meters instantly subsided.


    The woman removed her hood and raised her head to look up at the snow wolf, which resembled a small mountain.


    She burped, then drew her saber once.


    As she began to sheath her saber, it appeared as if nothing had happened.


    The woman continued onward with a smile as she said, "Pardon me, but I''ll have to take your head to earn myself some money for makeup."


    Only as she arrived in front of the snow wolf did its mountainous body finally copse to the ground.


    She looked at the snow wolf''s massive decapitated head, and a slightly troubled look appeared on her face. This was an enormous head, was she going to have to carry it back herself?


    With that in mind, she turned to the wind and snow in the distance, then raised a hand to make a beckoning motion as she instructed, "You,e over here and carry this head back for me and I''ll spare your life. As a reward for your efforts, you can have the rest of this snow wolf''s carcass."


    After that, the woman continued to trudge through the snow and ice, while a Mountain-moving Ape trailed along behind her, carrying the bloody head of the wolf with both hands.


    Several great demons gathered around the snow wolf''s headless carcass, and they were itching to sink their teeth into it, but none of them dared to do so.


    ��������


    The Majestic World had Five Lakes and Four Seas, all of which were incredibly vast.


    At the bottom of one of thosekes was an ancient battlefield, and a man was there, hunting for the heroic spirits that still remained on the battlefield. As he captured them, he ced them into the small fish basket hanging from his waist.


    ��������


    High up in the sky above the sea was a thin and wizened old man with a pair of long eyebrows. He was so high up that it was as if he could touch the top of Majestic World''s heavens just by reaching upward. There were twoyers of clouds here that were separated by close to a hundred kilometers, and the old man was seated with his legs crossed at apletely unremarkable hole in the clouds. There was a bright green fishing rod in his hands, but no line trailing down from the rod.


    On the lower sea of clouds, around thirty kilometers away from the old man, arge pod of Cloud and Mist Whales was passing by.


    The old man swung his fishing rod forward, motioning as if he were casting his line, and an extremely thin white line that resembled a thread of silk appeared on the tip of the fishing rod.


    The line was only just barely visible thanks to the light of the sun, and it wrapped itself around a massive Cloud and Mist Whale several kilometers in length.


    All Cloud and Mist Whales innately possessed tremendous strength, and this one immediately began to struggle with all its might.


    The old man reared back and tugged violently on his fishing rod while also rising to his feet, and the fishing rod was bent to a ridiculous curvature, looking as if it could snap at any moment.


    The old man chortled with glee as he eximed to himself, "There''s a strong one on the line!"


    The battle between fish and fisherman raged on for about fifteen minutes, during which time the old man was frantically rushing back and forth on the sea of clouds while spitting out a steady stream of profanities, presenting a ratherical sight to behold.


    The fact that a pure martial artist had ascended to such lofty heights indicated that the old man had to be at least at the eighth tier.


    An eighth tier martial artist could kill a Cloud and Mist Whale with ease, and even in a battle against an entire pod of such whales, they were still all but assured of victory.


    However, the key to the old man''s fishing was the incredible fishing line on the end of his rod, which had been manifested using his True Qi. The most extraordinary thing about all of this was the line was able to remain intact, even against the tremendous strength and weight of a Cloud and Mist Whale.


    ��������


    On Middle Earth Divine Continent, there existed the ruins of a vast nation that was once one of the nine major empires of Majestic World.


    Generally speaking, the only entity capable of destroying such a powerful empire would be another one of the nine major empires, but that was not the case on this asion.


    At the center of the fallen empire was a once resplendent imperial pce that had since been razed to the ground. There was a horse slowly advancing through the pce, and all of the generals and soldiers in the path of the horse hurriedly scurried away.


    The horse was making its way toward the prestigious pce renowned across all nine continents.


    Instead of making its way into the pce by scaling the steps on either side of the dragon wall, the horse stepped onto the dragon wall itself, and it did so with no more trouble than the average horse scaling up a small hill.


    A tall and imposing person rode atop the horse, d in a suit of golden armor, and their face was concealed behind a visor.


    They held a shimmering golden spear riddled with runes, one far longer than the average spear.


    As for the steed, it was a Dragon Horse that was a descendant of flood dragons, an extremely rare beast.


    Hanging from the waist of the rider was a sword with no scabbard. It also had no sharp edges, and it was covered in rust. There was a pair of tiny ancient characters engraved onto its surface, but they were so worn with age that they were barely even visible at all.


    Prior to entering the pce, the general who had brought down this nation suddenly raised an arm up high, then extended their middle finger up at the sky.


    After that, they remained still on the spot, seemingly waiting for a response from the heavens, but there was no response, so after a brief pause, they gently nudged their steed with their legs, and it continued onward. After the Dragon Horse strode over the doorstep of the pce, its rider cast their gaze toward the dragon throne proimed to be the most precious berth under the heavens.


    They then lowered their head to take a nce at the sheathless longsword strapped to their waist.


    They had heard that the scabbard of the sword was in a small ce called Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and they were wondering if they should send someone to retrieve it or make the trip themselves.


    The general removed their helmet and visor, and a head of long hair came spilling down.


    It was a woman, a martial goddess.

 Chapter 259: (1): A Million Repetitions

    Chapter 259: (1): A Million Repetitions


    Chen Ping''an stood in the cool and refreshing shade under the ancestor osmanthus ind on the mountain summit on Osmanthus Ind, and he couldn''t help but think of the old locust tree from back home. However, the old locust tree no longer existed, while this tree was still thriving.


    A tinge of mncholy welled up in Chen Ping''an''s heart at this thought, but a faint smile then appeared on his face as he recalled the memory of Li Baoping running around with those locust branches on her shoulder. She was so adorable and energetic, and she feared nothing.


    In a way, she was very simr to Fan Er, who had no worries and could live every day to the fullest. Chen Ping''an was very envious of them, and he hoped to be like them someday.


    Aside from Chen Ping''an, there were also some other passengers gathered at the foot of the old osmanthus, and all of them had been drawn here by the tree''s resounding reputation. Some of them were pointing at andmenting on the old tree, and there were also some women posing beside the tree while several Osmanthus Ind artists drewmemorative paintings for them.


    There was even a family of three that had requested one of the artists to draw a family portrait for them.


    Back on the horse-drawn carriage, Fan Er had told Chen Ping''an that there was a diverse range of cultivation bases among the businessmen traveling from Old Dragon City to Stctite Mountain for business, and they also came from all types of different backgrounds. However, onemon trait among them was that they were all very cunning and calcting, and all of them had at least one or two powerful backers, so they were not to be messed with.


    The Fan n only had a few designated storage warehouses on Osmanthus Ind, while the rest were rented out to wealthy businessmen who wanted to transport their wares to Stctite Mountain. These people had plenty of money and power, and some were even wealthier than the Fan n. For them, the only things that they were missing were a ship fit for intercontinental travel and a safe route.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t the type who liked to start trouble for no reason anyway, so these words of caution from Fan Er were appreciated, butrgely redundant.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an was standing silently under the tree. When a middle-aged artist dered that he was finished with his painting, Chen Ping''an approached him. He passed by the woman who was excitedly holding the finished painting in her hands, and as he did so, he took a nce at the painting to find that it was extremely vibrant and lifelike, far more so than the lifeless and rigid door gods that he had seen on the doors back in the small town.


    The woman''s hair and clothes were depicted to be gently pping in the wind, and even in the still image, it almost looked as if the locust leaves above her was rippling in the breeze. However, Chen Ping''an noticed that the woman''s true appearance was slightly different from the depiction on the painting, and it seemed that the artist had made some embellishments in that area. Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but be stunned by the painter''s exceptional skill.


    The middle-aged artist spotted Chen Ping''an, then made a beckoning motion, and an osmanthus girl immediately approached him from behind while carrying a small tter with the four treasures of the study.


    The artist then smiled as he asked, "Would you like amemorative painting as well, Young Master? On the way to Stctite Mountain, we will be encountering ten notable pieces of scenery, each of which are spectacr in their own way, and one of those pieces of scenery is this ancestor osmanthus tree.


    Under the shade of the ancestor osmanthus tree, our paintings will be infused with a faint fragrance, and they won''t fade for at least a century. On top of that, they''ll be impervious to damage from termites and the likes, so you definitely won''t be disappointed."


    Prior to setting off from where he was standing at the foot of the osmanthus tree, Chen Ping''an had already put away his osmanthus guest wooden badge, and he nodded with a smile as he dered, "I want three of the same paintings. How much will it be?"


    The middle-aged artist was rather taken aback, and he couldn''t tell if Chen Ping''an was a descendant of an affluent n dressed in modest clothing, or was simply severely underestimating how much it cost to purchase a painting.


    Normally, one would only ask for a single painting, and he had never been asked to make three at once, but having said that, he certainly wasn''t going to turn money away, so he smiled as he replied, "One painting costs 10 snowke coins, but for three, I can give you a slight discount and make it 25 snowke coins total."


    The osmanthus girl beside the artist was far inferior to Jin Su in the looks department, but even so, she was still quite pleasant on the eyes as she added in a gentle voice, "If you have a special Osmanthus Ind wooden badge in your possession, then you can receive a further discount."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "I''m just a normal passenger."


    Chen Ping''an pulled out 25 snowke coins, then ced it onto the tter as opposed to giving it directly to the artist, as requested by the osmanthus girl. After that, the artist told Chen Ping''an to stand at the foot of the osmanthus tree, following which he was asked to change positions a few times until the spot with the best scenery was determined.


    Standing alone under the tree and under the artist''s scrutiny, Chen Ping''an was clearly feeling a little nervous, and only after a few benevolentforting words from the artist did he rx a little. His limbs weren''t as stiff as before, but his expression was still a little rigid.


    The artist didn''t dare to issue any further instructions, and decided that he was just going to have put a bit more thought into embellishing Chen Ping''an''s expression as he painted.


    The osmanthus girl was struggling to contain her amusement. Osmanthus Ind was filled with immortals, and such a timid and shy passenger was a very rare sight. Some of the more bold passengers had even asked the artist if they could stand atop the ancestor osmanthus tree for their painting, while others had asked if they could snap a branch from the tree to hold as they posed. Of course, such requests were denied.


    The artist picked up his brush, then pulled back his sleeve a little, and a sheet of precious Xuan paper from Azure Phoenix Nation slid down from the small tter and slowly drifted through the air until it drew to a halt in front of him. Even though it was hovering in mid-air, it looked exactly as if it had beenid out t on a table.


    Instead of immediately putting brush to paper, the artist began to work up some emotions. It was said that calligraphers left a part of themselves in every stroke that they made, and the same applied to artists.


    The artist had one hand sped behind his back while he held his brush with his other hand. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was standing with his sword case on his back and his hands clenched into tight fists that were hanging by his side. His eyes were bright, hisplexion was slightly dark, and he was wearing a pair of straw sandals.


    Overall, his attire was rather crude, but it was very clean and well-maintained. Compared with the strong and imposing men of the south, Chen Ping''an was only slightly shorter, but he was also quite thin andnky, indicating that he was yet to fill out his frame.


    To the surprise of the artist, he was unable to capture the young boy''s energy, essence, and spirit. It wasn''t that the boy didn''t have these things, it was just that no matter how the artist approached the painting, he was somehow struggling to capture Chen Ping''an''s visage.


    He didn''t want to make himself appear unprofessional in case Chen Ping''an had second thoughts, so he could only put on a strong and confident front as he began to paint.


    Out of the 25 snowke coins, he would receive amission of five, and that was not a small sum.


    For the first painting, it could only be described as true to life on a surface level. Even a normal imperial artist from a mortal empire would be able to create a painting of this level, let alone a Qi refiner like himself, so he was very unhappy with his work, but he could only trudge onward and persevere.


    After finishing the first painting, the artist took a short break, and Chen Ping''an also took this opportunity to remove the gourd from his waist and take a sip of wine. After having some wine, he began to rx, and he cast his gaze toward the north as a faint smile appeared on his face, perhaps because some happy memories had surfaced in his mind.


    As he turned back to face the artist, Chen Ping''an crossed his arms and stood up straight with a radiant smile on his face.


    In that instant, the artist was struck by a sh of inspiration.


    Hence, the second painting was clearly more soulful than the first one, and it perfectly encapsted theplex emotions that Chen Ping''an felt on his long journey so far away from home.


    During the break between the second and third paintings, Chen Ping''an drank some more wine, following which the smile on his face faded, and he was no longer crossing his arms. Furthermore, he had hung his gourd from his belt behind him, seemingly trying to conceal it so that it wouldn''t appear in the third painting.


    At the same time, his disposition also appeared more mature, and it felt like no matter how far away he was from home, he was a responsible young adult who would be able to look after himself.


    The artist was quite happy with his third painting as well.


    The osmanthus girl inserted a pair of white jade rods into either side of each painting to convert them into scrolls, and Chen Ping''an rushed over to her before examining the three paintings. He seemed to be very pleased with them, and he raised no criticisms, so the osmanthus girl handed the paintings to him.


    The artist was actually feeling rather uneasy as he knew this perhaps wasn''t his best work, and he said, "I hope my paintings are satisfactory to you, Young Master."


    Chen Ping''an held onto the three scrolls with both hands and replied with a bright smile, "They''re great! Thank you!"


    The artist was very relieved to hear this, and he smiled as he said, "If you wish to have any more paintings made, then you make an appointment with me. I''ll be making more paintings as we arrive at the nine scendmarks over the course of the journey, and you can have a 90% discount on all of your future paintings from me. My name is Su Yuting, just mention my name to any of the osmanthus girls on the ship, and they''ll be able to send you my way."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response before taking his leave.


    What Chen Ping''an refrained from mentioning was that the chances of him having additional paintings made were very slim. Given how much pleasure Zheng Dafeng derived from his suffering and his own capacity for punishment, it was unlikely that he would be leaving the Guimai courtyard at all over the rest of the journey.


    Upon returning to his room in the Guimai courtyard, Chen Ping''an began to write a letter, and he did so in painstaking fashion, making sure to be extremely meticulous with every single brush stroke.


    Back in the Dust Medicinal Shop, Chen Ping''an had intended to send a letter each to Mountain Cliff Academy and his hometown in Dragon Spring Prefecture. However, he didn''t dare to do so as Old Dragon City was firmly under the Fu n''s control.


    However, after learning that there were mail services by flying sword avable on Osmanthus Ind, he decided that he was going to send those letters after boarding the ship.


    He had chosen to have three paintings made as he was going to send one to Li Baoping along with a letter, and a second one back to Dragon Spring Prefecture so the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink could burn it at the grave of his parents to show them that he was living a very good life.


    This was why he had concealed his Sword Nurturing Gourd for the third painting. He couldn''t let his parents know that he had turned into a little drunkard! As for the second painting, that was going to be a keepsake for himself.


    After finishing the two letters, Chen Ping''an left the courtyard once again with two of the paintings, then traveled to the immortal ry station on the ship.


    On the way there, he ran into Jin Su, and even though Chen Ping''an insisted that he could go to the ry station on his own, Jin Su was just as insistent about apanying him there, telling him that even though she was no longer staying in the Guimai courtyard, she was still the courtyard''s designated maidservant, so if she were to allow Chen Ping''an to go off on his own over such a trivial matter, then she would surely be punished by Aunt Gui and the Fan n.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an had no choice but to allow her to apany him. Thankfully, once they arrived at the ry station, Jin Su merely remained silent and didn''t interfere with what he was doing at all, refraining from saying anything even as Chen Ping''an chose to pay as a normal passenger rather than disying his osmanthus guest wooden badge.


    After apanying Chen Ping''an back to the entrance of the courtyard, Jin Su took her leave, then returned to her residence, which was a peaceful courtyard that she shared with Aunt Gui.


    Even the old coach driver was unaware that Jin Su was Aunt Gui''s only disciple.


    Jin Su sat down across from Aunt Gui, and thetter smiled as she asked, "Is there something on your mind? Does it have something to do with that boy?"


    Jin Su was naturally rather distant and aloof, and even in the presence of her mistress, there still wasn''t much of a smile on her face as she replied, "He''s a little strange."


    Aunt Gui smiled as she said, "You''ve spent your entire life on Osmanthus Ind, traveling back and forth between Old Dragon City and Stctite Mountain, so you haven''t had many opportunities to interact with others. Hence, it''s quite normal that you find that boy to be strange."


    A rare disy of childish displeasure appeared on Jin Su''s face as she pouted, "That''s not true! I''ve left the ship to visit the inner city a few times, and I''ve seen many of the handsome young masters of Old Dragon City!"


    Aunt Gui immediately burst intoughter. "Then you fell in love at first sight with Sun Jiashu, right? You were so smitten with him that you outright rejected Fu Nanhua''s advances without any regard for his feelings! You know, the Fan n actually wants you to be a little closer with Fu Nanhua.


    It''s a good thing that even though the Fan n is a n of businessmen, they''re all quite lenient and benevolent. You were really immature and almost caused a lot of trouble for the n, yet they still didn''t try to force you to do anything against your will. If you did the same thing while serving any of Old Dragon City''s other major ns, you would be in for a great deal of hardship!"


    A cold look appeared in Jin Su''s eyes as she said, "The Fan n has treated me very well, and I''ll be sure to repay them in the future, but if they dare to push me too far on these matters, then I..."


    Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, Aunt Gui leaned forward and flicked her on the forehead as she scolded, "Don''t be so arrogant! You''ve only just barely managed to stumble your way to the Cave Abode Tier, do you really think of yourself as some type of cultivation prodigy? In terms of aptitude, you''re roughly on the same level as Fan Er.


    Both of you are considered outstanding prodigies in Old Dragon City, but that''s certainly not the case in the context of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and if we expand the scope even further to epass Majestic World..."


    Aunt Gui''s voice trailed off here as she heaved a faint sigh, but the implications were already very apparent. Finding a disciple that was to one''s liking was already a very difficult task, and it was even more difficult to nurture that disciple to the mountain summit.


    Hence, the immortals on the mountain summit were always extremely prudent and selective when choosing their disciples. In fact, this was something that they viewed as secondary in importance only to their own pursuit of the Great Dao.


    Aunt Gui knew two 10th tier earth immortals and an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator, and in order to test their future disciples, they had conducted examinations ranging from at least a decade to over a century, and only after those prospective disciples had ovee all of the trials and tribtions thrown their way were they finally epted.


    Jin Su was a very proud young woman, and there wasn''t anyone else present, so she stood up from her chair, then sat down beside Aunt Gui andtched onto her arm like a spoiled child as she countered, "But I have a really good mistress!"


    Aunt Gui prodded Jin Su''s forehead firmly with her finger as she jibed, "You do indeed have a good mistress, but unfortunately for me, I have a disciple who''s constantly causing trouble for me!"


    Jin Su leaned her head against Aunt Gui''s shoulder as she sighed, "Do you think Sun Jiashu likes me?"


    Instead of answering the question, Aunt Gui chuckled, "Spring has already passed us by, but it seems like cherry blossoms are still blooming in your heart."


    "Mistress!" Jin Su whined with an embarrassed expression.


    Aunt Gui turned to look at her disciple with a benevolent smile as she chuckled, "How could any man not like a girl as beautiful as you?"


    Jin Su was very pleased to hear this.


    However, Aunt Gui then heaved a forlorn sigh as she continued, "But have you considered that not only is Sun Jiashu an exceptional man, he''s also the head of Old Dragon City''s Sun n?


    He harbors lofty ambitions to elevate the Sun n to unprecedented heights, and he''s also viewed as the future hope of Commercialism. Even if you two can somehow ovee all of the obstacles in your way to be together, if you be the wife of a businessman, your cultivation path from there onward will be very arduous."


    A dejected look appeared on Jin Su''s face upon hearing this.


    Aunt Gui stroked Jin Su''s hair as she continued, "The scenery along the Great Dao is as morous as it is plentiful, but it is not a path that can be easily pursued. Sacrifices and decisions are also a part of cultivation. In fact, simply living is a form of cultivation in itself."


    Aunt Gui suddenly smiled as she chuckled, "What I don''t understand is why you can''t seem to develop any feelings for Fan Er. He''s such a good boy! If you can fall in love with him, even if I have to cast aside my honor and turn on the Fan n, I''ll make sure that you twoe together in holy matrimony!"


    Jin Su immediately sat up straight with a disgruntled expression as sheined, "Quit spouting nonsense, Mistress! Fan Er''s an idiot who has no heroic spirit or lofty ambitions! All he does is waste his time with pointless endeavors! If you ask me, only a fool would fall in love with an immature little kid like him!"


    Aunt Gui shook her head with an amused smile, while Jin Su continued, "Just look at how boring that friend of Fan Er''s is. Even a wooden stump has more emotion than him! No matter how prodigious or wealthy he is, there''s no way he''s going to make it very far at all!"


    A contemtive look appeared on Aunt Gui''s face, and she didn''t agree or disagree with this notion.


    After returning to the Guimai courtyard, Chen Ping''an began to practice his walking meditation, having alreadypleted his earlier errand.


    Ma Zhi could observe his walking meditation even without leaving his room, but he still emerged from his room and made his presence known to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to this and continued his fist technique practice in silence.


    Prior to boarding the ship from Water Combing Nation, Chen Ping''an had performed his walking meditation very slowly. Over the course of the journey through the dragon channel and the subsequent journey on the Mutton Fat Hall ship, Chen Ping''an had already had one foot in the fourth tier.


    Hence, he was able to perform his walking meditation much faster, and 300,000 repetitions werepleted in what felt like the blink of an eye.


    Now that he had reached the fourth tier, Chen Ping''an slowed down his walking meditation once again.


    When it came to the Three Qi Tempering Tiers for pure martial artists, exceptional emphasis had to be ced on honing the soul, the spirit, and the gall.


    Back in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, Cui Chan''s grandfather had once told Chen Ping''an that he was the strongest third tier martial artist under the heavens


    When it came to the consolidation of his fourth tier cultivation base, Chen Ping''an felt as if he werecking in stability, unlike back at the third tier, where every step that he took was extremely solid and grounded.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but wonder if this was because his foundation as a fourth tier martial artist still wasn''t sufficiently stable.


    Cui Chan''s grandfather had told him that for martial artists of the fourth, fifth, and sixth tiers, ancient battlefields were the best ces to explore for opportunities for further progression.


    There were all types of Yin winds and astral winds, as well as different chaotic auras present on those battlefields, all of which were great for honing a martial artist''s soul, spirit, and gall. Ultimately, it just came down to enduring more hardship.


    In those cases, one was fighting against heaven and earth.


    The second-best option was to experiencerge-scale battles, and the more perilous the battle was, the more one would be able to understand the concept that there were enemies at every turn.


    After that came one-on-one battles against more powerful opponents, using master martial artists and Qi refiners of the Middle Five Tiers as whetstones to hone one''s powers and battle instincts.


    The Sword Qi Great Wall was a ce that was rife with sword intent, and it inherently rejected all Qi refiners outside of swordsmen, let alone pure martial artists.


    Countless martial artists had perished on the Sword Qi Great Wall, either because they didn''t know their own limits, or because their Dao guardians didn''t possess sufficient power to protect them. This was why Cui Chan''s grandfather had mandated that Chen Ping''an had to reach the fourth tier before setting off for Stctite Mountain.


    Only then would he have the best chance of making it up to the top of the Sword Qi Great Wall and leaving alive.


    As for how long Chen Ping''an had tost on the Great Wall, how he should determine the limits of his own tolerance, and how many times he should strive to scale the great wall, Cui Chan''s grandfather hadn''t offered him any counsel on these subjects as he felt like it was a waste of time.


    Having already reached the pinnacle of the 10th tier a century ago, Cui Chan''s grandfather had witnessed the scenery at the very pinnacle of Majestic World. Given everything that he had seen and experienced, many things that were deemed important by others simply didn''t matter in the slightest to him.


    This was why many pieces of advice that were considered to be crucial among martial artists had beenpletely withheld from Chen Ping''an.


    For example, Cui Chans grandfather hadn''t mentioned the golden flood dragon phenomenon that a martial artist could experience after reaching the fourth and seventh tiers, nor had he told Chen Ping''an what it entailed to be the strongest martial artist at each tier.


    The less he taught Chen Ping''an, the more it reflected his lofty expectations of him.


    What was the point in teaching Chen Ping''an how to do every little thing? Such a teaching style would only limit him.


    In the eyes of Cui Chan''s grandfather, Chen Ping''an had to pursue the legendary Martial God Tier, he had to reach such lofty heights that even a martial artist at the pinnacle of the 10th tier like himself could only look up to him in awe and veneration!


    What was quite strange was that the less Cui Chan''s grandfather said, the more Chen Ping''an learned.


    When it came to the two golden flood dragon phenomena that had descended back at the Sun n''s ancestral residence, Chen Ping''an had beenpletely oblivious on the first asion. The only thing that he had felt at the time was that he had to throw that punch in order to release the energy that was building up in his body.


    After that, he learned that he had missed out on a precious opportunity, and he went back to fish night after night. Finally, the opportunity presented itself once again, but in that instant, Chen Ping''an was struck by the irrepressible urge tosh out once again!


    After that, he had forced back the golden flood dragons a second time without any hesitation.


    As expected of the disciple of Cui Chan''s grandfather, both of them were just as unreasonable.


    Initially, Ma Zhi didn''t think much as he observed Chen Ping''an''s walking meditation, but after observing for a while longer, he finally noticed that something wasn''t quite right.


    He shook his head with a wry smile, feeling as if he had seen a ghost.


    The foundation of his soul, spirit, and gall were already there, and all that was left was for those three things to be honed. This meant that he could progress from the fourth tier to the sixth tier at an extraordinary speed, and if his objective were to progress up the tiers as quickly as possible, then he would be at the sixth tier in virtually no time!


    If it weren''t for the fact that he had been informed that Chen Ping''an had only just reached the fourth tier, he wouldn''t have been so astonished, but Zheng Dafeng had clearly told him that Chen Ping''an was indeed only at the fourth tier.


    How could there possibly be such an unreasonably formidable fourth tier martial artist under the heavens?


    All of a sudden, Ma Zhi could feel the bonded flying sword in his acupoint itching toe out, and he was struck by the urge to challenge Chen Ping''an to a spar.


    He was a Golden Core Tier swordsman, yet at this moment, he was seriously considering challenging a fourth tier martial artist!


    A sense of sorrow welled up in his heart, and he felt as if he really had be an old man.


    However, the sorrow was fleeing and quickly faded. The world was extremely vast. He was nothing more than a frog stuck at the bottom of the well that was Old Dragon City, so there were countless things in this world that he had yet to witness, and Chen Ping''an was but one of them.


    All of a sudden, a thought sprang into his mind, and he smiled as he asked, "Chen Ping''an, you''re not aiming to be the strongest fourth tier martial artist under the heavens, are you?"


    Chen Ping''an had justpleted one repetition of his six-step walking meditation, and began another repetition as he replied, "I won''t settle for anything less."


    Ma Zhi didn''t think much of this response. In his eyes, Chen Ping''an had to be from a top-tier cultivating sect on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and he certainly wasn''t the first young prodigy to have set such lofty aspirations for himself. While this deration sounded a little arrogant, Ma Zhi didn''t find it to be conceited.


    Unbeknownst to him, just this simple six-step walking meditation was something that Chen Ping''an had already performed hundreds of thousands of times.

 Chapter 259: (2): A Million Repetitions

    Chapter 259: (2): A Million Repetitions


    In the dying light of dusk, Osmanthus Ind slowly set sail from behind the giant ind. If anyone were to look up in that direction from atop the city wall of Old Dragon City, they would be able to see the enormous silhouette of the ship in the sky.


    Of course, they would be able to get an even clearer view of the ship from the ind, and one of the people on the ind right at this moment was Sun Jiashu.


    Even though he had left Old Dragon City, he wasn''t apanied by any of his n''s guest elders as on this asion, he had Liu Baqiao to keep himpany.


    Liu Baqiao had only just arrived at Old Dragon City, and at this moment, he was squatting on the railing of the ind''s sightseeing pavilion, looking out at Osmanthus Ind with a slightly weary and dejected expression.


    He was tired from the long journey that he had made by flying sword, and was sorely disappointed by how things had turned out between Sun Jiashu and Chen Ping''an. He had all this frustration in his heart that wanted to vent, but he was holding it back as he didn''t want to hurt his friend.


    "Why didn''t you go onto Osmanthus Ind to give him an exnation?" Sun Jiashu asked.


    Even as the prodigious swordsman that he was, Liu Baqiao was still utterly exhausted from his journey to Old Dragon City from Wind Lightning Field. He wiped the back of his hand over his parched lips, then shook his head. "I''m too ashamed to go and see him."


    Sun Jiashu was leaning against a pir of the pavilion beside Liu Baqiao, and a wry smile appeared on his face as he sighed, "I''m the one to me for all of this."


    Liu Baqiao waved a dismissive hand in response. "I do feel very angry, but I can understand why you did what you did. Chen Ping''an may be my friend, but that doesn''t mean that he''s your friend. I just failed to anticipate that he would be harboring so many secrets that even you were unable to resist the temptation to try and profit from him.


    Ultimately, this is still my fault. I underestimated this friend of mine and introduced him to you without proper discretion. There''s no need for you to feel guilty, Sun Jiashu. You should''ve never been in this position in the first ce."


    Sun Jiashu rested his hand on the pir beside him as he turned to the side. A gentle breeze caressed his handsome features as he said in a quiet voice, "I can see where you''reing from, but things should''ve never turned out as terribly as they did. I know better than anyone else just how averse you are to talking things out.


    Normally, you''re much more direct and straightforward, yet this time, you''re not cursing me out or beating me up. Instead, you''re being uncharacteristically calm and reasonable. Why does it feel like you no longer wish to be my friend?"


    "That''s not the case, you''re overthinking things," Liu Baqiao said with a shake of his head, then turned to Sun Jiashu as he reassured, "I''m serious."


    Sun Jiashu also smiled as he sighed, "I really screwed you over this time, didn''t I?"


    Liu Baqiao turned to continue looking at Osmanthus Ind in the distance as he grimaced, "Let''s not talk about this anymore."


    Sun Jiashu could only heave an internal sigh.


    Shortly thereafter, the two of them returned to Old Dragon City, and Sun Jiashu took Liu Baqiao to the Sun n''s ancestral residence.


    This was the first meeting between Liu Baqiao and the Nascent Tier Sun n patriarch staying at the Sun n''s ancestral residence, and thetter immediately took a liking to the former.


    As an earth immortal, he very rarely ate food anymore, but he still joined the two young men for a meal, which consisted entirely of Liu Baqiao''s favorite dishes.


    Liu Baqiao was like a spitting image of the Sun n''s patriarch''s younger self, speaking his mind without any qualms or discretion, and the two of them got along extremely well despite the significant age gap.


    Liu Baqiao had to return to Wind Lightning Field, so after the meal, he put on the Old Dragon Cloud-Flipping Pendant and departed atop his flying sword.


    Alone at night, Sun Jiashu was fishing by the river when he suddenly raised his head to look up into the night sky.


    As it turned out, Liu Baqiao had circled around atop his flying sword and now returned. Hended beside Sun Jiashu and kicked him into the river before speeding away again without uttering a word.


    Sun Jiashu climbed back onto the river bank with his clothespletely soaked, but a joyful smile had appeared on his face.


    The Sun n patriarch appeared beside Sun Jiashu without any warning, then said in a meaningful and heartfelt manner, "Friends like Liu Baqiao must be cherished for as long as you live, whether that be a decade, a century, or a millennium."


    Sun Jiashu wiped a hand across his face with a smile as he said, "I understand, esteemed patriarch. From now on, can you allow me to be a bit more selfish and do some things that I want to do, but as the leader of the Sun n?"


    "The ancestors of our Sun n would love to see that," the Sun n patriarch immediately replied without any hesitation.


    Sun Jiashu extended a deep bow toward the old man as he said, "Thank you, esteemed patriarch!"


    "Don''t bow down to me, you little bastard! You''re the head of the Sun n right now!" the old man chuckled.


    With that, Sun Jiashu picked up his fishing basket and fishing rod, then quickly returned to the Sun n''s ancestral residence. He left that very night, traveling to the Sun Manor in the inner city to take care of some affairs.


    Not long after Sun Jiashu''s departure, one of the Golden Core Tier guest elders of the Sun n approached the Sun n patriarch with a smile, then dered in a direct and straightforward manner, "The Sun n is extremely fortunate to have such a brilliant leader. I would like to extend my agreement with the Sun n for another century."


    The old man dly epted this request, then made his way to the ancestral hall on his own to offer up some sticks of incense.


    At the Dust Medicinal Shop.


    Fan Er didn''t have to kneel at the Fan n''s ancestral hall as punishment, so he went to the shop to chat with Zheng Dafeng.


    As Fan Er entered the shop, Zheng Dafeng was resting on the counter, harassing a voluptuous female employee, asking her whether her husband, who was a coach driver, still had energy for her in bed after running around all day.


    The woman had already grown ustomed to Zheng Dafeng''s harassment, and she put on a seductive smile as she replied that they had to get the carpenter to fix their bed on a weekly basis.


    Fan Er just so happened to overhear this, and he pretended not to have understood what she was implying. As for the woman, she was a little embarrassed.


    She was used to talking like this with Zheng Dafeng, and she did it to pass the time while working at the shop, but she didn''t dare to be so bold in the face of outsiders. Zheng Dafeng wasn''t willing to let the woman off the hook, and he turned to Fan Er with a smile as he said, "Did you hear that? If you ever need a carpenter to fix your bed for you, you shoulde to her for a rmendation."


    Fan Er nodded in response, still pretending to be oblivious to the sexual undertones at y.


    All of the female employees in the shop immediately rose up collectively in protest, with some of them threatening to sew his lips shut, while others dered that they weren''t going to cook for him, even if he paid them. Zheng Dafeng brushed off these threats without any concern, then led Fan Er to the backyard.


    As the two sat down, Fan Er had already brought Zheng Dafeng''s pipe to him. Zheng Dafeng took a puff out of his pipe, then blew out a smoke ring, and he was immediately put in a good mood at the thought that Chen Ping''an had finally left Old Dragon City.


    Fu n sat down onto a small stool, then asked, "Mr. Zheng, will you be attending Fu Nanhua''s wedding?"


    "I would if I were the groom!" Zheng Dafeng snapped.


    "I heard that Fu Nanhua''s fiancee is... not very good-looking," Fan Er said in a quiet voice.


    "She''s not good-looking? If she were my wife, I would never leave my bed!" Zheng Dafeng chuckled.


    Fan Er waspletely speechless.


    He had no criticisms of his martial arts master except for how direct and straightforward he was. Sometimes, Zheng Dafeng was so blunt that it caught himpletely off guard.


    When it came to chatting, he much preferred talking to Chen Ping''an.


    "Chen Ping''an sees you as a friend now, does he?" Zheng Dafeng suddenly asked.


    Fan Er nodded eagerly in response. "That''s right, we''re very close friends now!"


    "I suppose it makes sense that idiots would band together," Zheng Dafeng jibed as he blew out another smoke ring.


    In a rare disy of defiance against his martial arts master, Fan Er retorted, "Don''t say that about Chen Ping''an, he''s not an idiot. In fact, he''s really smart, and I really admire him. I feel like I''m extremely fortunate to have met him."


    Zheng Dafeng turned to Fan Er with an exasperated expresion, then sighed, "No wonder you two can be friends."


    A serious look then appeared on his face as he continued, "Just now, I decided on two things. Listen up carefully, Fan Er."


    Fan Er immediately sat up straighter and began listening intently.


    Zheng Dafeng raised a finger as he said, "My senior brother, Li Er, was once the strongest ninth tier martial artist under the heavens, while I, Zheng Dafeng, was once the strongest eighth tier martial artist.


    Hence, he was able to father a pair of exceptional children, and his wife... Forget her, we won''t talk about her. As for myself, I was this close to achieving an unprecedented feat of progressing straight from the eighth tier to the 10th.


    Then we look at Chen Ping''an. As a fourth tier martial artist, he was able to bring down two instances of golden flood dragon phenomena in a matter of days, and he also possesses an immense amount of wealth. From all of this, we can deduce an undeniable fact."


    Fan Er''s eyes were wide with curiosity.


    Zheng Dafeng continued in a serious manner, "As long as you be the strongest martial artist of a certain tier in the entire Majestic World, you''ll be granted endless fortune. Of course, you can''t just stunt your own growth so you can constantly remain as the strongest martial artist of a certain tier.


    "Instead, you still have to make breakthroughs when the opportunities present themselves. Otherwise, you''ll be going against the very principle of martial arts, and that would only have a detrimental effect."


    "Could it be that you want to tell me that I''m currently the strongest third tier martial artist under the heavens?" Fan Er asked in a careful manner. "But my sister tells me that my aptitude is very mediocre. Could it be that she simply doesn''t have an eye for talent like you do, Master? Haha, no wonder you''re not surprised that Chen Ping''an and I could be friends, he''s the strongest fourth tier martial artist under the heavens, while I''m the strongest third tier..."


    "Shut your mouth and go sit over there!" Zheng Dafeng snapped with an enraged expression as he pointed over at the doorway leading to the shop, cutting Fan Er off before he could finish his sentence.


    Fan Er hurriedly did as he was told, sitting obediently by the doorway, and it was clear to him that he had been mistaken.


    <em>He used to be such a smart kid! How has he be so stupid after only hanging out with Chen Ping''an for a few days?! </em>


    Zheng Dafeng took a long draft of his pipe to calm himself down, then continued, "Your breakthrough to the fourth tier is imminent. Once you get there, I n to help you strive for the top. The chances of sess are very slim, but I''m a ninth tier martial artist, and I''m not that much inferior to the likes of Li Er and Song Changjing. If I get serious for once in my life, surely nothing is impossible!"


    "Are you trying to make me the strongest fourth tier martial artist?" Fan Er asked in a timid voice.


    Zheng Dafeng nodded in confirmation. "Looks like Chen Ping''an''s stupidity hasn''tpletely rubbed off on you, after all."


    Despite the serious look on his face, internally, Zheng Dafeng was reveling in schadenfreude. Chen Ping''an was going to have to endure immense hardships on Osmanthus Ind and the Sword Qi Great Wall. In doing so, he would have to ovee an extremely perilous obstacle that the average martial artist wouldn''t have to face.


    However, even after oveing all those trials and tribtions, it would ultimately be his good friend, Fan Er, who became the strongest fourth tier martial artist over him. How frustrating and disheartening would that be for him?


    Then again, there were countless prodigious martial artists all over Majestic World. If Chen Ping''an couldn''t even beat out someone with aptitude as ordinary as Fan Er''s, then he would have no hope at all of bing the strongest fourth tier martial artist.


    Fan Er was silent for a long while upon hearing this, then finally said, "Teacher, you just said that Chen Ping''an is already at the fourth tier. If I also progress to the fourth tier in secret, what happens if I run into him someday?


    To be honest, I''m only studying martial arts because I don''t have the aptitude to be a Qi refiner, so all I want is to be able to reach the eighth tier so that I can fly like Qi refiners. As for bing the strongest fourth tier martial artist, I''m not really confident in my ability, nor am I really interested in reaching such a goal..."


    In the end, his voice trailed off as he lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Zheng Dafeng.


    Zheng Dafeng''s heart had been brimming with motivation and excitement just a moment ago, yet he felt as if he had just had a bucket of cold water poured over his head.


    However, he knew that it would be wrong to me Fan Er. Just because he wanted to make Fan Er the strongest fourth tier martial artist didn''t mean that Fan Er had to share those ambitions. With that in mind, Zheng Dafeng temporarily set the idea aside as he smiled and said, "Don''t be in such a hurry to refuse. Let''s get you to the fourth tier first, and if you change your mind then, you can tell me."


    "Alright," Fan Er immediately replied with a relieved smile.


    Zheng Dafeng waved a dismissive hand as he scoffed, "Get out of here! You don''t have any ambitions at all! Just looking at you pisses me off!"


    Fan Er rose to his feet, then set the stool back down to its original spot. As he began to make his way into the shop through the doorway, he turned around with a smile as he said, "I want to rx and enjoy life like you, Teacher."


    Zheng Dafeng rolled his eyes in response.


    As Fan Er passed through the medicinal shop, the female employees bade him farewell, and he responded in kind.


    After leaving the Dust Medicinal Shop, Fan Er raised his head to take a nce up at the sky. He didn''t know when his sister was going toe home. If she were to find a husband that he didn''t get along with on this trip to the Great Li Empire, then that would be a massive headache for him.


    He liked his sister, he liked his parents, he liked his patriarchs, he liked his n''s guest elders, he liked Zheng Dafeng, and he liked Chen Ping''an. It would be terrible if the only person that he didn''t like was his brother-inw!


    Fan Er shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought, and as he strode down a small alley on his own, he looked around to make sure that there was no one watching, then imagined himself as a hero as he performed a string of badass fist techniques.


    It was a pity that Chen Ping''an wasn''t present. Otherwise, he would''ve surely been filled with awe and veneration!


    The next time he met Chen Ping''an, he was determined to follow the traditions of the martial arts world and swear themselves as brothers of one another over a cup of wine.


    The more he thought about this, the more enthused he became, and the more effort he put into his fist techniques. As he iled his fists through the air, he was cheering for himself to spur himself on.


    When he stopped, he nodded with a pleased expression as he mused, "That was an exceptional set of fist techniques!"


    Unbeknownst to him, a green-robed young woman was standing at the entrance of the Dust Medicinal Shop. There was a weary look on her face, as if she had justpleted a long journey, and she was sipping on some wine while looking at Fan Er in the distance as she sighed to herself, "Our parents really did name him well, he''s just as much of an idiot as his name suggests!" [1]


    Far away on Osmanthus Ind, Chen Ping''an was practicing his six-step walking meditation over and over again on his own at night in the Guimai courtyard.


    He really did have a chance of getting to a million repetitions before reaching the Sword Qi Great Wall!


    After his walking meditation, he began to practice his standing meditation.


    Only after midnight did he return to his room. It was the height of summer, and heid down onto the high-quality bamboo mat that was as cool as water. He then set down his sword case by his bedside, habitually making sure that it was within reach, then closed his eyes and fell asleep with a faint smile on his face.


    He was going to the Sword Qi Great Wall to practice his fist techniques atop the city wall.


    1. The Er () in Fan Er''s name is literally the Chinese character for the number 2, and that''s ng in Chinese for a stupid person. It''s short for 250, which is an insult of the same meaning.

 Chapter 260: Bright Moon Over the Sea

    Chapter 260: Bright Moon Over the Sea


    By the time Fan Er emerged from the small alley, the green-robed young woman had already stepped into the Dust Medicinal Shop.


    As soon as she made her way into the shop, all of the female employees inside were instantly struck by a sense of inferiority in her presence. Her beauty was so stunning that it put them to shame inparison.


    In contrast with how polite and easygoing Fan Er was, the young woman was far less approachable, and she made her way directly toward the doorway that led to the backyard, while none of the female employees in the shop dared to stop her.


    Zheng Dafeng was sitting on the steps outside, smoking his pipe.


    The green-robed woman took a nce around the small courtyard, then made a beckoning motion. A small stool that was under the eaves instantly appeared behind her. She sat down and began to drink.


    Zheng Dafeng was naturally aware of who this woman was. She was the first person that he had met upon entering Old Dragon City: the rtively unknown young mistress of the Fan n, Fan Junmao.


    The five major ns of Old Dragon City were Fu, Sun, Fang, Hou, and Ding.


    The Fu n had an earth immortal in the form of Fu Qi, as well as four celestial tools in its possession, while the Sun n was renowned for its immense foundation and its Nascent Tier patriarch.


    The Fang n had no Nascent Tier cultivators among its ranks, but it did have two seventh tier martial artists and a Golden Core Tier swordsman giving it unmatched influence over the southern mortal empires of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    In particr, the Fang n owned countless banks, escort agencies, pawn shops, and inns across those empires. In contrast with the Fu n and the Sun n, the Fang n''s businesses weren''t as profitable, but where itcked in quality, it made up for in quantity.


    The most powerful cultivators in the Hou n were a group of guest elders of the Middle Five Tiers, and in this regard, they held no advantage over the other major ns. However, the n did have a branch descendant who had left the n many years before and since be a virtuous schr of Lake View Academy.


    Even though he had never returned to the Hou n following his departure, the Hou n had benefited immensely from his status, and they sent people to pay their respects to him every year.


    Aside from an intercontinental ship to Stctite Mountain, the Hou n also controlled thergest number of routes from Old Dragon City to Complete Reed Continent, most of which were quite short in length, ranging from tens of thousands of kilometers to around 150,000 kilometers.


    As an example, the Hou n owned half of Water Combing Nation''s dragon channel, and with all of these assets added together, the Hou n was certainly a force to be reckoned with.


    The Hou n had many ties with the immortal sects of Complete Reed Continent, and over the past two centuries of painstaking effort, it had established several immortal sects of its own there.


    The Ding n was almost stripped of its status as one of the five major ns to be reced by an up-anding n that had been a fiercepetitor for close to a century. The situation had be particrly sticky because the Ding n had made an enemy of Chu Yang, the cultivator on the Dragon Scaling tform and the number one Golden Core Tier Qi refiner of Old Dragon City.


    As a result, the Ding n had fallen into a terrible rut, one that it didn''t seem like it would be able to get out of.


    However, in this dire situation, the arrival of a young man from Great Southeastern Continent changed everything. When he first entered Old Dragon City, he was extremely downtrodden, and he left the city just as downtrodden as he arrived, unable to make even the tiniest ssh in the city.


    However, right as the Ding n was on the verge of copse, this very young man actually provided the Ding n with the personnel and money that it needed to make a recovery. In exchange, all he took with him was a single woman.


    Only then did ite to light that the young man was a direct disciple of the most powerful cultivating sect on Parasol Leaf Continent, and he was an extremely prestigious figure.


    After that, the Ding n established close ties with Parasol Leaf Continent, allowing it to develop rapidly, to the point that it was beginning to catch up to the Sun n.


    Out of the five major ns, the Fan n was the only one who had a rather nondescript and mundane history.


    The n had neither Nascent Tier patriarchs, nor any particrly formidable Golden Core Tier cultivators or prodigious young descendants. In everything it did, it made sure to follow the Fu n closely, essentially riding on the Fu n''s coattails. Thanks to its ties with the Fu n, it was just barely able to cling onto its status as one of the five major ns.


    Hence, the Hou n, which had never seen eye to eye with the Fan n, dared to proim that the Fan n was nothing more than Fu Qi''spdog. Year after year, they were fed the Fu n''s leftovers, which were enough to sustain them, but only just barely. The Hou n also used the Fan n''s past leaders of being spineless cowards with zero ambitions, content to act as servants for others.


    Through the smoke from his pipe, Zheng Dafeng was staring at the green-robed young woman, who was drinking in a leisurely fashion.


    Old Man Yang had never told him much about this woman. All he told Zheng Dafeng was that once he arrived at Old Dragon City, he was to seek her out and announce his arrival to her. After that, he could approach City Lord Fu Qi to negotiate a deal.


    Zheng Dafeng was already ustomed to the constant cloud of mystique around the old man, both figuratively and in the form of the cloud of smoke constantly pouring out of his pipe. Hence, he made no attempt to find out more about Fan Junmao.


    Back when he was an eighth tier martial artist, he had seen Fan Junmao as nothing more than a young cultivator who was still yet to reach the Middle Five Tiers, but now that he was a ninth tier cultivator, he realized he had been sorely mistaken, and that she was actually a Golden Core Tier Qi refiner.


    All the woman did was drink in silence, and Zheng Dafeng was more than happy to stay with her in silence.


    In any case, she was quite a sight for sore eyes, so he was more than content to have her keep himpany.


    All of a sudden, Zheng Dafeng mused, "How impressive! I never thought that I would see anything in Old Dragon City more extraordinary than what I''ve seen in the small town, but I''ve been proven wrong today."


    As it turned out, while Fan Junmao was drinking her wine, she had reached the Nascent Tier, bing an earth immortal.


    Even though she had done her best to suppress the telltale signs of her breakthrough, Zheng Dafeng had still managed to catch on, and he was stunned by what he had just witnessed.


    It was no wonder that Old Man Yang was so determined to have her. In fact, he had most likely already had his eyes on her for a very long time.


    "From now on, while you''re in Old Dragon City, you follow my orders," Fan Junmao said, finally breaking her silence for the first time.


    Zheng Dafeng''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.


    Fan Junmao rose to her feet with a cold sneer on her face, then raised an arm to make a throwing motion before gently thrusting both hands toward Zheng Dafeng''s face as she said, "Whoosh, and you''re dead..."


    Zheng Dafeng rose to his feet, and in this instant, his normal flippant and rxed demeanor hadpletely faded.


    Zheng Dafeng had been beaten to within an inch of his life by Li Er more times than he could count, and as a gatekeeper, he had killed dozens of people who hade to Jewel Small World in search of fated opportunities. He was certainly not just going to allow any random woman to make light of him like this.


    The woman smiled as she said, "I can''t beat you right now, but that''s just <em>right now</em>."


    In the next instant, her entire body disintegrated into wisps of dark green mist that rose up into the heavens to fuse as one with the sea of clouds up above.


    In the next instant, she was sitting on the edge of the sea of clouds with her feet dangling over the side, gently swinging back and forth. As a result, the entire sea of clouds was undting slightly, as if she were using it as a swing while continuing to drink wine and look out at the sea.


    The bright moon had risen over the sea, and that moon was the very thing that was reflected in her eyes.


    At the stroke of dawn, Chen Ping''an was already practicing his walking meditation in the courtyard. It was very peaceful so early in the morning, and the only thing keeping himpany was the light of the rising sun.


    By the time Ma Zhi emerged from his room, Chen Ping''an had alreadypleted his walking meditation, and he was seated by a stone table, flipping through the Proper Sword Scripture. Chen Ping''an had always kept up his habit of reading during the intervals between his fist technique practice.


    He read books that he had purchased along his journey, as well as the travel journal that he had "stolen" from the prefectural overseer''s manor back in Colorful Garment Nation. Of course, there was also that elementary Confucian book he had received from the old schr.


    During the course of his journey with Cui Dongshan, he had learned that for something to be called a proper scripture, there were extremely important connotations involved. A book that could be referred to as a scripture already ced it at the pinnacle of its kind, and a proper scripture was even more extraordinary.


    Zheng Dafeng appeared to be quiteckadaisical and unreliable, but when it came to certain things, one could definitely count on him.


    Zheng Dafeng didn''t like Chen Ping''an, and the feeling was very much mutual.


    However, just because they disliked each other didn''t mean that they could only see each other''s negative traits. Conversely, just because two people liked each other didn''t mean that they viewed everything that the other did through rose-tinted sses.


    An example of this was Gu Can. Despite his young age, he had a very dark and spiteful personality, and Chen Ping''an was very worried that Gu Can would be someone that he came to detest after spending an extended period of time with the River Severing True Lord of Bamboo Scroll Lake.


    Back when Li Huai first left the small town, he had been a massive coward, and Chen Ping''an wondered what he was like now. Did he dare to step up for his friends in their time of need, or was he still the same sniveling coward who only dared to hide behind Chen Ping''an at the first sign of danger during their journey to Great Sui Nation?


    Lin Shouyi was mature beyond his years and an outstanding cultivation prodigy who was very dedicated to the pursuit of the Great Dao. While this dedication was a good thing, Chen Ping''an was worried that too much of a good thing could ultimately prove to be detrimental.


    If he were to be so obsessed with his pursuit of the Great Dao that he began to view Li Baoping and Li Huai as hindrances, thereby distancing himself from them, then that would be a very unfortunate tragedy.


    Then there was his best friend, Liu Xianyang. A very long time ago, Liu Xianyang had dered that he was going to see the tallest mountain andrgest river outside the small town, and that he definitely couldn''t just die in such a tiny ce as their hometown. Would he be so enamored by the scenery that he saw outside the small town that he would be unwilling to return home?


    Chen Ping''an was always concerned about one thing or another, and that was why he genuinely envied Fan Er, who never seemed to have a care in the world.


    Chen Ping''an was different from his neighbor, Song Jixin, and Ma Kuxuan of Apricot Blossom Alley. Those two were prodigies destined for great things. If they saw a good thing that they couldn''t take for themselves, then Song Jixin would most likely begin insulting that thing, while Ma Kuxuan could destroy that thing altogether if he were in a bad mood. If he couldn''t have it, then no one could.


    With these thoughts in his mind, Chen Ping''an continued to flip through the pages of the Proper Sword Scripture.


    In the face of a concept as prestigious as a proper scripture, swordsmanship was a very minor concept inparison. They were merely the techniques used by swordsmen, and only swordsmen who were also Qi refiners could be said to be pursuing the Sword Dao.


    Colorful Garment Nation''s sword god, who had been beaten to death by Ma Kuxuan, Sword Saint Song Yushao of Water Combing Nation, Sword Paragon Lin Gushan of Ancient Elm Nation, and Sword Immortal Su Lang of Pine Stream Nation were all just martial artists, and they weren''t acknowledged as cultivators.


    In stark contrast, A''Liang was clearly the most powerful swordsman under the heavens, yet he didn''t like to identify as a cultivator and constantly traveled the world while posing as an ipetent and braggadocious swordsman.


    There were six sword techniques included in the sword scripture. Two each were for attack and defense. The offensive techniques were the Avnche Technique and the Deity Suppression Technique, while the defensive ones were the Mountain Technique and the Armor-wearing Technique.


    As for the remaining two sword techniques, they were designed to hone the body and soul of the swordsman. Instead of using these techniques in battle, they were meant for personal development, and one of them was called Refinement, while the other was named Focus.


    Refinement served a simr purpose to the six-step walking meditation of the Mountain Shaking Guide, while Focus was simr to standing meditation.


    Out of the six sword techniques, Chen Ping''an particrly liked the Avnche Technique, which was extremely fast. The sword led the wielder forward, sending them tumbling along like a snowball that gained more and more power and speed over time.


    Each sword technique had an apanying image, and the pages that the illustrations had been drawn upon were quite unique in that they were a light silver color, as opposed to the other white pages of the book.


    The illustrated figure demonstrated the sword techniques from start to finish before repeating the process in an impable fashion, and there was also a golden line within the figure''s body that slowly traveled along a set trajectory.


    Even the mostplex sword techniques under the heavens were ultimately still just a sequence of movements, and any martial arts prodigy would be able to imitate a sword technique with some practice.


    However, the keyy in the route of True Qi cirction, and this was often the key when it came to advanced martial arts techniques. One had to learn which acupoint the True Qi had to set off from, which acupoints it passed through, and where it ultimately came to a rest. During this time, one also had to focus on the speed at which the True Qi was traveling.


    All of these details were extremely important, and this was why it was often vital to have a master. Sometimes, certain instructions simply couldn''t be properly conveyed through writing, and verbal instructions were required to get the point across.


    The Proper Sword Scripture had an introduction of several dozen characters, brieflyying out the origins of the sword scripture.


    The main text gave detailed exnations of how the six sword techniques were to be practiced, and there were also some annotations from Zheng Dafeng, providing his personal analysis.


    For the title, the introduction, the main text, and the annotations, Zheng Dafeng had used four different calligraphy styles, one of which was soft and effeminate, the second elegant and refined, the third strong and free-flowing, and the final one rather sickly and frail.


    It was clear that Zheng Dafeng had done this to show off his mastery in calligraphy, and Chen Ping''an had to admit that he was very impressed.


    As expected of azy gatekeeper who did nothing but sit around all day, simply scratching around on the ground with a tree branch was enough for him to develop such exceptional calligraphy.


    Only after Chen Ping''an had closed his book did Ma Zhi take a seat across from him.


    "This ce is under the shadow of the ancestor osmanthus tree on the mountain summit, so as long as we don''t cause too much of amotion, none of the passengers outside will notice what we''re doing in here. Chen Ping''an, I''ve already revealed my cultivation base to you earlier.


    This will be the first day of our sword practice together, and before we begin, I''d like to tell you some things. Perhaps you''ll already have heard some of what I''m about to say. If that''s the case, feel free to tell me, and I''ll skip over those parts."


    Chen Ping''an sat up straight as he nodded in response.


    Ma Zhi continued, "In the cultivation world, there''s a saying that sixty years is old for a Qi refiner, while a hundred years is still young for a swordsman. This refers to the notion that a Qi refiner who only reaches the Middle Five Tiers at sixty years of age can no longer be considered a prodigy, but for a swordsman, even if they only reach the Cave Abode Tier at a hundred years of age, they''re still considered to be a young Qi refiner with a bright figure ahead. Why is that?"


    Before Chen Ping''an had a chance to reply, Ma Zhi had already begun answering his own question. "The answer is very simple: we swordsmen have the greatest offensive power out of anyone under the heavens. Bing a Qi refiner is quite difficult as it is, and even more aptitude is required to be a swordsman.


    On top of that, whether one will be able to nurture a bonded flying sword is another major hurdle. Even if one can sessfully achieve that goal, an immense amount of resources will be required to support their cultivation from that point onward. Right now, I''m 270 years old, and I reached the Golden Core Tier 80 years ago, creating quite a stir in Old Dragon City at the time.


    Four of the five major ns attempted to recruit my services as a guest elder for very substantialpensation, but that''s a story for another time. The reason I''mying out this background information for you is because I want to tell you that as soon as I made my breakthrough, I realized that there''s no chance I''ll ever be able to reach the Nascent Tier. Do you know why that is?"


    Once again, Ma Zhi answered his own question. "The first reason is insufficient aptitude, and the second reason is insufficient funds."


    A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face as he continued, "If the Fan n was willing to spend half of the n''s entire wealth to help me refine my bonded flying swords and purchase all manners of natural treasures to forge a sword furnace for me, perhaps I would be able to make the breakthrough. However, no matter how good the Fan n is to me, there''s no way I can expect them to do that. After all, my surname isn''t Fan."


    Even though Ma Zhi hade to terms with this fact long ago, a hint of dejection still appeared on his face as he spoke about this subject.


    Just as much as Ma Zhi was telling Chen Ping''an this story, it seemed like he was also trying to console himself, and he continued, "Even on Mount Longhu, which stands alongside the top three sects of Daoism, a differentiation is made between direct-line Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Master Residence and external Heavenly Masters who don''t carry the Zhang surname.


    There have been many exceptionally gifted immortals of the Upper Five Tiers among these external Heavenly Masters, and there have even been cases of external Heavenly Masters defeating Great Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Master Residence in the past, but the Heavenly Master Seal and the immortal sword had never fallen into the hands of an external Heavenly Master."


    Chen Ping''an understood the reasoning behind this quite well, and he nodded as he said, "Ultimately, weapons are devices of ughter and destruction. When ites to the top cultivating sects under the heavens, they''re no less powerful than major nations, so they must be particrly careful with how their weapons are assigned.


    If those powerful weapons are handed down willy-nilly, then that would only spell disaster in the future, and it could lead to catastrophic consequences."


    "That''s right," Ma Zhi replied with a nod.


    He had always thought that Chen Ping''an was a young master from an affluent n, so he wasn''t surprised at all by Chen Ping''an''s insights on this subject.


    He heaved a faint sigh. "While the majority of powerful figures and entities under the heavens know the importance of exercising caution and discretion, this is a veryplex world, and there are still many people who like to do whatever they please and are intent on talking to everyone and everything with their fists and their swords.


    These people aren''t exactly wrong. To be honest, bystanders like myself can''t help but feel envious of these free spirits who do whatever they please without any regard for consequences. However, this can only be the exception, not the norm. Otherwise, the entire world would descend into chaos, and that would certainly not be conducive to any positive oues."


    It was clear that Ma Zhi was speaking from experience, perhaps having witnessed many such free spirits in the past.


    For Golden Core Tier Qi refiners, particrly Golden Core Tier swordsmen, they were all well-respected everywhere, even on the Middle Earth Divine Continent. However, even on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, a Golden Core Tier swordsman couldn''t just do whatever they pleased.


    Ma Zhi suppressed theplex emotions in his heart as he smiled and continued, "You are a martial artist, yet you wish to train in the way of the sword. In doing so, you must envision me as your enemy, so you need to be aware of some things about Qi refiners..."


    All of a sudden, Ma Zhi''s voice trailed off there.


    "I''m sure you''re already aware of all of this. Should I skip this part?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. "Please go ahead, Mr. Ma, I''m happy to hear what you have to say."


    Ma Zhi smiled as he continued, "The Middle Five Tiers for Qi refiners consist of the Cave Abode Tier, the Sea Observation Tier, the Dragon Gate Tier, the Golden Core Tier, and the Nascent Tier. Upon reaching the Golden Core Tier, one will be able to transform their entire sea of Qi into a golden core.


    As for the size, quality, and power of the golden core, that differs from person to person, but generally speaking, one can roughly determine the quality of their future golden core once they reach the Dragon Gate Tier. At the time, my core abode was very rough around the edges, and I was very fortunate to have been able to manifest a golden core, but it was never going to be one of a very high caliber.


    Hence, I knew that it would be impossible for me to reach the Nascent Tier. Over the years, many of my Golden Core Tier peers in Old Dragon City and some young rascals of the Middle Five Tiers have been making fun of me in secret, saying that I represent the absolute bottom of barrel for Golden Core Tier Qi refiners..."


    Ma Zhi suddenly burst intoughter as he spoke about what should''ve been a rather embarrassing topic, and it was clear that what others were saying behind his back didn''t weigh on him at all.


    "Can I ask you a question about your exact cultivation base, Mr. Ma?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    "Of course," Ma Zhi replied with a nod.


    "At what age did you reach the Dragon Gate Tier, and how many pieces of artwork were there in your core abode?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    With that, Ma Zhi became even more convinced that Chen Ping''an hade from an affluent n or a top-tier cultivating sect. Otherwise, there was no way that he would''ve been able to raise such a question.


    For those itinerant cultivators who had stumbled into the Middle Five Tiers through sheer luck, there was a very good chance that they would never find out that it was possible to have more than a single artwork in one''s core abode upon reaching the Dragon Gate Tier.


    True cultivation prodigies could have two artworks in their core abode, and among all of the cultivators that Ma Zhi had encountered, there were several Nascent Tier earth immortals who had two such artworks, and there was even an Unpolished Jade Tier immortal who had as many as three, which was almost unheard of.


    Ma Zhi stroked his beard with a smile as he replied in a candid fashion, "Earlier, I mentioned that I reached the Golden Core Tier at 190 years of age, but I actually reached the Dragon Gate Tier a very long time before that, some time in my 120s. This is only because I began cultivating quitete. Otherwise, I would''ve almost definitely been able to reach the Dragon Gate Tier before turning 100."


    A stunned look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face upon hearing this.


    Ma Zhi''s smile widened a little at the sight of Chen Ping''an''s reaction, and he mistakenly assumed that Chen Ping''an was stunned by his cultivation aptitude.


    Unbeknownst to him, Chen Ping''an had only raised this question as he had overheard Ning Yao grumbling to herself back in his ancestral residence on y Vase Alley,ining about how she had only reached the Dragon Gate Tier, and that she only had six pieces of artwork in her core abode.


    Chen Ping''an removed his Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, then hurriedly took a few sips of osmanthus wine to calm his nerves.


    Ma Zhi smiled as he consoled, "Given your outstanding aptitude, even as a pure martial artist, I''m sure you''ll reach the same heights as I have, if not beyond that. As long as you work hard and remain consistent, the Great Dao is yours to pursue! Let''s start today so you can grow ustomed to my sword Qi."


    Chen Ping''an could tell that Ma Zhi had misconstrued his astonishment, and he could only give an awkward nod as he replied, "Sure!"


    Ma Zhi rose to his feet, then put on a serious expression as he said, "When ites to the Three Qi Tempering Tiers of martial arts, the soul, spirit, and gall are the main things being honed. Among them are the three immortal souls and seven mortal forms, of which the three immortal souls are embryo light, refreshing spirit, and serene essence.


    I will use three different types of sword Qi to help you cleanse, buffet, and refine your three immortal souls. Don''t worry, I''ll make sure that I don''t harm you during this process. In the meantime, you can practice the four offensive and defensive techniques on that sword scripture, if you can, that is..."


    An amused smile appeared on Ma Zhi''s face here.


    He didn''t know how Chen Ping''an had attained the foundations of soul, spirit, and gall at only the fourth tier, but for a pure martial artist, having the sword Qi of a Golden Core Tier swordsman sweeping through their three immortal souls was surely going to be an excruciating process.


    Hence, it was yet to be seen whether Chen Ping''an would even be able to stand still in the process, let alone practice any sword techniques. Having said that, if Chen Ping''an really could persevere, even for only a short time, then he would surely make rapid progress in those four sword techniques.


    "Be careful now, Young Master Chen. I will now be using my sword intent to test out the depth of your three immortal souls."


    A bonded flying sword flew out of his chest as he spoke, hovering between himself and Chen Ping''an.


    "I have named this sword Shade as I was under the shade of a huge tree when this sword first emerged. It''s already been with me for over two centuries, and it''s not particrly sharp, but it''s quite effective when ites to stealthily slicing through the souls of my opponents in battle."


    Chen Ping''an reced the Sword Nurturing Gourd on his waist, then patted it vigorously a couple of times, urging First and the Fifteenth to stay put in the Sword Nurturing Gourd instead of flying out at their own discretion.


    After that, his brows furrowed slightly as he remained still on the spot, and even his aura and breathing hadn''t changed at all, much to Ma Zhi''s astonishment.

 Chapter 261: A Sword From the Sea of Clouds (1)

    Chapter 261: A Sword From the Sea of Clouds (1)


    Zheng Dafeng took a nce at the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City, then suddenlyined, "Why isn''t she wearing a dress?"


    The Yin god slowly appeared in the courtyard, and it had no idea how to respond to this.


    Zheng Dafeng turned to the Yin god with a smile as he asked, "You''re not going to say anything no matter what I ask, right, Old Man Zhao?"


    The Yin god shook its head in response. "To be honest, I don''t know any more about Fan Junmao than you do. However, back when I was in the temple, I heard a rumor that may or may not be true from a deceased foreign sword immortal."


    Zheng Dafeng was very intrigued to hear this. "Well, pray tell then. It''s not like either of us have anything better to do anyway."


    A cold sneer appeared on the Yin god''s face as it scoffed, "You may be wasting your life away, but I''m really busy. ying my role is no less difficult than fighting on a battlefield. Actually, that''s not entirely fair, you''re really busy every day as well, busy flirting with a bunch of women, that is! Given how good you are with your words, you should really go and take up a teaching position at Lake View Academy."


    "Don''t say such hurtful things, Old Man Zhao. The fact that we''re together now clearly indicates that we''re bound to each other by fate," Zheng Dafeng said with a smile.


    "And what an ill fortune that is," the Yin god retorted.


    Zheng Dafeng shook his head as he pointed up at the sea of clouds and corrected, "You and I are connected thanks to a stroke of good fortune, the ill-fated encounter is between me and her."


    When Fan Junmao had entered the Dust Medicinal Shop, the Yin god had immediately disappeared on its own, both to conform to the rules and as a gesture of etiquette and respect. Hence, he didn''t hear the conversation between the two, but it was clear that it had not ended on a positive note.


    The first time Zheng Dafeng had met Fan Junmao, thetter had only been at the Cave Abode Tier, yet after returning to Old Dragon City from the Great Li Empire, she had already reached the Golden Core Tier. This rate of progression was clearly not something that could be attributed to outstanding aptitude alone.


    It was so astonishing that it reminded the Yin god of a certain young woman who had grown up in Jewel Small World. Even the most stunning prodigy under the heavens couldn''t match someone who was "born with intuitive knowledge."


    The Yin god heaved a faint sigh at this thought.


    Thankfully, even across all of nine continents, people like her were exceedingly rare.


    "Hey, wakey wakey, Old Man Zhao! Quit daydreaming! What were you saying about the foreign sword immortal who perished in Jewel Small World? What secret about the Fu n''s sea of clouds did he divulge to you?" Zheng Dafeng prompted.


    "I don''t want to tell you anymore. I have things that I need to do," the Yin god replied, then abruptly vanished from the spot.


    Zheng Dafeng was rooted to the spot for a moment, then erupted into a fit of fury as he yelled, "You mother..."


    Before he had a chance to finish, the bamboo curtain was suddenly lifted, revealing the tender and beautiful features of a young girl. It was the girl who always liked to sit beside Zheng Dafeng to eat sunflower seeds. She smiled as she asked, "Oh? You want me to be your mother, Shopkeeper Zheng?


    Zheng Dafeng set down his pipe, then rose to his feet as he rubbed his hands together and approached the girl with a fawning smile. "I don''t want you to be my mother, that would ce way too much distance between us."


    "How can we be any closer than mother and son?" the girl asked with a perplexed expression.


    Zheng Dafeng reached out to ce his arm across the girl''s shoulders, but she ducked down and took a couple of steps backward with a mischievous grin on her face as she asked, "Do you want to marry me instead?"


    Zheng Dafeng sheepishly retracted his hand and said, "Let''s be brother and sister instead. That way, nothing will tear us apart."


    He then rested his elbows on the counter, looking at the shop full of beautiful female employees as he mused, "What a wonderful sight to behold."


    A smile suddenly appeared on his face as he continued, "Teaching one a skill is better than bestowing upon one wealth, but giving one a good name is even better than teaching one a skill. Have any of you heard this saying?"


    The girl who Zheng Dafeng had stolen that book from was the only one of the female employees who was literate, but she offered no response. After Zheng Dafeng shamelessly borrowed that book from her, he refused to return it! The book was only worth several dozen copper coins, yet he refused to return it, and in the end, he simply told her that he had lost it!


    She had been so enraged that she picked up a broomstick and began chasing him around the shop. In the end, Zheng Dafeng was forced to relent, telling her that he would add an extra 100 copper coins to her monthly wage aspensation for the book, and only then did she let him off the hook.


    She had already read the book anyway, and it was doing nothing but gathering dust at home. Her parents disyed a great deal of favoritism toward her younger brother, so if they had discovered the book, they would''ve most likely reprimanded her for being wasteful.


    With no one responding to his call, Zheng Dafeng was forced to pull out his trump card. "Do any of you want to know the name of the boy from the Fan n who regrly visits our shop?"


    All of the women immediately turned to Zheng Dafeng, and a look of schadenfreude appeared on his face as he revealed, "His name is Fan Er, as in two! Doesn''t that really suit him?"


    No one was willing to believe him. In their eyes, there was no way that such a handsome young boy could have such a ridiculous name.


    Zheng Dafeng made no effort to try and convince the women that he was telling the truth. Instead, he began murmuring to himself, "Fan Er has to study martial arts and take over as the future leader of the Fan n. He certainly has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. As for his sister, she has a far better name than him. Looks like there''s more to the Fan n than meets the eye..."


    Zheng Dafeng pressed his cheek against the countertop as he cast his gaze toward the small alley outside. He could tell that a storm was approaching.


    The young mistress of the Cloud Forest Jiang n was going to be married into the Fu n of Old Dragon City, and the dowry was undoubtedly going to be enormous.


    The only thing that was unclear for now was how the Fu n was going to take advantage of gaining such a powerful ally. Was it going to eventually reign supreme on its own in Old Dragon City, or would both those ns stand at the pinnacle of the city?


    Zheng Dafeng smiled as he rid himself of that train of thought. It wasn''t like any of that mattered to him anyway.


    He took a nce at the female employees in his shop, and he began to consider whether he should buy some expensive and tight-fitting clothes for them out of his own pocket. It was the height of summer, so if they were to sweat even just a little, those clothes would cling to their bodies and entuate their curves.


    A perverted grin appeared on Zheng Dafeng''s face at the thought, and he wiped away the drool trickling out of his mouth.


    This was the life that he should''ve been focused on.


    When it came to the Divine General pinned to the pir and mysterious people like Fan Junmao, those were just things that he would have to worry about another time.


    A wisp of sword Qi imbued with Ma Zhi''s Sword Dao true intent shot forth without any warning toward Chen Ping''an with astonishing speed.


    Even though Ma Zhi was already aware that Chen Ping''an possessed an extremely solid martial arts foundation, he was still stunned by the oue.


    Surely he had to stumble a little at the very least!


    Chen Ping''an was under the false impression that Ma Zhi had held back too much in that attack, so he smiled and encouraged, "It''s alright, Mr. Ma. Back when I was refining my soul at the third tier, I had to endure a lot of hardship, so I have a decent capacity for suffering. As long as your sword Qi won''t cause any substantial harm, you can attack with as much force as you like."


    "Alright, be careful now," Ma Zhi replied with a slight nod, then extended a hand forward, plucking out three wisps of sword Qi from Shade with his index and middle fingers. He rolled them into three pearl-sized balls, all of which were giving off a faint green glow, as if they really were formed by the cool and green shade of a tree.


    He flicked his middle finger thrice, and the three sword Qi beads were sent hurtling toward Chen Ping''an. Right as they flew into his body, they split up to strike his embryo light, refreshing spirit, and serene essence immortal souls with unerring uracy.


    Chen Ping''an was already prepared this time, and he adopted his standing meditation stance while opening his heart. The three bursts of sword Qi were like three knocks on his door, announcing their intrusion before flying into his immortal souls, striking him with a bone-chilling sensation that made him want to shiver.


    Chen Ping''an''s expression remained unchanged, and his True Qi, which resembled a fiery dragon, quickly surged forth from elsewhere, instantly soothing the bone-chilling sensation that had pierced through his three immortal souls.


    "Keep going, Mr. Ma!" Chen Ping''an urged.


    Ma Zhi''s expression also remained unchanged, but internally, he was quite stunned. He didn''t say anything; instead, he joined his middle and index fingers and gently swiped them across his bonded flying sword. This time, instead of plucking out a thin string sword Qi and rolling it into a bead, he pulled out an entire strip of sword Qi.


    As opposed to immediately darting at Chen Ping''an, the strip of sword Qi hovered in mid-air, giving off a cial aura, immediately recing the summer heat in the courtyard with the spring chill.


    As the strip of sword Qi was hanging in mid-air between Ma Zhi and Chen Ping''an, the former said, "The embryo light is where a person''s soul is born. For the majority of swordsmen, the embryo light serves as the initial sword furnace for their bonded flying swords. Hence, that is essentially the scabbard of the sword and also where the sword is nurtured.


    The three immortal souls have no set ces in one''s body. Just like snakes and rats have underground tunnels that they can traverse through at will, a simr analogy can be drawn to the three immortal souls. Just now, my sword Qi beads struck your heart, but they serve as nothing more than a trio of appetizer dishes. From here, we move on to the main course, and the sword intent imbued in this strip of sword Qi will be far more formidable than before, so make sure to brace yourself well!"


    Chen Ping''an reflexively nodded in response.


    As soon as Ma Zhi saw Chen Ping''an make this slight nodding motion, he immediately took the opportunity to strike, and the streak of sword Qi pierced straight into Chen Ping''an''s body in the blink of an eye.


    Ma Zhi smiled as he said, "In future battles against swordsmen, make sure you don''t allow even the slightestpse in your focus."


    Pure martial artists were the most extreme group of people under the heavens. They had to refine the body, the Qi, and the spirit, honing their bodies from the outside to the insideyer byyer. In doing so, their efforts would be constantly reinforcing their physical bodies, thereby granting them superior physical constitutions to Qi refiners.


    Ultimately, in the eyes of cultivators, they were pursuing themselves rather than the Great Dao;pared to cultivators, martial artists had far shorter lifespans, with even the most powerful ones living to only around 300 years of age.


    Compared with Qi refiners, who refined themselves both on the inside and the outside, pure martial artists ced excessive focus on honing the physical body, which ultimately had a detrimental effect. The Martial Dao was simply too limited, and martial artists were too stubborn, to the point that they used solely their own power to refine their souls, drawing upon nothing more than the True Qi in their bodies for this purpose.


    On one hand, they could be praised for their self-reliance, which allowed them to not have to count on external forces, but on the other hand, such a practice ultimately limited the height of their ceiling.


    In contrast, Qi refiners had to erect bridges of immortality, which served as bridges between the body and the outside world. Thus, they could absorb the abundant small world between heaven and earth to hone their souls, and with the power of heaven and earth on their side, it naturally became far easier to live much longer.


    Right at this moment, a burst of excruciating pain arose in Chen Ping''an''s soul, pain that rivaled the agony of tearing his own skin and plucking his own tendons.


    However, he remained as still as a mountain in his stance, much to Ma Zhi''s surprise.


    Even though he had held back significantly, he was still a Golden Core Tier swordsman. From his perspective, a fourth tier martial artist had as many weaknesses and holes as a leaky bucket. Hence, the nod that Chen Ping''an had given had presented an opportunity for him to strike. He had already done his best to overestimate the foundation of Chen Ping''an''s physical constitution, but as it turned out, he had still severely underestimated him.


    Chen Ping''an''s body had been pounded into its current condition by the Deity Drumming Technique unleashed by a 10th tier martial artist that was Cui Chan''s grandfather, while his three immortal souls and seven mortal forms had been pummeled into shape by the Rain Evaporation Technique and the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique, all of which were the manifestation of the essence of the old man''s martial arts ability.


    Even after reaching the pinnacle of the 10th tier, those were still the three techniques that he was most proud of.


    In order to endure the Deity Drumming Technique for longer, using the Eighteen Stops Technique had be second nature to Chen Ping''an. After that came the torment of stripping his own skin and plucking his own tendons, and it could be said that his physical constitution had been honed on the basis of more pain than anyone should''ve had to experience in ten lifetimes!


    The end result still wasn''t anywhere near as the impregnable vajra body attained by seventh tier martial artists, but that sliver of sword Qi from Ma Zhi wasn''t enough to breach the holes in Chen Ping''an''s physical constitution, unless it were to barge its way in through brute force.


    Such was the power of the strongest third tier martial artist under the heavens.


    Ma Zhi''spetitive spirit was ignited a little by Chen Ping''an''sck of reaction to his attacks, and this time, he pulled off three more strips of sword Qi from his bonded flying sword, then sent them flying into Chen Ping''an in unison. Surely, Chen Ping''an''s three immortal souls weren''t truly impregnable, were they?


    Chen Ping''an remainedpletely still, and he wanted to say something but decided to refrain from doing so in the end. He didn''t dare to request Ma Zhi to use more of his power as he felt like doing so would be an insult to the old swordsman. The three streaks of sword Qi were tearing through his body like oxen plowing a field, forcibly tearing three trenches into his heart.


    For the average person, this would''ve been unbearable agony, butpared with what Chen Ping''an had been forced to endure in the bamboo building, this was nothing more than an appetizer.


    Ma Zhi could see that Chen Ping''an wasrgely unaffected, and he was forced to reassess his appraisal of the young martial artist once again.


    He took a nce at Shade, which was trembling slightly as it hovered in mid-air in front of him, and he took a deep breath before dering, "Chen Ping''an, for this strike, I''m going to make Shade adopt an insubstantial form and force its way into your soul. Be prepared for an immense degree of pain. If it''s too much for you to bear, then make sure to speak up.


    Even though Shade is my bonded flying sword, it''ll be concealed by your soul once it enters your body, so my spiritual connection with it will bepromised. In battle, this wouldn''t be a problem as I would simply allow it to wreak havoc as it pleased in the body of my opponent, but of course, that''s not my objective here, so make sure you don''t bite off more than you can chew."


    Chen Ping''an offered no response, merely taking a step backward to adopt an ancient fist stance with one fist pressed over his own heart while his other fist was raised high above his head.


    If he were to raise one of his legs as well, then he would bear a strong resemnce to a heavenly king statue worshiped in Buddhist temples, but the resemnce was only in appearance, while the true intent was vastly different. This was the same Rain Evaporation Technique that he had unleashed to force back those golden flood dragons twice back at the Sun n''s ancestral residence.


    After adopting this new stance, Chen Ping''an''s aurapletely changed.


    From Ma Zhi''s perspective, he was no longer the bright and optimistic young boy who had been joking around with Fan Er, nor was he the focus and restrained young boy practicing his walking or standing meditation.


    Instead, he was giving off the aura of a truly seasoned master martial artist. It wouldn''t have been a surprise to see such a formidable aura from the few seventh and eighth tier grandmaster martial artists in Old Dragon City, but their auras had been honed over the course of decades, even centuries, during which they had endured countless life and death battles. In contrast, how old was this boy?


    Ma Zhi had been shocked so many times on this day that he was feeling a little numb.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an had already entered apletely immersive state, and he could no longer see Ma Zhi standing before him, nor could he see Shade hovering in mid-air.


    Instead, he was seeing Cui Chan''s grandfather chortling with glee as he administered the most horrific punishments while denouncing Chen Ping''an as a weakling, a frailss. Those insults weren''t just directed solely toward Chen Ping''an. Instead, they were also partially directed at this entire world.


    With this punch, he was determined to force the deities that had descended from the heavens back to the Heavenly Court!


    His fist was going to serve as a pir between heaven and earth!


    "Please enlighten me!" he blurted out without thinking.

 Chapter 262: (1): A Lone Boat, A Handsome Young Boy

    Chapter 262: (1): A Lone Boat, A Handsome Young Boy


    A fearsome sword strike rushed from thend to Osmanthus Ind, which was located in the middle of the sea. Another sword strike followed quickly after, and it also surged over from atop the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City.


    The might of the two sword strikes was magnificent and earth-shaking.


    One after another, the two bursts of sword qi descended from the sky and carved deep ravines into the sea between Old Dragon City and Osmanthus Ind.


    As Chen Ping''an closed his eyes toprehend the sword intent, the old swordsman at the Golden Core Tier had already returned to his senses. The old swordsman didn''t attempt to seize the fleeting sword intent like Chen Ping''an, and he didn''t try to borrow this external power. This wasn''t because he was less experienced than a martial artist at the fourth tier, but it was because he was well aware of the risks and consequences.


    After a sword cultivator formed their own sword intent, there would be a big risk of causing internal conflict if they recklessly learned or absorbed the intent and essence contained within another sword cultivator''s sword strike. Doing so could cause their pure sword intent to be mixed and impure.


    If the sword intents of the two sword cultivators werergely simr, however, then learning and absorbing each other''s sword intent would naturally be beneficial.


    The sword intent of Ma Zhi''s bonded flying sword, Shade, was founded on the principle of seeking shade under a tree. Thus, its sword intent was aligned with the spring chill, heavy snow, clear springs, and so on. At the same time, it was not aligned withrge fires, scorching summer heat, furnaces, and so on.


    This waspletely different from the killing intent and attacking nature of the two strikes from the clouds, which had seemingly been derived from the true intent of battlefields. Thus, the old swordsman naturally wouldn''t follow the traces of these sword strikes to seize and learn their sword intents. In contrast, some junior sword cultivators who had only just advanced to the Middle Five Tiers and possessed unstable sword intents might benefit from seizing and learning these sword intents even if they were starkly different from their own.


    Chen Ping''an stood still and subconsciously assumed the stance of standing meditation.


    Just how experienced and observant was Ma Zhi? He naturally wouldn''t disturb the young boy while he was enjoying this small fated opportunity. In fact, he even purposely raised a hand and flicked his sleeve, casting aside some of the cool shadows offered by the ancestor trees. Not only that, but he actively grabbed some wisps of the fast-disappearing sword qi, allowing them to seep into the small courtyard such that Chen Ping''an couldprehend them to a greater degree.


    Meanwhile, Ma Zhi felt an even deeper sense of respect and awe toward the sword cultivator in Old Dragon City. The earth immortal''s sword strikes had been powerful enough to crush mountains and turn seas, and he had unleashed these strikes for the purpose of deterring his opponents. This wasn''t very surprising.


    What truly determined the earth immortal''s distance to the Upper Five Tiers was, in fact, something beyond the external might of his strikes. Rather, one had to consider the cohesion of the sword intent. If the sword intent was scattered and its essence was chaotic, and if the sword intent leaked into the surroundings, then even if it <em>was</em> powerful, it reflected the swordsman''s inability to wlessly control their sword intent.


    The sword cultivator who had boldly unleashed the sword strikes from Old Dragon City had maintained cohesion in their sword intent even though the strikes had crossed so far into the sea. In fact, Ma Zhi could only maintain this level of cohesion for about three hundred meters, more or less. How could he not exim in admiration?


    Sword cultivators at the 10th tier were also referred to as cultivators at the Earth Immortal Tier, and they were only a step away from breaking through the barrier and advancing to the Upper Five Tiers. Because sword cultivators possessed immense destructive power, they would often seem intense and unrestrained while they were at the Middle Five Tiers. Thus, they would also appear more transcendentpared to ordinary Nascent Tier terrestrial immortals at the 10th tier.


    This could be seen with Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin, who hadprehensively left the cultivation world to cultivate in seclusion before advancing to the Unpolished Jade Tier.


    By the looks of it, the old sword cultivator in Old Dragon City had definitely been seriously ticked off by someone on the Fan n''s Osmanthus Ind. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have unleashed such powerful sword strikes and risked retribution from the heavens.


    Ma Zhi used his mind tomunicate with Aunt Gui, asking, "Lady Gui, which powerful figure was that? Are they targeting our Fan n, or are they having a conflict with a passenger on the ind?"


    Aunt Gui hesitated for a moment before giving a vague answer, saying, "It''s most likely a transcendent cultivator from Old Dragon City, and they probably got into a conflict with some Jiang n disciples from Parasol Leaf Continent''s Jade Tablet Sect. The Fan n and Osmanthus Ind needn''t worry about them. We simply need to remain neutral."


    Ma Zhi sighed with emotion and said, "Since this is a fight between immortals from the mountaintops, all we need to do is enjoy the show."


    Aunt Gui smiled faintly and replied, "That''s only natural."


    "Hold on, did you say it was the Jade Tablet Sect''s Jiang n?" Ma Zhi suddenly eximed in astonishment. "Is this the Jiang n that owns the Cloud Cave Blessed Land?"


    However, Aunt Gui had already closed her mind and cut off this method ofmunication. She no longer responded to the old swordsman''s questions.


    Ma Zhi didn''t think too much about this, and he simply dismissed this as Aunt Gui being worried about Osmanthus Ind being caught in the crossfire, what with her peculiar identity and all. It was necessary for her to pay attention to the situation.


    Seeing that Chen Ping''an was still practicing standing meditation, Ma Zhi decided to retract his flying sword and sit down by the stone table. There were numerous grotto-heavens and blessednds in the world, and the 10rge worlds, 36 small worlds, and 72 blessednds were shared among Majestic World and the other worlds. They were divided by quality, and the Limpid Pond Blessed Land owned by Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Divine Edict Sect was a very low-quality blessednd. Meanwhile, the Cloud Cave Blessed Land owned by Parasol Leaf Continent''s Jiang n was quite an extraordinary blessednd.


    When Chen Ping''an finally opened his eyes, the old man smiled and asked, "How was it?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I only understood the impressive nature of these sword strikes. However, I can''t quite exin why or how they were impressive. After mulling over this for a long time, I was only able to vaguely gain some understanding. What a great pity. It would have been good if the sword strikes were a little bit slower."


    "Should a sword cultivator at the Earth Immortal Tier consult with you, Chen Ping''an, first before deciding the speed of their sword strike?" Ma Zhi remarked in amusement.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and replied, "Of course I wouldn''t dare to request this."


    Chen Pingan suddenly became filled with anxiety. "Perhaps a sword cultivator is trying to destroy Osmanthus Ind?"


    Ma Zhi waved a hand and replied with a leisurely smile, "No, they''re simply at odds with some passengers from Parasol Leaf Continent who are currently on the ind. It''s because of this that they unleashed two sword strikes to disy their might. Their sword strikes were very skillful, and they brought absolutely no harm to the foundation of Osmanthus Ind.


    "In fact, this can essentially be viewed as a disy of goodwill toward Osmanthus Ind. Otherwise, unless they fight in remote areas with few people, conflicts between earth immortals often result in their auras spreading into the surroundings when they''re unable to contain their attacks. This is verymon."


    Ma Zhi exined things in simple terms, but he had actually considered much more than just this. The unknown sword immortal at the Earth Immortal Tier was either someone who strictly adhered to the rules or someone who had old ties with Old Dragon City''s Fan n. Thetter was clearly more likely.


    Elsewhere on Osmanthus Ind, the atmosphere was nowhere near as peaceful and harmonious as that in the small courtyard named Guimai.


    Jiang Beihai''s expression was incredibly dark.


    An elderly Nascent Tier[1] guest elder from his n was copsed in a pool of blood, and his immortal robe worth an exorbitant amount of money, Ink Bamboo Forest, waspletely destroyed. It would take a huge sum of money to repair, so much so that it would be better to purchase a new immortal robe altogether.


    However, the old guest elder wasn''t severely wounded, and it wasn''t long before he got to his feet in a shaky manner. He simply appeared to be in a pitiful state. This was because the might of the second sword strike had beenrgely blocked by the precious immortal robe bestowed upon him by the patriarch of the Jiang n.


    The tall and skinny old man red at Old Dragon City as he gritted his teeth and spat, "That bastard unleashed two sneak attacks on me... You''ve gone too far!"


    "What in the world is going on, Elder Su?" Jiang Beihai asked in a quiet voice. However, his feet remained nted, and his body remained unmoving. Not only was he, a direct descendant of the Jiang n,pletely still, but his subordinates, as well as the disciples from the Jade Tablet Sect, were also the same. They didn''t even dare to breathe too loudly.


    The old guest elder was extremely frustrated, and his voice was filled with helplessness as he spected, "The two sword strikes wereunched by the same person, and the origin of the sword strikes was that sea of clouds above Old Dragon City. Perhaps an old ancestor from the Fu n is warning us using a pseudo-immortal weapon?"


    Jiang Beihai pondered for a moment before replying, "The Fu n has never liked the Ding n, while the Ding n has a fairly good rtionship with the Parasol Leaf Sect. Indeed, it was thanks to the support of that person that the Ding n was able to maintain a firm grip on power in Old Dragon City. Our Jade Tablet Sect has already been arch-enemies with the Parasol Leaf Sect for more than a thousand years, so logically speaking, the enemy of our enemy should be a friend.


    "Even if we''ve chosen to take the Fan n''s Osmanthus Ind instead of the Fu n''s Treasure Swallowing Whale to Stctite Mountain this time, they shouldn''t be feeling so much hostility and resentment toward us. The Fu n isn''t stupid, and they can''t be unaware of the Jade Tablet Sect''s strength. They can''t be oblivious to our Jiang n''s standing in the Jade Tablet Sect either. Moreover, the Fu n has always had a very good rtionship with the Fan n..."


    "Could this be because of Lady Gui? Perhaps some old ancestor in the Fu n has feelings for her?" the woman in pce attire spected carefully.


    Jiang Beihai lowered his voice and chuckled in anger, saying, "It''s not like we''re openly snatching Lady Gui away from them, are we? No, we''re openly and honestly discussing business. If Osmanthus Ind were owned by Fu Qi, and if Lady Gui were his mistress, then this attack on us could somewhat be exined.


    "However, an ancestor of the Fan n obtained this Osmanthus Ind thanks to a stroke of good luck in the past, so why would the Fu n try to help them? Does the Fu n genuinely view our Jade Tablet Sect as a pushover? If I exaggerate things a little, do you believe me if I say that the two short-tempered ancestors from our sect will immediately charge over to Old Dragon City to interrogate the perpetrators?"


    Females always liked to think about romantic affairs, while males always liked to think about territory and conquest.


    There was an intense look in the tall and skinny old man''s eyes as he used his mind to warn Jiang Beihai, saying, "Young Master, we can''t inform the sect about our current journey to Stctite Mountain!"


    Jiang Beihai nodded in his mind and replied with a wry smile, "Elder Su, I understand what''s more important."


    The old man took a deep breath before saying, "I''m going to head to Old Dragon City right away. I need to personally visit that sword immortal, and I have to make heads or tails of the situation and have this matter settled. Only then can we travel to Stctite Mountain without any worries. I''ll try to return to Osmanthus Ind as soon as possible."


    "Be careful, Elder Su," Jiang Beihai said in a soft voice.


    "Rest assured, I definitely won''t bring shame to the Jade Tablet Sect or the Cloud Cave Jiang n."


    The old man immediately soared into the air after saying this, traveling on the wind as he sped toward Old Dragon City. Before this, the old man had already put away Ink Bamboo Forest, the immortal robe that was worth an exorbitant amount of money. As he traveled to Old Dragon City, his mangled wounds healed at a rate discernible to the naked eye. This was truly an immortal technique that could cultivate new flesh, as expected of a powerful Nascent Tier cultivator who had long been renowned in Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Following the two powerful sword strikes, everyone on Osmanthus Ind became engaged in spirited discussions, regardless of whether they were passengers or members of the Fan n. Fortunately, all of them were experienced and knowledgeable cultivators from the mountains who traveled all over the world. Since these people had the right to personally travel to Stctite Mountain, they were naturally capable people irrespective of whether they were merchants or adventuring cultivators.


    Even though they were astounded, they weren''t frightened or flustered by the sudden turn of events. Osmanthus Ind quickly sent people around to reassure everyone as well, so it wasn''t long before things became calm again.


    After delivering medicinal ingredients from the foot of the mountain to the small courtyard named Guimai, Jin Su swiftly returned to her master, Lady Gui''s side. Right now, the rxed woman was in the rare mood to brew a pot of tea. Upon seeing her disciple return, she handed Jin Su a cup of hot tea. Jin Su sat down, and before she could even take a sip of her master''s home-brewed tea, her mind had already calmed down thanks to the influence of her master.


    Lady Gui knew that Jin Su had many questions on her mind, yet she didn''t want to talk about this matter too much. She smiled faintly and said, "This is undoubtedly an unexpected disaster for that young master from the Jiang n. However, this is a blessing from the heavens for you and me. Jin Su, there''s no need to ask any questions. After returning from Stctite Mountain, I''ll try my best to arrange a meeting between you and the person who unleashed the sword strikes."


    She chuckled softly before continuing, "There''s always a higher heaven, and there''s always a more capable person. This isn''t a nonsensical statement, and you''d best restrain yourself when you travel around the world by yourself in the future."


    Jin Su didn''t pay much heed to these words of wisdom. She had already turned around to gaze at the distant Old Dragon City, her eyes filled with eager anticipation.


    Inside the small courtyard that held itself aloof from worldly affairs, there was absolutely no need to worry about these winds sweeping through the mountains.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an practiced the sword with the elderly Golden Core Tier swordsman every day. Ma Zhi only needed to do three things. The first was to summon his flying sword and have it be intangible as it entered Chen Ping''an''s body. After doing this, he could help Chen Ping''an temper his three immortal souls, consolidating the path for his embryo light, refreshing spirit, and serene essence.


    The second was to suppress his cultivation level and control his flying sword, Shade, using the techniques of a sword cultivator. He would then spar with Chen Ping''an. Finally, Ma Zhi needed to observe Chen Ping''an as the young boy practiced sword techniques from the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em>. He would provide guidance for Chen Ping''an, and he would also correct Chen Ping''an whenever he found ws in the young boy''s posture.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s manner of practicing the sword was very interesting. He didn''t draw a sword from his wooden sword case, and he simply shaped his hand as if he were holding a sword. Ma Zhi had asked Chen Ping''an about this, yet Chen Ping''an''s answer had been rtively absurd and ridiculous.


    Chen Ping''an had exined that of the two swords in his sword case, the one named Subduing Demons was someone else''s sword, so he naturally couldn''t use it without permission. Meanwhile, he had used Eliminating Fiends, the locust wood sword, once on the battlefield before, but he had discovered that it was far too light for his liking. Chen Ping''an felt like he needed to get himself an iron sword of suitable weight for his first practice sword. Otherwise, it would feel wrong if he wielded a sword that was so light that it almost felt non-existent.


    He needed to wield a heavy sword and still be able to unleash extremely quick sword strikes. That way, he would have the option to switch to a wooden sword if he came across a powerful opponent that his heavy sword couldn''t defeat in the future. With a wooden sword, he could then unleash his quickest sword strikes against his opponent.


    As a powerful cultivator who was viewed as a transcendent deity by mortals, Ma Zhi had little interest in the sword techniques of martial artists. Thus, he didn''t have any strong feelings regarding the stubborn pursuits of Chen Ping''an, a developing swordsman. In fact, he even felt a hint of scorn deep in his mind. If one dug around the fields for food, just what kind of extremely rare treasures did they expect to find?


    If Chen Ping''an were interested in tempering his sword intent, however, then Ma Zhi most likely wouldn''t be able to refrain from discussing this for three days and three nights with Chen Ping''an.


    The osmanthus girl, Jin Su, would deliver three meals a day to the small courtyard, and she was incredibly relieved that Chen Ping''an didn''t try to take advantage of her and boss her around as if she were truly a lowly maidservant. He didn''t ask her to run around and fetch things, nor did he ask her to assist him in changing and bathing. Otherwise, this would have truly given her a big headache.


    Even when it came to changing the medicinal water in the bathtub, it was still Chen Ping''an who did this by himself. This caused Jin Su to finally develop a sliver of a good impression of Chen Ping''an, the young but esteemed guest of the Fan n.


    Apart from this, she needed to replenish the osmanthus wine in the Guimai courtyard every so often.


    With Jin Su''s status, she could naturally choose to bring dozens of pots of osmanthus wine to the small courtyard all at once. However, she had ultimately decided against choosing this much simpler solution. Part of the reason was so that she could see the young boy again, giving her more opportunities to determine his power.


    After all, distant journeys across the sea were slightly dull and mundane for osmanthus girls like them, especially since they were already very familiar with these routes. There were the so-called Ten Sceneries of Osmanthus Ind, including things like the bright moon rising with the tides. One could vaguely see osmanthus trees growing on the moon, which would then create mirages of ancient pces. During the journey, passengers could also see schools of flying fish circling around Osmanthus Ind and so on.


    In the beginning, the osmanthus girls had also been enthralled by these incredible sights. In fact, some passengers would even pay artists to paint these beautiful scenes for them. After seeing them again and again, however, the osmanthus girls were no longer astonished by these sights. Instead, they were more interested in the peculiar people and strange events that took ce on Osmanthus Ind.


    1. The Nascent Tier is the 10th tier

 Chapter 262: (2): A Lone Boat, A Handsome Young Boy

    Chapter 262: (2): A Lone Boat, A Handsome Young Boy


    Chen Ping''an woke up at five in the morning every day. The sky would still be dark, and he would first practice the six steps of walking meditation for approximately two hours. Ma Zhi would arrive at around seven, and the old sword cultivator would leisurely drink a pot of osmanthus wine while he waited for Chen Ping''an to finish practicing that nd and unremarkable fist technique. In fact, it was more urate to say that Chen Ping''an would wait for the old man to finish drinking his pot of wine.


    When Ma Zhi finished drinking, it would roughly be time for Jin Su to deliver breakfast to them. They would eat for half an hour, and Ma Zhi would use this time to roughly exin the strength and sword intent of the sword strikes that he would unleashter in the day. He would also tell Chen Ping''an some peculiar or interesting stories regarding sword cultivators.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an would return the breakfast boxes to Jin Su, who would be waiting at the front door of the courtyard. He would thank her, and he wouldn''t feel embarrassed to directly ask for osmanthus wine if he needed to replenish his stock in the small courtyard.


    Following Ma Zhi''s suggestion, Chen Ping''an''s training would start off easy in the morning and gradually be harder as the day went on. Chen Ping''an would first practice sword techniques from the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em> for four hours. During this time, Ma Zhi would suddenly attack him without warning from time to time, purposely breaking up the young boy''s sword techniques.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an needed to perfect the four sword techniques including the Avnche Technique and the Deity Suppression Technique, and he also needed to be wary of sudden attacks from the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator at any given moment. On some days, Ma Zhi might decide to directly move the afternoon''s sparring session to the morning.


    Before afternoon arrived, the two of them would definitely have lunch before beginning their sparring session. From the beginning until now, Ma Zhi had silently raised his suppressed cultivation base from the Abode Tier to the Sea Observation Tier, the seventh tier.


    While sitting beside the stone table and drinking by himself, the old sword cultivator would continue to unleash sword strikes and control his bonded flying sword, Shade, as it attacked Chen Ping''an.


    Ma Zhi didn''t care what techniques Chen Ping''an used to counter his sword strikes, be that his simple-looking fist technique that radiated with a frightening aura, the four offensive and defensive techniques that he had learned from the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em>, or a series of bastard fist techniques that were capable of killing his masters. All Ma Zhi cared about was that Chen Ping''an could evade the flying sword furiously chasing him, or he could send it flying back with his punches or other attacks.


    It was often the case that Chen Ping''an would be riddled with injuries and his clothes in tatters before the afternoon sparring session even concluded.


    Sometimes, Ma Zhi would slow down his attacks and give reprieve to the extremely disheveled Chen Ping''an. He would take a few more swigs of wine, and peanuts, garlic ms, fried fish, pig ear sd, and such snacks would be more than enough for him to enjoy with his wine.


    Every time after Chen Ping''an was given the rare opportunity to take a breather, however, the next strike from the old man would definitely be ruthless and thunderous. Ma Zhi might be enjoying some crispy fried fish, yet Chen Ping''an would be having his heart pierced by a lightning-fast sword strike. The flying sword would then fly around in an arc and pierce his heart a second time from behind.


    After seeing this, the old sword cultivator would sneer, "If it weren''t for my flying sword bing intangible, you would have already died two times. You would no longer be able to enjoy this salt and pepper fish. Chen Ping''an, even if it''s just for the sake of these small snacks, you should work harder."


    In order to guarantee the continuity of their sparring session, there was no notion of dinner in the Guimai courtyard. Instead, there would only be midnight snacks. Jin Su simply needed to leave some food by the door of the courtyard.


    Generally speaking, Chen Ping''an would stand still to take a beating starting from around five in the afternoon. Ma Zhi''s flying sword would soar through his soul to temper the strength and toughness of his three immortal souls.


    Starting recently, the old sword cultivator no longer exined his sword techniques to Chen Ping''an in detail. Rather, he simply adjusted his strength carefully and let Chen Ping''an slowly ruminate the pain.


    Chen Ping''an both liked and disliked this period of time. He liked it because he understood the great benefit that this grueling training would bring to his martial arts cultivation. However, he disliked it because it would always remind him of his torturous experience in the bamboo building back in Downtrodden Mountain.


    Fortunately, the old sword cultivator wasparatively more reserved. This was unlike the barefoot old man, whose fearsome and relentless attacks had been like a god from the Heavenly Court pulverizing a mere mortal to death in a cruel and merciless manner.


    Because of this, the training sessions in the Guimai courtyard were far more rxing than the training sessions in the bamboo building. Not only was Chen Ping''an able to withstand them, but he could even use this opportunity to practice walking meditation as well as the two defensive techniques from the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em>, the Mountain Technique and the Armor-Wearing Technique.


    As time went on, the young boy seeking joy amid pain eventually managed to discover something interesting. That was, if he practiced the Avnche Technique that involved furious speed andplex movements while gritting his teeth and facing the excruciating pain brought about by being disemboweled, having his heart pierced and hit organs minced, and so on, his sword strikes would gradually be quicker and quicker.


    As a result, Chen Ping''an''sprehension of his offensive technique grew at a rapid and almost divine speed. After a while, Chen Ping''an almost felt as if he were genuinely holding a celestial sword as he feigned holding a sword and unleashed the Avnche Technique. It was as if sword light were genuinely about to soar into the sky and illuminate the small courtyard with its cold radiance.


    It would often be nine at night when their sparring session finally came to an end. After an entire day of training, Chen Ping''an would head off to boil some water before cing the necessary medicinal ingredients into the bathtub. While waiting for the water to boil, he would walk to the entrance of the courtyard to collect the food delivered by Jin Su. The old man and the young boy would use the stone table as a dining table and enjoy a midnight snack.


    If Chen Ping''an had serious injuries, or if his body was drenched in blood, he would immediately jump into the bathtub before joining Ma Zhi to eat his midnight snack. Even if Ma Zhi ate first, he would still remain seated by the stone table and wait for Chen Ping''an to join him.


    While the young boy ate, he would summarize the good points and bad points of the day''s sword training session. This was simr to reviewing a finished game of Go. Ma Zhi was a Golden Core Tier sword cultivator, after all, so he naturally possessed keen observation skills and unique insights. Even though his cultivation base was far lower than that of Cui Chan''s grandfather, Ma Zhi was more willing to delve deep and clearly exin some matters. Chen Ping''an received satisfactory responses to most of his questions.


    After cleaning up the food boxes, Chen Ping''an would continue to practice walking meditation from the Mountain Shaking Guide. Even if ten or a hundred years passed, and no matter what height his cultivation base reached, Chen Ping''an might still insist on practicing this crude and most elementary fist stance.


    Chen Ping''an would return to his room to sleep when midnight arrived.


    He would repeat an almost identical schedule day after day, and before he knew it, he had already experienced over thirty sunrises and sunsets on Osmanthus Ind. Of the nine scenes in the sea, three had already quietly passed.


    Another ten days passed, and the old sword cultivator suggested that it was appropriate for Chen Ping''an to take a break from cultivation. They were about to pass the fourth scene on the route, so Chen Ping''an should head over to the ancestor osmanthus tree to enjoy the scene.


    Since the old man said this, Chen Ping''an decided to take his advice. It was coincidentally dawn when Chen Ping''an arrived at the mountain peak of Osmanthus Ind. It was already teeming with people, and gazing afar, he could see a gigantic opening in front of them. The travel route of Osmanthus Ind would take them directly through this opening. There were cascading mountains to the two sides, and row after row of structures atop the mountains. These buildings were constructed atop the mountainous inds and shrouded in clouds and mist.


    This scene wasn''t peculiar because of the secluded immortal force that existed on these lone inds in the middle of the sea. Instead, it was peculiar because of the pair of 300-meter-tall golden deity statues set atop the sheer cliff faces on the two opposite inds. These statues were majestic and extraordinary, and they were still a dazzling gold color even after being punished by the waves for countless years. Even Qi refiners would feel a sense of awe upon seeing these statues.


    ording to legends, the formal gods represented by the two golden statues were the divine general who once guarded the Northern Heavenly Gate and the deity who once controlled the main water fortunes of the world. The former god his sword in front of him, with the sword tip resting on the ground and his hands resting on its hilt. It was as if he were a colossal god peering down at the mortal world. Meanwhile, thetter god was the top-ranked deity served by the many rain gods, and they were nominally in charge of the distribution of clouds and rains done by the true dragons in the world.


    The facial features of the rain god deity were blurry and covered by clouds and mist, so it was impossible to determine whether they were male or female. There was a five-colored ribbon of unknown material hovering around its body and gently drifting in the air, appearing as agile and lively as could be. This brought life to the giant statue of the deity whose golden body had already disappeared tens of thousands ago, making it seem as if the deity were still alive and wielding its divine might in the mortal world, controlling the water fortunes over the entire southern region.


    Chen Ping''an sat down cross-legged on a long bench attached to a railing on top of the mountain. He faced the two statues and slowly drank wine.


    The Qi refiners beside him were mostly conversing using the official dialects of Complete Reed Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent, although some would asionally speak in the dialects local to Old Dragon City. Chen Ping''an naturally couldn''t understand them.


    Fortunately, there was a Qi refiner from Osmanthus Ind''s Fan n not far away from here. She looked like a young girl, yet she wasn''t dressed like the other osmanthus girls. Her voice was crisp, and she was most likely responsible for exining the unique nature of this scene in the sea.


    She was using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to expound on this scene of the two gods confronting each other, and she described to the passengers the origin of these two divine statues. In addition to this, she also introduced them to the long history of the immortal force that existed atop the mountains.


    Someone asked her why Osmanthus Ind wasn''t going to dock here, and the young girl from the Fan n smiled and exined that this immortal force never epted any visiting vessel, even though they allowed these vessels to pass. If anyone dared to enter the inds without permission, they would be immediately driven out, and that was the fortunate case.


    If things were more severe, they might be imprisoned in some jail on the inds. In fact, there had even been tragic cases of people being directly executed by that immortal force.


    In the end, the young girl smiled and told the passengers from the mountains that they woulde across the next scene in five days. This was an especially magnificent scene, and it was something that they shouldn''t miss.


    Osmanthus Ind slowly sailed between the two cliff faces. An embroidered ball suddenly rushed down, flying toward a young man who was enjoying the scenery atop the mountain.


    The young man subconsciously caught the embroidered ball and dazedly looked up at the cliffs, unsure of why that immortal force was doing this.


    The young Qi refiner from the Fan n was stunned, and she hurriedly eximed, "Young Master, I''ve heard from my seniors in Osmanthus Ind that this is the way females from this immortal force look for husbands. She''s taken a fancy to you, and this is a one-in-100-year fated opportunity! Young Master, if you''re yet to marry, you definitely have to agree to this rtionship. Even if you''re already... In any case, only celestial maidens who are direct disciples of this immortal force have the right to toss embroidered balls toward passing vessels. You truly shouldn''t let slip such a profound fated opportunity. Young Master, you definitely have to consider this carefully..."


    As the young Qi refiner held the embroidered ball and looked up at somece on the steep cliffs, it was clear that he was experiencing an examination in his mind''ske.


    After a while, the young man seemingly passed this examination, and the embroidered ball created from a colorful ribbon suddenly unfurled and tied itself around the young man''s wrist. Meanwhile, the other end of the ribbon flew toward the mountain peak, bringing the young man along with it as it drifted toward a colorful building located beside the deity statue''s feet atop the cliff.


    There was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman inside the colorful building, and her cheeks were flushed red as she tightly gripped the other end of the colorful ribbon. There were several women with extraordinary immortal auras standing around her, and they were smiling faintly as if giving their blessings to this pair of divine lovers who were like a match made in heaven.


    Chen Ping''an witnessed everything, and he didn''t feel envy or jealousy as he watched the young man ascend to the heavens in a single step. He didn''t sigh with emotion and muse about the peculiar encounters in the world either. Instead, he was only slightly adrift.


    Just then, the young man had only been standing a dozen or so paces away from him. When the young girl from the Fan n had mentioned whether he was married or not, the young man''s expression had clearly changed ever so slightly. However, a profound fated opportunity had been sitting in front of him, so he had resolutely abandoned his wife with whom he had gone through thick and thin.


    Chen Ping''an raised his head and nced toward the colorful building on the cliff. He felt like the immortaldy who had tossed the embroidered ball might possess an impressive cultivation base, but her judgment of character was truly verycking.


    After returning to the Guimai courtyard, Ma Zhi roared with heartyughter as he drank wine and ate snacks. "I didn''t expect for an embroidered ball to be thrown at the ind. However, it''s a shame that the target wasn''t you. What a shame, what a great shame! You have to realize that in the history of Osmanthus Ind, it isn''t an exaggeration to call this event of having a colorful embroidered ball tossed from the mountaintop a one-in-100-year urrence. However, it''s a shame that you couldn''t attract this romantic fated opportunity..."


    Chen Ping''an grimaced upon hearing this, and the yful expression disappeared from the old man''s face as he continued in a soft voice, "In fact, all Ten Scenes of Osmanthus Ind contain fated opportunities, some big and some small. Of course, these are fated opportunities that one can only wish for. Everything is determined by fate. Take for example the colorful embroidered ball tossed onto the ind today. Who would''ve thought that the fortunate person would be an Abode Tier vagrant cultivator with mediocre cultivation talent?"


    Ma Zhi''s expression became serious, and he suggested, "You can ignore nine of the scenes, and it doesn''t matter much even if you have zero thoughts of trying your luck. However, you have to personally head to the foot of Osmanthus Ind when we arrive at the next scene. The closer you can get to the seawater the better. This is because the next fated opportunity is a grand one that even Golden Core Tier or Nascent Soul Tier cultivators will be envious of."


    "If it''s just trying my luck, then I''ll pass on the offer," Chen Ping''an said in exasperation. "It''s better and more practical to practice the sword in this courtyard."


    The old sword cultivator widened his eyes and eximed, "Go, you definitely have to go. Even if the chance is smaller than one in 10,000, you still have to go over to try your luck. One shouldn''t foolishly expect everything to go smoothly in cultivation, but one should at least have some hope. If you head over, you can both enjoy the scenery and try your luck. Even if you fail to obtain the grand fated opportunity, it''s not like you''re going to lose anything in the process. Why, you little brat! Remember this, the words ''what if'' are the most terrifying words for Qi refiners, but it''s also the most sought-after oue for Qi refiners..."


    "Mr. Ma, I''m not a Qi refiner. I''m a pure martial artist," Chen Ping''an said carefully.


    The old sword cultivator pped his forehead before standing up and fuming, "You''re truly making me angry! You can train by yourself for the next two days. I need to wander around to rx my mind. Facing a stubborn person like you all day long is seriously boring!"


    Sure enough, Ma Zhi didn''t show up at the Guimai courtyard for the next two days. That being the case, Chen Ping''an could only practice the sword by himself.


    Afterward, the old man appeared travel-worn as he returned to the Guimai courtyard and met Chen Ping''an for a brief moment. After saying that Chen Ping''an was doing fairly well, and to keep things up, he disappeared from the courtyard again.


    Chen Ping''an simply dismissed this as the old man having his own matters to deal with. This wasn''t strange.

 Chapter 262: (3): A Lone Boat, A Handsome Young Boy

    Chapter 262: (3): A Lone Boat, A Handsome Young Boy


    A few days passed, and Osmanthus Ind arrived at the fifth scene along its route, the Flood Dragon Trench.


    Because the old man had reminded him of this scene once again, Chen Ping''an decided to give himself half a day of rest. After notifying Jin Su about this, the Osmanthus girl arrived at the Guimai courtyard at noon on the day. She told Chen Ping''an that it was time to head down the mountain to enjoy the scene.


    Because he was an osmanthus guest of the Fan n, there was a special and serene path for him to take down the mountain. There were few people on this path, and Jin Su exined the origin of the Flood Dragon Trench to him as they walked side-by-side.


    Many flood dragons and their kin resided in that ocean trench, most of them with impure and mixed bloodlines. The pure-blooded ones among them would use their innate abilities to travel to the several continents onnd. They would soar through the skies and manipte clouds and unleash rain. A return trip would require them to travel on the wind for tens of thousands of kilometers, and when they finally returned to their den, they would be absolutely exhausted.


    Eithout the restriction of rules and withoutmands from a deity, there would often be flood dragons who used their mystical powers to wantonly unleash rain. Such actions wouldmonly result in disaster. Because of this, flood dragons would often be "evil flood dragons" in the eyes of ordinary people. Thus, they would be relentlessly hunted by local Qi refiners, who sought to both help the mortal people and obtain the flood dragons'' bodies, which were natural treasure troves.


    Chen Ping''an was startled by this information, and he hurriedly hastened his pace toward the foot of the mountain on Osmanthus Ind. He was born in Jewel Small World, and this was where thest True Dragon in the world had been in. As such, he definitely had to take a look at the true appearance of flood dragons. Could those spiritual beings in the Flood Dragon Trench be considered as descendants or disciples of True Dragons?


    It wasn''t long before Chen Ping''an arrived at the foot of the mountain. There were numerous small boats moored along the dock of the ind, and the boatmen standing in them were all Qi refiners from the Fan n who were very familiar with traveling across the Flood Dragon Trench. Osmanthus Ind made a guarantee to its passengers that as long as they didn''t make loud noises or recklessly disturb the flood dragon kin with their mystical powers, they definitely wouldn''t face any danger. Even if there were dangers, the Golden Core Tier cultivators on Osmanthus Ind would immediately head over to assist them.


    Osmanthus guests didn''t need to pay extra to board these small boats. This was fortunate for Chen Ping''an, because he would have been willing to pay even a couple snowke coins for this experience.


    He and Jin Su boarded a small boat, helmed by an elderly man. Chen Ping''an discovered that the old man was holding a three-meter-long bamboo pole in his hand, and there was a column of talismanic symbols engraved on the pole.


    Among these talismanic symbols, there were four ancient and worm-like characters that looked like the phrase "concentrate on the task at hand" recorded in the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book</em>. The talisman including this phrase was called the Lock shing Talisman, an extremely high-level talisman.


    The <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book</em> told cultivators that traces of blood would ooze from the talisman once it was sessfully formed. This was nothing to worry about, and it simply evidenced the talisman reaching a stage of great aplishment.


    Seeing this, Chen Ping''an asked Jin Su about the name of the talisman on the bamboo pole. Jin Su waspletely stumped, as if she had never considered this matter before. She went over to ask the boatman, and the old man smiled and replied, "Truth be told, I don''t know either! My master couldn''t exin it either when he passed the boat and bamboo pole down to me, and I heard that these objects have existed ever since the Fan n opened this route. We boatmen on Osmanthus Ind say that it''s a Dragon Beating Pole that can scare away the flood dragon kin in the water. In reality, however, none of us believe this ourselves. Instead, we trust this more..."


    The old man grabbed a handful of paper humans and paper horses folded from snow-white foil paper from the bag beside his feet. "If we encounter flood dragons swimming by under our boat, we simply need to grab a handful of these and toss them into the water. The flood dragon kin will quickly disperse afterward, and this has always worked for us.


    "If we want to detour around the Flood Dragon Trench, that will add an extra 100,000 kilometers to our journey. Fortunately, the Flood Dragon Trench only looks and feels terrifying on the surface. In reality, however, Osmanthus Ind has never had any issues with the flood dragons for the past several hundred years. In other words, there''s nothing for you to worry about."


    The boatmanughed heartily, and it was clear that he was an honest and frank old man. "In any case, if something untoward were to truly take ce, that would genuinely be a catastrophic disaster that even Osmanthus Ind would find difficult to flee from, to say nothing of our small boat. There are so many flood dragons and rted species present, so just how frightening would it be if they all made waves in unison? If you ask me, I''d say that even a Nascent Tier sword immortal might find it difficult to escape from the flood dragons if they dare to challenge them here."


    There was displeasure on Jin Su''s face as she grumbled, "There''s a guest onboard, so why are you saying such inauspicious things?"


    The old boatman blushed with shame and relented, "I''ll stop, I''ll stop. Please take a seat, Young Master. We''ll head over to enjoy the spectacr scenery of the Flood Dragon Trench right away. I guarantee that everything will be safe and sound..."


    The Flood Dragon Trench was an ancient ocean trench, and the water was so clear that one could see the bottom of the ocean in many ces. It was more than five kilometers wide, and it stretched for thousands of kilometers in length. Flood dragons and their kiny along this trench, and they came in many sizes and colors. Some were as thin as an arm, while others were as thick as massive tree trunks. It was rumored that the eyes of thergest flood dragons were asrge as big boulders.


    Scales visibly glimmered under the water, and the sight of this instilled fear in people and scared them into silence. They didn''t dare to speak, lest they disturb the flood dragons and bring cmitous wrath upon themselves.


    The old boatman suddenly pointed at somece in the sky. "Look over there, Young Master, that''s an exhausted flood dragon returning to the trench after controlling the rain over a piece ofnd. Oh, it seems like it''s quite heavily wounded as well. It was most likely treated as a target by the Qi refiners in Southern Whirl Continent, and they probably pursued it for a long time. Indeed, not every flood dragon is fortunate enough to make it back alive.


    "Some of them die while returning, and their corpses often be surprise windfalls for passing intercontinental vessels. However, Osmanthus Ind is very kind, and we won''t drag the floating corpses of the flood dragons onto the ind. Instead, we''ll ce them on the reef of the ind and bring them back to the Flood Dragon Trench..."


    Chen Ping''an and Jin Su looked in the direction that the old boatman was pointing in, and they saw a colossal figure plummeting from the sea of clouds and crashing into the sea in the distance. There was a gigantic ssh. Fortunately, the exhausted flood dragon hadnded several kilometers away from Osmanthus Ind, and its violentnding had little effect on the small boats traveling across the sea. The small boats simply rocked back and forth with a bit more vigor.


    The small boats slowly drifted forward along the two sides of Osmanthus Ind, and they would almost never stray too far from the shore of the ind. They would only be one or two kilometers away at most. The seawater was clear, and the numerous small boats were like hovering swords that had stopped in midair. Meanwhile, there were many slumbering and ying flood dragons in the depths of the sea. They appeared like dragons lying coiled on top of mountains, and the sight of this made people forget that they were enjoying this spectacle from the surface of the sea.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly furrowed his brow.


    He reached back and wrapped his hand around the hilt of a sword in his sword case as he asked in a solemn voice, "Are these flood dragons and their kin considered among mountain and water spirits?"


    The old boatman simply regarded this as a naive question from the young boy. The small boat was now a kilometer away from Osmanthus Ind, and they were soon going to arrive above the deepest stretch of the Flood Dragon Trench. Looking down, the water was so deep that they couldn''t see the bottom anymore. Perhaps the young boy was feeling a little afraid?


    The boatman smiled and replied, "In the ancient past, these flood dragons and their kin were regarded as royal beings of heaven and earth. But times have changed, and the situation is also different. You are not wrong; these creatures can only be regarded as some of many mountain and water spirits now."


    He chuckled before continuing, "Don''t be scared, Young Master. Osmanthus Ind is a regr visitor here. ording to the genealogical records of the Fan n, one of our ancestors even witnessed an intense battle between two Nascent Tier Qi refiners in this area. Even though the Flood Dragon Trench was itching to make a move, in the end, not a single flood dragon leaped out from the water. Thus, the rule that prohibits passengers from making loud noises is actually just Osmanthus Ind trying to scare ordinary guests. Since Young Master is an osmanthus guest, I''ll stop trying to act mysterious in front of you as well.."


    Jin Su shot an annoyed re at the old boatman. After all, how could he reveal the secrets of the Fan n so carelessly?


    The old boatman shrank back a little and continued to steer the small boat. From time to time, he would grab a handful of snow-white paper humans and paper horses and toss them into the water. Apart from these, there were also exquisitely crafted paper buildings and paper vehicles.


    Then, suddenly, the old boatman''s eyes suddenly widened in shock as he gazed somewhere in front of them. "Oh no! Someone''s trying to frame Osmanthus Ind!"


    Aunt Gui flew over to the small boat from Osmanthus Pce atop the mountain at almost the exact same moment. She and the old boatman looked toward the small boat at the very front, and she was clearly fuming. "Someone brought a Dragon King Basket and used it to capture a young flood dragon ying in the shallows!"


    The old boatman stood up and asked, "Perhaps Jiang Beihai is purposely exacting revenge? They chose to disembark halfway through the journey, and we ordered Ma Zhi to secretly follow them for ten whole days. However, Ma Zhi didn''t discover anything amiss. Or perhaps someone from the Ding n is secretly causing trouble? But where would the Ding n get a Dragon King Basket? Maybe it''s the Fu n? The Fu n does indeed have a Dragon King Basket, but they don''t have any reason to screw us over..."


    Aunt Gui shook her head and said, "It''s hard to say right now, and the most important thing is to appease the Flood Dragon Trench. Otherwise, if we anger the flood dragons here, even cultivators at the Upper Five Tiers will struggle to help us, no matter how willing they are. They''ll also be helpless! The thousands of people on Osmanthus Ind... Damn, what should we do? They''ve already locked their gazes on us! If anyone dares to travel through the sky right now..."


    The old boatman''s expression became stern, and he immediately ordered, "Everyone, immediately return to the ind. Qi refiners on Osmanthus Ind, don''t rise into the air and leave without permission. Otherwise, the Flood Dragon Trench will view this as an act of provocation. Ma Zhi, please reveal your strength, lest our guests think that we''re making a mountain out of a molehill!"


    Ma Zhi drew a sword and furiously threw it into the air. The sword was as quick as lightning, and it was definitely quicker than the speed of Golden Core Tier cultivators traveling through the sky. However, the sword only managed to travel a few kilometers from Osmanthus Ind before it was forcefully suppressed by a projection of a w from the sea of clouds. The flying sword instantly shattered in the sky.


    Ma Zhi threw another sword through the air, but the oue was the same.


    Aunt Gui turned to Jin Su and Chen Ping''an and said in a gentle voice, "The two of you can return to the Guimai courtyard first. No matter what happens, remember to hold onto the root of the osmanthus tree as if your life depends on it. Only by doing so will you have a sliver of a chance to live."


    With a tap of her feet, Jin Su had already left the small boat and drifted back to the dock on Osmanthus Ind. She turned around to look back.


    The young boy with the sword case was surprisingly still in the small boat, and when he finally returned, there was a bamboo pole in his hands.


    "What are you doing?" Jin Su asked.


    "Perhaps the Dragon Beating Pole will genuinely be useful," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Jin Su nced at Chen Pingan as if she were looking at a fool. She then turned around and dashed toward the mountain peak.


    In the next instant, it was as if the mountain were copsing and the earth were shattering as the entire Osmanthus Ind suddenly sank more than three hundred meters. No...it wasn''t that the ind was sinking, but rather that the sea level for a few kilometers around Osmanthus Ind was dropping altogether!


    Following this sudden change, the Flood Dragon Trench, which had initially been located beneath the surface of the sea immediately appeared like a towering mountain range surrounding a canyon!


    All of the flood dragons and their kin trained their eyes on Osmanthus Ind. This was the true meaning of surging undercurrents.


    Aunt Gui hovered forward and eventually came to a stop in mid-air. Using an ancient-sounding and difficult-to-understandnguage, shemunicated something with a golden flood dragon in the distance. There was a cold expression on the flood dragon''s face.


    Subduing Demons, the sword that was forged by Sage Ruan Qiong, was already restlessly ringing in the sword case on Chen Ping''an''s back.


    Based on Ruan Qiong''s advice, Chen Ping''an should flee as far away as possible if he came across such powerful beasts. However, where could Chen Ping''an flee right now?


    He didn''t run to the mountaintop to seek refuge in the Guimai courtyard, nor did he stand still and await death without doing anything.


    Chen Ping''an nced at the bamboo pole in his hand that was still lush green even after all these years. He pondered for a moment, and he decided to sit down cross-legged and rest the bamboo pole across his knees. He used his fingers to forcefully rub away the talismanic symbols that were different from the symbols recorded in the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book</em>.


    Relying on his memory, Chen Ping''an then retrieved the Wind and Snow Awl that Li Xisheng had gifted him. When he breathed on the tip of the brush to moisten it, the tip of the brush became vermilion red as if it had been dipped in concentrated ink.


    The left-handed young boy smiled and ced the bamboo pole to his left. He then focused his mind and raised his hand.


    With the calligraphy brush with the characters "writing as if assisted by the gods," he started to write on the bamboo pole the so-called Lock shing Talisman from the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book.</em>


    This was called making ast-ditch effort.


    If this still didn''t work, then he would have no option but to draw Subduing Demons, the sword forged by Sage Ruan Qiong. He would have to emte the stunning feats from those ancient books, ying flood dragons like those sword immortals of yore.


    Sure enough, traces of blood materialized above the lush green bamboo pole after Chen Ping''an finished engraving the talismanic symbols.


    This allowed the young boy to calm down slightly, and he held the bamboo pole in his hand as he leaped toward a lone boat floating on the sea, not moored to the ind in time.


    Standing in the small boat by himself, Chen Ping''an took a deep breath, then reached out and pped the two sides of the boat. The small boat shot forward like an arrow.


    Chen Ping''an rested the bamboo pole on his shoulder, grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, and took a swig of wine. At the same time, he silently spoke to himself in his mind. <em>Lock shing Talisman... What is it locking, and what is it shing? It''s best that it''s ancient sword immortals shing dragons, and it''s best that it''s locking dragons like the Iron Lock Well from my hometown. Let''s see if it works like that.</em>


    Flood dragons and their kin filled the sea surrounding Osmanthus Ind. It was clear that a huge cmity was about to befall them, one so severe that even immortals couldn''t escape.


    However, what appeared in the sights of the passengers on Osmanthus Ind was a scene extremely carefree and dashing.


    A lone boat leisurely drifted forward.


    A young boy with a bamboo pole on his shoulder calmly drank wine.

 Chapter 263: (2): A Talisman

    Chapter 263: (2): A Talisman


    In the Osmanthus Pce located atop the mountain on Osmanthus Ind, there was a young osmanthus guest standing on top of the roof. He gazed up at the surroundings, and an old woman was standing next to him with a worried expression.


    The young boy was wearing a bright yellow changshan, and this changshan didn''t appear especially eye-catching at first nce. Simr to Chen Ping''an''s Sword Nurturing Gourd, however, a powerful person had also applied a high-level illusion technique to this changshan. If someone were able to see through this illusion technique and observe the changshan carefully, they would discover the unique nature of this outfit.


    The changshan wasn''t woven from silk or satin, but from countless yellowing bamboo strips that were intricately linked together. This was divine craftsmanship, and the thin bamboo strips were surprisingly tough as well. When wearing this changshan, one would feel warm in winter and cool in summer. The wearer would also feel as if they were in an exquisite blessednd. This was extremely beneficial for cultivation, and it was this that reflected the wealth and might of immortal forces.


    The bright yellow changshan was named "Refreshing," and it was a renowned immortal robe produced by the Bamboo Sea Small World''s Azure Divine Mountain. It was once the treasured possession of a ruler from arge empire in Middle Earth Divine Continent, yet it had gone missing for a long time after the empire was destroyed. Unexpectedly, it was now being worn by this young boy.


    Speaking in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent that he wasn''t fluent in, the young boy asked, "Grandma Liu, even the hundred li inch movement talisman of that Golden Core Tier sword cultivator was ineffective, so will my thousand li inch movement talisman be very risky as well?"


    The old woman sighed and replied, "In reality, the cultivation base of that old flood dragon isn''t very terrifying. It''s only at the peak stage of the Nascent Tier. However, they''ve received assistance from a powerful person, and this trench has be like a small world. In this sense, that old flood dragon has transformed into the sage of this small world. He''s the one guarding it, and hisbat power is equivalent to that of cultivators at the Unpolished Jade Tier. At the same time, he has the advantage of time, geography, and popr support."


    "Then what should we do?" the young boy asked with a frown.


    "There''s no need to be overly worried, Young Master," the old woman replied with a smile. "Even if it means sacrificing myself, I''ll still help you leave this Flood Dragon Trench. However, you should remember to return following the same path and head to the colorful building atop the mountain cliff where the embroidered ball was tossed from. Tell them your name, and they definitely won''t dare to neglect you.


    "At that time, you can enjoy a smooth trip back to Pure White Continent. You can inform the patriarch about this, and divine punishment will naturally befall this ce in due time, obliterating the Flood Dragon Trench and transforming it into tnd. That will be good revenge for this olddy."


    "Grandma Liu, just how significant is life and death? How can you dismiss it so easily?" the young boy grumbled. "I don''t want you to die here; we still need to return home together."


    The old woman''s expression remained calm, and there was a kindly look on her face as she looked at the young boy and said with a faint smile, "I am not resigned to my death. However, I can''t sob and put on a worried expression in front of you all the time, can I? With my elderly age, I truly can''t bring myself to act like this."


    The old woman suddenly remembered something, and she nced at the jade thumb ring on the young boy''s hand and said in a soft voice, "Young Master, remember to take good care of this minimization treasure passed down by our ancestors. Don''t be careless and take out treasures from it in front of other people. And when traveling around the outside world, don''t try to rashly examine the character of other people either. The human mind is often unable to withstand scrutiny."


    The dry and wrinkled face of the old woman appeared slightly adrift after she said this. After all, every old woman in the world had once been a young girl.


    The young boy in the bamboo changshan pointed at the lone boat in the sea and remarked, "Grandma Liu, look at that young boy with the bamboo pole on his shoulder. He''s around the same age as me, isn''t he? How impressive, courageous, and dashing! He''s far more impressive than me. When I return, I''m definitely going to ask a masterful painter to illustrate this scene."


    Grandma Liu shook her head and chuckled, "Don''t try to emte that young boy''s rashness. Young Master, you''re not just the esteemed son of a wealthy and powerful n. If anything untoward were to happen to you in this region between Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and Southern Whirl Continent, then that would truly be an incredibly troublesome matter."


    "Grandma Liu, I''ve already gone through a lot of examinations and training. Don''t treat me like a child all the time, okay?" the young boy replied in exasperation.


    The old woman smiled and remained silent.


    Those examinations and training adventures had indeed seemed perilous, but had there not been some grand elder watching over him every time?


    In reality, their journey this time was a long one that had started with a trip from Pure White Continent to Complete Reed Continent. Afterward, they had traveled south to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, where they had visited Divine Edict Sect, Lake View Academy, and the Cloud Forest Jiang n.


    In the end, they had arrived at Old Dragon City and continued south to Parasol Leaf Continent. They visited both Parasol Leaf Sect in the north and Jade Tablet Sect in the south, and the young master had almost entered the Cloud Cave Blessed Land.


    Their journey had been smooth sailing and trouble-free. All this time, however, the old woman was unable to understand why she had been tasked with guarding the young master by herself. Wasn''t this too careless? A Qi refiner at the Nascent Tier wasn''t weak, but just how lofty was Young Master''s status?


    Take for example the dire situation they were currently facing in the Flood Dragon Trench. If there were an Unpolished Jade Tier sword cultivator guarding the young master, the young master wouldn''t even need to bat an eyelid. He definitely wouldn''t need to feel afraid either. Instead, he could simply spectate the battle from afar.


    Outside an ordinary courtyard located halfway up the mountain on Osmanthus Ind, there was a young beautiful girl inside a small pavilion. She was wearing a top and a long skirt, and a colorful robe was tied around her waist. There was fury on her face as she confronted this mysterious cmity, and she felt extremely angry at Old Dragon City''s Fan n.


    Even so, she stillposed herself and finished brewing the pot of tea. After finishing the tea, she put away the tea set piece by piece. Only then did she start to mull over a n. However, she felt slightly discouraged when she witnessed the miserable death of the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator. Death was most likely inevitable.


    The young girl appeared anxious as she lightly drummed the table with her fingers. "There''s no reason for my fortune to be so bad," she murmured to herself. "I even performed divination on myself in Old Dragon City, and it was because of that divination that I chose Osmanthus Ind over the Mountain and Sea Turtle. Theoretically speaking, the results shouldn''t have been wrong. I should obtain one or two fated opportunities along the way as well. How can I possibly suffer an early death here instead?"


    The young girl stood up and tapped her feet, jumping onto the roof of the pavilion. She looked down, and her range of vision instantly became wider than before. She gulped and slowly went from a standing position to a squatting position.


    She started to pinch her fingers and perform divination, and she murmured, "Perhaps there''s a mighty figure hiding somewhere? Or perhaps the person destined to resolve this situation hasn''t arrived yet? No matter what, this shouldn''t be a deadly situation with no solution. It definitely can''t be... Allow me to perform a divination on you, woman who''s facing off against the elderly golden flood dragon. Oh? As it turns out, you''re Osmanthus Ind itself? How strange, you''re not the one destined to resolve this situation either...


    "Now, let me take a look at this old boatman who''s hiding his true strength. Huh? He''s a Qi refiner who''s fallen from the Nascent Tier to the Golden Core Tier? His wounds are still yet to fully heal. As expected, a real old boatman with many stories. However, you won''t be able to resolve the situation either...


    "As for this stupidly brave young boy... Forget about it. So be it if he''s just carrying a bamboo pole on his shoulder, but drinking wine as well? Tsk, tsk, he''s far too interested in showing off. Does he genuinely think he''s an Upper Five Tier sword immortal? What an idiot...


    "That being the case, does the key to resolving this situation lie on the mountain? Perhaps an immortal is currently observing the situation from the mountain? And when the old dragon lets its guard down, the immortal will deal a killing blow? Hmm, let''s see.... Oh, there''s genuinely a powerful person concealing their presence. However, it''s a shame that... they''re not the one destined to resolve this situation either!"


    The young girl scratched her head with both hands. Her cheeks were flushed red, and it was clear that she was feeling slightly anxious and uneasy. The pearl hairpin in her bun also became crooked, causing her ck hair to be messy.


    "Don''t fret, don''t fret. Master personally said that all unstoppable momentums in the world have hidden within them a singr notion that can evolve into all matter. Even that Dao Ancestor is pursuing this notion. The same applied to that True Dragon, and the true mystical nature behind Jewel Small World also pertained to this. The Sword Qi Great Wall is also the same. Everything is the same..."


    While the young girl was at aplete loss, Jin Su, the osmanthus girl from the Guimai courtyard, was looking back three times with every step. She saw her master having a dangerous face-off against the elderly golden flood dragon, and she saw the old boatman most likely the Golden Core Tier cultivator guarding Osmanthus Ind. Of course, she also saw the young boy with a sword case on his back taking a boat back to cause more trouble.


    Jin Su knew that she shouldn''t feel resentment toward the young boy who was standing up in this moment of peril, yet she couldn''t help but feel increasingly angry at him for some unknown reason. In fact, it was almost as if this entire cmity should be med on him. Only by thinking this could she feel slightly better.


    Jin Su wasn''t willing to dwell on this. She was even more unwilling to admit that her unfounded anger wasn''t brought about by Chen Ping''an, an outside guest, not doing good enough. Quite the contrary, in fact, as it was his decision to resolutely stand up that silently highlighted her cowardice. In fact, she didn''t even possess the courage to stand side-by-side with her master to face their enemy.


    While teetering on the precipice of life and death, there were some who feared death and greedily craved life, choosing to yield to the situation and retreat from danger. However, there were also those willing to give up life for the sake of righteousness, choosing to march forward in the face of difficulty and seeking life from near-certain death.


    To youths who had just set foot on the path of cultivation and the bridge of immortality, the former was not necessarily wrong, and thetter was not necessarily right.


    On the sea in front of Osmanthus Ind, there were two small boats drifting beside each other.


    The old boatman failed to persuade Chen Ping''an to return after several attempts. However, he was genuinely unwilling to see the young boy lose his life here, so he became slightly frustrated as he scolded, "Lady Gui has already exined the power of the old flood dragon to you, so why do you still insist on staying here? What an absolute farce!"


    Lady Gui smiled bitterly and said, "We''re utterly surrounded, so we''re left with no option but to fight to the death."


    The old boatman suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Lady Gui, you have to live on. The Fan n..."


    The woman shook her head and replied, "I''ve already made up my mind."


    She turned to the young boy and asked in a gentle voice, "Chen Ping''an, is that talisman genuinely very important?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded vigorously in response.


    Lady Gui took a deep breath and said, "Things have alreadye to this, so what else can we do? That old flood dragon is hellbent on ignoring our past rtionship, using the so-called rules to suppress us again and again. There''s definitely something fishy about this situation. However, since you''re willing to do something about this, then go ahead, Chen Ping''an. The two of us will help you buy some time. This won''t be too difficult."


    Chen Ping''an immediately sat down in the small boat with his back facing the elderly golden flood dragon. His mind was linked with Fifteenth, his flying sword which doubled as a pocket treasure, and it wasn''t long before a sheet of azure-colored talisman paper slid out from his sleeve. The talisman paper looked like a page that was torn out from some sagely ssic.


    Chen Ping''an held the Wind and Snow Awl in his left hand and lightly breathed on the tip. However, Chen Ping''an was shocked when the tip of the calligraphy brush moved toward the talisman paper. Even thought it was engraved with the characters ''writing as if assisted by the gods'', the tip of the brush felt like a traveler''s feet stuck in a meter of snow. It was barely able to move!


    Chen Ping''an''s breath of True Qi as a pure martial artist was directly cut off.


    Chen Ping''an had written several treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talismans and Yang energy illumination talismans on golden talisman paper before, and he had never once encountered such a situation.


    Unexpectedly, however, Chen Ping''an was delighted by what he saw.


    Chen Ping''an forcefully summoned a new breath of True Qi, willing to suffer internal injuries and rock his soul in the process. His arm pressed down, and the Wind and Snow Awl continued to approach the azure talisman paper.


    People were allowed to help, but they had to first guarantee that they wouldn''t make the situation worse.


    In front of the abandoned temple in Yellow Court Nation, that group of youths in colorful robes and on majestic horses had attempted to perform a good deed in a passionate and righteous manner. However, they had almost ruined the big ns of those righteous Qi refiners, and they had almost allowed the sinister fox demon to flee.


    This was an example of performing a bad deed with good intentions.


    If he could guarantee that he wouldn''t make the situation worse, however, then Chen Ping''an felt like he definitely had to do something.


    Back in the city god temple in Colorful Garment Nation''s Blusher Prefecture, the prefectural overseer''s youngest daughter who had silver bells tied to her wrists and ankles had also stepped forward to provide help. She had restrained herself at the right moments, and she had always acted within her abilities. Thus, she had been able to help Chen Ping''an and alleviate the pressure on him. This was very good.


    He remembered another ferry  Ceremony Mountain''s kun ship.


    This Osmanthus Ind was something that his good friend Fan Er would inherit after he came of age.


    Meanwhile, there had once been two young girls on the kun ship whom he had interacted with for many days and nights, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi. They were both very lovely girls. Chen Ping''an had always believed that with their young age, they would definitely see each other again in the future, no matter how many dozens of years passed, and no matter how far away they were now...


    Chen Ping''an continued to exert more and more force on his fingers and arm. At the same time, he calmed his breathing and rapidly channeled the Eighteen Stops Technique. The pure and formidable breath of True Qi in his body needed to be quick and stable.


    Having stable Qi would lead to aposed soul, and having aposed soul would lead to an effective talisman.


    Thinking back to the past, everything ultimately came down to being stable andposed. When molding pottery and firing pottery, he had also needed to stabilize his mind in order to stabilize his hands.


    The tip of the Wind and Snow Awl finally came into contact with the azure talisman paper.


    A small speck of light instantly burst apart.


    It was as if a bright moon were rising above the sea.


    Chen Ping''an was unfazed by this, and his mind waspletely focused on drawing the Lock shing Talisman. He needed to engrave eight entire characters on the azure talisman paper  concentrate on the task at hand, decree of the rain gods[1].


    At this moment, the young boy was sitting cross-legged in the small boat andpletely immersed in the act of drawing the talisman, losing his sense of self.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t appear anything like a pure martial artist as he held the brush and wrestled with the ancient talisman paper. He didn''t appear like a sword cultivator either. Instead, he appeared like a schr who was copying texts amid mountains and water.


    He would worry about the sess of this talisman after he was finished drawing it.


    This attitude was identical to the attitude that he had held toward the Mountain Shaking Fist. Whether the fist technique was powerful or not, he would worry about this after he finished practicing it one million times.


    If Chen Ping''an didn''t do something today, he would feel like he was letting down his fist technique, his sword training, the wine that he had drank, and all the people that he had be acquainted with.


    1. Eight characters in Chinese... ()

 Chapter 264: (1): Above the Great Dao

    Chapter 264: (1): Above the Great Dao


    The moment that Chen Ping''an raised the calligraphy brush to draw the talisman, the flood dragons and their kin in the Flood Dragon Trench had already started to move under themand of the elderly golden flood dragon.


    Moreover, they were going all out even if they were facing weaker enemies, with the hundreds upon thousands of flood dragons and their kin lurking in the trench rushing out and charging toward Osmanthus Ind along with the towering seawater.


    Only the region where the elderly golden flood dragony coiled appeared especially calm.


    The old boatman tossed the Dragon King Basket in his hand beside his feet. Whether this young flood dragon lived or died was already irrelevant and unable to change the course of the current events.


    The old boatman nced at the young boy behind him, and it was as if the young boy with a sword case on his back were bathing in the white and pure glow of moonlight. Chen Ping''an, his calligraphy brush, and the talisman paper had seemingly be one, and it was as if they were in a small world that measured three meters in each direction.


    The old boatman couldn''t help but silently praise Chen Ping''an. This young boy was truly disying signs of being very impressive. Even though his cultivation base was low, this had little to do with the level of one''s cultivation. The old boatman had to admit that he hadn''t possessed such an impressive spirit and aura when he was young.


    He quickly retracted his gaze and said in a quiet voice, "Lady Gui, Osmanthus Ind is facing a huge crisis right now, so why don''t you hand the safety of Chen Ping''an and this talisman to me for the moment? You only need to focus on protecting Osmanthus Ind.


    "Also, tell Ma Zhi and the others to make haste and warn all of the passengers on the mountain about the danger. Tell the passengers not to hide their strength and cultivation anymore. They can sort out their differences and calcte the necessary remuneration andpensation after Osmanthus Ind makes it through this crisis."


    "The old flood dragon''s decision to target us this time is extremely strange. Moreover, judging from its method of killing that Golden Core Tier sword cultivator, it''s either advanced to the Upper Five Tiers or someone has secretly set up a formation in the Flood Dragon Trench, transforming this location into something akin to a Confucian school or academy," Lady Gui replied.


    "Perhaps a profound figure from some heretical force has taken a fancy to this region and given this old flood dragon the power and confidence to challenge the Confucian sages in Southern Whirl Continent. In any case, regardless of whether it''s at the Unpolished Jade Tier or it''s a pseudo sage, it will definitely be very difficult for you to deal with it alone."


    Lady Gui appeared slightly hesitant, and she didn''t hurry back to Osmanthus Ind straight away. In fact, she purposely spoke at a slower speed than normal, using this time to weigh things up. After so many years of cultivation, Lady Gui understood that doing one proper thing was better than doing ten or a hundred random things during difficult times like this.


    As if breaking through an embankment, seawater crashed down from three directions, surging toward Osmanthus ind at the bottom of the "bowl."


    Apart from the ancestor osmanthus tree on the peak of the mountain, all of the over 1000 osmanthus trees on Osmanthus Ind shed leaves at this moment. Before these leaves could fall to the ground, however, they all rose into the air in a structured manner. Graduallying to a stop in midair, the leaves formed a dome that enveloped Osmanthus Ind.


    The next moment, the osmanthus leaves instantlybusted and disintegrated into dust, leaving only orbs of emerald green spiritual energy in their ce. These osmanthus leaf spiritual orbs were asrge as wild chestnuts, and wisps of green threads extended from them and connected with the surrounding orbs.


    The sea churned violently, and Osmanthus Ind was like a small lone boat amid it. As the spiritual energy of the osmanthus leaves weaved and connected, it was as if Osmanthus Ind were a boatman that had cast arge. However, this wasn''t for fishing, but rather for blocking the imminent downpour.


    When the seawater mmed into therge, waves churned and exploded into the surroundings. However, not a single drop of water was able to seep through therge andnd on Osmanthus Ind. The ind only shook slightly, and the mountain peak split open as branches and leaves started to rapidly grow from the ancestor osmanthus tree in a mystical sight. Many pits appeared, revealing the snaking roots of the old osmanthus tree.


    Following this, Osmanthus Ind began to slowly rise into the air. In fact, it surprisingly appeared as if the ind were attempting to withstand the powerful attacks from the sea and rise into the air, forcefully fleeing from the Flood Dragon Trench.


    There were many small water dragons[1] with horns on their heads, and these water dragons were the most ferocious as they charged and attacked Osmanthus ind. They lunged at therge one after another, and they used their sharp ws to tear at the formation of osmanthus leaves. Some even used their heads to smash the formation.


    These types of small water dragons were noble and honorable members of the flood dragon kin, and they used to have a rtively close rtionship with the True Dragons of yore who had ruled over the Five Lakes and Four Seas in earlier times. The difference between small water dragons and snakes or carps was like the difference between heaven and earth.


    There was only the additional description of "water" in their title, yet this made the status of small water dragons slightly inferior to that of pure small dragons. Thetter were genuine rtives of True Dragons, while the former were offspring resulting from the coption betweenrge dragons and azure sea serpents. Thus, small water dragons were also referred to as small azure dragons.


    Along with white hornless dragons that enjoyed hiding themselves in majestic mountains and gorgeous peaks, these two creatures that upied the deep sea andnd respectively often found themselves in the essays of schrs and literati. They were also frequent guests in poemsposed by traveling poets.


    Many descendants of flood dragons followed behind these small water dragons, violently mming into therge formation. Some also unleashed their powerful and innate water-element mystical powers, causing tonnes of seawater to violently m into therge.


    The old boatman''s heart ached when he saw this. After all, Lady Gui was sacrificing her hard-earned earth immortal cultivation in order to maintain this formation. The fundamental vital energy of her true form was depleting rapidly, yet she was willing to endure this to fight for everyone''s survival, no matter how slim the chances.


    Ma Zhi, who was on the ind, had most likely informed the passengers about the situation already. However, it was still unclear whether the passengers would be willing to work together to ovee this grave situation.


    While Chen Ping''an continued to exert his full power to draw the Lock shing Talisman, the elderly golden flood dragon ordered his subordinates in the Flood Dragon Trench to attack and breach the defenses of Osmanthus Ind in a single go.


    However, it didn''t show any signs of wanting to attack along with the other flood dragons, and it simply pondered for a brief moment before swaying itsrge golden body that measured 300 meters in length and slowly swimming toward the edge of the clear sea.


    A few momentster, a dignified and mighty-looking old man dressed in a long golden robe walked out from the ripples on the surface of the sea. His eyebrows were extremely long, so long that they reached his chest. He walked forward in the sky,pletely ignoring Lady Gui.


    In fact, the old man in golden robes paid no attention to the life or death of that young flood dragon either. He was like a traveler slowly descending a mountain and peering down at the world as he did so. He was looking down at the two small boats and three people at the foot of the mountain.


    The elderly golden flood dragon didn''t stop walking forward as he looked at the young boy. He smiled faintly and said, "Boy, I simply viewed you as young and naive when you made changes to that Dragon Beating Pole and wantonly drew the Lock shing Talisman. I allowed you to secretly hide those two flying swords. However, if you insist on pushing your luck..."


    The old boatman steered his small boat such that he was shielding Chen Ping''an and the small boat that he was in. He looked up at the old beast whose temperament had changed drastically, and he sneered, "So what if he''s pushing his luck? Perhaps we should offer our necks and beg for a quick andfortable death? Perhaps we should beg you vile beasts to swallow us in one go instead of slowly chewing on us?"


    The elderly golden flood dragon shot a sideways nce at the old boatman and chuckled, "It was you people who broke the rules, so it''s a given that all of you have to die. As for how you die... This isn''t all that important. Did you forget already?


    "After you people die, we can slowly unravel your souls and make each of them into dozens of candles. After lighting these candles and cing them in the depths of the Flood Dragon Trench, you''ll be forced to endure the agonizing pain of being eaten away by the bitter cold.


    "This is even more torturous than being dismembered by five horses or being sliced into tens of thousands of pieces. This is especially the case for Golden Core Tier cultivators like you. The higher one''s cultivation, the higher the quality of the candles..."


    After saying this, the old man in gold robes sighed and came to a stop. He held a single hand behind his back and used his other hand to stroke his long golden eyebrows that were hanging in front of his chest. He sighed in exasperation andmented, "Young boy, I and the boatman from the Fan n have already bought so much time for you, yet you still haven''tpleted a single Lock shing Talisman that carries the decree of the rain gods yet?


    "Are disciples from the talismanic branch of the Daoist Sect bing more and more ipetent? Or are you a talentless disciple whocks the skill to properly draw a talisman? Or perhaps this talisman is too powerful, and the talisman paper is too precious, so it''s causing your strokes to be a little... challenging?


    "No matter, it''s already been many years since Ist witnessed and experienced the power of a Lock shing Talisman. I miss it dearly, so I can afford to wait for you to finish. Take your time, young boy. There''s no need to hurry."


    Lady Gui sighed with sorrow.


    The old boatman was also feeling simrly glum.


    This was the terrifying nature of a region controlled by a sage.


    This was simr to a Confucian sage residing in a school or academy, a True Lord residing in a Daoist temple, an Arhat residing in a Buddhist temple, or a Martial sage exercising control over a battlefield.


    "Tomit such brutal acts of violence... Are you not afraid of the Confucian sages from Southern Whirl Continent holding you ountable?!" the extremely pale Lady Gui questioned in a stern voice.


    The elderly golden flood dragon''s expression was as if it were taking pity on her, and it replied, "Lady Gui, oh Lady Gui, you shouldn''t have stayed in a rotten little ce like Old Dragon City. You were simply trapping yourself inside a cocoon. You failed to do anything for so many years, and you became oblivious to the things happening in the outside world. How can you understand the current unstoppable trend of the world? Those who follow the trend live, and those who oppose the trend die.


    "Lady Gui, even though I''ve coveted your true form for so many years, I''m still willing to give you one final chance seeing that you have such a noble status. Surrender to me, and enjoy a glorious rise with the Flood Dragon Trench. What do you say?"


    Lady Gui chuckled coldly and replied, "I truly wonder if you would still dare to utter such nonsense if a Confucian sage were present! To say nothing of a sage, even a noble schr would be enough to make you tremble in fear, am I right?"


    The old man in golden robes shook his head with a smile. "Times have changed, and this is the reason why I called you out for being oblivious. So be it, those with different aspirations will ultimately walk different paths. After eating you, I can smoothly advance to the Unpolished Jade Tier. At that time, what will it matter even if the Confucian sage from the Yingyin Chen n leaves his academy to hold me ountable? What can he do?"


    The old flood dragon cracked a menacing grin and continued, "I''m aware that you''re still unwilling to give up. You thought that I was purposely acting mysterious just then, so you still held onto a sliver of hope and thus allowed that young boy to draw the Lock shing Talisman. You want him to frighten all of the flood dragons and their kin in the Flood Dragon Trench, apart from me, of course. Have a look, why don''t you? I still granted you your wish. Do you still think that I''m bluffing and purposely acting mysterious?"


    The old man in golden robes took a single stride and instantly arrived a few dozen meters away from the small boat that Chen Ping''an was sitting in.


    However, like a meditating old monk who paid no heed to worldly matters, Chen Ping''anpletely ignored the approach of the old man. He continued to slowly draw the Lock shing Talisman.


    Lady Gui and the old boatman both reacted at the same time. Lady Gui immediately threw an osmanthus branch over, and when itnded on the small boat, she silently recited, "Take root and rest against the sky."


    The osmanthus branch instantly sprouted and grew into a small osmanthus tree with lush and dense leaves. Golden osmanthus flowers bloomed, and their sweet fragrance quickly filled the air. The osmanthus tree was three meters tall, and its shadepletely shielded Chen Ping''an.


    Meanwhile, the old boatman quickly formed hand seals and silently recited a mantra. At the same time, he forcefully stomped his feet into the small boat that he was in. He held his palms together with his fingers intertwined, and a dazzling light started to seep out from the gaps between his fingers. The old boatman then pressed his thumb from one hand against his heart while pointing his pinky from his other hand toward the elderly golden flood dragon.


    After hepleted these hand seals, a bright red me wrapped his entire body and made him appear like a heavenly official wearing a fiery red robe. Countless sanguine symbols appeared on his forehead, and he furiously roared, "Golden crow spreads its wings, fire god boils water!"


    From the small boat under the old boatman''s feet to the location where the old man in golden robes was standing, it was as if the sea were boiling water in a kettle. Vapor rose into the air, after which countless golden crows emerged from within it. With trails of scorching mes behind them, the golden crows rapidly swooped down at the old flood dragon one after another.


    However, the elderly golden flood dragon simply flicked his sleeve in a casual manner, dragging two blue water dragons from the sea. The blue water dragons rose beside him and crashed into the golden crows, instantly engulfing and annihting dozens of them. Even though the blue water dragons enjoyed a scrumptious meal, shes of red continued to appear on their bellies from time to time. In the end, they were also killed along with the golden crows, with their bodies crumbling and returning to the sea.


    The old boatman''s hand seals had been rapid and majestic-looking, especiallypared to the casual flick of the old flood dragon''s sleeve. As such, it was immediately obvious who had the upper hand. The gulf between them was immense.


    "Fire god? This type of ancient god is far too weak," the old flood dragon sneered. "Moreover, due to a certain cmity of great proportions, deities who inherit this title are often undeserving and unauthentic. These titles are barely worth a mentionpared to formal deities of water, gods who have organized inheritances and are greatly valued by the Heavenly Emperor.


    "Being a measly Golden Core Tier cultivator, you most likely don''t know that the phrase "fire god boils water" is in and of itself an admission of fear. The first fire god was an ambitious individual who vowed that he would evaporate the four seas and vaporize the fivekes such that they became clouds and mist in the sky. However, deities of fire following him only dared to say that they would boil water. What does water refer to? Great rivers andrgekes consist of water, while small streams and tiny creeks also consist of water. Perhaps they want to boil some water to make tea?"


    The old boatman wasn''t deted after his technique was easily defeated by the old man in golden robes. While thetter bbered on, the old boatman switched to another hand seal and clenched his hands into fists before forcefully smashing them together. His feet also assumed a unique stance, and the heavenly official projection from before vanished without a trace. What reced it was a fearsome face that looked like a powerful guardian. Meanwhile, orbs or crackling lightning started to fly in circles around him.


    After a while, the old boatman eventually separated his fists and used one fist to heavily thump his chest and abdomen three times in a row, causing the spiritual energy in the corresponding acupoints to churn with vigor. At the same time, he unclenched his other fist and held his palm to the sky, bellowing, "Spring thunder drums the abdomen,kes of lightning pour from the sky; heed mymand, deliver punishment on behalf of the heavens!"


    The sky was clear and blue for tens of thousands of miles, yet a giant whirlpool of roaring thunder and shing lightning suddenly appeared from thin air. A bolt of snow-white lightning suddenly leaped out and made several turns in midair before smashing down at the elderly golden flood dragon''s head.


    The old man in golden robes disappeared without a trace, yet the bolt of crackling lightning didn''t dissipate straight away. Instead, it directly pierced through the surface of the sea and crashed into the depths of the Flood Dragon Trench. Afterward, it bounced backward and illuminated arge region of the sea, causing the surroundings to be a blinding white.


    There were many flood dragons and their kin hiding at the bottom of the sea, and these were dragons who weren''t participating in the conflict. After being astonished by the lightning technique, all of them closed their eyes on instinct, not daring to face it head-on.


    The bolt of lightning surged out from the sea and flew to somece in the distance. The old flood dragon in golden robes reappeared above the sea, and it finally appeared a little annoyed as it faced this abnormal bolt of lightning.


    It no longer appeared as carefree as before, and it didn''t try to dodge the attack either. Instead, the old flood dragon stood still and furrowed its brows slightly. It then pinched its long golden eyebrows with its two hands, rapidly moving its fingers down and causing two bursts of sword light to shoot from its fingertips.


    The two bursts of sword light were approximately one meter in length, simr to most swords in the world. One burst of sword light shot toward the bolt of lightning, while the other burst of sword light pierced at some whirlpool that was connected to the smallke of lightning above its head.


    Both bursts of sword light from his long eyebrows were sessful, striking and disappearing together with the bolt of lightning and whirlpool in the sky. Two spectacr light shows erupted in the sky.


    Sure enough, the old boatman was a rare Golden Core Tier cultivator who had once experienced the mystical powers of earth immortals. He was masterful in many techniques, and he leaped into the sky, extending an arm and making a grabbing motion. A glowing silver snake spear[2] materialized in his hand, appearing especially dazzling as it directly stabbed at the elderly golden flood dragon.


    "Die, vile beast!"


    1. The character used here is , which refers to a dragon youngling, but these are actual mature dragons. They are shorter (hence the "small" part) but fully grown dragons.


    2. An ancient spear model with a wavy de and a split tip that looks like the mouth of a snake.

 Chapter 264: (2): Above the Great Dao

    Chapter 264: (2): Above the Great Dao


    The man in golden robes pursed his lips and disappeared again.


    The momentum of the old boatman''s spear didn''t weaken in the least, and it instead became even stronger. A ck ripple surprisingly appeared on the tip of the spear, yet the snow-white tip didn''t falter at all as it easily pierced through the water like a hot knife through butter. The shaft of the spear appeared distorted to the naked eye.


    A strange sight then appeared. Dozens of old men in golden robes appeared around the old flood dragon, yet there was a spear tip piercing down at each of their bes, with some of the spear tips measuring three meters in length and some of the spear tips only a foot long.


    Almost all of the old men in golden robesughed in unison, eximing, "You truly gave your everything to unleash this strike. It must have been very tough for a Golden Core Tier cultivator like you."


    They extended a hand and grabbed the tips of the spears.


    There were shes of lightning, and the entire space became snow-white.


    Only a single man in golden robes remained silent. He stood directly behind the small boat that Chen Ping''an was in, and he was in just the right position to clearly see the young boy who was sitting in the shade of the osmanthus tree. He was unable to determine the level of the azure talisman paper, but he could sense that it was filled with a magnificent and righteous aura. The calligraphy brush was also a valuable item, one that even he would covet.


    Looking at the empty spaces on the Lock shing Talisman, it was evident that it was only three quarters done. Even though the young boy''s arm, fingers, and calligraphy brush were yet to tremble, his mind and concentration were already starting to waver. Judging from this, it was clear that drawing this talisman was still far too difficult for Chen Ping''an.


    The old flood dragon became increasingly curious. Even though the Lock shing Talisman was a decent-level talisman, the young boy had already managed toplete a talisman on the bamboo pole before. In other words, the problem didn''t lie with the talisman itself. Rather, the problem was with the azure talisman paper. It was this talisman paper that made it extremely difficult for the young boy to move his calligraphy brush. He was like a little child trying to climb a mountain with heavy luggage on his back, so it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to call his efforts infinitely painful.


    He was drawing the Lock shing Talisman, a high-grade talisman that contained the decree of the rain gods.


    If the elderly golden flood dragon had faced this before he had be the sage of the region, he would have indeed felt some sense of apprehension. After all, there was a notion of natural suppression. Back when rain gods, river guardians, and water lords were still regarded as legitimate deities, flood dragons would all respect these beings who were akin to their superiors.


    Now, however, the elderly golden flood dragon thought little of the Lock shing Talisman no matter how powerful it appeared. In fact, it felt slightly eager to see this talisman again.


    After all, the old flood dragon had still been young during those countless years of suppression and humiliation. Even so, what it had seen and heard was deeply ingrained in its mind.


    Using this opportunity, the old flood dragon wanted those old fossils in the depths of the Flood Dragon Trench  the ones of a simr age yet were unwilling to follow him to open their eyes and once again witness this profound talisman. At that time, perhaps those listless old fossils would finally rediscover a sense of ambition and courage.


    If the entire Flood Dragon Trench could reach a consensus and fight together, it would definitely be far more powerful than just one or two sect-level immortal forces.


    The dozens of old men in golden robes shattered the spear tips in unison.


    The snake spear was the old boatman''s bonded weapon, and the damage dealt to it instantly caused him to copse to a sitting position on the small boat. He couldn''t stop himself from vomiting blood.


    Apart from the elderly golden flood dragon silently observing Chen Ping''an as he drew the talisman, the other old flood dragons who had be extremely aggressive all roared withughter before viciously stomping a foot in unison. There was littlemotion, yet it was as if the formation protecting Osmanthus Ind were a fragile city gate being heavily rammed by countless battering rams. The formation shook violently, appearing as if it might shatter at any moment. Once it was breached, the flood dragons and their kin could instantly charge into the ind to target the passengers. At that time, would the passengers have to engage in close-quarterbat with these vile beasts who had innately powerful physiques?


    Ordinary Qi refiners would naturally be unwilling to face this. To say nothing of them, even the most destructively powerful sword cultivators and physically tough militarian cultivators would be unwilling to face this.


    Just then, many Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers had been unwilling to take out their most powerful treasures regardless of how Ma Zhi had tried to convince them. At this moment, however, their expressions all changed drastically. They no longer dared to hide their treasures, and they all retrieved their spirit tools and immortal treasures one after another.


    shes of brilliant light instantly appeared all over Osmanthus Ind and shot toward the sky, helping Lady Gui and the ancestor osmanthus tree to defend against the stomping attacks of the old flood dragons in golden robes.


    However, after the Qi refiners on the ind unleashed their full strength, some powerful figures from the Flood Dragon Trench who had been observing the situation from the sidelines also decided to act at longst. They channeled their water-element mystical powers, and it was as if a rain of arrows were descending upon Osmanthus Ind.


    Thus, even though Osmanthus Ind was receiving help from the Qi refiners now, it was surprisingly still at a disadvantage.


    At this moment of critical danger, a tall and skinny elder unexpectedly flew over from beyond the Flood Dragon Trench. However, he was clearly hesitant about whether he should involve himself in this dangerous conflict.


    He was none other than the Nascent Soul subordinate of Jade Tablet Sect''s Young Master Jiang.


    In the end, he eventually decided to silently observe the situation.


    Lady Gui was forced to return to Osmanthus Ind, and she no longer had the luxury of caring about Chen Ping''an''s talisman. She hadn''t expected that therge formation would be so fragile. If she kept her soul and body separated the entire time, then even if Chen Ping''an seeded in drawing the talisman, it would be pointless if the formation around Osmanthus Ind was already destroyed at that time. The wanton flood dragons and their kin would face no resistance as they charged onto the ind, and the oue of this could only be a massacre.


    As Lady Gui dashed away, she turned to the old boatman and said in helplessness, "Look after Chen Ping''an!"


    The old boatman nodded with a bitter smile, struggling to stand up as he did so.


    He could only try his best and leave the rest to the heavens.


    All of the old flood dragons in golden robes slowly walked toward the two small boats.


    Only the elderly golden flood dragon who had remained standing in the same spot the entire time, the one who had kept his eyes on Chen Ping''an from the beginning to the end, used his mind to warn, "Young boy, if you don''t finish this talisman and turn the tables soon, all of you are going to die. Lady Gui is going to die, the old boatman is going to die, you''re going to die, and everyone else is going to die."


    Concentrate on the task at hand, decree of the rain gods. There were only these few characters in the Lock shing Talisman, yet Chen Ping''an was only able to finish six of the eight characters after all this time. Moreover, his characters were written in a way that broke many rules, so if nothing unexpected happened, this talisman could already be considered useless.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an had already taken a very long time to finish the first four characters. It had taken him far longer than drawing the talisman on the bamboo pole before. However, Chen Ping''an couldn''tplete even the first stroke of the character "rain" no matter how he channeled his aura. It was as if the azure talisman paper refused to amodate this character no matter what. This was like a battle between two armies. Chen Ping''an was a one-man army fighting tooth and nail, while his opponent was a majestic and towering city with formidable power. What could he do?


    Human power had its limit, and this couldn''t be changed by ambition, perseverance, or tenacity.


    Chen Ping''an struggled for a long time, yet he was still unable toplete the first stroke. When his arm trembled for the first time, a mouthful of blood rushed to his throat. He forcefully swallowed the blood, and he could only skip over the character "rain" in helplessness. The character "god" was also an insurmountable gulf, so Chen Ping''an decided to skip this character as well.


    Fortunately, he could still struggle on and just barelyplete the two characters representing "decree". He finally managed toplete the two characters when his breath of True Qi reached its absolute limit.


    Chen Ping''an was already absolutely exhausted after consuming this breath of True Qi. His writing hand that held the Wind and Snow Awl fell limply to his side. He had forcefully summoned the breath of True Qi just then, so his failure toplete the talisman undoubtedly added insult to his injury.


    His blood and qi churned, and apart from the consumption of his heart''s blood that caused him fundamental injuries, countless extremely small beads of blood also seeped out of his body. Beads of blood seeped out from his soul, acupoints, tendons, bones, flesh, and skin before reconverging in somece else.


    The elderly golden flood dragon was enraged for the first time, and it furiously scolded, "Useless piece of trash! I waited for so long, yet you failed to even write the characters ''rain god''?!"


    The flood dragon strode forward and continued, "I''ll give you another chance. Lift your brush and start writing again! Write another talisman!"


    Chen Ping''an dazedly stared at the azure talisman paper in front of him. The situation didn''t be worse.


    However, it didn''t be better either.


    After parting ways on the level of the Great Dao with that Daoist nun from the Divine Edict Sect, Chen Ping''an''s fortune  which had been very good ever since leaving Jewel Small World  seemed to be going downhill again. It was as if he had returned to the unshattered Jewel Small World again.


    This time, he was directly facing death.


    Chen Ping''an looked up and asked, "You want me toplete the Lock shing Talisman this badly? What are you trying to achieve?"


    The elderly golden flood dragon carefully looked the young boy up and down before nodding with a smile and replying, "I naturally want you toplete it. However, it has already be meaningless to talk about these things. You''ve already wasted so much of my time, so I''ll turn your three immortal souls and seven mortal forms into numerous candle wicks in a short time. I''ll have them burn in the depths of the Flood Dragon Trench for hundreds and hundreds of years."


    Chen Ping''an nced at his left arm, his writing arm where he held the Wind and Snow Awl. He then took a deep breath and slowly lifted it up. Blood seeped not only from his left arm, but also from his face and skin. "I''ll definitelyplete these two characters before I die."


    There was a dark look in the elderly golden flood dragon''s eyes, and it chuckled, "You''re a young boy with ambition; I look forward to seeing the results. In fact, I''ll go as far as to personally guard you. Don''t disappoint me again."


    Chen Ping''an cracked a grin.


    He raised his right arm and crudely wiped his eyes, rubbing away the streaks of blood that were blurring his vision. After roughly seeing the nk space on the talisman where the characters "rain god" belonged, he closed his eyes and silently recited in his mind, "Concentrate on the task at hand... Concentrate on the task at hand..."


    In the next instant...


    Chen Ping''an started to write on the azure talisman paper.


    The elderly golden flood dragon sneered and remarked, "Young boy, this isn''t the character ''rain''. Perhaps your wounds are so bad that your brain is damaged as well?"


    Another momentter...


    The smile vanished from the elderly golden flood dragon''s face.


    The talisman paper no longer radiated spiritual light.


    Instead, a wisp of divine light rapidly umted on the talisman.


    Chen Ping''an simply remained in the same posture. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to move, but it was rather that he was unable to move at this moment.


    This Lock shing Talisman was no longer a genuine Lock shing Talisman.


    This was because the characters written on it weren''t "Concentrate on the task at hand, decree of the rain gods."


    Instead, they said, "Concentrate on the task at hand, decree of Lu Chen."


    Decree of Lu Chen!


    Meanwhile, the elderly golden flood dragon was alsopletely unmoving. It was also unable to move.


    Chen Ping''an''s lips moved slightly as he silently experienced the warm divine intent radiating from the talisman paper under his calligraphy brush. His mind was blessed by this fortune, and his voice quivered as he said softly, "I once read this in a book. The sages once said..."


    Chen Ping''an broke into a coughing fit, and it took him a while to finally say the second half of the sentence, "Dragons in the abyss."


    These eight spoken characters appeared to be no inferior to the eight written characters on the talisman paper.


    There were sixteen characters in total, and they were like a sudden thunderbolt smashing into the Flood Dragon Trench. It was as if the Flood Dragon Trench were facing a rain of lightning.


    "Understood!


    "As youmand!"


    Such replies rang out from the depths of the Flood Dragon Trench one after another, endlessly rising and falling.


    Heaven and earth fell silent.


    The dozens of old men in golden robes fused together and returned to a single body. His head was lowered, and his fist was cupped in a respectful salute. However, there was a twisted smile on his face as he spat, "Young boy, you can die before I ept thismand."


    Above the Flood Dragon Trench, a golden sword ray that was as wide as a mountain peak descended from the sky.


    It directly descended toward the young boy''s head.


    There were people who could save him, yet were unwilling to do so. For example, the old woman at the Nascent Soul Tier standing beside the young boy in bamboo clothes.


    There were people who wanted to save him, yet had no option but to shrink back for the sake of the Fan n''s future. For example, Lady Gui.


    There were those who were absolutely helpless, yet it was precisely they who were willing to sacrifice themselves to save the young boy. For example, the old boatman sitting nearby.


    However, there were even more people watching on as if this were nothing more than a show. The situation was already settled, so what did they still need to worry about?


    At this moment, it was as if Chen Ping''an had seen through all worldly emotions and affairs. However, there was neither sadness nor joy on his face.


    A pair of seals slid out from his sleeve. The mountain and water seals hovered above his head.


    After the golden sword ray shattered and dissipated, only the water seal still remained above his head. The mountain seal was no more.


    Above the Great Dao...


    ... a single person walked forward.

 Chapter 265: Senior Brothers Surname Is Zuo

    Chapter 265: Senior Brother''s Surname Is Zuo


    Chen Ping''an had written a few incorrect characters on the Lock shing Talisman. If he had written the correct characters, then perhaps a bright moon would have risen from the sea the instant that the Wind and Snow Awl made contact with the talisman paper again.


    With the incorrect characters, however, it was as if a red sun were rising from the sea. It was asrge as the mouth of a well, yet it didn''t radiate a scorching heat. Instead, it gave off a feeling of warmth and gentleness.


    After Chen Ping''an uttered the words "The sages once said, dragons in the abyss," the red sun seemed to break free from the guidance of the True Qi. It swayed back and forth as it floated down to the surface of the sea. It then slowly sank into the Flood Dragon Trench, no longer causing any peculiar scenes above the surface.


    However, without exception, all of therge creatures lying coiled at the bottom of the Flood Dragon Trench assumed human form. Some became old men and some became old women, and they all left their own dens to stand on the rock walls in the ocean trench. They bowed and paid respects to the talisman.


    These were all elderly flood dragons in golden robes who belonged to the senior generation. Upon seeing this, many young and inexperienced flood dragons and their kin also emted their seniors'' actions, vigorously nodding and paying respects to the talisman.


    These younglings were rtively weak, and some were still unable to assume human form. Thus, they hadn''t participated in the battle against Osmanthus Ind. Some had been forcefully held back and suppressed at the bottom of the sea by their elders.


    Afterward, the senior figures who had lived for heaven knows how many years unleashed some secret technique, using the ancient sound of water to scold the flood dragons and their kin who had attacked Osmanthus Ind. Their words were extremely harsh and severe.


    The young water dragons and sea pythons exchanged nces, and they could all see the confusion, shock, and unwillingness in each other''s eyes. However, the grand elders of their ns had stated that those who failed to return to the Flood Dragon Trench within seven minutes would be expelled from their n and be subject to the torturous punishment of being skinned alive. They would then be forced to float aimlessly on the surface of the sea and be punished by the scorching sun for three entire years. Only if they survived would they have the opportunity to return.


    When following the elderly golden flood dragon to attack Osmanthus Ind just then, they had all received tacit approval from their grand elders. Many of them were young dragons who had suffered at the hands of cultivators in the South Sea and Southern Whirl Continent before, so they yearned to follow that elderly golden flood dragon in the hopes that they could unleash their destructive might in Southern Whirl Continent in the future. They wanted to massacre the disciples of the Pure Confucian Chen n and the Qi refiners who guarded the coast.


    Now, however, their grand elders were ordering them to retreat, and the elderly golden flood dragon didn''t oppose these orders either. Because of this, the young dragons could only leap away from the sky above Osmanthus Ind and dive back into the sea. After swimming back to their homes, they would seek their grand elders out for an exnation.


    It was after all this that the elderly golden flood dragon had unleashed a sword strike at the young boy. He had to obey themand, but he first wanted to kill this young boy who had ruined his hundred-year n.


    Decree of Lu Chen?


    Who was Lu Chen?


    The old flood dragon had naturally heard of this person before. ording to his elders, Lu Chen was a paramount figure, one of the Branch Masters of the Daoist Sect. Before ascending, his favorite pastime had been to ride a small boat around the four seas. It seemed as if he didn''t like staying on drynd.


    There were also rumors about a boatman who had sailed the small boat for Lu Chen. He had only been in his thirties when heading out to sea, yet when he had returned to thend alone after Lu Chen achieved ascension in the North Sea, he had discovered that his hometown and even home nation had long since disappeared. His name had only been recorded on the n genealogical record from 300 years ago. Afterward, the boatman had returned to the sea to search for Lu Chen. Following that, no one ever heard from him again.


    Was the elderly golden flood dragon afraid of Branch Master Lu Chen?


    Of course he was afraid. However, he wasn''t so afraid that he would quake upon hearing Lu Chen''s name.


    This was because he was in the Majestic World, while Lu Chen was in the Heavenly World.


    The loftier one''s status, the more difficult it was for one to visit another world. Moreover, there were manyplicated rules that restricted them, and their each and every move would be monitored by the Confucian sages.


    If Lu Chen desired to personally target him, that would inevitably involve breaking the rules. At that time, the Confucian sages that the elderly golden flood dragon detested with all his heart would instead be the protectors of him and the Flood Dragon Trench. In fact, the person who helped them might even be the ancestor of the Pure Confucian Chen n who carried both the sun and the moon on his shoulders.


    However, not fearing Lu Chen didn''t mean that he would treat this matter carelessly. After all, provoking a sage was foolish, even if the sage was located in a different world.


    The old flood dragon in golden robes sneered in his mind. The person who was born in Majestic World yet was acting as a Daoist Branch Master in another world had truly been given a good name[1].


    As for the troublesome young boy who had summoned the pair of mountain and water seals to block the sword qi?


    The elderly golden flood dragon pursed its lips. Such attacks could beunched once but not twice. Even though he absolutely detested the young boy in front of him, he was already prepared to relent. True victory and defeat wouldn''t be decided in an instant.


    Today''s events went far beyond his expectations, and it was entirely possible that he had already attracted the gazes of the cultivators patrolling the seashore along Southern Whirl Continent. Thus, it would do him well to be prudent. Otherwise, his greater ns would be ruined if he allowed others to take advantage of his mistakes.


    The old flood dragon clicked its tongue in wonder and chuckled, "What a pity for that seal. It managed to block the full power strike of an Unpolished Jade Tier sword immortal, and the value of this treasure isn''t something that a crappy Dragon King Basket canpare to. Young boy, does your heart ache?"


    Chen Ping''an sidestepped the question, replying, "If I have some high-grade snake gall pebbles from Jewel Small World at home, how many will be enough to buy a safe passage for Osmanthus Ind?"


    The old flood dragon in golden robes faltered for a moment before answering, "Are you talking about that Jewel Small World that existed in the sky above Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? To flood dragons like us, top-grade snake gall pebbles with abundant spiritual energy are just as important to us as Dragon ying tforms are to sword cultivators.


    "To flood dragons and their kin below the Nascent Tier, a single top-grade snake gall pebble will be enough to help them safely advance one major tier. Well, let me think... Osmanthus Ind, Lady Gui, the lives of over 2000 Qi refiners... Young boy, you need an entire pile of snake gall pebbles."


    The old man in golden robes extended a hand and raised two fingers, saying, "You need at least twenty snake gall pebbles. Do you have this many?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "I already gave some away, so I no longer have this many snake gall pebbles."


    The young boy stood up with some struggle. The osmanthus tree born from the osmanthus branch had already been annihted by the old flood dragon''s powerful sword qi.


    Chen Ping''an put his Wind and Snow Awl and the lonely water seal away, returning them to his pocket treasure. After receiving a mentalmand from the young boy whose soul was shuddering violently, the flying swords First and Fifteenth rapidly flew out from his body and returned to the Sword Nurturing Gourd. Chen Ping''an didn''t conceal his flying swords this time, especially since the old flood dragon had already seen through them.


    The old man in golden robes squinted his eyes.


    One of the swords in the sword case on the young boy''s back made him feel very threatened.


    A decree of Lu Chen that could turn the tables, a pile of snake gall pebbles from Jewel Small World, a pair of mountain and water seals, a calligraphy brush inscribed with "writing as if assisted by the gods," a Sword Nurturing Gourd of decent quality, and the surname Chen.


    The old flood dragon became increasingly convinced that his decision to relent in a timely manner was a smart decision.


    However, it was a great pity that he hadn''t killed the young boy with a single sword strike just then. That would have been the best oue with the least danger for the future. As for what consequences that would have brought about? He wasn''t afraid of them at all.


    In terms of cultivation base, he didn''t dare be conceited as a pseudo-sage. In terms of backers, however, he genuinely felt like he wouldn''t lose to anyone.


    The old flood dragon looked at the old boatman whose soul was injured, now standing behind the young boy with an alert expression. He smiled and said, "You don''t need to worry. That Lock shing Talisman has an immense background, and my courage is only enough to let me attack a single time."


    The old flood dragon retracted his gaze and turned his attention back to Chen Ping''an. "Since you have snake gall pebbles, why didn''t you say so earlier? That would have prevented this unnecessary battle and saved us from all the hurt feelings."


    "You can''t be serious. Are you serious?" Chen Ping''an retorted.


    A dark expression spread across the old flood dragon''s face.


    "You had a firm grasp on victory back then, and you were all too eager to kill everyone to snatch their treasures. And now you want me to believe that you would have sat down with a young boy to talk business?" the old boatman said with a cold chuckle.


    The old man in golden robes ignored the words of ridicule from the Golden Core Tier boatman. His eyes were firmly fixed on the young boy as he warned, "People who are too smart often tend to die early."


    Chen Ping''an turned around and said, "Old senior, you can return to Osmanthus Ind. I have some things that I want to discuss with this vile beast... I mean, this flood dragon senior one-on-one."


    The old boatman shook his head and replied in a solemn voice, "Staying alive is the biggest source of hope and possibility. Chen Ping''an, you''re still young. When ites to cultivation, it''s difficult to say whether these hardships will lead to fortune or cmity. There''s no need to dwell on it too much..."


    Perhaps this was a false perception, but the old boatman felt like the young boy in front of him was still immersed in the divine intent of that talisman. He was still yet to exit this peculiar state.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and reassured, "Old senior, I know what I''m doing."


    He wanted to raise his arms and cup his fists in gratitude, yet he only managed to raise his right arm. Meanwhile, he waspletely unable to bend his left elbow. Upon realizing this, Chen Ping''an clenched his right hand into a fist and lightly tapped it against his chest. "I''ll invite you for a drink when I return to Osmanthus Ind."


    The old boatman hesitated for a moment, but he eventually nodded in reply and returned to the neighboring small boat. He slowly rowed back to Osmanthus Ind.


    After the old boatman left, Chen Ping''an patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd and summoned First and Fifteenth, having them hover above his shoulders. He then took back the water seal.


    "What, you want to fight to the death with me?" the old man in golden robes chuckled.


    Chen Ping''an grinned and replied, "You just can''t talk reason with some people, because they are unwilling to ept your arguments no matter how good they are. This is unless your fist is powerful enough. The Lock shing Talisman just then was a good example of this. Judging from this, my understanding of this principle is relevant when dealing with beings like you. So me ask you a question first. What rules did you, the Fan n, and Lady Gui agree on? Why did you feel like it was justified to kill over 2000 people?"


    The old flood dragon was slightly irritated, and it replied in a somber voice, "I felt like the rule was unreasonable?"


    It lightly stomped its foot whether consciously or unconsciously, blocking off allmunication with the outside world.


    It then smiled and continued, "Do you have any idea about our situation? Do you know how many of our ancestors died while being forced to migrate and settle down here in Flood Dragon Trench? And during all these years, how many more have died unjust deaths due to the dogshit rules imposed by the Confucian sages?"


    "Perhaps you feel like the Confucian rules are incorrect, but what does this have to do with the rules that <em>you</em> set up and agreed on?" Chen Ping''an retorted. "Taking a step back, even if the sages were genuinely wrong, does that then give you the right tomit wrongs as well? Moreover, if you''re so capable, then why don''t you head over to argue and fight with the Confucian sages? Why take your anger out on Osmanthus Ind?"


    The old flood dragon roared withughter. "Why? Simply to vent my anger. However, this is still far from enough."


    "By the looks of it, the Confucian sages were wrong to spare you. They should have killed you with a single p," Chen Ping''an remarked.


    The old flood dragon wasn''t enraged, and it instead chuckled, "Young boy, why are you going around in circles with me? What are you trying to achieve? Are you trying to brag about your backers? Are you trying to threaten me and inform me that your ancestor or your master will one daye here to cause trouble for me and the Flood Dragon Trench?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "I don''t have rtives, and I... don''t have a master either."


    The old flood dragon suddenly felt a little confused, and it asked, "Are you looking for death?"


    It then nodded and continued, "This is very strange, but I surprisingly believe what you said. Alright, since you don''t have any elders or a master to help you, I now have enough courage to kill you."


    The old flood dragon was indeed a resolute individual, and its golden robes started to flutter even though there was no wind. It extended a hand and summoned a speck of golden light in the sky. The speck of golden light slowly hovered down, leaving a golden thread along its path.


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to this, and he took a step forward and walked to the bow of the small boat. He looked down at the deep seawater, as if he were searching for that Lock shing Talisman.


    His voice was soft as he said, "Lu Chen, I know that you''re observing this ce. I can also guess some of your motives. However, I borrowed your name to push the enemies back, and you also used this opportunity to take advantage of me. In other words, the two of us are even regarding this matter. Even so, can I trouble you with delivering a message to A''Liang,beyond the sky? The culprit behind Chen Ping''an''s death is the South Sea''s Flood Dragon Trench."


    After saying this...


    Chen Ping''an clenched his right hand into a fist and forcefully struck his chest. Before talking to the old boatman just then, he had struck his chest in order to calm his mind such that he could properly say these words to Lu Chen.


    This time, his strike caused his mind''s realm to churn and shudder violently. In fact, even the divine talismanic intent coursing through his body wasprehensively shattered, reverting to the fist intent of the Mountain Shaking Fist. To put things simply, Chen Ping''an was giving Lu Chen no chance to channel a profound Dao power to speak to him.


    Chen Ping''an''s left arm was still limp and unusable, so he unclenched his right hand and reached over his shoulder to grab the sword that he should have delivered to that young girl.


    However, he suddenly let go and grabbed the wine gourd, Jiang Hu, from his waist. He was purely drinking wine this time, and he wasn''t using it as an opportunity to replenish his Qi. He wasn''t using it to hide the presence of First and Fifteenth either. After drinking some wine, Chen Ping''an casually tossed the Sword Nurturing Gourd beside his feet.


    <em>A''Liang, Mr. Qi, Ning Yao, I''m so sorry</em>, he silently said in his mind.


    In the beginning, he had wanted to draw a Lock shing Talisman to give himself the right to hold talks with the elderly golden flood dragon. He had wanted to use all of his snake gall pebbles to buy a safe passage for Osmanthus Ind.


    After arriving at Stctite Mountain, he would have definitely given Ma Zhi, the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator, a few extra grain rain coins.


    Before leaving the ind, he would have asked the Fan n for a geomantic map of Osmanthus Ind as well. After leaving and settling down in Stctite Mountain, he would have secretly used the mountain and water seals given to him by Mr. Qi to lightly stamp the geomantic map.


    Like passingnterns, all of these things shed past in Chen Ping''an''s mind.


    At some unknown time, the extremely thin thread of golden sword qi had already vanished from the sky.


    The elderly golden flood dragon was slightly pale, and it was extremely suspicious of the young boy''s words. It waspletely unwilling to believe the young boy. However, what if he was telling the truth?


    What if?


    It involuntarily turned around to face Stctite Mountain, appearing extremely hesitant as if it wanted to say something.


    In the next moment, a look of delight lit up the old flood dragon''s face. It nodded lightly, and it roared withughter as the golden sword qi reappeared in the sky. However, it wasn''t only a single wisp, but dozens of wisps instead. The wisps of golden sword qi were like ake of slender lotus stems swaying in the sea of clouds.


    Somewhere else, on an upside-down mountain.


    There was a tall and sturdy man dressed in Daoist robes standing on a cliffside and looking into the distance. His gaze reached further than the Flood Dragon Trench that he had casually created, and it reached even further than the steep cliff faces atop which the two statues of deities stood facing each other.


    It extended past the young girl in green who was sitting on the rain god statue''s shoulder and drinking wine, and it reached a sea of clouds amid which stood an elegant man in azure clothes and with a sword by his waist. The elegant man had set off from the shore near Old Dragon City just then, and it wouldn''t be long before he arrived at the Flood Dragon Trench.


    This man had already distanced himself from the human world for many years, and the reason for this was very interesting. The sword qi in his body was far too abundant and dense, so much so that he couldn''t prevent it from leaking into the surroundings no matter how he suppressed it. Thus, everything around him would be disintegrated into dust.


    As a result, this man would only travel to ces with few people  among the sea of clouds, through the Five Lakes and Four Seas, in deep mountains and on steep cliffs, across roughnds filled with miasma...


    There was a fervent look in the eyes of the tall and sturdy Daoist priest. This man was worth fighting against!


    However, he quickly furrowed his brows. On the surface of the sea beneath the swordsman in Confucian robes, there was a man with a in expression rowing a boat with a bamboo pole. The boat was as quick as lightning, and it could cover thousands of meters in an instant. It was surprisingly no slower than the widely-renowned sword immortal in the sky.


    The man with a in expression grumbled, "My teacher said that plotting against Chen Ping''an this time is for his own good. Otherwise, if Chen Ping''an arrived at Stctite Mountain with Qi Jingchun''s mountain seal, he would have suffered many hardships thanks to the short-tempered favorite disciple of Second Uncle. In any case, my master sincerely hopes that Chen Ping''an can find another way to head to Heavenly World. Master is willing to take Chen Ping''an as his final disciple."


    The swordsman with an elegant aura and a handsome appearance didn''t so much as bat an eyelid after hearing this. He simply peered down at the distant Flood Dragon Trench and said, "You''re only an unofficial disciple of Lu Chen, yet you want to fight Little Qi for his junior brother? Alright then, why don''t you eat my sword strike?"


    The man with a in expression didn''t be angry, and he maintained his seemingly innate dullness as he replied, "I won''t fight. I only know how to row my boat."


    If there were seas of clouds in the swordsman''s path, these seas of clouds would be automatically parted with a single sh. After a while, there was a hint of displeasure in his voice as he asked, "Then why are you following me?"


    "To personally exin the situation to Chen Ping''an, lest he misunderstands my master," the boatman with a in expression replied truthfully.


    "But I feel like you''re an absolute eyesore. Whatever shall I do?" the swordsman suddenly said in a serious voice.


    The boatman pondered for a moment before replying, "Then I won''t go anymore."


    Sure enough, the small boat came to a sudden stop.


    The swordsman nodded and remarked, "You''re not a stupid one."


    He then continued forward on the wind, an annoyed expression on his face as he mumbled to himself.


    "Little Qi asked me to be your Dao guardian, but how could I agree? Little Qi became stupid from reading books, but I haven''t suffered such a fate.


    "So, I won''t agree to his request."


    The swordsman''s mood seemed to take a turn for the worse, and he started to fly forward at an even quicker speed. In fact, the air warped behind him, and there was a loud rumble that was much like booming thunder tearing through the sea of clouds.


    When he was about to pass the godly statues of the rain god and the divine general, someone loudly criticized him and prohibited him from impudently flying above the territory of the sect without permission. He needed to take a detour around the sect.


    The swordsman casually lowered his head and took a nce before resting his thumb against the guard of his sword and giving it a gentle push. The sword plummeted toward the sea, yet it immediately turned around and shot upward when it was just several meters from the surface of the sea. The sword flew forth like a ray of light and directly sliced the statue of the divine general into two. Like the radiant sun rising from the east, golden light exploded into the surroundings.


    The sword disappeared with a sh and quickly caught up to its owner, silently returning to its scabbard.


    The swordsman continued forward.


    Speak reason? The swordsman had never been a fan of this. If he was always supposed to speak reason with others, then what was the point of having a sword?


    The swordsman suddenly looked up at somece and said, "Unleashing sword qi in front of me? Do you truly think that you''re A''Liang?"


    The swordsman above the clouds was still 300 to 400 kilometers away from the Flood Dragon Trench, yet he still flicked his wrist and threw a p.


    The entire Osmanthus Ind spun in the air andnded heavily in the sea several kilometers away, shuddering violently. As if being carried by strong winds, it then sailed on the wind and waves and rapidly shot forward, instantly shooting far away from the Flood Dragon Trench.


    The swordsman then lightly snapped his fingers.


    Above the Flood Dragon Trench, it was as if heavenly gates were opening one after another. And from each of these heavenly gates, a waterfall of snow-white sword qi crashed down.


    In the Flood Dragon Trench, the coiled flood dragons and their kin near the surface of the sea were initially unsure about what this snow-white downpour was.


    When they finally came to their senses, however, they had already be skeletons frozen in their final state.


    As for the wisps of golden sword qi summoned by the elderly golden flood dragon, they were like a few dry bushes trying to face off against a flooding from a broken dam. The wisps of golden sword qi were instantly scattered into nothingness.


    One after another, the torrential bursts of sword qi flowed into the Flood Dragon Trench.


    However, the elderly golden flood dragon and Chen Ping''an remained unharmed from the beginning until the end.


    Inside the Flood Dragon Trench, the stifling suppression of the sword qi left countless corpses in its wake.


    The elderly golden flood dragon dazedly stood there, unmoving and with an ashen expression.


    Was this not a "what if?"


    Did this count as a "what if?"


    A swordsman in Confucian robes arrived at the outskirts of the Flood Dragon Trench. He trod on the surface of the sea and slowly walked forward, with his sword qi sweeping over the seawater and causing it to instantly evaporate into mist. As a result, the swordsman was still riding the wind and walking through the air.


    He nced at Chen Ping''an and said without expression, "Little Qi asked me to be your Dao guardian, but I didn''t agree to his request. This is just like how Teacher asked me to protect Little Qi in the beginning. I didn''t agree to that either. You''re free to choose the Great Dao that you walk, so why do you need a Dao guardian?"


    There was slight exasperation on his face, yet there was also the hint of a smile in his eyes. "However, you can be considered half my junior brother, and this rtionship is something that I can''t refute. Moreover, you dare to take responsibility for your own life and death, and you when you decide that it''s time to die, you follow through with that decision. I feel like that is quite good. That is what I like to see, and that is why I came over to see you.


    "Teacher is already so old, and Little Qi wasn''t young either, yet they were both picked on by others. In the end, they only have their own stubbornness to me for this. As for you, however.... You''re still young, so it isn''t right for others to pick on you like this."


    While the swordsman was speaking in a nonchnt manner...


    Rays of snow-white light slowly seeped out from the more than 300 acupoints in the elderly golden flood dragon''s body. Its expression was wicked and its face was twisted in agony, yet the flood dragon whosebat power was equivalent to the Unpolished Jade Tier was unable to make a single sound from the beginning to the end.


    "My sword intent is inferior to A''Liang''s, but my sword techniques are a little better than his."


    The swordsman looked at the young boy called Chen Ping''an. He raised a thumb and pointed at the sky, after which he pointed at himself and chuckled, "Oh, that''s right. My name is Zuo You, and I''m Little Qi''s senior brother...and your senior brother, too."


    1. Lu Chen''s name is written , which can literally be interpreted as "sinkingnd."

 Chapter 266: (1): Wear Away the Eternal Saber in Your Heart

    Chapter 266: (1): Wear Away the Eternal Saber in Your Heart


    On the surface of the sea above the Flood Dragon Trench, Chen Ping''an dazedly stared at the swordsman in azure who was iming to be his senior brother.


    The young boy scrunched his face, and his lips quivered slightly as he lowered his head.


    The swordsman with a strange name[1] huffed and said, "Are you going to cry? Why are you the same as the young Little Qi? No wonder he picked you. Whenever he was unable to get through to others with reason and then he was also unable to defeat them in a fight, he would always hide somewhere and cry. He''d let his tears make the floor wet."


    The swordsman''s voice suddenly became stern as he ordered, "Raise your head!"


    Chen Ping''an dazedly raised his head.


    "Why did you change your mind at the end?" the swordsman interrogated. "Why did you use your fists instead of your sword? Speak loudly and don''t be timid!"


    "My sword skills are too poor, so I didn''t want to embarrass myself. My fist skills are passable, so I had to unleash them to get the weight off my chest!" Chen Ping''an instinctively replied.


    "Ptui! You call this measly martial fist intent passable?"


    There was anger on Zuo You''s face as he turned around to viciously spit on the sea. He didn''t possess Qi Jingchun''s elegant temperament, nor did he possess A''Liang''s amiability. By the looks of it, the sword immortal called Zuo You, the most nonconforming disciple of the Schrly Sage back then, was truly nothing like a schr.


    However, the hidden hint of a smile in the depths of the swordsman''s eyes became increasingly wide. Meanwhile, his expression became cold and indifferent as he raised his arm again and pointed behind himself using his thumb. "We won''t talk about this Flood Dragon Trench, and we''ll simply talk about the godly statue on that ind. I was annoyed that it was in my way, so I hacked it down with a single sh. What do you think about this? Now, turning our attention back to this stinky ditch, I felt like those evil beasts were aplete eyesore. That being the case, I washed the ditch out with my sword qi. What do you think about this?"


    Chen Ping''an replied honestly, saying, "I feel like both actions can be considered very unreasonable."


    However, upon recalling that this person was Mr. Qi''s senior brother, the young boy quickly added, "...right?"


    Zuo You snickered and replied, "What a polite way to put it. You feel like? No, they were <em>absolutely</em> unreasonable!"


    He ced his palm on the hilt of his sword and asked, "As a schr, I''ve put more effort into practicing the sword than reading books. Do you know why this is?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head.


    He had only heard A''Liang and the young Cui Chan briefly mention this person before, with thetter not revealing much information. A''Liang had only described him as the most skilled swordsman among the old schr''s disciples. As for the young Cui Chan, he had gritted his teeth while mentioning his junior brother. One had betrayed his master, while one was nonconforming and prone to departing from the ssics.


    Once fellow disciples of the Schrly Sage, it was as if there now existed irreconcble hatred between them. In the end, "the person with the surname Zuo" had be like an elusive dragon in Chen Ping''an''s mind. He was lofty and difficult to catch.


    This swordsman who, shockingly enough, came from an orthodox Confucian lineage waved his hand. "There''s nothing else for you to worry about here. Make sure to cultivate earnestly in the future, and don''t betray Little Qi''s expectations. If you don''t do well in the future, perhaps I''lle over to cause you trouble."


    Hovering above the Flood Dragon Trench, Zuo You extended a single finger at Chen Ping''an and continued, "Regardless of how powerful you be, I can still deal with you with a single sh."


    To this swordsman, a senior brother lecturing his junior brother was only natural and right.


    In terms of whether he was being reasonable or not? He was toozy to think about this. After all, being a senior brother was already reason enough.


    Right at this moment, the sea of clouds suddenly descended, after which a golden Dao Manifestation that measured 300 meters in height materialized in the air. It was a middle-aged Daoist priest with a fishtail hat. "Are you Swordsman Zuo You, the Schrly Sage''s disciple? I''ve heard many people praise your sword techniques as number one in the world. In fact, you have many admirers even in Stctite Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall."


    The swordsman in azure looked up and asked, "Judging from your tone, you''re unwilling to ept this?"


    The tall and sturdy Daoistughed heartily and replied, "It doesn''t matter to me at all what your sword techniques are ranked. I''m here simply because you rub me up the wrong way. How about it? Why don''t we find a ce to have a hearty fight?"


    Zuo You smiled faintly and replied, "Stinky Daoist priest, you''re inferior in all areas, and only your fortune is better than mine, what with you having the Dao Ancestor''s second disciple as your teacher. My teacher can''tpare, and he only knows how to run his mouth. However, regardless of how my teacher is weaker than your teacher in so many areas, there is one area where he''s stronger. That is, the old schr has me as his disciple. As for you and all of the second disciple''s students, you people are..."


    The swordsman in azure raised a finger high in the air and gently wagged it back and forth. "...No good."


    He didn''t stop there, and he looked up and continued, "For example, what does it matter that you''ve summoned such arge Dao Manifestation? Before my sword, is this not... as fragile as straw?!"


    Before Zuo You finished his sentence...


    Towering waves of more than 300 meters in height suddenly erupted above the sea. At the same time, a majestic burst of sword qi that was even wider than Osmanthus Ind soared into the sky like a column of light, forcefully shattering the giant golden Dao Manifestation in an instant.


    The small boat under Chen Ping''an''s feet was also affected, violently rocking back and forth with the tumultuous waves.


    The young boy turned around to gaze at the formidable burst of snow-white sword qi.


    In the past, he had felt like Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin had already unleashed the pinnacle flying sword strike in the world when shattering the night sky barrier of the female ghost in the bright red wedding dress.


    Now, however, Chen Ping''an realized that he was still too ignorant and ill-informed.


    The golden Dao Manifestation was directly shattered, yet the Daoist priest''s voice was still as deep and full as arge bell as he suggested, "I''m not willing to take any advantage over you. With that young boy present, neither you nor I can fight without restraint. Why don''t we head to the sea area around Wind God Ind? What do you say?"


    At some unknown time, the elderly golden flood dragon with sword qi attacking its more than 300 acupoints had already reached the end of its path. It no longer had the opportunity to prevent its acupoints from exploding.


    As it turned out, the tall and sturdy Daoist priest located tens of thousands of kilometers away had seized the instant of his Dao Manifestation''s destruction to unleash some kind of mystical ability. A jade-white finger reached out from the void and tapped the elderly golden flood dragon on the forehead, causing it to instantly wither and dry.


    At the same time, its heart literally turned into ash. From the inside to the outside, most of his body transformed into plumes of dust and ash, scattering in the wind. All that remained was a golden robe that fluttered and fell slowly to the sea, along with some pseudo-indestructible matters refined by Nascent Soul Tier cultivators.


    Zuo You waspletely indifferent to this.


    He simply waved his hand in a casual manner and tossed the elderly golden flood dragon''s remains into Chen Ping''an''s small boat. "Here, take this junk. You''re on your own for your journey to Stctite Mountain and then to the Sword Qi Great Wall."


    Chen Ping''an bowed and cupped his hands in respect.


    The swordsman nodded and calmly epted the young boy''s gesture of gratitude. Without saying another word, he then rode on the wind and disappeared toward the southwest.


    He then murmured to himself, with his words lingering in the air, "Immortal and undying, carefree through mountains and seas; clouds as food and dew as drink, not eating the five grains; in a different state of being."


    Nobody knew whether Zuo You was speaking to himself or to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an silently sat down in the small boat and ced the three items that Swordsman Zuo You had tossed beside his feet into his flying sword, Fifteenth. The three items included a golden robe, two golden dragon whiskers tangled together, and a jewel asrge as a fist. The jewel was dull and slightly yellow, and this reminded the young boy of the saying "Growing old is like a pearl bing yellow."[2]


    Chen Ping''an looked around at the gradually subsiding wind and waves. He then looked up at the clear sky and bright sun.


    After resting for a moment, Chen Ping''an picked up the bamboo pole engraved with the genuine Lock shing Talisman. He stood up and started to row the boat, chasing after Osmanthus Ind. However, he couldn''t help but feel a little awkward. The ind wouldn''t have gone full speed ahead toward Stctite Mountain, would it? It wouldn''t have abandoned him in the vast sea, right?


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes wide and strained to look into the distance.


    If this were in the past, he would have thought that there was no way Osmanthus Ind would act like this and abandon him in the middle of the sea. Yet, even he was oblivious to his change in mindset.


    The mind was impermanent, and its changes subtle and undetectable.


    The swordsman who had ridden the wind and disappeared in a carefree manner, the swordsman who was unrestrained by heaven and earth, suddenly stopped in somece where Chen Ping''an definitely couldn''t see him. He turned around and looked back.


    What entered his gaze was the young boy from the Great Li Empire. But what appeared in his mind was that person who had already left the world.


    That person had once said that he hadn''t wanted to ask Zuo You to be Chen Ping''an''s Dao guardian either, and that he was aware that Senior Brother would most likely refuse his request anyway. However, he had acknowledged that he, Qi Jingchun, had few friends, so he could only look for Zuo You.


    He could only look for Zuo You!


    The swordsman couldn''t help but feel stifled and aggrieved upon thinking of these nonsensical words. He sat down cross-legged in the sky above the sea, clenching his hands into fists and resting them on his knees.


    His intense sword qi seeped out even more than normal, causing the sea beneath him to violently bubble and churn. However, the rising mist was still unable to near the swordsman.


    Qi refiners in the world were all envious of sword prodigies with astonishing innate aptitude. These prodigies were often referred to as innate sword talents. However, one person had picked up the sword veryte, and he had never been a sword talent. Thus, he had been especially merciless when suddenly shooting to fame in Middle Earth Divine Continent, wantonly taunting his foes.


    He hadn''t suppressed opponents from the same generation, but had instead directly crushed countless older sword cultivators. Stories of his deeds had spread all over the world. Because of his sudden appearance, countless sword prodigies with extraordinary talent had ended up with shattered sword hearts and severed Great Daos.


    In the end, all of the young sword prodigies in Middle Earth Divine Continent couldn''t help but grumble when they were praised as innate sword talents. They felt like this was an insult rather than praise.


    This swordsman was thus named Zuo You, because no one had the ability to stand alongside him when sword techniques were concerned.[3]


    Even though the man was slightly adrift, his eyes were still as bright as always.


    He had gazed at the young boy''s pure and limpid eyes just then, and they had appeared far too simr to that of his stinky junior brother during their youth. Taking advantage of the fact that he was book-smart and liked by their teacher, his junior brother had always possessed sound, infallible logic when talking about sagely principles. When Zuo You had admitted defeat following their debates, he would always add, "Senior Brother, I feel like you aren''t being sincere in your admission of defeat. This is the wrong attitude."


    He had truly been very annoying.


    What Zuo You found most annoying was his teacher bragging about how impressive he was at fighting. Following that, the most annoying thing was Little Qi who could read extremely quickly. The sound of him flipping books and the sound of him expounding reason was incredibly annoying.


    He had only liked it when his teacher twice participated in the grand debate between the three teachings. He had liked his teacher''s temperament and aura of transcending worldly affairs and achieving independence, as well as his aura as he climbed to great heights.


    He had liked it when Qi Jingchun traveled to famous mountains and rivers with him, and how he climbed atop mountains topose poems after drinking wine. At these times, he had felt like no matter how tall a mountain was, no matter how many tens of thousands of meters it soared into the sky, it couldn''t possibly be loftier than this person''s knowledge!


    Even until today  when the old schr already had no path of retreat as he was scattered among heaven and earth, when Little Qi was no longer in the world, and when A''Liang had left Majestic World  the swordsman still felt the same. Regardless of whether it was his teacher or Little Qi, or even A''Liang who was seemingly carefree, they were all living in a very tiring manner.


    This was unlike him.


    This was because he, Zuo You, could never be bothered speaking reason with others.


    If he couldn''t defeat others in a fight, then speaking reason with them would be useless. If he could defeat others in a fight, then what was the point of speaking reason with them?


    Having a sword was enough.


    Zuo You sighed and stood up, continuing his journey to Wind God Ind in the southwest.


    He felt like some words were too dramatic, so he had been "toozy" to say these as well.


    <em>Junior brother, you definitely have to travel around the world and see more of it for Little Qi.</em>


    <em>If you get the opportunity in the future, you should travel to the other worlds and journey all across them too. Little Qi never left Majestic World when he was still alive. However, among the three disciples, he was the one who yearned to travel the most. Yet, in the end, he was the one who stayed in the scripture libraries and schools the most.</em>


    <em>I''m well aware of how many times Little Qi cried. This is because I was always the one who beat him to tears during our youth. I couldn''t help it. I couldn''t win using reason, but he couldn''t win in a fight.</em>


    <em>Young boy, can you imagine what your Mr. Qi looked like when he was crying pitifully?</em>


    The swordsmanughed heartily as he pushed his sword out of its scabbard. Regardless of their size, the dozens of inds nearby were all split into two.


    The mortal world was boring.


    Only fighting could interest Zuo You ever so slightly.


    1. The name Zuo You () literally means left and right.


    2. This means to lose value as one grows older.


    3. This is a version of the idiom , meaning "cannot appear on someone''s right." Traditionally, the one standing on the right is more respected, and the actual meaning of the idiom is that one is unsurpassed (because no one is good enough to stand on their right). Here, this idiom is modified as  so as to contain Zuo You''s name, implying that let alone his right side, no one is even good enough to stand on his left.

 Chapter 266: (2): Wear Away the Eternal Saber in Your Heart

    Chapter 266: (2): Wear Away the Eternal Saber in Your Heart


    Between the small boat hurriedly giving chase and Osmanthus Ind slowly drifting forward, there was a severely wounded old man waiting for Chen Ping''an on the sea.


    Chen Ping''an grinned when he saw the old man. It was the old boatman with powerful mystical abilities.


    The two of them rowed the small boat across the sea and quickly caught up to Osmanthus Ind. After mooring the small boat, they saw Lady Gui standing alone on the dock with a deeply apologetic expression on her face. She looked at Chen Ping''an and said, "I''ll report today''s matters to the Fan n''s ancestral hall. Young Master Chen, I''ll remember your life-saving grace for as long as I live!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled bitterly before shaking his head and replying, "I was simply saving my own skin."


    Lady Gui was rendered speechless. She sighed and walked to the mountain peak of Osmanthus Ind with the old boatman and the young boy.


    The old boatman needed to rest and recuperate, so he bade farewell to Chen Ping''an before returning to his own courtyard. Chen Ping''an and Lady Gui walked to the Guimai courtyard together. Lady Gui hesitated for a moment before exining, "Ma Zhi led the charge when defending Osmanthus Ind just then, so he also suffered some injuries. He won''t be able to practice the sword with you in the near future. He asked me to inform you about this, and he asks for your kind understanding and forgiveness."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "It''s naturally more important for Senior Ma to rest and recuperate."


    There was slight helplessness on Lady Gui''s face as she continued, "Osmanthus Ind is in a delicate state right now, so I truly don''t trust other people entering this courtyard. Even if it''s Jin Su, it still seems inappropriate for her to enter. If you don''t mind, I''ll take over the responsibility of looking after the Guimai courtyard and your daily needs."


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly shook his hands and replied, "There''s no need, there''s no need, it''s fine to keep things the way they were. Delivering three meals a day is enough. If it weren''t for the fact that there''s no kitchen here, I could have actually cooked for myself."


    Lady Gui smiled and bade farewell, saying, "There are still many matters for me to deal with. Make sure to rest well, Young Master Chen. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to call me. There''ll be an osmanthus girl awaiting your orders near the courtyard."


    Chen Ping''an sat down on a stone chair by himself, closing his eyes and resting his mind.


    It wasn''t long before someone knocked on the door. It was the osmanthus girl, and her voice was soft and gentle as she exined, "Young Master Chen, there are two guests from Pure White Continent. Lady Gui said that it''s up to you whether you want to entertain the guests or not."


    Chen Ping''an stood up and walked over to open the door. Apart from the osmanthus girl, there was also a beaming young boy in green as well as a solemn-looking old woman with white hair.


    The young boy didn''t beat around the bush, and he directly said, "Savior, my name is Liu Youzhou, and I''m from the northernmost Pure White Continent. I won''t enter your courtyard to disturb your peace. I''m simply here to thank you in person."


    "Okay," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    The two of them fell silent.


    Curiosity filled the face of the young boy in bamboo clothes as he looked at Chen Ping''an. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was thinking about when this young boy would leave.


    The old woman broke the silence and exined, "The evil flood dragon in golden robesunched two sword strikes at you back then. One of them waspletely unexpected, so I had no way to block it. The other strike was far too powerful, so I couldn''t have blocked it unless I sacrificed my life. However, my task is to protect my young master. So, my Young Master needs to thank you, while I need to apologize to you."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and cupped his fists, replying, "I appreciate it!"


    The old woman nodded, and there was a hint of a smile on her face as she offered, "Thank you for your benevolence, Young Master. If you visit Pure White Continent in the future, you definitely have to pay a visit to our Liu n."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and remained silent.


    The old woman and Young Master Liu thus bade farewell and left.


    The two of them brushed past a young and beautiful girl. When she saw Chen Ping''an, she looked into his eyes and smiled, "So it was you."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly befuddled, but the young girl had already turned around and left.


    Only then did Chen Ping''an turn around and return to his courtyard. However, he suddenly stopped and turned to the uneasy osmanthus girl, saying with a faint smile, "If anyone looks for me after this, can I please trouble you with turning them away?"


    The osmanthus girl nodded vigorously in response.


    For the next two days, Chen Ping''an surprisingly didn''t practice any fist techniques or sword techniques. Instead, he retrieved some books and bamboo slips and bathed in the sunlight as he read them.


    Late at night, Chen Ping''an opened his eyes and climbed out of bed. He walked out of his room and leaped onto the roof, grabbing the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist and starting to drink wine.


    He suddenly turned around, and it wasn''t long before a figure dashed over and sat down beside him. This uninvited guest had two pots of old wine in his hands.


    There was a sincere smile on Chen Ping''an''s face as he asked, "Old Senior, looking for apanion to drink with?"


    This person was none other than the old boatman who had fought against the elderly golden flood dragon without retreating. Heughed heartily and asked, "What''s wrong? Is this old man too slovenly for you?"


    "Of course not," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his hand.


    The old boatman cracked the y seal on a pot of wine, then tilted his head back and taking arge swig. He then fell silent for a long time, and when he finally started speaking, his voice was calm and quiet. "Before that cmity, the passengers on Osmanthus Ind were like a mixed bag of fish and dragons in a pond. However, there was still order amid the chaos, and no party would disturb another.


    "Yet, that cmity was like a bamboo pole mindlessly beating the creatures in the pond, causing it to be murky and chaotic. Your decision to stay in this small courtyard these few days is correct. You can''t be too careful. Even though therge majority of people know that it was you who blocked that evil creature and deterred the entire Flood Dragon Trench, I still have to give you this unsavory warning  asional favors bring gratitude, while constant help breeds grudges."


    The old boatman appeared resigned as he continued, "Not to mention, there are all kinds of cultivators walking on the path of the Great Dao. Quite a few of them can''t stand to witness the sess of others."


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before nodding and concurring, "This is just like how some people can''t stand seeing their neighbors be rich. They''ll be green with envy. This is all the same."


    The old boatman sighed and took arge swig of wine.


    "What actually is Osmanthus Ind? Old Senior, is it alright for you to tell me about this?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The old boatman smiled and replied, "Why would it not be? It''s actually Lady Gui''s true form."


    A look of realization spread across Chen Ping''an''s face.


    The old boatman smiled and asked, "Then have you considered the passengers on Osmanthus Ind? What kind of people are these?"


    "People from the mountains and Qi refiners?" Chen Ping''an answered in an uncertain voice.


    The old boatman shook his head and corrected, "Osmanthus Ind is an intercontinental ferry, so what kind of passengers does such a ferry carry? Business people."


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this. However, he quickly nodded and said, "That makes sense."


    "Wandering north and journeying south, what do business people yearn to obtain?" the old boatman asked.


    Chen Ping''an replied very quickly this time, answering, "Money."


    The old boatman slowly drank a mouthful of wine before asking again, "Obtain money for what?"


    "To spend," Chen Ping''an answered with a smile.


    The old boatman sighed with emotion and remarked, "That''s right. Working hard to earn money is for the sake of spending money to obtain enjoyment. In other words, one has to stay alive to obtain this enjoyment. Just how many Qi refiners and disciples of the Hundred Schools of Thought exist in the world?"


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head, and there was a faint smile on his face as he started to drink wine. He was drinking more and quicker than normal this time, so he eventually decided to lean back and liefortably on the roof. "Old Senior, I''ll tell you something personal, so can you keep this between us? Also, if I say this and if you listen to it, there might be some troublesome issues..."


    The old man crossed his legs and leaned forward, swirling the wine pot in his hands as he did so. There was half a pot of wine left, and the wine loudly sloshed around. The old man smiled and said, "Go ahead and tell me. After all, when you drink, how can you not say some drunken words? What''s the point of drinking wine if you don''t? Young boy, I might look much older than you, but I''m actually missing a nerve and foolishly brave.


    "In any case, I''ve already lived for so many years, and I''ve only held on for so long because I still want to see my master again. Moreover, there are some things that won''t change much whether you talk about them or not. I was standing next to you at the time, so I heard some things loud and clear anyway. And so, I''m here to listen to your drunken stories, aren''t I?"


    Chen Ping''an pointed at the sky and began, "Back then, I met a young Daoist priest in my hometown, and our rtionship was quite good in the beginning. He was none other than that Lu Chen. In the intense battle before, he plotted against me two times. Or perhaps it was three times. However, I''m only certain about two times. One time was when my mind was ''blessed by fortune'' as I struggled to write the characters ''rain god.'' At that time, I decided to take a gamble and write ''Lu Chen'' instead. The second time was when I faced the elderly golden flood dragon alone. Back then..."


    Chen Ping''an ced the Sword Nurturing Gourd on his belly before resting his hands behind his head as a pillow. "That kind of feeling was extremely strange. It was as if I could see and hear the mind''s realm, the mind''ske, and the mind''s voice of every single person. And it was exactly like you said: asional favors bring gratitude, while constant help breeds grudges.


    "At the time, I discovered that eighty or ny percent of the passengers on Osmanthus Ind were either feeling in indifference and numbness or a sense of schadenfreude. In fact, it was as if they wanted to see me die on the spot. Of course, there was also a lot of envy and jealousy...


    "Afterward, I was unable to understand why this was no matter how I thought about it. This was until you enlightened me just now, old senior. This is Osmanthus Ind, and the passengers are all business people. Moreover, everyone wants to stay alive. Thinking back, that makes a lot of sense! After living for all these years, it''s the desire to live on that''s pushed me to where I am today."


    Chen Ping''an grinned. "See, I have a friend, and he''s a very impressive swordsman. Lu Chen plotted against me, so I plotted against him as well. I asked him to deliver my final words to my friend. I gave Lu Chen two options  either abandon his face and pretend that he didn''t hear me, or pinch his nose and deliver my final words to that friend. If he chose thetter option, then my friend would have definitely given him a really good beating. Thinking about that instantly made me feel less fearful of death."


    However, there were some things that Chen Ping''an ultimately didn''t dare to reveal. This was because they pertained to Mr. Qi.


    Mr. Qi had asked him not to lose hope in the world regardless of what he encountered. At that time, however, Chen Ping''an had only felt disappointment toward this world.


    It was very likely that this was Lu Chen''s true objective. As for what this pertained to specifically, Chen Ping''an only had a very fuzzy idea.


    Lying on the roof at this moment, Chen Ping''an finished by saying, "To not lose hope in the world is a very difficult thing..."


    The old man continued to drink wine as he slowly said, "You keep calling the Daoist Branch Master by his name, and you also mentioned a friend who can give him a good beating... Well, I won''t tell you about the shock in my mind. After all, I was also a terrestrial immortal back then, so I still care a little bit about my face. However, since you''ve told your story, I feel inclined to spit out the words umted in my belly as well."


    Chen Ping''an was just about to sit up, but the old man turned around and chuckled, "It''s okay to remain lying down. It''s just some grumblings that no one has listened to for several hundred years. There''s no need to treat it so seriously."


    However, Chen Ping''an still sat up, exining, "It''s hard to drink while lying down."


    The old man smiled and wrapped his arms around his pot of wine. He then gazed at the distant night sky above the sea, where the moon was bright and beautiful.


    "Back then, I was also a prodigy in the eyes of others," the old man recounted slowly. "My temper was very bad, and if you hade across me at the time, perhaps I would have been the type of person to disappoint you. However, my personality right now is quite different from before. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be sitting here and drinking with you.


    "Chen Ping''an, let''s ignore the good and bad of the passengers on Osmanthus Ind first. To borrow your words, every single one of them is certain to have a strong point that we can learn from, seeing that they''ve made it to where they are today. Also, if you do something right, but others fail to do the same thing, this doesn''t necessarily mean that they''re wrong. Simrly, if you do something wrong, and others also do the same thing, this doesn''t necessarily mean that they''re also wrong. This might sound a bit convoluted..."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "I understand!"


    The old man raised a thumb and chuckled, "Of course, you were the most right during the fight back then. Your actions were wless!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled happily.


    To receive approval from someone whom he approved of was something worthy of a drink.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an took arge swig of wine. There was a wide smile on his face as he casually said, "Old senior, you are correct. I shouldn''t use my principles to judge everyone else. Perhaps my principles are correct, but perhaps they''re also incorrect. Or perhaps they''re correct, but not fully correct. It''s also possible that they''re too narrow... Haha, this is also pretty convoluted! Isn''t that right?"


    "Very convoluted," the old man replied in amusement.


    Chen Ping''an pointed into the distance, and the head of the young boy who smelled of alcohol swayed back and forth. By the looks of it, he had genuinely had too much to drink. He didn''t conceal the joy and pride on his face as he chuckled, "Old Senior, I''m acquainted with many extraordinary people. For example, that supremely powerful sword immortal who arrived afterward. I could have referred to him as Senior Brother. I''m also fairly impressive, aren''t I?"


    "Yes, yes, yes, you''re all very impressive," the old man smiled and replied with a nod.


    Chen Ping''an was bleary-eyed as he turned around and semi-consciously asked, "Old Senior, your praise doesn''t seem very sincere?"


    The old man roared withughter. No wonder he could get along with this young boy. They shared the same tastes, and they were both foolishly stubborn.


    The young boy fell back in a drunken stupor, murmuring to himself on the rooftop.


    The old man helped Chen Ping''an put his wine pot away. While doing so, he inadvertently heard a few drunken words from the young boy. He nodded and guarded the young boy for the entire night.


    This was what the young boy had said  "Mr. Qi, I understand now. When ites to not losing hope in the world, one part of it is to stay alive and live well. However, there''s actually another part. When we show goodwill to the world, yet we receive no goodwill in return and even receive hostility, the ability to not lose hope is the most genuine hope in the world. Mr. Qi, I already understand this now. However, I''m not able to do this right now. After having a drink, I''ll try my best starting from tomorrow..."


    In reality, the old boatman was already close to 500 years old. He had seen countless people, and he had also experienced countless things and heard countless remarks. However, he still felt like these words from the young boy were very worth ruminating on. They would pair well with wine, although two pots of wine were not quite enough.


    Inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd, and inside the flying sword Fifteenth...


    There was an elementary Confucian book that the old schr had given to Chen Ping''an. At this moment, the simple characters in the book started to freely swim around.


    In the end,pletely new rows of characters appeared on the title page.


    "Sequential Order. Chapter One: Understanding Order. Chapter Two: Reviewing Magnitude. Chapter Three: Determining Good and Evil. Chapter Four: Unity of Knowledge and Action."


    On the bank of arge river in Southern Whirl Continent, there was arge stone cliff atop which two old men in Confucian robes stood side-by-side. One carried a bright moon on his shoulder, and one held a round sun in his hand.


    The impoverished old schr who was swirling his hand and spinning the small sun in his palm smiled and asked, "Chen Chun''an, what do you think about my final disciple? Is he good?"


    The elegant schr with an exquisite full moon on his shoulder nodded but remained silent.


    The impoverished old schr could only answer his own question, saying, "Good, I think he''s very good."


    "You''re a shameless person anyway, so you can say whatever you want," the elegant schr replied indifferently. "You always say this is good and that is good, but is this truly suitable? Perhaps you''ve already admitted defeat? Perhaps you feel like you''re wrong and my teacher is correct?"


    The impoverished old schr shook his head and chuckled, "Sigh, why are things like this, Chen Chun''an? Hasn''t Chen Ping''an already answered this question for you? You both have the surname Chen, and your abilities are naturally a bit stronger than his for the moment. In terms ofprehension ability, however... Forget about it, let''s not talk about this. If I truly say it, then I''ll immediately lose a friend."


    The elegant schr chuckled coldly and retorted, "I, Chen Chun''an, have never been friends with you."


    There was a look of sincere agreement on the old schr''s face as he nodded and concurred, "Indeed. Not only am I your senior but the gulf between our knowledge is also immense. Just like that old boatman said, I still care a little bit about my face."


    "Get to the point," said Chen Chun''an, the n leader of the Yingyin Chen n.


    The old schr extended his hand and returned the round sun. No longer joking around, his voice was slightly solemn as he said, "I hope you can make your moveter. Theter the better."


    Chen Chun''an epted the round sun and ced it above his shoulder. Now carrying both the radiant sun and moon on his shoulders, the old man calmly replied, "It''s all the same."


    "Schrs... are all the same," the old schr sighed with emotion.


    In the Heavenly World, atop the White Jade Capital that was located in the important central region of the world...


    A young Daoist priest with a lotus flower hat surprisingly had one hand behind his back as he slowly walked along a dangerous jade-white railing and observed his other palm with his head lowered.


    In the corridor next to the railing, there were two Daoist immortals at the Ascension Tier. They respectfully stood there in an attentive manner, and they definitely didn''t dare to make any sound and disturb their branch master''s thoughts.


    The young Daoist priest retracted his hand andmented, "Ahhh, I might as well die and get everything over with."


    He suddenly leaned to the side and directly plummeted into the sea of clouds beside White Jade Capital, just like that.


    The two Ascension Tier immortals remained unmoving and simply exchanged a smile. They were already used to this.

 Chapter 267: Approaching Stalactite Mountain

    Chapter 267: Approaching Stctite Mountain


    When Chen Ping''an woke up on the rooftop, there was a robe draped over his body. His Sword Nurturing Gourd was ced beside him. If this were in the past, Chen Ping''an would have definitely leaped off the roof immediately after waking up from his drunken snooze, especially one that hadsted the entire night. He would have entered his room to make sure that the locust wood sword case was still on the table.


    Today, however, Chen Ping''an slowly removed the robe covering him and carefully folded it up. He was in no hurry, because he trusted that the sword case was still exactly where he had left it.


    Chen Ping''an trusted that old boatman.


    Chen Ping''an tied the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist and sat down cross-legged, turning his head to the east where the iridescent morning clouds were dazzling and beautiful.


    His mental state waspletely different from when he had left the Flood Dragon Trench to pursue Osmanthus Ind. His mind had been restless and erratic back then, but it was calm and stable at this moment.


    Chen Ping''an stood up and shielded the sun with his hand as he enjoyed the brilliant colors of the clouds. He had once read such a line in some travel journal  the scattering colors of iridescent morning clouds put the wardrobe to shame[1]. He truly didn''t know how schrs and literati coulde up with such beautiful imagery.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly turned around to look outside the Guimai courtyard. There was a young girl dressed as an osmanthus girl standing under an osmanthus tree that offered scattered shade. She looked extremely bored, and she looked up and pointed her finger at the osmanthus leaves on a certain branch. She was most likely guessing the number of leaves on the branch. Chen Ping''an followed her gaze and observed the branch for a moment. He then grinned and loudly announced, "Young miss, there are thirty-two leaves!"


    The young girl dazedly turned around, and she flushed bright red when she saw the young sword immortal standing on the rooftop. By the looks of it, the iridescent morning clouds in the sky would also give more favor to beautiful people.


    After her cking was exposed, the osmanthus girl suppressed the embarrassment and shyness in her mind and asked, "Young Master, do you want some breakfast?"


    "Sure thing! Can I trouble you with bringing me a bit more? I''m quite hungry right now," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    The osmanthus girl blinked as she looked at that figure drifting to the ground and suddenly vanishing from sight. Her mood immediately improved.


    Even though the young sword immortal had been very polite, she had still been extremely scared of him. She had felt that he would remember her mistakes, no matter how small. Thus, even though it was almost certain that he wouldn''t report her to Aunt Gui, she had been very afraid of him.


    When Chen Ping''an had asked her to turn away all visitors, she had respected his request and diligently turned away many visiting guests. She had summoned her courage to turn away numerous immortals from the mountains, and she had ended up receiving many supercilious looks and scoldings because of this.


    After eating breakfast, Chen Ping''an started to practice fist techniques in the courtyard. He practiced the Mountain Shaking Fist''s walking meditation for the entire morning, and he started to practice sword techniques by himself in the afternoon. He still practiced without a physical sword, and he simply feigned holding a sword as he focused on practicing the offensive Avnche Technique. Chen Ping''an focused on this sword technique because he felt like it was extremely satisfying.


    After advancing to the fourth tier and having his energy, essence, and spirit be increasingly hidden, his six-step walking meditation now appeared especially light and nimble as if he were a wild goose trodding over snow. However, each subtle but sudden pause would cause his fist intent and astral energy to pour outward in a swift and ferocious manner.


    After starting to practice the sword, Chen Ping''an discovered that the Qi channeling route for fist techniques and sword techniques werepletely different. However, the so-called intent behind them shared things inmon, and this allowed Chen Ping''an to feel increasingly at ease. This was because he came to realize that earnestly practicing fist techniques was indeed a form of cultivation. Moreover, it was a very good form of cultivation.


    Back then, Li Xisheng had stated that drawing talismans was also a form of cultivation while drawing talismans on the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain. After being smashed into the mortal world by a single punch, A''Liang had also stood on the kun ship and told him that upon reaching the pinnacle state, practicing the fist was equivalent to practicing the sword.


    In the past, Chen Ping''an would have feltpletely lost if he were to continue down the fourth tier of martial arts like this. He would have felt like he was walking on empty air. Now, however, he was already feeling much more confident than before.


    Chen Ping''an practiced standing meditation at night.


    When it was time for his midnight snack, Lady Gui didn''t ask the osmanthus girl to deliver the food. Instead, she personally came over with the food and snacks.


    There seemed to be something weighing on Aunt Gui''s mind, yet it was as if she didn''t know where to begin. At this moment, Chen Ping''an had already broken the silence and said, "Aunt Gui, I''ve saved Osmanthus Ind for Little Fan this time, so can you help me deliver a message to him using a flying sword? Tell him that I''m very fond of this Guimai courtyard, so can this courtyard belong to me in the future? Also, I feel like Little Fan won''t be too stingy. However, the elders in the Fan n most likely won''t agree to my request. Can you help me persuade them when the timees?"


    Lady Gui was extremely puzzled by Chen Ping''an''s request. She carefully observed the young boy, yet she found that his expression was seemingly genuine and sincere. She felt a myriad of emotions, and she replied with a smile, "If the ancestral hall of the Fan n dares to disagree, then I''ll drag Little Fan along with me and cry out about the injustice. I''ll scold them loudly, while Little Fan will roll around on the floor. We''ll definitely change their mind."


    Aunt Gui sat beside Chen Ping''an and watched him wolfing down the food. As if amused by her own words, she covered her mouth and giggled, saying, "Giving away an independent courtyard is a rare thing that Osmanthus Ind has never done before. I''ll head off to personally draft a title deed right away. ording to the rules of the government office, we need two copies of this deed. The two of us can sign the deed first, and this way, we can act first and ask for permissionter. Afterward, we can get Little Fan to toss the deed into the ancestral hall and sprint away before they can do anything. Who cares whether those old geezers agree or not."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "Aunt Gui, there''s no need for a title deed. There''s no need to keep such a document between us."


    Aunt Gui gazed at the young boy''s eyes and asked, "You really don''t need one?"


    Chen Ping''an also looked her in the eyes, replying with a nod, "Really."


    Aunt Gui sighed softly before suddenly dragging the young boy over and holding him in an embrace. This woman with an ordinary appearance but a graceful manner smiled and said in a soft and gentle voice, "Even though you''re a simr age to Little Fan, you appeared especially gant when rowing the boat with the bamboo pole back then. And what you''re doing today... <em>Sigh</em>, all women in the world would feel truly touched by your actions."


    Chen Ping''an was still holding his chopsticks, but his body was leaning over a bit like the crooked old willow tree on the bank of the Iron Talisman River. He didn''t think much about this, and he simply felt like Lady Gui was praising him in some way. However, Chen Ping''an genuinely didn''t know what she was praising him for, especially regarding how his actions would touch all women. What was this all about? Was this another metaphor employed by schrs and literati?


    Moreover, Aunt Gui''s manner of disying friendship and kindness was indeed a little inappropriate. Fortunately, there was a huge gulf between their seniority and age, so others most likely wouldn''t think much about this even if they saw the two of them...


    Aunt Gui had already released Chen Ping''an while he was thinking about this, and she smiled faintly as she looked at the young boy who was neither blushing nor having his heart beat faster. The dazed expression in his eyes made him loko rather adorable.


    Aunt Gui squinted her eyes and revealed a rare expression of seductive charm. There was amusement in her voice as she teased, "Oh, as it turns out, you''re also the same as Little Fan. You''re still just a child."


    From the beginning to the end, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel a little awkward. As such, he could only lower his head and eat, also drinking some wine from time to time.


    Aunt Gui smiled as she stood up and left.


    When she arrived at the door, however, she saw the old boatman with an amused smile on his face. He reeked of alcohol, and he swirled his wine pot as he strode into the courtyard. As he walked, he didn''t forget to exim, "Wine is the drink of joy, ridding worries and bringing delight; even toads and rabbits are moved, the shade of osmanthus trees shake."


    An exasperated smile appeared on Lady Gui''s face, but she didn''t think much about this as she calmly walked away, apanied by the shade of osmanthus trees the entire time.


    The old boatman suddenly exited his drunken state, a serious expression on his face as he said, "Chen Ping''an, my master suddenly arrived at Osmanthus Ind, and he''s specifically asked to meet you. He said he has something to tell you. Do you want to meet him? I can only confirm that my master isn''t a bad person. He''s always been kind andpassionate. However, I can''t confirm whether such a good person will decide to do one bad thing. In terms of why he isn''t willing to climb the mountain ande to this small courtyard..."


    The old boatman suddenly appeared to be in a difficult spot, and he continued, "As a disciple, I should logically respect my master and avoid mentioning his name or titles. However, because of the situation right now... Forget about it, I''ll just tell you about this.


    "Master was once the first boatman for Osmanthus Ind. Whether it''s the Dragon Beating Poles or the folded paper carriages, horses, and buildings, all of these were rules created and passed down by my master. However, he quickly disappeared after that, and he only appeared once 500 years ago, taking me as his unofficial disciple. I can tell that... Master misses Lady Gui a little. However, it''s a shame that he somehow annoyed Lady Gui, so she''s prohibited him from ever setting foot on Osmanthus Ind."


    The old boatman suddenly added, "I suspect that Master is the boatman mentioned in the Daoist ssics. He''ll go out to sea for hundreds of years at a time, and he was the boatman for... that person that you mentioned. So, now that he''s here to visit you, all I can do is deliver the message for him. As for whether you meet him or not, that''s something for you to carefully think about."


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before nodding and replying, "I''ll go and meet him. That Lu..."


    The old boatman hurriedly signaled with his eyes and eyebrows, stopping Chen Ping''an from going any further. He lowered his voice and warned, "If you directly mention the names or titles of some people, such as supremely powerful sages, they can detect their names being mentioned. Just think about it. Why do ordinary people always warn others not to directly mention the names of deceased elders? Is this simply due to etiquette? No, it''s not that simple."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding. He then descended the mountain with the old boatman.


    "Aren''t you afraid that I have ulterior motives?" the old boatman asked in a joking manner.


    Chen Ping''an purposely put on an air of mystery as he replied in a soft voice, "I can also detect it when others are trying to harm me. Say, old senior, does this mean that I have the potential of a sage?"


    The old man couldn''t help but chuckle. In reality, sages and Qi refiners at the Upper Five Tiers were two different categories of people. If one wanted to be a sage, especially one of the three teachings, that would be incredibly difficult. In fact, even bing a 10th tier sage was likely more difficult than a Qi refiner advancing to the Unpolished Jade Tier.


    Chen Ping''an and the old boatman walked down the mountain and approached the familiar dock. When they arrived, they were both a little surprised by what they saw. However, they also felt like this waspletely reasonable.


    Her clothes billowing and her appearance transcendent, Lady Gui was standing at the dock and seemingly preventing a middle-aged man from mooring his boat and entering the ind.


    Lady Gui was the owner of Osmanthus Ind, this small world, so she naturally noticed the arrival of Chen Ping''an and the old boatman. She was unwilling to face the middle-aged man''s pestering any longer, so her voice became quick and stern as she angrily scolded the in-looking man, saying, "Hurry up and leave! If you want to chat with someone, then go and chat on the sea! Don''t even dream about setting foot on Osmanthus Ind! Otherwise, I''ll fight you to the death!"


    The rustic-looking middle-aged man was none other than the boatman who had rowed his boat beneath Zuo You the other day. He was most likely the respected master of the old boatman standing beside Chen Ping''an as well.


    The middle-aged man was actually an extremely taciturn person, yet Lady Gui who was standing on the dock was his greatest weakness. Upon seeing her harshness  in fact, this was the first time she had been so angry with him  the simple and honest middle-aged man felt as if his entire world were copsing. It was as if the entire world had be dull and lusterless.


    He became extremely anxious, and he tossed his bamboo pole aside and stomped his feet as he wailed, "Why? Oh, why? What did I do wrong? After you rejected me that time, I was feeling extremely hurt, so I drank some wine and ended up drunk. This gave a timid person like me some courage, so I secretly ran over to hug that osmanthus tree a few times. I truly couldn''t help myself! This is surely justifiable and excusable... Just what kind of person am I? Are you not aware of this? Even my master says that I''m honest and good-natured!"


    Lady Gui was incensed, and she chuckled coldly and huffed. "Oh my, your arguments and excuses are all so well linked together! Appealing to emotion, then appealing to reason, and finally appealing to authority. How impressive! Who taught you this strategy?"


    It had taken the middle-aged man much effort to muster his courage, yet he instantly deted like a balloon upon hearing this. His voice was low and dejected as he replied, "Divine Edict Sect''s Little Qi..."


    Lady Gui pointed at him and raged, "As a grown man, do you still have any sense of responsibility and loyalty?! Qi Zhen helped youe up with a n, yet you''re going to sell him out just like this? Without even a shred of hesitation?! Scram!"


    The middle-aged man copsed to his small boat as if he had been struck by lightning. His arms and legs iled around as he wailed, "I can''t live anymore! There''s nothing in the world to live for anymore!"


    The old boatman stopped in his tracks and refused to take another step forward. He covered his face with a hand, and he refused to look at his master in his current state. The deranged behavior of his master truly brought great humiliation to him, his disciple.


    The old boatman suddenly turned around and said, "Let''s go, let''s head somewhere else. If I stay here, then my fractured Dao Heart that wasn''t shattered by the old flood dragon will be shattered by my own master."


    However, the middle-aged man turned to the old boatman and shouted, "Little Water Bucket, aren''t you going to greet your master?"


    After hearing the nickname from his childhood exposed, the old boatman stopped and sighed, then turned around. However, he stubbornly refused to make eye contact with his master. After speedily bowing and cupping his hands in respect, he muttered, "I wish you a long life, Master. I will respectfully take my leave now."


    He then hurriedly ran away and returned to the mountain.


    Chen Ping''an continued forward and arrived beside Lady Gui. They greeted each other with a nod and a smile, and Chen Ping''an squatted down beside the water and looked at the middle-aged man ncing at him and Lady Gui. The middle-aged man''s gaze made his hairs stand on end.


    There was something wrong with his expression! Why was his expression so simr to those women in y Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley, especially when those women nced between their husbands and Gu Can''s mother? However, Chen Ping''an quickly came to a realization. This middle-aged man looked like a fairly honest person, so why was he so narrow-minded and petty? No wonder Lady Gui didn''t like him.


    "Are you looking for me?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The middle-aged man roughly repeated to him what he had said to Zuo You not long ago.


    Before going any further, the middle-aged man stomped his foot and caused his bamboo pole to jump high into the air. After grabbing it, he forcefully drove it into the nks of the small boat. Using his astounding mystical powers, the middle-aged man instantly created two temporary small worlds. The smaller one enveloped him and Chen Ping''an, while therger directly enveloped the entire Osmanthus Ind. In this way, even the powerful Daoist priests from Stctite Mountain and the profound sages from Southern Whirl Continent most likely wouldn''t be able to eavesdrop on their conversation.


    He was Branch Master Lu Chen''s unofficial disciple, after all.


    This person was unwilling to face Zuo You''s sword, he was almost like a scoundrel in front of Lady Gui, and he was only remembered as a boatman in some umon ssic in Majestic World. However, this didn''t mean that he was weak, and this didn''t mean that his Dao power was low.


    Lady Gui was aware of his identity and background, so she wasn''t surprised by his actions. In the small world beside her, the figures of the two people were hazy, and their voices were alsopletely insted.


    After listening to the middle-aged man''s words, Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Okay."


    "You aren''t willing to be my master''s final disciple?" the middle-aged man asked slowly. "If you agree, I''ll thank you and I''ll also owe you a favor."


    Chen Ping''an looked at the middle-aged man, and decided to sit down on the edge of the dock and grab the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist. He simply drank and didn''t say anything.


    The middle-aged man held his bamboo pole against the ground with one hand as he gazed up at the sky and said in a soft voice, "Master has never viewed me as his disciple before; I''m nothing more than a servant who rowed a boat for him back then. Even though his direct disciples all sought me out when they came to travel around this world, and they were willing to refer to me as Senior Brother, I''m well aware of the fact that Master has always disliked my dull-wittedness andck of talent. Not only that, but I''m even unable to free myself from the notion of affection.


    "Thus, I searched the vast seas for countless years, hoping to follow in Master''s footsteps and head to that Heavenly World. I wanted to be an official disciple and study under his tutge. Yet, Master is unwilling to see me. However, if you''re willing to ept his proposal today, then he will definitely see me if he''s in a good mood. I''m certain of this."


    Chen Ping''an smiledzily and replied, "Then do you know this? The disciple that your master wants is the one I am now, not the one I will be if I be his disciple."


    The middle-aged man reached up and lightly smacked his head. However, he was still unable to make heads or tails of the young boy''s reply. He appeared especially annoyed as he grumbled, "You''vepletely confused me. Say, why do teachers and students like you all speak in such a strange and confusing manner? How irritating. Even Xie Shi from Complete Reed Continent speaks in such a sophisticated manner. In fact, he hides his curses amid words of praise. Because of this, I was only able toe to my senses after a hundred years. I realized that he was actually disparaging me and calling me stupid, saying that this is the reason why Lady Gui doesn''t like me."


    The middle-aged man sighed and continued, "But this is still my own fault. It''s my fault for being stupid. I can''t me other people for being too smart."


    Chen Ping''an stopped drinking and asked with a smile, "Why don''t you me the world?"


    The middle-aged man was standing on his small boat, and the young boy was sitting on the edge of the dock.


    Their gazes were coincidentally level.


    The middle-aged man cracked a grin.


    However, Chen Ping''an had already changed the topic, saying, "Your disciple is so gravely wounded, so aren''t you going to help him? If I''m not wrong, he already managed to reach the Nascent Tier before. However, he fell back to the Golden Core Tier afterward..."


    "I''m his master, not his father," the middle-aged man huffed. "He''s already 500 years old, so does he still need me to feed him and wipe his ass?"


    Chen Ping''an put his Sword Nurturing Gourd away. He then raised a finger on his left hand and held it in the air. Afterward, he raised a finger on his right hand and moved it away from his left hand. It was as if there was an invisible ruler between his two fingers. "The principles that I speak of are on this side, while the principles that you speak of are on that side. Both seem reasonable, but your principles are, in fact, unable to refute my principles. Do you know why? Because your principles shouldn''t have gone so far in a single step."


    Chen Ping''an''s right hand slowly moved toward his left hand. He made a tapping motion halfway, and he made one more tapping motion with each hand. He smiled faintly and continued, "If your principle is only around here, then perhaps it needs to stand here to be genuinely reasonable. It can move slightly to the left or slightly to the right... However, when your principle reaches the correct spot, how can you measure the importance of said principle? Do you know about Fortellers? Not the type pertaining to the study of yin and yang, but the type pertaining to the divination of destiny. Along with Legalism, there are now two smaller rulers that you can use..."


    "Don''t try to ruin my Great Dao!" the middle-aged man interjected calmly.


    He forcefully thumped his bamboo pole against the wooden nks of the small boat again.


    There was a dazzling smile on Chen Ping''an''s face.


    This was because he was correct again.


    Chen Ping''an stood up with a smile, not acting mystical or pulling theories out of thin air anymore. Last night, he had a dream. In his dream, he read for an entire night. That was a hazy and mystical experience.


    Seemingly realizing that he had been toyed with, a slightly irritated expression appeared on the middle-aged man''s face. He scratched his head, but he didn''t take his anger out on the young boy.


    Chen Ping''an winked and said, "Lady Gui is still watching us. What impression will she have of you if she sees you treating your own disciple like this? Isn''t that right?"


    The middle-aged man instantly came to a realization. His eyes lit up, and he hesitated for a moment before retrieving a golden book that was strung together using a simple straw rope. "It took me a great deal of effort to retrieve these texts from the bottom of the sea. Here, give them to Little Water Bucket. Remember, you definitely have to hand them to him in front of Lady Gui, okay? Can you do this?"


    "Of course!" Chen Ping''an replied with a nod. "I can even put in some good words for you if you want."


    "Then I won''t hold a grudge against you for toying with me just now," the middle-aged man said with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an epted the golden book and carefully ced it in his sleeve. He didn''t so much as take a nce at it. He looked at Lady Gui who was seemingly nearby but was actually beyond their small world, and she was currently gazing at the bright moon above the sea with a slightly adrift expression.


    Chen Ping''an retracted his gaze, and he was a little curious as he asked in a soft voice, "You are a man of great seniority, and you''ve already lived for so many years, so why are you still so stubbornly in love with Lady Gui? Moreover, you''re clearly aware that the notion of affection is an obstacle to your Great Dao, so why does it seem like you''re actually enjoying this?"


    This struck a sensitive chord, and the middle-aged man snapped, "That''s none of your business!"


    Chen Ping''an paced back and forth along the shore with his wine gourd in hand.


    "Lady Gui can''t hear our conversation, right?" he asked.


    The middle-aged man nodded in response.


    However, Chen Ping''an still lowered his voice as he said, "Lady Gui''s disposition is naturally top-notch. In terms of her appearance, however... It can''t be considered too... outstanding, right? What''s the story between you two? Care to tell? Why did you fall for her, and why does she dislike you? What can be considered liking a person, and how do separation and reunion work? How did you anger Lady Gui? I need to take this as a warning...uh, I meant to say that I''ll help youe up with a n! You might not know this, but I''m actually acquainted with many girls. I''m extremely knowledgeable when ites to rtionships and romance!"


    The middle-aged man rolled his eyes and replied, "If there are so many specific reasons for liking a person, then what kind of crappy affection is that? Speaking to a vulgar person like you is so boring. Little Water Bucket must be blind to drink with someone like you."


    Chen Ping''an grimaced.


    The middle-aged man suddenly reached up and thumped his chest, saying with confidence, "Also, in my eyes and mind, Lady Gui is a breathtaking beauty with no equal! She''s the most beautiful person in the world. Be careful of what you say in the future, little brat. If you dare to say another bad word about her, then I''ll smack you stupid with my bamboo pole! "


    He angrily spat at Chen Ping''an and scolded, "What kind of crappy tastes do you have? You''repletely unable to differentiate between beautiful and ugly!"


    The middle-aged man spun his boat around using his bamboo pole. He then rowed away by himself, traveling hundreds upon thousands of meters in an instant.


    Chen Ping''an patted his chest and happily called out to Aunt Gui. "Let''s go, I managed to obtain a secret text for the old senior from his master."


    He didn''t forget to put in some good words for the middle-aged man, going as far as to offer two sentences of praise. "He''s a magnanimous and genuine person. However, he''s a bit too honest."


    Lady Gui nodded with a wide smile, saying, "Mhm, but his appearance can''t be considered too outstanding."


    Chen Ping''an gulped upon hearing this, with his neck stiff as he turned around to search for the man and boat that had already disappeared into the distance. That middle-aged man was truly disloyal...


    Lady Gui lightly smacked the young boy''s head, and it was clear that she wasn''t genuinely angry with him. "What are you looking at? Let''s go," she said in a gentle voice.


    The two of them walked along the mountain path together, and Lady Gui casually asked, "We''ll arrive at our destination in one month. Chen Ping''an, do you have any acquaintances at Stctite Mountain? If you don''t, then it will be a little troublesome if you want to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall. The reputation of the Fan n and Osmanthus Ind doesn''t hold much weight there. Moreover, when you arrive at Stctite Mountain, there are some things that even money can''t solve. That''s because..."


    Lady Gui paused for a moment before continuing in an exasperated voice, "That''s because the Dao Ancestor''s second disciple created some strange rules that have never been broken, not once in tens of thousands of years."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly skeptical, and he challenged, "Never? Not by a single person?"


    Lady Gui sighed and replied, "Many people have tried in the past. However, their corpses and souls were all tossed into a smallke of lightning in Stctite Mountain by some Daoist Heavenly Lord. Almost all of the victims were top-notch cultivation prodigies, descendants from powerful ns in the nine continents, disciples of immortal sects, or impressive figures from the Hundred Schools of Thought... However, none of them came to a good end. No one can change that Daoist priest''s decision."


    When that golden Dao Manifestation had appeared near the Flood Dragon Trench before, the Daoist priest''s true body that was far away in Stctite Mountain had also used a mystical ability to iste heaven and earth, preventing Osmanthus Ind from seeing his true form.


    Chen Ping''an was filled with worry as he roughly described the Daoist priest''s appearance.


    "How did you be familiar with this Great Heavenly Lord from Stctite Mountain?" Lady Gui asked in astonishment.


    Chen Ping''an grimaced and smiled bitterly.


    Right at this moment, a streak of white light cut through the night sky and passed over Osmanthus Ind, announcing, "All passengers on Osmanthus Ind are exempt from paying the toll when entering Stctite Mountain. If anyone wants to travel to the Sword Qi Great Wall through Stctite Mountain, they''ll also be exempt from paying the toll."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly raised his arms and clenched his fists, eximing with joyfulughter, "He won!"


    One monthter, the passengers on Osmanthus Ind could already see the majestic silhouette of the hovering Stctite Mountain in the distance.


    Moreover, every so often, they woulde across other intercontinental ships that were also impressive in size and spectacr in appearance.


    As time passed, Stctite Mountain also drew closer, making it appear increasingly lofty and majestic.


    After getting Lady Gui''s approval, Chen Ping''an woke up before sunrise and secretly left the Guimai courtyard. Afterward, he sat on a tall branch of the osmanthus tree located on the mountain peak, swinging his legs as he craned his neck and looked up.


    He heard other people say that Stctite Mountain was the border pass between two worlds.


    However, Chen Ping''an was a pure martial artist at the fourth tier, and he wasn''t a grandmaster at the Far Roaming Tier who could soar through the air. As such, he could only take an intercontinental ship or take things one step at a time.


    There was already such a great distance between the northernmost Great Li Empire and the southern Old Dragon City. If someone wanted to travel from one world to another world, the distance between the two would be even more immense.


    Sitting on the tall branch, Chen Ping''an smiled as he casually threw punches, causing him to sway left and right.


    Beneath the tree, a young girl had arrived atop the mountain peak very early in the morning. She sighed and murmured, "I still feel like this boy is an absolute idiot."


    1. A line from Shen Quanqi''s . Shen Quanqi was a Chinese poet and government official active during the Tang dynasty.

 Chapter 268: A Myriad of Complicated Matters in the World

    Chapter 268: A Myriad of Complicated Matters in the World


    There was arge mountain hanging upside down somewhere in the world.


    The peak of the mountain pointed at the South Sea.


    Chen Ping''an sat on the branch of the ancestor osmanthus tree and dazedly gazed at this stunning scene. Ning Yao had set off from here to journey across Majestic World.


    He had heard that Southern Whirl Continent was the closest continent to Stctite Mountain, so would Liu Xianyange here to take a look in the future?


    Osmanthus Ind still needed to travel for approximately half a day before it would truly enter the territory of Stctite Mountain. All kinds of ships came and went around them, and there were giant turtles with stone tablets on their backs, ms with crystalline and translucent shells drifting on the sea, kun ships that were evenrger than that owned by Ceremony Mountain slowly descending, a collection of iridescent clouds bringing with them countless oriental magpies, rows of immortal cranes and azure birds tugging along a tall building, and so on. Osmanthus Ind didn''t seem the least bit out of ce among them.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly turned around and looked down.


    He saw that young girl again, her figure lithe, her appearance beautiful, a pearl hairpin in her hair, a dress on her body, and a colorful ribbon around her waist...


    However, Chen Ping''an''s skin was crawling, and he felt extremely uneasy. In fact, this feeling was even more intense and direct than when he had seen Liu Chicheng dressed in pink Daoist robes in front of the rundown temple back then.


    This was because Chen Ping''an could see this beautiful girl''s Adam''s apple.


    He didn''t detest this, but he was indeed very unustomed to it.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly scratched his head and stared directly at the man who liked to dress like a woman. The uneasiness in his heart vanished, transforming instead into a hint of nostalgia.


    Back when he was an apprentice in the dragon kiln, Chen Ping''an had been acquainted with a man whom others always ridiculed as a sissy. That man was timid, and he had walked in a very feminine manner. When speaking, he had also liked to throw flirtatious nces and make orchid-shaped fingers.


    In the dragon kiln managed by Old Man Yao, this man had naturally faced the most discrimination. If he finally saved enough money to buy a pair of new shoes, it was guaranteed that they would be stepped on and dirtied by the other kiln workers on the same day. However, he wouldn''t dare to say anything, and he would simply suffer in silence.


    Logically speaking, both he and Chen Ping''an should have sympathized with each other, given that Chen Ping''an was also discriminated against in the dragon kiln. Strangely, however, the man who always sobbed and cried would immediately be very brave in front of Chen Ping''an. He would always taunt Chen Ping''an and speak to the young boy in a very unpleasant manner. However, Chen Ping''an had never paid any heed to him.


    On quite a few asions, the man had been caught by Liu Xianyang, Old Man Yao''s official disciple, while taunting Chen Ping''an. Liu Xianyang had directly pped him and sent him spinning on the spot, causing him to immediately shut up and behave.


    Afterward, the man would secretly bring some snacks and desserts to Liu Xianyang''s room, wrapping them up in a manner even more exquisite than shop attendants. He had most likely been apologizing to  and perhaps sucking up to  Liu Xianyang, someone who was destined to be the future manager of the dragon kiln.


    The paper cuttings decorating the windows in the dragon kiln had also been made by him. He had endured manyte nights by himself to create these, and even the women in the streets and alleys would feel that their works were inferior. If this person were genuinely a woman, just how brilliant would his needlework be?


    Chen Ping''an had naturally detested the barb-tongued sissy back then. However, he had also been afraid of severely wounding the man in a single punch if he were unable to hold back. At that time, the young boy had already traversed all of the mountains and rivers surrounding the small town with Old Man Yao. Chopping wood and burning charcoal had also be extremely familiar tasks. Not only that, but he had also practiced breathing techniques taught to him by Old Man Yang since very early on. As such, his strength had already been equivalent to, if not greater than, strong young men.


    In the end, the feminine man had made a huge mistake when guarding the night one time. He had unexpectedly extinguished the mes in a dragon kiln. Terrified by this, he had fled during the night. Having some smarts, he hadn''t dared to run toward the small town, and he had instead fled deep into the mountains and forests.


    If such grave mistakes weremitted in some shop in the market, it would be a mistake severe enough to warrant death. Upon learning of this, Old Man Yao had immediately sent dozens of strong young men after that bastard with a dark expression. Chen Ping''an, who was extremely familiar with the mountain paths, was naturally part of the group.


    Two dayster, the feminine man had been tied up and marched back to the dragon kiln. Old Man Yao had then immediately broken his hands and legs, beating him so severely that his flesh had been mangled and his bones had been revealed.


    The group of men who had found him was the group that he always ttered the most.


    No one had felt any sympathy for this feminine man who had caused such a huge disaster. Even if they had, they wouldn''t have dared to show it on their faces. After all, Old Man Yao had almost never been this angry before.


    Before having his arms and legs broken, the feminine man had already wet his pants in fright. Afterward, he had shaken uncontrobly upon being forced to lie on the ground. When the beating started, he had screamed hysterically with tears and snot streaming down his face.


    As the beating continued, the feminine man had been like a fish being cut alive on a chopping board. The feminine man was indeed a sissy, after all, and he had never shown an ounce of manliness and backbone from the beginning to the end, all the way until he finally fainted.


    In the end, the feminine man had surprisingly survived the merciless beating. He had stubbornly lived on,ying on a sickbed for almost half a year to recuperate.


    During this time, many apprentices in the dragon kiln had taken turns looking after him, with Chen Ping''an naturally being no exception. However, many people had been dissatisfied with this difficult task, so they had sought out Chen Ping''an and asked him to take their ce, what with Chen Ping''an being the most agreeable person in the dragon kiln.


    In the end, it was actually the young boy whom the feminine man disliked the most who had wound up looking after him the most. The two of them had refused to engage in any conversation with each other, highlighting the mutual dislike between them.


    Chen Ping''an had simply gathered ingredients and cooked medicine for him every day, while the feminine man had asionally be adrift and dazedly stared at the old paper cutting on the window that was losing their color after being punished by the wind and rain. Perhaps he had been dreaming of a day when he could finally leave the bed again. At that time, he would definitely find some spare time between work to rece this paper cutting with a beautiful and brand new paper cutting that was a brilliant red color.


    However, the bedridden feminine man who had survived his severe beating and gritted his teeth to return from the brink of death had still ultimately died.


    He had been killed by a singlement.


    That had been a casualment by a kiln worker. Chen Ping''an had been cooking medicine by the door at that time, with his back facing the kiln worker and the feminine man. The former had chuckled and remarked that during the day of the beating when the feminine man''s clothes were torn to shreds, his pale bottom had truly looked like that of a woman.


    Chen Ping''an hadn''t felt like thisment was extremely inappropriate.


    After all, the men in the dragon kiln had taunted the feminine man with much more viciousments than this before. Moreover, the feminine man had almost never argued with other people, most likely because he didn''t dare to. Indeed, the most he would do was probably curse them behind their back, saying something like, "You dare to taunt me? Do you want me to blow up the graves of your ancestors?"


    However, it was after hearing this seemingly mundanement that the feminine man  who could already sit up by himself  had surprisingly chatted a lot with Chen Ping''an on that day. It had mostly been him speaking, while the taciturn young boy had quietly listened. When talking about paper cutting, Chen Ping''an had sincerely praised his skills and remarked on the beauty of his work. The feminine man had smiled upon hearing this.


    On that night, the feminine man whose courage was even tinier than that of a needle''s eye had unexpectedly used a pair of scissors to stab himself in the throat. Not only that, but he hadn''t forgotten to cover himself with a nket, preventing those who entered his room from immediately seeing his final posture of death.


    In fact, no one had dared to collect his corpse and bring it out of the room. Truly, the scene was far too inauspicious.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an was already ustomed to death befalling those around him, so he hadn''t paid much heed to the inauspicious nature of the situation. In the end, he had dragged Liu Xianyang around with him and busily sorted out the mess. He hadn''t felt especially sad during this time, nor had he obtained any kind of enlightenment.


    Only when wake-keeping had Chen Ping''an sat by himself in an empty and eerie mourning hall. He hadn''t felt any fear, and he had sat beside the stove and murmured, "Since you didn''t like being a man in this life, then you should reincarnate into a woman in your next life."


    In fact, during their idle chatter on that fateful day, the feminine man had asked Chen Ping''an why he had let him go even though he had been the first one to find him. Not only that, but the young boy had even pointed out a small path leading deeper into the mountains.


    Chen Ping''an had replied that he was afraid of Old Man Yao beating the feminine man to death if he were caught. At that time, with the feminine man''s sesame-sized courage, he would only dare to exact revenge on him and not anyone else.


    The feminine man had smiled very happily upon hearing this.


    Thinking back to it now, the feminine man''s smile had, in fact, been fairly ugly.


    However, the young boy genuinely didn''t feel any disgust toward it.


    The lithe and radiantly beautiful "young girl" standing under the osmanthus tree was already seething with rage. To have someone so boldly stare at her  or more precisely, him  like this... If he weren''t afraid of damaging the osmanthus tree and causing unnecessary trouble, he would have immediately summoned his two bonded flying swords to stab this lecherous bastard to death.


    Chen Ping''an came to his senses and also realized his unintentional act of rudeness. He cupped his fists and said apologetically, "I''m sorry, I was a bit distracted just then."


    The young man narrowed his peach blossom eyes seemingly filled with the colors and radiance of spring. He then brought his index finger and middle finger together and made a stabbing motion at Chen Ping''an before wagging them slightly back and forth. His action was as provocative as could be.


    Instead of keeping his head turned, Chen Ping''an decided to directly turn his entire body around. He patted the empty space beside him on the tall branch and chuckled, "As an apology, I''ll allow you to sit here and enjoy the view of Stctite Mountain on Lady Gui''s behalf."


    The young man sped his hands behind his back and looked up with his face delicate and tender as the spring breeze. He smiled and asked, "Do you like men? Or do you like both men and women as long as they''re beautiful enough?"


    Chen Ping''an could feel a headache forming, and he vigorously shook his head to express his innocence.


    He naturally liked females only.


    In fact, he only liked a single girl.


    Standing under the osmanthus tree, two wisps of sword qi materialized near the sped hands of the young man, one gold and one silver. They were extremely subtle and almost invisible to the naked eye.


    It was clear that he was going to use his flying swords to kill if a disagreement arose between them.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before smiling and saying, "Saying this might anger you even more, but you look very good in this kind of outfit."


    Chen Pingan rested his hands on the branch and added with limpid eyes, "I say this from the bottom of my heart."


    The young man cross-dressing as a woman furrowed his brows.


    He silently walked away. However, he didn''t leave the mountain peak, and he simply walked near the railing of the observation deck and gazed into the distance.


    Chen Ping''an leaped down from the tall branch and shouted at the young man whose back was facing him, "I''m leaving now! If you want to enjoy the view from the top of the osmanthus tree, then it''s best that you seize this opportunity when there are fewer people. Otherwise, Lady Gui might be unhappy."


    The young man didn''t respond.


    Only when Chen Ping''an was far away did he turn around to nce at the osmanthus tree. After hesitating for a long time, he eventually decided against climbing up the tree to gaze at Stctite Mountain from a higher vantage point.


    As for the two wisps of sword qi, he had already retracted them into the colorful ribbon around his waist a long time ago.


    In fact, those two wisps of sword qi weren''t sword qi at all. Rather, they were seemingly unremarkable flying swords that were actually extremely high-grade bonded flying swords. Their names were Needle Tip and Wheat Awn.


    He had been born with them.


    He was a genuine innate sword talent.


    Moreover, to be born with two bonded flying swords was a chance smaller than one in ten thousand for sword cultivators. The keyword wasn''t "one", but "smaller."


    Most importantly, the quality of his flying swords was absolutely terrifying. Thus, his master had stated that his aptitude would definitely allow him to reach the Upper Five Tiers. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have taken him as a disciple.


    As for exactly how many years it would take him to advance to the Unpolished Jade Tier, his master hadn''t made any mention of this, and he hadn''t asked about it either. He had no interest in learning about this. Indeed, he was more fascinated and obsessed with divination techniques pertaining to the Great Dao. However, it was a shame that his master had said that he couldn''t make it very far on this path, and that he couldn''t inherit his master''s lineage through this.


    Including his master, all of his senior brothers and junior brothers encouraged him to practice the sword. In reality, he was well aware of the fact that they weren''t sincerely hoping for his Sword Dao to truly reach the peak and be dominant. Instead, they harbored ill intentions, and they wanted to see him fail and make a joke of himself.


    The reason for this was very simple.


    He was afraid of heights.


    A sword cultivator who was afraid of heights... Just what kind of joke was this?


    When he asionally stepped on his sword to ride on the wind, he would never rise more than six meters from the ground.


    The young man nced at the branch which the young boy had sat on just then, and he felt like he himself was also an utter idiot.


    Chen Ping''an returned to the Guimai courtyard. Ma Zhi, the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator, was already standing inside and waiting for him with a smile.


    A while back, Chen Ping''an had decided to visit the courtyard where Ma Zhi was resting and recuperating, asking him when they could continue to practice the sword.


    Three dayster, the Guimai courtyard had returned to the same way as before. Ma Zhi practiced sword techniques with Chen Ping''an, while Jin Su was responsible for their three meals a day. Lady Gui would asionally visit the small courtyard, and she wouldn''t disturb Chen Ping''an or Ma Zhi. She would quietly sit there for a while and at most make a pot of tea for the two of them.


    One time, Chen Ping''an had retrieved the talisman paper where the female skeletal ghost was kept. Holding the paper talisman in her hand, Lady Gui had quickly shaken the skeletal ghost out and allowed her to finally see the light of day again. However, the female ghost in white who had been extremely aggressive in the city god temple in Colorful Garment Nation was immediately greeted by the Nascent Tier Lady Gui, the old boatman who had fallen from the Golden Core Tier, as well as her enemy, Chen Ping''an.


    If she weren''t already dead, she would have definitely been scared to death.


    In the end, with the help of Lady Gui who was the pseudo-sage of Osmanthus Ind, the beautiful skeletal ghost made an oath to loyally serve Chen Ping''an for sixty years. In return, she could leave the talisman paper where her soul would slowly fade away if spiritual energy wasn''t funneled inside. She was allowed to stay inside Chen Ping''an''s locust wood sword case instead.


    Because locust trees had been referred to as "locust residences" since ancient times, it wasn''t just grass spirits and wood spirits that were especially fond of locust trees that were over a thousand years old. Ghosts and yin entities were also extremely fond of them.


    As they neared Stctite Mountain, there was one starry night when the old boatman suddenly visited Chen Ping''an and brought him to the dock at the foot of the mountain on Osmanthus Ind. When Chen Ping''an arrived, he discovered a young flood dragon lying on the dock with its head resting on the shore and more than half of its body still in the sea. Gazing at Chen Ping''an, its eyes were filled with childish curiosity and gratitude.


    The old boatman squatted beside the shore and clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, "In terms of human age, this pitiful little creature is only equivalent to six or seven years old. Lady Gui was unwilling to make things difficult for this innocent little creature at the time, so she only took the Dragon King Basket and set the little flood dragon free.


    "Unexpectedly, however, it seems like it has no home to return to, so it quickly caught up to Osmanthus Ind again. However, it didn''t dare to get too close, so it continued to whimper every night as it circled around Osmanthus Ind and refused to leave. Now that we''re getting closer and closer to Stctite Mountain, the little flood dragon most likely understands that it will face certain death if it follows Osmanthus Ind forward. So, it whimpers loudly even during the day.


    "If it weren''t for Lady Gui taking pity on it and helping it conceal its aura, I''m afraid it would have been skinned alive and killed by those Qi refiners from the mountains who still have lingering anger in their hearts."


    In the end, the old boatman smiled and said, "Chen Ping''an, it seems like the little flood dragon has especiallye here to look for you. However, I''m unsure about whether it wants to thank you or exact revenge on you. Even though it''s still very young, flood dragons and their kin are known for their cold-bloodedness and sly nature. So, this is quite hard to say."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anythhing. He simply took out an ordinary snake gall pebble and tossed it to the young flood dragon. The young flood dragon instinctively wolfed it down with a rather confused look in its eyes.


    Chen Ping''an had then waved his hands and gestured for the young flood dragon to leave.


    After turning around and returning to the sea, the young flood dragon whimpered softly, still unwilling to leave the vicinity of Osmanthus Ind. After pondering for a moment, Chen Ping''an had surprisingly tossed arge handful of ordinary snake gall pebbles into the sea.


    The young flood dragon vigorously twisted and turned in the sea, creating huge waves as it swallowed the incredible delicacies one by one.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an stood on the dock and said to the young flood dragon, "Remember to cultivate earnestly in the future. You''ve epted my favor today, so I''ll smash you to death with a single punch if you end up finding joy in harming others like that elder of yours."


    Upon hearing this, the young flood dragon swam back to the dock and raised its head above the shore. It opened its eyes wide, as if trying to burn Chen Ping''an''s appearance into its memory.


    After a brief moment, it then leaned back and returned to the vast sea.


    The old boatman had experienced all kinds of things before, and he sighed with emotion. "You have a kind heart, and you nted a seed of positive karma. However, the world is unpredictable, and seeds of positive karma will not necessarily grow into fruits of positive oue."


    With an apathetic expression on his face, Chen Ping''an gazed at the sea upon which the specks of stars were glittering like gold and silver, saying softly, "If it transforms into negative karma, then I''ll draw my sword and eliminate it with a single sh."


    At that time, the old boatman was thinking about his master who was going to vanish for heaven knows how many years again. He was also thinking about that golden text left behind by an immortal that Chen Ping''an had helped deliver to him. Because of this, he didn''t pay much attention to Chen Ping''an''s expression and words.


    In Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy...


    The young ssmates who had left the Great Li Empire together were destined to no longer spend all their time together after arriving in this academy.


    Indeed, Li Huai had already made two new friends: a cowardly child from a powerful n in the capital and an extremely courageous rascal from a poor family. They were both slightly older than Li Huai, and the three of them would always y together and go crazy. They enjoyed themselves immensely.


    Meanwhile, Lin Shouyi was now obsessed with cultivation, and he would always travel between the scripture library, his dormitory, and the ssrooms. He read all the books he could, and he stood out from the crowd.


    Yu Lu had a close rtionship with Prince Gao Xuan from Great Sui Nation, and the two of them eventually became good friends. Gao Xuan became increasingly fond of visiting the academy to fish with Yu Lu.


    Apart from attending sses, Xie Xie seldom ventured out of her dormitory. She willingly acted as a maidservant for Cui Dongshan.


    After Li Baoping read another letter from her junior uncle, the little girl appeared to be downcast for a very long time.


    On this day, she skipped ss again and was as agile as a small cat as she nimbly climbed atop therge tree located on the peak of the East Mountain. She sat on a branch and leaned on the tree trunk. Her self-crafted wooden badge with the characters "alliance leader of the martial arts world" was hanging around her neck, and she had engraved the characters mands all lords" afterward because she had felt like the badge still wasn''t impressive enough.


    Afterward, she hadn''t been able to stop herself from engraving more and more impressive phrases onto the wooden badge. These were all grand phrases from the cultivation world that she had copied from the story books. For example, "invincible, Iment theck of rivals in my life," and so on.


    A spirited and handsome young boy in white stood on a branch beside her. He gently bounced up and down with the movement of the branch, and there was a smile on his face as he asked, "What''s wrong? Are you angry about something?"


    With the arrival of summer, the little girl was now wearing a red shirt and a long red skirt instead of a thick red jacket. "I''m not angry," she replied in a sullen voice.


    "Do you feel like Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, and the others are growing more and more distant from you?" Cui Dongshan asked.


    "It doesn''t matter if they grow more distant from me," the little girl huffed in reply. "After all, I never liked interacting with them even when we went to school together in the small town."


    "Then you''re unhappy about the injustice that my teacher is facing?" Cui Dongshan asked with a knowing smile.


    "Mhm." The little girl was a straightforward person, and she nodded boldly and acknowledged this.


    Cui Dongshan rested his hands behind his head and said with emotion, "Everyone grows up, and growing up will inevitably cause one to pick up some new things and discard some old things. In this process of picking things up and discarding things, in the blink of an eye, one quickly grows old."


    "They''re even willing to discard Junior Uncle?!" the little girl fumed.


    Cui Dongshan turned around to look at the furious little girl. He smiled faintly and replied, "Why wouldn''t they be willing to? In any case, my teacher won''t be angry even if he learns of this. That being the case, what are you getting all worked up for? There''s absolutely no need."


    The little girl angrily crossed her arms.


    Cui Dongshan turned back around to gaze at the capital of Great Sui Nation. "In the future, you might be very good friends with someone, and the two of you will share many intimate conversations together as you grow up. However, she might get married one day, and she''ll eventually like her husband more than you. You might alsoe across a teacher who''s even better than Qi Jingchun, and you might one day feel that Mr. Qi''s knowledge wasn''t the most profound in the world.


    "One day in the future, you might also encounter... an impressive young boy who''s even better than your junior uncle. At that time, you''ll discover that your current worry and sadness is only temporary and nothing very important. You''ll drink one or two sips of wine, and all of this worry and sadness will flow away just like that..."


    Cui Dongshan suddenly turned around and eximed in astonishment, "Little Baoping, you actually didn''t offer a retort? If you don''t say something, then I''ll run out of things to say!"


    The little girl scrunched up her pretty little face and replied, "I''m busy feeling sad!"


    Cui Dongshan chortled withughter as he fell back and coincidentallyy sideways on a thin branch. He held his head up with a single hand and gazed at the little girl in red.


    One day in the future, this little girl would grow taller and taller, and her round little face would also be skinnier and sharper. Her eyes might still be as watery as always, and they might still be pure and filled with energy. She might still be dressed in red, and she might ride a horse along the river banks and drink wine in the mountains. However, she would probablye across joyful events and sad events as well, right?


    Cui Dongshan heaved a faint sigh.


    He felt slightly anxious.


    If such a good girl genuinely ended up liking his teacher, that would indeed be a very worrisome thing.


    If one day she unexpectedly didn''t like his teacher anymore, that might be an even more disappointing thing.


    Cui Dongshan turned his body and closed his eyes. He then crossed his legs and went to sleep.


    As for those chance encounters and diverging rtionships, Cui Dongshan was thoroughly aware of them even though his body was young. After all, those experiences and challenges were all umted in his heart. His awareness of them was no inferior to that of the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan.


    There was one thing that he hadn''t told the little girl.


    He  Cui Dongshan  as well as the old Cui Chan, Zuo You, Mao Xiaodong, and the others, including Qi Jingchun, had all enjoyed shade under the old schr in the past. They had slowly grown up, and in the end, they had all hoped to walk out from that incrediblyrge patch of shade. Those who seeded continued on their way. Those who failed, however, saw their hearts slowly change.


    The little girl nearby put her wooden badge away and carefully retrieved a painting from her clothes. It was a painting of Chen Pingan standing under an osmanthus tree and smiling at her.


    Her worries were immediately washed away, and a smile stretched across her face as she happily said, "Junior Uncle truly looks so handsome after learning to drink. When I grow older, I''m definitely going to adventure around the cultivation world with Junior Uncle!"


    Li Baoping became more and more excited thinking about this, and she turned around and asked loudly, "Cui Dongshan, is it difficult to drink?"


    "You''re not allowed to drink!" Cui Dongshan replied resolutely.


    "Why not?!" Li Baoping fumed.


    "Teacher isn''t willing to scold you at all, but he''ll directly beat me to death!" Cui Dongshan replied in a sulky voice.


    Li Baoping sighed and shook her head, saying in pity, "How pitiful..."


    Cui Dongshan stole a nce at the little girl who had a beaming smile on her face. "Little Baoping, please hide your smile of pleasure away when trying to console others in the future."


    Li Baoping feigned grabbing a seal and stamping it down.


    Cui Dongshan sighed in grief and muttered, "My good intentions are repaid with ungratefulness..."


    Between Stctite Mountain and the vast sea, there were numerous paths that hovered in midair like ribbons of clouds and water. These were paths that allowed intercontinental ships to arrive at the mountain. In fact, the many intercontinental ships that could fly through the air also had to descend to the sea and take these paths. They weren''t allowed to directly approach Stctite Mountain.


    Osmanthus Ind momentarily stopped at a dock located beneath one such path. After symbolically handing over a document simr to a clearance document, they were exempt from paying the astronomical toll usually required. The ind started to drift toward Stctite Mountain following the angled river path.


    Stctite Mountain measured 50 kilometers in radius. However, as a lone mountain above the sea, it controlled a vast region around the mountain.


    A tall and sturdy Daoist with the appearance of a middle-aged man stood atop some cliff face. There was a skinny old Daoist priest with the demeanor of a transcendent being standing behind him with a fly-whisk in hand, and all of the strands of the fly-whisk were golden and silver whiskers of flood dragons. "Teacher, do you need this student to take action and destroy Osmanthus Ind?" the old Daoist priest asked in a quiet voice.


    "I agreed to the bet, so I''m willing to ept the loss. There''s nothing embarrassing about this. I''m not your grandteacher, after all, someone who hasn''t suffered a single defeat in his life," the tall and sturdy Daoist replied with a smile.


    While the Great Heavenly Lord in Stctite Mountain spoke, a Daoist priest was smashed into the mortal world from the heavens beyond heavens, in the Heavenly World, with a single punch.<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    The title of this chapter, A Myriad of Complicated Matters in the World, along with the title in Chapter 266, are lines from Liu Cha''s poem . The line "wearing away the eternal saber in your heart" means having one''s saber of justice and righteousness worn away due to the many injustices in the world.</blockquote>

 Chapter 269: (1): I Have a Small Matter That’s Very Important

    Chapter 269: (1): I Have a Small Matter That��s Very Important


    Standing at the dock located at the foot of the mountain on Osmanthus Ind, Chen Ping''an took a small step and arrived at Stctite Mountain.


    Before arriving at Stctite Mountain, Aunt Gui had told Chen Ping''an that Osmanthus Ind would experience its busiest moments immediately after it docked at Stctite Mountain. During this time, all of the goods from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Complete Reed Continent, and Parasol Leaf Continent would need to be unloaded without any mistake.


    Otherwise, the time-honored reputation of Old Dragon City''s Fan n would be ruined. Because of this, she, the old boatman, and Ma Zhi needed to personally keep an eye on the handover of every single item. As such, they wouldn''t have time to leave the ind with Chen Ping''an and bring him to an inn on Stctite Mountain.


    Aunt Gui had initially wanted Jin Su to bring Chen Ping''an to the inn which had been on friendly terms with Osmanthus Ind for many generations, but Chen Ping''an had politely turned down this offer. This had caused Jin Su to grumble with slight dissatisfaction in her mind. Stctite Mountain was filled with all kinds of wondrous things, so much so that one would never tire of them. Visitors would be able to find fresh and marvelous things no matter how many times they visited.


    However, the slightly dispirited osmanthus girl suddenly saw the young boy turn around and crack a grin at her, as if he had seen through her thoughts. Jin Su shot a vicious re at him. Chen Ping''an waved goodbye to Lady Gui, the old boatman, and Ma Zhi. Then, as if he didn''t dare to catch Jin Su''s gaze again, he turned around and quickly ran to the entrance of Stctite Mountain.


    Jin Su couldn''t help but giggle.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath as he walked among the flowing throng of people.


    He had finally arrived.


    One couldn''t pass through Stctite Mountain and enter the Sword Qi Great Wall whenever and wherever they wanted. Apart from needing an azure wood clearance badge to enter Stctite Mountain, the hundred or so people who needed to pass through another checkpoint to enter the Sword Qi Great Wall were given an additional jade tablet as well. At the same time, they were informed that they could pass through the checkpoint at midnight in three days'' time. They would have fifteen minutes to pass before it was time for the next group, and they would be refused entry if they missed this time slot.


    After leaving Osmanthus Ind, Chen Ping''an kept a white jade tablet hanging from his waist. This was a jade tablet that only had a single character inscribed on it, "border." Aunt Gui had told him that all kinds of scenery existed on Stctite Mountain, and that there were also a myriad stores that sold all kinds of goods. Thus, he should take advantage of these three days to travel around as much as he could.


    If he came across any immortal treasure or artifact that he fancied, but he didn''t have enough money on hand to purchase them, he could borrow money from the manager of that inn. The manager would definitely agree to lend him money if it was fewer than ten grain rain coins. Moreover, ording to the agreements between them, this debt would be recorded under Osmanthus Ind.


    The dock on the mountain cliff was called the Catch and Release Dock, and this name had originated from an ancient pavilion nearby that had a very long history. A que with the characters "Catch and Release Pavilion" hung on the ancient structure, and these characters had been personally written by the former Branch Master of a Daoist branch.


    There were nine structures in Stctite Mountain that belonged to the Daoist Sect of this world, while the remaining tall buildings,rge courtyards, and all kinds of shops had already been sold to other people from all over the world. Among these nine structures, eight were located on eight different sides of Stctite Mountain.


    They were the Catch and Release Pavilion, Sword Reverence Pagoda, Incense Offering Tower, Lightning Lake tform, Ganoderma Inn, Daoist Seal Hall, Daoist Saber Room, and Milu Cliff. Including the Lone Peak located in the central region, there were nine structures and territories in total.


    Even though Stctite Mountain measured around fifty kilometers in radius, the Daoist branch led by the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor didn''t upy a significant area of thisnd. In fact, neither the territory nor the number of disciples belonging to this branch was veryrge.


    "Young Master Chen, Young Master Chen!"


    Someone strained their voice and loudly called out behind Chen Ping''an. He turned around, only to see the young boy in green who had introduced himself as Liu Youzhou. The young boy jogged over to Chen Ping''an and immediately fired off a long list of questions as if pouring beans from a bucket. "Young Master Chen, where are you staying in Stctite Mountain? Have you made a reservation yet? If you haven''t, then why don''t you go to my ce? My n owns an estate here, it''s close to a ce called the Sword Reverence Pagoda. I''ve heard that the estate is fairly big. I''ve always wanted to thank you, so how about you give me the opportunity right now?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied with a smile, "There''s no need. Osmanthus Ind has already organized everything for me, and I''ll be staying at Stork Inn."


    Disappointment spread across the face of the young boy from the Pure White Continent. He was unwilling to give up, and he persuaded, "Is that so? Then how about I look for you afterward? This is my first time in Stctite Mountain, so I need to take a good look around. Do you want to go around together?"


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this.


    "Young Master, the two of you only met by chance recently and are still unfamiliar with each other, so it''s unreasonable for you to be so overly friendly so soon," the old woman beside Liu Youzhou said. "To say nothing of the fact that Young Master Chen won''t dare to agree to your request, even I wouldn''t agree to it if I were in his ce."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and remained silent.


    "Alright," the young boy replied with a dejected expression. "Young Master Chen, I''m staying at the Ape Havoc Estate, so you can look for me there if you have nothing else to do. Ask for Liu Youzhou, and tell them that you''re my friend."


    "I''ll keep that in mind," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Chen Ping''an, Liu Youzhou, and the old woman turned around in unison. There was a beautiful "young woman" standing nearby, and it looked as if she were hesitating about whether she should speak.


    A warm smile appeared on the old woman''s face, and she looked a withered tree experiencing a new spring. "Young esteemed immortal, is there something troubling you?" she asked in a pleasant and amicable voice.


    However, the young immortal ignored the old woman and directly stared at Chen Ping''an, saying, "Oi, can you lend me a grain rain coin? I''ll return three or five to you in the future."


    Chen Ping''an handed the young immortal a grain rain coin. Thetter epted the coin and left with a smile.


    "Young Master Chen, is she your friend?" Liu Youzhou asked.


    "We don''t know each other," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    Liu Youzhou was astonished, and he eximed, "Then why did you lend her money? Don''t you know that beautiful young women are the best in the world at cheating people? Young Master Chen, allow me to be nosy and say something else. No matter how little one grain rain coin is worth, you still can''t travel around the cultivation world with such an attitude."


    Chen Ping''an grimaced and bade farewell.


    <em>One grain rain coin is worth little? A beautiful young woman?</em>


    The old woman couldn''t contain herughter, and she chuckled, "Young Master, did you not realize that the pretty young woman was actually a man?"


    Liu Youzhou was stupefied, and he replied in a quiet voice, "I was busy stealing nces at her face and figure just then, but I didn''t dare to look too much."


    The old woman had no option but to correct Liu Youzhou again, stressing, "Young Master, that person isn''t a young woman."


    Liu Youzhou flicked his sleeve and strode forward, saying, "With how beautiful he is, I''ll pretend that he''s a young woman."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t hurry over to Stork Inn straight away. Instead, he followed the flow of people to the nearby Catch and Release Pavilion.


    When Chen Ping''an arrived near the small but overcrowded pavilion, he couldn''t help but feel a little disappointed. He felt like this pavilion didn''t live up to its fame. It was extremely small, and it was in fact even smaller than the Mountain and Water Pavilion in Sword Saint Song''s Sword Water Vi in Colorful Garment Nation.


    There were over a hundred people standing inside and outside the pavilion already, and Chen Ping''an stood on his tippy-toes to nce at the small pavilion that couldn''t fit a mouse, let alone another person. After having a quick look, he was just about to turn around and leave.


    However, it was at this moment that a familiar voice sounded behind him again, sounding as feminine as the person''s appearance. "You''re not going to enter the pavilion and look around for a short while?"


    Chen Ping''an turned around and smiled at the young man standing beside him, replying, "It''s far too crowded in there, so I don''t dare to go. I''m afraid that I won''t be able to make it out."


    The young man pointed at three young women standing not far in front of them, and it was as if they were also undecided about whether they should enter the Catch and Release Pavilion. He smiled faintly and said, "Just follow me and think about this as me paying interest on the grain rain coin."


    Chen Ping''an had no idea what was going on.


    The young man pointed at his Adam''s apple with a strange smile.


    "An illusion technique?" Chen Ping''an asked in an uncertain voice.


    "Lend me your wine gourd for a while. Rest assured, I won''t covet a small and crappy wine gourd like this. My Sword Nurturing Gourd can be regarded as its old ancestor, and I simply don''t dare to wear it on my waist," the young man replied.


    He nodded at Chen Ping''an before grabbing the wine gourd from the young boy''s waist without another word. He briskly walked over to the three young women with above-average appearances, tilting his head and drinking wine as he did so. And thus, he disyed both the appearance of a breathtakingly beautiful woman and the carefree and mighty nature of a man.


    A short momentter, the young man stood amid the group of young women and beckoned Chen Ping''an over. The young boy had no option but to walk over. The young man introduced him using a dialect that he couldn''t understand, but he repeated his words to Chen Ping''an afterward using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    As it turned out, the three young women were sect disciples from Southern Whirl Continent, and they were traveling through other continents as a group. They were on a training mission, and they needed to y a Dragon Gate Tier sea demon to sessfullyplete their training. Their final destination was Stctite Mountain, and they would return to their sect in Southern Whirl Continent after visiting.


    Afterward, the young man would hear noints as he grabbed Chen Ping''an''s elbow and charged toward the Catch and Release Pavilion with the three celestial maidens from Southern Whirl Continent.


    There was an interesting backstory regarding the Catch and Release Pavilion. It was said that the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor  one of the three branch masters of the Daoist orthodoxy from Heavenly World, True Invincible  had personallye to this ce after tossing down thergest mountain seal. At that time, a great demon at the peak stage of the 12th tier had used some unknown techniques to sneak past the numerous restrictions at the Sword Qi Great Wall and arrive at the mountain seal, also known as Stctite Mountain.


    However, the first person encountered by the great demon had coincidentally been that Daoist branch master. Back then, Stctite Mountain had still been a deste region with no poption to speak of, so the great demon had initially thought that it could do as it pleased.


    Upon seeing the Daoist branch master, it had naturally spoken in an offensive manner and wanted to gobble him up in a single mouthful. In terms of the oue, this went without saying. The great demon was smacked half-dead by the Daoist branch master. However, its final fate was still unknown. The old Daoist branch master, regarded as the strongest fighter in the four worlds, tossed the great demon back to somece south of the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    Thus, future generations of Daoists built this pavilion to represent the paramount Dao power of that branch master.


    Chen Ping''an was exhausted by this trip to the Catch and Release Pavilion, with his entire back drenched in sweat. This was because the three celestial maidens and the young man who was even more beautiful than them would inevitably face idental bumps or purposeful body contact when walking around the bustling pavilion. Thus, Chen Ping''an could only do his best to protect them. At the same time, he also had to prevent himself from identally making contact with them.


    This was naturally taxing on both the body and the mind, especially since there were subtle struggles and battles everywhere. Fortunately, the number one rule in Stctite Mountain was that those who injured others would be punished by death. Because of this, Chen Ping''an was able to sessfully protect the group as a fourth tier martial artist.


    After finally leaving the Catch and Release Pavilion, Chen Ping''an and the young man parted ways with the three celestial maidens. The young women were still headed toward the nearest attraction, Milu Cliff.


    Chen Ping''an took his Sword Nurturing Gourd back and tied it back at his waist. "Don''t do things like this in the future," he said in exasperation.


    The young man rolled his eyes at Chen Ping''an and grumbled, "How boring. I''ll go and y with the celestial maidens instead."


    Chen Ping''an breathed a sigh of relief and bade farewell.


    ncing at the young boy''s disappearing figure, the young man muttered, "He''s far too serious, and he''s surprisingly not feigning this. Perhaps he''s a young pedant taught and raised by some old pedant?"


    "Young Miss, are you enjoying the scenery by yourself?" a handsome man standing nearby asked.


    The feminine young man chuckled and replied, "You can get stuffed. I''ve traveled through a brothel with your mother before."


    The dignified-looking man hurriedly waved his hand, gesturing for his subordinates to stand down and not act rashly. In the end, he raised a thumb with a dazzling smile, remarking, "I like your personality, Young Miss."


    The feminine young man ignored him and left the Catch and Release Pavilion. While walking, he debated whether he should go to the Sword Reverence Pagoda or the Incense Offering Tower first.


    The dignified-looking man gazed at the stunning beauty with a colorful ribbon around "her" waist, and he remarked with emotion, "Such carefree and beautiful women only exist in the mountains. Cultivation is good! No matter how beautiful women outside the mountains are, their alluring beauty can onlyst for a measly ten or twenty years."


    "Your Majesty, you can head to the Lightning Lake tform now. Don''t make the imperial preceptor wait for too long," a subordinate reminded him in a soft voice, using the official dialect of Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    "Mhm, I''ll head over right away," the man replied with a smile.


    Whether it was the man referred to as "Your Majesty" or the subordinates beside him, it appeared as if none of them felt like it was right for the emperor to make his imperial preceptor wait.


    They hurriedly made their way to the Lightning Lake tform.


    This was a tall tform with ny-nine steps leading to the top, and it looked like a gigantic bowl that was filled with viscous lightning.


    ording to rumors, the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor had scooped up a handful of lightning from that ancientke of lightning and ced it in Stctite Mountain. That was ake of lightning that existed only in the records but was unable to be found in real life. Every time the branch master, a Great Heavenly Lord, slew an immortal or spirit who had broken the rules, he would detain their souls in theke of lightning in Stctite Mountain.


    However, the Lightning Lake tform was surprisingly closed today, with no one allowed to go near it.


    At this moment, only a single person with a tall and sturdy body was half-squatting beside theke of lightning atop the Lightning Lake tform. His elbows rested on his knees, and his chin rested on his arms. A scabbardless sword was hovering amid theke of lightning, with only less than half of it still visible. After the sword became fully immersed, the entireke of lightning started to seethe and churn.


    This person was most likely tempering their sword.


    An old Daoist priest with a fly-whisk resting on his arms stood at the bottom of the tall tform, a warm smile on his face. It was as if he were feeling proud on the tall and sturdy man''s behalf.


    As the third inmand in Stctite Mountain, the old Daoist priest was regarded as a natural enemy by all of the flood dragons and their kin in the South Sea. Throughout a millennium, he had killed countless flood dragons and crafted a pseudo-celestial tool, the fly-whisk in his arms. During the most recent five centuries, the old Daoist priest had once fought against two Confucian sages from Southern Whirl Continent''s Chen n in the South Sea, and his fame had spread far and wide.


    However, although he was facing an outsider today, and even if he seemed like a housekeeper for this person, the old Daoist priest didn''t feel offended or devalued in the least. Instead, he looked extremely satisfied and pleased with himself.

 Chapter 269: (2): I Have a Small Matter That’s Very Important

    Chapter 269: (2): I Have a Small Matter That��s Very Important


    Chen Ping''an came across a very awkward situation. As it turned out, fewer than one in ten people in Stctite Mountain understood the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an couldn''t speak or understand the official dialect of Middle Earth Divine Continent. As a result, it was a case of a chicken trying tomunicate with ducks as Chen Ping''an asked for directions and kind-hearted passers-by tried to help him out.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an was forced to bite the bullet and ask over thirty people before finallying across someone who could understand the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent a little. However, this person didn''t know the location of Stork Inn...


    Chen Ping''an stood on the bustling street, a lost expression on his face as he looked around. He grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and could only drink wine to wash away his gloom.


    If push came to shove, he could only return to the Catch and Release Dock and ask Lady Gui for Jin Su. He would have to ask this osmanthus girl to act as his guide. As for whether Jin Su would taunt him as an act of revenge, Chen Ping''an didn''t care much about this.


    When it came to face, this was indeed a fairly important consideration between familiar acquaintances. However, how many times would he see someone like Jin Su, a temporary guest in his life? Thus, it was okay to be a bit more shameless.


    No path through theyered mountains and winding rivers, suddenly I see green willows, bright flowers, and another vige[1].


    Chen Ping''an managed to nab another passer-by who understood the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but this passer-by also didn''t know the location of Stork Inn. However, he knew where the Sword Reverence Pagoda and the Ape Havoc Estate were located.


    When asking him for directions, Chen Ping''an said, "Mister, do you know where the Sword Reverence Pagoda is located?"


    Surprisingly, the passer-by''s reply was, "Oh, do you mean the Sword Reverence Pagoda near the Ape Havoc Estate? It''s quite easy to get there; it''s not too far away from here."


    Liu Youzhou, the young boy from Pure White Continent, wasn''t a simple person.


    And thus, Chen Ping''an directly turned around and returned to the Catch and Release Dock. The passer-by''s face was filled with slight disappointment as he looked at the young boy''s disappearing figure. How good would it have been if he had managed to use this opportunity to forge some rtionships with the Ape Havoc Estate? Even showing his face there and being remembered by them would have been a decent oue.


    In the end, Jin Su happily disembarked from Osmanthus Ind and led the "dejected and miserable" Chen Ping''an to Stork Inn. Before leaving Osmanthus Ind, Lady Gui had given her three lesser heat coins and told her to use them sparingly. After entering Stctite Mountain, Jin Su asked Chen Ping''an whether he wanted to visit the Catch and Release Pavilion. Chen Ping''an told her that he had already visited. Jin Su nodded and said that the Catch and Release Pavilion was the least interesting of the attractions, and it was far inferior to ces such as Ganoderma Inn and Milu Cliff. Indeed, he definitely needed to visit the Sword Reverence Pagoda if he wanted to make this trip worthwhile.


    The two of them walked for almost an hour, and Jin Su spent this time introducing the important scenic locations in Stctite Mountain to Chen Ping''an. For example, ces like Ganoderma Inn. And for example, how the Sword Reverence Pagoda disyed the replica swords of sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall who had in Upper Five Tier demons before. People could visit and pay homage to these swords.


    After arriving in Stctite Mountain, Jin Su was clearly no longer as cold and aloof as she was in Osmanthus Ind. Her personality changed drastically, and even though she wasn''t exactly gushing without pause, she already seemed no different from ordinary girls her age.


    She exined that there was a Ganoderma ruyi[2] kept in Ganoderma Inn, a ruyi that had been left in Majestic World by the Dao Ancestor. It was filled with spiritual energy, and it transformed the entire Ganoderma Inn into something like a blessednd. Thus, cultivating here would lead to double the results with half the effort. Because of this, Ganoderma Inn was also the most expensive inn on Stctite Mountain.


    In fact, even if they did have money, disciples from immortal sects who hade here to train and wealthy descendants from powerful ns who hade here to sightsee found it extremely difficult to reserve a room in Ganoderma Inn. They needed to make reservations several months in advance.


    When they drew close to Stork Inn, Jin Su lowered her voice and said, "There are also rumors that the Dao Ancestor personally nted a gourd vine. Seven of the highest-quality Sword Nurturing Gourds were crafted from its fruits, and one of the seven is kept in a secret room in Ganoderma Inn. Moreover, it''s the one crafted from the gourd that ripened first. Right now, it''s rumored to be secretly nurturing the flying swords of a dozen or so powerful sword immortals from the Majestic World."


    When it came to these kinds of rumors and gossip, outsiders would often discuss them with spirit and exuberance. It was as if these outsiders had personally seen the Sword Nurturing Gourds before. Jin Su had heard these rumors from other people, and she was also no exception to this worldly habit.


    In reality, the Daoist priests from the Daoist second disciple''s lineage responsible for maintaining the rules in Stctite Mountain had never mentioned anything about Sword Nurturing Gourds and nurturing flying swords for powerful sword immortals before. They simply stated that no such matter existed in Ganoderma Inn, and it was best that people didn''t think about this and spread rumors.


    Chen Ping''an was reminded of the silver Sword Nurturing Gourd that A''Liang had given to Little Baoping. Of course, he also remembered the golden-purple Sword Nurturing Gourd that Sun Scorch Mountain''s Celestial Maiden Su Jia had once worn by her waist. In addition to this, there was naturally the so-called old ancestor of Sword Nurturing Gourds that the feminine man had mentioned not long ago.


    "Miss Jin Su, is the Ape Havoc Estate very famous in Stctite Mountain?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    "Of course!" Jin Su replied with a nod. "The Ape Havoc Estate owned by Pure White Continent''s Liu n is one of the fourrge private estates in Stctite Mountain. It sits on a veryrge piece ofnd, and it enjoys even greater renown. The Liu n is the number one n in Pure White Continent, and they also have an extremely good reputation there. Almost all of the emperors, rulers, earth immortals, and cultivators in Pure White Continent want to forge a good rtionship with the Liu n.


    "Moreover, we Qi refiners use snowke coins the most, right? Their appearance is based on the appearance of coins forged by the Liu n. In fact, the Liu n owns ten percent of the mountain range where the jade mines are located. It doesn''t sound like much, but trust me, it''s an immense amount!"


    Chen Ping''an was slightly stunned.


    No wonder Liu Youzhou had said something like "no matter how little one grain rain coin is worth." He genuinely hadn''t been bragging.


    Jin Su''s expression was slightly adrift as she continued, "Descendants of the Liu n are truly fortune''s children who are born with not just a silver spoon, but a silver mountain. If they want to do something, they can simply throw money at the task. There''s nothing in the world that the Liu n can''t afford."


    Old Dragon City''s Sun Jiashu had personally uttered these words to her. At that time, Jin Su had caught a hint of yearning in the eyes of Sun Jiashu, this young fortune god. Thus, she had a very deep impression of this.


    Chen Ping''an became increasingly determined not to purposely form bonds with Liu Youzhou.


    That young boy was like Osmanthus Ind, a colossal intercontinental ship. The roaring waves that he created weren''t things that Chen Ping''an could withstand in his current state.


    Chen Ping''an became slightly despondent upon thinking of this. It was as if wind and snow were pounding down on his heart.


    How many mountain and water seals could he squander?


    Right now, he only had a single water seal remaining.


    Even though there had been tens of thousands of reasons for Chen Ping''an to act as he had done, and he would step forward and make the same choice if faced with the same situation again...


    The loss of the mountain seal still weighed heavily on Chen Ping''an''s mind. He was unable to let this go, not a single bit.


    However, Chen Ping''an was now able to truly keep these negative emotions to himself now. He was no longer like the young boy from before, the one who had remained downcast and silent for several hundred kilometers after that farewell outside the rundown temple. The big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest had naturally noticed his low spirits, and they had been forced to worry about him the entire time.


    Stork Inn was located at the end of an alley. The inn manager was a serious and unsmiling young man, and he didn''t smile even when he saw Jin Su, who hade here several times. After preparing two neighboring rooms for Jin Su and Chen Ping''an, the inn manager paid no more heed to them and left them to their own devices.


    Jin Su turned to Chen Ping''an and exined in a quiet voice, "The inn manager inherited his father''s business. Stork Inn used to be very big, and half of the alley used to belong to the inn. It was fairly well-renowned in the region around the Catch and Release Dock. However, an unforeseen ident took ce, and Osmanthus Ind seemingly offered some help as well during that time. However, the inn manager''s father still passed away. Things fell into decline, and we''re left with what we see now."


    Chen Ping''an silentlymitted this to memory.


    Apart from the Dust Medicinal Shop''s Zheng Dafeng, all of the shop managers in the world could probably be regarded as good managers.


    The inns in Stctite Mountain were no different from the city inns and vige inns that Chen Ping''an had stayed in during his travels through the mountains and rivers. They were simply a bit more elegant and clean.


    Jin Su knocked on Chen Ping''an''s door before entering. After sitting down, she started to n the next two days'' schedule with Chen Ping''an. She already had a n in mind, and she suggested that they visit four ces the next day  the Daoist Seal Hall, the Sword Reverence Pagoda, Ganoderma Inn, and the Daoist Saber Room.


    They could then visit three ces the day after  the Incense Offering Tower, Milu Cliff, and the Lightning Lake tform. The Lone Peak located in the central region of Stctite Mountain was a restricted area, so they could only look at it from far away even though they would pass by on their way to the other sightseeing locations.


    Chen Ping''an asked if there were any shops where he could purchase or sell precious treasures. Jin Su told him that Ganoderma Inn was one such ce, and there was also the Cloth Wrapper Shop that had opened on the opposite side of the street to fight for business. Both ces dealt withrge numbers of treasures and huge sums of money every day, and they only cared about the value of treasures and not the status of their customers. Things were extremely reliable and stable.


    Due to this fact, many heinous cultivators liked to visit Stctite Mountain whenever they reaped big rewards. They could flee from pursuit, and they could openly sell their spoils as well. They could obtain money and enjoy life.


    There were several inds close to Stctite Mountain, and many righteous cultivators would stay on these inds all year round. They would keep a sharp eye on the situation in Stctite Mountain, in order to observe the criminals hiding in the mountain. These criminals who were taking advantage of Stctite Mountain''s rules to avoid punishment were all demonic or heretical cultivators who had the blood of countless people in their hands. These were criminals who had gained infamy in severalrge continents.


    Chen Ping''an asked about the exact location where he would leave Stctite Mountain and enter the Sword Qi Great Wall, and Jin Su was curious about why the young boy was asking this given he would head there in just three days'' time. However, she still told him that the location was somece beside the Lone Peak in the central region of Stctite Mountain. There was arge door there, one which was a replica of ancient Immortal Ascending tforms. Those with a jade tablet inscribed with the character "border" could visit and observe this door.


    Like the 10th tier of pure martial arts, the 13th tier of Qi refinement, the Ascension Tier, was considered the End Tier. The two tiers above this were the Two Lost Tiers. During those ancient times when sages had traveled around the world to teach and benefit the masses, there had seemingly been Immortal Ascending tforms scattered around the world.


    Qi refiner could easily ascend, and they could ride the clouds, ride dragons, or ride cranes as they enjoyed ascension. Heavenly maidens would scatter flowers in the air, iridescent clouds would decorate the sky with spectacr colors, and brilliant rays of light would shoot through space. All of these peculiar phenomena would appear together to celebrate the ascending cultivator''s attainment of the Dao.


    Cultivators yearned to achieve this.


    After Chen Ping''an and Jin Su agreed on a time to meet up and leave tomorrow morning, the young boy left the inn by himself and headed to the foot of the Lone Peak. The Lone Peak was where the Great Heavenly Lord was cultivating in seclusion.


    Chen Ping''an mulled over the nine different ces as he walked  the Catch and Release Pavilion, Sword Reverence Pagoda, Incense Offering Tower, Lightning Lake tform, Ganoderma Inn, Daoist Seal Hall, Daoist Saber Room, Milu Cliff, and Lone Peak.


    There were nine different structures, just like there were nine different Mighty Suppressing Pagodas.


    Perhaps this was also a formation used by a sage to hold down fortune.


    At the foot of the Lone Peak, there was a divine mountain path wide enough to amodate three horse-drawn carriages. Nearby, there was also a za paved with white jade. There was only a single iron chain fence surrounding the za, and the fence was only half a meter tall. Anyone could stride over the fence with a single step.


    There were tworge pirs located in the center of the za, made of white jade and measuring more than thirty meters in height. Between the two pirs, there was a curtain of water that appeared as still as a mirror. Small ripples would asionally travel over its surface.


    Few people were on the za right now, and there were only twenty or thirty people scattered around. Whether old or young, male or female, everyone had a "border" jade tablet hanging from their waist. Some mischievous children directly charged through the curtain of water and sprinted around, chasing after their friends and ying boisterously on the za.


    There was no Daoist priest responsible for overlooking the za. Chen Ping''an hesitated briefly before carefully stepping over the iron chain fence and entering the za. There was no unexpected response, and this allowed him to calm down slightly. He slowly walked toward the tworge pirs.


    Chen Ping''an discovered that flowing light would appear under his feet with each step that he took. Looking up, he discovered a young Daoist priest wearing arge Daoist robe sitting on a straw mat beside one of therge pirs. He was reading a book. If little children who looked around the same age as him approached him, the young Daoist robes with a fish tail hat would casually flick his sleeve and send the children floating into the distance.


    The little children were delighted by this, and they continued to run up to the young Daoist priest again and again. The young Daoist priest didn''t seem annoyed by their antics either, and he continued to flick his sleeve again and again.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to emte the children''s wanton acts of charging into the "mirror" without permission, so he instead walked around arge pir to go behind the curtain of water. He found that there was another small pir standing beside therge pir. This stone pir looked like a hitching post, and there was a middle-aged swordsman in tattered clothes sitting cross-legged on top of it. There was a sword in his arms, and his eyes were closed as he snoozed.


    This person was clearly... a paramount individual!


    Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to disturb this swordsman''s rest, so he subconsciously started to walk in a quieter manner. He was just about to turn around and return to the other side.


    The sleeping swordsman''s head suddenly drooped and jerked back up, causing him to wake with a start. His appearance was rather in, and he looked left, right, up, and down before finally settling his gaze on the young boy with a sword case on his back. He murmured something to himself  it seemed like three words  before going back to sleep.


    Chen Ping''an stood near the curtain of water and dazedly stared at it for a long time.


    He found it difficult to imagine that the Sword Qi Great Wall actuallyy on the other side of this curtain. Another world existed behind this curtain of water?


    On the Lone Peak that towered into the clouds, there existed the tallest building on Stctite Mountain. This building would be hidden by seas of clouds for more than half of the year. There were three bell chimes hanging from the eaves on the top floor of the building, and it was rumored that they would only chime in a melodious manner when all three branch masters of the Daoist Sect visited Stctite Mountain together.


    Right now, a Great Heavenly Lord of the Daoist Sect was standing on the roof and looking through the clouds, peering down at the za beneath the Lone Peak.


    The young boy with a sword case on his back was as small as a mustard seed.


    1. An extract from Lu You''s poem, . Lu You was a Chinese historian and poet of the Southern Song Dynasty.


    2. The ruyi is a type of Chinese ceremonial scepter.

 Chapter 269: (3): I Have a Small Matter That’s Very Important

    Chapter 269: (3): I Have a Small Matter That��s Very Important


    Chen Ping''an returned to Stork Inn and continued to practice the six-step walking meditation and sword furnace standing meditation. Finally,te at night, he undressed andy down in bed with a smile on his face.


    Early the next morning, when the sun had only just peeked over the horizon, Jin Su came knocking on his door fifteen minutes early. Chen Ping''an stopped his silent session of walking meditation and walked over to the door. He left the inn with Jin Su, and they headed to the Daoist Seal Hall together.


    The Daoist Seal Hall was also known as the Missing One Hall, and this was because it collected and disyed all of the seals in the world except one, the mountain seal. The Daoist Seal Hall respected and adhered to an unwritten rule  mountains shouldn''te face to face. After all, Stctite Mountain was also a mountain seal itself.


    Chen Ping''an sighed and entered the Daoist Seal Hall with the energetic and high-spirited Jin Su. The Daoist Seal Hall was three storeys tall, and each floor was extremelyrge and spacious and divided into many rooms of varying sizes. Thousands of seals were disyed on each floor, and these seals were allowed to hover in rows upon rows of colored ze disy cabs.


    Some seals had already developed rich spiritual energy, allowing them to fly around the colored ze disy cabs and make banging sounds as they crashed into the sides. In fact, there were even spirits born from the condensed spiritual energy of the seals. Some of these spirits courageously stared back at people through the transparent disy cabs.


    Chen Ping''an spent a long time in a water seal room on the second floor, unwilling to leave. Upon seeing this, Jin Su went to look at other seals by herself. They agreed to meet at the entrance of the Daoist Seal Hall in two hours.


    The water seal that Chen Ping''an was observing possessed spiritual energy that was as light and nimble as mist. This spiritual energy transformed into a small stream that flowed around the seal. Chen Ping''an was now familiar with many ancient seal characters thanks to the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book</em> that Li Xisheng had thoroughly annotated for him, and he could tell that the characters on the bottom of the seal said "silver river flowing down."


    ording to Jin Su, the Daoist Seal Hall only purchased seals and didn''t sell seals. They wouldn''t sell seals to anyone.


    There had only been a single asion in the past when the Daoist Seal Hall had almost broken this rule. That was when the man who was now Pure White Continent''s Liu n leader announced that he was going to purchase an entire level of seals from the Daoist Seal Hall. In the end, the Daoist priest managing the hall had no option but to report this matter to the Great Heavenly Lord cultivating atop the Lone Peak.


    The Great Heavenly Lord''s reply had been very simple: he had unleashed a burst of sword qi from the building on top of the Lone Peak, destroying the Ape Havoc Estate''s back garden. However, the young man, who wasn''t the n leader yet at the time, had ced his hands on his hips and angrily cursed the old immortal atop the Lone Peak. His arguments had boiled down to this  <em>I''m wealthy as heck, so why don''t youe again if you''re so capable?</em>


    And thus, the Great Heavenly Lord had unleashed a torrent of sword qi, severely damaging therge Ape Havoc Estate that had been built up and maintained through many generations. Therge formation protecting the Ape Havoc Estate, one that was supposedly capable of blocking a hundred strikes from high-level sword immortals, had also beenpletely annihted. Fortunately, not a single person had been hurt.


    Afterward, a famous exchange had taken ce.


    With a calm and unchanging expression, the young descendant of the Liu n had turned around and asked the old steward, "The Great Heavenly Lord acted in such a domineering and unreasonable manner. Did his actions conform with the rules?"


    The old steward had smiled and replied, "The Great Heavenly Lord is the embodiment of rules in Stctite Mountain."


    Following this exchange, the supreme strength of Stctite Mountain''s Great Heavenly Lord and the incredible wealth of Pure White Continent''s Liu n had simultaneously be renowned throughout the world.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an didn''t walk up to the third floor to look at the seals there. Instead, he directly went downstairs to wait for Jin Su outside the Daoist Seal Hall.


    Jin Su came out fifteen minuteste. When she saw the young boy staring into space on the steps outside the Daoist Seal Hall, she said in an apologetic voice, "I''mte because a seal on the third floor birthed a new and extremely mystical spirit. It was very fun, and it was able to take the shape of anyone who locked gazes with it. A lot of people were lining up to give it a go. I''m really sorry about this, Chen Ping''an."


    Chen Ping''an stood up and patted his clothes clean. A smile stretched across his face, and he replied, "It''s not like we''re in a hurry or anything."


    When Jin Su directly said Chen Ping''an''s name for the first time in Stctite Mountain, the two people guarding the door at the foot of the Lone Peak opened their eyes in unison as if in tacit understanding. They were the young Daoist priest and the middle-aged man holding the sword in his arms.


    The young Daoist priest stood up from his straw mat and left the white jade za, heading toward the Incense Offering Tower.


    The middle-aged man holding the sword turned around and bent his fingers, making a slight flicking motion at the mirror-like curtain of water. However, he suddenly smiled and twisted his wrist as if reeling something in. He retracted the message that he had just flicked forth.


    He continued to nod off.


    Stctite Mountain didn''t forbid the use of mystical abilities, and the young Daoist priest covered several kilometers in a single stride. In the end, he arrived in front of a building in which purple smoke wafted. He strode inside, and many Daoist priests with fish tail hats bowed and cupped their hands in respect upon seeing the white-skinned little boy. They respectfully referred to him as grand uncle-master, and some even referred to him as great grand uncle-master.


    The young Daoist priest had an indifferent expression, and he never responded to any of these people. After entering the building, he flicked his sleeve and sent several visiting Daoists with different Daoist hats and Daoist robes flying. The visiting Daoists at the Middle Five Tiers instantly drifted toward the two side walls. They were so terrified that they almost suffered a mental copse.


    The young Daoist priest strode forward and imed the incense offering region for himself. He then retrieved a single stick of incense from the incense tube on the nearby table. There were four picture scrolls epting worship on the incense table. The picture scroll of the Dao Ancestor was ced the highest, so high that worshippers might miss itpletely if they weren''t paying attention.


    Beneath the picture scroll of the Dao Ancestor, there were the picture scrolls of three Daoist priests hanging side-by-side.


    The Daoist priest in the middle held a peach wood talisman, the one on the left was dressed in a feather cloak and held a Dao sword in his hand, and the one on the right was wearing a lotus flower hat.


    On the gigantic incense table, there was only a singlerge censer in which worshippers could ce their sticks of incense.


    ording to legends, it was said that if Daoist priests and worshippers sincerely offered incense in the Incense Offering Tower, there was a chance for the Dao Ancestor and the Three Pure Ones  the branch masters  to detect their offering. When Daoist priests visited Stctite Mountain, they would almost always visit the Incense Offering Tower to offer three sticks of incense first. Of course, Daoist priests from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence definitely wouldn''t take a single step into the Incense Offering Tower.


    The young Daoist priest wearing the fish tail hat bowed three times at the branch master wearing the lotus flower hat. After cing the stick of incense in the censer, he closed his eyes and recited some words.


    After a while, the young Daoist priest faltered before opening his eyes. He felt a bit bored, so he turned around and eventually settled his gaze on a young man who looked like a beautiful woman. He frowned and asked, "As a descendant of Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Lu n, why did you go to the Sword Reverence Pagoda first? Why didn''t youe here to offer incense first?!"


    The young "woman" was unfazed, and he replied with a smile, "We loyally and sincerely honor this paramount branch master as our old ancestor, but this old ancestor has never acknowledged us as his descendants. For the past several thousand years, just how many sticks of incense has the Lu n offered to this branch master? Yet, we still haven''t heard a single word from him. Will it make a difference if I offer one more stick of incense?"


    A hint of anger appeared on the young Daoist priest''s face, and he eximed, "You still dare to speak with such impudence?!"


    The young man who hade to offer incense smiled with squinted eyes and said, "Heavenly Lord, you''re not a Daoist priest from the same branch as our Lu n''s old ancestor, so why are you so pressed about some outsider''s etiquette?"


    The young Daoist priest humphed and said, "Fool who doesn''t know what''s good for you, get out of here!"


    He flicked his sleeve, and the young man who was even more attractive than beautiful women was immediately sent flying out of the building. He crashed into the street outside the Incense Offering Tower, and he continued to vomit blood as he struggled to sit up. Gazing up at the picture scroll on the right which had remained indifferent toward them for hundreds upon thousands of years, the young man started to roar withughter.


    Today, this branch master was still as cold and pitiless as always.


    The Lu n had faced dire situations and threats of destruction time and time again in history, yet the person in the picture scroll had never paid any heed to them.


    The young Daoist priest walked out of the Incense Offering Tower and shot a quick nce at the extremely disheveled young man. He then disappeared in a sh.


    Following Jin Su''s lead, Chen Ping''an arrived at Ganoderma Inn at noon. Here, he was able to see the legendary Ganoderma ruyi.


    After looking through the astronomically expensive immortal treasures and spirit tools at Ganoderma Inn, Chen Ping''an didn''t purchase anything, nor did he sell anything from his pocket treasure. He left the inn and set off for the day''s final destination, the Daoist Saber Room.


    The Daoist Saber Room wasn''t fascinating because of the scenery it provided, but rather because of the list on one of its walls. All kinds of bounties were listed on the wall, and the subjects of these bounties were peculiar and varied.


    There were great demons from some ind in the South Sea, the ruler of a nation in some continent, the elder of a terrestrial immortal in some immortal n, some demonic cultivators who were causing chaos in the world, and even a Confucian sage from Southern Whirl Continent''s Chen n. There were all kinds of people and creatures on the bounty list.


    The rules of the Daoist Saber Room had been passed down from some unknown time, and anyone was allowed to post a bounty on the wall. However, the poster had to leave the bounty money with the Daoist Saber Room. Otherwise, if one dared to casually post a bounty without leaving any bounty money, one would have to experience the power of the Daoist Saber Room''s Dao saber.


    Daoist Saber Room...


    There were different branches under the Daoist second disciple''s Dao lineage, and one of the branches used the saber as their Dao instrument. This branch had once made a huge name for itself in Middle Earth Divine Continent, and they had enjoyed an equal standing with the Mohist Sect''s saber-lending cultivators. One group was domineering, and one group was mysterious.


    In Majestic World, there was something even more troublesome than provoking sword cultivators. That was engaging in conflict with Daoist priests who used sabers as their Dao instrument. This was because "Daoist saber priests" were all extremely resolute individuals. In fact, they could be regarded as cruel and merciless. They were swift and efficient when ying demons and fiends, and they were equally as merciless and deadly when fighting against Qi refiners.


    Just how bad was the temper of Daoist saber priests? It was said that one time, a powerful Daoist saber priest hade across Esteemed Daoist Huangzi from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence. They had both wanted to y a supremely powerful sinister demon, so logically speaking, the two of them should have teamed up or fought against the demon without interfering with each other. Otherwise, one of them could have stepped back.


    However, at the first sign of disagreement, the Daoist saber priest had drawn his saber and pointed it at Esteemed Daoist Huangzi. After engaging in an earth-shaking battle and severely wounding the Heavenly Master, the Daoist saber priest had then gone on to vanquish the sinister demon by himself.


    This battle had created a huge stir in Golden Armor Continent. In fact, a Daoist ancestor from Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Heavenly Master Residence had personally traveled tens of thousands of kilometers to Golden Armor Continent to demand an exnation.


    In the end, another paramount battle had taken ce, with the Great Heavenly Lord from the Lone Peak personally stepping forward to fight. He and the Heavenly Master, who had an extraordinarily high level of seniority, had fought 500 kilometers away from Stctite Mountain. However, the final oue remained aplete mystery to outsiders.


    Of the beautiful women and youngdies who worked as shop attendants in the Dust Medicinal Shop, one was missing today. She was none other than the young girl whom Zheng Dafeng still owed money to.


    Zheng Dafeng was slightly angry, and he smacked the table and grumbled that the young girl was truly trying to start an uprising. Just because she was beautiful, she was daring to act in such an impudent manner, and this was essentially having no respect for him, their handsome and dashing boss. Because of this, he was going to fine her thirty or forty copper coins from what he owed her for that book.


    The grumbling man seemed quite angry. However, it was a shame that none of the women and young girls in the shop took him seriously. They continued to snack on sunflower seeds and chat about trivial matters. In any case, none of them believed that he would truly deduct their wage.


    After a while, a terrified elder from the Fan n personally visited the Dust Medicinal Shop with a panicked and apologetic expression on his face.


    Zheng Dafeng''s expression changed slightly, and he immediately stopped his annoying grumbling. He walked around the counter and arrived at the door, saying in a quiet voice, "We can speak here."


    The elder from the Fan n felt very frustrated. He was someone with genuine influence in the Fan n''s ancestral hall, yet he actually had toe here for the sake of amoner girl who had nothing to do with the Fan n. Moreover, the Fan n hadn''t done anything wrong, yet they still needed to apologize to this person. Not only that, but the entire n was filled with unease, afraid that Zheng Dafeng would take his anger out on them.


    The old man sighed and said, "Mr. Zheng, the young girl who didn''te to the medicine shop today is dead."


    Zheng Dafeng nodded expressionlessly.


    The old man misunderstood this response, and he thought that the 10th tier martial artist didn''t care much about this matter. He breathed a sigh of relief.


    Zheng Dafeng waved his hand, signaling that the old man could leave.


    He then sat down and didn''t say anything else.


    The women and young girls in the medicine shop had sharp senses, and they immediately detected the strange atmosphere at the entrance of the shop. They quickly fell quiet, not daring to speak loudly and certainly not daring to joke around with their boss.


    "Haha, I truly don''t need to return the money this time," Zheng Dafeng said.


    However, there was no hint of joy on his face.


    He looked toward some shadowy location in the alley and said, "I don''t trust the Fan n anymore. I don''t trust their character, and I don''t trust their abilities either. Old Zhao, go and personally investigate this matter. I''m waiting for your news."


    Zheng Dafeng stood up and patiently waited there, just like that.


    In Old Dragon City, winds of chaos were going to rise from seemingly insignificant duckweed.


    It was nighttime at Stctite Mountain.


    On the za, there was the young Daoist priest reading as well as the middle-aged man holding the sword in his arms. Surprisingly, thetter was no longer sleeping now that it was night. Apart from them, the za was alreadypletely empty.


    A gant-looking young girl with a sword by her waist suddenly stepped out from the curtain of water between the tworge pirs.


    Her eyebrows were like the distant mountains[1].


    1. After reading some previousments, I have to speak up for best girl. This refers to the shape of her eyebrows being gently curved like the distant mountains, not the distance between them being like distant mountains.

 Chapter 270: Long Time No See, Ning Yao

    Chapter 270: Long Time No See, Ning Yao


    After visiting the Daoist Saber Room, Chen Ping''an and Jin Su went to theirst destination for the day, the Sword Reverence Pagoda. By following this order, they could cut their time on the road to a minimum and not walk any extra distance today.


    At the Daoist Saber Room, the wall was absolutely crammed with bounties. Among these bounties, Chen Ping''an had found three familiar names  Cui Chan, Xu Ruo, and Song Changjing.


    Cui Chan''s name appeared the most, with six bounties asking for his head. Moreover, the posters were from four different continents. From this, it was abundantly clear just how unpopr the former first disciple of the Schrly Sage was in Majestic World.


    As for the Mohist cultivator Xu Ruo and the Great Li Empire''s Song Changjing, both had a single bounty for their head. However, the reasons for these two bounties were very strange. The poster asking for Xu Ruo''s head was a woman who had signed her name as "Extraordinary Lake''s Green Water Primordial Lord Liu Rouxi." Her words were filled with a sense of hatred as well as a sense of affection.


    Meanwhile, the person putting a bounty on Song Changjing had signed off as "Golden Armor Continent''s Han Wanzhan." Perhaps this person had too much money but nowhere to spend it, as his reason for posting this bounty was that he felt like the small Eastern Treasured Vial Continent wasn''t worthy of having a superior martial arts grandmaster at the End Tier.


    When Chen Ping''an and Jin Su turned around to leave, they walked past a group of three people on the opposite side of the street.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but take another nce at them. This was because that woman was genuinely far too tall. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, her figure was shapely, and there was a scabbardless sword hanging by her waist. It looked like a newly forged sword and it glowed in the sun with a snow-white glint as the tall woman walked forward.


    In fact, it wasn''t just Chen Ping''an who was taking an extra nce at this woman. Almost without exception, everyone on the street was checking out this strange woman.


    A handsome man was walking beside her, and the tall woman asionally nodded as he continued to speak quietly. However, she seldom said anything.


    There was a middle-aged subordinate behind them, and he was filled with an extremely strong killing intent that was very difficult to conceal. Perhaps he was a pure martial artist under the seventh tier and without a Vajra Body yet, so he was unable to conceal his powerful aura. If he was above the seventh tier but still possessed such an aura, however, then that would truly be quite terrifying. Of the myriad sword cultivators in Majestic World, Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Zuo You was the most extreme example of this.


    Even after walking far away, Jin Su still couldn''t help but turn back to nce at the tall woman. The young girl seemed reluctant to see the tall woman disappear. Even though the tall woman hadn''t said anything and she wasn''t wearing exquisite clothes  and, in fact, she wasn''t a stunning beauty either  Jin Su still felt very envious of this woman. This couldn''t be exined clearly.


    Some people were indeed unique in this sense. A single nce at them, and one could remember them for many years. However, there were also some people who were theplete opposite. No matter how many years one looked at them, these people would still fail to find a spot in one''s mind.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t pay much attention to this, and it wasn''t long before he pushed the woman out of his mind. He took small sips of wine as he recalled the stone arch bridge in his hometown. Of course, thinking of this eventually led him to think about that golden bridge in the sky as well. That was a bridge that spanned endlessly through the sea of clouds.


    The tall woman never measured anyone with her eyes as she walked.


    She walked all the way to the spirit wall in the Daoist Saber Room, where she looked up and rapidly browsed through the bounties on the wall. She wasrgely uninterested and unwilling to take an extra nce. After a while, her gaze stopped on a bounty ced on the top-leftmost corner of the wall. Her eyes lit up.


    She had traveled south to Stctite Mountain on the Mirage Ship owned by her empire. The ship had traveled from the north of Middle Earth Divine Continent and flown over the Extraordinary Lake, one of the five famouskes. It had passed Tassel Mountain, the tallest mountain in the world, and it had also journeyed through Southern Whirl Continent.


    However, the woman had stayed inside her room the entire time, reading an ancient book from some fallen empire. She had never showed her face, yet herck of activity made her want to do something now. After tempering her sword in Stctite Mountain, she wanted to find something to do when returning north.


    She reached out and grabbed a bounty from the wall before turning to the front door of the Daoist Saber Room and announcing in an indifferent voice, "I''ll be epting this bounty."


    The handsome man had been following the tall woman''s gaze just then, and he had been muttering something under his breath the entire time. Upon seeing her gaze settle on that certain bounty, he had quietly prayed, "Don''t grab that one, don''t grab that one, you can grab anything apart from that one..."


    However, his prayers had gone unheard, and the tall woman had grabbed exactly that bounty. That was an old bounty that had been stuck on the wall for heaven knew how many years.


    The grandmaster-tier subordinate behind them had a wide smile. He waspletely unsurprised, and he had anticipated this oue from the very beginning.


    There was a sullen expression on the handsome man''s face as he asked, "Imperial Preceptor, are we truly going to travel to White Emperor City to stir trouble? The paramount demonic cultivator near our ce is only a few ranking spots below White Emperor City''s city lord, isn''t he? He''s also one of the ten most powerful demonic cultivators in Majestic World, so why don''t you look for him?


    "That will be a quick and easy task, and I might have just finished preparing a pot of wine for you when you return. Of course, this demonic cultivator has already gone into seclusion due to his fear of you. News has even spread of his desire to relocate his sect."


    The tall woman smiled and cut the handsome man off, saying, "I was only able to advance my cultivation base thanks to that person''s immense help. I forgot to tell you, Your Majesty, but I''ve already killed him."


    The man faltered for a moment before saying in pity, "Imperial Preceptor, why didn''t you persuade him to surrender? If we gained such a powerful helper..."


    The tall woman smiled again, replying, "I did try to persuade him. However, he put forward one condition, and that was for me to be his mistress. I thought about it for a bit, and I eventually decided that it would be easier to kill him than to act as his maidservant and serve tea."


    The handsome man sighed in a forlorn manner. However, he quickly came to his senses, and he beat his chest and stomped his feet as he eximed, "Imperial Preceptor, tell it to me straight! Did he say these words before or after the fight?"


    The tall woman felt slightly guilty, and she patted the handsome man''s shoulder as she smiled and said, "Your wisdom is truly unmatched, Your Majesty."


    At that time, she hadn''t epted the demonic cultivator''s apology as he had kneeled on the ground and kowtowed while begging for mercy. After leaving the corpse-strewn demonic sect in the mountains, she had ridden through small mountain paths on a galloping horse with the head of the demonic cultivator still impaled on the tip of her spear.


    She had initially nned to bring it back to the pce to show the emperor. He was always thinking and talking about this paramount demonic cultivator, after all, so she could finally show him what this demonic cultivator looked like.


    However, upon realizing that the emperor would most likely grumble about her not taking into consideration the bigger picture, she had flicked her wrist and tossed the head away. Afterward, she had acted as if nothing had happened at all.


    Because of this, she felt slightly guilty and apologetic toward the emperor beside her.


    After all, this was an emperor who needed to ask for her opinion on everything, whether that be establishing or abolishing his empress, deciding on a crown prince, choosing a location for his tomb, and so on. It was very difficult to find such an emperor in Majestic World.


    She needed to cherish this.


    The handsome man became a bit numb from pain, and he said in a listless manner, "Then I''ll get someone to deliver a message to the capital straight away. I''ll tell them to bring that suit of armor over for you. The city lord of White Emperor City is far too strong, so you can''t be careless."


    However, the tall woman suddenly shook her head and said with a fervent look in her eyes, "If I engage in an intense life-and-death battle with the city lord from White Emperor City, then wearing that suit of armor or not won''t make any difference at all. There''s no need to do something unnecessary, Your Majesty."


    "I''ve begged you many times already, but I''ll beg you one more time now," the man said in a solemn voice. "Don''t fight to the death, and just fight until a victor is decided, okay? After your battle, you can view the iridescent clouds with the city lord, y a few games of Go with him, and take a stroll by the river..."


    The tall woman nced at her emperor and chuckled, "Your Majesty, perhaps you''re wishing for the city lord of White Emperor City to join our empire one day?"


    The handsome man raised his thumb and shamelessly said, "As expected, you always have the mostprehensive ns and understanding!"


    "In my life, I''ll only marry the Martial Dao and no one else," the tall woman stated calmly.


    The handsome man sighed and didn''t say anything else.


    When the tall woman grabbed the bounty from the wall, no one from the Daoist Saber Room came forward to greet her and interact with her. Meanwhile, all of the Qi refiners crowding around the spirit wall scattered like frightened birds and beasts.


    The newest ranking list for the top ten cultivators waspiled by Middle Earth Divine Continent, and the cultivators on the list were all individuals from the mountain peaks who had appeared in the world and disyed their power sometime during the past hundred years. Otherwise, they would be excluded from the list.


    The previous list had consisted entirely of Qi refiners at the Upper Five Tiers, for example, Heavenly Masters from Mount Longhu. Now, however, they only upied nine of the ten spots.


    This was the first time in the history of Majestic World that a pure martial artist had made it onto the list.


    Not only that, but this pure martial artist was a female martial goddess, and she had charged into the top five in a single go.


    In the fourth spot was none other than the city lord of White Emperor City.


    The tall woman turned around and said to the subordinate behind them, "You can travel to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in my stead. If those people stubbornly refuse to hand that sword scabbard over, then just let it be. You don''t need to force them against their will."


    The middle-aged subordinate nodded in understanding.


    Before entering the Sword Reverence Pagoda, both Chen Ping''an and Jin Su had their own individual thoughts and ns. Chen Ping''an wanted to see whether the sword of that man with a bamboo hat was disyed in the Sword Reverence Pagoda. If it was, then what would its name be? Just how many great demons at the Upper Five Tiers had it in? Meanwhile, Jin Su wanted to pay homage to the swords of those female sword immortals.


    They both had their own ns, so they decided to split up and each go their own way.


    The Sword Reverence Pagoda was split into two floors, with the replica swords disyed on the second floor not open to visitors. However, the first floor stretched for quite a long way, and this was because of how the replica swords were organized.


    They were disyed in rooms categorized by millennia, and each room would disy the replica swords of those who had in great demons during that thousand-year period. Thus, each room had a different number of swords. However, not a single room was empty, with the only difference being how many or how very many swords there were.


    Chen Ping''an walked through the rooms and looked at the swords, remembering all of their ancient names. In the end, he came to a conclusion. The second floor most likely had a secret disy of the picture scrolls and replica swords of those who had engraved characters on the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    The disys in the Sword Reverence Pagoda were extremely well put together, with each replica sword ced on a unique sword stand. Not only that, but there were also picture scrolls of sword immortals hanging behind them, each measuring half a person tall. These were lifelike portraits of their owners. In reality, it wasn''t exactly urate to call these picture scrolls. This was because they were formed from white mist that provided an incredible level of detail. It was as if the sword immortals were still alive.


    Even though there was arger number of replica swords from male sword immortals, Chen Ping''an still looked through the disys faster than Jin Su. However, they coincidentally came across each other in thest room. In an even greater coincidence, they stood next to each other at almost the exact same moment. One looked at the male sword immortal''s sword, Dogwood Cherry, and his expression changed slightly. The other gazed at the female sword immortal''s sword, Restful Bamboo Grove, and aplicated look appeared in her eyes.


    Most importantly, neither the male sword immortal nor the female sword immortal had a picture scroll.


    Someone suddenly pushed Chen Ping''an aside, cursing loudly as they did so. Even though Chen Ping''an didn''t understand which continent this person''s official dialect was from, he could easily tell that this person was very angry. The person spat at the sword stands and replica swords, and he was clearly irritated at Chen Ping''an as well, especially since the young boy was standing there without moving.


    He continued to rattle on in a dialect that Chen Ping''an didn''t understand at all. After a while, the person also seemed to realize that the young boy with the sword case couldn''t understand him. He huffed and left in anger.


    "Let''s go," Jin Su said with a sigh.


    While standing outside the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, Chen Ping''an had heard Wei Bo talk about these past events. To say nothing of the current battle situation where the demon tribe was attacking the Sword Qi Great Wall, those events of the past had truly been epic. There had been several tense battles to decide the ownership of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and the demon tribe had eventually returned many damaged flying swords to the humans.


    However, a male sword immortal and a female sword immortal had perished during those thirteen battles. It was incredibly tragic. Both were meritorious and supremely powerful sword immortals, yet they had actually been killed in battle by great demons in front of everyone else!


    Both, killed in battle!


    Chen Ping''an looked at the name of the male sword immortal before turning his head to nce at the name of the female sword immortal.


    "Chen Ping''an, you''re not leaving yet?" Jin Su asked with a puzzled expression.


    "Mhm, you can return to the inn. I want to look through the Sword Reverence Pagoda again. This ce is open all day," Chen Ping''an replied.


    "Do you remember the way back?" Jin Su asked.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t look up, and he replied with a nod, "Yes, I remember."


    Jin Su found this slightly strange, but she simply dismissed it as the young boy who always carried the sword case on his back being unwilling to leave because he was overly eager and interested in the sword immortals from that world.


    She exited the room, and as she walked past the previous rooms, it was as if time were flowing in reverse for thousands upon thousands of years.


    There were many visitors from other nations and continents in the Sword Reverence Pagoda, and most of them were polite and respectful as they admired the replica swords. Even though the young boy with the sword case remained standing in front of Dogwood Cherry the entire time, most people didn''tin or say anything.


    However, there were also people who had very bad tempers like the person from before. Facing Dogwood Cherry and Restful Bamboo Grove, two swords that had in eleven great demons at the Upper Five Tiers before, these people either sneered in disdain or spoke in ridicule. Indeed, some of them directly spat at the sword stands or replica swords.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t understand what they were saying.


    However, he could sense their fury, ridicule, indifference, mockery, gloating, amusement, and so on...


    Chen Ping''an didn''t like this kind of feeling. It reminded him of his experience on Osmanthus Ind back then.


    It was as if only hostility remained in the world.


    One time, Chen Ping''an was knocked over by a tall and burly man. The man strode forward and was just about to destroy the sword stand with a single punch. However, a middle-aged Daoist nun with a fish tail hat suddenly appeared in front of him, warning with a smile, "Damaging the collection of the Sword Reverence Pagoda is strictly prohibited. Vitors will be responsible for the consequences."


    The burly man huffed and retracted his fist, asking, "Then can I spit at it? Will that break the rules of Stctite Mountain?"


    The Daoist nun smiled and remained silent.


    The burly man understood her implied response, and he spat a mouthful of thick phlegm at the sword stand before turning around to leave.


    Some people nearby pped and cheered, and this made the burly man feel an increasing sense of heroism. He felt as if he had done something to everybody''s satisfaction.


    Chen Ping''an still couldn''t understand their words.


    He silently walked to a corner of the room, squatting down and drinking wine. Only when there were few guests in the room would he quickly stand up and walk over to wipe away the spit on Dogwood Cherry and Restful Bamboo Grove, as well as their sword stands. After cleaning them, he would return to the corner of the room to drink.


    After a while, some people mistook the young boy with the sword case for being an errand boy in the Sword Reverence Pagoda. He was seemingly responsible for looking after this room and preventing the replica swords of those two sinners of the Sword Qi Great Wall from being destroyed.


    Chen Ping''an stayed in this room of the Sword Reverence Pagoda all the way until night. There were fewer and fewer visitors, so he also stood up fewer and fewer times.


    Late at night, it had already been an entire hour since thest visitor hade to the room.


    Only then did Chen Ping''an leave the Sword Reverence Pagoda. He sat on the steps outside and held the Sword Nurturing Gourd in his hand. However, he didn''t drink anymore, and his lips were tightly pursed.


    The surname of the male sword immortal was Ning.


    The surname of the female sword immortal was Yao.


    Once upon a time, a young girl had introduced herself to Chen Ping''an as such, "Hello, my name is Ning Yao. My namees from my father and mother''s surnames, which are Ning and Yao, respectively."


    While fighting against the Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain, the young girl''s words had clearly indicated that her parents were still healthy and alive. Moreover, during her entire stay in Jewel Small World, she had never acted like someone who had lost her parents. Thus, even when Wei Bo stood in Downtrodden Mountain and mentioned the death of a couple at the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping''an never linked this tragedy with the young girl.


    However, looking back now, there had already been many clues and hints.


    She didn''t like talking about the character "badass" on the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    She said that her partner had to be the strongest sword immortal in the world. Not "one of the strongest," but "<em>the</em> strongest."


    She had traveled around Majestic World by her lone self since a very young age, looking for someone to forge a good sword for her.


    Chen Ping''an sat on the steps and wrapped his arms around his knees.


    Resting in the sword case on his back were Subduing Demons and Eliminating Fiends, two swords that he had named.


    Inside his Sword Nurturing Gourd were two more flying swords, First and Fifteenth.


    There was also a pair of straw sandals on his feet.


    Chen Pingan sat with his back facing the Sword Reverence Pagoda, inside which Dogwood Cherry and Restful Bamboo Grove were still standing side-by-side in the innermost disy room.


    Chen Ping''an sat on the steps and stared nkly into space for a long time, his eyespletely expressionless. However, he suddenly came to his senses and discovered a young girl standing not far in front of him.


    The young girl furrowed her brows slightly and directly said, "Chen Ping''an, why was the letter delivered to my home written by Ruan Xiu and not you? What''s going on with you?!"


    It was as if Chen Pingan had been struck by lightning, and his reply waspletely unrted to the question. "Long time no see, Ning Yao."


    Ning Yao sighed as she looked at Chen Ping''an''s silly expression. She felt slightly exasperated, and she sat down beside him before huffing, "Long time no see? Just how long has it been?"


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment, and he scratched his head.


    For some reason, he felt like it had already been a very long time.


    He had walked hundreds upon thousands of kilometers.


    He had thrown over one million punches.


    Ning Yao looked at the young boy who was sitting upright, and she nced at the sword case on his back. She suddenly chuckled and couldn''t help but say, "Chen Ping''an, you''re a..."


    However, Ning Yao was mystified to discover that the young fool, who was always fearless about everything, was sweating profusely in fear before she could even finish her sentence.[1]


    1. Referencing a previous chapter where Chen Ping''an is told that a rtionship will be impossible if a girl says, "You''re a good person".

 Chapter 271: Im Sorry, Ning Yao

    Chapter 271: I''m Sorry, Ning Yao


    Before Ning Yao could finish speaking, Chen Ping''an hurriedly told her to hang on for a moment. He then turned around and grabbed his wine gourd, drinking a quick sip of wine.


    Ning Yao was rather baffled.


    Perhaps Chen Ping''an had done something bad behind her back? For example, maybe he had umted a massive debt while traveling from Jewel Small World to Stctite Mountain, and he had recorded all of this debt under her name?


    Or maybe after throwing a few thousand punches, he had felt like fist techniques were pointless, so he had abandoned the Mountain Shaking Guide long ago? And it was because of this that he was carrying a sword case now? Yet, after starting to practice the sword, he had found that both his fist technique and sword skills were unimpressive?


    Or maybe Chen Ping''an was a lucky idiot, and he had gathered himself a big group of lovers and soulmates while traveling through the cultivation world? And perhaps these lovers and soulmates were waiting for him in an inn right now?


    Ning Yao''s mind wandered all over the ce.


    However, she never considered the possibility that Chen Ping''an might have lost the sword forged by Ruan Qiong.


    After all, how was this possible? Regardless of how distant the journey was, and no matter what the season was, Chen Ping''an would definitely deliver the sword to her.


    After drinking a sip of wine, Chen Ping''an suddenly stood up and walked down the steps. He turned around to face Ning Yao as she stood in front of the Sword Reverence Pagoda, a pagoda which seemed to house the tens of thousands of years of spirit and vigor of the Sword Qi Great Wall. Moreover, the swords Dogwood Cherry and Restful Bamboo Grove were also disyed inside the pagoda.


    While squatting in the corner of that disy room just then, Chen Ping''an had thought about all kinds of random things. For example, some beautiful lines of poetry. These lines included "missing is one as each adorns their hair with dogwood[1]," "sitting alone in the bamboo groves," and so on. He also thought about A''Liang and the character "Badass," and he thought about the characters "Thunder Pool Restricted Land" that were even more ancient and historical.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an had even daydreamed about what their reunion would be like. Indeed, it definitely wouldn''t be like this, where he was stupidly sitting on a set of steps on Stctite Mountain and she suddenly appeared in front of him.


    Ning Yao slowly sat down on the stairs, then leaned back andzily rested her elbows against the taller steps behind her. She squinted her eyes, making her slender eyebrows appear even more beautiful.


    Upon seeing this, Chen Ping''an was surprisingly rendered speechless. He turned around and took another sip of wine.


    Just as he was finally about to say something...


    Ning Yao raised an eyebrow and sat up straight, asking, "Chen Ping''an, when did you be a drunkard?!"


    The young boy had finally summoned some courage with much difficulty, and a few words had finally crept to the tip of the tongue as if finally making their way up a steep mountain. However, he couldn''t help but swallow all of this again, and it was as if his courage and words had plummeted down a cliff and smashed into smithereens.


    Chen Ping''an sighed in grief and squatted down on the ground, not speaking a word as he scratched his head with both hands.


    Ning Yao stood up and remarked with a smile, "Chen Ping''an, it seems like you''ve grown taller?"


    Chen Ping''an suddenly stood up and gestured for Ning Yao to stay on the set of stairs for a moment. "Ning Yao, let me say something first!"


    The young boy raised his head and straightened his back, tightening his wine gourd around his waist as he gazed at the young girl dressed in a dark green robe.


    Ning Yao blinked in response, and she was seemingly unable to guess what Chen Ping''an was ying at right now.


    "Miss Ning..." Chen Ping''an started.


    However, he suddenly shook his head and corrected himself, saying, "Ning Yao, I like you."


    Ning Yao sat back down on the steps and replied, "If you''re capable, then say it louder."


    Chen Ping''an raised his voice and shouted, "Ning Yao! I like you!"


    "Who are you?" Ning Yao asked.


    There was a radiant smile on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he was no longer reserved as he proudly announced, "Chen Ping''an from the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture!"


    Chen Ping''an was aware of the safest option  he should have given the sword to Ning Yao and interacted with her for a while first, after which it was best for him to visit her hometown and be acquainted with her friends from the Sword Qi Great Wall. After doing all this, he could decide whether he still wanted to confess to her. In the worst-case scenario, his feelings would be one-sided, but they could perhaps still remain good friends in the future.


    However, Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to do this.


    Ning Yao stood up again, and there was a strange look on her face as she asked the young boy, "Is it very impressive to like someone?"


    Chen Ping''an was at aplete loss. He didn''t know how to answer this question.


    After being confessed to, did all girls in the world ask some question like this?


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but grumble in his mind. Sword Saint Song from Water Combing Nation had jinxed things for him, and the old boatman''s master had refused to share his experience with him during their interaction on Osmanthus Ind.


    Ning Yao walked down the steps in a single stride, extending her hand as she arrived in front of Chen Ping''an. "Hand it over."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in reply and untied the wooden sword case from his back. He then retrieved the sword forged by Sage Ruan Qiong and handed it to Ning Yao standing in front of him.


    Ning Yao epted the sword, but she didn''t draw the de from the scabbard to inspect its edge. She tied the sword to her waist and walked forward, brushing past Chen Ping''an just like that.


    When Chen Ping''an vigorously turned his head around to look at her, he simply saw her raise an arm and lightly wave farewell.


    His lips moved slightly, yet he was unable to utter a single word. This was because he had expended all of his courage on the confession just then.


    He stayed like that for a long time, unwilling to turn his head back around, and unwilling to retract his gaze.


    She walked further and further away, with her figure gradually vanishing into the darkness of night.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and walked toward the step that he had been sitting on just then. He started to murmur to himself, saying those words that he had been unable to say just then.


    "Ning Yao, how have you been?


    "Ning Yao, I experienced so many interesting things during my journey. Do you want to hear some stories?


    "Ning Yao, you definitely didn''t expect this, did you? I promised you that I would practice the fist technique one million times, and I''m only twenty thousand punches from reaching that goal now.


    "Ning Yao, do you know? When you were staying at my ce in y Vase Alley, your smile made me feel like the richest person in the world.


    "Ning Yao, I saw A''Liang, but Mr. Qi has already left.


    "Ning Yao, I visited Yellow Court Nation, Great Sui Nation, Colorful Garment Nation, Water Combing Nation, Old Dragon City, and many other ces. I came across many girls, but none of them are as beautiful as you.


    "Ning Yao, you asked me if I liked you before, and I told you that I didn''t. You didn''t seem unhappy back then. But I like you very much now, yet you seem unhappy about my confession. I''m sorry, Ning Yao.


    "Ning Yao, I''m so happy that we met."


    On the white jade za beneath Lone Peak, a young Daoist priest with a fish tail hat continued to read while sitting on his straw mat. These few days were important fasting days for Heavenly World, and Stctite Mountain never considered itself part of Majestic World. Thus, thisrge gate leading to the Sword Qi Great Wall would only reopen at midnight in two days'' time. Otherwise, this za should have been one of the busiest areas in Stctite Mountain.


    This was because this gate only allowed people through, not cargo.


    The true transit hub was located on the inside of Stctite Mountain.


    Including the docks near the Catch and Release Pavilion and the Incense Offering Tower, all of the eight docks had a path leading diagonally downward toward the inside of the mountain. In the past, the two sect brothers had argued about whether they needed to dig a tunnel through the mountain and build a new dock on the inside. They had also shed about whether they needed to ask for instructions from that branch master in Heavenly World.


    The Great Heavenly Lord in Stctite Mountain had argued that this was the unstoppable momentum of the world, so why should Stctite Mountain not take advantage of this potential incense money?


    Apart from being a gatekeeper, the young Daoist priest was also the second-inmand in Stctite Mountain. He had held a different opinion, arguing that any works on Stctite Mountain that pertained to the body of the mountain seal  no matter how minor  would be an act of extreme disrespect toward their master.


    At the time, the two of them had failed to reach a consensus and had even gotten into a huge fight. Afterward, they had both offered three sticks of incense at the Incense Offering Tower, catching the attention of the branch master who stayed in the heavens beyond heavens all year round.


    The branch master, their teacher, had returned to the Heavenly World''s White Jade Capital. Then, he had personally issued a decree. Only after this had the two sect brothers finally stopped their conflict. However, following the conclusion of this matter, the young Daoist priest who had possessed influence and power rivaling his senior brother in Stctite Mountain had stopped caring about all the affairs of Stctite Mountain in anger. He left everything to the Great Heavenly Lord, and he simply guarded his own straw mat.


    The man hugging the sword in his arms had been sitting on the hitching post sleeping for the entire day, yet he was surprisingly awake and alert at night, with his eyes as bright as the radiant moon. There was an amused smile on his face as if he were watching an interesting show, and he kept ncing around the za as if he were waiting for someone.


    After waiting for a long time, the expected person still didn''t arrive. He became a little impatient, and he hopped down the hitching post and made his way around the mirror-like gate. He squatted down beside the young Daoist priest, and all he heard was the slow and intermittent sound of the young Daoist priest flipping pages.


    The young Daoist priest had been in a terrible moodtely. Even though he belonged to the same branch as the Great Heavenly Lord, he had a very close rtionship with Third Branch Master Lu Chen. Recently, however, he would feel annoyed whenever he saw that sissy with the surname Lu. The sissy''s arrogant tone was even more annoying. His senior brother losing a fight to someone was also very annoying.


    Why were there so many annoying matters in the world?


    Before being tricked to Stctite Mountain by Branch Master Lu Chen, the young Daoist priest had never experienced so many annoying matters in White Jade Capital. He would apany Branch Master Lu Chen for a stroll around the top floor of some building every day, and he would eagerly wait for his master to return from the heavens beyond heavens to take a rest in White Jade Capital.


    If he was lucky, he could evene across the Dao Ancestor who could barely be seen once a century. The Dao Ancestor was a very busy person, so he seldom ever appeared in White Jade Capital. He was either traveling around some unknown mystical realm to stabilize its fortunes and transform it into a small world suitable for living and cultivation, or he was observing the Dao in that Lotus Flower World.


    There was naturally no need for the Dao Ancestor toprehend the Dao anymore, so his act of so-called observing the Dao merely involved him observing the minor Dao of other people, ording to the exnation provided by the young Daoist priest''s master.


    The young Daoist priest couldn''t stand the sword-hugging middle-aged man beside him, so he huffed, "At the end of the day, she''s still nothing more than a young girl. What''s so interesting?"


    "You don''t understand," the sword-hugging middle-aged man replied with a smile. "I''m here as a punishment, so it''s very rare for me to find anything a little interesting."


    The young Daoist priest closed his book and chuckled, "Oh? There''s only a single gate in your way, and you''re also a great sword immortal at the Immortal Tier here in Majestic World. A little interesting? How little?"


    The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, "It''s truly boring to chat with someone like you."


    After saying this, he added, "The pair of gatekeepers next door get along better than us. Would you look, they''re already starting to make small bets for entertainment."


    The young Daoist priest finally became a little interested, and he asked, "What are they betting on?"


    "Lend me half of your straw mat to sit on?" the sword-hugging middle-aged man asked in a tentative manner.


    The young Daoist priest remained unmoving, and he smiled coldly and replied, "What do you think?"


    The middle-aged man didn''t dwell on this, and he continued, "Old Yao next door is making a bet with that Daoist nun who has a saber. They''re betting on whether the young girl will return to the Sword Qi Great Wall by herself or with someone beside her when morninges."


    "Why isn''t there an option for neither of them returning?" the young Daoist priest asked.


    The sword-hugging middle-aged man shook his head and gazed into the distance, replying, "She''ll definitely return to the Sword Qi Great Wall."


    "Due to the glory of the Ning n and the Yao n?" the young Daoist priest asked.


    The middle-aged man sighed in response, aplicated expression on his face.


    The eyes of the young Daoist priest lit up, and he casually flicked his sleeve and silently recited two names in his mind using the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Two azure-colored talismans were casually created, and they both disappeared in a sh.


    The sword-hugging middle-aged man snapped his fingers and shattered the two talismans that were even more indiscernible than slightly azure smoke. "One should not look at that which is contrary to propriety, and one should not listen to that which is contrary to propriety," he said with a huff.


    The two talismans included a Heaven and Earth Echoing Talisman and a Refreshing Breeze Talisman. The former could rapidly travel around heaven and earth, and it would immediately activate when it encountered the characters silently recited by its creator. It would secretly record the contents of the conversation. Meanwhile, thetter could find the people illustrated on the talisman, after which it could record and stream the images to its creator.


    Both talismans were extremely high-quality and incredibly difficult to draw. In the mountains, however, these were considered some of the more useless Daoist talismans. This was because both the Echoing Talisman and the Refreshing Breeze Talisan would rapidly lose their spiritual energy uponing into contact with restrictions or murderous auras. For example, when they came across the images of door gods, Wenchang pavilions, martial sage temples, unmarked graveyards, and so on.


    Even if high-quality talisman paper was used, these talismans would still create quite somemotion when losing their spiritual energy. This would betray their presence, and the targeted cultivators would naturally view this as an act of provocation. Following the hints and traces, it would be very easy for the targeted cultivators to find the talismans'' creator and thus start a conflict.


    Because of this, such kinds of talismans were only suitable for investigative purposes innds with <em>no Dao</em>.


    Of course, it was naturally fine for the young Daoist priest to use the two talismans in Stctite Mountain, his own territory.


    However, it was a shame that the sword immortal beside him had destroyed them with a snap of his fingers.


    "Do you want to make a bet?" the sword-hugging middle-aged man asked.


    The young Daoist priest waspletely uninterested, and he shook his head and replied, "No, you''re a gambling addict with a terrible reputation. In fact, you rank in the top three shameless gamblers in Stctite Mountain. If I lose a bet to you, I''ll definitely pay you the wagered amount. If I win the bet against you, however, I definitely won''t be able to receive anything. What''s the point of making a bet? No thanks."


    The middle-aged man put on a mncholy expression as hemented, "There''s nothing for me to look forward to anymore. As a gambling addict, I can''t even be the number one shameless gambler."


    The young Daoist priest recalled something interesting, and he chuckled, "You''re already in a fortunate position. Just take a look at those two sword replicas in the Sword Reverence Pagoda before taking a look at yourself. Regardless of whether they''re from the Sword Qi Great Wall or Majestic World, everyone who passes here shows you utmost respect, do they not? As a great sword immortal, even your fart is fragrant in their eyes."


    The middle-aged man wasn''t angered, and there was self-ridicule in his voice as he said, "If that''s the case, then I indeed shouldn''tin about having to guard the gate here."


    The young Daoist priest put his book down and ced his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky.


    "Tomon people in the mortal world, their hometown will most likely be a past home after they leave for a hundred years," the middle-aged man murmured. "To Qi refiners, perhaps this will stretch out to a thousand years. Then what about us, convicts and refugees who have left home for more than ten thousand years?"


    The young Daoist priest didn''t answer this question.


    He couldn''t answer this question.


    It waste at night in Stctite Mountain, yet a scorching sun still hung high above the gate.


    There were also two people guarding this gate, and they were also from the Sword Qi Great Wall and Stctite Mountain, respectively.


    An old sword cultivator in gray was openly refining his bonded flying sword, and standing beside him was a middle-aged Daoist nun with a Dao saber by her waist.


    The Daoist nun furrowed her brows and said, "It''s not right for Little Ning to secretly go to Stctite Mountain by herself. When the Great Heavenly Lord questions us about this, I''ll tell him the truth."


    The old sword cultivator nodded and replied, "Yes, tell him the truth. I''ll take responsibility."


    A group of young boys and young girls walked over from the distance, and they were all extremely famous individuals in the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    Even though they all had powerful backgrounds and were regarded as great prodigies, these children had still been deployed three times in under three years because of the recent battle. They had lost two members, with a young boy with the nickname Little Grasshopper losing his life on the battlefield to the south of the wall, and one member returning to a Confucian school afterpleting their training.


    There was a handsome young boy with two swords by his waist. One had a scabbard, Scripture, and one was without a scabbard, Cloud Pattern.


    There was a chubby young boy who always had a smile on his face. However, he also radiated the strongest killing intent. A sword named Purple Lightning hung by his waist.


    There was a single-armed young girl, and she was carrying a disproportionatelyrge sword on her back, Mountain Suppressing.


    There was an ugly and tanned young boy whose face was riddled with scars, yet his sword was one called borate Makeup.


    The old sword cultivator didn''t seem happy to see these young children, and he continued to focus on practicing his sword techniques.


    Instead, it was the Daoist saber nun who had no historical rtionship with therge ns in the Sword Qi Great Wall that offered a sincere smile and greeted the children.


    She said they were still children, but they were only children in stature and age. In reality, almost everyone in the Sword Qi Great Wall could foresee their impressive future path and their lofty future achievements. This was especially the case after they crossed the city wall and traveled south to the battlefield, personally taking part in those bloody battles. Indeed, they had already won enough respect.


    In the Sword Qi Great Wall, no one cared about your surname. Everyone had to prove themself on the battlefield.


    Of course, there were still some minor differences, reflected in the cultivation base of the sword cultivators who guarded the young sword cultivators. When it came to young sword cultivators from poor families, they could only rely on sword cultivators organized by the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    However, when descendants from therge ns first entered the battlefield, they would definitely enjoy secret protection from powerful subordinates who were temporarily without other missions. Of course, these subordinates definitely wouldn''t interfere unless the young descendants were facing certain death.


    To the north of the Sword Qi Great Wall, every inch of thend waspletely infused with sword qi that had been passed down through the generations.


    To the south, every inch of thend waspletely soaked in the blood of their ancestors.


    The youths all had unique personalities, and the chubby young boy kept pestering the Daoist saber nun, attempting to speak in an awkwardly uncouth manner like a certain someone. However, he ended up beingbeled a stupid goose by the Daoist nun from Stctite Mountain.


    Meanwhile, the single-armed young girl kept staring at the sword techniques of the old sword cultivator. There was displeasure on the face of the handsome young boy, and the tanned young boy numbly looked at therge gate. He had heard that another worldy beyond this nearby gate. Moreover, there was only a single sun and moon there, and there were also beautiful mountains and limpid waters. The young boy couldn''t fathom the concept of beautiful mountains and limpid waters.


    The handsome young boy continued to smack the hilts of his swords with his palms, appearing slightly impatient as he grumbled, "If I see that person, I''m afraid that I won''t be able to stop myself from swinging my sword at him. You guys definitely have to stop me at that time."


    The chubby young boy chuckled and replied, "Why should we stop you? It''s best that you hack him to death. Afterward, you''ll also be chopped into mincemeat by Ning Yao. That way, we''ll kill two birds with one stone and eliminate two eyesores at once. Rest assured, I''ll look after Scripture and Cloud Pattern for you."


    After joking around, the chubby young boy appeared slightly helpless as he continued, "Ning Yao isn''t willing to say anything about that person, and she keeps repeating the same reply again and again  an idiot from Jewel Small World, a foolishly kind person, and an absolute miser... Why do I feel like if we were forced to make a choice, that bookworm from the Confucian school is slightly more likable? At the very least, he''s fought alongside us several times, and he even saved Charcoal Dong that one time. He''s just barely worthy of Ning Yao."


    The ugly young boy shot a ferocious re at the chubby young boy.


    Thetter waspletely unafraid, and he responded by making eyes at the ugly young boy.


    "Maybe we''re overthinking things?" the handsome young boy spected. "With Ning Yao''s personality, will she ever be attracted to anyone?"


    The single-armed young girl carefully pondered this for a moment. She cherished her words like gold, and she concluded, "Tough!"


    In the second half of the night in Stctite Mountain, a gant-looking young girl dressed in dark green and with twin swords on her waist appeared near the foot of Lone Peak. She didn''t so much as nce at the sword-hugging middle-aged man and the young Daoist priest as she directly walked into the mirror-like gate.


    In just an instant, she walked out from the mirror-like gate again, weed by the scorching sun in the sky. She looked up and instinctively squinted her eyes.


    Inside and outside therge gate, the sword-hugging middle-aged man and the young Daoist priest, as well as the old sword cultivator in gray and the Daoist saber nun, all exchanged a nce as if in tacit understanding.


    As for the group of youths who were the same age as her, friends who deeply respected and revered her, they all breathed a sigh of relief in a very heartless manner. Seeing Ning Yao return to the Sword Qi Great Wall by herself, they felt like the weather today was truly quite good.


    They walked for a while, and the tanned young boy called Charcoal Dong eventually turned around and asked, "Big Sister Ning?"


    Ning Yao nodded in response before picking up her pace to catch up with the others.


    She then overtook them.


    Initially talking andughing, the group of four young children quickly fell silent.


    Outside the Sword Reverence Pagoda in Stctite Mountain, Chen Ping''an stood up and nned to return to Stork Inn.


    After he stood up, however, he discovered a couple-like pair walking over from the distance. They were middle-aged and dressed in a simple but elegant manner, and they both had smiles on their ordinary-looking faces. They only took a quick nce at him before turning their attention to the Sword Reverence Pagoda behind him.


    Chen Ping''an looked down and retied the wine gourd to his waist. In fact, he hadn''t taken another sip after sitting down. He was just about to leave.


    However, the woman smiled and asked in a gentle voice, "This is our first time visiting the Sword Reverence Pagoda, and we''ve heard that the pagoda is very big inside. Is there anything we should keep in mind?"


    Chen Ping''an stopped and pondered for a brief moment before nodding and replying, "How about I show the two of you around?"


    The man and woman exchanged a smile before nodding and saying, "Sure thing."


    1. From the poem ''On Double Ninth Day Thinking of My Brothers at Home''.

 Chapter 272: Listen to Me, Chen Pingan

    Chapter 272: Listen to Me, Chen Ping''an


    In reality, Chen Ping''an was slightly surprised by this situation. It was very rare for people to speak the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in Stctite Mountain. However, after traveling around the world for so long, Chen Ping''an also understood some basic etiquette. He knew that Buddhist monks didn''t mention their names and Daoist priests didn''t talk about their ages, so rashly asking others about their backgrounds also seemed to be quite inappropriate.


    Chen Ping''an led the couple into the Sword Reverence Pagoda, repeating to them what Jin Su had told him. Moreover, Chen Ping''an had always had a good memory, so when it came to the replica swords and picture scrolls of the sword immortals that he had gone to the effort to remember, he could immediately introduce their names as well as their basic history.


    While taking the couple around, Chen Ping''an also developed another thought. Since he had used a sword before, he might as well stay in Stctite Mountain for a while longer. He could use this time to go around the Sword Reverence Pagoda and record information about the sword immortals and immortal swords that he felt a connection to. He would bring these back to the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, and he could go through them whenever he felt bored in the future.


    This would be simr to those small bamboo slips on which he had engraved beautiful lines of poetry and profound teachings of wisdom. Chen Ping''an would sometimes ce them under the sun, and even looking at them from a distance would make him feel especially warm andfortable. It was as if the sun weren''t shining on the small bamboo slips and the engraved characters, but shining on his heart instead.


    While recording the information, he could also use the opportunity to practice his handwriting. However, he was unsure of how much calligraphy brushes, ink, and paper cost in Stctite Mountain. Would they be very expensive?


    The woman smiled and praised, "Your memory is quite good."


    Chen Ping''an paused his thoughts and cracked a grin. This kind of ability was nothing in the mountains. Indeed, this woman was definitely being polite with him.


    In reality, Chen Ping''an was genuinely underestimating himself this time. This was because the couple had already confirmed that the young boy would be filled with confidence and certainty every time he set his eyes on a replica sword. This was a case of his heart arriving at the swords before his eyes arrived.


    This phenomenon rted to a famous bottleneck for sword cultivators, and this bottleneck was something that would determine a sword cultivator''s ultimate potential. Would they end up as a minor sword cultivator whose heart was restricted by their flying sword, or would they be a great sword immortal who couldmand a myriad kinds of sword intent?


    After making their way through more than half of the disy rooms, Chen Ping''an was still filled with patience and interest as he followed the couple around. The two were both looking at the disys very carefully. After roughly exining the history of the Sword Reverence Pagoda to the couple, he intended to let them go by themselves and look at whichever sword immortal or immortal sword struck their fancy. However, the woman would still chat with Chen Ping''an from time to time, so the young boy decided to continue following them around.


    The man had barely spoken the entire time, but he suddenly said, "I''ll go ahead first and wait for you guys to catch up."


    The woman nodded and didn''t think much about this, and she continued to chat with Chen Ping''an. Chen Ping''an had visited the Sword Reverence Pagoda only once, and he was actually quite unfamiliar with the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall apart from these renowned sword immortals honored in the disy rooms. Surprisingly, it was this woman who was visiting for the first time who spoke eloquently and recounted the legends and achievements of many sword immortals.


    For example, she talked about the founding ancestor with the surname Dong. His sword was called "Three Corpses," but this wasn''t because he believed in Daoism. Instead, this was because he had once charged into the belly of the demonic world by himself, ying three great demons at the Upper Five Tiers along the way. The Dong n had risen in status in the Sword Qi Great Wall because of this, and almost all of the subsequent n leaders of the Dong n had personally in great demons at the Unpolished Jade Tier or even Immortal Tier...


    Since they were talking about the Dong n, the woman eagerly brought Chen Ping''an along as they looked for the replica sword, "Bamboo Case." The owner of this sword was a n rejuvenation ancestor of the Dong n. Back then, the Dong n had been facing a decreasing poption and ack of incense. The n leader had also been severely wounded and killed by a great demon, and the Dong n had been in a situation where the young couldn''t rece the old.


    It was at that moment that a young Golden Core Tier sword cultivator from the n had resolutely stepped forward and taken the ancestral "Three Meters Tall" with him as he retraced the demon-ying path walked by their founding ancestor. Facing doubt from everyone, the sword cultivator had returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall with his sword after being away for more than two centuries.


    He had carried a bamboo case on his back, inside which rested the head of a 13th tier great demon. Before ascending the city wall, he had used Three Meters Tall, which was already on the verge of shattering, to engrave the character "Dong" on the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    Afterward, this person had forged a new sword and named it Bamboo Case.


    From that time onward, the Dong n became one of the most influential ns in the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    Through their conversation, the woman eventually learned that the young boy had the surname Chen. Upon learning this, she smiled and asked Chen Ping''an whether he had taken notice of the sword called "Mountain Flying Over."


    A bashful smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he couldn''t help but feel a little embarrassed. This was because the owner of this strangely named sword was a sword immortal with the surname Chen. However, it was also because of this that Chen Ping''an had paid particr attention to this sword and remembered it very well.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an would very carefully remember the sword immortal and their immortal sword as long as the sword immortal had the surname Chen. If it weren''t for the fact that he hadn''t learned how to paint, nor did he have painting masters like those on Osmanthus Ind beside him to learn from, Chen Ping''an would have genuinely wanted to record the appearances of these sword immortals and bring them back to Downtrodden Mountain as well.


    Afterward, the woman smiled and picked a few sword immortals with the surname Chen to talk about, telling their soul-stirring stories to Chen Ping''an.


    When someone verbally told these stories, as opposed to reading a few concise and ice-cold words from a sign, the stories would often be far more spectacr and moving. They would be like monuments standing beside the long river of time; they would be like rows of willow trees under which future generations could stand under and enjoy shade. Amid this shade, one could witness the howling wind and destructive rainshing the world beyond the protection of the trees; one could experience the turbulence and chaos ravaging those periods in history.


    Chen Ping''an, who had already decided not to drink again in the future, involuntarily started to drink again.


    Not being liked by the girl whom he liked was a very heart-breaking matter. However, the sky hadn''t copsed, so life would still go on as always.


    This was a realization that Chen Ping''an had suddenlye to after entering the Sword Reverence Pagoda again.


    However, after learning about the incredible feats of so many sword immortals, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t turn around and dismiss his heart-breaking experience as a trivial and insignificant matter.


    To the young boy, this felt even more painful than those torturous training sessions in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain.


    The two types of pain werepletely different. One was transient, and it would disappear after he endured through it.


    However, one was intransient, and it felt like something that might not be ovee in a day, a month, a year, a hundred years, or even an entire lifetime.


    Strangest of all, Chen Ping''an felt even greater pain when he considered the possibility that one day in the future, he might like a different girl.


    The books said that using wine to drown one''s sorrows would only lead to more sorrows. Thus, Chen Ping''an had been too afraid to drink wine just then.


    Before he knew it, it went from him taking the couple around to the woman describing the sword immortals and immortal swords to him in great detail. Everything flowed naturally, and neither of them felt like this was inappropriate.


    Chen Ping''an then saw the man standing at the doorway of thest disy room and smiling as he looked at the two of them.


    The man didn''t like to speak, and he had only sized up Chen Ping''an a few times when walking with him just then.


    After entering thest disy room, the woman eximed in astonishment when they walked over to Dogwood Cherry and Restful Bamboo Grove, two neighboring swords. "Why is there no picture scroll for these two sword immortals? I heard that the owner of Dogwood Cherry was a very handsome man!"


    Chen Ping''an could feel sweat forming on his forehead, and he carefully stole a nce at the middle-aged man standing beside him. He dearly hoped that the man wouldn''t do anything stupid out of jealousy.


    Unexpectedly, however, the man immediately returned serve, saying, "Thedy who owned Restful Bamboo Grove was also a stunning beauty, the kind rarely seen in the world."


    Chen Ping''an instantly wanted to defend the woman against this injustice. So what if she made a joke? As a man, he needed to be more magnanimous. How could he give tit for tat?


    The woman rolled her eyes at her husband. She then smiled at Chen Ping''an and said, "Thank you for showing us around the Sword Reverence Pagoda."


    Chen Ping''an shook his hands and said, "No problem, no problem. I also like wandering around in here, and I''ll still be visiting over the next few days."


    The man narrowed his eyes and asked, "I heard that there was a little idiot in the Sword Reverence Pagoda who liked to wipe away the spittle on these two replica swords and sword stands. That little idiot wasn''t you, was it?"


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing toplicate matters, so he purposely put on a baffled expression as he vigorously shook his hands. "No, that definitely wasn''t me. How could I possibly be so stupid?"


    The woman subtly stomped on the back of the man''s foot. She then looked at Chen Ping''an and said, "We''re about to leave. Do you want to leave with us?"


    "By the looks of it, you''re also someone who likes to drink. Do you want to have a drink?" the man suddenly asked. "I know a good ce that has cheap and good-quality wine. Moreover, it only serves friends of the shop."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    "You should ept the offer and have a drink if someone invites you," the man huffed. "You''re still afraid of people with ulterior motives in Stctite Mountain? In any case, do my wife and I look like bad people? Do we look like people who will covet your crappy sword and crappy Sword Nurturing Gourd?"


    Chen Ping''an felt a little awkward.


    This man was far too frank and straightforward. His wife grumbled, "Hmph, who told me they hated forced drinking the most?"


    The man didn''t dare to argue with his wife, so he could only shoot a re at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an cracked a beaming smile at the woman.


    The man became increasingly ruffled, but he was already being dragged toward the entrance by his wife.


    The three of them exited the Sword Reverence Pagoda together and walked down the steps.


    After holding back for a long time, the man finally asked again, "You''re truly not going to drink with us? Stctite Mountain''s Forgetting Sorrow Wine is something that all drunkards and wine immortals in Majestic World want to drink. ording to legends, this wine is made using a unique method that the Confucian Etiquette Sage left behind back then. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so think about it carefully before giving me a response."


    Chen Ping''an nced down at his Sword Nurturing Gourd. There was only a small bit of osmanthus wine remaining.


    The man clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "Young boy, with your fussy and hesitant personality, I say that even finding a wife for yourself will be difficult."


    This remark was like a dagger through Chen Ping''an''s heart.


    <em>I was truly too fussy and hesitant, and that''s why I''m like a lonely ghost aimlessly wandering around Stctite Mountain even though it''s already midnight. Otherwise, I might be strolling around and enjoying the night scenery with Ning Yao!</em>


    "I''m not going to drink! So be it if I don''t find a wife!" Chen Ping''an humphed in reply.


    This was truly a rare disy of anger from the young boy.


    Chen Ping''an''s gaze shifted slightly, and his expression became much more amiable when he faced the woman. He cupped his fists and said, "Until we meet again, mdy."


    The woman smiled faintly and persuaded, "You should really give Stctite Mountain''s Forgetting Sorrow Wine a try. Even ordinary Qi refiners at the Unpolished Jade Tier find it extremely difficult to get a cup of this wine for themselves. We have some old rtionship with the shopkeeper there, and it''s thanks to this that we''re able to enter the wine shop. If you genuinely like to drink, then you shouldn''t let this opportunity slip by. Mhm, even if you don''t like to drink, it''s still best that you grab this opportunity with both hands."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly hesitant.


    The man started to drive home his point, saying, "See, just look at him! So hesitant and indecisive. Do you like this? In any case, I don''t like it very much."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression turned dark, and he thought to himself, <em>Why do I need you to like me?</em>


    Truthfully speaking, Chen Ping''an was a bit like an intoxicated drunkard tonight. His temper was truly bad. After all, even y Bodhisattvas had a temper.


    The woman ignored her petty husband, and she patted Chen Pingan''s shoulder as she said in amusement, "Let''s go, let''s have a drink together. I can tell that something''s weighing on your mind, so don''t pay any attention to his grumbling when we drink. Drink as much as you want. The heaven is vast and the earth is boundless, but your wine cup will be thergest of them all. The mountains are tall and the rivers stretch long, but the bottom of your cup will be so deep that even they can''t fill it!"


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and walked forward with the woman.


    The man tagged along behind them, and he pursed his lips as he nced back at the Sword Reverence Pagoda.


    A Daoist nun from Stctite Mountain responsible for guarding the Sword Reverence Pagoda arrived at the za by the foot of Lone Peak after being thrown out of the Sword Reverence Pagoda by that person. She was on the verge of tears as she stood in front of the young Daoist priest, and she listed out that man''s crimes to her master, who was flipping through a book. After absent-mindedly listening to the Daoist nun''s angryints, the young Daoist priest asked, "You still don''t know who he is?"


    The Golden Core Tier Daoist nun dazedly shook her head.


    The young Daoist priest nodded and said, "Then this is a case of no knowledge, no fault. Alright, you can leave now."


    The Daoist nun became increasingly confused.


    Behind them, the sword-hugging middle-aged man sitting on the hitching post took great pleasure in their misfortune. "To teach without strictness is a teacher''sziness[1]," he remarked.


    "Utter nonsense!" the young Daoist priest raged. "This is an argument from those bastard Confucian schrs, and my branch of Daoism has never promoted this thought before! When ites to cultivating oneself and cultivating one''s Dao, are these not matters in which one is solely responsible for themself?!"


    The Daoist nun trembled in fear. She stood still with her head lowered, and she didn''t dare to move at all.


    The sword-hugging middle-aged man didn''t stop there. Instead, he continued to fan the mes as he chuckled, "No wonder the picture of your Dao Ancestor is hung so high up in the Incense Offering Tower. His picture is almost tens of thousands of kilometers away from that of your three branch masters, including your master."


    The young Daoist priest leaped up and eximed, "Are you looking for a beating?"


    The sword-hugging middle-aged man roared withughter. "Thankfully, you didn''t say that I''m seeking death. Otherwise, I would have needed to criticize you for spewing nonsense. I don''t have any other strong points, and just like A''Liang said, my only strong point is my frankness. When ites to sucking up to others or exposing others'' shorings, even A''Liang said that I rank near the top in the Sword Qi Great Wall."


    The young Daoist priest gritted his teeth in anger, and he sped his hands behind his back as he walked in circles around hisrge straw mat.


    "Do you think that you''re this ce''s A''Liang? You''re a native refugee from that ce..." he muttered under his breath. "If it weren''t for my master warning me to get along peacefully with other people, I would have beaten you beyond recognition today. I couldn''t care less whether you''re being suppressed by the heaven and earth here and half a tier weaker than normal.


    "So what if I achieve an unfair victory? I''ll only feel satisfied after beating you to the point where you don''t dare to meet others for an entire year. I''ll beat you until you''re like the senior brother who was staying on top of Lone Peak back then... You''ve pissed me off for many years already..."


    The Daoist nun had initially hoped for her master to stand up for her, yet she felt nothing but regret at this moment as she looked at her master venting his anger in an extremely rare disy. She shouldn''t havee here toin.


    This was especially the case after her master identally revealed some secrets. The Daoist nun felt like her life in Stctite Mountain was about to be much more difficult.


    Perhaps the Heavenly Lord who guarded Lone Peak, the central region of Stctite Mountain, couldn''t be bothered dealing with her. However, his first disciple, the Flood Dragon True Lord who held a fly-whisk in his hands, was now the third-inmand in Stctite Mountain. The Flood Dragon True Lord was renowned for respecting his master, so he would definitely make things difficult for her until the end of time. Definitely...


    The Daoist nun truly wanted to cry.


    Why had fate given her a master who never protected his own disciples?


    Not long before, Chen Ping''an had mysteriously taken the husband and wife around the Sword Reverence Pagoda. And now, on the streets outside the Sword Reverence Pagoda, he was for some reason following them to some wine shop to drink some Forgetting Sorrow Wine or whatnot.


    He would asionally snap to his senses, and he would asionally answer a question from the woman. After what felt like a long time  yet it also felt like a short fifteen minutes  the three of them arrived at a wine shop that was yet to close for the night. However, business was slow, and there wasn''t a single customer in the shop. There was only a young shop attendant snoozing on a table and an old man ying with a caged oriole behind the bar counter.


    The old shopkeeper nced at the couple and remarked, "Heree two rare and esteemed customers. I most certainly have to retrieve that wine now."


    He then nced at the young boy with the sword case standing behind them, and he furrowed his brows before eventually heaving a sigh. He didn''t say anything, and he seemingly decided to turn a blind eye to this because of their rtionship.


    The old man turned to thezy shop attendant and roared, "Xu Jia! Keep sleeping, why don''t you? In fact, why don''t you sleep to death?! We have customers! Wake up and bring a jar of wine over!"


    The young shop attendant called Xu Jia immediately woke up with a start. He wiped away his drool and stood up in a listless manner, and his back was bent as he walked away to carry a jar of wine over. He ced the jar of wine on their table, yawning as he said, "Enjoy the wine, customers. Same rule as always, our wine shop doesn''t provide any snacks."


    The woman nodded in acknowledgment and turned to Chen Ping''an, who was sitting opposite her. She smiled and said, "There was once a very impressive monk whose travels led him to this wine shop. After drinking some Forgetting Sorrow Wine, he was full of praise and stated that only this wine could defeat the Buddha in his heart."


    The old shopkeeper smiled and concurred, "Indeed. That old monk was truly powerful, and even A''Liang might not have been able to shatter that baldy''s small world with a few shes."


    In the end, he was still trying to say that his wine was the most powerful in the world.


    However, Chen Ping''an was still very happy to hear someone else mention A''Liang in Stctite Mountain.


    Thus, he genuinely wanted to drink some wine now.


    Yet, the old shopkeeper immediately mmed his hand on the bar counter and fumed, "Fucking hell, just the mention of A''Liang makes my blood boil! He owes me money for more than twenty jars of wine! He''s the only person in the world who owes me so much! There was Southern Whirl Continent''s Chen Chun''an from back then, that martial goddess from not long ago, and also those old geezers from the Hundred Schools of Thought from way back when. However, who dares to owe me wine money?


    "Just think about that schr from Middle Earth Divine Continent. When he was at his lowest moment, a time when he was yet to flourish, he was a measly Sea Observation Tier Qi refiner who could still write a hundred poems after drinking seven liters of wine. What wine did he drink? Wine from here, of course! However, after visiting three times, he only owed me money for four or five jars of wine in total. That A''Liang ismitting grave sins! And I''m the one suffering grave consequences!"


    The woman winked at Chen Ping''an, seemingly saying to him that the old shopkeeper was always like this. This was his temperament, so they should just let him be. There was no need to pay any heed to his antics.


    The young shop attendant was in low spirits as he grumbled, "Old geezer, can you stop talking about A''Liang? Young Mistress still hasn''t returned to Stctite Mountain because of him. I seriously miss Young Mistress to death."


    The old shopkeeper instantly became much quieter, mumbling, "Heartless daughters like that should be left out of home to bring harm to other people instead."


    After opening the jar of wine, the man filled each of the threerge white bowls on the table. Sure enough, he detested forced drinking the most, just as his wife had said. After pouring the three bowls of wine, he directly said, "Drink if you want to, and suit yourself if you don''t want to."


    Chen Ping''an carefully took a small sip of wine. There was no strong taste, and the wine was only slightly more potent than osmanthus wine. However, it couldn''t be considered so potent that it burned one''s throat and intestines. Chen Ping''an took two more sips, and his throat and stomach were stillpletely unaffected. He finally felt at ease. This Forgetting Sorrow Wine was most likely special in some other mystical manner, not in its taste.


    After tworge bowls each, the jar of wine quickly reached its bottom.


    The woman turned around with a smile and asked the old shopkeeper for another jar of wine. The old man sighed as he looked at the smiling woman, and he personally went to grab them another two jars of wine. After gently cing the jars on the table, he said, "These three jars of wine are on me. You don''t need to pay for them."


    Chen Ping''an''s face was flushed red because of the wine, but his head felt especially spacious and clear as if he weren''t drunk at all. He didn''t act drunk either. However, he could clearly feel that he was bing a little tipsy.


    After drinking some wine, he wanted to say some things.


    Just like those wine burps, holding them in actually did no good at all. It was ultimately better to let them out.


    In the beginning, the man lowered his head and focused on drinking. From time to time, he would look up with an adrift expression and gaze outside the wine shop.


    Meanwhile, the woman seemingly enjoyed chatting with Chen Ping''an. They chatted about the young boy''s hometown, and they chatted about his two distant journeys.


    Since Chen Ping''an wasn''t drunk, he consciously picked the people and matters that he could talk about.


    After a while, they somehow started to talk about that young girl.


    Chen Ping''an, who decided he would stop drinking after fourrge bowls, quietly poured himself another bowl of wine. However, he still didn''t talk about his sword delivery to Stctite Mountain. He simply said that he needed to deal with some matters, so he had left home toe to Stctite Mountain. There was coincidentally a young girl whom he was acquainted with living in the Sword Qi Great Wall, so the two of them had eventuallye across each other in Stctite Mountain. Their encounter was as simple as this.


    The woman smiled faintly and asked, "Then you walked a long way to get here?"


    Chen Ping''an raised his bowl and pondered for a moment. He then shook his head and replied, "No, it wasn''t far at all. I thought to myself that each step would lead me closer, so this distance didn''t feel far anymore."


    The man smiled coldly and questioned, "How long have you known that young girl for? How long have you spent with her? Yet, you keep saying that you like her already? Isn''t this behavior a little too frivolous?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond, so he could only reply with a glum expression, "I can''t control who I like. If you feel like I''m frivolous, then you''re free to think what you want. I won''t try to convince you otherwise."


    The man humphed coldly, most likely hurt by Chen Ping''an''s words as well. Most importantly, the young boy had spoken in a very sincere manner.


    Who knew, maybe the rumors in the mountains were true. When drinking the Forgetting Sorrow Wine, one bes their truthful self.


    "And then you were rejected by the young girl? Don''t be discouraged. Have you heard that a chance encounter between some people is destined to be positive, while a reunion between them will be even better?" the woman consoled.


    Chen Ping''an drank arge mouthful of wine. He felt slightly drunk and hazy, but his eyes were still especially bright and limpid, just like water flowing down a serene spring, carrying with it happiness, sadness, disappointment, and affection. Moreover, these were all pure and unsullied emotions. The young boy shook his head and replied, "If I like someone, then I have to make her happy. If I''m adamant that someone has to be with me if I like them, then can this still be considered liking them?"


    Tears streamed down the young boy''s face after he said this, and he continued, "However, even though I say this, I''m still incredibly sad right now. In fact, I want the entire Stctite Mountain and the entire Majestic World to know that I like that girl. And I hope that she, that one girl, will also like me..."


    In the end, Chen Ping''an genuinely became drunk, so much so that he forgot how manyrge bowls of wine he had drunk. He rested his head on the table and continued to murmur.


    In fact, he even forgot how he had argued and even fought with that man.


    This was like a dream, yet he was seemingly aware of everything; this was like sleep, yet he was seemingly awake and conscious. In a fit of rage, he had seemingly shot from the fourth tier of martial arts to the seventh tier of martial arts as well, forever losing the fated opportunity to be the most powerful fourth tier martial artist. The woman seemingly asked him, "Is it worth it to abandon your martial arts potential for the sake of fighting for the justice of a girl''s parents? How will you be the most powerful sword immortal  great sword immortal  in the future?"


    At the time, Chen Ping''an''s reply was, "Liking a girl doesn''t stop with simply saying so. If I don''t do this today  and let''s pretend that the two of you are Ning Yao''s parents  do you feel like I, Chen Ping''an, will sacrifice important things for your daughter when I be a rich and high-tier great sword immortal in the future? No... That kind of affection can''t be considered deep affection. It''s definitely a lie from the very beginning..."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t remember any of this.


    The old shopkeeper was calm and unfazed.


    Through tens of thousands of years, he was already ustomed to seeing all kinds of people and human emotions.


    By contrast, the young shop attendant sat nearby and listened with relish.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an eventually fell asleep in a drunken state. The man nced at the young boy and took a sip of wine. "I still don''t like this young boy  blockheaded, idiotic, dull, not dashing enough, not courageous enough, only mediocre talent, a so-so disposition, and a very stubborn temper. If he gets into an argument with our daughter in the future, and if both of them are unwilling to take a step back, what will happen then? With our daughter''s personality, will she possibly yield and apologize?"


    The woman smiled in amusement and replied, "Apologize? So you''re aware that our daughter will most likely be the one in the wrong? You''re aware that the young boy will always try to satisfy her needs?"


    The man felt slightly guilty, so he huffed and didn''t say anything else.


    The woman suddenly smiled and added, "Oh, I recall you also said that he isn''t dashing enough. Dashing in the sense of schrs and literati, or dashing in the sense of attracting other women?"


    There was concealed killing intent.


    A brilliant thought suddenly urred to the man, and even he felt impressed by his own quick thinking. He raised his wine bowl and said in a proud manner, "Dashing in the sense of carving characters onto the Sword Qi Great Wall!"


    The woman smiled in reply.


    The man chuckled dryly, and he found a path on which to retreat. "In fact, that silly boy is quite a good person. Our daughter genuinely needs to find someone like him."


    There was a warm smile on the woman''s face as she gazed outside the wine shop. "Sorry," she suddenly murmured.


    The man beside her, their daughter Ning Yao, the Sword Qi Great Wall, and Majestic World...


    She was sorry to all of them.


    The husband and wife both used some illusion technique, disappearing from view after Chen Ping''an became drunk and unconscious.


    The girl that Chen Ping''an liked looked a bit like him, and also a bit like her.


    The man gently grabbed his wife''s hand and said, "We''re only sorry to our daughter. We don''t need to apologize to anyone else."


    A dazzling smile suddenly appeared on his face as he looked at Chen Ping''an, and he remarked, "Our daughter''s judgment is truly very impressive."


    "Just like mine," the woman nodded and said with a smile.


    The man suddenly felt a little exasperated, and heined, "Is it really that difficult for our silly daughter to say those words?"


    "Of course it''s very difficult," the woman replied with a nod. "If a girl likes a boy, will she want the boy to like someone who will eventually die on the battlefield?"


    The man pped his forehead and eximed, "Good heavens! How bloodyplicated!"


    In the Sword Qi Great Wall, on a stone cliff that was actually a Dragon ying tform...


    A young girly there and silently murmured, "Listen to me, Chen Ping''an, I don''t dislike you."


    1. A line from the ''Three Character ssic,'' a ssic Chinese text and an embodiment of Confucianism suitable for teaching young children. <blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    What do you think will happen to Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao?</blockquote>

 Chapter 273: A Brief Dream of Grandeur, Lasting Sword Qi

    Chapter 273: A Brief Dream of Grandeur, Lasting Sword Qi


    The warm rays of the morning sun shone into the wine shop. The old shopkeeper was whistling and teasing the caged oriole, yet the oriole sparrow was as cold and aloof as a celestial maiden from the mountains. However, this raised the old shopkeeper''s fighting spirit, and the old man eagerly showed off his skills as he skillfully whistled.


    Elsewhere, the young shop attendant was diligently cleaning the wine shop. The tables and chairs were already spotless to begin with, yet they became even more sparkling clean after he attended to them. He would asionally breathe onto the furniture before using his sleeves to carefully wipe them clean. He was radiating with a feeling of satisfaction.


    To this young shop attendant in the wine shop in Stctite Mountain, it seemed as if cleaning up the shop was the most satisfying and happy thing in the world.


    Chen Ping''an, whose arms and head were resting on the table, slowly woke from his drunken slumber. He didn''t have a splitting headache from being hung over, and simply felt a little dazed and adrift. He was at a slight loss as he sat there, and he wracked his brain as hard as he could to recall what happenedst night. However, he surprisingly couldn''t recall anything at all.


    He only remembered epting the couple''s offer toe here and drink Forgetting Sorrow Wine, a type of wine that even Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators had a difficult time getting their hands on. What was the true identity of that couple? What had he discussed with them? And when had they left? He couldn''t remember any of this.


    That wine was clearly called Forgetting Sorrow Wine, but what had he actually forgotten?


    Rather than forgetting his sorrows, Chen Ping''an felt even more troubled and sorrowful now. He felt like there was a hint of sadness lingering in his heart, unable to be dispersed.


    This was like an oriole stopping on his earthen window sill in y Vase Alley early one morning. It might chirp and disturb his sweet dreams, but he would still feel reluctant to shoo it away.


    Chen Ping''an looked around, and he saw the diligently working young attendant as well as the carefree old shopkeeper.


    "I''ll grab the bill now?" the young boy asked tentatively.


    The young shop attendant wiping a table leg grinned and didn''t say anything.


    The old shopkeeper smiled and replied, "The three of you drank four jars of wine in total, and three of them were on me. So, young boy, you actually do need to foot the bill for thest one."


    "How much is it?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The old shopkeeper chortled withughter. "How much? If you want to use money to purchase a jar of golden millet wine[1], then that will really set you back quite a bit."


    The young shop attendant, whom the old shopkeeper had referred to as Xu Jia, chuckled and said, "Last night, a wealthy young master from Pure White Continent visited our wine shop because of its good reputation. He wanted to buy a jar of Forgetting Sorrow Wine to bring home. However, our shopkeeper was unwilling to sell him anything, saying that this wasn''t a matter of money.


    "The young master kept pestering us, and he insisted on getting a price for the wine. However, he was stupefied when he eventually learned of the number. Would you look, he''s been sitting on the steps outside the shop in a daze for the entire night. I say that he still hasn''t given up yet."


    "Liu Youzhou?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The old shopkeeper nodded and replied, "That''s him, the future n leader of Pure White Continent''s Liu n. He''s known as the ''Treasure Child,'' and his container treasure is filled with all kinds of immortal treasures. Because of the Ape Havoc Estate, everyone in Stctite Mountain has heard of this wealthy young master''s title.


    "One time he formed a group of eight people to adventure and train in Middle Earth Divine Continent, yet they came across some powerful enemies during their journey. Liu Youzhou retrieved seven high-grade immortal treasures at once, all of them powerful offensive treasures. He then retrieved defensive immortal treasures to surround the group until they were like a turtle.


    "To say nothing of Sage Name Talismans, he was able to summon two suits of Divine Dewbearing Armor. Meanwhile, the seven other people in the group relied on the offensive immortal treasures to forcefully kill an earth immortal yin entity that was two entire tiers above them."


    It was evident that the old shopkeeper felt like this young boy was worth saying a few words about. He chuckled and continued, "Such an interesting young boy. Even I almost couldn''t help but give him a bowl of golden millet wine for free."


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly ashamed on behalf of his acquaintance. Just how scared of death was Liu Youzhou?


    There was slight unease in Chen Ping''an''s voice as he asked, "Old Mister, how should I pay?"


    The old shopkeeper pondered for a moment before replying, "I haven''te up with a payment option yet, so I''ll look for you in the future when Ie up with something."


    Chen Ping''an felt both relieved and anxious upon hearing this.


    The old shopkeeper smiled and added, "It''s also possible that I won''t recall this before you pass from this world, so don''t feel afraid."


    Chen Ping''an breathed a soft sigh of relief.


    He stood up and was just about to leave, yet the old shopkeeper asked, "Young boy, there''s still almost half a jar of golden millet wine remaining. You''re not going to drink it first before leaving?"


    Chen Ping''an reached over and swirled the jar of wine. Sure enough, there was still almost half a jar remaining. "I can''t take it with me?" he asked in puzzlement.


    The old shopkeeper shook his head and replied, "If you take it away, then you won''t be able to forget your sorrows anymore. It will be even inferior to ordinary wine. That''s a reckless waste of this valuable wine, so I encourage you not to do something so stupid. There''s something unique about this wine, and that couple inviting you to drink it now is already a humongous waste. Theter in life you drink it the better. However, it''s very difficult to pursue the notion of better all the time, and sometimes you just need to go with the flow and take things as theye. You should be satisfied as long as the oue is good."


    Chen Ping''an sat back down and asked in curiosity, "Isn''t it called Forgetting Sorrow Wine? Mister Shopkeeper, why do you keep calling it golden millet wine?"


    Xu Jia, the young shop attendant, widened his eyes in shock. It was as if he had seen a ghost in the morning, and he eximed, "You don''t know where this ce is?"


    Chen Ping''an felt increasingly puzzled, and he replied, "Isn''t this Stctite Mountain?"


    Xu Jia grinned and asked, "Then you should know about the Golden Millet Blessed Land, right?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    The old shopkeeper came to Chen Ping''an''s rescue, saying, "It''s understandable that you''re not aware of this ce. This blessednd is in the same state as your hometown, Jewel Small World. It''s already been destroyed."


    Xu Jia hurriedly threw his towel away and said with urgency, "Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper, let me exin the rest. Young Mistress said that I look extremely handsome when I tell this story."


    The old shopkeeper chuckled and said, "Either my daughter is blind, or she was speaking nonsense after having too much to drink. Tell me, which one is more likely?"


    "Young Mistress is healthy and well!"


    Xu Jia coughed and cleared his throat before putting on a serious expression and beginning, "Right now, only some ruins remain of the Golden Millet Blessed Land. Back in its glory days, those in the world who felt sorrow all yearned to travel to the Golden Millet Blessed Land, making it a bustling world filled with beautiful people and beautiful scenes, beautiful wine and beautiful dreams. This blessednd had everything. Moreover, it was guaranteed that the things in this blessednd would align with one''s wishes. This was the rarest quality of the blessednd.


    "Not only that, but the blessednd could also reflect one''s Dao Heart. There are many Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators who barely managed to advance to the Upper Five Tiers. Earlier in their cultivation journey, these cultivators relied on fortune as well as many secret techniques and heretical methods from all kinds of different teachings to advance their cultivation base. Thus, these cultivators will especially travel to this wine shop in Stctite Mountain.


    "They''ll strip back theiryers of souls while remaining conscious, and they''ll drink a jar of Forgetting Sorrow Wine after that to discover their true heart. Seizing this opportunity, they''ll gain an uninhibited view of their heart. At that time, they can either analyze the finest details of their heartyer byyer, or they can determine what areas need strengthening...


    Xu Jia was filled with spirit as he spoke, yet the old shopkeeper impatiently cut him off, saying, "Hold it right there! You keep repeating this ancient history over and over again, so are you not afraid of it getting rotten and boring? To put things simply, this small wine shop is thest remainingnd of the Golden Millet Blessed Land."


    Chen Ping''an poured himself a bowl of wine and looked around. He was truly unable to view this shop as a blessednd.


    In reality, there was also a blessednd in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the Limpid Pond Blessed Land. This blessednd was controlled by Divine Edict Sect.


    ording to rumors, Parasol Leaf Continent''s Jade Tablet Sect also controlled a blessednd, Cloud Cave Blessed Land.


    Chen Ping''an drank some wine and asked, "Old Mister, I didn''t do anything stupidst night, did I? Also, where did that couple go?"


    "You don''t remember?" the old shopkeeper asked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head.


    "Even you don''t remember, so why do I, an outsider, have to remember?" the old shopkeeper replied with a chuckle.


    Chen Ping''an was unable to counter this, so he could only drink wine in silence.


    He still couldn''t determine whether this wine was good or bad.


    However, he felt like it went down very smoothly.


    The old shopkeeper suddenly remembered something, and he pointed at a wall and said to Chen Ping''an, "Do you see that wall over there? Those who have enjoyed wine here can all go over to write a poem or a few words on that wall."


    Xu Jia put on a mature tone and said, "After drinking this wine, there can be two potential oues. One type is bing drunk and pissing off, after which one will waste away the rest of their life in jars of wine. Even until death, they''ll never regain sobriety. The other type isprehensively waking up and seeing through the meaning of life. These people have yet to experience an entire lifetime, yet it''s as if they''ve already experienced the ups and downs of several lifetimes. I feel like the poems and thoughts written by these two types of people are particrly interesting. Customer, do you want to give it a go?"


    The old shopkeeper chuckled in anger and said, "Piss right off, why don''t you? My teeth are almost about to rot away from the cringe. You''re just a kid, yet you''re always trying to emte A''Liang. Don''t you find it embarrassing?"


    "Young Mistress likes A''Liang very much, so if I don''t emte him, who else should I emte?" Xu Jia replied in a righteous voice.


    "Those who learn from me live, those who emte me die[2]," the old shopkeeper said with emotion. "You''ve seen so many drunkards and heard so many drunken remarks, so how do you still not understand this?"


    "I''m learning from A''Liang, not learning from you," Xu Jia replied with a chuckle.


    The old shopkeeper threw a wine cup at the young shop attendant and scolded, "All you do is talk like a smart-arse!"


    Xu Jia gently caught the wine cup and tossed it high up back to the old shopkeeper. He then quickly jogged over to Chen Ping''an and gave the young boy a calligraphy brush. "Here, leave your thoughts on the wall."


    Chen Ping''an put his wine bowl down and said in reluctance, "My handwriting is very bad."


    Xu Jia rolled his eyes and replied, "Can it be any worse than A''Liang''s worm-like characters? In any case, even the characters of those well-renowned calligraphy masters are belittled as squashed toads, dead snakes, or a crude soldier''s embroidery by their peers."


    The young shop attendant lowered his voice and continued, "I''ll be honest with you. No matter how bad someone''s handwriting, their characters will definitely look as beautiful as celestial immortalspared to A''Liang''s characters! If you don''t believe me, then head over and have a look for yourself."


    Chen Ping''an still didn''t ept the calligraphy brush. However, he stood up and walked toward that wall. From a distance, the wall looked nk and without any trace of ink. After walking close to it, however, one would discover that the wall was filled with lines of poetry, essays, and warnings.


    There was a spectacr mixture of writing styles and works.


    Someone''s writing clearly stood out from the others. This was a poem written in cursive script and taking up a veryrge space on the wall.


    The different works on the wall were like a bouquet of flowers, with each flower fighting to disy its flourishing beauty. Among them, it was as if one flower dazzled more than all others, capturing everyone''s gaze.


    There were also works that appeared out of ce and inharmonious, with the most jarring one being a line ofrge characters that were crooked and messy. Even Chen Ping''an felt like it was unsightly. Not only that, but its contents also rendered people speechless. "Whenever I think of all the girls who are waiting for me with impassioned love, my heart can''t help but ache."


    Most importantly, there was also a smiley face and a thumbs-up drawn at the end of the characters.


    There was no doubt that these characters had been personally written by A''Liang. After all, ordinary people wouldn''t be shameless enough to write something like this.


    Chen Ping''an suppressed a smile as he turned around and asked, "Old Mister, you''re going to keep this on the wall?"


    The young shop attendant who was holding the calligraphy brush for Chen Ping''an appeared listless and sickly as he replied, "Firstly, A''Liang is extremely shameless. He said that each character we wipe off will be equivalent to him returning money for one jar of wine. Secondly, Young Mistress is extremely fond of this line, and she thinks that A''Liang is praising her. Young Mistress even used a jar of golden millet wine to purchase a romantic novel from a Fictionist Master. The novel was about her and A''Liang... Shopkeeper, what was the novel called again?"


    "Lingering Sadness," the old shopkeeper replied with a cold chuckle.


    Xu Jia nodded and continued, "That''s right. In reality, Young Mistress hinted to the Fictionist that he should write the romance as tantly as possible. However, the Fictionist Master most likely found it too shameless to write in such a tant manner, so he kept the romance more reserved and subtle.


    "Young Mistress was very displeased, so she said that she was going to elope when running away from home this time. However, one of her objectives is also to find this Fictionist and give him trouble. His novel was far too crappy, and Young Mistress imed that he was nothing more than a scammer fishing for fame. She''s determined to find him and spit on his face."


    Chen Ping''an''s gaze traveled across the wall, and he eventually lowered his head and found a line of small characters in the corner. This line was also written by A''Liang, but it didn''t seem jarring at all.


    "Little , there''s nothing good about the cultivation world. Only the wine is somewhat decent."


    After writing this, A''Liang had drawn a blob of ink over the character after "Little."


    "I can write anything I want?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Xu Jia handed him the calligraphy brush and replied with a nod, "Yes, anything you want. As long as you write in a nk area, you can write whatever tickles your fancy."


    After saying this, the young shop attendant didn''t forget to add, "Customer, please don''t write h h h was here. That''s far too tacky and basic. In fact, even A''Liang''s shameless words are better than that."


    Chen Ping''an epted the calligraphy brush before suddenly running to his table. He drank arge mouthful of wine, and only then did he return to the wall. He half-squatted and wrote a small "Qi" behind the character "Little" and above the blob of ink.


    "Little Qi, there''s nothing good about the cultivation world. Only the wine is somewhat decent."


    "The character doesn''t have much spirit, and it''s simply written in a proper manner. However, it appears much better when ced next to A''Liang''s characters. This is called cheating. No, you need to write a line somewhere else," the old shopkeeper said in amusement.


    Chen Ping''an nodded and started to look for a nk space on the wall. However, the central region of the wall was already tightly packed with characters. It was indeed possible to thread the needle and write something small there, but Chen Ping''an felt like that would be disrespectful toward his predecessors. Moreover, most of the people who dared to write in the central region of the wall all had very impressive handwriting. Thus, Chen Ping''an truly didn''t dare to write there.


    Because of this, he tried his best to look for empty space in one of the four corners of the wall. Xu Jia suggested two locations with quite a bit of empty space. One location was in the top-right, and one location was in the bottom-left.


    Chen Ping''an shuffled over and squatted down near the bottom left corner of the wall. He took a deep breath and wrote three characters.


    Before writing these characters, he recalled the many sword immortals and immortal swords in the Sword Reverence Pagoda.


    Thus, his three characters were, "Lasting Sword Qi."


    Xu Jia looked at the three characters which were written in a straight and proper manner. They were truly uninteresting, so he shook his head and didn''t think much about them. At the same time, he couldn''t help but mumble, "It''s clear that he hasn''t read much."


    The old shopkeeper echoed the young shop attendant''s sentiment in a rare disy, nodding and saying with a smile, "He also hasn''t drunk enough wine yet. Hey, young boy with the surname Chen from the Great Li Empire, there''s no need to be in such a hurry. Drink a bowl of wine first, and after you feel satisfied, write something from your heart. It''s not as difficult as you think. I treated you to three jars of wine, so I''ll also let you write three lines of characters. You still have one chance left."


    However, Chen Ping''an had already returned the calligraphy brush to Xu Jia. He smiled at the old shopkeeper and said, "There''s no need."


    The old shopkeeper didn''t mind this. Immortals creating valuable works of ink in a drunken state was a minor matter to bring good omen; it was simply an added bonus. Since the young boy didn''t have impressive handwriting, nor was he a sword immortal, the old shopkeeper naturally wouldn''t force him to write another line.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before asking, "Old Mister, can I save this half jar of wine forter? I want to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall first and drink it after I return. Is that okay?"


    Xu Jia vigorously shook his head, saying, "There''s no such service in our wine shop. Once the y seal of the jar is broken, you have to drink the golden millet wine in one sitting. There''s no service that allows you to leave ande backter to finish your wine."


    The old shopkeeper thought about this for a brief moment before nodding and replying, "I''ll allow it this one time."


    "Howe?" Xu Jia eximed in panic.


    The old shopkeeper ced the birdcage beside his hand. He then leaned on the bar counter and replied with a faint smile, "I like the notion of ''saving''. This is very auspicious and joyful."


    When Chen Ping''an stepped out of the wine shop, he surprisingly tripped and stumbled. When he stabilized himself and looked back, he found that there was no wine shop at all. There was only empty space.


    Inside the wine shop that had vanished without a trace, the old shopkeeper opened the birdcage and let out the golden-beaked oriole. However, before it could approach the wall of characters to adeptly examine a certain person''s martial fortune, it hurriedly turned around and flew back to its cage in a sh. Xu Jia was dumbfounded when he saw this.


    The old shopkeeper pondered for a moment before sighing, "So be it. He''s only a young boy from a small continent, so what does it matter if he possesses this sapling of marriage affinity? It will only be a measly hundred years. Whether we examine his fortune or not won''t make a difference."


    Xu Jia angrily red at a line of characters at the very top of the wall. Almost everyone wrote from top to bottom in a straight line, and only a single person apart from A''Liang had done otherwise in the past 100 years. This was a female customer who had visited not long ago, and she was the only person after A''Liang who had written her characters horizontally. Moreover, her characters had terrified the small oriole and caused it to wildly flutter around. It had taken more than half a day for the oriole to recover, and it was as if it had suffered a long bout of sickness.


    The young shop attendant couldn''t help but grumble, "It''s all the fault of that martial goddess'' supreme martial fortune. Its aura is far too terrifying!"


    There was adoration and kindliness in the old shopkeeper''s eyes as he looked at the pitiful little oriole. "I''ve made you suffer," he murmured.


    There was a pair of unique orioles in the world, able to peck schrly fortune and carry martial fortune.


    ording to rumors, the male oriole had been captured by Daoist Branch Master Lu Chen, while the female oriole was being raised by the founder of Syncretism[3].


    Chen Ping''an walked along a secluded alleyway.


    Even though he experienced a confusing night of drinking, he suddenly came to a realization after walking out of the wine shop.


    Chen Ping''an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and started to drink the remaining osmanthus wine. There wasn''t much left, and he continued to mumble as he drank.


    "Ning Yao most likely doesn''t like you.


    "Otherwise, how could she forget her promise? Back in Jewel Small World, she said that she would give a sword scabbard to you.


    "Chen Ping''an, you''re truly an unlucky bastard. This isn''t a matter of whether Ning Yao likes you or not. Instead, this is a matter of whether Ning Yao detests you or not."


    With this in mind, the young boy felt a little content as he sought joy amid pain. At the very least, he hadn''t traveled all this way for nothing. He had gained a lot of experience.


    However, he decided that he would still go to the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    He continually told himself that he would only go there for a quick look. He wanted to look at thoserge characters engraved on the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    At most, he would "coincidentally"e across that young girl at some ce at some time. He would confidently smile and greet her. However, Chen Ping''an was still unsure about how he would greet her. Should he say, "What a coincidence," or should he say, "Oh, you''re also here." He didn''t know which one was more suitable.


    Chen Ping''an waspletely focused on solving this problem.


    ...So much so that he didn''t notice the person walking behind him, a young girl who was almost angered to death.


    She was dressed in a dark green robe.


    1. This refers to the idiom ''a brief dream of grandeur,'' or more literally, ''a golden millet dream.'' In the story, a Daoist priest dreams for a perceived period of decades, but wakes up to discover that only a few minutes have passed in reality, not even enough time for his order of golden millet rice to finish cooking.


    2. This references a line that Qi Baishi, a modern Chinese painter, said to one of his students. It means that one should learn the heart and philosophy of their teacher and build upon that, not simply emte them. Otherwise, the student will always be walking in their teacher''s shadow, and their path will eventually lead to a dead end.


    3. Also known as the Mixed School, Syncretism () is one of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Syncretism is an eclectic school of thought thatbines elements of Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, and Legalism.

 Chapter 274: (1): At the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Meets Chen

    Chapter 274: (1): At the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Meets Chen


    Just as she couldn''t hold back any longer and was about to kick Chen Ping''an...


    Chen Ping''an suddenly vanished from the alleyway.


    It was as if someone had grabbed him and dragged him into another world.


    The young girl suddenly felt very empty. The space in front of her was empty, and her heart was also empty. She started to seethe with anger.


    She was just about to draw her sword and follow those traces to tear open the fissure among heaven and earth. However, it was also at this instant that her cheeks suddenly flushed a slight shade of red. She seemingly heard something, and she replied with a quick "oh." She then humphed coldly at the location where Chen Ping''an had vanished.


    After doing this, she flew toward the za at the foot of Lone Peak.


    After seeing this young girl whopletely ignored the rules again, the young Daoist priest was so enraged that he was about to explode. He angrily threw his book to the floor and jumped up from his straw mat, scolding in fury, "Little girl, do you really think Stctite Mountain is your bloody backyard?! Youe as you please and you leave as you please... This is already the third time! The third time! Even the sword immortals from the Sword Qi Great Wall might not break this rule a single time in their lives. Yet, what about you? You''ve broken it two times in a single day!"


    The sword-hugging middle-aged man yawned and said, "You can hit her if you''re so capable."


    "Do you truly think I don''t dare to?" the young Daoist priest fumed. "If I weren''t taking pity on her because of her misfortunes, I would have thrown a single punch and..."


    The gant-looking young girl was expressionless as she walked through the mirror-like gate. She leaned back slightly to face the young Daoist priest, and she said, "Why are you taking pity on me? It''s not like we''re very familiar with each other."


    The young Daoist priest felt like the young girl''s words were very unreasonable. At the same time, however, they also seemed slightly reasonable.


    Sitting on the hitching post, the sword-hugging middle-aged man held his belly and roared withughter.


    They had both walked out from that wine shop in Stctite Mountain.


    When Chen Ping''an walked out, he arrived in a secluded alleyway.


    When Liu Youzhou walked out, however, he arrived under an ancient locust tree outside the tall walls of a courtyard. He squatted down in boredom and started to count the ants crawling along the ground.


    The old woman, an earth immortal, silently stood beside her young master and didn''t disturb his daydreaming.


    The sun slowly peeked over the horizon and illuminated the sky. Liu Youzhou stood up with a bright glimmer in his eyes, and he turned around as if he were asking the old woman for praise. "I finally understand now. Ants that have grown up in Stctite Mountain are no different from ants that have grown up in ordinary cities and towns."


    The old woman was already ustomed to the young boy''s wild imagination, so she simply nodded with a faint smile.


    Liu Youzhou nced at the old locust tree and said in low spirits, "I''m not going to buy it, it''s far too expensive. I can''t bear to give away my hard-earned New Year''s money just like that. I''ve already saved up for so many years."


    The old woman breathed a sigh of relief. She was genuinely afraid that her young master would impulsively throw away all of his money to buy a jar of Forgetting Sorrow Wine. In any case, this golden millet wine had little benefit to Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers. Regardless of how wealthy Pure White Continent''s Liu n was, the young master still shouldn''t spend money in a profligate manner.


    If he did, he naturally wouldn''t receive punishment. In fact, the n leader and elders might even have to smile through gritted teeth and praise him for being a good descendant of the Liu n. They would have to praise him as confident and generous. After all, would someone hesitant to spend money be worthy of bing the Liu n''s future n leader?


    However, she would definitely be reprimanded.


    The old woman wasn''tining about Liu Youzhou because of this. Instead, she only wanted the best for him. With so much New Year''s money, wouldn''t it be quite good to buy a pseudo-celestial tool? Why be stubbornly focused on a jar of wine?


    Liu Youzhou turned around and started to return home. While walking, he suddenly asked, "Grandma Liu, do you think Aunt Liu has returned from the ice fields in the north yet?"


    When Liu Youzhou mentioned Aunt Liu, a beaming expression of pride immediately appeared on the old woman''s face filled with wrinkles and marks of vicissitudes. "She''s most likely returned. If that damned girl is lucky, then perhaps she''s already advanced to the ninth tier of martial arts as well. Young Master, ording to the agreement, you can ask her to bring you to the ice fields in the north at that time. You can go there to y great demons."


    Liu Youzhou was still a young child, after all, so his reply was also slightly childish. "Why has she advanced to the ninth tier so quickly? My father said that it was extremely significant for Aunt Liu to be the strongest eighth tier martial artist. It''s far better than being a weak End Tier grandmaster. When they were speaking in person, my father persuaded Aunt Liu not to carelessly advance her cultivation base unless she had no other option."


    The old woman chuckled softly and exined, "The n leader was naturally speaking with good intentions. However, we should never take things to extremes. If a pure martial artist can smoothly advance to the next tier, then they shouldn''t forcefully suppress their cultivation base and hold back. Otherwise, that will lead to imperfections. In fact, they might lose all hope of advancing beyond the 10th tier. Of course, this is irrelevant for ordinary prodigies. Being able to advance to the 10th tier with much difficulty is already a wild dream for them. However, your Aunt Liu is different."


    Liu Youzhou had never been overly interested in these matters pertaining to the foundation of the Great Dao. Instead, he mulled over the most unimportant matters as he sighed, "That Aunt Liu, seriously... She alwaysins and loudly asks about where all of the good men in the world have pissed off too. She also likes to ask me if I''vee across any good men. As a proud man myself, how am I supposed to answer her? Moreover, my father introduced so many young prodigies from Pure White Continent to Aunt Liu, yet she didn''t seem to be interested in any of them. What a massive headache."


    Liu Youzhou''s train of thought was truly very unique. He continued with another question that the old woman found funny, saying, "If the demonic army drowns the Sword Qi Great Wall one day, what will happen to Stctite Mountain? That nest of ants under the locust tree crawls so slowly, so will they be able to move nests in time?"


    There was a kindly expression on the old woman''s face as she replied in a gentle voice, "Young Master, just how many years has the Sword Qi Great Wall stood strong for? In the world next to us, the demon tribeunches a powerful assault every hundred years or so. After all these years, how many corpses have those bloodthirsty beasts left at the foot of the Sword Qi Great Wall? Yet, when have they ever seeded? There are indeed some astonishingly powerful great demons, but they can only stay on the city wall for a short while before being pushed off by some old sword immortals."


    Liu Youzhou nodded in understanding. However, he quickly reverted to his own train of thought, and he was unable to extract himself from this as he said in anxiousness, "Our n''s Ape Havoc Estate is actually inferior to that nest of ants. It can''t be lifted up and moved. Fortunately, Pure White Continent is far away from Stctite Mountain. Ahhh, Southern Whirl Continent is quite pitiful. It will definitely be filled with tens of thousands of kilometers of smoke and ashes at that time. I wonder if Pure Confucian Chen n''s old ancestor, that old man with a sun and moon on his shoulders, can unleash his formidable power and keep the sea of demons off thend"?


    The old woman was amused by her young master''s groundless worries, and she couldn''t help but smile and reply, "That''s right, our Pure White Continent is very far away from this Stctite Mountain. Not only does the Southern Whirl Continenty between us, but there''s even Middle Earth Divine Continent that''srger than the eight other continentsbined. Young Master, what is there to worry about?"


    "I''m not worried about Pure White Continent''s safety," Liu Youzhou murmured. "I simply feel ufortable when I think about the fact that many people will end up dying in such a war. Southern Whirl Continent at least has the most powerful disciple of the Second Sage. However, what about Parasol Leaf Continent in the southeast that we traveled to before? And what about Circling Ascension Continent that we''re about to travel to? I don''t think these continents have any cultivators powerful enough to protect them."


    The old woman chuckled and replied, "Young Master, you shouldn''tpare everyone to your father. Is a Qi refiner not impressive simply because they''re weaker than our n leader? There''s no such thing."


    The wealthiest individual in Pure White Continent and the most powerful Qi refiner in Pure White Continent were the same person.


    Liu Youzhou''s father.


    This man had a higher cultivation base than any old ancestor in the history of the Liu n, as well as superiorbat power.


    Pure White Continent was a ce where people were tough and immortals liked to fight. Thus, it was terrifying to know that no one had ever managed to sessfully gauge this man''splete power.


    This man had also spoken a sentence that was extremely popr in the mountains  <em>If we can solve a problem using celestial tools or pseudo-celestial tools, then we shouldn''t use our fists and legs, right?</em>


    Liu Youzhou seemingly had many gripes with his father, and he grumbled, "And he has arge group of wives and mistresses as well. What''s so good about that?"


    Regardless of what happened, the old woman didn''t dare toment on whether the n leader was good or bad.


    The n leader having a good temper was one matter, and subordinates and servants not abiding by rules and etiquette was another matter altogether.


    The Liu n had an iron grip on the mountain range where jade was mined to mint snowke coins. However, tall trees caught more wind, so many people died each year because they couldn''t keep their mouths shut. Among the deceased, there would always be quite a number of descendants from the various branches of the Liu n.


    Right now, Liu Youzhou was still wearing the bright yellow bamboo robe named "Refreshing." This robe was once the treasured possession of an emperor from arge empire in Middle Earth Divine Continent, and the robe was also praised as a small grotto-heaven by many people.


    Pure White Continent''s Liu n also owned another bamboo robe named "Escaping Summer Heat." This bamboo robe formed a pair with Refreshing, and many people praised this robe as a small blessednd.


    Liu Youzhou liked to switch between the two bamboo robes.


    These robes werefortable, and they weren''t too shy either. Otherwise, it would be far too eye-catching if he wore those Daoist talisman robes or the Divine Dewbearing Armor. If he wore those, wouldn''t he be announcing to the entire world that he was very wealthy?


    <em>I am indeed wealthy, but I don''t like to say this to others!</em>


    <em>In any case, I can''t be considered a genuinely wealthy person. After all, I couldn''t even bring myself to purchase a jar of Forgetting Sorrow Winest night, right</em>?


    Liu Youzhou sighed and asked, "Grandma Liu, am I really not allowed to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall?"


    "The n leader has given me instructions about this; you''re definitely not allowed to go," the old woman replied in a firm voice.


    Liu Youzhou asked a question that cut straight to the core of the issue. "At the end of the day, the Sword Qi Great Wall is still popted by convicts and refugees from Majestic World. In other words, their rtionship with this side of the gate is not as amiable as we think. To add to that, there are also many dirty things going on in Stctite Mountain. After sacrificing so much and having so many members killed by the demon tribe, has no one ever betrayed the Sword Qi Great Wall and defected to the demon tribe in anger?"


    The old woman contemted this for a moment before answering, "Those old sword immortals as well as some powerful figures from the three teachings are all keeping an eye on the Sword Qi Great Wall. As such, no major disturbances should ur. However, the type of people you speak of definitely exist. It''s just that the Sword Qi Great Wall most likely isn''t willing to air their dirtyundry.


    "Young Master, you don''t actually need to pay too much attention to the situation over there. ording to the intel gathered by the Ape Havoc Estate, the current generation of young sword cultivators in the Sword Qi Great Wall is especially talented. Moreover, it''s not just a few of them who are talented. Rather, they''re like bamboo shoots after rain popping up with their sharp tips one after another. They can almost rival the group of sword immortals from 3000 years ago.


    "That generation was genuinely impressive, and they managed to suppress the demon tribe and deter them from provoking the Sword Qi Great Wall for a whopping 800 years. In fact, many members of the demon tribe never caught a glimpse of that great wall in their entire life. So, if you ask me, I''d say that Stctite Mountain will enjoy peace and prosperity for the next few hundred years."


    The young boy felt slightly sad, and he murmured, "The Liu n might be making a lot of money, but we''re profiting from the death of others."


    The old woman wanted to remind Liu Youzhou to be careful of what he said in Stctite Mountain. Upon seeing his downcast expression, however, she eventually couldn''t bring herself to say anything.


    A steward from the Ape Havoc Estate appeared in front of the young boy and the old woman. There were two horse-drawn carriages stopped by the side of the street, and the old steward said in a soft voice, "Young Master, we have esteemed guests at the estate."


    Liu Youzhou nodded in acknowledgment before stepping into one of the carriages.


    After arriving at the Ape Havoc Estate, Liu Youzhou saw a refined man as well as a tall woman. The schrly middle-aged man was standing there and appreciating a painting, while the tall woman was sitting there and drinking tea.


    The man was seemingly a connoisseur of calligraphy and painting, and he praised, "Who would have thought that this is the authentic Hunched Old Lotus Painting? Sure enough, it exudes an outstanding strength and aura. In terms of painting lotuses alone, no one in the past 500 years has been able to rival this."


    While returning to the Ape Havoc Estate, the old steward hadn''t revealed the identities of the esteemed guests to Liu Youzhou out of an abundance of caution. Only when entering the estate did he quietly inform Liu Youzhou that the esteemed guests were the emperor of Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Great Duan Empire as well as his imperial preceptor.


    Liu Youzhou sped his hands and bowed in respect, saying, "Liu Youzhou pays his respects to Your Majesty and His Imperial Preceptor."

 Chapter 275: Some Reunions Are the Best

    Chapter 275: Some Reunions Are the Best


    Chen Ping''an waspletely disoriented, and he had no idea where he was in Stctite Mountain. There were norge trees and tall branches around for him to jump onto, where he could then gain a high vantage point and survey the surroundings. Instead, there were only tall courtyard walls and gates around him. However, Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t dare to recklessly jump onto someone else''s courtyard wall.


    It was still early in the morning, so few people were walking along the streets. Moreover, none of them could speak the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. If this were during normal times, Chen Ping''an would find it hard not to worry  he hadn''t returned to Stork Inn for the entire night, so Jin Su would definitely be worried about him. In fact, even Osmanthus Ind, which was currently unloading goods at the Catch and Release Dock, might have been alerted to this fact.


    However, as Chen Ping''an slowly walked along the quiet street, he felt like going with the flow was also quite a good choice. He would enjoy whatever scenery he came across.


    How could a person never worry others? Thus, he didn''t need to feel too guilty about worrying others once or twice.


    Chen Ping''an continued to stroll forward, all the way until he eventually saw her.


    Ning Yao was standing on the other end of the street, and she was also slowly walking toward him.


    She was dressed in a flowing green robe. If Chen Ping''an remembered correctly, this robe was very simr to the one that he had bought for her in Jewel Small World. It suited her very well.


    Chen Ping''an jogged forward and came to a stop in front of Ning Yao, instinctively saying, "What a coincidence."


    Ning Yao pursed her lips and put on a stern expression, not saying anything in reply.


    "I initially wanted to take a look around the entire Stctite Mountain these two days," Chen Ping''an continued in a soft voice. "I wanted to visit some more shops before deciding whether I would go to Ganoderma Inn to buy a few things. Afterward, I could give you some presents along with the sword that Master Ruan forged for you."


    "What good items can Ganoderma Inn have?" Ning Yao huffed in reply. "At most, that Ganoderma Ruyi and Sword Nurturing Gourd are half-decent. However, these things aren''t useful to me, and Ganoderma Inn won''t sell them either. It''s not like you can afford them anyway."


    "Oh, I see," Chen Ping''an replied as he scratched his head in slight disappointment.


    Ning Yao hesitated for a moment before going against her personality and saying in a rare disy, "Don''t dwell on it, I don''t mean anything else." It was as if she were trying to exin herself.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I won''t dwell on it. My brain is like mush right now, and thinking about anything makes it hurt."


    "Does your head hurt after seeing me?" Ning Yao asked.


    "It''s much better now," Chen Ping''an hurriedly replied.


    "Where are you staying?" Ning Yao asked. "Why are you wandering around here aimlessly? What, are you looking for a conflict where you can swoop in to save a beauty?"


    Chen Ping''an sighed and exined, "I drank the Golden Millet Blessed Land''s Forgetting Sorrow Winest night. However, I became lost immediately after I left the wine shop. I don''t know how to return."


    The two of them casually strolled along the street, and Ning Yao asked, "How can you afford Forgetting Sorrow Wine?"


    Chen Ping''an lowered his voice and replied, "A couple treated me to it. In fact, things are a little strange. Someone dragged me over to the Sword Qi Great Wall just then, and I clearly saw that couple standing there. However, when I saw them yesterday, they imed that it was their first time in the Sword Reverence Pagoda. Even so, they were still extremely familiar with many of the sword immortals honored in the pagoda.


    "Perhaps it''s very easy for people in Stctite Mountain to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall, but it''s far more difficult for people in the Sword Qi Great Wall to go to Stctite Mountain? In any case, strange as things were, I still feel like that couple were good people. They were also kind enough to treat me to some wine. If I get an opportunity in the future, I''ll definitely have to return the favor."


    Ning Yao offered a muffled reply.


    The two of them walked along a serene alley that had vines climbing up the tall courtyard walls. Ning Yao remained silent the entire time.


    "Ning Yao, you left in a hurry back then, so I forgot to ask you this. Do you dislike me?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "No, I don''t," Ning Yao replied without hesitation.


    Chen Ping''an stopped and instinctively reached down to grab his wine gourd. However, he quickly let go and looked straight at Ning Yao. "Then do you like me?"


    Ning Yao remained silent.


    Chen Ping''an copied the gesture she had made back in y Vase Alley back then, holding two fingers very close together and asking, "Even just this tiny bit?"


    Ning Yao didn''t answer his question. Instead, she turned the question on Chen Ping''an and asked, "Why do you like me?"


    Chen Ping''an turned around and grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd, taking a quick swig of wine. He wiped his mouth and put on a dazzling smile, replying, "Now, this will take quite a while to get through. Let me exin it to you slowly. Ning Yao, you definitely have to let me finish no matter what. Don''t cut me off even if you get really angry. Otherwise, I''m scared that I''ll never be able to summon enough courage to say these things again in my lifetime.


    "Ning Yao, you''re truly very beautiful. Before meeting you, I had nevere across a more beautiful person in Jewel Small World. When you were recuperating in y Vase Alley, you didn''tin about my impoverished situation either. You even taught me characters and helped exin the Mountain Shaking Guide to me. It was thanks to you that I started to practice fist techniques. It was thanks to you that I''ve made it until today and made it to Stctite Mountain.


    "When we were by the covered bridge, you lent me your skirt dagger and fought alongside me afterward. We punished that Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain together, and we ultimately managed to survive even though we had some brushes with death. How great was that?


    "When we were in the immortal tomb, I almost beat Ma Kuxuan to death as well. After that, we went to the tall mountain in the west and helped that Chen n girl from Southern Whirl Continent to find that model tree. You also got angry one time, and you refused to ept my help and insisted that you would brew your medicine by yourself. However, you ended up with a pile of burnt ingredients. I felt like you were really adorable.


    "There was also a time when you said that the Great Dao shouldn''t be so narrow. I didn''t understand what you meant back then. However, I finally understood it after my journey to Stctite Mountain. In fact, I was also very happy when you encouraged me not to be a foolishly kind person and not to act like a charity.


    "When you left Jewel Small World, you had already traveled so far away with those immortals, yet you were still willing to return on your sword and say goodbye to me. After you left, I sat by myself and ate some tanghulu, a snack that would make the little me drool just by thinking about it. However, even that became tasteless.


    "Mr. Qi left us, and I brought Little Baoping and the others to Great Sui Nation. I was reminded of your eyebrows whenever I saw beautiful mountains, and I was reminded of your eyes whenever I saw limpid waters. I would think of you whenever I came across good-looking girls on my journey. With you in my mind, these girls would no longer appear good-looking."


    Like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, Chen Ping''an said all of these things in a single go. However, his throat quickly started to feel dry, and his face also flushed bright red. He felt like the Sword Nurturing Gourd in his hand weighed tens of thousands of kilograms.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t regret saying any of this.


    "Ning Yao, I like you, and this is my own personal feeling. It''s okay if you don''t like me," he said in a quivering voice.


    Ning Yao leaned against a wall, and the vines climbing up the surface still didn''t seem as beautiful and moving as her.


    "If I say I don''t like you, will you run away and develop feelings for another girl?" she asked. "For example..."


    She pondered for a moment and continued, "Ruan Xiu?"


    Chen Ping''an looked at Ning Yao, and he finally discovered how heart-breaking  yet, seemingly not so heart-breaking  it was for a girl whom he liked to not reciprocate his feelings. "If liking another girl means never seeing you again, then I''ll never like another girl in my life. Ill still only like you even when I''m tens of thousands of kilometers away, in ces where you can''t see me, and when I throw tens of millions of punches."


    Ning Yao rolled her eyes and asked, "Am I that unreasonable?"


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this.


    However, Ning Yao quickly answered her own question, saying in a firm voice, "Yes, I am indeed that unreasonable!"


    She suddenly started to chuckle in a childishly smug manner. When she smiled, her eyebrows appeared increasingly slender and beautiful. She crossed her arms and said, "An idiot has fallen for me, so what else can I do?"


    After saying this, she took two steps forward and hugged the young boy from the Great Li Empire, murmuring, "Chen Ping''an! I like you just as much as you like me!"


    During their first reunion, she had actually wanted to say...


    .<em>..I don''t like you.</em>


    However, it had been so incredibly difficult.


    Ning Yao let go, the rims of her eyes slightly red. There was a rare expression of embarrassment on her face, and she eximed, "Why are you so dumb?!"


    "How can you genuinely like me...?" Chen Ping''an stammered in a daze.


    In this sense, Chen Ping''an was identical to Liu Baqiao from Wind Lightning Field.


    They both liked a girl so much that they felt like their feelings would never be reciprocated in their lifetimes. Moreover, they wouldn''t feel wronged or aggrieved at all.


    Ning Yao finally recovered a little, with her eyebrows slender and lively like the sharpest flying sword in the world as she replied, "Do I, Ning Yao, need a reason to like someone?!"


    In truth, she did need a reason  many reasons, in fact.


    However, she was too embarrassed to reveal them. She was a young girl, after all, and she wasn''t as thick-skinned and shameless as Chen Ping''an.


    As if being assisted by the gods, Chen Ping''an suddenly stepped forward and hugged Ning Yao.


    Ning Yao pursed her lips and flushed red. She didn''t try to pull away, and she instead quietly raised a hand and lightly grabbed Chen Ping''an''s sleeve.


    In a small alleyway in Stctite Mountain, the young boy and young girl quietly enjoyed each other''s embrace.


    It was as if the world hade alive at this moment.


    Ning Yao was Ning Yao and Chen Ping''an was Chen Ping''an, after all, so the two of them didn''t remain embarrassed for too long.


    After finishing their embrace, Ning Yao led the way and said that they should finish that half a jar of golden millet wine. She led Chen Ping''an to somece under an old locust tree, and she raised a hand as if knocking on an invisible door.


    The space in front of Ning Yao quickly started to ripple, taking on the appearance of a wine shop. Ning Yao strode in, and Chen Ping''an followed closely behind her.


    Xu Jia, the young shop attendant, was extremely hospitable when he saw Ning Yao. "Oh, you''re back, Miss Ning. I''ll treat you to some wine?"


    Ning Yao took a nce at him. <em>Who is this? I don''t have any impression.</em>


    Thus, she ignored him and directly chose a table to sit down at.


    Xu Jia was immediately deted.


    He felt like this girl was second to only Young Mistress in the world, and she had left a strong impression on him ever since the first time she had visited the wine shop.


    That was sometime several years ago. The young girl had left the Sword Qi Great Wall ande to Stctite Mountain for the first time, and some person had brought her to the wine shop and had two jars of wine for themselves. Meanwhile, the young girl had only tried a sip before not drinking anymore.


    Back then, she had been dressed in ck with a saber by her waist. She hadn''t been carrying two swords, and she hadn''t been dressed in a dark green robe either. Her expression had been cold and aloof, and she hadn''t paid any even when the shopkeeper had locked eyes with her.


    While A''Liang was drinking, she had walked over to the tall wall by herself and looked at it for a long time. She hadn''t said anything, and she had eventually returned to her seat. In Xu Jia''s eyes, the young girl had a very strong personality. In fact, her personality was so dazzling that it was almost blinding.


    A''Liang hadn''t been smiling and acting goofy that time, and he had simply focused on drinking wine. Xu Jia could tell that A''Liang had been trying to persuade the young girl about something. It was as if the young girl had been about to do something incredible. A''Liang had been drinking in a resigned manner, and only then had Xu Jia realized that there were also times when this man would be helpless.


    In the end, the young girl had stubbornly refused to be seen off by A''Liang. She had insisted on leaving the wine shop by herself. Afterward, A''Liang hadn''t drank much more. His expression had been glum, and he had said that the young girl, who was like his daughter, had flown off just like that.


    Xu Jia took a nce at Chen Ping''an, the young boy from the Great Li Empire.


    No matter how he looked at Chen Ping''an, he felt like this young boy wasn''t worthy of someone like Ning Yao.


    In fact, even a hundred Chen Ping''ans might not be worthy of Ning Yao.


    Chen Ping''an asked for the remaining half a jar of Forgetting Sorrow Wine. There was just enough for tworge bowls, so Chen Ping''an poured each of them half a bowl first.


    The two of them sat side-by-side on a long bench. Ning Yao didn''t feel like this was wrong.


    Meanwhile, Xu Jia hid in the distance and clicked his tongue in wonder.


    Chen Ping''an took a sip of Forgetting Sorrow Wine.


    He suddenly felt like this wine tasted much better thanst night, so he turned around and smiled at Ning Yao.


    Ning Yao shot a re at him.


    The two of them didn''t speak, and they continued to drink small sips of wine.


    "Ning Yao, you''re not fake, are you?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked in a pitiful voice.


    The old shopkeeper ying with the caged oriole couldn''t help but chuckle after hearing the young boy''s stupid remark.


    Ning Yao heaved a faint sigh.


    <em>He''s an idiot, but I''m an even bigger idiot.</em>


    <em>After all, who imed that he would definitely find a scatter-brained wife in the future?</em>


    Chen Ping''an put his wine bowl down and extended a hand toward the young girl. Ning Yao looked at him, and she wanted to know what in the world he was trying to do.


    Chen Ping''an pinched her cheek with two fingers and gave it a gentle tug.


    Ning Yao didn''t move.


    Chen Ping''an raised his other hand and pinched the other side of Ning Yao''s cheeks.


    Beads of cold sweat formed on Xu Jia''s forehead when he saw this. He was sure that this audacious young boy was about to be beaten to death.


    However, Ning Yao simply swatted Chen Ping''an''s wandering hands away and warned, "Chen Ping''an, if you continue to be so scatter-brained, then be careful of making me lose my temper."


    Chen Ping''an retracted his hands and said, "Everything''s good as long as you''re real."


    Ning Yao drank arge mouthful of wine and asked, "You should know that my parents have already passed away. Do you think I''m pitiable?"


    Xu Jia felt like the young boy would definitely be done for this time if he dared to say yes.


    "Of course you''re pitiable," Chen Ping''an replied without hesitation. "If losing one''s parents isn''t considered pitiable, then how much does one have to suffer before they''re considered pitiable?"


    However, after saying this, Chen Ping''an''s lips were tightly pursed and slightly downturned.


    He appeared even more upset than the young girl.


    He wasn''t taking pity on the young girl in front of him. This was because he had also lost his parents. Moreover, he had lost them at an even younger age. Young and unable to make ends meet, he had been forced to beg for help and kindness when he could no longer keep himself alive. He had been left with no other option. Otherwise, he would have truly died.


    After growing up, however, he could already live a decent life without needing pity from others. Moreover, he even had the ability to repay others for the kindness they had shown him during his difficult childhood. Thus, he was simply feeling care for her.


    However, Chen Ping''an hadn''t been able to stop himself from replying as he had.


    Ning Yao humphed coldly and asked, "Who are you? Do I need your pity?"


    Chen Ping''an blinked after hearing this.


    Ning Yao flushed a slight shade of red and stomped on Chen Ping''an''s foot under the table.


    Xu Jia was dumbfounded by what he saw. He felt like a great sword immortal had stabbed his heart several times.


    Afterward, the two of them drank wine and chatted quietly.


    Xu Jia felt like he was getting stabbed again and again.


    He couldn''t live like this anymore.


    And thus, he left the wine shop and carried a small stool with him to sit outside the door threshold. Out of sight, out of mind.


    However, he couldn''t help but turn around and steal nces at the young girl''s slender eyebrows. There was no longer a sense of grief lingering on them like the first time they had met, and there was surprisingly a hint of yfulness and warmth instead.


    The sword piercing through his heart was no less mighty than A''Liang''s full-power strike.


    Afterward, he saw the young boy from the Great Li Empire smiling widely with a gentle expression in his eyes. He seemed to be saying that he liked Ning Yao, and that his feelings for her had nothing to do with the two worlds. He liked her as a person, simple as that. Even as an outsider, Xu Jia had to concede that they looked like a good match for each other right now.


    That being the case, the sword piercing through his heart was equivalent to the legendary city-saving strike unleashed by that old great sword immortal.


    Xu Jia turned to the old shopkeeper and wailed in grief, "When is Young Mistress going to return? I miss her to death."


    "To death?" the old shopkeeper asked. "You can die anywhere as long as it''s not in my wine shop."


    Right at this moment, Xu Jia suddenly became happy again. After that young boy of a simr age knocked on the "door" outside, he immediately went over to open the "door" and weed him inside.


    An extremely handsome young boy walked in.


    Xu Jia smiled and asked, "Why have you returned from the Sword Qi Great Wall?"


    There was a warm smile on the face of the handsome young boy dressed in white, and he greeted Xu Jia with a high-five before turning to the old shopkeeper and saying in a loud voice, "Shopkeeper, same rules as always. I want a jar of wine, and you can count this toward my master''s tab."


    The old shopkeeper also smiled when he saw this young boy.


    In fact, almost all elderly people would take a liking to this glowing young boy who appeared much like a rising star.


    Moreover, since he was still young, they needed to cherish this opportunity to peer down at him while they still could. After all, it wouldn''t be long before they lost this opportunity.


    On the wall, the young boy''s master had just written a peerlessly domineering remark not long ago  "The Martial Dao can ascend higher."


    The young boy smiled at Xu Jia and said, "Xu Jia, I''m going to write something on the wall first. Prepare a calligraphy brush for me. Mhm, I''m going to write something next to Master''s words."


    The feeling of gloom in Xu Jia''s heart was immediately swept away. He ran over to grab a calligraphy brush for the handsome young boy, and he didn''t forget to turn around and chuckle, "Alrighty, just give me a second."


    The handsome young boy kept his gaze fixed on Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao as he walked toward the tall wall.


    However, it was a shame that Ning Yao only took a quick nce at him before turning her attention back to Chen Ping''an. She continued to chat about the Sword Qi Great Wall with him.


    The handsome young boy smiled after he arrived in front of the tall wall. He carried a stool over, and he wrote a few characters above those written by the female imperial preceptor of the Great Duan Empire  "It will ascend even higher because of me."


    Chen Ping''an quietly retracted his gaze. He lowered his voice and asked, "Who is that? He looks very impressive."


    Ning Yao carefully thought about this for a moment before replying, "I forgot his name."<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Aww. So cute. Go Ping''an! </blockquote>

 Chapter 276: Between the Strongest

    Chapter 276: Between the Strongest


    Chen Ping''an had seen many good-looking people the same age as him  his neighbor Song Jixin in y Vase Alley, Mr. Qi''s students Zhao Yao and Lin Shouyi in the private school, the androgynous young man dressed as a female on Osmanthus Ind, and Prince Gao Xuan from Great Sui Nation. However, none of them were as good-looking as this young boy in the wine shop.


    After writing on the tall wall, the young boy carried a jar of wine over and sat down on the neighboring table. He asked for tworge white bowls, and he invited Xu Jia over to drink with him. Xu Jia was well aware of how expensive the golden millet wine was, yet he didn''t feel like this was inappropriate at all. He cracked open the y seal and helped pour some wine for both of them. They then touched bowls and drank in a hearty manner. They seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.


    At the same time, the old shopkeeper also seemed to be smiling a bit more. However, the pitiful caged oriole stood with its back facing the radiant young boy, appearing feeble and sickly.


    The handsome young boy raised his wine bowl at Chen Ping''an and said with a smile, "I''m Cao Ci from Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Great Duan Empire."


    Chen Ping''an had no option but to raise his wine bowl and reply, "I''m Chen Ping''an from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Great Li Empire."


    Cao Ci nodded in acknowledgment, and there was clear praise in his eyes as he said, "Your foundation for the third tier of martial arts is quite good."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond, so he could only drink a sip of wine in silence. He couldn''t help but feel that something was off.


    After mulling over this for a long time, he finally discovered why their exchange had appeared so strange. As it turned out, neither the attitude nor tone of the handsome young boy from Middle Earth Divine Continent matched with his status as someone of the same age. Instead, his attitude and tone had appeared more simr to the barefoot old man in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain.


    However, the handsome young boy wasn''t as domineering and forceful as Cui Chan''s grandfather. Quite the contrary, in fact, Cao Ci had spoken in a calm and amiable manner. Even so, Chen Ping''an had still felt a formless pressure even when they were talking about trivial matters.


    Ning Yao didn''t pay much heed to Cao Ci. However, she was quite unhappy about this eyesore suddenly popping up from out of nowhere. His arrival severely dampened her interest in drinking for much longer.


    After quickly finishing the half a jar of golden millet wine with Chen Ping''an, she immediately stood up and dragged Chen Ping''an toward the exit.


    Just as Chen Ping''an was about to leave the wine shop, Cao Ci smiled and shouted, "The girl you like is very good. However, one bad thing about her is that she still can''t remember my name aftering across me so many times."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I say that''s even better."


    Cao Ciughed heartily, raising his wine bowl with one hand and waving goodbye to Chen Ping''an with his other. His smile was sincere as he said, "Chen Ping''an, we''llpete to be the strongest fourth tier martial artist in three day''s time."


    This was another remark that seemed a little strange.


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists and didn''t say anything else. He then turned around and left the small Golden Millet Blessed Land with Ning Yao.


    Inside the wine shop, Xu Jia asked in bewilderment, "You like Ning Yao?"


    Cao Ci shook his hand with a smile and replied, "I like my master, who''s invincible in my mind. I like the empress, who has small dimples on her cheeks when she smiles. I like Ning Yao, who doesn''t care at all about me. However, unlike what you''re thinking, I don''t like them in a romantic sense. Romantic rtionships severely inhibit cultivation."


    He took a swig of wine and sighed. "I genuinely can''t imagine myself falling for a girl in the future."


    "Oh, okay," Xu Jia replied with a nod. He believed whatever Cao Ci said. However, excitement quickly spread across the young shop attendant''s face, and he changed the topic and asked, "Judging from what you said just then, you''re about to advance to the fifth tier?"


    Cao Ci nodded and replied, "I''ve stayed at the Sword Qi Great Wall for so long already, so it''s about time for me to advance."


    Xu Jia grinned and remarked, "If you were still in your hometown, I suppose you would have advanced to the seventh tier already."


    Before Cao Ci could say anything, Xu Jia immediately added, "And before reaching the seventh tier, you would have be the strongest fourth tier, fifth tier, and sixth tier martial artist!"


    When it came to discussing this, Xu Jia was even more ted than Cao Ci himself. "The old shopkeeper told me that your current fourth tier cultivation base is the strongest fourth tier in the history of the world, not just the strongest among the current fourth tier martial artists. It can be said that your fourth tier cultivation base is without precedent and without rival in the future. Is that true?"


    Cao Ci was slightly exasperated as he replied, "I can probably confirm that it''s without precedent. However, to say that it''s without rival in the future... I''m just a pure martial artist, so I naturally can''t divine the martial fortune of the world for the next several hundred to a thousand years."


    Xu Jiaughed loudly and eximed, "Cao Ci! If I can''t help myself and venture out to look for Young Mistress in the future, I''ll definitely travel to the Great Duan Empire to visit you as well."


    Cao Ci nodded and replied, "Then I''ll prepare some fine wine for you."


    Xu Jia suddenly lowered his voice and begged, "Cao Ci, how about we have a fight where you lose to me on purpose? That way, I can tell others that I defeated Cao Ci when I leave Stctite Mountain in the future. Just think about it. You''ll be invincible in ten years or a hundred, and you might even beat up True Invincible, the Daoist second disciple in the Heavenly World, and turn him into Fake Invincible. At that time, I would be the only person who ever defeated you, Cao Ci. Thanks to this, the entire world will definitely ask about who I am. Perhaps Young Mistress will also be impressed and look at me with new eyes."


    Cao Ci smiled with squinted eyes, raising his wine bowl with one hand and lightly patting his head with the other. "Alright, you''ve defeated me now, Xu Jia. When you leave Stctite Mountain, feel free to tell others that you''ve defeated me."


    Xu Jia felt a little guilty, and he asked, "You might be fine with this now, but will you go back on your word in the future?"


    Cao Ci drank the wine in his bowl before turning around and waving a hand at the old shopkeeper. "Old L, are you willing to give me a jar of wine for free? I feel a sense of regret now, and without some wine in my stomach, I can''t suppress that feeling of regret no matter what. If I drink another jar of Forgetting Sorrow Wine, I can be free of regret for at least a hundred years!"


    Xu Jia looked at the old shopkeeper with a pitiful expression.


    The old shopkeeper smiled and replied, "Xu Jia, bring a jar of wine over for Cao Ci. Also, remember to keep in mind the shopkeeper''s kindness in the future. Don''t secretly grumble about me being miserly all the time, and don''t me me for not allowing you to travel around the cultivation world."


    Xu Jia giddily ran away to grab a jar of wine.


    Cao Ci only had a single bowl of wine remaining. While waiting for the new jar of wine to arrive, he took his bowl of wine and walked over to the tall wall. His eyes swam over the wall. Three years had already passed since his first taste of wine, and many new lines had already appeared on the wall. In the end, Cao Ci''s gaze settled on three characters in the bottom corner of the wall. The characters were proper yet rigid, and Cao Ci asked in curiosity, "Old L, are these the characters that Chen Ping''an wrote on the wall? Lasting Sword Qi?"


    "What''s wrong? You think that boy is truly exceptional?" the old shopkeeper asked.


    Cao Ci squatted down and drank a small sip of wine. There was indifference in his eyes as he replied, "He might be the strongest third tier martial artist, the one who inherited the position I vacated when I broke through."


    Hearing this, the old shopkeeper thought it was a shame. The caged oriole could only determine a pure martial artist''s martial fortune during a limited period of time. Indeed, after a person wrote on the wall, it wasn''t like the oriole could fly out of its cage whenever it wanted to grab their martial fortune with its beak.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had coincidentally visited and written on the wall after the female imperial preceptor and before the handsome young boy. Sandwiched between the two of them, the old shopkeeper didn''t need to dream about the oriole leaving its cage to do anything for him.


    He didn''t have the courage.


    Cao Ci and Xu Jia finished another jar of Forgetting Sorrow Wine, drinking half a jar each.


    However, Xu Jia couldn''t hold his alcohol, so he got drunker and drunker. In the end, he passed out drunk on the table.


    Meanwhile, Cao Ci was the type of person who would be increasingly awake and aware as they drank. His eyes were bright and piercing.


    "If it weren''t for Mastering here to pick me up, I genuinely wanted to venture to the world to the south of the Sword Qi Great Wall. In forty or fifty years at most, I would dare to battle against those dozen or so great demons. Before that, though, there will definitely be many hearty and satisfying life-and-death challenges," Cao Ci suddenly remarked.


    The old shopkeeper smiled and said, "Do you believe me when I say that you''ll immediately die after leaving the city wall?"


    Cao Ci sighed in response.


    The reason for this was very simple, and the old shopkeeper had precisely gotten through to him.


    It was very likely that Cao Ci had already attracted the attention of those top-notch great demons. In other words, he belonged to the list of people they would definitely kill on sight. Forget about giving him forty or fifty years to develop, he''d be lucky if they gave him forty or fifty seconds.


    "Then I''ll just return to Middle Earth Divine Continent," Cao Ci said in resignation.


    Whether purposely or not, the old shopkeeper mused, "The old ancestor of the Dong n left a path of destruction in his wake in the Savage World, and he eventually shot to fame at the Sword Qi Great Wall. However, one such person is enough. Moreover, only one such person can exist. If the demon tribe allows the rise of another deadly opponent like him  say, a Cao Ci who has the potential to reach the 11th tier of martial arts  then they might as well kill themselves out of shame."


    "Mhm, I need to ask Master if she''s advanced to the 11th tier yet. I hope she hasn''t..." Cao Ci said.


    The old shopkeeper smiled and teased, "As her disciple, aren''t you being a little too unconscionable? Why aren''t you hoping for your master to achieve the best? As it turns out, you are much like Xu Jia. This isn''t good! You''re Cao Ci, so how can you be so mediocre?"


    Cao Ci shook his head and raised an arm. He then extended his hand and held it above his head, waving it back and forth above the table. His voice was smooth and his expression was certain as he said, "Master''s Martial Dao has already reached this height, and she''s almost powerful enough to rival those standing on the pinnacle of the pinnacle already. If she hasn''t advanced to the 11th tier yet, then my master  or the future me  can maybe..."


    The old shopkeeper smiled faintly and said, "We can wait and see."


    Cao Ci looked at the old shopkeeper andmented, "There are far too few old seniors who are as easy-going and amiable as you."


    "That''s because I''m a poor old geezer who''s already epted my fate," the old shopkeeper replied in a self-ridiculing voice.


    Cao Ci quietly sat at the table. Xu Jia was snoring in a thunderous manner, while the old shopkeeper had vanished to some unknown ce.


    The Golden Millet Blessed Land was naturally a bit bigger than what people imagined. It didn''t contain just the wine shop and nothing else. However, it was indeed damaged and iplete. If it weren''t for the old shopkeeper, one of the founders of the Hundred Schools of Thought, maintaining the blessednd with all his strength, it would have already suffered a fate not too dissimr to Jewel Small World. It would have altogether lost its right to be called a blessednd.


    What were the sages of the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools of Thought busy with every day?


    Where did the 10rge worlds, 36 small worlds, and 72 blessedndse from?


    After Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Jewel Small World shattered and fell, were there truly only 35 small worlds remaining?


    In reality, many sages from Majestic World needed to develop new territories and expand the map of Majestic World.


    Regarding this point, the Daoist sages in Heavenly World were slightly different. Rather than expanding and developing new territories, they sought to increase the height of White Jade Capital, addingyer uponyer above its peak. They continued to build higher and higher.


    Meanwhile, the world controlled by the Buddhists sought to extend the reach and understanding of Buddhism. They wanted people to live without doubts and attachments, whether that be in their past life, present life, or future life.


    Of course, in addition to creating new worlds and blessednds and educating the masses, the Confucian Sect in Majestic World also needed to keep an eye on the demon tribe in Savage World.


    The two other worlds weren''t whiling away their time doing nothing either.


    Daoist Branch Master Lu Chen was stirring up trouble in Majestic World, setting up a grand game of Go.


    However, was the Confucian Second Sage not taking disciples and spreading his teachings in Heavenly World?


    Inside the wine shop, Cao Ci remained calm and at ease even though there was no one to talk to and no wine to drink. He sat there just like that.


    It was difficult to imagine that there existed martial artists who were uninterested in advancing their cultivation base and were instead amused by suppressing their cultivation.


    When the old shopkeeper returned, he smiled and asked, "Cao Ci, apart from reaching the pinnacle of the Martial Dao, is there nothing else you want to achieve in your life?"


    "I''m thinking about what I would want to achieve," Cao Ci replied with a smile.


    "Then you''re inferior to Xu Jia and that young boy from the Great Li Empire," the old shopkeeper teased.


    Cao Ci nodded in agreement.


    In the end, the handsome young boy in white walked out of the wine shop. He didn''t look for his master staying in the private estate of somerge n in Stctite Mountain, and he instead went straight to the foot of Lone Peak. When he arrived near the za, both the young Daoist priest and the sword-hugging middle-aged man looked over and greeted him. Cao Ci stopped and chatted with them for a long time, and only then did he walk forward and disappear into the mirror-like gate.


    When he arrived on the other side, the old sword cultivator engrossed in refining his bonded sword and the Daoist saber nun who had a Dao saber by her waist also smiled and greeted him. Cao Ci stopped again and chatted with them for a long time.


    They chatted about Dao power, about sword techniques, and about the world.


    Cao Ci could chat with anyone.


    This had always been the case for the past few years.


    As for those senior immortals who had achieved sess long ago, regardless of whether they were reclusive elites or famous sword immortals, some of them would reap great benefits from their conversations with Cao Ci. In fact, some of them would even feel ashamed of themselves because of this young boy at the fourth tier of martial arts.


    Cao Ci.


    Cao Ci from Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    His background was unremarkable, and his ancestors had been farmers for generations upon generations. In fact, his n couldn''t even be considered moderately wealthy. After a period of war, their peaceful home had been razed to the ground, forcing everyone to flee with the other refugees. Disced and drifting from ce to ce, there had been hardships and eternal farewells every day.


    Afterward, a tall woman riding a horse and traveling through the cultivation world by herself hade across him and taken him in as a disciple.


    At the time, the tall woman had held him in her arms while riding her handsome horse through windy and snowy nights. She had smiled at the child who was only seven or eight years old and said, "Cao Ci, from today onward, you''re the only disciple of me, Pei Bei."


    Cao Ci slowly made his way through the city thaty to the north of the Sword Qi Great Wall. If familiar faces greeted him, he would stop and chat with them for a while. If no one greeted him, then he would asionally stop and look up at the drifting kites, the curved eaves, or the lusterless door gods on the courtyard doors.


    In the end, he slowly climbed up the city wall and returned to the small thatched cottage behind the older andrger thatched cottage. He had nothing better to do, so he casually flicked through a few books before putting them all aside after reading a few pages. He stepped out of his thatched cottage and walked for three to four kilometers along the path on top of the city wall. Only then did he find Grandpa Chen standing there and gazing south of the city wall.


    The young boy in white nimbly leaped onto the perimeter of the wall.


    They both stood there without saying anything.


    After leaving the wine shop, Ning Yao asked for the location of Stork Inn before taking Chen Ping''an in the direction of the Catch and Release Dock.


    Chen Ping''an saw the extremely worried Lady Gui as well as the very gloomy Jin Su after arriving in the small alley where the inn was located.


    After seeing Chen Ping''an safe and sound, Lady Gui felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She didn''t scold him, and she didn''t even ask him why he had returned sote. She simply greeted the young girl whom Chen Ping''an had introduced as Ning Yao.


    Afterward, she immediately left and returned to Osmanthus Ind which was still docked at the Catch and Release Dock. There were many business transactions to make, and she was far too busy to worry about anything else. Moreover, there was also the matter pertaining to the Jiang n''s young master from Jade Tablet Sect. These were all troublesome matters.


    Jin Su had initially wanted to grumble about how she had been given a severe dressing-down by her master because of his sudden disappearance. However, upon seeing the calm yet intense demeanor of the young girl dressed in a long green robe and wearing a sword by her waist, Jin Su didn''t really dare toin anymore.


    The three of them didn''t go to the inn in the small alley. Upon hearing that Jin Su and Chen Ping''an were going to visit Stctite Mountain''s Milu Cliff and other scenic spots today, Ning Yao expressed that she would also tag along because she hadn''t been to these ces before.


    Even though Jin Su felt slightly uneasy on the inside, she was unwilling to appear too timid on the outside. Thus, she took the initiative and started to chat with Ning Yao, the young girl who didn''t look very approachable.


    In reality, Ning Yao wasn''t a very haughty person. She was simply veryzy. When unfamiliar people like Jin Su talked to her and asked her questions, Ning Yao would still listen to them and offer them responses. However, her responses would all be extremely short and simple.


    In the end, Jin Su was at aplete loss regarding how tomunicate with Ning Yao. She fell silent, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.


    However, there wererge and tumultuous waves surging through Jin Su''s mind.


    Ning Yao imed that she was from the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    If outsiders wanted to travel from Stctite Mountain to the Sword Qi Great Wall, all they needed to do was pay money. However, if sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall wanted to enter Stctite Mountain, it was said that this would be difficult even for sword immortals with exceptional contributions.


    It was no wonder that Jin Su''s mind was wandering. In reality, her train of thought wasn''t exactly wrong. Ning Yao''s surname yed a huge part in this.


    However, Jin Su''s guess was only half correct.


    Lady Gui wasn''t willing to delve deep into the many secrets of the Sword Qi Great Wall with her prized disciple, so Jin Su was only roughly aware of the 13 soul-stirring battles that had taken ce back then. Even though the young girl beside her had the surname Ning, Jin Su only dared to regard her as a direct descendant of the Sword Qi Great Wall''s Ning n. She had most likely traveled here toplete an important mission for her n.


    Jin Su didn''t dare to consider the most outrageous "reality," and the reason for this was very simple. This was because Chen Ping''an was with her.


    Due to Ning Yao''s presence, Jin Su felt extremely restricted and hesitant as she walked around Milu Cliff, the Incense Offering Tower, and the Lightning Lake tform. She felt very ufortable, and this made her entire experience in the three famous scenic spots dull and uninspiring.


    However, Jin Su was an osmanthus girl, after all, so not only was her cultivation aptitude very good, but her emotional intelligence was very high as well. Thus, there were many times when she would purposely wander away from Chen Ping''an and the untalkative young girl, allowing them to enjoy each other''spany and chat about whatever they wanted.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t too interested in those epic stories about changing empires, shifting worldly momentum, and the rise and fall of humanity.


    In fact, he didn''t understand these things, and he didn''t want to understand them either.


    However, since Ning Yao was telling him about these matters, he was willing to remember them andmit everything to memory.


    Jin Su found it slightly strange why such a cold and aloof girl was willing to open up and talk so much with a taciturn person like Chen Ping''an.


    During their visits to the scenic spots, the three of them walked with other visitors and climbed the Lightning Lake tform together. While standing there, an old Daoist priest with a golden fly-whisk and a silver fly-whisk suddenly appeared on a step and smiled at Ning Yao, saying, "My teacher has issued an order. If Miss Ning needs anything while staying in Stctite Mountain, then you''re free to raise a request. Even if you ask to visit the Bells of the Three Pure Ones on top of Lone Peak, that will still be allowed."


    Ning Yao naturally looked over to Chen Ping''an. Chen Ping''an shook his head slightly, so Ning Yao shook her head as well and said, "We won''t go to Lone Peak."


    The old Daoist priest smiled and said, "Then I won''t bother you any longer. If Miss Ning needs anything, then just get a Daoist priest to inform Stctite Mountain."


    Ning Yao initially didn''t want to respond. However, when she saw Chen Ping''an cupping his fists to thank the old Daoist priest, she also nodded and replied, "Okay."


    "The Flood Dragon True Lord?" Jin Su murmured.


    The old Daoist priest was about to leave the Lightning Lake tform. As the third-inmand in Stctite Mountain, his profound Dao power was incredibly well known even in Southern Whirl Continent. Thus, he could clearly hear the thoughts in people''s minds, to say nothing of their murmuring. He smiled and asked, "Is anything the matter, Young Miss?"


    Jin Su instantly became pale with fright. She hurriedly shook her head and replied, "No, there''s nothing wrong at all. I simply admire you too much, so I couldn''t help but murmur your title. Please forgive me, True Lord."


    The old Daoist priestughed heartily and said, "I''m nowhere near that domineering. Moreover, there isn''t any rule in Stctite Mountain that prohibits others from calling my title, much less punishment for them."


    The old Daoist priest vanished in a sh.


    Jin Su gulped with lingering fear.


    This Upper Five Tier immortal in Stctite Mountain was a Daoist True Lord who had gained renown through ying flood dragons in the South Sea. Yet, he had stood in front of her just like that and even conversed with her?


    The Flood Dragon True Lord''s 11th tier cultivation base could definitely crush therge majority of Unpolished Jade Tier[1] Qi refiners in the world.


    No one doubted that the title of Heavenly Lord was already within the old Daoist priest''s grasp.


    When the three of them walked back to Stork Inn, it was surprisingly Ning Yao who started to talk with Jin Su. She asked questions while Jin Su answered, and it was actually thetter who spoke less this time.


    Ning Yao was in a fairly good mood. Just then, she and Chen Ping''an had bought a pair of exquisite spirit tools from a stall at the foot of Milu Cliff. The spirit tools were shaped like the two halves of a yin-yang diagram.


    When they arrived at Stork Inn, the poker-faced young innkeeper informed them that the inn was already full. Without a second word, Ning Yao directly took out a grain rain coin and ced it on the front desk, asking if this was enough.


    The eyelids of the young inn manager quivered, and he was just about to say something in response. However, Chen Ping''an had already snatched the grain rain coin away and said with a smile, "Ning Yao is our friend, so can you work something out for us, mister innkeeper?"


    The innkeeper smiled and replied, "I wish I could work something out for you. However, it''s not like I can kick other guests out, can I? Stork Inn has a reputation to maintain, after all, and we still need to do business in the future."


    "Then I''ll stay in another inn," Ning Yao said bluntly.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath and took out another grain rain coin from his own pockets. He gently ced it on the table and said, "Inn Manager, can we please discuss this a bit more?"


    The young inn manager smiled faintly and epted the grain rain coin. "No worries, please give me a moment."


    Chen Ping''an returned the other grain rain coin to Ning Yao. However, she looked at him and asked, "What are you doing?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I''m inviting you to stay at the inn."


    Ning Yao moved her hand up and down and weighed the grain rain coin in her palm. There was a hint of exasperation in her voice as she said, "It''s so difficult for you to earn a grain rain coin, yet these things aren''t worth very much over at the Sword Qi Great Wall. This is called trying to act generously at your own cost  this is very boring. What''s wrong with staying at a different inn? Staying anywhere is the same. I''m not as fussy as you think."


    Chen Ping''an extended a hand and chuckled, "Then return the grain rain coin to me?"


    Ning Yao rolled her eyes and resolutely put the grain rain coin away. "Just wait to feel anguish," she gloated.


    In the end, Stork Inn managed to clear out thergest room for them. It was a private courtyard located outside the side door of some study. Chen Ping''an was very satisfied with this.


    Ning Yao didn''t think anything about it.


    Before leaving them, the young inn manager smiled at the three of them and ced the grain rain coin on the table, saying, "I mulled over things for a bit, and I feel like this coin might be too hot for my hands. I don''t dare to ept it. This Young Miss can stay here in the same way as Young Master Chen. I''ll record the cost on the tab and ask Osmanthus Ind for paymentter."


    Chen Ping''an had no idea what was going on.


    Jin Su looked at the inn manager with gratitude in her eyes.


    Chen Ping''an sat down beside the table and was just about to grab the grain rain coin. However, Ning Yao immediately ced her hand over it and took it away.


    She nced at the confused Chen Ping''an and raised her eyebrows as if challenging him. Chen Ping''an smiled and pretended that nothing had happened.


    Jin Su perceptively bade farewell and took her leave.


    After closing the door, Chen Ping''an immediately took out all of his treasures and belongings and ced them on the table.


    Ning Yao was slightly astonished, and she sighed with emotion. "Chen Ping''an, how impressive of you. You''re quite good at making money now, and you''ve gone from a charity to a money-maker? You''re the fake one, right?"


    Chen Ping''an copied Ning Yao, leaning back slightly and crossing his arms.


    There was a smug expression on his face.


    Today on Stctite Mountain...


    ...There was a side of Ning Yao never seen before, and there was a side of Chen Ping''an never seen before.


    It was truly a beautiful reunion between the two of them.


    1. 11th tier

 Chapter 277: (1): Three Battles Between Fourth Tier Cultivators on the City Wall

    Chapter 277: (1): Three Battles Between Fourth Tier Cultivators on the City Wall


    There was a spectacr array of items on the table.


    These were Chen Ping''an''s spoils, and they were also his cultivation treasures.


    There was a high-grade snake gall pebble that Daoist Nun He Xiaoliang from Divine Edict Sect had returned to him back on the kun ship. There were also some ordinary snake gall pebbles that had already lost their luster.


    There was the golden schrly core that City God Shen Wen had given him in Colorful Garment Nation. Apart from this, there was also a small pile of golden and silver shards sitting next to it. The silver shards came from the gold statues of the schrly official and the martial official, while the golden shards came from the gold statue of the illegitimate mountain god in Blusher Prefecture.


    There was a seal made by a Heavenly Master of some previous generation from Mount Longhu, and ording to Shen Wen''s exnation, it could only unleash its full might when paired with the Five Lightning Righteous Technique of the Daoist Sect. However, what stuck in Chen Ping''an''s mind was this: <em>divine artifacts should only be wielded by those with virtue.</em>


    There was a small mountain of copper coins, grain rain coins, lesser heat coins, and snowke coins.


    There was a pile of small bamboo slips. Some of them were made from ordinary bamboo; however, the majority were made from the remaining bamboo after Wei Bo had finished constructing the bamboo house. This was bamboo from Azure Divine Mountain.


    The bamboo slips were filled with famous quotes, poetry, and words of warning  there were sagely essays recited by Cui Chan while he had been practicing fist techniques with Chen Ping''an, there were characters that Li Xisheng had written on the walls of the bamboo building, there were extracts that Chen Ping''an had copied from travel journals, and there were phrases he had heard while traveling through the cultivation world...


    There was a cockfighting cup that he had bought at a ferry station in Water Combing Nation. It wasn''t anything valuable, but it was a rare purchase for Chen Ping''an.


    There were the two golden dragon whiskers given to him by Sword Cultivator Zuo You, as well as the golden Dao robe and the old jewel that looked like a yellowing pill left behind by the elderly golden flood dragon after it was in.


    There was a white porcin brush washer. Chen Ping''an had obtained it from the scorpiondy, an assassin from Ancient Elm Nation. In the end, he had decided against selling it at the Green Beetle Shop. This was because Chen Ping''an liked those lively and spirited characters decorating the brush washer.


    There was the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em> and a minimization treasure in the form of a jade tablet, both of which had been given to him by Zheng Dafeng in Old Dragon City.


    There was a Confucian ssic given to him by the Schrly Sage, and a few travel journals and literary works he had obtained from the prefectural overseer''s office in Blusher Prefecture.


    There was a seal engraved with the characters "Tranquil Mind Begets Enlightenment."


    There was the water seal that had lost itspanion, the mountain seal, and now looked a little lonely.


    Chen Ping''an ced this seal on the leftmost side.


    Of course, there was also the <em>Mountain Shaking Guide</em> that had apanied him for the longest time.


    Ning Yao looked through the items and examined them one by one. In the end, she smiled and asked, "Are you giving all of this to me? You''re not going to leave any savings for yourself?"


    However, Ning Yao immediately felt a slight sense of annoyance and regret.


    So what if he kept some private savings? She couldn''t speak to Chen Ping''an in such a heartless manner in the future.


    It was important to remember that this activity wasn''t the same as cultivating the Sword Dao.


    Chen Ping''an clearly didn''t detect the deeper meaning behind Ning Yao''s words, so he pointed at a few things and replied in a serious voice, "You already know about this Mountain Shaking Guide. It isn''t mine, and I''m only looking after it for Gu Can, so I can''t give it to you. I can''t give you the seals from Mr. Qi either. I feel like it would also be inappropriate to give you the Heavenly Master Seal from the city god. Apart from these, you can take anything you want."


    Ning Yao pursed her lips and said, "I''m not interested in them. You can keep them all."


    Chen Ping''an pped his forehead and untied the Sword Nurturing Gourd called Jiang Hu from his waist, cing it on the table. He then retrieved a talisman from his sword case, the one in which the female bone ghost was kept. After doing this, he exined, "This Sword Nurturing Gourd was an additional gift after I purchased a few mountains in my hometown. Mountain God Wei Bo helped me ask the Great Li Empire for it.


    "There''s a fairly ferocious female bone ghost living inside this talisman, and she signed a sixty-year contract with me after I received some help from Osmanthus Ind. The talisman lives in my sword case right now, and Lady Gui said that this is called a ''locust residence''. When they stay inside such a residence, yin entities can nurture their souls and advance their cultivation. In other words, it''s as if they''re staying inside a small blessednd."


    "Female bone ghost? Is she beautiful?" Ning Yao asked.


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment before replying, "Only so-so. She''s not as beautiful as the female ghost in a wedding dress I met in the mountains, and that ghost isn''t as beautiful as you."


    "Chen Ping''an, since when did you be so glib of tongue? Did you learn this from A''Liang?" Ning Yao fumed.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and shook his head, replying, "No, it''s all from the bottom of my heart. Sincere praise and glib remarks are not the same."


    "Then have you tricked many girls into falling for you?" Ning Yao asked with a chuckle.


    After saying this, Ning Yao rested her arms and chin on the table and turned around to look at Chen Ping''an, who was much taller and slightly less tanned than before. She seemed slightly deted, and she remarked, "I can no longer defeat 500 Chen Ping''ans with a single hand. Moreover, you''ve traveled across half of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and you''vee across many girls in many ces, so perhaps many of them treated you as an immortal and ended up liking you."


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly shook his hands and said, "No, there''s no other girl who likes me. I was either dealing with violent enemies or interacting with people who are destined to be passing guests in my life."


    When he finished saying this, Chen Ping''an also sighed and rested his arms and chin on the table. He lightly poked the Sword Nurturing Gourd with his finger and continued, "When I left home, I took a kun ship owned by Complete Reed Continent''s Ceremony Mountain. I became acquainted with a pair of twin sisters there, one called Chun Shui and one called Qiu Shi. They were around the same age as me. However, the kun ship was destroyed afterward, so I might never see them again."


    Chen Ping''an nced at the unremarkable brush washer on the table.


    It was only an arm''s length away from him.


    However, the twin sisters were already so far away.


    Ning Yao didn''t suspect Chen Ping''an of falling for the twin sisters, and she instead consoled him. "Death and farewells can''t be avoided."


    She turned her head and rested her cheek on the table, continuing, "At the Sword Qi Great Wall, many people die each time there''s a battle, be they old or young, men or women. There will be strangers, but there will also be people you know. But there''s no time to feel sad, or the next death will be yours. Only when the battle concludes can the survivors find the free time to grieve. Even then, people won''t feel too sad. At most, they''ll offer a cup of wine toward the south of the Sword Qi Great Wall. It''s the same for everyone."


    There was a deep and profound look in Ning Yao''s eyes, much like the dark and cool Iron Lock Well in Chen Ping''an''s hometown. "This is just like those small matters I told you about while we were drinking Forgetting Sorrow Wine in the blessednd before. When I drink farewell wine with my friends, there will be some people who like to speak in a taunting manner when they talk about my parents. You asked me if I would get angry. Of course I would get angry. However, I don''t get as angry as outsiders think. Why? Do you know?"


    Chen Ping''an looked her in the eyes. His cheek was also resting on the table, so he could only shake his head lightly.


    "Because those people who speak in a taunting manner will also die on the battlefield one day," Ning Yao answered. "Moreover, they''ll definitely die a courageous death just like their seniors and ancestors. When I think of this, I feel like I don''t need to be so angry anymore. Their words are light and fluffy, and they''re not even as heavy as the sword qi beside us. Perhaps there wille a day when I''ll fight side-by-side with these people. Or perhaps one of us will save the other. Or perhaps one of us will helplessly watch on as the other is killed."


    Chen Ping''an nodded before sitting up and shaking his head. "Ning Yao, your way of thinking..."


    Ning Yao rolled her eyes and said, "I don''t want to listen to your reasoning. You''re not allowed to annoy me."


    She could refuse to listen to other people''s reasoning. Whether it was her elders or ancestors in the n, the old great sword immortal on the city wall, A''Liang who had seen her off at Stctite Mountain back then, or her friends who were the same age as her, she could ignore all of these people. However, if it was Chen Ping''an, then she could only listen to his reasonings and be annoyed by him. Thus, she was better off preventing him from starting in the first ce.


    Chen Ping''an nodded and put his cheek back on the table. Sure enough, he didn''t expound the principles and reasonings that he had learned from the books with much difficulty.


    Ning Yao suddenly sat up and asked, "Are you genuinely going to visit the Sword Qi Great Wall?"


    Chen Ping''an also sat up, nodding and replying, "The old senior who taught me fist techniques said that ascending the city wall will be beneficial for tempering the souls of martial artists. One can reap huge benefits as long as they don''t die. Moreover, for some strange reason, I have the illusion that I can easily advance from the fourth tier to the sixth tier after drinking Forgetting Sorrow Wine with that couple. It''s as if I can easily advance if I want to.


    "However, I naturally won''t be so foolish as to advance like this. A single misstep that leads to acking foundation, and my entire future might be ruined. However, my intuition tells me that after drinking that fine wine from Golden Millet Blessed Land, advancing to the fifth tier and the sixth tier will be a breeze."


    Ning Yao grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd and casually swung it back and forth. Hershes shuddered slightly, and she said, "Then you should thank them sincerely for giving you such a good fated opportunity."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "Of course. I''ll see whether I cane across them again when I go to the Sword Qi Great Wall."


    Ning Yao thought for a moment, but she ultimately decided against saying anything.


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly uneasy, and he asked, "I was dragged over to the Sword Qi Great Wall by someone before, and the feeling there was far too unbearable. I''m afraid that I won''t even be able to stand up properly there. That being the case, how will I ascend the city wall?"


    "It''s not as exaggerated and terrifying as you imagine," Ning Yao exined. "The city wall has always experienced the strongest and most concentrated sword qi. If you enter from Stctite Mountain and walk toward the city wall from there, you''ll be able to advance slowly and gradually be ustomed to the environment. It will feel much less ufortable.


    "The Sword Qi Great Wall is a bit simr to the heavens beyond heavens that Heavenly World faces. It''s and without Dao, and even Ascension Tier sword cultivators at the 13th tier won''t be forced to ascend. No one cares about our life and death, and even the Heavenly Dao doesn''t care about this ce.


    "Because of this, many sword cultivators from the outside world like toe here to train and participate in the battles. Back when you were in Jewel Small World, therge group of sword cultivators you saw in the sky were Qi refiners from Complete Reed Continent. With their help, the demon tribe has seemingly failed to make any gains afterunching three consecutive assaults.


    "The demon tribe left tens of thousands of corpses on this city wall, and all of this became currency for us to purchase goods from transcontinental ships docked in Stctite Mountain. However, I have a feeling that things aren''t so simple. I''m sure that Grandpa Chen, the person who dragged you over to the Sword Qi Great Wall, as well as the two sages guarding this area can see this more clearly than me.


    Ning Yao smiled and continued, "The higher one''s cultivation base, the more unustomed one will be when they enter someone else''s territory. This is especially the case for cultivators at the Upper Five Tiers, and it''s the same regardless of whether one is from the human race or demon tribe. This is the key reason why sages are able to enjoy the advantages of opportune time and geography in their own territories.


    "For example, when Daoist Branch Master Lu Chen from Heavenly World entered Majestic World before, his highest possible cultivation base was most likely the 13th tier. This was a rule implemented by the Etiquette Sage very early on. The same also applies when Confucian sages from Majestic World enter Heavenly World.


    "There ispetition between the sages when ites to the Great Dao, but this doesn''t mean that the sages don''t respect each other. You might not believe this, but there are also individuals in the demon tribe who deserve the respect of us sword cultivators. Of course, these individuals are still enemies whom we must fight to the death on the battlefield. By the same token, there are many great demons in the demon tribe who also respect and admire some powerful sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    "Anyone who isn''t a sword cultivator will find it very difficult to stay on the Sword Qi Great Wall. For example, martial artists like you and Qi refiners from the Hundred Schools of Thought. These people might obtain profound fated opportunities, but it''s much more likely that these people will have the foundation of their Great Dao ground into ruins by the sword intent.


    "There are two examples of this. There was once an Abode Tier[1] sword cultivator from Complete Reed Continent who came here and eventually advanced to the Immortal Tier[2]. However, there was also an Immortal Tier cultivator from Circling Ascension Continent who came here and failed to find his Dao attainment catalyst. Not only that, but they fell to the Nascent Tier[3] in a single breath."


    "A''Liang taught me the Eighteen Stops Qi Channeling Technique," Chen Ping''an suddenly said.


    Ning Yao faltered for a moment before saying, "He treats you quite well. Over at the Sword Qi Great Wall, only sword cultivators who have made great contributions have the right to teach this Qi channeling technique to someone else. Almost all of them teach the technique to their most prized disciple or the sessor of their n.


    "However, don''t get too ahead of yourself. Passing down the Eighteen Stops Technique is more of a ritual than anything else. In some sense, we''re saying that the future generations at the Sword Qi Great Wall will always inherit and remember the sword intent of the earliest sword immortals. In reality, the Eighteen Stops Technique can''t be considered a top-notch Qi channeling sword technique.


    "Therge ns in the city to the north all have genuine top-notch sword techniques. The Chen n''s sword technique can strengthen bones, the Dong n''s sword technique can cleanse marrow, the Qi n''s can temper souls, the Ning n''s can sharpen bonded swords, the Yao n''s can nourish sword qi, the Nn n''s can enableplementary sword qi and sword intent, and so on.


    "All of these sword techniques are so top-notch that they''re unimaginable in the eyes of sword cultivators from Majestic World. Regardless, it''s a good thing that you''ve learned the Eighteen Stops Technique. This will allow you to limatize to the environment of the Sword Qi Great Wall quicker."


    Chen Ping''an cracked a grin.


    "Judging by the time, you''ve already been practicing this technique for almost two years. How many stops have you reached?" Ning Yao asked casually. "Fifteen? Sixteen? At least twelve, right? After that, it will be a bit different from before. Each stop will be more difficult to reach and ovee. You didn''t grow up at the Sword Qi Great Wall, so it''s only natural for you to be a bit slower.


    "One of my friends, the fatty, took eight months to reach all eighteen stops. Little Dong was slightly more talented, and it only took him half a year to reach all of them. The others all took around nine months to a year. However, Little Dong''s older sister was quite impressive, and she only took three months to reach all eighteen stops. It''s just that the Dong n has always been trying to hide this information. They''re not willing to reveal the truth to outsiders.


    "Among those at the Sword Qi Great Wall around the same age as me, thirty or so have mastered the Eighteen Stops Technique. Because of this, our generation is regarded as the best generation at the Sword Qi Great Wall for the past three thousand years. The seniors all say that as long as we''re given another fifty or sixty years, the demon tribe won''t be able to see the top of the city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall for the next thousand years."


    Chen Ping''an looked on with a dazed expression.


    He had gone through so many challenges and hardships to finally reach the seventh stop with much difficulty. Then, after surging to the twelfth in a single go, he was now stuck between the twelfth and thirteenth acupoints. It was as if he were standing in front of a mountain path blocked by heavy snow, and there seemed to be little hope that he could advance any further.


    After noticing Chen Ping''an''s expression, Ning Yao stopped and said, "Then I won''t mention myself."


    "How long did it take you?" Chen Ping''an asked in a tentative voice.


    "Heh," Ning Yao chuckled with a fake smile.


    1. Sixth tier


    2. 12th tier


    3. 10th tier

 Chapter 278: (1): No Second in Martial Arts; Fist Beyond the Heavens

    Chapter 278: (1): No Second in Martial Arts; Fist Beyond the Heavens


    Afterpleting the final battle, Cao Ci and his master bade farewell and took their leave. The two of them were most likely leaving the Sword Qi Great Wall and returning to the Great Duan Empire in Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    Before leaving, Cao Ci turned to Chen Ping''an and asked, "Chen Ping''an, can you help me look after that cottage before you return to Stctite Mountain?"


    Chen Ping''an wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied with a smile, "No problem."


    This was a unique act of goodwill from Cao Ci.


    The figures of the handsome young boy in white and the martial goddess became smaller and smaller as they left along the carriageway on top of the great wall.


    "I''m about to retract the small world," the old sword immortal warned Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in acknowledgment, signifying that he was okay.


    The old sword immortal casually retracted the small world and its apanying restrictions, allowing the permeating sword qi to instantly surge over in a vicious manner. Chen Ping''an''s soul shuddered, and he suffered noticeable injuries. As a result, he could only assume the stance of standing meditation to resist the sword qi.


    After standing there for two hours, Chen Ping''an was finally able to move again. He arrived near the southern parapet with Ning Yao, and she asked, "Are you alright?"


    "These injuries are nothing," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    Ning Yao frowned and pointed at her heart, asking again, "I mean here."


    Following the direction of the young girl''s slender and beautiful finger, Chen Ping''an stared at her heart and didn''t retract his gaze for a long time.


    Ning Yao eventually rewarded Chen Ping''an with a smack to the head.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and hurriedly made amends, saying, "My heart and mind are even more unaffected."


    A man''s head and a woman''s waist  one couldn''t be smacked, and one couldn''t be touched.


    However, Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t dare to say this out aloud.


    Ning Yao leaned against the parapet and asked in anxiousness, "Are you really okay?"


    Chen Ping''an had lost three times in a single day; he had lost asprehensively as possible.


    The first time, Chen Ping''an and Cao Ci had sparred using fist techniques. There had been some kind of tacit understanding between them, and they had both fought using very pure fist techniques. However, it was as if Chen Ping''an''s punches would always be a beat slower than Cao Ci''s punches.


    This wasn''t to say that Chen Ping''an''s fist techniques were lowly. In fact, it was theplete opposite, and even the spectating martial goddess had nodded several times when she saw the Deity Drumming Technique, Rain Evaporation Technique, and other techniques that Cui Chan''s grandfather had taught him.


    Meanwhile, Cao Ci had appeared far too leisurely and carefree. He had moved around casually, and he had seemingly managed to predict all of Chen Ping''an''s movements. Chen Ping''an''s punches and kicks had seeminglynded exactly where Cao Ci wanted them.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an had failed to hit Cao Ci a single time.


    Both the old sword immortal and Ning Yao had felt like one battle was enough. This time, however, it was the female martial goddess who had smiled and suggested another battle. Moreover, Chen Ping''an was allowed to unleash his full power rather than just relying on his fist techniques.


    During the second battle, Chen Ping''an had summoned his flying swords First and Fifteenth to help him. In fact, he had even unleashed several talismans.


    However, he had still been a bit slower than Cao Ci''s movement techniques. Not by much, but still by a beat.


    While spectating the second battle, even Ning Yao had felt a sense of exasperation and helplessness for Chen Ping''an.


    Their battle had been like a game of Go between two ninth-rank Go masters, where a strong ninth-rank Go master defeating a weak ninth-rank Go master wouldn''t seem strange at all. However, if the former defeated thetter by half a piece every time, then the gulf between the two was perhaps veryrge.


    Thest battle had been requested by Chen Ping''an himself, and Cao Ci had nodded and agreed to his request.


    During the third battle, Chen Ping''an had started to change his tactics.


    Rather than fighting with Cao Ci, he had looked to be fighting with himself. He had forcefully modified the stances of his fist techniques. Regardless of whether it was the Deity Drumming Technique or the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique, these were all "immortal techniques" that Cui Chan''s grandfather had refined after countless trials and battles. Thus, Chen Ping''an''s attempt to modify them during battle had naturally made him look uncoordinated and self-sabotaging.


    As a result, Cao Ci''s punches had be more than just a beat faster than Chen Ping''an''s punches. There were many times when Cao Ci had shattered Chen Ping''an''s fist intent at the early stages or middle stages of Chen Ping''an''s fist techniques. In the end, Chen Ping''an had suffered his worst loss of the three battles.


    However, the three spectators  including Ning Yao who was an outsider to martial arts  had eventually determined that Chen Ping''an''s general direction of modification was correct.


    At the end of the day, the critical difference between the two youths was the foundation of their fourth tier cultivation base.


    After the third battle, Cao Ci had raised a thumb at Chen Ping''an and said three words, "Keep at it."


    If it weren''t Cao Ci, and if his opponent weren''t Chen Ping''an, then perhaps everyone would have felt like Cao Ci was provoking his opponent and boasting about his victory. Or perhaps he was acting haughty and peering down at his defeated opponent.


    However, Cao Ci''s calm demeanor and Chen Ping''an''s stable mental state couldn''t change the reality.


    They were both fourth tier martial artists, yet Chen Ping''an had undoubtedly be Cao Ci''s defeated opponent.


    It was because of this that Ning Yao, someone with a clear sword heart and an intense aura, had asked him if he was alright. She was afraid that Chen Ping''an had lost the fourth battle.


    The invisible battle between their minds.


    Once his martial mind was suppressed and crushed by Cao Ci, it was very likely that Chen Ping''an would find it incredibly difficult to reach the seventh tier in his lifetime, to say nothing of the End Tier of martial arts.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an said he was okay.


    Ning Yao believed him.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t afraid of death, and she already knew this from their time together in Jewel Small World. He had almost died at the hands of the Mountain-moving Ape, and he had almost exchanged lives with Ma Kuxuan in order to save her.


    However, not being afraid of death didn''t imply not being afraid to lose.


    When Chen Ping''an was poor, he was already down, so he didn''t need to fear another fall. However, when Ning Yao saw his table of treasures in Stctite Mountain''s Stork Inn, she realized that Chen Ping''an had already be fairly wealthy. Moreover, his martial arts potential was also quite impressive.


    Thus, Ning Yao was afraid that Chen Ping''an would get hung up on certain things.


    Fortunately, this wasn''t the case.


    The two of them sat side-by-side on the south-facing parapet.


    Ning Yao ced her new and old swords on top of each other on her knees. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an''s sword case, which only had the locust wood sword inside, stayed on his back.


    In reality, Ning Yao felt like the name Subduing Demons was pretty tacky. However, when she remembered there was a sword named Eliminating Fiends in Chen Ping''an''s sword case, she decided not to make a fuss about this with him.


    Chen Ping''an ced his fists on his knees and leaned slightly forward. Several hundred kilometers in front of them, there were countless encampments of therge demon army. They were like countless nests of ants. ording to Ning Yao, the canyon would be teeming with demons every time their army attacked the Sword Qi Great Wall. However, the sky above the demons would also be flooded with flying swords.


    When Chen Ping''an and Ning Yao were with each other, they would talk about whatever came to their minds.


    They talked about the old sword immortal, Grandpa Chen, and about Cao Ci and the martial goddess, as well as Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Great Duan Empire where they came from. They also talked about the Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu, who possessed one of the four great immortal swords.


    Upon the mention of immortal swords, they naturally started to talk about the Daoist second disciple who had the title of True Invincible. This was because his immortal sword was named "Daoism is Loftier than the Mortal World". Afterward, they talked about Stctite Mountain which was controlled by the Daoist second disciple, and their conversation eventually returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall as well as Chen Ping''an''s fist techniques.


    Their conversation took many twists and turns, and they talked about whatever they wanted to.


    Chen Ping''an had never sat in a ce with such a wide field of view before. This was the same case for his mind.


    It was as if he were sitting face-to-face with an entire world.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but say, "In the very beginning, I practiced fist techniques for the sake of staying alive. After I no longer needed to worry about my lifespan, I started to ponder why I was practicing fist techniques. For the first time, I felt like my fists definitely needed to be very quick. My fists needed to be quicker than anyone else''s.


    "Afterward, I felt like my fists didn''t necessarily need to be the most powerful. However, they definitely had to be the most reasonable. Because of this, I read many books and sought knowledge from many people. I learned morals and social etiquette from others, and I told those beside me to inform me if I did anything wrong."


    Chen Ping''an grabbed his wine gourd and drank a mouthful of wine. There was slight helplessness in his voice as he continued, "When I speak reason with others, my ultimate hope is that they''ll also speak reason with me. It isn''t because I feel like my principles and reasons are definitely correct. However, during my long trip to this ce, it was a shame that many people weren''t even willing to entertain the idea of speaking reason.


    "Official garb, esteemed surnames, immense wealth, and lofty cultivation bases  perhaps these things can all save a lot of worry and effort. Many people are convinced that these things are sufficient as their reason."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly thought of Sword Cultivator Zuo You, the man whose sword techniques were unparalleled in the world.


    It seemed like Sword Cultivator Zuo You, Mr. Qi''s senior brother, also had a strong dislike for speaking reason.


    However, there was a fundamental difference between the two. One type of people purposelymitted evil, while one type of people didn''t bother others if they weren''t bothered. If others did bother them, however, then the botherers could only ept their miserable fate when they were punished.


    Thus, Zuo You had chosen to distance himself from the human world.


    Moreover, he had said something that roughly meant that cultivators... couldn''t be regarded as humans anymore. Instead, they had already adopted a different state.


    Chen Ping''an only understood the literal meaning of Zuo You''s words, and he didn''t understand the deeper implications behind them. However, he felt like these words were very hefty and solemn.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and smiled at Ning Yao, saying, "Of course, if my fist techniques, and also my sword techniques in the future, can be the quickest and even quicker, then that''s naturally the best!"


    Chen Ping''an handed his Sword Nurturing Gourd to Ning Yao before standing up and starting to slowly throw punches. He aligned his punches with the Eighteen Stops Technique taught to him by A''Liang.


    A''Liang had once said that his Eighteen Stops Technique was slightly different.


    Ning Yao frowned and asked, "Chen Ping''an, apart from practicing your fist technique so many times every day, you also have to think about all of these random things?!"


    "I just think about these things casually," Chen Ping''an replied.


    There was a wide smile on his face, and his movements were carefree and slow as he threw punch after punch. However, his punches weren''tzy, but rather smooth and natural.


    Ning Yao turned around to look at Chen Ping''an whose fist intent was like murmuring water. "Then have you ever considered this? What if thinking about all these things inhibits your martial arts cultivation speed? That Cao Ci definitely doesn''t think about so many things."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t stop, and he chuckled, "He''s a prodigy! Moreover, he''s definitely the most impressive type of prodigy. However, I''m not a prodigy, so I need to think more and do more at each step of the way. I''m a mere mortal, and even you called me a country bumpkin just then.


    "Because of this, it''s necessary for me to reach a state of ''not wrong'' at each step of the journey. Afterward, I can reach a state of correct, very correct, and most correct. I can''t be too hasty. When I was molding pottery and firing pottery in the past, I would often sit there for entire afternoons at a time. Only by not making any mistakes could I ensure a quality piece of pottery. This is a very simple principle."


    After saying this, Chen Ping''an habitually asked, "Right?"


    "Simple?" Ning Yao retorted.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly puzzled, and he asked, "Is it not simple?"


    Ning Yao took a sip of wine from the Sword Nurturing Gourd and sidestepped the question, saying, "Simple is good."


    Chen Ping''an no longer followed the Mountain Shaking Guide or the fist stances taught to him by Cui Chan''s grandfather. Instead, he followed his heart and allowed his fists to lead him forward. There was nothing weighing on his mind.


    A brief pause now and then, and a flurry of movements followed by a period of slow action.


    Chen Ping''an waspletely immersed in this.


    <em>My bonded porcin is shattered, and my bridge of immortality is destroyed.</em>


    <em>Once upon a time, I practiced fist techniques simply to keep myself alive. In the end, however, I''ve still made it here and I''ve still managed to find you.</em>


    <em>I, Chen Ping''an, feel like I''m very amazing!</em>


    Chen Ping''an''s fists became quicker and quicker, so much so that his sleeves billowed and pped audibly in the wind.


    <em>When I was sitting on the golden bridge in the sea of clouds back then, Big Sister Immortal told me that I definitely couldn''t betray Mr. Qi''s hopes in me. She only chose me in the beginning because she chose to believe Mr. Qi. It was because of this that she was willing to gamble on that tiny sliver of hope with him.</em>


    <em>A one-in-ten-thousand hope... That one exists, and I am that one. This is enough!</em>


    On the city wall, Chen Ping''an''s fists suddenly went from quick to slow. However, this change in pace didn''t seem jarring at all.


    He moved sideways, and he continued to throw punches at Savage World to the south. All of a sudden, his fists went from slowest to quickest again, causing the wind around him to whistle.


    Cui Chan''s grandfather had once uttered very proud words, saying that he wanted all of the martial artists in the world to feel as if he were the paramount heaven when they saw his punch!


    As if answering a question in his mind, Chen Ping''an roared withughter and eximed, "Alright!" as he threw a punch.


    Ning Yao opened her mouth slightly.


    Was this still Chen Ping''an?


    In a rare disy, Ning Yao felt a little emotional and sentimental. After drinking a mouthful of wine that tasted like anxiety, she extended a hand andined, "Chen Ping''an, I can''t defeat many of you with a single hand anymore."


    Chen Ping''an stopped his movements before squatting down and chuckling, "I won''t fight back if you hit me."


    Ning Yao rolled her eyes and said, "Are you still a man? If word of this gets out, then you''ll be the butt of jokes not only in the Sword Qi Great Wall, but also in Majestic World."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression was firm and resolute as he promised, "If you''re bullied by someone one day, then my fist will definitely be the quickest when I strike back, regardless of what martial arts tier I''m at!"


    Ning Yao pointed to the south of the great wall and asked, "You won''t be afraid even if the opponent is a great demon at the peak stage of the 13th tier?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Ning Yao pointed behind them and asked, "You won''t be afraid even if the opponent is a sage from the Confucian temples in Majestic World?"


    Chen Ping''an still nodded in affirmation.


    Ning Yao pointed above and asked, "You won''t be afraid even if it''s the Dao Ancestor or Buddha?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded again. After nodding, he said in a quiet voice, "Ning Yao, don''t die on the battlefield."


    Ning Yao turned around and didn''t look at Chen Ping''an anymore. Holding the Sword Nurturing Gourd in her arms, she looked down at the 10,000-year battlefield beneath them and nodded with a resolute expression in her eyes. "I don''t dare to guarantee that I won''t die. However, I''ll definitely fight to stay alive."


    She suddenlyughed and said, "Chen Ping''an, you should also hurry up and strive to be the number one great sword immortal in the world!"


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and replied, "I can''t guarantee this either. However, I''ll definitely try my best!"


    Chen Ping''an walked over and sat down next to Ning Yao.


    His shoulder leaned against her shoulder.


    Ning Yao was slightly embarrassed, so she gently nudged him as if trying to push him away. However, Chen Ping''an leaned over again and again.


    Chen Ping''an''s shoulder rocked back and forth just like that.


    In the end, the two of them silently gazed toward the south.


    One shoulder carried the hopes of Mr. Qi and Big Sister Immortal.


    One shoulder carried the expectations of the girl he liked.


    Even though it wasn''t long grass and flying warblers, and it wasn''t clear mountains and limpid waters...


    Chen Ping''an felt like this was very good. It couldn''t be any better.

 Chapter 279: Raising a Hand and Killing a Sword Immortal

    Chapter 279: Raising a Hand and Killing a Sword Immortal


    The bright moon went into hiding, and the radiant sun rose as normal.


    It was a new day again.


    It was rare for Ning Yao to enjoy such a good sleep, and she wiped her mouth after she woke up. She stood up and stretchedzily, after which she directly jumped on her sword and flew down the great wall, heading back to the city in the north in a carefree manner.


    Even though Chen Ping''an had seen many immortals flying through the sky in a dashing manner before  Ning Yao in the very beginning, Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin afterward, Liu Baqiao, and many more immortals on the kun ship  he still felt like Ning Yao''s figure was extremely refreshing when she flew on her sword, no matter how many times he looked at her. Of course, he felt envious of her as well.


    Chen Ping''an returned to the small thatched cottage and ate some breakfast. Afterward, he walked along the northern parapet from left to right, practicing walking meditation and fist techniques as he did so. He was very adept at this already, and he couldplete this training with his eyes closed the entire time.


    Before leaving, Ning Yao had told him that she might not have the time to visit him on the city wall today. Thus, Chen Ping''an brought some food with him and nned to walk further down the wall this time.


    Perhaps because he had been too close to the old sword immortal''s cultivation space before, there had been very few sword cultivators in the area. While training near the thatched cottage, Chen Ping''an had onlye across the old sword immortal with the surname Qi and Lord Hidden Official, the little girl who had killed the most Middle Five Tier demons on the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    After walking down the right side of the great wall for an entire day, Chen Ping''an came across many more sword cultivators, old and young, male and female. Some were youthsing to the great wall to absorb sword intent and temper their Sword Dao, and these individuals would often practice sword techniques by themselves or silentlyprehend Dao. There were also some sword cultivators who patrolled the great wall in groups.


    However, without exception, not a single person greeted Chen Ping''an when they saw the young boy with a sword case on his back practicing fist techniques. There was only indifference in their eyes.


    Only after experiencing this did Chen Ping''an finally understand the old sword immortal''s words somewhat. Here on the great wall, it was best not to cause trouble for others or oneself.


    Noon arrived, and Chen Ping''an sat on the parapet and ate the dried meat and desserts that Ning Yao had given him. He chewed slowly, and he saw a group of twenty or so young boys and young girls walking over from the distance. Their sword strikes were intense and orderly, and their movements agile and energetic. Their sword techniques were artful yet simple, and their sword intent leaned toward deadly and dark.


    There was a middle-aged sword cultivator with a single arm nimbly walking behind the formation of youths and providing them with guidance. They were most likely young descendants from the same n cultivating and training together.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to look at them for too long, lest he be used of trying to steal some other n''s secret sword techniques passed down by their ancestors.


    The middle-aged sword cultivator with a single arm nced at Chen Ping''an and pondered for a brief moment. He then gestured with his hand, causing the group of young sword cultivators to cheer with joy as they rapidly stopped their cultivation. They broke up into smaller groups of two or three and sat down on the city wall.


    Another group of people who had been following the young sword cultivators from a distance immediately removed the bags from their backs and brought lunch over for the young boys and young girls. They were extremely respectful, and everything seemed natural and justified.


    Ning Yao had told him that there was a very strict hierarchy at the Sword Qi Great Wall. People ced heavy emphasis on n lineage and meritorious service.


    An example of this was Lord Hidden Official. "Hidden Official" was obviously not a surname; instead, it was a strange official position with an ancient history that no one really knew about. In any case, the title of "Hidden Official" was hereditary, and those with the title were responsible for supervising the army, convicting criminals, rendering punishment, and so on.


    However, many n leaders in the past had been weak and ipetent, bing nothing more than a long shadow dragging over the north of the Sword Qi Great Wall. Very often, these n leaders would be reduced to yes-men for therge ns in the city. However, the current Lord Hidden Official was very different.


    She was publicly recognized as the fourth-inmand in the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    During the thirteen battles with the demon tribe, this short-tempered "little girl" had participated in the first battle and caused her opponent, a powerful great demon with extraordinarybat power, to directly surrender and leave the battlefield. Enraged by this result, the little girl had chaotically smashed and pummeled the battlefield for fifteen minutes. However, the Sword Qi Great Wall and the demon tribe had done nothing as they watched her vent her anger. Both sides were already ustomed to her antics.


    After Ning Yao told him a few things about the events of the thirteen battles, Chen Ping''anmitted all of the powerful cultivators from both sides to memory. The Naturalist cultivator from the Lu n stood out from the rest, with the Naturalist teaching described as one that influenced half the results.


    Both sides had only found out their opponent''s order of cultivators at the veryst moment. However, another silent yet turbulent battle had most likely been taking ce the entire time beforehand.


    Lord Hidden Official had made a good start for the human tribe. However, the Sword Qi Great Wall had fallen apart during the battles in the middle stages, almost copsing once and for all. Fortunately, A''Liang had swooped in and saved the day, bringing the battles to a victorious end.


    After eating lunch, Chen Ping''an stood up and continued to walk forward as he practiced his fist techniques. During this time, he saw the old man with the surname Qi again. However, there was a handsome middle-aged man beside the old sword immortal, and thetter''s aura was concealed while the former''s aura was flourishing. On the surface, it looked as if the middle-aged man were superior to the old sword immortal.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t walk over to speak with them. Instead, he simply stopped his walking meditation before slightly bowing his head and cupping his fists in greeting.


    The old sword immortal smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. However, he didn''t engage in idle chatter with the young boy from outside of town either.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an came across two young and strong sword cultivators who were drinking on the parapet, as well as a single-armed young girl standing on the parapet with an extremelyrge sword in hand. She was standing there unmoving.


    Chen Ping''an silently jumped down the parapet when he saw them, taking a detour along the carriageway. When he walked far away enough, he jumped back onto the parapet and continued to walk forward while practicing walking meditation.


    When dusk fell, Chen Ping''an saw several sword cultivators flying up from the southern side of the great wall. They soared over the carriageway and flew on their swords toward the north.


    Chen Ping''an nced at the sky and had a quick dinner. He then turned around to return to the thatched hut.


    When he arrived, it was already deep into the night. However, after opening the hut door, what he saw was the moonlight shining upon that little girl, Lord Hidden Official. She was currently feasting on his food. Chen Ping''an stood there unmoving, and the little girl with twin braids turned around with her cheeks absolutely stuffed.


    However, she didn''t react like a thief caught in action, and she instead flipped the script and looked at Chen Ping''an with an expression of disapproval and vignce. It was as if she were interrogating him and asking him why he was at her home.


    She wasn''t a thief sneaking into someone''s house. Rather, she was a bandit trying to upy his ce!


    Chen Ping''an could only retreat out of the small thatched cottage in silence, lightly closing the door behind him.


    He was afraid that he would be minced into a pulp by the powerful and entric Lord Hidden Official if they had a disagreement.


    Chen Ping''an went to the northern parapet behind the small thatched cottage, sitting there and drinking wine.


    After a while, he suddenly heard someone pping behind him. Turning around, he saw the little girl put her hands down before pointing at the small thatched cottage. She then turned around and left.


    <em>She''s telling me that I can return to clean up the mess?</em>


    Chen Ping''an felt a slight headache forming. Out of an abundance of caution, he remained seated on the parapet until the little girl withrge sleeves walked far away. Only then did he return to the small thatched cottage to survey the situation. Barely anything was left of the food that Ning Yao had brought him.


    Chen Ping''an sighed and started to clean up the hut that had beenpletely trashed by the little girl. When he finished, he returned to the parapet and started to practice the ''Proper Sword Scripture'' that Zheng Dafeng had given him.


    Same as always, he visualized holding a sword in his hand. He didn''t hold a real sword, and his main focus was on practicing the Avnche Technique and the Deity Suppression Technique.


    Ning Yao didn''te to the city wall to visit Chen Ping''an today.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an returned to the small thatched cottage during thetter half of the night, lying down and enjoying a peaceful sleep.


    The next morning, Chen Ping''an saw Lord Hidden Official not long after waking up and walking out of the small thatched cottage. There were several young boys and young girls walking behind her as she strode over and entered the thatched cottage.


    However, the little girl with twin braids quickly walked out with a fuming expression. Her eyes were wide open as she tried her best to re at Chen Ping''an in a fierce and intimidating manner. She was most likely questioning him about why there were no snacks to steal in the thatched cottage today.


    The youths behind her  each with an extraordinary aura  all seemed to be feeling a slight sense of schadenfreude.


    There was an awkward expression on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he was left with no option but to y dumb.


    If it weren''t for Lord Hidden Official''s title and status, Chen Ping''an truly wanted to walk over and pinch her cheeks.


    The little girl with twin braids was genuinely a little angry this time. The Sword Qi Great Wall shuddered loudly under her feet, after which she took to the air in her loose ck robe, disappearing in a sh.


    Ning Yao came to the Sword Qi Great Wall in the afternoon. After Chen Ping''an told her about his encounters, Ning Yaoughed and said that he had nothing to worry about. This was how Lord Hidden Official''s temper was. Countless sword cultivators had suffered at her hands, yet it was actually very easy to deal with her entricities.


    She liked to hear praise, and she liked to receive beautiful-looking presents. She would ept everything that came her way. However, she would at most offer a smile after enjoying a meal or epting a present. She would never remember these acts of goodwill.


    If one managed to offend Lord Hidden Official, there was also a way to deal with her imminent fury. When it came to those unfortunate people in the Sword Qi Great Wall, they could simply y dead before Lord Hidden Official had the chance tosh out in anger.


    Upon seeing this, the little girl would feel like killing these kinds of trash would soil her hands. Thus, she would often let the perpetrators off the hook. Moreover, she wasn''t the type of person to hold grudges. Or perhaps she couldn''t remember these people at all.


    Ning Yao remembered something, and she said that her friend had once mentioned that Lord Hidden Official had a fairly decent rtionship with the previous upant of the small thatched cottage. It was a very rare case of her having a good impression of someone. In fact, people had once seen Cao Ci cing Lord Hidden Official on his shoulders and practicing fist techniques as he walked along the parapet. The passers-by had all been scared to death.


    Chen Ping''an sighed with emotion and remarked that Cao Ci was truly very impressive.


    Ning Yao smiled and said, "I wasn''t familiar with Cao Ci before, but I asked around a bit more about him recently. I came to the conclusion that pure martial artists walking the same path as Cao Ci are actually quite pitiable, especially those so-called martial arts prodigies."


    Ning Yao borrowed Chen Ping''an''s wine gourd and took a sip. Her face became a healthy shade of red, and she continued, "When ites to Qi refiners, it''s very hard for someone to be publicly recognized as number one. This is especially the case if we cast our gazes over the entire world instead of just a continent.


    "This is because external items such as bonded flying swords, immortal treasures, and celestial tools can''t actually be regarded as external items. In many life-and-death battles, it''s specifically these things that can give one a critical edge. As a result, chance encounters and fated opportunities can change many established preconceptions.


    "However, things are different for martial artists. Martial artists seldom rely on external items, and many even detest such external items. It''s because of this that people talk about ''no second in fist techniques.'' Victory and defeat are often very easy to guess."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in agreement. He had oncee across Song Changjing in y Vase Alley, and he had trained with Cui Chan''s grandfather in the bamboo building afterward. There was also Zheng Dafeng striving for the heavens after breaking through to the next tier with much difficulty. From these powerful cultivators, he could clearly feel how martial artists were starkly different from immortals from the mountains. Their ambitious and domineering auras as grandmasters were especially evident.


    Ning Yao returned the wine gourd to Chen Ping''an and said, "In fact, that''s only half of my conclusion. You might feel like Cao Ci is very impressive, but I feel like you''re even more impressive."


    A silly smile spread across Chen Ping''an''s face. The girl he loved was calling him impressive, so was this not impressive in and of itself?


    "This is because few martial artists in the same generation can rival Cao Ci. This is a certainty," Ning Yao revealed in a serious tone. "No one has truly experienced Cao Ci''s aura of so-called invincibility before. However, not only did you fight with him, but you fought three battles in a row. Even though you lost all three battles, it was truly a feat for you to remain undefeated in the battle of mental states."


    Ning Yao coughed and sat up straight, patting Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and praising, "This is a very difficult feat. You need to maintain this mentality and continue to strive forward."


    Seeing Ning Yao speak in such a solemn manner, Chen Ping''an had initially been treating this with rtive seriousness. However, he suddenly discovered the look of mischief in her eyes, and he realized that she was imitating Cao Ci and purposely messing around with him. A wide smile spread across Chen Ping''an''s face, and he didn''t even bother to drink wine anymore. "You don''t sound like him at all."


    "And you can act like him if you try?" Ning Yao rolled her eyes and asked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "I won''t act like him, and I don''t need to act like him either."


    Ning Yao clicked her tongue in wonder. It was hard to say whether she was doing so in admiration or amusement.


    Chen Ping''an chuckled coldly in reply.


    However, just how smart was Ning Yao? She immediately knew that Chen Ping''an was imitating her response back in Stork Inn. She directly punched him in the shoulder and scolded, "Drink your wine!"


    Sure enough, Chen Ping''an drank a mouthful of wine before eximing, "Wow, the wine today tastes especially good."


    Ning Yao nced at the Sword Nurturing Gourd in Chen Ping''an''s hand, and her face immediately flushed red. She punched Chen Ping''an again and fumed, "Men are all good-for-nothings!"


    Chen Ping''an held his wine gourd in confusion.


    Ning Yao stood up and flew away on her sword. While doing so, she didn''t forget to turn around to shoot a vicious re at him.


    Chen Ping''an blinked with an innocent expression.


    He then scratched his head and continued to drink wine. He mulled over this matter, yet he didn''t understand why he was a good-for-nothing no matter how he thought about it.


    However, Chen Ping''an could tell that Ning Yao wasn''t truly angry.


    She was just a little... embarrassed.


    Chen Ping''an felt like the feeling lingering in his heart was quite good. In fact, it was even more beautiful than fine wine.


    A handsome middle-aged man walking on the wind high above the Sword Qi Great Wall  the person who had been standing beside the old sword immortal just then  coincidentally witnessed this sight. He chuckled and remarked, "So, it turns out that he''s a silly and oblivious young boy."


    After drinking some wine, Chen Ping''an retied the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist and stood up to practice standing meditation.


    The moonlight entered his embrace, and its radiance shone upon his shoulders. It was another peaceful night.


    Sunlight peeked over the horizon, and Chen Ping''an suddenly opened his eyes. He discovered that he had actually stood there unmoving and performed standing meditation for half a night.


    Chen Ping''an felt a sense of lingering apprehension. What if he had identally fallen off the parapet? Lord Hidden Official could get off unscathed, but he would have definitely turned into human paste at the bottom of the wall.


    Chen Ping''an stretched his body and jumped down the parapet. After returning to the small thatched cottage, he ate the breakfast that Ning Yao had prepared for himst night before continuing to practice the dull and monotonous walking meditation. He walked from left to right along the parapet of the great wall.


    On his way, Chen Ping''an came across a young smiling fatty who was radiating with killing intent. Same as always, he jumped down the parapet and took a detour before leaping back onto the parapet. He also came across a handsome young man who seemed slightly effeminate.


    Afterward, it was a tanned young boy whose face was riddled with scars. Finally, it was a single-armed young girl with a gigantic sword on her back. However, there were several young girls beside her today, and it was as if they were treating the wide parapet as a scenic spot. They were sitting around a satin cloth filled with exquisite snacks and desserts.


    When Chen Ping''an jumped down the parapet onto the carriageway again, the group of young girls all turned around to look at him.


    Even when Chen Ping''an walked past them from far away, they still pointed at him and made remarks.


    Chen Ping''an could feel his head bing slightly numb.


    In fact, he was well aware that all of these youths were definitely the friends that Ning Yao had described to him. Moreover, they were friends with whom she had fought side-by-side.


    This was the second time that Chen Ping''an wanted toin a little about the pair of straw sandals on his feet.


    The first time was in the capital of Great Sui Nation. He had been afraid of causing embarrassment for Li Baoping, Li Huai, and the others, so he had especially gone and bought himself a new pair of boots. However, because he hadn''t entered Mountain Cliff Academy in the East Mountain, instead leaving the capital with the young Cui Chan, he had taken his boots off after wearing them for only a short while. He had changed back into his pair offortable straw sandals.


    Chen Ping''an hoped that he could be more presentable in the future. Even if his clothes didn''t perfectlyplement him and make him appear ethereal like Cao Ci and Cui Chan, he still needed his clothes to be clean and tidy at a minimum, simr to Lin Shouyi. It would be even better if he gave off a slightly bookish aura, even if it was only temporary. He would also put a jade hairpin in his hair, and the Sword Nurturing Gourd by his waist could remain where it was. The sword case on his back could remain as well...


    Chen Ping''an continued to walk forward, sighing in his mind and feeling a slight sense of regret.


    However, he suddenly started to chuckle after walking for a while, and he lifted a foot and lowered his head to nce at the straw sandal. "Old friend, I don''t dislike you, and I''m extremely grateful for your hard work all these years. If you look at yourpanions who sacrificed themselves during my long journeys, you can see that I''ve kept all of them and treated them well. I didn''t throw a single pair away. They''re all enjoying retirement in Fifteenth''s belly. Mhm, the books call this living easy in old age. Haha, it will be slightly challenging if you want to y with grandchildren though..."


    As he talked to himself, Chen Ping''an didn''t realize that the group of youths who had gathered here to observe him were all panicking and actively dropping off the parapet like a pack of dumplings. As it turned out, Ning Yao had flown to the city wall on her sword.


    The chubby young boy, Charcoal Dong, and the handsome young boy all started to flee. Meanwhile, the group of young girls suppressed their smiles as they roughly packed up their food and left the parapet on their swords.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and saw Ning Yao arriving on her sword, suddenlying to a stop just beyond the parapet. She then slowly continued forward, matching the pace of Chen Ping''an''s walking meditation.


    "Don''t mind them," Ning Yao said in exasperation.


    Chen Ping''an nodded with a smile.


    Ning Yao controlled her sword and carved a beautiful arc in the air, saying, "I still have matters to attend to, so I''ll visit you again tomorrow."


    Just like yesterday, Chen Ping''an only arrived back at the thatched cottageste into the night. This time, however, the old sword immortal was standing on the northern parapet for some unknown reason. It was as if he were gazing at the city without a city wall in the distance.


    Chen Ping''an briskly walked over and greeted Grandpa Chen. The old man looked away and nodded in acknowledgment before pointing toward the north and saying, "There are only this many people, and perhaps the size of this city is even inferior to a state city in Majestic World. Yet, it''s kept the demon tribe out of the Sword Qi Great Wall for so many years. Even I find this a little strange."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to reply, so he decided to remain silent.


    The old sword immortal turned around and looked at the young boy with a smile, asking, "Chen Ping''an, the two of us get along quite well, don''t we?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    The old sword immortal smiled and asked, "But what if I tell you that I get along better with Cao Ci and have higher hopes for him?"


    Chen Ping''an still didn''t know how to reply.


    The old sword immortal wasn''t in a hurry to receive an answer from the young boy. Instead, he simply looked at Chen Ping''an''s eyes. Through this, he was more importantly looking at the mind''s realm of the young boy.


    The old sword immortal sighed with slight emotion.


    This time, the old man whom A''Liang referred to as the old great sword immortal even went as far as to use his sword technique mystical powers. The was a mystical power that could see into one''s mind and peek into the depths of one''s soul.


    <em>So this is how it is.</em>


    <em>He was quite a good cultivation talent before, so it wouldn''t have been difficult for him to be an earth immortal in Majestic World on the side of Stctite Mountain if everything had gone smoothly and his fortune had been good. However, it''s a shame that his potential waspletely pulverized by someone very early on. It''s like pieces of shattered porcin. He suffered an even greater cmity long before his bridge of immortality was severed.</em>


    Mind''s realm, mind''s mirror.[1]


    The mirror shards came in varying sizes ofrge and small, and the old sword immortal saw all kinds of different scenes on the fewrgest shards.


    If Confucian sages with profound cultivation bases witnessed the scenes in his mind''s realm, they would perhaps see more things and naturally find them more bizarre as well.


    Thus, the old sword immortal discovered many more clues.


    To put things bluntly, this was a process simr to raising poisonous insects[2] Not only did the weak have to revere and submit to the strong, but they would even have to sacrifice themselves to the strong and disappear once and for all.


    Chen Ping''an had most likely been exerting all of his effort to piece these shards of shattered porcin back together all these years. However, he was unaware of his own actions.


    To put things more nicely, this process was quite a lofty and wondrous one. The young boy''s actions could be considered striving for betterment and continuous self-improvement. He was aiming to be a powerful individual who sought to grow more powerful. In the end, one or two shards would grow more and more dazzling, bing like the sun and moon in the sky that suppressed the radiance of the stars.


    When it came to battles between mental states, one''s cultivation base didn''t y a major role. Thus, these battles were incredibly vicious and dangerous. Qi refiners had many theories and secret techniques  examining one''s conscience, testing one''s heart, performing three self-reflections a day, defeating the demon in one''s mind, and so on.


    Because of this, there were also many heretical teachings and demonic branches. These groups of people took advantage of all kinds of low-level cultivation techniques to take shortcuts. In the eyes of sect-level immortal forces, these people were heretical cultivators who had strayed from orthodoxy. In any case, there was profound knowledge behind all of this, and the theories involved were incrediblyplicated just like the undting mountain ranges that contained peaks of all heights.


    Among all of the teachings, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism were the threergest teachings. They were thergest mountains with the most profound founders.


    The School of Military Thought was a mountain that had lost its head. It was only a step away from seeding.


    Once regarded as a member of the four great teachings, the Mohist Sect was also in a simr situation to the School of Military Thought.


    It was like arge river that ultimately couldn''t flow into the sea regardless of how wide it was. It was only a step away from bing arge river that connected to the sea.


    Chen Ping''an was still unable to give an answer.


    However, the old sword immortal had already received an answer.


    He smiled faintly and said, "I identally heard everything when you and Ning Yao were chatting about reason just then. Do you want to hear some ramblings from a person who has experienced many things?"


    Chen Ping''an resolutely nodded in response.


    The old sword immortal smiled and offered, "I can tell you a secret that''s both reasonable and can allow you to lead a decent life. You definitely won''t stifle yourself to death in the future."


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes lit up, and he eximed, "Please tell me, Old Senior."


    The old sword immortal chuckled softly and said, "Okay, listen carefully. When you encounter situations like this, you should tell yourself..."


    The old sword immortal paused for a moment before continuing, "I, h h h... Mhm, for example, I, Chen Qingdu  you can say, I, Chen Ping''an..."


    After saying this, the old man started to chuckle to himself.


    Chen Ping''an also started to chuckle.


    In the end, the old sword immortal sped his hands behind his back, slightly hunched as he gazed at the peaceful city with a calm expression. "I''ve spoken reason everywhere, and I''ve spoken reason regarding all matters. I''ve already spoken enough reason in my life. I have a clear conscience. However, you people are still so pathetic. I''m sorry, but I''m not going to speak reason with you people this time."


    Chen Ping''an quietly listened to the old sword immortal''s words.


    The old sword immortal squinted his eyes and said in reminder, "Of course, you can''t do this too many times. However, it''s definitely okay to do this once or twice every hundred years. For example, like this."


    The old sword immortal slowly extended a hand toward the north. It was only a casual motion, yet it was as if the colossal night sky above the Sword Qi Great Wall were being torn apart. A brilliant radiance instantly erupted, and then shrunk to the size of an extremely thin ray.


    This ray of light was incredibly bright, and it descended from the sky and smashed into somece in the city, causing countless rays of golden light to explode from the earth. From a distance, it was as if the golden body of an Upper Five Tier sword immortal was crumbling at this moment.


    Chen Ping''an''s jaw dropped when he saw this.


    The old sword immortal chuckled and said, "Drink some wine to calm down."


    Chen Ping''an dazedly grabbed his wine gourd and offered it to the old sword immortal.


    Chen Qingdu was only teasing the young boy beside him, so he didn''t reach over to grab the Sword Nurturing Gourd. He turned around and bobbed his head as he slowly walked forward. He then lightly jumped down the parapet and murmured to himself, "A silly girl has found herself a silly boy... What a perfect match."


    1. Mind''s realm () and mind''s mirror () are homonyms in Chinese.


    2. Refers to , a practice where poisonous insects such as centipedes scorpions, spiders, etc. are ced together without food and forced to kill and eat each other. Thest insect standing is the , the most poisonous insect. This insect can then be used to harm others.

 Chapter 280: Only a Parting

    Chapter 280: Only a Parting


    A sigh sounded somewhere in the Sword Qi Great Wall. It was as if someone didn''t agree with the old sword immortal''s decision to suddenlysh out and kill someone, yet they were unwilling to step forward to reason with him.


    Beside the sighing person, an old voice sounded. "The victim was only at the Unpolished Jade Tier. Moreover, Chen Qingdu had his reasons to do this, so you should just endure it."


    The sighing person sighed again.


    The old voice gave a helpless chuckle and persuaded the interlocutor to the best of its ability. "Expounding the principles and rules of Confucianism to Chen Qingdu is the same as a chicken trying to speak with a duck. What''s the point? In addition, Confucianism is a teaching close to the people.


    "Schrs don''t aim to be Buddha, and schrs don''t chase after longevity. The Dao underfoot is neither lofty nor distant. Why force Chen Qingdu to adhere to the rules for everything? Is he a sage or a wless individual? Everything will be much easier if you don''t measure Chen Qingdu against the yardstick of sages."


    "The consequences of one unreasonable action from Chen Qingdu are perhaps more severe than the consequences of 10,000 unreasonable actions from mortal beings," the sighing person replied in an indifferent voice.


    The old person chuckled and replied, "Chen Qingdu is a sword cultivator, while you''re a Confucian schr. The two of you are not the same."


    The Confucian schr fell silent for a long while. In the end, he murmured, "A schr travel-worn and busy, yet what purpose does he yearn to achieve?[1]"


    The old man also sighed after failing to convince the Confucian schr.


    "Chen Qingdu!" someone bellowed in the city to the north of the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    A burst of light shot up from the ground and carried with it an unstoppable might of wind and lightning as it soared toward the great wall.


    The hunch-backed old sword immortal who had already jumped down the parapet frowned upon seeing this. He lightly flicked his sleeve and dragged Chen Ping''an from the parapet, pulling the young boy behind him. Meanwhile, he took Chen Ping''an''s original spot and directly faced that overbearing sword cultivator.


    The old sword immortal narrowed his eyes and asked, "What, a descendant in your n became a spy for the demon tribe, yet you still think that you''re the reasonable one?"


    The furious sword cultivator came to a hovering stop in midair a dozen meters away from the great wall. He was a tall old man with a snow-white beard and hair. His aura was extremely majestic, and he showed no signs of respect or fear even though he was facing the most experienced and most powerful senior in the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    There was incandescent fury on his face as he interrogated, "My Dong n naturally has n rules and nws to punish traitors. Even if I take ten thousand steps back, the Hidden Official has yet to pass judgment on the severity of my grandson''s crimes, so what right do you, Chen Qingdu, have to punish Dong Guanpu?!"


    The old man dressed in snow-white from head to toe was extremely aggressive and overbearing. He suddenly raised his voice and roared, "Are you pretending that I, Dong Sangeng, am dead?!"


    There was a taunting expression on Chen Qingdu''s face as he replied, "Before Dong Guanpu died by my sword, I did indeed pretend that you were already dead. Your grandson was evidently a spy for the demon tribe, yet your Dong n managed to drag investigations on for an entire month. If it were another n  for example, the Chen n  do you believe me when I say that even a day of investigations would be too long?"


    The old man who had charged over from the Dong n was burning with rage. "Is a sword immortal at the Unpolished Jade Tier who was willing to repent and make up for his crimes not better for the Sword Qi Great Wall than a corpse?"


    Chen Qingdu felt like this kind of question wasn''t worthy of a response. Instead, he chuckled coldly and asked, "There''s actually a corpse remaining after facing my sword strike? Perhaps that little bastard secretly advanced to the Immortal Tier?"


    The eyes of the tall old man who had referred to himself as Dong Sangeng almost bulged out of his head in anger. His sword intent violently flooded the surroundings, thunderously crashing into the great wall like a barrage of torrential waves.


    Chen Qingdu raised an eyebrow and asked, "What, you''re going attack me?"


    Dong Sangeng strode forward andughed in rage, roaring, "Others are all afraid of you, Chen Qingdu, but I''m not afraid! I''ll attack if that''s what you want! What is there to be afraid of?!"


    A childish voice sounded from a section of the great wall in the distance. There was a hint of grief and sadness in the voice as it said, "Alright, it''s all my fault. I wasn''t willing to see Dong Guanpu die so soon. After all, Little Dong was one of the people I liked the most. Back then, I liked Snotty Dong as much as I like Cao Ci now. However, since he''s already dead... then so be it."


    The owner of this voice was a little girl with twin braids and dressed in arge ck robe. She was the current Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    A dozen or so of the most top-notch sword cultivators in the Sword Qi Great Wall silently appeared in the distance around this section of the great wall. They were either n leaders of powerful ns or sword immortals with extraordinarybat power.


    There were only two people absent  the sages who could rival Chen Qingdu in strength and status.


    "Dong Sangeng, you were in the wrong regarding this matter; you were wrong from the very beginning!" a handsome middle-aged man said in a stern voice. "You ced far too much hope and expectations on Dong Guanpu for all these years, and it was because of your actions that Dong Guanpu''s sword heart became so extreme. It was because of this that he insisted on traveling to Savage World to train among the enemies, resulting in this cmity.


    "He believed that the Sword Qi Great Wall had Dong Sangeng, had A''Liang, and could also have Dong Guanpu in the future. However, I felt like this wasn''t the case. So be it if he didn''t listen to me, what with his youth and vigor. But what about you? Did <em>you</em> not understand the risks and dangers?"


    "Descendants of my Dong n should naturally have great ambitions like this. Why would I persuade him otherwise?" Dong Sangeng replied with a cold expression. "I earnestly hope that all of the descendants of the Dong n can be more powerful than me!"


    After saying this, Dong Sangeng sneered and continued, "After all, our Dong n isn''t the same as the Chen n, Qi n, or the Nn n. We''re not so crafty and scheming."


    The domineering old man implicated almost half of the Sword Qi Great Wall with his usatory remark.


    The handsome man humphed coldly and didn''t say anything else.


    Chen Ping''an discovered that Senior Qi also had the right to speak. At this moment, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "Things have alreadye to this, so what else can we do? The enemy is before us, so are we still going to engage in infighting?"


    A skinny old man dressed in a changshan and carrying a sword nodded lightly and concurred, "No matter what, the most important thing right now is to deal with the assaultsunched by the demon tribe. We can''t sabotage ourselves and make it easier for those vile beasts in the south."


    However, the old sword immortal paid no heed to the support of the two other people, nor did he show any signs of wanting to abate. He red at Dong Sangeng and chuckled, "If repenting and making up for one''s crimes is sufficient, then can I kill you today and ask the Hidden Official to tear a few pages from the book of merits? Will that be enough to absolve me?"


    Dong Sangeng was rendered speechless.


    The atmosphere was awkward and heavy.


    Chen Ping''an stood behind the old sword immortal and observed the situation. After the powerful sword cultivators arrived, he felt like the sword qi suffusing the great wall was starting to develop some weight. He was barely able to breathe under its weight.


    Dong Sangeng suddenly looked around and roared in anger, "Are you here to enjoy a fucking show? Are you here to enjoy the fucking atmosphere? Piss off, will you?!"


    The dozen or so pir cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall knew that Dong Sangeng was finding an excuse for himself to retreat. There wouldn''t be a fight today, so they all dispersed and returned to the city in the north.


    After everyone left, Chen Ping''an finally saw that Ning Yao had also been standing among the others just then. She slowly approached the great wall. Dong Sangeng nced at the young girl and huffed, "Little Ning, don''t learn from your trash parents. I''m still quite fond of you."


    Ning Yao offered no response, with her face expressionless.


    Dong Sangeng paid no heed to this as he turned around and strode back to the city on the wind.


    Lord Hidden Official, who was standing on the parapet, was the most heartless of them all. She was secretly yawing the entire time. However, she suddenly scrunched her face at this moment and hesitated for a brief while. She then opened her mouth and pressed her thumb onto her wobbly tooth. She gently wobbled it back and forth, yet she was ultimately unwilling to pull it out. She closed her mouth before turning around and mumbling to herself as she walked far away.


    The old sword immortal, Chen Qingdu, appeared unfazed by tonight''s events. It was as if he were already ustomed to it. He smiled at Ning Yao before jumping down the parapet and returning to his old thatched cottage.


    Chen Ping''an leaped onto the parapet again and stood beside Ning Yao.


    Ning Yao''s emotions didn''t fluctuate too much as she exined, "The Sword Qi Great Wall has always been like this. Fortunately, the rule left behind by our ancestors hasn''t changed much."


    Chen Ping''an looked at Ning Yao in curiosity.


    "Sword tips toward the south," Ning Yao said slowly.


    These were five simple words, yet they started to flicker and churn in the mind of the young boy who had just started to practice the sword.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but turn around and gaze toward the south.


    Ning Yao grabbed Chen Ping''an''s Sword Nurturing Gourd and started to drink.


    Chen Ping''an looked away and asked in a soft voice, "Was this Dong Guanpu the same type of person that you mentioned before? He was once a hero on the battlefield, yet he was rtively unreasonable in the city?"


    Ning Yao shook her head and replied, "Quite the opposite. Grandpa Little Dong was always a fairly good person. He lived in rtive seclusion in the city to the north of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and he wasn''t especially fond of interacting with others. I sometimes dide across him when I was little, and he was always very polite. Even though he wasn''t very good with words, he would always smile at me just like the elders in my n."


    Ning Yao sat down cross-legged and continued in a resigned voice, "No one knows why he suddenly betrayed us for the demon tribe. Perhaps something went very wrong during his perilous journey to train in that world in the past. In fact, many sword cultivators leave the Sword Qi Great Wall and enter Savage World by themselves to temper their Sword Dao.


    "This is made possible by the fact that many demons at the Middle Five Tiers like to adopt the appearances of humans. They take great pride in this. Thus, they''ll appear no different from us during normal times. Only during critical moments in battle will they reveal their true forms and use their innately powerful physiques to defend against our deadly flying swords. Because of this, it''s actually quite difficult for sword cultivators to be exposed as long as they conceal themselves carefully."


    Humans were paramount among all living beings because of their unique acupoints. A human''s acupoints were the most mystical small worlds and blessednds in the world. This was the main reason demons cultivated so hard to refine a human form. After they seeded, their cultivation would be much more efficient. This was exactly the case for the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink in Downtrodden Mountain.


    "Of course, there are also some exceptions," Ning Yao continued. "Certain cultivators in the Sword Qi Great Wall will be secretly observed and remembered by the top-notch great demons very early on. Afterward, they''ll be recorded in a book using some secret technique.


    "For these cultivators, it will be very difficult to enter and train in Savage World. However, I''ve heard that the book can only hold a limited number of names. As such, there won''t be too many sword cultivators recorded in it. Most of the time, a new name will only be added when a relevant sword cultivator from my hometown is killed in battle.


    "Theoretically speaking, Grandpa Little Dong was only an ordinary sword cultivator at the Nascent Tier when he left the Sword Qi Great Wall to train in Savage World. His name shouldn''t have been in the book. Also, the Dong n has an immense foundation and a number of secret techniques that can conceal one''s aura, so it should have been very difficult for the demons to detect him."


    Ning Yao withheld one piece of information.


    She didn''t mention the fact that she was also one of the sword cultivators recorded in that strange book. Moreover, she was the youngest sword cultivator in the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall to make it onto that book.


    She had already made it onto that book before turning ten.


    Casting one''s gaze across history, those prodigies who had enjoyed such treatment had all been killed on the battlefield to the south of the Sword Qi Great Wall before turning thirty. There wasn''t a single exception.


    The demon tribe never held back when dealing with these prodigies, no matter the cost.


    Oftentimes, the survival or death of such a prodigy would lead to the death of one or even more great demons or sword immortals.


    This was because the demon tribe felt like having one Chen Qingdu on the great wall was more than enough.


    If a Ning Qingdu or Yao Qingdu appeared on the great wall, then the consequences would be much more severe than just the death of one or two great demons at the Upper Five Tiers.


    Meanwhile, the Sword Qi Great Wall''s frustration was the fact that these prodigies had to enter the battlefield to temper themselves from very early on. If they didn''t experience life-or-death battles and use these opportunities to rapidly improve their cultivation, and if they simply stayed put in the Sword Qi Great Wall, then they would have zero chance of developing into the next Chen Qingdu, A''Liang, or Dong Sangeng. This would be the case even if they enjoyed thorough guidance from several sword immortals.


    "If I stay here, will I cause you to lose concentration and end up detrimentally affecting your cultivation?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    "Mhm," Ning Yao nodded and replied. She didn''t deny this, and she answered without any hesitation.


    "However, I''ll be very happy with you around," she added in a forthright manner. "When I cultivate near the Dragon ying tform at home, I often can''t help myself but think of you. My mind will drift off for a while, and I''ll immediatelye here to look for you afterward. When I return, I''ll hurriedly deal with some n matters and the day will be over before I know it. I''ll go to sleep and wait to see you again the next day."


    This was Ning Yao.


    Qi Jingchun had once told Zhao Yao, his student in the private school, not to fall for Ning Yao even though he had felt love at first sight. This was because she was a scabbardless sword whose radiance and intensity werepletely unrestrained. As such, it was very easy for her to harm others and even harm herself.


    Ning Yao''s view of the world was always clearly distinguished between good and bad, ck and white. Her view could almost be regarded as cold and heartless.


    However, there was now someone called Chen Ping''an in her life.


    After understanding the situation, Chen Ping''an''s voice was resolute as he said, "I''ll leave this ce in three days at most. Afterward, I''ll travel to Complete Reed Continent which is the most simr to the Sword Qi Great Wall. I''ll practice my fist techniques and I''ll also practice the sword. I''ll strive to advance to the seventh tier of martial arts as quickly as I can. That way, I''ll have the right to participate in the battle here. When that timees, I''ll return here to look for you!"


    Ning Yao didn''t say anything. She knew that this was for the best. However, she was still unwilling to nod her head and say yes.


    On the contrary, she wanted to grumble andin about how the young boy beside her could make his mind up so quickly and resolutely.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to drink some wine, yet his Sword Nurturing Gourd was still in Ning Yao''s hand. She was holding it tightly, and she had seemingly moved it to her other hand on purpose as well. It was even further away from Chen Ping''an now.


    "Historically speaking, the demon tribe''s assault against the Sword Qi Great Wall alwayssts for twenty or thirty years," Ning Yao suddenly said, "I''ll give you ten years to advance to the seventh tier. Is this enough?"


    Ning Yao scowled and added, "It can only be ten years. I can''t give you any longer!"


    Chen Ping''an shifted his position such that he was facing Ning Yao. He smiled and replied, "Okay. However, you definitely have to wait for me as well."


    Ning Yao squirmed a little and also turned around to face Chen Ping''an. She returned the Sword Nurturing Gourd to him before nodding and saying, "Deal."


    Chen Ping''an epted the wine gourd and took a swig of wine.


    "I have many shorings," Ning Yao said softly.


    "That doesn''t matter. I like you," Chen Ping''an replied with a faint smile.


    The rims of Ning Yao''s eyes became slightly red.


    Chen Ping''an extended a trembling hand and gently ced it on Ning Yao''s cheek.


    Ning Yao blushed slightly, but she didn''t reject Chen Ping''an''s advance. She simply closed her eyes, not daring to look at him.


    Heaven and earth fell silent, and it was as if only the two of them remained in the world. However, it was also at this moment that an untimely cough interrupted their intimacy.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly retracted his hand and drank a sip of wine to conceal his embarrassment. Meanwhile, Ning Yao turned around with killing intent radiating from her body. The uninvited guest was none other than the old sword immortal, Grandpa Chen.


    He was standing near the two youths with his hands sped behind his back, and he said with a wide smile, "I suddenly remembered something, and I was afraid that I would forget it again if I left it untilter. So, I hurriedly returned here to speak with Chen Ping''an."


    "You guys speak."


    Ning Yao grabbed the wine gourd and turned around to face the city in the north. She had her back to the old sword immortal.


    Chen Ping''an jumped down the parapet and asked, "What''s the matter, Grandpa Chen?"


    The old sword immortal smiled and replied, "The paintings of the blind old man in the south are good-looking, the chicken soup of the bald old donkey[2] in the west is good-tasting, and the writing of that schr in Middle Earth Divine Continent is magnificent. I feel like these people are all very interesting. However, the most interesting thing about them is that they''re all more immune to death than the other."


    Ning Yao couldn''t help but turn around and ask, "Grandpa Chen, ording to what you told me before, isn''t there also a stinky Daoist priest in the East Sea?"


    The old sword immortal nodded and replied, "Indeed. And it was after thinking of this person that I wanted to say something to Chen Ping''an."


    Ning Yao was very puzzled.


    The old sword immortal pointed at Chen Ping''an and continued, "In fact, it doesn''t make a big difference whether you repair your bridge of immortality or not, so you might as well find another way instead. With this in mind, you need to seek out this Daoist priest. However, it''s very likely that you''ll be rejected and turned away. Even so, I feel like you might be an exception seeing that you managed to make it here."


    Chen Ping''an''s heart shuddered, and he asked, "Grandpa Chen, how should I find this esteemed individual? Should I travel to the East Sea? If I''m not wrong, Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is also located on the East Sea?"


    The old sword immortal shook his head and said, "You need to travel to Parasol Leaf Continent in the southeast and look for a Daoist temple."


    Chen Ping''an was stumped. He was slightly hesitant, as this was misaligned with his original intention. However, since the old sword immortal was saying this, he definitely had his deeper considerations. Even with this in mind, Chen Ping''an was still worried about his ten-year promise. He had experienced much difficulty in advancing to the fourth tier, so he didn''t dare to be too optimistic when it came to advancing to the fifth tier, sixth tier, and seventh tier.


    "The locust wood that your sword case is made of has a very profound background," the old sword immortal continued. "Why don''t you lend it to me for ten years, and I''ll lend you a sword in return? We can swap again in ten years. When you arrive in Parasol Leaf Continent, this sword will assist you by pointing you in the rough direction of your destination, the ce where that old Daoist priest in the East Sea is located. If you''re fortunate enough and manage to find him, it will still be up to your own fate whether he''s willing to help you."


    "Understood!" Chen Ping''an said with a nod.


    He removed his sword case and retrieved the locust wood sword, Eliminating Fiends, from it.


    "Can you leave this wooden sword with me? I can also lend you a sword," Ning Yao said.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head and replied, "This locust wood sword is from Mr. Qi, so I can''t gift it to you. But it''s okay for you to look after it for me. Also, you don''t need to lend me a sword. The Sword Qi Great Wall is alwayscking swords, and I don''t have any pressing need for a sword at this moment either."


    Ning Yao beckoned with her hands, and Chen Ping''an lightly tossed the locust wood sword to her. He then handed the locust wood sword case to the old sword immortal.


    As for the talisman that Chen Ping''an had kept inside the sword case, he had already ced it inside his flying sword, Fifteenth, long before entering Stctite Mountain. Otherwise, the female bone ghost would have immediately disintegrated into dust upon entering the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    The locust wood sword case instantly vanished into thin air when the old sword immortal''s finger came into contact with it.


    In the end, the old sword immortal sped a single hand behind his back, raising his other hand and rapidly drawing two fingers across the air.


    A sheathed sword materialized between the old sword immortal and Chen Ping''an.


    The old sword immortal gestured with his eyes, telling Chen Ping''an to catch the sword.


    Chen Ping''an reached out with both hands.


    The sword fell down, and Chen Ping''an initially thought that he could easily catch the sword in his hands. However, he immediately stumbled and almost facented into the carriageway.


    "The sword''s name is Lasting Qi, and the sword along with its scabbard only weighs three and a half kilograms in total. The sword qi, however, weighs forty. The person who carries this sword can temper their soul day and night."


    Chen Ping''an had given his sword case away, so he was temporarily unable to carry the sword on his back. Thus, he could only hold it in his hands as he stood there.


    The old sword immortal looked Chen Ping''an up and down and said with a nod, "You finally look a bit like a sword cultivator."


    Ning Yao suddenly turned around and looked toward the south.


    "Now you understand why I disturbed the two of you just then?" the old sword immortal chuckled.


    There was an intense look in Ning Yao''s eyes as she immediately jumped on her sword and soared into the sky.


    The old sword immortal turned to Chen Ping''an and reminded him, "Hurry up and say goodbye to Little Ning. I''ll send you back to Stctite Mountain."


    Chen Ping''an hugged his new sword and looked up at Ning Yao. However, he was unable to say anything at this moment.


    Ning Yao also looked down at Chen Ping''an, hurriedly tossing the Sword Nurturing Gourd back to him.


    The old sword immortal smiled and said, "The feelings between the two of you are no inferior to the sword qi. Then let''s leave it at this. You can save your many words of affection for next time."


    The old sword immortal snapped his fingers, causing Chen Ping''an, who had just caught his Sword Nurturing Gourd to fall backward.


    In the next moment, when Chen Ping''an finally managed to stabilize himself, he discovered that he was no longer standing on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Instead, he was standing on the za located at the foot of Lone Peak in Stctite Mountain.


    There was only a single sun hanging in the sky, not a peculiar sight of three moons like the unique world of the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    The sword-hugging middle-aged man on the hitching post looked at the dazed young boy who was carrying a sword and holding a wine gourd.


    It was only a parting.


    Yet, it made Chen Ping''an forget that he could drink wine to suppress his sorrows.


    On the southern parapet of the Sword Qi Great Wall, a little girl with twin braids sat on the edge and swung her feet. "I want to be a tree. When I''m happy, I''ll blossom with flowers in autumn. When I''m sad, I''ll shed leaves in spring," she murmured to herself.


    1. A line from Li Longji''s poem, A Memorial for Confucius with Commiserations When Passing through Zou County of the Lu Region ( ). Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty reigning from 712 to 756 CE.


    2. Bald donkey is an offensive term referring to monks. <blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    Would you wait ten years?</blockquote>

 Chapter 281: Innocent

    Chapter 281: Innocent


    The young Daoist priest stood up and stepped out from his straw mat. He then rolled up the Daoist scroll that he was reading and lightly patted his hands, looking at the dejected young boy who had just arrived in front of them. This Heavenly Lord, who was skillful in battle yet rtively unknown in Majestic World, suddenly felt a little happy.


    <em>He''s most likely broken up with that detestable young girl, right?</em>


    In a rare sight, the young Daoist priest decided to console Chen Ping��an. He tried his best to put on an expression that he felt was kindly and sincere, and he smiled with squinted eyes and said, "The temper of that stinky young girl is far too bad. She''s also far too aloof. Only her appearance is slightly better, her background is slightly better, her aptitude is slightly better, and her future potential is slightly better... Why fall for someone like her?


    "So, don''t take things to heart now that you''ve broken up with her. After all, just look at Stctite Mountain over here. You can randomly walk along the streets and find yourself a bunch of warm and gentle girls with ease. Take a look at their slender waists that look just like strips of pickled cabbage. This isn''t a rare sight at all. Which girl do you like? I''ll help you."


    There was a reluctant smile on Chen Ping''an''s face. However, he didn''t say anything, as it was best not to provoke a supremely powerful person like this young Daoist priest.


    Chen Ping''an simply farewelled the smiling young Daoist priest in a respectful manner. As for the sword-hugging middle-aged man, he was dozing off as he always did in the mornings. Thus, Chen Ping''an didn''t disturb his beautiful dreams.


    Ning Yao had mentioned this person to Chen Ping''an before. He had participated in the ninth of the thirteen battles, yet he had lost to a 12th tier great demon who was only a hundred years old. It had been a pitiful loss for him, while that young great demon with a celestial tool had suddenly shot to fame from out of nowhere. The great demon''s name had spread throughout the world thaty to the south of the Sword Qi Great Wall. Meanwhile, the sword-hugging middle-aged man had been sent here as punishment, with Stctite Mountain being his prison.


    The sword-hugging middle-aged man was an itinerant sword immortal. He was over 500 years old, yet he hadn''t started a family or left any descendants at the Sword Qi Great Wall. ording to rumors, he had once had a Dao partner of mediocre cultivation talent when he was still at the early stages of the Middle Five Tiers. After she died on the battlefield, this sword immortal had never married another woman in his long life that followed. He had a fairly good rtionship with everyone, yet he didn''t have a very deep rtionship with anyone.


    When it came to cultivators, especially Qi refiners at the Upper Five Tiers, having offspring was a grand and mystical matter. This was especially the case for females who wanted to achieve immortality and attain the Dao. They needed to cease having periods from a young age[1], so it was naturally very difficult for them to give birth.


    Moreover, with the exception of Militarians, Qi refiners werergely unwilling to involve themselves with mortal karma. Unless a couple was extremely confident that they could give birth to a child with extremely good cultivation talent, they would often dy this matter indefinitely until a suitable fated opportunity arrived.


    Otherwise, how would those immortal ns and forces in the mountains deal with descendants and disciples who were as weak and mediocre as mere mortals?


    Would they raise them as if they were raising chickens and dogs?


    So be it if these pitiful insects with poor talent yet high standards were willing to lead a peaceful life and wait for death. In reality, however, many such untalented hacks had brought destruction to their n or force throughout history.


    Moreover, even if cultivators were willing to afford their descendants patience and love, it was ultimately a sorrowful affair for white-haired elders to continually and helplessly farewell their ck-haired descendants.


    Passing down wealth and continuing a n''s lineage was a matter for one''s n. However, attaining Dao and achieving longevity was a matter for oneself.


    Even though Jewel Small World that had hung above Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Great Li Empire was the smallest of the 36 small worlds, measuring only 500 kilometers in radius, it was still able to attract everyone''s gaze because of the unfathomable talents that it produced. Even the offspring of ordinary mortals could possess talent simr to the offspring of earth immortals who had nned long and hard for childbirth.


    For example, cultivation prodigies who had walked out of Jewel Small World included Complete Reed Continent''s Xie Shi, Southern Whirl Continent''s Cao Xi, the twin jade pendants of the Great Li Empire who had helped the Imperial Song n extend the fortune of their empire, and so on.


    Chen Ping''an returned to Stork Inn and found out that Osmanthus Ind had already set off on its return trip to Old Dragon City. Chen Ping''an asked the young inn manager which intercontinental ships could take him to the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent, and which ferry stations in Stctite Mountain he could board these intercontinental ships from.


    The young inn manager''s family had lived in Stctite Mountain for countless generations, so he was naturally well aware of this information. The patch of sea surrounding Parasol Leaf Continent was windy and had tall waves, so it was naturally not suitable for intercontinental ships that traveled on the sea. This was especially the case for the southern region of Parasol Leaf Continent, which was close to inessible.


    As such, almost all of the ferry stations in Parasol Leaf Continent were located in the north. This was partly the reason why Parasol Leaf Sect in the north could suppress Jade Tablet Sect.


    In the end, the young inn manager suggested that Chen Ping''an take a Treasure Swallowing Whale that could travel along the bottom of the sea. He could board this intercontinental ship from Stctite Mountain''s Incense Offering Dock, and the ship would take him straight to nchette Writing Sect[2] in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent.


    The Treasure Swallowing Whale was scheduled to leave in ten days, so Chen Ping''an booked a room in Stork Inn to stay in.


    The young inn manager nced at the disappearing figure of the young boy as he made calctions with his abacus. He couldn''t help but feel slightly puzzled. The young boy was still carrying a sword, but where had his sword case gone? Also, wasn''t this a different sword from the one he had before?


    The young inn manager shook his head and rid himself of these thoughts. This was Stctite Mountain, so strange matters were the norm rather than the exception.


    Indeed, it was only a short while ago when a young boy from Middle Earth Divine Continent had caused a hugemotion when facing his opportunity to break through to the next tier of martial arts. The instant that he had strode over to Stctite Mountain from the Sword Qi Great Wall, he had shockingly triggered a peculiar phenomenon of heaven and earth that caused the mirror-like gate on the za to shudder violently.


    In fact, even the Great Heavenly Lord guarding Lone Peak had been forced to show himself. ording to rumors, the Great Heavenly Lord had personally unleashed his powers to suppress the astoundingmotion taking ce at the gate.


    There was also a group of female immortals from Sweet Rain Sect in the sea who had brought countless flood dragon corpses to Stctite Mountain and made a huge sum of money.


    The Flood Dragon True Lord had spent the most money, and he had purchased arge amount of golden and silver-colored flood dragon whiskers. In fact, he had spent so much that he had umted a debt with the sellers. However, no one thought that the True Lord was an idiot for incurring that debt. After all, his fly-whisk, already outstanding among pseudo-celestial tools, was likely approaching the level of genuine celestial tools now.


    Meanwhile, a young man who was with the female cultivators from Sweet Rain Sect instantly became hot property that everyone wanted a piece of. As it turned out, this fortunate person who had just married into Sweet Rain Sect was not only the Dao partner of the extremely renowned Celestial Maiden Pangtuo[3], but the founder of Sweet Rain Sect had also discovered that he possessed trulyoutstanding cultivation aptitude.


    Afterward, Celestial Maiden Yulin, who was renowned throughout the South Sea, had also fallen in love with him and be his wife. And thus, two Golden Core Tier celestial maidens who had the potential to be earth immortals were now married to the same man. Such great fortune truly made him the envy of all others.


    On the path of cultivation, whether one''s fortune was good or bad could truly make an astronomical difference.


    After traveling to the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping''an had stayed on the great wall the entire time and not gone anywhere else. While staying there, he had felt like he could say his bellyful of words slowly.


    After being tossed back to Stctite Mountain, however, he discovered that it was already toote.


    However, aggrieved as he was, he wasn''t feeling too sad at this moment. Rather, he was feeling quite anxious.


    Chen Ping''an held his key and walked to his room. In fact, there was nothing for him to leave here. He only had a sword on his back and a Sword Nurturing Gourd by his waist. He didn''t have anything else apart from these. Heeding the young inn manager''s suggestion from before, Chen Ping''an quickly left his room and headed to the shops nearby to purchase some necessities.


    He bought the Mountain and Sea Chronicle, a book that described the cultures andnds in Majestic World. Of course, this was the type of book for immortals, or else he would simply be wasting his money. A single page in this book could hold a dozen or so pictures and three to four thousand words. These pictures and words were like flowing water and drifting clouds that slowly moved around the pages.


    He also bought a book that introduced the official dialect of Parasol Leaf Continent, as well as one for the dialect of Middle Earth Divine Continent. Chen Ping''an definitely didn''t want to arrive in Parasol Leaf Continent and be unable tomunicate with the people there from the beginning to the end.


    Even though the situation of Parasol Leaf Continent was definitely simr to that of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, with many dialects existing in the various empires and vassal states, learning the official dialect used by imperial courts and immortals in the mountains was most certainly a necessity.


    It was almost impossible to find underpriced goods in Stctite Mountain, especially if they were immortal treasures or spirit tools. The Qi refiners here all possessed high cultivation bases and good appraisal skills. Moreover, the prices of goods and treasures here were often far higher than those of other states in Majestic World.


    However, there was one very good thing in Stctite Mountain, and that was theck of fake goods. Businesses that had the ability to open shop here were almost all reputable ones that had existed for hundreds upon thousands of years. There were no fly-by-night businesses, and everyone greatly cherished their hard-earned brand reputation.


    A single grain rain coin was worth an exorbitant amount of money, as long as one didn''tpare it to gold essence copper coins that were unique to Jewel Small World.


    This was the case even in Stctite Mountain where there was arge number of immortals.


    Since Chen Ping''an had money, and given that he wasn''t nning to invest it in anything else, he naturally couldn''t leave it in his pockets to rot away. As such, Chen Ping''an nned to buy a useful spirit tool for Lin Shouyi and Xie Xie. It was okay even if these spirit tools were a bit more expensive. As for Little Baoping, Li Huai, and Yu Lu, they didn''t need such spirit tools. The former two were yet to be cultivators and were still very young. Meanwhile, Yu Lu was also a pure martial artist like himself.


    In terms of selling things, he definitely wouldn''t engage in such an activity.


    After all, Chen Ping''an wasn''tcking money right now.


    After buying the books near Stork Inn, Chen Ping''an headed to Ganoderma Inn which he had briefly visited with Jin Su before. However, they had only taken a quick nce at things, and Chen Ping''an hadn''t been able to look at the goods and treasures carefully. Indeed, he had simply treated that visit as an opportunity to appreciate immortal treasures.


    This time, however, Chen Ping''an came here with a clear goal. His search was very targeted, and hepletely ignored the immortal treasures that were eyewateringly expensive and had prerequisites for Qi refiners to use. He didn''t so much as nce at these treasures.


    Chen Ping''an hoped to find a Daoist scripture or spirit tool suitable for practicing lightning element techniques. Otherwise, he wanted to find something like the dew bowl that Zhang Shanfeng had obtained before, one which was capable of umting spiritual energy from heaven and earth for its owner.


    Even with such specific goals, there were still enough treasures to make Chen Ping''an''s eyes go blurry.


    He carefully walked back and forth around Ganoderma Inn for almost half a day, building an increasingly clear n in his mind. After picking a dozen or so items in his mind, he would return to Stork Inn to mull over them at night, weighing up the pros and cons of each treasure. That way, he could most likely make some informed purchases the next day.


    There was a lightning element Daoist scripture that wasbeled as an only copy, two kinds of high-grade alchemical pills used for cleansing marrow and tempering bones �� one from Circling Ascension Continent''s ck and White Sect and one from Southern Whirl Continent''s Censer Mountain, both renowned forces from the Daoist Sect''s alchemy branch �� and finally seven or eight different spirit tools.


    While walking around Ganoderma Inn, Chen Ping''an inadvertently nced at three Militarian armor pellets that were ced in a row inside a wooden case. ording to the apanying description next to the case, these were Divine Dewbearing Armor simr to the one worn by the imperial preceptor of Ancient Elm Nation. However, these three armor pellets were much higher grade, and all three of them could be worn at the same time. Not only that, but the wearer wouldn''t feel any sense of burden. One could imagine just how incredible the defensive ability of these armor pellets was.


    It was just that the asking price was far too terrifying.


    A whopping 30,000 snowke coins!


    A single snowke coin was approximately equivalent to 1000 taels of silver.


    A single lesser heat coin was equivalent to 100 snowke coins.


    A single grain rain coin was equivalent to 10 lesser heat coins.


    This was the so-called "magnitudes of 10" rule for currency used by immortals from the mountains.


    Chen Ping''an remembered that even the most prized treasure on Ceremony Mountain''s kun ship hadn''t cost this much money.


    Moreover, this price was taking into ount the fact that two of the three armor pellets were slightly damaged and not properly repaired. Thus, the armor pellets couldn''t be regarded as wless.


    However, these armor pellets were far from being the most expensive immortal treasures in Ganoderma Inn. There were many immortal treasures that Ganoderma Inn hadn''t priced using snowke coins or lesser heat coins. Instead, their price tags were in grain rain coins.


    There was a golden-yellow feather with mes floating inside a colored ze disy cab. There was no apanying description, and the asking price was 100 grain rain coins.


    There were also some items radiating with brilliant colors and some items that appearedpletely unremarkable. These items didn''t have a price, and they were instead marked with "negotiation."


    Chen Ping''an felt a little numb after seeing all of this.


    Night arrived, and Chen Ping''an decided on the two items that he would buy. There was the lightning element Daoist scripture that Ganoderma Inn dared to im was "an only copy that is unfortunately missing dozens of pages, else the scripture would be priceless." He would give this scripture to Lin Shouyi. There was also the Divine Dewbearing Armor that couldn''t be repaired to its original form. In fact, the price of both treasures was far above Chen Ping''an''s nned budget. These treasures almost cost as much as immortal treasures.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t hesitate anymore after making up his mind.


    Then, with a pale face, he started to practice walking meditation.


    He wasn''t pale simply because it pained him to spend so much money. Rather, it was because of Lasting Qi on his back, the sword that the old sword immortal had lent him for ten years. Right now, wisps of sword qi were radiating from the sword and continually seeping into his soul.


    If he only carried the sword for a short while, his breathing and meditation definitely wouldn''t be affected too much. However, carrying the sword for extended periods of time would cause him to suffer quite some punishment. This was a bit simr to the Deity Drumming Technique created by Cui Chan''s grandfather; the effects would continually stack as time went on.


    However, Chen Ping''an discovered that the Eighteen Stops Technique was more useful than the breathing technique taught to him by Old Man Yang when it came to helping him resist the sword qi that could "freeze one''s heart and cleanse one''s soul." Nheless, it was still very painful and difficult to endure.


    Yet, it was this extremely familiar sense of pain that surprisingly made Chen Ping''an feel at ease.


    The next day, Chen Ping''an went to Ganoderma Inn and bought the two treasures, handing over money in one hand and receiving the treasures in his other. There was no mishap.


    The only surprise was that Ganoderma Inn gifted him a small carved work after he paid for the two treasures. This was a white ox holding a piece of ganoderma in its mouth.


    Ganoderma Inn exined that today was the birthday of one of their founding ancestors, so Ganoderma Inn would always give their esteemed guests who spent enough money some small presents on this excellent day. These were the cheapest acquired spirit tools, and such spirit tools could be categorized as elegant ornaments for the study tables of wealthy ns. They were something to fiddle around with.


    Chen Ping''an discovered that there were indeed more customers than yesterday. Moreover, some children apanied by their elders as they walked out of Ganoderma Inn were indeed holding ornaments simr to white jade ganoderma ruyi.


    It was already night when Chen Ping''an returned to Stork Inn. While taking a break after practicing walking meditation, Chen Ping''an heard someone lightly knocking on his door. He looked over and asked quietly, "Who is it?"


    The man outside the door chuckled and spoke using the dialect of the Sword Qi Great Wall, saying, "I''m the gatekeeper who always sits on the hitching post. Little Ning asked me to deliver a message to you and also bring you an item."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before walking over and opening the door. He then silently retreated several steps.


    Fortunately, his visitor was indeed the sword-hugging middle-aged man. One''s appearance could be disguised, but the unique vor of one''s sword qi couldn''t be faked.


    The middle-aged man wasn''t holding his sword this time. Upon seeing the puzzlement in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, he smiled and exined, "Since I''m responsible for guarding the gate, I naturally need to leave something over there, right? So, I came here, while my sword remains on top of the hitching post."


    The middle-aged man was a straightforward person, and he tossed a small package that was slightlyrger than a fist to Chen Ping''an, saying, "This is a present from Little Ning. Apart from this, she said that you can wait in Stctite Mountain for a while longer. Don''t you have two golden flood dragon whiskers? I can find someone to help you forge them into fairly decent demon-binding chains. If you''re unwilling to wait, however, then I can save myself from doing this favor."


    After saying this, the middle-aged man invited himself to sit down. He then poured himself a cup of tea and continued, "Little Ning also asked someone about that golden Dao robe. It''s an extremely high-grade Dao robe, and even ordinary terrestrial immortals will find it difficult to obtain such a robe.


    "The name of the Dao robe is Golden Sweet Wine, and it''s a precious relic left behind by an esteemed individual from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence. After breaking from their n, this individual lived in seclusion and passed away on an ind located in the south of the Lone Hanging Sea.


    "The Dao robe was obtained by a lucky itinerant cultivator, but it was eventually snatched away by that old flood dragon from the Flood Dragon Trench. The Dao robe will also suit your size if you wear it, as it is a legitimate Dao robe, after all. Its size can change ording to the person wearing it. Take it out, and I can help you cast some minor mystical ability on it. It''s way too eye-catching as it is."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t hesitate this time, and he directly took out the golden Dao robe from his pocket treasure.


    The sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall who had participated in one of the thirteen battles snapped his fingers before roughly exining his actions.


    The illusion technique cast by the middle-aged man was simr to the one that Wei Bo had cast on Chen Ping''an''s Sword Nurturing Gourd. It could prevent Qi refiners under the level of earth immortals from noticing anything special. Of course, the Dao robe would naturally activate and protect Chen Ping''an if he were facing a life-and-death situation. In such cases, his opponents wouldn''t be fools either. They would obviously notice the clues.


    When the middle-aged man left, he took with him the two golden flood dragon whiskers.


    After closing the door, Chen Ping''an gently opened the small cotton package.


    There was a rectangr Dragon ying tform asrge as his hand inside.


    Most importantly, there were characters inscribed on both sides of the Dragon ying tform, "Innocent" and "Ning Yao."


    It was naturally the case that only great sword immortals could achieve the feat of inscribing characters onto Dragon ying tforms. Ning Yao''s parents had most likely made this in a meticulous manner and given it to their daughter as a present while she was still little.


    After Ning Yao grew up, there was a day when she came across a young boy she liked, so she decided to gift the Dragon ying tform to him.


    1. This is a Daoist concept whereby the period of females will be detrimental to their cultivation. Thus, females need to cease having periods (ն����) if they want to cultivate Dao. ?


    2. nchette writing (����), also known as Chinese Ouija, is a method of spirit writing that uses a suspended sieve or tray to guide a stick which writes Chinese characters in sand or incense ashes. ?


    3. Pangtuo literally trantes to torrential, as in torrential rain. ?

 Chapter 282: Free of Depraved Thoughts

    Chapter 282: Free of Depraved Thoughts


    Chen Ping''an calmly waited for things in Stork Inn. After leaving the Sword Qi Great Wall where no Dao existed, practicing his fist techniques became much easier inparison. Before he knew it, he finished throwing the final 8000 punches.


    On this day, Chen Ping''an finished performing walking meditation and quietly sat beside the table. He retrieved an adorable little bamboo slip that was emerald green and quite different from the other bamboo slips. There weren''t any beautiful lines of poetry inscribed on the bamboo slip; instead, it was used by Chen Ping''an to record his progress. When he reached 100,000 punches, 200,000 punches, 500,000 punches, and so on �� everything was roughly recorded on the bamboo slip.


    Chen Ping''an extended a finger and lightly ran it over all of the inscriptions on the bamboo slip. asionally, he woulde across inscriptions that recorded several hundred or a thousand punches. These often corresponded to the periods when Chen Ping''an was feeling the most upset or frustrated.


    For example, when he had parted with Mr. Qi outside the old and rundown temple, the period after experiencing the great cmity on Osmanthus Ind, and so on. There were many moments that were unknown to other people as well. To put things simply, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t count his punches toward his goal of one million during these times of unease, no matter how many times hepleted walking meditation.


    Just like that, he reached one million punches.


    Nothing special happened. He was still at the fourth tier, and he was still Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an put the bamboo slip away, allowing this old soldier to shed its armor and go into retirement. He then selected a brand new slip made from bamboo from the Azure Divine Mountain. He nned to record his next million punches on this one.


    Rays of sunshine slipped into his room like a bunch of little children who didn''t like to speak. After getting tired, they wouldzily lie down on his table, the floor, and even his shoulder.


    Chen Ping''an quietly sat there and didn''t think about anything. Or perhaps he was thinking about things that he didn''t need to remember. This was also quite good.There was the familiar sound of knocking, waking Chen Ping''an up from his daydream. He didn''t ask who it was this time. Chen Ping''an clearly remembered everything about the sword immortal guarding the gate in Stctite Mountain, from his tone, expressions, sword intent, and so on.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an even remembered seemingly unimportant details like the strength and pattern of the middle-aged man''s knocking. When traveling outside, caution was the key to staying alive. The importance of caution was no lesser than the importance of practicing fist techniques.


    Chen Ping''an directly stood up and walked over to open the door. Sure enough, it was that middle-aged sword immortal who liked to nod off during the day.


    He entered the room and ced a thin and flexible golden rope on the table before smiling and saying, "This is a demon-binding chain forged from the golden whiskers of the old flood dragon. It''s a genuine immortal treasure. I asked a powerful cultivator from the Daoist Sect''s talismanic branch to forge this, and he kept two segments of the flood dragon whiskers each as long as a thumb.


    "That was just symbolic payment, though. In reality, the amount of rare treasures that he used to forge this demon-binding chain were definitely worth much more than just that. Just the three cloud patterns that he carefully extracted from a Daoist memorial talisman were worth as much as the two segments of flood dragon whiskers. I''m not telling you this to ask for praise or credit. I''m simply telling you things as they are. At the end of the day, everything is still thanks to Little Ning''s face. The other things are nowhere near able topare with her."


    Chen Ping''an remained standing the entire time. After hearing this, he cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Senior Sword Immortal."


    The middle-aged man who had once again left his sword on the hitching post waved his hand and pointed at the golden demon-binding chain, exining, "You can control it with your mind once you refine it to the preliminary stage. Even demons at Middle Five Tiers will find it extremely difficult to escape once bound. However, it won''t be able to restrict demons at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier for too long. As for demons under the Golden Core Tier, they might not be able to break free from this demon-binding chain at all.


    "Why are demon-binding chains so popr in the world, especially high-grade demon-binding chains? Why are Qi refiners who travel around the world so fond of them? This is because they''re quite simr to Dragon King Baskets in the sense that they can capture the enemy in a single go. They can be regarded as high-grade immortal treasures incredibly good at their job."


    The middle-aged man suddenly noticed Chen Ping''an''s strange expression, so he asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "I don''t know how to refine immortal treasures," Chen Ping''an replied in embarrassment.


    The middle-aged manughed in anger and eximed, "Chen Ping''an, are you joking, or do you think I''m easy to trick? If you didn''t achieve a state of consummate refinement with your Sword Nurturing Gourd and your two flying swords..."


    Sure enough, the middle-aged man was a top-notch sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall. His expression turned solemn, and he took another nce at the Sword Nurturing Gourd tied to Chen Ping''an''s waist. He nodded and didn''t dwell on this matter any longer. He didn''t try to dig for Chen Ping''an''s secrets either. Instead, he directly said, "Never mind, I''ll teach you amon mantra for refining immortal treasures. Rest assured, you don''t need to owe me any favor, this is a mantra that everyone in the Sword Qi Great Wall knows. You can treat this as a buy-one-get-one-free.


    "The good thing about this mantra is that it''s easy to master and use. The bad thing about it is that it will be very easy for earth immortals to remove the restrictions you ce on the demon-binding chain if they manage to snatch it away. In the blink of an eye, the demon-binding chain will be their immortal treasure instead of yours."


    The middle-aged man smiled and continued, "With this in mind, if youe across powerful demons in Majestic World in the future, you should run if you can. It''s best that you don''t take out this treasure and attempt to battle your enemies with it, lest you be a boon for your enemies. Alright, I can''t stay here for too long. I''ll use the voice of my mind to teach you the mantra as well as some things to look out for. If one time isn''t enough, then I can repeat it two more times."


    Chen Ping''an nodded, and gentle ripples immediately appeared in his mind''ske. The rich voice of the sword immortal slowly sounded in his mind. Chen Ping''an silentlymitted everything to memory.


    "How much of it have you remembered?" the sword immortal asked.


    "I''ve remembered everything," Chen Ping''an replied honestly. "However, can I ask Senior Sword Immortal to please repeat it again?"


    "You''re not the overly polite type, are you?" the sword immortal remarked with a chuckle.


    The middle-aged sword immortal didn''t think of this as a hassle. Instead, he appreciated Chen Ping''an''s frankness. He repeated the mantra again, andpared to the first time, he even added somements about his own understanding. Thesements were naturally very deep and profound. In his current state, Chen Ping''an definitely couldn''tprehend the wisdom behind thesements. As such, he could only forcefullymit them to memory.


    The middle-aged man was a straightforward person, so he immediately stood up to leave after teaching Chen Ping''an the mantra. However, before walking out of the room, he looked at Chen Ping''an and said, "The youths in Little Ning''s generation truly possess incredible cultivation aptitude. Their aptitude is so good that all of the old geezers smile widely even when they''re dreaming. Moreover, it isn''t just five or ten of them with such outstanding aptitude. There are almost thirty of them.


    "This being the case, the demon tribe in that world definitely won''t sit on their hands and do nothing. They won''t wait for death. In addition, the young great demon who defeated me is incredibly renowned, yet he might not even be the most powerful prodigy from the past century.


    "The Sword Qi Great Wall is indeed weing a generation of rare talents. However, I''ve also discovered something very strange after observing the many assaults from the demon tribe throughout the past few hundred years. It''s as if all of their prodigies have gone into hiding, even those who are only slightly inferior to Little Ning. This is very abnormal. So, I''m a little worried, and I have a nagging feeling that Savage World is nning something big. The thirteen battles were only the prelude."


    Seeing Chen Ping''an''s serious expression as he listened, the middle-aged man chuckled in self-ridicule and said, "It''s seemingly pointless to tell you about these things. Don''t think about it too much."


    Chen Ping''an insisted on seeing the sword immortal off to the front door of Stork Inn. After arriving in the alley outside the inn, the sword immortal said in an exasperated voice, "I justmented that you weren''t overly polite, yet you''re now acting as polite as you possibly can. Then I won''t be too polite either."


    After saying this, the sword immortal transformed into a ray of light that shot up from the ground and flew to the foot of Lone Peak. His vast and peerless sword qi instantly vanished into the distance.


    Chen Ping''an felt a slight headache. Sure enough, a few guests in the inn exchanged surprised nces with each other. The young innkeeper stood behind the front counter and continued to ck away at his abacus, and it was as if he werepletely unfazed by this matter. In reality, however, there was a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.


    It definitely wasn''t a bad thing for a guest of his inn to have an extraordinary background. Rare and esteemed guests could shine luster on his inn.


    When Chen Ping''an walked inside the inn again, the immortals from the mountains who no longer seemed so special in Stctite Mountain �� or else they wouldn''t be staying in the small and modest Stork Inn �� instinctively cleared a path for Chen Ping''an even though the lobby was more than spacious enough. Chen Ping''an could only pretend that he didn''t see anything at all.


    After arriving in his room, he started to refine the demon-binding chain using the mantra that the middle-aged sword immortal had taught him. This was simr to drawing talismans, and he wouldn''t be able to control this high-grade immortal treasure for too long at a time. Everything was dependent on the single breath of True Qi of pure martial artists.


    The longer his True Qisted, the more power he could wield.


    Compared to drawing talismans, however, the method of controlling the demon-binding chain was more troublesome for Chen Ping''an, as his bridge of immortality had been shattered. Fortunately, he was able to replenish his Qi in a quicker and more hidden manner after advancing to the fourth tier. Indeed, it was much quicker than it had been at the third tier.


    Thus, he could use the demon-binding chain against demons at the first three of the Middle Five Tiers: the Abode Tier, the Sea Observation Tier, and the Dragon Gate Tier. He could use it as a trump card. After trapping his opponent, he could unleash his most powerful fist techniques in the shortest amount of time.


    Of course, the demon-binding chain was effective against all Qi refiners, not just demons. It was just more effective against thetter.


    If he couldbine this demon-binding chain with a few talismans that adapted to the terrain and his opponent, and if he could align these with his deadly fist techniques, then Chen Ping''an felt like he would be much more confident.


    Chen Ping''an spent an entire six hours to slowly refine the demon-binding chain bit by bit. When he finally seeded, he was alreadypletely drenched in sweat. Fortunately, he had the tried and tested cleaning talisman with him.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an removed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and ced it on the table. He stared at it and started to zone out.


    Regarding the thirteen battles, Ning Yao hadn''t kept anything a secret.


    She had been willing to carefully exin everything in a calm and nonchnt manner.


    Chen Ping''an had listened to her speak, and hadn''t dared to ask anything at all. Not only that, but he had to act as if he were simply listening to a soul-stirring story.


    In fact, Ning Yao had directly told him, "I was very sad after my mom and dad left me. However, I simply need to y the enemies and exact revenge for them. I won''t overthink this, and you don''t need to overthink it either."


    After saying this, Ning Yao had tilted her head and drank some wine. Her other hand had lightly rested on her heart.


    In Chen Ping''an''s mind, Ning Yao''s radiance and intensity at that moment were far greater and much more direct than the first time he had seen her flying on her sword.


    There was only one other asion that wasparable. That was back in his hometown when Ning Yao had held two fingers together and ced them on her be as if opening a third eye. She had imed that she would expand Jewel Small World. A hint of gold had seeped from her be, and she had only been an inch from summoning her bonded flying sword.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an decided that he would practice the sword.


    He was going to be a great sword immortal.


    There would eventuallye a day when he would carve a character on the southern wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath and put his Sword Nurturing Gourd away, tying it back to his waist. In fact, Chen Ping''an hadn''t drank anything for the past few days.


    Since he decided to practice the sword, and since he already had the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em> as well as the sword that the old sword immortal had lent him, Chen Ping''an started to earnestly mull over this matter. In fact, he was treating this even more seriously than the time he had decided to practice the Mountain Shaking Guide''s walking meditation one million times.


    Chen Ping''an stood up and closed his eyes. He then slowly walked around the table.


    Sword cultivators used swords, and sword practitioners in the cultivation world also used swords. However, the gulf between the two was like the gulf between heaven and earth.


    When leading his donkey away, Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin had been a sword immortal at the Unpolished Jade Tier. However, the incredible demeanor of his sword strike was still fresh in Chen Ping''an''s memory, even after so long.


    Meanwhile, regardless of whether it was Sword Saint Song who was paramount in the cultivation world of Water Combing Nation, or the sword god from Colorful Garment Nation who had died at Ma Kuxuan''s hands, it was incredibly difficult for them to rival Qi refiners from the mountains �� especially sword cultivators �� no matter how profound their sword skills were and no matter how renowned they were in the cultivation world.


    Chen Ping''an had initially wanted to train in Complete Reed Continent because he had heard that the sword skills of sword practitioners there were much higher than those of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Much, much higher. In Complete Reed Continent, even pure martial artists from outside the mountains could potentially challenge Qi refiners.


    If he wanted to be a sword immortal, then he first needed to be a sword cultivator. If he wanted to be a sword cultivator, then he first needed to have a bridge of immortality. He couldn''t repair his old bridge of immortality, and his future potential would definitely be limited even if he truly managed to repair it. That being the case, he would construct a new bridge of immortality. However, where would he start?


    He needed to travel to Parasol Leaf Continent and look for that Observing Dao Temple in the East Sea. There, he would need to look for an old Daoist priest whose name he still didn''t know. However, since the old sword immortal had mentioned the old Daoist priest, this old Daoist priest was definitely a truly incredible immortal. Whether this old Daoist priest was willing to meet him or not was another matter altogether.


    Chen Ping''an circled around the table again and again. One time, he subconsciously grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and almost took a sip of wine. Fortunately, the intoxicating fragrance of the wine served as a formless warning to Chen Ping''an, causing him to hurriedly put the wine gourd away.


    When Chen Ping''an arrived in Parasol Leaf Continent, the sword that the old sword immortal had lent him could point him in the rough direction of his destination. Because of this, Chen Ping''an decided to enter Parasol Leaf Continent from the central region. There, he could decide whether he needed to head toward the north or the south. Afterward, he would slowly find his way.


    While Chen Ping''an was thinking over the details of his trip to Parasol Leaf Continent, a couple arrived at Stork Inn and asked if they could visit Chen Ping''an. They said they were old acquaintances with the young boy.


    In Stctite Mountain, those who purposely injured others would be punished by death. This was a very useful rule. Even though there were many profound mystical techniques that could conceal one''s actions, the Daoist saber priests in Stctite Mountain would personally attend to the cases once a breakthrough was made, even if it were tens or hundreds of years after the crime had taken ce. In fact, even the Flood Dragon True Lord would personally attend to some cases. Thus, Stctite Mountain was a rare location of peace and serenity.


    The young innkeeper led the couple to the hallway where Chen Ping''an''s room was located. He pointed them to the young boy''s room, but he didn''t follow them any further.


    The woman thanked him, and the young innkeeper smiled and replied that this was nothing but his job. He then left without a worry in his mind. However, he couldn''t help but steal a backward nce when he reached the corner.


    The couple appeared unremarkable and amiable, yet the young innkeeper had a nagging feeling that something was off. In the end, he shook his head and didn''t think about this anymore. There was still a long path ahead if he wanted to return Stork Inn to its former glory. Thus, there were always many trivial matters for him to personally attend to every single day.


    When the couple arrived outside Chen Ping''an''s door, the man grumbled, "Why couldn''t we appear directly inside the boy''s room? Why did we need to go to all this trouble?"


    The woman shot a re at him and replied, "How can we abandon all etiquette? Our daughter is already like that, and you''re exactly the same. If I''m also like that, then do you really think Chen Ping''an is genuinely a y Bodhisattva that anyone can bully? What, you feel like everything is natural and justified just because our daughter was fortunate enough to find herself a young boy as good as him?"


    "Only you find him so pleasant to the eye!" the man huffed in reply. "Is he not more fortunate toe across our precious daughter? If he has an ancestral hall, then he should hurry up and offer a hundred sticks of incense!"


    The woman was also a stubborn person, so she retracted her hand that was just about to knock on the door when she heard her husband''s words. She decided to have a good discussion with her husband, lest he identally say something wrong when they entered the young boy''s room in a moment. Otherwise, things would be even more difficult to resolve.


    Majestic World wasn''t the Sword Qi Great Wall where death and partings weremonce, after all, so it was a far more serious matter to hurt others with words in Stctite Mountain and beyond. This was especially the case with careless remarks.


    Her husband was a crude person who didn''t like to think about these things. As a woman, however, how could she ignore these things altogether?


    The man hurriedly apologized and said, "Alright, alright, alright, I''ll listen to you for everything."


    The woman shot a vicious re at her husband, and thetter said in a begrudging voice, "I truly know I''m wrong, okay?"


    Only then did the woman lightly knock on the door and ask in a gentle voice, "Chen Ping''an?"


    Inside the room, Chen Ping''an immediately started to pace around in extreme nervousness. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and he immediately replied, "Please give me a moment. I''ll be over there straight away."


    The young boy opened the door after a short while.


    He had changed into brand new clothes, and he was now wearing the golden Dao robe that would appear like a snow-white robe to cultivators under the level of earth immortal.


    He had finally removed his straw sandals as well, changing them for a pair of brand-new boots that were also white.


    Lasting Qi, the sword that had been on his back just then, was already resting on the table. His Sword Nurturing Gourd, Jiang Hu, was no longer tied to his waist. It wasn''t on the table either, and the young boy had surprisingly hidden it away.


    The woman and the man exchanged a smile.


    By the looks of it, the young boy had guessed their true identity.


    After the couple entered the room, Chen Ping''an gently closed the door and asked, "Do you want some tea?"


    The woman sat down and shook her head with a smile. She then pointed at a chair and said, "Chen Ping''an, why don''t you take a seat as well? When we were in the Sword Reverence Pagoda before, we had no option but to conceal our true appearance. After all, Stctite Mountain isn''t the Sword Qi Great Wall. This ce has its own rules, so I hope you can understand."


    Chen Ping''an sat upright on the seat opposite the couple, with his fists tightly clenched and ced on his knees. He nodded in earnest.


    The man shot a sideways nce at the extremely reserved young boy, and he became angrier and angrier the more that he looked. This young boy was so timid and rigid, so how could he possibly be worthy of his darling daughter?


    However, the man''s foot was immediately attacked by a vicious stomp from his wife. In the end, he could only look down and hand everything to his wife.


    After the woman removed her illusion technique, the man also did the same. The couple finally revealed their true appearance.


    The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, and the man was incredibly handsome.


    Perhaps this was the true embodiment of an immortal couple.


    Perhaps this was the reason why their daughter was so stunningly beautiful.


    The woman seemingly went an extra step to introduce herself, saying, "You should already know that I''m Ning Yao''s mother and he''s Ning Yao''s father. The two of us were killed in battle to the south of the Sword Qi Great Wall long ago, but our remnant souls were gathered and retained by the old great sword immortal.


    "Even though this stands in contradiction with the customs of the Sword Qi Great Wall, there seems to be no need for dead people to worry about these things anymore. After fighting for so long, it doesn''t seem excessive to ''live'' for ourselves after being killed. After all, Ning Yao was still little at the time..."


    The woman couldn''t bring herself to continue after saying this.


    Thus, her husband could only take over and continue, "When Ning Yao returned from her first trip to the outside world, we immediately knew that there was a problem..."


    The woman coughed quietly.


    The man could only correct himself and say, "We knew about you. At the time, our daughter was still yet to understand her thoughts and make up her mind. After hearing that you would help deliver the sword to Stctite Mountain, however, she would always wait for you whether she was busy or not."


    During those times, Ning Yao had always sat on that Dragon ying tform by herself.


    The man had felt incredibly pained whenever he saw this.


    He hesitated for a moment, and his expression couldn''t be considered genial at all. "Will you truly not let Ning Yao down? You should know that Ning Yao is very different from ordinary girls. She''s different in every sense."


    Even though Chen Ping''an was sweating in nervousness and tension, he still had a serious expression as he replied, "I''ve thought about this before. In the worst-case scenario, Ning Yao will regret her decision in the future and fall in love with someone else. If that person treats her better than I do, then I won''t look for her anymore.


    "However, if Ning Yao continues to like me, then I''ll also work hard and strive to be different the next time I meet her. It won''t be like this time, where I''m nothing more than a burden for her. No matter if she''s in the city to the north, on the parapet of the Sword Qi Great Wall, or on the battlefield further south, I''ll definitely be by her side. I''ll do everything in my ability to protect her."


    Chen Ping''an''s sweat was clouding his vision. He hurriedly wiped his eyes and forehead and continued, "During times of peace when there are no battles, perhaps I''ll feel like she''s perfect when we''re together because I like her so much. However, when we live together in the future, I have to learn to ept her shorings as well. I understand this principle.


    "When I was very little, my mom and dad would also argue at times. However, they would never argue in front of me. After having an argument, my dad would sulk in the courtyard by himself. However, my parents would be good with each other again the very next day.


    "Even though I''ve always felt like my parents are the best people in the world, how can there be people who are truly good in all senses in the world? This definitely can''t be the case. However, I''ll do my best to understand what''s right and what''s wrong, what''s good and what''s bad. And then I''ll leave the very best for Ning Yao."


    There was a dazed expression on the man''s face.


    <em>Kid, you''ve already said everything, so what else can I say? Also, just how old are you, Chen Ping''an? How do you understand these principles as well?</em>


    The woman used the back of her hand to wipe her eyes. She then smiled warmly and said in a gentle voice, "Chen Ping''an, you endured a lot of pain and hardships during your childhood, am I right?"


    Chen Ping''an hesitated briefly before eventually nodding in silence.


    However, after holding back for a long time, Chen Ping''an''s face scrunched up and the corners of his mouth turned downward. His voice quivered as he said, "I was almost pained to death when Mother passed away. I was too young back then, so there were far too few things I could do. I did all I could, but in the end, Mother still left me."


    Going into the mountains to collect medicinal ingredients, pawning off things in the house, cooking rice and making dishes, collecting water from the well, brewing medicine, secretly going to the immortal tomb to pray, cing wild berries in his bamboo basket, fixing his mother''s nkette at night and asking her if she was feeling better...


    <em>It didn''t help. None of this helped.</em>


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything else.


    That was the concluding remark to evaluate himself: he was too young, so he could do far too little.


    The woman lowered her head and raised a hand to her eyes again.


    The man heaved a soft sigh.


    Just how many pains and hardships were there in the world? Was there anything strange about this? Which child who had gone through a rough and challenging childhoodcked these things?


    Beyond this, however, there was also the consideration of how one endured pains and hardships.


    Everyone knew about the hardships of life; everyone knew it was inevitable. But even with that in mind, how did they handle these hardships?


    The woman exhaled softly and looked up, squeezing out a smile as she said, "Chen Ping''an, we''ll leave Ning Yao to you in the future. If she does anything wrong, as a man, you should definitely be more tolerant."


    "Are the two of you going to leave now? What''s Ning Yao going to do after you leave?" Chen Ping''an asked in a quivering voice.


    The woman stood up and smiled faintly, replying, "Ning Yao knows about this. She knows about everything. So, you don''t need to worry about this. I''m not praising Ning Yao simply because I''m her mother. Rather, I believe that the girl that Chen Ping''an likes has to be a very good person."


    Chen Ping''an could only nod.


    The woman looked at the man who had stood up alongside her. "There''s something you want to say?" she asked.


    The man nodded in reply.


    "Then I''ll wait for you outside?" the woman asked in a considerate manner.


    "Mhm," the man replied.


    The woman left the room and stood in the corner of the hallway.


    The man looked at the young boy and called in a solemn voice, "Chen Ping''an!"


    He had been indifferent toward Chen Ping''an the entire time, but now, he suddenly started tough. He made his way around the table and extended arge palm, solidly patting the young boy''s shoulder before retracting his hand and taking a single step back. His hand was still raised, and his palm was facing Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an faltered for a moment before hurriedly raising a hand and high-fiving the man.


    The man firmly grabbed the young boy''s hand and asked, "Chen Ping''an, I''ll hand my daughter, Ning Yao, to you in the future! Can you look after her?"


    "Even if I die!" Chen Ping''an replied loudly, choking back sobs.


    The man released his grip and chuckled, "What do you mean even if you die? The two of you need to live on well!"


    He looked Chen Ping''an up and down and said in satisfaction, "Mhm, you''re worthy of my daughter."


    He then turned around and strode out. Chen Ping''an wanted to see him off, yet the man had already raised a hand and gestured that the young boy didn''t need to follow him.


    The man didn''t turn around as he slowly walked toward the door. "The next time you go to the Sword Qi Great Wall, ask Ning Yao to bring you to our graves. You can offer us wine and let us know that you''re safe," he chuckled.


    After striding out of the door, the man suddenly turned around and said with a smile, "What''s wrong with drinking wine? Why hide your wine gourd? The most carefree sword immortals in the world all like to drink wine."


    The man extended a fist and raised a thumb, pointing at himself and saying, "For example, me, your father-inw!"


    Chen Ping''an remained standing in the same spot for a long time.


    ��������


    Today, a Treasure Swallowing Whale was going to set off from the ferry station near the Incense Offering Tower and head to Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Before heading to the ferry station, Chen Ping''an first went to the za at the foot of Lone Peak. However, he didn''t have a jade tablet that would allow him to enter the Sword Qi Great Wall, so he could only stand outside the railings and nce at thatrge gate. His lips moved slightly, and it was as if he were talking to himself.


    The sword-hugging middle-aged man on the hitching post was still dozing off even though it was morning. However, he murmured to himself and said another three words. Compared to this first time, however, he simply changed the word "approaching" to the word "leaving."


    When Chen Ping��an had first approached this gate, he had remarked, "Sword qi approaching."


    Now that Chen Ping��an was leaving Stctite Mountain, he remarked, "Sword qi leaving."


    Today, Chen Ping��an was dressed in a snow-white robe with a long sword strapped to his back and a Sword Nurturing Gourd tied to his waist. He appeared extremely graceful and outstanding.


    A young boy who was free of depraved thoughts was the most moving thing in the world.

 Chapter 283: (1): Rising Incense Smoke

    Chapter 283: (1): Rising Incense Smoke


    Over in Old Dragon City...


    A storm was brewing.


    This was especially the case for the Ding n, one of thergest ns in the city. It was as if they were facing a formidable enemy.


    This was because a useless descendant from the Ding n had seemingly killed a young mortal girl in the city.


    Generally speaking, these kinds of matters wouldn''t cause a single ripple. This wasn''t to say that one should fully embrace evil if they had done something bad, going as far as to kill others and eliminate all witnesses. Rather, this was because the Ding n was extremely wealthy and also willing to spend its wealth. If a problem could be solved with money, then it wouldn''t be a problem at all, regardless of howrge or small the matter was.


    However, the problem was that the murdered girl had some rtionship with Dust Medicinal Shop, a shop owned by the Fan n. More importantly, someone was truly taking this minor rtionship seriously and asking for an exnation.


    This person was a highly esteemed guest of the Fan n.


    Recently, the Hou n and the Fang n who had enjoyed close rtionships with the Ding n for many generations frequently visited andmunicated with thetter.


    Meanwhile, the Old Dragon City''s Fu n, which had just be linked to the Cloud Forest Jiang n through marriage, was extremely busy weing and farewelling guests. Thus, they had no time to deal with these useless matters.As for the Sun n led by the young Sun Jiashu, they stood on the sidelines and were most likely nning to watch the fire from far away.


    In the Sun n''s ancestral residence, Sun Jiashu had just received a secret letter.


    Today, the cultivator from Parasol Leaf Sect who had helped the Ding n recover from the brink of copse back then returned to Old Dragon City with that woman from the Ding n. Because he had a respected standing in Parasol Leaf Sect, there was even a Nascent Tier earth immortal among his subordinates. Moreover, he was also an earth immortal himself.


    Thus, almost everyone felt like the conclusion was already foregone.


    Nowadays, Sun Jiashu had developed a fondness for fishing. He liked to fish in the location where the young boy from the Great Li Empire had fished before. If there weren''t any pressing n matters for him to deal with, Sun Jiashu would always find some time out of his busy schedule toe here and sit for a while.


    He was slightly hesitant, not knowing whether he should take a gamble or not regarding this matter. If he took a gamble, then howrge should his wager be?


    Sun Jiashu had recentlye across a powerful being who came and went without a trace. This person had only said a single sentence, yet he had allowed Sun Jiashu to remove the slight blemish from his mind''s realm. Not only that, but Sun Jiashu was even able to improve his mind''s realm further.


    That person had smiled and asked, "Sun Jiashu, how did you decide that you were wrong?"


    This sentence had been like a Buddhist wake-up call.


    However, only those with roots of wisdom and enough knowledge could awaken after hearing these wake-up calls. Otherwise, even hundreds upon thousands of wake-up calls would be useless.


    Sun Jiashu put his fishing rod away and poured all of the fish in the fish basket back into the river.


    Sun Jiashu ultimately decided against taking a gamble this time.


    ��������


    Further above the sea of clouds thaty above Old Dragon City, there was a woman wearing a green dress nimbly jumping around and ying hopscotch. When shended, sshes of mist and clouds would jump into the air. Sometimes, she tossed around a fist-sized colored ze orb.


    In the end, she aimed at somece in the sea of clouds and flew over in a sh. With her arms tightly against her body and her hands tightly against her thighs, she put her legs together and plummeted directly downward toward somece in Old Dragon City.


    She was like a green scallion falling from the sky...


    Her speed was incredible, yet she stopped herself the exact moment before she hit the ground,nding in a slow and graceful manner.


    She was in the backyard of the Dust Medicinal Shop. Shopkeeper Zheng Dafeng was smoking on the steps.


    "What are you up to?" Fan Junmao asked.


    It was difficult to make out Zheng Dafeng''s appearance and expression through the wafting smoke, and she could only hear him reply slowly, "Those who owe money need to pay money, and those who owe lives need to pay with their lives. I''m not the same as Li Er. He only looks for the old ones, while I look for both the young ones and the old ones."


    There was an amused look in Fan Junmao''s eyes as she looked at the man who always used to joke andugh.


    Dogs couldn''t change their habit of eating shit.


    So many years had already passed, yet his personality was still the same as always. He was never serious, and it was as if he were always saving his seriousness for that one particr time.


    In some ce extremely far away, there were once four heavenly gates. Three of the divine generals guarding them had abandoned their positions for one reason or another, stepping aside and creating a path for the unstoppable rebel army. Only the divine general in the south, the one viewed as the most cowardly and goofy by everyone, had refused to step aside. He had refused to do so even in the face of death.


    Of course, the consequence of not stepping aside in the face of death was...naturally, death.


    Someone had impaled him to death on therge pir of the heavenly gate with a single sword strike.


    Everyone found this inexplicable, regardless of whether they were friend or foe. People were genuinely unable to find any reason to exin why the divine general had stubbornly sought death.


    Fan Junmao sighed in her mind. She truly didn''t want to know either, yet it was a shame that she knew exactly why this was.


    ��������


    Sage Ruan Qiong had officially founded a sect in therge mountain to the west already. Right now, he only had three official disciples.


    The cksmith sword shop beside the Dragon Whisker River was still open as normal. It didn''t shut down, and Ruan Qiong tasked a young girl, one of his opening disciples, with looking after the ce. She was missing the thumb of her sword-wielding hand, so she went from hanging her sword on her left hip to hanging it on her right hip. She also started to wield her sword using her left hand.


    When Ruan Qiong''s only child, Xiuxiu, had moved to Divine Elegance Mountain, it was said that she had brought a cage of chickens with her. She had held it in her hands just like that, causing many immortals to involuntarily look over. They had mistakenly thought that the chickens were some kind of extraordinary spirit beasts.


    Afterward, some Qi refiners who had visited Divine Elegance Mountain after the fact all wanted tough when they mentioned this matter. As it turned out, the coop of old hens and young chicks had indeed been nothing more than normal, mortal chickens.


    Thereupon, some immortal sects from the surrounding mountains felt like this was a case of Ruan Xiu maintaining her childlike innocence. In other words, preserving a genuine Dao Heart.


    They were fully serious about this. Thus, some young cultivators who had just moved into the brand-new immortal residences also started to contemte the deeper meaning behind this. They felt like there was profound knowledge to be uncovered.


    As expected of Xiuxiu. As expected of a prodigious cultivator whom Wind Snow Temple had ced high hopes on.


    Sure enough, everything she did carried with it a sense of mysticality. Sure enough, her actions all aligned with the Great Dao.


    Long Eyebrows, the young boy with the surname Xie, had found this quite interesting. Thus, he had mentioned it to Sister Xiuxiu as a joke. Ruan Xiu had been sitting on a small emerald-green bamboo chair at the time, and she had been looking at the arrogant old hen leading a brood of small chicks around and pecking at grains on the ground. She had simply replied, "Is that so?" and said nothing more.


    Long Eyebrows, a young boy blessed with good fortune and fate, had furrowed his brow while looking at the absent-minded young girl. However, this expression had made his eyebrows appear even longer.


    Ruan Qiong was a cultivator at the Unpolished Jade Tier. He also had Wind Snow Temple as his backer, and his ability to forge swords had made him even more friends. Thus, he was able to use the title of sect for his new force. He called it Dragon Spring Sword Sect.


    In reality, Ruan Qiong had initially wanted to name his force "Sword Sect." This name was extremely imposing, and it could stand tall in the world. Firstly, however, a Sword Sect had already existed in Middle Earth Divine Continent since long ago. Thus, naming his force "Sword Sect" would have gone against the rules established by the Confucian sages.


    Secondly, some good friends of Ruan Qiong''s had privately persuaded him against doing this while visiting to congratte him. Founding a sect in the Great Li Empire was already a significant move. Indeed, tall trees would naturally catch more wind. With this in mind, it was best not to be too forceful when it came to naming his force.


    Even though Ruan Qiong eventually settled on Dragon Spring Sword Sect, he still felt like something was a little off in his mind. When he entered and exited the mountain, he disliked doing so from the archway where the name of his sect was hanging. Thus, he asked the imperial court of the Great Li Empire to open a small side path for him, relying on thebor of the Lu n convicts. This led to many discussions and debates, with many people feeling like this was a bad omen. After all, didn''t this signify abandoning the Great Dao for a heretical path?


    However, Ruan Xiu and the three opening disciples all understood the reason behind this.


    Ruan Qiong had left the four of them with these words: "Whoever can rightfully remove the characters ''Dragon Spring'' from the signboard will be the next sect leader."


    Right now, the attention on Dragon Spring Sword Sect was unrivaled in the Great Li Empire.


    Apart from the mountains that the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n had gifted Ruan Qiong, as well as the main mountain of his sect, Divine Elegance Mountain, there were also the three surrounding mountains that Chen Ping''an was loaning to him for 300 years �� Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and Immortal Herb Mountain. These mountains were part of Dragon Spring Sword Sect''s territory as well.


    This was a good deal.


    When it came to other people, they might not be able to find the temple even if they brought pig heads to offer. After finding the temple, it would be another difficult task to truly seed in offering incense.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an �� someone whose cultivation base was barely worth a mention yet was argendlord in Dragon Spring Prefecture �� had truly struck gold with the deal.


    Not only that, but Wei Bo, the newly appointed formal god of Northern Mountain, had once brought Chen Ping''an around the different mountains in the surrounding area as well. This was another dazzling golden shield for the young boy.


    ording to rumors, his young schrly attendant and maidservant in Downtrodden Mountain also had Peace and Safety Tablets hanging from their waists now. These were tablets that the Great Li Empire only awarded to Qi refiners with great merit. This was another shield.


    With these three shields, the extremely fortunate Chen Ping''an could even walk backward in Dragon Spring Prefecture, to say nothing of walking sideways[1].


    However, it was a shame that the young boy had vanished at some point. It was said that he had left on a long journey.


    He was most likely someone who didn''t understand how to enjoy fortune.


    One side of Divine Elegance Mountain was arge cliff, one which was extremely steep and with no foothold.


    There was an ancient engraving of four characters that read "Heaven Creates Divine Elegance." After Ruan Qiong founded his sect, Qi refiners would soar through the sky ande here almost every day to admire the elegance of the four characters. They felt like Ruan Qiong''s choice of Divine Elegance Mountain as the main mountain of his sect was perhaps a profoundly mystical one that pertained to the divine will of the heavens.


    However, Ruan Xiu never went to the steep cliff to join in on themotion. She had seemingly never gone there a single time.


    Ruan Xiu, who wasn''t fond of moving, had seemingly grown a little taller and chubbier. Her chin was slightly rounder than before.


    Ruan Qiong felt like this was quite good.


    In reality, fathers in the world probably felt like their daughters were quite good no matter what.


    Ruan Xiu would asionally go to the pavilion located on the peak of Divine Elegance Mountain. She would pick a sunny day to stand there and gaze into the distance, looking at those winding streams that eventually converged into the Dragon Whisker River and then the turbulent Iron Talisman River.


    Ruan Xiu wasn''t fond of looking at these streams and rivers. Quite the opposite, in fact, and she felt like they were a massive eyesore.


    River guardians, river gods, rain gods, cloud guardians, and so on... Ever since a young age, she had disliked these many deities who were rted to water. She would feel irritated whenever she heard these titles.


    She wanted to deal with them the same way she dealt with sword des that were fresh out of the furnace �� she wanted to smash them with a hammer and end them once and for all.


    Today, Ruan Xiu was yawning as shezily rested her arms and head on the railings.


    The soft and choppy sound of footsteps traveled over from beyond the pavilion. Ruan Xiu turned around, and she saw four people in Confucian robes walking over from a distance.


    Ruan Xiu nced at them, and she was able to recognize all of them. There was Prefectural Overseer Wu Yuan, a young man who was climbing the official ranks fairly quickly. He was the prized disciple of the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan.


    There was someone with the surname Cao, the current kiln supervision official. There was also someone with the surname Yuan. In fact, the surnames Cao and Yuan both belonged to ns of pir generals. The individuals honored in the Wenchang pavilion and the martial sage temple constructed in the mountain of porcin and the immortal tomb were none other than the old ancestors of these two officials.


    The final person was an assistant mountain master from Cloud Drape Mountain''s Forest Deer Academy. His pseudonym was Cheng Shuidong, and he had once been the assistant minister of Yellow Court Nation. In reality, he was not a human, but an old flood dragon.


    Ruan Xiu stood up and walked out of the pavilion. She offered the best spot for enjoying the scenery to the four people in Confucian robes.


    The four people exchanged a smile, yet none of them acted too obsequiously toward the young girl. After all, Ruan Xiu was a girl by herself right now, so it wouldn''t be appropriate for them to act too familiar with her.


    If it were some other Qi refiner, they would definitely thank Ruan Xiu at the very least. They might also announce their name and use this opportunity to make acquaintance with the young girl.


    The four people had agreed toe here together to y Go. Wu Yuan wanted to y against Mountain Master Cheng. Wu Yuan''s master, Cui Chan, was the undisputed number one Go master in the Great Li Empire. While studying under Cui Chan''s tutge, Wu Yuan''s Go skills had advanced in leaps and bounds. Because of this, he was also a renowned Go master in the capital of the empire. Meanwhile, Kiln Supervisor Cao and the person with the surname Yuan were simply here to spectate the game.


    The ancestors of the Cao n and the Yuan n were good friends who had been the twin jade pendants of the Great Li Empire. Several hundred yearster, however, the rtionship between the two ns was like the rtionship between fire and water. Even though Kiln Supervisor Cao and the person with the surname Yuan were sitting opposite each other, they almost never made any eye contact with each other.


    Now that Great Sui Nation and the Great Li Empire had be allies, with the two parties signing pacts on the Great Li Empire''s Cloud Drape Mountain and Great Sui Nation''s East Mountain, it could be said that the Great Li Empire was dominant in the entire northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Including Yellow Court Nation, several vassal states of Great Sui Nation started to change their allegiance to the Great Li Empire, paying tributes to thetter instead of the former. Of course, there were also some slight bumps along the way, as many powerful ns felt like this was an act of treachery.


    Thus, the iron hooves of the Great Li Empire''s warhorses started to thunder across thend. When the sound of galloping subsided, the heads of many high-ranking officials and renowned individuals had fallen to the ground.


    The entire Great Sui Nation was caught in an eerie and subdued atmosphere, from the imperial court to the local governments, and from the mountains to the cultivation world.


    The mighty Great Sui Nation, a powerful nation that was the inheritor of the schrly lineage, shockingly surrendered without a fight! They ceded territory to seek peace!


    A renowned schr fell drunk, climbed a mountain andposing a poem. Before throwing himself off a cliff tomit suicide, he left behind thesest words: "Since the founding of Great Sui Nation by the Gao n, when have we schrs suffered such humiliation as today? Only through death can we prove our loyalty and innocence."


    A Go master from Great Sui Nation who was renowned throughout half of the continent used his favorite Go table as firewood, burning it to ashes.


    One after another, many officials resigned from their positions in the capital of the Great Sui Nation. From high-ranking officials in the Six Ministries to low-ranking external officials, more than a hundred people resigned from their jobs. It was rumored that the government offices of the Six Ministries in the capital were now half vacant.


    With little concern for all these things, the warhorses of the Great Li Empire were now starting to march south.


    Chaos was already taking root in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Over at the pavilion, the crisp sound of stone piecesnding on the Go table asionally traveled over.


    Ruan Xiu arrived under an old pine tree next to the cliff. While walking here, she had picked up stones from the ground and lightly tossed them down the cliff.


    Clouds and mist slowly rolled by like the water ofrge rivers. Heaven and earth were vast and blurry.


    The young girl suddenly threw away the remaining stones in her hand.


    <em>I need to help father forge iron today! This is not good...I''m already sote, so I definitely won''t get stewed pork with dried bamboo shoots to eat tonight...</em>


    1. Being able to walk sideways refers to being able to do anything one wants. ?

 Chapter 284: Please Conduct Yourself With Dignity, Young Miss

    Chapter 284: Please Conduct Yourself With Dignity, Young Miss


    Before boarding the Treasure Swallowing Whale that was headed for Parasol Leaf Continent, Chen Ping''an purposely went to the market next to the Incense Offering Tower. He bought a tube of incense that contained eighty-one sticks of Three Pure Incense, a specialty product of Stctite Mountain.


    This incense gave off a refreshing fragrance, and it was a premium product whether one used it to pay respects to deities or to calm one''s mind. However, it was quite dear,manding a price of one lesser heat coin per tube, a full hundred snowke coins.


    Why had Chen Ping''an spent such an exorbitant amount of money on some incense? This was because he had recalled the mountain god temple in his Downtrodden Mountain back at home. If friends visited in the future, he could give them these sticks of incense to offer. After all, it would be a beautiful thing if his friends could pay their sincere respects and the mountain god could enjoy premium incense.


    Apart from this tube of incense from the market next to the Incense Offering Tower, as well as the two treasures that he had spent a huge amount of money to purchase from Ganoderma Inn, Chen Ping''an also bought a copy of the <em>Sword Immortal Picture Scrolls</em>, with his set of paintings beingposed by a masterful painter from Southern Whirl Continent.


    There were five scrolls in total, with each being veryrge and long. There were twenty sword immortals illustrated on each of the five scrolls, and each was only but an inch tall. However, they all appeared extremely lively and ethereal.


    Of course, the <em>Sword Immortal Picture Scrolls</em> that Chen Ping''an purchased was only a copy. The original picture scrolls were illustrated by a grandmaster painter after he witnessed a battle on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Afterward, countless people created copies of his work.


    There were far too many sword immortals honored in the Sword Reverence Pagoda, so the "Rock Channel" copy of the <em>Sword Immortal Picture Scrolls</em> that Chen Ping''an purchased only contained a hundred sword immortals chosen ording to the whims of the painter.


    There were several other copies in the store, with the "Rock Channel" version being the most expensive among the options. After carefullyparing them, Chen Ping''an had discovered that the sword immortals illustrated in the "Rock Channel" version resonated with him the most. Thus, he had gritted his teeth and bought this version.


    This had genuinely been a notable expense. The set of picture scrolls had cost him a whopping fifty lesser heat coins.It was unknown whether the beaming shopkeeper was happy abouting across an easily deceived customer or genuinely appreciative of Chen Ping''an''s impressive judgment skills. In any case, he told the young boy many interesting and peculiar stories rted to the <em>Sword Immortal Picture Scrolls</em>. He said that several sword immortals had coincidentallye across damaged portions of the original paintings in the past, and this had allowed them toprehend the true intent of the sword immortals illustrated in the paintings. These sword immortals then advanced in leaps and bounds, eventually bing terrestrial sword immortals who were greatly renowned throughout the world.


    Chen Ping''an nned to give this set of <em>Sword Immortal Picture Scrolls</em> to Sage Ruan Qiong as a congrattory present in the future. When Chen Ping''an had left his hometown, Dragon Spring Prefecture, back then, Master Ruan had still yet to carry out his sect-founding ceremony. However, he had most likely carried it out by now.


    To Ruan Qiong, fifty lesser heat coins was definitely a measly sum that wasn''t worth a mention. However, this was at least something purchased from Stctite Mountain and brought back to the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture. With a distance of thousands of mountains and rivers between the two ces, it was ultimately the thought that counted rather than the present itself.


    People say that "clothes make the man."


    As Chen Ping''an walked toward the Incense Offering Dock, several female immortals in their prime surprisingly shot a few nces at him, the type where they came back for seconds and thirds, and not the type where they lost their interest after a single nce.


    Compared to his trip to Stctite Mountain to deliver the sword to Ning Yao, Chen Ping''an was more concerned about his imminent trip to Parasol Leaf Continent to search for the old Daoist priest. After confirming that the young female immortals weren''t harboring any ill intentions, Chen Ping''an pushed them out of his mind and paid them no more heed.


    The Incense Offering Dock wasrger than the Catch and Release Dock, yet Chen Ping''an didn''t see the Treasure Swallowing Whale that was guaranteed to be colossal in size.


    Standing there with the boarding jade pendant tied to his waist, Chen Ping''an saw a Mountain and Sea Turtle that had courtyards and pagodas on its back, as well as a gigantic carriage drawn by an Azure Phoenix and a Celestial Crane. There was also something that the <em>Mountain and Sea Chronicle</em> described as unique to Circling Ascension Continent, a small mountain peak filled with lush green foliage.


    However, it was unknown whether this mountain was a "Flying Over Mountain" or "Flying Away Peak." It was said that the mountain roots formed by the umtion of spiritual energy in these mountains were extremely nutritious to flood dragons. When ancient flood dragons entered rivers to transform into dragons in the past, they would pick a suitable river leading to the sea before asking someone to bring "Flying Over Mountains" and "Flying Away Peaks" over to toss into the river. This would allow them to replenish their energy in a timely manner and prevent them from bing exhausted and draining all of their Qi and blood.


    Chen Ping''an had only just started to learn the official dialect of Middle Earth Divine Continent, so he was destined to be unintelligible when he tried to ask for directions. If others couldn''t understand him, he would have no option but to take out a bamboo slip and carve out his questions.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an found a few passengers who had jade pendants of the same style hanging by their waist. Thus, he silently followed them for a while, and it wasn''t long before they arrived at somece that was bustling with people. Chen Ping''an breathed a sigh of relief.


    However, someone suddenly tapped his left shoulder lightly, yet Chen Ping''an directly turned his head toward the right, only to see a familiar face. Seeing that Chen Ping''an didn''t fall for their trick, the person lost interest and said in azy voice, "What, are you also heading to nchette Writing Sect in Parasol Leaf Continent? Is this a huge coincidence? You''re not coveting something of mine, are you? Perhaps you''re coveting my beauty?"


    <em>The guilty person is making usations first?</em>


    Chen Ping''an had a neutral impression of this person.


    It was someone with a pearl hairpin, a pink dress, and a colorful ribbon around the waist. A very beautiful... young man.


    If their encounter on Osmanthus Ind traveling from Old Dragon City to Stctite Mountain could be put down to fate, then it was incredibly likely that ulterior motives existed now that they were on the same intercontinental ship from Stctite Mountain to nchette Writing Sect.


    The young man with the surname Lu �� someone who was previously beaten out of the Incense Offering Tower by the young Daoist priest guarding the door �� clearly noticed the alertness in Chen Ping''an''s eyes. He patted his boarding jade pendant for the Treasure Swallowing Whale and chuckled, "Just as you suspect, I am going to nchette Writing Sect after I waited for someone for a long time. Indeed, I''ve been waiting for you."


    <em>What kind of admission is this?</em>


    Chen Ping''an was slightly perplexed, yet he decided that he would definitely keep a respectful distance from this person.


    Not only was this young man as beautiful as a woman, but his voice was also crisp and pleasant to the ear. It was extremely difficult to discern whether he was male or female. When they had "coincidentally" visited the Catch and Release Pavilion together before, this person''s speech and actions had reflected his personality as a lively and unconventional person.


    Even though Chen Ping''an had nothing against this person''s strange attire, curious personality, and peculiar hobbies, he still wished that this person wouldn''t introduce disturbances to his very ordinary and peaceful life.


    The young man sped his hands behind his back, interweaving his fingers and tilting his chin slightly upward as squinted his eyes and gazed at Chen Ping''an in a gentle and feminine manner. He appeared even more delicate than a woman as he said in a gentle voice, "I''ve already told you the truth, regardless of whether you believe me or not. As for me? My name is Lu Tai, Lu as innd and Tai as in tform[1]. I''m a descendant of Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Lu n, but I''m not especially liked by the members of my n. Because of this, I ran away to travel around the world by myself.


    "I''ve traveled to five of the nine continents in Majestic World, and I initially didn''t n to go to the Parasol Leaf Continent. However, I''m quite strapped for money at the moment, so I wanted to look for a good person whom I could get free food and free shelter from, yet wouldn''t covet my beauty. I feel like that person is you. In any case, I already owe you a grain rain coin, so I don''t mind owing you another one. By the time we arrive at Parasol Leaf Continent, I might have already encountered some huge fortune and repaid this debt. At the same time, I might have also made enough money to return home."


    From Chen Ping''an''s expressionless face, it was clear that the young boy waspletely unwilling to believe his interlocutor''s exnation.


    Lu Tai sighed and said, "Alright, I''ll tell you the truth. I''m from the School of Naturalists, and I''m skilled at divination and fortune-telling. However, I''m genuinely strapped for money, although it''s a lie that I can''t make any money. Even so, I already owe you a grain rain coin, and I also performed a divination for myself not long ago. The oue was this: travel east on the treasure swallower, noble in Parasol Leaf Continent, upper-upper fortune.


    "This result is very simple to understand. However, in order to guard against any idents, I still stayed here for twenty entire days. This is why I said that I was waiting for someone. In the end, I came to a realization when I saw you arrive. My old ancestor is guiding and guarding me on this trip to Parasol Leaf Continent, and I''ll suffer retribution from the heavens if I dare to not go."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t hurl insults, nor did he show any signs of impatience. Instead, he seemed amiable and open to discussion as he asked, "Young Master Lu, I naturally won''t stop you if you''re traveling to Parasol Leaf Continent based on your upper-upper fortune. It''s not like I can stop you either. However, can the two of us each go our own ways? If you are in dire need of money, I''m happy to lend you some more lesser heat coins��"


    Lu Tai suddenly cut Chen Ping''an off and said in an innately seductive voice, "What do you mean Young Master Lu? To avoid someplications and issues, you can just refer to me as Miss Lu. Otherwise, people will look at me in very strange ways."


    Chen Ping''an could feel his head bing slightly numb.


    <em>If you''re worried about other people looking at you in strange ways and judging you, then why aren''t you worried about me looking at you in strange ways and judging you?</em>


    Lu Tai surprisingly started to pout and act cute, saying, "Pretty please, Chen Ping''an? Can you please bring me along with you? I can swear to the heavens that I don''t harbor any ill intentions toward you. Otherwise, I''ll be punished by the heavens, and I''ll be thrown into ake of lightning. I''ll also be suppressed under Tassel Mountain, and I''ll be imprisoned in the furnace in the dragon pce deep under the sea. I''ll be exiled to some deste mystical realm where there exists no person for tens of thousands of kilometers..."


    As Lu Tai uttered this nonsense, he even extended a hand that was even paler and more slender than that of a woman and tried to grab Chen Ping''an''s arm.


    Chen Ping''an got goosebumps all over his body, and he no longer cared about whether he was polite as he pped Lu Tai''s hand away and said in a righteous and strict manner, "Young M... Miss Lu, please conduct yourself with dignity!"


    Lu Tai huffed and retracted his hand. Standing still, he bit his lips with a sulky look in his eyes. He looked to be on the verge of tears.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and left.


    However, Lu Tai followed him like a shadow, stopping when Chen Ping''an stopped and turning his head when Chen Ping''an turned his head. At some point in time, he even retrieved a small and exquisite copper mirror from some unknown ce. There was also a small container of makeup powder between his fingers. It was as if he were a beautiful woman applying makeup in her room.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was already rtively familiar with Lu Tai, he was stillpletely terrified by this image. His hairs stood on end. However, many male cultivators in the surroundings had a longing look in their eyes. In fact, some elderly and experienced cultivators at the Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier had fervent expressions in their eyes even though they saw through Lu Tai''s disguise and knew that he was a man.


    On the path of cultivation, and throughout their long lives, there would eventuallye a time when nothing was taboo.


    Lu Tai was like a pitiful young wife who had been abandoned. He didn''t dare toin to the heartless man, and he only dared to silently follow him from a distance, reluctant to leave.


    People in the surroundings looked at them with amused expressions.


    Chen Ping''an had never experienced this kind of repulsive approach before. He was filled with anger, yet he didn''t know how to deal with Lu Tai.


    People continued to vanish near the front of the ferry station, and only then did Chen Ping''an discover the boarding location for the Treasure Swallowing Whale. These were lengths of embroidery draped over the ground. When Chen Ping''an had purchased his boarding jade pendant back then, there had been three different options on offer: "Cloud on Peak," "Enchanting Garden," and "Emerald Lake."


    Chen Ping''an had gone with Emerald Lake, the medium-priced option. Looking at the three lengths of embroidery on the ground, Chen Ping''an saw that the scenery on each was distant. There was one with flowing mists and clouds amid which a lone mountain peak towered through, there was an emeraldke atop which residencesy like the starry sky, and there was a collection of courtyards and pagodas filled with colorful flowers in full bloom.


    Not far behind him, "Miss Lu" exined in a timid voice, "It''s not like people can board the Treasure Swallowing Whale from its mouth. This Treasure Swallowing Whale is veryrge, and it can be regarded as thergest one in Golden Armor Continent. There are four separate mystical realms inside this Treasure Swallowing Whale, with three of them transformed into residential areas for passengers.


    "Inparison, there''s only a single mystical realm inside the Treasure Swallowing Whale from Old Dragon City. It''s far inferior to this one. As for the three lengths of embroidery, these are actually extremely high-gradend-shortening talismans that can help passengers immediately travel to their relevant mystical realm."


    A look of realization spread across Chen Ping''an''s face.


    The all-epassing divine book <em>Mountain and Sea Chronicle</em> had detailed records regarding mystical realms. Because this pertained to blessednds, and since it was strongly rted to Jewel Small World as well, Chen Ping''an had been especially attentive when reading the relevant sections. In fact, he had especially looked for the young inn manager of Stork Inn and asked him about some things that weren''t recorded in the book.


    Those who were born and raised in Stctite Mountain were often very knowledgeable and spoke in a very confident manner regardless of their cultivation base and family situation. They talked about everything without fear, from sages to heavenly lords to earth immortals. In any case, the range and depth of their knowledge and experiences were indeed superior to any ce outside Stctite Mountain.


    The young inn manager was a taciturn person, yet he had chatted freely with Chen Ping''an in a rare disy. He had most likely treated Chen Ping''an as an esteemed guest.


    Many blessednds that naturally aged and crumbled or were destroyed by external factors would leave behind pieces of territory after they shattered. However, the locations of these territories were unknown, and thus they were aptly referred to as mystical realms. For instance, the wine shop that sold Forgetting Sorrow Wine in Stctite Mountain was the sole remaining mystical realm of Golden Millet Blessed Land.


    Oftentimes, the fated opportunities of cultivators would be intricately tied to mystical realms. Mystical realms could add icing to the cake and they could also deliver help in times of great need. It could be said that the existence of mystical realms, bothrge and small, instilled Qi refiners with a sense of ambition and yearning. Indeed, therge majority of vagrant cultivators and itinerant cultivators who managed to rise and achieve fame could attribute their sess to fated opportunities obtained from mystical realms.


    It was possible for cultivators to inadvertently wander into unupied mystical realms by chance. These mystical realms might be paradises filled with the essence of nts and life, or they might be vast expanses of destend filled with a miasma of poison. They might also be cave abodes left behind by sages after they passed away.


    If one were fortunate, they could obtain rare fated opportunities and ascend to the heavens in a single step. If one were unfortunate, however, then they might perhaps be trapped in the mystical realm forever, eventually dying of old age. Or perhaps they might face some perilous danger and be killed. In the end, their belongings would be nothing more than fated opportunities for those who stumbled upon the mystical realm in the future.


    Chen Ping''an was very keen to know whether Jewel Small World left any mystical realms in the world after crumbling and plummeting to the ground.


    He could ask Wei Bo when he returned home in the future.


    With these thoughts in mind, Chen Ping''an walked toward the length of embroidery that led toward the Emerald Lake inside the Treasure Swallowing Whale. Lu Tai sighed in grief and quickened his pace, calmly walking over and blocking Chen Ping''an''s path. He extended a hand and said, "I initially nned to go to the Emerald Lake as well. However, since you loathe me so much, I won''t be a thorn in your side anymore. I can change my residence, and I can pay some more money and ask someone to move me to that prestigious Enchanting Garden instead. Let''s part ways here. Chen Ping''an, you said you would lend me some lesser heat coins before. Does this offer still stand? Otherwise, I won''t be able to move to the Enchanting Garden..."


    Lu Tai was pouting and pitiful, and his appearance appeared strange no matter how Chen Ping''an looked at him.


    Chen Ping''an directly retrieved a handful of lesser heat coins, happy to lose money to avoid cmity. He walked over and hurriedly handed the money to Lu Tai.


    Chen Ping''an was willing to spend this money as long as this person didn''t disturb him anymore. He wanted to peacefully practice his fist techniques and sword techniques on the intercontinental ship.


    After epting the lesser heat coins, there was a deep sense of grievance in Lu Tai''s watery eyes as he dazedly stared at Chen Ping''an. In the end, he silently turned around and left, most likely looking for someone to help change his residence.


    When Chen Ping''an walked onto the strangend-shortening talisman, he saw a delighted Lu Tai winking at him from a distance. The feminine man raised his hand and waved the jade pendant that had the characters "Emerald Lake" engraved on it.


    As it turned out, Lu Tai was genuinely strapped for money. As a result, he had only been able to purchase a boarding jade pendant for the cheapest "Cloud on Peak" mystical realm in the beginning. Afterward, however, his colorful lies had convinced Chen Ping''an to give him a handful of lesser heat coins...


    Lu Tai''s footsteps were light and nimble as he walked toward the length of embroidered brocade rug that Chen Ping''an was on in a lively and mischievous manner. His expression was smug, and he appeared even more beautiful and charming than before.


    Before vanishing from the ferry station, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but curse that "youngdy" in his mind, eximing, <em>Fucking hell...</em>


    1. Lu Tai''s name is written ½̨. ?

 Chapter 285: (1): A Box of Makeup

    Chapter 285: (1): A Box of Makeup


    Chen Ping''an arrived on a tform in the middle of ake. He looked around at the vast and rippling surface of Emerald Lake, upon which wisps of mist were rising. There were a hundred or so pagodas floating above theke, with each connected to another via a series of small paths. Each pagoda was also provided with two or three small boats, allowing passengers to explore theke and enjoy the scenery.


    There were many tall and graceful young girls in green dresses, most of them around thirteen or fourteen years old. They were all very beautiful, and they were currently guiding passengers in the right direction.


    The pagoda that Chen Ping''an was staying in was called Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda. When purchasing the boarding jade pendant, the seller had suggested that Chen Ping''an consider allowing others to stay in this pagoda as well, especially since it was three storeys tall. That way, his boarding jade pendant would also be cheaper. After giving this some thought, however, Chen Ping''an had ultimately turned down the offer.


    The worker selling boarding jade pendants for Treasure Swallowing Whale hadn''t found this strange. After all, it was normal for cultivators to prefer living by themselves. However, if it were a vagrant cultivator, it was more likely that they would be willing to share a pagoda with others. This was because it was extremely difficult for them to earn money, and they had to carefully budget everything.


    Moreover, living with others might give them the opportunity to build rtionships and expand theirwork. When it came to cultivation, it wouldn''t be a bad thing to make new friends, even if the friendship was only shallow. After all, there mighte a time when fortunes changed and these rtionships transformed into significant fated opportunities.


    After a maidservant in green pointed Chen Ping''an in the right direction, he left the tall tform in the middle of Emerald Lake and slowly walked along a small path. From time to time, immortals would fly past above or beside him, with some traveling on swords and some traveling on the wind. After walking for a short while, a beautiful "young woman" held the hem of his dress and ran over in small steps, appearing extremely yful and innocent.


    Chen Ping''an was not the kind to fear trouble. From his time as an apprentice in the dragon kiln where he was given extremely difficult tasks and scolded to the time when he apanied Li Baoping, Li Huai, and the others to Mountain Cliff Academy in the capital of Great Sui Nation, he had always taken care of all matters regardless of how big or small they were.


    However, even though Chen Ping''an wasn''t afraid of this kind of trouble, he was indeed very afraid of another kind of trouble, a kind that was intangible and unpredictable. For example, this Naturalist called Lu Tai. Even though Chen Ping''an didn''t feel any instinctive apprehension toward him, and didn''t feel the kind of pressure and darkness that radiated from Fu Nanhua and Cui Chan, Chen Ping''an was still used to guaranteeing the safety of a matter before determining whether it was good or bad.


    In Stctite Mountain, how many people dreamed of stepping into the Ape Havoc Estate owned by the Liu n?However, after Chen Ping''an heard the passerby describe the Sword Reverence Pagoda as being located "near the Ape Havoc Estate," he had roughly understood the might and influence of the Liu n from Pure White Continent. Thus, the first thing he had done was to draw a clear line between himself and Liu Youzhou, although he had a good impression of the young boy. Deep down, Chen Ping''an was morefortable with living alone as he had done in Jewel Small World. He was already ustomed to living by himself.


    The young man who had introduced himself as Lu Tai, a descendant from the Lu n in Middle Earth Divine Continent, walked alongside Chen Ping''an. He turned around to nce at the side of Chen Ping''an''s face as he smiled beautifully and asked, "Are you angry? It''s not good for men to be so petty. You need to be more magnanimous. The more magnanimous one is, the more fortunate one will eventually be. The Confucians posit that noble people aren''t tools[1]. You should have heard of this before, right?"


    Chen Ping''an stopped and turned around to look at the strange person, asking, "Why are you following me around? What are you trying to achieve? If I remember right, your divination that yielded excellent fortune has got nothing to do with me��"


    "What do you mean it''s got nothing to do with you?" Lu Tai smiled with squinted eyes as he cut Chen Ping''an off. "I used the grain rain coin that you gave me to perform the divination. In other words, it''s got <em>everything</em> to do with you. You''re the crux of the Go board that contains this fated opportunity��"


    It was Chen Ping''an''s turn to cut Lu Tai off, and he stressed, "I didn''t give you the grain rain coin. I only lent it to you."


    Lu Tai furrowed his drawn eyebrows even more slender than those of women. He pondered carefully for a moment before asking in a gentle voice, "Talking about money all the time is bad for rtionships. Why don''t we make a deal? I''ll give you an immortal treasure that I''m fond of in exchange for some more grain rain coins?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No thanks. You can keep your debt."


    "Why are you so afraid of me? Why do you treat me like a fearsome beast?" Lu Tai asked in an upset voice. "Just think about it. How beautiful is it toe across a fated friend on the path of cultivation and travel around the world together, enjoying all the mountains and rivers together?"


    Chen Ping''an could feel a headache forming.


    As it turned out, there were genuinely matters in the world that even reason couldn''t solve. Chen Ping''an didn''t know what to say.


    The two of them silently continued forward. Chen Ping''an was at a loss for words. Lu Tai looked around before saying to himself, "This mystical realm used to be a part of the Hanging Flower Blessed Land, a blessednd owned by a female immortal who liked to collect spring water from around the world. However, it''s a shame that she ultimately failed when attempting to advance to the Ascension Tier.


    "Not only was she killed, but the bacsh from the Heavenly Dao also destroyed the Hanging Flower Blessed Land, causing most of it to scatter across the world. This Emerald Lake is one of the more famous mystical realms remaining from the blessednd. Theke is three hundred kilometers across and contains the renowned spring water that the female immortal collected when she was still alive. If one can identify and draw water from the subtle water veins that contain the essence of the spring water, one will find that this water is best for brewing tea."


    Chen Ping''an offered no response as he continued to walk forward. After walking two or three kilometers, he saw the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda. There were covered walkways running around the pagoda, enclosed by white jade railings. There was also a small dock with two small boats.


    Not far from the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda, there was also arge patch of lotus flowers amid which young women were rowing boats and harvesting lotus seeds. They were humming tunes from their hometown that sounded mellow and moving.


    Chen Ping''an stopped and said to the feminine young man, "I''ve arrived."


    Lu Tai nodded in response.


    Upon seeing him y dumb, Chen Ping''an could only cut straight to the point and say, "I won''t invite you inside today. If I have timeter, I''ll go over to your ce to visit you. Where are you staying?"


    Lu Tai raised a hand and pointed at the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda.


    Chen Ping''an smiled wryly and said, "Please don''t joke around, Young Master Lu."


    Lu Tai lifted his hands and showed off therge handful of lesser heat coins, saying, "When we were at the tform in the middle of theke just then, I was forced to make a decision for the sake of my livelihood. Seeing that the rtionship between us is so good, I surmised that you would give me a ce to stay no matter what. Thus, I sold my ce to a very wealthy immortal."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression was quite dark.


    "Rest assured, I definitely won''t disturb your cultivation," Lu Tai hurriedly added. "I''ll be fine if you lend me a small boat. I can sleep there at night. If there aren''t any pressing issues, I promise that I definitely won''t enter the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda. I''ve also brought some food with me, so you don''t need to worry about me at all. Living in this world as a cultivator, which ce isn''t a temporary abode? You certainly don''t need to feel any guilt. Enduring hardships is also a form of cultivation..."


    Chen Ping''an''s expression waspletely dark. How could there be such a shameless person in the world?


    Lu Tai suddenly smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I''ll be honest with you. Apart from receiving an excellent fortune divination that pertained to bing nobility during this trip to Parasol Leaf Continent, I actually discovered that the fated opportunity in this trip doesn''t lie with treasures. Instead, it''s rted to the characters ''Observing Dao on the Ascending Sun tform.'' Traveling with you and borrowing your mind''s realm, I can temper my Dao Heart regardless of the state of your mind. This is called borrowing stones from another mountain to polish jade..."


    After saying this, Lu Tai caught himself with a chuckle and corrected, "No, no, what I meant to say was borrowing jade from another mountain to polish stone!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t dwell on Lu Tai''s slip-up. However, he was both worried and relieved when he heard Lu Tai mention "observing Dao."


    He was relieved because Lu Tai most likely wasn''t speaking nonsense. Thus, this wasn''t a plot that specifically targeted him. However, he was worried because Lu Tai, someone with an unknown background, was now following him around as he traveled to Parasol Leaf Continent to search for that Daoist temple and the old Daoist priest. Was this not an unnecessaryplication?


    Lu Tai hesitated for a moment before seemingly making a huge decision. He gritted his teeth and said, "If you''re always guarding against me everywhere like this, it will definitely affect my opportunity to observe Dao and be nobility. I can earnestly tell your fortune a single time. Let me tell you something: my fortune-telling is quite urate as long as one''s fortune doesn''t rte to individuals who are too powerful.


    "Otherwise, I''ll suffer quite a bit if one''s fortune pertains to immortals at the Upper Five Tiers. It''s hundreds upon thousands of times more painful than sleeping in a small boat or whatnot! Chen Ping''an, this is a rare opportunity, so make sure to grab it with both hands!"


    As if afraid that Chen Ping''an wouldn''t believe him, Lu Tai fixed his gaze on the young boy and added, "I''m not lying to you!"


    Chen Ping''an sighed and shook his hands, turning down Lu Tai''s offer. He simply said, "You can stay in the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda. However, we''ll each cultivate on our own afterward, and we won''t interfere with each other''s cultivation."


    There was a strange expression on Lu Tai''s face as he looked at Chen Ping''an''s leaving figure. He was dazed for a while before a look of realization and relief spread across his face. He hurriedly walked over to keep up with Chen Ping''an.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an decided to stay on the first floor while Lu Tai chose to stay on the third floor. As if in tacit understanding, the second floor separated the two of them.


    Lu Taifortablyy down on a bed on the third storey with azy and satisfied expression. He couldn''t help but chuckle. <em>Haha, men and women who aren''t rted should keep their distance</em>[2].


    Since Lu Tai insisted on following him, Chen Ping''an decided to go with the flow and give him a ce to stay.


    Chen Ping''an paid no more heed to the mysterious Naturalist disciple. Apart from the sword on his back and the Sword Nurturing Gourd by his waist, Chen Ping''an had no other items on him. He was light and at ease. Of course, the only bug in his drink right now was his uninvited guest.


    Chen Ping''an sat at the table by the window and took out a stack of books from Fifteenth. There was the immortal book, the <em>Mountain and Sea Chronicle</em>, the two books introducing the official dialects of Middle Earth Divine Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent, and the travel journal that he had obtained in Colorful Garment Nation. Chen Ping''an carefully stacked these books on the table before retrieving some precious bamboo slips that hade from the divine mountain in Bamboo Sea Small World. He nned to inscribe some quotes as he read.


    Every day, he would practice the Mountain Shaking Fist in the morning, train ording to the <em>Proper Sword Scripture </em>in the afternoon, and read and learn the official dialects of the two continents at night.


    There was one thing that he found quite strange. This was clearly a shattered mystical realm, yet the sun and moon still rose and set, with their reflections dazzling across Emerald Lake in a peculiar manner. There was still day and night like the normal world. He didn''t know whether this was a supreme illusion technique applied by some immortal or a unique rule that applied to shattered blessednds.


    Chen Ping''an strolled along the walkway surrounding the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda as he practiced walking meditation.


    There was a cool breeze gently carrying with it the refreshing fragrance of the nearby lotus flowers. There was also the indistinctive sound of young girls singing as they harvested lotus seeds. It was with such a backdrop that a young boy in white calmly threw punches


    In the afternoon, Chen Ping''an would stay in the first floor of the pagoda as he practiced sword techniques. He wouldn''t go to the walkway outside the building. Same as always, he still used an imaginary sword, even though he had a real one he could practice with.


    This was because Lasting Qi, the sword on his back, could help temper his soul. This was a form of cultivation in and of itself. Thus, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t remove the sword from his back even when he slept at night. Instead, he would choose to sleep on his side.


    The Sword Nurturing Gourd was hanging high in front of his bed. He no longer drank as frequently now, so there was no need to always keep the wine gourd by his waist.


    Meanwhile, his mental connection with his two flying swords, First and Fifteenth, became stronger and stronger. This was thanks to them staying together day and night during the long journeys that covered tens of thousands of kilometers. The tacit understanding between them was bing more and more apparent. At the same time,munication with the flying swords also became smoother and smoother. It was as if Chen Ping''an''s two flying swords were bing more mature and intelligent.


    After going to sleep, Chen Ping''an would task his two flying swords with guarding the building. First didn''t agree, but it didn''t refuse either. Fifteenth, who was more docile, it happily "nodded" inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    While reading at night, Chen Ping''an sometimes also took out the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book</em> on a whim. After advancing to the fourth tier, he discovered that he could draw two more types of talismans. One was the Mountain and River Sword Edict Talisman. The book specified that the character "mountain" referred to the "mountain of the three mountains," yet it didn''t go into more detail about what this meant.


    The character "river" was also exined in a very general and vague manner. It only said that a divine person once ruled over the rivers and was responsible for "ying sin and vanquishing evil." This divine person was also fond of "swallowing all ghosts."


    The Sword Edict Talisman was a type of defensive talisman. As for the second talisman, the Rain-Praying Talisman, the name was pretty self-exnatory. It could "summon dark clouds and bring forth a deluge of rain." The Rain-Praying Talisman was a type of altar talisman, one that was mostly mastered and used by powerful talisman masters from the Daoist Sect. Chen Ping''an didn''t have much interest in this talisman.


    These two talismans were of a slightly higher gradepared to the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman, the Cleansing Talisman, and the Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman. Chen Ping''an was especially serious about the Sword Edict Talisman, so he used a piece of the most ordinary yellow talisman paper to draw the talisman. It was a slight struggle.


    After advancing to the Three Qi Tempering Tiers of martial arts, Chen Ping''an''s soul stabilized significantly, allowing it to be increasingly pure and powerful. He could often hear the imperceptible sound of dripping water as his three souls passed by his mind''ske.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an could already tell that there was ack of mental intent in his Sword Edict Talisman. However, he wasn''t sure about how powerful this talisman was. Since Lu Tai was staying on the third floor, Chen Ping''an also decided against testing the talisman to verify its power.


    After ten days, Chen Ping''an would asionally hear the sound of light footsteps on the second floor. However, this was rare, and Lu Tai never once came down to the first floor to disturb Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly more at ease.


    This was a fated encounter that had run into him for no reason, so he was happy as long as it wasn''t an ill-boding one. He would not actively try to get something out of it.


    1. The saying "noble people aren''t tools" (���Ӳ���) is from the Analects of Confucius. It means that noble people shouldn''t act like tools that mindlesslyplete a single task without considering the deeper implications. ?


    2. This was a popr Confucian notion during the Song Dynasty, whereby men and women who aren''t rted by blood or marriage should keep their distance. At the time, they couldn''t personally hand items to each other either. ?

 Chapter 285: (2): A Box of Makeup

    Chapter 285: (2): A Box of Makeup


    On this night, Chen Ping''an finished drawing his second Sword Edict Talisman. However, he still wasn''t very satisfied.


    Just like pottery molding and pottery firing, those who were skilled in the trade could immediately identify the differences between two pieces of work even if they looked identical to the uninitiated.


    Perhaps he genuinely needed to look for the ruins of an ancient battlefield and seek out those heroic spirits to fight against? Perhaps this was the only way to perfect his fourth tier martial arts cultivation base? And this would then allow him to easily draw and master talismans such as the Sword Edict Talisman?


    Chen Ping''an furrowed his brows and fell into deep thought. However, he suddenly turned around, only to see Lu Tai walking down the stairs before stopping and knocking on the wall as if he were knocking on a door. Lu Tai then smiled and sat down on the steps, not continuing down to the first floor.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to pick up the <em>Mountain and Sea Chronicle </em>to cover up and hide the Sword Edict Talisman, yet Lu Tai couldn''t help but chuckle and say, "What is there to hide? It''s nothing more than an ancient talisman that''s been lost to the world. The grade of the talisman isn''t high either, and its only advantage is the fact that its returned to a state of pure and natural simplicity. I identally caught a nce of the talisman just then, and it caused my heart to ache with pain. In fact, it still aches right now."


    "Why is that?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Lu Tai pointed at the Sword Edict Talisman on the table and exined, "This defensive talisman is quite old. Even among the entire Lu n, perhaps no one else around the same age as me can recognize it anymore. My heart is aching because number one, you''re a pure martial artist, so the absolutely appalling manner in which you''ve butchered that ancient and pure talisman is truly shameful..."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but interject and say, "Isn''t martial artists drawing talismans unreasonable in the first ce?"


    Lu Tai pursed his lips and replied, "Oh, is that so? Then by the looks of it, the records in the Lu n''s scripture library are incorrect. Or perhaps my knowledge is insufficient?"However, Lu Tai didn''t want to delve into this topic either, so he continued, "Number two, you mostly rely on that brush when you''re drawing talismans. In other words, it''s not as if you have deep knowledge or skills in the art of drawing talismans. Mhm, maybe the destination that you want to reach is correct, but your path to this correct destination is full of wobbly twists and turns. As a result, the talismans that you draw are usable, but just barely.


    "Number three, you''re using good quality talisman paper, yet you''re using it in a manner that''s extremely crude and straightforward. This is an absolute waste of good material. In this sense, your manner of drawing talismans can''t even be referred to as heretical. I should rather call it crooked and sinister. If skilled masters from the talismanic branch of the Daoist Sect see you drawing talismans, they''ll most likely feel a strong urge to smash you to death with a single punch."


    Chen Ping''an''s brows were knitted into a deep frown. He carefully ruminated Lu Tai''s words, first determining whether Lu Tai''s remarks were true or false. Afterward, he determined whether they were useful or not useful. However, Lu Tai was far too mysterious, so it was very difficult for Chen Ping''an to reach a conclusion.


    Lu Tai smiled and asked, "Can you grab that talisman and allow me to carefully examine the quality of the talisman paper? I was only able to catch a fleeting nce of it just then, so I don''t dare to confirm my analysis."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated briefly before eventually deciding to pinch the Sword Edict Talisman between his fingers and hold it up for Lu Tai to see its backside.


    Lu Tai smiled faintly and paid no heed to Chen Ping''an''s excessive caution. He examined the talisman paper for a moment before nodding and saying, "Sure enough, this is the Returning to Spring talisman paper, a very precious type of talisman paper. After drawing a talisman on such talisman paper, one can use the talisman repeatedly. When ites to the quality and strength of a sessfully drawn talisman, the quality of the talisman paper also ys a very important role.


    "Apart from those talismans that seek to maximize strength and destructive power, most genuinely good talismans in the world can be repeatedly used. But what about you? ording to the humorous remark of a grand elder from the talismanic branch, this is called ''fading youth in the mirror and falling flowers from a tree.[1].''


    "Mhm, to put it simply, these are things that can''t be held eternal. Tell me, Chen Ping''an, do you find this a shame? Talisman paper, especially Returning to Spring talisman paper, is especially good at burning through one''s money. Ah... You can say that my heart is aching for you right now. Anyway, you''re a wealthy person with a wealthy business, so you don''t need to care about this measly amount of money."


    Chen Ping''an nced at Lu Tai before ncing at the Sword Edict Talisman that he had put back on the table.


    Lu Tai was slightly curious, so he rested his cheeks in his hands and gazed at the young boy who had a slightly regretful expression on his face as he sat by the table. Lu Tai smiled and asked, "Did the person who gave you these precious talisman papers not tell you about this before? Did the person who taught you how to draw talismans not tell you, a half-assed talisman cultivator, to be as sparing as you can?"


    Chen Ping''an heaved a heavy sigh.


    Lu Tai was slightly amused by Chen Ping''an''s misfortune, and he gloated, "Pure martial artists at the seventh, eighth, and ninth tier can most likely create very decent talismans. They can rely on a single breath of True Qi and draw a talisman in a single go. However, it''s a pity that martial artists who have climbed up one step at a time and reached the pinnacle of the mountain already possess wills as powerful as iron. That being the case, who will run away to draw talismans?


    "It''s because you''re fortunate enough to possess such precious talisman paper and such a good calligraphy brush that you''re able to draw decent talismans. Otherwise, each talisman you draw will be equivalent to burning a huge stack of money. Mhm, your situation is slightly better, and you''re only burning half a stack of money."


    Chen Ping''an shot a vicious re at the beautiful young man pouring salt on his wounds.


    Lu Tai chuckled and continued, "Chen Ping''an, you''re truly a very interesting person. You''re a martial artist drawing talismans, and you even have a Sword Nurturing Gourd and flying swords. The most insane thing is that you''re even reading studiously every single night! Are you not afraid of dereliction of your actual duties and detrimentally affecting your martial arts cultivation? Are you not afraid of losing a clear identity and losing the ability to achieve anything?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t pay any attention to Lu Tai''s thinly veiled insults. He put away the Sword Edict Talisman and started to flip through the <em>Mountain and Sea Chronicle</em>.


    Lu Tai quietly stood up and returned to the third floor.


    Afterward, Lu Tai started to leave the Lingering Shade Mountain Pagoda from time to time, either rowing a small boat to enjoy the scenery around Emerald Lake or visiting the treasure chambers that apparently every single Treasure Swallowing Whale possessed.


    In fact, Treasure Swallowing Whales were named as such because during their long lives, they would swallow thoserge ships that had encountered idents and sunk to the bottom of the sea. Moreover,rge ships that had the ability to traverse between continents were often worthy of beingbeled "treasure ships." Thus, a mature Treasure Swallowing Whale would definitely have all kinds of strange and peculiar items in its stomach. There would definitely be countless rare and unique treasures.


    In fact, there might even be the golden bodies of immortals left behind after they passed away.


    One afternoon, Lu Tai started to retrieve a set of tea instruments from his pocket treasure. There were so many items that it almost seemed cumbersome. Afterward, he used a secret technique to extract the essence of spring water from Emerald Lake, using this essence to leisurely brew tea in the corridor outside the first floor.


    The fragrance of this tea was especially pleasant.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t go over to ask for a cup of tea. Instead, he simply practiced sword techniques inside the pagoda.


    Afterward, Lu Tai started to brew tea every day, enjoying the scenery as he sipped tea by himself. He would often sit there for entire afternoons at a time.


    Just before noon one day, Chen Ping''an was almost about to finish practicing walking meditation. At this moment, he saw Lu Tai rowing a small boat and returning from the distance.


    After mooring the small boat, Lu Tai jumped onto the corridor and stood still. As Chen Ping''an walked past him while performing walking meditation, Lu Tai raised his hands high and revealed the boxes of makeup stacked in his hands. He was most likely showing off his bountiful yield for today.


    Not far from the tform in the middle of Emerald Lake, there were several pagodas that were shops run by the intercontinental ship. These were ces that could quickly drain one of their wealth. Chen Ping''an only visited a single time, and he came to the conclusion that things were far too overpriced. Picking a fewparable items to look at, he discovered that things were even more exorbitantly expensive than the shops in Stctite Mountain. Realizing this, Chen Ping''an lost all interest in purchasing things from these shops.


    With a tap of his feet, Lu Tai lightly jumped back and sat down on the white jade railings of the corridor. He then opened a box of makeup and took out a small copper mirror. He started to purse his lips, even extending a bent finger afterward and running its tip against his long eyebrows. His movements were delicate and refined.


    Chen Ping''an continued to make his way down the corridor as he practiced fist techniques, never shifting his gaze from the beginning to the end.


    When Chen Ping''an walked past Lu Tai a second time, the beautiful young man carefully drawing his eyebrows subtly moved his small copper mirror aside and asked with a smile, "Does it look good?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t look at Lu Tai applying makeup to his face or offer a response.


    Afterward, Lu Tai asked a different question each time Chen Ping''an walked past him.


    "Chen Ping''an, do you think this blusher is a bit too bright?


    "Should I draw my eyebrows a bit more slender?


    "Sure enough, using the thin hairpin from the Flower Dew Shop to scoop makeup from the box will result in a more bnced and natural consistency. What do you think?"


    Chen Ping''an ignored him and continued to silently practice walking meditation. He followed his original n and practiced all the way until noon.


    Thest time Chen Ping''an walked past Lu Tai, thetter didn''t ask him any questions. Rather, Lu Tai ced the small copper mirror, hairpin, as well as several boxes of makeup on the railing beside him. He turned around to gaze at therge patch of lotus leaves, with his makeup exquisite and his eyes intoxicated.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to make his way to the entrance of the first floor. However, without retracting his gaze, Lu Tai asked again, "Do you think that a man like me is very...ughable? In fact, you even feel a sense of disgust deep down in your heart?"


    Chen Ping''an stopped before turning around to walk toward Lu Tai. When he arrived five to six paces away from Lu Tai, he also sat down on the railing with his face looking at theke and his back facing the corridor.


    Lu Tai wasn''t frustrated by Chen Ping''an''s refusal to reply. He smiled beautifully to himself and picked up a box of makeup. He felt like its contents were quite poor, and it was unable to live up to its name. He decided not to use this box of makeup in the future. Thus, he casually tossed it into Emerald Lake.


    "How much did that box of makeup cost?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    Lu Tai faltered for a moment before also shifting his position such that he was facing theke. He smiled and replied, "It wasn''t too expensive. Each box only cost a single lesser heat coin. It just came out this year, and it''s already very famous. Quite a number of renowned celestial maidens from Middle Earth Divine Continent like to use it. Ah... It was most likely a trick yed by those scummy merchants  I was tricked by the group of them."


    Chen Ping''an sighed with emotion and said, "One lesser heat coin is equivalent to 100 snowke coins, which is equivalent to 100,000 taels of silver. I feel like..."


    He paused for a moment, and a gentle breeze brushed past his face as he continued, "Even a thousand taels of gold might not be enough to purchase happiness. Perhaps the box of makeup wasn''t expensive to you. However, some people will definitely be dumbfounded when they hear the price. Moreover, they''ll refuse to believe that such exquisite makeup can exist in the world."


    "Hmm?" Lu Tai was slightly puzzled.


    After falling silent for a short while, the young boy wearing a snow-white robe ced his hands on his knees and told Lu Tai the story about the feminine man from his hometown.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t recount the story in a solemn manner, and his tone and expression weren''t solemn either. He calmly described the tragic life of the deceased person to the young man beside him.


    This was a young man who had a colorful ribbon tied around his waist. This was a young man with an exuberant expression. He was an esteemed immortal, and he was more breathtakingly beautiful than real women.


    Meanwhile, that man from his hometown had only been slightly skinnier. In fact, he even had a stubble. He was no more beautiful than the woman in the markets. Even though he tidied up his appearance every morning, his fingernails would still be filled with y when it was time to finish work and go home. Because of this, he wouldn''t appear attractive at all when he made orchid-shaped fingers.


    Moreover, he waspletely clueless about flying iridescent makeup, peach blossom makeup[2], and so on. He didn''t understand how to apply lipstick, put on blusher, draw eyebrows, among many other things either.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an looked into the distance and said in a slightly sad voice, "After everything that happened, I still feel like he was a very strange person. He was clearly a man, so why did he like to dress up like a woman? However, he asked me for something on the day he hid himself under the nkets and stabbed himself to death with a piece of porcin. I didn''t agree, and I still feel deep regret to this very day. If I knew what he would do, I would have definitely agreed to his request.


    "He talked about many things with me on that day, and he eventually smiled and said that he nned to not act like a woman anymore. Because of this, he asked me to help look after that box of makeup for him, lest he couldn''t control himself again.


    "However, I naturally wouldn''t agree to such a request at the time. I wouldn''t agree no matter what. He tried to persuade me two times before giving up.


    "After he died, no one saw where that box of makeup went. In fact, no one cared about it either."


    Chen Ping''an turned around and smiled as he looked at the stunningly beautiful Lu Tai, asking, "Why did you throw such an expensive box of makeup away?"


    Lu Tai cocked his head, causing his exquisite pearl hairpin to turn on an angle as well. He smiled faintly and replied, "Perhaps I should have given it to you then? When you return home in the future, you can take the box of makeup to that person''s grave and tell him that such exquisite makeup does indeed exist in the world. You can tell him to reincarnate into a better body in the next life and be a girl who can apply as much makeup as she wants. She can apply kilograms at a time if she wants, and she won''t need to worry about money either..."


    Chen Ping''an turned back around and gazed into the distance. He gently shook his head and replied, "I can''t even find his grave, so how can I show him this? How can I tell him these things?"


    The cleanly dressed young boy in white wrapped his hands behind his head, not saying anything else.


    1. This is a line from Wang Guowei''s poem, <em>Butterflies Lingering over Flowers</em>.


    2. These refer to styles of makeup in ancient China. Flying iridescent makeup refers to , and peach blossom makeup refers to .

 Chapter 286: (1): Sitting Opposite and Observing a Person

    Chapter 286: (1): Sitting Opposite and Observing a Person


    This was only a story of the past. It was like a jar of old wine that had its y seal broken �� it had to be finished in a single go.


    This jar of old wine, these seemingly trivial matters, had fermented in Chen Ping''an''s mind for many years. After opening up to the right person, the fragrance of wine would waft through the air. Moreover, Chen Ping''an would only share this wine when he came across the right people.


    Lu Tai was his drinkingpanion today.


    There were many people whom Chen Ping''an respected and had close rtionships with: Ning Yao, A''Liang, Liu Xianyang, Gu Can, Daoist Priest Zhang Shanfeng, and so on. However, he had never mentioned this story to them before.


    Yet, it was a shame that Lu Tai was seemingly unmoved after hearing the story. In the end, he even joked with Chen Ping''an and asked whether the young boy was trying to imply that unconventional and feminine men like him would almost all suffer miserable fates, so miserable that they weren''t even afforded the dignity of having a grave.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but chuckle in surprise. He hopped off the railing and returned to the first floor of the pagoda.


    For some reason, Chen Ping''an felt much better after having a seemingly casual chat with Lu Tai and telling him about these trivial matters from the past. It was as if he had untied a knot in his heart.


    In the afternoon, Chen Ping''an practiced sword techniques as always. He was still practicing the Avnche Technique, and he felt like there was less resistance and more flow today.


    After today, Lu Tai also changed his manner of dressing. There was a jade hairpin in his hair, an azure robe on his body, and a yellow bamboo folding fan in his hand. He transformed from a stunning beauty into an elegant young master. This caused Chen Ping''an to breathe a sigh of relief. Thus, he didn''t say anything even when Lu Tai came down to the first floor from time to time, either flicking through his books or brewing a pot of tea and watching him practice sword techniques from the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em>.Meanwhile, Lu Tai did indeed live up to his renown as the most knowledgeable disciple from the School of Naturalists. He told Chen Ping''an many things that he hadn''t heard about before. For example, fist stances were categorized as internal or external, and sword stances were divided into intent or Qi.


    Lu Tai also provided some suggestions and mentioned some things to look out for when tempering the fourth tier of martial arts. After a pure martial artist advanced to the Three Qi Tempering Tiers, there were many things they needed to consider regarding how they should temper their three souls.


    Of the three souls inside a person, the embryo light represented the yang energy of the Taiqing. When martial artists tempered this soul, it was best that they picked a time when the sun was rising and the dawn iridescent clouds were making a dazzling appearance above the horizon. One couldn''t ck off when practicing fist techniques, and it was through sincerity and hard work that one could move the heavens and crack apart gold. After enough tempering, perhaps one would encounter a fated opportunity that allowed their embryo light to be more powerful and filled with vitality.


    When Lu Tai mentioned this matter, Chen Ping''an felt utterly ashamed and guilty.


    While breaking through the third tier at the Sun n''s ancestral residence in Old Dragon City, a golden flood dragon had furiously swooped down from the sea of iridescent clouds during dawn. Yet, he had swung his fists again and again and smashed the golden flood dragon back. Not once, but twice.


    Lu Tai was sitting in a kneeling position near the window when he described these things to Chen Ping''an. After changing his outfit, he appeared much like a carefree schr with his tall hat, wide belt, andrge meandering sleeves. As he drank the tea that he had brewed using the essence of spring water from Emerald Lake, just how sharp and observant was his gaze? Thus, he immediately noticed that something was off about Chen Ping''an.


    After some probing that pertained to the cultivation of martial arts, Chen Ping''an eventually revealed his experience. Lu Tai immediately spit the tea from his mouth. He raised a thumb at Chen Ping''an and remarked that the old mister who had taught Chen Ping''an how to draw talismans and practice fist techniques was most likely a carefree person who acted ording to his emotions and didn''t dwell too much on trifling matters.


    Chen Ping''an asked whether there was a way to rectify the situation. Lu Tai pondered for a moment before drinking a cup of tea and saying that Chen Ping''an could try his luck when he arrived at Parasol Leaf Continent. He could visit some martial sage temples where there were still deities wandering around the living world.


    After all, there were quite a number of astonishingly talented martial artists who had tried their luck in martial sage temples and eventually obtained huge fated opportunities.


    Lu Tai couldn''t help but sigh with emotion after saying this. He said that before leaving home to embark on this journey to train himself, he had heard his master mention a young martial artist from the Great Duan Empire. The aptitude and talent of this young martial artist were astounding, so much so that several deities from the martial sage temples actively sought him out. They all wanted to bestow martial fortune upon him.


    However, that young martial artist was even more insane than Chen Ping''an, and he had shockingly thrown punches and shooed away those deities from the martial sage temples who had gone over to offer their goodwill.


    Chen Ping''an spected that the young martial artist was most likely Cao Ci, the person who had built a small thatched cottage and cultivated on the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    Lu Tai only mentioned this in passing, but it was a warning for both Chen Ping''an and himself; as if he were performing some self-reflection as well.


    He said that fortune was incredibly important when cultivating the Great Dao, and this was the same for pure martial artists and cultivators from the mountains alike. However, whether one could grab their fortune with both hands was even more important. Fortune and disaster often came hand in hand, and there were countless examples of prodigies who had suffered an early death.


    Chen Ping''an wholeheartedly agreed with this.


    However, Lu Tai suddenly changed his tone and said that it was very bad for Chen Ping''an to always stay in his room and feel apprehensive toward all trouble. It was very bad that he never tried to actively obtain fated opportunities, even going as far as to avoid them instead.


    Lu Tai was grumbling about this because Chen Ping''an had initially refused to interact with him no matter what. Not only that, but the Treasure Swallowing Whale they were on had just removed the restriction leading to the fourth mystical realm from the shattered blessednd. They were allowing passengers to enter and explore as long as they paid the entrance fee of one grain rain coin.


    Cultivators could train and cultivate inside the mystical realm, and anything they obtained would belong to them. The intercontinental ship wouldn''t try to im their yield. Of course, the intercontinental ship would also be happy to purchase any treasures that the cultivators were willing to sell.


    This Treasure Swallowing Whale was owned by the Five Weapon Sect from Golden Armor Continent, and this mystical realm inside it contained many remnants of ancient mystical abilities extremely difficult to shatter. Huge amounts of resources were required to remove some of these mystical abilities.


    After obtaining this mystical realm, the Five Weapon Sect had explored it by themselves for a hundred years as was the norm. In the end, however, they discovered that they had put in more than they had received. Thus, they decided to call this mystical realm the "Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm" and open it up to the passengers on the ship. Just like Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Jewel Small World, the Five Weapon Sect simply collected entrance fees from those who wanted to enter.


    The Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm measured 500 kilometers in radius. It was only a damaged realm, yet it could already rival Jewel Small World in terms of size. The blessednd that it was derived from had been one of the 72 blessednds, and the vastness of blessednds was naturally far greater than that of the 36 small worlds.


    This mystical realm would open once every 10 years, and only Qi refiners below the Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier were allowed to enter. Meanwhile, there was no such requirement for pure martial artists.


    Around 200 years ago, a fortunate cultivator from Circling Ascension Continent had surprisingly obtained a supremely powerful pseudo-celestial tool. The cultivator had only been at the Abode Tier, so they had most likely thought that they couldn''t hold onto that divine halberd. The pseudo-celestial tool wasn''t necessarily suitable for them either.


    Thus, the cultivator had sold the pseudo-celestial tool to the Five Weapon Sect and be filthy rich in a single night. Taking advantage of their newfound wealth afterward, the cultivator had forcefully pushed themself to the Golden Core Tier. Spending one grain rain coin to obtain a Golden Core Tier cultivation base... Who wasn''t envious of this?


    News of this had caused a huge stir in Golden Armor Continent, causing hordes of Qi refiners to rush to the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm. In the beginning, only those with a powerful background and strongwork had been able to join the line. It was no longer a matter of a single grain rain coin.


    For 300 years, many cultivators had entered and exited the mystical realm, with all kinds of fated opportunities and immortal treasures being obtained. However, nothing was as incredible as that pseudo-celestial tool. Thus, the fervent interest in entering the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm gradually died down. Even so, it was still a mystical realm that cultivators felt was worthy to enter.


    However, Lu Tai naturally knew that the auspicious fortune of that Abode Tier cultivator was most likely the doing of the Five Weapon Sect. The Five Weapon Sect had very likely received guidance from some masterful businessperson.


    This was a simr situation to that type of makeup that was popr throughout several continents. Everything was a trick set up by those business people.


    Regardless, Lu Tai was well aware of the truth and lies as well as the potential of the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm. His master had said that if he was interested and had spare time, he could enter the mystical realm and try his luck. Perhaps he could find some crappy trinkets that were worth a small sum of money.


    Why had Lu Tai chosen to take the Treasure Swallowing Whale this time?


    His divination result and his Dao attainment catalyst were naturally the most important factors. However, Lu Tai was also determined to enter the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm and make arge sum of money.


    Lu Tai had initially tried his best to ask Chen Ping''an to enter the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm with him. That way, they could explore the immortal realm and look for immortal treasures and fated opportunities together. Chen Ping''an refused, and in the end, he only agreed to lend another grain rain coin to Lu Tai. However, he still stubbornly refused to enter the mystical realm to try his luck.


    Thus, Lu Tai could only enter the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm by himself. Around 20 dayster, he appeared travel-worn as he left the mystical realm. On the same day, he returned three grain rain coins to Chen Ping''an, saying that the extra one was interest. After hearing Lu Tai describe his experiences and huge yield, Chen Ping''an felt at ease as he epted the grain rain coins.


    As it turned out, Lu Tai had used some Naturalist technique to undo a restriction on an ancient immortal residence. There were more surprises than dangers on the way, and Lu Tai had almost be the new owner of the ancient immortal residence. However, due to the rulesid out by the Five Weapon Sect, Lu Tai had given up his control over the ancient immortal residence and made a private deal with the sect. Because of this, he had ended up with arge pile of grain rain coins.


    However, the intercontinental ship that belonged to the Five Weapon Sect needed to use lesser heat coins and grain rain coins in many areas of their intercontinental trade business, so they temporarily put this down as a debt to Lu Tai. They would pay it off within half a year, and they would even give him some additional interest.


    On the surface, it looked as if the Five Weapon Sect had made a huge loss. However, this wasn''t the case. After the initially useless immortal residence was opened up by Lu Tai, the abundance of spiritual energy in the area meant that it was an ideal location for cultivation for the esteemed passengers of the Treasure Swallowing Whale. For example, Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier earth immortals who appeared incredibly lofty in the eyes of ordinary people would be willing to stay inside the immortal residence.


    This was long-term business, so the Five Weapon Sect wouldn''t suffer a loss at all. When it came to doing business, sudden and huge profits were naturally very good. However, this type of stable ie was the backbone of anysting business.


    With this, Lu Tai became the third most fortunate person in the history of the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm.


    Apart from the pile of grain rain coins, Lu Tai also obtained an ancient immortal ascending technique as well as a high-grade immortal treasure called the "Ao[1] Mountain Illusion Pagoda" from the ancient immortal residence.


    Lu Tai didn''t sell these two fated opportunities to the Five Weapon Sect.


    However, even though Lu Tai sessfully proved that Chen Ping''an had missed a huge fated opportunity, the young boy was stillrgely unfazed by the revtion. He simply ced the additional grain rain coin on the table and asionally flipped it around when he became tired from reading. He would roll the coin around the back of his hand. To Chen Ping''an, this was a very effective way to relieve his fatigue. Its results were immediate.


    Lu Tai felt very vexed.


    He offered many sincere words in an attempt to sway Chen Ping''an, yet the young boy remained calm and steadfast the entire time.


    Due to this, Lu Tai never invited Chen Ping''an over every time he brewed tea. Of course, Chen Ping''an most likely didn''t care about this either.


    Lu Tai was genuinely a very particr person. He wasn''t forcing this, and it was instead a result of his upbringing. He was born in a powerful n with a history of over a thousand years. Not only that, but it was also an immortal n. This wasn''t something that powerful mortal ns couldpare to. Thus, Lu Tai''s disposition was extremely natural. It was both innate and naturally acquired.


    When tasting tea[2], the tea needed to be fresh. When brewing tea, the techniques and tea set used needed to be ancient, and the spring water added needed to be refreshing yet weighty. When drinking tea, one needed to be pure and spirited.


    Lu Tai had already interacted with Chen Ping''an for a while, yet he still felt like the young boy was far too pedantic and stubborn. In this sense, he was more than pure enough, yet he was nowhere near spirited enough.


    As a result, Chen Ping''an would still waste his good tea.


    Just like today, Lu Tai found another opportunity to mention his experience in the mystical realm. He concluded that money had been falling from the sky like rain, yet Chen Ping''an had run under the eaves to avoid getting hit. This was a very painful matter. However, Chen Ping''an simply remained silent as he listened.


    Lu Tai felt like it was truly impossible to knock this stubborn block of wood awake. Most likely deciding to give up on trying to persuade Chen Ping''an, Lu Tai finished with a casual yet sweeping and empty remark. However, worldly matters worked in such weird and wonderful manners. Not only did Chen Ping''an listen to this remark, but he even became extremely solemn and serious.


    "Chen Ping''an, your mind is very calm when you practice fist techniques and sword techniques. This is one of your strong points. However, you have to be careful and remember that a calm mind isn''t the same as a dead mind. One''s mind should be as still as unmoving water, but it certainly shouldn''t be a puddle of stagnant water."


    Lu Tai said this in a casual manner, as if this was nothing more than a bunch of nonsense.


    However, Chen Ping''an surprisingly stopped practicing his dull and repetitive sword stance for the first time. He sat down in front of Lu Tai and emted his tea-drinking posture, appearing slightly awkward as he did so.


    Indeed, the difference between his awkwardness and Lu Tai''s carefree demeanor was like the difference between dirt and clouds. He was like an old farmer from the fields trying to emte an old schr sitting there and discussing Dao. He could only copy Lu Tai''s posture and actions in a crude manner.


    Lu Tai found Chen Ping''an''s attempt quite amusing. The young man from the Lu n �� someone regarded as invincible in tea-tasting among the younger generation in Middle Earth Divine Continent �� shot a sideways nce at the ufortable Chen Ping''an and looked him up and down. He found this very interesting no matter how he looked at the young boy. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an became increasingly ufortable and reserved under Lu Tai''s gaze.


    Chen Ping''an longed to be a genuine schr.


    This was because there was Mr. Qi, Li Xisheng, and City God Shen Wen from Colorful Garment Nation. In fact, Chen Ping''an had felt a sense of yearning even when Zhang Shanfeng had recited poems and ssics on a whim.


    Chen Ping''an suppressed his difort and asked, "Are you saying that the state of my mind has be too extreme?"


    Lu Tai faltered upon hearing this question. As astonishingly intelligent as he was, he didn''t answer Chen Ping''an''s question in a perfunctory manner. He didn''t dare to jump to conclusions either.


    If it were some other ordinary person, Lu Tai could make up some casual nonsense or simply offer a response that was neither correct nor incorrect.


    However, he couldn''t do this today.


    The two of them sat opposite each other, with a serious expression on Chen Ping''an''s face and a wry smile in Lu Tai''s mind. Lu Tai had seemingly drawn a cage for himself.


    However, a thought suddenly urred to Lu Tai, and he immediately became a little adrift. It was arriving this early? He initially thought that the buds of this opportunity would only appear after they arrived in Parasol Leaf Continent and experienced many adventures and challenges together. Yet, it suddenly arrived without any warning, catching him byplete surprise.


    Lu Tai calmed himself down, steadying his breathing and focusing his mind. He solemnly handed Chen Ping''an a cup of tea and said, "Drink it slowly. I''ll talk about some of my views after you finish."


    1. Ao is arge marine turtle in Chinese mythology. ?


    2. This refers to Doucha (����), a tradition originating from the Tang Dynasty where people assess the quality of various teas offered. This spread to Japan where the goal became the correct identification of the tea''s ce of origin. ?

 Chapter 286: (2): Sitting Opposite and Observing a Person

    Chapter 286: (2): Sitting Opposite and Observing a Person


    Chen Ping''an was unaware of the deeper considerations behind this, and he simply treated this as an ordinary conversation between two people where one was asking questions and one was answering. He nodded and epted the cup of tea, drinking a small sip.


    After experiencing the perilous cmity on Osmanthus Ind, Chen Ping''an hade across that old boatman who had admired and loved Lady Gui for many hundreds of years. He was the first boatman for Osmanthus Ind, and he was also Lu Chen''s only servant before the former ascended from the world. He and Lu Chen had traveled across the seas and journeyed all around the world.


    Back then, Chen Ping''an had experienced a strange dream where he had entered a book and finished reading it in a single night. Afterward, he had conversed with the old boatman in the small world that thetter had created with a single wave of his hand. In the end, the old boatman had surprisingly eximed, "Don''t try to ruin my Great Dao!"


    At the time, Chen Ping''an had been roughlyparing the notion of reason to the two ends of a ruler.


    He felt like the old boatman''s reasons had gone to an extreme. They appeared reasonable on the surface, yet they were in fact unreasonable.


    This was because they weren''tplete enough. They failed to adhere to the concept of "The Mean[1]" described in the books.


    Meanwhile, the root of Daoism was described by the phrase, "The Dao follows nature[2]."


    Thus, Chen Ping''an could vaguely recall someone telling him something when he had read the book in his dream. The principles of Confucianism never existed in lofty and unreachable ces. It wasn''t important how lofty these principles were, and it was only important whether these principles could be applied in real life.


    That person had even smiled and said that the knowledge of the Paramount Sage of Confucianism was already profound and lofty to an unknown degree. Yet, after discussing Dao one time, he had sighed with emotion while having a private conversation with a disciple. In fact, there had even been a sense of shame in his voice. The Paramount Sage had said that a certain person''s Dao was truly lofty, yet...However, it was a pity that Chen Ping''an couldn''t remember anything after this, not a single word. Perhaps that person or book hadn''t said anything after that to begin with.


    Chen Ping''an''s question today naturally wasn''t a form of discussing Dao. Chen Ping''an wasn''t thinking so deeply.


    Since starting to practice fist techniques, and after beginning to read books...


    ...Had Chen Ping''an truly never considered his own future before?


    This was naturally not possible. He had a 60-year promise with Big Sister Immortal, and he now had a 10-year promise with Ning Yao.


    After his two long journeys, even Chen Ping''an''s initial belief of "my punch needs to be the quickest" had changed to "my punch can be quicker, but it must contain the most reason."


    One of Chen Ping''an''s most significant remarks hade in an inn during his trip back to the small town. At that time, perhaps even his audience hadn''t paid much attention to his words. He had said to the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure, "You guys have to tell me if I do anything wrong."


    From that point onward, Chen Ping''an was always questioning himself in a formless manner, regardless of how many punches the old man in the bamboo buildingunched onto his physical body and soul, and regardless of anything else.


    However, this was a necessary step.


    Pertaining to his mind''s realm, or in other words, his intangible true conscience, Chen Ping''an had also uttered a remark that had alreadyid bare some critical secret. That was his remark to Ning Yao''s parents in Stctite Mountain.


    Chen Ping''an''s remark had reflected his continual self-questioning and self-disapproval.


    <em>I didn''t do well enough.</em>


    <em>Not doing well enough is the same as being wrong.</em>


    How many people in the world would hold themselves to such incredibly strict standards?


    However, this mentality hadn''t formed in a mysterious and unexinable manner. Rather, starting from the moment that the young boy''s bonded porcin was shattered, then to all of the pains and hardships that he experienced, and then to all of his chance encounters and fated opportunities, Chen Ping''an had been forced to piece together his mind''s realm in such a manner. This was an unintentional yet destined process.


    If he seeded, then it would be as if the sun and moon were shining bright in the same sky, a remarkable phenomenon that would steal luster from the stars.


    If he failed, then he would likely break all of his promises and cause all kinds of disappointment.


    A person would starve to death if they didn''t eat. In the same vein, a person would also tend toward death if their mindpletely dried up. It was just that they would bepletely unaware of this. If they didn''t die today, then they would die next year, and so on. It was as simple as that.


    Fighting to stay alive, battling through perilous situations, rising with fury, and soaring upward with vigor.


    Yet, silently begging for death, eating and drinking uncontrobly, failing to act in moderation, sumbing to the seven emotions and six desires, having wild thoughts, and all kinds of other detrimental habits  these were all the peculiarities of a person''s mind.


    The human mind wasplicated; it was a profound existence that even sages didn''t dare to im that they could fully understand.


    For example, why had Cui Chan lost in the small town[3]?


    Following this path in his mind, the mind''s realm of Chen Ping''an became extremely clear.


    It was his mistake that had almost killed Liu Xianyang. Thus, so be it if he, Chen Ping''an, had been killed in the end. After expounding the reason that others weren''t willing to listen to, so be it if he were killed once and for all.


    Even when it came to the death of that feminine man in the dragon kiln, Chen Ping''an had simply refused to ept his box of makeup.


    Yet, he still felt like he was wrong.


    When a person truly started to recognize and understand the world around them...


    After seeing lofty mountains that towered into the clouds, winding rivers that stretched endlessly into the distance, all kinds of profound and magnificent sights, and even the carefree nature of schrs...


    After seeing the official residences and garb that symbolized the dignity of an empire, the impermanent nature of birth, aging, disease, and death, and the seemingly heroic yet realistically cold-blooded formations of heavy cavalry...


    Very often, there woulde some point in time when one would arrive at the sudden realization that they were actually so minute and insignificant.


    This kind of feeling was most likely a very lonely one.


    It was very difficult to empathize with grief, while the sharing of joy often disappeared in a sh. Life was filled with moments of farewell...


    In reality, Chen Ping''an was filled with fear as he faced this world.


    However, Liu Xianyang, Li Baoping, and Gu Can wouldn''t feel like this. They wouldn''t feel the same as Chen Ping''an.


    Gu Can was intent on exacting revenge.


    Li Baoping felt like there were always interesting things in the world to explore. She would always immerse herself in the colorful and spectacr world inside her mind. She almost never questioned herself, nor would she readily rebuke herself.


    It was because of this that she had remarked, "How can there be a junior uncle who doesn''t like Li Baoping?"


    Meanwhile, Liu Xianyang would speak from the bottom of his heart when he stated that he wanted to see taller mountains and witnessrger rivers, and that he definitely wouldn''t die of old age in a small ce like their hometown!


    However, Chen Ping''an was different. He might do many things, such as apanying Li Baoping and the others to Great Sui Nation, yet the projection of his mind''s realm would go into hiding.


    Generally speaking, Chen Ping''an''s mind and thoughts would be "unmoving."


    During the many years that he worked in the dragon kiln, the young boy always sought to stabilize his movements. In reality, he was stubbornly seeking to stabilize his mind.


    If Chen Ping''an''s mind wasn''t stable, he would detest Song Jixin for being rich, he would be jealous of him having apanion to rely on and live with, and he would be envious that he could read.


    This was why Ruan Qiong didn''t view Chen Ping''an as someone walking the same path as him even if he weren''t prejudiced against the young boy. This was the root cause behind why Ruan Qiong was unwilling to take Chen Ping''an as his disciple.


    This was also the reason why Lu Tai felt like Chen Ping''an wasn''t spirited enough.


    Thus, when the sword spirit had seen the mind''s realm of the young boy back then, what she had seen was a little child guarding two graves and a mountain. What she had seen was a pair of straw sandals on his feet.


    His only "movement" had been his pursuit of some person''s figure toward the south.


    Indeed, that figure had actually been Ning Yao flying away on her sword.


    And thus,pared to his deep apprehension and extreme caution when traveling to Great Sui Nation, Chen Ping''an had finally discovered a sense of independent will when deciding to deliver the sword to the young girl whom he loved.


    <em>It''s my will to embark on this journey through the cultivation world.</em>


    <em>I, Chen Ping''an, want to do something for myself.</em>


    As a result, even though he was envious of Old Dragon City''s Fan Er, and another weight was added to his shoulders after he visited the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping''an''s mind instead became lighter and more rxed than before.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an changed out of his straw sandals and pulled on a new robe. He wanted to be a sword immortal. He wanted to be a great sword immortal who could carve characters on the Sword Qi Great Wall.


    From someone who only dared to buy five mountains and immediately loaned three out, from someone who wanted to give all of his possessions to Liu Xianyang who had left the small town, from someone who had given almost half of his high-grade snake gall pebbles to the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink during the New Year, and from someone who believed that he should hurriedly give all of his treasures away to those whom he cared about since he couldn''t stop himself from losing them...


    From all of this to the Chen Ping''an today, there had already been huge and monumental changes.


    None of this had been easy.


    Back then, why had the drunk old schr furiously smacked Chen Ping''an''s head and eximed that youths definitely needed to drink?


    This was because the old schr had immediately discovered the issue with the young boy''s mind with a single nce.


    Young people shouldn''t have been like that. When extreme stillness begot movement, young people should shake off their burdens and enjoy the beautiful moments of their youth in a carefree manner.


    When it came to such principles in the world, however, hearing them and understanding them was one matter, while acting upon them was another matter altogether.


    The principles that came from books and from beyond the books were even more difficult to apply in a proper manner.


    Chen Ping''an slowly drank the tea sip by sip. Just as Lu Tai was about to give an answer, Chen Ping''an suddenly opened his mouth and said, "I''m not familiar with you, and I even lent you money again and again because I was unwilling to interact with you. I was even more unwilling to enter the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm with you. In reality, the reason for all of this is very simple. It''s because I''m afraid of death."


    Back in his hometown, he had faced Cai Jinjian, Fu Nanhua, and the Mountain-moving Ape in session. In Chen Ping''an''s mind, he had essentially died once already.


    In the Flood Dragon Trench, he had essentially died a second time.


    The same mistake shouldn''t be made three times.


    Chen Ping''an slowly put down his empty teacup and continued with a smile, "It doesn''t matter whether you believe me or not, but I''ve never been able to obtain valuable things that require an element of luck."


    As if speaking to himself, Chen Ping''an mused, "I gave it some thought just then, and I feel like I might have been correct before. If I continue on like this now, however, then that will be incorrect. I need to slowly change myself if I want to walk further down the path of cultivation in the future."


    There was a strange and slightly solemn expression on Lu Tai''s face.


    Just then, he had actually been using an untaught mind-observing secret technique from the Lu n to peep at the realm inside Chen Ping''an''s mind.


    Chen Ping''an lifted his teacup and asked, "Can I have another cup?"


    "Do you think you''re drinking wine?" Lu Tai replied with a huff.


    However, he still poured another cup of tea for Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an continued to reveal his thoughts, saying, "However, I feel like I wasn''t wrong to turn down your offer to go to the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm together. If I went with you, perhaps I would have affected your fortune and made it such that you couldn''t obtain any money or rare treasures. Now, however, you''ve made a huge fortune and I''ve also earned three grain rain coins. This is fairly good."


    Lu Tai was no longer drinking tea anymore, and he ced his hands on his knees and chuckled, "You lent me two of the grain rain coins, so you actually only earned a single one."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before honestly replying, "I feel like I earned three."


    Lu Tai didn''t know whether tough or to cry.


    Say, Chen Ping''an had never expected him to return the grain rain coins?


    Chen Ping''an drank the tea that he definitely couldn''t determine the quality of and said in a quiet voice, "One needs to leave some room. A missed opportunity is a missed opportunity. One can''t hope to achieve perfection and earn the biggest bounty in all matters. Lu Tai, what do you think?"


    Lu Tai was taken aback. However, he immediately chortled withughter and eximed, "Chen Ping''an, you''re actually hiding from that ''one[4]!''"


    Chen Ping''an sipped some tea. He was very confused.


    Lu Tai''sughter was suddenly reced by fury, and he leaned forward slightly and snatched the teacup from Chen Ping''an''s hand. He then casually flicked his sleeve and put away all of the tea utensils and tea set. He angrily stood up and shot a vicious re at Chen Ping''an, shouting, "Observing Dao on the Ascending Sun tform... Who''s the one observing Dao? And who''s the one bing a noble in Parasol Leaf Continent? You know all of this already! What am I, a measly noble from Parasol Leaf Continent, worth?! What a huge loss!"


    Lu Tai was fuming as he noisily made his way upstairs. The steps thudded loudly under his heavy footsteps.


    Chen Ping''an scratched his head in utter confusion. He had no idea what was going on.


    For a long time after this, Chen Ping''an''s situation became quite pitiful. Lu Tai reverted back to dressing as a woman. Not only did he dress himself up in a beautiful and seductive manner, but he even acted coquettishly in front of Chen Ping''an on purpose. He would deliberately go down to the first floor to disgust Chen Ping''an every single day.


    No matter how good-tempered Chen Ping''an was, he still couldn''t stand Lu Tai''s incessant orchid fingers and purposeful flirting. He couldn''t stand the beautiful young man continually making eyes at him and speaking in a cutesy and mellow manner. And so, there eventually came one morning when Chen Ping''an threw a single punch and knocked Lu Tai into Emerald Lake while he was sitting on the corridor railings and humming a tune.


    Lu Tai furiously leaped out from the water,pletely drenched from head to toe. He forcefully suppressed his urge to summon Needle Tip and Wheat Awn, his two bonded flying swords, to stab Chen Ping''an to death. He ultimately managed to stop himself, yet he still couldn''t resist hurling a torrent of abuse at the young boy. Was this any way to treat his semi-Dao mentor?! Did Chen Ping''an still have a conscience?!


    However, Lu Tai was clearlycking confidence when he mentioned the fact that he was Chen Ping''an''s semi-Dao mentor. Even so, he was filled with confidence and vigor when he scolded Chen Ping''an as heartless andcking conscience.


    After this incident, Lu Tai no longer paid any attention to Chen Ping''an.


    Time slowly flowed by.


    It was dawn when the Treasure Swallowing Whale arrived at the ferry station located at Parasol Leaf Continent''s nchette Writing Sect, and Chen Ping''an walked up to the third floor to remind Lu Tai that it was time to disembark.


    However, the third floor was already empty.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t think much about this. Lu Tai was truly a strange person.


    Walking by himself, Chen Ping''an went from the Treasure Swallowing Whale under the sea to Parasol Leaf Continent onnd.


    Chen Ping''an stepped onto the ferry station and stomped his feet.


    This was just like when he had gone from y Vase Alley to Fortune Street for the first time all those years ago  he had gone from a dirty mud path to a path paved from bluestone bs. This was a very fresh experience.


    Chen Ping''an felt like things were quite good without Lu Tai by his side. Of course, thinking like this was a bit unfair toward that beautiful young man.


    Just as Chen Ping''an''s light and carefree footsteps carried him forward, he saw a familiar figure near the bustling shops in the ferry station. Chen Ping''an instantly bared his teeth and grimaced.


    Wearing an azure robe and a jade hairpin, Lu Tai was currently squatting by the street and nibbling on a meat bun. After seeing Chen Ping''an, he turned his head and nced at the dog squatting beside him. The dog was also looking at Lu Tai with an eager expression.


    Upon seeing this, Lu Tai tossed one of his meat buns to the dog squatting on the street beside him.


    While doing this, he even raised an eyebrow at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an walked over, and Lu Tai continued to nibble on the meat bun that had thin skin and sulent fillings. He was bobbing his head back and forth in a very punchable manner.


    Chen Ping''an bent down and stroked the dog''s head. He then directly rewarded Lu Tai with a kick.


    1. The concept of The Mean () roughly refers to the concept of bnce, harmony, and equilibrium. It is a concept explored in the <em>Doctrine of the Mean</em>, one of the Four Books of ssical Chinese philosophy and a central doctrine of Confucianism.


    2. This is a Daoist concept originating from Laozi''s Dao De Jing.


    3. This most likely refers to his loss against Qi Jingchun.


    4. This refers to a one-in-10,000 chance (not literally) of something happening.

 Chapter 287: (1): Traveling North

    Chapter 287: (1): Traveling North


    Lu Tai fell onto his bum. Fortunately, he didn''t drop the meat bun in his hand.


    After kicking him for no reason, Chen Ping''an was actually still smiling?


    He imed that he was afraid of death, so why was hepletely unafraid of death when it came to him, Esteemed Lu?


    Did Chen Ping''an genuinely think that Needle Tip and Wheat Awn were as useless as his abandoned boxes of makeup?


    Lu Tai suddenly felt a little gloomy. This was because he just remembered that Chen Ping''an waspletely unaware of the existence of his two bonded flying swords.


    Lu Tai stood up and viciously chomped down on the meat bun. After finishing it, he warned, "That punch in the Treasure Swallowing Whale and that kick just now, it''s already been two times!"


    "The same mistake can''t be made three times," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    "If you dare to repeat the same mistake three times, then I''ll either bash you to death or I''ll change back into female clothes and disgust you to death!" Lu Tai said in a scathing voice.


    Chen Ping''an immediately raised his arms and put his hands together, pretending to make a vow to the heavens. However, what he said was, "If there''s a third time, then please choose the first option and bash me to death."Lu Tai suddenly smiled.


    Seeing that Lu Tai had no intention of dwelling on this matter, Chen Ping''an looked up and gazed at a tall and majestic mountain in the distance. A sea of clouds obstructed his view starting from the waist of the mountain. This prevented people from seeing the scenery atop the mountain. It was said that there were only a few times each year when one could witness the full appearance of the mountain. During these times, one couldy their eyes upon the vast expanse of temples, halls, and pagodas that rested at the peak of the majestic mountain.


    There was a description of nchette Writing Sect in the <em>Mountain and Sea Chronicle</em>, amid which there were two points that left a very deep impression on Chen Ping''an. Just like Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence, nchette Writing Sect didn''t belong to any of the three branches of Daoism. It specialized in "immortals asking questions, true immortals bestowing knowledge."


    To put it simply, nchette Writing Sect was simr to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain in the sense that disciples could summon higher powers to help them. The only difference was whether one was summoning deities or true immortals.


    In addition, nchette Writing Sect raised many spirits and ghosts in its territory. It was unrivaled in Parasol Leaf Continent, and there was a Sky Calling Street at the waist of the mountain that contained all kinds of peculiar and bizarre matters.


    Chen Ping''an had always been very interested in those lively and adorable little spirits. Thus, he nned to broaden his horizons in nchette Writing Sect. If this were in the past, he would have only thought about this but not acted upon it. Now, however, he was genuinely willing to act upon his desire.


    Moreover, carrying the sword, Lasting Qi, on his back, there would be wisps of slightly shuddering sword qi whenever Chen Ping''an traveled north. This would shake Chen Ping''an''s soul. However, the sword qi would remain still if Chen Ping''an traveled south.


    This caused Chen Ping''an to breathe a sigh of relief. After all, traveling north would at least bring him closer and closer to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Lu Tai raised both hands in approval regarding Chen Ping''an''s desire to visit Sky Calling Street. Hemented that the small trinkets there were not only precious and rare, but they were also very fair in terms of price. This was a ce that Qi refiners definitely needed to visit when they traveled to Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Walking toward a distant mountain could tire one to death. The majestic mountain looked quite close, yet there was actually a huge distance to cover if one wanted to travel toward it on foot. However, Chen Ping''an was no longer an amateur who had just set foot into the cultivation world.


    He asionally nced at the towering mountain shrouded in clouds and mists as he walked forward, and was keenly aware of just how powerful nchette Writing Sect was. If it were ced in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, it would only be slightly weaker than Divine Edict Sect.


    Located in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent, nchette Writing Sect was a sect-level force, signifying that it had at least one cultivator at the Unpolished Jade Tier. Moreover,pared to the smallest Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the immortal forces in Parasol Leaf Continent possessed greater influence and stronger foundations.


    There was also Parasol Leaf Sect and Jade Tablet Sect to the south and north, respectively, upying the two ends of the continent. It was as if they each possessed half of Parasol Leaf Continent''s fortune. Thus, sects that were still able to rise to the top and make a name for themself in Parasol Leaf Continent were often powerful forces that had left a trail of blood and destruction in their wake.


    Bored and with nothing better to do, Lu Tai started to tell Chen Ping''an about the differences between Parasol Leaf Continent and Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s cultures and customs. Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was a small ce, so if it wasn''t for Divine Edict Sect''s Qi Zhen advancing to the 12th tier, the Immortal Tier, and being bestowed the title of Heavenly Lord by their superior sect in Middle Earth Divine Continent, there wouldn''t have been a single Immortal Tier cultivator in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent  at least not on the surface.


    A while ago, Chen Ping''an had seen a bounty for the Great Li Empire''s Song Changjing on that wall in Stctite Mountain''s Daoist Saber Room. The reason given was because Eastern Treasured Vial Continent wasn''t worthy of having an 11th tier martial artist. In fact, this reason was both funny and not funny at the same time.


    Looking at Parasol Leaf Continent, on the other hand, the most powerful cultivators in Parasol Leaf Sect and Jade Tablet Sect were all old geezers who had advanced to the Immortal Tier hundreds of years ago.


    nchette Writing Sect also had two cultivators at the Unpolished Jade Tier, one male and one female. They were Dao partners, and they were truly the envy of everyone.


    It was said that the bustling Sky Calling Street only existed in the nchette Writing Sect because that female cultivator at the Unpolished Jade Tier was fond of raising spirits. Even after bing an earth immortal back then, she was still willing to frequent the markets and show her face in front of other people. She would especially leave the mountain to purchase all kinds of spirits.


    Since this was the case, the sect leader of nchette Writing Sect had decided to wave his hand and spend all of his personal wealth to build the Sky Calling Street, for no other reason than to please his Dao partner. This way, she wouldn''t need to travel too far away.


    There was a look of intoxication and yearning on Lu Tai''s face as he talked about the romance between the two powerful cultivators. Chen Ping''an''s hairs stood on end. This was because he didn''t know whether Lu Tai was imagining himself as the sect leader of nchette Writing Sect or as the sect leader''s female Dao partner.


    Afterward, most likely because he was feeling sentimental, Lu Tai started to tirelessly exin those feminine matters to Chen Ping''an even though he was still dressed as a wealthy young master. He talked about plum blossom makeup, forehead decorations, blusher, the different types of powder in terms of their color and how they should be applied, the clothing preferences of celestial maidens in Middle Earth Divine Continentpared to other continents, the pros and cons of heavy makeup versus light makeup, and so on and so forth...


    After enduring this for a long time, Chen Ping''an finally couldn''t listen to Lu Tai''s seemingly endless barrage of feminine talk anymore. He turned to the handsome young man and said with a serious expression, "Lu Tai, I''m begging you, I don''t want to listen to you talking about these things. In any case, listening to these things isn''t useful at all."


    Chen Ping''an had only said something simr to this one time before, and that was to Ma Kuxuan before their big battle in the street. Back then, Ma Kuxuan had been spouting a heap of nonsense without any signs of stopping.


    However, his feelings toward Ma Kuxuan were that of disgust and loathing. It was incredibly rare for Chen Ping''an to detest someone so much. Zhu Lu, the young girl who had attempted to assassinate him, could be counted as one. The female ghost in the bright red wedding dress who had wantonly killed people could be counted as another. The elderly golden flood dragon in the Flood Dragon Trench could also be counted among this group.


    Meanwhile, his feelings toward Lu Tai were rather those of exasperation and helplessness.


    Lu Tai raised an eyebrow before saying in a heartbroken voice, "Not useful? Isn''t there a girl whom you like? In the one-in-10,000 chance there is, then don''t you want to see her be even more beautiful? In the 9,999-in-10,000 chance there isn''t, then you can at least use this information as a topic of conversation with other girls. Do you genuinely think that celestial maidens don''t have mortal desires and don''t care about beauty at all? You deserve to be single!"


    Chen Ping''an suddenly attained enlightenment, and his voice was firm as he replied, "There is a girl! I do want her to be even more beautiful!"


    There was naturally a girl whom he liked, and he naturally wanted her to be even more beautiful... Hmm? No, no, Ning Yao was already the most beautiful!


    Lu Tai shook his head upon seeing this. "What a stupid boy! I surmise that you won''t be able to maintain your rtionship even if you do have one."


    After saying this, Lu Tai was still unwilling to let the matter go. He summoned his bamboo folding fan from thin air and clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, "You won''t be able to maintain it, won''t be able to maintain it."


    Chen Ping''an chuckled coldly in reply.


    Detecting signs that Chen Ping''an was about to get physical again, Lu Tai shot a sideways nce at the young boy and warned, "Don''t you dare to get physical, okay? You''re reading books every day, so even if you''re not a noble schr, you''re still at least half a schr. Just how far have we walked? Didn''t you say that you wouldn''t make the same mistake three times?"


    The ferry station they had arrived at was also part of nchette Writing Sect''s territory. As they walked toward the mountain where the main structures of the sect were located, they came across many interesting and strange sights along the way.


    There were a dozen or so people riding arge purple python that slithered as quickly as wind and lightning. However, its passengers were still able to enjoy a smooth and stable ride. Meanwhile, bursts of light that were filled with sword qi continued to frequently whiz past above their heads,ing and going in a sh.


    After traveling to Old Dragon City and Stctite Mountain, Chen Ping''an was already unsurprised by these incredible scenes.


    Lu Tai exined that Parasol Leaf Continent was very different from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, which had countless small forces. There weren''t many forces in the mountains here, yet most of the ones that existed were supremely powerful behemoths. In this continent, one couldn''t call oneself the king of the mountain simply by stabbing a tattered g on its peak. One shouldn''t underestimate the cultivation forces and mortal empires in Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Of course, nothing was absolute. Parasol Leaf Continent was truly toorge, after all, so there definitely existed small and weak immortal forces as well. In any case, which piece ofnd didn''t have nests of rats?


    In Eastern Treasured Vial Continent thaty to the south of Lake View Academy, almost every empire and nation was brimming with arge number of immortal forces. This was most definitely not the case in Parasol Leaf Continent.


    The two of them walked side-by-side on one side of the wide street. In fact, they were especially eye-catching, so many females passing by in carriages would look at them with expressions of curiosity, regardless of whether they were immortals or wealthy mortals. There was slight amazement on their faces, and this was mostly thanks to the graceful Lu Tai. His immortal aura and bookish appearance were truly very rare and outstanding. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was like an ordinary leaf highlighting the beauty of the blossoming flower.


    Lu Tai couldn''t help but sigh with emotion and say, "There''s no need to say too much about Southern Whirl Continent. It''s extremely powerful, its schrly culture is flourishing, and there are also boundless cultivators. This is especially the case since they have Chen Chun''an from the Pure Confucian Chen n guarding the continent.


    "Parasol Leaf Continent where we are right now prefers peace and quiet. It''s like a virtuous female who stands aloof from worldly affairs. At the same time, this continent has a geographical advantage in the sense that it''s very difficult to reach. Few intercontinental shipse and go from this continent. Because of this, Parasol Leaf Continent tends to be resistant to outside influence. In fact, Parasol Leaf Continent can be regarded as a veryrge paradise away from the world.


    "Inparison, Circling Ascension Continent to the southwest is much more lively. There''s no clear line between the mountains and the ordinary cultivation world, and people are fighting and killing each other all the time. Even Qi refiners possess a strong aura that''s usually unique to those in the cultivation world."


    "Lu Tai, what''s your cultivation base? Can you say?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked in a quiet voice.


    Lu Tai gently rocked his folding fan, causing his hair to flow in the wind as he replied with a faint smile, "Descendents of the Lu n don''t care too much about their cultivation base. They only care about how far their ''river observation'' eye can see."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "Then it''s not very high."


    Lu Tai pursed his lips and replied, "Compared to the cultivation prodigies in Middle Earth Divine Continent, my cultivation base is naturally not very high. Compared to you, however, it''s more than high enough."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and revealed, "I''m acquainted with someone who''s slightly older than me, and he''s a seventh tier martial artist. Back in my hometown, I came across a sword cultivator from Southern Whirl Continent who looked like a fox. I think he was at the ninth tier. There are also two little children staying at my home, with one of them being a fire python and one of them being a water snake. I presume they''re almost about to reach the sixth or seventh tier. So, what about you? What''s your cultivation base?"


    Even after hearing this, Lu Tai was still unwilling to disclose his cultivation base to Chen Ping''an. Instead, he put on a smug expression and gloated, "I have two masters, one who taught me knowledge and one who taught me Dao. They''re both at the Upper Five Tiers."


    "I see," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Lu Tai shot a nce at Chen Ping''an and asked, "What do you mean you see? Are you unwilling to concede? Or perhaps that''s still too weak for you?"


    "I concede," Chen Ping''an answered with a nod.


    Lu Tai smiled with squinted eyes and said, "Chen Ping''an, what''s with your perfunctory response? You''re clearly not conceding at all. Perhaps you want to beid down and honored with a few cups of wine?"


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Chen Ping''an asked with a perplexed expression.


    Lu Tai closed his folding fan with a snap and exined, "After a person dies, people will naturally go to their grave and honor them with wine."


    "Such a twisted mind," Chen Ping''an said with a huff.


    Lu Taiughed delightfully and opened his folding fan again, sending gusts of refreshing breeze toward his handsome face. What a beautiful day this was.


    The two of them walked for half a day, and they only arrived at the foot of the mountain when twilight set in. This mountain owned by nchette Writing Sect was called Hanging Garment Mountain, and ording to Lu Tai''s exnation, this symbolized a ruler maintaining order with their hands cupped and their sleeves hanging[1].


    However, why was the name of this mountain inspired by a Confucian notion? Lu Tai was unable to offer any exnation. Another two hours passed, and it was already dusk when Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai finally saw Sky Calling Street in the distance. The street was brightly lit, making it seem as if it were day. Even though it was already night, there were still streams of visitors bustling around.


    After walking onto therge street teeming with people, Lu Tai and Chen Ping''an were able to witness what it meant to spend money like pouring water, spend a fortune with a single wave of a hand, whoever blinked first bing the loser, and so on...


    Sure enough, Sky Calling Street was brimming with peculiar and wonderful things.


    Chen Ping''an found this to be a very eye-opening experience.


    1. The saying "hands cupped and sleeves hanging" ()es from the <em>ssic of History </em>(), one of the Five ssics of ancient Chinese literature. The imagery of a person with their hands cupped together means that there is nothing to do, and is thus used to refer to a ruler governing without needing to do anything. This is because they are governing through the rule of virtue.

 Chapter 287: (2): Traveling North

    Chapter 287: (2): Traveling North


    In the first shop they entered, Lu Tai purchased two small spirits that Chen Ping''an had never even heard of before. One was called "puppil" and ording to the near-obsequious introduction by the shopkeeper, Chen Ping''an learned that one could raise this spirit in their pupil. Not only could this spirit absorb some spiritual energy of heaven and earth every day, but more importantly, it could help its owner "brighten their eyes" when it saw breathtakingly beautiful individuals. Many Qi refiners who practiced immortal techniques rting to the eye were most fond of this kind of spirit.


    After spending a whopping 800 snowke coins to purchase this spirit, Lu Tai announced that he was going to give it to Chen Ping''an as a present. However, Chen Ping''an naturally turned down this act of goodwill. Seeing this, Lu Tai could only shake his head in pity, asking, "Chen Ping''an, don''t you want your vision to improve every day?"


    The implied question to Chen Ping''an was this: With Lu Tai in front of him, and with this puppil in his eye, wouldn''t looking at Lu Tai be equivalent to cultivating his vision?


    The old shopkeeper nced at the extraordinarily handsome Lu Tai before turning his gaze to Chen Ping''an. There was an amused and meaningful smile on his face.


    Ayer of goosebumps appeared on Chen Ping''an''s body, and he pretended that he didn''t understand anything at all.


    Compared to the puppil that Lu Tai had purchased, Chen Ping''an was actually more interested in the miniature spirits that were running around in a lively manner beside it. They were as small as grains of rice, and this species of spirits was called "eer," a homonym with "ear." They lived in a person''s ear, and they would use their owner''s eardrum as a literal drum.


    When their owner went to sleep, they would quietly beat their owner''s eardrum in a manner that couldn''t be heard by their owner or anyone else. However, this act could magnify the yang energy of their owner, formlessly deterring the many sinister spirits and ghosts that wandered around during the night.


    This was a type of spirit that wealthy ns from outside the mountains definitely had to purchase if they were haunted by ghosts or identally possessed by evil spirits.


    Because of their lowly cultivation base, many Qi refiners at the Lower Five Tiers would also bring such a spirit along with them if they needed to travel through mountain forests orkes and marshes.Apart from the puppil, Lu Tai also purchased a spider that was asrge as a fingernail. Its body was five-colored, making it appear especially likable. However, its name was enough to make Chen Ping''an stand back and keep a respectful distance. It was called "Intimate Dream Spider," and it liked to harvest and collect the intimate dreams of people.


    When its owner fell asleep, this spider would spin a small web above their head, one that was colorful and dazzling. Afterward, their owner would enjoy a dream filled with wealth and intimacy.


    Because of this, many immortal forces used Intimate Dream Spiders as a tool to temper their disciples'' Dao Hearts. At the same time, teachings and forces that advocated dual cultivation also viewed Intimate Dream Spiders as a necessary item.


    In a row of small cages near the Intimate Dream Spider, there were many other species of spiders including the Nightmare Spider, which was pitch-ck like ink. Each type of spider had its own unique appearance and ability.


    Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t like these kinds of creatures.


    However, Lu Tai happened to like these spiders very much. Indeed, he had spent 600 snowke coins simply because he thought the appearance of the Intimate Dream Spider was very adorable.


    And thus, the old shopkeeper''s smile became even more amused and meaningful.


    Afterward, Lu Tai got into a bidding war with a cultivator at the Middle Five Tiers in front of some stall. This was a rare sight, yet Chen Ping''an didn''t me Lu Tai for being reckless this time. Instead, he felt like that item was well worth the 12 lesser heat coins that Lu Tai had spent.


    In the end, Lu Tai had only managed to win the bidding war because his opponent hadn''t had enough immortal money on him. Moreover, Lu Tai had been exuding an air of confidence, making it seem as if he would fight to the end no matter how many times his opponent raised the bid. The cultivator at the Middle Five Tiers had eventually muttered curses and left.


    There was an incredibly rare Mutton Fat Beast happily jumping around in Lu Tai''s palm. The body of the small beast was jade-like, and this was because it was formed from the essence of beautiful jade. Its body was innately a high-grade natural treasure, making it an optimal choice to forge talismanic jade tablets with. However, Mutton Fat Beasts were extremely fiery and unyielding, so once they grew up and matured, they would choose tomit suicide once they were caught. In other words, one couldn''t capture and raise mature Mutton Fat Beasts.


    Meanwhile, the Mutton Fat Beast in Lu Tai''s palm had been unintentionally caught by a cultivator, and it had only managed to survive and avoid death by suicide because it was still young. If it were properly raised, it could potentially be a living treasure that was worth an exorbitant amount of money. However, there was a catch in the sense that raising a Mutton Fat Beast would cost even more than the initial price of buying one. This was because Mutton Fat Beasts only ate snowke coins.


    The stall owner was an ordinary-looking woman. After Lu Tai purchased the Mutton Fat Beast, she smiled and said that such a valuable beast would have definitely been purchased at a high price right away if it weren''t for the fact that nchette Writing Sect already owned a pair of Mutton Fat Beasts.


    Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai walked left and right along the bustling Sky Calling Street, entering and exiting numerous shops.


    During this time, Chen Ping''an had also taken a fancy to three items. However, he had been struck with indecision, and he had ultimately been reluctant to spend so much money.


    There was a Three-legged Golden Toad that was a spirit beast belonging to heaven and earth. It was said that its owner could increase their fortune in making money.


    There was a silver-white Treasure-Seeking Mouse whose sense of smell was extremely sensitive to spiritual matters in the world.


    There was also a small creature called the Wine Insect, and this was a creature that could only be born in high-quality aged wine. If this insect were ced in a newly fermented pot of wine, then the pot of wine would be as rich as one that was stored for several years after just a few hours. Thus, these kinds of Wine Insects were naturally adored by those who liked to drink wine.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t spend any money, yet Lu Tai continued to spend money without pause. He purchased a Dragon Whisker Carp that was the size of a palm. This creature had the body of a carp, yet it also had two long whiskers that were identical to those belonging to flood dragons. These whiskers were a type of rare natural treasure. However, they were naturally far inferior to the two golden flood dragon whiskers that Chen Ping''an had obtained and forged into a demon-binding chain.


    The advantage of Dragon Whisker Carp was the fact that they could be bred and raised. In other words, an immortal force could potentially purchase several of these carp and carefully raise them and breed them. After hundreds upon thousands of years, the immortal force would have an entire pond of Dragon Whisker Carp.


    Lu Tai also purchased a Bull Roar Fish. Its body was only as long as a person''s finger, yet it could unleash a roar that was as loud as thunder.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t fathom why Lu Tai had purchased this fish. Perhaps he was going to use it to frighten someone?


    In the end, Chen Ping''an also saw a collection of talisman paper humans in a shop at the end of the street. They came in varying styles and colors, and they alsomanded a varying range of prices. These talisman paper humans were roughly divided into three categories ording to height: those that were one finger tall, one palm tall, or one arm tall. They were extremely life-like, and they were capable of cleaning courtyards, raising flowers and birds, helping to move books and bask books, and so on.


    Paper humans were also divided into different grades. Moreover, this notion of grades was a very popr one among wealthy ns in the world. Because of this, the cultivation base, renown, and force affiliation of the talisman''s author had a huge influence on the final price. Of course, the quality of the talisman paper was also quite important.


    There were immortal forces and subordinate businesses that specialized in crafting talisman paper humans, and this was a business where profits were very high.


    Even though Chen Ping''an found these miniature paper humans extremely amusing and fun, he definitely wouldn''t go as far as to purchase one.


    This was because they were very expensive. They weren''t worth the price, and they also provided no value. They couldn''t be further away from the ideal of cheap and useful.


    Meanwhile, Lu Tai purchased arge stack of talisman paper humans in a single go, all of them belonging to the shortest category. Having spent another 500 snowke coins, Lu Tai said that he could get these paper humans to stage mock battles on the table when he became bored. That would definitely cure his boredom...


    When it came to spending money, there was definitely no possibility of mutual understanding and conversation between Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai.


    If one continued past Sky Calling Street for one to two kilometers, one woulde across a pavilion named the Cease Walking Pavilion. This signified that those from outside nchette Writing Sect should stop here and not proceed forward.


    Chen Ping''an and the fully loaded Lu Tai walked into the Cease Walking Pavilion together. While walking over, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but steal a few extra nces at Lu Tai. He was extremely curious about where Lu Tai had put those spirits and creatures. Lu Tai did indeed own pocket treasures, and it was indeed okay to put goods like the talisman paper humans inside. However, living spirits and creatures with yang energy most definitely couldn''t be ced inside pocket treasures. Otherwise, they would explode apart and potentially even cause the pocket treasure to shatter.


    Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai rested in the pavilion for a short while, taking in the night scenery surrounding nchette Writing Sect from a distance. Afterward, the two of them returned to Sky Calling Street and looked for a nearby inn to stay the night. However, this resulted in the two of them directly parting ways. This was because Lu Tai wanted to stay in an immortal residence brimming with spiritual energy. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an naturally wanted to find any old inn to stay in, as long as the price was right.


    An uneventful night passed by.


    It was very difficult to cause trouble right under the nose of nchette Writing Sect.


    Of course, this was given that one didn''t provoke those haughty disciples from nchette Writing Sect.


    Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai agreed to meet up at the Cease Walking Pavilion in the morning. They would then leave the mountain and continue to travel north. Chen Ping''an arrived at the pavilion very early in the morning, allowing him to enjoy the spectacr sight of the sun rising above the East Sea. However, there was still no sign of Lu Tai even when the sun had risen high. After waiting for so long, Chen Ping''an was just about to leave the pavilion to look for Lu Tai.


    However, it was only at this moment that the handsome young man finally strolled up the mountain while yawning in sleepiness. He waved at Chen Ping''an before stopping in his tracks, unwilling to walk any further. In any case, walking any further would be aplete waste of his energy. Chen Ping''an sighed and walked out of the pavilion, making his way down the mountain with Lu Tai.


    Last night, Chen Ping''an had still been worried that Lu Tai would draw trouble due to spending such huge sums of money in the Sky Calling Street. When traveling around the world, it was best that one didn''t unt their wealth. However, nothing untoward happened even after they traveled more than 300 kilometers north. Only then was Chen Ping''an''s mind put at ease.


    Following the asional "reminders" from the sword on his back, Chen Ping''an corrected their direction several times, heading toward the general location of his destination. This was necessary because they needed to take detours around mountains and rivers. At the same time, Chen Ping''an also wanted to avoid bustling official roads.


    Lu Tai had no objections. However, he would stop for a while whenever they came across lively markets, inns, and shops in the towns. As repayment for Lu Tai''sck ofints regarding his choice of direction, Chen Ping''an didn''t refuse the handsome young man''s requests.


    This was a very calm and unremarkable journey for Chen Ping''an. Nothing much happened, and he would simply practice fist techniques and sword techniques in the quiet and unpopted mountains, forests, and rivers. He never saw Lu Tai cultivating much, and Lu Tai would only seem spirited when they arrived at lively markets bustling with people and activity. He would appear exuberant as if they had entered a blessednd. As time went on, Lu Tai eventually taught Chen Ping''an one thing. He taught the young boy the lifestyle and standards of a wealthy person.


    Lu Tai always managed to spend the least amount of money necessary to eat and drink the best food. Even if it were a simple dish, he could enjoy it as if there were thousands of years of history and culture behind it. He could somehow rte the dish to several renowned literati and sages.


    He could recite several lines of beautiful poetry for each pot of wine.


    When Lu Tai asionally purchased an ancient book from some bookstore, he would sit there and hold the book in one hand whilezily flipping the pages with his other. In Chen Ping''an''s eyes, however, he felt like this was the aura and disposition that schrs should possess.


    When they stayed at inns, Lu Tai would brew himself a pot of tea almost every single day. However, he would never invite Chen Ping''an over to enjoy the tea with him, and he would instead sit alone and quietly sip tea, not saying a single word.


    He would appear calm and rxed, filled with an aura of rightness and morality.


    When Lu Tai yed out games of Go from the manuals, Chen Ping''an felt like he had only witnessed this kind of elegant demeanor from Cui Dongshan before.


    Lu Tai also owned a bamboo flute that sounded especially pleasant to the ear when it was yed in the mountains and rivers.


    Even when he satzily in some random ce to gaze up at the moon with a folding fan in his hand, he still appeared as graceful as always.


    Chen Ping''an knew of a term called "cultural artiness." This was a very derogatory term.


    However, Lu Tai wasn''t guilty of this.


    Just like how Chen Ping''an was a country bumpkin at his core, Lu Tai was an innately graceful person. He was an innate schr.


    Having money implied wealth, while understanding etiquette implied nobleness.


    This was the true meaning of being a wealthy noble.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t learn and emte Fan Er''s brilliant and positive mindset. He felt like he couldn''t learn and emte Lu Tai''s graceful and carefree demeanor either.


    On this day, Chen Ping''an stood atop a tall tree and gazed into the distance. To his surprise, he saw a castle standing amid the majestic yet sparsely popted mountains.


    Before this, Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai hadn''te across a single mountain or water spirit during their journey.


    This ce was already hundreds of kilometers from nchette Writing Sect, the most powerful sect in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Chen Ping''an initially didn''t want to tell Lu Tai that there was a castle in the distance. He wanted to focus on traveling to their destination. However, the handsome young man who had been uninterested in the mountains and waters this entire suddenly decided to jump onto a tall branch today. He rocked his folding bamboo fan and chuckled, "Very good, very good, it''s a brilliant location to kill people and steal goods before fabricating evidence and framing someone else."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t understand Lu Tai''s words right away. However, it wasn''t long before he came to a realization.


    There were skulking figures in the surrounding forest, with their small movements giving rise to quiet rustles. Even though they were well-hidden and extremely careful, Chen Ping''an''s eyesight and hearing were even better. He immediately discovered that he and Lu Tai were surrounded.


    Chen Ping''an looked around and said slowly, "I''m at the fourth tier of martial arts, and I own two bonded flying swords and many immortal talismans."


    As if in tacit understanding, Lu Tai smiled faintly and said, "I''m a Qi refiner at the eighth tier, the Dragon Gate Tier. And what a coincidence, I also have two bonded flying swords and many immortal treasures."


    There was one person wearing a white robe with a sword strapped to his back. Hanging on his waist was a Sword Nurturing Gourd that hadn''t been removed and used as a wine gourd for a long time.


    There was one person wearing an azure robe with a jade pendant hanging by his waist. Noble people wouldn''t remove their jade pendant for no reason[1].


    Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai were facing arge group of scheming bandits who had tailed them for hundreds of kilometers. Moreover, it was without a doubt that most of them were Qi refiners from the mountains.


    Lu Tai gently rocked his fan and smiled with squinted eyes, asking, "Before throwing hands, should we try to speak some reason with them?"


    Chen Ping''an pursed his lips and patted the wine gourd by his waist, not saying anything else in reply.


    His reasons were all inside the wine gourd.


    1. This is a line from the <em>Book of Rites</em> (). In ancient China, the character of noble people waspared to the quality of jade. Thus, wearing a jade pendant is a constant reminder that one needs to remain virtuous and upright.

 Chapter 288: Facing Enemies

    Chapter 288: Facing Enemies


    A murderous autumn wind gusted through the mountain forest.


    No wonder Cui Dongshan had talked about thieves with golden belts.[1]


    Heavy emotions weighed on Chen Ping''an''s mind. Being surrounded and hunted like this inevitably reminded him of that surprise attack in the mountain forest in Water Combing Nation. The assassins from the Case Purchasing Pagoda and Grandmaster Lin Gushan from Colorful Garment Nation had teamed up in a malicious manner to attack Chen Ping''an. If it weren''t for Su Lang, the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal, changing sides and helping Chen Ping''an, it was extremely difficult to say who would have ended up dead.


    Chen Ping''an had already been sufficiently careful during this trip to the north. He frequently climbed to high vantage points to gaze into the distance, and he would remain vignt against people tailing them even when he was wandering through the streets and markets with Lu Tai. Thus, the fact that he hadn''t noticed these people surrounding him and Lu Tai was already a clear sign of the severity of the problem. Their opponents were predators hiding in the shadows, so they definitely wouldn''t have revealed their presence if they weren''t confident of achieving victory.


    An intense battle was about to begin, and Lu Tai appeared to be slightlycking in confidence as he asked, "Chen Ping''an, you''re not truly just a fourth tier martial artist, are you?"


    Chen Ping''an was slightly taken aback. He had no idea why Lu Tai was suddenly asking such a question. However, he nodded anyway and replied, "Of course I am."


    Lu Tai huffed and revealed honestly, "And here I was, thinking that you were at the fifth tier and purposely hiding your true cultivation base from me. In fact, that would have been more normal. When traveling through the cultivation world, who doesn''t use some illusion techniques? For example, I exaggerated my cultivation base a little bit. I''m not at the Dragon Gate Tier, and I''m actually at the sixth tier, the Sea Observation Tier."


    Chen Ping''an shot a re at Lu Tai and eximed, "You''re still pulling tricks like this at such a dangerous time?! Are you seeking death?!"


    Lu Tai was in the wrong, so he didn''t retort Chen Ping''an. Instead, he simply grumbled endlessly in his mind.


    With a tap of his foot, Lu Tai caused the branch under him to sway as he leaped toward the crown of the tree. He appeared calm and collected, yet this wasn''t the case in reality. He had already closed his folding fan and was gently smacking it against his palm.


    However, Lu Tai was a Qi refiner at the Sea Observation Tier, after all, and he was also someone with deep knowledge in many fields. He had arge collection of books, and he was also fond of learning all kinds of different skills. Thus, it could be said that he was a jack of all trades but a master of none.


    Even so, Lu Tai''s breadth of skills was only unrefined in the context that he was a supreme cultivation prodigy in his n. Compared to those vagrant cultivators and itinerant cultivators who had relied on luck and iplete secret techniques to advance to the Middle Five Tiers, Lu Tai was far superior in both judgment and skills. However, it was difficult to say whether these advantages could be tranted into victory in battles of life and death.


    Even if they weren''t actual criminals, those itinerant cultivators who were brainless and brash would choose to fight with their lives on the line once they faced a perilous situation or faced some irresistible benefit. During such moments, they would disy their stark contrast to those immortal disciples who were pampered and had received inheritances in a systematic manner. These itinerant cultivators would be vicious, sly, and willing to suffer grave injuries to kill their opponents.


    "Do you need me to buy time for you?" Chen Ping''an asked quietly. "Do you need to roughly gauge their strength and backgrounds first? I don''t have enough experience when ites to fighting against cultivators, and there''s also ack of understanding and synergy between us. It''s very easy for me to hold you back."


    "Sure thing," Lu Tai replied with his mind''s voice.


    His reply was short and sharp.


    However, perhaps afraid that Chen Ping''an would misunderstand him for wanting to be an idle spectator, he added, "I''ll immediately notify you about their techniques and the background of said techniques once I discover anything. I''ll also tell you how to defend against them and defeat them."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and retrieved an inch movement talisman from his sleeve. This was a backup measure to guard against any unforeseen circumstances.


    "We can''t be careless in battles of life and death," Chen Ping''an said.


    "I understand," Lu Tai replied with a chuckle.


    Chen Ping''an took a deep breath.


    <em>I, Chen Ping''an, was yet to start practicing fist techniques back in the small town. However, relying on the rules and geographical advantage in Jewel Small World, I almost managed to kill both Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua in that small alley.</em>


    <em>That being the case, why can''t other people kill me and Lu Tai?</em>


    Chen Ping''an was still standing on the tall branch. Even though this carried the risk of making him an easy target, it was very important to have a wide view and understand the enemy before facing off against them. Taking some risks to understand the situation was much better than rushing in like a headless chook.


    These bandits had started to secretly plot and tail them from nchette Writing Sect''s Sky Calling Street, but they weren''t gathered together in arge group. Instead, they were scattered around in small groups of two or three. However, the number of visible bandits already numbered 10 or so.


    They were like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey.


    "Who are you people?" Chen Ping''an asked in a solemn voice.


    Not a single person replied.


    Immortals from the mountains traveling hundreds of kilometers to hunt prey and gather loot weren''t the same as scoundrels who wandered around the streets and alleys. They weren''t like those scoundrels who argued for half a day yet were averse to fighting and shedding blood.


    Loudly announcing one''s name and identity would often appear quite impressive. However, this would very easily expose one''s abilities and trump cards.


    This was especially the case with those who liked to purposely and proudly shout the names of their techniques before they attacked. Was this not asking for trouble?


    If one were unfortunate, such actions would amount to nothing short of seeking death.


    Take, for example, the name of the flying sword owned by the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator on Osmanthus Ind. The bonded flying sword was called "Lingering Shade," and this immediately revealed its close rtionship to water and the yin element.


    Thus, unleashing techniques and using immortal treasures that were filled with yang energy would often yield better results against the flying sword.


    With this in mind, would the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator from Osmanthus Ind actively reveal the name of his bonded flying sword to his enemy if he were engaged in an intense battle with them?


    Even though Chen Ping''an had never seen Lu Tai''s two flying swords before, the names Needle Tip and Wheat Awn were already enough information for him to form some spections. It was very likely that these flying swords specialized in focused and intense attacks rather than sweeping area-of-effect attacks.


    Lu Tai used his mind''s voice to silently inform Chen Ping''an of the current situation.


    Looking at the enemies directly in front of Chen Ping''an, they needed to be extremely cautious of the burly man with iron whips in his hands as well as the person standing beside him.


    This other person was clearly a sword expert who had taken a different path. He wasn''t a Qi refiner, yet he wasn''t exactly a pure martial artist either. Even though such kinds of people didn''t possess bonded flying swords, making them crude cultivators who liked to brandish swords in the cultivation world, they could use their Qi to manipte their swords in a manner that made the swords seem like bonded flying swords to other people. However, this was naturally different from genuine sword kinesis performed by sword cultivators.


    As for the burly man with the iron whip, he was a cultivator who had tempered his physique ording to some heretical methods of the Militarian Sect. However, it was difficult to say whether he was a Qi refiner or a pure martial artist, although thetter was more likely.


    The burly man was muscr with bulging veins, measuring almost nine feet tall and radiating with a domineering aura. There were two iron whips in his hands, and he chuckled coldly as he looked at Chen Ping''an through the sparse branches, saying, "Good one, little brat. You''re truly a very tricky one. You purposely walked with uneven footsteps when you went to the Cease Walking Pavilion in nchette Writing Sect, and that almost caused me to misjudge your strength.


    "I thought you were only a third tier martial artist. After walking hundreds of kilometers from the Hanging Garment Mountain, however, I finally discovered that your footsteps were actually so light and even. Disregarding your cultivation base and simply focusing on your alertness and caution..."


    The burly man raised the iron whip in his left hand before continuing with a vicious smile, "You''re worthy of having your head smashed in by a single strike from my iron whip!"


    The burly man was speaking in the official dialect of Parasol Leaf Continent.


    At this moment, Lu Tai was no longer a feminine man who liked to put on makeup. He was no longer a graceful young master from a noble n. Rather, he spoke quickly and concisely as he informed Chen Ping''an about the identities and backgrounds of their enemies.


    <em>The person to the southeast is a Daoist priest who uses talismans. I suspect that the group of bandits most likely didn''t manage to recruit a genuine Militarian cultivator, so they had settled for the next best thing in this Daoist priest. He''s going to use talismanic armor as foot soldiers. </em>


    <em>If the bandits managed to get their hands on one or two puppets made by Mohist cultivators as well, then the effectiveness of our flying swords would have been greatly reduced. After all, talismanic armor and puppets are both inanimate objects. Talismans are hard to break, while the cores of puppets are difficult to find.</em>


    <em>However, I''m unsure of whether this Daoist priest possesses any talismans that specifically target sword cultivators and their flying swords. In any case, the possibility isn''t big. Generally speaking, only cultivators at the Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier can afford to use those few types of precious talismans that especially target sword cultivators. But if we''re genuinely that unlucky, then it will be quite hard to say. </em>


    <em>For example, the Daoist priest might possess those two types of high-grade talismans called "Sword Scabbard" and "Mountain Sealing." These talismans especially target elusive flying swords, and the flying swords will essentially be flying into traps. They''ll be temporarily sealed for a period of time.</em>


    <em>Thebat power of sword cultivators will plunge to a very low level if they lose their flying swords, even if it''s only for a short moment.</em>


    <em>Because of this, we need to remain extremely cautious of this Daoist priest, seeing as our greatest advantage is our four flying swords. Even if we don''t summon our flying swords to attack the enemies, we still need to keep a close eye on the subtle movements of the Daoist priest''s sleeves.</em>


    <em>The person to the southwest is a Qi refiner who practices wood-element cultivation techniques. It was most likely he who concealed their presence this entire time. He''s most likely raising some flower demons and wood ghosts. When you engage with them in a moment, remember to be wary of the nts, trees, vines, and so on. It''s exactly because they''re unremarkable that they''re even more tricky and difficult to deal with than sword cultivators and their flying swords.</em>


    Chen Ping''an silentlymitted all of this information to memory. While doing so, he kept his eyes fixed on the burly man as well as the sword expert beside him. He also watched the Daoist priest from the talismanic branch out of the corner of his eye.


    He chuckled coldly and said, "Since my friend and I dared to spend so much money in front of other people in nchette Writing Sect''s Sky Calling Street, we naturally weren''t afraid of causing others to be jealous and depraved."


    The burly man was thoroughly amused, and he chuckled, "Little brat, don''t try to trick me with your weasel words. The two of you are outsiders who can''t even speak the official dialect of Parasol Leaf Continent fluently, so what does it matter even if youe from sect-level forces? What does it matter even if your masters are earth immortals? Is that very impressive?"


    The sword expert standing beside the burly man was a slender man wearing a ck robe. His face was extremely pale, and his eyes were also slightly sunken. He appeared a little sinister as he smiled and remarked, "Of course that''s impressive. However, it''s a shame that they''re too far away to help."


    The burly man suddenly burst into loudughter. A smile also spread across the sword expert''s face.


    The two men who were closely acquainted with each other looked toward Lu Tai who was standing even higher up. "While following the two of you, I''ve been forced to endure your intimate and romantic interactions this entire time," the middle-aged sword expert said. "You have to take responsibility for the mes of sin and lust in my body. If you''re tactful enough, you might even be able to walk away from this alive."


    Lu Tai paid no heed to this person''s provocation. He remained calm and unfazed as he continued to exin the situation to Chen Ping''an.


    <em>There''s a Naturalist formation cultivator setting up formations directly behind us. Not far from him, there''s also a young boy and a young girl who are most likely his prized disciples. In reality, this formation cultivator is the most troublesome person.</em>


    <em>Chen Ping''an, I''ll kill this person first if I get the opportunity.</em>


    <em>The only reason why they''re staying put right now is because they''re waiting for the formation cultivator to finish his half-assed Mountain-moving Formation. Don''t worry, I''ll find an opportunity to deal with them. I definitely won''t let him and his disciples seed. However, before I do anything, you definitely need to draw their attention first. Even distracting them ever so slightly will be enough.</em>


    Chen Ping''an nodded imperceptibly.


    Lu Tai continued to analyze their opponents.


    <em>There''s also a demonic cultivator near the formation cultivator''s two disciples. He''s neither like a human nor like a ghost, and his entire body is radiating with a strong yin energy. This type of Qi refiner spends much of their time wandering around unmarked burial grounds and tombs. They can trap lone souls and wandering ghosts inside their spirit tools and transform them into subordinates that they can control. In fact, they''ll raise malicious ghosts using a simr method to raising poisonous insects.</em>


    <em>There are another two people standing to the left and right even further behind us. However, their task is to watch over the situation and prevent the two of us from escaping.</em>


    <em>Judging from this setup, the main force of our enemies is to the south. That is, in front of us.</em>


    Seeing Lu Tai remain unfazed, mes of frustration further joined the mes of sin and lust in the middle-aged sword expert''s body. There was a disturbing smile on his face as he asked, "Have the two of you be one yet?"


    Chen Ping''an waspletely clueless about what the sword expert was trying to say. He simply pretended that the sword expert was using some jargonmon among cultivators from the mountains. Or perhaps he was saying some strange things that didn''t deserve any attention.


    However, he detected a rare hint of fury from Lu Tai at this moment.


    In fact, Lu Tai stoppedmunicating with Chen Ping''an using his mind''s voice. He surprisingly changed his mind and glowered at the middle-aged sword expert, saying with a dark expression, "Chen Ping''an, I was the one who caused this trouble to begin with, so you can focus on traveling north by yourself first. I''ll deal with them alone."


    "Can you kill all of them and then leave safely by yourself?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Lu Tai didn''t reply.


    "Are you that fond of dying in some deste ce without a burial ground? Will you be happy that no one can find your corpse?" Chen Ping''an snapped.


    Lu Tai spat before chuckling, "Don''t curse me!"


    Chen Ping''an fell silent and remained unmoving in the same spot for a while. Only then did he finally say, "Then speak less nonsense and kill more people."


    Lu Tai suddenly spoke to Chen Ping''an using his mind''s voice again, eximing, "Now!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t hesitate at all.


    He pinched the inch movement talisman in his sleeve, one that had been drawn ording to the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book</em>.


    He then vanished in a sh.


    The middle-aged sword expert wearing a ck robe withrge sleeves immediately tensed up, knowing that things were moving in a very unfavorable direction.


    Fortunately, the burly man had already strode forward and shielded the middle-aged sword expert behind him. Not only that, but he rapidly swung his iron whip at the space in front of him as well, remarking, "Quite interesting!"


    After suddenly materializing in front of the burly man and the middle-aged sword expert, Chen Ping''an surprisingly didn''t try to avoid the burly man''s aggressive strike. Instead, he charged forward even more resolutely, intent on engaging in close-quarterbat with his opponents.


    However, he tilted his head slightly and bent his back, using Lasting Qi, the sword on his back, to forcefully withstand the strike from the iron whip. At the same time, he used the Deity Drumming Technique to smash the burly man''s chest.


    One punchnding meant 10 punches or even 100 punchesnding.


    If Chen Ping''an had enough energy, and if he were able to throw punch after punch, then what would it matter even if his opponent were a legendary Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal? Their golden body would still be utterly annihted!


    The middle-aged sword expert only faltered for a short moment, and it wasn''t long before a burst of azure flew out from hisrge sleeve.


    Meanwhile, the burly man spat out a mouthful of blood as he stumbled backward five to six steps. He brandished one whip in front of him, creating a water-tight defense. At the same time, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Protect the formation cultivator!"


    At almost exactly the same instant, Chen Ping''an issued a silentmand with his mind, saying, "Fifteenth."


    An emerald green and slender sword ray instantly burst forth from his Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    The Daoist priest from the talismanic branch chuckled coldly and sneered, "How surprising, you''re genuinely a sword cultivator."


    The burly man suddenly felt a searing pain travel over from his left shoulder. His heart shuddered violently. How was it possible for this flying sword to be so quick?


    Afternding the first punch, and before throwing the third punch of the Deity Drumming Technique...


    Not long after Fifteenth left the Sword Nurturing Gourd, there was a ng as it shattered the sword ray from the middle-aged sword expert''s sleeve. However, it was immediately enveloped by a glowing red talisman, unable to escape no matter how it flew around and attacked the talisman.


    The middle-aged sword expert had a vicious expression as he waved hisrge sleeve again, unleashing another "flying sword."


    Chen Ping''an continued to ignore the skillful sword maniption of the middle-aged sword expert, almost like a wraith as he arrived behind the burly man and forcefully mmed the third punch into his back.


    The fist aura from his ferocious punch directly brushed past the burly man''s heart.


    Chen Ping''an lowered his target to the right, directly striking the burly man''s spine with his fourth punch.


    Meanwhile, the Daoist priest used another extremely precious talisman to trap First, the additional flying sword that had once again shattered the sword expert''s sword ray.


    The old Daoist priest''s expression was livid. His eyelids twitched, and his heart ached immensely. It was as if blood were dripping from his heart. This young bastard actually owned two flying swords?!


    Perhaps the small red wine gourd by the young boy''s waist was actually a Sword Nurturing Gourd?


    Upon thinking of this, a fervent expression immediately appeared in the old Daoist priest''s eyes.


    <em>Very well! Absolutely incredible!</em>


    <em>It was worth it for me to use two precious trump cards at once! I''ll still make a killing as long as we seed!</em>


    Theyer of protective Qi around the burly man''s body had already been obliterated by Chen Ping''an''s third punch. As a result, Chen Ping''an''s fourth punch genuinely smashed into the burly man''s spine.


    There was a series of soft cracking sounds. Other people might not pay much attention to this, but the burly man was so terrified that his soul almost left his body.


    His back would truly be shattered if he were stuck by another punch!


    The burly man no longer dared to hold back, heavily stomping his foot and wrapping his left hand around his right wrist. He held the index finger and middle finger of his right hand together, and he arched his back as if he were a prancing tiger ready to strike. His eyes instantly became snow-white, and his blood, tendons, and bones immediately became filled with power...


    It was as if he were a deity descending down to the world.


    Afterward, he transformed into a kite with a broken string as he was sent flying forward by Chen Ping''an''s fifth punch. He crashed into the ground with a heavy thud.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t feel too good either. His back was struck by the burly man''s iron whip, and almost half of the force mmed into his body even though the whip had actually struck Lasting Qi.


    Both First and Fifteenth were trapped by the old Daoist priest''s precious talismans, unable to break free for the moment. In order to sessfully throw the fifth punch of the Deity Drumming Technique, Chen Ping''an had also been struck by a sword rayunched by the middle-aged sword expert. The sword ray had pierced through his shoulder, leaving a bloody wound.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s aura didn''t falter, and it instead grew even more powerful. His soul was condensed and his fist intent was raging, so much so that it was almost visible to the naked eye. It was clear that he wasn''t putting up one final struggle. Rather, his aura was still rising explosively.


    It was as if he were the sun rising above the East Sea, destined to reach the apex in the sky.


    The young boy couldn''t help but crack a grin.


    This kind of small wound was nothing to him.


    1. "Murderer and thief with a golden belt" refers to wealthy people who choose tomit crimes. ?

 Chapter 289: (1): Traveling a Thousand Li to Offer Your Heads

    Chapter 289: (1): Traveling a Thousand Li to Offer Your Heads


    Even though the young boy in white was surrounded, he chose to advance instead of retreat. After throwing several punches, he had already rendered the burly man incapable of fighting back.


    This nted a seed of unease and anxiety in the bandits'' hearts.


    If it weren''t for the burly man''s warning, the formation cultivator in the north might have been brutally killed in an instant.


    At the time, the old man had been squatting on the ground and arranging a Mountain-Moving Formation for everyone. He had been nting several small earthen-yellow gs in the ground. Even though he hadn''t detected any danger, he had still chosen to smack his own chest without any hesitation, shattering the hidden and extremely precious Substitute Talisman in his clothes and instantly switching positions with one of his young disciples.


    In the blink of an eye, a flying sword seemingly tangible yet intangible had rushed down from the sky like a needle stabbing into water. Its speed was immense, and it had left the air rippling in its wake.


    A baffled young boy had been brutally cleaved apart, splitting into two from his head to his waist. The two halves of his corpse had then crumpled to the ground, sending organs and intestines spilling everywhere. This was a harrowing and ghastly sight.


    The flying sword that was muchrger than the swords of ordinary sword cultivators had then disappeared into the ground in a sh. However, it didn''t damage the ground at all.


    It was undoubtedly the bonded flying sword of a sword cultivator.


    In the next moment, the formation cultivator reached out again and smacked his chest, seemingly using another Substitution Talisman. He was nning to sacrifice his second direct disciple to guarantee his own safety.


    This time, however, the demonic cultivator who had been caught by surprise just then was finally able to react. He didn''t remain idle even though he was standing far away, and he retrieved a small and pitch-ck y pot that was covered in inscriptions of talismanic symbols. He silently recited some mantra and lightly swayed the y pot back and forth several times.


    A sinister column of ck smoke soared into the sky, splitting into three separate streams as it left the y pot. These streams of ck smoke flew toward the formation cultivator, his young female disciple, and Lu Tai who was controlling his flying sword from a tall branch.


    His flying sword materialized in the air again, once again shing down at an enemy.


    However, it didn''t sh down at the formation cultivator who had shattered another talisman, and it instead shed down at that young girl with a petrified expression.


    The cloud of churning ck smoke that was formed from countless yin entities and ghosts spread apart above the young girl''s head, forming a defensive barrier to protect her.


    However, the gigantic flying sword was far too powerful, and it easily sliced through the cloud of ck smoke like a hot knife through butter. Just like before, it cleaved the young girl into two from head to waist.


    The young girl who was only 13 or 14 years old was killed just like that, falling on her path to seeking the Great Dao.


    After working so hard and enduring so many challenges to seek longevity, she was ultimately unable to even reach 20 years old.


    There was a dark expression on Lu Tai''s face as he leaned a hand on the tree trunk.


    The demonic forces were truly always one step ahead.


    To Lu Tai''s surprise, the formation cultivator hadn''t actually activated a Substitution Talisman. Smacking his chest had only been a ruse to get Lu Tai to target the young girl.


    However, Lu Tai wasn''t frustrated after losing this exchange. When it came to cultivating in the mountains, those who were stupid didn''t even possess the right to enter the mountains. Moreover, no matter how moronic someone was, and even if they had lived like a dog for tens upon hundreds of years, they should still be a powerful dog spirit even if they were genuinely a dog.


    In other words, no one was a pushover.


    Even though Lu Tai''s flying sword was colossal in size, the speed at which it traveled was simply unfathomable. Lu Tai remained standing in the same spot, allowing the stream of ck smoke to furiously charge toward him. After his flying sword killed the young girl, it flew back in front of him in an instant, crushing the stream of ck smoke that was filled with hatred, agonized wailing, and twisted faces.


    The demonic cultivator continued to rock the small y pot back and forth, chuckling in a sinister manner and saying, "You dare to damage my yin entities? Then let me see how much more spiritual energy you can afford to waste!"


    Bursts of ck smoke flew out from the small y pot, and it was as if there were arge ck flower blooming in the demonic cultivator''s palm.


    The formation cultivator was genuinely terrified that his enemy would unleash another sword strike at him. Left with no other option, he retrieved arge handful of snow-white beads and scattered them into the surroundings.


    The dozens of beads hovered in midair around the formation cultivator, grouping together to form the Three Aspects, Four Divisions, Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams, and Nine Pces.[1]


    There was profound meaning behind the cement of these beads, and they formed numerous defensive formations that radiated with brilliance after they were sessfully created. Under their illumination, the formation cultivator appeared boundlessly brilliant and imposing.


    However, this also meant that the formation cultivator was putting aside the setup of the Mountain-Moving Formation. As a result, itspletion would inevitably be dyed by a significant amount of time.


    The demonic cultivator knew that a few words wouldn''t be enough to persuade the old formation cultivator to abandon his defenses and work on the Mountain-Moving Formation. After all, this was an old formation cultivator who feared death and cherished life.


    While controlling the streams of ck smoke to attack Lu Tai, he said in warning, "Make haste andplete the formation. Otherwise, we would have wasted our time pursuing them for hundreds of kilometers. Moreover, these two people will definitely be boundless threats in the future if we fail to kill them today. Weigh up the consequences by yourself!"


    There was a cloudy and shifting expression on the old formation cultivator''s face. After a while, he reached a decision and resolutely removed half of the defensive formations, retrieving dozens of the beads. This allowed him to speed up the process of setting up the Mountain-Moving Formation.


    In the battlefield to the south...


    The burly man crashed to the ground and continued to vomit blood. It was as if he were about to vomit his heart and lungs out as well. The ground was dyed bright red, and he appeared as pitiful as could be.


    He was a genuine fifth tier immortal, one who had gained his cultivation base and experience through month after month of hard work. He was an extremely difficult opponent.


    However, the burly man hadn''te across any sagacious teacher or received any guidance during his martial arts journey, so his path forward had been extremely difficult and filled with obstacles. As a result, his foundation in the third tier of martial arts was full of gaps and shorings.


    With this in mind, he had definitely pulled out all stops to advance from the fourth tier to the fifth tier. If nothing incredible happened, it would definitely be impossible for him to advance to the sixth tier.


    However, someone like him naturally wouldn''t allow his aspirations to be choked to death by a roadblock like this. Thus, the burly man had turned to heretical methods of cultivation. His deity-summoning technique hade from half a damaged scroll, one which he had naturally obtained from hunting prey in the wild.


    Because of this, he only knew how to summon deities but not how to send them away. This was the principle captured by the saying, "Inviting a deity is easy, but farewelling a deity is hard."


    The burly man had to pay a huge price each time he summoned a deity to possess his body. After fumbling around for almost 20 years and begging many people for help, also purchasing all kinds of immortal texts and secret scrolls rted to this technique, the burly man had finally managed to control the side effects of this deity-summoning technique with much difficulty.


    Today, however, the "deity" had shockingly been smashed back to its divine altar by the young boy''s punch when the burly man had only been halfway through the deity-summoning technique. This was profoundly disrespectful to the practice of summoning deities, a practice that had many strict rules and requirements. Thus, the burly man was suffering a severe bacsh, with wisps of his soul drifting out from his acupoints and rising into the air like smoke from three sticks of incense.


    After the "three sticks of incense" were exhausted, there was still no sign of the bacsh stopping as clouds and mist rose from the burly man''s back. One had to realize that these wisps of cloud and mist were the manifestation of a fifth tier martial artist''s Qi. They were the fundamental vital energy of a pure martial artist...


    "Save me!" the burly man eximed in a hoarse and unclear voice.


    The brows of the Qi refiner who was skilled in wood-element techniques knitted into a deep frown, and he had no option but to retract the technique that he was using against the young boy in white. He walked over to the burly man and squatted down, with his fingers forming seals and his face bing bright red. As hepleted more and more seals, specks of dark light rose from the ground and circled around his fingers. The Qi refiner then forcefully pushed these specks of dark light into the burly man''s back.


    The copsed body of the burly man jolted, and a shade of healthy red immediately returned to his face. The crisp sound of cracking traveled over from all of his main joints, making him seem like a withered tree that was weing a new spring. The burly man raised his legs and performed a kip-up, jumping to his feet with his two iron whips in his hands. He was beaming and buoyant, and no longer seemed to be suffering from the debilitating side effects of the bacsh.


    "I''ll add this to your debt," the Qi refiner who had saved him said in a solemn voice.


    The burly man gritted his teeth in anger and glowered at the young boy in white who had attacked him with astonishing ferocity. He nodded and replied, "Everything can be negotiated once we y these two fat sheep!"


    That night in nchette Writing Sect''s Sky Calling Street, the young man who was even more beautiful than women had thrown money around in an extremely generous manner. In fact, even vagrant Golden Core Tier cultivators would have felt ashamed upon seeing him in action. This wasn''t to say that vagrant Golden Core Tier cultivators couldn''t produce so many lesser heat coins.


    However, it was important to remember just what the handsome young man had spent money on. He had purchased a Mutton Fat Beast, Intimate Dream Spider, talisman paper humans, and other money-wasting items. Indeed, he hadn''t purchased any powerful offensive immortal treasure, nor had he purchased any life-saving defensive treasure!


    Moreover, regardless of whether one was an orthodox immortal from the mountains or an itinerant cultivator from the cultivation world, which cultivator in Parasol Leaf Continent would have such crappy mastery over the official dialect of the continent?


    The young boy and the young man had clearlye from outside the continent. After leaving nchette Writing Sect, they had also chosen to take mountain paths and walk through small towns. During their 500-kilometer trip to the north, they hadn''t visited a single immortal force on the way, nor had any powerful cultivator activelye over to visit them. What did this signify?


    This was a clear sign that Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai were inexperienced neers to the cultivation world. They hailed from wealthy ns, and they were also carrying huge amounts of wealth around with them. They had definitely been mollycoddled since a young age, leaving them oblivious to the depth and dangers of the cultivation world!


    Could these bandits live up to their many years of difficult cultivation if they didn''t capture these two naive cultivators who were dripping with wealth? Apart from searching for fated opportunities everywhere and coating their weapons in blood, they also had to bow their heads and act asckeys for those esteemed immortals from the mountains.


    They epted money and helped those esteemed immortalsplete dirty tasks that thetter found beneath them to personally attend to. After gaining a bad reputation, they would flee and start over again in some new ce. This was a vicious cycle with no end in sight.


    In fact, only a few seconds had psed from the moment the burly man was struck by five punches of the Deity Drumming Technique and left half-dead to the moment the Qi refiner used a secret technique to extract the fortune of the mountains and waters to heal him.


    During these few seconds, Chen Ping''an was obstructed by the waves of sword qi unleashed by the middle-aged sword expert, rendering him unable to follow up and kill the whip-wielding burly man.


    Using one''s Qi to brandish swords was a very impressive immortal skill in the cultivation world.


    There were many poems and stories in ill-informed regions that talked about using so-called flying swords to decapitate enemies from hundreds of kilometers away. In reality, these literary works weren''t referring to sword cultivators, but instead sword experts who would often show themselves in front of ordinary people.


    Compared to sword immortals from the mountains and sword practitioners from the cultivation world, mediocre sword experts were stuck in an awkward situation where they were too weak to be sword immortals but too haughty to regard themselves as sword practitioners. Regardless, sword experts were a group of people who liked to fish for fame.


    When sword experts manipted swords to attack enemies, they would often unleash both sword qi and physical swords. The former would be powerful due to therge amounts of sword qi that could be unleashed, while thetter would be powerful due to their impressive strength.


    The bursts of sword qi were like light cavalry charging over to create an advantage, while the physical swords were like heavy cavalry thundering over to drive home the advantage and obtain ultimate victory. Both were critical to obtaining victory.


    The middle-aged sword expert facing off against Chen Ping''an was clearly a skilled individual in his field. Waves of glowing azure light rippled across his swollen sleeves from which burst after burst of azure sword qi were shooting forth in a formidably intense manner.


    Fortunately, the sword expert could only control two of the many bursts of sword qi at once.


    As a result, Chen Ping''an was able to dodge the sword qi quite easily, and he was nowhere near threatened by these attacks. However, he waspletely held up and unable to deal with the burly man.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t choose to risk severe injuries to kill his enemy. He had gravely wounded the burly man just then, yet he had failed to kill him because of the middle-aged sword expert holding him up. In the end, the Qi refiner skilled in wood-element techniques had saved the burly man. Even so, Chen Ping''an still pretended that he wanted to charge over.


    This caused the sword expert to misjudge the situation and leave a wisp of sword qi lying in wait near the burly man. This was a wisp of sword qi that he could control. However, Chen Ping''an suddenly increased his speed and directly charged toward the sword expert, almost making it within three meters of him.


    The sword expert was terrified, with cold sweat instantly drenching his body. He had no choice but to use his true trump card.


    A small physical sword flew out not from the sword expert''s sleeve, but silently from his hair instead. As it turned out, his jade hairpin was actually a mini scabbard used to conceal his small sword.


    This was an extremely slender small sword with no hilt and in the shape of an emerald green willow leaf. It flew in circles around the sword expert, leaving a trail of tender green light in its wake.


    "My two Dry Well Talismans can onlyst another 20 seconds at most!" the Daoist priest from the talismanic branch warned the other bandits in a stern voice. "Make haste and wrap up the battle as quickly as possible! Hurry up and kill those two little bastards! Once his flying swords break free from my restrictions, we may as well line up and wait for him to behead us one by one!"


    The old Daoist priest looked haggard, and his dry and bony fingers continued to move slowly as he spoke. He was most likely controlling the two talismans that were trapping First and Fifteenth. His voice quivered as he continued, "Wasn''t this little brat described as a martial artist sword practitioner in the secret report that you people provided me? But what about now? Not only is he a sword cultivator, but he even possesses two flying swords! Two!


    "If it weren''t for me having some treasures and owning these two precious talismans that I had initially wanted to pass down as family heirlooms, all of us would have been screwed this time! We agreed on how to share the spoils before, but that doesn''t count anymore!"


    There was a dark expression on the burly man''s face as he strode toward Chen Ping''an. He didn''t spare the old Daoist priest so much as a single nce as he replied in a gloomy voice, "I''m happy to discuss your share of the spoilster. I definitely won''t leave you short-changed."


    The old Daoist priest humphed coldly in reply.


    1. The Three Aspects (����) is a philosophical concept from the <em>ssic of Changes</em> (�׾�) and refers to heaven, earth, and humans. The Four Divisions (����) refers to four of seven regions of stars in the sky, separated into north, south, east, and west. Each region is represented by a mythical beast, the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the ck Tortoise of the North. The Seven Stars (����) refers to the Big Dipper. The Eight Trigrams (����) is a set of symbols intended to illustrate the nature of reality as beingposed of mutually opposing forces reinforcing one another. The Nine Pces (�Ź�) refers to the division of the sky into nine grids by ancient Chinese astronomers. It also refers to the division of the Eight Trigrams into nine regions ording to the Luo Shu Square. ?

 Chapter 290: Rest in Peace

    Chapter 290: Rest in Peace


    A subtle wisp of golden light shed and vanished from the waist of the sword practitioner''s headless corpse.


    Meanwhile, a bead of slowly condensing blood formed on the be of the head that had tumbled somewhere else.


    Chen Ping''an turned around to look at Lu Tai who was standing on a branch at the top of the tree. Lu Tai raised an eyebrow and extended a finger, gently twirling it in the air and causing a single golden thread to slowly circle around his finger. Chen Ping''an wouldn''t have seen this if it weren''t for his extremely powerful eyesight.


    After Chen Ping''an''s golden Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, was exposed, the small tear in the shoulder region caused by the sword expert''s sword ray had already repaired itself and be wless again.


    This was an immortal relic from an Upper Five Tier immortal that the elderly golden flood dragon at the Nascent Tier had always worn, so it naturally wasn''t the same as ordinary Dao robes. Even Ink Bamboo Forest, the Dao robe owned by the guest elder from Jade Tablet Sect who had traveled on Osmanthus Ind, was much inferior to Golden Sweet Wine.


    This Dao robe was like a stunning beauty that allowed other people to catch a fleeting glimpse of her appearance, yet quickly returned behind the screens to hide her breathtaking charm once more. And thus, the golden Dao robe on Chen Ping''an transformed back into an ordinary white robe.


    The two Dry Well Talismans exploded in midair.


    First and Fifteenth broke free, no longer caged by the old Daoist priest''s precious talismans.


    Chen Ping''an could clearly sense the seething rage of First. This was only natural, as even Fifteenth, an ordinarily docile sword, was expressing its bubbling anger through their mental connection.


    Chen Ping''an had no option but to silently say in his mind, "Don''t be in such a hurry; perhaps our enemies still have hidden trump cards."


    First wantonly flew through the sky, leaving lingering shes of dazzling white sword light in its wake. This was a frightening sight.


    Fifteenth was clearly a little sulky as well, and the dark green flying sword slowly flew around Chen Ping''an in a puzzled manner.


    First and Fifteenth were naturally top-notch bonded flying swords.


    However, they weren''t bonded to Chen Ping''an in any way.


    The rtionship between them wasn''t a ruler and subject or master and servant rtionship. Rather, it was as if Chen Ping''an were looking after two little children who had only just developed the ability to think. It was just that one was short-tempered while one was docile.


    However, Chen Ping''an felt like this was quite good.


    There was a heavy yet strange atmosphere weighing over the mountain forest.


    As the backbone of the group of bandits, the sword practitioner in red had already been killed in a swift and brutal way. If it weren''t for his domineering appearance as a ray of red, and if his attack on the young boy hadn''t been so astonishingly elegant and intense, it was very likely that everyone would have started to suspect that the sword practitioner was nothing more than a liar from the cultivation world who deceived others to gain fame.


    The snow-white eyes of the burly man who had summoned a deity gradually faded in color and returned to normal.


    The burly man had been the most imposing person on the battlefield just then, yet his lips were trembling and his face was deathly white at this moment. He appeared quite pitiful as he debated whether he should say something.


    He nced at his two iron whips in the distance, yet he only dared to remain unmoving in the same spot. He didn''t dare to wander over to pick them up, afraid that a flying sword would pierce through his heart in the very next moment.


    There was a dark and cloudy look in the eyes of the middle-aged sword expert, with thoughts of retreat already budding in his mind.


    His arms were hanging naturally by his side, and the peculiar phenomenon of azure light no longer decorated hisrge ck sleeves.


    Only the small willow-like sword that used his jade hairpin as a scabbard remained hovering above his shoulder like a most loyal guard dog protecting its owner.


    Initially viewed as a hunting game not too dissimr to an autumn outing, the trip of the bandits had now transformed into a pitiful tragedy.


    Looking at the two cultivators from foreignnds, however, thebat power of the young boy was unaffected, while the beautiful young man on the tree waspletely unscathed.


    At this moment, a sense of fear toward immortal ns and forces from the mountains spontaneously arose in the minds of these vagrant cultivators who enjoyed renown and power in their respective regions. This sense of fear then spread and grew into terror, eventually enveloping their entire minds.


    The old formation cultivator had an ashen expression. His Mountain-moving Formation was almostplete, yet that bastard sword expert had ruined everything in an instant.


    He had gone for wool ande back shorn��his two prized disciples had been brutally killed. Even though the two unfortunate children weren''t astonishingly talented, they were clever and obedient and were a joy to order around.


    The old formation cultivator retrieved the precious beads that he had previously put back inside his sleeves, setting up many small formations that linked together to form arge defensive formation.


    He was ready to defend himself.


    The Qi refiner who practiced wood-element techniques remained silent the entire time.


    He belonged to a category of Qi refiners who were skilled in both offense and defense, so apart from being able to move mountains and trees, raise flower demons and insects, and manipte nt and wood spirits like soldiers on the battlefield, he was also adept at treating wounds and providing antidotes to poison. This type of cultivator was often unable to determine the oue of a battle with theirbat power, yet they were still greatly weed by everyone else.


    If a person could pick three travelpanions, they would naturally pick a sword cultivator who possessed the greatest destructive power as well as a Militarian cultivator who was close to unkible. In terms of thest slot, they would either pick an Agrarian pharmacist, a Daoist priest from the alchemical branch, or a Qi refiner who practiced wood-element techniques. It could be said that this was the optimal group for cultivators traveling around the world.


    Standing in the mountain forest, no one was willing to speak first.


    Each person had their own hidden intentions.


    Chen Ping''an looked down at the sword of the deceased sword practitioner that he was currently holding backward.


    The de of the sword was like a clear autumn pond, with its surface rippling after catching the scattered rays of sunshine that were peeking through the foliage.


    This was definitely a good sword.


    However, Chen Ping''an was unsure of how much it was worth.


    The demonic cultivator was the only person who dared to make a move at this moment. His movements were sneaky, and he shifted a hand behind his back to retrieve a silver-white porcin bottle. The bottle was a foot tall, with its opening small and its bodyrge. Twisted faces continued to swim across the surface of the bottle, making it appear like a cruel prison that jailed people''s souls.


    The demonic cultivator silently recited a mantra and was just about to use the spirit tool in his hand to collect the deceased sword practitioner''s soul. This was a one-in-1000-year opportunity, and his strength would rise explosively once he sessfully captured the sword practitioner''s soul.


    The soul of a martial arts grandmaster at the peak stage of the sixth tier was extremely powerful, and it could perhaps return to the sixth tier once it was sessfully refined into a yin soldier, properly nurtured, and raised near unmarked burial grounds and ancient battlefields where it could continually absorb murderous yin aura. In fact, it could potentially be tempered into a seventh tier yin entity.


    At that time, would he still need to bow down to others?


    No, he wouldn''t. In fact, the rulers of those small nations might even need to act ording to his whims.


    Lu Tai immediately saw through the demonic cultivator''s little tricks. "You dare to steal something under my nose?!" he fumed.


    Needle Tip, the bonded flying sword that was actually gigantic in size, stabbed straight down from above the demonic cultivator''s head.


    The demonic cultivator hurriedly turned around and fled. At the same time, he put away his family heirloom, the silver-white porcin bottle, as he was left with no option but to abandon his act of collecting the sword practitioner''s soul.


    While doing this, he used the yin entities from his ck y pot to defend against the relentless attacks from that terrifying flying sword. Regardless of how the demonic cultivator leaped and turned, however, Needle Tip still remained hot on his tail the entire time.


    During this hunting session, if Ma Wanfa had participated in the battle, if the old formation cultivator had sessfullypleted the Mountain-moving Formation, if the sword practitioner in red hadn''t been brutally killed, and if everyone had united together and worked toward a single goal, then the group of bandits would have been more than powerful enough to even deal with a Golden Core Tier cultivator. If they weren''t afraid of death, then they could have perhaps even rivaled two Golden Core Tier cultivators.


    However, there weren''t so many ifs in the world.


    Taking a step back, this was a group of bandits that hade together due to the lure of riches. If they enjoyed an advantage, then everyone would naturally be as ferocious as a tiger. If they fell to a disadvantage, however, then they would be divided and weak.


    Delight suddenly spread across the face of the burly man who was already at his limits. He looked at the others and announced loudly, "My master said that he''ll arrive very soon and will personally deal with those two people! Everyone, apart from Dou Zizhi''s sword, Deep Infatuation, everything else including his belongings and the pocket treasure that was previously promised to him will be taken out to share with everyone!"


    The burly man was essentially shouting at the top of his lungs as he continued in an impassioned manner, "Risk and rewarde hand in hand. Are we going to scuttle back into our mouse holes, or are we going to elevate our standings to rival immortals from the mountains? This is the critical moment!"


    There was brimming killing intent on the middle-aged sword expert''s ice-cold face, and he concurred in a solemn voice, "I agree. These two brats deserve to die!"


    With a flick of his wrist, azure glows returned to his billowing sleeves, ready to unleash deadly attacks at any moment.


    The old formation cultivator smiled and said, "The Mountain-moving Formation is almostplete and able to join the battle. I just need everyone to buy me a bit more time, at most seven to eight minutes!"


    The disheveled demonic cultivator who was being relentlessly pursued by Lu Tai''s flying sword also chimed in, shouting, "Count me in as well! However, let me say this first. Apart from redistributing the spoils, I also need to obtain Old Dou''s soul. Don''t fight me for this!"


    The wood-element Qi refiner nodded in affirmation to the burly man''s request, still remaining silent and expressionless.


    The burly man threw his head back and roared withughter. He then extended his arms and made a grabbing motion, summoning the two iron whips back to his hands. After catching them, he led the charge and strode toward Chen Ping''an.


    Just then, his master had indeed delivered a secret message to him, saying that he would personally hurry over to kill the two wealthy cultivators.


    At almost the same moment, the middle-aged sword expert waved hisrge sleeves before turning around and bounding away as nimble and quick as a bird.


    Meanwhile, the old formation cultivator immediately activated a Land-shortening Talisman. In fact, he activated more than one, with each one that he activated teleporting him more than 30 meters away. In just a few seconds, he had almost vanishedpletely, with his figure disappearing into the depths of the forest.


    Elsewhere, the wood-element Qi refiner tapped his feet and lunged backward. He clearly crashed into a tree, yet his body instantly vanished without a trace.


    Only the demonic cultivator was still rushing toward Chen Ping''an.


    The burly man was utterly stupefied. He cursed in his mind, and he no longer dared to charge forward to seek death.


    His remaining strength was already insufficient to deal with the young boy in white.


    The burly man''s call to action just then had merely been an excuse to take advantage of the other''s strength.


    Chen Ping''an was also astonished by what he saw. However, he quickly came to a realization that this was only natural.


    He had learned something new again.


    Lu Tai took a deep breath before saying to Chen Ping''an, "The main culprit behind all of this ran away just then, so I''m going to leave and pursue him now. You should be able to deal with the situation here. I''ll look for you after I''m done."


    Lu Tai put away his deceptively named flying sword, Needle Tip.


    Right now, there were images of imminently blooming golden-purple lotus flowers on both his wrists and his ankles.


    "Bloom," Lu Tai said softly.


    Four life-like golden-purple lotus flowers instantly reached full bloom.


    Lu Tai gritted his teeth and leaped high up, reaching midair where he rode on the wind.


    He leaned forward and squinted as he peered into the distance. Hisrge sleeves swelled and billowed, and his sideburns also fluttered chaotically in the wind.


    After looking left and right for a while, he eventually locked onto a direction and disappeared in a sh.


    The demonic cultivator gulped upon seeing this. With one hand holding the y pot that was filled with yin souls, he raised his other hand in a Buddhist prayer and said with an obsequious smile, "Young Sword Immortal, I sincerely apologize for offending you this time. The next time wee across each other, I''ll make sure to retreat to avoid further conflict with you. If you want to instruct me toplete some small matters, I''ll definitely be more than willing toply."


    While saying this, the demonic cultivator continued to observe the expression and gaze of the young boy in white. At the same time, he resolutely shot back in retreat.


    The demonic cultivator was indeed a decisive person, and he resolutely crushed his ck y pot before fleeing into the distance. ck smoke instantly permeated the surroundings.


    He was like a gecko sacrificing its tail.


    A wisp of thin golden light aggressively swam through the rolling ck smoke and gloomy mist that was as viscous as ink. However, the golden light was rapidly fading at a rate that was visible to the naked eye.


    Chen Ping''an still needed some time toprehensively clear up filthy ck smoke.


    He frowned and sprinted forward before leaping onto the crown of a tall tree.


    An elusive figure that had transformed into faint gray smoke was rapidly cutting through the mountain forest and fleeing into the distance.


    First had already flown off by itself and started to give chase.


    A thought appeared in Chen Ping''an''s mind, after which Fifteenth also shot off behind First.


    Chen Ping''an drifted back down to the ground. Beforending, he flicked his wrist and rotated the sword practitioner Dou Zizhi''s immortal sword in his hand, holding it in a normal position.


    Chen Ping''an still felt like this sword was too light, even though it was already much heavier than the locust wood sword.


    The burly man looked up in the direction where Lu Tai had vanished just then. In the end, he looked down at the iron whips in his hand with a pitiful smile.


    He knew that he faced certain death today.


    Resentment, disappointment, fury... All of these emotions surfaced in his mind before gradually fading away again.


    He had lived a vexating and suffocating life, so he at least had to die a brave and heroic death.


    The burly man aggressively threw his iron whips to the ground and started to summon a deity for the third time. He stomped his feet heavily and loudly pped his palms together. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was deathly pale as heughed heartily and roared, "Do you dare to wait for a moment? Do you dare to have a hearty battle with me?!"


    Chen Ping''an casuallyunched the sword, Deep Infatuation, from his hand.


    The sword pierced through the burly man''s heart and continued to fly forward.


    Deep Infatuation eventually sunk into the trunk of arge tree.


    When the sword sessfully ran through the burly man''s heart, Chen Ping''an clearly saw a red glow flow through the de of the sword, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. The sword was like a starving man who had enjoyed a hearty meal.


    Chen Ping''an decided that he would find some ferry station or shop in the mountains to sell this sword.


    The wisp of brilliant golden light was still tirelessly dissolving the ck smoke.


    This was as expected of a high-grade immortal treasure forged from the dragon whiskers of the elderly golden flood dragon.


    Just two dragon whiskers were already so powerful, so just how peerlessly mighty was that fly-whisk in the hands of the Flood Dragon True Lord, that old Daoist priest from Stctite Mountain?


    Chen Ping''an pushed these thoughts out of his mind before hesitating for a moment and walking over to retrieve the sword, Deep infatuation. Afterward, he picked up a branch that was as thick as his arm and sharpened it using the sword. He then silently dug severalrge pits, cing the corpses of the sword practitioner in red, the burly man, and the two disciples of the formation cultivator inside. In the end, he filled the pits with dirt and tried his best to conceal all traces, lest other people coincidentally pass by and immediately notice something amiss.


    Chen Ping''an sat on a branch that was very high up and patiently waited for First, Fifteenth, and Lu Tai to return.


    Having carved a new scabbard for Deep Infatuation, he casually ced the sword horizontally across his knees.


    The ck smoke that was brimming with yin souls continued to retreat as it furiously battled against the wisp of golden light. Even though it was non-sentient, its innate fear of destruction still pushed it to fight with all its might. This was the case even though the yin entities in the ck smoke were already dead.


    Arge cloud of churning ck smoke instantly rose from the ground and attempted to flee elsewhere. It would find some othernd to wreak havoc in.


    At this moment, it suddenly recalled that there was a castle in the distance.


    Those in the cultivation world who were unfamiliar with immortal techniques would perhaps be killed by this wanton demonic cultivator.


    Chen Ping''an grabbed the sword on his knees and stood up. After looking around and confirming that there were no dangers, he funneled the true intent of his soul into his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine. A seemingly intangible Dao Manifestation that measured over 30 meters tall instantly materialized nearby. Its appearance was blurry, and it shone with a golden glow as it stood tall between heaven and earth.


    The Dao Manifestation appeared directly on the path of the cloud of ck smoke, and it easily absorbed the yin souls into itsrge sleeve with a quick sweep of its arm. The yin souls crackled as if falling into a pool of lightning, and it wasn''t long before theypletely vanished without a trace.


    Chen Ping''an sat back down, with his face as pale as a sheet and his head feeling as if it were about to split apart.


    Revealing Golden Sweet Wine without holding back had cost him one entire breath of True Qi. Moreover, it was seemingly very difficult to maintain this state for too long.


    If he were engaged in a life-and-death battle with others, it was best that he didn''t use the full power of his Dao robe carelessly unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, recklessly using this power would be equivalent to handing his head over on a silver tter if his opponents possessed unexpectedly powerful defensive abilities.


    Truth be told, the feeling of venturing out with his soul and traveling around the world was an extremely mystical one.


    It was as if he were standing high and peering down at the world.


    Chen Ping''an extended his fingers and gently rubbed the hem of his Dao robe. It was silky smooth and cool to the touch. After battling against the bandits, andrgely due to his alertness and caution the entire time, Chen Ping''an had almost exhausted all of his mental energy. As such, he couldn''t help but feel a little sleepy at this moment. He leaned against the trunk of therge tree and closed his eyes to rest.


    Several minutes passed, and Chen Ping''an was finally able to calm his mind and regte his breathing.


    There was a golden rope bracelet on Chen Ping''an''s wrist, one which was formed from sessfully forging the demon-binding chain.


    It wasn''t long before a brilliant ray of white and dark green returned from the distance. Like gusting wind and crackling lightning, the tails of the two flying swords dragged for dozens of meters even though they were incredibly slender and small. Thus, they were still very eye-catching as they flew over and returned inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    Chen Ping''an could sense their feelings as they settled down inside the Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    They had most likely killed their targets without any hups.


    Chen Ping''an finally felt at ease.


    This was the first time First and Fifteenth had ventured so far away from him.


    However, this also allowed Chen Ping''an to reach a conclusion. Perhaps thebat power of these vagrant cultivators couldn''t rival that of immortal disciples from the mountains, but their ability to flee for their lives was genuinely top-notch.


    Was he not the same?


    Since there was nothing else to worry about, Chen Ping''an started to practice standing meditation in a seated position.


    Carrying the sword on his back was cultivation, and wearing his Dao robe was also cultivation.


    To Qi refiners, a Dao robe that had once apanied a powerful immortal for hundreds upon thousands of years was essentially the same as a mini blessednd. It could help gather spiritual energy for its owner.


    To a pure martial artist, however, such a Dao robe was naturally a rare and powerful defensive asset as well. Even so, there were still some niggling issues. That was, pure martial artists needed to resist the spiritual energy that continually funneled toward the Dao robe.


    After all, setting foot on the path of pure martial arts meant resolutely dispersing all of the spiritual qi in one''s acupoints right from the very beginning. Only by doing so could one be pure and thus enter the path of Martial Dao.


    Due to the brimming spiritual energy in Stctite Mountain, it had been quite challenging for Chen Ping''an to resist them from entering his body. After leaving the Treasure Swallowing Whale and entering the mountains, however, things had be much more rxed and easy. This was because there existed far less spiritual energy in ordinary mountains and rivers. In fact, there was so little spiritual energy that it could almost be ignored.


    Chen Ping''an waited for almost two hours before Lu Tai swaggered over from the mountain forest. He was covered in dirt as he hurried toward Chen Ping''an, yet there was fortunately no trace of blood on his body.


    Moreover, he looked like someone who had reaped bountiful rewards.


    Lu Tai casually retrieved the many formation gs that the old formation cultivator had abandoned as he walked toward therge tree that Chen Ping''an was sitting in, cing them inside his sleeves. At the same time, he looked up at the young boy and asked, "You sure have the heart of a Bodhisattva, don''t you? Why didn''t you leave their corpses there to be punished by the scorching sun, mauled by the mountain beasts, and pecked by the hunting birds? That''s the ending they should deserve. Why take pity on these evildoers?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "I''m not taking pity on them. I simply care about the principle of death being an important matter and the deceased needing a burial such that they can rest in peace."


    Lu Tai shook his head, not bothering to think about this matter anymore. However, he suddenly turned around and ran to the non-existent grave mound with the strongest stench of blood. After asking Chen Ping''an for the approximate locations of where the corpses were buried, Lu Tai vowed that he would add some new dirt to their gravester.


    Without waiting for Chen Ping''an to agree, Lu Tai had alreadyunched a palm strike and caused twigs and dirt to fly into the air. He then giddily ran over and started to rummage over the corpses. In fact, he didn''t even spare the corpses of the old formation cultivator''s two disciples. This was extremely difficult to imagine. A beautiful young man who was so fond of wearing perfume and makeup was actually digging up graves and rummaging through corpses without any burden in his mind?


    It was inevitable that Lu Tai''s body became stained with blood and dirt. However, it wasn''t long before he waspletely cleaned and refreshed thanks to the help of the five-colored rope tied around his arm. Immortal treasures were indeed mystical and unfathomable.


    Lu Tai continued to mumble to himself as he patted down the corpses,ining, "You''re a grandmaster from the cultivation world, yet you''re actually so poor! Here, take a look at this. This is Ma Wanfa''s pocket treasure, and it''s filled with mountains of gold and silver. But what about you? You should be so ashamed of yourself that youe back to life before dying again.


    "Ah... I''m not scolding you or anything, but you''re genuinely very poorpared to your master. Only this stack of money is able to solve one of my urgent needs. After all, trying to gift people snowke coins outside the mountains will only invite the shopkeepers to beat me...


    "Remember to find yourselves a better master when you reincarnate, you poor mandarin ducks.[1] You shouldn''t follow this kind of master even if they''re slightly more powerful."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t disturb Lu Tai as he busily ran around.


    However, he felt like the handsome young man was extremely unfamiliar at this moment.


    In the end, Lu Tai reburied the corpses and pped his hands, a satisfied smile on his face as he looked at the even ground.


    "The main culprit hiding behind the scenes is already dead. Everything is fine now!" he announced.


    Lu Tai walked back to the tall tree where Chen Ping''an was sitting. However, he refused to leap up no matter what, and he instead looked up and beckoned the young boy toe down, eximing, "It''s time to share the spoils!"


    1. In traditional Chinese culture, mandarin ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike other species of ducks. Hence they are regarded as a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity. ?

 Chapter 291: (1): Inside the Mountains and Outside the Mountains

    Chapter 291: (1): Inside the Mountains and Outside the Mountains


    "Did you already perform a divination before and obtain an answer regarding today''s incident?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Lu Tai raised his hand and faltered for a moment before continuing to smooth out the hair by his sideburns. There was a soft expression in his eyes, and his hands also moved in a seductive manner as he chuckled, "I''m performing divinations every single day. This is a daily task that Naturalist disciples are required toplete. Otherwise, I would have told you to flee right from the very beginning. However, I can''t reveal these kinds of secrets to you. Revealing them will render them ineffective."


    Chen Ping''an looked at Lu Tai for a moment before saying, "Don''t let this happen again."


    Lu Tai pursed his lips in disapproval and replied, "What''s wrong with going with the flow? Refusing to seize such good opportunities will invite divine punishment from the heavens."


    After saying this, Lu Tai flicked his wrist and caused a green ritual baton to appear in his palm. "This is Ma Wanfa''s pocket treasure that holds all of his belongings and treasures. He''s umted quite some wealthpared to that sword practitioner, Dou Zizhi. He was only a Dragon Gate Tier cultivator, yet he was already able to possess a pocket treasure. However, this isn''t the most impressive thing about him. Do you know what the most impressive thing about him is?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head.


    Lu Tai chuckled and replied, "Ma Wanfa was a so-called silkworm farmer, a very rare type of cultivator who''s skilled at reeling silk from cocoons. It was because of this that he coveted our treasures so much, going as far as to gather all those cultivators to hunt us. Ma Wanfa was confident that he could extract our pocket treasures after killing us.


    "However, he most likely didn''t imagine that both of us were so-called sword immortals in the beginning. Trying to obtain my two bonded flying swords is nothing more than a foolish dream. However, it''s a different story for you, so if your Sword Nurturing Gourd was stolen..."


    Chen Ping''an remained silent.


    He was roughly aware of the concept of bonded items and immortal treasures being refined into the void because he had obtained Golden Sweet Wine and refined the demon-binding chain in Stctite Mountain. Bonded items such as the bonded flying swords of sword cultivators would vanish into nothingness once their owner was killed. Even immortals would find it extremely difficult to prevent this from happening.


    However, it was a different matter for items that were refined in a normal manner and secretly hidden inside one''s acupoints. After a cultivator was killed, there was a certain chance that these items would remain in their lingering soul instead of dispersing straight away.


    If an item were extremely high-grade, however, there was even a chance that it might jump back into the world even if the soul of its owner werepletely destroyed. There were many mystical realms formed from shattered blessednds in the world, and after the immortal ns were forced to open them, it was because of this exact reason that people would frequently find high-grade immortal treasures near the tombs and corpses of deceased immortals.


    When it came to Qi refiners, it was destined that they would only possess a very small number of bonded items, if they possessed any at all. They would possess slightly more refined items, but still few enough to count on two hands.


    After all, the higher the grade of a spirit tool or immortal treasure, the more difficult it would be to refine. The amount of time, effort, and extremely rare treasures required was enough to dissuade therge majority of cultivators under the rank of earth immortal.


    There was also the example of that immortal sword from Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence. Even though its owner was a profoundly powerful Great Heavenly Master, they were still unable to refine the immortal sword and transform it into their bonded immortal sword.


    It was the same situation with the Daoist second disciple and his immortal sword.


    There were many sword immortals in the nine continents, and there were naturally many immortal swords as well. In terms of genuine immortal swords, however, there were only four in all of the worlds.


    Only four...


    This had already been the case for tens of thousands of years.


    It was because of this that Wind Snow Temple''s Ruan Qiong had vowed to forge a brand new immortal sword, one without precedent and without rival in the future.


    Otherwise, just how pathetic and boring would it be if the current generation was inferior to previous generations in every facet?


    Moreover, why were powerful Militarian cultivators widely regarded as walking arsenals?


    This was due to the fact that they were capable of refining more immortal treasures.


    Just imagine this. After using some secret technique to transform themself into a being with three heads and six arms, a Militarian cultivator then held a divine weapon in each hand and protected themself with a high-grade Divine Dewbearing Armor. Add to that their innately powerful physique, who would still dare to rival them?


    Militarian cultivators were famous for being unkible, yet they were even more renowned for being able to kill others with ease.


    Lu Tai was in a delightful mood, so he gave Chen Ping''an a detailed exnation about so-called silkworm farmers. "Pocket treasures are rtively unique and slightly different from bonded items and refined items. Unlike immortal tools and flying swords, pocket treasures are more simr to small worlds that can''t be destroyed immediately.


    "Moreover, it''s incredibly difficult to refine pocket treasures into bonded items. As a result, there exists profound knowledge regarding how to extract pocket treasures from the bodies of Qi refiners. Sessfully extracting a pocket treasure will bring one explosive wealth that''s enough tost them years.


    "There''s a specific type of person from the mountains called silkworm farmers, and these people possess n-inherited or force-inherited secret techniques that allow them to extract pocket treasures from the souls of Qi refiners."


    Lu Tai clicked his tongue in wonder and continued, "Ma Wanfa would have be filthy rich if he managed to kill us. With your Sword Nurturing Gourd and my pocket treasure, perhaps he could have used this immense wealth to forcefully advance to the level of terrestrial immortal."


    Lu Tai suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile, "You''re not going to ask how I killed that Dragon Gate Tier cultivator?"


    Chen Ping''an retreated a single step before summoning First and Fifteenth from his Sword Nurturing Gourd. His flying swords hovered to his left and right, guarding him against danger.


    "How did you see through me?" Lu Tai asked in curiosity.


    Chen Ping''an expressionlessly pointed at his arm.


    There was no five-colored rope tied around Lu Tai''s arm.


    Moreover, Chen Ping''an had a nagging feeling that something was off about Lu Tai even though he was purposely acting in a feminine manner. Things just didn''t seem as natural as usual.


    Not only that, but why had Lu Tai insisted on exining Ma Wanfa''s identity as a silkworm farmer? It was as if he were purposely trying to conceal something.


    However, Lu Tai''s reply to Chen Ping''an''s initial question about divination had been absolutely wless. This was what made the situation so strange. Perhaps Ma Wanfa was also a demonic cultivator? Not only was he skilled in illusion techniques, but he was also adept at capturing and interrogating souls?


    Lu Tai''s expression was initially dark and cold, yet it eventually transformed into one of suppressedughter. In the end, he couldn''t help but clutch his stomach and roar withughter. He pointed at Chen Ping''an andughed, "If it were anyone else, my act of purposely putting away the five-colored rope, feigning awkwardness, and revealing a slight hint of killing intent would have beenpletely useless. I may as well have been making eyes to a blind person.


    "However, it was just right for you, Chen Ping''an. Alright, alright, I know you were wounded by Dou Zizhi''s strike to your heart, so hurry up and spit out the blood stuck in your throat. Otherwise, you''ll end up suffering side effects if you keep it there for too long."


    Seeing that Chen Ping''an was stillpletely unwilling to believe him, Lu Taiughed so hard that he was almost on the verge of tears. "Needle Tip, Wheat Awn, show yourselves," he said softly.


    A gigantic flying sword materialized in the air, and beside it was a slender and golden-yellow flying sword.


    Chen Ping''an breathed a huge sigh of relief. After confirming Lu Tai''s identity, he hurriedly turned around and spit out a mouthful of blood. He then glowered at Lu Tai and roared, "Lu Tai!"


    Lu Tai snapped his fingers, after which Needle Tip and Wheat Awn returned to their respective resting grounds in his acupoints.


    Meanwhile, the folding bamboo fan appeared in Lu Tia''s hand again, gently rocking back and forth as he smiled happily and said, "Who told you to spare those small fries...?"


    Chen Ping''an was so angry that he wanted to kick Lu Tai again.


    However, Lu Tai suddenly bent over and cupped his mouth, with blood seeping out from between his fingers.


    Pursuing a sly old cultivator at the Dragon Gate Tier who possessed a pocket treasure wasn''t too difficult. However, going so far as to kill them would potentially require one to possessbat power that rivaled Golden Core Tier cultivators.


    As such, Lu Tai had definitely paid a significant price to kill Ma Wanfa.


    Chen Ping''an pinched a corner of Golden Sweet Wine with two fingers before tugging slightly and surprisingly peeling the entire Dao robe from his body. He lightly tossed it toward the trembling Lu Tai and said with a frown, "Try to wear this. I''ve already removed the restrictions on the robe."


    Lu Tai caught the golden Dao robe, and he seemingly didn''t do anything before Golden Sweet Wine instantly appeared on his body.


    He plonked to the ground and took a deep breath. After crossing his legs, he raised a finger and vigorously wiped the blood from his lips, cursing as he did so. Even in such a state, Lu Tai still didn''t appear crude in any way. "I wouldn''t have been so disheveled if I didn''t swallow those alchemical pills and elixirs like buns and teas in order to stay at the peak of my powers the entire time. If we split Ma Wanfa''s belongings in half, then you''ll make a killing while I''ll suffer a huge loss."


    Chen Ping''an squatted down beside Lu Tai and casually stabbed Deep Infatuation into the ground, huffing and replying, "Dou Zizhi''s sword belongs to me. However, everything else can belong to you."


    Lu Tai''s eyes widened in astonishment, and he scolded in anger, "This sword is the most valuable treasure, okay? It''s a sword that even martial arts grandmasters at the Spirit Refining Tiers can use! Dou Zizhi definitely parted with a significant amount of his wealth in order to obtain this immortal treasure back then. Perhaps he even parted with all of his wealth, and that''s why he agreed to help Ma Wanfa rob us this time."


    Chen Ping''an grinned and replied, "I don''t care about all of this."


    Lu Tai''s aura stabilized significantly after he put on Golden Sweet Wine, and he said, "Alright, let''s review the battle now.


    "The formation being set up by the old formation cultivator was called the Mountain-Moving Formation. It can cause the souls of those inside the formation to falter and slow down as if they''re trying to move a mountain. This formation is extremely effective against Qi refiners under the Golden Core Tier. The small formation gs that he used aren''t very high-grade, but therge number of them means that they''re still worth some money.


    "When I was returning, I coincidentally came across that unlucky old formation master. He was almost sliced into two by Needle Tip, and he was so terrified that he immediately dropped to his knees and begged for his life. There was snot and tears all over his face.


    "I asked him to hand over all of his treasures, but the old man was naturally unwilling to do so. In the end, he put up one final struggle and fought to the death with me. I had no option but to end his life. Afterward, I also examined the old man''s soul to determine whether he was hiding any pocket treasure or refined immortal treasure. This caused my injuries to be even more severe.


    "However, it''s a pity that I only managed to obtain this book,<em> Silk Fish Talismans</em>. As it turns out, the talismans used to trap your two flying swords were the essence of this talismanic text, the Dry Well Talisman. This talisman belongs to a lower grade than the Sword Scabbard Talisman and Mountain Sealing Talisman that I mentioned before, but it is quite an interesting talisman in its own right. Bringing this book back to my n and cing it in the scripture library will also be a meritorious act for me.


    "If you had killed the old formation master, then the two of us could have split his treasures in half and I wouldn''t have needed to increase the severity of my injuries either. Yet, now that I''ve risked half my life to kill the old formation master, how can you ask me to split his treasures in half? Just how infuriating would that be?"


    "The demonic cultivator sacrificed his y pot in order to hold me back," Chen Ping''an exined. "If it weren''t for my Dao robe, I would have almost failed to block that soaring yin energy and therge cloud of churning ck smoke. In that case, the castle in the distance would have been brutally massacred by him. They would have suffered an unexpected and undeserved cmity."


    Lu Tai raised the ritual baton in his hand and said, "This green ritual baton is carved from material even rarer than grain rain coins. It''s a material that can only be found through fortune rather than intention. As a result, this pocket treasure is worth far more than ordinary pocket treasures.


    "However, the contents inside it aren''t all that special. There are some mortal treasures such as gold and silver and also arge pile of antique relics and small trinkets. However, Ma Wanfa''s appraisal skills were shocking, and countless treasures in his collection are actually low-quality counterfeits. The few bottles of alchemical pills in his pocket treasure are also quite mediocre.


    "Ignoring the value of this ritual baton, the contents inside are only worth roughly 10,000 snowke coins in total. Compared to the wealth of Dragon Gate Tier cultivators in Middle Earth Divine Continent, those in Parasol Leaf Continent are indeed far inferior."


    Lu Tai''s voice was filled with disappointment.


    It was also filled with pride as someone from Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    This sense of pride was simr to how some sword cultivators looked down on other Qi refiners.


    It was also simr to how people in Complete Reed Continent had looked down on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    In fact, even Chen Ping''an wasn''t innocent when it came to such kinds of emotion. When he hade across that group of kind-hearted elite cavalrymen and soldiers from the Great Li Empire during that windy and snowy day at the borders, Chen Ping''an had also felt secretly proud upon hearing the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink mention how rotten and weak the soldiers and officials of Yellow Court Nation were.


    "<em>Only</em> 10,000 snowke coins?!" Chen Ping''an eximed in helplessness.


    "Or else?" Lu Tai retorted.


    Chen Ping''an remembered that for the past few hundred years, the most expensive immortal treasures in Ceremony Mountain''s kun ship had also sold for around 10,000 to 20,000 snowke coins.


    This was an exorbitant amount of money to the two sisters on the kun ship. Their feeling toward this was simr to how Chen Ping''an had felt back when he was still an apprentice in the dragon kiln and listening to Liu Xianyang mysteriously talking about therge estates in Fortune Street and how they were worth several thousand taels of silver.


    At that time, Chen Ping''an had only seen loose silver a handful of times.


    He wondered whether Chun Shui and Qiu Shi had seen grain rain coins many times after he disembarked the kun ship.

 Chapter 292: Rainy Night in the Small Alley

    Chapter 292: Rainy Night in the Small Alley


    The fortress stood tall amid the mountains and waters, and if one didn''t look carefully, one would easily miss the ancient talismans written in red ink and stuck high up on the left and right sides of the city gate. Chen Ping''an''s eyesight was very good to begin with, and he also had a habit of carefully observing everything, so he immediately discovered the two inconspicuous talismans.


    He turned his head to nce at Lu Tai, yet he saw that the handsome young man was still busy chatting about the cultivation world of Agarwood Nation with Huan Shu. Thus, Chen Ping''an silentlymitted these talismans to memory.


    There were all kinds of talismans in the world, with the branches and factions also being numerous andplicated. However, only three branches had the right to be regarded as authentic.


    Mount Longhu''s Heavenly Master Residence in Middle Earth Divine Continent was one, while the Spirit Treasure Faction in Southern Whirl Continent was another. The final one was Parasol Leaf Sect in Parasol Leaf Continent, the continent where Chen Ping''an was standing right now.


    Administrator He Ya arranged a small courtyard in the east of the Flying Eagle Fortress for Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai, the two uninvited guests. He Ya personally led them to this courtyard.


    Before bidding farewell to them, the siblings Huan Chang and Huan Shu told Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai to rx and rest up today. There would be a wee banquet in the main building tomorrow, and they hoped Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai could both attend.


    The main bluestone road through the center of the Flying Eagle Fortress led directly to the main building. Meanwhile, the other streets and alleys were crisscrossing and intertwining. The dirt road alleys made Chen Ping''an feel as if he had returned to y Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley in his hometown.


    The residents of these streets and alleys were all people who had lived in the Flying Eagle Fortress for many generations. However, the alleys here were much cleaner and tidierpared to y Vase Alley which was filled with chicken droppings and dog feces.


    There were peach trees and peach blossoms in almost every house, and the boisterous little children were either running back and forth and performing mock battles with bamboo swords and wooden sabers, or they were riding bamboo stick horses and shouting go, go, go.The little children weren''t afraid of He Ya, the old administrator of the fortress, and they simply stopped and greeted him as "Mr. He" when they came across him. They would cup their hands and bow in a proper-looking manner before quickly running off again. Theughter of children rang through the streets and alleys.


    After helping Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai settle down in the small courtyard, the bookish old administrator quickly returned to the top level of the main building to seek an audience with Huan Yang, the lord of the Flying Eagle Fortress.


    Huan Yang was a handsome man with a jade-like appearance. Even though he was no longer young, with his sideburns already graying, this actually helped to entuate Huan Yang''s elegant demeanor. At the end of the day, one would always be right as long as they were good-looking. This was the same for both males and females. On the other hand, one would always be wrong if they were the opposite of good-looking.


    Sitting on a simple and ancient-looking arhat bed, Huan Yang raised a hand and gestured for He Ya to sit down beside him. The old administrator looked down at his muddy boots before shaking his head with a smile. He then carried a chair over to sit down beside the arhat bed.


    Huan Yang frowned and asked, "Uncle He, why did you bring two outsiders into the Flying Eagle Fortress? Are they rted to the esteemed immortals from the mountains to the west?"


    "It''s hard to say right now," He Ya replied with a helpless expression. "Things had already settled down when we arrived, and it was very likely that those immortals and demons retreated after their battle ended. I secretly ordered two people to stay back to search for any clues, yet they were unable to discover anything useful. The victorious party probably used some immortal secret technique to wipe away all traces."


    Huan Yang smiled wryly and said, "In fact, it would be quite good if those two people are genuinely immortals from the legends. Through my rtionships, I asked someone to head out to invite an esteemed immortal to the fortress. However, they''re already one monthter than nned.


    "I ordered someone to send a secret letter to ask why the esteemed immortal is taking so long, and it was only now that I received a reply from a good friend in the capital. My friend reprimanded me sternly in the letter, saying that it''s only natural for paramount immortals from the mountains to be enigmatic and elusive. Even the generals and ministers in the capital find it very difficult to seek an audience with him.


    "In other words, it was already immensely fortunate that the immortal eventually epted his request and agreed to help us. If we push our luck any further, we should be wary of transforming this immense fortune into a disastrous misfortune."


    There was deep anxiety on Huan Yang''s face as he asked in a quiet voice, "Uncle He, you''re an experienced member of the cultivation world, and you''re also aware of some things from the mountains, so how do you suggest we deal with this matter? Are we really going to keep waiting like this?


    "Strange urrences have been popping up in the fortress one after another these past few years, so it will genuinely be very difficult to keep things under control if one or two more strange things happen. At that time, people will definitely be filled with unease and fear. What should we do?"


    "Your friend is correct, Lord Huan," He Ya replied in a firm voice. "Immortals from the mountains arepletely focused on pursuing Dao, and this causes their temperament to be unpredictable and enigmatic. Ordinary people like us arepletely unable to understand their thoughts. As such, we have no option but to obediently wait."


    Huan Yang sighed and grabbed a pot of wine, drinking a small sip of millet wine fermented by the Flying Eagle Fortress. "Then we''ll keep waiting. However, the Flying Eagle Fortress truly can''t hold on for much longer. Otherwise, how could I have asked you to take such a big risk and enter the mountain forest, hoping that we could actively seek help from those Qi refiners or whatnot?


    "I initially wanted to try our luck and see if we coulde across some powerful person skilled in immortal techniques. That way, we could have made some desperate attempts to solve the problems guing the Flying Eagle Fortress. It would be worth it even if we spent all of our wealth."


    He Ya hesitated for a moment, taking a while to choose his words before replying carefully, "Even though those two people are young, I only invited them into the Flying Eagle Fortress because I feel like they genuinely might be immortal disciples from some immortal force in the mountains. Perhaps they''re traveling through the cultivation world to hone their skills and temper their cultivation.


    "While returning to the fortress, I carefully observed their breathing, footsteps, and expressions. The young boy in white who has a sword on his back is most likely a subordinate. On the other hand, the young man clearly isn''t some ordinary mortal. His aura and disposition are far too good, genuinely far too good."


    Huan Yang stroked his beard and smiled, remarking, "No wonder Little Shu was sticking to him the entire time. By the looks of it, she took a liking to him straight away. Very well, her judgment is quite good. As expected of my daughter."


    The appearance of the handsome young man in azure brought up many old memories for Administrator He. He smiled and said, "When traveling through the cultivation world with the previous fortress lord all those years back, I only came across a measly two or three people who possessed such impressive disposition.


    "One of them was Commissioner Liu, the currentmissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs in the capital. He was only a profligate young master back then, and he indulged himself in both women and wine. However, it was clear that he kept his aura and essence hidden within. Indeed, he was simply tarnishing his own image to trick the world.


    "The second person was Dou Zizhi during his early days. He had only just entered the cultivation world, yet he was already radiating with an intense and vigorous aura. However, few people were optimistic about Dou Zizhi''s future back then, and they simply treated him as nothing more than an ordinary prodigy. They didn''t regard him as anything special.


    "Yet, the old fortress lord said at the time that Dou Zizhi would enjoy great renown in the cultivation world of Agarwood Nation for at least 30 years. The old fortress lord''s astute judgment was truly something else.


    "As for the final person, I don''t know his name and I don''t know his background either. I climbed up a mountain with the old fortress lord to enjoy the sunrise, yet we discovered a man in white sitting there and meditating when we reached the peak of the mountain.


    "When he saw us, he smiled and nodded in greeting before standing up and disappearing in a sh. There was no trace of him to be found. You have to remember that we were standing on the peak of a mountain more than 3000 meters tall. Apart from traveling away on the wind or flying away on a sword, how else could he have left the mountain?"


    The old man sighed as he spoke, yet his face was glowing with spirit and vigor.


    After saying all of this, however, he couldn''t help but feel slightly dejected.


    The cultivation world that they belonged to was vast and filled with a myriad of factions and forces. There was the struggle between good and evil, the fame and glory that came with life and death, the deep bonds between cultivators, and everything else in between. All of this belonged to the cultivation world.


    In the end, however, perhaps the cultivation world was only a small puddle in the eyes of some people?


    These people simply needed to raise their feet a little if they wanted to step over this small puddle. If they were toozy, however, then they would simply step down and cause arge ssh, perhaps sending huge shockwaves through the entire cultivation world...


    Huan Yang was very interested in this, and the old administrator''s recollection swept away much of the umted worry in his mind. "Uncle He, why didn''t you tell me about these things before?" he asked with a smile.


    "Why would I talk about these things?" the old administrator replied with a self-ridiculing expression. "A true elite doesn''t boast about past glories. In any case, I''ve never been an elite for a single day of my life. The old fortress lord who shattered the statue of a Daoist enforcer with a single sh was a true elite.


    "As for me, I''m simply someone who helped carry luggage for the old fortress lord and someone who helps look after horses for you, the current fortress lord. I''ll try to live for a few more years in the future and help arrange a wedding for the young fortress lord as well. I''ll have no more regrets after that."


    Huan Yang sighed with emotion and asked, "Can immortals truly attain Dao and achieve immortality?"


    "You can pose this question again when that immortal rmended by your friend arrives," the old administrator replied with a chuckle.


    ��������


    Lu Tai was quite satisfied with the small courtyard they were staying in. It was located at the end of a small alley where things were calm and quiet. The walls of the courtyard were also decorated with climbing figs.


    Lu Tai then looked up and smiled as he waved a hand toward the eaves in the distance. Near the ridge of the roof, a subordinate of the Flying Eagle Fortress panted heavily before bending down and jumping off the roof. He quickly ran away to report the situation to the old administrator.


    The handsome young man had already detected his presence, so it was very likely that he would be suspected of harboring ill intentions if he stayed for any longer. At that time, it was very likely that everything would go pear-shaped.


    Chen Ping''an sat down on a stone chair and said quietly, "This ce feels a little strange."


    Lu Tai wasn''t worried by Chen Ping''an''sment, and he casually said, "Rest assured, I was simply looking for afortable ce to rest. I definitely won''t cause any trouble. I can''t be bothered dealing with anything that happens outside this small courtyard given that the matter doesn''t charge over and provoke me."


    Chen Ping''an recalled the two ancient talismans stuck outside therge gate of the Flying Eagle Fortress, so he raised a finger and drew the talismans in the air, asking, "Do you know what talismans these are?"


    Lu Tai went inside the building to look for a tea set. Since they were living in this fortress, it was best that they adhere to the customs of this ce. Neither of them had any bags or luggage on them, so it naturally wouldn''t be good for them to casually retrieve items from thin air. Lu Tai didn''t need to look around for too long before he found a tea set. Afterward, he grabbed a small bucket and prepared to head out, telling Chen Ping''an that he was going to draw water.


    They had walked past a well just then, and Lu Tai remarked that this well was quite interesting. Generally speaking, well water was the most inferior choice when it came to brewing tea. However, the water from this well was of extremely good quality, so Lu Tai said that perhaps he might be given a pleasant surprise.


    In terms of Chen Ping''an''s question about the talismans, Lu Tai''s reply was very direct. Was he knowledgeable enough to recognize all of the talismans in the world? The stroke patterns of the two talismans on the gate were unfamiliar to Lu Tai, but he said that they might be the work of someone from a heretical branch of Parasol Leaf Continent''s talismanic force.


    In any case, the core of the talismans was quite inferior, and the spiritual energy of the talismans had already dissipated long ago. Lu Tai said that only brutish idiots like those in the Flying Eagle Fortress would foolishly treat these talismans as treasures. Perhaps they were hoping for peace.


    Chen Ping''an had a vague feeling that there was a faint yin energy lingering over the Flying Eagle Fortress and unwilling to disperse. However, it wasn''t worth a mentionpared to the churning ck smoke filled with soaring murderous aura that the demonic cultivator had unleashed after crushing his y pot.


    After a while, Lu Tai returned with an empty bucket.


    "What''s wrong? The well water isn''t suitable for brewing tea?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Lu Tai pursed his lips and replied, "Someone has clearly tampered with the feng shui of the Flying Eagle Fortress. The well water has a very dense yin energy. To say nothing of brewing tea, even using this water to cook will cause issues for mortal humans in the long term if their yang energy isn''t abundant enough. However, the issues won''t be too severe. I surmise that a lot more girls have been born in the past ten to twenty years, a lot more than boys. If this continues, then the Flying Eagle Fortress will end up in a state where yin energy is dominant and yang energy is inferior."


    Chen Ping''an frowned and remained silent.


    "You''re not going to deal with this matter?" Lu Tai asked with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an shot a nce at him and replied, "Disregarding any potential grudges they have in the cultivation world, we''repletely unaware of whether trying to solve this problem is saving them or harming them."


    "Your reply puts my mind at ease," Lu Tai said with a smile. "I was afraid that blood would rush to your head and cause you to immediately draw your saber for the sake of justice and righteousness."


    "I don''t have a saber," Chen Ping''an retorted with a huff.


    Lu Tai tossed the bucket aside and sped his hands behind his back. He then looked Chen Ping''an up and down with an amused expression and clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, "Oh, Chen Ping''an, how impressive! You even know how to joke now!"


    Chen Ping''an dismissed this with a smile.


    He started to practice the six-step walking meditation in the courtyard.


    Lu Tai sat down on the steps and nced up at the sky. Gently rocking his bamboo folding fan, he said, "It''s about to rain."


    Night fell, and it wasn''t long before a downpour arrived as predicted.


    The pitter-pattering rainnded on the stone table in the courtyard, the small alley, and the heaven and earth around the fortress.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t need to worry about the biting cold thanks to his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine. In fact, he didn''t even need to worry about his clothes bing wet, so he continued to practice fist techniques in the courtyard. In any case, Chen Ping''an was intoxicated by the feeling of his punches sting apart the falling drops of rain.


    Meanwhile, Lu Tai had already gone inside to shelter from the rain. Even though the autumn wind and autumn rain caused the temperature to drop, the handsome young man was still sitting there and rocking his bamboo folding fan as always. He was either zoning out, or he would asionally nce at Chen Ping''an practicing his fist techniques.


    Lu Tai saw Chen Ping''an go from practicing fist techniques to practicing sword techniques. However, Chen Ping''an was still feigning holding a sword in his hand in a very strange manner.


    Lu Tai smiled and said, "In the past, people always viewed rain as a union between heaven and earth and a state of mutual harmony between yin and yang. This is truly interesting. Indeed, I wonder how people in the future will view us?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t respond. Lu Tai always made strange and mysterious remarks like this, so there was no need to pay any heed to him.


    Later at night, Lu Tai put his light out and went to sleep.


    As always, Chen Ping''an burned the midnight oil and continued to read. He was flipping through the <em>Mountain and Sea Chronicle</em>.


    Heavy rain continued to thunder outside his window. It was very rare to see such heavy rain.


    Chen Ping''an''s ears pricked up slightly, and he could vaguely hear the joyfulughter of children echoing down the small alley and rushing past the courtyard.


    After a while, Chen Ping''an had just flipped over to a new page when he heard the soft weeping of a woman traveling over from outside.


    Chen Ping''an waspletely unfazed. Afterward, the sound of a coughing old man gradually faded into the distance.


    One had to realize that this small courtyard was located at the end of a small alley �� it was located at a dead end.


    Chen Ping''an closed the book in his hands and grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd from the table, sipping wine as he walked out of his room. He opened the door, and it was as if the torrential downpour tearing through heaven and earth suddenly transformed into flowing blood.


    However, everything returned to normal after Chen Ping''an blinked his eyes once. There was nothing peculiar apart from the frigid air and the permeating water vapor around the small courtyard.


    Chen Ping''an grabbed a chair and sat outside his room, releasing a slight amount of his aura. His pure and soft-concealed fist intent slowly circted around his body, keeping theshing rain several meters from his body.


    The sound of knocking came over from the courtyard door.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to stand up and walk over to open the door.


    However, the knocking suddenly stopped at this exact moment.


    After experiencing this two to three times, Chen Ping''an decided to ignore the knocking altogether, starting to practice standing meditation instead.


    The downpour gradually calmed down after fifteen minutes, transforming into a pitter-pattering drizzle.


    The harrowing sound of fingernails scraping across a hard surface traveled over from the courtyard door.


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes and sighed. He pinched a yellow paper Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman from his sleeve before standing up and slowly walking to the courtyard door.


    Like a brilliant sun tearing through the night sky, the yellow paper talisman between his fingers shone with a dazzling golden radiance.


    However, Lu Tai suddenly opened his door and said through a yawn, "Hurry up and put that away. Otherwise, you might identally frighten those ghosts to death."


    Chen Ping''an ignored Lu Tai''sme humor.


    He was just about to open the courtyard door and toss the yellow paper talisman into the small alley. He would do this before caring about anything else.


    "Don''t act rashly and alert our opponent," Lu Tai warned.


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment before continuing to the courtyard door. After pulling back the bolt and opening the door, he saw that there was clearly no one in the small and muddy alley that was permeating with eerie yin energy. However, he could hear quiet chatter floating around the surroundings, and he could even see footprints of varying depths and sizes appearing along the muddy alley.


    Chen Ping''an leaned over and stuck the yellow paper talisman onto the courtyard door.


    Before closing the courtyard door and going back inside, he nced around and saw two people braving the rain and walking through the small alley in the distance, one adult and one child. They were both wearing coarse white clothes, and the child didn''t turn his body as he twisted his head 180 degrees to face Chen Ping''an. He grinned and gave a silentugh.

 Chapter 293: (1): The Eagle Isnt Flying

    Chapter 293: (1): The Eagle Isn''t Flying


    Once again, the head of the deathly pale young boy in white mourning clothes turned 180 degrees before he followed the adult forward and vanished into the depths of the small alley.


    Chen Ping''an''s expression remained calm the entire time. He didn''t gaze at those eerie scenes anymore, and he simply stole a nce at the Demon-suppressing Talisman on the courtyard door. His heart didn''t need to ache too much because the talisman was only made from ordinary yellow talisman paper. The courtyard door was drenched from the heavy downpour just then, yet the talisman that Chen Ping''an had casually wacked on was stuck to it surprisingly firmly.


    There were also two of the mostmonly seen colorful door gods stuck on the courtyard door. However, it was unknown whether they were sages from Parasol Leaf Continent''s martial sage temple or meritorious generals from Agarwood Nation.


    It was already more than halfway through the year, so the colorful door gods had already lost most of their color thanks to the punishment from the elements. They were slightly dull, and there was even a hint of age and decay about them.


    Chen Ping''an''s Qi and blood were much stronger after advancing to the fourth tier of martial arts, and his soul was also considerably tougher than before. Thus, his manner of viewing the world was naturally different from before.


    Simr to how Qi refiners could observe Qi, Chen Ping''an could also catch glimpses of the flowing spiritual energy now. This was especially the case after wearing Golden Sweet Wine, as he could verify his observations by understanding the amount of spiritual energy that his Dao robe absorbed. This was incredibly helpful.


    He looked up at the two door gods dressed in bright and dignified armor. In reality, their small amount of divine aura had long since vanished, slowly eaten away and eventually extinguished by the yin energy that permeated through this strange small alley.


    Could this be considered heroes caught in difficult circumstances?


    Chen Ping''an sighed and stood up on his tippy-toes, using his fingers to tten out the small creases on the Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman. ording to the market value, how many pairs of colorful door gods could he purchase for the price of one Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman? He felt a little angry upon thinking of this. Chen Ping''an was well aware of what those ghosts and yin entities were intending to do. They were showing their strength and most likely trying to dissuade Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai from doing anything funny. They were giving these two outsiders with abundant yang energy a warning, persuading them to leave this ce as soon as possible. That way, the two parties could each mind their own business.


    Chen Ping''an walked inside and locked the door. Lu Tai had no intention of going back to sleep after waking up, so he also grabbed a chair and sat in the courtyard. Before Chen Ping''an could say anything, Lu Tai seized the initiative and exined, "When ites to yin entities with weak cultivation bases, some of them will just frighten people and at most harm those mortals with innately weak yang energy. Or they might wander around during the night and suddenly jump out to scare people, taking advantage of people''s shuddering souls to extract a tiny bit of their souls.


    "Some of these yin entities will also target people whose ancestors didn''t umte merit and whose door gods have lost their power. They''ll enter the nightmares of these people and cause them to suffer from sleep paralysis. Mhm, there are some mortals who don''t understand the rules and seek trouble for themselves. For example, they might piss on the ghostly streets of yin entities and thus draw trouble to themselves."


    Lu Tai retrieved his bamboo folding fan and started to loudly rock it back and forth. The frigid air in the courtyard was instantly sent scattering, reced by an unexined sense offort and warmth. Wisps of gray smoke rose from the rain before circling around and eventually dissipating.


    Lu Tai smiled and continued, "These ghosts and yin entities are just as clueless as the people in the Flying Eagle Fortress. They''repletely oblivious to our actual strength. However, it''s a shame about that Demon-suppressing Talisman. Imagine if the talisman were drawn by a Heavenly Master or an esteemed master from the Spirit Treasure Faction using the same material as a base..."


    Lu Tai paused for a moment before purposely rubbing salt into Chen Ping''an''s wounds, saying, "In that case, just a single talisman stuck on the city gate of the Flying Eagle Fortress would be enough to protect its poption of several hundred people for at least three to five years. They won''t need to worry about being harassed by ghosts and yin entities.


    "That''s quite unlike you, an absolute novice when ites to talismans. You''re relying on a breath of True Qi to draw talismans, so it''s destined that you won''t be able to draw spiritual energy from heaven and earth. That being the case, your talisman is akin to a body of water without asting source, so how long can it possiblyst?"


    Sitting on a chair opposite Lu Tai, Chen Ping''an asked, "Why didn''t youe out earlier?"


    Lu Tai smiled faintly and replied, "Come out to do what? Chatter with those yin entities? Discuss the local people and customs with them? Ask them why they''re trying to scare us, and what their subsequent schedule is? Inquire about why the downpour suddenly transformed into blood?


    "No, I would simply tell them that as ghosts and yin entities, their methods of frightening people are truly far too inferior. In fact, I might even feel the urge to teach them a few impressive techniques..."


    Lu Tai''s words became increasingly preposterous.


    Chen Ping''an held his wine gourd with one hand and pointed at the courtyard door with his other, gesturing that Lu Tai could walk over to chatter with the ghosts and yin entities right away.


    However, Lu Tai remained seated, as immovable as a mountain. He closed his folding fan with a crack and said, "I liked to interact with the demons and spirits raised in my n ever since I was little. In fact, one can say that I interacted with them day and night, so I''ve already be ustomed to them since long ago. Chen Ping''an, if it weren''t for you finding them annoying, I would have actually slept better with them wandering around outside."


    "Is this not a taboo for Naturalist disciples?" Chen Ping''an asked in puzzlement.


    Lu Tai gazed up at the rainy sky and replied in a soft voice, "One can''t understand good if one doesn''t interact with evil."


    "Is there a genuine malicious ghost hiding in the Flying Eagle Fortress?" Chen Ping''an asked in curiosity.


    Lu Tai nodded and replied, "Indeed. Otherwise, why did I say that this is ��a brilliant location to kill people and steal goods before fabricating evidence and framing someone else'' before our battle just then?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding. He remembered this remark very clearly.


    Lu Tai''s hands werezily resting on the armrests of his chair, causing hisrge sleeves to droop down. "If the two of us had be a pair of dead lovers in the deep mountain forest before, do you think anyone would have suspected these martial arts brutes from the Flying Eagle Fortress? Naturally not. Thus, those bandits were clearly trying to frame the nest of ghosts and yin entities here."


    Chen Ping''an noticed something at this moment, and he suddenly stood up and walked toward the courtyard door,


    There was a momentarymotion in the small alley outside the courtyard, causing the Demon-suppressing Talisman on the courtyard door to shine with a sh of explosive golden brilliance.


    Lu Tai turned around and chuckled, "There''s no need to go over. Those ghosts and yin entities refuse to give up, and they''re only willing to relent if they''re taught a harsh lesson. Now that they''ve been punished, they''ll probably keep a respectful distance from us for the next while. Ahhh, it will be difficult for me to hear their heavenly voices and enjoy a good night''s sleep in the future!"


    Chen Ping''an opened the courtyard door and stepped outside to look up at the Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman. Apart from a faint little stain, the talisman showed no signs of crumbling or losing its spiritual energy. Just as Lu Tai had said, the ghost or yin entity that hade to test the power of the talisman indeed didn''t possess a high cultivation base.


    Chen Ping''an returned to the courtyard and made up his mind. If the ghosts and yin entities came to provoke him again, then they couldn''t me him for stepping forward and bing an aggressive neighbor.


    Lu Tai wrapped his hands behind his head and exined, "Parasol Leaf Continent is a very conservative continent. It doesn''t really wee outsiders from other continents. If Complete Reed Continent''s Xie Shi had tried to target Parasol Leaf Continent instead of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, then he would have already been beaten to the brink of death long ago. That''spletely different from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, where he''s actually being politely invited over to chat and negotiate over some tea."


    Chen Ping''an rubbed the soles of his boots against the steps and wiped off the mud. He pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is very close to Complete Reed Continent, and the Great Li Empire''s rtionship with Xie Shi is also very mysterious. These are all relevant factors to consider, so we can''t attribute everything to the people and customs of a continent. What do you think, Lu Tai?"


    Lu Tai clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "Very impressive, Chen Ping''an. You''re increasingly able to look at problems from the view of those from the mountains. As expected of someone who''s traveled to Stctite Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall before."


    Chen Ping''an was preparing to stand up and carry his chair back inside when Lu Tai suddenly said, "Chen Ping''an, counting Ma Wanfa as part of the bandits, they were actually strong enough to deal with a pseudo-Golden Core Tier cultivator without much difficulty. It was actually quite an achievement for the two of us to defeat them."


    Chen Ping''an stood beside his chair and asked, "What about us? Do we have any chance of victory against a Golden Core Tier Qi refiner?"


    "Yes, but not a very big chance," Lu Tai replied.


    "Almost every single Golden Core Tier cultivator is someone with strong conviction and tenacity. Moreover, they also have mastery over a myriad of mystical abilities and immortal techniques. As such, we have to fight with our lives on the line, or else we''ll be slowly exhausted to death by them.


    "You should already know, right? Things will bepletely different after a Qi refiner reaches the ninth tier, the Golden Core Tier, and after a pure martial artist reaches the seventh tier. Combined together, these advances to the ninth tier and the seventh tier are called ''heaven-turning and earth-shaking.''"


    Chen Ping''an sat back down and shook his head, replying, "I actually don''t know much about this. Can you exin it to me?"


    Lu Tai''s eyes lit up, and he asked, "Can I give you one hundred fewer snowke coins the next time we share spoils if I exin this to you?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether tough or to cry. "You still care about one hundred snowke coins?"


    Lu Taiughed and replied, "Of course I don''t care about these snowke coins. Rather, I simply like the feeling of gaining a small advantage."


    Chen Ping''an extended a hand and gestured for Lu Tai to continue. The handsome young man could pocket this money.


    Lu Tai was in a brilliant mood, so he kicked off his boots and sat cross-legged on his chair, exining with a faint smile, "The process of pure martial artists advancing from the sixth tier to the seventh tier is called ''earth-shaking.'' Apart from reaching the Far Roaming Tier which allows martial artists to travel on the wind like immortals, reaching the seventh tier will also allow the soul, spirit, and gall of martial artists tobine into one. Thus, martial artists will gain apletely new outlook on the world after advancing to the seventh tier.


    "As for Qi refiners advancing to the ninth tier, the Golden Core Tier, there''s the famous and almost overused saying that ''those who form a golden core will be one of us. The truly mystical nature of the Golden Core Tier lies in the fact that there''s a huge limitation to Qi refiners using mystical abilities before they advance to this tier.


    "This is because the amount of spiritual energy a Qi refiner can possess is limited by the number of acupoints that they''ve uncovered and refined. In other words, they have to conserve their spiritual energy when they fight, just like how you have to conserve your money when you purchase things.


    "However, the amount of spiritual energy a Qi refiner can possess will no longer be restricted by their acupoints after they form a golden core. Like a wealthy person building an ice cer, they can enjoy ice even when it''s scorching hot. More importantly, they can even borrow spiritual energy from heaven and earth if they need to.


    "After saying all this, however, what actually is the bridge of immortality? Apart from allowing one to set foot on the path of cultivation, this bridge can also connect one to heaven and earth and allow one to be an independent small world and blessednd."


    Chen Ping''an listened to this very carefully.


    Lu Tai smiled and concluded, "This is why the two of us won''t necessarily be able to defeat a Golden Core Tier cultivator even though we killed Ma Wanfa and all those bandits. Does it make sense now?"


    "So that''s how it is," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Lu Tai''s expression was as if he had seen a ghost, and he asked in confusion, "Did the people who taught you fist techniques, sword techniques, and drawing talismans not teach you about these things?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No, they didn''t teach me these things. The old man who taught me fist technique only taught me..."


    Chen Ping''an stood up and threw a light punch at the curtain of rain before continuing, "How to st the curtain of rain thirty meters or three hundred meters back with a casual punch."


    Chen Ping''an then retracted his fist and gently rotated his wrists as if he were holding a calligraphy brush and drawing talismans. "The person who taught me how to draw talismans stated that one needed to exude talismanic true intent from the tip of their brush. A wisp of righteous aura in the mind of a virtuous Confucian disciple should give rise to blissful winds that sweep hundreds of kilometers through heaven and earth."[1]


    Chen Ping''an feigned holding a sword and shing down as he continued, "There is nock of extraordinary things in the myriad worlds, but I only have a single sword."


    Lu Tai dazedly looked at the young boy in white standing under the eaves of the opposite building. He was slightly different from normal.


    The handsome young man curled up in his chair and ced his hands inside his opposite sleeves, falling silent for a long time.


    Chen Ping''an cracked a grin and picked up his chair, preparing to return to his room. "You should sleep earlier as well."


    "Chen Ping''an, which path would you pick if you could only pick one of the three paths?" Lu Tai asked with a serious expression.


    Chen Ping''an faltered upon hearing this. He had genuinely never considered this before. After contemting for a moment, he replied, "I only started to practice fist techniques in order to stay alive and increase my lifespan. In this sense, it can be considered the foundation of everything.


    "I''ll continue to practice fist techniques in the future, and if I manage to live for long enough, I hope that I can throw more than ten million punches. Of course, I definitely have to advance to the seventh tier of martial arts during this time.


    "As for drawing talismans, this is simply a defensive skill that I don''t n to study too much. I''ll follow the natural flow of things. In terms of what I genuinely want to master, that has to be..."


    Chen Ping''an raised a thumb and pointed at the sword on his back before saying, "The sword."


    Chen Ping��an''s expression was calm, and there was unwavering resolve in his eyes as he announced, "I''m going to be a sword immortal, a great sword immortal!"


    "What for?" Lu Tai cocked his head and asked.


    Chen Ping''an chuckled and didn''t say anything else. He picked up his chair and jogged back to his room, closing the door and going to sleep.


    Lu Tai rolled his eyes. He didn''t feel sleepy anymore, so he hummed a tune from his hometown in boredom. In the end, he decided to stand up and slowly dance on his chair, with hisrge sleeves twirling like flowing water. Afterward, he sat back down and yawned as he rocked his bamboo folding fan.


    From time to time, he would form seals with his fingers to perform divinations and analyze future events. He would also ce his head on the armrest with his eyes rolled back and his tongue sticking out, pretending to be a ghost who had died from hanging...


    He did this all the way until the next morning.


    Chen Ping''an woke up at the same time as always, and he first walked outside to retrieve the Demon-suppressing Talisman from the courtyard door. He then walked around the courtyard and practiced walking meditation under the eaves.


    Lu Tai nced at Chen Ping''an''s boots and said, "I''ll find you a pair of boots specially made for immortalster. That way, you won''t need to worry about rainy days or snowy days anymore. The more expensive ones can even resist fire and water."


    "Why would I need that?" Chen Ping''an asked with a huff. "If I wear such expensive boots, I''ll need to worry about whether or not they''ll be damaged when I''m fighting against other people. Just how troublesome would that be? It''s an extra thing to worry about."


    "You''ll never enjoy fortune with a mindset like that," Lu Tai sighed.


    "No other strange things happenedst night, right?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Lu Tai nodded and replied, "Now that you mention it, something strange did indeed happen. It seems like someone from the Flying Eagle Fortress came across a ghost not too far from here. They got into a fight, a fairly grisly one at that, but no one ended up dying."


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment before suggesting, "Then let''s wander around during the day to see if we can uncover the truth. We''ll decide on whether to interfere or not after we make heads or tails of the situation."


    Lu Tai didn''t have anyints.


    He was fairly skilled at feng shui, geomancy, divination, and other mystical techniques. He couldn''t help this. The grand elder always bestowed him with knowledge, so he ended up far superior to everyone else his age even though he put in minimal effort and always looked for new ways to ck off.


    This was truly very troublesome.


    1. This references a sentence from one of Su Shi''s lyrics. Su Shi is one of the most aplished figures in ssical Chinese literature. ?

 Chapter 294: Sword Kinesis

    Chapter 294: Sword Kinesis


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t blind, so he could naturally tell that Huan Shu, the fortress lord''s daughter, was interested in Lu Tai.


    At the same time, Chen Ping''an could also see the unconceble sense of worry hidden behind the siblings'' politeness and warmth.


    By the looks of it, the wanton actions of the ghosts and spirits toward the residents of the fortress were extremely worrisome for the Flying Eagle Fortress.


    In the cultivation world outside the mountains, even wealthy ns and powerful forces would find it very difficult to deal with such problems.


    Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai made their way to the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress. This was a majestic structure, and the que on the door, the couplets to the side, the pair of colorful door gods, and the jade-white tigers on both sides had all been created by famous artists. All of these things highlighted the past glory and wealth of the Flying Eagle Fortress'' Huan n.


    The banquet hall was brightly lit, with many red candles that were as thick as an infant''s arm. There were also many pieces of old artwork decorating the hall, such asrge paintings of scenery, painting pairs that depicted immortal scenes, and so on. Fortress Lord Huan Yang, his wife, Administrator He Ya, and a few elders from the Huan n all stood at the door of the hall to wee the young man and the young boy who were visiting the Flying Eagle Fortress for the first time.


    Many talented descendants and branch descendants stood behind them, and these youths were all filled with curiosity toward Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai. After all, it was very rare for the fortress to prepare such a grand wee banquet.


    "One should never strike an apologizing person. If the Flying Eagle Fortress''s Huan n is smart enough, do you believe me if I say that they''ll actively apologize to us after having three rounds of drinks?" Lu Tai said to Chen Ping''an using his mind''s voice.


    However, Lu Tai quickly lost his seriousness, saying with his mind''s voice as he looked around the room, "There are quite a lot of old antiques wandering around. It seems like the ancestors of the Flying Eagle Fortress''s Huan n were fairly wealthy, huh? They were faring quite wellpared to other forces outside the mountains in Parasol Leaf Continent. "It''s almost certain that they wouldn''t have needed our help if they weren''t forced to hide in this isted ce due to that cmity. They would have asked the immortals from Agarwood Nation or the surrounding nations for help and dealt with this bunch of yin entities long ago."


    Beforeing here, Lu Tai had briefly mentioned something about Commercialist disciples in the world. These disciples had proposed a notion of "old money" and "new money."


    In other words, paper money and banks should be categorized as new or old. There were some old banks with a history of hundreds or even thousands of years and still going strong, and there were also some new banks that had only recently risen to power. As a result, the paper money issued by these banks naturally differed in terms of whether they were old or new.


    Chen Ping''an perceptively noticed something strange about the fortress lord''s wife before he took a seat. Her aura was cloudy and misty, and this was in the sense of dark clouds and ck mists. It was clear that her aura was contaminated with filth. Even though she looked beautiful and healthy, the reality was that her vital energy was waning and her life force was already near exhaustion.


    Lu Tai didn''t so much as take a single nce at her.


    The banquet wasn''t overly fancy, and it couldn''t be said that there were exotic delicacies from the mountains and the seas. Instead, there was game from the rivers and fruits and vegetables that were in season. Huan Yang remained extremely modest the entire time, not putting on any airs.


    In fact, Chen Ping''an could clearly detect the difort of those Huan n descendants. They were acting in a perfunctory manner as they ate and drank, and it was often the case that they would only drink when the fortress lord suggested a toast to everyone.


    However, Lu Tai had guessed incorrectly, and Fortress Lord Huan Yang didn''t mention the matter regarding the strange alley to them even when the banquet neared its end. He simply stated that the environment in the Flying Eagle Fortress was harsh, so he asked Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai to forgive the fortress if the fortress were unable to take good care of them.


    After drinking thest ss of wine, however, Huan Yang and his wife personally showed Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai around the main building after the other guests gradually got up and left. After walking out to the balcony on the top level, Huan Chang and Huan Shu both brought out a present as they were gazing into the distance.


    The presents were ced inside wooden boxes, and Huan Yang exined that these were old antiques that had been passed down by their ancestors. They weren''t worth much, but they could be considered quite rare. In any case, these were just some simple wee gifts. In the end, he said that hopefully Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai could visit the Flying Eagle Fortress more often in the future. The fortress would definitely wee them warmly.


    Lu Tai wlessly dealt with this engagement.


    Afterward, he ran his hand along the railing and silently remarked, "This is a good ce."


    And thus, the hosts and the guests happily farewelled each other. Huan Shu initially wanted to bring them back to that alley, yet Huan Chang found an excuse to drag her back and stop her from going. Huan Shu was unhappy about this, but she ultimately didn''t insist on leaving the main building. Looking at the two guests who were walking along the wide street side-by-side, Huan Chang said in a soft voice, "Xieyang suffered such severe wounds, so why aren''t you visiting him?"


    Huan Shu frowned and replied, "He still rushed over with such carelessness even though Father and Grandpa He already told him not to act recklessly. If it weren''t for the fact that esteemed immortals are going to arrive in the Flying Eagle Fortress tonight, how could we have cleaned up this absolute mess?


    "Tao Xieyang is already old enough to understand this, and he''s already managing half of the Flying Eagle Fortress'' affairs in any case, so how could he still be swayed by his emotions and act so rashly? He''s forgotten about the profoundness of heaven and earth after wandering around the cultivation world for a few days...."


    "Enough with the badmouthing!" Huan Chang scolded in anger. "No matter what, Xieyang suffered such severe wounds for the sake of the Flying Eagle Fortress. In fact, no one would have the face to stop Xieyang if he overheard this and decided to leave the Flying Eagle Fortress in anger! Are you truly unaware of how many renowned forces have taken an interest in Xieyang''s martial arts talents and management capabilities these past few years?"


    Huan Shu pursed her lips and replied, "Then I guess our temple is too small to host this big Bodhisattva. What else can the Flying Eagle Fortress do? Cry and beg Tao Xieyang to stay?"


    Huan Chang turned around and scolded in a stern voice, "Huan Shu, how are your remarks bing ruder and ruder?! Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?! You and Xieyang grew up together like family, and he''s also a very good brother of mine..."


    The rims of Huan Shu''s eyes became bright red. She felt slightly upset, and this was the first time she had seen her older brother bing so angry. Her voice quivered as she said, "But I don''t want to marry him! He might like me, but I don''t like him! What else can I do about this?"


    Huan Chang sighed upon hearing this. Everyone had their own burden to bear. This was a very difficult matter to resolve.


    This was just like how Huan Chang couldn''t understand Tao Xieyang. Such a beautiful and outstanding celestial maiden from the cultivation world had fallen in love with him at first sight, yet Tao Xieyang somehow refused to reciprocate her feelings.


    On the other hand, Tao Xieyang had liked his younger sister for so many years, and this was a rtionship that should have formed and developed naturally, eventually culminating in marriage. Yet, his younger sister couldn''t develop romantic feelings for him no matter what.


    In terms of what would happen after Tao Xieyang married his younger sister, Huan Chang hadn''t thought much about this. More precisely, he wasn''t willing to think too much about this. Tao Xieyang had the formless support of Administrator He Ya, and he had also traveled far and wide over the past many years. As a result, everyone in the Flying Eagle Fortress respected Tao Xieyang immensely. If Tao Xieyang married his younger sister, would the Flying Eagle Fortress perhaps be ruled by someone with a different surname in the future?


    The autumn breeze was refreshing, and the river of stars was dazzling. However, it was as if each speck of star represented a feeling of mncholy in the world.


    On this night, an outsider with the demeanor of an immortal being arrived on the small path outside the Flying Eagle Fortress before Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai arrived back in the small alley.


    Only Fortress Lord Huan Yang and Administrator He Ya went out to greet him. They stood in a solemn and respectful manner with their arms by their sides, and the wee they provided wasn''t boisterous at all. However, this wee was far more practical and sincerepared to the wee banquet they had provided for Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai.


    The person walking over was a tall and sturdy man with an intense gaze. He was leading a handsome snow-white horse by the reins, and looked to be around forty years old. There was a fly-whisk in his hand and a peach wood talisman by his waist as he gracefully walked over.


    There were also two bundles of pine and cypress branches hanging from the two sides of the saddle, and this appeared extremely strange.


    The characters "Extinguishing Worries" were inscribed on his fly-whisk.


    Fortress Lord Huan Yang and Administrator He Ya hurriedly bowed in greeting, saying, "Wee, esteemed immortal from Peace and Tranquility Mountain."


    The middle-aged man nodded and said with a faint smile, "There''s no need to be so polite. It''s the responsibility of immortals from the mountains to venture outside to subdue demons and eliminate fiends."


    Before Huan Yang could say anything else, the man leading the horse had already looked up at the sky above the fortress and analyzed, "Sure enough, there''s a very concentrated yin energy and murderous aura gathered over the fortress. If I''m not wrong, the Flying Eagle Fortress should have just experienced a torrential downpour.


    "The two of you should be aware that it wasn''t ordinary autumn rain. Rather, it was the sinister demons and ghosts in this area setting up formations and unleashing mystical abilities with the aim of stopping the Flying Eagle Fortress from having any descendants in the future."


    Huan Yang and the old administrator exchanged a nce before the former cupped his fists and offered, "Esteemed Immortal, the Flying Eagle Fortress is willing to build a shrine to honor you as long as you''re able to save the poption of five hundred or so people here. We''re also willing to hand over the precious sword, Halting Snow, that our ancestors obtained through luck. The descendants of the Huan n will honor you and Peace and Tranquility Mountain for at least one hundred years. We''ll do everything in our ability to repay you!"


    The middle-aged man flicked his fly-whisk with a carefree smile and replied, "We can discuss these matters after I save the Flying Eagle Fortress. Otherwise, this positive karmic fate will be nothing more than a business transaction filled with the stench of copper."


    Huan Yang was moved to tears, and he sobbed, "Esteemed Immortal is so noble and unsullied! I apologize for my disrespect..."


    The middle-aged man ignored him and walked forward with his horse, fully disying his transcendent demeanor as an immortal.


    Later on in the night, another travel-worn and disheveled old man arrived at the Flying Eagle Fortress. However, he was almost stopped at the gate and asked to leave. In the end, it was Tao Xieyang''s friend, the young Daoist priest Huang Shang, who rushed over after hearing about this. Only then was the old man allowed into the Flying Eagle Fortress.


    The old man casually settled down in some alley, and this caused shame and guilt to fill Huang Shang''s face. However, the old man didn''t care much about this, and he walked around the fortress even though it was alreadyte at night. During his investigations, he also leaned over some wells and smelled the water.


    After returning to his courtyard, the old man suddenly looked up in surprise and leaped onto the roof of the building with a tap of his feet. He gazed at somece in the distance and carefully examined it for a short moment. After returning to the courtyard, he turned around and asked, "There are already powerful cultivators guarding the Flying Eagle Fortress?"


    Huang Shang faltered upon hearing this, and he replied, "I''m not sure if they''re powerful cultivators or not. However, I''m aware that two young people arrived at the Flying Eagle Fortress two days ago. One is a graceful and handsome young man, and one is a taciturn young boy with a sword on his back."


    "Did the two of them not provide assistance when you and Tao Xieyang experienced danger before?" the old man asked.


    "It was the old administrator who saved us. Those two people didn''t appear at the scene," Huang Shang replied with a bitter smile.


    "He Ya does indeed know some shallow Dao techniques," the old man said with a nod. "However, there''s quite a huge gulf between his skills and the level of the talisman that the two people stuck on their courtyard door."


    The young Daoist priest faltered and asked, "Those two people are around the same age as me, but Master is suggesting that they''re already the same as you? Perhaps they''re esteemed immortals who have mastered mystical Dao techniques?"


    The old man sniggered and replied, "So what if they''re young? True esteemed immortals are those who can move mountains and turn seas even though they''re still very young. Half-assed cultivators like me have simply relied on our age to grind out a measly cultivation base. In fact, those genuine immortal forces in the mountains don''t view us as fellow cultivators walking the same path."


    Huang Shang was still a little skeptical, and he was convinced that this was a case of his master being noble and modest. He regarded his master as a genuinely transcendent being who cared little about fame and riches and didn''t like to boast about his immortal cultivation.


    The old man didn''t say anything else. Compared to those immortals who could travel on wind and soar through the clouds, it could be said that he had wasted all of his time and lived like a dog. At the end of the day, this wasn''t a joyful matter to discuss.


    Elsewhere, Chen Ping''an stuck another Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman on the courtyard door.


    Neither he nor Lu Tai felt sleepy, so the two of them sat in the courtyard and casually chatted with each other.


    Chen Ping''an''s expression was solemn, while Lu Tai was smiling with squinted eyes and rocking his bamboo fan back and forth as always.


    Chen Ping''an was just about to say something, yet Lu Tai raised a hand and stopped him from speaking, warning him, "It won''t be effective anymore if you talk about it."


    The handsome young man changed the topic and said in amusement, "Your Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, the two flying swords in your Sword Nurturing Gourd, and your immortal treasure-grade demon-binding chain... Just how impressive will you be when you reach the seventh tier of martial arts in the future?"


    Chen Ping''an gave a knowing smile and said in an open and cheerful manner, "But others won''t know of the blood, sweat, and tears behind all of this."


    "Do you find it very strange that I''ve never regarded myself as a sword cultivator?" Lu Tai sighed and asked.


    "What''s so strange about that?" Chen Ping''an huffed. "Isn''t this simply because you''re afraid of heights? You took Osmanthus Ind when traveling from Old Dragon City to Stctite Mountain, and you took the Treasure Swallowing Whale when traveling from Stctite Mountain to Parasol Leaf Continent. Have you ever taken a kun ship before?"


    Lu Tai flushed red, and he immediately threw his bamboo folding fan at Chen Ping''an. Chen Ping''an held his index finger and middle finger together before gently twirling them in a circle, causing the bamboo fan to spin in midair as if it were being controlled by silk threads. The bamboo fan circled around Chen Ping''an once before flying back to Lu Tai. The handsome young man caught the bamboo fan and clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, "What a quick learner you are. You''re already putting what you learned before into practice."


    Perhaps the sword kinesis techniques of sword experts were very mysterious in the cultivation world. To Chen Ping''an who was at the fourth tier of martial arts, however...


    Grasping one technique allowed him to grasp all techniques.

 Chapter 295: Gazing Into the Distance

    Chapter 295: Gazing Into the Distance


    The autumn sun was warm, and Lu Tai was sitting in the courtyard and ying out games of Go from the manuals by himself. Chen Ping''an was practicing techniques from the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em> nearby.


    The Flying Eagle Fortress didn''t vite their privacy anymore after Lu Tai detected the spy from the fortressst time.


    Seizing the opportunity when Chen Ping''an momentarily stopped practicing his sword techniques, Lu Tai suddenly asked, "Chen Ping''an, should I teach you how to y Go?"


    Chen Ping''an was still rotating his wrists and searching for the smoothest and most suitable sword-holding posture to defend against surprise variations in attacks. He needed to seek change in the finest areas if he wanted his sword strikes to be quicker. This followed the same principle as the extremely profound jumping burin technique in pottery firing. At a rough nce, it would seem as if the technique was focused on not moving. In reality, however, this wasn''t the case.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head upon hearing Lu Tai''s suggestion, replying, "Forget about it. I''ve learned how to y Go before, but I''m still no good at it. I witnessed grandmaster Go yers during my first distant trip, and I still prefer to watch others y than y myself."


    There was Lin Shouyi, Xie Xie, Yu Lu, and the young imperial preceptor who had changed his name to Cui Dongshan. Each of them was more skilled at Go than the other. Chen Ping''an often watched them ying Go, yet he was still unable to decipher whether a move was good or bad and what kind of short-term or long-term strategies the two sides were employing. Thus, he felt that he didn''t have any talent when it came to ying Go.


    Even so, he still enjoyed watching games of Go just like how he enjoyed watching Lu Tai brew tea. These were all very pleasant experiences. During his journey to the Great Sui Nation, Chen Ping''an had also enjoyed watching the games of Go between Lin Shouyi and Xie Xie.


    Chen Ping''an felt like the meditative state that people entered when ying Go was very beautiful.


    Lu Tai didn''t dwell on Chen Ping''an''s refusal to learn, and he asked with a smile, "Do you know what the peak state of ying Go is?"Chen Ping''an naturally didn''t know.


    Lu Tai pinched a Go piece and ced it on the board before saying with a fervent expression in his eyes, "To have no one in front."


    Chen Ping''an ruminated on this for a moment before nodding in understanding. "Mhm."


    It was Lu Tai''s turn to be surprised, and he raised his head and shot a sideways nce at Chen Ping''an, asking, "You genuinely understand this?"


    Chen Ping''an slowly walked around the courtyard, bringing his Qi to his Dantian and allowing his fist intent to pour into the surroundings. This appeared unremarkable at first nce, yet in reality, the young boy had already reached a state where his aura was vast and quiet like deep water. Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "A certain person''s sword techniques and the fist techniques of the old man who helped me temper my third tier of martial arts all exuded this feeling. Just like you said, to have no one in front."


    Lu Tai faltered slightly.


    This was the case even though Lu Tai had witnessed far too many interesting people and beautiful scenes, extravagant decorations andvish food, noble people and powerful people, graceful people and carefree people, and immortals who treated clouds as food and dew as drink.


    Regardless of all this, watching Chen Ping''an practice fist techniques was still a form of enjoyment.


    However, Lu Tai felt like Chen Ping''an could do even better.


    He stood up and took a deep breath.


    Four wisps of white air slowly drifted out from his nose and ears, yet they didn''t drift away nor did they disperse. Instead, they were like four slender white pythons hanging upside down on Lu Tai''s face.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly confused. He didn''t know what Lu Tai was trying to do.


    Lu Tai walked to the middle of the courtyard and slowly exined, "Pure martial artists temper Qi, and Qi refiners also nurture and temper Qi. As we breathe and meditate, we can''t escape from the matter that is Qi. When describing mortals, the phrase ''Qi as thin as a thread'' implies that one is reaching the end of their life. However, this phrase has apletely different meaning when used to describe sword cultivators."


    Lu Tai exhaled slowly, causing his Qi to condense into silk-like threads. In the end, these threads transformed into a miniature sword in front of him. Lu Tai gently blew the sword.


    Chen Ping''an''s heart jolted, and he quickly turned his head to the side. A burst of white light rapidly shot past his ear. Afterward, the extremely slender burst of white light started to furiously whiz around the courtyard, leaving trails of very slow-dispersing light in its wake. Before long, it was as if the courtyard had been transformed into a cage formed from sword qi. It was like a pool of lightning that was permeating with intense sword qi.


    Lu Tai stomped his foot, causing the peculiar phenomenon to instantly vanish.


    The handsome young man smiled faintly and said, "I understand the principles even though I''m not a pure martial artist. You''re obsessively practicing one of the most ordinary fist techniques, and you''ve actually managed to practice it more than one million times. As a result, your fist intent ispletely smooth and natural. In reality, however, you fail to understand the true intent hidden within it."


    Lu Tai turned to Chen Ping''an, holding one hand behind his back and extending one hand forward with his palm outstretched. "Apart from strengthening one''s tendons, bones, Qi, and blood and nurturing one''s soul and intent, the truly mystical nature of fist techniques is their True Qi that doesn''t draw from the power of heaven and earth but instead seeks tomand heaven and earth. This burst of True Qi ispact and allows one''s punch to be unreasonably fast!"


    Lu Tai threw a punch, with his fist aura causing an explosive boom that triggered a subsequent series of tearing sounds.


    Lu Tai threw another punch, this time on a slight angle. His fist then hooked around, finishing in the same spot as his previous punch. This punch was silent rather than explosive, yet the air that hade into contact with his fist copsed in an astonishing manner.


    "I used the same strength and intent for both punches," Lu Tai exined. "My first punch traveled straight and appeared to take the shortest path, yet the situation was actually simr to traversing mountains and rivers. The fastest path isn''t necessarily the shortest one, but rather the one that follows the mountain paths and the flow of the rivers. As such, trying to take the shortest path might actually slow you down.


    "It''s said that the genuine End Tier for Martial Dao is the tenth tier. If one advances further, however, one will reach the Martial God Tier. This paramount Martial God Tier is one that even Qi refiners envy and fear."


    Lu Tai retracted his fist and sighed. Looking up at the sky with an adrift expression, he continued, "Chaos has already started to sweep through the world. You have to stay alive, Chen Ping''an. If you can live until the end, then..."


    Blood started to seep from the corners of Lu Tai''s mouth, yet he still insisted on saying, "You definitely have to stay alive and resolutely defend that ce. Make sure to prevent yourself from being swept up and coerced by the unstoppable trend. You have to be that unwavering pir. When the timees, you''ll receive help from all sides and even from heaven and earth. Don''t limit your vision to short-term gains. I''m confident that you can walk further than Cao Ci, and I''m confident that you can rebuild your bridge of immortality and be a great sword immortal..."


    Divine secrets couldn''t be revealed.


    Perhaps this was a casual and joking remark often uttered by ordinary Qi refiners.


    However, this was not the case for Naturalist disciples.


    Those who were skilled in divination, fortune-telling, and horoscopes often wouldn''t die a peaceful death. Some asionally would, yet they didn''t need to dream about their children and descendants receiving any ancestral blessings. In fact, it was even possible for these people to use up their descendants'' fortunes and thus cause harm to those after them.


    Chen Ping''an could already sense the severity of the situation, so he quietly shouted, "That''s enough, Lu Tai!"


    Lu Tai nodded and wiped the blood from his mouth using the back of his hand. After returning to his seat beside the stone table, he shed a dazzling smile at the young boy and said, "Since I''ve found this ce and found the Ascending Sun tform in the Flying Eagle Fortress, you''ll need to continue your journey by yourself after this."


    Chen Ping''an sat beside Lu Tai and replied with a nod, "I''ll travel north by myself after we finish dealing with the matters here. You don''t need to worry about me."


    "Do you have any ns?" Lu Tai asked.


    "Of course."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and exined, "In the short term, I want to find the ruins of an ancient battlefield and look for the heroic spirits of those lingering souls. I need to temper my three souls to solidify the foundation of my fourth tier of martial arts. In the long term, I want to continue practicing fist techniques with that old man after I return home. That way, I can advance my cultivation in a steadier manner and thus increase my chance of reaching the seventh tier of martial arts."


    Lu Tai nodded and said, "I''m fine, you don''t need to worry about me. This kind of bacsh from the Heavenly Dao is nothing more than amon snack for members of the Lu n."


    Chen Ping''an finally felt reassured after confirming that Lu Tai wasn''t downying his injuries. He wrapped his hands behind his head and slowly said, "There''s also something that I''ve thought about but haven''t had the time to do. I want to pave a new road for my hometown, the type that has a resting pavilion every seven or eight kilometers. My heart won''t ache regardless of how much money I have to spend."


    "It''s just a path, so how much money can it cost?" Lu Tai asked with a huff.


    No wonder his two bonded flying swords were called Needle Tip and Wheat Awn. By the looks of it, he was innately fond of nit-picking and arguing with others.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t argue with Lu Tai, and he continued, "When I return home, I''m going to make an attempt to personally manage my two stores in Dragon Riding Alley. I''ll be happy as long as I make some money, even if it''s only a few copper coins every day.


    "Then there''s also those damaged statues of deities in the immortal tomb. Even though I had already addressed some of the issues thest time I returned home, building many sheds and repairing the statutes a little, this is still far from enough. I still need to formally rebuild their golden bodies for them.


    "Is this why you purchased those books about carving statues?" Lu Tai asked.


    "Mhm, I need to learn as much about the rules and taboos of creating statues as I can, lest I perform bad deeds with good intentions."


    "You sure are busy," Lu Tai remarked with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an was gazing into the distance the entire time, and he asked, "Do you want to hear my ns that are even longer term?"


    "Go on. I''ll jump into some well to cleanse myself if your ns are too preposterous and end up polluting my ears," Lu Tai replied.


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to the handsome young man''s teasing remark, and he began, "I want to construct more buildings beside the bamboo building that''s located in my hometown''s Downtrodden Mountain. I want them to stretch from the foot of the mountain... Forget about that. I want them to stretch from the waist of the mountain all the way to the peak of the mountain. I want these buildings to have all of those things that you mentioned before: eave tiles, drip tiles, overhangs, caisson ceilings, and mortise and tenon connections."[1]


    Chen Ping''an raised a hand and vigorously gestured in the air as he said this.


    Lu Tai rolled his eyes and eximed, "Such grand and terrifying ambitions!"


    Chen Ping''an felt a little disheartened.


    Lu Tai hurriedly raised his hands and relented, "Okay, okay, please continue. I won''t tease you anymore."


    Only after hearing this did Chen Ping''an continue, "I want to buy a lot of books��ssics from the three sages, teachings from the Hundred Schools of Thought, and literary worksposed by virtuous people of the past. I want to collect all of these. Before Jewel Small World shattered and fell, you can''t imagine how difficult it was to obtain even a single book in impoverished areas like y Vase Alley, the alley where I lived. It was even more difficult thaning across a single grain of silver.


    "I want there to be all kinds ofrge buildings and small buildings in my mountains, and I want these buildings to be filled with all kinds of spirit tools and immortal treasures. I want to collect local specialties from all of the myriad nations in the world, things like embroidered gowns and cockfighting cups from Colorful Garment Nation.


    "I want to collect lively and adorable spirits, spirits that can help people dress and apply makeup, spirits that can stand on the branches of potted nts and cup their fists, spirits that can open doors to wee guests, and so on. I want to raise all kinds of unique and wonderful nts, have tall mountains and flowing rivers, construct pavilions and pagodas, nt bamboo forests for cultivation, and have seas of clouds roll past the mountains every day...


    "Li Baoping and Li Huai can peacefully study there, Lin Shouyi can earnestly cultivate there, Yu Lu can reach the peak of martial arts and study fist techniques with Mr. Cui there, Xie Xie can... avoid being bullied by Cui Dongshan there, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink can either cultivate or ck off as they please there, and Ruan Xiu can visit frequently and enjoy desserts from my shop there...


    "On the first and fifteenth day of the New Year, many local residents can go to the mountain god temple in Downtrodden Mountain to offer incense. I want to make the mountain path wider, and I want to pave it with bluestone bs like Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley. That way, people won''t need to worry about their shoes getting muddy even when it rains.


    "In fact, I''ll prepare many raincoats and bamboo hats in the mountain god temple so the local residents don''t need to be afraid even if it does suddenly start to rain. They can borrow these things and return them the next time they visit the mountain god temple to offer incense.


    "No matter what the world turns into, no matter what life is like outside the mountains, no matter what the situation is like in other mountains, I simply hope that everyone in my mountains will cherish each other and live happily every single day. I wish that those beside me won''t suffer like Liu Xianyang anymore, feeling like they can''t do anything to improve the situation, and feeling like others won''t listen to us even when we''re correct. In the future, we''ll improve the situation and we''ll make these people listen, even if that means using our fists or using our swords..."


    Lu Tai quietly listened to the young boy''s dreams.


    It was as if he were watching Chen Ping''an build a snowman on a scorching summer day.


    1. Eave tiles (�ߵ�) refer to decorated tile ends, drip tiles (��ˮ��) refer to concave tiles that keep wooden structures fry and safe from rot when there''s heavy rain, and caisson ceilings (�微) refer toyered and richly decorated ceilings/ ?

 Chapter 296: (1): Farewell

    Chapter 296: (1): Farewell


    Lu Tai pointed at the courtyard door after listening to Chen Ping''an speak, and he said that after sticking the Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman there, the world beyond the door was the cultivation world while the world inside the door was the mountains.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to drink wine after hearing this.


    The Flying Eagle Fortress became very lively after this, breathing an air of life into the fortress. The Flying Eagle Fortress was clearly more calming nowpared to its near deathly peaceful state before.


    This was because two powerful people had arrived from the outside world. They weren''t gant martial artists who traveled around the world, a type of people that the Flying Eagle Fortress was familiar with, nor were they renowned martial arts grandmasters. Instead, they were very mysterious cultivators who were even stranger than the already strange Administrator He. This was a very fresh experience for everyone.


    The middle-aged man whom the fortress lord had warmly invited over walked through the streets and alleys of the Flying Eagle Fortress with his white horse. There were tworge bundles of cypress and pine branches hanging from the sides of the saddle, and the man with the fly-whisk in his hand would grab and burn a branch each time he came to a stop with his horse.


    However, he didn''t seem to need flint, with the branchesbusting by themselves when he rubbed his fingers together. The branches released a fragrant smoke as they burned.


    There were some white-haired elders who were slightly knowledgeable about old practices in the crowd of local residents watching this from a distance, and these elders started to show off their knowledge, iming that this was called Courtyard Illumination, an incredible type of immortal technique that could exorcize evil and eliminate filth.


    Pine trees were also called the Eighteenth Duke because they were the most senior type of trees. This was equivalent to being a country duke of the imperial court. Meanwhile, cypress trees were like nobles who were only one rank beneath pine trees. This was especially the case with those cypress trees from famous mountains. As a result, reciting immortal mantras while burning pine and cypress branches could summon divine power.


    Elsewhere, the disheveled old man appeared far more basicpared to the tall and sturdy middle-aged man with a fly-whisk and a white horse. His appearance was inferior to his fellow cultivator, and his techniques also exuded a rustic aura. Thus, few local residents of the Flying Eagle Fortress rushed over to watch the old man.It was said that this old man was Huang Shang''s master, and he was a Daoist priest who lived in the mountains and had be acquainted with the old fortress lord during their travels through the cultivation world. This time, the old man had only left the mountains ande to pray for blessings and eliminate cmity for the Flying Eagle Fortress because he had performed divination and discovered that the fortress was facing huge trouble.


    The disheveled old man wasn''t wearing a Daoist robe, and he didn''t know how to draw talismans and perform Daoist rituals using proper Daoist walking patterns either. Instead, he simply asked people to bring him seven or eight roosters, after which he hung them on the fortress gate, the doors of the ancestral hall, next to the wells, in the martial arts training grounds, and so on.


    Afterward, he kept a keen eye on these roosters from morning until night. There was a small rice bag tied to his hip, one that was filled with glutinous rice. There was also a pot of water next to it. These were for the roosters, and the water wasn''t ordinary well water that the residents of the fortress drank every day. Rather, it was spring water that his disciple, Huang Shang, had retrieved from the depths of some mountain in the distance.


    Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai split up. Lu Tai liked to watch that so-called esteemed immortal from Peace and Tranquility Mountain pretending to be mysterious, while Chen Ping''an headed elsewhere to observe the disheveled old man''s techniques. Laymen watched for fun, while cultivators watched to determine one''s skills.


    Even though Chen Ping''an wasn''t sure about the origins of the old man''s techniques, he could tell that the yin energy and murderous aura had be slightly weaker after the disheveled old man finished hanging the roosters in the different locations.


    This was like a faceoff between two armies. One side was avoiding the other''s attacks, and this was an exchange where neither side would suffer any casualties. The party harming the fortress was simply hiding in the dark and umting power.


    Judging from the old man''s extremely anxious expression as he fed the roosters glutinous rice and water, it was clear that he had also noticed some clues. Thus, he wasn''t feeling rxed at all.


    As for the middle-aged man who was swaggering through the streets and alleys with his fly-whisk, his expression was calm andposed as if he could annihte all evil beings with a quick snap of his fingers.


    Huan Chang and Huan Shu were responsible for clearing the path for this middle-aged man.


    Tao Xieyang coughed very frequently, and his face was also as pale as a sheet. He walked behind the old Daoist priest with Huang Shang.


    Lu Tai didn''t reveal the cultivation bases of the two people, and he only said that the middle-aged man definitely wasn''t a Qi refiner from Parasol Leaf Continent''s Peace and Tranquility Mountain or whatnot. On the other hand, the disheveled old man was a legitimate Daoist priest from the mountains who studied Dao in seclusion and serenity, choosing to live in peace with the mountains and waters as his neighbors.


    Peace and Tranquility Mountain was the most powerful sect in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent. In fact, it was as strong if not stronger than nchette Writing Sect. However, it was secluded to the level that it almost detested interaction with the outside world, so extremely few disciples of this sect ever left the mountains and traveled around the outside world.


    This sect epted and synthesized the knowledge and techniques of all branches of alchemy, and Lu Tai had heard of this sect even though he was from Middle Earth Divine Continent. It was just that Peace and Tranquility Mountain was nowhere near as renowned as Parasol Leaf Sect or Jade Tablet Sect.


    Another two days passed by peacefully.


    On this day, however, even themon residents living in the streets and alleys of the Flying Eagle Fortress noticed the strangeness of the sky.


    At dawn when the sun should have risen from the east, there were insteadyers of rolling ck clouds nketing the sky above the Flying Eagle Fortress. It was as if ck clouds were a living being baring its fangs and brandishing its ws at the fortress below, exuding such immense pressure that everyone felt a heavy weight on their heart.


    Administrator He Ya, also responsible for teaching the younger generation in the fortress, announced that there wouldn''t be ss today. He told his students to make haste and return home. This caused the little children to cheer in joy. They returned home in pairs or groups, pointing at the ck clouds and chattering as they did so.


    Some children said the clouds looked like a centipede, while some children said the clouds looked like an ox. In the end, the appearance of a ck cloud that looked like the face of a wicked woman petrified the children and caused them to immediately scatter and run home.


    Chen Ping''an was practicing fist techniques in the small courtyard, and he noticed the peculiar phenomenon in the sky right from the very beginning. Lu Tai was sitting beside the stone table and forming hand seals, quietly performing divination with a calm andposed expression.


    It was morning when the sun should have been hanging high and shining bright, yet the sky was so dark that the fortress was seemingly still in the depths of night. Not a single ray of sunshine was able to reach the Flying Eagle Fortress.


    Chen Ping''an heard eerieughter drifting back and forth along the small alley outside the courtyard again.


    He stopped practicing fist techniques and ran over to open the courtyard door, turning around to look at the Demon-suppressing Talisman that was created from ordinary talisman paper. As the days passed, the talisman had also continued to lose its spiritual energy.


    Right now, the talisman was already dim and lusterless, with the initially yellow talisman paper extremely wrinkled and losing much of its color like a New Year couplet that had been subject to the elements for more than half a year. There were also a few spots that had be ink-ck. It was no wonder those ghosts and yin entities dared to reappear and provoke them again.


    Lu Tai walked out with his hands inside his opposite sleeves. He stood beside Chen Ping''an and looked up at the deteriorating talisman, murmuring to himself, "Far back in the ancient past, talismans drawn by those equivalent to seventh tier martial artists could only be regarded as talismans that had just captured a modicum of essence. Only talismans drawn by those equivalent to ninth tier martial artists could be considered genuine talismans. From this, one can imagine the immense might of talismans back at that time.


    "Among them, the obscure and difficult-to-understand Master of Three Mountains and Nine Lords was regarded as the representation of talismanic orthodoxy. However, it''s a shame that future generations like us don''t even know what this actually means. Is this someone''s name, or is this someone''s title?"[1]


    Chen Ping''an stood on tippy-toes and peeled the talisman from the door, cing it back inside his sleeve.


    Loud noises instantly appeared in the surroundings, with wisps of mist also rising from the mud path of the small alley and rapidly permeating through the surroundings. Starting from feet height, the mist eventually rose to knee height before quickly rushing to waist height.


    It was as if Chen Ping''an had opened the lid of a piping hot wok, causing wisps of curling vapor to immediately rush into the surroundings. However, the vapor from a wok would be hot and fragrant, while the mist in the small alley was sticky and cold. This mist also gave off a fishy and pungent smell.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and looked over, and he saw that the mist fortunately didn''t rush into the courtyards of themon residents in a single burst. However, the various styles of door gods��martial sages, literary sages, and other gods��stered on everyone''s courtyard doors immediately started to crackle softly, with their already measly spiritual energy vanishing into nothingness. These door gods were no longer able to protect the owners of the courtyards.


    Once again, Chen Ping''an saw the adult and the child in white mourning clothes appear at the end of the small alley. The little child was still staring at Chen Ping''an, and there was blood continually trickling from his bright red eyes and flowing down his snow-white face.


    However, the blood didn''t drip onto the ground, and it instead crawled around the little child''s face like numerous squirming worms. They entered and exited the child''s eyes, and it was as if they were treating his eyes as their nests.


    The adult holding the little child''s hand surprisingly didn''t have any features on his face. It was as if a thick white cloth were covering his face and concealing his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.


    Many other harrowing and filthy yin entities shuffled toward the small courtyard at the end of the alley. There was an expressionless old woman hunched over with her hands and feet on the ground, and she nimbly crawled across the courtyard walls and continually murmured to Chen Ping''an that she wanted to eat meat.


    There were also many little children squatting in front of the courtyard walls with their hands wrapped around their legs and their heads resting on their knees. Sounds of intermittent weeping hissed out from between their teeth and drifted in the wind, as if they wanted to recount their tragic stories yet were too young to properly speak and tell their truths.


    Chen Ping''an genuinely wasn''t afraid of these entities even though he had respected ghosts and gods since a young age.


    Could one imagine a little child, four or five years old, running to the immortal tomb by himself whether it was sunny or raining? After starting to practice fist techniques, the little boy who had now be a youngster had then embarked on three long journeys, including this journey to Parasol Leaf Continent. During his journeys, just how many bizarre and wonderful things had he witnessed? That being the case, would he still be afraid of something like this?


    Hence, Chen Ping''an was unfazed even when the adult and the little child slowly walked over and arrived outside the courtyard gate. In fact, he even strode forward and stood on the edge of the steps as if waiting for them to make the first move.


    The little child with squirming blood on his face stared at Chen Ping''an the entire time. When he turned his head to lock gazes with Chen Ping''an, he asked, "Your meat is very fragrant! Can I take a few bites? I only want half of your heart! Can I have it?"


    The little child spoke very slowly, and also continued to shuffle forward as he spoke. When he said the word "heart," his back was already facing Chen Ping''an, and his head was already turned 180 degrees. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on Chen Ping''an, and he even stuck his pitch-ck tongue out to lick the blood on his lips.


    However, it was the old woman crawling along the courtyard walls who made a move first, bouncing off the walls and lunging at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t so much as nce at her as he strode forward and descended the steps. He then threw a casual punch before his boot even made contact with the muddy alley path, striking the old woman''s head and sending the yin entity flying back and crashing into the opposite wall, exploding into smithereens before she could even wail in anguish.


    The yin entities in the small alley immediately exploded with wild ferocity upon seeing this, causing ck smoke to churn and rush forward as they furiously lunged at Chen Ping''an. These yin entities were all formed from the resentful emotions of deceased people.


    Chen Ping''an held his left hand inside his sleeve and behind his back, using only his right hand to fight against these beings.


    His fist intent was extremely well controlled, only flowing through his right arm and only releasing enough power to defeat his opponents. His aura was also condensed and not radiating into the surroundings. As a result, he was able to obliterate a violently attacking yin entity with each punch that he threw.


    To the Chen Ping''an of today, unleashing this amount of fist intent was the same as drawing just a single bucket of water from a deep well.


    From the view of the yin entities, however, the young boy in white''s right arm looked much like a brilliant and blinding ray of sunshine cutting through the darkness.


    Almost eighty percent of the furiously charging yin entities in the small alley were obliterated in just a few seconds.


    At some unknown time, Lu Tai had walked over and sat down on the door threshold, his hands in his opposite sleeves and a smile on his face as he spectated.


    The little child who said he wanted to eat Chen Ping''an''s heart broke free from the apanying adult''s grip and arrived behind Chen Ping''an in a sh. He then shed at Chen Ping''an''s back with his palm, attempting to dig out the young boy''s heart.


    The little child''s palm strike was viciously quick, and he mistakenly thought that he was just about to seed. However, it was at this moment that he started to howl in agony. As it turned out, it was as if he had thrust his hand into a furnace after his fingers came into contact with Chen Ping''an''s white robe. Arge section of his arm instantly disintegrated like snow melting in the heat.


    Chen Ping''an''s left hand remained unmoving behind his back. Keeping watch on the yin entity without facial features out of the corners of his eyes the entire time, Chen Ping''an then leaned back and crashed into the little child, causing Golden Sweet Wine to immediately melt the little child as if he were a candle.


    The little child transformed into a wisp of extremely pure ck smoke and was just about to shoot into the distance. However, Chen Ping''an quickly turned around and flicked his wrist, throwing a hook punch and crushing the head and tail of the wisp of smoke.


    "Now you''re just bullying people," Lu Tai said in amusement.


    Chen Ping''an pursed his lips and replied, "How are they people?"


    1. When written in Chinese, the Master of Three Mountains and Nine Lords can be read as a name, i.e. Mr. Sanshan Jiuhou. ?

 Chapter 297: (1): Throwing Punches

    Chapter 297: (1): Throwing Punches


    Inside the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, dozens of pir members of the Huan n stood frozen with dark and ashen expressions.


    To Fortress Lord Huan Yang''s absolute disbelief, the main culprit behind everything was actually the esteemed immortal from Peace and Tranquility Mountain whom his good friend had spent an exorbitant amount of money to invite over!


    There were four braziers in therge hall, one in each corner, and the pine and cypress branches inside them had already burned up long ago. Some time before this, the esteemed immortal had imed that this main building was a critical geographic location that those demons and ghosts had coveted for a long time.


    Thus, it was necessary to gather everyone in the main building to perform a so-called Hall Burning Ritual. He needed to ce unique talismans from Peace and Tranquility Mountain around the hall such that he could create a formation to dispel the filth. That way, those sinister and demonic cultivators with ulterior motives would no longer have any opportunity to infiltrate and take over this building.


    The esteemed immortal had also imed that he would only leave by himself to y the demons and carry out justice once he guaranteed the safety of the main building.


    The Flying Eagle Fortress naturally hadn''t had anyints.


    The overbearing dark clouds above the fortress were stifling and vomit-inducing, making it clear that they were up against genuine demonic cultivators. As crude people from the cultivation world, those in the Flying Eagle Fortress naturally saw it as their duty to fight for the survival of their n and fortress, even if their opponents were powerful demonic cultivators from Agarwood Nation. They would fight even if it meant death.


    However, asking them to fight against ghosts and yin entities? Just thinking about this made their skin crawl. They couldn''t help but feel a sense of apprehension. In fact, even their yang energy became slightly weaker when they thought about this.


    Fortress Lord Huan Yang hadn''t put his full trust in this esteemed immortal from Peace and Tranquility Mountain in the beginning. Huan Yang hadn''t dared to be careless even though this immortal possessed the demeanor of a transcendent being as if he were an otherworldly being, and even though his good friend was the one who had introduced this immortal. This kind of caution was necessary for influential powerful ns in the cultivation world. Thus, Huan Yang had specially asked Administrator He Ya to follow this immortal closely while he was wandering around the streets and alleys with his horse, using the excuse that Administrator He Ya could show him the way. However, the burning cypress and pine branches had indeed given off a refreshing fragrance, one that was filled with an air of righteousness.


    Thanks to some coincidental fated opportunities, Administrator He Ya had a rough grasp of Dao power, though he couldn''t be regarded as skilled in the area. Even so, he was an experienced and knowledgable member of the cultivation world, what with how he had traveled all over the ce with the old fortress lord.


    Using this experience and knowledge, Administrator He Ya had confirmed that the esteemed immortal was indeed using proper and righteous immortal techniques. The Flying Eagle Fortress was facing an imminent disaster with nowhere to run, but they had finally regained someposure and confidence after hearing Administrator He Ya''s analysis.


    And thus, just an hour ago, the esteemed immortal had held a fly-whisk in one hand and a calligraphy brush in his other hand as he had rolled up his sleeve and drew numerous talismans on therge wooden pirs in therge hall. The talismans flowed like water and appeared especially pleasant to the eyes.


    In fact, Administrator He Ya��also the acting teacher in the Flying Eagle Fortress��had actively apanied the esteemed immortal and held the dish of vibrant red ink for him.


    Now, however, the old administrator was slumped in a chair, so enraged that his reddened eyes were almost about to pop out from their sockets. He red at the man in white standing between Fortress Lord Huan Yang and the fortress lord''s wife, and he felt a strong urge to devour this person''s flesh and drink his blood.


    Administrator He Ya was an old man who already cared little about worldly matters. He didn''t have children either, so each extra day that he lived was essentially a blessing from the heavens. Did he need to fear death? However, He Ya couldn''t fathom what face he would have to stand in front of the ancestors of the Huan n after his death.


    Those with the right to sit in thisrge hall were mostly elderly members of the Flying Eagle Fortress''s Huan n. Due to their old age and the intense battle in that small alley all those years ago, arge majority of them were experiencing lingering issues as a result of the severe wounds that they had suffered back then.


    Their vital energy was low, so their faces all became dark and sickly after they inhaled the smoke from the burning pine and cypress. Their bodies were convulsing, and it was possible that they would die without the man in white needing to do anything else.


    Meanwhile, the youths standing behind their elders were mostly novices when it came to martial arts, so most of them copsed to the floor after inhaling the smoke from the branches. Those with better martial arts cultivation were still able to sit cross-legged and channel their Qi, trying their best to remain conscious and clear-headed.


    Still holding the snow-white fly-whisk in his hand, the tall and sturdy immortal in white gently ced a hand on Fortress Lord Huan Yang''s shoulder and chuckled, "There''s no need to me yourself, Fortress Lord Huan. You don''t need to feel guilty about inviting a wolf into the house. After all, I''m only using such schemes on the Flying Eagle Fortress because I want to save myself some strength. Even if we genuinely fight each other, you gant people from the cultivation world will still face near-certain death.


    "I carefully nned everything out for several decades, and this is a case of someone with intricate ns catching their targetpletely off-guard. Not only that, this is also a case of someone from the mountains targeting someone from outside the mountains. With so many things stacked against you people, how can you people not die?"


    Fortress Lord Huan Yang''s wife was trembling in fear. Of everyone in therge hall, only her expression remained normal, and this was likely because she hadn''t been affected by the poisonous smoke from the pine and cypress branches. However, she was already scared out of her wits. After all, she was merely someone who was born and had grown up in the Flying Eagle Fortress.


    She preferred quiet over adventure, and she had never ventured more than 50 kilometers from the fortress. Indeed, she had only asionally participated in the spring and autumn trips. That being the case, how could she possibly remainposed in the face of such terrifying cmity?


    The tall immortal in white lifted his hand from Huan Yang''s shoulder and turned the woman''s face toward him in a gentle and adoring manner.


    However, his eyes weren''t filled with the lust of a man coveting a beautiful woman, and they were instead filled with the satisfaction of a craftsman examining the proudest piece of work in their life.


    He reluctantly retracted his hand and said with a smile, "Fortunately, that mysterious fight nearby didn''t affect our Flying Eagle Fortress. Otherwise, we would have lost everything if our ns were uncovered by some observant person. Truth be told, you people could have enjoyed your peaceful life for another half a year ording to our original ns.


    "However, my master was genuinely afraid that those fighting cultivators would somehow draw the attention of nchette Writing Sect. What should we do at that time? Thus, I immediately hurried over here after receiving a secret letter from my master."


    No one in therge hall had the ability to speak, and this made the esteemed immortal in white feel a little bored. It was ultimately a small blemish that no one present could praise him for his greatness.


    He looked around therge hall and sneered, "Are you people still holding onto the hope that the old Daoist priest and the young Daoist priest can save you? I encourage you to give up. That old Daoist priest is a measly fifth tier itinerant cultivator, so it would be his great fortune if a single smack from me doesn''t manage to kill him. I''m only leaving them be because the small amount of vital energy and spiritual energy provided by that master and disciple can add icing to the cake."


    The tall immortal in white felt slightly regretful as he said this. He wouldn''t have poured so much secret medicine on the pine and cypress branches if he had known about this earlier.


    The hall was full of mutes, with not a single person able to raise their voice and abuse him, let alone fall to their knees and kowtow while begging for their life. This was truly very boring.


    Since the conclusion was already forgone, and seizing the opportunity while his master hadn''t acted yet, the tall immortal in white wanted to do something to entertain himself. He looked around the hall, and his gaze eventually settled on a woman channeling her Qi to resist the effects of the secret medicine. He hadn''t noticed before, but this slender and delicate-looking woman was actually a fourth tier martial artist who had been hiding her true powers. She must have worked extremely hard to reach such a cultivation base.


    He slowly walked over before squatting down and grabbing her chin. There was an intense and resolute look in the woman''s eyes.


    The tall immortal in white smiled faintly and retrieved a dazzling and exquisite porcin bottle from his sleeve. He then turned around and caught sight of a young boy whose appearance was very simr to that of the woman. He was copsed on the ground and convulsing, with his eyes rolled back and froth pouring from his mouth. It was clear that he was approaching death.


    The eyes of the tall immortal in white lit up. This was fairly interesting. This young man surprisingly possessed some cultivation aptitude, perhaps enough to make him a valued direct disciple in a third-rate force. Since the tall immortal in white had nothing better to do right now, he decided that he would give this young boy some help. However, it would ultimately depend on the young boy''s own skill and fortune whether he could survive and be an external disciple of his master.


    Before this, however, the young boy could enjoy the body of a beautiful woman regardless of whether he lived or died in the end. As for the other people in therge hall, they could feast on this with their eyes.


    The tall immortal in white who was disguising himself as an immortal from Peace and Tranquility Mountain extended a finger and ced it on the young boy''s be. With a casual bend of his finger, he then extracted a wisp of pungent green smoke and condensed it into a tiny ball. He lightly snapped his fingers afterward, causing the tiny ball of smoke to dissipate in the hall.


    The handsome young boy immediately came to his senses and was just about to say something. However, the tall immortal in white immediately mmed a vermilion alchemical pill into his mouth.


    He tossed the young boy into the middle of the hall before flicking his fly-whisk and shattering the breath of pure True Qi that the woman was trying her best to maintain and resist the poisonous smoke with. After doing this, he summoned clouds and mists to carry her over to the young boy.


    The tall immortal in white smiled with squinted eyes and said, "Please enjoy the show, everyone."


    The face of the young boy flushed red as he curled up and trembled uncontrobly. However, his eyes immediately became fervent when he saw the woman, and he started to slowly crawl toward her.


    "Tsk, tsk, sinister and heretical cultivators like us are unable topare to those powerful and stable forces and sects. Not only do we have to adopt heretical methods that conflict with the etiquette of the world when we cultivate, but the most detestable thing is that our ultimate potential will still be limited even after we do this. Even reaching the barrier to the Golden Core Tier is nothing more than an unattainable dream for us."


    The tall immortal in white appeared slightly infuriated as he said this. However, he immediately smiled and said to the young boy, "Even so, this is no reason to underestimate the Sea Observation Tier and the Dragon Gate Tier. Young boy, your mind is rxed after eating my boundlessly mystical Nanke Pill, and this is actually a rare state simr to that of the Wing Formation Tier.


    "However, one of your seven emotions and six desires will be infinitely magnified because of this. This is also an untaught secret of my lineage. As for which emotion or desire is magnified, this depends on which type of Nanke Pill one ingests. The one I fed you is the most expensive type, so make sure not to waste it.


    "You can enjoy yourself to the fullest, and you''ll be able to survive as long as you can maintain a shred of rity the entire time. If you seed, I''ll take you in as my disciple and guarantee you a smooth path early on in your cultivation journey. In fact, you''ll even have a chance to reach the Middle Five Tiers."


    The woman was extremely rmed, yet she couldn''t move her body at all. A hint of terror and despair finally appeared on her face.


    The tall immortal in white continued to encourage the young boy, saying, "There''s nothing to worry about. Everyone in the hall will die, so you don''t need to fear anything. The Heavenly Dao is emotionless, so how can there exist notions of good and evil when ites to cultivation...?"


    His heart suddenly jolted at this moment, and he immediately raised his head and gripped his fly-whisk as if he were facing a powerful enemy.


    Someone waszily yawning as they sat on a beam overhead. They looked down at the demonic cultivator, and they retrieved a bamboo folding fan from their sleeve, rocking it gently as they said, "Just how boring are you? Do you genuinely enjoy talking to yourself so much?"


    This person was none other than Lu Tai.


    The tall immortal in white narrowed his eyes and asked, "Friend, are you and the young boy with the sword on his back here to enjoy the show, or are you here to interfere with my ns? Or perhaps the two of you were the ones involved in the fight in the mountains near the Flying Eagle Fortress before?"


    Lu Tai nced at the lustful young boy crawling along the floor and clicked his tongue in wonder, saying with a disdainful expression, "Do you feel like everything can be med on that alchemical pill? Then allow me to tell you the truth. Right now, at least thirty to forty percent of your lust originates from your own heart. It''s no wonder that you were chosen by this person. This is because you''re also not a good person to begin with."


    The young boy''s hand was almost about to touch the woman''s knees, yet he immediately started to struggle at this moment, both mentally and physically. Blood started to trickle from all of the orifices on his face, caking his appearance in ck blood. The young boy started to roll around the floor in pain.


    The tall immortal in white was unfazed, but he felt like it was a slight pity that the alchemical pill had gone to waste. The young boy''s fragile Dao Heart had crumbled after the young man sitting on the beam had revealed the truth of the matter.


    If no one had exposed the young boy''s true feelings, then he could have continued down this heretical path and stuck to it until the end. In fact, this was a fairly good option for him, and he might have genuinely be an in-house disciple of the tall immortal in white. At that time, he would be able to set foot on the path of cultivation.


    There was apathy on Lu Tai''s face as he held two fingers together and made a swiping motion from top to bottom.


    Needle Tip, his bonded flying sword, immediately materialized in midair and shed down at the young boy who was suffering unspeakable agony.


    The woman spat a mouthful of blood and shouted at Lu Tai, "Don''t!"


    Needle Tip ground to a sudden halt just one inch from the young boy''s neck.


    Lu Tai looked toward the tearful woman and said, "It will be better for him if he dies here. If he leaves here alive, then he''ll either kill you one day before falling to demonic ways, or he''ll eventually be stifled to death by the condemnation from others in the months and years toe."


    However, the woman simply shook her head and repeatedly murmured, "Please don''t kill him, Esteemed Immortal, I''m begging you..."


    Still holding his fly-whisk, the tall immortal in white chuckled and asked, "I''m very curious, how did you sneak into my formation without making a sound?"


    Lu Tai held his fan with one hand and propped himself up on the beam with his other as he smiled and replied, "In terms of formations, I don''t think anyone in the world is as capable as my n. Say, don''t you find this infuriating?"


    The tall immortal in white roared withughter. However, hisughter suddenly cut off, and his figure immediately started to twist and turn as he leaped around the hall. At the same time, his snow-white fly-whisk with the characters "Extinguishing Worries" inscribed on it also unleashed the howls and rumbles of wind and thunder.


    Each time he flicked his fly-whisk, a strand of hair originating from some type of spirit beast from the mountains would break free from the fly-whisk and viciously shoot toward Lu Tai.


    While flying through the air, the strands of hair would transform into winged white snakes that were as thick as an arm and as quick as lightning. Their bodies also radiated with a chilling cold.


    Lu Tai paid no heed to the dozens of white snakes as he closed his bamboo fan with a crack. Using it as a calligraphy brush, he started to draw talismans on the beams, with ancient-looking silver characters and symbols continually releasing from the tip of his fan. As if they were alive, the characters and symbols then started to flow through the beams, columns, and floor, infiltrating and eventually covering all of the original red ink.


    He was taking over this hall.


    Meanwhile, the white snakes formed from the strands of hair from the fly-whisk automatically disintegrated into dust when they arrived within six meters of Lu Tai.


    The tall immortal in white waspletely unable to discern what kind of secret technique this was. This was the most terrifying thing.


    However, something even more terrifying than this quickly took ce. The young man in azure who looked even more beautiful than a woman smiled faintly as he revealed a secret, saying, "I set up a small formation in the surroundings just then, a type thatmonly appears in blessednds. This formation can restrict all immortal techniques channeled by outsiders, while I myself can be the sage of this area. Doesn''t this sound impressive?"


    Emotions surged in the immortal''s mind, and he hesitated for a moment before stopping his attacks with his fly-whisk. He rested the fly-whisk on his arm and said, "Esteemed Immortal, not only is your n''s knowledge profound and ancient, but your skills and immortal techniques are also impressive and admirable! My master and I are willing to show our sincerity and offer you gifts as long as you show us mercy.


    "For example, we can give all of the Flying Eagle Fortress'' treasures to you and yourpanion. I can even act privately and use some of my own money to ask my master for a high-grade spirit tool to give to you. What do you say, Esteemed Immortal?"


    Lu Tai sidestepped the question and asked, "Is your master at the Golden Core Tier?"


    The tall immortal in white nodded and replied with a faint smile, "I''m willing to reveal my master''s title to prove my sincerity. He was the one who killed the two Dragon Gate Tier cultivators from Peace and Tranquility Mountain back then, and his title is..."


    Lu Tai hurriedly shook his hands and eximed, "Hold it right there! Your intentions are far too sinister!"


    "Why do you say this, Esteemed Immortal?" the tall immortal in white asked with an innocent expression.


    Lu Tai sighed and said, "You, a Sea Observation Tier cultivator, borrowing the might of a measly Golden Core Tier vagrant cultivator from Parasol Leaf Continent won''t scare me to death. However, it will make meugh to death! And you almost seeded!"


    Lu Tai clutched his stomach and started to roar withughter.


    Of course, it was unknown whether the true mastermind was genuinely a Golden Core Tier cultivator or not.


    A dark expression spread across the face of the tall immortal in white.


    He hade across a mentally-challenged idiot.


    More importantly, this androgynous person possessed a profound cultivation base that he couldn''t see through at all.

 Chapter 298: Relentless Fists

    Chapter 298: Relentless Fists


    Before Chen Ping''an had thrown his first punch...


    The old man above the dark clouds was wearing a Five Mountains Hat decorated with the true appearances of the Five Mountains. The hat was overflowing with dazzling colors, and one could vaguely hear the sound of rustling pine trees, calling cranes, and flowing spring water.


    Like a generalmanding an army of tens of thousands of troops and horses, the old man confidentlymanded the sea of clouds to descend upon the small and insignificant fortress. He suddenly squinted his eyes and looked toward the martial arts training ground in the Flying Eagle Fortress, and what he saw caused him to involuntarily chuckle.


    That young and naive child actually dared to challenge him like an ant challenging a towering tree? How utterly impudent! He and his disciple had meticulously plotted for almost forty years to nurture that ghost infant in the heart of the fortress lord''s wife, so they were hellbent on obtaining it no matter what.


    They had experienced countless difficulties and challenges, and they had also taken many huge gambles. At the same time, they had also experienced many unexinably mystical coincidences and fated opportunities. However, all of these things were unknown to outsiders.


    The original purpose for building this Flying Eagle Fortress hidden away in the mountain forests had most likely ended up buried in the soil along with the first fortress lord. However, the old man above the dark clouds was keenly aware of the original purpose.


    Back then, two earth immortals from nchette Writing Sect and Peace and Tranquility Mountain, the two most powerful immortal forces in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent, had gotten into a conflict with each other and ended up engaging in a huge fight.


    However, the Golden Core Tier cultivator from nchette Writing Sect hadn''t imagined that the earth immortal whom he had provoked was actually a paramount Nascent Tier cultivator from Peace and Tranquility Mountain!


    Thetter knew that his lifespan was nearing an end and he had no hope of breaking through to the next tier, so he had left the mountains and started to travel around the world after arranging his funeral affairs with his descendants. Even though his body and soul were both approaching death, a Nascent Tier cultivator was still much more powerful than a Golden Core Tier cultivator, after all. Thus, he had pummeled the Golden Core Tier cultivator from nchette Writing Sect and almost ended up killing him.


    The Golden Core Tier cultivator had tried to flee, yet he had ultimately been stopped by the Nascent Tier cultivator in the location that was the Flying Eagle Fortress today. Being in the right, the Nascent Tier cultivator had been unwilling to relent, not caring about the influence of nchette Writing Sect at all. He had been hellbent on killing the Golden Core Tier cultivator from nchette Writing Sect.


    Understanding that he had nowhere else to flee, the Golden Core Tier cultivator had resolved to drag his opponent to death alongside him. With this in mind, he had channeled a prohibited technique of nchette Writing Sect. This was because he had already reached his limit and was unable to channel the proper deity-summoning technique of his sect. Indeed, there had been little hope for him to summon a powerful deity.


    Thus, the Golden Core Tier cultivator had sacrificed all of his blood essence to summon a primordial demonic being recorded in the secret texts of nchette Writing Sect. The demonic being had measured over thirty meters in height, with its dark and murderous aura so thick that it was almost tangible. It was as if its aura had been a suit of heavy ck armor.


    In reality, the Golden Core Tier cultivator had already ceased breathing after summoning this demonic being. Hispletely hollowed body had transformed into ashes and dissipated into heaven and earth.


    With his opponent dead, the Nascent Tier cultivator had indeed possessed the opportunity to retreat. However, he had ultimately chosen to fight to the death with that primordial demonic being. He had summoned all of his immortal treasures, and he had unleashed his mystical abilities at the demonic being as if he were unleashing a torrential downpour.


    The old cultivator had fought until his body was riddled with gaping wounds and his soul was wavering in exertion, and he had fought until his golden core was shattered and his yin soul which had left his acupoint to fight alongside him was killed. Even so, the Nascent Tier cultivator had still roared that this was a satisfying battle. In the end, he had perished together with the primordial demonic being that had just arrived in the world.


    The earth-shaking battle had caused the yin energy within a radius of fifty kilometers to gather and condense in a manner that was no inferior to an ancient battlefield that was home to hundreds of thousands of corpses.


    Even after passing away, the Nascent Tier cultivator from Peace and Tranquility Mountain had still been worried about the detrimental effects of the yin energy, afraid that it would flow into the surroundings and affect the fortune of the mountains and rivers in the nearby five hundred kilometers.


    Because of this, his remnant soul had forcefully lived on and found a young woodsman nearby. The Nascent Tier cultivator had then taught the young man a secret subjugation technique as well as abat technique, one that involved the saber and extreme yang energy.


    Afterward, the remnant soul of the Nascent Tier cultivator had also told the young woodsman to construct a fortress here and have his descendants live here for generations after generations. That way, his descendants who would also be pure martial artists could rely on their yang energy to suppress the condensed yin energy in this ce.


    At the same time, the formless yin energy here would also act as an optimal whetstone for the Huan n''s descendants when they practiced that saber technique. As a result, these descendants could often achieve twice the results with half the effort. It was thanks to this that the Flying Eagle Fortress had eventually cemented its status as a dominant martial arts force in the cultivation world, one that produced a plethora of prodigies.


    Including Huan Yang''s father, several of the previous fortress lords had liked to travel around the cultivation world after achieving some sess in martial arts. On the surface, they were seemingly trying to bring fame and honor to the Flying Eagle Fortress. In reality, however, they were actually traveling to renowned mountains and forces to look for immortals, seeking methods to resolve the Flying Eagle Fortress'' issue with overly powerful yin energy once and for all.


    However, the old fortress lord had passed away in a suspicious manner a number of years ago. As a result, Huan Yang, his son who didn''t possess outstanding martial arts talent, had stepped up to the position of fortress lord in a very hasty manner. Shortly afterward, demonic cultivators from Agarwood Nation had also formed an alliance to attack the Flying Eagle Fortress together.


    Due to all of these reasons, the history between that Nascent Tier cultivator and the founding ancestor of the Flying Eagle Fortress, as well as his fated immortal opportunities, had ended up lost. Many of the rtionships that the ancestors of the Huan n had worked extremely hard to forge had also petered out as a result.


    For example, Fortress Lord Huan Yang waspletely unaware of the rtionship between his father and the old Daoist priest, Huang Shang''s master. Because of this, he had instead sought help from his friend in the capital. Not only that, but everyone in the Flying Eagle Fortress was oblivious to the powers of the two stone lions outside the Huan n''s ancestral hall as well.


    It was abination of all these things that led to the disastrous events of today.


    The old man wearing a tall hat and sitting above the dark clouds was a notorious demonic cultivator from the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent. He had once been a powerful and respected Golden Core Tier cultivator, and he had personally viewed hisbat power as strong enough to rival fellow Golden Core Tier cultivators from nchette Writing Sect and Peace and Tranquility Mountain even though he was only a vagrant cultivator.


    However, he had quickly invited a fast and furious response from Peace and Tranquility Mountain after killing two Dragon Gate Tier cultivators from the force. A young Golden Core Tier cultivator from Peace and Tranquility Mountain had left the mountains by themself and hunted him for more than five thousand kilometers,pletely depleting the old man of his wealth.


    In fact, even his pocket treasure had ended up shattering. In the end, the old man had been forced to sacrifice half of his body and cultivation base to trick the young cultivator who was like a deity from the Heavenly Court. Only then did he manage to flee with his life.


    The old man felt intense resentment toward the young cultivator and Peace and Tranquility Mountain, so he was always thinking about how to exact revenge. And thus, a meticulous n that involved the Flying Eagle Fortress and stretched for several decades was born.


    After falling to the Dragon Gate Tier, the old man had secretly shattered the bridge of immortality of the fortress lord''s wife when she was still young, stripping her of the ability to cultivate. However, he had left her bridge of immortality intact even though it was shattered and riddled with hundreds upon thousands of cracks. Only the section of the bridge near her heart waspletely unscathed.


    This caused the fortress lord''s wife to be something like a porcin jar that continued to absorb yin energy from the earth. Moreover, this yin energy would all be funneled to the so-called spring origin located at her heart. Finally, the old man had used a secret technique to create the ghost infant in her heart, one that continued to feed on her vitality and yin energy.


    Once the old man seeded here and saw the ghost infant crawl out of that woman''s heart, he could venture out and search for some small and remote nations that were far from the gazes of those immortals in the mountains. He was still a Dragon Gate Tier cultivator, after all, so he could naturally be an imperial preceptor in these nations with ease. Or perhaps he could make some of the officials be his puppets, or he could even control the rulers in secret.


    Afterward, he could incite battle after battle and feed his ghost infant until it was full. After one hundred years, his ghost infant would be a powerful earth immortal that heeded hismand. Even though it wouldn''t be strong enough to destroy the incredibly powerful and influential Peace and Tranquility Mountain, it would definitely be strong enough to cause heavy losses for them and wound them to the core.


    When it came to grudges between immortals from the mountains, enduring and nning vengeance for one hundred years genuinely couldn''t be considered a long time.


    As for whether these acts of vengeance killed mortals from outside the mountains, some people didn''t care about this at all��for example, the old man sitting above the dark clouds. However, there were also some people who did care��for example, the Nascent Tier cultivator from Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    Even so, such a benevolent andpassionate terrestrial immortal had still failed to advance to the Upper Five Tiers. Not only that, but he had also been forced to perish with the primordial demonic being. This was a reflection of the Great Dao''s heartless nature. It didn''t discriminate based on whether a person was good or bad.


    In any case, the old man above the dark clouds still found things slightlyical after the young martial artist threw his third punch. If one didn''t have the strength to back up their vigorous aura, then one would be nothing more than a hollow building that merely appeared extravagant on the outside.


    However, the old man was genuinely salivating over the dazzling golden Dao robe on the young boy''s body. This was apletely unexpected surprise! This young boy, a novice in the cultivation world, actually possessed such a valuable treasure and didn''t understand how to cherish his own life?


    This was indeed a very impressive treasure. In fact, it might even be a genuine immortal treasure.


    Perhaps the tides of fortune were finally turning? Perhaps it was his turn to experience riches and power? Perhaps he no longer needed to scurry around like a rat, and perhaps he could return to his former glory earlier than anticipated?


    As for whether the young boy wearing the golden robe was a disciple of some immortal force, the old man above the dark clouds couldn''t care less about this. He had already offended Peace and Tranquility Mountain, so what harm could it do to offend one more force?


    As the sea of dark clouds descended lower and lower, almost all of the residents in the Flying Eagle Fortress started to feel dizzy and disoriented. Some elders, infants, and women whose bodies were weaker and whose yang energy wasn''t strong enough also started to vomit in their homes. The sound of unceasing crying echoed through therge streets and small alleys and through the tall buildings and low courtyards.


    Many young men who practiced martial arts dazedly looked up at the sea of pitch-ck clouds bearing down on them, feeling as if they were about to be crushed into smithereens. Some youths with weaker willpower were already devoid of any fight, with their bodies trembling in fear as they gave up on any thought of resistance. Their martial arts future would be severed even if they managed to survive the cmity today.


    Following the trail of earthquake-likemotion, some people also noticed the spectacr golden light shining through the flying dust and ashes in the direction of the martial arts training ground. One after another, those bursts of fist auras were filled with vigor as they became increasinglyrge and powerful, growing from the girth of an arm to the width of a bowl and then to the width of a well. The fist auras continued to grow in size, seemingly unstoppable as they soared toward the sky. It was as if someone were unleashing a barrage of relentless attacks at the sea of clouds.


    Some people couldn''t help but think, <em>This person only dares to attack the dark clouds because of his lofty martial arts cultivation base.</em>


    On the martial arts training ground...


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t standing still as he threw punches at the sky. Instead, he would quickly change his position after throwing each punch, performing the six-step walking meditation of the Mountain Shaking Guide and channeling his Qi ording to the Eighteen Stops Technique. Only after doing this would he throw another punch using the fist stance of the Rain Evaporation Technique and the fist intent of the Deity Drumming Technique.


    After throwing ten punches, the might of his fists were already far greater than the might of his stomps.


    The young boy''s fist aura sted toward the sky, carrying with it the howling of wind and the rumbling of thunder. Near the martial arts training ground, the ceramic tiles on the roofs of the houses started to violently explodeyer byyer.


    With Chen Ping''an as the epicenter, the walls of the courtyards and houses in the surroundings also started to crack in a chaotic manner.


    The bluestone bs on the martial arts training ground had suffered immense punishment as well, with ten pits of varying depths now decorating its surface.


    Even though the first nine punches had each been more powerful than thest, all of them had simply sted through the dark clouds and nothing else. However, the tenth punch directly rushed toward the red straw mat that the old man wearing a tall hat was sitting cross-legged on.


    Even though the old man was already feeling a slight sense of apprehension��marking the young boy as someone whom he definitely needed to kill and moreover someone whom he needed to kill first��he was still rtively unfazed by Chen Ping''an''s powerful tenth punch. Instead, he felt a littlepetitive.


    The old man chuckled coldly before extending a hand and summoning arge orb of dark green light which suddenly unleashed its radiance. He then turned his palm and pressed down, blocking the path of the fist aura that was tearing through the dark clouds.


    There was a deafening boom, and the old man''s straw mat swayed slightly as the sea of dark clouds beneath him shuddered in a violent manner.


    The fist aura from the martial arts training ground and the dazzling green light around the old man''s palm exploded together, transforming into countless specks of light. The shattered fist aura dissipated into the nearby sea of clouds, causing a smattering of golden shards to seep into the pitch-ck clouds that were initially ink-like and radiating with the aura of death. There was the crackling sound of burning as the golden shards attacked the dark clouds.


    The old man shook his wrist and looked through the gaping hole that had been torn through the dark clouds by that beam of radiant fist aura. He peered down at the martial arts training ground that was only ny meters away, and he said with a menacing smile, "How impressive! With your young age, you can be considered a martial arts grandmaster of a region in the cultivation world outside the mountains. However, you''re unwilling to enjoy your life in the cultivation world, and you insist on standing here and opposing me instead? How naive and impudent!"


    As he spoke, the old man raised a hand and held two fingers together, bringing them near his tall hat decorated with the true appearances of the Five Mountains. With a gentle swipe, he retrieved the true intent of some Eastern Mountain from the ancient past and sent it hurtling down through the hole in the clouds.


    The first of the Five Mountains to leave his tall hat was a miniature mountain the size of a thumb. However, it had already grown to a size no smaller than the old man''s straw mat when it reached his feet. After sliding through the hole in the clouds, it had already be asrge as a table.


    The old man cackled with wantonughter and eximed in an extremely delighted voice, "I''ve endured and hidden myself like a turtle for so many years, but the heavens ultimately don''t betray those who fight through hardships! It''s finally my turn to enjoy good fortunes! If I pulverize the essence of your blood and flesh and feed it to the ghost infant, it''s entirely possible that it might shoot to the Sea Observation Tier the instant that it breaks free from that woman''s heart!"


    Standing on the martial arts training ground, Chen Ping''an waspletely unafraid as he looked at the mountain crashing down from the sky. When staying in the Sun n''s ancestral residence in Old Dragon City, the might of the golden flood dragons swooping down at him from the clouds hadn''t been any weaker than this. However, had he not swung his fists at them all the same?


    His aura grew to a mighty and majestic level.


    His fist intent was vigorous and overflowing, and he firmly believed that his fist could shatter all techniques.


    Chen Ping''an''s dazzling golden robe billowed in the air, making the young boy from y Vase Alley seem that much like an immortal from the mountains for the first time in his life.

 Chapter 299: The World Is Very Uninteresting; You Shouldnt Have Come

    Chapter 299: The World Is Very Uninteresting; You Shouldn''t Have Come


    Chen Ping''an''s eleventh punch was incredibly quick.


    The truly powerful nature of the Deity Drumming Technique''s fist intent was the fact that it could stack together as long as one''s physique and soul were strong enough to withstand the agonizing pain caused by the Qi furiously flowing inside one''s body. If one sessfully managed to throw punch after punch, then one could genuinely shake mountains and annihte cities. This wasn''t an exaggeration!


    Chen Ping''an''s punch caused the house-sized mountain to retreat a dozen or so meters into the air.


    Without saying a single word, Chen Ping''an immediately stomped his foot again and threw another punch.


    The expression on the old man wearing the tall hat became slightly solemn, and he no longer focused on trying to toy with the young boy anymore. Instead, he silently recited a mantra as he held two fingers together, making four consecutive swiping motions near his hat decorated with the true appearances of the Five Mountains.


    Even though this would expend a significant amount of his spiritual energy and cause his tall hat to temporarily lose its powers as well, the old man was determined to go all out and kill this irritating young boy in a single blow.


    As an itinerant cultivator with no powerful backer and no habit of seeking help from others, this tall hat was the old man''s only immortal treasure. He had obtained it from a secret realm, and he had suddenlyshed out to kill hispanion when dividing spoils in order to guarantee that this immortal treasure became his. He had killed his good friend who had gone through thick and thin with him.


    Before dying, his good friend had begged him to take care of his descendants and guarantee that they enjoyed one hundred years of mortal glory and riches. The old man had nodded and agreed, yet he had immediately used some technique to silently andpletely eliminate the n of one hundred or so people.


    Even when the old man was chased for five thousand kilometers by the young Golden Core Tier cultivator from Peace and Tranquility Mountain, his extremely valuable Five Mountains Hat had still remained intact and only suffered some minor damage. Moreover, it had already returned to its peak state after being repaired for one hundred years.However, it was a shame that the old man still couldn''t find the origin of the true appearances of the Five Mountains illustrated on his hat even after scouring through countless books and records. Because of this, the old man could only use half of the power of the immortal treasure. This was truly a great shame. Otherwise, it was difficult to say who would have hunted whom when he came across that young bastard from Peace and Tranquility Mountain back then.


    Two mountains were stacked together as they crashed down as quickly as lightning.


    Chen Ping''an''s rapid thirteenth punch only managed to push the Eastern Mountain, the mountain at the bottom, three or so meters into the air.


    The next mountain quickly crashed down.


    Would the weight of the mountain gain an advantage, or would the young boy''s fist techniques prove more invincible?


    The old man''s Five Mountains Hat had already lost its luster, no longer echoing with the rustling of pine trees and the calls of cranes.


    Chen Ping''an''s Qi and blood were churning, and he was yet to show signs of bing exhausted. However, he didn''t want to be trapped by the three plummeting mountains. After all, who knew what other secret techniques the old man had up his sleeves?


    Seizing the opportunity when the Deity Drumming Technique could rest but not be cut off, Chen Ping''an prepared to retreat from the martial arts training ground and choose a new location for their battle. He would then hurriedly throw the fourteenth punch.


    Chen Ping''an had already prepared an Inch Movement Talisman, yet he was astonished to discover that standing in the shadows of the mountains was akin to standing in Lu Tai''s so-callednd without Dao, one that restricted the immortal techniques of all outsiders. His Inch Movement Talismans had helped him immensely in many past battles, yet they surprisingly remained unresponsive at this moment.


    Left with no other option, Chen Ping''an could only summon First and Fifteenth from his Sword Nurturing Gourd and have them shoot into the sea of dark clouds.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was forced to throw his fourteenth punch, causing the plummeting mountain to falter slightly. He then charged forward, attempting to leave the shadows of the mountains.


    The old man wearing the tall hat roared withughter and eximed, "Trying to flee?!"


    He pressed down with his palm, causing a fourth mountain to crash down.


    There were now four mountains stacked together and rumbling loudly as they crashed down toward Chen Ping''an. Moreover, the martial arts training ground that had now be the foot of the mountains was being suppressed by boundless spiritual energy, causing Chen Ping''an''s movements to slow down.


    The mountains were finally able to suppress the young boy wearing a golden robe and unleashing astonishingly powerful fist techniques.


    The old man wearing the tall hat was slightly astonished after seeding, and he remarked, "Since when have pure martial artists been able to summon bonded flying swords as well?"


    Flowing water often existed together with tall mountains.


    Upon detecting the presence of the two flying swords piercing through the air, the old man plucked two rivers from his Five Mountains Hat. One was murky and yellow, while one was green and limpid. After materializing, both rivers appeared as slender as a woman''s waist. The two rivers flowed around the old man''s red straw mat, blocking the swift and fierce attacks from the two flying swords again and again. Water sshed into the surroundings, causing the two rivers to continually shrink in size.


    However, the old man wearing the tall hat was still more focused on the martial arts training ground.


    Right now, the sea of dark clouds was only a measly sixty meters from the ground.


    The old man''s red straw mat was almost about to touch the peak of the fourth mountain, and this caused his vision to be partially obstructed. The old man wearing the tall hat extended a finger and tapped his be, silently mouthing the word "open" at the same time.


    His eyes instantly became pitch-ck. Like the clouds and mists of nighttime dissipating, the true appearance of the bright moon then appeared in his eyes, allowing heaven and earth to be clear again. The old man''s vision sessfully prated through the four stacked mountains, allowing him to see the figure of the young boy wearing the golden robe.


    <em>What a sly brat! You''re just like a slippery loach! You''re still trying to sneak away?!</em>


    Chen Ping''an first lowered his head and bent his back slightly, carrying the mountains on his shoulders as he charged forward. As the mountains continued to descend, Chen Ping''an eventually bent down even further as he sprinted forward.


    Meanwhile, the power of his golden robe astonished the old man, forcefully winning valuable time for him at this critical moment. It allowed Chen Ping''an to roll forward and avoid the fate of being crushed into minced meat by the four stacked mountains when the mountains were just four feet from the surface of the martial arts training ground.


    The old man wearing the tall hat chuckled coldly in his mind. The demonic forces would always be one step ahead. He had been waiting for this moment when the young boy would mistakenly believe that he had managed to sessfully flee.


    The fifth mountain was yet to crash down, and this was none other than the most venerated Central Mountain. One could vaguely make out the steepness of this mountain when one gazed upon the projection of its true appearance.


    That the young boy was able to resist the crushing power of fourrge mountains was already far beyond the old man''s expectations. He had initially thought that three stacked mountains would be enough to crush the young boy to death.


    Indeed, the young boy''s fist technique that could seemingly stack its might without limit was truly very strange!


    If he could obtain the secret scripture detailing this fist technique after he killed the young boy, it was entirely possible that it would be no inferior to the golden robe.


    "Go!" the old man roared.


    The Central Mountain crashed down toward the rolling Chen Ping''an.


    At the same time, the four other mountains started to separate, keeping the Central Mountain as the middle point as theynded in the surroundings and took root. Some crushed the buildings in the martial arts training ground, some knocked down tall walls, somended in streets beyond the martial arts training ground, and some pulverized private courtyards neighboring the martial arts training ground.


    The Five Mountains would form arge and natural formation once the four mountains took root and the Central Mountain solidified its position.


    As if linked to the mind of the young boy facing imminent death, the two flying swords above the sea of dark clouds became increasingly ferocious as they attacked the true intent of the two rivers.


    The old man wearing the tall hatughed heartily and said, "Oh my, I''m seriously scared of you two little things. Very well, then I''ll y a game of hide-and-seek with you. Let''s see how the two of you will react once your master dies."


    The old man reached out with both hands and grabbed two sheets of dark clouds and mist. He then pped his hands together, vanishing amid therge expanse of billowing clouds and mist.


    Trapped by the Five Mountains, Chen Ping''an was already walking on a tightrope between life and death.


    Even though First and Fifteenth were brimming with majestic sword qi, they were still helpless against the old man who had decided to go into hiding. They could only attack and reduce the volume of the pitch-ck clouds.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an had already unleashed the demon-binding chain forged from the two whiskers of the elderly golden flood dragon. The demon-binding chain was a dazzling golden color, and it immediately grew in size until it looked like a golden flood dragon lying coiled on the Central Mountain.


    It forcefully dragged the mountain a dozen or so meters into the air, preventing it from crashing down and making contact with the ground. This temporarily prevented the Five Mountains frompleting their formation as well. However, even though the demon-binding chain continued to shrink, causing shattered rocks to continually fly from the Central Mountain, the Central Mountain still maintained its momentum and slowly descended toward the ground.


    At this moment, the sea of dark clouds was just thirty meters above the ground of the Flying Eagle Fortress.


    If someone were to stand on the observation deck of the main building and gaze into the distance, it would seem as if they were standing on the peak of arge mountain that towered thousands of meters above the ground. This was a magnificent scene with howling winds and rolling clouds.


    ��������


    Inside the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, the man holding the fly-whisk and restricted from using any immortal techniques was exhausted but still forced to flee for his life as he was chased by Lu Tai''srge and small bonded flying swords.


    The members of the Flying Eagle Fortress'' Huan n were able to witness the truly spectacr techniques of an immortal from the mountains.


    While rejoicing at their fortune of being saved by the handsome young man, the members of the Huan n couldn''t help but feel a slight sense of despair as well. Martial artists from the cultivation world were truly insignificantpared to such profoundly powerful immortals from the mountains.


    Lu Tai didn''t stand there idly and let his two extremely high-grade bonded flying swords, Needle Tip and Wheat Awn, slowly exhaust the Sea Observation Tier cultivator to death. Instead, he retrieved numerous immortal treasures and tools from his colorful ribbon, many of which he had obtained during his travels.


    When his bonded flying swords shed a gap in the cage trapping the man with the fly-whisk, Lu Tai would seize the opportunity tounch vicious attacks at his opponent. This was naturally a painful and perilous situation for the Sea Observation Tier cultivator.


    The tall immortal in white tried to plead his case first, trying his hardest to persuade Lu Tai to stop such that they could sit down and discuss things in an amicable manner. If Lu Tai were willing to stop, then he was willing to hand over all of his wealth and even allow Lu Tai to put restrictions on his soul.


    However, upon realizing that Lu Tai wouldn''t budge, the tall immortal in white who only had the handle of his fly-whisk remaining started to threaten Lu Tai in a menacing manner, iming that he would destroy Lu Tai''s two flying swords when he died. He also promised to wound Lu Tai''s soul, making it so that the handsome young man would find it incredibly difficult to advance his cultivation in the future.


    Leaning on the chair of the fortress lord''s wife, Lu Tai rocked his bamboo folding fan and paid no heed to the threats of the disheveled Sea Observation Tier cultivator. He had already forced the door of therge hall open, so the ominous scenes bearing down on the Flying Eagle Fortress were clear for all to see.


    A sea of murky darkness blotted out heaven and earth.


    It was very likely that the hundreds of residents in the Flying Eagle Fortress would never forget these scenes for the rest of their lives. This sense of fear and helplessness would be deeply ingrained in their minds.


    Moreover, the influence of today''s events was bound to be profound and longsting. If these people survived, it was destined that stories of this cmity would be passed down from generation to generation. When immortals from the mountains fought, it was mortals from outside the mountains who would suffer.


    If all of the nine continents in Majestic World were aswless and unrestricted as this region, then utter chaos and cmity would have already swept through the world long ago.


    It was in order to prevent this oue that the three schools and seventy-two academies of Confucianism had been founded.


    The purpose of these Confucian schools and academies was to prevent immortals from the mountains fromshing out in wanton rage and shattering mountains and rivers as they pleased, or even going as far as to casually destroy mortal cities on a whim.


    After all, immortals from the mountains also originated from the mortal world outside the mountains.


    If the mortal world were destroyed, then how could the mountains still exist?


    With this as the bottom line, the division between virtue and sin, good and evil was thus formed.


    Some Qi refiners pursued the longevity and freedom of the Great Dao. Since they were already standing atop the mountains, what did it matter whether the world prospered or burned?


    However, there were also some cultivators who were either pure and free from desire, uninterested in worldly matters, or strictly adhered to the rules. Some cultivators were willing to limit their own freedom for the sake of bringing peace to the mortal world. These cultivators didn''t pursue absolute freedom.


    All kinds of people existed in the world, each with their own aspirations and needs. The notions of right and wrong were also like a tangled web.


    This was because far too many people only spoke reason and principles to constrain others. They didn''t use the same reason and principles to constrain themselves.


    This was the same both in the mountains and outside the mountains.


    As a descendant of the Lu n and as a disciple of the School of Naturalists, Lu Tai had an even deeper understanding of human nature.


    Moreover, both his personal status and his status in his n were very peculiar. This wasn''t simply because he could casually nurture and wield two bonded flying swords even though he wasn''t a sword cultivator. In fact, this wasn''t because he had somehow obtained his mysterious and colorful ribbon when ying in his n''s ancestral hall during his childhood either.


    Instead, Lu Tai''s existence was somewhat of a taboo in Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Lu n. To those taciturn and aged elders in the Lu n, the existence of this junior was far too awkward.


    At the same time, however, Lu Tai was also incredibly outstanding and eye-catching. It was as if he were born in harmony with Dao. There was almost no precedent in history, so the Lu n''s attitude toward Lu Tai had always been extremely vague and ambiguous.


    The sages had a saying��rulers transformed like tigers,moners followed the flow, and noble people transformed like leopards.[1]


    Lu Tai''s physical body was much like an immortal treasure. In fact, it was even more mystical than the immortal body that Chen Ping''an''s so-called disciple, the young Cui Chan, had stolen in the past.


    Lu Tai observed the sea of dark clouds in the sky and searched for the best moment to strike.


    However, he had already concealed the scenes inside the hall of the main building from the outside world, so it would be unfathomably difficult for the man with the fly-whisk to send a message to his master.


    "I''ve made up my mind, Esteemed Immortal," the fortress lord''s wife said in a soft voice.


    "What''s your decision?" Lu Tai looked down and asked in slight puzzlement.


    There was a tragic yet determined look in the woman''s eyes as she ced her hand on her heart and asked, "Can he live?"


    The woman wasn''t a cultivator, yet the abnormality in her heart had already existed for several years. She was no fool either, so the sudden cmity befalling the Flying Eagle Fortress and the conversation between Lu Tai and the tall immortal in white had allowed her to join the dots together. She had roughly guessed the truth already.


    Lu Tai shook his head and replied, "The baby is innately opposed to the Great Dao, with its nature one of violence and bloodthirst. Even if you sacrifice yourself to keep the baby alive, it will still grow up as a deadly threat in the future. At that time, the measly Flying Eagle Fortress won''t even have the right to sacrifice itself to destroy the baby. Instead, it''s extremely likely that the entire Agarwood Nation will need to be sacrificed..."


    The woman sobbed in grief and begged, "But I want my baby to live. I can feel its existence, and it''s just like my own son or daughter..."


    Lu Tai wasn''t moved by the woman''s motherly affection, nor did he view her request in disdain. Instead, he smiled calmly and revealed the truth to the pitiable woman, exining, "Then are you aware that the baby has already gained sentience and intelligence? And it''s because of this that it''s purposely conveying false emotions to you? In fact, it will even rely on its instincts to subtly affect the emotions of you, its host. Otherwise, why have you never exined this matter to your husband even though you''re clearly aware of the abnormal changes taking ce in your body?"


    The woman forcefully clutched her heart with one hand and hurriedly covered her mouth with her other hand. There was a pained expression on her face, and she seemed at aplete loss as she shook her head at Lu Tai.


    The woman silently endured a heart-wrenching pain as she looked at Lu Tai with a pleading expression in her eyes.


    Lu Tai sighed and asked, "Why are you going to such pains? Are you truly willing to abandon and sacrifice the hundreds of lives in the Flying Eagle Fortress? Just think about it, there''s your husband Huan Yang, your children Huan Chang and Huan Shu, and also the fortress that has given birth to you and raised you. Are you going to abandon all of them? Abandon them simply for the sake of this unborn baby, one that''s filthy and sinister before it''s even born?"


    The woman simply sobbed and shook her head. She lowered her hand, and blood immediately started to gush from her mouth, pitch-ck like ink. This was extremely uncanny and terrifying.


    However, the woman no longer cared about her dignified bearing as the wife of the fortress lord, with her mind unclear and her vision unfocused as she begged Lu Tai, saying, "Please let my baby live, Esteemed Immortal, I''m begging you. What did my baby do wrong? Right now, my baby has only harmed a single person, me, its mother. However, I don''t me my baby, I don''t me it at all.


    "Esteemed Immortal, you can educate my baby in the future and teach it to do good. You can guide it in the right direction and prevent it from walking down sinister paths. Esteemed Immortal, your Dao power is profound and your abilities are omnipotent, so you can definitely seed in teaching my baby. My baby will definitely be a good person..."


    The woman was like a fractured porcin vase on the verge of copse. As her heart continued to violently shudder, she finally shattered once and for all, unable to endure the punishment any longer.


    However, her eyes remained firmly fixed on Lu Tai''s face.


    Lu Tai smiled faintly and nodded, replying, "Alright, your baby can live."


    Only after hearing this did the woman''s mouth twitch, with her eyes also closing slowly. However, ck blood continued to trickle and gurgle from her eyes in a ghastly manner. As it turned out, the rims of her eyes had also shattered, causing her eyeballs to fall onto her dress and eventually roll onto the ground, finally stopping behind her chair.


    Therge hall was deathly silent. No one dared to say anything, and only Fortress Lord Huan Yang, who was bound to his chair with his five senses sealed, felt uncontroble rage toward his wife, his closest family andpanion. The rims of his eyes were bright red.


    <em>How can she be so selfish?!</em>


    <em>She was definitely possessed by a ghost! She definitely fell to demonic ways!</em>


    <em>Her death waspletely deserved! She deserves to die with that little bastard, that piece of freak in her heart!</em>


    Lu Tai walked over to the woman who was already dead, bending down and gazing at her heart which waspletely drenched in blood, murmuring, "Your mother sacrificed so much for you, and she gave her everything for you, even abandoning her conscience as a human. Yet, what about you? Why are you still furiously feeding on the spiritual energy and soul of her corpse? You already tortured her so much while she was alive, yet you''re still unwilling to afford her a moment of peace even after she''s passed away now?"


    The chaotically undting chest of the woman suddenly became still at this moment. It was as if one could hear the soft bawling of a baby arriving in the world, just like any other ordinary baby.


    The sound of crying had arrived.


    "It''s toote."


    Lu Tai suddenly thrust his bamboo fan forward, piercing the woman''s heart and pinning her to the chair. His face was expressionless as he said, "The world is very uninteresting; you shouldn''t havee."


    An ear-piercing scream suddenly rang through therge hall, extinguishing the candles and causing therge columns to crack in unison.


    Everyone was filled with extreme fury and grief.


    Only Huan Yang felt a huge sense of relief. However, his feeling of relief quickly transformed into one of despondence. His eyes were vacant as he dazedly stared at the chair beside him.


    His wife, his childhood sweetheart, that warm and gentle woman, had died a very ugly death.


    However, the enraged man didn''t know that tears were already streaming down his face.


    1. This is a saying from the <em>ssic of Changes</em>, an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese ssics. Rulers arepared to tigers because they need to have clear ns and ideals when performing reforms, just like the stripes of tigers bing more clear as they grow up. Meanwhile,moners are unable to make huge waves, so they can only go with the flow when reforms take ce. Finally, noble people arepared to leopards because leopards are ugly during infancy but magnificent when grown up. This symbolizes the fact that noble people might be born in poor conditions, but their hard work and moral growth will allow them to be more powerful and magnificent just like leopards. However, noble people (leopards) are ultimately not as powerful as rulers (tigers), so their role is to assist rulers in properly implementing reforms. ?

 Chapter 300: Perils of the Cultivation World

    Chapter 300: Perils of the Cultivation World


    Outside the ancestral hall of the Huan n, everyone had finally fought their way out after an almighty struggle, and the disheveled old man was using a secret technique taught to him by Fort Master Huan, setting the bowls that contained the blood of the Huan n''s descendants onto the ground.


    However, after waiting for a moment, he slumped to the ground with a look of despair on his face as he murmured to himself, "Why is this happening? It shouldn''t be like this..."


    The Huan siblings were drenched in blood, and their faces were deathly pale, while the young Daoist priest said in a trembling voice, "Those demons have somehow already exhausted all of the spiritual energy in the two stone lions!"


    Tao Xieyang sat down heavily onto the ground, while the old Daoist priest turned his gaze to the sea of clouds over at the training grounds, where streaks of swordlight were shing incessantly.


    A tiny spark of hope arose in his heart as he struggled to his feet, then said to the four young people with him, "Leave the Flying Eagle Fortress right away! You were the ones who protected me on the way here, and now, it''s time for me to return the favor. You must survive in order to continue the lineage of the Huan n. Do not hesitate. Leave this ce right now, get as far away as you possibly can, and do not think about revenge!"


    Tao Xieyang disyed no intention of getting up, and he turned to the woman from the Huan n as he said in a raspy voice, "Huan Shu, leave this ce with Huan Chang. I''m going to stay here. I''ve traveled far and wide over the years, and I''m really starting to feel a little exhausted, so I''m not going with you."


    The young Daoist priest was just about to say something, but Tao Xieyang shook his head to cut him off.


    "Don''t try to dissuade me, Huang Shang. I''ve already made up my mind."


    The old Daoist priest heaved a forlorn sigh, then sped away toward the northern gate of the Flying Eagle Fortress with his disciple and the Huan siblings.Tao Xieyang sat on the ground with his legs crossed, facing the entrance of the ancestral hall as he began to wipe down his de with his sleeve.


    Tears were welling up in Huang Shang''s eyes as he rushed along behind his master, and he didn''t dare to turn around to look at Tao Xieyang.


    All of a sudden, Huan Shu turned back to look at Tao Xieyang, and there were so many things that she wanted to say to him, but she was unable to muster up even a single word.


    One''s most genuine emotions were often revealed during crises of life and death.


    In the end, she was dragged away by her brother, while a wry smile appeared on Tao Xieyang''s face as he looked down at the reflection of Huan Shu''s face on the mirror-like surface of his trusty de.


    ��������


    In the instant that Lu Tai''s bamboo fan was pierced through the heart of the ghost infant, an agonized howl instantly rang out from the hall of the main building. The old man in the tall hat appeared once again in the sea of ck clouds outside the building, even as the two flying swords continued to wreak havoc, and he was furious.


    He was so enraged that even the Five Mountain Hat on his head was trembling, while the surrounding sea of clouds was also churning violently.


    "Useless trash! I should''ve never counted on you!" he roared in the direction of the main building.


    The old man then reached out with one hand before clenching it into a tight fist.


    Inside the hall, the man who was fighting the pair of flying swords with his horsetail whisk had already fallen under the old man''s control as a result of a secret technique, and his heart abruptly exploded without any warning, following which his soul and his body were separated, while all of the blood was also instantly drained from his body before forming an enormous ball of blood that began to barrel out of the room in a frenzy.


    The explosion of a Sea Observation Tier cultivator''s sea of Qi released sufficient power topletely destroy the formation that had been taken over by Lu Tai, and all of the blood began to gush outward, attempting to flow toward the old man in the sea of clouds like a bird returning to its nest.


    Lu Tai''s brows furrowed slightly as he withdrew Needle Tip and Wheat Awn so that they weren''t stained by this contaminated blood, and at the same time, he ceased his injection of spiritual energy into the formation. Hence, the blood was able to flow out of the hall before rising up to the old man in the sea of clouds, where it surged into the palm of the old man''s hand.


    The old man''s eyes instantly began to glow with radiant crimson light, and he swept both sleeves through the air to release two bursts of bright red Qi, stirring up ferocious astral winds that forcibly dispersed First and Fifteenth.


    The old man''s expression became twisted with fury as he looked down at the central mountain that was hovering above the ground, then roared, "Your struggles arepletely futile!


    ��I only crushed you under the mountain millstone to extract your blood essence bit by bit as the ghost infant had only just been born and didn''t possess the appetite required to devour your whole, but now that you''vepletely foiled my ns, there''s no need for me to hold back any longer!"


    At this point, Lu Tai had already arrived on the observation deck in the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, and he sped toward the old man in the sea of clouds atop his two flying swords as he chortled, "Our Peace and Tranquility Mountain has already been waiting for this day for a very long time!"


    The old man immediately burst into derangedughter. "Even if I have to die here, I''m going to take you two down with me!"


    He continued to sweep a sleeve through the air incessantly as he spoke, keeping First, Fifteenth, Needle Tip, and Wheat Awn at bay, and at the same time, he clenched his other hand into a tight fist before throwing a vicious punch downward.


    Lu Tai''s expression changed slightly, and a vibrant and colorful streamer suddenly rose up from the Ascending Sun tform, working with the demon-binding chain that was wrapped around the mountain to lift it upward.


    He absolutely couldn''t afford to allow this central mountain to take root on the ground alongside the other four mountains. Otherwise, if the five mountains were united, Chen Ping''an would be crushed into a pile of mincemeat even if he were a sixth tier martial artist, let alone a fourth tier one.


    "Get up!" Lu Tai roared, and the mountain rose up a few feet.


    "Two can y at that game!" the old man chortled as he rose to his feet, and he was certainly living up to his reputation as a cruel and vicious itinerant cultivator as he stowed away the cushion beneath him.


    His lower body instantly began to wither away before disintegrating into dust, yet he paid no heed to his as he flew over to the central mountain. Upon setting foot onto the mountain summit, he pressed down with all his might, sessfully forcing the mountain down onto the ground despite the restraints of the colorful belt and the golden demon-binding chain.


    As the central mountainnded on the ground, the entire Flying Eagle Fortress began to tremble violently, and huge rifts were even appearing over the mountain range outside the fort.


    The golden demon-binding chain slid down the mountain in a defeated fashion, while the old man chortled with glee and reached out to grab onto it.


    With the five mountains unified, the formation wasplete. Over at the Ascending Sun tform, Lu Tai threw up a mouthful of blood as he stumbled back a few steps, and he had to grab onto the railing to steady himself as hemanded in a feeble voice, "Come back."


    The colorful belt around the central mountain had bepletely devoid of luster, and it began to revert back to its original form before flying back toward the main building. The old man''s eyes immediately lit up as he reached out to grab onto the belt as well.


    Having just obtained the demon-binding chain, he had nowe into possession of what was undoubtedly another immortal treasure. Even though he had suffered extremely severe losses during this battle, he wasn''t going to be leaving without anypensation.


    The old man sat down with his legs crossed once again, and the cushion reappeared beneath him.


    At this point, the Five Mountain Hat on his head had almost beenpletely exhausted of spiritual energy.


    Over at the sea of clouds, only the two flying swords wielded by the swordsman in the main building were still struggling against their bindings. As for the two miniature flying swords from before, the old man had been observing them this entire time, and he saw them fall into a pair of alleys in the distance after the central mountain had sessfully crushed the golden-robed young boy.


    They were most likely destroyed, which was quite a pity, but the old man was still feeling very ted, nheless, having just exacted his revenge.


    He was no longer able to support the Five Mountains True Appearance Formation, and he had to strip that golden Dao robe from the boy before leaving the Flying Eagle Fortress as soon as possible in order to avoid being intercepted by cultivators of the nchette Writing Sect or Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Otherwise, he would be forced to flee with his tail between his legs once again.


    Even up to this point, there had still been no intervention from any Golden Core or Nascent Tier patriarchs from Peace and Tranquility Mountain, so it appeared that the two young cultivators had bitten off more than they could chew and allowed him the opportunity to slip away.


    Having said that, these two young men were definitely among the most exceptional direct disciples of Peace and Tranquility Mountain. In fact, perhaps they were even prized disciples of the mountain master. Only that would exin why they had the courage to unt their collection of immortal treasures.


    If it weren''t for the fact that he already had an irreversible vendetta against Peace and Tranquility Mountain, he would''ve most likely avoided this conflict.


    All of a sudden, the five mountains rose up from the ground at the old man''s behest, then shrank down rapidly before returning to his Five Mountain Hat.


    The old man continued to control the sea of clouds to oppose Needle Tip and Wheat Awn while lowering himself down toward the training grounds atop his cushion.


    There was an eye-catching patch of gold on the ground, it resembled a golden garment that had fallen from a clothesline and was draped haphazardly over the ground.


    Right as the old man was about to reach out for the Dao robe, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he thrust his palms into the air up ahead,unching both himself and his cushion up into the air. In the wake of the grueling battle that had juste to pass, the sea of ck clouds had been reduced to less than a tenth of its original size, and it immediately surged toward the old man in a frenzy.


    The golden Dao robe was draped over a crater on the training grounds that was justrge enough to fit a person, and the robe''s wearer sprang out of the ground as he yelled, "Lu Tai, lend me your National Treasury for a moment!"


    Lu Tai wasn''t surprised at all to see this, and Needle Tip instantly appeared beneath Chen Ping''an''s feet at his behest.


    Lu Tai had already realized that Chen Ping''an wasn''t dead back when First and Fifteenth fell out of the sky. Chen Ping''an had told him that they were bonded flying swords, but they didn''t belong to him, so there was no reason for them to fall out of the sky just because he had died. Hence, it was clear that he had instructed the two flying swords to put an act, while he also pretended to be dead.


    After that, the demon-binding chain also began to y dead, and it took Lu Tai a great deal of self control not tough out loud.


    Upon realizing Chen Ping''an''s ploy, Lu Tai also yed along, intentionally losing control of the colorful belt and allowing it to be taken by the old man.


    The old man was retreating at an incredible speed, but First and Fifteenth had already concealed themselves nearby, and they were even faster.


    The two of them instantly pierced through the cushion beneath the old man, slowing him down slightly in the process, and Wheat Awn also appeared up above to intercept him.


    At the same time, Lu Tai''s colorful belt and Chen Ping''an''s demon-binding chain suddenly sprang back to life, winding themselves around the old man''s arms like a pair of constricting pythons.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an rose up into the sky atop Needle Tip to pursue the old man and the sea of clouds.


    Lu Tai''s colorful belt had stalled the central mountain momentarily, thereby preventing it from immediately crashing down upon Chen Ping''an. Taking advantage of that brief window of opportunity, Chen Ping''an had smashed a craterrge enough to amodate him into the ground with his fists, thereby avoiding the terrible fate of being crushed by the mountain.


    However, the vast aura of the Five Mountains True Appearance Formation had still fallen upon him with tremendous force, essentially entombing him into the ground and breaking many of his ribs. If it weren''t for the extraordinary pain tolerance that he had built up from his training in the bamboo building, he would''ve only been able to look on helplessly as the old man fled the scene.


    Prior to ascending into the air atop Needle Tip, Chen Ping''an had picked up Infatuation, which had been discarded earlier.


    Not only had the colorful belt and the demon-binding chain wound themselves around the old man''s arms, they were also serving as a beacon of sorts, guiding the three flying swords to pierce through the cushion.


    As a result, Chen Ping''an was able to catch up to the old man very quickly, thenshed out with his sword at the back of the old man''s head.


    The old man lurched forward with all his might atop the sea of clouds, and he was only just barely able to evade the sword strike, but arge gash was still sliced into his head by the sword qi released by the sword.


    Over at the Ascending Sun tform, Lu Tai gritted his teeth, then sped through the air with his robes pping around him, moving even faster than Needle Tip.


    He circled around in mid-air, and shortly thereafter, he appeared in front of the old man to block his path of escape.


    At this point, the old man had be very wary of the two young cultivators, and he didn''t dare to try and charge straight through Lu Tai, so he decided to go around him. However, as he did this, the sword of the golden-robed young boy abruptly pierced straight through his body.


    Furthermore, the sword was very strange in that it was absorbing both his vitality and his spiritual energy.


    The old man stopped cold in his tracks, as did the sea of clouds beneath the cushion.


    He then looked down at the tip of the sword protruding out of his body with a bleak smile.


    It wasn''t the four bonded flying swords that had taken his life.


    Instead, what had helped this sword im his life was the inch movement talisman that he had looked down on earlier.


    <em>Since when did these young rascals from cultivating sects be even more sly and cunning than itinerant cultivators like myself? </em>


    Chen Ping''an was about to jump on this opportunity to smash open the old man''s head with his fist, thereby ensuring beyond a doubt that he was killed. However, he was dissuaded from following through on this n by a panicked yell from Lu Tai, telling him to get back in retreat as quickly as he could.


    The old man adjusted the crooked Five Mountain Hat on his head, and instead of pulling Infatuation out of his body, he turned to Lu Tai with a sinister smile on his face.


    His arms were still bound tightly by the pair of immortal treasures, which were severely limiting his spiritual energy cirction, while his cushion was severely ravaged, having had dozens of holes pierced through it by the three flying swords.


    Even so, Lu Tai was still watching the old man with an apprehensive expression. He had intentionally proimed himself to be a cultivator of Peace and Tranquility Mountain in order to intimidate the old man into retreat, but it had achieved theplete opposite effect, and the old man had immediately attacked them like a rabid dog! While they had the upper hand now, Chen Ping''an had well and truly only survived by the skin of his teeth.


    Lu Tai took a moment topose himself, then dered, "We''re not actually cultivators of Peace and Tranquility Mountain."


    A wry smile appeared on the old man''s face as he replied, "I already figured that out just now. There''s no way that a pair of crafty rascals like yourselves could''vee out of Peace and Tranquility Mountain."


    The surrounding sea of clouds gradually dissipated and returned to heaven and earth as he spoke.


    ��������


    Battles between immortals always took ce in the heavens, but most unions and separations took ce in the mortal world.


    At this moment, there was a strange atmosphere in the hall of the Flying Eagle Fortress''s main building.


    Fort Master Huan Yang had already regained his mobility, but he refused to look at the body of the woman on the chair next to him.


    The old steward, He Ya, took a sympathetic nce at the fort mistress, and he opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it after receiving a cold re from Huan Yang.


    Huan Yang ced a hand down onto the armrest of his chair, then dered in a grim voice, "No one is to speak of what happened in this room today. If anyone dares to reveal what happened here to any outsiders, not only will they be punished ording to our n''s rules, everyone staying in the room with them will have their arms and legs broken before being banished from the Flying Eagle Fortress!"


    Huan Yang was still refusing to look at the chair beside him as he gestured at the body of the woman and continued, "As far as all of you are concerned, she fell ill from overworking herself, and she wasn''t able to recover. Her memorial tablet is not to be ced in our Huan n''s ancestral hall, nor is she to be buried behind the mountain!"


    Everyone in the hall remainedpletely silent, with no one daring to raise any objections.


    He Ya was finally unable to remain silent any longer, and he stepped forward as he implored with a heartbroken expression, "Fort Master, I understand that the mistress made some mistakes, but please think about all of the contributions that she''s made to the n over the years and allow her to be buried behind the mountain. I beg you to reconsider, Fort Master!"


    The old steward erupted into sobs as he spoke, and Huan Yang mmed a hand down onto the armrest of his chair in a fit of fury, instantly destroying the entire chair.


    After considering He Ya''s request momentarily with a dark look on his face, he harrumphed coldly, "We''ll discuss this matter another time."


    Huan Yang had always been a very kind and benevolent figure, yet at this moment, he was watching everyone like a starving hawk, and everyone hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.


    "It''s still yet to be seen whether our Flying Eagle Fortress will be able to survive this ordeal. For now, none of you are to leave this ce. He Ya, if anyone tries to leave, kill them on the spot!"


    After making this deration, Huan Yang departed from the hall on his own, then made his way up to the Ascending Sun tform.


    From there, he cast his gaze into the distance, trying to see the oue of the battle that was raging in that direction, but unfortunately, his eyesight was ratherckluster due to his mediocre martial arts cultivation base, so he was unable to see anything aside from the dissipating sea of clouds and shes of sword light.


    "If the ghost infant really is as powerful as they say, then it would be great if our Flying Eagle Fortress could control it," he spat through gritted teeth.


    ��������


    The old Daoist priest sessfully fled from the Flying Eagle Fortress with the young trio, and from there, they made their way deep into the mountain to the north. The journey was incredibly smooth, and they didn''t encounter any trouble aside from the asional spirit or Yin entity that got in their way.


    The old Daoist priest and the three young individuals were all stunned by this drastic turn in their fortunes, and all four of them were left at a slight loss for what to do.


    All of a sudden, Huan Chang dered, "I have to go back!"


    The old Daoist priest gave an internal nod of approval. While this was a rather naive sentiment, at the very least, it showed that he had the heart required to lead the Huan n on a future resurgence.


    If he had focused solely on running for his life, then the old Daoist priest would''ve been unable to help but look down on him.


    The inky-ck sea of clouds had already dissipated, and while that wasn''t a definitive sign of whether the Flying Eagle Fortress had managed to weather the crisis, it was still a good sign, nheless.


    The old Daoist priest cast his gaze toward the Flying Eagle Fortress, using a mystical ability to observe the energy there, and he discovered that the dense Yin energy in the fort had almostpletely faded.


    "Don''t be in such a hurry to go back. Right now, it seems like the tide is turning in our favor, but if you make a premature return, things could just as quickly go awry again," the old Daoist priest cautioned.


    Huan Chang grabbed onto the hilt of his de, and veins bulged on the back of his hand as he spat through gritted teeth, "My parents are still in danger! If I do nothing but stand by and watch, then I''m not fit to be their son!"


    The old Daoist priest''s approval for the young man grew even further upon seeing this, and he patiently exined, "Sacrifices for no just cause are not a show of true courage. Huan Chang, you have to be like your grandfather, the type of man who''ll onlymit the heroic deed of cutting down the Daoist enforcer statue when retreat is no longer an option!


    ��Even for cultivators living in seclusion like myself, all of us are in admiration of his heroism. In order to be a hero, courage and discretion are required in equal measure. Only a fool would throw their life away for nothing."


    Huan Chang nodded in response with a sullen expression.


    Ultimately, he was not the type of stubborn person who couldn''t see the light of reason. If he weren''t sufficiently understanding and tolerant, then he would''ve already banished Tao Xieyang long ago.


    Huan Shu gently tugged on his sleeve with a concerned expression, and he turned to her with a smile as he reassured, "Don''t worry about me, I''m fine."


    The old Daoist priest was very happy to see this.


    He saw a great deal of hope for the future in this young man.


    Meanwhile, Huang Shang asked, "Master, will those two outsiders really be able to kill that devilish fiend?"


    A wry smile appeared on the old Daoist priest''s face as he sighed, "There''s a very good chance that we''re dealing with a Golden Core Tier devilish cultivator here, given that they were able to set up such an enormous formation and reverse the fortunes of thend in such a huge area.


    ��My master was considered to be a prodigious cultivator, yet even in his prime, he wouldn''t have been able to match that mountain-moving feat. It would already be extremely fortunate if those two young men can somehow chase that fiend away, but killing him would be entirely impossible."


    After fleeing from the Flying Eagle Fortress, the old Daoist priest was feeling a bit more rxed, and with that came a wave of exhaustion that left him feeling a little shaky on his feet.


    He had truly overexerted himself both mentally and physically during that battle, and he leaned against a tree for support as he continued, "Unless a powerful cultivator from nchette Writing Sect receives word of this and arrives on the scene, it''ll be very difficult to stop that devilish cultivator from getting away."


    Huan Shu bit down onto her own lower lip, and there was a myriad of emotions swirling in her heart.


    Her parents were still in grave peril, and an idiot was willing to sacrifice himself outside the ancestral hall.


    Even if she and her brother could survive this ordeal, the future was still very murky, and she had no idea where they were supposed to go.


    Huang Shang was also looking quite dejected.


    He had cultivated with impable diligence for several years, and he had thought that he had attained sufficient power to make a difference in the world, yet he had almost lost his life in just the Flying Eagle Fortress.


    After taking a deep breath, the old Daoist priest broke the gloomy silence as he smiled and said, "Don''t worry, if that fiend dares to make a return, then he''ll surely attract the attention of nchette Writing Sect, so he won''t dare to wreak any further havoc over the next century.


    ��There are two powerful immortals in nchette Writing Sect who are a couple, and if they feel that their authority is being challenged, then either one of them coulde and y that fiend with ease!"


    ��������


    Outside the ancestral hall, Tao Xieyang remained seated with a concerned expression.


    He wasn''t worried about what was happening to the Flying Eagle Fortress. Instead, he was worried that the patriarch of the n who had left him here as a young boy would suffer excessively severe losses from this battle, thereby preventing him from being able to rise to the pinnacle of Deep Fragrance Nation.


    He had watched Huan Shu grow up from a little girl into a fine young woman, and he truly loved her with all his heart.


    He wanted to im her, as well as his rightful spot at the pinnacle of Deep Fragrance Nation, and perhaps he would even get the opportunity to scale to the summit of the cultivation world in the future.


    On the few asions where he had been able to meet the patriarch in secret while under the guise of running errands for the Huan n, the patriarch had told him that if he liked something, then he should grab it firmly. If he couldn''t do that, then he should just forget about that thing, or destroy it outright.


    Tao Xieyang regarded this as sagely advice.


    With no one around, Tao Xieyang took a moment topose himself as he contemted how to proceed from here. In the end, he found the useless stone lion to be a real eyesore, so he hacked it into pieces with his de, sending it crumbling to the ground.


    After venting his frustration, he immediately realized that this was a mistake. If the patriarch''s n were to fail, and he was forced to return to fall back and recuperate, then he could very easily notice the remnants of the stone lion and deduce that Tao Xieyang had taken out his frustrations on it.


    Upon making this realization, Tao Xieyang hurriedly made his way over to the remnants of the stone lion, then injected his True Qi into his de before hacking the fallen stone lion into bits.


    After that, he began to make his way toward the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, and on the way there, he thrust his palm into his own chest, causing him to throw up a mouthful of blood.


    The cultivation world was a perilous ce where any misstep could result in catastrophic consequences.


    The human heart was the most unpredictable thing under the heavens, and to remain pure and steadfast was an exceedingly difficult feat.

 Chapter 301: Depressed

    Chapter 301: Depressed


    High up in the sky far away from the Flying Eagle Fortress...


    The battle taking ce there was going to decide the fate of the entire fort.


    The two young boys had three bonded flying swords, a demon-binding chain, and the colorful belt on their side, while the old man was in truly dire straits, having been worn down by the seemingly never-ending array of immortal treasures at the disposal of his two young opponents.


    In the face of these two inexplicably monstrous young boys, the old man seemed to know that death was inevitable for him, and there was a resigned and mncholic look on his face.


    "If it wasn''t for that, I would''ve detonated my own Golden Core when that boy in gold stabbed me with his sword, then blown up my remaining Yin god to take you down with me. At my peak, I was a Golden Core Tier cultivator on the brink of the Nascent Tier, so even if you could survive, you definitely wouldn''t have been able to do so unscathed. In fact, there''s a very good chance that you''ll lose this body of yours."


    Lu Tai nodded in response, making no effort to deny this im.


    All the while, he was keeping a constant eye on the old man''s arms out of his peripheral vision. Those two immortal treasures were the keys to keeping the old man bound in ce.


    The old man was quickly able to detect the direction of his gaze, and he looked down as he mused, "Both of these are exceptional treasures."


    He then looked around with a hint of dejection in his eyes as he continued, "Many years ago, a disciple of a patriarch of Peace and Tranquility Mountain took a liking to my Five Mountain Hat, but I was unwilling to hand it over to him, and that was what sent me down this path of no return. ��Following his failed attempt to take my cap from me, he hired a bunch of itinerant cultivators to kill all of my family and friends until there was no one left. I wasn''t just going to ept such an injustice without retaliation, so I found an opportunity to y two of Peace and Tranquility Mountain''s Dragon Gate Tier cultivators.


    ��Those two were true prodigies on the same level as you two, and they would''ve definitely been able to reach the Golden Core Tier, perhaps even the Nascent Tier if they were lucky. Peace and Tranquility Mountain waspletely enraged, and it threw all grace and goodwill to the wind.


    ��On the surface, it appeared that a young Golden Core Tier cultivator had challenged me to a battle, and the oue was a heavy defeat for me that sent my cultivation base plummeting, but do you want to know what actually happened?


    ��There was a Nascent Tier earth immortal constantly overseeing the battle, and he wanted to use me as a training tool for the young Golden Core Tier cultivator. Not only was he able to earn himself a resounding reputation by defeating a well-established Golden Core Tier cultivator, he was also able to consolidate his own cultivation base through the battle.


    ��I was used like a tool, and everyst shred of usefulness aws extracted out of me before I was discarded. These powerful sects really are something else, aren''t they?"


    Lu Tai cast his gaze past the old man toward Chen Ping''an in the distance.


    He was able to directlymunicate into Chen Ping''an''s mind while ensuring that no cultivator of the Middle Five Tiers could eavesdrop on what he was saying, but Chen Ping''an wasn''t able to reply.


    In the eyes ofmon mortals, the ability of martial artists topress their voices into thin lines as a means of covertmunication was nothing short of extraordinary, but to cultivators, this was the most crude form of directmunication that one could possibly stoop to. Hence, if Lu Tai wanted to know Chen Ping''an''s decision, then he could only find out through eye contact.


    The old man was well aware of what the two young boys were doing, but he paid no heed to their silent exchange as he raised an arm with great difficulty, then extended a finger before gently flicking the sharp tip of the sword that was protruding out of his chest, immediately causing him to throw up a mouthful of blood.


    Despite this, he remained calm andposed as he continued, "If I''m not mistaken, this appears to be the sword purchased by the number one swordsman of Deep Fragrance Nation from nchette Writing Sect for a very steep price. It could be considered a pseudo-immortal treasure to begin with, and now that it''s devoured the blood of my heart, it''s finally progressed into a full-fledged immortal treasure."


    The old man burst intoughter as he turned to Chen Ping''an and remarked, "You really are an incredibly wealthy kid! I don''t know why you haven''t drawn the longsword that you carry on your back this entire battle, but I presume that it''s yet another immortal treasure, right?"


    Chen Ping''an offered no response to this.


    The old man cast his gaze up toward the heavens, then took a deep breath while his robes pped audibly in the fierce wind.


    "You two rascals have put an end to my life here, so don''t even think about iming all of my belongings! This is about as spectacr a death as I could ask for. The sword that''s impaled my heart, the belt and the demon-binding chain around my arms, the Five Mountain Hat on my head, and the cushion beneath me right now are all immortal treasures.


    ��To be able to take down five immortal treasures with me is a fate worthy of a Nascent Soul Tier earth immortal! If I can take those three bonded flying swords with me as well, then that would be a worthy death even for an immortal of the Upper Five Tiers!"


    The old man''s body began to disintegrate as he spoke, and ashes began to drift down from his body bit by bit, but a burst of piercing light began to emerge within his dantian.


    At the same time, First, Fifteenth, and Wheat Awn all darted back in retreat as quickly as they could, trying to get far away from the old man as he prepared to detonate his own dantian.


    Infatuation also pulled itself out of the old man''s body at Chen Ping''an''s behest, but prior to doing so, it twisted itself around viciously to ensure that the old man''s heart waspletely torn to shreds. It was clear that Chen Ping''an was intent on ensuring the old man''s death, even if it meant risking the destruction of Infatuation.


    The old man lowered his gaze, and as Lu Tai''s colorful belt slid off his arm, he immediately felt a heavy weight being lifted from his body. He then turned to golden demon-binding chain on his other arm, expecting it to also be withdrawn, but to his astonishment, not only did the demon-binding chain not extricate itself from around his arm, it only wound itself around him even tighter, seemingly intent on binding him to the bitter end.


    Even after putting on such a convincing act, the old man still found himself bound into ce, and in his final moments, he was finally unable to conceal the fury and panic that he had been suppressing deep in his heart this entire time.


    The panic and unease that he was feeling now wasn''t any less overwhelming than what he had felt back when he was being hunted down by that young Golden Core Tier cultivator of Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    The old man hadpletely made up that story about how a Nascent Tier earth immortal had been present during his battle against the young Golden Core Tier cultivator, and it was all in a bid to evoke sympathy in the hearts of the two young boys, as well as to manufacture a facade that he was ready to face his death.


    In his mind, once he was freed from the demon-binding chain and the colorful belt, he would be able to abandon his physical body and cultivation base to flee the scene in the form of a Yin god. Doing so would harm the foundation of his Great Dao, but it was certainly still better than falling to his demise here.


    Once he escaped, he would be able to find some gullible young fool with good cultivation aptitude, then fabricate some tragic backstory for himself to win their trust. After that, he would assist them diligently in their cultivation, then find an opportunity to take over their body and possess them at some point.


    <em>I can''t wait any longer! </em>


    Even though the demon-binding chain was still wound around his arm, it would be toote if he didn''t make his escape now.


    With that in mind, the old man''s core abode and sea of Qi exploded in unison. The cushion beneath him waspletely destroyed, while the Five Mountain Hat on his head was sent flying toward Chen Ping''an by the force of the explosion.


    Powerful shockwaves erupted through the air in all directions, and as a Qi refiner, Lu Tai was struggling to withstand the force of the explosion.


    Even though he was already over a hundred meters away, he was still forced further back into retreat. Despite the severe peril that he was in, he was still doing everything in his power tomunicate directly into Chen Ping''an''s mind, telling him to find a spot where he could ensure his own safety, then use the explosion as an opportunity to refine his body and soul, a process that would surely be immensely beneficial to him.


    Through all the chaos and debris thrown up by the explosion, Lu Tai was unable to see Chen Ping''an clearly, but he was confident that given Chen Ping''an''s cautious nature, he would definitely be able to look after himself.


    Even without his own realization, Lu Tai had developed a great deal of trust in Chen Ping''an, regarding him as an equal. In fact, when it came to certain important decisions, he would be more inclined to defer to Chen Ping''an''s better judgment, rather than his own.


    This was quite remarkable for a Qi refiner, who normally looked down on martial artists, particrly for an exceptional prodigy like Lu Tai.


    At this point, the old man had alreadye to terms with the fact that his n wasn''t going to be executed to perfection. He could sense several flying swords lurking nearby, but he knew that he had to make his escape now.


    Hence, as his core abode exploded amid an eruption of blinding light, a wisp of his soul picked out a rtively safe direction before darting up higher into the sky as quickly as it could.


    Even though the demon-binding chain was still wound tightly around his soul, its binding effects were negligible in the face of the force generated by the explosion.


    Unfortunately for him, Chen Ping''an didn''t fall for his ploy at all. Instead of reaching out to catch the Five Mountain Hat, Chen Ping''an merely allowed it to fall out of the sky, and he immediately set off after the old man''s soul without any dy. However, the old man was confident that Chen Ping''an wouldn''t be able to catch him, even while traveling atop that powerful flying sword.


    He would have to ride atop the flying sword while simultaneously using inch movement talismans, and he would''ve had to pinpoint the direction of the old man''s escape in advance. Only with all three prerequisites satisfied would be able to sessfully intercept the old man''s soul.


    Furthermore, there was only a very brief window during which this opportunity could be captured as the old man''s soul was going to be able to struggle free from the demon-binding chain very soon. In the wake of the detonation of the old man''s core abode and sea of Qi, the spiritual energy in the demon-binding chain had been worn down significantly, and it wasn''t going to be able to hold on for much longer.


    However, the old man''s worst fears were quickly realized.


    High up in the sky, Chen Ping''an used two inch movement talismans in session, the first of which allowed him to leave Needle Tip behind, while the second took him directly to the old man''s fleeing soul.


    From there, he drew Long Qi for the first time, and in that instant, his mind waspletely empty, focused solely on the recollection of the sword strike that Mr. Qi had dealt upon Liu Chicheng back in the rundown temple.


    With a swing of his sword, the old man''s soul waspletely erased out of existence like a withered leaf in the face of a raging flood.


    After dealing the killing blow, Chen Ping''an was alsopletely spent. His sword-wielding arm had beenpletely stripped of all flesh, reducing it nothing more than bone. As a result, he was no longer able to grip onto Lasting Qi, and it fell out of the sky. On top of that, Chen Ping''an himself also began to plummet toward the ground in free fall.


    First and Fifteenth were whizzing around him in an urgent and agitated fashion, but it wasn''t like they could catch him.


    Thankfully, Lu Tai was able to take flight using the lotus flower talismans attached to his arms and legs, and he swooped in right in the nick of time to catch Chen Ping''an in mid-air, then carefully set him down onto Needle Tip, while Lu Tai himself stood in the air beside the flying sword.


    He took in Chen Ping''an''s terrible physical condition, and abination of concern and anger welled up in his heart as he yelled, "How could you be so reckless, Chen Ping''an? Do you have a death wish?! So what if you allowed him to get away? All that was left of him was his soul! Even if he makes a return, that''ll at least be decades, or even over a century in the future! By then, he''ll be no match for us!"


    Chen Ping''an turned to the side to throw up a mouthful of blood, and somehow, he was still in the mood to look at the distant scenery.


    After looking out into space for a while, Chen Ping''an turned his gaze back to the spot in the sky where the old man had met his demise, and there was no pride or joy in his eyes. Ultimately, he had killed someone, and that was not something that he was proud of.


    Lu Tai hurriedly pulled out a small vial, then poured a viscous and fragrant ointment onto the palm of his hand before carefully rubbing it onto Chen Ping''an''s unsightly arm. Even with his incredible pain tolerance, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but grimace in agony.


    "I know it hurts now, but this medicine can help you grow your arm back," Lu Tai consoled in a low voice.


    He then noticed Chen Ping''an scouring his surroundings, seemingly searching for something, and he immediately realized what he was looking for.


    "I''ve already recovered that longsword and that demon-binding chain of yours, and they''re currently in my belt right now. However, the demon-binding chain is very severely damaged, and it''ll cost a lot of snowke coins to have it repaired. Having said that, I''ll be footing the bill, so you don''t have to worry about that."


    Chen Ping''an heaved a sigh of relief, then asked, "What about that hat?"


    Lu Tai rolled his eyes in response. "We''re in the middle of nowhere, so there''s no one else around to pick it up by chance. Focus on resting up now, and we''ll find the capter."


    With that, the two of them slowly descended back down onto the ground.


    Chen Ping''an was a little saddened by the fact that the cushion had been destroyed. After ying such a powerful devilish cultivator, all they had to show for their efforts was the Five Mountain Hat.


    However, by advancing against the flow and insisting on ying the old man on the spot, Chen Ping''an''s soul had been refined to a great extent, serving as an additional reward that he had reaped from this battle. For the very first time, he felt like his fourth tier cultivation base had been consolidated, and it was no longer feeling insubstantial and unfathomable.


    This was a very simr fated opportunity to the choice that Gu Can''s father had made during the journey to Great Sui Nation.


    Hence, in Chen Ping''an''s mind, even if the Five Mountain Hat and the demon-binding chain had beenpletely destroyed, he would''ve still felt like it was an even trade, and given how things had actually turned out, the oue was a resoundingly positive one.


    Setting aside everything, Infatuation had been significantly enhanced, and he could sell it for a huge profit.


    However, all immortal treasures were ultimately external tools, and only fist and sword techniques formed the true basis of Chen Ping''an''s power.


    All of a sudden, Lu Tai smiled as he said, "That Five Mountain Hat looks really pretty, and I don''t think that old man was even able to unleash its full power. I presume that''s because he didn''t know the true origins of the Five Mountain Hat. Once I get back to Middle Earth Divine Continent, I''ll go and have a browse through our n''s scripture library, and I may be able to dig up some information on it."


    "So that means you''re iming the Five Mountain Hat, I see. Even before you say anything, I know exactly what''s going toe out of your piehole!" Chen Ping''an chuckled.


    "Do you have to be so crass, Chen Ping''an? All those literary ssics that you''ve read have gone to waste!" Lu Tai grumbled.


    "We''re both men here, why get hung up over such trivial matters?" Chen Ping''an countered, in response to which Lu Tai rolled his eyes in an effeminate fashion.


    Even though they had already traveled together on the Treasure Swallowing Whale all the way from Stctite Mountain to Parasol Leaf Continent, Chen Ping''an still couldn''t help but get goosebumps whenever Lu Tai did something like that.


    As the two of themnded in the forest outside the Flying Eagle Fortress, Wheat Awn vanished into Lu Tai''s body at his behest, following which he revealed, "Compared with Needle Tip, Wheat Awn is rather mediocre when ites to destructive power, but Wheat Awn has always had a very rare ability, which is treasure detection."


    "Did you hear that?" Chen Ping''an asked as he patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd. "You two are flying swords as well, but you don''t have any abilities like that, do you?"


    However, this time, even First didn''t retaliate against Chen Ping''an for that jibe, perhaps because it was feeling rather sheepish as it had contributed in this battle anywhere near as much as it had back at the City God Temple and against that formidable army.


    However, the true reason for itsck of response was that despite what Chen Ping''an was saying, internally, he was filled with gratitude toward First and Fifteenth.


    Chen Ping''an sat down with his legs crossed at the foot of arge tree, then grimaced slightly after taking a nce at his own unsightly arm.


    All of a sudden, Lu Tai fell silent, and tears began to well up in his eyes.


    "Stop crying like a sniveling little girl!" Chen Ping''an snapped, following which a wide smile appeared on his face.


    Back in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, he had felt very dejected after receiving those same harsh words from Cui Chan''s grandfather, but now that he was the one dishing it out, it was a very good feeling.


    Lu Tai drew some sce at the sight of the beaming smile that had appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face, and he sat down across from him as he asked, "Why did you take such a huge risk?"


    A justified look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he replied, "Didn''t we agree in advance that you were going to the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, while I was going to take care of the sea of clouds? I made a promise to you, so I had to follow through. On top of that, he was determined to kill me, so my back was against the wall, and I had no choice but to put my life on the line."


    After a brief pause, Chen Ping''an continued, "At that point, there was already no possibility for reconciliation, so I had to prepare for the worst oue. Even if the demon-binding chain had been destroyed, I wouldn''t have put the me on you as it was my decision.


    ��It''s just like what happened when we were dealing with that group of robbers. I felt like we had already done enough, yet you insisted on going after the one who was pulling the strings behind the scenes, except this time, our roles were reversed."


    "I must apologize. That belt is my bonded treasure, so I couldn''t afford to let it get damaged," Lu Tai said in an apologetic manner.


    Chen Ping''an waved a dismissive hand in response, indicating that it was all water under the bridge. He then took a nce at the glum look on Lu Tai''s face, and he smiled as he consoled, "I''m not letting you off the hook because I think it doesn''t matter. Instead, it''s because I trust you, so I was confident that you had to have had your reasons for what you did. There''s no need to exin things in excessive detail between friends."


    Tears began to well up Lu Tai''s eyes again, and Chen Ping''an sighed, "It''s a real pity that you''re not a woman. Some time ago, I was traveling with a pair of friends, the young Daoist priest and the wandering hero that I told you about, and they don''t ce anywhere near as much weight on these trivial matters as you do."


    Someone who was very quick to regard others as their friends often never ended up with any true friends, and someone who always liked to refer to others as their brothers often didn''t have anyone with whom they shared a true brotherly bond.


    Hence, Lu Tai knew just how significant it was for Chen Ping''an to be referring to him as his friend.


    It implied that Chen Ping''an trusted him with his life, and Chen Ping''an had shown that to be the case. With the five mountains on top of him, even though Chen Ping''an had dug himself a safe haven of sorts in the form of that crater, if Lu Tai had been too slow to act, then Chen Ping''an would''ve still suffocated to death under the immense spiritual energy of the formation.


    The thought of this made Lu Tai want to shed tears again, and he was indeed bing more and more like a sniveling woman by the second.


    Back in that small courtyard, he had been the only one present to hear Chen Ping''an talk about his dreams and aspirations, and with that in mind, he dered in a determined voice, "Chen Ping''an, when we split the spoils from this battle, I''m going to make sure that you make an absolute killing!"


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t be bothered to respond, so he merely rolled his eyes.


    A long silence ensued, and in the end, it was Lu Tai who broke the silence as he mused, "Chen Ping''an, you fear death, while I fear living. We really are quite simr to one another, aren''t we?"


    "Of course not, I''m way manlier than you," Chen Ping''an objected with a shake of his head.


    It was very rare for Lu Tai to be so open and vulnerable with anyone, and he was furious to have received such a cold and stoic response.


    "Chen Ping''an, why are you so boring?!"


    "I''m a man, why would I want another man to find me interesting? Is there something wrong with me?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Fine, I''m the one who has something wrong with me," Lu Tai sighed in a sullen manner, then continued in a barely audible voice, "To be honest, even I don''t know if I''m a man or a woman."


    Chen Ping''an''s hearing was very sharp, and he was stunned to hear this.


    "What the hell''s that supposed to mean?!"


    Lu Taiid down onto the ground as he replied, "I mean exactly what I said. I''m a freak. The only ones who know my secret are my parents, my two masters, a patriarch of my n, and you''re the sixth one. Only after stepping onto the Ascending Sun tform can I truly..."


    At the end, Lu Tai''s voice had trailed off to such an extent that Chen Ping''an couldn''t make out what he was saying.


    He wanted to say something, but was rather hesitant.


    "If you have something to say, then say it. I told you my secret, so I''m prepared for any response from you," Lu Tai said as he stared nkly up at the sky.


    Chen Ping''an scooted over a little closer to Lu Tai, and there was abination of curiosity and embarrassment on his face as he asked in a quiet voice, "When women have... that time of the month, it really hurts, right?"


    A bewildered and enraged look appeared on Lu Tai''s face, and he spat through gritted teeth, "Why don''t you ask that to the girl that you like?!"


    "I don''t want to die," Chen Ping''an replied as he scratched his own head in a sheepish fashion.


    All of a sudden, Lu Tai burst intoughter as he pointed at Chen Ping''an''s arm, and only then did Chen Ping''an realize that he had inadvertently scratched his head with the arm that was still healing, and just the act of moving it had been enough to send jolts of excruciating pain shooting through his entire body.


    The two of them fell silent again.


    As Lu Tai sat up, he suddenly discovered that Chen Ping''an seemed depressed, and not just a little depressed.


    This was utterly inexplicable to Lu Tai as he couldn''t think of anything that could possibly put Chen Ping''an in such a terrible mood.


    He then noticed a small seal sitting on Chen Ping''an''s knee, one that he had never seen before.


    Ultimately, the Flying Eagle Fortress had managed to survive this ordealrgely unscathed, and Chen Ping''an was also alive and well, as was the case for everyone in Jewel Small World.


    Not only was Chen Ping''an alive and well, he had even gone on such long journeys and seen so much of the world, and all of that was thanks to Mr. Qi, but where was Mr. Qi right now?

 Chapter 302: Parting Ways

    Chapter 302: Parting Ways


    On the way back, Chen Ping''an''s mood had already returned to normal, and flesh was slowly growing back on his skeletal arm. A series of meridians could be seen interspersed throughout the muscle fibers like thin vines, presenting a profound sight to behold. Chen Ping''an was closely observing these meridians like a schr intently studying a subject, and Lu Tai was truly disgusted to see this.


    The Lu n had some formidable martial artists among its ranks, but none of them would''ve had anywhere near the same level of mental fortitude as Chen Ping''an back when they were at the fourth tier.


    Despite the excruciating pain, Chen Ping''an was watching with keen interest as these meridians grew, and it was quite an educational experience, providing him with answers to many questions on the subject of Qi cirction that had previously stumped him.


    As they approached the Flying Eagle Fortress, Chen Ping''an had to conceal his arm so that he wasn''t mistaken for a devilish cultivator by the residents of the fort. Thankfully, his Dao robe was able to conceal his grisly arm, while also posing no impediment to the healing process.


    Earlier, Wheat Awn had already recovered the Five Mountain Hat, and Lu Tai had examined it momentarily before concluding that it was a very old immortal treasure of a very high caliber.


    The true appearances of the Five Mountains were depicted on the cap, and the style and techniques employed both indicated that this cap hade from Middle Earth Divine Continent before somehow finding its way to Parasol Leaf Continent. Perhaps it was originally the bonded treasure of a certain renowned mountain god of Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    Chen Ping''an was quite interested in hearing about these topics as he wanted to broaden his own horizons. As for whether Lu Tai was going toy sole im to the Five Mountain Hat or whether he was intentionally downying the cap''s value, those questions didn''t really weigh on Chen Ping''an''s mind as he didn''t think Lu Tai was that type of person.


    Humans were fickle and unpredictable creatures, so it was necessary to be cautious at all times, but it was never a good thing to condemn good and innocent people out of excessive paranoia.


    Instead of heading straight to the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, the two of them secretly made their way to the training grounds first to recover Infatuation. After absorbing the spiritual energy and the heart blood of a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Dragon Gate Tier, the de of the sword had be even brighter and more translucent, and the patterns etched on its surface were rippling like water. Even for someone with standards as high as Lu Tai''s, he couldn''t help but examine the sword with amazement in his eyes. He dered that while the old man obviously hadn''t been entirely truthful to them, he had most likely been telling the truth about his former cultivation base.


    At his peak, he most likely really had reached the cusp of the Nascent Tier, and a cultivator of that caliber would be able to stake a foothold for themselves even on Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    Hence, Infatuation had been extremely fortunate to have devoured the old man''s heart blood.


    In light of this, Lu Tai advised Chen Ping''an not to sell Infatuation. Instead, if he were to encounter any evil cultivators or devilish entities in the future, he could run the sword through their hearts, killing two birds with one stone by enhancing the sword, as well as umting good karma for himself by ying such forces of evil.


    Lu Tai could see that Chen Ping''an was rather hesitant, and in a rare disy of assertiveness, he began scolding Chen Ping''an. "It would be an outright lie to im that there''s no good or evil among cultivators, but no such distinction exists in treasures and artifacts! If you use a so-called evil treasure to do good deeds, then it bes a force for good."


    Lu Tai became more and more enraged as he spoke, and he continued, "Don''t tell me you can''t get over such a minor mental hurdle when you can watch your own arm regrow without batting an eyelid! If you''re going to be so stubborn and dogmatic, then I suggest you give up on any aspirations of cultivation and resign yourself to being a pure martial artist for the rest of your life!


    ��Given your personality, even if you manage to be a Qi refiner, the inner demons that you''ll have to face in order to break through your Upper Five Tiers bottleneck will surely bepletely insurmountable!


    ��All Qi refiners who are able to reach the Nascent Tier already possess an extremely remarkablebination of courage, powers, willpower, and resilience, but do you know why it''s so difficult for them to ascend to the Upper Five Tiers? Contrary to what most people think the main obstacle standing in their path isn''t the heavenly tribtion that they have to transcend. Instead, the most difficult task for them is to ovee themselves.


    ��The loftier your Dao Heart and the more unyielding your personality, the more powerful your inner demons will be. If you continue to cling onto your dogmas and stubborn ways, you''ll never be able to ovee your inner demons!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t rebuke Lu Tai. Instead, he merely pointed at Lu Tai''s nose as he said in a quiet voice, "Your nose is bleeding again."


    Lu Tai stopped talking as he wiped away the blood trickling out of his nostrils in a frustrated manner.


    What he had revealed only concerned Chen Ping''an''s Great Dao, and it had nothing to do with the state of the world atrge, so the bacsh that Lu Tai had suffered as a Naturalist was far less severe thanst time.


    "Someone''sing from outside," Chen Ping''an suddenly said.


    Lu Tai took a nce at Chen Ping''an upon hearing this. His senses were just as sharp as a sixth tier martial artist, and Lu Tai couldn''t help but wonder if he really was just a fourth tier martial artist.


    With that in mind, he became even more curious about who Chen Ping''an''s fist technique mentor was.


    Right at this moment, a group of people carefully made their way into the training grounds, and they were none other than the old Daoist priest, his disciple, Huang Shang, and the Huan siblings. It was the old Daoist priest''s decision to havee here instead of going to the main building.


    While traversing through the forest, he had caught a glimpse of Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai returning to the Flying Eagle Fortress, so he had decided to meet up with Chen Ping''an''s duo and ask them about what had be of the devilish cultivator. After that, the six of them would travel to the main building together, and that was clearly a safer course of action.


    The old Daoist priest extended a Daoist salute as he said, "My name is Ma Feifu, and I cultivate on Mandarin Duck Mountain. It''s an honor to be in your presence, Esteemed Immortal Lu, Esteemed Immortal Chen."


    Lu Tai casually raised a hand to pluck his bamboo fan out of thin air, then gently fanned himself with it as he said, "Ie from Middle Earth Divine Continent."


    "I''m from the Great Li Empire of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent," Chen Ping''an said.


    "May I ask if you''re aware of what''s be of that devilish cultivator?" Ma Feifu asked in a careful voice.


    Lu Tai closed his bamboo fan, then pointed it at the old Daoist priest. Everyone was rather perplexed to see this, but right at this moment, the Five Mountains Hat appeared on the tip of Lu Tai''s fan, and he smiled as he dered, "He''s already dead."


    Ma Feifu was able to catch a glimpse of the devilish cultivator as he was descending from the sea of clouds to send the five mountains crashing down upon the training grounds, so he immediately recognized the Five Mountains Hat, and was utterly astonished to see the hat currently perched on the end of Lu Tai''s bamboo fan.


    It seemed downright preposterous to him that these two young boys had been able to sessfully y what was quite possibly a Golden Core Tier earth immortal, but at the same time, he desperately wanted to believe that Lu Tai was telling him the truth.


    Even though Ma Feifu was skeptical about what he had heard, he knew that he couldn''t risk offending the two young boys by openly expressing his doubt, so a look of admiration and a gratitude appeared on his face as he extended another formal salute.


    "The two of you were only passing through this ce by chance, yet you were still willing to selflessly pit yourself against that devilish scoundrel, saving the lives of hundreds of Flying Eagle Fortress residents! Please allow me to offer you my sincerest gratitude on behalf of the Flying Eagle Fortress, esteemed immortals!"


    There were tears welling up in the eyes of Huan Chang and Huan Shu, and they hurriedly cupped their fists in grateful salutes while extending deep bows toward Chen Ping''an''s duo.


    "Words cannot express the gratitude that we feel. If you''re willing to take me, I would be honored to serve as your most loyal servant and do whatever it is that you ask of me, esteemed immortals," Huan Chang said in an emotional voice.


    Huan Shu was just as ovee with gratitude and emotion, and she said, "Thank you so very much, Young Master Lu, Esteemed Immortal Chen. I don''t know how I could possibly repay you."


    Meanwhile, Huang Shang was standing at the very back of the group with aplex look on his face.


    He was wondering to himself whether his cultivation journey would be smoother if he could take these two young boys as his masters. Perhaps under their guidance, he would no longer be so ipetent and have to fear for his own life whenever he encountered any demonic forces.


    He then took a nce at his master, and he silently lowered his head with a guilty look on his face, feeling absolutely wretched for even allowing himself to think such terrible thoughts.


    However, the thought was only taking root deeper and deeper in his mind the more he tried to denounce it, and before long, it had filled him with such intense guilt that tears were welling up in his eyes as well.


    All of the emotions currently being experienced by the old Daoist priest and the young trio with him wereid as bare as an open book before Lu Tai.


    As a Naturalist, peering into the hearts of others was his forte.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t possess the same ability. Instead, he was only able to somewhat extrapte the thoughts and emotions of others based on their expressions and mannerisms.


    What was akin to an open book in Lu Tai''s eyes was shrouded in mystery from his perspective.


    The group made its way to the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, and even though Lu Tai had assured everyone that the crisis had been averted without any casualties being suffered, Huan Chang and Huan Shu were still feeling very uneasy, fearing that they would be greeted by the sight of a horrific ughter as soon as they opened the gate.


    Upon arriving at the main building, they discovered that the door was tightly shut, and after some vigorous knocking from Huan Chang, the door was opened by an old man from the Huan n.


    The old man immediately burst into tears at sight of the siblings'' safe return, and Huan Chang was horrified to see this, fearing that his parents had been killed by the devilish cultivator from before, only to be assured that this was not the case.


    All of the survivors in the hall felt as if they had been granted a new lease on life.


    Huan Chang and Huan Shu noticed that their parents weren''t in the hall, but when they asked about where their parents were, everyone seemed rather reluctant to respond.


    Lu Tai had no interest in the Huan n''s family matters, and he led Chen Ping''an to the balcony on the top floor. At this point, Huan Yang was already absent from the Ascending Sun tform.


    Lu Tai sat down on the railing, and Chen Ping''an followed suit, then began drinking out of his Sword Nurturing Gourd, tipping his head back to take a long swig.


    Lu Tai was swinging his feet while gently fanning himself, and with that, it was time to split the spoils.


    "We''ve managed to profit greatly both from this battle and the earlier battle against Ma Wanfa and Dou Zizhi. Back in my n, I''m renowned for my luck and my propensity for collecting treasures, but I don''t think I''ve ever reaped so much spoils on my own before."


    Chen Ping''an smiled in response, and for some reason, the thought of He Xiaoliang sprang into his mind. Just like Lu Tai, she had also been renowned for her exceptional fortune.


    "You can have Infatuation, and I''ll take the Five Mountains Hat, but I''m not taking it for nothing. Instead, I''m purchasing it from you. In return, I''ll help you refine and repair that demon-binding chain of yours, and that damaged armor pellet you told me about earlier, the one that you bought from the Ganoderma Inn.


    ��You''ve always beenining about how the suit of armor is taking up too much space in Fifteenth, haven''t you? I can help you restore it to a brand new condition free of charge so that it can revert back into an armor pellet. Don''t ask me how I''m going to do it, all I can tell you is that I have my ways.


    ��In the meantime, you''ll have to stay in the Flying Eagle Fortress, but rest assured, it won''t be for too long. You can take some time to recover from your injuries here, then go search for that Daoist temple."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. Given how wealthy Lu Tai was, Chen Ping''an certainly wasn''t going to feel bad for him.


    "The Five Mountains Hat is a high-grade immortal treasure, so I''ll need to give you twenty thousand snowke coins for it, which equates to twenty grain rain coins. I also reaped some additional spoils from ying Ma Wanfa and that devilish cultivator, and after a rough tally, I''ve concluded that I''ll need to give you another twenty thousand snowke coins or twenty grain rain coins.


    ��Among the spoils, that Extinguishing Worries horsetail whisk handle is a decent treasure. You can take it as a small bonus."


    "You have that many grain rain coins?!" Chen Ping''an eximed in a stunned manner.


    "I have a few grain rain coins here and there," Lu Tai replied with a smile as he continued to look into the distance. "In terms of wealth, even the average Nascent Tier earth immortal from Middle Earth Divine Continent wouldn''t be able topare with me."


    Chen Ping''an immediately gave Lu Tai a p on the shoulder.


    "In that case, why were you pretending to be poor back on Stctite Mountain? I didn''t know you were such a good actor!"


    Lu Tai was feeling a little sheepish, and replied, "I was worried that you would try and rob me."


    "What a load of bullshit!"


    Chen Ping''an gave Lu Tai another firm p on the shoulder, and this time, Lu Tai was beginning to grow a little disgruntled.


    "Keep your hands to yourself, Chen Ping''an!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he gave Lu Tai a third p.


    Lu Tai immediately put on an effeminate disy as he prepared to unleash his trump card, but Chen Ping''an had already raised a hand to stop him, and he took a sip of wine, then prompted, "Continue."


    Lu Tai flipped a hand over to produce an intricately embroidered pouch before handing it to Chen Ping''an.


    "What''s this?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "It''s a little gift for you," Lu Tai replied with a smile. "Open it and take a look, I''m sure you''ll like it. It''s a batch of elm tree blossom seeds with rather special origins. Once you return home, you can nt it on a mountain with good feng shui. Make sure you nt them in a ce with a lot of sun exposure, and perhaps you''ll be met with a pleasant surprise in three to five years."


    Chen Ping''an epted the pouch of seeds, then said, "Tell me exactly what''s so special about them. Otherwise, I''m not going to take them."


    Lu Tai gave Chen Ping''an a brief exnation of what was so special about these seeds, and thetter''s expression immediately lit up as he hurriedly stowed the pouch away.


    As it turned out, this pouch of elm tree blossom seeds was very remarkable, and they were the perfect gift in Chen Ping''an''s eyes. These seeds hade from a certain ancient immortal elm tree on Middle Earth Divine Continent, and due to their thin and round shape, they were also known as elm coins.


    Elm coins were homonymous to the phrase "spare money". [1]


    Hence, it became amon notion that eating elm coins could grant one spare money, but most people only treated this as an unsubstantiated saying. It was said that all one had to do was find the gold spirit residing in an elm coin, then soak them in a jar of wine until they became inebriated before eating them.


    If one could do that, then they would be granted some extra ie each year. During spring, many wealthy ns would organize elm coin banquets for good fortune and mary prosperity over the course of the year.


    Chen Ping''an liked nothing more than these slow and steady streams of ie.


    Deep down, he was still firmly of the belief that wealth that came quickly was also prone to going just as quickly. Either that, or such wealth required an immense amount of effort and willpower to keep. In contrast, things like these elm coins, which were supposed to yield a steady stream of small profits over a long period of time, felt much safer and more reliable to Chen Ping''an.


    Only after the elm coins were firmly secured did Chen Ping''an make a bted attempt at turning down the gift, smiling as he asked, "Isn''t this too precious a gift?"


    Lu Tai was opening and closing his folding fan over and over again as he sighed, "This journey to the Ascending Sun tform is an integral part of my pursuit of the Great Dao. Do you know how much weight those two words carry?


    ��I can''t even assign it a mary value. Having said that, seeing as we''re friends, how about you let it slide? Otherwise, no matter how wealthy I am, even if I sell off everything that I own, I still won''t be able to repay you."


    "You could easily repay me," Chen Ping''an said with a smile as he offered his Sword Nurturing Gourd to Lu Tai.


    Lu Tai epted the gourd, then threw his head back and took arge swig of wine while keeping the mouth of the Sword Nurturing Gourd a few inches away from his lips.


    After that, he wiped his lips before returning the gourd to Chen Ping''an as he said, "You need a refill. I''ll get the people at the Flying Eagle Fortress to fill your gourd before we leave."


    Chen Ping''an naturally wasn''t going to turn down such a kind offer.


    All of a sudden, an exasperated look appeared on Lu Tai''s face as he asked, "Why does everyone enjoy drinking wine? What''s so good about it?"


    Chen Ping''an merely smiled and drank in silence.


    After drinking wine, he dared to think the unthinkable, say the unspeakable, and do the unfeasible.


    Over the next ten days, Chen Ping''an continued to live in that small house, but there were no longer any sinister spirits there to bother him.


    asionally, he would sit down on the steps at the entrance of the courtyard, looking at the wall at the end of the valley while thinking about those poor ghostly children and the smiles that they had disyed in their final moments in this world.


    Lu Tai was staying at the main building, and he would visit Chen Ping''an in his courtyard from time to time, but he would never stay long before departing to busy himself with other matters.


    Ten dayster, Lu Tai returned with an armor pellet that was as good as new, and Chen Ping''an was ecstatic. His arm had already recovered, but it still wasn''t back to full strength yet.


    In addition to the armor pellet, Lu Tai also brought him a sleek de with a pristine white scabbard, telling him that it waspensation given to him by the Huan n, and that the Huan n would feel uneasy if he refused to ept it.


    On this asion, Lu Tai stayed for a bit longer, brewing a pot of tea for himself in the courtyard while telling Chen Ping''an about the history of the de. Many years ago, the Nascent Tier earth immortal of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had bestowed this de upon the lumberjack patriarch of the Flying Eagle Fortress in order to quell the sinister feng shui of this ce.


    The de''s name was Halting Snow, and unfortunately, none of the descendants of the Flying Eagle Fortress from that point onward possessed any cultivation aptitude, so the de was simply passed down as an ornament, which was a terrible waste.


    Chen Ping''an was aware of how precious this de was, and he knew that it had most likely been a prized item of that earth immortal from Peace and Tranquility Mountain. After some contemtion, Lu Tai decided that the de was worth twenty grain rain coins, and he tossed Chen Ping''an a pouch full of grain rain coins for it.


    Over the following ten days, Chen Ping''an continued his daily routine of walking meditation, sword practice, sleep, and repeat, and he no longer went to look at that wall. As time passed, the emotions that he felt in the wake of those events began to fade, so he no longer felt any obligation to look at the wall.


    During those ten days, Lu Tai only came to visit him once, informing him that he had taken three disciples, namely Tao Xieyang, a young boy by the name of Huang Yin, and Huang Shang, who had ultimately decided to switch masters.


    As for why he had decided to do this, Lu Tai was unwilling to borate beyond telling Chen Ping''an that one couldn''t understand good if they didn''t interact with evil, which was something that he had already said to Chen Ping''an back on the Treasure Swallowing Whale.


    Prior to his departure, Lu Tai told him that he was most likely going to be making this ce his long-term home, and that he wouldn''t be returning to Middle Earth Divine Continent in the near future.


    By the time Lu Tai came for his final visit with that demon-binding chain, Chen Ping''an was mostly recovered.


    Separation was imminent, but neither of them was all that sad.


    One harbored lofty dreams and aspirations, while the other had only just begun their pursuit of the Great Dao, so there was no time to dwell on sadness.


    Thus, they parted ways without much fanfare, with one remaining in the Flying Eagle Fortress, while the other departed northward.


    Lu Tai didn''t apany Chen Ping''an in his departure. Instead, he merely stood on the Ascending Sun tform, watching Chen Ping''an''s fading figure from afar.


    He had tried to convince Chen Ping''an to carry both Infatuation and Halting Snow on his waist at once, telling him that it would make him look very badass, but unfortunately, Chen Ping''an didn''t take the bait, telling Lu Tai that he wasn''t some weapon shop owner.


    Lu Tai was a little disappointed. If Chen Ping''an had fallen for the trap, then he would''ve been able to tease Chen Ping''an for being an idiot.


    As he departed from the Flying Eagle Fortress, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but turn back one final time, but not to look at Lu Tai. Instead, a thought had sprung into his mind, and he felt it to be rather strange, but in the end, he shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought.


    On the way out of the Flying Eagle Fortress, he passed by a middle-aged man, and he couldn''t recall meeting the man anywhere before, but for some reason, the man seemed familiar to him.


    The man noticed Chen Ping''an''s inquisitive gaze and a slightly shy smile. It seemed that he was just an ordinary, humble man.


    After Chen Ping''an was long gone, the man gently stomped a foot down onto the ground, and the restrictions in the area were immediately lifted.


    If it weren''t for those restrictions, there was no way that nchette Writing Sect would''ve failed to notice the battle that had taken ce on the sea of clouds.


    Lu Tai was leaning against the railing with a smile on his face, watching as the fortune of thend shifted in subtle and profound ways.


    On a mountain summit several dozen kilometers away, Chen Ping''an was engaged in walking meditation when all of a sudden, he began to miss the taste of tanghulu. This was rather amusing to him. Given his current wealth, he could easily purchase a pair of tanghulu from any stall in the next city or town that he reached, and he''d be able to strut around while holding one in each hand!


    1. Elm coin in Chinese is ��Ǯ, which has the same pronunciation as ��Ǯ, tranting to spare/excess money. ?

 Chapter 303: The World is Rife with Injustices

    Chapter 303: The World is Rife with Injustices


    ording to the Mountain and Sea Chronicle, there were many mountain gods and spirits on Parasol Leaf Continent, and this was indeed the case.


    During his travels, Chen Ping''an was actively avoiding ces abundant with spiritual energy or clearly harbored hidden perils, but he was still unable to keep himselfpletely out of harm''s way. For example, one night, he spotted a brightly lit city.


    He had no map as the distribution of maps was strictly monitored in all empires, even more so than weapons, and he wanted to replenish some supplies, so he followed the lights and made his way toward the city.


    The city had no curfew, but there were guards at the city gates, checking for passports. Upon entering the city, Chen Ping''an tried to rent a room in an inn, but the innkeeper refused to give him a room, telling him that he wasn''t using the right currency.


    Each nation had its own special copper coins, so if Chen Ping''an had tried to pay using copper coins, then it would''ve made sense for him to be turned down, but it was rather strange that the innkeeper was refusing to ept silver.


    Thankfully, the innkeeper gave Chen Ping''an some instructions to a ce where he could exchange gold and silver for the local currency, and he coulde back once he secured the required currency.


    Chen Ping''an followed the instructions and made his way to a shop with an extremely tall counter that was close to one and a half times the height of a grown man. Chen Ping''an stepped onto a small stool in front of the counter and stated the purpose of his visit, then submitted a few silver ingots in exchange for a bunch of copper coins and paper money.


    The copper coins appeared to be of good quality, and the paper money had official imperial court and bank seals on them, so Chen Ping''an epted them without a second thought and returned to the inn. There, he paid for a room, then disyed his passport to the innkeeper upon request, and the innkeeper made some careful records of the provided documentation.


    The next day, Chen Ping''an was about to leave the inn when the innkeeper looked up from his abacus with a smile and informed Chen Ping''an of a tradition of the city. As it turned out, the word "paper" was not to be uttered here, and anyone who broke this rule would be kicked out of the city.Chen Ping''an thanked the innkeeper for notifying him of this, then went out into the city to purchase some supplies. After that, he returned to the inn for a meal, but he found all the food to be very nd and tasteless. Following his meal, he traveled several dozen kilometers out of the city, and from there, he could still see the outlines of the city.


    All of a sudden, it began to rain, and Chen Ping''an sought shelter in a dpidated perg on the mountain. While practicing his walking meditation, he just so happened to take a nce in the city''s direction, and he was astonished to discover that it was melting away in the rain as if it were a burning candle.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly pulled out everything that he had bought in the city, as well as the copper coins and paper money, and his skin instantly began to crawl.


    As it turned out, they were all things cut out of paper to be burned as offerings for the deceased.


    Someone suddenly burst intoughter within a wall of the perg, as if they were amused by Chen Ping''an''s shock and disgust, and their eerieughter echoed throughout the perg.


    Chen Ping''an was surprised by the strange happenings in the city, but he wasn''t fearful of ghosts and spirits. Hence, he waspletely unfazed by the eerieughter ringing out within the perg. He sat down onto a bench in the perg that had been crafted out of an old tree, then cast his gaze toward the wall as he drank in silence.


    Unless he had run into terrible luck and encountered a powerful great demon or an extremely formidable devilish cultivator that was adept at disguising themselves, the alternative was that he was most likely dealing with a weaker spirit. The average mortal would still be terrified of such a spirit, but for Chen Ping''an, an entity of that caliber posed no threat at all.


    The entity in question was still wholly unaware that it was biting off more than it could chew, and it put on an even more sinister voice to try and intimidate Chen Ping''an as it asked, "You''re not afraid of me?"


    Chen Ping''an strapped his Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist, then rose to his feet and slowly made his way over to the wall before pping a Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman onto it.


    A pleading voice that sounded as if it belonged to a child instantly rang out from within the wall, and Chen Ping''an smiled as he asked, "Should I be afraid?"


    "No! I''m the one who should be afraid!" the entity in the wall hurriedly replied.


    "Come out. If you keep hiding from me, I won''t be so nice anymore. Tell me what''s going on with that city."


    Chen Ping''an removed the Demon-suppressing Talisman from the wall, then tucked it back up his sleeve and sat down onto the bench again.


    A fearful-looking boy emerged from the wall, and there was a mandarin square embroidered onto both the front and back of his clothes. However, unlike the colorful mandarin squares worn by officials from mortal imperial courts, his ones were only ck and white.


    He stood in the corner of the perg in a timid fashion, and he extended a bow toward Chen Ping''an, then dered his own identity. As it turned out, he was a mountain lord that had been appointed by the previous dynasty.


    After the change of dynasties, he was automatically made redundant, and without his status as a mountain lord, his already lowly cultivation base suffered even further.


    He was once the beloved son of a border general, but he died before even turning seven years of age. One time, a traveling immortal just so happened to be passing through, and he helped the boy''s father turn him into an unofficial mountain lord so that he could protect the feng shui of the n''s ancestral grave. However, all of that changed with the fall of the dynasty.


    This wasn''t a significant event in history, but looking back, it was a rather interesting one. Chen Ping''an asked the boy about the origins of the city, and the boy told him that the entire city of over ten thousand residents had perished in a single night due to a horrific man-made disaster many years ago.


    In order to avoid mass panic, the imperial court ordered all of the surrounding secrets to keep the event strictly confidential, and a high-ranking Buddhist monk was also recruited to perform a ceremony, preventing the city from transforming into a ghostly wastnd.


    Chen Ping''an asked the boy what was going to be of the city after the storm, to which the boy smiled and replied that all it would take would be a few rainless days for the city to make a full recovery.


    Chen Ping''an squatted down and burned the paper money in the perg while facing the city, and the boy squatted down beside him as he mused, "You''re a kind man, esteemed immortal."


    Chen Ping''an merely smiled and offered no response.


    He took the opportunity to ask the boy about theyout of this area, particrly about where there were any immortal ns or ferry stations nearby, and the boy told him everything that he knew.


    ording to the boy, there were some evil forces that had imed the mountain around four hundred kilometers to the north, but they didn''t do anything nefarious like kidnapping the nearby residents, so it was a rtively safe area with very few stories of people going missing or suffering untimely deaths.


    During their heyday, the evil forces there were so formidable that even many Qi refiners passing through the area had to go around the mountain, but there had since been a change of circumstances, and it was said that only a few straggling spirits were left on the mountain. As for whether this was actually the case, it was hard to say.


    There were all types of rumors that were circting, with some proiming that the evil forces there had been wiped out by immortals of nchette Writing Sect, while others proimed that the demons on the mountain had made the mistake of irking a Buddhist practitioner that just so happened to be passing through, thereby leading to their demise.


    Chen Ping''an was rather surprised to hear this. Even now, the mountain path in the Great Li Empire where he had encountered the female ghost in the red wedding dress was still clear in his mind.


    There were some dead leaves in the perg, and Chen Ping''an and the boy gathered them together before using them to stoke the fire, then squatted down beside the fire together.


    The boy appeared to be quite youthful, but in reality, he had already lived for five hundred years, and he exined to Chen Ping''an, "The leader of the demons on that mountain had a rtively benevolent personality, so he never targeted me.


    ��Of course, there were many less benevolent figures among his subordinates, but all of them were very careful about maintaining good reputations. Otherwise, if it became widely known that they had beenmitting evil deeds, then people could starting after them, and that could lead to a great deal of trouble, so none of them targeted me, either."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    The boy held his hands over the mes as he continued, "What is a demon to do in that situation? If they kill whoeveres after them, they''ll only attract more and more self-proimed heroes pining for their heads.


    ��Eventually, they''ll either be killed or be forced to kill so many assants that the local authorities will report the matter to the imperial court. For fear of losing face, the emperor would then have to recruit the services of a powerful immortal. It really is all a huge pain."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he said, "If this isn''t the case, then the entire world would''ve already spiraled intoplete chaos. How would mortals be able to live? Over ten thousand people died in that small city alone, what are their friends and family outside the city going to think? With so many people dying overnight, the living will inevitably be fearful."


    The boy faltered slightly upon hearing this, seemingly having never considered this problem.


    After that, the boy told Chen Ping''an about many of the interesting stories from around these parts, most of which he had heard from others. After all, he had already lived for several centuries, and he had to find some ways to pass the time.


    After the rain subsided, Chen Ping''an bade farewell to the mountain lord and continued on his journey, leaving the boy on his own in the perg.


    There was also one time when Chen Ping''an had passed through a graveyard, where he encountered a group of schrs on their way to the capital city for the imperial examination. They were standing in front of arge grave with inferior and awestruck looks on their faces when two pristine white foxes jumped out from between the graves, then got up on their hindlegs and extended bows much like humans would.


    There were also several younger foxes that scurried onto the grave with very humanized looks of longing and shyness in their eyes. They didn''t appear to be sinister spirits at all. Instead, they were like a group of yful children.


    The schrs returned the bow, and Chen Ping''an was rather amused to see this.


    He knew that these fox demons were tricking these schrs, but he wasn''t overly concerned about this. Generally speaking, no fox demons on any continent engaged in barbaric activities. Instead, they had always tried to get close to humans, mostly for the purpose of oveing the hurdle of mortal rtionships to advance their cultivation base.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an made no effort to expose their scheme and reveal to the schrs that the grandiose manor that they were seeing was actually nothing more than a grave.


    Instead, all he did was silently wait beside the grave, and sure enough, as the group of schrs left the grandiose manor the next day, all of them were looking ecstatic, having just enjoyed the time of their lives the night before.


    Chen Ping''an departed with an amused smile.


    Around 150 kilometerster, he reached a small nation by the name of Northern Jin Nation. While passing through a city, he just so happened to enter a market, and he really did purchase a pair of tanghulus there.


    He had heard that Northern Jin Nation had a vastly renowned Tathagata Temple, where there was arge rock that was said to have been one of the ces where a Bodhisattva had attained enlightenment.


    The rock was called the Stone Lotus tform, and it wasrge enough to fit hundreds of people at once, yet just a single person was enough to make it wobble, a phenomenon that no one could exin. After verifying the authenticity of this phenomenon in person, the emperor of Northern Jin Nation had been very pleased, and that only further elevated the reputation of the temple.


    However, even after asking many people in the city, he didn''t find a single one who knew of this Tathagata Temple. Only then did he recall that the boy had told him that this had happened roughly two hundred years ago, and two hundred years was enough time for many things to change in the mortal world.


    After some hesitation, Chen Ping''an decided to persist with his endeavor, and in the end, he really was able to find the site of the Tathagata Temple. He paid the temple a visit to find that it was overrun with tall grass and waspletely deserted, making for a rather bleak and sobering sight. Under the dying light of dusk, he found a giant rock, but wasn''t able to see anything remarkable about it.


    After finishing hisst tanghulu, he discarded the stick before departing.


    Not long after Chen Ping''an left the dpidated temple, a small figure poked their head out from behind the giant rock, then sat onto the rock in silence.


    As it turned out, the truth behind why the Stone Lotus tform wobbled was that a mischievous stone spirit in the form of a tiny lotus figure liked to hide inside it. Whenever someone attempted to shake the huge rock, it would immediately sway from side to side in an excited fashion, and the rock would sway side to side with it, thereby resulting in the misconception.


    However, one day, it grew bored of this game, and from that point onward, the Stone Lotus tform only swayed asionally whenever he was in the mood to y. Eventually, the rock stopped moving altogether as the stone spirit had left it to travel far and wide in search of apanion. Having been alone its entire life, it was feeling lonely.


    In the end, it managed to find twopanions, namely a snake spirit and a deer spirit. The pure-hearted stone spirit was swindled by these twopanions into handing over one of its arms and one of its lotus flower petals.


    However, it was still determined to find apanion, and ultimately, it found a flower spirit that didn''t ask for anything from it. It took her back to the Stone Lotus tform, and they yed together and pranked the tourists together. However, one day, it woke up to discover that the Stone Lotus tform had beenpletely drained of its spiritual energy, and the flower spirit had also disappeared.


    After that, the Stone Lotus tform gradually fell into obscurity until it was forgotten altogether, and all that remained was the little stone spirit with one arm left, sitting on the edge of the tform while gently swinging its feet back and forth.


    It would asionally feel sad as it didn''t know whether its threepanions were currently doing well.


    If they weren''t doing well, then why didn''t theye to see it so that it could console them?


    If they were doing well, then why didn''t theye to see it so that they could celebrate together?


    All of a sudden, the stone spirit turned to discover a white-robed figure sitting on the other end of the rock, drinking while facing the setting sun.


    Upon noticing its gaze, the white-robed figure shed it a smile, and the stone spirit was so frightened that it immediately sprang to its feet before vanishing into the giant rock.


    Chen Ping''an burst intoughter as he jumped down from the rock, and only then did he truly leave the Tathagata Temple.


    Only after hiding in the rock for a long while did the stone spirit dare to poke its head out once again, and after looking around to ensure that the white-robed figure was no longer around, it made its way over to where the figure had been sitting before. There, its eyes widened at the sight of the coin that had been left on the rock.


    Most spirits in the world liked to consume immortal currencies for sustenance, and Chen Ping''an had left the stone spirit a snowke coin as a gesture of goodwill without expecting any reciprocation.


    However, Chen Ping''an had only just left the city and made his way into the mountains when he spotted the stone spirit standing on the path up ahead, looking at him with tear-filled eyes while holding the snowke coin. The stone spirit seemed to be both ted and a little uneasy at the sight of Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an slowly made his way toward the stone spirit, but the stone spirit has always been quite timid, and it instantly vanished from the spot. It continued to follow Chen Ping''an from afar, disappearing whenever he got too close, and before long, they had traveled several dozen kilometers together.


    At this point, Chen Ping''an no longer made any attempt to approach it, merely allowing the stone spirit to follow him at its own pace.


    Soon, Chen Ping''an entered the forest that the boy had told him about, and the terrain in the forest really was very precarious.


    As he was about to emerge from the forest, he encountered a seemingly deranged spirit that was stumbling along in tattered clothes while murmuring to itself over and over again in a dejected voice, "How could someone so cruel have be a Buddha? How could someone so cruel..."


    The stone spirit was so terrified at the sight of the deranged spirit that it rushed over to Chen Ping''an and hid behind his leg.


    From that point onward, all of the wariness that the stone spirit harbored toward Chen Ping''anpletely disappeared, and it was either skipping along beside him or sitting on his shoulder.


    After that, Chen Ping''an and his newpanion passed through a war-torn nation that had been ravaged by tragedies, forcing a group of heroes to go rogue and forcibly take over the nation to end all of the suffering.


    During his time in that nation, Chen Ping''an heard countless stories about the heroic deeds of those thirty-six men, about their incredible generosity, which was matched only by their exceptional martial arts ability and superhuman strength.


    Of course, Chen Ping''an didn''t believe all of the stories, but he certainly wasn''t opposed to meeting these heroes should the opportunity ever arise. Even if they weren''t willing to drink with him at the same table, he was content just to have some of their heroic spirit rub off on him from afar.


    Chen Ping''an went to seek out these heroic men, and in doing so, he was guided to an unscrupulous restaurant that sold human meat steamed buns.


    The group of merchants that he was traveling with all fell unconscious, so he pretended to do the same as well, and he was tied up before being carried to the back of the shop, where he was thrown onto a long chopping board. After that, a waiter made his way toward them, yawning while brandishing a boning knife.


    Over in a nearby city, an executioner was just about to lop off the head of a bandit when several dozen people stormed onto the execution site, led by an imposing man wielding a pair of axes. He chortled loudly as he chopped and sliced his way through the crowd, killing everyone in his path, regardless of whether they be soldiers or spectating citizens.


    Only receiving a scolding from a short, dark-skinned man did the ax-wielding man sheepishly stop his rampage, and all of the killing intent was drained out of his eyes.


    The dark-skinned man took a nce at the ax-wielding man, then waved a hand to dismiss him. A weary look then appeared on the man''s face, but it was outweighed by relief and tion.


    He had put on a very stern and scathing demeanor while scolding the ax-wielding man, but there was currently a smile ying on his lips as he watched the ax-wielding man trudge away.


    After saving the fugitive that was about to be executed, the group of men got onto the horses that had been prepared nearby in advance, then rushed out of the city, and none of the soldiers dared to go after them.


    After leaving the city, the group of men were in a very jovial, celebratory mood as they made their way into the restaurant that they owned, only to find that the familiar couple there was missing. Instead, there was only a white-robed young boy with a longsword ced on the table in front of him.


    Shortly thereafter, Chen Ping''an left the restaurant, having put an end to the lives of most of the men in there.


    They had all been regarded as heroes in the eyes of the general public, and they did indeed die heroic deaths, with none of them begging for mercy or fleeing for their lives.


    As for the men who were spared, most of them were very quiet, or immediately disengaged themselves from battle after suffering even the slightest of injuries. They didn''t curse Chen Ping''an, nor did they look as if they had any intention of seeking vengeance. Instead, there had only been a lost and disoriented look in their eyes, as if they were wondering what life decisions had led them up to this point.


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to any of them.


    After leaving the restaurant, Chen Ping''an found the herd of horses by the side of the street, and he picked out one of them before jumping onto its back in an expertly fashion.


    Initially, he was rather shaky on horseback, but it didn''t take him long to limate.

 Chapter 304: (1): A Well Down Below, the Sky Up Above

    Chapter 304: (1): A Well Down Below, the Sky Up Above


    What Chen Ping''an failed to anticipate was that this journey would take him half a year toplete. It wasn''t because the Observing Dao Temple had been too far away. Instead, it was because Chen Ping''an had followed Lasting Qi''s instructions and walked in circles in a majestic city for three whole months without finding the so-called Observing Dao Temple.


    In the capital city of Southern Garden Nation, Chen Ping''an asked everyone that he could, including merchants, soldiers, traveling martial artists, leaders of escort agencies, and officials from local authorities, but none of them had heard of this Observing Dao Temple.


    Chen Ping''an also read through all types of historical records, local chronicles, and private records, but none of those had yielded any leads, either. The only thing that he had to show for his efforts was that he was now fluent in the official dialect of Southern Garden Nation.


    Late autumn gave way to winter, which then transitioned into spring, and only at the beginning of summer was Chen Ping''an able to ascertain that the entrance of the Observing Dao Temple was right in this capital city, but he still wasn''t able to find it.


    Even with his immense mental fortitude, he was starting to waver and grow a little frustrated.


    During this time, Chen Ping''an encountered many strange sights and stories. One night, he saw a hovering azure dress drifting through the air as if it were draped over the body of an invisible dancer.


    One time, he unintentionally saw through an illusion, and he witnessed a section of the inner city''s city wall that was supported by human remains, and every single brick had Buddhist scriptures inscribed upon them.


    He also encountered a traveling monk, which was a rare sight in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Buddhism was much more prevalent in Southern Garden Nation, and there were Buddhist temples everywhere.


    From this traveling monk, Chen Ping''an learned about the intricacies of kasayas, as well as the differences between reciting monks, lecturing monks, mentor monks, and guardian monks. One time, he left the capital city to get some fresh air, and he followed a group of monks that were carrying out some secret instruction for the imperial court from afar. He visited a horrific battlefield, where he saw over a hundred reciting monks seated on lotus flower cushions. Several of them took off their shoes to walk barefoot with their heads lowered and their palms sped together, and whenever they spoke, pristine white lotus flowers would emerge from their mouths.


    Each of the monks had a set of prayer beads, and if they were to ever be harassed by evil spirits, the prayer beads would release bursts of golden light to repel them.


    The monks slowly strode over the ground, leaving a trail of lotus flowers in their wake as they guided the tens of thousands of resentful souls toward the entrance to the afterlife.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an sat far away from the monks, imitating them in their prayers as he joined his palms and lowered his head in silence.


    After returning to the capital city, Chen Ping''an was still unable to find the Observing Dao Temple. Right as he was about to steel himself to sneak into the imperial pce, he arrived at a well on a bright and sunny day, and he looked into the well to find that it waspletely dark, and its bottom was nowhere in sight.


    After observing the well for a while, he wasn''t able to find anything special about it, so he continued to wander around aimlessly.


    He then looked back at the well, and he felt like the air was slightly cooler beside the well.


    ��������


    Following his battle against Cai Jingshen, Cui Dongshan had earned himself the mock title of Cai n Patriarch, earning him a great deal of reverence in Mountain Cliff Academy. On top of that, his handsome and cheerful appearance also made him a very popr figure.


    Cui Dongshan had permission to go wherever he pleased in the academy, and he was always apanied by his maidservant, Xie Xie. On this day, the two of them went to eavesdrop on a lesson from Teacher Ge, and halfway through the lesson, Cui Dongshan fell asleep with his chin resting on the windowsill outside.


    Xie Xie stood beside him, not daring to wake him up from his beauty sleep, and all of the students in the room were having a very hard time suppressing theirughter. Teacher Ge was so furious that he wanted nothing more than to beat Cui Dongshan with his wooden ruler, but as soon as he thought of how Cai Jingshen had moved out of the capital city with his entire n, he immediately suppressed his anger.


    However, he decided that he was going to tell Mao Xiaodong about this and get him to prohibit Cui Dongshan from ever approaching his ssroom again.


    All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan jolted awake as if he had been snapped out of his slumber by a nightmare, and it took him a long while to gather his bearings before he returned to his living quarters with Xie Xie.


    After Xie Xie closed the gate of the courtyard, Cui Dongshan took off his boots before striding over the doorstep, then swept a sleeve through the air to release a cloud of mist, out of which emerged a map of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Cui Dongshan had one arm across his chest while squeezing his chin with his other hand, and he first stood at the northernmost Great Sui Nation on the map, then slowly moved his gaze southward, past Yellow Court Nation and Great Sui Nation''s border before resting on the central region, which contained Lake View Academy, Colorful Garment Nation, and Water Combing Nation.


    In the end, he suddenly sat on the ground and began to look around.


    Xie Xie was seated on the doorstep. The map filled virtually the entire room, so if she were to go in, then she would definitely be scolded, perhaps even beaten.


    Cui Dongshan continued to sit on the ground as he casually asked, "Do you think there''s anyone in Great Sui Nation right now that''s denouncing the emperor for being an ipetent ruler who rolled over and conceded without even putting up a fight?"


    "I don''t know much about what''s happening outside the academy, but all of the teachers of the academy are constantlymenting the nation''s state of affairs. Having said that, I haven''t heard any of them verbally denounce the emperor," Xie Xie replied in a truthful manner.


    Cui Dongshan rose to his feet with a smile as he said, "That''s one of the annoying things about schrs: they never denounce the emperor. Instead, they only curse the crooked officials, the seductive vixens, the heavens, the earth... anything but the emperor.


    ��Of course, there are always exceptions, and there are definitely some schrs who dare to denounce the emperor, but only very rarely will you find one that can raise concise and coherent criticism that strikes the nail right on the head."


    Xie Xie was already ustomed to Cui Dongshan''s ramblings, and she chimed in in a cating manner, "Indeed, Young Master."


    She made no attempt at all to disguise her cating attitude, to the point that even someone as clueless as Li Huai would''ve been able to see through her halfhearted response, let alone someone as shrewd as Cui Dongshan.


    However, he didn''t seem bothered by this.


    All of a sudden, he put his hands on his hips, then opened his mouth and sucked the entire cloud of mist into his belly along with the map.


    After that, he raised his hands and curled his fingers into ws, then put on a menacing expression to feign a tiger''s roar, while Xie Xie struggled to contain her disdain.


    Cui Dongshan then patted his own belly with a gleeful expression as he sighed, "To think that there exists a man like myself, who''s simultaneously as fierce as a tiger and as shrewd as a fox."


    Xie Xie had to muster up all of her self control just to not roll her eyes.


    She turned her gaze to the wall of the courtyard. Regardless of how much unrest was brewing in Great Sui Nation''s imperial court, it was yet another tranquil and uneventful day in the academy.


    All of a sudden, a silent golden thread shot forth from outside the courtyard as fast as lightning.


    It was extraordinarily thin, even more so than a strand of Xie Xie''s hair, but as soon as this delicate-looking golden thread appeared, the air temperature in the entire courtyard was instantly elevated significantly, recing the cold chill of autumn with the sweltering heat of summer.


    Xie Xie waspletely dumbstruck, and her mind went nk. Despite the sweltering heat in the courtyard, she felt as if her entire body had been plunged into a cial pit. She turned around in a stiff and wooden fashion, right in time to see the golden thread pierce through Cui Dongshan''s be, following which he toppled to the ground.


    This had to have been an assassination attempt from an earth immortal!


    In the distance, an ted voice rang out. "That''s what you get for bringing disaster to our nation!"


    Even further away in the distance, Mao Xiaodong''s enraged voice reverberated across the heavens. "Who dares to kill in my academy?!"


    Xie Xie waspletely dazed as she remained seated on the doorstep, staring at Cui Dongshan''s lifeless body.


    <em>Is he really dead just like that? </em>


    All of a sudden, she felt a pat on the shoulder, and she was immediately snapped out of her reverie as she swiveled around while swinging an arm through the air, only to then hurriedly withdraw her hand as her mouth gaped open in shock.


    As it turned out, Cui Dongshan was standing right in front of her, bending down to look her in the eyes. With one hand sped behind his back, he extended the index finger of his other hand, tapping it against Xie Xie''s forehead to push her into the room.


    However, even though Xie Xie''s body had fallen to the ground in the room, her soul remained in its original spot, having been extracted out of her body by a secret technique from Cui Dongshan. Her soul was unable to withstand the ravages of the yang energy in the air, and it was on the verge of dissipating.


    Cui Dongshan examined Xie Xie''s soul for a moment, then discovered something amiss in one of her acupoints.


    A smile then appeared on his face as he murmured to himself, "You''re not getting me with such a crude little trick."


    After that, he reached out to pluck a speck of dark green light out of Xie Xie''s soul, then casually squeezed it between his fingers until it burst.


    Cui Dongshan pped Xie Xie''s soul across the face he scoffed, "What do I even keep you around for? Get back into your body!"


    With her soul restored, Xie Xie slowly awakened with a splitting headache. She struggled to a seated position, pressing one hand against the ground for support while holding her other hand over her forehead; she was in so much pain that tears were flowing down her face.


    Cui Dongshan then strode over the doorstep before picking up a substitution puppet talisman of an extremely high caliber. He gnashed the talisman into powder between his fingers, then turned around with a smile as he yelled, "You''re just going to take that, Mao Xiaodong?! Someone just took a shit in your house!"


    Mao Xiaodong was in the process of pursuing the assassin, and his sneering voice rang out within the courtyard.


    "Indeed, you are that pile of shit!"


    "In that case, with me walking around every day, doesn''t that make our Mountain Cliff Academy a giant toilet?" Cui Dongshan chuckled.


    Xie Xie remained silent, and Cui Dongshan couldn''t be bothered to talk to her, either. He sat down with his legs crossed and fell into deep thought. Why was Lake View Academy being so passive?


    The southbound march of the Great Li Empire''s army hadn''t progressed in ordance with his n at all.


    He had originally projected that the army would have to endure at least four grueling battles, one against the mortal empires near the central region of the continent, one against Lake View Academy, one against the White Frost Empire, and one against the immortal powers in the southern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Could it be that many powers outside of the Great Li Empire''s Mohist powers had snuck into Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?


    Unfortunately, he was no longer the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, so he was no longer privy to the insider information at the very top. As a result, he had no idea who was behind this and what their intentions were.


    "Have you ever thought about permanently settling in the Dragon Spring Prefecture of the Great Li Empire?" Cui Dongshan suddenly asked.


    "No," Xie Xie replied with a shake of her head.


    Right at this moment, Mao Xiaodong made his way into the courtyard and dered, "It was a Nascent Tier cultivator of unknown origins. He managed to get away."


    Cui Dongshan waspletely unbothered, and he smiled as he said, "That was only an initial probe, you should be more worried about the teachers and students of the academy.


    "There are always some people in this world who think of themselves as saviors, and that the world should be a certain way. If Mountain Cliff Academyes into opposition against the capital city of Great Sui Nation, it''s not impossible for the alliance between the Gao n and the Song n to be abolished."


    "Will I have to put the mountain under lockdown?" Mao Xiaodong murmured with tightly furrowed brows.


    It didn''t really make much of a difference whether the assassin had been sent by certain powers of Great Sui Nation or by Cui Chan''s personal enemies. In any case, the possibility that Cui Dongshan had raised was definitely one that had to be taken seriously.


    "What? Do you feel like you''d be losing face by doing that?" Cui Dongshan asked with a cold sneer.


    Mao Xiaodong offered no response, making up his mind before departing.


    Cui Dongshan smiled as he called out after him, "Mao Xiaodong, if you call yourself a pile of shit right now, I can help protect the academy if something happens."


    "I''m a pile of shit," Mao Xiaodong immediately dered without any hesitation.


    A look of regret appeared on Cui Dongshan''s face as he negotiated, "If I call myself two piles of shit, can I take back what I said just now and stay out of this conflict?"


    "No," Mao Xiaodong replied in a categorical voice, then quickly departed, leaving Cui Dongshan toment his rash decision.


    He then dropped down onto his backside beforeying back onto the ground and rolling from side to side.


    After a while, Cui Dongshan seemed to have gotten sick of rolling around like a child, and heid as still as a board on the ground as he sighed, "When are youing back, Teacher? Your disciple is being bullied."


    Xie Xie was left feelingpletely exasperated.


    Cui Dongshan raised his head as he asked, "You think it sounds like I''m joking, right?"


    Xie Xie hesitated momentarily, but ultimately nodded in response.


    Cui Dongshan rolled onto his side, supporting his head with one hand as he smiled and said, "Chen Ping''an''s cultivation base may not be very high, but with him here, I wouldn''t have to think about anything. If I do something wrong, he''ll scold me, and if I do something right, then I''ll be spared a scolding.


    ��You''ll be able to take fewer beatings from me, and as for Yu Lu, he can just stand by and watch as usual. Lin Shouyi will be more focused on his cultivation, while Li Huai will be able to justify his own cowardice as he''ll have Chen Ping''an to protect him. All of the hard work will fall onto his shoulders, while I can kick back and rx."


    Cui Dongshan''s voice trailed off there, and Xie Xie was left wondering why he had left out Li Baoping.


    After a while, Cui Dongshan sighed, "Our little Baoping is probably the only one who''ll feel bad for my teacher."


    ��������


    After the brief assassination debacle, Mountain Cliff Academy was ced under lockdown under the insistence of Mao Xiaodong. No one from the academy was allowed to leave, whether they be teachers, students, or janitors.


    The official mountain master, Great Sui Nation''s Minister of Rites, was strongly opposed to this, but the emperor supported this decision and even sent a few elders in secret to bolster the academy''s defenses. On top of that, he also officially enrolled Gao Xuan in the academy.


    On this day, Gao Xuan was fishing at theke with his good friend, Yu Lu.


    As time passed, Yu Lu was finally willing toe clean to Gao Xuan, revealing to him that he was once the prince of the Lu Empire and that he was also a seventh tier martial artist.


    Gao Xuan wasn''t all that surprised to hear about Yu Lu''s past identity, but was amazed by Yu Lu''s martial arts cultivation base, and his eyes were glittering with pride for having chosen such a great friend.


    In return, Gao Xuan also told Yu Lu about many of his troubles and concerns. Whenever he was with women, he would do his best to present the best side of himself, even if he didn''t necessarily have romantic feelings for them. In contrast, when he was with men, he could reveal all of his ws and disy the most genuine side of himself, and he truly did consider Yu Lu to be a friend.


    Each of them was holding a green bamboo fishing rod, waiting for a fish to bite, and Gao Xuan suddenly asked, "Didn''t you say that Baoping was going to arrange a martial gathering? Why is it that I''ve never seen you attend one, even though I''ve already been in the academy for so long?"


    Yu Lu smiled as he replied, "Baoping arranged three martial gatherings, but didn''t organize any more after that. I don''t know about anyone else, but I''m a little disappointed."


    "Li Huai''s over there," Gao Xuan said with a smile as he pointed at a small path on the bank of theke.


    Yu Lu didn''t turn to look.


    Even without looking, he knew that Li Huai was definitely ying with his two friends. One of them was a rather crass child from a humble upbringing, while the other came from a wealthy and powerful n, but had a very timid and introverted personality.


    It was a very unlikely trio, but somehow, they got along extremely well and spent virtually all of their waking hours together. Apparently, the aforementioned crass child had proposed that they be brothers by holding a ceremony of chopping off chicken heads and burning yellow paper.


    The "chickens" were actually just sparrows that they had caught from trees, while the yellow paper were pages that they had torn out books in the scripture library in secret. After it was revealed what they had done, they had received a thorough beating from their teacher.


    The three of them were having a swordfight by theke using tree branches, and it didn''t take long before Li Huai spotted Yu Lu fishing by the river, but after some hesitation, he ultimately decided not to greet Yu Lu.


    If it were Lin Shouyi, perhaps Li Huai would approach him for a chat, but he wasn''t all that close with Yu Lu and Xie Xie.


    Li Huai, Li Baoping, and Lin Shouyi had grown up together and also made the journey to Great Sui Nation together, so Li Huai shared a far closer bond with them than he did with Yu Lu and Xie Xie.


    At the moment, Lin Shouyi wasn''t visiting the scripture library much. Outside of his daily lessons, he spent most of his time cultivating in his own independent courtyard, which had been secured for him from the academy by a very well-respected teacher.


    The teacher was a cultivator himself, and he wasn''t stingy at all when it came to imparting his knowledge upon Lin Shouyi. Not only did he exin all of the intricacies of the Recite Atop Clouds Scripture, he also brought him several immortal scriptures from his own collection for Lin Shouyi to read. Whenever he had time, he would be sure to visit the courtyard to answer all of Lin Shouyi''s questions.


    Officially, they weren''t teacher and disciple, but that was very much the nature of their rtionship.


    Aside from his studies, Lin Shouyi dedicated most of his energy and attention to cultivation.


    ��������


    In the chill of autumn, Li Baoping had exchanged her usual thin red dress for a slightly thicker one, but her usual red jacket was still not required yet.


    As usual, she would often climb to the top of a tall tree on the mountain by herself and sit on a branch to stare off into space, or eat some pastries to satisfy her cravings. asionally, she would also bring some books up to trees to memorize certain passages so that she wouldn''t be punished by her teachers the next day.


    Thankfully, whenever she had some spare time, she would transcribe copies of certain scriptures in advance so that she could submit them whenever she did receive a punishment.


    At this point, she had already umted a neat stack of these pre-copied scriptures in her dormitory room, and for that, she had earned herself the nickname of the "transcription girl."


    On this day, she was swinging her feet back and forth while seated on her branch, counting on her fingers the number of days since she hadst seen her junior uncle.


    <em>It''s been so long, why is he still not back?</em>


    A slightly dejected look appeared in her eyes.


    <em>Hold on, if it''s already been so long, doesn''t that mean that it''s closer to the next time that we meet? </em>


    A cheerful look appeared on her face at this thought, and she began to skip up and down on her branch, trying to see as far into the distance as possible. Perhaps her junior uncle was already standing at the foot of the mountain.


    A loud thump rang out as she fell onto the ground.


    Thankfully, with all her experience in falling, she knew how to fall while hurting herself as little as possible, so she was able to avoid injury, but bruises were inevitable.


    She hurriedly looked around, and only after ensuring that no one had seen her embarrassing disy did she begin hobbling down the mountain.


    Many people greeted her along the way, and she returned all of their greetings.


    After returning to her dormitory room, she had nothing to do, so she began transcribing books again. She took a nce at the pile of transcriptions that she had already umted, and a bright smile appeared on her face.


    The next time her junior uncle came to visit her, she would be able to flunk her lessons for a whole ten days, and her supply of transcriptions would be sufficient to deal with any punishment handed down upon her.


    With that in mind, she felt herself to be a genius, and while making transcriptions with one hand in a well-rehearsed manner, she gave herself a thumbs-up with her other hand as she murmured, "As expected of the alliance leader, I''m so smart and badass!"<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    lol Baoping preparing for her punishments ahead of time XD</blockquote>

 Chapter 305: (1): Observing From Afar

    Chapter 305: (1): Observing From Afar


    Chen Ping''an looked into the emaciated girl''s cold eyes, and even though she was still a child who was clearly far younger than Zhu Lu, he still couldn''t help but feel a visceral sense of contempt toward her.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t look at her any longer as he turned his gaze to the rear entrance of the manor. There, the benevolent and frail-looking old steward had just made his way over the doorstep with the little girl''s hand sped in his, and also turned to look at Chen Ping''an. Their eyes met, and Chen Ping''an gave him a slight nod, one that was returned by the steward after a brief hesitation.


    Everything wasmunicated wordlessly.


    If Chen Ping''an hadn''t appeared, the emaciated girl would already be dead by now.


    The old man was clearly more than willing to extend a gesture of goodwill toward what appeared to be a young swordsman, and he chose to leave the emaciated girl with him instead of administering the punishment that he had intended.


    Chen Ping''an turned his gaze back to the emaciated girl as he warned, "Don''te back here again. Otherwise, you''re going to be killed."


    The emaciated girl offered no response, and Chen Ping''an turned to depart.


    Shortly thereafter, he disappeared out of sight, and the emaciated girl spat disdainfully in his direction, thenunched a globule of saliva at the manor in front of her as well.


    The girl was already starving, and after making those two resentful gestures, she was immediately struck by a rush of dizziness. She returned the same way that she hade, doing her best to stick as close to the wall as possible. She didn''t even dare to get close to the center of the road for fear of being seen by any pedestrians or people in horse-drawn carriages. If she were to irk someone that she couldn''t afford to for whatever reason, then she really could die.


    As for the white-robed boy, she wasn''t fearful of him.


    Ever since she could remember, she had always been very sensitive to animosity, and she intuitively knew which people she could take advantage of and which people she couldn''t afford to mess with.


    In reality, Chen Ping''an hadn''t departed. Instead, he was hiding nearby, observing the little girl in secret.


    Due to her frail condition, she was forced to take regr breaks as she walked along feebly, and after looking around in a cautious manner for a moment, she flipped over a wall in a well-rehearsed fashion and stole the pickled vegetables from a household.


    After scarfing down the pickled vegetables, she rushed out of the alley, and she was feeling a little thirsty, so she flipped over the wall again before sneakily scooping out some water out of a vat to drink. Before cing the lid back on the vat, she quickly grabbed a handful of soil from the ground before tossing it inside, and only then did she sneakily depart again.


    Chen Ping''an could see that she was walking with a bit of a limp, and she was also regrly massaging her own ribs, presumably all results from the physical punishment that she had received for her past misbehavior.


    Right as Chen Ping''an was about to leave, the little girl arrived in an area filled with livestock, and the ground was caked in feces. There was a group of boys standing there while leaning against a wall, and they seemed to be waiting for her. All of the boys appeared to range somewhere between thirteen to twenty years of age, and it was clear that they were up to no good.


    One of them caught sight of the little girl as she rushed toward them, and he immediately kicked out at her without any warning. If the kick hadnded with full force, then it would''ve been enough to send her flying, but thankfully, the girl seemed to have already anticipated this. However, she didn''t take any evasive action.


    Instead, she intentionally slowed down a little right before the kicknded in order to soften the impact, then made a very convincing act of falling back onto the ground. She then struggled for a while before mbering back to her feet with a wretched expression, and her eyes were filled with sycophantic pleading as she cast her gaze toward the group of boys.


    A brawny young man who appeared to be the leader of the group instructed the little girl to lead the way without wasting any time, and some timeter, they arrived at a dpidated house that was long abandoned.


    The little girl pointed at the house, and the leader of the group of young boys put on a menacing smile as he said, "If you''ve got the wrong ce, then I''m going to break both of your legs!"


    The little girl shook her head vigorously, then cupped her own hands in a pleading gesture in front of her own chest.


    The brawny young man gestured for everyone to surround the house, then turned to the little girl and tossed seven or eight copper coins into her cupped hands as he said in a meaningful voice, "Silly me, I forgot to bring the other half. How about youe back home with me to fetch the rest after we''re done here?"


    The little girl shook her head vigorously, then transferred all of the copper coins onto one hand before picking up three of them with her free hand and giving them back to the brawny young man.


    The brawny young man was very pleased by this, and he initially nned to keep ying around with the little girl some more, but he decided against it, seeing how clever and obedient she was.


    The little girl scurried backward while bowing to the young man several times, and only after that did she turn around to run away.


    Shortly thereafter, a blood-curdling howl rang out from the house behind her, but she paid no heed to that as she rushed along while looking at the copper coins in her hand, and a wide smile appeared on her weathered and emaciated face.


    ��������


    In the wake of the fall of Jewel Small World, the Dragon Spring Prefecture had be a blessednd of sorts, and it was filled with abundant spiritual energy, making it a very alluring ce to many.


    Over the course of the past two years, the tens of thousands of demons and spirits in the area had gradually pledged their allegiance to all of the major mountains, establishing a new equilibrium.


    Among them were three Golden Core Tier great demons, all of which had once been extremely feared and revered figures in the area. As for whether there were any Nascent Tier great demons intentionally concealing themselves as they didn''t want to show their hands too early, that was currently unknown.


    Close to a thousand demons had perished due to various causes over the past two years. Some simply died of natural causes, while others had been executed by the Great Li Empire''s imperial court for certain transgressions. However, there weren''t many demons of the Middle Five Tiers among them. Instead, they mostly consisted of weaker demons whose actions were governed solely by their instincts.


    Very few demons had been able to secure Peace and Safety Tablets from the Great Li Empire''s imperial court.


    For this purpose, many of them had pledged their subordination to major mountains, serving as guest elders or mountain guardians. Alternatively, some had paid out of their own pockets to establish good rtions with the local authorities, or implored certain important figures to put in a good word for them with the Great Li Empire.


    This unexpected source of ie was naturally very much wee for the Great Li Empire''s Ministry of Revenue, and as a result, the animosity between the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue had begun to lessen a little.


    The Cao and Yuan ns each had a pir general, and one had great influence over the Ministry of War, while the other presided over the Ministry of Revenue, and it wasmon knowledge in the imperial court that the two ns had constantly been at each other''s throats over the past century.


    As the sage of this small world, Ruan Qiong had founded the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, which had an enormous territory, epassing many mountains, including Divine Elegance Mountain. However, the sect had very few disciples.


    A disciple who had been turned away by Wind Snow Temple was responsible for looking after the old sword shop outside the small town. Her name was Xu Xiaoqiao, and she very rarely entered the sect.


    There was also a young man by the name of Dong Gu, who was a man of very few words and wore ck all year round, as well as a boy by the name of Xie Ling who came from Jewel Small World and had a pair of remarkably long eyebrows.


    Even if one were to count Ruan Xiu, the Dragon Spring Sword Sect still had a pitifully tiny number of members.


    However, Ruan Qiong wasn''t bothered by this at all, and he didn''t bother himself with any worldly affairs aside from traveling to the Dragon ying tform cliff on Dragonspine Mountain to deal with the people from Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain.


    Aside from that, even Prefectural Overseer Wu Yuan and Northern Mountain God Wei Bo were generally given the cold shoulder whenever they tried to visit him, and he also didn''t bother to instruct the sect''s disciples at all, merely delegating that task to Ruan Xiu instead.


    On this day, the sun was rising up over Divine Elegance Mountain, illuminating the sea of clouds a bright red color.


    At this point, Ruan Xiu had already grown into a fine young woman. Compared with when she first arrived in Jewel Small World, her body had be taller, slender, and more proportionate, and she was no longer the little girl that she once was.


    Standing beside her were Ruan Qiong''s first three disciples, Xu Xiaoqiao, Dong Gu, and Xie Ling. It was quite rare for all of them to be in the same ce at once. Among the three disciples, Xu Xiaoqiao liked to refer to Ruan Xiu as senior sister, Dong Gu liked to call her Ms. Xiu, but always spoke to her with a sense of genuine respect, while Xie Ling generally referred to her as Big Sister Xiu.


    At this moment, there was a dogying at Ruan Xiu''s feet. It had previously been a sickly old dog waiting for its own life toe to an end as ity on a street in the small town, but it had since beenpletely revitalized.


    This was thanks to the pills that Ruan Xiu would often feed it, all of which were of an exceptional caliber. One time, a Qi refiner had been passing through, and he had been appalled to see this. He felt as if he were faring even worse than a dog, and he was struck by the urge to rush over and fight over the pills with the dog.


    Only several of the tallest mountains in the area were able to peek through the resplendent sea of clouds, and they stood like individual inds in the sky.


    Ruan Xiu pointed at one of the mountains as she said, "My father says that all you have to do is reach the Golden Core Tier, and he''ll give you a mountain and hold a mountain opening ceremony for the world to see."


    She then turned to Dong Gu as she continued, "You''re a spirit, so it''ll be more difficult for you to progress in your cultivation than for the three of us, but your long lifespan gives you an advantage. On top of that, you already possess a very solid foundation at the Dragon Gate Tier, so it''s about time that you attempted a breakthrough."


    Dong Gu wanted to say something, but was rather hesitant.


    Clearly, he wasn''t very confident. The Golden Core Tier bottleneck was the most difficult one to break through for cultivators of the Middle Five Tiers, and it had stumped countless Dragon Gate Tier cultivators in the past.


    Dong Gu had left his hometown, leaving behind his status as imperial preceptor of his nation and all of his worldly wealth, just so he coulde to Jewel Small World in the hope that the vast abundance of spiritual energy here would increase his chances of progressing to the Golden Core Tier.


    As for the caliber of the Golden Core that he attained and the number of artworks that he managed to manifest in his core abode, those were things that he didn''t even dare to think about.


    The allure of the Dragon Gate Tier had made countless Qi refinersmit to a lifestyle of tireless cultivation year after year, paying no heed to anything worldly matters.


    "I''ll assist you during your breakthrough. I''ll draw upon the fortune of the mountains of our sect to help you in your breakthrough as much as possible."


    Ruan Xiu then pointed at Xie Ling as she continued, "Earlier, your junior brother received an exquisite pagoda that''s close to crossing into the realm of celestial tools. It was bestowed upon him by a powerful figure, and it can somewhat mitigate the peril of your breakthrough."


    A sullen look appeared on Xie Ling''s face, and he was struck by the urge to jump off the cliff and end his own life.


    <em>That''s my most closely guarded secret, Big Sister Xiu! How could you just reveal it to everyone like that? </em>


    A hint of excitement finally appeared on Dong Gu''s perpetually wooden and expressionless face, and he extended a grateful bow toward Xie Ling as he said, "I''ll be sure to repay you for this, Junio Brother Xie!"


    Ruan Xiu turned her gaze back to the sullen Xie Ling as she said, "There''s no use in having a powerful treasure if you''re not going to make good use of it. Don''t always think about keeping it to yourself.


    ��Ultimately, the only thing that you can rely on cultivation is yourself, and excessive reliance on external items will have a severe negative impact on your mindset. Why is it that you hear so many stories of Nascent Tier cultivators perishing during their seclusions? It''s precisely because they ced too much weight on external objects during their cultivation."


    Xie Ling was very amused to hear this long-winded lecture from Ruan Xiu, and Xu Xiaoqiao and Dong Gu were also looking at her with strange looks in their eyes.


    Ruan Xiu sighed in a deted manner as she conceded, "My father made me memorize all of this stuff. It was a real pain in the arse!"


    Xie Ling became even more amused upon hearing this, and Xu Xiaoqiao and Dong Gu also exchanged a smile.


    "Dong Gu, find a good ce and decide on a date and time for your breakthrough. Xie Ling and I will definitely be there when the timees," Ruan Xiu instructed.


    Dong Gu nodded excitedly in response.


    Ruan Xiu rummaged a silken pouch out of her sleeve, but didn''t open it as she said to the three disciples, "You can go now."


    Xie Ling resided on the mountain, while Dong Gu was cultivating in a thatch hut at the foot of the mountain, and Xu Xiaoqiao was staying in the sword shop on the bank of the Dragon Whisker River. Ruan Qiong had established a rule that prohibited cultivators from flying through the area, so Xu Xiaoqiao and Dong Gu were forced to make the journey down the mountain on foot.


    "As disciples of Dragon Spring Sword Sect, this is your home, so you can fly as you please, no one''s going to stop you. My father doesn''t care about trivial things like whether you fly or walk, all he cares about is whether you''ll be able to reach the Golden Core Tier and go beyond that to reach the Upper Five Tiers in the future," Ruan Xiu said.


    "Just to rify, my father didn''t say this, but I think that''s what he would say if he were here," Ruan Xiu added.


    Xu Xiaoqiao and Dong Gu continued to depart on foot.


    Ruan Xiu crouched down as she tossed a peach cake into her own mouth, and her eyes immediately crinkled up into blissful little slits.


    She then forced her eyes open as much as possible so she could look more serious, then turned to the dog as she mumbled incoherently through her mouthful of cake, "You have to cherish these days and know your ce. Don''t always go around barking at people on the streets.


    ��Do you think it''s fun? I heard that you almost bit someone once. I told you to look after the courtyard, so why did youe to the mountain on your own? Were you hoping that I would protect you?"


    Ruan Xiu raised a hand as she threatened, "I''ll kill you right now if you don''t behave!"


    The dog immediately fell onto its haunches to beg for mercy.


    Ruan Xiu took a cold nce at it as she murmured to herself, "If it wasn''t for him, I could''ve already had several meals of braised dog meat."


    The dog began to tremble in fear.


    Ruan Xiu stood up as she pointed at the path leading down the mountain as she said, "Even those Qi refiners have to constantly lead disciplined and cautious lives, what is a dog like you doing disobeying my orders? Go and guard the entrance of the mountain!"


    The dog immediately sprinted away like the wind.


    It had only attained some low-level intelligence, and it had previously felt like Ruan Xiu was a very benevolent and adorable owner. Only in this instant did ite to realize that she had never actually felt any affection for it.


    Ruan Xiu began munching on her second peach cake while cupping her hand under her chin to catch the crumbs that fell out of her mouth.


    She felt as if she could eat these things for the rest of eternity without getting sick of them, and she couldn''t help but wonder if those river gods were going to be just as tasty.


    ording to her father, their godly bodies were the best source of sustenance for her cultivation.


    All of a sudden, she realized that she had begun drooling, and she hurriedly wiped a hand across her lips.

 Chapter 306: (1): The Old Monk Who Didn’t Like to Speak About Buddhism

    Chapter 306: (1): The Old Monk Who Didn��t Like to Speak About Buddhism


    The next morning, the gates of the manor creaked open, and the emaciated little girl instantly woke up before jumping down from the stone lion''s back, then snuck away while sticking close to the wall.


    Chen Ping''an had naturally "woken up" before she did, and after watching the little girl leave, he returned to his residence instead of following her any longer. Chen Ping''an had rented a side room in a courtyard in the southern part of the capital city.


    There was a Champion Schr Alley nearby that was very renowned, but in reality, it couldn''t evenpare with Apricot Blossom Alley back home. There were many poor schrs who had traveled to the capital city for the imperial examination staying there.


    Many of them had failed the examination, but couldn''t afford to make the return journey, and by remaining in the capital city, they could stay longer with the new friends that they had made, so they decided to settle permanently here.


    Chen Ping''an only had the key to his room, but no key for the yard gate, so he made sure to return at a time where the yard gate had already been opened for the morning. After returning to the courtyard, he made his way into his own room, then closed the door.


    He took a nce at the stack of books on his table and the nkets on his bed to find that they had all been moved. The signs were very subtle, but they were quite apparent in his eyes, and he could only heave a resigned sigh. Thankfully, nothing had gone missing.


    Previously, Chen Ping''an didn''t live here. Instead, he had been staying in arge room in an inn so that he could practice his walking fist and sword techniques as he pleased.


    However, as his fruitless search for the Observing Dao Temple wore on, he became more and more agitated, and in an extremely rare turn of events, he stopped his practice altogether. In order to save money, he moved into this room, where he would only asionally practice his standing meditation.


    Heid down on his bed, then looked up at the ceiling with a dazed expression.There was no point in continuing to stumble around like a headless chicken.


    He had benefited immensely from this journey, first from his experience on the Sword Qi Great Wall, then from the two battles at the Soaring Eagle Fort. In particr, in the wake of that devilish cultivator''s core abode self-detonation, a vast amount of spiritual energy had been released, and Chen Ping''an had been a direct beneficiary of that.


    At this point, he could feel that his fourth tier bottleneck was beginning to loosen, but there was also something missing. He had a vague sense that he could make this breakthrough whenever he wanted, but would rather establish a more solid foundation first.


    If he couldn''t find that missing piece, then perhaps he would just have to follow Lu Tai''s advice and pay a visit to a martial sage temple, or seek out the heroic spirits and Yin gods that were still lingering at ancient battlefields.


    He had to find something to do. Otherwise, he felt as if he were about to grow mold.


    Chen Ping''an decided that he was going to stay in the capital city of Southern Garden Nation until the end of summer. If he still couldn''t find the Observing Dao Temple by then, he would return to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and focus all of his efforts on reaching the seventh tier.


    With the help of Cui Chan''s grandfather, Chen Ping''an had a great deal of confidence, and perhaps his ten-year agreement with Ning Yao could be curtailed by a few years.


    However, deep down, Chen Ping''an was still feeling a little fearful of Cui Chan''s unfathomable grandfather, who had dered that he was going to make Chen Ping''an the strongest martial artist under the heavens of each tier that he progressed through.


    He had already had to endure such immense pain to get to the third tier, and he was genuinely afraid that he would be beaten to death by the old man.


    Chen Ping''an inteced his fingers behind his own head and closed his eyes.


    He wondered if the battle between A''Liang and the so-called True Invincible Daoist second disciple in the heavens beyond heavens had been decided.


    He wondered about what vast mountains and enormous rivers Liu Xianyang had seen on his long journey to the Yingyin Chen n.


    He wondered if Li Baoping was happy at Mountain Cliff Academy.


    He wondered if Gu Can was being bullied at Bamboo Scroll Lake, and whether he now had a new book that contained the names of his enemies.


    He wondered if Ruan Xiu still enjoyed the peach cakes of the Dragon Riding Alley shop.


    He wondered if Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia had made any new friends with whom they could subdue demons and eliminate fiends together.


    He wondered if Fan Er had met a girl that he liked in Old Dragon City.


    As these thoughts shed through his mind, he gradually fell asleep.


    With First and Fifteenth in his Sword Nurturing Gourd, Chen Ping''an didn''t have to worry about being vulnerable during sleep.


    The courtyard was owned by a family of five, consisting of three generations under the same roof. The old man liked to go out to y Go, but he was a very weak yer, and his etiquette was even worse.


    The old woman always wore a dark expression and had a very sharp tongue, reminding Chen Ping''an of Granny Ma from Apricot Blossom Alley.


    As for the young couple, the woman was responsible for housework, and she was constantly being berated by her mother-inw. ording tomonly used ng in the capital city, her husband was someone who carried a shop on his back.


    Essentially, what that meant was that he walked around with arge bag of junk on his back to sell, and he was constantly loudly advertising his own wares as he made his way through the streets and alleys. On lucky days, he would be able to pick up some valuable old items, then sell them to the antique shops in the city to earn some decent ie.


    The couple were both quite unremarkable in appearance, but they had a very beautiful son who was about seven or eight years old. Unlike the other kids in the impoverished alley that he grew up in, he looked much more like a young master from an affluent n.


    At school, he was very popr with his teachers, and often liked to watch his grandfather y Go, often watching for hours at a time inplete silence. It seemed that he had the makings of a little schr.


    Everyone in the alley was very fond of this child, and they often made jokes at his expense, asking him which one he preferred out of the girl living next door and Young Mistress Liu from his school. In response, the child would always give a shy smile, then continue to watch his grandfather y Go in silence.


    After Chen Ping''an fell asleep, a small figure emerged from the ground, then climbed its way onto the table, sitting down beside the stack of books as it began to doze off.


    The little lotus figure was clearly very proficient in earth movement techniques, and it was able to move extremely fast and inplete silence.


    Prior to arriving at the capital city of Southern Garden Nation, Chen Ping''an asionally yed some games with it, speeding along on horseback or running full tilt for several dozen kilometers at a time. However, whenever he stopped, the little guy would always be right there, sticking its head out of the earth to smile at him.


    Regardless of whether Chen Ping''an was practicing his walking or standing meditation, it never disturbed him, merely watching from afar. Only when Chen Ping''an beckoned to it would it skip over to his side, then climb up his robe to sit on his shoulder, and the two of them would appreciate the scenery together.


    As for that snowke coin, it was with Chen Ping''an for the moment.


    Chen Ping''an only had a brief nap before he was woken up by themotion in the courtyard. The old woman was ranting as usual, while her daughter-inw responded in a timid voice. The old man was clearing his throat, and the boy was reciting a passage from a book. Only the young man was silent, presumably still sleeping.


    Chen Ping''an sat down at the table and gently picked up a book, and the little lotus figure also woke up before turning to Chen Ping''an with a bleary-eyed expression.


    "Go back to sleep," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    The little figure immediately sprang to its feet, then rushed over to Chen Ping''an''s side to help him flip over the page of his book, and Chen Ping''an was already ustomed to this.


    He had newly purchased all of these books after parting ways with Lu Tai at the Soaring Eagle Fort. Lu Tai had told him that it was important to focus on quality over quantity when it came to reading. The more books one read, the more their attention would be divided, and that could easily lead to biting off more than one could chew.


    Hence, it was much better to read the ssics and truly savor them, exploring all of their intricacies, harnessing the principles that they espoused, and peering into the energy, essence, and spirit concealed within the sentences and pages. Only then could one proim to have read a book.


    Otherwise, it could only be referred to as skimming through a book, and even if one were to skim through thousands of books, they wouldn''t be able to learn much at all.


    At the time, Chen Ping''an had felt very much enlightened. If it weren''t for these cautionary words from Lu Tai, perhaps he really would''ve been inclined to buy every single good book that he came across, and he would be sure to read all of them meticulously. However, there was no end to the good books in the world, yet one''s lifespan was limited.


    He had to practice his fist and sword techniques on top of searching for the Observing Dao Temple, so he didn''t have much spare time, and that time was naturally best dedicated to reading the best books.


    Lu Tai had given him a list of books, and it was a list that Chen Ping''an greatly cherished, but he didn''t buy his books ording to the list. Instead, he went to purchase the literary ssics of the Second Sage of Confucianism.


    Unfortunately, it was now impossible to find the Schrly Sage''s books on the market.


    He wanted topare the books of the Schrly Sage with those of the Second Sage.


    In terms of bias, Chen Ping''an was naturally leaning toward Mr. Qi''s teacher. However, there was no problem in admiring and respecting someone, but if admiration turned into blind trust and absolute obedience, then that would lead to major problems.


    Was the Schrly Sage an aplished schr? Of course he was. ording to Cui Chan, at the height of his influence, the Schrly Sage had felt like an insurmountable monolith in the eyes of all schrs.


    In that case, did Chen Ping''an have the right to think that his principles were incorrect?


    It seemed almostughable, like the prospect of an ant trying to topple a tree, but in reality, that was not the case as the Second Sage existed, and he had also written his own share of literary ssics.


    Chen Ping''an had once told Ning Yao''s parents that in order to truly love someone, then one had to love that person''s ws as well.


    He had also told the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure to be candid with him if he were to do anything wrong.


    However, deep down, Chen Ping''an was naturally hoping that after reading the works of both sages, he would stille to the conclusion that the Schrly Sage was more correct.


    If that were the case, then the next time he shared a drink with the old schr, they would have something to talk about.


    Chen Ping''an sat in a formal pose, reading very slowly and in a very quiet voice. Whenever he reached the end of a page, the little lotus figure would immediately flip over a new page for him.


    After that, it would sit back down onto the table between Chen Ping''an and the book, imitating Chen Ping''an''s formal and rigid seating posture as it listened to his quiet recitation.


    Themotion outside was still ongoing, but it was as if Chen Ping''an were in a world of his own,pletely detached from the affairs of this world. This was merely a ce where he had paid to stay, and he felt no connection to it.


    Not far away from Champion Schr Alley were some wine shops and brothels, as well as a temple. Even though they were situated very close to each other, they may as well have been worlds apart.


    Chen Ping''an often spotted some monks emerging from the temple while carrying bowls in their hands. They were all very thin, but most of them wore very cid and content expressions, and even if they weren''t wearing their kasayas, it was still very easy to distinguish them from the average person.


    Over at the wine shops and brothels, it was always very lively and bustling at night, and the smell of wine and makeup permeated over the entire street. It was often the case that themotion would only die down in the early hours of the morning.


    Regardless of whether they were men enjoying the services offered on the street, or the women serving them, all of the people there seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves over the course of the night, but as soon as daylight arrived, they would all be left looking frail and drained.


    On a few asions, Chen Ping''an saw some women escorting their final few customers out of the brothels, then removed their makeup before emerging onto the street outside. There, they would purchase something to eat from the street side stalls, and some of them would fall asleep while sitting on the street, huddled over their bowls of congee or wontons.


    Time was more precious than any currency, and they were borrowing time from the heavens. Eventually, the debt would have to be repaid.


    Some of the stall owners who had grown familiar with these brothel workers would make suggestive remarks at them, and some of the women didn''t really care, merely ying along so that they could receive a small discount on their meals. In contrast, some of them took particr offense to such flippant remarks, hurling torrents of abuse at the offending stall owners, who could only mumble apologies in a timid fashion.


    However, after those women left, the stall owners would then denounce them as whores who sold their flesh for money, and that it didn''t make sense for them to be offended by such remarks as they had no shame anyway.


    The next day, the offended brothel workers still visited the same stalls, while the petnt stall owners would continue to sneak nces at the brothel workers'' fair and delicate hands. Those hands were as fair as the skin of the pork that they were selling, and they couldn''t evenpare with the yellow and weathered hands of their haggard wives back home.


    The stall owners couldn''t help but wonder what these women had been fed that had allowed them to grow up so fair and beautiful, and they also couldn''t help but sigh internally at the thought that it would cost them close to half a year''s worth of profits from running their stalls just to be able to spent a night with them.


    Southern Garden Nation had already enjoyed several centuries of peace, and during that time, its rulers had all been passable, with none of them particrly exceptional or particrly ipetent.


    Hence, there was no nightly curfew in the capital city, and people were free to carry around weapons and ride on horseback as they pleased without fear of irking the local authorities. Whenever some acquaintances ran into each other, they would greet one another, and some would even go to a nearby shop for a drink. They would talk about all manners of things, and a liter or two of wine would be gone in no time.


    In order to search for the Observing Dao Temple, Chen Ping''an wandered through the capital city every single day, so he had witnessed many of the sights that the city had to offer, including some of the more obscure and strange ones.


    As long as no one actively provoked him, Chen Ping''an paid no heed to anyone else.


    Lu Tai had once told him something that he didn''t identify with very much at the time, but it had since resonated with him more and more.


    Upon embarking on the path of cultivation, one would begin to feel as if they could see demons and spirits everywhere.


    Chen Ping''an closed his book, having spent the past two hours reading, and he was about to go out for a walk.


    Even though he had be more and more agitated over the course of his search for the Observing Dao Temple, he had made attempts to settle his own mental state.


    In fact, he had made extensive efforts to do so, including visiting many temples to offer incense to the Buddha and walking alone in peaceful forests. Whenever he visited a temple, he would record the visit on a bamboo slip, and up to this point, he had visited the small temple next to Champion Schr Alley the most.


    The temple wasn''t veryrge, only home to about a dozen monks, so Chen Ping''an had be quite familiar with all of the monks there. Whenever he felt agitated, he would go there to have a sit, not necessarily to speak with the monks there. Sometimes, he would sit on his own under the eaves and listen to the sound of the windchimes for an entire afternoon.


    In Southern Garden Nation, Buddhism was championed over Daoism, so there were countless Buddhist temples in the nation, while Daoist temples were extremely rare, and they were entirely nonexistent in the capital city.


    Over the past few days, a piece of shocking news had been making the rounds in the capital city. A huge piece of controversy hade out of White River Temple, one of the four major temples of Southern Garden Nation''s capital city. White River Temple had always been renowned for how exceptionally devoted their abbots were to the teachings of Buddhism.


    All of the abbots of the temple that passed away left behind bodies that decay, and could be cremated to make Sariras. In this regard, the other three major temples all conceded inferiority.


    Over time, White River Temple became known as a symbol representing the prosperity of Buddhism in Southern Garden Nation.


    However, two years ago, a high-ranking monk of White River Temple was nominated to be abbot, and not long ago, he fled the temple to go to the Imperial Court of Judicial Review to report a case. After hearing the case, all of the officials of the court had beenpletely dumbstruck.

 Chapter 307: (1): Underfoot

    Chapter 307: (1): Underfoot


    The little monk was very distraught upon learning of his master''s death, disying none of the tranquility and detachment preached by Buddhist monks.


    However, as Chen Ping''an watched the bawling little boy vigorously shaking the old monk''s arm from side to side, as if he were trying to rouse his master from his slumber, Chen Ping''an felt as if this was the reaction most fitting for a boy with human emotions.


    After learning that his master''s body was cremated into Sariras, the little monk''s depression turned to tion, and he felt very proud of his master. Once again, the little monk''s propensity for wild emotional fluctuations was very unbefitting of a Buddhist monk.


    Chen Ping''an had been helping the temple wherever he could during the transition period in the wake of the old monk''s passing. He informed the new abbot in private of the old monk''s intention to keep the matter regarding the Sariras a secret for now, at least until this recent wave of controversy blew over.


    The new abbot raised no objections to this, and he thanked Chen Ping''an earnestly for informing him of the old abbot''s final wishes.


    After that, Chen Ping''an paid no further visits to Heart Manifestation Temple, but he told the new abbot that if Heart Manifestation Temple were to ever run into any trouble, then he could send a messenger to his current residence, and he would be sure to help out wherever he could.


    The new abbot thanked him once again, and following Chen Ping''an''s departure, he went to the main hall and lit an eternal mentern for the kind-hearted benefactor. He then called over the little monk and instructed him to frequently check on thentern.


    The little monk nodded in response, but judging from how quickly he had agreed, the abbot knew that the little monk was definitely going to ck off. Hence, he flicked the little monk gently on the head and reiterated, "I''m serious, Mu Yu. Make sure thentern doesn''t go out."


    The little monk nodded once again with a sullen expression. The residual sharp pain from that flick to the forehead served as as good an impetus as any for him to remember to take this matter seriously.Following the new abbot''s departure, the little monk heaved a forlorn sigh to himself. His senior brother had been so benevolent in the past, but now that he was the new abbot, he had be just as strict as their deceased master. The little monk decided there and then that even if the opportunity arose for him to be abbot in the future, he definitely wasn''t going to ept the role as doing so would be sure to sadden his junior brothers.


    It then urred to him that he was his master''s youngest disciple, so he was never going to have any junior brothers, and that was a horrifying realization for him! With that in mind, he immediately darted away like the wind, catching up to his senior brother before asking him when he was going to be taking disciples.


    The abbot could tell what the little monk was thinking, and an exasperated look appeared on his face as he prepared to flick the little monk on the head once again, much like he would strike a normal wooden fish. [1]


    The little monk heaved a forlorn sigh before rushing away again.


    Strangely enough, even though Chen Ping''an''s mental state was gradually returning to tranquility, he didn''t resume his practice of the Mountain Shaking Guide and the Proper Sword Scripture. Instead, he continued to wander around in the capital city, this time with a small cotton pouch on his back.


    He had a diet of wine and dry biscuits, and he had no set ce of residence, stopping at any peaceful location that he took a liking to whenever he needed to rest, whether that be under the shade of a tree, on a rooftop, or beside a river.


    He passed by tall red walls with the canopies of trees peeking over them, and he could hear the sounds of children ying andughing within the walls.


    There was a group of well-dressed schrs reciting beautiful poems, and at the time, Chen Ping''an had been seated on a branch of a nearby tree, drinking in silence.


    There was a waterside restaurant where a gathering of friends was taking ce. All of them were handsome young intellectuals, and they were discussing the state of the world and exchanging opinions on the policies of the nation. Chen Ping''an was seated on the rooftop of the restaurant, listening intently to their conversation.


    They were full of ambition and detested evil with all their hearts, but Chen Ping''an felt like the political reforms that they proposed were going to be difficult to execute in practice. Having said that, it could also just be because these young intellectuals hadn''t gone into detail about their ideas as they had had too much to drink.


    There were two gangs that had agreed to meet up for a fight. Each gang had thirty to forty men, and they had decided to settle their differences here once and for all.


    Chen Ping''an observed the scuffle while squatting atop a copsed wall in the distance, and he noticed that the older men above twenty years of age were very wily and cunning in the way that they fought, while the young men below twenty years of age fought with reckless abandon and brutality.


    After the event, they walked away bruised and battered while leaning on their brothers for support, and they were already looking forward to the next fight.


    The leader of one of the gangs was slightly older, close to thirty years of age, and he arranged for all of his brothers to go and have a drink together at a wine shop. The beautiful woman at the counter was the man''s wife, and she could only force a smile at the sight of these familiar faces, then bring out some food and wine for her husband''s brothers.


    The man was surrounded by his brothers, talking in an animated fashion, while the woman looked on at him with a hint of concern in her eyes, as if she was wondering how she was going to make ends meet, but there was also a look of admiration on her face whenever she gazed upon him.


    The woman was watching her husband, while her husband''s right hand man, the most courageous and skilled fighter among the man''s subordinates, was sneaking furtive nces at her.


    Chen Ping''an sat at the table furthest away from them and ordered two gons of wine, one to pour into his Sword Nurturing Gourd, and the other to drink right away.


    The young woman gritted her teeth and decided to overcharge him, asking for thirty extra copper coins. Thankfully for her, Chen Ping''an didn''t seem to know the local wine prices, and he paid without any hesitation. The woman was left feeling a little guilty, so she brought him a couple of dishes of appetizers that she had made, in response to which Chen Ping''an stood up to thank her with a smile.


    This made the woman feel even more guilty and embarrassed, and she hurriedly turned away, not daring to look into Chen Ping''an''s clean and pure eyes any longer.


    Over at the other table, everyone was gathered around the leader of the gang, whose cheeks were rosy red from the wine that he had drunk, and he was loudly telling his brothers that someday, they were going to truly have a territory of their own in the capital city.


    Once that time came, they would drink wine and eat meat to their hearts'' content, and they would no longer have to be fearful of official soldiers with sabers strapped to their waists. In fact, those soldiers were going to be the ones to suck up to them, and Schr Ma would never dare to look down on them again whenever they asked him to write some couplets for them in the future.


    The man was tripping over his words a little from inebriation, but all of his brothers were still cheering loudly at the vision that he had presented to them.


    In particr, the younger members of the gang drank until they threw up, only to repeat the cycle again, and when they returned to the table, they could still make out their brothers through their bleary, drunken eyes. To them, they couldn''t imagine a better life to lead.


    Chen Ping''an left the streetside wine shop in silence.


    As he did so, he couldn''t help but turn back to look at the table of men, and he was reminded of the time that he had spent with Liu Xianyang and Gu Can. At the time, he was still working as an apprentice in the dragon kiln, and with Liu Xianyang''s meager ie, he was barely able to afford any wine to drink.


    After having a drink, Liu Xianyang would routinely speak about his grand visions for the future, following which he would grumble about why Zhi Gui didn''t seem to like him. As for Gu Can, he had always been mature beyond his years, and he would grit his teeth and imitate the thugs that he had seen in the past, talking about how he was going to throw caution to the wind exact vengeance on everyone who had wronged him in the past.


    After a while, Chen Ping''an departed, and one of the more observant young men said in a joking manner, "That pretty boy from earlier was looking at us for quite a while before he left. Could it be that he''s taken a liking to our bossdy?"


    The inebriated man mmed his fist onto the table as he roared, "I''ll kill him if he dares to look at my wife! Let me tell you this: even if I die tomorrow, my wife will remain a widow for the rest of her life and won''t ever remarry, even if the emperor offers to take her as a concubine! That little pretty boy has nothing on me! Does he think he''s top shit just because he''s carrying a sword?!"


    The man''s head dropped onto the table with a loud thump as he spoke, and he immediately began snoring.


    The young woman lowered her head as she wiped down a table, and for some reason, a faint smile appeared on her face.


    The young man constantly stealing nces at the woman had also lowered his head, a little in panic and a little in resentment. He took a sip of wine, but it waspletely nd and tasteless.


    There was a frail and weary-looking woman who chased a naughty child onto the street for some reason, and as soon as she caught him, she began to administer a spanking. The boy pretended to howl in pain, but was actually making funny faces at one of his nearby friends. As the frail-looking woman beat the child, she suddenly erupted into tears herself, and only then did the boy also begin to genuinely cry.


    After a bout of heavy rain, the warmth of the sun''s rays finally returned to the capital city. A group of well-dressed individuals were galloping along on horseback, and the thundering hooves of their steeds were sending mud sttering in all directions.


    There was a streetside stall being run by an old woman, and she was selling some crudely knitted garments. Before she had a chance to do anything, her wares had be sttered with mud, and a distraught look instantly appeared on her face.


    Riding at the end of the group was a proud-looking young woman, and upon noticing the old woman''s heartbroken expression, she casually tossed a pouch of money onto the stall while continuing to ride onward.


    However, her horsemanship was far from exceptional, and as she focused on tossing the pouch of money onto the stall, she inadvertently fell off the back of her steed, tumbling to the ground before rising to her feet with a groan and a grimace. Her beautiful features and expensive dress were all covered in mud.


    The woman stumbled over to her horse, which had stopped in its tracks to wait for its rider, and she mbered onto its back with some difficulty before setting off again.


    As she did so, she noticed a white-robed swordsman out of the corner of her eye. The white-robed figure was standing on the side of the street, and she couldn''t help but turn to look at him, upon which he gave her a thumbs-up.


    The young woman rolled her eyes and moved on without giving the interaction a second thought.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an continued his leisurely journey, witnessing many different sights and scenes in the process.


    The controversy of White River Temple quickly blew over in less than ten days, and the imperial court had already closed the case. Several of the main perpetrators behind the temple''s crimes had been executed, while the rest had all been imprisoned or banished.


    The properties of White River Temple had all been confiscated, and as for who was going to take over the temple, some spected that it would be one of the other three major temples in the capital city, while others imed that it would be one of the renowned temples outside of the capital city.


    Clearly, there was a very capable and wise figure offering the emperor of Southern Garden Nation counsel on this matter, and the controversy of White River Temple died down very quickly as the attention of the entire nation was quickly turned to another important event.


    One of the four grandmasters, Faction Master Yu Zhenyi of the Lake Mountain Faction, had sessfully made a breakthrough after ten years of seclusion, and he was holding a martial gathering, calling upon all of the nation''s top martial artists to discuss the matter of eradicating the three devilish sects.


    The number one martial artist under the heavens, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu, Tong Qingqing of the Mirror Heart Hall, and Mountain Master Lu Fang of the Bird''s Eye View Peak were all set to make an appearance at the gathering.


    The four grandmasters were going to being together on Bull Mountain, which was situated right next to Southern Garden Nation''s capital city, and this was going to be a grand event the likes of which the nation hadn''t seen for over a hundred years.


    These four people each stood at the pinnacle of the martial arts world of their respective nation, and they possessed incredible power and influence. In particr, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu of Southern Garden Nation and Yu Zhenyi of Pine Song Nation had history with each other dating back to over sixty years ago.


    Both of them hade from humble backgrounds in Pine Song Nation, and they had been neighbors growing up. As a pair of inseparable friends, they began to travel the world together, and each of them encountered their own fated opportunities, elevating them to be a pair of vastly renowned martial arts prodigies.


    However, for some reason, the two of them turned on each other, and following a mortal duel that was witnessed by only four or five people, both of them sustained severe injuries. After that, Zhong Qiu arrived in Southern Garden Nation, and the two of them cut all ties with each other, marking the end of their tumultuous and rather confounding rtionship.


    Under the dying light of dusk, Chen Ping''an returned to the house where he was staying near Champion Schr Alley. Prior to this, he had spotted the grandfather and grandson duo watching others y Go on a corner of a street, and upon catching sight of Chen Ping''an, a fearful look immediately appeared on the boy''s face.


    He hurriedly rose to his feet and beckoned Chen Ping''an over toe and watch the game with him. Chen Ping''an duly obliged, but after watching the game together for a while, the boy dered that he had to do something back home, and he promptly ran away. Chen Ping''an didn''t have much interest in watching the game, so after standing there for a few minutes, he returned to the house as well.


    After Chen Ping''an entered his room, the boy got up onto a little stool so that he could peer through the window across at Chen Ping''an''s room from his own, and he heaved a faint sigh of relief.


    Chen Ping''an closed the door, then set down his bag onto the bed, upon which the little lotus figure immediately sprang out of the ground and began gesturing in an angry fashion while making a string of unintelligible sounds.


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at the pile of books on his desk, and he noticed that they were clearly a little more creased than when he left the house. He immediately realized why the little lotus figure was so angry, and he crouched down before spreading a hand open, allowing the little lotus figure to climb onto the palm of his hand.


    After that, he sat down at the desk, and the little lotus figure immediately jumped onto the pile of books, then knelt down onto the cover of one of the books to carefully smooth down the creases on it with its little hands.


    "It''s alright, books are meant to be read. He returned the books, did he not? So there''s no need to be angry," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    The little lotus figure stopped what it was doing as it turned to Chen Ping''an with a perplexed expression.


    Chen Ping''an gave it a gentle pat on the head, then pulled out his bamboo slip and carving knife before setting them down onto the table.


    That night, Chen Ping''an made a secret visit to White River Temple. He had offered up incense at the temple in the past, so it wasn''t an unfamiliar ce to him. There was a hall in White River Temple that was very peculiar in that there were three Buddha statues being worshiped inside.


    There was one that wore a furious expression, one that had its head lowered in a timid fashion, and the one at the center was seated with its back facing the hall. Over the temple''s thousand-year history, it had always had its back to the temple''s visitors.


    Recently, things had been a little depressing at White River Temple. It barely received any visitors during the day, and it was even more deathly quiet here at night. On top of that, many terrifying rumors about the temple had been circting in the capital city ofte, and in light of the recent controversy, the revered Buddha statues were suddenly looking a lot more sinister.


    A few days ago, a group of thieves had entered the temple to see if they could find anything of value, and all of them had fled the temple while screaming at the top of their lungs, looking utterly insane. Only after all of them were locked up in prison cells did they finally calm down, upon which they proimed that there were ghosts in White River Temple.


    Chen Ping''an entered a side hall through the door that was still ajar, then lit a Yang Energy Illumination Talisman to check if there were any sinister forces present. He shuffled his way to several spots in the temple, but the talisman only continued to burn at an even pace, indicating that nothing was amiss.


    Right as he was nning to leave the temple, he suddenly sprang up into the air,nding on one of the horizontal beams in the hall beforeying down on his side and concealing his own aura.


    Three figures swaggered their way into the hall from outside, and they looked much more like affluent individuals out on a moonlit stroll than a group of thieves.


    Chen Ping''an''s brows furrowed slightly at the sight of the trio. He had seen two of them in the past as they were among the martial artists living in that quiet residence on Champion Schr Alley. One of them was a tall and thin elderly man who wasn''t a Daoist priest, but was wearing an antiquated silver-colored lotus flower hat.


    1. The little monk''s Buddhist name of Mu Yu (ľ��) is identical to the term used for wooden fish. ?

 Chapter 308: (1): Danger at Every Turn

    Chapter 308: (1): Danger at Every Turn


    It was the same woman with the Fan surname, and at first nce, it appeared that her attire was quite simple and modest, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that there were elegant clouds embroidered onto her clothes, and they were just barely visible under the light of the moon and the nearbynterns. It was a very refined and understated disy of wealth.


    However, at this moment, she appeared to be wearing a disguise that masked much of her beauty, so she didn''t attract too much attention from the bystanders nearby.


    She was still staring intently at Chen Ping''an, who set down his bowl and chopsticks in exasperation as he asked, "Can I help you?"


    All of a sudden, she raised a hand to rub her own forehead, then looked around with a furrowed brow.


    A conflict had arisen between some people at a neighboring table, and they were hurling abuse at one another while mming the table. One of them was pointing at the nose of the other while denouncing all of the women in his family as sluts and prostitutes, and that his house may as well have been a brothel.


    Both were speaking with a strong Southern Garden Nation capital dialect, and they were being extremely vulgar and crass.


    The woman gently massaged her own temples for a moment topose herself, then turned back to Chen Ping''an with a look of intrigue and admiration in her eyes as she asked through voice transmission, "Young Master, are you, by any chance, an otherworldly immortal?"


    Chen Ping''an was very amused to hear this, and he shook his head as he replied, "I''m not an otherworldly immortal, I''m just an outsider traveling through Southern Garden Nation."


    A disappointed look appeared on the woman''s face, and she said in an apologetic manner, "Please pardon my intrusion.""It''s fine," Chen Ping''an replied with a wave of his hand.


    The woman hesitated momentarily, then continued, "The capital has not been a very safe ce ofte. Someone of your exceptional talents could easily be a target, so do be careful."


    "Thank you for looking out for me, Ms. Fan," Chen Ping''an replied as he cupped his fist in a salute.


    Fan Wan''er wasn''t the type to prolong unnecessary interactions, and she promptly departed without another world. Some young thugs tried to grab her as she passed by, but she was able to evade them with ease, much like a fish in water swimming through their grasping hands in an agile fashion. Chen Ping''an was feeling rather perplexed.


    ording to Cui Chan''s grandfather, one''s martial arts aptitude could be gleaned from whether they were able to derive the most profound fist intent from the lowliest of fist techniques, and that was one of the reasons why he had chosen Chen Ping''an.


    However, the old man was very stubborn and refused to admit that the Mountain Shaking Fist actually had many strong points, and Chen Ping''an didn''t want to expose him.


    This woman was most likely Fan Wan''er, and judging from what Chen Ping''an had overhead from Ya''er, Zhou Shi, and the old man with the Ding surname, she seemed to beparable to someone like He Xiaoliang back on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Fan Wan''er was clearly already disying signs of approaching the Great Dao, but for some reason, her martial arts cultivation base was unable to improve, as if there were a massive mountain weighing down upon it, inhibiting its growth.


    One could conceal one''s aura to condense their cultivation base and strive for a stronger foundation, but over time, telltale signs would begin to emerge, even from actions as mundane as taking a breath or lifting a finger.


    Earlier, the old man with the Ding surname appeared to have been quite casual as he made his way into White River Temple, but Chen Ping''an was immediately able to sense the stirring of heaven and earth.


    Having emerged from Jewel Small World, Chen Ping''an had witnessed more than his fair share of unfathomably powerful figures, so someone that even he regarded as powerful was definitely no slouch. After all, his fist technique instructor was a martial artist who had once been at the pinnacle of the tenth tier, while his sword technique mentor was an old Golden Core Tier swordsman.


    Following Fan Wan''er''s departure, Chen Ping''an also left the bustling market shortly thereafter.


    Southern Garden Nation''s capital city was split up into eighty-one areas of different sizes, and the generalyout was much the samepared with many of the nations that Chen Ping''an had passed through. The northern part of the city was quite wealthy, while the south was impoverished, and the east was filled with martial artists, while the west was primarily inhabited by schrs.


    White River Temple was situated in the western part of the city, which was home to the manors of many mid-level schrly officials and wealthy merchants.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an was walking on a stone arch bridge. It was a peaceful night, and he jumped onto the railing of the bridge, walking along it to the other side of the bridge before looking down at the river beneath his feet. There was a flood-dragon-like water guardian beast down below, which was quite amon sight at rivers like this one.


    There were many such water guardian beasts in many of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s more opulent cities, and they were usually positioned near bridges to subjugate the spirits in the water. However, Chen Ping''an wasn''t able to sense any spiritual energy in this ancient water guardian beast, indicating to him that it was only there for show.


    While Chen Ping''an was staring into the water in a daze, Fan Wan''er ran into Prince Wei Yan, who was supposed to have been on his way back to the Southern Garden Nation''s imperial pce.


    Despite his noble status, Wei Yan was also a young martial artist master. His martial arts teacher was a master from an older generation who had fled to Southern Garden Nation from the north. Just as Wei Yan had said, his master was among the small handful of people closest to the Upper Ten Elites.


    Additionally, Wei Yan''s master also had a vendetta against the Hanging Flower Faction, one of the three devilish sects. Hence, as his disciple, Wei Yan was thought of by the Lake Mountain Faction and the Mirror Heart Pavilion as one who walked the righteous path, and that he had hopes of bing a leading figure in the martial arts world in the future.


    In fact, the Mirror Heart Pavilion even had intentions of helping him be the next emperor of Southern Garden Nation.


    The young woman by the name of Ya''er was supporting Wei Yan''s younger brother, Wei Chong, in secret. The two of them had been constantly at each other''s throats, fighting over the favor of the old emperor for the past five or six years.


    Fan Wan''er and Wei Yan were strolling through the peaceful night when Wei Yan said, "If you wanted to meet that person, then there was no need to keep it a secret from me, Celestial Maiden Fan. The fact that he was able to hide in White River Temple and avoid our detection the entire time indicates that he''s clearly not just some ordinary martial artist. If he had been a devilish cultivator, then you could''ve easily ced yourself in harm''s way by going to see him on your own."


    Fan Wan''er smiled as she said, "Right now, there are ten prominent figures in our younger generation, namely you and me, Qing Ya''er, Zhou Shi of the Spring Tide Pce, and six other young martial artists of a simr age to us. In a way, we''re almost a reflection of the current Upper Ten Elites. Out of all of us, who do you think is the most formidable martial artist?"


    Wei Yan already knew the answer to this question. Not only did he have a good master, he was also the prince of a nation, and he had spies feeding him intelligence from all over the world.


    Hence, even though he hadn''t traveled much of the world himself, he knew many secrets that others didn''t, and he didn''t even have to think before he replied, "It''s hard to say who''s at the very top, but there''s amon consensus on who upies the top three spots. In a battle of life and death, the one whoes out on top will be the one who can derive the most advantage from certain internal and external factors."


    Wei Yan took a nce at Fan Wan''er as he spoke, and he noticed that she wasn''t carrying a weapon.


    He smiled as he continued, "You''re very well-versed with the teachings of the Mirror Heart Pavilion and the Lake Mountain Faction, as well as the long-lost White Ape Sword-Carrying Technique. With all of your talents, you are definitely worthy of a spot in the top three. My master once told me that you can be twopletely different people depending on whether you have a sword on your back."


    "You''re far too kind, Your Highness," Fan Wan''er said with a smile.


    Wei Yan sped one hand behind his back while gently tapping the jade belt around his waist with the fingers of his other hand as he continued, "Back when Ya''er first came to the capital city, she had been extremely arrogant and provoked the imperial preceptor. She withstood a punch from the imperial preceptor and was able to survive, albeit with some injuries.


    ��Everyone thought that she was merely fortunate to have survived that encounter, but my father told me that our imperial preceptor once proimed that Ya''er possessed tremendous martial arts aptitude, likening her to a female Lu Fang.


    ��As for the final person to round out the top three, that would have to be Feng Qingbai. Over the past decade or so, he''s been on a meteoric rise, but nothing is known about his past, his origins, and which powers he''s affiliated with.


    ��He likes to travel to all parts and challenge all types of different martial arts masters, and he''s been improving at a rapid rate. One can tell from the opponents that he''s selected that in the short span of just a decade, he''s grown from aplete novice to a first-rate elite martial artist."


    Wei Yan paused here momentarily, then turned to Fan Wan''er before asking, "Is there anyone else I should know about in the remaining seven?"


    Fan Wan''er sped her hands behind her back as she strolled over a small bridge, approaching the railing before patting the head of the small stone lion engraved there as she replied, "If there is, then at the very least, I don''t know about them, nor does our Mirror Heart Pavilion."


    Wei Yan never expected there to be such a cheeky and mischievous side to Fan Wan''er, and he couldn''t help but momentarily transfixed as he gazed upon her.


    When it came to judging female beauty, the average man would only look at a woman''s face and figure, while those with more refined taste appraised a woman''s aura.


    Fan Wan''er was exceptional in all three ounts, so it was no wonder that the proud and noble prince of Southern Garden Nation had fallen for her.


    Wei Yan had always made sure to be respectful around Fan Wan''er, whether that be with his words and actions, or with his gaze, but he had never tried to hide his feelings for her, either.


    He stopped in his tracks, then sped up so that he could walk alongside her, and he wanted to grab onto her delicate hand, but didn''t have the courage.


    All of a sudden, Fan Wan''er stopped and turned her gaze to the distance, and a concerned look appeared on her face as she said, "The reason why I brought this up is because I want to talk to you about something that''s always befuddled me."


    "Go ahead," Wei Yan prompted in an intrigued manner.


    Fan Wan''er began massaging her own be, and Wei Yan asked in a concerned voice, "What''s wrong? Did that white-robed swordsman do something to you?"


    Fan Wan''er shook her head with a smile, then asked, "Your Highness, have you ever heard of otherworldly immortals from your master?"


    "My master is an unrefined martial artist, and he never mentions such topics," Wei Yan replied with a smile. "He detests schrs and denounces them as a bunch of cowards with no balls. Whenever I have a chat with my master, if I use any idioms or any form of what he considers to be refinednguage, then I''ll be sure to receive a beating. Hence, I could only ever read about otherworldly immortals in poems and scriptures."


    Seeing as Wei Yan had no useful information to offer, Fan Wan''er didn''t dwell on this topic, and she turned her gaze to the distance again as she changed the subject and asked, "Your Highness, do you ever get the feeling that when we experience something, go to a ce, or meet a person, that it feels a little familiar, even though those should be first-time experiences?"


    "I have had that feeling before," Wei Yan replied with a nod, following which he asked with an amused smile, "Could it be that you believe in the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, Celestial Maiden Fan?"


    Fan Wan''er shook her head in response.


    ��������


    On this particr night, there were seven or eight people standing on Bull Mountain, one of whom was the childlike Yu Zhenyi, who was looking out at the capital city in the distance with a solemn look on his face.


    There was also the disheveled drunkard who had even pawned his sword to the woman running the wine shop, and his name was Lu Fang.


    Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu of Southern Garden Nation was also present. He was a thin and serious-looking man with a schrly demeanor, and it was hard to imagine that he was the leading figure among the four grandmasters.


    Yu Zhenyi''s voice was just as tender as his appearance suggested it would be, and he said, "It looks like we''re going to have to kill an additional person outside of Old Demon Ding, Zhou Fei, Feng Qingbai, and Tong Qingqing."


    "It''s not going to be me, is it?" Lu Fang asked in a self-deprecating voice, and he was met with a cold re from Zhong Qiu.


    An exasperated look appeared on Lu Fang''s face as he asked, "So I''m not even allowed to crack jokes now?"


    Aside from these three, there were also some figures on the mountain summit that definitely shouldn''t have appeared here.


    All of them were either among the Upper Ten Elites, or were martial arts masters of the same caliber as Wei Yan''s master.


    On this particr night, righteous and evil forces wereing together for a joint cause.


    Yu Zhenyi was staring intently at a certain spot in the capital city as he said in a quiet voice, "Lu Fang, go and take care of that outsider. As for whether you work together to kill him or kill him on your own, I don''t care, but failure is not an option. Bring that person''s head to me within three days, and just like always, the one who kills him gets to keep all of his possessions."


    Lu Fang rubbed the back of his own head as he heaved a faint sigh, while a burst of eager cackling rang out in the distance.


    ��������


    Instead of returning to his residence, Chen Ping''an was roaming the capital city at night like a lost spirit, and as he did so, he snuck into the scripture library of a well-educated n and began to read through the books there.


    He departed before daybreak, then went to eavesdrop on the lessons being delivered at the capital city''s imperial academy. Only at noon did he return to Champion Schr Alley, and he intentionally avoided the residence that the old man with the Ding surname and Zhou Shi were staying in.

 Chapter 309: Targeted

    Chapter 309: Targeted


    There were two people walking toward each other from either end of the paved street, and Chen Ping''an and the Go board were situated right in between them.


    To Chen Ping''an''s left was a woman with a white veil over her face. She was wearing a green robe with a silken red outer garment and a jade belt around her waist. There was a lute held in her arms, and she was walking along in a seductive fashion.


    To Chen Ping''an''s right was a man around eight feet tall. His upper body waspletely bare to reveal a muscr physique, but he was wearing a pair of pink pants.


    These two lookedpletely out of ce in contrast with the residents of the local area.


    The brawny man''s eyes were filled with killing intent, and he made no attempt to conceal his intentions whatsoever as he stared intently at Chen Ping''an. Despite Chen Ping''an''s harmless appearance, the man knew better than to judge his opponents based on outward appearances, and he dered, "Outsider, my name is Ma Xuan, and Ie from outside the city.


    ��Some people like to call me Pink Vajra, and yesterday, I was offered a thousand taels of gold for your head. I was told that you''re an unfathomably powerful martial artist, and that despite your youthful appearance, there''s a very good chance that you''re Yu Zhenyi, so I called up that woman toe with me. If you put an end to your own life here, then you''ll be able to die in one piece. Otherwise, I''ll have to pummel you to bits with my fists."


    The man was extremely loud, and the entire street was buzzing from his thunderous voice. Everyone that was gathered around the Go board hurriedly fled in a panic. A murder was about to take ce under broad daylight, and there was no way they were going to stay and watch.


    ording to the older generation living on Champion Schr Alley, several battles between powerful martial artists had taken ce in the past in Southern Garden Nation''s capital city, and each of those battles had resulted in a tremendous amount of coteral damage. Several entire sections of the city had been razed to the ground, and at least several hundred households were partially or entirely killed.


    A faint smile appeared woman''s face as she watched the fleeing bystanders through her thin veil, and she was just about to strum the strings of her lute with her right hand to decapitate Chen Ping''an with a musical note, but she suddenly stopped what she was doing as she said, "If you don''t wish to hear my music, then I suppose I''ll have to hold off for now."As it turned out, Chen Ping''an had turned his gaze to her, and she felt as if he would immediately charge at her if she dared to even touch the strings of her lute.


    She and Ma Xuan were romantic partners, and she was here to earn the one thousand taels of gold with him, not to put herself in harm''s way by pitting herself in direct battle against their target.


    The only reason why she had agreed toe was because the two of them formed a perfect partnership, which was very rare in the martial arts world. Ma Xuan would be responsible for close-quartersbat, while she assisted him from afar, and theyplemented each other perfectly. As long as they weren''t facing any one of the Upper Ten Elites, they would at least be able to get away even if they couldn''t defeat their target.


    Chen Ping''an was feeling a little perplexed, and he couldn''t help but wonder why he was being targeted. First, it was Fan Wan''er, who had approached him out of the blue to ask if he was a so-called otherworldly immortal, and now, someone was paying a thousand taels of gold for his head. It was clear that these two had no qualms about killing innocents, and if he hadn''t stopped them, they would''ve most likely already killed all of the fleeing bystanders.


    While Ma Xuan was by far the more physically imposing of the two, more of Chen Ping''an''s attention was focused on the woman.


    Her lute was entirely crafted out of purple sandalwood, and Chen Ping''an could see that there was more to it than met the eye. In particr, there were traces of blood and inky ck deathly energy intertwined near the strings of the lute, and they were slowly spreading outward in all directions.


    However, there were no vengeful spirits or malicious ghosts taking shape around the lute, and that was rather strange to Chen Ping''an. Given his past experience, he expected to see some paranormal signs around the lute, given that it had imed so many lives and umted so much resentment.


    The emaciated little girl was seated on the stool at the foot of the wall, quietly repeating the phrase "no one can see me" to herself over and over again.


    As for why she hadn''t fled like the other bystanders in the alley, she had considered that option, but she felt safer staying in close proximity to Chen Ping''an.


    "If I give you two thousand taels of gold, will you tell me who instructed you to do this?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The woman lowered her head with a seductive smile, and as she was holding her lute in her arms, her chest was squeezed even more forcefully against the back of her lute as a result of this gesture.


    Ma Xuan immediately turned his gaze to her with a look of fiery desire in his eyes, and he scoffed, "You horny slut, you''re still just as susceptible to handsome men as you''ve always been! Let''s find a ce to do it after we finish things up here. Can you charge a little less this time? A hundred taels of gold a pop is way too expensive! "


    "So there''s no possibility for negotiation?" Chen Ping''an sighed.


    "Sure there is," the brawny man chuckled as he continued to approach Chen Ping''an. "Once I''ve twisted your head off, I''ll tell you anything that you want to know!"


    Meanwhile, the woman stopped around a hundred meters away from Chen Ping''an, then began to gently flex her wrists in preparation for battle.


    All of a sudden, Ma Xuanunched himself forward, shattering the ground beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, he was no more than ten feet away from Chen Ping''an, and so fast was his speed of movement that his pink pants were pping audibly while pressing themselves tightly against his legs.


    With only ten feet of distance separating them, Chen Ping''an hadn''t moved in the slightest, and it was as if he had beenpletely rooted to the spot from fear.


    A sinister grin appeared on Ma Xuan''s face as he scoffed, "This is what you get for making my woman go into heat!"


    He swung a fist at Chen Ping''an''s head with tremendous force as he spoke, and in response, Chen Ping''an arched back gently to avoid the blow, while his feet remained firmly rooted to the ground.


    At the same time, he was thinking to himself that this Ma Xuan was acting a little too cocky by speaking during battle. Was he not afraid of being struck by his opponent during the interval between breaths?


    As soon as Chen Ping''an evaded his punch, Ma Xuan immediately knew that he was in trouble, and he instantly spread his Qi throughout his entire body. Even though he was renowned for his physical prowess, it was still always better to be safe than sorry, and he was worried that his body may not be able to withstand the retaliative strike from his opponent.


    Hence, he immediately abandoned offense for defense, focusing all of his efforts on defending himself. As his Qi traveled through his acupoints, his skin began to glow a radiant golden color.


    Chen Ping''an aimed a kick upward, striking Ma Xuan in the abdomen tounch him up into the sky.


    From there, Chen Ping''an abruptly stood up straight again, then dodged to the left and the right in quick session to evade the four "lute strings" that were sweeping toward him from afar.


    The woman''s right hand was flying over the strings of her lute in a barely visible blur, but the lute produced no sound. Instead, it was releasing strings of translucent light that swept through the air with lethal force.


    Chen Ping''an drifted along the street like a leaf in the wind, managing to evade all of the oing lute threads just in the nick of time. These threads of light were sweeping through the air without any rhyme or reason, like arrows being fired by dozens of powerful bows, and they were converging toward Chen Ping''an from all directions.


    Meanwhile, Ma Xuan plummeted to the ground, using his downward momentum to m his fists down onto the street with tremendous force.


    The woman had been keeping an eye on Ma Xuan this entire time, and right as hended on the ground, the flurry of strings of light being released from her lute ceased so that she didn''t interrupt the flow of his attack.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an vanished from the spot. Ma Xuan faltered slightly upon seeing this, but it was toote for him to arrest the momentum of his fists, and they mmed heavy down onto the street. Ma Xuan was half-knelt onto the ground, and his fists sent shattered rocks flying in all directions.


    In the next instant, Chen Ping''an appeared beside Ma Xuan and ced a hand onto his shoulder, then only exerted a slight amount of force, and both of Ma Xuan''s knees instantly sank into the bluestone street.


    Ma Xuan let loose a furious roar as he attempted to resist against the tremendous force being exerted through Chen Ping''an''s hand, but Chen Ping''an merely pressed down a little more firmly, and he was forced down onto his backside.


    The golden coloration of his skin that signified his unmatched physical constitution began to fade away on its own, while his aura also began to circte in his body in an unstable fashion against his will, and a horrified look instantly appeared on his face.


    Through the initial phase of the battle, Chen Ping''an had noticed something, which was that Ma Xuan''s True Qi was too loose and scattered.


    His aura and fist intent were both truly formidable, and his martial arts cultivation base was also nothing to be scoffed at, but in a sense, he was like a house built upon low-quality wooden support beams. On calm and pleasant days with light winds, there wouldn''t be any problems, but during heavy storms, the house could easily copse.


    His True Qi was scattered and chaotic. He had clearly valued quantity over quality in his umtion of True Qi, and it wasn''t pure at all. He was a martial artist, yet it was as if he had gone down the Qi refiner route.


    The woman stopped ying her lute altogether as she heaved a faint sigh.


    There was a vast disparity in power, and it was clear that she and Ma Xuan had bitten off far more than they could chew.


    There was a very good chance that this white-robed outsider was a martial arts master who was infinitely approaching the Upper Ten Elites.


    Was he a martial artist aligned with the demonic forces? Had another exceptional prodigy emerged in the wake of Old Demon Ding to unify the martial artist world? Alternatively, could he be a secret disciple of Yu Zhenyi''s, painstakingly nurtured for the purpose of taking down Old Demon Ding?


    The situation hadpletely spiraled out of control, and the woman was at aplete loss for what to do.


    She and Ma Xuan should''ve never gotten involved in this matter.


    Right at this moment, the sound of apuse rang out from on top of the wall.


    "Impressive! As expected of someone who was ced on the list on ast-minute basis. It looks like I''ll have to take this seriously."


    The woman looked up, and she fell even further into the depths of despair. Squatting on top of the wall was a man with a stiff smile. It was an expression that never changed, as if he were wearing a crude mask that had taken root on his face and would remain there for the rest of his life.


    It was Smiley Face Qian Tang.


    Outside of the Upper Ten Elites, Qian Tang was considered to be the martial arts master most difficult to deal with. He was a very enigmatic martial artist who was aligned with the demonic forces, and he didn''t often engage in senseless ughter of innocents, but if he were to encounter a martial artist of the same caliber as himself, then he would be sure to pester them to no end.


    Among the previous generation of the Upper Ten Elites was a man known as Eight-Armed Deity Xue Yuan. Due to his advanced age, he was past his prime and had fallen out of the Upper Ten Elites, but he was still a force to be reckoned with, and a certain martial arts master of the three devilish sects had almost perished to his fist techniques.


    However, even Xue Yuan was harassed by Qian Tang for an entire year and was almost driven insane as a result.


    Qian Tang was squatting on top of the wall, and he grabbed a handful of dirt before casually tossing it forward as he chuckled, "If you''re still intentionally holding back, then you''re going to end up dead, not by his hands, but by mine. Your name was Ma Xuan, right? And you there, the woman with the big tits. What was your name again?"


    All of a sudden, a tremendous aura erupted out of Ma Xuan''s body, one that was far more powerful than before.


    At the same time, the woman had also put on a set of fake nails that were giving off a faint gleam, and she was clearly no longer holding back as she urgently strummed the strings of her lute.


    Ma Xuan threw a vicious punch at Chen Ping''an, who raised a hand to block the punch, and he used the force of the punch to glide back along the street, with his feet sliding over the ground like a pair of Go stones.


    At the same time, a pair of thin strings of green light passed through the area in between Ma Xuan and Chen Ping''an before slicing deep into the wall on the other side of the alley.


    If Chen Ping''an had retreated just a moment toote, then he would''ve been forced to face this surprise attack.


    Ma Xuan turned to take a nce at Qian Tang, who was still squatting on the wall, then harrumphed coldly as he turned his gaze back to the unscathed Chen Ping''an before spitting up a mouthful of blood onto the ground.


    He had already sustained some internal injuries to his organs from that kick to the abdomen from Chen Ping''an, and he said to the woman behind him, "It''s going to be very difficult for us to make it out alive unless we go all-out here."


    "This is all your fault!" the woman spat through gritted teeth. "There are countless easier ways to earn a thousand taels of silver!"


    "How was I supposed to know that this would be such a difficult job? Everyone had agreed to take on Old Demon Ding together, and I thought this guy was just a small fry," Ma Xuan countered with a grimace.


    Meanwhile, most of Chen Ping''an''s attention was ced on Qian Tang.


    He was testing them, trying to see just how deep the water here was, and all of them were trying to determine exactly what Chen Ping''an was capable of.


    Qian Tang began pping once again as he said, "How interesting! It looks like great minds do think alike."


    Right at this moment, a handsome young man emerged from a crossroads, carrying a pair of bloody heads.


    It was Zhou Shi, and he stood at the crossroads, looking at Chen Ping''an from afar. He smiled as he raised the heads that he was holding, then casually tossed them onto the ground.


    From behind him emerged an extremely beautiful woman wearing a pair of wooden clogs. She made her way around Zhou Shi, and as she stepped onto the paved street, her clogs began to ck against the bluestone material. She was also holding a pair of heads, which she casually tossed onto the street as well.


    A faint smile then appeared on her face as she said, "Greetings, Young Master. My grandteacher says that this boy can live as long as you hand over that wine gourd of yours. Otherwise, their family of five will be reunited on the other side.


    ��You''ve been exploring the capital city extensively over the past few months, and you''re clearly a very kind-hearted person. Surely you wouldn''t just stand by and watch an innocent child be killed when you could change that oue."


    Inside the house deep in the alley, Old Demon Ding was seated on a stool, basking in the light of the sun. Beside him was a boy trembling uncontrobly with snot and tears flowing down his face.


    The old man smiled as he said, "There''s no need to be afraid, child. You possess exceptional aptitude, and I''m nning to make an exception and take you as my disciple. Perhaps you could be the leader of the demonic orthodoxy, so what''s there to cry about? You''ve lost some family, but you now have the chance to rule over an entire world.


    ��You''ve read some books, so you should be aware of which is more valuable out of the two. If you keep crying and diverting my attention, I may not be able to keep that little guy trapped in that room, and if that happens, I''ll have to kill you as well."


    He then cast his gaze toward the distance as he said, "Yu Zhenyi, Zhong Qiu, let me tell you this now: Zhou Fei has already promised to help me, so I suggest that you kill Tong Qingqing and Feng Qingbai first, thene back to fight me. Also, the emergence of that outsider is a huge opportunity, so it''s no longer really that important whether you kill me or not.


    ��Do you really think I would be lured in by a Golden Arhat Body? If that''s the case, then you think far too little of me. Having said that, I can tell you a huge piece of good news. If you kill that man on the street, then it''ll no longer be ten.


    ��With his life, in addition to that wine gourd and the immortal flying sword in the room behind me, it''ll at least be thirteen. How about all of us adjust our strategies? If we kill that kid, many more choices will be avable to us."


    After a brief silence, the old man seemed to have received a response, and he gave a cold sneer.


    On the street, Chen Ping''an inspected his surroundings momentarily, then dered, "There''s no need to try and get a grasp on my mental state."


    Everyone was rather perplexed, wondering why he had suddenly said something like this.


    In the distance, a middle-aged man was standing under the shade of a tree with a sword held to his chest. He had been taking a nap this entire time, but his eyes suddenly sprang open, and he waspletely alert as he remarked to himself with a cold smile, "I knew it!"

 Chapter 310: Assassination

    Chapter 310: Assassination


    The middle-aged man slowly emerged from the shade of the tree, and he grabbed onto the hilt of his sword with its de pointing upward, wobbling from side to side. As opposed to a swordsman, he looked much more like a naughty child ying with a rattle drum. However, as soon as he stepped into view, everyone''s expressions instantly changed drastically.


    The man paid no heed to all of these vast renowned martial artists, and his gaze was fixed solely on Chen Ping''an as he smiled and said, "You''re thinking far too highly of yourself. In the next century, Ding Ying is probably the only one worthy of being hunted by me. As for you, you''re still nowhere near worthy of that honor yet."


    Everyone looked on as the man plunged his sword into the ground, and he rested his handszily onto the tip of the sword''s hilt as he turned to everyone else with a smile and said, "Well, don''t just stand there. Keep going! I''ll only step in if all of you are unable to get the job done. Rest assured, my sword is reserved only for that boy today, and I won''t target any of you."


    Ma Xuan spat up a globule of bloody saliva, then smiled as he said, "I never thought that I would have the opportunity to be backed up by Sword Immortal Lu. Looks like it was worth making this trip to the capital, after all! Regardless of the oue, my name will inevitably be mentioned whenever someone speaks of this battle, and that''s enough for me!"


    Ma Xuan huddled over slightly, and a fearsome tiger tattoo appeared over his body, stretching all the way from his shoulder down the entire length of his arm.


    On top of that, a door-god-like image had also appeared on his muscr back. It depicted an azure-robed man with a head of long hair, wielding a long saber. The man''s eyes were closed, and he was giving off a cold aura that was even more formidable than that of the tiger tattoo.


    Qian Tang''s smile widened even further, and he plucked out a piece of straw from somewhere, then began to gently chew on it.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Shi said Ya''er in a quiet voice, "It looks like Ma Xuan has stumbled upon some type of fated opportunity. My father tells me that this is a deity invitation technique, and someone was able to use this same technique in that battle outside the capital three hundred years ago to great effect, hunting down two thousand elite grasnd cavalry and wiping out every single one of them."


    Upon catching sight of the peculiar look in the lute-wielding woman''s eyes, Ma Xuan smiled as he said, "I wouldn''t have dared to take on this job if I didn''t have some new tricks up my sleeve. Do you really think I care about the gold on offer?""I''m here solely for the gold," the woman replied in a cold voice. "This money is clean."


    A hint of mockery shed through Ma Xuan''s eyes as he scoffed, "You haven''t really fallen for that impoverished schr? All schrs care about their reputation. If he learns about your past, he''s going to be kicking himself, and he''ll definitely denounce you for being a prostitute and a whore!


    ��And you know what? He''d be right! Which part of your body is clean? Keep lying to yourself! When you and that impoverished schr get married, I''ll give you five hundred taels of gold as your prostitution fee!"


    "I sense genuine love and affection behind those scathing words," Zhou Shi chuckled.


    A hesitant look appeared on the face of the lute-wielding woman.


    All of a sudden, Qian Tang interjected, "You''re nning to marry him? Prior toing here, I had a chat with that schr, and we hit it off really well. We talked about many interesting stories that we''d heard, and one of those stories was the one about the lute woman.


    ��The idiot immediately began denouncing the lute woman for her actions, referring to her as a shameless whore, but little does he know that he''s talking about the very same woman that sleeps beside him every night! I think a marriage between the two of you would work. Given his sheer stupidity, you could easily keep your identity from him a secret for the rest of your life!"


    A look of mncholy appeared on the woman''s face, but it was then immediately reced by one of resolve.


    Chen Ping''an had been listening and observing this entire time without disying any agitation.


    Not only was he currently surrounded, it seemed that Fifteenth had been trapped in the house where he had been staying.


    Theckadaisical swordsman that had just stepped out from under the shade of the tree was the third martial artist that Chen Ping''an had encountered that was disying signs of approaching the Great Dao, with the previous two being the old man in the lotus flower hat and Fan Wan''er.


    However, this man''s martial arts cultivation base was far superior to Fan Wan''er''s, and it seemed that he wasn''t far away from the old man with the Ding surname.


    On top of that, even Ma Xuan had some trump cards up his sleeve, and it was clear that the water here was deeper than it appeared on the surface.


    If he had kept Fifteenth in his Sword Nurturing Gourd instead of First, then he would be in a slightly better situation right now, but there was no point in thinking about that now.


    This seemed like a truly dire situation.


    Zhou Shi smiled as he said, "I''ll let you do the honors, Ms. Ya''er."


    "I was put up to this by my grandteacher, so I certainly wouldn''t dare to ck off. Having said that, remember to save me if I''m in danger," Ya''er replied in a resigned manner.


    Zhou Shi nodded in response.


    "There''s no loss more tragic than that of a beautiful woman. Rest assured, I won''t let you down."


    Qian Tang tossed the straw that he was chewing on aside, and he also rose to his feet. After doing some stretching, a genuine smile far less stiff and rigid than his normal smile appeared on his face as he said, "It''s not every day that I get to fight an otherworldly immortal."


    Lu Fang smiled as he cautioned, "Stop thinking about such useless things on the cusp of a battle. Tong Qingqing, Feng Qingbai, and you all have simr levels of talent when ites to the martial arts, and the three of you all live your lives in different ways, but you have the least luck out of the bunch.


    ��I know that you''ve been concealing your true power all this time. That''s a very dangerous game akin to ying with fire, and you may just get burned if you''re not careful."


    Ma Xuan had already elevated himself to the peak of his powers in one fell swoop, and there was no reason for him to wait any longer.


    It wasn''t clear whether the resentment and affection that he felt toward the woman with the lute was genuine, but his battle intent was definitely genuine.


    The tiger tattoo was moving as if it were a living creature, and a burst of golden light appeared over his shoulder arm, to the point that golden radiance was even spilling through the gaps between his fingers.


    He stepped forward and arrived in front of Chen Ping''an in an instant, then threw a punch forward with tremendous force.


    Instead of retreating, Chen Ping''an advanced forward as he lowered his center of gravity while ducking his head to the side, just barely evading Ma Xuan''s fist while also blocking Ma Xuan''s knee strike with his right hand. With a firm push, Ma Xuan was sent flying back seventy to eighty feet before stumbling back a few more steps, stomping several craters into the ground.


    The sound of the woman''s lute rang out, and two bright threads of light swept directly toward Chen Ping''an from either side of Ma Xuan, who stomped his foot forcefully into the ground tounch himself forward once again.


    Chen Ping''an was able to evade the oing lute strings with ease, and not only was he extremely agile, he was abnormally fast, as if there were something tugging on him, allowing him to change directions at an inconceivable speed.


    Lu Fang''s eyes lit up as he yelled, "Ma Xuan, look out in front of you!"


    Ma Xuan instantly stopped cold in his tracks, doing so with such tremendous force that his feet plowed a pair of trenches into the ground, and he raised his arms to form a barrier in front of himself.


    Sure enough, a punch came out of nowhere to strike him on the arm, and he let loose a thunderous roar, upon which the azure-robed door god on his back abruptly opened its eyes.


    "Die!"


    Ma Xuan leaned back slightly from the force of the punch, then stepped forward as he swung his fist through the air, and the golden light radiating from his entire arm left a radiant golden sector in its wake.


    From the perspective of Qian Tang, he saw Chen Ping''an gently press down onto Ma Xuan''s fist with one hand, thenunch himself up into the air, vaulting over Ma Xuan''s head. From there, he trod onto the back of Ma Xuan''s head,unching himself at the woman with the lute hiding behind him.


    The woman strummed her fingers rapidly over the strings of her lute in response, releasing a series of strings of light that intertwined to form a green in Chen Ping''an''s path.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an''s brow furrowed slightly as he abruptly changed directions, abandoning the woman with the lute as he darted away to his left, toward Qian Tang.


    Aside from Lu Fang, Qian Tang was the one who Chen Ping''an was most wary of.


    "Aren''t you supposed to be going after the easy targets? You''re taking theplete opposite route!" Qian Tang chuckled as he spread open his arms before falling backward.


    In the next instant, he abruptly vanished into thin air, and Chen Ping''an swiveled around to reach out toward Qian Tang, who had somehow appeared behind him and was swinging a kick right at the back of Chen Ping''an''s head.


    Chen Ping''an''s hand grasped onto nothing but empty air as Qian Tang vanished once again, as if he were using Land-shortening Talismans.


    For a second time, he appeared behind Chen Ping''an without any warning, and this time, his body was curled up slightly as he spread both arms open andshed out at Chen Ping''an''s temples with his fists.


    Right as Chen Ping''an was about to retaliate, Lu Fang warned in a irvoyant-like manner, "Look out, Qian Tang, he''s about to really fight back now."


    Qian Tang hesitated slightly, then voluntarily abandoned his attack, even though it seemed like he was passing up a golden opportunity, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing back on the street.


    The two of them had just about changed positions, with Chen Ping''an standing atop the wall, while Qian Tang was standing on the street.


    He took a nce at Lu Fang, who had foiled his ns twice in session, and he asked, "Why don''t you just attack me?"


    Lu Fang patted the hilt of his sword with a smile as he replied, "It would be terrible for my reputation if it became known that I ganged up on a junior with so many others."


    Chen Ping''an offered no response.


    His Sword Nurturing Gourd had bepletely still and lifeless, and his connection with First had beenpletely severed.


    Not only that, but the Dao robe that he was wearing had also been rendered ineffective.


    Without the Dao robe''s protection, Chen Ping''an was no longer able to disregard the weapons of his opponents. However, the silver lining here was that without the restrictive effects of the Dao robe hindering his movements, his fists would only be faster, much like back when he removed the True Qi Talismans that Old Man Yang had ced upon him.


    First had gone missing, Fifteenth was trapped, and the Dao robe was now just a normal piece of clothing.


    In exchange, his fists had beenpletely freed from their bindings.


    Up to this point, Chen Ping''an had actually been holding back as he was very perplexed about this world, this entire city, and the so-called Upper Ten Elites.


    He still couldn''t make sense of everything, but there were some things that he had to do anyway.


    "Don''t die, Ma Xuan!"


    Once again, Lu Fang was barking instructions.


    Ma Xuan adopted a fist stance, and at this point, both of his arms had turned golden in color. On top of that, specks of golden light were flowing out of his nostrils with each exhale.


    After opening its eyes, the green-robed martial sage on his back had be even more life-like, and a speck of white light emerged from the tip of its saber, then spread through Ma Xuan''s entire body, and it didn''t take long before his eyes were glowing with faint silver light.


    In his current form, he resembled a deity revered in temples, and he grinned as he said, "I was nning to take on the Imperial Preceptor Zhong with this indestructible godly body of mine, but I''ve been forced to unveil it early here. Come at me, boy! Give me everything you''ve got, and if I so much as frown, I''ll concede my loss!"


    Chen Ping''an needed no second invitation, and heunched himself forward.


    In this instant, everyone was struck by the illusion that the entire street had sunken several feet from the force of Chen Ping''an''s stomp, and he struck Ma Xuan''s chest with all his might using his Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique.


    The green-robed martial sage image on his back was instantly shattered, and he was sent flying back through the air like a cannonball.


    Chen Ping''an followed along close behind, throwing another punch into Ma Xuan''s midsection.


    Ma Xuan had alreadypletely doubled over, and with this second punch, he was sent flying back toward the lute-wielding woman behind him.


    "Lu Fang, save me!" the woman eximed as her expression changed drastically, but despite her panic, she didn''t retreat, nor did she try to dodge to the side.


    Instead, she darted forward, attempting to hide behind Ma Xuan''s indestructible godly body, thinking to herself that surely there was no way that Chen Ping''an would be able to punch straight through Ma Xuan''s body, and as soon as he was slowed down, she was certain that Lu Fang would intervene.


    Chen Ping''an seemed to have gleaned her thoughts, and he threw a third punch into Ma Xuan''s abdomen.


    Not only was Ma Xuan''s godly bodypletely pulverized, his silver eyes instantly turned bright red andpletely bloodshot.


    Ma Xuan crashed into the woman behind her, causing her lute to jangle erratically, and she threw up a mouthful of blood as she kicked out her legs in an alternating fashion, frantically retreating through the air.


    However, she was still too slow.


    Chen Ping''an''s fist tore straight through her lute before crashing heavily into her abdomen, and he swung his fist through the air in a semicircle, twisting the woman and her destroyed lute around in mid-air before sending them crashing heavily into a wall. Her voluptuous body was almostpletely embedded into the wall, and it was unclear whether she was dead or alive as her shattered lute fell to the ground.


    Meanwhile, Lu Fang continued to stand still on the spot, watching from afar with a smile on his face.


    "Qian Tang, don''t be fooled by the current speed of his punches, he can go even faster. Do not let him get close to you. If you have ranged weapons, you can give those a try," Lu Fang advised in ackadaisical voice. "Oh, by the way, the people that he wants to kill the most are actually Ya''er and Young Master Zhou."


    At this point, Ya''er was so astonished by Chen Ping''an''s disy of power that she couldn''t even muster up the courage to enter the fray anymore. Even if she were to be reprimanded by her grandteacher, it was still a better fate than the one that Ma Xuan had suffered.


    As for Zhou Shi, he had already decided that he was absolutely not going to get involved, and both of them were horrified by Lu Fang''s casual statement.


    Sure enough, Chen Ping''an switched directions once again, and this time, he was rushing directly at Ya''er.


    Right as she was about to react, her eyes abruptly widened as a pained look appeared on her face.


    The wall behind her had exploded without any warning, and an extremely thin longsword had emerged. The assassin was wielding the sword with both hands, and they had struck as fast as lightning.


    The sword pierced straight through her back before protruding out of her abdomen, and the poor woman was pushed forward involuntarily as the assassin continued to charge toward Chen Ping''an.


    It was as if a three-foot longsword were growing out of her abdomen, and its tip was aimed straight at Chen Ping''an''s Zhongting acupoint, which was situated right in the center of his midsection.


    Lu Fang grabbed onto the hilt of his sword in a subtle fashion, but then quickly released it again.


    In this dire situation, Chen Ping''an abruptly vanished from the spot, using up his final Inch Movement Talisman.


    The assassin removed one of his hands from the hilt of his sword, then pressed it against the back of Ya''er''s head before pushing forward forcefully, sliding her body off his sword. Ya''er fell to the ground several dozen feet her way, and her body was heaving violently as blood gushed freely out of her mouth.


    The back of her clothes was alreadypletely soaked with blood, and she attempted to turn her own body around, but she only managed to press the palm of her hand against the ground before she copsed once again.


    The assassin was a barefoot young man with his sleeves rolled up, and he turned to Chen Ping''an, who was catching his breath.


    A wide smile appeared on the young man''s face as he said, "I heard that there were immortal treasures to be gained from killing you, so I came. My name is Feng Qingbai, and I''m a swordsman. I''m one of the Upper Ten Elites, so that''s already one in the bag, and with the second one I''ll be able to secure in exchange for your head, I''ll be making a killing!


    ��It''s a pity that I wasn''t able to kill you with a single blow. In a direct battle, I doubt that I''ll be a match for you, but that''s fine, I can work with Lu Fang to take you down. He''s the only one worthy of the title of sword immortal here, and he''ll definitely be going back."


    Ma Xuan''s godly body was broken.


    The woman with the lute remained embedded into the wall with loose rocks ttering onto the ground in front of her.


    Ya''er wasying in a puddle of her own blood, and her fair and delicate exposed feet presented a stark contrast with the dark red blood beneath her body.


    However, there was still Lu Fang, Feng Qingbai, Qian Tang, and Zhou Shi to be dealt with.


    The emaciated little girl was curled up into a ball on the little stool as she thought to herself, <em>Keep going! Smash their heads open so I can take their clothes and shoes! I can tell just by looking that they must be worth a lot!</em>


    The little girl took a nce at Ya''er, and in particr, her gaze settled on her wooden clogs. In her mind, Ya''er deserved her fate for dressing in such an ostentatious fashion.


    Chen Ping''an clenched his fists before loosening, repeating the process a few times.


    He had practiced his fist techniques for so long, and it was time to put them to work.


    ��������


    On the summit of Bull Mountain, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu was standing with a solemn and uncertain expression as he asked, "Is that really true? Not only will killing that man grant an additional spot, there are three fated opportunities on offer as well?


    ��Why is that? Out of all of the nations'' secret historical records and the secret files of the Reverence Pagoda, there have been no instances of this ever happening near the conclusion of any sixty-year period. Could this be a trap set by Ding Ying?"


    At this moment, Yu Zhenyi was carefully engraving a bamboo jade fan with a carving knife, and he was doing so with such painstaking care that he resembled a lovestruck man caressing the skin of the woman of his heart.


    Instead of responding to Zhong Qiu''s question, he continued to stare intently at the fine engravings that he had made, and sweat was already beginning to bead up on his forehead, which was very abnormal, considering his exceptional martial arts cultivation base.


    As an elite master who was second only to Ding Ying, environmental temperatures no longer had any impact on him. On top of that, it was said that he had obtained an immortal scripture some years ago, through which he was able to glean the will of the heavens for the past several decades and attain powerful mystical abilities.


    In fact, some even proimed in no uncertain terms that they had seen Yu Zhenyi taking flight across the heavens, and it was exactly during this time that his appearance had reverted back to a young boy from that of an old man.


    After a sessful decade-long stint of seclusion, he had finally be one with the heavens, and everyone was hoping that Yu Zhenyi would face Ding Ying in battle as the leader of the righteous path. Ideally, he would strike Ding Ying down and bring peace to thend.


    If he could do that, then the emperors would no longer have to worry about having their heads imed by Ding Ying during their sleep, nor would the masters of both the righteous and demonic paths have to continue to look up at the insurmountable old devil.


    Even the most powerful figures among the demonic forces were hoping that their enigmatic ancestor would either drop dead orplete the legendary act of ascension. In any case, they wanted him out of this world. It had already been eighty years, and it was about time that someone else imed the top spot in his stead.


    Aside from Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu, there was also an extremely beautiful woman dressed in regal azure clothing on the summit of Bull Mountain. It was the most prestigious formal dress of Southern Garden Nation''s empress, and it was only worn during imperial assemblies, temple fairs, and other prestigious events. The woman was none other than Empress Zhou Shuzhen of Southern Garden Nation.


    She also had another status that no one knew of; she was the pagoda master of the Reverence Pagoda, and she was responsible for ranking the top martial artists under the heavens once every twenty years.


    Zhou Fei had been lusting over her stunning beauty for a very long time, and just as Zhou Shi had proimed back in White River Temple, if it weren''t for the fact that Zhong Qiu was based right next to the imperial pce, Zhou Fei would''ve already stormed into the pce to abduct her.


    Yu Zhenyi set down the fan in his hand, then raised an arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. As he did so, he gently exhaled, releasing a faint cloud of mist that lingered around his face, refusing to dissipate.


    After that, he replied to Zhong Qiu, "It should be true. Having said that, it''s very difficult to glean Ding Ying''s intentions, even at the best of times. In contrast with hunting down that young swordsman, we should be much more wary of what Ding Ying could be plotting right now.


    ��I don''t feel veryfortable with what''s happening over on Champion Schr Alley right now. I think it would be best if you went there to oversee the proceedings in person, Imperial Preceptor Zhong."


    The fact that Yu Zhenyi was referring to him as Imperial Preceptor Zhong indicated that their rtionship was indeed rather strained.


    Zhong Qiu''s brow furrowed slightly as he said, "Not only is Ding Ying overseeing matters at Champion Schr Alley, Lu Fang is also there with his sword, so what''s there to be worried about?"


    "I don''t trust Ding Ying or Lu Fang," Yu Zhenyi replied with a shake of his head.


    Zhong Qiu was a little displeased upon hearing this. "Lu Fang is an open and upstanding man, what could you possibly find distrustful about him? Are you having doubts solely because he''s associated with that swordsman?"


    This had always been the case for Yu Zhenyi. While it was true that he was open and candid in everything that he did, there was an air of cold detachment about him that only became more and more apparent the closer one got to him.


    "If you don''t want to go, then I''ll go," Yu Zhenyi said in an indifferent voice.


    Zhong Qiu gave a cold harrumph, and he didn''t even take a nce at Empress Zhou before swooping down toward the foot of the mountain like an eagle.


    In the blink of an eye, he became a tiny speck in the distance, and before long, he waspletely out of sight.


    "Even a martial artist as formidable as Zhong Qiu still isn''t able to fly like the immortals in the historic records. Are you able to aplish that feat, Yu Zhenyi?" Empress Zhou asked.


    Yu Zhenyi offered no response.


    Zhou Shuzhen smiled as she added, "Even if he''s not flying, he still looks very graceful and elegant."


    Back when she had first met Zhong Qiu and Yu Zhenyi in a foreign nation as a young woman, the former had shone as brightly as a star, while thetter was far more restrained, but she had been mesmerized by both of them.


    Yu Zhenyi rose to his feet, and the top of his head didn''t even reach Zhou Shuzhen''s chest. However, as soon as he stood up, Zhou Shuzhen felt as if she had been banished to the foot of the mountain, where she had to look up at him on the mountain summit.


    "Have the Upper Ten Elites been finalized?" Yu Zhenyi asked.


    Zhou Shuzhen nodded in response, then sighed, "It''s a lot like the examinations held for officials in the imperial court, but it''s not as brutal."


    Yu Zhenyi sped his hands behind his back, looking out into the distance with an absentminded expression.


    After a brief silence, Zhou Shuzhen asked, "Where is Tong Qingqing right now?"


    Yu Zhenyi was silent for a moment, then replied, "I presume only Ding Ying knows the answer to that question."


    Zhou Shuzhen turned to him, then asked, "Just how lofty is Ding Ying''s martial arts cultivation base?"


    "I don''t know," Yu Zhenyi replied.

 Chapter 311: (1): Always Someone Stronger

    Chapter 311: (1): Always Someone Stronger


    The little boy was utterly terrified, so much so that he became numb to fear. He was the only person left in the world, lonely and without support. The little boy had only read a few elementary books for children, so he naturally didn''t understand the concept of making apromise. His face was filled with hatred as he gritted his teeth and asked, "What''s your name?"


    There was an amused smile on the old man''s face.


    "I''ll definitely kill you in the future! I''m going to exact revenge for my parents and my grandparents!" the little boy added.


    The old man wearing a silver lotus flower hat pointed at himself and chuckled, "What''s my name? People in the world all like to refer to me as Old Demon Ding. This goes for both righteous cultivators and demonic cultivators.


    "In fact, cultivators from demonic forces might even use the respectful title of Paramount Leader when they see me. As for my actual name, it''s Ding Ying. However, it''s already been many years since I''ve used this name."


    The old man then asked, "So, what''s your name then?"


    The little boy''s voice was quivering, yet he still tried to speak as loudly as possible as he replied, "Cao Qinng!"


    "You''re really taking advantage of things with that name, aren''t you?" Old Demon Ding said in amusement.[1] "Add to that your physique, and you really need to be careful of being beaten up by others when you travel around the cultivation world in the future."


    Old Demon Ding casually flicked his sleeve, causing fierce winds to rush into the paper windows of the side room. There was a loud whooshing sound, yet the thin paper windows were surprisingly unharmed. It was as if something were pushed out of the side room.Cao Qinng naturally couldn''tprehend such kinds of profoundly mystical techniques, so he could only retort the old man with a livid expression, shouting, "Bullshit!"


    His entire family had been killed, so the name given to him by his parents became hisst link to them.


    Old Demon Ding paid no heed to this, and he instead turned his gaze to the old hens pecking at the ground in the courtyard.


    He stood up and walked to the kitchen, scooping up some rice before returning to his seat in the side room. He then casually scattered the rice on the ground, causing the chickens to quickly p their wings and rush over, delightedly pecking at the rice.


    "People in the world all fear me. However, look at them. They don''t fear me," Old Demon Ding said with a smile.


    He bent down and leaned slightly forward, asking, "Does this mean that the so-called elites, grandmasters, generals, and emperors are all inferior to measly chickens?"


    Cao Qinng was far too young, and his mind was also flooded with thoughts of revenge. That being the case, how could he possibly be willing to mull over such a question? He simply red at the demonic cultivator who had ruthlessly killed his family. He med himself for not being strong enough to do anything.


    A thought suddenly urred to Cao Qinng, and he recalled that there was still a hatchet in the kitchen. However, the hatchet hadn''t been used or sharpened much. His house was in the capital, and his family could also be regarded as quite well-off. They were wealthy enough to stop those people who hollered and sold charcoal from their cow-drawn carts. Thus, the hatchet in the kitchen was mostly just for show.


    Old Demon Ding looked up at the sky and answered his own question, saying, "Of course not. It''s simply a case of the ignorant being fearless. Sometimes, the rats in the fields will hurriedly protect the grains in their paws when a mighty eagle flies past overhead.


    "There aren''t many people like this in our world, but there aren''t few of them either. They''re not much better than mortal humans, but they can at least see that threatening shadow. For example, Yu Zhenyi from Pine Song Nation who transitioned to cultivation, the old chef in the prince''s residence in your Southern Garden Nation, and that old lecturer monk from the Vajra Temple."


    Ding Ying stood up after saying this, shaking his two sleeves and lightly flicking his fingers, causing bursts of astral energy to condense into silk-like strings and fly toward the window of the side room.


    His movements were far too quick, and the wisps of dark green astral energy were like shimmering stars as they continued to umte near the window. It was as if a dazzling picture of the gxy were materializing in the side room.


    "There are also some outsiders in our world. Those whoe harbor ill intentions, while those who harbor good intentions don''te. We refer to these people as otherworldly immortals. Theye to our world as if they''re ying a game, and they arrive and leave just as quickly as a passinget. As for what happens to this world, and regarding how much trouble they''ve caused and how dire the situation bes, these otherworldly immortals don''t care about this at all.


    "They couldn''t care less about the joys, sorrows, reunions, and partings in this world."


    Ding Ying smiled and feigned turning the page of a book. He then lightly pped his hands together as if closing the imaginary book, saying, "It''s as if these people read a page of some trivial book during their spare time��an entirely insignificant matter. They don''t care what''s written on the page, whether that be crumbling etiquette, rivers of blood, or misery and death.


    "There was a n of etiquette with a thousand-year history, and this was a n that had a sagely residence that contained the pleasant fragrance of books. However, a freakish descendant appeared andpletely soiled the reputation of this n.


    "There was a small and isted nation that produced a wildly ambitious emperor. He had no understanding of military affairs, yet he insisted on recklessly deploying all of his troops to start war after war. Within twenty years, half of the young men in his nation had already perished."


    Being such a young child, Cao Qinng naturally didn''t understand any of these things. He was still consumed by hatred and thoughts of revenge, so he eximed, "Then what did you do?"


    The little boy from the small alley choked with sobs and said, "You only know how to kill my mom and dad and my grandparents..."


    There was grief and indignation in his voice as he shouted, "Do you think you''re a gant hero or something? No, you''re an irredeemably heinous demon!"


    As if purposely mocking Cao Qinng, Ding Ying also started to wail in grief. However, he quickly broke into loudughter.


    Was he being childish, or was he simply deranged?


    Cao Qinng shook with anger.


    Ding Ying chuckled and replied, "Truth be told, what do the actions of those otherworldly immortals have to do with me? They have absolutely nothing to do with me. I simply use their actions as an excuse to kill people. To kill some fairly interesting people."


    The old man raised his arm and straightened his palm as if it were a saber. He then shed down again and again as if he were making minced meat, saying, "One otherworldly immortal, two otherworldly immortals, three, four... I''ll hack all of them to death. Apart from them, there are also those so-called Upper Ten Elites as well as the weaker Lower Ten Elites. If they''re interesting, then I''ll allow them to live. If they''re an eyesore, however, then I''ll kill them as well."


    Cao Qinng continued to sob.


    Ding Ying nced up at the sky. This time, things were slightly different than sixty years ago.


    It was because of this that he had chosen to stay here instead of personally going over to fight. He hadn''t gone crazy, after all, so he naturally wouldn''t attempt to challenge nine or even more top-notch elites all by himself. Someone had attempted this sixty years ago, aspiring to im all of the martial fortune of the world for themself. However, they had suffered a very brutal loss.


    If the young owner of that flying sword managed to survive and be an unexpected surprise in everyone''s eyes...


    ...Then Ding Ying would leave this ce when the time was right and make it such that the surprising young man was no longer a surprise.


    Ding Ying was aware that this world was much like a cage to raise poisonous insects.


    There was a secret hidden deep inside the old man''s heart, one that no one else knew about. In order to unravel the mystery of this world, there was only a single thing that he cared about. What would happen if he rendered useless the sixty years spent to raise the poisonous insects?


    Would that person appear before him?


    If they did, who would they be?


    There were two critical events that needed to take ce before this.


    First, Zhou Shi needed to die on the streets. His death would cause Lu Fang and Zhou Fei to voluntarily be involved in the situation.


    Second, the owner of the flying sword also needed to die.


    Ding Ying nced back at the window and smiled. He felt like this would be quite easy to pull off.


    ��������


    An old man with an aquiline nose gave off a natural sense of authority as he walked along the bustling streets of Southern Garden Nation''s capital. He was most likely someone from the northern regions. He was extremely tall, and this made him stand out from the crowd and attract many gazes from the local residents.


    There were several male and female bodyguards with calm expressions and strong footsteps walking beside the old man, and just a single sideways nce from them would cause the local residents to quickly retract their curious gazes. The old man continued to sigh with emotion as he walked through this city that was known as the most virtuous in the world.


    He was ustomed to the boundless expanses ofnd and the sparse poptions outside the cities, as well as the feeling of vastness and loneliness. As a result, he was unable to ustom himself to the bustling crowds of the capital.


    Just when the old man was feeling in a slightly foul mood, a strong and capable-looking man briskly walked over from the distance and used the dialect of the grasnds to inform his respected master that he had found that person. That person was currently at a ce called the Imperial Examination Bridge, which wasn''t far away from here.


    The old man asked his disciple to lead the way. It wasn''t long before they crossed a stone bridge with a lengthy history and arrived at a shop near the waterside. This was surprisingly a silk shop, and the old man told his disciple to wait for him outside. Business was very slow for the silk shop, and there wasn''t a single customer at this moment.


    The old man walked inside by himself. What he saw was a head that was just tall enough to poke above the counter, which wasn''t tall at all. This person''s hair was thinning and disheveled.


    The shopkeeper smiled when he saw the old man, and he eximed, "Oh, what a rare customer! I wouldn''t be surprised to see anyone else, but I''m indeed surprised to see you. It''s as if the sun is rising from the west. I truly don''t understand things anymore. Even though Zhou Fei''s son gave me a heads-up beforehand, telling me that you woulde, I was actually quite skeptical of his words. I thought Zhou Shi was trying to trick me into heading out to act as a shield for his father."


    The shopkeeper walked out from behind the counter and gestured for the old man with an aquiline nose to sit wherever he wanted. He didn''t mince his words as he continued, "Grandmaster Cheng, please hurry up and take a seat. Otherwise, I''ll have to keep craning my neck to look up at you when we speak. It''s too much effort."


    The old man who had traveled a long way toe here wasn''t offended by the shopkeeper''s words. He sat down on a crudely made guest chair and said in a frank manner, "I wouldn''t have taken the risk ande here if it weren''t for the fact that I don''t trust the list of Upper Ten Elites from the Reverence Pagoda. Both you and I are ranked outside the top five, so it''s very likely that something unexpected will happen.


    "Right now, we can confidently confirm the identities of three otherworldly immortals��Feng Qingbai, Old Demon Ding''s grand-disciple Ya''er, and Zhou Fei''s son Zhou Shi. However, who knows if there are any old bastards or little weasels still hiding in the world?"


    The shopkeeper nodded inplete agreement.


    Including Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu, it was said that the four grandmasters were holding a meeting on Bull Mountain. However, this was only a surface-level exnation for the rest of the world.


    The Reverence Pagoda had chosen to publish the updated list of Upper Ten Elites in the capital of Southern Garden Nation this time, and this was the critical decision that harbored many secrets and ulterior motives.


    The old man with an aquiline nose chuckled coldly and said, "I use the spear and you use the sword, and just like Zhong Qiu, both of us practice external martial arts. We''re different from that sly old fox, Yu Zhenyi, in the sense that we''ll definitely suffer some wounds if we engage in life-and-death battles, be they minor or severe wounds.


    "The three of us definitely can''t wait for another sixty years. I''ve fought my hardest for the sake of this current opportunity, so I naturally need a pay-off to justify all of my lingering wounds!"


    The old man lightly patted the armrest of his chair after saying this. The chair remained unharmed, yet a dense web of cracks immediately spread across the floor of the shop under the chair.


    Outside the silk shop, the in-house disciples of the shopkeeper felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy when they detected the aura flowing through the shop. Their breathing started to be heavy.


    The shopkeeper smiled and remarked, "The aptitude of your disciples is quite mediocre. If I remember right, I heard that you found an astonishingly talented wolf boy in the grasnds many years ago? After carefully teaching him for all these years, surely he''s no weaker than the other young prodigies such as Ya''er and Zhou Shi?"


    "He''s dead. It''s not good for someone to have overly good aptitude," the old man with the surname Cheng replied in an apathetic voice.


    "Cheng Yuanshan!" the shopkeeper eximed in anger. "Even a monster wouldn''t hurt its own children! Do you still have any humanity or conscience?"


    The old man who had traveled hundreds of kilometers to Southern Garden Nation was none other than Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan, the eighth ranked cultivator of the Upper Ten Elites.


    Cheng Yuanshan had secretly left the cities and gone to the grasnds after he was ranked as an Upper Ten Elite by the Reverence Pagoda around twenty years ago. He had quickly be an esteemed guest of the ruler of the grasnds.


    Cheng Yuanshan shot a sideways nce at the short old man who was concealing his identity and hiding in Southern Garden Nation, and he retorted, "Liu Zong, you still have the face to criticize me? What''s your title? What does Knife Sharpener mean? What do you most like to sharpen your knife with?"


    Knife Sharpener Liu Zong chuckled in reply.


    1. The Qinng in Cao Qinng (������) literally means sunny. ?

 Chapter 312: Unforeseen Event

    Chapter 312: Unforeseen Event


    Zhou Fei pinched two fingers together, and the woman''s soul condensed into a snow-white pearl between his fingers. He gently ced the pearl inside his sleeve before looking up at the old monk from the Vajra Temple. Zhou Fei''s tone was no longer as casual as before as he directly said, "Let''s talk about that azure garment again. I know it''s rted to you, and Zhou Fei especially came to the temple for this garment before."


    However, the old monk was still unwilling to talk about this matter, and his eyes were filled with nostalgia as he gazed at the lush green forest outside his thatched cottage. "I have a junior brother, and we studied Buddhism together when we were young. He said that he was unable to ept the existence of sad stories.


    "When he came across sad stories, he would inevitably think that Buddhas existed in the world, so how was the mortal world still filled with so many sad stories? What could he change even if he became a Buddha? I left the small temple in my hometown afterward, so I don''t know if my junior brother... has be a Buddha yet."


    Zhou Fei suppressed the anger in his mind before lightly shaking his head and sneering, "How can someone from such a small ce be a genuine Buddha? You''re overthinking things, Old Monk."


    The old monk shook his head and replied, "I simply want to know whether my junior brother is still alive. After all these years, I truly crave a bowl of rice porridge made by my junior brother."


    Zhou Fei was just about to stand up, and he said, "I don''t have time to speak in circles with you anymore. I''ll send you on your way now, and you can ask your junior brother whether he can still make rice porridge in the afterlife."


    The old monk smiled faintly and asked with a calm expression, "Zhou Fei, can you fulfill one request from me if I help you obtain that Golden Arhat Body from the imperial pce?"


    Zhou Fei sat down again and asked in amusement, "A request from you?"


    The old monk raised a hand and ran it over his bald head, saying with emotion, "I don''t n to be a monk anymore. I was abandoned at the entrance of a temple when I was little, and I was picked and raised by my good-hearted master. I always daydreamed with my junior brother back then, and the thing that I wanted the most was actually ab."Zhou Fei clutched his stomach and roared withughter.


    The old monk removed his external Buddhist robe and folded it neatly, cing it aside as he said in a quiet voice, "Please help her find a way to escape from this ce. She doesn''t deserve to be trapped in this small ce anymore."


    An azure dress withrge sleeves appeared in one corner of the thatched cottage.


    The beautifuldies outside the thatched cottage had served Zhou Fei for many years, so they had naturally witnessed many things and were thus very knowledgeable. Even so, they were still amazed when they saw the azure dress hovering in midair.


    The azure dress hovered to the old monk''s side, with the hem of the dress slowly descending to the ground. In the end, one could vaguely discern that the dress was in a kneeling position.


    The old monk was no longer as proper with his words after taking off his Buddhist robe, and he said, "I''ve already acted as the light-bearing monk and lecturing monk of the Vajra Temple for so many years.[1] Day after day and year after year, I''ve spoken tens of thousands of lines of Buddhist scriptures and teachings to them. My audience consisted of all kinds of people, those from the three teachings and also those from the nine schools of philosophy.[2].


    "However, they merely listened to my teachings without actually implementing anything. They still go to war with each other, and they still engage in revenge killings in the cultivation world. What can I do? As a monk, can I grab a saber to eliminate those violent people and restore peace? Can I prevent violence through violence? Should I rest my saber on their shoulders and force them to pledge themselves to kindness and Buddhism?


    The azure dress raised a sleeve and held it above its cor, seemingly covering its mouth andughing softly.


    The old monk fixed his gaze on Zhou Fei and asked, "Can you fulfill my request?"


    Zhou Fei was in no hurry to give an answer. The old monk from the Vajra Temple was the Buddhist sage of this world. He was skilled at writingrge characters, and each of his characters would be like a golden vajra brimming with boundless energy.[3]


    After a while, Zhou Fei sighed and replied, "One should show some sincerity when doing business with others. Old Monk, are you truly unaware that one can leave this ce after obtaining this kind of recognized fated opportunity?"


    The old monk turned around to nce at the azure dress before replying in helplessness, "She''s not the same."


    Zhou Fei was an otherworldly immortal who had regained his memories extremely quickly, yet he still didn''t dare to im that he understood all of the rules in this world. After all, his soul had been restricted by some genuine immortal secret technique before he hade here.


    The Mirror Heart Hall, the Vajra Temple, and the Reverence Pagoda...


    After experiencing cmity after cmity, the leaders of these three forces had definitely umted much experience. Thus, it was entirely possible that they knew just as much as Zhou Fei.


    The old monk smiled and continued, "However, my mind ispletely at ease after hearing Benefactor Zhou ask this question."


    "Speaking from my perspective, being able to leave with Zhou Shi is naturally the best oue," Zhou Fei said directly. "However, in the off-chance that some ident urs��for example, the type right now where Zhou Shi has been severely injured by someone and therefore lost the opportunity to secretly be an Upper Ten Elite��then I need to guarantee that after my departure, Zhou Shi can have a greater chance of sess after the next sixty years.


    "Zhou Shi, Ya''er, Fan Wan''er, and the others... Regardless of who it is, and as long as someone is willing to take care of them, they''ll definitely soar and shine once they leave this ce and enter arger world."


    Zhou Fei was unable to hide his fury anymore after saying this, and he spat, "Lu Fang, that utter fool! He''s clearly seen through this world, yet he hasn''t managed to genuinely see through it. Where the hell can I find him his master''s wife and junior sister or whatnot?! And he even had the gall to stab me with his sword back then..."


    The old monk looked up at the man in front of him.


    Zhou Fei suddenly raised a hand, after which a letter materialized between his fingers.


    Looking down and skimming through the contents, Zhou Fei roared with heartyughter and eximed, "The heavens are on my side!"


    He turned around and nced at the group of beautifuldies standing outside the thatched cottage, and he couldn''t help but sigh with emotion in his mind. He was filled with regret. To say nothing of his fellow otherworldly cultivator, Tong Qingqing, even Empress Zhou Shuzhen from Southern Garden Nation, Fan Wan''er from the Mirror Heart Hall, and Ya''er from the demonic force were far more talented and knowledgable than this group of beautifuldies.


    ��������


    Dressed in casual clothes, Prince Wei Yan of Southern Garden Nation led two people through the corridors of residence. One of them was his respected teacher, an old man short and skinny like a monkey. However, this old man was an undisputed martial arts grandmaster in the world.


    Meanwhile, the other person was Fan Wan''er, someone who was regarded as a goddess by those in the cultivation world of Southern Garden Nation. She was a celestial maiden from the Mirror Heart Hall, a holynd of the martial arts world.


    There was a strange expression on Wei Yan''s face at this moment, slightly awkward but mostly relieved and thankful. However, he stopped himself from revealing too much because his master was also present.


    The old man who had taught Wei Yan his impressive martial arts skills huffed and said, "What a sly person. I actually failed to see through him even though he hid under my nose for so many years! When we meet again, I need to spar with him to see just how powerful the Upper Ten Elites of this world truly are. Imperial Preceptor Zhong is a rare person of exceptional ability, so I''ve always been convinced by his knowledge and power. However, I refuse to believe that a measly cook can be so powerful as well!"


    The old man continued to grumble and curse.


    As it turned out, the updated list of Upper Ten Elitespiled by the Reverence Pagoda had briefly described the names, residences, and martial arts cultivation bases of each person on the list. Those like Ding Ying, Yu Zhenyi, and the others were all old faces. However, one person had suddenlye out of nowhere, and his hiding ce was none other than the residence of Southern Garden Nation''s Prince Wei Yan. He had surprisingly disguised himself as a cook.


    A tall old man whose body smelled of smoke, oil, and salt was taking a break and squatting outside the spotless and smoothly-running kitchen. He was holding a handful of golden-yellow fried soybeans and tossing them into his mouth one after another. Inside the kitchen, his disciples and grand disciples were busily preparing lunch for today.


    The old cook heaved a forlorn sigh when he saw Prince Wei Yan, scrunching his old face and knowing that he couldn''t enjoy peace and quiet anymore.


    Wei Yan ordered all of the cooks, assistants, and maidservants to leave the area, and the old cook didn''t try to stop him from doing so. Instead, he continued to sigh as he remained squatting there, seemingly resigned to his fate.


    As for the short old man who had been fuming just then, he immediately backed down and abandoned his n to criticize the old cook on the list of Upper Ten Elites after genuinely seeing him in person. He became silent and taciturn as he kept his eyes fixed on the old cook who had been hiding inside the imperial pce this entire time.


    Meanwhile, the old cook kept ncing at Fan Wan''er out of the corners of his eyes. He would steal a rapid nce at her before immediately retracting his gaze. However, as if he couldn''t suppress his urge, he would quickly steal a nce at her again. Even Fan Wan''er was slightly puzzled by this.


    Wei Yan couldn''t help but mumble in his mind. Perhaps this old cook was an old pervert as well?


    When looking at the Upper Ten Elites of the previous generations, none of these people cared about mortal beauty anymore. This was with the exception of the Spring Tide Pce''s Zhou Fei and the Mirror Heart Hall''s Tong Qingqing.


    The old cook''s first question was extremely intimidating, and he asked, "Do you know how many kinds of otherworldly immortals there are?"


    Wei Yan and the monkey-like old man exchanged a nce.


    However, Fan Wan''er knew a little about this because she hade from the Mirror Heart Hall.


    The old cook popped a fried soybean into his mouth and remarked, "Only the delicacies of the world haven''t failed me yet. If this is forcefully taken from me as well, then... I''ll have no option but to be a drunkard!"


    The old cook didn''t look at Fan Wan''er anymore, and he poured the rest of the fried soybeans into his mouth before patting his hands clean and standing up, saying, "When otherworldly immortals descend to the mortal world to train, one type is like Zhou Fei and Feng Qingbai, people who be aware of their identity very early on and understand what they''re seeking in the mortal world. Thus, their actions appear shocking to us, yet it appearspletely natural to them.


    "However, these types of otherworldly immortals won''t covet items that are too profound. As for Tong Qingqing, the founder of the Mirror Heart Hall that you belong to, she''s seemingly hiding from something or someone.


    "The second type of otherworldly immortals is people like Lu Fang. He became aware of his identity rtivelyte, yet it was guaranteed that he would definitely regain his memories at some certain point in time.


    "The third type of otherworldly immortals��and this is only a spection of mine��are people who continue to follow the wishes of their new identities. As a result, they never be aware of their true identities and they never regain their memories. Instead, they remain ignorant and muddle-headed as they experience reincarnation after reincarnation. After a long time, their hometown bes a forgotten memory, while this foreignnd bes their new hometown.


    "This type of otherworldly immortal is rtively unique in the sense that they''ll often possess powerful physiques and enjoy very impressive martial arts talent. In the eyes of others, however, they''ll always be that slight bit weaker than those standing at the pinnacle of the world."


    The old cook looked at Fan Wan''er again and continued, "However, it''s inevitable that this type of otherworldly immortal will experience seemingly unreasonable things. People in the mortal world sometimes talk about others bing spellbound or possessed by a ghost, and a small number of these cases are actually rted to this type of otherworldly immortal. Little girl, have you felt anything strange recently?"


    Fan Wan''er hesitated for a moment before nodding and replying, "Twice."


    The old cook nodded and said with a wide smile, "Old Demon Ding sure is impressive. Anyone in the world can be killed, and anyone in the world can be forgiven. He''s already no inferior to that maniac from the past. In fact, he''s even smarter. If you ask me, I say that he''ll most likely seed this time.


    "Yu Zhenyi wants to protect this world, so I naturally find him very impressive as well. However, some certain people will most likely think that his vision is too narrow. On the other hand, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu who has always been slightly weaker than Yu Zhenyi traveled across the mountains and rivers of the four nations and the barbards by himself a few years ago. I feel like he''ll achieve more sess in the future."


    The old cook sighed and continued, "As for me, the more I say and the more I do, the more mistakes I''ll make. That being the case, I might as well not ask, not listen, and simply wait for death. I still wanted to fight and do something in the past, but the longer that passes and the more that I see, the less motivation I feel to do anything.


    "Old Demon Ding and Yu Zhenyi are mortal enemies during this chaotic time, and no one on the list of Upper Ten Elites will be able to flee from them this time. In any case, I''m no longer curious about the true identity of otherworldly immortals. I simply want to live for twenty to thirty more years. That will be enough to satisfy me. So..."


    The old cook suddenly held two fingers together and formed a sword seal, stabbing several of his critical acupoints and instantly causing his body to be drenched in blood. His aura had initially been close to integrating with Dao in the eyes of Yu Zhenyi and the otherworldly immortal, Chen Ping''an, but this powerful aura was instantly shattered at this moment.


    Once a top-notch grandmaster of this world, the old cook''s cultivation base plummeted all the way until he was even weaker than the monkey-like old man. He chose to voluntarily withdraw from this turbulent and chaotic struggle.


    The old cook''s face was deathly pale, yet his smile was relieved as turned to Prince Wei Yan and asked, "This residence is so big, so it should be able to feed an old geezer like me for another twenty to thirty years, right? Of course, Your Highness can ask for my help if you genuinely need my strength for something."


    Wei Yan nodded and replied, "Feel free to stay here and recuperate. I definitely won''t disturb your cultivation for no reason."


    ��������


    On the peak of Bull Mountain, Zhou Shuzhen who had just walked to the foot of the mountain before climbing to the top again smiled wryly as she handed a secret letter to Yu Zhenyi.


    Yu Zhenyi epted the letter and read through its contents before furrowing his brows and asking, "What''s going on?"


    "This is definitely from the Reverence Pagoda, but it definitely wasn''t nned by the Reverence Pagoda," Zhou Shuzhen replied in a helpless voice.


    Yu Zhenyi nced up at the sky.


    When one was standing high up enough as they gazed down at the mortal world, it would seem as if one were gazing upon a majestic sea of stars. However, it was very difficult to focus on a single person.


    Yu Zhenyi was well aware of this fact. He had experienced it many times before.


    For example, the three specks of light that represented Old Demon Ding, Chen Ping''an, and Lu Fang, all who were currently located near Champion Schr Alley, were especially blinding.


    Further in the distance, there were two extremely bright specks of light near the Vajra Temple and four extremely bright specks of light near Prince Wei Yan''s residence. However, the brightest of thetter four specks of light suddenly became dim.


    This type of distant observation didn''t use much of Yu Zhenyi''s spiritual energy which he had already umted for many years. However, he would need to pay a significant price if he wanted to carefully observe any specific person.


    ��������


    In some residence near Champion Schr Alley, Old Demon Ding who was wearing a lotus flower hat suddenly received a secret letter from the Reverence Pagoda.


    His eyes lit up when he read to the end.


    There was such a good opportunity?


    Even Ding Ying was slightly attracted by this opportunity.


    He shot a nce at Cao Qinng before clicking his tongue in wonder and eximing, "Little child, you''re truly a fortunate person!"


    As for that otherworldly immortal, he had definitely been ruthlessly screwed over by someone. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn''t have attracted such severe bacsh and suppression.


    From the history that Ding Ying knew, there had almost never been such tant interference during the previous conflicts that took ce every sixty years. No otherworldly immortal had ever been targeted like this before.


    1. Light-bearing monk (����ɮ) refers to the main monk who''s keeping the temple running. ?


    2. The nine schools of philosophy (����) existed from the Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty and refers to Confucianism, Daoism, Naturalism, Legalism, Logicians, Mohism, Diplomatists, Syncretism, and Agriculturalism ?


    3. Therge characters (����) refer to those often seen in Chinese calligraphy works. It also refers to the characters written on ques that hang on imperial buildings. The golden vajra (�����) is a legendary and ritualistic weapon, symbolizing the properties of a diamond and a thunderbolt. ?

 Chapter 313: Sword Kinesis

    Chapter 313: Sword Kinesis


    Regardless of their initial aims and ulterior motives, three groups of people were targeting and hunting Chen Ping''an. Of the seven extremely renowned elites from the cultivation world, three had already been defeated on this street��Pink Vajra Ma Xuan, the woman who yed pipa, and Ya''er from the demonic force.


    Feng Qingbai was a madman who was traveling around the world as an adventurer, and he had been willing to do everything to achieve his aim. However, he had failed to kill Chen Ping''an with his surprise attack, during which he had smashed the wall and ruthlessly thrust his sword forward, and he had instead brought Ya''er to the brink of death.


    The girl in wooden clogs who had the potential to inherit the position of leader of the demonic force as a female was still unable to turn her body at this moment. Her cheek rested against the ice-cold surface of the alleyway, and her slender and jade-like fingers lightly dragged across the bluestone bs. Her eyes were filled with agony and pleading as she looked at Zhou Shi, the young man wearing a flower hairpin.


    Even though she had been joking when asking Zhou Shi to promise to keep her alive just then, he had ultimately agreed to her request, hadn''t he? That being the case, why was he still unwilling to help her?


    However, Zhou Shi didn''t feel a shred of guilt, and he even smiled faintly and nodded in acknowledgment as he caught Ya''er''s gaze.


    Lu Fang didn''t make a move the entire time.


    Meanwhile, the elusive Smiley Face had already exchanged a few attacks with Chen Ping''an. However, he hadn''t managed to gain any advantage.


    Zhou Shi gently turned the sanguine prayer beads in his hand and said, "Of the people still standing, I''m the weakest of the group. However, I promise that I''ll unleash my full strength to deal with this person in a moment. Mr. Lu, Smiley Face, Feng Qingbai, can we temporarily set aside our differences to face the enemy together?"


    There was a freaky smile on Smiley Face''s face as he nodded and replied, "Regardless of who kills this person in the end, I only want a single thing from him, that immortal technique that shortens thend and transforms a long distance into an inch. If I can''t obtain it, however, then mypensation needs to be rediscussed."There was a fervent expression in Feng Qingbai''s eyes as he looked at Chen Ping''an and said, "I have to be the one who deals the killing blow. As for his belongings, I won''t take a single thing at all. Not only that, but I can also hand over the treasure that I''ll obtain from killing an otherworldly immortal. You people can decide how to share the spoils."


    Zhou Shi nced at Ya''er, who was on the brink of death, before smiling and saying, "I only want her."


    Lu Fang gave the final word, saying, "Then it''s settled."


    Feng Qingbai held his sword horizontally in front of himself before bending the fingers on his other hand and gently flicking the de. There was an amused smile on his face as he said, "Sword Immortal Lu, you''re not going to stand there and do nothing again, are you? Be careful of going for wool anding back shorn. We don''t want to end up as whetstones for this person to sharpen his martial arts cultivation on.


    "You''re the eldest and most powerful elite on our side, so I would rather pull out and abandon this opportunity if you still insist on hiding your strength and gambling with our lives in order to probe the strength of this person. If pushes to shove, I''ll simply leave and let you people do whatever you want."


    "Please rest assured," Lu Fang said with a smile.


    After saying this, the sword immortal from Bird''s Eye View Peak who had his palm on the hilt of his sword clenched his hand into a fist and dragged Dachun out from the ground, both sword and scabbard.


    Immortals from the past had once written about a tree called Dachun.[1] This type of tree experienced spring for eight thousand years and then autumn for a further eight thousand years, and upon eating its fruit, mortal people could ride on iridescent clouds and ascend from the world.


    While Zhou Shi and the others discussed things, Chen Ping''an silently prepared himself and got ready to fight. In any case, he still needed to familiarize himself with his current state where he wasn''t restricted by his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, anymore.


    Of the three fist techniques that Cui Chan''s grandfather had taught him, the Rain Evaporation Technique and the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique were rtively straightforward in the sense that he simply needed to control the strength of his punches.


    However, the Deity Drumming Technique waspletely different, and having his punch be just an inch off would cause the might of his attack to decrease drastically. Moreover, Chen Ping''an needed to be on guard against Lu Fang, so it was necessary for him to carefully control the power and uracy of each punch.


    Ever since beginning to learn martial arts, this was the peak state of Chen Ping''an''s fist techniques. At the same time, he was also experiencing the peak state of his physique, soul, and energy.


    "He''s making a move now. Be careful, everyone," Lu Fang smiled faintly and said in warning.


    "Seriously, you''re not going to give a heads-up beforeunching an attack? Where''s your demeanor and pride as a grandmaster?"


    While saying this, Lu Fang flicked his wrist and held the hilt of his sword properly for the first time. After grabbing his renowned sword, Dachun, Lu Fang''s sword qi was so abundant that some of it suffused into the surroundings even though he was actively trying to suppress it.


    This caused his clothes to flutter even though there was no wind, and this was especially the case with the sleeve on his sword-wielding hand, which expanded and billowed as it filled with intense sword qi. Sounds of ringing swords surprisingly traveled out from the sleeve.


    Smiley Face instantly tensed up, and he immediately activated a secret technique from the damaged immortal text he had obtained by chance without any hesitation. Using an extremely mystical divination and formation technique, he immediately teleported from the east to the north.


    However, a fist aura was already rushing toward Smiley Face before he could even ascertain Chen Ping''an''s position. The fist aura sted toward his face, causing piercing pain to spread across his cheeks.


    It was at this moment that a burst of sword light suddenly appeared between Smiley Face and the powerful fist aura.


    To Smiley Face, the peerlessly sharp de resting horizontally in front of him appeared much like a snow-white strand of silk.


    Chen Ping''an''s fist was blocked by the de, and this won a brief moment of respite for Smiley Face. His figure vanished several times as he retreated again and again, and it took him much effort to finally break free from the suffocating pressure radiating from the powerful fist aura.


    Smiley Face had been active in the cultivation world for more than thirty years after beginning cultivation, and his favorite opponent had initially been external martial arts grandmasters whom he could handle with ease. In fact, toying around with those so-called grandmasters who hopped around and seemed rtively sluggish was much like ying around with a dog.


    This was also why Smiley Face had earned the nickname Pesky Ghost. Several old grandmasters renowned for their martial arts skills had been brutally exhausted to death by Smiley Face, who was as pesky and elusive as a ghost.


    This was the first time Smiley Face hade across a martial artist skilled in fist techniques who was even more elusive than him.


    Smiley Face knew that Feng Qingbai might be able to save him once or twice, but he wouldn''t necessarily be able to save him for a third time. With this in mind, he didn''t hold back anymore, hiding his hands in hisrge sleeves as he retreated and dodged.


    Several hiltless throwing knives appeared between Smiley Face''s fingers, small and exquisite yet gleaming with deadly light. The des of the knives were painted with dark green poison��the juice of heartbreak grass��and this was a poison most suitable for shattering a martial artist''s aura.


    When Smiley Face retreated fifteen to twenty meters away from Chen Ping''an, he saw that Feng Qingbai had also paid a price forunching an attack and helping him break free. Feng Qingbai was now being targeted by the enemy, and he quickly fell to a disadvantage after just two or three exchanges. His shoulder was struck by a sweeping kick, causing a loud crack to ring through the air as he was sent flying backward.


    A blur of white stalked him like a shadow, and it was clear that Feng Qingbai, whose shoulder was dangling limply by his side, was in extremely dire straits.


    It was Smiley Face''s turn to repay the favor.


    Numerous throwing knives shot out from his sleeves.


    However, their opponent was a genuine freak, with each of his punches and steps appearing extremely calm and casual. Compared to Pink Vajra Ma Xuan''s powerful stomps which would crack the paved streets after summoning a deity, Chen Ping''an''s footsteps were so nimble that Smiley Face was almost convinced that his boots weren''t touching the ground at all. It was as if Chen Ping''an were walking on air.


    Smiley Face wasn''t holding onto the wild hope that his six poisoned throwing knives would hit his opponent, and he was instead hoping that his attack could buy some time for Feng Qingbai.


    Feng Qingbai cracked a grin and loosened his grip, surprisingly letting go of his sword.


    A sword practitioner abandoning his sword?


    Smiley Face couldn''t help but feel anxious when he saw this. Perhaps the adventuring Feng Qingbai who had traveled from the north to the south in ten years and defeated almost half of the martial arts world with his sword was already out of tricks? Perhaps this was the limit of his measly power?


    Feng Qingbai''s sword didn''t tter to the ground. Instead, the sword de shuddered slightly even though it wasn''t being wielded by its owner. Ripples traveled through the air, and the sword suddenly became tense as it came to a rest in midair. The tip of the de pointed upward, directly aiming at the young boy in white. The de then disappeared in a sh.


    Feng Qingbai shrugged his left shoulder which was aching with bone-piercing pain after being struck by Chen Ping''an''s vicious kick. However, this wouldn''t affect hisbat power.


    He brought the index finger and middle finger of his right hand together, forming a sword seal.


    The mystical powers of sword cultivators couldn''t be used in this small and constrained world. However, Feng Qingbai had already perfected the lesser technique of performing sword kinesis and manipting his de.


    Feng Qingbai had entered this blessednd for the sake of tempering his sword. He was using every method at his disposal to temper his sword intent and sword heart.


    The attacker and the defender switched roles.


    A ball of snow-white and a streak of dazzling white danced around the alley.


    Elsewhere, Zhou Shi carefully helped Ya''er up before propping her in a sitting position against a nearby wall. This would prevent her from being identally killed by Chen Ping''an''s fist aura and Feng Qingbai''s sword qi.


    Feng Qingbai''s sword strike which had pierced through Ya''er''s back had truly been intense and vicious, and it had directly severed Ya''er''s connection to her dantian. Not only that, but a wisp of sword qi remained in her body, preventing her from channeling her Qi to heal her wounds.


    If no powerful elite came to extract that wisp of sword qi from her body and save her, then Ya''er would have no option but to wait for death. Even the sagely medicines from Vajra Temple were powerless against this wisp of sword qi.


    Zhou Shi naturally didn''t get lovey-dovey with her while an intense battle was taking ce nearby. Squatting in the shadows of the wall, he applied some extra force with his thumb and pushed a prayer bead out from the string of prayer beads wrapped around his fist. The sanguine prayer bead didn''t fall to the ground and roll away, and it instead bounced on the paved alley twice before vanishing into thin air.


    Zhou Shi continued to scatter prayer beads onto the ground.


    This was a defensive treasure that his father, Zhou Fei, had given him. If used properly, this string of prayer beads could keep him alive even if he were facing off against one of the Upper Ten Elites. Meanwhile, this string of prayer beads would allow him to directly kill those who were Lower Ten Elites.


    Of course, Zhou Shi''s father, the pce leader of Spring Tide Pce, had also warned him to flee if he could should hee across Ding Ying or Yu Zhenyi. If he couldn''t flee, then it wouldn''t be embarrassing or shameful for him to kneel, kowtow, and beg for mercy.


    Feng Qingbai appeared calm and rxed as he slowly walked forward, controlling his sword with his mind in a skillful manner as he hunted down the young boy in white. Chen Ping''an attempted to break free several times, yet he was eventually caught and attacked by the flying sword each time.


    The flying sword was so quick that one could only see the streaks of sword light that it left in the air.


    Smiley Face didn''t dare toplicate things by trying to help, so he silentlyposed himself and adjusted his breathing. At the same time, he both breathed a sigh of relief and felt a sense of fear. After witnessing this exchange and seeing Feng Qingbai''s true power, just what should he do if he were to battle against Feng Qingbai?


    The young boy in white dashing around like a fluttering snowke suddenly came to a stop and grabbed at the hilt of Feng Qingbai''s flying sword.


    However, Feng Qingbai waspletely unfazed as he said, "How can it be so simple? You definitely can''t grab..."


    Before Feng Qingbai could even finish speaking...


    Chen Ping''an grabbed the hilt of Feng Qingbai''s flying sword with his right hand and struck its de with his left palm.


    The de didn''t shatter, but its tip curled up significantly as the entire de deformed.


    Feng Qingbai''s two fingers forming the sword seal faltered slightly.


    Chen Ping''an also held his index finger and middle finger together, forming a sword seal and rapidly running it over the de of the sword, straightening it out perfectly.


    He held the sword horizontally in front of him before releasing his grip.


    While Feng Qingbai was standing there transfixed with astonishment, someone grabbed the back of his cor and forcefully dragged him back, throwing him more than thirty meters back.


    The tip of the flying sword had only been a hair away from piercing Feng Qingbai''s heart.


    Chen Ping''an moved his fingers slightly, causing the flying sword to return and fly around him like an obedient little bird.


    <em>A sword expert''s ability to perform sword kinesis? I''m capable of that too.</em>


    1. Dachun (��) is a mythological tree from ancient China, first recorded in <em>Zhuangzi</em>. ?

 Chapter 314: (1): Accidentally Entering the Depths of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land

    Chapter 314: (1): identally Entering the Depths of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land


    Not only was Feng Qingbai''s flying sword snatched, but he was almost stabbed in the heart by his own weapon as well after Chen Ping''an used his sword kinesis skills. However, Feng Qingbai didn''t feel humiliated by this, nor did he re up in rage. Instead, a glimmer appeared in his eyes as he finally started to be a little interested in the situation.


    It was still necessary to somewhat adhere to the customs of the cultivation world, so Feng Qingbai expressed his gratitude to Lu Fang as he stood behind the extremely renowned pseudo-sword immortal who had saved him.


    Feng Qingbai felt slightly envious as he looked at the carefree man whose sleeves were brimming with sword qi. Feng Qingbai had only attained his power and reached such a height thanks to his background and his master. Even though his talent was indeed outstanding, it couldn''t be considered peerless or as rare as one in one hundred years.


    However, Lu Fang was different.


    Lu Fang would be a top-notch swordsman no matter which world he existed in.


    With his back to Feng Qingbai, Lu Fang smiled and said, "You''re wee. If you want, I can continue to support you from the sidelines. However, the prerequisite is that you have the courage to snatch your flying sword back first."


    Feng Qingbai massaged his left shoulder in slight exasperation before shaking his head and replying, "This naturally wouldn''t be difficult in the outside world. However, it''s impossible for me to snatch my sword back in this world."


    Lu Fang nodded and said, "Then you can observe the battle from nearby in a moment."


    "I''ll definitely repay you for your help," Feng Qingbai said with a smile.Feng Qingbai had used up a huge favor someone owed to his master in order to navigate through all kinds of obstacles and enter this blessednd. He was an otherworldly immortal who had regained his memory ten years before.


    After abandoning his identity as a sword cultivator, he had possessed the body of someone with passable aptitude and started from the beginning as a pure martial artist and sword practitioner in the cultivation world.


    He had challenged elites from all over the world, and this had indeed been very beneficial. However, it was still far from enough to help Feng Qingbai reach the state of so-called "from far to near" that his master had mentioned.


    Before entering the blessednd, Feng Qingbai had engaged in a lengthy discussion with his master. Apart from the sword by their waist, sword cultivators also possessed bonded flying swords in order tounch attacks from far away. This was the concept of "far." They could silently kill people even if their targets were hundreds or thousands of meters away.


    Meanwhile, sword practitioners from the cultivation world focused on bing invincible within a range of one meter. This was the concept of "near."


    Right now, Feng Qingbai was trying toprehend Sword Dao pertaining to the concept of near.


    Fortunately, watching Lu Fang and that young boy in white do battle with their swords was also a form of cultivation.


    Feng Qingbai possessed the observation skills and disposition to do this.


    As for whether they won or lost today, Feng Qingbai didn''t care too much about this. In reality, therge majority of otherworldly immortals hadn''te to this world to seek invincibility or dominance. Instead, most of them hade here to temper their minds.


    Ya''er was drenched in sweat as she limply rested against the wall, and she had just barely managed to avoid the pitiful fate of having her blood gush out like a fountain. In fact, she didn''t even dare to look down at her wound.


    The pipa woman who had been smashed into the wall had her face caked in blood as she struggled hard and finally managed to fall to the ground with much difficulty. She rested her back against the wall, and she summoned her strength to slowly stand up bit by bit.


    She nced at her adored pipa, apanion which had apanied her through the cultivation world for many years. It was already broken and tattered, and she no longer had the strength to pick it back up.


    She didn''t so much as nce at the battle in the alley, and she instead used the wall as a support as she slowly walked forward. The face of the pitiful woman was deathly pale, and it looked as if she were intent on walking to some certain ce.


    Ma Xuan was still yet to regain consciousness. It was entirely possible that he might never regain consciousness.


    Beads of sweat formed on Zhou Shi''s forehead, and just ncing at the young boy in white''s ability to perform sword kinesis out of the corners of his eyes was enough to make him feel a colossal weight on his shoulders. He felt suffocated and barely able to breathe.


    Scattering the prayer beads onto the ground and having them take root wasn''t easy. Zhou Shi needed to sever wisps of his vital energy before extracting them from his body and carefully funneling them into the prayer beads.


    Afterward, he needed to follow the immortal formationyout that his father, Zhou Fei, had privately taught him. This formationyout was called Dragon yer, and the prayer beads needed to be set up as if he were setting up a specific Go formation. Only then would the formation beplete.


    Not a single mistake could be made during the process, and each prayer bead was filled with immortal qi that Zhou Fei had collected from all over the world. Zhou Fei had once asked his son to wield a divine weapon and attack the prayer beads as he pleased, yet Zhou Shi had failed to cause any damage to the prayer beads.


    After arriving at the capital of Southern Garden Nation with his father this time, Zhou Shi had initially thought that victory was firmly within their grasp. As such, he had felt like he was here to watch a show. He simply needed to hide behind his father and Old Demon Ding as he watched the others duke it out and fight to the death.


    However, Ding Ying hadn''t acted ording to Zhou Shi''s expectations, so Zhou Shi had eventually been forced into perilous danger along with Ya''er.


    His father still possessed the ability to revive and turn the tables even if he were killed. However, this was not the case for Zhou Shi. If he were killed, then it would be immensely difficult and bordering on impossible for him to regather his soul and return to the outside world as theplete and original Zhou Shi.


    Moreover, his father''s temperament was such that he might not even look at his son''s corpse if Zhou Shi were to be killed before their n came to fruition. Zhou Fei definitely wouldn''t spend any extra effort on his son.


    The reason why Chen Ping''an wasn''t driving home his advantage and relentlessly attacking his opponents was partly due to Lu Fang''s interference. In addition, however, he was also familiarizing himself with the weight of his newly obtained flying sword as well as the True Qi he needed to expend in order to control its movements. The more precise his movements the better.


    When it came to sword kinesis performed by sword experts, the ability to control one''s sword as if it were an extension of one''s arm was only the most elementary skill. The most important skill was to control one''s sword through tacit understanding, and this was a pseudo ability that emted the ability of sword cultivators to control their bonded flying swords.


    This was simr to copies and rubbings of texts, where the copies and rubbings would also possess some true intent even though they were rough and inferior. The pseudo abilities of sword experts also possessed profound skill and power.


    In reality, Lu Fang was feeling very hesitant the entire time.


    This was because Old Demon Ding was nearby.


    If he chose to face the young boy in white with his full strength, he wouldpletely open himself up to a swift and violent surprise attack from the entric Ding Ying. Ding Ying never cared about his identity or the rules of this world when he acted, so it wouldn''t be surprising even if he unleashed his full strength against an unremarkable and low-level martial artist. In addition, Lu Fang was worried about the safety of Zhou Shi.


    At this moment, Lu Fang and Chen Ping''an looked toward the same ce in unison.


    There was a tall and skinny elder in azure Confucian robes walking in a proper and dignified manner. He was clearly one of the most powerful grandmasters in this world, yet he didn''t interfere with Chen Ping''an and Lu Fang''s battle as he turned from the street and walked into an alley. He walked to Chen Ping''an''s temporary residence.


    Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu was facing off against Ding Ying.


    If there were someone in the world who dared to face Old Demon Ding head-on with their fists and were further able to rival his power, willing to fight to the death without retreating, then this person wouldn''t be Immortal Yu Zhenyi, whose power was vaguely superior to the martial arts orthodoxy of this world. This person definitely wouldn''t be Bird''s Eye View Peak''s Lu Fang either. Instead, it could only be Zhong Qiu.


    Upon seeing this, Lu Fang knew that he no longer needed to hold back. There was nothing stopping him anymore.


    Lu Fang slowly unsheathed his sword, Dachun, with an inch of dazzling light appearing in the world with each inch of his sword that he unsheathed. This light was so blinding that even Smiley Face needed to squint his eyes.


    The skinny little girl who dearly hoped that no one would notice her was sitting tucked up on the stool the entire time. When Smiley Face squinted his eyes, however, she instead widened her eyes to carefully observe the dazzling sword light as it grew inch by inch. She didn''t turn away or close her eyes even as tears started to stream down her face.


    Only when Dachun was halfway out of its scabbard did she suddenly turn her head, feeling as if she were about to be blind. Even after closing her eyes, her vision was still filled with a vast expanse of snow-white. She raised her little hands which were as skinny as chicken feet and used them to wipe away her tears.


    Why had she stared so intently at that person drawing his sword? This was simply because she felt like that scene was very impressive and attractive. As such, she had wanted to grab that scene with both hands.


    When she walked along the streets filled with fragranceing from the breakfast stalls in the morning, she would always look at the various types of delicacies in the steamers with thirst in her eyes and drool in her mouth. She would always want to snatch the food and run, hiding somewhere to stuff her belly before throwing away what she couldn''t finish. It would be best if no one else could eat this food. It would be best if they all died of starvation and pissed off.


    Zhong Qiu arrived outside Chen Ping''an''s temporary residence. The gate to the courtyard wasn''t closed, so he decided to directly walk inside.


    Upon seeing the strongest martial artist in the world, one who had cultivated the fist techniques of external martial arts to a pinnacle state, Ding Ying smiled faintly and said, "It''s been sixty years since west met. If we take this into ount, just how old are you this year, Zhong Qiu? Seventy something?"


    Zhong Qiu nced at the scenes outside the window, and he observed themotioning from the side room. He furrowed his brows.


    Ding Ying stood on the steps, and he didn''t feel any frustration toward Zhong Qiu''s silence. He continued to speak, asking, "You didn''t believe me back then, but do you believe me now?"


    Ding Ying had seen everything in the world after traveling through the cultivation world for more than one hundred years. Few people were worthy in his eyes, and of this measly number of people, several had already died.


    Zhong Qiu was one of these worthy people.


    Everyone in the world held Yu Zhenyi in extremely high regard. Even though Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu of Southern Garden Nation was also very lofty in their eyes, he was still slightly inferior to Immortal Yu Zhenyi who was at the peak of the mountains and close to the sea of clouds.


    However, Ding Ying had always looked down on Yu Zhenyi. He only appreciated and acknowledged Zhong Qiu.


    Ding Ying had been a key member of the chaotic battle in Southern Garden Nation sixty years ago, while Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu had merely been youths who had obtained fated opportunities by chance during that time. After the chaotic battle finished, Ding Ying had coincidentallye across the two good friends who were always by each other''s side one time and remarked that Zhong Qiu would definitely be the grandmaster of a region in the future.


    Standing in Chen Ping''an''s temporary residence, Zhong Qiu asked Ding Ying two questions.


    "What are you nning to do?


    "What are we doing right now?"


    "Let''s sit down and have a chat," Ding Ying said as he sat down on a small stool. He casually waved his hand and made another small stool hover over to Zhong Qiu''s side. After Zhong Qiu took a seat, Ding Ying slowly said, "Before answering your two questions, let me ask you this first. Do you know where we are right now?"


    "A world exists beyond our world," Zhong Qiu replied with a solemn expression.


    Ding Ying nodded and exined, "Compared to the clues and traces about otherworldly immortals that you people have discovered in the secret texts, my understanding of them is rtively more direct. I''ve killed quite a few otherworldly immortals during the past sixty years, some of them already aware of their identities and some of them still yet to regain their memories. I obtained many answers and much information from them."


    He stomped his foot on the ground and continued, "The world we live in is called the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, one of the seventy-two blessednds. We feel like the territory of the four nations and the undeveloped destends is extremely vast, yet the otherworldly immortals who descend into our world all find it incredibly small.


    "ording to them, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land can only be considered a medium-grade blessednd. When they determine the grade of a blessednd, the abundance of spiritual energy in the world is naturally very important. However, the poption of the world is also very important.


    "In reality, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land isn''t very big in terms ofnd size. However, martial arts prodigies appear in abundance in this world, so this is therefore a very ideal location for otherworldly immortals to temper their minds."


    Even though Zhong Qiu had sought the truth for many years and already had some spections, his impervious mind as a grandmaster was still affected when he heard Ding Ying personally reveal the truth. A hint of fury spread across his face.


    It was only at this moment that Zhong Qiu finally started to understand the immense pressure on Yu Zhenyi.


    After cultivating immortal techniques, Yu Zhenyi was able to stand higher and see further than anyone else apart from Ding Ying. Thus, he felt a sense ofplete indifference toward the conflicts in the cultivation world and even the tumultuous changes in the imperial courts of the four nations. This was a sense of indifference that other people couldn''t fathom or understand.


    Ding Ying smiled and continued, "However, the truly strange thing about this Lotus Flower Blessed Land is the existence of..."


    Ding Ying couldn''t help but chuckle at this point, looking up at the sky and saying, "A person? An immortal?"


    He continued to exin the situation, saying, "I''ve heard that entering our blessednd is far more difficult than entering the other blessednds. If someone wants to enter, they need to rely on that person''s mood or that person''s first impression of them. In the world of those otherworldly immortals, Parasol Leaf Continent''s Lotus Flower Blessed Land isn''t very famouspared to the Cloud Cave Blessed Land controlled by a sect called Jade Tablet Sect. There are few legends about our blessednd.


    "People like Zhou Fei and Lu Fang are descendants from influential ns who are working as officials outside the city, and they''re advancing their political careers step by step in a rtively conventional manner. However, these people are the minority, and those who identally wandered into our blessednd make up the majority. It''s down to luck whether thetter group of people can make it back out.


    Zhong Qiu pointed at the sky and asked, "In other words, the world beyond our world is called Parasol Leaf Continent?"


    There was an amused and meaningful smile on Ding Ying''s face as he replied, "Who told you that it''s definitely above us?"


    Zhong Qiu mulled over this in silence.


    It was rare for Ding Ying toe across someone worth talking to, so he didn''t radiate with the unruly pride and haughtiness of the number one grandmaster of this world at this moment. Instead, he appeared like an extremely patient old teacher educating his disciple and answering his disciple''s questions.


    "I can answer your second question now. What are we doing right now? Every sixty years, those who be Upper Ten Elites and survive until the end will be chosen by that person and be allowed to leave this world. Not only that, but these people will all receive huge fated opportunities, with a high-level fated opportunity allowing them to ascend with theirplete physical body and soul. On the other hand, those who receive a low-level fated opportunity can only ascend with their soul."


    "Is this why the Reverence Pagoda does everything in its ability to determine the genuine Upper Ten Elites even if it means going to extremes?" Zhong Qiu asked. "Are they trying to prevent people from falsifying their powers to undeservedly enter the rankings? At the same time, they''re also preventing people from hiding their powers too much?


    "Because of this, those rare treasures that can help one''s cultivation base advance in leaps and bounds have been purposely added to this world. Not only that, but there''s also the rule stating that one can obtain a divine weapon as long as one manages to kill an otherworldly immortal. Perhaps the purpose of all this is to draw the top twenty elites together and have them battle and kill each other?"


    "In terms of the Reverence Pagoda that''s inciting trouble and creating confusion, there are far more internal secrets than we can imagine. The world wouldn''t be so chaotic if it weren''t for the Reverence Pagoda''s so-called warning once every twenty years."[1]


    Ding Ying chuckled and continued, "However, there are actually loopholes that we can take advantage of."


    Zhong Qiu lived up to his name as the imperial preceptor of Southern Garden Nation, and he immediately understood Ding Ying''s implicature, saying, "The strong get stronger, and they gather together to take advantage of their strength. They strive to work together such that they can reap all of the rewards and share the spoils in the end.


    "Yu Zhenyi is doing exactly this right now. He''s trying to win over members of the Upper Ten Elites and Lower Ten Elites irrespective of whether these people are good or evil. His aim is to target you as well as those otherworldly immortals."


    Zhong Qiu frowned after saying this, and he looked at Ding Ying as if slightly puzzled.


    Ding Yingughed heartily and said, "Your line of thought is correct. The safest and most reliable method is for the Upper Ten Elites to understand the situation and side with me, seeking my protection. The world can enjoy peace for at least the current sixty years if I leave the demonic force, treat everyone with fairness, act in a cautious and conscientious manner, and establish a set of rules for everyone.


    "That way, everyone canpete ording to their own abilities and talents, with me being the final judge on where everyone should rank. For example, I''ll determine your ranking, and I''ll also determine whether Yu Zhenyi has entered the top three. If this is the case, then there''s naturally no need for everyone to fight to the death and spill so much blood. Just sparring with each other would be enough."


    Zhong Qiu carefully pondered over this, eventually confirming that Ding Ying wasn''t overestimating his abilities and spouting nonsense.


    Ding Ying lightly tapped his knees with his fingers, appearing especially rxed and carefree as he added, "However, I felt like this would be very uninteresting."


    "What are you nning to do?" Zhong Qiu asked, repeating his first question again.


    Ding Ying waved his hand and ignored this question again, changing the topic and saying, "You have to understand that the situation is different this time. The concept of Upper Ten Elites and Lower Ten Elites doesn''t exist anymore, and the three people who survive until the end and ascend from this world will be able to bring five people, three people, and one person from this world with them, respectively."


    "Anyone can be brought from this world," Ding Ying emphasized.


    Zhong Qiu was unfazed.


    1. The warning refers to the list of Upper Ten Elites that the Reverence Pagoda releases once every twenty years. ?

 Chapter 315: (1): Breaking Through While Others Fight for Ascension

    Chapter 315: (1): Breaking Through While Others Fight for Ascension


    Zhou Shi had only just finished retrieving all of his prayer beads when two flying swords had smashed through the wall and severely wounded him.


    Immediately afterward, Lu Fang, who had initially enjoyed an overwhelming advantage over Chen Ping''an, had been pushed back to this street by a relentless flurry of punches from the young boy, with the final punch sending him flying backward and causing him to be embedded in a wall.


    And now, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu from Southern Garden Nation hade to finish the fight.


    Zhong Qiu was widely regarded as the strongest individual in this world, and his act of punching the young boy and pushing him back was equivalent to saving Lu Fang who was already unable to defend himself.


    Feng Qingbai seized this opportunity to retrieve his sword. Not only that, but had also been looking for an opportunity to retrieve Dachun and return it to Lu Fang the entire time. However, Zhong Qiu''s sudden appearance discouraged Feng Qingbai from doing this, lest heplicate the situation.


    Feng Qingbai exhaled a long breath. If Zhong Qiu''s punch had struck his temple instead, then he would have most likely needed to rely on his master to offer up wealth to get him out of this world. Otherwise, he could only reincarnate again and again in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, continually eroding his fundamental nature as a cultivator. He would eventually be fused into this world. This was the concept of heaven and earth being a furnace and all matter in between being molten metal.[1]


    Meanwhile, the child assistant of that person was responsible for fanning the mes.


    That person never showed himself, and he seemed unwilling to interact with the world. Only a young child holding a ntain fan was responsible for looking after the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Of course, he would also interact andmunicate with the various parties who had the right to know about the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    Before entering this blessednd, Feng Qingbai had followed the founder of the force he belonged to and seen that young child. At the time, even the founder, an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator, had treated the young child as an equal. This was even though the young child had spoken in a very blunt and aggressive manner.Feng Qingbai had only been in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land for a short dozen or so years, yet it already felt as if he had been here for an entire lifetime.


    Feng Qingbai had a vague and instinctual feeling that the tempering of his Great Dao and his sword heart had already reached a limit. If he were fortunate enough, he would at most obtain a valuable tool, the second weakest type of immortal treasure.


    After all, hisbat power was still intact at this moment, unlike Lu Fang who had already lost the ability to fight. In fact, Lu Fang might have even suffered damage to his Dao Heart. This would be extremely troublesome even after he returned to Parasol Leaf Continent.


    The title of otherworldly immortal was very impressive and beautiful. In reality, however, this was far from being the case. Only Zhou Fei, who promoted the ideology that "if one doesn''t enjoy life, then one is no different from nts and livestock," could be described as otherworldly. He had never attempted to temper his cultivation in this world, and he had instead lived a rxed and carefree life.


    However, this world was riddled with dangers for people like Feng Qingbai, Lu Fang, and the others. Even though their senior, Tong Qingqing, was already the esteemed leader of the Mirror Heart Hall and one of the four grandmasters of the world, she had still been in hiding for several decades and was still yet to show herself at this moment. She was the perfect example of how they needed to hide from danger.


    Feng Qingbai pushed these random thoughts out of his mind and started to review the battle just then. He tried his best to draw some lessons and conclusions.


    He had watched the battle between top-notch elites from a distance just then, and he had attempted to temper his mind in the same vein that one could borrow stones from another mountain to polish jade.[2] Though a different method to the Buddhist practice of meditation, it led to much the same results.


    In reality, Feng Qingbai viewed this top-level battle in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land as no inferior to those battles between Golden Core Tier cultivators and Nascent Tier cultivators in Parasol Leaf Continent.


    The battle between Lu Fang and the young boy in white was already so spectacr, so just how magnificent would a battle between Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi be, one evil and one good?


    Feng Qingbai initially hadn''t ced much hope in Chen Ping''an because Lu Fang was a renowned sword cultivator from Parasol Leaf Continent. After oveing numerous challenges and suppressions, Lu Fang was able to advance against the flow and carve out his own path, once again reaching the doorway to the Sword Dao in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land where spiritual energy was scant. Lu Fang was extremely skilled with the sword, able to attack at a distance but also defend at close range.


    However, the result was beyond Feng Qingbai''s expectations.


    The decisive factor rested in the fact that Chen Ping''an discovered that Lu Fang would save Zhou Shi no matter what.


    ording to rumors spread in the cultivation world, Lu Fang and Zhou Fei were mortal enemies, with Lu Fang once climbing the mountain to the Spring Tide Pce with his sword and challenging Zhou Fei to a life-and-death battle. There was no way this could have been faked.


    Feng Qingbai had already been in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land for a dozen or so years, while that young boy in white had only arrived not long ago. Theoretically speaking, Chen Ping''an should have been far more unfamiliar with this world and the matters pertaining to the cultivators in the mountains.


    Feng Qingbai truly couldn''t understand the current situation. Was it not the case that those closely involved in a situation would see less clearly than the bystanders? Perhaps that young boy hadn''t just descended with hisplete physical body and soul, but he was intimately familiar with many secrets of this world as well? And it was because of this that he had broken the rules and was now being viewed as a rebel by the Heavenly Dao, one who needed to be subdued and executed?


    Zhou Shi was severely wounded, with his entire shoulderpletely pulverized and in tatters. Fortunately, however, these were only flesh wounds. Using a sagely healing medicine formted by Zhou Fei in Spring Tide Pce, Zhou Shi was able to just barely stop his bleeding. He leaned against the wall with Ya''er, a pitiful and somber smile on his face as he said, "I already tried my best."


    He was a talented and carefree young man who could attract blushes and shy smiles from countless beautiful women, yet it was a shame that he was no longer carefree at this moment. Instead, there was only despondence remaining on his face.


    Beside him, Ya''er was channeling a secret technique from the demonic force with all her power in order to suppress her chaotic flow of Qi. This was a precious martial arts technique from the Hanging Flower Faction, one of the three factions of the demonic orthodoxy.


    This secret technique could revive one''s vitality, and it was said that one of the previous leaders of the Hanging Flower Faction had tricked the holy maiden of the Mirror Heart Hall from that generation and thus seeded in reading half of the <em>Return to Simplicity True Scripture </em>through underhanded methods. This was a true scripture that allowed people to genuinely revert their age and return to youthhood.


    The leader of the Hanging Flower Faction at that time had been an incredible prodigy, so they had unraveled the contents of the true scripture and transformed the knowledge into their own, eventually allowing them to create this secret technique for the demonic force.


    However, using this secret technique would also cause significant side effects. Even though one could forcefully suppress their severe wounds and stabilize their body, they would age rapidly during the process and elerate the deterioration of their body. Because of this, powerful cultivators from the Hanging Flower Faction would only use this secret technique if they were forced into a dead-end in a life-and-death battle.


    Ya''er''s expression was livid, and the hair in front of her ears surprisingly started to be pale white.


    Zhou Shi sighed when he saw this. If he handed Ya''er a copper mirror at this moment, would the girl most proud about her beauty directly fall to heretical ways?


    Perhaps consoling Ya''er, or perhaps consoling himself, Zhou Shi said, "Don''t worry, my father will be here very soon. I''ll be safe at that time, so you won''t die either."


    In front of some wall far away, a broken pipay on the ground all by itself. Its owner had already disappeared, though she left drops of blood on the ground every so often.


    When Chen Ping''an stood up, Feng Qingbai who was holding a sword, Zhou Shi who was slumped against the wall, and Smiley Face who had gone over to check on Lu Fang''s situation all felt anxiety grip at their hearts.


    Lu Fang dragged himself out from the wall and lightlynded on the ground. His movements were unstable, and Smiley Face wanted to reach over to support him. However, Lu Fang lightly shook his head as he raised an arm, summoning his sword, Dachun, back to his side. The sword sheathed itself in midair before being held against the ground like a cane again.


    Lu Fang''s cultivation base had initially been lofty and profound in the context of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, yet it had now plummeted significantly after he was struck by ten consecutive and relentless punches of the Deity Drumming Technique. Lu Fang''s physique wasn''t outstanding, so his body and soul had almost been shattered by Chen Ping''an''s vicious attacks.


    There was a dark look in Lu Fang''s eyes as he turned to Smiley Face, whose real name was Qian Tang, and said, "Allow me to rest for a while. You can apany me for a drink afterward."


    Smiley Face nodded with a somber expression.


    Just like the first time they had met, Lu Fang had be that dejected person once again.


    In addition to protecting Zhou Shi, Lu Fang had chosen to enter the battle first because he felt an even greater need to fight for Smiley Face. This was because Smiley Face wasn''t ranked among the Upper Ten Elites or Lower Ten Elites.


    Beforeing to the capital of Southern Garden Nation, however, Lu Fang had said that he would bring Smiley Face to the outside world to show him genuine immortals who could ride on the wind. Even though Lu Fang''s demeanor had been calm at that time, Smiley Face had felt the unique emotion and spirit radiating from the sword immortal from Bird''s Eye View Peak. He could have felt this even if he were blind.


    The two of them left the street together.


    Before leaving, Lu Fang cupped his fists and thanked Zhong Qiu. He then turned to Zhou Shi and said, "You''re on your own now."


    When they arrived at the wine shop run by that woman, the woman started to grumble and curse when she saw the person who had stolen that sword. Only after a lot of persuasion was Lu Fang able to bring two pots of the lowest quality wine to the table, mming them down in annoyance. Smiley Face could barely contain his urge to p that woman to death.


    Lu Fang retrieved a simple and ancient-looking chi[3] from his sleeves and handed it to Smiley Face, saying in a solemn voice, "I might need to trouble you with two difficult tasks in the next twenty years. First, I want you to carry this item and find my reincarnated body. The chi will be boiling hot when it draws close to me, and this will allow you to sense my presence.


    "Second, I want you to look for a sword called Chaoyuan. If we aren''t forceful regarding this matter, then the sword might end up in someone else''s hands like how Dachun ended up with me."


    There was a surprised expression on Qian Tang''s face.


    "I''ve already made up my mind," Lu Fang said.


    He didn''t exin this any further, and he continued, "Take care of the chi, and make haste and immediately leave Southern Garden Nation after drinking these pots of wine. You''ll only cause me to die quicker if you stay here."


    Smiley Face had never seen Lu Fang speak in such a solemn manner before, so he had no option but to carefully ept the chi and nod in agreement.


    Smiley Face nced at his good friend after drinking his pot of wine in a somber mood, yet Lu Fang simply said in a calm voice, "You don''t need to do anything if you truly manage to find me. You definitely shouldn''t teach me martial arts on purpose either."


    "I''ll keep this in mind," Smiley Face replied.


    However, he was no longer smiling anymore, and he was instead choking back tears as he spoke.


    Lu Fang wasn''t expressing such sadness at their parting, and he silently saw Smiley Face off from the wine shop before turning his gaze to somece and sneering, "You can show yourself now. You can rely on your abilities to obtain my head, the head of an otherworldly immortal."


    A hunchbacked old man who looked to be around eighty years old walked out from around the corner, coughing as he did so. Smiley Face would definitely recognize this feeble-looking old man if he were still present.


    He was none other than the Eight-Armed Deity, Xue Yuan, someone who had been squeezed out from the ranks of the Upper Ten Elites twenty years ago and continued to decline, eventually ending up as thest ranked member of the Lower Ten Elites. He had once been targeted and pestered by Smiley Face for an entire year, causing him to be aughingstock in the cultivation world.


    Lu Fang sighed in his mind.


    He hadn''t imagined that the remark he had made in Bull Mountain would be a reality.


    Yu Zhenyi had secretly gathered many powerful elites at the time, making it expressly clear that he wanted to hunt down and kill the four otherworldly immortals: Ding Ying, Zhou Fei, Tong Qingqing, and Feng Qingbai. Lu Fang had smiled and jokingly asked whether he would be hunted and killed as well.


    Judging from the situation right now, the answer was already very clear. This might not have been Yu Zhenyi''s initial n and intention, but Yu Zhenyi''s cold-blooded nature was such that he naturally wouldn''t let slip this once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity now that Lu Fang was severely wounded andpletely defeated.


    "To have the sword immortal from Bird''s Eye View Peak fall to such a miserable state... How heart-wrenching. I wouldn''t have believed this if I weren''t able to see it with my own two eyes."


    Xue Yuan cracked a grin as he taunted Lu Fang, revealing the fact that he was missing several teeth. He slowly walked toward the wine shop, and it was extremely difficult to fathom that he was the most powerful external martial artist in the world before Zhong Qiu.


    "How generous of Yu Zhenyi. He''s willing to let you collect my head," Lu Fang chuckled.


    Xue Yuan stood in a hunchbacked posture as he stopped twenty paces away from the door of the wine shop, replying, "Yu Zhenyi is a deity of the current age, so he naturally has no interest in such a measly fated opportunity unlike this mortal old man here. In any case, Great Sword Immortal Lu, you still have thirty to forty percent of your strength remaining, so you still have some chance to defeat me, the aging Xue Yuan."


    "Great sword immortal? Have you seen them before? Are you worthy to utter this title?" Lu Fang sneered.


    Xue Yuan chuckled and replied, "No, I''m not worthy, not worthy at all. I''ll listen you, Great Sword Immortal Lu."


    There was a look of ridicule in Lu Fang''s eyes.


    Xue Yuan caught Lu Fang''s gaze and shook his head. Afterward, the Eight-Armed Deity shook his back and straightened his body like a flood dragon rearing its head, causing his aura to change drastically. This was the aura and disposition that a grandmaster should possess.


    There was a frighteningly dark expression on Xue Yuan''s face as he red up in rage, and his voice was dripping with umted resentment and fury as he spat, "Haughty otherworldly immortals like you all deserve to die! That''s right, that''s the expression, the one in your eyes right now. You''re like a phoenix that''s already lost its feathers and be inferior to a chicken, yet you''re still looking down on everyone else in the world with such a contemptuous expression. It''s as if you view everyone as mere ants!"


    Lu Fang didn''t offer a response.


    However, he knew that this would be thest battle of his life. This wasn''t satisfying enough. His battle with Chen Ping''an just then hadn''t been satisfying, and his battle with Xue Yuan, who was kicking him while he was down, would be even more stifling.


    Yet, it was right at this moment when Xue Yuan had just cast away his disguise and descended upon Lu Fang like a deity that his body suddenly became rigid. His neck was held in a vice-like grip as he was slowly lifted into the air bit by bit.


    Xue Yuan was like a snake being held by its head, unable to even put up a fight. His feet rose higher and higher into the air.


    The person who hadunched a surprise attack on the old man had a warm and mellow voice, and he chuckled, "What''s wrong with viewing you people as mere ants? I don''t see anything wrong with this because you people are indeed nothing more than ants."


    There was an audible crack as Xue Yuan''s neck was snapped in half, after which the assant casually tossed him to the ground.


    The woman looking after the wine shop shrieked in a high-pitched voice, while the customers all screamed about murder as they jumped up and scattered like frightened birds.


    After Xue Yuan was tossed aside, one could see that the assant was a handsome young man. Indeed, he was none other than Zhou Fei, who had just hurried over from the Vajra Temple.


    Zhou Fei was holding the head of another person who had died a confused death, and he tossed the head toward Lu Fang, letting it roll across the ground and stter blood everywhere.


    It was surprisingly the head of Smiley Face Qian Tang.


    Zhou Fei casually tossed the small chi onto the ground as well.


    Lu Fang slowly squatted down and gently ran his hand over Qian Tang''s face, closing the eyes of his good friend. There was a dazed expression on Lu Fang''s face as he stared at Smiley Face, and he didn''t look at Zhou Fei, nor did he pick up his small chi. Instead, he simply asked in a quivering voice, "Why?"


    Zhou Fei remained silent for a moment before sidestepping the question and saying, "Since when did you be such a sloppy and hesitant piece of trash, Lu Fang? You came here for the sake of oveing the hurdle of mortal rtionships, yet in the end, you''ve failed to see through rtionships much less ovee them.


    "So be it if this is the case, and you can simply return empty-handed if worsees to worst. Yet, you''re now unable to let go of this head of some person who''s no better than some random stranger? Lu Fang, even if you return to Parasol Leaf Continent, I''m confident that you won''t be able to maintain your Nascent Tier cultivation base, to say nothing of advancing to the Upper Five Tiers!"


    Zhou Fei squatted down and asked, "Tell me, why did youe here? As the n leader of Jade Tablet Sect''s Jiang n, why did I apany you to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and spend so many years here?"


    At some unknown time, Lu Fang''s sword, Dachun, silently appeared on the ground as well, resting on the street alongside the small chi and a severed head.


    The stunningly beautifuldies were standing far behind Zhou Fei, with some of them slender like willows and some of them shapely like rice grains in autumn.


    "Why didn''t you look for Zhou Shi first?" Lu Fang looked up and asked.


    Zhou Fei chuckled in anger and replied, "I can always have a new child if my son dies. However, do you want me to waste another sixty years in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land if you die here?"


    Zhou Fei stood up and waved his hand, gesturing for a beautiful woman who was still quite charming toe over. "Go, apany your Senior Brother Lu whom you respected so much back then and have some wine with him. The two of you haven''t met for so many years, so there''s definitely a lot that you want to say to each other."


    The beautiful woman instantly became pale.


    Zhou Fei patted her cheek and said, "Come on, be an obedient girl."


    The ground tremored as Zhou Fei vanished in a sh.


    Like birds spreading their wings, the flowing robes and colorful ribbons of the otherdies fluttered in the air as they also soared into the sky. This was a stunning scene that intoxicated the passers-by on the nearby streets.


    Lu Fang stood up and faced that woman who was both familiar yet unfamiliar, asking, "Let''s sit down and chat?"


    The woman nodded in a fearful manner.


    The two of them sat opposite each other, yet Lu Fang discovered that the shopkeeper was still squatting behind the counter in terror. He stood up and grabbed two pots of wine himself. Before he could pour the wine, however, the woman who had stayed in Spring Tide Pce for many years and be ustomed to serving others hurriedly stood up and poured a bowl of wine for Lu Fang. Only then did she pour a bowl of wine for herself.


    Lu Fang didn''t look at her face, one which had made him feel heartbreak in the past. Instead, he simply looked at her hands which were as smooth and jade-like as those belonging to young girls before lifting his bowl of wine with a smile.


    The beautiful woman breathed a soft sigh of relief. After contemting for a moment, she stood up and walked to the street outside the wine shop, helping Lu Fang retrieve the small chi and Dachun. In fact, she even retrieved Smiley Face''s head and ced it on another table in the wine shop. She then sat down and smiled at Lu Fang.


    With a bowl of wine in one hand, Lu Fang turned around to gaze at the empty street outside.


    It was as if he could see a young boy and a young girl, a match made in heaven, running around and ying happily with each other.


    1. This symbolizes the fact that life is full of innate challenges that can''t be avoided. ?


    2. This means observing someone else or receiving someone else''s criticism and help to correct one''s own mistakes and shorings. ?


    3. The chi is an ancient Chinese center-blown transverse flute with closed ends and front finger holes. ?<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    There are so many characters in this novel. It''s hard to keep track and a bit confusing</blockquote>

 Chapter 316: (1): Another Intense Battle

    Chapter 316: (1): Another Intense Battle


    After seeing the old cook who had concealed his identity and cultivation, Prince Wei Yan left his residence together with his monkey-like teacher as well as Fan Wan''er from the Mirror Heart Hall. The monkey-like old man hadn''t dared to make a single peep in front of the old cook, a member of the Upper Ten Elites, just then, and it was only now that he started to grumble and curse again.


    The monkey-like old manined about how the old cook had truly wasted his powerful and mystical martial arts talent, and how this was a result of his extremely weak mental state. He expressed his shock and disappointment at the old cook''s choice to cripple his martial arts cultivation for the sake of a peaceful life.


    Wei Yan was helpless against his teacher''s grumbling, and he neither concurred with his opinions nor did he say anything to retort them. He simply let his teacher continue onining.


    The monkey-like old man sped his hands behind his back and bobbled his head, telling Prince Wei Yan that he needed to let this serve as a warning. He definitely couldn''t learn from the old cook and have such little ambition. Otherwise, he would be a good-for-nothing regardless of how profound his martial arts skills were.


    After grumbling to his heart''s content, the monkey-like old man finally discovered that Wei Yan and Fan Wan''er had remained silent the entire time, seemingly uninterested in his insights. He walked away in anger, saying, "I won''t disturb the two of you getting lovey-dovey with each other then."


    Wei Yan and Fan Wan''er exchanged a smile. Afterward, they looked up at the sky in unison, and Prince Wei Yan told Fan Wan''er to follow him before leaping onto the roof of a building with a decorated emerald ridge. Fan Wan''er followed after him, also jumping onto the tallest structure in Prince Wei Yan''s residence. They stood side-by-side, and they were just in time to see Lu Fang''s sword strike cleaving heaven and earth apart. The magnificent aura of this strike was truly breathtaking.


    Wei Yan was astounded, and he said in amazement, "As expected of the sword immortal from Bird''s Eye View Peak. I surmise that this sword strike is already no weaker than what Sui Youbian could unleash back then. I wonder who it is that''s able to draw such a powerful and serious strike from Lu Fang? Perhaps he''s fighting against Old Demon Ding?"


    "It doesn''t seem like it," Fan Wan''er said with a shake of her head.


    "Celestial Maiden Fan, I should have apanied you over there to observe the battle from nearby, but my position is such that I can''t always do as I please," Wei Yan said with a slightly apologetic expression.Fan Wan''er nodded and replied, "Your Highness, your health is invaluable, and you need to inherit the throne of the Wei n in the future..."


    The monkey-like old man gracefully dashed over before Fan Wan''er could finish speaking, looking at Wei Yan and warning him, "Don''t go over there to seek death. Since Lu Fang has alreadyunched a sword strike, there''s almost no one who can force him to stop. It''s an inherent taboo for people to sneakily observe battles between powerful immortals, and this is not to mention Old Demon Ding''s favorite hobby of wantonly killing those who observe his battles."


    "Teacher, didn''t you say that the old cook was as cowardly as a mouse just then? And how this doesn''t align with the bravery and ambition required for martial arts?" Wei Yan asked with a chuckle.


    The monkey-like old man smiled in anger and replied, "How old was the old cook? And just how old are you? The old cook has already lived for enough years and enjoyed enough fortunes. With his abilities, he should have found himself a powerful opponent and bravely battled to death. That way, he could have at least won himself praise and a longsting reputation in the cultivation world, just like Sui Youbian who failed to ascend. On the other hand, you''re still young, and your martial arts skills are still yet to reach a level of mastery. It''s far too early for you to seek death."


    Wei Yan had an extremely good rtionship with his teacher. The monkey-like old man was a strict teacher, but he was more like an elder who spoke harshly but actually had a soft heart. During their normal interactions, the monkey-like old man would also seem like a friend.


    "Yes, yes, yes, Teacher is correct. Only Teacher understands all of the principles in the world," Wei Yan said in a teasing voice.


    "Hmm? Something isn''t right," the monkey-like old man suddenly said in astonishment. "Such powerful attacks are being unleashed over there, so why is there so littlemotion? This isn''t like the sword immortal from Bird''s Eye View Peak."


    The monkey-like old man couldn''t contain his curiosity, so he said, "This is really itching at my heart. I''m going to head over to take a look."


    With a few bounds across the apexes of the roofs, the monkey-like old man had already jumped more than thirty meters away from his initial position. In the end, he became a small ck dot in the distance.


    Prince Wei Yan sat down on the roof ridge while Fan Wan''er remained standing, looking into the distance and unwilling to retract her gaze for a long time.


    Wei Yan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Celestial Maiden Fan, forgive me for asking this, but is Esteemed Immortal Tong already in the capital?"


    There was a hint of exhaustion and absentmindedness on Fan Wan''er''s face as she shook her head and replied, "You might not believe this, but I''ve never actually seen my master before."


    Wei Yan couldn''t bring himself to believe this.


    Fan Wan''er''s identity and background had always been a mystery shrouded in clouds and mist, even to Prince Wei Yan who was receiving support from her and the Mirror Heart Hall. He only knew that Fan Wan''er was the most outstanding disciple of the current generation in the Mirror Heart Hall, and that she had traveled across the cultivation world by herself for the past few years.


    In any case, it was without a doubt that the Mirror Heart Hall was a colossal force. Not only did the Mirror Heart Hall have Go pieces in the imperial court of Southern Garden Nation, but females from this force existed in the imperial courts of all four nations in the world, whether in the open or hidden in the background.


    Disregarding the grasnds beyond the four nations, Southern Garden Nation could be viewed as Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu''s territory, Pine Song Nation could be viewed as Yu Zhenyi''s territory, and Northern Jin Nation could be viewed as Lu Fang''s territory. Of course, there was also Tong Qingqing in Northern Jin Nation, yet she almost never showed herself, making it seem as if she were even more distant from the mortal world than Lu Fang.


    There were countless tales and rumors about Tong Qingqing swirling around in the cultivation world, so many that a basket wouldn''t be able to fit them all. Some rumors imed that she had been lovers with Ding Ying when she was young, yet their love had eventually turned into resentment, and the two of them had ultimately gone their separate ways.


    Others confidently imed that Tong Qingqing had actually once been the princess of Northern Jin Nation but was now the direct disciple of the maniac, Zhu Lian.


    Yet more others argued that Tong Qingqing had initially been a breathtakingly beautiful male, and it was only after practicing some immortal technique that he had be neither male nor female. However, this was a case of returning to natural simplicity, so Tong Qingqing was now able to enjoy an eternally youthful appearance.


    Following Yu Zhenyi''s exit from cultivation in seclusion, people became aware that the old immortal had shockingly regained a child-like appearance. Thus, some people started to specte whether Tong Qingqing had also reverted to a child-like form stripping the world of a stunning beauty.


    However, Prince Wei Yan didn''t believe any of these rumors.


    Fan Wan''er turned to Wei Yan and exined with a smile, "I was born in a poor family in Pine Song Nation, but a senior sister traveling around the world saw potential in me and took me in as a disciple in ce of her master, bringing me to the Mirror Heart Hall. I was only six at the time, so I didn''t understand anything and simply bowed three times to the painting of my master in that pavilion. That was considered the ceremony for me to be her official disciple.


    "The Mirror Heart Hall has a precious collection of many secret scriptures left behind by otherworldly immortals, and my White Ape Sword Carrying Technique is one of them. It can''t be considered a martial arts technique originating from the Mirror Heart Hall."


    Fan Wan''er smiled wryly and continued, "Perhaps I''m the person who wants to see Tong Qingqing the most."


    After saying this, however, Fan Wan''erughed before bringing her palms together and lowering her head, saying in repentance, "Please don''t condemn me for directly uttering Master''s name."


    Wei Yan was amused by Celestial Maiden Fan''s rare disy of childishness, so he was naturally reminded of that night when she had walked along the bridge and smacked the heads of those stone lions.


    Compared to Celestial Maiden Fan from the Mirror Heart Hall, Wei Yan was more fond of the Fan Wan''er right now.


    A spy from the prince''s residence arrived on the steps below them at this moment, so Wei Yan gracefully jumped down before returning to the roof a short whileter. His expression was solemn as he exined, "The Reverence Pagoda is starting to cause trouble again. The ranking that they came up with is spreading around like wildfire already. I''m afraid that everyone in the capital is already aware of the newest Upper Ten Elites."


    After saying this, Wei Yan''s expression became quite strange as he reported the names of the Upper Ten Elites. "There''s Ding Ying, the Paramount Leader of the demonic force, Yu Zhenyi, the leader of the Lake Mountain Faction, Spring Tide Pce''s Zhou Fei, Chen Ping''an, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu from Southern Garden Nation, Knife Sharpener Liu Zong, Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan, Vajra Temple''s Monk Yunni,[1] the Dragon General Tang Tieyi from Northern Jin Nation, and the adventurer Feng Qingbai."


    In addition to Chen Ping''an, thest three people on the list had never made it onto the list of Upper Ten Elites before either. The four of them were all new faces.


    "What about my master? What about Lu Fang?" Fan Wan''er asked with a dazed expression.


    Wei Yan didn''t know how to respond.


    How could he know the answer to these questions?


    ��������


    Zhong Qiu shook his azure robe after standing up from the rubble, causing all of the dust on his body to fall to the ground.


    At the same time, Zhou Shi and Ya''er who were "seeking shade" at the foot of the wall suddenly felt a light breeze brush over their faces. A shadow fell over them, and Zhou Shi felt a huge sense of relief when he focused his gaze and looked over. Meanwhile, Ya''er was filled with mixed emotions.


    Ya''er was afraid that this uninvited guest would take a fancy to her, altering her mind and causing her to be one of the many females in Spring Tide Pce. However, she also breathed a sigh of relief, happy that her life was no longer in danger, at least for now.


    After Zhou Fei arrived, the beautiful females from Spring Tide Pce who were all as powerful as second-rate elites in the cultivation world alsonded not far behind him, descending from the sky like mesmerizing petals.


    Zhou Fei shook his head as he looked at his pitiful son, saying, "Is this all you''ve got? How will youpete with Jiang Beihai even if I bring you home? Ahh, you should obediently stay here for another sixty years. Otherwise, you''ll face certain death if you head back to our original world. Either Jiang Beihai will toy with you until you die, or I''ll be so infuriated by you that I''ll smack you to death.


    "After the next sixty years pass, I''lle here to bring you back if you manage to rank inside the top three of this Lotus Flower Blessed Land. If you can''t even do this, however, then you may as well grow old and die here."


    Zhou Shi was dumbfounded, yet he didn''t feel overly disappointed. He didn''t know how to respond.


    Zhou Fei shot a sideways nce at Ya''er who was sitting beside his son and sniggered, "You''re thinking that it won''t be too bad even if you can''t leave this world? Because you can live together and stay with the girl whom you love?"


    A slight blush appeared on Zhou Shi''s cheeks after his thoughts were exposed.


    Zhou Fei made a grabbing motion, causing Ya''er to instantly be dragged up by an invisible hand. He then casually flicked his sleeve, making an azure dress materialize in the air and automatically slide over Ya''er''s body. Ya''er''s wounds healed at a rate visible to the naked eye after the strange dress was put on her, and even the blood that she had lost started to gather and flow back into her body. Her aura had been like a broken levee before, yet it was now like a steadily flowing river.


    Zhou Shi bent down and looked at Zhou Shi, saying, "You stay here, but the girl whom you like will have to leave with me. I''ll give you sixty years. If you meet my expectations, then you''ll have the right to follow me and return to Parasol Leaf Continent''s Jade Tablet Sect. You can marry this girl on the same day.


    "If you fail to meet my expectations, however, then you can see her wearing a wedding dress and you can call her mother the next time we meet in Spring Tide Pce.


    Zhou Shi hurriedly stood up and said in a resolute voice, "I understand!"


    A dazzling smile appeared on Zhou Fei''s face as he stroked Zhou Shi''s head and said, "Now that''s a good son."


    Ya''er''s fate was decided just like that, and the girl felt as if she had plummeted into a cave of ice-cold despair.


    Feng Qingbai was standing extremely far away, and he didn''t dare to provoke Zhou Fei at all.


    Each time Zhou Fei spoke, Feng Qingbai would silently shuffle his feet and retreat further away.


    Otherworldly immortals came to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to navigate all kinds of challenges and thereby temper their minds and cultivation. The more a cultivator sought to obtain and the more a cultivator sacrificed, theter they would regain their memories and be aware of their true identity.


    A good example of this was Lu Fang, someone who had already been a Nascent Tier earth immortal in Parasol Leaf Continent. Not only that, but he had also been a sword cultivator. Thus, he had definitelye here to test his heart and ovee his internal demons.


    Even so, Lu Fang had climbed up the ranks step by step, starting as a naive child before studying under the tutge of a second-rate martial artist andprehending sword techniques by himself.


    He had eventually be the sword immortal of Bird''s Eye View Peak, one of the four superior grandmasters in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, a world that was bound by its own rules and like a giant cage severelycking in spiritual energy. This was the impressive strength and ability of Lu Fang.


    Feng Qingbai conceded that he was inferior to Lu Fang, far inferior. He was also an otherworldly immortal, yet he had used some trick to keep most of his memories. Other than that, his soul was also iplete, and his physical body was also left in Parasol Leaf Continent, just like Lu Fang.


    Feng Qingbai was borrowing the physical body of someone else in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, treating it as a temporary residence as hepleted his journey in this world. At the core of everything, Lu Fang was directly examining his mind and seeking to pursue and attain Dao. Meanwhile, Feng Qingbai was settling for the next best thing,prehending Dao through theprehension of cultivation techniques.


    As for the Spring Tide Pce''s Zhou Fei, whose true identity in Parasol Leaf Continent was unknown, he was most likely the same type of otherworldly immortal as Feng Qingbai. Moreover, he had used even more tricks, and it was very clear that he wasn''t here to pursue the Great Dao. Instead, he was here to travel around and sightsee.


    However, toe to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to enjoy oneself? To spend an entire fifty years in this ce? Just who in the world was Zhou Fei? How did he possess such boldness and wealth?


    Was he from Parasol Leaf Sect? Jade Tablet Sect? Peace and Tranquility Mountain? Or nchette Writing Sect?


    Feng Qingbai sighed in grief in his mind. Add to that the young boy in white who had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, and his luck was truly as terrible as could be.


    The fated opportunities in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had never been this difficult to obtain in the past.


    Ding Ying, Zhou Fei, Yu Zhenyi, Zhong Qiu, Lu Fang, and that young boy in white... All of them were powerful enough to be the number one cultivator in any of the previous sixty-year periods, especially Ding Ying, Zhou Fei, and Yu Zhenyi, the three people who hadn''t joined the current battle yet.


    These individuals would have a fighting chance even if they were to face off against the peak state of Wei Xian, the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, Lu Baixiang, the founder of the demonic force, Sui Youbian, the female sword immortal, and Zhu Lian, the martial arts maniac.


    There was Zhou Fei who was "chatting" with his son, Chen Ping''an who was still facing off against Zhong Qiu, as well as him, Feng Qingbai.


    There were three otherworldly immortals standing on this street.


    1. Monk Yunni (�������) literally trantes to Cloud Mud Monk. ?

 Chapter 317: (1): So What if You’re Invincible?

    Chapter 317: (1): So What if You��re Invincible?


    The two old friends reunited on the silent street.


    On top of the hovering flying sword, there stood Yu Zhenyi who looked like a young child. Sword light dazzled like colored ze, both splendid and smooth.


    Yu Zhenyi was the leader of Lake Mountain Faction and the leader of the righteous forces in the world. After cultivating martial arts to a pinnacle level, however, he had resolutely abandoned everything to cultivate immortal techniques instead. In the end, he had advanced his cultivation even further and be divinely powerful.


    And now, he had finally appeared in the capital of Southern Garden Nation after the drum was beaten for the first time in Bull Mountain.


    After leaving Bull Mountain, the mountain located outside the capital that was the chosen area for ascension and the ce where the heavenly drum was being struck, the first person whom Yu Zhenyi saw was his extremely good friend from the past, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu of Southern Garden Nation.


    There was no hint of surprise on Zhong Qiu''s face, and he had seemingly predicted that Yu Zhenyi woulde here to obstruct him. He didn''t stop walking, and he continued to advance until he was just twenty paces from Yu Zhenyi. Only then did hee to a stop.


    Zhong Qiu smiled and asked, "You''ve finished crafting that jade bamboo fan? Won''t it be too soft and fragile as the future sect leader token of Lake Mountain Faction?"


    It was as if they were having a casual and polite conversation between friends.


    This was simr to a line in some poem��the sky dark and snow about to fall, won''t you stay to drink with me?[1]"It''s been three times already. Why?" Yu Zhenyi asked.


    Unlike Zhong Qiu''s friendly greeting, Yu Zhenyi was cutting straight to the chase and interrogating his old friend.


    "Are you asking me why I rescued Lu Fang? Are you asking me why I helped Chen Ping''an?" Zhong Qiu retorted.


    Yu Zhenyi had exited seclusion in the body of a young child, and there was a light ripple in his eyes that were as deep and profound as a bottomless pool at this moment. It was clear that he was feeling a rare sense of anger.


    Yu Zhenyi didn''t say anything, yet the flying sword underfoot that was linked to his mind became increasingly dazzling and enchanting, radiating with brilliant colors and appearing like a piece of colored ze that had fallen from the Heavenly Court into the mortal world.


    Zhong Qiu took a quick nce at the immortal sword under Yu Zhenyi''s feet before retracting his gaze and saying with a rxed expression, "You already knew the answer long ago, didn''t you?"


    Yu Zhenyi heaved a soft sigh, with a feeling of reminiscence welling up in his heart.


    However, this didn''t mean that Yu Zhenyi would change his mind and go easy on his old friend. Things had alreadye to this, and Zhong Qiu still insisted on remaining so stubborn after so many years, so he had no option but to steel his heart and do what was necessary.


    Many rumors swirled around the cultivation world, with the most popr one saying that Yu Zhenyi and Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu had turned on each other during their youth because they had both fallen for a seductive and stunningly beautiful woman. Of course, this rumor was severely underestimating the character and abilities of these two men.


    In reality, the two brothers had parted ways aftering across an otherworldly immortal just as they were both making a name for themselves in the cultivation world.


    At the time, Yu Zhenyi had been hellbent on killing that otherworldly immortal, yet Zhong Qiu had argued that the otherworldly immortal''s crime didn''t warrant death. Moreover, the risk was far too great, so it wasn''t worth taking such a gamble. However, Yu Zhenyi had still charged forward, intent on killing that otherworldly immortal.


    During a critical moment of life and death, it was Zhong Qiu who had suddenly stepped forward to block that fatal sword strike for Yu Zhenyi, allowing him to eventually kill the otherworldly immortal. Sure enough, just as Ding Ying had told them in Southern Garden Nation, two fated opportunities had appeared after the otherworldly immortal''s death. There was an immortal secret technique that could allow one to achieve longevity, and a powerful and indestructible colored ze sword.


    Standing in the pouring rain, Yu Zhenyi had held the divine cultivation scripture of unknown material in one hand and the colored ze sword in his other hand, throwing his head back and releasing a loud roar.


    Zhong Qiu had dejectedly walked away.


    Yu Zhenyi had lightly tossed the immortal sword to Zhong Qiu and said, "The two of us are brothers, so we can share in riches just as we can share in pain. You like to read, so you can establish the rules of this world in the future, regardless of whether it''s thews of the four nations or the regtions of the cultivation world.


    "I yearn for the immortal Great Dao, so I''ll naturally protect these rules for you once I master the immortal techniques. I''ll have all of the otherworldly immortals in this world bow their heads and heed ourmands. not daring to act with wanton disregard anymore..."


    However, Zhong Qiu had directly walked away, not even staying to let Yu Zhenyi finish his words. He had let the supremely valuable divine weapon tter to the ground and sink into the mud, and he had let Yu Zhenyi''s heartfelt words fade into the pouring rain.


    Knife Sharpener Liu Zong left the destroyed street and took a turn, and he was instantly left speechless when he saw the face-off between Zhong Qiu and Yu Zhenyi from a distance. He hesitated for a brief moment, yet he eventually decided to slowly continue forward, neither cowering and freezing to the spot nor trying to find an opportunity to turn around and flee.


    Liu Zong trusted Chen Ping��an, and he believed that the "young child" standing on the flying sword in the distance��Spiritual Master Yu who should have been engaged in an intense battle with Old Demon Ding��was definitely someone who could steel his heart to kill his good friend from the past.


    He trusted that young otherworldly immortal because Zhong Qiu had surprisingly made the choice to voluntarily spar with him, helping him stabilize his cultivation so that he could better face his next battle.


    Zhong Qiu would never follow his whims when making decisions and interacting with others. Instead, his speech and actions would always adhere to the set of rules that he followed.


    Was Zhong Qiu a sanctimonious person wearing the facade of a noble schr? Or was he a Diplomatist strategizing to seize control of the nation and the world? No, he was neither of these, and Liu Zong was well aware of what kind of person Imperial Preceptor Zhong was, especially since he had lived in the capital of Southern Garden Nation for so many years.


    Zhong Qiu was genuinely a sagely schr and a grandmaster martial artist. He was both of these at the same time, and he had integrated them together to reach the pinnacle of external martial arts in this world. Not only that, but he had elevated it to a higher level with his own strength and abilities.


    Moreover, Zhong Qiu had an extremely thorough understanding of good and evil. There were several times when both the discourse in the imperial court and the sentiment in the martial arts world had beenpletely one-sided, with the mood in the capital overwhelmingly favoring the execution of some person. Following through with this would have greatly satisfied everyone and also saved a lot of trouble.


    However, Zhong Qiu had secretly and subtly influenced the final oue all of these times, allowing the matters to be resolved in a peaceful and fair manner. Looking on with a cold gaze from the sidelines, even Liu Zong had been left with no option but to raise his thumb and praise Zhong Qiu as a truly righteous and gant person.


    Thus, when Chen Ping''an replied that Zhong Qiu was a like-minded person...


    ...Liu Zong had decided without any hesitation that he needed to draw that sharpened knife from his sleeve.


    Apart from appreciating the young boy, he was also fighting for his own slim chance at survival.


    Truth be told, not a single person in the world wasn''t curious about the strange rtionship between Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu.


    Knife Sharpener Liu Zong was naturally no exception. One had to realize that while running his silk shop, he would often discuss trivial gossip with those old women and youngdies. He would hear about whose elderly husband had an illicit rtionship with their daughter-inw, whose darling daughter had taken a fancy to someone, which widow''s house would often have the sound of a cat meowing at night, whose husband had secretly visited the brothel and spent all of their savings resulting in their wife threatening suicide, and so on and so forth. In fact, Liu Zong was even more passionate than those old women and youngdies when gossiping about these matters.


    Liu Zong tightly gripped his knife with the hand that was hidden inside his sleeve.


    He was still yet to figure out who the meowing cat in that widow''s house was, so he definitely couldn''t die here today!


    In any case, there were also several candidates whom he had been considering as his opening but also final disciples. He had observed them for many years, so it was about time to make a decision.


    Looking at the young child standing on the flying sword hovering in midair, Zhong Qiu sighed and remarked in a soft voice, "Yu Zhenyi, have you thought about this before? Standing before me today, you still have some slight differences from those otherworldly immortals. However, if you insist on continuing down this path, then there''ll eventuallye a day when you''ll be just like them. Afterward, there''ll arise another Zhao Zhenyi or Ma Zhenyi who wants to kill you, feeling that their actions are justified and righteous."


    Yu Zhenyi shook his head and replied, "Zhong Qiu, you''re still unaware of the current situation, aren''t you? The location for ascension this time is still Bull Mountain. However, the number of people who can ascend has already changed. It''s no longer ten people, and it''s instead only three people.


    "However, these three people have the right to pick five, three, and one realistically existing individuals from the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, respectively, allowing these individuals to ascend with them. These nine chosen individuals will very likely end up as nothing more than subordinates and puppets. I''ve already performed some divination, and Ding Ying, Zhou Fei, and I will have the greatest chance of bing the three people who achieve ascension."


    After saying this, Yu Zhenyi revealed the final list of Upper Ten Elites to Zhong Qiu.


    Lu Fang and Tong Qingqing weren''t on the list.


    Zhong Qiu directly asked a key question, frowning and asking, "You''re going to leave?"


    Yu Zhenyi shook his head and replied, "Of course not. I won''t ascend Bull Mountain before the drum is struck for the third time. I''ll voluntarily relinquish my right to ascend, just like that maniac, Zhu Lian, from the past. However, his aim was to ascend with his physical body the second time, while my aim is to prove to you that I was right to kill that otherworldly immortal in the past, and that you were incorrect to dissuade me. I''m going to make it such that the world will be peaceful and stable as long as I''m still alive. Zhong Qiu, your act of patching things here and mending things there ispletely meaningless."


    This was an incredibly ambitious statement, yet Yu Zhenyi uttered it in an especially casual and rxed manner.


    "Our ideals and ambitions are different, so we''ll have to agree to disagree," Zhong Qiu said with a smile.


    "You still have one final chance," Yu Zhenyi said slowly. "Join forces with me to kill that otherworldly immortal, Zhou Fei. Ding Ying won''t stop us. After we seed, you''ll also be able to live until the end. As for whether you choose to climb Bull Mountain to ascend to the outside world, that''s entirely up to you."


    "What about the other people on the list of Upper Ten Elites? Who''s going to kill Knife Sharpener Liu Zong, Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan, Dragon General Tang Tieyi from Northern Jin Nation, and Monk Yunni from the Vajra Temple? Will you kill them? Or will Ding Ying kill them? After all, these people aren''t otherworldly immortals."


    It was as if they were speaking to each other in a mutually unintelligible manner.


    Yu Zhenyi red up in rage and roared, "If others utter such foolish words, then I''ll treat their opinions as mortally naive and beneath myself to care about! Buting from you, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu of Southern Garden Nation? Are you oblivious to the fact that sweeping changes in the world will undoubtedly require sacrifice?!"


    Zhong Qiu nodded and replied with a smile, "I''m naturally aware of this, and I''ve also done everything in my ability to better Southern Garden Nation during these past years. However, I''m simply posing this question to you, Yu Zhenyi. I''m not asking about a significant one-in-one-thousand-year event, I''m not asking about this world, and I''m not asking about the otherworldly immortals in this world. I''m simply posing a question to you, Yu Zhenyi from Jin County of Pine Song Nation''s Zhuo Prefecture."


    Yu Zhenyi chuckled coldly and replied, "How stubborn and inflexible. Zhong Qiu, you''ve been like this ever since you were young. You continue to remain stubborn no matter how many books you''ve read and how many fist techniques you''ve practiced."


    Zhong Qiu smiled and remarked, "On the other hand, you''ve changed quite a bit, Yu Zhenyi."


    Liu Zong was filled with nervousness and apprehension as he listened to this conversation.


    He was truly afraid that Zhong Qiu would nod and join forces with Yu Zhenyi, eventually turning around to kill him along with the other three people on the list of Upper Ten Elites. Killing them would be as easy as ughtering chicken. Yu Zhenyi was already a powerful cultivator, while Zhong Qiu was one of the most powerful people in Southern Garden Nation. Even if he, Cheng Yuanshan, Tang Tieyi, and Monk Yunni joined forces, they would still have no chance at victory against Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu.


    Thankfully, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu didn''t betray Liu Zong''s trust and admiration in him!


    Zhong Qiu nced up in the direction of his hometown before saying in mncholy, "Yu Zhenyi, after saying so much, you''re simply trying to find an excuse tofort yourself before you kill me. In this sense, you''re still exactly the same as before."


    Yu Zhenyi remained silent as he stood on the flying sword hovering in midair.


    Without turning around, Zhong Qiuughed heartily and said, "Knife Sharpener Liu Zong! We''ve been neighbors for so many years in the capital, and it''s not because I look down on you that I''ve never gone to visit you. Rather, the friendship between gentlemen appears indifferent but is pure like water.


    "I''ll attack first, and you can support me from the sidelines. If the situation bes precarious, then you should flee if you''re able to and directly look for Monk Yunni. Don''t feel like this is embarrassing or humiliating!"


    Knife Sharpener Liu Zong faltered for a moment before murmuring, "Good heavens... As expected of Imperial Preceptor Zhong. This praise makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over!"


    Bing friends with fine individuals was like a drunkard enjoying rich wine. How could one possibly be sober?


    Liu Zong wasn''t afraid of death, yet he would never seek death either. He strode forward with determination. So be it if he died. He would die while feeling intoxicated!


    Yu Zhenyi leaned forward slightly, gracefully sliding off his flying sword and gentlynding on the street. He casually flicked a sleeve and ordered in a soft voice, "Go."


    The flying sword behind him that was filled with pure sword light as radiant as colored ze immediately drew arge arc in the air before piercing through a wall. After exiting from the other side, it was as fast and furious as lightning as it reappeared on the street, directly soaring at Knife Sharpener Liu Zong after having detoured around Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu.


    Yu Zhenyi appeared rxed and carefree as he leisurely walked forward, shaking his hands before sping them behind his back and saying with a smile, "Zhong Qiu, aren''t you regarded as the number one martial artist in the world? Come on, I won''t strike back. You can punch me as you please."


    Zhong Qiu nodded before suddenly asking, "Can we do battle outside the city?"


    Yu Zhenyi smiled and replied, "Imperial Preceptor Zhong, you don''t need to worry about bringing harm to the innocent. You don''t have the ability to do so."


    Zhong Qiu couldn''t help but chuckle.


    This person... After bing an immortal whoprehended Dao, he had eventually transformed into a little child who spoke in an incredibly boastful manner. Zhong Qiu genuinely wanted to witness his so-called immortal abilities.


    Yu Zhenyi sped his hands behind his back, signaling to Zhong Qiu that he could attack as he pleased.


    Not only that, but he even tapped a foot and hovered into the air, making sure that his line of sight was in line with Zhong Qiu''s. He was actually making it easier for Zhong Qiu to strike him!


    Zhong Qiu wasn''t angered by this, and he didn''t feel like Yu Zhenyi was belittling him. Instead, his expression became increasingly solemn.


    He threw a single punch.


    However, Zhong Qiu''s fist stopped a meter in front of Yu Zhenyi''s childlike face.


    His fist could only advance inch by inch in an incredibly slow manner.


    It was as if his fist were an old man trying to ascend a mountain, struggling to take each and every step.


    There was but a mere meter between his fist and Yu Zhenyi''s face, yet it was as if there existed a gulf between them as great as the distance between heaven and earth.


    Hovering in midair with his hands sped behind his back, Yu Zhenyi lightly shook his head, his eyes filled with pity for his opponent as he said, "Who knew that this was the limit of Zhong Qiu''s abilities?"


    1. This is a line from Bai Juyi''s poem, <em>Invitation to Liu Shijiu</em> (����ʮ��). ?

 Chapter 318: Simply a Sword Strike

    Chapter 318: Simply a Sword Strike


    Ding Ying raised his arm, and the silver-colored lotus flower hat on his head surprisingly bloomed like a real lotus. The originally closed lotus petals peeled back and extended outward, swaying in a lively manner. Ding Ying ced the miniature flying sword between his fingers inside the lotus, after which the lotus petals closed again, returning the Daoist hat to its original form.


    The old man sped his hands behind his back and peered down at the river of sword qi flowing near him. Even someone like Ding Ying couldn''t help but feel that this was a spectacrly beautiful sight that he had never seen before.


    As he looked down at the snow-white stream of sword qi lingering in the human world, Ding Ying smiled and asked, "Chen Ping''an, is this the sword kinesis technique of sword experts? You and Feng Qingbai both used this technique before. I was careless, and I didn''t imagine that you could use sword kinesis from such a great distance.


    "However, this doesn''t matter because the oue is already set in stone. Moreover, this is an immortal sword, yet you''re not truly gripping the hilt with your hand? You''re only feigning the fact that you''re holding it? Is this not a great shame?"


    Ding Ying withdrew his gaze from the lingering sword qi and turned his eyes to Chen Ping''an, continuing, "Or perhaps you''re unable to fully control this immortal sword? What an absolute pity. In any case, is all this mist-like and water-like matter sword qi? Shouldn''t sword qi dissipate very quickly?"


    Chen Ping''an hadn''t imagined that Ding Ying would possess such keen observation skills and notice his outwardly harmonious but inwardly discordant rtionship with the immortal sword so quickly.


    One time outside the Flying Eagle Fortress, Chen Ping''an had drawn this sword, Lasting Qi, from its scabbard. However, the sword qi had instantly severed all of the flesh and blood from his arm, leaving only white bone. In the end, Chen Ping''an''s severe wounds had only healed after Lu Tai used mystical pills and medicines from the Naturalist Lu n to treat him.


    Chen Ping''an naturally hadn''t summoned Lasting Qi to his side from such a great distance using some kind of divine sword kinesis technique. Instead, Lasting Qi''s sword qi had seeped into Chen Ping''an''s physique due to his interaction with it day and night for such a long period of time. At the same time, his soul also developed the ability to manipte the sword qi. Thus, the two of them had remained linked even though they had been so far apart.


    Ding Ying pointed at his lotus flower hat and said, "You''ve obtained your sword now, while I''ve temporarily lost the ability of my immortal Daoist hat. With you bing stronger and me bing weaker, our imminent fight is quite fair, can''t it?"Chen Ping''an tightened his false grip on the hilt of his immortal sword, causing the river of sword qi that lingered from the small courtyard to Chen Ping''an''s hand to instantly gather together and funnel into the sword. After doing this, Lasting Qi no longer appeared peculiar in any way.


    Chen Ping''an weighed the sword in his hand and felt like it was just right. It was heavier than Deep Infatuation, the sword stored inside Fifteenth. Ever since obtaining the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em> from Old Dragon City and starting to practice the sword on Osmanthus Ind, Chen Ping''an had always felt like his swords were too light. Even though he only feigned holding Lasting Qi right now, he still felt like the immortal sword''s weight was quite suitable.


    Things would be fine as long as its weight was suitable.


    Only at this moment did Ding Ying elevate his opinion of Chen Ping''an from the level of Lu Fang, Zhong Qiu, and the others to the level of Yu Zhenyi, someone who cultivated immortal techniques.


    The differencey in the fact that regardless of how mystical Lu Fang''s sword techniques were and how peerless Zhong Qiu''s fist techniques were, they would still appear like nothing more than little children waving willow branches around and drunk old men wildly throwing punches around in the eyes of Ding Ying.


    In this world, only Yu Zhenyi had reached the pinnacle level of both offense and defense, and could hope to wound Ding Ying.


    Chen Ping''an exhaled heavily.


    The only good thing about fighting here was the fact that his opponents wouldn''t take advantage of him while he was replenishing his Qi.


    It seemed like the martial artists in this world didn''t take the first step that all pure martial artists in Majestic World took. In Chen Ping''an''s home world, martial artists followed a pathpletely contradictory to that of Qi refiners in the sense that they needed to expel all of the spiritual energy from their bodies. They would then refine a breath of pure True Qi that was lively like a flood dragon and would swim through their organs, bones, and acupoints.


    Like a group of elite cavalry expanding their nation''s territory, this breath of True Qi would also forge many paths for itself to travel through. Only after taking this step could one be considered a genuine martial artist who had set foot on the path of Martial Dao.


    In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, however, martial artists didn''t have such a custom at all. Perhaps this was due to the sparse spiritual energy in this world. Because of this, martial artists herecked tempering and possessed rtively weak foundations.


    The so-called "return to natural simplicity" that many martial arts grandmasters in this world pursued was, in fact, just the ordinary path of martial arts that existed in Majestic World. However, martial artists born in this world would only be enlightened and aware of this fact after they had already reached a certain height. Only then would they retroactively try to temper their cultivation.


    Even so, the cultivation world had still produced many extraordinary prodigies in the past one hundred years. For example, people like Ding Ying, Yu Zhenyi, and the others. Flicking through the history books, there was also Wei Xian, Lu Baixiang, Sui Youbian, and other astonishing talents.


    Ding Ying smiled faintly and said, "Apart from the lotus flower hat on my head, the immortal sword in your hand is the second thing in the world that I want to obtain."


    Chen Ping''an advanced using the six-step walking meditation stance of the Mountain Shaking Fist. Contained within his stance was the top-notch fist intent of Zhong Qiu''s fist stance.


    There were slight variations in each of Chen Ping''an''s steps, yet they still seemed extremely coherent and natural especially since he had already practiced fist techniques more than one million times. Fist intent had already taken root in Chen Ping''an''s bones and be part of his identity.


    Not only that, but Zhong Qiu had secretly taught Chen Ping''an his fist stance, Mountain Peak, while pretending to fight with him as well. This fist stance was graceful and natural like the water and clouds, allowing it to mesh wlessly with the six-step walking meditation stance of the Mountain Shaking Fist.


    Hawk-eyed though Ding Ying was, he was surprisingly still unable to locate a single weak point in Chen Ping''an''s six-step walking meditation. Indeed, this fist stance was genuinely one with the heavens and aligned with the Great Dao.


    During the past sixty years, Ding Ying unrestrainedly purchased and collected all kinds of martial arts techniques in the world. He was a one-in-one-hundred-year prodigy to begin with, so he was able to learn and integrate all of these techniques together. He was attempting topile a treasured scripture that would allow martial arts to be the paramount art of this world.


    There was a bright glimmer in Ding Ying''s eyes as he watched Chen Ping''an perform the seemingly unremarkable six-step walking meditation. By the looks of it, his secret scripture still required further rework and refinement.


    Since there was no opportunity for him to kill Chen Ping''an in a single blow, and seeing that there were martial arts techniques of the outside world he could learn from the young boy, Ding Ying decided to avoid Chen Ping''an''s attack.


    However, Ding Ying quickly realized that stepping back in retreat was the wrong choice.


    After taking the sixth step, Chen Ping''an''s aura had already risen to the pinnacle, with his fist intent so concentrated that it was almost tangible and liquid-like, simr to beads of water rolling across a lotus leaf. Meanwhile, having carried Lasting Qi on his back to temper his soul day after day and night after night, the sword intent that had slowly seeped into his body was now like the veins of a lotus leaf.


    Chen Ping''an leaped high into the sky and shed down with his sword.


    He then held Lasting Qi with both hands, and the de of the sword shifted from a vertical position to a horizontal position as it swept down through the air, disappearing in a sh.


    The wide street was sliced into two by the sword qi, and if anyone were present on either side of the street at this moment, they would discover that things on the opposite side of the street had suddenly be blurry and contorted at this instant.


    Ding Ying had already retreated ny meters into the distance, pirouetting on the spot and turning his body to the side as a burst of snow-white sword qi rushed past in front of him.


    It was as if he were a traveler marveling at the huge tides surging toward the shore.


    Standing side-on when facing Chen Ping''an''s second sword strike, Ding Yingunched a palm strike and jumped up, hanging in midair as he dodged Chen Ping''an''s vicious burst sword qi that was aiming to cut him into two at the waist. At the same time, Ding Ying''s palm strike smashed into the de of the sword, with the collision between the two appearing like two whetstones grinding against each other.


    Ding Ying frowned as his palm became a mangled mess of flesh and blood. He suddenly increased his power, driving a finger into Lasting Qi and borrowing the backward momentum to backflip and hover back in retreat.


    However, it wouldn''t be easy for Ding Ying to break free from Chen Ping''an''s grasp, especially since he had lost the upper hand.


    Chen Ping''an went through the six-step walking meditation for the second time, with his first stepnding in midair one inch from the ground. His second step was one foot from the ground, and he continued to climb higher and higher with each subsequent step. At the same time, he released his grip on Lasting Qi, allowing it to transform into a streak of white that soared down and hunted Ding Ying.


    Of course, it naturally wasn''t that Chen Ping''an had already advanced to the eighth tier, the Wing Formation Tier. Instead, he was borrowing the power of Lasting Qi and using the linked aura between them to climb into midair.


    When battling with Zhong Qiu before, Chen Ping''an had also taken a few steps in midair after sessfully breaking through via Examining the Dragon and advancing to the fifth tier. He had strode past the ditch in the ground formed by Lu Fang''s sword strike, yet his aura and Qi hadn''t been truly stabilized yet.


    Both of them had been surging outward like chaotic floods, and it was because Zhong Qiu had noticed this that he had unleashed several more punches to help Chen Ping''an temper and stabilize his Martial Dao.


    Ding Ying stomped down, causing an explosion as he leaned forward and shot up into the air. He took another step, and the same process repeated itself again. Ding Ying was releasing astral energy and gathering it underfoot, using it as a tform and allowing him to walk anywhere he wanted in midair.


    This was almost a rudimentary form of Majestic World''s Wing Formation Tier.


    If Ding Ying managed to ascend and leave the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, then the lofty heights of his achievements would be simply unfathomable.


    The remaining members of the Upper Ten Elites and Lower Ten Elites ranked below Ding Ying all regarded bing one with the heavens as the peak level in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Reaching this level was extremely difficult and required immense effort and sacrifice.


    However, Ding Ying had remained in this world for so many years because he was waiting for others to climb the mountains and stand alongside him. He had already stood on the mountain peak for many years, peering down at the world and feeling as if life waspletely uninteresting and meaningless.


    Ding Ying viewed the rules and Great Dao of this heaven and earth as his true opponent.


    An astonishing battle was ying out in midair.


    Chen Ping''an was using sword kinesis and controlling his sword like a sword expert. His attacks were being supplemented by the Avnche Technique from the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em>.


    He refused to let Ding Ying retreat too far away from him, yet at the same time, he also didn''t allow Ding Ying toe too close to him. He maintained a distance of at least two arms'' length between them.


    The two of them relentlessly exchanged blows above the capital of Southern Garden Nation, continually moving toward the south of the capital as they did so.


    Sword qi collided with fist aura, releasing rumbling explosions that shook the world like thunder. The residents in the capital couldn''t help but crane their necks and gaze up at this stunning scene.


    The boy in the snow-white robe wielded a sword that looked like a streak of brilliant white light. This was a spectacr sight to behold, as if heavy snow were falling above the city, yet not a single snowke would descend.


    Among the onlookers was the emperor of Southern Garden Nation, standing amidyers of imperial guards.


    The old cook from the prince''s residence also ran outside the kitchen, still wearing his apron.


    There was also Prince Wei Yan and the Mirror Heart Hall''s Fan Wan''er.


    On the corner of the street near the wine shop, Zhou Fei and Lu Fang were standing side-by-side.


    The pipa woman was destined not to reach the young schr with the surname Jiang in time. She was slumped against a wall, her face filled with disappointment as she nced at the peculiar phenomenon overhead. She slowly closed her eyes, truly feeling a little tired.


    What could she do even if she knocked on the door of that small courtyard and saw her beloved again? To show him her bloodied and disheveled appearance? Forget about it. It was best to not see him again. Even if he felt like she was a bad person from the conversations of others, she would still, at the very least, be a good-looking woman.


    And thus, the woman cocked her head and fell into eternal slumber with a smile on her face.


    Empress Zhou Shuzhen didn''t return to the imperial pce. Instead, she snuck into the prince''s residence with a copper mirror in her pocket.


    In the courtyard, Cao Qinng was alone and helpless. He tossed his hatchet away before squatting down and burying his head in his arms, bawling his eyes out.


    With no one else in the surroundings anymore, the skinny little girl grabbed her small stool and swayed back and forth as she turned into a small alley. Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked all around.


    Above the southern region of the capital of Southern Garden Nation...


    Chen Ping''an became increasingly familiar and adept at controlling his sword.


    His sword de was too sharp, his sword qi was too intense, and his sword techniques were too strange.


    This was the first time that Ding Ying had be so disheveled in the past sixty years. He had no option but to focus all of his effort on defense.


    Ding Ying felt slightly frustrated. However, he quickly suppressed his feeling of exasperation and calmed his mind. He wanted to see just how long this young otherworldly immortal could maintain his wless form for. Ding Ying would strike swiftly and severely wound Chen Ping''an the moment that he showed a weak point.


    In the meantime, Ding Ying didn''t idle around either. Rather, he casually unleashed all kinds of techniques that he had learned. He threw crooked punches that weren''t aimed at Chen Ping''an at all, yet his fist aura would explode beside Chen Ping''an, perhaps near his be, shoulder, or chest.


    The old man''s punches came from all kinds of strange and sharp angles, making them extremely unpredictable and difficult to dodge. This was a case of Ding Ying fusing his divination techniques with his fist techniques. Compared to Ding Ying, Smiley Face''s strange and elusive movements were nothing more than the tumbles of a clown.


    Ding Ying held two fingers together and flicked them outward, unleashing wisps of astral energy that appeared like long swords.


    Meanwhile, he formed seals with his other hand, activating techniques that had the ability to move mountains and shift seas. A significant number of houses and arge number of trees were ripped up from the ground and used to block the formidable currents of snow-white sword qi.


    In the end, the two of themnded on the tall city wall of the capital.


    Along the carriageway, the arrow slits and the face of the entire wall fractured and crumbled, causing dust and rubble to fly through the air and rain down on both the inside and outside of the capital.


    Chen Ping''an had finally broken free from some shackle. He was finally unleashing his full power without any reservations.


    His sword kinesis technique was almost as powerful as the ability of immortals to manipte their swords with their minds.


    The long carriageway was utterly annihted by Lasting Sword Qi''s overwhelming sword qi.


    There were asionally minor gaps and pauses, yet Ding Ying would immediately be smashed back into the cage of sword qi by Chen Ping''an''s ruthless fists whenever he attempted to break free.


    Ding Ying was the most powerful person in the world, having sat on the throne of the cultivation world for the past sixty years. Today, however, he was beingpletely suppressed for the first time, suffering such a disadvantage that he had no option but to defend with all his might.


    Even though Ding Ying wasn''t injured, several tears had already appeared on the cuffs of his sleeves.


    Chen Ping''an was quick and agile on his feet as he continued to calmly dance around the obliterated carriageway, maintaining a middling distance from Ding Ying.


    It was clear that Ding Ying was infuriated as well, with several jabs from his fingers striking Lasting Qi on the de or hilt, causing its sword qi to copse and explode into the surroundings. However, the sword qi radiating from the de was so abundant that it could condense into a long stream, rendering this amount of damage entirely negligible. This was analogous to a boulder smashing into a river and causing water to ssh onto the shore��the amount of spilled water was simply negligible.


    A thought suddenly urred to Chen Ping''an, and he jumped on top of an arrow slit that had already been smashed in half. He held two fingers together in a standing meditation pose, the Sword Furnace Stance of the Mountain Shaking Guide.


    Lasting Qi, which had been furiously circling around Ding Ying, suddenly rose more than thirty meters into the sky. The flying sword was already lightning-quick to begin with, yet it sped up even further to an unfathomable speed. It genuinely vanished from sight before transforming into a column of white light that descended from the sky,plete with wild wind and thunderous lightning.


    The sword split the city wall of Southern Garden Nation into two before exiting at the foot of the wall and arriving beside Chen Ping''an in a sh. It rang as it hovered beside the young boy.


    The dust settled, revealing Ding Ying''s figure. The old man raised his hand, exposing the cuff of his right sleeve that was now in tatters.


    Chen Ping''an reached out and feigned grabbing the hilt of Lasting Qi. His palm touched the hilt of the sword for a brief moment, yet he immediately loosened his grip afterward.


    Ding Ying roared withughter and eximed, "I''ve never been able to stretch and rx my bones and muscles so much in the past sixty years."


    Chen Ping''an posed the same question as before, asking, "Don''t you just feel amazing?"


    Ding Ying had remained unfazed the previous time. This time, however, he couldn''t help but feel slightly humiliated.


    He stomped his feet, after which his figure started to be fleeting and elusive. Chen Ping''an could vaguely see him assuming an unknown fist stance.


    Behind Chen Ping''an, there was also the blurry shadow of the old man wearing the lotus flower hat, this one forming an ancient heavenly official seal with his fingers.


    To his right, in the sky above the capital of Southern Garden Nation, Ding Ying twisted his arms and massaged an orb of blinding light between his palms.


    To his left, hovering above the city wall of the capital, Ding Ying extended his arms and swiped down with his hook-like fingers, causing two fractures that each measured more than thirty meters in length to race down along the city wall.


    Chen Ping''an feigned holding Lasting Qi and unleashed the Avnche Technique using his sword qi, aiming to smash through his opponent''s defenses. At the same time, he blocked Ding Ying''s attacks using the <em>Proper Sword Scripture''s</em> Deity Suppression Technique with Lasting Qi. He was focusing on two things at once.


    The next moment, a gigantic hole measuring eighteen meters in height and fifteen meters in width appeared on the city wall of the capital. Dust and rubble blotted out heaven and earth.


    Like a towering mountain and like a deep pool, Ding Ying appeared like an indomitable grandmaster as he stood on the fringes of the gaping hole in the wall.


    Clouds and mists billowed behind Ding Ying now that he was no longer suppressing his boundless astral energy on purpose. The clouds and mists continued to gather and disperse, eventually condensing together to form the outline of a deity. It was as if a god were descending from the heavens.


    Chen Ping''an''s expression remained calm and unfazed. Standing opposite Ding Ying, he didn''t so much as nce at the peculiar phenomenon of heaven and earth that the old man had triggered.


    Instead, he simply held Lasting Qi in one hand and brought the index finger and middle finger of his other hand together, lightly running them across the de of his sword from left to right.


    Chen Ping''an was emting <em>her</em> sword strike, the sword strike that she had performed in the Schrly Sage''s picture scroll.[1]


    ...Even if he was only able to emte an iota of her aura.


    The unruly Lasting Qi rang softly, seemingly achieving resonance with Chen Ping''an.


    It was as if Lasting Qi were finally acknowledging Chen Ping''an and asking him, <em>"Do you have something to say to this heaven and earth? Then don''t hold back and let them hear your voice!"</em>


    Before this moment, Chen Ping''an had never been able to physically grab the hilt of Lasting Qi. Thus, it could be said that he had only been close to its sword qi but not genuinely one with the sword.


    Now, however, he was genuinely wielding the sword.


    Chen Ping''an furiously grabbed the hilt of Lasting Qi, with rays of spectacr light seeping from the gaps between the fingers of his left hand.


    As if a bright moon were rising from the earth, itpletely illuminated heaven and earth as its brilliant radiance surged toward the surroundings like an unstoppable tide.


    The zing sun was already hanging in the sky and offering light to the world, yet the entire capital of Southern Garden Nation became even brighter.


    It was as if the sun and the moon were coexisting in the sky.


    Lasting Qi was already unsheathed, yet Chen Ping''an still performed the motion of drawing the sword from its scabbard.


    Ding Ying was astonished to discover that he couldn''t step through that gaping hole in the wall no matter what. However, he didn��t panic or get frightened. The nine-meter tall projection of a deity formed from astral energy towered behind him and peered down at the measly human and sword.


    Ding Ying was well aware that he couldn''t retreat any further.


    He was clearly unmoving like a mountain, yet his arms surprisingly transformed into dozens of arms in front of him, unleashing a dazzling and dizzying disy. There were Buddhist seals��the lecturing seal, the Chan seal, the demon-subduing seal, the benevolence seal, and the fearless seal.[2] Each seal shone with a dazzling golden glow.


    There were Daoist seals��the Three Pure Ones Seal, the five-lightning seal, the heaven-turning seal, and the Heavenly Master Seal. Each seal exuded astral wind and the rumbling of thunder.


    There was also Yu Zhenyi''s astral cuff aura, Zhong Qiu''s shattering fist, the Mirror Heart Hall''s finger sword, Liu Zong''s knife, Cheng Yuanshan''s lone spear, and so on and so forth...


    The towering projection of the deity followed suit, emting Ding Ying''s actions and forming the same seals and assuming the stances. Moreover, its might appeared even more formidable.


    Ding Ying''s martial arts cultivation was a culmination of the top-notch techniques of all schools of thought.


    Yu Zhenyi stood at the pinnacle of Dao power in this world, Lu Fang stood at the pinnacle of sword techniques, Zhong Qiu stood at the pinnacle of fist techniques, and Liu Zong stood at the pinnacle of knife techniques...


    However, further above all of these peaks, there actually stood someone who had already ascended into the sky��Ding Ying. Ding Ying was like the rising sun in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    This was far too unreasonable.


    As for Chen Ping''an... he only had a single sword. And he simply needed to unleash a sword strike.


    Yet after this sword strike, the projection of the deity copsed.


    The myriad seals shattered, and Ding Ying was nowhere to be seen.


    1. This is referring to Big Sister Immortal''s sword strike. ?


    2. Chan (��) refers to the school of meditation of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China. It is moremonly known as Zen, the Japanese pronunciation of Chan. ?

 Chapter 319: The Meaning of Invincibility

    Chapter 319: The Meaning of Invincibility


    On the street in the capital, the battle between all parties had been intense and soul-stirring right from the very beginning.


    Right now, the cultivators on the street were still locked in a fierce and hearty battle.


    As if it were a divine tool that possessed sentience, a colored ze flying sword managed to hold back Knife Sharpener Liu Zong all by itself.


    Liu Zong had used his renowned Boning Knife for what felt like an eternity, and his weapon had never suffered any chips or scratches. Today, however, the furious attacks from Yu Zhenyi''s flying sword left several chips in his knife before he could even hope to touch Yu Zhenyi''s flowing robes.


    Liu Zong had no time to feel pained about this.


    Losing concentration would mean death.


    The flying sword was intense and extremely quick, with its astral energy also flooding an area that measured more than thirty meters in radius. Standing within this astral energy, Liu Zong couldn''t help but feel stifled and restricted.


    As expected of Yu Zhenyi, leader of Lake Mountain Faction and also a genuine immortal. He was at least as powerful as two Liu Zongsbined, and Liu Zong was the fifth most powerful person in this world...


    Following the nce out of the corner of Liu Zong''s eyes, it was extremely likely that Yu Zhenyi was actually as powerful as two Zhong Qiusbined.Yu Zhenyi had already drifted to the ground, with his hands sped behind his back as he allowed Zhong Qiu to attack him as he pleased with a flurry of punches. However, not a single punch was able toprehensively shatter his formless shield of astral energy. A mere few punches managed to make it within an inch of Yu Zhenyi''s face, causing his eyebrows to gently undte and his sideburns to gently billow. However, this was the full extent of the damage caused.


    Zhong Qiu continued to throw punch after punch, with his expression remaining unfazed even after he experienced failure after failure. There was a bright glimmer in his eyes, and he didn''t feel deted or discouraged at all. Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu was still the same Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu as always.


    However, the more this was the case, the more one would feel pain in one''s heart.


    The world shouldn''t have been like this. This was a feeling that would cause grief and indignance to well up in one''s heart.


    Zhong Qiu continued to throw punches.


    As if he were taking a leisurely stroll, Yu Zhenyi continued to casually walk forward in the face of Zhong Qiu''s relentless attacks. He would at most take a small detour around the battlefield of Liu Zong and his flying sword. He walked past the numerous shops in the street, ncing up at the inscribed ques and looking over at the couplets that had weathered the spring rain.


    Yu Zhenyi smiled and asked, "Are you feeling regret for not epting that immortal sword back then? You know, the path you''ve chosen is only suitable for mortals in the mortal world. You won''t be able to make it far if you try to ascend the mountains. Even if you''re given another thirty years and you are allowed to ascend to the peak of the mountain, you''ll still find that your path leads to a dead end. You''ll only feel more regret at that time.


    "Zhong Qiu, ever since you were young, you always cared about those insignificant things that no one else cared about. In my eyes, it��s not unique and outstanding. It''s foolish."


    Zhong Qiu remained silent.


    It was an extremely peculiar scene, with one side taking a beating yet remainingpletely rxed.


    Yu Zhenyi had already turned a corner and walked onto the imperial carriageway. If he continued forward, he would eventually arrive at the imperial city and imperial pce of Southern Garden Nation. The imperial hall was even grander and more majestic than the imperial pce of Pine Song Nation. Ten peculiarly shaped immortals and beasts were on each of the eight roof ridges, with a phoenix-riding immortal in the lead followed by a dragon, phoenix, lion, heavenly horse, sea horse, suanni, yayu, xiezhi, douniu, and xingshen.[1]


    Some powerful and influential rulers and officials could see these beasts in person, yet some beasts weren''t visible.


    Yu Zhenyi pointed forward and said, "When we were young, you were extremely curious when you read about the descriptions of these ten beasts of the roof ridges. You said that you definitely wanted to see them in person in the future. Afterward, you managed to live outside the imperial pce for several decades. So, have you seen them in person yet?"


    Zhong Qiu finally replied, "Yu Zhenyi, don''t think that you''re all that capable and mighty, and don''t treat yourself as transcendent above normal humans simply because you cultivate immortal techniques. You look down on everything from a seemingly lofty position, and you wear an expression of reminiscence whenever you talk about people and matters from your mortal past. You need to see and understand more of the joys and sorrows of the mortal world... no, what am I even talking about. You have no idea about these things."


    Yu Zhenyi nodded and remarked, "The vulgar views of a mere mortal. One should only deal with matters befitting of their status��the same applies to cultivation. Zhong Qiu, it''s not that your principles are incorrect, but it''s simply the case that they''re not lofty enough. This is because you''re considering things from a very lowly position."


    A hint of sadness shed across Zhong Qiu''s eyes. He ceased his punches and looked toward the imperial pce.


    Yu Zhenyi also stopped walking forward, chuckling, "Such soft and airy punches. Zhong Qiu, perhaps you haven''t eaten for a few days? Maybe I should give you an hour to fill your belly first?"


    Zhong Qiu cursed in an extremely rare disy, eximing, "I''m afraid that I''ll punch the shit out of you!"


    Sure enough, Zhong Qiu was still the same Zhong Qiu as before. No matter how many books he read, he would still be that hillbilly from the Jin County of Pine Song Nation''s Zhuo Prefecture when he was forced into a corner. Was this not the case?


    Yu Zhenyi clutched his stomach and roared withughter, saying, "After reading books from the heavens, learning immortal techniques, setting foot on the bridge of immortality, cultivating supreme Dao, entering seclusion, and abstaining from food for many years, there''s truly no need to piss, shit, or fart anymore."


    Zhong Qiu sighed and asked, "You''re actually waiting for that other battle to conclude first?"


    Yu Zhenyi nodded and replied, "And so what if I am? It''s not like you can shatter my astral energy anyway."


    He then shook his head and continued, "I''m not waiting for that battle to conclude. Rather, I''m waiting for Chen Ping''an to die."


    Zhong Qiu suddenly turned around and looked down at the childish body of the person who was once his friend, a strange smile on his face.


    Yu Zhenyi craned his neck and looked up at him, asking, "What''s wrong?"


    "Do you remember that one time we were standing outside the office of County Magistrate Ma back then?" Zhong Qiu asked.


    Yu Zhenyi thought for a moment, and a look of realization quickly appeared on his face. "I would have genuinely forgotten if you didn''t bring it up."


    Many years ago, Yu Zhenyi had only been the son of a mere petty official in his hometown of Jin County, with his father far from reaching the official ranks of the imperial court. Zhong Qiu''s family had been even worse off. The two of them had be best friends at a very young age, and Yu Zhenyi had yearned to enter the cultivation world while Zhong Qiu had dreamed about bing a schr. Neither of them had been resigned to their state.


    While young and energetic, Zhong Qiu had fallen in love with the darling daughter of County Magistrate Ma. Thus, Yu Zhenyi hade up with all kinds of ideas and ns for him. The girl hadn''t liked Yu Zhenyi to begin with, and she had felt increasing dislike toward him as the days passed.


    Late one night after bing smashed on drinks, the two of them had taken a piss on the back wall of County Magistrate Ma''s office. Unexpectedly, however, County Magistrate Ma''s daughter had secretly snuck out with her maidservant to meet up with a schr from outside of town. Upon opening the gate, the two girls had coincidentallye across Zhong Qiu and Yu Zhenyi pissing on the wall.


    County Magistrate Ma''s daughter had been rtively shy, while her maidservant had been extremely forthright and fierce. She had actually nced between their legs before saying with an expression of disdain, "Why are you swinging two tiny little worms around at night?"


    Afterward, Zhong Qiu and Yu Zhenyi had never gone anywhere near the county magistrate''s office again.


    Yu Zhenyi recalled this matter after being reminded by Zhong Qiu, but he didn''t feel like this was anything interesting or worth ruminating over.


    So...why was Zhong Qiu suddenly mentioning this matter? Perhaps there was some deeper meaning behind it?


    Zhong Qiu smiled faintly and said, "Old Immortal Yu, you''re inferior to even a tiny little worm now."


    Yu Zhenyi was unfazed, yet his expression turned cold as he said, "Imperial Preceptor Zhong, now that we''ve finished reminiscing about the past, perhaps it''s time to engage in some sparring now?"


    Zhong Qiu dismissed this with a smile.


    Yu Zhenyi chuckled coldly and suggested, "Why don''t we have a gamble? If Liu Zong can avoid death, will he still actively seek death like you?"


    Zhong Qiu nodded and replied, "Sure, then I''ll wager that he won''t leave by himself."


    Yu Zhenyi was just about to raise his arm to summon the colored ze immortal sword to his hand. However, he quickly lowered his arm and said with a faint smile, "But I won''t even give Liu Zong the opportunity to avoid death."


    Zhong Qiu didn''t say anything else.


    The two of them stood side by side.


    There were only the two of them here, Imperial Preceptor Zhong from Southern Garden Nation and Yu Zhenyi from Pine Song Nation.


    "You''re wrong. My primary destructive ability doesn''t lie with that sword," Yu Zhenyi suddenly said. "However, I felt like there was still a chance to save you before, so I purposely went easy on you. Just like when we were young, I was always willing to cater to you no matter what. Not only that, but I also needed to look after your feelings."


    However, Zhong Qiu replied with a strange remark that couldn''t be any further from the topic at hand. He turned around to gaze at the city wall in the south as he said in a soft voice, "Yu Zhenyi, you''re standing in the most awkward position right now. You''re neither the radiant sun, nor are you the bright moon. Indeed, this world will still beplete even if you cease to exist."


    ��������


    The skinny little girl carried the small stool all the way to the only courtyard that still had its door open. She poked her head inside, only to see Cao Qinng squatting on the ground and bawling into his arms.


    She knocked on the courtyard door before stepping inside and purposely asking, "Hey, hey, hey, is there anyone here? I''m going to enter if there''s no one here."


    When Cao Qinng finally raised his head with an alert expression, the skinny little girl casually tossed the small stool to the ground before looking around and asking without a care in the world, "Is this your home? I''vee to return this."


    Cao Qinng grabbed the hatchet from the ground and held it in front of him, eximing, "Who are you?!"


    The gaze of the skinny little girl was still swimming around, and she snapped, "I''m together with that rich person in white. I''m not together with that person wearing the flower hat."


    After her gaze reached the wing room, she turned to Cao Qinng and said, "I saw a trash man and a trash woman holding four heads and walking out of here earlier. They tossed the heads onto the ground and caused blood to spill everywhere. Out of the goodness of my heart, I walked over afterward and ced the four heads back together. Who are these people to you? Are you not going to hurry up and take a look?"


    Cao Qinng instantly burst into tears again, and he turned around and sprinted toward the courtyard door


    The skinny little girl suddenly blocked him with an angry expression and eximed, "Stop right there!"


    Cao Qinng was slightly baffled.


    "Are you not going to thank me?" the skinny little girl asked.


    Cao Qinng faltered upon hearing this, and he appeared extremely hesitant as if he wanted to say something. However, he ultimately remained quiet and ran outside with tears streaming down his face.


    The skinny little girl didn''t dare to block someone holding a hatchet, so she pursed her lips and stepped aside to let him pass. "Ungrateful wretch. You deserve to be an orphan," she muttered.


    She pushed open the door to the wing room, the ce where Chen Ping''an was temporarily staying.


    The nkets on the bed were neatly folded, and the books on the desk were also neatly stacked.


    Everything was clean and tidy.


    There was also an empty sword scabbard on the table.


    She didn''t find any food, nor did she find any copper coins or loose silver.


    In the end, she was so angry that she walked to the table and pushed the stack of books onto the floor, causing them to fall everywhere.


    However, her eyes suddenly lit up. She could sell these books for money! She then turned her gaze to the empty sword scabbard before heaving a sigh. She could forget about this scabbard. That person in white most likely wouldn''t punish her much if she secretly sold these books. If she secretly sold that sword scabbard, however, he would very likely subject her to harsh punishment. At that time, even the excuse of being young wouldn''t work anymore.


    She grabbed the books and ran outside.


    She quietly made up her mind. After selling these books for arge handful of copper coins, she would hurriedly spend all of the money and use it to buy food. After all, only food that had entered her stomach couldn''t be taken back by him!


    ��������


    Holding Zhou Shi and Ya''er''s shoulders, Zhou Fei walked around and found Lu Fang again. Lu Fang was still drinking in the wine shop, and no one else was inside. Not only that, but the entire street was empty as well.


    It was very likely that the imperial court of Southern Garden Nation had already issued a strict order a long time ago, and the city would enter martialw whenever a battle between grandmasters broke out. These were simr to night curfews that had been implemented throughout history. In any case, Zhong Qiu must have issued this order.


    The beautiful woman who had once been Lu Fang''s fellow disciple was copsed on the table.


    Smiley Face''s lifeless head and Lu Fang''s sword, Dachun, were both resting on a neighboring table.


    Zhou Fei released his grip on Zhou Shi and Ya''er before striding forward and sitting down. He chuckled in anger and asked, "You simply got her drunk?"


    Lu Fang poured Zhou Fei a bowl of wine and retorted, "So what?"


    Zhou Fei observed Lu Fang for a moment before saying, "Finally, my efforts were not in vain. You''ve at least made some progress."


    Compared to his dejected and listless self before, Lu Fang had alreadye to his senses at this moment, and there were wisps of seemingly tangible spirit, energy, and Qi flowing around him. It was as if they were about to twist into ropes.


    In any case, this was enough to let Lu Fang live in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land for another sixty years. When the time came, he would perhaps have the chance to ascend with his physical body, enjoying incredible fortune thanks to his current misfortune.


    The flow of time in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and Majestic World was very interesting. In fact, the difference between them waspletely up to that person''s mood.


    If that person found the events of this world interesting, then sixty years in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land would only correspond to five or six years in Majestic World. If that person found things boring, however, then those in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land would suffer great cmity.


    Taking a look at the most unlucky time in history, a person had gone through a myriad of challenges and hardships in the blessednd before they finally managed to ascend with much difficulty. Yet, after returning to Majestic World, they were shocked to discover that three hundred years had already passed. Their Dao Heart had almost crumbled on the spot.


    After all, three hundred years was a long time even for cultivators from the mountains. This was enough time for everything to change. Those they wanted to see might have passed from the world already, while those they wanted to kill might have already died in peace after enjoying a life filled with riches and glory.


    Zhou Shi and Ya''er picked a table to sit down at, each lost in their own thoughts. Zhou Shi walked over and found a pot of bamboo wine, a local specialty of Southern Garden Nation. He had just experienced a close brush with death, so this was a good time to enjoy a drink with the girl he loved.


    In terms of bing one of the top ten or even top three elites in the next sixty years, Zhou Shi didn''tck the conviction and strength to achieve this. He was Zhou Fei''s son, after all, and Spring Tide Pce was on the mountain peak of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to begin with. Thus, Zhou Shi was confident that he could reunite with Ya''er after sixty years. At that time, he could hold her hand and travel to his father''s hometown together.


    Zhou Shi didn''t know what Ya''er was thinking. However, he didn''t need to dwell on this either. This was because he had full trust in his father''s abilities, especially after his father ascended and returned to his original world. That would be akin to a flood dragon returning to the water and a tiger returning to the mountains.


    After all, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was only a medium-grade blessednd. Meanwhile, the Jade Tablet Sect''s Jiang n, led by his father, "Zhou Fei," possessed the Cloud Cave Blessed Land, arge and high-grade blessednd.[2]


    Zhou Shi had never been able to learn his father''s ability to train, educate, and tame women, and Zhou Fei had once joked that the immortal ability was called "fake body and true heart." Zhou Fei had said that it wasn''t strange that Zhou Shi could only gain a shallow understanding of this technique. Even so, this would already be enough for him to enjoy wonderful times with many women in this world.


    "How are things going over there?" Lu Fang asked.


    Zhou Fei raised his wine bowl and clinked it with his good friend''s before taking a sip of wine that truly tasted as terrible as could be. He hurriedly put the bowl down and exined, "Things are very chaotic. Feng Qingbai was killed by his good friend, Tang Tieyi, and Cheng Yuanshan fled without making so much as a peep. Zhong Qiu yed a small trick and didn''t engage in a life-and-death fight with Chen Ping''an, and he seemingly had another sparring session with the young boy after determining whose fist technique was superior.


    "He helped Chen Ping''an stabilize his cultivation base, and because of Chen Ping''an''s strange Martial Dao, he almost shot to the barrier of the sixth tier in a single breath. Zhong Qiu noticed these unique things, so he slowly pushed Chen Ping''an back to the fifth tier punch by punch.


    "While sparring, Zhong Qiu was likely able to verify some of his martial arts theories by observing Chen Ping''an''s fist stances. If he manages to ascend from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, there''s no doubt that he''ll be a ninth tier martial artist in the future.


    Zhou Fei subconsciously reached down to grab his bowl of wine. Upon recalling the horrible taste, however, he sighed and pinched his nose before downing a mouthful. "Afterward, Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi arrived at the scene. Ding Ying went to fight Chen Ping''an, while Yu Zhenyi went to fight Zhong Qiu. In my view, these two fights are the most dangerous and deadly out of all of them. They''ll definitely result in death."


    Lu Fang casually pointed at Zhou Shi and Ya''er, sitting at the table behind him, saying, "As for Pink Vajra Ma Xuan, the pipa woman, and also... Smiley Face, Chen Ping''an didn''t actually harbor much killing intent toward them. However, I believe that he''ll definitely kill these two if he''s given the chance. Heh, this temperament... It makes him appear even more like a righteous and warm-hearted adventurer than Feng Qingbai.


    "To say nothing of you and Tong Qingqing, the only other people in this world who are worthy in my eyes are Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi. The others are only so-so. Even if Zhong Qiu bes a ninth tier martial artist in forty or fifty years, so what?"


    Zhou Shi waved his hand and replied, "I couldn''t care less about these things. I''ll simply sit down here and wait for the second strike of the heavenly drum on Bull Mountain. When that timees, I''ll only leave with a single person, that young girl called Ya''er sitting behind you. So, I''ll have to leave Zhou Shi, my good-for-nothing son, in your care for the next sixty years."


    Lu Fang nodded and agreed to Zhou Fei''s request. There was curiosity in his voice as he asked, "You don''t intend to recruit Yu Zhenyi? You''ve known him for sixty years, so you ultimately have a better chance of recruiting him than Parasol Leaf Sect. Moreover, ording to what you said, you''re ranked third, so you''ll only be able to bring one person with you. And you''ve chosen this young girl from the demonic force.


    "On the other hand, Yu Zhenyi can bring at least three people with him. Among Wei Xian, Lu Baixiang, Sui Youbian, and Zhu Lian, which of them isn''t an extraordinary and freakish talent? Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Jewel Small World was renowned for its ability to produce a myriad of Qi refinement prodigies. Meanwhile, this Lotus Flower Blessed Land is renowned for its ability to produce martial arts prodigies. If you seed in recruiting Yu Zhenyi, then that will be equivalent to the Jiang n gaining three Zhong Qius at once."


    Zhou Fei raised a finger and pointed at Lu Fang, replying, "Say, your conscience hasn''t beenpletely devoured by a dog yet. You still understand how to consider problems for my benefit."


    Ya''er actively spoke for the first time, asking in a timid voice, "Pce Leader Zhou, Sword Immortal Lu, just what kind of person is Tong Qingqing?"


    Zhou Fei and Lu Fang turned a deaf ear to her question.


    Ya''er had failed to understand the lofty standing of the n leader of Jade Tablet Sect''s Jiang n, who was also the owner of the Cloud Cave Blessed Land. At the same time, she also failed toprehend the profound status of someone who could potentially be an eleventh tier sword immortal.


    If Ya''er were a member of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land''s Upper Ten Elites, then perhaps she would still have some right to speak with Zhou Fei and Lu Fang.


    Of course, Zhou Fei and Lu Fang''s responses were also as a result of their cold and indifferent nature. If it were Feng Qingbai or some other otherworldly immortal, perhaps they wouldn''t be as difficult to approach.


    ��������


    After Chen Ping''an unleashed his sword strike toward the city wall...


    On the westernmost side of the dead straight carriageway, there stood an old man whose long robe waspletely torn open at the chest, revealing a deep and bloody gash.


    The old man did something surprising, raising his arm and removing his silver-colored lotus flower hat before casually throwing it to the ground.


    As for whether that flying sword would break free because of this and return to its owner''s side, allowing his opponent to be more powerful, and whether losing the protection of this immortal treasure would cause him to lose an edge in the following battle between equally-matched opponents...


    Ding Ying didn''t care about any of these things.


    He rolled his sleeves up in a slow and careful manner.


    He thought for a moment before ncing down at the silver-colored lotus flower hat which he had always viewed as a bargaining chip. With a casual flick of his hand, he tossed it far away toward the imperial carriageway inside the capital of Southern Garden Nation.


    Ding Ying slowly walked forward, with his footsteps no different from that of ordinary mortals.


    He no longer possessed the mountain-like astral energy of immortals. Indeed, he was even willing to abandon his silver-colored Daoist hat. He waspletely unarmed as he walked toward Chen Ping''an, yet he felt incredibly light. He had never reached this pinnacle state before.


    This was how a fight should be!


    After defeating the second most powerful person in the world, he would naturally remain as the most powerful person in the world. This was a very simple concept.


    However, regardless of how much people ced value in such a fight, and regardless of how lofty and unattainable this was for most people, Ding Ying still felt like such a fight was too minor and too inconsequential.


    Ding Ying didn''t care about such a fight at all!


    The true form of invincibility that Ding Ying desired was the ability to defeat the remaining nine Upper Ten Elites in unison. He wanted to defeat all of them at once with his own strength!


    Because of this, his long life was apanied by nothing but loneliness. Ding Ying would study the strengths of the myriad schools of thought and elevate the level of other superior grandmasters'' martial arts techniques.


    It wasn''t the case that Ding Ying needed these skills and techniques to protect himself. Rather, Ding Ying had already made the necessary preparations long ago. He was going to unleash a technique that he had casually obtained to easily shatter the most powerful techniques of Yu Zhenyi, Zhong Qiu, Liu Zong, and the other superior grandmasters.


    Now, however, a huge surprise had suddenly popped up from out of nowhere.


    Ding Ying felt like this was only right.


    In this case, he didn''t need to use those shy but hollow techniques anymore. They were far too slow, after all.


    What could he do if there was no suitably powerful opponent standing on the cultivation path in front of him? Even if Ding Ying stood there and waited, and even turned around to peer back, he still couldn''t see the shadow of a second person. There was no one who could catch up to him, and no one who could walk alongside him. Thus, he was apanied by nothing but loneliness. Ding Ying walked forward all alone, yearning to rival and defeat this heaven and earth.


    However, that young otherworldly immortal called Chen Ping''an hade at just the right moment. With this stepping stone, Ding Ying could climb even closer to the heavens!


    Ding Ying roared with heartyughter as he quickly strode forward.


    Chen Ping''an gripped his sword, with a searing sensation flowing through his palm. However, his hand wasn''t burned by the sword qi at all. Instead, he felt like his second sword strike could be even quicker.


    Atop the city wall to the south of Southern Garden Nation''s capital...


    From the gaping hole in the city wall to the westernmost side of the city wall, the entire carriageway was flooded with a torrent of churning and snow-white sword qi.


    Meanwhile, standing on the westernmost side of the city wall, Ding Ying threw punch after punch as if he were a deity from the Heavenly Court unleashing punishment toward arge mountain. His fists tore through the surging sword qi, causing it to ssh into the surroundings. And just like that, Ding Ying strode forward against the flow, slicing through the sword qi as if he were slicing through butter.


    1. This refers to the creaturesmonly seen on the roof ridges of traditional Chinese pces. There are often an odd number of them, excluding the phoenix-riding immortal in the lead. In fact, only the Hall of Supreme Harmony has all ten creatures. The dragon represents auspiciousness, the phoenix represents sagely morality and peace, the lion represents courage and stately dignity, the heavenly horse can chase the wind and sun, the sea horse (note that sea horse is not the same as seahorse) can turn misfortune into fortune and represents the benevolence of the imperial family stretching from the heavens to the seas, the suanni (lion-like, the fifth child of the dragon) represents the ability tomand all beasts, the yayu (a creature with a beastly head, fish body, and two arms with ws) represents rain-bringing and the ability to extinguish fires and cmity, the xiezhi (single-horned and goat-like) represents bravery and justice, the douniu (a horned dragon with a bull''s body and fish scales) represents auspiciousness and the elimination of cmity, and the xingshen (winged and macaque-like, with a demon-suppressing golden vajra in its hands) represents the ability to avoid lightning strikes and thus its cement on roof ridges. For pictorial references, see /item/%E8%B5%B0%E5%85%BD/1780658 or look up the Hall of Supreme Harmony. ?


    2. Zhou Fei is only a pseudonym. ?

 Chapter 320: Old Daoist Priest Beside the Well

    Chapter 320: Old Daoist Priest Beside the Well


    Before sneaking into the prince''s residence, Empress Zhou Shuzhen��also the pagoda leader of Reverence Pagoda and a spy from Mirror Heart Hall��had hidden herself in the cool shadows of somece and gazed toward the intense battle taking ce atop the city wall to the south. She couldn''t help but sigh with emotion.


    The battle between Ding Ying and Chen Ping''an was earth-shattering.


    Even if one flicked through the most dustden secret documents stored inside the Reverence Pagoda, one would discover that it had already been many cycles of sixty years since such a paramount and astounding battle had taken ce in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    This was a fight between only two people, yet it appeared as if it were a battle between two armies of heavy cavalry along a battle line that stretched for thousands of kilometers, causing plumes of yellow sand to fly through the air.


    Wei Xian, the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, had been invincible during his time. Afterward, Lu Baixiang had also achieved invincibility, relying on his own power to suppress and stifle the entire cultivation world for sixty years. The female sword immortal Sui Youbian had reached such levels of invincibility and loneliness that she could only soar upward on her sword and attempt to ascend with her physical body.


    Finally, the martial arts maniac Zhu Lian had chosen to be enemies with the world, battling against the remaining nine members of the Upper Ten Elites. Moreover, he managed to kill more than half of the grandmasters from the list of Upper Ten Elites.


    This time, however, Ding Ying hade across a young otherworldly immortal called Chen Ping''an.


    It was as if they were the sun and moonpeting for glory in the lofty heavens.


    Everyone else could only crane their necks and look up, expectantly waiting for the final oue.Zhou Shuzhen sighed and nced at the young man and young woman standing on the ridge of some roof. She didn''t leap over to approach them, and instead remained stealthy as she drifted down into a corridor and unhurriedly walked forward. She would walk behind the columns whenever she encountered maidservants and female stewards, hiding herself from the gazes of those mortals.


    There were also times when she would gracefully leap onto the crossbeams, appearing like a colorful robe as she drifted forward. It wasn''t suitable for her to appear in the prince''s residence.


    Even though she was the empress of Southern Garden Nation, she wasn''t actually the birth mother of the crown prince and the second prince. In fact, there were some imperceptible secrets floating around the imperial pce regarding the former empress'' death from illness, and all of these secrets contained shadows of Empress Zhou Shuzhen.


    Zhou Shuzhen''s figure shed across the corridor, yet this was just enough to make Wei Yan and Fan Wan''er discover her presence. The two of them jumped down from the roof ridge and came face to face with the empress whose beauty was renowned far and wide.


    Fan Wan''er was feeling slightly curious and anxious because Zhou Shuzhen had shown up suddenly. Moreover, the empress had chosen to appear in front of Prince Wei Yan while she was still present.


    In fact, Zhou Shuzhen was none other than the senior sister who had found Fan Wan''er and brought her to Mirror Heart Hall back then. Afterward, Zhou Shuzhen had quickly assumed the identity of a pce girl meticulously woven together by Mirror Heart Hall. She had seamlessly entered the imperial pce of Southern Garden Nation and slowly climbed to the position of empress.


    There was exasperation in Zhou Shuzhen''s voice as she said, "The situation is tense and there''s no time to wait anymore. It''s your senior sister''s fault for notpleting her task properly, and it''s also Old Demon Ding''s fault for appearing at such a coincidental moment."


    Wei Yan looked at his "mother empress" before turning his gaze to Fan Wan''er. There was heavy fog hanging over his heart.


    He didn''t mind going through thick and thin with Fan Wan''er to defeat his younger brother, who was being supported by the demonic force''s Ya''er. Afterward, he would approach the throne step by step, eventually bing emperor and finally working together with his empress to unite the four nations.


    However, what if the entire Wei n of Southern Garden Nation was already being twirled around the little fingers of these women from Mirror Heart Hall like a mere ything? What would it matter even if he ascended the throne and put on the dragon robe?


    Zhou Shuzhen had no time to care about Prince Wei Yan''s growing ambition to be emperor, and she looked at Fan Wan''er and exined in a frank manner, "Apart from bing the empress, Master also sent me to the capital of Southern Garden Nation for another purpose. I was tasked with obtaining that azure dress, and I needed to obtain it neither too early nor toote. I have to obtain it during the endgame stages of the current sixty years. However, I don''t dare to get too close nor show myself in front of Old Demon Ding at all, lest I offend and anger him."


    Zhou Shuzhen offered Fan Wan''er an apologetic smile and continued with a bitter expression, "Thus, I had no option but to settle for the next best option. Before Zhou Fei left the mountains, he said that he would treat you as a spoil of battle, especially since he had already coveted your beauty for a long time.


    "When I learned of this, I purposely had someone reveal a secret to Spring Tide Pce, saying that you''re intent on obtaining that azure dress. Sure enough, Zhou Fei directly visited Monk Yunni in Vajra Temple to obtain the azure dress. Because of Zhou Fei''s temper, he''ll definitely be willing to offer the azure dress to you once you fall into his hands and ask for it, regardless of what his original intentions for obtaining the dress were."


    Fan Wan''er was still extremely confused, and she asked, "So what if I obtain that azure dress? Perhaps I''ll experience a stroke of fortune after obtaining one of the four greatest fated opportunities and ascend from this world? But didn''t Senior Sister say this to me before? About Master''s warning and how I wasn''t allowed to deliberately seek fated opportunities for the sake of ascension?"


    "Yes, and it''s a shame that Zhou Fei has given that azure dress to the demonic force''s Ya''er without a second thought," Zhou Shuzhen revealed. "Things have alreadye to this... but thankfully Master predicted this oue as well."


    She solemnly took out the small copper mirror and exined, "Master told me to hand this mirror to you when this happened."


    Fan Wan''er epted the mirror and turned it around in her hands, examining it from all angles. However, she couldn''t find anything special about it.


    Zhou Shuzhen shook her head and said, "I''ve carefully studied it for many years, but I couldn''t find anything peculiar about it either. It seems as if it''s just an ordinary mirror."


    Zhou Shuzhen turned to Wei Yan and said with a smile, "Your Highness, there''s no need to worry about bing a puppet of Mirror Heart Hall. We have no ambition of transforming you into a puppet, nor do we have the strength to support this ambition to begin with.


    "Master once said that Ding Ying, Yu Zhenyi, and Zhong Qiu are three insurmountable mountains in this world, especially the former two. The schemes of Mirror Heart Hall are like the ns of children in front of them. They''repletely meaningless in the grand schemes of this world."


    Zhou Shuzhen left out some things. One needed to respect one''s elders, so she was unwilling to say too much about her master, Tong Qingqing, in front of an outsider like Wei Yan.


    In fact, Tong Qingqing had also said some heartfelt words to her thest time they had met. "I did all of this simply because I''m afraid of death. Thus, I want to know who''s doing what in every corner of the world. That way, I can avoid all dangers."


    However, Zhou Shuzhen wasn''t convinced that this was her master''s true intention.


    Tong Qingqing''s cultivation base was so profound, and she had also be one of the four most powerful superior grandmasters so long ago. Others might be unaware of her master''s martial arts talent, but Zhou Shuzhen was well aware that Tong Qingqing''s martial arts talent was second to only Old Demon Ding!


    If her master were willing to put in the effort, then she could definitely be one of the top three elites in this world. In any case, her master also had the support of the entire Mirror Heart Hall. In addition, she also had so many loyal subordinates and spies in the imperial courts of the four nations. What did she need to fear? It was this world that needed to fear her master, Tong Qingqing, no?


    Prince Wei Yan carefully ruminated over Zhou Shuzhen''s words. He didn''t believe them. More precisely, he didn''t believe all of them.


    Fan Wan''er fell into deep thought as she held the copper mirror.


    ��������


    The old monk in the Vajra Temple removed his Buddhist robes and changed into ordinary clothes. He seemed somewhat awkward, as if he''d grown unustomed to this. He then headed toward the imperial pce to ask the emperor for White River Temple''s Golden Arhat Body. Before entering the pce, he held his hands together and said "Amitabha" as he waited for the emperor to summon him.


    The emperor was sitting in his imperial study and personally waiting for him. Before the recent events and revtions, even the emperor of Southern Garden Nation hadn''t known about this lecturing monk from Vajra Temple. The emperor only learned of the monk after the list of Upper Ten Elites was revealed. It seemed that this monk had mastered numerous profound and mystical Buddhist abilities.


    The emperor didn''t hesitate at all when he agreed to give the Golden Arhat Body to Monk Yunni. He told the old monk to take it as he pleased.


    The old monk had just returned to a secr life, and was slightly puzzled by the emperor''s readiness to offer him the Golden Vajra Body. He had alreadye up with many exnations and potential concessions, for example, agreeing to serve Southern Garden Nation for thirty years and so on.


    Elsewhere, Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan didn''t go over to reunite with his disciples. That would be far too obvious, and it would make it far too easy for others to find him.


    However, it wouldn''t make sense for him to wander around with his spear either. Thus, he picked a stone arch bridge and walked over to enjoy the shade under it.


    He had made up his mind, and he would only show himself if at least half of the people on the list of Upper Ten Elites were dead when the heavenly drum was struck for the second time on Bull Mountain, which was located outside the capital. Otherwise, he would rather forfeit this opportunity to ascend.


    Cheng Yuanshan dearly hoped that all of the grandmasters on the list of Upper Ten Elites would be killed.


    Cheng Yuanshan didn��t care if this went against his martial arts Dao Heart or not. He only cared about the results. Looking through the tens of millions of words in the history books, what else was eternal but the bloody words "the victor bes king, the defeated be ouws"?


    Tang Tieyi, who had always wanted to hone his saber skills by disposing of Cheng Yuanshan, failed to find the Arm Sage despite looking everywhere. In the end, he had no option but to give up. He pondered for a moment, and realized that the biggest variable right now was actually his own identity.


    Things would be very troublesome if it was revealed that the Dragon General of Northern Jin Nation was leisurely wandering around the capital of Southern Garden Nation. Even though the rtionship between the two nations was rtively good, Southern Garden Nation had long since revealed its grand ambitions and its desire to unite the four nations.


    That being the case, Tang Tieyi wasn''t silly enough to believe that he would be politely sent out of Southern Garden Nation. Either he surrendered to the Wei n and served them in the future, or he would die a violent death in the capital.


    Personally speaking, surrendering to Southern Garden Nation naturally wouldn''t be a good oue. However, it wouldn''t necessarily be a terrible oue either. After all, Southern Garden Nation was the most powerful nation with the strongest troops and healthiest horses.


    However, all of Tang Tieyi''s power and rtionships were in Northern Jin Nation. If he surrendered to Southern Garden Nation, then his n, his wives and mistresses, his military power, and his reputation would all vanish into nothingness. Moreover, just how much respect would the schrly officials and military generals in Southern Garden Nation show to him, an outsider?


    Tang Tieyi was a powerful and courageous elite, after all, and as a pir member of Northern Jin Nation who was still yet to reach forty, he clearly possessed more resolve and bravery than the aging Arm Sage. Not only did he refuse to go into hiding like Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan, but he even chose a bustling tavern to sit down and ask for a pot of fine wine, listening to the tales spun by the storyteller.


    The old storyteller in his twilight years was repeating the same old stories as always, yet Tang Tieyi listened to them with keen relish as he drank. He felt like surrendering to Southern Garden Nation and bing an official here would be quite eptable as well.


    One day, everyone in the four nations would be talking about his glorious military career.


    Tang Tieyi drank a sip of wine and narrowed his eyes, longing to make this a reality.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Fei and Lu Fang were still drinking the lowest quality wine in that wine shop located on the corner of the street, waiting for the battle atop the city wall to draw to a close.


    Following Old Demon Ding and Yu Zhenyi''s entrance into the conflict, one certain person who had already exited the conflict started to be an interesting variable again.


    Tong Qingqing, the superior grandmaster from the Mirror Heart Hall.


    Not long ago, Zhou Fei and Lu Fang had turned a deaf ear to Ya''er''s question. However, when the girl wearing the azure dress fell silent, Zhou Fei suddenly chuckled and started to voluntarily talk about this extremely interesting otherworldly immortal. As ifing around to something, Zhou Fei nced at Ya''er before exining some of Tong Qingqing''s deeds in another world to his son, Zhou Shi.


    After listening to his father''s recollections, Zhou Shi couldn''t help but feel like things were utterly ridiculous.


    One was an ambitious and indomitable female sword cultivator, and one was the timid leader of Mirror Heart Hall who only knew how to hide.


    The two of them were pr opposites of each other.


    In his father''s native world, there was a sect called Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Here, there was a female Daoist who possessed immense talent and incredibly good fortune. She was the envy of everyone else.


    There was a force called Divine Edict Sect in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and in this sect was a female a generation younger than her, yet also possessed simrly immense talent and good fortune. Thus, she was often regarded as the seconding of the female Daoist.


    The female Daoist was innately considerate, warm-hearted, extremely upright, and unyielding. If she encountered injustice, then she would definitely pursue the matter until the very end. She also viewed life and death as a minor matter; a positionpletely contrary to that of most cultivators.


    Her esteemed master had gone to great lengths and spoken many sincere words in an attempt to enlighten her, yet the female Daoist couldn''t be enlightened. Each time she was lectured, she would only restrain herself for a short while before returning to her original ways.


    She would definitely rush over to be involved as long as she caught sight of any such injustice. Moreover, she would only be willing to relent once she dragged out the main culprit hiding in the background.


    She didn��t care if this would dy her cultivation. In terms of potentially putting her in grave danger? She would simply roll her eyes.


    Because of this, Peace and Tranquility Mountain had an extremely strained rtionship with Parasol Leaf Sect and Jade Tablet Sect. Its rtionship with nchette Writing Sect was even worse, and they were as ipatible as fire and water. However, to give some face to the Confucian academy, both forces tried to restrain themselves as much as possible and hold back from throwing hands.


    The female Daoist meddled and fought wherever she went, yet she was surprisingly able to pull herself back from the brink of death every single time, eventually advancing to the tenth tier, the Nascent Tier.


    Such was the remarkable nature of this that even the reclusive grand elder of Peace and Tranquility Mountain��the only remaining grand elder who had made humongous contributions and the grand uncle master of the current sect leader��was astonished.


    A whopping nine Golden Core Tier cultivators and Nascent Tier cultivators were in Peace and Tranquility Mountain, cultivators whom mortal humans regarded as earth immortals. This was unrivaled in the continent. However, there was surprisingly not a single eleventh tier cultivator in the sect.


    There was only one at the twelfth tier, the Immortal Tier, holding up the entire sect��the reclusive grand elder.


    Looking at Parasol Leaf Sect and Jade Tablet Sect, however, these sects had both Immortal Tier cultivators and Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators.


    As for nchette Writing Sect, they had the husband and wife who were both at the Unpolished Jade Tier. At the very least, these three sects were able to raise future generations and avoid a huge gap in power between the older and younger generations.


    Thus, it was of critical importance whether the female Daoist from Peace and Tranquility Mountain could advance to the Upper Five Tiers or not.


    Once she sessfully advanced to the Unpolished Jade Tier, her innate fortune would be such that her eventual achievements would even suppress that of Wei Jin from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Wind Snow Temple.


    Such a powerful individual would be as rare as phoenix feathers and dragon horns even in Middle Earth Divine Continent. This was because the Great Dao was within reach for them. This was something that everyone could see clearly.


    To put it simply, such an individual would have the chance to one day stand near those ten people or perhaps even rece one of them.


    Moreover, currently among those ten individuals was the Great Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu, the leader of White Emperor City, and most recently promoted, Martial Goddess Pei Bei from the Great Duan Empire.


    Apart from these ten people, the remaining eight continents of Majestic World naturally had rankings for their own supreme elites as well. For example, there was Chen Chun''an from Southern Whirl Continent''s Pure Confucian Chen n, and the so-called God of Wealth from Pure White Continent.[1] Compared to Middle Earth Divine Continent, however, the overall cultivation level of the remaining eight states was still far inferior.


    ��������


    The skinny little girl carried arge stack of books in her arms as she swiftly ran out of the courtyard and through the streets and alleys.


    She was still little, yet she had alreadye across many bad people doing many bad things. Some bad things were done toward other people, and some things were done toward her. She had alsoe across the asional good person, yet none of them had managed to enjoy good karma for their good deeds. In fact, some good people had even turned into bad people.


    She had oncee across an old maniac wandering around the streets with antern even though it was day. He had muttered that the world was too dark, so he wouldn''t be able to see the streets or people if he didn''t carry antern.


    She had run away as quickly as she could, all the way until she was drenched in sweat. Looking up at the zing sun in the sky, it was as if arge and brilliantntern were hanging high up in the sky, seemingly ever-present no matter how heaven and earth spun.


    However, she only liked the sun when it was winter or spring. If the world could remain warm through all four seasons though, then she would wish that the sun never existed at all. The sky was too bright with the sun hanging there, and this would make it very easy for others to discover her when she was doing some certain things. For example, stealing food.


    She arrived near a well, and decided to take a break and sit on the edge of the well to rest for a while. She was panting heavily.


    The skinny little girl shot a nce down the deep and dark well. She was just about to spit into the well, yet she suddenly turned around and looked up, only to see a tall old man standing beside her.


    He was wearing something that was probably called a Daoist robe, and craning her neck to look up at him, the skinny little girl didn''t dare to move at all. It was as if a single twitch of her finger or even a single thought in her mind would lead to her death.


    In all her life, she had never feared someone as much as she feared this old man.


    The Daoist priest was tall and sturdy, and the style of his Daoist robes and his Daoist hat were both extremely rare.


    Illuminated by the bright rays of sunshine, the skin of the old Daoist priest shone with a golden and jade-like luster, while his Daoist robes appearedpletely pure and spotless; as if he weren''t standing in this world at all.


    The old Daoist priest shot a nce at the skinny little girl before raising his arm and making a casual grabbing motion at the sky. The skinny little girl, who had been secretly ncing at him the entire time, suddenly wailed in agony and threw away all of the books in her arms, furiously covering her eyes that were already filled with tears. She started to roll around the ground in pain.


    This was because she had clearly seen that old man grab the sun from the sky and hold it between his fingers just then.


    As she writhed in agony, the head of the skinny little girl violently mmed into the well.


    The old Daoist priest was unmoved, feeling neither pity nor annoyance toward the little girl. He simply felt apathy. When it came to the joys and sorrows of the mortal world, witnessing them once or a handful of times was starkly different from witnessing them hundreds upon thousands of times.


    The old Daoist priest simply looked down at the bright sun between his fingers.


    This wasn''t a projection; it was genuinely the true sun from the sky. The illusion was actually the bright sun hanging in the sky.


    The old Daoist priest temporarily ced the "jewel" inside his sleeve before looking up at the city wall to the south of the capital.


    Ding Ying had left him slightly disappointed, while Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu were still passable. However, this evaluation of "passable" wasn''t because of how impressive Yu Zhenyi or Zhong Qiu''s performance was. Instead, it was because the old Daoist priest''s expectations of them had been rock-bottom to begin with.


    However, Ding Ying was different.


    Whether it was aptitude or disposition, Ding Ying was like an unrefined billet or embryo closest to the Daoist second disciple. In other words, he was like a counterfeit most simr to the genuine item.


    Even though Ding Ying''s performance was slightly disappointing, it was still without a doubt that he could advance to the twelfth tier in Majestic World, no matter where he went. However, this would also be the limit of his achievement. The barrier was far too obvious. A decent-quality counterfeit would often have few blemishes, yet just how good could it actually be?


    The old Daoist priest still felt unsatisfied.


    Putting together the personalities of Wei Xian, Lu Baixiang, and Zhu Lian and all of their strengths into a single person, Ding Ying, resulted in something unexpectedly fragile and disappointing.


    Just as he was about to flick his sleeve and crush Ding Ying''s head, the old Daoist priest suddenly hesitated for a brief moment before looking up at the sky.


    Standing in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, the old Daoist priest saw the Lotus Flower World.


    The blessednd and the small world were linked, and such a strange existence was only present in two ces out of the four worlds.


    Standing beside the well, the old Daoist priest exchanged a nce with the Daoist priest peering down at his blessednd from above. And thus, a gulf that measured dozens of kilometers in width instantly appeared at the border between the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and the Lotus Flower World.


    The old Daoist priest humphed coldly.


    The "jewel" in his sleeve burned a hole in his Daoist robe.


    However, many withered lotus petals also appeared in the small world filled with countless lotus flowers.


    The old Daoist priest standing beside the well retracted his gaze, with the sleeve of his Daoist robe quickly returning to normal. It was without a doubt that the lotus flowers in that small world were also returning to normal.


    The skinny little girl lying on the ground beside his feet was still crying loudly. The feeling of staring at the blinding radiance of the sun from such a close distance was already seared deep into her soul. If she hadn''t been so fortunate as to coincidentally hide in the "shade" provided by the old Daoist priest, even her past lives and future lives would have decayed in an instant and transformed into nothingness.


    The old Daoist priest eximed resentfully, "Old schr, just how annoying can you be?!"


    1. The God of Wealth is most likely referring to Liu Youzhou''s father, Liu Youzhou being the rich boy whom Chen Ping''an met on Osmanthus Ind/Stctite Mountain. ?

 Chapter 321: (1): Each a Peak, Yet Missing a Mountain

    Chapter 321: (1): Each a Peak, Yet Missing a Mountain


    The old Daoist priest properly looked at the skinny little girl for the first time.


    The Daoist priest was tall and sturdy, while the little girl was as skinny as a bamboo pole.


    The difference between them was night and day.


    Under the Daoist priest''s gaze, it was as if the skinny little girl, who had mmed her head into the well to seek release, were standing in the courtyard of a wealthy family on a hot summer''s day and drinking arge bowl of plum soup from a white porcin bowl.


    The pain suddenly vanished, and she panted heavily as she leaned her back against the wall of the well. She timidly looked at the old immortal, and her instincts caused her gaze to rapidly dart around, seeking the location where the old man had hidden the "jewel."


    People called this kind of behavior "not learning from mistakes."


    Fortunately, the old Daoist priest''s attitude toward the world��especially his attitude toward good and evil��was very different from ordinary people. He didn''t think much about the skinny little girl''s impudent behavior, but he was well aware of the little girl''s identity. In fact, it was because of this that the old Daoist priest felt even more irritated at the old schr who always imed that "schrs only borrow things."


    The two of them had made a bet many years ago, and the impoverished old schr had relied on acting shamelessly and rolling around and screaming like a petty woman to win a token from him. The old schr had then asked the old Daoist priest to guarantee that he would protect the person who held this token if he ever came across this person in the future. Since he had lost the bet, the old Daoist priest had naturally agreed to this request. However, his resentment toward the old schr wasn''t minor.


    Afterward, the two of them had encountered each other again, and they had sat down and debated Dao with each other. They had debated verbally and not physically, and they had done so on the border between the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and the Lotus Flower World. Otherwise, even though the small Lotus Flower Blessed Land was small andcking in spiritual energy, meaning that it was extremely difficult for the Great Dao to manifest, it would still fail to contain the two immortals as they debated about the Great Dao.


    In the end, it was still the old schr who had taken advantage of the old Daoist priest. At some unknown time, however, the shameless old schr had done more than just this. He had actually nted this Go piece in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land in secret. Meanwhile, such was the old Daoist priest''s familiarity with his blessednd that he had been blind to this.


    The old Daoist priest stared at the skinny little girl leaning against the well, his eyes limpid and indifferent like the brilliant sun in the sky that never cared about the harsh cold or searing heat in the human world. He cared even less about the words of praise or condemnation from other people.


    In just a few seconds, the old Daoist priest had already observed the entirety of the skinny little girl''s life.


    Sure enough, it was just as he had expected.


    The old Daoist priest then nced at somerge residence before humphing coldly. His resentment eased a little, and he pondered for a brief moment before reaching an understanding of the old schr''s rough n. He calcted the possibilities in his mind, and felt like this was indeed doable.


    However, the old Daoist priest also felt a rare sense of hesitation. He turned around to look at the city wall to the south, and an expression of slight astonishment spread across his face as he did so.


    He lightly snapped his fingers, striking the skinny little girl''s be and causing her to freeze to the spot.


    He then flicked his sleeve, causing ripples to appear around the well. The old Daoist priest stepped forth and vanished from sight. Within a radius of three meters, the river of time started to flow in reverse, including within it the skinny little girl as well as a myriad of fine matters that couldn''t be seen with the naked eye. Even the regtions of heaven and earth started to flow in reverse. The scattered books flew back into the skinny little girl''s arms, after which she returned to the edge of the well and the moment when she had wanted to spit into the water.


    She was slightly puzzled, and an unexined sense of terror suddenly welled up in her heart. She shook her head, and she ultimately didn''t dare to act so atrociously. Hugging the stolen books in her arms, she jumped off the well and sprinted away, as swiftly as the wind.


    Bull Mountain was located ten or so kilometers to the south of the capital.


    Atop the severely damaged city wall, several grandmasters had hurried over to admire this newly created battlefield ruin. They were spread out along the wall, and Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu had also paused their life-and-death battle to rush over to this ce.


    Right now, Yu Zhenyi was silently observing the flow of Qi around the city wall as well as the remnants of the pure sword intent still lingering among heaven and earth. Zhong Qiu wasn''t in the mood to do this, and he rested his hands on a destroyed merlon, leaning slightly forward as he gazed into the distance.


    The colored ze flying sword flew to Yu Zhenyi''s side, with its speed decreasing further as it drew closer to the city wall. After arriving atop the city wall, it couldn''t help but ring softly as if it were feeling slightly afraid.


    Following the colored ze flying sword, Knife Sharpener Liu Zong also arrived on the carriageway of the city wall. He leaped onto an annihted section of the wall and sat down cross-legged. The Boning Knife in his hand was severely damaged, and the old man extended a thumb and carefully ran it over the mirror-like surface of the de. His knife had been so arrogant and haughty during its life, yet it had now been reduced to such a sorry state by a flying sword. This was karmic retribution in the same life!


    Dragon General Tang Tieyi from Northern Jin Nation slowly climbed onto the city wall with his saber, Refiner, hanging by his waist. He chose an empty spot to stand, cing his hand on the hilt of his saber and radiating with a vast and magnificent aura.


    Compared to these grandmasters, Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan, who remained hidden in the shade of the stone arch bridge, was truly bringing shame to the title of grandmaster.


    Zhou Fei and Lu Fang also arrived at the city wall to the south of the capital together. Behind them, there was Zhou Shi, as well as Ya''er, who was wearing wooden clogs.


    Fan Wan''er from Mirror Heart Hall also climbed onto the city wall carefully. She didn''t dare to walk onto the carriageway from the paths on the two sides of the city wall, and she instead used her qinggong to dash up the side of the wall.[1] She chose a spot between the imperial preceptor of Southern Garden Nation and the Dragon General of Northern Jin Nation.


    The battle between Ding Ying and Chen Ping''an, which had first moved atop the city wall, had now moved even farther away, outside the capital of Southern Garden Nation.


    From the city wall where the grandmasters were standing to Bull Mountain in the distance, clouds of dust billowed through the air, making it seem as if an Ao were turning its back and ripping open the ground.[2]


    Beyond the south of the capital, the merchants and travelers on the post roads and official roads had already scattered and fled.


    Not only did Ding Ying advance against the flow, walking forward step by step and throwing punch after punch to forcefully shatter Chen Ping''an''s river of sword qi, but he even risked a multitude of injuries to approach Chen Ping''an, forcing the young boy to engage with his sword.


    Ding Ying turned a terrible situation into a good one, no longer restricting himself to a certain branch of martial arts as he fought. Instead, he used everything within his repertoire. His techniques were superficially simr to the trump cards of Yu Zhenyi and the other grandmasters, yet in reality, they possessed a starkly different intent.


    A palm strike directly smashed toward Chen Ping''an and his sword, yet the astral energy of the attack originated from behind Chen Ping''an, exploding with a boom.


    As he snapped his fingers, wisps of sword qi surged forth like water in a funnel, with their movements rapid and unpredictable.


    Not long ago, Ding Ying''s clothes had been in tatters and his hair aplete mess as he had forced Chen Ping''an onto the ground. He hadn''t paused at all, and had instantly leaped down the city wall to continue pursuing Chen Ping''an, making sure to maintain a distance of at most two arms'' length between them the entire time.


    Ding Ying refused to give Chen Ping''an the opportunity to calmly andfortably unleash his sword techniques and raise his sword intent to a pinnacle level. He could say with absolute confidence that each of the young otherworldly immortal''s sword strikes was as powerful as the full-power sword strike of that legendary woman known as Sword Immortal Sui Youbian.


    Of course, this didn''t take into ount Sui Youbian''s three sword strikes in an attempt to achieve ascension.


    Having found the opportune moment, Sword Immortal Sui Youbian had very likely possessed close to half of the world''s martial fortune at that time. Thus, she couldn''t be considered as just Sui Youbian during that moment.


    Because of this, Ding Ying knew that the Heavenly Dao of this world didn''t discriminate against martial artists attempting to crudely ascend with their physical bodies. In fact, Sui Youbian had been allowed to freely absorb the martial fortune of the world. In other words, her failure to ascend and the decay of her flesh, disintegration of her bones, and crumbling of her soul as she fell back to the mortal world was simply a result of her ownck of power. She had no one to me but herself.


    Ding Ying''s fist mmed into the middle of Chen Ping''an''s sword, causing the de to bend backward. The tip of Lasting Qi was almost about to pierce into Chen Ping''an''s shoulder, so he had no option but to extend two fingers and push them against the tip of the sword, pushing the de back to its original shape. At the same time, he nimbly jumped back in retreat and instantly slid more than thirty meters along the official road.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t feel any sense of delight at the fact that Ding Ying hadn''t given pursuit. Instead, he immediately used the Proper Sword Scripture''s Deity Suppression Technique to release sword qi and guard his surroundings.


    Like spectacr rays of light, seven or eight bursts of fist aura condensed into something tangible as they sted into the sword qi.


    Chen Ping''an shuffled around in small steps as thunderous booms echoed around him repeatedly. The sword qi and the fist auras were almost destroyed in unison, releasing bursts of splendidly colorful light. It was as if two armies of elite cavalry had perished together on the border between two nations.


    Standing in the distance, Ding Ying continued to throw a relentless flurry of punches, not using any fancy stance or technique. Instead, he was doing as he pleased and throwing the most simple of punches. He also took a single step and cut the distance between them by six meters.


    When Chen Ping''an finally countered all of the fist auras with much difficulty, Ding Ying had already rushed back and started to engage in close-quarterbat with him again, not giving him the opportunity to replenish his Qi.


    Chen Ping''an continued to retreat as he fought, while Ding Ying continued to push forward in an overbearing manner.


    Both sides had shown off the peak of their strength already, with Chen Ping''an''s peak being his first sword strike atop the city wall.


    Facing that sword strike, even Ding Ying��who was so haughty that he only viewed the heavens as his rival��had no option but to silently step back in retreat. In fact, even his temperament had started to shift.


    Meanwhile, Ding Ying''s peak had arrived at the exact moment that he had been forced into a disadvantageous position. He had charged forward against the torrential flow of sword qi.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an''s strength had started to decline, while Ding Ying had also surprisingly failed to maintain his intensity and determination.


    Even though Chen Ping''an''s release of sword qi appeared turbulent and formidable on the surface, looking much like floodwater that had burst through a levee, this was something that Ding Ying could confidently block. As a result, it would only win Chen Ping''an enough time to catch a breath. This was only enough to prevent Ding Ying from making the first move and seizing an advantage.


    When it came to the tide of sword qi that had been condensed into a single thread, however, Ding Ying had been left with no choice but to dodge its intense might.


    Two kilometers from the city, a small hill rested near the official road.


    Ding Ying flicked the tip of Lasting Qi away using two fingers before suddenly smashing Chen Ping''an''s chest with his palm.


    Chen Ping''an crashed into the small hill like a kite with a broken string. The strike was so powerful that he simply sted through the hill like an arrow through paper.


    Dust and debris soared into the sky.


    The incredible might of Ding Ying''s palm strike was evident from the fact that Lasting Qi had gone flying from Chen Ping''an''s hand, drawing an arc in the air before plummeting to the ground. If there was no other surprise, then the sword was going tond near the small hill on Ding Ying''s side.


    Ding Ying narrowed his eyes. He was unable to clearly see Chen Ping''an''s pitiful state, but he still darted forward without dy. In reality, he was slightly hesitant about how he should deal with the sword in front of him.


    Should he drive home his advantage and grab that sword, tossing it back to the city wall and having it be as far away from their battlefield as possible? That way, the young otherworldly immortal would no longer have a sword to wield. Or should he use the sword as bait, setting up a trap here and aiming to kill Chen Ping''an with a single blow?


    However, Chen Ping''an''s response caused Ding Ying to immediately abandon these thoughts.


    Ding Ying''s hair suddenly stood on end, and he instantly raised his guard. He ground to a halt and forcefully stomped his feet, assuming an overwhelmingly mighty fist stance and unleashing a torrent of powerful fist auras, rapidly striking the area between the sword and the small hill.


    However, as rapid as Ding Ying''s response was, there was still a wisp of snow-white that allowed the fist auras to violently strike it as it leaped up from the peak of the small hill and extended its arm, perfectly catching Lasting Qi that had pulled itself out from the ground.


    For the sake of rushing through Ding Ying''s torrent of fist auras as quickly as possible, Chen Ping''an was already at the limit of his power. However, he still grabbed his sword and insisted on unleashing this sword strike.


    Chen Ping��an didn��t consider whether the might of this sword strike would be severely weakened��perhaps it would only be enough to tickle the spirited Ding Ying, or perhaps it would only be enough to leave some insignificant wounds.


    In this inconceivable world, and on that street in the capital, everyone was mysteriously drawing their weapons and trying to kill each other. It was as if no one cared about who Chen Ping''an truly was��whether he was good or bad, and why he had appeared in the capital of Southern Garden Nation.


    This kind of utterly terrible feeling... When walking to the covered bridge by himself after visiting the severely wounded Liu Xianyang, Chen Ping''an had promised himself that he could never ept such a situation again.


    He would not be forced to be a powerless dog, wagging his tail and pitifully begging the heavens for mercy, hoping that he would receive justice.


    Chen Ping''an had already practiced the Proper Sword Scripture for a decent amount of time. However, the true sword intent that Chen Ping''an had captured didn''t belong to this sword scripture. Instead, it came from three sword strikes.


    One was inside that rundown old temple, when Mr. Qi easily shattered Liu Chicheng''s formation with a single sword strike. And while fighting alongside Sword Saint Song Yushao from Water Combing Nation, Chen Ping''anter split apart a suit of golden armor with a single sword strike.


    One was unleashed inside the picture scroll of the Schrly Sage by the sword spirit, and Chen Ping''an had managed to emte a small portion of its aura whenunching his own sword strike on the city wall of Southern Garden Nation. His strike had been so powerful that Ding Ying had almost conceded that he was second in the world.


    One was unleashed by Chen Ping''an himself inside the picture scroll, against Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Tassel Mountain.


    In addition to these three, there were still an additional two sword strikes that Chen Ping''an was still rtively unfamiliar with. This was because he was not very familiar with the two people who hadunched these sword strikes. At the same time, he had also been standing too far away. Thus, Chen Ping''an was still yet toprehend them enough to emte their aura and imbue them into his own sword strikes.


    One strike wasunched by Wind Snow Temple''s Wei Jin. His sword shed through the barrier in the sky before he even arrived.


    One strike wasunched by Mohist Xu Ruo. He drew his de one inch from its scabbard, and an entire mountain materialized in front of him.


    Holding Lasting Qi in his hand, Chen Ping''an was going to emte the sword strike that Qi Jingchun had unleashed with his locust wood sword. Back then, Qi Jingchun had casually shattered Liu Chicheng''s White Emperor City Chaos Origin Formation.


    A hint of hesitation surfaced in Ding Ying''s mind again. It was a familiar sword strike, one that carried with it the magnificent might of the heavens. He had retreated on the city wall, so was he going to retreat again this time?


    In the sky high above Ding Ying, a person and a sword soared through the air.


    Chen Ping''an shed down.


    A golden thread appeared between heaven and earth.


    1. Qinggong (�Ṧ) literally means lightness technique. It refers to a technique of climbing and jumping off vertical surfaces from Chinese martial arts. ?


    2. Ao is a mythical creature with a dragon head and fish body. ?

 Chapter 322: (1): White Robe Enters the City, Doesnt Dare to Knock

    Chapter 322: (1): White Robe Enters the City, Doesn''t Dare to Knock


    The old Daoist priest left just as suddenly as he hade.


    He left Chen Ping''an by the edge of the gigantic crater just like that, not telling him how to leave the Lotus Flower Blessed Land nor telling him when this session of observing Dao would end. As for the fated opportunity of ascending from this world and the list of Upper Ten Elites, the old Daoist priest naturally didn''t mention these things either.


    However, even though the old Daoist priest''s sudden departure left a huge mess for Chen Ping''an to clean up, it gave him a huge sigh of relief. His heart strings were about to snap, and as he finally rxed, he stumbled several steps forward, swaying left and right, and finally copsed backward in absolute exhaustion.


    Without a breath of True Qi to stabilize his body, Chen Ping''an��s wounds from the ruthless sword attack unleashed by Ding Ying''s yin soulpletely erupted at this moment. Blood flowed unhindered, forming a puddle in which hey unmoving.


    However, there was an extremely satisfied smile on his face.


    First and Fifteenth were protecting him, and Ding Ying was dead. With no one else in the surroundings, Chen Ping''an brazenly wasted thest of his energy to grab the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, shakily bringing it to his mouth and forcefully gulping down a mouthful of wine.


    He was already suffering agonizing pain, so this measly amount of pain was nothing but a tickle. Chen Ping''an felt like it would be a great shame not to drink at this moment.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t notice that on the chest of his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, the originally snow-white pearl resting between the ws of the coiled golden dragon in the middle of the patterns was now filled with abundant lightning. The two slightly smaller pearls sitting under the ws and jaws of the two rtively small golden dragons on his shoulders were also filled with several wisps of shing lightning.


    However, this slight change in the Dao robe was barely worth a mentionpared to the drastic transformation of Chen Ping''an''s body.His body had beenpletely reborn anew.


    When soaking in the pool of lightning just then, a hint of gold and jade-like luster had appeared on Chen Ping''an''s bones. This was a state that cultivators referred to as "golden branch and jade leaves."[1]


    It was the sign of a solid and immovable foundation; the Dao to achieve longevity.[2]


    Chen Ping''an was in a semi-conscious and hazy state; as if he was having a dream while half-asleep and half-awake.


    In his dream, someone pointed at a turbulent river and asked him if he wanted to cross.


    However, the person answered their own question, saying that Chen Ping''an would need a bridge if he wanted to cross the river and break free from the shackles of the Great Dao. Once a bridge was in ce, he could naturally cross the river as he pleased.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond, so he simply squatted down by the river and scratched his head.


    This was his true self. It couldn''t be faked.


    The person said there was no story without coincidences. Chen Ping''an had already learned the reasonings and principles of a certain schr, had he not? After reading so much and understanding etiquette, perhaps those reasonings and principles were nothing more than empty words?


    Not hiding his emotions, Chen Ping''an grumbled, "What does learning Confucian principles have to do with a bridge?"


    The person didn''t exin anything, and they simply told Chen Ping''an what he should do. "Visualize the appearance of a bridge in your mind��any bridge will do. You''re still young, yet you''ve already traveled to quite a few ces. Rest assured, everything will be fine as long as you visualize a good bridge. There''s no requirement as to what the bridge is supposed to look like. In fact, it''s okay even if you visualize those bridges from the capital of Southern Garden Nation.


    "Don''t restrain your thoughts when you visualize the bridge, and don''t fear your mind bing distracted or running wild. Feel free to rx your mind. The more rxed the better. What you want is your thoughts to roam free and be unrestrained by space and time."


    Chen Ping''an still had no idea where he was, but he followed the instructions and closed his eyes as he stood by the riverside.


    He involuntarily thought of that golden arch bridge in the sea of clouds. It was extremely long, so long that it seemingly didn''t have an end.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t see that old Daoist priest. It was destined that he couldn''t find that old Daoist priest no matter how he searched.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an naturally couldn''t see the old Daoist priest''s strange expression as he nced up at the curling clouds above the river. He naturally couldn''t hear the old Daoist priest cursing Chen Qingdu andining about the old sword immortal always giving him trouble. Nor could he hear the old Daoist priest bemoaning the old schr for being a troublesome person to deal with. In the end, the old Daoist priest praised a junior''s vision and courage, and he also reminisced about an "old friend" who couldn''t be regarded as a human.


    What Chen Ping''an <em>did</em> see made his eyes widen in astonishment. From his feet to the opposite shore of the river, he could vaguely see the outline of a golden arch bridge. However, the bridge was flickering, clearly unstable.


    A book also appeared in his hand, and recorded inside it were the essays and teachings of a certain old schr. This was the theory of sequential order that the Confucian sage had never expounded to the world before.


    Each character was dazzling gold as it flew out from the book and drifted toward the golden arch bridge that had materialized from Chen Ping''an''s visualization.


    Each character was like a building block.


    However, it was a shame that close to half of the characters still remained lifeless and frozen. This was especially the case for theter chapters of the book. Not a single character budged from its spot.


    Regardless, the golden arch bridge spanning across the turbulent river finally became tangible, much like a person who had the support of vitality and energy.


    However, it was still slightly short of bingplete and allowing Chen Ping''an to cross. It was missing "blood and flesh;" it was not much, but it mattered just enough.


    This was analogous to a person having a soul but no physical body. They would be nothing more than a lost ghost that couldn''t face the sunlight and couldn''t enter the yang realm.


    Moreover, the length of the bridge, as well as its the magnificent structure, were far beyond Chen Ping''an''s imagination. It was also because of this that the characters in the book weren''t enough.


    "Give it a try; let''s see if it copses or not," the old Daoist priest instructed.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and answered ording to his instinct, "It will definitely copse."


    The old Daoist priest didn''t question Chen Ping''an''s reply. After pondering for a moment, he left the small world that he had created.


    And then... there was no "then."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly sat up beside the gigantic crater. Where was whatever long river? Where was whatever old Daoist priest?


    There was only the vast heaven and earth.


    The two flying swords, First and Fifteenth, were also beside him.


    Even though they weren''t Chen Ping''an''s bonded flying swords, they had apanied him on many long journeys and lived with him day and night, going through thick and thin together. Their minds were closely linked together.


    One remained silent, and one wallowed in guilt.


    Chen Ping''an tied the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist and reached out with both hands, gently patting the two flying swords and consoling, "The three of us are still alive, so this is already a great oue. In any case, we definitely won''t be so stifled next time. Moreover, if it weren''t for you two helping me block that strike, I definitely wouldn''t have been able to endure until my souls left my body..."


    Chen Ping''an stopped speaking because he discovered that First and Fifteenth were bing increasingly silent and guilt-ridden.


    He stood up and patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd, walking forward as he mumbled, "You guys should return here first. We need to hurry up and enter the city to look for the small lotus flower spirit![3] Our trip might not be smooth, and without you guys, I genuinely wouldn''t have the confidence to fight with anyone right now. To say nothing of Old Demon Ding, if I don''t rest and recuperate for a week or two, I might struggle even against that little child flying around on the sword. I might need the two of you to help me clear the path in a moment."


    The two flying swords returned to the Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    Chen Ping''an walked to the capital of Southern Garden Nation by himself.


    As he walked closer and closer to the city wall, the golden color of Golden Sweet Wine gradually returned to snow-white as well.


    Chen Ping''an came to a realization, and he turned around and nced back.


    With Bull Mountain as the center point of the battlefield, the area in the distance was brimming with spiritual energy that lingered without dispersing. That ce was very likely the biggest "blessednd" in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    Of course, it also contained the most abundant martial fortune.


    If Chen Ping''an weren''t in a hurry to return to the city to look for the small lotus flower spirit, he would have actually reaped the most benefits if he had stayed in his original spot and not moved.


    However, Chen Ping''an nced up at the distant city wall and thought that he would very easily be themon enemy of the entire world if he hogged all of the benefits for himself.


    Would it be dangerous to enter the city under the watchful gazes of everyone?


    Chen Ping''an walked along the deserted official road, covering more than thirty meters with each step.


    Just then, he had spoken those words mainly for the sake of consoling the downcast First and Fifteenth. In reality, if anyone dared to obstruct him at this moment and even went as far as to pester him incessantly, then reason and justice would only stand on his side even if he drew Lasting Qi.


    Witnessing the aura of invincibility of the barefoot old man in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain waspletely different from personally defeating someone who was invincible in the "world."


    These were two entirely different states.


    Even Bull Mountain had been razed to the ground, so how could the heavenly drum be struck for a second time? How could there still exist a location for ascension?


    Standing near the city wall of the capital, even Zhou Fei, who was simply here to enjoy life, felt a little worried, with heavy emotions weighing on his mind.


    They couldn''t have wasted sixty years for nothing, right?


    After the pool of lightning in the sky vanished, the clouds and mists parted to reveal the sun, allowing its radiance to shine upon the earth. Fan Wan''er raised the copper mirror that glistened under the sun, looking at the reflection of her breathtaking beauty.


    Just as Fan Wan''er was about to put the copper mirror away, she suddenly discovered that her reflection had a faint smile on its face. However, she clearly wasn''t smiling at this moment.


    Her reflection sighed.


    Then, a voice sounded in Fan Wan''er''s mind, saying, "Silly child..."


    It was as if she were struck by lightning. She threw the copper mirror away as if it were searing hot. She then grabbed her head, which hurt so much that it felt like it was about to split open, with tears of pain streaming down her face.


    On a distant section of the city wall, Ya''er carefully called, "Pce Leader Zhou..."


    Zhou Fei turned around, only to discover that the azure dress had automatically removed itself from Ya''er''s body. It swayed back and forth like a dancing woman, only caring about itself and pitying itself as if there were no one else around.


    Zhou Fei chuckled coldly and said, "You still want to leave after I got you?"


    He reached over to grab the shoulder of the azure dress, causing the shape of a hand to appear there. The azure dress continued to sway left and right, continually pulling away and eventually ripping apart with the tearing sound of silk and cotton. Holding a piece of ripped brocade in his hand, Zhou Fei frowned and said, "Trying to toy around with me? Let me see just how long you can hide your soul for, old woman! Let me see just what you''re trying to plot for!"


    More and more pieces of ripped brocade appeared in Zhou Fei''s hands.


    1. This literally means a powerful skeleton with a golden spine and jade limbs. ?


    2. This is an extract (out of context) from Laozi''s Dao De Jing. ?


    3. The lotus flower spirit is the stone spirit. ?

 Chapter 323: (1): Specks of Light in the World

    Chapter 323: (1): Specks of Light in the World


    Chen Ping''an pushed the door open and entered.


    No one was inside the courtyard.


    The olddy who rambled andined all the time was gone, so Chen Ping''an naturally couldn''t hear her cursing the heavens and swearing at the earth anymore. She was a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted person.


    The simple and honest-looking woman who would actually steal books from other people was gone, so Chen Ping''an could no longer see her prideful gaze as she looked at her son.


    The old man who was terrible at Go, and the man who would always carry a bag around and try his luck were gone too. He would leave extremely early each morning, and he would always tiptoe around, most likely afraid to disturb his son who still needed to attend the private school to study.


    Chen Ping''an stood in the courtyard for a while before returning to his room. He slid Lasting Qi back inside its scabbard on the table, and saw that the stack of books sitting there had already disappeared without a trace. Chen Ping''an squatted down and ced his palm on the floor, closing his eyes and trying to find some clues or traces.


    Fifteenth flew out of the Sword Nurturing Gourd with a whoosh, sticking extremely close to the floor as it rapidly flew around in circles. In the end, it stopped in midair with its sword tip pointing at the floor.


    Chen Ping''an immediately started to dig with his bare hands. With his current cultivation base, it could be said that his fingers were already strong enough to dig through iron as if it were dirt.


    He had advanced to the fifth tier when fighting with Zhong Qiu on the street. Afterward, he had tempered his Martial Dao while battling against Ding Ying. Tempering his Martial Dao using these two whetstones was far superior to doing so with the old Golden Core Tier sword cultivator in Osmanthus Ind, both in a physical sense and a mental sense.This was especially the case during his battle with Ding Ying, when their battlefield had shifted from the city wall to Bull Mountain. That had been a life-and-death battle pertaining to the core of the Martial Dao as well as the martial fortune of this world.


    Thus, even Cui Chan''s grandfather, the old man in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, would definitely view this battle with praise in his eyes. He would say that even pure martial artists at the eighth or ninth tier might not be able to generate such intense and profound auras during their battles.


    After digging for a while, Chen Ping''an found himself on the bottom of a pit deep enough to hide a full-grown adult. He used both hands to gently pick up the small lotus flower spirit on the brink of death before leaping out of the pit.


    He carefully ced the small lotus flower spirit on the table and took off Golden Sweet Wine, scrunching it up into a ball that looked much like a bird''s nest. He then ced the lotus flower spirit inside this nest.


    Afterward, he hurriedly retrieved a grain rain coin from his pocket treasure. Compared to light snow coins that only had a small amount of spiritual energy, lesser heat coins had spiritual energy that flowed like water, so abundant that one could vaguely feel it through their fingers.


    Grain rain coins had the most spiritual energy, so concentrated that it was like frozen liquid. Chen Ping''an held the immortal coin in his hand and suddenly tightened his grip, causing the grain rain coin to disintegrate into dust in his palm. He then unclenched his fist, scattering the remains of the grain rain coin over the small lotus flower spirit.


    As for how many strange and peculiar spirits this grain rain coin could buy from immortal shops, and how rare these spirits were, even for officials and wealthy nobles, Chen Ping''an was well aware of these things. After all, he was no longer an amateur who had just entered the cultivation world, and no longer an impoverished little boy in y Vase Alley working as an apprentice in the kilns.


    Chen Ping''an was learning more and more about the world.


    Jewel Small World, the Great Li Empire, Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the Sword Qi Great Wall, Parasol Leaf Continent, and the Lotus Flower Blessed Land...


    Chen Ping''an carefully observed the small lotus flower spirit, and saw that the coin''s spiritual energy was like spring water slowly seeping into a dried-up and cracked field.


    He felt slightly more at ease upon seeing this. The fact that the small lotus flower spirit could still absorb spiritual energy was proof that the situation could still be rectified. Chen Ping''an used his thumb to gently stroke the small spirit''s clean and pure forehead.


    After cing the small lotus flower spirit in his Dao robe and feeding it some spiritual energy, Chen Ping''an filled the pit in the floor back in before leaving his room and sitting down on a small stool under the eaves. He grabbed his wine gourd and swirled it around, yet he didn''t drink a single drop of it.


    After removing his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, an acute bloody smell exuded from his entire body. His life-and-death battle with Ding Ying had left him with severe wounds. However, it was also because of this that a tidal wave of spiritual energy had funneled into him, giving him an opportunity to flood his main acupoints with spiritual energy.


    Right now, the spiritual energy was tunneling through his many acupoints, with each wisp appearing like a force that was grabbing a piece ofnd for itself. Because the spiritual energy didn''t take the same path as his breath of True Qi from before, the pieces ofnd that they upied could also be viewed as vassal towns that fell outside of the main cities. They were rtively isted, and didn''t link together to form a connected path. Thus, they were unable to be more powerful.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know if this was good or bad. However, he didn''t have the time to deal with this problem right now.


    His most important priority was figuring out how to rebuild his bridge of immortality and leave this blessednd.


    This Observing Dao Temple surprisingly wasn''t an actual temple. Instead, wherever the old Daoist priest went in the world was where the temple would be. After learning of this, Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether tough or to cry.


    Why hadn''t the old great sword immortal living in the thatched cottage on the Sword Qi Great Wall warned him about this earlier?


    Thinking back, however, he had scuttled around like a headless chicken when he had first entered the capital of Southern Garden Nation, yet after a period of unrest and frustration, he had decided to calm his mind and casually wander around. That had resulted in a very unique experience where he had witnessed all kinds of people and their nature.


    Chen Ping''an had appeared idle andzy during that time, yet it had reminded him of his past experience as an apprentice in the dragon kilns. The money he earned wasn''t enough for him to spend profligately, but it <em>was </em>enough for him to support himself. At the very least, he wouldn''t starve to death.


    Thus, after guaranteeing food and shelter, Chen Ping''an had always been in the same frame of mind whenever he went to collect soil samples from the mountains with Old Man Yao.


    Even though they camped in the wilderness and trekked through difficult mountain terrain, and he would be physically exhausted every single day, his mind wouldn''t be tired at all. He could lie down and sleep in peace whenever night fell.


    Ever since leaving Dragon Spring Prefecture for the first time, however, from apanying Li Baoping and the other children to the academy in Great Sui Nation to mysteriously wandering into this blessednd...


    ...Just how many rxed and peaceful nights of sleep had Chen Ping''an been afforded?


    Chen Ping''an woke up every so often to check on the small lotus flower spirit''s condition. Even though progress was slow, it was at least heading in the right direction, and the small spirit was healing little by little. Seeing this finally relieved Chen Ping''an of his worries.


    Could wine truly wash away the worries and anxieties caused by the deaths and farewells of those close to him? No, there would always be times when one was awake and sober.


    Chen Ping''an no longer needed to worry about anything inside his room, but what about outside his room?


    Sitting on the small stool, with his arms resting on his knees, Chen Ping''an patiently waited for Cao Qinng to return home.


    From today onward, this residence in a nameless small alley would be no different from that residence in y Vase Alley back then.


    Chen Ping''an stood up. It was dusk, and a little boy walked through the small alley by himself. The gate to his courtyard was open, and his expression was numb when he saw Chen Ping''an. Cao Qinng lowered his head, silent and seemingly apathetic as he walked inside his room.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to speak, yet he couldn''t help but hesitate. In the end, he remained silent and sat back down on the small stool, staying there all the way until deep into the night. They were in the twelfth sr term, Great Heat, so it didn''t feel cool and refreshing even when the gentle night breeze brushed past his body. Chen Ping''an went to check on the little lotus spirit, and he coincidentally saw a crude-looking straw fan out of the corner of his eye. He picked it up and returned outside.


    In the second half of the night, he heard the night guard striking their gong from very far away.


    Cao Qinng walked out of his room, bringing a small stool with him and sitting beside Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an offered the little boy the crude straw fan, and Cao Qinng hesitated for a moment before eventually deciding to ept it.


    After a brief period of silence, Chen Ping''an said in a soft voice, "I''m sorry."


    The little boy remained silent the entire time. He didn''t me Chen Ping''an. Instead, he simply lowered his head and sobbed.


    The next day, Cao Qinng woke up muchter than usual, and there was no sound of him loudly reciting books either. Seeing this, Chen Ping''an went to the private school, hoping to inform Cao Qinng''s teacher of his absence. However, he noticed that there were few people on the street, and when he arrived at the private school, he discovered that the school was shut as well. He wasn''t even able to find the teacher.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t notice any spies from Southern Garden Nation in the surroundings.


    This was most likely Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu''s doing.


    During the next two days, many families continued to secretly move away from this area. Because of this, the brothels and taverns near Champion Schr Alley also lost arge majority of their customers overnight, bing almost deserted.


    During dusk on this day, Chen Ping''an brought a small stool with him and sat down at the corner of the alley with no name. If this were in the past, there would be a table here and two terrible Go yers would engage in an intense match with each other. Standing around them, countless other terrible Go yers would offer their amazingly crappy advice.


    The street was still riddled with criss-crossing ditches and crumbled walls, appearing as broken and unsightly as could be.


    Suddenly, Chen Ping''an stood up.


    Zhong Qiu hade to visit.


    He and Chen Ping''an strolled through the wide street, and evident exhaustion was visible on Zhong Qiu''s face as he smiled faintly and exined, "This region of the capital has secretly been ced under martialw, and spections and rumors from all sources have been put under control as well.


    "The emperor and the crown prince are both extremely interested in you, and they both want to meet you. However, I persuaded them not to invite you into the imperial pce. Even so, you can enter the pce whenever you want if you feel the desire to do so. Of course, you can also visit my ce if you want to clear your mind and rx."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Dressed in an azure robe with slightly graying sideburns, Zhong Qiu surprisingly appeared much older even though only a mere few days had passed. It was as if he had experienced many vicissitudes of life.


    The imperial preceptor clearly had many things weighing on his mind as he continued, "Yu Zhenyi has constructed a small thatched cottage for himself on the ruins of Bull Mountain, and it''s clear that he''s going to cultivate earnestly there. The emperor has stated that unless Yu Zhenyi relocates his Lake Mountain Faction to Southern Garden Nation, he''ll deploy troops to forcibly remove Yu Zhenyi.


    "However, Yu Zhenyipletely ignored the emperor''s request. I hoped that the emperor could wait for a little longer, but the emperor disagreed with me and has already started to marshal the troops. It won''t be long before ten thousand elite troops march over and encircle the ruins of Bull Mountain."


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before asking, "Then what about Mirror Heart Hall''s Fan Wan''er?"


    Zhong Qiu roughly recounted Fan Wan''er''s life story to Chen Ping''an before saying in helplessness, "I specte that the emperor most likely saw her in private, and it''s because of this that he''s gained the resolve to make this decision. With her support and with Dragon General Tang Tieyi staying in the capital��and of course, there''s me as well��the emperor is likely convinced that the situation won''t be too dire."


    Zhong Qiu stopped beside a deep ditch. This was the location where Chen Ping''an had Examined the Dragon using the Mountain Peak fist stance and traveled on the wind, striking Zhong Qiu and sending him flying. Zhong Qiu smiled and continued, "The emperor probed around several times, trying to ask me about your personality and background. I couldn''t lie to the emperor, but I couldn''t drag you into our mortal conflicts either.


    "Because of this, I simply told the emperor that you would neither support Southern Garden Nation nor help Yu Zhenyi. Carefree cranes will only soar through the lofty clouds, not involving themselves in the lowly matters of dogs and chickens in the mortal world. They certainly won''t fight for food with these creatures either."


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists in gratitude.


    Zhong Qiu waved his hand and said, "I would be a lot more annoyed if I were you."


    Chen Ping''an grabbed his wine gourd and drank a mouthful of wine.


    Zhong Qiu suddenly remembered something, and he said, "I personally dealt with that tragic case rting to the family you were staying with. Many remnants of the demonic force were captured by the imperial court, and I can confirm that Ding Ying was the one who ordered his subordinates tomit this crime.


    "His aim was most likely to pit you against Spring Tide Pce''s Zhou Shi from very early on. After you two fought each other, he could then take advantage of the situation and draw Lu Fang and Zhou Fei out as well. Moreover, through Cao Qinng''s statements to the officials, we can conclude that Ding Ying''s actions weren''t for the sake of targeting you. Rather, Ding Ying mistakenly thought that Cao Qinng was rted to Mirror Heart Hall''s Tong Qingqing."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding.


    He then suddenly asked, "Where am I, actually?"


    Zhong Qiu faltered upon hearing this, a look of puzzlement on his face.


    Chen Ping''an pointed at Lasting Qi on his back and exined, "I carried this sword with me and somehow entered this world by ident. I wandered around and searched for a long time, and I was oblivious to the fact that I had entered this world."


    Zhong Qiu smiled and told Chen Ping''an some stories about the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and the otherworldly immortals who hade here.


    Only then did Chen Ping''an gain a deeper understanding of this world.


    Back then, the old Daoist priest had only revealed half of the truth. The Observing Dao Temple genuinely didn''t exist, but it could be argued that the entire Lotus Flower Blessed Land was, in fact, the old Daoist priest''s ce for observing the Dao.


    The first time Chen Ping''an noticed something amiss was when he had discovered the existence of two Northern Jin Nations in a single continent. One had to realize that he had found the little lotus spirit in a temple in Northern Jin Nation.


    In the beginning, Chen Ping''an had thought that perhaps the culture in Parasol Leaf Continent was different from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Because of this, he had especially visited the bookstore in Champion Schr Alley to go through many unofficial history books and literary works.


    However, things had only be stranger and stranger. Even so, Chen Ping''an had refused to give up, visiting another scripture library that clearly looked like the private collection of some wealthy and influential n. He wanted to understand the official history of the nation to determine Northern Jin Nation''s exact location in Parasol Leaf Continent.


    However, things had still remained as foggy and confusing as always, with the books only ever mentioning the history of the four nations.


    Afterward, when the dirty secrets of White River Temple were exposed, Chen Ping''an had felt even greater disbelief at the four superior grandmasters'' choice of words when they gathered at Bull Mountain. They had been surprisingly fond of using the term "the world" when discussing things.


    For example, Zhong Qiu was called the most powerful martial artist in the world, Southern Garden Nation was the most powerful nation in the world, Mirror Heart Hall''s Tong Qingqing was the most beautiful person in the world, and so on and so forth. There were too many examples to choose from.


    On that night sometimeter, Ding Ying, Zhou Shi, and Ya''er had snuck into the great hall of White River Temple to look for that Golden Arhat Body together.


    Before this, Chen Ping''an hadn''t thought too much about this region and had simply regarded it as an isted ce with no Dao. This was especially the case due to his interactions with the old monk, a Qi refiner, from Heart Manifestation Temple. Moreover, he had soone across that azure dress that liked to dance under the moonlight.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an had simply treated this region as a ce simr to Sword Saint Song Yushao''s hometown, Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Water Combing Nation. That was also a ce where martial arts was dominant.


    Now that he thought about everything carefully, however, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel a cold chill and a lingering sense of fear.


    This was the same feeling as when he had nced at that well back then.


    Even though he knew that he was in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Chen Ping''an had absolutely no idea when or how he had entered this ce. And he was unlikely to ever receive an answer to this question as long as the old Daoist priest didn''t appear in front of him.


    The world had descended into a murky and strange state after the huge battles, so as the imperial preceptor of Southern Garden Nation, there were still countless matters that Zhong Qiu needed to attend to. His visit to Chen Ping''an today served two purposes.


    Firstly, he could avoid misunderstandings between the two of them. Secondly, he had his own personal interests, and he could use this visit as a chance to rx his mind and enjoy some fresh air. Thus, Zhong Qiu bade farewell and left after discussing the necessary matters.


    Before Zhong Qiu left, Chen Ping''an was slightly apologetic as he said, "I''m temporarily unable to leave the Lotus Flower Blessed Land."


    Zhong Qiu smiled and replied, "That''s okay. In any case, you don''t seem like an otherworldly immortal at all, Chen Ping''an."


    After leaving the courtyard in the nameless alley, Zhong Qiu''s expression was downcast as he walked along the deserted street alone.


    If the first otherworldly immortal that he and Yu Zhenyi hade across back then had been Chen Ping''an, then would the events of the past few days have taken apletely different trajectory?

 Chapter 324: (1): So Thats How It Is

    Chapter 324: (1): So That''s How It Is


    A light snow coin was pinched between the old Daoist priest''s fingers, and it gradually vanished bit by bit.


    He left the capital of Southern Garden Nation with a single stride, silently arriving at the ruins of Bull Mountain. Even Yu Zhenyi, who had constructed a thatched cottage and decided to cultivate here, didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary.


    Right now, Yu Zhenyi was standing outside his simple thatched cottage, bathing in the moonlight with his hands sped behind his back. He had already ordered the elites of Lake Mountain Faction as well as his several direct disciples to return to the sect, and they were told to keep a low profile for the near term.


    The childlike leader of the righteous forces in the world was now wearing a silver-colored lotus flower hat. This was as per the agreement between them. After they seeded, Ding Ying would give him this Daoist hat named Seeking Profound. This was the most mystical immortal treasure in the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Not one of the most mystical, but <em>the</em> most mystical.


    Apart from possessing the ability to automatically protect its owner''s physical body and soul, it was also able to temper one''s body and calm one''s mind. Most importantly, this Daoist hat could help one find the otherworldly immortals who were hidden in this world.


    Yu Zhenyi had roughly mastered the mystical ability to observe mountains and rivers through his palms already. When gazing at the capital of Southern Garden Nation from the distant peak of Bull Mountain back then, Ding Ying, Chen Ping''an, Lu Fang, and a few others had appeared like the most dazzling and eye-catching specks of light in the world.


    Now that he had obtained this Daoist hat, his ability to find otherworldly immortals became even moreprehensive. As long as he managed to break free from the imminent encirclement, he was ny percent confident that otherworldly immortals wouldn''t be able to escape from his grasp in the future. They would find it extremely difficult to do anything.


    A colored ze flying sword hovered beside Yu Zhenyi.


    Inside his sleeve was another valuable immortal tool that he had just obtained.The young Daoist priest carrying a huge golden gourd on his back had indeed kept his word. Those who had walked down the city wall and been unwilling to ascend had all obtained an immortal treasure. After arriving at the ttened remains of Bull Mountain, Yu Zhenyi had found an imperial genealogy book. This was something that ancient rulers used to "inform the heavens" when paying homage to heaven and earth.


    However, the characters in the book were strange, and there was no mention of the four nations. Yu Zhenyi knew that the answers most likely rested with Reverence Pagoda or Mirror Heart Hall, the two forces who understood otherworldly immortals from beyond the heavens the most.


    Yu Zhenyi feltplete indifference toward Ding Ying''s death. He naturally didn''t feel any sadness. At most, he was simply irritated about Ding Ying falling at the final hurdle, forcing him to make many significant changes to his and Lake Mountain Faction''s numerous ns.


    Ding Ying was battling the heavens, while he was seeking to rule the mortal world.


    This was the tacit understanding that had developed between Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi. Their Great Daoplemented each other''s, so the leader of the righteous forces and the leader of the demonic forces who should have been most likely to fight to the death with each other had instead chosen to form an alliance in secret, setting up the final battles in the capital of Southern Garden Nation.


    The difference between them was that Ding Ying wanted to kill everyone on the list of Upper Ten Elites minus the two of them, while Yu Zhenyi only targeted otherworldly immortals. In other words, Yu Zhenyi had only targeted Zhou Fei, Tong Qingqing, Feng Qingbai, and of course the most recent arrival, Chen Ping''an.


    Yu Zhenyi started to take a walk under the moonlight, with each inhtion and exhtion being a form of cultivation. This was also the fundamental reason Yu Zhenyi had the incredible will and resolve to abandon his pinnacle martial arts cultivation in the past.


    The most important quality in cultivation was the strength of one''s mind, and it was this lofty peak that Yu Zhenyi truly yearned to reach. The realm of martial arts was far too low and basic, and those brutes in the cultivation world were essentially rolling around in mud their entire lives without realizing their own crudeness.


    People like Cheng Yuanshan were insatiably greedy, and they hoped to take possession of everything that theyid eyes on. People like Tang Tieyi coveted power and influence on the battlefield, and they dreamed of one day ruling over the world and possessing all beautiful women, thinking that it would be even better if they went down in history with a good reputation.


    However, such people didn''t understand that all would be moot and impermanent if one didn''t obtain longevity. Meanwhile, people like Liu Zong were extremely stubborn in their pursuit of a single goal, with Liu Zong seeking only to increase his raw strength. People like this weren''t worth a mention.


    However, it was a pity about Zhong Qiu.


    They were once intimate friends, yet Zhong Qiu had now erected a barrier and imprisoned himself within.


    Yu Zhenyi walked in any direction that his mind led him, and his stride varied andcked any consistency. His steps were sometimes the same as those of ordinary people, and they were sometimes more than thirty meters in length. However, he never walked too far in any certain direction. There were also times when he would leisurely stroll along arge and formless arc.


    This scene struck fear and apprehension into the hearts of those meritorious generals from Southern Garden Nation who were guarding various checkpoints around Bull Mountain. They were terrified that they would suffer the great misfortune of Yu Zhenyi choosing to break free from their direction.


    The capital was extremely close, close enough to see with the naked eye if they turned around. This also meant that the emperor could see their each and every move. Thus, who dared to retreat and shirk responsibility if Yu Zhenyi decided to attack and attempt to break free tonight?


    No one thought that marshaling ten thousand or so elite troops from the capital to encircle a "little child" was strange or hrious.


    After all, who had imagined that a battle between two grandmasters could annihte the entire Bull Mountain? They were mortal humans who were versed in strategy and skilled in battle, and they could die in contentment if they were fighting against fellow mortals on the battlefield.


    However, to die from a single flick of an immortal''s sleeve or a single snap of their fingers? Perhaps they would die before they could even catch sight of their immortal opponent''s appearance. Not only that, but swathes and swathes of them would die at a single time, leaving a mountain of corpses in the immortal''s wake. What kind of fucking death was that?!


    Yu Zhenyi naturally wouldn''t care about the thoughts of these generals and soldiers from Southern Garden Nation.


    Right now, there were only two people whom he truly cared about. Tong Qingqing was one of them, and she was still yet to be involved in the conflict even now. When standing on the city wall back then, even Yu Zhenyi had felt a slight sense of danger when Tong Qingqing had grabbed a sword from the shattered copper mirror.


    However, there was someone whom Yu Zhenyi feared even more. That was naturally Chen Ping''an, the young otherworldly immortal who had ruthlessly killed Old Demon Ding in a head-on battle.


    Yu Zhenyi wasn''t afraid of the huge army encircling him. In fact, he wouldn''t be afraid of fighting with Tong Qingqing either.


    However, he didn''t dare to let his guard down against Chen Ping''an.


    No matter how he wracked his brain, Yu Zhenyi couldn''t think of why Chen Ping''an hadn''t obstructed him from traveling here to absorb the abundant spiritual energy, thereby allowing his cultivation base to rise steadily.


    Perhaps he had suffered extremely grave wounds during his battle with Ding Ying? Perhaps he was nothing more than an empty shell of his former self right now?


    And it was because of this that Chen Ping''an had purposely stopped before walking through the city gate and entering the capital? Rather than threatening them, he was actually acting mystical on purpose in order to trick all of the superior grandmasters on the city wall?


    Yu Zhenyi stopped and looked toward the capital, its outline glowing softly under the radiance of the moon. However, he ultimately decided against charging over to probe the situation.


    After all, things would genuinely be disastrous if Chen Ping''an teamed up with Mirror Heart Hall as well as Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu. At that time, with Tang Tieyi and Cheng Yuanshan''s swaying loyalty, they would definitely choose the more powerful side andprehensively side with Southern Garden Nation.


    Yu Zhenyi returned to his thatched cottage, reaching out with a hand and lightly running his palm over the colored ze flying sword.


    He was able to fly on his sword with the demeanor of an immortal now, yet he was still far from bing truly free and untroubled like those immortals in the books. He was unable to ascend to great heights, and unable to travel on the wind for great distances. This was truly a great shame.


    Yu Zhenyi''s gaze shifted upward toward the bright moon. There would eventuallye a day when he would soar through the air on his flying sword and travel above the head of the mortal world. He would peer down at the mountains and rivers, and only the sun, moon, and stars would be loftier than him.


    However, Yu Zhenyi suddenly lowered his gaze. A blurry figure was standing on the ruined city wall that was still undergoing repairs, yet in Yu Zhenyi''s eyes, what appeared there was a radiant and detestable ball of light.


    "You''vee already?" Yu Zhenyi asked with a cold chuckle.


    Atop the city wall was a young Daoist Nun with a sword strapped to her back. She was sitting cross-legged on a merlon, and holding a ceramic pot still piping hot in one hand.


    An appetizing fragrance wafted through the air, and the chopsticks in her other hand moved like a blur as she enjoyed the delicious food and mumbled, "Good heavens, this dish is so incredibly delicious! However, it''s just too bloody spicy. Ah, geez, I can''t buy two portions at once next time."


    Several soldiers on horseback exited the city gate beneath her, galloping toward the ten thousand soldiers in the distance to deliver a militarymand personally issued by the emperor.


    Of the imperial guard and the three armies stationed around the capital, only therge army responsible for guarding the northern city gate was ordered to remain and defend the gate to theirst breath. The other armies were all ordered to leave their stations and retreat ten kilometers.


    It was as if they were creating space for someone.


    Indeed, they were creating space for Yu Zhenyi and the breathtakingly beautiful Daoist Nun sitting on the city wall.


    Huang Ting was still slurping up the delicious food, and would only look up asionally to nce toward the direction of the ttened Bull Mountain. If Yu Zhenyi decided to flee with all his might, she would be left with no option but to watch him vanish. She definitely couldn''t catch up to him.


    After finishing her meal, Daoist Nun Huang Ting from Peace and Tranquility Mountain ced the ceramic pot beside her and lightly ced the pair of chopsticks on top of the pot.


    She stood up and patted her stomach, her face filled with regret as she grumbled, "I went over the top with this midnight snack... Now I''m going to gain another kilo... <em>Sigh</em>... Fan Wan''er, you sure were into rice bowls. Or maybe I should say rice buckets."[1]


    She sat and waited until all three elite armies of Southern Garden Nation started to slowly retreat from their position.


    Huang Ting had an intense and unrestrained look in her eyes as she red in Yu Zhenyi''s direction. She wiped her mouth clean and said in a soft voice, "Well, anyway, I''ll probably lose this weight again after I finish this battle."


    1. Huang Ting is making a wordy here out of Fan Wan''er''s name. Fan Wan (��ݸ) is a homonym of "rice bowl" (����), and calling someone a rice bucket (��Ͱ) is calling them a glutton. ?

 Chapter 325: (1): Charming the Green Mountains Appear in My Eyes

    Chapter 325: (1): Charming the Green Mountains Appear in My Eyes


    Chen Ping''an immediately used the tactic that he had just learned from Old General L��, acting stupid and ying dumb as if he hadn''t heard the hint of ridicule in the old Daoist priest''s words. After Chen Ping''an took another swig of wine, the old Daoist priest had already vanished from the small courtyard without a trace.


    The old Daoist priest was mysterious and elusive, and there was absolutely nothing that Chen Ping''an could do about this.


    Dawn arrived, and the skinny little girl sleeping against the door of the firewood shed had already woken up. The wealthy person in white was walking around the courtyard with his eyes closed, as if he was blind. One hand was open in front of his abdomen and facing the sky, while one hand was clenched into a fist and resting in front of his chest. His steps were extremely small, and he was walking extremely slowly.


    It was as if he were debating whether he should m his fist into his palm. The skinny little girl waited in boredom, and she always had the nagging feeling that he would eventually strike his palm.


    It would be great if this person were truly blind. If he mmed his fist down and identally destroyed his other hand with a crack, then that would be even better.


    The skinny little girl chuckled. However, afraid that the person in white would see through her thoughts, she immediately wiped the smile from her face and put on a stern expression, purposely yawning as well to conceal her chuckle.


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes and exited the strange stance, one which he had learned from Ding Ying through the process of imitation. He was only assuming this stance because he felt like the lightning technique��which he had obtained from that blind old Daoist priest with two disciples after facing off against the female ghost in the wedding dress��required him to forcefully strike his acupoints with his fist.


    This was slightly simr to Ding Ying''s situation.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t look at the skinny little girl, nor did he stop walking forward. He continued to focus his fist intent on the Mountain Peak stance that Zhong Qiu hadprehended as he instructed, "Go and check Cao Qinng''s private school to see if it''s reopened yet. If the teacher is still absent, then ask the nearby neighbors when the school is going to reopen."The skinny little girl haggled with Chen Ping''an, asking, "Can I go after breakfast? I''m hungry right now, so I won''t be able to walk."


    "You''ll get breakfast after you return and after you refill the water vat in the kitchen," Chen Ping''an replied in a calm and indifferent voice.


    The skinny little girl gazed at the side of Chen Ping''an''s face. He didn''t seem to be joking, so she nodded in understanding and purposely stumbled as she stood up. She stuck close to the wall as she walked around Chen Ping''an and left the courtyard. After exiting the alley, she squatted near the intersection for a long time before sprinting back to the courtyard, causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead.


    She bent over and ced her hands on her hips, panting heavily as she said to that person who was still walking around the courtyard, "The school still hasn''t reopened yet. I asked an auntie, and she told me that the teacher was scared out of his wits by that battle from a few days ago. Because of this, the school won''t reopen anytime soon."


    Chen Ping''an remained silent as he pointed at the kitchen.


    A sullen expression appeared on the skinny little girl''s face as she walked over and grabbed the smallest bucket. Fortunately, the water vat was still more than half full. If it were empty, it was guaranteed that she wouldn''t be willing to fill it up. She would throw the bucket away and run off after leaving the courtyard.


    When she reached the courtyard door, she heard Cao Qinng loudly reciting books. With her back facing the courtyard, she rolled her eyes and bared her teeth, an expression of utter disdain on her face.


    Fetching water was truly as exhausting as could be.


    When the skinny little girl returned to the courtyard with the small bucket, she once again stuck close to the wall and carefully made her way around Chen Ping��an. She then ran into the kitchen in a sh. She had only fetched enough water from the well to fill less than half of the small bucket, and she had even continued to pour water out along the way because she hadn''t wanted to tire herself with carrying it all. Thus, there was only a mere inch of water left in the bottom of the small bucket when she finally returned to the courtyard.


    The skinny little girl furtively nced around. She didn''t see that person in white, so she immediately lifted the small bucket and quietly scooped up half a bucket of water from the water vat. She then lifted the small bucket with much effort before emptying its contents back into the water vat with a loud ssh.


    Chen Ping''an silently observed all of this from a distance. However, he didn''t expose her right away.


    She would rather wrack her brain and think of ways to ck off than to spend a little more effort and get things done properly?


    After reciting several chapters from an elementary book, Cao Qinng went over to the kitchen and started to cook breakfast. Chen Ping''an told Cao Qinng that he would return veryte tonight, to which the little boy nodded in acknowledgment.


    Chen Ping''an left the small alley with no name. When he passed Champion Schr Alley, he saw that the courtyard where the demonic force''s Ding Ying and Ya''er had stayed before was empty and lifeless. It was evidently abandoned. At the same time, the amount of incense being offered at Heart Manifestation Temple also dwindled by the day.


    However, the morning exercise routine taking ce in that martial arts school was livelier than ever. The pupils shouted loudly as they trained, and the master teaching them fist techniques spoke even louder. The huge battle from a few days ago struck terror into the hearts of ordinary citizens. They felt like chaos was slowly creeping into their peaceful world.


    On the other hand, the huge battle inspired fascination and eagerness in the hearts of cultivation disciples. After all, could the cultivation world still be called the cultivation world if there wasn''t any howling wind or roaring waves?


    Chen Ping''an still wasn''t wearing his Dao robe. Instead, he was now wearing a brand-new azure robe. Firstly, the little lotus spirit was yet to fully recover, so it needed the help of the Dao robe, which acted much like a small blessednd. Secondly, Chen Ping''an didn''t want to draw too much attention to himself. Thus, he even left his Sword Nurturing Gourd in the room, instructing First and Fifteenth to look after the recuperating lotus spirit.


    However, he was now carrying Deep Infatuation and Halting Snow by his hips, making him appear like a traveler who liked to wield all kinds of weapons.


    Right now, Chen Ping''an was heading over to visit Zhong Qiu. He had one more request for the imperial preceptor of Southern Garden Nation.


    Even though the stack of books that the skinny little girl had stolen and sold were only ordinary books��Chen Ping''an had ced the two immortal books he purchased from Stctite Mountain inside his pocket treasure��he wanted to get them back regardless.


    This was because he had recorded in neatpact script on the title pages of the books the location and time that he had purchased each book. Indeed, these books that Chen Ping''an had collected from all around the world held a special significance to him.


    This had nothing to do with the Confucian saying of books holding a house of gold and a beautiful wife within.[1]


    Everyone knew that Zhong Qiu lived near the imperial pce. However, few people were aware of the exact location of his house. Fortunately, Chen Ping''an was just too famous in the capital of Southern Garden Nation right now, so much so that an elite recruited by the imperial court quickly appeared in front of him and respectfully led him to the residence of the imperial preceptor.


    This residence enjoyed a sense of peace and serenity inside the Virtue Worship District, an extremely busy area. The Virtue Worship District was genuinely a district that existed right under the emperor''s nose, and the people who lived here were all officials or extremely wealthy individuals. There was lush greenery decorating the streets and alleys, and also an air of elegance and strictness mingling with the aura of peace and quiet. This was in stark contrast to the barking dogs and silveryughter ringing through Champion Schr Alley.


    There was no que hanging in front of Zhong Qiu''s residence, nor could it be considered arge residence by the Virtue Worship District''s standards. It only had three courtyards.


    Chen Ping''an thanked the elite who had led him here before walking into the residence by himself. After entering, he discovered that the residence wasn''t quiet and empty at all. Instead, many young faces were busily attending to various tasks. They were all dressed in official garb, yet judging by the embroidered picture on their clothes, they were all low-ranking officials who could just barely rank above petty officials.


    The rooms were filled with people, filled with young men walking around with official documents in their hands, most of them striding very briskly. Some were walking in pairs or groups, and these people would all be discussing important affairs. When they saw Chen Ping''an who was carrying both a sword and a saber, they simply took one or two nces at him before turning their attention elsewhere.


    Zhong Qiu was standing under the eaves of the main courtyard as he smiled and weed Chen Ping''an. A young official was standing beside Zhong Qiu and reporting official matters to him, and the imperial preceptor offered a rough answer and provided some suggestions as well. Afterward, there was a sinct session of question and answer between the two of them.


    The young official was clearly a little interested in Chen Ping''an''s identity, yet he didn''t dare to overstep his authority and inquire about this since the imperial preceptor hadn''t chosen to introduce his guest. The young official bade farewell and took his leave.


    Zhong Qiu brought Chen Ping''an to the back courtyard which waspletely different from the lively and busy main courtyard. Only a single wall separated them, yet it was as if Chen Ping''an had stepped into a different world. A big bunch of bananas rested in the corner, and they were so fresh and green that it seemed as if water were about to drip from them.


    An aged Go board and two Go boxes were sitting on the stone table, and most likely this courtyard was where the imperial preceptor lived. It wasn''t shabby, yet it wasn''t extravagant either. Instead, it was simple and elegant. Zhong Qiu and Chen Ping''an sat opposite each other at the stone table.


    Zhong Qiu told Chen Ping''an that he had already asked officials from the Ministry of Works to gather and organize books rted to building bridges. In terms of information pertaining to the impoverished schr with the surname Jiang, he could most likely provide something to Chen Ping''an tonight along with the requested books.


    Chen Ping''an felt a little embarrassed as he told Zhong Qiu about the stolen books that had been sold for an extremely low price. Zhong Qiu smiled and agreed to help Chen Ping''an locate the books.


    Chen Ping''an apologized for troubling Zhong Qiu with so many trivial matters during such a difficult and tumultuous time for the capital, and offered to help with anything that the imperial preceptor needed.


    Zhong Qiu didn''t hold back either, and asked Chen Ping''an to help provide some guidance to his two direct disciples.


    He wasn''t taking advantage of Chen Ping''an''s help for personal benefit. Rather, what happened was that his two direct disciples would join the army after graduating from his tutge. They would start as ordinary soldiers, and would stay in the army for at least ten years. Afterward, they could continue to progress in the army if they desired, or they could also choose to leave and journey through the cultivation world. Zhong Qiu wouldn''t restrict them anymore.


    If they chose thetter option, however, they would be prohibited from announcing to the outside world that they were Zhong Qiu''s disciples. There was no room for discussion. If they broke this rule, Zhong Qiu could naturally take back what he had given them.


    Both of Zhong Qiu''s direct disciples were fairly young. They were yet to graduate, and were both incredibly talented and ambitious. Their characters were naturally fine as well. However, they had never truly experienced the cultivation world before, so it was necessary for someone to keep their vigor and confidence in check.


    Zhong Qiu had been under quite a lot of pressure during the past few years, and had especially needed to remain vignt against Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi due to the conclusion of the previous period of sixty years. As a result, he had found it extremely difficult to focus any effort on teaching his disciples martial arts. Because of this, Zhong Qiu was worried that his two disciples whom he had extremely high hopes for would ultimately end up as nothing more than just that, his disciples.


    Chen Ping''an was naturally happy to help. However, he didn''t believe that he had the right to be a teacher and legitimately teach others.


    In any case, Chen Ping''an didn''t expect that Zhong Qiu would personally lead him to his two disciples. He couldn''t help but ask, "Will this not dy your official duties?"


    Zhong Qiu smiled and replied, "If my absence results in everything bing a chaotic mess, then that will be a reflection of my failure to fulfill my duty as imperial preceptor of Southern Garden Nation for the past many years. It would mean that I failed to develop talent and only knew how to order others around."


    After saying this, Zhong Qiu led Chen Ping''an out of the back courtyard through a small door. As they continued to walk, he suddenly asked, "How should prime ministers or imperial preceptors respond if theye across arguments or scuffles on the street?"


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before replying, "They should step in and help if it doesn''t detrimentally affect their primary duties."


    "And then?" Zhong Qiu asked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    Zhong Qiu chuckled and exined, "Just like you said, these lofty officials can indeed step in and help resolve these extremely trivial matters as long as doing so doesn''t lead to detrimental results for their primary duties. However, the most important thing is to immediately self-reflect��why are there arguments and scuffles on the street in their jurisdiction?"


    Chen Ping''an ruminated over this for a moment before nodding in earnest agreement.


    Zhong Qiu and Chen Ping''an walked along the quiet street that was kept cool by the shade of many trees. It was the middle of summer, and many districts in the capital were scorching hot like a steamer. It was so hot that there was nowhere to hide and seek reprieve. In this district, however, people could enjoy cool and refreshing shade as they walked along the streets.


    "This was originally a story from a sagely book. In the story, the prime minister told the people beside him that he shouldn''t interfere in the situation. He shouldn''t overstep his authority, and he should instead hold to ount the official responsible for the relevant jurisdiction," Zhong Qiu said with emotion.


    "When I read this story for the first time during my youth, it was like a loud boom in my mind that allowed me to suddenly be enlightened. The more books I read and the more matters I experienced, however, the more I became puzzled and the more I was unable to answer the questions in my mind."


    Zhong Qiu stopped and didn''t continue.


    Chen Ping''an also remained silent. If Mr. Qi or the Schrly Sage were present, they could definitely solve this difficult problem for Zhong Qiu and clearly exin all of the underlying principles to him.


    Zhong Qiuughed and pushed these heavy matters out of his mind. He no longer appeared anxious as he said, "Yu Zhenyi has already returned to his sect in Cloud Pine Nation. He brought Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan with him. Apart from Zhou Fei, Ya''er, and Liu Zong who ascended back then, the rest of us who walked down the city wall all obtained some benefits.


    "It appears that Yu Zhenyi obtained an imperial genealogy book, while Monk Yunni obtained a segment of white jade lotus root. The spies in the capital weren''t able to figure out what Tang Tieyi obtained. As for me, I obtained a Five Mountains Picture Album. It''s a book about immortal matters, and it describes how one should assign the Five Mountains and gather the spiritual energy of their nation''s mountains and rivers. However, I don''t practice immortal techniques, so this book ispletely meaningless to me."


    Zhong Qiu sighed before continuing, "Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan hid inside the capital the entire time, and it was because of this that he missed the final two drumbeats and wound up with nothing. His disciples have already been expelled from the nation as well. If he had waited a bit longer to flee, I would''ve dealt with him by now. After all, he''s a person who will seek revenge for the smallest of grievances. He''s suffered such a huge loss in the capital of Southern Garden Nation this time, so he''ll definitely encourage the horse riders of the grasnds to march south and plunder our cities."


    Not only that, but there was also another hidden danger regarding the Five Mountains Picture Album. Zhong Qiu was surprisingly unable to destroy it, so he could only carefully hide it away instead.


    Yu Zhenyi would definitely covet this book once he learned of its existence.


    Yu Zhenyi was a person who cared little about the mortal world, yet the existence of the Five Mountains Picture Album might make him consider creating a puppet emperor and fighting to conquer the world for the first time in his life. Yu Zhenyi would do this for the sake of assigning the Five Mountains as the proper and righteous ruler of this world. Afterward, he could gather the spiritual energy of the Five Mountains for his personal use and thus advance to be a genuine terrestrial immortal.


    Zhong Qiu continued to tell Chen Ping''an about the great trend of the world, saying, "Huang Ting, the Daoist nun who fought Yu Zhenyi to a draw, has transferred her position as sect leader of Mirror Heart Hall to Her Majesty the Empress. Huang Ting has left the capital and her whereabouts are unknown. She simply said that she was looking for a good ce to earnestly practice her sword techniques.


    "Meanwhile, Empress Zhou Shuzhen will ''pass away from sickness'' very soon. She''ll head over to guard Mirror Heart Pavilion afterward, and even the emperor won''t be able to do anything about this. A rebellion has appeared in Reverence Pagoda recently, and the rebels have chosen to join forces with the remnants of the three demonic factions. Zhou Shuzhen haspletely lost control of Reverence Pagoda already.


    "In addition, Reverence Pagoda has also made an announcement to the cultivation world, saying that they won''t rank the Upper Ten Elites in the world anymore. As for Dragon General Tang Tieyi from Northern Jin Nation, he''s still hesitant about whether he should defect to Southern Garden Nation."


    Chen Ping''an listened to this very carefully.


    Zhong Qiu sighed with emotion and said, "How good it would have been if you were the one to stand in that position instead of Ding Ying, someone who was hellbent on challenging the Heavenly Dao."


    Chen Ping''an was puzzled by this remark.


    "Don''t worry about it. I was praising you in any case, so you don''t need to dwell on it too much," Zhong Qiu chuckled.


    Chen Ping''an also started to chuckle.


    He wasn''t chuckling in a polite and perfunctory manner as he had with Emperor Wei Liang in the restaurant that night. Rather, interacting with Zhong Qiu was like entering a room full of irises and orchids. [2]


    Zhong Qiu''s two disciples lived three districts away from the Virtue Worship District. Their residence was veryrge, and also outwardly advertised as a martial arts school that wasn''t open to outsiders. Zhong Qiu''s first disciple was the one who had provided funds to set this up. This person had fought on horseback for twenty years and even became a general during this time. However, he had eventually retired from the army after suffering severe wounds on the battlefield.


    Zhong Qiu''s first disciple never dared to bother his master when he entered the capital, and the two of them would often meet in thisrge residence instead. Zhong Qiu had disciples of all ages, with the eldest disciple already nearing fifty years old. Meanwhile, the two youngest disciples were a young boy and a young girl only fifteen or sixteen years old.


    However, Zhong Qiu couldn''t help but chuckle when he arrived at the martial arts training ground with Chen Ping''an. Including his two direct disciples, there were a dozen or so people having a lively discussion over there. There was Old General L��''s grandson and granddaughter, and also the good friends that his two disciples had made in the capital. These were children from wealthy families who were mellow and dreamed of entering the cultivation world.


    In fact, several of them had already promised each other that they would travel through the cultivation world together with Zhong Qiu''s two disciples in the future. They would use the excuse of traveling around to seek knowledge.


    Zhong Qiu didn''t interfere with these kinds of matters.


    These were the beautiful dreams of youth, so even if they appeared childish, one shouldn''t insist on using their experience as an elder to discourage them. Such dreams should not be quashed casually.


    Looking at these children, Zhong Qiu would sometimes be frustrated and angry at their mischievousness as well. More of the time, however, he would find them lively and adorable. During such times, he would feel as if this weren''t the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and otherworldly immortals didn��t exist.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly surprised to discover a familiar face among the group of youths.


    It was none other than the young girl whom he hade across while wandering around the capital in the past. She had been rushing through the streets on horseback with herpanions, and had tossed a bag of coins toward an elderly female shopkeeper in order to pay for the mistakes of her friend.


    In the end, she had viciously crashed to the ground when trying to show off her riding skills. She had ached and groaned when jumping back onto her horse drenched in mud, yet had still raised her head high in a confident and high-spirited manner. At the time, Chen Ping''an had raised his thumb at her in praise. However, the young girl hadpletely ignored him, and had even rolled her eyes.


    None of the children recognized Chen Ping''an.


    After all, he wasn''t wearing his white robe, nor was he carrying his vermilion wine gourd.


    1. This sayinges from Song Dynasty Emperor Zhenzong''s poem, "Exhortation to Learning." This literally means study hard to be rich and get a beautiful wife. ?


    2. This references a saying by Confucius: interacting with noble people is akin to entering a room full of irises and orchids. As time goes on, one will naturally adopt the fragrance of these flowers. In other words, one will also develop noble qualities. ?

 Chapter 326: (1): In the Small Alley

    Chapter 326: (1): In the Small Alley


    When Chen Ping''an regained consciousness, the moon was already hanging high in the sky. Perhaps it was due to the saber and sword by his hips, but the owner of the wine shop hadn''t dared to shoo him away. Instead, he had pinched his nose and allowed this traveler to upy the table without buying anything else. In the end, Chen Ping''an had given the owner some extra silver coins, with the sudden wealth falling from the skies causing the owner to be very happy.


    Chen Ping''an slowly strolled back to Champion Schr Alley. The brothels had little business, and the beautiful women who worked there were mostly leaning over the railings in azy manner. Chen Ping''an nced up, and he discovered that these women were wearing much lighter makeup than usual. However, they somehow appeared more attractivepared to when they put onyers uponyers of heavy makeup.


    As he walked along the alley, many women tried to strike up a conversation or yfully tease him. In fact, a woman even directly threw her embroidered handkerchief at him and shouted, "Handsome little brother, why don''t youe up and take a seat? I''ll treat you to some tea, and you can sit directly on big sister''s legs."


    The women in her brothel and the surrounding brothels instantly started to make noise and shout at each other, not holding back as they swore and threw around lewd words. Chen Ping''an easily dodged the embroidered handkerchief.


    However, he nced back at the embroidered handkerchief on the ground before picking it up and rolling it into a ball, tossing it back to that woman in the brothel. The women in the brothels fell silent for a moment before immediately breaking into loudughter.


    Chen Ping''an''s mind was as calm as still water as he returned to the alley with no name. When he reached the alley corner, a man and a woman dressed inmoner clothes were standing there and waiting for him. They were quite young, and appeared to be less than thirty years old. However, their breathing was calm and their aura was stable.


    In the context of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, they could be regarded as young elites who possessed good talent and a solid foundation. Of course, there was still a huge gulf between them and prodigies such as Smiley Face, Zhou Shi, and the others.


    The two of them revealed their names and told Chen Ping''an that they were spies in the capital, under the directmand of Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu. The man handed two packages to Chen Ping''an, one of which held the stolen books that they had found in a bookshop in a neighboring district. The other package contained some books rted to building bridges that they had chosen from the Ministry of Works.


    Afterward, the woman handed Chen Ping''an a secret official document that contained information on the impoverished schr with the surname Jiang as well as the pipa woman.Regardless of whether it was the man or the woman, Chen Ping''an discovered that both of them were extremely unstable as they handed him the packages and document. Both their hands and minds were unstable.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and thanked them before returning to Cao Qinng''s house.


    He had killed Pink Vajra Ma Xuan and the pipa woman on the street, and had almost killed Bird''s Eye View Peak''s Lu Fang soon afterward. He had then defeated Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu, and had finally killed the demon force''s Paramount Leader Ding Ying.


    Just like that time on the city wall when Old General L�� Xiao had personally witnessed Daoist Nun Huang Ting''s paramount battle against Yu Zhenyi, these spies of Southern Garden Nation who traveled on the boundary between the imperial court and the cultivation world would also feel the urge to remark, "That''s the power of true immortals," when they learned of these incredible battles and feats. Right now, Chen Ping''an''s fame and power in this world were even greater than what Ding Ying had experienced during his peak.


    When Chen Ping''an slowly pushed the courtyard door open and disappeared into the house, the young woman finally exhaled before taking a deep breath. As it turned out, she had held her breath and not dared to breathe the entire time. Her voice was extremely soft as she said, "So he truly is that young..."


    The young man remained silent, feeling slightly helpless.


    "He''s truly so handsome," the young woman added with a smile.


    However, even she felt a little embarrassed after saying this.


    Right at this moment, that person suddenly walked backward out of the house, leaned back, and raised his thumb at the young woman, saying with a faint smile, "You have very good taste."


    The young woman waspletely stupefied, and even the unsmiling young man was slightly caught off guard.


    When the courtyard door finally swung shut with a soft thud, the young woman furiously covered her face with her hands and forcefully stomped the ground.


    The young man couldn''t help but sigh. In reality, it was extremely out of character for the young woman to act like this. She had worked as a spy for seven years, and was extremely skilled at hiding herself. She was always meticulous and reliable, and she hadpleted many important tasks for the imperial court of Southern Garden Nation.


    Even Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu was very impressed by her, and his trust in her was reflected in the fact that he had assigned her and the young man to keep an eye on Northern Jin Nation''s Dragon General Tang Tieyi this time.


    Inside the courtyard, Cao Qinng and the skinny little girl whose name was yet unknown were both sitting on small stools. They were the same age as each other, yet they weren''t talking to each other at this moment. The skinny little girl was snacking on roasted sunflower seeds which she had most likely obtained from Cao Qinng.


    The ground was filled with shells that she had casually tossed aside, and she immediately became a little panicked when she saw Chen Ping''an. Chen Ping''an nced at the shells on the ground, after which the skinny little girl immediately shoved the remaining sunflower seeds into her pockets and started to clean up the mess.


    Chen Ping''an greeted Cao Qinng before returning to his room and lighting the oilmp. He opened the two packages, and saw that the stack of books that the skinny little girl had stolen and sold was still in pristine condition. He returned them to their original position on the desk. He then ced the books from the Ministry of Works on the other side of the table. There were two stacks of books on the table now, and they were like two small mountains or two mighty door gods.


    After putting the books aside, Chen Ping''an opened the secret official document and scanned through the detailed records of the impoverished schr with the surname Jiang as well as the pipa woman.


    He then ced the secret official document back inside the envelope before slipping it inside one of the many books.


    Chen Ping''an started to review this mysterious and inexplicable game of Go.


    Even though his journey through the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had been filled with deadly dangers, he had ultimately ended up reaping many huge rewards.


    Not only had he broken through the barrier of the fourth tier and reached the fifth tier during his first battle against Superior Grandmaster Zhong Qiu, but Zhong Qiu had even put his status aside and chosen to voluntarily spar with him the second time around. This had allowed Chen Ping''an to stabilize his fifth tier cultivation base.


    Even though Zhong Qiu also had his own considerations at the time��for example, he had spected that Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi had most likely formed an alliance, one which he was unwilling to see seed��this didn''t take away from his magnanimity as a grandmaster, his strength as a martial artist, or his nature as a person. These were all qualities that Chen Ping''an sincerely admired.


    Afterward, Chen Ping''an had experienced a hearty battle full of twists and turns with Ding Ying. Chen Ping''an had properly wielded a sword against an enemy for the first time in his life, and sure enough, he had realized that pure martial artists indeed needed to temper their physiques through critical moments of life and death.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t sure about the fifth-tier cultivation base of other people in Majestic World, but he was confident that he had tempered his own to quite a decent level.


    This was the foundation of his strength and everything else, so Chen Ping''an naturally wouldn''t give it away no matter how much money he was offered. This was saying something seeing how big of a miser he was.


    Taking tens thousand steps back, he wouldn''t have wasted his time traveling through the Lotus Flower Blessed Land even if he ultimately failed to rebuild his bridge of immortality. Compared to his initial n of traveling to ancient battlefield ruins or martial sage temples to try his luck in advancing to the fifth tier, his achievements in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land were already amazing and far beyond his expectations.


    However, there were obviously hidden dangers lurking in the shadows of his immense sess.


    The problemy in the fact that Ding Ying''s yin soul had been pummeled from the peak of Bull Mountain to that huge crater in the ground, especially the pool of lightning inside it.


    In the end, the abundant spiritual energy and the shattered martial fortune that had been attracted to the region around Bull Mountain had all funneled into Chen Ping''an''s body and seeped into his soul.


    Even now, Chen Ping''an could still vaguely detect the lingering haze over his mind''ske. There was also rumbling thunder and shing lightning, as if there were flood dragons soaring through the mists and shes of sword light shing through the haze. Indeed, it appeared as if numerous swords were shing down at the many flood dragons.


    Thankfully, this abundant spiritual energy that conflicted with the True Qi of pure martial artists was located in a rtively remote area of his body. As a result, the two bursts of power were yet to sh with each other. One had to remember that Qi refiners and pure martial artists in Majestic World chose two very different paths right from the very beginning.


    Martial artists needed to disperse all of their spiritual energy and cultivate a burst of pure True Qi that was like a fire dragon patrolling their acupoints.


    Meanwhile, the more spiritual energy of heaven and earth that Qi refiners could absorb the better. Afterward, Qi refiners would simply eliminate the bad and keep the good, opening up new territories and transforming their acupoints into cities and mini worlds that were like gigantickes located next to rivers.


    Regardless of whether they experienced floods or droughts, Qi refiners would remain capable of interacting with these small worlds inside their bodies and thus obtain a continuous supply of spiritual energy. Afterward, they could construct a core abode and refine a golden core. They could then nurture their yin soul and yang soul, after which they could finally be an earth immortal.


    The situation inside Chen Ping''an''s body was that of his pure True Qi facing off against the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They were like two opposing armies standing in formation and just barely avoiding an all-out conflict.


    Chen Ping''an pushed these thoughts out of his mind and grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd from the table, drinking a mouthful of wine.


    Was it actually this difficult to rebuild one''s bridge of immortality? It was truly the case that destroying things was easy while rebuilding things was difficult. Not only that, but he had almost died in this Lotus Flower Blessed Land as well. Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel a sense of lingering fear upon thinking of this possibility.


    Even if sixty years in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land were shorter than sixty years in Majestic World, it was still certain that he would fail to uphold his promise of ten years with Ning Yao. Moreover, just how old would Li Baoping and Li Huai be in ten years? Would they be bullied by others during this time?


    And what about Bamboo Scroll Lake''s Gu Can? Would Liu Xianyang have returned home in splendor yet failed to find him in the small town? What would happen to Dragon Spring Prefecture''s Downtrodden Mountain? What would happen to the bamboo building and his home in y Vase Alley? What would happen to his two shops in Dragon Riding Alley?


    Chen Ping''an stood up, and it wasn''t long before he heard someone knocking on the courtyard door. The skinny little girl immediately ran over to Chen Ping''an''s wing room as if seeking praise, and she was just about to inform him of a guest''s arrival. However, Chen Ping''an had already walked out and opened the courtyard door.


    The visitor was the young female spy from Southern Garden Nation, and she was carrying a long case as she stood there. "These are the belongings left behind by the pipa woman. The imperial preceptor just instructed someone to bring them over, and they asked me to deliver them to Esteemed Immortal Chen," she exined in a soft voice.


    Before Chen Ping''an could say anything, she had already flushed a slight shade of red and turned around to run away in panic.


    Cao Qinng simply felt a sense of curiosity when he saw this. However, the skinny little girl''s eyes immediately started to dart around in thought.


    Chen Ping''an ced the broken pipa in his room. Cao Qinng returned to his room to read under the glow of the oilmp, while the skinny little girl continued to sit on the small stool and snack on the roasted sunflower seeds. However, she was smarter about her actions this time, and she didn''t toss the shells onto the ground as if she were a divine maiden scattering flowers into the world. Instead, she ced the shells in a neat pile beside her feet.


    Chen Ping''an walked toward the small stools, and discovered that Cao Qinng had left his straw fan on his stool. He gently picked it up before sitting down and saying to the skinny little girl, "You can go home now."


    She blinked as she ate the sunflower seeds, and she shook her head and replied, "Home? What home? I don''t have a home. I''m nothing more than a little beggar, so how can I have a home? There are heaps of bad people among the beggars, and they always like to beat me. I''m too young, and I often can''t eat enough to fill my stomach. I''m also very weak, so I naturally can''t beat any of them in a fight.


    "The good locations in the capital have all been upied by them, and I obviously don''t have the ability to take any of these locations off them. As a result, I can only look for random ces like areas under bridges or on top of the stone lions of wealthy families."


    "What about your parents?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The skinny little girl continued to crunch on roasted sunflower seeds as she smiled and replied, "They died ages ago. I''m not from the capital, I came from a ce thousands of kilometers away from here. My hometown was struck by some gue, and I was still very little at that time. I fled with my mom and dad, but my mom died during the journey. It was my dad who brought me here, and the officials in the capital were truly quite kind. They set up many porridge stalls outside the city, and my dad only died after drinking arge bowl of porridge."


    "How old are you this year?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    After finishing off the rest of her roasted sunflower seeds, the skinny little girl held up both hands and bent a single thumb, waving her fingers around as she replied, "I''m nine years old."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything else.


    The skinny little girlughed and said, "I don''t look like I''m nine years old, right? This can''t be helped. I''m always hungry, so I naturally can''t grow tall. Did you see the girl who gave me a small snowman before? She was only six years old, yet she was already a bit taller than me. The little schr in this courtyard, that Cao Qinng, he''s also younger than me."


    Chen Ping''an lightly rocked the straw fan back and forth, appearing unmoved and apathetic.


    The skinny little girl was actually observing Chen Ping''an''s expression the entire time, so she couldn''t help but grumble in her mind when she saw his cold indifference toward her plight.


    Sure enough, rich people were all bad people! They never cared about the life and death of others, regardless of how wealthy and influential they were. He could clearly give her a good life if he just allowed a few pieces of silver to slip out from between his fingers, yet he stubbornly refused to offer her any help.


    She was already nine years old, yet she was so emaciated and short that she appeared like a five or six-year-old child instead. However, Chen Ping''an didn''t find this strange because he had also gone through the same thing when he was her age.


    It was only after he left y Vase Alley and the small town and started to work as an apprentice in Old Man Yao''s dragon kiln that he started to grow taller and stronger. Before that, Chen Ping''an had been half a head shorter than the other children the same age as him.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t remove Deep Infatuation and Halting Snow from his hips today, so he appeared extremely dignified and mighty even though he was sitting on a small stool.


    It was also because of this that the skinny little girl was behaving so well tonight.


    A gentle breeze brushed over Chen Ping''an as he rocked the straw fan, and he asked, "How much did you sell those stolen books for?"


    The skinny little girl scrunched up her face, trying to force some tears from her eyes. However, she failed to produce any tears, so she could only raise a hand and cry injustice with a sobbing tone, saying, "I genuinely didn''t steal any books! I swear! If I''m lying, then the heavens will unleash thunder and lightning and deal the punishment of a wretched death!"


    Chen Ping''an chuckled and asked, "If you''re lying, then who''s going to be punished with a wretched death by the thunder and lightning of the heavens? I don''t think you made this clear."


    The skinny little girl''s expression changed slightly, and she smiled dryly as she replied, "Me, of course. Who else could it be?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded and asked, "Then who are you? What''s your name?"


    The skinny little girl leaned down and lowered her head, using her finger to push the pile of shells around as she replied, "I have a surname, but I don''t have a name. My parents died too early, and they didn''t have the chance to give me a name."


    After saying this, she looked up with a dazzling smile and continued, "But my dad once told me that our ancestors were extremely rich. Some of them were very, very powerful officials, and they were responsible for managing many thousands of people!"


    Chen Ping''an stopped rocking the straw fan, and he swirled his wine gourd around as he asked, "Do you miss your parents?"


    "Why would I miss them? I don''t even remember their faces," the skinny little girl replied instinctively.


    However, she was most likely aware that such a reply wouldn''t sit well with most people, so she immediately changed her tune and added, "In fact, I do think about them all the time. Say, I often dream about them, but it''s a shame that I can''t see their appearances clearly. Every time I dream of them, I''ll wake up in the morning with tears drenching my face. It makes me so sad."


    Chen Ping''an turned around to look at her.


    The skinny little girl raised her hand and eximed, "I swear!"


    "Are you truly unafraid of the heavens?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    This skinny little girl was slightly angry, yet she still didn''t dare to talk back to Chen Ping''an. She hurriedly lowered her head and mumbled, "The heavens my ass."

 Chapter 327: (1): Tossed Out of the Observing Dao Temple

    Chapter 327: (1): Tossed Out of the Observing Dao Temple


    The human heart wasn''t like the streets. It couldn''t be washed clean after a heavy downpour.


    In the eyes of the emperor and officials and peddlers andmoners in the capital, the shockwaves from the fight between the cultivators were still rippling without pause. When Chen Ping''an helped Zhong Qiu teach Yan Shijing and the young girl fist techniques, their young friends who hung around and joined in on the fun were one of these ripples.


    After Old General L�� left the city wall and bragged about his friendship with Chen Ping''an to his grandson and granddaughter, that was also one of the ripples. The many families moving away from Champion Schr Alley were again a ripple.


    Ding Ying was dead, while Yu Zhenyi had stepped onto his flying sword and flown away. Thus, the mess was left to Zhong Qiu to clean up.


    After apanying Cao Qinng to the private school, Chen Ping''an returned the same way that he hade, holding the oil-paper umbre in his hand as he walked along the silent and deserted streets. Following the imperial court''s decision to gradually ease the enforcement of martialw in this district, one could already see a few people returning to the streets.


    However, the streets were stillrgely lifeless, and the people striding through them were mostly daring members of the cultivation world who hade here to admire the battlefield. They would click their tongues in wonder when theyid eyes on the extremely deep ditch in the ground caused by Lu Fang''s sword strike.


    Bull Mountain and the surrounding areas were still sealed off, with the imperial court decreeing that anyone who dared enter without permission would be executed without mercy. Many officials from the Ministry of Astronomy appeared in this area, and the simple thatched cottage that Yu Zhenyi had constructed nearby was demolished as well.


    When the gant travelers from the cultivation world saw Chen Ping''an, they simply treated him as a fellow member of the cultivation world who hade here to admire the profound power of those grandmasters.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before walking to that martial arts school and asking to enter. The doorkeeper saw that he didn''t look like someone who was here to challenge the school or rip down their sign, and noticed that the young boy possessed a very powerful aura. Hence, he didn''t dare to dy, and quickly went inside to inform the owner about this visitor.The old master who taught fist techniques personally walked out to wee Chen Ping''an. Upon hearing that the young boy hade here after hearing of the martial arts school''s reputation, the old master couldn''t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. The pupils standing behind him also felt a sense of shared honor.


    This wasrgely because Chen Ping''an was able to urately describe the routines and methods of the martial arts school''s fist techniques. As a result, he was able to leave a good impression on the old master after saying just a few words. It was evident that Chen Ping''an had indeed heard of the martial arts school''s good reputation before.


    The true ie of this martial arts school in the capital came from a few descendants of wealthy ns who dreamed of entering the martial arts world. It was thanks to the financial support of these wealthy pupils that the martial arts school had enough money to keep operating. Talented pupils were the foundation of this martial arts school, while the wealthy pupils who hade here to y were the face of this martial arts school. Each was as important as the other.


    The old master invited Chen Ping''an to the main hall and instructed a pupil to bring some tea over. The two of them then started to chat.


    When they reached the topic of Examining the Dragon, something that rted to the fundamental principles of martial arts, the old master didn''t go too deep into the topic. However, he naturally wouldn''t be so impolite either, so he casually picked a few surface-level concepts to talk about.


    At the same time, he also sighed with emotion andmented that it was truly difficult to find pupils with good aptitude. If he were fortunate, he could find one good pupil every four to five years. If he were unfortunate, however, then he might not find a single good pupil in ten years.


    The old master also exined that practicing fist techniques wasn''t for the sole purpose of improving one''s health. Rather, it was much like handing his pupils a sharp de. Thus, martial virtue was the most important quality.


    Otherwise, if his pupils possessed poor character, then the more powerful they were the more harm they would cause. They would relish bullying the weak and causing trouble, and they might even kill their victims in two or three punches. In the end, they would also implicate their fellow pupils and the martial arts school.


    Chen Ping''an asked some questions about external martial arts. The old master was evasive in the beginning, not willing to reveal too much. There was a troubled expression on his face. Chen Ping''an immediately put on an expression of realization, saying that he had forgotten some proper matters before retrieving twenty taels of silver and cing them on the tea table in front of them.


    Chen Ping''an exined that he nned toe here to learn fist techniques for the next while, although he couldn''t guarantee that he woulde every day. The old master''s eyes lit up, and only then did he start to speak without reservations and reveal everything that he knew. He expounded to Chen Ping''an the mostmon and basic principles regarding fist techniques.


    Chen Ping''anmitted everything to memory, and he attempted to findmonalities between these principles and the principles of the Mountain Shaking Guide. After listening to the old master''s exnation of thesemon and basic fist technique principles, Chen Ping''an finally decided that he would collect some martial arts scriptures from this world.


    He would collect a range of them from low-level to high-level, but he wouldn''t collect too many of each. In the future, he could casually go over these scriptures when he took a break from practicing fist techniques. Perhaps he might even receive a pleasant surprise.


    This was just like how he had incorporated Zhong Qiu''s Mountain Peak fist stance into the Mountain Shaking Guide''s six-step walking meditation before. This act had allowed Chen Ping''an to break through the barrier of the fourth tier and soar to the fifth tier in a single go. Moreover, the process had been as smooth and natural as could be.


    Thinking back to Ding Ying''s aura when he walked into the great hall of White River Temple, and considering Zhong Qiu''s aura when he approached Chen Ping''an for the first time, Chen Ping''an felt like the so-called act of bing one with the heavens practiced in this world was full of mystery and secrets. Perhaps he would obtain some benefits from this knowledge when he returned to Majestic World.


    Moreover, it was extremely likely that the key opportunity pertaining to his advance from the fifth tier to the sixth tier had something to do with this concept. Chen Ping''an spected that he would descend into a state of sluggish cultivation after leaving the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    This would be simr to what Fan Wan''er had experienced outside the main hall of White River Temple back then, as if there were heavy boulders weighing on her shoulders as she slogged her way through thick mud. It would also feel simr to those times in the past when Old Man Yang had stuck four True Qi Talismans to his hands and feet.


    Ever since starting to practice fist techniques, this was the first time that his fists had be "alive." He was finally attempting to consider the gains and losses of his techniques. A good example of this wasprehending Zhong Qiu''s Mountain Peak fist stance while fighting against the imperial preceptor.


    In the beginning, Chen Ping''an had practiced the Mountain Shaking Fist for the sake of staying alive. He had practiced the fist technique as earnestly as he could, and he had followed the Mountain Shaking Guide to a tee without daring to deviate a single bit. He had practiced the six-step walking meditation and the sword furnace standing meditation again and again, almost to the state where they had be second nature and fused together with his soul.


    Even when Cui Chan''s grandfather taught him fist techniques in the bamboo building afterward, Chen Ping''an had still done exactly as the old man had told him.


    This wasn''t to say that adhering strictly to the fist techniques was a bad thing. If Cui Chan''s grandfather saw it, he wouldbel it half-dead and barely alive. And this was a very difficult state to reach��yet it still wasn''t enough. If he wanted to progress further, simply being able to endure pain and hardship wouldn''t be enough. He would need to encounter the correct fated opportunities to attain enlightenment. Outsiders couldn''t reveal the answer, and even if they did, it would do him no good.


    What Chen Ping''an didn''t realize was the fact that he had only attained such enlightenment after throwing more than one million punches. Meanwhile, he had learned to manipte sword techniques in a lively manner very early on.


    There was Mr. Qi''s sword strike outside the rundown temple that had shattered Liu Chicheng''s technique, the sword spirit''s sword strike in the Schrly Sage''s picture scroll, and his sword strike toward Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Tassel Mountain...


    All of these had already be Chen Ping''an sword techniques.


    A''Liang had once said that Chen Ping''an would definitely enjoy more sess with the sword than with his fists.


    This was the reason.


    The loftier and more profound the fist techniques and sword techniques of one''s teachers, the more difficult it would be for one to transform these "dead" techniques into "living" techniques.


    Just how difficult was this task? Zheng Dafeng was a good example of just how incredibly challenging this was. His talent was sufficient, and his cultivation base was also high enough. He had already been a mighty eighth tier martial artist, yet it was only when he reached the brink of death in Old Dragon City that the words of Chen Ping''an, an outsider, had allowed him toprehend the principle of a disciple not having to be inferior to their master. It was only because of this that he had managed to break through the barrier and advance to the ninth tier.


    Practicing fist techniques required one to cultivate one��s mind. Chen Ping''an had twice asked Zhong Qiu''s young direct disciple, Yan Shijing, why he hadn''t dared to throw a punch.


    However, why hadn''t Zhong Qiu felt overly disappointed in Yan Shijing? This wasn''t because Zhong Qiucked high hopes in the young boy, but rather because Chen Ping''an had already given the answer. Zhong Qiu had taught his disciples the principle of not using their fists rashly, and it was perhaps the case that Yan Shijing was still unable to achieve this.


    On the other hand, after practicing fist techniques for so long and experiencing so many battles, Chen Ping''an was already able to speak and achieve the principle of not retreating even if he were facing the founders of the three teachings. Since Yan Shijing was still unable to grasp the essence of his master''s principles, there was naturally no need to be excessively strict on him.


    There were many intricacies regarding this, and one truly needed to travel through the cultivation world and throw one million punches by themselves to truly attain enlightenment.


    Through listening to Yan Shijing and his junior sister''s conversation, Chen Ping''an had already be aware of his "unusual" nature. Regardless of whether it was Zhong Qiu''s supremely talented disciples, the demonic force''s Ya''er, or Zhou Fei''s son Zhou Shi, they were surprisingly all inferior to Chen Ping''an when it came to both cultivation talent and character.


    Even so, Chen Ping''an was still unable to clearly understand his peerless standing in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Fortunately, however, he was at least able to vaguely sense his ability to be one with the heavens. This was not just a solid step forward for pure martial artists, but a solid leap. It was a fated opportunity for the mind''s realm that most eighth tier and ninth tier martial artists in Majestic World wouldn''t be able to experience.


    Chen Ping''an left the martial arts school and returned to the courtyard in the small alley. The skinny little girl was sitting under the eaves and zoning out, and the heavy downpour had already transformed into a light drizzle. The skinny little girl cracked a smile when she saw Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an discovered that her clothes had been slightly drenched by the rain, but he pretended that he didn''t see anything at all. He grabbed the box that held the broken pipa, and prepared to visit the impoverished schr with the surname Jiang who lived four districts away. It wasn''t exactly close.


    When Chen Ping''an finally left the courtyard and walked out of the small alley, the skinny little girl ran over in a furtive manner and hurriedly bolted the courtyard door shut. She then stood under the eaves and started to practice fist techniques in a seemingly proper manner. She had stolen this stance from Chen Ping''an��the stance where he emted Ding Ying as well as the blind old Daoist priest''s lightning technique stance. One of her palms faced the sky, and her other hand was clenched into a fist in front of her as she slowly walked forward.


    The basic threshold for both of these stances was incredibly high. One was the stance of Ding Ying, previously the most powerful person in this world, and one was a stance that pertained to the lightning element techniques of Qi refiners. To say nothing of the skinny little girl, who had never practiced fist techniques before, even Chen Ping''an was only barely able to imitate the stance, with no true intent to speak of.


    The skinny little girl felt slightly bored after emting this fist technique for a while, so she started assuming other stances that she had stolen from people on the streets. There was one of Zhong Qiu''s fist stances, there was Lu Fang''s stance when he had carved that deep ditch into the street, and there was Chen Ping''an''s six-step walking meditation. The skinny little girl stumbled around awkwardly, and it was clear that she was unable to even emte the most basic forms of these stances.


    After mucking around for a long time, the skinny little girl let out a shout and performed a vicious roundhouse kick. However, she ended up crashing to the ground in a brutal manner. She felt a little hungry after picking herself back up, so she limped over to the kitchen to steal some food.


    The skinny little girl felt like she had already mastered a host of profound martial arts techniques, so she nned to use Cao Qinng as a training dummy when he returned from school. Of course, she would naturally pick a time when Chen Ping''an wasn''t present.


    Chen Ping''an frowned as he watched her mucking around from a nearby rooftop. After a while, he left without making a sound.


    When chatting with herst night, Chen Ping''an had asked her how old she was. She had replied nine, and she had casually raised both hands and bent one of her thumbs to show that number.


    In addition to this, Chen Ping''an had carefully observed her breathing and footsteps when she had fetched water from the well.


    Walking along the street with an umbre in his hand, Chen Ping''an decided that he wouldn''t practice walking meditation in the small courtyard again in the future.


    Jiang Quan was an impoverished schr, and he had studied hard despite his situation for over ten years. He had memorized many poems and books, and was widely recognized as a child prodigy and then a talented schr in his home country. However, he had failed to pass the imperial examination, yet he didn''t me the heavens or other people even though he was in such a miserable state right now.


    He was renting a ce with some fellow schrs from his hometown, and he continued to study earnestly every single day. However, there was a faint hint of worry between his brows, and he would walk into the alley as if waiting for someone after bing tired from studying every day.


    Jiang Quan''s two housemates were aware of his worries, so they brought him to a nearby bookstore to purchase some books today. Even though they said this, the three schrs were actually too poor to afford anything fancy. They flipped through some copies of sagely books that were rtively rare, and they nced at those lone copies and rare copies of books about stunning beauties in the distance. This was simply to satisfy their eyes.


    Under the shopkeeper''s annoyed gaze, the three impoverished schrs finally huffed and walked out of the bookstore. As they came out the door, they saw a young boy holding an umbre and carrying a case on his back standing outside.


    The young boy looked at Jiang Quan and asked, "Are you Jiang Quan? I''m Gu Ling''s rtive from the capital, and I have something to discuss with you."


    Delight instantly spread across Jiang Quan''s face, and he eximed in excitement, "That''s me, that''s me, I''m Jiang Quan, alright. Where is she?"


    The capital of Southern Garden Nation was quite dangerous right now, yet Gu Ling had vanished without a trace after heading over to borrow money from her rtivesst time. Not only that, but someone had even died in an alley near where he lived. Back then, the administrative soldiers had angrily broken up the crowds and shooed them away. Afterward, they had covered up the corpse and took it away.


    As a result, Jiang Quan only heard that the victim was a woman from the cultivation world who had died a tragic death, with some people specting that she had died due to someone exacting revenge. This made him feel extremely anxious and uneasy. As the days went on, this feeling intensified to the state where he couldn''t even calm his mind to properly read anymore.


    The young boy looked at him and said, "Our Gu n is a n of officials in the capital, so even though the branch n that Gu Ling belongs to is a failure in terms of schrly pursuit, it is still ultimately part of our Gu n, after all. I''ve heard that some members of this branch n have even entered the cultivation world, but they''ve been too embarrassed to contact us for quite some years.


    "Gu Ling voluntarily sought us out this time, yet the first thing she said was that she needed to borrow money. The seniors in the n were fairly unhappy, and this wasn''t because they cared about some measly amount of silver. Rather, they felt like this was an embarrassment to their n and a humiliation of their n culture, so they were unwilling to acknowledge her as a rtive.


    "Even so, Gu Ling still insisted on borrowing some silver, and she even promised that you would definitely pass the imperial examination in the future. Because of this, it wouldn''t take her long to repay the debt. Not only that, but the schr would even organize an official wedding with her.


    "However, the seniors in the n are well aware of just how difficult it is to pass the imperial examination. That being the case, how could they believe that an impoverished schr would pass the imperial examination and gain a schrly title? In the end, they asked Gu Ling for this pipa and only agreed to lend money to her after obtaining it.


    "At the same time, they also asked her to agree to one condition. That is, they''ll only allow the two of you to reunite after you pass the imperial examination and be a Jinshi.[1] She''s already returning to the main n now, and she most definitely won''t exchange any letters with you."


    Chen Ping''an grabbed the case from his back and handed it to Jiang Quan. He then took out a bulging sack of silver and said, "There are fifty taels of silver inside, and also two bank notes. Spend the money wisely, and it will be more than enough tost you until the next imperial examination. Jiang Quan, if you''re not confident that you can pass the imperial examination, I can actually help deliver a message to Gu Ling and suggest that the two of you elope instead.


    "With one of you abandoning your n values and one of you abandoning the sagely books, you''ll be a perfect match for each other, and you''ll still at least be able to survive. In my opinion, this is better than suffering for three years and still being openly broken up by your elders and seniors in the future.


    "Oh, that''s right, the seniors in the n were very angry at her being so persistent, so they smashed her pipa and caused it to break. You can buy her a new one if you get the chance in the future."


    Jiang Quan waspletely dumbfounded.


    The impoverished schr didn''t doubt that the young boy in front of him was genuinely a descendant of a wealthy n. In fact, Jiang Quan felt a slight sense of shame and inferiority as he stood in front of this person.


    "Why are you helping me?" he asked in a nervous voice.


    "I''m not helping you; I''m helping Gu Ling," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Jiang Quan epted the pipa, but didn''t ept the bag of coins. There was curiosity in his voice as he asked, "Aren''t you a descendant of the Gu n? Why are you willing to favor Miss Gu instead?"


    "Since Gu Ling likes you so much, I wanted toe here to see just what kind of person you are."


    Chen Ping''an fell silent for a moment before slowly continuing, "The books say, if love between both sides canst for aye..."


    An understanding smile appeared on Jiang Quan''s face, and a wisp of confidence welled up in his heart as he nodded earnestly in self-encouragement and finished, "...Why need they stay together night and day?"[2]


    Jiang Quan then shook his head and said, "I don''t need the money. Setting up a stall and writing letters, couplets, and other things for people is always an option to keep myself fed and sheltered. There''s no reason for me to ept this money and cause Miss Gu to suffer back at home. I don''t want her to get the side-eye from other people. However, I need to trouble you with writing a letter to her. Tell her to wait for me, to wait for the day that I obtain the title of Jinshi!"


    A beaming smile appeared on his face as he dreamed, "Perhaps she can even be an honorarydy in the future."


    However, he hurriedly shook his hands and said, "Please don''t include this in the letter. I might not be able to achieve it, so I''ll simply keep this aspiration in my heart. If I genuinely seed one day, then I''ll bring her over to visit you and have her know that I already aspired to achieve this a long time ago."


    Chen Ping��an was also a strange person, and he insisted on giving the bag of silver to Jiang Quan. He finished with a strange remark, saying, "You definitely have to ept this silver. This is Gu Ling''s will. This is also the cleanest silver in the world."


    The two other schrs also encouraged Jiang Quan to ept the bag of silver.


    The young boy turned around and left.


    "Little brother, how will I find you after I pass the imperial examination?" Jiang Quan asked loudly.


    Chen Ping''an turned around and replied, "Someone will find you and tell you everything if you pass the imperial examination."


    A light drizzle descended upon the world again.


    1. Jinshi refers to a sessful candidate in the highest imperial examination. ?


    2. This is a line from Qin Guan''s poem,<em> Immortal at Magpie Bridge</em> (ȵ���ɡ�����Ū��). Qin Guan was a Chinese poet of the Song Dynasty. ?

 Chapter 328: (1): The People in the Picture Scrolls

    Chapter 328: (1): The People in the Picture Scrolls


    Chen Ping''an was finally able to leave the seemingly endless Lotus Flower Blessed Land. After the old Daoist priest disappeared, the first thing Chen Ping''an did was ask around for the current year in Northern Jin Nation. He was truly afraid that as the books said, sixty years in the mountains would be equivalent to one thousand years in the mortal world.


    If he were screwed over by the old Daoist priest and trapped in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land for ten years or a few dozen years, then it would be very likely that he couldn''t even find his enemies to exact revenge on. Not only that, but he had also lost Lasting Qi.


    Fortunately, he was able to breathe a sigh of relief after enquiring a merchant on the official road outside Northern Jin Nation about this. It had only gone from the sixth year of Guangxi to the seventh.[1] It was also autumn in Parasol Leaf Continent right now, and the sr term was also simr to that of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. It was nearing the middle of autumn.


    Chen Ping''an now had some mental trauma about Northern Jin Nation, so he didn''t dare to stay here for much longer. He continued to travel north.


    He had initially wanted to see Peace and Tranquility Mountain from a distance, especially since he had heard much about its reputation since a long time ago. However, he definitely didn''t desire to do this anymore.


    In addition, he didn''t exactly have a good rtionship with Spring Tide Pce''s Zhou Fei, Bird''s Eye View Peak''s Lu Fang, the wandering swordsman Feng Qingbai, and the other otherworldly immortals. Thus, all Chen Ping''an wanted to do was find an immortal ferry station and travel back to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent straight away.


    Even though Old Man Yang had warned him not to return to the small town within five years after leaving, that specifically referred to his hometown only. There were still many other ces that he could go.


    For example, he could go to Old Dragon City where Fan Er was living, Azure Phoenix Nation where Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia had traveled, Water Combing Nation where Sword Saint Song Yushao was, Bamboo Scroll Lake where Gu Can''s master had taken him, the academy in Great Sui Nation where Li Baoping and the others were studying, and so on.


    There were many ces he could go. In any case, it was best that he left Parasol Leaf Continent as soon as possible.Chen Ping''an put away the oil-paper umbre that had remained in his hand even after he left the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. As they walked along the official road, the skinny little girl continued to look around in curiosity as she asked, "Where is this? It''s not Southern Garden Nation, right?"


    She hadn''t understood a single word when Chen Ping''an had asked that merchant for the year number just then.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in reply. This little deadweight following him around was another reason that he wanted to leave Parasol Leaf Continent as soon as possible. Bringing her around waspletely different than traveling together with Lu Tai. Indeed, things would be very troublesome if they encountered vagrant cultivators who were acting as bandits. However, the gloom in Chen Ping''an''s mind became even worse when he thought of Lu Tai as well as that man who had sold tanghulus in the small town.


    Qi refiners from the mountains could often observe the world through their palms, especially after they became earth immortals. Even though they wouldn''t be as all-knowing and omnipresent as the old Daoist priest was in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, they could still see enough and know enough to make one feel ufortable. He definitely needed to ask Cui Chan''s grandfather or Wei Bo about this mystical ability when he returned home in the future. He needed to understand the process and details, and he also needed to understand the taboos and restrictions.


    "Is this your hometown? Is this where immortals live?" Pei Qian asked.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but chuckle in speechlessness. He then shook his head and replied, "This isn''t my hometown, and it isn''t an immortal abode either."


    Seeing that Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to say anything else, Pei Qian didn''t dwell on this topic and pose any further questions.


    She raised her hands and rubbed her eyes.


    "What''s wrong?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Pei Qian looked up with a dazzling smile and replied, "I feel very strange, but I can''t remember anything at all. I was sweeping the courtyard in Cao Qinng''s house just then, but I felt the wind blow and I suddenly found myself here."


    Chen Ping''an shot a nce at her.


    "Actually, I finished sweeping the courtyard and I was sitting on my stool eating roasted sunflower seeds," Pei Qian immediately corrected.


    The two of them walked for just ten kilometers or so, and Pei Qian was already exhausted and panting like an old cow. Her face was scrunched up in a pitiful manner, and she said that the soles of her feet were already filled with blisters.


    Chen Ping''an hired a horse-drawn carriage from beside a ry station. After negotiating the price and receiving a satisfactory offer, he paid the money and started to travel north on the carriage. He agreed to stop the carriage at a prefectural city located on the border of Northern Jin Nation, two days away.


    Parasol Leaf Continent''s Northern Jin Nation waspletely different from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land''s Northern Jin Nation. It had enjoyed peace for many years, and everyone was very rxed and lenient regardless of whether it was officials from the ry stations or officials checking one''s passports. In fact, they could stay in ry stations even if they weren''t officials, as long as they had enough silver in their pockets.


    This was Pei Qian''s first time traveling in a horse-drawn carriage, and the skinny little girl found this an extremely novel and exciting experience. She felt very rxed and satisfied as the carriage rocked side to side, and she would asionally pull back the curtains to peer at the scenery outside.


    Following the arrival of autumn, one could often seerge expanses of dazzling golden persimmon ntations not far from the official road. Pei Qian couldn''t help but drool, and she felt a strong urge to have Chen Ping''an ask the carriage driver to stop so that she could run over and grab a bucketful of persimmons.


    While Pei Qian was peering out the window, Chen Ping''an seized the opportunity to take out the four picture scrolls and examine them. The scroll spindles were all different, with one made from insect-proof red sandalwood, one made from white jade, and two made from unknown materials. The four people in the picture scrolls also appeared vivid and lifelike.


    Wei Xian, the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, was sitting in a manner typical of emperors when they had their portraits painted. He was wearing a golden dragon robe, yet he didn''t appear especially tall or sturdy. Rather, he seemed a little short and skinny. Add to that the loose-fitting his dragon robe, and he ended up appearing slightly awkward.


    Sui Youbian, the female sword immortal who had failed to ascend with her physical body, had a sword on her back and looked dashing and gant. She was looking into the eyes of the person looking at the picture scroll.


    Lu Baixiang, the founder of the demonic force, was dressed in a suit of bright red armor. His hands were resting on the hilt of his saber whose tip was digging into the ground, and he appeared more like a mortal emperor than Wei Xian.


    Zhu Lian, the martial arts maniac who had died at Ding Ying''s hands, was hunch-backed, with his hands sped behind his back. His eyes were squinted, and he appeared much like an old man from the marketce.


    These four picture scrolls only ate grain rain coins? The problem was, how many grain rain coins did he need to feed each scroll to have the relevant person walk out ande to life? Moreover, the im that they would be unquestioningly loyal to him was something that remained to be seen. Taking ten thousand steps back, Chen Ping''an was a pure martial artist who viewed even Golden Sweet Wine, Deep Infatuation, and Halting Snow as external matters.


    Fortunately, the old Daoist priest had taken him on a journey through time and space in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, allowing him to better understand the world and many mortal matters. The change was subtle and intangible, but Chen Ping''an was now starting to use a different lens to observe the great trend of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent as well as the situation and status of Jewel Small World in rtion to the Great Li Empire. His views were no longer so extreme. Otherwise, with his past temperament, Chen Ping''an might have even sold these four picture scrolls for an astronomical price.


    Pei Qian leaned over and craned her neck to look at Sui Youbian''s picture scroll. "This big sister is so pretty," shemented in a soft voice.


    Chen Ping''an ignored her and carefully rolled the four picture scrolls up. He didn''t ce the picture scrolls inside his pocket treasure in front of Pei Qian, and he instead rested them beside his feet. He couldn''t help but sigh with emotion in his mind. These four ancestors were far too difficult to raise.


    How could theypare to First and Fifteenth, especially since the two flying swords were able to stay inside his Sword Nurturing Gourd? To say nothing of grain rain coins, First and Fifteenth hadn''t even required him to spend a single snowke coin after experiencing so many battles and living together for so long. Chen Ping''an didn''t need to worry about refining them or nurturing them either.


    In reality, Chen Ping''an possessed a Dragon ying tform, the best kind of whetstone in the world when it came to refining and nurturing flying swords. However, Chen Ping''an naturally wasn''t willing to damage the Dragon ying tform inscribed with the characters "Innocent" and "Ning Yao" a single bit.


    Fortunately, First and Fifteenth had never thrown a tantrum regarding this matter. Even so, Chen Ping''an still nned to buy a small Dragon ying tform from Sage Ruan Qiong when he returned to Dragon Spring Prefecture in the future. He couldn''t treat his two flying swords too shabbily, after all.


    Chen Ping''an wouldn''t skimp on this purchase even if it meant potentially using gold essence copper coins instead of grain rain coins.


    He looked at the little girl.


    Pei Qian also looked at him, with worry gripping at her heart. She was afraid that he would boot her off the carriage with a single kick. She was unfamiliar with this world and the people here, so wouldn''t she be bullied to death?


    Back in the capital of Southern Garden Nation, she was at least familiar with the streets and keenly aware of whom she could steal from, which children she could mug, who she couldn''t provoke, whom she needed to ingratiate herself with, and so on. There was a small notebook in her mind, one that helped her navigate the world.


    However, winter was about to arrive, so she would freeze to death even if she didn''t starve to death once heavy snow started to sprinkle down and bury the ground. She had seen many old beggars and young beggars freeze to death after failing to endure through those snowstorms. Their corpses looked very ugly.


    Pei Qian was aware that Chen Ping''an didn''t like her.


    ...Just like she was aware that Chen Ping''an liked Cao Qinng very much.


    She didn''t try to make Chen Ping''an like her either. She would be happy as long as she had enough to eat and drink. In fact, it would be best if he could give her arge pile of silver. As for whether he liked her or not... how much silver was that worth?


    The carriage driver was an old man familiar with this section of the official road. Chen Ping''an and Pei Qian stayed in a ry station for the night, while the old carriage driver chose to cope inside his carriage. Chen Ping''an asked for two of the cheapest rooms, with one neighboring the other.


    Chen Ping''an then purchased some food from the ry station and ced it inside his luggage, putting some ordinary books inside as well. This would allow him to carry something on his back. Otherwise, he would appear far too eye-catching if he traveled aroundpletely empty-handed.


    After giving Pei Qian some food, Chen Ping''an returned to his room and ced his saber and sword on the table. He lit the oilmp and retrieved his carving knife as well as a small emerald-green bamboo slip, starting to inscribe tiny characters to record his experiences in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    Someone knocked on his door, and Chen Ping''an walked over to answer, only to see Pei Qian standing there and saying in a timid voice, "It''spletely pitch-ck... I''m a bit scared..."


    Chen Ping''an found this slightly humorous. She was courageous enough to climb onto the stone lions of a wealthy family and sleep there for a night, yet surprisingly afraid of sleeping in a dark room?


    However, Chen Ping''an still allowed her to enter. Pei Qian obediently closed the door behind her, and Chen Ping''an gestured for her to sit down opposite him before saying slowly, "This ce is called Parasol Leaf Continent, and it''s a very big continent. Our destination is Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and my hometown is located in the north of this continent. Starting from tomorrow, you''ll need to learn the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent as well as the dialect of my home nation, the Great Li Empire."


    There was a beaming smile on Pei Qian''s face as she nodded earnestly and replied, "Okey-dokey!"


    It wasn''t the case that she wanted to learn some bullshit official dialect or whatnot. Rather, this person was implying that he was going to bring her to his hometown. What did this signify? This signified free food, free drink, and free shelter, no?


    However, what Chen Ping''an said next was like a bucket of cold water being poured over her head. There was a cloudy expression on the skinny little girl''s face as she grumbled andined in her mind.


    As Chen Ping''an deftly moved his carving knife and continued to inscribe characters on the bamboo slips from Azure Divine Mountain that Wei Bo had given him, his head lowered and his movements meticulous, he said to Pei Qian, "Apart from teaching you the two official dialects, I''ll also teach you how to read starting from tomorrow. If you study hard and do well, then you''ll be able to fill your stomach every meal. If you don''t study hard and don''t do well, however, then you''ll naturally have less to eat."


    Pei Qian grimaced and said in a pitiful voice, "I''m very dumb."


    "Oh, then it looks like I can save some money," Chen Ping''an remarked.


    Pei Qian secretly stole a nce at Chen Ping''an. He didn''t look like he was joking, so she immediately smiled and added, "I''ll still do my best though."


    After saying this, shey down on the table and asked in a quiet voice, "Can you buy me some new clothes?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t so much as raise his head as he replied, "I''ll buy you some thicker clothes when the weather bes colder."


    "But it''s already autumn, and the weather is already very cold," Pei Qian mumbled. "Also, just look at this, there''s already a hole in my shoe. Really, I''m not lying to you. If I get sick, you''ll even have to look after me. Just how troublesome would that be...?"


    She raised her foot as she said this, and sure enough, her shoe was indeed broken. Her tanned toes were already poking out from the front.


    Chen Ping''an put his carving knife down and used his fingers to gently brush away the bamboo scraps that were so fine that they were barely visible. "Go back to your room and sleep. We still need to wake up early to continue our journey tomorrow."


    Pei Qian didn''t say anything else, and silently stood up and left, returning to her room next door. A wide smile immediately spread across her face when she closed the door, yet she immediately wiped this smile from her face and put on a stern expression instead. She didn''t allow herself tough out loud.


    She then jumped onto the bed and happily rolled around. In the end, she gazed up at the ceiling and kicked her shoes off. Upon thinking of Chen Ping''an''s expression just then, she copied his actions and bluntly said, "Return to your room and sleep."


    She didn''t dare to speak out loud, but she quickly made a face after saying this.


    Before going to sleep, she jumped off the bed and walked over to light the oilmp. Only then did she snuggle into bed and sleep until the next morning.


    It would be a waste if she didn''t light the oilmp.


    This was how wealthy people should act.


    1. "Guangxi" here refers to the reign title of the emperor. It changes with each emperor, and it is used to record the year number based on how long the emperor has ruled for. ?

 Chapter 329: (1): Battle Between Mountain and Water

    Chapter 329: (1): Battle Between Mountain and Water


    Chen Ping''an put his fishing rod down and walked to Pei Qian''s side.


    The old woman in the distance looked over, a smile on her face as she gazed at the skinny little girl. She appeared amused, and she raised a thin arm andmanded the grand sedan chair beside her toe to a halt. Including the skeletal sword practitioner, all of the beasts, spirits, yin entities, and ghosts in the wedding procession looked over in unison. This was an extremely eerie scene.


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists in respect and actively apologized to the wedding procession in the distance.


    Everyone followed their own rules and customs, and there was an especially clear difference between yin entities and yang entities. The world had its own natural order.


    Take the current situation, for example. If Pei Qian hadn''t broken a taboo by brazenly staring at the wedding procession, then those spirits and other beings wouldn''t have cared about her and Chen Ping''an''s presence at all. They would have continued on their merry way just like that.


    This was also the reason why many woodsmen and fishermen in the world were able to avoid disaster even though they lived near the mountains and waters for generation after generation.


    The old woman nodded in acknowledgment upon seeing Chen Ping''an''s tactful apology, and she waved her hand and continued to march forward with the wedding procession. The sound of drums and gongs rang out once again as the beasts, spirits, yin entities, and ghosts continued to march toward the bridegroom, the mountain god.


    Pei Qian almost caused huge trouble this time, yet Chen Ping''an didn''t me the skinny little girl for her actions. She wasn''t a cultivator, so she was naturally unaware of the rules of the cultivation world. As such, her actions could be forgiven.


    Moreover, this all came down to Chen Ping''an failing to teach her properly, so it would make little sense to me Pei Qian for his mistake. However, it would be apletely different matter if Pei Qian kept doing the same things even after Chen Ping''an taught her the rules of the cultivation world."You can see them? Can you hear the drums and gongs as well?" Chen Ping''an asked in a soft voice.


    Pei Qian''s little face was deathly pale as she nodded and replied, "I woke up and walked out because I heard themotion. I thought it was all a dream... It was far too terrifying."


    Chen Ping''an extended a finger and gently ced it on Pei Qian''s be, helping to calm her mind and soul.


    If a mortal were to identallye across such yin entities, their soul might be extremely susceptible to swaying in unease if their yang energy wasn''t strong enough. This would be the case even if the mortal couldn''t see the yin entities, and even if the yin entities had no intention of harming the mortal.


    This would silently and formlessly damage the foundation of one''s vitality, and many scary tales of people being haunted by ghosts or possessed by evil spirits leading to extreme sickness originated from these types of encounters.


    Thankfully, Pei Qian didn''t experience any such symptoms. Chen Ping''an looked at her and warned her, "I''m not sure how you were able to see them, but remember topletely ignore these beings if you encounter them again in the future. Otherwise, your actions will be viewed as provocation, and there''s a big risk that you''ll bring trouble onto yourself.


    "We were fortunate that tonight''s wedding procession consisted of beings who leaned more toward the orthodox and reasonable side of things. Perhaps their statuses are simr to those of officials in the yang world, and it''s because of this that they let us off the hook."


    There was lingering fear in Pei Qian''s mind as she nodded with all her might.


    "Have you ever seen lone spirits or wandering ghosts inside or outside the capital of Southern Garden Nation these past few years?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Pei Qian earnestly shook her head with a sullen expression, replying, "I''ve never seen these kinds of filthy things before! Not a single time!"


    Chen Ping''an nodded with a contemtive expression and warned, "When traveling outside and traversing over mountains and across rivers, you shouldn''t be so reckless as tobel them as filthy things."


    "Oh okay, I''ll remember that," Pei Qian replied.


    Chen Ping''an sighed. "Everything''s okay now; you can go back to sleep. You''ll be safe with me keeping watch."


    However, how could Pei Qian dare to go back to sleep after such a terrifying experience? She insisted on following Chen Ping''an to the small stream, and was finally on her best behavior now. She appeared sickly and listless, and didn''t even dare to ask for new clothes and new boots anymore. She felt like being able to travel with Chen Ping''an and have a full belly guaranteed was the greatest blessing in the world.


    Chen Ping''an picked up his fishing rod, while Pei Qian grabbed a rock and used it to randomly scrawl on the ground. Once bitten, twice shy��she didn''t even dare to raise her head and look around at this moment, and she always had a nagging feeling that those horrifying beings were still hiding around every corner.


    "Is this the meaning of the phrase ''One should not look at that which is contrary to propriety, and one should not listen to that which is contrary to propriety'' in the book that you gave me?" Pei Qian asked.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but chuckle. By the looks of it, she would only learn when she was made to suffer. Even though this sagely teaching wasn''t exactly applicable in this context, Chen Ping''an was ultimately unwilling to reject the results of her contemtion, saying, "The underlying principles of this teaching are extremely vast and profound. Your understanding isn''t necessarily wrong, but it''s still far from being able topletely grasp these words. However, the more you read and learn in the future, the more you''ll naturally gain a deeper understanding of these teachings."


    Pei Qian felt like the only way to suppress the fear in her heart was to chat more with Chen Ping''an, so she randomly asked, "Then why do the books also teach us not toment on peculiar matters, immense strength, chaotic events, and ghosts and deities?[1]"


    Chen Ping''an smiled faintly and replied, "Once you read enough, you''ll naturally understand whether I''m wrong or whether this sagely principle is wrong."


    Pei Qian was quite unhappy with this answer, so she fell silent with a sullen expression. After a long time, she finally squeezed out another question, asking, "Are you unable to beat them?"


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but chuckle. "We were the ones in the wrong, so what does this have to do with whether I can beat them or not?"


    Pei Qian looked up with a bright glimmer in her eyes and replied, "If you could beat them, then you wouldn''t have needed to lower your head and apologize to them! Rather, they would have needed to apologize to us and take a detour. After all, their drums and gongs are so loud and annoying, so it''s only right that they apologize to us. It would be even better if they couldpensate us with some money."


    "And so what if I can beat them? What does that have to do with you?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Pei Qian faltered upon hearing this. She then forced a smile and said, "Because we''re travelpanions..."


    Chen Ping''an''s gaze remained fixed on the small stream and his fishing line the entire time, and it was as if he were speaking to himself as he remarked, "The notions of right and wrong don''t differentiate between rtives, friends, and strangers..."


    From the beginning to the end, he never gave a clear answer on whether he could beat those spirits, ghosts, and other beings from the local mountains and rivers. He was afraid that Pei Qian would lose the sense of fear in her heart once she learned of the truth. At that time, she would very likely be careless and tactless again.


    As for the mountain god sitting at home and waiting for his bride to arrive, Chen Ping''an was roughly aware of his cultivation base.


    No matter if it was the county magistrate of mortal counties or the city god of the city god temples who attended to matters of the yin world, these officials and deities would all have attendants and guards of honor when they went out to patrol their jurisdictions. Among the guards of honor, there were traditionally some who struck gongs to clear the path. If one was of a higher rank, then the gongs would also be struck harder and louder.


    This was a wedding procession, however, so the unceasing sound of drums and gongs was far more joyful and celebratory than usual. The ghost attendants weren''t ordered to carry wooden signs with the instructions of "silence," "stand back," and that most impressive and eye-catching official title sign either.


    However, there were still official customs that needed to be followed, so it was dictated that the gongs needed to be struck nine times in a row every so often. This was to warn others to stand back and open up a path. This was most likely a result of that mountain god wanting face as well. He was potentially showing off to the spirits and ghosts in the neighboring jurisdictions.


    Judging from this, one could conclude that this person had be a mountain god with the official position ofmandery governor after his death. Apart from having a mountain god temple and a y statue godly body, he also had the right to construct his own official residence.


    As such, he could be regarded as a high-ranking provincial officer in the regional areas. This would be the case in both Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent. Indeed, this mountain god''s standing was simr to that of the little boy in azure''s good brother, the river god of the Imperial River.


    Thus, his cultivation base was at least equivalent to that of sixth tier Qi refiners. In fact, it might even rival that of seventh tier��Dragon Gate Tier��Qi refiners.


    As for whether Chen Ping''an could defeat him? The answer to this was very simple. Yu Zhenyi had advanced to the Dragon Gate Tier in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, that ce with sparse spiritual energy.


    Why was Chen Ping''an willing to take a gamble with those four picture scrolls? Apart from holding the martial arts cultivation bases of Founding Emperor Wei Xian, Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian, Sword Immortal Sui Youbian, and Demonic Force Founder Lu Baixiang in high regard, he also greatly valued their cultivation aptitude.


    Actually, Spring Tide Pce''s Zhou Fei had made clear remarks for a rted case. He had stated that Zhong Qiu, the imperial preceptor of Southern Garden Nation, had a chance to advance to the ninth tier of martial arts in thirty to forty years.


    What was the true identity of Zhou Fei? Not only was he the n leader of Jade Tablet Sect''s Jiang n, but he was also a powerful Qi refiner at the eleventh tier, the Unpolished Jade Tier. As such, his judgment was naturally very sound.


    However, the phrase "a chance to" was far from implying certainty. After all, the path of Martial Dao wasn''t a smooth and straightforward one. Rather, it was a path riddled with dangers, a path where one might die at any moment.


    Even so, Chen Ping''an had already decided from the beginning that he would invest ten grain rain coins in each of the four picture scrolls. He would use this immortal currency to purchase precisely such a chance. In his eyes, it was well worth the price.


    Pei Qian didn''t understand what was so interesting about fishing. They sat there for a long time without any reward, so she started to make conversation to stave off boredom, asking, "Do you frequently see these kinds of strange and peculiar beings in your hometown? Then won''t it be incredibly dangerous for people like me? I definitely won''t stray too far from you in the future."


    Chen Ping''an focused his attention on fishing.


    This was also a form of cultivation.


    When the fish lightly nibbled at the bait, they would cause the fishing line to quiver slightly regardless of whether they were big fish or small fish. Upon feeling this sensation travel through the fishing rod to one''s palm, one could then yank the fishing rod backward and drag the baited fish out of the water. In reality, there was no fundamental difference between this and the astral energy of martial artists. The only difference was their strength. Everything came down to skill, experience, and attention to detail.


    Moreover, Chen Ping''an had purposely chosen a thin length of bamboo to construct his fishing rod. This posed no issue when fishing in streams and ponds, but it would certainly pose huge issues when fishing inrgekes and rivers. When reeling inrge fish that weighed upward of four kilograms, it would be extremely easy to snap the fishing line by ident if one allowed their attention to waver for even a brief moment. In fact, even the fishing rod might end up snapping.


    This was very simr to his job of molding pottery and firing pottery in the past as well. Chen Ping''an liked this familiar feeling.


    Even though he ignored Pei Qian, Chen Ping''an involuntarily recalled his past and discovered that he wasn''t so dissimr to the skinny little girl after some careful contemtion.


    While living in y Vase Alley��while dazedly and naively living in Jewel Small World��Chen Ping''an had faced many dangers just like Pei Qian had experienced in the capital of Southern Garden Nation. Not the dangers of strange beasts or immortal cultivators, but rather starvation and cold. A few missed meals or falling sick from the biting winter cold could have easily spelled their doom.


    Afterward, he had left Jewel Small World just like she had left the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. They had entered arger and much more fascinating world. However, an increasing number of unimaginable dangers continued to hurtle their way. The howling wind roared louder, and the thundering rain fell harder. It was as if people were extremely fragile beings who could die at any moment.


    The two of them were facing a strikingly simr situation. However, their way of dealing with this situation couldn''t be more different.


    Pei Qian failed to grasp the concept of cherishing her fortune. Whenever she obtained some copper coins, she would immediately be profligate and spend all of them in a single go. Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an would carefully cherish each modicum of wealth that he had umted through his hard work.


    Pei Qian had a tendency to abandon the old for the new, and she would never feel a nostalgic attachment to her clothes or boots once they became worn. Instead, she would dream about a set of new clothes falling from the heavens.


    Indeed, she never felt embarrassed to ept charity from others. Not only that, but she would even beg for charity and help from others. She would never appreciate or feel gratitude toward her benefactors either.


    In stark contrast, Chen Ping''an was still yet to forget each sliver ofpassion and help that he had received in y Vase Alley. Everything was clearly recorded in the notebook in his mind. When it came to repaying thispassion and help, he would be extremely careful and restrained, always mindful that giving too much might sometimes lead to disaster. He did everything he could to avoid affecting the fortunes of his benefactors in a detrimental manner.


    Pei Qian waszy, unambitious, fond of lying, and convinced that everything she did was correct because it was for the sake of survival. When it came to the difficult question of staying alive, Pei Qian always chose the option that appeared the easiest on the surface. Naturally, stepping back and taking a long-term view was never easy at all.


    Looking into the depths of Pei Qian''s heart, it was clear that she was filled with animosity toward anything that was beautiful and good. If she couldn''t obtain something, then she would rather destroy it than leave it to someone else.


    Toward this world that treated her with spite and malice, Pei Qian returned the favor with interest, treating the world with her greatest hostility and viciousness. She was extremely skilled at reading people, and could astutely determine the goodwill or ill intent of other people. However, what did she make of this rare blessing from the heavens? She used it to bully those who were even weaker than her, and she used it to act obsequiously and ingratiate herself with those who were stronger than her.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an, a kind young man who seldom detested anyone, genuinely detested Pei Qian.


    However, now that he was interacting with her day and night, he started to observe her actions and use them as a mirror to look back at himself.


    In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Zhong Qiu was always worried that Yu Zhenyi would end up bing the type of person that he detested the most��those wanton otherworldly immortals who treated human life with disgusting disregard.


    Lu Tai had once said, "One can''t understand good if one doesn''t interact with evil."


    Chen Ping''an naturally hadn''t been willing to keep Pei Qian by his side. However, the old Daoist priest had forcefully dragged her out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and taken the choice away from Chen Ping''an. If Chen Ping''an were given a choice, then he would have been more willing to bring Cao Qinng out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    If Zhong Qiu were willing to set aside his responsibilities, then Chen Ping''an would have also been willing to bring him to Majestic World so he could witness the sceneries of this vast world. He definitely wouldn''t have chosen Wei Xian, Zhu Lian, or the others.


    The environment couldn''t be changed and Pei Qian''s situation was already set in stone, yet she was still unwilling to put in any effort when it came to reading, learning characters, and picking up the new dialects, things that were all essential for survival.


    Chen Ping''an could barely fathom what would happen if Pei Qian were to swap positions with him.


    Would she detest Song Jixin and feel extremely jealous of him, yet still get along with this wealthy neighbor on the surface? Would she watch on idly as Liu Xianyang was beaten to death? Would she bully Gu Can for fun every day? Would she follow along with the others in the dragon kiln and stoop to the lowest of levels to torment that feminine man?


    Would she ingratiate herself with Mr. Qi, A''Liang, and the Schrly Sage?


    However, even if such a "Chen Ping''an" were fortunate enough to encounter them in the long river of time, his encounters with them would assuredly be nothing more than fleeting encounters. He would brush past them yet fail to grab the life-changing opportunities with both hands.


    Old Man Yao had been very correct.


    All kinds of good karma and fated opportunities existed in the world, yet the question was whether one could grab these things with both hands. If even the small opportunities leaked through the gaps between one''s fingers, then how could one possibly grow strong enough to fight for and catch the bigger opportunities?


    However, there was another "but."


    He could remember his parent''s kindheartedness, and the few words that Old Man Yao had spoken afterward.


    But what about Pei Qian?


    It seemed as if no one had ever taught her how to differentiate between right and wrong.


    Chen Ping''an had already taught her for quite a while now, yet she was still as ungrateful and misbehaved as usual. Perhaps this was a case of a leopard not being able to change its spots?


    Chen Ping''an felt a little frustrated.


    He had apanied Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi to Great Sui Nation, and Cui Dongshan, Yu Lu, and Xie Xie had joined them partway through their long trip. However, Chen Ping''an had never felt as frustrated as he was feeling now.


    Chen Ping''an put his fishing rod away.


    Pei Qian rested her cheeks in her hands and asked, "Why aren''t you fishing anymore? You still haven''t caught anything yet. Fish soup is very good, and dried fish is also delicious."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but couldn''t help but hesitate. In the end, he chose to swallow his words and remain silent.


    He had initially wanted to be forthright with her. For example, he would say that if Cao Qinng were here instead of her, then he would happily teach the little boy fist techniques as long as he was willing to learn. He would also be happy to teach the little boy sword techniques. In fact, even if Cao Qinng wanted to be a Qi refiner, Chen Ping''an would still be willing to help him and provide him with all the grain rain coins and immortal treasures that he needed.


    However, his attitude toward Pei Qian was different. Even if she had cultivation talent, Chen Ping''an would still be unwilling to teach her anything. In fact, he wasn''t even willing to let her take an extra nce at the six-step walking meditation of the Mountain Shaking Guide.


    Chen Ping''an recalled the first time that A''Liang had appeared.


    He recalled the section of the trip that they hadpleted together.


    Had A''Liang also viewed him like this? Had A''Liang viewed him like he was viewing Pei Qian now, or had A''Liang viewed him like he had viewed Cao Qinng back in the small courtyard?


    "Do you want to learn how to fish?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    "Can I not learn? I also have to memorize books and practice handwriting every day, so I''m afraid that I won''t be able to learn so many things at once," Pei Qian replied in a quiet voice.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "You don''t have to learn it if you don''t want to. You should go back to bed now. If everything goes smoothly, that wedding procession should pass by again in a moment, bringing the bride to visit themandery governor. Remember to pretend that you''re asleep. From tomorrow onward, you''ll also be responsible for looking after the luggage and the fishing rod."


    Upon recalling those filthy beings from just then, Pei Qian didn''t dare to refuse Chen Ping''an''s request. She hesitantly returned to her small tent, and she tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling into a light sleep.


    Chen Ping''an thought for a moment, and eventually walked over to her tent and secretly stuck a Mind Calming Talisman outside.


    Roughly two hourster, the wedding procession which had gone to pick up the bride with a grand sedan chair returned even more lively and boisterous than before. At the same time, many spirits and beasts from the bride''s territory were following behind the wedding procession. Some could already assume human form, yet some were still traversing the mountains in their true form.


    Among these spirits and beasts, there was a pitch-ck spider asrge as a millstone, two muscr apes that dashed forward in a swift and nimble manner, and a female ghost whose face was caked in blood whose lower garment was actually burial garment.


    Many of the spirits and beasts were itching to cause trouble when they saw Chen Ping''an sitting by the small stream and reading a book.


    However, they were forced to restrain themselves as there were many ghost attendants watching over them and keeping them under control.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly stood up. There was a maidservant wearing a red dress and holding antern in the distance, and her feet didn''t make contact with the ground as she hovered toward Chen Ping''an. She curtsied in greeting before smiling and asking in a gentle voice, "Esteemed traveler, today is a joyous day for themandery governor, and I was just asked to extend an invitation to you. Are you interested in attending tonight''s wedding banquet?


    "Please rest assured, esteemed traveler. Themandery governor is known for his fairness and upright nature, so not only will your yang energy and lifespan not be detrimentally affected if you attend, but you''ll even receive a small present instead.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied with a smile, "I truly don''t dare to disturb the esteemedmandery governor. Please extend my thanks for the warm invitation."


    The maidservant wasn''t angry at Chen Ping''an''s blunt refusal to attend, and she smiled in a graceful and restrained manner and said, "Then this servant will wish you a safe and smooth journey. If you encounter any challenges within a four-hundred-kilometer radius, then feel free to use the name of themandery governor, Jin Huang. This will guarantee you a safe passage."


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists and thanked the maidservant, saying, "Please offer my congrattions to themandery governor."


    The maidservant smiled beautifully before turning around to leave in a graceful manner, leaving a refreshing fragrance in her wake.


    When the old woman heard from the maidservant that Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to attend the wedding banquet, she simply dismissed his response with a smile. It was a shame that the young boy was going to let slip a huge fated opportunity.


    The mountain god was renowned for his generosity, and those who attended his wedding banquet tonight would all be offered a cup of orchid wine and a small section of a thousand-year-old ginseng. Others were all wracking their brains and doing everything they could to attend this wedding banquet, yet this young boy was actually doing the opposite and failing to cherish this opportunity? Then so be it. She wouldn''t ce a de on his neck and force him to ept the fated opportunities.


    An arm that was as white as a lotus root pulled back the exquisitely embroidered curtain of the grand sedan chair, revealing a woman wearing a phoenix headdress and a red face cover. Her appearance was concealed, and she looked at the old woman through her red face cover.


    The old woman bowed and asked with a faint smile, "Is something the matter, Young Mistress?"


    "How much longer until we stop and enter the residence?" the bride asked in a mellow voice.


    She was an ordinary woman from a highly-educated n, and it was love at first sight when she had encountered the mountain god by chance several years ago during one of his patrols to the prefectural city. However, getting married to a mountain god with her yang body would have detrimentally affected her hidden virtue as well as the mountain god''s merit and virtue.


    Even so, she was still deeply in love with the mountain god. Thus, after dutifully attending to her parents for three years, she had constructed a path to fortune and prosperity for her n with the secret help of the mountain god, themandery governor of the area.


    Afterward, she had resolutely cut her wrists andmitted suicide. After passing away, it was then perfectly justifiable for her to marry Jin Huang as a yin entity. This adhered to etiquette. Indeed, her deeds had already be a touching story praised by everyone.


    1. This references a line from the <em>Analects of Confucius</em>. However, there are contentions about the true meaning of this line, which varies greatly depending on how it��s punctuated (�Ӳ���������� vs �Ӳ����������). The former punctuation and meaning are used here, and the original text means that Confucius didn''tment on peculiar matters, immense strength, chaotic events, and ghosts and deities. Thetter punctuation changes the meaning to "Confucius stopped speaking in order to focus his attention on..." Historically speaking, the former exnation has been used since ancient times and is still the most popr exnation. ?

 Chapter 330: (1): Traversing Mountains and Rivers, Encountering Yao and Stopping

    Chapter 330: (1): Traversing Mountains and Rivers, Encountering Yao and Stopping


    Perhaps this was a false impression, but Cao Qinng always felt like time was rushing past extremely quickly. In the past, time used to flow slowly like the calm waters of arge river. Now, however, it quickly gurgled forward like the rapid flow of a mountain stream. In fact, it felt as if he could hear the rushing water.


    In just the blink of an eye, autumn had already passed and winter had already arrived. The first snow of the year started to fall, yet the snowkes were already asrge as goose feathers. Waking up in the morning and gazing out of his window at the vast sheet of white snow, Cao Qinng waspletely stumped and barely able to believe what he was seeing.


    He put on his clothes and shoes and hurriedly walked out of his room. His first thought was to tell that person that it was snowing heavily. However, Cao Qinng could only scratch his head as he looked at the door of the wing room. He finally remembered that Chen Ping''an had left a long time ago.


    However, he always felt as if Chen Ping��an were still sitting there, still sitting on that small stool in the courtyard. He would sit there in the morning, and sit there at night. It was as if Cao Qinng could see him whenever he walked out of his room. Chen Ping''an didn''t speak much, but he would always smile when he looked at Cao Qinng.


    The little boy hoped that this was auspicious snow heralding a bountiful year.


    Cao Qinng raised his hands and breathed some warm air into them. It was quite cold, so he needed to put on an extrayer of clothes. He returned to his room and put on anotheryer, making sure that his clothes were straight and proper. He sat in front of the small wooden table that his dad had personally made for him, and he flipped open a book and started to loudly recite the sagely essays.


    Near the end of autumn, a new teacher had arrived at the private school and reced the previous teacher. He was even stricter, and appeared more knowledgeable as well. He exined the principles clearly and unambiguously, and even the least studious pupil in the private school was able to understand his exnations. This was truly very impressive.


    Afterpleting his session of reading and reciting, Cao Qinng rubbed his hands together to warm them up. He was a little worried that he was running out of money.


    Following the passing of his mom and dad, the local government had given him some silver aspensation and aid. However, the local government didn''t give him all the silver at once, and they instead had someone bring a portion of the silver over every month at a set time.Cao Qinng didn''t think much about this, and simply treated this as standard procedure for the local government. Moreover, he no longer had parents, nor did he have any rtives in the capital of Southern Garden Nation.


    In the past, he simply needed to ask his parents or other family members if he wanted to eat something or buy something. Now, however, it was necessary for him to carefully budget by himself. He needed to make the most of every single copper coin. This wasn''t a good feeling, yet there was nothing he could do about this. He needed to keep living on, after all.


    Fortunately, that person had stayed in his house during the most challenging period. That had allowed Cao Qinng��the sole surviving member in this residence��to develop some secret thoughts.


    Cao Qinng pulled on some deerskin boots that were suited to the snowy weather. Then, he started to cry. His mom had bought these boots for him on New Year''s Eve. What about this year?


    Thankfully, Cao Qinng was able to pull himself together very quickly. He went over to the kitchen and filled his belly before preparing to leave and go to school. However, Cao Qinng couldn''t help but zone out again as he packed his bag with books.


    Chen Ping''an had promised to make him a small bamboo bookcase when he got time. The books also said that the promise of a noble person was worth its weight in gold. That being the case, it was very likely that Chen Ping''an had genuinely important and urgent matters to attend to. Cao Qinng didn''t know when they could meet again.


    Cao Qinng grabbed an oil-paper umbre and his bag and left the courtyard. As he went out, he was astonished to see a familiar face walking past his home. It was surprisingly Mr. Zhong, the teacher from the private school with a rather strange surname.


    The old teacher was dressed in an azure robe and also holding an oil-paper umbre. He stopped when he saw Cao Qinng, and he asked, "Oh, what a coincidence, do you live here?"


    Cao Qinng wanted to put his umbre down and bow in respect to Mr. Zhong. However, Mr. Zhong shook his hand and said, "It''s okay, it''s snowing so hard right now."


    Mr. Zhong possessed profound knowledge, and he was always serious and unsmiling when he taught and answered questions. The students were all quite afraid of him, and Cao Qinng was no exception. However, he simply held more respect for Mr. Zhong than his fellow ssmates.


    Thus, Cao Qinng instinctively obeyed Mr. Zhong''s instructions when the old teacher said that there was no need to bow and pay respects. The old man and the little boy each held an umbre in their hand as they walked along the small alley covered in a thickyer of snow.


    Mr. Zhong had naturally heard of Cao Qinng''s tragic experience. After all, many children in the neighboring streets and alleys were his ymates as well as ssmates. They looked at Cao Qinng differently, and there were also some whispers about his situation. Cao Qinng simply pretended that he couldn''t see or hear anything. With this in mind, Mr. Zhong asked, "Are you facing any difficulties now that you''re living by yourself?"


    "No, I''m not," Cao Qinng shook his head and replied with a smile.


    His reply was concise and straightforward, and his temperament and manner of speech seemed nothing like those of a little child from some small alley. It was no wonder that the skinny little girl had teased him and called him a little schr.


    Mr. Zhong nodded and said, "You''re still very young, after all, so don''t be afraid to discuss things with me if you genuinely run into problems you cannot solve. You don''t need to feel embarrassed. Life is filled with difficulties, and this is the same both in the books and beyond the books. To say nothing of you, even an old man like me has times when I need to ask others for help."


    "Okay, I understand, Mr. Zhong. I''ll look for you if I truly encounter any difficulties," Cao Qinng replied.


    He hesitated for a moment before continuing in embarrassment, "Someone else walked me to school before, and he also said something simr to you. He told me that when studying and making a living in the future, it will be inevitable that I need to ask others for help at times. However, I shouldn''t resent others and bear a grudge against them if they refuse to help. On the other hand, I must remember their goodwill if they agree to help me."


    A rare smile appeared on Mr. Zhong''s face, and he asked, "Was that person called Chen Ping''an?"


    "Mr. Zhong, you also know him?" Cao Qinng asked in astonishment.


    Mr. Zhong nodded and replied, "He''s a friend of mine. I didn''t imagine that the two of you were acquainted as well."


    Cao Qinng instantly became happy. Chen Ping''an was friends with Mr. Zhong!


    However, Mr. Zhong''s expression immediately became stern as he warned the boy, "Don''t get the wrong impression that I won''t punish you for cking off in ss simply because of this rtionship."


    Cao Qinng hurriedly nodded in understanding.


    The old man and the little boy, one a teacher and one a pupil, walked along the street that had already been repaired by the government. They walked slowly, and Cao Qinng mustered his courage and asked Mr. Zhong how he had be friends with Chen Ping''an. Mr. Zhong replied that they were like-minded people, so they had quickly be genuine friends even though they had only known each other for a very short time.


    Heavy snow continued to fall, not willing to give them any reprieve. However, Cao Qinng''s heart was filled with warmth andfort. After arriving at the door of the private school, Cao Qinng turned around and looked back.


    Their final time together had also been their final farewell. Chen Ping��an had stopped there and offered that final remark before standing there with his umbre and watching him walk into the private school.


    "What''s wrong?" Mr. Zhong turned around and asked.


    Cao Qinng shook his head, with a dazzling smile spreading across his face as he turned around and briskly walked into the private school.


    Mr. Zhong sat down at the front of the ssroom and waited for all of the children to arrive before beginning his lesson.


    His sideburns were snow-white, and he was wearing an azure robe. He spoke slowly and exined the sagely principles to the little children. As he expounded these principles, it was as if he possessed a fraction of the righteous aura of Confucian sages as well.


    ����������


    There was arge residence belonging to some official in the capital of Southern Garden Nation, and the scripture library located in this residence was extremely renowned throughout the capital. Today, a young boy��an illegitimate son��walked into the scripture library as always, finding books to read.


    However, these books were incredibly precious, so the n prohibited people from bringing candles into the scripture library, and they also prohibited people from bringing the books outside. Not only that, but many lone copies and rare copies of books were ced in sealed wooden boxes. No one was allowed to open these wooden boxes without permission.


    The young boy was feeling a slight sense of grief and indignation today. Something was weighing on his mind, so he wasn''t actually here to read this time. Instead, he simply wanted to clear his mind in a quiet and peaceful ce.


    The young boy had passed both the county examination and the prefectural examination organized by the capital. He had be a young schr, yet his results hadn''t been anything special. Thus, he had failed to obtain the title of outstanding schr, and had only gained the right to attend the provincial examination. This caused him to feel extremely ashamed of himself, especially since he had failed his mother.


    Both of his older brothers had be outstanding schrs in the county examination, and this made the young boy��who was widely regarded as a brilliant talent��to feel extremely puzzled. His older brothers were mediocre when it came to writing essays, and their knowledge was also far inferior to his. Yet, they had somehow achieved much better results than him.


    In the beginning, the young boy simply pegged this down to him underperforming in the examinations. Meanwhile, his two older brothers had coincidentally overperformed at the same time. Today, however, he inadvertently heard his two inebriated older brothers talking about the intricacies of the county examination and prefectural examination and revealing some dirty secrets. As it turned out, their father had actually bribed the examination officials.


    The young boy''s grandfather was once the head minister in charge of the Ministry of Rites in the capital, so he naturally had many disciples and pupils throughout the entire world. He had presided over the regional examinations many times, so the principal examination officials would all have to refer to him as "Zuoshi" or "Fangshi" when they saw him.[1] These were incredibly serious rtionships in the officialdom, and they were much akin to the rtionships between masters and disciples.


    The young boy was firmly convinced that his grandfather wouldn''t engage in such filthy acts of cheating. In other words, it was definitely the father of his two older brothers who had taken advantage of their grandfather''s name to cheat. He had risked their entire n''s culture and reputation to seek personal gain.


    So be it if this were all. Even though the young boy was an illegitimate son, his upbringing in a wealthy n of many officials allowed him to gain some understanding of the hidden secrets in the officialdom. However, ording to the smug and drunken conversation between his two older brothers, why was his uncle purposely trying to suppress him? Why had his uncle stripped him of the title of outstanding schr?


    Standing on the top level of the scripture library, the young boy smiled pitifully as he gazed at the numerous shelves and books. This was arge n renowned for its schrly talent in the capital, yet apart from him, an illegitimate son, how many other n members the same age as him were willing toe here to read and study? There were so many precious books, yet they were simply imprisoned in this tall scripture library year after year, with no one giving them any attention at all. Was this not a huge shame?


    The young boy raised a hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. "What bloody use is studying? Jade trees in the imperial court? What utter bullshit..."


    After grumbling inint, the young boy began to search for books to read anyway. He still needed to attend the provincial examination, and needed to read sagely books, after all. Even if not for himself, he still needed to study and obtain a schrly title such that he wouldn''t disappoint his mother again.


    However, he was feeling very irritated today, so he decided that he would find a book that wasn''t ssified as a ssic to read first. As he picked and chose, he eventually wandered to the corner of the scripture library where he grabbed the travel journal of some literatus that was almost brand-new. He faltered in the next moment because he noticed something wrong when he opened the cover of the book.


    He flipped to some certain page, and discovered that a coin was surprisingly hidden inside this book. This coin looked simr to the official copper coins of Southern Garden Nation, yet the characters inscribed on it appeared foreign. Moreover, this coin wasn''t made from copper, but rather translucent material that seemed like jade.


    Pressed between two pages, the coin had naturally left a slight mark on both sides of the books. Perhaps by coincidence, one of the marks highlighted an old saying that every schr knew, but not every schr necessarily believed.


    Books hold houses of gold within; books hold beautiful women within; books hold a myriad of grain within.[2]


    The young boy found this quite strange. After hesitating for a long time, he silently ced the coin inside his sleeve, thinking that he would go home and show his mother.


    Unexpectedly, however, this seemingly innocuous incident almost caused a huge cmity. While studying in the n school one time, he took out the coin and yed with it. One of his older brothers happened to see this, and surprisingly used the young boy of stealing this coin from his study desk.


    This caused a hugemotion, and even attracted the attention of their grandfather, who always ignored such worldly matters. Afterward, their grandfather, the previous head minister of the Ministry of Rites who now studied Daosim in earnest, confiscated the contentious coin. Not only that, but he even summoned all of the trusted stewards and attendants in the n to spend two entire days poring through the tens of thousands of books in the scripture library. However, this was to no avail. They didn''t find a second coin.


    After ordering everyone to leave the scripture library, the previous head minister prohibited anyone from revealing this matter to outsiders. Those who flouted this rule would be expelled from the n. The old man stayed in the scripture library and mulled over this by himself for a long time.


    Afterward, he found his terrified grandson and brought him back to the scripture library, giving him both the coin and the travel journal that the coin had been hidden inside. He smiled faintly and said, "If two such coins existed, then you would have lost this immortal fated opportunity. Rest assured and take them; they rightfully belong to you. Remember to study earnestly in the future. All of the books in the scripture library are open to you now, and you can read any book that you want. You''re allowed to bring them out of the scripture library to read as well."


    Having his misfortune transformed into fortune, the young boy was incredibly confused as he epted the book.


    The previous head minister revealed another secret, saying in a meaningful and heartfelt manner, "In the previous dynasty, neither of the two young prodigies who became champion schrs enjoyed a good reputation. One of them further lost their moral integrity in their twilight years. Because of this, the current dynasty is deeply wary of youthful champion schrs.


    "You failed to be an outstanding schr not because of your uncle''s actions. He''s not sinister enough to do this, nor does he have the courage. I''m still alive, after all. In reality, it was my intention to suppress you and temper your character. That way, you can umte enough knowledge to slowly utilize in the imperial court in the future.


    "At the end of the day, serving in the imperial court isn''t the same as ying a game of go. Making a brilliant first move won''t necessarily lead to a good oue in this dynasty."


    After the young boy left in emotion and high spirits, the old man turned around and retrieved another book that also had a mark on two adjacent pages. However, there was no coin in sight. The mark on one page also highlighted another sagely principle: O noble and elegant person, take a knife and file to sharpen your knowledge, take a chisel and sand to polish your character.[3]


    There only existed a single coin, so this formlessly indicated that the young boy was receiving all of the fortune by himself.


    This was the intangible and undetectable will of the heavens.


    In fact, even the previous head minister who yearned to learn immortal techniques didn''t dare to snatch this fated opportunity from his grandson.


    The old man, who had spent more than half his life in the imperial court, sighed with emotion and remarked with a hint of sincere respect and admiration, "Transcendent beings from beyond the mortal world, such is the profound nature of their divine actions..."


    1. Zuoshi (��ʦ) and Fangshi (��ʦ) are honorific titles for examination officials. ?


    2. This sayinges from Song Dynasty Emperor Zhenzong''s poem, <em>Exhortation to Learning Poem</em>. It encourages people to study hard, as doing so will naturally lead to wealth and prosperity. ?


    3. This is a line from <em>The ssic of Poetry</em>, more specifically, <em>The Odes of Wei</em>. This ode originates from the pre-Qin period (221 BC), and this specific linepares sharpening one''s knowledge to carving bones/ivory and polishing one''s moral character to carving jade/stone. In other words, these actions will transform something ordinary into something refined. ?

 Chapter 331: (1): Yao Clans Locust Leaf

    Chapter 331: (1): Yao n''s Locust Leaf


    There were still two sides facing off against each other, yet one side was now Chen Ping''an instead of the mounted troops of the Yao n.


    The sword cultivator quietly said, "There''s no hurry."


    Hearing this, his subordinate calmed down and dragged his feet along the muddy ground in boredom.


    The middle-aged sword cultivator was dressed in coarse white clothes, and such was the power gap between him and the Yao n''s mounted troops that there wasn''t a single drop of blood on his clothes.


    He was fairly handsome, yet his narrow eyes and thin lips made him radiate with an aura of slight harshness. He didn''t have an ordinary sword, just a flying sword that was the same length as most ordinary swords.


    When this flying sword left his acupoint to kill enemies, it appeared like a coiling fire dragon that couldn''t be stopped. Indeed, the sabers and spears of the Yao n''s mounted troops werepletely unable to stop this flying sword, immediately shattering into pieces once they came into contact with it.


    The sword cultivator''s subordinate was a hulking pure martial artist dressed in a suit of Divine Dewbearing Armor. Those in the mountainsmonly referred to this type of armor as simply Dew Armor.


    Chen Ping''an was no stranger to Militarian armor pellets like this, having once obtained an armor pellet from that imperial preceptor of Ancient Elm Nation. Afterward, he had purchased an extremely high-grade yet damaged Dew Armor from Stctite Mountain, which Lu Tai had helped him repairter on. However, he never had the opportunity to wear it, as his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, was even more precious than the high-grade Dew Armor.


    The two cultivators skillfully cooperated with each other, with the pure martial artist guarding the sword cultivator while thetter controlled his flying sword to y enemies. This prevented the sword cultivator from being attacked by cavalrymen who had slipped through the cracks and managed to charge over. At the same time, the pure martial artist could also block the arrows and cross bolts that were being fired at them. Several volleys of arrows had shot over from an awkward angle, yet the pure martial artist had simply shifted his stance and blocked them with his body. In the end, only a few sparks shed over the snow-white Dew Armor. Such minor consumption of the Dew Armor''s spiritual energy most likely wouldn''t even cost him a single snowke coin. On the other hand, the cavalrymen would often lose another soldier afterunching such an attack.


    Vagrant cultivators in the mountains and marshes were most fond of seeking riches from dangerous situations. If they encountered fated opportunities, they would immediately develop the dare to charge over and take risks. Thus, one was guaranteed to see vagrant cultivators rushing over in hordes if the thatched cottage of some ancient Spiritual Master was uncovered, if some mystical realm formed from the shattered remains of a blessednd was discovered, and so on. These vagrant cultivators would then smash each other''s brains out as they fought for those valuable spirit tools and immortal tools.


    Yet, what was the purpose of all this? Indeed, this was simply to experience the thrill and pleasure of suppressing others and crushing them underfoot. After obtaining these powerful artifacts, one could either use them to wantonly kill others, or use them to be near-invincible to all kinds of attacks. They could instill a sense of utter despair in their opponents.


    The sword cultivator casually strolled around the battlefield as his flying sword sliced through the air within a radius of three hundred meters, leaving brilliant rays of sword light in its wake and causing shes of bright red to spray across the sky and paint especially sanguinary afterimages.


    The pure martial artist followed the middle-aged sword cultivator like a shadow, tightly guarding him from all sides.


    The middle-aged sword cultivator was just like his flying sword, appearing extremely crisp and clean as he moved. He didn''t waste his energy on any unnecessary movement.


    However, the hulking martial artist was the exact opposite. He was a cruel and violent person to begin with, yet he was unable to let loose and charge after those mounted troops at this moment. He felt truly stifled, unable to fight to his heart''s content.


    Thus, each time he came across a severely wounded soldier who had fallen from their horse, he would ruthlessly crush their head under his foot regardless of whether they were dead or alive. Sometimes, he would also stomp on their chest and cause their mangled flesh and bones to blend together with their shattered armor. It was a harrowing sight.


    Now, however, a person had suddenly fallen from the sky?


    The middle-aged sword cultivator nced at the person blocking their path as he came to a halt. He smiled and asked in the official dialect of the continent, "Are you the new guest elder of the Great Quan Empire''s Liu n?"


    Parasol Leaf Continent had many mountains and rivers separating the different regions from one another, so ording to the immortal book in Chen Ping''an''s possession, there existed far more dialects in this continent than Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    As a result, it was often the case that people in different regions spoke different dialects and adhered to different customs. Because of this, the upper echelons of the empires and nations in this continent would typically be fluent in the official dialect of the continent. This was especially the case for officials from the Ministry of Rites.


    "Why speak nonsense with him?" the hulking martial artist huffed in annoyance. "Just cut him down and be done with it. He''s nothing more than a martial artist under the seventh tier, and killing young martial arts prodigies like this is even more thrilling and satisfying."


    "To have another big fish appear out of nowhere... Does this not align with my wishes?" the sword cultivator replied with a smile.


    Even though the sword cultivator stopped to interact with Chen Ping''an, his deadly flying sword was still hovering over the fleeing cavalrymen from the Yao n.


    Apart from the very beginning, when he had joined forces with the pure martial artist to kill that cultivator apanying the Yao n''s mounted troops��an extremely dangerous battle��the sword cultivator had simply controlled his flying sword to pick off the outer ring of cavalrymen first, especially those who tried to break free and flee. These were the rules of his game.


    The old man being protected by the cavalrymen was wearing the same armor as everyone else��this was most likely the standard light armor for the Great Quan Empire''s border army. He was clutching his abdomen at this moment, and blood continued to seep out from between his fingers.


    Even though his condition was miserable, the old man''s expression remained calm and rxed the entire time. He didn''t appear defeated or afraid at all.


    Many of his elite soldiers had already died or suffered severe wounds while trying to protect him, and the deceased young men would no longer have the chance to return home in glory. In fact, they hadn''t even died a gant and heroic death while battling against an enemy nation on the border. Rather, they had fallen victim to this filthy and repulsive battle between political opponents.


    There was guilt and grief in the depths of the old man''s eyes, yet he didn''t allow these emotions to creep onto his face.


    Having fought on horseback for dozens of years, he was already no stranger to death and tragic partings. In any case, those who werepassionate couldn''tmand an army.[1] As such, this old general who wielded paramount power on the southern border of the nation was surprisingly calm andposed at this moment.


    The surviving hundred or so cavalrymen continued to guard the old general with their lives. They didn''t back down in fear just because the two assassins were overwhelmingly powerful.


    The Yao n was incredibly strict and disciplined when it came to training troops.


    For example, descendants in the Yao n were expected to be skilled in riding and archery in their youth, regardless of whether they were legitimate descendants or illegitimate ones. After turning fifteen, they were then required to join the army and start from the lowest rank of scout soldier. Because of these n rules, countless young men from the Yao n had already died on the border of the nation.


    In fact, the situation was so severe that the Yao n was renowned throughout several nations for its number of widows.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t turn around to look at the mounted troops, and he instead asked the old general a very strange question. "General, is your surname Yao? Are your ancestors rted to the Yao n that''s located in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Great Li Empire?"


    The old man furrowed his brows and replied, "The Great Li Empire? I''ve never heard of it before."


    He then hesitated for a moment before continuing, "However, the ancestors of the Great Quan Empire''s Yao n did indeede from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. As for where exactly they came from, our ancestors were very reluctant to reveal that.


    "When instructing someone to record the n genealogy back then, they simply mentioned the fact that they hade from some dragon kiln. They also told us a bit about the culture and customs of their hometown. However, they explicitly prohibited us from going to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to search for our roots."


    "General, did your ancestors ever mention the name of any alley or... a towering willow tree that was lush with leaves?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Even though the old man wanted to nod very badly, as this would perhaps allow him to get closer to this strange person and thus gain a sliver of a chance to stay alive, his honest and upright nature was such that he couldn''t engage in dishonest acts. Moreover, this pertained to his ancestry, so how could he, a descendant, carelessly lie about it?


    The old man''s voice was solemn as he replied, "They never mentioned any alley, nor did they mention any willow tree. They simply stated that the locust tree in their hometown was quite fragrant. This was a locust tree that had been nurtured for generation after generation. In fact, the Great Quan Empire''s Yao n also has a thousand-year-old locust tree in the courtyard of our ancestral residence."


    Only after hearing this did Chen Ping''an turn around to look at the old man, nodding and saying with a smile, "I understand."


    The old man grew increasingly puzzled. What had this young boy understood?


    The sword cultivator appeared to be waiting for an oue as well, with his eyes darting around the entire time. Seemingly receiving the oue that he desired, he asked in an amused voice, "Have the two of you finished your small talk yet? If you''re finished, then let''s get to the proper matters now."


    Chen Ping''an rested his hands on the hilt of Deep Infatuation and Halting Snow as he asked, "Has someone paid you to perform this assassination? Are the two of you receiving money to eliminate dangers for your client?"


    "You speak so much nonsense," the middle-aged sword cultivator remarked with an exasperated expression.


    "This isn''t usual for me, so it''s quite the coincidence that you''re witnessing it," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    Mingling among the mounted troops of the Yao n, there was a young cavalryman whose appearance was slightly simr to that of the old man. He nced at the viciously cruel sword cultivator who had cut them down as if he were cutting wheat, and nced at the young boy dressed in white robes who had nothing but pure wind in his sleeves. The young cavalryman was at aplete loss and had no clue what was going on.


    A young and courageous general two generations younger than the old general finally found the opportunity to catch his breath and say a few words. He had only been able to flee just then, and he had beenpletely helpless as his brothers in arms had been killed by that flying sword one after another. He was extremely disheveled, and there was a deep and bloody gash on his face.


    The young man only in his twenties was in an extremely pitiful state, yet he paid absolutely no heed to this as he said in a quiet voice, "General, judging by how powerful the mystical abilities of that sinister person''s flying sword are, we shouldn''t have released the signal to seek reinforcements from Third Grandpa and Jiu Niang."


    The old man was staring at Chen Ping''an the entire time, and upon hearing his trusted subordinate''s statement, he chuckled coldly and replied, "We''re a target, but we''re also the bait."


    The young general was clearly a direct descendant of the Yao n who knew many inside secrets of the border army and the imperial court, so he asked in a careful voice, "Then the imperial court''s act of secretly mobilizing more than half of the cultivators from our army and redeploying them to the battle between Commandery Governor Jin Huang and Pine Needle Lake''s water god...?"


    The old general sighed with emotion and replied in a low voice, "This can be viewed as an open scheme employed by those people in the background. While causing the enemy nation in the south to lose some strength and vitality through an internal conflict, it could also serve to lead us into this trap. This definitely isn''t a scheme that the Fanlu Ma n coulde up with..."


    Chen Ping''an turned around and asked, "Dare I ask, Old General, why are you being pursued by these two people?"


    "Perhaps due to some grudges from the battlefield," the old man replied with a smile.


    This assassination plot pertained to some dirty secrets of the Great Quan Empire''s imperial court, so the old man was naturally unwilling to reveal too much to Chen Ping''an.


    For generation after generation, the Yao n''s border army had always been loyal to the Imperial Liu n and distanced themselves from any conflicts in the imperial court. They would serve whoever became emperor, and would refuse to involve themselves in any internal power struggles.


    In the past ten years, however, an unfortunate incident had taken ce.


    ording to the rules of the Yao n, females in the n were prohibited from marrying into wealthy ns from outside the region. They were only allowed to marry into local ns.


    However, the old man''s young daughter had fallen in love with a traveling youth back then, and the young man had also possessed impressive character and knowledge. Not only that, but the two of them had also fought side-by-side and gone through thick and thin together.


    This should have led to a happy marriage and caused them to be the envy of everyone, yet the old man had adhered to the n rules and disapproved of this rtionship. His daughter was indeed a loyal member of the Yao n, and she had silently endured the pain of being separated from her lover. She had written him a letter to sever their rtionship once and for all.


    Unexpectedly, however, that young man from a top-notch n in the Great Quan Empire��the eldest son of the Ministry of Personnel''s head minister��had traveled to the border again, braving the heavy snow and kneeling outside the ancestral hall of the Yao n for an entire day and night. Everyone in the Yao n had been moved by his sincerity.


    In the end, with no further reason to break the two lovers apart, the old man had eventually agreed to a wedding between his daughter and the young man. However, not a single member of the Yao n from the old man''s generation had traveled to the capital to attend the wedding. Afterward, his daughter had never returned home to visit either.


    Moreover, not a single letter was sent between the old man and his daughter''s father-inw, that lofty and influential head minister who controlled the promotion and demotion of officials.


    Even though the Yao n had already been so "cold and unreasonable," they had still been unable to erase the fact that the woman''s surname was Yao.


    They had only broken the n rule a single time, yet ten yearster, they were now facing an immense hidden danger that threatened to destroy the entire Yao n.


    The first signs of trouble had appearedst year, when the Fanlu Ma n��the arch-enemy of the Ministry of Personnel''s head minister��had secretly instructed the imperial censor to impeach the head minister. The infuriated emperor severely reprimanded the head minister, terrifying him so much that he had immediately written a resignation letter upon returning home.


    His choice of words had painted a tragic picture, reading, "My body frail and age old, I''m inferior to even a little child in my current state. I have but two or three teeth remaining, and I grow further from the notion of fresh and immortal every day."


    The head minister thus asked to resign.


    However, the emperor had denied his resignation, and in the end, the head minister''s reputation had plummeted to a shocking low.


    This deep-rooted battle between political opponents was only one aspect of things, and the truly troublesome aspect was the involvement of the Great Quan Empire''s princes. Many outsiders who didn''t follow the rules had arrived in the capital, and they had even been granted important positions in the imperial court, allowing them to add fuel to the fire.


    What was interesting was that all three princes of the empire were extremely outstanding individuals, with each skilled in their own area. In fact, each of them would have been impressive enough to be granted the title of crown prince in any of the previous generations of the Great Quan Empire.


    Officials in the capital rose and fell, while generals in the border cities marched east and west. There was a dizzying amount of things going on in the imperial court.


    The situation was so severe that even the Yao n''s border army was unable to remove themselves from these power struggles between officials. This was a clear reflection of just how dangerous the undercurrents swirling through the imperial court of the Great Quan Empire were.


    1. This is a Chinese proverb implying that those who are toopassionate might not be effective in situations that require strong leadership and decisive action. ?

 Chapter 332: Chance Encounter

    Chapter 332: Chance Encounter


    Before entering a small border town, they passed by an isted inn that had a wrinkled curtain hanging in the doorway.


    Chen Ping''an swirled his wine gourd around before deciding to enter the inn to purchase some wine. Chen Ping''an could taste the difference between good and bad wine, and he had drunk the Golden Millet Blessed Land''s Forgetting Sorrow Wine, Osmanthus Ind''s specialty wine, and all kinds of other wine before. At the same time, he had bought quite a lot of wine from random wine shops on the streets and alleys. However, he had neverined about anything.


    An emaciated dog was lying outside the inn and basking in the sunlight. When it saw Chen Ping''an, Pei Qian, and Wei Xian walking over from a distance, it immediately leaped up and bared its teeth, starting to bark at them as well.


    Was this how the small inn weed customers?


    Ame young boy ran out with a knife, pointing the knife tip at the dog as he fumed, "I''ll chop your head off if you don''t shut up!"


    The dogy back down in a sickly manner.


    Theme young boy looked up, and he hurriedly hid the knife behind his back when he saw three rare customers. He smiled and said, "Don''t be afraid, customers. I guarantee that we''re honest people running an honest business!"


    As if afraid that the three customers would turn around and run away, the skinny and limping young boy decided to strike first, turning to the inn and shouting, "Ma''am, we have some customers here! Hurry up and wipe the tables clean! One of the customers is your favorite type��a handsome young master who seems to be a schr!"


    After reporting this delightful news to the owner of the inn, theme young boy hurriedly turned back around, bowing and extending his hand in invitation as he said, "Please take a seat inside, customers. The green plum wine made by the madam is from a recipe passed down by her ancestors, and the roasted wholemb made by my master is also an incredible delicacy. Both of these things are absolutely unique along this five-hundred-kilometer border. You won''t find these things anywhere else!"Chen Ping''an and his twopanions walked into the inn.


    The ground floor was a restaurant with only a few tables, presumably due to slow business. The second floor consisted of the guest rooms. There was no customer in the restaurant right now, and only a woman was standing with one foot on a long bench as she snacked on roasted seeds.


    She shot a sideways nce at the so-called schr that theme young boy had mentioned, not feeling very hopeful. Theme young boy was much like a maggot who had grown up in a pile of manure, so just what kind of knowledge and experience did he have? He would never understand the notion of "handsome" in his life.


    The woman was wearing a red robe with yellow floral-patterned cors andrge sleeves, and the robe was clearly stylish and made from good-quality materials. However, it was quite aged, as if it were covered in ayer of grease.


    The woman''s cheeks were a healthy shade of pink, and her body was also slender and lithe. A lightplexion could mask one''s ugliness, yet the woman wasn''t ugly to begin with. She was already in her thirties, yet her beauty was no inferior to that of young girls in theirte teens.


    Her eyes lit up when she saw Chen Ping''an, and she yelped in a soft and seductive manner as she threw the roasted seeds to the floor and swept them under the table with her embroidered shoes. She then purposely swayed her hips back and forth in an exaggerated manner, appearing like a slithering snake as she walked over. She raised a hand and gently ced it on the shoulder of the handsome young boy in white robes, not forgetting to give it a good squeeze.


    She had uncovered a gem! Not only was the young boy handsome, but his body was healthy and strong as well. He wasn''t an embroidered pillow that was attractive on the outside butcked substance on the inside.


    The woman was taking things further and further, and she even tried to p Chen Ping''an''s chest afterward. Only then did Chen Ping''an step to the side and cause her hand to strike empty air. He smiled and asked, "Innkeeper, I want to buy a few liters of wine. We''re not here to eat or stay, and we''ll leave right away after I buy the wine. I''ve heard that you sell green plum wine made from an ancestral recipe here, so I''m wondering how much this wine costs?"


    The woman huffed and retracted her hand, replying, "Young Master, are you in such a hurry to head to that Fox Town? I''m not trying to frighten you simply because I want to win business, it''s simply the truth that the town is haunted by ghosts and spirits. These ghosts and spirits can lead people astray, and things have only gotten worse this year. Many merchants and travelers have been affected. None of them were killed, yet at least a dozen of them have gone insane.


    "So, Young Master, it''s best that you stay in our inn for a while. You can purchase as much green plum wine as you want. It''s not expensive, the best five-year-old wine is only one tael of silver for two pots. You can also order a roasted wholemb, and you can stay here for the night after you''ve had enough to eat and drink. When that timees..."


    The woman raised her eyebrows in a seductive manner and continued in a charming voice, "Big Sister will personally bring you some water to wash his feet."


    Meanwhile, Pei Qian was already drooling as she stood beside Chen Ping''an. She was unable to walk anymore after hearing the words "roasted wholemb."


    She wiped her mouth and gently tugged Chen Ping''an''s sleeves.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a moment before asking Wei Xian, "Can you drink?"


    "A massive amount," Wei Xian replied with a nod.


    Chen Ping''an turned to the innkeeper and said with a smile, "We won''t stay the night, but I guess we can have a meal. Apart from the wine that we drink here, can you also prepare an additional three liters of green plum wine for me? I want to bring this away with me."


    The woman waved her hand at theme young boy and instructed, "Go pick amb for your old hunchbacked master. Take some care, and remember to pick one with a good bnce of lean and fatty meat. Stop dreaming about a powerful master falling from the skies and teaching you paramount martial arts techniques. Such fortune won''t smash into your head. Now, hurry up and piss off."


    Theme young boy grumbled under his breath as he sprinted away.


    Chen Ping''an, Pei Qian, and Wei Xian sat down at a table for four, leaving one chair empty. After going to the counter and grabbing a few tes of snacks, the woman returned to the table and sat in the empty chair opposite Chen Ping''an, asking, "Judging from your ent, Young Master, you''re not a local resident of the Great Quan Empire? Are you a traveling schr? Did youe from Northern Jin Nation?"


    "I came from further down south," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    The woman leaned forward, bending down slightly as she grabbed a handful of dried fruits that she had purchased from Fox Town. Herrge breasts pressed against the table, yet she discovered that the young boy''s gaze remained fixed on her face the entire time. There was a faint smile on his face, and his eyes were also limpid and pure. This caused the woman to feel slightly astonished. There existed such a pure and innocent young boy in the world?


    She smiled beautifully and asked, "Why don''t we have a drink together first? I can apany you to drink a little as we wait for the roasted wholemb to arrive. There''s nothing like a well-roasted, goldenmb leg with meat falling off the bone, and eating it when you''re just a little merry from the wine makes it even better."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and epted her offer.


    The woman walked away to retrieve a pot of wine as well as fourrge white bowls that were stacked together. She then cracked open the pot of wine and filled the four bowls, revealing the amber color of the green plum wine. The wine appeared especially pure and clear, and just the sight of this was perhaps enough to make some wine lovers feel slightly intoxicated.


    The woman felt extremely proud, and she smiled as she started to introduce the green plum wine that was made using an ancestral recipe. There were three levels of quality, corresponding to half-year-old wine, three-year-old wine, and five-year-old wine. Even when it came to the lowest-quality half-year-old wine, a wealthy individual who had traveled here from the capital on his handsome horse had once raised his thumb andvished it with praise, iming that even the capital didn''t have such beautiful wine.


    An innocent expression on Pei Qian''s face as she asked, "A wealthy person from the capital only purchased the lowest-quality half-year-old wine?"


    The woman almost choked, and she hurriedly added, "The wealthy individual only wanted to have a taste of the wine in the beginning. However, just like your Young Master, he also purchased several liters of five-year-old green plum wine in the end."


    There was a fake smile on Pei Qian''s face as she feigned realization and remarked, "I see! People from the capital of the Great Quan Empire are so reserved and stingy. It''s just some wine, yet they still need to have a taste of it first? That''s far inferior to... my dad directly purchased a few liters of the most expensive five-year-old wine right from the very beginning..."


    Chen Ping''an immediately rewarded Pei Qian with a knuckle to the forehead, causing the skinny little girl to grab her head in pain.


    He then pushed Pei Qian''srge bowl of green plum wine to Wei Xian, letting the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation have two bowls to himself. He had imed that he could drink a massive amount of wine, so tworge bowls of green plum wine were surely not a problem for him.


    Pei Qian rubbed her forehead and asked in an aggrieved voice, "Am I not allowed to even have a small sip? We''ve walked for so long, and I''m so thirsty that I''m almost about to breathe smoke!"


    Her lips were indeed dry and cracked, so much so that wisps of blood were almost about to seep from them. If it weren''t for the Demon-Suppressing Talisman on her forehead allowing her to summon astonishing strength, it was almost certain that she couldn''t have walked to this inn by herself.


    Money could make ghosts push millstones, and money could make Pei Qian walk on her own.[1] At the end of the day, everything was because of money.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "Who told you that wine can quench thirst? You can ask the innkeeper for a bowl of water instead."


    Pei Qian nced at the seductive innkeeper before humphing coldly and crossing her arms before her chest. She turned her head to the side and refused to look at that woman again.


    The woman paid no heed to this, and she stood up to bring a bowl of tea over, lightly cing it in front of Pei Qian and saying, "Here, drink some tea. It''s on the inn."


    Pei Qian immediately grabbed the bowl of tea and gulped it down in a single breath.


    It was her loss if she didn''t drink the tea. She did indeed detest the innkeeper, but she didn''t detest this bowl of tea, did she?


    Chen Ping''an exchanged a nce with Wei Xian.


    He couldn''t help but sigh in his mind, thinking that this innkeeper was also a difficult person to deal with. She liked to bear grudges, and she was no inferior to Pei Qian in this sense. When filling the bowl of tea just then, she had secretly spat into it when her back was turned to Chen Ping''an and the others. She had then rotated her wrist and gently swirled the tea around, causing all traces of her spit to disappear when she brought it to the table and ced it in front of Pei Qian.


    In any case, the green plum wine was truly delicious. Apart fromcking spiritual energy, it was no inferior to the osmanthus wine from Osmanthus Ind. Chen Ping''an decided that he definitely had to fill his Sword Nurturing Gourd with this wine when they left. If this wasn''t enough, then he would ask Wei Xian to carry a few additional pots with him. Wei Xian dared to im that he could drink a massive amount of wine, so he was definitely someone who loved to drink wine, right?


    Chen Ping''an took small sips of the green plum wine that looked pure and light yet burned the throat and warmed the belly. His mood improved as he drank, and he asked, "Innkeeper, have you ever heard of the Yao n''s border army?"


    "Of course," the innkeeper replied in a casual manner. "Those of us doing business near the border are all aware of the Yao n''s mighty mounted troops. I''m not trying to brag or anything, but a junior general with the surname Yao once came to my inn with his subordinates and ate an entire roastedmb before leaving. He also left a very big silver ingot on the table. However, these soldiers are scary even when they eat and drink, and I didn''t dare to approach them because they were radiating killing intent the entire time."


    The woman gently patted her chest, and her extremely tight and stretched garment seemed like it was on the verge of tearing apart at any moment.


    "Does the Yao n''s border army have a good reputation?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The innkeeper smiled and replied, "How canmoners like us know things like that? We never have the opportunity to interact with these esteemed people, after all. However, I can say that they aren''t infamous, at least. I''ve run this inn for ten years now, but I haven''t heard any rumors about soldiers from the Yao n harassing people.


    "What I hear about most is people from the Yao n making great contributions and being rewarded by the imperial court or being promoted to higher positions. Sometimes, I hear about someone from the Yao n dying in battle in somece to the south and causing his wife to be a widow. These are the sorts of rumors that I hear again and again. I''m genuinely tired of hearing about these things."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding. He had a rough impression of this branch of the Yao n now, one which had migrated from Jewel Small World all the way to Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Wei Xian had already finished his first bowl of wine, and was now working on his secondrge bowl. His face was bright red, yet his eyes were extremely radiant as hemented, "This border army isn''t harassing the residents, nor are they trying to build a good reputation. It''s clear that they''re making their stance known to the emperor��they''re not trying to rebel and gain authority in the border regions. This is a smart move. Otherwise, if everything beyond the pce appears foreign and out of control, how can the emperor possibly dare to feel at ease?"


    The innkeeper faltered and asked, "What was that again?"


    Wei Xian took another gulp of wine before smacking the table and continuing, "My territory stretches to wherever my warhorses gallop. This wine is delicious!"


    After eximing this, the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, the very same that had imed to be a big drinker, copsed onto the table like a dead dog. His snores rumbled like thunder.


    They had no choice but to stay the night in the inn now.


    Afterward, theme young boy and a hunchbacked old man carried a roasted wholemb into the inn together, cing it on Chen Ping''an''s table. Themb turned out to be just as good as the wine, and this resulted in a rare asion where Chen Ping''an ate until he was extremely full. Meanwhile, Pei Qian ate until she was two hundred percent full. In the end, she was essentially forcingmb meat down her throat. In contrast, Chen Ping''an was eating slowly and chewing slowly, and he wasn''t drinking very quickly either.


    The innkeeper was sitting behind the counter, having politely turned down Chen Ping''an''s offer to eat together just then. Drinking a little wine with her customers was fine, but it would be far too shameless to eat together with them. No one would run a business in such a manner.


    Pei Qian ate until her belly was bulging and round, and she started to stroll around the table so that she wouldn''t feel so painfully full.


    Chen Ping''an asked for three neighboring rooms upstairs, giving Pei Qian the room in the middle. Afterward, he helped Wei Xian upstairs and tossed him onto the bed. The man was a weak drinker, but at least he was well-behaved when he was drunk. He would fall asleep straight away, and wouldn''t go crazy or start ranting.


    Pei Qian walked inside her room and closed the door, starting to burp because of how full she was. As for Chen Ping''an, he put his bamboo case in his room before walking out again, preparing to go downstairs to ask the innkeeper about the culture and customs of the Great Quan Empire.


    Then, he discovered that another customer had arrived at the inn. The man appeared to be thirty years old. His facial hair was unkempt, and he was dressed in a long azure robe.


    He sat at a table and stared at the innkeeper in a trance-like manner.


    However, the woman had a cold expression, and she didn''t offer this customer any food or wine. In fact, there wasn''t even a single te of snacks on his table. Meanwhile, theme young boy sat at the bottom of the stairs and looked at the man with an expression of disdain.


    Near the curtains of the inn''s kitchen, the hunchbacked old man sat on a long bench and puffed on a pipe.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t in a hurry to head downstairs, so he leaned on the railings and observed the situation from above.


    When blocking the two assassins attacking the Yao n''s cavalrymen just then, he had noticed that the sword cultivator clearly had another trump card up his sleeves. Chen Ping''an had detected a vague aura of violence and ruthlessness in the distance, an aura that most likely belonged to a powerful great demon. The cultivation base of this great demon was at least equal to that of the sword cultivator.


    However, the aura of the great demon had disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. It had been forcefully suppressed by a powerful aura of righteousness. In fact, it was because of this that the middle-aged sword cultivator had turned around and fled in a hurry, causing his subordinate, the hulking pure martial artist dressed in Dew Armor, to flee alongside him.


    Upon seeing the unkempt man in azure robes, Chen Ping''an''s first thought was that this person was potentially the one who had hidden in the distance and killed the great demon in a single strike. Otherwise, he was potentially a prodigious cultivator from some sect-level force in Parasol Leaf Sect. If he was neither, then... he was perhaps a schr from a Confucian academy just like Zhou Juran!


    However, Chen Ping''an was quickly made to question his own judgment because the innkeeper viewed the man as a nuisance, theme young boy rolled his eyes at him, and the hunchbacked old man ignored him altogether. Indeed, the impoverished man well-known to the inn didn''t even have the opportunity to puff himself up and act rich at his own expense.


    A sense of grief welled up in the man''s heart, and he looked at thedy innkeeper with an intoxicated expression as he said, "Jiu Niang, I don''t care that you''re a widow, and I don''t care that you have children either. Truly..."


    Chen Ping''an pped his forehead. Disregarding this man''s identity and cultivation base and simply focusing on his knowledge of romance, Chen Ping''an could say that this man was even inferior to him. He fully deserved to be rejected. After all, how could one speak to women like this? Was this supposed to be a romantic confession? He was clearly driving a de through the woman''s heart!


    Sure enough, the woman who had only been cold to him just then raised her head and gritted her teeth as she red at the bastard and spat, "Do you believe me when I say that I''ll go to the sheep pen to grab a bucket of manure and pour it over your head?"


    Chen Ping''an nced at the innkeeper again.


    The man in azurey down on the table and iled his arms and legs in a chaotic manner, causing his sleeves to be like tablecloths. There was utter grief in his voice as hemented, "How can you be so heartless, Jiu Niang? How am I supposed to live like this? I might be poor, but talented schrs are always punished with a difficult life. Otherwise, we can''tpose beautiful poems that are passed down from generation to generation..."


    Theme young boy furiously spat on the floor and eximed, "Beautiful poems passed down from generation to generation? What absolute bullshit! Even an uneducated person like me is disgusted by your doggerel!"


    The hunchbacked old man choked upon hearing the man''s remark as well, and it was clear that he felt a sense of lingering fear when he heard the man im that he couldpose beautiful poems for the ages.


    As if suddenly bing enlightened, the man in azure immediately sat up and said to the innkeeper with a smile, "Jiu Niang, perhaps you''re afraid of dying my bright and dazzling future? Is that why you''re unwilling to reciprocate my feelings? It''s alright, I don''t care about the views of society..."


    The woman was genuinely unable to endure this any longer, so she instructed in a cold voice, "Little Lame, Old Hunchback, it''s time to draw your des. I''ll give ten taels of silver to whoever can hack him to death first!"


    The hunchbacked old man didn''t move, but theme young boy was already sprinting to the kitchen to grab a knife.


    The man in azure stood up and straightened his clothes. He then turned around and sprinted away, disappearing in a puff of smoke.


    Chen Ping''an decided against heading downstairs, and instead returned to his room and closed the door. He retrieved the second picture scroll and ced it on his table. This was the picture scroll of Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian.


    1. "Money can make ghosts push millstones" (��Ǯ��ʹ����ĥ) is a saying that simply means money talks. ?

 Chapter 333: (1): Complicated Matters in a Small Place

    Chapter 333: (1): Complicated Matters in a Small ce


    Many reclusive individuals and travelers in the world possessed strange temperaments that couldn''t be judged through ordinary means.


    However, Chen Ping''an wasn''t curious about the man in azure clearly concealing his strength.


    Just like Saber Sharpener Liu Zong had said before, the road underfoot was so wide, so it made absolute sense for everyone to go their own separate ways. It wasn''t as if they were all stuck on a narrow path or a single-nk bridge.


    The unkempt and dejected man in azure didn''t walk far from the inn. In fact, he squatted right outside the door beside the emaciated dog lying on the ground. He turned around to look at the dog, and felt like his life was inferior to even this emaciated dog. Emotion welled up inside him, and he felt a strong urge topose a poem.


    However, after wracking his brain for a long time, the man in azure was still unable toe up with one of those impressive poems that theme young boy hadbeled as doggerel. The man consoled himself, telling himself that everything was fine. Essays were written naturally, and poems would be organically formed at the right moment.


    On the second floor of the inn...


    Chen Ping''an was slightly hesitant about whether he should bring Zhu Lian out of the picture scroll.


    The reason for this was that he wanted to stay in the Great Quan Empire for a while longer. However, Wei Xian could only protect Pei Qian at most, so it would be very difficult for the two of them to join forces to face any potential enemies together. If he faced perilous danger as he had in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land again, surrounded by enemies in all directions, Chen Ping''an was afraid that he would make a mistake amid all the chaos.


    After sessfully bringing Wei Xian to life from the first picture scroll, Chen Ping''an hadn''t offered any grain rain coin to the other picture scrolls. This wasn''t because he was reluctant to use his grain rain coins. After all, it was already very impressive that Chen Ping''an hadn''t chortled in delight after spending just eleven grain rain coins to obtain the service of Wei Xian, the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation and once the most powerful person in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, someone who could face an entire army by himself.Chen Ping''an hadn''t ced his threshold at ten grain rain coins because he felt like Wei Xian was only worth this much. Rather, he had been afraid of being screwed over by the old Daoist priest who had clearly been in a bad mood during their final encounter.


    It was entirely possible that the old Daoist priest was trying to disgust Chen Ping''an without breaking the rules, giving him four picture scrolls that he couldn''t afford to raise. Thus, Chen Ping''an naturally couldn''t gamble all of his money on these picture scrolls.


    Grain rain coins were the most valuable type of ordinary immortal currency, after all, with one grain rain coin worth a whopping one million taels of silver. This was a small mountain of silver. After conquering the Lu Empire and bing the dominant empire in the northern regions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, just how much tax did the Great Li Empire collect each year? Sixty million taels of silver. Of course, this was only what the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n obtained on the surface.


    Chen Ping''an had held off on offering grain rain coins to the picture scrolls these past few days due to the unusual words spoken by the young Daoist priest with the gigantic golden Sword Nurturing Gourd on his back. That young Daoist priest was clearly trying to screw him over, and was very likely that the trapy with the picture scroll that contained Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian. Perhaps due to his status and face, the old Daoist priest had only dug a small hole for Chen Ping''an. However, the young Daoist priest had done everything in his ability to dig arge crater.


    Chen Ping''an retrieved all of his remaining grain rain coins and put them in a pile beside his hand. He then grabbed a single grain rain coin and gently tossed it into the picture scroll.


    Clouds and mist spread across the picture scroll, a sight that Chen Ping''an would never grow tired of.


    Sitting behind the curtain to the kitchen on the first floor of the inn, the hunchbacked old man tapped his smoking pipe on the table before standing up and walking over to the counter, ncing outside the door and saying, "That destitute schr isn''t an ordinary person."


    The innkeeper absent-mindedly flicked the beads on an abacus as she replied, "Third Grandpa, how many times have you reminded me of this already? I''m aware of this, and I won''t genuinely anger him."


    The old man rested his elbows on the counter and continued to puff on his smoking pipe as he said in a solemn voice, "You can remarry if you truly like him. I''ll support you if your father doesn''t agree to this."


    Jiu Niang stomped her feet, with her embarrassment turning into anger as she eximed, "What nonsense are you spewing, Third Grandpa? How can I possibly like him?!"


    "Isn''t he quite good?" the hunchbacked old man asked in a calm voice. "Even though we''re unfamiliar with his identity and background, he''s a young man even I can''t see through. Just how many such people are there on the border of the Great Quan Empire? Perhaps his appearance will also be passable once he shaves himself clean."


    Jiu Niang directly ignored the final remark of the hunchbacked old man as she raised her chin and pointed it at Chen Ping''an''s room, asking, "How many such people, you ask? Third Grandpa, were you able to see through the young boy in white? Were you able to see through his subordinate? You weren''t able to, were you? Counting the one outside the inn and the two inside the inn, doesn''t that make three people already?"


    There was a stern expression on the hunchbacked old man''s face as he snapped, "You''re treating my good intentions as ill will instead. It serves you right to be a widow for so many years."


    He was just about to return to the kitchen to cook something for himself and satisfy his belly.


    Jiu Niang was already ustomed to her Third Grandpa''s temper, so she replied, "No matter what, the three people upstairs are our benefactors, so don''t go and poison their food on a whim. You stripped those two travelers naked back then, and even tossed them outside Fox Town on the same night. They were normal men, yet you caused them to be so timid that they were like young maidens. In fact, they almost hung themselves out of embarrassment."


    The hunchbacked old man pursed his lips and said, "They''re not sinister people whomit crimes left and right, so why would I target them and poison their food? In fact, I''m more afraid of you spiking that young boy''s food and doing as you please with him."


    Jiu Niang feigned pping someone as she spat out, "Dogs can''t spit ivory from their mouth."[1]


    The hunchbacked old man liked to take things literally, so he replied, "Why don''t you go and speak to Prosperity outside? Why don''t you ask him whether he can spit ivory from his mouth?"


    "I''m not a dog, so unlike you, I can''t talk to Prosperity," the innkeeper retorted.


    The hunchbacked old man pointed at Jiu Niang with his smoking pipe and remarked, "Whoever takes a fancy to you in the future, I can say that the lids of their ancestors'' coffins will definitely be unable to keep their corpses in."


    Jiu Niang paid no heed to her Third Grandpa''s insulting remarks. After milling around the mortal world and running this inn for so many years, she had already heard all kinds of vulgar, murderous, and jealous words from her customers from all over the world. She lowered her voice and asked, "That great demon wasn''t killed by him, was it?"


    The hunchbacked old man shook his head and replied, "If that great demon was truly the number one general under themand of Pine Needle Lake''s water god, then... Heh, only earth immortals would have been powerful enough to y it.


    "Even though this sloppish schr is definitely more powerful than he lets on, he still isn''t powerful enough to pull off such a feat. He''s not an old schr who studies profound principles in the Confucian academies, after all. Moreover, those Confucian sages won''t purposely go into hiding and conceal their feats after doing something like this, will they?"


    Jiu Niang fell into deep thought.


    In the end, her Third Grandpa persuaded, "Alright, let me say this for thest time. Apart from being a little poorer, a little uglier, a little more uncouth, and a little more immature, there''s actually nothing wrong with that schr sitting outside. He''s a young and strong man..."


    Jiu Niang''s expression turned dark. She gritted her teeth and spat, "Piss off!"


    The hunchbacked old man waspletely unfazed as he turned around and left.


    His aged face was like old tree bark filled with knots. If a mosquito tried to bite his face, it was perhaps possible for the hunchbacked old man to frown and squish the offending mosquito to death.


    He sped his calloused hands behind his back, holding his right wrist with his left hand and holding his smoking pipe with his right.


    The hunchbacked old man was seemingly mumbling to himself as he said in amusement, "It''s already winter, so why are there still cats meowing in heat in the middle of the night? How incredibly strange... Little Lame even asked me about this today..."


    Jiu Niang flushed slightly red as she gritted her teeth and cursed, "Old pervert, it serves you right to be single for your entire life!"


    Theme young boy had just finished clearing the table and cleaning the dishes, so upon hearing the final exchange between his hunchbacked master and the female innkeeper, he couldn''t help but ask in curiosity, "Innkeeper, what in the world is going on? We''re not raising any cats in the inn, so perhaps it''s a stray cat that wandered over from somewhere else? I''ll definitely give it a good beating if I find it. Say, we''re always missing drumsticks and steamed buns in the kitchen, so it''s very likely that this was the doing of the stray cat. Rest assured, Innkeeper, I''ll definitely find this stray cat and drag it out."


    Jiu Niang retrieved a feather duster from behind the counter and started to strike theme young boy''s head, scolding, "Go on, drag it out! Do you hear me? Go and drag it out!"


    However, this still wasn''t enough to quench her anger, so she walked out from behind the counter and started to chase theme young boy as she beat him. The boy ran away so fast that he seemed to have miraculously recovered.


    Jiu Niang casually tossed the feather duster aside and hesitated for a moment before eventually tiptoeing up the stairs in a stealthy manner. She slowed down and walked back and forth, yet she didn''t hear any noiseing from the rooms. Only then did she return to the first floor and zone out for a while.


    She then pushed the curtain to the kitchen aside and strode into the hunchbacked old man''s territory. After grabbing a palm-sized piece of jerky and a small pot of half-year-old green plum wine, she walked outside the inn and looked at the dispirited schr squatting beside the emaciated dog. She called out to the man in azure, and she tossed the dried meat and wine to him when he looked up at her. "That''s one tael of silver added to your tab. It''s not for free," she said coldly.


    Only when Jiu Niang returned inside the inn did the man in azure retract his gaze and say in emotion, "Prosperity, do you know what this is? Kindness from a beautiful woman is the most difficult to ept."[2]


    He ripped off a small shred of jerky and offered it to Prosperity, after which he stroked his unkempt beard and remarked, "Just how well will I be treated if I shave myself clean?!"


    Chen Ping''an had gently ced his hand on the picture scroll and looked toward the door when Jiu Niang had stealthily tiptoed to the second floor.


    Fortunately, the female innkeeper hadn''t knocked and disturbed him.


    After she returned downstairs, Chen Ping''an continued to toss money into the second picture scroll.


    He tossed twelve grain rain coins into the picture scroll in a single breath.


    However, Zhu Lian still didn''te to life and walk out of the picture scroll.


    Chen Ping''an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd, yet he suddenly recalled that he had already run out of wine before entering the inn. He had no option but to put it back down.


    Back in Old Dragon City, the yin god from the Song n had given him ten grain rain coins for the bamboo slip. Afterward, Lu Tai had given him twenty grain rain coins while sharing the spoils in Flying Eagle Fortress. ounting for what he had earned and spent in Stctite Mountain, Chen Ping''an had started off with a total of twenty-nine grain rain coins. He had spent eleven on Wei Xian, leaving him with eighteen.


    Right now, only six grain rain coins remained on the table.


    Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian was "posing" in the picture scroll, unwilling to walk out. That being the case, how many grain rain coins would the remaining two picture scrolls cost Chen Ping''an? There was still Lu Baixiang, the founder of the demonic force in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and Sui Youbian, the only female sword immortal in the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    Chen Ping''an sighed as he nced at the smiling old man on the picture scroll.


    He would genuinely be gambling his entire wealth if he tossed any more grain rain coins into the picture scroll. Even though he still had quite a lot of snowke coins and lesser heat coins, even that "lot" was just a number, and that number would be far smaller once they were converted into grain rain coins.


    Chen Ping''an felt a slight sense of helplessness as he rolled up the picture scroll and ced it inside Fifteenth. He left his room and went downstairs to drink, hoping to alleviate his worries and improve his mood. He had carried the drunken Wei Xian upstairs, forgetting to fill his Sword Nurturing Gourd with wine.


    Swirling his empty Sword Nurturing Gourd around, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but grumble in his mind as he remembered that young Daoist priest with the gigantic golden gourd on his back. The young Daoist priest had described the abilities of the six other Sword Nurturing Gourds from the vine raised by the Dao Ancestor, yet he had purposely not described the ability of his own. Perhaps its ability was to hold the most wine?


    Chen Ping''an had no idea, but he was actually correct. Well, at least he was half correct.


    The golden Sword Nurturing Gourd named Abundance was indeed able to hold thergest amount of wine. In fact, it held water from the East Sea that was used in therge majority of wines. Because of this golden Sword Nurturing Gourd''s unique ability, the water level in the East Sea had actually fallen by several meters.


    It was also because of this that an old schr had clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "It''s but a small gourd, yet it''s able to raise hundreds upon thousands of flood dragons. The Dao Ancestor is truly impressive, greatly impressive, and has been impressive for a long time."


    Of course, thest few words could be regarded as words of ttery.


    In fact, it was also possible that the Schrly Sage had said this because he had damaged many lotus leaves in the Dao Ancestor''s Lotus Flower World while discussing the Dao with him.


    Located in Middle Earth Divine Continent, the Confucian temple regarded as the "authentic temple of decorum" contained the towering y statues of many lofty sages. These sages definitely couldn''t do something like this, lowering themselves to the level of ttering others and acting shamelessly after damaging someone else''s property.


    As for the Schrly Sage whose divine statue had already been removed from the Confucian temple, however, this couldn''te any more naturally to him. He was even more adept at this than those Daoist immortals in White Jade Capital.


    A smile blossomed on Jiu Niang''s face when Chen Ping''an walked downstairs.


    He was handsome, wealthy, and also possessed an impressive temperament. The female innkeeper became increasingly fond of Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an asked for half a liter of five-year-old green plum wine, and he poured this into his Sword Nurturing Gourd right in front of Jiu Niang.


    However, the Sword Nurturing Gourd appeared like nothing more than a vermilion wine gourd to Jiu Niang, a cheap trinket that had been rubbed smooth due to usage. It was clear that this wine gourd was an adored trinket of at least two generations, and that was why it appeared aged.


    Jiu Niang rested her cheek in one hand, turning to her side on the chair such that she could cock her head and look at the young boy whose hand was perfectly steady as he poured wine. Her cheeks were slightly red, and the effects of the wine from lunch were yet to wear off. She smiled and asked, "Young Master, isn''t it easier to drink out of a bowl? Once you finish the wine in your wine gourd, won''t you need to repeat this process and refill it again?"


    While saying this, she also grabbed a pot of wine and started to leisurely drink by herself. She didn''t forget to grab three tes of snacks either. Of course, she also brought over two pairs of chopsticks.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "This is the limit of my wine tolerance, so I when I finish what''s in the wine gourd, I know I''ve had enough. I won''t need to refill it again."


    "Your friend''s wine tolerance is truly very impressive," the innkeeper said with a chuckle.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel slightly embarrassed. Wei Xian was the founding emperor of a nation, after all, so how could he make such a fool out of himself?


    He casually asked, "Since the Yao n''s border army is so renowned in the border regions, do you know any of the mighty figures currently in the Yao n?"


    Jiu Niang raised an eyebrow and eximed, "Oh? Young Master, you''re not a spy from Northern Jin Nation, are you?"


    Chen Ping''an pointed upstairs and asked, "Have you ever seen a spy like me? One with a self-proimed heavy drinker for a friend? And one who even brings a child with him?"


    Jiu Niang nodded and conceded, "That does make sense. How could there be so many wars if all of the spies from Northern Jin Nation were like you? The world would have already achieved peace long ago."


    She was slightly drunk, and she failed to grab any braised meat after reaching over with her chopsticks twice. Chen Ping''an gently pushed the te over, and Jiu Niang shot a charming nce at him. She decided to put her chopsticks down before saying, "It won''t hurt to tell you some of these things. At the very least, I can have you barbaric southerners understand the might of our Great Quan Empire''s border army."


    She let out a burp, yet she didn''t feel embarrassed at all. "Old General Yao has spent more than half of his life on horseback, and he''s a mighty expedition-level great general of the Great Quan Empire. He has three sons and two daughters... well, he had them, at any rate. Unfortunately, two of his sons and one of his daughters have passed away. His youngest daughter married someone in the capital, and she was fortunate enough to find someone well-off and caring. They were truly a match made in heaven.


    "He also has a bunch of grandsons and granddaughters, and two of them are clearly a cut above the rest. His grandson is Yao Xianzhi, and I heard that he joined the army when he was just ten years old. The granddaughter is Yao Lingzhi, and she''s even more impressive. Everyone living near the border has heard of her incredible martial arts talent."


    "Why do all of their names end in Zhi?" Chen Ping''an asked in curiosity.


    "Because they belong to the Zhi generation," Jiu Niang replied with a smile.[3]


    Chen Ping''an became increasingly puzzled, and he asked, "Shouldn''t the generation name be in the middle? Perhaps this custom is slightly different in the Great Quan Empire?"


    "How would I know about the ancestral rules of that wealthy Yao n?" Jiu Niang huffed in reply. "Aren''t rich people allowed to have their own quirks and entricities?"


    "The Yao n''s mounted troops are so renowned, so there''s definitely a lot of people in the Great Quan Empire who are jealous of them, right?" Chen Ping''an asked in a slightly probing manner.


    Jiu Niang rolled her eyes and retorted, "You''re asking me? How should I know? Perhaps you want me to ask the emperor?"


    She started giggling to herself, and appeared increasingly seductive as she continued, "But the emperor will need to take a fancy to my appearance and invite me into the imperial pce first. He might be quite old already, but he is the emperor, after all. Maybe his bed frame is forged from gold as well..."


    Perhaps she was finally talking about something that made her feel happy, so she raised her wine bowl and said loudly, "The road of life might be narrow, but the wine bowl is assuredly wide. I, Jiu Niang, offer a toast to you, Young Master."


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes lit up, and he also raised his wine bowl with a smile, saying, "What a brilliant line! I''ll definitely remember this. Bottoms up!"


    Both of them downed the wine in their bowls.


    The man in azure sitting outside the inn secretly nced at Chen Ping''an and Jiu Niang having a hearty conversation while drinking wine. There was a sulky expression on his face as he continued to grumble.


    "Obedient dogs don''t block their owner''s path!"


    There was a loud shout as the dejected schr was ruthlessly kicked to the side. One after another, three men with sabers by their hips swaggered into the first floor of the inn.


    The leader was a sturdy man purposely exposing some of his muscr chest even though it was the middle of winter. He sat down at a table to the left of Chen Ping''an, and his two subordinates appeared especially familiar with the inn as they walked over to grab some wine and bowls. The two of them sat on the bench on the opposite side of the table, instantly causing the table to be full.


    The sturdy man refused the white bowl from his young subordinate, and he instead insisted on snatching the wine bowl that was sitting in front of Jiu Niang. He poured himself a bowl of green plum wine, spilling it everywhere as he drank it in a single gulp. He wiped his mouth before suddenly clutching his stomach with a terrified expression. He pointed at Jiu Niang with a shaking finger and said in a quivering voice, "There''s something wrong with this wine... There''s poison in it..."


    The two young subordinates sitting opposite him instantly ced their hands on the hilts of their sabers, with their faces bing slightly pale.


    "Ma Ping, do you have shit for brains?" Jiu Niang snapped. "Perhaps you ate too much shit for lunch, and there was some poison in the shit? And this poisoned shit ended up damaging your brain?"


    The saber-carrying man chuckled and wiped the terrified expression off his face. "I''m joking, I''m joking. There''s no need to abuse me like this, is there?"


    His two young subordinates hurriedly drank some wine to suppress their lingering fear.


    Ma Ping nced at the eyesore named Chen Ping''an and demanded, "Where are you from, brat? Show me your travel documents and passport!"


    Jiu Niang was just about to say something, yet Chen Ping''an had already retrieved his documents and ced them on the table in front of the sturdy saber-carrying man.


    The sturdy man picked the documents up and examined the dense array of big and small vermilion stamps. He clicked his tongue in wonder. "Whoa, you''ve got quite some stamps here. So you''ve really traveled this far?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded with a smile.


    1. The phrase "Dogs can''t spit ivory from their mouth" (�������²�������) is an insult meaning that someone can only say bad things. In other words, a filthy mouth can''t utter decent words. ?


    2. It''s difficult to ept in the sense that you''re already attracted to them anyway, so if they''re also nice to you, you''ll only feel more attracted. ?


    3. This refers to generation name, amon practice in China where each member of a generation shares the same character in their name. This character is used to identify which generation and branch a person belongs to. Usually, the generation name is the first character of the given name (so people would be called Wu Jianyi, Wu Jianzi, Wu Jianwu etc.), hence Chen Ping''an''s puzzlement. ?

 Chapter 334: The Road of Life Might Be Narrow, but the Wine Bowl Is Assuredly Wide

    Chapter 334: The Road of Life Might Be Narrow, but the Wine Bowl Is Assuredly Wide


    Night started to set in, and the man in azure being chased by theme young boy stopped and borrowed thest wisps of lingering light to gaze down the path to the south. The boy seized this opportunity to punch him in the shoulder, yet the dejected schr simply swayed a little and ignored himpletely.


    Theme young boy was slightly curious, so he followed the schr''s gaze and also peered into the distance. However, he failed to see anything, so he started to think that the schr in azure was purposely doing this to distract him. Theme young boy was just about to punish the schr in azure with a flurry of punches again, beating him until he didn''t dare to tease the innkeeper anymore.


    However, his heart suddenly jolted, and hey down and pressed his ear to the ground.


    His expression became serious. What he heard was a troop of cavalry, and quite arge one at that. Post attendants and soldiers would asionally pass by Fox Town, but the small town had never been visited byrge cavalry troops before.


    In order to admire the magnificence of the Yao n''s cavalry, the youths in Fox Town would often gather together to travel to Hanging Armor Military Town in the distance. Only then would they be able to steal a few nces at those mighty mounted troops from far away.


    Metal armor, warhorses, crossbows, sabers... These were the most manly things in the eyes of the impoverished youths from Fox Town.


    Theme young boy was no different; he was also fascinated by these manly things. It was just that the other children didn''t like to y with him.


    At this moment, theme young boy abandoned his pursuit of the man in azure and walked into the inn to inform Jiu Niang of the situation. Jiu Niang yawned and replied that she was aware now. However, these cavalrymen definitely wouldn''t take a fancy to her inn and Fox Town, so they were most likely marching through the night to head to Hanging Armor Military Town in the north. Thus, there was no need to pay any heed to them.


    Theme young boy nodded in acknowledgment and immediately ran outside, climbing onto the roof of the inn and holding his hand above his eyes as he peered into the distance. There was still a wisp of light remaining, just enough for one to strain their eyes and see things vaguely. Theme young boy wanted to witness the military outfits of those cavalrymen from the border. That way, he could brag and show off to other children his age when he went to Fox Town to buy oil and rice for the innkeeper.He could vaguely see the billowing dust in the distance, and the deep and resounding thuds against the earth were also bing clearer and clearer.


    However, thest wisp of light didn''t stay around for too long. This caused theme young boy to be a little desperate, so he hurriedly climbed down the roof and ran into the inn to ask Jiu Niang whether he could put up somenterns. Jiu Niang red at him and asked, "You want to hang thenterns out this early? Who''s going to pay for the candles?"


    Theme young boy patted his chest and said, "I''ll pay for them. If I can''t afford them, then ask Old Hunchback to pay for them first."


    Jiu Niang nodded in approval. Upon seeing this, theme young boy was filled with delight as he ran away to hang tworge rednterns outside the inn. He was just about to climb onto the roof again, yet he saw a single cavalryman veering slightly off the official road and quietly galloping to the inn. The cavalryman was dressed in a bright and colorful suit of armor, in stark contrast to the in and simple armor worn by the Yao n''s border army.


    The cavalryman removed his helmet and held it in front of his chest before asking with a cold expression, "Do you sell green plum wine here?"


    Theme young boy gulped and trembled in fear as he replied, "That''s correct, Lord Soldier, we do sell green plum wine here."


    The cavalryman''s voice was solemn as he ordered, "I want the innkeeper to clear out the entire inn in fifteen minutes. Prepare five tables of food for us, and remember to serve the best green plum wine. We''ll cover the cost, and we won''t pay a single copper coin less. In fact, we''ll reward you handsomely if the green plum wine is truly as delicious as the rumors say!


    "Keep in mind that we''ll send people to check the rooms when we enter the inn. If anyone dares to disobey our order and stay, then we''ll execute them without mercy. The guests of the inn can naturally return after we leave."


    The cavalryman put his helmet back on before turning his horse around and galloping off into the distance.


    Theme young boy appeared dazed. The man in azure was squatting outside the inn by himself, while the emaciated dog had already returned to its kennel. The man in azure had nowhere to go right now, and upon seeing theme young boy stuck in a trance, he said in reminder, "Hurry up and inform Jiu Niang about this. The inn will be shut down if you offend these esteemed people from the capital."


    Theme young boy hurriedly sprinted into the inn, yet he discovered that the innkeeper and the hunchbacked old man were already sitting together and discussing this matter. Thus, his arrival meant that he could be the sacrificialmb who informed the guests upstairs of the current situation. He would have to ask them to make haste and leave the inn, lest there be unnecessary bloodshed and death.


    Theme young boy was slightly hesitant, yet Jiu Niang waved her hand and said that she would clear his debt for thentern candles. Theme young boy immediately charged upstairs, heading to Chen Ping''an''s room which was the closest. He clearly exined the situation to the guest, and Chen Ping''an expressed that he didn''t mind leaving the inn for a moment.


    Chen Ping''an also smiled and said that he would inform the guests in the neighboring two rooms, so the young boy could go and inform the other guests instead. Theme young boy thanked Chen Ping''an before hurrying off to the other rooms.


    After returning to her room, Pei Qian lit the oilmp on her table and flipped open a book. She smiled and said that she was reading.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t expose her lie. In reality, Pei Qian had been standing by the wall and eavesdropping on Zhu Lian and Wei Xian the entire time. She had only grabbed the book from her luggage and pretended to be reading after hearing Chen Ping''an knock on the door.


    Chen Ping''an told her to pack up because they needed to leave the inn for a while.


    Meanwhile, Zhu Lian had already opened the door of the neighboring room and said to Chen Ping''an with a smile, "Wei Xian went to sleep again after opening the door for me. Should I wake him up, Young Master?"


    Zhu Lian was just about to turn around, yet Wei Xian, who still reeked of alcohol, had already sat up. He massaged his be and said to Zhu Lian and Chen Ping''an, "I''m awake now."


    Ma Ping and his two subordinates swore and muttered under their breaths when they heard that a group of cavalry was passing by. However, they still obediently packed up and left their rooms.


    Yao Lingzhi, the young girl with a ponytail, was staying in the room at the end of the corridor. She was standing by the railings on the second floor right now, and she stared at the innkeeper on the first floor and questioned, "Is this how your inn treats its guests? Well, this is truly an eye-opening experience for me. This is a border region, yet someone actually dares to act so wantonly under the nose of the Yao n''s mounted troops? I want to see who these mighty people are. After all, they''re so capable that they can clear out an entire inn with a singlemand!"


    The young girl ced a single hand on the railing before directly jumping down to the first floor, causing the faces of Ma Ping and his two subordinates to twitch. Where had this tough little girle from?


    Jiu Niang smiled bitterly. She wanted to say something, but couldn''t help but hesitate.


    The hunchbacked old man held his smoking pipe and pondered for a moment before saying, "I''ll head over and discuss this with the cavalry. We''re running an ordinary inn here, so how can we treat people differently based on their wealth and status?"


    The hunchbacked old man walked out of the inn, with his figure vanishing into the boundless darkness of night.


    Jiu Niang looked up at the guests on the second floor and said apologetically, "Just stay in your rooms in a moment. Tonight''s matter is the inn''s fault, so we''llpensate each of you with a pot of five-year-old green plum wine after everything is over."


    Yao Lingzhi leaped back to the second floor and strode into her room, mming the door behind her.


    Ma Ping and his two subordinates also huffed in anger as they returned to their own rooms.


    Chen Ping''an asked Wei Xian and Zhu Lian to head to his room for a while first. It went without saying that Pei Qian went to his room as well.


    Jiu Niang instructed theme young boy to go outside so that he could bring the schr with the surname Zhong into the inn. They would offer him a room on the second floor so he wouldn''t be an eyesore outside the inn.


    The man in azure picked a room on the second floor before leaning against the railing and looking down at the first floor. Jiu Niang wagged her finger at him and said, "Piss off into your room."


    There was a hint of worry in the man''s voice as he said, "Jiu Niang, you''re so beautiful, so what will you do if those soldiers be touchy and forceful after seeing your beauty? Drinking wine will cause them to be even more daring and wanton..."


    Jiu Niang smiled and replied, "Then that will give you the opportunity to y the role of a hero saving a beauty, won''t it? If I''m blind and foolish, I might even offer myself to you to show my gratitude."


    The man in azure shook his hand and dered, "Noble people won''t take advantage of other people. Rest assured, Jiu Niang, schrs all possess an aura of righteousness and a mind full of sagely principles. As long as I''m standing here, those soldiers won''t be able to develop sinister thoughts no matter how much wine they drink..."


    Before Jiu Niang could retort, Yao Lingzhi had already opened her door at the end of the corridor and drawn her saber halfway from its scabbard, causing a crisp metallic sound to ring through the air. Her voice was stern as she said to the man in azure, "Shut up, pervert!"


    It was abundantly clear that the young girl''s saber was far more effective than theme young boy''s iling punches and kicks. The man in azure immediately entered his room without saying another word.


    However, the more this was the case, the more Yao Lingzhi felt disappointed in the woman downstairs. Day after day and year after year, Jiu Niang was drinking and interacting with men like this? How was she different from those women in the brothels?


    Yao Lingzhi entered her room and slumped down on the table. A sense of grief welled up inside her, causing her to start sobbing.


    Jiu Niang stood behind the counter and sighed. She poured herself a bowl of green plum wine.


    There was a loud thud.


    Jiu Niang looked up, only to see the man in azure copsing to the floor after jumping down from the second floor. However, he picked himself up and walked to the counter, saying with a smile, "Just treat me as the ountant here. I can''t help but feel worried if I stay too far away from you. "


    There was a gentle smile on his face.


    Jiu Niang faltered for a moment before replying, "But you''re so ugly. I feel a bit disgusted if you get too close to me."


    The man in azure squatted down and held his head in his hands as if he had been struck by lightning.


    As it turned out, those romantic interactions and emotional confessions detailed in the novels were nothing but lies. They were all utterly useless.


    The hunchbacked old man walked into the inn first.


    A group of people walked in after him. Perhaps they were reasonable people, and they didn''t insist on clearing out the guests on the second floor. They didn''t have all five tables of people rush in at once either.


    The leader was a middle-aged man wearing a bright red official robe decorated with the image of a python. His face was pale and clean-shaven, and an aura of overbearing might radiated from his body.


    Two people were standing behind the middle-aged man. One was suited in silver armor decorated with cloud patterns. His metal armor clinked as he walked. The other was in his seventies, dressed in a brocade robe and wearing a tall hat. He possessed the demeanor of a transcendent being.


    Another seven or eight people were further behind them, and these people were most likely their confidants and trusted subordinates.


    The middle-aged man in official garb sat down at a table with the man in silver armor and the man in brocade robes. Standing among the group of trusted subordinates, a young man with a jade pendant hanging by his waist smiled when he saw Jiu Niang.


    A whopping seven hundred to eight hundred elite cavalry were stationed outside the inn, and an additional dozen or so carriages, with each holding a prisoner and two guards. Without exception, the guards were all Middle Five Tier Qi refiners from the Great Quan Empire.


    The hunchbacked old man furrowed his brow.


    He hadn''t imagined that it would be these people.


    These guests weren''t giving face to the hunchbacked old geezer, but rather to the Yao n. However, the face of Great General Yao and the eighty thousand mounted troops of the Yao n was only enough to make these guests go from five tables to three tables.


    As for why they didn''t insist on clearing out the guests on the second floor? This was because one of the young subordinates had casually mentioned that it would be livelier if there were more people when they drank. Upon hearing this, the domineering middle-aged man in bright red official garb had chuckled and nodded in agreement.


    The general in silver armor looked at Jiu Niang and instructed, "Bring us some green plum wine first. And make sure that our foodes quickly as well."


    The hunchbacked old man pushed aside the curtain in the doorway and entered the kitchen to cook.


    Theme young boy started to bring wine to the three tables.


    A heavy atmosphere hung over the first floor of the inn.


    There was almost no sound except that of wine sloshing into bowls.


    Someone suddenly raised their hand and waved at Jiu Niang, saying with a smile, "Innkeeper, can you personally pour wine for our brothers? I''ve heard that this green plum wine is personally made by you following an ancestral recipe that you''ve inherited. That being the case, it''s only right that you personally pour the wine and serve it to us."


    The table of subordinates no longer felt reserved and worried when they heard the young man say this. They immediately burst into loudughter.


    Jiu Niang grabbed a pot of wine and smiled as she walked over.


    For some unknown reason, however, she immediately tensed up when she caught the young subordinate''s gaze. She had opened this inn for many years, and had seen all kinds of people from the cultivation world. Not only that, but she had also seen quite a lot of immortals and Qi refiners from the mountains.


    Even so, she still felt a slight sense of fear when she locked eyes with the young subordinate. It was as if she were a mortal human who hade across a ghost at night. A sense of powerlessness welled up from the depths of her heart.


    The man in azure suddenly dragged Jiu Niang behind him and said with a loudugh, "Jiu Niang isn''t feeling well today, so how about I, the ountant of this inn, pour wine for the esteemed guests? What does everyone say?"


    As if hearing the funniest joke in the world, the young subordinate looked around the inn and asked, "What do you say, brothers?"


    Everyone naturally said no.


    The young subordinate looked at the man in azure and said in amusement, "Everyone says no, so what can we do? How about we stick with the original n and get the innkeeper to personally pour wine? It''s only pouring wine, it''s not like we asked Jiu Niang to suit up in armor and go to the front lines, is it?"


    The eunuch in bright red official garb turned a deaf ear to themotion.


    The old immortal wearing a tall hat smiled faintly.


    The young girl, Yao Lingzhi, opened her door and shouted with a livid expression, "This won''t do!"


    The young subordinate stood up, making him the focal point of everyone downstairs.


    He looked up and asked with a smile, "And why is that?"


    Yao Lingzhi felt slightly uneasy just looking at this person. She instinctively ced her hand on the hilt of her saber, and she recklessly replied, "Because this is the Yao n''s territory!"


    Yao Lingzhi didn''t notice the killing intent rising in all of the subordinates'' hearts the instant that she ced her hand on the hilt of her saber.


    This was especially the case with the general in silver armor sitting beside the eunuch in bright red official garb and the old immortal wearing a tall hat. He was already brimming with killing intent.


    The young subordinate was craning his neck and gazing up at the second floor, yet it was as if he were paying close attention to everything that was happening on the first floor as well. He raised a hand and signaled for everyone to calm down and not act recklessly. He then smiled faintly and said, "But the entire Great Quan Empire is the territory of my family. What should we do now? Perhaps the Yao n wants tounch a rebellion?"


    Jiu Niang held a wine pot and walked out from behind the counter, turning to the young girl first and ordering, "Go back to your room, Lingzhi!"


    She then curtsied to the young subordinate and said, "I''ll pour some wine for you straight away, Young Master."


    A smile tugged at the corners of the young subordinated lips as he stared at Jiu Niang''s face. He pointed at the young girl upstairs and said, "Why don''t the two of you, mother and daughter, serve me together?"


    Jiu Niang''s face instantly became as pale as paper.


    However, a door upstairs suddenly opened, and a young boy in white robes walked out and said, "I don''t fancy that idea."


    The young subordinate looked up at the nosy person and asked with an amused smile, "Oh? And just who do you think you are, little spring onion?"


    This time, it was someone from the first floor who answered this question for Chen Ping''an, retorting, "And just who do you think <em>you</em> are, little spring onion?"


    It was the dejected schr in azure with the surname Zhong.


    The young subordinate sighed in grief andmented, "Wowee, one after another, everyone is trying to go against my will tonight. An inn that''s unwilling to shoo its guests away, an innkeeper who''s unwilling to serve wine, a young girl from the Yao n who''s speaking impudently, an outsider who thinks he''s a sword immortal just because he''s wearing a white robe, and a schr who thinks he''s a Confucian sage just because he''s wearing an azure robe..."


    He suddenly nced at Jiu Niang before ncing at Yao Lingzhi, smiling and saying, "It''s okay, the two of you can try to save the Yao n tonight. If you satisfy me and put me in a good mood, perhaps I might help you drag the Yao n from the brink of death."


    Jiu Niang took a deep breath. As if making up her mind, she turned to the schr in azure and said, "Zhong Kui, this matter has got nothing to do with you. I know you have some skills, so flee if you can in a moment. Don''t worry about us."


    She then looked up at Chen Ping''an, and was just about to say something to the young boy.


    However, Chen Ping''an had already smiled and said, "Innkeeper, what did you say to me before?"


    Jiu Niang was slightly puzzled, and this caused her to fall silent for a moment.


    "The road of life might be narrow, but the wine bowl is assuredly wide," Chen Ping''an murmured to himself.


    The road was narrow, so he hade across the Yao n that was affiliated with that locust leaf.


    The road was narrow, so he hade across these people who acted wantonly and wished to sever everyone else''s roads.


    However, this didn''t matter because the green plum wine here was delicious.


    "I''ll need to trouble the four of you today," Chen Ping''an said in a soft voice.


    Under the watchful gazes of everyone, four people walked out from the room behind the young boy in white.


    Wei Xian, the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, walked out first, and there was a stern expression on his face as he said, "There''s no need to be polite."


    Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian walked out next, and the hunchbacked old man stood on the other side of Chen Ping''an with his hands sped behind his back. "There was no need to say that, Young Master," the old man chuckled.


    A stunningly beautiful woman stood beside Wei Xian with Deep Infatuation strapped to her back. She was none other than Sui Youbian, the female sword immortal from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. She appeared cold and aloof as she said, "Thank you for lending me this sword, Young Master."


    Finally, there was Lu Baixiang, the tall and sturdy founder of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land''s demonic force. He was standing beside Zhu Lian, and his hands were resting on the hilt of his saber whose tip was digging into the floor. He smiled faintly and remarked, "Young Master, this saber is quite impressive. Its name, Halting Snow, is quite good as well."


    At the very end, a soft and weak voice sounded and asked, "What about me, Dad?"


    "Go back to your room and keep reading!" Chen Ping''an replied in slight helplessness.


    "Oh, okay then."


    The skinny little girl closed her door and started to read at the top of her lungs, causing the sagely principles in the book to reverberate throughout the inn.


    The schr on the first floor listened to the loud recitation of the little schr on the second floor.[1]


    Apart from the little schr reciting, however, there also stood Chen Ping''an, Wei Xian, Zhu Lian, Sui Youbian, and Lu Baixiang.


    1. There''s meant to be a pun here, where "schr" (����) is homonyms with the sound of reading (����). Both are read "sh��sh��ng" in Chinese, with the same tones as well. ?

 Chapter 335: Standoff Between the Imperial Court and the Regional Force

    Chapter 335: Standoff Between the Imperial Court and the Regional Force


    There were all kinds of people in the inns near the border tonight.


    Yao Lingzhi''s breathing became heavy when the five people walked out of Chen Ping''an''s room.


    This was simply inconceivable for her.


    Her feeling of dread toward the young subordinate was thebination of manyplicated emotions. She was a frail young girl facing a man with ulterior motives, she was a lower-ranked person feeling respect and fear toward a higher-ranked person''s intangible aura of power and influence, and she was an innately good person who would instinctively distance herself from evildoers.


    However, Yao Lingzhi''s sense of suffocation was very clear and direct when she faced those five people on the second floor.


    It was as if she were a rabbit or deering across tigers and bears in the mountain; as if she were a fish or shrimping across flood dragons in the river.


    Yao Lingzhi had already served as a scout for three years in the border army. Not only that, but she had also engaged in two life-and-death battles. Even so, she had never thought about retreating, not even once. That being the case, she shouldn''t be feeling these emotions at this moment.


    She was the most prodigious martial arts talent in this generation of the Yao n, and had already reached the fourth tier even though she was only fourteen years old. Moreover, she had the chance to advance even further. Regardless of whether she advanced to the fifth tier when she was fifteen or even seventeen, she was still a legitimate prodigy.


    Yao Lingzhi was one of the best-quality unpolished jades in the army and the cultivation world, so she could definitely unleash a spectacr radiance once she was slightly carved and polished. No one doubted her ability to easily reach the seventh or eighth tier in the future, and everyone expected her to be a martial arts grandmaster who could watch over an entire region in the future.Thebat power and destructive ability of elites from the army was especially high. No one doubted this fact.


    In the cultivation world, grandmasters often battled those at a simr level to them. On the battlefield, however, elites sought to be formidable warriors who could rival hundreds or thousands of enemies by themselves.


    Yao Lingzhi tightened her grip on an item that looked like a silver ingot. This was a ludicrously expensive Militarian armor pellet. It wasn''t the Dew Armor that Qi refiners from the mountains joked about in disdain and referred to as Puddle Armor. Instead, it was a higher-tier Golden Crow Armor, a kind of Pond Armor. It was a genuine immortal treasure. Judging from this, one could see the lofty hopes and expectations that the Yao n''s border army had ced in Yao Lingzhi.


    The young subordinate looked up at the five people on the second floor, smacking the table in mock anger and questioning, "You''re attempting to frighten me through numbers?"


    However, a smile was tugging at the corners of his lips as he spoke.


    Three tables of his people were inside the inn, and also hundreds of elite cavalry were stationed outside the inn. Perhaps feeling like he was being too shameless at this moment, he eventually couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    The two tables of elite soldiers also started to chuckle.


    They didn''t take themotion on the second floor seriously at all. Even though the five people all possessed powerful auras��powerful enough to astonish them��what did this matter?


    They were nothing more than simple brutes from the cultivation world.


    Those in the Great Quan Empire''s cultivation world had already lost their spine long ago. They were like servile dogs thaty outside the imperial court and furiously wagged their tails to beg for mercy.


    And the person who had personally snapped and shattered the spine of the entire cultivation world was coincidentally sitting in the inn right at this moment.


    He wasn''t here for a simple holiday.


    The innkeeper with the nickname Jiu Niang didn''t breathe a sigh of relief because of Chen Ping''an''s appearance.[1] Instead, she felt increasingly solemn and anxious.


    Third Grandpa had already revealed his identity to these people just then, yet they had still insisted oning here to force them into submission. It was clear that they were targeting them because of their surname, Yao.


    If Jiu Niang and the others entered a conflict with these people, the most frightening oue would be these people bing serious and targeting the entire Yao n.


    Third Grandpa, the hunchbacked old man, stood behind the kitchen curtain and nodded at Jiu Niang.


    A bitter smile appeared on her face. It was clear that the young subordinate wasn''t acting unreasonably because of the wine. Rather, it was very possible that he harbored ulterior motives and was trying to cause a conflict. He was potentially trying to frame and destroy the entire Yao n.


    Jiu Niang understood that inaction was the best action for the Yao n during these tumultuous and uncertain times. Because of this, she and her inn needed to restrain themselves wherever they could. However, could she persuade the five people on the second floor to retreat at this moment? They were stepping forward to help her, so could she tell them to fall back and shrink into their shells like turtles? Jiu Niang couldn''t bring herself to do this.


    Zhong Kui, the schr in azure, appeared slightly puzzled as he asked, "These people are?"


    "They''re esteemed guests from the capital. We can''t afford to offend them," Jiu Niang replied with a bitter smile.


    Zhong Kui nodded in understanding, and he hesitated for a long time before opening his mouth to say something.


    However, Jiu Niang cut him off and said in helplessness, "Please, Zhong Kui, I''m begging you, don''t cause trouble and make things even worse than they are. The situation is already troublesome enough, so I''m not in the mood to entertain you right now."


    Zhong Kui sighed in response. Sure enough, however, he didn''t say anything else.


    Chen Ping''an looked down at the first floor and asked, "To pick on the innkeeper, a woman, like this... Is this not unfair?"


    The young subordinate chuckled and replied, "She''s running a business here, so is it unfair to ask her to serve her customers some wine?"


    Chen Ping''an pointed at the young man''s heart and said, "Ask your own conscience."


    The young man faltered upon hearing this. However, he quickly grabbed his wine bowl and drank arge mouthful of wine before wiping his mouth and chuckling, "I would have definitely stopped to ruminate on these words if the Confucian academy''s Mr. Chu were the one who had uttered them. You, however? Are you worthy of speaking these words?"


    "Principles are principles no matter who speaks them. Is this not the case?" Chen Ping''an asked with a smile. "Does it make a difference whose mouth these wordse from? You''re simply someone who picks on the weak and fears the strong, aren''t you? If someone possesses greater strength than you, I assume you''ll listen to them regardless of whether they''re right or wrong, am I correct?"


    The young man nodded and replied, "I can ept these words. They do indeed make sense."


    He then threw his wine bowl aside with a casual toss and raised his hand high into the air, spreading his fingers apart before gently clenching them into a fist. "Then let''s have a go and see who''s stronger? I want to see how many people dare to challenge me in the territory of the Great Quan Empire."


    Jiu Niang was worried about Chen Ping''an being young and reckless, resulting in him attacking first and suffering a big loss as well as being in the wrong at the same time. Thus, she hurriedly said in warning, "Please don''t be impulsive, Young Master. These people are here on official duty from the capital, and they''re acting under the orders of an imperial decree. Even if you''re in the right, you''ll still end up in the wrong if you carelessly attack them first."


    A dark look appeared in the young subordinate''s eyes, and he turned to Jiu Niang and scolded, "Shut your trap! Does a slutty widow like you have the right to interrupt me? Do you know who I am?"


    Jiu Niang''s expression was livid.


    The young subordinate pointed at Jiu Niang before pointing at Chen Ping''an, and he chuckled coldly, "Jiu Niang from the Yao n, you''re secretly joining forces with a foreign power and attempting to hijack the prisoner carriages. This is a reprehensible crime."


    Jiu Niang was filled with grief and indignation, and she finally couldn''t suppress her emotions any longer, shouting in fury, "Just who the hell are you, you little bastard?!"


    The young subordinate pointed at himself and asked with an innocent expression, "Me? A little bastard?"


    He cleared his throat and straightened his cor before smiling faintly and continuing, "ording to Lady Yao''s usation, Gao Shizhen is indeed an old bastard. Haha, isn''t this funny? I''ll definitely repeat this joke to Gao Shizhen when I return home."


    Jiu Niang exchanged a nce with the hunchbacked Third Grandpa, with both of their hearts jolting at the same time.


    Duke Gao Shizhen!


    He was thest remaining duke of the Great Quan Empire, and was a deeply trusted subject of the current emperor.


    The Great Quan Empire had enjoyed peace for a long time, with the Imperial Liu n having ruled the nation for more than two hundred years already. When founding the empire, the first emperor had bestowed three people with the title of county king and seven people with the title of duke. However, only Duke Gao Shizhen''s hereditary title had managed to survive until today. As for the others, the descendants of those ns had already used up the fortune that their ancestors had risked their lives to obtain.


    Duke Gao Shizhen only had a single child, and had only gained this son in rtively old age. His son was none other than Little Duke Gao Shuyi, someone who was renowned for his domineering nature in the capital and throughout the imperial court. He had caused huge trouble after huge trouble, yet he had always escaped punishment and remained safe and sound thanks to his ancestral blessings. In fact, the emperor was more lenient toward Gao Shuyi than he was toward the many princes and princesses.


    Thus, there was a popr saying in the officialdom of the capital: The earth will shudder and the mountains will shake when the little duke leaves his home.


    He was such a notorious good-for-nothing descendant of a powerful person, so how was he sent on this mission to the south? Even though the emperor gave preferential treatment to Duke Gao Shizhen''s family, his wisdom meant that he definitely wouldn''t treat this mission with such carelessness.


    The most fearless troublemaker person in the Great Quan Empire was most likely Gao Shuyi, this unruly young man.


    Song Xiao was a brilliant general and the head minister of the Ministry of War, yet he had only been able to scold Gao Shuyi as a troublemaker after his grandson was bullied and harassed by this little duke.


    Standing behind Chen Ping''an on the second floor, Wei Xian quietly exined the duke''s background and position to the young boy.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding. Just as everyone thought that he was going to retreat in the face of difficulty, he immediately used a Land-Shortening Talisman and jumped down from the second floor, arriving before Little Duke Gao Shuyi in an instant.


    ��������


    On the road outside the inn, a cavalryman was sitting behind a carriage driver and chewing on some hard-to-swallow rations. He asionally lifted his canteen to take a gulp of water.


    He looked up, and saw a messenger pigeon flying out from the inn. Someone immediately sprinted over and waited for the cavalryman to issue hismand. There was a snow-white and majestic-looking falcon on this person''s shoulder.


    However, the cavalryman waved his hand and said, "Ignore it."


    The person silently retreated.


    The cavalryman was none other than the messenger who had informed the inn of their imminent arrival just then. The carriage driver was sitting extremely straight, not daring to move at all.


    An old man pushed the carriage curtain aside and asked with a smile, "Why didn''t you enter the inn with them, Your Highness?"


    The cavalryman smiled and shook his head.


    Self-discipline was a profound subject.


    To descendants of royal families like him, controlling and using other people wasn''t very difficult. He had witnessed and experienced this control since a young age, and he could also learn many valuable lessons from the history books.


    There were two Qi refiners sitting cross-legged inside the carriage, one old and one young, and they were responsible for guarding one of the most important prisoners and escorting them to Mirage City, the capital of the Great Quan Empire. The person who had posed the question to the cavalryman just then was an old man in his eighties. He was wearing a purple Daoist robe, and there was also fish tail hat on his head. He held the end of a rope in one hand and a fly-whisk in his other.


    The prisoner had disheveled hair and was drenched in blood, and his head was hanging low as he remainedpletely silent. His appearance couldn''t be seen clearly.


    His golden robes were in tatters, and something simr to golden vajras had been nailed into his wrists and ankles.


    Apart from these, there was also a pitch-ck rope tied around his neck, with the other end of this rope resting in the old Qi refiner''s hand.


    However, the most pitiful thing about the prisoner was the fact that a flying sword had pierced through his be and was sticking out from the back of his head. Indeed, the flying sword remained in his head just like that.


    This important prisoner was an official deity of the mountains and rivers. He had once been a Qi refiner at the peak stage of the seventh tier, and hisbat power would rise to at least the eighth tier when he was inside his own jurisdiction. He was like the ruler and sage of an area, and he could even hold his own against ninth tier, Golden Core Tier, immortals. However, he had now been reduced to this miserable state for some unknown reason.


    Apart from the old Daoist priest, there was also a young woman sitting inside the carriage and guarding the prisoner. There was affection in her eyes as she gazed at the cavalryman, and her feelings toward him were clear even though she didn''t speak.


    The young woman could only be regarded as delicate and pretty, yet her disposition was incredible and her skin was paler than snow. Compared to the mortal interpretation of beauty, she was more capable of "withstanding scrutiny." After all, mortal beauty was ultimately nothing more than surface-level beauty in the eyes of cultivators from the mountains. Mortal beauty was the beauty of mortal flesh, one with rough skin, pungent smells, and all kinds of imperfections that couldn''t withstand scrutiny.


    The cavalryman suddenly turned his head to look toward the inn, with a seemingly surprised expression appearing on his face.


    The old Daoist priest was also slightly astonished, and he remarked, "What an astounding martial arts aura! Moreover, there''s this many of them? Just how many powerful individuals are hiding in this small inn on the border? Perhaps Little Duke was correct by ident? Perhaps the elites of Northern Jin Nation are truly taking a huge gamble and attempting to rescue the prisoners?"


    "Should I leave to warn the duke?" the young woman asked in an uncertain voice.


    The cavalryman shook his head and replied with a smile, "Thend underfoot belongs to the Great Quan Empire, so how can we face any danger unless the Yao n truly decides to rebel?"


    An intense glimmer shed across the old Daoist priest''s eyes, yet he remained silent and didn''t say anything else.


    A moment passed, and he was just about to make anotherment. However, the cavalryman had already hopped off the carriage and was directly walking toward the inn.


    After the cavalryman walked a fair distance away, the young woman who hailed from an immortal n in the mountains asked in a soft voice, "Master, Little Duke is forcing those members of the Yao n into a corner, yet His Highness isn''t restraining Little Duke at all. Will things truly be fine?"


    The old Daoist priest waved his hand and dismissed, "Anyone in the world might be a rebel and a traitor, and the only exception is the Yao n. They''ve already been loyal subjects for too long..."


    A cold smile tugged at the corners of the old Daoist priest''s lips as he continued, "...And they''ve already grown addicted to this status and sensation."


    The prisoner suddenly lowered his head even further,ughing with delight as he eximed, "You''re actually speaking about loyal officials and pir border generals in such a mocking tone? So what if your Great Quan Empire is the dominant force right now? Will you be able to maintain this power?"


    "You still dare to speak so stubbornly?"


    The old Daoist priest flicked his wrist, causing the pitch-ck rope to instantly tighten around the prisoner''s neck. The prisoner''s entire body started to shake, yet he still grit his teeth and refused to make a sound.


    Meanwhile, there was a sudden and unexpected turn of events in the inn.


    A young boy dressed in white robes suddenly materialized on the first floor.


    A sense of foreboding welled up in Little Duke Gao Shuyi''s heart, and he was just about to retreat in fright. However, all he saw was a blur as the young boy reached over and grabbed his shoulder.


    On the nearby table of three people, the eunuch in bright red official garb continued to enjoy his green plum wine, paying no heed to themotion on the first floor.


    Meanwhile, the esteemed immortal wearing a tall hat and the general suited in silver armor had already shot up from their seats, wanting to rescue Gao Shuyi. However, they quickly stopped in their tracks.


    This was because a blood-red sword had flown down from the second floor with its owner. The de was hovering between the two tables, and the sword tip was directly pointing at the esteemed immortal wearing the tall hat.


    The general in silver armor stopped and turned around, only to see someone take several steps on the second floor, a wide smile on their face as they gripped the hilt of their saber. Halting Snow was on the verge of being drawn.


    The short man, Lu Baixiang, hopped over the railing andnded near the entrance of the inn. It was as if he wanted to block the small army of several hundred cavalry by himself.


    Meanwhile, the hunchbacked Zhu Lian was squatting on the railing and smiling with squinted eyes. He looked down and set his sights on the calm eunuch.


    The eunuch in bright red official garb looked to be in his thirties, yet he was actually an old man in his eighties already. He was one of the few martial arts superior grandmasters in the Great Quan Empire, and was widely regarded as the imperial guard of the Great Quan Empire''s imperial city. Ever since he shot to fame, the Great Quan Empire, which had once been haunted by many ghosts and spirits, no longer experienced any supernatural phenomena. It was as if all of the ghosts and spirits had gone into hiding.


    However, the true power and influence of this eunuchy somewhere else. Back then, he had recruited arge group of subordinates from the cultivation world to target a dozen or so of the most top-notch martial arts forces inside the Great Quan Empire. He had eradicated them one by one, drowning the entire cultivation world in blood and chaos for three years.


    Many people had attempted to assassinate the old eunuch, regardless of whether they were from righteous forces or sinister forces. However, all of them had suffered the same fate, meeting their demise before they could seed.


    Of the two people who had shared a table with him just then, the esteemed immortal wearing a tall hat was called Xu Tong. He was the current leader of the Flora Convent, and he was skilled at lightning-element techniques and also able to summon ghosts and deities to assist him. He was also adept at alchemy, and nobles and officials in the Great Quan Empire would fervently fight over the alchemical pills that he refined.


    The general in silver armor was called Xu Qingzhou, and he was one of the most powerful elites serving in the army of the empire. He was yet to reach forty, yet his martial arts prowess had already reached a zenith. The saber by his waist, Modesty, was also an extremely precious Militarian treasure that was incredible at both offense and defense. General Xu Qingzhou would definitely lead the charge in battle, cutting down his enemies and sweeping away all obstacles.


    Gao Shuyi channeled his Qi and tried to break free. However, his struggle was a futile one.


    He wasn''t afraid, however, and the smile on his face grew even wider as he asked, "Is the Yao n genuinely trying to revolt?"


    Chen Ping''an tightened his grip slightly, causing a sharp pang of pain to shoot through Gao Shuyi''s shoulder. However, the little duke still tried his best to maintain his smile.


    "I''m merely a passer-by, so I can simply flee to Northern Jin Nation after killing you, someone who likes to provoke me so much for whatever reason," Chen Ping''an said. "As for the Yao n and whether they''re rebelling or not? You can sling as much mud as you want. It''s not like I can stop you or anything."


    Who would believe this nonsense?


    Gao Shuyi bared his teeth as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "Heh, then kill me if you''re so capable."


    Chen Ping''an stared intently at him.


    Gao Shuyi''s voice was extremely quiet as he whispered to Chen Ping''an, "Do you know what? It''s that mother and daughter''s fortune that I''ve taken a fancy to them. Otherwise, they''ll be sent to a high-ss brothel once the Yao n is eradicated, and they''ll be prostitutes freely enjoyed by anyone. You can also have a taste of their bodies when that timees."


    Little Duke Gao Shuyi had only just finished speaking, yet Chen Ping''an''s fist had already arrived in front of his face.


    It directly smashed into Gao Shuyi''s forehead. The punch was strong and sturdy, and was much like a boulder mming into a city wall.


    Gao Shuyi''s head whipped back.


    The jade pendant hanging from his waist glowed with a five-colored radiance that instantly flew up and gathered around his forehead, yet Gao Shuyi still lost consciousness due to the power of the punch, with white frothing from his mouth.


    Cracks appeared on the surface of the life-saving jade pendant.


    Chen Ping''an was still gripping Gao Shuyi''s shoulder, so this caused the little duke''s head to sway back and forth like a swing. Chen Ping''an immediately threw a second punch.


    This was a simple attack, yet it was one that would affect the entire situation.


    There was a loud p.


    The eunuch in bright red official garb smacked his chopsticks to the table before ordering in an effeminate voice, "That''s quite enough, youngd."


    Even though his impression of the scheming and cunning little duke was only so-so, he still couldn''t allow Gao Shuyi to be ruthlessly beaten to death in front of his very eyes.


    Esteemed Immortal Xu Tong and General Xu Qingzhou both breathed a long sigh of relief when they heard the eunuch speak up.


    However, Chen Ping''an''s punch didn''t stop.


    Gao Shuyi''s ancestral jade pendant shattered into pieces.


    Gao Shuyi surprisingly regained consciousness following the disintegration of his jade pendant. His face was beet red and his eyes were bloodshot, and he bellowed with a twisted expression, "Fucking bastard, I''m definitely going to kill you along with the Yao n!"


    The eunuch in bright red official garb abruptly stood up in rage. Just how many years had it been? Yet, someone still dared to act so wantonly in front of him?


    "Stop!" Jiu Niang shrieked.


    Chen Ping''an turned his head to look at her, and he could see the deep anxiety in her eyes as she lightly shook her head. She wanted to exin the situation, yet didn''t dare to reveal the truth, so she could only say, "Please calm down and discuss things in a civilized manner, Young Master. Let''s sit down and talk over things slowly. I''m sure that the little duke is only joking with us."


    However, the enraged eunuch ignored her words and directly delivered the final judgment, announcing, "There''s no need to discuss any further. The Yao n has joined forces with Northern Jin Nation to start a rebellion, so the punishment is death!"


    As he spoke, the eunuch held two fingers together and swiped them across the table.


    First and Fifteenth burst out from Chen Ping''an''s Sword Nurturing Gourd, shattering the two chopsticks that were shooting through the air like lightning.


    Chen Ping''an''s third punch sent Gao Shuyi flying back. Wei Xian shuffled aside, allowing the little duke to fly out the door and crumple to the ground outside the inn.


    The young cavalryman had just arrived near the inn, and was temporarily transfixed with shock as he looked at the corpse on the ground. He was clearly unable to believe his eyes.


    Chen Ping''an turned to Jiu Niang and asked, "Do you know why Old General Yao almost fell victim to an assassination attempt? It''s because the Yao n is too soft. Someone clearly believes that the Yao n will only dare to seethe in silent anger even if Old General Yao is killed."


    It was as if Jiu Niang didn''t hear Chen Ping''an''s words, and her expression was dazed as she murmured, "He''s dead... You killed him just like that... The duke will definitely go crazy, and the emperor will definitely be furious... The Yao n is done for..."


    Third Grandpa, the hunchbacked old man working as a cook in the inn, was also at aplete loss.


    There was shock and horror on Yao Lingzhi''s face.


    The inn fell silent bar for the listless sound of the skinny little girl reading in her room on the second floor.


    It was also at this moment that the impoverished schr in azure patted Jiu Niang''s shoulder. He clearly had his back to Chen Ping''an, yet his voice clearly sounded in Chen Ping''an''s mind, saying, "Feel free to kill as many of them as you want. I''ll take responsibility for burying them."


    1. Jiu Niang (����) literally means Ninth Ma''am. ?

 Chapter 336: Always a Time When Reason Is Ineffective

    Chapter 336: Always a Time When Reason Is Ineffective


    Chen Ping''an was slightly skeptical of the impoverished schr''s words.


    The old Daoist priest in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had once led him through the blessednd and allowed him to witness all kinds of people and emotions. Chen Ping''an was somewhat familiar with the ego of an imperial court, so he had already prepared to flee to the south before making the decision to throw hands. Even so, it was still possible that Qi refiners from the Great Quan Empire would hunt him for thousands of kilometers.


    Moreover, it was definitely difficult for the impoverished schr surnamed Zhong to deal with this troublesome matter. This was the case even if he happened to be from one of thergest sects in Parasol Leaf Continent such as Parasol Leaf Sect, Jade Tablet Sect, nchette Writing Sect, or Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    As for whether this schr in azure was from a Confucian school or a Confucian academy? Chen Ping''an was more inclined to believe that he wasn''t. This was because in Chen Ping''an''s experience, virtuous schrs and noble schrs from Confucian academies were both unwilling and not allowed to carelessly interfere in the private affairs of mortal empires, unless the issue pertained to the legitimacy of the empire.


    In any case, Chen Ping''an appreciated the schr''s goodwill.


    However, he wasn''t so careless as to turn around and look at the schr, lest he alert his enemies to theirmunication.


    Right now, Chen Ping''an was most apprehensive of the eunuch dressed in bright red official garb. The eunuch''s spiritual energy was abundant and had already reached an impressive state of being "watertight." It was as if antern was hanging in his dantian and illuminating his acupoints, flickering with each long and calm breath that he took. It was brighter for longer than it was dim, yet it was unable to maintain this brightness for extended periods of time. Even though the eunuch wasn''t a genuine Golden Core Tier earth immortal, it was very likely that he was only a small step away from bing one.


    Of course, this small step also implied a gulf that was asrge as the distance between heaven and earth. There was amon saying in the mountains: "Those who form a golden core will be one of us."


    However, only earth immortals from the mountains had the right to utter these words. To all Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers and all pure martial artists under the Wing Formation Tier, those who had formed half a golden core were still extremely lofty beings. Their each and every action was filled with astonishing might.Outside the inn, or from the perspective of Wei Xian, who was standing at the door...


    Several Qi refiners gracefully hovered over andnded beside the young cavalryman. Among these Qi refiners was the old immortal in his eighties from the carriage as well as the young female cultivator.


    Behind the dozen or so Qi refiners, the hundreds of elite cavalry rapidly left their current formation andpletely encircled the small inn, holding specially crafted imperial crossbows in their hands. Reports needed to be made to the Ministry of War each time these weapons were taken out of storage, and there also existed many checks and bnces to carefully inspect the damage, destruction, or loss of these weapons.


    The young cavalryman squatted down, looking at the wide-eyed corpse of his good friend of many years. Gao Shuyi''s face was filled with shock, terror, and confusion. The young cavalryman gently ran his hand over the little duke''s face, closing his eyes once and for all.


    It was abundantly clear that he was the true leader of this group. Meanwhile, the corpse on the ground��Little Duke Gao Shuyi who had already drowned to death in the cultivation world��was only his studypanion. In reality, Gao Shuyi wasn''t the only person with such a status.


    There were two other young men inside the inn, and they were both the prince''s studypanions. They weren''t officials, and didn''t receive a sry from the imperial court either. Rather, they were descendants of wealthy ns who hoped that their prince would one day be the crown prince. Of course, it would naturally be even better if he could directly go from prince to emperor.


    The young cavalryman was Liu Mao, the third prince of the Great Quan Empire. Even though the first prince and the second prince had extremely good reputations among the schrly officials and military generals, respectively, Third Prince Liu Mao was the favorite prince of the emperor right now.


    Moreover, there were rumors in the streets and alleys that the third prince had liked to secretly leave the imperial court and journey around the world ever since a young age. Each time he returned home, he would always bring with him a bucketload of stories from the cultivation world and country regions that were sure to amuse the emperor.


    Not only that, but Third Prince Liu Mao''ste mother had also been the emperor''s favorite concubine in the past. She had passed away very young, so Emperor Liu Zhen was an extremely doting father to Liu Mao. As a consequence, he was also very generous toward Liu Mao''s studypanions, youths who had been selected and sent over by old officials such as Gao Shizhen.


    Liu Mao stood up and instructed someone to carry Gao Shuyi''s corpse away. He then looked at the inn and asked in puzzlement, "I''m quite confused right now. You''re trying to save the Yao n, so why did you insist on killing the son of the duke? Why didn''t you wait for a moment longer until the messenger pigeon from the inn delivered the news to the Yao n? Why didn''t you wait for Old General Yao to arrive and resolve the situation? Is there still room for negotiation now that you''ve killed Gao Shuyi?"


    Wei Xian found this fairly interesting as he leaned against the doorframe.


    Yao Zhen, the Great General of the South, had just faced an assassination attempt and been seriously injured. Thus, he might not have rushed to the inn personally even if he received news of the situation. Instead, he would have most likely dispatched a trusted descendant of the Yao n over to mediate with Gao Shuyi, who was barking and biting people like a crazed dog.


    The scheming third prince of the Great Quan Empire had used the beautiful excuse ofing here to taste the renowned green plum wine. However, it was clear that he was here to lead a sheep in his desired direction. And who was this sheep? It was naturally Yao Zhen, the leader of the Yao n''s cavalry and someone who wielded massive power and influence on the borders.


    Gao Shuyi hadn''t feigned all of his unruly and domineering nature. Thus, it struck just the right bnce for him to step forward and provoke all of the descendants from the Yao n except for Old General Yao Zhen. If Yao Zhen personally came to the inn, however, then Gao Shuyi wouldn''t be suited to this role anymore. He wasn''t Duke Gao Shizhen, after all, and his seniority was lower than that of Yao Zhen as well.


    On the other hand, Gao Shuyi could wantonly threaten and abuse the descendants of the Yao n as long as Yao Zhen didn''te. Thus, it wouldn''t make any difference regardless of how many descendants from the Yao n came. They would simply be wasting their own strength and adding fuel to the fire, causing the situation to be even direr.


    Wei Xian dared to assert that Emperor Liu Zhen, who had already been absent from several important asions such as the champion schr''s banquet and the spring and autumn grand ritual this year, was either critically ill or had encountered significant political issues. If thetter were true, then it was very likely that he had already lost control of the imperial court.


    The three princes should have been disying their skills andpeting to be crown prince, yet theirpetition had potentially transformed into one for the emperor''s throne. Thus, it was only natural that things would be brutal and bloody.


    The Yao n could have indeed remained a neutral force and maintained its power and influence over the border regions if Yao Zhen''s daughter hadn''t married into a wealthy n in the capital, causing the Yao n to be tied to the Ministry of Personnel''s head minister because of Li Xiling, Yao Zhen''s son-inw.


    If this weren''t the case, the Yao n could have stayed put and waited for the strange and bloody chaos in the capital to pass. When everything was over, the Yao n could dispatch a direct descendant to the capital to meet the new emperor and express their loyalty. Alternatively, they could do nothing and wait for the new emperor to tour the south, during which he would try to win over the Yao n.


    Standing outside the inn, Third Prince Liu Mao wasn''t targeting Chen Ping''an with his words. Instead, he was purposely saying them to Jiu Niang and the hunchbacked Third Grandpa.


    Things would be very interesting in the inn if they were persuaded by his words.


    Chen Ping''an was risking his life to protect the Yao n, so what would happen if the Yao n ignored his goodwill and even turned around to scold him for turning them into traitors? After stepping forward in a righteous manner to protect them, could Chen Ping''an still maintain hisposure and vigor?


    Those with a gant heart could often endure the punishment of des and mes, and promises between like-minded people in the cultivation world were worth their weight in gold, not being broken even in the face of death. However, neither of these things could endure betrayal.


    Liu Mao chuckled coldly and continued, "Perhaps you''re forcing the Yao n to rebel? You only look at the short term but don''t consider the long term or the bigger picture when dealing with gratitude and revenge, so can you truly be regarded as a gant hero of the cultivation world?"


    Sure enough...the human heart was the weakest against scrutiny and temptation.


    People were always like this. Even when trapped in a perilous situation, people would still hold onto that faint sliver of hope before their fate wasprehensively sealed.


    n Leader Yao Zhen had faced a sinister assassination attempt, yet he had ultimately managed to break free with only some injuries. Moreover, when Head Minister Li from the Ministry of Personnel had tried to resign back then, the emperor had offered a humorous reply to his resignation letter, writing, "Your freshness is but half gone; it''s too early for you to resign." Afterward, the emperor had ordered someone to deliver a few tribute fish to the Li n''s residence.


    Thebat power of the Yao n''s cavalry was still unrivaled among the numerous armies in the south. No one dared to underestimate them.


    After joining forces with the imperial court and infiltrating Northern Jin Nation for a mission, the Qi refiners who apanied the Yao n''s cavalry had most likely returned to n Leader Yao Zhen''s side already.


    It was also rumored that Li Xiling, the Yao n''s impressive son-inw, had a chance to enter Great Subduing Academy, a Confucian academy located in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Both the Yao n and the Li n were pir forces of the empire. They were upright and noble ns, so themoners didn''t suspect them of trying to incite an uprising even though they were now rted through marriage. Quite the contrary, in fact, and themoners viewed the couple as a match made in heaven. They were like a blooming flower, an extra touch on the Great Quan Empire''s formidable power. They were the subject of a beautiful story praised by many people.


    That being the case, how could the Yao n lie down and ept its destruction just like this?


    Jiu Niang''s expression changed slightly.


    A cloudy expression spread across the hunchbacked Third Grandpa''s face.


    Standing on the second floor, a hint of involuntary resentment was visible on Yao Lingzhi''s beautiful face as she looked at the young boy in white. She felt sincere gratitude toward him, yet she couldn''t help but feel annoyed at his actions at the same time.


    She wasn''t feeling this way because of her cowardly desire to live. Rather, this was due to the denseyers of spirit tablets resting inside the ancestral hall of the Yao n. More would be added each year, and each spirit tablet would contain a name beginning with Yao.


    Apart from granting their descendants the courage to fight to the death on the battlefield, the spirit tablets of these predecessors who had sacrificed themselves in battle also left behind an intangible pressure. The descendants of the Yao n couldn''t sully the loyalty of the Yao n, not even a single bit. They wouldn''t ept any blemish.


    This was human nature.


    Members of the Yao n could die, but the reputation of the Yao n couldn''t be sullied. Otherwise, would they have the face to look at their ancestors after death?


    This was tragic yet respectable.


    Chen Ping''an ignored both of Third Prince Liu Mao''s remarks.


    Liu Mao opened his mouth for the third time, saying, "Since it doesn''t look like you''ll change your mind, how about you let the uninvolved people out of the inn first? These young men are all descendants of wealthy ns in my Great Quan Empire, yet none of them arezing around and leisurely enjoying the fortune brought about by their ancestral blessing. Instead, they put themselves in mortal danger and even infiltrate enemy nations to kill our enemies. They''re the least deserving of death in a ce like this."


    He was employing reason, emotion, and the morality of the cultivation world.


    The two tables of young subordinates in the inn were all filled with indignation. They red at Chen Ping''an in fury, and this was especially the case for the three people who had sat at the same table as Gao Shuyi. They were seething with anger, and they felt a strong desire to hack Chen Ping''an''s head off. That way, they could carry his head to Gao Shuyi''s grave in the future, forcing him to "apologize" for his actions.


    Wei Xian turned around to look at Chen Ping''an, waiting for an answer. Were they going to release these people, or were they going to kill them?


    "Don''t allow a single person to leave. However, don''t target them either unless they attempt to leave," Chen Ping''an instructed.


    Wei Xian nodded with a smile.


    The eunuch in bright red official garb was the only person who could still make his own decisions even in the presence of Third Prince Liu Mao. With his uniquely effeminate voice as a eunuch, he said coldly, "They''re nothing more than a bunch of impudent fools, Your Highness. Please allow this old servant and General Xu to step forward and capture these criminals from Northern Jin Nation. So what if he''s a sword cultivator? Will trash be more powerful simply because they possess one or two flying swords?"


    Jiu Niang was just about to say something, yet the impoverished schr with the surname Zhong had already cut in front of her and consoled, "Jiu Niang, things have alreadye to this, so the matter already can''t get any worse. Why don''t we stay put and see how things turn out? You can''t change the current situation no matter what you say."


    Theme young boy standing near the curtain to the kitchen nodded earnestly and concurred, "He has uttered nothing but bullshit in his life, and this is his only statement that has a modicum of sense."


    The hunchbacked old man turned around and fumed, "You''re already a cripple, yet you want to be mute as well?"


    Theme young boy immediately shut up in fright.


    Including Chen Ping''an, all of the five people helping the Yao n were pure martial artists skilled at close-quarterbat.


    Meanwhile, with the exception of General Xu Qingzhou, both of their opponents in the eunuch and Xu Tong were Qi refiners. In addition to them, there were also the two tables of young subordinates who could only sit still in trepidation.


    On the second floor, Yao Lingzhi suddenly turned to Chen Ping''an and shouted, "Don''t kill anyone else! Or else the Yao n will be dragged to death by you!


    A door on the second floor suddenly opened, and Pei Qian glowered at the young girl and fumed, "Shut your stinky mouth, you stinky little girl. I''ll use the peerless sword technique that my dad taught me to stab you to death if you dare to criticize my dad again!"


    The skinny little girl then looked down at the first floor and asked, "Dad, what should I do now? I''ve already finished reading the book once."


    With his back facing the second floor, Chen Ping''an replied, "Then read it again."


    After pausing for a moment, he added, "If you dare to keep shouting, then you won''t be reading books in the future. Rather, you''ll be eating books."


    Pei Qian nodded earnestly and replied, "Got it, Dad! I''ll listen to you."


    The instant that Pei Qian closed her door was the instant that both sidesshed out in unison.


    From the second floor, Sui Youbian controlled Deep Infatuation in a crescent-shaped trajectory, shing at Esteemed Immortal Xu Tong''s neck.


    Xu Tong''s stable but nimble footwork was dizzying as he dodged the attacks of Deep Infatuation again and again. At the same time, he held his index finger and middle finger together and summoned abundant spiritual energy to gather to his sleeves, causing five-colored cloud patterns and lingering mist to materialize on his Dao robe. Numerous warriors d in ck armor appeared beside him.


    In fact, these warriors were nothing but empty armors, yet they were still surprisingly agile.


    Deep Infatuation could easily pierce through these suits of ck armor, yet doing so was seemingly unable to decrease thebat power of these warriors formed from talismans. Deep Infatuation pierced through one of the warrior''s "face," yet the warrior surprisingly raised its hands and tightly wrapped it around the de, leading to a sharp metallic sound as sparks flew through the air.


    General Xu Qingzhou, wearing a Militarian armor pellet, and Lu Baixiang, wielding Halting Snow, both stepped forward at the same time, crossing their des and instantly swapping positions. It was as if a silver thread were flowing from the tips of their des.


    Meanwhile, the Qi refiners standing outside the inn used seven or eight immortal tools tounch a flurry of attacks at Wei Xian who was blocking the doorway. These dazzling attacks were extremely spectacr against the backdrop of night.


    Wei Xian immediately tightened his grip on the Divine Dewbearing Armor and funneled his True Qi into it, causing the armor pellet to instantly transform into a suit of armor on his body. This was identical to what the Great Quan Empire''s General Xu Qingzhou had done.


    His fists were as mighty as dragons and as quick as lightning.


    Wei Xian''s fist aura was condensed and rapidly flowing like a waterfall, and he was also being protected by a high-grade suit of Dew Armor. However, Wei Xian didn''t choose to face the attacks from the immortals head-on, and he instead chose to deflect their attacks to the side. Countless streaks of light lingered in the air between the immortal tools and Wei Xian, ringing with crisp metallic sounds as they crisscrossed and attacked the man blocking the entrance.


    A momentter, Wei Xian waspletely enveloped by the dazzling light. However, he became increasingly courageous as he fought, with his aura also rising explosively.


    Inside the inn, the female sword immortal from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had an apathetic expression as she held two fingers in front of her chest and controlled Deep Infatuation to attack Xu Tong. She gently twirled the wrist of her other jade-like hand, causing half of the chopsticks on the table to hover into the air as if they were receiving a militarymand. They transformed into "flying swords" that streaked through the air, navigating past the ck-d warriors as they shot toward Xu Tong.


    Meanwhile, the other half of the chopsticks flew to the second floor and hovered around Sui Youbian, defending her from the elusive lightning attacksunched by Xu Tong. Each exchange would cause a chopstick to disintegrate into dust.


    Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian remained squatting on the railing, silent and stealthy.


    In his eyes, Chen Ping''an and the eunuch in bright red official garb were the only people who could decide the oue of this battle. The two of them were in tacit understanding, and they instantly unleashed their full strength right from the very beginning.


    Chen Ping''an used a Land-Shortening Talisman and immediatelyunched a punch using the Deity Drumming Technique.


    Meanwhile, the imperial guardian of the Great Quan Empire released both his yin soul and his yang soul at once, with his two Dao Manifestations appearing ethereal and intangible yet mighty and dignified.


    Not only was Chen Ping''an''s attack blocked, but his chest was struck by the eunuch''s yin soul as well. Fortunately, Golden Sweet Wine was able to prevent this from causing any serious damage. Even so, excruciating pain still shot through Chen Ping''an''s chest.


    However, Chen Ping''an remained unmoving like a mountain and stomped his foot.


    He also released his souls, and two more Chen Ping''ans appeared on the first floor of the inn. His two souls charged forward and unleashed the Deity Drumming Technique.


    One punch was followed by countless other punches.

 Chapter 337: (1): Fist Too Tough, the Punishment Wine Is Delicious

    Chapter 337: (1): Fist Too Tough, the Punishment Wine Is Delicious


    The essence of the Deity Drumming Technique was its ability to link the astral energy between separate punches. This was a profound and destined regtion like the rising sun and moon and the cycle of life and death.


    After advancing to the fifth tier and experiencing the battle in Bull Mountain, Chen Ping''an could already release his soul and split it into three. However, it was a shame that he could only maintain this state for a few seconds. Regardless,bined with his very unreasonable Deity Drumming Technique, just throwing one punch was enough. That would provide him with more than enough help.


    Chen Ping''an''s fist struck the old eunuch, and it was as if a war drum had been beaten on the battlefield. More than ten punches rained down on the eunuch in an instant, each striking flesh and releasing a dull thud.


    Chen Ping''an''s two souls returned to his body.


    He wasn''t a legitimate Qi refiner, after all, so having his soul leave his body for too long would cause him fundamental injuries.


    On the other hand, Jiu Niang, Yao Lingzhi, and the others from the inn were stunned when they saw the eunuch in bright red official garb attack. Apart from being astounded by his lofty cultivation base, they were also shocked at his ability to release his yin soul and yang soul at the same time. He was clearly an earth immortal.


    In reality, these members of the Yao n found this inconceivable because they had always been told that the imperial guardian of the Great Quan Empire was a martial arts superior grandmaster. Now, however, he had somehow transformed into an immortal from the mountains who cultivated Dao and sought longevity?


    However, this eunuch responsible for overlooking the imperial horses and reviewing and stamping imperial edicts had miscalcted one thing. He hadn''t imagined that Chen Ping''an''s immortal robe would be such a high-grade robe that was surprisingly capable of blocking attacks from his yin soul.


    Several superior grandmasters in the Great Quan Empire had been killed by this attack, where the eunuch''s yin soul would reach out and scoop away their hearts. This wasn''t as bloody as it sounded; his attack would simply cause one''s heart to dry and crack, instantly severing its connections with one''s acupoints and meridians. After death, the victims would shrivel like rotten wood. In a sense, it was simr to shattering one''s bridge of immortality.The eunuch wasn''t viewed as a martial arts superior grandmaster because he had employed some lowly illusion technique and purposely tricked his opponents. Rather, he genuinely had the makings of a superior grandmaster, with his energy vigorous and his body strong. In fact, his physique could rival those of pure martial artists at the peak of the sixth tier.


    Thus, the eunuch was extremely skilled at both close-quarterbat and using immortal treasures and mystical abilities to fight from long range. Because of this, he wasn''t afraid of others rushing over to fight him or fighting him from a distance.


    However, the eunuch quickly noticed something amiss after being struck by Chen Ping''an''s second punch. It wasn''t that Chen Ping''an''s fist aura was extremely powerful, but rather that he should have been able to dodge this attack with ease.


    The eunuch came to a realization after being struck by Chen Ping''an''s fifth punch. He was able to roughly understand the patterns and principles behind his enemy''s attacks.


    After being struck by the tenth punch, the eunuch seemingly abandoned all thoughts of trying to dodge these attacks. He didn''t shirk or retreat.


    Instead, he chose to exchange wound for wound.


    During this time, First and Fifteenth set their sights on the eunuch''s yin soul and yang soul.


    On one side, there was a eunuch in bright red official garb who looked like a pure martial artist but was actually a Qi refiner. On the other side, there was a young boy in white who looked like a sword cultivator but was actually a pure martial artist.


    Chen Ping''an and the eunuch stood extremely close to each other, with just one or two arm''s length between them as they engaged in an incredibly crude and basic fight. This was especially the casepared to Sui Youbian controlling her sword from the second floor to attack her opponent, Lu Baixiang and Xu Qingzhou swinging their sabers and causing shes of murderous saber light to shimmer through the air, and Wei Xian standing outside the door and engaged in an epic battle as numerous immortal tools and a myriad of peculiar phenomena enveloped him.


    Inparison, there was nothing special about Chen Ping''an''s fight with the eunuch apart from their speed. Their fight was nd yet incredibly deadly.


    The two tables of young subordinates had already run to the stairway to seek shelter, keenly aware that they had absolutely no right to interfere in this chaotic battle taking ce in the inn.


    Only Zhu Lian remained idle, yet he didn''t stop the young subordinates from shuffling to the stairway. In fact, he didn''t so much as spare them a single nce.


    Zhong Kui, the impoverished schr, leaned on the counter and looked at Chen Ping''an.


    He had traveled all around the world, yet he had never seen a pure martial artist assume a fist stance and attack in such a... smooth and flowing manner before.


    This boy was still young, so how was he achieving this? He had definitely embarked on many long journeys and witnessed many majestic mountains and great rivers, right?


    Killing intent, cruelty, and violence... He possessed none of these qualities, and even his will to fight for victory wasn''t very strong.


    However, his aura was somehow still very powerful.


    The impoverished schr was slightly curious. What was the fundamental purpose of the young boy''s fist technique?


    However, human strength had its limit, and suffering bacsh from his own fist intent was also a destructive way of fighting his opponent. He would wound himself while wounding his enemy. Since this was the case, and if this were the limit of Chen Ping''an''s fist technique, then it would be far from enough. Even if he risked suffering severe wounds to eventually "kill" Li Li, the hugely renowned imperial guardian of the Great Quan Empire, this would still be far from enough.


    Pure martial artists weren''t respected by the world, nor were they respected and feared by the imperial courts. Instead, everyone revered and bowed to those immortal cultivators. There was a very good reason for this.


    A single sword could shatter a myriad of mystical techniques.


    This was a popr saying in the mountains, and many people believed that it was an expression of apprehension toward the destructive ability of sword cultivators. However, this wasn''t entirely correct. The term "myriad" already described the impressive nature of cultivators.


    Sure enough, Chen Ping''an''s final punch using the Deity Drumming Technique shattered Li Li into pieces, with even the eunuch''s bright red official garb seemingly transforming into something elusive and intangible.


    However, Chen Ping''an immediately knew that he was in danger when he noticed thepleteck of blood. He immediately channeled the Deity Suppression Technique from the <em>Proper Sword Scripture</em>, using his fists instead of his sword to assume a defensive stance. He retreated once and once again.


    Thankfully, First had already appeared in front of him after shooting forward and mysteriously piercing nothing but thin air. Add to that his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, and Chen Ping''an could most likely take this opportunity to replenish his breath of True Qi.


    Majestic World wasn''t the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and both Qi refiners and martial artists here would pay close attention to their martial artist opponents and capitalize on the moment that they replenished their breath of True Qi.


    Eunuch Li Li had avoided Chen Ping''an''s powerful final punch simr to how the formation cultivator outside the Flying Eagle Fortress had used a talisman to swap positions with his disciples. Both of their techniques worked in simr ways, and it was just that Li Li had sacrificed his yang soul instead of a disciple. Eunuch Li Li was standing where his yang soul had battled against First just then, and Chen Ping''an was already nearing the limit of his power after unleashing the Deity Drumming Technique without holding back.


    Moreover, the destruction of Li Li''s yang soul only caused his iplete golden core to lose a tiny bit of its luster.


    Once again, Li Li''s yin soul reached forward with its hook-like fingers to grab Chen Ping''an''s heart. However, it was as if his hand had smashed into extremely tough rice paper as Golden Sweet Wine protected Chen Ping''an''s soul from being shattered and dispersed by this attack. The Dao robe protected the young boy''s heart, yet it was also unable to do anything else because of this. At the same time, First also became trapped inside the yin soul''s body after trying to block it. It was as if the flying sword were stuck in mud.


    Li Li had already appeared beside Chen Ping''an, and he immediatelyunched a palm strike to shatter the Deity Suppression Technique''s fist intent. He then stepped forward and used two fingers to stab at Chen Ping''an''s temple.


    Chen Ping''an slid horizontally away.


    Li Li wasn''t powerful simply because he was a pseudo-earth immortal on the cusp of advancing to the Golden Core Tier, but also because he possessed both offensive and defensive prowess without relying on external tools.


    As for whether Li Li possessed any immortal treasures and trump cards? This was very difficult to say.


    Eunuch Li Li didn''t seize the opportunity to push forward. Instead, he stood still and clenched his palm��which he had used to shatter the Deity Suppression Technique''s fist intent��into a fist. He then rapidly unclenched his fist, revealing the squirming ridges on his palm as well as the threads of bright red. It was as if the ridges on his palm had transformed into a vermilion talisman. After striking Chen Ping''an''s temple with his two fingers, Eunuch Li Li drew his fingers across his palm and said in his mind,<em>Talisman, activate.</em>


    Chen Ping''an was just about to replenish his breath of True Qi, yet he suddenly felt like arge mountain was bearing down and suppressing him. Many talismans glowing with spiritual light materialized on Golden Sweet Wine''s sleeves and shoulders.


    Blood poured from Chen Ping''an''s temple.


    "I can also throw a punch, and you can regard this as a wee present from the Great Quan Empire," Li Li said with a faint smile.


    The eunuch in bright red official garb walked forward, with hisrge sleeves billowing as he spoke. During this time, he also cocked his head to the side to dodge First which was piercing toward the back of his head. He used his fingers to pinch the flying sword, and he gently tossed it away and coincidentally struck Fifteenth hovering nearby.


    He arrived in front of Chen Ping''an with a single stride.


    Li Li ced his left palm which contained the vermilion talisman on Chen Ping''an''s chest in a seemingly casual manner. Then, he threw a punch with his right hand, striking the back of his own hand.


    It was as if a strong and heavy nail had been brutally hammered into Golden Sweet Wine.


    Chen Ping''an retreated several steps.


    Li Li followed him like a shadow, once again using his right fist to strike his left hand. Chen Ping''an''s Dao robe shuddered violently, with the spiritual energy and martial arts astral energy in its sleeves crumbling at the same time.


    Chen Ping''an retreated again and again.


    Li Li didn''t pursue Chen Ping''an this time, but simply raised his hand and grabbed the golden robe that had suddenly materialized around his neck. He tugged the golden rope forcefully, causing it to leave a bloody gash on his neck. However, Li Li paid no heed to this wound as he allowed the golden rope��most likely a demon-binding chain��to wrap around his wrist. The sleeve of his bright red official garb was already in tatters, and there was also a dark green imprint left around his arm.


    Eunuch Li Li clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "You sure have a lot of treasures on you. This is another immortal treasure, isn''t it? However, it''s a shame that you''re neither a sword cultivator nor a Qi refiner, so your mastery over these immortal treasures is indeed quite poor. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have had the opportunity to deliver my third punch so soon."


    As it turned out, Li Li''s left hand with the vermilion talisman had already clenched back into a fist after the golden demon-binding chain wrapped around his right hand. He simply pointed at Chen Ping''an''s forehead from a distance, and it was as if Chen Ping''an''s be had suffered a heavy blow, with his skin cracking and blood trickling down his face. Chen Ping''an''s head jerked backward, yet he forcefully stomped on the ground as he retreated to prevent himself from falling backward.


    A dark look shed across the depths of Li Li''s eyes. First and Fifteenth were flying around behind him and doing battle with his yin soul.


    Li Li chuckled coldly and mused, "These two little swords are just as loyal as the Yao n. However, it''s a shame that they don''t appear to be bonded to you, resulting in their power decreasing drastically. Perhaps I can take them for myself if I erase their sentience and spirituality. This is truly an unexpected surprise."


    The yin soul surprisingly grew three heads and six arms in an instant, with each of its heads having a different appearance. They no longer looked like Li Li, but rather like three deities honored in the martial sage temples of the Great Quan Empire. There was a strong-looking man with arge beard, an elegant-looking Confucian warrior, and an expressionless old man. The three pairs of arms held a pair of truncheons, a pair of axes, and a spear, all of which were formed from incense smoke.


    Even though Li Li turned some of his attention to the sh between his yin soul and the two flying swords, this didn''t hinder him from maintaining his guard against Chen Ping''an.


    Even though he hadn''t gained the initial advantage, the imperial guardian of the Great Quan Empire renowned throughout all of the nations in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent eventually managed to steady the situation and gain the upper hand.


    However, Li Li hadn''t anticipated Chen Ping''an''s response. The young boy had been struck by so many punches, with blood still continuing to flow from his temple, yet he was acting as if he weren''t injured at all. Chen Ping''an''s injuries were grave, but his energy and spirit, which was even more mystical than his fist intent, didn''t plummet as a result. Instead, they were continuing to rise?


    However, this didn''t matter; Li Li could still take things slowly and eventually exhaust the young boy. Even if Chen Ping''an threw those chaotic punches again, Li Li would at most lose his yin soul for a while. On the other hand, Chen Ping''an''s body and soul definitely wouldn''t be able to withstand this punishment.


    It wasn''t that Li Li didn''t want to finish the battle as quickly as possible, but rather that he was unable to settle the battle with a single powerful attack. If his opponent were an ordinary martial artist at the seventh tier or an ordinary Qi refiner at the eighth tier, then he could have killed them twice already.


    Elsewhere, Lu Baixiang was at a disadvantage as he fought against General Xu Qingzhou.


    Firstly, Lu Baixiang had only just walked out of his picture scroll, unlike Wei Xian. As a result, he was still unfamiliar with the abundant spiritual energy in Majestic World. Secondly, Xu Qingzhou was wearing a suit of Golden Crow Armor, so Lu Baixiang would likely have beenpletely suppressed if it weren''t for Halting Snow. This saber was a relic left behind by a deceased Nascent Tier earth immortal from Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    There were deep saber wounds on Lu Baixiang''s chest and shoulders, so deep that even his bones could be seen. However, the founder of the demonic forces in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land remained calm andposed. It was as if he were far more interested in the saber techniques of General Xu Qingzhou from the Great Quan Empire rather than defeating this person and achieving victory.


    Sui Youbian was fighting against Flora Convent''s Xu Tong, and even though she was a martial artist, the battle between them appeared more like a battle between two Qi refiners.


    However, Xu Tong was clearly treating Sui Youbian as just a sword expert. Even though Sui Youbian was a tricky opponent, she wouldn''t prove too troublesome as long as she wasn''t a sword cultivator who could nurture bonded flying swords.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xian was enjoying a hearty battle outside the inn.


    He was filled with vigorous astral energy, and with the Dew Armor that Chen Ping''an had given him, he barely felt a tickle from the few attacks that leaked through his defenses.


    In fact, all of them were paying attention to the battle between Chen Ping''an and Eunuch Li Li as they fought.


    Sui Youbian was the first to speak, asking, "Young Master?"


    The injury-riddled Chen Ping''an could only remain silent and shake his head.


    He could only hold onto his breath of True Qi, not daring to replenish it.


    "What, is that all you''ve got?" Li Li asked with a smile.


    If it weren''t for Golden Sweet Wine, the smell of Chen Ping''an''s blood would have already suffused throughout the entire inn.


    Li Li viciously smashed the vermilion talisman on his palm into Chen Ping''an''s chest, and Golden Sweet Wine was only able to block a bit more than half of the talisman''s power. The remaining power of the talisman seeped into Chen Ping''an''s chest.


    It was as if his heart were being carved out.


    The cold sweat on his forehead mixed together with the blood on his face, flowing down his cheeks and eventually pitter-pattering to the floor.


    Li Li''s killing intent became even stronger.


    He was waiting for Chen Ping''an to be genuinely exhausted. The young boy could rely on his grit and determination to forcefully suppress the agonizing pain of his wounds, so Li Li''s opportunity would onlye when Chen Ping''an''s breath of True Qi finally started to weaken and disperse. He could afford to wait, but Chen Ping''an couldn''t afford to wait.


    Due to these reasons, Li Li didn''t try to push his advantage or take any risks. He simply continued to engage in close-quarterbat with Chen Ping''an. In any case, releasing his yin soul and yang soul at once was no rxing task.


    If it weren''t for Li Li''s pseudo-golden core allowing his abundance of spiritual energy to far surpass those at the same cultivation base, then there was simply no way that his yin soul could have maintained its three-headed and six-armed martial sage form for so long and even fought against First and Fifteenth. It would have dissipated long ago and automatically returned to Li Li''s physical body.


    Li Li nced at the old man squatting on the second-floor railings out of the corners of his eyes.


    He couldn''t help but feel slightly puzzled. Why was this person idly squatting there and observing the battles the entire time?


    Seizing the fleeting opportunity when Li Li nced at Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian, Chen Ping''an started to forcefully replenish his breath of True Qi.


    Li Li chuckled coldly in his mind. <em>Putting up ast-ditch struggle? You''re going to lose this gamble.</em>


    His yin soul charged over in a sh, arriving before Chen Ping''an and chaotically swinging its six arms and five weapons at the young boy''s head.


    Meanwhile, Li Li personally dealt with the two flying swords. Countless streams of snow-white spiritual energy spilled out from his bright red official garb, transforming into something akin to arge spider web as itprehensively blocked First and Fifteenth from rushing over to rescue their owner.


    Even though these streams of snow-white spiritual energy were unable to trap the two flying swords, dying them for a brief moment already gave Li Li enough time to stride over and arrive near them. He snapped his fingers and flicked his sleeve, striking one of the two flying swords with each motion.


    Eunuch Li Li found the current situation slightlyughable.


    His young opponent was truly seeking death. As it turned out, he wasn''t replenishing his breath of True Qi at all. Instead, he had only feigned doing so in order to trick him over. However, what was the purpose? His reckless decision to step forward and defend the Yao n served no purpose, and his current attempt to y a small trick also served no purpose.


    This young boy was most likely a lofty individual from arge and wealthy n, and the many powerful subordinates apanying him had probably allowed him to enjoy a peaceful and smooth sailing life so far. Thus, he was oblivious to the profoundness of heaven and earth.


    Since Li Li had already be enemies with this person who definitely possessed an astonishing background, it only made sense that he should kill him to avoid more troubles in the future. Otherwise, the entire Great Quan Empire might face a huge challenge in the future if Li Li allowed this tiger to return to its den.


    Compared to the previous exchanges where Chen Ping''an and Li Li had swapped punches with each other, Chen Ping''an''s battle against the yin god appeared even more dangerous and startling.


    Fortunately, Chen Ping''an was no stranger to this kind of battle. After all, had he not experienced a simr earth-shaking battle when fighting against Ding Ying''s Golden Dao Manifestation in Bull Mountain?


    At that time, Chen Ping''an had only been able to defend but not counterattack. In the end, Bull Mountain had been ruthlessly shattered and destroyed by Ding Ying''s Golden Dao Manifestation.


    And now, Chen Ping''an was exchanging blows with this "measly" yin soul, with neither side willing to dodge or retreat.

 Chapter 338: Fox Town

    Chapter 338: Fox Town


    After arriving on the second floor, Pei Qian hurriedly overtook Chen Ping''an to open the door for him, acting much like ackey.


    Chen Ping''an strode inside, and Pei Qian was slightly hesitant about whether she should follow. However, Chen Ping''an had already turned around and instructed, "Ask the inn for three more rooms and tell Jiu Niang to put the bill under my name first. Also, tell Wei Xian that I''m going to cultivate in seclusion for a few days and that I won''t entertain any guests during this time. It''s best that the five of you don''t stray too far away from the inn."


    Pei Qian looked at Chen Ping''an and asked, "Are you okay?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know whether tough or to cry. He was riddled with injuries and caked in blood, so did he look okay in any way?


    "I won''t die," he replied in a casual manner.


    Pei Qian carefully closed the door and said, "Call me if you need anything. I''ll be right next door."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    First and Fifteenth hovered inside the room as Chen Ping''an retrieved a stack of cleansing talismans and stered them all around the room. After doing this, he retrieved two porcin bottles of vastly different quality. One was a red bottle from Lu Tai, containing ointment that could heal severe wounds. Chen Ping''an had personally experienced the mystical power of this ointment after the battle outside Flying Eagle Fortress.


    The other bottle contained unique secret medicine from the Yang Family''s medicine shop, and this medicine could suppress any pain regardless of how severe the pain was. Chen Ping''an hade across many spirits and ghosts during his two long trips, yet he had never encountered a situation where he had needed to use this medicine. Surprisingly, however, he was now about to use it in this small border town.Chen Ping''an took off his severely damaged Dao robe, stretching many wounded muscles and tendons in the process. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he sat down at the table and shakily popped open the in white porcin bottle from the Yang Family''s medicine shop, pouring a pitch-ck pill into his hand and tossing it into his mouth.


    He forcefully swallowed the pill, and he even grabbed his wine gourd to take a swig of green plum wine. Only then did he open the red bottle and start to apply the thick ointment on his hands, elbows, and shoulders. This was a torturous process.


    The eunuch from the Great Quan Empire had been far more powerful than Chen Ping''an had imagined. Chen Ping''an had already been careful enough when dealing with this troublesome situation, bringing not just Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian to life, but also Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian to life from their respective picture scrolls. However, he hadn''t imagined that Li Li would be so unreasonably powerful. Not only was the eunuch a Qi refiner, but he even possessed a powerful physique that could rival sixth tier pure martial artists.


    Chen Ping''an had only had three grain rain coins remaining before, but following the old Daoist priest and the young Daoist priest with the gigantic golden gourd''s lines of thought, he had decided to take a small gamble, tossing a single grain rain coin into Sui Youbian''s picture scroll, the one that he was least inclined to invest in. Sure enough, a single grain rain coin was all it took for the female sword immortal from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to gracefully walk out from the picture scroll and arrive in Majestic World.


    It was clear that the young Daoist priest had performed careful calctions and realized that Chen Ping''an would definitely leave Sui Youbian''s picture scroll tost. If it weren''t for the small lotus flower spirit setting him on the right path, Chen Ping''an''s personal preference would have been to start with Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian, then the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, Wei Zhen, the founder of the demonic forces, Lu Baixiang, and finally the sword immortal, Sui Youbian.


    If Chen Ping''an had followed this order, then spending fifteen grain rain coins on Zhu Lian would have been a hugely deting result. That being the case, Chen Ping''an might have genuinely rolled the three remaining picture scrolls up and put them away for a long time.


    Chen Ping''an sat in front of the table and closed his eyes, with his hands hanging naturally by his sides. Even though he was sitting, he visualized that he was doing so while practicing standing meditation. His breathing gradually calmed down, making him appear like an old monk entering a state of meditation and a Daoist priest entering a state of deep trance.


    Two days passed, and it was noon when Chen Ping''an changed into a set of clean clothes and finally left his room. He stood in front of the railings, and noticed something strange about the first floor of the inn. It was peaceful and calm, but it was exactly for that reason that it appeared strange.


    The hunchbacked Third Grandpa was smoking near the kitchen curtain, theme young boy was walking around the restaurant and wiping down the tables and chairs, and Jiu Niang was attending to a table of customers drinking to their heart''s content. Meanwhile, Zhong Kui, the impoverished schr in azure robes, was sitting on the door threshold with an aggrieved look in his eyes.


    If it weren''t for Chen Ping''an sensing the four sets of slow and subtle breathing in the neighboring rooms, he would have almost been led to believe that nothing had happened at all. It was as if he had nevere across the son of the duke or the eunuch in bright red official garb.


    Only two days had passed, yet it felt as if that battle had urred an entire lifetime ago. Chen Ping''an had tempered his Martial Dao during the battle of life and death, but he had received fewer benefitspared to his battle with Ding Ying in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Even so, he felt stronger emotions attached to the battle in the inn. This was perhaps rted to both his mental state and the oue of the battle.


    The first "picture scroll person" to walk out of their room was Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian. He was still hunchbacked, and he smiled as he cupped his fists at Chen Ping''an and said, "Congrattions, Young Master, you''ve obtained fortune from the misfortune."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in acknowledgment before asking, "What happened to those cavalrymen and the other members of the Yao n outside the inn?"


    Zhu Lian shuffled next to Chen Ping''an before chuckling in a soft voice, "That noble person from the Great Subduing Academy suppressed the people from all three forces once he revealed his strength. The prince outside the inn dismounted his horse and immediately led his subordinates away. He only took Little Duke Gao Shuyi''s corpse with him, and didn''t even dare to mention the corpse of Eunuch Li Li.


    "As for the slightly older prince and the border army of the Yao n that was rushing over, they didn''t dare toe to the inn at all. They immediately turned around and left. When the innkeeper and the others finally regained consciousness, Zhong Kui made up a story and said that it was Chen Ping��an whoprehensively suppressed the enemies and used your fists to make them see reason.


    "At the same time, he said that the other prince became involved as well, transforming this disastrous conflict into a negligible matter. Afterward, the noble person continued to freeload here and live off free food and free drinks. Things will be incredibly interesting if all of the schrs in Majestic World are like this."


    After exining this, Zhu Lian discussed some of the finer details of the battle.


    Chen Ping''an walked toward the stairs and asked, "Jiu Niang and the others are still in the dark about all this? Is this really okay?"


    Zhu Lian smiled and replied, "This noble person from the Confucian academy definitely gave a heads-up to all three forces already. These people aren''t allowed to reveal his identity, and he''s purposely keeping the innkeeper and the others in the dark."


    "Where''s Pei Qian?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zhu Lian pointed in the direction of Fox Town and replied, "She borrowed some copper coins from someone, and she''s currently enjoying life in Fox Town."


    Chen Ping''an furrowed his brow and walked downstairs, directly walking toward the impoverished schr sitting in the doorway. Zhu Lian didn''t follow him over, and he appeared quite like an old steward in a small residence as he sat down at the table closest to the doorway.


    Chen Ping''an sat down on the door threshold and grabbed his wine gourd, offering it to Zhong Kui.


    The impoverished schr in azure shook his head as his eyes remained firmly fixed on the innkeeper who was chatting and smiling with some customers. "No thanks, wine that isn''t personally handed to me by Jiu Niang is simply tasteless."


    Chen Ping''an retracted his hand and took a swig of wine by himself, asking, "Who were the prisoners being transported by Gao Shuyi and the others? What are their positions in Northern Jin Nation?"


    Zhong Kui didn''t hide anything from Chen Ping''an, casually replying, "I think they were remnant forces from Pine Needle Lake''s water god temple as well as the official mountain god, Jin Huang, and his wife and retainers. Anyhow, it was simply a case of a third party reaping the rewards after a conflict between two other parties. The third prince of the Great Quan Empire captured them all in one fell swoop.


    "If it weren''t for your interference, the prison carriages would most likely have gained several new members from the Yao n. However, you don''t need to worry about this anymore because I already promised you that I would clean up the mess and deal with everything else. You don''t need to worry about the Great Quan Empire treating you as an enemy. Of course, I can''t stop the third prince or the duke from feeling hatred toward you. If you can''t even handle these measly things..."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "I should be fine with handling these matters. I''m sure that it''s very unlikely for a second imperial guardian to appear in the Great Quan Empire."


    The Great Quan Empire was indeed far more powerful than Water Combing Nation and Colorful Garment Nation which were located in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    In terms of how Commandery Governor Jin Huang��whom Chen Ping''an had a fairly good impression of��had suddenly gone from a mountain god to the prisoner of a foreign nation? Chen Ping''an had already killed the azure buffalo and further dealt with his subordinates, so he wasn''t interested in anything else that happened afterward. He definitely wouldn''t stick his nose into this matter and try to get to the bottom of everything.


    When Chen Ping''an mentioned Eunuch Li Li, Schr Zhong Kui''s expression immediately became a little cloudy. It appeared as if this was a very troublesome matter.


    Upon seeing the schr fall silent, Chen Ping''an turned around to observe the situation outside the inn. However, he still felt a little worried, so he directly stood up and walked over to the official road, looking toward Fox Town. He was worried that Pei Qian would cause trouble over there.


    After a while, Chen Ping''an returned to the inn and ordered a table of food from Innkeeper Jiu Niang. He told Zhu Lian to call Lu Baixiang and the others downstairs, and they had just finished eating when Pei Qian swaggered back into the inn, appearing very happy. However, she immediately felt a little guilty when she saw Chen Ping''an, with her eyes starting to dart around in a nervous manner.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t interrogate Pei Qian about anything, and he simply asked her whether she had eaten yet. The little girl''s belly was bulging, yet she still shook her head and said no. Thus, she sat down and helped herself to the cold leftovers. Chen Ping''an walked out of the inn by himself to stroll around and rx his mind.


    When he returned, however, he discovered that a group of people were blocking the front door of the inn and loudly cursing at someone inside. It was a very lively situation.

 Chapter 339: (1): Strange Person, Strange Dream

    Chapter 339: (1): Strange Person, Strange Dream


    Around twenty people were standing at the door of the inn and cursing, and the young men had furious expressions while the women stood with their hands on their hips as they scolded someone in anger. The children around them appeared very carefree, with some of them cocking their heads and slurping on tanghulus and some of them secretly using their slingshots to shoot the curtain hanging on the doorway.


    Chen Ping''an stood among them for a while, yet he was still unable to make heads or tails of the situation because the men and women were speaking the local dialect of Fox Town. However, Chen Ping''an immediately got an idea of the situation after he saw Pei Qian standing on the second floor and looking at him with a panicked expression.


    Pei Qian had initially been squatting behind the railings of the second floor and picking her nose and picking at her ears. She wasn''t taking this seriously at all, and was even acting in an uncouth manner to disgust these people. In fact, the angrier the people outside the inn became, the happier and more amused Pei Qian would be.


    Fortunately, the men and women from Fox Town ultimately didn''t dare to enter the inn. Theme young boy was extremely irritated by themotion caused by these people, so he grumpily cleaned up the leftovers on the tables. The hunchbacked Third Grandpa was sitting in the distance and smoking, while Jiu Niang was sitting behind the counter and snacking on roasted seeds. Neither of them were worried about themotion.


    As for Zhong Kui, the impoverished schr and the half-assed ountant of the inn, he had initially wanted to act as a peacemaker between the two parties. However, a man from Fox Town had forcefully shoved him away, sending him stumbling back into the inn. Zhong Kui had huffed and returned to Jiu Niang''s side, picking up a nk ount book and pretending to work. Jiu Niang had rolled her eyes upon seeing this.


    Chen Ping''an entered the inn with a stern expression, and Pei Qian was just about to sneak away and return to her room. However, Chen Ping''an immediately called her name and told her toe downstairs.


    Pei Qian timidly walked downstairs, and before Chen Ping''an could even ask anything, she had already started to spill the beans. ording to her exnation, she had gone to Fox Town because she had wanted to look for a pharmacy to buy some medicine for Chen Ping''an. However, the children in Fox Town had started to pick on her because she was a stranger and an outsider.


    In the beginning, they had stolen her tanghulu which she had wanted to leave for Chen Ping''an. However, she had endured this because of the principles that she had learned from the books. She understood that harmony was the most important. However, those children had also enjoyed tailing her and badmouthing her, and they had done so in groups and even thrown stones at her. Pei Qian had ignored this again.


    Afterward, she had bought a dragonfly kite, yet a jealous child had snatched it away and released it into the sky. With a whoosh, the kite had flown out of Fox Town and vanished without a trace. She had been extremely angry, so she had picked a fight with those children. There were five or six of them, yet they still hadn''t been able to beat her. In the end, those children had gone crying home, asking their parents and elders to head over to punish her. However, Pei Qian wasn''t stupid, so she had hurriedly run away. In any case, that dragonfly kite had cost her twenty copper coins, yet it had disappeared just like that. She was incredibly sad, and she had searched for the kite outside Fox Town for almost half a day.


    Pei Qian didn''t feel confident as she lied, and she continued to observe Chen Ping''an''s expression as she made up her story. She was prepared to suffer punishment at any moment, and would simply protect her head when that time came. After all, it didn''t matter too much if Chen Ping''an kicked her tummy or pinched her arms. She would recover quickly from such punishment.


    However, Chen Ping''an quietly listened to Pei Qian finish her exnation before saying, "Now that you''ve finished lying, you can go on and tell me the truth. Of course, you can choose not to as well. If that''s the case, then you can stay in the inn in the future. You won''t starve to death here."


    Pei Qian didn''t say anything.


    Chen Ping''an walked over to the counter, and Jiu Niang nced at the skinny little girl standing by the staircase before smiling and saying in a soft voice, "Young Master Chen, what did you teach her to make her be such a chaotic little devil? She almost flipped an alley in Fox Town upside down. She lied to the children and stole their snacks first, and her fibs also frightened the children to no end.


    "They all became convinced that she was a princess from the capital of the Great Quan Empire, and it was just that she was living an impoverished life among themon people for the moment. However, there would eventuallye a day when she returned to the imperial pce.


    "After bing familiar with each other, she led those children around and yed wildly all day long. She pretty much became the leader of the children. However, they turned on each other due to a kite, and they eventually got into a big fight that couldn''t be resolved. In the end, I think she was hit a few times by an adult who rushed over to the scene.


    "Ordinary children will usually calm down and stop causing trouble after experiencing something like this, yet she was the opposite, and she even imed that she was a distant rtive of mine. Relying on this, she spent some money to hire a few goons from Fox Town, and she got them to beat up that man who had hit her at night.


    "She became even more unruly afterward, and the alley that most of the other children were from suddenly became haunted by a ghost. To say nothing of the children, even the adults didn''t dare to extinguish their oilmps at night. Young Master Chen, you''re also aware that Fox Town is genuinely haunted by ghosts now, so several guards stayed up the entire night to get to the bottom of the situation. Only then did they capture this little girl causing trouble.


    "And guess what? The little girl somehow got them under control as well. I don''t know what she said, but the guards were extremely polite when they brought her back. And what would you know? She genuinely appeared like a princess when she walked inside the inn guarded by those officers in official garb."


    Chen Ping''an could feel a headache forming as he turned around to look at Pei Qian. However, he didn''t see her there, and he instead only saw her legs. She was most likely sitting on the stairs.


    Jiu Niang covered her mouth and chuckled, "This is a minor matter that can be resolved with some spare change, and will at most cost ten taels of silver. Please don''t get involved in this matter and just leave it to me to deal with. You have such a good temper, Young Master, so those people will definitely take advantage of this and exaggerate the situation, turning a minor matter into the most tragic matter in the world."


    "Add it to my bill; I''ll pay it with the room fees," Chen Ping''an said in slight helplessness.


    The smile disappeared from Jiu Niang''s face, and she put on a serious expression as she replied, "Young Master Chen is the savior of the Yao n, so how can we leave such trivial matters to you to deal with? Just how ashamed would that make me feel?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and insisted, "It''s not the same thing. These two matters aren''t rted."


    Jiu Niang still wanted to say something, yet Chen Ping''an had already continued, "Then I''ll have to trouble you with resolving this situation today."


    Jiu Niang nodded and gracefully walked out from behind the counter. She then pushed the half-assed ountant aside with her elbow, retrieving some loose silver from the drawer. After doing this, she walked to the entrance of the inn to appease the angry men and women.


    There were all kinds of people in Fox Town, a border town of the Great Quan Empire. Not everyone was necessarily powerful, but being weak didn''t mean they were stupid. Many people came and went, so what interesting things hadn''t they seen and heard before? The residents of the town were quite spirited people. Moreover, it was entirely possible that there were powerful elites and cultivators concealing their identities and living in the town. For example, people like Jiu Niang and Third Grandpa.


    A huge battle had taken ce inside and outside the inn before, and the exchanges between Wei Xian and the group of cultivators had been especially spectacr and eye-catching. That had encapsted the magnificent aura of a battle between cultivators. Gazing over from Fox Town, the residents of the town had certainly enjoyed the lively atmosphere. Apart from this, however, they had naturally felt respect and reverence as well.


    Afterward, another group of impressive-looking cavalry had taken a detour and traveled north, further causing all kinds of rumors to spread like wildfire. Some people said that the foxy Jiu Niang, who liked to seduce men, was actually a real fox spirit.


    Of course, those people were mostly married women from Fox Town.


    Other people held even gloomier beliefs, positing that theck of peace in Fox Town these past few years was due to the presence of demons in the area. However, a True Dragon had passed by recently, and the conflict between the demonic aura and the dragon aura had ultimately led to that battle to eliminate the fiends and y the demons at the inn.


    Jiu Niang swayed her hips and walked to the entrance of the inn, causing the mes of fury outside to instantly subside.


    Meanwhile, Zhong Kui smiled and asked, "Since when did such a powerful faction appear in the cultivation world of Parasol Leaf Continent? Moreover, this is a cultivation world faction equivalent to sect-level immortal forces in the mountains."


    Zhong Kui chuckled to himself, seemingly convinced that his assessment was very novel and interesting.


    There was a fearless man who had blocked a small army by himself, a bloodthirsty and hunchbacked old man, a saber-wielding man who had treated General Xu Qingzhou as a sparring partner, and a breathtakingly beautiful woman who had suppressed Esteemed Immortal Xu Tong with her sword kinesis technique.


    Most importantly, the auras and cultivation bases of all four people had been rising throughout the battle.


    Of course, there was also the young boy who would manipte swords even though he wasn''t a Qi refiner. He was somewhat handsome, and had also stolen his thunder in front of Jiu Niang. Otherwise, Zhong Kui would have definitely treated him like a brother and drank and chatted merrily with him.


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before deciding to truthfully reveal, "We''re not from Parasol Leaf Continent."


    "Hmm? Then perhaps you''re from Southern Whirl Continent?" Zhong Kui asked.


    Southern Whirl Continent was extremely renowned, and even those in Parasol Leaf Continent known for their haughty nature and their fondness of belittling other elites in the world acknowledged the strength of Southern Whirl Continent, the continent that was located closest to Stctite Mountain. This was because the Pure Confucian Chen n was located there, and a man called Chen Chun''an who essentially carried the title of "Pure Confucian" by himself.


    Zhong Kui had admired Southern Whirl Continent for a long time already, and it was only due to his status in the academy and the teachings of his esteemed master that he hadn''t embarked on a journey to that continent even after so many years.


    Apart from the Pure Confucian Chen n, there were also a number of historically famousndmarks in Southern Whirl Continent. Zhong Kui wanted to visit all of them. Parasol Leaf Continent was far too boring, in terms of both the cultivators in the mountains and themoners outside the mountains. Zhong Kui didn''t like to travel around Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Chen Ping''an pointed toward the north.


    Zhong Kui''s eyes lit up, and he asked, "Are you familiar with Mountain Cliff Academy''s Mr. Qi?"


    Chen Ping''an almost choked, and was at aplete loss regarding how to respond.


    Zhong Kuiughed loudly and remarked, "It''s most likely the case that you knew Mr. Qi but Mr. Qi didn''t know you. Haha, it''s okay, it''s okay, both of us are the same."


    As for Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the closest neighbor to the north, Zhong Kui didn''t take a fancy to this continent. There was probably only a junior brother and a senior brother who were worth a mention��Mountain Cliff Academy''s Qi Jingchun with his profound knowledge, and the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan with his incredible Go skills.


    However, Zhong Kui had heard that Mr. Qi had passed away following the destruction and copse of Jewel Small World. Even Zhong Kui''s esteemed master felt great pity about this, privately telling Zhong Kui that Mr. Qi definitely wouldn''t have suffered such humiliation if he had lived in Parasol Leaf Continent. Even if worse came to worst, he wouldn''t have ended up alone with the entire world as his enemy.


    "Let''s drink and chat?" Chen Ping''an suggested with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an was willing to apany Zhong Kui and drink a pot of wine because of the impoverished schr''s mention of Mr. Qi.


    Zhong Kui nced at Jiu Niangmanding the situation at the door before saying in a low voice, "Drinking is okay, but you''ve got to stand up for me if Jiu Niang starts toin."


    "Naturally," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Zhong Kui grabbed two pots of green plum wine, and using his position as the half-assed ountant of the inn, he instructed theme young boy to bring them a few tes of small snacks


    He then sat cross-legged on the bench, not appearing very serious or dignified.


    "I heard that you''re from the Great Subduing Academy?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zhong Kui didn''t take this seriously, and replied with a casual smile, "Isn''t that right? And I''m even a noble schr. Impressive, huh?"


    Chen Ping''an offered him a toast


    A toast to the title of noble schr.


    Zhong Kui hurriedly raised a hand to stop him, yet Chen Ping''an had already downed his bowl of wine in a single gulp. The noble schr from the Great Subduing Academy wandering around the cultivation world sighed and asked, "Is this worth a toast and an entire bowl of wine? You just want to drink, don''t you?"


    Chen Ping''an was reminded of the virtuous schr Zhou Ju, whom he hade across in Water Combing Nation. Zhou Ju waspletely different from Noble Schr Zhong Kui. Back in Senior Song''s Sword Water Vi, Zhou Ju had disyed his ability to determine someone''s life and death simply by reciting a poem. It was as if his words were divinew.


    They were both schrs, yet schrs who had read different books would most likely possess different demeanors as well.


    Zhong Kui suddenly remembered something, and he asked, "The man who was blocking the Qi refiners outside the inn that night was wearing a suit of Dew Armor. If I didn''t observe wrong, it was most likely West Mountain, an armor pellet that''s described as one of the eight ancestral Dew Armors in the ancient texts of the Militarian Sect. Is it a family heirloom of yours?"


    Chen Ping''an''s heart jolted slightly, and he shook his head and replied, "No, I purchased it at Stctite Mountain''s Ganoderma Inn."


    "How many grain rain coins did you spend?" Zhong Kui asked.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and revealed, "None, I only spent some lesser heat coins. It wasn''t expensive, and I nned to give it to someone else in the future."


    Zhong Kui smiled and said, "Ganoderma Inn was unable to correctly appraise this treasure, so they allowed you to snatch a huge bargain. However, this is only normal. A mighty figure has ced a restriction on West Mountain, so if I hadn''t coincidentally read that secret book that''s close to falling apart in the academy and be familiar with the history of Militarian armor pellets, then I wouldn''t have recognized this Dew Armor either.


    "Even so, I still needed to carefully examine it for a long time before I could confirm my suspicions. I suggest that you keep it. It''s incredibly valuable, and it also has a rich history and many interesting stories. It will be a pity to give it to someone else."


    Chen Ping''an didn''tment on whether he would keep it or give it away, and he simply asked in curiosity, "Eight ancestral Dew Armors?"


    Zhong Kui grabbed a peanut and popped it into his mouth before replying, "The full name of Dew Armor is Divine Dewbearing Armor. Let me ask you this. Who is the divinity? And what dew are they bearing?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    Zhong Kui smiled and exined, "In addition to West Mountain, the seven other ancestral Dew Armors were named Buddhist Land, Flower Bud, Mountain Ghost, Water Immortal, Iridescent Light, Colorful Garment, and Cloud Sea. However, most of them were damaged or destroyed in battle. Few remain, and records only exist for two of the eight ancestral armors, Mountain Ghost and Colorful Garment.


    "West Mountain might look severely damaged, but it''s actually in good conditionpared to Mountain Ghost and Colorful Garment which have managed to remain in this world with much difficulty. If youe across someone who''s able to recognize this treasure and understand its value, then feel free to ask for as much money as you want. I guarantee that you''ll definitely make a killing.


    "However, these suits of ancestral armor have ultimately lost their fundamental power, with only less than one-tenth of their defensive power remaining. This is a true shame. We''ve got to drink a bowl of wine inmiseration."


    Zhong Kui tilted his head and raised his wine bowl, downing its contents in a single gulp.


    Chen Ping''an had no option but to drink a bowl of wine as well.


    Zhong Kui voluntarily started to discuss the battle from a few days ago, saying, "Neither of the two princes are good people, so remember to be careful and take it easy if you decide to stay in the Great Quan Empire for the next while. The regions outside the mountain naturally have their own rules, and there''s no shortage of strong people outside the mountains either. For example, the third prince hit a brick wall and suffered huge losses when he came across you."


    Chen Ping''an nodded. "I beg to agree."


    Zhong Kui suddenly chuckled and said, "You were fighting to the death with the imperial guardian of the Great Quan Empire that night, yet you''re sitting here and agreeing with my every word right now. This is quite a strange feeling. What, you''ve suffered at the hands of the academy in your hometown, so you''re afraid of my title as a noble schr?"


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but chuckle in speechlessness.


    "Before the fight broke out that day, you told the little duke that principles are principles no matter who speaks them. I think this is a very good viewpoint," Zhong Kui continued. "Even though you were quite forceful and domineering, this was reasonable in the context of the situation. You didn''t put a foot wrong. In reality, however, you were still a little... unreasonable."


    Chen Ping''an drank a sip of wine and replied, "I was left with no other choice."


    Zhong Kui nodded and said, "Indeed, that''s just how the world is. If one is living in a manure pit, then one will believe that eating shit is the most natural thing in the world. In fact, they might be unhappy if someone offers them proper food."


    Chen Ping''an was stunned upon hearing this. Was this genuinely something that a noble Confucian schr would say?


    Zhong Kui sighed with emotion and continued, "However, even if the world decays into a manure pit, this shouldn''t be a reason for us to eat shit."


    Chen Ping''an was holding a chopstick full of food in one hand and his wine bowl in his other hand, and he couldn''t help but feel slightly awkward at this moment.


    Zhong Kui noticed Chen Ping''an''s unease, so he hurriedly consoled, "We''re obviously not eating shit and drinking piss right now. It''s all delectable food and delicious wine. Don''t worry and keep eating."


    Chen Ping''an silently continued to eat and drink.


    He wasn''t exactly able to keep up with Zhong Kui''s train of thought.


    Chen Ping''an suddenly missed Little Baoping at this moment.


    Standing at the entrance of the inn, Jiu Niang was able to resolve the problem in no time.


    Right now, this inn was not only mystical but also sinister in the eyes of themoners from Fox Town. Thus, they didn''t even have the courage to storm inside the inn to cause amotion.


    Chen Ping''an thanked Jiu Niang before walking over to the stairs. Pei Qian was still sitting there and drawing circles on the floor, and she obediently stood up and followed Chen Ping''an after he called her over. Her head was lowered and her eyes were downcast, and it looked as if she were aware of her wrongdoings.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t even need to use his brain to know what the skinny little girl was thinking. She was definitely smiling in her mind, and he could already envision her air of arrogance when she swaggered into Fox Town again next time.


    Chen Ping''an sat down after entering his room. Pei Qian didn''t dare to sit down, and she closed the door before standing on the opposite side of the table.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t beat around the bush, and he directly said, "You can stay here in the future, I''ll give the inn enough money to raise you."


    Pei Qian suddenly looked up in anger, yet she immediately lowered her head again when she saw Chen Ping''an''s cold and calm expression. "I was wrong, I won''t dare to do this again. I''ll go to Fox Town and buy Little Mei a kite. I''ll buy her a big and colorful butterfly that costs forty copper coins. It looks much better than the dragonfly.


    "Little Mei and the others have already wanted to y with this kite for a long time, but even eating a skewer of tanghulu is like celebrating New Year for them, so they naturally couldn''t afford the kite. It''s going to be their lucky day."


    "Where did you get the money from?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Pei Qian looked up and blinked a few times, replying, "I borrowed it from Jiu Niang. I didn''t borrow much, and I only took two taels of silver in total."


    "And how are you going to repay this?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "We''ll add this to your bill first, and I''ll do whatever you tell me to in the future and slowly repay it to you," Pei Qian answered in a timid voice.


    "You can stay here in the future, and you can do odd jobs in the inn to slowly repay this money to Jiu Niang," Chen Ping''an said.


    Pei Qian furrowed her brows as tears welled up in her eyes.


    Chen Ping''an pointed at the door and instructed in a calm voice, "Get out."


    Pei Qian furiously wiped her eyes and shouted, "I know how it is! You''ve never liked me, but you''ve always liked that little bookworm called Cao Qinng! You were always worried about him, and if you had the choice, you would have definitely abandoned me and chosen to bring Cao Qinng with you instead!


    "You wouldn''t treat him like this if he made a mistake, and you would only exin things to him in a calm manner. Not only that, but you would also tell him not to be like me! Chen Ping''an, you''re always trying to think of ways to get rid of me!"


    Pei Qian ran out and angrily mmed the door shut behind her. She then returned to her own room.

 Chapter 340: (1): Writing as if Assisted by the Gods

    Chapter 340: (1): Writing as if Assisted by the Gods


    Chen Ping''an was unable to shake the strange dream from his mind as hey in bed.


    Previously, he had read a Confucian book in his dreams while traveling on Osmanthus Ind. What about this time? What was the profound meaning behind this strange dream? Or perhaps it was nothing more than just a simple dream? Maybe he was overthinking things?


    Chen Ping''an sat up and climbed out of bed. Since he couldn''t sleep, he decided to walk to the table to take inventory of his belongings.


    Jiu Niang had given him some confirmation in the morning. The Yao n''s convoy to the capital would pass Fox Town tomorrow morning, so Chen Ping''an and hispanions could meet them there to travel to Mirage City together.


    Afterward, they could part ways at a renowned ferry station located outside the capital, and Chen Ping''an and hispanions could continue north to Heavenly Pce Peak. Old General Yao had already arranged the necessary aliases for them, so they could continue to enjoy a smooth journey north even after parting ways.


    Chen Ping''an lit the oilmp and ced his Sword Nurturing Gourd on the table. Fifteenth flew out, and Chen Ping''an took out his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, with a slightly pained expression on his face. He was slightly pained about Golden Sweet Wine getting damaged, and he was even more pained about the coin that he needed to use to repair the Dao robe.


    He had already used up all of his grain rain coins, and repairing this Dao robe wouldn''t cost a lesser heat coin or a snowke coin. Instead, it would cost Chen Ping''an a single gold essence copper coin, one from the pouch that Zheng Dafeng had given him as a thank-you present after advancing to the next tier in Old Dragon City.


    Chen Ping''an sighed as he caressed the neatly folded Dao robe.


    No wonder people said that cultivation was something that would devour mountains of gold and silver. No one would im that they had too much money to spend.However, Chen Ping''an suddenly remembered Liu Youzhou, the young boy who had stayed at Stctite Mountain''s Ape Havoc Estate. His father was essentially the god of wealth in Pure White Continent, so perhaps only this young boy the same age as Chen Ping''an had the right to worry about having too much money.


    Chen Ping''an took out the pouch of gold essence copper coins and gently ced it on the table. He pinched the coins and ced them on the table, stacking them into a mini tower that was shorter than his palm. Chen Ping''an smiled as he did this. This tower of money was a little small and a little short. Otherwise, he would feel even happier.


    None of the incredibly valuable gold essence copper coins were Offering Coins or Greeting Spring Coins. Instead, they were all Good Fortune Coins. The characters "Ridding Evil" and "World Peace" were stamped on the two sides of the coins, yet the font of the characters was different from that of the Good Fortune Coins that Chen Ping''an had first obtained in Jewel Small World. Presumably, the casting of these coins would change every sixty years.


    While staying in Stctite Mountain, Chen Ping''an had learned a seemingly crude and simple refinement mantra from the sword-hugging man. In reality, however, it was an extremely orthodox and proper mantra. He had refined a gold essence copper coin using this mantra then, and it had only taken him fifteen minutes to bring Golden Sweet Wine back to life. Like sprouting willow branches, the broken threads of his severely damaged Dao robe had knitted back together in an extremely mystical scene.


    Chen Ping''an estimated that Golden Sweet Wine could return to its original condition in at most ten days.


    There was also another pleasant surprise, one rted to the several dragons embroidered on the Dao robe.


    In the beginning, the golden jewel held by the biggest coiled dragon and the eyes of the two slightly smaller dragons hadn''t been especially radiant. After consuming the gold essence copper coin, however, Chen Ping''an discovered that this was essentially an act of painting eyes on the dragons.[1] This was especially the case with the golden jewel, with its spiritual energy bing so abundant that it was almost as viscous as water.


    Chen Ping''an had never been fixated on spirit tools or immortal treasures, yet this discovery aroused his interest a little. This was because Golden Sweet Wine''s quality and power were experiencing a simr trend to the martial arts cultivation base of Wei Xian, Zhu Lian, and the others��it was growing.


    What was ranked above immortal treasures? Celestial tools! The Fu n was the wealthiest n in Old Dragon City, yet even they didn''t possess a genuine celestial tool after doing business and umting wealth for more than one thousand years.


    However, Chen Ping''an didn''t hold onto the extravagant hope that Golden Sweet Wine could one day evolve into a celestial tool. After all, he had no idea how many gold essence copper coins he would need to spend to achieve this. Moreover, Jewel Small World had already ceased to exist, so it was extremely likely that production of the three types of gold essence copper coins had alsoe to an end. Perhaps they would no longer appear in the world.


    Even if Chen Ping''an were fortunate enough to repair his bridge of immortality in the future, he would still need to refine five immortal treasures corresponding to the Five Elements if he wanted to advance to the Upper Five Tiers. Thus, it was entirely urate to describe this as more difficult than ascending the heavens.


    To Chen Ping''an, however, this wasn''t too bad. It was nothing more than practicing another one million punches after finishing the first one million. Everything would be fine as long as he could see the path underfoot clearly and understood where his next step should be ced. As for how long and how difficult this journey would be? This wasn''t something that he bothered himself with.


    Chen Ping''an continued to retrieve his treasures from Fifteenth.


    There was the golden schrly core that City God Shen Wen had given him, and also the remnant shards of the city god''s gold statue after he had perished from the world.


    A pile of verdant green bamboo slips could be traced back to Azure Divine Mountain, although more than half of them were already filled with lines of poetry and principles that Chen Ping''an had engraved onto them.


    There was also the snake gall pebble that the Divine Edict Sect''s He Xiaoliang had returned to him.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an retrieved the water seal that Mr. Qi had personally carved and engraved. He gently ced it in the center of the table before resting his arms and chin on the table as well. There was amon saying that mountains and waters couldn''t be separated. However, his mountain seal had been destroyed in the Flood Dragon Trench, making his water seal appear especially lonely at this moment.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly adrift, and a thought suddenly came to his mind. He wanted to buy a white jade hairpin during the next leg of his journey, and it wouldn''t matter even if the material was only ordinary. After engraving eight characters onto the hairpin, he would be able to wear it in his hair.


    He wasn''t trying to show off, and he simply thought that in his current state, he should either wear Golden Sweet Wine or wear an azure robe with a jade hairpin. He wasn''t necessarily a schr, but he could at least pretend to be a schr, couldn''t he?


    Moreover, when he returned to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and went to Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy to visit Li Baoping and the others, he would no longer need to worry about embarrassing them because of his outfit.


    After reading so many books and learning so many sagely principles, Chen Ping''an was still the fondest of those same eight characters.


    Amiable as jade should a virtuous person be.


    Upon remembering that there was a noble schr bunking down on the floor of the inn, however, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but feel a little curious about the Great Subduing Academy. If it weren''t for the fact that he didn''t want to stay in Parasol Leaf Continent and dy his journey, Chen Ping''an would have genuinely wanted to visit the Confucian academy to have a look around.


    Chen Ping''an put all of his treasures away one by one, returning them to his pocket treasure.


    In order to clear his new and old debts back then, Zheng Dafeng had given Chen Ping''an more than just a pouch of gold essence copper coins. He had also given Chen Ping''an an extremely valuable minimization treasure. It was a jade tablet with no engraved characters, making it appear as simple and elegant as could be.


    However, Chen Ping''an was ustomed to interacting with Fifteenth, and the cooperation between them was also incredibly smooth. Thus, he hadn''t used the minimization treasure this entire time. Even earth immortals at the Nascent Tier might not be able to obtain such a treasure, yet Chen Ping''an was hiding it away and leaving it unused just like that.


    The Dew Armor, West Mountain, was temporarily left with Wei Xian, the saber Halting Snow was hanging by Lu Baixiang''s waist, and the sword Deep Infatuation was resting on Sui Youbian''s back.


    The golden demon-binding chain forged from the elderly flood dragon''s whisker was far too spectacr and eye-catching, not matching the snow-white version of Golden Sweet Wine and not matching the ordinary azure robes that Chen Ping''an had purchased from the markets either. Otherwise, Chen Ping''an could have used it as a belt.


    Chen Ping''an felt very happy and at ease after putting his abundant amount of treasures away. How could one relieve their worries? Naturally through wealth and wine, of course.


    He stood up and walked over to open the window. While doing so, he suddenly noticed that the room next door waspletely silent. The soundproofing of the walls in the inn was quite poor, so Chen Ping''an could often hear the soft snoring of Pei Qian as she slept.


    Chen Ping''an thought that the skinny little girl was acting like a mouse again, sneaking downstairs to steal food from the kitchen while everyone else was asleep. He waited for approximately fifteen minutes, yet what he eventually heard was the door of the inn being opened and shut. Chen Ping''an casually flicked his finger, instantly extinguishing the oilmp on the table. It wasn''t long before he heard Pei Qian walking upstairs.


    Only when Pei Qian closed her door did Chen Ping''an finally calm his mind and relight his oilmp. He retrieved three books and started to casually flick through them.


    There was the <em>Mountain Shaking Guide</em> that he had "borrowed" from Gu Can, the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book</em> that Li Xisheng had given him, and the <em>Proper Sword Scripture </em>that Zheng Dafeng had given him.


    Chen Ping''an had already memorized the contents of these books, and apart from starting to practice the <em>Mountain Shaking Guide''s </em>sleeping meditation recently, he had also been practicing talismans and sword techniques for a while. However, he was making little to no progresspared to the period before he had identally entered the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. He didn''t have enough time or effort to focus on so many things at once.


    However, he believed that he could pick up a calligraphy brush and try his hand at some talismans from the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book </em>that were even higher grade than the Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman. He could potentially seed in a single go.


    Chen Ping''an read for the entire night, all the way until the next morning. The sun was yet to rise, yet he could already hear some faint rustlinging from next door. It wasn''t long before someone knocked on his door. Chen Ping''an put the three books away and walked over to answer the door, only to see Pei Qian packed up and dressed ready to go. She was carrying her luggage and holding her hiking pole, and there was a brilliant smile on her face as she looked up and asked, "When are we setting off for Mirage City?"


    "Didn''t I tell you to stay at the inn?" Chen Ping''an replied.


    The dazzling smile remained on Pei Qian''s face as she yed dumb and asked, "Should I wake theme boy up to make breakfast for us? We should fill ourselves up before setting off. I heard that the capital is one or two thousand kilometers away from Fox Town. It''s quite a long distance."


    Chen Ping''an was just about to say something, yet the impoverished schr suddenly walked into view, yawning as he shuffled over to smack Pei Qian on the back of the head. He was bleary-eyed as he looked at Chen Ping''an and asked, "Is the convoy from the Yao n going toe this early? Is Yao Zhen that desperate to travel to the capital to be the head minister of the Ministry of War?"


    Pei Qian was infuriated after getting smacked on the back of her head for no reason, and she raised her hiking pole and was just about to sh down at Zhong Kui''s waist. However, she nced at Chen Ping''an and immediately stopped her movements, instead grumbling in a low voice, "A noble person never resorts to violence��this is what the books say. Just what kind of schr are you? It serves you right to receive no affection from Jiu Niang. Little Lamey was right. Poor schrs are the most detestable people in the world."


    Zhong Kui ignored Pei Qian''s grumbling, and ced his hand on top of the skinny little girl''s head and chuckled, "Chen Ping''an, you should bring her along with you. I don''t want to face a little girl like her all day, every day. It''s far too upsetting. In fact, I''ll have to drink so much green plum wine that it will eventually be tasteless to me. In any case, things aren''t peaceful in Fox Town. You''ll be going against your original intentions if you leave her here."


    Pei Qian immediately stood up straight and puffed her chest out, keeping quiet and still as she tried her best to appear honest and obedient.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t offer an answer straight away, and he simply replied, "I''ll think about it."


    "You should indeed have a good think about it," Zhong Kui smiled and concurred with a nod.


    Chen Ping''an walked downstairs and left the inn to go for a walk. When Zhong Kui opened the door of the inn, Jiu Niang, Third Grandpa, and theme young boy had already woken up. They started to busy themselves with preparing breakfast.


    Zhu Lian and the others opened their doors on the second floor at almost the exact same time.


    The inn immediately became lively.


    When Pei Qian and Zhong Kui walked downstairs, the skinny little girl secretly tugged Zhong Kui''s sleeve. When the noble schr turned around to look at her, Pei Qian quietly said, "I''ll speak with Jiu Niang and put in some good words for youter."


    Could this be viewed as a reciprocation of goodwill?


    Zhong Kui gave her a thumbs-up and eximed, "How chivalrous!"


    1. Adding finishing touches to bring something to life. ?

 Chapter 341: (1): Golden Bridge Above the River

    Chapter 341: (1): Golden Bridge Above the River


    Everything was calm and peaceful as the convoy from the Yao n traveled north.


    The Great Quan Empire was enjoying flourishing martial fortune, so it could only be their border armies that harassed other nations and not the other way around. Northern Jin Nation to the south and Southern Qi Nation to the north had both suffered for a long time.


    However, the three princes of the Great Quan Empire were locked in an intense battle for the throne, so intense that they were on the verge of openly drawing weapons against each other.


    This upied a lot of the first prince''s time and effort, forcing the eldest prince who guarded the northern borders to scrap his ns tounch a northward military expedition, lest his force identally suffer fundamental losses after conqueringrge swathes of enemy territory. That would result in him losing his advantage. If that were the case, would he not be handing the fruits of hisbor over to the new emperor in Mirage City?


    There were also four or five small nations neighboring the Great Quan Empire to the east and west. The ruler of one of these nations referred to himself as a nephew and to Emperor Liu Zhen of the Great Quan Empire as Uncle Emperor. Meanwhile, another nation had be a vassal state of the Great Quan Empire.


    The convoy stopped once every fifteen kilometers since it was necessary to clean the nostrils of the warhorses. Yao Zhen would also take this opportunity to leave his carriage and chat with Chen Ping''an.


    After a few conversations, Yao Zhen''s grandson, Yao Xianzhi, also became familiar with Chen Ping''an. However, this "unpolished jade of the Yao n" was very modest in front of Chen Ping''an.


    Yao Xianzhi was only fourteen years old, yet he had already served in the border army for three entire years. He had be an official scout in his second year, and had been promoted to corpsmander after providing meritorious service. He had studied the art of war from his teachers in the n ever since a young age, yet he wasn''t someone who was fond of boasting about his knowledge. He was extremely mature for his age, and n Leader Yao Zhen also had very high hopes for him.


    Yao Xianzhi didn''t conceal his admiration of Chen Ping''an at all. Back in the mountain valley, it was Chen Ping''an who had appeared from out of nowhere when the mounted troops of the Yao n were being ruthlessly hunted and massacred by the two cultivators from the mountains. Chen Ping''an had saved his grandpa and the other surviving members of the mounted troops.Not only that, but Chen Ping''an had even thrown a punch at that grandmaster wearing a suit of Dew Armor and sent him reeling. He had disyed even more calm andposure against the sword cultivator who possessed seemingly boundless destructive ability.


    Afterward, Yao Lingzhi had told Yao Xianzhi about Chen Ping''an''s incredible feats in the inn. With three simple punches, he had killed Little Duke Gao Shuyi on the spot. After killing the little duke, he had even dared to fight against Imperial Guardian Li Li. Upon hearing this, Yao Xianzhi had developed an even deeper sense of respect and admiration for Chen Ping''an. In fact, he felt a strong urge to help Chen Ping''an clean and feed his horse every single day.


    Chen Ping''an also had a fairly good impression of Yao Xianzhi, especially the unwavering determination in his eyes when he fought bravely with his body covered in blood in the mountain valley. This was still fresh in Chen Ping''an''s memory.


    However, perhaps because Yao Xianzhi wanted to get closer to him, he would always look for something to talk about even when there was nothing to talk about. As a result, he would often crack some unfunny jokes. For example, why was Southern Qi Nation in the north while Northern Jin Nation was in the south?


    Yao Xianzhi also mentioned how some literary giants who were experts atposing poems about the border regions were extremely fond of the Yao n''s cavalry. One certain poet had even offered to exchange his poems for a top-grade warhorse, an offer that his grandpa had rejected.


    The poet had been extremely bitter about this, and he had ndered the Yao n''s border army for a whopping ten years after returning to the capital. Yao Xianzhi imed with confidence that he would definitely visit this poet when they arrived in Mirage City.


    Chen Ping''an rarely spoke when he interacted with Yao Xianzhi. However, he wasn''t annoyed by Yao Xianzhi''s persistence either.


    Yao Lingzhi was the most prodigious martial arts talent in her generation of the Yao n, and her feelings toward Chen Ping''an were much moreplicated than those of Yao Xianzhi. There was gratitude and respect, yet also some unwillingness to acknowledge that he was extremely impressive. She was also a young girl, so she was rather unwilling to apany Yao Xianzhi to pester Chen Ping''an all the time.


    Chen Ping''an had ridden a horse before, and he had even ridden a donkey with the old Daoist priest in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Thus, he knew that the storytellers and novels were all lying when they talked about people traveling five hundred kilometers on horseback in a single day.


    Imperial messengers could indeed achieve this by running horses in a ry and taking advantage of the ry stations along the post roads. This method would be employed when delivering urgent military updates. However, there was a requirement to swap messengers and horses every so often. Not only that, but the messengers would bear no responsibility if they knocked people over and identally killed them on the post roads.


    The price to pay was severely wounding the horses that took part in the ry. Indeed, the hooves of the horses might be severely damaged even if they had horseshoes on.


    The post officials and the county officials were all extremely diligent and hospitable when they hosted the convoy from the Yao n. n Leader Yao Zhen was a great general whomanded the iron cavalry of the Yao n, after all, and he wasn''t going to the capital to remove his armor and retire. Instead, he was going to the capital to be the head minister of the Ministry of War.


    He was a trusted subject of the emperor, and he was going to transform from a pir of the border regions to a pir of the imperial court. That being the case, Old General Yao could potentially squish a few county magistrates to death with his pinky finger if he so desired. Thus, who dared to take this convoy lightly?


    Yao Zhen greeted and farewelled many officials, and it was a tiring task for him to interact with all these people. He wasn''t necessarily enthusiastic when dealing with the local officials, yet he didn''t disy any sense of haughtiness or bad temper either. He almost never rejected any governor''s invitation to a banquet, though he would asionally find some excuses to turn down the invitations from the prefectural overseers. County magistrates naturally didn''t dare to host a weing banquet for the iing head minister.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t attend these banquets, while Pei Qian wracked her brains and tried her best to go along to them. One time, she started to drool simply by listening to Yao Xianzhi describe the names of the dishes. The strange thing was that Yao Zhen would bring Yao Lingzhi and Yao Xianzhi to the banquets with him every single time. However, he would always ignore Yao Jinzhi, the young woman who was seemingly treating her carriage as her home.


    This time, they were passing by a rtively unknown prefectural city, and the authorities there seemed willing to even wash the streets ahead of them. As always, Chen Ping''an didn''t participate in any of the official events. He left the ry station with Pei Qian and Zhu Lian, and he nned to buy some small trinkets such as a jade hairpin. However, Yao Jinzhi surprisingly decided to leave the ry station as well, asking to tag along with Chen Ping''an and the two others.


    She was still wearing her elegant veiled hat. When resting during their travels, however, she would always remove this veiled hat if there were no outsiders present, allowing Chen Ping''an to see her true appearance many times. She was indeed very beautiful, even more so than Sword Immortal Sui Youbian.


    ording to Zhu Lian''s joking remark, he had nevere across a woman as breathtakingly beautiful as Yao Jinzhi during his several decades as the strongest person in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. He had heard about the Mirror Heart Pavilion''s Tong Qingqing appearing in the blessednd after him, so he had wondered whether her beauty could rival that of Yao Jinzhi''s. Chen Ping''an had nodded and said it could.


    After hearing this, Zhu Lian had said that if he were to put a price up to one hundred copper coins on a woman''s beauty, then Yao Jinzhi and Tong Qingqing would deserve at least ny copper coins.


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t willing to discuss the looks of other people behind their backs. Moreover, there was a single thought in his mind��even if these women had perfect looks, they would only be worth a maximum of one hundred copper coins ording to Zhu Lian''s scale. In his mind, however, Ning Yao''s beauty could only be measured in grain rain coins or gold essence copper coins.


    Thus, Chen Ping''an didn''t have any extra thoughts when he came across Yao Jinzhi and witnessed her beauty. He simply treated her as another acquaintance.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to buy a jade hairpin, so Yao Jinzhi told him that there was a Child Alley in the prefectural city that specialized in selling antiques and curios. She had heard some rumors about the things there, so she also wanted to go there to search for a decorated tile end and an ancient type of lucky money.


    Zhu Lian liked supernatural novels, while Pei Qian liked everything precious and valuable. However, her innately sinister and ferocious personality was seemingly suppressed by a huge degree when she traveled with Chen Ping''an. She always begged Chen Ping''an to let her be a bookkeeper like Zhong Kui. She didn''t ask for much, and she would be extremely satisfied with just a few pieces of loose silver in her pockets.


    Chen Ping''anpletely ignored Pei Qian''s request. With ten copper coins in the pocket, one shakes their clothes to cause loud clinking.[1] This saying perfectly described the skinny little girl.


    This prefectural city spent a lot of effort to wee Yao Zhen. While walking to Child Alley, Yao Jinzhi exined the reason to Chen Ping''an. The prefectural overseer had served in the Yao n''s border army, and thanks to his good fortune, he had started to climb up the official ranks in the regions after leaving the army. ording to Third Grandpa, he had once been a very ambitious person during his youth.


    They entered the extremely long Child Alley, and were greeted by a huge variety of different shops. Apart from some proper shops, there were also many merchants selling their wares out of cloth wrappers. Some looked like impoverished schrs, and these people most likely came from declining ns. Others looked furtive, and these people had most likely obtained their goods through improper means. They might have purchased them through illegal channels, or they might have directly stolen them from other people.


    Chen Ping''an was very interested in these merchants who peddled their goods in cloth wrappers. If the seller and the prospective buyer were both interested inpleting a transaction, then they would head to a quiet ce to discuss things further. They wouldn''t talk about the price explicitly, and would instead signal their desired price in their sleeves. Yao Jinzhi smiled and exined that this practice was jokingly referred to as "caged haggling."


    Apart from unique hand gestures that represented copper coins and loose silver, there were also particr ways to represent different numbers. For example, bending one''s index finger to one��s palm would represent nine, while crossing one''s index finger and middle finger would represent ten,


    Chen Ping''an, Zhu Lian, and Yao Jinzhi all made some purchases in Child Alley. Only Pei Qian was still empty-handed.


    Yao Jinzhi fulfilled her wish and purchased a pile of ancient copper coins from a previous empire. These copper coins were known as "Famous Spring," and their asking price ranged from high to low. There was nothing out of the ordinary regarding these transactions.


    However, things were slightly different when Yao Jinzhi came across a few decorated tile ends in a small shop. There were tile ends decorated with Taotie patterns, tile ends stamped with auspicious sayings, and even a set of four tile ends decorated with the images of four gods. Chen Ping''an could sense the young woman''s delight through her veiled hat.


    Yao Jinzhi left the small shop with an additional bag, and Chen Ping''an offered to carry it for her out of politeness. However, the young woman hurriedly turned down his offer.


    Zhu Lian purchased two romance novels that were hidden under the covers of supernatural novels.


    As for Chen Ping''an, he purchased a hornless dragon hairpin made from white jade. There were no characters inscribed on the hairpin, and there were only some clean and flowing dragon patterns. Chen Ping''an had immediately taken a liking to this hairpin, yet he had found the asking price slightly too expensive.


    The merchant imed that this hairpin was crafted by a jade-carving master from a past dynasty, and it was simply the case that they hadn''t engraved their signature onto this work. Otherwise, he wouldn''t sell it even if someone offered him three hundred taels of silver. Chen Ping''an would have immediately turned around and left if he hade across this situation during his trip to Great Sui Nation. On the other hand, he would have gritted his teeth and made the purchase if he hade across this situation sometime before today.


    Fortunately, Yao Jinzhi walked over to haggle with the merchant, eventually shing the price to thirty taels of silver. Her argument implied that she owned a legendary jade carving from this renowned craftsman, a daffodil that was truly exquisite and wondrous. As a result, she was incredibly familiar with this renowned craftsman''s carving techniques. With this as the basis of her argument, she continued to talk down the material of the hornless dragon jade hairpin. The merchant was rendered speechless, so he could only huff and significantly reduce the price of the jade hairpin as he sold it to Chen Ping''an.


    Walking out of the shop with a small brocade box in his hand, Chen Ping''an first thanked Yao Jinzhi for her help with shing the price of the jade hairpin. He then couldn''t help but smile bitterly and say, "Miss Yao, listening to your words just then, why do I feel like this jade hairpin isn''t even worth thirty taels of silver?"


    Yao Jinzhi remained silent, however. Only when they walked a fair distance from the small shop did she chuckle softly and say, "This jade hairpin is genuinely something crafted by that renowned craftsman. To say nothing of three hundred taels of silver, it would have been worth purchasing even if it cost five hundred taels of silver.


    "Moreover, the craftsman only worked with the best quality jade, so the material of your jade hairpin is naturally top quality. In fact, the quality is so high that the craftsman regarded it as the ''paragon of beautiful jade.'' He almost didn''t dare to take his carving tools to the piece of jade.


    "Everyone can tell whether a piece of jade is of good quality or bad quality. However, it''s far more difficult to determine just how good the quality of the jade is. Moreover, each person has their own tastes, so thisplicates things even further."


    Zhu Lian nodded with a smile. However, it was unclear whether he was admiring Yao Jinzhi''s knowledge or approving of the renowned craftsman''s attitude toward beautiful jade.


    Chen Ping''an put the small brocade box into his sleeve and asked with a smile, "Do you truly possess that jade daffodil?"


    "I borrowed those descriptions and exnations from a book," Yao Jinzhi replied with a smile.


    This implied that she didn''t.


    Pei Qian rolled her eyes. She wanted to ingratiate herself with Yao Jinzhi in the hopes that the young woman would feel in a charitable mood one day and decide to give that jade daffodil to her.


    However, Yao Jinzhi then added, "Those descriptions were indeed from a book, but the jade carving was a wedding gift given to my aunty."


    Chen Ping''an could only respond with a polite smile.


    Yao Jinzhi was quite simr to her younger brother, Yao Xianzhi, in this sense. However, she was more skilled and experienced than him, so the atmosphere wouldn''t be too awkward.


    Judging from this, it could be seen that Yao Jinzhi was actually quite easy to get along with.


    Pei Qian was already starting to ingratiate herself with Yao Jinzhi, asking in a sweet voice, "Are you tired, Big Sister Yao? Do you want me to carry your bags for you? I''m very familiar with carrying things, and I''ve been responsible for carrying the luggage this entire trip. I guarantee that I won''t break any of your treasures."


    Yao Jinzhi smiled and shook her head, causing her white veil to gently sway back and forth.


    Pei Qian was slightly disappointed, and she was still unwilling to give up, saying, "Then make sure to tell me when you get tired, Big Sister Yao. This alley is more than 5600 paces away from the ry station, but with your long legs, it''s probably around 4700 paces away."


    Yao Jinzhi could only nod in response.


    Pei Qian was truly a strange little girl.


    As the four of them continued to walk along the bustling Child Alley, Zhu Lian looked down at Pei Qian and asked with a smile, "You remember the distance so clearly?"


    Pei Qian sighed in grief and replied, "Because I''m bored. I won''t get money to spend anyway, so I can only find something to upy myself with. What else can I do?"


    Zhu Lian chortled withughter.


    They returned to the ry station at dusk, and Chen Ping''an made his way to the back courtyard to take a walk. Here, he discovered Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian sitting in a small pavilion and ying a game of Go with a Go set that they had found from some unknown ce. Wei Xian was standing next to them and observing the game.


    Chen Ping''an walked into the pavilion just as the game was decided. Lu Baixiang won by a small amount.


    Sui Youbian yed an extremely aggressive style of Go, one that was filled with energy and vigor. On the other hand, Lu Baixiang was less resolute and attacking than Sui Youbian even though he was a man.


    Zhu Lian also walked over. Sui Youbian farewelled Chen Ping''an and left, so Lu Baixiang challenged Zhu Lian to a match instead. The hunchbacked old man shook his hands, saying that he was a terrible Go yer who didn''t dare to embarrass himself. Lu Baixiang turned his gaze to Wei Xian, and thetter said that he was inferior to even a terrible Go yer. In fact, he hadn''t understood the game between Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian at all. He simply had nothing else to do, so he wanted to see who would win the game.


    There was no one ying Go, so Wei Xian took his leave. Zhu Lian left immediately after him.


    Only Chen Ping''an and Lu Baixiang stayed back, with thetter packing up the Go set.


    Chen Ping''an leaned against the railing and drank the green plum wine from his Sword Nurturing Gourd. Meanwhile, Lu Baixiang pinched the Go pieces between his fingers and quickly returned them to their respective boxes. This was a simple and unremarkable task, yet the crisp cracking sounds resulting from the collisions between the Go pieces surprisingly prevented the task from appearing menial and boring. Instead, it appeared quite calming and pleasant.


    Chen Ping''an felt a sense of admiration.


    If it weren''t for hispleteck of talent in Go, and if he didn''t view games of Go as a time-consuming endeavor that would affect his training of fist techniques and sword techniques, Chen Ping''an would have genuinely wanted to study and y Go.


    Yao Jinzhi walked over in a calm and elegant manner, not wearing her veiled hat anymore since she was in the ry station. After sitting down, she turned to Lu Baixiang who had finished packing up the Go set and asked, "Mr. Lu, how about a game between the two of us?"


    Lu Baixiang nced at the sky and replied with a smile, "I imagine it will be a fierce battle. I don''t mind ying a game of Go at night, but will you be able to see the Go board clearly when the sky turns dark?"


    Yao Jinzhi nodded and said, "The moon is full on the fifteenth, so I can most likely borrow the radiance of the moon to make out the Go board. There''s no need for you to worry, Mr. Lu."


    Before starting the game, the two sides needed to decide who yed first.


    Lu Baixiang was ying the white pieces, while Yao Jinzhi was ying the ck pieces.


    Chen Ping''an stood up to observe the game, yet he couldn''t decipher the strategies and skills of the two yers as he watched them making their first moves. Thus, he returned to the bench along the railings and sat down cross-legged, slowly sipping wine from his wine gourd.


    Because there were two guest elders from the Great Quan Empire in the convoy, Chen Ping''an was quite unwilling to reveal the truth behind his wine gourd, Jiang Hu. As a result, he always felt stifled and unsatisfied when drinking in the morning.


    After all, Qi refiners and martial arts grandmasters were all very observant people. They could perhaps detect some traces and hints simply from the way he held his wine gourd and raised his arm.


    Chen Ping''an was absorbed in thought. When he finally came to his senses, he realized that Yao Jinzhi had surprisingly left the pavilion already. Once again, Lu Baixiang was standing there and packing up the Go set by himself.


    As he put the Go pieces away, Lu Baixiang smiled and said, "I wish I can one day go to White Emperor City that''s located among the sea of iridescent clouds. ''Respectfully allow the world to make the first move,'' huh?[2] I can��t help but feel a sense of longing."


    "I have a... disciple who''s incredibly skilled at Go. You can y with him when you meet in the future," Chen Ping''an instinctively replied.


    The young Cui Chan, or Cui Dongshan as he was now known, was an expert Go yer who had once yed ten games against the city lord of White Emperor City.


    However, Chen Ping''an felt a little frustrated that he had to admit that Cui Dongshan was his disciple. He couldn''t call Cui Dongshan his friend, after all.


    Lu Baixiang didn''t take this too seriously. He had yed two games of Go against Sui Youbian and Yao Jinzhi, yet he hadn''t even needed to use seventy or eighty percent of his full strength. Sui Youbian had genuinely lost, while Yao Jinzhi had also concealed some of her strength. However, she would have still lost even if she had used her full strength.


    Lu Baixiang could almost be described as conceited regarding his skills in Go. During his time as the most powerful martial artist in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Lu Baixiang had been more than just the peerlessly powerful founder of the demonic forces. He had also been unrivaled in Go.


    What Lu Baixiang was truly curious about was the fact that Chen Ping''an surprisingly had a disciple. After all, Chen Ping''an was still young, and he wasn''t a Confucian schr in this Majestic World either.


    After chatting about the cultures and customs of the prefectural city for a while, Lu Baixiang left the pavilion to return the Go board and the Go pieces. Chen Ping''an chose to remain in the pavilion by himself.


    It was already the end of autumn, and ording to the convoy''s travel ns, it would almost be the beginning of winter when they arrived at the ferry station outside Mirage City.


    He had heard that a snow-covered Mirage City was a rare and wonderful spectacle.


    Chen Ping''an felt calm and peaceful at this moment. When leaving Stctite Mountain, he had set himself the goal of advancing to the seventh tier, the Vajra Body Tier, in ten years. However, his progress was extremely quick right now, far quicker than what he had anticipated. This was thanks to the two life-and-death battles outside the Flying Eagle Fortress as well as arge number of intense battles in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and near the border regions of the Great Quan Empire.


    Not only had Chen Ping''an advanced to the fifth tier, but he had also managed to sessfully create a solid foundation. Thus, Chen Ping''an wouldn''t feel like he was taking things too quickly even if he broke through to the sixth tier right at this very moment.


    Disregarding Zhong Qiu and just focusing on Ding Ying��a Golden Core Tier Qi refiner with the Five Mountains Hat and now the strongest person in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land��and Li Li��the imperial guardian of the Great Quan Empire��which battle had been an easy win for Chen Ping''an?


    Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to imagine just how difficult it would be to advance from the sixth tier to the seventh tier. He didn''t dare to imagine just how many resources and fated opportunities one would need. Following the seventh tier, the eighth tier was called the Wing Formation Tier or the Far Roaming Tier. This was a tier where pure martial artists could genuinely stride into the sky and travel on the wind like immortals from the mountains.


    After the Wing Formation tier, there was also the ninth tier and the secret tenth tier, the true End Tier of martial arts. There were ten tiers of martial arts in total.


    Of these ten tiers, Chen Ping''an yearned to reach the eighth tier, the Far Roaming Tier, the most.


    Chen Ping''an would practice the Eighteen Stops Technique even when he was traveling on horseback during the day, yet on this quiet and peaceful night, he decided to ck off in a very rare sight. He simply sat in the pavilion and let his mind wander as he drank.


    Only when Yao Zhen and his granddaughter, Yao Jinzhi, walked over did Chen Ping''an finally stand up. He noticed the cloudy expression on the old general''s face, and Yao Jinzhi exined in a soft voice, "The prefectural overseer only reminisced about his time in the army when he chatted with Grandpa during the banquet. After Grandpa drank to his heart''s content, however, the prefectural overseer privately instructed someone to deliver a huge present to the ry station, hoping that Grandpa can take care of his disciples when Grandpa bes head minister in the future. Grandpa became very angry about this."


    Yao Zhen lightly patted his knee and sighed with emotion, adding with a gloomy expression, "Thinking back to the past, just how impressive was that young man? He was filled with vigor and a sense of righteousness, and he never backed down in fear when facing enemies on the battlefield. Yet, after just ten or so years as an official, how has he already changed so much?"


    "Grandpa, ten years isn''t a short time. Wearing an official''s hat will change one''s personality, and stepping into the government office will change one''s colors," Yao Jinzhi said with a smile.


    Yao Zhen humphed coldly and eximed, "What an utterly unnecessary gesture! He doesn''t need to dream about me going against my conscience to help him in the imperial court!"


    Yao Jinzhi smiled and asked, "Would you have put in some good words for him because of your past friendship even if he didn''t give you these presents? Clearly not. Since this is the case, the prefectural overseer decided that it was worth it to take a gamble. He wagered that you understand thepromises that one must make in the imperial court.


    "He wagered that you also have to yield after entering the officialdom and that ypi needs to seek support from some old acquaintances after bing the head minister of the Ministry of War, lest you be marginalized by the officials and nobles in the capital. If you be isted and powerless in the future, then perhaps the first name you think of will be that of this prefectural overseer."


    There was a bitter smile on Yao Zhen''s face.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t interject. Yao Zhen and his granddaughter were willing to discuss these schemes and rules of the officialdom in front of an outsider, so Chen Ping''an treated this as knowledge and information that even one thousand taels of gold might not be able to buy. He simply listened and remembered everything.


    1. This refers to people who like to show off even if they aren''t necessarily well-off. ?


    2. This is a statement of confidence from someone extremely skilled. Simr to letting your opponent always take white in chess. ?

 Chapter 342: (1): Night Tour of the Water God Temple

    Chapter 342: (1): Night Tour of the Water God Temple


    Pei Qian stared at the golden bridge as she continued to recite those sagely teachings. Meanwhile, Zhu Lian was thinking about some personal matters.


    The long golden bridge that spanned across Burial River slowly vanished from sight. Pei Qian also became a little thirsty, so she was no longer in the mood to read. She wanted to learn some fist techniques and sword techniques, yet it was a shame that Chen Ping''an was unwilling to teach her anything. As for Zhu Lian and the others, Pei Qian wouldn''t be willing to learn from them even if they were willing to teach her.


    Chen Ping''an was still in a mystical state of deep meditation. Even stranger than this was the fact that he discovered himself drifting away, with his soul leaving his body and hovering in midair. He looked down at his physical body that was sitting cross-legged on the riverbank, and he thought that this was truly very strange.


    This was different from when he released his two souls and separated himself into three when battling against Ding Ying and Eunuch Li Li. This time, what left his body was simr to the genuine type of yin soul that Zhong Kui released in the inn that night.


    However, Zhong Kui cultivated both his yin soul and his yang soul at once, while Chen Ping''an''s soul was currently swaying around in an unstable manner due to the spiritual energy and astral winds contained in Burial River. His soul was nowhere near as refined and stable as Zhong Kui''s yin soul and yang soul.


    If Chen Ping''an''s soul was an infant barely learning to walk, then Zhong Kui''s two souls were strong young men who could easily traverse the mountains and cross rivers as if they were t ground.


    Pei Qian and Zhu Lian werepletely oblivious to this mystical phenomenon.


    A thought urred to both Chen Ping''ans at almost exactly the same time. Chen Ping''an was unable to shake this thought away, so the hovering Chen Ping''an turned around to nce at the Chen Ping''an sitting next to Burial River.


    The sitting Chen Ping''an opened his eyes and said in a soft voice, "I need to practice standing meditation here, and the situation tonight is slightly different from normal. I can''t exin it in detail right now, but the two of you might need to guard me for a few more hours."Zhu Lian nodded and said with a smile, "It''s my duty to look after you, Young Master."


    However, Pei Qian stomped her foot and bemoaned, "Why didn''t you tell us earlier? I would have bought some snacks here to enjoy."


    Chen Ping''an''s soul strode toward Burial River, instantly gliding more than thirty meters into the distance and directly arriving above the river. He appeared much like a nk of wood undting in the water. Chen Ping''an stopped and familiarized himself with this strange feeling of walking through the air. He could glide an extremely long distance with a single tap of his foot, so he leaned forward and gently trod through the air, making him appear much like a flying immortal from the mountains or a far-roaming pure martial artist at the eighth tier.


    His sleeves billowed in the air as he roamed far on the wind.


    Chen Ping''an was naturally unaware at this moment that thanks to all kinds of fated opportunitiesing together at once, his current state was actually the rudimentary form of a Qi refiner''s yin soul.


    Being reborn anew, having one''s soul and Qibine, and having a body outside a body��this was the yang soul. Such souls enjoyed light.


    A clear mind, exiting seclusion and entering darkness, and free from any constraints��this was the yin soul. Such souls enjoyed nighttime.


    Chen Ping''an was going to visit the water god temple at night.


    He felt like it would be fine even if he could only take a single nce at the temple. He would take a quick look ande back straight away.


    As for the Chen Ping''an sitting on the riverbank of Burial River, he closed his eyes and formed the Sword Furnace hand seals to practice standing meditation.


    Even though one was sitting and one was wandering around as a soul, both entities of Chen Ping''an were connected as one at this moment.


    Practicing standing meditation with his eyes closed, the Chen Ping''an sitting on the riverbank of Burial River waspletely aware of what his yin soul was seeing and experiencing. It was as if he were present with his yin soul.


    This was the profoundly mystical nature of the Great Dao.


    At this moment, Chen Ping''an finally understood why so many Qi refiners chose to distance themselves from the mortal world, earnestly cultivate in seclusion, and ascend to great heights to gaze into the distance. By the looks of it, the sceneries pursued by these Qi refiners already existed beyond the mortal world.


    The Chen Ping''an sitting beside the river looked like he was practicing standing meditation, yet in reality, he was actually continuing to visualize that long bridge in his mind.


    The bridge in his mind was far stabler than the one that he had visualized in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land twice before. However, he still had an imperceptible feeling that he wasn''t able to walk along this bridge and cross it yet.


    Even so, he was already able to step onto the bridge to observe the river. If Zhu Lian weren''t present, then Chen Ping''an would have walked onto the bridge to test this out.


    He was visualizing this bridge tonight because he had considered the notion of a noble person not pointlessly risking their life to save other people, as well as the rtionship between enlightening other people and enlightening oneself.


    Bringing Pei Qian with him, Chen Ping''an only ever asked her to read and memorize the Confucian book that he had given her. He never exined to her any principle that he hade up with by himself. However, looking at Pei Qian''s speech and actions was like looking at a mirror. Chen Ping''an would involuntarily perform introspection to determine if he had done anything wrong.


    There were many theories and principles in the books that Chen Ping''an wouldn''t gain a deep understanding of by himself. With Pei Qian by his side, however, Chen Ping''an would be pushed to contemte them more. For example, noble people needed to examine themselves three times a day, they needed to show self-restraint and adhere to etiquette, they needed to preserve proper behavior even when alone, and so on...


    Reading hundreds upon thousands of books would allow one to gain profound enlightenment.


    This was mystical and wonderful.


    Pei Qian had already memorized the first book, so once he returned from his night trip to the water god temple, he could probably give her the second book to start reading and memorizing.


    When it came to reading, it wasn''t the number of books one read that mattered. Rather, it was how much knowledge one could gain from these books.


    He could exin this principle��which wasn''t a principle per se��to Pei Qian. However, she would most likely treat it as wind passing by her ears.


    It was said that there once was a monk who didn''t know many words, yet he became a Buddha after reading just a single Buddhist scripture.


    ��������


    Two blurry figures soared along the banks of Burial River, appearing like streaks of light as they disappeared in a sh and continued to shoot downstream.


    They nodded lightly when they saw the three people beside the river, and this was their way of acknowledging Chen Ping''an and the others.


    Zhu Lian only looked away when the two people vanished into the darkness of the night.


    As it turned out, it was the guest elder master and disciple who had returned to the ry station just then. They had changed into their Daoist robes, and had informed Yao Zhen that they had some matters to attend to before leaving the ry station again. They said that they would return before morning.


    Yao Zhen didn''t stop them. In reality, he didn''t have the ability to stop them either. After all, even as the n leader of the Yao n, Yao Zhen was still in the dark about the true identity and background of these two guest elders whom the Imperial Liu n had stationed in the border regions.


    In fact, Yao Zhen even had some suspicions that this Daoist master and disciple reported directly to the emperor. In this way, the emperor could protect him against assassination attempts from cultivators from Northern Jin Nation, thereby preventing the border army from descending into chaos.


    At the same time, he could also monitor the movements of the Yao n''s border army the entire time. After all, the Yao n was rted to the head minister of the Ministry of Personnel who had just resigned from his post.


    With this in mind, Yao Zhen had even held a private conversation with Yao Jinzhi, asking her whether he should explicitly build a good rtionship with the two guest elders. He wasn''t so wishful as to think that the two guest elders would look after the Yao n as they settled down and developed in Mirage City in the future. However, he could at least use this opportunity to build some goodwill with the two guest elders.


    Yao Jinzhi disagreed, saying that the positions of the two guest elders were very sensitive. As such, the Yao n definitely shouldn''t act carelessly and try to forge a rtionship with them. Officials existed to serve the ruler, so if the ruler was wise and the officials were intelligent, then thetter wouldn''t even dream about trying to guess the thoughts of the former. Overthinking things would have no benefit.


    However, this only applied to local officials such as Yao Zhen. A different principle would apply to officials who worked closely with the emperor. Yao Zhen was slightly reluctant to ept this exnation. If it weren''t for Chen Ping''an''s help, the Yao n might have already been destroyed two times over. Once by the assassins, and once by the third prince. Not only that, but they might have even beenbeled as traitors who were conspiring to usurp the throne.


    That being the case, could they still remain neutral and uninvolved with other forces? They would no longer enjoy the protection of the Yao n''s border army once they arrived in Mirage City, so wouldn''t things be even more dangerous and unpredictable?


    Yao Zhen was reminded of the prefectural overseer who had retired from the army and be an official, and he couldn''t help but feel very ufortable. Perhaps it was just like his granddaughter had said? Perhaps he had to interact with little bastards like this all the time in the future?


    Yao Jinzhi smiled and said that it was quite the contrary. When her aunt married into the capital in the past, the Yao n was wrong to stubbornly abide by the ancestral n rules and try to remain isted from everything else. However, it would be correct for them to remain neutral and protect themselves before they arrived at Mirage City and before her grandpa was admitted into the imperial court.


    If the Yao n tried topete with the wealth and tactics of those powerful officials and ns in Mirage City, then the Yao n couldn''t even dream about settling down and steadying themselves in the capital. Of course, this didn''t imply that the Yao n should do nothing at all and let themselves be bullied by others.


    In the end, Yao Jinzhi borrowed a famous phrase from the books: "Wander to where the water ends, and sit down to gaze upon the clouds[1]


    Yao Zhen sighed with emotion.


    Yao Jinzhi was young when her aunt''s husband, Li Xiling, kneeled outside the ancestral hall of the Yao n even though it was snowing heavily. However, she still raised an objection with her grandpa under the guise of her father''s name.


    Her argument boiled down to the fact that the Yao n had already abided by the ancestral n rules for several hundred years. Perhaps the Yao n would be aware that the ancestral n rules were being broken for the sake of true love, but would outsiders care about this? Would Mirage City care about this? Would the emperor care about this? Since the ancestral n rule prohibiting women of the Yao n from marrying into wealthy ns could be broken once, then could the Yao n''s loyalty toward the Imperial Liu n also be broken once?


    Without a first, there naturally wouldn''t be a second. Once there was a first, however, then there would naturallye a second, third, and fourth. This was a very reasonable assumption.


    Yao Jinzhi also said that if she were an outsider, then she would have also suspected whether the Yao n was unsatisfied with keeping watch over such a small and isted area.


    Old General Yao was infuriated upon hearing this, yet he had felt an even stronger sense of grief and indignation.


    Yao Jinzhi had calmly handed her grandpa a cup of tea and said with aposed smile, "Drinking wine can help a general maintain their pride and heroic spirit. However, once you arrive at Mirage City and be an official, it''s better if you switch to tea instead."


    Yao Zhen huffed and epted the cup of tea, downing it in a single gulp as if he were drinking wine.


    Yao Jinzhi smiled as she looked at this.


    ��������


    Along the banks of Burial River, the figures of the two Daoist priests moved swiftly like two wisps of azure smoke, traveling much faster than sprinting horses.


    The older Daoist priest, the master, was from a heretical Daoist force called the Golden Summit Daoist Temple. Even though this was a heretical force, it was still very impressive. After all, apart from sect-level Daoist abodes and factions, few Daoist forces even had the right to be regarded as heretical forces.


    Daoist priests from the Golden Summit Daoist Temple liked to enter the mortal world to cultivate their minds. There were few people in this temple, not even one hundred. Moreover, these Daoist priests would often conceal their true identities after entering the mortal world because they didn''t like to rely on the temple or their elders.


    The abbot of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple was already five hundred years old. He was a genuine Nascent Tier earth immortal, and he was extremely renowned in the northern regions of Parasol Leaf Continent.


    As for the old Daoist traveling swiftly beside Burial River, his mortal name was Yin Miaofeng, and his Dao title was Preserving Innocence. This was derived from the Daoist saying: "To achieve understanding during one''s long life, to preserve one''s natural instincts and innocence." He hailed from the Daoist branch under the abbot of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple.


    His only direct disciple was called Shao Yuanran, and his master had coincidentallye across him after leaving the mountains and entering the mortal world. Moreover, he had spent an entire fourteen years debating with himself before finally deciding to take Shao Yuanran as his disciple. During these fourteen years, Daoist Preserving Innocence had set up three grand tests for his potential disciple. Shao Yuanran had passed all of them, proving that his character and talent were undoubtedly very impressive.


    Afterward, Shao Yuanran had visited the Golden Summit Daoist Temple with his master. He had met the abbot and also paid his respects to the portrait of the founder in the ancestral hall. His name was recorded in the genealogical records of the temple, and he had thus be an official "Qian" generation disciple of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple.[2]


    The handsome and elegant Shao Yuanran looked like he was only in his twenties, yet in reality, he was already in his forties.


    Both Yin Miaofeng and Shao Yuanran were Qi refiners at the Dragon Gate Tier, yet Yin Miaofeng was already resigned to the fact that he would never advance to the Golden Core Tier in his life. Shao Yuanran''s cultivation talent was far superior to his, and he had already managed to break through the Sea Observation Tier and advance to the Dragon Gate Tier at such a young age. He was a genuine cultivation prodigy.


    After hearing that Shao Yuanran had advanced to the Dragon Gate Tier in the border regions of the Great Quan Empire, the abbot of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple had specially instructed someone to leave the mountains to bestow an immortal tool to the young Daoist priest.


    At the same time, the abbot also said that if Shao Yuanran managed to sessfully advance to the Golden Core Tier, then he could return to the mountain to retrieve an incredibly valuable treasure that had protected the temple for more than one thousand years. This would be a celebratory gift.


    Because of this, Yin Miaofeng hoped that he could make use of the Great Quan Empire''s rich resources to help Shao Yuanran take that next step and advance even further. Only those who formed a golden core could be regarded as genuine immortals.


    Qi refiners beneath the Golden Core Tier could only be regarded as cultivators in cages.


    Shao Yuanran had already suppressed his curiosity about Great General Yao''s transfer from the border regions to the capital for a long time, so he was finally unable to hold back any longer tonight, asking, "Master, is the Yao n truly going to ovee their cmity just like this?"


    "What''s wrong? Are you disappointed?" Yin Miaofeng asked. "Are you disappointed that Yao Jinzhi will continue to enjoy a peaceful life now that the Yao n is safe from danger? Perhaps she''ll soon marry into some wealthy n after arriving at Mirage City. At that time, with the gates of these wealthy ns as difficult to enter as the deep seas, you might never be able to see her again. Is this why you''re feeling upset?"


    Shao Yuanran shook his head and replied with a chuckle, "Feeling disappointed is inevitable. However, cultivation also involves cultivating the mind and going with the flow of nature. If the Yao n were destroyed, then I would have naturally protected Yao Jinzhi and taken her under my wing. Now that the Yao n has ovee their cmity, however, this implies that the fate between Yao Jinzhi and I have yet to intertwine. There''s no need to force things, and I''ll let fate decide the oue in the future."


    Yin Miaofeng smiled and remarked, "Trees millennia old aremon in the forests, yet people one hundred years old are rare in the world. Yao Jinzhi isn''t a cultivator, but it''s only natural for you to be attracted to her current beauty. However, what if your fates only intertwine twenty yearster when she''s already old and no longer beautiful? If you''re fortunate, you might already be a terrestrial immortal at that time, so will you still be attracted to a mortal woman who''s no longer young and beautiful?"


    "Then I''ll reconsider things when that timees," Shao Yuanran replied with a faint smile.


    He fell silent for a moment, and only the sound of wind rushed past his ears. "Master, why are we suddenly visiting the Green Roving Residence now? Is this rted to the flying sword message that we received from the capital yesterday?" he asked.


    "You just need to know that it''s not a small matter," Yin Miaofeng replied with a calm smile.


    A helpless smile appeared on Shao Yuanran''s face. Since his master was unwilling to say anything, he could only keep quiet and suppress the curiosity in his mind.


    The Green Roving Residence was none other than the residence of Burial River''s water god, and it was simr to the residence of Jin Huang, the mountain god whom the third prince had captured.


    However, Jin Huang''s residence had lost its owner, so it was very likely that it had already been overtaken by hordes of mountain spirits and mountain ghosts.


    Northern Jin Nation''s fortunes of mountains and rivers were significantly damaged because of this, and it wasn''t long before Mountain God Jin Huang''s prison carriage was going to arrive in Mirage City. Of course, Pine Needle Lake''s water god who had targeted Mountain God Jin Huang for several hundred years had fallen even earlier, with only some weak remnants of his forces remaining. Northern Jin Nation could count itself lucky if these surviving forces of the water god temple didn''t wreak further chaos in the area.


    Shao Yuanran suddenly recalled something, causing him to involuntarily chuckle in speechlessness. That woman had just married Jin Huang and moved into the mountain god''s residence, yet her husband had almost immediately been captured and turned into a prisoner. She was truly unfortunate. She had initially thought that the two of them could enjoy a peaceful and loving life for hundreds of years, far longer than ordinary lovers in the mortal world, yet how could she have envisioned such a disastrous oue? The only uncertainty was how Mirage City would deal with her.


    In any case, these trivial and nonsensical matters were nothing more than tidbits of amusement for those who walked the path of cultivation.


    What Shao Yuanran looked at was the free and unfettered Great Dao of earth immortals, and what he contemted was the attainment of longevity and being able to enjoy the same lifespan as heaven and earth.


    Shao Yuanran was filled with pride and heroic spirit at this moment. With no one else on the banks of this section of the river, heughed heartily and eximed, "Master, I''m going to cross the river like those great flood dragons!"


    After saying this, the young Daoist priest from the Golden Summit Daoist Temple strode onto the river, with each step sending huge sshes of water into the air. However, his Daoist robes remained dry and clean.


    Yin Miaofeng continued to travel along the riverbank. Looking at the elegant bearing of his prized disciple as he strode across the river, however, he chuckled softly and scolded, "Stinky brat. Just how incredible will you be once you be a terrestrial immortal?!"


    1. An excerpt from Wang Wei''s poem, Mount Zhongnan Lodge. ?


    2. In China, specific characters aremonly used to distinguish between people of different generations. ?

 Chapter 343: (1): As You Command

    Chapter 343: (1): As You Command


    Chen Ping''an was a bit annoyed with himself, and he thought that he shouldn''t have been so whimsical with his actions. An impulsive thought had urred to him back then, leading him to go on this aimless trip 150 kilometers down the river. In the end, he had drawn the attention of those water ghosts and water demons and was now being coveted by them.


    What would he have done if a battle had broken out? His Sword Nurturing Gourd was still with his physical body, and his movements had been extremely stiff when he had practiced the six-step walking meditation above the river just then. His punches had been soft and powerless. In fact, it seemed like his yin soul was innately poor at martial arts and fist techniques.


    Right now, Chen Ping''an felt a sense of lingering fear as he thought about that pair ofntern-sized silver eyes at the bottom of the river.


    Seemingly reading Chen Ping''an''s thoughts, Zhong Kui exined, "Yin souls like to travel through heaven and earth at night, yet your yin soul has insisted oning to Burial River''s water god temple during its first trip out of your physical body. ording to the exnations of Qi refiners, this might indicate that there exists an exceptional fated opportunity in this ce. However, you still have to be careful. When ites to fated opportunities, it''s difficult to say whether you''ll enjoy fortune or suffer misfortune. Fated opportunities aren''t always good things."


    "Is the temple attendant in the water god temple a cultivator? Will they be able to see my yin soul?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zhong Kui huffed and replied, "With how hot-tempered the water goddess of Burial River is, she''ll charge over to fight with that water demon every so often. Moreover, there are so many wronged souls and malicious ghosts in the river, and all of them are controlled by that water demon. That being the case, do you think there''ll be no powerful cultivator watching over the water god temple where her gold statue is ced? If that were the case, then the water demon that refers to itself as Immortal Lord Huang would have swallowed the temple along with the small mountain a long time ago."


    Chen Ping''an blushed with shame and said, "That does seem to make sense."


    Zhong Kui finally revealed a piece of good news, saying, "However, you don''t need to worry. Your yin soul is very indistinct, so the cultivators in the water god temple won''t notice you unless you enter the temple to offer incense."


    Zhong Kui frowned and swam in a circle around Chen Ping''an before continuing, "Tsk, tsk, Chen Ping''an, have you suffered two great cmities before? One cmity was extremely early on in your life, and it affected your destiny and damaged your fortune. One cmity was a few years ago, and it severed your bridge of immortality. Am I correct?"Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment, but he still nodded in confirmation. He had always been an extremely cautious person, yet he made an exception this time and didn''t purposely hide anything. "That''s the gist of it," he replied.


    This was because Zhong Kui was a noble schr from Great Subduing Academy. More importantly, Zhong Kui had mentioned Mr. Qi before.


    Zhong Kui rubbed his chin and fell into deep thought.


    "How did you figure this out?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zhong Kui was still looking Chen Ping''an up and down as he slowly replied, "Trees have rings that reveal their age, and human souls are actually quite simr. It''s just that the human body is a small world, while the world is a big human body. The human skin, blood, flesh, tendons, and bones are like a wall between the two entities."


    Seeing the baffled expression on Chen Ping''an''s face, Zhong Kui gave an example, saying, "Take, for instance, Majestic World and Heavenly World. If a cultivator wants to observe a fellow cultivator from the other world, it will be impossible even if they can observe mountains and rivers through their palms and even if they''re at the twelfth tier. After a person manifests their yin soul, however, their soul will be much clearer and much easier to see. At that time, many more clues can be identified."


    Zhong Kui suddenly chuckled and remarked, "Chen Ping''an, you''ve been working quite hard to patch everything up."


    Chen Ping''an''s bonded porcin had shattered, preventing him from obtaining any fated opportunities in Jewel Small World. Afterward, his bridge of immortality had also been severed, causing his body to be like a dpidated house that leaked wind and rain. It was because of this that he had been forced to practice the Mountain Shaking Fist to stay alive.


    Zhong Kui was spot-on in saying that Chen Ping''an had been working quite hard to patch everything up.


    In the past, there was Virtuous Schr Zhou Ju from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent who could trap his opponents in astral winds and instantly reduce them to a rack of bones simply by reciting a poem. Now, there was Noble Schr Zhong Kui from Parasol Leaf Continent who was even more powerful and profound. This caused Chen Ping''an to develop deeper and moreplicated feelings toward the Confucian academies.


    "Are you going to enter the temple to offer incense? Is it really okay for a noble schr from a Confucian academy to do this?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zhong Kui couldn''t help but chuckle. "If some of the more pedantic schrs in the academy learn about this, there might indeed be some criticism. It won''t be anything major, though. Schrs aren''t as stubborn as you think."


    A teasing smile suddenly appeared his face, and he remarked, "Huh? So that''s how it''s going to be. Thanks to you, I''ll also be able to experience the short temper of Burial River''s water goddess."


    Zhong Kui''s lips moved slightly, causing the river current to flow around them as if they were pir rocks in the river. At the same time, a faint glow appeared around them, appearing like arge umbre that shrouded them and concealed their presence.


    The noble schr then grabbed Chen Ping''an''s arm and said, "Come on, let''s go and enjoy a show together."


    Burial River became incredibly murky and tumultuous, as if a burst of thunder were rumbling through the river.


    At the bottom of a section of the river two to three kilometers away from the water god temple, the surroundings had already be a battlefield.


    Chen Ping''an looked over from the distance, and saw a petite woman dressed in ck holding some sort of item and swinging it around. Each time she swung it, a spectacr silver arc would slide through the water. However, she was swinging far too quickly, causing the silver arcs to stack and umte. In the end, the silver light appeared like a chaotic sheet of cursive script that was written in an extremely free and bold manner.


    The figure in the distance was radiating with a faint golden light, making her appear like a bright light in the pitch-ck depths of the river. She was as eye-catching as could be.


    The woman was very short, and this caused her to appear quite dainty and cute. She also looked fairly young, though her appearance was ordinary and unremarkable. In fact, she had a bit of a baby face due to how round her face was. However, the pure golden glow around her and the intense look in her eyes made her appear very mighty and imposing.


    There was a saber by her waist, a sword on her back, and even an iron spear in her hand. The spear was extremely long, so long that it almost doubled her in height.


    Her saber scabbard was azure and purple, and more than half of it was wrapped in golden thread.


    Five-colored iridescent clouds were rising from the connection between her sword scabbard and sword hilt, and the magnificence of this scene led one to believe that the sword in the scabbard was definitely an extraordinary weapon.


    The water goddess was like a gust of wind as she dashed back and forth in the water, experiencing no resistance at all. She was as swift as lightning, and the long spear in her hands shed through the water demon''s colossal body several times, causing clouds of blood to bloom into the surroundings. A bloody smell filled this section of Burial River.


    One time, the water goddess was struck by the water demon''s head and smashed into the bottom of the river, sending a loud rumble through the surroundings. However, she immediately charged back up and thrust her spear through the colossal water demon''s chin, causing its deafening wail of anguish to ring through the river.


    The water demon furiously thrashed around, sending huge waves across the surface of Burial River. In fact, even themon people living near the water god temple noticed this abnormal scene. However, no one was afraid, and they instead stood on their tippy-toes and peered into the distance, treating this as an interesting matter.


    The short woman was more than just aggressive and swift with her attacks. She also liked to curse her opponent as she fought.


    "Evil beast, are you trying to rebel against the heavens?! You should be thanking the fortune of your ancestors that I didn''t charge over to attack you... Forget about it, you''re a vile beast that doesn''t have ancestors, aren''t you? Since you dared to approach my temple, let me collect a few hundred kilograms of meat from you this time!


    "Don''t think that I''m afraid of you just because you have allies in the imperial court and you sent eight hundred thousand taels of silver to Mirage City every year. You''ve been trying to strip me of my title asmandery governor this entire time, but what does it matter even my temple bes an illegal temple in the Great Quan Empire? What does it matter even if I sacrifice my gold statue? If I say that I''ll hack you into eighteen pieces, I definitely won''t hack you into just seventeen pieces!


    "Come on, vile beast,e here and eat another attack from my spear! When our battle is over, I''m going to ask my kitchen to make a bowl of stir-fried eel noodles! It''s incredibly delicious!"


    The water demon was colossal and golden, yet its body was naked and without any scales. This strange contrast was repulsive and vomit-inducing.


    This water demon had once lived in a renownedke in the Great Quan Empire. All beings in the world could be spirits after living for long enough, and it was just that their cultivation speed would be very slow. Though the water demon had obtained a huge fated opportunity a long time ago and reached the threshold of the Dragon Gate Tier after cultivating in earnest for six hundred years, it was stuck at the threshold for a full hundred years.


    Afterward, thanks to some guidance from a mighty figure who was traveling across theke, the water demon left its old home and climbed ashore. It experienced many obstacles and hardships, and it started to walk downstream from the start of Burial River, emting the act of flood dragons crossing rivers. This had allowed the water demon to break through the barrier and advance to the Dragon Gate Tier.


    If the water demon had been allowed to continue walking down the river without obstruction, eventually arriving at the intersection between the river and the great river and finally entering the sea, it could have perhaps formed a golden core and advanced to the Golden Core Tier.


    Unexpectedly, however, things took a turn for the worse when he passed Burial River''s water god temple. That damned woman actually became angry at him for killing some mortal humans, and she imed that she was going to carry out justice for the heavens. In fact, she even went as far as to fight with her life on the line.


    The water demon had just advanced to the Dragon Gate Tier at that time, so it was extremely confident and didn''t pay too much heed to the water goddess. There was also a water god in its old home, the renownedke in the Great Quan Empire, yet this water god was nothing more than a subservient underling for it. The water god would kneel and bow in its presence, and would even offer it tributes every year.


    Starting from the section of Burial River outside the water god temple, the two of them continued to fight and travel upstream, unleashing such intensity that the river water spilled more than 150 kilometers past each shore. Fortunately, those were deserted banks of the river with no inhabitants. It was thanks to this that the mortals weren''t affected.


    Suirprisingly, the water demon was weaker than the water goddess while fighting underwater, so it was eventually left with no option but to return upstream and recuperate for several dozen years. After stabilizing its cultivation, it had gained the ability to assume human form. Thus, it had transformed into a burly man and walked ashore with many precious treasures.


    It personally visited the Green Roving Residence to apologize and seek forgiveness, yet that damned brain-dead woman surprisingly attacked him without so much as saying a single word. The water demon also red up in violent rage at that time, and both sides unleashed all of their immortal treasures.


    The battle was even more violent and ruthless than the first time, and half of the water goddess'' Green Roving Residence was obliterated. Cracks also appeared on her gold statue located in the water god temple. The water demon didn''t fare any better; one of his bonded immortal treasures was damaged, and one of his water-subduing treasures was destroyed. It retreated after suffering a heavy defeat.


    For the next two hundred years, it viewed the battle at Green Roving Residence as an utter humiliation. Even though its cultivation base rose explosively after careful nning and earnest cultivation, allowing it to approach the threshold to the Golden Core Tier, it still refused to assume human form for a second time. The water demon vowed that it would only assume human form and swagger onto shore once it shattered that crazy woman''s gold statue and rendered her water god templepletely useless.


    As for the shards of her gold statue, those would naturally be a hearty meal for the water demon. After devouring them, it could perhaps advance to the Golden Core Tier without even needing to travel to the sea!


    However, the water demon was genuinely no match for Burial River''s water goddess when it fought with her underwater. It never enjoyed an advantage against her, not even once.


    After fighting for more than two hundred years, it was quite clear that the damned woman was hellbent on stopping it from traveling any further downstream. Because of this foolish decision that harmed the two of them and benefited no one, the water goddess was also making little progress in refining her gold statue even though she was enjoying so many incense offerings from the mortal world.


    Tonight, the water demon unsurprisingly suffered another defeat. It rapidly retreated upstream.


    The short woman only scowled in anger and stopped her attacks once she understood that the water demon would rush ashore to kill innocent mortals if she continued to pursue it.


    Her iron spear had sunk to the bottom of the river at some time during their intense battle, so she sheathed her saber and sword before diving down to retrieve her favorite weapon. She cursed under her breath, and returned to Green Roving Residence in a sh.


    Only then did Zhong Kui appear with Chen Ping''an.


    The two of them swam ashore and walked to the water god temple.


    To Chen Ping''an''s surprise, there were close to one thousand people standing outside the temple, waiting for it to open so that they could go inside to offer incense. The bottom of the mountain was clogged with carriages and hinnies, while the area outside the temple was bustling with many snack stalls. Add to that the peculiar phenomenon that had taken ce upstream of Burial River just then, and everyone was as lively and excited as could be.


    Zhong Kui apanied Chen Ping''an as he walked over to look at those white jade tablets, each of which looked like a bamboo shoot rising up through the soil after spring rain.


    Most of the white jade tablets contained prayers for rain, and these werergely erected by past emperors of the Great Quan Empire as well as the local officials. Some jade tablets also contained imperial edicts in which the emperors admitted mistakes and reproached themselves.


    Of course, there were also jade tablets erected after sessfully praying for and receiving rain, thanking the water god for bestowing rain upon thend. Chen Ping''an skimmed over these few types of jade tablets very quickly.


    Zhong Kui had already walked to the very front of the forest jade tablets, and was squatting on the ground and looking at an ancient and severely weathered stone tablet. Only a few dozen words were still legible, and much of the original contents had already been lost.


    Chen Ping''an walked and stood beside Zhong Kui. He discovered that the contents of the stone tablet was a poem, yet there was no signature to indicate who hadposed this work. Perhaps due to its ancient age and punishment from the elements, only half of the characters still remained on the stone tablet.


    <em>Heaven and earth are deaf, the sun and moon are blind... the mountains and rivers are haggard, the grass and trees are withered; the heavens are merry, the peoplement their misfortune. </em>


    <em>...will be captured and sent to theherworld. </em>


    <em>Manipting the lightning lord, controlling thunder and lightning; wind and clouds doth rapidly flow and transform in the sky... wields a divine weapon, a drop of water from a golden bottle, weaving through the sky like fabric being made.</em>


    <em>...the scorching heat is swept away..</em>.[1]


    "Can you decipher anything?" Zhong Kui asked.


    "I only recognize the characters," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    "Master once said that the poem recorded on this stone tablet is actually a long-lost Daoist cultivation mantra," Zhong Kui revealed with emotion.


    "Then can you decipher anything?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "I only recognize the characters," Zhong Kui replied in a serious manner.


    Chen Ping''an chuckled in response.


    The two of them stood up, and they saw that the front of the rain god temple was still overflowing with people. "Thanks to you, I might not be able to offer the first stick of incense anymore..." Zhong Kui grumbled.


    However, a sense of helplessness quickly crept into Zhong Kui''s voice as he continued, "Officials and wealthy nobles are definitely waiting at the back door already. That small door will open fifteen to thirty minutes earlier than the main entrance. In other words, themon people can wait here for days and years if they want, but they''ll never be able to offer the first stick of incense unless they go around to the back and convince the temple attendant to personally open the back door for them."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before saying, "There''s a Buddhist saying in my hometown that goes��refrain from looking outward."[2]


    "Mhm, this saying is excellent," Zhong Kui remarked with a nod. "Buddhists talk about ''proper faith,'' and this means to faithfully believe in the proper Dharma. Regarding the matter of offering the first stick of incense, many people in the world have actually misunderstood this concept.


    "Offering the first stick of incense doesn''t mean physically entering the temple first to ce the first stick of incense in the censer. Rather, it''s just like you said��refrain from looking outward. The first stick of incense refers to the first stick of incense offered by each sincere visitor. The first stick of incense in one''s life, the first stick of incense in a year, the first stick of incense in a month��all of these can be regarded as the first stick of incense."


    "This makes sense," Chen Ping''an said with a nod.


    "Do you think it''s easy to be a noble schr in a Confucian academy?" Zhong Kui asked with a chuckle. "It requires very profound knowledge."


    "Then why don''t youpose a poem for me?" Chen Ping''an challenged. "The topic can be your thoughts after reading the inscriptions on the rain praying tablet. Literati often talk aboutposing poems in their travel journals, so why don''t you give it a go as well?"


    Zhong Kui gazed up at the moon and replied, "Tonight is suitable for climbing mountains and entering rivers, it''s suitable for visiting the residences of others, and it''s also suitable for visiting deities. However, tonight is not suitable forposing poems."


    Chen Ping''an replied with a cold chuckle.


    "Chen Ping''an, you''re being quite insincere now!" Zhong Kui huffed, with his embarrassment turning into mock anger.


    He then chuckled and asked, "Do you want to apany me to Green Roving Residence? It''s going to be a water god pce in the future, and this is an extremely rare case. Few such pces exist in Parasol Leaf Continent, and I can count all of them on my fingers. If you''re lucky, you might even be able to see Burial River''s water goddess..."


    "Didn''t we see her just then?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zhong Kui pped his forehead in response. However, this p also caused a sh of realization to hit him, and he eximed, "The fated opportunity! Now that your yin soul is wandering around at night, perhaps your fated opportunity rests in Green Roving Residence and rests with the water goddess!"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and said, "Forget about it. I need to hurry back to my physical body."


    Zhong Kui''s expression was as if he had seen a ghost. There existed someone in the world who was this nonchnt toward fated opportunities?


    1. This poem is <em>Praying for Rain</em> written by Bai Yuchan, a Daoist and alchemist from the Southern Song Dynasty. The full poem reads:


    <em>Heaven and earth are deaf, the sun and moon are blind; no rain falls, severe droughts are aplenty; the mountains and rivers are haggard, the grass and trees are withered; the heavens are merry, the peoplement their misfortune. </em>


    <em>Wait for me to ride an immortal crane east; I''ll wake the dragon with a roar, I''ll split the heavens with an ax; the arrogant sun god under the Kui star will be captured, and sent to theherworld. </em>


    <em>Manipting the lightning lord, controlling thunder and lightning; wind and clouds doth rapidly flow and transform in the sky; the fiery warrior wields a divine weapon, a drop of water from a golden bottle, weaving through the sky like fabric being made</em>. ?


    2. Refrain from looking outward means to not seek external help all the time, which includes praying to deities. ?

 Chapter 344: (1): Sage Arriving at Green Roving Residence

    Chapter 344: (1): Sage Arriving at Green Roving Residence


    The old woman, the temple attendant of the Burial River''s water god temple, was a trusted subordinate of the local governor. Apart from receiving a reference from the governor, she had also spent a lot of her own money to build rtionships with officials from the Ministry of Rites in Mirage City. It was thanks to these things that she hadnded this incredibly lucrative job. Many Qi refiners were extremely jealous of her.


    The young noble schr from Great Subduing Academy could kill her with a single wave of his hand.


    Why had the Great Quan Empire flourished for the past few decades? Why was it showing signs of bing the alliance leader in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent?


    Apart from the wisdom and power of the emperor and the remarkable talents of the schrly officials and military generals, there was actually another reason that everyone was well aware of�� a noble schr was staying in Mirage City. Meanwhile, neighboring countries like Northern Jin Nation and Southern Qi Nation didn''t even have a virtuous schr.


    Focusing back on the water god temple, the fact that Zhong Kui was such a young noble schr was already an immense deterrence in and of itself.


    There was a huge difference between someone in their thirties or forties working extremely hard to be a champion schr and a young prodigy bing a champion schr in their first attempt.


    Right now, the old woman and the old cultivator who had returned to shore were like little children waiting to be punished after they had done something wrong.


    They were old immortals in the eyes of mortal people, but their rtionship with Green Roving Residence was very ordinary. They were aware that the water goddess sincerely looked down on them from the bottom of her heart, and it was only because of the old woman''s rtionship with the governor and the imperial court that she turned a blind eye to them. The water goddess would leave them be as long as they didn''t take things too far when trying to make money.


    However, tonight was going to be a little more painful because the water goddess and the water god temple were no longer on their side and protecting them."One of you is a temple attendant responsible for the incense and offerings in the water god temple, and one of you is a Qi refiner deployed by the imperial court and stationed in this province, yet neither of you has anypassion to speak of," Zhong Kui scolded them in a stern voice.


    "You were going to take advantage of your positions and power to indiscriminately punish someone without even understanding the situation first. No wonder there are so many water ghosts at the bottom of Burial River. Apart from the great demon causing trouble, the two of you can''t escape me either!"


    The old woman and the old cultivator became pale with fright. Words spoken by a noble schr from a Confucian academy were like gold and jade, each word weighing hundreds upon thousands of kilograms. These words definitely wouldn''t be trivial.


    "Therge number of water ghosts in Burial River is mostly my fault," the water goddess said in a solemn voice.


    Zhong Kui flicked his sleeve, not giving the water goddess any face at all as he replied, "These are two different matters! These two people have such important positions, yet they''re trying to ck off wherever they can. They''re unwilling to ask a single question to better understand a given situation, and they''re unwilling to think for a second more before making their reckless decisions. Such malfeasance!


    "They''re not wealthy nobles who can lie there and enjoy wealth. Rather, they''re important officials who should be diligentlypleting their tasks. Each and every one of their actions will affect the fortunes of mountains and rivers of the imperial court!"


    The old woman and the old cultivator were both filled with terror and grief.


    By the looks of it, the young noble schr had already linked their actions to the fortune of the imperial court. If he took things even further and linked their actions to the principles of the Confucian academies, then wouldn''t they bepletely done for? Wouldn''t they be consigned to eternal damnation?


    The old woman fell to her knees and begged for forgiveness, promising that she would never make such a mistake again in the future.


    The old cultivator also bowed and cupped his hands in respect, saying that he had betrayed the trust of the imperial court and that he would definitely do his best and serve to his dying day.


    Zhong Kui humphed coldly and said, "Since this is the first time, I''ll let Miss Water Goddess decide your punishment."


    The two people hurriedly stood up straight and thanked the noble schr. They then turned to the water goddess to apologize and beg for forgiveness.


    Zhong Kui couldn''t help but find these two people an eyesore, so he scolded, "Are you not going to hurry up and return to the temple to shut yourselves away and reflect on your mistakes? Stop making a fool of yourselves out here!"


    The old woman and the old cultivator scurried away in a disheveled manner.


    Zhong Kui turned to the short water goddess and said with a serious expression, "As the water goddess of Burial River who''s respected and revered by everyone in this area, you should at least control your subordinates and not just focus on that river demon. Being a deity and enjoying offerings of incense is not solely for the sake of fighting enemies all the time.


    "If the worshippers who offer incense are sincere, then even receiving just a single stick of incense a year won''t be considered suffering a break between offerings. If everyone in your jurisdiction is blinded by greed, then what does it matter if theye here to offer incense? They''re merely here to seek riches, and they have little respect and sincerity toward you.


    "A sea of incense smoke has wafted through your temple for hundreds of years with no break, and there are even hundreds of people mingling outside and waiting to enter to offer incense in your temple. In fact, your temple is even more bustling than Mirage City''s schrly temple and city god pavilion.


    "Mortal humans might not be aware of how many kilograms of genuine incense offerings you receive each day, and the temple attendant might not be aware of this either. Yet, as the water goddess of Burial River, can you possibly be unaware of this?


    "If it weren''t for the female deity in the side hall helping you attract the sincere incense offerings of so many women, your water god temple and Green Roving Residence would have already been destroyed by that supremely talented river demon long ago!"


    The water goddess felt a rare sense of guilt and shame.


    Zhong Kui didn''t say anything else.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an''s mind had already calmed down. During his two trips through Majestic World, he had only heard outsiders mention Mr. Qi and the Schrly Sage a total of three times.


    There was City God Shen Wen from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Colorful Garment Nation, the old Daoist priest in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land who had mentioned the theory of sequential order, and then the water goddess of Burial River standing in front of him right now.


    The water goddess had surprisingly read a book written by the Schrly Sage before, and she had even ended up bing an... admirer of the Schrly Sage. Moreover, she wasn''t just a normal admirer, but a downright fanatic.


    Indeed, even Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to im that the Paramount Sage was only just knowledgeable enough to be considered an equal to the Second Sage. When Cui Dongshan talked about his past teacher, he only described the Schrly Sage''s knowledge as exceedingly lofty and grand, like a rising sun in the eyes of many schrs. He didn''tpare the Schrly Sage to any other sage who was worshiped in the Confucian temples.


    In any case, asking Great Subduing Academy for a Confucian ssic and worshiping this ssic in her temple would directly have an influence on the fundamental qualities of her gold statue. Moreover, this matter also pertained to the promotion of the water goddess'' Green Roving Residence to Green Roving Pce, a type of promotion that many mountain gods and river gods dreamed of.


    Chen Ping''an felt shocked and confused by the short water goddess'' decision, yet he felt joy from the bottom of his heart as well.


    It was as if he had finally found a like-minded person in a boundless sea of people.


    Zhong Kui turned to Chen Ping''an and asked, "Do you know why they listened to me? It''s not just because of the two ps, and it''s not necessarily because of my status as a noble schr either."


    Chen Ping''an was indeed curious, so he sincerely asked, "Can you please exin?"


    A gant expression was on Zhong Kui''s face as he replied, "It''s because the Confucian academies have used the various Confucian ssics to educate people for thousands upon thousands of years. This has allowed the seventy-two Confucian academies to gain a strong standing in the nine continents. At the same time, everyone respects and fears the Confucian academies, regardless of whether they''re from the mountains or from outside the mountains.


    "If Confucian schrs from the academies only rely on martial power to subdue others, then people will naturally yield on the surface but remain dissatisfied on the inside. There are many disadvantages to relying on martial power alone. In other words, my predecessors have nted the trees, and I''m simply enjoying their shade."


    Chen Ping''an found the current situation a little strange.


    Zhong Kui''s actions and manner of speech at this moment were starkly different from normal.


    Of course, there wasn''t anything wrong with what Zhong Kui had said.


    Zhong Kui''s eyes darted around for a few seconds, and he stood as if he were pricking up his ears and listening out for something. He chuckled and said, "Teacher is finally gone, so I''m fairly confident that I''ve already muddled through the troubles tonight. I''m going to enjoy fortune thanks to this misfortune. Haha, perhaps Teacher will even spare me a few words of praise the next time I return to the academy."


    Chen Ping''an was rendered speechless. This was the Zhong Kui who he was familiar with.


    This was a huge eye-opener for the water goddess, and she almost started to suspect whether this person was faking his position as a noble schr.


    Zhong Kui patted his belly and remarked, "My stomach is rumbling after hearing you mention that bowl of stir-fried eel noodles just then. How about we go to your Green Roving Residence for a midnight snack?"


    Chen Ping''an frowned and said, "There are some snack stalls right over there."


    Chen Ping''an was no longer a naive young boy who knew nothing about the world. Not only had the Schrly Sage''s statue been removed from the Confucian temple and smashed into pieces, but all of his works had been banned and destroyed in the entire Majestic World as well.


    Back then, the seventy-two Confucian academies in the nine continents had all been involved in this, with either their mountain master or at least a noble schr responsible for supervising the local governments as they destroyed the Schrly Sage''s works. It had been aprehensive process where no oversights were allowed.


    Once Chen Ping''an became involved in this situation between the water goddess of Burial River, the imperial court of the Great Quan Empire, and Great Subduing Academy, then it was entirely possible that he would end up harming himself and harming others if someone with ulterior motives were to take advantage of his involvement in the matter.


    Thepetition between the two schrly lineages had alreadye to an end, and there was no need for future generations to debate over this anymore. Why was this? This was because the sages had already spoken every principle and made every argument possible.


    The short and petite water goddess seemed to change her mind as well, and she started to actively invite the two of them to her Green Roving Residence, saying with a smile, "How can the stalls outside the templepare to the food made in my Green Roving Residence? Come on, let''s go. I can also take this opportunity to open a pot of fine wine that''s been aging for one hundred years to wee my two esteemed guests."


    In reality, she wanted to borrow the noble schr''s might to suppress the two guest elders from the Great Quan Empire and deter them from lingering outside her Green Roving Residence and continuing to pester her.


    The water goddess was extremely proud of herself, thinking that her tricks were no inferior to that of the river demon.


    The more she thought about this, the happier she became. In the end, she started to chuckle giddily to herself.


    Chen Ping''an felt a little helpless. The water goddess was far too honest and naive. Judging by her expression, was it not abundantly clear that tonight''s meal in the Green Roving Residence wouldn''te easy? Couldn''t she have waited until she tricked the two of them to her ce before she started to chuckle in glee?


    Zhong Kui pretended to be blind and oblivious to all of this as he dragged Chen Ping''an along, saying that he wanted to see whether that pot of one-hundred-year-old wine couldpare to the border inn''s five-year-old green plum wine.


    The water goddess was already unable to conceal the fact that she hade to the water god temple tonight, especially since Zhong Kui had openly scolded and punished the temple attendant. That being the case, she decided to openly use her powers, making a grabbing motion at Burial River and causing the water to instantly churn.


    Arge column of water rose above the river, transforming into a lifelike yellow flood dragon that measured three hundred meters in length as it flew ontond. It arrived outside the water god temple and gently lowered its head. The water goddess immediately leaped onto the flood dragon''s head, and Zhong Kui also dragged Chen Ping''an along with him as he jumped onto the flood dragon''s neck.


    The flood dragon turned around and re-entered Burial River, rapidly swimming toward Green Roving Residence located further downstream.


    Upon personally witnessing the water goddess reveal her impressive might and mystical powers, the people waiting outside the temple all fell to their knees and kowtowed in her direction. Their faces were full of joy when they stood up, and they thought to themselves that this trip to the temple was absolutely worthwhile. To see the water goddess show herself and reveal her incredible powers... just how fortunate and blessed were they?


    It wasn''t long before the water goddess, Zhong Kui, and Chen Ping''an arrived at Green Roving Residence. The residence appeared to be located quite far away from Burial River, yet in reality, it was connected to the water veins underground.


    Green Roving Residence was located in the center of a formation, allowing it to gather the water essence of Burial River and absorb the fortune provided by the incense offerings that were contained within the river. This was the foundation of the water goddess'' power. The gold statue located in the water god temple was only an external manifestation.


    While being refused entry, the master and disciple from the Golden Summit Daoist Temple��Daoist Preserving Innocence Yin Miaofeng and Shao Yuanran��had enjoyed a delicious midnight meal. The old steward had asked the chef to cook some fragrant dishes, and he had further paired this with two pots of beautiful wine, offering this to the two guest elders of the Great Quan Empire who had imed that they wouldn''t leave unless they were granted an audience with the water goddess.


    The old steward felt a little guilty,rgely due to how good-tempered the two visitors from afar were. They hadn''t tried to barge into Green Roving Residence, nor had they issued any threats. Instead, Yin Miaofeng had simply smiled and asked him for a meal. The old steward, who had initially been afraid of being killed, was extremely grateful to the two Daoist priests.


    The flood dragon transformed into a small stream that quickly vanished into the ground outside Green Roving Residence.


    Zhong Kui came to a realization upon seeing the situation outside the residence. He nced at the short woman standing beside him, and the water goddess simply chuckled awkwardly as she yed dumb.


    The two Daoist priests immediately stood up upon seeing Zhong Kui, and they walked down the steps before bowing in greeting and introducing themselves.


    Even though they hadn''t personally witnessed Zhong Kui''s yin soul and yang soul leaving the border inn to punish the two princes, Yin Miaofeng had already heard of Zhong Kui''s resounding reputation a long time ago. The first time they had noticed him in the border regions was due to the fact a disheveled schr in azure would appear in the distance every time the mounted troops of the Yao n became involved in an intense battle.


    This schr in azure would observe from a distance, but he would never interfere in the battle. Afterward, he would silently leave when the battle drew to a close. However, he would quietly appear again when an intense battle red up somewhere else.


    Using his position as a guest elder of the imperial court, Yin Miaofeng had inquired Mirage City about this situation. Surprisingly, however, not a single person had been able to determine this person''s identity and background. In the end, he had gone through the Golden Summit Daoist Temple to finally learn that the schr in azure was Zhong Kui, the youngest noble schr in the history of Great Subduing Academy.


    He had be a virtuous schr at twelve, a noble schr at eighteen, and he had further received the honorific title of "righteous" at twenty. This honorific title wasn''t something that the mountain masters of the Confucian academies could hand out. Rather, it could only be bestowed by the sage from the Confucian school in which the noble schr''s lineage belonged.


    Not only that, but it was also necessary to receive approval from several of the sages who were worshiped in the Confucian temple. Only then could one receive the honorific title and be a righteous noble schr.


    This was because righteous noble schrs were also referred to as quasi-sages.


    Great Subduing Academy was less renowned than the two other Confucian academies in the north and south of Parasol Leaf Continent, but within the Confucian orthodoxy of the continent and in the eyes of the sect-level forces in the area, Zhong Kui was a very likable person since he was a schr born and raised in the continent.


    In order to invite Noble Schr Zhong Kui to their nation as a guest and guardian, several of the most powerful empires in Parasol Leaf Continent were trying their utmost to forge a good rtionship with Great Subduing Academy.


    In fact, even the abbot of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple might have to treat Noble Schr Zhong Kui as an equal if he were toe across him. Hence, Yin Miaofeng and Shao Yuanran didn''t dare to show even the slightest hint of disrespect toward Zhong Kui.


    Right now, Shao Yuanran even felt like his master, was purposely acting respectful and even a little obsequious toward Zhong Kui.


    This made the cultivation prodigy from Golden Summit Daoist Temple feel a little ufortable. However, he didn''t let these emotions show on his face.


    However, Yin Miaofeng had no option but to act in an ingratiating manner.


    Now was a critical time regarding the promotion of Green Roving Residence to Green Roving Pce, so as the prized disciple of Great Subduing Academy''s mountain master, it was perhaps possible for Zhong Kui to give the final word and bring this matter to a close.


    At that time, Yin Miaofeng would have not onlypleted his secret mission from Mirage City, but he would have also helped the Great Quan Empire build a good rtionship with this righteous noble schr destined to be a Confucian sage in the future. Thanks to this, Yin Miaofeng''s prized disciple, Shao Yuanran, would also gain an additional backer apart from Golden Summit Daoist Temple.


    Zhong Kui had naturallye across this pair of Daoist priests cultivating in the world before. Moreover, he hade across them more than once. He didn''t have a bad impression of them, but he didn''t have a very good impression of them either. Otherwise, he would have greeted them long ago.


    Yin Miaofeng exined his reason for visiting Green Roving Residence tonight, yet Zhong Kui discovered that the water goddess of Burial River was acting as if this had nothing to do with her at all. This was both exasperating and amusing. However, this was also his reason for visiting Burial River tonight, and the matter regarding the river demon bribing officials in Mirage City wasn''t simple either. This was something that went below his bottom line.


    Thus, Zhong Kui was extremely straightforward as he looked at Yin Miaofeng and replied, "I''ll try to persuade Miss Water Goddess regarding the Confucian ssic that she wants to enshrine in Green Roving Residence. The two of you can rest assured and report this to Mirage City. Of course, you can be more flexible with your report, and you''ll naturally receive credit if everything goes smoothly. If things don''t work out, however, you won''t be scolded either. As for why I''m helping the two of you, I naturally have my own reasons. The two of you don''t need to blindly specte."


    Yin Miaofeng was extremely grateful as he thanked Zhong Kui and took his leave with his disciple, Shao Yuanran.

 Chapter 345: (1): Six Talismans from the Noble Scholar, Petrifying Ghosts and Suppressing Swords

    Chapter 345: (1): Six Talismans from the Noble Schr, Petrifying Ghosts and Suppressing Swords


    Pei Qian said she wanted to go over to the entrance of the hall to look at that spirit wall. The incense smoke wafting over the illustration of the temple was legitimately fragrant, and the water flowing in the illustration of Burial River genuinely made a gushing sound. This was truly very interesting.


    The water goddess waved her hand, summoning a young maidservant over and asking her to bring Pei Qian to the spirit wall to enjoy the scenery.


    Upon remembering that the Confucian sage of another schrly lineage had just left, Chen Ping''an put his wine gourd down and said, "My hometown is the Dragon Spring Prefecture, and it used to be part of Jewel Small World. Mr. Qi was a teacher at a private school, but I never attended this school because I was too poor when I was little. However, my neighbor was able to afford it, so he was one of Mr. Qi''s students. Even so, I did indeede across Mr. Qi a few times. The small town wasn''t very big, after all."


    Zhong Kui returned to the table and sat down, smiling widely as he poured himself a bowl of wine. He naturally didn''t believe all of Chen Ping''an''s words. He was a very young pure martial artist, yet he possessed a Sword Nurturing Gourd and two bonded flying swords. Not only that, but he could even release his yin soul to travel around during the night.


    Even if Jewel Small World had been filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons, allowing Chen Ping''an to obtain these fated opportunities from other sources, Zhong Kui refused to believe that Chen Ping''an had only e across Mr. Qi a few times."


    However, Zhong Kui didn''t dwell on this topic, since Chen Ping''an was clearly holding back. Even though the Schrly Sage''s works and philosophies were banned in the seventy-two Confucian academies, it wouldn''t be surprising if the scripture libraries in the mortal world still privately owned a few of his works. This wasn''t a big deal.


    To say nothing of being acquainted with Qi Jingchun, it wouldn''t matter even if Chen Ping''an had been a student in that private school in Jewel Small World. He definitely wouldn''t face any dangers or trouble if he wasn''t Qi Jingchun''s direct disciple, inheriting the schrly lineage of the Schrly Sage.


    Even taking ten thousand steps back and assuming that Chen Ping''an <em>was</em> in fact the direct disciple of Mr. Qi, this still didn''t matter. In the jurisdiction of Great Subduing Academy in Parasol Leaf Continent, there was still Zhong Kui and his teacher.


    However, things would be more unclear in the northern and southern regions of Parasol Leaf Continent, where the two other Confucian academies existed.There was a bright glimmer in the water goddess'' eyes as she ced her hands on the table and hurriedly asked, "Then have youe across the Schrly Sage before? Is he an extremely elegant and refined old man? Does he wear a tall hat and broad belt, have pure and righteous wind in his sleeves, and disy a sense of warmth amid his solemness? Does he look like a transcendent individual who possesses profound knowledge? And is his disposition and aura simr to that of those transcendent cultivators from the mountains?"


    Chen Ping''an could only go against his conscience and reply, "I''ve nevere across the Schrly Sage before."


    There was disappointment and pity in the water goddess'' eyes. The disappointment was for herself, while the sense of pity was for Chen Ping''an. She dejectedly sat down and unrestrainedly gulped down arge bowl of wine. After wiping her mouth clean, she said with emotion, "What a huge pity that you''ve nevere across such a lofty schr before. You need to fight for the opportunity to meet him in the future, or else your life won''t beplete."


    "Alright, I''ll fight for the opportunity," Chen Ping''an replied with a helpless smile.


    The water goddess suddenly recalled something, and she asked, "Then have youe across someone called Cui Chan? He was the first disciple of the Schrly Sage, yet he turned out to be aplete bastard who betrayed his teacher. There''s also that divinely skilled sword immortal, and his name is also incredibly domineering��Zuo You. It''s said that his sword skills are unparalleled in the world. There are also people like Mao Xiaodong... The Schrly Sage has many disciples, so you must havee across at least one of them, right?"


    Chen Ping''an raised his wine gourd andmented, "Ah, such a disappointment, such a huge disappointment. Let''s drink to alleviate this disappointment."


    The water goddess smacked the table, expressing deep irritation at Chen Ping''an''sck of reaction. "You still want to drink? What''s wrong with you?! If I had grown up in Jewel Small World, then the first thing I would have done after leaving is to pay a visit to the Schrly Sage. If I couldn''t barge into that Confucian school''s Forest of Virtue, then I would have taken the next best option and gone to at least scold Cui Chan. I would also visit Zuo You to witness his peerless sword skills, and I would visit Mao Xiaodong to y Go with him..."


    "Yes, indeed, that sounds very reasonable," Chen Ping''an concurred.


    Zhong Kui suppressed hisughter and said in amusement, "Scold Cui Chan? I''m not trying to belittle you, Miss Water Goddess, but the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire can shatter your godly body with two fingers even though his cultivation base has fallen a significant amount."


    "He can hear me even if I scold him from outside the city gates of the capital of the Great Li Empire?" the water goddess retorted with confidence.


    Zhong Kui rolled his eyes and replied, "I guess he can��t hear you then."


    The three of them each drank on their own.


    The atmosphere became increasingly heavy and solemn.


    The great demon hiding near nchette Writing Sect hadunched a vicious attack on the sect after being exposed, and even the Unpolished Jade Tier couple extremely skilled at offensive techniques had been unable to stop it, with one killed and one wounded.


    Moreover, the battle had taken ce inside nchette Writing Sect, so in order to achieve this feat, the great demon''s cultivation base had to be at least at the twelfth tier, regardless of what advantage it possessed thanks to its innately powerful physique.


    This Immortal Tier great demon should have been extremely famous throughout the entire world, yet it had actually remained silent and hidden in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent for countless years? And neither nchette Writing Sect nor the Confucian academy had detected its presence?


    Not only that, but the prison suppressing many demons and fiends in Peace and Tranquility Mountain had coincidentally unlocked when the sect master had rushed over to stop the great demon from entering the sea, allowing these demons and fiends to flee into the surroundings?


    In addition to this, rare ancient treasures and celestial tools had appeared one after another in Southern Whirl Continent, Parasol Leaf Continent, and Circling Ascension Continent not long before this, causing countless cultivators to fight and kill each other for the treasures.


    "Dare I ask, is your teacher, the mountain master of Great Subduing Academy, genuinely not afraid of being killed after leaving the academy to go to the front lines and hunt that great demon?" the water goddess asked in a cautious voice.


    Zhong Kui chuckled in slight anger and replied, "Can you have a little more confidence in my teacher? In any case, everyone else in the world has the right to ask this question, but not you. Just how many times have you left Green Roving Residence and the water god temple to fight with that great demon during the past two hundred or so years?"


    The water goddess drank some wine and replied, "That''s not the same thing at all. I''m only a measly water goddess, while your teacher hails from the sagely residence of a sage who''s worshiped in the Confucian temple."


    Zhong Kui shot a sideways nce at the water goddess and asked, "Are these the principles that you''ve learned from the Schrly Sage''s books?"


    The water goddess'' embarrassment immediately transformed into anger. Scolding her and calling her unknowledgeable to her face was fine, but dragging the Schrly Sage into this as well? This waspletely uneptable! She smacked the table and stood up, eximing, "Zhong Kui, if you continue to make unpleasant remarks like this, then I''ll have to make you vomit up the stir-fried eel noodles and the one-hundred-year-old wine!"


    Zhong Kui took a swig of wine and retorted, "But I insist on drinking your wine."


    He drank another mouthful and continued, "And I drank some more again. It''s truly delicious."


    The water goddess'' expression was livid, and her entire body was shaking in fury.


    "There''s an archway in my hometown, and the words ''doing my part'' are written on one of the four ques," Chen Ping''an said softly. "This is probably the reason why Zhong Kui''s teacher has made such a decision. Zhong Kui already exined why Majestic World is willing to abide by the rules established by the Confucian Sect.


    "Regardless of whether Zhong Kui''s teacher survives or dies due to today''s decision, the three of us��well, let''s ignore Zhong Kui, who''s his disciple, and just focus on you and me, Miss Water Goddess��we''ll feel like Great Subduing Academy''s character and attitude are truly worthy of admiration. If I have children in the future, then I''ll definitely tell them to visit Parasol Leaf Continent''s Great Subduing Academy when they grow older and decide to travel around the world."


    Zhong Kui nodded and raised his wine bowl, offering a toast to Chen Ping''an.


    The water goddess also nodded in understanding, approving Chen Ping''an''s exnation. Thus, she also raised her wine bowl to offer a toast to Chen Ping''an.


    However, all feasts had toe to an end.


    Zhong Kui put his wine bowl down and prepared to do one final thing before leaving Green Roving Residence.


    Pei Qian ran over to the entrance of the hall, holding her hands up as if she were cupping water. It looked like she was offering a treasure to Chen Ping''an, and appeared delighted as she shouted, "I scooped up a handful of water from the spirit wall! Do you want to take a look?"


    She lowered her elbows, revealing a handful of jade-like water in her cupped hands.


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at it before instructing her, "Pour it back into the spirit wall."


    Pei Qian nodded in understanding and giddily ran back to the spirit wall. Meanwhile, the maidservant covered her mouth and giggled as she ran after the skinny little girl.


    The water goddess felt like Pei Qian was quite lively and interesting, so she smiled and said, "It''s only a handful of water essence from Burial River, only worth a measly few immortal coins. Young Master, you didn''t need to ask her to return it."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response. However, he didn''t offer any further exnation.


    Zhong Kui also had a pocket treasure with him, a small and exquisite bronze paperweight in the shape of the divine beast <em>xiezhi</em>.[1]


    He picked up the Wind and Snow Awl, and he also took out three pieces of golden talisman paper, on which there was a vaguely visible seal script pattern.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t recognize the value of this talisman paper, and he simply felt like it was slightly different from the golden talisman paper that he owned. However, the water goddess was familiar with them, and she eximed in astonishment, "Wind and Thunder Talisman Paper? One has dragon w seal script, one has jade tendon seal script, and one has ganoderma seal script. These are incredibly valuable.


    "The imperial court of the Great Quan Empire only bestowed me with a single piece of dragon w seal script Wind and Thunder Talisman Paper when I first constructed and opened my Green Roving Residence."


    Seeing Chen Ping''an''s calm andposed expression, which betrayed his ignorance toward the precious nature of this talisman paper, the water goddess exined, "Talismans created using such talisman paper are the best at petrifying ghosts, and even lofty earth immortals at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier are extremely fond of them. But they are incredibly expensive, so cultivators under the Golden Core Tier would most likely have to exhaust all of their wealth if they want to purchase three pieces of Wind and Thunder Talisman Paper."


    In reality, Chen Ping''an had an inkling about this. When he cleaved through the enemy formation alongside Sword Saint Song Yushao in Water Combing Nation, a guest elder from the imperial court used one such golden talisman and summoned a warrior in golden armor, relying on it to block Chen Ping''an''s advance. Chen Ping''an had clearly seen the pitiful and pained expression on the guest elder''s face as he used the talisman.


    "Even Peace and Tranquility Mountain isn''t peaceful and tranquil anymore, so one can imagine just how chaotic the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent is right now," Zhong Kui said. "It''s quite foolish to travel around without a few powerful talismans."


    Zhong Kui ced the three pieces of talisman paper on the table. He held the Wind and Snow Awl in his hand, and before drawing the talismans, he said in a quiet voice, "Chen Ping''an, being friends with each other is one thing, but it''s still necessary to remain fair when performing transactions. I''m going to draw three weapon talismans for you, representing heaven, earth, and humans, and with extremely strong killing intent. They''re perfect for suppressing evil and killing ghosts.


    "I invented these talismans myself, and even one will be enough to deter ghosts and spirits at the Golden Core Tier. If you seize the perfect opportunity, then using all three talismans together might even allow you to severely wound a ghost king at the Nascent Tier. Anyhow, this is just some interest for borrowing the Wind and Snow Awl from you."


    Chen Ping''an patted Zhong Kui''s shoulder and chuckled, "Since you''re giving me such precious talismans, I''ll also be generous and lend the Wind and Snow Awl to you for a few more days."


    Zhong Kui shrugged and shook Chen Ping''an''s hand away, rolling his eyes. "Don''t act like we''re best buddies."


    The water goddess was astounded upon seeing this. She genuinely didn''t understand the rtionship between the young boy and the noble schr. The former was willing to lend a high-grade immortal treasure, while thetter was willing to give away three pieces of Wind and Thunder Talisman Paper.


    Simr to his attitude in the border inn, Zhong Kui started to act theatrically again. He held the brush high in the air as he prepared to write, and he flicked the sleeve of his other hand before also raising it high into the air and announcing, "The sages once said, after reading countless scrolls and books, one can write as if they''re assisted by the gods. Miss Water Goddess, bring me some wine!"


    The water goddess handed him a bowl of wine.


    "Don''t get carried away," Chen Ping''an warned. "Draw the talismans properly, or else I''ll make you take out another Wind and Thunder Talisman Paper to redraw the talisman if the first one doesn''t work out. You just said it yourself. Being friends with each other is one thing, but it''s still necessary to remain fair when performing transactions."


    Zhong Kui huffed and put down the bowl of wine that he had nned to drink to raise his spirits.


    "I''m messing around with you," Chen Ping''an said.


    A sulky expression appeared on Zhong Kui''s face.


    The water goddess couldn''t help but feel a slight sense of admiration toward the young boy whose yin soul had wandered down Burial River earlier in the night.


    <em>Are you truly not going to take a noble schr seriously?</em>


    Zhong Kui took arge swig of wine before unleashing a satisfying burp. However, what happened next was truly mystical. Wisps of snow-white spiritual energy danced through the air, as if Zhong Kui had exhaled some of the righteous aura that he had nurtured from reading sagely ssics. The wisps of righteous aura gathered around the tip of the Wind and Snow Awl.


    Moreover, Zhong Kui''s manner of drawing talismans didn''t adhere to proper techniques either. His brush didn''t make contact with the talisman paper, and he instead recited a line from some poem, "Holding a military seal and farewelling the imperial pce, the courageous heavy cavalry encircles their enemy."[2]


    Afterward, he gently flicked his wrist and "threw" arge group of rice-sized miniature people from the tip of the brush.


    Looking carefully, one would discover that these miniature people were actually warriors d in armor and riding warhorses. The one hundred or so mounted troops rapidly galloped across the Wind and Thunder Talisman Paper as they set up a formation, pulling back the reins and instructing their horses to stop when they arrived in position.


    Holding the Wing and Snow Awl in his right hand, Zhong Kui held the index finger and middle finger of his left hand together before pointing at the talisman paper andmanding in a solemn voice, "Freeze!"


    The mounted troops in silver armor vanished in an instant, fusing into the golden Wind and Thunder Talisman Paper.


    The talisman paper instantly transformed into a finished talisman.


    Afterward, Zhong Kui created the two other talismans in much the same way. It could be said that he had spirits and deities under his wrist.


    The water goddess sighed in admiration. This was as expected of a quasi-sage from Great Subduing Academy. Disregarding his knowledge and essays, just his skill in creating talismans alone was perhaps enough to make an Unpolished Jade Tier talisman cultivator smack the table and shout in praise.


    Zhong Kui handed the three talismans to Chen Ping''an and said, "Done. Here are your three talismans."


    Chen Ping''an carefully epted the talismans and asked with a smile, "Are you tired after drawing the three talismans?"


    Zhong Kui patted his belly and sniggered, "This is nothing! My belly is full of strategies, and it''s hiding one hundred thousand armored warriors. Drawing three talismans is nothing... nothing?"


    Zhong Kui waspletely dumbstruck at this moment. This was because he saw Chen Ping''an retrieve another three pieces of talisman paper after putting away the three golden talismans. These pieces of talisman paper were also golden, but the faint patterns on them weren''t the seal script patterns of the Wind and Thunder Talisman Paper. Instead, the patterns on them appeared even more ancient.


    Chen Ping''an gently ced the three pieces of talisman paper on the table and said with a wide smile, "Since you''re not tired, then why don''t you help me draw three more talismans? It would be best if you could draw a lightning-element talisman, a guidance talisman that can shatter those illusions in the mountains and rivers, and a binding talisman that can restrict the bonded flying swords of sword cultivators, like the Dry Well Talisman."


    The water goddess was extremely puzzled. This young master from another nation was truly very rich.


    Zhong Kui wiped the sweat from his forehead and bemoaned, "So be it, so be it, I''ll be generous until the very end. Three more talismans, was it? I''ll draw them for you!"


    1. The xiezhi is a single-horned and goat-like divine beast that represents bravery and justice. ?


    2. This is a line from Yang Jiong''s poem, <em>Marching with the Army</em>. Yang Jiong was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet, traditionally grouped together with Luo Binwang, Lu Zhaolin, and Wang Bo as the Four Paragons of the Early Tang. ?

 Chapter 346: (1): Scholar Explaining Sequential Order, Water Goddess Forming Golden Core

    Chapter 346: (1): Schr Exining Sequential Order, Water Goddess Forming Golden Core


    Milling people during the first watch of the night, flickering mes on the second; wandering ghosts on the third, and sneaking thieves on the fourth. Roosters call on the fifth, and a new day begins.[1]


    It was midnight, and Burial River was thick with yin energy.


    Perhaps due to the killing intent radiating from the cavalrymen of the Yao n and their weapons, this menacing yin energy was blocked from entering the ry station, as if there was an invisible wall holding it back.


    Yao Jinzhi was in her room, practicing a divination techniquemonly known as the Fire Pearl Forest Technique. This was a secret technique from the mountains, yet it couldn''t be regarded as a legitimate or orthodox technique. Yao Jinzhi had coincidentally learned this technique from a scripture library during her childhood, and she had simply treated it as a pastime for the past few years.


    She could either toss three copper coins onto the floor to answer a single question, or she could ce six copper coins into a bamboo tube before tossing them out and observing which side theynded on to predict one''s future and estimate one''s luck. However, this was hit-and-miss, so even Yao Jinzhi didn''t believe the results too much.


    Tonight, she performed divination with three copper coins to determine whether her trip to the capital of the Great Quan Empire would be a smooth sailing one. The result was great fortune.


    She then used six copper coins to predict the fortune of the Great Quan Empire''s Imperial Liu n.


    Afterward, Yao Jinzhi was perplexed as she looked at the copper coins one by one. She couldn''t make sense of the results no matter how she wracked her brain. In the end, she could only chuckle in self-ridicule and remark that it was innately wrong to ask these questions to ghosts and deities instead of themon people.


    Yao Jinzhi didn''t dwell on the results of the two divinations any more, and stood up and walked to the window, where she saw Yao Lingzhi practicing saber techniques outside. Further into the distance, she could still see candlelight illuminating that room. There was no need to guess; she knew that it was Yao Xianzhi burning the midnight oil to study military texts.She returned to her table, thinking that she could asionally y Go with Mr. Lu during this trip. She could also give a few small and exquisite trinkets to that little girl called Pei Qian. Of course, she also needed to find an opportunity to give that young guest elder of the Imperial Liu n a present that adhered to propriety.


    As a young woman, she had naturally detected the emotions hidden deep inside Shao Yuanran''s eyes. However, she was purposely pretending that she didn''t understand his feelings even though she had clearly seen through them. She had only spoken a few words to that young Daoist priest during their trip, and she had also gazed at the back of his figure on purpose one time.


    In fact, it was quite hrious that the young guest elder thought that his fake expression of calm and indifference could hide his emotions and fool her. Yao Jinzhi was clearly aware that her "inadvertent" gaze had caused the heart of that wildly ambitious Daoist priest to flutter.


    Yao Jinzhi firmly believed that the reaction of one''s heart was far more credible than one''s exnation of a myriad of words. In any case, saying more words didn''t result in being more believable. Whether one listened was one matter, and whether one sincerely epted the words was another matter altogether. Beautiful women and influential men both possessed innate advantages.


    Yao Jinzhi couldn''t help but feel a little dispirited when she thought about this. Why was that person able to remain truly calm andposed when he interacted with her?


    From evening until the next morning, Zhu Lian continued to walk up and down the bank of Burial River, waiting for Chen Ping''an and Pei Qian to return.


    All kinds of strange things had happenedst night, and it had all started with the little girl, Pei Qian, spewing nonsense and iming that there was a golden bridge above the river. Afterward, Chen Ping''an had stopped practicing standing meditation and asked him to return to the ry station with Pei Qian.


    Later at night, Chen Ping''an had suddenly dived into the river, and Pei Qian had surprisingly followed after him without any hesitation at all. A whirlpool had mysteriously appeared in the river, and it had been apanied by a wave of abundant spiritual energy, causing Zhu Lian to feel a little ufortable. In any case, the whirlpool had enveloped Chen Ping''an and Pei Qian before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Zhu Lian had only seen the hazy figure of a short woman.


    During his time in this world, he had heard the others say that Parasol Leaf Continent was only one of nine continents in Majestic World.


    Heaven and earth were boundlesslyrge.


    Cultivators and immortals were profoundly powerful.


    In the beginning, there had been a slight sense of despondence in Zhu Lian''s mind. It was as if he were the wealthiest noble of a county city who had suddenly traveled to the capital and discovered that he couldn''t afford anything at all. Thus, it was inevitable that he would feel disappointed and downcast.


    However, Zhu Lian had quickly andprehensively gotten over this. Instead of despondence, what he now felt was a surging sense of fighting spirit and ambition. Even though Zhu Lian was always smiling as he followed Chen Ping''an around and served him, this martial arts prodigy wasn''t dying his cultivation for even a second.


    The three other people from the picture scrolls were no inferior to Zhu Lian. Wei Xian was carefully examining this world, observing heaven and earth from the finest of details. Sui Youbian was cultivating in seclusion andprehending sword techniques inside her carriage, while Lu Baixiang further disyed his many talents, showing that he was masterful in all of music, Go, calligraphy, and painting.


    This was the intangible yet distinct advantage of Zhu Lian, Lu Baixiang, Sui Youbian, and Wei Xian.


    Each of them had been the most powerful person in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land at one point in time. As pure martial artists, their mind''s realms were also close to wless, living up to the notion of "pure."


    However, there was also secretpetition between the four people.


    They were all striving to be the first person to advance to the seventh tier.


    Once they advanced to the seventh tier, the Vajra Body Tier, then the eighth and ninth would no longer be a big challenge for them. It would only be a matter of time before they advanced to these tiers.


    Zhu Lian nced up at the sky, and returned the same way that he hade. He held a pebble in his hand and gently rubbed it with his fingers, and fine dust from the pebble was quickly scattered away by the refreshing breeze brushing past the river.


    Apart from their martial arts cultivation bottlenecks, the four people were naturally displeased about the shackles ced on them as well. After all, Wei Xian was the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, Lu Baixiang was the founding ancestor of the demonic forces, and Sui Youbian was a sword immortal who had desired to shatter the rules and regtions of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land with a single sh.


    That being the case, could the four people truly admire and be loyal to the young boy who possessed the four picture scrolls? Could they truly be willing to serve him? To say nothing of Chen Ping''an, even the little girl called Pei Qian most likely wouldn''t believe this.


    However, the four people all had a deep impression of Chen Ping''an thanks to the battle at the border inn.


    Zhu Lian tightened his grip on the pebble and murmured to himself, "Judging by Chen Ping''an''s current attitude, Lu Baixiang is most likely the person who revealed the truth first. Perhaps it''s because of this that the rtionship between them is so close and rxed?"


    ��������


    After drawing the Sword Suppressing Talisman which possessed an astonishing talismanic core, Zhong Kui had quickly left the Burial River along with his teacher. The fortunes of mountains and rivers gradually stabilized in Green Roving Residence, and the young maidservant also returned to therge hall with Pei Qian.


    Just then, Pei Qian had run outside the hall and tossed the handful of Burial River''s water essence back into the spirit wall. However, the wafting incense smoke on the spirit wall had instantly be disorderly and chaotic, and the gushing water in the river had started to churn in a tumultuous manner as well. It was as if the river were about to burst out from the wall and flood the entire Green Roving Residence.


    Pei Qian was given a huge fright, and she had eximed that she wanted to return to Chen Ping''an''s side. However, including the young maidservant, a water ghost who had died an unjust death in Burial River many years ago, all of the spirits and ghosts had been expelled from Green Roving Residence when the water goddess had channeled her mystical power. Left all alone in front of the spirit wall, Pei Qian had immediately burst into tears, bawling loudly until her voice became hoarse.


    Walking back to the hall now, there were still tear stains on Pei Qian''s little face. She timidly stood at the door, not daring to enter the hall. She possessed some level of observation skills, and she knew that Chen Ping''an was discussing proper matters with the water goddess. What would happen if she barged in and angered Chen Ping''an again? Zhong Kui had helped her outst time, but who would step forward and help her out this time?


    "What''s wrong?" asked Chen Ping''an, turning around.


    Pei Qian quickly ran into the hall and sat down on the chair next to Chen Ping''an. She sat up straight, and there was a hint of grievance and guilt in her voice as she exined, "I returned the handful of water to the spirit wall just then, but for some reason, the entire spirit wall started to shake. Chen Ping''an, I genuinely didn''t do that on purpose. You''re not allowed to get angry at me."


    Chen Ping''an lightly flicked Pei Qian''s forehead and chuckled, "Oh? Even you can be afraid?"


    Pei Qian immediately felt at ease upon seeing this. By the looks of it, that frighteningmotion most likely had nothing to do with her. Feeling much more confident, she immediately sat up straight, drooling a little as she smelled the fragrance of the wine. Pei Qian had seen many strange creatures, spirits, and ghosts now, and she also remembered the supernatural stories that the storyteller under the bridge in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had told.


    The storyteller had always mentioned how drinking a single ss of wine or eating a single peach from the underwater dragon pces or immortal abodes could allow one to increase one��s lifespan. Thus, Pei Qian asked in an uncertain voice, "Can I take a small sip of wine?"


    Chen Ping''an shot a re at her, and Pei Qian immediately feigned an expression of realization, remarking, "I''m still little, so of course I can''t drink! Chen Ping''an, how about you drink a bit more?"


    The water goddess was extremely amused by the mischievous little girl, and sheughed heartily as she said, "I have quite a lot of one-hundred-year-old Blooming Water Wine in Green Roving Residence, so I''ll give you another pot in a while. As for whether Chen Ping''an snatches it away to drink by himself or whether he leaves a few drops for you, that''s not something I can control."


    Pei Qian was fearless whenever she was with Chen Ping''an, so she feigned a demeanor of maturity as she replied, "I''ll still say thank you if you truly give me a pot of wine, but I''m still little, so I''m not allowed to drink yet. Otherwise, it will affect my reading and learning. However, please don''t be stingy the next time we visit if I''m old enough to drink at that time, or else that will bring embarrassment to your status as a god."


    The water goddess clicked her tongue in wonder as she examined Pei Qian''s appearance. She became increasingly interested in the little girl, and she was half-serious as she said to Chen Ping''an, "She''s so lively and full of spiritual energy, so why don''t you let her stay in Green Roving Residence? I''ll help you look after her, and I''ll also let her inherit my position of water goddess of Burial River in the future. I promise that I''ll teach her everything I know, and I''ll even refine two immortal treasures for her. That way, she can be the most powerful water god in the Great Quan Empire in at most two hundred years."


    Pei Qian hurriedly stood up in panic and fumed, "Please don''t utter such nonsense! I still need to go to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s Dragon Spring Prefecture to help put up spring couplets on my old home!"


    Chen Ping''an politely declined the water goddess'' offer.


    He would definitely feel worried if he didn''t bring Pei Qian with him.


    The water goddess didn''t insist on this. However, she genuinely hadn''t been joking with her offer.


    She had immediately taken a fancy to Pei Qian''s aptitude, so if the little girl had truly ended up staying in Green Roving Residence, then she would have genuinely given it her all to raise Pei Qian as the next water goddess. Not only that, but she would have also crafted two immortal treasures for her, two weapons specifically.


    In fact, the water goddess would have even gone as far as to yield to the Great Quan Empire and Great Subduing Academy''s demands in order to elevate her Green Roving Residence to Green Roving Pce. At that time, she could charge over to y the great demon who had been causing trouble in Burial River for more than two hundred years.


    Even if she died with the great demon, this would still be a huge act of virtue that benefitted the nine hundred thousand people who lived on the banks of Burial River. She could live up to the sagely principles that she had learned from the Schrly Sage''s books.


    In terms of why she, a water goddess, had taken a fancy to Pei Qian at first nce... This was even more interesting and nuanced.


    Having been the deity of this river for many years, the water goddess of Burial River was also someone with extremely good fortune. Otherwise, she wouldn''t haveprehended the immortal mantra that was the cornerstone of that Upper Five Tier cultivator''s Great Dao simply by observing that unvisited and unremarkable stone tablet.


    Just then, she had carefully channeled her divine Qi-observing technique to observe Pei Qian, and she waspletely shocked by what she had seen. The water goddess could already be regarded as outstanding among those who were fortunate enough to possess Golden Physiques, yet the skinny and tanned little girl standing in front of her was surprisingly even more outstanding.


    Pei Qian possessed a top-notch Golden Physique that had an incredible affinity with bing a deity. To put things simply, it would be an enormous waste of Pei Qian''s Golden Physique if she didn''t be a mountain goddess or a river goddess who enjoyed offerings of incense. Even sages would sigh in grief.


    The so-called Golden Physique was a bit simr to the concepts of innate sword talents for sword cultivators and innate Bodhisattvas for Buddhists. People with such physiques and innate affinities would be uniquely blessed, allowing them to advance in leaps and bounds along a certain Great Dao.


    Those who possessed Golden Physiques would often be short and skinny, yet their bones would be extremely tough and sturdy. There was a physiognomy technique that allowed the user to assess the strength and mass of someone''s bones. Among the myriad physiques in the world, the Golden Physique would cause one to develop some of the heaviest bones.


    Apart from having some of the heaviest bones, those with a Golden Physique would also possess a strong temperament, be prone to impatience, and disy resoluteness when killing enemies. Thest part was especially so because the metal element of the Five Elements represented coldness and killing intent. As a result, those who possessed a Golden Physique would also have innate might and dignity, so they were the perfect choices for official positions and military positions.


    However, even though the water goddess'' judgment was already very astute, it was still not quite good enough.


    The extraordinary nature of Pei Qian''s physique and talent had already surpassed the level of the Five Elements. Because of this, Zhu Lian also felt like Pei Qian was a martial arts prodigy when he looked at the little girl. In fact, while purchasing those ancient copper coins before, even Yao Jinzhi had pondered for a moment and felt like Pei Qian was perhaps a divination prodigy. The little girl could most likely achieve double the results with half the effort if she studied divination with her.


    Only Noble Schr Zhong Kui was able to see a moreplete and in-depth picture.


    However, it was a pity that Pei Qian hade across Chen Ping''an, a young boy who didn''t exin any principles to her. In terms of martial arts or Qi refinement? Pei Qian didn''t even need to dream about these things.


    The mischievous little girl was traversing mountains and crossing rivers with Chen Ping''an now, and she would already be ecstatic as long as she could p that extremely valuable talisman on her forehead, the talisman that was worth as much as arge residence. With that talisman on her forehead, even walking for a long distance wouldn''t make her tired anymore.


    There was always one matter to subdue another matter��the rtionship between Chen Ping''an and Pei Qian was perhaps a good example of this principle.


    Regardless of whether Pei Qian studied martial arts with Zhu Lian or remained in Green Roving Residence to be the next water goddess of Burial River, it would be nothing more than a dream to hope that she would feel gratitude toward Zhu Lian or the water goddess, regardless of how powerful she became thanks to their tutge.


    In fact, Pei Qian might even smack them to death if they had a serious disagreement one day. Not only that, but she would even feel that her actions were justified. If they provoked her, then would it be wrong to kill them on the spot if she were more powerful than them? What else was she supposed to do? Leave them alive to be an eyesore?


    It was only when she was with Chen Ping''an that her mindset waspletely different. However, Chen Ping''an was the exception rather than the norm.


    Even though this was the case, neither Chen Ping''an nor Pei Qian were aware of this peculiar rtionship between them.


    1. This is an ancient saying, where each watch of the night refers to a period of two hours (һ��). The first watch of the night refers to seven o''clock in the evening to nine o''clock and so on. There are milling people during the first watch because some people are returning home from work while some people are still working or studying. The second watch is described by flickering mes because the sky has be dark, yet people have lit candles or oilmps because they''re still studying or enjoying nighttime activities. The third watch is described by ghosts because ancient people viewed the period of midnight as the period with the strongest yin energy. The fourth watch is described by thieves because this is the time when people are most sound asleep. Thus, it''s also the prime time for thieves to sneak around and steal. The fifth watch is described by roosters because this is the time when roosters call to announce the beginning of a new day. ?

 Chapter 347: (1): True Teacher

    Chapter 347: (1): True Teacher


    After the water goddess asked this question, she noticed that she didn''t receive a response for a long time. She eventually looked up, and didn''t know whether tough or to cry. As it turned out, Chen Ping''an had already fallen asleep in a sitting position, snoring quietly as he slept.


    A smile spread across her face. Chen Ping''an''s rxed and carefree nature appeared slightly casual, yet in her eyes, he was no inferior to those impressive cultivators who were supremely deadly and unstoppable.


    After pondering for a moment, the water goddess of Burial River was just about to walk over and carry Chen Ping''an to a room in her residence so that he could have a good rest. However, Pei Qian hurriedly dashed over to Chen Ping''an''s side as if she were facing a huge enemy.


    "What are you trying to do?" she asked.


    The water goddess rolled her eyes and replied, "Perhaps you want him to sleep here until morning? He at least needs afortable bed, does he not? Otherwise, just what kind of hospitality is my Green Roving Residence showing?"


    "Oh, then make sure to be careful. Don''t wake my dad up," Pei Qian warned.


    While saying this, Pei Qian carefully grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd and tied it back to Chen Ping''an''s waist.


    If this wine gourd was lost, then she would probably be scolded to death by Chen Ping''an even if she wasn''t beaten to death.


    This was inevitable. After all, she was the most worthless thing in Chen Ping''an''s mind.The water goddess didn''t correct Pei Qian regarding how she addressed Chen Ping''an even though she could easily tell that the young schr most definitely didn''t have any blood rtion with this little girl. As for why the young boy and the little girl were traveling together... This was perhaps due to fate.


    Reunions and partings caused by fate, and theing and going of fate... These were some of the most mysterious things in the world.


    The events ofst night and this morning were a perfect example of this. This was Chen Ping''an''s first visit to Green Roving Residence, yet who would have imagined that he would bestow such a huge fated opportunity to the water goddess? One needed to understand that gods and deities were essentially limited to the slow umtion of incense offerings to advance their cultivation. As a result, it was far more difficult for them to improve their cultivationpared to Qi refiners and pure martial artists.


    Apart from being appointed by the imperial court or receiving an imperial edict from the emperor, allowing a deity to advance using the fortunes of an entire nation, gods and deities could only advance their cultivation little by little by umting the essence of the incense offerings from their worshippers.


    The water goddess gently picked Chen Ping''an up and ced him on her back. This young boy was the best-behaved drunk in the world, and he wasn''t too heavy either. The water goddess didn''t use any mystical powers such asnd-shortening techniques to directly arrive inside a courtyard in a single step, and she instead walked one step at a time with Chen Ping''an on her back. This was an incredibly rare disy of patience for the oft-impatient water goddess of Burial River.


    The water goddess was extremely curious. How was such a young boy able to house so many grand principles inside his head? Why was he viewed as a sessor by the Schrly Sage and Qi Jingchun? He would have been very young back then, no?


    If Chen Ping''an had truly listened to Dao and learned these principles from a very young age, then just how impressive was his background? Just how impressive was his talent? Perhaps he was the reincarnation of a god, allowing him to be born with immense knowledge?


    On second thought, however, the water goddess immediately felt like she was incorrect. After all, the Schrly Sage would havee across all kinds of talented prodigies before, so he most likely wouldn''t be as shallow as her.


    While walking beside the water goddess, Pei Qian kept her head raised to observe the deity''s expression. Upon seeing the slightly strange smile on the water goddess'' face, the skinny little girl finally couldn''t help but ask, "You''re not attracted to my dad, are you?"


    The water goddess shook her head and replied in a gentle voice, "No, I neither like him nor do I think I''m worthy of him. If I had to choose a schr in the world to be my husband... I would probably be more attracted to that disheveled noble schr from before. Marrying and living with a man like that would probably be easier. On the other hand, things would be more difficult with Young Master Chen."


    Pei Qian would have be angry if the water goddess had replied that she liked Chen Ping''an. However, she became even angrier when she heard the water goddess reveal that she didn''t like Chen Ping''an.


    "Are you blind?!" the little girl instinctively eximed.


    The water goddess turned around to nce at the fuming little girl, and she chuckled, "Oh? Perhaps all of the women in the world have to like Chen Ping''an to not be considered blind?"


    Pei Qian humphed coldly in reply. Her expression was haughty, and it was as if she were saying, "I''m not going to waste my breath on a foolish woman like you."


    The water goddess was already in a good mood to begin with, so she couldn''t help butugh out loud when she saw Pei Qian''s expression. Pei Qian felt like she was being belittled, so she became even angrier as she fumed, "What are youughing at? My dad is your benefactor, and I''m his daughter, so that makes me your young benefactor! Show some respect!"


    The water goddess slowed down a little and asked in a quiet voice, "Should I offer you a thank-you gift?"


    Pei Qian''s eyes lit up, yet they quickly became dim again. She appeared slightly listless as she replied, "Forget about it, you can directly offer the gift to Chen Ping''an. I don''t dare to carelessly ept any gift. Otherwise, he''ll definitely scold me forcking manners again when he wakes up. My kindness will be regarded as bad manners, so why should I trouble myself with this? Don''t you agree?"


    The water goddess was extremely amused, and it took her a lot of willpower to finally suppress her smile. She put on a serious expression and exined, "It''s okay, I''ll naturally prepare a more valuable thank-you gift for Chen Ping''an. Since you''re Chen Ping''an''s daughter, however, it only makes sense for me to give you something in our first meeting since I''m somewhat of a senior.


    "It won''t be too unreasonable for you to hide this present from Chen Ping''an either. After all, this isn''t a significant matter with big implications. It''s not like you''ll use this item to do bad things either, so Chen Ping''an will only scold you at most if he finds out about this in the future. This won''t hurt at all, so what are you afraid of?"


    Pei Qian was slightly swayed by the water goddess�� words, yet she quickly sniggered and replied, "How do you know I won''t do bad things? I''m a very bad person! If I receive a super powerful immortal treasure or learn some incredibly powerful immortal technique, then I''ll immediately kill whomever I don''t like. Even Chen Ping''an won''t be able to stop me!


    "However, I''ll definitely look after Chen Ping''an''s face if I be stronger than him in the future. I''ll only kill, kill, and kill when I''m by myself. I''ll be even more ruthless and resolute than that big old baddy with the surname Zhu and that stern-faced woman with the name Youbian. I''ll kill people just as easily as I eat, just like how I get Chen Ping''an to refill my bowl of rice in the blink of an eye!"


    The little girl became happier and happier as she spoke.


    Meanwhile, the water goddess became increasingly shocked as she listened. Only at this moment did she realize what a crazy person Chen Ping''an was bringing around with him.


    Pei Qian wasparing killing people to eating rice, and she wasn''t just pretending to be scary like ordinary and naive little children. No... she was being honest.


    The look in the water goddess'' eyes changed as she started to carefully observe Pei Qian again.


    Pei Qian suddenly red up in rage and eximed, "You''re such an evil person, Miss Water Goddess! You''re repaying kindness with evil intentions! Are you purposely trying to screw me over? You want me to make a huge mistake in front of Chen Ping''an so he abandons me, aren''t you? That way, you can seize the opportunity to act like a kind person and take me in, forcing me to be a little maidservant who serves you in Green Roving Residence, right?"


    The water goddess remained silent as she carried the sleeping Chen Ping''an and looked down to observe the tanned little girl.


    She purposely caused her eyes to be ice-cold, pretending to conceal this yet also allowing it to slip through at the same time. She smiled and asked, "Is that how you view me?"


    Sure enough, Pei Qian immediately retreated a single step and pretended to be rxed as she smiled and replied, "I''m just joking with you, Miss Water Goddess."


    The water goddess nodded in understanding.


    This little girl who possessed a Golden Physique was definitely no simple person. Moreover, it would practically be impossible to control her nature.


    The water goddess involuntarily recalled the situationst night when Pei Qian had run over with water cupped in her hands. Chen Ping''an had only given a simple instruction, yet Pei Qian had immediately run back to the spirit wall to return the water. Not only that, but everything had seemed normal and in line with her nature. She hadn''t appeared rebellious in the least.


    The water goddess finally understood some things as she ruminated on this.


    She couldn''t help but praise the young boy on her back.


    Pei Qian chuckled in amusement and remarked, "You were trying to scare me just then."


    The water goddess felt slightly helpless. Did this little girl truly possess the keen instinct to see through the fluctuating thoughts of other people? Just how tiring would it be to interact with her day after day?


    The water goddess carried Chen Ping''an to one of the most refined courtyards in Green Roving Residence, and all of the courtyard doors and building doors automatically opened to let them inside. After the water goddess ced Chen Ping''an on a bed with extravagant nkets, Pei Qian hollered for her to move aside. The skinny little girl then walked over to help Chen Ping''an take his shoes off and tuck him into bed. Only then did she sit down on the edge of the bed and stare at the water goddess.


    The water goddess smiled and said, "You have your own ce to sleep. I''ll bring you over straight away."


    Pei Qian furiously shook her head, saying, "I need to guard the night for my dad. I need to protect him from bad people."


    "Alright, there''s no need to tter him anymore; Chen Ping''an is genuinely asleep now," the water goddess said in a joking voice.


    Pei Qian was slightly skeptical, and she nced back at Chen Ping''an before standing up and saying with a grin, "Then I''ll head off for some shut-eye. I''mpletely beat. However, you definitely, definitely have to remember to immediatelye over to inform me when my dad wakes up. We''re in a hurry to continue our journey. We promised to meet up with the group today, and my dad is someone who always keeps his promises."


    The water goddess had no option but to surrender to this unbelievably mischievous little girl. After leading Pei Qian out of Chen Ping''an''s room, she asked in curiosity, "The group? What''s going on?"


    Pei Qian hesitated for a moment before roughly exining the situation with the Yao n''s convoy.


    The water goddess nodded and replied, "No problem, the two of you can sleep in peace for four hours, and I''ll bring you upstream of Burial River when you wake up just likest night."


    Pei Qian finally felt at ease, and she followed the short but incredibly rich water goddess to a nearby courtyard. She was extremely picky, and there was also an expression of disdain on her face. In reality, however, she was feeling as envious as could be. She thought to herself that she definitely needed to buy a residence asrge and extravagant as this when she had enough silver in the future. Not only that, but she would even use gold and silver to pave the floor and p yellow paper talismans all over the insides of the buildings.


    After bringing Chen Ping''an and the mischievous little girl to their rooms, the water goddess arrived outside Green Roving Residence in a single step. She was in a trance as she looked up at the que.


    She took another step, instantly arriving inside the water god temple where her gold statue was worshiped. There were roughly fifteen minutes until the temple opened to the worshipers outside when she walked inside the main hall.


    A peculiar phenomenon of heaven and earth had appeared from her temple when she had formed her Golden Core just then, causing the hundreds of worshipers waiting outside to fall to their knees and pray in utmost sincerity. The water goddess had sensed their sincerity all the way from Green Roving Residence in the distance, and this had allowed her to obtain slight enlightenment regarding incense offerings and the Dao of gods and deities.


    The golden y statue on the altar inside the main hall had already returned to normal, no longer glowing with divine light that illuminated Burial River.


    In reality, the statue barely resembled the water goddess. The y statue was tall and slender, with its sleeves also appearing lively as if they were billowing in the wind. It was as if the statue were a goddess wearing a divine dress and standing in the breeze.


    The water goddess had always felt like the gold statue didn''t represent her at all. It was far too beautified, but this was due to the rules dictating how the statues of mountain gods and river gods should be made.

 Chapter 348: I Miss You a Little

    Chapter 348: I Miss You a Little


    The Yao n conducted itself in an old-fashioned manner, and there were some members of the convoy waiting for Chen Ping''an at the ry station. Zhu Lian was among them, and the young scout, Yao Xianzhi, had also stubbornly insisted on staying back.


    Chen Ping''an apologized to the two veteran soldiers from the Yao n who were also waiting for him. The veteran soldiersughed heartily, and one of them hurriedly shook his hands and said there was no need for Chen Ping''an to be so polite. After all, the rtionship between them was much closer than this, so there was no need for Chen Ping''an to thank them for waiting.


    Meanwhile, Yao Xianzhi looked at Chen Ping''an as if he were looking at a general who had just returned afterpleting great feats on the battlefield. This left Chen Ping''an slightly mystified.


    The six of them mounted their horses and set off, traveling swiftly to catch up with the main group. Pei Qian was riding the same horse with Chen Ping''an, which made the little girl extremely happy. Old General Yao Zhen had instructed the main group to travel slowly, so it wasn''t long before Chen Ping''an and the others saw them in the distance.


    After resting and recuperating for a while, and thanks to the precious medicines given to him by one of the princes, Yao Zhen had almost made a full recovery from the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the two assassins already. They were also traveling slower than usual today, so Yao Zhen left his carriage and started to travel on horseback after obtaining Yao Jinzhi''s consent. He was an old man who had spent more than half his life battling on horseback, after all. He had be ustomed to rapid long-distance marches at a very young age, so he wouldn''t fall off his horse even if he fell asleep.


    Yao Zhen rode alongside Chen Ping''an, enjoying the rxing scenery together as he chatted with his young benefactor. Chen Ping''an told him about Burial River''s water god temple, and Yao Zhen was clearly in a good mood and full of vigor as heughed heartily.


    Chen Ping''an asked Yao Zhen if he could help him obtain a geomancy map of Burial River from the officials, and the old general agreed to his request without asking a single question.


    Pei Qian had already been shooed off into a carriage by Chen Ping''an, and she once again ended up in the same carriage as Sui Youbian. Thetter was sitting cross-legged and resting her mind with her eyes closed. Her sword was ced horizontally across her knees, making her aura appear stern and forbidding.


    Pei Qian had never liked this ice-cold woman, especially since Sui Youbian always had an aloof expression as if everyone owed her dozens of taels of silver. Who was this stinky expression for? She needed to be careful or else she might be an ugly olddy in no time!Before boarding the carriage, Pei Qian had asked Chen Ping''an for the brush and paper that the young maidservant from Green Roving Residence had given her. At this moment, she sat in the corner and paid no attention to Sui Youbian as she opened her cotton luggage sack and carefully ced her belongings inside.


    Afterward, she pulled a book that was full of wrinkles and creases from the bottom of the sack before taking a nce at the pair of boots nearby. This was a new pair of boots that they had purchased not long ago, yet it was already caked in mud due to their travels. She stuck her tongue out and hurriedly put her luggage sack away, not daring to let other people see its contents.


    Leaning back and lying down, Pei Qian held the old and damaged book with both hands and raised it high into the air. After flipping through it again and again for a long time, she eventually ced the book on her face and fell fast asleep.


    Before falling asleep, Pei Qian had thought about what Chen Ping''an had said to her not long ago, telling her to study diligently in the future. She shouldn''t spend all of her energy on simply memorizing the books. Pei Qian had contemted this for a moment, but she was truly far too tired today. That being the case, she would start studying diligently from tomorrow onward. She would definitely start from tomorrow!


    However, she had quickly recalled another saying: After tomorrow is another tomorrow, so just how many tomorrows are there?[1] With this in mind, the little girl had been so amused and delighted that she had almostughed out loud.


    Thus, the little girl enjoyed a particrly sweet andfortable nap today.


    Sui Youbian opened her narrow peach blossom eyes and exhaled lightly. However, she quickly raised her palm to gently shatter her exhaled aura in an instant.


    Apart from the taciturn Wei Xian, the first one to be awakened, the three other martial artists had all walked out from their picture scrolls and arrived in Majestic World on the same day.


    Zhu Lian was practicing fist techniques that belonged to external martial arts, and he would only go from external to internal after reaching the pinnacle of martial arts. Otherwise, this martial arts maniac who had been killed by Ding Ying wouldn''t have tried to kill the nine other superior grandmasters of his generation.


    During that brutal battle, the most terrifying thing about Zhu Lian was his ability to be stronger and deadlier the more wounded he was. Even though fortune had favored Ding Ying and allowed him to emerge the final victor, even granting him that silver-colored lotus flower hat, Ding Ying had never mentioned his battle with Zhu Lian in the capital of Southern Garden Nation to anyone else. He hadn''t mentioned it even after gaining the title of strongest in the world. Indeed, it was very likely that there were many untold secrets about their battle.


    Lu Baixiang was extremely talented, and he could learn things very quickly and very well. Thus, his martial arts cultivation had advanced in leaps and bounds. He was quite simr to Ding Ying, someone who had inherited the title of strongest in the world after him in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    However, Lu Baixiang''s ambitions hadn''t been as insane and pure as Ding Ying''s. Thus, he had remained single and alone, and he had enjoyed traveling around the world. Hence, he had fallen into a trap and been encircled by his foes. After that battle, even the grandmasters who had participated in the bloody conflict and suffered a significant drop in their cultivation bases had felt a hint of respect and admiration toward Lu Baixiang in the depths of their hearts.


    Moreover, another aspect of that battle had never been made public to the cultivation world. During that intense conflict, the two people who had fought with the most ferocity were actually celestial maidens from renowned forces who had harbored romantic feelings for Lu Baixiang. They had most likely fought with the intention of dying for love.


    Wei Xian''s martial arts aptitude was the rarest, and he was born to oppose entire armies by himself. He was extremely good at breaking through encirclements and formations on his own, and he would charge forward with might and gusto even if there were hundreds of thousands of enemies in his way. Of all the historical records and interesting legends about the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, whether official or unofficial, there was almost no mention of him fighting against anyone one-on-one.


    As for Sui Youbian, she was surprisingly simr to cultivators in Majestic World regardless of whether it was her aptitude or disposition. She didn''t seem like a pure martial artist who dreamed of advancing to the End Tier.


    Even though Sui Youbian had remained cooped up inside carriages and inns recently, her gaze was most certainly not lingering on the mortal world. Instead, it was looking up at the sky.


    She was experimenting with an unconventional sword technique right now, and this technique could only be viewed as a pipe dream in the context of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land that wascking in spiritual energy. In Majestic World, however, it possessed immense potential.


    She had reached a stage simr to that of martial artists "filling in the sea,"[2] yet her situation was slightly different in the sense that she needed to umte energy between her waist and ribs to create a sword furnace and nurture her sword qi. This sword qi was an imitation of the True Qi channeled by pure martial artists, and it would also swim around her body like a fire dragon patrolling its territory.


    Once Sui Youbian seeded, she would be refining not just her physique and spirit, but also refining a wisp of sword qi into a sword billet. Not only that, but her sword billet would almost be identical to that of sword cultivators'' bonded flying swords.


    However, Sui Youbian was yet to interact with any information about sword cultivators in Majestic World. She had no chance to interact with their theory and cultivation techniques at this moment. Thus, one could imagine just how talented Sui Youbian was when it came to cultivating the sword.


    During the past few days, she had only heard some private chatter between the border soldiers of the Yao n. Many of them had discussed the incredible feats of Chen Ping''an, the Yao n''s benefactor, and some of the conversations had centered around his demeanor as a sword cultivator while fighting against the two assassins who had targeted Yao Zhen. They had mentioned the formidable destructive power and elusive nature of his flying swords, and this had caused Sui Youbian to feel a deep sense of yearning.


    This was what she desired. The Lotus Flower Blessed Land was far too small, so small that it was unable to amodate her sword. However, this world wasrge enough. There would definitelye a day when she would soar to the apex of this world to unleash a formidable sword strike!


    Sui Youbian closed her eyes again.


    She definitely wouldn''t lose to anyone when it came to cultivation. Her opponents had never been Wei Xian and the others.


    There was the clip-clop of marching hooves outside the carriage as the convoy of the Yao n traveled through the flourishing Great Quan Empire. Many vige children stopped to look at them, and the adults in the country towns weren''t afraid of them either. Instead, there was only curiosity in their eyes.


    Chen Ping''an observed themon residents of the Great Quan Empire as he traveled through the nation on horseback.


    Back then, he had crossed the border during a snowstorm while apanied by the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink. They hade across a group of elite scouts from the Great Li Empire incredibly capable and well-drilled, and the scouts had smiled and suggested that they head to a nearby beacon tower to weather the snowstorm after seeing their passports and travel documents.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t have a particrly good impression of the emperor of the Great Li Empire, Song Changjing, or his past neighbor, Song Jixin. It was because of his chance encounter with the elite scouts on the border of the Great Li Empire that he wasn''t prejudiced against the empire itself.


    Dusk arrived, and the convoy settled down in arge ry station near a provincial city. The ry station was rather refined, and even had a small garden filled with lush green bamboo.


    Later in the night, Yao Zhen personally visited Chen Ping''an''s room to bring him the geomancy map that he had requested. Chen Ping''an was carefully examining the jade slip that the water goddess had given him at this moment, while Pei Qian was sitting on the opposite end of the table and yawning again and again.


    There was a Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman stuck on Pei Qian''s forehead, and the skinny little girl''s exnation was that she had heard people say that female ghosts were more prone to appearing in bamboo forests. When the wind whooshed past, she always had a nagging feeling that there were female ghosts hovering back and forth in the bamboo forest outside.


    When Yao Zhen knocked on the door, Pei Qian immediately ran over to answer. Upon seeing the little girl, the old general asked her why there was a talisman stered on her forehead. After hearing the exnation, he immediately burst into loudughter and promised that there was nothing to worry about. Even if ghosts and spirits were truly hiding in the bamboo forest, the young men from the Yao n were all soldiers who were brimming with yang energy. As such, it was really the ghosts and spirits that needed to be afraid of them instead.


    "Oh, okay," Pei Qian responded.


    She plucked the talisman from her forehead and ced it on the table, after which she returned to her room to sleep.


    Yao Zhen motioned for Chen Ping''an to sit down to chat.


    Chen Ping''an naturally needed to thank Yao Zhen for obtaining the official geomancy map for him. The imperial court strictly forbade the distribution of such maps to the public, and the control of these maps was even stricter than the control of weapons like bows and crossbows.


    Yao Zhen chuckled and said, "It''s nothing too difficult. The governor agreed to my request quite readily. He doesn''t need to worry too much about these matters after climbing to the position of provincial governor. You don''t need to feel like you owe me a huge favor either.


    "Actually, Governor Liu was quite reserved and uneasy when he first saw me. However, this ispletely understandable because one of his rtives works in the Ministry of War. In other words, I have some influence over him, in a sense. You should have seen his face when I asked him for an official geomancy map��it was filled with relief."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "Then if you pardon my rudeness, I''ll take that map now."


    Yao Zhen pointed at Chen Ping''an and shook his head. "Ah, I truly don''t understand you. You became involved in two life-and-death battles for the sake of the Yao n, and just how resolute were you during those times? So how are you so stubborn and pedantic about rules and etiquette when ites to ordinary everyday interactions? Why are you so unnecessarily polite?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond.


    Yao Zhen lowered his voice and continued, "My grandson, Yao Xianzhi, was too embarrassed to ask this himself, so he requested that I ask you. Can you give him some guidance regarding martial arts?"


    Chen Ping''an carefully contemted this for a moment before replying, "I''ll naturally be okay with this if it''s just some casual sparring. If Yao Xianzhi is determined to make some real progress, however, then I suggest that he looks for Wei Xian instead. I can ask Wei Xian to give him some pointers."


    "That youngd wants to have a casual spar with you," Yao Zhen replied with a serious expression.


    "Then I''ll give him some time tomorrow," Chen Ping''an said in slight helplessness.


    Yao Zhen stroked his beard and chuckled. "And I''ll also get him to look for Wei Xian after having a casual spar with you."


    "I''ll give Wei Xian a heads upter. Anyhow, I can ept this geomancy map without any guilt now. After all, even money can''t buy guidance from martial arts elites like us."


    Yao Zhen smacked the table andughed heartily. "That''s the way to go! Now you''re showing some of that youthful shamelessness, just like I used to. No wonder we get along so well!"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head with a wry smile.


    Yao Zhen came with a beaming smile and also left with a beaming smile.


    Chen Ping''an spread the geomancy across the table before retrieving the water seal from his pocket treasure. After lightly breathing on the seal, he earnestly stamped it on the water god temple and Green Roving Residence. Then, he put the water seal and geomancy map away.


    Chen Ping''an continued to examine the dense rows of small characters on the jade slip that was only the size of a palm. There were a whopping five thousand characters inscribed on both sides of the jade slip, with an immortal tool refinement mantra inscribed on the front side and the water goddess'' notes and insights inscribed on the backside.


    Even though this was only a tool refinement mantra on the surface, its contents actually pertained to the Great Dao of the Five Elements. The mantra was clear and concise, and its core principle was deep and profound. Because the water goddess hadprehended this mantra from a rain-paying tablet, she had decided to use the water element of the Five Elements to roughly expound on the mantra.


    Of the five internal organs, it was the kidneys that corresponded to water. Of the five facial features, it was the ears; of the five senses, it was sound; of the five fingers, it was the pinky; of the five fluids, it was saliva; of the five sounds, it was Yu [3]; of the five emotions, it was fear; of the five worships, it was the well; of the numerous deities, it was the ck Tortoise of the North.


    The mantra was clear and straightforward, and the water goddess had inscribed clear exnations regarding the relevant acupoints and refinement methods on the back side of the jade slip. It could be said that the water goddess had inscribed everything she knew onto the jade slip. In fact, she had even detailed the ability of this immortal mantra to refine incense offerings and one''s gold statue, clearly exining everything to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an was stirred by what he read. Only at this moment did he realize the profound significance of the phrase "a drop of water from a golden bottle" inscribed on the stone tablet. It referred to the fact that after achieving great mastery of this immortal mantra, one could essentially melt their Golden Core into water essence and have this water essence nurture their bodies.


    Meanwhile, the phrase "weaving through the sky like fabric being made" referred to the method through which the "ry stations" of one''s meridians could be linked together, thereby allowing the meridians to work in concert with each other.


    Regarding the phrase "transforming into the coolness of the four heavens, the scorching heat is swept away," the four heavens pertained to Heavenly World controlled by the Daoist Sect. There were four floors in the White Jade Capital that could help cultivators suppress their internal demons through four different Daoist techniques.


    These weren''t heretical techniques, but rather the most orthodox techniques of the Daoist Sect. Indeed, suppressing one''s internal demons using these techniques was a smooth-sailing process that all Nascent Tier cultivators dreamed of experiencing.


    The earth immortals at the peak of the mountains wouldn''t necessarily seed, but they would essentially be constructing four heavenly bridges and giving themselves four chances to guarantee that they wouldn''t wander down heretical paths by ident. In fact, they would even have the opportunity to backtrack and return to a past state. In addition to all this, the earth immortals could also nurture their physiques and souls. Who wouldn''t covet such a profound fated opportunity?


    It was no wonder that the water goddess had boldly imed that this immortal mantra could refine all matter. At the same time, she had also spected that this immortal mantra was a priceless treasure essible by only the leader of an immortal force.


    Chen Ping''an closed his eyes and silently recited the five thousand characters in his mind. He decided that he wouldn''t carelessly take the jade slip out for no reason in the future.


    For some unknown reason, Chen Ping''an felt a cool sensation wash over his body as he held the jade slip in his hand. He felt extremelyfortable, and the wounds that he had suffered during the battle in the border inn started to heal at an incredible speed.


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes wide upon noticing these mystical effects. However, he was unable to identify the type of rare jade that the jade slip was made of. He would ask Wei Bo when he returned to Downtrodden Mountain.


    Past midnight, a cloud of water vapor suddenly suffused through the ry station, shrouding everything in a sheet of white mist. Yin Miaofeng and Shao Yuanran were forced to stop their meditation and breathing techniques. They left their rooms at the same time and walked toward the garden.


    Chen Ping''an also stopped his session of standing meditation, opening his window and jumping out of his room.


    A short timeter, the members of the Yao n quickly woke up and got dressed following a series of urgent warnings from the apanying cultivators. The veteran soldiers also put on their armor and grabbed their weapons, standing ready to fight at any moment.


    It was pitch-ck inside Zhu Lian''s room, yet the hunchbacked old man was actually walking in circles around the table the entire time. He remained silent, and there were very particr reasons for his gait.


    Sui Youbian was sitting cross-legged on her bed, and she opened her eyes before closing them again.


    Wei Xian''s body was extremely straight as hey in bed, and his hands were clenched into fists and resting on his abdomen. He waspletely unmoving.


    Lu Baixiang walked over to the window beforeing to a stop.


    Inside the bamboo forest, Yin Miaofeng and Shao Yuanran breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the uninvited guest.


    Daoist Preserving Innocence Yin Miaofeng smiled and cupped his fists in congrattions, saying, "Congrattions on your advance, Miss Water Goddess!"


    The person standing in front of them was none other than the short water goddess who was dressed in incredibly beautiful clothes. She had just arrived here after hurriedly making her way over from Green Roving Residence.


    From today onward, even the temple master of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple could no longer look down on the water goddess thanks to her explosive rise in cultivation. One had to realize that she now possessed power rivaling that of Nascent Tier earth immortals in the jurisdiction of Burial River and especially near Green Roving Residence and the water god temple.


    The water goddess smiled and replied, "I was a very impolite host when the two of you visited my Green Roving Residencest time. Apart froming here for a private matter, I also want to invite Spiritual Master Yin to my residence in the near future. I need to apologize to Spiritual Master Yin and Spiritual Master Little Shao for my rudenessst time."


    Yin Miaofeng couldn''t help but feel a little overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.


    Firstly, the water goddess'' cultivation base was far superior to before. Even though she had traveled all the way to this ry station, she could still be considered a pseudo-Nascent tier elite.


    Secondly, Green Roving Residence had already forged a rtionship with Zhong Kui, a quasi-sage. Thus, the Confucian academy could only acknowledge the water goddess�� position even if they chose topletely ignore the Imperial Liu n of the Great Quan Empire.


    Thirdly, everyone in the top echelon of the Great Quan Empire was well aware of the water goddess'' hot temper, so how could Yin Miaofeng��a measly Dragon Gate Tier guest elder of the Imperial Liu n��not feel delighted and ttered now that the water goddess was willing to apologize and invite him to her Green Roving Residence?


    Even the proud and haughty Shao Yuanran had a wide and sincere smile on his face.


    Chen Ping''an walked over to the master and disciple and greeted them first before turning his attention to the water goddess of Burial River.


    Yin Miaofeng and Shao Yuanran perceptively took this cue and bid farewell. At the same time, they also informed the veteran soldiers of the Yao n and the apanying cultivators that there was no cause for rm. While exining this, Yin Miaofeng subtly revealed the identity of the water goddess.


    Yao Zhen smiled at the water goddess and cupped his fists in respect from far away.


    He had heard many legends and stories about the water goddess of Burial River even when he had lived in the border regions. Moreover, the water goddess'' temperament and manner of doing things were naturally to his taste.


    The water goddess also cupped her fists in respect, but the people standing nearby didn''t know whether tough or to cry upon hearing her response. "Old General, you definitely have to visit my Green Roving Residence for a drink when you retire of old age and return to the border region in the future. There will be enough to drink!"


    Yao Xianzhi and Yao Lingzhi rolled their eyes in unison.


    Yao Jinzhi was wearing her veiled hat again, and she appeared slim and graceful as she stood beside Yao Zhen.


    In the end, the water goddess flicked her wrist and retrieved a pot of wine from thin air. She tossed the pot of wine to Chen Ping''an and exined using her mind''s voice, "Remember to take care of the jade slip and keep it safe. The jade slip itself is also a valuable treasure, or else it would have been sted to smithereens by those characters pertaining to the Great Dao."


    After saying this, the water goddess no longer concealed her voice, allowing everyone in the surroundings to hear what she was saying. She appeared especially casual and bold as sheughed heartily and said, "I kept mulling over this while I was hurrying over to the ry station, and I almost felt an urge to repay your gratitude with my body. However, I was thankfully able to rein myself in.


    "I drank almost half of this pot of wine when hurrying over, just trying to muster up some courage. Even so, I''m still too cowardly to utter those embarrassing words. Chen Ping''an, are you disappointed that you''ve lost such a beautiful and refined wife? Haha, well I''ve coincidentally got half a pot of beautiful wine remaining for you! Here, take it, you can drink this to wash away your sorrows!


    This water goddess...


    She came in a hurry, and she also left in a hurry.


    Standing there with half a pot of wine in his hand, Chen Ping''an felt like it would be wrong to drink the wine, yet it would also be wrong to not drink the wine.


    There was a gloating smile on Yao Zhen''s face.


    After being transfixed with shock for a moment, Yao Xianzhi extended both his hands and gave Chen Ping''an two massive thumbs up.


    Pei Qian was groggy and half-asleep as she stood in the distance.


    Chen Ping''an put on a stern expression and led Pei Qian back to her room.


    When parting ways, Chen Ping''an warned in a solemn voice, "If youe across a girl with the surname Ning in the future, remember not to mention the events of tonight!"


    Pei Qian blinked a few times and asked, "What if��and I''m saying what if��I identally slip up?"


    "Then after I''ve been beaten half-dead, I''ll make sure to beat you half-dead... Do you understand?!" Chen Ping''an replied with a grave expression.


    "I understand!" Pei Qian immediately answered in a loud voice. "I''ve read some books, so I''m filled with unyielding loyalty now! I won''t say anything even if I''m beaten to death!"


    They both returned to their own rooms.


    Chen Ping''an wiped the sweat from his forehead. In the end, he couldn''t help but break intoughter.


    He didn''t continue to practice standing meditation, and instead rested his arms and head on the table before retrieving that small saber whetstone. There was the beautiful inscription of the character "Innocent" on the Dragon ying tform, and there was also the adorable inscription of the characters "Ning Yao."


    <em>Ning Yao, I''m doing very well.</em>


    <em>I''ve traveled to many ces on this trip, and I''vee across many people and many things.</em>


    <em>I miss you a little... No, I miss you a lot.</em>


    1. This saying (���ո����ա����պ����) warns people against procrastination and urges them to cherish their time because life is only limited. It is a line from Qian Fu''s poem, <em>Song of Tomorrow</em>. ?


    2. There is no context about this at all. ?


    3. Yu (��) is a note in the Chinese pentatonic scale. ?

 Chapter 350: (1): The Blade of a White Ape, the Words of a Noble Person

    Chapter 350: (1): The de of a White Ape, the Words of a Noble Person


    During the journey of life, one would inevitably face a few thunderstorms and heavy downpours. It was as if the heavens were reminding people that they were powerless and subject to the whims of a higher entity, so they needed to bow their heads and remain obedient.


    For example, Chen Ping''an encountered Cai Jinjian in front of his own home in y Vase Alley. Afterward, he faced off against the elderly golden flood dragon in the Flood Dragon Trench, the original owner of Golden Sweet Wine. He then wandered into the depths of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land by ident, where he was hunted by a group of martial arts grandmasters.


    The heavens threw him many challenges, and it was up to him whether he could ovee them or not.


    If he overcame these challenges, then the rain would clear to reveal the glorious sun. If he failed to ovee these challenges, however, then he could only act like those defeated martial artists. He could only shout at the sky and promise that he would definitely be stronger in a decade or two.


    One''s master could only teach one the basics, and it was up to one''s talent and hard work to decide how far one could eventually go.


    This was the situation that Zhong Kui was facing today. The heavens were unleashing a thunderstorm upon him.


    Before today, the noble schr from Great Subduing Academy had cultivated far too quickly and far too well. His cultivation speed was simply astonishing, and he had shot forward on the path of the Great Dao and left everyone else to eat dust. In fact, the Confucian disciples in Parasol Leaf Continent could barely catch a glimpse of his back.


    Today, however, Bai Yuan had appeared in front of him.


    This sword-carrying white ape was a mortal enemy.In fact, Bai Yuan was even more dangerous than the great demon that had hidden itself near nchette Writing Sect, the one that Zhong Kui''s teacher��the mountain master of Great Subduing Academy��had gone to stop.


    The current situation was exactly what Zhong Kui''s teacher had wanted to avoid. Namely, a situation where Zhong Kui faced certain death.


    There was apathy in Bai Yuan''s eyes as he looked at the young noble schr, someone who had the talent to be the mountain master of a Confucian school.


    Zhong Kui took a deep breath.


    Even though Bai Yuan hadn''t broken through to the Immortal Tier, and he wasn''t the kind of great demon renowned for having an innately powerful physique, he was still a profoundly powerful sword cultivator at the Unpolished Jade Tier.


    If Qi refiners were viewed as the most rebellious thieves in the world who dared to challenge the predetermined cycle of life and death maintained by the Heavenly Dao, then sword cultivators would undoubtedly be viewed as the most unreasonably rebellious thieves out of them all.


    Noble people wouldn''t remove their jade pendants for no reason[1].


    However, Bai Yuan''s first strike after unsheathing his sword immediately shattered Zhong Kui''s protective jade pendant into smithereens. This was a jade pendant given to every noble schr in Great Subduing Academy.


    After the jade pendant that contained the true intent of sagely Confucian essays crumbled between the great demon and the noble schr, hundreds of golden characters slowly dissipated from the world, appearing like golden raindrops as they gradually evaporated into the air.


    Zhong Kui instantly shot back in retreat, arriving near the perimeter of the well prison located more than thirty meters away. His azure sleeves billowed in the murderous autumn wind, and they were quickly filled with a mighty and indomitable aura.


    The so-called well prison in Peace and Tranquility Mountain was a gigantic structure that looked like a well. There was a spiral staircase carved into the inside wall of the well, leading further and further down into the cold and eerie depths. It was as if the gigantic well were a bottomless pit that led directly to theherworld.


    In fact, cultivators at the Lower Five Tiers would suffer detrimental consequences if they dared to approach the well prison. Their aura would be chaotic, and the murderous aura that had umted in the well prison for countless years would gradually corrode their physiques.


    There was a type of challenging cultivation for junior Daoist priests in Peace and Tranquility Mountain, and this cultivation method involved meditating near the well prison to temper one''s physique. This was an indescribably painful process.


    Daoist Nun Huang Ting was viewed as a prodigious cultivation talent because of her performance when she had followed her fellow sect disciples to the well prison for the first time. While everyone else was bitterly struggling to prevent the murderous aura from entering their acupoints, Huang Ting sat therepletely unfazed and unaffected.


    Not only that, but Huang Ting quietly sneaked to the entrance of the well prison as well. If it weren''t for the senior Daoist priest who was responsible for keeping an eye on the junior Daoist priests hurriedly rushing over to grab the little girl by the cor, Huang Ting might well have entered the well prison for the first time at just nine years old.


    Afterward, Huang Ting continued to have battles of wits and courage with her seniors at Peace and Tranquility Mountain. In the end, she finally managed to sneak into the well prison when she was eleven years old. However, she almost died in the depths of the well prison, unable to venture further down yet also unable to climb back up. She lost her consciousness after bing trapped.


    In the end, it was a white ape in ck robes that tossed her out of the well prison.


    Bai Yuan slowly walked forward, and appeared like he was taking a casual stroll as he arrived on the opposite side of the well prison.


    The sword qi of his ancient sword was far too powerful, so much so that itpletely concealed the true appearance of the sword. After shattering Zhong Kui''s jade pendant��which was equivalent to a high-grade immortal treasure��with a single strike, Bai Yuan''s flying sword was actually no longer in Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Peering into the distance, one could vaguely see a streak of white light shooting into the distance like a slender white snake nimbly slithering across a ck screen.


    Because of this, the mountain protection formation of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, which was just about to activate, instantly ground to a halt. Not only that, but it also became abnormally chaotic.


    Zhong Kui was surprisingly unable to activate the mountain protection formation to suppress the great demon.


    The old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had gone to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to bring Huang Ting back, the sect leader had gone to nchette Writing Sect to block the twelfth tier great demon, and the Nascent Tier earth immortal responsible for managing affairs in Peace and Tranquility Mountain had also left the mountain to deal with other matters.


    Before leaving, the Nascent Tier earth immortal had given control of the mountain protection formation to Zhong Kui, an outsider, without any hesitation. This wasn''t because Zhong Kui was a noble schr from Great Subduing Academy, but simply because he trusted Zhong Kui. In reality, the Nascent Tier earth immortal could be used of overstepping his authority by doing this; since it was extremely likely that the biggest secrets of Peace and Tranquility Mountain would be revealed to Zhong Kui as well. However, no one in Peace and Tranquility Mountain questioned this decision.


    Once upon a time, a sage had remarked that Daoist priests from Peace and Tranquility Mountain possessed a gant and chivalrous aura. Considering the situation right now, they indeed lived up to these beautiful words of praise.


    However, it was often the case that the demonic forces were one step ahead. As expected of a guest elder who had guarded Peace and Tranquility Mountain for three thousand years, Bai Yuan was surprisingly able to bring the mountain protection formation to a temporary stop.


    A solemn expression appeared on Zhong Kui''s face as he silently recited a sagely essay in his mind.


    The autumn wind in his azure sleeves was even higher grade than the incredibly rare book-flipping wind.


    Zhong Kui had be a virtuous schr in Great Subduing Academy before the age of twenty, yet his unrestrained behavior during that period had left him with a "tattered" reputation in the academy. He was disliked by many stubborn and pedantic old schrs. In fact, he would have lost his title of virtuous schr very early on if it weren''t for the mountain master standing up for him in an almost doting manner.


    One had to realize that bing a virtuous schr or a noble schr wasn''t a once-and-done kind of process. Rather, virtuous schrs and noble schrs needed to take an important exam once every few years. However, Zhong Kui had be dead drunk and passed out for three entire days,pletely missing his exam.


    Among the elderly schrs in Great Subduing Academy, some were unable to stand Zhong Kui''s carefree and unrestrained nature, some felt enraged by how he was wasting his talent, and some were of the belief that one needed to face significant challenges if one wanted to achieve great things in the future.


    Thus, all of the virtuous schrs and noble schrs had written a joint letter to the mountain master, requesting that he strip Zhong Kui of his title as a virtuous schr.


    That was a snowy winter day, and Zhong Kui walked through the snow barefoot while loudly reciting the essays of some sage. He looked very haughty and unrestrained as he tread the snow, looking up at the sky and asking that sage for rifications about his essay.


    In the end, he answered his own questions with a very self-satisfied expression.


    Before Zhong Kui stopped walking, a gust of autumn wind surprisingly appeared even though it was the middle of winter, carrying with it the personal praise and approval of that sage. The words "very good" echoed throughout the entire Great Subduing Academy.


    The gust of autumn wind entered his sleeves.


    On that day, Zhong Kui was promoted to the position of noble schr. No one had dared to question this.


    Legends said that the creation of written characters by sages had caused ghosts to sob and spirits to weep.[2]


    Indeed, written characters possessed immense power. At the very least, this was most certainly the case for schrly disciples in Confucian academies.


    The kindred characters of sages from the so-called temples of decorum were the epitome disy of the power of written characters. These powerful sages had been enshrined and worshiped in the Confucian temples for countless years, and they were enjoying eternal incense offerings while their schrly lineages also remained healthy.


    However, even sages enshrined and worshiped in the temples of decorum only possessed a single kindred character. Of course, this was disregarding the Paramount Sage who was ced on the central altar as well as the five sages who were ced to his left and right��in fact, only four of them remained now.


    There was only a single exception in the world.


    Mountain Cliff Academy''s Qi Jingchun.


    He possessed two kindred characters, "Chun" and "Jing."[3] Moreover, these two characters were extremely profound and powerful.


    Ranked below the kindred characters of sages were the spoken words of mountain masters from the Confucian academies. Their words contained the decree of the heavens, and their aura of righteousness could attract resonance with heaven and earth.


    Ranked further below this were the poems and literary works of virtuous schrs and the others. These poems and literary works could summon astral winds that possessed the power to reduce one to a rack of bones. In fact, these astral winds could directly destroy the souls of ghosts and yin entities.


    With an empty sword scabbard on his back, Bai Yuan stood far away on the opposite side of the well prison. He didn''t say anything, and he simply raised three fingers.


    Perhaps he was saying that he would only need three sword strikes to kill Zhong Kui?


    Zhong Kui remained silent, not engaging in a war of words with Bai Yuan.


    His jade pendant, which signified his status as a noble schr of Great Subduing Academy, had already ryed his current situation back to the academy.


    Numerous snow-white waterfalls appeared all around Zhong Kui, and looking closely, one could see that the brilliant curtains of water were actually made up of countless tiny and dazzling characters.


    It was as if gigantic pages of characters had been erected beside the well prison in Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    So powerful were these pages of characters that even the murderous aura rising from the well prison was forcefully pushed down, suppressing the demons and ghosts that were imprisoned within. This caused the demons and ghosts to howl in rage.


    The sound of countless iron chains violently thrashing around in the bottom of the well prison boomed like explosive thunder.


    1. This is a line from the <em>Book of Rites</em> (���). In ancient China, the character of noble people waspared to the quality of jade. Thus, wearing a jade pendant is a constant reminder that one needs to remain virtuous and upright. ?


    2. This refers to Cangjie''s feat of inventing Chinese characters. Cangjie is a legendary Chinese figure, the official historian of the Yellow Emperor. His invention of written characters caused ghosts to sob and spirits to weep because of the power of writtennguage to record knowledge and pass down experience. ?


    3. Chun (��) means spring and Jing (��) means tranquil. ?

 Chapter 350: (1): The Blade of a White Ape, the Words of a Noble Person

    Chapter 350: (1): The de of a White Ape, the Words of a Noble Person


    During the journey of life, one would inevitably face a few thunderstorms and heavy downpours. It was as if the heavens were reminding people that they were powerless and subject to the whims of a higher entity, so they needed to bow their heads and remain obedient.


    For example, Chen Ping''an encountered Cai Jinjian in front of his own home in y Vase Alley. Afterward, he faced off against the elderly golden flood dragon in the Flood Dragon Trench, the original owner of Golden Sweet Wine. He then wandered into the depths of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land by ident, where he was hunted by a group of martial arts grandmasters.


    The heavens threw him many challenges, and it was up to him whether he could ovee them or not.


    If he overcame these challenges, then the rain would clear to reveal the glorious sun. If he failed to ovee these challenges, however, then he could only act like those defeated martial artists. He could only shout at the sky and promise that he would definitely be stronger in a decade or two.


    One''s master could only teach one the basics, and it was up to one''s talent and hard work to decide how far one could eventually go.


    This was the situation that Zhong Kui was facing today. The heavens were unleashing a thunderstorm upon him.


    Before today, the noble schr from Great Subduing Academy had cultivated far too quickly and far too well. His cultivation speed was simply astonishing, and he had shot forward on the path of the Great Dao and left everyone else to eat dust. In fact, the Confucian disciples in Parasol Leaf Continent could barely catch a glimpse of his back.


    Today, however, Bai Yuan had appeared in front of him.


    This sword-carrying white ape was a mortal enemy.In fact, Bai Yuan was even more dangerous than the great demon that had hidden itself near nchette Writing Sect, the one that Zhong Kui''s teacher��the mountain master of Great Subduing Academy��had gone to stop.


    The current situation was exactly what Zhong Kui''s teacher had wanted to avoid. Namely, a situation where Zhong Kui faced certain death.


    There was apathy in Bai Yuan''s eyes as he looked at the young noble schr, someone who had the talent to be the mountain master of a Confucian school.


    Zhong Kui took a deep breath.


    Even though Bai Yuan hadn''t broken through to the Immortal Tier, and he wasn''t the kind of great demon renowned for having an innately powerful physique, he was still a profoundly powerful sword cultivator at the Unpolished Jade Tier.


    If Qi refiners were viewed as the most rebellious thieves in the world who dared to challenge the predetermined cycle of life and death maintained by the Heavenly Dao, then sword cultivators would undoubtedly be viewed as the most unreasonably rebellious thieves out of them all.


    Noble people wouldn''t remove their jade pendants for no reason[1].


    However, Bai Yuan''s first strike after unsheathing his sword immediately shattered Zhong Kui''s protective jade pendant into smithereens. This was a jade pendant given to every noble schr in Great Subduing Academy.


    After the jade pendant that contained the true intent of sagely Confucian essays crumbled between the great demon and the noble schr, hundreds of golden characters slowly dissipated from the world, appearing like golden raindrops as they gradually evaporated into the air.


    Zhong Kui instantly shot back in retreat, arriving near the perimeter of the well prison located more than thirty meters away. His azure sleeves billowed in the murderous autumn wind, and they were quickly filled with a mighty and indomitable aura.


    The so-called well prison in Peace and Tranquility Mountain was a gigantic structure that looked like a well. There was a spiral staircase carved into the inside wall of the well, leading further and further down into the cold and eerie depths. It was as if the gigantic well were a bottomless pit that led directly to theherworld.


    In fact, cultivators at the Lower Five Tiers would suffer detrimental consequences if they dared to approach the well prison. Their aura would be chaotic, and the murderous aura that had umted in the well prison for countless years would gradually corrode their physiques.


    There was a type of challenging cultivation for junior Daoist priests in Peace and Tranquility Mountain, and this cultivation method involved meditating near the well prison to temper one''s physique. This was an indescribably painful process.


    Daoist Nun Huang Ting was viewed as a prodigious cultivation talent because of her performance when she had followed her fellow sect disciples to the well prison for the first time. While everyone else was bitterly struggling to prevent the murderous aura from entering their acupoints, Huang Ting sat therepletely unfazed and unaffected.


    Not only that, but Huang Ting quietly sneaked to the entrance of the well prison as well. If it weren''t for the senior Daoist priest who was responsible for keeping an eye on the junior Daoist priests hurriedly rushing over to grab the little girl by the cor, Huang Ting might well have entered the well prison for the first time at just nine years old.


    Afterward, Huang Ting continued to have battles of wits and courage with her seniors at Peace and Tranquility Mountain. In the end, she finally managed to sneak into the well prison when she was eleven years old. However, she almost died in the depths of the well prison, unable to venture further down yet also unable to climb back up. She lost her consciousness after bing trapped.


    In the end, it was a white ape in ck robes that tossed her out of the well prison.


    Bai Yuan slowly walked forward, and appeared like he was taking a casual stroll as he arrived on the opposite side of the well prison.


    The sword qi of his ancient sword was far too powerful, so much so that itpletely concealed the true appearance of the sword. After shattering Zhong Kui''s jade pendant��which was equivalent to a high-grade immortal treasure��with a single strike, Bai Yuan''s flying sword was actually no longer in Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Peering into the distance, one could vaguely see a streak of white light shooting into the distance like a slender white snake nimbly slithering across a ck screen.


    Because of this, the mountain protection formation of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, which was just about to activate, instantly ground to a halt. Not only that, but it also became abnormally chaotic.


    Zhong Kui was surprisingly unable to activate the mountain protection formation to suppress the great demon.


    The old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had gone to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to bring Huang Ting back, the sect leader had gone to nchette Writing Sect to block the twelfth tier great demon, and the Nascent Tier earth immortal responsible for managing affairs in Peace and Tranquility Mountain had also left the mountain to deal with other matters.


    Before leaving, the Nascent Tier earth immortal had given control of the mountain protection formation to Zhong Kui, an outsider, without any hesitation. This wasn''t because Zhong Kui was a noble schr from Great Subduing Academy, but simply because he trusted Zhong Kui. In reality, the Nascent Tier earth immortal could be used of overstepping his authority by doing this; since it was extremely likely that the biggest secrets of Peace and Tranquility Mountain would be revealed to Zhong Kui as well. However, no one in Peace and Tranquility Mountain questioned this decision.


    Once upon a time, a sage had remarked that Daoist priests from Peace and Tranquility Mountain possessed a gant and chivalrous aura. Considering the situation right now, they indeed lived up to these beautiful words of praise.


    However, it was often the case that the demonic forces were one step ahead. As expected of a guest elder who had guarded Peace and Tranquility Mountain for three thousand years, Bai Yuan was surprisingly able to bring the mountain protection formation to a temporary stop.


    A solemn expression appeared on Zhong Kui''s face as he silently recited a sagely essay in his mind.


    The autumn wind in his azure sleeves was even higher grade than the incredibly rare book-flipping wind.


    Zhong Kui had be a virtuous schr in Great Subduing Academy before the age of twenty, yet his unrestrained behavior during that period had left him with a "tattered" reputation in the academy. He was disliked by many stubborn and pedantic old schrs. In fact, he would have lost his title of virtuous schr very early on if it weren''t for the mountain master standing up for him in an almost doting manner.


    One had to realize that bing a virtuous schr or a noble schr wasn''t a once-and-done kind of process. Rather, virtuous schrs and noble schrs needed to take an important exam once every few years. However, Zhong Kui had be dead drunk and passed out for three entire days,pletely missing his exam.


    Among the elderly schrs in Great Subduing Academy, some were unable to stand Zhong Kui''s carefree and unrestrained nature, some felt enraged by how he was wasting his talent, and some were of the belief that one needed to face significant challenges if one wanted to achieve great things in the future.


    Thus, all of the virtuous schrs and noble schrs had written a joint letter to the mountain master, requesting that he strip Zhong Kui of his title as a virtuous schr.


    That was a snowy winter day, and Zhong Kui walked through the snow barefoot while loudly reciting the essays of some sage. He looked very haughty and unrestrained as he tread the snow, looking up at the sky and asking that sage for rifications about his essay.


    In the end, he answered his own questions with a very self-satisfied expression.


    Before Zhong Kui stopped walking, a gust of autumn wind surprisingly appeared even though it was the middle of winter, carrying with it the personal praise and approval of that sage. The words "very good" echoed throughout the entire Great Subduing Academy.


    The gust of autumn wind entered his sleeves.


    On that day, Zhong Kui was promoted to the position of noble schr. No one had dared to question this.


    Legends said that the creation of written characters by sages had caused ghosts to sob and spirits to weep.[2]


    Indeed, written characters possessed immense power. At the very least, this was most certainly the case for schrly disciples in Confucian academies.


    The kindred characters of sages from the so-called temples of decorum were the epitome disy of the power of written characters. These powerful sages had been enshrined and worshiped in the Confucian temples for countless years, and they were enjoying eternal incense offerings while their schrly lineages also remained healthy.


    However, even sages enshrined and worshiped in the temples of decorum only possessed a single kindred character. Of course, this was disregarding the Paramount Sage who was ced on the central altar as well as the five sages who were ced to his left and right��in fact, only four of them remained now.


    There was only a single exception in the world.


    Mountain Cliff Academy''s Qi Jingchun.


    He possessed two kindred characters, "Chun" and "Jing."[3] Moreover, these two characters were extremely profound and powerful.


    Ranked below the kindred characters of sages were the spoken words of mountain masters from the Confucian academies. Their words contained the decree of the heavens, and their aura of righteousness could attract resonance with heaven and earth.


    Ranked further below this were the poems and literary works of virtuous schrs and the others. These poems and literary works could summon astral winds that possessed the power to reduce one to a rack of bones. In fact, these astral winds could directly destroy the souls of ghosts and yin entities.


    With an empty sword scabbard on his back, Bai Yuan stood far away on the opposite side of the well prison. He didn''t say anything, and he simply raised three fingers.


    Perhaps he was saying that he would only need three sword strikes to kill Zhong Kui?


    Zhong Kui remained silent, not engaging in a war of words with Bai Yuan.


    His jade pendant, which signified his status as a noble schr of Great Subduing Academy, had already ryed his current situation back to the academy.


    Numerous snow-white waterfalls appeared all around Zhong Kui, and looking closely, one could see that the brilliant curtains of water were actually made up of countless tiny and dazzling characters.


    It was as if gigantic pages of characters had been erected beside the well prison in Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    So powerful were these pages of characters that even the murderous aura rising from the well prison was forcefully pushed down, suppressing the demons and ghosts that were imprisoned within. This caused the demons and ghosts to howl in rage.


    The sound of countless iron chains violently thrashing around in the bottom of the well prison boomed like explosive thunder.


    1. This is a line from the <em>Book of Rites</em> (���). In ancient China, the character of noble people waspared to the quality of jade. Thus, wearing a jade pendant is a constant reminder that one needs to remain virtuous and upright. ?


    2. This refers to Cangjie''s feat of inventing Chinese characters. Cangjie is a legendary Chinese figure, the official historian of the Yellow Emperor. His invention of written characters caused ghosts to sob and spirits to weep because of the power of writtennguage to record knowledge and pass down experience. ?


    3. Chun (��) means spring and Jing (��) means tranquil. ?

 Chapter 351: (1): Eleven Next Year

    Chapter 351: (1): Eleven Next Year


    After Zhong Kui left the ry station, the old Daoist priest ced him inside a piece of aged locust wood that looked much like a gavel.[1] After doing this, the old ancestor of Peace and Prosperity Mountain suddenly turned around, using and-shortening technique and arriving in Chen Ping''an''s courtyard in a single step.


    Chen Ping''an, who was still dazed and yet topletely return to his senses, hurriedly stood up and bowed, cupping his fists in respect and saying, "Chen Ping''an pays his respects to Old Esteemed Immortal."


    Zhong Kui had recounted his death in a calm and casual manner just then, but he hadn''t concealed his close rtionship with the old Daoist priest from Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    The old Daoist priest waved his hand two times and said, "There''s no need to pay respects."


    After straightening his back, Chen Ping''an asked, "Since you came back, is there perhaps something that you need from me?"


    The old Daoist priest nced at Chen Ping''an before nodding and remarking, "Being able to maintain self-control is the quality of a truly outstanding person. No wonder Huang Ting and Zhong Kui are both impressed by you."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t understand this remark, but he didn''t ask any questions either.


    The old Daoist priest was in a fairly good mood, so he smiled and asked, "You called yourself a swordsman, so where is your sword?"


    He simply ignored the existence of First and Fifteenth, even though he had seen them flying."I mainly focused on practicing fist techniques before, and I''ve only just started to practice sword techniques. Because of this, I only feign holding a sword when I''m practicing sword techniques. I spend more of my time visualizing these sword techniques instead," Chen Ping''an replied honestly.


    "If I had known this earlier, I wouldn''t have spent so much time and effortpeting with other people in terms of divination," the old Daoist priest murmured to himself. "Not only did I lose, but I even lost the opportunity to observe your experiences in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land."


    The old Daoist priest was tall and sturdy, and he was wearing a white Daoist robe as well as a hibiscus hat, a hat that represented one of the three Daoist branches. He also had gray hair and a gray beard, and this made him appear extremely ethereal and transcendent.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond, so in the end, he chose to remain silent.


    There was no need to act smart in front of such a wise and sharp-eyed immortal. Indeed, trying to dress oneself up would be the same as an old woman caking her face with makeup or a little child pulling on official garb. It would be nothing more than a joke.


    "I can lend you a sword, and we can discuss how long you can keep it for, whether it''s sixty years, one hundred years, or something else," the old Daoist priest suddenly suggested. "You can offer an immortal treasure in exchange, or you can also pay using grain rain coins."


    Chen Ping''an hesitated for a moment before eventually shaking his head and replying, "Thank you for your kind offer, Old Esteemed Immortal. However, I actually have a sword already."


    Then, his face flushed slightly red with embarrassment. "In any case, I don''t have a single grain rain coin on me right now."


    The old Daoist priest didn''t insist upon this. The reason he had suddenly thought about lending a sword to Chen Ping''an was because he genuinely appreciated the promise of ten thousand years between the young boy and Zhong Kui.


    Beyond that, there was also a deeper sense of selfish goodwill. However, the old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had immediately felt regret after making this offer.


    It was best not to hasten his development and detrimentally affect his growth. The cmity that had befallen nchette Writing Sect made the old Daoist priest feel slightly anxious.


    As for why he had returned to the small courtyard... It was because he had noticed the peculiar fluctuations in the mind''s realm of Chen Ping''an. It appeared that Zhong Kui''s death had a huge effect on the young boy''s mental state.


    Upon closer inspection, however, the old Daoist priest was able to feel at ease again.


    Cultivators were afraid of their minds bing small boats that aimlessly drifted with the current. The old Daoist priest was of the opinion that those who allowed chaos and disorder in their mind''s realm weren''t even worthy of discussing such fears and taboos. In fact, such people shouldn''t cultivate at all.


    If such people cultivated Dao and were fortunate enough to advance to a high cultivation tier, yet their purpose was impure and simply for the sake of snatching fated opportunities and immortal treasure, unting their abilities and humiliating other people, and so on, then what was the point of cultivation? What good could these people do?


    However, regardless of how much the old Daoist priest detested these cultivators who only cultivated their strength but not their mind, he could only guard and influence the territory of Peace and Tranquility Mountain. He could only try his best to ensure that the culture and tradition of this sect remained upright and proper.


    Chen Ping''an mustered up his courage and asked, "Old Esteemed Immortal, can I ask if you have any mountain-protection formations?"


    The old Daoist priest nodded and replied, "Peace and Tranquility Mountain has two mountain-protection formations. The core of one formation is the Radiant Moon Mirror, a mirror that can shine light upon all demons and sinister beings in the world, giving them no chance to escape. Under the radiance of the mirror, they will suffer a temporary drop in cultivation. Of course, the effective distance of this formation depends on the cultivation of the person channeling it.


    "Once the Radiant Moon Formation is activated, it''s time for the Four Sword Formation to shine. The four ancient swords are replicas of four powerful immortal swords from the ancient past, and each replica sword can be regarded as a pseudo-celestial tool. Once theye together to form the Four Sword Formation, theirbination can then be regarded as a proper celestial tool. An attackunched by this formation can cover several thousand kilometers in the blink of an eye.


    "If that detestable old beast hadn''t refined one of the swords, then I would have been able to kill him right from the very beginning. I could have killed him even if he fled several thousand kilometers more. That detestable old beast might have escaped death, but the Immortal Tier is also split into two levels.


    "He''s only just advanced to the twelfth tier, so his cultivation base is still yet to stabilize. Not only that, but he''ll also be suppressed by the regtions of this world. His bonded item has been destroyed as well, and his true body has further suffered several wounds from the ancient swords, leading to his soul bing injured as well. In other words, that detestable old beast is no longer a threat that''s worth mentioning."


    The old Daoist priest was brimming with killing intent as he mentioned Bai Yuan, the sword-carrying white ape. His vast spiritual energy almost became tangible, forming a hazy white mist around him that appeared like numerous streams of flowing water. The old Daoist priest reined back his emotions, causing the peculiar phenomenon to instantly vanish. In reality, this peculiar phenomenon was a side effect caused by his drop in cultivation base.


    "The most troublesome thing is that the detestable old beast suddenly tunneled into the ground and disappeared along that ancient and severely damaged dragon vein. He most likely had this escape route nned out beforehand."


    The old Daoist priest pointed above his head and said, "I fought with the detestable old beast just then, and I also forced a powerful yin entity from the underworld to retreat afterward. A Confucian sage who''s responsible for overseeing the sky above Parasol Leaf Continent naturally witnessed these events. He descended to Peace and Tranquility Mountain, and he was enraged to learn that Zhong Kui had been killed. He left to pursue that white ape, yet the detestable old beast surprisingly tunneled into the ground and hid itself.


    "Right now, our only hope is to see whether Huang Ting, who has some karmic ties with the white ape, is able to discover some clues. As long as we find him, that Confucian sage who''s one of seventy-two sages apanying the Paramount Sage in the Confucian temples will be able to kill that detestable old beast with a single strike. He''s already made the necessary preparations, and the situation won''t change even if Huang Ting is killed in battle."


    Chen Ping''an wanted to say something, but he didn''t know where to start.


    The old Daoist priest smiled and added, "This is the worst-case scenario. That girl Huang Ting has always enjoyed good fortune. She also tempered her mind and character in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and she has the protection of the two ancient swords as well. As such, hunting down Bai Yuan might be a fated opportunity for her, one which can allow her to break through to the next cultivation tier."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding.


    There was an amused smile on the old Daoist priest''s face as he continued, "I initially thought that Huang Ting would grumble andin for half a day after I forcefully dragged her out from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. However, she surprisingly didn''tin at all. While returning to Peace and Tranquility Mountain, she mentioned you many times and also said that she would definitely visit the Great Li Empire''s Dragon Spring Prefecture to look for you in the future."


    The old Daoist priest gently flicked his sleeve and remarked, "How very strange... I''m not a talkative person, yet I''ve already said more tonight than I have in the past few decadesbined. Back to the topic at hand, the mountain-protection formations of Peace and Tranquility Mountain are extremely powerful and have a very profound history. They possess both offensive and defensive capabilities, and they can rival the formations of many sects in Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    "However, it won''t be right for me to privately teach you how to refine and channel these formations, especially since this pertains to the fortunes of Peace and Tranquility Mountain. That being the case, I also possess a mountain-protection formation that I obtained from the secret abode of an ancient immortal. This formation possesses immense destructive power, and it is a formation that I can sell to you.


    "The disadvantage of this formation is that it consumes far too much silver. Channeling this formation will also consume the fortunes of the mountains and rivers. If Huang Ting ever decides to found her own force somewhere in Parasol Leaf Continent, or if she decides to marry someone and be Dao partners with them in the future, I initially considered giving this formation to her as a congrattory present. If this isn''t enough, then I might even have to dip into my other savings."


    Chen Ping''an gulped upon hearing this. He wasn''t worried about Huang Ting''s dowry or the old Daoist priest''s savings, and was instead worried about the remark that this formation would consume far too much silver!


    The old Daoist priest noticed the hesitation in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, so he roared with heartyughter and teased, "Such meticulous calctions and nning! I like it!"


    Before Chen Ping''an could make heads or tails of the situation, the old Daoist priest had already moved on from the topic of mountain-protection formations, warning in a quiet voice, "Chen Ping''an, even though I don''t know what treasure you''re carrying with you, a treasure that can conceal your aura and prevent others from divining your location and fortune is an incredibly valuable one. You should definitely cherish it. Such treasures are priceless and incredibly difficult to obtain, and there''s only one such treasure in the entire Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Moreover, it was a treasure left behind by the founder."


    Chen Ping''an recalled the unremarkable oil-paper umbre, and he nodded solemnly in response.


    The old Daoist priest felt a great sense of satisfaction looking at Chen Ping��an.


    There were few young people whom the old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain acknowledged and viewed as worthy. Among them were Daoist Nun Huang Ting and Noble Schr Zhong Kui.


    And now, there was also Chen Ping''an.


    Regardless of whether it was the secluded Parasol Leaf Continent in the southeast or the vast Majestic World, the old Daoist priest felt like there could never be enough young people like this.


    No matter how chaotic the world became... there would always be pirs to hold it up.


    In order to prevent Zhong Kui''s yin soul from being taken to the underworld by that yin entity before, the old Daoist priest had chosen to sacrifice his cultivation base and drop a tier. He had made this decision despite being clearly aware of the consequences��he could no longer address the biggest regret in his life.


    After advancing to the Immortal Tier, the old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had been granted the title of Observing Mystical Heavenly Lord by the Daoist branch that he belonged to. He had enjoyed a transcendent standing.


    Looking back at history, a Daoist priest would have the opportunity to meet their branch master and have their Daoist robes, Daoist hat, and an identity token personally handed to them by the branch master when they were promoted from the position of True Lord to Heavenly Lord. This was the case regardless of which of the three branches of Daoism they belonged to, and regardless of whether they were in Majestic World overseen by the Confucian Sect or Heavenly World overseen by the Daoist Sect.


    However, as the newest Heavenly Lord of his Daoist branch, the Observing Mystical Heavenly Lord hadn''t seen his branch master leave the White Jade Capital and descend into Majestic World. The old Heavenly Lord hadn''t dared to specte, yet the others in Peace and Tranquility Mountain had all mulled over this for a long time.


    Because of this, the sect leader of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had specially traveled to the Confucian academy located in the northernmost region of Parasol Leaf Continent, inquiring about this matter and asking whether a Confucian sage had interfered in the process. Perhaps this was the reason why their branch master hadn''t traveled to Majestic World to meet the new Heavenly Lord.


    The mountain master of the Confucian academy was a straightforward person who hadn''t wanted to go in circles with the sect leader of Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Thus, he had smiled and countered with a question, saying that perhaps the branch masters of the two other Daoist branches would face such "special treatment," yet what kind of rtionship existed between their branch master and the Confucian Sect? Who would obstruct their branch master from entering Majestic World?


    The old Heavenly Lord had felt increasingly dispirited after hearing this reply.


    After mulling over it for a long time, he could only conclude that his Great Dao was too shallow even though his cultivation base was very high. Thus, his branch master was purposely giving him a warning.


    Before the battle in Peace and Tranquility Mountain, the Observing Mystical Heavenly Lord had thought that he could eventually meet the branch master when he advanced to the Ascension Tier in the future.


    Now, however, this was nothing more than a pipe dream.


    He didn''t regret his decision, yet it was impossible not to feel disappointed.


    The old Daoist priest was just about to leave when Chen Ping''an suddenly said, "Thank you, Old Spiritual Master!"


    The old Daoist priest smiled and asked, "Why are you thanking me? Is it because I sacrificed my cultivation base for Zhong Kui?" He shook his head. "There''s no need to thank me. It''s Peace and Tranquility Mountain that owes Zhong Kui."


    "Thank you Old Spiritual Master and thank you Peace and Tranquility Mountain for allowing me to understand that there are also gant and kind-hearted immortals in the mountains," Chen Ping''an replied in a solemn voice.


    This instantly put the old Daoist priest in a delightful mood. "Oh, so that''s how it is, huh? Who would have thought that you''re quite simr to Zhong Kui? You''re also very good at ttery, aren''t you?"


    "I''m speaking from the bottom of my heart," Chen Ping''an replied in a helpless voice.


    The old Daoist priest looked at him with a smile and remarked, "Sincere words of ttery are the most soothing."


    He then flew away on the wind.


    1. Note that a Chinese gavel doesn''t look like a ceremonial mallet as ismon in the Western world. A Chinese gavel looks more like a simple rectangr wooden block. ?

 Chapter 352: (1): Jade Pendant from the Old Ancestor, Bright Moon in the Sky

    Chapter 352: (1): Jade Pendant from the Old Ancestor, Bright Moon in the Sky


    An uneventful night passed by after the Observing Mystical Heavenly Lord and Zhong Kui left.


    Chen Ping''an helped the exhausted Pei Qian through her window, telling her to go to sleep.


    Afterward, he remained in the courtyard by himself. He didn''t practice walking meditation or sword techniques, and instead sat by the stone table and thought about his ns for the future.


    He would be absent-minded from time to time, and he would look up and gaze at the night sky. He had heard Zhong Kui exin that apart from a few sages who went to expand existing territories and search for new blessednds, the remaining sages who were worshiped in the Confucian temples alongside the Paramount Sage wouldrgely be residing in the skies above the continents and seas of Majestic World.


    These sages would peer down at the mortal world, and in their eyes, both cultivators from the mountains and from outside the mountains would appear much like the fluttering fireflies that mortal humans saw during summer nights. The brightness of each individual would depend on the height of their cultivation base.


    Thus, when the Observing Mystical Heavenly Lord and Bai Yuan had unleashed their full power and aura when fighting against each other earlier, it was as if two orbs of brilliant light had suddenly appeared in the world in the eyes of the sage residing above Parasol Leaf Continent.


    It was because of this that the sage had descended to Peace and Tranquility Mountain, preventing the two profoundly powerful cultivators from acting unreasonably or fighting due to personal grudges. Most importantly, he was preventing them from bing so unbridled that they ended up shattering mountains and rivers and killing countless innocent mortals.


    More of the time, Chen Ping''an would be resting his mind with his eyes closed, quietly reciting the immortal mantra inscribed upon the jade slip that he had obtained from Green Roving Residence.


    The meaning of a book would be clear if one read it many times. The same principle applied to all things in the world.Dawn arrived, and Chen Ping''an opened his eyes when he heard Old General Yao''s footsteps traveling over from outside the courtyard. Yao Zhen stopped at the courtyard door, and he was seemingly hesitating about whether he should knock.


    Chen Ping''an walked over to open the door.


    Yao Zhen smiled and remarked, "As expected of a martial arts grandmaster. You can identify people simply from the sound of their footsteps."


    "Let''s take a stroll in the ry station''s garden to rx our minds?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Yao Zhen walked next to Chen Ping''an and said slowly, "I didn''t travel with you guys yesterday and visit that small mountain where the ancient immortal rode a crane and ascended because I received news in the morning that a secret messenger from Mirage City was going to arrive at the ry station. I had no option but to wait for him. However, after waiting for an entire day, this esteemed guest only arrived after nine o''clock. Guess who it was?"


    Since he was asking Chen Ping''an, this secret messenger was definitely a person from Mirage City with whom he was familiar. A thought suddenly urred to Chen Ping''an, and he replied, "Duke Gao Shizhen."


    Yao Zhen raised a thumb and confirmed with a nod, "That''s right, it was none other than this duke."


    Those who harbored ill intentions visited, while those who harbored good intentions didn''t visit.


    Since the emperor had sent Duke Gao Shizen as a secret messenger and instructed him to rush over to Riding Crane City to deliver a decree before the Yao n''s convoy entered Mirage City, it was clear that the emperor valued the duke more than he valued Yao Zhen, the future head minister of war.


    In terms of whether the emperor had summoned the duke and personally given him warnings or instructions or even tried to stir the pot, Chen Ping''an couldn''t specte on this since he had never met the emperor before. In any case, instructing Duke Gao Shizhen to secretly visit the ry station in Riding Crane City was undoubtedly a huge show of strength to Old General Yao.


    Life in the capital would be quite difficult.


    This would be the case even though he was Yao Zhen, the future head minister of war. He would still be regarded as nothing more than an outsider from the border regions.


    Chen Ping''an had reaped huge benefits when apanying the old Daoist priest in the East Sea for a "distant" journey through the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, traveling across space and time to observe Dao together. Perhaps it was only when Chen Ping''an left the Lotus Flower Blessed Land that the young country bumpkin from y Vase Alley had shaken thest clump of dirt from his trousers.


    "There used to be a total of ten county kings and dukes without the surname Liu in the Great Quan Empire," Yao Zhen exined slowly. "The Imperial Liu n has experienced many ups and downs during their two-hundred-year rule, and up until today, only a single duke remains from the original group of ten county kings and dukes.


    "The previous duke had an extremely good reputation and was widely regarded as a fair and just person. He twice risked his position as duke to help other people, helping a group of righteous officials keep their positions and also standing up for a general from the border regions. As a result, everyone in the imperial court remembers his goodwill, regardless of whether they''re schrly officials or martial officials.


    "The current duke, Gao Shizhen, is keeping a low profile and biding his time. He doesn''t like to draw attention to himself. However, he had already developed a close rtionship with the current emperor when he was only a young boy. Looking back at this, it''s quite clear that Duke Gao Shizhen isn''t a simple person either. Moreover, it was because of this that Gao Shuyi had the ability to act so wantonly in Mirage City..."


    Chen Ping''an suddenly interjected and said, "Perhaps the duke was purposely damaging his own reputation by allowing Gao Shuyi to act wantonly and infuriate the other nobles and officials. Relying on their abilities, the previous duke and the current duke have managed to enjoy a myriad of benefits that other officials don''t even dare to dream of. If Gao Shuyi didn''t do something, then perhaps the duke and his n would have faced a fate not too dissimr to what the Yao n faced in the border region."


    A strange expression spread across Yao Zhen''s face as he raised his thumb at Chen Ping''an again. "You came from a different angle, but your argument is almost identical to what my granddaughter, Yao Jinzhi, said."


    Yao Zhen patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder and continued, "However, Jinzhi gave this analysis when she was only fourteen years old."


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but chuckle in his mind. Why was Old General Yao trying topete with him? However, he still went along with the old general and replied, "Miss Jinzhi is not only pure and elegant, but she''s also knowledgeable in all kinds of different fields. I''m naturally far inferior to her."


    There was a beaming smile on Yao Zhen''s aged face, and the gloomy clouds in his mind were instantly wiped away.


    In terms of what Duke Gao Shizhen had said after arriving at the ry station, Yao Zhen naturally wouldn''t reveal this sensitive information as a subordinate of the Imperial Liu n.


    If the imperial court and Duke Gao Shizhen wanted to harm his young benefactor, however, then Yao Zhen wouldn''t mind fighting with his life on the line again. In any case, him sacrificing his life for Chen Ping''an was still a worthy exchange for the Yao n. After all, the Yao n had already weathered the storm and escaped from danger. After farewelling Gao Shizhentest night, this was the conclusion that his granddaughter, Yao Jinzhi, had drawn during their conversation in the candlelit room in the ry station.


    When Yao Zhen entered Mirage City, tens of thousands of people would flood the streets and alleys to give him a grand wee. With the help of officials from all levels, the renown of the Yao n''s mounted troops would also reverberate through the imperial court.


    The garden in the ry station was incredibly famous. Thanks to the fervent promotion by many schrs, literati, and banished officials, the garden was surprisingly described as such: "The beauty of the mountains and ponds and the elegance of the pavilions and terraces are unmatched by even the gardens of the county kings in the capital."


    There were lush green trees, and there were small bridges over flowing streams. The two of them walked onto a wooden arch bridge. Right now, Chen Ping''an''s familiarity with the structuralposition of these bridges was perhaps no inferior to that of officials in the Ministry of Works already. Chen Ping''an''s footsteps were sometimes heavy and sometimes light as he walked across the bridge, and he would asionally extend his hand to lightly tap the railings on the sides. Yao Zhen didn''t ask any questions, and he simply treated this as a hobby of the young boy.


    The Yao n was going to set off the day after tomorrow. There was a banquet hosted by the governor tonight, and the prefectural overseer was going to invite Old General Yao Zhen to a private meal tomorrow. Thus, they could travel around Riding Crane City for two more days.


    Chen Ping''an stayed in his courtyard to cultivate in seclusion.


    The speed of his martial arts cultivation was already far exceeding the expectations that he had set when leaving Stctite Mountain. There was no need to rush, and there was no way to rush.


    However, reconstructing his bridge of immortality was starting to be a matter of urgency.


    He had performed visualizations two times, once in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and once next to Burial River. The long golden bridge had sessfully projected into the world and spanned across the river already, and it was bing increasingly stable with each subsequent time that he visualized it. This was especially the case during the second time next to Burial River, and Chen Ping''an had already felt confident that he could step onto the bridge.


    However, Chen Ping''an would get a headache every time he thought of the fact that he still needed to refine the immortal treasures of the Five Elements after reconstructing his bridge of immortality. These immortal treasures would be so-called small worlds that protected his body and bridge of immortality.


    After receiving the jade slip and immortal mantra from the water goddess of the Burial River, it was necessary for Chen Ping''an to start making preparations now. This signified that Chen Ping''an had to refine five bonded items. Otherwise, his bridge of immortality would lead to a dead end even if he managed to reconstruct it, and the consequences would be unimaginable if spiritual energy started to flood into him like sea water once his bridge of immortality wasplete. Of course, this was unless he abandoned his martial arts cultivation base.


    After refining five immortal treasures of the Five Elements and creating fivekes and immortal abodes in his acupoints, however, Chen Ping''an could start to umte the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. At the same time, this wouldn''t be hugely detrimental to his breath of True Qi traveling around his acupoints. The two different forces couldrgely avoid conflict with each other.


    This was a profoundly mystical state. It was as if one Chen Ping''an were relying on his fists to travel around the world, while one Chen Ping''an was refusing to meet guests in a dense mountain forest and quietly cultivating in seclusion.


    While practicing walking meditation, Chen Ping''an thought to himself, <em>I definitely have to refine the water seal that Mr. Qi gave me into a bonded item. That way, the water seal will be linked to my life. Even if it''s shattered like the mountain seal, it can still appear as a vague projection in my acupoints as long as I''m still alive. Even if it loses its power, it can still at least provide me with some sentimental value. I can look at it whenever I want to. Moreover, the immortal mantra that Miss Water Goddess gave me talks about refining water-element immortal treasures the most.</em>


    <em>In terms of the ancient jade slip that can nurture one''s physique and soul, it''s most likely rted to the water element as well. However, I''m still unclear about its origin and quality. I need to ask Wei Bo about it first.</em>


    <em>It''s a shame that Golden Sweet Wine doesn''t correspond to one of the five elements. Otherwise, it satisfies the quality requirements and it''s also suitable for refinement. If I refine it, then I won''t need to wear it all the time. That way, Nascent Tier earth immortals won''t be able to see through me straight away. Ah... What a shame.</em>


    <em>Regarding the golden schrly core of City God Shen Wen from Colorful Garment Nation... A thought urred to me when I was exining the theory of sequential order in Green Roving Residence, and it appears like I can refine the schrly core as an immortal treasure corresponding to the metal element. In any case, studying and reading books is fundamentally the same as practicing fist techniques and sword techniques. All of these are lifelong projects.</em>


    <em>As for the earth element, the old Daoist priest asked that young Daoist priest to tell me about the five-colored soil from the Five Mountains of the Great Li Empire. War is raging now that the armored cavalry of the Great Li Empire has marched south, so perhaps the Imperial Song n will truly be able to conquer at least half of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? If that''s the case, then the five-colored soil from the Five Mountains of the Great Li Empire will indeed be very valuable. By the looks of it, I need to trouble Wei Bo with answering this question as well the next time I return to Dragon Spring Prefecture. After all, he''s already the formal god of the Northern Mountain.</em>


    Dressed in white robes, Chen Ping''an lost his sense of self as he practiced fist techniques, with his movements especially smooth and flowing like water.


    He was no longer an apprentice in the dragon kilns. He was no longer stubborn and rigid like characters written in regr script. Rather, he was already carefree and graceful like semi-cursive script.[1]


    The essence of his development was being able to endure pain and grab fated opportunities with both hands.


    ��������


    The four martial artists from the picture scrolls were each strange in their own way.


    Wei Xian had recently taken a liking to eating snacks. There were two small pouches hanging by his waist, one on each side, and these pouches were filled with all kinds of snacks from the various food stalls.


    Lu Baixiang liked everything that appeared elegant, and he was now fond of holding a few Go pieces in his hands. He would massage them in his palms while he strolled around, causing the Go pieces to release a faint squeaking sound.


    Zhu Lian didn''t like to be restrained. For example, he felt like it was very troublesome to wear socks if he was already wearing boots. He bought himself a pair of straw sandals from somewhere in Riding Crane City, and he also changed into light yellow coarse clothes. In addition to this, Zhu Lian would also purchase a few fantasy novels about demons and gods and a few romance novels about breathtaking beauties no matter which city or town they traveled to. He would retrieve these books and start to read whenever he had free time.


    Apart fromprehending sword techniques every day, Sui Youbian didn''t seem to have any other hobbies. This was very strange in and of itself.


    Chen Ping''an returned to his room after he finished practicing his fist techniques.


    Zhu Lian was enjoying the warm sunshine of early winter in the courtyard, and he was reading an especially juicy romance story as he sat there.


    Yao Xianzhi came over to visit, and he asked Wei Xian for guidance regarding fist techniques.


    Lu Baixiang was ying a game of Go with Yao Jinzhi who had alsoe over to visit.


    Sui Youbian''s aura had transformed slightly after her visit to the small mountain in the center of the provincial city. She started to cultivate in seclusion again, with her sword resting horizontally across her knees. She would frequently push her sword an inch out of its scabbard before pushing it back in, repeating this action again and again.


    Pei Qian wasn''t someone to settle down and remain quiet for too long. She became bored after watching the game of Go between Lu Baixiang and Yao Jinzhi for a while, so she returned to her room to grab her hiking pole, using it to unleash her signature wild staff technique next to Wei Xian and Yao Xianzhi.


    Wei Xian instructed Yao Xianzhi to practice a certain fist stance first, and he was speechless for a long while after observing Pei Qian''s performance. Pei Qian''s movements were chaotic and unstructured, and she would asionally hit herself by ident. This was truly a domineering technique that risked severe injuries to defeat the opponent.


    Yao Xianzhi, who was practicing standing meditation, rolled his eyes when he saw this.


    However, Wei Xian surprisingly didn''t seem to find the tanned little girl''s antics childish.


    Pei Qian was huffing and puffing in exhaustion as she bent down and rested her hands on her hiking pole. "Old Man Wei, how is my martial arts talent? Am I a one-in-ten-thousand talent?" she asked. "Can I be a peerless grandmaster like my dad tomorrow...? Actually, let''s make that next year. Can I rival ten of you with a single hand?"


    Wei Xian sidestepped the question, replying, "There''s a saying in the cultivation world: the sword takes a year, the saber takes a month, and the spear takes forever. I have two suggestions for you if you genuinely want to make rapid progress with your staff technique. First, use your staff to strike like a dragon in the rapeseed fields. If you persist, you''ll eventually develop a peerless aura. Second, go and poke a ho''s nest. You''ll develop another type of fearless aura when facing life-threatening danger."


    Looking at Wei Xian''s sincere expression as he spoke, Pei Qian thought about this for a moment before asking in slight doubt, "You''re not lying to me?"


    "You can run along if you don''t believe me," Wei Xian replied with indifference.


    Lu Baixiang, whose back was facing Pei Qian and Wei Xian, smiled faintly when he heard this.


    The hunchbacked Zhu Lian was sitting in the courtyard and reading as always, and he had just licked his finger and flipped to the next page. However, the romantic love-making described on the previous page was far too juicy and stirring, so he couldn''t help but flip back to that page to enjoy the steamy action again.


    Pei Qian suddenly shook her head and sighed, an expression of sympathy in her eyes as she remarked, "Old Man Wei, couldn''t you tell? I wasn''t practicing staff techniques at all! Rather, I was practicing sword techniques!"


    Wei Xian feigned an expression of realization. However, it was clear that he was being insincere.


    Pei Qian became angry upon seeing this, and she scolded, "Old Man Wei, our friendship that''s founded upon the two skewers of tanghulu will fracture if you continue to be so stubborn and challenging!"


    The corners of Wei Xian''s mouth curled up into a faint smile as he took pleasure in the little girl''s misfortune.


    Pei Qian immediately tossed her hiking pole aside and hurriedly covered her mouth.


    Sure enough, Chen Ping''an''s voice traveled over and instructed, "Return to your room to write five hundred characters."


    Apart from reading and memorizing books, Chen Ping''an also required Pei Qian to copy books now.


    Every time Pei Qian gritted her teeth and copied the characters from the books, she would feel a strong urge to give herself two solid ps. After all, who had told her to ask the female ghost, Big Sister Xuanhua, for a calligraphy brush and paper? Chen Ping''an had said that since she had her own calligraphy brush now, it was a good time for her to start practicing handwriting every single day.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t ask for much, and he only needed her to write five hundred characters a day. However, any character that was written too carelessly or wonky wouldn''t be counted toward the five hundred characters. She would need to rewrite these characters. Pei Qian truly wanted to neck herself. Just how many days had she been able to rx and enjoy like a true immortal? Yet, it had alle to an end now.


    Pei Qian puffed her cheeks until they looked like tworge buns. She picked her hiking pole up from the ground and obediently returned to her room to write the five hundred characters.


    1. The regr script is the newest of the major Chinese script styles, emerging during the Three Kingdoms period and stylistically mature by the 7th century. It is the mostmon style used in modern text, and it can be viewed as rtively rigid and properpared to other scripts. Semi-cursive script, also known as running script, is a style of Chinese calligraphy that emerged during the Han dynasty. Semi-cursive style included the linking of strokes, simplification and merging of strokes, adjustments to stroke order, and so on, making it appear much less rigid than regr script. ?

 Chapter 353: (1): Five Thousand Soldiers Surrounding the Mountain

    Chapter 353: (1): Five Thousand Soldiers Surrounding the Mountain


    In the end, only Chen Ping''an, Pei Qian, and Yao Xianzhi were able to witness the rising sun cast its first rays of light upon Screen Illuminating Peak.


    Pei Qian widened her eyes and leaned over the railing as she stared at therge sun leaping out from the East Sea. It was as if she were staring at arge circle of gold that she wanted to grab and keep for herself.


    Yao Xianzhi eximed in astonishment for a short moment before turning his attention away from the rising sun. After all, he had already witnessed such sights countless times before. Back in his hometown in the border regions, the beauty of moonlight scattering over therge rivers and the starry sky hanging over the open ins was no inferior to the magnificence of viewing the sunrise from Screen Illuminating Peak.


    However, the prodigious young boy couldn''t help but feel a little surprised. How was Pei Qian able to stare at the sun for so long? Didn''t her eyes hurt? Chen Ping''an casually jumped onto the railing and sat down. Yao Xianzhi had wanted to do this right from the very beginning, yet he hadn''t dared to do so because his grandpa and Big Sister Jinzhi had been presentst night. Afterward, he had felt too embarrassed to do so because Chen Ping''an, someone whom he respected and admired immensely, had been sitting at the stone table.


    Now that Chen Ping''an had taken the lead and set an example, however, Yao Xianzhi hurriedly followed suit and jumped onto the railing to sit beside Chen Ping''an. They gazed at the East Sea together, and it was as if Yao Xianzhi''s mind started to broaden as well. He became filled with hope and anticipation for his future life in Mirage City.


    When leaving Screen Illuminating Peak, Old General Yao''s face was filled with annoyance and regret. He grumbled that Chen Ping''an didn''t even wake him up before sunset, causing him to miss the magnificent sunrise. In other words, he had spent so much time and effort climbing this mountain for naught.


    Chen Ping''an ignored Yao Zhen''s childishints, and the old general immediately ceased his grumbling after Yao Jinzhi said, "Grandpa, are you still not satisfied after we made an exception and allowed you to drinkst night?"


    Yao Zhen and Yao Xianzhi, the grandfather and grandson, were the closest to Chen Ping''an, and they both knew that farewell was imminent. It was almost time to say goodbye, so it was inevitable that there was a feeling of mncholy in their minds.


    However, both Yao Zhen and Yao Xianzhi were martial artists and generals ustomed to the biting wind and coarse sand of the battlefield. Thus, they could simply push the sadness of farewell to the back of their minds. After all, there would always be an opportunity to reunite and drink in the future. Purposely feigning sadness like a little girl would cheapen the asion and make itughable instead.They finally arrived at Peach Leaf Jetty located outside Mirage City. The convoy of the Yao n came to a stop.


    Chen Ping''an was carrying a lush green bamboo bookcase on his back.


    Yao Lingzhi had her saber hanging by her waist.


    She boldly cupped her fist in gratitude and said, "Young Master Chen, I wish you a safe and smooth sailing journey to the north! I wish you prosperous martial fortune!"


    Chen Ping''an nodded with a smile before warning, "One cannot be impatient when cultivating martial arts. The more talented you are, the more important it is to not solely focus on breaking through to the next tier. When ites to fist techniques, a martial artist should aim to unleash and retract their fists as they please. If you want your body to be nimble but your fist intent to be powerful, then you need to develop a strong foundation.


    "Like dripping water being able to prate stone, you need to view the stone as your greatest enemy while treating the dripping water as your martial arts true intent. Miss Lingzhi, you can definitely reach great heights if you''re able to keep calm and stay focused."


    Yao Lingzhi humphed coldly and replied, "You''re only a little bit older than me, yet you''re speaking in such an experienced and mature manner."


    However, as the young girl turned around and walked away, there was a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.


    Yao Zhen didn''t say too much, and simply told Chen Ping''an to take care. The old general had carefully put away the bamboo brush holder inscribed with the sagely essay. He nned to treasure the bamboo brush holder as if it were a family heirloom.


    Yao Xianzhi had shamelessly asked Chen Ping''an for a calligraphy workst night, and he treated it as if it were the most valuable treasure in the entire world. Yao Xianzhi also didn''t say a lot today, and simply said that he wished for Chen Ping''an to visit Mirage City in the future.


    To everyone''s surprise, Yao Jinzhi asked to apany Chen Ping''an for a while as he walked to Peach Leaf Jetty.


    Yao Xianzhi whistled in amusement, yet Yao Lingzhi immediately elbowed him in the waist, causing him to bare his teeth in pain.


    Yao Jinzhi had keen observation skills, and she noticed that the jade tablet hanging by Chen Ping''an''s waist was slightly different from before. Chen Ping''an had flipped it around today.


    Between Riding Crane City and Peach Leaf Jetty, Chen Ping''an had worn the jade tablet such that it always disyed the characters "Passing Down the Teachings of the Ancestral Hall."


    Today, however, the seal script characters "The True Self is Cultivated on Peace and Tranquility Mountain" were disyed.


    A thought urred to Yao Jinzhi, and she took a long and deep look at Chen Ping''an, the young boy who had traveled from Northern Jin Nation to the capital of the Great Quan Empire.


    She made some polite small talk that didn''t seem extraordinary in any sense. However, she gave off a feeling of sincerity and schrly intelligence, making her appear especially attractive and moving.


    Chen Ping''an epted her sincerity, yet he also turned it down at the same time. Perhaps only the two of them could truly understand theplicated nature of their rtionship.


    In the end, Yao Jinzhi casually told Chen Ping''an about the character "Zhi," which existed in the names of everyone in her generation in the Yao n. As it turned out, a fortune teller traveling around the border regions had been struck by misfortune ande across war and chaos many years ago. The fortune teller had eventually been saved by her grandpa, Yao Zhen, so he had performed a divination for the Yao n.


    During divination, the fortune teller had said that an incredible person had once existed among the ancestors of the Yao n and that his kindred character was "Zhi." Moreover, this character had a strong affinity with the generation that Yao Zhen''s grandchildren belonged to, and each person from that generation would be able to share in the fortune of that ancestor if they had the character "Zhi" in their names.


    This character could improve the fated opportunities of this generation, and someone might even reach unfathomable heights thanks to the blessings of this ancestor. Yao Zhen hadn''t thought much about this, and he had simply treated the character "Zhi" as a good omen. Thus, he had included this character in the names of Yao Jinzhi and the other children. There were more than twenty people in his grandchildren''s generation, and all of them had the character "Zhi" in their names. Even the side branches of the Yao n were no exception. Yao Zhen didn''t show any favoritism.


    Among this generation, Yao Zhen''s three grandchildren, Yao Jinzhi, Yao Lingzhi, and Yao Xianzhi, were the most exceptional.


    Chen Ping''an fell deep into thought after hearing this exnation.


    In the end, Yao Jinzhi performed an elegant and beautiful curtsy to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists in reply. After hesitating for a moment, he eventually decided to say in a sincere voice, "Miss Jinzhi, apart from helping Old General Yaoe up with strategies and take precautions against ill-meaning individuals in Mirage City, you also need to take care of your own safety. This mighte across as offensive, but if youe across an insurmountable obstacle in the future, there''s no harm in asking Old General Yao for help. You can ask your grandfather to make the decision. After all, there''s no need to take responsibility for everything and face all of the hardships by yourself."


    Yao Jinzhi removed her veiled hat in a rare disy, giving a beautiful smile yet not saying anything. She simply looked at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists again, bidding farewell to the young woman.


    Yao Jinzhi was a beautiful maiden, yet she surprisingly cupped her fists as well. Her glistening eyes were filled with a peculiar glimmer as she said loudly, "Mountains unchanged and rivers never dry..."


    Chen Ping''an had no option but to finish the saying, "We shall meet again as long as time stands."


    Yao Jinzhi hadn''t drunk any wine today, yet her cheeks immediately flushed red at this moment.


    In the distance, Zhu Lian smiled with squinted eyes and remarked, "Kindness from beautiful women is the most difficult to ept; the affection in their gaze is the most difficult to farewell."


    Sui Youbianpletely ignored everything that was going on as she stood there with her sword strapped to her back.


    Chen Ping''an caught up with the others. Pei Qian had her cotton luggage sack slung diagonally across her back, and she was once again holding the hiking pole in her hand. There was no more horse-drawn carriage for them to take, yet Pei Qian was filled with eagerness for the uing journey. She wasn''t afraid of traveling by foot at all. Otherwise, wouldn''t she have developed all those calluses on her feet for nothing?


    Chen Ping''an waved goodbye to the convoy of the Yao n.


    Yao Xianzhi, sitting on horseback, stood up on the stirrups to vigorously wave at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an and the others continued to travel north. As they walked, Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but sigh with emotion and say in a soft voice, "It''s a shame that it didn''t snow. Otherwise, we could have climbed to the top of Screen Illuminating Peak again to gaze upon the snow-covered Mirage City renowned for looking like an immortal realm."


    Pei Qian smiled and quipped, "Then why don''t we wait until it snows before leaving?"


    For the past two days, Pei Qian had glued herself to Yao Jinzhi and called her Big Sister Immortal the entire time. She had tried her best to tter Yao Jinzhi, someone whom she viewed as a beautiful woman who didn''t dare to show her face. In the end, Yao Jinzhi had sure enough given her a farewell gift, cing it inside a small wooden box.


    Among the presents were a few Good Fortune Coins from a past dynasty which Yao Jinzhi had spent a lot of effort to obtain. In addition to these, there was a small wood carving of a ganoderma. Add to that the other trinkets, and there were a dozen or so items altogether.


    In the beginning, Pei Qian had simply wanted to swindle a few taels of silver from Yao Jinzhi. That would have been perfect, and Chen Ping''an wouldn''t have stopped her either. Moreover, this amount of silver wouldn''t be too much for her to handle. However, Yao Jinzhi had ended up giving her a very difficult problem.


    Pei Qian hadn''t dared to ept the gift on her own considering its value, so Yao Jinzhi had eventually held Pei Qian''s hand and handed the wooden treasure box to Chen Ping''an, exining that the contents inside were rare and unique but not especially valuable. As such, she hoped that Chen Ping''an wouldn''t turn down the gift.


    Chen Ping''an had initially wanted to turn down the gift or simply choose one item from the box, yet he had ultimately been left with no option but to ept it on Pei Qian''s behalf following Yao Jinzhi''s stubborn insistence. He ced the wooden treasure box inside his bamboo bookcase, and Pei Qian had absolutely noints about this. Instead, she viewed this aspletely natural and justified. The wooden treasure box was fairly big and heavy, after all, so was she meant to throw it into her luggage sack and carry it to Heavenly Pce Peak or whatnot? Wouldn''t that tire her to death?


    As Pei Qian encouraged Chen Ping''an to wait until it snowed at Mirage City, she delightfully thought about the prospect of another farewell. Perhaps her wish woulde true and she would truly receive gold and silver this time!


    Chen Ping''an smiled and suggested, "Then you can stay in Mirage City by yourself?"


    Pei Qian adjusted her luggage sack and gripped her hiking pole tightly. Being the unyielding fence sitter that she was, she announced in a righteous voice, "I suddenly feel like making haste and continuing our journey is the most important thing!"


    Chen Ping''an turned to his four subordinates and said, "I didn''t ask the Yao n for warhorses, so we can only travel to the immortal ferry station on Heavenly Pce Peak by foot."


    Zhu Lian immediately smiled andmented, "Walking can improve one''s bones and tendons."


    Drifting through the river near Peach Leaf Jetty was a ck-awning boat located extremely far away from the convoy of the Yao n.[1] Temple Master Du Hanling slowly retracted his jade-like hand and said to a young female cultivator beside him, "Deliver a message to the duke and tell him not to provoke Chen Ping''an. This person is a direct disciple of Peace and Tranquility Mountain''s ancestral hall, so to say nothing of the Great Quan Empire being made to suffer, even our Golden Summit Daoist Temple will riskplete destruction if we dare to kill Chen Ping''an."


    The female cultivator immediately stood up and left.


    Another female cultivator remained, and she continued to brew tea for the temple master. She possessed a decent cultivation base, after all, so this allowed her to have beautifully pale skin.


    Temple Master Du Hanling, a Nascent Tier earth immortal, sat there quietly with an apathetic look in his eyes. "We failed at the final step."


    Due to the extremely rare nature of jade tablets from the ancestral hall of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, only those from rtivelyrge and powerful immortal ns and sects would recognize the jade tablet hanging by Chen Ping''an''s waist.


    Of course, most ordinary earth immortals at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier would definitely have some knowledge about these jade tablets from Peace and Tranquility Mountain''s ancestral hall as well.


    After all, Daoist Nun Huang Ting had brought a world of pain to quite some forces many years ago. She had only settled down during the past sixty years, and nobody knew whether she was cultivating in seclusion or whether her old ancestor had instructed her to remain in Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    Trying to provoke Peace and Tranquility Mountain at this moment would be even more suicidal than trying to provoke Parasol Leaf Sect or Jade Tablet Sect.


    Du Hanling naturally didn''t dare to provoke any of them.


    Moreover, he had only made a small transaction with Duke Gao Shizhen and the true mastermind behind the duke, one which was only an added bonus. Killing Chen Ping''an would naturally be ideal, but it wouldn''t matter too much even if they failed to kill him. This wouldn''t affect the grand ns of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple.


    However, it was entirely possible that Duke Gao Shizhen was jumping up and down and cursing right now.


    In any case, did this matter to Temple Master Du Hanling and the Golden Summit Daoist Temple?


    Mortal matters were trifling, so how much more important could the matters of emperors and officials be?


    Du Hanling sat there and pondered for a moment. The situation was chaotic, and some pawns of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple had already assumed their positions and taken root. That being the case, he should also attempt to take another step forward and upward. Otherwise, his current cultivation base was still far from enough.


    As for whether Gao Shizhen would truly lose his mind and frenziedly hunt that young boy, this had absolutely nothing to do with the Golden Summit Daoist Temple which had already removed itself from the situation.


    "Temple Master, should I secretly warn Chen Ping''an?" the young female cultivator asked.


    However, she quickly answered her own question, saying, "That would be gilding the lily. Doing too much is just as bad as not doing enough."


    Du Hanling smiled and shook his head, correcting her, "It''s not that we shouldn''t do this, but rather that the time isn''t right yet. Moreover, you won''t be the one to y the role of a good person��this will have to be done by Shao Yuanran."


    The female cultivator smiled and said in ttery, "Temple Master''s wisdom is truly unmatched."


    Du Hanling dismissed this with a smile.


    1. A ck-awning boat (���) is a kind of wooden boat with a round awning, made from bamboo and painted with ck oil. Such boats are unique to the Jiangnan region. ?

 Chapter 354: (1): Imminent Carnage

    Chapter 354: (1): Imminent Carnage


    It was a very stormy day; Duke Gao Shizhen was standing at the foot of a mountain, and he turned down the umbre offered to him by his servant, choosing to stand under the rain.


    In the wake of the recent events, concepts like patriotic loyalty and working for the greater good were no longer worth even a single copper coin in his eyes. Gao Shuyi was his only son, and he was now dead. He had painstakingly nurtured this only son of his for close to the past three decades, and even as his father, Gao Shizhen wasn''t able to pick out the slightest w in Gao Shuyi.


    Prior to receiving that secret letter from the third prince, he had always firmly believed that Gao Shuyi was going to be a pir of the imperial court, and that regardless of who became the emperor in the future, the Gao n would enjoy a resurgence under the leadership of his capable son, and that the n''s title of duke would be elevated to that of county king.


    In his mind, the Gao n would earn the favor of the new emperor, and that their empire would conquer Northern Jin Nation and Southern Qi Nation to be thergest empire on Parasol Leaf Continent.


    The emperor and the third prince had both promised topensate him for his loss, while all of the guest elders of the n had advised him to bear the loss in silence.


    Over this period of time, Gao Shizhen had appeared very calm and unperturbed,pletely unlike what one would expect to see in a man who had just lost his own son. First, he left the imperial pce, then the prince''s manor before finally leaving the capital city altogether in secret to serve as a secret messenger for the emperor.


    He traveled to the Riding Crane City ry station to meet Yao Zhen, and the meeting went by without a hitch. Gao Shizhen was still the same shrewd and selfless duke who always had an eye on the big picture, and he had never disappointed the elderly emperor.


    If it weren''t for that opportunity that the heavens had bestowed upon him, Gao Shizhen wouldn''t have been able to do anything. After all, Mirage City belonged to the emperor, while the Great Quan Empire belonged to the Liu n.


    However, things were different now.Someone hade to him, and he had gone to the eldest prince, Liu Cong, who had gathered five thousand soldiers. As for how many immortal powers Liu Cong had managed to win over behind the scenes, Gao Shizhen wasn''t interested.


    Even the weakest of opponents on paper was not to be taken lightly, and underestimating the enemy was a major taboo on the battlefield.


    This was a basic principle that even a pampered nobleman like Gao Shizhen understood very well, so he was confident that Liu Cong was well aware of it too.


    The duke was thus waiting for Liu Cong to deliver that head to him upon his return, and he would be able to take that head to the grave of his son.


    Standing in front of the run-down temple, Chen Ping''an cast his gaze toward the two people hiding at the very back of Liu Cong''s entourage.


    Upon detecting Chen Ping''an''s gaze, the two of them exchanged a nce with each other before taking a few steps forward, revealing themselves to be none other than Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong, familiar faces who had fought against Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian back in the inn on the border.


    Xu Qingzhou removed his coir rain cape before tossing it aside, revealing a suit of armor. Strapped to his waist was a generic de assigned to all of the soldiers serving on the Great Quan Empire''s border, but that was only there for show, and in addition to that, he was also carrying Modesty.


    Xu Qingzhou remained silent, while Xu Tong smiled and said, "What a coincidence it is that we''ve run into each other again, Young Master Chen. Ourst encounter took ce on the southern border, and now, we''ve been reunited on the northern border."


    With the two of them, Liu Cong''s entourage consisted of ten people, the other eight being all seasoned cultivators who had been with the army for many years on the northern border.


    The only nations that the Great Quan Empire fought battles against were Northern Jin and Southern Qi. The southern border was defended by the Yao n''s forces, while the 120,000 troops under the eldest prince''smand were stationed at the northern border.


    Battles against Southern Qi were a very frequent urrence, and while that wasn''t necessarily an indication of overallbat prowess, the eldest prince''s forces definitely all had more experience on the battlefield than those of the Yao n.


    Xu Qingzhou''s objective for hunting down Chen Ping''an and the others was very clear: he wanted that suit of Dew Armor, and ideally, he wanted to im that saber as well.


    Liu Cong only agreed to give him the suit of Dew Armor, while the saber would have to be purchased, and whether the deal would be made depended on how much Xu Qingzhou and his n were willing to offer.


    Xu Tong was the master of the Flora Convent, thergest cultivating sect in the Great Quan Empire, and he excelled in lightning-based immortal techniques, as well as pill refinement. Thetter of those two skills made him very popr with countless powerful figures as the pills that he refined had profound health benefits.


    Whenever spiritual energy was injected into the Dao robe that he was wearing beneath his coir rain cape, a cloud of mist would be released, containing a vibrant image that depicted a piece of stunning scenery. The Dao robe''s name was Five-Colored Peak, and it was a treasure passed down for generations in the Flora Convent, one that was extremely close to bing an immortal treasure.


    Of course, Xu Tong desperately desired the golden Dao Robe that Chen Ping''an was wearing.


    Chen Ping''an cast his gaze toward Liu Cong as he asked, "Are you here for that chair?"


    "Why else do you think I''m here?" Liu Cong spat through gritted teeth. "Are the lives of five thousand of my soldiers worthless in your eyes?! I wouldn''t be able to live with myself if I didn''te here today to see you with my own eyes!"


    "You wouldn''t be able to live with yourself?" Chen Ping''an scoffed. "Did you not bring all of this upon yourself? Those five thousand soldiers perished on that mountain and... Forget it, you don''t need me to educate you on this matter. You''re most likely going to tell yourself that someone who''s destined for great things can''t get hung up on minor details, and that once you be emperor, those five thousand soldiers will have perished for your cause, so they would''ve died worthy deaths."


    Chen Ping''an gently twirled the branch in his hand as he continued, "I just have one final question for you: why are you so convinced that this badge that I''m carrying is fake?"


    Perhaps Liu Cong was making conversation with Chen Ping''an in order to buy himself time to muster up some courage, or perhaps he was doing so in order to get over the hurdle in his heart.


    As for Chen Ping''an, he was willing to entertain Liu Cong precisely because he wanted to raise this final question, one that was of the utmost importance in his eyes.


    Gao Shizhen was most definitely the one who wanted to im his life, and he already had a rough idea of who wanted that item from Green Roving Residence, but who wasing after his Sword Nurturing Gourd?


    Chen Ping''an had strapped the jade pendant to his waist as soon as he left the Riding Crane City ry station.


    Upon his arrival at Peach Leaf Jetty, it was time for him to part ways with the Yao n''s forces, and on that day, he had revealed to the world what was written on the jade pendant, the characters "The True Self is Cultivated on Peace and Tranquility Mountain."


    Essentially, he was revealing to the entirety of Mirage City his direct connection to the ancestral hall of Peace and Tranquility Mountain in the hope that this would alleviate some of the pressure that Yao Zhen was facing in the capital. If his enemies in Mirage City didn''t even recognize the jade pendant, then there was no need for the Yao n to be concerned.


    As for those who could understand what the jade pendant entailed, they were all unfathomable figures who would know not to bite off more than they could chew. Temple Master Du Hanling of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple was precisely one of those people, and as soon as he caught sight of the jade pendant, he immediately departed, even though doing so had raised the ire of many powerful figures in Mirage City.


    A peculiar look appeared in Liu Cong''s eyes, and he only gave Chen Ping''an half an answer.


    "That jade pendant of yours is most definitely genuine, but at the same time, it''s also fake. It would''ve actually been better for you if you hadn''t chosen to wear it, but now that you have, you''ve sealed your own fate!"


    More and more conviction was creeping into Liu Cong''s voice as he spoke, and Chen Ping''an was once again reminded of just how frustrating it was to speak to these people with imperial bloodlines.


    First on that list was, of course, his neighbor Song Jixin.


    The arguments of both sides each had their own merits, and it was impossible to objectively decide which one was right or wrong, but the fact of the matter was that Liu Cong had alreadye too far to turn back. His five thousand soldiers and the Qi refiners and martial arts masters concealed among them were already raring to go, and also powerful forces were pushing him forward behind the scenes.


    Clearly, this conflict wasn''t going to be one that could be resolved peacefully, and with that in mind, Chen Ping''an didn''t want to waste any more time with words. If the conflict could be resolved with words, then he would be more than willing to speak, but it was painfully clear to him that no one would listen.


    Chen Ping''an raised the branch in his hand and poked the air twice in Liu Cong''s direction.


    Zhu Lian immediately sprang forward in response. Even if this was a trap, he wanted to see exactly what the trap was!


    Sui Youbian and Lu Baixiang sprang into action as well, while Wei Xian bounded along after them, quickly catching up to Zhu Lian.


    He wasn''t going to be entering the fray for now. Instead, his job was to protect the run-down temple.


    As for Chen Ping''an, he remained calm and patient, waiting for his opponents to reveal their trump cards.


    ��������


    On the summit of a mountain taller than the one where the run-down temple was stood two lofty figures.


    It was unclear whether they were lofty in the social sense, but at the very least, they were standing at a very lofty point in a geographic sense.


    There was an old man in a Confucian robe in the Great Quan Empire. The jade pendant bestowed upon him by the academy was absent from his waist, but even so, no one dared to contest him as he stood on the roof of the imperial pce in Mirage City.


    Standing next to the old man was an extremely muscr man who was giving off an almost inhuman aura of brutality, and with such high stakes at y, the old man asked a question that could be construed as very rude.


    "Your master won''t go back on his word, will he?"


    The brawny man''s response was even ruder and more direct.


    "Who am I to say what my master is going to do? If you have the guts to ask, why not ask him yourself?"


    "Everything I''m doing here is for the sake of the greater good, so my actions are justifiable. Even if Peace and Tranquility Mountain turns on the academy and I''m stripped of my title as punishment... it won''t matter," the old man murmured to himself.


    "You schrs really are a pretentious bunch," the brawny man sneered.


    A wry smile appeared on the old man''s face as he sighed, "The ability to learn from one''s mistakes is a great virtue. I''ve read countless books from all of the hundred schools of thought, but that''s a lesson that I''ve failed to learn."


    The brawny man didn''t mock the old man any further for fear that if he were to go too far, the old man would suddenly change his mind, thereby ruining the n that his master had cooked up.


    With that in mind, he consoled, "That treasure is extremely precious, so it''s no wonder that you''ve plotted so extensively to obtain it. Truth be told, it''s very alluring, even to me. How about we make a deal? Once you obtain the treasure, I''ll give you the immortal treasure given to me by my master in exchange for the first half. After that, I''ll serve you for sixty years in exchange for the rest. What do you say?"


    The old man considered this offer momentarily, then replied with a nod, "Deal!"


    "Prior toing here, my master forbade me from getting involved in this conflict unless it''s to save your life," the brawny man cautioned. "He also advised you to try and refrain from turning to violence, and that even if you do, you should do so in moderation. Otherwise, you could easily attract the attention of that sage from the Confucian temple.


    ��Even though that sage is currently busy searching for that old ape from Peace and Tranquility Mountain, if he suddenly decides toe here, then Liu Cong and those other small fry might be be spared from punishment, but the two of us are definitely not going to be so fortunate."


    At the mention of the sage from the Confucian temple, the old man''s glum mood was soured even further. All of the seventy-two sages in the authentic temple of decorum on Middle Earth Divine Continent were extremely powerful figures that were not to be messed with. In contrast with the likes of the seventy-two academy mountain masters, these were true Confucian sages, not just academy sages revered by mortal empires.


    With that in mind, the old man gave a grim nod as he replied, "I understand."


    The storm on the mountain summit was bing heavier, but the rain was spraying in all directions before it had a chance to fall onto the two men, as if there were an invisible oil-paper umbre above their heads.


    The brawny man yawnedzily to himself, and he couldn''t help but wonder why someone of his master''s status and powers would be so intent on hunting down that young boy.


    Unfortunately for his master, he had taken virtually the entire Parasol Leaf Continent into ount in his n, but he had failed to anticipate that a young boy from nchette Writing Sect would inadvertently stumble upon that twelfth tier master. As a result of this unforeseen mishap, the entire n that his master had painstakingly hatched was at risk of falling apart at the seams.


    Could it be that the fortune of Parasol Leaf Continent was really so dense that it couldn''tpare with Southern Whirl Continent that was closest to Stctite Mountain?


    It was important to remember that the almighty Old Man Chen was present on Southern Whirl Continent. ording to his master, Old Man Chen was an extremely renowned figure, even back in his hometown, and was regarded as one of his most formidable potential foes. Even his master had admitted that he would definitely be no match for Chen Chun''an as long as they were in Majestic World.


    ��������


    A young Daoist priest wearing a hibiscus hat had arrived at a small town on the southern border of the Great Quan Empire. Instead of making his way into the town, he walked slowly along its short earthen walls, gently brushing a hand over the coarse surface of the wall with a faint smile on his face.


    After that, he made his way to an inn near the small town along the official road. Business was quite slow in the inn, and ame young boy was taking a nap with his head resting on the table, while a hunch-backed old man was smoking his pipe while seated by the curtain. A woman was sitting behind the counter, working out the ounts, and she was getting so frustrated that she had to fight back the urge to smash the abacus.


    The young Daoist priest stepped into the inn, then quietly called out for Jiu Niang with a gentle and soft look in his eyes.


    Theme young boy raised his head in a bleary-eyed fashion and a vexed look on his face. The impoverished schr had only just left, yet now, it was this young Daoist priest''s turn to hit on their shopkeeper. Were there no other good-looking women in this world?! Why were they alling to harass their shopkeeper?


    The woman raised her with a perplexed expression and asked, "Have we met before?"


    The young Daoist priest was quite unremarkable in appearance, and the only thing worthy of note about him was his rare Daoist hat. His looks were quite average, as was his height, and his Daoist robes also appeared rather old.


    However, what caught the woman''s attention was the look in his eyes, which she found to be very strange. There was none of thescivious lust and desire that she saw in the eyes of the young men from the town, nor the inexplicable look of infatuation that Zhong Kui had gazed upon her with.


    Instead, it seemed like he was merely greeting an acquaintance that he hadn''t seen for a long time. However, even though he was clearly looking at her, it also seemed like he was looking further into the distance.

 Chapter 355: (1): Peaceful and Tranquil No Longer

    Chapter 355: (1): Peaceful and Tranquil No Longer


    The rain was only growing heavier and heavier on the mountain summit, and it was pelting urgently against the armor worn by Liu Cong''s forces in an audible fashion.


    In order to allow Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong to focus single-mindedly on the task at hand without also having to worry about protecting him, Liu Cong had already retreated to a point halfway up the mountain, where he was apanied by dozens of his most reliable guards, all of whom were d in suits of armor much heavier and sturdier than the ones worn by his other troops.


    Additionally, there were also three exceptionally powerful cultivators by his side, consisting of a Sea Observation Tier swordsman with a sharp and formidable bonded flying sword, a Daoist priest who was adept at creating formations, and a Militarian cultivator d in a suit of Dew Armor.


    Liu Cong was determined to im Chen Ping''an''s head, but it certainly never hurt to be safe, and he definitely didn''t want to lose his life here in a moment ofcency.


    At this moment, it was unclear where Wang Qi was hiding, and the fact that he was willing to be personally involved with this conspiracy made him an untrustworthy figure in Liu Cong''s eyes. If it weren''t for the excessively alluring terms offered by Gao Shizhen and the involvement of the Xu n and the Flora Convent, Liu Cong wouldn''t have dared to take such a major risk.


    He was extremely curious about just how precious the treasures of Green Roving Residence were, to the point that even a noble schr would be willing to cast aside his morality to orchestrate this sinister plot.


    Of course, Wang Qi could exin his own actions after the event. He could tell the mountain master of Great Subduing Academy that he had hunted down an imposter who was posing as a direct disciple of the ancestral hall of Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    In fact, he could drag Chen Ping''an through the mud even further by iming that he suspected Chen Ping''an to be a powerful demon who had adopted a false appearance, and that would exin why he had to recruit the help of five thousand soldiers to surround the mountain. However, that was far from a wless alibi in Liu Cong''s eyes.


    In any case, that didn''t matter to him. At the moment, Wang Qi was still a bona fide noble schr of Great Subduing Academy, and the word of a noble schr was akin to a holy decree even to the emperor of a mortal empire, let alone a prince like Liu Cong. All of his actions were in perfectpliance with the rules established by the academy. As for how Wang Qi was going to exin his actions to the academy after killing Chen Ping''an, that was not something for Liu Cong to be concerned about.


    Having said that, Liu Cong had truly been astonished when Wang Qi had left Mirage City in secret to find him on the border before revealing to him some of the hidden pawns that had been set up by Li Li.


    Upon receiving this information, Liu Cong had been truly bbergasted. Li Li had always been referred to as the imperial guardian of the Great Quan Empire, and he had no idea whatsoever that Li Li had already established such aplexwork of pawns across the entire empire.


    At the same time, he couldn''t help but wonder why Wang Qi, a seasoned noble schr revered across the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent, had be involved with a eunuch.


    Regardless of how ster a reputation Li Li had in the imperial court, he was ultimately still just an old fart missing a pair of gonads, and topare someone like him to a respected noble schr was nothing more than an insult.


    Li Li''s death was a very fortunate turn of events for Liu Cong; Li Li was an ardent supporter of the third prince, who had painstakingly hatched a plot over the course of over a decade, even going as far as to personally venture deep into Northern Jin Nation.


    He was able to spoil the ns of Pine Needle Lake''s water god temple and the Jin Huang Mountain God''s Manor, but he lost Gao Shuyi on the Yao n''s territory, and even Li Li met his demise. All of a sudden, he lost everything, and in Liu Cong''s eyes, that was an indisputable sign that even the heavens were on his side!


    However, even though Liu Cong had been leading his troops on the border for so many years and had personally fought countless battles, he was still unable to suppress the anxiety that he felt at this very moment.


    ��������


    Just like during the battle in the inn, Wei Xian was stationed firmly in front of the run-down temple, defending its entrance and striking down any enemy soldiers that dared to approach him.


    d in his West Mountain armor, he feared no enemy attacks, merely allowing them to ricochet off him before retaliating with his fists to send the enemy flying. Whenever some of the dead bodies began to pile up near the entrance, he would kick them away to ensure that he had a clear view of the battlefield.


    The only attacks that he made a point to evade were the asional specially made arrowsing his way, all of which had been shot by master archers wielding bows with extremely high draw weights drawn back as far as they would go.


    Compared with the whirlwind of destruction that was Zhu Lian, Wei Xian could almost be described as gentle in his approach.


    Anyone who allowed Zhu Lian to get within an arm''s length would undoubtedly suffer catastrophic consequences, having their suits of armor shattered and either perishing on the spot or suffering horrific injuries.


    Meanwhile, Sui Youbian continued to unleash streaks of formidable swordlight that swept through the air in all directions, often cutting down trees alongside enemy soldiers. At this point in the battle, there wasn''t a single tree standing within a radius of several hundred meters around her.


    As for Lu Baixiang, he was darting around like an agile dragonfly, apanied by Halting Snow, and all that could be seen left in his wake were bright white saber projections lingering in the night.


    Within the short span of no more than fifteen minutes, six hundred of Liu Cong''s troops had already been cut down, and that number would''ve only been higher if it wasn''t for the fact that the confined environment of the forest was unfit forrge influxes of troops.


    Chen Ping''an had been standing at the entrance of the temple this entire time, and he suddenly looked down with a smile, right as a little lotus spirit sprang out of the ground.


    The lotus spirit waved its only remaining arm at him while making some unintelligible sounds, then pointed in a certain direction.


    Chen Ping''an cast his gaze in that direction to find that the little lotus spirit was pointing at a mountain summit in the distance, and it was telling him that there were two very powerful figures observing the battle from that mountain summit, and that it didn''t dare to approach them.


    "Did you see that young Daoist priest in the hibiscus hat?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The little lotus spirit shook its head vigorously in response.


    Chen Ping''an gave it a thumbs-up, then instructed, "Go hide in the temple."


    The little lotus spirit nodded in response, then jumped high over the doorstep of the temple after a running start. Upon entering the temple, it spotted Pei Qian, and an apprehensive look immediately appeared on its face. It hadn''t been very fond of her even back when they had first met. Over time, its apprehension toward her seemed to have decreased a little, and it would asionally appear by Chen Ping''an''s side.


    One time, it had only just poked its head out of the soil when Pei Qian took a swing at it with her hiking pole. Thankfully, it was able to evade the attack before popping up elsewhere, and Pei Qian continued to chase it around while brandishing her hiking pole. In the end, she was left utterly exhausted, and she didn''t manage tond even a single blow on the little lotus spirit.


    On top of that, Chen Ping''an punished her by dragging her along by the ear for half a kilometer while she yelled and cried the entire time.


    Pei Qian began to sneak over to her hiking pole, and a disgruntled look appeared on the little lotus spirit''s face. This time, it wasn''t fearful of her at all, and it strode over to her beforeying on the ground right beside her feet.


    Pei Qian picked up her hiking pole before taking a hesitant nce at Chen Ping''an, and in the end, she tossed the hiking pole aside again as she crouched down with a smile and said, "You arepletely and utterly useless! My father is definitely going to sell you for money so he can buy me a bunch of tanghulus!"


    The little lotus spirit turned onto its side, stoically ignoring Pei Qian with a displeased look on its face.


    Pei Qian poked it in the armpit as she continued, "If you be myckey, then I''ll convince my father not to sell you. What do you say?"


    The little lotus spirit scrambled to its feet, then rushed away before sitting down with its legs crossed, just like Chen Ping''an did whenever he was reading.


    Pei Qian rolled her eyes as she continued, "Do you know how rich I am right now? I have a little treasure trove that''s filled with all types of treasures, so you better learn to be more respectful to me, do you understand? As long as you''re good and obedient, I''ll take you under my wing as ackey, and if I''m in a good mood someday, I may just pull out a pretty copper coin from my treasure trove and give it to you as a reward!"


    The little lotus spirit remainedpletely unmoved.


    "How could you be so ignorant, you little fool!" Pei Qian grumbled. "Once I be an unmatched swordswoman, I''ll tap your head until you''re bruisrd all over! Do you really think I don''t know where you are when you''re hiding underground?"


    The little lotus spirit was a little fearful upon hearing this, and it turned to Chen Ping''an with a pitiable expression.


    Pei Qian hurriedly put on aforting smile as she said, "I''m just kidding around! You need to learn to take a joke."


    Standing at the entrance of the temple, Chen Ping''an was feeling a bit more assured.


    Seeing as there were two people observing the unfolding battle from that nearby mountain, at the very least, he knew that he wouldn''t suddenly be struck down and killed out of the blue.


    He had a strong suspicion that one of those two people was the academy noble schr stationed in Mirage City.


    He had already met a true noble person in the form of Zhong Kui, and he could only presume that he was dealing with a phony on this asion.


    The wealth of one''s knowledge really didn''t necessarily corrte with the strength of one''s moralpass. In addition to that, many academy disciples were also cultivators, and the higher one ascended in the world of cultivation, the more perils and temptations they would encounter, so it was not a simple task to remain steadfast to one''s initial beliefs.


    Back at Green Roving Residence, Chen Ping''an had felt it very strange that the Great Quan Empire wasn''t doing anything to restrain that great demon in the river, even though it was harassing the water goddess.


    Perhaps that noble schr had already long renounced the sagely teachings that he had once held dear. Perhaps he was now pursuing immortality or some other self-serving objective, rather than dedicating himself to educating the masses.


    Greed had corrupted many good men in the past, and it really wasn''t that strange to see a noble schr quite advanced in age sumb to his desire for immortality.


    At his peak, Cui Chan had been the first disciple of a twelfth tier immortal, yet he had also ultimately strayed down the path of sphemy.


    However, the one that Chen Ping''an was currently most apprehensive of was that young Daoist priest from Peace and Tranquility Mountain who had put him in this perilous situation.


    He was the one who had visited that ry station in Riding Crane City to personally bestow that jade tablet upon Chen Ping''an, and he only realized that something wasn''t quite right after hearing what Liu Cong had to say earlier.


    Chen Ping''an had always been very cautious and meticulous by nature, but he had fallen headfirst into this trap, and the reason for this was the ster impression that Peace and Tranquility Mountain had made on him.


    Chen Ping''an had a very good impression of Daoist Nun Huang Ting, and he harbored even more admiration for the grand elder of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, who had in Bai Yuan at the expense of the two immortal swords in the mountain formation and willingly sacrificed his own cultivation base to save the remnants of Zhong Kui''s soul.


    The first time Chen Ping''an heard of Peace and Tranquility Mountain was back when he and Lu Tai foiled the century-long n of that evil Golden Core Tier cultivator in the Flying Eagle Fortress. That Golden Core Tier cultivator had almost killed Chen Ping''an, and he had also attempted to nurture that ghost infant in the heart of the fortress lord''s wife.


    Prior to that, the young Daoist priest from Peace and Tranquility Mountain who had been pursuing the Golden Core Tier cultivator had most likely been Huang Ting.


    ording to Lu Tai, there had once been a Nascent Tier cultivator of Peace and Tranquility Mountain who knew that immortality was beyond his reach. His body and soul were both on the verge of giving out, and he knew that his life wasing to an end, so he set off on a journey, hoping to do as much good as possible before he met his demise.


    For some reason, a conflict arose between him and a Golden Core Tier earth immortal from nchette Writing Sect. A brutal battle ensued between the two, and the Golden Core Tier earth immortal was astonished to discover that his opponent, clinging onto life by a thread, was a Nascent Tier cultivator.


    The Golden Core Tier earth immortal was pursued all the way to the mountain where the Flying Eagle Fortress was situated, and as a desperatest resort, he used nchette Writing Sect''s deity invitation technique, but instead of summoning a deity, he unleashed a forbidden technique at the expense of his own blood essence to summon the avatar of an ancient demonic deity.


    In the end, both of thebatants perished in the battle.


    In the wake of the battle, so much yin energy gathered in the area that it was equivalent to an ancient battlefield where hundreds of thousands had perished, and that provided the conditions required for the evil Golden Core Tier cultivator to hatch his sinister plot.


    All of the Daoist priests of Peace and Tranquility Mountain that Chen Ping''an had seen or heard of were extremely admirable figures in his eyes. Actually, Lu Baixiang''s Halting Snow had been left behind by that Nascent Tier earth immortal.


    Hence, the jade tablet that was bestowed upon him hadn''t roused any suspicions in him at all. Instead, he had merely thought that perhaps the grand elder had made a spur of the moment decision to gift him the jade tablet following his departure from the ry station, or perhaps Zhong Kui had put in a good word for him, but looking back now, it was clear that he had been too naive andcent.


    Chen Ping''an removed the jade tablet from his waist. The tablet was crafted from an exceptional material, making it impossible to refine or destroy in a short time.


    With that in mind, he tossed it at Pei Qian and instructed, "Put this jade tablet in the oil paper umbre, then close the umbre and make sure you don''t open it again."


    Even though Pei Qian had been eying the pretty jade tablet for a long time, she did as she was told without any hesitation, not even pausing to examine it for a moment.


    Under these circumstances, she didn''t dare to do anything that could draw Chen Ping''an''s ire.


    The only time Chen Ping''an had gotten angry at her, she had been forced to work at that crappy inn in Fox Town, and if Zhong Kui hadn''t convinced Chen Ping''an to forgive her, she would''ve most likely still been there.

 Chapter 356: (1): Teetering on the Edge

    Chapter 356: (1): Teetering on the Edge


    The re-emergence of Sui Youbian from the temple right after her demise had everyone on the battlefieldpletely stunned, and Wang Qi and the brawny man were also exchanging a bewildered nce with each other.


    What kind of immortal technique was this? Could it be that this woman was actually a talismanic puppet, or was she some type of secret Mohist creation? Since when was it even possible to create such an advanced talismanic puppet?


    After retreating to a safe distance away, Xu Qingzhou took a nce at Xu Tong. If it weren''t for Xu Tong''s warning, he would''ve grabbed onto Deep Infatuation and imed it for himself.


    Thankfully for him, Xu Tong had urged him to get back at thest second, and he immediately did as he was told, springing back in retreat without any hesitation. Only then was he able to evade Deep Infatuation as it flew back to Sui Youbian. Otherwise, he would''ve had an arm amputated at the very least.


    At this moment, there was a grim look on Xu Tong''s face, and he said, "That woman is definitely not just an ordinary pure martial artist."


    Xu Qingzhou turned to look at Sui Youbian''s remains, only to discover that they were nowhere to be found.


    Standing on a branch on a faraway tree, the new Sui Youbian was holding Deep Infatuation in her hand,pletely unscathed.


    From there, she was glowering at Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong with fierce battle intent in her eyes. She had a feeling that it would only take one more grueling battle of life and death for her to make a breakthrough!


    Xu Qingzhou''s brows immediately furrowed slightly. Following her "demise," both Sui Youbian''s aura and cultivation base had been drastically elevated. Clearly, she had grasped onto a catalyst for a breakthrough during the prior battle, and she was determined to use him and Xu Tong as whetstones to further hone her own powers. If she were to reach the seventh tier, then she would most likely be an insurmountable opponent.Xu Qingzhou was a seasoned martial artist who possessed mental fortitude and battle experience in equal measure, so his courage was not to be understated. In contrast, Xu Tong was a Qi refiner from the Flora Convent, thergest cultivation sect in the Great Quan Empire, and he came from a n of generations of cultivators, so his cultivation journey had been very smooth up to this point.


    If he were facing a normal pure martial artist at the pinnacle of the sixth tier, he would have nothing to fear. Unfortunately, this was Sui Youbian; not only was there a very good chance that she was going to make a breakthrough on this battlefield, she appeared to be unkible as well. A sense of fear thus began to set in in Xu Tong''s heart.


    The world was filled with innumerable strange and wonderful things, but each Qi refiner only had a single life.


    Xu Qingzhou could already sense Xu Tong''s reservations, but instead of openly denouncing him as a coward or bing panicked and concerned, he remained calm and collected as he said, "We''ll kill her one more time, and if shees alive again, then we''ll fall back in retreat for now."


    Xu Tong gritted his teeth, and the golden talisman between his fingers began to glow as he replied, "Fine, we''ll do as you say."


    Meanwhile, Sui Youbian was watching Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong with a derisive sneer. In her eyes, they were nothing more than stepping stones for her ascension to the top.


    On the other side, Lu Baixiang also needed to replenish his breath of True Qi, but with Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong''s attention diverted away by Sui Youbian, the rest of the enemy master martial artists and Qi refiners posed far less of a threat, so their collective attacks only amounted to a gash over Lu Baixiang''s ribs and an arrow through his shoulder.


    He sped a hand over the gash as he shook the blood from his saber. All the while, he didn''t even bother to take a single nce at the arrow that had pierced through his shoulder, nor did he attempt to remove it.


    Prior to emerging from the picture scroll, all four of them had been informed of something, except none of them were aware of what the others had been told, and Chen Ping''an had also been kept in the dark.


    Wei Xian was the first one to have emerged from the picture scroll, but he had revealed what had been told to him quitete.


    Lu Baixiang was confident that Wei Xian wouldn''t lie about something like that, and he was also convinced that Chen Ping''an wouldn''t have told Wei Xian to say such a thing just to convince the four of them to fight to the death.


    However, Lu Baixiang didn''t want to die for now.


    Zhu Lian still wasn''t dead either. In fact, right now, he had the most abundant vitality out of the four of them, as expected of the Martial Arts Maniac whose powers only grew with each injury that he sustained.


    Lu Baixiang had never heard of gold essence copper coins. Instead, he had only ever heard of three immortal currencies, namely snowke coins, lesser heat coins, and grain rain coins. Even so, he felt like his life was surely worth a gold essence copper coin, right?


    In any case, his kill count was about to reach one thousand soon. Seeing as he was on the verge ofpleting the agreement, there was no need for him to act with any urgency, especially considering the true battle was really only just getting started.


    When it came to making breakthroughs, Lu Baixiang was the one with the least desire out of the four.


    Sui Youbian was undoubtedly the one with the greatest desire because she had the wildest ambitions of the four. She wanted to fulfill the wish that she wasn''t able to back in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, namely to ascend with her sword.


    The second breath of fresh True Qi was churning through Lu Baixiang''s body like a turbulent river, and even though he was not exactly in top shape, this breath of True Qi was still going to be enough to support him for fifteen more minutes of battle.


    At the foot of the mountain, there were more soldiers of the Great Quan Empire scaling the mountain to y the purported demons on the mountain summit.


    Gao Shizhen''splexion had turned deathly pale from being pelted by the rain, and in the end, he finally caved to the insistent nagging of the old steward beside him, allowing thetter to raise an umbre over his head.


    Just now, Gao Shizhen had been put through a drastic range of emotions. First, he had received a report from the mountain summit, iming that the sword-wielding woman had been in by Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong. It was reported that she had been decapitated by Xu Qingzhou, following which her soul was destroyed by Xu Tong, so she was most definitely dead.


    However, mere moments after that, he received another report stating that the woman hade alive again, and that she was engaged in battle against Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong. This time, she was focused solely on those two, paying no further heed to the soldiers of the Great Quan Empire.


    Gao Shizhen turned to look at the troops standing in silence under the pelting rain not far away, and he could see that some of the younger ones among them were around the same age as Gao Shuyi had been at his time of death, while some of the oldest ones appeared to be around the same age as himself.


    Around half an hourter, he received another piece of bad news.


    The sword-wielding woman had managed to run her sword through Xu Tong''s heart at the cost of taking a blow to the back from Xu Qingzhou and a punch to the head from a golden talismanic puppet. That shouldn''t have been enough to kill Xu Tong, but even though he had pulled out all of his trump cards, devouring a multitude of pills and unleashing an array of life-preservation immortal techniques, he still met his demise.


    His heart had be as withered as ashes. Following the demise of the sword-wielding woman, her body vanished once again, and for the second time, she re-emerged from the temple, this time as a seventh tier martial artist. Xu Qingzhou had already retreated from the mountain, much to the fury of Liu Cong, who dered that he was going to severely punish the Xu n of Mirage City.


    Gao Shizhen remained standing in silence, while the rain continued to fall like the insistent chattering of the gods.


    The old steward''s family had been serving in the duke''s manor for generations, and he consoled in a gentle voice, "Don''t be dishearted, Duke Gao. As long as Mr. Wang hasn''t gotten personally involved, there''s still life in the battle yet."


    Gao Shizhen offered no response.


    On the mountain summit, Lu Baixiang had already sustained a multitude of injuries, but none of them had much of impact on hisbat prowess aside from the gash on his waist and the specially made arrow that had pierced through his shoulder, so he was still able to keep the enemy at bay.


    As for those who managed to slip through the cracks, they were taken care of with ease by Wei Xian.


    It was no wonder that Xu Qingzhou was so eager to get his hands on that suit of West Mountain Dew Armor. It was important to remember that Xu Qingzhou''s Golden Crow Armor was a second-grade armor pellet, which made it an armor pellet of a significantly higher caliber than Dew Armor.


    Wei Xian had climbed up the ranks from aplete nobody to be the first emperor of Southern Garden Nation, and he had spent most of his life on the battlefield. In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, it was said that he was capable of taking on an army of ten thousand men on his own, and he was truly unmatched on the battlefield.


    Essentially, as long as he remained at the height of his powers, everyone else in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was merely fighting for a distant second ce. Hence, Wei Xian was actually more suited to fighting on the battlefield than Lu Baixiang, and whenever he stepped onto a battlefield, he immediately had an innate advantage, much like that of a Confucian sage in an academy.


    This wasn''t a quality that any martial artist at the pinnacle of the sixth tier could attain. In fact, this wasn''t necessarily attainable even for an eighth or ninth tier martial arts master.


    Zhu Lian had been going all out this entire time, so his injuries were extremely severe.


    Wei Xian had offered to swap roles with Zhu Lian, but thetter had turned down his offer. Once a fire was lit under the Martial Arts Maniac, there truly was no stopping him.


    Wei Xian continued to insist on swapping roles with Zhu Lian, and his intention was to y the hero and charge straight into the depths of the enemy ranks to im Liu Cong''s head. This was what he excelled at the most. It was most likely going to cost him a life in order to y Liu Cong, but Sui Youbian had already died twice, and Wei Xian felt like a life was a just price to pay for the chance to be able to fight to his heart''s content on the battlefield.


    Additionally, he had been stationed at the entrance during the battle in the inn on the border, and he was ying the same role here, and that made him feel like a bit of a guard dog, which was naturally not a very ttering feeling.


    After knocking back an opposing spirit tool with his fist, Zhu Lian used the force of the sh to send himself sliding back, and at this point, the bones of his hands were already visible on his fists.


    Prior to charging forward again, Zhu Lian grimaced as he said to Wei Xian, "Let me give you some words of caution, make of them what you will. We can be revived after dying, and we''re spending Chen Ping''an''s money to do so, so it''s up to us whether we feel like that''s a fair trade or not. However, I advise you not to die too easily.


    ��I can''t tell you why, but my instincts tell me that it would be unwise to throw our lives away, even with this safety. It''s up to you whether you take my advice or not. If you want to brush off my concerns, then you''re free to go around these pesky flies to kill Liu Cong, and I won''t try to stop you."


    "Can you take my ce to defend the entrance of the temple while I go?" Wei Xian asked.


    Zhu Lian offered no response, stomping a foot down onto the ground tounch himself forward, throwing himself back into the fray.


    It was clear that he wasn''t willing to fulfill Wei Xian''s request.


    Wei Xian threw a fist at an oing enemy soldier, causing the soldier''s breastte topletely cave in. The soldier''s lifeless body was sent flying back into hisrades behind him with such tremendous force that all of them fell to the ground in an unconscious state, with blood flowing out of all of their orifices.


    Wei Xian then turned to Chen Ping''an as he said, "As the saying goes, cut off the head and the body will die. Should I go directly after Liu Cong?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in agreement, and Wei Xian took a deep breath, then sprang forward like lightning, only giving the battlefield that Zhu Lian was on a slight berth.


    "Ignore the sagely wisdom of your elders at your own peril. It''s not every day that I feel like offering friendly advice, yet here I am, being ignored. How unfortunate," Zhu Lian grinned.


    Chen Ping''an raised his head once again to cast his gaze toward the other mountain.


    Meanwhile, Pei Qian had pulled out her little treasure trove once again and was showing off her possessions to the little lotus spirit.


    Outside of Chen Ping''an, the little lotus spirit was the only other living being that she trusted in this world.


    However, the little lotus spirit wasn''t very interested in seeing what she had to show it, and it was frequently getting up onto the tips of its toes to look out the door at Chen Ping''an.


    A stern look appeared on Pei Qian''s face as she scolded, "Are you not confident in my father? All I can see is that you''re missing an arm, are you missing your eyes as well? Who do you think my father is? You think he''ll lose? Let me tell you this: even if I turn into an idiot who doesn''t like silver someday, my father will still never lose to anyone in a fight!"


    The little lotus spirit looked back at Pei Qian with a dazed expression, struggling to draw a corrtion between her dislike for silver and Chen Ping''an losing a fight. It had always struggled to understand what this short-tempered little girl was thinking about all the time.


    "Take a stick and write down scriptures," Chen Ping''an instructed from outside the temple.


    Pei Qian immediately shuddered upon hearing this, then gave the little lotus spirit a p on the head in secret, but she didn''t dare to use much force for fear of having her punishment doubled from five hundred to a thousand characters. She then picked up her hiking pole and began writing out a piece of sagely scripture on the ground.


    With each character that she wrote, the little lotus spirit would jump up and sink into the ground, then poked out its head beside the character and giggled up at her. Pei Qian couldn''t help but roll her eyes, wondering how something so stupid could exist in this world. At the same time, she was thinking to herself that she had to convince Chen Ping''an to sell this stupid thing. Even with an arm missing, surely it would fetch a good price.


    On the summit of the other mountain, the brawny man was raring to go.


    "Should I go down and have a look?"


    Wang Qi remained silent with an indecisive look on his face.


    The brawny man looked up at the sky, then said, "The storm is going to pass soon. Once that happens, even if you beg me to make a move, I''m not going to do anything. Don''t forget that I have no obligation to help you kill anyone, I''m only here to keep an eye on the situation for my master, and all I need to do is recover the Sword Nurturing Gourd from Chen Ping''an''s body once he''s dead."


    Of course, his primary objective was actually to help his master find that precious treasure in Chen Ping''an''s possession.


    As for how he was going to find the treasure, that was a secret that a disgraced noble schr like Wang Qi had no right to know.


    The brawny man cast his gaze toward Lu Baixiang in the distance, and after some careful contemtion, Wang Qi nodded as he said, "You can go, but don''t reveal your true form. Otherwise, I won''t be able to exin things to Great Subduing Academy. That mountain master of ours is not easy to fool."


    "How is that even a problem?" the brawny man sneered. "Just say that you managed to guide me onto the path of righteousness and convince me to renounce my old ways, and that I want to request a water god temple from the Great Quan Empire through you. Hence, I''m willing to help you as a gesture of goodwill. Is that not a perfect exnation?"

 Chapter 357: (1): Cessation of the Rain

    Chapter 357: (1): Cessation of the Rain


    After securing approval from Chen Ping''an, Wei Xian sprang forward in his West Mountain Dew Armor, attempting to charge straight into the enemy ranks to y Liu Cong, even preparing to lose his own life in the process.


    Meanwhile, Xu Qingzhou had immediately decided to retreat after Xu Tong was killed by Sui Youbian, even though he knew that doing so would bring down the wrath of Liu Cong upon his n. Upon his return to Mirage City, he was nning to discuss how to proceed from here with his grandfather, who was a great general in his own right.


    As one of the most prominent military ns of the Great Quan Empire, the Xu n had already established itself for several generations in Mirage City, so even though Xu Qingzhou was wary of Liu Cong, the Xu n was certainly not going to be a pushover.


    At this point, the emperor was still Liu Zhen, not Liu Cong. Even if Liu Cong really did insist on turning on the Xu n, the Xu n would just have to pledge its allegiance to the second prince instead.


    Over where Lu Baixiang was on the battlefield, the battle was still raging with ferocious intensity. As expected of Liu Cong''s most trusted soldiers, these five thousand troops were aware of just how unforgiving martialw was, and even though they were absolutely terrified as they watched theirrades being cut down one after another, they were still charging ahead with single-minded determination, despite knowing that they were rushing straight to their deaths.


    Even the martial arts masters and cultivators lurking in the shadows could hardly bear to watch any longer, and tears were streaming down the faces of even some of the most battle-hardenedmanders, mixing with the rain that was still pelting down from above. Even so, they still performed their duties with the utmost diligence, executing any deserters on the spot.


    There were some poems that could perhaps capture the ethereal grace and ir of immortals, but no poem had ever been able to truly encapste just how brutal and horrific a battlefield could be.


    After jumping off the other mountain, the water demon from Burial River made a beeline straight for the mountain where Chen Ping''an was, pping away all of the trees in his path.


    Chen Ping''an was already prepared to take on this new assant, and as an extra precautionary measure, his right hand was now holding three talismans stacked together rather than a single one.Back in Green Roving Residence, Zhong Kui had borrowed the Wind and Snow Awl to inscribe a total of six talismans for Chen Ping''an, and out of those six talismans, three of the pieces of talisman paper belonged to him. Using those pieces of talisman paper, he had inscribed three weapon talismans that were also known as "Cavalry Circling City Talismans."


    Prior to inscribing the talismans, Zhong Kui had taken in a breath of righteous energy, and his inscriptions consisted of over a hundred cavalry d in suits of silver armor, riding white horses. The long string of tiny cavalry rushed out onto the sheet of talisman paper and arranged themselves into a formation, where they remained, waiting for the talisman to be used.


    After that, Chen Ping''an had supplied Zhong Kui with three more pieces of talisman paper out of his own pocket, two pieces of golden paper and a piece of azure paper.


    Zhong Kui had reluctantlyplied with Chen Ping''an''s requests, inscribing a Five Lightning Righteous Technique Talisman from Heavenly Master Residence of Mount Longhu, a Barrier-Shattering Talisman that prevented the phenomenon of ghosts hitting the wall, and one final Sword Suppressing Talisman of tremendous power, one that Zhong Kui proimed was capable of stirring up all of the seas of the nine continents.


    At this point, the Burial River water demon was already no more than a hundred steps away from Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an slowly emerged from under the eaves of the temple and turned to his right.


    Fifty steps.


    With a flick of Chen Ping''an''s wrist, all three of the talismans in his hand were ignited by a breath of pure True Qi, and he thrust them toward his approaching assant.


    The brawny man continued to charge onward without pause as he erupted intoughter, and he sprang up into the air. "What''s a martial artist like you doing ying with talismans? Are you trying to defeat me by making meugh to death?"


    However, hisughter then quickly subsided.


    After the three golden talismans had been incinerated into nothingness, the brawny man discovered that three talismanic projections were now revolving around him. At this point, he was still high up in the air, and he hurriedly sank his True Qi into his dantian to elerate his own fall.


    As soon as he crashed down onto the ground, a projection of a silver-armored general on horseback sprang out of each of the three talismans before charging at him.


    "Die!" the brawny man roared as he spun around in a circle while throwing three punches in rapid session at the oing assants.


    However, more and more cavalry continued to rush out of the talismans in batches of three at a time, and it seemed that there was no end to them.


    Despite this, the brawny man waspletely unfazed as he continued tosh out with his fists, killing the oing cavalry over and over again.


    Whenever he tried to go anywhere, the three talismans would follow him while continuing to maintain the same distance from him.


    The three talismans almost served as a training aide that allowed the brawny man to fight to his heart''s content, and he was thoroughly enjoying himself.


    The three Cavalry Circling City Talismans were more than capable of temporarily trapping a river demon on the cusp of the Golden Core Tier, and they could perhaps even force the river demon to reveal its true form, but they were definitely not going to be able to kill the river demon on their own.


    Chen Ping''an was naturally well aware of this, and he was never under the illusion that the three talismans would be enough to kill the brawny man.


    Wang Qi was patiently waiting for any sign of weakness from Chen Ping''an that he could exploit, and Chen Ping''an was also doing the same, waiting for an opportunity that he could pounce on tond a killing blow on the brawny man.


    The rain was still pelting down with no signs of abating anytime soon, but the brawny man was already bing very frustrated.


    Was there truly no end to the troops rushing out of these talismans? He had already lost count of how many of them he had killed. Was it a hundred fifty? Two hundred?


    As the battle wore on, a sense of foreboding began to well up in his heart. Chen Ping''an had been constantly standing a safe distance away, and it was clear that he wasn''t waiting for him to break through the formation of talismans so that they could have a fair and square one on one battle.


    In particr, the branch in Chen Ping''an''s hand was very unsettling in his eyes. It didn''t appear to be remarkable in any way, but he was convinced that there was more to it than met the eye.


    It was clear that Wang Qi wasn''t going to get involved in this matter, and the brawny man had no obligation to answer to Great Subduing Academy.


    At this point, he had already sustained many tiny wounds, and the rain was about to die down soon, which meant that there was only a small window of time left during which he would be at the height of his powers.


    With that in mind, the brawny man''s eyes turned fully white, and his muscles also began to bulge and warp.


    His intentions were very clear, and Wang Qi immediately yelled out in a furious voice, "Stop!"


    However, the brawny man paid no heed to Wang Qi as he fully transformed into his true form. His body swelled to over three hundred meters, and his eyes were asrge asnterns.


    The ground was trembling beneath his feet, and as he had grown in stature, the three Cavalry Circling City Talismans had distanced themselves further and further away from him, but they were still releasing a steady stream of cavalry at him.


    Some of the Great Quan Empire''s soldiers were lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike, but they were sent flying by the eel demon''s enormous body, and dozens of them were injured or killed on the spot.


    The rain flowed down the river demon''s body, but instead of seeping into the mud, it quickly formed a pool around the great demon.


    Chen Ping''an was able to identify the great demon as the same eel demon that had battled against the Burial River Goddess, and that confirmed to him beyond a doubt that the other figure still hiding on the other mountain summit was none other than Wang Qi.


    Chen Ping''an held the Five Dragons Holding Jewels talisman between his fingers, injected it with True Qi, then tossed it at the river demon.


    Sure enough, five slender dragons over thirty meters in length flew out of the talisman. Each of them had a white jewel sped in its mouth, and lightning revolved around the jewels.


    The river demon was thinking that it would be able to dominate the rest of the battle now that it had revealed its true form, only to discover that five formidable flood dragons had appeared above its head. After a brief moment of stunned silence, it let loose a thunderous roar and began to struggle with all its might, trying to break free from the encirclement of Cavalry Circling City Talismans so that it could escape from the flood dragons overhead.


    The cavalry units continued to charge forward and thrust their spears into the eel demon''s body over and over again, even as they continued to be eradicated by the great demon.


    One of the flood dragons opened its mouth up wide, and a white lightning jewel shot out from within before smashing into the river demon''s head.


    The mountain summit shuddered as two more lightning jewels struck the river demon on the neck and tail, causing the river demon''s soul and Golden Core to tremble along with its body.


    The only silver lining for him was the tremendous force of the explosions had finally destroyed those three ursed Cavalry Circling City Talismans.


    A long streak of azure light flew over from the other mountain summit, then descended onto a tree branch near Chen Ping''an before proposing, "Let''s both take a step back and end things here, and I''ll convince Liu Cong to retreat with his troops right away. What do you say?"


    Wang Qi was making this proposal through tightly gritted teeth, and he wanted nothing more than to skin the bullheaded river demon alive!


    With each lightning jewel that was released, the corresponding flood dragon would fade away on its own, yet Chen Ping''an disyed no intention of stopping.


    The final two flood dragons also released their lightning jewels without any hesitation, and even after all five of the flood dragons had disappeared, the five jewels could still be seen embedded firmly into the river demon''s body, extending all the way from its head to its tail to form a line.


    Lightning was traveling along the five jewels, forming a thick bolt of lightning that was almost the same size as the river demon''s enormous body.


    At the same time, First and Fifteenth had also been summoned onto the battlefield at Chen Ping''an''s behest, and each of them pierced its way into one of the river demon''s eyes.


    Simultaneously, Sui Youbian had plunged Deep Infatuation into the river demon''s head with unerring uracy. The sword simply passed straight through before piercing into the ground below, disying its incredible sharpness.


    Meanwhile, Wang Qi and Chen Ping''an had sprung into action at almost the exact same moment, both with the intent to kill.


    Chen Ping''an shed his branch through the air like a sword, while all of the storm seemed to havepletely fallen under Wang Qi''s control, with all of the rain droplets veering off their original trajectories to converge toward Chen Ping''an.


    In the next instant, Wang Qi could no longer be seen on the tree branch, and Chen Ping''an was standing where the noble schr had been just a moment ago. A burst of ripples then erupted out of his Dao robe, scattering all of the rain droplets clinging to it.


    Wang Qi had fled the battle.


    The river demon was on the brink of death, and it was no longer able to control the pool of rainwater that had collected around it, so the water was seeping into the soil along with its profusely flowing blood.


    The branch in Chen Ping''an''s hand disintegrated into dust.


    He sprang onto the river demon''s head, then made a grabbing motion to summon Deep Infatuation into his grasp, following which he decapitated the river demon in a single swift sh.


    The rain slowly subsided, and the Great Quan Empire''s troops began to retreat back down the mountain.


    Ultimately, Wei Xian was unable to capture Liu Cong. Instead, Liu Cong was able to retreat to the foot of the mountain, while one of the swordsmen under hismand held off Wei Xian at the cost of his own life.


    Out of the four, Zhu Lian was the one with the most severe injuries, but he didn''t die even a single time. Lu Baixiang began to make his way toward the body of the river demon, and only now did he get a chance to sheathe Halting Snow and pull out the arrows that had pierced him. Instead of throwing the arrows away, he held onto them.


    ��������


    On the sea to the west of Parasol Leaf Continent, the great demon fleeing for its life had just been in on the spot by a single sword strike, and its gargantuan head fell off its shoulders before sinking into the sea, while its mountainous body remained floating on the surface of the sea, bobbing up and down with the waves.


    The three Parasol Leaf Continent cultivators who had pursued the great demon up to this point were unsure what to make of this situation.


    Sect Leader Song Mao of Peace and Tranquility Mountain cupped his fist in a grateful salute as he greeted, "Thank you for helping us y that great demon, Senior. I am Song Mao of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, may I ask your name?"


    However, the swordsman tly ignored Song Mao''s greeting.


    One of the people apanying Song Mao was a grand elder of Parasol Leaf Sect responsible for overseeing the rules and the genealogical records of the sect, and there was currently an uncertain look on his face.


    During the hunt for this great demon, Song Mao was the only one who had wholeheartedly dedicated himself to the cause, determined to hunt down the great demon even if it meant having to forfeit his own life in the process.


    However, even though he was the sect leader of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, his cultivation base wasn''t actually all that advanced, and due to the recent incident that had taken ce in the well prison on the mountain, he didn''t dare to bring one of the mountain guarding immortal swords with him, so there simply wasn''t much that he could do with his limited abilities.


    As for the grand elder of Parasol Leaf Sect, he didn''t want to take any excessive risks in hunting down the great demon, which had still been at the eleventh tier even after falling down a tier. Its body was enormous and extremely resilient, making it very difficult to take down.


    However, its fate was already sealed, and there was no way that it would''ve been able to escape from the trio, so his n was to take things slowly and wear down the great demon over time.


    Hence, from his perspective, this was a mission with minimal risk involved, yet great rewards to be reaped. Not only would he be doing a great deed by ying this great demon that had wreaked havoc in nchette Writing Sect, he would also be a benefactor to Sect Leader Ji Hai of nchette Writing Sect.


    Hence, even though he hadn''t truly gone all-out to hunt down this great demon, he had still been very much determined to take it down.


    The third person to round out the trio was the leader of the Jiang n from the Cloud Cave Blessed Land. In terms of physical appearance, he was even younger and more handsome than his only son, Jiang Beihai. At this moment, there was a wide smile on his face, and he was clearly in a very good mood.

 Chapter 358: (1): Crossing Bridges and Scaling Mountains

    Chapter 358: (1): Crossing Bridges and Scaling Mountains


    The campfire was providing some warmth in the rundown temple in the wake of the storm.


    The little lotus spirit was sitting on Chen Ping''an''s leg, and it subtly pointed at Pei Qian''s eye.


    Chen Ping''an immediately understood its intentions, and he instructed Pei Qian to leave the temple with him, while the little lotus spirit vanished into the earth to help Chen Ping''an patrol the area around the temple.


    Chen Ping''an hadn''t seen what had happened to Pei Qian in the temple earlier, but after the battle, he had noticed the blood on her sleeves and the mud all over her body. She had told him that her eyes had suddenly started hurting out of the blue, and she had rolled around in pain on the ground for a long time. After that, the little lotus figure had given Chen Ping''an a very animated recount of the events that had transpired.


    After leading Pei Qian some distance out of the temple, Chen Ping''an stopped in his tracks, then turned around and crouched down to look closely into Pei Qian''s eyes.


    "What happened? Why did your eyes suddenly start bleeding?"


    Pei Qian''splexion instantly turned as pale as a sheet as she thought back to the painful ordeal she had suffered, and tears began to well up in her eyes as she shook her head and sobbed. "I don''t know. They suddenly started to really hurt, like something was about to explode inside, just like the firecrackers that rich people set off during celebrations.


    ��By the way, can we set off some firecrackers to celebrate the New Year once we get back home? It looks so festive, I''ve always wanted to give it a try!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond to Pei Qian''s erratic train of thought, and he said, "Back when we left Dragon Spring Prefecture, someone forbade us from returning there in the next five years. However, we can definitely set off some firecrackers on New Year''s Eve. Let''s get back on track here. Did the old Daoist priest that threw us out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land do something to your eyes? Did he say anything to you?"Pei Qian considered the question for a moment, then replied, "Back in Old Man Wei''s house in the capital of Southern Garden Nation, there was a well, and I was feeling really bored, so I was staring down at the bottom of the well. When I looked up, I suddenly saw a really, really tall old man wearing a Daoist robe. He told me that he wanted to put something in my eyes, and I naturally refused, but he then told me that it was worth a lot of money, so I agreed..."


    All of a sudden, Pei Qian yelped as Chen Ping''an grabbed onto her ear and scolded her, "Are you stupid? You''re going to get killed someday if you keep being so greedy!"


    Pei Qian immediately began toin that her eyes were hurting, and only then did Chen Ping''an let go of her ear.


    At the same time, he recalled that Zhong Kui had remarked that Pei Qian had very pretty eyes. He must''ve already seen something back then, but refrained from pointing it out.


    Chen Ping''an then recalled something Zhong Kui said.


    <em>The sun rises from the East Sea, scattering molten gold over thousands of miles. The moon sets behind the West Mountain, when the apes start to call.</em>


    "Surely he didn''t actually put the sun and moon of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land into her eyes," Chen Ping''an mused to himself.


    At the very least, she was able to see the little lotus spirit even when it was underground, and she was also able to see through the concealment ability of the old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    Following the incident where that young Daoist priest had given him that ancestral hall jade tablet, Chen Ping''an had be rather apprehensive. However, when it came to that old Daoist priest from the Observing Dao Temple, if he truly wanted to plot against Chen Ping''an, it was clear to Chen Ping''an that he would be powerless to resist, so he could only go with the flow and deal with whatever circumstances were thrown at him as they arose.


    In Chen Ping''an''s eyes, he didn''t think that the ancestral hall jade tablet had been bestowed upon him as part of some underhanded scheme hatched by the old Daoist priest. This wasn''t because he admired or respected the old Daoist priest; rather, it was because he knew that for cultivators of his caliber, such as Branch Master Lu Chen, they no longer resorted to sly and underhanded schemes. Instead, all of their plots and machinations were clearlyid out, and they aimed toply with the Great Dao in everything that they did.


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet, then said, "I''ll buy you a new oil-paper umbreter."


    "Why waste money on that?" Pei Qian asked with a surprised expression.


    Chen Ping''an offered no response, merely instructing her to return to the rundown temple.


    After Pei Qian had returned to the temple, Chen Ping''an turned to discover an old man who he was immediately able to identify as Duke Gao Shizhen due to his striking resemnce to Gao Shuyi. Standing behind Gao Shizhen was an old man holding an umbre.


    He appeared to be a steward, and was most likely a Qi refiner. There was also a white-robed old man holding a wooden cane, and he was looking at Chen Ping''an with a fawning smile on his face.


    Gao Shizhen was staring intently at Chen Ping''an when he suddenly mused, "You''re even younger than I imagined. If only the third prince hadn''t tried to eliminate the Yao n in that n on the border. It was his desire for further des that led to that disaster. If you and my son, Gao Shuyi, had met in Mirage City instead, perhaps on a rainy night just like this one... If you had met as a pair of strangers and just so happened to share a drink together in a restaurant, would the two of you have be friends?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    Gao Shizhen''s face began to contort with rage.


    "I already said this to Liu Cong earlier: all of us understand the principles and know what we should do, but no matter how wise and sagely those principles are, the temptation of getting something that we want can be too difficult to resist. I hope that Gao Shuyi doesn''t encounter me again in his next life. Otherwise, I''ll be sure to kill him again," Chen Ping''an dered.


    Gao Shizhen''s expression darkened even further, and he asked, "Are you trying to goad me into attacking you so that you''ll have a reason to retaliate and erase my entire n from the Great Quan Empire?"


    Chen Ping''an raised a hand and waved it dismissively as he replied, "This is the problem with you and Gao Shuyi. Everything you do and say is so predictable."


    This casual gesture from Chen Ping''an harbored no ill will, but the old steward''s heart instantly leaped up into his throat upon hearing this, and he almost threw himself in front of Gao Shizhen, while the old man holding the wooden cane was on the verge of fleeing into the earth. This was an unfathomably powerful immortal who had just in the great water demon of Burial River and forced a noble schr into retreat with a single sh of his sword!


    How was a mere mountain lord like him supposed to stand any chance here? In the eyes of the white-robed mountain lord, just a single sneeze from Chen Ping''an would be enough to wipe him out of existence!


    Gao Shizhen turned out to be the most calm and collected of the three, and he said, "I''vee here to transport the bodies of the deceased soldiers down the mountain. You''re not going to stop me, are you?"


    "That''s the only reason I''m even willing to stand here and talk to you," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Gao Shizhen was bing more and more furious by the second.


    The Gao n had been in power ever since the founding of the Great Quan Empire, and never had it been humiliated like this!


    "Master," the steward called out in a quiet voice, urging him to rein in his temper.


    Gao Shizhen took a deep breath topose himself, then turned to the mountain lord as he snapped, "What do you have to say? Hurry up!"


    The mountain lord mustered up some courage before taking a step forward, then extended a deep bow as he smiled and said, "Esteemed Immortal Chen, I will be assisting Duke Gao with transporting the bodies away, and I''ll have to employ the services of some mountain spirits to do so.


    ��They''re not exactly the brightest creatures, so I''m worried that they may cause amotion that would disturb you. Hence, I came to give you some forewarning, and I hope that you can tolerate the disturbance in your infinite majesty and generosity."


    "It''s fine, just do what you need to do," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    "Also, may I ask what you n to do with the body of that great demon, Esteemed immortal Chen?" the mountain lord asked in a timid manner. "Would you like me to instruct the mountain spirits to perform some menial tasks for you, such as dismembering the body and draining its blood out into containers?"


    At this point, Chen Ping''an had only taken the demon core of the river demon, and he smiled as he said, "That would be great, thank you. I''ll reward you and the mountain spirits for your efforts once you''re done."


    The mountain lord was extremely touched, and he was almost moved to the point of tears.


    <em>How could there be such a powerful immortal under the heavens who''s also so approachable and generous? </em>


    Gao Shizhen gave a cold harrumph before turning to depart, while Chen Ping''an made his way back to the rundown temple.


    The Burial River great demon had only been one step away from manifesting a golden core, and its demon core was a translucent green color and around the size of a date pit. Perhaps it was because the great demon had been struck by one of the Five Lightning Righteous Technique Talismans from Mount Longhu, but there were traces of lightning shing within the demon core.


    Despite how precious a great demon''s body was, Chen Ping''an had definitely made a loss from this battle. In exchange for this false golden core, he had to sacrifice three dragon w seal script talismans, the Cavalry Circling City Talismans personally inscribed by Zhong Kui, and a golden Five Dragons Holding Jewels talisman. Even now, Chen Ping''an still couldn''t help butment his losses.


    As he made his way back to the rundown temple, he was praying that he wouldn''t encounter any further crises that would force him to expend even more resources.


    As for the two gold essence copper coins that had been used to resurrect Sui Youbian, Chen Ping''an didn''t even dare to think about them.


    As Chen Ping''an entered the temple, Wei Xian asked, "Should we go back to Mirage City and stage a counterattack? Right now, the Liu n must be terrified, so they wouldn''t dare to put up any resistance, and we could extort that noble schr for everything he��s worth in exchange for keeping his dirty deeds a secret."


    Chen Ping''an considered this proposal for a moment, then shook his head as he said, "We have to set off for the immortal ferry station on the Heavenly Pce Peak right away. Once there, I''ll send flying sword messages to both Great Subduing Academy and Peace and Tranquility Mountain to inform them of what happened tonight, and the rest will be up to them.


    ��Zhong Kui and the academy must be made aware of Wang Qi''s actions. Right now, even Peace and Tranquility Mountain is in a state of turmoil, as is the entirety of Parasol Leaf Continent, so it''s best for us to return to Old Dragon City as soon as possible."


    Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian were responsible for night watch duties.


    Zhu Lian was the one who had suffered the most severe injuries, and he went to wash up in a nearby creek, then changed into a set of clean clothes. After that, he sat down with his legs crossed by the campfire and fell asleep, much to Pei Qian''s admiration.


    Wei Xian had taken off his suit of Dew Armor, and even though he wasn''t on night watch duty, he still made his way out of the temple, then crouched down and stared absentmindedly at all of the chaotic footprints on the ground left behind in the wake of the battle.


    As for Chen Ping''an, he sat down with his back leaning against the wall, and it looked as if he had fallen asleep.


    Despite her best efforts, sleep continued to elude Pei Qian, and she knew that Chen Ping''an was in a foul mood, but she didn''t know exactly why. Was it because he had been forced to part with so many precious talismans during the battle against the great demon? With that in mind, she really wanted to pick up her hiking pole to beat up the little lotus spirit. Before long, a sense of drowsiness began to set in, and she fell asleep in her little tent.


    Early the next morning, Wei Xian was seated on the doorstep of the temple, and standing outside the temple was the white-robed mountain lord. Standing further away behind him were some mountain spirits carrying tworge bags, as well as an array of different containers.


    The mountain lord had arrived outside the temple even before the break of dawn, and he remainedpletely silent with his group ofckeys. On top of that, he had been smiling at the temple without even a moment of rest for the past two hours, and even Wei Xian couldn''t help but be a little impressed.


    After waking up from his slumber, Chen Ping''an stepped out of the temple, and upon spotting the mountain lord, he hurriedly approached him and offered him a lesser heat coin for his efforts.


    The mountain lord was absolutely terrified, thinking that this was some type of trap, and he desperately refused the lesser heat coin for fear of losing his life.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an could only tuck the lesser heat coin away again before cupping his fist in a grateful salute toward the mountain lord. The smile immediately returned to the mountain lord''s face, and he promptly departed. Only after traveling for a few kilometers did he dare to wipe the sweat from his own forehead.


    A mountain spirit with a human body, but the head of a rat, immediately said in a sycophantic fashion, "To think that even such a powerful immortal treats our esteemed mountain lord with so much respect. If word of this were to spread, no one in this entire mountain range would dare to oppose you ever again!"


    The mountain lord was clearly very pleased with the mountain spirit''s ttery, and he put on a justified expression as he replied, "That esteemed immortal must''ve appreciated the ster quality of my character."


    Chen Ping''an looked at all of the bags and containers piled up at the entrance of the temple, and he thought to himself that he could finally put to good use the minimization treasure gifted to him by Zheng Dafeng back in Old Dragon City.


    He had be very ustomed to using Fifteenth as a pocket treasure, but the size of its internal space was a littleckluster. The unengraved jade tablet was a minimization treasure highly sought after even among earth immortals, but Chen Ping''an had refrained from using it this entire time, and that was a massive waste.


    Pocket treasures and minimization treasures were referred to by cultivators as the smallest of small worlds, and were extremely rare and precious. Cui Dongshan had once reached the lofty pinnacle of the twelfth tier, yet even he only had a single minimization treasure.


    A normal pocket treasure or minimization treasure would each have a key that could allow one to open the treasure. Without the key, such a treasure was next to impossible to ess except by brute force; of course, if someone resorted to such means, then at the very least, most of the items stored in the treasure would be destroyed, and there was even a chance that the treasure''s internal space would be entirely destroyed.


    The minimization treasure given to Chen Ping''an by Zheng Dafeng had naturallye with a key, and Zheng Dafeng had also taught him the refinement method for the minimization treasure.


    The journey to the Heavenly Pce Peak proved to be smooth and uneventful.


    Chen Ping''an had already severely damaged the foundation of the Great Quan Empire, so it was no longer able or willing to intercept Chen Ping''an''s group.


    Along the northbound journey, Chen Ping''an carried his bamboo case on his back, while Pei Qian was holding her hiking pole with her bag slung across her chest, and the same old Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman was stered to her forehead.


    Lu Baixiang had Halting Snow strapped to his waist, and several go stones in his hand were cking together audibly.


    Sui Youbian had Deep Infatuation on her back, and she often seemed lost in thought as she walked long. Compared with the pure and indifferent sword immortal who had first emerged from the picture scroll, there was now more human emotion about her.


    Zhu Lian liked to read as he walked, and Pei Qian couldn''t help but wonder how he still hadn''t fallen to his death.


    Wei Xian was feeling rather bored, and he had begun emting Chen Ping''an''s six-step walking meditation as he walked, something that Chen Ping''an noticed but made no remarks on.


    The Heavenly Pce Peak was the tallest peak of Clear Realm Mountain in the northern region of the Great Quan Empire. Clear Realm Mountain had many peaks that stretched over a long distance, and it was teeming with lush greenery, making it one of the most spectacr pieces of scenery to behold in the entire Great Quan Empire.

 Chapter 359: (1): Speaking of Chen Ping’an

    Chapter 359: (1): Speaking of Chen Ping��an


    Chen Ping''an''s eyes were closed as he strode over the stone bridge, and his body was swaying slightly while his robes pped gently around him, giving him the appearance of a profound immortal.


    Wei Xian was very much in agreement with Pei Qian''s statement, and he was just about to offer some praise of his own when he sheepishly closed his mouth.


    Lu Baixiang smiled as he remarked, "The world is an unpredictable ce, so idents will always happen."


    As it turned out, there were steps on the stone arch bridge, but for some reason, Chen Ping''an had forgotten all about this, and he had trodden onto nothing but empty air, sending him and his bamboo case tumbling to the ground.


    Pei Qian pped a hand to forehead in dismay, and all of the fascination and amazement in her eyes were reced with embarrassment.


    Sui Youbian turned her head to the side, an amused smile ying on her lips.


    Chen Ping''an sprang to his feet, then dusted himself off and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened at all.


    A burst of golden light shed over his robes, and the spiritual energy in the jewel sped in the mouth of the golden dragon on the robe became more and more condensed.


    If it weren''t for the protection of this golden Dao robe, this wouldn''t have just been a simple matter of taking a fall for Chen Ping''an. His body had been in a state akin to that of a city opening its gates to engage the enemy, and he would''ve suffered immensely from the spiritual energy gushing into his acupoints. On top of that, there would be a very good chance that he would begin absorbing the natural spiritual energy on Clear Realm Mountain in a rapid and uncontrolled fashion, and that would be sure to trigger a phenomenon that could spell even more trouble.


    Essentially, the golden Dao robe served as ake that stored water.


    However, ultimately, this didn''t address the problem at its roots. At the moment, Chen Ping''an''s top priority was to refine objects of the five elements to truly establish aplete bridge of immortality and create five simrkes in his own acupoints.


    As for his current bridge of immortality, it was in a profound state somewhere in-between illusory and concrete. It existed, yet didn''t exist at the same time.


    Only in this instant was Chen Ping''an struck by the inexplicable feeling that he was truly being epted by this world.


    The four people from the picture scrolls all had extremely sharp eyes, and initially, they had found what they had seen to be ratherical. After all, in their eyes, Chen Ping''an had always maintained a very formal and dignified demeanor, and it was rare to see him make such a fool out of himself. However, the four of them then quickly realized that there was more to this than met the eye.


    None of themmented on their observations.


    Even though the top of the Cinnabar Staircase was shrouded in cloud and mist, both Jiang Shangzhen and Lu Yong were formidable cultivators, so they were naturally able to see more than the four pure martial artists from the picture scrolls.


    Lu Yong was looking on with an amazed expression as he eximed, "What an incredible Dao robe! Whoever this young immortal is, this Dao robe of his will grant him protection superior to even the premium militarian armor pellets."


    Lu Yong had falsely presumed that Chen Ping''an was a militarian cultivator.


    Jiang Shangzhen smiled as he praised his interlocutor, "You possess a sharp eye, Pce Master Lu."


    "You''re far too kind, Senior," Lu Yong hurriedly replied.


    Jiang Shangzhen turned to him and asked, "If I recall correctly, you''re even older than I am, so why are you referring to me as senior?"


    Lu Yong had no response to this. In his eyes, Jiang Shangzhen was an extremely unpredictable man, and his mood could swing at the drop of a hat, often leaving him at aplete loss for what to do or how to respond.


    Jiang Shangzhen smiled again as he continued, "This is when you should reply with a timely remark like ''seniority among cultivators is decided by the height of one''s achievements, not by age.''"


    Lu Yong had no idea what was going on inside Jiang Shangzhen''s mind, so he could only reply with a wry smile, "That would indeed be most appropriate, but unfortunately, I possess nowhere near the intellect required to make such a fitting remark. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be dedicating my life to refining pills."


    "Over these past two centuries, I''ve been very busy dealing with all of the matters of the Cloud Cave Blessed Land, so I haven''t been able to keep up to date with the affairs of the world. In contrast, I''m sure you''re very up to date on worldly affairs, given all of the people thate through the Heavenly Pce Peak''s immortal ferry station. Have you heard of any particrly renowned young sword immortals who''vee out of Majestic World outside of Parasol Leaf Continent in the past century?" Jiang Shangzhen asked.


    Lu Yong considered the question for a moment, then replied tentatively, "There''s one from the Sword Qi Great Wall..."


    "Do you take me for a fool? How could I have not heard of that one?" Jiang Shangzhen chuckled in amusement.


    Lu Yong shuddered in response before hurriedly attempting to make amends, counting off all of the renowned sword immortals from the other continents. He rattled off a long list of vastly renowned sword immortals of the Upper Five Tiers, all of whom were quite young and had established their reputations over the past century.


    ��There were eight in total, four of whom were from Middle Earth Divine Continent, three from Northern Complete Reed Continent, and one from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, namely Wei Jin, who had only reached the Unpolished Jade Tier several years ago.


    Compared with his seven counterparts, Wei Jin''s cultivation base was a littleckluster, but it was clear that he was destined for great things, and that was why he was such a renowned figure even on Parasol Leaf Continent. Infact, for many people like Lu Yong, it was only through Wei Jin that they learned of the existence of Wind Snow Temple.


    However, as Lu Yong rattled off these swordsmen and listed their most notable feats, Jiang Shangzhen continued to shake his head.


    None of the listed swordsmen matched the description of the one that he was searching for, and there wasn''t much that Lu Yong could do about that.


    Sword immortals were exceedingly rare to begin with, and they were the only ones under the heavens capable ofpletely disregarding the hurdle of the Nascent Tier to y Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators.


    Lu Yong had been focused wholeheartedly on pill refinement over the past century, and those eight sword immortals were the only ones that he was able to list.


    Jiang Shangzhen didn''t try to press Lu Yong any further, and at the same time, he was also feeling a little forlorn. He had spent the past sixty years in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and prior to that, he had spent sixty years in the Cloud Cave Blessed Land to quell a massive bout of unrest, sustaining severe injuries in the process that required another sixty years of seclusion to recover from.


    Hence, he was unable to keep up with any worldly affairs. A span of two hundred years was enough time for many generations to be born and perish among mortals, but for cultivators of Jiang Shangzhen''s caliber, the passage of time wasn''t something that they were particrly sensitive to. If he could take another step forward, his lifespan would be extended by at least a few centuries, perhaps even a thousand years or more.


    Compared with the pursuit of immortality, everything else paled into insignificance.


    Jiang Shangzhen lowered his gaze slightly. The deities of Daoism were worshiped in Green Goat Pce, while the three thousand steps of the Cinnabar Staircase alluded to the three thousand paths to the Great Dao.


    It sounded like there were many paths, but how many people could actually reach the very top?


    The Great Dao had a grand name, but that didn''t entail that the path was wide. In fact, the higher one ascended, the narrower the path became, and it could even narrow to the point that only one person could pass through.


    However, Jiang Shangzhen knew what he was capable of, and he knew that no matter how far he progressed down a path, it would never be so narrow that only one person could pass through. He wouldn''t have to battle the Ascension Tier immortals ahead of him for a chance to fulfill his Great Dao, nor was it necessary for those below him to have to force him off his pedestal in order for them to progress further.


    As for the identity of the swordsman that he had encountered out at sea, he would just have to consult the sect leader on this matter once he returned to the Jade Tablet Sect. The sect leader always had exceptional sources, particrly when it came to trivial information, and he was the type of person who wanted answers to everything, even things like the colors of the dudous of the sect''s new female disciples.


    Whenever an altercation broke out between elders of the sect, he would be sure to eavesdrop on them. Outside of the sect leader, Jiang Shangzhen couldn''t think of any other Immortal Tier cultivators who would stay in their manor all day, watching the seductive shows put on by all of the celestial maidens from smaller sects through the enchanted picture scrolls of those sects.


    In fact, the sect leader would anonymously send outrge sums of lesser heat coins to those sects and even sneak out of the sect to personally grant those women treasures and fated opportunities.


    Thanks to the annual profits that it was reaping from the Cloud Cave Blessed Land, the Jade Tablet Sect was rolling in wealth, yet its sect leader was so shameless that he often approached Jiang Shangzhen to borrow money,ining about how he was broke.


    He was also telling Jiang Shangzhen about how he had made a friend on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, namely the leader of Invincible Divine Fist Sect, and that he was going to visit this sect leader sometime soon, then veered off on a tangent about how much it pained him to see Celestial Maiden Su Jia suffer such a terrible fate on True Martial Mountain.


    At times, Jiang Shangzhen really couldn''t understand how the old sect leader had managed to reach the Immortal Tier.


    The old sect leader virtually never spoke to Jiang Shangzhen about the Great Dao, but after he abandoned his identity as Otherworldly Immortal Zhou Fei and returned to the sect, the old sect leader gave him a long-winded lecture, telling him that he shouldn''t be so cruel to women, and that the women of Spring Tide Pce in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land were all poor souls who had suffered extensively at his hands.


    After an extensive scolding, the old sect leader ordered Jiang Shangzhen to go to the west sea to hunt down that great demon, and he didn''t even give Jiang Shangzhen a single powerful treasure to help his cause, clearly indicating that he was truly angry at him.


    In contrast, as soon as Ya''er was brought back to the sect, she was immediately given several treasures from the old sect leader''s private collection, but of course, she was told that they were a gift from Jiang Shangzhen.


    The group of six made their way up the Cinnabar Staircase, and Chen Ping''an was feeling rather perplexed as they hadn''t encountered even a single other person thus far.


    He looked up at the top of the staircase, but the cloud and mist was still too dense for him to see Green Goat Pce.


    Pei Qian tugged on Chen Ping''an''s sleeve, then said in a quiet voice, "There are two people standing up there, and it looks like they''re waiting for us."


    Chen Ping''an''s heart sank slightly. Could it be that the Great Quan Empire still wasn''t willing to let him off the hook?


    Right at this moment, the two people on top of the staircase slowly emerged from the sea of clouds, as if they had noticed that they had been noticed.


    One of them was a handsome young man, while the other was an old man in a Daoist robe, and thetter was trailing along slightly behind the former, indicating that he was of lower status, maybe a servant.


    Chen Ping''an continued to scale the staircase in an unhurried manner with the azure Sword Suppressing Talisman held between his index and middle finger.


    The two people appeared to be moving quite slowly, but they were actually extremely fast, and in just the blink of an eye, they arrived on the step that was seven or eight steps above Chen Ping''an''s.


    Pei Qian felt the young man to be a little familiar, and she ducked behind Chen Ping''an for cover.


    "Chen Ping''an, we meet again. Looks like our fates are rather closely intertwined," Jiang Shangzhen remarked.


    "Are you Zhou Fei of Spring Tide Pce or Jiang Shangzhen of Jade Tablet Sect?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Both," Jiang Shangzhen replied with a smile.


    He then turned to Lu Yong as he remarked, "You see? What a keen eye this young immortal possesses!"


    Lu Yong had no response to this.


    "I didn''t think you woulde after me so soon," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    The smile on Jiang Shangzhen''s face faded as he said with an earnest expression, "Chen Ping''an, whether you believe me or not, I can tell you right now that as far as I''m concerned, your bad blood with Zhou Shi and Ya''er is all in the past. I was waiting for you in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land as I wanted to see you before you left the blessednd and extend an invitation for you to serve as a guest elder of our Jiang n.


    ��There are many bountiful opportunities waiting to be uncovered in the Cloud Cave Blessed Land, and as long as you''re able to im them, I''m happy for you to take whatever you please. However, you insisted on killing Lu Fang and Zhou Shi, and I''ll admit that I considered returning to Parasol Leaf Continent to hatch a plot against you.


    ��However, even after recruiting the help of a Naturalist cultivator, I still wasn''t able to find you, and I had other matters to attend to at the time, so I was forced to set this matter aside."


    "But you still found me in the end, did you not?" Chen Ping''an sighed.


    A hint of surprise welled up in Jiang Shangzhen''s heart.


    Even though Chen Ping''an had only recently left the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, it was as if he had be apletely different person.


    This change wasn''t marked by any advancement in cultivation base. Instead, it could be seen in his mental state.


    He had climbed to the very top among all of the martial artists in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and that was not a feat that was to be looked down on.


    His martial arts cultivation base wasn''t anything to write home about, but the burden of a certain Daoist priest''s Great Dao had been ced on his shoulders.


    Essentially, everything that Ding Ying had done was just another way for him to shirk his responsibilities.


    As for the four people behind Chen Ping''an, those were most likely the legendary historic figures of the blessednd. The woman with the sword on her back was most likely Sui Youbian, the female sword immortal that Lu Fang often mentioned, and Jiang Shangzhen had a rough idea of who the other three were as well, but he was unable to tell exactly who was who.


    His current theory was that the tall saber-wielding man was the Martial Arts Maniac, Zhu Lian, who was said to have been extremely handsome in his prime, the short and well-built man was Lu Baixiang, the founding father of the demonic orthodoxy, and the hunch-backed old man was the founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation, Wei Xian.


    Jiang Shangzhen was truly amazed that Chen Ping''an had been able to acquire such exceptional servants, but he wasn''t overly envious.


    For pure martial artists, the most important thing was time. They had to make progress one step at a time, much like water dripping through stone, and in contrast with Qi refiners, they didn''t rely too much on aptitude or fated opportunities.


    Meanwhile, Lu Yong was bing more and more anxious by the second.


    Judging from what Jiang Shangzhen had just said, it appeared that these two were sworn enemies. The young immortal''s cultivation base wasn''t particrly advanced, which meant that he extremely powerful backers, to the point that even the leader of the Jiang n was clearly a little wary of him.


    A smile suddenly appeared on Jiang Shangzhen''s face as he said, "It''s a huge relief to me that you''re not disying much animosity toward me. Let''s talk while we scale the mountain."


    "Sure," Chen Ping''an replied, and the two of them began ascending the staircase side by side.


    Lu Yong was trailing along behind the two, while Pei Qian was walking on the same step that he was. However, she was making sure to keep her distance, and she was sneaking furtive nces at the old immortal.


    As soon as Lu Yong showed any sign of turning his head, she would immediately turn her gaze to the scenery in the distance while tapping her hiking pole audibly against the staircase.


    To Lu Yong''s surprise, the more he looked at Pei Qian, the more potential that he saw in her.


    While it was true that he was absolutely useless in battle, he was still a Nascent Tier cultivator, and he could roughly gauge the cultivation aptitude in someone with just a nce or two.


    Jiang Shangzhen asked Chen Ping''an about his four servants, and Chen Ping''an named them one by one. Upon learning the truth, Jiang Shangzhen realized that he hadn''t even guessed a single one of the three men''s identities correctly, and he pped a hand to his own forehead as he sighed. "Looks like my eyes are no better than Lu Yong''s."


    The atmosphere wasn''t particrly heavy, and as opposed to a confrontation between sworn enemies, this seemed more like a reunion between old friends, or a pair of enemies deciding to make peace and let bygones be bygones.


    As for what was really happening here, that was something that only Jiang Shangzhen and Chen Ping''an themselves were aware of.


    "Has your journey gone smoothly thus far?" Jiang Shangzhen asked.


    "Not really," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head. "I''ve gotten into some altercations with both of the princes of the Great Quan Empire."


    "Is that right?"


    Jiang Shangzhen turned to Lu Yong before asking, "What''s the name of the Great Quan Empire''s emperor again?"


    "Liu Zhen," Lu Yong hurriedly replied.


    Jiang Shangzhen turned back to Chen Ping''an as he said, "I''ll drag their father over here to apologize to you. Just wait a little, I won''t be long. Perhaps you can enjoy a meal in Green Goat Pce, and once you''re done, Liu Zhen will be standing right before you.


    ��However, the Great Quan Empire is overseen by Great Subduing Academy, and the mountain master of the academy is a very prestigious figure. Hees from a sage''s manor on Middle Earth Divine Continent, and his brother is the mountain master of a Confucian school, so you can do whatever you want to Liu Zhen, but make sure you spare his life.


    ��Otherwise, things will be a little awkward for both of us. Of course, you can definitely give him a beating to teach him a lesson."<blockquote>


    Johnchen and Flying Dumpling''s Thoughts


    penguin''s thoughts:


    </blockquote>

 Chapter 360: (1): Reaching Old Dragon City

    Chapter 360: (1): Reaching Old Dragon City


    Prior to reaching Old Dragon City, Green Goat Pce''s louchuan had to make three stops in between, the first of which was the Everspring Ferry Station outside Parasol Leaf Sect, which had spring-like conditions all year round.


    The louchuan stopped at the three ferry stations for a total of close to ten days, but all Chen Ping''an wanted was to get to Old Dragon City safely, so he forbade Pei Qian from leaving the ship to go visit the shops in the ferry station.


    Hence, she could only carry a stool onto the observation deck, then sat down on it as she watched the vibrant scenes of the three ferry stations with a look of yearning in her eyes. asionally, Wei Xian would join her for a brief chat.


    Even though Chen Ping''an didn''t leave the louchuan, he requested the old Green Goat Pce administrator on the ship to help him buy many things, and Wei Xian and the others also each gave the administrator a shopping list.


    Wei Xian requested some books detailing the customs and traditions of the different areas, Lu Baixiang purchased an imperial guqin that hade from a mortal empire, Sui Youbian made no requests, continuing to maintain the stance that all she needed was her sword, while Zhu Lian requested a long list of books.


    However, his booklist was denied by Chen Ping''an before it could make it to the Green Goat Pce administrator, and told him that the books that he wanted weren''t sold in the ferry stations, so he would just have to look for them on his own once they reached Old Dragon City, much to Zhu Lian''s disappointment.


    As it turned out, Zhu Lian had requested a bunch of novels, and just the names of these novels alone were enough to make Chen Ping''an''s skin crawl. There was no way that he would allow the booklist to make it into the hands of the administrator.


    Aside from practicing his walking, standing, and sleeping meditation, Chen Ping''an had also been diligently practicing the sword techniques in the Proper Sword Scripture. On top of that, he was also studying that immortal mantra.


    Even though the immortal mantra was extremely advanced, the main problem that people encountered in tool refinement was ack of good materials, thereby rendering all of their skills useless. First and Fifteenth weren''t bonded flying swords personally refined by Chen Ping''an, so all he had to do was nurture them, and all of that work was done for him by his Sword Nurturing Gourd. However, if he were to refine his own bonded item, then the cost of the materials he would require would quickly reach a staggering sum, and the higher the caliber of his bonded item, the more costly further refinement would be.


    The phrase that the old Daoist priest from the Observing Dao Temple had passed onto Lu Baixiang, the one about "spending money like flowing water," was of course a jibe, but it also reflected the unavoidable reality of tool refinement.


    At this point, his bridge of immortality had been mostly reconstructed, and the gates were wide open to ept guests from all directions, so the more abundant the spiritual energy in the surrounding environment, the more danger he would be in.


    That was why he had taken a fall on the stone arch bridge on Clear Realm Mountain. At the time, he was still unable to fully control his Golden Sweet Wine to ward off the influx of spiritual energy, and the spiritual energy had shed with his True Qi, thereby resulting in a loss of bnce.


    Ultimately, there was an upper limit to the amount of spiritual energy that Golden Sweet Wine could absorb and convert at a time, and if it were to reach full saturation, then the excessive spiritual energy would be able to flood into all of Chen Ping''an''s acupoints, resulting in a fall in his martial arts cultivation base.


    The current conundrum that Chen Ping''an was facing was deciding which treasure he was going to refine in his first acupoint. If he were to choose water out of the five elements, then the process would be rtively simpler as the example set by the Burial River Goddess was precisely one of refining water.


    The rain praying tablet detailed the process involved, as well as the materials required for water refinement, and special emphasis was ced on a key item by the name of "water essence." All treasures that were a culmination of the essence of the fortune of a body of water could be referred to as water essence, but different water essences could vary drastically in caliber.


    The water essence of a small river overseen by a river guardian and the water essence of a river that was home to an ancient dragon pce could hardly even bepared to one another. It was no exaggeration to say that the caliber of the water essence used for refinement would directly determine the caliber of Chen Ping''an''s water-attribute bonded item.


    The louchuan was docked at the Everspring Ferry Station, and Pei Qian was seated on her stool on the observation deck, looking out at the ferry station with a forlorn look of yearning in her eyes.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was seated by the table, and he was also feeling a little forlorn as he looked at the adorable water seal on the table.


    After gaining an in-depth understanding of the immortal mantra, it had urred to him that if he were to refine the water seal as his bonded item, then there was a very good chance that everytime he used the seal to help a water god improve their waterway luck, his essential energy would be harmed.


    However, the main benefit of refining the water seal as his bonded item was that the seal would no longer expend a part of its mystical power everytime that it was used, so there would no longer be any danger of the seal being reduced to just an ordinary seal that held no mystical power. Hence, Chen Ping''an had decided that this water seal was what he was going to refine as his water-attribute bonded item.


    This was going to be a bonded item, so it was going to be different from the demon-binding chains refined using flood dragon golden whiskers. Due to the special nature of this refinement process, he was going to require a cauldron for tool refinement, and that was going to be a massive headache in itself.


    He had to find an immortal seller willing to part with a good cauldron, and he had to purchase it. That task could be easy or it could be ridiculously difficult. It all depended on how much money he had in his pocket.


    <em>I don''t have any money now! </em>


    A grief-stricken look appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as this thought urred to him.


    He didn''t have a single grain rain coin left, and now that Jewel Small World no longer existed, there would no longer be any new gold essence copper coins. In other words, they were now a finite resource, and he had just used up two of them during that battle on the mountain summit.


    If it had been any of the three men as opposed to Sui Youbian who had thrown away their lives like this so recklessly, then Chen Ping''an would''ve really been tempted to give them a good beating.


    Pei Qian carried her stool back into the room, then sat down beside Chen Ping''an with a concerned expression as she asked, "What''s wrong? Are we out of money?"


    She had managed to strike the nail right on the head.


    Chen Ping''an turned his gaze to Pei Qian with slightly furrowed brows, and he couldn''t help but wonder how she seemed to always be able to find the most hurtful things to say.


    Pei Qian thought that Chen Ping''an was beginning to grow sick of having to cover her expenses, and her little face immediately puckered up as tears welled up in her eyes.


    "Please don''t throw me off the ship. I won''t demand to eat fish and meat anymore. From now on, I can get by with just a bowl of meat and some pickled vegetables a day!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he reassured, "It has nothing to do with how much you''re eating. You''re at an age where you''re still growing, so eat as much as you can. It''s not like a few extra bowls of rice costs that much anyway."


    A bright and vibrant smile instantly appeared on Pei Qian''s face as she asked, "Do we have a ce to stay in Old Dragon City? If we do, then we''ll have someone to cover our costs!"


    Chen Ping''an nodded as he replied, "We do. I have a friend over there who''s quite wealthy, but don''t take advantage of their generosity and make unreasonable demands, do you hear me?"


    "I won''t," Pei Qian replied in a sullen manner.


    She had thought that they would be able to meet someone else like Yao Jinzhi, who gave her everything that she wanted and even begged her to ept her gifts. Most importantly, Chen Ping''an was unable to refuse her. If she had known that people like Yao Jinzhi were so few and far in between, then she wouldn''t have made fun of her that one time.


    The two of them were chatting with each other when Yao Jinzhi removed her veiled hat to reveal her fair and delicate skin, which made Pei Qian feel very inferior and self-conscious inparison.


    She couldn''t remember what they had been talking about at the time, but in order to make herself feel better, Pei Qian had directed an insult at Yao Jinzhi under the veil of a tongue-in-cheekpliment: "Big Sister Yao, you''re so beautiful that it''s no wonder you''re a bit of a scatterbrain."


    Yao Jinzhi hadn''t gotten mad at her for thatment, merely poking her on the forehead instead like a doting big sister.


    One day passed by after another, and before long, it was already the winter solstice. At this point, the ship had left Parasol Leaf Continent and was currently flying over the sea between the two continents. By the time it reached the ferry station on the ind outside Old Dragon City, it was alreadyte winter.


    One day, during the course of the journey, Lu Baixiang was watching Chen Ping''an practice his monotonous walking meditation in his room, and he asked, "This fist stance looks very ordinary, why do you practice it so persistently?"


    "Lofty heights can be reached even from lowly foundations," Chen Ping''an replied, and Lu Baixiang fell into deep thought upon hearing this.


    After Lu Baixiang left the room, Pei Qian quietly asked Chen Ping''an what the meaning of his response was, and Chen Ping''an had smiled and told her that he couldn''t think of a profound answer, so he had made one up on the spot.


    In his experience, those who excelled in ying go often liked to oveplicate things, so he was leaving the meaning up to Lu Baixiang''s own interpretation, and Pei Qian had found this exnation to be utterly hrious.


    On this day, Chen Ping''an was sitting in his study, raising his brush before putting it down over and over again. Pei Qian was seated across from him, making some transcriptions, and she was bing more agitated by the second.


    In the end, Chen Ping''an left the room to pay Zhu Lian a visit, but following his return, he became even more hesitant and indecisive before ultimately deciding to put away his brush and paper altogether.


    Pei Qian was very perplexed to see this.


    The two letters that he had sent to Great Subduing Academy and Peace and Tranquility Mountain by flying sword had both been written very quickly, so who could this letter possibly be addressed to?


    Chen Ping''an arrived on the observation deck to practice his standing meditation.


    Right at this moment, the sound of door-knocking rang out, and Pei Qian rushed over to open the door.


    Upon catching sight of the visitor, she extended a respectful bow as she greeted, "Pei Qian pays her respects to Esteemed Immortal Lu of Green Goat Pce!"


    The old man standing outside was none other than Lu Yong, and he smiled and nodded in response.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly entered the room to meet Lu Yong, and after the two of them had taken a seat, Pei Qian quickly poured three cups of tea, one for Chen Ping''an, one of Lu Yong, and of course, one for herself.


    Instead of immediately revealing the purpose of his visit, Lu Yong spoke in a very roundabout manner, making small talk with Chen Ping''an for close to fifteen minutes. Chen Ping''an could only remain patient and y along, chatting with Lu Yong in an amicable fashion.


    Earth immortals were not to be taken lightly.


    Having traveled to so many ces, Chen Ping''an was fully aware of what an earth immortal entailed, and he didn''t look down on Lu Yong just because he knew Zuo You and could speak on equal terms to Jiang Shangzhen. This was a Nascent Tier immortal who presided over an incredibly rich and abundant area, as well as an immortal ferry station.


    To put it bluntly, if Lu Yong didn''t have to worry about Chen Ping''an''s backers and was determined to kill him, he could do it with the flick of a finger.


    Chen Ping''an''s approachable and pleasant demeanor further improved the impression that Lu Yong had of him.


    Of course, Lu Yong was only doing this out of fear of Jiang Shangzhen, as well as the supposed backers behind Chen Ping''an that made even Jiang Shangzhen wary of him.


    Otherwise, even if Lu Yong couldn''t afford to make an enemy out of Chen Ping''an, he could simply ignore Chen Ping''an, and there would be no need for him to suck up to Chen Ping''an ande all the way here in person just to present a gift.


    After taking a few sips of tea, Lu Yong finally dered the purpose of his visit.


    "Our Green Goat Pce was truly blessed by your presence on the Heavenly Pce Peak that day, Young Master Chen. At the time, I just so happened to have been refining a cauldron of Seated Meditation Pills. These pills are very warm and mild in nature, and they''re best taken by cultivators during seated meditation.


    ��Not only can they calm the mind, most importantly, they can nurture the body, particrly the acupoints. As for why they''re called Seated Meditation Pills, there''s a rather crude, yet urate exnation for this, which is that after taking one of these pills, just sitting down alone will already be a form of cultivation, and it won''t matter even if you don''t actively focus on cultivation."


    As soon as he began speaking about pill refinement, Lu Yong was immediately brimming with enthusiasm, and he looked like apletely different personpared with the timid and uneasy old man who had been standing before Jiang Shangzhen.


    "The heart is the master of the body and the general of all emotions. However, the heart has always been a very difficult concept to pinpoint. In Buddhism, there is a notion that an unsteady heart leads to a wandering mind. Hence, a still and steady heart is key to cultivation.


    ��Seated Meditation Pills are extremely difficult to refine, and even if they''re sessfully refined, ten pills'' worth of ingredients will only be able to yield three or four pills at most. In addition, there''s one thing that sets my Seated Meditation Pills apart from all others, and it''s an important reason they are so popr among all of the earth immortals of Parasol Leaf Continent.


    ��You see, consuming a Seated Meditation Pill refined by me can give rise to something simr to the door gods stered to the doors of the mortal households, serving the purpose of guarding one''s heart."


    "That''s a fine testament to both your mystical powers and your pill refinement expertise," Chen Ping''an praised him in an earnest fashion, and Lu Yong was very pleased with thispliment.


    Of course, he didn''t actually "just so happen" to have been refining this batch of Seated Meditation Pills. In order to refine this pill, not only was a long list of natural treasures required, the timing had to be right, and some of the precious fortune of Clear Realm Mountain also had to be expended.


    This was the reason why these pills were so highly sought after among the Golden Core and Nascent Tier earth immortals of Parasol Leaf Sect. As for why other pill refinements masters couldn''t refine Seated Meditation Pills of the same caliber, Lu Yong''s masterful pill refinement expertise was indeed a factor, but the fortune of Clear Realm Mountain yed a far more important role.


    This was why earth immortals were always extremely meticulous and careful when it came to the site selection of their sects and manors.


    "You just mentioned that these pills are highly treasured even by the earth immortals of Parasol Leaf Continent. In that case, are they fit for consumption for pure martial artists of the sixth and seventh tiers as well?" Chen Ping''an suddenly asked.


    Lu Yong faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded as he replied, "Of course, it''s just that it would be a massive waste to give these Seated Meditation Pills of mine to those uncouth ruffians. It would be like feeding peonies to a cow!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he asked, "Have you mentioned these Seated Meditation Pills because you want to sell them to me at a discounted price in light of my ties with Jiang Shangzhen?"


    Lu Yong was stunned to hear that Chen Ping''an dared to refer to Jiang Shangzhen directly by name, but his expression remainedpletely unchanged as he replied, "That was never my intention, Young Master Chen. You''re a cherished guest of our Green Goat Pce, I can''t demand any money from you in exchange for my pills.


    ��After you and Senior Jiang left left the Heavenly Pce Peak, it was as if I had been blessed by the heavens, and I was able to refine as many as six Seated Meditation Pills in a single batch, something that''s never happened before in all my past centuries of pill refinement!


    ��Such blessings only present themselves once or twice in one''s lifetime, perhaps not at all, so it was immediately clear to me that you most definitely have exceptional affinity with my Green Goat Pce and myself. It would be a tant act of ingratitude if I were to keep these pills to myself, which is why I''ve brought the six Seated Meditation Pills to you today, Young Master Chen!"


    Pei Qian was looking on with her mouth slightly gaped open.


    Never did she think that she would encounter someone even more shameless and adept at lying than herself.


    She suddenly felt like she had much to learn from this old immortal, at least in the art of sucking up to others.


    Lu Yong seemed to have also realized that he had gone a little overboard ande across as overeager, so he put on a slightly forlorn facade as he continued, "Nevertheless, I must admit that it still pains me somewhat to have to part with these pills. In exchange, I hope that you can put in a good word with Senior Jiang for me and my Green Goat Pce.


    ��The Jiang n does business across the entire Parasol Leaf Continent, so if they decide to purchase some pills from my Green Goat Pce in the future, perhaps I''ll be able to make additional profits in excess of the value of these six Seated Meditation Pills, and that would be a win-win situation for everyone.


    ��Hence, you can ept these pills without any qualms, Young Master Chen. Even if my Green Goat Pce isn''t blessed with more business from the Jiang n, it''ll still be more than worth these six pills to befriend someone like yourself."

 Chapter 361: (1): Brewing Unrest

    Chapter 361: (1): Brewing Unrest


    It didn''t take long before Chen Ping''an and the others tracked down the Fan n''s people at the Osmanthus Ind ferry station. Last time, the Golden Core Tier swordsman, Ma Zhi, had served as his coach driver, while Fan Er had apanied him on the trip, so he hadn''te into contact with any other people from the Fan n.


    However, as soon as Chen Ping''an dered his own identity, the Fan n administrator was immediately delighted, as if he had just heard a piece of fantastic news, and he asked Chen Ping''an to wait for a moment while he sent a message back to Osmanthus Ind.


    On top of that, he also called for several horse-drawn carriages before personally ushering Chen Ping''an and the others into the carriages, putting on an enthusiastic and respectful disy that left Chen Ping''an feeling rather perplexed.


    As the connection point between Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent, Old Dragon City was even more opulent than the capitals of many major empires, possessing two immortal ferry stations on an ind that was close to twenty kilometers away from Old Dragon City, designated for the intercontinental ships of the city''s five major ns.


    Back when Chen Ping''an first arrived at Old Dragon City, he was at the western ferry station, and he had to travel over a road that was around a hundred and fifty kilometers in length to enter the city. The road was owned by the Sun n, and even to this day, what had happened between himself and Sun Jiashu still left a rather sour taste in Chen Ping''an''s mouth.


    Chen Ping''an and Pei Qian were traveling in the same carriage. After drifting around in the sky for so long on an intercontinental ship, they had finally reached solid ground and arrived in Chen Ping''an''s hometown, so she was very excited, and she was eagerly looking outside with a curious expression.


    Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian were ying a game of go together in another carriage, while Wei Xian and Zhu Lian were in a third carriage, with the former taking a nap, while thetter was reading his book.


    The inexplicably hospitable reception from the Fan n''s administrator struck Chen Ping''an as rather strange, and so, he began to think. He was definitely not an important figure. Back when he left Old Dragon City, he had only just broken through his fourth tier bottleneck back at the Sun n''s ancestral residence.


    He knew very few people from Old Dragon City, the most prominent of which were Fan Er, Sun Jiashu, who he had parted ways with on rather unfavorable terms, Zheng Dafeng, and Fu Nanhua, who was a sworn enemy of his but had decided not to make a move against him.At the time, the entire city had been basked in a joyful and festive atmosphere as a girl who was a descendant of the Jiang n was marrying into the Fu n. To put it more urately, a marriage alliance was being forged between the two ns, and the male half of that marriage alliance was none other than Fu Nanhua.


    It was a widely acknowledged fact that the Jiang n was "marrying down" in this case, and that was a notion that even the Fu n agreed with.


    The Cloud Forest Jiang n was the first prominent n of Middle Earth Divine Continent to move to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and its manor was situated on the shore of the southeastern sea, facing out into the ocean. It stretched close to twenty kilometers into the ocean before concluding with a pair of gates in the form of two giant natural rocks, and it was said to be a manor that epassed the East Sea.


    Back when the orthodoxy of Confucianism was first established, the Etiquette Sage created a set ofplex etiquette and rules for Majestic World.


    In the history of the Jiang n, there had been several grand priests that enjoyed a transcendent status, serving as one of the six heavenly officials, and they were responsible for carrying out all types of rituals and ceremonies to attract the blessings of the heavens.


    At the time, the entirety of Old Dragon City had been specting about whether the dowry from the Jiang n was going to be a pseudo-celestial tool.


    However, for Chen Ping''an, a topic that was so distant from himself was something that he would only discuss in passing with the likes of Zheng Dafeng and Fan Er over some wine. He wasn''t from Old Dragon City, nor was he allied with any of the continent''s major powers, so this was an event that he hardly cared about at all.


    So what if Fu Nanhua were to marry someone from the Jiang n? Even if he were to somehow be the city lord of Old Dragon City over Fu Donghai and Fu Chunhua, both of whom were far superior to him in cultivation base...


    In that case, Chen Ping''an would actually be feeling rather concerned as this meant that there was a very good chance that Fan Er or even the entire Fan n could be condemned due to their ties with him.


    While it was important to consider these matters carefully, Chen Ping''an knew that overthinking things would only result in unwarranted panic and stress.


    After traveling for close to an hour, the horse-drawn carriage slowly drew to a halt, even though it still hadn''t entered the city yet. Chen Ping''an lifted the curtain of the carriage, and he was immediately greeted by the sight of a familiar figure, who was running toward the carriage while waving vigorously.


    He was still just as bright and vibrant as ever, and Chen Ping''an heaved an internal sigh of relief upon seeing this, then got out of his carriage. It was Fan Er who had arrived to see him. He had grown from a boy into a handsome young man, but his unique aura of exuberance hadn''t changed at all.


    Fan Er gave Chen Ping''an a firm high five, then smiled as he asked, "Chen Ping''an, did you feel my power through my hand just now? I don''t want to scare you, but I''m also a fourth tier martial artist now! From now on, you''ll be the strongest fourth tier martial artist under the heavens, while I''ll be the second-strongest!"


    <em>Also a fourth tier martial artist?</em>


    Pei Qian and the others were all rather perplexed to hear this.


    "That''s very impressive," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    Fan Er walked a quickp around Chen Ping''an, then asked, "Why aren''t you wearing straw sandals anymore? I almost didn''t recognize you."


    He then looked up at the top of Chen Ping''an''s head before heaving a deted sigh.


    "Looks like you''ve grown a lot taller than me."


    After that, he pulled a bulging money pouch out of his sleeve in a sneaky fashion, then offered it to Chen Ping''an while squinting incessantly.


    ording to their agreement fromst time, Chen Ping''an had to fire a piece of chinaware to give to him as a present. Fan Er didn''t care if it was ugly, as long as it was personally made by Chen Ping''an, and he would show it off to his friends.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly gestured for Fan Er to put the money pouch away, then said in a quiet voice, "I still haven''t made the piece of chinaware that I promised you yet. Once we get to Old Dragon City, I have to buy some pottery firing tools, then find some good y to work with. The process isn''t as simple as you think."


    Fan Er wasn''t disappointed to hear this, and he replied, "Alright, in that case, let''s go to Old Dragon City. I can help you look for y."


    He carefully tucked his pouch of pocket money back up his sleeve��a pouch filled with golden ingots that were used only in the mortal world. The rules of the Fan n were very strictly enforced, and even though Fan Er was very much spoiled by the seniors of his n, they refused to give him even a single piece of immortal currency.


    Over the past two years, Fan Er had been regrly ttering his seniors, and during the spring festival the previous year, he had visited almost all of the Fan n''s households, and only then was he able to save up this much pocket money.


    "Come to my carriage, we''ll talk inside," Fan Er suddenly said.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, and he instructed Pei Qian to return to their carriage before he followed Fan Er onto his.


    After sitting down in the carriage, Chen Ping''an asked, "Has there been some trouble?"


    Only in this carriage could they keep out certain sets of prying eyes in the city.


    Fan Er nodded in response.


    "Some massive changes swept through Old Dragon City not long after you left."


    Chen Ping''an removed his wine gourd from his waist, then handed it to Fan Er as he said, "Tell me about it."


    Fan Er was ecstatic to see this, and he epted the gourd from Chen Ping''an, then swished its contents around as he said, "I''ll only take a small sip... Oh, this is some good wine. It tastes different from the osmanthus wine that my n brews, but both are really nice. That sip just now only counts as half a sip, lemme take another one..."


    Chen Ping''an sat with his legs crossed as he looked at Fan Er with an amused smile.


    No matter what terrible news he was going to hear next, Fan Er was still the same Fan Er as before, and that was the best-possible news that he could ask for.


    Only after taking three "half-sips" of wine from the Sword Nurturing Gourd did he return it to Chen Ping''an, following which he said, "You already know about the five major ns of Osmanthus Ind. Ranked by power in descending order, it goes Fu, Sun, Fang, Hou, Ding.


    ��Our Fan n has always been content to serve as a subsidiary to the Fu n, and the Fu n has the city lord of Old Dragon City, who can dominate the other four ns all on his own. On top of that, our Fan n has an Osmanthus Ind, so there are many people who would like to rece one of the Fang, Hou, and Ding ns on the hierarchy with our Fan n.


    ��The Sun n''s position as the second most powerful n in the city is undisputed due to the presence of a Nascent Tier ancestor and its exceptional business reputation."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    Fan Er ced his hands onto his knees, then began giving Chen Ping''an a recount of the significant events that had unfolded in Old Dragon City over the past two years.


    "In any case, whether you consider that there are five or six major ns in Old Dragon City, as long as the Fu n doesn''t try to eliminate the other ns so that it can be the sole dominant force, everyone coexists in harmony, more or less. There have been some conflicts here and there, but beforest year, none of those conflicts really escted into anything significant.


    "Not only is City Lord Fu Qi a Nascent Tier earth immortal, he also possesses four pseudo-celestial tools. On top of that, the Fu n is very strange in that even the Golden Core Tier cultivators from the n are able to wield these pseudo-celestial tools, and that''s not even to mention the ancestors lurking behind the scenes.


    "Sun Jiashu''s cultivation base is nothing exceptional, but the Sun n has one Nascent Tier ancestor and three Golden Core Tier guest elders at just its ancestral residence alone, and one of those Golden Core Tier cultivators recently signed another century-long contract with the Sun n.


    ��Alongside Chu Yang, the Fu n''s premier guest elder who''s cultivating on the Dragon Scaling tform, those two Golden Core Tier cultivators are considered to be the two cultivators in the city that are most likely to reach the Nascent Tier. The Fang n has no Nascent Tier Qi refiner, but it does have two seventh-tier martial artists and a Golden Core swordsman.


    ��On top of that, it has very deep and established roots in the mortal empires and martial arts world of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent''s southern region, so it''s not to be looked down on. The Hou n has only managed to establish a foothold in Old Dragon City thanks to that branch descendant who became a virtuous schr Lake View Academy.


    ��In the past, it was the weakest of the major ns, but that virtuous schr suddenly became a noble schrst spring, so the Hou n''s status has been significantly elevated over the previous half-year. The Hou n''s ship route through the dragon channel had been taken over by the Fang n, but they''ve since returned it, and with a great deal of additionalpensation.


    ��As for the immortal sects that have been raised by the Hou n, most of them are fence sitters. The Ding n''s situation is simr to the Hou n''s in that its sess is built on the foundation of an ''outsider.''


    ��For the Hou n, it''s a virtuous schr who''s bepletely disillusioned with his own nsmen, while the Ding n relies on a woman who no one had paid any attention to, but had somehow managed to marry into Parasol Leaf Sect.


    ��On top of that, she''s a direct lineal descendant of the Ding n who''s still very much connected to her n, unlike the Hou n''s virtuous schr. Last year, she returned to Old Dragon City with her husband, and they were apanied by several Golden Core Tier cultivators acting as their servants."


    Fan Er paused here momentarily as he reached out to Chen Ping''an and dered, "I''m thirsty."


    Chen Ping''an tossed him the Sword Nurturing Gourd and said, "Just keep the gourd so you don''t have to constantly ask me for it."


    Fan Er dly epted this proposal, and after taking a small sip of wine, he continued, "Recently, two events have taken ce that havepletely turned Old Dragon City on its head. You already know about one of the two events, but I''m certain that you won''t be able to guess what the other one is."


    "The first event is the marriage alliance between the Jiang n and the Fu n, right?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Fu n nodded as he replied, "The dowry that the woman from the Jiang n brought with her was tremendous. She has a personal maidservant who''s a Nascent Tier swordswoman, so essentially, the Fu n has gained a Nascent Tier swordswoman through her. On top of that..."


    Fan Er heaved a faint sigh here, then took another sip of wine as he continued, "Her dowry also included a young flood dragon that traveled all the way from the Jiang n''s manor to Old Dragon City along the seabed. Even though it''s only at the Golden Core Tier, given its ancient bloodline, it''s no less powerful than a Nascent Tier cultivator."


    "So that means that the Fu n now has the makings to be the sole dominant force to rule over Old Dragon City," Chen Ping''an summarized.


    However, his brows then furrowed slightly as he asked, "But even with this dowry from the Cloud Forest Jiang n and its alliance with your Fan n, wouldn''t it still be far too costly for the Fu n to take over Old Dragon City? The Sun, Hou, Fang, and Ding ns will surely be forced to forge an alliance, and if a battle is to ensue, the city will be sure to suffer extensive damage."


    A wry smile appeared on Fan Er''s face as he sighed, "You''re right. Initially, things were very tense, but no one seemed to be willing to escte things into a true conflict. However, something unexpected has happenedtely."


    "What happened?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "It has something to do with Mr. Zheng from the Dust Medicinal Shop, which means that by extension, it also has something to do with our Fan n," Fan Er sighed.


    Chen Ping''an remained silent, waiting for further boration.


    This time, Fan Er threw his head back and took arge swig of wine, then wiped his lips with the back of his hand.


    "Not long after you left, a woman from the shop was defiled by a direct lineal descendant of the Fang n, and she died."


    Chen Ping''an offered no response to this.


    "Upon hearing this news, a senior of our Fan n responsible for overseeing our ancestral hall immediately went to personally inform Mr. Zheng of the situation. After that senior returned, he appeared to be quite rxed and told my father that Mr. Zheng didn''t seem to think that this was a big deal, and my father believed him.


    ��However, my sister''s mother cautioned him that there was more to this than meets the eye, and she told him to be on his guard and help Mr. Zheng peel back theyers to see if there was some foul y involved. If someone was actively trying to target the Fu n or Mr. Zheng, then action had to be taken right away to find out who the culprit was.


    ��However, my father didn''t want to escte the matter any further, and he said right now, the other major ns outside of the Fu n are beginning to forge an alliance, so if our Fan n were to show our hand at a time like this, then we could easily be seen as the Fu n''spdog, and that could result in us being targeted by the other four major ns.


    ��I went to speak to my father about this once, and I was relegated to the ancestral hall for an entire month as punishment. During that time, I even tasted some of the soil from the pouch that I kept under my bed. You really were lying to me! That stuff ispletely inedible!"


    Chen Ping''an could see that Fan Er was going to take another swig of wine, and he immediately grabbed the wine gourd back from him as he scolded, "That''s enough. Drowning your sorrows is a myth, don''t believe in that crap."


    Fan Er nodded in response, then rubbed a hand over his face as he sighed, "I tried to sneak out of the ancestral hall several times, but I was caught every time. After a month, I heard that nothing had happened over at the Dust Medicinal Shop. I naturally didn''t believe that, so I personally made a trip to the shop, and at the time, Mr. Zheng was sitting outside the shop, smoking his pipe.


    ��When he saw me, he gave me a cheerful wave, and I was dumbstruck at the time. After chatting with Mr. Zheng for a while, I discovered that it really did seem like the woman''s death wasn''t weighing on his mind at all. Honestly, I was a little angry when I left."


    A frustrated look appeared on Fan Er''s face as he continued, "I know that in the eyes of many people, including even my father, this is nothing more than a trivial incident, and I suppose it is in the grand scheme of things.


    ��In Old Dragon City, there aren''t any problems that can''t be resolved with money. Everyone''s telling me that this is nothing important, and that I shouldn''t worry about it, but I can''t help but feel like this isn''t just something that should be brushed off like nothing."


    "You''re right, Fan Er," Chen Ping''an said. "This is not a trivial incident at all."


    This was the first time that someone had agreed with his stance on the matter, and he exhaled deeply before shing Chen Ping''an a slightly forced smile.


    Even though Chen Ping''an had taken his gourd back from Fan Er, he didn''t drink from it. He had barely drunk at all ever since he boarded the ship on the Heavenly Pce Peak, only having an asional sip or two with Wei Xian and Lu Baixiang.


    "What happened after that?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    A smile finally appeared on Fan Er''s face as he replied, "Thankfully, Mr. Zheng didn''t disappoint me. Having him as my Dao mentor is the biggest honor of my life!"


    A dejected look then surfaced in his eyes as he continued, "It''s just that after Mr. Zheng stormed into the Fang n, I was forbidden from setting foot outside the our n''s manor, so I could only hear about what Mr. Zheng did through some tidbits of information fed to me."


    Fan Er''s eyes then lit up once again as he said, "ording to what I heard, Mr. Zheng went to the Fang n''s manor in broad daylight on the first day of the summer solstice and smashed the gate open with a single punch, then walked straight in and ordered everyone below the Golden Core Tier to leave.


    ��The Fang n was furious, and Mr. Zheng was confronted by a pair of Dragon Gate Tier guest elders, both of whom he knocked out with a single punch each. After that, a seventh-tier martial artist came out to challenge him, and once again, Mr. Zheng knocked him down with a single punch, except he never got back up.


    ��After that, the culprit was dragged out by a representative of the Fang n, and he told Mr. Zheng that he could do whatever he wanted with the culprit as long as he spared his life. He could even break the culprit''s arms and legs if he wanted, and the Fang n wouldn''t intervene. At the time, the Fang n representative was apanied by the Fang n''s Golden Core Tier swordsman.


    ��Mr. Zheng didn''t even spare a nce at the Fang n representative or the culprit. Instead, he turned to the Golden Core Tier swordsman, and he knocked him down with a single punch!"


    Fan Er was brimming with excitement as he spoke, and he demanded, "Give me the wine!"

 Chapter 362: (1): Shoulders Carrying Hopes and Aspirations

    Chapter 362: (1): Shoulders Carrying Hopes and Aspirations


    Zheng Dafeng was stunned into silence, and he was trying to make a connection between the young man before him and the young boy from back in Jewel Small World, but it was clear that he was struggling in that endeavor.


    In the end, all he could do was grumble, "Calm down! You spat all over my face!"


    After a brief silence, Zheng Dafeng epted the vial of Seated Meditation Pills from Chen Ping''an. If Chen Ping''an wasn''t exaggerating about the quality of these pills, then just two pills would be enough to suppress his injuries. However, making a full recovery was not such a simple matter, and the root of his problems couldn''t be remedied with just a pill or two.


    Pei Qian was looking into the room from the doorstep, and she was furious as she raised her hiking pole and yelled, "What the hell''s wrong with you? If you keep being so ungrateful, I''m going to get really mad!"


    Zheng Dafeng put the vial away, then turned to her with an amused grin as he replied, "I''m absolutely quaking in my boots! My, where has a beautiful and heroic maiden like youe from?"


    Pei Qian cleared her throat, then stood up straight and mmed the bottom of her hiking pole into the ground as she dered, "Listen up! My name is Pei Qian, and I''m a princess who''s fallen on hard times. Chen Ping''an is my... master, and I''m the founding disciple of our sect!"


    Pei Qian no longer dared to proim herself Chen Ping''an''s daughter in front of others for fear of a beating.


    Zheng Dafeng stared at Pei Qian for a moment with his mouth slightly agape, then turned to Chen Ping''an, wondering how this strange duo hade together.


    "Let''s go inside, I have some important matters to discuss with you," Chen Ping''an said."Important matters? Haven''t we already discussed everything?" Zheng Dafeng asked.


    "Just because I''m willing to get involved in this doesn''t mean I actually have a death wish!" Chen Ping''an snapped. "How many Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier earth immortals does the opposing camp have? Which powers are fence sitters, which earth immortals will actually take part in the battle, will there potentially be any cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers getting involved?


    ��These are all things that I have to familiarize myself with. On top of that, I also have to learn about the geomancy of Old Dragon City and the escape routes that we can take near Dragon Scaling tform, and you have to tell me about the your battles against the Fu n, the Fang n, and the Ding n."


    Zheng Dafeng was developing a headache from the barrage of questions, and he pulled out the vial of Seated Meditation Pills and thrust it back at Chen Ping''an as he grumbled, "I don''t want your stuff. I told you we''re not the same type of people."


    Chen Ping''an paid no heed to him as he strode directly into the shop.


    The ying soul with the Zhao surname had already appeared in the shop, and he smiled as he said, "I can tell you everything you want to know."


    Zheng Dafeng heaved a forlorn sigh, then habitually scratched his own crotch before picking up his stool and returning to the shop. From there, he followed Chen Ping''an to the backyard. After entering Zheng Dafeng''s room, Chen Ping''an and the yin soul with the Zhao surname sat down across from each other,.


    Pei Qian didn''t dare to sit on the main seat at the head of the table between them. Instead, she sat down on the bench facing the entrance of the room, leaving the main seat vacant for Zheng Dafeng. As for Wei Xian and the others, Chen Ping''an instructed them to bring chairs for themselves and listen in on the conversation as well.


    Prior to taking a seat, Zheng Dafeng finally disyed some hospitality befitting of a host, cing arge handful of sunflower seeds onto a dish before setting the dish down in front of Pei Qian, who took a nce at Chen Ping''an, then reluctantly thanked Zheng Dafeng.


    After that, Zheng Dafeng brought out tworge dishes of salted peanuts and beef jerky for himself.


    Pei Qian looked at the sunflower seeds in her small dishes, then looked at the feast that Zheng Dafeng hadid out for himself. Even his dishes wererger than hers was!


    Pei Qian gave him a thumbs-up as she praised in a facetious manner, "What a generous and hospitable host you are!"


    "It''s alright, you don''t have to thank me," Zheng Dafeng replied with a wide grin.


    Pei Qian sat down onto her stool in a huff to eat her sunflower seeds in a disgruntled fashion.


    Chen Ping''an set his Sword Nurturing Gourd down onto the table and asked, "Are you able to drink?"


    Zheng Dafeng was chewing on some peanuts as he shook his head and replied, "I''m afraid not. Drinking is strictly off limits for me in the near future."


    "In six days, during the Major Cold sr term, Zheng Dafeng and Fu Qi will engage in a battle to the death on the Fu n''s, Dragon Scaling tform," the yin soul with the Zhao surname said. "Only one of the two will be able to leave the Dragon Scaling tform alive on that day.


    ��If Zheng Dafeng dies, then all we''ll have to do is gather his body, and we won''t be in any danger. After killing a ninth tier martial artist, the Fu n will have already won back its lost honor, and it won''t be so petty as to insist on targeting the Dust Medicinal Shop."


    A wry smile then appeared on the yin soul''s face as he continued, "Of course, I can''t just stand by and watch Zheng Dafeng die on the Dragon Scaling tform. If he dies, then I won''t even be able to continue existing as a yin soul, let alone protect my descendants.


    ��Hence, even if the Dragon Scaling tform is rife with restrictions on the day, I''ll still have to venture into the fray, but if I''m forced to do that, then it means that all is already lost, and I''ll only be slightly dying Zheng Dafeng inevitable death.


    ��If you decide to enter the battle as well, then everything will descend intoplete chaos. Setting aside all of the Golden Core and Nascent Tier cultivators, even all of the Middle Five Tier cultivators from all of the city''s five major ns aside from the Fan n will most likely throw their hats into the ring as well."


    "I''m already aware of that. That would be the worst possible oue. What''s the best possible oue?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The yin soul was rather taken aback. It seemed that Chen Ping''an had changed a lot over the course of his trip to Stctite Mountain and back. However, as a yin soul, his facial features were quite blurry, so the surprise on his face wasn''t very noticeable.


    The yin soul continued, "After defeating Chu Yang, Zheng Dafeng fought against a Nascent Tier Fu n ancestor wielding a pseudo-celestial tool. Having been in Old Dragon City for so long, the Fu n has transformed its manor into a small world much like an academy or a Daoist temple. Hence, that battle was a very arduous one for Zheng Dafeng."


    "I was just holding back," Zheng Dafeng scoffed. "My target from the very beginning was always to beat the crap out of Fu Qi. If I hadn''t intentionally suppressed my own cultivation base, I would''ve stomped that old fart into the ground and spat on his face."


    Chen Ping''an was rather skeptical, but the yin god smiled and corroborated, "Zheng Dafeng''s telling the truth, he really was holding back because he didn''t want to reveal his true cultivation base too soon."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response. This did seem like something that Zheng Dafeng would do.


    If Li Er had been in his ce, there was no way that he would''ve done the same thing.


    Back in Jewel Small World, Zheng Dafeng was actually probably the most learned individual with the exceptions of Mr. Qi, Old Man Yang, and Li Xisheng. The more one knew, the greater the heights that one would strive to reach. Due to this burden of knowledge, his fist intent turned out to be not as pure as Li Er''s.


    After all, desire often narrowed one''s field of view, and that was why it had been so difficult for Zheng Dafeng to make his ninth tier breakthrough, to the point that Chen Ping''an and that Chapter of Sincerity had to serve as his Dao mentors.


    "In that case, who was it that hurt him so badly? Was it the direct disciple of Parasol Leaf Sect who married into the Ding n? Why did a battle break out between them in the first ce?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Zheng Dafeng''s expression darkened slightly as he bit down viciously onto a piece of beef jerky, while the yin soul smiled and replied, "He came to the Dust Medicinal Shop out of the blue and gave a long-winded spiel from the get-go. In summary, his name is Du Yan, and he''s the eldest grandson of Parasol Leaf Sect''s patriarch.


    ��Apparently, he once came to Old Dragon City under the guise of a false identity, and at the time, the ancestors of that young man from the Fang n served asckies for him. That young man is the only male nsman of his generation, so he wanted Zheng Dafeng to do him a favor and spare the lineage of the Fang n. As long as Zheng Dafeng was willing to do so, he promised that Parasol Leaf Sect would side with the Dust Medicinal Shop."


    The yin soul took a nce at Zheng Dafeng, who had been sneaking furtive nces at Chen Ping''an''s Sword Nurturing Gourd this entire time, and a cold sneer appeared on his face as he scoffed, "He''s only a ninth tier martial artist, yet he thinks he''s invincible.


    ��He knew that there was an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator with Du Yan at the time, yet he openly insulted him to his face, saying that it was pathetic that an Upper Five Tiers cultivator like him was willing to serve as apdog for someone else. How do you feel now, Zheng Dafeng?


    ��Do you want to drink some wine? If you do, then go ahead, you''re invincible anyway, right? So what if Fu Qi is a Nascent Tier cultivator wielding at least one celestial tool while also enhanced by the Dragon Scaling tform? You''ll still knock him down with just a single punch!"


    Zheng Dafeng rolled his eyes and rested a foot on a bench as he shrugged in a nonchnt manner. However, not being able to drink wine really was rather torturous for him. What was even more frustrating was that he had already told Chen Ping''an that he wasn''t going to drink, and Chen Ping''an wasn''t drinking himself, but for some reason, he had set the Sword Nurturing Gourd down onto the table and even removed the stopper for some reason!


    "By the way, Fan Er told me that Zheng Dafeng visited the Fang n and said something to that young man. What did you say?" Chen Ping''an asked with a curious expression.


    Zheng Dafeng tossed away the peanut shells in his hand, then replied with a cold expression, "I told him that I''m going to make him regret ever being born. Old Man Zhao knows some forbidden techniques that''ll ensure that he suffers for the rest of his life."


    Only now did Chen Ping''an turn around to face Wei Xian and the others as he smiled and said, "I forgot to introduce everyone. This is Zheng Dafeng, and hees from the same hometown as me. He''s a ninth tier martial artist, and he was the gatekeeper of our town. Back then, he offered me a paying job, so I''m grateful to him."


    Zheng Dafeng cupped his fist in a salute toward Wei Xian and the others.


    "The former owner of my flying sword, Fifteenth, is his master. Over the past few decades, his master has only taken on two disciples. Zheng Dafeng is now at the ninth tier, while his senior brother has already reached the tenth tier, and he did so with extreme ease, it was really about as routine as eating and drinking for him," Chen Ping''an continued.


    Pei Qian''s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. This cultivation method suited her perfectly! If she could be a tenth tier martial artist just by eating and drinking, then she would never have to read or make transcriptions again! If she could sneak in a few sips of wine here and there on top of that... Just the mere thought was getting her excited!


    After directing some mockery at Zheng Dafeng, the yin soul continued, "The best possible oue would be if Zheng Dafeng managed to defeat Fu Qi. If that were to happen, then we would have to consider how we''re going to take Zheng Dafeng and return here alive. The journey from the Dragon Scaling tform back to the Dust Medicinal Shop will undoubtedly be an extremely perilous one, but who knows?


    ��Maybe the heavens will smile down upon us. Looking at the current state of affairs, the Cloud Forest Jiang n poses the biggest threat to us, but at the same time, the resounding reputation of the Cloud Forest Jiang n provides us with a slim chance at survival. If Zheng Dafeng were to survive and return from the Dragon Scaling tform, then no one would dare to step in and stand up for the Cloud Forest Jiang n or the Fu n.


    ��Even the Fu n wouldn''t dare to revoke the agreement and continue toe after Zheng Dafeng. As for whether they''ll make a move in private, if they do, then it''ll most likely be on the way back from the Dragon Scaling tform."


    The yin soul paused here momentarily, then asked, "Is that woman really not willing to intervene?"


    The person that he was referring to was the main reason why Zheng Dafeng had decided to leave Jewel Small World ande to Old Dragon City.


    Zheng Dafeng pursed his lips as he scoffed, "She already made her stance clear before I went to the Fang n. At the very most, she''s only going to ensure that the Fan n won''t screw me over, and that the Fu n won''t be able to wield the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City. As for everything else, she said that if I have a death wish, then she''ll dly watch me die."


    These were not Fan Junmao''s exact words. At the time, what she had actually said to him was: "You''re always growing older, but seemingly never any wiser. You''re still just as useless as ever, so you deserve to be nailed to a pir again."


    Of course, Zheng Dafeng wasn''t going to ry these exact words to Chen Ping''an as it would be far too embarrassing for him.


    Even the yin soul with the Zhao surname wasn''t able to eavesdrop on this conversation. Fan Junmao''s rapid cultivation base progression had always been extremely strange, there was clearly far more to her than met the eye.


    Aside from Fu Qi, everyone in Old Dragon City was utterly perplexed by why the Fan n had decided to go against all conventional wisdom and refuse to submit to the Fu n.


    In the Fan n, there was someone who had more authority than Fan Er''s father. In fact, their authority even outweighed the collective voices of everyone in the Fan n''s ancestral hall, and that person was not some hidden Nascent Tier ancestor.


    Well, at the Nascent Tier they were, but certainly not an ancestor of the n; and that person was none other than Fan Er''s half-sister, Fan Junmao. However, on this asion, she hadn''t chosen to side with Zheng Dafeng. Instead, she had told him that she was only going to act as a neutral bystander, even if it meant watching Zheng Dafeng die.


    Zheng Dafeng knew that she wasn''t joking around.


    The yin soul then gave Chen Ping''an an introduction of all of the Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier earth immortals of all of the five major ns outside of the Fan ns, as well as the notable mystical abilities and artifacts of those ns.


    Compared with what Fan Er had told him in the carriage, the yin soul only listed three additional people, and none of them were at the Nascent Tier, so this was great news.


    "I can secure a geomancy map of Old Dragon City and the Dragon Scaling tform by tonight," the yin soul offered, and Chen Ping''an naturally wasn''t going to refuse.


    The yin soul then took a nce at Zheng Dafeng, and he suddenly erupted into a furious tirade.


    "Goddamn it, why couldn''t I have been assigned with the task of protecting Chen Ping''an instead? I wouldn''t have to constantly wipe his ass for him, and even if I do wind up in a battle because of him, at least it''ll be one where I can really go all out and not have to think too much, instead of having to hatch one plot after another for what''s basically a hopeless cause!"


    Zheng Dafeng took a nce at him out of the corner of his eye as he scoffed, "Have you forgotten all of thefortable days that you were able to spend with me?"


    The yin soul harrumphed cold in response.


    "Are there any Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators lurking behind the scenes? If so, how many?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "How many Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators do you think there are on our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? Let me count them off for you," Zheng Dafeng chuckled. "Ruan Qiong of our Jewel Small World is one. The Song n is a powerful force, is it not? It''s conquered close to half of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but they still worship that old swordsmith like a Bodhisattva, do they not?


    ��The old ancestor of Great Sui Nation''s Gao n is another one. He likes to go around parading as a storyteller, and even he didn''t dare to take a punch from my senior brother. There''s also Wei Jin of Wind Snow Temple, but he''s a prodigy that onlyes around once in a thousand years, perhaps even longer.


    ��There''s definitely one on True Martial Mountain, but he never likes to show himself. The leader of Divine Edict Sect only recently reached the Immortal Tier and attained the Heavenly Lord title. The mountain master of Lake View Academy may not even be at the Upper Five Tiers yet. So there you have it, how many Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators are there?


    ��Of course, there are also people like Heavenly Lord Xie Shi of Northern Complete Reed Continent, Sword Immortal Cao Xi of Southern Whirl Continent, and the Mohist wandering hero, Xu Ruo, but they don''t count as cultivators of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent."


    "Why do Heavenly Lord Xie Shi and Sword Immortal Cao Xi not count?" Chen Ping''an asked. "Both of them came out of our Jewel Small World, and they may have made their reputations on other continents, but they still share the same hometown as us. In particr, Cao Xi''s ancestral residence is also on y Vase Alley, and I ran into him therest time.


    ��I have to say, he''s not a great guy. He tampered with the door gods at my house, but thankfully, Li Baoping''s brother saw through what he did and made things right again."


    Zheng Dafeng couldn''t argue with this, so he could only chew on some jerky in silence.


    Wei Xian and the others had been trying to remainposed this entire time, but they were really struggling to maintain theirposure at this point.


    Just how ridiculous a ce was this "hometown" of Chen Ping''an''s?


    What kind of fucking town had a gatekeeper who was a ninth tier martial artist, who, in turn, had a tenth tier martial artist as his senior brother? And it was also home to a sword immortal and a Daoist Heavenly Lord? Was there any ordinary person in that town?!


    Having just been rebuked by Chen Ping''an, Zheng Dafeng wanted to redeem himself, and he asked, "Alright, but how many tenth tier martial artists are there on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? There are only two, right? Li Er and Song Changjing. I''m going to be next, right? Surely your fist technique instructor isn''t also a tenth tier martial artist!"


    Chen Ping''an hesitated momentarily, then said in a truthful fashion, "Honestly, I think he is."


    Zheng Dafeng rubbed a hand over his own face, then yelled in indignation, "Well, I almost progressed straight to the tenth tier from the pinnacle of the eighth tier! How about that? Has anyone ever done that before?"


    "Then how about you progress to the tenth tier right here for me? We''d have nothing to worry about then," Chen Ping''an chuckled. "I wouldn''t even have to go to the Dragon Scaling tform then. I''ll just stay in the Dust Medicinal Shop and cook up a big celebratory feast for you, how about that?"


    Zheng Dafeng had no response to this.


    If it were so easy to reach the tenth tier, then why would Li Er have left Jewel Small World?


    For pure martial artists, the difference between the ninth and tenth tiers was rather simr to that between the twelfth and thirteenth tiers for swordsmen.


    As for the eleventh tier for martial artists and fourteenth tier for swordsmen, those tiers were only really ever seen in legends.


    Those two bottlenecks were even more diabolical than that of the fifth and sixth tiers and the tenth and eleventh tiers for Qi refiners.


    Zheng Dafeng was an extremely ambitious man, but even he didn''t dare to aim for the Martial God Tier.


    The yin soul with the Zhao surname was feeling very pleased. It seemed like Chen Ping''an knew exactly how to push Zheng Dafeng''s buttons.


    Chen Ping''an turned to the yin soul and asked, "Is there something special about this Dust Medicinal Shop?"


    "Of course," the yin soul replied with a smile. "The divine lord instructed me to choose this ce for a reason. Once the formation is activated, my cultivation base can be elevated to the Unpolished Jade Tier here."


    "Even then, it''s only a way for you to elevate your own cultivation base at the cost of good karma, and you won''t be able to keep it up for long," Zheng Dafeng sighed.


    "Do you really think I haven''t been doing anything useful this entire time that we''ve been in Old Dragon City?" the yin soul scoffed. "All you''ve been doing is sunbathing all day and waiting for celestial maidens to fly over your head, but I''ve actually been applying my time effectively. If we can make it through this month, then perhaps things will take a turn for the better."


    "I see."


    "Alright, let''s tally up the people that we have on our side then," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    Zheng Dafeng popped a handful of salted peanuts into his own mouth, then asked, "Who are you referring to? Are we not already all in this room?"


    Pei Qian pointed at herself with a joyful smile as she asked, "I count as well? But I still haven''t mastered my unrivaled swordsmanship yet."


    It was a rare moment of self-awareness from Pei Qian.


    "I disagree, Heroine Pei. You are actually the backbone of our group, so do not look down on yourself!" Zheng Dafeng said in a serious voice.


    Pei Qian dly epted thepliment, and she pushed her empty dish at Zheng Dafeng as she demanded, "Get me some more sunflower seeds."

 Chapter 363: (1): Who Can Lend Me a Sword

    Chapter 363: (1): Who Can Lend Me a Sword


    The Dust Medicinal Shop had returned to its former lively and bustling state.


    After an hour of sparring, Zheng Dafeng allowed Wei Xian and the others some time to rest. After that, the sparring sessions continued in a periodic fashion, and Zheng Dafeng kept his own cultivation base restricted to the eighth tier the entire time, but was slowly elevating it over time, from the earliest initial-Far Roaming Tier gradually to the peak-Far Roaming Tier.


    The teamwork disyed by Wei Xian and the others was bing more and more exemry over time, thereby cing more and more pressure on Zheng Dafeng. This entire time, the four of them hadn''te together to speak even once. Even during the breaks that they were afforded, all of them stood apart from one another, silently absorbed in their own thoughts.


    After having dinner andpleting her transcriptions for the day, Pei Qian picked up her hiking pole, then began practicing her self-invented Deranged Demon Sword Techniques in the courtyard. After that, she went back to her room to sleep, feeling very satisfied with herself.


    Before going to bed, she called out to Chen Ping''an to let him know that she was retiring for the night, then opened the green bamboo bookcase that Chen Ping''an had ced in her room. From there, she brought out the treasure box gifted to her by Yao Jinzhi and began going through the things inside, while the Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman that now truly belonged to her was stered to her head.


    Right as she was bobbing her head from side to side with a gleeful expression, a hint of mncholy suddenly appeared on her face. She knew that if she were to sell this talisman, then she would be able to afford a big house, but at the same time, she couldn''t bear to part with the talisman. However, she quickly brushed off those worries.


    At the moment, she wasn''t wanting for food or shelter, so it didn''t make much of a difference whether she had a house or not. Having said that, she had already made up her mind that she was definitely going to buy a house in the future that was at least as big as Green Roving Residence.


    On top of that, she had to have a strange spirit wall as well to ensure that all of her visitors immediately realized just how wealthy she was.


    That same night, the yin soul with the Zhao surname returned with a series of geomancy maps. No one knew where he had sourced these maps from, but it hardly mattered. The maps were ced on the table in the main hall in an orderly fashion, and under the light of themp, Lu Baixiang asked Zheng Dafeng for a thin-tipped brush, then began making markings and annotations on the maps as if he were a general directing an army. He marked out all of the important locations of the five major ns, as well as where all of their guest elders and Great Immortal earth immortals were distributed. After that, he drew a straight line between the Dragon Scaling tform and the Dust Medicinal Shop.


    Wei Xian was also present, but Zhu Lian and Sui Youbian remained uninvolved. The former was reading a book outside under the moonlight, while thetter was standing out in the yard, refining the True Qi in her acupoints.


    As for Zheng Dafeng, he had already gone to sleep, and his snores were like thunder. It was agreed that the sparring sessions would resume in four hours.


    These sparring sessions could hone and further elevate the cultivation bases of Wei Xian and the others, while also ensuring that they would be able to absorb the Green Goat Pce pills that they had taken as quickly as possible, so overall, it was a very good deal for Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an remained standing by the table the entire time, watching Lu Baixiang, Wei Xian, and the yin god make annotations on the geomancy maps. He didn''t have to contribute much, only having to make decisions when the three people doing the actual work were unable to reach a consensus, so it was a very easy job.


    The journey that Chen Ping''an had taken down the long river of time in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was a very extensive one; in other words, it had allowed him to experience the passage of a lengthy period of time.


    Even so, Chen Ping''an only dared to say that he knew a little about the ways of the world.


    When it came to things like strategic nning, Chen Ping''an refrained from voicing his opinions as much as possible, mostly leaving it to the experts. Wei Xian was a seasoned veteran who had spent almost his entire life on the battlefield, while Lu Baixiang was an exceptionally talented jack of all trades.


    Not only was he an expert in strategy and tactics, he was also extremely well-versed in the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.


    As the founding father of a demonic orthodoxy, perhaps the only w that he had was that he had only just arrived in Majestic World and still hadn''t reached the summit of this world yet.


    The higher one made their way up the mountain, the fewer and fewer people they''d encounter. If they were to take the wrong route and reach the end of a path that led to nowhere, then all they would be able to do was watch as others continued to scale up the mountain and pass them by.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an was able to understand Sui Youbian''s fury when she discovered that her potential ceiling had been lowered from the Martial God Tier to the ninth tier. Of course, that didn''t mean he approved of her tantrum.


    Zheng Dafeng made it seem like it wasn''t a big deal that he was a ninth-tier martial artist, but that shouldn''t be a reason for anyone to think that ninth-tier martial artists were as cheap andmon as cabbage sold in street side stalls.


    Zheng Dafeng was a direct disciple of Old Man Yang and the gatekeeper of Jewel Small World, yet he had still almost been driven to the point of Qi deviation while making his breakthrough to the ninth tier.


    Sui Youbian was extremely fortunate to have been able to make a breakthrough to the Vajra Body Tier following the battle at the rundown temple, yet she still only had eyes for the scenery at the very peak. Her excessive ambition and constant dissatisfaction with what she already had went against the age-old principle for pure martial artists of taking one solid step at a time.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t think that the principles that he espoused would truly be able to get through to Sui Youbian, but that didn''t matter to him. Deep Infatuation belonged to him, as did the pills from Green Goat Pce, so he had the right to decide whether to give those things to her, and if so, when.


    No one owed her anything, and she''d do well to understand that.


    Under the light of themp, a main path had already been narrowed down on the geomancy maps, and there were fewer and fewer arguments taking ce, so Chen Ping''an took this as an opportunity to go outside from some fresh air.


    After making his way out into the yard, he sat down on the bench across from the main hall.


    Theyout of the Dust Medicinal Shop was very simr to that of the Yang Family''s medicinal shop. Whenever Chen Ping''an saw the long bench, he would think of the storyteller who had once visited Old Man Yang. At the time, the old storyteller had sat at roughly the same spot.


    When it came to the injustices of the world, everyone saw things through different lenses.


    If the likes of Gao Shizhen and Liu Cong had been in Chen Ping''an''s ce, they wouldn''t feel as if they were witnessing an injustice at all, and all they would do would be to passively observe. Perhaps they would even find an opportunity to step in and see if they could take advantage of the situation for their own benefit.


    If Jiang Shangzhen had been in Chen Ping''an''s ce, he most likely wouldn''t even regard this as something that was worthy of his attention, and that allowing himself to be distracted by something like this would only be of detriment to his cultivation.


    Even though Chen Ping''an was forced to expend many treasures during the battle at the rundown temple, thereby incurring a massive loss, he didn''t harbor much resentment over the incident. Of course, that didn''t mean that he would hold back against his assants, particrly when his life was on the line.


    However, even now, Jiang Shangzhen perhaps still couldn''t understand why Chen Ping''an intended to kill Zhou Shi and Ya''er back in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. And even Zheng Dafeng most likely didn''t understand why Chen Ping''an insisted on getting involved in the mess in Old Dragon City.


    The reasons for Chen Ping''an''s actions were actually very simple. If this had been a fair and open conflict, with both sides going at each other in a straightforward fashion without hatching any sinister plots, then Chen Ping''an would be able to ept the oue, no matter who lived and who died.


    However, Cao Qinng''s parents werepletely innocent, yet they had been in in cold blood by Zhou Shi and Ya''er, and the same applied to the girl who had died at the hands of the young man from the Fang n.


    Regardless of how Ding Ying and the Fang n tried to justify their actions and make it seem like this was nothing more than insignificant coteral damage, it was impossible to convince Chen Ping''an that these three innocent souls deserved the terrible fates that they had suffered.


    While drinking with Li Er, Qi Jingchun said that a true hero is one who possesses the courage to challenge those stronger than them.


    Of course, Chen Ping''an was unaware of this. But what he <em>did</em> know was that prior to A''Liang''s ascension, he had dered that the freedom of a powerful individual draws its boundary at the freedom of a weak individual.


    Life was filled with unpredictable twists and turns, and there were no two identical leaves in the world, but some principles were interconnected.


    Back at the Flying Eagle Fortress, Lu Tai had said to the poor woman who had birthed the ghost infant: <em>"The world is very uninteresting; you shouldn''t havee."</em>


    After pondering these words for some time, Chen Ping''an decided that it was not the world that was uninteresting. Instead, the problem was that there were too many unreasonable people in the world.


    Whenever kind and good people have their interests harmed by others, all they can do is console themselves by saying they had learned a valuable lesson. In contrast, evil-doers are often able to get away with their heinous actions, and it seems that the karma often touted simply doesn''t exist.


    While Chen Ping''an was seated on the bench outside, some of the finer details were still being discussed in the room. The yin soul with the Zhao surname was familiar with all of the powers that be in Old Dragon City, so Wei Xian and Lu Baixiang had formed one camp, while the yin soul''s role was to oppose them.


    The yin soul ced himself in the shoes of the Fu n, employing different methods to target the Dust Medicinal Shop, while Wei Xian and Lu Baixiang were responsible foring up with counter strategies.


    All the while, Zhu Lian was sitting under the eaves, reading through one of his cherished "romance" novels. It was a new book that he had only purchased recently, yet he had already read through it so many times that it looked like well-used volume in a public library. At this moment, he was muttering to himself about how the book was exceptional value for money.


    As it turned out, the book itself wasn''t all that great, but on its final page was a list of other titles of the same genre, and next to each title was a brief two to three sentence appraisal from the author.


    As Zhu Lian closed the book, he couldn''t help but sigh to himself, "What a great man. I pray that the heavens smile down upon him."


    He then turned to Chen Ping''an with a sheepish smile as he said, "My apologies, Young Master, I''ll try to exercise more restraint from now on."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he waved a dismissive hand, then reminded Zhu Lian, "Make sure to keep that a secret."


    A guilt-ridden look appeared on Zhu Lian''s face as he replied, "My inability to offer you any assistance has been constantly weighing on my conscience these past few days, so I''m certainly not going to tell anyone about that."


    Chen Ping''an offered no response.


    Back on Green Goat Pce louchuan, Chen Ping''an was considering sending a letter to the Stork Inn on Stctite Mountain. From there, he would request the shopkeeper to give the letter to the sword-hugging middle-aged man to see if he could pass the letter onto Ning Yao. However, whenever he tried to push brush to paper, he found himself at aplete loss for what to write. In the end, he had no choice but to turn to Zhu Lian for assistance.


    He had thought that Zhu Lian was simply a misunderstood romantic with rather interesting tastes in the literature that he liked to consume, but to his dismay, he discovered that Sui Youbian''s appraisal of Zhu Lian was perfectly urate: he was nothing more than an old pervert.


    The suggestions that he provided either raised goosebumps all over Chen Ping''an''s body, or had him sweating profusely, so he naturally didn''t dare to put those suggestions to use.


    Inside the courtyard, Sui Youbian drew her sword before flicking its de with her finger while listening to the ringing sound that the sword made.


    In an extremely rare disy, a hint of a smile appeared on her face.


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he said, "There you go, Sui Youbian. Isn''t it good to smile every once in a while? Why the long face all the time? If the opportunity arises in the future, I''ll introduce some sword immortals to you."


    Sui Youbian sheathed her sword, then turned to Chen Ping''an with a cold sneer as she scoffed, "Showing your true colors already, huh? Would you like me to warm your bed for you tonight?"


    Chen Ping''an chuckled. "Nope, I don''t dare."


    Zhu Lian smiled as he said, "What a true gentleman you are, Young Master. I bet countless men would''ve been scrambling over one another to ept that offer from her just now."


    A sense of foreboding instantly welled up in Chen Ping''an''s heart upon hearing Zhu Lian''s terrible attempt at ttery, and sure enough, a look of cold killing intent immediately appeared on Sui Youbian''s face, and she was most likely deciding between which one of the two she wanted to cut down first.


    Chen Ping''an and Zhu Lian immediately fled the scene, with the former rushing into the medicinal shop, while thetter scurried back into his room.


    Sui Youbian gave a cold harrumph before also returning to her room. At this point, Pei Qian was already sound asleep. Having been alone for most of her life with no one to look after her, Pei Qian had constantly been sleeping either on the ground or on top of the stone lions outside the manors of wealthy ns, so her sleeping posture was horrendous, and her arms and legs were all over the ce, letting out all of the warm air under her nkets.


    Sui Youbian''s brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and she quietly strode over to the bed, then gently tucked Pei Qian''s arms and legs back under her nkets.


    After that, she lit themp on the table in the room before sitting down in silence with only her sword forpany.


    Chen Ping''an was sleeping on the ground in the medicinal shop, but he was really only half-asleep throughout the night.


    Zheng Dafeng continued to periodically spar with Wei Xian and the others in the courtyard, and Chen Ping''an''s eyes were closed as he listened to the sound of Zheng Dafeng''s fist intent, which reverberated deep within his heart.


    An uneventful night passed by.


    With the imminent battle fast approaching, the Fu n wasn''t so shameless that it would send people to harass Zheng Dafeng, even if there was someone with sufficient power to force their way into the shop.


    At the moment, the dignity of the Fu n virtually equated to the dignity of the Cloud Forest Jiang n, so the Fu n naturally wasn''t going to do anything to disgrace itself. Otherwise, Fu Qi wouldn''t have personally issued that challenge to Zheng Dafeng.


    At the moment, the main topic being discussed in the room was exactly how many celestial tools Fu Qi was able to wield.


    It was already extremely strange that members of the Fu n were able to wield pseudo-celestial tools starting from only the Golden Core Tier when such weapons were notoriously difficult to use and prone to causing bacsh. However, over time, the outside world simply grew ustomed to this and no longer questioned it.


    Chen Ping''an woke up very early in the morning.


    Zheng Dafeng was eating a bowl of congee while squatting at the entrance of the main hall, while Pei Qian was also squatting next to him, saying something to him in hushed tones. It seemed that they were getting along very well.


    Lu Baixiang was ying his guqin inside his room, producing beautiful music that evoked imagery of tall mountains and flowing waterfalls.


    Wei Xian was practicing the six step walking meditation that he had secretly learned from Chen Ping''an, and Sui Youbian was also practicing Chen Ping''an''s standing meditation.


    Zhu Lian was much kinder to Chen Ping''an than the rest; he brought arge bowl of congee, which he imed to have cooked himself. Chen Ping''an sat down on the long bench and drank the congee as the sky continued to brighten, feeling reinvigorated and refreshed.


    After that, he made his way to the front of the Dust Medicinal Shop and opened its doors. As for whether there were any customers this early in the morning... as it turned out, there actually were.


    After opening the door, Chen Ping''an began practicing his walking meditation, going to the entrance of the alley before doubling back, and on the third repetition, two figures made their way into his line of sight.


    One of them was a familiar figure that Chen Ping''an wasn''t surprised to see, but he was apanied by a not-so-familiar figure that Chen Ping''an definitely wasn''t expecting to see.


    The familiar figure was Fan Er, and he was apanied by a green-robed young woman. Back in the underground dragon channel, the ships that she and Chen Ping''an had been on had passed by each other, granting them a fleeting glimpse of each other, and she had teased him for trying to drink wine out of his Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    Upon spotting Chen Ping''an from afar, Fan Er yelled, "Chen Ping''an, do you dare to fight me now that I''m at the fourth tier?"


    "Nope," Chen Ping''an replied with a shake of his head.


    "You and I are both fourth-tier masters now, if we do not have a battle for the ages, that would be a travesty for the entire world!"


    Fan Er began to yell menacingly as he began iling his fists around in an erratic fashion while charging straight at Chen Ping''an, who pped a hand to his own forehead in exasperation, but could only y along, slowly advancing using his walking meditation technique to engage Fan Er in this "battle for the ages."


    Thankfully, Fan Er had only taken a few steps when he was grabbed by the cor by Fan Junmao before being tossed behind her as she scolded, "Don''t make a fool out of yourself here! If you want to fool around, then go to the Dragon Scaling tform."


    Fan Er walked along obediently behind her while making faces at Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an stopped in his tracks as he asked, "Are you Fan Er''s sister, Fan Junmao?"


    Fan Junmao also had a wine gourd strapped to her waist, and she continued walking forward as she replied with a cold sneer, "I''d rather not have a brother like him, but I can''t stop my father from being intimate with this boy''s mother."


    Fan Er was still grinning from ear to ear,pletely unbothered to hear this.


    It urred to Chen Ping''an that only with a personality like this could Fan Junmao trulymand respect from someone like Fan Er. If she were your average elegant and quiet young mistress, then Fan Er would undoubtedly still be fond of her, but he wouldn''t respect and admire her from the bottom of his heart.


    Fan Junmao had no intention of walking into the medicinal shop, and she pointed a finger inside as shemanded, "Go and stay in there, Fan Er."


    Fan Er gave an affirmative response, then rushed into the medicinal shop, and as he passed by Chen Ping''an, he sighed in amenting voice, "I pray for your safety."


    All of a sudden, a sh of recognition appeared in Chen Ping''an''s eyes, and he eximed, "Young Mistress Fan, were you the one who..."


    Before he had a chance to finish, Fan Junmao nodded in confirmation and cut him off as she confirmed, "That''s right, that was me that you saw back then. Thest time we met, you were traveling southward, while I was traveling northward to your hometown in Jewel Small World to meet Old Man Yang.


    ��He doesn''t care much for Zheng Dafeng and sent him to Old Dragon City to fend for himself. In contrast, he made special mention of you, telling me that I coulde and take a look at you if I was interested."


    Regarding Old Man Yang''s attitude toward Zheng Dafeng, that was something thetter had already revealed to Chen Ping''an the previous night. Zheng Dafeng explicitly told him that Old Man Yang had warned him not to tell anyone that he was his disciple. Even if he died, he was to take that secret with him to the grave.


    That was why Fu Nanhua was under the impression that Zheng Dafeng was nothing more than the gatekeeper of Jewel Small World.

 Chapter 364: (1): Irresolvable Conundrum

    Chapter 364: (1): Irresolvable Conundrum


    With the arrival of the Major Cold sr term came howling winds that swept incessantly over the Dragon Scaling tform, and at this moment, several horse-drawn carriages were parked outside the alley in front of the Dust Medicinal Shop.


    Under the orders of the Fu n, the entire city had been ced under lockdown. Not only were itinerant cultivators and regr citizens of the city not permitted to spectate the battle on the Dragon Scaling tform, anyone outside of the six major ns was also forbidden from loitering on the city streets.


    Of course, some wealthy and powerful figures in the city could secure exemptions through their connections to the six major ns, thereby allowing them to ess the Dragon Scaling tform and the inner city without any problems.


    There were naturally widespread objections to these unreasonable arrangements, but the Fu n was too dominant a force in the city to be opposed, and it had already informed all of the powerful ns outside of the six major ns of its intentions in advance, so there were no significant mishaps.


    asionally, a dissenter would emerge to try and cause some trouble, only to be instantly suppressed before they could make any real impact.


    These were normally people from wealthy and powerful ns who felt that they were deserving of privileges above themon folk, and after being forced back to their manors by cultivators of the Fu n, all of them were immediately showered with torrents of abuse from the seniors of their ns, scolding them for almost bringing disaster upon themselves and their ns.


    At the Dust Medicinal Shop, everyone enjoyed a meal of congee courtesy of Zhu Lian, then set off for the Dragon Scaling tform.


    Zheng Dafeng led the way out of the shop, and he took a few puffs out of his pipe at the entrance, not looking nervous at all. However, in contrast with his usual messy and unkempt appearance, he had changed into a slightly old, yet still very clean azure robe.


    Zhu Lian and Pei Qian cleared the table, while Sui Youbian was standing under the eaves of the shop, dressed in pristine white with Deep Infatuation on her back, and she resembled a stunning goddess as she stood under the eaves of the medicinal shop.Lu Baixiang was in his usual Confucian robe, but he wasn''t massaging go stones in his hand as he normally did, and strapped to his waist was Halting Snow.


    Out of everyone, Wei Xian was dressed in the most eye-catching attire. He asked Chen Ping''an if it was against thew to wear imperial dragon robes, to which Chen Ping''an had jokingly replied that he could even wear an empress dress if he so desired.


    Hence, Wei Xian put on the imperial robes that he had brought with him out of his picture scroll. It was the dragon robe of Southern Garden Nation''s founding emperor, and concealed upon one of its sleeves was the Militarian armor pellet, West Mountain.


    Zhu Lian made his way out of the kitchen while wiping his hands on his apron, looking much like a chef, while trailing along behind him was Pei Qian, who seemed to be in a rather bad mood on this day.


    As usual, Chen Ping''an was wearing his Golden Sweet Wine Dao robe and his jade hairpin, while his Sword Nurturing Gourd was strapped to his waist on one side, and his jade tablet on the other.


    The jade tablet was something that Chen Ping''an had taken out of an acupoint that had once been home to an extremely, extremely small wisp of sword qi. By Fan Junmao''s definition, it was something that had only undergone basic refinement, so it was still only something that he could look at but not use.


    Hence, it was more of a keepsake than anything else.


    To put it more urately, it was an object of one of Chen Ping''an''s very few fixations, which included avenging his parents, fulfilling his promise to Ning Yao to be a powerful sword immortal, his sixty-year agreement with the sword spirit, and earning the right to be heard by all four words someday.


    On this day, Chen Ping''an had changed into a pair of new boots, which had been brought to him in secret by Pei Qian. Pei Qian had gotten up even before first light to go to the medicinal shop, where Chen Ping''an was sleeping on the ground, carrying the pair of boots with her. Chen Ping''an asked her where she had gotten the boots from, to which she replied that she had purchased them using the silver that they had borrowed from Jiu Niang.


    She had used some of the silver to buy food in Fox Town, but most of it had been spent on this pair of boots, and she intended to give them to Chen Ping''an earlier, but Chen Ping''an hadter tried to chase her away and leave her in the inn on her own, so she had thrown a tantrum and buried the boots.


    After that, Chen Ping''an changed his mind and decided to take her with him to Mirage City, so she had snuck out at night to dig up the pair of boots again. At the time, Zhong Kui had been with her, and he had said something about a cenotaph.


    On the way from the Mirage City ferry station to the Clear Realm Mountain ferry station, then to Old Dragon City, she had constantly been afraid of this so-called cenotaph. She was worried that it would irk Chen Ping''an, and she was feeling a little guilty, so she hadn''t dared to bring out the boots until now.


    Chen Ping''an was clearly very pleased as he began putting on the boots, and even though he didn''t praise Pei Qian much, his feelings about the boots were clearly reflected in his eyes.


    Pei Qian was crouched down beside him as she asked, "Do they fit well?"


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    However, after Chen Ping''an put on the boots and jumped up and down in them a few times, he dered that Pei Qian was to stay with the yin soul at the Dust Medicinal Shop instead of apanying him to the Dragon Scaling tform, much to her dismay. He also told her that the yin soul was also going to leave the medicinal shop at some point, but she had nothing to fear as she would be safe as long as she didn''t leave the medicinal shop.


    Pei Qian was naturally not very happy with this arrangement. She had been diligently practicing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques every day for this asion, but she could tell that Chen Ping''an was very serious, so she could only hang her head and agree to stay in the shop.


    After that, Chen Ping''an turned to Zheng Dafeng with a smile as he asked, "So what''ll it be? Do we set off now?"


    Zheng Dafeng took a long draught from his pipe, then strapped it to his back to his waist as he stepped out of the shop and dered, "Let''s go!"


    With that, Chen Ping''an and the others set off from the Dust Medicinal Shop.


    From there, they got on the carriage sent over by the Fan n, but neither Fan Er nor Ma Zhi were there with the carriage. Earlier, Fan Er had paid another visit to the medicinal shop, and he and Chen Ping''an had spent some time drinking on the rooftop.


    Chen Ping''an had warned him not to appear near the medicinal shop on the day of the Major Cold sr term, and Fan Er said he was aware of how serious the situation was, and he assured Chen Ping''an that he wouldn''t be reckless.


    Pei Qian carried a little stool over to the entrance of the Dust Medicinal Shop, then sat down on it and wrapped her arms around her own knees.


    Her trusty hiking pole wasying on the ground beneath her feet, and she was gently rolling it back and forth under the soles of her shoes.


    Leaning against the door of the shop was an oil paper umbre. Chen Ping''an had instructed her to keep the oil-paper umbre close to her at all times, even if she were in the Dust Medicinal Shop.


    The yin soul with the Zhao surname still hadn''t set off yet, but all Zheng Dafeng had to do was snap his pipe, and the yin soul would be able to instantly appear by his side. If he were to show himself too early on the Dragon Scaling tform, then perhaps the Fu n would be able to work out certain countermeasures against him, so he was going to remain hidden for now.


    The battle that was set to take ce on the Dragon Scaling tform was truly a battle for the ages, and the only people who were going to be standing on the Dragon Scaling tform on this day were some of the powerful people in the entire city.


    "Are you worried about Chen Ping''an?" the yin soul asked as he turned to Pei Qian.


    Pei Qian shook her head in response.


    "My father''s so strong, nothing bad will happen to him."


    The yin soul smiled as he said, "He''s definitely a very strong man, albeit a little dumb. This clearly has nothing to do with him, yet he insists on getting involved for some reason."


    To the yin soul''s surprise, Pei Qian didn''t re up with rage. Instead, she murmured to herself, "My father''s not dumb, he''s just too kind for his own good. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be bringing me with him. All I do is waste his money. My father is so rich, yet he''s still extremely stingy. He never wastes money on anything, and if it were possible, he''d split a single copper coin into pieces to spend."


    The more she spoke, the more disheartened Pei Qian became, and she pulled out the yellow Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman out of her sleeve, then pped it onto her own forehead. After that, she raised her head and blew out of her mouth so that the talisman drifted up into the air in front of her face.


    There were three horse-drawn carriages traveling from the inner city to the outer city.


    Zheng Dafeng was seated in the front carriage, resting with his eyes closed. He was already doing everything in his power to suppress his own fist intent, but it was still showing signs of spilling out. Whenever the carriage hit a slight bump, a burst of fist intent would escape from his body, only to be immediately reined back in.


    Chen Ping''an wanted to travel in the same carriage with Zhu Lian, but thetter was beaten to the punch by Sui Youbian. Hence, Zhu Lian could only leave Chen Ping''an to her before getting into the same carriage with Wei Xian and Lu Baixiang.


    Inside the carriage, Chen Ping''an and Sui Youbian were seated across from one another, and thetter asked, "Did your opinion of Lu Baixian change because he was the first one to reveal the phrase that had been told to him? Do you dislike me because you detected the hint of killing intent that I disyed toward you back in the inn on the border?"


    Instead of answering her questions, Chen Ping''an raised one of his own: "The old Daoist priest assured me that the four of you would be absolutely loyal to me after emerging from your picture scrolls. Did he tamper with your mental states to ensure this?"


    He then answered his own question as he mused, "I don''t think that''s the case. Not only did you disy killing intent to me that one time, the four of you have always seemed like living, breathing people to me.


    ��As long as you''re human, there will always be fluctuations in your emotions, regardless of how much you temper your own mental state. No one can be certain that they won''t change over time. Hence, I''m very curious about how the old Daoist priest could be so confident in assuring me that none of you will turn on me."


    "Do you not trust him?" Sui Youbian asked.


    "I do trust him on this matter," Chen Ping''an replied.


    Sui Youbian stroked a hand over the scabbard of Deep Infatuation, which was sitting across herp, and she revealed, "Aside from the four unique phrases that were told to each of us, there''s actually one more phrase that all four of us were told. Actually, I''m not sure about Wei Xian, because he never chats with us in private, but at the very least, I know that Lu Baixiang, Zhu Lian and I are aware of it."


    "Can you tell me?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    A wry smile appeared on Sui Youbian''s face as she said, "I suppose it couldn''t hurt to tell you. We were told that the one who kills Chen Ping''an will be the only one who''s freed. Hence, if you had summoned me out of my picture scroll first, then I would''ve tried to kill you no matter what.


    ��As for why Wei Xian made no attempt on your life even though he was the first to be summoned, that''s something that''s beyond me. During the battle at the inn, you summoned the three of us as well, and from there, the four of us all kept an eye on each other, making sure none of us could im the only chance at freedom, thereby ensuring your safety."


    "But back in the temple on the mountain, Wei Xian personally told me that if I die, then all of you die. Doesn''t that contradict what you just told me?" Chen Ping''an asked as his brows furrowed slightly.


    Sui Youbian smiled as she replied, "In that case, either Wei Xian lied to you, or the master of our Lotus Flower Blessed Land had already predicted that you would summon Wei Xian first, so he intentionally refrained from telling Wei Xian that killing you would grant him his freedom. In any case, regardless of what''s going on with Wei Xian, at the very least, Lu Baixiang, Zhu Lian, and I won''t allow anyone among the three of us to kill you.


    ��If any of us dares to kill you in private, then that person will be hunted by the other two until one side has perished. None of us are willing to lose our chance at freedom. You''ve reached the pinnacle of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land before, so I''m sure you''re aware that freedom is not just some willy-nilly pursuit for people like us."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t make anyment on the concept of freedom raised by Sui Youbian. Instead, he merely sighed, "No wonder people always say that you can never outsmart the heavens. No matter how one tries to outsmart the heavens, they''ll always be one step behind.


    Sui Youbian smiled as she said, "Even if you manage to survive this ordeal, you''ll be incurring a massive loss. Is it worth it?"


    Due to how vast this world was and how far cultivators had distanced themselves from the mortal world, there were far too many people and things that weren''t worth it.


    Chen Ping''an offered no response, merely closing his eyes as he began practicing his standing meditation.


    The three carriages traveled out of the outer city en route to the Dragon Scaling tform, while Fu Qi began to scale the Dragon Scaling tform on his own.


    The Nascent Tier patriarch of the Fu n wasn''t present, but Fu Donghai, Fu Chunhua, Fu Nanhua, Chu Yang, and a collection of other Fu n guest elders were all standing at the foot of the Dragon Scaling tform.


    Chu Yang was standing with a cold look on his face. During his battle against Zheng Dafeng, he had sessfully made a breakthrough to the Nascent Tier, but he had made it clear to Fu Qi in advance that regardless of the oue of the battle about to take ce, he wasn''t going to involve himself any further in this mess.


    Last time, he had already made an exception by leaving his seaside thatched cottage to go to the Fu n to stop Zheng Dafeng, and that was already beyond what could''ve been reasonably asked of him as a guest elder. Fu Qi raised no objections to this, assuring Chu Yang that all he would have to do was stand by and watch, and that no one was going to disrupt his peaceful cultivation from here onward.


    Fu Donghai waspletely expressionless, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking or feeling.


    He had thought that by plotting against Zheng Dafeng while Fu Nanhua was getting all the attention and glory, he would be making a major contribution to the Fu n, and in doing so, he would be able to outshine Fu Nanhua and win some favor with Fu Qi.


    However, never did he think that this would be the oue. After he was severely injured by Zheng Dafengst time, Fu Qi didn''t even pay him a single visit, neither reprimanding him nor making any effort to console him. It was as if Fu Donghai was dead to him, and that was the most frustrating thing for him.


    Not only was Fu Qi the leader of the Fu n, he was also the lord of Old Dragon City, and whenever it came to dealing with the affairs of the n and the city, he had always been extremely easygoing.


    For example, he never went out of his way to bully the other major ns in the city into submission, and even the useless pieces of trash in the Fu n that were unable to cultivate were treated extremely well. However, this meant that whenever Fu Qi showed his cold and unforgiving side, even his children, like Fu Donghai and Fu Chunhua, couldn''t help but fear him.


    Fu Chunhua was watching with an absentminded look on her face as Fu Qi scaled the Dragon Scaling tform.


    She still recalled the time when her father had taken her to see Zheng Dafeng. The meeting hadn''t gone very well, but neither had it gone poorly. Essentially, all that was established was that they were people walking different paths that weren''t ever going to intersect, and it was decided that they were going to stay out of each other''s way.


    However, that tenuous equilibrium waspletely shattered by Fu Donghai''s little sinister plot. As a bystander to all of this, Fu Chunhua was able to assess the situation from a far more rational perspective, and she could tell that Fu Qi actually wasn''t angry at Fu Donghai for what he had done. Instead, he was a little d that things had turned out this way.


    He had already given up hope on Fu Donghai, but thetter had just inadvertently provided a catalyst to a sequence of events that Fu Qi had been trying to set into motion but didn''t know how. Essentially, Fu Donghai had given him a massive helping hand.


    Out of the three siblings, Fu Nanhua was the one that was more bored and disinterested in all of this.


    In his mind, there was no doubt that Zheng Dafeng was going to die on the Dragon Scaling tform.


    As for that woman from the Jiang n, while it was true that they were newlyweds, on their wedding day, there had been an open and candid discussion between the two,ying out the terms of their marriages, terms that Fu Nanhua deemed to be eptable. To his surprise and contrary to all of the rumors circting about her, the woman wasn''t hideous at all.


    Instead, her looks were at least on par with those of Jin Su from Osmanthus Ind, whom Fu Nanhua had once developed feelings for. However, Fu Nanhua had no intentions of being physically intimate with her as on their wedding night, the old maidservant from the Jiang n had been standing in the corner of their room, watching his every move like a hawk.


    The old maidservant was a seasoned Nascent Tier swordswoman, so Fu Nanhua naturally didn''t dare to step out of line at all.


    All he had done was take a nce at the woman from the Jiang n, his newlywed wife, and he was immediately given a cold re by the old maidservant. He didn''t dare to oppose her, so he was forced toply, and after that, he kept his distance from his wife and the old maidservant, only visiting them when it was absolutely necessary.


    To her credit, the woman stuck to her end of the agreement, even covering the costs of when Fu Nanhua went out drinking with his friends.


    Fu Nanhua felt this to be an exceptional arrangement, and he had to learn to be content with what he had.


    This marriage was always only meant to be an event that marked the alliance between the Fu  and Jiang n, and as long as he was willing to spend the money, he could still find a few women in Old Dragon City as beautiful as her.

 Chapter 365: (1): Sword Over Reason

    Chapter 365: (1): Sword Over Reason


    Beneath the sea of clouds, time hade to aplete standstill in the entire section of Old Dragon City west of the Dragon Scaling tform and north of the ferry station ind.


    In the instant that Fan Junmao caught sight of the pristine white figure descending from the heavens, a look of boundless yearning and reminiscence appeared on her face. In the end, she was so moved that she was brought to the point of tears.


    She rose to her feet and opened her mouth to speak, but didn''t know what to say, and in the end, she sat down onto the sea of clouds in the most formal and respectful posture possible, as if she were greeting someone who deserved the utmost respect and admiration.


    Over at the Dust Medicinal Shop, Pei Qian was holding her hiking pole while unleashing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques in the alley outside the shop,pletely oblivious to the changes that had taken ce in the environment around her, and the fact that the Zhao n yin soul had already fallenpletely still.


    There was a short old man from a wealthy n in the outer city, and he was just about to step out of his manor when his brows furrowed ever so slightly. After a brief hesitation, he withdrew his foot again, then stood on the spot in apletely still manner, with only his eyes darting around from side to side. Following a brief moment of contemtion, he released his yin soul from his body instead of physically leaving his manor.


    Over at the eastern gate of Old Dragon City, the face of the old maidservant from the Cloud Forest Jiang n was bright red with strain. Her bonded flying sword was buzzing and trembling in her acupoint, and only then was she just barely able to make out some blurry scenes unfolding before her.


    The patriarch of Parasol Leaf Sect was observing the hole in the city wall through narrowed eyes, and his Sword Devouring Ark was hovering peacefully by his side.


    Out of the hole that had been smashed into the city wall emerged a tall woman dressed in a pristine white robe with loose and free-flowing sleeves. She sat down onto a pile of loose rocks, and she was gently cradling a young man in her arms.


    The young man''s Golden Sweet Wine Dao robe had been virtuallypletely destroyed, and he had fallen unconscious from his severe injuries. The woman lowered her head and extended a finger to gently smooth out the young man''s tightly furrowed brow.Standing not far away from her was an old Confucian schr dressed in rather shabby robes. He pped a hand to his own forehead as heined, "How could you be so reckless? Do you know how hard I had to work to conceal your presence? Just how much of amotion do you want to cause?


    ��If it wasn''t for the fact that the Tassel Mountain God did me a huge favor and allowed me to jump straight to the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the entire world would already be aware of your arrival right now! How is Chen Ping''an supposed to continue cultivating in peace if that happens?"


    The woman offered no response, and a sheepish look crept onto the old schr''s face as he heaved a forlorn sigh. He paid no heed to the patriarch of Parasol Leaf Sect at all as he strode over to the edge of the city wall, and he suppressed the fury in his own heart as he yelled, "Come out! Haven''t you two been watching the show this entire time? Are you too scared to show yourselves now?"


    An indistinct, ethereal figure appeared in the north. It was a middle-aged schr with a golden jade pendant hanging from his waist, upon which were inscribed the words "nourishing the noble spirit."


    Another figure that was just as blurry and indistinct appeared in the south, also a schr, but this one was quite elderly in appearance. He also had a golden jade pendant hanging from his waist, this one reading "those in high ces should help the less privileged."


    The middle-aged schr extended a respectful bow toward the Schrly Sage, while the elderly schr remainedpletely unmoved, not even batting an eyelid in the Schrly Sage''s direction.


    The Schrly Sage took a deep breath, then pointed at the patriarch of Parasol Leaf Sect as he cast his gaze toward the elderly schr and said, "You are the sage responsible for overseeing matters in the northern region of Parasol Leaf Continent.


    ��If it were a tenth or eleventh-tier Qi refiner roaming thend, then you can perhaps make an excuse and say that you have too much on your te in the heavens, so it simply slipped your notice, but this is an Ascension Tier Qi refiner! Have you gone blind? How could you possibly have missed such a hugentern drifting past your damn eyes?!"


    The elderly schr offered no response.


    The middle-aged schr heaved a faint sigh. He had actually been notified in advance that Du Mao was going to be making a trip to Old Dragon City of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, which was under his jurisdiction. This trip of his concerned the Song n of the Great Li Empire, nchette Writing Sect, and Peace and Tranquility Mountain, so prior to leaving Parasoal Leaf Sect, Du Mao had already reported his intentions to the elderly schr.


    However, due to the abrupt nature of his trip, he didn''t have time to request a passport from the Confucian schools, so the middle-aged schr could only turn a blind eye.


    The restrictions ced on Ascension Tier cultivators were enforced as part of a non-negotiable rule established by the Etiquette Sage; a rule that had been met with much opposition. There were even some powerful cultivators who openly mocked the Etiquette Sage for his "unconditional love" of all living beings.


    There were so many demons in Majestic World, yet not only was he not taking action to eradicate them, he was enforcing strict rules on his own people. For cultivators of a certain cultivation base, anything that they did had to be reported to and approved by the Confucian schools.


    In contrast, in Heavenly World overseen by the three branches of Daoism, Ascension Tier cultivators could choose to stay in the White Jade Capital or leave as they pleased, so why was it that all Ascension Tier cultivators were kept on a leash in Majestic World?


    Du Mao was starting to grow a little disgruntled, and he sped one hand behind his back while scratching his head with the other as he asked, "So you''re the Schrly Sage?"


    However, the Schrly Sage continued topletely ignore him as he said to the two schrs, "Both of you are prized disciples of the Second Sage, I''m sure that he''s taught both of you the importance of having empathy and shame!


    The word "empathy" was directed at the middle-aged schr presiding over the southern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, while the word "shame" was directed at the elderly schr who had allowed Du Mao to travel to Old Dragon City.


    Schrs who were able to enter the Confucian temples to have statues erected alongside the founding father of Confucianism could certainly be considered as sages, and their sagely status would have even more weight than the status of a Confucian academy''s mountain master. However, under the rules of Majestic World''s Confucian orthodoxy, these two were still considered to be "saints," of which there were officially seventy-two.


    The Schrly Sage continued, "Your teacher has also said that life and justice are both desirable things, but if one can only choose to have one of the two, then one must sacrifice their life for the pursuit of justice! Right now, Chen Ping''an is teaching you that lesson! The Second Sage clearly did a terrible job of teaching this lesson, so it''s only right that the two of you relearn it from a child!"


    A cold look appeared on the elderly schr''s face, and he said, "You no longer have a ce in the Confucian temples, and your schrly lineage has also been severed, so you should speak of my teacher with more respect."


    The Schrly Sage was even more infuriated, and he snapped, "I''m already doing him a favor by not calling him an old bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?! It''s only thanks to your useless writings and worthless theoretical prose that you were able to fraudulently im a spot in the Confucian temples!"


    The elderly schr remained expressionless, but a hint of a mocking sneer was ying on his lips.


    The Schrly Sage patted himself on the chest to calm himself down as he murmured to himself, "Don''t get mad, use your words and morality to make others see the light..."


    He then heaved a faint sigh as he asked, "The two of you are well aware that I''m powerless to do anything to you right now, and that''s why you dare to oppose me like this, isn''t that right?"


    The middle-aged schr shook his head in response.


    "I don''t dare to cause you any offense, nor do I desire to do so."


    A cold sneer appeared on the elderly schr''s face as he scoffed, "Your teachings are like a dead fly that''s fallen into a pot of delicious broth. It''s a putrid stain that has marred the legacy of our Confucian orthodoxy!"


    He then took a step forward and asked, "I''m saying this right to your face, what are you going to do?"


    The Schrly Sage was enraged to the point of bursting intoughter.


    "Back when I was at the height of my powers, you studied my teachings and my books like a diligent child! Have you forgotten about that? If I recall correctly, you even went to Cui Chan to beg him to teach you. How did that end for you? Cui Chan hasn''t done many good things in his life, but was certainly spot on when he denounced you for a fool who learned nothing from the Second Sage aside from his pretentiousness!


    ��He also suggested that the Confucian orthodoxy should introduce a title of ''phony noble person'' for people like you, and if there''s one truth he ever said in his life, that''s it!"


    A wry smile appeared on the middle-aged schr''s face, while the elderly schr disyed remarkable mental fortitude, remaining calm and collected despite the scathing insults being hurled at him.


    The Schrly Sage raised his head to look up at the sky as he murmured to himself, "A noble person can deceive others within the realm of reason. That''s something that the Second Sage said himself! I know that your intention was to ce another set of shackles onto the schrs of the world, resonating with our founding father''s teaching of seeing self-restraint and adherence to proper etiquette as a virtue, but take a look at this world!


    ��Your intentions were good, but everything has strayed far from the right path. There''s no need to look at anyone else, just take a look at this disciple of yours. It''s precisely because of this that the mountain master of a Confucian school, a disciple of the Etiquette Sage, had to go and beg Bai Ze to intervene. What was his response? He said that he wanted to see more of the world before making his decision.


    ��What more is there to see? If you ask me, I think he''s already seen more than enough. This world is no longer the ce that it once was, and people''s hearts have changed. What did we say to each otherst time we were exchanging ideas? Both of us were convinced that even though the Great Dao has changed, the people now can still be better than the people of old. Looking back now, what a joke that has be!"


    The middle-aged schr cast his gaze toward the elderly schr, then smiled as he suggested, "Maybe you should apologize."


    "What do I have to apologize for?" the elderly schr asked.


    The middle-aged schr was silent for a moment, then said, "Severing one''s schrly lineage is something that should only be limited to targeting one''s teachings. You''re asking the masses to choose who they think is right, rather than swaying mass opinion by force.


    ��Right now, an Ascension Tier Qi refiner is provoking a divine lord who is acknowledged by the four sages and has attacked a young man who may well be a disciple of the Schrly Sage, and that''s both inappropriate and against the teachings of Confucianism."


    "I only see the bigger picture and what''s good for the continuation of the heritage of Confucianism," the elderly schr replied tly.


    The middle-aged schr could only shake his head in response.


    The Schrly Sage sat down on the edge of the hole that had been sted into the wall, then sighed to himself, "Whether you think I''m right or not, there are some principles that stand regardless, it''s just that you don''t understand them."


    Right at this moment, the white-robed woman asked in a cold voice, "Are you done?"


    The Schrly Sage nodded in response, and his shoulders sank down as he folded his hands over his knees in a deted manner.


    "I''m done. I''ve been concealing your aura the entire way here, and I''ve just had to lecture a pair of ignorant fools. Right now, I''mpletely exhausted. Founding father, Etiquette Sage, Second Sage, it looks like all of these teachings that I''ve developed are going to be returned to this world untouched."


    The white-robed woman gently set down Chen Ping''an, then rose to her feet and strode over to the Schrly Sage''s side as she said, "If you''re done, then it''s time for me to say what I want to say. Let me make this clear in advance: if you dare to get in my way, I''ll��"


    The Schrly Sage shook his head as he interjected, "I won''t try to get in your way. It''s all because of my ipetence that Little Qi had to die, and now, Little Ping''an is on the verge of death as well. I''ve failed these two disciples of mine. I can''t even stop some people who are scrambling to eat shit; why would I try to stop you when you have reason and justice on your side?"


    Du Mao had been watching the unfolding scene this entire time, and he smiled as he asked, "Who are you? I don''t recall ever hearing of someone like you. Are you an Ascension Tier cultivator? Surely you''re not an Ascension Tier cultivator who''se all this way from Stctite Mountain?"


    A peculiar look appeared in the middle-aged schr''s eyes, and he took a nce at the elderly schr in the south, who had a grim look on his face. It was clear that he was feeling much more pressure in her presence than when facing the Schrly Sage.


    The white-robed woman yawned as she took a step forward, descending to the foot of the city wall before slowly continuing onward.


    There was an old and rusty sword de hanging from her waist. It had no guard or hilt, but its tip had been sharpened to an extremely bright gleam.


    "You''ll be breaking the rules of this world if you dare to attack!" the elderly schr warned in a stern voice.


    The woman merely continued onward while yawning as if she had only just woken up.


    The old de wasn''t tied very securely to her waist, so it was gently swaying from side to side as she walked, and its sharp tip was shing incessantly.


    Du Mao''s mind was racing as he tucked his hands up his sleeve, trying to use divination to glean the depths of the woman''s power, only to discover that this entire area had already been restricted by someone, making divinationpletely impossible.


    While walking toward Du Mao, the woman turned to the middle-aged schr and said, "You''re not so badpared with your little friend over there, so I''ll spare you. Get out of here!"


    The middle-aged schr''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but he noticed that the Schrly Sage was waving a dismissive hand at him. After a brief hesitation, he faded out of this area, which was stillpletely frozen in time.


    The woman then turned to the elderly schr, and she was far less kind to him as she ordered, "Piss off!"


    "Are you really going to oppose the Great Dao of this world?" the elderly schr asked in a solemn voice.


    The woman cocked her head to the side, then gently pressed a finger down onto the top of the old de as she murmured to herself, "I''ve only sharpened the tip so far, but that should be enough to cleave Stctite Mountain into two. How about I open a door between Majestic World and Savage World?"


    The elderly schr''s expression changed drastically.


    "You wouldn''t dare!"


    Shepletely ignored him as she gently thrust her old de forward.


    He then vanished with a sh.


    The de vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye, and a huge hole was torn into the sky of the artificial small world around her before hurtling toward Stctite Mountain, covering immeasurable distances in the blink of an eye.


    The Schrly Sage remainedpletely aloof and uncaring.


    On the vast sea between Southern Whirl Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent, a swordsman abruptly raised his head.


    All of a sudden, the entire sea up ahead seemed to have parted, sending waves as tall as mountains crashing toward the shore.


    These waves naturally posed no threat to the swordsman, but he was stunned by the aura of the flying sword.


    Since when was there a swordsman like this in Majestic World?


    <em>Has A''Liang been forced down from the heavens by the Daoist second disciple again? No, that can''t be right. Even A''Liang doesn''t have a sword like this.</em>


    Out of the four best swords in the four worlds, one of them had been passed down for generations to the Great Heavenly Master of Middle Earth Divine Continent''s Heavenly Master Residence, one of them was in the possession of the schr who proimed himself to becking in intellect and aptitude, yet was able to slice the Yellow River apart with a single sword strike, the third one was in the possession of the Daoist second disciple, and it was said that A''Liang had gone off in search for the final one following his departure from Stctite Mountain, the sword that he proimed was the one to rule them all.


    That sword should''ve been a perfect match for him, yet somehow, he failed to secure it and could only ascend to the heavens beyond heavens empty-handed.


    Instead of setting off in pursuit of that peerless flying sword, he abruptly snapped back to his senses before immediately setting off for the southernmost region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    The elderly schr stabbed a finger in the woman''s direction as he yelled in a furious voice, "Have you gone insane?!"


    The woman continued onward without pause.


    Du Mao gulped nervously before asking, "Are you still going to challenge me even after throwing your sword away?"


    An amused look appeared on her face, as if she had just heard a hrious joke, and she scoffed, "Challenge? You think you''re worthy of being <em>challenged</em> by me? You have no idea who I am, do you? I suppose you can''t be med, given how young you are."


    The Schrly Sage suddenly burst into raucousughter as he yelled, "Do you know who was the one that slew thergest Treasure Swallowing Whale under the heavens in ancient times? I do, but I''m not going to tell you!"


    She strode directly over to Du Mao, standing no further away from him than Zheng Dafeng had earlier.


    Due to her tall frame, she was able to look down upon Du Mao, and she did so with a frosty look in her eyes. "Why don''t you try and attack me with this bonded celestial weapon of yours? I''m not going to move at all. Seriously, give it a try."


    "Insolent wench!" Du Mao roared as his Sword Devouring Ark hurtled directly toward the woman''s head.

 Chapter 366: (1): The Sword Spirit Travels North, While Zuo You Goes South

    Chapter 366: (1): The Sword Spirit Travels North, While Zuo You Goes South


    The river of time continued to slowly flow past outside the small world, and the friction between the two types ofws of heaven and earth created breathtaking rainbow-like ripples.


    Chen Ping''an and the sword spirit were seated side by side on the edge of the hole in the city wall with their feet dangling outside.


    Chen Ping''an looked down at his own abdomen to discover that the bleeding had already stopped and the flesh around the wound had already healed, but the gruesome mass of organs inside still presented a harrowing sight that could send shivers running down the beholder''s spine.


    Even though it was nowhere near an all-out attack, it was still a wound inflicted by the bonded celestial weapon of an Ascension Tier cultivator, and he was going to be suffering tremendous after-effects from the injury for a long time toe.


    In the distance, everyone was standingpletely still on the spot, with the exception of the old maidservant who had just had her bonded flying sword snapped into two.


    She was constantly swaying from side to side ever so slightly, presenting a tragic sight to behold.


    After being knocked out, the unconscious Sun Jiashu was handed over to an old steward.


    The vast majority of people had ted smiles on their faces.


    ording to the sword spirit, Zheng Dafeng had had his spine snapped, so the pure True Qi that he had nurtured as a ninth tier martial artist hadpletely dissipated, reducing him to a cripple. However, the physical foundation that he had built up ensured that his body was still equivalent to that of a fifth or sixth-tier martial artist. He had been sent to the Dust Medicinal Shop by the Schrly Sage, so his life wasn''t under any threat. However, even if he could stand up and walk again someday, the rest of his life was going to be spent in excruciating agony.


    She also told Chen Ping''an that the Schrly Sage had volunteered to take care of this mess, and that he would ensure that Chen Ping''an didn''t get the short end of the stick. For all of the benefits that Du Mao had received for his involvement in this matter, he was only going to lose even more, and this was nowhere near the end of the matter.


    As the two of them looked up at the sky of the small world together, the sword spirit suddenly said, "I have to go. My sword sharpening cannot be dyed any further."


    A thought urred to Chen Ping''an, and he said, "I have an oil-paper umbre capable of concealing auras. Why don''t you take it, Big Sister Immortal? You just said that even the Schrly Sage''s sworn enemy made an appearance and promised that I''ll never have to face an old monster like Du Mao again.


    ��As long as I don''t have to face a cultivator of the Upper Five Tiers, I can look after myself, and I won''t go looking for trouble, either. Helping out Zheng Dafeng this time is only a one-off event."


    The sword spirit patted Chen Ping''an on the head as she nodded and said, "Sure, I''ll take it. Come to think of it, this is the first thing that you''ve ever given me."


    Chen Ping''an raised an eyebrow in objection.


    A justified look appeared on the sword spirit''s face as she asked, "Are you thinking about that piece of Dragon ying tform that appeared in your basket as you were crossing the river? That''s not something that you gave me, I stole it myself!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he asked, "What do you want, Big Sister Immortal? I''ll give you something else in addition to the oil-paper umbre. I''ve traveled a very long way, and I''m going to continue traveling from here onward, so I may run into something that you''ll like."


    The sword spirit turned to him with an amused smile as she jibed, "Are you not afraid of that girl getting mad at you?"


    "If worsees to worst, I''ll just have to let her beat me up," Chen Ping''an replied with a bright smile.


    The sword spirit tapped a finger against Chen Ping''an''s forehead as she sighed, "You''re all grown up now."


    "I have, haven''t I?" Chen Ping''an replied with a pleased expression as he reached out with one hand topare their heights.


    She gently bumped Chen Ping''an''s shoulder with her own as she smiled and asked, "You really like that girl, don''t you? How much do you like her?"


    A faint blush appeared on Chen Ping''an''s pale face as he cast his gaze into the distance and replied in an embarrassed manner, "I can''t tell you that."


    "Oh my goodness, I''m about to get jealous," the sword spirit chuckled.


    "You wouldn''t do that," Chen Ping''an said with a shake of his head. "You''re the best, Big Sister Immortal."


    The sword spirit smiled as she rose to her feet, then said, "Let''s go fetch the umbre from the medicinal shop. By the way, that body on the ground is Du Mao''s yang soul avatar, so I suggest you take it. It belongs to a twelfth tier immortal, and you can sell it for a lot of money."


    Chen Ping''an took a reluctant nce at the body on the ground.


    The sword spirit smiled as she continued, "Even if you don''t sell it, someone else can upy it, such as Cui Chan."


    Chen Ping''an stowed the body into his minimization treasure.


    Even though his acupoints had been severely ravaged, he was still able to move just fine. However, he wasn''t going to be able to do battle anytime soon, and at the moment, his powers were most likely inferior to back when he had first reached the third tier.


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet and looked down at his tattered Golden Sweet Wine robe with a pained expression.


    The sword spirit was carrying the three pieces of Dragon ying tform that had fallen out of the jade tablet minimization treasure, and she smiled as she consoled, "It''s alright, you can mend it, and it''ll only cost you a few pouches of gold essence copper coins. Perhaps you''ll even be able to elevate it to be a pseudo-celestial tool. Old Man Yang has to chip in some money, and Du whatever-his-name-was has to as well, whether he likes it or not."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    She strode forward within the huge hole that had been sted into the city wall as she said, "Don''t be disheartened. The end of the Great Dao is still far away, and I''ll still be by your side once you get there."


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly followed along, and she grabbed onto his shoulders before leaping out of the hole in the city wall. From there, Chen Ping''an pointed out the direction to the Dust Medicinal Shop, and she set off through the air.


    The restrictions ced on Old Dragon City by the Schrly Sage were still in ce, so everything was still frozen in time.


    Outside the medicinal shop, Pei Qian was pacing back and forth with her hiking pole in her hand like a cat on a hot tin roof. After she had finished unleashing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques, she discovered that the yin soul with the Zhao surname was standingpletely still on the spot like a wooden figure, and no matter how she called out to him, he disyed no reaction.


    It was as if the ck smoke rising up from his body had been frozen solid, and she was unable to move it even after grabbing onto it and tugging with both hands. In the end, she threw her hiking pole aside and crouched down onto the ground to sob into her own arms.


    After her tears dried, she rushed out of the alley as quickly as she could, but right as she was about to run out onto the street, she recalled Chen Ping''an''s warning for her to stay in the medicinal shop, and she didn''t know what to do.


    In the end, she began sobbing once again while calling out for Chen Ping''an, and after she was too tired to cry any longer, she pulled out the talisman that Chen Ping''an had given her before pping it onto her own forehead. Emboldened by the talisman, she finally made up her mind to step out onto the street to look for Chen Ping''an.


    Right at this moment, a familiar voice rang out from behind her.


    "Come back."


    Pei Qian turned around to discover Chen Ping''an standing behind her, and she was immediately ovee by a wave of emotions, grinning through her sobs as she rushed over to Chen Ping''an before wrapping her arms around him while the sword spirit looked on with an intrigued expression.


    Given her powers and her vast wealth of experience, she was naturally able to immediately tell that there was something very special about Pei Qian''s eyes.


    She could see that they contained the sun and the moon. Of course, they weren''t the sun and moon of Majestic World, but the essence of the celestial bodies of a certain blessednd. Even so, this was an enormous blessing that would be too much to bear even for a ninth tier martial artist or an earth immortal.


    However, the sword spirit didn''t really care to know how Pei Qian was able to ept such a tremendous blessing while remainingpletely unscathed. She had seen far too many extraordinary people, to the point that she had already be desensitized to the extraordinary, and she had already lost count of how many such extraordinary figures had perished to her old de.


    Only after letting go of Chen Ping''an did Pei Qian spot the white-robed woman standing behind him, and her eyes widened as a dazed look appeared on her face.


    "It''s rare to see such a pure martial fortune prodigy nowadays; why don''t you teach her martial arts?" the sword spirit asked with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an patted Pei Qian''s head as he replied, "In the past, I was worried that she would cause trouble if she learned martial arts, but from now on, I''ll begin teaching her."


    Pei Qian began to slowly back away. It was apletely reflexive movement, and even she wasn''t aware that she was doing it.


    The sword spirit''s eyes narrowed slightly as she mused, "Looks like it''s not the ordinary blessednd newly discovered by the Confucian Sect. Perhaps it''s one of the ones that I cut down into the mortal world?"


    Chen Ping''an had no idea what she was talking about.


    The sword spirit smiled as she assured, "You don''t need to know about this stuff for now. It''s all ancient history, and just the thought of it makes me want to roll my eyes."


    After that, she turned and made her way toward the medicinal shop, and only then did Pei Qian snap back to her senses before timidly ducking behind Chen Ping''an.


    The oil-paper umbre that had been referred to by the old Daoist priest from the East Sea as the "parasol leaf umbre" was leaning against the doorframe. She bent down to pick it up, and as soon as she opened the umbre, the jade tablet from the ancestral hall of Peace and Tranquility Mountain fell out.


    She took a nce at it, then crushed it into powder in a disdainful manner.


    Chen Ping''an stomped his foot in agitation and yelled, "Hey! I have to return that thing to Peace and Tranquility Mountain!"


    "You should''ve said so earlier," the sword spirit said with a smile. "It''s alright, just tell them that I broke it, and if they wantpensation, then they cane and find me in Jewel Small World."


    "Forget it," Chen Ping''an sighed in a resigned manner. "I''ll write a letter to the old Heavenly Lord of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, and it should be fine."


    The sword spirit raised the umbre above her head as she said, "Alright, I''m going now."


    Chen Ping''an still had so many things that he wanted to say to her, but he didn''t know where to begin, and in the end, he only smiled and nodded in response.


    The sword spirit strode over to him, then bent down to gently press her forehead against his as she said in a gentle voice, "Chen Ping''an, how fortunate I am to have met you."


    After that, she sped away as a streak of white light, breaking through the heavens of Old Dragon City and the sea of clouds up above. She paused momentarily in mid-air before flying back to the Dragon ying tform in Jewel Small World.


    At the entrance of the medicinal shop, Pei Qian tugged on Chen Ping''an''s sleeve in a fearful manner as she said, "That big sister is the most powerful immortal I''ve ever seen! I didn''t even dare to try and tter her to her face."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he said, "No matter how high you climb, there will always be someone above you. Make sure to be humble and diligent in your martial arts practice."


    Pei Qian nodded firmly in response, then suddenly asked, "That''s the girl that you like, right? Should I call her mother next time I see her?"


    Chen Ping''an was in the process of stepping over the doorstep, and he almost fell t on his face upon hearing this.


    "It would be great to have a mother like her!" Pei Qian continued in an excited manner.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly swung around and sped a hand over her mouth as he scolded in a stern voice, "Don''t go around spouting nonsense!"


    Pei Qian looked back at him with a perplexed expression as she asked, "In that case, should I just think it and not say it?"


    Chen Ping''an''s expression darkened even further as he grabbed her by the earlobe, and Pei Qian was forced to tilt her head to the side and yelp in pain as she Chen Ping''an dragged her all the way to the backyard of the medicinal shop before letting go of her ear.


    Pei Qian crouched down as she massaged her sore ear, while Chen Ping''an made his way into Zheng Dafeng''s room.


    Zheng Dafeng was lying on the bed, still in an unconscious state; just like Chen Ping''an''s, his injuries had only been temporarily suppressed.


    However, he was in far worse condition than Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an dragged a chair over to the side of the bed, then sat down onto it and stared nkly at Zheng Dafeng in the dimly lit room.


    Pei Qian snuck over to the entrance of the room, and upon seeing Chen Ping''an''s forlorn figure, she hesitated momentarily before departing in silence.


    She sat down onto the staircase with her chin resting on her hands.


    She had never seen Chen Ping''an look so sad before, and as a result, she was also feeling a little sad as she blew on the yellow talisman stered to her forehead.


    The talisman remained stuck to her forehead, refusing to go anywhere, just like her sorrow.


    <em>Is this what it feels like to be grown up? </em>


    All of a sudden, the flow of time in the southern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent returned to normal.


    However, aside from the Golden Core and Nascent Tier earth immortals, no one was able to detect anything amiss.


    Momentster, some of the more shrewd individuals in Old Dragon City finally began to realize that something wasn''t quite right.


    It was no surprise that Chen Ping''an was nowhere to be seen. After all, Du Mao''s Sword Devouring Ark had just pierced through his abdomen and sent him crashing into the city wall. However, Du Mao and Zheng Dafeng had also gone missing, and that was rather difficult to exin.


    On top of that, there were also some other inexplicable events that had taken ce.


    For example, the old maidservant from the Cloud Forest Jiang n, who was supposed to have been the second-most powerful figure in the entirety of Old Dragon City behind only Du Mao, had fallen to the ground in apletely unconscious state with blood flowing out of all of her orifices, injuries indicating that the foundation of her Great Dao had sustained irreparable damage.


    Fu Qi hurriedly rushed down from the Dragon Scaling tform, then crouched down beside the old maidservant with a grim expression, unable to make sense of what he was seeing. At the same time, he couldn''t help but feel a little resentment toward Fan Junmao. If it wasn''t for her, there was no way that he would''ve beenpletely oblivious to what had just transpired.

 Chapter 367: (1): A Long Journey for Li Er

    Chapter 367: (1): A Long Journey for Li Er


    Following the inexplicable disappearance of Du Mao, a peculiar period of tranquility descended upon the entirety of Old Dragon City. At least, that was what appeared to be the case on the surface.


    No one knew what had happened, but it was presumed that Du Mao had easily defeated Zheng Dafeng and Chen Ping''an, and even though he had gone missing, his authority was standing hanging over the entire city like the sea of clouds, making all of the five major ns feel very apprehensive and uneasy.


    After witnessing Du Mao''s unfathomable immortal powers, some extremely significant events were made to appearpletely trivial. Of course, for those that were directly involved, those events were far from trivialities. For example, the Fu n had instructed the Ding, Fang, and Hou ns to send out their elders to intercept Zheng Dafeng and the others, and every single one of them had perished.


    ording to a Dragon Gate Tier scout who was fortunate enough to have survived, all four of Chen Ping''an''s martial artist servants disyed incrediblebat prowess, and they didn''t seem to fear death at all, often disying no hesitation at all to strike down their opponents even at the cost of sustaining grievous injuries.


    Two of them had perished, namely a beautiful woman wielding a sword, and a deranged old man who liked to tear people apart with his bare hands. After that, a series of pirs of light had suddenly descended out of the sea of clouds like the bonded flying swords of swordsmen, killing the rest of the three ns'' elders.


    If it wasn''t for that, they would''ve almost definitely been able to kill Chen Ping''an''s two remaining servants. What was even more terrible news for the three ns was that following the battle, one of Chen Ping''an''s two remaining servants had picked up the sword of his deceased femalerade and plunged it into the hearts of the fallen elders one after another.


    After learning of this terrible news, the three ns hurriedly arranged a secret meeting. Du Yan was invited, but he didn''t show up. Hence, everyone began to specte about whether this was a separate plot that the Fu n had hatched with Du Yan, one that used Zheng Dafeng as bait to lure out all of the three ns'' most powerful elders before having them killed, thereby dealing an extremely heavy blow to the three ns at the lowest possible cost.


    The more they considered this notion, the more it made sense to them. Fu Qi was the lord of Old Dragon City and the leader of the Fu n, yet for some reason, he had cast aside all of his pride, shamelessly surrendering halfway through what was supposed to be a battle to the death before leaving Zheng Dafeng to be picked off by Du Mao.


    On top of that, he had also put the Cloud Forest Jiang n to shame with his unscrupulous actions. It seemedpletely unreasonable that he would do something like this, and the only usible exnation seemed to be that this was a plot against the three ns all along. If that was the case, then it seemed that the Fu n''s ambitions had been underestimated, and that they were determined to eliminate the three ns altogether.At the meeting, someone had mmed the table with their fist and loudly dered that if the Fu n were going to resort to such underhanded tactics, then the three ns would unite against them in a final stand and aim to take down half of Old Dragon City with them.


    Of course, this was nothing more than an empty bluff, and all of the truly authoritative figures at the meeting remained silent, refusing to echo such a nonsensical sentiment.


    The true foundation of Old Dragon City had alwaysid in its wealth, rather than the powers of individual cultivators and martial artists.


    All of a sudden, a steward announced that Fu Nanhua hade to visit.


    Fu Nanhua had brought several servants with him, but he made his way into the meeting hall on his own, and he only delivered a very brief address before departing, barely even taking a moment to sit down.


    In the wake of Fu Nanhua''s visit, everyone in the hall began to weigh up their options, trying to think of the best course of action.


    Fu Nanhua had been very brief and concise with his address, announcing that on top of the Cloud Forest Jiang n, Parasol Leaf Sect had also forged an alliance with the Fu n. On top of that, the Fu n was going to take over all of the four intercontinental ships that traveled to Stctite Mountain that were currently outside of the Fu n''s control.


    The three ns were going to offer up 30% of their annual profits to the Fu n from here onward as "rent" for them to continue to remain in Old Dragon City. Of course, from here onward, the Fu n was going to borrow the power of its new allies to embark on a northward expansion, conquering all of the mortal empires, immortal sects and ns, and martial arts powers along the way.


    All significant powers outside of Old Dragon City were going to be oppressed and eventually eliminated, and this was naturally going to present a massive number of opportunities. Perhaps the Ding, Fang, and Hou ns would be able to profit immensely and reach even greater heights, or perhaps they would fall into unprecedented lows, unable to even afford paying the rent required to remain in Old Dragon City.


    As for which of those oues would eventuallye to pass, that would depend on whether the three ns would be able to capitalize on the opportunities that came their way. After dering all of this, Fu Nanhua had left without another word, leaving the decision-makers of the three ns to continue their meeting.


    An elderly man present in the room smiled as he said, "Risk and reward have alwayse hand in hand. I think we should take a gamble."


    Someone else smiled and said, "The Great Li Empire''s army is about to reach the central region of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, right? If our northward expansion proves to be sessful, I wonder if we''ll sh against those northern savages."


    A self-deprecating look appeared on an old woman''s face as she sighed, "The Fu n is nning to use us as dogs to bite their opposers. Having said that, if we can bite off a few chunks of good flesh, then we''ll be able to profit immensely, so this is indeed an opportunity for all of us."


    The youngest person in the room was a man with a rather unremarkable appearance, but a unique aura thatmanded attention and respect, and even though he was surrounded by a bunch of shrewd old foxes, he was clearly still able to hold his own. He inteced his fingers behind his head and looked up at antern overhead as he murmured, "No matter how we try to spin it, we''repletely at the mercy of the Fu n."


    At the Dust Medicinal Shop, the Fan n had spent a huge sum of money to hire several exceptional doctors, most of whom were cultivators who were followers of Medicinism or Daoist cultivators who excelled in the field of medicine, and they were all busy at work.


    Meanwhile, a chaotic argument was unfolding in the Fan n''s ancestral hall, and what had initially been constructive criticism directed toward the n leader was gradually turning into tant usations. In the end, many of the n''s elders broke down into tears, howling about how they were letting down their ancestors, and having such a n leader was the misfortune of the entire n.


    The reason for their despair was that the leader of the Fan n had chosen a path that, in their eyes, was going to lead to the n''s demise. In their eyes, it was utterly inexplicable that he would choose to oppose the Fu n at a time like this and try to protect Zheng Dafeng, who had already been reduced to a cripple. In the face of all of these usations, Fan Junmao and the leader of the Fan n merely sipped on tea in silence.


    Over at the medicinal shop.


    Zheng Dafeng had already woken up and was able to speak. Aside from the treatment that he was receiving from the doctors hired by the Fan n, his recovery was also being aided by some of the things that the Zhao n yin soul had brought with him from Jewel Small World. Thanks to theirbined efforts, the holes in Zheng Dafeng''s soul were mended, so his condition didn''t rapidly deteriorate.


    Zheng Dafeng didn''t wallow in despair. Even though he didn''t speak much, he appeared to be quite rxed. asionally, Pei Qian woulde to visit him in his room, and he would have a chat with her, seemingly in decently high spirits. She would always squat down on the ground, using a stool as a table so that she could make her daily transcriptions.


    The act of talking irritated Zheng Dafeng''s wounds, so it hurt him very much to speak, but he was always happy to speak to Pei Qian.


    However, Pei Qian wasn''t grateful for this at all. She was always very focused on her work while making her transcriptions, and if Zheng Dafeng were to say too much, then she wouldin, saying something along the lines of: "Can you be quiet? If I identally mess up even a single character, my father will make me copy the whole passage again!"


    Zheng Dafeng would always chuckle at this, but his chuckles would be very short-lived as he would immediately grimace and sweat profusely from the agony that followed. However, the presence of Pei Qian never failed to put him in a good mood.


    Chen Ping''an would also asionallye to visit Zheng Dafeng, but due to the fact that both of them had sustained severe injuries, there would never be much conversation between them.


    On this day, at around dusk, Chen Ping''an left Zheng Dafeng''s room and made his way out into the courtyard. Zhu Lian was busy cooking up a meal, while Pei Qian was practicing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques.


    A table had been ced in the courtyard, and Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian were ying a game of Go, while Wei Xian stood beside the table to spectate. He still didn''t understand the game, but he would patiently wait for the oue.


    Both Zhu Lian and Sui Youbian had perished outside Old Dragon City, so Chen Ping''an had to spend two more gold essence copper coins to resurrect them.


    ording to the rule established by the old Daoist priest from the East Sea, Zhu Lian''s ceiling was capped at the tenth tier due to the demise that he had suffered.


    As for Sui Youbian, she was in an even worse position. She had already died twice outside the rundown temple, and on this asion, she had sacrificed herself to take down an enemy Golden Core Tier cultivator. As a result, her ceiling was capped at the ninth tier.


    Regardless of how Chen Ping''an and the four martial artists from the picture scrolls felt about the abbot of the Observing Dao Temple, none of them could deny that he possessed unfathomable powers.


    On this day, the Zhao n yin soul was nowhere to be seen.


    As a Nascent Tier yin soul, he possessed Unpolished Jade Tier power in the medicinal shop, so everyone had thought that he would be the decisive piece that would ultimately turn the tables, but in an ironic twist of fate, he turned out to be the most useless one of all, doing nothing the entire time. Cheng Ping''an had sustained severe injuries, Zheng Dafeng had been reduced to a cripple, while Zhu Lian and Sui Youbian had perished altogether.


    Even though Lu Baixiang and Wei Xian had survived, it was only just barely by the skin of their teeth. In contrast, all the yin soul did was chat briefly with Pei Qian at the entrance of the medicinal shop, following which he waspletely frozen in time. By the time the flow of time was restored, everything was already over.


    Chen Ping''an strode over to the doorstep of the medicinal shop before taking a seat.


    Inside the courtyard, Pei Qian was holding onto her hiking pole with both hands, panting heavily as she asked, "What do you think of my swordsmanship, Old Man Wei?"


    Wei Xian''s gaze was focused on the Go board in front of him. In his eyes, the game was much more difficult to understand than a strategic simtion of two armies doing battle, and he replied to Pei Qian''s question in an half-hearted manner, "Great."


    Pei Qian wasn''t very pleased, and she raised her voice as she asked, "How great is it?!"


    "Invincible," Wei Xian replied.


    Pei Qian was furious to hear this, and she snapped, "Do you take me for an idiot, Old Man Wei? Who would believe that?"


    "Do you believe it then?" Wei Xian asked as he took a nce at Pei Qian out of the corner of his eye.


    A smile immediately broke through Pei Qian''s furious expression as she replied, "A little."


    With that boost in confidence from Wei Xian''s praise, she raised her hiking pole and pointed it at Lu Baixiang as she asked, "Little Bai, are you going to save your energy and surrender right now, or are you going to stay seated and fight me from where you are?


    "I surrender," Lu Baixiang chuckled with his back facing Pei Qian.


    Pei Qian then turned to Sui Youbian as she asked, "Big Sister Sui, I may only be less than ten years old, but are you willing to face me in a fair and square battle?


    "I''ll pass," Sui Youbian replied in an indifferent manner.


    Pei Qian turned to the kitchen as she raised her voice even further and yelled, "You''re the only one left, Zhu Lian! Your cooking skills may be unmatched, but don''t expect me to go easy on you because of that! Come out and face me!"


    "I''m too scared!" Zhu Lian eximed with an apron around his waist and a spat in his hand.


    Pei Qian raised her hiking pole up high as she dered triumphantly, "As expected, no one can defeat me aside from my father! I''m suddenly feeling a little lonely. Looks like I won''t have to practice my sword techniques tomorrow."


    Chen Ping''an had moved his bench over to take a seat in the courtyard, and he smiled as he said, "You have to keep your efforts consistent."


    Pei Qian skipped over to Chen Ping''an''s side, then sat down as she asked with an expectant expression, "Am I your first-ever disciple, Master?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he replied, "I have an unofficial disciple by the name of Cui Dongshan. Right now, he''s at Mountain Cliff Academy in the Great Sui Empire, so if you want to take his ce as my most senior disciple, then you''ll have to ask his permission. Having said that, he doesn''t seem to enjoy being referred to as senior brother very much, so I think there''s a good chance that he''ll agree."


    "Cui Dongshan? I can tell just from his name that he''s nothing more than a piece of small fry,�� Pei Qian scoffed. "Once I meet him, I''ll tell him to call me his senior sister, and he can be my junior brother. Rest assured, Master, I won''t bully him just because I am higher up than him in seniority, nor will I bribe him into conceding his position as my senior brother."


    A peculiar smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face as he said, "Sure, you can give it a try."


    Right at this moment, the Zhao n yin soul appeared at the entrance of the medicinal shop, and he said, "Chen Ping''an, I have something that I need to speak to you about."


    Chen Ping''an stood up and made his way into the medicinal shop.


    The yin soul led him out of the front entrance and into the alley outside. Somehow he was able to use the formation to transform himself into the equivalent of an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator presiding over a small world, and the light in the alley became very dim.


    Even though his facial features were rather blurry, Chen Ping''an could still clearly sense how timid and uneasy he was, emotions that he had rarely ever seen the yin soul disy.


    After isting this area from the outside world to keep out prying eyes, he hovered in front of Chen Ping''an as he said, "An old Confucian schr who ims to have had ties with Qi Jingchun approached me recently. Well, to put it more urately, he abducted me out of the blue, and he told me that your... unofficial teacher..."


    An amused look appeared on the yin soul''s face here, but he didn''t dare tough.


    He had only ever heard of the concept of unofficial disciples, and never had he heard of an unofficial teacher before.


    Respecting one''s teacher was a golden edict that was not to be trodden upon lightly in Majestic World, and anyone who crossed this line often found themselves suffering severe consequences far worse than just having their reputation ruined.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response, refusing to borate any further.


    The yin soul didn''t try to pry any further, just like Chen Ping''an had never asked him which branch of the Zhao n in Jewel Small World he was an ancestor of.


    "The old gentleman told me to tell you to stay in Old Dragon City until at least the end of the year. He said that he had some things that he was going to bring to youter, and that you can go wherever you wante next spring," the yin soul continued.


    "Sure," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    He then hesitated momentarily before asking, "Is Senior Yang really just going to ignore what happened to Zheng Dafeng?"


    The yin soul was normally very reluctant to discuss any matters regarding the old divine lord, but after some hesitation, he made an exception on this asion, replying, "The old divine lord sees further than us all, so he might appear rather cold and callous from our perspectives.


    ��If I can be so brave as toment on his rtionship with Li Er and Zheng Dafeng, even though the two of them are only his disciples in name, and he doesn''t actually instruct them directly, I still think that he treats them far differently than he does everyone else."


    "I think so as well," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    "Even though Zheng Dafeng has lost his martial arts cultivation base, his mental state still appears to be in a good ce, so we don''t have to be overly concerned. If all of us walk around with pity and sympathy in our eyes, that''s only going to annoy him," the yin soul continued.


    "I''m aware of that," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    "I''m sure you are. In fact, you''ve done very well in this regard," the yin soul praised.


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly waved his hands as he asked, "What''s going on? Could it be that everyone that arrives in the Dust Medicinal Shop develops a habit of sucking up to others?"


    The yin soul burst intoughter before vanishing from the spot, and the surrounding formation also faded away, upon which Chen Ping''an spotted Fan Junmao at the intersection between the alley and the street outside.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know why she had decided to help Lu Baixiang and Wei Xian at the end of the battle against the elders from the three ns. Was it because she no longer regarded Du Mao as a threat, so she had swooped in to try and appease the Dust Medicinal Shop?


    That didn''t seem like something she would do.


    Fan Junmao made her way into the alley, then tossed a wine gon at Chen Ping''an as she said, "I''ve carried out basic refinement on the old flood dragon''s golden core, and it''s inside this gon. You and Zheng Dafeng both need this right now. It''s going to hurt a lot, but make sure to take a few sips of this wine every day, and it''ll help you recover from your injuries better than any pills or elixirs could.


    ��Wine brewed from basic refinement of a twelfth-tier great demon''s demon core would be too strong, and it''d probably kill you in your current state, while wine brewed from a Golden Core Tier demon wouldn''t be strong enough, so this wine is the perfect middle ground."

 Chapter 368: (1): Unspeakable Hardships

    Chapter 368: (1): Unspeakable Hardships


    After waiting for a moment, Du Mao still refused to show himself.


    Zuo You cast his gaze toward the ancestral mountain as he chuckled, "Still noting out even after that? As expected of an Ascension Tier cultivator, your face is so thick that even my flying sword most likely won''t be able to pierce through it."


    At the same time, Zuo You suddenly noticed something strange. Halfway up the ancestral mountain stood an old Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator beside a cluster of beautiful pavilions. It appeared that he was protecting a young woman with decent cultivation aptitude. At this moment, everyone was looking at her with peculiar expressions, and she was a very young Dragon Gate Tier cultivator.


    Upon noticing Zuo You''s gaze, she immediately lowered her head in a fearful manner.


    Zuo You''s brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this.


    Many of the disciples of Parasol Leaf Sect had turned to the ancestral mountain in unison, and it seemed that all of them were looking for her.


    The old Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator standing beside her was perhaps her Dao guardian, and appeared furious, but he didn''t dare to stand up to Zuo You.


    The young woman had a very timid personality, and she began to quietly weep in the face of everyone''s scrutiny.


    If a cultivating sect wanted to establish dominance over all other sects, then that was actually a very simple task to aplish: the sect just had to have the most powerful cultivators.In the past, Parasol Leaf Sect had the most powerful cultivators and cultivation arts that could take one straight to the Upper Five Tiers, thereby establishing the foundation.


    Currently, Parasol Leaf Sect also had the most powerful cultivators, allowing them to beat other opposing powers into submission, essentially giving the sect and its disciples an untouchable status.


    In the future, they also had to ensure that they had the most powerful cultivators to keep everyone else submissive. Otherwise, vengeance woulde in swift and brutal fashion from all those that they had oppressed in the past.


    Revenge was a dish best served cold, and this was particrly true for cultivators, who had far longer lifespans than mortals. It was not unheard of for one to plot their vengeance over the course of centuries, even millennia!


    This reincarnated young woman was an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator in her previous life. It had taken close to thirty years of arduous searching for the sect to find her, and that was after a cultivator in the sect adept in the art of divination pointed out the general area.


    After that, another cultivator of the sect had waited for her for decades under a false alias, and several years after she was born, that cultivator was finally able to sessfully bring her back to the sect after a grueling battle.


    There were high hopes ced on her shoulders, and she was expected to be one of the future leading figures of the sect.


    In terms of status, she was simr to Huang Ting of Peace and Tranquility Mountain. However, she didn''t possess anywhere near the same cultivation base as Huang Ting, nor did she seem to have the innate, intangible properties required to go far on the path of cultivation.


    The old Heavenly Lord of Peace and Tranquility Mountain and Sect Leader Song Mao regrly scolded Huang Ting for always causing trouble, but internally, they were very pleased with her courageous and unyielding nature.


    As for this young woman, her cultivation aptitude was exceptional, but her personality was a little too soft. She had left the mountain to travel and hone her Dao Heart on several past asions, and upon her return, the appraisal that the sect gave her would always be full of glowing praise, but at the very end, there would always be ament or two about how her personality was a little too timid andcking in decisiveness.


    However, due to her special status, no one dared to actually criticize her, and the Du n, the most prominent n of Parasol Leaf Sect, treated her like their pride and joy.


    The reasons for this were twofold. First, during her previous life, she was an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator. Second, also during her previous life, she happened to be Du Mao''s mother.


    Generally speaking, only extremely powerful cultivating sects and immortal ns would be able to pull off the miraculous feat of finding a past prominent figure in their reincarnated form.


    Zuo You faltered slightly upon seeing this, and with one hand holding his sword, he scratched his own head with the other, seemingly feeling a little guilty for scaring an innocent young woman.


    "That was just a joke, don''t take it seriously. It''s more so a figure of speech, I''m not actually here to do anything to you," he exined.


    His exnation only made things worse, and the young woman''splexion instantly turned deathly pale upon hearing what he had to say.


    Her delicate little face began to pucker up, and there were still tear stains on her cheeks as she did everything in her power not to appear timid and fearful against this unreasonable man who had just barged into their sect. Otherwise, given her personality, she would''ve already been weeping profusely by now.


    Zuo You was left ruing his rather unfortunate choice of words, but he didn''t want to exin anything.


    Little Qi was not very good at dealing with women, while Cui Dongshan was a little better in this regard. As for Zuo You, he had always felt like the heart of a woman was even more difficult to understand than his master''s teachings. Essentially, it was somethingpletely beyond him.


    Was Zuo You a learned individual?


    He was naturally severelycking in this regardpared with Qi Jingchun and Cui Dongshan. He had never liked studying, and all of the books he had read had been forced upon him by the Schrly Sage. However, he was still a very learned individual. At the very least, the average academy��s noble or virtuous schr wasn''t even worthy of having an academic discussion with Zuo You.


    One had to realize that the earliest source of his sword qi had been derived from none other than books, as well countless cliff carvings and engraved ques.


    Moreover, in order to support his training, Qi Jingchun had apanied him on extensive journeys that spanned immeasurable distances.


    Zuo You heaved a faint sigh as he cast his gaze toward Middle Earth Divine Continent.


    As he withdrew his gaze, he discovered that there was an exceptionally talented young swordsman standing beside the young woman. The young man was glowering directly at Zuo You with a fierce and stubborn look in his eyes, and he was unwilling to turn away even as Zuo You''s sword qi scorched his eyes.


    Zuo You took a nce at a certain spot on the ancestral mountain, then said, "I know what you''re trying to do, Du Mao. You can give it a try, and I''ll wait for you."


    After that, he sliced another opening into the barrier around the ancestral mountain with a casual sh of his sword, then made his way outside.


    From there onward, at night, Zuo You would hover in mid-air, resting with his eyes closed near the border of Parasol Leaf Sect''s territory.


    As soon as the sun began to rise, he would use his sword qi and sword intent to shatter the physical manifestations of the mountain and water fortune in the sect, such as a certain mountain, a certain stretch of river, a huge tree that had hopes of bing a spirit, a pavilion that was suppressing yin energy, or a subjugation treasure that was buried underground.


    Only a small amount of spiritual energy was dissipating, so on the surface, the losses didn''t appear to be that heavy, but in reality, the consequences were extremely severe.


    When it came to the fortune of thend, such an unfathomable thing could only be stored in certain ces. If it were allowed to drift around erratically, then no one would dare to im it as there was no telling whether it would bring fortune or cmity.


    Zuo You was like an old farmer tilling thend as he began digging into the foundation of Parasol Leaf Sect.


    Due to the fact that he was near the border, some of the spiritual energy inevitably seeped out of the sect, and initially, no one from the sect dared toe out to recover the spiritual energy and bring it back into the sect.


    However, this was simply far too severe a loss to bear, so Parasol Leaf Sect sent out a Golden Core Tier cultivator on what was essentially a suicide mission to gather the spiritual energy with an artifact.


    Much to the cultivator''s relief, Zuo You didn''t even bother to take a nce at him. Instead, he descended onto the surface of arge river, and the veins of spiritual energy being nurtured in the river were instantly shattered.


    Emboldened by this turn of events, another Golden Core Tier cultivator emerged from the sect, following Zuo You from dozens of kilometers away to carefully gather the spiritual energy before doing his best to ce it back into the water and restore the shattered spiritual energy veins inside.


    Ten days passed by, and Zuo You and the cultivators of Parasol Leaf Sect coexisted in harmony, with Zuo You continuing to wreak havoc wherever he went, while Parasol Leaf Sect cultivators cleaned up his mess to the best of their abilities.


    Another ten days passed by, and the sect lifted its exit restrictions, sending out some cultivators of the Middle Five Tiers below the Golden Core Tier to follow Zuo You. All of them did so from dozens of kilometers away with mixed emotions in their hearts.


    Another ten days passed by, and many young cultivators of the Lower Five Tiers began to join in on the action as well.


    Fortunately for them, Zuo You continued to pay no heed to them at all.


    After the Major Cold sr term, it wasn''t long until the new year.


    There was a saying among mortals��the turn of the year is a difficult hurdle that has to be ovee every year. Having reigned supreme on Parasol Leaf Continent for countless years, this was the first time that Parasol Leaf Sect was experiencing just how difficult a hurdle the turn of the year could be.


    One day, Parasol Leaf Sect meticulously nned an ambush that involved two Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators and close to ten earth immortals, but Zuo You was able to brush them all aside with a single sh of his sword.


    After that, he diverged from his original route, paying a visit to a restricted mountain near the ancestral mountain. That mountain had been gifted to a certain future Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator to serve as the site for their immortal abode, and with just a single sh of his sword, Zuo You split the mountain into two from top to bottom, creating a massive canyon, following which he casually departed without a word.


    From that point onward, he continued to chip away at Parasol Leaf Sect little by little.


    It wasn''t long before all of the major sects and cultivators at or above the Nascent Tier on Parasol Leaf Continent caught wind of what was happening in Parasol Leaf Sect, but seeing as the academy hadn''t intervened, no one dared toe and see what was happening for themselves.


    With the exception of a single person: Jiang Shangzhen.


    Upon his arrival, he extended a deep and formal bow of apology to Zuo You, and after observing the severely ravaged Parasol Leaf Sect for a while, he suddenly erupted into raucousughter.


    As he traveled southward to return to Jade Tablet Sect, he made sure to fly extremely slowly, swaggering through the air to taunt the disciples of Parasol Leaf Sect below.


    As a result, he was almost in on the spot by a sword strike from Zuo You, but even as he fled for his life, he was still chortling with glee.


    One day, a young woman appeared before Zuo You, observing him in a timid manner from afar as she asked in a trembling voice, "Why are you destroying the fortune of our sect for no reason?"


    At this point, Zuo You was already a familiar face in Parasol Leaf Sect. Some of the sect''s disciples thought that he wouldn''t be able to hear the hushed discussions that they had about him, but in reality, he was able to hear them as clearly as if they were screaming in his face.


    After considering the young woman''s question for a moment, he replied, "Everyone in your sect seems to be convinced that Du Mao is a blessing from the heavens who''ll take the sect to new heights, but if you ask me, he''s the one who''s going to bring the sect to its destruction. You should''ve never given birth to him."


    A furious and embarrassed look appeared on the young woman''s face.


    She was apanied by the young swordsman who was also expected to form part of the foundation of Parasol Leaf Sect''s prosperity over the next one thousand years, andpared with the timid young woman, he had a far more confrontational and abrasive personality.


    He was carrying a longsword personally gifted to him by Du Mao on his back, and his eyes were filled with resentment as he dered, "You will die by my sword someday!"


    "Oh? In that case, maybe I should get rid of you now so your prophecy doesn''te true," Zuo You said with an amused smile.


    The leader of Parasol Leaf Sect was still yet to fully recover from his injuries, and he hurriedly descended out of the sky, positioning himself in front of the young man and the young woman to shield them as he apologized to Zuo You, "Please don''t pay him any heed, esteemed sword immortal. He''s just had a rush of blood to the head."


    Zuo You sat down with his leg crossed on top of a cliff as he said, "I''ve heard that the cultivators of your Parasol Leaf Sect have always had a habit of attacking anyone they don��t like the look of. If you can''t beat them, then you resort to announcing that you''re from Parasol Leaf Sect, and after you return to the sect, you''ll give a sob story to your seniors, who''ll then send more people to go after the ones that you failed to defeat. Am I wrong?"


    The sect leader could only give a wry smile in response.


    "You must be thinking to yourself ''so what if that''s true?'' right?" Zuo You chuckled.


    The sect leader''s expression instantly changed drastically. He gave the young man a vicious p across the face and yelled, "Kneel down and kowtow in apology to this esteemed sword immortal! Keep kowtowing until he tells you to stop!"


    "I''d rather die!" the young man spat through gritted teeth as blood began to trickle down from the corner of his lips.


    Zuo You smiled as he said, "At this point, I have no more interest in educating arrogant so-called prodigy swordsmen like yourself. Your seniors are the ones responsible for how you turned out today, so as the sect leader, you can take another sword strike from me for his transgression."


    Immediately thereafter, Zuo You''s sword pierced through the sect leader''s abdomen, and he was once again sent tumbling down from the heavens before crashing into a mountain.


    As for whether he had intentionally refrained from defending himself in the hope that doing so would be enough to ease Zuo You''s fury, that was a question that only he and Zuo You could answer.


    Zuo You turned his gaze to the young man as he asked, "Are you not going to continue your little act of defiance? Perhaps Du Mao wille out to save you."


    The young man''splexion had turned deathly pale, and he offered no response.


    "If you don''t say anything, then you''re going to die. If you put on a defiant act, you''ll probably still die, but perhaps someone wille out to try and save you. What''s your choice going to be?" Zuo You asked.


    A conflicted look appeared in the young man''s eyes.


    All of a sudden, the young woman stepped forward with a desperate look in her eyes as she yelled, "Stop! If you keep doing this, his sword heart is going to break! You''re so powerful, why can''t you just spare him?!"


    "Go ask your son that question," Zuo You replied with a smile.


    Tears began to well up in the young woman''s eyes again. She had never met someone so unreasonable!


    Zuo You rose to his feet as he said, "You weren''t willing to kowtow to me just now out of a sense of honor. You wanted to make it appear as if you''re a courageous and defiant person so that you could make a good impression on the seniors of your sect, but now that you''re truly under pressure, you''re showing your true colors and revealing the coward under your defiant facade. I''ve seen far too many arrogant little brats like you for your little act to work on me."


    Zuo You cast his gaze toward the north as he spoke, and a self-deprecating look appeared on his face as he sighed, "Why is it that only now am I just beginning to realize how great my junior brother is?"


    Zuo You turned back to the young woman as he continued, "Setting aside Du Mao''s transgressions, I''ll admit that my actions have reduced you to aughing stock in the sect, and that is something that I must apologize to you for. Hence, you can state one reasonable request for me to fulfill."


    The young woman wiped the tears from her eyes as she asked in a skeptical manner, "Really?"


    Zuo You nodded in response.

 Chapter 369: (1): Farewells

    Chapter 369: (1): Farewells


    First and Fifteenth continued to whittle away at the piece of Dragon ying tform, and by the time that had almost "consumed" the entire piece of Dragon ying tform, it was already the twenty-ninth day of thest month of the year.


    Pei Qian, Wei Xian, and Sui Youbian had gone out five or six times to purchase a ton of things for the Dust Medicinal Shop in anticipation of the new year. Each time, Pei Qian had begged Sui Youbian to apany them, and that turned out to be for good reason. All Sui Youbian had to do was stand near the shops that they visited, and the shopkeepers would voluntarily drop their prices without requiring any bartering from Pei Qian and Wei Xian.


    They always went out early in the morning and returnedte at night, and upon their return, the old man would still be reading under the locust tree at the intersection between the street and the alley. Initially, he was a bit more subdued, but after familiarizing himself with everyone from the medicinal shop, he began to greet them whenever they returned.


    For thest two trips, Wei Xian didn''t apany them. Instead, it was just Sui Youbian and Pei Qian, and thetter was carrying Chen Ping''an''s bamboo bookcase on her back to store all of their purchases. As they returned to the alley, the old man greeted them again. Pei Qian eagerly responded in a sweet and exuberant manner, while Sui Youbian remained silent.


    As they stepped into the medicinal shop, Chen Ping''an was still seated behind the counter as usual, and Pei Qian immdiately began giving him a detailed ount of all of the shops that they had visited at what time, as well as the original prices and the final prices of all of the items that they purchased, while Chen Ping''an made calctions on his abacus.


    As soon as Pei Qian''s ount concluded, the sound of the cking abacus beads also instantly subsided, and Chen Ping''an gave Sui Youbian a thumbs-up as he said, "We''ve saved roughly a hundred taels of silver on stationery alone."


    Pei Qian lifted the bamboo curtain for Sui Youbian, while thetter made her way to the back of the shop to unload their purchases.


    Pei Qian snuck back over to the counter, then got up onto the tips of her toes and rested her chin on the table with an expectant smile on her face, clearly asking for a reward.


    Chen Ping''an took a nce over at the bamboo curtain, then sneakily handed seven or eight copper coins to Pei Qian as he said, "Make sure to keep this safe, and don''t let anyone else see it. If Sui Youbian sees this, both of us will be in trouble."Pei Qian carefully stowed the copper coins away, then rushed into the backyard and into her room to ce the coins into her little treasure trove.


    "Make sure to help Sui Youbian unload everything. Don''t just make her do it all on her own, and thank her for her hard work at the end," Chen Ping''an called out.


    "Got it!" Pei Qian yelled in response, and a faint smile appeared on Chen Ping''an''s face.


    The next day was going to be the final day of the year, the gateway from one year to the next.


    Never had Chen Ping''an imagined that there would be so many people celebrating the turn of the year together in the Dust Medicinal Shop.


    For the first few shopping trips, Sui Youbian was very reluctant to go. After that, Wei Xian no longer wanted to go, but Sui Youbian had really developed a taste for shopping, and she dragged Pei Qian around everywhere on their epic shopping sprees.


    Initially, it was Zhu Lian who had approached Pei Qian in secret, promising to gift her a set of four treasures of the study and some pocket money if she could convince Sui Youbian to go out shopping with her. Pei Qian told him that she would consider his offer, then went to Chen Ping''an. Chen Ping''an felt like it would be a good thing for Sui Youbian to go out more.


    At the very least, it would help her get in better touch with the world around her instead of being so cold and detached all the time, so he instructed Pei Qian to agree to Zhu Lian''s offer. Hence, Pei Qian began nagging her insistently like an annoying little fly, constantly disrupting her cultivation, so in the end, she could only cave and go out shopping with her and Wei Xian.


    After that, Sui Youbian grabbed the bamboo bookcase in the corner of her shared room with Pei Qian, then took the initiative to drag Pei Qian out for a shopping spree. Chen Ping''an made an agreement with Pei Qian in secret, promising to give her a copper coin for each time Sui Youbian bartered with a shopkeeper.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an cast his gaze out of the medicinal shop.


    The light outside the alley had suddenly be very dim, as if a heavy, dark cloud had suddenly descended upon the alley, but there was no cloud to be seen.


    Immediately thereafter, the green-robed Fan Junmao descended out of the sky.


    Chen Ping''an made his way around the counter, then emerged from the shop.


    "Have you made up your mind?" Fan Junmao asked.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response.


    "Hopefully, this year can have a good conclusion."


    Fan Junmao turned to the Zhao n yin soul as she warned, "Don''t try to use your powers to see what''s happening above the sea of clouds. Otherwise, Chen Ping''an will be the one who suffers the consequences."


    The yin soul nodded in response. By using the formation in the medicinal shop to attain Unpolished Jade Tier powers, he would indeed be able to observe what was taking ce above the sea of clouds. However, the spiritual energy of the sea of clouds was very pristine and pure, while his energy as a yin soul was theplete opposite.


    The two conflicting types of energy could easily cause the sea of clouds to descend into a state of disarray, thereby ruining Chen Ping''an''s bonded item refinement and harming the foundation of his Great Dao.


    Fan Junmao grabbed onto Chen Ping''an''s shoulder, and she was just about to fly up to the sea of clouds above when Chen Ping''an suddenly said, "ording to the books I''ve read, immortals will pick out a suitable time, date, and location prior tomencing pill refinement, and on that day, they''ll fast, bathe, and change into new clothes, then kneel down while holding a cauldron to pray to heaven and earth. You''re saying I don''t need to do that?"


    A disdainful sneer appeared on Fan Junmao''s face as she replied, "On the sea of clouds, I am the equivalent of a mountain master in their academy, an abbot in their Daoist temple, or an Arhat in their monastery. I am the sage of the small world that is the sea of clouds, so who do you need to pray to? Me?


    ��If you''re willing to kneel down and kowtow to me, I''m most likely going to be struck down again and drop down another cultivation rank, but that''s not really a concern for me. I can always regain my lost cultivation base, but there won''t be that many opportunities where I can make you kowtow to me."


    Chen Ping''an was enlightened upon hearing this.


    It seemed that even though Lu Yong was a Nascent Tier cultivator, he still couldn''t be considered a sage on Clear Realm Mountain, so he was unable to draw upon the fortune of thend around him as he pleased.


    After being dragged up into the sea of clouds by Fan Junmao, Chen Ping''an took a moment to steady himself. He gently trod down onto the sea of clouds below and discovered that it had the same consistency as the average dirt road, just like how it had felt when he stood upon the water after his yin soul had emerged from the water god temple.


    Fan Junmao swept a sleeve through the air, and arge, white table formed by cloud and mist appeared in front of Chen Ping''an. The surface of the table was as smooth as a mirror, and there were tendrils of mist drifting all over it.


    The pocket treasure, Fifteenth, and the minimization treasure that was the white jade tablet were hovering above the table before him. In a very slow and deliberate fashion, he pulled out a series of items required to refine his bonded item from the pair of storage treasures.


    Aside from the cauldron that Chen Ping''an had purchased from Lu Yong for fifty grain rain coins, there were also the close to fifty types of natural treasures that Chen Ping''an had secured from Fan Junmao in exchange for the Nascent Tier food dragon''s golden core. There were twelve types of sand alone, and they were to be used at different points in the refinement process for various different purposes.


    Chen Ping''an was pulling out the items one after another in an unhurried manner, while Fan Junmao was bing more and more agitated by the second, having to fight back the urge to tell him to hurry up.


    All of a sudden, she pped a jade pendant onto the cloud table as she said, "In order to refine that water seal, the most important secondary ingredient is water essence of a sufficient caliber for the task. Otherwise, it''ll have a detrimental effect on the entire refinement process.


    ��This Old Dragon Rainbringer is the best piece of water essence that I can currently find. It''s about as old as Old Dragon City itself, and it''s absorbed much of the water fortune essence of the sea of clouds. There''s no need to talk money with me, just treat this as a bet that I''m making on you, just like that gon of basic refinement medicinal wine.


    ��Having said that, if you insist on talking money, then that''s fine too. I can sell this jade pendant to you for the cheap price of thirty grain rain coins!"


    "Aren''t you the only one talking money here?" Chen Ping''an asked with a smile.


    A perplexed look appeared on Fan Junmao''s face upon hearing this, and she asked, "Do you really feel justified in epting such a precious Old Dragon Rainbringer free of charge? This thing has been worshiped in the Fu n''s ancestral hall for over a thousand years, and it''s extremely valuable!


    ��I''m only charging you thirty grain rain coins, and this item is vital to ensure that you can refine a bonded item of the best possible caliber. Does that not make it worth the money in your eyes?"


    "This is only a part of thepensation that the Fu n has promised us, and you''re only passing it onto me as a middle man, yet you want to earn thirty grain rain coins just for running such a simple errand?" Chen Ping''an scoffed. "It looks like you must''ve stumbled upon some hard timestely.


    ��I presume that your drop in cultivation base isn''t just a simple reversion from the Nascent Tier to the Golden Core Tier. Has your foundation been harmed, just like that Sword Devouring Ark did to me? You''ve been trying to devour the sea of clouds to treat your injuries, but that must not be working very well. It must be very costly to replenish the water essence that''s been sucked into your acupoints from the sea of clouds, right?"


    "You may do some stupid things, but you''re not a fool at all!" Fan Junmao grumbled in a disgruntled manner.


    Finally, Chen Ping''an pulled out the water seal before gently cing it onto the cloud table.


    Fan Junmao took a long nce at the seal, then asked, "Are you really going to refine this seal? Once it bes a bonded item of yours, you''ll be directly harming the foundation of your own Great Dao if you ever use it to grant fortune to other bodies of water. Of course, if you don''t do such a foolish thing, then this water seal will be immensely beneficial to you once it bes your water-attribute bonded item.


    ��Normally, the acupoint opened through this process is the size of a well or a small pond, but you have a chance to create a littleke for yourself! Right now, spiritual energy is gushing into all of your acupoints to whittle away at your True Qi, but if you can pull this off sessfully, then that crisis can be easily averted."


    "I''ve already made up my mind," Chen Ping''an replied with a determined nod.


    He then reached out to stroke the Old Dragon Rainbringer, and he was struck by a sense of familiarity.


    His brows furrowed slightly as he looked up at Fan Junmao, then asked, "This is a piece of water essence?"


    "Why the skeptical look? Are you worried that I''m trying to scam you?" Fan Junmao sneered with a cold look in her eyes.


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response, and after a brief moment of hesitation, he pulled out the jade slip that had been bestowed upon him by the Burial River Goddess, then asked, "Is this thing water essence as well?"


    As soon the jade slip appeared, the surrounding sea of clouds immediately began to dance with joy like a bunch of small children eyeing a piece of candy.


    A stunned look appeared on Fan Junmao''s face as she asked, "Where did you get that from?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he said, "I''ll take that as a yes to my question then. It seems like this is a superior piece of water essence to this Old Dragon Rainbringer."


    This was the second time since hearing about the twelfth demon core in Chen Ping''an''s possession that she had been struck by the urge to take something from him by force.


    However, on this asion, she quickly suppressed that impulsive urge. After learning about Chen Ping''an''s rtionship with the sword spirit, she didn''t dare to consider making any moves on Chen Ping''an. All she could do was scoot a little closer to Chen Ping''an so that she could take a longing nce at the jade tablet.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know the true value of this jade tablet, but she did, and she could tell that this was definitely an item manifested from the water fortune essence of a certainrge water vein from dragon pce in a major river. Compared with this Old Dragon Rainbringer... Well, there really was noparison between the two. It was like night and day.


    The reason why Fan Junmao desired this jade slip so intensely was that she could tell that refining this jade slip would be sufficient to replenish the sea of clouds to its original condition, and it would also be more than enough to restore her cultivation base to the Nascent Tier.


    From there, she would be able to easily reach the Upper Five Tiers in just three or four more decades, and once she reached the Upper Five Tiers, it would be a simple matter of revisiting ces that she had already explored, breaking open different small world secret areas in search of fated opportunities.


    The process would be much safer and make for far more bountiful returnspared with the average cultivator that had to venture into secret areas that were fraught with peril.


    "I can use this as the water essence to refine the water seal into my water-attribute bonded item, right?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    "Of course you can!" Fan Junmao spat through gritted teeth. "You are the luckiest bastard I''ve ever met! Do you know how rare this thing is? This is an innate immortal treasure! If this thing were to appear in a small world that''s not presided over by a sage, a bunch of Golden Core and Nascent Tier earth immortals would fight to the death over something like this!


    ��In fact, there''s a very good chance that even some Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators would throw their hats into the ring!"


    "Fate has different things in store for everyone," Chen Ping''an said with a smile. "If I had grown up my entire life in Old Dragon City, I could perhaps stay here for a thousand years without earning a single opportunity to stand atop this sea of clouds. Just the same, had you gone and explored that water god temple for ten thousand years, there''s still no guarantee that you would''ve been able to secure this jade slip."


    "That is true," Fan Junmao admitted with a nod. "Alright, cut the chit-chat and hurry up! You''ve already wasted more than enough time!"


    She then took a deep breath before making a series of hand seals, and the outermost parts of the giant sea of clouds looming over the entirety of Old Dragon City began to rapidly curl up, presenting a sight much like a lotus flower in full bloom reverting back to a flower bud.


    The sea of clouds epassed Chen Ping''an, Fan Junmao, and the cloud table from all directions, and countless rays of white light began to cascade down from above like water from a flowing creek.


    Spiritual energy rose up from all directions, making it rather difficult for Chen Ping''an to breathe. Upon noticing the mocking look in Fan Junmao''s eyes, he pulled out the golden jade tablet that carried the inscription of "nurturing the noble spirit" and hung it at his waist.


    The surrounding spiritual energy instantly began to surge into the jade tablet in a frenzy, and Fan Junmao hurriedly swept a sleeve through to scatter the surrounding water essence from the sea of clouds that was exerting pressure upon Chen Ping''an. Otherwise, all of it would be sucked into the jade tablet, thereby further whittling down the sea of clouds.


    After that, Fan Junmao flew out of the giant flower bud formed by the sea of clouds, thenmunicated to Chen Ping''an through voice transmission, "If you encounter any trouble, then stop the refinement process right away.


    ��You run the risk of sustaining injuries and losing all of your materials if you do that, but the alternative could quite possibly cost you your life. Also, you can adjust the height of that cloud table as you please with just a single thought."


    Chen Ping''an sat down with his legs crossed, and the cloud table indeed descended in front of him until it resembled a white mat draped over the ground.


    On the cloud table were the water seal, the Five-Colored Golden Box Cauldron, the water essence jade slip from the unknown dragon pce, and the Old Dragon Rainbringer, which was currently looking rather redundant.


    There were also over forty natural treasures, which included twelve types of sand of different colors, all of which were supposed to be more and more profound the longer that they were refined. There was the dense and heavy Infernal Water Sand, the Great Dipper Sand that glowed with radiant starlight... All of these priceless types of sand were stored in transparent ss containers of different sizes.


    Chen Ping''an was seated atop the sea of clouds, inspecting his surroundings. Even though he was situated in the giant flower bud formed by the sea of clouds, his vision wasn''t impeded at all, and he was still able to see the ocean on three sides.


    Ideally, he would be able to sessfully carry out the refinement process on his first try and refine the water seal into his bonded item using the jade slip as water essence.


    If he were to fail, then jade slip would disintegrate, releasing all of the water essence that it contained. However, the water essence would not go to waste as it would be drawn into the golden jade slip that he was wearing as spiritual energy. Even if some of the water essence were to escape, it would fuse into the sea of clouds, and that would serve aspensation for the assistance that Fan Junmao had provided.


    In this case, he could still use the Old Dragon Rainbringer as his backup water essence to attempt the process again.


    Chen Ping''an practiced his standing meditation momentarily to calm himself down, and in his mind, he was visualizing the process of pottery firing that he had frequently carried out as a child.


    After tossing arge handful of lesser heat coins into the Five-Colored Golden Box Cauldron on the cloud table, five-colored clouds began to billow out of the mouths of the five beasts on the edge of the cauldron.


    Chen Ping''an drew upon the True Qi in his own body, then gently exhaled into the cauldron to "start the fire."

 Chapter 370: New Year, New Beginnings

    Chapter 370: New Year, New Beginnings


    On the final day of the year, it was customary to write up new couplets to rece the ones from the year just passed. Many sheets of nk red paper for writing couplets had already been purchased, and a total of four couplets had to be reced, one at the entrance of the shop, and one each for the three rooms in the backyard of the shop.


    Chen Ping''an, Pei Qian, Zheng Dafeng, and Lu Baixiang each wrote a set of couplets, copying directly from a small brochure of generic couplets sold at the market without bothering to make any innovations.


    Chen Ping''an''s couplets had impable, textbook handwriting; Lu Baixiang''s were very graceful and free-flowing; and Zheng Dafeng''s couplets were also quite exceptional. Pei Qian volunteered to write a set of couplets herself, and she did so very diligently, but the oue wasn''t what she had hoped for.


    Zhu Lian was constantly shaking his head at the sight of her handwriting, and even Wei Xian praised her for her efforts but admitted that the results were ratherckluster. Pei Qian was also feeling rather sheepish, but much to her relief, Chen Ping''an told her that couplets were only written for good luck, so there was no need to be overly pedantic on the quality of the handwriting.


    Pei Qian, Wei Xian, and Sui Youbian were responsible for putting up the couplets, while Chen Ping''an and Zheng Dafeng gave them instructions from the sidelines. Having already done a ratherckluster job writing her couplets, Pei Qian was determined to redeem herself by making absolutely certain that her couplets were stered straight, and before long, she was already sweating profusely.


    In the end, it was only after Sui Youbian told Chen Ping''an and Zheng Dafeng to shut their mouths that Pei Qian was able to get the job done.


    The "spring" characters were all written by Chen Ping''an, while the "fortune" characters were all written by Zheng Dafeng.


    Zhu Lian spent close to the entire afternoon cooking up the final meal of the year, with Chen Ping''an and Pei Qian helping him prepare certain ingredients. During this time, Sui Youbian paid a visit to the kitchen, then stood at the entrance for a while before departing.


    In the end, Zhu Lian prepared a delectable feast that had a good bnce of both meat and vegetable dishes, and the two main dishes consisted of a braised fish, which heralded a year of excess, and a pot full of slow-cooked pig trotters. [1]Zheng Dafeng was seated on the main chair at the table, with Lu Baixiang and Wei Xian seated to his left and Sui Youbian and Pei Qian seated to his right. Pei Qian pounced on this opportunity to make a joke about Big Sister Right Side sitting on the right side, only for Sui Youbian to grab her ear amd give it a firm twist, forcing her to beg for mercy. [2]


    Chen Ping''an and Zhu Lian were seated on the bench near the door, and the Zhao n yin soul was also invited to join them at the table, but he refused.


    Complementing the fine meal was a jar of the finest osmanthus wine produced by the Fan n''s Osmanthus Ind. It was extremely fragrant, with a delectable vor and a sweet aftertaste.


    Chen Ping''an could tell that Pei Qian was dying to get a taste of the wine. She had been working very hard putting up her couplets and helping out in the kitchen, and the osmanthus wine wasn''t particrly strong, so Chen Ping''an poured out a small amount for her into a cup, roughly around two to three sips'' worth.


    However, he also warned her that she was only getting this treat due to the fact that it was a special asion, and that she would be severely punished if she dared to try and drink wine any other time.


    Under Chen Ping''an''s insistence, Zheng Dafeng was the first one to begin eating, and only after that did everyone dig into the meal. On top of that, he also insisted that Zheng Dafeng propose a toast to everyone and deliver a brief address.


    Zheng Dafeng normally had extremely thick skin, but now that he was being put on the spot, he was suddenly very shy, and in the end, he could only mumble something about wishing everyone a safe and prosperous new year. After his address was delivered, Pei Qian was finally able to take her first sip of osmanthus wine, and her eyes immediately lit up. A look of bliss befitting a child of her age appeared on her face.


    It was incredible to her that there was such a delicious drink in this world. All of a sudden, it urred to her that there were some perks to growing up, after all. At the very least, she would be able to drink wine to her heart''s content once she became an adult.


    The final meal of the year was a lively and rowdy affair, and neither Zheng Dafeng nor Chen Ping''an spoke much about Jewel Small World and Dragon Spring Prefecture.


    Instead, Zheng Dafeng asked some questions about the interesting people and events of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. He was very intrigued by the four picture scroll martial artists, as well as Ding Ying, who was the most powerful figure in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land before Chen Ping''an.


    He was also quite interested in Jiang Shangzhen, so Chen Ping''an spoke about some of his past interactions with this "otherworldly immortal." On this subject, Zheng Dafeng brought up some secrets pertaining to various small worlds, and only then was Jewel Small World mentioned.


    Generally speaking, the tenrge worlds and the thirty-six small worlds were considered to be blessed paradises as they harbored far more spiritual energy than all other worlds. All of these worlds had fated opportunities left behind by ancient immortals who either passed away or sessfully ascended, thereby making these ces extremely sought after by all cultivators.


    For example, Parasol Leaf Small World of Parasol Leaf Sect had been imed solely by Du Mao, and he had only been distributing a tiny amount of the benefits that he was reaping from the small world to the other Upper Five Tiers cultivators of the sect.


    However, there were also some exceptions to this norm, examples of which included the Dao Ancestor''s Lotus Flower Small World, which was adjacent to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and of course, there was also Jewel Small World. Thetter wasn''t all that abundant in spiritual energy, nor was it renowned for having a vast array of natural treasures. Instead, the allure of Jewel Small World lied in the exceptional cultivation aptitude of the small town''s residents.


    Elsewhere in Majestic World, it was extremely difficult for any earth immortal to find a suitable disciple. It was truly a task akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Even if one were to stumble upon a prospective disciple with exceptional aptitude, they may not be suited to the earth immortal''s cultivation arts or possessckluster personality traits.


    Hence, it was often the case that earth immortals would embark on long journeys to search for disciples, only to return disappointed.


    In contrast, in Jewel Small World, there were many unpolished gems with sufficient aptitude to reach the Middle Five Tiers, a level of aptitude that wasn''t necessarily guaranteed even for the offspring of a pair of immortals.


    After the meal, everyone changed into new clothes. Initially, Wei Xian was rather resistant to the idea of wearing new clothes, saying that new clothes always felt stiff andfortable, and he tried to get away with wearing his imperial robe instead.


    However, he was unable to stand Pei Qian''s nagging, and he reluctantly put on some new clothes and boots. For this special asion, Chen Ping''an had also taken off his Golden Sweet Wine robe and changed into a long azure robe chosen for him by Pei Qian and Sui Youbian.


    Chen Ping''an also gave Pei Qian and the four picture scroll martial artists some New Year''s money, consisting of a single snowke coin each, held in a red paper envelope.


    Pei Qian was aware that a snowke coin was worth a thousand taels of silver, and she was ecstatic. The four picture scroll martial artists also epted their red packets, but they weren''t as ecstatic as Pei Qian was.


    After that, a vigil was held to wee the new year.


    In the end, only Chen Ping''an, Zheng Dafeng, and Pei Qian stayed up the entire night, sitting around the firece until daybreak.


    Chen Ping''an had one leg crossed over the other, and the little lotus spirit was sitting on the back of his foot. As Chen Ping''an swayed his leg back and forth, the little lotus spirit bounced up and down on the back of his foot, and it was thoroughly enjoying itself.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t dare to drink too much of the basic refinement medicinal wine in his Sword Nurturing Gourd. Instead, he and Zheng Dafeng only drank a quarter of a liter of osmanthus wine each.


    Zheng Dafeng chatted about many of Chen Ping''an''s peers from the small town, including Ma Kuxuan, Song Jixin, Zhao Yao, and Lin Shouyi, and he also spoke about some of the children younger than Chen Ping''an, such as Li Baoping and Gu Can.


    He told Chen Ping''an that he had never even expected Chen Ping''an to survive, let alone reach his current heights.


    Pei Qian had actually already fallen asleep at some point in the night, so she didn''t hear all of these stories about Jewel Small World.


    Zheng Dafeng asked Chen Ping''an about his bonded porcin, to which Chen Ping''an smiled and replied that it was a white porcin paperweight roughly in the form of a hornless dragon, and that he had kept a few broken fragments of the paperweight in the y pot in the corner of his ancestral residence on y Vase Alley.


    Even if it had beenpleted, it wouldn''t have been offered up to the imperial n of the Great Li Empire. Instead, it would''ve mostly likely be part of a certain immortal manor''s secret collection; ording to the old sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall, y Vase Alley originally possessed the aptitude to be an earth immortal.


    Zheng Dafeng didn''t speak any further on this subject, and Chen Ping''an didn''t insist on dwelling on it, either.


    Zheng Dafeng pointed outside as he revealed, "Old Man Zhao is the ancestor of Zhao Yao''s branch of the Zhao n in Jewel Small World. After he passed away, the old man gathered his soul and made him into a yin soul. If he''s lucky, then perhaps he can be the god of a certain mountain in the Great Li Empire someday.


    ��He definitely won''t be able to emte Wei Bo''s meteoric rise and ascend to be the Northern Mountain God. At least there''s a chance that he could be a mountain god of the same caliber as Gu Can''s father."


    "I figured that out for myself," Chen Ping''an replied with a nod.


    Qi Jingchun had left behind three drafts of spring wind, one each for Chen Ping''an, Zhao Yao, and Song Jixin.


    Zhao Yao wasn''t able to keep his most precious spring seal, but Qi Jingchun had said that he wasn''t disappointed about that. Initially, Chen Ping''an had been rather perplexed to hear this. Given Qi Jingchun''s personality, he definitely wasn''t feeling that way because he hadn''t had any high hopes for Zhao Yao to begin with. In fact,pared with Song Jixin, Qi Jingchun actually held Zhao Yao in somewhat higher regard.


    Thinking back now, Chen Ping''an realized that Qi Jingchun had most likely been hoping that by losing the spring seal, Zhao Yao would be able to cast aside all ties that the two of them had. From there onward, he could establish something on his own or turn to another branch of teachings. Perhaps that would allow him to live out a safe and peaceful life, and that was a very good oue in Qi Jingchun''s eyes.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t feel like he could be as open-minded as Qi Jingchun.


    Perhaps he would be able to in the future after reading more books and meeting more people, but at the very least, he definitely couldn''t in his current state.


    Zheng Dafeng also revealed a small secret pertaining to Ma Kuxuan. He told Chen Ping''an that Ma Kuxuan''s white cat was a very special creature, at least on par with the likes of the golden carp in Gao Xuan''s Dragon King Basket, the fire dragon bracelet worn by Ruan Xiu, Zhao Yao''s wooden dragon carving, Gu Can''s little catfish, and Song Jixin''s four-legged snake.


    However, in contrast with these five, the white cat had made its way into Jewel Small World in secret, and it would only ever ept Ma Kuxuan as its master.


    Chen Ping''an told Zheng Dafeng about his two battles against Ma Kuxuan, the first in the immortal tomb, and the second was on the streets of Colorful Garment Nation.


    Zheng Dafeng was very amused to hear about this, and he didn''t take it too seriously. He told Chen Ping''an that roughly once every five hundred to a thousand years in Jewel Small World, a pair of sworn enemies or lifelong friends would emerge.


    An example of friends were the two ancestors of the Cao n and the Yuan n of the Great Li Empire. This time, perhaps it was Chen Ping''an''s turn to forge a lifelong rivalry with Ma Kuxuan.


    Chen Ping''an turned to look outside, and he discovered that the first morning of the new year had arrived.


    The same timest year, he was still stumbling around the Lotus Flower Blessed Land like a lost soul, and thinking back, that felt like a lifetime ago.


    As soon as Pei Qian woke up, she immediately rushed outside into the alley to set off some firecrackers. Perhaps it was because she really had be wiser with the passing of a year, but prior to setting off the firecrackers, she made a very thoughtful disy of asking the Zhao n yin soul if he would be frightened by the sound of the firecrackers, in response to which the yin soul smiled and reassured her that he wouldn''t.


    As he listened to the firecrackers going off in the alley, Zheng Dafeng suddenly said, "When Pei Qian''s by your side, you can restrain her and keep her in check, but what happens after she leaves you?"


    Chen Ping''an considered the question momentarily, then replied, "I''ll do my best to teach her what''s right and what''s wrong before she leaves me. Only then will she have a moralpass to guide her, and she won''t need to have me tell her what to do all the time."


    Chen Ping''an drew a circle on the ground with his foot as he spoke, then continued, "Right now, she''s still young, so I have to make rules for her and keep her confined in a little circle. She can do whatever she wants as long as she remains in the circle, but if she strays out of the circle, then I have to reprimand her and tell her what she did wrong.


    ��This has to be a slow process, and I can''t afford to grow impatient. She''s only ten years old right now, and I think she''s already doing quite well for her age."


    "Can shepare with back when you were ten?" Zheng Dafeng asked with a smile.


    "Whypare her to me?" Chen Ping''an asked with a smile. "Pei Qian is Pei Qian, and Chen Ping''an is Chen Ping''an."


    "Pei Qian is very fortunate to have met you," Zheng Dafeng sighed.


    Chen Ping''an turned to Zheng Dafeng, then asked, "Aren''t you also very fortunate to have met me? I''ve only passed through Old Dragon City twice, and I''ve already had to serve as both your Dao mentor and your Dao guardian. At this rate, I''ll be too afraid toe back to Old Dragon City ever again!"


    "You did alright as my Dao mentor, but I have to say, you really failed in your job as my Dao guardian," Zheng Dafeng jibed.


    Chen Ping''an burst intoughter upon hearing this, cupping his fist in a mock apology as he said, "Please forgive me, my capabilities are somewhat limited as a mere fifth-tier martial artist."


    Zheng Dafeng rolled his eyes in response, then sighed to himself. "How am I ever going to find a wife like this?"


    Pei Qian was walking around carrying a feather duster on her shoulder, proiming that she was giving her hiking pole a break. As soon as she stepped out into the backyard, she immediately began dishing out well wishes to everyone.


    She wished Wei Xian luck in finding a pretty wife, she wished Lu Baixiang good fortune in improving his go skills, encouraging him to break into the top one hundred go yers in the world, she wished for Sui Youbian to never grow wrinkles and to grow younger with each passing day, she wished for Zhu Lian to improve his cooking skills even further, she wished for the Zhao n yin soul to make rapid progress in his cultivation base so that he would be able to take her to fly up in the sky, and she wished Zheng Dafeng a profitable year for his shop.


    Finally, Pei Qian wished for a prosperous year for Chen Ping''an, one in which he would be constantly flooded by gold, silver, and powerful treasures.


    Clearly, she no longer wanted to be a burden to everyone in this new year.


    Perhaps Pei Qian''s luck had finally turned, but while she was only able to speak bad things into existence in the past, she seemed to have now be a irvoyant of good fortune, and the good fortune that she spoke of manifested itself on the very first day of the year.


    ording to the customs and traditions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the first day of the year was one that was reserved purely for rxation and recreation, and no work was to be done on this day.


    However, Fan Junmao had arrived at the Dust Medicinal Shop early in the morning, and aside from asking Chen Ping''an when he was going to return to the sea of clouds to refine his bonded item, she also brought him three pouches of gold essence copper coins, one pouch of each of the three varieties. In total, there were around three dozen gold essence copper coins, all of which had been provided by the emperor of the Great Li Empire.


    Furthermore, he had promised that there was still going to be more toe. As the army of the Great Li Empire continued to make its southward march, all illegitimate mountain and river gods that they encountered, and even some legitimate mountain and river gods and that refused to submit to the Great Li Empire, would have their godly bodies destroyed, thereby providing the godly body fragments required to refine gold essence copper coins.


    Chen Ping''an turned to Zheng Dafeng with a perplexed expression, and thetter was just as perplexed as he asked, "Aren''t gold essence copper coins no longer being forged?"


    "That''s exactly why the Song n is including them in theirpensation! How are they going to show off their sincerity to you if they don''t offer up something special?" Fan Junmao scoffed.


    "There''s no way the Great Li Empire would''ve gone this far unless the old man is personally exerting pressure upon the emperor. It would be far better for the Great Li Empire to use these godly fragments to bolster the godly bodies of the other three great mountain gods."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in agreement with this.


    A perplexed look then appeared on Zheng Dafeng''s face as he mused, "But that doesn''t seem like something the old man would do."


    An exasperated look appeared on Fan Junmao''s face she revealed, "Not long ago, an intercontinental ship traveling southward from Northern Complete Reed Continent passed by Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and as it did so, a man came falling out of the sky before crashing down onto the ground.


    ��At this point, just about everyone in the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent has heard that there''s another tenth tier martial artist on the continent aside from Song Changjing."


    "That''s definitely Li Er. I wonder when he��ll arrive in Old Dragon City," Zheng Dafeng mused.


    "Assuming that he''s taking the ship from the ferry station in Dragon Spring Prefecture, as long as he''s willing to spend the money to speed the ship along, he should be arriving in the next few days," Fan Junmao said.


    "So he''s gone from Northern Complete Reed Continent to the Great Li Empire in the northernmost region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and now, he''sing to Old Dragon City in the southernmost region of the continent. This sure has been a long journey for him," Zheng Dafeng chuckled.


    The smile on his face then faded slightly as he asked, "How are things going in Parasol Leaf Sect?"


    A cold sneer appeared on Fan Junmao''s face as she scoffed, "None of the spineless earth immortals of Old Dragon City dare to travel to Parasol Leaf Continent to gather information. Eastern Treasured Vial Continent has always been below Parasol Leaf Continent, and Parasol Leaf Sect is the most powerful and domineering immortal power on Parasol Leaf Continent, so no one dares to encroach upon its authority.


    ��Perhaps the Fu n is able to get some insider information on what''s happening, but the other major ns of the city may as well be blind as far as Parasol Leaf Sect is concerned. Having said that, my guess is that Parasol Leaf Sect is in serious trouble right now. Otherwise, Fu Qi wouldn''t have offered up that Old Dragon Rainbringer aspensation, in addition to something that even I didn''t think of.


    ��However, Fu Qi told me that he still needs to discuss this matter with the Fu n''s ancestral hall, but he''ll do his best to secure everyone''s approval. The item will be delivered to you by me whenever you decide to leave Old Dragon Rainbringer. Why don''t you two take a guess at what it is?"


    Given Pei Qian''s recent track record of speaking good things into existence, Chen Ping''an hurriedly called her into the yard, then briefly told her about the Fu n''s situation before urging, "Take a guess at what it could be. Be as ambitious as possible."


    Pei Qian thought about it carefully, then asked in a timid manner, "Could it be a pseudo-celestial tool?"


    Fan Junmao was rendered speechless, while Chen Ping''an and Zheng Dafeng both burst intoughter.


    On the fifth day of the first month, the old man with the title of Foot-Long Spear was once again hanging out at the Dust Medicinal Shop, and he was snacking on some sunflower seeds while chatting with Pei Qian. It seemed that the two of them were having a bragging contest.


    On this day, the shop was visited by another guest.


    A short, yet well-built man made his way into the alley, and as he passed by, even the old man couldn''t help but take an extra nce at him. This man was a far rarer sight than even Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators.


    Even before the four picture scroll martial artists caught sight of this visitor, all four of them were instantly struck by a sense of inexplicable fear. It was an instinctive sense of primal fear that welled up from the bottom of their hearts, and as the visitor approached the shop, the four of them felt as if they were witnessing a massive flood dragon forcing its way into a tiny stream.


    <em>How could such a martial artist exist in this world? </em>


    In contrast, Chen Ping''an and Zheng Dafeng were lookingpletely rxed, and only after gauging their reactions were the hearts of the four picture scroll martial artists put at ease.


    Wei Xian was rubbing his hands together in anticipation, while Zhu Lian was standing ramrod straight with a fervent look in his eyes. Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian had both looked up from the go board ced between them, and all four of them were waiting with bated breath.


    Chen Ping''an and Zheng Dafeng made their way into the shop, and thetter looked around momentarily before asking, "Your wife didn''te with you?"


    Li Er''s face wasn''t disying much emotion as he looked at Zheng Dafeng, and he replied, "If our master didn''t ask me to wait a little, I would already be at Parasol Leaf Sect by now."


    Zheng Dafeng scratched his own head and didn''t say anything.


    Li Er turned to Chen Ping''an, then cupped his fist in a salute as he said, "Chen Ping''an, Li Huai has be far more mature and thoughtful after his journey with you. He''s learned many things that aren''t taught in books, and for that, I have you to thank. Mr. Qi taught Li Huai very well. Now that Mr. Qi is gone, you''ve taken up the mantle and done just as ster a job, so I should call you Mr. Chen.


    ��I have to depart today to demolish Parasol Leaf Sect''s ancestral hall, so I can''t waste much time here. However, before I go, I have something to say to you. Normally, I''ll only use my fists if someone in my family suffers some type of injustice, but I promise that from now on, all you need to do is give the word, and whoever you feel should be beaten up will be beaten up. If I hesitate even for a moment, then I''m no longer Li Huai''s father!"


    He then cupped his fist once again as he dered, "Farewell!"


    With that, he turned and departed.


    1. In Chinese, the characters for fish (��) and excess (��) are homonyms of one another, so it''s customary to eat fish at the end of a year for prosperity and excess. ?


    2. This is a y on Sui Youbian''s name. Youbian (�ұ�) literally trantes to right side. Right as in the direction, not right or wrong. ?

 Chapter 371: First Month of the Year

    Chapter 371: First Month of the Year


    Following Li Er''s visit, the situation in Old Dragon City was rified even further. Even though he had only paid a brief visit to Dust Medicinal Shop, the fact that a tenth tier martial artist had visited the shop at all was a resounding statement in itself.


    Perhaps the Sun, Ding, Fang, and Hou ns were still oblivious to this, but everything that was going to unfold from this point onward was essentially already decided. The forces and resources of Old Dragon City would begin moving northward, getting closer and closer to the army of the Great Li Empire, which had already established itself in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    In contrast, the Fu n, the Fan n, and everyone in Dust Medicinal Shop was already fully aware of this.


    Not long after Li Er departed, some people from the Fan n came to the shop to wish everyone a happy new year, all of them familiar faces for Chen Ping''an. Of course, Fan Junmao and Fan Er hade to visit, and they were apanied by Aunt Gui from Osmanthus Ind and her only direct disciple, Jin Su, the osmanthus girl who had served Chen Ping''an during his time on the Osmanthus Ind.


    There was also the Golden Core Tier swordsman Ma Zhi, who had trained Chen Ping''an in the way of the sword for some time.


    Aunt Gui very rarely set foot ashore Old Dragon City. Even though Osmanthus Ind traveled back and forth between Old Dragon City and Stctite Mountain twice every year, many people in the Fan n''s ancestral hall had never even seen her once.


    The old man with the title of Foot-Long Spear had thought that this was just going to be another uneventful day as usual, and he was saddened by the thought that perhaps he wouldn''t even be able to catch a glimpse of Sui Youbian, so he was delighted to see so many women visiting the shop. He immediately began making himself useful, attending to the women diligently, bringing them beverages and snacks, and it was almost as if he had be an employee of the shop.


    After making her way into the shop, Aunt Gui took a nce at the old man, who just so happened to look at her at the same time, and their eyes met momentarily. Aunt Gui gave him a polite smile before looking away again. In the eyes of the old man, Aunt Gui''s looks weren''t particrly exceptional, but she was a very kind and elegant woman, the type that would be perfect as a wife and a mother.


    It was no wonder that Jiang Shangzhen''s eldest son had used his ties with Jade Tablet Sect to pressure her, hoping to purchase Osmanthus Ind that traveled back and forth between Old Dragon City and Stctite Mountain from the Fan n. Aunt Gui was unable to ascertain the old man''s cultivation base, but her appraisal of him was that he possessed an immacte body, a vivacious spirit, and a supple soul. If he was truly only an earth immortal at the moment, then he surely possessed the potential to reach the Upper Five Tiers in the future.


    Even among earth immortals, there were vast disparities in power and aptitude.


    Chen Ping''an made his way into the shop to greet Aunt Gui in person. He had always been quite grateful to her, and it had nothing to do with her status or cultivation base.


    On the way to Stctite Mountain, Chen Ping''an had experienced a moment of empty-mindedness during the crisis that he had suffered while passing through the Flood Dragon Trench. It was a moment in which Chen Ping''an felt as if he could see into the hearts of all those around him, and it caught himpletely off guard, making him feel as if this entire world was filled with evil and ill intent.


    After that, he had fallen into a slight depression in his courtyard. During that dark period, he could only recall two sources of warmth and light in his life, the first of which was the artist with the Fan surname, who had drawn three paintings for him, and the second one was Aunt Gui, who was able to maintain a cid mental state even after witnessing so many facets of the world.


    Fan Er excused himself to pay a visit to Zheng Dafeng''s room, only to be disappointed to find that the portrait of Sui Youbian was no longer there.


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was chatting with Aunt Gui and the others in the guest hall outside.


    Inside his room, Zheng Dafeng cleared his throat as he said in a serious manner, "The cultivation of the mind is just as important as the training of the body, so don''t go doing such unscrupulous things anymore."


    Fan Er was initially rather perplexed by Zheng Dafeng''s serious demeanor, but a look of realization then immediately appeared on his face, following which he feigned an expression of shame and remorse as he said, "My artist is also partially to me for this. My original intention was for him to create a painting of a beautiful woman in the hope that it would put you in a better mood.


    ��I know that you''ve always greatly admired Celestial Maiden Sui, and I''ve always wanted to do something for you as your disciple, so I gave my artist a description of Celestial Maiden Sui''s stunning beauty in the hope that he would paint a ttering portrait of her..."


    Zheng Dafeng was very pleased at how wise his disciple had be.


    As it turned out, Sui Youbian had arrived at the entrance of Zheng Dafeng''s room at some point, and she sneered, "That artist of your Fan n must truly be a miracle-worker to have painted such an urate portrait of me with just a verbal description from you."


    Jin Su''s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.


    Even though she had no romantic feelings for Fan Er, he was still the undisputed heir to the leader of the Fan n, and Osmanthus Ind was technically already under his ownership. ording to Chen Ping''an, Sui Youbian was a follower of his.


    To put it in a more ttering light, she was like a guest elder, but to put it more frankly, she was essentially just a servant, and in Jin Su''s eyes, it was very unbing of a servant like her to be speaking to Fan Er like this. However, given all of the recent unrest in Old Dragon City, Aunt Gui had warned her to be very careful with her words and actions.


    Hence, even though she was rather displeased by Sui Youbian''s disrespectful disy, she didn''t say anything. Even though she was Aunt Gui''s only disciple, she was well aware that there was no ce for her to speak in this gathering.


    Hence, she looked away from Sui Youbian and returned her attention to Chen Ping''an.


    It hadn''t been all that long since theyst met, but in her eyes, Chen Ping''an had undergone a drastic transformation. He was no longer the little hillbilly drunkard that he once was. All of the childish immaturity about him hadpletely faded away, and it had been reced by a type of... calmness and tranquility.


    At this moment, he was dressed in a white robe with a white jade hairpin in his hair, and that familiar red wine gourd was still strapped to his waist. He had be a lot taller, and was seated in a very formal manner, yet somehow didn''t appear rigid at all. He liked to establish eye contact with those that he was speaking to, and he constantly wore a rxed and earnest smile.


    Jin Su then noticed the dark-skinned little girl standing beside Chen Ping''an. She had a pair of veryrge eyes that were quickly darting from side to side, sneaking furtive nces back and forth between Jin Su and Aunt Gui.


    Jin Su gave her a warm smile, and Pei Qian responded in kind.


    From Pei Qian''s perspective, all of these beautiful big sisters, including the likes of Yao Jin and Su Youbian, had bulging money pouches. ording to Zheng Dafeng, there existed a type of spirit that was very fond of moving wealth around, and Pei Qian felt like she was a human embodiment of such a spirit.


    Jin Su had no idea that she was going to encounter a little girl here, so she didn''t bring any New Year''s money with her. In contrast, Aunt Gui was much better prepared, bringing out an intricately stitched little perfume sachet. The perfume sachet was giving off wisps of white spiritual energy, and faint glimmers of green light could be seen shing within it. On top of that, it was giving off a fragrant aroma, and it was clear that it was no ordinary perfume sachet.


    Chen Ping''an was immediately able to guess that the sachet most likely contained a bonded osmanthus leaf from the ancestral tree on Osmanthus Ind, and he immediately refused the gift. Pei Qian had be very observant at this point, and she could tell that Chen Ping''an didn''t want her to ept this gift, so she shook her head and turned it down as well.


    Aunt Gui insisted on giving the perfume sachet to Pei Qian as a first time meeting gift, and in the end, Chen Ping''an had no choice but to relent and tell her to ept the gift. Of course, the perfume sachet was going to be in his possession for safekeeping purposes. Pei Qian epted the perfume sachet respectfully with both hands from Aunt Gui, then extended a bow of gratitude before wishing Aunt Gui good health and eternal youth.


    Aunt Gui was very pleased with her impable etiquette, and she patted Pei Qian on her little head as she told her about how Chen Ping''an already had a courtyard under his name on Osmanthus Ind, and that she wanted to also give Pei Qian a little vacant courtyard on the ship by the name of the Toad Pce.


    Pei Qian was truly startled by this gesture.


    <em>She''s giving me an entire house? Could it be that all of the older women under the heavens are extremely generous?</em>


    "Aunt Gui, I can''t ept this. It''s far too much," Chen Ping''an said with a wry smile.


    "I''m giving the courtyard to Pei Qian, what does it have to do with you?" Aunt Gui countered with a dismissive expression.


    Chen Ping''an cleared his throat, then called out in a stern voice, "Pei Qian!"


    Pei Qian immediately stood up straight and dered in a tender voice, "A master for a day, a father for a lifetime. The orders of my master cannot be disobeyed. Otherwise, I''ll be turning my back on the virtues of loyalty and filial piety!"


    "Did you teach her that?" Aunt Gui asked as she turned to Chen Ping''an with an amused expression.


    Chen Ping''an was feeling thoroughly embarrassed as he replied, "She must''ve learned this herself from all the books I''ve been making her transcribe every day."


    "It''s all because you taught me well, Master!" Pei Qian ttered, only to receive a knock on her head for her efforts.


    Pei Qian immediately sped her with a confused and indignant look on her face, wondering what she had done wrong.


    After escorting Aunt Gui and the others out of the alley, Chen Ping''an strode along side by side with Ma Zhi, asking him some questions about sword nurturing and sword refinement, and Ma Zhi was happy to pass on his knowledge.


    On the ninth day of the first month, it was customary for all of the households of Old Dragon City to prepare flowers, candles, and vegetarian dishes to pray to the heavens for good fortune in ces that aren''t covered by any shelter overhead, such as skywells and on the corners of streets.


    Even though there were no true residents of Old Dragon City in Dust Medicinal Shop, Zheng Dafeng observed this tradition even more diligently than the citizens of Old Dragon City. He hadn''t even prepared much for the turn of the year, but on this day, he personally prepared the flowers, candles, and fruits, then cooked several vegetarian dishes himself.


    He set up three incense tables of varying heights in the skywell of the backyard, then lit three sticks of incense before kneeling down three times and kowtowing nine times. These were less formalities than what was observed by emperors when worshiping the heavens, but far beyond the formalities expected of the average person for the same asion.


    The Zhao n yin soul also took this very seriously, and even though he didn''t offer up any incense, he observed the formalities of kneeling and kowtowing just as diligently as Zheng Dafeng did.


    Pei Qian was watching the two of them with an intrigued look in her eyes, while Chen Ping''an only took a single nce before looking away. This concerned certain secrets of Zheng Dafeng and the yin soul, and even though Zheng Dafeng hadn''t made any effort to hide this from Chen Ping''an, it would''ve been rude and intrusive for Chen Ping''an to stare.


    On this day, Chen Ping''an was serving as the medicinal shop''s temporary shopkeeper and ountant as usual. He had already made the preparations required to refine his water seal, and so he could go up to the sea of clouds again soon.


    As for exactly which pseudo-celestial tool Fu Qi would be offering up, that was something that he was very eager to see.


    Ultimately, it was Du Mao and Parasol Leaf Sect''s actions that had implicated the emperor of the Great Li Empire. The emperor of the Great Li Empire naturally wasn''t going to try and make enemies out of Chen Ping''an and Zheng Dafeng, but he had clearly underestimated the sacrifice required for an Ascension Tier cultivator to break the rules and leave their sect.


    Hence, no matter how many gold essence copper coins were offered up by the emperor of the Great Li Empire, Chen Ping''an would always feel justified in demanding more.


    The pouch of gold essence copper coins given to him by Zheng Dafeng way back in the day had already been "devoured" by the Golden Sweet Wine robe. The jewel sped in the mouth of the golden dragon embroidered onto the center of the robe was bing more and more abundant with spiritual energy, and not only had the robe been restored to brand new condition, it had definitely been enhanced in the process.


    ording to the Zhao n yin soul, as long as Chen Ping''an could continue to feed it more gold essence copper coins, the robe would definitely be able to be a pseudo-celestial tool.


    However, Chen Ping''an was rather reluctant to go that far. Gold essence copper coins were quite difficult toe by, and on top of that, Zheng Dafeng had told him that once he reached the Three Mind Tempering Tiers, the immortal artifacts in his possession would only be less and less useful, to the point that they might be hindrances.


    On the eleventh day of the first month, all of the households of Old Dragon City observed another tradition, one that mandated that no stone tools, including things like mills and mortars and pestles, could be used on this day.


    At this point, Pei Qian had already learned toplete her transcriptions earlier every day instead of stalling until it was right before bedtime. This was most likely a result of Chen Ping''an''s daily supervision of her as she made her transcriptions.


    On this day, as Pei Qian was making her transcriptions, she suddenly asked Chen Ping''an a question. The question pertained to a passage in a book, which stated that one shouldn''t eat fish or kill birds during spring, leading her to wonder if that meant that one shouldn''t go fishing in spring. [1]


    Chen Ping''an didn''t immediately answer her question. Instead, he urged Pei Qian to continue making her transcriptions, and only after she was done did Chen Ping''an give her an answer. He told her that this was a saying that encouraged people to be kind to the world around them. However, if one had to work hard just to survive, then it would be foolish of them to abide by such mantras that should only apply to those in more privileged positions.


    If one didn''t have to worry about food for survival, then they could abide by this saying, but at the same time, it would be incorrect of them to reprimand a starving person for catching fish and birds to fill their belly during spring. Only by disying sympathy and understanding of other humans could one hope to develop empathy for the entire world, so even though this was sayingid out in a book, it was still only applicable under certain circumstances.


    Pei Qian nodded in response, telling Chen Ping''an that she felt like she understood what he had told her.


    "It''s fine even if you don''t understand. Just remember what I''ve said and strive to understand it at ater date," Chen Ping''an said with a smile.


    "I was lying to you just now, I didn''t understand at all," Pei Qian revealed with a smile of her own, receiving another knock on the head for her honesty.


    It was another peaceful day at Dust Medicinal Shop, and Pei Qian was watching Chen Ping''an practice his six-step walking meditation in the courtyard.


    All of a sudden, Chen Ping''an stopped in his tracks, then instructed Pei Qian toe into the shop with him before asking the Zhao n yin soul to create an isted small world for the two of them.


    Only then did he begin teaching Pei Qian the mantra, Qi cirction route, and the changes of pace of the Eighteen Stops Technique. He then pulled out a diagram depicting a human figure with all of its acupoints marked out before pointing out the relevant acupoints to Pei Qian one by one.


    This was the version of the Eighteen Stops Technique that had been altered by A''Liang.


    Out of all of the younger generation of swordsmen in the Sword Qi Great Wall, only a small group of people, including Ning Yao, had learned the version of the Eighteen Stops Technique that had been refined by A''Liang.


    Pei Qian clearly wasn''t going to be able to endure the physical rigors of martial arts training, so Chen Ping''an decided to teach her the Eighteen Stops Technique, which wasn''t that hard on the body and mainly depended on one''s Sword Dao cultivation aptitude. As for how far she would be able to go down this path, Chen Ping''an didn''t have any expectations at all.


    Pei Qian''s memory was even better than Chen Ping''an''s; this was something that the four picture scroll martial artists had realized long ago.


    Hence, Chen Ping''an only showed her everything twice before sending her away with the diagram to study it on her own.


    That same day, at about dusk, Pei Qian approached Chen Ping''an with a guilty expression, telling him that she wasn''t cut out for cultivation, after all. Even after practicing for so long, she was only able to get her sword qi to circte to the third stop, and she was unable to make any further progress beyond that point.


    Chen Ping''an gave her another knock on the head as he sternly scolded her, "Don''t be overly ambitious when trying to learn something! Make sure to take things one step at a time!"


    Pei Qian gave an affirmative response before rushing back to her room to continue "ying with fire."


    She was already able to control that small current of fire, making it go wherever she wanted. It was able to race through her acupoints and meridians, and it was extremely obedient. At the moment, it was unable to make the fourth stop, but Pei Qian didn''t dwell on that and simply directed the current of fire to go and y in some other acupoints.


    She had no idea how incredibly inferior Chen Ping''an felt when hepared his progress with hers.


    On the eleventh day of the first month, Dust Medicinal Shop weed a rare guest.


    It was Huang Ting of Peace and Tranquility Mountain.


    When she appeared, she spotted a certain old man squatting at the entrance of the shop and snacking on sunflower seeds.


    She was immediately rooted to the spot.


    The old man blinked urgently at her, clearly not wanting her to blow his cover, so she could only pretend to not know him, but internally, she was screaming.


    In terms of seniority, the old man ranked even higher than the old Heavenly Lord of Peace and Tranquility Mountain; in fact, only Du Mao couldpared to him.


    As for cultivation base... Du Mao had met his doom, and his Great Dao hadpletely copsed, so it was difficult to say whether even his soul still remained. With that, the old man had be the most powerful cultivator on Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Jade Tablet Sect hadn''t done anything, yet the status of the number one cultivating sect on Parasol Leaf Continent had fallen onto itsp, and as the sect leader, the old man''s status had naturally been even further elevated.


    He was truly a lucky old man.


    Huang Ting''s impression of the old man was quite neutral. After all, their personalities were so vastly different from each other''s that it was difficult for her to form any concrete opinions of him.


    Chen Ping''an was very surprised by her visit, but she dered in a direct and straightforward manner, "By following some leads and my intuition, I found an ancient underground pce deep in an earth vein, and I was eventually able to find that Dragon Locking tform inside, but that treacherous old ape was still nowhere to be found. It''s as if he''s vanished from Majestic World altogether.


    ��After that, I received a flying sword letter from our sect leader, telling me that there was no need to continue my search, so I returned to the sect right away. After that, we received that ancestral hall jade tablet from you. Our sect leader, Great Subduing Academy, and a Naturalist cultivator collectively arrived at the conclusion that the culprit behind the crisis in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent was none other than that Nascent Tier cultivator from our Peace and Tranquility Mountain, the one who perished while in possession of that hibiscus dao hat.


    ��Our Peace and Tranquility Mountain is naturally extremely embarrassed by this, and our sect leader is too ashamed toe and see you, so he asked me to make a trip to Old Dragon City in the hope that I would be able to meet you before you left. I''vee here with the sole purpose of delivering an apology to you.


    ��We suffered severe losses during the crisis, so we really don''t have any wealth to spare at the moment. Our sect leader wanted to give you somepensation, but I convinced him not to, so if you want to me someone, then me me, but don''t denounce our sect for being stingy. Under normal circumstances, we would never do something like this."


    A wry smile appeared on Huang Ting''s face as she continued, "Our sect has suffered extremely severe casualties in the process of hunting down all of the demonic beings that were set free from the well prison."


    "I can imagine," Chen Ping''an replied with a heavy heart.


    A smile then suddenly appeared on Huang Ting''s face as she continued, "Honestly, I should count our Peace and Tranquility Mountain fortunatepared to Parasol Leaf Sect. Somehow, they incurred the wrath of an almighty sword immortal that cut down Du Mao right as he was trying to ascend.


    ��Not long after that, a tenth-tier martial artist stormed all the way from the foot of their ancestral mountain to its summit and smashed their ancestral hall to bits. In the process, he only bothered to evade the attacks from a few of Parasol Leaf Sect''s Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators, while the attacks from all of the sect''s other cultivators simply bounced off his skin!


    ��I thoroughly enjoyed watching him, and Jiang Shangzhen of Jade Tablet Sect was even more ecstatic. In fact, he even went as far as to arrange for a ship to hover directly above Parasol Leaf Sect, and he held a celebratory banquet on the ship as he watched the tenth-tier cultivator make his way up the mountain."


    Chen Ping''an hurriedly took a sip of wine to help himself suppress his own astonishment.


    Meanwhile, Zheng Dafeng, Zhu Lian, and the old man were all sneaking furtive nces at Huang Ting.


    In terms of looks, Huang Ting was undisputedly one of the most stunning women of Majestic World, superior even to the likes of Sui Youbian, Fan Junmao, and Jin Su.


    Chen Ping''an asked Huang Ting what her ns were from here onward, to which she replied that her original intention was to explore Middle Earth Divine Continent, but her sect leader sternly forbade her from going there, threatening to hang himself if she were to go against him.


    Instead, he limited her options to only Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and Northern Complete Reed Continent. Huang Ting was very honest and forthright, telling Chen Ping''an that Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was simply too small for her tastes.


    In contrast, Northern Complete Reed Continent was teeming with swordsmen, making it a perfect ce for her to hone her swordsmanship, and perhaps she would even be able to make a breakthrough to the Unpolished Jade Tier there. She was determined not to let Wei Jin put all of the swordsmen of Parasol Leaf Continent to shame.


    Huang Ting was not one to waste time, and after her conversation with Chen Ping''an drew to a conclusion, she immediately prepared to depart.


    However, as she did so, she just so happened to spot Pei Qian practicing her swordsmanship in the yard. Peace and Tranquility Mountain still owed Chen Ping''an a massive favor, so after learning that Pei Qian was Chen Ping''an''s "first-ever disciple," she asked Pei Qian if she wanted to learn the fastest sword and saber techniques on Parasol Leaf Continent.


    Pei Qian asked her if it was going to hurt, to which Huang Ting erupted intoughter and assured her that it wouldn''t.


    Pei Qian turned to Chen Ping''an with an inquisitive look in her eyes, and thetter gave her a smile and a nod.


    Hence, Huang Ting stayed an extra day to teach Pei Qian a set of sword techniques and a saber technique, namely the White Ape Sword-Carrying Technique and the White Ape Saber-Wielding Technique.


    Prior to her departure, she patted Pei Qian on her little head, then reached out to squeeze her cheek while shaking her head with a forlorn expression.


    "You''re such a smart girl, it''s a pity that you''re so depressing to look at."


    Pei Qian was absolutely distraught after hearing this, and she was in a sour mood the entire day.


    Even after stering the yellow paper talisman to her own forehead, she was still feeling very sad and glum.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but be reminded of Li Baoping as he looked at Pei Qian.


    ��������


    In the eyes of everyone in Mountain Cliff Academy, Li Baoping was a rather strange little girl. Every day, she would rush around like a cat on a hot tin roof with a little bamboo bookcase on her back, and she would go to her sses on her own, and leave on her own as well. She was always either climbing trees, mountains, and buildings, or squatting down by theke to stare at the fish, gawking nkly at them as they swam through the water.


    Whenever the opportunity arose, she would leave the academy to wander aimlessly through the streets and alleys of the capital city. No matter where she went in or out of the academy, she was always on her own, cutting a rather lonesome figure from the perspective of bystanders.


    Despite her erratic nature, she was a very polite little girl. Whenever she encountered any of the teachers of the academy, she would alwayse to an abrupt halt, then extend a respectful bow and greeting before rushing away again like the wind.


    In the beginning, those teachers would stop and return her greeting, but by the time they opened their mouths to speak, she would already be long gone. Over time, they grew ustomed to this, and they would merely smile and shake their heads in response to her respectful greetings, no longer bothering to stop and try to speak to her.


    Li Baoping felt like she was having a decent time in Mountain Cliff Academy.


    She very rarely saw Li Huai and Lin Shouyi, as was the case with Yu Lu and Xie Xie, and even if she did meet them, there wasn''t much to say between them.


    She no longer regarded these matters with as much importance as before ever since her conversation with Cui Dongshan on that tree branch on the mountain summit.


    They didn''t miss Chen Ping''an much anymore, but that didn''t matter in her eyes. She would just have to miss him even more to make up for them.


    The days passed by one after another, and before long, the first month of the year was about to go by.


    On the day of the Lantern Festival, Li Baoping looked at all of the rednterns that had been hung up, and she began to miss her father, her mother, her grandpa, her brothers, and her home.


    Of course, she also missed her junior uncle.


    It had been a very long time since her junior uncle hadst sent a letter to the academy, and that was a rather depressing thought for her.


    1. Spring is typically the season when many animals give birth to offspring, so many fish will be carrying eggs, and many birds will be caring for hatchlings, so it''s best not to kill them from both a humanitarian and sustainability perspective. ?

 Chapter 372: (1): Sword Immortal Sword

    Chapter 372: (1): Sword Immortal Sword


    It was the fifteenth day of the first month, the day of the Lantern Festival.


    All of the households in Old Dragon City had hung up festive rednterns, and the streets and alleys were packed with people. In ordance with the customs and traditions of the city, each of the five major ns crafted a long dragon ofnterns, which they paraded out on the streets. If one were to look down at Old Dragon City from the sea of clouds up above, they would see five fiery dragons roaming along set routes.


    Chen Ping''an asked the four picture scroll martial artists to apany Pei Qian out to see thenterns, while the Zhao n yin soul followed them in secret in case of any mishaps.


    Meanwhile, he and Zheng Dafeng remained in the shop, standing over at the counter. The two of them prepared a gon of wine, two small porcin wine cups, and a few dishes of snacks.


    Zheng Dafeng was still behaving rather strangely, and prior to taking a sip of his wine, he pulled out a willow branch and ced it against the doors of Dust Medicinal Shop, then also set down a bowl and a pair of chopsticks outside the doorstep.


    Chen Ping''an took a nce at his handiwork, then asked, "Is that an offering to the gods or to any wandering spirits that may be passing by?"


    "It''s a tradition passed down by the old man," Zheng Dafeng exined with a smile. "As for exactly why this tradition is observed, the old man never told us. As his disciples, we simply carried out his instructions without asking why. There are no wandering spirits or demonic entities in Old Dragon City.


    ��With so many Qi refiners in the city, the yang energy here is far too abundant. Even if some wandering spirits do somehow show up nearby, they wouldn''t dare to approach our shop as long as Old Man Zhao is here. With the exception of those that havepletely lost their minds, most spirits are far more polite and respectful of rules than us people."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in response as he took a sip of wine. It was the same osmanthus wine that had been brought to the shop by the people from the Fan n.All of a sudden, he dered, "I''m nning to go to Fan Junmao tomorrow to ask for her help in refining my first bonded item on the sea of clouds. If I''m sessful, then I''ll leave Old Dragon City and travel northward. The Schrly Sage said that I can go anywhere from here onward without any qualms, but after thinking about it, there doesn''t seem to be anything important that I need to do right now.


    ��Hence, I''ll follow Senior Yang''s instructions and refrain from returning to the Dragon Spring Prefecture for now. I''m nning to visit about three or four ces on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, which should take me over a year in total, and once I''m done, it''ll be about time for me to return to Dragon Spring Prefecture."


    Zheng Dafeng was leaning against the counter as he cast his gaze toward the alley outside the shop, and he casually asked, "Have you ever considered establishing your own sect in Dragon Spring Prefecture?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head in response.


    "I can tell that establishing a sect is an extremely troublesome task just from seeing the lengths that Master Ruan had to go to. Besides, what right do I have to establish a sect of my own?"


    Zheng Dafeng took a small sip of wine, and a blissful look appeared on his face. It was only a small sip of osmanthus wine, yet it seemed that he was deriving as much enjoyment out of this single sip as someone else would from drinking severalrge jars of fine wine.


    A faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "If we can recover the mountains on the western side of Dragon Spring Prefecture one after another to own around a dozen connected mountains, then that would establish a spiritual energy foundation of a sufficient caliber to found an immortal sect.


    ��However, it won''t be an easy task to get those powers to concede ownership of those mountains. The Great Li Empire was only willing to sell those mountains for such low prices in order to appease the immortal powers in the area. If it wasn''t for your ties with Ruan Qiong, you wouldn''t have even been able to purchase True Jewel Mountain, much less Downtrodden Mountain."


    Chen Ping''an nodded earnestly in agreement.


    Even though Jewel Small World wasn''t renowned for its abundance of spiritual energy, for the average Golden Core or Nascent Tier cultivator, to be able to own Downtrodden Mountain and establish an abode there would be nothing short of a dreame-true.


    Despite what he had said about how troublesome it was to establish a sect, Chen Ping''an was very much hoping that he would be able to found a sect of his own someday. In fact, he had even already thought of the types of people and features that he wanted to have in his sect. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have asked the old Heavenly Lord of Peace and Tranquility Mountain about how much it would cost to purchase a mountain-protection formation.


    Zhong Kui had told Chen Ping''an the story of the old Heavenly Lord of Peace and Tranquility Mountain revealing his Golden Dao Manifestation to pursue the sword-carrying white ape while wielding his Radiant Moon Mirror and his three swords, and Chen Ping''an also aspired to reach those heights someday.


    All of the sudden, the old man with the title of Foot-Long Spear appeared at the entrance of Dust Medicinal Shop, and he strode into the shop with a smile on his face as he dered, "From the looks of it, you''re about to leave Old Dragon City soon, right, Chen Ping''an? Before you go, there''s something I''d like to discuss with you."


    Chen Ping''an rose to his feet, then set down his cup and chopsticks as he prompted with a smile, "Go ahead, Senior."


    The old man gestured for Chen Ping''an to continue with his meal, then made his way over to the counter and picked up a few fried peanuts, tossing them into his own mouth.


    After a brief silence, he said, "What I want to ask of you may be a little unreasonable, perhaps even slightly offensive, but when fatees calling, its call must be answered. Otherwise, once we part ways here, we may never see each other again. There''s no way that I can word this delicately, so I''m just going to be straightforward and say what''s on my mind.


    ��Brother Chen, Brother Dafeng, all that I ask is that you don''t kick me out after hearing what I have to say. Over the past few days, I''ve reallye to cherish the rtionships that I''ve built with everyone here, and it would be a real pity if..."


    "Hurry up and spit it out!" Zheng Dafeng snapped. "You''re about to put me to sleep if you keep talking in circles like this!"


    The old man tossed a piece of lotus root into his own mouth, then began chewing on it as he said, "Even though Sui Youbian has already be what is known as a Lesser Grandmaster among martial artists, in my eyes, the bottlenecks ahead of her are far too difficult for her to ovee, and at the very most, she''ll only be able to be an eighth-tier martial artist."


    Zheng Dafeng immediately red up with rage upon hearing this.


    "Only be able to be an eighth tier martial artist?! Do you understand what you''re saying right now, you old fart? Go outside and say that again, I dare you! All of the earth immortals of Old Dragon City will immediately storm onto the scene and p you to death!"


    The old man had a very mild personality, and he waspletely unbothered by Zheng Dafeng''s barbed remarks as he smiled and exined, "Bing an eighth-tier martial artist would be a blessing from the heavens for most, but truth be told, Sui Youbian should''ve never pursued the path of martial arts to begin with."


    "What the hell did you say?!" Zheng Dafeng yelled as he mmed a fist onto the counter.


    The old man hurriedly bent down to pick up Chen Ping''an''s cup, then filled it with osmanthus wine for himself before raising the cup to Zheng Dafeng as he said, "My apologies, that was a little too direct of me. I''ll drink three cups as punishment for my rudeness."


    After downing the first cup of wine, he reached out to pour himself another cup, but Chen Ping''an grabbed onto the gon with a smile as he said, "Just one cup will do, Senior. We''re all friends here, so there''s no need to be so stringent with these formalities."


    The old man sheepishly set down the cup, then wiped a hand across his lips as he said in a wistful manner, "This is some exceptional wine. It''s just a pity that its vor is a little too delicate, so I would need to drink at least a few cups to be able to fully savor it."


    "What do you want to say? Hurry up!" Zheng Dafeng urged as he took a sip of wine himself.


    "Sui Youbian is an extremely rare innate sword prodigy," the old man continued. "Not only does she possess the aptitude required to be a sword immortal, most importantly, her sword heart is extremely pure, so there''s a very good chance that she''ll be able to break through her Upper Five Tiers bottleneck as a Nascent Tier swordsman in the future.


    ��Brother Chen, if you''re willing to let her go with me and join my sect, I guarantee that you that in a hundred years, a hundred and twenty at most, I can develop her into an extremely formidable Nascent Tier swordsman, and from there, I guarantee you that it''ll only take her another century at most to reach the Unpolished Jade Tier."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and offered no response, but he passed his chopsticks to the old man and also poured a cup of wine for him.


    "You''re ying with fire, you old pervert. Are you not afraid of being burned?" Zheng Dafeng sneered. "Besides, Sui Youbian is already a Vajra Body Tier martial artist, and it won''t be difficult for her to reach the Far Roaming Tier.


    ��All she needs is some time to hone her own physical constitution. However, you''re asking her to abandon her martial arts cultivation base and relinquish her True Qi, just for somepletely baseless promise of bing an Upper Five Tiers swordsman in a century or two?"


    "I already said that my request was going to be a little unreasonable, didn''t I?" the old man protested. "The problem is that it would be an absolute travesty for someone of Sui Youbian''s exceptional aptitude to waste her life pursuing the path of martial arts. If I had never met her, then it would''ve been fine, but now that I''ve seen her, I can''t bear to not say anything! This is an incredible waste! Think about it, Sui Youbian is such a beautiful girl.


    ��Even if she manages to be an eighth-tier martial artist in the future, she''ll only be able to brawl with others in physicalbat. How terrible a sight would that be? In contrast, wouldn''t it be far more elegant and graceful of her to be ying her enemies while soaring atop her flying sword?"


    "You make it sound so easy," Zheng Dafeng scoffed. "The more advanced the cultivation base of a pure martial artist, the more dangerous it is for them to relinquish their True Qi, particrly for a martial artist of the Three Mind Tempering Tiers like her. Even the slightest mishap could cost her her life! What good will all her sword aptitude amount to if she''s dead? Do you think you''re an Ascension Tier or Immortal Tier cultivator? Why should Chen Ping''an offer up such a beautiful maidservant to azy old pervert like you?!"


    "We appreciate beauty, but we are not perverts, and that''s a distinction that outsiders are often unable to make. Brother Dafeng, you can insult me, but do not belittle fellow appreciators of beauty like ourselves," the old man said in a serious manner.


    Zheng Dafeng gave the old man a thumbs-up as he praised, "That''s very well said. I can''t pick out anything wrong with that."


    The old man raised his cup before downing its contents in one go, then stroked his beard as he smiled and said, "I knew you and I walked the same path, Brother Dafeng. Our first meeting was a little rocky, but I think we can be great friends!"


    Meanwhile, Chen Ping''an was chewing on a peanut with a contemtive look on his face, and the old man didn''t dare to try and rush him into a decision.


    He was going to be the one that decided whether the old man''s request would be fulfilled or not.


    After some contemtion, Chen Ping''an said, "All I can promise you is that I''ll ask Sui Youbian for her opinion on the matter."


    The old man was astonished to hear this, and he eximed, "You''re actually willing to agree to something like this?"


    He then immediately realized that he had misspoken, and a sheepish smile appeared on his face.


    Everyone was aware of the value and worth of an eighth-tier martial artist.


    Even in the most powerful mortal empires on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, a single eighth-tier martial artist would be a transcendent being that could decide the fate of an entire empire.


    The old man was very curious about why Chen Ping''an would agree to something like this, but he decided not to ask in case Chen Ping''an changed his mind.


    As the old man stood up to depart, Zheng Dafeng escorted him out of the shop, telling Chen Ping''an that he was going out to get some fresh air.


    They made their way over to the old locust tree on the street outside the alley, and even though it was already nighttime, all of thenterns in the city ensured that it was still as bright as day.


    The old man and Zheng Dafeng stood under the tree together, and the former asked, "Why didn''t Chen Ping''an ask me about my true identity and whatpensation I''m willing to give him in exchange for Sui Youbian?"


    "He''s the type of person that would only ask those questions if Sui Youbian agreed to go with you," Zheng Dafeng replied.


    A self-deprecating look appeared on the old man''s face as he sighed, "You and I are still far too materialistic. Chen Ping''an is a far better person than us."


    Zheng Dafeng looked out at the lively and bustling streets as he said in an indifferent manner, "Good people often end up getting the short end of the stick."


    "That is indeed true," the old man sighed as a sober look appeared on his face.


    After a brief silence, the old man asked, "What are your ns from here onward, Brother Dafeng?"


    "I''m nothing but a cripple now, so I''m nning to return to my roots and go back to continue serving as a gatekeeper," Zheng Dafeng replied.


    "How about youe to my sect? I can''t promise too much, but I can guarantee that you won''t be wanting for fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful women. You know how I am by now, I''ll definitelye to you regrly just to chat, so you won''t be bored, either," the old man invited.


    "I don''t want to owe you such a big favor, and I no longer have the heart to make such a long journey," Zheng Dafeng replied with a shake of his head.


    "Don''t be so pessimistic," the old man consoled as he patted Zheng Dafeng on the shoulder. "There are no insurmountable hurdles in life."


    Zheng Dafeng couldn''t help but roll his eyes upon hearing this.


    "You''re an Upper Five Tiers Qi refiner who''s still shameless enough to be freeloading food and wine, yet you''re telling me, a cripple, to be more optimistic? Do you not feel embarrassed."


    "I thought I had hid my cultivation base very well, but you were still able to see through my identity as a glorious Upper Five Tiers immortal. Looks like I can hide my cultivation base all I want, but my aura of majesty will always expose me," the old man sighed.


    Zheng Dafeng turned to the old man with an exasperated expression as he asked, "There must be countless people in your sect that are lining up to beat you up!"


    "Not at all," the old man denied with a shake of his head. "During my younger days, I was very popr among my junior and senior sisters thanks to my good looks, and whenever any trouble came my way, all of them would mber over each other to help me. As I grew older, I came to realize that it was not good to revel in thepany of women all day, so I began focusing more on my cultivation, and I made rapid progress.


    ��Hence, the elders of my sect held me in very high regard and were very protective of me. Now that I''m an old man, I''ve already reached the pinnacle of the cultivation world, and no one can touch me anymore."


    Zheng Dafeng patted the old man on the shoulder as he said, "You''re very lucky not to have grown up in my hometown. Otherwise, you would''ve had some humility pummeled into you long ago."


    The old man merely smiled in response, then murmured to himself, "If Sui Youbian really does agree to join my sect, then I have to think carefully about what I''m going to give her as a wee present, and I also have to think about what I should give to Chen Ping''an for his willingness to let her go."


    "Why don''t you give Sui Youbian a celestial tool?" Zheng Dafeng jibed.


    "I can''t do that," the old man chuckled. "There''s no way I would give her something so precious before she reaches at least the Unpolished Jade Tier. Even then, she''ll have to agree to protect my sect for at least three hundred years. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to bear parting with such a precious treasure."

 Chapter 373: Journey to the Southeast

    Chapter 373: Journey to the Southeast


    The louchuan traveling to Azure Phoenix Nation had been constructed by a Mohist master who specialized in crafting ships. It wasn''t particrly remarkable among all of the myriad ships in Old Dragon City, and it could only house less than two hundred passengers at a time.


    It was mostly used for transporting various valuable products from the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and the southern region of Parasol Leaf Continent. However, the merchant that owned this ship only received the products left over after the five major ns of Old Dragon City had already taken their share, so none of the products were of a particrly high quality. asionally, some hidden gems would slip through the cracks, fetching several hundred snowke coins of additional earnings, and that was already worthy of celebration.


    Azure Phoenix Nation had some renown in the southeastern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent for its abundance of Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries. Various Daoist immortals and high-ranking Buddhist monks often held Liberation Rites of Water and Land and Heavenly Worship Ceremonies in Azure Phoenix Nation with funding from the imperial court.


    On top of that, Azure Phoenix Nation''s blue sandalwood Xuan paper was also extremely renowned and was sold far and wide to several continents. As a result, the emperor of Azure Phoenix Nation had always been one of the wealthiest rulers in the southeastern region of the continent.


    Furthermore, Buddhism wasn''t very prevalent on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, so Azure Phoenix Nation had the greatest number of Buddhist monasteries out of any nation on the continent. The walls of those monasteries were riddled with beautiful writings from revered schrs and poets, attracting countless schrs.


    Inside a brightly lit room on the top floor of the ship, Chen Ping''an was reading a book about the topography of Azure Phoenix Nation. The book had been purchased from a bookshop in Old Dragon City by Zhu Lian, and while Chen Ping''an was reading, Pei Qian was making her transcriptions.


    The most difficult part of any endeavor was always the beginning. Over time, a habit would develop, and it would no longer be as difficult. The same applied to Pei Qian and her transcriptions. Making daily transcriptions had already be a habit, one that she maintained even without any urging from Chen Ping''an.


    However, Chen Ping''an knew that if he weren''t by her side, then Pei Qian would immediately abandon this habit. At the very most, she would only feel guilty for a day or two, following which she would forget about it entirely.


    Chen Ping''an had split the basic refinement medicinal wine in his gourd into five parts, giving one part to each of the four picture scroll martial artists. This was one of the few things that pure martial artists could use to enhance their cultivation base. At the moment, Sui Youbian was at the Vajra Body Tier, and herbat prowess was even further enhanced by her Deep Infatuation sword. In particr, when it came to one-on-one battles, any Qi refiner that was not an earth immortal would be as good as dead if they let her get within a hundred feet. Zhu Lian''s bottleneck was disying clear signs of loosening, meaning that he was very likely to follow in Sui Youbian''s footsteps and reach the Three Mind Tempering Tiers.


    Wei Xian and Lu Baixiang were still not close to making breakthroughs yet. However, following their sparring matches against Zheng Dafeng and the deaths that they had suffered during the battle outside Old Dragon City, their cultivation bases had been elevated slightly further.


    On top of that, the four picture scroll martial artists couldn''t bepared with normal sixth and seventh tier martial artists to begin with.


    Over the course of their journey, as long as they didn''t encounter any deranged cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers, Chen Ping''an was confident that they would be able to survive any ordeal. Even if they were to encounter a Nascent Tier earth immortal, as long as they weren''t a swordsman, his group would be able to put up a good fight.


    In fact, if the four picture scroll martial artists were willing to sacrifice themselves, perhaps Chen Ping''an could evene out on top.


    Regrettably, Chen Ping''an had given the azure sword suppressing talisman inscribed by Zhong Kui using the Wind and Snow Awl to Zheng Dafeng for him to use during the battle on the Dragon Scaling tform. The sword trapped within the talisman just so happened to be the Sword Immortal that Chen Ping''an was carrying on his back.


    Fu Qi wasn''t a swordsman, and even though this sword was a pseudo-celestial weapon, it wasn''t a bonded item of his, so Zheng Dafeng was able to trap the sword using his sword suppressing talisman. Even though he wasn''t able to trap it for long, Fu Qi still quickly surrendered.


    If Chen Ping''an were still in possession of the sword suppressing talisman, he would have nothing to fear even if he were to encounter a malicious Nascent Tier swordsman. In fact, if he could catch them off guard with the sword suppressing talisman, then he could even turn the tables and secure victory himself.


    Having said that, losses of this nature weren''t enough to weigh on Chen Ping''an''s mind for long.


    What Chen Ping''an was truly saddened by was the fact that this talisman was one of the final two talismans that Zhong Kui had inscribed as a noble schr, so using it up was like bidding farewell to the memory of a good friend.


    Compared with the intercontinental ships that Chen Ping''an had witnessed and traveled on, this ship was downright tiny. It didn''t even have an observation deck, and he could only look out at the scenery through his window.


    After Pei Qianpleted her transcriptions, Chen Ping''an carefully examined them to ensure that there weren''t rushed characters that had to be rewritten, and after that, he began practicing walking meditation with her, something that he made her do for a minimum of four hours per day.


    In the past, Chen Ping''an hadn''t found this practice to be boring or particrlyborious. Only after witnessing Pei Qian practicing the same walking meditation did hee to realize that even though the six-step walking meditation was very simple, practicing it for a million repetitions was a very difficult task, both physically and mentally.


    Chen Ping''an was keeping a constant eye on Pei Qian''s condition, and it didn''t take long before she was sweating profusely. Strands of hair were clinging to her forehead from her sweat, and herplexion had turned very pale.


    Even though she didn''t dare to whine orin, the smile hadpletely faded from her face, and with each step that she took, her frail body would tremble involuntarily. Chen Ping''an remained expressionless this entire time, but internally, he was feeling very sympathetic toward her.


    On the first day, Pei Qian had been very excited tomence her walking meditation practice, and thanks to this excitement, she was able to persevere the entire four hours. In the end, she was carried to the neighboring room by Chen Ping''an on his back.


    The next day, she was only able tost two hours before falling to the ground in a deted manner while cramping incessantly. For the next few days after that, Chen Ping''an relented a little, only making herplete two hours of walking meditation while adding on a little more time with each passing day.


    Even so, this still proved to be an extremely exhausting endeavor for Pei Qian.


    Initially, she still had the strength to glower at Zhu Lian whenever he mocked her while watching her practice her walking meditation, but after that, she didn''t even have the strength to re anymore.


    Only after ten days had passed did the smile on Pei Qian''s face finally return. At this point, the most difficult part of the journey was already behind her, and her signature swagger was back.


    On this day, Zhu Lian approached Chen Ping''an. "Young Master, I can see that Pei Qian possesses exceptional martial arts aptitude. While honing the body, the more hardships one endures, the stronger the foundation they''ll be able to build, so I think that she would do well with four hours of walking meditation a day."


    In response to this suggestion from Zhu Lian, Pei Qian once again had the energy to glower at him.


    Afterpleting their walking meditation, the two of them opened the window to practice their standing meditation. Pei Qian was too short to see out the window, so she could only face the wall. After securing Chen Ping''an''s approval, she dragged a chair over to the window so that she could stand on it and look out at the sea of clouds with Chen Ping''an.


    "You have to believe that your efforts will be rewarded," Chen Ping''an said in a quiet voice.


    At the moment, Pei Qian was only going through the motions with her standing meditation, so she wasn''t benefitting much from it at all. Chen Ping''an was rather perplexed by this, and he had asked Sui Youbian and the others about it, but they weren''t able to provide any answers, either.


    Pei Qian was very happy to have just endured another grueling day of walking meditation, and a thought suddenly sprang into her mind as a look of longing appeared in her eyes.


    "Will I also be able to have a sword when I go out exploring the world in the future? Ideally, I''d also want to carry a saber strapped to my waist like Little Bai. By that time, I''ll definitely be a lot stronger than I am now, so it won''t be too heavy for me."


    Chen Ping''an smiled as he nodded in response.


    "As long as you don''t ck off, I can promise you now that I''ll definitely give you a sword and a saber when you decide to go out exploring the world by yourself in the future."


    Pei Qian was feeling a little embarrassed as she said in a quiet voice, "I''ve already thought about it. Once I have my own sword and saber, I''m going to strap them to my waist on the same side, and I''ve even thought of a name for them. Do you want to hear the name, Father?"


    "Go ahead," Chen Ping''an prompted with a smile.


    Chen Ping''an had always been quite proficient when it came to naming things.


    "I''ll call them ''Saber Sword Cross'' because they''ll be crossed over each other while strapped to my waist. What do you think, Father?" Pei Qian asked with a hopeful expression.


    "I think that''s great," Chen Ping''an replied with a smile.


    An ted smile immediately appeared on Pei Qian''s face as she pinched her index finger and thumb together and said, "I''ll be very happy if my sword is even this little bit as good as yours."


    Chen Ping''an turned to her with a smile as he said, "Once we reach Azure Phoenix Nation, we''ll continue on foot, and when we pass by a bamboo forest, I''ll pick out some older bamboo trees to craft a bamboo sword and a bamboo saber for you. You can strap them to your waist and carry them around if you like."


    "Make them light and small so that they won''t be too heavy to carry around," Pei Qian requested.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and nodded in response, then cast his gaze toward the clouds outside the window as he casually asked, "What are you going to do with your hiking pole?"


    "That''s my right-hand man. It''s apanied me on such a long journey, I can''t just throw it away," Pei Qian replied without any hesitation. "I''m going to allow it to retire and return to the fields to start a family of its own. I''ll ask Old Man Wei about what type of official title I should bestow upon it."


    "That''s the correct way to go," Chen Ping''an praised with a pleased nod.


    ��������


    Over at Dust Medicinal Shop in Old Dragon City, Zheng Dafeng really didn''t have much to pack at all. His only belongings consisted of some sets of clothes and that old pipe.


    It seemed that no matter where he was, whether that be Jewel Small World or Old Dragon City, he would always have very little in terms of belongings. There was nothing that was particrly important to him, and he could leave anything behind at any time.


    He was going to travel to the Dragon Spring Prefecture on one of the Fu n''s ships the next day, so this was the final day that he was going to be spending in Old Dragon City, and he was sitting on a stool under the old locust tree.


    The old man had already left, telling Zheng Dafeng that he was going to visit a friend in the Invincible Divine Fist Sect.


    Li Er had returned to Old Dragon City a day ago, and Fu Qi immediately paid the shop a visit with his son, Fu Donghai. Fu Qi made it clear to the two of them that Fu Donghai was the perpetrator behind this entire debacle, and all Zheng Dafeng had to do was give the word, and he would allow Li Er to smash Fu Donghai''s bridge of immortality.


    Zheng Dafeng asked Fu Qi why he hadn''t snapped his son''s bridge of immortality himself before bringing him to the shop. After all, wouldn''t that be a greater show of sincerity?


    Fu Qi had no response to this.


    To his credit, Fu Donghai was quite a courageous man. Not only did he not beg for mercy, he even provoked Li Er with some verbal taunts, almost as if he wanted to have his own bridge of immortality snapped.


    At the time, Zheng Dafeng was sitting in the courtyard, smoking his pipe with a weary expression.


    Clearly, Old Man Yang had already made deals with the Great Li Empire, the Fu n, and the Fan n.


    Once the army of the Great Li Empire reached Old Dragon City, Fan Junmao would be able to be the Great Li Empire''s second great mountain god after Wei Bo, and in exchange, all that Old Man Yang had to give up was Zheng Dafeng''s martial arts cultivation base.


    Zheng Dafeng knew that the matter had already been settled, so he simply told Fu Qi and Fu Donghai to leave, not wanting any further involvement with them.


    Fu Qi was very relieved to hear this, and he was just about to depart with Fu Donghai when Li Er suddenly threw a punch straight into Fu Donghai''s chest.


    Not only was his bridge of immortality snapped, it waspletely obliterated.


    Li Er turned to Fu Qi with an indifferent expression as he said, "I think that a father should stick up for his son."


    Fu Qi picked up the unconscious Fu Donghai from the ground, and there was not even a hint of anger on his face as he smiled and said, "I''m d you were able to let off some steam, Mr. Li Er. I''ll be returning to my manor now. Farewell."


    "Oh? Why don''t you take me there so I can pay a visit to your Fu n''s ancestral hall?" Li Er suggested with a smile.


    Fu Qi''s expression instantly darkened significantly upon hearing this.


    "That''s enough, Li Er," Zheng Dafeng sighed in a weary manner.


    Not long after Fu Qi departed with Fu Donghai, Li Er left Old Dragon City.


    Zheng Dafeng was basking in the warm, early spring sun on his own under the locust tree, wearing afortable cotton jacket that Pei Qian and the others had purchased for him.


    The woman that he hadn''t seen for a long time showed up once again. It seemed that she had eaten very well over the new year period, and she had be even more rotund as a result.


    As opposed to only strutting around back and forth in front of Zheng Dafeng, on this asion, she mustered up the courage to approach them, then asked in a shy voice, "Is your shop hiring, Shopkeeper Zheng?"


    Zheng Dafeng smiled and shook his head in response.


    "I''m going back to my hometown tomorrow. It''s too hard to make a living in Old Dragon City."


    The woman was ridiculously fat, but her voice was very mellow and pleasing to the ears, and she asked in a disappointed manner, "Are youing back?"


    "I don''t think so," Zheng Dafeng replied with a shake of his head.


    "Isn''t this an old residence left behind by your ancestors? What are you going to do with the shop?" she asked.


    Zheng Dafeng fought back the urge tough as he replied, "I''ll just leave it as it is. It''s Dust Medicinal Shop, so why not let it gather some dust?"


    "How about you give me the key and I''ll look after the ce for you?" the woman proposed with a slight blush on her face. "It would be a real pity to leave this cepletely uncared for."


    "There''s no need for that, but thank you for the kind offer," Zheng Dafeng replied with a wave of his hand.


    Zheng Dafeng took a nce up at the sky, and even though it was still the middle of the day, he dered that it was gettingte, and that he had to go back to the shop to pack up his belongings.


    The woman bit down onto her own lower lip as she watched Zheng Dafeng flee the scene with his stool in his hand, and she suddenly asked, "You''re not even going to ask my surname, Shopkeeper Zheng?"


    Zheng Dafeng wasn''t shameless enough to pretend to not have heard anything, so he could only stop in his tracks and turn around before asking, "What''s your surname?"


    "I like eating raw ginger, so my surname is Jiang!" the woman replied with a wide smile. [1]


    Zheng Dafeng was rendered speechless upon hearing this.


    What was he supposed to say to that?


    He knew from how the woman had previously been walking back and forth in front of him without ever approaching him that she was a very polite woman who knew not to force herself upon others, and this time was no exception.


    She extended a curtsey toward Zheng Dafeng and said, "I wish you a smooth journey, Shopkeeper Zheng."


    Zheng Dafeng smiled and waved farewell to her.


    That night, in a secluded area to the north of Old Dragon City.


    A new grave had been built, and there were several bright red sheets of paper sitting on top of the grave, weighed down by a few small stones.


    Zheng Dafeng was standing in front of the grave, and after burning a book, he set down ten small oilmps before the grave. There was ck oil inside themps, and they were giving off a baleful aura, but there were no wicks inside them, so it was unclear how they were supposed to be lit.


    All of a sudden, the Zhao n yin soul appeared out of thin air, then flicked his fingers at the oilmps one after another. The ten oilmps lit up in session, and upon closer inspection, one would discover that the mes inside them were actually humanoid in form. The faces of those miniature humanoid figures were all twisted in excruciating agony, as if they were being burned alive inside themps.


    The tenmps contained the three immortal souls and seven mortal forms of a certain man.


    The man''s immortal souls and mortal forms had been abducted out of his physical body by the yin soul.


    Zheng Dafeng continued to stand before the grave as he said in a gentle voice, "I''m worried that you''re going to be scared of such a harrowing sight, so I''ll stay here until themps burn out before I leave."


    ��������


    Over at the Sun n''s ancestral residence, Sun Jiashu was strolling on his own along the riverbank in the night.


    Even though the Sun n''s old ancestor was already a Nascent Tier earth immortal, he still couldn''t help but be ovee with remorse these past few days.


    In contrast, Sun Jiashu was a lot moreposed, consoling his ancestor and telling him that they were simply fated to miss out on this opportunity, and that the Sun n simply didn''t have much fortune when it came to making money through unconventional means.


    A handsome young man suddenly appeared beside Sun Jiashu without any warning, and even the Sun n''s ancestor and the three Golden Core Tier guest elders werepletely caught off guard by his arrival.


    It was the same wise man who had helped Sun Jiashu undo the knot in his heart during theirst meeting, and Sun Jiashu immediately extended a respectful bow toward him as he greeted, "I pay my respects to Mr. Fan."


    As a result of the plot that he had hatched against Chen Ping''an, not only had Sun Jiashu almost made an enemy out of Chen Ping''an, he had almost lost Liu Baqiao as a friend as well.


    It was none other than this wise man who was far older than he appeared that had approached the disheartened Sun Jiashu and provided him with the guidance required to get him out of his rut.


    "You''re walking a path that''s already taking you very far. Just because you''ve been tripped up by a rock and taken a hard fall, does that mean that you''re walking the wrong path? Just because the path that Chen Ping''an is walking is a very good one, does that mean that the path you''re walking is bad?


    ��If you''re so naive that you see things in such a ck and white fashion with no nuances considered, then I suggest you give up on bing a businessman entirely. No matter how good someone else''s path is, that''s still someone else''s path. You should focus on yourself and don''tpare yourself with others. Granted, you can look up asionally to see what others are doing, but a nce or two here and there will suffice."


    Those were very profound and priceless words that resonated deep within Sun Jiashu''s heart.


    The man had only told Sun Jiashu that his surname was Fan, but ording to him, he had no rtion to the Fan n of Old Dragon City.


    Sun Jiashu''s intuition told him that the man was telling the truth.


    The man smiled as he said, "From now on, there will essentially only be three major ns left in Old Dragon City. One of them is the Fu n, which now belongs to Wang Zhu, the second one is the Fan n, which essentially belongs to the old divine lord, and half of the final one consists of your Sun n, while the Ding, Fang, and Hou nsbine to take up the other half. This northbound journey is going to be a long and arduous one, so make sure to mentally prepare yourself."


    Sun Jiashu nodded in response.


    "Our Sun n is definitely not going to miss out on this once in a blue moon opportunity."


    "Once in a blue moon? I think you''re underestimating just how massive this opportunity is," the man said with a smile.


    Sun Jiashu faltered slightly upon hearing this, and as he pondered the meaning of those words, he thought back to the day when he had gone to see off Chen Ping''an in secret.


    It seemed that Chen Ping''an had only spotted him in the crowd after the ship had risen up into the air. He did not pretend to not notice Sun Jiashu; moreover, he cupped his fist in a parting salute before giving him a thumbs-up, while Sun Jiashu responded with a faint smile.


    ��������


    Inside the imperial pce of a newly founded empire.


    A master and disciple duo was walking along between a pair of tall walls.


    One of them was a handsome, white-robed young man tracing a finger over the wall beside him as he walked. He was apanied by a woman who was very tall, but didn''t appear to benky or uncoordinated at all.


    The most remarkable thing about her was that she had no aura at all.


    She wasn''t one with the world like a Qi refiner, nor did she possess the aura of a pure martial artist. In fact, she wasn''t even breathing at all.


    There was a scabbard strapped to her waist, but there was no sword in it. She had only just obtained thispletely unremarkable-looking bamboo scabbard several days ago, and it was meant for the sword that she had been sharpening in the pool of lightning on Stctite Mountain.


    It had been sourced for her by one of her servants from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent after much trouble.


    The white-robed young man turned to her with a smile as he asked, "Was this purchased or taken by force, Mistress?"


    "I was told that it was purchased," the woman replied in an indifferent manner.


    "In that case, it was purchased by force," the young man sighed.


    The woman smiled. "If you think that''s not the right way to do things, then you can fight him."


    "How am I supposed to fight him? I''m only a fifth-tier martial artist at the moment," the young man sighed in resigned manner.


    "But you''re the strongest fifth-tier martial artist under the heavens, isn''t that right, Cao Ci?" the woman said as she stopped in her tracks.


    Cao Ci was silent for a moment, then traced the tip of his foot over the ground to draw a pair of short lines, one on the left, and one on the right. He then lifted his foot and pointed at the line on the left as he said, "In terms of fifth-tier martial artists, this is where the average martial arts prodigy is."


    He then pointed at the line on the right as he continued, "I''m over here."


    He then pointed at a spot right in the middle between the two lines as he concluded, "This is roughly where the most exceptional fifth-tier martial arts prodigies on Middle Earth Divine Continent are."


    The woman didn''t think that this was an arrogant statement at all. In fact, she felt like Cao Ci was being too modest.


    All of a sudden, Cao Ci squatted down and drew another line with his finger, one that was slightly closer to the line on the right, and he said, "I think that''s roughly where that man is as a fifth-tier martial artist."


    The woman looked down the new line that Cao Ci had drawn, and she nodded in agreement as she said, "That seems about right."


    As the two of them were conversing with each other, they were approached by the most powerful eunuch of the empire, the Seal Holding Eunuch that had hopes of reaching the Immortal Tier, and he was followed by a group of chief eunuchs dressed in bright red python robes. As soon as the group of eunuchs caught sight of the duo, they immediately stopped in their tracks before extending respectful bows, not even daring to breathe too loudly.


    ��������


    After the ship arrived at the ferry station on the border of Azure Phoenix Nation, Chen Ping''an and his entourage were walking down a lively and bustling street leading out of the ferry station, and for some reason, all of the Qi refiners and martial artists that they encountered chose to walk around them.


    This was particrly true for the cultivators of the Middle Five Tiers with the sharpest instincts and the most experienced martial artists of the Three Qi Tempering Tiers. The sharper their intuition was, the more clearly they sensed the indescribable pressure emanating from Chen Ping''an''s group.


    Most of their attention was drawn to the four picture scroll martial artists, but from the perspective of a Golden Core Tier cultivator that had concealed his own aura to blend into the crowd, he felt like the auras of the four of thembined couldn''tpare with that of the sword-bearing young man, who was clearly carrying some rather severe internal injuries.


    He was like a bright moon nestled in a bed of stars.


    1. Her surname is ��, which is a fairlymon Chinese surname that literally trantes to ginger. ?

 Chapter 374: (1): Encountering Old Friends in a Foreign Land

    Chen Ping''an had passed by immortal ferry stations several times before. Apart from the ferry station located on the border between Water Combing Nation and Pine Stream Nation, where he had made a purchase at Green Beetle Shop, Chen Ping''an hadrgely passed by the other ferry stations in a rush. He had stopped at some of them and wandered around, yet he hadn''t made any purchases.


    Today, he decided to take Pei Qian and the others with him and spend a good amount of time wandering around this ferry station. Chen Ping''an gave each of his four subordinates a single lesser heat coin, allowing them to purchase whatever they wanted. There was the so-called "magnitudes of 10" rule when it came to immortal currency, and this rule referred to the fact that one snowke coin was worth one thousand taels of silver, while one lesser heat coin was worth one hundred thousand taels of silver.


    Buying spirit tools or immortal treasures with one lesser heat coin was nothing but a pipe dream, but a few rare and interesting trinkets from the mountains were very much affordable.


    After agreeing with Wei Xian and the others to meet at the most famousndmark of the ferry station in two hours, Chen Ping''an left with Pei Qian to wander around on their own.


    When purchasing items at ferry stations, it would be incredibly difficult to find a bargain at ces like Green Beetle Shop, where there would be skilled appraisers evaluating each treasure. Moreover, treasures in such shops would be rtively expensivepared to other shops.


    On the other hand, one could try their luck with merchants who peddled their goods in cloth wrappers. This was a gamble, and at the same time a test of one''s appraisal skills. These wandering merchants were often vagrant cultivators and itinerant cultivators who called the entire world their home.


    They liked to purchase treasures from declining ns at a low price, and some liked to im that their n or sect had produced earth immortals at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier before. This was amon theme among the wandering merchants, so potential buyers didn''t need to concern themselves with these trivial matters.


    Chen Ping''an had learned many things from Xu Yuanxia when traveling around the nations with him and Zhang Shanfeng, and the so-called caged haggling that Yao Jinzhi had mentioned also pertained to the process of making transactions with these wandering merchants.[1]


    Pei Qian hadn''t seen much of the world yet, so she was fascinated by the myriad of immortal paintings, spirit tools, and mountain spirits that were sold in the various types of shops. However, there was one good thing about the little girl who Zhu Lian ridiculed as a Taotie, a beast of gluttony. She liked to collect trinkets, and she wouldn''t turn down anything that came her way. However, she didn''t like to spend money, and she wouldn''t waste a single copper coin more than she had to. Thus, Pei Qian would only take a few extra nces at an item even if she genuinely wanted to obtain it. She most definitely wouldn''t open the scented sachet that Lady Gui had given her on Osmanthus Ind, a sachet that she was using as a purse now. If she genuinely liked an item, then she would earnestly stare at it for a while and pretend that it was hers. She was simply storing it in the shop for the moment.


    Simrly, Chen Ping''an wasn''t someone to spend his money extravagantly. After wandering around for an hour and entering more than a dozen shops with Pei Qian, they had yet to spend a single copper coin.


    They came across a wandering merchant as they walked, an honest-looking middle-aged man who appeared to beme. He said that his surname was Liu, so they could refer to him as Skinny Liu. After catching the attention of this young man who was dressed in white robes and carrying a sword in a white scabbard on his back, Skinny Liu followed him for more than seven hundred paces.


    Skinny Liu looked like an honest person, and he wasn''t bad at speaking either. He imed that his grandfather was a great general of Wenjing Nation, and after the nation was destroyed, the emperor of the nation had died while fleeing for his life. A hornless dragon imperial seal, one of the seventeen treasures of the Hall of Union, had fallen into his grandfather''s hands and been brought into themon world.


    Right now, an esteemed immortal from Azure Phoenix Nation had already gathered sixteen of the seventeen treasures, and they were only missing this hornless dragon imperial seal which was regarded as a divine treasure that could gather fortune. When it came to collectors, achieving aplete collection was always the primary aim. Thus, this hornless dragon imperial seal which was rumored to potentially harbor some remaining fortune of the destroyed Wenjing Nation was worth an absolute fortune.


    There were two reasons why Skinny Liu had followed Chen Ping''an for more than seven hundred paces. Firstly, the wealthy-looking young man was extremely good-tempered and didn''t shoo him away. Instead, he listened to Skinny Liu''s exnation very carefully.


    Secondly, Skinny Liu would suffer greatly if he didn''t get any business soon. He had gone to great lengths and just barely managed to scrape throughst year, and the transaction value of three lesser heat coins was more than enough to purchase his life several times over.


    Skinny Liu had celebrated the New Year in a frugal manner with fear and trepidation in his heart, and ording to the rules, he would definitely face punishment if he failed to trick another wealthy idiot before the conclusion of the first month. Each nation had its ownws, just as each profession had its own rules. Moreover, these rules could truly punish him with death.


    It could be said that Skinny Liu was pulling out all the stops to try and stay alive. As a third-tier Qi refiner, he not only shamelessly followed Chen Ping''an around, but even started to introduce the ferry station to the wealthy young master.


    The immortal ferry station located on the border of Azure Phoenix Nation was called Wasp Tail Ferry Station, and it had initially been an ordinary small town. At one point, someone from this town, more specifically from the very bottom of society, had ended up bing an Unpolished Jade Tier immortal. As a vagrant cultivator, he had relied on his steely resolve and incredible fated opportunities to advance to the Upper Five Tiers.


    Afterward, stories of his feats and immortal achievements had spread throughout half of the continent, bringing him great fame among the vagrant cultivators and itinerant cultivators of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. This immortal''s ancestral home was located on a small alley called Narrow Wasp Alley, at the tail end of the alley. Thus, the future generations decided to honor him by naming the ferry station Wasp Tail Ferry Station.


    The ferry station was located on the border between three nations, and the ownership of Narrow Wasp Alley and the esteemed immortal''s ancestral home was also hotly contested. As a result, the Imperial Tang n of Azure Phoenix Nation had used both calligraphy brushes and sharp des to sh with its two neighbors during the past several hundred years.


    Many battles were fought on paper and on the battlefield, yet all three sides tacitly agreed that their battles shouldn''t go as far as to involve the immortal ferry station. In order to make sure of this, Lake View Academy had specially dispatched noble schrs and virtuous schrs several times to offer mediation between the three neighboring nations.


    As they walked, Skinny Liu earnestly rmended that they try the well-water immortal wine, a type of wine unique to the ferry station. This wine cost one snowke coin for a small pot, and it was often purchased by officials and nobles from Azure Phoenix Nation who wanted to unt their wealth. To his surprise, Chen Ping''an genuinely stopped by a tavern at the street corner and purchased a pot of well-water immortal wine.


    Chen Ping''an asked the shopkeeper for two white bowls, and he smiled and gestured for Skinny Liu to join him at the table after he sat down. Skinny Liu had initially wanted to turn down the offer and remain standing on the street. That way, he could pretend to be pitiful and hopefully gain some sympathy from the wealthy young master. If his performance were good enough, the wealthy young master might even purchase his useless trinkets out ofpassion.


    However, his mind couldn''t defeat his tongue, and he eventually sat down to drink with Chen Ping''an. While Skinny Liu drank, he continued to scold himself for failing to suppress his desires. Now that he had given in, he would most likely fail to make any transaction with the wealthy young master in white. He was filled with mixed emotions, and he decided to treat this as hisst bowl of wine before death.


    Chen Ping''an clinked bowls with the wandering merchant and asked with a smile, "If the imperial seal is so valuable, and if that esteemed immortal is so desperate to obtain it toplete his collection of seventeen treasures from Wenjing Nation, then why don''t you directly visit him to sell the imperial seal?"


    Skinny Liu had naturally prepared a response to this kind of question. With a bitter smile, he said, "That elderly earth immortal possesses a profound cultivation base, yet his character is... Well, I''m afraid that I won''t survive to spend the money that he gives me."


    Skinny Liu''s voice was deep and quiet.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in understanding. This was a reasonable response, especially since immortals from the mountains cultivated all kinds of Dao, including a myriad of heretical Daos. After all, weren''t there people like Du Mao among paramount Ascension Tier immortals? Back in his hometown, hadn''t he alsoe across Liu Zhimao, the River Severing True Lord from Bamboo Scroll Lake?


    As for the ill-intentioned Qi refiners whom he had encountered on Sky Calling Street, they might have truly struck it rich and been enjoying an extravagant life right now if they had managed to encircle and kill him and Lu Tai. Using their newfound wealth, they might have even advanced to the Golden Core Tier. Unfortunately for these people, however, they had traveled a thousand li just to offer up their heads, losing their lives and possessions to Chen Ping''an and Lu Tai.


    Skinny Liu was likely convinced that he would lose his opportunity with this wealthy young master from out of town if he didn''t reveal something radical soon. He ced his wine bowl on the table and lowered his voice, saying, "In reality, it''s only because of a taboo that I introduced my grandfather as a great general of Wenjing Nation. My grandfather was actually an official in Peace Square, a ce located in the capital of Wenjing Nation that was initially used for raising all kinds of rare and peculiar beasts.


    "However, the square was eventually abandoned due to ack of funds, and in the end, it was used to house eunuchs and pce maids who had made mistakes and been kicked out of the pce. The final emperor of Wenjing Nation grew up in Peace Square, which housed all kinds of filth and vermin. My grandfather always looked after him, and he somehow managed to climb the ranks and go from an illegitimate son hidden in Peace Square to the emperor of the nation.


    "Regardless of why the Wenjing Nation was destroyed, he could still be regarded as a grateful emperor who treated my grandpa with respect. After the capital was breached by the formidable army from Lofty Sky Nation, the emperor fled back to Peace Square to seek refuge. I was still little back then, so I don''t remember much of what happened. In any case, I eventually received the imperial seal from my grandfather. Before my grandfather passed away, he reminded me that I definitely had to give the imperial seal to a descendant of Wenjing Nation. He said that I couldn''t treat it as my own possession..."


    After saying this, Skinny Liu drank a mouthful of wine and continued with a dazed expression, "I''m such an unfilial descendant... I''ve betrayed my grandfather''s final wish, and I''ve also betrayed the crown prince of Wenjing Nation who''s said to have changed his name and fled to the mountains to cultivate Dao..."


    With quivering lips and tears in his eyes, Skinny Liu pleaded, "Young Master, please do a good deed and purchase the precious imperial seal. That way, I can buy wine to intoxicate myself and wash away my sorrows. I won''t need to face the imperial seal and feel immeasurable guilt every single day..."


    Chen Ping''an poured Skinny Liu another bowl of well-water immortal wine, and he shook his head and replied, "I can treat you to wine, but I won''t purchase the imperial seal from you."


    Skinny Liu was unwilling to give up, and he asked, "Young Master, are you not even going to take a look at the imperial seal? Are you not going to check whether it''s genuinely real and valuable? I''m sure that you can appraise it with a single nce. In fact, I won''t regret my decision even if you drive a hard bargain."


    Chen Ping''an shook his head again, replying, "I don''t have much luck when ites to getting windfalls, so... I''ll pass on this one. You should look for someone who has both good fortune and good appraisal skills. You shouldn''t waste your time on me."


    Pei Qian was just about to speak, but she immediately shut up when she saw Chen Ping''an ncing over.


    After finishing his second bowl of wine, Skinny Liu apologized and thanked Chen Ping''an for his hospitality. He then stood up and left in despondence.


    Only then did Pei Qian say in a quiet voice, "He''s quite pitiful."


    Chen Ping''an took a sip of wine and concurred, "It''s true that he''s quite pitiful. However, the imperial seal that he''s peddling isn''t necessarily real."


    "You didn''t look at it, so how do you know?" Pei Qian asked in confusion. "What if it was actually real? It''s not like we''re not in a hurry to get anywhere right now."


    "If the one-in-ten-thousand chance of winning the ''what if'' trulynds on our heads, then that will naturally be the best result. However, what about the worst-case scenario?" Chen Ping''an exined patiently.


    Pei Qian was at a loss, and she replied, "The worst-case scenario is simply that the imperial seal is fake and we fail to realize this, so we get scammed of immortal currency by that person?"


    The skinny little girl suddenly mmed the table and eximed with a pained expression, "That''s absolutely unforgivable!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and said, "What kind of worst-case scenario is this? The worst-case scenario is if someone sets up a trap and forces us to buy their goods. Not only that, but they might even take things further once we pay them immortal currency. They might decide to kill us to steal all of our belongings.


    "Think of Skinny Liu''s character. We don''t really know what he''s like, so it would be risky to deal with him even if he''s not an innately bad person. If he''s facing some insurmountable challenge��for example, if he owes a huge debt and he''s a weak-natured person, yet the debt collectors are extremely vicious people��then that will be a case of a pitiful person having a detestable quality.[2] If we take pity on him now, then who will take pity on us in the future?"


    Pei Qian carefully thought about this for a moment before replying, "There are quite a few of us, and we''re in the right anyway, so can''t we just kill him with a few punches if it trulyes to that?"


    Chen Ping''an immediately flicked her on the forehead and scolded, "If we simply rely on our fists to reason with other people in the world, then Du Mao is the best example of what can happen. Du Mao eventually came across us, so what if we alsoe across our own nemeses?"


    "But we''re good people, aren''t we?" Pei Qian asked in an aggrieved voice. "Old Criminal Du was a bad person, so he deserved to be punished by the heavens and struck by lightning. After death, he deserves to be tossed into boiling oil, have his tongue ripped out, have his organs dissected, have molten metal poured into his mouth..."


    Chen Ping''an interrupted Pei Qian''s nonsense and asked, "Where did you learn these things from?"


    There was lingering fear in Pei Qian''s heart as she replied, "When we were appreciating thenterns in Old Dragon City during the Lantern Festival, Little Bai told me that some of thenterns are used for deterring evil and promoting good. I opened my eyes wide to look at them for a while, but I felt like thesenterns had little to do with me. However, the books say that a person should correct their mistakes if they''vemitted them, and to avoid them if they haven''t."


    Chen Ping''an''s Sword Nurturing Gourd was filled with medicinal wine now, so it could no longer be used for holding well-water immortal wine from this ferry station. The Fan n had also given him many pots of osmanthus wine which were sitting in his jade tablet minimization treasure right now. Thus, Chen Ping''an had enough good wine tost him an entire year.


    That being the case, Chen Ping''an only purchased two pots of well-water immortal wine, nning to put them together with the osmanthus wer. When he returned to Downtrodden Mountain, he would bury all of this wine behind the bamboo building and retrieve a single pot every ten years. This would be one part of his enviable wealth.


    1. As per Yao Jinzhi''s exnation, if the seller and the prospective buyer are both interested inpleting a transaction, then they would head to a quiet ce to discuss things further. They wouldn''t talk about the price explicitly, and they would instead signal their desired price in their sleeves. ?


    2. A pitiful person having a detestable quality is amon saying, and this refers to the fact that many people are pitiful due to their poor personal decisions. ?

 Chapter 375: (1): Untamed Vagrant Cultivators

    A Qi refiner who looked to be around thirty years old appeared disheveled as he stood on a gigantic rock. He quietly spat out a mouthful of blood.


    This fight was full of unexpected surprises, so he definitely needed to do some calctions with the others after they killed the earth bull. They needed to ask that Golden Core Tier earth immortal for morepensation. This surely wouldn''t be taking things too far. After all, while the earth bull''s entire body was a treasure, the most valuable parts such as its golden core, its horns, its tendons, and so on would all be taken by the Golden Core Tier earth immortal.


    Meanwhile, they would only be left with internal organs and some flesh. Not only that, but they now needed to fight two more battles as well. If the Golden Core Tier earth immortal refused to pay them a few extra lesser heat coins, then he couldn''t me them if they... jumped up and down and cursed in anger behind his back.


    The Qi refiner standing on the gigantic rock was called L�� Yangzhen. He was born in the countryside, and his family had been woodsmen for generation after generation. Now, he was a vagrant cultivator with no permanent residence, and he had just cleared his first big hurdlest year, sessfully advancing to the Abode Tier.


    Even though this was the lowest tier in the Middle Five Tiers, bing an Abode Tier cultivator was like ascending to the heavens in a single step for vagrant cultivators like L�� Yangzhen. After clearing this hurdle, he could now be employed by immortal ns with proper lineages and inheritances, or he could be a guest elder in the imperial court of a mortal empire, or maybe in an official residence or a noble n. To put things simply, vagrant cultivators at the Abode Tier would finally be worth some money.


    L�� Yangzhen''s dream was to enjoy even better fortune than the time when he had discovered the corpse and belongings of a cultivator in some mountain cave. He wanted to obtain a traditional immortal scripture that contained information about some Great Dao that could allow him to be an earth immortal. Even if he couldn''t be a lofty Golden Core Tier earth immortal in this lifetime, simply being able to stand near and touch the door threshold to this tier would leave himpletely satisfied.


    Meanwhile, the greatest wish in the depths of L�� Yangzhen''s heart��or his wildest wish, to be more exact��was that he could encounter a divine fated opportunity someday. He was already sixty years old, but he hoped that he could mysteriously be a sword cultivator with a bonded flying sword. Thus, the rims of his eyes instantly became bright red when he saw the young esteemed immortal in white robesnd on the ground, with two streaks of red returning to his vermilion wine gourd. Those were flying swords! They were definitely bonded flying swords!


    Wasn''t there a saying in the cultivation world? Old is a sixty-year-old Qi refiner at the Abode Tier, yet young is a one-hundred-year-old sword cultivator at the Abode Tier.


    Perhaps this esteemed immortal in white was a powerful cultivator who had practiced a secret technique to regain his youthful appearance?Things would be extremely troublesome if this person was a Dragon Gate Tier sword cultivator.


    If he was a hidden sword cultivator at the Golden Core Tier, then they would most likely suffer heavy casualties in this meticulously nned mission.


    L�� Yangzhen quickly calmed down andposed himself after feeling a surge of strong emotions for a moment.


    The person standing in front of them was a young sword immortal who had already nurtured a bonded flying sword and was able to resist the biting astral winds and the currents of murderous aura. Apart from possessing terrifying abilities, such as astonishing destructive power and a fondness for determining life and death in the blink of an eye, sword cultivators possessed another quality that vagrant cultivators were even more afraid of.


    Namely, almost all of the sword cultivators in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent were viewed as precious treasures by the immortal forces in the mountains. If anyone dared to injure them, even if it was only a little, they would definitely draw immediate attention from the ancestral hall of their n.


    L�� Yangzhen looked around out of the corners of his eyes.


    Apart from the Golden Core Tier earth immortal using an illusion technique and hiding his true appearance...


    ...the other vagrant cultivators were reacting in a very simr manner to him. Some of them were even more cowardly and disyed even flimsier convictions, and they had already put away their weapons to express goodwill toward the young sword cultivator, lest this uninvited guest find a weak opponent to target and kill with a single swing of his de. No one wanted to be killed to serve as a warning to the others.


    Of course, there were also those who weren''t afraid of death. They carefully concealed the burning desire in their eyes, yet L�� Yangzhen could see through some of their small gestures that revealed their true thoughts. They wanted to perform an astounding feat and kill the young sword cultivator along with the earth bull.


    That way, they could be filthy rich in a single night! If worse came to worst, they could simply flee far away from Azure Phoenix Nation forever. Vagrant cultivators like them were rootless duckweed whom immortals from the mountains viewed as wild dogs anyway, so what would it matter where they lived and cultivated?


    In any case, there was the Golden Core Tier earth immortal to rely on even if the heavens truly did copse.


    Thus, L�� Yangzhen and the others all subconsciously stole a few nces at the Golden Core Tier earth immortal. This earth immortal''s identity and background were unclear, and he had appeared half a year ago to hire him and the other vagrant cultivators. He hadn''t said much; he had simply said that a great demon of the ilk of earth bulls was hiding in a shattered dragon vein with a long history.


    The earth bull had already hidden there for more than two hundred years, allowing it to reach a cultivation base equivalent to the Dragon Gate Tier for Qi refiners. Once it cultivated toward the Golden Core Tier and formed a golden core, it would definitely start twisting and turning and bring cmity to Azure Phoenix Nation, causing a shocking tragedy to ur.


    Countless people would die in prefectures and counties within a radius of five hundred kilometers. Because of this, they definitely had to suppress and kill the earth bull before it managed to form a golden core. They were doing so for the sake of Azure Phoenix Nation...


    L�� Yangzhen had been traveling with two temporarypanions who were also vagrant cultivators to search for treasures back then, and they had almostughed out loud upon hearing the righteous exnation given by the earth immortal. In fact, they would have definitelyughed out loud if they hadn''t feared the Golden Core Tier cultivation base of the earth immortal.


    The reason why L�� Yangzhen had formed a temporary alliance with the brother and his younger sister and traveled through Azure Phoenix Nation, the Fortune Mountain Nation, and several other regions together was because the younger sister was an extremely rare earth cultivator.


    Right now, the older brother and the younger sister were subtly shuffling toward him already.


    It wasrgely thanks to L�� Yangzhen and the female cultivator that they were able to share some spoils with the Golden Core Tier earth immortal. L�� Yangzhen was skilled at formations, allowing him to suppress themotion caused by the earth bull turning its body. In other words, he could prevent the proper immortal ns from noticing the situation over here, not giving them the chance to snatch the fruit of the vagrant cultivators'' hard work in subduing and killing the demonic beast.


    Meanwhile, the skills of the female cultivator were the most important factor behind the Golden Core Tier earth immortal being willing to hire them. The earth immortal had only determined the approximate location where the earth bull was hiding, yet he had still been unable to pinpoint its specific location. As a result, the female cultivator who had no skills in fighting was given a chance to show her wares.


    The female cultivator was a woman dressed in bright clothes, and she was a fifth tier Qi refiner whose cultivation aptitude couldn''t be regarded as good. She could only be regarded as decent among fellow vagrant cultivators. She had a fairly good impression of L�� Yangzhen, and it could be said that they had been rtively open and honest with each other during their time working together for the Golden Core Tier earth immortal. Using her mind''s voice, she secretly asked, "These neers harbor animosity toward us; they''re clearly friends with those two people. What should we do?"


    L�� Yangzhen stroked his chin and replied, "We''ll observe the situation and take action ordingly."


    The woman nodded in understanding. She was definitely the most privileged vagrant cultivator in this mission to subdue and kill the earth bull. After the intense battle began, she was far more rxed than both her older brother and L�� Yangzhen. In fact, it wasn''t a stretch to say that she had nothing to do.


    This was because she was an earth cultivator belonging to a side branch of the School of Naturalists.


    Her older brother was a burly man who was eight feet tall, and he wielded a pair of broadaxes and was dressed in a suit of azure armor that was inscribed with numerous talismans. His face was caked in blood, yet these were fortunately from some external wounds.


    Due to the strings of fate, he had chosen the path of a Militarian cultivator. However, he was only a Militarian cultivator in form but not in essence. He had obtained a third-rate immortal secret scripture that taught him how to temper his physique and stabilize his soul. Add to that his precious armor, a spirit tool that he had exhausted all of his wealth to buy in his younger days, and he was like a tiger given new wings. He was fairly renowned in the border regions of the Fortune Mountain Nation.


    However, the true money-maker wasn''t him, a burly man in armor who possessed impressivebat power. Instead, it was his little sister, an earth cultivator.


    Qi refiners, especially vagrant cultivators with no teachers and no inherited cultivation methods, were very methodical and particr when it came to searching for treasures.


    Apart from the so-called fated opportunities of the Great Dao that they encountered due to luck, they could also search for clues in the local county chronicles as well as study the geomancy maps that were kept secret and guarded by the local officials. In addition, they could also interact and ask questions of the local woodsmen and fishermen who often ventured into the mountains and rivers. Only by doing so could they find an opportunity to strike it rich.


    As a result, these vagrant cultivators would need to employ the help of geographical officials and earth cultivators. It was said that the former could clearly observe the appearance of heaven and earth, allowing them to perform astrological divination to tell one''s fortunes. Simrly, earth cultivators were especially skilled when it came to finding dragon veins and detecting slight changes in spiritual energy. Earth cultivators possessed incredibly keen senses.


    After finding the treasures, however, vagrant cultivators also needed to ovee all sorts of challenges and obstacles. Indeed, most natural treasures in the world were tightly guarded by ghosts and spirits.


    This had always been the most significant and deadly challenge facing vagrant cultivators. Unlike immortal ns and forces in the mountains, itinerant cultivators and vagrant cultivators often traveled alone and fought for treasures and fated opportunities by themselves. Immortal ns and forces could dispatch all of their cultivators once they found a treasure or a fated opportunity, and if this wasn''t enough, they could even seek help from other immortal ns or forces that they had good rtionships with. Thus, they rarely failed to obtain what they wanted.


    On the other hand, vagrant cultivators would have no option but to seek help from fellow vagrant cultivators and share the spoils once they determined that they weren''t strong enough to obtain the treasures by themselves. Otherwise, it was extremely likely that they would end up empty-handed.


    However, why didn''t they seek help from immortal ns and forces from the mountains? Wouldn''t that increase their chances of sess?


    There were two main reasons for this. Firstly, vagrant cultivators would often be left with scraps and leftover treasures even though they were clearly the first to discover the natural treasures or secret treasure chambers. Secondly, and more tragically, they could potentially be assassinated by cultivators from the immortal ns and forces.


    Indeed, one had to realize that vagrant cultivators werergely belittled and resented by cultivators from the mountains. They were like lone ghosts among Qi refiners, like parasites who consumed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and categorized as sinister cultivators who stooped to extremely low levels.


    Why was thete Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator from Wasp Tail Ferry Station regarded so highly among vagrant cultivators from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? This was because he had once spoken the mind of all vagrant cultivators in the world, eximing, "I just want to stand up straight and eat a decent meal!"


    Cultivators who had their names recorded in two ces, the ancestral hall of their force and the imperial court near their force, were regarded as official immortals. On the contrary, cultivators who didn''t have their names recorded in these two ces were regarded as vagrant cultivators or itinerant cultivators.


    The imperial courts and local governments all disliked vagrant cultivators. These cultivators had unpredictable tempers, were prone to causing trouble, didn''t disy any loyalty, and often forced them to clean up their huge messes. This was especially the case with vagrant cultivators at the Upper Five Tiers, almost all of whom were extremely resolute when it came to killing their enemies.


    These cultivators were fierce individuals who had forged a path through countless bloodshed, and their tempers would be even more peculiar and unpredictable than ordinary vagrant cultivators. They disyed no sympathy, and they acted with wanton disregard when they traveled through the world.


    However, it would definitely be an overgeneralization to view all vagrant cultivators as ouws who trampled on the lives of others. Even so, immortal forces from the mountains, imperial courts of the mortal nations, and reputable forces in the cultivation world all used a broad brush to paint vagrant cultivators as just that��unpredictable people who acted with wanton disregard for human life. After repeating this message day after day and year after year, vagrant cultivators were now like rats scurrying across the streets, vermin that everyone wanted to beat to death.


    Vagrant cultivators who were rtively more powerful would all seek a legitimate position with the imperial court of some nation. Otherwise, they would be a so-called guest elder of some force in the mountains, although this wouldrgely be in name only. They would be official immortals, yet they would still carry themselves as vagrant cultivators.


    Returning the focus to L�� Yangzhen and his two allies, one was a formation cultivator who wasn''t skilled in offense, one was an illegitimate Militarian cultivator who focused on defense, and one was a powerless earth cultivator with nobat power. Thus, they could be regarded as rtively normal.


    However, there was another group of seven or eight vagrant cultivators who were assessing the situation and secretly observing the young sword cultivator. In fact, there was also a hint of ferocity and cruelty in their eyes as they looked at their opponent.


    Most of these cultivators were acquainted with each other already, and they were all Qi refiners from regions bordering Azure Phoenix Nation. They were most likely taking advantage of the Liberation Rite of Water and Land and the Heavenly Worship Ceremony to try their luck. They had made significant contributions in the battle against the earth bull, and there was a Militarian cultivator who engaged in close-quarterbat, a heretical Daoist priest who was skilled at talismans and puppetry, a ghost cultivator who wielded a soul-summoning banner, and a burly man whose bonded item was surprisingly three shields��a rattan shield, a bird shield, and a metal talisman shield. Thetter was responsible for protecting hispanions who weren''t able to dodge in time.


    There was also an old sword cultivator still at the fifth tier for the moment. His flying sword would condense into a tangible weapon after leaving his acupoint, bing pitch-ck and growing to approximately two feet in length, shrouded in wind and lightning and also radiating with a strong sanguinary aura.


    However, because he hadn''t reached the Abode Tier and genuinely created an internal abode yet, his spiritual energy wascking and unable to support his flying sword for too long. Because of this, he would oftenunch a single strike before summoning his flying sword back to his acupoint, where he would nurture it using spiritual energy from snowke coins and wait for the next opportunity to strike. In fact, half of the severe wounds on the earth bull''s body were caused by the flying sword of this old sword cultivator.


    In any case, the true backbone of this group of vagrant cultivators was an elder dressed in ck robes sitting on a giant ck fox with five tails.


    The elder turned his head to nce at the Golden Core Tier cultivator hiding in the background, and his message was very clear. This earth immortal was the person offering them lesser heat coins to suppress and kill the earth bull, and his group of vagrant cultivators had indeed contributed a lot, doing everything that was asked of them.


    Now that a sword cultivator with unknown strength had run over to cause trouble, it was up to him whether they should retreat or continue to fight. If thetter option was chosen and they had to provoke the young sword cultivator, then the agreed payment of a few lesser heat coins definitely wouldn''t be enough. If the former option was chosen and everyone retreated, then the different parties could each go their separate ways since they had already received a deposit.

 Chapter 376: Weapon of a Noble Person

    The Golden Core Tier earth immortal suddenly smiled and said, "I see, so you are a disciple of Legalism. No wonder��"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how the earth immortal had formed such a misunderstanding.


    The earth immortal was probably very familiar with the culture and customs of the Azure Phoenix Nation. He smiled with squinted eyes and continued, "Then we should indeed spar with each other."


    The atmosphere at the mountain pass instantly became very tense.


    Vagrant cultivators were ustomed to going back on their word and betraying their allies. People die in pursuit of wealth just like how birds die in pursuit of food. Who didn''t want to earn an additional fifty lesser heat coins? They would naturally work for clean money, but did that mean they would refrain from fighting for blood money?


    How did vagrant cultivators obtain official positions in the imperial courts or be guest elders in immortal forces? Most of the time, their stepping stone would be thepletion of a dirty task. For example, they would be tasked with assassinating some important official of an enemy nation, or exacting revenge and resolving hostilities between immortal forces, tasks that were unsuitable for the imperial courts and immortal forces to carry out by themselves.


    The earth immortal calmly swept his gaze around as if he were inspecting the battlefield.


    "Are you aware that tens of thousands of people will be killed or disced if the earth bull chooses to turn its body and manipte the earth veins?" asked Chen Ping''an.


    The earth immortal hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding and replying, "I''m naturally aware of this, given my cultivation."The vagrant cultivators weren''t especially surprised by the earth immortal''s answer.


    Only the formation cultivator, L�� Yangzhen, furrowed his brow upon hearing this. However, he concealed his expression very well.


    "Then are you able to suppress the earthquake?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    The earth immortal didn''t answer this question directly. Instead, he smiled and exined, "This is no simple task. We can either heed the advice of your friends and spend an exorbitant of money to set up numerous formations in the surroundings to stabilize the earth veins and minimize the impact of the earthquake, or we would need a Qi refiner to possess a connate immortal treasure and have them refine this treasure into their bonded item. That way, the immortal treasure can be used to stabilize the mountains and suppress the earth veins."


    Seeing Chen Ping''an remain silent, the earth immortal carefully observed the young man for a moment before saying, "I''m sure we''ll meet again someday."


    The earth immortal seemingly abandoned his n to "spar" with Chen Ping''an, and he looked at the leaders of the various alliances of vagrant cultivators such as the elder in ck sitting atop the giant five-tailed ck fox, Formation Cultivator L�� Yangzhen, and so on. He used his mind''s voice to tell them the locations to split up the spoils and receive their remainingpensation, after which he flew away on the wind.


    All of the vagrant cultivators left following the departure of the Golden Core Tier earth immortal. However, they all left in slightly different directions, and it was clear that the earth immortal had given each alliance a different time and location to receive theirpensation and share of the spoils. He would meet with the four alliances separately, lest theyin not about the value of their reward, but about the inequality of their share.


    Zhang Shanfeng gently punched Chen Ping''an in the arm and said in amusement, "How impressive! You''re using lesser heat coins as if they''re snowke coins."


    Xu Yuanxia had already stood back up a while ago, and he sheathed his saber before running his fingers through his beard tob his facial hair that was clumped together with blood. "We''re safe for the moment, but I''m afraid that the Golden Core Tier guy might harbor ill intentions. I believe that he is one of the most powerful individuals in this area. If pushes to shove, we''ll have to abandon our initial n of staying here and waiting for the debate between Buddhism and Daoism. It would be in our best interests to leave as soon as possible."


    "The True Martial Sword that Chen Ping''an lent me and your short saber�� Are we really going to leave them at the chief military governor''s office just like this?" Zhang Shanfeng asked in hesitation.


    "Gave, not lent," Chen Ping''an corrected him.


    Even though Xu Yuanxia felt pained and reluctant, he still replied with a resolute expression, "It''s not like the chief military governor''s office is going to grow legs and run away, so we''ll eventually have an opportunity toe back and retrieve them. Otherwise, if the chief military governor''s office is the true culprit behind everything, then we''ll be running right into their trap. The emperor of the Azure Phoenix Nation has always been an unruly person, while the chief military governor is one of his most trusted subjects. As such, we''ll run a big risk of being targeted by everyone. Moreover, we won''t be able to exin ourselves and prove our innocence, and we''ll also have no way of defending against their baseless usations."


    Zhang Shanfeng had once been a stubborn person who would only relent after suffering the consequences, or else he wouldn''t have abandoned Confucianism and gone to the mountains to be a Daoist priest instead. However, he had matured a lot during his journey south from the Northern Complete Reed Continent to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He had seen and heard a lot, and he had also faced quite a number of challenges. In any case, he didn''t insist on going to the chief military governor''s office anymore after hearing Xu Yuanxia''s exnation.


    Chen Ping''an pondered for a long time beforeing up with a reasonable n that could allow Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia to feel at ease and visit the chief military governor''s office. At the same time, they wouldn''t be dragged into his dangerous and unpredictable situation.


    "I came across a fated opportunity at a Confucian academy in the Parasol Leaf Continent, and I obtained a jade tablet that can be used to save one''s life during times of critical danger," Chen Ping''an exined. "Even though the Azure Phoenix Nation is filled with people from all walks of life, meaning that we shouldn''t let our guards down, being in possession of this jade tablet is�� equivalent to being apanied by a noble schr from a Confucian academy. Ordinary cultivators at the Golden Core Tier and the Nascent Tier won''t really dare to kill people in possession of this jade tablet. In other words, it won''t be too difficult for us to retrieve True Martial and the short saber."


    One needed to be sincere when dealing with other people, yet digging oneself into a hole and facing perilous danger as Chen Ping''an had against Du Mao couldn''t be regarded as being sincere anymore. Rather, that was called being simple-minded and naive.


    Pei Qian and the four martial artists from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land were already walking over.


    They were all extremely interested in the young Daoist priest and the big-bearded martial artist. They didn''t look like people from Chen Ping''an''s hometown, but rather like friends that Chen Ping''an had made during his travels.


    Wei Xian and the others could all tell that the young Daoist priest was only an ordinary Qi refiner with a middling cultivation base. Meanwhile, the big-bearded man was a saber-wielding martial artist with a decent fifth tier cultivation base. And�� this was it?


    Pei Qian was secretly observing the two people the entire time, standing beside Chen Ping''an with her hiking pole in hand and the bamboo saber and bamboo sword that Chen Ping''an had made her hanging by her hip. She smiled and said, "Hi, Big Brother Daoist Priest and Saber-Wielding Uncle. I''m Pei Qian, Master''s opening disciple!"


    Xu Yuanxia chortled with heartyughter. He had gained one level of seniority for free.


    Even though Zhang Shanfeng''s shoulder had been pierced by the sword cultivator''s bonded flying sword, and his face was still deathly pale even after applying some golden sore medicine on his wound, the corners of his lips curled up into a smile when he saw the skinny little girl who imed to be Chen Ping''an''s opening disciple. He smiled and waved at the little girl, saying, "Hi, Pei Qian, how old are you this year?"


    Pei Qian smiled widely and replied, "I''m only seven years old, and that''s why I''m so short."


    Chen Ping''an immediately flicked her on the forehead.


    Pei Qian wanted to save face, but she ultimately ended up facing the consequences. Her expression immediately became sullen as she said truthfully, "I''m actually eleven years old."


    Chen Ping''an turned around before squatting down and looking at Xu Yuanxia, asking, "You''ve suffered severe wounds, so what are you going to do?"


    Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng also squatted down, with the big-bearded martial artist stroking his beard and contemting for a moment before replying, "Well, let��s forget about that sneaky earth immortal and just focus on that sword cultivator riding the giant ck fox, and the other vagrant cultivators. They clearly came with ill intentions and they would��ve immediately killed this earth bull if we stepped back and relented. In fact, this earth bull will still die if we leave now and abandon it.


    "What you said was very true. Money doesn''t fall from the sky, nor is it blown over by the wind. Since we decided to help the earth bull, we may as well help it until the end. We''ll let it follow us in its true form for now, and we can find an earth vein for it to hide itself in once it recovers from its wounds. But this means there''ll be more weight on your shoulders, Chen Ping''an."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "We''ve only been apart for a short time, yet you''re already being this polite with me?"


    Xu Yuanxia roared withughter. "Being polite doesn''t cost me any money!"


    Like a little chick pecking rice, Pei Qian nodded vigorously in agreement. Being polite and speaking words of ttery genuinely didn''t cost any money. This big-bearded uncle could most likely be regarded as a like-minded person.


    Compared to Pei Qian, Wei Xian and the others saw more and thought further.


    Wei Xian, Sui Youbian, Zhu Lian, and Lu Baixiang had never seen Chen Ping''an asking other people for their opinions before. Not only that, but he was heeding the words of the young Daoist priest and the big-bearded martial artist in a very natural manner. It didn''t seem forced at all.


    One had to realize that Chen Ping''an had experienced many challenges and battles together with the four of them. In fact, Sui Youbian had even been killed several times. However, Chen Ping''an''s decision-making and demeanor radiated a formless sense of strength, toughness, and assertiveness. At the same time, he still treated them with the necessary amount of respect.


    Even Wei Xian had to concede that he wasn''t exaggerating too much when he praised Chen Ping''an as having the potential to be a powerful ruler. If the two of them had risen together during a chaotic age in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, then it was very likely that he and Chen Ping''an would have be opponents on the battlefield.


    Chen Ping''an looked at the earth bull and asked, "Can you assume human form? If I remember correctly, demons that have reached the Sea Observation Tier or the Dragon Gate Tier can assume human form, can''t they? I have some alchemical pills used for treating wounds, and they''ll be more effective if you ingest them while in human form."


    Before Chen Ping''an and the others left Old Dragon City, Lady Gui had sent someone over to give them a treasure box made from osmanthus wood. It was not something worth an exorbitant amount, but it was still not something ordinary people could afford. Namely, the treasure box contained twelve vials of alchemical pills useful for earth immortals. They were the most cost-effective pills for each cultivation tier in the Middle Five Tiers.


    The Dragon Gate Tier earth bull that had suffered wounds to its foundation of the Great Dao shook its head in response to Chen Ping''an''s question.


    "This earth bull is quite uniquepared to ordinary mountain spirits and water beasts," Zhang Shanfeng exined. "The purer one''s alignment with one of the Five Elements, the more difficult it is for one to assume human form. For example, this earth bull needs to advance to the Golden Core Tier before it can assume human form."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in realization and replied, "That''s okay. We''ll try our best to detour around the provincial city when we head over to the chief military governor''s office. We''ll take the smaller paths through the mountains and the rivers."


    Zhang Shanfeng smiled and said, "We''re quite familiar with these paths since we traveled to many ces around the Azure Phoenix Nation and the Fortune Mountain Nation these past two years."


    Chen Ping''an took out an alchemical pill that was suitable for Dragon Gate Tier cultivators and told the earth bull to ingest it. Fifteen minutester, the earth bull could already stand back up even though it was a bit of a struggle. Its body was still riddled with wounds, but these wounds no longer prevented it from walking normally.


    Earth-element demons were known for their tough physique and astonishing stamina, after all, and this Dragon Gate Tier earth bull also revealed to them that it had refined a green ze mountain-and-water vase as one of its bonded items. This vase could absorb and umte the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.


    Chen Ping''an immediately understood the earth bull''s intention, so he directly handed the entire vial of alchemical pills to the earth bull. This way, the earth bull could ce the alchemical pills inside its green ze vase and slowly absorb the medicinal effects as well as spiritual energy to heal its wounds.


    The eyes of the yellow earth bull were brimming with tears after it stood up, and it gazed at the young man dressed in snow-white robes and asked in a guilt-riddled voice, "How can I repay your noble act, Esteemed Immortal? I cultivated here for more than two hundred years because I was attracted to the dragon vein of this ce. I obtained two immortal treasures by chance before, but I''ve already refined these treasures into my bonded items. Other than these, I haven''t obtained any natural treasures of heaven and earth. Esteemed Immortal, you''ve saved my life and even repaired my Dao, yet��"


    Pei Qian sighed with sorrow.


    <em>It''s all my fault. We''ve only just left Old Dragon City, yet I''ve already be a money loser? I almost lost two snowke coins at Wasp Tail Ferry Station, and now we''re going to suffer a huge loss in this mountain pass.</em>


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "It''s okay. If you''re genuinely sincere, then you can visit my hometown in the future when you recover and form a golden core, and when you can travel around the world in human form. The mountains are beautiful and the water is limpid, and spiritual energy also exists in abundance. You''re very wee to visit��"


    Upon hearing Chen Ping''an say this, Xu Yuanxia interjected in a meaningful voice, "Why wait until the earth bull forms a golden core? It should head to your hometown immediately after it recovers from its wounds, and perhaps it can directly form its golden core there. There''s a sage guarding the fortune in your hometown, and there''s no need to worry about unexpected disasters being caused by the earth bull turning its body either."


    There was a confused look in the earth bull''s eyes as if it didn''t understand Xu Yuanxia''s words.


    Chen Ping''an carefully contemted whether this suggestion was viable or not. However, Xu Yuanxia smiled and continued, "Well, here''s no hurry. We��ll travel together for a long while, so let''s see if we get along with each other first. It won''t be toote to make a decision at that time. If things don''t fall in ce naturally, then we would be better off parting ways with each other and simply leaving a good impression in each other''s minds. We''ll meet again if we''re fated to, and that will definitely be better than staying together and risking conflict. That would be a waste of the good rtionship between us."


    "I agree," Zhang Shanfeng said with a nod.


    Chen Ping''an naturally had no objections.


    They left the mountain pass and slowly made their way to the office of this chief military governor that was greatly renowned throughout the Azure Phoenix Nation.


    Chen Ping''an told Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia about his travels, naturally leaving out the things that were too sensitive.


    The young Daoist priest and the big-bearded martial artist also told Chen Ping''an stories about their adventures after the three of them had parted ways at the Green Beetle Shop back then.


    ��������


    The Imperial Tang n of the Azure Phoenix Nation had a tradition of bestowing the title of king but not a kingdom for these kings to rule. Kings and county kings would stay in their residences in the capital; moreover, they had the right to live in these residences but did not own them. In other words, they would lose their right to live in these residences once they lost their positions as kings.


    There were five chief military governor offices in the Azure Phoenix Nation, in the north, south, east, west, and center. These offices held immense power, and they were responsible for transporting grains to the imperial court as well as to the army. At the same time, they controlled the trade of salt and iron and looked after many other important matters.[1] These were all critical areas that pertained to the lifeblood of the empire.


    Ordinary rulers were apprehensive of high-ranking officials holding too much power and kings and nobles breaking off and gaining absolute rule over their territories, yet everything had been calm and peaceful in the Azure Phoenix Nation for the past several hundred years. The officials and nobles acted appropriately, so much so that everyone else was left scratching their heads. Some of these nobles had territories so far away from the imperial capital and from the eyes of the emperor, so how was not a single one of them harboring wild ambitions? How were they all remaining loyal and willing to die for the Imperial Tang n?


    In any case, the Azure Phoenix Nation was like an otherworldly paradise filled with peace and tranquility. This was especially the case whenpared to the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, which was bathed in the mes of war. However, these wars also forced several swarms of nobles and schrs to abandon the north and flee to the south. The Azure Phoenix Nation, the Fortune Mountain Nation, and the Lofty Sky Nation all took in tens of thousands of these people, with the Azure Phoenix Nation taking in the most.


    Of the five chief military governors in the Azure Phoenix Nation, the four in the north, south, east, and west had all been promoted to their current positions after meritorious service on the battlefield or in the military. Only the chief military governor in the central region had inherited the position from his ancestors.


    Indeed, this position had been held by the Wei n for generation after generation for the past three hundred years. The Wei n only relied on a single direct descendant to carry on the lineage, which made it seem as if they might falter and die out at any moment. However, they refused to keel no matter what, keeping a solid grip on the position of chief military governor for more than three centuries.


    The current chief military governor of the central region of the Azure Phoenix Nation��the one from the Wei n who had asked Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia for True Martial and the short saber��no longer traveled around for sightseeing and enjoyment after inheriting this position. Instead, he mostly remained in his residence.


    However, thanks to his achievements and other stories about him from many years ago, he was still quite renowned in the Azure Phoenix Nation and the two other nations. Chief Military Governor Wei was skilled at writing Daoist ssics, writing in cursive script, annotating Buddhist scriptures, and painting Buddhist statues. He was incredibly skilled at painting Buddhist deities, in fact, so much so that he was called peerless among his contemporaries. Even in the imperial court, it was very difficult to obtain a single painting from Chief Military Governor Wei.


    The chief military governor also had an impable reputation in the literati world, and he was regarded as graceful in demeanor, impressive in manner, and as lofty and otherworldly as pine trees rustling in the wind�� He was even more highly regarded among the nobledies and maidens in the capital, and it was said that a woodsman had once mistaken him for a transcendent immortal when he was out visiting immortals in the mountains with his friends in the past. The woodsman fell to his knees and kowtowed, eximing in astonishment that he hade across a paramount immortal.


    Now that the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation was hosting a huge debate between Buddhism and Daoism, Chief Military Governor Wei would travel over to oversee the safety of the capital. He was given permission to bring six thousand elite soldiers north and have them stationed at critical locations throughout the capital.


    This was a clear reflection of the emperor''s trust and reliance on Chief Military Governor Wei.


    In fact, their rtionship was so close that there were even some rumors in the cultivation world iming that there was more than just an intimate friendship between them. One had to realize that the emperors of the Lofty Sky Nation and the Fortune Mountain Nation would also be attending the grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism, yet neither of the emperors expressed any objections about Chief Military Governor Wei bringing soldiers into the capital. The emperors regarded this as normal, and this was very strange indeed.


    On this day, a burly young man came over to visit the chief military governor''s office. He kept a low profile and didn''t alert any outsiders.


    Chief Military Governor Wei Liang hosted his guest inside the study.


    Wei Liang was only thirty years old, and he was a very handsome and elegant man.


    Even though he was an extremely high-ranking official, he was very casual in his interactions with the burly young man, neither appearing politely distant nor being too purposely hospitable. Meanwhile, the burly young man was clearly well-acquainted with the chief military governor as well. He didn''t sit opposite Wei Liang; instead, he stood in front of the bookshelf and flipped through several different books.


    Wei Liang smiled and said, "Jiang Yun, it seems like your n holds you in very high regard, what with them being willing to hand this task to you. Well, this saves me some work and effort as well. I''ll be in the open, while you''ll be hiding in the shadows. I believe that this debate between Buddhism and Daosim near the tail end of spring won''t bring about too many disturbances."


    The burly young man was none other than the individual who lived near the tail end of Narrow Wasp Alley in Wasp Tail Ferry Station. Perhaps due to the fact that he had left the immortal ferry station which was a second home to him, Jiang Yun had used an illusion technique to conceal his belt, the iron chain from the Iron Lock Well that he had refined into a bonded item. This was to avoid drawing any attention from those in the city,


    Jiang Yun casually flicked through a book that was filled with an extremelyrge number of annotations. There was a mix of ck and red ink, and it was clear that Chief Military Governor Wei Liang had read this book more than once.


    Jiang Yun turned around and warned, "You shouldn''t be too careless, Old Wei. Your emperor has made such a huge mess, and the situation is soplicated right now. Apart from me, several other people from my n might be lying low in the capital and keeping an eye on the situation as well. Moreover, their cultivation bases definitely aren''t low."


    Wei Liang smiled and didn''t offer a response.


    Jiang Yun felt slightly helpless, and he remarked, "A small nation like the Azure Phoenix Nation actually dares to host a debate between Buddhism and Daoism? Not only that, but they''re purposely making such a huge deal out of it as well. The Imperial Tang n might not understand the great dangers implied bypetition between the three teachings, but are you not aware of these dangers, Old Wei?


    "Why did the Cloud Forest Jiang n relocate to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent back then? I purposely traveled through some bustling areas after leaving Wasp Tail Ferry Station, and not to exaggerate or anything, but the streets are overflowing with Qi refiners right now. This is already the case in the outer regions, so it goes without saying that the capital is no different. Are you people genuinely unafraid?"


    Chief Military Governor Wei Liang ced a wooden case on the table, and an ice-cold radiance instantly filled the room when he opened it. He retrieved a so-called schrly knife from the wooden case and said with a faint smile, "It''s because of your master that you have some sympathy toward vagrant cultivators and itinerant cultivators. However, this isn''t the case for me. Before we reach the end of spring, I''ll cast severals to capture all of the vagrant cultivators who have criminal records, whether their crimes weremitted in the Azure Phoenix Nation or elsewhere. I''ll act within thews and catch them dead or alive. A single rat dropping can spoil an entire pot of congee, so what about nests upon nests of rats rushing into the capital?"


    Schrly knives were ornaments ced on study desks by refined schrs and literati. Even though they were very small, they could still be regarded as the weapon of a noble person.


    There were close to ten ancestral schrly knives ced neatly inside the wooden box on the table in front of Wei Liang, and they were roughly separated into two categories��those that had seen many summers and winters and those only used for cutting fine Xuan paper.[2]


    The former type of schrly knives could just as well be called carving knives, and this was because people could only keep written records on bamboo slips and wooden slips in the ancient past. These were the "books," and thus, the small knives used for carving them were rightfully called book knives.


    They were made of iron in the past, and of copper in the even more distant past. Now, however, they were made from various types of precious materials, andrgely used for decoration and collection. They were no longer used for their original purpose.


    Wei Liang was holding a schrly knife in each hand at this moment.


    One was made of bamboo, and the characters "Made by Zhensong Hall" were inscribed on its hilt.


    The other one was made of white jade and decorated with dragon patterns, and it had the characters "Tempered One Hundred Times by Official Craftsmen" inscribed.


    Jiang Yun returned the book in his hand to the bookshelf and sighed, saying with aplicated expression, "And that''s why you n to kill so many vagrant cultivators in a single go?"


    "Tomit many crimes is to seek death. It''s quite a bit of work for me to deal with those official immortals in the mountains, so the vagrant cultivators can count themselves very lucky that I''m not directly hunting and killing them. Of course, I also have selfish reasons for going to such lengths to do this. However, a good number of fence-sitters have already be eyes and ears for my office, and they''ll have their time to make a significant impactter on. See, this is how clean and simple it is to act ording to stringent criteria in this world."


    Wei Liang didn''t look up as he spoke, and his gaze remained fixed on the white jade cutting knife. He then used the bamboo cutting knife to gently tap the white jade cutting knife, causing them to emit a crisp sound. He closed his eyes and listened with great joy.


    Jiang Yun was slightly angry, even though he had a very good personal rtionship with Wei Liang, and he asked, "Are you not concerned about whether your criteria are moral or immoral?"


    "Immoral criteria are also criteria, aren''t they?" Wei Liang countered.


    He opened his eyes, his expression calm andposed as he changed the topic and continued with a smile, "Let''s not talk about these matters that we''re destined to disagree on. During my most recent trip out, I came across a fellow disciple of Legalism who was incredibly interesting. His friends left two items in my office, so you can stay here and wait around for a few more days if you''re interested."


    1. In ancient China, the imperial court maintained a monopoly over the trade of salt and iron. ?


    2. Xuan paper is a kind of paper originating in ancient China used for writing and painting. Xuan paper is renowned for being soft and fine-textured. ?

 Chapter 377: Its Time to Eat Stinky Tofu!

    Chen Ping''an and the others surprisingly found an abandoned bamboo house next to ake in the mountains. This bamboo house had been abandoned for many years, but they could still vaguely make out its original appearance. One could imagine just how exquisite this bamboo house had been in the past. It had definitely been built by a wealthy person living a secluded life, and this person definitely liked to go fishing.


    They stopped here to rest, and each person was given a task. Chen Ping''an left to cut two stalks of mature bamboo, one long and one short. When he returned, Zhu Lian had already started a campfire. Chen Ping''an walked over and squatted down, using the mes to slowly cure the bamboo. This would increase the strength of the fishing rod and prevent it from being snapped byrger creatures in theke. Chen Ping''an handed the shorter stalk of bamboo to Pei Qian and instructed her to copy his actions.


    Inside the bamboo house, Zhu Lian and Xu Yuanxia were exchanging knowledge with each other. They were sitting quite far away from everyone else, and it appeared that Zhu Lian was showing off the so-called immortal book that Old Man Xun had given him. Of course, it was a book about men and women "fighting" in bed.


    Zhang Shanfeng and Lu Baixiang were sitting on the ground and ying Go, and Wei Xian was squatting beside them and waiting to see who would emerge victorious, as he always did.


    The yellow earth bull was keeping a lookout in the mountain forest near the bamboo house.


    This ce had beautiful mountains and limpid water, and no one else was around at this moment. Thus, Sui Youbian seized this opportunity to leave the bamboo house, taking her boots off on the foundation of the house that looked much like a bamboo raft. Sui Youbian then sat down and ced her jade-like feet into the water, resting Deep Infatuation across her knees. She ced her hands on the mouth and tip of the scabbard as she gazed into the distance. The air in the mountains was cool and refreshing.


    After curing the two bamboo fishing rods of different lengths, Chen Ping''an swung his rod a few times to see how far it could bend. Pei Qian stood beside him and did the same thing.


    The master and disciple walked outside the bamboo house, where Chen Ping''an started to tie a fishing line to his rod. Just like before, Pei Qian stood there and copied his actions. However, she didn''t do as well with some of the details, so Chen Ping''an helped her redo some of the knots and fishing hook attachments.


    He then brought her over to thekeside in the distance, and they started to flip over some rocks to search for small crustaceans to use for bait. These crustaceans looked like mole crickets.In the end, Chen Ping''an didn''t fish, and he instead had Pei Qian cast a line by herself. He ced his fishing rod inside the jade pendant minimization treasure that Zheng Dafeng had given him, the one which still held the tattered straw sandals that he hadn''t thrown out yet. Apart from this, there were also other unremarkable items such as fishing lines and hooks from the marketce, as well as slightly valuable wine such as well-water immortal wine.


    There was also the yellowing parasol leaf, the one that held two mountain-protection formations derived from Peace and Tranquility Mountain and the nchette Writing Sect. It also held arge amount of grain rain coins that the Parasol Leaf Sect had given him aspensation.


    Pei Qian was an innately impatient person, and it was only because she was apanied by Chen Ping''an and had been forced to read and practice handwriting for so long that she was slightly more patient than before. She quietly stared at the surface of theke, wishing that she could forcefully reel in arge azure fish of more than fifty kilograms in the next moment.


    Chen Ping''an was mulling over the fourth meditation stance of the Mountain Shaking Guide, the Heaven and Earth Stance. This was a very boastful name for a fist stance. The manual thoroughly exined how one should channel their True Qi. Itbined both movement and stillness, yet the movements required were truly very strange.


    People practicing this fist stance were required to do so upside down, and there were three levels corresponding to this. They needed to perform handstands using their palms, fists, and a single finger on each hand, respectively. They then needed to "walk" in this manner.


    With regards to the Heaven and Earth Stance, there was an extremely bold description in the Mountain Shaking Guide, saying that those who practiced this fist stance were like pirs standing between heaven and earth. Heaven and earth would be forced to churn and rotate following the movement of their fists.


    It was no wonder that the barefoot old man in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain had called the Mountain Shaking Guide useless apart from its boastful and ambitious nature after casually flipping through it.


    Chen Ping''an gently pped the ground with one hand before gracefully flipping around and performing a handstand with a single palm on the bamboo ground.


    Pei Qian turned around, and she really wanted tough when she saw this scene.


    With his body upside down, Chen Ping''an used his free hand to point at theke, gesturing for Pei Qian to focus on fishing.


    Pei Qian obediently turned around, and Chen Ping''an changed his palm into a fist, using just a single fist and a single finger to stand upside down. He stretched his body straight, and he channeled his True Qi using the Heaven and Earth Stance of the Mountain Shaking Guide. None of this proved difficult for him.


    Chen Ping''an closed his eyes. Apart from using a single finger on one hand to support himself, he held the index finger and middle finger of his other hand together in front of him. He was on the verge of oveing the barrier between the twelfth and thirteenth stops of the Eighteen Stops Technique that A''Liang had taught him.


    Chen Ping''an originally had no need to rush, but now, things were different.


    He had taught Pei Qian the Eighteen Stops Technique in the Dust Medicinal Shop in Old Dragon City, and Pei Qian had been quite happy about earning two or three copper coins after leaving Wasp Tail Ferry Station. Afterward, she had told Chen Ping''an that she could freely channel twelve stops already, and she had said that in a tone that clearly showed disappointment in how slowly it was going.


    Chen Ping''an had felt slightly helpless after hearing this, and he had no option but to warn Pei Qian against bing too conceited and hasty. She needed to take things one step at a time.


    It was inevitable that Chen Ping''an felt slightly anxious. More precisely, he was worried about how things would develop.


    If Pei Qian continued to climb the ranks of Martial Dao at such an astonishing speed, there would eventuallye a day when this mischievous opening disciple of Chen Ping''an''s reached the same height as her master. She would pull further and further ahead afterward, and she would climb higher by herself and ultimately peer down at the world.


    Disciples didn''t have to be inferior to their masters, and in fact it was best if they could surpass their masters at some point. This was what Chen Ping''an had personally told Zheng Dafeng. Furthermore, the notion of indigo being extracted from bluegrass but being darker than bluegrass was a ssical argument mentioned in the Schrly Sage''s <em>Exhortation to Learning</em>.[1]


    Chen Ping''an wasn''t worried about Pei Qian''s Martial Dao progressing higher and further than his, but he needed to worry about his role as her Dao mentor and Dao guardian. What if Pei Qian''s Great Dao veered off the correct path one day? What should he do then? Would he act like he had back in the Flood Dragon Trench where he had tossed a handful of snake gall pebbles to the young flood dragon and apathetically said, "If this transforms into negative karma, then I''ll draw my sword and eliminate it with a single sh."?


    Could Chen Ping''an bring himself to do this? And even if he <em>were</em> such a cold-hearted person, it was entirely possible that Pei Qian''s martial arts cultivation base would be far too lofty for him to reach at that time. That being the case, how could he eliminate the negative karma with a single sh?


    In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, the old Daoist priest from the East Sea had led him through countless mountains and rivers. He had once witnessed the friendship between a group of noble people in the imperial court as a spectator, and he had seen how they had gone from helping themon people and building the nation to losing their way and acting in debauchery in a period of merely eighty years. They had all regarded themselves as noble people, so how could they possibly be wed in any way?


    If any one of them was criticized in the imperial court, the others would all step forward to defend him and angrily criticize their political opponents in a righteous tone, whether they were right or wrong. They would all console their so-called noble friend, farewelling him under the willows, drinking wine to alleviate the stresses of life, andmenting that the human heart was bing increasingly fallible and sinister, with wolves and beasts gaining control of the imperial court. The literati in the cultivation world had disciples specially responsible for manipting discourse andunching baseless usations against political opponents or even rewriting history based on unfounded spections.


    Since Chen Ping''an was having thoughts about founding his own force, he would naturally have to prevent such depravity from taking ce.


    If he couldn''t even educate his opening disciple properly, then how could he dare to im that his force wouldn''t be the next Parasol Leaf Sect in a few hundred years or one thousand years? How could he dare to im that he himself wouldn''t be the next Du Mao?


    Reading and studying to learn etiquette, and practicing martial arts to temper the body.


    This was Chen Ping''an''s original n for Pei Qian.


    In normal circumstances, this would be analogous to learning how to crawl, walk, and run on your own two feet. Everything would be stable and fine. However, the problem was that Pei Qian''s martial arts talent was far too immense, and her fortune was far too profound.


    If there came a day when she felt like the reasonings and principles in the book were nothing more than a hassle that Chen Ping''an was forcing upon her, and if she felt like speaking reason with others was far too annoying and uninteresting, then what would happen then? She would feel like she had learned fist techniques and had a saber and sword hanging by her waist, so she could act ording to her wishes and abandon the principles of moral vignce, self-restraint, and adhering to etiquette.


    Not long ago, Chen Ping''an had spent fifty lesser heat coins without so much as a frown, and this was simply in the hopes that the world would gain a kind-hearted Golden Core Tier great demon in the future. However, if he raised a ninth or even tenth-tier martial artist who only cared about selfish gains and cared nothing about right or wrong, then to say nothing of fifty lesser heat coins, perhaps even fifty thousand grain rain coins wouldn''t be enough to rectify the situation.


    Still performing a handstand, Chen Ping''an pondered on these issues again and again with his eyes closed. However, he couldn''te up with a perfect solution no matter what.


    Did he truly have to sever Pei Qian''s martial arts path with his own hands for the sake of that slim possibility in the future?


    When facing those vagrant cultivators who had harbored ill intentions yet hadn''t caused a tragic disaster yet back in the mountain pass, Chen Ping''an had said that they could still speak reason with each other because the worst-case scenario hadn''te to pass yet. Otherwise, did Chen Ping''an need to deal with the situation in such a roundabout manner? He could have relied on his fists and des to resolve the situation.


    Chen Ping''an had made the remark of "ask your own conscience" during the conflict in the border inn back then. After the battle in Old Dragon City, and after learning of the unexpected events that had urredter in the Parasol Leaf Sect through Daoist Nun Huang Ting, Chen Ping''an had made some changes to his way of thinking.


    Chen Ping''an felt like he should take a small step backward in certain situations. This small step would differ in size depending on the people and the location, and it was regarding this small step that he was contemting many things. Otherwise, many problems would remain unsolved if he simply told people to act with a clear conscience all the time.


    Pei Qian was slightly angry about the fish not giving her face and taking her bait. However, she suddenly felt a slight pain on her cheek, and she realized that Sui Youbian was gesturing to her with her eyes. Following Sui Youbian''s gaze, Pei Qian saw that Chen Ping''an''s brow was furrowed into a deep frown as he remained standing on his hands. This was quite unusual for him.


    Sui Youbian retracted the finger that she had used to flick a bead of water onto Pei Qian''s cheek. She continued to gaze into the distance.


    Pei Qian gently ced her fishing rod on the ground and quietly snuck over to Chen Ping''an''s side. She squatted down and looked at her master''s furrowed brow.


    Perhaps her master was a bit slow ining to his senses, so he was only just starting to feel heartache for wasting those fifty lesser heat coins?


    Chen Ping''an opened his eyes and looked at the tanned face of the skinny little girl who was often exposed to the sun and wind and had yet to be any paler. He smiled and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Pei Qian thought for a moment before replying, "Is there something on your mind, Master? Why don''t you tell me about it."


    Chen Ping''an pushed lightly with his hand, flipping back around and returning to a normal standing position. He then sat down cross-legged, slightly hesitant about whether he should reveal his thoughts to Pei Qian.


    These matters were too far away, and the principles involved were also too profound.


    Was Pei Qian still too young for these things? Would his words and emotions be like a hefty rock weighing down on her shoulders?


    Chen Ping''an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and drank a small sip of medicinal wine. A breeze that carried the scent of both mountains and water gently swept past Chen Ping''an''s body, causing his mind to feel slightly more at ease.


    <em>A lifespan of one hundred years is very rare, yet being weighed down by worries enough for one thousand years is verymon.</em>


    Chen Ping''an squinted his eyes after enjoying a sip of wine. He couldn''t help but feel a sense of self-ridicule. Was he finally starting to be a little bit like a schr now?


    He turned around and asked with a smile, "This matter is rted to you, so do you want to hear about it?"


    Pei Qian gulped and immediately started to reflect on all her bad behavior during the journey. She was most likely aware that this wasn''t a trivial matter that could be resolved with one or two flicks to the forehead. Thus, she grimaced and asked, "Can I not listen? Can you tell me about these things when I grow older and be more mature?"


    Chen Ping''an patted her head and replied, "This doesn''t pertain to anything good or bad. It''s just some of my thoughts, and you don''t need to worry about being flicked in the forehead or having your ears twisted."


    Pei Qian immediately sat up straight after receiving this reassurance from her master. She faced Chen Ping''an who was sitting side-on, and there was a smile on her face as she adjusted the bamboo sword and bamboo saber that were tied to the same hip. She feigned seriousness and said, "Please go ahead, Master! Your disciple will listen with utmost respect!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and turned around slightly so that they were directly facing each other. He then asked, "If your saber skills, sword skills, and fist techniques be more powerful than your master one day, and if youe across a matter that your master says is correct but you feel like is incorrect, what will you do then?"


    "I''ll listen to you, Master. What else can I do?" Pei Qian replied without hesitation.


    Chen Ping''an smiled faintly and said, "Give it some more thought."


    Pei Qian started to scratch her head, and she eventually replied with a frown, "But this is genuinely how I feel. If you say something is correct, then it definitely must be correct. If you say something is wrong, then it definitely must be wrong."


    Chen Ping''an offered no response to this.


    Pei Qian had no option but to aimlessly mull over this question again. Her mind wandered everywhere as if it were embarking on a long journey to distant ces. In any case, it didn''t look like her Master was in a hurry to get an answer from her.


    Pei Qian suddenly smiled and asked, "Master, if I be stronger than you one day, just how strong will I be?"


    "Let''s take the Parasol Leaf Sect''s Du Mao, for example. Or as Huang Ting calls him, Old Criminal Du. In other words, a cultivation base at the Ascension Tier," Chen Ping''an replied.


    He then smiled and added, "Let''s focus on cultivation base only and disregard any notions of good and bad."


    Pei Qian gasped in astonishment and eximed, "Good heavens! I''ll definitely have mountains of gold and silver at home if I''m that strong, won''t I? Will I be able to count all of it? It will be far too tiring to count though... However, I''ll be afraid of other people stealing a few coins if I don''t count everything properly. Ah... such is the worry of a wealthy person. When will I be able to worry like that...?"


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but chuckle as he looked at the skinny little girl who was bing increasingly worried about this problem. He leaned forward and gently patted her head, saying, "There''s a Militarian sage in my hometown called Master Ruan. He''s extremely skilled at cksmithing and forging swords, and when I think back, there was something else that he genuinely did very well as well.


    "When it came to taking new disciples, Master Ruan looked at more than just aptitude and talent. He also considered whether his disciples were like-minded people and whether they could walk alongside each other on the path of the Great Dao. He didn''t look for disciples who were extremely talented yet had poor character, nor did he look for disciples who would mindlessly stand up for their master and fight other people no matter the situation."


    Pei Qian wanted to speak, yet she couldn''t help but hesitate. In the end, she eventually decided against saying anything.


    "Returning to my question from before, how should you respond if you enter an argument with your master?" Chen Ping''an continued. "You shouldn''t feel like your master is always correct. Your master isn''t a sage, and he also makes mistakes. We should do what we''re doing right now��we''ll sit opposite each other and list out the reasons why we think we''re correct or incorrect, and we''ll discuss these points and listen to the more reasonable person.


    "I, Chen Ping''an, won''t shut you down simply because I''m your master. If you, Pei Qian, be very powerful in the future, so powerful that you can kill me with a casual punch, you''re not allowed to do as you please and ignore my reasoning either."


    Pei Qian''s eyes brimmed with tears.


    She didn''t understand this fully, but she couldn''t help but feel like this was a very upsetting matter.


    This was especially the case when she heard Chen Ping''an say that she would be powerful enough to kill him with a casual punch. Pei Qian was almost about to die from sadness.


    She turned around in grief and secretly shed tears, not looking at her master, who was suddenly speaking nonsense.


    Chen Ping''an returned to his original spot and sat facing theke that was rippling under the spring breeze. He extended a hand and raised it higher and higher, saying, "In reality, reasons and principles are also separated into different levels of importance. This is simr to how I was drawing circles of different sizes atop the mountain before. I once encountered a young fox spirit in a rundown temple located in a ce called the Colorful Garment Nation, and this young fox spirit was very fond of novels about talented schrs and beautifuldies.


    "The fox spirit was mischievous and liked to frighten people, yet it never truly harmed anyone. Rather, it helped them receive shelter from the wind and rain. This time, we came across the yellow earth bull that would rather die than turn its body and affect innocent people.


    "However, does this then imply that we can gloss over the courageous sacrifices of those sword cultivators who have pointed their swords toward the south for tens of thousands of years when considering the demon tribe''s assault on the Sword Qi Great Wall? Should we pity the demon tribe and interrogate the sword cultivators as to why they''re so ruthless? After all, are there no righteous and kind-hearted individuals in the demon tribe?"


    With her back still facing Chen Ping''an, Pei Qian sniffed and replied through sobs, "This I understand. These people aren''t considering the sequential order of right and wrong, nor are they considering the different levels of importance of reasons and principles."


    Chen Ping''an quickly drew thergest circle before raising his hand high above his head and continuing, "However, I feel like the Schrly Sage and Master Bai��the one rumored to have forged arge ding for the human tribe and illustrated the <em>Mountain Scouring Album</em>��are the only people who have the right to talk about unalterable reasons and principles.[2] We''re extremely far away from reaching this level.


    "So why then has the Schrly Sage chosen to imprison himself in the Forest of Virtue, and why has Master Bai been imprisoned in the Mighty Suppressing Pagoda? Should we abandon reason and feel like it''s useless because of this? Is it truly the case that good deeds don''t beget good karma and bad deeds don''t beget bad karma in the world?"


    Pei Qian turned around and shuffled over to sit beside Chen Ping''an. She lowered her head andmented, "But some bad people do indeed live better lives than good people."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "And that''s why the old monk in the Heart Manifestation Temple in the capital of the Southern Garden Nation said that this world has always been indebted to good people."


    "Then what should we do?" Pei Qian asked in a soft voice.


    Chen Ping''an didn''t drink the medicinal wine in his Sword Nurturing Gourd; instead, he retrieved a pot of osmanthus wine from his minimization treasure. He cracked open the pot and took a small sip, after which he smiled faintly and replied, "The answer is most likely waiting for us in the books."


    Lying on the ground in the distant mountain forest, the yellow earth bull mulled over these words.


    Even though Sui Youbian''s expression was indifferent, she had also been listening to the conversation between Chen Ping''an and Pei Qian the entire time.


    Pei Qian wiped her tears and chuckled, "Master, when you were cooking rice not long after we left Wasp Tail Ferry Station, how did that tune from your hometown that you were humming go again? Why did it have no lyrics? Can you hum it again? I really want to learn it."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "My best friend taught me this tune, and the lyrics of this tune can be changed however people want. Back in my hometown, people used this tune to tease or scold people, they used it to rx themselves when working, and they also used it to... apany wine."


    Chen Ping''an drank a sip of osmanthus wine and started to quietly hum the tune. He then pointed at Pei Qian and sang, "Waiter over there, I''ve read some books and learned some characters, I''ve umted a belly-full of knowledge that can''t sell for many coins of copper."


    Oh?


    He was singing about Pei Qian!


    Pei Qian was overjoyed, and she couldn''t help but instinctively sing, "Stinky tofu is delicious, but I can''t afford any!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled knowingly and continued, "There are spirits in the mountains, there are ghosts in the rivers, I turn around in fright, only to discover that I''ve left home for many years."


    "It''s time to eat stinky tofu!" Pei Qian chimed.


    Chen Ping''an drank another sip of wine and randomly pointed elsewhere. Unfortunately for him, it was coincidentally where Sui Youbian was sitting. However, he had no time to worry about this as he sang, "Youngdy where are you from? You smell like fragrant orchids, so why is your face filled with tears? Oh, isn''t this pitiful?"


    Pei Qian nodded earnestly and sang, "She''s unable to eat stinky tofu, so this is truly very pitiful!"


    Chen Ping''an squinted his eyes and pointed up, softly humming, "May I ask, schr, what shall we do? A small paper kite is hanging on the branches, the sun is scorching it too."


    Pei Qian clutched her belly andughed loudly, singing, "It''s time to eat stinky tofu! The stinky tofu is so fragrant!"


    Inside the bamboo house, Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia looked at each other and smiled.


    Zhu Lian also closed his eyes and smiled, with his head bobbing back and forth.


    Lu Baixiang gently patted his knees to the tune.


    In an extremely rare disy, Sui Youbian didn''t get angry at Chen Ping''an''s actions. Instead, she covered her mouth with a hand and smiled widely for once, squinting in the sun.


    Wei Xian rested his cheek in his hand and cocked his head. He had wandered over to the entrance of the bamboo house and squatted down at some unknown time. He looked at the skinny figure of the tanned little girl.


    With the beautiful mountains and limpidke as their backdrop, the master and disciple performed a lively duet with each other.


    1. <em>Exhortation to Learning</em> was written by Xunzi and talks about the importance of studying, one''s attitude when studying, the contents and methods of studying, and so on. Xunzi was a Chinese philosopher of Confucianism during thete Warring States period. After his predecessors, Confucius and Mencius, Xunzi is often ranked as the third great Confucian philosopher of antiquity. ?


    2. Ding are prehistoric and ancient Chinese cauldrons standing upon legs with a lid and two fancy facing handles. They are one of the most important shapes used in Chinese ritual bronzes. ?

 Chapter 378: (1): Monk in White Kasaya

    Twenty dayster, Chen Ping''an and the others walked past a lofty mountain that was as steep as the painted eyebrows of beautiful women. After entering this area, they surprisingly came across two groups of men and women on the small mountain path within just fifteen minutes.


    One group had a dozen or so people radiating with auras of wealth and prosperity, most of them evidently family members of government officials. There were men, women, elderly people, and children, and they were being protected by several guards armed with long sabers.


    The other group of people were clearly from the cultivation world. Four of the sixteen people were men in their fifties with calm breathing and silent movements, undoubtedly practicing top-notch martial arts techniques from the cultivation world of the Azure Phoenix Nation. The leader was an elder with an aquiline nose and an intense gaze, and walking beside him was a round-faced young girl. She didn''t have a remarkable appearance overall, but her eyes were especially lively and beautiful.


    Both groups of people were climbing up the mountain, and Chen Ping''an actively walked over and asked about the local customs and traditions whening across the first group of people that seemed to radiate prosperity. Only after hearing the exnations from these people did Chen Ping''an realize that Azure Waist Mountain, the mountain they were on, had a Daoist temple called Golden Osmanthus at the peak. There were immortals cultivating in this temple, yet it was often closed to the public for years on end.


    During winterst year, the temple asked some woodsmen to deliver a piece of news to the outside world. They were going to take in nine disciples, and they wouldn''t take into ount these disciples'' backgrounds as long as they were under sixteen and possessed the necessary fate. As a result, no fewer than three hundred people were now bringing young children from their ns and families to the Golden Osmanthus Temple to try their luck. An endless stream of people was funneling into Azure Waist Mountain.


    Chen Ping''an was still thinking about True Martial and the short saber that his two friends had left in the chief military governor''s office, so he wasn''t too willing to be involved in this grand asion. Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia had traversed many mountains and crossed many rivers during the past two years, and they had also witnessed the Liberation Rite of Water and Land in the Azure Phoenix Nation and the Heavenly Worship Ceremony in the Fortune Mountain Nation. Thus, they weren''t especially interested in a Daoist temple opening its doors to recruit new disciples. As for whether the Daoist priests in the Golden Osmanthus Temple were genuine immortals or fraudsters, Chen Ping''an and the others couldn''t care less.


    Generally speaking, Golden Core Tier earth immortals were already paramount beings in most ordinary nations in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. After all, casting one''s gaze across the entire Majestic World, one could scarcely see ces like the Great Li Empire, where there were so many crouching tigers and hidden dragons.


    After the armored cavalry of the Great Li Empire marched to the territories slightly north of Lake View Academy, the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n had essentially conquered half of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent already. Apart from receiving official recognition from the Confucian academy, there was also an ever-growing chorus of calls for the Great Li Empire to be recognized as the tenth major empire in the Majestic World.


    When they encountered the second group of people, the round-faced girl had looked curious and astonished the entire time. There was a young man in white robes carrying a bamboo bookcase on his back and wearing a vermilion wine gourd by his waist, a tanned little girl riding a yellow bull and equipped with a bamboo saber and a bamboo sword, a stunningly beautiful woman carrying a sword on her back, and... also a young Daoist priest and a big-bearded martial artist. This was truly a very strange group of travelpanions. Perhaps these people were the so-called vagrant cultivators that her grandfather had mentioned to her before?


    Fortunately, the old man in ck clearly wasn''t a simple person, but rather an experienced individual from the martial arts world who was still willing to adhere to some traditional rules. He quickly stopped the round-faced young girl''s brazen act of staring at Chen Ping''an and the others. Not only that, but he even nodded to Chen Ping''an in acknowledgment, most likely treating this as an apology for his granddaughter.


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists and smiled in reply.


    When traveling through the cultivation world, there would be many chance encounters like this. The two parties should have brushed past each other and remained as strangers, yet the sudden arrival of a torrential downpour quickly brought them together again.


    A rare onset of wild wind and heavy rain caused the small mountain paths to be extremely muddy and difficult to navigate. The frigid spring wind was already cold enough to cut to one''s core, and the roaring mountain wind was only worse as it howled past. The thundering rain was also incredibly cold, and Pei Qian was directly beaten into a daze by the pea-sized drops of rain. Her face was red and aching, and her lips quickly became pale and devoid of blood. Her entire body was shivering.


    Moreover, this was after Pei Qian had already been practicing martial arts for a while. If this were before Pei Qian had started practicing martial arts, then it was very likely that a short amount of time in this wind and rain would leave her bedridden for a very long time and perhaps forever.


    Chen Ping''an asked Zhu Lian to scout the surroundings first to see whether there was anywhere for them to shelter from the wind and rain. Like a nimble ape, the hunchbacked old man leaped and dashed through the trees and boulders. It wasn''t long before he returned, and he informed Chen Ping''an that there was arge and naturally formed rock cave not far ahead. Moreover, there was already a group of people resting there and seeking warmth from a campfire.


    Chen Ping''an carried Pei Qian on his back and opened up the parasol leaf umbre that he had brought out from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. In addition to this, he also retrieved a straw raincoat and wrapped it around Pei Qian, doing his best to prevent her from beingshed by the violent mountain wind and rain.


    Zhang Shanfeng could barely keep his eyes open as he walked beside Chen Ping''an, and he loudly warned him, "There''s something strange about this rain."


    Chen Ping''an nodded in agreement and took out a yellow paper talisman made from rtively ordinary materials. It was none other than a Yang Energy Illumination Talisman, the lowest-grade talisman from the <em>Authentic Death-Avoiding Book</em>. Chen Ping''an would use this talisman to clear the path whenever he came across rundown temples or unmarked burial grounds, because the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman could show him the concentration of yin energy in a certain area.


    Chen Ping''an held the talisman between his index finger and middle finger and shook it slightly, causing it to immediatelybust after he funneled his True Qi into it. Fortunately, the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman didn''t burn too quickly; in fact, it burned much more slowly than the time he had ventured into the city god temple of the Colorful Garment Nation by himself. However, Chen Ping''an didn''t extinguish the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman, maybe out of an abundance of caution, and he continued to walk forward with the talisman between his fingers, lest there be any other traps ahead of them.


    He had offended a Golden Core Tier earth immortal during the conflict in the mountain pass, and he had potentially attracted the attention of the twenty or so vagrant cultivators as well. It was very possible that the vagrant cultivators were coveting his treasures. Thus, he most definitely couldn''t let his guard down.


    In addition to this, Chen Ping''an also asked the yellow earth bull whether it was aware of any great demons acting as rulers of the mountains in this area. Even though the earth bull hadn''t assumed human form, it could indeed speak in human tongue. It bobbed its head and replied, "In the five hundred years that I''ve possessed intelligence, I''ve never heard of any mountain ghosts or spirits causing trouble in the Azure Phoenix Nation. Well, I don''t know about thest two hundred years, since I''ve beenying low at the mountain pass.


    "However, I dide across a monk expounding Buddhist teachings in a temple a hundred fifty kilometers from here, around three hundred years ago. There was a very mystical scene of osmanthus flowers falling from the sky like rain, and it was rumored that the golden osmanthus flowers that had covered the entire ground of the temple were from the osmanthus trees located on this Azure Waist Mountain."


    Xu Yuanxia raised his hand to prevent his bamboo hat from being blown away, and he said with a loudugh, "Zhang Shanfeng and I visited that Buddhist temple a long time ago. The temple is very famous, so we naturally had to visit it. However, apart from those written works on the walls, we didn''t notice anything too special. There were some ruins rted to famous Buddhist stories, but all of them were marked as restricted areas and were closed off to the public.


    "The two of us wandered around for half a day, and we did indeede across a scene that I recorded in my travel journal. When evening arrived, we saw two little monks who were responsible for carrying the offering boxes around. Perhaps due to theck of worshippers and outsiders, the two little monks stood on their tippy-toes and rummaged through the offering box.


    "After a while, the little monk who caught a piece of loose silver firstughed loudly and was allowed to walk in front when they carried the offering box on their shoulders. Zhang Shanfeng and I thought it was pretty funny. As it turned out, the two little monks needed to carry the offering box up a very long set of stairs. Because of this, the person walking in front would suffer much less than the person walking behind."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t have a deep understanding of Buddhism, especially since Buddhism wasn''t popr in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. In fact, it could be said that Buddhism was the least popr in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent out of the nine continents in the Majestic World. It was only in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land that Chen Ping''an had started to learn about Buddhism because he often visited the Heart Manifestation Temple that neighbored Champion Schr Alley. Even so, he was slightly puzzled as he asked, "Isn''t it said that monks shouldn''t touch money with their hands?"


    "How can there be any unalterable rules in the world?" Zhang Shanfeng replied with a chuckle.


    "We didn''t waste our time in those temples, after all��your exchange there was filled with thought-provoking Chanments," Xu Yuanxia remarked in an amused voice.[1]


    The yellow earth bull seldom spoke; it would only open its mouth to speak when asked questions by other people.


    It fell silent at this moment, yet it clearly remembered that the ancient Buddhist temple had been constructed at the foot of a mountain.


    The bull was already at the Sea Observation Tier at the time, and it observed the temple from the mountain forest because it didn''t dare to get too close to the human world, lest it frighten and disturb the mortal humans. It was even more afraid of drawing disgust and ire from immortal beings.


    As a result, the earth bull only saw the young monk in snow-white kasaya from very far away.[2] The young monk was standing under some eaves with bells hanging from them, and he extended his hands and caused many golden osmanthus flowers to rain down from the sky and fall into his palms.


    Chen Ping''an, Zhang Shanfeng, and Xu Yuanxia walked swiftly as they spoke, and Chen Ping''an ced the remaining half of the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman inside his sleeve. They arrived at the rock cave that Zhu Lian had found. It was a rtivelyrge cave that appeared much like ancestral halls from small towns and viges. It wasrge enough to shelter thirty to forty people.


    The Yang Energy Illumination Talisman had burned slowly the entire time, and the further they ventured from the small mountain path winding up the mountain, the more slowly the talisman burned. This downpour was filled with yin energy, and it was most probably caused by Qi refiners targeting the grand disciple recruiting ceremony of the Golden Osmanthus Temple.


    The first group of people who had arrived in the stone cave were all women. There were seven or eight of them, and the oldest were graying old women, while the youngest looked thirteen or fourteen.


    Because of the heavy downpour, the veiled hats that they had used to hide their appearances had be an inconvenience instead. Thus, these veiled hats were ced beside their feet along with their umbres and coir raincoats. They were now sitting around a fire to warm themselves up, and their eyes remained cold and aloof when they saw Chen Ping''an and the others. A few of them shuffled closer to the mes, and it was clear that they weren''t terribly enthusiastic about interacting with Chen Ping''an and the others.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but turn around and nce at Zhu Lian. However, the hunchbacked old man simply looked at him with an honest smile.


    These women from the same force had most likely entered this cave during the early stages of the heavy downpour, and they had clearly collected dry branches very early on. The ravaging winds and torrential rain outside the rock cave were powerful enough to tear houses apart, yet Chen Ping''an and the others could only stare at the flickering mes but not walk over.


    Even though Zhang Shanfeng''s cultivation base wasn''t high, he could still use some elementary mystical abilities to start a fire. This wasn''t difficult for Qi refiners. However, carelessly using mystical abilities when traveling outside was a huge taboo for cultivators.


    Chen Ping''an helped Pei Qian erect a small tent, after which he opened his bamboo bookcase and took out a set of clean clothes for her. He asked Sui Youbian to help Pei Qian get changed.


    When Pei Qian hopped out of the small tent in a lively manner, the group of people from the cultivation world had also backtracked and entered the rock cave in a disheveled manner, seeking shelter from the violent wind and rain.


    In fact, the wind and rain were so violent that even gant cultivators from the martial arts world had to lower their heads and bend their backs.


    Chen Ping''an nodded in greeting when he saw the old man with an aquiline nose, and thetter also nodded in reply when he saw this.


    Since Chen Ping''an was being so polite with these cultivators from the cultivation world, Zhu Lian and the others quietly shuffled aside to free up some space.


    The round-faced young girl was drenched, and she was surrounded by a group of subordinates to block the view of other people. Her clothes were soaking wet, after all, and this caused them to hug her body and reveal her curves.


    After they sat down, the round-faced young girl started to examine the group of women in the distance again. Her eyes lit up, and she asked, "You women aren''t from the Lofty Sky Nation''s Blusher Hall, are you?"


    The round-faced young girl had only stolen a few nces at Chen Ping''an and hispanions before, yet the old man with an aquiline nose had already warned her to stop. This time, however, the old man closed his eyes and rested his mind even though the round-faced young girl was speaking in such a disrespectful manner that was bordering on provocation. He turned a blind eye to this.


    Sitting in the distance, a young woman with intense eyebrows turned around and scolded her in anger, "Insolence!"


    The round-faced young girl waspletely unafraid, and she smiled widely and countered, "May I ask, how am I being insolent?"


    These women of varying ages hade from Blusher Hall, a top-notch cultivation force in the Lofty Sky Nation. The youngest girl looked thirteen or so, had a slender face, and was very beautiful. She widened her eyes and curiously looked at the young girl who was the same age as her yet dared to speak in such an impudent manner. Few people in the cultivation world of the Lofty Sky Nation dared to provoke Blusher Hall like this, so these people were most likely from a powerful force in the Azure Phoenix Nation or the Fortune Mountain Nation.


    The young girl with a slender face instinctively extended a thumb and caressed the characters inscribed on an exquisite paper-cutting knife hanging by her waist. The yellowing bamboo sheath had a soft and pleasant luster, and the two characters "Miniature One" were inscribed in the bamboo.


    The young woman who had scolded the round-faced young girl just then had a pair of sabers on her hips, and she ced her hands on their hilts, an ice-cold expression on her face as she replied in a solemn voice, "Then let''s spar and see who''s stronger?"[3]


    Forearm sparring was a rtively refined way of sparring in the martial arts world, and it was very rare for blood to be drawn in this type of sparring. This was because the loser shedding blood would imply that the victorious party had won unfairly. In other words, it would be a less-than-impressive victory.


    The round-faced young girl made a face at the young woman and used, "You''re picking on a junior relying on your old age and your decades of extra experience? That doesn''t seem very heroic, does it?"


    The young woman was infuriated upon hearing this. She was yet to reach thirty, so how could she possibly have decades of extra experiencepared to the round-faced young girl?


    A graying old woman with a graceful and poised aura turned to the young woman and said in a soft voice, "Why argue with a junior? If one is unable to cultivate one''s mind and control one''s temper, then one''s martial arts cultivation base will fail to reach lofty heights."


    The young woman clearly had immense respect for the old woman, so she immediately lowered her head and replied, "I''ll keep this in mind."


    Sitting in the distance, the round-faced young girl chuckled and remarked, "It seems like this old grandma has much better manners."


    This was clearly a backhandedpliment.


    Looking on as an outsider, Chen Ping''an simply felt like the round-faced young girl was exceptionally skilled at using words to stab other peoples'' hearts.


    The old woman paid no heed to the round-faced young girl''s disrespectful remarks. She turned her gaze to the old man with an aquiline nose and asked, "Are you Gang Leader Zhu, the previous leader of the Great Marsh Gang?"


    The old man in ck opened his eyes and replied with a smile, "It''s already been close to thirty years since Ist traveled outside, yet someone actually remembers my title still?"


    The old woman smiled faintly. "The cultivation world will still remember the mighty name of Gang Leader Zhu even if another thirty years pass."


    The expressions of the women from Blusher Hall changed slightly when they heard the old woman reveal the identity of her interlocutor.


    Zhu Fengxian, the demonic gang leader of the Great Marsh Gang, had a fearsome reputation in the cultivation world. Thirty years ago, Zhu Fengxian liked to travel around the world in a bright red horse-drawn carriage. He had charged through the martial arts worlds of several nations and left nothing but bloodshed in his wake. Dozens if not hundreds of powerful cultivators had died at his hands.


    Zhu Fengxian also had eight disciples, and they were known as the Eight Underworld Officials in the cultivation world. They possessed incredible might and a resounding reputation in the Azure Phoenix Nation. However, the Great Marsh Gang had suffered a huge disaster thirty years ago, and Zhu Fengxian had started to cultivate in seclusion while half of his eight disciples had been killed. Initially, the gang had more than five thousand people, but more than half of the members had eventually scattered and left. The Great Marsh Gang had once ruled over the cultivation world of the Azure Phoenix Nation, yet for the past thirty years, they had slowly disappeared from view and fallenpletely silent.


    Zhu Fengxian was just about to close his eyes and continue resting, yet the old woman who had appeared extremely poised and graceful the entire time suddenly added, "However, the present is different from the past. The cultivation world is far more powerful andplicated than thirty years ago, so it''s best that people remain polite and refrain from boasting when they travel outside their own territories. It would do you well to kowtow more and speak less."


    The round-faced young girl suddenly widened her eyes in shock, feeling like she had just heard the most hrious joke in the whole wide world. She stared intently at the graying old woman, trying to figure out if she had lost her mind.


    "If I remember correctly, Blusher Hall has always been a second-rate force in the Lofty Sky Nation ever since its founding two hundred years ago," Zhu Fengxian remarked in an apathetic voice. "Blusher Hall has been suppressed the entire time. What, perhaps someone has appeared on top of you women sometime during the past thirty years?"


    Chen Ping''an could feel a headache forming. They were simply sheltering from the rain, so how had they managed toe across some mysterious hostility between two forces from the cultivation world?


    1. Chan (��) refers to the school of meditation of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China. It is moremonly known as Zen, the Japanese pronunciation of Chan. ?


    2. Kasaya are the robes of fully ordained Buddhist monks and nuns, named after a brown or saffron dye. In Sanskrit and Pali, these robes are also given the more general term civara, which references the robes without regard to color. ?


    3. The young woman is referring to a specific type of sparring here (����), and this type of sparring involves contact between the forearms simr to how sparring in tai chi would work. ?

 Chapter 379: (1): Omen

    There was abnormal yin energy and a murderous aura contained within the heavy downpour, and Chen Ping''an had revealed this to the others with a few simple words. But what proved critical in having the Great Marsh Gang and Blusher Hall stop their trivial argument wasn''t Chen Ping''an persuading them against burning bridges and making their cultivation paths narrower, nor was it the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman that he had used. Instead, it was his remark that the immortals from the Golden Osmanthus Temple hadn''te out to address the situation yet.


    This implied that the Golden Osmanthus Temple was either nning first and making a moveter, purposely appearing weak to draw their enemies out, or the Daoists there were genuinely weaker than their enemies and could only hide in the temple to avoid any conflict.


    No matter which of these two situations was true, the women from the Lofty Sky Nation''s Blusher Hall were unwilling to be involved in a fight between immortals and potentially sacrifice themselves, even if they were acquainted with the old immortal from the Golden Osmanthus Temple.


    As for Old Demon Zhu Fengxian who had once caused bloodshed in the cultivation worlds of several nations, he was even more experienced and prudent. He was climbing Azure Waist Mountain in the hopes of building a rtionship with the temple for the sake of his granddaughter''s cultivation. The Daoist temple would also gain a prized disciple, so this was simply a case of both parties satisfying their own needs. The Great Marsh Gang would never bow its head to other people, and Zhu Fengxian naturally wasn''t willing to be ackey for the Golden Osmanthus Temple.


    Chen Ping''an returned to his original spot, and Pei Qian appeared like an obsequiousckey as she brought a small stone b from some unknown ce and offered it to Chen Ping''an as a small stool. She squatted on the ground and furiously cleaned the dirt from the stone b as she looked up and consoled, "It''s okay, Master, you still appeared very elegant and refined. There were only some slight blemishes during the end game, but these blemishes can be ignored and treated as negligible."


    Pei Qian had learned the concept of end game from constantly watching games of Go between Lu Baixiang and other people. In fact, Pei Qian had learned many things through her constant interaction with the four martial artists from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. For example, she had learned about military formations from Old Man Wei, who had imed that there was no such thing as single-line formations or dragon gate formations on the battlefield. Rather, formations simply came down to organizing the ranks and making sure that the vertical lines and horizontal lines were adhered to. In the end, it was down to each person''s own ability to kill their enemies amid the chaos.


    Pei Qian had also learned some rules about musical instruments and Go from Little Bai, and she had learned how to cook a few wine-apanying dishes from Zhu Lian. Seeing that Pei Qian always helped and was rtively hard-working, Zhu Lian had rewarded her with a novel about wandering martial artists in the cultivation world. Pei Qian was engrossed by this novel, so much so that she almost forgot to eat and sleep. In addition to this, she had also learned many code phrases pertaining to the cultivation world from Sui Youbian. For example, "This road is mine, and these trees were nted by me. If you want to pass, then pay up!" There was also "Impudent bandit, you dare to block my path and rob me? Eat my spear!" and so on.


    Zhang Shanfeng nced at the thick curtain of rain outside, and he felt slightly anxious as he said in a quiet voice, "This downpour filled with yin energy has been going on for such a long time already. Even Qi refiners at the Sea Observation Tier might not be able to sustain it for such a long time. Of course, this is unless they set up a rain-summoning formation.


    "However, if this downpour is genuinely caused by a formation rather than the mystical abilities of Qi refiners, then the amount of money required is so exorbitant that they may as well scatter snowke coins from the sky. In other words, it''s more likely that this is being orchestrated by a Qi refiner at the Dragon Gate Tier. I wonder what cultivation bases the Daoist priests from the Golden Osmanthus Temple have? Can they deal with this yin rain that''s affecting the fortune of this area?"Zhang Shanfeng spoke softly, yet Zhu Fengxian and the old woman from Blusher Hall were martial arts grandmasters from the cultivation world, so they could naturally hear him clearly if they concentrated a little. Zhu Fengxian paid no heed to the fact that he was eavesdropping, and he smiled at the old woman and asked, "Since Blusher Hall has such a good rtionship with the Golden Osmanthus Temple, I presume that you''re aware of how powerful the temple master''s mystical abilities are?"


    The old woman hesitated for a moment before nodding and replying, "It''s said that Temple Master Zhang Guo is two hundred years old, and he is at the Dragon Gate Tier, allowing him tomand wind and rain like those flood dragons in the clouds."


    Zhu Fengxian frowned and asked, "A rumor has caused a huge stir in the cultivation world recently. They say Zhang Guo cultivated in seclusion for several decades and when he came out, he had already be a legendary terrestrial immortal. Is this not the case?"


    The old woman smiled bitterly and replied, "Just how paramount and transcendent will one be after forming a golden core and bing an earth immortal? Will they still need to recruit disciples? They can simply focus on cultivation and pursue the Great Dao. Old Gang Leader Zhu, if you became an earth immortal, would you still be willing to pick up money from a small and muddy pond? Even if there''s genuine gold and silver, things that people from the cultivation world value and would bend down to collect. Would immortals from the mountains care about these things?


    "Of course, it''s actually true that Temple Master Zhang Guo has the potential to be an earth immortal. You don''t need to doubt that, it''s only a matter of time. Your granddaughter will definitely have a bright future if she bes a disciple of Temple Master Zhang Guo and cultivates in the Golden Osmanthus Temple."


    Zhu Fengxian nodded in understanding, with his expression also bing slightly more amiable.


    As a seventh-tier martial artist, Zhu Fengxian would feel slight apprehension toward Qi refiners at the Dragon Gate Tier. However, he wouldn''t exactly fear them. Several Abode Tier and Sea Observation Tier Qi refiners had already died at his hands.


    However, Zhu Fengxian was willing to show respect toward a Dragon Gate Tier Daoist priest who had the potential to be a Golden Core Tier earth immortal in the future. Such a person naturally had thepetence to be his granddaughter''s Dao mentor.


    The Great Marsh Gang would definitely instruct someone to secretly travel to Azure Waist Mountain''s Golden Osmanthus Temple to give them some offerings of silver every year.


    Zhang Shanfeng sighed in his mind. Those outside the mountains naturally didn''t understand those from the mountains. Old Gang Leader Zhu Fengxian and the old woman from Blusher Hall both had very idealistic impressions of immortals from the mountains, viewing them as paramount beings who didn''t defile themselves with impure mortal matters. However, what was so special about Golden Core Tier earth immortals? They also needed to work diligently to umte wealth. After all, there was nothing quite like cultivation when it came to spending money.


    Of course, with the exception of vagrant cultivators who were ustomed to being alone, most earth immortals who owned a mountain or a cave abode wouldn''t need to concern themselves with trivial mortal matters. They would naturally have subordinates to deal with these things, and they simply needed to focus on cultivation. In this sense, the old woman from Blusher Hall was half-correct with her guess.


    At this moment, thunder and lightning suddenly boomed through the depths of the mountain covered by the curtain of rain in the distance, causing the earth to tremble and the wind and rain to change directions. One after another, several deafening howls tore through the mountain. It was as if a lion were roaring in rage.


    However, this peculiar phenomenon onlysted for a brief moment. Once again, there was only the sound of howling wind andshing rain between heaven and earth


    Approximately fifteen minutester, Sui Youbian, Zhu Lian, and Zhu Fengxian looked up and peered outside the cave at almost exactly the same time.


    Zhu Fengxian''s expression remained unchanged, yet he couldn''t help but immediately tense up.


    Among the young esteemed immortal''s group of subordinates, two of them had intuition no less sharp than his?


    One had to realize that Zhu Fengxian was one of the four superior grandmasters of the Azure Phoenix Nation, Fortune Mountain Nation, and Lofty Sky Nation. His fight with an immortal thirty years ago had damaged the foundation of his Martial Dao, and he was still yet to return to his peak even after recuperating for thirty years. This resulted in him bing the weakest of the four superior grandmasters. But a sickly tiger was still a tiger, after all, and Zhu Fengxian was far from being in dire straits. He had simply gone from second to fourth, and to everyone else besides the three people above, he was a paramount existence.


    With grand events pertaining to Buddhism and Daoism being hosted in this region three years in a row, it was indeed the case that many cultivators had been drawn out from their hiding. But how many top-notch ones could there be among them? There were indeed some so-called lesser grandmasters, but these people were nothing more than weak seventh-tier martial artists with unstable cultivation bases. In a real battle, these people would barely be able to take a few punches from Zhu Fengxian and the other superior grandmasters.


    So how had so many powerful elites appeared at once in this chance encounter in the mountains? Apart from the stunningly beautiful woman with a sword on her back and the seemingly amiable old man with a hunched back, there was also the dignified and imposing man with a saber as well as that taciturn but powerful-looking man. These two were clearly extremely capable elites from the cultivation world as well. This was the only reason Zhu Fengxian had been impressed by Chen Ping''an right from the very beginning.


    Clouds only yielded to dragons and wind only submitted to tigers, so if the young esteemed immortal wasn''t strong enough, how could he have possibly won over such grandmasters?


    The thundering rain gradually subsided.


    Walking through the pouring rain, several young Daoist priests from the Golden Osmanthus Temple arrived outside the stone cave. The leader of the group was a priest with a jade-like face and a mesmerizing smile.


    Apart from their own umbres, the priests standing behind him were also carrying a bundle of oil-paper umbres in their arms. Only the Daoist priest standing in front didn''t have anything else in his hands, appearing especially graceful and dignified as he closed his umbre and walked inside the stone cave. However, his aura was different from that of ordinary young masters from wealthy ns.


    The Daoist priest looked at the people inside the cave and said with a faint smile, "There are sinister people causing trouble and attempting to ruin the fortune of the Golden Osmanthus Temple. But there''s no need to panic. The temple master and two of his good friends from afar have already retracted their mystical abilities. You can rest assured and ascend the mountain with me. The sinister people have already been caught and punished, and not a single one of them managed to escape."


    The old woman from Blusher Hall stole a nce at Qingcheng, unable to suppress the excitement in her eyes. When hearing the deafening thunder and lightning just then, the old woman had already been specting in hope and feeling extremely moved. Blusher Hall had high hopes for Qingcheng, and it was extremely unlikely that any further idents would ur once she managed to be a disciple of the Golden Osmanthus Temple.


    Hearing the handsome Daoist priest confirm that two good friends of the temple master hade from afar to help, the old woman couldn''t help but feel mixed emotions upon recalling the immortal portrait cherished by the old ancestor of Blusher Hall. Before passing away, the old ancestor had still asked the young her and another senior sister of hers to hold the two sides of the picture scroll and unfurl it, allowing her to gaze upon the appearance of that man one final time.


    It was because that immortal man had instructed someone to deliver a message to Blusher Hall that they were going to such great lengths to guard Qingcheng and bring her to the Golden Osmanthus Temple to cultivate. One hundred or so years had passed, and this was the first time that he had actively made contact with Blusher Hall. Thus, everyone in Blusher Hall had been absolutely delighted.


    The handsome Daoist priest who looked ethereal and transcendent smiled and continued, "The canopies of these umbres are normal oil paper, but the shafts are special; they''re made of osmanthus branches infused with spiritual energy by seniors in the temple. These umbres can block demonic wind and murderous rain, so you don''t need to worry about being attacked by sinister energy even if you are crossing mountains and rivers, or walking through graveyards at night by yourselves. Yin entities will naturally retreat and flee far away when theye across these umbres. The temple master was worried that there would be family members among your forces who have never practiced martial arts, so he especially asked me toe down the mountain to hand you these umbres."


    He gave away a dozen or so oil-paper umbres.


    A little Daoist priest with full lips and sparkling teeth noticef Pei Qian straight away, as she seemed to be the same age as him. When the handsome Daoist priest instructed them to give the umbres out, he immediately ran toward the tanned little girl, giving her an umbre with a wide smile.


    Pei Qian didn''t care for these crappy umbres from the Golden Osmanthus Daoist Temple, but she couldn''t turn it down in a rude manner because Chen Ping''an was standing right next to her. She needed to abide by the rules set by her master. Thus, she politely declined the little Daoist priest''s offer before earnestly thanking him for asking.


    The little Daoist priest was slightly worried, and he said that one shouldn''t underestimate the rain filled with yin energy. This was especially the case for people with frail bodies and fragile fortunes, as being drenched by this rain would very likely leave them with deep-rooted illnesses. At that time, even medicine wouldn''t be able to cure them. Moreover, the temple was lending them these umbres for free, so there was no reason not to ept them and use them. In any case, these oil-paper umbres with osmanthus branch shafts weren''t heavy at all.


    Pei Qian was supremely annoyed at the fact that she couldn''t roll her eyes.


    Chen Ping''an couldn''t help but chuckle as he looked at the adorable little Daoist priest exining the dangers of this downpour to Pei Qian with a serious expression. He patted Pei Qian''s head and told her to ept the oil-paper umbre. He then looked at the handsome Daoist priest and asked, "Senior Daoist Priest, I''ve heard that your esteemed temple is opening its doors to recruit disciples right now. Mypanions and I have arrived here by chance, so would we be able to visit the temple atop the mountain to witness this grand ceremony?"


    The handsome Daoist priest nodded and replied with a smile, "Of course you can visit and attend the ceremony. When you reach the top of Azure Waist Mountain, you simply need to collect a small booklet and keep in mind the rules and taboos detailed inside it."


    The little Daoist priest immediately turned to the handsome Daoist priest and shouted, "Junior Uncle, I''ve already memorized everything in the booklet. Maybe I can exin it to this young master instead?"


    The handsome Daoist priest smiled faintly and replied, "Then you can apany this young master up the mountain if he''s willing to listen to your exnations."


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Senior Daoist Priest, and thank you in advance, Little Daoist Priest."


    Chen Ping''an turned around and looked at Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng, and both of them nodded lightly in response, signaling that it was fine to climb the mountain and enter the Daoist temple.

 Chapter 380: Parting and Reunion

    At the dinner table of the Chen n''s leader, Chen Ping''an sat down in Zhang Shanfeng''s original spot and briefly exined the situation to Xu Yuanxia, telling him that the young Daoist priest had been brought away by his master.


    To the big-bearded martial artist, this was nothing more than an ordinary parting. During his earlier years on the battlefield, he had be ustomed to eternal partings with hispanions. Thus, even death was amon urrence to him; how could anything less than that upset him?


    Chen Ping''an apanied Xu Yuanxia and drank a few cups of wine. In fact, before entering the dining room and sitting down at the table, he had already taken out two pots of osmanthus wine, one for the n leader and one to enjoy with Xu Yuanxia.


    The elderly n leader had drunk sorghum liquor his entire life, so his impression of alcohol was that it should burn the throat and light up the belly. He was also a direct person, so he asked the vige teacher sitting beside him to trante hisments for Chen Ping''an.


    Using the official dialect of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the vige teacher repeated the elderly n leader''s words to Chen Ping''an, saying that this wine was most likely very expensive. However, its taste was very mellow and not impactful enough, meaning that itcked some vor. That being the case, it would be just right for the women in the vige.


    Chen Ping''an felt slightly helpless upon hearing this. Xu Yuanxia was also well aware of just how valuable this osmanthus wine was. This was a wine that could genuinely extend the lifespan of ordinary mortals. In fact, just one cup of this wine was worth more than all of the sorghum liquor in this vigebined. Yet, the elderly n leader had such a low opinion of it? Xu Yuanxia almost choked on his wine.


    After dinner, Chen Ping''an and Xu Yuanxia strolled around the tranquil vige. Chen Ping''an returned the short saber to Xu Yuanxia, and thetter put his weapon away as he listened to Chen Ping''an describe Zhang Shanfeng''s master.


    Xu Yuanxia was slightly astonished by what he heard, and he eximed, "Thend-shortening technique of Qi refiners is actually derived from the astral steps of Daoist priests. Zhang Shanfeng is an external Daoist priest of Mount Longhu, so it isn''t strange that his master is skilled at this technique. At the end of the day, this is a technique originating from the Daoist Sect, after all.


    "The major thing is how far you can travel like that. The difference between traveling a few dozen meters and a few dozen kilometers is like the difference between heaven and earth. As for drawing a talisman on the ground to bring another person away... Honestly, I''ve never even heard of such a feat before."Xu Yuanxia paused for a moment before continuing, "So be it if this was all. However, to draw a talisman on Zhang Shanfeng''s hand and managing to retrieve True Martial and the short saber from a thousand kilometers away? Just what kind of technique is this?"


    Chen Ping''an sighed with emotion and replied, "How should I know?"


    Xu Yuanxia smiled and said, "No matter what, it''s a good thing that Zhang Shanfeng has a truly powerful master. It''s just that our young friend was too impolite, hiding this from us the entire time and forcing me to worry about whether he was an external disciple from a third-rate force in the Complete Reed Continent. After all, most of the people iming to be Heavenly Masters from Mount Longhu who go outside to subdue demons and eliminate fiends are just scammers. The world is swamped with these liars.


    "I was filled with worry the entire time, and I carefully prodded around a few times to figure out whether Zhang Shanfeng was tricked into joining a force that scammed people of their money. If he had actually be the disciple of a weak fraudster by ident, then it would have been best for him to sever this rtionship as early as possible. In fact, it would have been a good idea for him to not return to the Northern Complete Reed Continent. In any case, maybe it''s best that I didn''t see what his master did, or else I would''ve had to pick up my jaw from the ground."


    Chen Ping''an smirked. He seemed to be taking pleasure in Xu Yuanxia''s misfortune.


    Xu Yuanxia felt slightly hesitant at this moment.


    As the two of them slowly walked along the bluestone path surrounding the pond, Chen Ping''an said, "Big Brother Xu, feel free to speak your mind. Is there any need to be so polite with each other?"


    "During this trip to the Azure Phoenix Nation, Zhang Shanfeng went with me to bring that ash urn back to the person''s family," Xu Yuanxia replied. "Then, I went with him to attend the Liberation Rite of Water and Land and the Heavenly Worship Ceremony. To be honest, now that Zhang Shanfeng has returned to that Heavenly Master Residence with his master, I''m also starting to miss home a little."


    "Then take a trip home earlier," Chen Ping''an suggested with a faint smile.


    Xu Yuanxia stopped and stroked his beard, saying, "I''ve wandered around the outside world for so many years, and apart from sending some money and letters back home at set intervals, I have no idea what my hometown has be like now."


    "Then how about I go with you?" Chen Ping''an offered in a quiet voice. "If you feel like it''s inappropriate for Wei Xian and the others to go, then I''ll only bring Pei Qian with me. I''ll tell Wei Xian and the others to travel to the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation for now."


    Xu Yuanxia smiled and shook his hand, replying, "You''re not a beautiful maiden or anything, so do I need you to apany me home? You should follow your original n. There''s no need to change your ns for me."


    "I never had any n to begin with. What, is there something in your hometown that can''t be exposed? Are you afraid of me seeing through your scam?"


    Xu Yuanxia sighed and squatted down beside the pond, using the pommel of his saber to gently tap the bluestone path. "My family is pretty well-off; they can probably be considered a prominent n in the county. There was a marriage arranged for me, and I happened to take a nce at that young woman before I left home. She was fairly pretty, and I did in fact like her. But I was extremely ambitious back then, and I felt like I could make a huge name for myself in just three to five years. Afterward, I could confidently strut into the town and give her a grand wedding. Yet before I knew it, I''d already been wandering around for more than ten years."


    Chen Ping''an squatted down beside Xu Yuanxia and consoled him, "Big Brother Xu, you''re an authentic fifth-tier martial artist who''s also familiar with battle formations. If you return home, bing a general in the imperial court shouldn''t be too difficult, right?"


    "That''s right, it won''t be too difficult," Xu Yuanxia replied with a nod. But then he sighed. "The closer to home I get, the more nervous I be. However, this is quite a frightening response when I think about it. I was never this anxious and agonized even when I fought with my life on the line on the battlefield during my younger days."


    Chen Ping''an pondered on this for a moment. Since Xu Yuanxia wanted to return home by himself, he naturally had his reasons for doing so. Thus, he said in a quiet voice, "I n to travel to Bamboo Scroll Lake''s Cyan Gorge Ind next, and I''m going to look for a child called Gu Can. He also lived in y Vase Alley back then, and he''s now a disciple of Liu Zhimao, the River Severing True Lord. If everything goes well, then I''ll travel to the Confucian academy in the Great Sui Nation afterward and look for a few other children who also came from my hometown.


    "Big Brother Xu, if you encounter any challenge back home that''s too difficult for you to solve by yourself, then don''t forget that you have two friends in the cultivation world who can help. Zhang Shanfeng might be difficult to reach now, but you can always contact me. Well, that might be a little troublesome as well. Make sure you deliver two letters at once, lest I miss your message."


    Xu Yuanxia patted Chen Ping''an''s shoulder before pointing at the pond in front of them and saying, "My hometown can bepared to this pond��it''s small and unable to be viewed as the cultivation world or whatnot.[1] As a fith-tier martial artist with two decent weapons, this is more than enough for me to brag and show off. Even the provincial overseer will treat me as an esteemed guest. After all... do you think everyone is like you, Chen Ping''an?"


    Chen Ping''an handed his Sword Nurturing Gourd to Xu Yuanxia and said in a soft voice, "Here, have a taste of this. This is some genuinely good wine. If you like it, then you can take the wine with you. Of course, you can''t take the wine gourd."


    Xu Yuanxia was slightly skeptical, yet his face instantly flushed bright red after he took a sip of medicinal wine refined from the golden core of the Nascent Tier flood dragon from the vermilion wine gourd. The breath of True Qi in his body was stirred, and it rushed past his acupoints like huge waves mming into rock cliffs.


    Xu Yuanxia hurriedly channeled his Qi to stabilize his body, and it took him quite a bit of work to digest the intense effects of the medicinal wine. He burped and exhaled a breath of murky Qi that had been stuck in his body for a long time and unable to be purified. He wiped his mouth, and there was a bright glimmer in his eyes as he eximed, "This wine is truly incredible. Martial artists only need to drink a single sip to see amazing results."


    Chen Ping''an was in no hurry to take back the Sword Nurturing Gourd, so he crossed his arms and chuckled, "Do you think everyone is like you, Xu Yuanxia? Do you think everyone can drink some medicinal wine from this wine gourd?"


    Xu Yuanxia roared withughter and didn''t hold back anymore, tilting his head back and drinking anotherrge mouthful of medicinal wine, using it to cleanse his pure True Qi and expel any impurities. Not content with this, he took a third swig of medicinal wine and directly sat down cross-legged, remaining still for a long time like an old monk ,edotatomg.


    When Xu Yuanxia opened his eyes again, he handed the wine gourd to Chen Ping''an and said, "Alright, three''s the limit. I finally have something to look forward to now, and I can dream about bing a sixth-tier martial artist. Three swigs of this wine is enough, and drinking any more will do more harm than good. My foundation as a martial artist isn''t strong enough, so I can''t drink too much of it. I''ll ask you for more when I break through the final barrier of the fifth tier and advance to the sixth."


    Chen Ping''an was slightly puzzled. "Then why not take the wine with you? This will save you the trouble of having to ask me for itter."


    Even though Chen Ping''an needed this medicinal wine to nurture his physique and soul right now, he had already embarked on the proper path of martial arts cultivation. Thus, not drinking this medicinal wine would simply result in his cultivation speed being somewhat slower. Back in Old Dragon City, this medicinal wine had been a huge help during a dire time, especially since Chen Ping''an had just been severely wounded by Du Mao''s celestial weapon. Now, however, it was only icing on the cake.


    However, it was a different story for Xu Yuanxia. This precious medicinal wine that couldn''t be bought with money had profound implications for the big-bearded martial artists. Disregarding the Great Li Empire, the smaller nations of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent treated martial artists very differently depending on their cultivation base. Indeed, the difference between how fifth-tier martial artists and sixth-tier martial artists were treated was like the gulf between heaven and earth.


    In fact, seventh-tier martial artists might be powerful enough to affect the martial fortune of a small nation. That being the case, sixth-tier martial artists who had the potential to reach the seventh tier, the Vajra Body Tier, would naturally be treasured and recruited by the rulers of smaller nations.


    Xu Yuanxia nced at Chen Ping''an and replied, "This medicinal wine can elerate one''s cultivation and not leave behind any side-effects, so it''s obviously a top-notch treasure. But it isn''t necessarily beneficial for martial artists who need to temper their mental state after advancing. With this medicinal wine, they''d inevitably start feeling lucky.


    "They might not ck off on their physical training, but their mental state might be overly calm. If that''s the case, then their fist techniques will naturally be limp and sluggish. Chen Ping''an, do you think martial artists of this world can control themselves and refrain from drinking this medicinal wine if each sip is able to help them advance their cultivation base?"


    Xu Yuanxia gazed into the distance and sighed with emotion, "Even though I''m well aware that drinking too much of this medicinal wine will have a detrimental effect on my cultivation in the long run, I have to admit that I won''t be able to control my impulse to drink it. In any case, I''m a drunkard, after all, so will I give a damn about my cultivation roadblocks or whatnot once I start to drink? I''ll enjoy myself to my heart''s content before I start to think about these things."


    When it came to one''s mental resolve on the path of cultivation, Xu Yuanxia conceded that he was inferior to Zhang Shanfeng and even more inferior to Chen Ping''an.


    Chen Ping''an nodded and said, "Then I''ll wait for you to reach the sixth tier first. When that timees, I''ll give you this wine as a celebration wine."


    "When you travel north this time, don''t forget to pay Sword Saint Song and those two children in Blusher Prefecture a visit if you have the opportunity to travel through the Colorful Garment Nation and the Water Combing Nation," Xu Yuanxia suddenly said. "Of course, you should also visit that couple in the ghost estate."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "Naturally. I need to treat Old Senior Song to some hotpot, and I need to check on those two children to see whether their cultivation journeys are going smoothly. I also need to visit that old estate to try out the old granny''s braised pork with dried bamboo shoots."


    Xu Yuanxiaughed heartily. Cultivation and wealth aside, Chen Ping''an was still the same Chen Ping''an as before. He patted the young man''s shoulder again, exerting much more force thanst time. His voice was filled with energy and vigor as he said, "Chen Ping''an, both you and Zhang Shanfeng need to cultivate earnestly and make a name for yourselves. When you guys be sessful and renowned in the future, I''ll also be able to boast in front of other people when I hear of your feats in my hometown. At that time, countless people will cry and shout as they beg me to drink with them and tell them stories about you and Zhang Shanfeng."


    Chen Ping''an cupped his fists and said in amusement, "Thanks for your blessings, Big Brother Xu."


    Xu Yuanxia stood up and said, "Alright, it was still okay before when we were randomly strolling around, and I didn''t really feel anything. But now that I''m thinking about home, it''s as if my stomach is craving wine and causing an uprising. It will feel terrible if I don''t take a sip. Haha, that pot of old wine is none other than my hometown��it''s time to set off!"


    Chen Ping''an also stood up, saying, "Then I''ll apany you to your room to pack up. I''ll go with you for a short distance."


    Xu Yuanxia shot a re at him and scolded, "Why so sentimental? You need to learn from Zhang Shanfeng when ites to farewells. Look at how straightforward and quick he was! He immediately left when it was necessary."


    Chen Ping''an rolled his eyes and retorted, "Him? I''ll be quite impressed if Zhang Shanfeng isn''t crying right now. In fact, why don''t we have a bet on this?"


    Xu Yuanxia rubbed his chin and said, "There''s no one to bet with. That idiot is hiding from his master and secretly bawling his eyes out."


    Chen Ping''an also rubbed his chin, saying, "Is this a case of great minds thinking alike?"


    Xu Yuanxiaughed and strode away, telling Chen Ping''an that there was no need to see him off. However, the big-bearded martial artist suddenly remembered that it waste at night, and it was very possible that many women and children had already gone to bed. Thus, he quietened down and waved farewell with his back facing Chen Ping''an. He didn''t hesitate or pause at all.


    Standing there, Chen Ping''an inevitably felt the slight sorrow of parting.


    Around thirty minutester, Pei Qian slowly trudged over with sleepy eyes. Running through the alleyways at night was quite terrifying, so that yellow paper talisman was once again stuck on her forehead. After finding Chen Ping''an, she asked in puzzlement, "Why is the big-bearded uncle running away? Does he owe you money, Master? Is he unable to repay it, so he feels too ashamed to show his face? So he''s sneaking away at night?"


    Pei Qian felt extremely irritated by this, so she angrily stomped her feet and punched her palm before fuming, "That poor uncle with a big beard is far too disloyal! If he doesn''t have enough money to repay his debts, then he can secretly borrow some from me! It''s not like I''ll expose his embarrassing actions to Master or anything."


    She wasn''t sure why, but she had a nagging feeling that Chen Ping''an had been unusually happy the entire time after meeting the young Daoist priest with mediocre talent and the big-bearded uncle with a supremely loud voice. It seemed like he was even happier than if he had made a lot of money.


    In reality, however? Ever since meeting the yellow earth bull at the mountain pass, her master had lost money, then lost money, and then lost some more money. Indeed, hadn''t he given Zhang Shanfeng an azure wooden box? One that held some kind of important seal? Moreover, during their trip from Old Dragon City to Wasp Tail Ferry Station, had her master been willing to drink his osmanthus wine and well-water immortal wine every single day?


    By the looks of it, making friends in the cultivation world waspletely meaningless. After all, doing so would cause a person to lose all of their money.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and shook his head, correcting, "Your big-bearded uncle simply misses home. We can look for him in the future, and you can also look for him by yourself when you start to travel around the cultivation world. You''ll most likely be old enough to drink at that time, so you need to remember to bring some good wine when you visit him."


    Pei Qian shook her head and said, "The cultivation world is teeming with dangers, and wine is far too expensive. I''ve decided that I won''t travel around the cultivation world."


    Chen Ping''an twisted her ear and scolded, "Just how old are you? And you''re telling me that the cultivation world is teeming with dangers?"


    Pei Qian stood on her tippy-toes and begged for mercy, saying, "Old Man Wei and the big-bearded uncle both said the same thing. I felt like it was quite impressive and gant when they said this, so I decided to casually repeat it as well."


    Chen Ping''an let go of her ear and chuckled, "Use the six-step walking meditation to go back to your room and sleep."


    Pei Qian could perform the six-step walking meditation decently well now, but she was still unable to capture the essence of standing meditation and the corresponding Sword Furnace Stance. As for the Heaven and Earth Stance, Pei Qian was indeed very interested in learning this. However, she couldn''t grasp this stance no matter what. This was because she couldn''t even do a handstand yet.


    An uneventful night passed by.


    The roosters started to crow very early in the mountain vige, but Chen Ping''an didn''t go out for a stroll after waking up. This was because the martial arts practitioners in the vige were about to gather and train together in around half an hour. They would train together in the morning and at night, and they would persist with this training day after day, year after year. This was the case for all men in the vige, whether they were young boys or grown men. In fact, even women were allowed to join if they wanted to.


    Many people in this vige went on to work as armed escorts, so it would naturally be difficult to build a good reputation if one didn''t possess solid martial arts skills. ording to the vige teacher, the reputation of their n leader, known as Chen''s Archway, was extremely useful in this province of the Azure Phoenix Nation when descendants of the Chen n went to work as armed escorts or travel around the cultivation world.


    When Chen Ping''an walked past the martial arts training ground of the Chen n yesterday, he didn''t stop to observe like he had observed the martial arts school in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Instead, he had briskly walked past and left.


    Not only that, but Chen Ping''an even spoke with the four martial artists from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, especially Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian, and told them that it was best to avoid walking around with weapons in this mountain vige.


    They needed to adapt to the local traditions and customs.


    On this morning, Chen Ping''an and hispanions gathered together to eat breakfast. After finishing breakfast, they would prepare to leave the vige and head to the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation. Before leaving the country, Chen Ping''an wanted to watch the grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism, which the emperor had spent all of his effort organizing.


    Apart from Wasp Tail Ferry Station, located at the intersection of three nations, there was also another immortal ferry station located in the eastern regions of the Azure Phoenix Nation. Apparently, it was slightlyrger than Wasp Tail Ferry Station. Back in Wasp Tail Ferry Station, Chen Ping''an and the others had heard that war and chaos were ravaging the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and this was the case for both cultivators in the mountains and people outside the mountains. Thus, many intercontinental ships heading to this area had stopped running.


    There was no ferry station above Bamboo Scroll Lake, and the two ferry stations nearest to it were located in the heavily guarded area of a nation''s capital and an immortal force in the mountains. However, both ces were affected by the chaotic wars, with the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire trampling all over thends and sending blood flying everywhere. Thus, Chen Ping''an wanted to try his luck with the ferry station located in the eastern regions of the Azure Phoenix Nation. Otherwise, the distance to Bamboo Scroll Lake would be far too great to cover on foot.


    While sitting around a table and eating congee, Chen Ping''an and the others suddenly turned around to look toward the courtyard located outside the dining room. A snow-white figure appeared extremely eye-catching as it gracefully hovered out from the shadows of the corridor and stood still. There was a dazzling smile on this person''s face.


    It was a young boy in white with an immortal aura.


    He appeared even more ethereal than Chen Ping''an.


    Pei Qian dazedly stared at the uninvited guest, and for some unknown reason, she hurriedly took out the Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman and pped it on her forehead.


    Chen Ping''an put his chopsticks down and heaved a soft sigh.


    Wei Xian and the others were slightly puzzled.


    Apart from this person''s outstanding appearance and outfit, they couldn''t determine his strength or cultivation base at all. In fact, they couldn''t even determine whether he was an immortal from the mountains or a pure martial artist.


    This made them feel less and less confidence.


    Chen Ping''an stood up and walked over, stopping near the door threshold before asking, "Why did youe here?"


    With tears in his eyes and his lips quivering, the young boy sobbed and shouted as he ran over to Chen Ping''an, seemingly wanting to hug him andment about the pain of separation. It was a very touching sight.


    "Master, I''ve caused you to suffer so much by arriving toote. Disciple Cui Dongshan deserves to die a hundred times over to make up for his sins... Aargh...!"


    Chen Ping''an directly raised a foot and kicked his repulsive "disciple" away.


    Pei Qian widened her eyes in astonishment. Where had this person suddenlye out from? By the looks of it, he was trying to snatch her master away?


    Cui Dongshan spun countless times in the air, with hisrge sleeves fluttering around like beautiful white clouds pushed away by the outstretched hand of an immortal.


    1. The term for cultivation world is Jianghu (����), which literally means rivers andkes. Xu Yuanxia is thus saying his hometown is a small pond that''s iparable to the rivers andkes. ?

 Chapter 381: Martial Fortune of a Nation

    Cui Dongshan wiped away his tears afternding on the ground. He then jogged over andmented, "Master, you must have had a difficult time camping in the wilderness while traveling more than a million kilometers through the world. You must have suffered far too much. Yet, as your disciple, I was unable to apany you and make life easier for you. I deserve to be punished... I truly deserve to be punished...!"


    Lu Baixiang immediately understood the situation. He remembered that Chen Ping''an had once mentioned something about an unofficial disciple who was seeking knowledge in the Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy. This unofficial disciple of his was very good at ying Go, so Chen Ping''an had told Lu Baixiang that he could y Go with this person if he had an opportunity in the future.


    Chen Ping''an returned inside and sat down at the dining table. Pei Qian, who still had the yellow paper talisman stuck to her forehead, hesitated for a moment before vacating her seat and walking over to sit next to Sui Youbian.


    Cui Dongshan strode inside, yet he didn''t sit down next to Chen Ping''an. Instead, he first went to the kitchen to grab himself a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. Afterward, he chose to sit down next to Lu Baixiang.


    He was just about to grab a piece of fermented bean curd to go with his congee, yet he suddenly put his chopsticks down and sighed, "My heart aches so much that I can''t bring myself to eat."


    Chen Ping''an cut to the chase and asked, "Did you make your way over because you read that letter that I sent to Li Baoping? But why are youing to the Azure Phoenix Nation? After all, I was always nning to visit Mountain Cliff Academy to look for you guys. Perhaps you''re here for the debate between Buddhism and Daoism?"


    Cui Dongshan smiled and replied, "That debate is nothing more than a bunch of little chicks fighting for food��there''s nothing interesting about it. I''m afraid that I might identally slip up and..."


    Under the watchful gazes of everyone, the boastful young immortal suddenly pped himself and scolded, "Will you die if you don''t boast?!"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t ask anything else, so Cui Dongshan also fell silent as he started to eat. His chopsticks became a blur, and it was clear that he was famished.After breakfast, Zhu Lian and Pei Qian worked together to clean the dishes and wipe the table. Cui Dongshan asked the hunchbacked old man whether he needed any help, and Zhu Lian politely replied that everything was under control. Cui Dongshan nodded and left the dining room with Chen Ping''an, casually walking toward the courtyard with a skywell.


    Lu Baixiang turned to Cui Dongshan and asked, "Do you mind ying a game of Go when you''re free?"


    Cui Dongshan didn''t even bother to turn around as he waved a hand dismissively and replied, "I don''t know how to y Go."


    Everyone felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders when he finally disappeared from view.


    Zhu Lian was standing at the entrance of the kitchen and drying his hands. He looked toward Wei Xian, who was sitting on the steps, and asked with a smile, "What are your thoughts?"


    "I see arge fish in a deep river," Wei Xian replied in a calm voice.


    Meanwhile, Lu Baixiang turned to Sui Youbian and asked, "Do you think this person views me as too unskilled to y Go with him, or do you think he''s too afraid to make a fool of himself?"


    Sui Youbian dodged the question and responded, "His physical body is quite strange."


    Pei Qian was poking her head outside the door to observe the situation in the courtyard, as if she was trying to hide from that handsome young boy in elegant white robes. It was as if she feared that he would suddenly dash over from the corridor in the blink of an eye.


    By the looks of it, she was genuinely very afraid of Cui Dongshan.


    They had only eaten a single meal together, yet Pei Qian already viewed Cui Dongshan as if he were a ferocious beast.


    Chen Ping''an strolled around the alleys of the mountain vige with Cui Dongshan, walking along the smooth and mirror-like paths paved from bluestone bs. Cui Dongshan obediently walked behind Chen Ping''an, and the master and disciple appeared like two white sparrows as they walked between the tall walls of the slightly dim alley with a bluestone path.


    Then Cui Dongshan quickened his pace and walked next to Chen Ping''an, holding one hand behind his back and pping the wall with his other hand as he said quietly, "Master, I heard that you obtained the yang body of Du Mao, that Ascension Tier cultivator. Is that right? This yang body is equivalent to the physical body of an Immortal Tier cultivator, and its toughness is able to rival that of ninth-tier martial artists. Not to mention, Du Mao has already tempered and refined this yang body into something like a small world. In other words, whoever upies this body has a guaranteed path to the Upper Five Tiers."


    Chen Ping''an raised an eyebrow. "You <em>heard</em>? Heard from whom exactly?"


    Cui Dongshan smiled faintly and replied, "Those from the mountains naturally have their clever ways, and your disciple naturally has his own."


    "You want this immortal yang body?" Chen Ping''an directly asked.


    Cui Dongshan''s expression becameplicated, and he shook his head and replied, "My current body is an immortal body left behind by an ancient immortal. Moreover, it''s the body of some type of flood dragon from the ancient Shu Nation, so it''s just as valuable as Du Mao''s yang body, if not more. But with that said... Who won''t be tempted by such a rare and valuable treasure? Master, if you take pity on me and decides to bestow the yang body upon me with a wave of his hand, then I''ll naturally shed tears of gratitude and be willing to loyally serve you��"


    "Where can I find a powerful yin entity who''spatible with this immortal yang body?" Chen Ping''an asked. "Do I need a heroic spirit from some ancient battlefield? Or do I need a ghost general or ghost king from some unmarked burial ground?"


    Cui Dongshan grinned widely and replied, "It seems like you are quite familiar with the concept of upying an immortal body. However, I have some bad news to tell you. Whether it''s ancient battlefields brimming with countless yin soldiers and yin generals or unmarked burial grounds housing the corpses of hundreds of thousands of victims, the yin entities produced by these ces are far too lowly.


    "In terms of cultivation base, they''ll be at the Nascent Tier at the very most. That''s simply insufficient to upy and suppress an immortal body like this. If such a yin entity enters this immortal body, it will be like throwing a bucket of boiling oil into a barrel of water. Both sides will repel and erode each other, leading to a mutually destructive oue. At the end of the day, it''s up to your own skills and fortune to see whether you can find a yin entity with suitably strong aptitude and affinity. That''s the important aspect. As for the cultivation base of the yin entity, that isn''t especially important."


    Chen Ping''an silentlymitted this to memory. He then said, "We''re about to set off for the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation, and we might pass by a chief military governor''s official residence on our way there. We might not visit this official residence, but the chief military governor might look for us anyway. I want to let you know about this beforehand."


    Cui Dongshan cupped his hands and bowed in respect, replying, "I''ll listen to your instructions, Master; I don''t have anyints."


    For the next five days, Cui Dongshan would asionally tter Chen Ping''an as they traversed mountains and crossed rivers. Apart from this, he seldom interacted with Pei Qian and the four martial artists from the picture scrolls, with almost no words spoken between them.


    It was as if Chen Ping''an had gained azy follower who had only appeared extraordinary during his initial appearance. Afterward, Cui Dongshan had appearedpletely idle and mediocre. He didn''t observe the games of Go between Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian, nor did he watch Pei Qian when she practiced her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques. He never helped Zhu Lian cook either. From the morning until night, all he did was giddily follow Chen Ping''an around.


    On this day, they arrived at a small county city that had both a schrly temple and a martial sage temple. The former had few worshippers and incense offerings, while thetter was enjoying arge number of worshippers and an abundance of incense offerings. It was said that this martial sage temple was incredibly effective at granting wealth, after all, so how could it not be popr?


    Boisterous and bustling during the day, the martial sage temple became much more peaceful and quiet at night. Unlike other temples and shrines in the local regions, schrly temples and martial sage temples generally didn''t close at night. After resting in the county city during the day, Chen Ping''an and Cui Dongshan decided to visit the schrly temple and the martial sage temple at night. Chen Ping''an told Wei Xian and the others to stay back at the inn to protect Pei Qian.


    The two of them visited the schrly temple first, and a schrly official who had been bestowed the posthumous title of Wenzhen was honored in this temple. He had once worked as an official in the prefecture and brought prosperity to the region, so many schrly temples in the area, regardless of their size, had chosen to enshrine and honor him.


    Why were they visiting the schrly temple at night? This was because Chen Ping''an had stood atop a distant mountain and gazed over at the county city not long ago, and he had vaguely noticed that dark clouds were gathered above two locations in the city. These dark clouds were filled with murderous aura, and they slowly permeated through the county city.


    After Chen Ping''an noticed this abnormal situation, Cui Dongshan had casually revealed the secret behind it, saying, "The schrly temple and the martial sage temple have fallen victim to a sinister plot, and some cultivators are using these two temples as gateways to forcefully channel and steal someone''s fortunes. While offering incense in the temples recently, some locals with innate cultivation aptitude might have seen the divine statues of the schrly sage or the martial sage shed tears of blood[1]. Some of them might have even received warnings from the two deities in their dreams."


    However, Chen Ping''an and Cui Dongshan didn''t find anything out of the ordinary when they walked around the schrly temple. Apart from the yin energy being slightly more concentrated, the divine statue didn''t perform any divine deeds. It was nothing more than a y statue thatcked incense offerings and vitality.


    While leaving, Cui Dongshan smiled and exined, "We''re outsiders, after all, and we''ve never offered incense in the schrly temple either. This local deity had a weak spirit to begin with, and it''s already beginning to wane even further. Materializing and conversing with us will be extremely difficult.


    "Moreover, this deity is understandably suspicious of us, so it may as well remain in hiding and wait for death. This is naturally a better oue than recklessly leaving its gold statue and being captured by ill-intentioned Qi refiners through methods such as soul-binding techniques. Falling into the hands of such people might imply a more pitiful fate than having their gold statue destroyed."


    A sense of worry immediately gripped at Chen Ping''an''s heart when they arrived at the martial sage temple. Even though the temple was already empty, with no one lighting and offering incense, Chen Ping''an could still see wisps of curling smoke rising from the countless sticks of incense when he looked closely. However, though everything seemed to be thriving, there was a hint of chilly yin energy cutting through the image. And this wasn''t all. When Chen Ping''an walked over to therge censer and pinched some remnant pieces of the incense sticks, they quickly transformed into ashes and released a vaguely foul aura.


    Cui Dongshan had already strode inside the main hall and started to carefully observe the three-meter-tall gold statue with his hands sped behind his back. This was the martial sage temple of a small county city that didn''t have much gold to gild statues, so it was only natural that the y statues of the deities weren''t especiallyrge. Right now, the trapped deity was stuck in a deep slumber, with only two things that it could do. It could either appear in the dreams of the local residents and officials and warn them of the situation, or it could struggle to resist the gradual contamination caused by the incense smoke from impure sources.


    After Chen Ping''an entered the main hall as well, Cui Dongshan extended a hand and flicked his sleeve, saying with a faint smile, "Master, you can borrow this opportunity to witness the manifestation of martial fortune in this world."


    After Cui Dongshan finished speaking, Chen Ping''an immediately heard a "ding dong" sound in his mind''ske.


    Looking up, he saw a golden water drop fall down from high up and eventuallynd in the censer in front of the divine statue''s feet, causing numerous ripples to spread outward.


    Chen Ping''an waited for a long time, yet no other golden water drop was forting.


    Cui Dongshan sniggered and said, "This is the martial fortune of the Azure Phoenix Nation. If this were the Lu Empire from the past, any random martial sage temple could have produced drop after drop of golden rainwater, so many that they would have quickly formed a stream. This is unrted to the rank of a deity; it''s solely determined by the lifespan and martial fortune of a nation. Moreover, ordinary Qi refiners will be unable to witness this, even if they''re powerful earth immortals.


    "I''m simply aware of some ancient secret techniques and have learned a few abilities pertaining to the Dao of gods and deities from the old man in the small town''s medicine shop, and it''s because of this that I can make visible the manifestation of this nation''s martial fortune. As for the Water Combing Nation, the Colorful Garment Nation, and the other nations that I visited before meeting up with you, I have to say that they''re even inferior to the Azure Phoenix Nation, which can only produce a single drop of golden incense fluid every fifteen minutes. Perhaps these nations can only produce a single drop of golden incense fluid every thirty or forty minutes."


    Sure enough, fifteen minutester, another golden water drop representing the martial fortune of the Azure Phoenix Nation fell down.


    Chen Ping''an came to a slight realization. The sword spirit had called Pei Qian a martial fortune prodigy back in Old Dragon City, and that was the first time he had ever heard of such a title.


    Combining that with Cui Dongshan''s exnations tonight, Chen Ping''an was starting to get a clearer picture of the situation. This was presumably a mystical ability in the same vein as how the water goddess of the Burial River could determine the quality of her incense offerings, and how there were many spiritual herbs and nts in the immortal mountains that could assist cultivators in examining the fortunes of mountains and rivers.


    Chen Ping''an smiled and asked, "Are you waiting for me to ask about the situation in the martial sage temples of the Great Li Empire?"


    Cui Dongshan cupped his hands and chuckled with his head lowered, replying, "Master is truly able to see through all worldly matters. You have only traveled through the world for a short few years, yet you''ve already be so sharp and perceptive. As expected of a divine prodigy. As expected of an immortal being."


    Chen Ping''an shot a nce at Cui Dongshan and hesitated for a moment. However, he eventually decided to ask, "Won''t the manifestation of martial fortune in the Great Duan Empire, the empire with the martial goddess, appear even more magnificent than that of the Lu Empire, Yu Lu''s home nation?"


    Cui Dongshanughed loudly and replied, "Naturally. Otherwise, how could the divinely wealthy Liu n of the Pure White Continent be willing to put its wager on the Great Duan Empire? Apart from the Commercialists and Diplomatists, many other schools from the hundred schools of thought also chose the Great Duan Empire."


    A slight hint of disappointment appeared on Cui Dongshan''s face as he continued, "Apart from viewing the martial fortune of a nation through the golden water drops in a martial sage temple, one can actually observe even more in the official martial sage temple of a nation''s capital. In fact, one can even observe the fluctuation of martial fortune due to certain people''s actions."


    Cui Dongshan walked over to sit on the door threshold of the main hall. Looking up at the trapped and lusterless divine statue of the martial god, he sighed with emotion and said, "Some years ago, I heard that a young boy with terrifying martial fortune appeared in the Great Duan Empire. On the day that he became an official citizen of the Great Duan Empire, the martial fortune that was already very spectacr in all of the martial sage temples directly transformed from a stream into a thundering waterfall. The censers became like deep pools, and countless golden water drops sshed into the surroundings. This caused extremely loud rumbling, and gods and deities were able to hear thismotion from very far away."


    Chen Ping''an smiled and remarked, "That person''s called Cao Ci. I ran across him in the Sword Qi Great Wall, and I even fought against him three times. However, I lost all three battles, and I wholeheartedly epted my losses. I hope that I can still keep up with him in the future, and I hope that we''ll have the opportunity to spar again."


    Looking at Chen Ping''an''s calm smile and listening to his genuine words, Cui Dongshan raised a thumb and sincerely praised him. "Master, you are so impressive. Your ambitions are so lofty..."


    These words didn''t sound like ttery at all. If there were outsiders present��for example, the four martial artists from the picture scrolls��they might even feel like Cui Dongshan was being sarcastic and delivering a backhandedpliment. But Chen Ping''an was well aware that Cui Dongshan was beingpletely sincere at this moment. These were probably the most sincere words that he had spoken in a while.


    However, Cui Dongshan immediately sighed in grief, with an expression ofmentation spreading across his face. "Master, you are so unlucky to be born in the same generation as this person."


    Chen Ping''an walked toward the door, and Cui Dongshan also stood up to exit the main hall alongside his master. Chen Ping''an suddenly turned around at this moment and asked, "Did Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan detect some changes in the martial fortune of the Great Li Empire''s official martial sage temple? Is that why he sent you over as a messenger? Is he afraid that I''ll be a citizen of another nation along with Wei Xian and the others? For example, the Great Sui Nation?"


    Cui Dongshan didn''t tter Chen Ping''an this time, and he simply nodded and replied, "Mhm, the old divine lord over there received some news and learned that you were about to start cultivating and now need to refine some bonded items. The imperial preceptor suggested that a transaction be made, and this involves Wei Xian, Sui Youbian, Zhu Lian, and Lu Baixiang bing citizens of the Great Li Empire.


    "If you agree, then the Great Li Empire can help you regarding the refinement of five-colored soil as one of your bonded items. The empire can tell you the final locations of the Five Mountains in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Moreover, the empire can also prepare five kilograms of soil from the roots of each of the five mountains. This will be enough for Master to refine your bonded item two times over."


    Before Chen Ping''an could say anything, Cui Dongshan had already opened his mouth again and exined, "It''s a matter of urgency for you to refine your second bonded item. However, there''s no need to worry. Apart from Cloud Drape Mountain, the Northern Mountain that Wei Bo is ruling over, there are only some slight indications about the Southern Mountain that Fan Junmao will rule over. As for the Central Mountain, Eastern Mountain, and Western Mountain, the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n does indeed have thoughts about which mountains to choose. However, they might not be able to sessfully appoint these mountains in the next ten to twenty years.


    "In any case, there''s no need for you to worry about these things. This is actually a positive oue, especially since refining the five-colored soil will be much easier nowpared to the future. Moreover, you have only just started to cultivate as a Qi refiner, so there''s no need for you to refine bonded items that are too high in quality. When the Five Mountains are fully recognized by the imperial court of the Great Li Empire and the Confucian school in the Middle Earth Divine Continent, allowing them to be linked with the fortune of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, then the quality of your bonded item will naturally rise in leaps and bounds as well."


    Chen Ping''an and Cui Dongshan left the martial sage temple and walked along therge street nketed by the night sky. As they walked, Chen Ping''an asked, "This is a transaction that Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan wants to do with me, but what do you think, Cui Dongshan?"


    Cui Dongshan stopped and asked, "Are you willing to trust me, Master?"


    Chen Ping''an shook his head and replied, "No. But I <em>do</em> want to hear your opinion, even if it''s a lie."


    Cui Dongshan couldn''t help but chuckle. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then please listen to some of my lies, Master. In your disciple''s eyes, having the four of them be citizens of the Great Li Empire will bring a myriad of benefits and zero harm to you. You can use this as a starting point for your discussions with the Great Li Empire and obtain five kilograms of five-colored soil from each of the Five Mountains.


    "As for whether you will change your citizenship from the Great Li Empire to the Great Sui Nation or some other random ce, it won''t be toote to make this decision when the Five Mountains of the Great Li Empire be officially recognized in the future. As for what you will do during this time and whether you refine the five-colored soil as your bonded item or not, this won''t take away from the fact that obtaining the five-colored soil is a definitive benefit. In other words, it''s better to ept the benefits now."


    Chen Ping''an remained silent and continued to walk forward.


    After taking several steps, he noticed that Cui Dongshan was still standing in the same spot. Chen Ping''an looked back, and Cui Dongshan chuckled, "I''ll take a look at the unfortunate situation surrounding the schrly temple and the martial sage temple tonight. If there are sinister cultivators and demons causing trouble, then I''ll deliver justice on behalf of the heavens and earn some hidden virtue for you. But if this is caused by impure teachings and the local residentsmitting sins themselves, then please allow me to stand aside and do nothing. We''ll allow these temples to decide their own fates."


    Chen Ping''an nodded and replied, "I''m fine with that."


    He then turned around, nning to return to the inn.


    "Master!" Cui Dongshan suddenly called.


    "What''s wrong?" Chen Ping''an turned around and asked.


    Cui Dongshan was filled with righteous indignation as he eximed, "Those four pure martial artists who are as measly as ants are so disrespectful toward you even though they''re your subordinates. I''ve conducted myself as a disciple should these past few days, and I could only observe their behaviors without saying anything. This was a devastating experience! I beseech you, Master, please allow me to teach them properly from tomorrow onward!"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and asked, "How do you n to teach them?"


    Standing on the steps in front of the martial sage temple''s entrance, Cui Dongshan replied in a righteous voice, "I''ll naturally abide by your teachings and educate them through reasoning and virtue."


    Chen Ping''an didn''t say anything else, and he hastily headed back to the inn. While walking back, he mulled over Cui Dongshan''s true reasons foring to this ce. Why had he suddenly left the Great Sui Nation''s Mountain Cliff Academy?


    Du Mao''s immortal body that many people coveted, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan''s proposed transaction, and the dark undercurrent apanying the debate between Buddhism and Daoism in the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation... Chen Ping''an had a nagging feeling that Cui Dongshan hade here for all of these three reasons. However, these weren''t the main reasons.


    Far behind Chen Ping''an, Cui Dongshan turned around and walked up the steps, yawning as he returned inside the martial sage temple.


    1. Schrly sage in a general sense, not Mr. Qi''s master. ?

 Chapter 382: On the Go Board

    Chen Ping''an returned to the inn, and he discovered that Pei Qian wasn''t the only one who had yet to sleep. Right now, she was mucking around and blowing the yellow paper talisman stuck to her forehead. Meanwhile, the four martial artists from the picture scrolls were also gathered in a room and waiting for the results of Chen Ping''an''s trip.


    Chen Ping''an was slightly puzzled about this. Traveling from the central region of the Parasol Leaf Continent all the way to the Azure Phoenix Nation in the southeast region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, they had already experienced so many dangers and life-and-death battles. Thus, Wei Xian and the others shouldn''t have developed such a keen interest in the schrly temple and the martial sage temple of a measly county city like this. Even if sinister wind and demonic rain howled through a small ce like this, it was almost certain that they wouldn''t be able to cause anyrge ripples.


    However, Chen Ping''an quickly understood the reason behind their behavior. It was extremely likely that his disciple, Cui Dongshan, would unleash his skills for the first time tonight, so it was only natural that Wei Xian, Sui Youbian, Zhu Lian, and Lu Baixiang were paying close attention.


    After Chen Ping''an sat down, Zhu Lian walked over and offered him a cup of tea. Chen Ping''an was straightforward and honest as he exined, "Someone has indeed tampered with the schrly temple and the martial sage temple. Cui Dongshan will deal with this issue, and it won''t dy our journey tomorrow."


    Sui Youbian had the most straightforward personality out of the four martial artists, and she asked directly, "Is Cui Dongshan genuinely your disciple?"


    Chen Ping''an patted Pei Qian''s head and told her to go to sleep. However, Pei Qian replied that she couldn''t fall asleep and was afraid of ghosts. She also said that she liked to kick her nket, so what would she do if the yellow paper talisman on her forehead came loose and fell somewhere? If that happened, then wouldn''t the ghosts and demons have an opportunity to target her? Wouldn''t that render her unable to protect Big Sister Sui?


    Chen Ping''an had indeed exined the rules and taboos pertaining to talismans to Pei Qian before. For example, talismans were able to deter sinister beings when one traversed mountains and crossed rivers. At the same time, talismans would also instill a sense of respect and apprehension in the minds of some low-rank deities and ghosts. However, talismans were also like brightmps that could easily attract the attention of some malicious ghosts that were unafraid of yang energy, causing them to increasingly detest a person and covet their treasures.


    With this in mind, Chen Ping''an didn''t force Pei Qian to return next door to sleep. He looked at Sui Youbian and replied, "Even though Cui Dongshan was the one who shamelessly followed me around in the beginning, he is indeed a genuine disciple of mine now. After traveling together for a while, you guys should be roughly aware of his personality and temper as well. He''s a fairly haughty person, and he won''t be inclined to target you unless you offend or provoke him.


    "There are many rules and regtions when traveling around the Majestic World, for example, all those things I said to Pei Qian before. The waters are more dangerous than the mountains, there''s no need to wait when entering temples to pray if there are too many people, and so on. Actually, it was Cui Dongshan who told me these things when I traveled around the world with him in the past."Truth be told, Chen Ping''an was holding back and not being overly direct. In the eyes of the young imperial preceptor, the four martial artists from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land were most likely too weak and measly for him to target them. They weren''t worth the extra effort and thought.


    However, speaking this truth would be too hurtful, and Chen Ping''an couldn''t bring himself to be so blunt.


    For example, on the day of their reunion, Cui Dongshan directly mentioned Du Mao''s immortal body and begged Chen Ping''an to generously bestow it upon him. In reality, however, Cui Dongshan probably didn''t care much about the immortal body at all.


    Even though Cui Dongshan was willing to interact with Chen Ping''an, it was likely that his gaze was focused elsewhere, peering into the shadows and the curtains located extremely far away. He was peering at the deceased Mr. Qi; the imprisoned Schrly Sage, who no longer had a physical body and was integrating with the Dao of the Majestic World; A''Liang, who had already ascended to the heavens beyond heavens and was sparring with the Daoist second disciple; and Daoist Branch Master Lu Chen, who was now overseeing the five cities and twelve pagodas in White Jade Capital.


    The fact that the Great Li Empire had been able to build a replica of White Jade Capital''s Sword Pagoda was evidence of Naturalist cultivators and Mohist cultivators being present. There was also True Martial Mountain and Wind Snow Temple, both of which were Militarian ancestral forces in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Of the two, the former had an extremely close rtionship with the Great Li Empire. In addition, there was also Old Dragon City, which was bustling with wealthy merchants. As for the hundred schools of thought that were independent of the three teachings, only the Legalists and Diplomatists were yet to show themselves out of the most powerful schools. In other words, the Great Li Empire was already favored by my forces outside the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    This was what gave the Great Li Empire''s Imperial Song n the confidence and strength to conquer half of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.


    Song Changjing and the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire were on an expedition of conquest on the surface, while the matter of how to defend and maintain their territory was a test of the Great Li Empire''s influence and power.


    Chen Ping''an had mulled over and understood these things after traveling through the river of time in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Perhaps he was still a fair way off the truth, but the general direction of his thinking was most likely correct.


    Moreover, the southward expedition of the Great Li Empire was like aplicated game of Go that involved many parties. As for the person who was nning everything and helping the Imperial Song n keep on top of all matters, that was none other than the young immortal in white who had re-entered the martial sage temple by himself.


    Looking back on his long journeys, Chen Ping''an discovered that each step of his hadnded squarely inside Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan''s Go board. During his travels in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, from his journey through the Great Sui Nation and the vassal Yellow Court Nation in the north, the Colorful Garment Nation, the Ancient Elm Nation, and the Water Combing Nation in the central region, and to Old Dragon City in the south, he had never stepped outside the Go board, not even once. It was just that Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan, two halves of a soul split into an old body and a young body, had paid no heed to Chen Ping''an afterward.


    Lu Baixiang smiled and asked, "Is Mr. Cui a cultivator with a profound cultivation base? Is he someone who''s returned to a state of natural simplicity?"


    Chen Ping''an didn''t know how to respond, so he could only say, "He was once a proper Confucian disciple from the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Afterward, he left his hometown and traveled to the Middle Earth Divine Continent to seek knowledge. His cultivation base... was quite high before, but it took a significant hit afterward. I can''t tell what his current cultivation base is, and I didn''t ask him about it either."


    Zhu Lian smiled with squinted eyes and remarked, "Young Master, you said before that powerful cultivators in this world possess strong physiques that are no weaker than those of pure martial artists at the Three Mind Tempering Tiers.[1] So, I''m quite curious about just how powerful his fist techniques are. If hebines his strength with some immortal treasures, can he potentially break through Wei Xian''s Dew Armor?"


    Chen Ping''an smiled and replied, "Let me say this first. You guys are free to probe or challenge Cui Dongshan if you want. I definitely won''t stop you. However, you also have to take responsibility for the consequences."


    "I definitely don''t dare to fight for the title of opening disciple with him, so I''ll just call him senior brother in the future," Pei Qianmented in a quiet voice.


    Cui Dongshan pushed the door open and entered the room, huffing in anger, "Little girl, why are you calling people names behind their backs?! Just who are you calling senior brother? You''re a bloody senior brother! Can you speak properly or what?!"


    Pei Qian immediately became pale with fright when she heard Cui Dongshan''s mysterious and angry remarks.


    "How''s the situation in the martial sage temple?" Chen Ping''an asked.


    Cui Dongshan poured himself a cup of tea and downed it in a single gulp before smiling and replying, "Everything is already settled. I met both the masterminds behind the issues in the schrly temple and the martial sage temple, and both of them were rtively good-tempered and easy to talk to. If I weren''t in a hurry to return and report the situation to Master, then it''s entirely possible that the deities of the two temples would have invited the mountain lords over and retrieved those pots of wine buried deep underground to express their gratitude toward me. We might have happily drank wine and chatted until tomorrow morning."


    "Who was causing trouble?" Chen Ping''an asked in puzzlement.


    Cui Dongshan smiled and replied, "It was a wealthy local who was afraid of death and wanted to live for an extra twenty or thirty years. He has a descendant who''s now a member of an immortal cultivation force in the Azure Phoenix Nation, and this descendant didn''t learn any good habits and learned a whole heap of bad habits instead. He only learned some of the most basic heretical techniques, yet he actually wanted to change someone''s fate with these measly skills, wreaking havoc on the fortune of an area and transforming this into the lifespan of someone else.


    "The chaos caused in the area naturally led to a conflict between the schrly temple and the martial sage temple. Moreover, cultivators who have learned some immortal techniques, especially those so-called young prodigies in the small forces, often have pretty bad tempers. After some slight conflict, the heretical descendant of the wealthy local even tried to steal the gold statues of the deities.


    "From what I''ve heard, the illegal temples in the Fortune Mountain Nation and the southeastern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent havergely been raided and shut down by the imperial courts of each nation. Even so, demand for the shards of gold statues still outstrips supply.


    "Now that issues have appeared with the incense offerings in the schrly temple and the martial sage temple, it''s quite obvious that the local cultivators are acting a little too wantonly. However, they haven''t taken things far enough for the virtuous schrs of the Confucian academies to hunt them down and punish them with death. If the young cultivator and his backers managed to n things out properly, they could have directly resolved this issue in the imperial study of the Azure Phoenix Nation. News of this wouldn''t even reach Lake View Academy..."


    Chen Ping''an''s mood became somber when he heard this, and he drank a small sip of medicinal wine from his Sword Nurturing Gourd.


    Cui Dongshan appeared unfazed, and it was as if he didn''t notice his master''s stern expression at all. There was a wide smile on his face as he continued, "Deities in the mountains and rivers also have their own fates and fortunes depending on whether their deeds are good or bad. In any case, this current situation is only an eleration of the inevitable. Once the Great Li Empire genuinely conquers the entire continent, it''s without a doubt that all of these forbidden and illegal temples will be targeted. In fact, the Great Li Empire will be even more vicious and swift.


    "Right now, officials from the Ministry of Rites are already working together with officials from the Ministry of Astronomy in the regions to the north of Lake View Academy, which is located in the central region of the continent. They''re starting to locate and shut down all of the illegal temples in those regions. During the two years that you were away from the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, more than four thousand illegal temples that didn''t abide by the etiquette of the Great Li Empire were shut down.


    "Moreover, these were only the temples located in the sixty-two nations to the south of the Yellow Court Nation, to the north of the Colorful Garment Nation, and above that dragon channel. Not only that, but this was with the officials of the Great Li Empire epting benefits and being lenient with the illegal temples. Otherwise, this number could have easily doubled to over eight thousand.


    "Lake View Academy was naturally happy to see these illegal temples shut down, so they still sent the assistant mountain master and several dozen noble schrs and virtuous schrs to assist the Great Li Empire even though they were otherwise unwilling to interact with the imperial court. These schrs inspected the situation and drew the boundaries for the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, and the Great Li Empire also gave Lake View Academy a lot of face because of this."


    After rambling on and exining all of these things, Cui Dongshan put down his tea cup and looked around the room. He then smiled with squinted eyes and asked, "What''s wrong? Sleeping early and waking early is good for the body. Are you people not aware of how to maintain good health? Perhaps you want to disturb Master and prevent him from resting early?"


    Pei Qian was the first to run away. Each with different expressions, the four people from the picture scrolls also left one after another without saying a word.


    After everyone else left, Cui Dongshan stood up and bowed in respect before also taking his leave.


    Chen Ping''an needed to lock the door, so he walked to the entrance of his room with Cui Dongshan. With one person standing inside the room and one person standing outside, Chen Ping''an warned his disciple, "If you''re hiding something from me and secretly interfering with the debate between Buddhism and Daoism in the Azure Phoenix Nation, then it''s best that you tell me now. If it''s necessary, I''ll simply take a detour around the capital and wait for you at the immortal ferry station located in the easternmost region. That way, we can at least avoid conflict between you and me and prevent you, Cui Dongshan, from betraying your master again."


    There was an upset expression on Cui Dongshan''s face, as if he had just crapped his pants. "Master, you are such a magnanimous person, like the resplendent light that shines down after a bout of rain. When Master and I traveled to the Great Sui Nation back then, I felt like I was bathing in the refreshing spring wind the entire time. Why are you questioning my noble intentions as well?"


    He appeared extremely pained as hemented, "I know, it''s definitely the fault of your four subordinates. After interacting with them for too long, their crude and basic ways have inevitably rubbed off on Master to some slight degree. However, there''s no need to worry. Starting from tomorrow, I''ll..."


    Chen Ping''an shut the door in his face and snapped, "Piss off."


    Though dressed in flowing white robes and appearing much like an otherworldly immortal, Cui Dongshan started to spin around as he made his way down the corridor. It could be said that he was rolling sideways.[2]


    Cui Dongshan stopped for a brief moment when passing Pei Qian''s room next door, and he kindly warned the little girl as he spun around on the spot, "Pei Qian, since we''re studying under the same master, let me tell you some good news. You definitely won''t see the ghost hanging upside down with its tongue sticking out if you don''t open your window, and you also won''t see the female ghost who''s married to the ghost king of an unmarked burial ground, wearing a bright red wedding dress, and lying next to your bed if you don''t stick your head out of your nket.


    "If you don''t be thirsty and climb out of bed to drink water at night, you definitely won''t see the pale-faced ghost whose belly is stuffed full of water grass after drowning... Oh, that''s right, some long-haired young girls who have died unjust deaths also like to curl up beside the feet of little girls. However, you don''t need to be afraid of them. They look like nothing more than arge pile of hair no matter how you look at them."


    Pei Qian shivered in fear as she hid inside her nket. At the same time, she furiously covered her ears to block out Cui Dongshan''s words.


    While walking past the rooms of the four martial artists from the picture scrolls, the continually spinning Cui Dongshan only chuckled and spoke outside Lu Baixiang''s room, saying, "I heard Master mention that you''re incredibly skilled at Go, so I''ve decided to learn how to y Go from you starting from tomorrow."


    Lu Baixiang was studying a Go manual in his room right now, and he smiled and replied, "Mr. Cui, if you don''t mind, why don''t you y a game of Go with me before going to rest?"


    Cui Dongshan had already disappeared down the corridor when he replied, "I''ll pass for tonight. One needs to pick the right time and be in the right mood when learning something like Go."


    Outside the small inn...


    ...There stood two golden deities who were invisible to mortals. One stood to the left and one stood to the right; one was a schrly deity and the other a martial deity. They had stern expressions, and it seemed as if they were two door gods guarding the inn.


    1. The Three Mind Tempering Tiers refer to the seventh tier to the ninth tier of martial arts. ?


    2. In Chinese, "piss off" literally means "roll away" (��), hence Cui Dongshan''s behavior. ?

 Chapter 383: (1): Iridescent Cloud Setup

    Dawn arrived, and Chen Ping''an had just finished practicing the Heaven and Earth Stance when someone knocked on his door. He walked over to open the door, and what greeted him was a listless and bleary-eyed little girl. By the looks of it, Cui Dongshan''s kind-hearted warningst night had frightened Pei Qian quite a bit.


    Seeing this, Chen Ping''an told her toe inside to catch up on some sleep. Pei Qian felt immense relief, and she immediatelyy down in bed and fell asleep.


    After tucking her in, Chen Ping''an sat down at the table and started to read the alchemy book given to him by Earth Immortal Lu Yong from the Green Goat Pce. Even though this book simply exined the process of pill refinement, it was still a secret scripture from a Nascent Tier earth immortal that contained many exquisiteprehensions of the Great Dao. Thus, Chen Ping''an would reap benefits from this book every time he settled down to read it with a clear mind. It could be said that opening this book was sure to benefit him.


    The inn was quite basic, with not a single meal provided. Guests would need to leave the inn to look for food themselves. The innkeeper and the workers were also very short-tempered, and Chen Ping''an and hispanions had seen them arguing with a group of merchants upon first arriving here. Both sides clearly detested the other.


    However, Chen Ping''an had Cui Dongshan, Lu Baixiang, and Sui Youbian to support him, and it was clear that the inn would treat guests differently depending on what said guests looked like. They were much more hospitable to Chen Ping''an and hispanions, and they actively rmended a few local delicacies for them to try.


    When Pei Qian woke up, Chen Ping''an brought her out to eat breakfast. After they finished eating, they purchased a few other portions to bring back to the inn. Chen Ping''an didn''t return to his room, and he told Pei Qian to bring the food to Cui Dongshan and the others. He also told her to inform them that they would be staying in the county city for two more days. He was going to wander around for a bit.


    Pei Qian was delighted to hear that they were going to rest for two days. Not needing to travel meant that she didn''t need to practice the dry and uninteresting six-step walking meditation. This was simply amazing.


    While Chen Ping''an was wandering around the county city by himself, Cui Dongshan, Wei Xian, and the others epted the food from Pei Qian and gathered together to eat breakfast. Cui Dongshan was filled with gratitude, and he imed that his master was looking out for his disciple. Where else could someone find a master as thoughtful and well-intentioned as Chen Ping''an? Pei Qian didn''t dare to retort, so she could only grumble in her mind. Looking out for him? What a joke. It was clear that Chen Ping''an didn''t trust Cui Dongshan.


    Cui Dongshan was in a sparkling mood after breakfast, and he smiled at Pei Qian and asked, "Do you know how to y five-in-a-row? Small gambles can bring entertainment, so why don''t we gamble one copper coin per match?"Pei Qian had yed this before; it was a simple game that Lu Baixiang had taught her. The rules were very simple and easy to understand, so Pei Qian would often borrow Lu Baixiang''s Go set and drag Wei Xian over to y with her. The two of them would engage in intense back-and-forth battles, and the games between them would appear much more lively than the solemn and uninteresting games of Go between Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian.


    The Go pieces would make increasingly loud cracking sounds as they were ced on the Go board, and it was as if Pei Qian and Wei Xian wanted to smash a hole into the board. Lu Baixiang would feel immense regret whenever he saw this.


    Pei Qian won more games than she lost against Wei Xian, who was a very terrible Go yer. She also liked to goad him when she was winning, yet she would immediately try to retract her moves when she was losing. Fortunately, Wei Xian wasn''t too concerned about winning or game etiquette.


    Upon hearing Cui Dongshan suggest that they gamble, Pei Qian immediately shook her head in earnest. She wasn''t stupid. Even though Cui Dongshan had asked to learn Go from Lu Baixiang, five-in-a-row was a simple game with no barrier to entry to speak of. Thus, Pei Qian wasn''t confident that she could beat Cui Dongshan. After all, few people in the world would be as stubborn and idiotic as Old Man Wei.


    Cui Dongshan chuckled and suggested, "As fellow disciples of Chen Ping''an, we naturally can''t spoil the rtionship between us for a small board game like this. How about this: whoever loses the game wins the copper coin!"


    Pei Qian''s eyes immediately lit up. Winning a copper coin for each game that she lost? There existed such an amazing deal in the world?


    And thus, Lu Baixiang brought his Go set to Pei Qian''s room, after which the two fellow disciples who were yet to figure out the seniority between them started to y a terrible game of five-in-a-row. In fact, it could be said that they were desecrating the Go set.


    As if in tacit understanding, the four martial artists stood together to observe the battle between Pei Qian and Cui Dongshan.


    Pei Qian was cing pieces randomly, with each piece being ced as far from the others as possible. Cui Dongshan was no different, and his cement of pieces also appearedpletely random. He would sometimes ce his pieces beside Pei Qian''s pieces, and he would sometimes ce his pieces in the north, south, east, and west, respectively. He started to utilize some elementary Go formations, and it looked like Pei Qian was more likely to lose than him.


    However, as the Go board filled up and reduced the amount of avable space for them to y with, Pei Qian was astonished and pained to discover that it was bing easier and easier for her to achieve five in a row. When the Go board eventually became filled with crisscrossing ck and white pieces, Pei Qian was shocked to discover that she had actually won. She would achieve five in a row no matter where she ced her pieces.


    After frustratingly losing a copper coin like this, Pei Qian felt such immense regret that she felt a strong urge to eat the entire Go board. That way, she could retract all of her moves. However, she didn''t dare to cheat after she stole a nce at Cui Dongshan who was sitting there and snacking on roasted seeds.


    Cui Dongshan shot a sideways nce at the Go board and sighed in sympathy, "Ahhh, it looks like I''ve lost by a single move. It seems like my gambling fortune is slightly better than yours. How about we y another game? If you feel like a single Go board is not enough for you to disy your full skills, then we can add another one, two, or even three Go boards. But we''ll need to increase the wager by one copper coin for each additional Go board. I''ll immediately pay up once I win a game. You can continue to y and add as many Go boards as you want until you lose and win money. This is quite fair, isn''t it?"


    Pei Qian hesitated and said, "But we can''t fit two Go boards on the table."


    Cui Dongshan pointed at the floor and replied, "Then we can y on the floor. What is there to be afraid of? If there are too many Go boards, then we can even y in the corridor outside the room, right? In any case, the more Go boards there are, the more copper coins you can win. My memory is so-so, but I know that your memory is very good. We can ask Lu Baixiang or Sui Youbian to borrow two pieces of charcoal from the inn, and I''ll use them to draw up some Go boards for us to use. We''ll rely on our memory instead of using actual Go pieces, and it will count as my loss if I remember anything wrong."


    Pei Qian turned around and nced at Old Man Wei. Wei Xian most likely felt like pursuing defeat instead of victory was far too braindead, so he directly turned around and walked away. Zhu Lian rolled his eyes and left the room.


    In the end, it was surprisingly the two Go masters from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land who remained. Sure enough, Lu Baixiang left to borrow some charcoal from the inn. Meanwhile, Sui Youbian stood beside Pei Qian and Cui Dongshan with an apathetic expression. It was quite unexpected that the two of them were patient enough to stay here and watch the two disciples of Chen Ping''an squatting on the floor and mucking around with each other.


    Chen Ping''an and the four martial artists from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land were well aware of just how good Pei Qian''s memory was. In fact, it could be said that her memory was outstanding. This was an innate talent of the little girl, and Chen Ping''an had to concede that he was inferior. Even Lu Baixiang, who was extremely skilled at ying Go and reviewing finished games of Go had to admit that he was no match for Pei Qian in terms of memory.


    Thus, after using two entire boxes of Go pieces, Pei Qian and Cui Dongshan were not onlypeting to see who was more shameless. They were alsopeting to see who had a better memory.


    There were already two additional Go boards drawn on the floor using a piece of charcoal, yet Pei Qian would still achieve five in a row and defeat Cui Dongshan if she didn''t add an additional Go board. Thus, she had no option but to ask Cui Dongshan to draw another Go board.


    Lu Baixiang quietly left the room, and Sui Youbian departed soon after him.


    Standing in the corridor, Sui Youbian asked, "Were you able to determine his skill level?"


    Lu Baixiang shook his head and replied, "Five in a row is too simple, so Pei Qian won''t be able to draw out this person''s true skill even if she adds another ten Go boards."


    "If you don''t hold back and y with your full strength, how great would the difference between us be?" Sui Youbian asked.


    Lu Baixiang smiled and replied, "To be very honest, you might not be skilled enough to make me use my clever ys."


    So-called clever ys were skillful moves on the Go board used when both sides evenly matched or when one side wanted to salvage a seemingly unfavorable situation. Skillful moves would be used to seize the initiative and capture pieces.


    Lu Baixiang was hinting at the fact that he only needed to y normally as if he were a tiler methodically cing pieces. ying calmly like this would allow him tofortably defeat Sui Youbian.


    Sui Youbian didn''t feel offended or angry. The difference in their skill level wasid bare on the Go board, and she had frequently yed against Lu Baixiang during their long trip. During these games, Sui Youbian would either push aside the Go board or ce two pieces in the lower right corner to admit defeat. Almost no Go masters in the world would utter the words "I admit defeat." However, pushing the Go board aside or cing two pieces in the lower right corner of the board were both silent ways of admitting defeat.


    Even though Sui Youbian was extremelypetitive, she had always viewed Go as nothing more than a small pastime. Victory or defeat in Go wouldn''t affect her much more important Sword Dao. She wouldn''t be a sore loser about it.


    Moreover, ording to the <em>Go World of the Future Generations</em> that Zhu Lian had once mentioned, the Go masters of the various nations in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land felt immense respect and admiration for the skills of Lu Baixiang. Of course, the Go masters of each nation, each generation, and each faction would still have conflicting opinions when it came to choosing the best Go yer in history. But if they were to choose the top three, Lu Baixiang would invariably upy one of the positions. This was a reflection of Lu Baixiang''s incredible skills and reputation in the Go world.


    As for the two other people, one was Go Saint Wang Jiyuan, and one was Huang, someone who waster confirmed to be an otherworldly immortal. At the same time, Huang was also the n rejuvenation ancestor of the Pine Song Nation''s Lake Mountain Faction. In other words, he was Yu Zhenyi''s senior. It was this person who had borrowed the huge influence and reputation of his sect, as well as his peerless Go skills, to abolish the initial position system.[1]


    This was a watershed moment in the Go world of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and it had led to the creation of the ancient Go faction and the new Go faction.


    Wang Jiyuan was born sixty years after Huang, and Huang had gone missing while in his seventies. Thus, the two Go masters never had the opportunity to y against each other.


    Regarding the three Go masters from different generations, the grandmasters of future generations argued incessantly about who possessed more profound skills. Lu Baixiang was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the ancient Go style, while Wang Jiyuan was recognized as the pinnacle of the new Go style. In fact, Wang Jiyuan was also profoundly skilled at all kinds of set formations, so many people were convinced that he could definitely start with a handicap of two moves if he yed against Lu Baixiang. In their opinion, Lu Baixiang didn''t have the right to enjoy an equal standing with Wang Jiyuan.


    However, Go masters who had carefully studied the ancient Go manuals imed that Lu Baixiang could easily defeat Wang Jiyuan if he were given two or three months to familiarize himself with the new Go style. He could easily gain himself a new disciple and have Wang Jiyuan bow in submission.


    There were many spirited debates, and everyone held their own opinions. However, no Go master as skilled as these three people appeared among the future generations, and no one was able to offer a convincing argument about who was the most profoundly skilled of the three people either. Thus, this was destined to remain an unsolved mystery that everyone continued to argue about.


    "Don''t lose to that person," Sui Youbian suddenly said.


    Lu Baixiang smiled faintly and replied, "We''ll wait and see."


    1. The initial position system (������) refers to how a game of Go starts. Using this system, two white pieces and two ck pieces are ced at set locations on the board to start the game. ?

 Chapter 384: (1): Completed Game of Go, Finished Transcribing Texts

    Lu Baixiang stood up and smiled as he looked at the handsome young boy with a red birthmark on his be. He gestured for Cui Dongshan to sit, and he replied, "In reality, it''s not important who''s learning Go from whom."


    As one of the best Go grandmasters from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Lu Baixiang had a feeling that he might y his best ever Go game today.


    Cui Dongshan sat down with one foot resting on the chair, and he even bent down to rest his chin on his knee. His posture was in stark contrast to Lu Baixiang, who was sitting in an upright manner.


    Cui Dongshan extended an arm and gently ran his finger along the side of the Go box, asking in azy voice, "You haven''t determined your rank yet, have you?"


    Lu Baixiang couldn''t help but chuckle. He hadn''t imagined that a day woulde when someone belittled his skills as a Go yer. However, his mental state wouldn''t be affected by something as trivial as this. He nodded and replied with a smile, "I''ve only just arrived here, so I indeed haven''t determined my rank yet."


    Cui Dongshan nodded and exined, "ording to the rules of the mortal world, one can first y three games with a ninth-rank Go official. During these three games, the Go official will have a handicap of three moves, two moves, and one move, respectively. Of course, victory or defeat won''t affect the final appraisal. Rather, this is more an act of guidance and benevolence. Lu Baixiang, your fortune is far greater than your skill in Go."


    What truly determined a new yer''s Go rank was naturally their games against fourth or fifth-rank yers.


    Cui Dongshan suddenly looked up and said, "You might feel like you can y your best ever Go game in a moment. However, let me tell you right now that this is a mistaken feeling. I know that you won''t ept this fact, so let me reverse the order and start with a handicap of one move first. I''ll then start with a handicap of two and three moves afterward. That way, you''ll gain a clear understanding of your own level. What do you say? As for whether we start with an empty board or pre-ced pieces, the choice is all yours."


    Lu Baixiang shook his head and said, "There''s no need for you to start with a handicap. Even if I lose, I''ll still be aware of the skill difference between us."Cui Dongshan pointed at Lu Baixiang and remarked, "I like your fearless and blind confidence. Alright then, I suppose you won''t agree to a match if I start with a handicap. That being the case, let''s start with an empty board. However, there''s no need to guess stones. I''ll let you y ck and go first."


    Lu Baixiang smiled and asked, "How manypensation points should we give white?"[1]


    Cui Dongshan retracted his smile and replied in impatience, "We''ll decide thatter."


    Lu Baixiang went along with Cui Dongshan, and the Go box beside him coincidentally held the ck pieces. Thus, he grabbed a piece and went first.


    Cui Dongshan allowed Lu Baixiang to set up a renowned formation from the <em>Iridescent Cloud Go Manual</em>. ck one, three, and five took the corners, while ck seven defended a corner and ck nine formed a diagonal. This was an imprable formation that also carried a subtle killing intent. It was as if roaring wind andshing rain were about to descend at any moment.


    Cui Dongshan was unfazed, and yed in a very normal manner. In fact, he didn''t use a single one of those techniques that future generations would regard as "never incorrect."


    Lu Baixiang was like a meditating old monk,pletely forgetting his sense of self as he immersed himself in the Go board.


    Sitting opposite him, Cui Dongshan was theplete opposite, a real chatterbox. Not only was he ying in a casual manner, but it genuinely looked like he was teaching Lu Baixiang how to y Go. "In reality, starting with pre-ced pieces is more fun. The current trend of starting with an empty board obviously has its benefits as well, in the sense that it can make the Go board feelrger.


    "However, if a person isn''t skilled enough, they''ll use up all of the impressive set formations in the early game. They''ll appear to be in a strong position with much territory, yet the middle game willpletely expose them and lead them to make incorrect move after incorrect move. It''spletely unwatchable, akin to watching an old farmer collect feces from the cesspit, wild dogs randomly biting people, and someone catching loaches from the foul-smelling gutters. That is utterly boring; it''s something that will put spectators to sleep.


    "Whenmenting on the initial position system of ancient times, people like to downy the importance of the early game. They state that things will only be interesting starting from the middle game when both sides begin to fight for territory. In reality, this is still incorrect to some degree.


    "Lu Baixiang, your intuition is quite good when ites to the shape of the Go board. But it''s only ''quite good'' and nothing else. As for your understanding of Go principles... It''s like Sui Youbian''s undergarment. To say nothing of touching it, you''ve never even seen it before, no?"


    They were just starting to enter the middle game, and the rambling Cui Dongshan had already used his hand to cover his Go box.


    Lu Baixiang looked up and asked, "What are you doing, Mr. Cui?"


    Cui Dongshan faltered and replied, "Can you not tell that you''ve already lost? It will only take another thirty moves at most."


    Then, he raised his hand and said, "Well, alright, then let''s continue."


    Lu Baixiang frowned and continued to y pieces.


    One had to admit that Lu Baixiang appeared extremely elegant and outstanding while he was ying Go. Whether he was pinching pieces with his fingers, leaning over to y pieces, or sitting upright to observe the Go board, he appeared extremely impressive and refined the entire time.


    However, it was a shame that Cui Dongshan didn''t care about this at all. In fact, Cui Dongshan barely seemed to care about the game that they were ying. He made his moves very quickly, and he would wait for Lu Baixiang in boredom after allowing his white pieces to take root on the Go board. In fact, this was probably the main reason behind his rambling. He was far too bored from waiting, so he needed to find something to upy himself with.


    "Truth be told, there''s not really a notion of advantage or disadvantage when ites to starting with pre-ced pieces or an empty board. Many Go yers are debating this point right now, and to be very blunt, this is due to their shallow and narrow understanding of Go. Moreover, there was actually meant to be an eleventh game in addition to the ten games in the iridescent clouds. As for the Go board, it wouldn''t have been an ordinary Go board of neen by neen. That would have been far too small."


    Lu Baixiang tensed up, and he paused for a long while before silently examining the state of the Go game, which wasn''t tooplicated.


    His opponent hadn''t used profoundly powerful offensive techniques, nor had he used smart exchanges or so-called demon saber techniques.


    It was as if Cui Dongshan had calmly and casually yed half a game of Go with Lu Baixiang, patiently waiting for him to concede the entire time.


    Heavy emotions weighed on Lu Baixiang''s mind as he ced two pieces on the lower right corner of the board.


    Cui Dongshan yawned and said, "Now that''s more like it. What did I tell you before? There''s no need to considerpensation points for white. Next up, should I start with a handicap of one move?"


    "Mr. Cui, how about you start with a handicap of two points?" Lu Baixiang suggested in a solemn voice.


    Cui Dongshanughed and remarked, "He who understands the situation is a wise man. Not bad, not bad, this is worthy of me providing you with guidance for a game."


    Lu Baixiang smiled bitterly and remained silent. After calming down his mind, he started to clear the Go board. Uponpleting this, he took a deep breath and started to y the second game.


    Just like before, it was clear that Cui Dongshan wasn''t ying at his full strength. Very early on in the game, he said, "None of my moves are incorrect, so I''ll naturally achieve a wless victory."


    After reaching the middle game, Lu Baixiang often needed to think for a long time before making a move.


    Cui Dongshan didn''t urge him to hurry up, but he would frequently look around and appearpletely distracted.


    After ying another piece, Lu Baixiang surprisingly took the initiative and asked, "You''re simply ying without being incorrect and nothing more?"


    "Mhm, that''s all," Cui Dongshan replied. "However, my so-called act of not being incorrect isn''t a notion for ordinary ninth-rank Go masters. You won''t understand this. This is a profound concept that''s worlds beyond the mortal realm. That being the case, how can I possibly teach it to an elementary student?"


    Lu Baixiang managed to drag this game out to the endgame stages. However, he was still forced to ce two pieces in the lower right corner and admit defeat.


    Cui Dongshan''s aura suddenly changed, and he appeared slightly excited as he suggested with a smile, "Why don''t we add a small bonus to the third round?"


    "What small bonus?" Lu Baixiang asked.


    "Master told me that the four of you were each told one sentence when you left your original world," Cui Dongshan replied with a smile. "I''m roughly aware of what they are already, but I also know that some of you definitely lied about it. It wasn''t necessarily aplete lie, more like a half-truth. Logically speaking, you, Lu Baixiang, are the most suspicious of the four people, especially since your sentence was the most useless. But these things aren''t important. If I win the third round, you simply need to tell me who you suspect of lying the most. You can say anyone you want as long as you give me a name."


    Lu Baixiang didn''t know whether tough or to cry. "If that''s the case, then is there any point at all?"


    "Of course," Cui Dongshan replied with a serious expression.


    Lu Baixiang pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "Two games are enough."


    Cui Dongshan''s face was a picture of disappointment as he said, "Your Go skills are good enough for you to be a strong ninth-rank yer in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Even though this is only equivalent to ordinary ninth-rank yers in the Middle Earth Divine Continent, it''s already quite a decent rank.


    "If you learn a few more moves and study a few more Go manuals, you might even be able to make a name for yourself in the Go world of the Middle Earth Divine Continent, a ce that''s filled with countless grandmasters. You''re not going to y even if I start with a handicap of three moves?"


    Lu Baixiang hesitated for a moment before asking in curiosity, "Mr. Cui, can your Go skills rank among the top ten in the Majestic World?"


    Cui Dongshan rolled his eyes and replied, "Go is only a minor Dao, so what does it matter even if I am one of the top ten? Some Upper Five Tier cultivators from the School of Naturalists and the School of Foretellers are incredibly skilled at Go. But so what? Aren''t they still beaten to a pulp by other cultivators at the same cultivation base?"


    There was a fervent look in Lu Baixiang''s eyes as he asked, "Dare I ask, Mr. Cui, how great is the skill difference between you and the city lord of White Emperor City?"


    Cui Dongshan pondered for a moment before replying, "There''s a Ma Lei ying ck between us."


    Lu Baixiang gradually calmed down, and he smiled and asked, "If you lose to me while ying with a handicap of three moves, then what will the consequence be?"


    Cui Dongshan pointed at the <em>Iridescent Cloud Go Manual</em> and replied, "Then I''ll eat this book."


    Lu Baixiang simply dismissed this as a joke. He couldn''t help but ask, "Then how great is the skill difference between you and Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan of the Great Li Empire?"


    Cui Dongshan shot a nce at Lu Baixiang and didn''t say anything.


    "Sorry for being disrespectful," Lu Baixiang said in apology.


    Cui Dongshan stood up and asked, "How do you feel after losing two games?"


    Lu Baixiang also stood up, and he replied in sincerity, "I learned a lot, and I feel a sense of glory even though I lost."


    Cui Dongshan bobbed his head around and said with a dismissive expression, "Do you have the right to utter that final phrase?"


    Looking at the departing Cui Dongshan...


    ...Lu Baixiang sat back down and started to review the games by himself.


    As he walked through the corridor, Cui Dongshan murmured to himself, "Wei Xian... is quite a dangerous individual..."


    However, he immediately chuckled in self-ridicule and added, "Even so, what does this matter?"


    He suddenly broke intoughter and knocked on Sui Youbian''s door, asking, "Big Sister Sui, are you inside? I''ve already finished learning Go from Lu Baixiang, so why don''t I learn sword techniques from you as well?"


    1. In the game of Go, points are added to the score of the yer with the white stones aspensation for ying second. The value of ck''s first-move advantage is generally considered to be between 5 and 7 points by the end of the game. ?


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